Akram: Waqar quitting is mysterious

In the wake of Waqar Younis' resignation, former captain Wasim Akram feels health cannot be the only reason for his former teammate quitting as Pakistan coach.

By Sunil Taneja and Prateek Srivastava
Waqar Younis, who took over as head coach in March last year, called it quits on Saturday. Wasim Akram refused to be taken in by the excuse offered by his long-time teammate, who cited health grounds for his inability to continue. Akram is also baffled at the too frequent comings and goings in the Pakistan Cricket Board.

“Something is wrong within the Board. Nobody stays there for long. Either people are sacked or they move out of their own accord. It’s damaging to Pakistan cricket. Waqar  was going a great job: he led the team to the World Cup semifinals and the team was overall improving,” Akram told Mobile ESPN in a telephonic chat from London on Saturday night.

“I know Waqar very well. He is a fighter. He does not give up easily. I am sure there is a big issue, otherwise he would not have thrown in the towel,” he added.

Akram also ruled himself out of the reckoning for the coaching job.

“It is always a big honour to be associated with Pakistan cricket in any capacity. Unfortunately, I have too many commitments right now. And anyway, I do not think they will ask me to coach the team. I speak my mind and I don’t think the Board will be ok with someone like that. Waqar must have felt muzzled and that can be one big reason behind his resignation,” Akram said.

Akram said he has no personal agenda against the Board but something has to be done to ensure the smooth functioning in the Ijaz Butt-led body. The ESPN-STAR Sports commentator also took a dig at chief selector Mohsin Khan, who last week accused him of seditious remarks.

“I am not against anyone but I feel sad to see that things are going haywire in Pakistan cricket. We have a lot of talent. We just need to provide guidance to the youngsters. Unfortunately, that’s not happening and that’s makes me angry. I’m a proud Pakistani. Mohsin Bhai, I have a lot of respect for him. But he cannot stop me from speaking what I think.  If something is going wrong in Pakistan cricket, I will raise my voice,” Akram said.

The 45-year-old former Pakistan skipper, Akram also welcomed the return of Shoaib Malik to international cricket. The PCB’s integrity committee gave Malik a clean chit on Friday on the case relating to the unaccountable money in his overseas accounts.

“It’s good news. He is a very good player. I hope he learns from his mistakes. He still has at least five years of cricket left in him,” concluded Akram.

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Wenger: I won't quit Arsenal

Despite Arsenal crashing to a 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at the Emirates, manager Arsene Wenger has rubbished the idea of quitting.

Liverpool recorded their first away win over Arsenal since 2000 to heap more misery on the Gunners - who saw Emmanuel Frimpong sent off and lost centre-back Laurent Koscielny to injury in a 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium.
Samir Nasri, who has been linked with a move to Manchester City, impressed for the Gunners but the home side's luck was out after Aaron Ramsey's own goal and a last-minute strike from substitute Luis Suarez handed the visitors victory.
After the loss, the crowd at the Emirates grew mutinous, but Wenger has refused to entertain the notion of quitting.
"There is no chance of that happening, I like to keep a sense of perspective," Wenger said, according to reports in the Guardian.
"It is still the start of the season and we have had a couple of disappointing results, that's all. I don't feel under any more pressure than usual. We have an important week coming up and this is a time to stick together."
Wenger now has half his first-choice team out because of suspension or injury, and must regroup his squad for next week's crucial Champions League play-off second leg in Udinese and the small matter of a trip to Manchester United.

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BMX: Reade romps to victory

Shanaze Reade romped to home victory at Saturday's rain-affected Olympic BMX test event and believes the result bodes well for London 2012.

Heavy rain looked like it would curtail the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup meet before the day's finals had even begun, leaving thousands of spectators disappointed.
However, after a three-and-a-half hour delay a reduced schedule got under way and Reade was able to warm the cockles of the on-watching British crowd.
The 22-year-old finished first and second in the quarter-final and semi-final stages respectively, before producing a superb performance to win the medal race.
"It was good to race," she told Press Association Sport. "Mentally you kind of switch off and think the race is not happening.
"Then you have to build yourself up again and turn it round.
"To do that just shows how mentally strong all my mental preparation is going.
"You can't forget all the volunteers and all the track builders, who did a superb job to turn it round."
The second day of the test event was due to start at 1400 (local time) but was put back until 1530 after a downpour at the Olympic Park course.
Racing was then further delayed until 1630 with the rain showing no sign of abating.
Rumours were abound that organisers would call off the event, leading some rain-sodden spectators to leave the Stratford venue.
However, the course was eventually deemed fit for racing at 1730, allowing Reade to secure a confidence-boosting victory.
"It definitely gives me extra confidence going into next summer," she said.
"To do it a year before the Games for sure gives me confidence.
"I have never done such a big event in England before so to have all these supporters in the crowd makes things so much easier."
The Crewe-born rider finished the race in 38.275 seconds, putting her 0.449 seconds ahead of New Zealand's Sarah Walker.
Lauren Reynolds of Australia grabbed bronze, while reigning world champion Mariana Pajon did not finish after a heavy fall.
The Colombian rider was one of several to come a cropper on the difficult track, although Reade believes it is still a great course.
"I think the track is very good," she said. "Obviously I am going to be biased because I won it.
"I think a few tweaks could be made here and there but I think like every track is the same.
"It really has good potential."
In the men's event, New Zealand's Marc Willers won gold with a time of 41.847 seconds.
Joris Daudet of France nabbed second spot and Nicholas Long eked bronze ahead of Sylvain Andre.

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Mayweather raring to go

Floyd Mayweather has vowed to extend his unbeaten record to 42 fights when he returns to the ring next month.

Mayweather, 34, challenges Victor Ortiz for his WBC welterweight title on September 17 in his first fight since dominating Shane Mosley over 12 rounds in May 2010.
"I am ready to return to the ring and give my fans a fantastic night of boxing by fighting the best out there," said the American.
"For me, that is Ortiz. He is the current champion and an extremely talented fighter who showed amazing skills - and heart - in his last performance against Andre Berto.
"At this stage of my career, these are the challenges I look for - a young, strong, rising star looking to make his mark in boxing by beating me.
"Like the rest of my opponents, he is going to try to prove that he can beat me.
"I commend him for accepting the fight but on September 17 Ortiz is just going to be another casualty, the 42nd one who tried and failed."
"Trust me, I will be ready."

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Britain defeated by France

Basketball opened the Olympic Park on Tuesday but Great Britain could not rise to the occasion as they lost 82-60 to France in a test event in London.

In the first sporting event to be held on the site of next year's Games, Britain lost out in the last of three games played at the temporary venue built for next summer's extravaganza.
While the defeat will not concern coach Chris Finch too much at this point of their preparations for next month's European Championships, the continued absence of Chicago Bulls star Deng remains a problem.
Luol Deng was missing as he hosts a long-scheduled youth training camp in Loughborough.
GB Basketball officials admitted they did not know precisely when he would join up with the team, although they remained adamant it would be in time to take some part in this tournament over the weekend.
Deng is already behind in his preparations for the EuroBasket as GB had to secure insurance for his Bulls contract, which is not covered by the usual international agreement due to the ongoing NBA lockout in North America.
His absence tonight meant Deng missed the chance to face his Chicago team-mate Joakim Noah, himself a late arrival to France's training camp after an ankle injury.
Noah did not start the game, but looked close to full strength as he and the rest of this talent-laden France team proved too strong for Britain.
Britain kept the gap close in the first half, trailing 34-29 at the break, but Les Bleus opened up a 10-point lead, 41-31, early in the third period.
Britain responded as Joel Freeland made a tough lay-up and added the free-throw to make it 45-41.
But France hit straight back with another spectacular dunk from Batum to quell the comeback, and by the end of the period they led 60-48.
Britain tried to rally late on, with a 6-0 run making it 64-56, but they got no closer as France pulled clear once more.
Freeland led Britain with 16 points while Nate Reinking had 11.
Parker had 23 points for France with Batum adding 14 and Noah 10.
The venue had opened with Australia routing China 71-43 before a small crowd that slowly increased through the evening.
There were some teething problems with the new arena, not least as the wrong tune was accidentally played in place of the Chinese national anthem.
However, China's American coach Bob Donewald did not seem to mind as he gave a glowing review of the new arena.
"First-class event, first-class teams and a first-class facility," the former British Basketball League coach said.
Australia star Patrick Mills, who was rested in the game, added: "The arena's really nice, the facilities are great and the atmosphere was good, and that's going to be important next year."
The second game of the day was a clash between Balkan rivals Croatia and Serbia, which Croatia won 83-71.

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Pistorius decision a farce says scientist

A South African sports scientist believes allowing Oscar Pistorius to compete at this month's World Athletics Championships is a farce, as he will have a decided advantage.

He has claimed that the sprinter's prosthetic limbs give him a 10-second advantage.
The four-time Paralympic gold medallist has been selected to race against able-bodied runners in a global championships for the first time in Daegu after setting a 400 metres personal best of 45.07 seconds.
Pistorius was initially banned by the IAAF after it was ruled his carbon-fibre blades gave him an advantage but that decision was overturned ahead of the 2008 Olympics, which the 24-year-old would have been eligible for had he run the qualifying time.
But Dr Ross Tucker, a senior lecturer with the University of Cape Town's Exercise Science and Sports Medicine Department, believes the decision was flawed and has compared the engineering involved with that of Formula One.
Dr Tucker told insidethegames.biz: "I don't think he should be running. I think he gets an enormous advantage, and two of his own scientists who did the testing to clear him recently published a paper saying that he had a 10-second advantage.
"The media never picked up on this, but the short version is that the Court of Arbitration decision that cleared him was a complete farce, scientifically, as was the testing that got him off.
"I don't wish to watch Formula One where the engineers can tinker with equipment to find half a second, and that seems to me to be a possibility in this instance."

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Trump flies to PTC victory

Judd Trump took just 41 minutes to beat Ding Junhui 4-0 in the final of the season's second Players Tour Championship event.

Bristol's 21-year-old Trump rattled in breaks of 81, 68 and 121 in taking the £10,000 top prize at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester.
Left-hander Trump won a PTC event last season as well as the China Open, then captured the imagination with his brilliant run to the World Championship final.
He started the current season slowly, losing in the first round of the Australian Goldfields Open, but is now back on track.
"I didn't play well up until the last 16 but then I beat Neil Robertson 4-3 on the last black and after that I found some form from somewhere," said Trump. "After that I felt as if it was meant to be, I went for my shots and sped up a bit. In the semis and final there was a good crowd and that gave me another lift.
"I didn't practise enough for the start of the season because I wanted to enjoy myself after what happened at the Crucible. It's a long, tough season and everyone wants to be beat me now. So it's nice to win another tournament because it makes my opponents fear me more.
"The PTCs carry good ranking points (2,000 to the winner) and it keeps me moving forward, plus I'm virtually guranteed to be in the Grand Finals now. It's exciting to have plenty of tournaments coming up and good to know I am in the final stages of all of them. It makes me want to work harder and look forward to the rest of the season."
In the semi-finals, Trump beat Fergal O'Brien 4-0 while Ding edged out fellow Chinese player Xiao Guodong 4-3. PTC1 winner Ronnie O'Sullivan lost 4-3 to O'Brien in the quarters.
Bristol's 21-year-old Trump rattled in breaks of 81, 68 and 121 in taking the £10,000 top prize at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester.
Left-hander Trump won a PTC event last season as well as the China Open, then captured the imagination with his brilliant run to the World Championship final.
He started the current season slowly, losing in the first round of the Australian Goldfields Open, but is now back on track.
"I didn't play well up until the last 16 but then I beat Neil Robertson 4-3 on the last black and after that I found some form from somewhere," said Trump. "After that I felt as if it was meant to be, I went for my shots and sped up a bit. In the semis and final there was a good crowd and that gave me another lift.
"I didn't practise enough for the start of the season because I wanted to enjoy myself after what happened at the Crucible. It's a long, tough season and everyone wants to be beat me now. So it's nice to win another tournament because it makes my opponents fear me more.
"The PTCs carry good ranking points (2,000 to the winner) and it keeps me moving forward, plus I'm virtually guranteed to be in the Grand Finals now. It's exciting to have plenty of tournaments coming up and good to know I am in the final stages of all of them. It makes me want to work harder and look forward to the rest of the season."
In the semi-finals, Trump beat Fergal O'Brien 4-0 while Ding edged out fellow Chinese player Xiao Guodong 4-3. PTC1 winner Ronnie O'Sullivan lost 4-3 to O'Brien in the quarters.

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