‘Team management refuses to include Ajmal for World Cup’

LAHORE: The team management of the Pakistan cricket squad in Australia has turned down the proposal of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to include off-spinner Saeed Ajmal in the squad if he gets cleared by the ICC.

“We don’t need Ajmal even if he gets cleared by the ICC for his bowling action,” is the reply of the team management, a key PCB official told Dawn on the condition of anonymity.

The ICC report on Ajmal’s bowling action can be released at any time.

The PCB wanted the off-spinner’s induction as Pakistan faced problems with their bowling attack on their tour to New Zealand but the team management had other plans, the official said.

“The PCB expects the report of Ajmal at any time, but now it does not matter whether it is positive or negative as the team management has decided to play the World Cup without Ajmal, believing the team does not need him,” he added.

“Though Ajmal has already announced he is not ready to play the World Cup even if he clears the biomechanics test, he could have been included just to give a strong look to the bowling attack,” the official said.

Ajmal’s biomechanics test was conducted in Chennai, India on Jan 24.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Sport

Saud Shakeel nears century as Pakistan score 390-6 in first Test against Sri Lanka

Starc denies knowledge of ball-tampering plot, Cricket Australia rules out new probe

Pakistan post 281-5 to punish Sri Lanka in first Test

Mohd. Iftikhar Raza

Feb 06, 2015 12:26pm

A great decision, indeed !

Recommend 0

Kaleem

Feb 06, 2015 12:27pm

We should admire their confidence after losing all matches and having sixth worst winning ratio in top 8 teams. Wow..

Recommend 0

Raza

Feb 06, 2015 12:28pm

Pak has a toothless bowling attack wee need Ajmal

Recommend 0

Mudassar Siddiq

Feb 06, 2015 12:29pm

Who is the boss?. PCB or Team Management

Recommend 0

Syeda Ali

Feb 06, 2015 12:30pm

Look at their confidence! Amazing!

Recommend 0

Zoab Khan

Feb 06, 2015 12:31pm

only smart decision so far by Moin Khan. You can't ask a 40year old to reinvent himself and be back to his same dominant self. It takes time..... Anyway, we need to move on to younger players.

Recommend 0

Asim

Feb 06, 2015 12:35pm

WoW - we dont need him, because he will win matches and team management dont want that. such a shame!

Recommend 0

Ali Ibrahim

Feb 06, 2015 12:41pm

He has been the best bowler in ODI's in the world for a long time now. Without him, well the NZ series is testament.

Recommend 0

shezad

Feb 06, 2015 01:08pm

On paper, Pakistan's batting looks stronger than the bowling.

Recommend 0

Nouman

Feb 06, 2015 01:20pm

Oh great news! great confidence shown by impressive team management who has been winning contests and bowling amazingly after opposition. UFFF. Indeed it is a nightmare decision by some anti-Pakistan team management. It is like refusing a stretcher when your back is broken. Ok go on mates and play a tough game against UAE, as for other opponents, we know the results. Bad luck team Pakistan (there's no use to wish them good luck)

Recommend 0

B. Shiv Kumar

Feb 06, 2015 01:20pm

test conducted in india ! than definitely he will not pass

Recommend 0

ThisIsMe

Feb 06, 2015 01:22pm

In the presence of selfie focused players there is indeed no need of Saeed Ajmal.

Recommend 0

Concerned citizen

Feb 06, 2015 01:24pm

Cocky team management.....that only knows how to lose!

Recommend 0

nadeem qazi

Feb 06, 2015 01:33pm

Management refused to accept Ajmal even if he is fit but called Rahat Ali who was never chosen even in the top 30 players got one wicket in his records and played only one international in his life. Wow thanks to Misbah

Recommend 0

ali

Feb 06, 2015 02:20pm

Weird...!! Either the team management is very smart and have something to unleash..OR...they are extremely stupid.

Recommend 0

Gareeb Nawaz

Feb 06, 2015 02:22pm

This is the right thing to say because otherwise it will create uncertainty in their ranks. You don't go chopping and changing the team a few days before the start of a major tournament.

Recommend 0

dubaimachines.com

Feb 06, 2015 02:30pm

It's a plan...if they sound desperate, the ICC might ban ajmal again, they are laying low. Good luck to my nation

Recommend 0

Iqbal Bhai

Feb 06, 2015 02:30pm

Shameless

Recommend 0

Irfan UK

Feb 06, 2015 02:44pm

Wow " We don't need him" that is amazing and I'm finding it hard to digest. One of the best bowlers in the world and they say they don't need him. How about we don't need them ( the team management)

Recommend 0

Shahid

Feb 06, 2015 02:50pm

Team Management, you are amazing. In the end, you will say we lost because we did not had services of our strike players.

Recommend 0

No love lost

Feb 06, 2015 03:16pm

if AFRIDI BECOMES A CAPTAIN today, the next match hafeez will score a century, younis will score a century, akmal after 100 matches will score a quick century too. Pakistan Will brake its chasing record if AFRDI BECOMES A CAPTAIN. Appreciate Misbah for what he has done for this team. There was Nobody who was willing to take the captaincy when he step forward during those days. Why you guys dont understand that we are not having Home Series and its very diificult for a player to gain his lost form in overseas conditions. (UAE IS NOT A HOME GROUND, its like one) Aus in England AWFUL Eng in Australia AWFUL Aus in India AWFUL India in Aus MISERABLE *Steve Smiith was a night mare in UAE series and now he is scoring centuries in AUS. We are the only team that is not playing home cricket and still some how performing. *Where DHONI captaincy was gone, Where indian so called batting powerhouse was gone. Scoring millions of runs on their home soils and this TRI NATION SERIES and TEST Series with Aus, everybody was a humiliation expect kholi Lets Support our team in every situation Lets raise this slogan WE WILL GET IT BACK

Recommend 0

Rogers Evans

Feb 06, 2015 03:16pm

Better, if Ajmal sits at home sofa and watches the game. He will not be the same and his presence will put undue perrsure on the team.

Recommend 0

Adnan

Feb 06, 2015 03:19pm

So the PCB 's saying we're doing our best but we're toothless so we're not to blame for any fiasco at the WC -it's all the management's fault boy they're out of control!

Recommend 0

Adnan

Feb 06, 2015 03:31pm

I foresee some trouble brewing with the players/management and PCB. Whatever it is ie player's contracts, selection better get it fixed before the WC start. We don't want to be in a situation like the WI in India recently pulling out mid tour!

Recommend 0

Calcutta Man

Feb 06, 2015 03:32pm

BCCI conspiracy

Recommend 0

Azam Jamil

Feb 06, 2015 03:44pm

If he was bowling illegally his entire career, why should his wickets be counted?

Recommend 0

Feb 06, 2015 03:52pm

We done need team management. Thus should be investigated, how much money moin Khan has taken to get Pakistan out of world cup ? Surely there must be something in it for someone...

Recommend 0

Adnan

Feb 06, 2015 03:59pm

@No love lost In case you didn't get the memo, Misbah is the Captain TILL THE WC, after which he retires from ODI. So does Afridi by the way. Harping on that IF AFRIDI BECOMES CAPTAIN so and so will score a ton is illogical and pointless. So the captaincy issue a few days before the WC is irrelevant in my opinion. We have bigger problems ie our batting, bowling & fielding needs to improve drastically if we expect to go past the quarterfinals.

Recommend 0

Rasheed Ahmad

Feb 06, 2015 04:04pm

Very true, the effectiveness of new bowling action of Ajmal is an unknown quantity. It could have a downward effect on the moral of the current Pakistani bowlers.

Recommend 0

Fahad

Feb 06, 2015 04:10pm

If he gets cleared he should have been considered , as just the name puts the openents on their back foot. Rahul Dravid and Grame Smit on contenders :" I would love to play a Pakistani bowling attack minus Ajmal " Thats the fear this guy can bring.

Recommend 0

ak18

Feb 06, 2015 05:09pm

If ajmal is included we will still be battered because our batsmen can't score more than 230-250 against even a poor bowling lineup.. let alone the pacers of south Africa aus and nz... the only downside of including ajmal is the team management will have no excuse when tgey get battered by the likes of Zimbabwe and Ireland and Bangladesh.. this way they can always say we lost cis we didn't have ajmal and hafeez to bowl. . Even though everyone knows thats a lie.. these wickets will mostly be unsuitable for hafeez and ajmal anyway.. we'll lose becos we'll keep playing bilawal bhatti and wahab riaz who'll guve away 10 an over.. as mentioned above our batsmen can't do that to even the weakest bowling...

Recommend 0

Umair

Feb 06, 2015 05:19pm

I think a sane move my Team Management. if Ajmal gets reported again, we will be back to zero. there plans might be put at risk

Recommend 0

S.M.MUSTAFA

Feb 06, 2015 05:50pm

please set up a commitee they will look did this management took money from other team.sack immediatly whole team management and put them behind.

Recommend 0

Ali (CA)

Feb 06, 2015 06:01pm

What about Zulfiqar Babar if the spin is needed?

Recommend 0

Sab Se Pehle Pakistan

Feb 06, 2015 06:15pm

Ok I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The news says Saeed declined to play in the world cup. The team management for reasons known to them only don't want Saeed in the team ( management probably lost their minds after all the defeats ) Then why in the world PCB is so keen on sending him. Why not send Zulfiqar Baber or Raza Hassan? in place of Ehsab Adil or Sohail Khan

Recommend 0

Canada

Feb 06, 2015 07:06pm

Well the current string of bowlers is abysmal and pathetic. Had we had a decent line up I would agree with leaving Ajamal out but we have no one. Against NZ they easily could have scored 400 with the loss of 2-3.

Recommend 0

Matrix

Feb 06, 2015 07:11pm

Good decision , he may not be as effective as before, and selection cannot be made based on speculation...Let him prove his worth again before joining the team...

Recommend 0

Mahendra

Feb 06, 2015 07:40pm

People are missing a very important point. Saeed Ajmal could only have replaced an injured player. It just happened that the only player to get injured was Junaid Khan. If they sent Ajmal in his place, you think Pakistan could play with Irfan and Sohail Khan and Ehsan Adil in every match? They need fast bowlers and that is why they decided on Ajmal. They can still send Ajmal in place of Hafeez who has an injured foot. That would be replacing like for like. And Ajmal himself has made himself unavailable, so there is no point debating this media hype anyways. It is senseless and sensational hype.

Recommend 0

A Pakistani

Feb 06, 2015 10:37pm

@Mahendra ... Wahab Riaz, Sohaib are also injured... But the management is never looking for replacement as they want to keep their favorites.. They wouldn't sent Sohaib back home even after injury as this will increase the pressure to bring back Fawad Alam.

Recommend 0

Mani

Feb 07, 2015 12:40am

Saeed Ajmal is done. He will not be able to win matches any more. I blame media and fans for ruining the team combination. Younis khan should not have been selected after failing in 3 games against kiwis in Abu Dhabi. He only got selected because of media pressure and fans who never played organized cricket in their life. whenever someone is in the team peoe say he should be dropped when they are dropped then they say he should be in team. Examples (Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Younis khan, Umar Akmal) l can go on and on. Problem is cricket is finished in Pakistan. Not because of terrorists but because there is no cricket at school level.

Recommend 0

parveez

Feb 07, 2015 07:50am

We don't need team management.

Recommend 0

Baba

Feb 07, 2015 08:38pm

Lol.. This team hasn't prepared for worldcup and they had 4years.... Cricket is dead in Pakistan..no talent.. No fitness.. No desire to win for country..

Recommend 0

Ali

Feb 08, 2015 05:30am

Insane decision! Your bowling attack is abysmal and ajmal has been your best bowler! What are these guys smoking???

Recommend 0

ivehadit

Feb 11, 2015 03:52am

the arrogance of the official compared to the brilliance of the player. what hubris. why are these officials always nameless?

Recommend 0