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The Pakistan board has sacked Saleem Altaf, the chief executive officer of the World Cup organising committee, shortly after the leaking of an email from Nasim Ashraf

Cricinfo staff12-Jun-2008
Saleem Altaf, sacked by the PCB, is considering legal action against the board © AFP
The Pakistan board has sacked Saleem Altaf, a senior board official, reportedly after alleging that he has leaked sensitive information to the press.Though it appears as if the leaked email from Nasim Ashraf, the board chairman, criticising the Pakistan side for their embarrassing 140-run loss to India on Tuesday was the reason behind the sacking, a broader story has been at work.”Altaf’s services were no longer required. It has nothing to do with the leaking of the email,” PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi told Cricinfo.It is believed that conversations Altaf has had with several journalists over a period of time were being recorded by the board. Transcripts of these conversations were read out to him this afternoon. Altaf was then told that he had been leaking sensitive information to the press about the board and was given a choice to either resign or be sacked. Altaf reportedly refused to resign and asked to be chargesheeted for the allegations. He was later escorted from the board headquarters in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, by security guards.Altaf, a trained lawyer himself, is now considering legal action against the board. “The acts of the chairman are unlawful, especially with regards to taping of my conversations. I am seeking legal advice about this and will act accordingly,” Altaf told Cricinfo.Though he has worked in the selection committee in the past, Altaf was appointed by the PCB in this current stint in March 2005. His first duty was as manager of the Pakistan side touring India that month. Under Shaharyar Khan’s tenure as chairman, Altaf became one of the seniormost decision-makers at the board.But after Ashraf took over, Altaf was widely thought to have been sidelined into his current role as director special projects, in charge of the organising committee for the World Cup 2011. Altaf played 21 Tests for Pakistan between 1967 and 1978 as a lively fast-medium bowler, ending up with 46 Test wickets.

The series continues on Tuesday 10 December 2002 when the guest will be Gladstone Small, former Warwickshire and England fast bowler, now Director of Community Projects for the Professional Cricketers’ Association

Worcestershire CCC Media Release29-Nov-2002The series continues on Tuesday 10 December 2002 when the guest will be Gladstone Small, former Warwickshire and England fast bowler, now Director of Community Projects for the Professional Cricketers’ Association.A member of the last England touring party to win the Ashes, taking 5-48 at Melbourne in an innings defeat of Australia, Gladstone played a total of 17 Tests.Gladstone is now responsible for the Zone Cricket Challenge, Cricket Max, the Channel 4 Initiative and for creating awareness of cricket, working in parallel with Cricket Boards.The evening starts at 7.30 p.m. in the Cricket Suite of Worcestershire CCC’s New Road Ground; entry is free to Society members: £2.50 to non-members.

Several newcomers to Northern Districts will have their chance to impress the region’s selectors ahead of the State Championship when playing Auckland in a practice match on Eden Park’s outer oval on Monday and Tuesday

Lynn McConnell14-Nov-2002Several newcomers to Northern Districts will have their chance to impress the region’s selectors ahead of the State Championship when playing Auckland in a practice match on Eden Park’s outer oval on Monday and Tuesday.Former Auckland batsman Nick Horsley, Central Districts batsman David Kelly and bowler Gareth West have been named in the ND side. The absence of Scott Styris, Daryl Tuffey, James Marshall and Bruce Martin are still to return from Australia where they complete club appearances on Saturday.The side is: Michael Parlane, Hamish Marshall, Joseph Yovich (Northland), David Kelly (Counties Manukau), Nick Horsley, Gareth West (Thames Valley), Grant Robinson, Daniel Vettori, Simon Andrews (Hamilton), Matthew Hart, Robbie Hart, Graeme Aldridge (Bay of Plenty).The Northland players have already had a boost to their season by winning the right to represent Zone 1 in the Hawke Cup.One round of games remain in the elimination series but Northland have built an unassailable lead.The points, before Thames Valley play Midlands at Cambridge, Counties Manukau play Hamilton in Pukekohe and Bay of Plenty play Poverty Bay in Rotorua are: Northland 38, Bay of Plenty 24, Hamilton 20, Poverty Bay 20, Thames Valley 20, Counties Manukau 8, Midlands 0.The ND team for the national Under-19 tournament to be played at Lincoln University from December 11-23 has been named.It is: Keir Bettley, Morne Scheepers, Greg Steele (Hamilton), Brad Chard, Lance Jessup, Chris Newson, Michael Pinny, Brad Wilson (Northland), Daniel Flynn, Tevita Levao (Bay of Plenty), David Richardson (Thames Valley). Non-travelling reserves are: Peter Carey, B J Watling, Cameron Weight (all Hamilton). The team will be coached by Philip Parker and managed by Bill Burnell.

Nashua WP scored a convincing innings and 14 run win over Free State in a Supersport Series match which ended in Bloemfontein on Monday

WPCA Staff24-Sep-2002Nashua WP scored a convincing innings and 14 run win over Free State in a Supersport Series match which ended in Bloemfontein on Monday.Man of the Match Charl Willoughby was the star performer claiming 10 wickets in the match for 103 runs. He received support from Claude Henderson, Roger Telemachus and Paul Adams.On the batting front Ashwell Prince(98) and Renier Munnik(87) supported by debutant Johno Maclean enabled WP to post a respectable 376 in their first innings. Nashua WP gained 17.92 points from the match.The next WP match starts on Friday against Griquas in Kimberley.

WESTERN Australian cricket selectors, in conjunction with the Australian Cricket Board, have been forced to make a change to the ACB Chairman’s XI to play England at Lilac Hill on Tuesday.

Western Australia Cricket Association21-Oct-2002WESTERN Australian cricket selectors, in conjunction with the Australian Cricket Board, have been forced to make a change to the ACB Chairman’s XI to play England at Lilac Hill on Tuesday.Warriors opener Scott Meuleman has a thigh injury and has been forced to withdraw.He will be replaced by left-hand top-order specialist Chris Rogers.Rogers, 25, established a piece of WA history late last season when he compiled unbeaten centuries in each innings of a Pura Cup match against South Australia.He became the sixth West Australian to complete the `ton-double’ (101 and 102) for his state and the first to remain not out on achieving the feat.This year’s annual ACB Chairman’s match officially launches England’s Orange Test series tour of Australia for the 2002-2003 season. It is the 13th Lilac Hill Chairman’s XI match.Former Test stars Kim Hughes, David Hookes and Wayne Clark have accepted invitations to play.The team is:Michael Hussey (Captain), Ryan Campbell (vice-captain), Michael Clark, Kade Harvey, Brad Hogg, Chris Rogers, Matthew Nicholson, Marcus North, Callum Thorp, Paul Wilson, Kim Hughes, David Hookes and Wayne Clark.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts insists that Raheem Sterling would be unwilling to move to the club in a part-exchange deal that would see Harry Kane move to Manchester City.

Kane has reportedly asked to leave the club this summer, sparking interest from City, along with Manchester United and Chelsea.

Various swap deals have been mooted, with The Sun claiming that City could offer both Gabriel Jesus and England international Sterling to Spurs plus cash for Kane, who has enjoyed a spectacular season, winning the Golden Boot and the Premier League’s Playmaker Award.

The Athletic has reported that Sterling is considering his City future this summer and he has also been linked with Arsenal.

Roberts, though, believes that Spurs would not even countenance the idea of bringing Sterling to the club because of his huge wages – he is said to earn over £300,000-per-week at the Etihad Stadium, and he doubts he would be interested.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “If he’s not going to accept £350,000 a week at Man City, he’s not going to accept £250,000 or £200,000 at Tottenham. Irrelevant.

“There’s the bottom line of it, they can offer Tom, Dick, and Harry but they’re not going to sign. Tottenham are not going to look at it because the wages are too extortionate.”

Manchester United could solve their defensive conundrum by signing Borussia Dortmund’s Manuel Akanji this summer.

What’s the story?

Centre-back has been a problem position for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men for many seasons now, with Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly failing to convince over their long-term credentials.

One man who could provide the answers, though, is Akanji. The Athletic recently touted him as a player that United should be looking at, and with good reason.

Woodward must swoop

It’s been four long years since the Red Devils last got their hands on a major trophy, a run that everyone involved with the club will be desperate to end next season.

A shock defeat to Villarreal in the Europa League final back in May highlighted the progress that still needs to be made by United if they are to compete for football’s biggest prizes once more.

Therefore, bringing in a new partner for club captain Harry Maguire is expected to be high up on Solskjaer’s wish list over the coming months.

While Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane has been strongly linked with a move to the 20-time English champions in recent weeks, Akanji could be a cheaper, younger alternative.

Both men have similar profiles in being quick, comfortable playing out from the back and extremely competent at bringing the ball out of defence – Akanji’s 1.5 tackles per league game, 1.8 interceptions and 2.5 clearances made him one of Dortmund’s standout performers last season.

The Switzerland international has made 122 appearances for BVB since arriving from FC Basel in January 2018, winning the DFB Pokal during his time at the Signal Iduna Park.

His impressive performances have earned praise from many onlookers, including Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc following a standout performance against Wolfsburg.

“Manuel has been playing at a very high level for many months now. He does his job really well, and in Wolfsburg he almost managed to score another headed goal,” said Zorc.

“We are very happy with him. He is playing at least as well as he did when he first joined us in the winter of 2018. He is a pretty complete defender.”

The 25-year-old’s unquestionable ability would make him a perfect partner for Maguire in the heart of defence, and departing chief executive Ed Woodward must swoop for the 6 ft 1 powerhouse this summer.

And, in other news…Man Utd dealt major transfer blow over “amazing” £43m “leader”, Ole will be gutted 

Doug Cowie and Brent Bowden will be New Zealand’s two automatic nominees to the International Cricket Council’s international panel of umpires

Lynn McConnell16-May-2002Doug Cowie and Brent Bowden will be New Zealand’s two automatic nominees to the International Cricket Council’s international panel of umpires.They will be part of a 20-strong group whose international duties will be largely confined to standing in One-Day Internationals, although some panel members could be called in to help the elite panel of eight when there are unavailabilities.The international panel is due to be announced by the ICC in the next few days.Cowie, 55, has stood in 22 Tests since making his international debut at Napier in 1994/95 when New Zealand played Sri Lanka. He has also stood in 63 ODIs.Bowden, 39, has stood in three Tests and 19 ODIs.Their reserve is Tony Hill, 50, and unless one of either Cowie or Bowden is overseas doing other games, his main duties will centre on TV umpire work.There is also the possibility that international matches in New Zealand won’t have an overseas umpire in them in which case the matches would have the top two standing together.The two other members of the former international panel, Dave Quested and Evan Watkin drop back to the A panel where the prospects of covering international matches are largely confined to tour games involving international sides.Meanwhile, Bowden and another Auckland umpire, Phil Jones, will be doing games at the Pacifica Cup being played in Samoa later this month and in early-June. Among other umpires from the region in attendance will be Bob Parry and Rod Tucker from Australia and Tony Cooper from Fiji.New Zealand Cricket’s umpiring manager Brian Aldridge will be the tournament umpires’ manager.

Celtic are battling Turkish giants Fenerbahce in a bid to sign former Swansea City forward Andre Ayew.

The Lowdown: Ayew released

Ayew failed to earn promotion with Swansea last season, losing in the playoff final against Brentford at Wembley.

As a result, the Welsh club released the attacker, who was their top earner by some distance.

The versatile forward, who has scored 131 goals at club level during his career, is Swansea’s record signing after joining for £18m in 2018.

The Championship outfit won’t be receiving a fee for the Ghana international’s services, though, and it appears as if the Hoops now want to take advantage of Ayew’s availability.

The Latest: Hoops in the running

According to Turkish outlet Fotomac, cited by the Daily Record (11/06; 21:49), both the Hoops and Fenerbahce are pursuing a deal for the 31-year-old.

Wages are thought to be a key factor in Ayew’s next move, with a transfer fee not required.

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The Verdict: McKay may need to break a club record

Ayew’s Swansea deal was thought to be worth a whopping £83,000-a-week – £60,000-a-week more than the club’s second-highest earner.

Celtic’s highest earner last season, excluding loanees, was Scott Brown on £23,000-a-week. He’s now with Aberdeen, so you’d expect CEO Dominic McKay would have to offer Ayew a club record-breaking contract to have a chance of securing the forward’s services.

From the outside looking in, it appears as if a deal may well be extremely hard to strike considering the scarcely believable wages he was on with a second-tier side.

However, with the Hoops undergoing a rebuild on and off the pitch, who knows, they could be willing to offer Ayew mega money to bring him to Parkhead and lead the new era. Only time will tell.

In other news: ‘From what I hear’ – Sky Sports pundit drops Celtic claim which could interest Ange Postecoglou, find out more here. 

Newcastle United could transform their defence by signing Celtic powerhouse Kristoffer Ajer this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that the Magpies are very much interested in signing the Norway international, and there has now been a major update on their pursuit of the centre-back.

The Northern Echo claim that Steve Bruce is keen to kick off his side’s summer business with a move for the 6 foot 6 giant, and that “with Newcastle having sent a series of scouting delegations to watch the Norwegian this season, the Magpies’ interest is currently understood to be at a much more advanced stage.”

The report adds that Ajer is set to leave Celtic in a mass exodus from the club, and the Hoops currently value him at around the £8m mark.

Imagine him and Lascelles

Speaking earlier this season, former Scotland boss Alex McLeish said: “I go back to that St Johnstone game, you see sometimes when it’s not going for Celtic and the game’s in its dying embers, and then all of a sudden you see Ajer striding up the pitch trying to inspire like Roy of the Rovers.

“Running from defence, augment the attack and then it leads to a goal – these are inspirational moments and he is an inspirational, influential player for Celtic. Like Virgil van Dijk, he came to Celtic and we all know what happened next.”

Ajer’s teammate and fellow centre-back partner Christopher Jullien hailed him as a “unique talent”, and it’s no surprise given his combination of size and elegance on the ball when he brings it out from the back.

That kind of ball-playing ability, combined with someone like Jamaal Lascelles could form the basis of a really strong spine at St James’ Park.

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The duo’s different strengths could compliment each other, with Lascelles’ no-nonsense approach to defending – he made the fourth-most clearances and third-most blocks for Newcastle – fitting in well with Ajer’s more measured style.

With Ajer also standing at an imposing 6 foot 6, the Magpies would have a couple of towering units at the back, that will leave opposition strikers thinking twice about trying to bully either of them.

Meanwhile, Newcastle must land this Championship star…