Hardworking Rana Naved unperturbed by omission talk

As the Pakistan team management ponder over the inclusion of Mohammad Asif for the match against arch-rivals India, Rana Naved seems the likeliest omission despite a sound performance at The Wanderers.

A wicket in his second over and movement throughout the innings, Naved remained a threat to the under-strength West Indies line-up before Umar Gul and the spinners brought about a speedy end to the innings.

Naved, who made his comeback to the national side after quitting the ICL, was faced with a similar situation at the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies. A shock loss at the hands of the hosts in the tournament opener left Pakistan facing an uphill task to make it past the first round.

Naved returned with unimpressive figures of 0 for 49 in nine overs and was then overlooked for the rest of the tournament that Pakistan exited early following shock defeat at the hands of Ireland.

Giving a confident look despite the axe looming, Naved, having taken 101 wickets in 66 ODIs, termed it part and parcel of the game and remained unperturbed by the return of Mohammad Asif who looks likely to take over his place in the starting line-up.

“I’m actually happy for Asif and his comeback following the ban,” Naved told Dawn. “It’s a good thing for Pakistan cricket and will help the team immensely. I’m not worried about him being included in the side at my expense as he is not only my club-mate but is also from the same city as me and I can only wish him well. I’m a strong believer in the team consisting of performers who will help achieve victory be it Asif or me.”

Asif, who underwent a surprise dope test on the first day back with the squad, shrugged aside apprehensions of match fitness and physical health. “Although I haven’t played international cricket for a long time now, I have been involved in training at the NCA as well as with club teams in Pakistan. I’ve never felt I’ve been away from the game itself and my fitness levels can be judged by my performance in the nets and the fact that the selectors chose me in the squad.”

Younis, fully aware of the stakes which a Pakistan-India match offers, and considering how a bad performance can jeopardise Pakistan’s stay in the tournament, remained adamant that Asif’s inclusion in the playing eleven was a risk worth taking. Refraining from naming the final eleven until the toss on Saturday afternoon, Younis, after viewing Asif’s performance during training on Thursday, hinted while taking to Dawn that the lanky pacer may make his return to international cricket sooner rather than later.

Whatever the playing eleven today, Rana Naved was content with his own performance after making his comeback to international cricket. Terming the ICL a good learning curve and event that helped Indian cricket immensely, he did emphasis on the difference in the level of cricket in the league to what an international opposition offers. However, part of the Lahore Badhshahs squad that won the final 50-over tournament, it was not only his bowling but his batting — and sledging at times — that helped his team lift the trophy.

“ICL was a wonderful experience as we had ex-Pakistan players in the Badshahs squad. We all had good seasons and that helped a lot of us make successful returns to the Pakistan squad as well. It also helped the Indian youngsters who got a chance to play with the experienced internationals and learn a lot by just sharing the playing field with them.”

Following a successful county stint with Yorkshire, Naved could only manage one wicket in the first two matches of his comeback. However, Naved’s 4 for 44 in his third matches silenced the critics and assured the selectors into handing him a place in the 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy.

“It was difficult making a comeback for Pakistan after being out for so long. The first match was specially difficult as is always the case when you come back after an injury or omission. However, my fitness levels remained high throughout and so was the morale so thankfully I didn’t have a reason to be worried and it showed in my performance in the following matches.”

However, with the team management desperate for Asif to get into form prior to the Test series in New Zealand and Australia, Naved, with an impressive 31 wickets in 15 matches against India, may well carry drinks against India. For Pakistan’s sake, the change, if it happens, must pay immediate dividends for the risk not to pay off may have severe consequences on Pakistan’s future in the tournament.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN, Sep 26, 2009

Rana willing to quit ICL for Pakistan

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to reconsider the forced ostracism of the ICL players, including him, in order to revive Pakistan cricket from its unyielding slump.

Rana, of Lahore Badshahs and currently representing Yorkshire in county cricket, also offered to quit the ICL immediately — in a similar manner to Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq — providing the PCB guarantees him a spot in the national side.

‘We are all here to serve our country, if the PCB wants us to,’ Rana told Dawn.

‘However, no one from the PCB has contacted us yet with regards to cancelling our ICL contracts and representing Pakistan. They have even selected the squad for the Twenty20 World Cup now and despite us [Naved, Razzaq, Imran Nazir] being named in the original 30-man squad, a PCB official is yet to speak to any of us.’

‘Since the board is aware of our decisions and future plans, it is up to them to contact us, ensure us that we will be in their plans and if that is the case then we are more than willing to cancel our ICL contracts.’

In a recent statement, the PCB clarified its position on the ICL players and that a decision on their national reckoning would remain pending until the ICL contracts are cancelled.

‘The PCB’s position on players who have participated in ICL is that such players must resign from ICL if they are to be considered for selection by PCB. While permitting such players to play cricket, PCB will decide on case-to-case basis the penalties to be imposed and the time period for which they will remain banned,’ a PCB statement said.

Rana, however, remained sceptical of the statement and wanted assurance from the PCB before breaking ties with the ICL. ‘We can’t simply cancel our contracts just to get the Board to talk to us. What will happen if we cancel our contracts and get dumped by the PCB as well?’

Judging by his refusal to get involved with the American Premier League (APL) until it gets sanctioned by the ICC as well as ICL’s latest season cancellations, Rana obviously wants a swift return to international duties.

‘I’ve been approach by the APL organisers to represent the Pakistani team in the tournament but I’d rather hear from the PCB on the league’s status before confirming anything.’

However, with the PCB unable to take a swift stance on the matter, and based on Rana’s experience of the English conditions and his prowess with the bat as a pinch-hitter, the PCB may well rue the missed opportunity at the World Twenty20.

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper May 07, 2009

Tremendous response to APL in US, say organisers

The American Premier League (APL) will go ahead with its inaugural Twenty20 tournament from Oct 6, 2009, even if the ICC refuses to sanction the league, the organisers confirmed on Tuesday.

In an exclusive interview with Dawn, Jay Mir, president of the organising American Sports & Entertainment Group Inc (ASEG), remained optimistic about the ongoing negotiations with the USA Cricket Association (USACA) while confirming that the New York City tournament is ‘good to go’.

“As we move forward with our negotiations, it is worth mentioning that we haven’t received a rebel status as yet,” Mir said. “The ICC has advised players and officials to stay away from the league until a concrete decision has been made and I think it is in the best interest of USACA, APL and for the development of the game in USA that this league gets sanctioned,” he added. “However, since we are not depending on the official go-ahead, the first tournament will be held even if the USACA refuses to approve it.”

The maiden APL Twenty20 tournament has attracted big name players from all over the world, especially the ICL recruits deprived of cricket following the league’s season cancellation due to the economic gloom. According to Mir, APL has succeeded in signing Inzamam-ul-Haq, Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Abdul Razzak, Taufeeq Umar and Shabbir Ahmed with Moin Khan acting as Premium Pakistan’s coach. It will be one of the six teams competing in the league.

“We have succeeded in recruiting Richard Hadlee as an executive consultant while also signing Graeme Hick, Nathan Astle and Adam Hollioake,” disclosed Mir.

When asked if the APL — as it seems to be following in the footsteps of ICL — could also be labelled a rebel league, Mir remained hopeful of the USACA’s decision and the fact that both organisations shared similar vision. “The reason behind ICL’s failure [due to financial reasons] was because they didn’t have backing from the national board [the BCCI]. I’m sure the decision-makers at the USACA are smart enough to understand that we also want to promote cricket in the United States and judging by the response we’ve had already, I can only imagine how successful we can be in achieving that goal.”

The tournament, due to played on a round-robin basis on the Staten Island Yankees baseball ground, will feature six teams vying for a semi-final berth that will be followed by best-of-three finals. Apart from Premium Pakistan, the tournament will comprise of an Indian, West Indian, American, Bangladeshi and a World XI.

According to Mir, the long term plan is to stage the tournament twice a year with locations varying across the continent. “Since our aim is to promote cricket, we have planned to stage the tournament across the continent from next year. It is a big event — an unprecedented event in fact in the history of the nation — and we want to ensure we launch is properly.”

The organisers’ keenness to get on with the league can be judged by the fact that, according to Mir, most of the sponsors have been confirmed, all participating teams have been finalised and that ASEG has received bids for television rights from multiple companies.

“The response has been phenomenal. We’ve had people enquiring about tickets already and offering their services to the league. There exists great excitement in the general public with regards to the tournament and what we’ve achieved in one month is just amazing,” said Mir. “We want to kickstart the game of cricket in the region and for that reason, I hope we get the USACA’s approval as players of this calibre do not deserve to be tagged as rebels.”

As the tournament details are released, a feeling of uneasiness has been felt around the cricketing world. Apart from the ICC cautions released last week, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) expressed its disappointment over Hadlees’ affiliation with APL. “’It’s regrettable that Hadlee has aligned with an unsanctioned and unofficial circuit,” Justin Vaughan, NZC chief executive, had told the Sunday Star-Times.

But Mir said the league will only promote the game in the US region through Hadlee’s services. “We will be promoting the game in the country with Hadlee,” Mir said. “Although cricket is being played across the continent, APL is serving as a door for the game to enter the US properly.”

© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper Apr 29, 2009