TORONTO, 18 October 2006 — Indian and Pakistani cricket stars of yesteryear, including Azharuddin, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younus, will play a one-day game here on March 3, 2007 at Toronto’s Rogers Center (formerly Sky Dome).
Details of the limited-over match between Indian and Pakistani teams were announced by the president of Canadian Cricket Association Ben Sennik at a news conference here Monday.
He said Mohammad Azharuddin would lead the Indian side while Wasim Akram will captain Pakistan team. He said both teams would consist of mostly prominent former Test cricketers.
The teams are: India — Azharuddin, (captain), Ajay Jadeja,Vinod Kambli, Srinath Javagal, Sandeep Patil, Dilip Vengsarkar, Sunil Joshi, Venkatapathy Raju, Venkat Prasad, Atul Vassan and Rohan Gavaskar. Madan Lal (team manager) Pakistan: Wasim Akram (captain), Waqar Younus, Ejaz Ahmed, Saeed Anwar, Moin Khan, Rashid Khan, Shoaib Mohammad, Tauseef Ahmed, Mohsin Kamal, Salim Jaffar and Salim Malik. Mudassar Nazar (team manager).
Ben Sennik said the March 3 match of the ‘all-star teams’ is part of a daylong festival of ‘cricket legends” which is aimed at promoting the gentleman’s game in Canada.
He said Canada is the only one of the 36 ICC associate member countries that qualified for the Cricket World Cup for three times — 1979, 2003 and 2007. He pointed out that Canadian player John Davison holds the world record of scoring a fastest century in a World Cup. He scored 111 off 66 balls against West Indies in the 2003 World Cup.
“We are determined to do much more better in next year’s World Cup to be played in the Caribbean,” Sennik said. Canada is placed in Group C with England, News Zealand and Kenya. He brushed aside a question that Azharuddin may not be able to play in Toronto as he is facing a life ban.
“I’m confident he will make it to Canada.”
Azhar, who led India at three World Cups, was banned in 2000 for fixing matches. Last week the International Cricket Council (ICC) raised objection over Indian Cricket Board’s invitation to the disgraced cricketer to a ceremony to honor high-profile cricketers in Bombay early next month.
An ICC spokesman said in London that the world’s cricket body has “zero tolerance toward corruption and we hope our members adopt the same approach.”
The Indian Cricket Board has defended its plans to honor Azharuddin.
“This honor will be for his contribution to cricket, the board doesn’t see anything wrong here,” an Indian cricket official was quoted as saying.
