Zimbabwe tour of Pakistan in Trouble After Karachi Attack on Bus...

Tour on, says PCB; Zimbabwe say not yet

Zimbabwe's proposed tour of Pakistan witnessed another day of confusing signals from both sides. The PCB twice, in separate statements, asserted unambiguously that the tour was on while ZC insisted through the day that no such decision had been taken.Late-night reports from Pakistan that the Zimbabwe team was to land in Lahore on May 19 only added to the sense of confusion. They also revealed the importance of this visit for Pakistan, where no Full Member has toured since the attack on the Sri Lankan team in March 2009.The PCB issued a statement at 9-30 pm local time, quoting its chairmanShaharyar Khan welcoming what he referred to as Zimbabwe Cricket's decision to undertake the tour of Pakistan from next week. "After last evening's unsettling news that Zimbabwe Cricket had 'postponed' its visit to Pakistan, I received a call from my Zimbabwean counterpart William Manase and he most kindly informed me that his Board was still willing and ready to send their team to Pakistan," Shaharyar's statement said."This evening we were informed that Zimbabwe Cricket had decided to stick to its plans of sending their team to Pakistan. We welcome this affirmative response, and assure Zimbabwe Cricket again that [of] the best possible security," the statement said.The press release followed statements made by Shaharyar to reporters in Lahore in the afternoon. He said he had had verbal communication from Manase, the ZC chairman, confirming the visit. "Manase called me three times to reaffirm that Zimbabwe would be touring Pakistan as per schedule," Shahrayar was quoted as saying.The PCB's COO, Subhan Ahmed, said preparations for the tour were in full swing. "This morning we had a meeting of the organizing committee to tie all the loose ends. The ticket sales shall commence from tomorrow. From the inquiries and feedback that we are getting, people are really eager to come and watch the revival of international cricket in Pakistan."The statements and the mood they conveyed were in direct contradiction to the sense prevailing within ZC, whose website contained a press release quoting CEO Wilfred Mukondiwa that no decision to tour had been made. "There are consultations going on at the moment with relevant authorities. We do not have a final position as yet," Mukondiwa said.Friday's confusion echoed developments on Thursday, when ZC issued a press release saying they were suspending the tour to Pakistan on the advice of the country's Sports and Recreation Committee, who, after consulting the Foreign Affairs Ministry, deemed it "unsafe" to travel to Pakistan. The SRC is the organisation which has to okay all national team tours and without their permission, ZC could not send a team.Less than 30 minutes after that release, ZC's communications manager Lovemore Banda sent a second email retracting the statement and explained that discussions were still "ongoing." Late on Thursday afternoon, Banda confirmed that meetings were still taking place. The situation remained the same on Friday afternoon, with ZC involved in consultation all day and no resolution reached.Zimbabwe named a squad of 16 players, including one new cap, to travel to Pakistan. Although some players were wary of visiting Pakistan, they all remained available for selection despite the international player body FICA advising them not to go. FICA's own security report called the risks of touring Pakistan "unmanageable."However, ZC were satisfied with arrangements made for their safety after an advance party, including managing director of cricket Alistair Campbell, visited Pakistan last week. The group were given a tour of the stadium and facilities as well as a thorough explanation of the security plan put in place to protect Zimbabwe's cricketers. Campbell told journalists in Pakistan he was "very excited," about his country being the first Test-playing nation to re-open the door to Pakistan, and hoped it would help bring cricket back to the country.That trip came before a terrorist attack on a bus in Karachi on Wednesday, which killed over 40 people and brought concerns over visiting Pakistan back into the spotlight, even though Zimbabwe's tour schedule is exclusively confined to Lahore. If the series goes ahead, it could be officiated by PCB-appointed match officials in the event that ICC officials do not travel to Pakistan. The ICC is still awaiting confirmation of the series from both boards before it can take a call over security for its officials.

While police widened the scope of investigation into Wednesday’s brutal attack on a bus carrying Shia Ismailis, Sindh Rangers claimed to have arrested 145 suspects in targeted operations in the city.A spokesperson for the paramilitary force said on Thursday that the raids had been conducted in Sohrab Goth, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Orangi Town and other areas and those held included alleged target killers and members of banned outfits.

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Sohail, Yasir handed central contracts

Fast bowler Sohail Khan and legpspinner Yasir Shah have been awarded central contracts in category D by the PCB till March 31, while senior batsman Younis Khan has been retained in category A.

As the terms of the previous contract, awarded to 31 players in June last year, expired on December 31, the PCB decided to extend the players' central contracts by three more months, till the end of the World Cup.

Younis had been originally downgraded to a category B contract last year but was promoted to A a few days later. In September, he was dropped for the ODI series against Australia in the UAE, raising questions over the future of his international career, with the batsman himself lashing out at the PCB. However, Younis batted himself back into form and World Cup contention with a stellar performance in the Tests against Australia and New Zealand, scoring four hundreds - including a double-century - and a fifty in five matches.

Sohail was one of the surprise inclusions in Pakistan's 15-man squad for the World Cup, having not played for the country since 2011. He, however, was given a spot in the team on the back of a strong domestic season in which he ended as the leading wicket-taker in the Quaid-e-Azam Gold League, with 64 scalps at an average of 22. Yasir's inclusion in the squad also raised eyebrows as it meant Pakistan would be travelling without a specialist offspinner, but Moin defended the pick as a "pure cricketing decision", calling Yasir a "wicket-taking bowler and a good prospect."

The central contracts for 2015 will be awarded from April 1.

Category A: Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Junaid Khan

Category B: Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul

Category C: Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Adnan Akmal, Khurram Manzoor, Nasir Jamshed, Abdur Rehman

Category D: Sohaib Maqsood, Sarfraz Ahmed, Bilawal Bhatti, Sharjeel Khan, Zulfiqar Babar, Fawad Alam, Ehsan Adil, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Raza Hasan, Umar Amin, Haris Sohail, Rahat Ali, Shaan Masood, Mohammad Talha, Anwar Ali, Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan

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I'm fit and hungry' - Younis

Younis Khan has said that he will continue to play as long as he is fit and is able to sustain his hunger for the game. The 37-year old Younis, who made a comeback to the one-day side after being dropped last September, also ruled out focusing on only Tests to prolong his career.

"I don't have such thing to just play Test matches. My body is in front of you, I don't get stiffness in my body. Whenever I will feel that my body is not allowing me to play I will go and retire," Younis said in Lahore. "I have some plans and I hope I succeed in them. I don't get this life back and it makes you happy when your national anthem is played in other countries. I am a proud Pakistani and will try to serve my country. I will continue to play as long as I am fit."

Younis also did not feel any need to move down the order for the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand conditions. Nearly half of Younis' ODI career has been spent in the No. 3 position and that was where he wanted to continue, he said.

"I have been playing at No. 3 since 2004. I have no such thinking that there will be two new balls in Australia and [that I should] bat down the order. I will be very happy to bat at this position, like Imran Khan used to in 1992. I will be very happy if I repeat that and score runs for the team at No. 3."

While acknowledging that conditions would be different during the World Cup, Younis felt Pakistan had as good a chance as teams such as Australia and South Africa. "In the subcontinent, the pitches are skiddy and subcontinent teams do struggle when they play outside their own territory. But other teams like South Africa, England and Australia play well there. [But] with the new rule where five fielders are inside the circle, I think it will be good for us. I think Pakistan team has chances equal to Australia and South Africa's to win the World Cup."

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PCB asks ICC for date to test Ajmal

The Pakistan Cricket Board has asked the ICC for a date for the official testing of Saeed Ajmal's reworked action. Ajmal underwent his third unofficial test at Loughborough University on December 1 after which the PCB applied for a reassessment of his reworked action in order to have him available for the World Cup.

Ajmal had undergone two unofficial tests in November and his offspinner and faster balls werefound legal, but his doosra was still over the 15-degree limit.

It is understood that Ajmal looked confident and ready for the official test after the rehabilitation phases and wanted to be tested officially with the ICC's independent biomechanics expert. He was earlier supposed to play domestic cricket in Pakistan but preferred to go through the test to get his name cleared.

Pakistan had already named their preliminary squad of 30 players, including Ajmal, for the 2015 World Cup. The final 15-man squad is expected to be named in the second week of January and PCB wants to push for Ajmal's inclusion by getting his name cleared by the ICC.

Ajmal was suspended from bowling in September after his action was deemed to be illegal for all deliveries. Ajmal's elbow extension was going up to 42 degrees on average in the official tests conducted which led to his suspension.

He has been undergoing extensive remedial work on his action for the last two months with former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq. The first phase of the rehabilitation was carried out at the PCB's National Cricket Academy in Lahore and Ajmal was then sent to the facility of biomechanics laboratory at Loughborough.

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Play abandoned after Hughes death Match extended by a day

The second day's play of the third Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Sharjah has been suspended following the death of Australia batsman Phillip Hughes in Sydney because of a head injury. An extra day has been added to the Test which will resume from Friday.

Both teams decided not to take the field after the news of Hughes' death arrived an hour-and-a-half before the start of the second day. Play was suspended for an hour as the team managements discussed the course of action before finally deciding to call off the day.

"The whole team is shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Phil Hughes," Moin Khan, the Pakistan team manager, said. "He was here for the Australia limited-overs squad and was very cheerful. He was always ready to talk about cricket."

Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, also expressed sadness on behalf of the New Zealand team and said the mood in the dressing room was "sombre".

"Today isn't about cricket, it's about Phil," Hesson said. "Like the rest of the cricketing family, the Blackcaps players and management are devastated to hear about Phil's tragic passing."

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Phillip Hughes has dies aged 25

Phillip Hughes has died as a result of the injuries he sustained when struck by a bouncer on Tuesday, Cricket Australia has confirmed. He was 25.

Team doctor Peter Brukner confirmed the news in a statement released on Thursday afternoon.

"It is my sad duty to inform you that a short time ago Phillip Hughes passed away," Dr Brukner said. "He never regained consciousness following his injury on Tuesday. He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends.

"As a cricket community we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillip's family and friends at this incredibly sad time. Cricket Australia kindly asks that the privacy of the Hughes family, players and staff be respected."

Players, coaches and other friends had been in and out of St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney throughout Wednesday and Thursday, visiting Hughes and supporting his family, and each other. Australia's captain Michael Clarke, a close friend of Hughes', had been at the hospital until after midnight on Wednesday night and returned at about 6am on Thursday.

Brad Haddin, Steven Smith, Shane Watson, David Warner, Nathan Lyon, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Starc and Daniel Smith all spent time at the hospital, as did Ricky Ponting, Simon Katich, Phil Jaques and Brett Lee. Some flew in from interstate, including Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade, Peter Siddle, Peter Forrest, George Bailey, Ed Cowan, Justin Langer, and Cricket Australia's CEO James Sutherland and high performance manager Pat Howard. The national coach Darren Lehmann was there as well.

Also keeping vigil at the hospital were the Hughes family, including his mother and sister, who had been at the Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales on Tuesday when Hughes was struck by the bouncer while batting on 63. At a press conference at St Vincent's Hospital on Thursday afternoon, Clarke read a statement on behalf of Hughes' parents Greg and Virginia, and brother and sister Jason and Megan.

"We are devastated by the loss of our much-loved son and brother Phillip," Clarke read. "It has been a very difficult few days. We appreciated all the support we have received from family, friends, players, Cricket Australia and the general public.

"Cricket was Phillip's life, and we as a family shared that love of the game with him. We would like to thank all the medical and nursing staff at St Vincent's Hospital and Cricket NSW medical staff for their great efforts with Phillip. We love you."

James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia CEO, said that Hughes was an incredibly talented and dearly loved member of the Australia, South Australia, Adelaide Strikers and formerly New South Wales sides. He described Hughes as "a rising star whose best cricket was still ahead of him".

"But was Phillip as a person that we will miss most," Sutherland said. "He was a classic example of his country upbringing - humble, understated and hard working. When the chips were down or he had a setback he simply got on with the job and worked harder. He set a wonderful example to any young person seeking to make their way in life.

"The word tragedy gets used far too often in sport but this freak accident is now a real-life tragedy. Just shy of his 26th birthday, Phillip has been taken from us far too young. It's an understatement to say that we are completely devastated. Our grief runs deep and the impact of Phillip's loss is enormous but nothing compares to the loss felt by those closest to him.

"Phillip was a cherished son, brother, friend and team-mate. In these darkest of hours cricket puts its collective arms around the Hughes family. To his parents Virginia and Greg and siblings Megan and Jason we offer our love and endless support."

On Tuesday, Hughes was playing for South Australia against his former state New South Wales when he missed his attempted hook and the ball struck him on the neck below the helmet. He underwent surgery on Tuesday after being rushed to hospital from the SCG, and was then in an induced coma.

Hughes played 26 Tests for Australia and scored three centuries, and he appeared a strong chance to win a recall for next week's first Test against India at the Gabba, with Clarke expected to be ruled out due to injury. Hughes first emerged as an international cricketer on the 2009 tour of South Africa, where at the age of 20 in Durban he became the youngest man ever to score two centuries in a Test.

He scored 26 first-class centuries and was a prolific scorer for New South Wales, for whom he had debuted at the age of 18, and later for South Australia. Hughes had been part of Australia's most recent Test squad, for the series against Pakistan in the UAE, but he was not called on to play a Test in that series

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