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Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq on Tuesday offered to talk to players considering a boycott of Septembers Champions Trophy saying he would help to allay their security concerns and the International Cricket Council ICC announced last week that the tournament would stay in Pakistan prompting fears of a boycott by non-Asian countries which opposed the decision. If a player has any concern I am happy to talk to them Inzamam who retired from international cricket last year told reporters as someone who has played at the highest level I would never advise cricketers to put their lives or careers at stake. But I firmly believe Pakistan is a safe place to play cricket and the players should trust the ICC the PCB Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan government he said. Defending champions Australia along with New Zealand and England, have expressed doubts over security arrangements for the September 11-28 tournament with players associations urging a boycott but Inzamam said any pull-out would be damaging not just for Pakistan but also for world cricket. The players have to understand and realise that if they pull out it will not help the cause of cricket, it may devalue an important tournament and stop the development process in Pakistan he said. Pakistan is a sport loving country and by pulling out they will be denying the opportunity to millions of local supporters who want to see them in action said Inzamam, who played 120 Tests and 378 one-dayers for Pakistan. Inzamam hailed the ICC`s decision and said outside perceptions of Pakistan formed by news reports of bombings and Islamic militant violence could be deceptive. There are always two sides to the picture and I think the players need to see the other side of the picture to get to the bottom of the reasons for these acts of violence. They are not attempted or targeted at cricketers he said. In the past domestic competitions have been played during those tough times and never has a cricketer or a sportsman been affected by them. He added that the ICC has shown great support for Pakistan and has proved they did not want to isolate a country which has been deprived of some valuable cricket in recent past. The ICC has appointed a task force to ensure that Pakistan implements a full security plan for the biennial event regarded as cricket`s second major tournament after the World Cup. Former Pakistan leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed said he was ready to offer advice to any international waverers. A player understands another player`s language so I am ready to convince players from England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa that it is safe to play cricket in Pakistan. No one is going to target cricket said Mushtaq and I think the whole world is quite unsafe compared to maybe seven years ago. But that doesn`t mean that we should stop our routine lives the show must go on and it is the responsibility of everyone to beat terrorism he added.

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Love cricket Champions Trophy, Inzamam ul Haq, Players, Security

The Indians may not have dazzled much in their only practice match ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka which ended in a tame draw but coach Gary Kirsten on Sunday said he was satisfied with his players performance. I am happy that we were able to warm up before the 1^st Test. We wanted to spend as mush time as possible in the field Kirsten said after the match on Sunday and after labouring to a 196 for eight declared in reply to Sri Lanka Board XIs 224 all out in the first innings, the Indians needed 276 to win the match following the local side 247 for six declared in the second innings. The Indians ended the match 129 to for 2. Kirsten defended Anil Kumble`s decision of not bowling in the second innings. The Indian captain was taking care of his fitness said Kirsten when asked why the Indian captain did not roll his arm over in the second essay of the match and Sachin Tendulkar who made 69 in the first innings, did not bat in the second innings as Sourav Ganguly was promoted to the number four position. Kirsten said Tendulkar did not to come out to bat as he has had enough practice in the first essay. He spent enough time at the crease during the first innings.

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Love cricket gary-kirsten, indians, Players

Drained after playing three matches in four days time in the ongoing Asia Cup Team India choose to visit a public water resort close to the city to unwind themselves and however the surprising fact was the choice of the resort by the Indian cricketers as the Dreamworld Resort famous for its beautiful water slides is generally jam packed on Sundays. According to eye witness accounts as soon as the news spread that Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men were in the resort people started clamoring near the water slides to get a glimpse of the stars and seek autographs and pictures. One can`t understand why they chose this resort to relax and unwind. People are not going to leave them alone for sure an eye witness observed and the Indian players were escorted to the resort some 30 km from the city centre here under a heavy police guard with five security cars and a pilot. The decision by the Indians to take a day off was not unexpected after captain Dhoni had made the point last night that very tight schedule and the players were very tired after spending 36 hours on the field and according to sources the Indians were also made an offer to go to Arabian Country Club, a private and exclusive golf club outside Karachi which they have visited in the past on previous tours. Probably they went to the Dreamworld Resort because of its excellent water slides and pools which are not available at the private club.

Popularity: 7% [?]

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Full name
Shane Keith Warne

Born
September 13, 1969, Ferntree Gully, Victoria

Major teams
Australia, Hampshire, ICC World XI, Victoria

Nickname
Warney

Playing role
Bowler

Batting style
Right-hand bat

Test debut :Australia v India at Sydney - Jan 2-6, 1992

Last Test :Australia v England at Melbourne - Dec 26-28, 2006

First-class span :1990/91 - 2006/07

List A span :1991/92 – 2006

Twenty20 span :2004 – 2005

Shane Warne profile:
At first there were nerves and chubbiness. Then came wild soaring legbreaks, followed by fame and flippers. For a long while there were women, then a bookmaker, then diet pills, then more women - and headlines, always headlines. Now he has come out the other end, his bluff and bluster and mischief and innocence somehow intact. The man who in 2000 was rated among the five greatest cricketers of the 20th century was, in 2005, bowling better than ever. When Warne likened his life to a soap opera he was selling himself short. His story is part fairytale, part pantomime, part hospital drama, part adult’s-only romp, part glittering awards ceremony. He has taken a Test hat-trick, won the Man-of-the-Match prize in a World Cup final and been the subject of seven books. He was the first cricketer to reach 650 Test wickets. He has swatted more runs than any other Test player without making a hundred, and is probably the wiliest captain Australia never had. His ball that gazoodled Mike Gatting in 1993, bouncing outside leg stump and cuffing off, is unanimously esteemed the most famous in history. He revived legspin, thought to be extinct, and is now pre-eminent in a game so transformed that we sometimes wonder where the next champion fast bowlers will come from. For all that, Warne’s greatest feats are perhaps those of the last couple of years. Returning from a 12-month hiatus for swallowing forbidden diuretics, he swept aside 26 Sri Lankan batsmen in three Tests, and the following year scalped a world record 96 victims - a stunning 24 more than in his show-stopping 1993 - and still missed out on the Allan Border Medal. Forty of those were Englishmen in what sometimes appeared to be a lone stand in a thrilling Ashes series. Nowadays he is helped by his stockpile of straight balls: a zooter, slider, toppie and back-spinner, one that drifts in, one that slopes out, and another that doesn’t budge. Yet he seldom gets his wrong’un right and rarely lands his flipper. More than ever he relies on his two oldest friends: excruciating accuracy and an exquisite legbreak. Except that he now controls the degree of spin - and mixes it - at will. Like the great classical painters, he has stumbled upon the art of simplicity. His bowling has never been simpler, nor more effective, nor lovelier to look at.
Maybe, as with Posh Spice or Kylie Minogue, Warne is more famous than he is loved. Maybe we don’t fully appreciate his genius; maybe, like Bradman’s, it will become ever more apparent with the passing of decades. One thing’s for sure, though. We’ll weep when he’s gone.

Popularity: 5% [?]

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