Round Up

-Zaka Ashraf replaces Mr Butt as the chairman of the PCB. Ijaz Butt considers the eradication of player power to be his leading achievement. His replacement has affiliations with ZTBL.

-Shahid’s “conditional retirement” only lasted 5 one dayers and 2 T20s against Ireland and Zimbabwe. It’s hardly as if he missed anything major.....

- Misbah and Rehman are named in the test team of the year in the annual awards of a leading sporting publication. The former more specifically is even the overseas player of the year. Both these players have been the leading run getter and leading wicket taker over the last year in the whites for the side.

- Peshawar pacemen Nauman Habib was kidnapped and murdered after round 1 of the QEA. This major tragedy was announced on the same day of the end of Mr Butt’s tenure. The bowler has taken 7 wickets in the last first class game he played and was the 2nd leading bowler during the Faysal Bank T20 is Karachi where he played a key part in the major upset to eliminate the star studded Karachi Dolphins in the group stages including taking the wicket of the former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi after he was MOM the previous day against Islamabad Leopards for his 3-20 and 58.

- Pakistan was victorious at the Titans event at the 02 arena in London. The event was organised by former West Indies skipper Jimmy Adams. The event consisted of 5 challenges. The players participating were Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Yasir Arafat and Azhar Mahmood. The event will be televised on Sky at 18:30 on Monday evening for a 90 minute highlights show.
- Misbah and co will be departing for the UAE on the 15th ahead of the first test against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi. DRS will be in place during the one day series which the Pakistan skipper is pleased about and backs.

- Azhar Ali is targeting a spot in the ODI team. He has made 5 List A centuries and averages in the 40s. Azhar feels that unlike in a test with men around the bat and a ring of fielders surrounding him, with the field spread out he will find it easier to score in ODIs and is hopeful of getting opportunities here in the future. Azhar was awarded his ODI cap during the tour of Belfast in late May and made a hard fought 39 in his first innings before receiving a gem of a delivery from the strong and tall Rankin which jumped from a length to take the outer edge.

- Zulqarnain has resumed his FC career with ZTBL after his disappearance antics which he was fined for in June. The wicket keeper fled the team hotel during the one day international series against South Africa and was seeking political asylum in the UK to ensure his safety. The 2004 U19 WC winning team member has made scores of 0 and 10 in his first 2 innings of the 2011/12 QEA season. His domestic captain is Imran Nazir.