Misbah shines but Pakistanis stumble

Pakistanis 234 for 8 (Misbah 99*, Vettori 3-26, Marin 3-52) trail NZC XI 384 all out (McCullum 206, Tanvir 4-63, Gul 3-61) by 150 runs
Scorecard

	Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, defied the New Zealand bowlers with an unbeaten 99
Related Links Players/Officials: Chris Martin | Misbah-ul-Haq | Sohail Tanvir | Umar Gul | Daniel Vettori Matches: Western Australia Women v England Women at Perth Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of New Zealand Teams: New Zealand | Pakistan

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, who was rested for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, picked up three wickets on the second day of the tour game against the Pakistanis, who were struggling in Whangarei despite captain Misbah-ul-Haq's unbeaten 99. New Zealand, who ended the first day on a comfortable 342 for 4, collapsed to 384 all out on the second morning. Fast bowlers Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir, who shared seven wickets between them, ran through the New Zealand middle and lower order as New Zealand lost 6 for 42.

The Pakistani innings got off to a disastrous start as Chris Martin's early burst left them reeling at 22 for 3 after seven overs. Mohammad Hafeez was the first to go, caught behind off Martin in the first over before Taufeeq Umar was dismissed similarly in Martin's next over. Younis Khan soon followed, also caught behind for 7.

At 39 for 4, when Azhar Ali was trapped lbw by Trent Boult, a familiar Pakistani batting collapse looked imminent but it was avoided through Misbah's efforts. He had a solid first Test series as captain, scoring three-half-centuries in two matches against South Africa and he continued to be in good touch. He and Asad Shafiq steadied the innings with a 52-run fourth-wicket partnership before Shafiq was dismissed by Vettori.

That brought wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal to the crease, who played positively, hitting seven boundaries in his 31-ball 35. His partnership of 57 with Misbah carried Pakistan to 148 before he was dismissed by James Franklin. Misbah also received good support from Abdur Rehman (20) and Umar Gul (24), as the Pakistani lower order showed some fight. Vettori dismissed both Rehman and Gul and Pakistan ended the day on 234 for 8, still trailing New Zealand by 150 runs with Misbah unbeaten on 99.

The first Test between Pakistan and New Zealand begins in Hamilton on January 7 and while the visitors will be pleased at how their bowlers bounced back on the second day, the indifferent form of their batting will be a worry.

Pakistan better suited for ODI cricket - Afridi

Pakistan's one-day captain Shahid Afridi has said Pakistan will be a surprise package in the World Cup later this year, despite the problems plaguing the team's recent campaigns, due to them being better suited to the 50-over format.

"No matter what people say and believe, I'm confident that Pakistan will do really well in the World Cup," Afridi told the News after returning from New Zealand following the three-match Twenty20 series there which his side lost 1-2. "I won't make any predictions but would make it clear that Pakistan will take their best shot for the World Cup title."

With under 50 days left for the event, Pakistan are yet to finalise their 30-man preliminary squad. Three of their key players -- Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir -- have been provisionally suspended following the spot-fixing controversy and their fates will be decided in Doha, later this week. There are doubts over the futures of two other players - Shoiab Malik and Kamran Akmal - who will appear before the board's integrity committee prior to the announcement of the preliminary list.

"It's certainly not an ideal situation," Afridi said of the side's controversy-ridden build-up to the World Cup. "But it's our history that we give our best under pressure."

Pakistan have performed reasonably well in their recent one-day campaigns, taking five-match series against England and South Africa to the final games. Afridi said Pakistan's one-day side was more likely to succeed than their outfits for the other formats.

"I would agree that a lot of work has to be done before we start doing well in Tests consistently," he said. "Even our Twenty20 team needs a world of improvement. But when it comes to one-day cricket, we are close to achieving an ideal combination. Most of the players in our Twenty20 team are better suited to the one-day format."

Afridi hinted he had given up on the option of opening the innings following his failures at the top in the New Zealand Twenty20s. "The idea behind my decision to open was to help give the team some fast and useful starts," he said. "But it didn't work out. Now I've decided to stick to No.6 spot both for Twenty20s and ODIs in the future."

Shahid Afridi says his team in better suited to ODI cricket

Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal given World Cup deadline

Former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal have until December 30 to provide the PCB with the necessary documents to clear their names for World Cup selection.

"The PCB has asked them to submit the documents about their assets and bank accounts by December 30 to be considered in the list of probables for the World Cup," Subhan Ahmad, the board's COO, told APP.

The ICC had extended Pakistan's deadline for the submission of its preliminary 30-member squad for the tournament to January 5, after receiving a request from the board. Kamran and Malik have not played for Pakistan since their controversial tour of England in August and were left out of the tour to the United Arab Emirates. They have also been denied permission to play league cricket in Bangladesh. The PCB has remained fairly tight-lipped about the reasons for their exclusion.

Kamran and Malik had both questioned the board's decision to not clear them for the New Zealand tour. Kamran had written to the ICC asking if he was under investigation and got a clean chit from them. The ICC had sent him and Salman Butt notices during Pakistan's tour of England in August, seeking information about events related to the 2010 World Twenty20 held in May.

Legspinner Danish Kaneria, who has not figured in Pakistan's one-day plans in recent times, was also earlier given until the end of the year to submit his replies to the board's integrity committee's queries, in order to gain clearance to play for the country.

PCB offers central contracts to women cricketers

In what will serve as a boost for women's cricket in Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to offer central contracts to the members of its women's squad who won the gold medal in the inaugural women's cricket tournament at the Asian Games in Guangzhou in southern China in November. Pakistan beat Bangladesh by ten wickets in the final.

The PCB said it would issue 20 one-year contracts, divided in to four categories, from January 1, 2011, but haven't yet specified the amount of money involved. This is the first time that women cricketers will be awarded central contracts in Pakistan, and the move was welcomed by the team captain, Sana Mir.

It's a positive step from the PCB," Mir told AFP. "It (central contracts) was something badly missing and now the PCB has acknowledged that we can play the game professionally and this will spur us on for more achievements."

The women's team came under the control of the PCB in 2005. There are currently around 600 women cricketers in Pakistan under the age of 19 and around 1,200 seniors. The PCB had introduced central contracts for the male cricketers in 2007.

Earlier this month the West Indies Cricket board (WICB) had awarded central retainer contracts to six of its women cricketers for the period October 2010 to September 2011.

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