'I knew I could hit the carrom ball' - Afridi

of your page where you want the widget to show up. --> 'One of Afridi's best innings' - MisbahWith one stroke in Sharjah, Javed Miandad "was remarked to have cut across the Indian ego like a knife slash…," wrote Rahul Bhattacharya in Pundits from Pakistan.

As Shahid Afridi dispatched the ball mightily into the Dhaka sky, the leading edge just about carried over the long-on fielder. It was Pakistan's first one-wicket win over India since April 18, 1986.

When nine was needed off the last four balls, Afridi smashed R Ashwin for a six over extra cover. Afridi didn't leave it as late as Miandad and Tauseef Ahmed did.

As Ashwin slowly moved towards the popping crease, Afridi was the centre of attention. He shuffled, smashed and ran. Not in the direction of the non-striker's end but towards the general direction of the dressing room and his onrushing team-mates.

Afridi knew it was a six even before the ball dropped behind the fielder; the trademark star-man celebration was back, this time wearing pads and gloves with a bat in his hand.

Shahid Afridi showed why his nickname is Boom Boom © AFP

Later, he told Star Sports that he was confident of handling Ashwin's variations. For the earlier six, he said, he had set his mind on the exact spot to target.

"I knew that I could hit his carrom ball and I had spotted it. It was pulled back slightly but I connected it really well," Afridi said. "He had the field set on the on-side, keeping the fielders up on the off-side. I thought that if I could play through extra cover, I can find runs through that region."

Afridi readily admitted that he had let the team down with some ill-advised shots against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, and he had set his mind on getting it right this time. He spoke candidly about how sometimes he gets confused when asked to bat for long.

"I had played some stupid shots in the previous games to get out. I know that my batting is very important to my team, so I have to be consistent in my batting. It helps the team a lot. I had to play sensibly. I wanted to bring down the [target].

"If I have 15-25 overs to bat, captain tells me to play singles and doubles. I become double-minded. It is not in my nature. The lesser the overs, I feel better and play better. I play single-mindedly. That's what makes me comfortable."

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq believes that this win will stop the criticism of Afridi. "I am very happy about Shahid Afridi, who has taken a lot of criticism in the last two matches," Misbah said. "I think he showed experience and won us a game that almost went out of our control.

"We expect innings like that from him. Whenever he [takes his] time in the middle and plays sensibly, he can be very dangerous. He already did it quite a few times, and this was one of his best innings. I think that the game was in our hands in the second-last over but after that it was quite difficult. Still, we knew that if Afridi can get the strike back, we will have a chance. He played very well. The last two sixes were tremendous."

Afridi has plenty of stand-out innings, and this 34 not out will be right up there, as it came against India under intense pressure. The game could have gone either way, and plenty of people had expected him to mess it up.

Nobody thought that about Miandad back in 1986. He had been batting on 110 off 113 balls when he hit it like a home-run. In an earlier paragraph in the book, Bhattacharya had called Miandad the "…purveyor of the single most famous stroke in Pakistan's history, perhaps even India's history…"

Eighteen years into Afridi's career - one that includes a World Twenty20 trophy, a record for the fastest ODI century that stood for over 17 years, and many sixes and smiles and the star man - he has played another defining knock. One that fans will continue to relive on YouTube years from now.

Mohammad Isam is ESPNcricinfo's Bangladesh correspondent. He tweets here

Feeds: Mohammad Isam © ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Mohammad Isam Tournament Fixtures Tournament Results Bangladesh v Pakistan at Dhaka
Mar 4, 2014 (14:00 local | 08:00 GMT | 13:30 IST) Afghanistan v India at Dhaka
Mar 5, 2014 (14:00 local | 08:00 GMT | 13:30 IST) Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Dhaka
Mar 6, 2014 (14:00 local | 08:00 GMT | 13:30 IST) Final: TBA v TBA at Dhaka
Mar 8, 2014 (14:00 local | 08:00 GMT | 13:30 IST) | Why Dhoni needs to speak out

It can't do Indian cricket any good when there is rampant speculation over the motives and methods of its highest-profile player

Steyn's spell from hell

No other bowler in the world today could have won the match in Port Elizabeth so suddenly and with such effect

Demented and orgasmic gesticulations

Viv Richards' over-the-top celebrations and a commentary row blighted the fourth Test of 1990 in Bridgetown

India batting thin on experience

The absence of MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina means India will go into the Asia Cup with an inexperienced middle order for the first time in a long time

The incredible life of Mohammad Nabi

Like the team he leads, Afghanistan's captain Mohammad Nabi has enjoyed a staggering rise in the world of cricket

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Thailand holds polls in opposition strongholds

Bangkok: Polling was held peacefully today in five Thai provinces where the opposition had blocked balloting during snap polls last month, the first step to complete a controversial election that could pave way the formation of a new government.

The Election Commission said the polling was "peaceful" in the provinces. Notably, violence erupted in Bangkok ahead and during the February 2 snap polls, boycotted by main opposition Democrat Party demanding the ouster of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Democrat Party also has demanded an unelected People's Council to replace the Yingluck regime.

The anti-government protesters blocked polling in several opposition stronghold provinces and in Bangkok on February 2 and during advance polling on January 26.

The poll panel was unable to announce the results of the limited polls held then as results can be announced only when polls have been held in all constituencies. Under Thai laws, 95 per cent of the 500 seats in the lower house of parliament must be filled for a new government to be formed.

The polls came a day after demonstrators abandoned an attempted shutdown of Bangkok as part of their plans to scale down of the protests.

Earlier in the day, anti-government protesters dismantled all the rally stages at major intersections and moved to the Lumpini Park, the sprawling green lung of the Thai capital near the central business district.

Addressing the protests, rally leader and former opposition lawmaker Suthep Thaugsuban said the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) would continue their struggle to overthrow the government.

However, one of the stages at an intersections near the Government House, supervised by an anti-government monk, has not been dismantled as the monk vowed to stay on.

Meanwhile, the King signed a royal decree for holding a senatorial election nationwide on March 30. Tenure?of the Upper House expires on March 2.

The number of deaths from violence linked to political unrest since November 30 has been put at 23 killed, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Erawan centre said. It said a total of 768 people were injured in the violence.

First Published: Sunday, March 02, 2014, 16:01

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Seven missing as Japan tuna fishing boat catches fire: Reports

Tokyo: Seven crew from Japan and Indonesia were missing on Sunday after a Japanese tuna fishing boat caught fire in the Pacific, local media reported.

A coastguard plane spotted the No. 8 Kaisei-maru emitting orange flames and thick black smoke some 400 kilometres south of Kochi prefecture, national broadcaster NHK said.

The fate of the two Japanese and five Indonesians on board remained unknown. It was also unclear what caused the blaze.

The coastguard received a report from a local fisheries radio station shortly after 6:00 am that it could not contact the 19-ton vessel.

More than four hours later, its plane found the burning ship, NHK said, showing footage of the vessel with its bridge in flames.

The ship left the port of Kochi on February 20 and planned to reach another port in nearby Wakayama prefecture on Tuesday, Jiji Press said.

First Published: Sunday, March 02, 2014, 17:32

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'Overdue' Clarke toasts gutsy 161*

Why Dhoni needs to speak out

It can't do Indian cricket any good when there is rampant speculation over the motives and methods of its highest-profile player

Steyn's spell from hell

No other bowler in the world today could have won the match in Port Elizabeth so suddenly and with such effect

Demented and orgasmic gesticulations

Viv Richards' over-the-top celebrations and a commentary row blighted the fourth Test of 1990 in Bridgetown

India batting thin on experience

The absence of MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina means India will go into the Asia Cup with an inexperienced middle order for the first time in a long time

The incredible life of Mohammad Nabi

Like the team he leads, Afghanistan's captain Mohammad Nabi has enjoyed a staggering rise in the world of cricket

View the original article here

Read more »

Iran cannot block Facebook forever, admits minister

Tehran: Iran will not be able to keep up forever its ban on legal access to Internet hubs such as Facebook, which has four million Iranian users, Culture Minister Ali Janati said on Sunday.

Such remarks by an Iranian official would have been unimaginable before President Hassan Rouhani, a reputed moderate, took office in August with a vow for more freedom.

"Four million Iranians are on Facebook, and we have restricted it," said Janati.

"We cannot restrict the advance of (such technology) under the pretext of protecting Islamic values," said the minister.

Access to the popular social networking site -- along with others which Iranian authorities regard as un-Islamic, immoral or undermining the Islamic establishment -- is obstructed by a massive filtering mechanism.

But tech-savvy Iranians have resorted to measures, known as anti-filters, to circumvent the restrictions.

Janati drew a parallel with a ban on fax machines and video tapes and players imposed the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"If we look back, we see many of the actions we took after the revolution were ridiculous." Rouhani has adopted a policy that promises greater tolerance on social, cultural and media issues -- a vow that helped him beat his conservative opponents in the presidential election last year.

But the government has faced resistance from hardliners resisting a reversal in such policies. A committee of 13 members determines what online content can be reached on Iran's Internet, which is notoriously slow.

Unapproved sites are put under the filtering system. The ban includes Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and numerous other sites, including blogs.

Today, Janati suggested that the government was working to remove the online constraints.

"The six ministers who are members of the (filtering) committee have clearly stated that we cannot continue to isolate ourselves from the world," he said.

But, he added it would take time.

"However, (filtering) is one of those issues whose solution requires time. And it will be resolved in time," Janati said.

Despite the bans, several Iranian officials are active on social networking sites. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has attracted nearly 850,000 Facebook followers by posting regular updates in Persian, and he operates the only "verified" account of an Iranian official on Twitter.

He also has a YouTube channel.

Several pages are also apparently run by Iranian officials, including a popular Twitter account, @HassanRouhani, believed to belong to the president's office.

Iran's ultimate authority, supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also has an online presence, with a Twitter account in Farsi and a Facebook page (facebook.Com/www.Khamenei.Ir) dedicated to him.

First Published: Sunday, March 02, 2014, 22:11

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Hundreds detained in Russian anti-war rallies: Rights group

Moscow: Moscow police on Sunday arrested hundreds protesting against military intervention in Ukraine, a rights group said, after President Vladimir Putin won approval from senators to send troops into the crisis-hit country.

Ovdinfo, a rights group that tracks arrests at demonstrations, said 352 were detained at two anti-war protests in central Moscow.

Police gave a much lower figure of 50 people detained for "attempts to violate public order", the Interfax news agency said.

Anti-war protesters gathered near the defence ministry in central Moscow and on Manezhnaya square close to the Kremlin.

Demonstrators held up peace signs and posters saying "No to war", while some also held Ukrainian flags and ribbons in the national colours of yellow and light blue.

Many people brought to police stations were accused of resisting police orders, which could carry up to 15 days in jail, Ovdinfo said.

Dozens were also detained in Saint-Petersburg, after some 500 people staged a protest, an AFP correspondent said.

Authorities meanwhile allowed rallies in several cities in support of Putin's policy on intervention, even closing central Moscow boulevards to traffic to allow a march.

Moscow police said 20,000 people took part in a pro-war march as television footage showed people walking with Russian flags as well as yellow-and-black nationalist flags and posters with slogans such as "Bravo Putin!"

The pro-Kremlin United Russia party posted an invitation to the demonstration on its website, saying Russian speakers were "faced with persecution and violence because they speak Russian and are friendly toward Russia."

Moscow police said that supporters of military intervention in Crimea also held a rally of about 50 cars called "We don't abandon our own people".

Russia's Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, yesterday unanimously approved Putin's request to send Russian troops into Ukraine.

Lawmakers also said the Russian ambassador to the United States should be recalled.

First Published: Sunday, March 02, 2014, 22:37

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Zimbabwe Cricket mismanaged $6m ICC loan

Peter Chingoka, Ozias Bvute and Wilson Manase on the board of directors page on Metbank's website A protest over salaries by Zimbabwe's cricketers has again brought to the fore Zimbabwe Cricket's financial problems, which have continued despite at least US $9 million being loaned by the ICC to the board. ESPNcricinfo can reveal that one reason for the financial mess is that ZC's top leadership apparently used a $6 million loan from the ICC to enrich a bank on whose board they sit and ignored a key condition of the loan.

The issue also raises an apparent conflict of interest: ZC chairman Peter Chingoka, vice-chairman Wilson Manase and former managing director Ozias Bvute all sit on the board of Metbank, one of Zimbabwe's leading banks. While Chingoka is a non-executive director on the Metbank board, Manase is chairman of the board and Bvute is a major shareholder in the institution.

ZC said the main purpose for the ICC loan was to service the current facilities with local banks so that it could borrow again but the plan was upset by the status of the financial market. Chingoka also said it was "wrong and malicious" to allege loss of money when Metbank themselves were owed the most amount of money. The ICC, meanwhile, has declined to respond to specific questions.

Recent effects of that debt have been public knowledge: last September, ZC called off a proposed visit by Sri Lanka on financial grounds and the current domestic season was delayed by two months after players went on strike over unpaid wages. That matter raised its head again in negotiations over payments for the upcoming World Twenty20, which have been deadlocked but due to resume on March 3.

ESPNcricinfo has learnt that from 2009, ZC took out US dollar loans from Metbank at interest rates of more than 20% - and possibly as high as 24% - despite knowing the ICC could arrange loans at international interest rates far below those that Metbank was offering.

In December 2011, after learning of ZC's high-interest loans from Metbank, the ICC loaned the cricket board $6 million with one rider: the money should be used to immediately retire ZC's existing debt. Instead ZC deposited the money in a non-interest-bearing account with Metbank for more than five months. Metbank would have benefited from the interest accruing on their high-interest loan to ZC, as well as from having ZC's money in the non-interest-bearing account available to loan to third parties. ZC would, by the same deal, have lost out twice.

The ICC loan was received by ZC on December 14, 2011; on January 18, 2012, ZC repaid $75,000 to Premier Bank, and another $50,000 to the same institution on March 15. It then repaid $1,758,211 to Interfin Bank on April 23, 2012 and $829,167 to FBC Bank on May 3.

It was not until May 25 that $3,287,623 was repaid to Metbank. With that amount sitting in a non-interest-bearing account for five months and 11 days, Metbank could have earned in the region of $300,000 by loaning it out to third parties at an interest rate of 20%. ZC would have paid around the same amount in interest on its loan from Metbank, which was attracting interest of more than 20 %over that time period. Metbank could therefore have benefited by more than $600,000 from the two effects.

The knock-on effect of those decisions was that ZC's debt spiral continued, to the extent that the board had to seek a second ICC loan last month, worth $3m, so that it could pay the money owed to its contracted players, umpires, scorers and other employees. It was also able to announce its squad for the World Twenty20 after receiving an extended deadline from the ICC, and domestic cricket resumed last weekend.

The ICC knew about these indiscretions since at least March 2013, but did not take any action against the individuals involved. However, its latest loan came with the condition that ZC move its principal accounts away from Metbank, which it has now done. Media reports suggest the ICC is preparing to pay off ZC's debts to Metbank; that money will then be deducted from ZC's annual benefits from the ICC, which could amount to $25m over the next three years.

The malaise in Zimbabwe Cricket's finances has been a feature of the last decade. When Bvute took over the organisation's reins following Vince Hogg's resignation in 2004, ZC was $10 million in the black. The 2012 audit of their accounts shows net liabilities of $14,267,152, and total liabilities of $19,081,421.

The exact cost of the financial mismanagement to ZC is difficult to calculate because it is unclear how much they owed Metbank when the $6m loan from the ICC was granted. Media reports in Zimbabwe estimated a further $15 million will be needed to erase the cricket board's bad debt to Metbank.

It is also not clear whether ZC explained the conflict of interests involving Chingoka, Manase and Bvute when that loan was agreed upon, although the ICC should have been aware of it since the trio are listed as directors on the Metbank website and the facts are also stated in ZC's annual audits. The ICC would not have known that Bvute was a major shareholder unless it had been informed as such by ZC.

Asked to explain the reason for the delay in paying off the loan, Chingoka told ESPNcricinfo: "Zimbabwe Cricket postponed utilisation of the ICC loan proceeds. Given the unstable financial market situation then, there was a risk that utilisation of the ICC loan proceeds was likely to result in ZC's bankers failing to finance the renewed bank facilities. Zimbabwe Cricket's main purpose for the loan was to service the current facilities with local banks so that ZC could borrow again. However, as a result of the status of the financial market then, such an initiative was no longer achievable. Meanwhile, temporary extension for the other bank facilities had been sought on the understanding that payment for the facilities will be done once the liquidity situation improved. So it is wrong and malicious to allege loss of money when Metropolitan Bank themselves were owed the most amount of money."

Chingoka did not, however, answer questions on why ZC borrowed money from Metbank when it could have borrowed from the ICC at lower interest rates, or why ZC did not deposit the ICC loan into an interest-bearing account.

He did answer a question on the potential conflict of interest involving its top officials. "Non-executive directors (including Chingoka and Manase) at ZC guide the organisation's strategy and policy whilst operational issues e.g. relationships with banks, are for the management of the organisation." Bvute was managing director of ZC until June 2012.

Asked about the misuse of the ICC loan, an ICC spokesman said only that the organisation does not comment on financial matters relating to its Full Members. A further request for comment on the latest $3m loan, and the prospect of ZC being bailed out of its debt, received the same response.

Were the ICC to pay off the debt to Metbank, it would likely be helping to bail out the bank as well as the cricket board. Metbank has faced mounting liquidity issues over the past five months, which came to a head towards the end of last year when many customers were unable to access the money in their accounts. According to one newspaper report in January, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has been monitoring Metbank under the Troubled and Insolvent Bank policy since November 2013. The report said that ZC's outstanding debt to Metbank was $15m, and that this large exposure was a prime reason for the Reserve Bank's concern over Metbank.

Liam Brickhill is a freelance journalist based in Cape Town. Tristan Holme is a freelance cricket journalist who divides his time between South Africa and Zimbabwe.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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