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Pakistan smashed their highest-ever ODI score and then won by the second-biggest margin in terms of runs

Danyal Rasool20-Jul-20181:08

By The Numbers – Pakistan’s run-fest thrashes Zimbabwe

Who knew there were so many layers to rock bottom? In every game this series, it has appeared it couldn’t get any worse for Zimbabwe, or easier for Pakistan. It seemed impossible there could be a nadir beyond what transpired in the third ODI, with Pakistan bowling Zimbabwe out for 67 and chasing it down in 9.5 overs. But the chasm grows wider by the game.On Friday, after winning the toss and deciding to bat, Pakistan began to put statisticians around the world on notice. Pakistan plundered 399 – their highest ODI total – while Fakhar Zaman made a brutally destructive 210 not out off 156 balls as Pakistan pulverised Zimbabwe by 244 runs.Along with Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar smashed a slew of records against – it has to be said – a poor, second-string Zimbabwean side who had a terrible day. Even so, their powers of concentration, their hunger for runs, and refusal to be complacent hint at traits even the best batsmen in any generation struggle to master.Zimbabwe never appeared to have the conviction or the resources to begin an attempt at a chase, a pretty cameo from their captain Hamilton Masakadza notwithstanding. Playing his 289th match, he overtook Grant Flower as the most experienced Zimbabwean international. His experience would have been vital for a young Zimbabwe side if they were to post a more respectable total. But once he holed out to midwicket, this slipped into a no-contest zone.The noteworthy performances came from Fakhar and Imam, who brought up their third hundred partnership in four games. Once again, there never seemed to be any hint of a wicket-taking threat in the hosts’ line-up. Even Blessing Muzarabani, far and away Zimbabwe’s best bowler in the last two series, was strangely erratic.Fakhar brought up his third ODI hundred in the 31st over, carving Wellington Masakadza away between cover and point to the boundary. Two balls later, he muscled the bowler over wide long-on for six, serving everyone notice he was about to properly cut loose. And cut loose he did.AFP

At some point, it becomes churlish to harp on about the lamentable performance from the hosts, so if you wanted uplifting, you needed ignore what went on at the bowler’s end and simply watch Fakhar playing like a child on his favourite ride in Disneyland. Without a care in the world, the left-hander batted like it was the day he had given up on everything else to become a cricketer. It could not get easier, or more fun. After he had raced to 150, he was standing well outside off, exposing all three stumps, to open up that midwicket area he will probably cherish more than his first-born.Nothing the bowlers did provided him any semblance of a challenge, and as he bolted along, it became obvious Saeed Anwar’s 24-year record – the highest score for a Pakistan batsman in ODIs was under serious threat. A hoick to midwicket (where else?) for four knocked Anwar off that perch, to be replaced by this 21st century left-handed opener. A few balls later, he had become the eight man to reach 200, getting there off just 147 balls.Meanwhile, Imam, by no means sedate but made to look so by Fakhar, brought up his third century in just his eighth ODI as Pakistan’s opening partnership left record after record tumbling in their wake. The highest opening partnership in Pakistan history? Gone. The highest opening partnership for any country in ODI history? See you later. The first 300-run opening partnership? Easy peasy.Zimbabwe conceded 304 in 42 overs before they had a wicket; Imam perished while attempting yet another slog over the leg side, as Zimbabwe avoided the ignominy of becoming the first side in history to go wicketless right through an innings. But that brought the explosive Asif Ali to the crease, and he, along with Fakhar batting like a man possessed, pillaged 90 runs off the last eight overs. By this time, Asif had taken over from Fakhar, and found enough time to bludgeon 50 off 22 balls, and helping bring up Pakistan’s highest ODI total.Zimbabwe tried to begin as brightly as they could, but without any belief they couln’t have dared to even get near They were also up against arguably the best bowling attack in the world. Tinashe Kamunhukamwe, opening with his captain, isn’t exactly a household name yet. By the time Masakadza was dismissed, Kamunhukamwe and Tarisai Musakanda had already perished. To their credit, both young batsmen were trying to be selfless, playing attacking shots instead of conservatively looking to muster up a respectable personal score.After the top order was back in the pavilion, the run rate dropped like a stone; any pretence of seeking to hunt down the target had been abandoned. Peter Moor and Ryan Murray consolidated, but there was a nihilistic feel to the contest by that point. Elton Chigumbura and Donald Tiripano cobbled together a 67-run partnership, but there was no reason for joy to be found there, so little could be read into it. There is still no indication Chigumbura can continue to be the attacking threat that made him so dangerous an option for Zimbabwe over the years, and Tiripano bats far too high at No. 7 despite top-scoring with 44.The only reason for uplift from a Zimbabwean perspective was listening to the deep passion for the game in the voices of the tiny crowd who bellowed the hymn-like Zimbabwean anthem proudly from the bleachers. They have seen this before, and become almost inoculated against their side as it perilously lurches from crisis to crisis. They will be back. Whether Zimbabwean cricket can reward them with performances their loyalty and passion deserves is a very different question, with no comforting answers in sight.

Bangladesh’s four seniormost cricketers came to the fore to deliver them a 163-run win – their biggest in ODIs – over Sri Lanka in Mirpur

The Report by Mohammad Isam19-Jan-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAFP

Bangladesh’s four seniormost cricketers came to the fore to deliver them a 163-run win – their biggest in ODIs – over Sri Lanka in Mirpur.It was a wretched performance from Sri Lanka all around. In the face of a daunting Bangladesh total of 320 for 7, their batsmen lasted just 32.2 overs. And their bowlers hardly tested Bangladesh’s line-up.Each of Bangladesh’s batting core came good. Tamim Iqbal made 84 off 102 balls. Shakib struck an aggressive 67 at more than a run a ball. And Mushfiqur Rahim blasted 62. All of that meant Bangladesh managed good partnerships through their innings. Their first three pairs, involving Tamim, Anamul Haque, Shakib and Mushfiqur, each strung together 50-plus partnerships, only the second time that their first four batsmen have made such a productive start.Tamim and Anamul began by putting on 71 for the first wicket, before Shakib joined Tamim for a 99-run stand. It laid a solid foundation as a 300-plus total looked imminent very early.It wasn’t all smooth sailing, however. Anamul survived three chances – two catches and a stumping – on his way to 35. Tamim was slow off his blocks, but opened up after notching up a second successive fifty. Tamim took a particular liking to the short stuff dished out at him. Not even getting struck on the helmet twice could deter him. In all, he struck seven fours and two straight sixes, both off successive Gunaratne deliveries.Shakib was more forthcoming against the short ball, hammering boundaries through midwicket and square-leg. He was equally effective in pinching the singles with well-timed pull shots.Mushfiqur made sure to keep up the good work during his 57-run third-wicket stand with Shakib. After Shakib’s dismissal, he kept Bangladesh ticking with a 42-ball half-century that pushed the total towards the 300 mark.Cameos from Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman capped off a strong batting performance, although Sri Lanka reined in the home team with three quick wickets in the last five overs. The penultimate over from Thisara Perera was especially impressive, with Perera consistently finding the lengths he was looking for. But Sabbir and Mohammad Saifuddin made up for some of the lost ground in a 19-run last over that had Lakmal giving away three fours and a six.Sri Lanka had no such flourish when they replied. Mashrafe Mortaza shut out any chances of a brisk start in a fine opening spell. Kusal Perera fell in the third over, and by the end of the first Powerplay, they had lost both their openers and only three fours had come off the bat.Mashrafe, who bowled a first spell of eight overs, had Tharanga caught at mid-off before sending back Kusal Mendis in similar fashion in the 14th over.Dickwella, who came in for the injured Angelo Mathews, was bowled by Mustafizur Rahman in the 19th over, before Shakib’s brilliance on the field sent Sri Lanka plummeting further – a direct hit from mid-off catching Dinesh Chandimal short of his crease in the 25th over.Shakib removed Gunaratne and Wanindu Hasaranga off successive balls in the next over. Thisara Perera unleashed a burst that was all-too-short, lashing Shakib for two fours and as many sixes in the 30th over, but fell later in the same over, caught at long-off attempting another ambitious stroke.Rubel Hossain ended the procession with wickets in successive overs as Sri Lanka folded in the 33rd over. He finished with two wickets, as did Mashrafe, while Shakib took three wickets to go with his 67.

The Bangladesh coach wants to build on the team’s impressive performances since the 2015 World Cup and maintains his focus on winning matches abroad with the South Africa tour coming up

Mohammad Isam02-Aug-2017Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusingha believes that the positive results over the past season will be the base on which the team will look to build their progress in the upcoming international season. The steady rise since the 2015 World Cup which culminated in the 2017 Champions Trophy semi-final appearance was the starting point for the upcoming season in which Bangladesh are going to face varied challenges over eight months, Hathurusingha said.Even as they target a series win over Australia, the coach said winning abroad remains their main challenge, particularly in South Africa where Bangladesh haven’t toured since 2008.”Success will be to win away from home and beating teams above us,” he said. “The progress for us is to maintain this success. We made it to the World Cup quarter-final and then Champions Trophy semi-final. We have started winning in the subcontinent. We have lot of areas to improve, so we are looking at consistency.”We have made some progress in Test cricket. Now we have the game plan of winning in the subcontinent. We want to win the two Tests against Australia. The challenge is to adapt to South African conditions, and then adjust the game plan. The first two weeks in South Africa before the first Test are very crucial.”Their first call of duty will be against Australia at home and notwithstanding the uncertainty that lurks over the tour scheduled for later this month, Bangladesh have steadily raised their training intensity over the last four weeks. The new batting consultant, Mark O’Neill, for instance, is now regularly seen speaking to bowlers about their basics with the bat. Courtney Walsh has already held a bowling clinic with the fast bowlers while the BCB is close to hiring a spin-bowling coach.The training camp that started in Mirpur on July 10 first focused on fitness before moving to the skills part of the game towards the end of the month. The group will move to Chittagong on Friday, where they have three training sessions before a three-day practice match at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, the venue for the second Test.Hathurusingha said that developing a stronger unit for the next World Cup is their main goal, and by bringing in uncapped players into the training camp, they are leaving the door open for a rookie to stand up and be counted, after being drilled with proper fitness and training methods.”We are looking at the bigger picture so we have involved 20-odd players. Our main focus is up to 2019 World Cup, at least for me,” Hathurusingha said. “All these guys have to get used to playing and training in high intensity.”By training with the national players, they can see what the challenges ahead are to break into the team. It is about expanding our pool if we need, or someone puts his hand up and says ‘pick me, I am good enough’. We don’t want anyone to take their place for granted.”

The state of Lanning’s shoulder is a considerable worry for Australia given her pivotal role in the team, and there is no certainty that she will only be missing from the Pakistan fixture

Daniel Brettig05-Jul-2017A shoulder problem has forced Australia’s captain Meg Lanning out of at least the Word Cup match against Pakistan in Leicester later on Wednesday. Rachael Haynes will be included to lead the side in her absence.Lanning aggravated a long-running shoulder complaint at training ahead of the match, with the selectors recommending to the Cricket Australia board that Haynes, 30, take over while Alex Blackwell remains vice-captain.The state of Lanning’s shoulder is a considerable worry for Australia given her pivotal role in the team, and there is no certainty that she will only be missing from the Pakistan fixture.”Meg has been undergoing rehabilitation on her right shoulder, following a chronic injury,” the team physio, Kate Mahony, said. “The decision for Meg to miss today’s match will enable her to focus on some rehabilitation and we’ll continue to monitor her ahead of taking part in any further matches in the tournament.”Haynes, meanwhile, has played 34 ODIs for Australia with a solid batting record to her credit, but has not been part of the first-choice team at that tournament so far. “Rachael has a wealth of leadership experience including successfully guiding Victoria to back-to-back national Twenty20 titles,” the national selector, Shawn Flegler, said, “and alongside Alex, will ensure the team is led to continue their current form.”We know that Rachael is capable of coming in and doing the job that is asked of her as she demonstrated in New Zealand earlier this year when she scored a half-century after a lengthy absence from the national side.”

Following his record-breaking opening stand with David Warner, Travis Head is hoping to get more chances up the order

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2017Travis Head, who hit his maiden ODI century against Pakistan in the fifth ODI in Adelaide after being pushed up to open, hopes to get more chances at the top of the order.”As a batter I would love to bat as high as I possibly can, if there’s that opportunity as there was in this series,” Head, who put on 284 with David Warner, said after Australia’s 57-run win. This was the second time Head has opened in his young ODI career of 20 games. The first of those chances to open came in the first ODI of the series, in Brisbane, where he was out for a run-a-ball 39.”I got the opportunity at the Gabba and felt like I was in good form, but I wasn’t able to get a massive score,” he said. “I was very disappointed after that, then going back down the order, that I wasn’t able to capitalise.”So it was nice to get out there today, get first crack at it and get runs. But I’m happy to do the job wherever is needed in the side. I’m happy to go game by game and just be in the side. The preparation for the Champions Trophy, I think we’re playing the right brand at the end of this series. So wherever I fit, it’s fantastic.”With David Warner guaranteed to open, barring injuries, the search is on for a second opener for Australia leading up to the Champions Trophy in England in June. Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch have been tried there. Khawaja opened in the middle three ODIs of the Pakistan series. Finch, who was dropped for the series against Pakistan, has been recalled for the Chappell-Hadlee series against New Zealand.Head too is part of the squad, and hopes to find himself among the runs to merit automatic selection. “I felt like I’ve been in good form in the series but I just haven’t been able to get a big score, and it’s probably been like that since I debuted,” he said. “It’s nice and satisfying to get runs, but the head moves quickly to New Zealand and try and back up the good form and keep the ball rolling.”Head said batting with Warner, who now has six tons in 11 ODIs and was battling a cold and later on fatigue in this game, made his job much easier. The pair set a new Australian ODI partnership record – beating the 260-run second-wicket stand between Warner and Steven Smith against Afghanistan in the 2015 World Cup. They missed the all-time ODI opening partnership record by two runs.”He [Warner] told me he was going for 200, so I don’t think his mind was set on coming off [due to health issues],” Head said. “He was pretty fatigued, we did a fair bit of running. But I don’t think that hindered him in any way, he just got on with the job. He was struggling a little bit but he was definitely focused on getting a few more runs. It’s easy at the other end – he makes it easy for me. He does it consistently, backing up massive scores and it’s another match-winning effort from him.”

Kraigg Brathwaite has plenty to say about his 85 on the first day of the SCG Test, his development on this tour, and the prospect of bowling on a turning pitch. But he has nothing to say about the out-of-form Marlon Samuels

Daniel Brettig at the SCG03-Jan-2016West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite has plenty to say about his batting, his doughty 85 on the first day of the SCG Test, his development on this tour, and the prospect of bowling on a turning Sydney pitch. He has nothing at all to say about, or for, Marlon Samuels.In a telling interlude as Brathwaite spoke about how he has evolved as a batsman on this trip, becoming more proactive to counter Australia’s bowlers rather than simply trying to wait them out, he became decidedly tight-lipped about Samuels, the run-out they were involved in, and the older man’s contribution to the tour.It may well have been a case of if you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all, for Samuels has endured a wretched tour, notching a meagre 35 runs in five innings – an average of seven for those not paying attention – and earning plenty of criticism for his apparent lack of verve in the field. At the time of the run-out, which was Samuels’ call, West Indies were in a decent position. After it, they subsided to 6 for 207.”I think those things happen in cricket. I’m not sure what to say about that,” Brathwaite said. “It was just a misunderstanding.”Queried further on Samuels’ contribution this tour, Brathwaite clammed up. “There’s not much I can say about that at the moment,” he said. A further question to that effect drew a similar response from the team media manager.What was left to discuss was an innings that impressed many, lacking only the catharsis of reaching three figures after Nathan Lyon finally found a way to confound Brathwaite’s previously sure feet and sound mind. “It is a good challenge,” Brathwaite said of Lyon. “I think he is bowling quite well and I just have to keep believing in my ability. They fielded well today and for me it is about trusting my defence and working towards my plan.”It is a tour where I am learning and I just want to keep going out there and building a foundation for my team and learning in the process. On a first-day pitch that is spinning like that, once we get a score, anything about 300 will put ourselves in a good position.”I think the spinners bowled well, it is just about trusting your defence and backing your shots and you can score. Coming from the last game, when the guys showed some improvement, it is key to keep showing that improvement and supporting one another.”As for the pitch, Brathwaite was surprised by how much deviation it offered, but was eager to see how his team might fare on it – and how he might bowl on it. “I was quite surprised, I didn’t expect the first day to spin like that,” he said. “I heard it can spin here but I didn’t expect that.”So as batters, once we put some runs on the board, we can put some pressure on Australia. It is important when we do bowl that we string those dots together because dots balls can build pressure and that brings wickets. I will be looking forward to [bowling]. We will just have to see what happens.”

Nick Compton praised the role of Alastair Cook in helping nurse him towards a maiden Test hundred

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin09-Mar-2013Nick Compton praised the role of Alastair Cook in helping nurse him towards a maiden Test hundred on the fourth day in Dunedin. The pair combined for their third century opening stand in 10 innings, with Cook scoring his 24th Test hundred, and Compton was grateful for the experience of his captain as he edged towards three figures.Cook, who fell with Compton on 99, did not have to wait for more than a few days for his first Test century, which came in just his second innings against India in Nagpur. While Compton’s wait has not been too long the final moments were surrounded by tension. Compton’s innings had started to flow more freely after a sticky start against the new ball, but once the 90s arrived scoring seized up again and, for a short while, it appeared he could be stranded overnight short of the milestone.”He’s fantastic, a real solid grounding sort of guy. He’s a special guy,” Compton said. “Both of us weren’t moving our feet too well early on and probably got away with it a little bit. It grew from there. It was great to have that over-by-over focus. He’s a tough character and he kept me going when at times I wanted to get on with it a little bit.”The Cook-Compton partnership replaced one of the most settled of England’s history. Cook walked out with Andrew Strauss in 117 innings and they are comfortably England’s most prolific first-wicket pair whose 4711 runs together included 12 century stands. The new era, however, has started productively with three hundred partnerships in 10 innings.They are now only one behind three pairs who had lengthy associations – Geoff Boycott and Graham Gooch (four in 49 innings), Michael Atherton and Marcus Trescothick (four in 30), Atherton and Mark Butcher (four in 32). Currently, too, for partnerships that have lasted at least 10 innings they sit second behind Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe in terms of average. A skewed statistic, yes, but one nonetheless that shows their early success.Before the Test, Cook spoke about the differences in their characters – the intensity of Compton – and how life has changed since he is no longer opening with Strauss. He said he felt a duty, as the senior man, to help Compton along.”I think you get a bit more intense when the pressure is on and you are searching for runs, trying to get yourself together,” Compton said. “I’ve always been someone who analyses myself quite a lot, probably to the detriment but I also think it’s got me to where I have – the hunger and the drive. Alastair is a very balanced guy, very level-headed guy.”When Cook finally fell, shortly before the close, edging behind off Trent Boult with the second new ball, the stand of 231 was England’s highest for the first wicket since Strauss and Trescothick added 273 against South Africa at Durban in 2004, which was the beginning of another rearguard after a poor first innings, and also their eighth-highest ever upfront.It has given England a good chance of salvaging a draw after two horrid days in another slow start to an overseas series. “We put ourselves in this position, we’re well aware of that,” Compton said. “We weren’t good enough in the first innings and New Zealand were right on it. They batted brilliantly, they bowled well. So it was a bit of a kick up the proverbial, if you know what I mean. It was a case of really trying to get back into it.”

Sri Lanka chief selector Ashantha de Mel has said that the national selection committee may streamline the selection of teams, and have a separate squad for Twenty20s

Sa'adi Thawfeeq15-Oct-2012Sri Lanka chief selector Ashantha de Mel has said that the national selection committee may streamline the selection of teams, and have a separate Twenty20 squad, following Sri Lanka’s 36-run loss to West Indies in the World Twenty20 final in Colombo.The changes are likely to be introduced in the one-off T20 international against New Zealand to be played at Pallekele on October 30.Vice captain Angelo Mathews is expected to take the reins for the game against New Zealand, with Mahela Jayawardene having resigned from the captaincy following the World Twenty20 final.”We will have to go with Mathews for the moment but we will assess the captaincy. The team should be captained by a player who has a permanent place in the side,” de Mel said. “We need to separate the Test and ODI players from the T20 players and pick a squad that will fulfill the requirements of T20 cricket.”We will pick a young side with players who can make a clean strike of the ball,” he said. Sri Lanka hit the least sixes of the four semi-finalists in the World Twenty20 and managed only one six to West Indies’ seven in the final. “We really have to assess the situation and start building a team of T20 cricketers for the next World T20 in Bangladesh in 2014,” said de Mel.”We need to find some strong hitters who can clear the boundary successfully. Players like Mahela Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews don’t have the power so they adopt different methods to score runs like the scoop and the reverse sweep. Even playing those strokes you need the strength to clear the fielders,” he said.Mathews exposed his stumps and was bowled attempting to play the scoop shot against Darren Sammy and Jayawardene failed to clear the short third man fielder when he reverse swept Sunil Narine. De Mel said that Dilshan Munaweera, who was unused after the group stages of the World Twenty20, was a player who could hit sixes.”Chamara Kapugedera is another batsman who could easily clear the boundary but he has been under so much pressure from all quarters for failing to contribute big scores that he was eventually dropped,” de Mel said.Kapugedera hit 13 sixes in six matches for NCC in the Premier club T20 tournament and had a strike rate of 179.64.De Mel also said Sri Lanka paid the penalty for not being aggressive enough chasing a West Indies total of 137 for victory. Sri Lanka’s batsmen were circumspect after the dismissal of Tillakaratne Dilshan in the second over, and struggled to score at the require run rate throughout the innings. They were eventually dismissed for 101.”I don’t know what went wrong with our batting, for in the earlier matches we used to score at least 50 runs in the first six overs of Powerplay. Here they managed only 30 runs which put the fielding side on top.”I think we also panicked during our innings when there was a slight drizzle and threw away wickets rather unnecessarily trying to up the score, the two run outs of Thisara Perera and Jeevan Mendis didn’t help either. Everything seemed to go against us.”

As South Africa’s senior team closed in on victory at Lord’s the second XI secured a first victory on their tour of Ireland

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-2012
ScorecardAs South Africa’s senior team closed in on a win at Lord’s that would secure them the No. 1 Test ranking, the second XI secured a first victory on their tour of Ireland with a rain-affected 68-run win in the first one-day game.Farhaan Behardien was the mainstay of the South Africa A innings with 88 off 85 balls, his highest one-day score, while Justin Ontong made 60 in a total of 255 for 9. The chase proved well out of reach for the Ireland XI as they lost three of their top five batsmen for ducks before rain brought an early end to the match.The home side had made a promising start by reducing South Africa A to 86 for 4 in the 22nd over when Dean Elgar was caught behind off Kevin O’Brien. However, Ontong and Behardien added 95 for the fifth wicket to form the backbone of the innings.Ontong had struck two sixes in his 66-ball stay when he fell to Peter Connell but Dane Vilas, the wicketkeeper, offered useful support in a stand of 34 with Behardien who played out the innings as the lower order fell away a little. Trent Johnston finished with 3 for 33 from his 10 overs.Wayne Parnell, who was outstanding in the four-day game, struck in his first over of the chase to immediately set the Ireland XI back. James Shannon played positively for his 33 off 35 balls but when he departed to Ryan McLaren three wickets fell with the score on 48.Andrew Poynter and John Anderson resisted for an 11-over stand but the required rate was rising and the South Africans chipped away, including a scalp for Behardien to cap his day, before the game decided was when the weather closed in.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has sent its legal advisor to attend the spot-fixing trial in London involving Pakistan players Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court05-Oct-2011The spot-fixing trial involving Pakistan players Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif has been adjourned for lunch on the second day with all parties still debating legal arguments. Among those attending the trial is the Pakistan Cricket Board’s legal advisor, Tafazzul Rizvi.Rizvi, who has been on a retainer with the PCB for five years, has attended the first two days of the case at Southwark Crown Court. He is unlikely to stay for the duration, which may be up to five weeks, but will report to the PCB on his findings.Butt and Asif, who flew in at the weekend from Lahore, are facing the possibility of a custodial sentence if deemed guilty, though both are pleading not guilty. They are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord’s Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired to bowl pre-determined no-balls.”I’m here as an observer on behalf of the PCB,” Rizvi told ESPNcricinfo. “When this case started the players were on a central contract with the PCB so that is why we have an interest here. Ironically I was here in London also when the players’ hotels rooms were raided by police last year. It was important that I witness a criminal trial involving Pakistan players.”I’m only concerned with the legal side of things at the PCB not the playing side, so any evidence against them will interest us.”Rizvi also said that ICC rules mean that the players must have independent legal support, therefore he has not liaised directly with the players during the trial or beforehand. The PCB’s main aim is to observe the proceedings and learn from what has happened to influence future events or policies.”As a cricket board we need to find out if anything wrong was done by them. We can’t discuss specifics now but any wrongdoing would be reflected in the final judgement.”