PFF appoints Jan Muhammad as Karachi Scrutiny Coordinator

LAHORE, May 31 (APP)- The Scrutiny of football clubs of five Zones of District Karachi will be held at various grounds from June 1-5. The PFF Scrutiny committee has appointed former Karachi Port Trust (KPT)’s Sports officer and Head coach of Mauripur Baloch FC during Salma Begum Soccer Series, Jan Muhammad to scrutinize the clubs of Karachi as Karachi Football Clubs Scrutiny Coordinator.

All the clubs who have submitted the Club Information and Data Performa to PPF through Sindh Football Association (SFA) are advised to attend the five-day Scrutiny Process with all their official/players and relevant documents as per schedule.

Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Vice President Syed Khadim Ali Shah said the main purpose of the scrutiny was to eliminate the bogus clubs. PFF is conducting Scrutiny of clubs under the directives of PFF’s President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, in order to keep alive active clubs in the PFF files and to improve Club culture in the football of Pakistan.

“ All the process of the Scrutiny would be based on merit and coaches working under AFC AID 27 Scheme and other qualified are being appointed to supervise it across the country”, said Khadim Shah who is also SVP of South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).

Jan Muhammad, Match Commissioner during Pakistan Premier Leagues and Super Football League, thanked Faisal Saleh Hayat for reposing confidence on him to act as scrutiny Coordinator of the sports-loving District comprised of lots of clubs and footballers, and the area that produced numerous internationals to various Pakistani teams.

He said the work of PFF chief since 2003 is praiseworthy and his efforts will take Pakistan to new height in this game. His tenure from 2003-2010 will be written in Golden years in entire 63-year history of national soccer body.

Pakistan to play series against South Africa from Oct 27

KARACHI: Pakistan will play one T20, five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and two Test matches during a month-long series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in October/November this year.A spokesman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Monday that the series would be played from October 25 to November 25 at the Dubai Sports City Ground, in Dubai and the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistan home series is being played in UAE because South Africa is not touring this country because security fears.

Commenting on the series PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt said “I am very grateful to Dr. Mtutuzeli Nyoka and Gerald Majola for their understanding of our position and supporting us to make this even possible”.

“PCB and Cricket South Africa have worked hard to bring this event and we are very excited to be returning to the world class facilities in the UAE and look forward to a tough contest between the two sides,” he said.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Gerald Majola in his comments said “The Proteas always enjoy playing Pakistan, and CSA was glad to assist PCB and ensure this tour happened.

“We are especially delighted that the fans will get to see top flight cricket between these two teams.” he said.

Following is the schedule of the tour:

Oct. 25: Teams Arrival
Oct. 27 T20 International at Abu Dhabi
Oct. 29 1st ODI at Abu Dhabi
Oct. 31 2nd ODI at Abu Dhabi
Nov. 2 3rd ODI at Dubai
Nov. 5 4th ODI at Dubai
Nov. 8 5th ODI at Dubai
Nov.12-16 1st Test Match at Dubai
Nov.20-24 2nd Test Match at Abu Dhabi
Nov.25 team departure

Pakistan Army retains Inter-Services Boxing trophy

PESHAWAR: Sajjad Ali was declared best boxer as his team Pakistan Army retained Inter-Services Boxing trophy at PT School Abbottabad on Friday. Commandant Baloch Regimental Center Abbottabad Brig. Syed Khushnood Hussian was the chief guest on this occasion. Commandant PT School Center Col. Mohsin Ali, teams officials, players and game spectators were also present.

Pakistan Army grabbed a total of seven gold medals and three silver medals and retained the trophy while PAF won 3 gold, 5 silver medals and took runner-up trophy while Navy got 1 gold and three silver medals remained at third.

In the 48kg light fly weight final PAF Rashad Fateh won gold medal, followed by Saeed Hassan of Pakistan Army. In the 51kg final fly weight category Navy’ Asif Kachi won gold medal, followed by Rashid Hussian of Pakistan Army.

In 54kg bantam weight final Sajjad Ali of Pakistan Army defeated Ali Muhammad of Pakistan Navy and won gold medal. It was the best fight of the Championship as both Sajjad Ali and Ali Muhammad exhibited excellent display of skills.

In the 57kg feather weight category, final Abid Ali of PAF defeated Sheraz of Pakistan Navy. In the 60kg light weight category final Nawaz Dad of Pakistan Army beat Faheem Ahmad of PAF, in 64kg light welter weight category Olympian Fazale Karim beat Adnan of PAF and secured a knock-out bout victory.

In the 69kg welter weight Rashad Hussain of PAF won gold medal, followed by Qaiser of Pakistan Army. In the 75kg middle weight class Nisar Khan of Pakistan Army got gold medal by defeating Allah Dad of PAF.

A beautiful fight was also witnessed between Ahmad Ali of Pakistan Army and Yousaf of PAF in the 81kg light heavy weight class wherein Ahmad Ali won gold when he knocked-out Yousaf in the third round before facing tough time.

In the 91kg heavy weight Yasir Javed secured victory against Qamar Amin of PAF and won gold medal on points while in the above 91kg super heavy weight class Waqar Ahmad won gold medal and Saqib of Navy got silver medal, thus Army won the overall trophy by securing 7 gold medals. At the end, the chief guest Brig. Syed Khushnood Hussain gave away the trophies and medals.

PCB lifts ban on Shoaib Malik

KARACHI: The Appellate Tribunal, headed by Justice (rtd) Irfan Qadir, probing the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) punishments on the players has lifted ban on the disgraced all-rounder Shoaib Malik, who recently married the Indian tennis queen Sania Mirza, after finding his conduct up to the level of liking,

The Tribunal has also scrapped the fine imposed on the controversial cricketer, who has been reportedly involved in the off the field politics in the team.

As per the sources in the PCB, the Tribunal has taken the decision after they found behaviour of Shoaib Malik as per the code of conduct, however, some eyebrows have raised in the cricket board about the abrupt decision.

Shoaib Malik’s lawyer told media outside the National Cricket Academy, where the hearing was conducted Friday, PCB has abolished the ban and the fine imposed on the all-rounder and now he is eligible to represent the country.

The decision has come at a time when the selection committee of the Board, headed by former test opener Mohsin Hasan Khan, has selected Shoaib Malik in the list of 35 players which would lead to the final squad for the upcoming Asia Cup and the all-important tour of England where Pakistan are due to play six test matches against England and Australia.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had imposed the ban of a year and Rs2 million fine on Shoaib following his involvement in players power and politics within the team.

Michael Essien ruled out, Torres makes progress

LONDON: Ghana's World Cup preparations suffered a huge setback on Thursday when midfielder Michael Essien was ruled out with a knee injury as Spain's Fernando Torres made progress in his recovery from a knee problem.
WORLD CUP 2010

Described by Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac as the leader and engine room of his team, Essien picked up the injury in January and the Chelsea player will be sorely missed at soccer's biggest event which starts on June 11 in South Africa.

"An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make a full recovery until the end of July," Ghana's FA said on its website (www.ghanafa.org).
There was better news for Essien's fellow Premier League player Torres, who trained with the Spain squad for the first time after surgery on his right knee last month.
"He's said he'll be fit in time for our first match, which is good news," winger Juan Mata said.

Spain's Group H opponents Honduras will have to raise their game when they face the European champions after being held to a 2-2 draw by Belarus in a friendly in Austria.
The central Americans went ahead through Julio Cesar de Leon midway through the first half before conceding two goals in four minutes and having to rely through Edgar Alvarez to spare their blushes in the second half.

NOISE TESTING
While teams try to sort out their tactics during friendlies, World Cup organisers will test for something rather different during Thursday's warm-up game between South Africa and Colombia in Johannesburg -- noise levels.
They will check whether the ear-splitting din from the much talked about vuvuzela fan trumpets could pose a security risk.
"If there is an order to evacuate that stadium and an announcement is made, you have to ask yourself, will everyone in that stadium hear that evacuation order?" said chief local organiser Danny Jordaan.
Hoping to add their cheers to the crowd noise were the South Africans who began queuing outside ticket offices after FIFA released additional seats on to the market.
Soccer's ruling body said there were still 164,000 tickets available out of almost 2.9 million for the 64 matches.

"All we want is to see a match, we just want to be part of a South Africa match," said Vanesh Reddy, who had been queuing outside a ticket office in the Sandton district of Johannesburg since Wednesday night.

"I'm not a diehard soccer fan, but I just want to be part of this celebration."
Tournament preparations were disrupted by news that South African opera singer Siphiwo Ntshebe, who had been personally chosen by Nelson Mandela to sing at the opening ceremony, died at the age of 34 after contracting bacterial meningitis.
There was also an announcement at the end of a transport workers strike which has disrupted trade in South Africa with logistics group Transnet reaching a deal with the workers.

Any relief over that was, however, tempered by the South African labour federation COSATU saying it might strike during the World Cup over sharp power price increases by utility Eskom if a mediation meeting planned for June 14 fails.

Shoaib and Hafeez likely to make Asia Cup squad

LAHORE: Maverick fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez have a good chance of finding place in the national team for the forthcoming Asia Cup.

Well-informed sources told Dawn on Thursday that though the PCB has doubts over Shoaib Akhtar’s match fitness, it believes that he has the potential to bowl well in the shorter versions of the game — the Twenty20 and 50-over matches.

“Shoaib Akhtar is no more Test cricket material,” a PCB official said on the condition of anonymity. “But he could be utilised in patches. He deserved being given a chance after performing well in the Pentangular Cup in which he claimed 12 wickets to finish as the second-best bowler of the tournament.”

As the PCB is not going to hold any training camp to select the final 15-member team from the already announced 35 probables, Shoaib will have to be cleared by the medical board in order to be considered for selection.

As for Hafeez’s selection, the official said: “Though Hafeez failed miserably in the last World T20, he has good prospects of showing his mettle in the 50-over matches. Thus he will get a chance, despite criticism from some stakeholders.”

“If Hafeez misses this chance, he will be out of the team for ever because PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt has issued instructions to provide maximum chances to any player before discarding him,” the official disclosed.

Meanwhile, another source said that Hafeez was only there in the list of probables to provide competition to banned Shoaib Malik.

“As the PCB has announced that it would review the penalties of all the six players, who appealed against the punishments, Malik may stage a comeback in the team. The PCB has been facing tremendous pressure from certain quarters including some top government personnel to include Malik in the team and Hafeez’s availability for selection would be the best way to counter that pressure,” the source said.

Moreover, the PCB official said that it was most likely that the final 15-member team for the Asia Cup will be announced on June 2. “Head Coach Waqar Younis is scheduled to arrive here on June 1 and the announcement of the team will be made the next day,” the official said.

He further disclosed that the team’s newly-appointed skipper Shahid Afridi was getting no support from the PCB in his campaign to convince prolific batsman Mohammad Yousuf to come out of retirement in order to serve the team in England Tests.The PCB Chairman has not on a single occasion advised Yousuf to withdraw his retirement decision and readily agreed when he wanted to proceed to Canada for a coaching assignment.

DAWN ISSUE CLARIFICATION AFTER SERVICE OF LEGAL NOTICE

Karachi: The Daily Dawn on 27th May issued the attached clarification regarding the story of Asif Bajwa throwing match against Poland in 2009. The Dawn story had carried baseless allegations against reporter Sardar Khan on 15th, April and on the same day Sardar Khan via an email had asked the Dawn to provide proof of those allegations but Dawn had ignored that email despite the fact that Audio recording of Asif Bajwa interview was also provided to Dawn. However, after service of legal notice by Sardar Khan , the Daily Dawn has come out with the attached clarification.

http://epaper.dawn.com/Web/Article/2010/05/27/022/27_05_2010_022_004.jpg
http://epaper.dawn.com/ArticleImage.aspx?article=27_05_2010_022_004

Indian, Pakistani thrive as a team, but they aim higher

PARIS — India and Pakistan are uncomfortable nuclear neighbors at best, warring enemies at worst and fierce cricket rivals whatever the situation.
Boundary skirmishes, religious tensions and political rivalries have defined their coexistence since the violent partition of what was once British India in 1947.

Rohan Bopanna of India and Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi of Pakistan are challenging these notions of mutual mistrust. Their unusual and increasingly successful doubles partnership is defying popular perceptions of their country's tangled political history.

"Until the last year I never thought we could make a change in peoples' lives through sport," says Qureshi, who is at a career-high doubles ranking of No. 46 after he and Bopanna reached the final in a clay event at Nice last week. "It made us realize we can do something bigger than sport: send a message of peace."

DAY 5: Ivanovic ousted, Roddick advances
PHOTO GALLERY: Top images from Roland Garros
Unseeded and never past the second round in Paris, they are long shots to bring home a French Open championship. Rain on Thursday postponed the pair's opening-round match against Fabio Fognini of Italy and Michael Russell of the USA.

One need not look far to be reminded of the unlikely nature of their alliance.

When Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and Shoab Malik, a former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, announced their engagement earlier this year it created a storm of negative press even though both are Muslims. The controversy died down (the two wed last month), but it demonstrates the level of hostility that simmers below the surface.

Bopanna, a Hindu from Bangalore, and Qureshi, a Muslim from near Lahore, are in their own way quietly building bridges.

"Tennis is bringing nations together," says Bob Bryan, who with twin brother Mike is part of the world's top-ranked doubles team.

Bopanna and Qureshi's friendship dates back a decade when the two 30-year-olds were first breaking in on the men's tour. Language was an initial bond.

"We got along well and almost spoke the same language," says Bopanna, who speaks Hindi, which is very close to Qureshi's Urdu.

Over time, they found themselves sharing dinners, hotel rooms and friendly shouting matches in front of the TV when India and Pakistan squared off in cricket, the national sport. Red Sox-Yankees and Lakers-Celtics passions pale by comparison.

Camaraderie blossomed between them and eased the isolation of circuit life.

"On the tour it can be very lonely," says Bopanna, who carries a No. 54 ranking in doubles.

They didn't think about their country's tensions and found that they had complementary styles on the court as well as off.

Qureshi is quick and adept at the net. Bopanna has the heavier groundstrokes and meatier returns. Both are comfortable coming in behind their serves, even in singles, a rarity in the modern game.

They first teamed up in 2005 and played more consistently in 2007, winning several lower-tier Challenger events. But doubles remained on the backburner as both refused to give up their singles aspirations.

After another successful run at the end of last year — they won two more Challengers in November — they decided to make doubles a priority in 2010.

The decision has paid off. They won their first ATP Tour event together in February at Johannesburg and reached two other finals at Casablanca and Nice.

While Bopanna owns one previous ATP title (with Eric Butorac at Los Angeles in 2008), the Johannesburg victory was Qureshi's first.

"I always wanted to get my first title, and I'm very happy I got it with him," says Qureshi, whose sunny outlook and deliberate manner of speaking hint at a diplomatic career in the making. "It was a great moment."

"So far it's been very good," says the more free-flowing Bopanna. "I see us getting stronger and stronger."

As their success has grown, so has the opportunity to do something meaningful with it.

The two Bollywood aficionados have talked to their clothing sponsor about creating T-shirts emblazoned with the words, "Stop War, Love Tennis, Love India/Love Pakistan."

But their grander ambition is to stage an exhibition at the Wagah border, the only road crossing point between countries with a combined population of about 1.3 billion.

The idea: string a net across the dividing line and conduct a clinic from the opposing side — Qureshi in India, Bopanna in Pakistan.

Peace and Sport, a neutral organization backed by Prince Albert II of Monaco, is supporting the initiative by reaching out to local governments to help organize it.

"It's coming from the vision of these two players," says Yann Coelenbier, the Monaco-based organization's managing director.

Qureshi is no stranger to the intersection of politics and sport.

He initially made waves when he teamed with Israeli Amir Hadad at Wimbledon in 2002. Although he was the first Pakistani to qualify at the All England Club in 40 years and reached the third round with Hadad, the reaction back home was surprisingly harsh.

"I never got any death threats, but the sports authorities threatened to ban me," Qureshi says. "I've always kept religious and cultures away from sports. If I believe I can do well with someone, whether it's a Christian, Hindu, Jew, I would definitely play with him. That is the beauty of sport. It's free of differences between people and countries."

A smaller measure of negativity met Bopanna and Qureshi when they started to play regularly, but that has since blown over, especially after they reached their first ATP final at Mumbai in 2007. They are popular figures at home, and their matches are often broadcast live.

"They really appreciated my partnership with him," Bopanna says of the support back home.

Both have ambitions to promote tennis in their countries.

Bopanna draws inspiration from Davis Cup teammates Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, both of whom have won multiple Grand Slam titles and been ranked No. 1.

Qureshi, who also plays Davis Cup for Pakistan, is the first from his country to attain a top-50 ranking in doubles and three years ago became the first from his nation to qualify for the main draw in singles at Wimbledon. He advanced to the second round.

"I have to play a lot of singles, and the Asian Games are coming up," says Qureshi, who has been Pakistan's No. 1 player for 13 years. "For me to promote tennis in Pakistan I have to play in the biggest tournaments against he biggest players."

In doubles, their goal is to play well at the majors and qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Final in London. Eight teams make the cut; they currently stand in 14th place.

American Mike Bryan says they have potential to move up the rankings and positively impact perceptions at home and abroad if they pair up consistently.

"Hopefully they will play together every week, and it'll make headlines," Mike Bryan says.

"If this partnership helps in building up the two nations even in a small way," Bopanna says, "it's great for us."

Over 160,000 WCup tickets still unsold

JOHANNESBURG: FIFA says over 160,000 World Cup tickets are still unsold with the tournament kickoff just two weeks away.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke revealed the current ticketing status at a ceremony marking the handover of Johannesburg's Ellis Park stadium to World Cup organizers on Thursday.

None of the 64 games are sold out after FIFA released an extra 90,000 tickets _ which were not wanted by its various sponsors and affiliates.

Valcke said ''all is nearly perfect'' when asked about final World Cup preparations but the high-end category one tickets, which range from $160 to $900, appear to be causing problems.

More than 75,000 category one tickets, unaffordable for the majority of South Africans, are still available.

Sports Journalist Alauddin Ghori passes away

KARACHI – Alauddin Ghori, who worked and played for PWD hockey team before starting his own Urdu sports monthly publication and worked as sports reporter of a Karachi-based Urdu newspaper, passed away at the age of 72 here on Wednesday late evening after brief illness.

He brought out the sports magazine for over two decades without a break before discontinuing it.

Later, he joined the Urdu newspaper with whom he remained associated till his death. Alauddin Ghori did his masters in Geography from Karachi University in mid 60s.
He has left behind a widow and two sons to mourn his death along with a huge number of his close friends.

He was the only Pakistani sports journalist who covered first four SAF Games and once headed the SAF Games Sports Journalists Association. He was an expert on school, college and university sports.

He was buried on Thursday evening at a local graveyard. A large number of his friends, sportsmen and journalists attended his funeral prayers.

Afridi Available for Test Cricket

by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

KARACHI: Shahid Afridi likely to resurrect his test career where he left it in 2006. Pakistan T20 skipper made aware the Pakistan Cricket Board Saturday that he is ready to be part of the test team in England where Pakistan due to play six test matches against England and Australia.

Talking exclusively to awansports.blogspot.com, Afridi said “I am ready to play for Pakistan in test matches during upcoming tour of England. Due to family commitments, I left the test cricket but now the country needs my services and I am ready to represent Pakistan in test matches again.”

Shahid Afridi due to meet PCB chairman Ejaz butt on 25th May in Lahore where both will discuss about the team formation for Asia cup and England tour. Ejaz Butt also said that the board will announce the captain for Asia cup and England tour on 25 May. Butt wanted a same captain in all three formats of the game and with Afridi’s willingness to play test matches, it is highly likely that Afridi will captain Pakistan in all three formats.

Afridi last played test match in 2006 at Nottingham against England and now he will restart his test career in England as well. On talking about the England tour, Afridi said “playing six test matches against England and Australia in England will be a challenge for Pakistan and I am ready for this challenge. It is up to selectors now whether they will select for the test matches or not.”

On question about the captaincy in test matches he said “it is up to PCB to appoint the captain. I am not in the position to speak anything about the captain until PCB take final decision.”

Afridi likely to lead Pakistan in Asia Cup

by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

KARACHI: Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Khan Afridi will meet chairman PCB Ejaz Butt on May 25 in PCB headquarters Qaddafi Stadium Lahore.

Sources in PCB told The Sports Encounter that there is possibility that Afridi will lead Pakistan cricket team in upcoming Asia Cup starting from June 15 in Sri Lanka.

While talking to The awansports.blogspot.com, Afridi said “I have not taken any decision yet about my retirement from test cricket. I am still thinking about my test career and after consultation with my family and friends, I will let the people know about my decision.”

He further stated that “PCB appellate tribunal should complete the hearing of the players’ appeals as soon as possible so that the players should concentrate on the cricket.”

“PCB should start preparing team for next year mega event ICC World Cup 2011 and players should be fresh before the preparations of World Cup.”

Bokhari to contest for KCCA President

by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

KARACHI: Current secretary of KCCA Siraj ul Islam Bokhari will contest for KCCA President Seat in Saturday’s general elections of Karachi City Cricket Association.

General elections of KCCA will be held in National stadium on Saturday where Siraj ul Islam Bokhari is the lone candidate for the seat of President after Dr. Mohammad Ali Shah was disqualified by Sindh High Court today. Munir Hussain, who was the covering candidate for Dr. Shah was failed to submit his documents to PCB election commissioner Abdul Sami Khan before 5:00pm today.

Prof. Ejaz Farooqui and Riaz uddin Shah will fight for Secretary Seat of KCCA while Mehdi Hasan Khan is the lone candidate for Treasurer.

SHC dismisses Dr. Shah petition

by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

KARACHI: Sindh High Court today has dismissed petition of Sports Minister of Sindh Dr. Mohammad Ali Shah and said that Dr. Shah does not qualify for the presidential elections of KCCA.

Sindh High Court Justice Musheer Alam has said in his decision that Pakistan Cricket Board rules for elections are right and as per the law no sitting MNA (Member of National Assembly) or MPA (Member of Provincial Assembly) can take part in city cricket associations’ elections.

Saifee Ali, lawyer of Dr. Shah told The Sports Encounter that SHC said in its decision that the 2003 and 2007 laws of PCB for elections are right and Dr. Shah cannot take part in the elections. She further said that Munir Hussain, covering candidate for Dr. Shah will contest in tomorrow’s presidential election of Karachi City Cricket Association.

On the other hand when The Sports Encounter contacted the secretary of KCCA Siraj ul Islam Bukhari, “he said, we were not ready for this situation as we are not expecting this decision. We have already called an emergency meeting after Friday prayers and we will decide about our candidate for tomorrow’s election. Munir Hussain is not our candidate yet.”

It is pertinent to mention here that, three years back Munir Hussain was the president of KCCA and Dr. Shah replace him as president and he was not MPA at that time.

PCB Election Commissioner Abdul Sami Khan has made it clear that date for filing of nomination form will not be extended and it is important for all the candidates to submit their forms today by 5:00pm. Elections will be held Saturday morning at 10:00pm in National Stadium Karachi.

PCB lift ban from KCCA Zonal Chairman

by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board has lifted the ban on newly elected Chairman Aftab Ahmed Khan of Zone I of Karachi City Cricket Association.

PCB Election Commissioner Abdul Sami Khan told The Sports Encounter that Aftab Khan has submitted appeal to PCB against his ban and PCB has accepted his appeal and decided to lift the ban. He further stated that PCB will strictly monitor the 3-year tenure of Aftab and if PCB received any complaint against him in future, then he will again face ban.

Aftab Ahmed Khan has assured PCB that he will be careful in future and will also submit undertaking to PCB. After receiving the undertaking from Aftab, PCB will issue notification of his success. Aftab Ahmed Khan was banned for one year after receiving complain from ex-secretary of Zone II Jamil Ahmed claiming that he had played two players of Zone II in Zone I team, which is illegal.

Amir Khan: Has the Boxing World Found a New "King" To Throne?

WBA world light welterweight champion Amir “King” Khan pulverized Paul “The Magic Man” Malignaggi by an 11th Round TKO on Saturday night at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Khan (23-1, 17 KOs), a British citizen of Pakistani descent who became the youngest Englishman to win an Olympic medal when he captured a silver as a lightweight at the 2004 games in Greece, thoroughly dominated Malignaggi (27-4, 5 KOs) in his United States debut before referee Steve Smoger mercifully halted the bludgeoning.

“Me and (trainer) Freddie (Roach) stuck to the game plan. Paulie is a very awkward fighter. We had to break him down slowly,” said Khan, 23, the third youngest Brit to ever win a crown.

“We had to use our brain. I knew in the last few rounds I was hurting him. All I had to do was put the pressure on him.”

Roach, a native of Dedham who has been voted Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America a record four-times, has clearly helped hone Khan’s prodigious skills since they began working together.

Malignaggi, an Italian-American from Brooklyn who is the former IBF junior welterweight champ, is absolutely a polarizing prizefighter and it is understandable that many fans consider him to be a scorching hemorrhoid.

Nevertheless, Malignaggi is a defensive wizard in the ring and he is a legitimate pugilist who possesses exceptional hand-speed and quick reflexes.

Hence, Khan’s utter domination of Malignaggi was extremely impressive.

“I ran into a clone of myself when I was younger. But he was faster and stronger,” said Malignaggi, 29, whose only three previous losses came at the respected hands of Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs), Ricky Hatton (45-2, 32 KOs) and Juan Diaz (35-3, 17 KOs).

“He’s bigger and stronger. But I gave it all I had.”

Khan, whose record is only blemished by a first round knockout loss to Breidis Prescott (22-2, 20 KOs) in 2008, stated he wanted to fight Marcos Maidana (28-1, 27 KOs) next, and then scrap the victor of the Devon Alexander (20-0, 13 KOs) versus Timothy Bradley (24-0, 11 KOs) bout.

Alexander is the current WBC and IBF light welterweight titlist and Bradley is the WBO world light welterweight champ.

“I’m not going to leave the 140 pound division until I unify the titles,” said Khan.

If Khan fights in the future like he did this past weekend, he will be the “King” of the 140 pound division much sooner than expected...

Kaneria's test future dark after spot-fixing accusation

THE Test future of Pakistani leg spinner Danish Kaneria is in jeopardy following his arrest during a betting probe in England.

While Kaneria was released on bail until September 15 - meaning he is free to play and would be eligible for the series against Australia in July - Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer Wasim Bari yesterday could not guarantee that Kaneria would be retained in the side.
''We have not received any documentation as yet, it would be unfair to make a comment until I know the full details,'' Bari said.

Kaneria, who played the last two Tests against Australia here last summer, is under investigation for alleged spot-fixing during an English domestic game last season.
The 29-year-old and Essex teammate Mervyn Westfield were arrested by police last week and questioned over accusations of fraud, namely betting on a game they were playing. It's understood the investigation centres around a Pro40 (England's 40-over competition) win against Durham in September last year. Spot-fixing relates to betting on small outcomes within a game, such as how many runs or extras will be conceded off a certain over.
Kaneria has denied any wrongdoing, saying after he was first linked to the case last month: ''The story is baseless. I have played my cricket for Pakistan as well as for Essex, with pride and honesty … For the last two years I have been Essex's best performer and have never done anything wrong.''
An Essex Police spokesman said at the weekend: ''Two men from Chelmsford have been arrested in connection with a police investigation into first-class domestic cricket match irregularities.

''The investigation began in March 2010 following allegations received about two Essex county cricket players. On Friday, 14 May, two men aged 22 and 29 were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud and both were released on police bail until Wednesday, 15 September pending further inquiries.''
Essex Cricket Club confirmed the two men were Kaneria and Westfield, a fast bowler.
International Cricket Council president David Morgan said his organisation remained vigilant over spot-fixing.

''Cricket is full of discreet events - overs of six balls, power plays, in first-class cricket the morning, the afternoon and the evening [sessions],'' Morgan told AFP. ''There are lots of these discreet events that attract people who gamble.
''What is very clear is that we are extremely vigilant. We have the anti-corruption and security unit. They look very carefully at movements in terms of the amounts bet on particular issues and so on.

''I think cricket is very fortunate in that we've had 10 years of operation of the anti-corruption and security unit.''
Australia play Pakistan in two Tests in England from July 13 and Kaneria would ordinarily be an automatic starter. He has played 58 Tests, taking 254 wickets at 34.27.

Australia women lift World Twenty20

BRIDGETOWN: Ellyse Perry took three wickets and held her nerve in a tense last over as Australia beat New Zealand by just three runs in a thrilling women’s World Twenty20 final.

With the White Ferns needing 14 off the last over, Perry – also an Australian international football player – who was backed up by fine fielding from Rene Farrell and Shelley Nitschke, did not give up a boundary and the pace bowler finished with impressive figures of three wickets for 18 runs from her four overs. Victory came just hours after Australia’s men’s team had lost in the corresponding final to arch-rivals England.

The result was tough on Sophie Devine, whose unbeaten 38 off 35 balls rescued New Zealand from a top-order collapse to give them a shot at victory just a year after they were beaten in the final to England at Lord’s. New Zealand, chasing a modest 107 for victory after holding their rivals to 106 for six, slumped to 29 for four inside eight overs. In the end, Australia were grateful for a late stand of 27 between Sarah Elliott and Lisa Sthalekar that got them to a total they just about managed to defend.

Salman Butt likely to be captain for England tour

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering a move to appoint Salman Butt as captain for the two Test series taking place in England against the hosts and Australia with Shahid Afridi likely to lead the Twenty20 and the One-Day International (ODI) squads.

According to sources, the team management, including coach Waqar Younis, as well as the PCB officials all seem to agree on Salman’s appointment viewing Afridi’s reluctance to return to the Test arena. Afridi has not played a Test for almost four years and while the all-rounder has not confirmed his decision to stay away from Test matches, his return looks highly unlikely.

Pakistan’s next appointment is the Asia Cup that starts from June15 in Sri Lanka followed by the tour of England where it will play two Twenty20s and two Tests against Australia as well as four Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s against the hosts. While the tour is still over a month away, the PCB is already mulling over the possible candidates for the threemonth long tour.

“Nothing has been confirmed as far as the captaincy is confirmed,” Ijaz told The Express Tribune from London where he is meeting with his English counterpart Giles Clarke. “The squads for the Asia Cup and the tour of England will be named together on May 22 or 24 as the team will depart for London directly from Sri Lanka after the Asia Cup.” The sources added that Salman, who finished as the third-highest scorer in the recently- concluded 2010 World Twenty20, has the backing of the coach as well as the senior players in the team and is on good terms with all team members.

Pakistan may head to the one-day tournament in Sri Lanka and the tour of England hampered by the absence of key players including Mohammad Yousuf, Younus Khan and Shoaib Malik, with all three banned by the PCB. Younus and Malik have filed appealed against their bans, the hearing dates have set as May 22 and 29 respectively. As a result, Malik, if successful, may be able to make his international comeback while Younus may have to wait until the Test series in England.

PCB, KCCA at odds over local elections

KARACHI: The Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) Secretary Sirajul Islam Bokhari has claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) district body elections will be considered void because the election commission is holding the polls according to 2003 PCB electoral rules instead of the 2007 constitution.

“The 2007 constitution clearly defines the election process and the role of election,” Bokhari told The Express Tribune. “It says that whatever policy is formed by the PCB governing body must get approved by the federal sports board.” According to Bokhari, the PCB election rules are supposed to be formed by the current governing body with approval of the federal sports board. “How can the commission follow rules formed by Shaheryar Khan in 2003 when the 2007 constitution clearly suggests that the current governing body is to make the rules.”

Chief election commissioner Abdul Sami Khan disagreed with Bokhari. “The PCB has nothing to do with the federal sports ministry because it’s an independent organisation,” said Khan.

Tyson Gay breaks 44-year old record

Manchester: When Tommie Smith last set the world record in the straight 200 meter run, Walt Disney was still alive, the Beatles had yet to release Sgt. Pepper and Smith himself was still known as a great track star, not just as the guy who did the black power salute in Mexico City. For 44 years Smith's hand-timed 19.5 stood as the best ever time in the longer sprint run on a straight track. Not anymore.

American sprint star Tyson Gay lowered Smith's mark by .09 seconds this weekend on a specially constructed track at Manchester's Great City Games. His time of 19.41 included a blazing first 100 split of 9.88 and served notice that, when healthy, Gay can present a challenge to Usain Bolt. (It might not be much of a challenge, but still.)

Smith himself was in attendance to witness the feat and gave hearty congratulations to Gay. Soon after he broke the mark in May 1966, the IAAF stopped recognizing separate world records in the straight 200 and only included marks set on the regulation curved track. The race is rarely contested anymore, namely due to the fact that there aren't many tracks which include 200-meter straightaways.

After the race, Gay was asked whether he could supplant Bolt as the world's fastest man. "He's in another class right now but I'm working hard to get there," he said. "The challenge is for me to work hard to get to where he is at."

Two ailing Pak footballers look for Mesiaha for heart treatment

By Ubaid-ur-Rehman AWan

KARACHI: Two former Pakistan football players Lal Mohamad and Abu Jan are living are very miserable life in poverty due to which they have become prey to heart ailment.
Both are paying visits to city hospitals with no money at hand to afford the expenses.

According to details, in 1969, both these players represented Pakistan at international football. Lal Mohammad used to play for Dhaka Mohammad in Dhaka, after that he shifted to Pakistan and became members of the national team. He used to play for Pak P W and Habib Bank in domestic football. He also remained football coach.

FIFA referee Ahmed Jan has said the ailing football is in miserable condition, as he has no money to continue his treatment. He has to undergo bypass, but his family is not financial strong to do that.

Haji Masood Parekh is currently extending financial support to the footballer. Another footballer Abu Jan is also living in misery. Though he had suffered the heart, but his condition is a bit stable and now shifted to home. Both the above mentioned players are friends as well as they played together.

Essex retain their faith in Danish Kaneria

Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan leg spinner under police investigation for his alleged role in spot-fixing, is expected to join Essex when they travel by coach to the Netherlands on Thursday for a Clydesdale Bank 40 match.

He also remains part of Pakistan’s plans for their tour to England next month unless charges are brought against him.

Kaneria was arrested and questioned under caution by Essex Police last Friday along with Mervyn Westfield, a young fast bowler, as part of an investigation into alleged spot-fixing in a Pro40 match against Durham last season.

It has been reported that Kaneria introduced Westfield to a bookmaker who offered money in exchange for Westfield bowling poorly in one over. Both players have denied the allegations and were released on bail.

While county staff have been instructed not to comment on the case, The Times was told that the investigation will have no impact on selection unless charges are brought. Kaneria played for Essex against Kent last week and is expected to play against the Netherlands on Friday.

An official of the Pakistan Cricket Board told The Times yesterday that no request has been made by the ECB to drop Kaneria for the tour to England, which begins in late June and features “neutral” Test matches against Australia as well as four Tests with England.

“This is just a media report now,” the PCB said. “We have received no official comment, so there is nothing to change our plans. We won’t select the squad for a couple of weeks.” In normal circumstances, Westfield, 22, would have been a candidate to play for the county in the five-wicket victory over the Bangladeshis that concluded yesterday. Essex fielded a second-string attack that included two first-class debutants and two strike bowlers in Maurice Chambers and Tony Palladino, who, like Westfield, a former England Under-19 player, are on the fringe of the first XI.

Westfield has made little impact in the second XI this season, taking no wickets in three matches, and was playing club cricket for Wanstead on Saturday, when he made 66 not out against Gidea Park & Romford. The county would not say whether he will be the side to play in the second XI match against Hampshire today.

It is understood that police opened the case in March after an Essex player reported suspicions about the alleged fraud to senior players, who asked the club to investigate, which has made for a difficult atmosphere in the dressing room.

Palladino, a 26-year-old fast bowler who looked impressive against the Bangladeshis, begins a month-long loan with Kent and could feature in their LV= County Championship match against Durham at Canterbury today. There is no suggestion that Palladino is implicated in the spot- fixing allegations, but his spell away from the club may still come as a relief.

Essex lost five wickets in chasing 130 to beat the Bangladeshis at Chelmsford yesterday. Palladino took two more wickets to finish with six in the match as the touring side laboured to a total of 211 that was boosted significantly by a last-wicket stand of 46.

India, S.Korea become joint hockey champions

IPOH, Malaysia: India and South Korea were named joint champions of the 19th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup on Sunday after the final was abandoned because of heavy rain in northern Malaysia.

The decider in Ipoh was only in its 12th minute when the match was suspended because of the heavy downpour and after waiting an hour organisers cancelled the match, declaring both teams the winner.

Officials say it is the first time in the history of the tournament that a final had to be called off, with both teams also going down as the first joint champions of the tournament.

For defending champions India it is their fifth Sultan title, matching Australia, while for Asian Champions South Korea it will be their second title after winning the cup before in 1996.

“It is the decision of the organisers and we respect that. Anyway the rain was not about to stop and in the end that may well be the right decision,” said India’’s assistant coach Harender Singh.

South Korea’’s penalty corner flicker Nam Hyun-Woo was the top scorer overall with nine goals, while India’’s Sardar Singh was named player of the tournament.

In the play-off for third place, world champions Australia defeated Malaysia 5-3.

Pakistan clinched fifth place after defeating China 6-5 on penalties after the match ended 1-1 in regulation time.

PBSA President prises Sajjad

KARACHI: President of the Pakistan Billiards and Snooker Association (PBSA), Alamgir Shaikh, has described the performance of Mohammad Sajjad as world class.

“He played with a different touch of class and reached new heights in a short span of time,” Shaikh told Dawn on his return with the Pakistan snooker squad from Bangkok here on Sunday evening.

Sajjad, who stole the limelight hammering highest break (134) of the 26th Asian Snooker Championship, finished runner-up losing 3-7 to Thailand’s Issara Kachaiwong on Saturday.

He earned a runner-up purse of $1200 and an additional $100 for the highest break.

According to the PBSA official, Sajjad together with Indian maestro Yasin Merchant has been invited to play in 6-Red Samsong international tournament being in Bangkok in July.

He also commended the performance of debutant Asjad Iqbal who qualified for the knockout stage before making his exit.

The PBSA patron, Asghar Valika, also returned with the team.

Sulaiman beat Nigel in Malta Open Scrabble

May 17th, 2010 by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

QAWRA: Mohammad Sulaiman of Pakistan beat former World champion Nigel Richards of New Zealand by 61 points in 14th round of 2010 Malta Open Scrabble Tournament.

Mohammad Sulaiman is currently at number one place in final round of Malta Open Scrabble Tournament after defeating Helen Gipson of Scotland and Nigel Richards of New Zealand. The final score was Mohammad Sulaiman 431 and Nigel Richards 370.

Talking exclusively to The Sports Encounter, 70-years-old Mohammad Sulaiman said “I did not claim to win the title but I will try my level best to win the final as well. My aim is to get place in top five players and I am working very hard for this. I am better player than Nigel Richards and that is why I beat him. My family and friends was praying for my victory and with the help of ALLAH, I am able to reach in the final round. “

Total six games will be played in the final round of tournament where Mohammad Sulaiman will face Craig Beevers. Sulaiman is considered as one of the best players of scrabble in Pakistan and he is among top five players of the country.Total 92 players are participating in 2010 Malta Open Scrabble Tournament including Edward Martin of England and Nigel Richards of New Zealand.

England emerge World T20 champions!

BARBADOS:England stormed to a seven-wicket victory over Australia at the Kensington Oval to break their 35-year duck in International Cricket Council tournaments.

The ease of England's success in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 made a mockery of previous failures, as Craig Kieswetter and Kevin Pietersen's stand of 111 helped them cruise past Australia's 147 for six - with three full overs to spare.

Kieswetter (63) hit six fours and a six in his 40-ball 50 and Pietersen was almost as dominant in a run chase which became no-contest long before captain Paul Collingwood clubbed the winning runs.

Both of England's second-wicket pair got out before the end, allowing Collingwood to appropriately shepherd his team to the previously elusive silverware.

Australia, hitherto unbeaten in this tournament, stumbled disastrously to eight for three in the third over after being put in on a pacy pitch.

David Hussey (59) oversaw a well-crafted recovery. But England had taken a telling advantage, and were in no mood to let it slip this time against the old enemy. Hussey shared a fifth-wicket stand of 50 with Cameron White and also combined to good effect with his brother Michael to help add 55 in the last five overs.

But the resulting total never looked enough, and in the end England made it seem woefully short.

Their only minor moments of discomfort came with an early departure of their own - Michael Lumb spearing a catch to mid-on off Shaun Tait - and then an embarrassing five-minute hiatus for the organisers as groundstaff struggled to fix a glitch with the sightscreen.

Teams

Australia: DA Warner, SR Watson, MJ Clarke (Captain), DJ Hussey, CL White, MEK Hussey, BJ Haddin (WK), SPD Smith, MG Johnson, SW Tait, DP Nannes

England: MJ Lumb, C Kieswetter (WK), KP Pietersen, PD Collingwood (Captain), EJG Morgan, LJ Wright, TT Bresnan, MH Yardy, GP Swann, SCJ Broad, RJ Sidebottom

Azlan Shah: Pakistan take 5th position

IPOH: Pakistan clinch fifth position in the Azlan Shah Hockey cup in Ipoh city of Malaysia after beating China 6-5.

Pakistan and China managed to score a goal each in the allotted 70 minutes. Both the teams scored five goals each in the penalty shoot out.

However it was pakistan who eventually knocked out the opponents in the sudden death round by taking a lead of 6-5.

Australia will take on Malaysia for the third spot match while India and South Korea will meet in the final of the tournament.

KARACHI: Issara Kachaiwong of Thailand won his second Asian snooker title in four years when he beat Pakistan’s Mohammad Sajjad 7-3 in the final in Chanthaburi before a sizeable home crowd on Saturday.

Earlier, he had done his country proud by capturing the crown in Sri Lanka in 2006.

The title clash saw the two players fighting aggressively until three-all when the Pakistani gave up losing the next four frames in a row.

Kachaiwong won the battle 17-49, 78-15, 65-73, 94-40, 66-6, 43-64, 85-30, 81-1, 123-8, 120-1.

The Thai cracked three efficient breaks of 78, 80 and 61 in the second, ninth and tenth frames. Sajjad chalked up a break of 51 in the sixth frame.

Sajjad became the second Pakistani to have played the final since the inception of the Asian Snooker Championship in 1984 the first being veteran Mohammad Yousuf who captured the crown in 1998. Sajjad, however, earned the distinction of scoring highest break (134) of the event.

Earlier, Kachaiwong’s compatriot Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon edged past two-time former Asian champion, Yasin Merchant of India, 3-1 to seize third position.

After conceding the opener 0-88, the Thai was home 64-59, 106-0, 77-36.

Results:

Final: Issara Kachaiwong (Thailand) bt Mohammad Sajjad (Pakistan) 7-3 (17-49, 78-15, 65-73, 94-40, 66-6, 43-64, 85-30, 81-1, 123-8, 120-1).

Playoff for third position: Thanawat Thirapongpaiboon (Thailand) bt Yasin Merchant (India) 3-1 (0-88, 64-59, 106-0, 77-36).

“I’m sure Khan’s good,” Malignaggi says

New York: The boxer Amir Khan spent late April and early May in Vancouver, British Columbia, his entry into the United States delayed while he obtained a work visa. By Saturday, Khan had gone to work here for the first time, and his opponent, Paulie Malignaggi, wished the stopover had been longer.

Khan justified the hype he brought with him from England. He punished Malignaggi at the outset and pummeled him throughout, registering a technical knockout 1 minute 25 seconds into the 11th round.

In a one-sided triumph that was nearly stopped earlier, Khan retained his World Boxing Association super lightweight title in front of 4,412 at Madison Square Garden’s smaller theater. Afterward, he said he planned to remain in that division until he could unify the belts, and that he will fight in England in July.

“I was just amazed,” said Richard Schaefer, the chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions. “The speed. The combinations. The power. He’s the total package.”

Khan (23-1, 17 knockouts) landed more jabs, more power punches and more total punches (259 to 127). He won every round and forced Malignaggi (27-4) to deliver an opinion opposite from all the criticism he levied across an ocean the past few months.

Malignaggi took questions with a swollen left eye and bruised face. He said that of the four fighters he has lost to, he considered two, Khan and Miguel Cotto, to be truly elite — high praise for Khan, who won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics and does not turn 24 until December.

“He’s a terrific fighter,” Lou DiBella, Malignaggi’s promoter, said. “He’s a tremendously talented kid.”

Khan dictated the pace in the early rounds, stalking Malignaggi, throwing punches with more potency and frequency. In the second round, Khan landed a four-punch combination that sent Malignaggi backward, and by the middle of the next round, Malignaggi’s left eye appeared swollen.

The fight continued in that vein, with the man nicknamed King Khan playing the aggressor. In the fourth round, Khan ducked, then bounced Malignaggi’s head backward with a powerful right hand.

Khan brutalized Malignaggi repeatedly with that hand, with jabs and overhand rights and straight rights, until every round seemed almost exactly like the one before. When Malignaggi adjusted in Round 7, Khan smacked him repeatedly with the left.

Soon after, doctors checked on Malignaggi between rounds. He begged to go back out for No. 11. The referee stopped it halfway through.

“We had to break him down slowly,” Khan said. “From Round 9, I knew I wasn’t letting him off. I had to keep the pressure on him.”

The pressure started, in large part, through a Twitter feud escalated at Friday’s weigh-in, when the fighters’ camps exchanged shoves and punches before security stepped in. DiBella stalked through the room afterward, incensed, his voice rising.

So went another fight week, even if this was not exactly a normal fight.

For starters, it was Khan’s debut in the United States, where he is somewhat unknown. Khan’s low profile here stands in stark contrast to his celebrity status in England, where he once met former Prime Minister Tony Blair and carved out a résumé that shaped his candidacy as one of boxing’s next potential stars.

Khan’s only loss came by knockout at the bruising hands of Breidis Prescott, who won his bout on Saturday’s undercard. After that defeat, Khan hired Freddie Roach, perhaps boxing’s best trainer, who steered Manny Pacquiao toward greatness. Still, questions lingered.

“I’m sure Khan’s good,” Malignaggi said on Wednesday. “But he’s unproven at a high level. He hasn’t got one major victory on his record. They handed him a world title, after he got knocked out.”

Malignaggi presented a real test, even though Khan entered the bout the heavy favorite. Malignaggi once held his own super lightweight title belt — he lost to Ricky Hatton in 2008 — but he fell so far so fast that he made only $10,000 in his next fight and wondered if his boxing days were numbered.

Malignaggi also hired a new trainer, Sherif Younan. As Malignaggi rebuilt his reputation — winning his rematch against Juan Diaz in December to rise back into title contention — he credited Younan.

Malignaggi said this fight, held near his native Brooklyn, represented redemption. But he also knew the brutal truth: another loss, and even his promoter said fights of this magnitude would likely be out of reach.

Afterward, Malignaggi was not sure what would come next. Off they went, two fighters headed in opposite directions. King Khan had come here and delivered. His message was emphatic.

Amir Khan retain light welter-weight World title

New York: British boxer of Pakistani origin Amir Khan gave American fight fans a taste of what he can do inside a boxing ring on Saturday night, scoring an 11th-round stoppage win over Paulie Malignaggi in New York.

The British fighter improved to 23-1 with 17 knockouts and retained his World Boxing Association 140-pound title for the second time. Referee Steve Smoger stopped the bout at The Theatre at Madison Square Garden midway through the 11th with Malignaggi far behind on the scorecards and unable to cope with Khan's hand speed.

The 23-year-old winner from Bolton had fought entirely in Great Britain until Saturday.
The fighters set a brisk pace in the first round, with Khan getting the nod in a competitive stanza. Malignaggi arguably won the second, but there was little for his supporters to cheer about after that point.
Khan established distance with his jab and appeared to hurt Malignaggi with a left hand to the body in the fifth. The fighters fell into a clinch, and Malignaggi slid to the canvas and took his time getting up, buying some seconds before having to engage again.

Khan gradually began to snap his opponent's head with frequency with left hooks and right hands as the fight wore on. Afterward, Khan had praise for the 29-year-old challenger, with whom he tussled in a shoving match at Friday's weigh-in.
Khan rose to prominence at 17, winning a bronze medal in the 132-pound lightweight category at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

He rolled to 18 consecutive wins as a pro until getting blitzed in one round by Breidis Prescott of Colombia in 2008.

Khan soon after decamped to Los Angeles to work with esteemed trainer Freddie Roach on his fundamentals. Problems with his work visa in recent weeks saw him travel to Vancouver, where he spent time preparing for the bout at Sugarrays Gym.

Brooklyn native Malignaggi dropped to 27-4-1 (five KOs). Khan joined fellow Briton Ricky Hatton as the only fighters to stop the former International Boxing Federation titleholder.

Essex pair Danish Kaneria and Mervyn Westfield arrested in spot-fixing

London: Danish Kaneria, Essex's Pakistan wrist spinner, and young fast bowler Mervyn Westfield have been arrested by Essex police on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud following the police's investigation into alleged spot-fixing in Essex's Pro40 match against Durham last September

Both men appeared at Brentwood police station on Friday and were questioned under caution before being released on bail until Sept 15, pending further inquiries.

As neither has yet been charged with any offence, both are free to continue playing cricket until then, by which time Pakistan will have completed their Test series against England. That should allow Pakistan's selectors to at least pick Kaneria, with only a modicum of controversy hanging over him.

That series needs Kaneria, though the England and Wales Cricket Board, as full signatories to the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption code, will be torn over his presence.

Now that Shane Warne is retired, he is the world's pre-eminent wrist-spinner, and unless Pakistan's selectors decide not to select him while the investigation is ongoing, he is crucial to their competitiveness in that series.

Essex police had wanted to interview Kaneria, 29, who has 58 Test caps for Pakistan, last Monday, three days after his return to England, but that was during Essex's County Championship match with Kent and the club asked if that could be deferred until yesterday. Every other Essex player, as well as the support staff, have been helping police with their inquiries.

Kaneria's performance in the match against Durham is not under scrutiny, but he is thought to have introduced Westfield, whose performance against Durham is under the microscope, to an illegal bookmaker.

Westfield, 22, has been interviewed before by police, who confiscated his mobile phone. He conceded 60 runs in seven overs in the 40-over match against Durham, with four wides and two no-balls.

While bad bowling is not proof of guilt, spot-fixing, whereby a small event in the game is fixed, such as a wide or a dropped catch, is thought to be the vehicle favoured by India's illegal bookmakers to manipulate bets, in which millions of pounds are staked on the smallest shifts within a match, to their advantage.

That way they can also involve vulnerable individuals on the margin of the team rather than the key players (needed if a result is to be fixed) - which makes it both less detectable and more cost effective.

Essex police confirmed that their investigation, which began in March this year, followed allegations received. As these allegations are thought to have come from other players, it has made for an uncomfortable dressing room this season.

The employment situation from the club's point of view is equally tricky unless guilt is proven. Yet, with both Kaneria and Westfield's contracts up for renewal at the end of this season, it may not be long before we see how their club has judged them.

All dear friends and well-wishers

All dear friends and well-wishers,

I'm very much surprised rather upset having seen the mail in my name that I am in Scotland and in dire need of money. It's absolutely a fake email with pack of lies. I am very much here in my dear homeland Pakistan . I'm also on duty at my tv channel.

I have checked my email account and have come to know that it has been hacked therefore I request you all not to pay attention on any of the emails from the following address (ubaidawanmedia@gmail.com). My new email addresses are

ubaidawanmedia@hotmail.com
ubaidawanmedia@yahoo.com

In the end I would like to apologise to you all for the inconvenience.
I offer my sincere excuse for those, who hurt or shocked on this fake email and inquired about my wellbeing. I assure them that I'm quite well and don't need any financial help. May Allah Almighty forbid me to stretch my hands for any help.



Thanks and regards,

Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan,

Sports Reporter,
NEWS ONE TV, Karachi , Pakistan

Contact: 0092-321-2436495

Amir Kahn's brother Haroon intends to box for Pakistan at Commonwealth Games

London: Haroon Khan, 19, the younger brother of World Boxing Association light-welterweight champion and former GB Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan, intends to box for Pakistan at the Commonwealth Games in October, having been rejected by British selectors.

The family, whose sons were born and raised in Bolton, claim that Haroon, a Junior Amateur Boxing Association champion last year, has been frozen out by the British Amateur Boxing Association, in spite of having earned his England vest as a junior.

Ironically, Amir Khan faced a similar situation in 2004, when boxing officials said he was too young, at 17, to go to the Olympic Games in Athens. Khan had won the world junior lightweight title in South Korea early in 2004, and the family threatened to offer his services to the Pakistan Olympic squad.


Khan was later selected for Great Britain, coming home with a silver medal and reaching the lightweight final against double-gold medallist Mario Kindelan of Cuba.
Shah Khan, father of the boxing brothers from Bolton, explained: "We've been over to Pakistan to their training camp, and Haroon has sparred with their guys, one at 56kg and one at 52kg. Their Cuban coach was very keen on getting him into the squad.

"Haroon would prefer to fight for England and his dream was to fight for Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. But if he can't get a look in with England, what else can he do? There's the podium squad and then the development squad just below it and he's not even getting a look-in for the development squad.”

Khan Snr added: "Mick Jelley, Amir’s coach when he went to the Olympics, is 100 per cent behind what we are doing. We asked his advice, and he said if Team GB won't give him a chance, then he's lucky he's got the option of fighting for Pakistan."
Khan's plan is to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October and the join the professional ranks. "I really wanted to box for Britain at the Olympics ever since Amir won silver in Athens. I looked at what he did and dreamt of going one better,” explained the 19-year-old who is in New York for his brother’s US debut against Brooklynite Paulie Malignaggi.

"But I've never had a look-in with the senior England squad, not even a letter. What used to happen was they would call me up a week before an international fixture and ask if I was available to box, but I knew it was only because someone had pulled out."

Khan earned junior vests for England. He added: "Whatever happens, I couldn't see myself fighting for Pakistan at the 2012 Olympics in London. That just wouldn't feel right. If all goes well, I will turn pro after the Commonwealth Games."
Haroon fights at 52kg, won the 2009 Junior ABA title, and has fought 76 amateur bouts, with 61 wins and 15 defeats.

More British boxers to represent Pakistan

KARACHI: Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) is looking forward to bringing at least two British-Pakistani boxers from London’s Stonebridge club by the end of this year so that they can represent Pakistan in the 2012 Olympics.

“We have been approached by Syed Najam Aziz, a former amateur British boxer who co-owns Stonebridge boxing club and TKO boxing club with Tony Cesay, the former two time Amatuer Boxing Association (ABA) champion,” PBF manager Iqbal Hussain told The Express Tribune. “It’s a great opportunity for the federation to capitalise on the patriotism of these boxers from abroad. If they want to fight for Pakistan then PBF is up for it.”

The arrangement for the boxers are being made by Aziz who approached PBF as a part of a vision of promoting boxing as way for stray youngsters to get back to a healthy lifestyle. The PBF, according to the officials, has struck a good sponsorship with the firm based in the UK who is ready to sponsor boxing kits for the boxers from Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games which will be held later this year. “There is a great new trend among the British-Muslim youth,” said Aziz.

“They want to get away from aimless street life, and our clubs pick up these boxers at a very tender age and train them. “Cesay has been training more than 15 Pakistani muslims over there and they are making good progress.”

Published in the Express Tribune, May 13th, 2010.

Meeting on Sindh Games tomorrow

By Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

Karachi: The 13th Sindh Games Organizing Committee meeting will be held in Sindh Sports Board Nazimabad here this evening.

The meeting will review the Sindh Games preparation being started from June 1 in Karachi.

The Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister Rabbani who is also the Organizing Secretary told that the representatives of all the associations affiliated to Sindh Olympic Association have been invited in the meeting which will be held under his chairmanship.

For the first time the representatives sports have been called to attend the meeting who are participating in Sindh Games. He told that the meeting will be attended by Chief de Mission of Karachi Region, EDO Revenue Mushtaq Ahmed and Secretary Sindh Olympic Association Ahmed Ali Rajput.

He said that all the games would be finalized which are being included in Sindh games.
http://citynewspk.com/?p=4736

Allegation, counter allegation polluting cricket environment

By Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

KARACHI: Allegations and counter allegations are on the KCCA front as KCCA Secretary Sirajul Islam Bukhari and Shah Riazuddin are at loggerheads.
The other day Bukhari refuted a statement issued by Riazuddin in which he had leveled serious allegation against Bukhari of misusing KCCA authorities as also embezzling its account and misusing power.
In reply through legal notice, the KCCA Secretary Bukhari refuted all such allegations.

However, Shah Riazuddin replied with a legal notice and again repeated the same allegation as also sought a reply from Bukhari.

The new legal notice placed on Bukhari has said that he is involved in cheating with the Govt in the year 1985-86 matches between West Indies and Pakistan when he was caught for selling ticket without excise duty and paid a penalty of Rs sixty thousand imposed by the Director Collector in the open court of Excise.

In his notice, Riazuddin has said that it is also on the record that Bukhari has detailed scrutiny by the PCB, Disciplinary committee in 1993 and was fund guilty.
He said a news is also circulating among the cricketers that amount released by PCB for the five KCCA grounds are also being misused by Bukhari.

Bukhari personal servants are getting salary from the KCCA. KCCA has three account so Riazuddin has questioned as to why three accounts for a single association.

He has also charged that Mr Bukhari has embezzled KCCA money worth over nineteen lakh.

http://citynewspk.com/?p=4646

Dr. M.A.Shah disqualified for KCCA polls, other may also be hit

By Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) while rejecting a request of Dr. Mohammed Ali Shah, President KCCA for exempting him from the PCB laws and allow him to take part in the elections, has disqualified him and imposed ban on his taking part in the elections of Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) scheduled to be held in the last week of this month. In this connection PCB has issued a formal letter to Dr. Shah.

The letter which was received by Dr. Shah on Tuesday said that under the rules of PCB no MPA,MNA.minister or government functionary can hold offices of the PCB’s district, regional and provincial set-ups. Under this rule, the present KCCA president, Dr M.A Shah can not hold any office in the BCP as he is MPA and minister in the Sindh government..

The PCB informed Dr. Shah that the request for exemption has been rejected because there is no provision in the PCB law to accommodate his request.
This letter of PCB may also create hurdle for all those including Sirajul Islam Bukhari, who had been continuously being elected as secretary of KCCA likely to be hurt.

Commenting on the latest PCB letter, Sirajul Islam Bukhari said that the letter will not affect the status of candidates presently contesting the elections. He said if Dr, Shah is affected, an alternative candidate will be fielded in his place.
When tried, Dr. Shah could not be contacted as his office and relatives said that he is indisposed for the last few days.

http://citynewspk.com/?p=4644

Dr Shah cannot contest elections

LAHORE: The Sindh Sports Minister Dr Mohammad Ali Shah will be disqualified automatically if he submits his nomination papers for the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) elections, the date for which has already been extended until May 21.

“The Election Commission has already informed the KCCA regarding Pakistan Cricket Board’s rules for the nomination of the elections,” Sami Khan told The Express Tribune. “Anyone who is an MNA, MPA and Senator will not be able to play any role in the city’s cricket association and this rule has is applicable all across the country.”

The Express Tribune has learnt that Dr Shah, who is currently the president of the KCCA, is likely to submit his nomination paper for the same spot. “I can’t say anything until or unless he submits the nomination paper but if he does he automatically gets disqualified as per the ruling.” Earlier, former president of the Lahore City Cricket Association Aamir Khan Rokhari, who was also an MPA, was disqualified under the same rules but he instead moved to court and sought a stay order against the ruling.

But in the wake of a surprise ruling by the PCB, several clubs deemed Rokhari’s campaign to be over and therefore the zonal groups in Lahore joined other groups.

Published in the Express Tribune, May 11th, 2010.

Bari lauds team’s qualification

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chief operating officer Wasim Bari expressed his concerns over Pakistan’s fielding but believed that credit must go to the team that somehow bounced back in time, in the World Twenty20 to qualify for the semi-finals.

“It’s a young team,” said Bari, at a press conference for the announcement of the official sponsors of Pakistan Cricket. “Although performance, as yet, is not satisfactory.” Bari however admitted that Pakistan, despite being world champions of the format, have failed to make the impact that was expected of them. “I am just afraid of Pakistan’s fielding,” said Bari. “If we look at Australia, they have a strong pace attack and are the best fielding side, two things which helped them so far.

But when we look at Pakistan, though have a high quality spin attack, but are missing the fielding factor.” Pakistan so far, have had an unconvincing performance throughout their campaign to defend their tile but Monday’s victory against South Africa and England’s timely triumph over New Zealand pushed Pakistan into the semi-finals. Now Pakistan will face Group F wunners. “Performance was below expectations,” admitted Bari, “Once the chips are down, it’s always difficult to take a step back.”

Selection blame game

Bari further clarified that the PCB will not take any action against Shahid Afridi’s recent statements, following the team’s defeat to New Zealand but endorsed the idea of having a proper review system to rate various elements of the team’s performance after the end of tournaments.

Afridi had said that he had not been consulted while the team was selected as the captain and coach were announced after the final squad was picked. “This is not the right time to do anything (against any player). I agree that there should be a review system but it should not be launched in the middle of any event.”

Published in the Express Tribune, May 12th, 2010.

Pakistan allows banned Malik England county stint

KARACHI — Pakistan cricket authorities Tuesday said they will allow banned former captain Shoaib Malik to feature in a Twenty20 tournament in England next month.

Malik who is serving a one-year ban imposed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over discipline issues, has signed to play in a Twenty20 tournament for Lancashire county next month.

PCB chief operating officer Wasim Bari said Malik had been granted permission.

"We have cleared Malik to play in England as it doesn't conflict with Pakistan duty and currently Malik is also banned," Bari told AFP.

Malik is among seven top Pakistani players who were banned and fined by the PCB on the recommendation of an evaluation committee, set up to look into the team's on and off-field problems during a tour of Australia between December and February.

The committee, which also investigated discipline problems in the team on the preceding tours of the United Arab Emirates and New Zealand, held a month-long inquiry before recommending fines and bans.

Pakistan lost all three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 match on the Australia tour, which was also marred by disciplinary problems.

Malik along with all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan was banned for one year and fined two million rupees (24,000 dollars). Two other former captains, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, were banned for an indefinite period, while Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal were heavily fined.

The banned players were allowed to feature in domestic events in Pakistan and other countries.

A one-man tribunal comprising a retired high court judge is hearing appeals by the players. The next hearing is set for May 15.

Malik, who recently married Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, said he was delighted by the Lancashire opportunity.

"When Lancashire approached me to come and play for them I didn't hesitate in saying yes. I love playing cricket in England and the opportunity to play with a club of Lancashire's reputation was too good to pass up," Malik was quoted as saying by British newspapers

KCCA election: Dr Shah’s future bleak, Bukhari enjoys majority support

By Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan

KARACHI: Karachi City Cricket Association 7th Zone KCCA Central Election will be held from May 21 at the National Stadium.

According to sources Sindh Minister for Sports and KCCA acting President Dr Muhammad Ali Shah will not be eligible to take part in the election as the rules of Karachi Cricket Board state that no MPA or MNA can take part in the elections held at district or provincial level.

Despite of that, KCCA has nominated Dr Shah for the post of president, Siraj-ul-Islam Bukhari as secretary and Mehdi Hassan as treasurer.

On the other side, Zone 5 Chairman Khalid Nafees will not take part in the up coming election. Instead of him, Ifthikhar Alzaman Khan who currently serves as the treasurer will contest election for the office of Chairman.

KCCA Zone 4 faces an interesting situation, presently in this Zone S M Adil is Chairman, Mussarat Hussain is the secretary and Ateeq Siddiqui is the treasurer; the upcoming election might see the ‘current regime’ up against each other. Sources suggest that the zonal chairman wants to maintain the current setup for the next term.

However, the treasurer, Ateeq Siddiqui doesn’t seem happy with this decision as he has his eyes set on the post of the secretary of the zone. Sources further revealed that if a deal between the chairman and Ateeq Siddiqui doesn’t work out, Ateeq may join hands with other clubs and erect a separate panel against the chairman.

Presently Zone 4 has 36 registered clubs which are all accepted by PCB and the majority of these clubs are not satisfied with the performance of Secretary Mussarat Hussain because of his lack of interest in the zone’s matters.

No major changes are expected in other zones of KCCA. In Zone 1 Umer Siddiqui is nominated for chairman, Aftab Ahmed Khan for secretary and Shahid Rashid for treasure.

In Zone 2 Prof Ejaz Farooqui will be nominated for the office of chairman, Jamil Ahmed for the post of secretary and Afzal Shari is for treasurer.
In Zone 3 Raziq Urf Musheer Rabbani will contest for the office of chairman, Abdul Hameed Khatri for secretary and Afzal Qureshi Khan is nominated for treasurer.
In Zone 6 present chairman Akram Khan, secretary Azam Khan and the treasurer Muhammad Saleem will contest for the same posts. KCCA Zone 7 office bearers may also remain the same.

Match fixing common in ICL, says former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has been told that "a large number" of matches in the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) were fixed.

"I've personally been told by some ICL players that a large number of matches in that league were definitely fixed," Latif said in an email to Reuters.

"Even in the IPL (Indian Premier League), every now and again you watch a match and feel that there is something odd happening."

The governing body of Indian cricket dismissed Latif's allegations on Thursday when made aware of them by Reuters.

"BCCI rubbishes these allegations. We will not even react to this sort of allegation, It is totally rubbish," N. Srinivasan, Secretary of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said.


OUTSPOKEN CAMPAIGN

The unofficial ICL included a Twenty20 World Series tournament comprising mostly former international players.

Unlike the lucrative IPL Twenty20 series, it was not sanctioned by the International Cricket Council and most of its players were banned by their national boards.

The 2008-09 World Series was abandoned after the attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 and there have been no matches since.

Latif, 41, played 37 tests for Pakistan between 1992 and 2003 but is better known for his outspoken campaign against corruption in cricket.

He gave evidence to the inquiry held by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum into match-fixing after which Pakistan captain Salim Malik was banned for life in 2000.

Two other international captains, South Africa's Hansie Cronje and India's Mohammed Azharuddin, were also banned for life for match-fixing.

Latif said the amount of money available in Twenty20 cricket was damaging the game.

"There also is a worry that players are being paid so much, situations may arise where ultimately the result doesn't matter to them," he said in Wednesday's e-mail.

"These are not clubs who have discovered them or groomed them, these are clubs that simply pay them a lot of money. There is little loyalty.

"There are so many games in an IPL season -- with more to come with new franchises -- that the number of dead, irrelevant games will increase and this is where bookies thrive.

"Who knows what their reach is? If the owner of a franchise is approached and promised good money for his team to lose an irrelevant game, he tells his players to lose the game and they don't care because they get paid huge amounts anyway.

"The stake is so high who would blow the whistle? In any case the IPL was resistant to the presence of the anti-corruption unit at the first season of the IPL. Why?

"Cricket has been damaged before when too much money has floated around the game and it can be damaged again.

"Ultimately, in this kind of environment, where controls are loose, regulation is weak, there is enough money floating about to make people weaker and prone to looking the other way, it is not so difficult to see the dangers that are present. It would be foolish not to see them."

AIPS top brass accepted visit Pakistan

By Zahid Farooq Malik
Sec General
Pakistan sports writer’s federation (PSWF)

Islamabad: This was perhaps a great success for Pakistan that in the first time in the history of the AIPS Pakistan, Pakistan sports, and Pakistani sports journalist was discuss in the Congress. Before i came here ANTALYA i sent the request that in these circumstances Pakistan , Pakistan sports and the problems which Pakistani sports journalists are facing must be on agenda, so they are very kind that that give us 10 minutes for the presentation and five minutes Q/a.

So in the first time Pakistan was on agenda. I give the presentation round about 20mintes and after that 15 minutes for Q/A. I brief them in my presentation , about the glories of the Pakistani athletes, success of our heroes , about hockey, cricket, squash, snooker, about janshir jhangir, azam khan hashim khan, about yousuf, and try to brief them all about Pakistan, the mega events, like cricket , hockey , squash world cups, and more events which Pakistan holds in past and near past,

About the boxing event, tour the Pakistan race,brief them the current situation and also try to tell them that Pakistan was in famous among the international community for the sports, now unfortunately we are known about terrorism ', i also brief them the problems which are facing Pakistani sports journalists about the accreditations, the visa problems and the communication gap between international media originations and the sports journalists.

A large number of the offices bearer of the IOC FIFA the London Olympics, the Singapore games and rest of international sports bodies were their and they happy and quit satisfy after the presentation. they assure that they will write positively. the Q/A was interesting after the Srilanken team attack and the Peshawar press club attack and other media person who was the targets of the terrorists was the main focus. And i am very much happy that in the history of the Pakistan i am very much succeeding to convince the international sports community.

They all promise that they will write positively and help Pakistan sports and the sports journalists in all cases. i also invite to the president and the secretary General of the AIPS and other officials of the AIPS to visit Pakistan which they accepted exceptionally.