From 1st June Pakistan start their Sri-lanka tour

This mission for 3 Tests, 5 one-day internationals and 2 Twenty20

Pakistan will tour Sri Lanka next month for three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games, Sri Lanka Cricket said on Monday.

The Pakistanis will kick off the six-week tour with two Twenty20 matches in the southern port town of Hambantota on June 1 and June 3. The first two one-day internationals will be played in Pallekele on June 7 and June 9, followed by the remaining three at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo on June 13, 16 and 18.

The three back-to-back Tests will be held in Galle (June 22-26), the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo (June 30-July 4) and Pallekele (July 8-12).

Pakistan last toured Sri Lanka in 2009 where they lost the Test series 2-0. The two sides met in the United Arab Emirates last year where Pakistan won both the Test and one-day series and also clinched the lone Twenty20 international.

Tour itinerary:

June 1: First Twenty20 international, Hambantota

June 3: Second Twenty20 international, Hambantota

June 7: First one-dayer, Pallekele

June 9: Second one-dayer, Pallekele

June 13: Third one-dayer, Colombo

June 16: Fourth one-dayer, Colombo

June 18: Fifth one-dayer, Colombo

June 22-26: First Test, Galle

June 30-July 4: Second Test, Colombo

July 8-12: Third Test, Pallekele.

Mohammad Asif will be realeased from prison on may, 5

 "Asif will complete his jail term on May 5 and all formalities have been completed for his release,"said Asif's lawyer Ravi Gill.

Mohammad Asif

Banned Pakistan pacer, Mohammad Asif will be released from prison on May 5 after completing his jail term in the United Kingdom.

Asif will decide when he plans to return to Pakistan after being released from prison, said his lawyer Ravi Gill.

"Asif will complete his jail term on May 5 and all formalities have been completed for his release," he said.

Asif and Pakistan teammates, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt were given different jail terms by a crown court in London last year in October for being involved in spot-fixing during Pakistan's tour to England in 2010.

The trio are also serving a five year ban by the anti-corruption tribunal of the International Cricket Council imposed in February 2011 for the same offence.

Amir, the youngest of the three, returned home in March after completing a six months jail term in a youth detention centre in the UK and he has also decided against appealing against the five year ban imposed on him by the ICC.

"We have heard Asif is being released this week. Whenever he returns to Pakistan, the terms and conditions of the ICC ban will remain on him and he will not be allowed to take part in any cricket related activity in Pakistan," a official of the board said.

Asif, 29, who took 106 wickets in 23 tests and another 36 wickets in 48 one-day internationals, was jailed for 12 months by the crown court while Butt was given a 30-month sentence.

All three had appealed against their sentences but had their appeals rejected by the Lord Chief Justice. Amir since returning home has been kept away from all cricket activities and the board has not even allowed him to use the facilities at the National cricket academy in Lahore.

A family member of Asif said they wanted him to return home as soon as he was released as they were dying to meet him.

ICC Champions trophy: After 2013 no Champions trophy

The 2013 Champions Trophy in England will bring the curtains down on the 14-year-old tournament, with the ICC moving towards having one championship for each of the game's three formats from 2015.

While the play--offs for the World Test Championship is scheduled for June 2017, the 50--over tournament, started way back in 1998, does not figure in the International Cricket Council's Future Tours Program after 2013.

"If you don't see it in the schedule, it means it is not planned for the future," ICC's Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat told reporters after the executive board meeting here yesterday.

"We have said for a while that we would like one championship event for each format. We are including the Test championship in there. We have the World Cup to have the champion for 50--over cricket. So we are not planning to hold Champions Trophy in the future," he added.

After the inaugural edition of the tournament was held in 1998 as the ICC Knock Out tournament, the Champions Trophy was played every two years until 2009.

Originally, all ten full members of the ICC took part, along with two associate members in the first four editions.

The 2013 event will feature the eight highest--ranked ODI teams.

The World Test Championship was initially scheduled for 2013 but had to be postponed to 2017 due to the ICC's commitments to its broadcaster and sponsors.

West Indies test squad announced for England tour next month

Squad: Darren Sammy (captain), Kirk Edwards (vice-captain), Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Assad Fudadin, Shannon Gabriel, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Marlon Samuels, Shane Shillingford

Jamaican batsman Marlon Samuels and wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin have been recalled to the West Indies squad for next month's Test series in England.

Keeper Carlton Baugh has been left out along with 19-year-old opener Kraigg Brathwaite, who struggled in this month's series against Australia.

Ramdin has recovered from a hand injury but his return owes as much to Baugh's failure with the bat against Australia and the selectors are hoping he will add some steel to the lower middle order batting.

West Indies lost the third Test to Australia on Friday to finish with a 2-0 series defeat despite some encouraging displays, particularly with the ball.

Paceman Fidel Edwards, who missed the final Test with a slight back injury, has been named in the squad along with 23-year-old Trinidad quick bowler Shannon Gabriel, who has yet to feature in international cricket.

The other uncapped player in the 15 is Guyanese middle order batsman Assad Fudadin, who was called up for the third test in Dominica but did not play.

Samuels, who missed the Test series after being granted permission to play in the Indian Premier League, can also offer skipper Darren Sammy another spin option.

Shane Shillingford was rewarded for his 10 wicket haul in the final Test with a place on the tour at the expense of Devendra Bishoo.

Bishoo and Brathwaite are almost certain to feature in an upcoming 'A-team' series against India in the Caribbean as West Indies look to keep members of their extended squad involved.

"Shillingford has bowled very well against the Australians and we expect a lot from him in England," said West Indies chairman of selectors Clyde Butts.

"Bishoo has done well for West Indies in the last year or so, but he has lost some of his confidence and the selectors feel playing him in the A Team against India A will give him the chance to regain that confidence," he added.

Gabriel is likely to be given a chance in the warm-up games against Sussex and the England Lions but Edwards and Roach are the clear first choice for the new ball attack.

"Young Gabriel continues to impress the selectors in both regional and A-Team cricket, and we feel it is a good time to introduce him to the team," said Butts

"We feel he will be an asset to the team in England and has a bright future in West Indies cricket."

West Indies are due to arrive in England on May 2 with the first Test scheduled for Lord's from May 17.

After ending Pakistan tour, Bangladesh look South Africa

Bangladesh have approached South Africa for a series in May after the postponement of a series in Pakistan, which means due to its prior commitments, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is unlikely to go ahead with the Pakistan tour even if the Dhaka High Court gives the go-ahead.

According to reports, BCB has offered Cricket South Africa (CSA) to pay all the cost, whether the series takes place in Bangladesh or South Africa. Bangladesh want to play three ODIs and five Twenty20s in May

"We have received the request and we are in the process of checking whether it would be possible. We've got nothing against it; it's just about scheduling. At the moment, I can say it is a request we are looking at," CSA's acting chief executive, Jacques Faul, said.

The tour to Pakistan for an ODI and a Twenty20, on April 29 and 30 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, was put off after the Dhaka High Court, citing security concerns, ordered the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to postpone the tour by four weeks.

Had the tour gone ahead, Bangladesh would have been the first international team to tour Pakistan in three years since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. For the last three years, Pakistan has been a no-go zone for international teams and they had to play most of their home matches at neutral venues, mostly in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

CSA will sit down with South African Cricketers' Association (SACA) and national coach Gary Kirsten before deciding on Bangladesh's request. South Africa have a packed schedule and SACA is unlikely to give a green signal for the tour as chief executive Tony Irish said it falls outside the Future Tours Programme (FTP). "Because this will fall outside the Future Tours Programme, it needs the permission of SACA to take place. And what I can say at the moment is that it is unlikely we will go through with it," he said.

Tendulkar's birthday: Planned for No grand celebrations

Sachin Tendulkar turns 39 on Tuesday but no big celebrations have been planned so far by the batting icon or his Mumbai Indians (MI) team-mates though his die-hard fans have made elaborate plans to observe the day in a big way.
Tendulkar and his wife Anjali, but without their two children, arrived at Chandigarh by an afternoon flight from Mumbai.
The batting maestro's IPL team Mumbai Indians teammates also arrived at Chandigarh with him. Mumbai are set to clash with Kings XI Punjab in Mohali on Wednesday.

While the five star hotel where Tendulkar and his teammates are staying have made arrangements on their own to throw a party to celebrate his birthday, his first after scoring his 100th international ton, but MI sources said the event is likely to be a low-key affair.
A small private function may be kept and his teammates will wish him on his birthday and cut the cake. MI team owner Nita Ambani is also likely to be present, the sources said.

"There may be a small function, but nothing grand.

Tendulkar is a very private person and we are not expecting the event to be a bash. It will be a small function," a team source said.
A senior official of the hotel said they were ready with their preparations, but were waiting for the green signal from Tendulkar's side.
This will not, however, dampen the spirit of his die-hard fans. As the team arrived at the hotel, his fans had already lined up.

"We are a group of friends studying in a college. All of us have placed order for a 10-kg cake to celebrate Tendulkar's birthday. All our friends will be joining us and a big party will be thrown as it is his first birthday after he scored his 100th century recently," said Tanya Mittal, one of his fans.

Last year, Tendulkar did not celebrate his birthday following the demise of his spiritual guru Satya Sai Baba.

Tendulkar has scored 51 centuries in Test cricket from 188 matches and 49 tons from 463 ODIs he has played so far in his international career spanning nearly 23 years.

Sachin Tendulkar-Prof Ramesh Tendulkar-Rajni Tendulkar-Nitin Tendulkar-Ajit Tendulkar

sachin-Sara-arjun-Tendulkar

sachin-family with his monument

2014 Twenty20 World Cup: ICC decided to extend to 16 teams for 2014 T20 world cup

"What excites me is the decision to extend the World Twenty20 event, which takes place in 2014 in Bangladesh," ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat

The International Cricket Council (ICC) executive board has decided to expand the number of teams in the 2014 Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh from 12 to 16 to give more opportunities to the non-test playing nations.

"What excites me is the decision to extend the World Twenty20 event, which takes place in 2014 in Bangladesh," ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat told reporters in Dubai on Monday.

"From then onwards the board has decided to expand the event to 16 teams. I'm sure that is very comforting to all associates and affiliates...it provides them with a greater chance of competing on the global stage."

The Twenty20 World Cup will be played this year in Sri Lanka from Sept 18-Oct 7 between 12 teams. The current 10 full members will be joined by six qualifiers in the next version from 2014.

The ICC has also agreed to undergo an administrative realignment that will lead to the creation of a powerful chairman's post and transform the president's role in the governing body into a purely ceremonial one.

The board-appointed chairman, rather than the president, would lead the organisation in the future while the vice-president's post will be disbanded.

Following the move, the joint vice-president nomination from Bangladesh and Pakistan for the 2012-14 has been deferred until the president's role has been ratified, the ICC said.

The ICC added that the nominations committee has shortlisted four candidates to replace Lorgat, who leaves his position at the end of the annual conference in June.

Bangladesh vs Pakistan: Bangladesh confirms tour of Pakistan in the end of April

One One-Day International and one Twenty20 International to be held. The ODI is scheduled for 29 April 2012 and the Twenty20 will be played one day later at the same venue.

The ICC Board were informed today that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have agreed the Bangladesh tour of Pakistan will take place and will involve one One-Day International and one Twenty20 International to be held in Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

 There has been no cricket between two Full Member nations in Pakistan since the attack on the Sri Lanka team in March 2009. The ODI is scheduled for 29 April 2012 and the Twenty20 will be played one day later at the same venue. Thereafter, the ICC's Anti Corruption and Security Unit will commission a localised risk assessment to determine whether its officials and staff are appropriately protected by the proposed security plan, before any further decision is taken in relation to their appointment.

 ast month, the ICC had introduced a "special dispensation" to be made only in "exceptional circumstances" in order to ensure that bilateral series take place even if the ruling body has determined it "unsafe" to appoint its officials for such series. This would allow such series to be manned by "non-neutral match officials", a departure from the ICC's Standard Playing Conditions, pending permission from its executive board.

Bangladesh was due for a full tour of Pakistan in 2012 under the ICC's Future Tours Programme. The PCB also said the remaining matches of the tour will be played at dates mutually agreed between the two Boards at venues including Bangladesh.

There had been several itineraries proposed for the tour, including a three-match ODI series and a series of two ODIs and one Twenty20 international. Karachi and Rawalpindi were the other possible venues but ESPNcricinfo understands they were dropped on security grounds.

Sunday's announcement follows lengthy negotiations between the two boards over the terms of the tour, and at times it looked as though the tour would be a non-starter. A nine-member delegation, headed by Kamal and including security officials from that country, visited Pakistan in March for a demonstration of the security plan for the proposed series. The plan was well received, it is believed, but confirmation of the series was delayed. One reason, according to the BCB, was that it was waiting for a government advisory; another possible reason was the ICC's special dispensation plan, which possibly implied that the venue was not safe for neutral officials. 

Jalal Yunus, the BCB's media committee chairman, said Kamal had taken charge of the matter and handled it personally. "We haven't talked about it since Zaka Ashraf came and discussed the matter officially, so it has been 2-3 months," he said. "The BCB president must have known the government stance and that's why he has confirmed. He has handled it personally from the beginning."

The tour will come a little more than three years after masked terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team bus and a van carrying ICC officials to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, on what would have been the third day of the second Test of that tour. Six Sri Lankan cricketers were injured in the attack, and six security personnel and two civilians were killed.

Since then, Pakistan have hosted "home series" in UAE and other neutral venues. They played New Zealand in New Zealand (2009-10), England and Australia in England (2010). UAE has been their favoured home base, having hosted South Africa, Sri Lanka and England.

 BCB President Mustafa Kamal said: "The public of Pakistan have been deprived of cricket and we felt that we needed to support them. The reception we received when we toured Lahore and Karachi on our security visit was overwhelming."

Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, said: "I want to thank the BCB and the Bangladesh Government for their support for this tour."

ICC will advise of other agenda items considered by the ICC Board at the conclusion of the meeting tomorrow (Monday) when ICC will hold a press conference.

Gaddafi stadium in lahore, which is waiting host for Bangladesh