LAHORE: Pakistan’s Test and one-day captain Misbahul Haq on Thursday called for a quick revival of matches against arch-rivals India, saying that fans were keen to see the teams play.
“It is very important that we have a quick revival of Indo-Pak cricket, because fans desperately want to see both countries play,” Misbah told reporters.
India broke off diplomatic and sporting ties with its neighbour after the 2008 attacks on Mumbai which left 166 people dead and were blamed on militants based in Pakistan.
But the visit last month of Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari to India has raised hopes the two countries are eager to revive ties in sports, trade and travel.
Cricket, the major sport in both countries, was discussed between Zardari and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, with Singh passing information on to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
After the talks, the BCCI gave the green light to Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 champions Sialkot Stallions to take part in October’s Champions League.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf and chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed – who toured India to watch the final of the Indian Premier League on Sunday – have raised hopes of an imminent breakthrough.
Misbah, 38, played down reports in local media that players were not satisfied with pay rises awarded by the PCB last week, after a delay of five months.
“Pakistan cricket is improving and such reports to create controversies are not good for us,” said Misbah.
The PCB upped players’ monthly salaries by 25% and match fees by 10%.
“I think it must be welcomed as the PCB is not earning much because of no international cricket in the country,” said Misbah.
Pakistan has not hosted any major international cricket since gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009.
Misbah and the rest of the one-day team fly to Colombo on Saturday for the series against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad is already in Hambantota where the first of two matches will be played on Friday.
Updated at: 25 May 2013
Liverpool manager’s son found not guilty LONDON: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers voiced his family’s relief after his footballer son Anton was cleared Friday in a sex case at England’s central criminal court.
Anton Rodgers, 20, and three Brighton team-mates were found not guilty of sexual assault and voyeurism.
The retrial, at the Old Bailey in London, followed an earlier trial in which a jury could not agree verdicts.
Brendan Rodgers said: “The last 18 months have been extremely traumatic for us as a family, but we are ...
Updated at: 25 May 2013
Space trip with DiCaprio costs $1.55m CANNES - Leonardo DiCaprio is going to get closer to stars of a different kind as he heads into space aboard the Virgin Galactic, and a well-heeled bidder at the Cannes Film Festival has paid 1.2 million euros (1.5 million) to be his travel buddy.
The Holywood star’s sub-orbital trip was among 20 goodies up for grabs at the 20th amfAR bash, a gala auction that is one of the glitziest festival events and that this year helped raise a record-breaking $25 million for AIDS research.
Other ...
affiliate marketing
PIA plane lands at Manchester airport, probe continues LONDON: A Pakistan International Airline (PIA) passenger plane, which was forced to land at a London airport after two travelers threatened to ‘explode the plane’ during their argument, has now arrived at Manchester.
According to the sources, British police arrested two people on suspicion of ...
Deal with IMF now will be self-defeating: Sartaj LAHORE : Pakistan’s new leadership expects first results of its planned steps to shore up its finances and ease a power crisis in two or three months and only then should decide whether and on what terms to seek an IMF bailout, a senior policy adviser said on Friday.
Most economists, lenders and ...
Altaf says he never preached misuse of authority KARACHI: Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain said on Friday that he had never preached corruption, fraud, cheating, overstepping and misuse of authority and indulging in social evils to his workers.
"I have been asking his workers to refrain from these evils since 1978, Altaf said ...
Peshawar: 7 policemen dead in rocket assault PESHAWAR: At least seven policemen were killed while seven more policeman including District Police Officer (DPO) Kohat were critically injured in a rocket attack here on Friday night.
According to the sources, the incident took place when 10 to 15 militants attacked a convoy of DPO Kohat ...
Dark ages: The heat is on, the power is off FAISALABAD / KARACHI / ISLAMABAD: It’s the perfect storm, Pakistan style. This Friday was the hottest day Lahore has suffered in the last 29 years, with the temperature shooting up as high as 47 degrees centigrade, a record according to the Pakistan Metrological Department. And on this sweltering ...