Ashes News: Ahmed set for Ashes call after bagging Australian citizenship

REUTERS

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Pakistan-born leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed was named an Australian citizen on Tuesday, clearing the final procedural hurdle for his selection for the Ashes series against England starting on July 10.

 Former Federal Minister for Immigration Brendan O'Connor made the announcement within a fortnight of the Australian Senate passing legislation to fast-track citizenship in special cases.

"It's a long journey and it was a long struggle," said Ahmed, who arrived in Australia on a short-term visa in 2010 and claimed asylum on the grounds of receiving death threats from Islamic extremists for being involved with a Pakistani NGO promoting women's rights.

 "I just can't wait to be a citizen. Especially in the field of cricket, I just want to give back something to this country," added the 31-year-old, who Australia hope can fill the huge void left by Shane Warne.

Australia have tried a dozen slow bowlers with little success since spin great Warne retired with a test haul of 708 wickets after helping the team whitewash England 5-0 in the 2006-07 Ashes series.

England have won both series since and Australia included just one spinner, Nathan Lyon, in their squad as they renew the rivalry with the first test in Nottingham next week.

Ahmed said his immediate goal was to do well for Australia A in Zimbabwe and South Africa without bothering about a much-anticipated Ashes selection.

"I will try my best to perform well in those two tours and it depends on the selections," said the spinner, who has 41 wickets from 15 first class matches.

 "It will be an honour to represent Australia in the Ashes or maybe other tournaments." (Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by John O'Brien)

West Indies cricket going back to top, says Samuels

Kingston: Batsman Marlon Samuels wants to relive the glory days of West Indies cricket, when they would beat the other teams black and blue, and confidently says the current team`s performance is only going to head north.

"Right now we demand a lot of respect in the world (as) our cricket is going back on top. The great thing about West Indies cricket is that we are competing and winning games, not like back when we were losing games," the right-handed batsman was quoted as saying by `Jamaica Observer`.

Samuels was the pivot around which the West Indies triumphed in the T20 World Cup final on a balmy October evening in Colombo last year. He made a mockery of Lasith Malinga and Co to almost singlehandedly guide the team to the title.

Samuels, 32, who was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for an outstanding 2012 season, noted that the fans` support is helping the West Indies.

"The fans are coming back and that is motivating us to want to win more cricket (matches), win back the fans` hearts and our West Indies cricket back on top.

"The team is a good all round team and we are playing some good cricket (it`s) just for us to always come together from the different islands and make a strong unit," he emphasized.

"We need to have more match winners and get balls in the areas consistently. But we are growing stronger as a unit and getting there as a group and with the strength in the group, in the long run, (you) will see us winning games non-stop and beating the best teams in the world," said Samuels.

Having played in almost all of the T20 competitions across the world, Samuels is familiar with the top players from both India and Sri Lanka and he`s hoping to do well for the hosts in the ongoing tri-nation ODI series.

"I am still in good form, been scoring runs non-stop, so I want to come out here and do this one again for Jamaica and the Caribbean," he pointed out.

PTI

Cricket needs another Shane Warne: Saqlain Mushtaq

London: Former Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mustaq has said that international cricket is in dire need of a world class spinner on the lines of legendary Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne.

Speaking in a free-wheeling interview with Pak Passion, Mushtaq said that while he was impressed with the performances of Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and West Indian spinner Sunil Narine, the game of cricket still needed a spinner of star quality similar to the command that Warne had over international cricketers between 1992 and 2007.


He specifically praised the all-round qualities of Ashwin in all forms of the game.

On Jadeja, he said that while he has proven his class in one-day and Twenty20 cricket, he was yet to establish himself as a Test spinner.

Test cricket, he said, requires the utilisation of a very different set of skills.


He also said that he was in favour of spinners innovating at every opportunity, and added that if the pause delivery is working and confusing the batsmen, spinners should persist with it.

He said that cricket required a fresh set of role models similar to leg-spinners like Abdul Qadir, Shane Warne, Mushtaq Ahmed and Anil Kumble.

"These days there are no role models for up-and-coming leg-spinners and it`s disappointing. What leg-spin bowling needs is another Shane Warne, someone who can inspire the next generation," Mushtaq said.

"Leg-spin is a unique and difficult art, and one that needs to be nurtured and protected at all levels of the game," he added.

Currently employed as Bangladesh`s spinning coach, Mushtaq said that he would be more than happy to offer his coaching services and skills to the PCB, if approached.

Ashes 2013: David Warner could make Australia comeback

Controversial Australia batsman David Warner is "very much" in the mix for next week's Ashes opener against England, coach Darren Lehmann has said.

By Sam Sheringham BBC Sport in Worcester

Warner is suspended until the Trent Bridge Test after he punched England's Joe Root in a Birmingham bar.

But Lehmann has been pleased by his attitude in training and believes he has the ability to trouble England.

"He's done everything right in the nets," said Lehmann. "He's impressed me. He's a very talented guy."
 Warner, 26, was suspended and fined £7,000 (AU $11,500) for his altercation with Root after his team's Champions Trophy defeat to England on 8 June.

It was the lowest point in a disastrous Ashes build-up for Australia that culminated in coach Mickey Arthur getting sacked and replaced by Lehmann on 24 June.

Lehmann said he had talked to Warner about his behaviour and was prepared to give the batsman another chance.

"The slate's pretty clean with him," he added. "We've spoken about it and dealt with it. We'll move on. Just sensible, straight down the line chat, and we won't have that issue again."

Warner, who averages 39.46 in 19 Tests, was banned for the tour win over Somerset last week and cannot play in the final warm-up match against Worcestershire starting on Tuesday.

Lehmann has already announced that Shane Watson and Chris Rogers will open the batting in the Ashes, meaning that Warner - who has opened in all but one of his 34 Test innings - would be batting in an unfamiliar position.

The issue does not concern Lehmann, who could even deploy Warner as a counter-attacking number six if he sticks with his top five for the Worcestershire game, with Ed Cowan, Michael Clarke and Phil Hughes at three, four and five.  "He can bat anywhere," said Lehmann. "We can't use him in this game, so he's had to impress more in the nets, which he's doing."

Speaking one week into his new job and nine days before the start of the Ashes, Lehmann reaffirmed his commitment to playing "an aggressive brand of cricket".

Last week in Taunton, Australia took a calculated risk by declaring their first innings just one run ahead of Somerset's total but went on to win by six wickets.

"We want people to love watching us play and come through the gates," added Lehmann.

"The Taunton people were really excited that we declared. They said 'well you could have had batting practice for a few hours', but I don't think you should play like that - I think you should play the game to win the game.

"We won't stand back, we will be in the contest. You will see an aggressive side but more importantly a side that respects the traditions of the Ashes but plays the brand of cricket that people want to come and see.

"We're going down this path and we're going to stick with it. I've said to the lads all along that we're not going to waver from that - jump on board and enjoy the ride."

Former Yorkshire batsman Lehmann, who has previously coached Queensland, Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab, said it was a "no brainer" to accept the Australia post, but admitted his life had been turned upside down.

"I was supposed to be in Yorkshire with my wife having a barbecue and a beer at the moment with some family," he said. "Times have changed - it's been an eventful few days."
 

ICC to consider Aamer's ban

Terms of the ban may be relaxed based on a request by the PCB.
AFP

Mohammad Amir

Cricket's governing body has formed a five-member committee to consider a request from Pakistan that the conditions of Mohammad Aamer's ban for spot-fixing be relaxed.

The 21-year-old paceman, regarded as hot property in international cricket, was banned in 2011 for five years for spot-fixing along with team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.

They were found guilty of bowling deliberate no-balls in return for money in the Lord's Test against England in 2010.

Butt was banned for 10 years with five suspended, Asif for seven years with two suspended and Aamer for five years. All three were also jailed by a British court in 2011.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) interim chairman Najam Sethi raised Aamer's ban at the annual meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in London last week.

"On recommendation from the PCB, the ICC has constituted a five-member committee that will review and recommend amendments to the ICC anti-corruption code and will also provide its suggestions to the ICC board on the ban related to Aamer," a PCB spokesman told AFP.

Any relaxation, if approved by the ICC board, would allow Aamer to use PCB facilities such as cricket grounds and gyms.

While announcing the ban on the three players, ICC tribunal chief Michael Beloff QC deplored the fact that under the ICC code, five years is the minimum punishment and suggested leniency in that regard.

ICC committee chairman Giles Clarke, also chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board, confirmed the formation of the committee.

He said the PCB had pointed out that Aamer had collaborated with an ICC anti-corruption unit, admitted his guilt and apologised to fans and to Pakistan and the world community.

"In the light of Aamer's cooperation and his public submission of guilt and his undergoing a rehabilitation programme, I stated that I would be prepared with a small group, including Cricket Australia chairman and the representative of Singapore cricket association, to look into the matter," Clarke told AFP by phone.

Clarke from 2008-2011 headed a special group to help Pakistan bring international cricket back to a country deeply troubled by Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked violence.

Pakistan has hosted no top-level international cricket since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009, forcing teams to suspend tours to the country over security fears.

Clarke stressed the importance of banned players admitting their guilt and apologising.

"The two important things for these cricketers, who are either found guilty or implicated, is to come clean by recognising their guilt and apologise and assist the authorities in cleaning up the mess," he said.

"They owe the Pakistan fans that obligation."

"I am pleased that Salman Butt has now apologised publicly and recognised and admitted his guilt. That is the first step."