He may be the most influential man in Pakistan, but even Pervez Musharraf needs to buy a ticket to watch the cricket. According to the Times of India, he paid Rs 4500 (Rs 1500 per ticket) to watch the one-day international at Rawalpindi along with his family. The newspaper quoted Shahryar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, as saying: “He is patron-in-chief of the PCB and doesn’t need tickets to watch matches. But he overruled the PCB request and paid for himself and his family.”* * *The News, a Pakistan daily, reports that about 1000 Indian fans will walk across the border in hte next few days to watch the one-dayers over the weekend. “About 500 Indian spectators will cross the Wagah border on foot on Friday,” said Alamzeb Khan, a border-force officer for the Sutlej Rangers. “They are coming to witness the one-day international matches here.” An similar number are expected to come in before the last two ODIs in Lahore, on March 21 and 24.* * *Sourav Ganguly’s request to extend the boundary ropes was allowed at Rawalpindi, but he wasn’t quite as successful at Peshawar. Tariq Rana, the head curator of the Arbab Niaz Stadium, confirmed that Ganguly had made a similar request here: “Ganguly insisted that since the boundary on either side of the squares was at 75 yards and the boundary ropes in front of the wickets were just 70 to 71 yards, they should also be extended by five to six yards,” Tariq said, according to . “His argument was that if the boundary rope was extended it would allow the batsmen to run for longer periods.” The request was turned down, though, as the curator felt that would leave very little space between the ropes and the fencing, increasing the possibilities of injuries to fielders.* * *In his column in the Asian Age, Rajan Bala suggests that the Indians should gamble on playing an extra spinner to curb the free-stroking Pakistani batsmen. The Indian bowlers were tonked around in the first two ODIs, and were struck a further blow with the injury to Ashish Nehra, but Bala sees this as an opportunity to innovate. “It is in crisis situations like this, when there is a shortage of quality and penetrative bowlers, that one must be innovative,” he writes. “It is all about pulling off a bluff or two.” Bala recalled the 1992 World Cup, when Martin Crowe experimented with Dipak Patel’s offspinners at the start of the innings. “This is not to suggest that either Ramesh Powar or [Murali] Kartik be given the new ball. But if Ganguly took the chance he might flummox a batsman like [Shahid] Afridi who is capable of much indiscretion.”

Saleem Malik, the former Pakistan captain, believes that he was made a scapegoat in the match-fixing scandal, which ruined his career.Malik, currently in Mumbai for fund-raising purposes, went on to name a few cricketers who had been cleared in the match-fixing affair. An ANI report quoted him as saying, “Ata-ur Rehman’s ban is off. Herschelle Gibbs and Shane Warne are still playing, but I am stuck. Other Pakistani players whose names appeared in the investigations were fined and let off. Only I was punished. I guess they wanted a scapegoat, and who better than me? In India, the board thought Azharuddin would be the ideal person to ban because he was nearing the end of his career, and here in Pakistan I was coming towards the end of my career. So, Azhar and I were made the scapegoats.”Malik felt that players from the subcontinent were at the receiving end of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit. “England lost to Zimbabwe in the early 90s. West Indies were bowled out for 54 against England recently. But no one ever says those matches were fixed. The ICC continues to scrutinise only games where teams from the subcontinent are involved.”Accusing the ICC of bias, he said, “It’s because of the colour of our skin. If we were white, there wouldn’t be so much scrutiny. Shane Warne is still playing, as is Herschelle Gibbs.”When asked about his appeal to the Supreme Court to lift the life-ban imposed by the Justice Malik Qayyum committee, Malik said, “What can I say? The court is not willing to give any date for a hearing. To be honest I have given up all hope that I would ever be cleared of this allegation.”He spoke about his plight and fading hopes of detaching the stigma from his name. “As it is, what damage had to be done has been done to me and my family. I have suffered a lot … The matchfixing allegations completely destroyed me and I could not perform in the middle after that at all. In the middle of the 1999 World Cup I had to attend court hearings. It was humiliation of the worst kind. I was harassed, shot, slapped, slaughtered in public by my board, the ICC and also the media.”Malik also denied rumours about him wanting to migrate to some other country after being banned for life. “Where will I go from here? This is my country and this is the only place where they are people who still believe I am innocent and support me.”

In a surprise move the Pakistan Cricket Board has nominated Mohammad Sami as their representative in the official launch of the ICC Champions Trophy. Every country is required to send one member and the place usually goes to the captain or a senior player. Pakistan, however, have chosen Sami, who is just 22 years old, ahead of senior players like Saqlain Mushtaq and Shoaib Akhtar who are currently playing cricket in England, and could easily have attended the launch at Lord’s even if Inzamam-ul-Haq was unavailable.The News of Karachi has reported that this decision was taken because it was unclear if Shoaib would be in England at the time the request came from the ICC. The report adds that Saqlain was not considered as he is not a permanent member of the Pakistan team at present.Sami is currently playing for Kent in the English domestic competition and, despite having only moderate success in the recent series against India, is believed to be an integral part of Pakistan’s plans for the future. The opportunity to represent Pakistan in this prestigious event – where the players and administrators will pose for an official photograph – only furthers this belief.

ScorecardDay 1
Bulletin – Key and Strauss in perfect harmony
Verdict – Key turns the corner
Day 2
Bulletin – England stay in command despite collapse
Verdict – West Indies rue their luck

The officials of the Pakistan board have been summoned on July 19 by the Senate Standing Committee on Sports, Culture and Women Affairs for another round of hearing. quoted Zafar Iqbal Chaudhry, the chairman of the committee, as saying that Shaharyar Khan, the PCB chairman, Rameez Raja, the chief executive, and the chief selector Wasim Bari have been asked to attend the meeting in Islamabad. “We will also be asking Javed Miandad and Inzamam-ul-Haq to appear before the committee.”This meeting will be a follow up on the one held earlier this year, on May 29, when Shaharyar and Rameez were questioned on matters relating to the functioning of the PCB, and were also grilled for Pakistan’s defeat to India at home.At that time, Enver Baig – one of the senators of the committee – was quoted in as saying, “Shaharyar Khan has promised that in three months time constitutional amendments would be made. The [senate] committee also told him categorically that he will not bulldoze any amendments in the constitution and he will place all the intended amendments before a general body meeting and only implement and incorporate them if they are approved by the general body.”Baig had also expressed his disappointment over Rameez taking up commentary assignments, and occupying a senior position in a bank despite holding a full-time job with the board.This month’s meeting is being convened following a requisition made by senators Enver Baig, Sayed Murad Ali Shah and Dr Kauser Firdaus.

After a year in which his role has been the subject of intense scrutiny and criticism, it is perhaps not that surprising that Rameez Raja has resigned as chief executive of the Pakistan board. The timing of his departure, however, will raise some eyebrows.During the Multan Test against India, Rameez had indicated, while talking to Wisden Cricinfo, that the series would be his last as chief executive. Back then, he cited the increasing number of commentary offers he was turning down as a reason. A couple of months later, still in charge and reiterating his desire to continue, Rameez spoke to Wisden Cricinfo at the press conference announcing Bob Woolmer’s appointment, and spoke of the tasks he felt had been left unfinished as his reason for not resigning. Prime among them was the restructuring of the domestic game. Now, a couple of months on, he leaves, and like the sequence of events highlighted above, you are left not quite sure what to make of it all.It is an ambiguity that has plagued Rameez. As an elegant opening batsman burdened with comparisons to the other stylist Majid Khan, many felt Rameez never did justice to his talent. But many also wondered whether his ordinary record – two centuries in 57 Tests, and a liking for flicking, often uppishly, between midwicket and square leg and an average in the low 30s – was a true indicator to the extent of his talent.Similarly, his tenure as chief executive evoked mixed reactions, albeit more virulently divisive, and he had as many critics as he did admirers. When he took up the post in May 2003, he was considered the best man for the job. He was suave, or as suave as modern-day cricketers can be, an MBA graduate, articulate and, importantly, he had been involved in the PCB development wing for some time, helping set up the national academy. And as a public face of Pakistan cricket internationally, there were far worse options.His marketing background helped – an organisation as backward and staid as the PCB was crying out for someone with his drive and get-up-and-go. And to his credit, he made a go of it. It was at his insistence that the PCB ever considered making the domestic game a more marketable product, and one, which can eventually generate its own funds to sustain itself. His almost zealous desire to sideline departments from the domestic game altogether may have been unrealistic and unnecessary, but the pursuit of financially reinvigorating regional cricket through franchising remains, at the very least, a noble one.His handling of the potentially tricky negotiations for the India series was also commendable for its level-headed flexibility and compromise. He oversaw one of the most important series Pakistan have played in recent times, not only because of the political implications, but also for the financial boost it provided at a time when the board had been crippled by a spate of cancelled tours.But there was always something about Rameez, something intangible that elicited near-hatred among some in the media, and a gentle distrust among others. Maybe it was that he was just too smooth, too much the slick salesman. He spoke so openly and with such confidence that, in a country like Pakistan where confidence is often the first sign of guilt, to many it felt as if he was constantly hiding something. He was always accessible to the media and, conversely perhaps, this worked against him. Additionally, there were constant murmurings of his political manipulation, the lack of transparency in his business dealings and financial misconduct.Above all, and justifiably so, it was because he continued to pursue his dual role as a freelance commentator and chief executive. Being head of an organisation – any organisation – and not being at work for days on end because of alternative work commitments is bad enough. If the two commitments weren’t so closely linked, then and only then with some difficulty, could attempts at justification been made. But given that his bread and butter was to provide neutral comments on the product – Team Pakistan – that he himself was heading, it was indefensible. And if Aamir Sohail was so roundly ridiculed for deigning to be chief selector and commenting publicly on the team he had picked, then Rameez’s continuing dual role was scarcely less creditable.However, he is confident that he has left Pakistan cricket in a better state, in little over a year. He was instrumental in obtaining the services of Woolmer, and for this, the hope is that Pakistan will eventually be grateful. He instigated the push to professionalise the domestic game in Pakistan, but to his discredit, he will not be around to oversee its completion. In fact, given that it is almost the norm here, as a successor, to dismantle all the policies of your predecessor, it is likely that the domestic game will undergo another overhaul. But at least his departure will finally pave the way for a full-time, paid professional to take up such a crucial position. Like the man himself it seems, his legacy will be difficult to assess.

Bangladesh have brought back Mashrafe Mortaza and Talha Jubair into their 13-man squad for the forthcoming two-Test series against India. Habibul Bashar has been retained as captain but Alok Kapali has been dropped after some weak performances against New Zealand.Mortaza last played a Test in November 2003, when he took 4 for 83 against England, before being ruled out by a knee injury. He has since recovered completely, and has been impressive in domestic games this season. Jubair’s inclusion was more surprising as he hasn’t made much of an impact since returning from a back injury. However, Faruque Ahmed, Bangladesh’s chief selector, indicated the reasoning behind the move: “We have considered our opponents’ strengths and the condition of the pitch. We thought pacers could be more effective than the spinners against the Indian batting line-up,” he told the , a Bangladesh newspaper. “We have also asked for a hard and bouncy track which also influenced our decision to keep three quick bowlers. Talha is a good Test bowler and we believe he can be effective in this series.”Faruque cautioned, though, that the team management was anxious to avoid more injuries to those two bowlers: “We don’t want to see another prolonged injury absence of these two. We are very careful about them.” If Bangladesh decide to play only two seamers, Mortaza and Tapash Baisya, then Mohammad Rafique and Manjural Islam Rana, the left-arm spinners, will both get an opportunity.The selectors also decided to name Khaled Mashud as Bashar’s deputy. Mashud, the wicketkeeper, had been removed from captaincy after Bangladesh’s disastrous 2003 World Cup, but has won back the selectors’ favour after impressive displays of late. Talking about the decision, Reazuddin Al Mamun, the chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s media committee, said: “The board had removed him as captain after the World Cup and he had some disciplinary problems at that time. But we are not rigid. We have observed Mashud and he seems to have overcome his negative traits. We also considered his bright performances in recent time.”There was also a rap on the knuckles for Rajin Saleh, the previous vice-captain. “We had high expectations regarding Rajin’s leadership quality but unfortunately he failed to deliver,” Faruque explained. Saleh retains his place in the squad, though.The first Test starts at Dhaka on Thursday.Squad Nafis Iqbal, Javed Omar, Habibul Bashar (capt), Mohammad Ashraful, Rajin Saleh, Aftab Ahmed, Mushfiqur Rahman, Khaled Mashud (wk), Mohammad Rafique, Tapash Baisya, Mashrafe Mortaza, Talha Jubair, Manjural Islam Rana.

Australia have picked the same 12-man squad that comprehensively beat New Zealand at the Gabba for the conclusion of the Trans-Tasman Test series, starting at Adelaide on Friday. The Australians, who arrived in Adelaide this afternoon, need only to draw the Test to retain the trophy after thrashing their rivals by an innings and 156 runs on Sunday.John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, said his side would look at the pitch before considering any changes but James Franklin, the left-arm bowler who missed the first Test with a groin strain, is expected to return after completing a training session today. Kyle Mills would be the man to make way after Bracewell was impressed by the form of Chris Martin, who took 5 for 152.Australia 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Damien Martyn, 5 Darren Lehmann, 6 Michael Clarke, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Jason Gillespie, 10 Michael Kasprowicz, 11 Glenn McGrath, 12 Brett Lee.

David Hussey, the Australia A batsman, was a stunning omission from Victoria’s Pura Cup side for the match against South Australia at the MCG on Friday. In a month where Hussey has scored 128 and 5 against West Indies and 45 and 50 against Pakistan in tour matches, his state has dropped him as they look for answers following a heavy loss to Western Australia last week.Greg Shipperd, the coach, said Hussey’s lack of runs – he has 257 at 23.36 in six Pura Cup games – forced the change. “David’s record – and I’m sure he’d be the first to admit it – in the four-day version of the game this season is nowhere near what he is capable of,” he said. “He needs to go back to the drawing board and make sure that he tightens up his game a little bit.”Hussey will be replaced by Nick Jewell, who has performed strongly in 2nd XI and club matches, while Shane Harwood returns for Allan Wise and will play his first game since breaking his cheekbone in December. “Our team performance indicates our batting’s going astray and a change needs to be made,” Shipperd said. “We’ve had some players putting pressure on from behind the scenes for a little while now.”Mark Cosgrove, who has scored a miserable 233 runs at 18.58 this season, has been dumped from the South Australia squad. Last season Cosgrove, nicknamed `Baby Boof’ for his heavy likeness to Darren Lehmann, was a glowing find for the Redbacks, but his second summer has been a disaster. Daniel Harris, the 25-year-old batsman, has been recalled after two years away from the side and 772 grade runs at 51.47, including three hundreds in his past three innings.The match will decide the second-year holder of the David Hookes Memorial Trophy, which is determined by points from the four Victoria and South Australia Pura and ING Cup games. Victoria currently leads with nine points to South Australia’s six.South Australia Graham Manou (capt, wk), Daniel Harris, Paul Rofe, Ryan Harris, Nathan Adcock, Trent Kelly, Greg Blewett, Tom Plant, Daniel Cullen, Shaun Tait, Callum Ferguson, Luke Williams.Victoria Cameron White (capt), Matthew Elliott, Jason Arnberger, Brad Hodge, Jon Moss, Nick Jewell, Ian Harvey, Graeme Rummans, Peter Roach (wk), Shane Warne, Mick Lewis, Shane Harwood.