Decision to ban players got clearance from Zardari

Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board's stringent disciplinary action against erring players, including indefinite bans on former captains M Yousuf and Younus Khan, was backed by the President and PCB chief patron Asif Ali Zardari.

Well-placed sources told PTI that the PCB had kept Zardari and the sports ministry aware of the recommendations made by the inquiry committee, which probed the team's poor performance in Australia.

"The board moved against the seven players after getting approval from the top," one source said.

The PCB said it had placed an indefinite ban on Yousuf and Younus as their infighting had a bad influence on the team.

The Board also announced a 12-month ban on Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved and fines of Rs3 million each on Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal and Rs two million on Umar Akmal. The board had also placed Shahid and Kamran under a six-month probation.

One source said during the hearing of the inquiry committee and after speaking to the coach, manager, captain and other players and even the support staff, it became clear that some players had their own law in the team.

"After speaking to the players and officials and looking into the reports of the team management it became clear to the inquiry committee that some players were putting their personal egos and interests above team and national interest," one source said.

The source said the strict action against Yousuf and Younus was taken because both were found guilty of trying to settle personal scores with other players during the tours to Abu Dhabi, New Zealand and Australia.

"They didn't behave like senior players and captains. They unnecessarily dropped players who they had scores to settle with and it affected team morale and performances," the source said.

The source said that during the course of the inquiry it also emerged that a particular group of players including Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal had forced some others to take an oath on the holy book during the Champions trophy in South Africa last year that they would not support Younus Khan as captain.

"One thing was clear that there were clear groupings in the team and that Shoaib Malik emerged as one of the main characters in this whole drama of intrigue and infighting," one source said.

"The committee found that Malik was responsible for not only instigating other players not to cooperate with the team management but also kept on encouraging groupings and running down players who just wanted to concentrate on their cricket and not be part of the groupings," the source disclosed.

He said that the issue of senior players refusing to play at the number three position in New Zealand and Australia was also discussed threadbare at the inquiry committee hearings.

"It was found that instead of setting an example for other players and supporting the captain some players kept on refusing to play at the number three spot causing rift in the team.

" Another source said that the coach and manager had made it clear to the inquiry committee that this was the right time to take disciplinary action against the players to root out the culture of groupism within the team.

"Since the team had lost badly in Australia and public and media sentiments were against the players the board felt this was the right time move ahead with some hard decisions." - Agencies

Australia face Germany in World Cup final

NEW DELHI: Australia defeated the Netherlands 2-1 on Thursday to qualify for a third successive final against defending champions Germany in the men's field hockey World Cup.

The Kookaburras recorded their 10th win in a row over the Dutch in major competitions to set up Saturday's title clash between the top two teams in the sport.

Luke Doerner and Glenn Turner scored once in each half, before Taeke Taekema converted a penalty stroke 12 minutes from the end to narrow the margin.

Doerner and Taekema, the two leading penalty corner specialists, head the goal-scorers list in the tournament with seven goals apiece.

Germany won the last two World Cup finals against Australia in 2002 and 2006, before adding the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

The Germans, hoping to become the first team in history to bag a hat-trick of titles, outclassed England 4-1 in the other semi-final to avenge their defeat in the European Cup final last year.

Germany took a 2-0 lead by the 11th minute as Jan-Marco Montag converted a penalty corner and Oliver Korn deflected in a pass from the right.

England, playing their first World Cup semi-final since 1986, made it 1-2 in the 19th minute with their lone penalty corner of the match when Richard Smith scooped the ball into the net.

Martin Haner and Linus Butt scored on either side of the break to seal the emphatic win for the champions.

The Germans, with just three players who helped win the last World Cup at home in Moenchengladbach in 2006, remain the only unbeaten team in the current tournament with four wins and two draws.

"It was a tough match, the scoreboard does not reflect what happened on the field," said German coach Markus Weise.

"We were clinical, but then a coach is not always pleased. If we had not scored two early goals and England had scored one, it would have been a different game."

England coach Jason Lee said his team's lack of experience told in the end.

"Germany has played in 11 World Cup semi-finals and this was only our second," he said. "We lagged in experience, but we will learn from our defeat.

"Going 2-0 down softly was the turning point.

The semi-final did not do justice to the way we played in this tournament." - AFP

Ijaz Butt not apologetic for action against players

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt defended the punishments imposed on seven top players, saying strong action was needed to stamp out indiscipline in the national side.

"I am not apologetic; I think the board has taken the right decision and such strong action was urgently required to put Pakistan cricket back on the right track," Butt said on Thursday. "This problem of indiscipline and groupings in the team has been festering for a while now and we thought this was the best time to take action."

On Wednesday, the PCB imposed various bans and fines on Muhammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Rana Naved, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal after considering the recommendations of a committee that looked at poor performances and infighting on the recent Australian tour.

"We are not worried about the consequences of our action. There is no shortage of talent in Pakistan and we want players to remember they have to give 100 percent to the country and follow the code of conduct," Butt said.

The board, after issuing two statements to clear up confusion about the bans on Wednesday, said it would not consider former captains Yousuf and Younis for national team selection for an unspecified period. - Reuters

Indo-Pak bilateral hockey series to be resumed 

KARACHI: Indo-Pak bilateral hockey series in both for men as well for women at junior level would be resumed, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) announced in news release on Thursday.

This was decided during the meeting between PHF Secretary General Asif Bajwa and Nirender Batra, Secretary General Hockey India in New Delhi Thursday.

According to details issued, besides bilateral series exchange of players from across the borders will be done to appear in the domestic hockey league and umpires and technical delegate  will also be exchanged.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the officials in Lahore for which dates will be finalised later, it concluded. - APP

Now watch IPL matches live in cinema halls

Mumbai: Want to watch an Indian Premier League (IPL) match live? No need to go to the stadium. Just book a ticket at the nearest cinema hall and enjoy it in airconditioned comfort.

For the first time in the country, a unique project will be implemented to show the forthcoming IPL-2010 matches live in over 1,000 cinema halls around the country, including around 50 in Mumbai, from March 12.

'Any match, played anywhere in the country, during the entire 45-day IPL-III season, shall be beamed live in multiplexes and single screen cinemas in a high definition digital format,' an excited Sanjay Gaikwad, managing director of UFO Movies India Limited, which is spearheading the project, said Wednesday.

Cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar has been roped in to popularise the concept - he bought and autographed the first cinema ticket for an IPL match.

The autographed ticket was purchased by Vikram Kakade, a die-hard cricket fan from Pune, for a whopping Rs11 lakh, which will be donated to a city NGO, Apnalya. - Agencies

Australia secure Chappell-Hadlee Trophy

Auckland: The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy has remained in Australian hands after Ricky Ponting and Cameron White led their team to a six-wicket win that secured the series 3-1.

Rain played some part in the outcome but it was mostly New Zealand's watered-down batting display that left their fans feeling gloomy and consigned Saturday's fifth match in Wellington to dead-rubber status.

The hosts had only themselves to blame for failing to bat out their overs and after rain reduced the target from 239 off 50 overs to 200 from 34 overs, Australia found their way home with 17 balls to spare. Cameron White and Hussey completed the chase, which was set up by Ponting and Shane Watson, and despite a couple of quick wickets in the middle from Vettori the visitors were on track for most of the evening.

The Man of the Match, White was cool with an unbeaten 50 and Hussey finished on 28, easing any tension the Australians felt when Adam Voges (34) was caught at midwicket with 50 runs still required. Shane Bond had kicked things off well for New Zealand with Brad Haddin caught at slip in the first over but Ponting and Watson cruised from there.

Ponting was powerful with back-foot drives and pulls and, although he should have been lbw for 19. - Agencies

England ready to face Bangladesh

London: England will have to avoid complacency and master Bangladesh`s spinners if they are to win the two-Test series starting in Chittagong on Friday, captain Alastair Cook said.

England have already recorded a clean sweep victory in the three-match one-day international series but can expect to be worked by the host team`s spinners in the Tests.

"We`ve already seen how well they can play, their spinners will be a huge threat and for us to take them lightly would be a cardinal sin. If we take Bangladesh lightly then we will come unstuck," Cook told reporters. – Agencies