ICC refuses to add Saeed Ajmal in shortlisted categories

By Ubaid Awan

ISLAMABAD (TheSportsNext) September 5, 2012: The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Wednesday, rejected an appeal by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to add the name of Saeed Ajmal in the shortlisted categories of the ICC Awards 2012.

Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board, Chaudhry Zaka Ashraf, told TheSportsNext.com exclusively, “ICC didn’t agree with us on Saeed Ajmal’s omission from the awards categories’ list telling us the final list was prepared by a body outside the ICC therefore it can’t do anything about it”.

“We are strongly protesting on this and if an outside company or panel has committed a mistake then it must have been rectified”, he added.

Earlier, the ICC rejected the PCB appeal saying it was too late to add Saeed Ajmal’s name in the awards categories.

ICC said that the changes to the shortlist were not possible now and it remained final.

Saeed Ajmal, who had taken 72 wickets from 12 Test matches last year, was in the preliminary list of Cricketer of the Year award category but the body outside the ICC finalized names of Michael Clarke, Kumar Sangakkara, Vernon Philander and Hashim Amla for the award.

An ICC spokesman said, “Saeed Ajmal was in the long list of nominations for three awards and this went to a voting academy. They voted for these players and nominated their top four. This academy is representative of all countries and their votes were audited and verified by independent auditors. In that way, the process is already complete”.

It is important to mention here that former Pakistani captain Aamir Sohail and the country’s prominent sports journalist Abdul Majid Bhatti were part of the 32-member panel which voted for the finalized lists of awards categories.

Interestingly, neither Aamir Sohail nor Abdul Majid Bhtti voted in favor of Saeed Ajmal.

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PCB writes concerns to ICC over Saeed Ajmal’s omission from awards

By Babar Malik

ISLAMABAD (TheSportsNext) September 4, 2012: The Pakistan Cricket Board said Tuesday that it has written a letter to the International Cricket Council expressing its concern for ignoring Saeed Ajmal in the shortlist of nominees for its annual awards despite of a super show by the Pakistani off-spinner.

Saeed Ajmal, 34, was the top performing bowler in Test cricket last year as he captured 72 wickets and was the second best in the list of top wicket takers in One Day Internationals.

The Pakistani top off-spinner was nominated in original list of players but was omitted from the shortlisted nominees in the ICC international cricketer, Test cricketer and ODI player of the year awards.

PCB media manager, Nadeem Sarwar, told reporters, "Yes, we have sent a letter to the ICC expressing our concern over Ajmal's name from the final list of nominees for the annual awards. We feel that there might have been an oversight by the ICC panel of experts and this issue needs to be reconsidered again”.

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ICC announces Test Team of the Year

By Osama Tariq

DUBAI (TheSportsNext) August 30, 2012: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced its Test Team of the Year with Australian skipper Michael Clarke given responsibility of leading the team.

The ICC said in a statement issued here that the 12-man ICC Test Team of the Year was named based on the period between August 4, 2012 and August 6, 2012.

The team has four South African players including Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Vernon Philander, and Dale Steyn as the Proteas dethroned England as the top Test team in the Reliance ICC Rankings for Test teams.

England has the second best representation in the ICC Test Team of the Year with Alastair Cook, Matt Prior, and Stuart Broad getting a place in it.

Other players include Kumar Sangakkara, Michael Clarke, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Saeed Ajmal.

The ICC Test Team of the Year includes Alastair Cook (England), Hashim Amla (South Africa), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Jacques Kallis (South Africa), skipper Michael Clarke (Australia), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies), Matt Prior (England), Stuart Broad (England), Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan), Vernon Philander (South Africa), and Dale Steyn (South Africa).

Interestingly, not even a single player from India has been selected in the ICC Test Team of the Year despite of the fact that Team India remained number one Test time for quite some time before losing it to England.

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