Wednesday 23rd February, 2011

Pakistan look for turnaround in World Cup REX CLEMENTINE a team any team will take lightly reporting from Suriyawewa as they’ve reached the semi- finals of the 2003 tournament in , where they beat can emulate Since reaching the finals of the 1999 World Cup in , three Test playing nations. Pakistan have not been able to Kenyan Jimmy make an impression in ’s Kamanda was struck on the flagship event making first round cheek yesterday during a net exits in both the 2003 edition of session, but is out of danger – and is expected to play today’s the tournament in South Africa game. and, four years later, in West REX CLEMENTINE Indies. This is the first meeting move forward from there.” reporting from Suriyawewa In recent months, Pakistan’s between Pakistan and Kenya in Tikolo announced his retire- a World Cup encounter. There captaincy has changed as fre- Kenyan cricketer Steve Tikolo ment in 2009, but overturned that have been five One-Day quently as Lasith Malinga’s hair- became the first player from the decision to be part of the 2011 style and the banning of three Internationals between the non Test playing nations to repre- World Cup squad and said the pride players, including former captain teams before this, with Pakistan Salman Butt, due to their winning all five of them. sent his country in five Cricket of representing his country made involvement in the spot fixing Kenya are one of the four World Cups and the 39-year-old for- him to return to cricket. controversy, has been a severe Associate Members of the ICC, mer captain believes if his side gets Although they have an impres- blow to their cricket. However, taking part in this year’s World frequent opportunities in the big sive record in World Cups as no Cup. They have taken part in all when everyone has written league, like Sri Lanka and other Associate Member of the World Cups since the 1996 tour- them off, Pakistan have usually Bangladesh, they can become a key ICC, even have reached the quarter- been able to raise their game nament in the sub-continent and player in world cricket. final stages of the World Cup, their and it could happen this time beat West Indies in their inaugu- too. ral appearance. Sri Lanka played the first two 2011 campaign started off disas- Their 2011 World Cup cam- Squads: Pakistan (from): cricket World Cups in England in trously when they were bowled out paign begins today against Shahid Afridi (Capt.), Misbah- 1975 and 1979 as an Associate for 69 runs by New Zealand in Kenya at the Mahinda ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Member and, 21 years after their Chennai. Rehman, Ahmed Shehzad, Rajapaksa International Stadium maiden World Cup appearance, “A top professional for me is; if Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, in Suriyawewa and speaking to went onto become the World you are down, the way you pick journalists, Pakistan captain Kamran Akmal (wk), Champions in 1996. yourself up. We lost the game Shahid Afridi termed his team , Saeed as ‘dangerous’. They won their Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Kenya made their World Cup against New Zealand and it wasn’t last series in New Zealand and, Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz debut in 1996 and although they a good day for us, but the good although not being able to play and Younis Khan. have featured in all World Cups thing that came out was that the Kenyan Captain Steve Tikolo speaks to the media at Suriyawewa. any of their World Cup matches Kenya (from): Jimmy thereafter, opportunities in-between boys were very disappointed and at home, Pakistan teams, for 25 Kamande (Capt.), , James Ngoche, Shem World Cups against leading nations people. They are welcoming and special and to beat them was extra that shows the mark of good pro- years —starting from 1985 to has been rare. they are ready to assist on the special,” he said. fessionals.” 2009— have never lost a bi-lat- Ngoche, , Collins “If you take Sri Lanka, they cricketing front. I have played on a “We did well in the 2003 World “We discussed on playing posi- eral ODI series to Sri Lanka in Obuya, David Obuya (wk), Sri Lanka. , Thomas weren’t a top side in the world, but number of grounds around Sri Cup, but we had our own internal tive cricket and looked at areas Kenya, meanwhile, arrived in Odoyo, Peter Ongondo, Elijah once they got opportunities you can Lanka and I just enjoy coming and problems. Obviously things could where we didn’t do well in the last Colombo after being crushed by Otieno, Maurice Ouma (wk), see what Sri Lanka is today. Then playing here,” he said. have been handled better manage- game. We have spoken about it. New Zealand in their first World Rakep Patel, Steve Tikolo and Bangladesh, they were not a strong Tikolo was Kenya’s captain ment wise, but right now I don’t This morning’s training session Cup match in Chennai on Seren Waters. Umpires: Tony Hill (NZ) and side, but once they got Test status when they reached the semi-finals really want to dwell into that. I just was about trying to rectify those Sunday. They lost by ten wick- you see what cricket they are play- of the 2003 World Cup that included want to look at this World Cup and areas,” he added. ets after being bowled out for 69 Nigel Llong (Eng) runs, their lowest total in ODI Third Umpire: Darrel Harper ing right now. It’s about playing an upset win over Sri Lanka. The cricket. (Aus) more games at the top level, playing middle-order batsman, however, Despite their poor show Match Referee: Chris Broad against better oppositions that said the 1996 win over West Indies against the Kiwis, Kenya is not (Eng). makes you better,” Tikolo told jour- was the best win he’s been involved nalists in Suriyawewa yesterday. in in international cricket. Tikolo, who has played all 23 “It’s special to win against any World Cup matches of Kenya, made Test team, but for me what stands his first visit to Sri Lanka in 1996 out is the 1996 win against the West when Arjuna Ranatunga’s side Indies, simply because it was our amassed a massive 398 for six and first time at the international scene since then has made two other vis- and most of us grew up looking up its to the country before this World to the West Indies as our role mod- Cup. “I’ve been to Sri Lanka on four els. So just to be on the same occasions. Sri Lankans are lovely ground with them was something We are dangerous England scramble to win against Dutch side – Afridi England narrowly avoided REX CLEMENTINE embarrassment against the un- in Suriyawewa fancied Netherlands in their Their internal problems are numer- opening World Cup game in ous, but still, the die-hard Pakistani sup- Nagpur with a six- win. porters are calling them ‘one of the A and fielding per- favourites’ to win the Cricket World Cup formance which descended into 2011. That maybe total optimism, but farce, allied to a superb century there’s no dearth of talented individuals from Ryan ten Doeschate left who call themselves one of the dark horses in the competition. For captain England chasing a difficult tar- Shahid Afridi, Pakistan simply are a get of 293 runs to secure victory. ‘dangerous side’. But captain Andrew Strauss “India are playing good cricket, Sri and Kevin Pietersen set about Lanka are playing well and Pakistan is a the target with purpose, putting dangerous side. I take this World Cup as 100 on the scoreboard in good a challenge. It’s more challenging as no one is considering us for the semi-finals. time. I want to see my team in the semi-finals,” Pietersen fell just shy of his Afridi told journalists yesterday at half-century, but contributions Suriyawewa. all the way through the Pakistan failed to qualify for the sec- order, and some fireworks in the ond round in the last two World Cups penultimate over from Ravi and Afridi promised the intensity levels Netherlands Ryan ten Doeschate raises his bat to celebrate his centu- Bopara got England off the line for their first game of the World Cup ry against England during their opening game of the ICC Cricket World tomorrow against Pakistan to be high. “I in an exciting encounter. Cup in Nagpur, India, Tuesday, Feb. 22. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) don’t think we will be relaxed in any way. The first match in any series is always Scoreboard important. There are a number of exam- ples when big teams have lost. So the Holland Total (for 6 wkts in 50 overs) 292 J. Trott st Baressi b ten Doeschate 62 first match is very important and I want A.N. Kervezee c Prior b Bresnan 16 FOW: 1-36, 2-58, 3-136, 4-149, 5-213, I. Bell b ten Doeschate 33 to play with full strength,” he said. W. Barresi s b Swann 29 6-274 P. Collingwood 30 Pakistan cricket has been in turmoil T.L.W. Cooper c Anderson b Collingwood 47 Bowling: Anderson 10-0-72-0, Broad 10-2- R. Bopara not out 30 in the last few months following the sus- R.D. ten Doeschate c Bopara b Broad 119 65-2, Bresnan10-0-49-1, Swann 10-0-35-2, Extras (11wd, 1b, 2lb) 14 pension of three players involved in the B. Zuiderent c Collingwood b Swann 1 Collingwood 8-0-46-1, Pietersen 2-0-19-0 Total (for 4 wkts in 48.4 overs) 296 spot-fixing controversy and the regular T.N. de Grooth b Broad 28 FOW: 1-105, 2-166, 3-224, 4-241 change in leadership roles. “It was diffi- P.W. Borren not out 35 England Bowling: Bukhari 9-0-54-1, Westdijk 7-0-41- cult in the beginning. When we had all M. Bukhari not out 6 A. Strauss c Cooper b Bukhari 88 0, Loots 9.4-0-74-0, Seelaar 10-0-54-1, ten those issues, we had to rebuild. We had to lift the team again and that was affect- Extras (nb3, w2, b3, lb3) 11 K. Pietersen c Borren b Seelaar 39 Doeschate 10-0-47-2, Cooper 3-0-23-0. ing my performance too. But now a situa- tion has come that our team is settled and we have a good combination that people now have hopes that this team SLC says IGP has blundered! can do something.” BY MADURA NANDANA was unaware of any such move. and instruments. Pakistan was to be one of the co-hosts On Monday, the IGP told a Sri Lanka Cricket Media for the 2011 World Cup, but their matches The Inspector General of newspaper (Not ‘The Island’) that Manager, Brain Thomas, when were shifted following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in 2009. Police, Mahinda Balasuriya, is music at all World Cup venues contacted by ‘The Island’ said Afridi said yesterday an impressive run reported to have said that specta- the ban on bringing in musical in the World Cup will lift the spirits of instruments and other propagan- tors who wish to bring in musical Pakistanis. “The fact that we are not World Cup 2011 da materials has been lifted and instruments to World Cup venues playing in our country and our people those who wish to cheer the teams should seek permission from Sri are missing the World Cup is in our Lanka Cricket (SLC). would be provided by Sri Lanka would now be permitted to bring minds. We will try our level best to win SLC Media Manager, Brain Cricket and therefore, spectators in musical instruments for 2011 this as this is a very important trophy for Thomas meanwhile said that he need not bring in music groups Cricket World Cup matches. us and hope that some cricket returns to our country.”

Wednesday 23rd February, 2011