My T20 career is not over: Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-ul-Haq,Pakistan test captain revealed that he is still fit to play short form of cricket i.e t20 and has refuted suggestions that his career in the slam bang format is over.

The Daily Times quoted Misbah,"“I definitely would like to play T20 cricket if the selectors give me an opportunity. It is their decision not to pick me in the T20 side.”

“I don’t think my T20 career is over, and, I still feel I can contribute in this form of the game,” Misbah told reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium here.

During the World Cup in the West Indies earlier this year he last participated in a T20 game.

“I think T20 cricket remains a demanding part of the sport, which I would love to continue playing, if I get an opportunity,” he said.

UAE to stage biggest Twenty20 Cup qualifier

The enormous International Cricket Council (ICC) Twenty20 World Cup qualifier in 2012 will be hosted by UAE.

In the qualifier tournament for the fourth edition of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup sixteen teams will going to participate in it, to be held in Sri Lanka, in two years' time.

Mazhar Khan, the administrator of the Emirates Cricket Board, told Gulf News that "We had successfully staged the 2010 ICC Twenty20 qualifier last year but only eight teams had contested in that tournament. It's a great honour to be selected to stage such a big event which is to be contested by 16 nations. The fact that we have been selected again for the qualifier and to stage such a big tournament reflects on our organisational ability to provide the best of facilities for the teams."

The UAE has also been selected to stage the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division two tournament in April 2011. "Namibia, the UAE, Bermuda, Uganda and two qualifiers from the division three tournament will take part in the World Cricket League. With cricket grounds in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah we have proved that we can successfully stage multi-national cricket tournaments," added Khan.

"The top six teams from the Twenty20 World Cup qualifiers to be held here in January 2012 will join the ten full members for the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September 2012," he said.

Butt, Akmal cleared of T20 WC fixing charges

Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal had been cleared by ICC of all the allegations regarding spot-fixing during the T20 World Cup in West Indies earlier this year.

The Anti-corruption unit of the ICC, after collecting all the evidences including phone records, has found the alleged players innocent, said Pakistani news channel.

Salman Butt told the local channels that they had officially cleared the duo from all the charges 3 weeks ago and we both had received the letters from ICC and also mentioned that the ICC was just formally investigating the phone records and other evidences.

Pakistan in the super eight stage was alleged to have been fixed against England's victory in the T20 World Cup England had outperformed Pakistan by winning the game by 6 wickets.

Salman Butt's suspension from all forms of cricket will continue as the spot-fixing scandal during the England Tests is still under the scanner.

Earlier, Salman Butt had also written a letter to the PCB telling them that he needed money to fight his case against the ICC to get cleared of the spot-fixing allegations. The PCB, however, has not come to a decision on that as yet.

Channel Islands to host Twenty20 World Cup qualifier

According To A Report, Channel Islands to host twenty20 world cup qualifying round. ICC has improved qualifying structure and increase the competition.

Because of the decision to expand the World Cup in Sri Lanka to 16 teams this change has been taken place.

Championship will be held on both islands from 19-24 July 2011 for the inaugural Twenty20 ICC European Division

The other countries in Division One are Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Israel, Italy and Norway.

Richard Holdsworth, ICC Regional Development Manager, said: "The new structure gives more member countries a better opportunity to reach a global qualifier and then potentially an ICC global tournament.

"All host venues have been carefully selected and we are very happy with them.

"Guernsey and Jersey did an excellent job hosting the ICC European World Cricket League Divisions One and Two this year and will no doubt again as co-hosts for the inaugural ICC European Division One Championship (T20)."

Lara And Sidebottom Signed For T20

Former West Indies batsman Brian Lara and ex-England left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom have been signed Zimbabwean franchise Southern Rocks for the Stanbic Bank Twenty20 competition, which will start in Harare on November 13.

Both of the player are now retired from international cricket, so far the experts have been raising questions on Brain's Lara cricket as he had been out of the cricket since his retirement.

Lara, for many years regarded alongside Sachin Tendulkar as one of the best batsmen of his era.Lara had a stint with the unofficial Indian Cricket League in 2007-08,where he leads Mumbai Champs and has maintained ambitions of coming out of retirement to try his hand at Twenty20 - a format that hadn't taken off internationally when he retired.

Rocks chief executive Givemore Makoni told the Zimbabwe Independent."We have signed Sidebottom and we have also confirmed the Lara deal, so we are done with the acquisition of new personnel and we are just ready to get going,"

my benchmark - McCullum‎

Rendon McCullum admits he will struggle to top the award-winning Christchurch Twenty20 attack, but he will be fun to try - from Dhaka today.McCullum impressive 116 not out off 56 balls against Australia in February, was adjudged the best performance in the ICC Twenty20 team awards dinner in Bangalore yesterday.The memories are still fresh in the bold circle Speedster Shaun Tait shots against Australia, New Zealand's wicketkeeper / batsman was happy to have some recognition in the international arena of the award. And I said, this was the benchmark, as swears to attack all three go to the format this season."Maybe you can not play better, to be fair. But it's such a thing, I am constantly trying to reach out to produce something special against the best teams in the world," he said."You can not amble along against the best team, you've got to take them and try to achieve something special. So we will win the World Cup, how we beat the best team in Test matches. Then what will be our most dangerous, is if we get 11 guys, that way of thinking, to play aggressively, and the opposition. "After the test gave wicketkeeping level, McCullum has put her hand to open the batting for the November tour trials in India.And now, he's hoping to inspire New Zealand to a series-leveling victory in the second ODI against Bangladesh, the weather allows.McCullum to the ground running in Tuesday's series opener - the first international four months after knee surgery - when it cracked 45 off 61 balls, and crouched down, 50 to become a gauntlet. In vain, because New Zealand is only the second defeat suffered 18 ODIs against Bangladesh, nine runs under Duckworth-Lewis method after the target was adjusted to 210 off 37 overs."People say it was a bit unfortunate, but in the end you should have won that game. There is no excuse. If you look at Bangladesh, they looked like they wanted to do more than we were desperate and they handle the pressure better than we are. "Heavy rains in Dhaka yesterday at the Black Caps in two games at home and placed in five-match ODI series in doubt. But when the sky cleared, McCullum wanted to stay on the offensive against the home bowlers, despite a slow, low pitch conditions.He also enjoyed the reunion with fellow opener Jesse Ryder is the first time since the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean in April

T20 World Cup success will help England during Australia ODI series: Ian Bell

England batsman Ian Bell, who is part of the 13-man ODI squad for five-match series against Australia, has said that the vibe in the team is great, as the confidence from the Twenty20 World Cup triumph has shifted into the rest of the squad.

“Playing Australia now isn't just turning up and fearing them, whereas maybe in the past it was. Now it's about matching them and moving on and it was great to watch that Twenty20 final,” News of The World quoted Bell, as saying.

“English cricket has moved on and is starting to believe that we can play as well if not better as the other countries around the world. The way the T20 team played was absolutely fantastic with the bowling and the power hitting. English cricket is turning the corner,” he added.

Bell, who will be making a ODI comeback after 20 months, further said that he is keeping one eye on the Ashes series Down Under.

“The Ashes could be a defining part of my career. My record against Australia isn't as good as it is against South Africa. That's something I want to change. If I am there then I'll do everything I can to change that and have a big series,” Bell said.

“I know it will be my fourth Ashes series and it will be time for me to step up - because I would have had 60 Test matches by then,” he added.

Bell’s return has been boosted by his performance in the T20, Pro40 and Friends Provident, where last season he had strike rates of 116, 96 and 76 respectively.

England face Australia in the series opener in Hampshire on June 22.

Squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), Craig Kieswettter (wicketkeeper), Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Ryan Sidebottom, James Anderson and Michael Yardy.

Cool head is making Eoin Morgan a smash hit for England

Whisper it, but England, the team that one-day cricket left behind, rush into the second phase of the World Twenty20 with a man who is becoming the most inventive limited-overs batsman in the game.
Eoin Morgan, made in Ireland and now completing his education at the international game's finishing school, will play for England in Barbados with the perfect opportunity to show the world just how brilliant he has become.
When England talk of Morgan's paddle strokes, they are referring to his improvisation rather than commenting on the Guyanese rain that assailed their first-round

Stuart Broad ready to put last year's Twenty20 World Cup nightmare behind him

Unpredictable Stuart Broad believes he has improved enough to put an end to his Twenty20 World Cup nightmare.
First there were the six sixes clubbed off him by Yuvraj Singh in South Africa during the first tournament in 2007.
Then there was the horror final over against Holland when Broad missed three golden run-out chances and dropped a catch to lose the game.
It is fair to say he and World Twenty20s do not get on, but he has vowed to prove how much better a player he is when the tournament gets under way in the West Indies on Saturday.
"Getting hit out the ground is part of the game," said Broad, who has appeared in most of England's 25 T20 matches and is now a fixture in the side in all forms of the game.
"You must accept you can bowl a perfectly good ball and it can go out the park. That's one of those things.
"But I think I'm a muchchanged bowler since the day Yuvraj hit me for six sixes. It taught me a lot in T20 cricket about not being very predictable

Former players must back Pakistan now

Now that the dice has been cast and the skipper and squad for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies have been decided, Pakistan must now look forward to the championship with a positive frame of mind. I am not surprised Shahid Afridi has been named the captain. I mentioned this in my previous column when the Indian Premier League (IPL) started. In Pakistan cricket, there is a value for nuisance! Afridi may have earned Pakistan some bad name by the chewing-the-ball incident in Perth in January-end, but all that is forgotten now. Afridi has been captaining Pakistan cricket in T20 internationals and under the circumstances, he is the best man to lead in the Caribbean. He has a lot of energy and this format of the game, needs his aggressive approach. Surely, he will now be thinking about the World Cup because the nation’s prestige will be in his hands. He just has to control his wildfire emotions.Afridi has a few advantages. In coaches Waqar Younis and Ijaz Ahmed, he will have two men who understand the game and the body language of the players. I think this is the best team management Pakistan can ask for. I am happy for Waqar. He always wanted to be the coach of Pakistan. And why not? Waqar has played the game at the highest level, he knows the modern methods and can be a hard task master. Ijaz has been one of Pakistan’s brilliant batsman and a good motivator. This combination should work well. Waqar knows what it is to be in the Pakistan team. Discipline has always been an issue with the national side and I think Waqar, with his persona and work ethics, can wield the danda (stick) to erring players, if required. He must be given a year to prove himself.

2010 Twenty20 World Cup betting - Ottis Gibson appointed WEst Indies Head coach

Ottis Gibson has been given free reign by West Indies (8/1 to win the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup at Betfred) as the country’s new head coach after the 40-year-old decided to leave his post with England (10/1 at Betfred).

Gibson, who succeeded Allan Donald with the Three Lions in September 2007, will take over from interim coach David Williams for the tour of Zimbabwe at the end of this month.
West Indies Cricket Board chief executive Ernest Hilaire also revealed Gibson, who played two Tests and 15 one-day internationls for the Windies, will take responsibility for and oversee coaching right across all of the country’s representative cricket teams.

“Ottis will begin his appointment from the start of the home series against Zimbabwe,” Hilaire told CBC Radio.

“I think we need to take Ottis’ appointment in stride. He will be the head coach of the WICB, and not just head coach of the senior team. He will have responsibility for coaching right across all of our representative cricket teams.”

Gibson’s departure leaves a huge void to fill in the England (3/1 to retain the Ashes Down Under) set-up with a busy year coming up, culminating in the trip to Australia at the end of the year to defend the Ashes.

There is plenty of cricket of cricket to play before then with a Twenty20 series against Pakistan in Dubai later this month before an understrength side travels to Bangladesh.

England are still odds-on favourites to land both series, priced at 1/4 to win the three-match ODI series and 1/5 to take the glory in the subsequent two-Test series.

Bangladesh, who beat a second-string West Indies in a Test series last year, are 5/2 to take the spoils in the one-dayers, and 10/1 to come out on top in the Tests, with the draw at 5/1