O’Brien is hoping the ICC will give Ireland full Test status sooner rather than later

Ireland batsman Niall O’Brien has announced that he hopes he is still playing international cricket when the International Cricket Council (ICC) decide to give the country full Test status.

O’Brien revealed that cricket was a tradition in his family and it would make him extremely proud if Ireland were given the honour of becoming a full-time Test nation while he was still with the team.

“My dad played cricket for Ireland, captained Ireland, so it was an every day thing for me and my family and friends growing up in the village called Sandymount in Dublin,” O’Brien said during an interview with Pakpassion.net. “My dad was probably one of my biggest mentors. When I started playing the top level of club cricket as a 14-year-old, he was still playing as a 50-year-old, or there or thereabouts, so he was my biggest mentor. But I did have some good coaches along the way.”

O’Brien also credited Ireland coach Adrian Burrell for helping him take his game up to the next level.

“The biggest stepping stone of my career was when Adrian Burrell, the Ireland coach, took over in 2002 and he took my game and Irish cricket to another level,” O’Brien added.

The Irish batsman further mentioned that he had signed a three-year deal with Leicestershire after spending three seasons with Kent and six years at Northamptonshire.

Hafeez and ul-Haq are confident that the PSL will become extremely successful and popular

Pakistan batting duo Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq believe that the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will bring international cricket back to the country’s shores and instill confidence in the cricketing community that the war-torn nation is safe to tour once again.

“There is no doubt the PSL is necessary for not only the survival but also the promotion of cricket in Pakistan,” ul-Haq said.

Ul-Haq added that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had done an excellent job in keeping the sport alive since all teams refused to tour the country after the Sri Lankan team were attacked by militants in March 2009.

“The way I look at it the super league hopefully with foreign players also participating in it will serve as a oxygen for cricket in the country,” ul-Haq said. “And it will also lead to the revival of international cricket in Pakistan.”

Hafeez also reiterated ul-Haq’s views and believes that the tournament will be a huge success.

“Something big like the PSL will boost the sport in Pakistan and increase people’s interest,” Hafeez added. “PSL will also bring financial boost to our domestic players and offer incentives to them.”

The PCB have announced that the PSL will contain five franchises and former Pakistan batsman Hanif Mohammad praised all the hard work the board has put into organising the tournament.

“What I believe is that the PCB should involve our former and current greats to work towards convincing top players from different countries to come and play in the league,” Mohammad said. “Such leagues are now necessary to ensure that the financial status of players at the domestic level also improve dramatically.”

Katich is impressed at how quickly Marsh has managed to turn his career around

Former Australia batsman Simon Katich has announced that he is extremely impressed with Shaun Marsh’s attitude and dedication to regaining his spot on the national roster after having a turbulent year with many ups and downs.

Besides discipline problems, Marsh has also been dealing with a hamstring and thumb injury, but Katich believes his performance in the Big Bash League (BBL) and the Twenty20 Internationals he played in against Sri Lanka, along with the ODIs against the West Indies show that he is ready to represent Australia in all three formats once again.

Marsh last played Test cricket for Australia early last year against India and since being dropped, he has veered off the tracks, so much so that it even led to him being ousted from the Western Australia team after having a few too many drinks one night in South Africa during the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20).

Katich believes that Marsh’s recent performances cannot continue to be ignored by the national selectors, especially since they are still searching for permanent a replacement to fill the spots left behind by veteran batting duo Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, both of whom recently announced their retirement from international cricket.

What stood out for Katich even more was the fact that Marsh played through the little niggles he has been dealing with, which shows just how committed he is to regaining his place.

Katich stated that Marsh’s cricket ethics were outstanding and it still amazes him how he has managed to turn his career around from nothing, almost a year ago, to everything as of today.

Lee feels that the rotation policy is doing more harm than good for Australia’s pace bowlers

Former Australia pace bowler Brett Lee believes Cricket Australia and the national selectors have to seriously rethink their position on the rotation policy since it does not seem to making any real difference.

Lee stated that bowlers should not be rested after having one tiresome game since that in itself is just one of the many hardships of playing international cricket.

Lee also noted that the rotation policy was extremely confusing and kept bowlers looking over their shoulders if they performed poorly in one match.

“I believe, and I’m a bit old school, that you’ve got to earn your right to play for Australia,” Lee said. “You don’t want to breed a culture where you’re looking over your shoulder every time — who’s out this week? Who’s getting rested? Who’s coming in because there are four or five guys waiting to take my spot?.

“On the one hand I think it’s great that everybody’s getting an opportunity. But also, if I’m a paying member of the public, I want to see Australia’s number one side. What is that side? I don’t know, no one knows.”

The former pace bowler further mentioned that basing the rotation policy on sports science was a flaw in itself as well.

“It’s all speculation, there is no proven stats as to a certain amount of balls you can bowl,” Lee added. “People are getting rested on what if someone gets injured. I just don’t reckon you can do that, you can’t have a what if sort of policy.”

Many Sri Lankan players were injured in the attack

International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO David Richardson has announced that it is up to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to revive international cricket in the country by convincing other nations that it is safe to play.

Pakistan have not held an international match on home soil since the Sri Lankan team were attacked by militants in March 2009, which left a number of national players injured.

“Security is not something that is taken lightly by anybody,” Richardson said. “Making a decision as to whether it’s safe or not involves a serious assessment of the risk. The ICC is not in a position to do [security assessment]. It’s up to the member countries to decide. They have to take advice from their own security advisors and make decisions themselves.

“The bottom line is that the ICC views Pakistan as a very important part of international cricket, Pakistan is going through difficult times through no fault of the PCB. It’s our role to support Pakistan in its efforts to make sure that international cricket returns to Pakistan. As soon as possible is what everyone would like, but it’s difficult to say exactly when and I think that’s about as much as far as we can go at this stage.”

Since the attack, Pakistan have played all their ‘home’ series in the United Arab Emirates.

Despite holding two successful Twenty20 matches involving the Pakistan team and an all-star side, the PCB have still failed to convince any nation that the country is safe.

The PCB rely on the Pakistani government to supply a majority of their security for home series, and in an attempt to reassure all teams that an attack will never occur again, they sanctioned the purchase of bulletproof buses.

Apart from working on security upgrades, the PCB have also been looking into potential new venues to host international matches.

“Coming from a country [South Africa] which was out of international cricket for a very large period of my career, I know that if you concentrate on your domestic cricket and you make sure you encourage people to play the game even if it’s at first-class level you can reap tremendous rewards and in fact negative can turn into a positive and at the end of it all you might find that Pakistan cricket is much stronger than it was even before these difficult times,” Richardson said.

Richardson was recently in Pakistan and visited the country’s National Cricket Academy in Lahore before being briefed on what the PCB have in mind to improve security arrangements if international teams do return.

“The initiatives that PCB has put in place over the last 12 months or so I think it’s the correct way to go,” Richardson said. “The announcement of the Twenty20 competition [PSL] where foreign players will be entitled to come and play if available, again that is, I think, an initiative on the right path because what you’ve got to do is to regain the confidence of cricketing world and I think that’s a very sensible step in the right direction.”

Richarson also announced that he was pleased the limited overs series between Pakistan and India had gone smoothly and added that it was great to see the two rivals reviving bilateral ties.

Kamal insists that Bangladesh never gave any “unconditional commitment” to tour Pakistan

Former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president and current International Cricket Council (ICC) vice-president Mustafa Kamal has revealed that the national team never had an “unconditional commitment” to tour Pakistan, which contradicts what current BCB president Nazmul Hassan said in December.

Kamal noted that the idea of touring Pakistan was a great one, but added that the final decision rested with the BCB, who have already postponed the tour twice.

“It [unconditional commitment] was not in any ICC meetings’ minutes,” Kamal said. “I have not missed a single meeting [in my time as BCB president]. Such things cannot be written in minutes of a meeting. I deny it, this cannot have happened.

“There were a lot of discussions in the ICC and those have been mentioned in their minutes. At every instance it was mentioned that if Bangladesh tours Pakistan, the ICC will be involved in some capacity. The assessment of their security team will determine whether they’ll send officials or not. We have never said that we will bypass the ICC, which will set a precedent for other countries. It is true that ICC wants Bangladesh to tour Pakistan, otherwise discussions wouldn’t be mentioned in its books.”

However, when announcing the postponement of the Bangladesh’s tour to Pakistan in December, Hassan stated that a commitment had been made in an ICC meeting in April 2012.

In November Hassan also revealed that the BCB had handed a written commitment to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and ICC about the tour.

Despite not agreeing with Hassan’s “unconditional commitment” theory, Kamal insisted that Bangladesh should go to Pakistan since he believes it is about time that international cricket was revived in the troubled nation.

“It was my initiation, and I wouldn’t deny it,” Kamal said. “Bangladesh must go to Pakistan, and I know a lot has been written against me. But it was my work and if I hadn’t [done the job], nothing would be written against me.”

Eshani Kaushalya has been the star performer of this World Cup. ©icc/Solaris Images

All this is why it is especially heartening to see how the current Women’s World Cup in India has captured the attention and imagination of cricket fans of both genders around the world, including me. This is despite there being plenty of men’s cricket going on at the moment. Like everyone with a passing interest in women’s cricket, I expected the Sri Lankan ladies to be dealt with by England who are the best team in the world, and current holders. When I saw the target set by them (238, I foolishly assumed that it was too much for SL, even on pitches more in tune with what they are used to. In short, what transpired in the chase in Mumbai was nothing short of miraculous. On a par with anything that has been seen the the men’s game and perhaps even more outstanding than Ireland’s triumph over England in Bangalore 2011. Eshani Kaushalya has shown herself to be a ferocious middle-order hitter in this tournament, and feasted on the bowling during the middle-overs even as England continued to take wickets. I don’t want to make too many comparisons to the men’s side but she showed a sense of calmness under pressure that the men have found to be lacking in on too many occasions.

It was a more resolute batting display that saw the Indians knocked out (this coming after a thumping 209 run defeat to the West Indies). Kaushalya, Deepika Rasangika, Yasoda Mendis and Shashikala Siriwardene who  has shown herself to be an astute captain in this tournament powered SL to 282 and an all-round bowling effort saw India only manage 144. So India go out and Sri Lanka battle on. What ever this tournament holds in store for them, they can be rest assured that they have done wonders for the country and women’s cricket in general. This is a far cry from their last showing at the last World Cup in Australia 2009. Their first match came also against England in Canberra and lost 100 runs. Then came Pakistan and a 57 run loss. Their final match was against India and a 35 run defeat. They even lost the wooden-spoon race against South Africa by 9 wickets which meant they finished rock bottom of the pile with a record of 0 wins and 4 losses. Since then, during the financial and bureaucratically mess that the SLC board have been in, it managed to get something right. The ICC forced all the national boards to take control of women’s cricket in their respective countries, and the SLC decided to move all the Sri Lankan women cricketers to the representative teams of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. Whilst the pay wasn’t exactly great, they got the time and more importantly facilities to train and thus made them more professional in their work.

For the first time in Sri Lankan Cricket history, the women can look at the likes of England, New Zealand and Australia and perhaps aspire to be as competitive on a regular basis. But look elsewhere and you will find women’s cricket still playing catch up. Former India captain Diana Edulji lashed out at the BCCI (who have about two women administrators in the whole organization) for their lack of investment and sheer interest in the women’s game in cricket’s biggest market. Sure it does raise the question of where would Indian women’s cricket be if the BCCI diverted a fraction of the money generated by the men’s game the women’s way. How can a game so widely marketed and advertised in India fail to capitalize on its women’s cricketers which is a wholly untapped market for them. Multinational brands would no doubt be more than willing to put the face of Mithali Raj, one of the finest women’s cricketers of all time, on an advertising campaign. Its not like they’d have to pay her the same sum of money for her image that they’d have to fork out for MS Dhoni, and the returns could potentially be vast if done right. It could be argued that the attitude to women in society in general needs to change first and this is true, but this should not be a deterrent. The same could be said for cricket in SL, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The West Indies are perhaps the only other team who  have shown improvements. They possess some of the same style and exuberance that the men’s team have with the hard-hitting Deandra Dottin, and coached by Sherwin Campbell.

South Africa perhaps show the biggest disparity between the men’s and the women’s game. The men have both hands firmly on the Test mace, whilst womens cricket in the country lacks behind everyone else. Perhaps it will take the likes of Sri Lanka, the West Indies to leave them behind to make CSA sit up and take notice. Having said that, they have done well to make it to the Super Sixes in this current tournament.

Sri Lanka’s performances in this tournament could be the catalyst for something special. ©ICC/Solaris Images

At the end of the day, I will admit that it has been slightly grating to see the England team paraded in front of my cricket psyche as the all conquering team in women’s cricket when it is well known that they have no real challengers outside Australasia. It will be more interesting to see how they fare when the temperature it turned up in terms of competitiveness. It still remains to be seen whether SLC will capitalize on the tournament that the women have had and generate revenue into the women’s game on the island, encouraging more young ladies to take up the sport. The 1996 World Cup was a catalyst for the men to establish themselves on the world stage, and regardless of where SL finish, this World Cup could do the same for women’s cricket. That would really give Sri Lankan cricket; in the words of Shashikala Siriwardene; to be “seriously super  happy”.

Harris last represented South Africa in January 2011

South Africa left-arm spinner Paul Harris has announced his retirement from international cricket after having an illustrious career, which spanned for an outstanding 14 years.

Harris represented South Africa in 37 Tests and took 103 wickets at an average of 37.87 with his left-arm spin that reminded so many former players and fans of Nicky Boje, the man he replaced in 2006.

The left-arm spinner played his last Test against India in Cape Town in January 2011, after which he was dropped for leg-spinner Imran Tahir.

Harris began his first-class career with Western Province in 1998 before moving to Northerns in October 2002, where he quickly established a healthy relationship with coach Richard Pybus.

Pybus was exactly the man Harris gave special honours to, stating that he would have never played for South Africa had it not been for him.

“I would like to thank all the people who have helped me over my career,” Harris said. ” A special mention must go to Richard Pybus, who had the biggest coaching influence on my career. I am sure that I would not have played for South Africa if it had not been for him.

“I would also like to thank Ian Repton, the Nashua Titans physiotherapist; he really has gone above and beyond the call of duty to help me stay on the park over the last 10 years. A big thank you also goes to my agent and friend, Barney Girnun; he has been there from the start and has always supported me through thick and thin.”

Nashua Titans coach Matthew Maynard was sad to see Harris go, but wished him all the best in the future.

“Paul has been a great ambassador of the game and given tremendous service to the Nashua Titans for over ten years,” Maynard said. “He is respected by his peers and will be missed in the [changing] room.”

Hussey’s dedication and contribution to Australia cricket will never be forgotten

Just under a month after announcing his retirement, Australia veteran batsman Michael Hussey has admitted that he was relieved his international career had come to an end with a win over Sri Lanka in Sydney.

Hussey noted that the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) was one of his favourite places to play and couldn’t have asked for a better ending to his illustrious career.

“What a place to finish,” Hussey said. “The SCG is probably my top three favourite grounds in the whole world. The crowd support and the support in general has been a bit overwhelming and I’ve been a bit embarrassed by it.

“In a way I’m quite relieved that it’s over now. The stress and pressure, I can relax away from it now. I don’t have that sick feeling in my stomach before I go out to bat. I feel like the pressure is off and I feel very proud to be able to finish in Australia and here at the SCG.”

Despite making his Test debut at the age of 30 in 2005, Hussey has still scored more runs against Sri Lanka than any other Australian batsman, posting an incredible 994 runs at an outstanding average of 110.44 in just eight Tests.

Reminiscing about his final Test, Hussey stated that he had no problems with all-rounder Mitchell Johnson hitting the winning runs since clinching the series was the top priority in his mind at the time.

“I was telling Mitch (Johnson) the over before, if it comes up that you hit it then I’m more than happy to let us get this over and done with,” Hussey added. “I was more than happy to be out there when the winning run was hit. A dream come true. The important thing was making sure we won the Test match.”

Hussey also revealed that the realisation of not playing international cricket ever again had sunk in and added that he was looking forward to spending more time with his family and having a perfect all-round normal life once again.

“It probably sunk in a while ago because I have known for quite a period of time of when I wanted to finish,” Hussey said. “I’ve been prepared for it, I guess.

“But I’m sure there’s going to be aspects that I’m going to miss as well, like when I’m out there when the winning runs are hit in a Test match, helping Australia win a series, or being in the dressing room with the boys after the game, singing the team song. But all good things have to come to an end at some stage.”

Speaking about the “team song” once again, Hussey nominated off-spinner Nathan Lyon to replace him in leading the celebratory songs after the team won a series.

“I’ve picked Nathan (Lyon) because I think he is a man of great character,” Hussey added. “I think he plays the game for the right reasons.

“I think he understands and respects the fabric of the Baggy Green cap and that’s what I want to come through from him when he leads the team song in the future.”

Hussey also thanked his family for all their support over the years and once again reiterated the happiness he felt at having more time to spend with them.

“I certainly owe them a bit and they’ve been fantastic support over a long period of time, we’re probably away for up to eight to ten months of the year and it’s a big stress on family life,” Hussey said. “It’s also hard on the players being away for that long. I am looking forward to having a bit more of a normal life as such.”

Hussey ended his Test career with 6,235 runs, which included 19 centuries, at a brilliant average of 51.52.

“It couldn’t have ended any better,” Hussey said. “I feel very proud to have worn the Baggy Green cap and I’ve probably achieved a lot more in my career than I ever dreamed I could.

“I feel very fortunate and the game has given me so much.”

Laxman believes India will bounce back soon enough

Just under six months ago, former India batsman VVS Laxman bid adieu to international cricket, but recently, the stylish and technically gifted player admitted that he believes he is still fit enough to play Test cricket.

Asked if he was certain that he would be able to keep up with the hardships of the five-day format, Laxman pondered over the question over a while before saying: “Maybe.”

Laxman also offered some words of wisdom to the struggling Indian batsmen, saying: “It’s just about converting starts into big scores. Whenever a set batsman converts his start into a big score and the others rally around him, you usually post a healthy total for bowlers to defend.”

While ex-players like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev believe India took their eyes off the prize ever since winning the 2011 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup, Laxman defended the team, stating that their record in the limited overs format had not been too bad.

“I think we have done well except for these two games (losses against Pakistan) in the one-day format,” Laxman added. “I think, after the World Cup, we still had a decent run and even in T20.

“We did not qualify for knockouts in T20 World Cup… we played four games and lost one badly and did not qualify. Overall in T20 and one-day cricket we have done well.”

However, Laxman gave full credit to the Pakistani bowlers in their 3-2 win over India in the five-match ODI series.

“I think in the two matches I thought Pakistan bowlers need to be credited, the way they bowled and there are some marvellous and attacking fast bowlers Junaid (Khan), (Mohammad) Irfan and Umar Gul all three of them,” Laxman said. “I saw the match in Kolkata (and) both Junaid and Irfan bowled fiery spells like they did in Chennai, So I think Pakistani bowling attack was really penetrating.”

There have been mounting calls for India to dump their senior players and replace them with youngsters, but, according to Laxman, the national selectors have been one step ahead and have already injected the fresh talent the national team so desperately needed.

“It’s already there, you see the batting line-up… it’s good mixture of youth and experience and they will do well in the future,” Laxman said. “Indian cricket is going through a transitional phase. There are lots of youngsters who are getting opportunities and I am sure they will do well in the future.”

When asked about the day he announced his retirement, Laxman said: “I mean I had great run playing for India. At some time you have to move on and I think that was the right team for me after playing sixteen years.”

Continuing their partnership with the ICC, CricHQ will live score all matches. Anyone, anywhere will be able to follow every ball of every match live. Matches can be followed at http://www.crichq.com or by downloading the CricHQ App from the App store or Google play store, and checking live matches.

The tournament forms part of the qualification process for the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh. The winner of the Championship will advance to the Division 1 regional qualifying event in Florida in March and will take one step closer to Bangladesh.

The five teams that will compete in the Bahamas are Argentina, Turks & Caicos Islands, Panama, Bahamas and Belize.

Panama will be looking to go one better this year after losing heavily in the final to Suriname in 2011.

Steyn ripped through the Pakistan order in a devastating spell of 6 for 8 from 8.1 overs in the first Test in Johannesburg as the visitors were skittled for 49 in the first innings. It was Steyn’s twentieth five-wicket haul in Tests and also his best figures on South African soil to date.

Check out highlights of Steyn’s performance here, and keep an eye out for a couple of great takes by AB de Villiers behind the stumps. With bowlers of the calibre of Steyn and Vernon Philander South Africa look capable of being the dominant force in world cricket for a good while yet.

A batsman’s worst nightmare. Thanks to rosswebsdale for the image.

Batsman Michael Hussey was run out in his final Test for Australia

Australia have always been known as one of the most athletic sides in international cricket, but batsman Phillip Hughes may have shot that reputation down after stating that the number of players dismissed via run outs during the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka was an absolute joke.

During the three-Test series alone, run outs resulted in four Australian batsmen getting out and Hughes believes that while it may not have proved costly against Sri Lanka, it sure could have been the turning point in matches against higher ranked opposition like India and arch-rivals England.

“There were two run-outs [in the third Test],” Hughes said. “I think that’s four in the series. That’s something we’ve got to look at going forward.

“It’s never nice to be run out, especially in Test cricket, the big moments. That’s something we’ve got to address going forward.”

Whenever a run out occurs, opening batsman Ed Cowan always seems to be the culprit behind the bad call, which has ended up in himself getting run out twice and another batsman paying the consequence on a separate occasion.

“It’s never nice to get run out but we know that’s cricket at the end of the day,” Hughes said. “You could tell even looking from the side, Pup [Michael Clarke] was obviously disappointed.”

When asked what the solution to this crisis might be, Hughes said: “Call louder and clearer? Seriously though, It’s something we’ll talk about. Three (run outs) for the top three and four in the series. It’s something we’ve got to look at going forward and stop that.”

Smith feels as if his side have created an unbreakable bond between each other

South Africa captain Graeme Smith believes that his team have all become one big happy family after having a successful Test series against juggernauts England and Australia, where they accomplished their ultimate goal of establishing the country as the number one Test team in international cricket.

However, the Proteas have also experienced some rather difficult times, just like any family would, throughout both those series, perhaps more so in Australia than in England, and Smith noted that it was times like this that the true character of a team was revealed.

“The biggest thing is an understanding of what needs to be done and then going and doing it,” Smith said.

After a majority of cricket pundits and former players claimed that Australia had taken the psychological advantage in the first two Tests of the series, Smith called on his men to fight back and show the cricketing world why they truly deserve to be the number one Test side.

Smith’s talk rejuvenated his men and they responded in the best way possible, by handing Australia a 309 run loss during the final Test in Perth.

The Proteas continued their dominant streak against New Zealand and tore them apart in the Test series and Smith noted that like the Black Caps, South Africa were once considered to be the “chokers” and underachievers of international cricket, but through hard work and a never-give-up attitude, they bounced back with a vengeance and have now established themselves as the team to beat in the longer format.

While those years were tough on all the players, Smith stated that their “resilience” and ability to withstand all the pressure and criticism helped them become who they are today.

“There is resilience in the squad,” Smith said. “We’ve been under big pressure. We’ve fought back from tough positions and we’ve worked our backsides off to get back into games. Then, when we’ve had that opportunity, we’ve driven a bus through the door.”

South Africa can look back on their series against England and Australia with pride, but will know that there were a lot of close shaves along the way, whether it be during the second Test against England in Headingley where they were deflated by England batsman Kevin Pietersen’s century or almost defeated by wicketkeeper Matt Prior’s late charge in the final Test at Lord’s.

The second Test against Australia in Adelaide was also a close call as South African batsman Faf du Plessis had to come to the team’s rescue by batting them to a draw, while the third Test in Perth completely belonged to Hashim Amla and pace bowler Dale Steyn.

All of these close situations put together with the bright moments the Proteas experienced during both series have enhanced their character and elevated their “confidence” to new heights.

“There is a good degree of confidence within the squad, which enables you to play that way going forward,” Smith added. “If guys have got good performances behind them and come off with some good wins … it’s a lot easier to play that way when you haven’t got that kind of confidence.”

At the conclusion of their Test series against New Zealand, Smith pointed out that even he knew the areas in which the Black Caps had to improve on.

“They are struggling to find who fits in where and how can perform in certain role,” Smith said. “It’s more than who bats at No. 4, it’s about behind the scenes and the environment. They are growing there.”

As of right now, South Africa have an almost picture perfect team, where the bowling attack is considered to be the ‘best in the world’ and their batting line-up is full of masterclass strokemakers.

“It’s just about winning really, that is what you are defined by in modern-day sport,” Smith said. “If you play games like this and you are dominant and you take the game forward, it’s very nice.”

Smith noted that when South Africa bowled New Zealand out for 45 in their first innings at the Newlands stadium in Cape Town, he could hardly believe what he was witnessing.

“I couldn’t quite believe we were in that situation,” he said. “We bowled superbly in our new spells. We didn’t start sluggish and we asked questions early on.”

Smith was also impressed at the way his batsmen responded after New Zealand had been bowled out for their third lowest total in Test cricket history.

“After bowling them out for 45, the attitude we had as a batting unit was so important,” Smith said. “It would be easy to go out there and think: ‘What’s happening out here?’

“It was great to see Alviro push through those little sessions where he has found it tough in the past, because his potential is huge.”

However, instead of Petersen taking the credit for his century during that match, Smith believes it was due to an all-round team effort that South Africa had managed the win the match and the series as well.

“There’s honesty in the group,” Smith added. “I see us as mature team. We’ve grown up now.”

There has been growing speculation that Afridi’s international career may be all but over

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has advised veteran batsman Shahid Afridi to start playing domestic cricket once again, as he believes it is the only way the big-hitter will regain his touch with the bat.

Afridi had an absolutely dismal 2012, scoring  182 runs in 13 ODI innings, during which he only faced 179 deliveries, according to Dawn.com.

Many cricket pundits and former players have pinpointed several areas Afridi needs to improve on, but the most common ones are usually centred around his fitness, concentration and strokeplay.

While Latif believes there is nothing wrong with Afridi’s fitness, he did point out that the veteran needed more batting time since he usually comes in at the end of innings, where the main idea is to hit out or get out.

Latif also noted that Afridi’s problems were unlike any of the other batsmen in international cricket since he quit playing Test cricket nearly three years ago.

Afridi, who retired from Test cricket in July 2010, scored 1716 runs, which included five centuries, at an average of 36.51.

Ashraf will now “reconsider” Pakistan’s bilateral ties with Bangladesh

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has expressed his infuriation towards Bangladesh after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided to delay the country’s tour to Pakistan for a second time.

Ashraf even went as far as saying that the PCB would “reconsider” its bilateral ties with the BCB since they were sick and tired of the Bangladesh board constantly giving them their word and then backing out at the last minute.

However, Ashraf made it extremely clear that the PCB had never forced the BCB into touring Pakistan.

“If they don’t want to come its their own decision and we didn’t force them,” Ashraf told ESPNcricinfo.

According to Ashraf, Bangladesh had confirmed the tour with the PCB and the International Cricket Council (ICC) “three times and still they backed off. Now their own reputation is at stake. If they don’t want to respect their bilateral relationship then we will also respond in the same manner.”

In an act of defiance, Ashraf banned all Pakistan players from participating in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and hinted that their could be more sanctions to come unless the BCB keep their word and send the national team to Pakistan.

“We will take a principled stance on the BPL,” Ashraf said. “But one thing is sure: our players might not be free as we are making our own arrangements from next year.”

Ashraf noted that PCB-related business would consume most of the Pakistan players’ time and ”they may not be bothered for other things”.

After getting confirmation from the BCB for the first time, Ashraf started making preparations for the tour, including finding sponsors for the series and a sponsor for the title.

The PCB also moved all scheduled domestic first-class Quaid-e-Azam matches between January 7 and 22 away from the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in order to make the facilities available for Bangladesh.

Ashraf stated while that the series may have been ”almost confirmed” at one point, he found it ”strange” that Bangladesh had pulled out for a second time.

However, despite this setback, Ashraf was adamant that international cricket’s revival in Pakistan was still on track.

“Soon we will manage to get a better team to tour Pakistan than Bangladesh,” he said.

Kusal ($20,000) and Thisara Perera ($50,000) are certain to attract some bids. © Getty Images

Taking a look at the Sri Lankan players in the auction; which excludes players still contracted to their respective franchises; it there are some new names up for grabs, along with the old ones like Thilan Samaraweera ($100k), Prasanna Jayawardena ($50k) and Jehan Mubarak ($20k) for whom it will come as a major surprise if they managed to find a franchise. Dinesh Chandimal was bought by the Rajasthan Royals last season for $50k yet never played a game, even when the Royals could have used him. This time he is up for auction at a reserve price of $100k, suggesting his stock has doubled during what has been a tricky year for the Sri Lankan Cricket team. Chandimal has retained the wicket-keeping gloves of late, despite the emergence of Kushal Perera who has had a decent limited overs series in Australia. He will come into the auction at an uncapped $20k. This is also the same price that Sri Lanka A captain Kaushal Silva will command, who along with Nuwan Pradeep (also $20k) are amongst the cheapest players who have also been capped at Test level. Perhaps one of the potential bargains of this auction is Thisara Perera who has played for three different IPL sides, yet has not managed to hold down a regular place. He has very much grown as a limited overs player, and played well in his small stint in the BBL. Yet this auction only puts him at $50,000. No doubt a host of teams will be after his services and that price could shoot up as a bidding war ensues. Jeevan Mendis is also valued at the same price and would be a bargain for a team looking for a middle-order power hitter and a solid leg-spinner. Lahiru Thirimanne and Dilshan Munaweera (20k) are expected to get bids in, if not necessarily for those  bids to be followed up by actual playing time. Thirimanne has shown admirable calm and technique coming in at the lower order, and Dilshan Munaweera was top scorer in the inaugral SLPL, if not particularly exhilarating in the WT20.

I don’t imagine spinners to be in demand that much, as there are plenty of local players available to fill that role. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka’s young spin prodigy Akila Dananjaya goes in at $20k, alongside Rangana Herath who is coming off the form of his career in 2012 at £100k. Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Dilruwan Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna and Sachithra Senanayake are all up for grabs as well. They might not attract bids but still stand a chance of getting in on the action if injuries and unavailabilities hit.

SLPL experience might count for something when the likes of Dilshan Munaweera and Shaminda Eranga come to auction. © Ron Gaunt/SPORTZPICS/SLPL

Like a lot of people, I have a pretty dim view of the IPL and its foibles. However ever since ITV got the rights to broadcast it in the UK on free-to-air television, I have looked forward to it, although I do lose interest during the middle stages when the matches come thick and fast in quantity if not in quality or importance. Like a lot of cricket fans i n this country, I don’t have a SKY subscription, so usually have to make do with dodgy Star Cricket streams on the internet or the mercurial Test Match Special commentary on the radio. ITV4 draws in a lot of viewers with its IPL coverage (also Gladstone Small gets so few television appearances these days). For all the money that grass-roots cricket in this country has benefited from SKY money, you can’t help but think that the ECB are missing a trick here by denying the opportunity for new cricket fans to get into the game by not giving rights to England matches to a free-to-air broadcaster, but that is for another blog rant.

Anyway from an SL point of view I am undecided whether I want the likes of Chandimal, Thirimanne, Eranga and Dananjaya to play in the IPL. On the one hand it would be nice to see them play and learn from the best players in the world, but on the other too much exposure to T20 cricket could ruin their technique which is a drum I have been banging for ages. Although players like Kushal Perera, Thisara Perera and Dilshan Munaweera will excel in the limited over formats.

Hussey has called on Cricket Australia to allow his brother to replace him on the Test roster

While Australia middle order batsman Michael Hussey’s retirement from international cricket has sparked a massive debate over who will replace him in the Test squad, the 37-year-old veteran sees no one else worthy than his brother David.

Hussey’s decision to retire came exactly a month after former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting announced his at the conclusion of the three-Test series against South Africa in December.

While Hussey believes his brother should be given an opportunity to represent Australia in Test cricket, especially after all the success he has had in the limited overs format, the veteran insisted that there were other worthy candidates who have the ability to occupy his spot as well.

Even though Hussey has endlessly tried to make a case for his brother, Cricket Australia have already added Phillip Hughes to replace Ponting and seem to have their eyes set on Usman Khawaja to take over Hussey’s spot in the long run, despite all-rounder Glenn Maxwell having been included in the Australian side for their tour of India next month.

Continuing their partnership with the ICC, CricHQ will live score all matches. Anyone, anywhere will be able to follow every ball of every match live. Matches can be followed at http://www.crichq.com or by downloading the CricHQ App from the App store or Google play store, and checking live matches.

The tournament forms part of the qualification process for the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh. The winner of the Championship will advance to the global qualifying event later in the year and will take one step closer to Bangladesh.

The seven teams that will compete in Auckland are Japan, Indonesia, Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Vanuatu and the 2011 champions PNG.

This year the championship has a new format, with just one division. This sees Indonesia and Cook Islands take a step up, competing with last championships division one teams.

2011 winners PNG, firm as favourites again, lead by captain Chris Amini, last championships player of the tournament, Tony Ura and big hitting left hander Assad Vala. Vala will want to put in some big performances with talk of him landing a Queensland contract circulating.

“With six spots open for Associate & Affiliate Members at the 2014 World T20 in Bangladesh there is plenty at stake to be crowned East Asia-Pacific regional champion,” said the ICC East Asia-Pacific Regional Development Manager Kieran McMillan. “The winner in Auckland will give themselves a very real chance of then launching themselves onto the game’s biggest stage for T20 cricket.”

The tournament will be hosted by Auckland Cricket in partnership with the ICC East Asia-Pacific and sees an East Asia-Pacific regional event returning to New Zealand for the first time since 2007.