T20 World Cup, June 1-29

[mikesiva]

Pakistan 113-7

Rizwan 31 from 44

Bumrah 3-14

[bigfluffylemon]

Scotland doing their best to pile the pressure on sorry England

England are doing to need two big wins and hope the Aussies do them a favour.

It's not looking good.

[Durhamfootman]

weather gods territory. This is England in the caribbean, after all

[meninblue]

I see that Pakistan have finally told Moin Khan to shut his face and have dropped the chunkster

Pakistan eventually had to drop wicket keeper Azam Khan the son of ex cricketer Moin Khan. He had dropped catches in series versus England and now Haris Rauf and other pacers are frustrated with his keeping as well. Totally unfit. There was one interview by Misbah. Misbah, during his tenure as Pakistan coach had told that others in Pakistan team were wondering what is point of being fit when unfit players like Azam Khan get picked and there was a bad precedent set in dressing room as to why they should practice if fitness is not criteria in a physical and endurance testing sport. Azam Khan made T20i debut against England. He was fat then and even after 3 years he remains same. Nobody is expecting him to have just lean muscle mass or show the Virat Kohli fitness, but a minimum fitness level and flexibility is required. Other keeps dive when the ball passes wide of them, but i have seen he does not even attempts most of the ones which he should have attempted. Also when he stretches while jumping to catch the ball, he isn't quick at all. Pakistani pacers (guess Haris) was frustrated when he pushed ball trying to take a rising catch and dropped it. Azam Khan is one of the hitter that Pak selectors may still be interested in. Iftikhar Ahmed has also wasted chances and although his official age is less, the looks and way things happen in Afg, Pak and India looks like age fudging. He is always as young as Rashid Khan. Asif Ali was tried as hitter finisher but he also lost his place. So it's not all over for Azam. If he brings fitness and reflexes, flexibility and endurance to acceptable levels i feel he will get picked when he puts efforts in his fitness. There is a big vacancy in Pakistan cricket team in lower middle order hitter. Personally whatever i have heard him speak about his own fitness prior to this world cup, he mentioned that he hardly had six weeks before World Cup so he will think fitness after that. Disgusting statement imo, fitness is something one can self realizes even if he does know basic of body, respiratory system basic functioning, or you see many boys playing cricket with you, if not coach keeps on telling to get fit or a dad as ex international cricketer living with you forgets to tell what fitness is. Fitness should be understood during teenage ateast. After debut in 2021 he should have worked in 3 years which is too much and he is a professional cricketer. There are wonder stories in 3 months by those who are not in sports field but reduced weight drastically. Giving stupid excuse like only 6 weeks for preparation. Mohd. Hafeez who was director of Pak cricket had told him that he will be given bit of a leeway for his fitness as they do see some talent in him, but after six months when Hafeez saw him, he was still same unfit player. Good that they stopped succumbing to Moin Khans wishes for the time being.

[meninblue]

Usman Khan was a UAE prospect, who was handed over a 5 year ban by Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). PCB poached him after he had a wonderful PSL in which he scored two back to back tons. In T20i series held in Pakistan against NZ C Team (Most of NZ A and B team players apart from Ish Sodhi were playing IPL), he failed to score even decent runs. Following that, he has flopped against USA as well as India. He needs runs and age is not in his side. His wicket keeping is also not better than Mohd. Rizwan. So there is too much pressure on him given how he went against ECB prospects and being a main player there and now struggling at international level.

Shadab Khan who made the debut as a bowler and lost his bowling skills did not get even one over. Imad Wasim and even Iftikhar is bowling more than him. But he is more for his batting now than his bowling given how Pakistan trust their batsmen. This batting lineup is a reflection of standards in current Pakistan domestic cricket. The options are so bad that they still go with accumulators like Babar and Rizwan as T20i openers, Shadab and Iftikhar as bowlers because they can bat and help with some runs. They really are in tough phase now.

[mikesiva]

Oman 150-7

Athavale 54
Ayaan 41*

Sharif 2-40

Scotland 153-3 in 13 overs

McMullen 61*
Munsey 41

Bilal 1-12

[sussexpob]

Usman Khan was a UAE prospect, who was handed over a 5 year ban by Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). PCB poached him after he had a wonderful PSL

Not sure how the PCB "poached" a player born in Karachi after scoring runs in Pakistan. The Emirates Cricket Board should be expelled from the ICC for banning a player for the sole reason of choosing to play for his country.

[meninblue]

Usman Khan was a UAE prospect, who was handed over a 5 year ban by Emirates Cricket Board (ECB). PCB poached him after he had a wonderful PSL

Not sure how the PCB "poached" a player born in Karachi after scoring runs in Pakistan. The Emirates Cricket Board should be expelled from the ICC for banning a player for the sole reason of choosing to play for his country.

Usman had told ECB board that he will represent UAE in future and on that basis ECB gave him opportunities to develop himself using their facilities based on whatever verbal communication had happened between them. Then this PSL season he scored plenty of runs and then PAK approached him. If he had flopped in PSL then he would have played for UAE with support of UAE cricketing infrastructure. ECB got upset because of this and banned him for 5 years. Now he cannot play in their tournaments. Poaching may be wrong word to sue but i hope you get the context why ECB banned him and how opportunistic he tried to be depending on how his PSL season would go.

[sussexpob]

Usman had told ECB board that he will represent UAE in future and on that basis ECB gave him opportunities to develop himself using their facilities based on whatever verbal communication had happened between them

What a heart of gold the ECB must have to do all that for Usman....

I am sure this is not one of those Kafala cases that Human Rights Advocacy groups routinely point out are used to abuse the human rights of migrant employees by luring them to work on certain conditions, then the employee has the right to carte blanche change them as they see fit after they have demanded to take control of your passport, and you can neither escape the country, nor say no .... because doing so invalidates your right to stay in the country, which then becomes a crime.

Then when you eventually are in the position to reject or escape, get punished for invalidating the agreement you "voluntarily" agreed to.....

No, no no no no....... Definately not an example of that. The ECB are just a really nice organisation who wanted to help him. The excessive and unjustified 5 year ban on him playing cricket in the country is in no way any evidence of the contrary. No way at all.

I reiliterate... the ICC should boot the UAE out for this.

[meninblue]

Usman had told ECB board that he will represent UAE in future and on that basis ECB gave him opportunities to develop himself using their facilities based on whatever verbal communication had happened between them

What a heart of gold the ECB must have to do all that for Usman....

I am sure this is not one of those Kafala cases that Human Rights Advocacy groups routinely point out are used to abuse the human rights of migrant employees by luring them to work on certain conditions, then the employee has the right to carte blanche change them as they see fit after they have demanded to take control of your passport, and you can neither escape the country, nor say no .... because doing so invalidates your right to stay in the country, which then becomes a crime.

Then when you eventually are in the position to reject or escape, get punished for invalidating the agreement you "voluntarily" agreed to.....

No, no no no no....... Definately not an example of that. The ECB are just a really nice organisation who wanted to help him. The excessive and unjustified 5 year ban on him playing cricket in the country is in no way any evidence of the contrary. No way at all.

I reiliterate... the ICC should boot the UAE out for this.

I doubt, Usman will go the legal way. PCB too will not like to get into any such dispute. But even if he flops further in this WC and loses place, they will help him play in PSL, Quaid-E-Azam trophy, let him participate in BPL and other leagues if he seems nod for playing in other nations T20 leagues. His work permit validity is not clear. He won't be able to play the ILT20, the Abu Dhabi T10, or any other ECB-affiliated competitions held in the UAE until 2029. But if he does well there are many T20 leagues elsewhere.

As far as ICC , i am not aware of what rights do other boards have over their players and whether ICC can interfere in such cases. At the most ICC can use pressure tactics, but PCB in itself is short of support. Mohsin Naqvi himself has not settled and facing lot of stick given how things are unfolding in Pakistan cricket. As the big 3 (Aus, Eng, Ind) and SA as well as NZ seem to be aligned with Big 3, Pak has looked to boards like Zimbabwe etc in their support. PCB may also not want to take this dispute further and spoil having one more board not aligned with them. If Usman has decided to be part of Pakistan cricket system and not of UAE main team, i don't see any legal disputes either from player or PCB or ICC.

There is a big vacancy is Pakistan batting lineup and spots are up to be grabbed. Usman isn't doing good to himself but i think he will get more chances. So he is safe at least for time being and can still be hopeful of playing in main team. He has to improve his batting skills a lot though. I think that will be his major focus than taking legal way with UAE. So that legal dispute seems unlikely unless ICC get into all of it.

[meninblue]

Bangladesh versus SA tonight.

SA bowlers, pacers in particular have been very good against lesser. The middle order has saved them in both low scoring matches. Bangladesh does not has a good batting lineup as well. SA are already on 4 points. If they win against BD today and considering they have won against SL already, they will certainly move to next phase.

[sussexpob]

I doubt, Usman will go the legal way. PCB too will not like to get into any such dispute

Its not really the point, Adi.

Migration in the UAE is often controlled by employers who sponsor a person in a given field, and the conditions of employment are often imposed on a person against their will once they arrive, with the legal status as a migrant held against them if they do not accept (and routinely, their passport taken off them so they cannot leave the country to escape these abuses). As stated, this system is seen by many human rights advocates as contrary to fundamental human rights. Cricket boards are not really going to challenge a country's migration law, and it would be a waste of time for Usman to even consider a legal case against the ECB.

However, as a member of the ICC a cricket board dishing out a punishment with no objective merit, and something that is outside the realm of their own code of conduct, can impose cricketing sanctions on the board in question. If the ECB want to impose a human rights abusing employment policy on players and impose what in this case amounts to a career ban on the player in question for no objectively worthwhile reason, then as far as I am concerned they are not fit to be an associate member of the ICC.

Ban him all you want domestically, but if you want to act like that, then participation in ICC tournaments should come as the cost.

Of course its all nonsense because the ICCs head of is in Dubai, and all they care about is money. So asking them to take a stand is an equal waste of time.

[meninblue]

I doubt, Usman will go the legal way. PCB too will not like to get into any such dispute

Its not really the point, Adi.

Migration in the UAE is often controlled by employers who sponsor a person in a given field, and the conditions of employment are often imposed on a person against their will once they arrive, with the legal status as a migrant held against them if they do not accept (and routinely, their passport taken off them so they cannot leave the country to escape these abuses). As stated, this system is seen by many human rights advocates as contrary to fundamental human rights. Cricket boards are not really going to challenge a country's migration law, and it would be a waste of time for Usman to even consider a legal case against the ECB.

However, as a member of the ICC a cricket board dishing out a punishment with no objective merit, and something that is outside the realm of their own code of conduct, can impose cricketing sanctions on the board in question. If the ECB want to impose a human rights abusing employment policy on players and impose what in this case amounts to a career ban on the player in question for no objectively worthwhile reason, then as far as I am concerned they are not fit to be an associate member of the ICC.

Ban him all you want domestically, but if you want to act like that, then participation in ICC tournaments should come as the cost.

Of course its all nonsense because the ICCs head of is in Dubai, and all they care about is money. So asking them to take a stand is an equal waste of time.

Through news, i am aware that the passport of some employees were taken and people had no option other than to work there. From one, i had heard he had tough time moving out of UAE as his passport was not returned by employee initially. He then managed to eventually get his passport and moved out. Sometimes even whatever job role was committed was very different to what the employee had to do. So i am not at all saying ECB are saints.

[Durhamfootman]

New York pitch is still doing its thing

BD reducing SA to 23-4 in the 5th. Klaasen appears to be blocking everything, which is sensible, because if SA can scrape 100 or 120 then they'll probably be able to defend it

NY is not helping to create a great advert for a sport trying to make inroads into a new market. I'm glad I'm not watching it.... it'd be like watching Durham scratting about in a home T20

[Durhamfootman]

Oh blimey.... now SA are motoring.... 57-4 at the halfway point