Junaid Khan injured & will not Play Against Australia

     

Rs.21,498 mln released for various dams projects so far

ISLAMABAD, Apr 10 (APP): An amount of Rs.21,498 million has been released for construction of dams and reservoirs during the current fiscal year 2013-14 so far. According to data of Planning Commission, a sum of Rs.17,000 million has been released for Diamer Basha Dam (land acquisition), Rs.840 million for Gomal Zam dam, Rs.28 million for Satpara dam, Rs.100 million for Kurram Tangi dam.

Sri Lanka savour long-sought success

"There were two gentlemen who gave a lot not only to Sri Lankan cricket but to cricket as a whole. May be the Almighty wants them to win a World Cup and leave on a high. That's why He put his hand in this so that they get another match."

When Darren Sammy made this prediction at the end of the first semi-final, one felt how strongly the West Indies captain believed in destiny, particularly after a hailstorm hit the Shere Bangla National Stadium to give Sri Lanka a win through D/L, and depriving the defending champions of an assault in the last few overs.

Sri Lanka's captain Lasith Malinga said the win had nothing to do with luck, but a lot of hard work and planning which brought them the victory. Either way, destiny or not, it was down to winning the big moments, and that's where Sri Lanka stepped up.

Sammy's statement also brought to mind the sheer respect that world cricket has for Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. Sammy was right in the end. Perhaps it was all meant to be, as Sri Lanka won a major tournament final, after four failed attempts in the last seven years.

Both had announced their retirement prior to the start of the World T20, drawing a bit of flak for taking away too much attention. The team however, said they wanted to win it for their two ayyas, the word for elder brother in Sinhalese. Sangakkara said that they won it for every Sri Lankan.

"It is wonderful that the side wanted to win it for us," Sangakkara said. "But there are 20 million other people to win for. It's not just about me or Mahela.

"It's about an entire squad, everyone who stands with you and behind you. We get noticed because it's our last game, but at the end of the day everyone has played a part."

Sangakkara paid tribute to everyone who supported Sri Lanka cricket, and the cricket team, through thick and thin. There have been tough moments, particularly the four tournament final defeats over the past seven years.

In 2007, they were steamrolled by Australia but the momentum was with Sri Lanka in 2009 when they lost to Pakistan in the World T20 final. In the 2011 World Cup final, they seemed to have India on the mat but were pushed out of that contest by MS Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir. At home, in the last World T20 final, Sri Lanka failed to chase a moderate target against West Indies.

"This is the first time I have been a part of a team that has won a World Cup," Sangakkara said. "It's hard to describe exactly what you feel, but you feel humble. You realise how difficult it is to get here, how much support you need, not just from your team-mates, but from your family, your fans, the support staff.

"You can never do anything alone. You may be the best batsman in the world or the best bowler in the world, but you can't do anything without support. At moments like this you have to look back, reflect and be thankful for that support, because without that you wouldn't be here. It's been an amazing journey. It's time to walk away, and to walk away like this is even better."

Before Sangakkara spoke, Malinga said that he backed his experienced players to come good on the big day, as he understands their ability having observed them for the past decade.

"I've played over ten years in this team, I know every single player, their ability, what they can do," Malinga said. "I enjoyed my captaincy in the last three games, I know exactly what particular players have what ability. I used that experience during my captaincy and I was successful.

"Anyone can say anything. Some say winning is luck, some say winning is talent. I really trust that we didn't have luck. We worked hard, we know our ability, we can do that, everyone is talented, that's why we won the match. I don't believe in luck."

Sangakkara, in a way, echoed Malinga's viewpoint when asked if the game of cricket had finally given back to him and Jayawardene after years of serving the game. He said it was about finally taking an opportunity.

"I don't think the game owes us, or any player, anything. Our job is to try and play it as best as we can, and walk away hopefully having made a positive impact.

"The game gives us the opportunities and it's up to us to try and take them. We had four opportunities before this, and today we took it. You need a bit of ability, luck, planning, execution. Right place, right time, right game."

India Supreme Court urges BCCI chief to quit

NEW DELHI: India's Supreme Court Tuesday urged the powerful head of the country's cricket board to stand down while an investigation is conducted into illegal betting, saying his refusal to quit so far was “nauseating”.

A two-judge panel warned it could order N. Srinivasan, who is regarded as the most powerful man in world cricket, to stand down unless he did so voluntarily as his continued presence in his post was hampering the investigation which involves his son-in-law.

“Unless the BCCI Board of Control for Cricket in India president stands down, there can be no fair investigation. It's nauseating,” Justice A.K Patnaik told the court in New Delhi.

“If you don't step down, then we will pass an order,” he added.

The bench is looking at a damning report that it commissioned last year into wrongdoing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) following a betting and spot-fixing scandal that rocked the popular Twenty20 tournament.

The report, released in February, concluded that Srinivasan's son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan could be guilty of illegal betting on IPL games, in a major blow to Srinivasan who is set to take over as head of the International Cricket Council in July.

Meiyappan was the team principal of Chennai Super Kings, an IPL franchise owned by Srinivasan's India Cements company and captained by national skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The report, by a panel headed by retired judge Mukul Mudgal, suggested that Meiyappan may have passed on team information to outsiders for illegal betting, but did not specify what information or to whom.

“There are no definite findings by the Mudgal committee but the allegations are of a very serious nature,” Patnaik told the court.

The judge asked the BCCI's lawyers to go away and read the report and return on Thursday when the case will continue.

Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif were prominent at the inauguration of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus system on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said the government was working day and night for peace in the country. Talks with the Taliban would start in a day or two, the prime minister underlined (latest reports say this could be within 24 hours). Peace, Nawaz Sharif argued, was critically needed for the economy to grow and prosper. Terrorism was the result of the wrong policies of the past, especially those of military dictators. The cost to the country has been enormous. Countries that were once lagging behind Pakistan have surpassed us because we are bogged down in the affliction of terrorism. The prime minister bemoaned the lack of any considerable development project for the last 10-15 years. The economy, he asserted, is lately showing improvement and exports are rising. He revealed that he had instructed Finance Minister Ishaq Dar to keep the value of the dollar below Rs 100 so as to benefit exports. Terrorism, corruption, unemployment, indiscipline and poverty have become the order of the day, Nawaz Sharif pointed out. The government intends to eliminate load shedding by adding 22,000 MW to the national grid by the end of its term in 2018. The new Islamabad airport will be completed by next year, the Islamabad-Muzaffarabad rail link and the Lahore-Karachi motorway would be initiated soon, the prime minister promised. The over Rs 40 billion Rawalpindi-Islamabad Metro Bus project would be completed in the record time of 10 months, Nawaz Sharif vowed. Similar projects would soon be initiated in south Punjab.

Going by the speed of the earlier Lahore metro bus project, there is every expectation that the Rawalpindi-Islamabad project too would be completed with dispatch. However, cutting a bus route through built up areas and possibly green belts has always proved controversial. The Rawalpindi leg of the metro bus route will run on an elevated road to avoid as far as possible destruction of built up urban assets. In Islamabad it will run on the ground. However, the environmental concerns surrounding the project, especially in the Islamabad sector, refuse to go away. Legal challenges on the basis of such concerns have not been given relief by the courts because of national considerations, according to Shahbaz Sharif. Nevertheless the Capital Development Authority of Islamabad has been querying the start of the Rawalpindi leg of the route without clearing up its 12 reservations about the Environmental Impact Assessment Report by the National Engineering Services of Pakistan (Nespak). The green belts and cover along the Islamabad section of the bus route could be affected. Approval of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report by the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency is obligatory under the provisions of the Environment Protection Act 1997. Residents of Islamabad have voiced their concerns about the environmental impact, including on green belts and noise and pollution as a result of the plying buses. While dispatch is necessary for such projects to be competed efficiently and within budgeted costs, the country has to learn not to ignore environmental concerns if our cities are to avoid being converted into grey concrete jungles.

The Sharif brothers have traditionally been very keen on infrastructure projects, particularly motorways, roads, public transport, etc. These are of course important for economic development. But they tend to favour commerce and industry most, which may not be surprising considering that the Sharifs come from a business background. However, diversion of enormous funds to such projects means resources to fulfil the needs of the people, particularly the poor, are hard to come by. While such projects help improve the quality of the business environment in the country, the need to also improve the people’s quality of life through education, health and other social services and facilities cannot be underestimated. After all, what purpose does development serve except to enrich the already wealthy unless the quality of life of the people is also improved?

Bilawal Bhatti bowls the fourth-most expensive over in T20 internationals.

Bilawal Bhatti went for 30 runs in the eighth over of the innings, the fourth-most expensive over in Twenty20 internationals. Stuart Broad (36 v India, 2007), Izatullah Dawlatzai (32 v England, 2012) and Wayne Parnell (32 v England, 2012) are the only bowlers to concede more runs in an over.

Umar Akmal's knock against Australia

Umar Akmal's 94 is the second-highest score by a Pakistan batsman in Twenty20 internationals. Ahmed Shehzad had made an unbeaten 98 against Zimbabwe in August last year

In his last ten T20I innings, Umar has scored 337 runs at an average of 42.12 and a strike rate of 138.68, the best among Pakistan batsmen during this period.