Pak flip-flops again; now, won’t allow players in IPL

Pakistan have officially declared the Indian Premier League non-grata.

On Friday, exactly 10 days after the IPL auction in which 11 Pakistan players were put on the block and then snubbed, the Pakistan Cricket Board declared that it would not allow Pakistani cricketers to play in the Indian league.  PCB chief Ijaz Butt told HT: “We have scrapped the No Objection Certificates (NOCs) given to all 11 players. We don’t want to play in the IPL. It is full stop from Pakistan until and unless the IPL behaves.”

This came after IPL commissioner Lalit Modi told HT that no franchise could make an offer to a foreign player, including Pakistanis, unless it was as a replacement for an injured player for an entire season. He had added that the injury verification process took 2-3 weeks.

Butt said they were ‘disgusted’ by, first, the auction snub and then, the confusion over Abdul Razzaq’s reported invitation to play in this year’s tournament.

“The IPL doesn’t want us to play, so why should we give the players permission? Just one person going as a substitute for an injured player is an insult to the rest of our players. We have cancelled the NOCs of all 11 players and will only consider (allowing) them if our relationship with the IPL improves.”

Asked if any franchise had sent a genuine written offer to Razzaq, he said: “No, Abdul Razzaq will not go. We are not going to waste our time on the IPL.”

The Beginning of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay

Hundreds Gather to See the Olympic Flame

Twelve thousand lucky Canadians will transport the Olympic flame 45,000 km around Canada this winter in preparation for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The official torch relay began on October 30, 2009 when the flame was flown from the Apollo in Athens to Victoria, British Columbia (BC). When it arrived in Victoria, the torch was taken to the Songhees shoreline and carried in a traditional First Nations canoe across the Inner Harbour to the grounds of the BC legislature. Victoria’s harbour was filled with police and Transport Canada boats at 10:30 am that morning as helicopters whirled overhead. Thousands of eager spectators lined up on Government Street behind barricades as they waited for a glimpse of the Olympic torch to pass through. The dozen or so initial torchbearers in their matching uniforms and holding unlit torches milled about the Tourism Victoria Visitor Centre as they waited for their turn to carry the flame 300 metres. The excitement in the crowd was palpable. First Nations First to Speak First Nations leaders from the Coast Salish, Songhees, Musquem, Lillooet and Squamish bands were the first to make speeches in front of the BC legislature building. “We welcome you as we have always welcomed you,” said Chief Ernie Campbell of the Musquem Indian Band. Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee CEO John Furlong then took to the stage and said ” The Olympic flame embodies sport, peace, and hope . . . The days to come will be magical and joyful.” There were tears in the audience as “O Canada” was sang, and emotions also ran high when a brief video of past Olympic highlights and historical torch relays were shown on a giant screen next to the stage on the legislature lawn. Prime Minister Steven Harper also addressed the crowd and said “This is our chance to showcase our home and native land in all of its glory. . .We are the true north, strong and free.” Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson added “We are a powerhouse for winter sports, and a powerhouse for humanity.” The Torch Unites Young and Old, the Known and Unknown The official relay began at 11:05 am when Victoria’s Simon Whitfield, an Olympic gold and silver medallist triathlete and Saskatoon’s Catriona Le May Doan, a two-time Olympic gold medallist speedskater lit the torch from the giant on-stage cauldron as three jets flew overhead. From the legislature stage, Whitfield and Le May Doan raised the torch in unison to the sound of thunderous applause, ran a short distance to the street in front of the legislature lawn and then passed the flame to Olympic diver Alexandre Despatie from Quebec and Olympic rower Silken Laumann from Victoria. Local student Morgan Roberts received the flame from Laumann and Despatie as her family and friends applauded from the sidelines. And so began a relay across Canada that will include thousands of known people and “regular joes and janes” in hundreds of villages, towns and cities. The relay will be complete after 106 days when it will be brought into BC Place in Vancouver on February 12, 2010. On that day, another Olympic cauldron will be lit to signal the official beginning of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.