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Former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar has said the team needs to maintain a level of enthusiasm even if the results don’t always go their way. With the World Cup early next year, Bashar felt it was important for the team to build self belief in the coming months, and that could translate into better results. He added it was a good decision by Shakib Al Hasan to give up the captaincy when he was struggling for form on the tour of England.”I think the level of satisfaction should go up,” Bashar told the . “People always talk about too much expectation, which I think is not a good thing but if there’s no expectation, it does no good to the team. It is time we shed the habit of being happy when we are ‘playing well’. You must have some belief if you are looking for the right results.”Bangladesh recently recorded their first ever win against England, in Bristol, but they failed to convert it to a rare away series win when they lost the deciding ODI by 144 runs at Edgbaston.”I am not saying the win (against England) was insignificant,” Bashar said. “It is a huge achievement to win against England in their home conditions.”Bashar also threw his weight behind the struggling batsman Mohammad Ashraful, who for a long time hasn’t repaid the faith shown by the selectors.”You cannot question [Mohammad] Ashraful’s quality and I’m confident that Ash will make his comeback in the World Cup, but now he’s badly out of form,” Bashar said. “I think he needs a break to do well in the coming months. That will make sure of his return to form as far as I’m concerned.”Mashrafe Mortaza regained the captaincy after regular captain Shakib struggled to combine the roles of leading allrounder and leader. Mortaza only recently returned from a long-term knee injury, and he was the automatic choice to take over from Shakib. Bashar, however, felt Shakib would do better when given a second chance.”Shakib must feel better now that Mashrafe has the captaincy,” Bashar said. “I think it was too much pressure on him. I always felt that he was made captain too soon for his age. He can be the country’s best captain, but only in the future.”Bashar doesn’t expect wholesale changes to the squad for the World Cup, and felt it would be worth investing in the current group. “I see very little chance of that happening because in the past two years, player production hasn’t been too good and backups are not in place. We have a few options but I still think this current team is good enough and talented enough to produce the goods in the World Cup.”

A Quaid-e-Azam Trophy triumph and a heartening return surely merited some kind of reward for Mohammad Sami?•Getty Images

Why not Mohammad Sami?
Mohammad Sami hasn’t covered himself in any kind of glory over the length of his career and his sudden call-up to the Australia tour was as unexpected as it could’ve been unpleasant. It wasn’t, as an apparently refreshed Sami rattled Australia on the very first morning of the Sydney Test in a frighteningly quick first spell that all but fetched him a hat-trick. And it have set up a rare Test win for Pakistan.Additionally, as captain, he led Karachi to triumph in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, rattling a strong Habib Bank side in the final, just as he left for Australia. Thirty-eight wickets in the QEA are not earth-shattering, but a trophy triumph and such a heartening return surely merited some kind of reward? Not a top contract, admittedly, but to not even consider him for a stipend, especially when you consider below.Why Wahab Riaz?
The last time Wahab Riaz played for Pakistan was nearly two years ago. This season he took 14 wickets at over 40 in the QEA. He was nowhere in RBS ODI cup or the Pentangular. He took a few wickets for Pakistan A on their UAE tour in games against the England Lions.In plain words, how on earth does he qualify for a category C contract, over men such as Sami? Or how about Mohammad Irfan, the left-arm fast bowler who at near seven feet tall at least provides a different threat altogether, and was in many ways the story of this domestic season? Or even below.Why not Rao Iftikhar Anjum?Probably because you will not hear him make a noise about it, or hear him canvassing for selection, nobody will be much fussed about the exclusion of Rao Iftikhar Anjum. Honest workhorses are rarely celebrated or rewarded in Pakistan.But Rao’s performance for Pakistan over the last three, pretty terrible years – mostly as a thankless, white-ball first change – have warranted more than this sacking: with over 53 ODI wickets in 34 ODIs he is among the country’s leading wicket-takers in that period. He has been an effective and uncomplaining foil to bigger fast bowling names, with added nous than when he first came in.Maybe he doesn’t warrant a starting place in an ODI line-up if Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Gul are in (and Gul’s form is currently poor enough to require cover) but central contracts are not about the first XI only: they are about building a pool and rewarding consistent performers, reliable and committed players and Rao is nothing if not that.Abdul Razzaq in category A?Abdul Razzaq has been a fine player for Pakistan over the years. He could and should have been the latest in a line of supremely accomplished allrounders this country has produced but that he didn’t fulfill that is for another day. To find him in category A in this year’s list is to suspect the PCB and selectors still believe the hype and potential of the late 90s, when he first made his name.Razzaq is no longer a candidate in Tests and he seems to have ruled himself out of that format. In ODIs he has been fitful since his return from the ICL and he has batted as if he left behind his skills in the ICL. In the shortest format of the game, of course, he has been vital and was one of the main men behind Pakistan’s world triumph last year.To find Abdul Razzaq in category A in this year’s list is to suspect the PCB and selectors still believe the hype and potential of the late 90s•AFP

Unquestionably he should be in the pool, but category A? In any case that category seems to say more perhaps about who is not there than who is.The curious category CThe two men who have long been touted – and selected – as solutions to Pakistan’s most vexing problem over the years find themselves on monthly stipends. Khalid Latif has not set the world alight admittedly, but has not disgraced himself in the 50-over game. And he is in Pakistan’s squad for the World Twenty20.Khurram Manzoor, meanwhile, for all his technical quirks has toughed it out for three fifties against solid opposition (two away from home). His last international innings, against Australia in Hobart, yielded a disciplined, brave 77 from one-down.Why they find themselves below Abdul Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez who are both in category C only those who selected the pool know. Rehman has had a spectacular domestic season and Hafeez a solid one, but the former hasn’t played for Pakistan – or been in serious contention after the arrival of Saeed Ajmal – since December 2007. Hafeez last turned out in a Pakistan shirt in October 2007 and is only now a member of the World Twenty20 squad.Yet the pair are in the same category as Fawad Alam, who is pushing for a starting spot in all three formats, and who, in the shadow of Umar Akmal and Mohammad Aamer, had a quiet breakout year last year of his own.And finally…A point to ponder: the expected annual salary that Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal will earn from their annual contracts – Rs 30 lakh for Afridi and Kamran and Rs 21 lakh for Umar – work out almost exactly to the fines levied on them by the board last week. In effect, the trio will play for Pakistan for no money over the next year.

Lalit Modi’s legal team is confident of receiving a positive response, and a favourable outcome, to the mail sent on Tuesday to members of the IPL governing council seeking an independent panel to look into the charges against him. Modi in his mail also asked for Shashank Manohar, the BCCI president, and N Srinivasan, the secretary, to recuse themselves from the entire procedure.Mehmood Abdi, a key member of Lalit Modi’s legal team, said on Wednesday that since both Manohar and Srinivasan were the subject of allegations made by Modi in the mail, they should not be a party to the board’s investigation process of the showcause notice served by the BCCI on April 26.”When the judge fails to recuse himself then the party has got to remind him that, firstly, there is a case of conflict of interest and I have got reasons to believe there is some bias or prejudice against him,” Abdi told Cricinfo.The 14-page mail has alleged, , that Manohar influenced the franchise bidding process in March this year and Srinivasan intervened in the player auction in January. It is this involvement, Modi has argued, that could harm his chances of a fair trial and hence he requested Manohar to step down from the board’s disciplinary committee.Simultaneously Modi also wanted Srinivasan to be suspended and charges of conflict of interest against him be investigated. Modi’s camp has indicated that it may consider going to court if the requests are not granted.Recusal is an established legal option available to any litigant when he apprehends that the adjudicating authority has any interest – especially financial – at stake in the case at hand.”In this case the definition holds true: Mr Srinivasan has got a clear conflict of interest,” Abdi said.The Modi camp, he said, will remain patient and is confident of receiving a reply from Manohar. “Certainly we expect a reply,” he said. “Not only reply, action as well because all of them have been a party to the all the proceedings. There is nothing very unusual being sought by Mr Modi and we expect a fair hearing.”Though Srinivasan and Manohar were not available to respond to what constitutes damaging allegations from Modi, a senior board official indicated it was not considering responding at this juncture. “The board will not offer any comment to what they feel are baseless allegations.”

Despite a stunning 185-run knock by Michael Bevan, the Rest of the World XI conceded a one-run defeat to mighty Asia XI in a thrilling limited-over match at the flood-lit Bangabandhu National Stadium Saturday.Southpaw batsman Bevan, who is famed for his top class finishing ability in one-dayer, lifted the match to an exciting position making a 119-run partnership in the eight-wicket stand with Andrew Caddick.The match was dragged to a nerve breaking moment when Rest of the Eleven needed six runs from the last delivery of the innings but they completed their fifty overs making 319 runs for eight wickets in chasing the 320 runs scored by Asia.In the last over of their innings, Rest of the Eleven needed 20 runs which was made almost possible when Bevan hit three consecutive boundaries off Pakistani pacer Abdur Razzaq.Bevan hammered an undefeated 185 runs facing only 132 deliveries that featured 19 boundaries and five huge sixes while Caddick added 23 runs off 32 balls before falling victim of a run out.Bevan was adjudged best batsman of the match and most valuable player and also man of the match.Earlier, Rest of the World Eleven lost their wickets at regular intervals.Zimbabwean hard-hitting batsman Neil Johnson was the first victim scoring only 2 runs off 12 balls at 28 runs while Rest of the Eleven lost another wicket in quick succession when captain Mark Waugh returned to the pavilion making run a ball 28.South African all rounder Jacques Kallis added 27 runs off 31 balls with four hits to the fence before being trapped leg before wicket.Abdur Razzaq and Muralitharan claimed two wickets each while Wasim Akram, Chaminda Vaas and Anil Kumble took one wicket each.Asia Eleven clinched the trophy winning the clash, first its kind in the 200-year cricket history.Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) arranged the match to round off the ICC Cricket Week being celebrated for the first time to give a further boost to cricketing, already the country’s most favourite game.Indian master batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly guided Asia Eleven to make the challenging total against the Rest of the World Eleven in the day-night battle.Asia Eleven scored a towering 320 for nine wickets in 50 overs riding on a 114-run second wicket partnership between the two Indian maestros after its captain Pakistani ace cricketer Wasim Akram decided to bat first at the jam-packed stadium.Sachin Tendular made a blazing 80 runs off 77 balls belting eleven boundaries while Indian skipper Ganguly, who replaced Saeed Anwar in the squad, scored 67 runs off 66 balls in an innings that featured six fours and three big sixes.Both the batsmen returned to the pavilion offering catches to Franklyn Rose at long-on off English left-arm spinner Phil Tufnell, who was the most expensive bowler in the innings giving away 68 runs in 9 overs.Sanath Jayasuriya and Sachin Tendulkar opened the Asian Eleven innings but their association lived for a short time as Sri Lankan captain returned to the pavilion making only 12 runs with the scoreboard reading 49 runs in 7.3 overs.South African speed star Nantie Hayward made the first breakthrough for the Rest of the World Eleven as left-handed dashing batsman Jayasuriya was caught at square-leg by Michael Bevan.Former Indian captain Tendulkar opened his account hitting a boundary against Andrew Caddick in the second ball of the innings in the cover area and the best batsman of the world entertained the huge crowd dominating the opposition fast bowlers.The right-handed opener, who is the top ton-maker in the history of one-day cricket, reached his fifty facing 48 deliveries that included nine hits across the rope.Sachin was dropped at 70 runs when Tufnell failed to grip the return catch and in the very next ball Tufnell also dropped Saurav Ganguly when he was on 41 runs.Saurav gave another chance when he was on 11 runs. Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist failed to hold the ball in his gloves off a Rose delivery.The innings’ three sixes came from Saurav’s willow and on all the occasions Tufnell was the victim. Maharaja hit his first six with style over the mid-wicket and second one over the long-on and last one over the long-off.Pakistani captain Moin Khan, who batted at number seven, played another vital knock of 34 runs off 31 balls that featured six boundaries and he added valuable 23 runs with Anil Kumble, who made an unbeaten 14 runs off 8 balls.

Worcestershire have signed Steven Smith, the Australia legspinner, as an overseas player for the English Twenty20 Cup. Smith made his international debut in the Twenty20 international against Pakistan, at the MCG, where he impressed with 2 for 34 in Australia’s two-run victory.Smith has made a name for himself in Twenty20 cricket having helped New South Wales win the inaugural Champions League title in India last October. He was also New South Wales’ leading wicket-taker during the 2009-10 Big Bash tournament with seven wickets 10.28″I have been watching Steve’s progress over the last year and I have spoken to Phil Jaques about him and there is no doubt he is a highly talented young player who has already proved he can perform on the big occasion,” Steve Rhodes, Worcestershire’s director of cricket, said.”We are determined to improve our Twenty20 performances this year and we are allowed two overseas players in this competition. We will be a young squad and I know Steve will fit in with what we want to achieve. His is a very exciting signing.”Worcestershire already had Jaques and Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh captain, on their books for the 2010 season. Smith’s signing is subject to clearance from Cricket Australia.

David Warner has been left out of New South Wales’ squad for their opening Sheffield Shield game of the season after Phil Jaques and Usman Khawaja were preferred to face Western Australia from Tuesday. Warner, Australia’s Twenty20 opener, made his first-class debut in the final game of last summer, but appears to have a lengthy wait for a second outing considering the Blues’ batting strength.Jaques returns from a back injury, Brad Haddin is also available following finger surgery and Khawaja is wanting to build on a campaign of 554 runs at 42.61 last season. It is expected the queue for Warner will grow longer when Shane Watson returns from India and slots into the middle order for his new state. The wrist spinner Beau Casson is in line to partner the leggie Steve Smith in the four-day game while Stuart Clark will lead the bowling attack at the SCG.On Sunday New South Wales will welcome back Haddin and Jaques when they take on the Warriors in the FR Cup at North Sydney. Haddin has been out of action since the end of the Ashes series and didn’t feel ready to replace Tim Paine when he broke a finger in India on Wednesday. Jaques is one of four potential openers in the 12-man squad, along with Phillip Hughes, Warner and Simon Katich.Western Australia have recalled the batsman Liam Davis for both the FR Cup game and the Sheffield Shield match. The Warriors have won and lost in the FR Cup and gave up first-innings points to Queensland in their opening Sheffield Shield encounter. On Thursday they named a 13-man squad for the four-day fixture with the legspinner Josh Mangan added to the outfit.New South Wales FR Cup squad Phillip Hughes, Phil Jaques, David Warner, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Brad Haddin (wk), Ben Rohrer, Steven Smith, Steve O’Keefe, Stuart Clark, Mitch Starc, Burt Cockley.Western Australia FR Cup squad Wes Robinson, Luke Towers, Marcus North (capt), David Bandy, Liam Davis, Theo Doropoulos, Luke Ronchi (wk), Ashley Noffke, Jake Fawcett, Brett Dorey, Michael Hogan, Brad Knowles.New South Wales Shield squad Phillip Hughes, Phil Jaques, Simon Katich (capt), Dominic Thornely, Brad Haddin (wk), Ben Rohrer, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, Beau Casson, Stuart Clark, Mitch Starc, Burt Cockley.Western Australia Shield squad Wes Robinson, Luke Towers, Marcus North (capt), David Bandy, Liam Davis, Theo Doropoulos, Luke Ronchi (wk), Ashley Noffke, Steve Magoffin, Josh Mangan, Brett Dorey, Brad Knowles, Michael Hogan.

Dermott Monteith, Ireland’s all-time highest wicket-taker, has died at the age of 66.In a remarkable career he played 76 times for Ireland, taking 326 wickets at 17.37, including 47 in five matches in 1971, with his left-arm spin. He took five wickets in an innings on 27 occasions, and seven times took 10 wickets in a match. His best figures came in 1973 when he took 13 wickets against The MCC at Lord’s, including a 8 for 44 in the second innings as Ireland triumphed by seven wickets.His playing career with Ireland spanned 19 years from his debut in 1965 at Lord’s, until his last appearance in 1984 against Scotland. On both occasions he made an impact with the bat, rather than the ball, testament to his all-round ability. He scored 54 against the MCC on his debut, and made 95, his highest score, on his final appearance for his country. In total he made 1712 runs at 20.63 with nine half centuries and also captained Ireland 38 times.Middlesex spotted Monteith’s ability and he played for them during the 1981 and 1983 seasons, deputising for John Emburey and Phil Edmonds when they were on England duty. He played his first game for the county aged 38 and proved more than capable, taking 24 wickets in eight Championship appearances with a best of 5 for 60 against Essex.After his playing career ended Monteith took up a leading position in the administration of Irish cricket and became a national selector. Roy Torrens, his former team-mate and the current Ireland manager, commended the confidence and skill that characterised Monteith’s career.”Dermott was in many ways ahead of his time. He was a trail-blazer in every way. He was an innovative captain, and had no fear of failure. He was always looking to make things happen, and was great to play alongside. He was quite simply a magnificent cricketer, and he was a pioneer in many ways, being one of the first Irishmen in the modern era to make a mark in county cricket.”He was very highly regarded by his Middlesex colleagues, and on my travels with Ireland, I was often asked by Mike Brearley and John Emburey how he was doing.”I probably got to know Dermott better when we both were retired and travelling around as national selectors. He was great to have as a friend, and was marvellous company. My thoughts and prayers are with his family circle at this sad time.”David Williams, the Cricket Ireland chairman, added his tribute saying: “I learned of the death of Dermott Monteith with great sadness. He was one of our very greatest players and a much valued colleague in the administration of cricket in Ireland when his playing days were over.”

Outgoing Bermuda coach Gus Logie believes it is time for a “new beginning” as he prepares for his final series in charge of the national squad, against Uganda next week in the opening match of the ICC Intercontinental Shield in Hamilton.”It is another new series and I’m just as excited as when I first came,” Logie told . “Right now every game we play is important. It is about assessing where we are at and planning for the future. You’ve heard players in the past saying ‘we’re tired of losing’, they get dejected. We are trying to make sure they enjoy what they are doing and winning is part of that. Nothing breeds success like success.”In May, Logie decided not to renew his contract as the national coach after the team lost its one-day international status the previous month. Since that dismal performance at the ICC World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, Bermuda have suffered a few more setbacks.They lost their best bowler, Dwayne Leverock, who announced his retirement; Kevin Hurdle has been banned following a row over smoking, and both Lionel Cann and Janeiro Tucker have also called it quits.As Logie prepared to move on, he said the Under-19 squad held a lot of promise and would replace the old guard. “There are always reasons to be positive,” Logie said. “I look around and I see some of the young fellas out here and I feel good that there are still youngsters who want to go out there and put their talent and their skill on the line at the higher level.”Terryn Fray, the Bermuda U-19 captain, and left arm quick Kevon Fubler are two prospects Logie is betting big on. Logie hopes both players and their peers – like Malachi Jones, Rodney Trott, Chris Douglas and Jordan DeSilva – will play long enough to create a pool of players for his successor to choose from in the future.”These are some of the youngsters that the cricket board has invested in for a number of seasons now,” Logie said. “They have had quite a bit of experience at this level and we are looking forward to them doing well. This is the succession plan that the board has put in place. We’ve always been keen to introduce young players to the squad.”Fray, a traditional opener with the temperament for the longer format is expected to make his debut in the four-day Intercontinental Shield. Fray said he was optimistic about Bermuda’s future and the bulk of the current squad could be together for the next ten years.”We’ve got a lot of good young players in the squad,” Fray said. “Hopefully we can show the island we mean business over the next couple of years.”

Guernsey finally got off the mark in the tournament by beating Norway by 47 runs in their replayed match at the Indian Association Ground. Rain forced the abandonment of their match a couple of days ago, and Guernsey – the disappointment of the tournament so far – compiled an impressive 244 for 9, with GH Smit top-scoring with 71. He was given able support from Jeremy Frith (54 from 56) while Norway’s Shahbaz Butt picked up 3 for 29 in an economical spell. Not content with top-scoring for his side, Smit then prized out four wickets, including Aziz Ataul for 49, while Frith removed the captain Zaheer Ashiq for a rambunctious 62 from 50. Norway were rolled for 197, falling short by 47 runs.”I’m very happy that we’ve finally managed to show what we can do as a side,” said Smit, the Man of the Match. “I felt we underperformed in our previous matches which I think helped us today as we simply didn’t want to lose another match. It was a real motivation to do well. Tomorrow’s game against Botswana is going to be really tough especially since they, along with ourselves and Norway, have one win each – so tomorrow is all about who stays up and who goes down and we definitely don’t want to go down having only just come up to this division.”Malaysia closed the gap on leaders Singapore with a facile eight-wicket win over Botswana at the Kallang Ground. Faisal Rana continued his good form in cracking 63 from 78 but, apart from James Moses’ 48, there weren’t enough notable scores from Botswana who were dismissed for 233. Malaysia lost Shafiq Sharif early but Rakesh Madhavan smacked a tremendous unbeaten 115 from 139 balls, sharing in stands of 111 with Ahmed Faiz (56) and 119 with Suhan Alagaratnam who was unbeaten on 36.”It’s a great feeling to score a century and win Man of the Match but my focus, and the team’s, is now to tomorrow and our final group match which is against Singapore,” said Madhavan. “We really want to beat them, which we know we can do, and tomorrow’s game is really important as it will secure us promotion to Division 5 in Nepal next year.”

Derbyshire have announced that Charl Langeveldt has been ruled out for the remainder of the summer after he aggravated an old shoulder problem playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.Langeveldt returned to the Cape Cobras yesterday morning where he was told he required an immediate operation and would be out for four to five months.Derbyshire were reluctant to allow him to play in the IPL, and to make matter worse the injury came in his only outing in the competition.”Obviously this is devastating news not just for us but also for Charl,” the county’s head of cricket, John Morris, said. “Unfortunately there is absolutely nothing we can say or do which will change the outcome.”