Pakistan’s star batsman Mohammad Yousuf on Tuesday vowed to silence his critics with a forceful showing in the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Yousuf, under fire for his below-par showing in the recent One-day series against Sri Lanka, said that he is looking to give his best in the elite tournament starting on September 22.

Some critics have questioned the selection of Yousuf in the Champions Trophy squad, saying that the seasoned batsman is a poor fielder in limited-overs cricket. Those experts have been calling for Yousuf to limit his international career to Test cricket.

The 34-year-old player, however, said his critics should be aware of the fact that he has been suffering from a shoulder problem for the last few years, adding that the injury has affected his performance as a fielder.

“I always field inside the circle these days because of the shoulder problem. But I’m hoping to get better,” he said.

Yousuf said that he is currently training hard for the Champions Trophy in spite of the holy month of Ramadan. “I do my physical training and also some batting, fielding and running practice,” he said. Yousuf, who has piled up 9292 runs from 272 one-day internationals, has the complete backing of his captain Younis Khan.

Last week, skipper Younis Khan in spite of Yousuf’s below-par showing in the recently-concluded One-day series in Sri Lanka, saying that his top batsman will take his time to adjust to the demands of international cricket.

Younis said that Yousuf has returned after a gap of over a year, and that there is a big difference between playing the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and international cricket.

“He (Yousuf) was out of international cricket for more than a year and will take time to make adjustments,” said Younis. “He played in the ICL during that period but let me tell you that there is a world of a difference in the standard of that league and international cricket. I’m sure in time Yousuf will be giving his best for Pakistan once again.”

Dope tainted pacer Mohammad Asif was recalled while all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, who quit the ICL to play for the country, was left out as Pakistan announced its 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Asif, who was suspended for testing positive in the Indian Premier League last year, will complete a 12-month ban on September 22, the day the tournament begins in South Africa.

He was even banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board in July, 2008 for the same offence and also for his 19-day ordeal in Dubai in June last year.

Pakistan chief selector Iqbal Qasim said Asif, who last played an ODI in April 2008 against Bangladesh, was drafted into the team after careful assessing his form and fitness.

“Asif has been picked after a careful assessment of his match fitness and form by the selectors and also by former captain Rashid Latif, who supervised his training in the emerging players camp here,” Qasim said.

Qasim said Asif was considered for the team as the Champions Trophy does not start until September 22 and there is ample time for him to train hard and recover his fitness.

“The report we have got is he will be 100 per cent match fit and is bowling well.”

Qasim said the selectors had tried to pick a balanced squad for the eight-nation tournament and were forced to drop Razzaq.

“We would have liked to have him in the team but unfortunately we can only pick 15 players and he has struggled for fitness in Sri Lanka,” the former Test spinner said.

Senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf, however, has retained his place in the team.

The selectors also debated on the inclusion of experienced opener Salman Butt but the chief selector said it was decided to go with just one opener Imran Nazir since Pakistan had the option of makeshift openers in Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi and even Fawad Alam and Shoaib Malik.

The squad: Younus Khan (Capt), Imran Nazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Muhammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Rana Naved, Kamran Akmal, Rao Iftkhar, Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul.

Reserve players: Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Talha, Wahab Riaz, Shaharyar Ghani, Khalid Latif.

South Africa left out tall fast bowler Morne Morkel Thursday when they announced a 15-man squad for next month’s ICC Champions Trophy to be played in South Africa.

Morkel, regarded as a match-winner when he burst on the national scene in 2006-07, paid the price for inconsistent performances last season.

While Morkel missed out, left-arm fast bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe returned to the national team for the first time since undergoing a cartilage operation on his right knee in March. Tsotsobe took four for 50 in his only One-Day International against Australia in Perth in January.

Tsotsobe, 25, joined Wayne Parnell, 20, as one of two promising left-arm pace bowlers in the squad. Parnell was one of the outstanding performers in the World Twenty20 in England in June.

Left-arm spin bowler Robin Peterson also gained a recall.

“There were some difficult choices to make,” said selection convener Mike Procter.

“At the moment South African cricket is blessed with an abundance of fast bowling talent with the emergence of Tsotsobe and Parnell as outstanding new prospects and Charl Langeveldt becoming available again.

“Langeveldt is not fit enough yet to be considered after his shoulder surgery and Morne Morkel is the unlucky one to miss out. He is very much part of our long-term planning and has a major role to play but we would like to see more consistency from him at this stage,” said Procter.

Procter said one of the strengths of the team was that there were numerous options, with four spin bowlers, two all-rounders in Jacques Kallis and Albie Morkel as well as a strong pace attack.

“There is also batting potential most of the way down the order.”

The Champions Trophy will be played at two venues, Centurion and Johannesburg, from September 22 to October 5.

South African squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Johan Botha (vice-capt), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Roelof van der Merwe.

Pakistan selectors will have a tough task at hand when they sit to finalise the 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy on Friday as they have to take the hard decision of either axing a promising young all-rounder or a senior player.

The seven-member selection committee headed by former Test spinner Iqbal Qasim also have to take a hard look at the fitness of pace bowler Muhammad Asif, who has not played any competitive cricket since last July.

“It is not going to be easy for the selectors when they sit down on Friday to finalise the Champions Trophy squad because in South Africa the conditions are tough at a higher altitude and there is need for experience,” a source said.

The source said if the selectors decide to call up Asif then they will have to either axe all-rounder Fawad Alam who scored a debut century in the Test series in Sri Lanka or a senior player.

“Fawad has become a good utility player for the team and plus the captain, coach and manager are very impressed with his commitment and attitude in the team regardless of whether he is playing or not,” the source said.

He said if the selectors decide to retain Fawad then they would have to axe either one of three senior players including Mohammad Yousuf, Salman Butt or Misbah-ul-Haq.

“Butt was already overlooked for the One-day series in Sri Lanka after a dismal show in the Tests and the captain is also said to be unhappy with his attitude and commitment so in all likelihood the selectors might opt to pick just one specialist opener in Imran Nazir and manage with makeshift openers like Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal or even Shoaib Malik to partner him in the Champions Trophy,” the source said.

He said if Butt was again ignored then finalising 15 men would not be a problem with Yousuf and Misbah retaining their places despite putting up a poor show in Sri Lanka.

“But the selectors are double minded since Butt is an experienced opener and in South Africa it is always safe to open with a proper opening pair and not experiment,” the source said.

However, the source said that all-rounder, Rana Naved who excelled in Sri Lanka in the One-dayers, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq were sure to be selected.

“Rana is so confident of being picked for the Champions Trophy that he didn’t even bother to go back to England after the Sri Lankan series to resume his contract with Yorkshire,” the source said.

According to the source, selectors have narrowed down to 18 players, namely:

Imran Nazir, Salman Butt, Khalid Latif, Khurrum Manzoor, Umar Akmal, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Rana Naved, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal.

India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik will unveil the ICC Champions Trophy at a formal function in Mumbai on Thursday. 

The unveiling would be done at the Reliance Centre in Ballard Estate, South Mumbai in the presence of Campbell Jamieson, General Manager (Commercial) of the International Cricket Council.

The Champions Trophy, carrying a prize pool of $4 million, is to be held from September 22 to October 5 in South Africa – at Centurion and Johannesburg.

Apart from India, hosts, South Africa, holders Australia, Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka, West Indies and New Zealand are to contest for the top prize of $2 million.

The runners-up would get $1 million and the two losing semi-finalists $400,000 each. Teams finishing third in their respective groups would take home $100,000.

England selectors named a 30-man preliminary squad on Friday for the Champions Trophy to be held in South Africa in September. 

The squad will be reduced to 15 players by August 23.

Squad: Andrew Strauss, James Anderson, Gareth Batty, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Steve Davies, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, James Foster, Stephen Harmison, Ed Joyce, Rob Key, Michael Lumb, Sajid Mahmood, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Eoin Morgan, Graham Napier, Graham Onions, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright.

With a view to build a team for the 2011 World Cup, Australian selectors on Thursday included three new faces while leaving out batsman Brad Hodge in the preliminary squad of 30 for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in September in South Africa.

Tasmania wicketkeeper Tim Paine, Victoria spinner Jon Holland and New South Wales all-rounder Moises Henriques figured in the probables’ list for the September 22 to October 5 tournament. The squad must be trimmed to 15 players by August 23.

The squad does not include controversial all-rounder Andrew Symonds, who was sent back home from England on disciplinary grounds just before the start of Twenty20 World Cup besides scrapping his Cricket Australia contract.

Fast bowler Brett Lee, who suffered a side-strain injury just before the first Ashes Test, and injury-prone all-rounder Shane Watson also made the cut.

National selection panel chairman, Andrew Hilditch said the squad was picked with a view to rebuild a side for the 2011 World Cup as well as to make it strong enough to defend the Champions Trophy title which they won in India in 2006.

“The Australian side is currently in a rebuilding phase as we prepare for the 2011 ICC World Cup, following the loss of so many important players from the 2007 World Cup-winning team. The ICC Champions Trophy is a key event in international cricket and a very important one for Australia as we look to lift our ODI performances to retain this trophy,” Hilditch said.

“The squad recognises the performances of our proven One-Day International players, the strong performance of the Australia A side in the recent One-day series against Pakistan A and the performances of our inter-state players in the Ford Ranger Cup.

“The squad sees the inclusion of several exciting young players who we see as potentially very important to our future including Phillip Hughes, Callum Ferguson, Moises Henriques, Jon Holland, Tim Paine and Clinton McKay,” Hilditch said.

The Probables:

Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke (vice-capt) Doug Bollinger, Nathan Bracken, Callum Ferguson, Brett Geeves, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, Moises Henriques, Ben Hilfenhaus, Jon Holland, James Hopes, Phillip Hughes, David Hussey, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Andrew McDonald, Clinton McKay, Marcus North, Tim Paine, Peter Siddle, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, David Warner, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

Cricket India

Holders Australia begins the defence of its ICC Champions Trophy crown against the West Indies in a repeat of the 2006 final.

That match will take place as a day game at The Wanderers, Johannesburg, on Saturday, September 26 and is part of a blockbuster day of action as, later on, India and Pakistan will go head-to-head in a day-night encounter at Centurion Park.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: “We are delighted to announce the fixtures and prize-money for this year’s ICC Champions Trophy.

“This short, sharp event, with its new format involving only the top eight sides in the world in nation-versus-nation action, should be a fantastic spectacle to follow on from the others that have already taken place in the ICC’s centenary year.

“The format, with two pools of four leading to the semi-finals and final, means that every match counts and each side has to hit the ground running.

“We are delighted to confirm a significant increase in the prize pool for the event which should provide the players with a major additional incentive to do well, on top of collecting what is, alongside the ICC Cricket World Cup and the ICC World Twenty20 title, one of international cricket’s crown jewels.

“The significant increase in prize-money is just the first of a series of innovations that we will be announcing as it draws nearer that mark out the ICC Champions Trophy as a high-value tournament for players, spectators and our members.

“We are extremely grateful to South Africa for stepping in to host the event after it was postponed last year because of security concerns in the original host country, Pakistan, and we are also grateful to our members for finding a slot for it in what is a busy year for the global game.

“Thanks to our commercial and broadcast agreements the ICC Champions Trophy generates significant funds for those members which allow them to grow the game in their own constituencies, and that gives it additional value beyond the prestige of the title itself.

“And as the one global multi-team 50-over event between ICC Cricket World Cups, it will provide the world with an invaluable barometer of the form of these top sides in this version of the game ahead of the 2011 tournament in the Asian sub-continent.

“The new format is simple and means we have eight teams, 15 matches and one prize – it should be a great advertisement for the 50-over format of our great sport and I look forward to a prestigious and outstanding event.”

Details of the how the prize-money will be divided up and information on media accreditation will be announced in due course.

The ICC Champions Trophy began life as the ICC Knock-Out in 1998 and was played every two years through the 2006, changing its name for the 2002 edition.

The sides to have won the event are South Africa (in Bangladesh, 1998), New Zealand (Kenya, 2000), India and Sri Lanka (joint winners after the final was washed out in Sri Lanka, 2002), the West Indies (England, 2004) and Australia (India, 2006).

Pools:

Pool A: Australia, India, Pakistan, West Indies.

Pool B: South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England.

Fixtures:

Sept 22: South Africa v Sri Lanka (D/N) – Centurion

Sept 23: Pakistan v West Indies (D/N) – The Wanderers

Sept 24: South Africa v New Zealand – Centurion

Sept 25: Sri Lanka v England (D/N) – The Wanderers

Sept 26: West Indies v Australia – The Wanderers; India v Pakistan – Centurion

Sept 27: New Zealand  v Sri Lanka – The Wanderers; South Africa v England (D/N) – Centurion

Sept 28: Australia v India (D/N) – Centurion

Sept 29: England v New Zealand (D/N) – The Wanderers

Sept 30: India v West Indies (D/N) – The Wanderers;  Australia v Pakistan – Centurion

Semi-finals:

Oct 2: A1 v B2 (D/N) – Centurion

Oct 3: B1 v A2 (D/N) – The Wanderers.

Final: Oct 5:

Note: (D/N) denotes day/night match.

The 2009 ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa will offer $4 million in total prizemoney, an almost four-fold increase from the previous two tournaments.

A total of $1.15 million was offered in the last two editions played in 2004 and 2006, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement on Monday.

The premier One-day event, second in importance only to the World Cup, was moved to South Africa after security concerns forced the 2008 edition to be shifted out of Pakistan and postponed.

Holders Australia, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and West Indies will feature in the Sept. 22 to Oct. 5 event to be staged at the Wanderers in Johannesburg and Centurion Park.

The ICC Champions Trophy tournament has been advanced by two days and will now be played from September 22 to October 5 in South Africa this year.

The ICC advanced the dates on the recommendations of some member countries who wanted a proper break for their players between matches.

The ICC board has also decided that the tournament would be restricted to two venues, the Wanders in Johannesburg and Centurion in Pretoria which are technically considered twin cities.

“They will not be much travelling for the teams as both venues are not far from each other,” a source in the Pakistan board said.

The Champions Trophy was originally scheduled to be held from September 24 to October 5.

“Now the 15 matches in the tournament would be held in 14 days at the two venues,” the source said.

The eight-nation tournament has been delayed by a year after it was shifted from Pakistan due to security concerns by the ICC.

Pakistan was supposed to host the event in September and October last year but due to security situation issues the ICC was forced to first delay it and then move it to South Africa.