Yuvraj Six Sixes

New South Wales to approach Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi, who guided Pakistan to magnificence in the Twenty20 World Cup, may shortly receive an offer to play in Sheffield Shield for the Australian domestic side New South Wales.

The 29-year-old all-rounder helped Pakistan win their 1st major title in 17 years by thumping their sub-continental opponent Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final at Lord's.

"Afridi is clearly one of the world's best T20 player, but also he would be precious addition to our dressing room, our young players would learn a lot from him."

"We would surely consider if he could be used for other formats," a NSW Cricket official was lined as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Afridi set up an excellent all-round performance through the tournament; scoring 176 runs in seven matches included two half-centuries and also gets 11 wickets with an economy rate of 5.32.

If the contract materialises, Shahid Afridi would become one of the high-profile players to join an Australian side, after NSW's selection of Kiwi Brendon McCullum for last season's Big Bash final alongside Victoria, the report said.

Younis Khan will not to reconsider Twenty20 retirement

The rising pressure on him to reconsider retirement from T20 cricket despite, Pakistan skipper Younis Khan on Tuesday made it clear that he not go back on his decision.

"I had determined before going to the World Cup I would leave no matter what the result. I don't want to be in a condition where I am left out of the team," Younis, who was mobbed by fans at the Karachi airport, said.

"I think now Twenty20 cricket is a very hard form of the game. It saps your energy in 40 overs. It is not easy cricket. I am also old for this type of cricket," he said.

"I became a more serious skipper after the early losses. I realized I had to be serious. I am happy that we could take so much joy to the people," he said.

"Our plan was simple. I decided to take the force and let the others to play freely. We gave a free license to Kamran and Afridi. It was decided that if they botched I would go into bat and take the pressure."

"I am always motivated by challenges and I perform better under pressure," he said.

Fired-up Pakistan lifted World T20 title

Pakistan won their 1st major title in 17 years when they stunned Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the World Twenty20 final at Lord's on Sunday.

Shahid Afridi hit an unbeaten 54 off 40 balls, his second following half-century, and former skipper Shoaib Malik made 24 not out through a match-winning partnership of 76 for the undefeated third wicket.

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected bat first. The Lankans slumped to 2-2 in the first nine balls and that became 34-4 before Skipper Sangakkara himself led the save act with a defiant unbeaten 64 from 52 balls. Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews put on 68 for the unbroken seventh wicket as Sri Lanka plundered 59 runs in the final five overs. Mathews returned unbeaten on 35 off 24 balls.

Pakistan got off to a amazing start when teenage fast bowler Mohammad Aamir sent back the in-form Tillekaratne Dilshan with the 5th ball of the match.

Dilshan, the tournament's leading scorer with 317 runs, miscued a pull shot off the speedy left-armer and was caught at toward the back square-leg by Shahzaib Hasan for zero.

Four balls later, Shahzaib grabbed his second catch at mid-off as Jehan Mubarak skied a leading edge off Razzaq, who shared the new ball with Aamir.

Jayasuriya counter-attacked with a six and four in Razzaq's second over, but the bowler hit back two balls later as the left-handed veteran edged a ball on to his stumps after making 17.

Razzaq, who replaced the injured Yasir Arafat after ending his links with the rebel Indian Cricket League, struck again in his third over when Misbah-ul Haq dived to his right at slip to remove Mahela Jayawardene for one.

Player of the Match: Shahid Afridi
Player of the Tournament: Tillekaratne Dilshan

Oval on high alert for India-Pakistan match

Security around the Oval cricket ground has been stepped up in view of the India-Pakistan Twenty20 warm-up match to be held on 03-jun-2009 with extra night watchmen and snuffer dogs pressed into service around the location.

It will be the first Indian-Pakistan cricket meet since the November Mumbai attacks, and officials are taking no chances to make sure that the match passes off peacefully.

Tournament director Steve Elworthy said, "The sporting landscape has changed hugely since the tragedies in Mumbai and Lahore. We need to be confident we're on top of the situation, which we are."

Security has also been stepped up in venues where the Sri Lankan Cricket team is scheduled to play, given the recent events in the island nation and expressions in London against the Sri Lankan government's offensive against the Tamil Tigers.

A dedicated Police Intelligence Cell headed by the former chief constable Sir John Evans, has been set up, with the mandate to supervise security arrangements for the whole Twenty20 World Cup tournament.

Windies warm to brash T20 style

Hands thrust deep in pockets and cursing their bosses through chattering teeth for agreeing to a Test series in chilly England, the World Twenty20 can't have come quick enough for the West Indies.

When WI captain Chris Gayle, who thrives on packed houses and warm weather cricket, surveyed the rows and rows of empty seats at Chester-Le-Street as his team suffered a second Test drubbing, his thoughts would have drifted back to the IPL.

Had not the West Indies Cricket Board stepped in to fill the Test gap left by Zimbabwe and then Sri Lanka, Gayle as well as other teammates would have been raking in serious cash in the IPL in South Africa.

The Skipper made it clear which aspect of the game he preferred when he arrived in England two days before the first Test having played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening part of the IPL extravganza.

"Everyone knew this would happen," he said. "Maybe there should be a window for the IPL when all players should be available so everybody can get the chance to play against the best, like the World Cup."

The West Indian players, or at least some of them, are regularly at loggerheads with the WICB over financial rewards, although many have already reaped the benefits of Twenty20.

They came out on top in the unlamented Stanford Super Series last year when players became instant millionaires.

Their record on the international front has mirrored their unpredictable talents.

At the 2007 World Twenty20, Gayle smashed 117 in the game against hosts South Africa, and shared a record opening stand of 145 with Devon Smith, but still they lost.

They were then humiliated by Bangladesh by six wickets and failed to reached the Super Eights second round.

In all, the West Indies have won four of their 11 T20 internationals and will face a tough task to make the Super Eights in the 2009 event having been placed in Group D with Australia and Sri Lanka.

Their 15-man squad saw big-hitting Xavier Marshall recalled but Devon Smith misses out.

There are plenty of potential big run-makers in the West Indies line-up.

However, it's their ability of their wayward bowlers to keep a tight leash on opposing batsmen which will concern coach John Dyson.

In the second Test against England, the Caribbean side conceded 61 extras, 28 of them no-balls with frontline Fast bowler Fidel Edwards the worst culprit with 22 no-balls.

Andrew Flintoff ruled out of World Twenty20

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was ruled out of the World Twenty20 competition which gets happening on June 5.

The 31-year-old - who had constant injury problems over the past few years - has failed to make progress in time from right knee surgery after he suffered the injury during the Indian Premier League series 2009 in South Africa.

Nick Peirce, the England and Wales Cricket Board medical officer, required to allay fears this could cast doubt on Flintoff taking part in the upcoming Ashes series 2009 where England will be seeking to recover them after the humiliating 5-0 whitewash in 2006/07 when Flintoff captained the side.

"Andrew Flintoff is making brilliant progress and there is no swelling or pain now in the knee," said Peirce of the all rounder, who was England's star player when they won the Ashes in 2005 which was the last time he scored a century for the England side.

"He has been putting in some tremendously hard training with Lancashire and should start running and practicing this week.

"We have obtained permission from ICC to name Adil Rashid as a replacement," said Miller, a former England spinner.