Northamptonshire all-rounder Kevin Innes put in a dogged performance asNorthamptonshire made it back-to-back wins over Grenada as their tour to theisland continued to hit the winning note.On the downside wicketkeeper Toby Bailey tore a hamstring and faces a weekon the sidelines curtailing his opportunities on the tour.But Innes gave the team something to cheer about when he guided them to afour wicket win with a watchful 46 from 73 balls which included five fours.At 85 for five the County were in a little trouble chasing the 152 targetset by the home side but Innes steadied the ship and hit the winning runswith more than three overs remaining.The all-rounder had earlier taken four for 28 with a tight bowling displaywhich frustrated the Grenadian batsmen. New boy Darren Cousins picked upfour wickets in his first match for the County, and Richard Logan bowled animpressive opening display.Innes said: “The first match was hard because the flight was long and we’dhad a tough first training session. It was a lot hotter in this match and ifwe’d bowled second then it would have been very difficult for us.”We are not used to this weather but we have adapted well. We used the samewicket for this game as we did in the last one and it got lower as it wenton.”A stronger Grenadian team took to the field for the second match with sixplayers having first-class experience with the Windward Isles, and skipperRaul Lewis has played at Test match level. In both matches the County havebeen given a good run out and the Grenadians have provided relatively stiffopposition.Director of cricket Bob Carter said: “We’ve been surprised a bit by them.They can all bat and bowl but the real test for us will come next weekendwhen we play the Windward Isles. They are a first-class team and have justfinished their Busta Cup competition. Those two games will be a good run outfor the lads.”Innes has had to be patient at the County Ground after making his Secondteam debut as 14-year-old but is hoping he will a key man this seasonfollowing Kevin Curran’s retirement.”This is a big year for me. KC has retired so there will be moreopportunities. I will bat at seven or eight and be first change seamer whichis a role I’m looking forward to. I’ve worked with Capes on my techniquethis winter and spent a lot of time building up my fitness. I broke in lastyear but now I need to carry on that progress,” he said.Carter has earmarked an important role for Innes and will be hoping he cancontinue the kind of form he has shown already on the tour.”He is a very capable cricketer and he made big strides last season. He hasworked very hard in the winter and he’s going to have a big season. He’s putthe work in and will hopefully see the rewards that brings,” the Countychief said.The County head back to the training ground over the next couple of days andare due to hold coaching clinics with Grenadian youth team.

Rain washed out the second day’s play in the South Zone Ranji Trophyleague match between Tamil Nadu and Andhra at the Guru Nanak collegegrounds on Thursday. Umpires Adil Palai and Vilas Bandiwedgar made sixinspections before calling off play for the day at 3 pm. At stumps onthe first day, Tamil Nadu at the end of a truncated day’s play, were153 for one.

It was expected to be a needle contest. And it lived up toexpectations. Ultimately South Zone got the better of holdersNorth Zone in the semifinal of the Deodhar Trophy tournamentby three wickets with nine deliveries to spare at Green Parkin Kanpur on Sunday. They now await the winner of the othersemifinal to be played between Central Zone and West Zone onMonday.South Zone’s confidence must have been boosted by their sevenwicket victory over East Zone in the quarterfinal on Friday.But then North Zone were always going to be tougher opponents.However, displaying fighting spirit and all round skill, SouthZone emerged triumphant to make the final which will be playedin Lucknow on December 21.North Zone captain Vikram Rathour won the toss and elected tobat. He and Indian wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya gave the team agood start by putting on 39 runs off eight overs beforeRathour was caught by Venkatpathy Raju off Ganesh. Off thenext delivery, Ganesh bowled Yuvraj Singh and North Zone weresuddenly reduced to 39 for two.Dahiya and wicketkeeper Pankaj Dharmani initiated a recoveryprocess by adding 66 runs off 13.4 overs for the third wicket.Dharmani was then bowled by Raju for 26. North Zone slippedfurther when Virender Shewag was bowled by Robin Singh fortwo. Dahiya however kept one end going and he and Mongia added38 runs for the fifth wicket off ten overs.Leg spinner WD Balaji Rao now struck telling blows. First, hehad Mongia (23) giving him a return catch. Then he terminatedDahiya’s fighting knock by bowling him. Dahiya’s 79 wascompiled off 105 balls and he hit five boundaries. VijayBhardwaj gave a helping hand by removing Harbhajan Singh (2).In the next over, Balaji Rao trapped Rahul Sanghvi leg beforefor two. Suddenly, North Zone had slumped from 154 for four inthe 34th over to 181 for eight in the 41st over.Reetinder Singh Sodhi kept the score moving and he was aidedby Gagandeep Singh in a ninth wicket partnership that added 26runs off six overs. Gagandeep Singh was then stumped by LNPReddy off Balaji Rao for seven. Last man Ashish Nehra madegood use of the long handle, hitting a six and a four inscoring 13 off 12 balls before he was run out off the lastball of the innings. Sodhi remained unbeaten with a valuable37 off 39 balls inclusive of a six and a four. Balaji Raofinished with four for 44 off nine overs.A target of 226 runs against some varied North Zone bowlingwas not exactly going to be an easy task. And South Zone’s jobwas made tougher with openers Arun Kumar (14) and Amit Pathak(14) falling in the space of three deliveries after an openingstand of 33 runs. But then VVS Laxman and Vijay Bhardwaj putSouth Zone in the driver’s seat with a third wicketpartnership of 134 runs off 25.5 overs. By the time the standwas broken in the 35th over, South Zone seemed to be cruisingto victory. Bhardwaj’s 45 was compiled off 74 balls and he hittwo of them to the ropes. At his going, South Zone requiredonly 58 runs from 15 overs.North Zone however came right back into the match with thedismissals of Bhardwaj and Laxman off successive deliveries.Laxman was bowled by Shewag for 76. He faced 89 balls and hitseven of them to the fence. Vanka Pratap (10) and skipperRobin Singh inched South Zone towards the target by adding 28runs off eight overs. However Shewag brought North Zone backinto the game by dismissing Pratap and Ganesh (0) in the sameover. And when LNP Reddy was run out for nought in the 46thover, South Zone at 205 for seven suddenly had a job on theirhands.Robin Singh and T Kumaran however made light of a tough taskby quickly hitting off the remaining runs. They added 22 runsoff 3.1 overs to steer South Zone to a well deserved victory.Robin, the crisis man, remained unbeaten with 28 off 40 ballswith two fours while Kumaran hit eleven runs off 12 deliverieswith one boundary hit. Off spinner Shewag was easily the pickof the bowlers finishing with three for 19 off eight overs.

With the first phase of the NatWest triangular now over, the Aussies lead with full points from their two games, followed by Pakistan while England complete the frame, at the bottom.Pakistan could have easily been on top of the table, had the upper order batted with a touch more responsibility against Australia and not frittered the game away after having seen through the new ball.

But then, the Pakistanis were, to a great extent bogged down by injuries, first with Wasim Akram sitting out and then Rashid Latif and Shoaib Akhtar breaking down during the game. That really upset their game plan, especially in the crucial latter half.Shoaib Akhtar’s exceptional pace means he does go for a few runs, but he is a wicket-taking bowler. Half his quota of overs remaining unbowled was thus a serious blow. And so was Rashid Latif’s absence from the field. The wicketkeeper plays the role of a pivot, and a dehydrated Rashid, not being able to stand behind the stumps too had its negative impact.Rashid, who played a glorious knock in Pakistan’s comeback, was unfortunately suffering with throat infection, and the antibiotics he’d been taking caused the dehydration.Yet, despite the defeat, there were things to celebrate, some real plus points.

The first was the rearguard action by Yousuf Youhana and Latif. From 86 for six, to fight back and end up with 257 takes some doing, especially against the Australian bowling attack and sharp fielding. Youhana and Latif deserve all credit for a great partnership when all seemed lost – their effort was one of some real guts and character.While Latif had played a few cameos in the Test matches and Youhana was trying to work his way back to form, their stay at the crease and the runs now behind them augurs well for their confidence. More importantly, it brought the team back into the game from a point when it seemed the game would be as one-sided an affair as the ’99 World Cup final between these two teams.It all started with two crucial blows, on rather innocuous deliveries, with Abdur Razzaq and Inzamam perishing in Shane Warne’s first over. While Inzamam was done in by a fit of bravado – perhaps he wanted to put Warne in his place straightaway; Razzaq doesn’t play spin very well in any case. Azhar too seems to have a similar problem. At least that is the impression one gets from the manner in which they start struggling the moment a spinner arrives. Oddly, they alter their game plan, and that is why both got out playing inside the line.

The Aussies are famous as run chasers, and when Ricky Ponting strikes such a rich vein of form, there’s no stopping them. Waqar didn’t do many things wrong, but he surely erred in not bringing on his spinners, especially Saqlain Mushtaq, a trifle earlier.There’s lot of cricket left in this tournament and it’s too early to predict anything. The way Pakistan has staged a comeback, to win the Old Trafford Test and the first match of the triangular in a convincing fashion, points to the fact that the team is now getting along well. And, with Waqar Younis proving to be an effective leader, they are likely to play some more sparkling cricket.The way I see it, almost two years to date since the ’99 World Cup final, it should be Pakistan and Australia slugging it out at Lord’s, come June 23.The picture for the Pakistanis really looks bright, and reflects from the good notices in the British press, which otherwise in turns, is either hostile or condescending. In quite a few pieces the resurgence of the Pakistan team has been applauded.A major contributing factor in Pakistan’s turnaround has been the spectators. The Pakistani expatriate community has filled the stands in good numbers, and the green and white flags fluttering with some vigour have provided the much-needed fillip to the morale of the team. The spirit and optimism of the spectators has rubbed off on the team and has motivated them to put up a united front and perform well.I hope with the crowds keeping faith in the Pakistanis, they would keep on improving.Ed: Rameez Raja is a former Pakistan opener and captain, a leading commentator on satellite channels and currently covering the England – Pakistan Series followed by the NatWest limited-overs triangular for Sky Television.

As taut and suspenseful as a new bestseller by Stephen King, the Pakistan v England ‘second encounter’ ended with a Trescothick-led resilient English side, pipped at the post by just two runs.I give full marks to the left-handed opener, who made the most of a dropped catch when on 5 and very nearly won the match for England.A brilliant running catch in the deep by Afridi meant Trescothick’s wicket had at last fallen when England needed just 6 off the last 5 balls with only Mullally to come. There was a sickening collision between Afridi and Shoaib Malik and I fear that Malik may get added to Pakistan’s injured list. Already Sami and Shoaib Akhtar are out and returning home with Wasim nursing a sore shoulder.

Trescothick ended up with a super 137 off 142 balls and added a record 170 for the 4th wicket with young Owais Shah (62 off 94), playing only his second one-day international.Getting into their act at a poor 26 for 3 in the 11th over, after Knight, Stewart and Vaughan had gone cheaply, they made maximum use of the Pakistani slow bowlers and fielders’ relaxed attitude.Trescothick was looking really ominous when he sent the relatively inexperienced Shoaib Malik out of the attack, having taken 37 off his 4 overs – the last hit for 16 including two sixes off consecutive balls. What hitting!With runs coming off every ball, the Pakistan side looked ragged and they looked to be praying for a miracle.Well, luck did come their way in the form of a run out. A direct throw from Younis Khan cut short Owais Shah’s fine innings. He paid for backing up too far. With the next three wickets of Hollioake, Cork and Ealham, going in quick succession I saw the Pakistanis shoulders and chests pump up again. They thought they were back in the game, were they?Unfortunately, the only hurdle in their way was Trescothick.

He had brought the target down to 25 off 32 balls and then Gough was adjudged lbw off Razzaq. With only 9 required off the last Saqlain over and Caddick – only the third to reach double figures – supporting him, the game could’ve gone either way.But that brilliant catch by Afridi, who had held on despite the collision, followed by a last-ball stumping, saw Pakistan through in this cliffhanger.A word on the Pakistan innings: Put into bat, Pakistan openers – Afridi and Saleem Elahi – were made to struggle in seaming conditions, after Saeed Anwar had opted out due to his daughter’s ailment.Pakistan’s bulwark, Inzamam only made it worse, coming in at 59 he played another ridiculous shot, making it two in a row after that infamous slog against Warne that helped Pakistan slide to a loss at Cardiff. He fell for a clear ‘set-up’ that had Caddick grinning ear to ear.

He was greeted first ball with a short one on the off that he just managed to fend off awkwardly, expecting another, he clearly cringed when the next one came. Comically, it was a full-length ball on middle and leg and the Pakistani vice-captain, incomprehensibly shied to the off, exposing his stumps and it was all over for him. Could I be right in assuming Inzi was still thinking of the Lord’s test when the ball seamed and popped about and he had been struck painfully?Now, it was up to Yousuf Youhana (81 off 119) who steadied the innings with yet another sensible knock. He seems to be back in form now. Getting help from Younis Khan (41 from 56), Rashid Latif (23 off 26), and Azhar Mahmood (27 off 21), he moved Pakistan to a respectable 242 for 8.After today’s defeat, England’s hopes of making it to the final must have suffered more, they’ve had the short stick and lost all of their three matches so far.However, they must realize after being dumped by 108 runs at Edgbaston, they have made a great comeback by playing two very good close games that could have gone either way.In today’s game, Trescothick’s effort was simply superb, so was Pakistan’s fight back. I think the huge crowd at Lord’s got more than their money’s worth, don’t you?

Ed:Mudassar Nazar is a veteran of 76 tests and 122 ODIs. He is currently the chief coach of Pakistan’s National and Regional Cricket Academies. In view of the overwhelming interest of users in CricInfo’s articles, we have invited him to write for us.

Matthew Hoggard has been added to England’s list of injured players.The Yorkshire paceman must rest for ten days after suffering a suspected stress fracture of his left foot. He saw a specialist in Nottingham yesterday and will see another on July 20 with a view to him returning to action the following week.England physiotherapist Dean Conway said: “With ten days’ rest, we’re hopeful he will be available to begin bowling again soon.”Yorkshire, though, are pessimistic about an imminent return and even if Hoggard was given the all-clear, it would leave him desperately short of match practice before the Third Test at Trent Bridge starting on August 2.England overlooked Hoggard for the First Test at Edgbaston and released him in time to play for his county – although Yorkshire declined to pick him.Hoggard’s injury just adds to England’s fitness woes. Captain Nasser Hussain will miss the Second Test at Lord’s with a broken finger, as will batsman Michael Vaughan who has had keyhole surgery on his left knee. Both hope to fit for the Third Test.England are desperately hoping that Graham Thorpe will be fit enough to return at Lord’s. He was due to see a specialist today to determine whether he can begin training after calf trouble has put him out of action for five weeks.

Isn’t it strange the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been functioning without a constitution for the last two years? Erstwhile Chairman Mujeeb-ur-Rahman’s term started August 1999 and lasted a few months with some actions called ‘comical’ by many. The next incumbent, Dr Zafar Altaf hardly got the chance to practically assume the coveted appointment. Thus the onus of running PCB, controlling the richest and the most popular sport in Pakistan, now rests with the Board’s present set up. But it is still being run on an ad hoc basis for the past 20 months and without a constitution in place.We hear the excuse, they are waiting for the Nation’s overall devolution plan to take effect but this does not seem valid. The PCB is an autonomous body with a special role, its constitution has never been subservient to the country’s political structure or to the government’s plans and policies. The Board appears to have been misguided on this point.In 1978 an ad hoc committee took over in exactly the same manner as the present set up. The organisation’s size was a fraction of what it is now and yet it only took six months to conduct countrywide elections of cricket bodies down to district level, restore the dissolved associations, draft and promulgate a new constitution and appoint the Council and General Body of the Board to run cricket affairs. The restoration of cricket relations with India after a break of 17 years and exchange of teams, renovation and expansion of stadiums and creation of numerous other facilities were the other landmarks.Except for a few amendments made during the times of Air Marshal (R) Nur Khan, the constitution remained supreme for 18 years. It was on the eve of World Cup 96 that a group of political appointees, desirous of running the Board through their whims and fancies, replaced it with an abstract looking document. Although the new constitution was far from being comprehensive enough to run national cricket, it had not fiddled with vital aspects of the Board’s structure. However, it seems the present set up is planning on making fundamental changes.The actual contents of a new draft constitution are not known but reading between the lines of recent news reports as well as statements issued by PCB officials from time to time, one gathers the following:

1. The Board seems to be waiting for the Government’s devolution of power plan to take effect before giving final shape to the document.
2. The Divisional Cricket Associations are being replaced by the Provincial Associations.
3. The membership of Departments, commercial organisations and institutions is being cancelled to give the Board a purely regional touch.

If the above is true, I suggest the PCB should appoint a committee of ‘neutral’ experts to study the pros and cons of the new proposals. In my opinion, these proposals if implemented will not only retard the development of cricket in the country but also create serious administrative-cum-functional problems for the Board.One thing is clear, that it is neither obligatory nor necessary for the PCB to conform to the country’s political structure. To achieve its aims and objectives with success, the Board should have a set up that suits its own requirements. Apart from infusing politics in the game, the Provincial Associations may well cause disruption and hindrance in the functions of the Board rather than being of any help.Actually, back in 1978, deep thought was given to this aspect and top legal experts consulted while drafting the 1978 Constitution. A combination of district and divisional cricket association was found to be the most ideal for promotion of cricket in the country and thus adopted. The system stood the rough and tough tests of time and brought unprecedented progress in the game. It must not become a victim of the whims of a group of people who perhaps had/have no love for the game.As in the past, the District Cricket Associations (DCA’s) must be formed with utmost care. Leaving the control of clubs to them, the DCA’s are in fact the nurseries of cricket as far as the Board is concerned. There are around 80 districts in the country and the calibre of those elected as heads of DCA’s can be well imagined. If the plan is to directly affiliate them with the Board, the PCB will likely turn into a farm with the responsibility of brooding young chicks. If placed under their respective provinces, they will face the vagaries of politics and likes and dislikes, eventually becoming the victims of neglect.The ideal and the most efficient control of the DCA’s would be under the bodies as compact as the former Divisional Cricket Associations. Since the divisions do not exist in the government’s devolution plan, I suggest that the good old divisional associations may be revived under the new title of “Regional Cricket Associations” and given the control of DCA’s with changes in composition where necessary. These associations should also be given membership of the Board rather than the politically motivated trouble shooting Provincial Associations.The major blunder in PCB’s future plans is the ouster of Government departments, commercial organisations and institutions from the Board. The people at the helm of affairs cannot perhaps visualise the invaluable contribution that they made to cricket during the last three decades. In a poor country like ours, where talented youngsters emerging from lower/middle class families could not afford to buy a full set of cricket gear, these organisations not only provided them employment but also groomed them to become officers.A cursory glance of the Pakistan’s cricket scene, past and present, will show how many great cricketers emerged from organisations like PIA, banks, railway, services and others. With the change of policy, we will not only deprive our cricket of a big chunk of talent but also render hundreds of promising cricketers, officials and umpires jobless, ultimately closing the doors of employment for the future aspirants.It’s no secret that former skipper Imran Khan, disliked the presence of these organisations and always harped on the tune of organising Pakistan cricket purely on regional basis. There is no doubt Imran was a great cricketer as well as captain but as I said in my first article, cricket administration is a different cup of tea. Imran’s proposal was not accepted for being unsuitable to our conditions. The present Board has somehow succumbed to something similar, perhaps not knowing its implications and adverse effects on the game, its popularity and promotion.I am surprised to read Rameez Raja’s explanation of the priorities under the PCB Vision 2005, which included ‘progressive phasing out of department based cricket’. I wonder, how could a person who happens to be a senior employee of a major bank and their team actively participates in domestic cricket, is reconciled to such an idea?Out of the numerous disadvantages that the ouster of department-based cricket has, I will only discuss one and leave the rest to those in power. The Regional cricket associations produce hundreds of talented players. As per rules only 25 of them could represent the association team in domestic cricket while the best among the left over lot played for the departmental teams. Now when the departmental teams are being phased out, where would these boys go?In defence of the plan one may say that, ‘the associations could be allowed to enter any number of teams in domestic cricket tournaments’. Having been a part of the system, I know that our associations do not have enough funds even to send their teams to far-off places to play matches. How would they manage it? What about the employment of these boys? I feel the change will reduce the level of our domestic cricket to a third-rate competition. And last of all, what are we trying to gain by changing the system?
(To be continued…..)

Allan Donald is back in the frame, as far as Test cricket is concerned, and he will be joined on South Africa’s tour of Zimbabwe next month by Claude Henderson, the Western Province left-arm spinner, the only uncapped player named in a 13-man squad by the selectors on Monday.Donald, South Africa’s premier fast bowler for the last decade and the only South African to have passed 300 wickets in Test cricket, has been included in both the Test and one-day squads for Zimbabwe. This contradicts earlier statements from Donald that he wished only to be included in the South African side for one-day internationals only and suggests a new resolve on the part of the United Cricket Board that players may not pick and choose how and when they would like to be considered for selection.Apart from the 13 players named for the Zimbabwe Test matches, Jonty Rhodes and Justin Ontong will be added to the squad for the subsequent three Test matches.Rhodes, according to convener of selectors Rushdi Magiet, is now also available for Test selection, "but was not chosen". Allowing that the selectors have also now signed a confidentiality agreement which forbids them to reveal what went on in committee meetings, this would nevertheless suggest that Rhodes will be available for the Australian tour at the end of the year.South Africa should hope that he is. As the country’s most experienced middle order batsman – with two tours to Australia under his belt – Rhodes would be an invaluable asset in the Antipodes, but the equivocation about his role in Zimbabwe hints that Rhodes’ ambivalence about his roles as husband, father and Test player have not yet been completely resolved.At the same time, Daryll Cullinan’s position is no more clear. His contract with Kent precludes him from the Zimbabwe tour, but it is hoped that he will be available for the remainder of the season. Which includes Australia, a country he has toured twice previously with unhappy results.So the squad for Zimbabwe tends very much to portray itself as a work in progress. There is no Mfuneko Ngam – still recovering from a shoulder operation – and no Nicky Boje – ditto. There is also no Roger Telemachus, in either the Test or one-day squads, which some might believe to be a reflection on the attitude of one who has no little potential, much of which still remains unfulfilled.Henderson should get a Test match in Zimbabwe, ahead of Paul Adams, on the basis, said Magiet, that South Africa took Adams and Boje to the West Indies in order to have "an attacking spinner and a defensive spinner".Presumably Magiet is saying that Henderson will be in Zimbabwe as a defensive spinner – Adams certainly does not fit this description – there to give South Africa’s seam-heavy attack a rest and to provide variation. This might be unfair to Henderson’s ability, but no doubt he will grasp the chance and leaving the theorising to the critics and selectors.There is place in the squad for both Lance Klusener and Justin Kemp, who both seem to be fighting for the same place with Klusener’s track record certain to push him into pole position, and Andre Nel.With Donald around, Nel might again have to wait his turn, but South Africa’s real concern will be sorting out the middle order. Neil McKenzie should be an automatic choice at this stage, but with the uncertainty about Rhodes and Cullinan not yet resolved, it is still not possible to say with any certainty who will batting at four, five and six against Australia in December.The squad: Shaun Pollock (capt), Mark Boucher, Gary Kirsten, Herschelle Gibbs, Boeta Dippenaar, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Lance Klusener, Justin Kemp, Claude Henderson, Allan Donald, Makhaya Ntini, Andre Nel. To join squad for ODIs: Jonty Rhodes and Justin Ontong.

During Sunday’s Norwich Union League match at Trent Bridge against the Surrey Lions Paul Johnson became the county’s highest ever run scorer in the history of the NCL/Sunday League.Beginning the day on 7,060 runs Johnson entered the record books when he reached 3, passing Derek Randall’s previous highest aggregate of 7062.Johnson made his county debut in the competition in June 1982 against Leicestershire at Trent Bridge and 19 seasons later, in his 257th game, he passed his former team-mate reaching the milestone in five games fewer then the former England player.Randall’s career had spanned the period 1971 to 1993 during which he played in 262 matches, finishing with an average of 33.46, a fraction higher than Johnson’s current average of 33.14.Johnson’s record-breaking innings ended on 14 in a farcical run-out when both he and Kevin Pietersen found themselves at the same end.

Despite the United States-led military attacks on Afghanistan, the Zimbabwe cricket team’s tour of the United Arab Emirates for the Sharjah triangular series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka is still on.Zimbabwe Cricket Union managing director Dave Ellman-Brown said yesterday that they have not heard anything from the tournament organizers concerning any security fears and therefore the tour is still on.”Whatever decision we are going to make will be guided by the tournament organizers. At the moment we have not received any correspondence from the tournament organizers,” he said.”We will be looking at the situation daily before we decide anything. So at the moment the tour is still on.””We will only cancel the tour when there is evidence that the safety of our players will be at risk as a result of the US-led military action In Afghanistan.” The tournament is scheduled for the end of this month.Sri Lanka has already named their squad for the tournament while Pakistan is reported to have begun preparations for the tournament. Pakistan shares a border with the embattled Afghanistan while the United Arab Emirates has a large population of people from that country.A number of sporting activities have been put in a spin in the subcontinent since the terror attacks in the United States last month. The New Zealand cricket team pulled out of its tour of Pakistan, which was scheduled to start a few days after the terror attack.