ICC Cricket World Cup Thread

[DeeGame]

Shoaib and Asif to miss World Cup



Pakistan pace bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been ruled out of the World Cup due to injury.

Shoaib has been unable to recover from a knee injury that forced him to be sent back from South Africa in January.

Asif has been carrying a niggling elbow problem since that tour, and neither will be fit enough for the tournament starting on 13 March.

Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Sami will replace the pace duo and join the squad in the Caribbean at a later date.

"It is a big blow for us, but I am confident that Yasir Arafat and Mohammad Sami will live up to the expectations," team coach Bob Woolmer said.

"They will join the team in a week's time and we hope to overcome our injury problems with a united team effort."

Pakistan play hosts West Indies in the opening match of the World Cup on the first day of the tournament.

The squad flies out to the West Indies later on Thursday.

Shoaib (knee and hamstring) and Asif (elbow) have been in the news for doping issues as well as injury-related matters.

They both tested positive for nandrolone last September but had lengthy doping bans quashed on appeal in December after claiming they had not knowingly taken the banned substance.

The World Anti-Doping Agency is in turn contesting that appeal result in the Court of Arbitration for Sport

The Pakistan Cricket Board asked all its players to submit for drugs tests by 28 February.

Shoaib and Asif did not do so, raising unsubstantiated speculation that they still had traces of nandrolone in their system.

But PCB spokesman Pervez Mir insisted: "Their withdrawal has nothing to do with doping.

"They were due to feature in dope tests once they regained full fitness but for us the chapter is now closed.

"We did our best and waited because [captain] Inzamam[-ul-Haq] wanted them in the team as they are our best bowlers.

"But reports of their injuries were not good and we could not have waited any more."

Arafat is an all-rounder who bowls medium pace and has played just seven one-day internationals, while Sami is an experienced paceman.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cric...an/6388979.stm

Blantant cover up

[tsb]

Blantant cover up

Dunno. Does seem a bit weird though!

[Tee]

Blantant cover up

The cover up would have been to pass their tests and send them out to play - both are INJURED and have been for a while.

[Colemere]

Blantant cover up

That was my first impression when I which two players it was.

[tsb]

Shoaib and Asif out of the World Cup

Osman Samiuddin

March 1, 2007

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will be missing in action for the second time in a major tournament, having missed the Champions Trophy last year © AFP

As had been expected for some time now, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were finally ruled out of Pakistan's World Cup squad, though the decision, farcically, came minutes before the team's departure to the Caribbean. Asif is down with an elbow injury while Shoaib is nursing a crocked knee.

"We have received their medical assessments and the players are physically unfit. Therefore we felt we shouldn't take them for such a big tournament," PJ Mir, the team spokesman told Cricinfo. "Their injuries will take time to heal so after selectors consulted Inzamam-ul-Haq the decision has been taken to not take them."

The pair will be replaced by fast bowler Mohammad Sami and allrounder Yasir Arafat. "Sami and Arafat will join the team in the Caribbean in a few days but we have to get clearance for them from the ICC's technical committee. Their names were decided by the captain and the selection committee together," Mir added, mindful perhaps of reports today speculating that the decision to name Azhar Mahmood as a replacement for Abdul Razzaq overlooked the selection committee altogether.

Though injuries remain the official reasons for their withdrawal it is understood that continuing doping-related concerns clinched the issue. The pair tested positive last year for Nandrolone in internal dope tests conducted just before the Champions Trophy got underway, but their bans were eventually overturned, much to the chagrin of the global cricket community.

Fears that traces of Nandrolone remained at unacceptably high levels in their bodies were enhanced as the pair, for varying reasons, avoided undergoing another PCB-conducted dope test, held last week for all members of Pakistan's World Cup squad. Only last week, an official close to the team had told Cricinfo that neither of the injuries were serious enough and if the pair didn't go, it would only be "over concerns with the doping issue", a thought confirmed once again today by an official. There was a threat that if the two tested positive again, either in internal tests or those conducted by the ICC, they would face stringent bans.

Whatever the reasons for their exclusion, the impact of their absence cannot be underestimated; Asif is one of cricket's most exciting young bowlers and Shoaib one of the game's fastest. Inzamam acknowledged to reporters that losing the two, and the uncertainty surrounding them, was not the best way of preparing for the tournament. "It is not an ideal situation for us. We are going there under intense pressure. But in the past we have played in such situations with tremendous team spirit and we can achieve best results even without our key players."

Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, preferred to draw strength from good results achieved over the last two years without the two bowlers. "It is a big blow and I feel sorry for both these players. They are missing a mega event.

"But last year we did well without Shoaib in Sri Lanka and the year before in India without either of the two bowlers," he added. "I want to remind the players of those two series and of playing with the same unity and spirit we showed on those tours. If we can replicate that, we can still do well. We also now know at least where we stand and exactly what players we have available."

It now means that Pakistan go into cricket's premier event without three key components of their team, after Razzaq was also ruled out of the tournament this week with a serious knee injury. Additionally, they will be without allrounder Shahid Afridi - owing to a four-match ban imposed by the ICC for misconduct in South Africa - for their first two games, including a tough opening game on March 13 against the hosts. Preparations for big series or tournaments in Pakistan are often blighted but few in recent memory have been as ravaged by injuries, controversies and scandals as this.

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/wc2007/content/current/story/281976.html

[DeeGame]

The cover up would have been to pass their tests and send them out to play - both are INJURED and have been for a while.

Conveinently "Injured" just before the World Cup dont you think

[Tee]

Look, as far as I knew both had been out injured for a while - the PCB are well aware of the focus on them following the doping controversy. I would be devastated if this was a cover up - I just honestly believe it is down to injury.

These are the 2 main strike bowlers, and after the last controverys there is no way that such a risk would have been taken this close to the most important cricketing event in the world.

[Jayesh87]

Not to long before it starts now!

[Mumsafan]

Not to long before it starts now!

I'm really looking forward to it

[saveferris]

Look, as far as I knew both had been out injured for a while - the PCB are well aware of the focus on them following the doping controversy. I would be devastated if this was a cover up - I just honestly believe it is down to injury.

These are the 2 main strike bowlers, and after the last controverys there is no way that such a risk would have been taken this close to the most important cricketing event in the world.

As a Pakistan fan even I think this is a cover up. especially as they didnt take the drug test. It makes it easy for all parties if they dont play ie PCB, WADA and the ICC. It might not be anything new but if there is nandrolone in their systekm then they would fail resulting in further embarassment for the PCB and definitely lifetime bans for the players.

Dont think Bob Woolmer would be too disappointed in Akhtar not playing either it seems he is a disruptive influence which wouldnt be surprising, Asif is a bigger loss. I hope both Sami and Naved ul Hasan get out of their terrible poor form they have had of late.

Think Azhar Mahmood is a great replacement for Razzaq as he has great knowledge of the English county game and is successful here in the shorter forms of the game. Hope he keeps a high level of consistency.

[saveferris]

Players that will shine in the cup:

Sourav Ganguly
Kevin Pietersen
Stuart Clark
Younis Khan
Ricky Ponting
Shaun Pollock

possibly Inzamam if he is to retire after the competition

[Red Chilli]

Disagree about Clark and Ganguly. I think Clark will get smacked all over the park, he has very little pace or variation.
Ganguly is hit and miss, depends what mood he's in so you could be right.

[DeeGame]

Plus Lara

[saveferris]

Disagree about Clark and Ganguly. I think Clark will get smacked all over the park, he has very little pace or variation.
Ganguly is hit and miss, depends what mood he's in so you could be right.

I thought those two as they have points to prove, after being dropped in recent times. Plus Clark is very underrated.

I forgot Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke (if fit) though in that list

If any West Indian is going to star I would say Chris Gayle or Chanderpaul instead of Lara (although he will get runs of course)

[Red Chilli]

Yeah I think Lara is going to own this world cup. I'm usually wrong though