Pakistan replaces manager

Pakistani cricket confirmed Wednesday it was replacing team manager Intikhab Alam with Naved Akram Cheema for this month's tour of Zimbabwe.

Intikhab Alam (right) gestures as Shahid Afridi looks on during the training session in Johannesburg © AFP

"Cheema will take charge for the tour of Zimbabwe as the new manager," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told AFP.
Alam, a former Pakistan captain, already serves as director of game planning at the National Cricket Academy and is a member of the PCB governing board.
Pakistan plays one Test, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches on their tour of Zimbabwe which starts this month.
The International Cricket Council had suggested that Pakistan appoint a long-term manager as part of 63 recommendations designed to improve the country's cricket, and had objected to Alam's multiple posts.
But the PCB had disagreed, saying "there are other countries that nominate managers on a tour-by-tour basis and the system works well for them".
The 69-year-old Alam had been manager since last year's tour of England, when a spot-fixing scandal during the Lord's Test rocked Pakistan.
Test captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were handed lengthy bans by the ICC, and the trio also face criminal charges in England.
Alam was also manager and coach during Pakistan's only World Cup triumph in Australia in 1992, then coached the team to their World Twenty20 victory in England two years ago.
Under his most recent tenure, wicket-keeper batsman Zulqarnain Haider stirred controversy by escaping to London from the team hotel in Dubai, claiming he had received death threats from bookmakers.
He applied for political asylum in Britain before returning home with assurances from the Pakistani government of his safety.
Cheema had vowed to keep strict discipline in the team.

Pakistan cricketer Kaneria's selection case adjourned

A Pakistani court on Tuesday adjourned leg-spinner Danish Kaneria's appeal against the national cricket body's decision to refuse to select him due to allegations of spot-fixing.
The 30-year-old was not cleared to play internationally by an integrity committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after failing to satisfy them over the spot-fixing case last year.
Kaneria and fellow Essex bowler Mervyn Westfield were arrested last year on charges of spot-fixing during a Pro40 one-day match against Durham in 2009.
Kaneria was later released without being charged but Westfield faces criminal proceedings.
"The court has adjourned the hearing until August 18 after PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi submitted a reply on the case," said court orders after the hearing.
Kaneria has not been selected since he was acrimoniously sent home from the middle of Pakistan's tour of England in August last year.
Two months later he was included in the team for a series against South Africa before being withdrawn.

Kaneria was arrested last year on charges of spot-fixing © AFP

"PCB cannot select Kaneria in the team until and unless he gets clearance from the integrity committee," PCB lawyer Rizvi told AFP.
Pakistan play one Test, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches in Zimbabwe next month.
"The court has ordered Kaneria to get another opinion from his British lawyer and submit it before the integrity committee and the matter will then be decided," Rizvi said.
The spinner, who has taken 261 wickets in 61 Tests, and 15 wickets in 18 one-day internationals, is still playing domestic cricket for Habib Bank.
"I will obey the orders, but the delay is frustrating me as I want to play for my country, which is my right after being cleared by Essex police," Kaneria told AFP.
The PCB was forced by the International Cricket Council to form an integrity committee after a separate spot-fixing case in England last year ended in lengthy bans for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

PCB softens stance over ICC Task Team report on clean up of Pak cricket

Karachi,: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has softened its hard-line stance on recommendations proposed in an International Cricket Council (ICC) report for reforming the sport in the country.
The ICC ordered the Pakistan Task Team (PTT) to compile a report on Pakistan cricket in the wake of the 2009 attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore and last year’s spot-fixing scandal.
The PCB had criticized the report saying that the recommendations proposed were a pointless “scholarly exercise”.
However, PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad has now said that the board had only dismissed the recommendations it felt were redundant or based on inaccurate information.
“The constructive recommendations and proposals by the Task Team which are good for Pakistan cricket are under consideration,” the Daily Times quoted Ahmad, as saying.
“We are looking at ways to implement them soon,” he added.

Butter-fingered Kamran seeks former Pak wicketkeepers tips to clean up act

Lahore,: Pakistani wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has revealed that he has been seeking guidance from former wicketkeepers Wasim Bari, Moin Khan, Rashid Latif and Saleem Yousuf to improve his game.
Kamran, who is currently training alongside Mohammed Hafiz at the National Cricket Academy, said that he was going through intense training to correct mistakes, which were brought to light during the recent 50-over World Cup on the Indian sub-continent, The News reports.
The 29-year-old has been constantly criticized for his lack of consistent wicketkeeping.
He had a horrendous series behind the stumps against Australia in 2009-2010, where during the second Test at Sydney he dropped four catches, including three chances from Michael Hussey.
Hussey went on to score a match-winning century with the Pakistan team losing in a shock result after dominating the first three days of play.