Johan Botha will be released from his Cricket South Africa national contract after the ICC World Twenty20 in September to take up the captaincy of South Australia

Brydon Coverdale30-Mar-2012Johan Botha will be released from his Cricket South Africa national contract after the ICC World Twenty20 in September to take up the captaincy of South Australia. The surprise move came after Botha impressed the powers that be in South Australia with his performance for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League in December and January.He will replace the state’s captain of the past two seasons, Michael Klinger, who had a strong season in all formats and captained South Australia to their first one-day title in 25 years. However, South Australia’s awful Sheffield Shield form – the Redbacks didn’t win a first-class match this summer and won only one the previous year – has prompted the state to look at ways the side can improve.The Cricket South Africa acting CEO, Jacques Faul, said the board had decided to release Botha from his contract because the opportunity to lead an Australian domestic side was too good to pass up. However, he stressed that Botha was not retiring from international cricket and remained committed to the national side in the long-term.”Johan has been an excellent servant of South African cricket for a lengthy period of time and we will never forget the manner in which he captained the Proteas to success in the absence of Graeme Smith in the away ODI series in Australia in 2009,” Faul said. “He has fully committed himself to the Proteas for the next five months which includes the away series in Zimbabwe and England as well as the World Twenty20.”He is at the moment our first choice spinner in the Twenty20 format. However, he has had an offer to captain South Australia over the next two seasons and this will provide valuable opportunities in broadening his experience in a leadership role. I must stress that Johan remains fully committed to South African cricket in the long run and he is by no means bringing down the curtain on his international career for the Proteas.”Botha said money was not a factor in his decision to sign with the Redbacks.”I remain fully committed to the Proteas in the long term but I would hate to look back on my career at the end and regret that I did not take this opportunity,” Botha said. “It is purely a cricket decision and there is no financial incentive in accepting it. If anything I will be earning less than I would as a contracted player.”Botha, 29, has not played first-class cricket in 15 months, although he has appeared in five Tests for South Africa. His presence at South Australia, combined with the availability of Nathan Lyon whenever his international commitments allow, will limit the opportunities for the state’s young spinners, including Cullen Bailey and Cameron Williams.

Rajasthan Royals have done several things right in this IPL, but one area where they’ve messed up so far is in utilising the services of Brad Hodge

S Rajesh21-Apr-2012Rajasthan Royals have done several things right in this IPL, but one area where they’ve messed up so far is in utilising the services of Brad Hodge. Quite apart from the fact that Hodge is one of their key overseas players, Hodge is also one of the best batsmen in the Twenty20 format. In 146 Twenty20 innings, Hodge has scored 4355 runs at an average of 36.59 and a strike-rate of 128.15; only David Hussey has scored more runs in this format. Also, Hodge has struck 453 fours in Twenty20 cricket, which is easily the highest – Brendon McCullum, in second place, only has 355. Hodge is also one of only three players – David Hussey and Albie Morkel are the others – to play 150 or more Twenty20 matches (Saturday’s game against Chennai Super Kings was his 150th).His experience and his overall record are compelling enough reasons for Hodge to be regarded as one of the key players for Royals, but perhaps an even more compelling reason is his form in IPL 2012: he has faced 82 balls in six innings, scored 129 runs, and been dismissed just twice, for an average of 64.50 and a strike rate of 157.31. Among batsmen who’ve faced at least 60 deliveries in this IPL, Hodge’s strike-rate is third-best, fractionally behind Kevin Pietersen (158.16) and Chris Gayle (157.69). He has already played two top-class innings in the tournament so far – 44 off 29 against Kolkata Knight Riders, and an unbeaten 48 off 21 against Deccan Chargers in a successful run-chase of 197. Both efforts won him the Man-of-the-Match awards.And yet, Royals’ think-tank, in all their immense wisdom, have decided that Hodge shouldn’t generally be batting in the top four – only twice in six innings has Hodge batted at No.4. Instead, the responsibility of batting in the top four has been thrust upon Ashok Menaria, a 21-year-old with some potential, but with little of the Twenty20 batting skills or track record that Hodge possesses: in 20 Twenty20 innings so far, Menaria has scored 385 runs at an average of 20.26 and a strike-rate of 117.02. In six innings of IPL 2012, Menaria’s returns have been very similar – an average of 19.83 at a strike-rate of 110.18. Despite these modest numbers, Menaria has continued to bat in the top four – he has batted at three or four in five out of six innings – and has considerably slowed down Royals’ momentum in the middle overs. In the match against Chargers, for example, Menaria came in at No.3 and scored 22 off 20 when the asking-rate was around ten an over; Hodge came in at No.5 in the same match and slammed 48 off 21.Perhaps Royals view Hodge as a finisher only, who should come in to bat when the situation gets desperate. Perhaps they want to give ample opportunity to a young Indian player, given that this is, after all, the Premier League. Either way, this strategy defies logic. Of the 146 innings that Hodge has played in Twenty20 cricket, 115 have been in the top three, where he has scored 28 fifties and two hundreds, and has a strike-rate of 128.86. And in a format as condensed as 20-over cricket, there’s no such thing as a batting line-up being too top heavy: the best batsmen to get as many deliveries as possible.The team got away with it a couple of times, but paid the price against Super Kings, when Menaria took 34 deliveries to score 36 and considerably dampened the momentum in the middle overs. When he finally got out and Hodge came in, only seven deliveries remained in the innings. Royals still managed to make Super Kings sweat despite scoring only 146, but perhaps it’s a good thing they lost – the result should hopefully force them to make the key change in their batting line-up. If Hodge does move up the order, Royals will have two of the three highest run-getters in this format in their top four – Owais Shah, with 3825 runs, has the third-highest aggregate in Twenty20 cricket.

Kent wrapped up their second win of the Championship Division Two campaign in emphatic style by dismissing Leicestershire for 113

25-May-2012
ScorecardKent wrapped up their second win of the Championship Division Two campaign in emphatic style by dismissing Leicestershire for 113 to complete an innings and 279-run victory with 17 overs and a day to spare.Having batted on until shortly after lunch in posting 533 all out, their second highest total of the summer, Kent set the visitors an unlikely target of 392 simply to make the hosts bat a second time. By tea the result was as good as decided as Leicestershire slumped to 65 for 7 inside 30 overs.Offspinner James Tredwell’s 11-ball purple patch of 3 for 7 saw debutant Preston Mommsen out to a bat-pad catch at short leg, Josh Cobb snaffled at slip and Claude Henderson bowled after the ball rolled back onto the stumps via the top of the pad and arm guard.Having toiled in the field for nearly 11 hours in the course of the second and third days, Leicestershire looked tired and disinterested second time around as they succumbed in 46 overs.The slide started when Will Jefferson padded up to a Charlie Shreck off-cutter to go leg before and make it seven for one. Then, 13 runs later, Jacques du Toit fended at a lifting leg-cutter from Mark Davies to edge the first of three catches to wicketkeeper Geraint Jones.Ramnaresh Sarwan drove airily at Matt Coles to drag the ball onto his stumps and trudge off for nine, then Greg Smith pushed down the wrong line to a Darren Stevens off-cutter to go lbw.Tredwell then enjoyed his three-wicket burst before Kent polished off the job through Stevens, who took the last three to finish with 4 for 24. Ned Eckersley pushed away from the body to edge behind, Wayne White followed suit to be caught at slip, then Nathan Buck, after posting a career-best 27, fended lamely to the wicketkeeper.The third day had started with Kent resuming on 404 for 6 in their first innings. Overnight century-maker Michael Powell departed for 134 having added only a single to end a seventh-wicket stand worth 104 with Tredwell.After posting a 122-ball 50, his first of the season, Tredwell moved to within 13 of his century when he played back against Henderson only to drag the ball on and make it 505 for 9. Coles added a belligerent 47 before snicking behind, then Davies was stumped to give Henderson figures of 5 for 116.Kent had plenty of energy remaining in the tank and polished off the win just after 5pm to bank 22 points, while Leicestershire travelled home with only one.

Jason Holder, the 20-year-old quick who opened the bowling for West Indies A in the recently-concluded unofficial Test series against India A, has said he is keen on tightening up his bowling

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2012Jason Holder, the 20-year-old quick who opened the bowling for West Indies A in the recently-concluded unofficial Test series against India A, has said he is keen on tightening up his bowling.Holder had claimed a five-for in India’s chase in the first unofficial Test, helping reduce the visitors to 115 for 8, before they recovered to an unlikely win. In the Twenty20s that followed, he returned figures of 3 for 19 in West Indies three-wicket win on June 23. Now, he will play the three-match ODIs series.”I have been bowling reasonably well, but I still have areas where I could improve upon – the extras and ‘boundary balls’ are the main areas I need to eliminate,” Holder said on eve of the first unofficial one-dayer.In limited-overs cricket, he enjoys bowling at the death, he said. “I am always keen on finishing the innings [while bowling], as it’s one of the most exciting parts of the game. It’s a really good feeling when you bowl a good last over.”Holder, at 6ft.7, towers over several team-mates, and is often compared with former West Indies quick Joel Garner. He has learnt a lot from Garner, Holder said, but he does not try to imitate him. “I have a great deal of respect for him [Garner] and his knowledge. I try to speak to him as often as I can and he always offers great advice. I see him as someone who has done it all and can help me along the way. I don’t try to be a carbon-copy of him.”My ultimate ambition is to play for West Indies. That is still some way off and I know there is a lot of work to do… I need to keep growing. There are some bowlers and allrounders ahead of me, but I’m prepared to put in the [required] work.”

Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has been recalled by Pakistan for the Twenty20s against Australia in August, and September’s World Twenty20.

Umar Farooq17-Jul-2012Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has been recalled by Pakistan for the Twenty20s against Australia in August, and September’s World Twenty20. Kamran, who last played for Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup, was cleared by the PCB’s integrity committee earlier this month.Batsman Imran Nazir, who last played for Pakistan in February 2010, and allrounder Abdul Razzaq have also made the squad for both tournaments. None of these three players has a central contract.”Each player in the side has a role and has been selected accordingly,” Iqbal Qasim, Pakistan’s chief selector, told ESPNcricinfo. “Razzaq and Imran are utility players and can make a difference. Imran is a good fielder, while Razzaq can also be useful as a seamer on Sri Lankan pitches [during the World T20] and can score some quick runs.”Mohammad Hafeez, who was named Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain ahead of the just-concluded Sri Lanka tour, will continue to lead. According to the PCB release that announced the squad, Hafeez has been named captain ’till the end of 2012′.

Squad for Australia T20s, World T20

Mohammad Hafeez (capt), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal (wk), Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arafat, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Raza Hasan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Sami, Sohail Tanvir
In: Kamran Akmal, Imran Nazir, Abdul Razzaq, Asad Shafiq, Nasir Jamshed
Out: Khalid Latif, Ahmed Shahzad, Hammad Azam, Haris Sohail, Shakeel Ansar

Asad Shafiq has been picked following his solid Test series in Sri Lanka, during which he scored two half-centuries and a hundred in five innings. He has scored 192 runs in 10 Twenty20 internationals for Pakistan.Opener Nasir Jamshed is also back, after recovering from a fracture of the index finger that ruled him out of the Sri Lanka tour. He is one of four openers in the squad, along with Nazir, Kamran and Hafeez.Speaking after the news of his selection broke, Jamshed said was looking forward to the competition among the openers. “Winning back the opportunity [to play for Pakistan] is always hard, and I am glad to have [my place] back. I have recovered [from the injury] and am sensing tough competition for the opening slot. But being a left-hander, it differentiates me from the other [three].”The players to miss out from the Twenty20 squad that played in Sri Lanka are Khalid Latif, Ahmed Shahzad, Hammad Azam, Haris Sohail and wicketkeeper Shakeel Ansar.There are no changes on the bowling front, with Saeed Ajmal and 20-year-old Raza Hasan being the specialist spinners, and Umar Gul, Sohail Tanvir and Mohammad Sami the quicks.”Raza, though young, isn’t a new name,” Qasim said. “He has been performing and [taking into account] the need for a left-arm spinner, he is the best [option] at the moment.”Sami, along with Gul, is our strike bowler. They may not be in form, but with ample experience under their belt they can bounce back and play their role.”The message from Pakistan’s selectors in picking their squad for the Australia series and the World Twenty20 seems to be a green signal for tried and tested hands and an amber light for promising youth. The most bizarre omission is that of Junaid Khan, who, in his brief career, has made a name for himself in Tests and has been making strides in limited-overs cricket as well. He’s been passed over for Mohammad Sami but, given Sami’s inconsistency, could have been a more effective complement to Umar Gul. Junaid, still in his second year of international cricket, bounced back from a heel injury to pick up 14 wickets – including two five-fors – in the recent Tests against Sri Lanka.Also to suffer is the highly-rated allrounder Hammad Azam, who has lost out to Abdul Razzaq. Azam seemed to have answered the selectors’ call for a new allrounder in 2010, when he was picked in the national squad for the World T20, but his growth has been hampered by inconsistent selection. Razzaq’s last appearance for Pakistan was in November 2011, after which he was overlooked on grounds of form and fitness. He was not handed a central contract recently, so his recall raises more questions over the selectors’ rationale.And Ahmed Shahzad, 20, appeared to be in the selectors’ Twenty20 plans before the Sri Lanka tour but has now lost his place to Imran Nazir – who will be making his fourth T20 comeback for Pakistan since 2007. Nazir was last recalled in 2010, for the series against England in the UAE, but was sent back to the fringes after scoring 2 and 4.
Umar Farooq

After leading from the front and then falling away dramatically in their bid for promotion last season, perhaps Northamptonshire are simply running a canny race this time

Jon Culley at Northampton12-Aug-2012
ScorecardStephen Peters added a half-century to his productive match•Getty Images

After leading from the front and then falling away dramatically in their bid for promotion last season, perhaps Northamptonshire are simply running a canny race this time. Pegging back Derbyshire looks beyond them but a win here will put them right on the shoulders of the group chasing second place in Division Two, poised to strike in the closing laps.With a lead of 311 going into the final day, they have a decent chance, too, provided they time their declaration prudently and the weather does not wreck their calculations. Should everything go according to plan, 22 points will move them up only one place but put them on 118 points, two behind second-placed Hampshire and Yorkshire, one adrift of Kent.A fixture list that presents them with only one remaining home match – against Derbyshire – might be said to be disadvantageous. But they take on Hampshire at West End starting on Wednesday, where a win would clearly have added value, and complete their programme against Glamorgan and Gloucestershire, both currently in the bottom three.First, of course, they have to complete the job in hand, which may require an outstanding performance from their bowlers if Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shiv Thakor can reproduce the capacity to resist that they showed, for the most part, in the first Leicestershire innings. Until the disastrous run-out at the close of the second day, Sarwan looked in commanding form and Thakor’s recovery from that mishap was arguably the most impressive feature of the third day.At the start of the week in which he will learn his A-level results Thakor, the 18-year-old all-rounder, who has been studying latterly at Uppingham School – an institution with a rich cricket tradition – gave no hint of any distractions in a mature, measured performance that effectively denied Northamptonshire the chance to enforce the follow-on. Unfazed by the loss of a seventh Leicestershire wicket in the fifth over of the morning, he set himself to give nothing away, completed his second half-century in four Championship innings and made scarcely a mistake until a ball from James Middlebrook, the offspinner, drew him into a drive that was always too much of a stretch and resulted in a simple catch for extra cover.By then, into the afternoon session, he and Claude Henderson, who scored an enterprising unbeaten 56, had put on 80 in 23 overs and the follow-on mark had been passed. Northamptonshire’s bowling was less threatening than it had been on Saturday but it was a solid, respectable response nonetheless, although Leicestershire still conceded a lead of 100 exactly. Middlebrook took 3 for 36 from 29 overs, more than half of which were maidens.It was a lead Northamptonshire built on rather too easily for those with an interest in seeing Leicestershire not finish the season in last place. Stephen Peters and Niall O’Brien gave them another terrific start with their second century opening stand of the match, Peters allowing himself the liberty of a couple of sixes in his 56 off 110 balls, O’Brien collecting 10 boundaries in his 96-ball 79. Leicestershire’s bowling too often offered too much width.The exception among them was Will Jones, an Australian-born Cardiff University student who bowls legspin. This is his second Championship match and the first in which he has bowled but his introduction by skipper Josh Cobb in the 34th over brought wickets with his fifth and seventh balls as Peters knocked back a straightforward return catch and O’Brien holed out to deep midwicket, where Robbie Joseph needed a bit of juggling to bring the ball under control but did finally hold on.Jones then held a catch of his own as David Sales sent up a steepler off Henderson. The ball is now in Northamptonshire’s court.

Sussex’s bowlers combined to dismiss Worcestershire for 162 as Ed Joyce’s captaincy began on a positive note

Ivo Tennant at Hove01-Aug-2012
ScorecardEd Joyce enjoyed a successful first day in the job of Sussex’s Championship captain•Getty Images

Ed Joyce is too experienced a cricketer to imagine that all his days as captain of Sussex will be as pleasurable as this. For a start, he won the toss. Then he made the quite obvious decision to field, for the weather was overcast and the springy pitch likely to give assistance to anyone running down the slope. He could have plucked John Snow out of retirement and wickets would still have fallen.As it was, in two sessions following rain in the morning, Worcestershire were dismissed for 162. There was more bounce than movement for James Anyon and Steve Magoffin, although there was that, too, and, to the delight of everyone connected with Sussex, Mike Yardy held two excellent catches at second slip the day after relinquishing the captaincy. Evidently he is well relieved to be rid of a task that had become little more than a chore.No Worcestershire batsman coped with the steepling bounce that Anyon and Amjad Khan, in particular, were able to obtain after play started at 2.15pm. Magoffin, whether through his choice or that of his captain’s, bowled up the hill and soon struck: Phillip Hughes was held well, to his left, by Yardy. Then Vikram Solanki, Surrey-bound but still a prominent Worcestershire cricketer, was bowled through being a trifle late in his defensive push.Daryl Mitchell, with eight runs to his name in 21 overs but at least managing to stay in, edged Khan to the new captain at third slip, James Cameron’s off stump was knocked back by Anyon and Matt Pardoe was sharply held by Yardy, also off Anyon. Moeen Ali, the one batsman to make a reasonable score, pulled Magoffin straight to a fielder just in front of square. Only the No. 9, Richard Jones, played an innings of sorts after that.It was not the greatest display of batsmanship but an ideal start for Joyce in what was the first Championship match Sussex have staged at Hove since the end of May. This was a quicker pitch, too, than was generally the case here last year, no doubt prepared with Anyon’s sharpness in mind. Yardy undertook the captaincy for almost four years, giving it up with the blessing of Mark Robinson, the Sussex cricket manager.”It takes a lot of time and attention. Every day you are absorbed by it and live by it. The pressure takes its toll,” Robinson said. “Michael wants to concentrate on his own game.””You have different types of vice-captain. You may have a young person you are grooming for the future or someone who can step in when needed and that is what we have with Ed. It gives him an opportunity to expand his captaincy skills in the same way that Michael had when he took over from Chris Adams.”Robinson added that Yardy’s decision had nothing to do with his well-documented battle with depression.Joyce had to bat in the seven overs Sussex were left to face under the floodlights, which were turned on not long before the close, but his day was undimmed. There was no deployment of a nightwatchman. He and Chris Nash, with runs aplenty behind him in his last match, also had their difficulties against the moving ball, yet survived.

Neil Dexter’s century saw Lancashire’s hopes of survival slipping away on the first day at Lords’

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Lord's04-Sep-2012
ScorecardNeil Dexter struck 16 fours in his unbeaten innings•PA Photos

Neil Dexter continued his good end-of-season form, finishing the day unbeaten on 123 – his second century of the summer – as Lancashire failed to capitalise on a promising start.It was not the most fluent of knocks but at times Dexter’s strokes offered a glimpse into how different Middlesex’s season would have been had he found this streak earlier on. He drove and cut well, and was able to forget the wild slashes that surfaced during Lancashire’s rare moments of sustained pressure. His score today sees his season come around full circle.”The last time we played Lancashire, back in May, I only managed 47 and got dropped,” Dexter said. “And rightly so – I wasn’t playing well and I wasn’t in a particularly good place, so it’s nice to come back into the first team in good nick, and score a hundred today, against the side I failed to perform against.”It could have all been so different had Lancashire taken one of their two chances off Dexter – two catches of varying difficult, that could ultimately cost them their place in Division One. The first, a sharp diving effort to the left of Steven Croft at second slip, when Dexter had only 11 on the board, was as tough as slip catches come. The second was bordering on the rudimentary, as Dexter had seemingly picked out Ajmal Shahzad, diving in at mid-off, only for the ball to pop out of his grasp. He even took himself to three figures with a cut-shot that perfectly bisected wicketkeeper and first slip and went for four.”I was a bit fortunate today – a couple of chances went to hand, but things are going my way. As a batsman, you have to capitalise when that happens, and I’m glad I did. These are the types of knocks that you need to remember when you’re feeling down about your form; the times when you battle through an innings and make it count for yourself and your team.”Not ideal for Lancashire, who won the toss and put Middlesex in to bat, sensing the pitch and a 10.30am start had something to offer their bowlers. The first two wickets to fall owed little to the track itself – Glenn Chapple trapping Chris Rogers in front for 0 before strangling Joe Denly down the leg-side for 4. However, after Dawid Malan left an Shahzad delivery that clattered into his off-stump, it seemed there may well be enough in the pitch to suggest Middlesex – who had lost their 13th toss in 16 championship games – were up against it.A solid partnership between Dexter and opener Sam Robson partially allayed those fears, as the pair put on 63 for the fourth wicket, before Simon Kerrigan trapped Robson lbw in the penultimate over of the morning session, one run away from what was probably a deserved half-century. Dexter carried on the good work into the afternoon session as he forged another useful partnership, worth 62 with John Simpson, before he was joined by Gareth Berg, with whom he put on 158.The pair scored quickly, as Berg swept the relatively disappointing Kerrigan with ease. Kerrigan has enjoyed an impressive season, but he lacked the control that has seen him take 42 wickets prior to this match. At times he was too short, and it did not take long for Berg to pick him apart.But it would be wrong to blame the loss of initiative on the Kerrigan alone. Shahzad let his frustration get the better of him, persisting on a barrage of short-balls that troubled wicketkeeper Cross more than it did the batsmen, while Kyle Hogg and Tom Smith lacked the control of Chapple, despite Hogg removing Simpson, albeit with another leg-side catch through to the keeper.Any thoughts that the tea interval would help Lancashire reassess their tactics and stop Middlesex’s flow were cast aside, as Dexter and Berg continued about their business, with Berg passing fifty two overs into the evening session. He accelerated as Lancashire toiled without much luck, but fell for a season’s best 83, attempting to pull a short ball, wide of off-stump, and instead feathering through to Cross.The pitch looked to have flattened out as the day went on, which bodes well for Lancashire’s reply, but their immediate concern tomorrow will be limiting Middlesex to 450. At times in the evening session, they played like a team that had already meekly accepted relegation to Division Two. How else could you explain the way they handed Steven Crook the 45 runs he found himself unbeaten on at stumps?

A team comprising several high-profile former and current international cricketers has arrived in Pakistan after nearly a four-year drought of international cricket in the country

Umar Farooq18-Oct-2012A team led by former Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya and managed by former West Indian batsman Alvin Kallicharan has arrived in Karachi on Thursday afternoon. The international XI team will play two exhibition Twenty20 matches against a Pakistan Stars XI at National Stadium in Karachi this weekend, ending a near four-year drought of international cricket in the country.Several other players including batsman Ricardo Powell, fast bowlers Jermaine Lawson and Adam Sanford from West Indies, and Andre Nel and Nantie Hayward from South Africa landed earlier in the morning. South Africa allrounder Justin Kemp has withdrawn due to his domestic cricket commitments while two Afghanistan players – Shapoor Zadran and Mohammad Shahzad – will reach Karachi tomorrow from Kabul.”I am happy to be part of these matches,” Jayasuriya said on his arrival. “It depends on country to country [whether teams tour Pakistan] but in my opinion Pakistan is a safe country. The incidents of Lahore [attacks on the Sri Lanka team in 2009] were not the best thing to have happened and the suspension of cricket in Pakistan is very unfortunate because the people love the game here.”The games are unofficial and are arranged by the Sindh sports minister Dr Mohammad Ali Shah. The PCB has issued No Objection Certificates to the contracted players due to participate and has allowed the use of the National Stadium, but all the logistic arrangements, broadcasting deals and security arrangements were made by Shah with the support of the local government in Karachi.Since the terror attack on the Sri Lanka team bus during a Test match in Lahore in March 2009, Pakistan have been forced to hold its international matches away from home and also lost hosting rights of the 2009 Champions Trophy and 2011 World Cup. A move to stage a tournament with international faces might prove a small stepping stone for the revival of international cricket in the country.Kallicharan was enthusiastic about cricket returning to Pakistan. “I came here way back in 1972 to raise funds for flood victims and this time it’s another noble cause: promotion of cricket in Pakistan,” he said. “I think they [other countries] will have to have a look. With the success of these matches a good message will go out. Pakistan is a part of world cricket and we are here to show that Pakistan is a place to play cricket.”The plan isn’t entirely sanctioned by the PCB and the ICC ,and the organiser was forced to change the name of the teams to remove any association with the two boards as the matches hold no official status.Powell, who has played 109 ODIs, hoped the series would change perceptions about Pakistan. “Its feel good [to be here in Pakistan],” he said. “Its a great opportunity for the players to come here and really exhibit their skills, I think its about time that world cricket returns to Pakistan.”Twenty20 is the most exciting form of the game that you have right now and the teams are here to really enjoy themselves. Lots of good players are here, lots of guys from South Africa as well and lots of other players from other parts of the world, and I’m sure it will be a great weekend and we will see some good cricket.”The teams are staying at the Sheraton hotel, with extensive security of around 5000 policemen, claimed the provisional sports minister. The team will have a practice session on Friday at Karachi Gymkhana Ground.