Pakistan wins first 20-overs-a-side international

Pakistan has beaten New Zealand by five runs in the first 20-overs-a-side international at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad.

It happened on November 23, 1984. Bad weather delayed the start of the game, which was set at twenty overs for each team when it finally got under way. Pakistan made 157 for 5, New Zealand were held to 152 for 7.

Despite Mudassar Nazar’s four-over haul of 4/27, it was Saleem Malik (41 from 40 balls) who was named Man of the Match. See the scorecard for further details.

There were no silly names like “Twenty20” in those days. Remember this as New Zealand faces Australia for its second 20-overs international in two decades tomorrow at Eden Park.

Made for TV, not for people

Made-for-television cricket. We’ve seen a lot of it in the past five years dished out in the name of “globalising” the sport. Televised but meaningless one-day matches dished up for an insatiable market from the “emerging” regions of world cricket. Singapore, Toronto, Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu, and even a park in northern Los Angeles have all played host to an array of TV-oriented “spectaculars”. Add to that list the name of Melbourne.

Continue reading “Made for TV, not for people”

Pakistan to replace WI on Sri Lankan tour

Pakistan will play one Test and three one-day internationals in Sri Lanka in January following the cancellation of the West Indies’ tour.

The West Indies Women’s Cricket Federation decided last month that they would not proceed with their tour of Sri Lanka and Pakistan because of security concerns related to geopolitical instability in the south Asian region.

The Pakistanis have taken up the tour itinerary originally laid out for the West Indians. They will arrive in Sri Lanka on January 18. A four-day Test match at the Colts Ground, Colombo on January 20-23 will be followed by three ODIs – the first (January 26) at Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy, and the others (January 28 and 30) back at the Colts Ground.

In other Sri Lankan news, national team coach Guy de Alwis has resigned due to work committments. De Alwis, a wicketkeeper who had represented the Sri Lankan men in Tests and one-day internationals between 1983 and 1988, has been replaced by Nihal Kodituwakku.

WI shelve Asian tour but plan home triseries

The West Indies’ plans for their first international tour since the 1997 Women’s World Cup were shelved during November. The West Indies Women’s Cricket Federation cancelled its tour of Sri Lanka, scheduled for January, and abandoned tentative plans for a visit to Pakistan immediately afterwards.

The war in Afghanistan, and broader concerns about security in Sri Lanka and globally, were given as the reasons for the cancellation of the tour. Pakistan have since agreed to play the tour dates in Sri Lanka vacated by the West Indians.

Meanwhile, plans are afoot to bring all three teams – West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – together for a triangular series in the Caribbean in 2002. The West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) website reported recently that WIWCF treasurer Jocelyn Opadeyi had said that Pakistan had been invited to play five one-day internationals in the West Indies along with three Test matches. The Tests would, according to Opadeyi, be played in Trinidad & Tobago and St Vincent & The Grenadines.

If the Sri Lankans accept their invitation, it is likely that a triangular one-day series will be held in about March.

West Indian women’s cricket has been in the doldrums at an international level for many years due to the lack of financial support. They have not played in any full international competition since the 1997 World Cup in India, having failed to qualify for the 2000 tournament in New Zealand. They last played Test cricket in 1979, in England, while only two women’s Tests have ever been hosted in the Caribbean – both against Australia in Jamaica in 1976.