Representatives of the four host nations of the World Cup 2011 will meet at Lord's today to discuss what can be done with the 14 matches that were originally scheduled for Pakistan. The recommendations from this meeting will be taken up by the ICC's commercial board that will meet on June 25 as part of the governing body's annual conference.
ICC president David Morgan, vice-president Sharad Pawar and Pakistan board chairman Ijaz Butt met on Friday to discuss the best manner in which a decision could be reached on Pakistan's matches. "I am pleased we have made progress on this matter," Morgan said. "We believe we have come up with that means now, through the meeting of the host countries, and if they are able to produce a recommendation when they meet on Saturday then that can be tabled for consideration by the ICC's commercial board next Thursday."
Butt, however, was disappointed that organisational issues surrounding the World Cup remained unresolved and that the legal proceedings the PCB has brought against the ICC would continue. "I had hoped and expected the support of my Asian co-hosts in resolving these organizational difficulties," he said. "I am deeply disappointed that no progress was made despite the intervention of both the ICC president and vice-president.
"This means that rather than harmony amongst the co-hosts of the 2011 World Cup we will have disagreement and legal dispute. I do hope that they will reconsider their unreasonable stance so that the legal dispute can be resolved and a hugely successful World Cup organized in 2011."
As per last week's meeting, it was decided that Pakistan would not host matches in the 2011 tournament because of the security situation in the country but the PCB will be recognised as hosts and retain fees from its original allocation of 14 matches. Morgan had said the ICC would consider outsourcing Pakistan's matches to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, though co-hosts India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were keen to have the matches remain in the subcontinent.
Gibbs to miss Glamorgan's Twenty20 games:
Glamorgan will be without the services of overseas batsman Herschelle Gibbs for their last four games of the Twenty20 Cup. Gibbs' arrival has been delayed by commitments in South Africa and his place will be taken by Mike O'Shea, who returns after serving a three-week ban imposed for a drink-driving offence.
Glamorgan opted not to retain Australian batsman Mark Cosgrove as their other overseas option because the county has failed to qualify for the quarter-finals. Cosgrove will play Lancashire League cricket and will be available for Glamorgan's second team matches during the week.
"We're desperate to win the matches but we may as well give our youngsters the opportunity," Glamorgan cricket manager Matthew Maynard told BBC Sport. "Mark's contract ended and we had Herschelle to come in but he's had to go back to South Africa for a Cricket South Africa function."
Gibbs, 35, played for the county in the Twenty20 Cup last summer, replacing their outgoing overseas player, Jason Gillespie.
It has been a disappointing tournament for Glamorgan. They have only won one game in six before the Twenty20 Cup was interrupted to accommodate the ICC World Twenty20. "We wish O'Shea and the other youngsters all the best for the tournament," said Maynard. "It gives us the opportunity to juggle a couple of things and use it as an experimentation.
I'm playing like I always do - Afridi:At the very heart of Pakistan's invigorating run to a second successive World Twenty20 final has been a player you might think was put on the planet to play Twenty20 cricket. A three-four over bash with the bat, a quick four-over spell hustled through the middle overs and some adrenaline-fuelled cheerleading in the field: thanks very much, Shahid Afridi.
Having been the Player of the Tournament in the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007, Afridi was expected to be a key component again this time. His form in the immediate run-up to the tournament, especially with ball in hand, had been outstanding and even with the bat, against Australia, a brief vigour had re-emerged. And with ten wickets, 122 runs, potentially the catch of the tournament and a semi-final all-round performance to match any, Afridi has again staked his claim for top individual honours.
The catch to dismiss Scott Styris off Umar Gul, running back to long-on and taking it at full-stretch over his shoulder - "any player, any piece of fielding, batting or bowling, can do that," said Afridi - was the moment at which Pakistan's tournament turned. And he followed it up with what he considers to be among his best individual performances against South Africa. "Without a doubt it's up there. I've put in some good matches in the past, but to do it in such a big-game, in a semi, against such a strong side, it has to be up th
ere," Afridi told Cricinfo. "Wickets were down, the pressure was on and it was such an occasion, it makes it very special."
The improvement in Afridi's bowling has been among the more remarkable sights in cricket, all the variety, threat and control apparent in his spell of 2 for 16 against South Africa. As significant have been three contributions with the bat, culminating with an eminently sensible 51 in the semi-final. "I don't know if I'm at my peak with the ball but certainly I've put a lot more effort into it. Nothing extraordinary, just hard work," he said.
"I used to think of myself as a batsman three to four years ago because that is how everyone started to think of me. But I was moved around so much the order that I just went back to concentrating on bowling. I told Younis I wanted to bat up the order and it worked."
Pakistan's surge to a second successive final has been vastly different in nature to the relatively smooth progress of two years ago. Four of their six games have been do-or-die, performances have oscillated and it has resembled more 1992. "Playing in the UK is much different to surfaces in South Africa or Australia," Afridi said. "We arrived here later than most other countries as well and it took us time to adjust to the atmosphere. We've picked up day by day and we've got that momentum now. Our big advantage was that we played two big sides [India and South Africa] in the warm-ups. Sure we lost to them but it was good to have those games."
Younis Khan's influence as captain has also come under the scanner. Even though he is the side's top scorer, his comments at the start of the tournament - that this was all a bit of fun - have attracted scorn. Ex-chief selector Abdul Qadir's comments, that Younis wouldn't have been in the World Cup squad had he had his way, didn't help. Typically, Afridi has brushed aside the criticism.
"As far as I know Younis, I don't think how his statement came out in the press was how he intended it," said Afridi. "You often say something and it gets misinterpreted totally. The best thing about Younis has been his positivity. He is not scared of anything and he hasn't allowed pressure to affect the side. Mentally he is very strong."
Only one game remains now and even if Pakistan have achieved more than anyone expected them to, there appears no let up among the side. "Personally I never lost hope [of reaching this far]. I've played this whole tournament as I've played all my life - that each and every match is my first and last match and that I have to give it my all.
"The way I do it on the field, people can see. The aggressiveness, motivating bowlers, other fielders, I've always done it and if we, as a team, go into the final with the kind of body language that we did in the semis, we can go in confident."
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