Sharjeel, Khalid secure Pakistan 9-wicket win over England

Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif scored quickfire half-centuries as Pakistan defeated England by nine wickets in the only Twenty20 International (T20I) at Old Trafford, Manchester, late on Wednesday.

It was a boundary-galore as the pair registered a 107-run opening stand hitting 17 boundaries in the first 10 overs.

The ball crossed the boundary rope 22 times in total.

The two came out all guns blazing as the opening duo struck record 73 runs in the powerplay overs — overshadowing Pakistan's previous best of 72 against Zimbabwe.

Sharjeel, who registered his second T20I half-century with a towering six over cow corner off Adil Rashid, fell in the 12th over as he tried a cross-bat heave off the leg-spinner.

The left-handed batsman struck seven fours and three sixes in his 36-ball 59.

On the other hand, Khalid continued the onslaught and went on to score his maiden fifty of the format with a six over mid-wicket.

He remained unbeaten on 59 from 42 balls. The 30-year-old hit 10 boundaries — eight fours and two sixes. 

Earlier, in what was a disciplined show by Pakistan bowlers, that restricted England to 135 for seven in 20 overs. Half of England's batting line-up was back in the pavilion by the end of the 15th over as the hosts were 105 for five.

Left-arm orthodox Imad Wasim dismissed both England openers — Jason Roy and Alex Hales — to reduce England to two down for 67 in nine overs during the ongoing one-off Twenty20 International (T20I) against Pakistan at Old Trafford, Manchester.

Roy, who struck two fours and a towering six — off Sohail Tanvir — in his 20-ball 21, fell during the seventh over after he accumulated 56 runs along Hales for the first wicket on Wednesday.

Going for a reverse sweep off Imad Wasim, Roy was given LBW when the left-arm orthodox's straighter delivery crashed into the batter's pads.

Starting the proceedings quietly, the openers turned screws on the Pakistani bowlers during the third over.

Left-arm fast-bowler Mohammad Amir was welcomed with a pull-shot by Roy that crashed into the mid-wicket boundary in the third over of the innings when England were eight without a loss.

The two batsmen piled up 41 runs in the next 23 balls.

Hales, who hit 37 off 26 with five fours, fell during Imad's third over trying to attempt a cross-bat shot.

Imad, who opened the bowling for Pakistan by conceding just two singles, gave away 17 runs at an economy just over four per over in his quota of four overs.

In the 10th over, Hasan Ali removed Joe Root, who had replaced Roy, for the third consecutive time on the tour on the first ball of his second over which reduced the hosts to three for 67.

Jos Buttler, who failed to scoop pacers on umpteen occasions, handed an easy catch to Shoaib Malik at the cover boundary off Wahab Riaz during the 14th over which was followed by Ali's second wicket — Ben Stokes — 10 balls later.

Wahab, who impressed with terrific line and length bowling, picked up England captain and David Willey to end with three wickets — the most in the innings — at just 6 runs apiece.

Toss

England captain Morgan opted to bat first against Pakistan in the one-off Twenty20 International (T20I) at Old Trafford, Manchester.

Captaining Pakistan for the first time, Sarfraz Ahmed admitted that he would have liked to bat first.

The wicketkeeper batsman further added that he wants to end the England tour on a high note with a win, during the post-toss conversation with Mike Atherton.

Tanvir returned to the national side after a 10-month-long hiatus.

England fielded the same side that lost the ICC World T20 final to Darren Sammy-led West Indies earlier in April this year.

Team line-ups

England: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (C), Jos Buttler (W), Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Liam Plunkett, Chris Jordan, David Willey, Adil Rashid.

Pakistan: Khalid Latif, Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (C)(W), Imad Wasim, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali.

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Run records fuel fears over bat-ball balance

NEW DELHI: After first England and then Australia rewrote the cricket record books just days apart, some commentators are warning that a glut of runs risks wrecking the art of bowling and turning off fans.

Australia cruised to victory on Tuesday in the first match of a T20 series against Sri Lanka after spanking 263 runs in their innings, breaking the previous best of 260 scored by their hosts against Kenya in 2007.

The performance came exactly a week after England posted the highest ever total in a 50-over international, scoring 444 for three against Pakistan.

The last fortnight has also seen a new record for the highest number of runs in a T20 international, with India and the West Indies totalling a combined 489 runs in a match in Florida on August 27.

Such run-fests may be great entertainment for spectators, but some commentators say they could end up doing more harm than good.

“Bowlers are being reduced to bowling machines. It is a terribly one-sided affair, there is no contest at all,” Indian spin great Bishan Bedi told AFP.

“I don't mind being hit for a four or a six but it's being hit so easily and consistently. The charm of true cricket has been thrown out of the window.”

In a series of tweets after Tuesday's carnage in Sri Lanka, former India international Sanjay Manjrekar urged administrators to “respect the intelligence of fans” who “don't come to watch just 4s & 6s”.

‘Lopsided balance’

“The lopsided balance between bat & ball in T20s must be monitored” and should not be allowed to “reach ridiculous proportions”, added Manjrekar, who is now a TV commentator.

Players past and present say much of the credit for the record-breaking trend must go to the batsmen who have endlessly raised the bar in terms of skill, inventiveness and fitness since the advent of T20 cricket at the beginning of the last decade.

Glenn Maxwell's match-winning 145 in Pallekele came off just 65 balls and included 14 fours and nine sixes, combining textbook strokes with awesome power-hitting. England's victory over Pakistan was founded on a similarly stunning 171 by Alex Hales, the highest score for his country in an ODI.

Like many of their modern-day counterparts and team-mates, both men use much heavier bats than those wielded by previous generations, allowing them to clear the boundary with much higher frequency.

While there are limitations on bat length (when the lower portion of the handle is inserted, it cannot be more than 38in/96.5cm) and width (4.25in/10.8cm at its widest part), none currently exist on weight.

The International Cricket Council's cricket committee recommended in June that new restrictions on the size of bats needed to be brought in, a call that is being heard ever more widely.

In a speech in July, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said he wanted to at least see restrictions in Test cricket, predicting different rules for different formats.

‘Unbelievably big bats’

Speaking before embarking on the tour to Sri Lanka, Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood said he was in favour of some kind of restrictions.

“Some of those cricket bats going around the dressing sheds at the moment are unbelievably big,” said Hazlewood, who was rested for the T20s.

Others say that a glut of batting-friendly pitches is the main reason for the increase in run-scoring, with Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar among those saying bowlers need more help from the groundsmen.

“In the Twenty20 format, even the greatest of the bowlers [are] being reverse-swept. In one-days, 300 is no more a competitive total. It is a par total,” Tendulkar was quoted as saying on a recent trip to London. “You've got to look at changing the surfaces.”

Bedi said the myriad fielding restrictions that have been brought in over the years had all favoured the batsmen.

“All these field restrictions are just gimmicks to see the batsmen go over the top,” he said.

“What we are doing is really crippling the role of a bowler. The majority of bowlers, there are exceptions of course, seem to be existing merely as bonded labour.”

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We make heroes and villains after one game: Sohail Tanvir

All-rounder Sohail Tanvir is likely to make a Twenty20 International (T20I) comeback after a 10-month-long hiatus during Pakistan's one-off contest against England at Old Trafford, Manchester today. The 31-year-old last donned Pakistan's colours in November 2015 in a T20I contest against England at the United Arab Emirates.

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Dawn: After performing in CPL you're now coming back in the national side, how are you feeling?

Sohail Tanvir: I am very happy. When you wear the green shirt, it gives you happiness ─ unmatched happiness. There are financial benefits attached to playing in leagues around the world, but nothing is bigger than playing for your country.

I am in good rhythm and in good form. I have bowled consistently in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and the Pakistan Cup. I hope that I'll carry the form to the international level.

There was only one match; It is difficult to make comebacks. It was a bit harsh to drop me after I was the highest wicket taker for Pakistan in 2015.

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"I'm at a stage where I want to play cricket consistently."

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Dawn: Your performance in the leagues has been better than that for Pakistan. What are the reasons behind this?

Sohail: I don't think I have underperformed for Pakistan.

Every player goes through ups and down. In my case, when I am going through a rough patch, there are some people who exploit that.

In leagues, you have chances to cover up for poor performances. But, in international cricket there are only a few games in a series and if you are playing in only one format that is a disadvantage for you.

I bowl two overs in powerplay and two in the death. My economy rate is 7.15, which is not bad. I have one wicket per game, which is again not bad.

Sohail says players should be given some time to prove themselves. — AFP

Dawn: Pakistan has not been up to the mark in the shorter formats and our performance graph is showing a downward trend. What are your thoughts about it?

Sohail: Our T20I performances have fallen in the last one-and-a -half years and it is because our contemporaries have improved. They are taking the T20I seriously and they do their homework.

Our cricket standards have fallen, I don't know what are the reasons. We have the players, it is only about their utilisation in the team.

We should think about the combinations of youth and experience like other teams.

Dawn: You're playing the National T20, what do you think? Why is new talent not coming in the field?

Sohail: There are many reason for the decline of interest in cricket in our country.

The first one is the security. Parents don't send their kids out to play. The street cricket is dying!

Moreover, there is no international cricket.

If I look at my childhood, we did not have any activity other than going to ground after our school time. Now kids have many indoor activities like online gaming.

Parents also desire to keep their children indulged in the indoor activities. These things have translated into a lack of cricketing-talent in the country.

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"My economy rate is 7.15, which is not bad. I have one wicket per game, which is again not bad."

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Dawn: You will now play under a new captain, are you looking forward to it?

Sohail: Sarfraz has a history of leading cricket teams ─ He has led the [Pakistan] under-19 team, Karachi, and Quetta Gladiators in Pakistan Super League. I don't think there will be any problem for him to take up the captaincy.

It is a big achievement to lead Pakistan. We have played a lot of cricket together and we understand each other.

I wish him all the best!

My goal, right now, is to cement my place in the team. I'm at a stage where I want to play cricket consistently. When you are struggling for your place in the team, you cannot set higher goals for yourself.

Dawn: Do you agree that new players don't get proper chances, just after one or two bad performances the management tends to drop them?

Sohail: Players should be given time to prove themselves. You need to have an eye to detect the talent.

It all boils down to the ability of the people who identify the young players. Our culture is different, there is a lot pressures on us ─ like that of social media. Our people tend to get very emotional.

Dawn: After a few bad performance fans start to "troll" sportsmen. As a player what do you feel about this?

Sohail: Players are also human beings and they get hurt when bad is spoken about them [on social media].

We have friends and family who convey all the happenings of the social media to us. When I come across such stuff, it stays at the back of my mind.

We make heroes and villains on the basis of a single game. I think people should only speak those words that they can listen for themselves.

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Oval Test: Pakistan pile up 214-run lead after Younis double-ton

LONDON: Younis Khan's superb double century took Pakistan into a dominant position in the fourth Test against England at The Oval on Saturday.

The veteran batsman's 218 was the centrepiece of Pakistan's 542 all out at tea on the third day in reply to England's 328.

That left Pakistan with a first-innings lead of 214 runs as they looked to end the four-match series all square at 2-2.

England won the third Test at Edgbaston by 141 runs after overturning a first-innings deficit of 103 runs. But only six times in properly completed matches in the 139-year history of Test cricket have a team come back from more than 200 runs behind on first innings to win.

Younis received excellent support in a ninth-wicket stand of 97 from Mohammad Amir, whose 39 not out was the left-arm quick's highest Test score.

Younis's sixth innings of 200 or more in Test cricket was a dramatic way for the 38-year-old to end a run of low scores.

He had managed just 122 runs in six previous innings this series, with a best of 33 in Pakistan's first Test win at Lord's.

Ahmed attacks

Pakistan resumed on 340 for six after Asad Shafiq (109) and Younis (101 not out) had both compiled impressive centuries.

But it was Ahmed, 17 not out overnight, who was the initial aggressor on Saturday as he scored in typically brisk fashion.

By contrast it took Younis 13 balls to add his first run Saturday.

But when James Anderson gave him width outside off stump, Younis responded by cutting England's all-time leading wicket-taker in front of point for four.

And when Younis off-drove Stuart Broad for a boundary in classic style, it meant Pakistan's seventh-wicket pair had shared a fifty stand in 110 balls.

Younis, after his 'settling-in' period Saturday, looked increasingly fluent as the veteran batsman extended his 32nd Test century.

Ahmed was eventually out having struck seven fours in 78 balls when he edged a good-length Woakes delivery and opposing wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow held an excellent, diving, one-handed catch.

Pakistan were now 397 for seven, with Woakes having taken his 26th wicket this series — a marked contrast to the mere 16 the improving all-rounder managed in his first eight Tests.

The score had moved on to 403 for seven when Younis was given out lbw for 133 to tall fast bowler Finn. But Younis immediately reviewed Bruce Oxenford's decision and, with replays showing the ball going over the top of the stumps, the Australian umpire's verdict was reversed.

Pakistan were 417 for seven at lunch, a lead of 89, with Younis 147 not out.

Soon afterwards, Younis went to 150 by pulling paceman Stuart Broad for four.

Curiously, despite the overcast, seam-friendly, conditions after lunch, England captain Alastair Cook brought on part-time spinner Joe Root and specialist off-break bowler Moeen Ali for eight consecutive overs from the Pavilion End.

Ali did have Wahab Riaz (one) stumped by Bairstow, although the keeper was lucky when a fumbled take rebounded straight into the stumps.

But Ali has often proved expensive this series and he was costly again when conceding 36 runs in six overs on Saturday.

Younis completed his double hundred in style when he advanced down the pitch to drive Ali for a fourth six in 281 balls.

Amir took 24 balls to get off the mark but did so in dashing fashion when he hoisted Ali for six over deep midwicket.

It was the start of a flurry of boundaries from the pace bowler.

England eventually ended the partnership when Anderson's yorker-length delivery struck Younis on the pad and South African umpire Marais Erasmus gave him out lbw.

Younis reviewed but replays showed the ball just clipping leg stump.

He walked off to a standing ovation from the Oval crowd after batting for more than seven-and-a-half hours in a 308-ball innings featuring 31 fours and four sixes.

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Oval Test: Younis, Shafiq's centuries steer Pakistan to 340-6

LONDON: Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan struck centuries on Friday to carry Pakistan to 340-6 and a 12-run lead against England after the tourists dominated the second day of the fourth test.

Shafiq, who got a pair in Pakistan's third-test loss, made 109 and Younis finally came good after struggling in the last three tests to hit an unbeaten 101.

Chris Woakes hit back late with the second new ball when he dismissed captain Misbah-ul-Haq and newcomer Iftikhar Ahmed in one over but Pakistan still threatens to build a big lead.

Woakes stretched his wicket tally to 25 in the series, a record by an Englishmen in a four-test series against Pakistan.

Shafiq was promoted up to number four after he registered a pair in the last Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. He achieved the milestone in 164 balls at a strike rate of 61.

Coming out to bat when the tourists were two down for 52 in the first session on Friday, Shafiq hit 12 fours and two sixes.

Veteran batsman Younis Khan, whose inclusion in the playing XI for the ongoing Test was widely questioned, scored his career's 32nd century.

Earlier, Pakistan were three down for 196 at Tea on day two of the fourth Test against England at The Oval after the tourists scored 99 runs at a loss of one wicket in the second session.

Azhar Ali, who opened the innings on day one for Pakistan, fell in Moeen Ali's fourth over of the innings as wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow caught Azhar off glove.

The right-handed batsman hit nine fours for his 113-ball 49.

Alex Hales and Steven Finn put down two easy chances.

Hales, who was dismissed after Yasir took a blinder at mid-wicket, dropped the leg-spinner at backward point. While Finn put down a return catch of his own bowling right after drinks.

Misbah-ul-Haq's men began day two on the score of three with one wicket down.

Sami Aslam, who scored all of Pakistan's runs yesterday, was trapped in front of stumps by English pacer Stuart Broad in the second over of the innings after England were rolled out for 328 runs.

A 97-run stand for sixth wicket between Jonny Bairstow (55) and Ali (108) brought Alastair Cook's men back in the game after they had received blows during the first session.

Returning to the playing XI after being rested during Edgbaston Test, Wahab Riaz picked up Joe Root (26) and James Vince (1) before Lunch. His final wicket came right in the start of the second session as he induced an edge from Gary Ballance's bat to be held by Azhar.

Denied an opportunity to score a century at Edgbaston as Cook declared when Ali was batting on 86, the left-hander put up a strong resistance after Mohammad Amir took his second wicket to dismiss Bairstow.

The all-rounder brought up his career's third century with a towering six at cow corner when he charged down the wicket against Yasir.

Pakistan's Sohail Khan continued to take wickets at the regular intervals and completed his second five wicket haul in his second Test on the tour when he got Ali out.

The right-arm fast-bowler returned the innings figures of five for 68 in 20.4-overs.

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Did England cheat to win the Edgbaston Test?

Pakistan invented reverse swing in the 1960s. That was a long time ago. It was, unlike the wrong’un, not mastered for a long time, and took a decade to go from the Lahore Gymkhana to the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in 1978-79. But when it did, it changed cricket.

Thirty seven years ago...

Thirty two Tests into his career, Sarfraz Nawaz had only two five wicket hauls and, much like his nation, he had yet to make much of an impact on world cricket.

When he came back on, Australia were 305/5, cruising towards the monstrous 382 fourth innings chase. The second new ball was old, and Sarfraz started swinging this old ball violently.

He bowled Allan Border, Graeme Wood caught behind next ball, Peter Sleep was clean bowled, Kim Hughes was out soon.

Next over, Wayne Clark was bowled playing back to a ball he couldn't understand.

Then, a no ball, one run, and Rodney Hogg was LBW.

When Alan Hurst wasn't out first ball, the crowd cheered. Next ball, Hurst was caught behind.

Australia were now 310/10. Sarfraz had 2/85 but now he had 9/86. This number currently adorns one of the walls of the MCG as part of an art installment.

Most of the Australian batsmen had helmets. They were prepared for Imran Khan's scary pace. They would survive that.

At the other end, a man who bowled as if his hip needed to be replaced shuffled in with a sideways action and bowled just above medium pace.

England's slip fielders all go up as they appeal for lbw against Pakistan's Yasir Shah. — AFP

The old ball veered in dramatically at the stumps and, when he wanted it to, also went away.

The swing was late. And combined with a low bouncing Melbourne pitch, it became impossible.

'The dark art'

It was unmistakable to modern eyes, reverse swing.

Even now, Sarfraz, the man who invented reverse swing, says it was not reverse.

Considering it seems likely he or his old First-class bowling partner, Saleem Mir, pioneered reverse swing, you would think he would want to bask in that glory. Instead, he deflects.

Reverse swing is a complicated matter. It is seen as dark art that you need to cheat to produce. Which, oddly, the wrong’un was also accused of when South African bowlers tortured English batsmen with it.

England’s reverse swing at Edgbaston was pretty minor.

The ball moved a fair bit for a few Anderson balls, but for Broad, Woakes and Finn, most of their best work was the ball barely moving at all.

England's Joe Root shines the cricket ball during the match. — Reuters

Sohail Khan reverse swung a ball far more on the last day than Broad, Woakes and Finn combined, when he dismissed Jonny Bairstow but that was forgotten.

The country that invented reverse swing, which perfected it as well, which has spent almost 50 years with it as part of their cricket, played it terribly.

And then some in that country suggested foul play. It was like cricket eating itself.

Forget that the Pakistan batsmen would have known that they only needed to play it well for an hour or so and they would have probably drawn the game.

Forget that it didn’t actually reverse that much.

Forget that Azhar Ali went out playing a one-handed drive to a non-spinning ball from Moeen Ali allowing new batsmen to face the reverse.

Forget all that ─ this was cheating.

So far in this series, the reverse spell where the ball has swung the most was by Wahab Riaz, and it was also done at the highest pace, and probably with the best skill.

That was at Lord’s, to Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes.

And it was a wicketless spell. Had he bowled to his batsmen he probably would have taken a five-wicket haul.

England's Joe Root shines the cricket ball (2nd R) as Stuart Broad and Alastair Cook look on during the match. — Reuters

But, that is still beside the point. England cheated.

How do you get the ball to reverse swing?

It isn’t mints, as the England team of '05 claimed, and it isn’t always legal.

There are legal ways, keeping the ball dry and shining it like a mad man.

There are grey areas, throwing the ball into the square to rough up one side.

And then there is the illegal way of scratching it with whatever you have.

Being a player who can get the ball to reverse swing, in any of these three ways, is such an important skill that players have had selections swayed on their reverse making ways.

The South Africa team had a system in place for their reverse swing. When one player was caught fiddling with the ball, he was fined, and then another would take up that job until he was fined.

The most blatant recent case was in last year’s Sheffield Shield final when Victorian bowling coach Mick Lewis took a ball at the boundary and rubbed it on concrete before throwing it back.

What Joe Root and Jimmy Anderson were shown doing on Pakistani TV was not what South Africa's fined players did, or what Lewis did.

It is possible that Joe Root had his thumb under the ball as he shined it, which is a modern way of hiding the scratching from cameras, or he was just shining it, but from the footage shown, it just doesn't look like that.

Anderson was cleaning the seam, and from the angle of his fingers, he wasn’t lifting it.

The umpire should have been doing it, and since cameras became omnipotent, players usually give it to the umpires.

But as it stands, both are legal; hence why neither player has been fined or suspended.

Cricket is better for reverse swing bowling. Pakistan had invented something quite amazing. Batsmen had evolved to protect themselves from bouncers.

But as they did, Sarfraz Nawaz showed the world reverse swing.

Their heads were safer; their leg stumps were not.

The International Cricket Council has just sat still for the last few years and done almost nothing.

Sometimes umpires will pretend the ball is out of shape, but what they are doing is putting the ball through the size hoops so the cameras can pick up the irregular wear and tear it has on one side.

Even when they do change the ball because of reverse, they rarely make a formal complaint as it is such a touchy issue.

At the moment we all have to accept reverse swing is part magical mystery and part con job. And it makes cricket better.

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Gul, Aslam, Sharjeel return to squad for England, Ireland ODIs

KARACHI: Pakistan on Tuesday announced its squad for One-Day International (ODI) contests against Ireland and England during the ongoing tour of the British Isles.

Right-arm fast-bowler Umar Gul makes a comeback after a hiatus of two years, with selectors preferring him over Mohammad Irfan on the basis of better fitness and fielding skills.

Gul last featured in an ODI during Pakistan's tour of Bangladesh in 2015.

Left-handed batsman Sami Aslam, who impressed with his profound technique during the third Test at Edgbaton against England, has also been named in the squad.

Sharjeel Khan also returns to the national side after two years on the back of a staggering average of 63 runs during the recent List-A contests. The bulky left-handed opener scored 90 and 125 against Sri Lanka 'A' and England Lions, respectively.

Announcing the squad, Pakistan chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said:

"While picking the squad, the team management and skipper were consulted and all concerned gave their consent in this regard. The team has been selected keeping in mind the conditions and the recent performances of some players in domestic and A Team tours.

"The team is a fine blend of experience and youth and the selectors believe that team will do well."

Pakistan will take on Ireland in two ODIs on August 18 and 20 which will be followed by a five-match series against England.

The 15-member squad for the 50-overs contests against Ireland and England later this month is as follows:

Openers: Azhar Ali (c), Sharjeel Khan, Sami Aslam

Middle Order: Mohammad Hafeez, Baber Azam, Shoaib Malik

Wicket Keeper: Sarfraz Ahmad and Mohammad Rizwan

Fast Bowlers: Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Umer Gul

Spinners: Immad Wasim, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz

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Cricket great Hanif Mohammad fights for life at Karachi hospital

KARACHI: Pakistan's cricket great Hanif Mohammad was on Monday shifted to a ventilator after he faced respiratory complications during his ongoing treatment at the Aga Khan Hospital here, his son Shoaib Mohammad told DawnNews.

The former batting legend, who is suffering from lung cancer, was admitted to the hospital on July 31 after a two-week-long struggle with breathing problems and congestion, Shoaib told Dawn.com.

After being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2013, Hanif underwent surgery in London which helped bring it under control, Shoaib said. "But the cancer spread with time."

"We sent the latest biopsy to our doctor in London and he said that chemotherapy will not be an effective option for further treatment."

Shoaib, who is a Pakistan International Airlines employee, said new treatments are expensive and will be difficult for him to finance on his own.

"The latest and effective treatment for this problem costs double the amount of the previous treatment and we will need the help of the government — probably from sports funds to help his (Hanif's) recovery," he said.

Born on Dec 21, 1934 in Junagarh, Hanif played 55 Test matches for Pakistan between 1952-53 and 1969-70 and averaged a fine 43.98 comprising twelve hundreds.

At his peak, Hanif was considered one of the best batsmen in the world.

Hanif’s marathon knock of 337 that he scored against the West Indies in a Test at Bridgetown in 1957-58, is regarded as one of the epic knocks in the entire cricket history. After Pakistan found themselves following on from a first-innings deficit of 473 runs on the afternoon of the third day, Hanif spent more than sixteen hours at the crease compiling his runs, allowing Pakistan to draw the game.

It remains the longest innings in Test history (and stood as the longest in all first-class cricket for over 40 years).

It was the only Test match instance of a triple century in a team’s second innings until it was equalled by New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum against India in 2014.

In 1958-59, Hanif surpassed Sir Don Bradman’s record for the highest individual first-class innings. Hanif made 499 before being run out attempting his five hundredth run. This mark stood for more than 35 years before being surpassed by Brian Lara in 1994.

In all Hanif made 55 first-class centuries and finished with a strong career average of 52.32.

Hanif was named as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1968. In January 2009, Hanif was named along with two other Pakistani players — Imran Khan and Javed Miandad — among the inaugural batch of 55 inductees into the ICC’s Hall of Fame.

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Last men standing: When Sohail, Rahat nearly pulled off an improbable draw

KARACHI: The last Pakistani pair of Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali had pulled the team tantalising close to an unlikely draw with an 11.1-over stay at the crease that accounted for the second highest partnership.

The match was as good as lost when Ali, who remained unbeaten on 15, joined Khan at the crease with Pakistan still 192 runs behind England’s target of 343.

The two forged a partnership of 50 runs – the second highest in Pakistan’s second innings behind Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali’s 73-run stretch for the second wicket.

Bur more important in the context of the game, they stayed together for 11.1 overs, also the second longest stay after the Aslam-Ali partnership (24.5 overs).

When Khan fell on an individual score of 36, the third highest after Aslam, 70, and Ali, 38, they were only 14 overs away from end of play that would have drawn the game, keeping the series level at 1-1.

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England take Edgbaston Test after dramatic Pakistan collapse

BIRMINGHAM: Chris Woakes struck twice in quick succession on his Warwickshire home ground as Pakistan's dramatic middle-order collapse saw England winning the third Test at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Pakistan were all-out for 201 runs in their second innings.

At tea on the final day, Pakistan were 148 for seven after losing four wickets for just one run in 23 balls.

With all their specialist batsmen now dismissed, the question of scoring the further 195 runs they needed to reach a victory target of 343 was no longer a live issue.

Pakistan's priority now was to try to bat out the day's remaining 28 overs and prevent England going 2-1 up in the series ahead of next week's fourth and final Test at The Oval.

Yasir Shah and Mohammad Amir were on the crease but could not resist for much long. Yasir was dismissed for seven by James Anderson and Amir on 16 by Stuart Broad.

For the last wicket, Sohail Khan and Rahat Ali frustrated the England bowlers by establishing a 50-run stand. They resisted for over 10 overs, trying to delay the inevitable.

Pakistan were 124 for three when their collapse started, with captain Misbah-ul-Haq (10) caught behind off Steven Finn to give the persevering fast bowler his first wicket of the series.

Asad Shafiq then completed a pair when he was plumb lbw to all-rounder Woakes for a four-ball duck.

The paceman then made it two for none in six balls when Sarfraz Ahmed was also out for nought as he edged straight to Joe Root at second slip.

Sami Aslam, playing his first Test of the series, had again batted superbly for 70 following the opener's first-innings 82.

But a rare misjudgement by the 20-year-old left-hander saw him bowled by Finn as he deliberately left the ball.

It was the end of a more than three-and-a-half-hour innings, with Aslam facing 167 balls including 11 fours.

Finn had now taken two for none in 11 balls and tea was put back by 15 minutes to see if England could wrap up the game.

But instead they had to content themselves with a session where they took six wickets for 79 runs.

Pakistan's chase got off to a stuttering start as Mohammad Hafeez (two) fell cheaply for the second time in the match before first-innings stars Aslam and Azhar Ali repaired the damage with a stand of 73.

But Moeen Ali, who earlier on Sunday had made a quickfire 86 not out in a total of 445 for six declared, accounted for Azhar on 38 when the off-spinner had him edging to England captain Alastair Cook at second slip.

Cook decided against declaring before the start of Sunday's play even though, at 414 for five, England already led by 311 runs.

Jonny Bairstow was 82 not out and Ali 60 not out after they had taken the match away from Pakistan on Saturday.

Birmingham-born Ali, who grew up near Edgbaston, struck 19 runs in the first over of Sunday's play from Yasir Shah, including two successive sixes.

Bairstow had added just one run to his overnight score when he was lbw to Sohail Khan on review.

Ali was 86 not out, off just 96 balls including 10 fours and two sixes when Cook declared just four overs into Sunday's play.

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Tendulkar watches rugby in Rio as cricket remains outside the Games

RIO DE JANEIRO: The sight of cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar sitting in the stands on the first morning of the Rio Games rugby competition on Saturday was a reminder that at least one major international sport remains outside the Olympic embrace.

Accompanied by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, India's greatest sporting icon watched the opening matches of a shortened version of a sport that has some parallels with his own.

Like rugby, the elite level of cricket is largely populated by a handful of former British colonies and the game is widely perceived as unfathomable by many outside that heartland.

Unlike rugby, however, cricket has been slow to take up the chance to return to the Olympic fold since Bach opened up opportunities for new sports to replace those considered unappealing to the younger demographic he wants to attract.

With the return of golf and rugby at the Rio Games, and with baseball and softball set to return in Tokyo in 2020, cricket, and the Indian subcontinent that provides the vast majority of its most fervent fans, represents a final frontier for the IOC.

Barring a fast fading memory of a once dominant hockey team and the odd shooting gold, India's 1.2 billion people have had little to shout about at the Olympics for many a long year.

There are signs, however, that Bach's accompanying Tendulkar to the rugby in Rio was only part of increasing IOC attempts to engage the sport that dominates India, and the country itself.

As recently as Thursday, Nita Ambani, an Indian businesswoman and owner of the Mumbai franchise in the hugely popular Indian Premier League cricket competition, was elected to the IOC.

For World Rugby's chief executive Brett Gosper, whose sport returned to the Olympics for the first time in 92 years on Saturday, the potential benefits for cricket were clear.

“Sachin was here for a whole session, loved it and was interested in rugby's journey to the Olympics and why that's an interesting prospect, possibly, for cricket,” he said.

“If cricket has similar ambitions to rugby, which is to take its footprint out of its comfort zone, then there's nothing like the Olympics to allow you to do that.”

Clashes with an already busy international schedule and a desire to protect its own television deals and tournaments have been behind cricket's reluctance to engage with the Olympics.

The International Cricket Council has, however, indicated that next year it will present a case for inclusion at the 2024 Olympics, with the shorter Twenty20 the most likely format.

While Gosper, whose former IOC vice president father Kevan was also at the rugby on Saturday, was keen to point out what cricket would gain from being in the Games, he was the first to admit that benefits would also flow the other way.

“Of course, cricket would be good for the Olympics too,” he said.

“It would certainly bring an Indian audience, which is considerable.”

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Taking cricket with you, wherever you go

Being a Pakistani, it is almost impossible for you to have never had an immense craze for cricket, at least once in your life. No matter how many times the men in green break hearts with their unpredictable performances and you swear never to watch them again, you still do.

So when a Pakistani goes abroad, you can bet this stays the same. You can take Pakistanis out of Pakistan, but you can’t take the cricket out of them. This is the story of a group of Pakistani students, living and studying in a university in Turkey, and coming together every once in a while to watch a game of cricket. And that cricket game is always a classic India-Pakistan encounter.

I moved to Ankara, Turkey, to study Communication in the summer of 2013. Along with me, were a few dozen more Pakistanis that year and many more came in the two years which followed.

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A Pakistani student studying abroad shares his experience of organising a live Pakistan-India match screening for others also away from home like him

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In our fourth semester, in February 2015, with a Pakistan-India World Cup clash, at the Adelaide Oval, Australia, looming, a few of my friends decided that it was time to do something that had never been done at our university before — arrange a screening for a cricket match. We enquired about a possible location on campus but we soon found that the biggest obstacle was to be something we had not given much thought to up till now — time difference.

You see, Australia is seven hours ahead of Turkey. The match was supposed to start at five in the morning in Turkey. Wherever and whoever we asked at our university, they listened until the time was mentioned and then the answer we received was a stern ‘no.’ Eventually, two of our friends, named Arsalan and Suvas, found an empty room in the library for which we obtained permission to use as our match-screening venue. The rules were simple: it’s the library, make no noise!

With the event now confirmed and the match only a few days away, we proceeded to advertise the game. A friend made posters and we put them up all over campus — on bus stops, inside buildings and on notice boards. ‘India-Pakistan, cricket World Cup group stage match — LIVE SCREENING!’

Even though there are many Pakistanis studying at our university, we didn’t know how many would actually show up. The build-up to the match also involved a lot of banter with some of the Indian students who studied alongside us at the same university. There were memes and jokes posted on their Facebook walls with ‘#MauqaMauqa’ hash tags, hoping against hope that this would be the match where Pakistan finally ends the World Cup jinx against India and we would all be there, together, to see it.

Up until that point, we had lost all nine previous 50-over World Cup and World T20 meetings with India. We firmly believed that this would be the day we ended that run, because this time there were a bunch of Pakistanis sitting abroad, who had stayed up all night watching their country’s match with great fervor. I really believed that day that we would finally end the World Cup losing streak. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

The invitations to the match had been extended to every desi (a term usually used for Pakistanis, Indians or Bangladeshis) and Turk we knew. Some Turks had come to watch — one or two dragged by their Pakistani friends — despite having no idea or any passion at all for cricket.

Cricket patriots on foreign turf

One very close Indian friend of ours had been jokingly informed “agar Pakistan jeeta tou tu gaya, aur agar India jeeta tou phir tou waisay bhi teri khair nahi [if Pakistan wins, you’re gone. And if India wins, you’re gone anyways].” I can’t say much for our older generation, but most of today’s youth from both countries don’t have a great deal of friction towards each other.

After staying up the entire night before the match, at around four in the morning, about 10 of us carried a projector, some chairs, a laptop and a table to the previously empty room, not knowing how many people would show up. Gradually, as the start of the match grew closer, a sea of green and white started walking in through the door as we sat preparing. Ten, 20, then 40 people showed up in the first wave, all Pakistani cricket kit-wearing supporters. And this was all at five in the morning.

Soon, I realised that not only would we be needing more seats, but that there was no way we’d be able to follow the librarian’s conditions. The realisation of the latter set in just before the match began when all Pakistanis in the room stood up to sing the national anthem. That remains one of the most spine-tingling and emotional moments of my time in Turkey to date. That was also the first time a security guard came into the room and told us in Turkish to ‘keep it down’, and it wasn’t going to be the last time he did so.

We watched as Pakistan lost the toss and all the experts sitting in the room (as we all become when watching a cricket game) gave their two cents that this wasn’t a good sign and we’d already lost an advantage. Superstitions and lucky charms were in full flow, as many tried to ‘fix’ the match from thousands of miles away. Virat Kohli played the role of main antagonist to perfection, recipient of many-a-choice words from everyone sitting in the room, as he scored a century helping India set Pakistan a target of just over 300. I remember Sohail Khan’s hat-trick ball got a drum roll from everyone in the room but ultimately to no avail.

As the Pakistan innings began, other desis, who had preferred to get a good night’s sleep instead of joining us at the crack of dawn to watch some cricket, started to file into the room. In total, we were maybe a hundred people. Some of us who hadn’t slept all night, instigated by Pakistan’s faltering run-chase, were getting cranky.

But with Pakistan, you just never know. And being a Pakistani cricket fan, you learn to keep hope as long as Shahid Afridi is yet to bat. You learn to expect the unexpected. You listen to your heart, and shush your brain.

After a run-a-ball 22, Afridi was dismissed and with that, many started walking out with despondent looks on their faces. We stayed for the final nail in the coffin, as Misbah stayed, the last one out, the lone warrior fighting till the end, the captain going down with his ship.

And we watched, faces in hands, silence broken every now and then by another person walking out of the room, swearing at the team. Eventually, the match, mercifully, ended and we packed all our stuff up and started to march out. In one final show of defiant patriotism, about 10 of us, in our sleepy states, stopped next to a fountain on campus on our way back to the dormitories and sang our rendition of the national anthem one last time.

Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to watch a Pakistan-India World T20 match in Barcelona, Spain, with an Indian friend of mine. This was the match that took place earlier this year at the Eden Gardens, in Kolkata. Again, Virat Kohli was the villain as India cruised to yet another World Cup victory over Pakistan. I cooked chicken karahi for myself and my Indian friend, who I had invited over to my apartment, to watch the match. Needless to say, the karahi helped lessen the pain of defeat a little bit that day.

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Mumbai Indians team owner Nita Ambani among eight new IOC members

RIO: Nita Ambani, an Indian businesswoman and owner of the Mumbai Indians cricket team franchise, was among eight new members elected to the International Olympic Committee on Thursday on the eve of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Ambani, the wife of India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, who is the chairman of Reliance Industries, joined world governing bob and skeleton federation chief Ivo Ferriani of Italy, South African film producer Anant Singh and Austria Olympic committee chief Karl Stoss.

Nita Ambiani also heads the Reliance Foundation and is the chairperson of the franchise-based Indian Super League football tournament.

Canadian Olympic committee president Tricia Smith, Finland's Sari Essayah, Colombia's former ambassador to the US Luis Moreno and Secretary General of the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee Auvita Rapilla were also voted in.

The eight new members bring the total number of IOC members to 98.

Moreno, Singh and Ambani were earmarked for membership by the IOC Members Election Commission which is chaired by Britain's Princess Anne as candidates outside the Olympic and sport community who could usher in a fresh approach and new skills to the organisation.

As part of reforms agreed in 2014, the IOC is eager to elect members “with different sets of skills and knowledge while ensuring the necessary balance in terms of gender and geography”.

In separate internal elections, the son of the late Juan Antonio Samaranch, who led the IOC from 1980 to 2001, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., was elected to the position of Vice President of the Olympic body along with Turkey's Ugur Erdener.

Former Olympic pole vault champion Sergey Bubka won another term on the powerful executive board, with United States member Angela Ruggiero also joining the decision-making body after being elected as head of the IOC's athletes' commission.

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Edgbaston Test: Sami, Azhar fifties steer Pakistan

BIRMINGHAM: Novice opener Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali shared a 181-run stand for the second wicket after Pakistan lost Mohammad Hafeez without a run on the board in the third Test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday.

Before rain stopped play, Azhar Ali, dropped twice, was unbeaten on 130 and Younis Khan on 10 in a total of 237 for two.

The recalled Aslam scored a Test-best 82. That left Pakistan 63 runs behind England's first innings 297.

Pakistan were none for one just four balls into their innings on Thursday when Hafeez fell for a duck after lazily guiding a short James Anderson delivery to Gary Ballance at point.

The tourists had seen Sohail Khan, one of their two changes from the side beaten by 330 runs in the second Test at Old Trafford as England levelled the four-match series at 1-1, take five wickets on Wednesday.

Now all eyes were on Aslam, also playing just his third Test, after the 20-year-old had been brought in to replace struggling opener Shan Masood.

Left-hander Aslam steered Stuart Broad wide of gully for the first four of Pakistan's innings in the fifth over.

His only prior innings this tour had seen Aslam make just 17 against Worcestershire last week in a two-day warm-up match.

Yet the well-organised opener played with a maturity belying his years in both attack and defence.

Azhar showed his class by calmly turning Anderson off his legs for four.

And when all-rounder Chris Woakes overpitched on his Warwickshire home ground, Azhar elegantly drove him through the covers for another boundary.

The stylish 31-year-old was equally severe when fast bowler Steven Finn dropped short, cutting him for four over point.

Azhar dropped twice

Off-spinner Moeen Ali received similar treatment, with Azhar cutting a rank short ball for four. Pakistan reached lunch on 72 for one, with Aslam 27 not out and Azhar 38 not out.

Those scores remained unaltered when Azhar, in a rare indiscretion, went for a flashing drive outside off stump against Anderson, only for Joe Root to drop the awkward second-slip chance to his left.

Azhar quickly reverted to a more patient style of play before cover-driving a wide Broad ball off the front foot for a resounding four.

Another cover-drive, this time off Finn for three, saw Azhar complete a 129-ball fifty, including six fours, in nearly three hours at the crease.

Aslam's swept four off Ali then saw him to the landmark, his maiden Test fifty coming in 135 balls with five boundaries.

It was the start of a sequence of three fours in five balls from Ali for Aslam, including a lofted drive over the top of mid-on.

Azhar almost fell to a similar shot off Ali when on 68, but the bowler was unable to hold a tough return chance above his head off a hard-hit drive.

The corresponding Test at Edgbaston in 2010 saw Pakistan bowled out for just 72 in their first innings, with Azhar making a 32-ball nought.

Wednesday saw Sohail justify both his inclusion, and Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to field first, by taking a Test-best five for 96.

After the 32-year-old paceman sparked a top-order collapse, England were indebted to left-handers Ballance (70) and Ali (63) for getting them close to 300.

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Post Old Trafford drubbing: How random was the Lord’s win?

Pakistan have lost a Test. So you know what that means, it is time to look at how the entire team is completely awful and about how Lord’s was a completely random event that no one should ever take seriously or remember in anyway fondly.

How could an epic win in a tight Test be taken seriously when the opening batsman was Masood?

You can be a believer in the natural calmness of Masood, the schooling, the leadership potential, and still wonder, when the ball is moving, even a tiny little bit, if he will ever be able to conquer with his leg glance only technique.

And his partner, the overseas-struggling, non-bowling Hafeez. It’s less an opening partnership than a nightwatchman pairing.

It doesn’t get much better at three, Azhar Ali has been unlucky, and he has been careless, that means in four whole innings he is an innings short of an innings.

Younis, no one can ever question him, he demands belief, respect, everlasting love. If he wants to bat on a pogo stick using a rubber chicken and singing Yiddish folk tunes he can.

But you know, so far, that style of batting has not worked for him. So you know, Younis, we all love you, and we all believe in you, and we are all too terrified to ask if this Frankenstein monster’s batting technique can possibly work in the UK.

And Shafiq, Papa, our baby-faced batting prodigy. Why on earth can you not convert this kind of form and this kind of technique into a huge score.

You are baby-faced, not a baby.

Also, Sarfraz, dude, just on the odd occasion, take a Xanax, take a deep breath, put on a Sigur Ros album or something, not every single innings has to be played as if someone has lit you on fire as you’ve entered the ground.

Wahab, ‘pace is pace’, but hey, how about an actual wicket? Or even a bunch of wickets? You’re like a centrefold that never takes of the budgie smugglers to show the full package.

Stop teasing, either do the deed, or knick off.

And Rahat, just because they call you a cult figure, that doesn’t mean you’ve made it.

The film American Astronaut is a cult classic, and all 17 people who like it aren’t making it a huge hit. How about realising that a consistent line and length is part of being an international bowler, not a serving suggestion.

So, Yasir, Lord’s, a fluke, no?

We always said you were going to be found out away from Asia, and then you burnt down Lord’s, but we all knew it was luck, sure you have the most repeatable action in legspin since the golden days, sure you get spin, and bounce, but you are a Pakistani leggie, you are supposed to be more mysterious, have more drama in your action, and have 17 wrong’uns, the first 15 or so are the one’s the batsman sees, and the last two steal his wallet, his girlfriend and his pickup truck.

Oh, and you Amir, dude, are you the messiah, or are you just a reformed naughty boy?

So far you’re more like a trailer for a film that shows all the best bits beforehand. This is your summer, your redemption, it was you we all cheered like crazed loons as you flew through Lord’s, and now it is you, bowling like a regular human being. What the hell is all that about?

Don’t think you are getting out of this, Misbah. Your team lost a Test Match. Away from home. When the opposition’s only two top class batsmen milked your attack. And then your top order struggled under the weight of the runs.

You should be fired. Or worse still, made to stay on for five more years. Or to join a comedy folk band with Shahid Afridi.

Because how dare you not win, after winning.

All of you. You made us believe in this flawed wonderful team, that they could somehow gel together, overcome adversity, and be the team that could win in Asia, and outside Asia. Like the best teams do, or did, or almost do.

I mean South Africa could do it, and all they did was spend the best part of a decade not losing away from home, so how hard could it be?

Instead what do we have, just another team that has been battered away from home, a Lord’s miracle followed by a dose of Northern truth?

Battered so hard that they are now at an unwinnable 1-1 position with two Tests to go.

How could they ever redeem themselves on a pitch that should help their seamers and one that may help their spinner?

This series is over. This Pakistan is finished. Pakistan Zindabad, nope, Pakistan, really bad. It might as well be 210-1, there is more chance of Shan Masood riding a unicorn over a lego rainbow than a series win from here. Because Pakistan have lost a Test. One whole Test.

Disclaimer: This article is categorised as satire.

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ANALYSIS: It is England’s method versus Pakistan’s madness now

ANY drug addict will tell you that a high is a brief rush. What follows is a kick in the guts, a downer, a reality check.

All humans are addicts, even without drugs. That’s how our brains work, microscopic neurotransmitters feeding our worldly addictions.

Few nashas bring the acidic highs and cold turkey lows of Pakistan cricket. How silly of us to forget that what begins at Lord’s ends with Old Trafford? Joy to despair, despair to joy, the extreme emotional biorhythm of Pakistan cricket.

If you were to create a highlights package of Pakistan cricket’s weaknesses, you’d do well to better what was displayed at Old Trafford. Yet despite the kick in the guts, Pakistan fans in the crowd cheered every run and every lucky escape. They didn’t do this because they have low expectations — quite the opposite.

They loved every meaningless single and edged boundary simply because their country was playing international cricket, something that was in considerable doubt after 2010. Let’s remind ourselves of that simple truth before our mood sinks below sanity.

You never know what you get next, was the gist of Misbah-ul-Haq’s post match analysis — and if he doesn’t know what we’ll get next then who does? Suffice to say that Pakistan moved from serenity to shambles in the space of a few days. The Old Trafford Test came too soon for the players, who were still wallowing in the afterglow of being heroes at Lord’s. The toss hurt but so did the lack of spirit in Pakistan’s camp.

England, as expected, rebounded strongly. And, as expected, the fight back was led by Alastair Cook and Joe Root, their most capable batsmen, and James Anderson, their metronomic swing bowler.

They were aided by a pitch that offered little help to Pakistan’s leg-spinner, effectively relegating him to a stock bowler who was picked off at will. Yasir Shah will bounce back in friendlier conditions, but this was a humbling experience for a Swabi man who wants to be the world’s best bowler.

The bowling problem, however, did not begin or end with Yasir. Pakistan’s pace attack persevered with bad habits introduced at Lord’s, in particular, of ill discipline in line. Collectively, they failed to exert consistent pressure on England’s batsmen, who played exceptionally.

England’s batsmen employed the leave like a weapon and punished the all-too-regular loose deliveries. When the bowling is so humdrum three left-armers might as well be one since the challenge is so monotone.

If Pakistan’s batsmen need to understand how to bat in England, they should look no further than Messrs Cook and Root. Unfortunately, Pakistan’s batsmen didn’t manage to look even that far.

Nor did they seem to study their own mistakes. In particular, they were troubled by the bounce off a good length, indeed any length. The pitches of Asia keep the ball lower, Here it reared and popped a little, nothing spectacular in the face of Perth, Sabina Park, or the Centurion, but the little it did was enough to destabilise Pakistan’s best.

Mohammad Hafeez has ridden his luck as opener for over a decade. Footwork, the key essential in an opening batsman in testing conditions, is missing in him. Shan Masood finds a length ball outside off stump hard to resist — and Anderson knows how and where to bowl it.

Azhar Ali is falling over, playing across his front pad. Younis Khan is jumping around the crease, a man on hot coals swatting a fly. That’s the top order, done for in bottom class disorder. None of this is terminal, of course, or unrectifiable, but it’s nothing to be proud of.

Fortunately, the series is now paused for ten days, time for Pakistan to regroup and clear their heads. They will think about a change at the top of the order. Sami Aslam for Masood? Hafeez is possibly off to Loughborough to retest his bowling action, to retie the string in his bow that keeps his international career from being cut adrift.

They will think about a right-arm bowler, probably Imran Khan, for one of the left armers. They will think about their lines, and how to better use the new ball. They will boost Yasir — nobody becomes a bad bowler in one game, especially a leg-spinner.

Above all, they will think about playing to their ability and putting up a proper fight — not losing heart with the toss. This Pakistan side has shown its grit and quality in the UAE, where success is a consistent theme. If Pakistan can replicate that same quality, grit and consistency away from Asia then they will genuinely be a Test team to reckon with.

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Old Trafford Test: Cook praises Root show, Misbah concerned by batting woes

MANCHESTER: Alastair Cook said batting with Joe Root encouraged “blockers like me” to go for their shots after England's senior batsmen dominated Pakistan's attack in a crushing second Test victory at Old Trafford.

England beat Pakistan by 330 runs on Monday, winning with more than a day to spare as they levelled the four-Test series at 1-1 following the tourists' 75-run success at Lord's.

Cook and Root scored 506 runs between them for just twice out at Old Trafford.

After England captain Cook won the toss, they did the bulk of the damage in a huge first-innings total of 589 for eight declared.

Man-of-the-match Root made a Test-best 254, while left-handed opener Cook's 105 extended his England Test century record to 29.

With vice-captain Root promoted up the order to number three this series, the pair shared a second-wicket partnership of 185.

Then, after Cook decided against enforcing the follow-on, they piled on the runs again in England's second innings.

Cook made an unbeaten 76, which included a 55-ball fifty — the fastest of his Test career — while Root was 71 not out in a total of 173 for one declared.

“(Joe) is a world-class player, and it was a great innings — one of the best I've seen — to really set up the game for us,” said Cook.

“One thing he does very well is keep the scoreboard ticking over, so blockers like me get carried away,” added a self-deprecating Cook.

Cook and Root's run spree on Monday — they added 75 runs in just nine overs before the declaration — left Pakistan needing a massive 565 for victory.

James Anderson, returning to England duty on his Lancashire home ground after missing the first Test with a shoulder injury, scuppered any slim hopes of a shock win for the tourists by promptly reducing Pakistan to 25 for two.

Pakistan were eventually dismissed for 234, an improvement on their meagre first-innings 198.

Stokes doubt

The only downside for England on Monday was when all-rounder Ben Stokes went off midway through his sixth over with a right calf injury that will be scanned on Tuesday.

But Cook said Stokes, returning to England action for the first time since injuring his left knee in the Sri Lanka series opener in May, was a “fairly big doubt” for next week's third Test at Edgbaston.

In the meantime Cook was delighted by the way England had upped their game after being well below their best at Lord's.

“It was us showing the standard of cricket we can play,” he said.

“We didn't do that at Lord's. We didn't bowl as well as we could (there), certainly didn't bat as well as we could, and dropped too many catches.

“We put most of those things right in this game.” For Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, this was a chastening defeat.

“Our batting was a big disappointment,” said Misbah.

“To get 198 and 234 on a good pitch — you can't take that.”

Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah took 10 for 141 at Lord's but only managed figures of one for 266 at Old Trafford.

Misbah, at a loss to explain the discrepancy, said: “It was maybe tiredness, a lot of overs — I don't know.

“It was a big difference. But he is a strong character, and before the next Test he will analyse what went wrong — and come back.”

Another concern for Pakistan was the form of openers Mohammad Hafeez and Shan Masood.

Not since 1996 have a Pakistan opening pair recorded a fifty stand in a Test against England in England, with Hafeez and Masood's best so far this series the 38 they managed in the first innings at Lord's.

Pakistan have three 'reserve batsmen' in their squad in Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan and Sami Aslam.

They will hope to press their case for a Test call-up in a two-day tour game against Worcestershire starting on Friday.

“It's a chance for us and them at Worcester,” said Misbah.

“Some of them (the current top order) are getting starts but not converting those starts into bigger innings.

“We need to make it big and that's what we're missing,” he added.

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Indian shotputter fails drugs test before Games

NEW DELHI: Shotputter Inderjeet Singh on Tuesday became the second Indian athlete to fail a drugs test in recent days, embroiling the nation's Olympic squad in a doping scandal before next month's Rio Games.

The Asian champion claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy for criticising sports authorities after his A sample taken during routine testing was found to contain a banned substance.

“I am being targeted and it's a clear case of conspiracy against me. My sample has been tampered with,” Singh, a gold medal winner at the Asian Athletics Championships last year, said in a statement.

“Why would I take something which is not good for health?”

“I have been framed because I am outspoken,” the 28-year-old also told Indian TV stations.

An Indian sports official said shotputter Singh tested positive for the banned steroid Androsterone during out-of-competition testing by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) on June 22.

“NADA has informed Inderjeet about the result. If he wants to test his B sample then it has to be done within seven days,” said the official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity.

The positive test comes after revelations that Rio-bound wrestler Narsingh Yadav, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist in the 74kg freestyle category, also failed a drugs test.

Indian wrestler Narsingh Yadav displays his medal after winning against South Africa.—AP

India has not yet decided the fate of either athlete. Yadav also cried foul, claiming his water and food supplements were contaminated with a banned steroid.

The country is about to send its largest ever Olympic squad of more than 100 athletes in hopes of improving its poor medal count.

The Rio Games are set to start on Aug 5 with controversy raging over the International Olympic Committee's decision not to impose a blanket ban to Russia, accused of state-sponsored doping.

India has been rocked by previous drugs scandals and is ranked third on a global list of doping offenders compiled by the World Anti-Doping Agency, behind Russia and Italy.

In 2011 six top Indian women runners tested positive for banned steroids.

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South Africa to introduce racial quotas for national teams

CAPE TOWN: Cricket South Africa (CSA) will formally introduce racial quotas at national team level, the board said on Tuesday.

The organisation has come under fire from the South African government for a lack of transformation in its national teams, leading to a ban on bidding for international tournaments that will be reviewed next year.

President Chris Nenzani said in a statement CSA will seek to “move with the times” and set a minimum number of black players to be selected in all their national teams.

He added that these “targets” would be calculated over a year and not apply on a match-by-match basis.

“In the past we had never set targets in our national teams but with changing circumstances we feel it is essential to move with the times,” Nenzani said.

“The precise targets will depend on work to be undertaken by relevant committees to determine what is realistic and sustainable. This will be announced in due course.”

The Proteas had already been seeking to introduce more black players into the national teams in all formats and have done so with some success.

The One-Day International side that defeated Australia by 47 runs in the tri-series competition in the West Indies in June had eight players of colour for the first time ever.

CSA have already introduced quotas for the country's domestic franchise competitions where teams must field at least six players of colour, including three black African players.

South Africa's sports minister Fikile Mbalula has been critical of what he says is the slow rate of transformation in the country's major sporting codes, bar football.

The country has seen greater participation among black players across most sports at junior level despite the challenge of providing adequate school facilities in poorer districts.

But Mbalula wants to see this reflected quicker at national team level and in April slammed the federations from rugby, cricket, netball and athletics for failing to meet what he says were agreed to targets on transformation.

He banned them from bidding for or hosting international events until they met their targets, with a review of this decision scheduled for this coming April.

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