Lions end trophy drought

Highveld Lions 155 for 5 (de Kock 44, Davids 1-12) beat Titans 125 (Gibbs 22, Morris 2-18) by 30 runs
Scorecard

Lions ended a five-season trophy drought with a tense victory over their northern neighbours to cap off an outstanding season under new coach, Geoff Toyana.

They finished second in the first-class competition, were joint winners of the one-day cup and have finally added a second piece silverware to their cabinet since the start of the franchise system nine years ago.

For Titans, it was a less-than-ideal farewell to coach Matthew Maynard, who has chosen not to renew his contract with them. Despite having a full galaxy of international stars available to them, Titans were unable to chase down a moderate target as the Lions' bowlers defended with the tenacity and determination of the animals they are named after.

After their batsmen were repeatedly stalled in compiling a total, Lions appeared to have conceded the advantage early on. When Henry Davids and Heino Kuhn began the Titans' chase with 40 runs in the first four overs, it seemed Lions would once again succumb to their local rivals.

But a moment of inspiration in the field changed that. Davids got a thick edge to third man off Hardus Viljoen where Imran Tahir was stationed. Although not known for his fielding, Tahir took a difficult catch and steadied himself as he almost fell over the boundary to take the first wicket.

The Lions' spinners struck three times in the next four overs to claw their way back. Aaron Phangiso had Kuhn and AB de Villiers out lbw while Tahir dealt Farhaan Behardien the same fate.

But it was only when Herschelle Gibbs and Roelof van der Merwe were dismissed within three balls of each other, that Lions had a real chance. At 87 for 6, Titans needed to score at 9.8 runs an over for the next seven overs.

They still had the one person who could do that, Albie Morkel, up their sleeve. Having left the field after bowling 2.3 overs after turning on his ankle, it was unsure whether Morkel would be able to bat. He appeared uneasy on his ankle and hobbled through his first run but soon found his top gear.

He slog swept Tahir for six to announce his intent and formed a dangerous partnership with another big hitter, David Wiese. The latter showed his muscle with a six over mid-wicket but then offered a chance when he skied one to square leg but Sohail Tanvir dropped the chance.

Wiese and Morkel posted 35 runs, the second highest-stand of the Titans' innings, before Wiese was fell on his sword, caught at long-off. With him gone, most of the Titans' hopes went with him. The last four wickets fell in the space of 11 balls with all of the Lions' bowlers claiming two apiece. Morkel was the last man out, caught at mid-off against his IPL team-mate Chris Morris' bowling.

It spoke volumes of the improvement Lions have made in their strike bowling department, which for seasons lacked bite but outshone their batting today. Although Titans were without death-bowling specialist Alfonso Thomas, they managed to restrict Lions, especially in the latter parts of the innings. After the hosts scored 67 runs in the first eight overs, they managed just 88 from the last 12.

Quinton de Kock's outstanding form in the competition continued. He finished the competition with 524 runs, the highest-ever scored in this tournament. He opened the batting with his usual carefree aggression.

Rassie van der Dussen was happy to play second fiddle while de Kock took on the bowling and eventually got a leading edge back to Roelof van der Merwe to give Titans their first wicket. Lions tinkered with their batting line-up and moved Neil McKenzie up to No. 3.

The combination of youth and experience brought just 21 runs before de Kock hit Henry Davids' first ball of his second over, a full toss, straight down deep midwicket's throat. The Titans' captain stalled the Lions' momentum and it was up to his opposite number, Alviro Petersen, to get it back.

Petersen hit Davids into the stands and drove Marchant de Lange through the covers before he tried to do the same to Albie Morkel. Petersen swung, missed and his leg stump was out of the ground.

Sohail Tanvir was promoted in an effort to lift the run rate but he could not get going quickly enough. With McKenzie and Jean Symes, he added 41 runs in the last five overs with de Lange proving tough to get away at the end but it proved to be enough.

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Younis hits century in HBL win

Habib Bank Limited won a high-scoring match against Pakistan International Airlines by 27 runs in Karachi. HBL were put in to bat and started inauspiciously as Imran Farhat was dismissed first ball of the innings. Ahmed Shehzad and Younis Khan then put on a 142-run partnership for the second wicket before Shehzad fell to Shoaib Malik leg before. Younish and Asad Shafiq then combined for 118 runs for the third wicket. Younis, recently omitted from the 30-man pool for the Champions Trophy, finally fell for 101, with Shafiq scoring a quick fire 92 off 74 balls. Shahid Afridi played a cameo, scoring 39 off 15 balls, striking three sixes and three fours. Habib finished on 331 for 3 at the end of their allotted overs.

PIA lost Agha Sabir for 4, before Kamran Sajid and Shoaib Khan snr put on 92 for the second wicket to help steady the innings. Sajid was dismissed on 48, with Shoaib bringing up 52 before being bowled by Abdur Rehman. Malik scored an aggressive 108 off 76 balls to keep PIA in the chase, but was restricted by the fall of wickets tumbling at the other end. In the end, PIA fell by 27 runs as they were dismissed for 304 in the 49th over.

Sui Gas Northern Pipelines Limited pulled off a close two-run win over Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in their second match of the tournament. Batting first, SGNPL put on a strong batting display as their top three batsmen chipped in with key contributions. Azhar Ali struck his second consecutive half-century for SGNPL, top-scoring with 89 off 102. His innings built on an 83-run opening partnership between Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar and a late flourish from Khurram Shehzad took SGNPL to a strong 314 for 5.

ZTBL began their chase confidently as Sharjeel Khan and Hussain Talat shared an opening stand of 96. The middle-order built on their start, as Babar Azam and Haris Sohail struck half-centuries. Sohail missed out on his first List-A century, falling to Asad Ali for 99. His innings, which came off 89 balls, included five fours and two sixes. ZTBL struggled once their top four were dismissed and their innings eventually finished at 312 for 6. Mohammad Hafeez was the most economical bowler for SGNPL, conceding 33 runs in his 10 overs of offspin. Bilawal Bhatti took three wickets for an expensive 77 runs.

State Bank of Pakistan won a thriller against Water and Power Development Authority by three runs in Ghari Khuda Baksh. SBP were put in to bat, and had contributions from their top- and middle-order, through Kashif Siddiq (11), Gulraiz Sadaf (29), Rameez Raja (23) and Usman Arshad (26). Adnan Raees and Usman Saeed combined for 107 runs for the fifth wicket, with both being dismissed finally for 54. WAPDA's bowlers took wickets regularly throughout the innings to prevent any substantial partnerships, as SBP finished on 244 all out.

WAPDA's innings started abjectly as they lost both openers with the score on 12. After losing Aamer Sajjad caught behind for 27, Sohaib Maqsood and Mohammad Ayub combined for a fourth wicket partnership of 144. Maqsood finished on 119, as he was dismissed with 37 runs required. Ayub and Naved-ul-Hasan then brought the game very close, falling an agonising three runs short of the target at the end of their innings. Ayub would finish unbeaten on 64.

The biggest win of the day came at Gaddafi Stadium, where National Bank of Pakistan hammered Port Qasim Authority by nine wickets. After being sent in, PQA managed to put up 248, thanks chiefly to Khurram Manzoor's 94. Medium-pacer Imran Khan, who hadn't taken a wicket in his past four games, took four wickets to be the most successful of the NBP bowlers.

If PQA thought they had put up a competitive total, they were made to change their minds by NBP's openers, Kamran Akmal and Sami Aslam, who put together a 201-run stand that effectively ended the contest. Akmal hit 22 fours as he remained unbeaten on 132, while Aslam fell for 82. NBP finished off the game in the 39th over, with nine wickets still in hand.

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Sunrisers clinch Super Over victory

Royal Challengers Bangalore 130 for 8 (Kohli 46, Ishant 3-27) tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad 130 for 7 (Vihari 44*, Henriques 2-14)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Sunrisers Hyderabad won the Super Over

Sunrisers Hyderabad rode on the power of Dale Steyn's experience to pick up their second consecutive win, this one over Royal Challengers Bangalore, after the game had gone into Twenty20 cricket's sudden death - the Super Over. Steyn had to defend 20 runs, thanks to Cameron White's two blazing hits off Vinay Kumar, and came out on top as Royal Challengers fell five runs short.

The teams had fought tooth and nail throughout the forty overs in front of a noisy crowd in Hyderabad. Defending seven, Vinay bowled an impressive 20th over for the second game in a row - conceding only six - but could not repeat the performance in the tiebreaker. He was Virat Kohli's go-to man after he had defended 10 runs off the last over against Mumbai Indians.

The seesaw battle began with Sunrisers staying on top as they restricted the strong Royal Challengers' batting line-up to 130 for 8 in 20 overs. What would have happened to the Royal Challengers' innings without Kohli and Moises Henriques was hard to say. The pair contributed 90 to the total.

After Chris Gayle fell dramatically to part-timer Hanuma Vihari's first ball in IPL cricket, and Tillakaratne Dilshan was bowled by Ishant Sharma, Kohli had to resurrect the innings. Karun Nair helped him a little by adding 20 for the third wicket, before Kohli and Henriques put on 43 for the fourth. Kohli then fell to a return catch by Ashish Reddy in the 14th over; he had struck the only six of the innings in his 44-ball 46.

Henriques' 44 came off 40 balls with five boundaries, and his innings held it together for Royal Challengers towards the finish. He was the seventh batsman out, at the start of the final over bowled by Ishant, who finished with 3 for 27. It was a performance in contrast to the night Dale Steyn had, having finished with 1 for 37 in four overs.

The Sunrisers' chase was held together by newcomer Vihari's unbeaten 44 off 46 balls but he never took the game away from Royal Challengers. He would have expected someone like his captain Kumar Sangakkara to take the lead but the Sri Lankan batsman made just 16. The game boiled down to such a finish because of a 23-run stand for the seventh wicket between Vihari and Ashish Reddy.

When Reddy joined Vihari in the 17th over, Sunrisers needed 30 off 23 balls. Vinay, who had just heroically run out Amit Mishra, was smashed for 14 in the 18th over, with Reddy slamming a straight six and a slog-swept four. Murali Kartik had to keep Royal Challengers in the game and he gave away seven runs in the penultimate over before Vinay forced the tie.

White and Thisara Perera were Sunrisers' choice for the Super Over, and they outdid Royal Challengers' Gayle and Kohli.

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Hartley, Coulter-Nile win state awards

The wicketkeeper Chris Hartley has been named Queensland's player of the year for 2012-13 while the fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile won Western Australia's equivalent award after a strong summer. The state awards period was wrapped up at the weekend with the Queensland titles handed out and Hartley almost swept all categories.

He won the Ian Healy Trophy as the state's player of the year and also picked up the one-day player of the year prize and the players' player award after a season in which he completed the double of 500 Sheffield Shield runs and 50 dismissals. However, the Shield award was the only honour Hartley did not collect as that went to the captain James Hopes for a season that brought him 473 runs at 31.53 and 32 wickets at 22.75.

Hartley was Queensland's second-leading run scorer in the Shield behind Joe Burns, with 510 runs at 28.33 and he also picked up 51 catches and a stumping. The likelihood is that Matthew Wade and Brad Haddin will be Australia's two glovemen on the tour of England later this year but all the same, Hartley's efforts are a reminder to the national selectors in an Ashes year of his consistent output - it was the fourth time he had completed the double of 500 runs and 50 dismissals.

In Western Australia, Coulter-Nile had another encouraging summer and will be in contention for the Ashes squad, although fast bowling is not an area in which Australia lack depth. He collected 26 Shield wickets at 27.92 and was the second leading wicket taker in the Ryobi Cup with 16 victims at 23.18.

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Pollard trumps Dhoni in close clash

Mumbai Indians 148 for 6 (Pollard 57*) beat Chennai Super Kings 139 for 9 (Dhoni 51) by nine runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Not many sides win a Twenty20 game from 83 for 6 in the first innings. Not many sides have Kieron Pollard, who once again showed how much damage he can cause if he gets some time in the middle. On a pitch where both line-ups crumbled, barring both No. 6 batsmen, Pollard was the difference, although MS Dhoni almost stole the match from Mumbai Indians' grasp with an ever more outrageous counter-attack. Fittingly, with Chennai Super Kings needing 12 off six, Pollard intercepted what looked set to be another Dhoni six on the deep midwicket boundary, sealing the game for his side with an acrobatic catch.

Pollard had breathed life into a stalled Mumbai Indians innings, which had gone nowhere after Sachin Tendulkar had fallen leg-before to Dirk Nannes in the opening over for a golden duck. Ricky Ponting and Rohit Sharma soon followed Tendulkar. Although Dinesh Karthik looked in fine touch, when he departed for 37, Mumbai Indians were 59 for 4 in the ninth over and the Super Kings seamers were on top.

Pollard batted quite sensibly, willing to go without scoring for several deliveries, knowing that when he wanted, he could always collect six with his power and reach. Half of the 38 deliveries he faced were dots, but he also biffed five sixes. Even when he went for the big strikes, he wasn't taking risk. He would just lean forward to length or full deliveries and lift them over long-on.

From 83 for 6, to add 65 in eight overs, with Harbhajan Singh for company, was quite an achievement. Harbhajan's contribution, a run a ball 21, was crucial. Carefree swiping was put away and the strike was turned over. When it wasn't, to Pollard's disappointment in the final over, Harbhajan himself found the boundary. Pollard cracked Dwayne Bravo's final ball of the innings over long-on to ensure there would at least be a contest in the game.

There almost wasn't one, though, as the Super Kings batsmen played a series of poor shots to leave their side gasping at 66 for 5. M Vijay walked too far across to be bowled, Michael Hussey missed a slog to be bowled, Bravo drove loosely, and S Badrinath went too far back when he should have been forward.

Dhoni walked in, and the match started to turn. An upper cut appeared, a whiplash drive, a calm pull. Soon the long-on and deep midwicket boundary was being peppered with monster sixes, even as batsmen kept arriving and departing at the other end. Pollard took the most punishment, five of Dhoni's eight boundaries coming off him.

Forty needed off 18. Dhoni lashed 17 off a Pollard over. 23 needed off 12. Dhoni found the stands at deep midwicket again, this time off Mitchell Johnson, to zoom to 50 off 24. Both Pollard and Johnson sprayed a couple of wides each, such was the effect Dhoni's assault had.

First ball of Munaf Patel's final over, Dhoni went for six more, targetting deep midwicket again, but this time, the towering figure of Pollard stood in the way, and made one final, decisive impact.

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Maynard quits as Titans' coach

Matthew Maynard will take charge of the Titans for the last time in the domestic Twenty20 final at the Wanderers on Sunday. He has decided not to renew his contract with the franchise and will return to the UK at the end of the season to take some time off and concentrate on running the Tom Maynard Trust, a foundation set up for his late son. The Titans are hopeful he will return to them in the future.

Maynard was involved with the franchise for two seasons but his tenure was underlined by tragedy. After his first summer, in which the Titans won the first-class competition and the T20 title, his son Tom died after running onto the tracks in a tube station. From that moment, it was uncertain whether Maynard would return.

He did, but it was with a heavy heart. The Titans, who lost their CEO Elise Lombard to a heart attack as well, slumped to last in defence of the first-class trophy, without registering a win in the competition. They fared better in the fifty-overs format, where they lost the playoff of the one-day cup. Their best performance has come in T20s, where they have qualified for a second, successive Champions League, and will contest the final against Lions. A source close to Maynard said he only felt he was coaching properly in the last three weeks.

Despite that, he has been credited with having a major impact on many of the players. Faf du Plessis said Maynard had helped him develop his temperament in the longer format, Farhaan Behardien and Henry Davids earned national call-ups, with the latter also succeeding in a leadership role.

Davids took over captaincy of the Titans in Maynard's second year and said the coach was "right up there with the best I have ever worked with." He thanked Maynard at the Titans' awards dinner on Friday night and added the coach would be "welcomed back any time." Davids hopes that after some time away from the game, Maynard will go back to SuperSport Park.

Vincent Sinovich, the chairman of the Titans, echoed that sentiment. "It is a big loss for the franchise. Matthew has provided great leadership to all the players within our structure. I truly appreciate the loyalty and dedication he has demonstrated throughout his time with the franchise. There has been uncertainty for a while if Matthew would continue, but we had always hoped that we could convince him to stay," he said.

Maynard gave no indication of whether he is considering a future in cricket. "I leave for personal reasons. I want to thank everyone involved for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this wonderful team and family," Maynard said. "I will always be part of the Northerns' family."

He told Davids he believes the batsman is "the right man" to lead the franchise and the rest of the team that they are a "very special squad". He handed out the award at the dinner, which included giving Roelof van der Merwe both the player of the year and the players' player of the year awards. Davids was awarded one-day cricketer of the year.

The Titans have not set a time-frame for naming Maynard's replacement but will now have to look for a third coach in four seasons.

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BCB optimistic about World Twenty20 preparation

The 2014 World Twenty20 Cup will begin on March 16, but the organisers are confident that the prevailing political tension in Bangladesh will not hamper its preparations. The final has been slated for April 6 next year, and a press conference was held in Dhaka on Saturday to mark the one-year run-up to the tournament.

But the press conference was held during a general strike while the logo-launching ceremony to be held in the evening will begin at the end of the strike.

"The political situation during an election year in Bangladesh is usually unstable so I hope the situation will change during the World Twenty20s," ICC vice-president AHM Mustafa Kamal said. "Government and opposition leaders had come to watch the Asia Cup last year, so we believe that the political parties will not create any obstacles."

Apart from this, the BCB will have to deal with the issue of infrastructure as construction is yet to begin on the proposed stadium in Cox's Bazar, while the one in Sylhet is still incomplete. BCB president Nazmul Hassan remained upbeat about both venues completion.

"As far as I know, the Cox's Stadium will be handed over to the BCB. We can start work next week if we receive a letter in this regard on Sunday. We will begin work on the wicket and ground as soon as possible.

"There is not much left to do in the Sylhet venue. The floodlights and the dressing-room are there to be completed. It is stalled due to bureaucracy, so if it is delayed we will build it using BCB's finances," said Hassan.

Bangladesh have already co-hosted the 2011 World Cup, including the opening ceremony, but the BCB were not clear about there being a similar programme ahead of the 2014 event.

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Cooper last-over seals victory for Royals

Rajasthan Royals 165 for 7 (Dravid 65, Binny 40, Yadav 4-24) beat Delhi Daredevils 160 for 6 (Warner 77, Cooper 3-30) by 5 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

An electric late rally in the field, completed by a stoic over of pinpoint yorkers from Kevon Cooper, saw Rajasthan Royals begin their IPL campaign with a thrilling five-run win over Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Daredevils were hurtling towards their target after 17 overs, with only 22 runs to get, and a flourishing David Warner at the crease. But Cooper ignited his side with a five-run over in the 18th that ended with a wicket, before a direct hit from acting captain Brad Hodge at cover dismissed Warner in the penultimate over, to give his side hope of a still-unlikely victory.

Nine runs were required off Cooper's final over, but the bowler delivered six yorkers, two of which dismissed panicking Daredevils batsmen, and provided the IPL's first week with its second nail-biting result. Johan Botha was out lbw, attempting a reverse paddle with seven required from four, before Andre Russell also fell trying to hit the ball fine with six needed from two, only this time Cooper cleaned him up. New man Naman Ojha had to hit a six off the last ball for Daredevils to salvage victory, but could not connect with a wide yorker, sparking ecstatic celebrations from Royals.

Daredevils' death-over meltdown almost mirrored Royals' returns from the same period of their innings, after the visitors had managed just six runs from their last two overs, and lost four wickets. Royals had arrived in the 18th over at 159 for 3, and were eyeing a 180-plus total that seemed par on a good batting surface. They however lost four batsmen in six balls, including Rahul Dravid, whose immaculately paced 65 off 51 held the team's innings together.

Dravid had arrived at Kusal Perera's demise in the third over, and aside from a controlled edge to the third man fence first ball, was largely content to collect singles to begin with, despite the fielding restrictions. When the bowlers erred, as Andre Russell did when he served up a wide delivery in the sixth over, Dravid's placement and timing ensured the desired boundary was achieved.

He was dropped twice in the 12th over, when he began to introduce more aggression to his innings, but he was undeterred, and having made only 22 from his first 26 deliveries, he quickly achieved a more laudable strike rate through the middle overs.

For Daredevils, Warner was also relatively reticent to begin with, allowing opening partner Unmukt Chand to provide the early innings impetus, and striking at no better than a run a ball until the tenth over of the innings. When he eventually exploded in earnest, with two fours off Rahul Shukla in the 13th over, Daredevils appeared to be executing a measured chase.

Warner was dropped early in his innings, and had one more reprieve just after hitting fifty, as he continued to maul some indifferent Royals bowling through the middle overs. Just before Daredevils hit their wall, Warner launched Siddharth Trivedi in the 17th over for 13. After Warner's demise however, none of the Daredevils batsmen seemed capable of finding the boundary, and Royals achieved revenge for the mighty close defeat they had suffered last year, in the same fixture.

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Make do and mend brings Sussex benefits

Last year: 4th, CC Div 1; Semi-finals, T20; Semi-finals

2012 in a nutshell: Such has been the success at Sussex over recent years - they had won seven major trophies in the previous decade - disappointment over a season that finished without tangible reward was inevitable. But Sussex again pressed hard in the limited-overs formats and finished above many larger clubs in the Championship. They were in a bit of trouble after winning just one of their first seven Championship games, but then threatened a top three finish before losing the last two games to slip back into mid-table. They topped their group in both the CB40 and FLt20, but lost to Yorkshire in the T20 semi-final of the T20 and Hampshire in CB40. Steve Magoffin - with 57 Championship wicket at 20.05 apiece - led the bowling manfully, supported by the decidedly sharp Jimmy Anyon and the relentless Monty Panesar. Ed Joyce and Chris Nash led the way with the bat in the Championship, with Luke Wright - who made three CB40 centuries - exceptional in limited-overs cricket. Matt Prior and Scott Styris were both excellent in T20, with Michael Yardy back to his mean best with the ball. Murray Goodwin was released at the end of the season

2013 prospects: Sussex may not have the bowling depth to mount a sustained Championship challenge, but they remain a very dangerous limited-overs unit. In keeping with their reputation as a mender of broken players, they have brought in Rory Hamilton-Brown and Chris Jordan, two highly-talented cricketers who had lost their way a little at Surrey. Andrew Miller, a tall seamer who previously represented Warwickshire, has joined, too. But John Hastings has pulled out of his T20 contract through injury, Kirk Wernars has taken a year off to explore other career opportunities and Luke Wright will miss the start of the season on IPL duty. They will require more runs from Joe Gatting and Michael Yardy this year, while Ben Brown's wicketkeeping also remains a work in progress. But with the likes of Nash, one of the unsung heroes of English cricket, contributing with impressive consistency, they should have enough quality to avoid relegation. Off the pitch, the club continues to be particularly well run and understand its role in the wider game under a new chief executive, Zac Toumazi.

Key player: Monty Panesar. It's not just the wickets he takes, it is his ability to perform the role of stock bowler. Should he be required by England for lengthy portions of the summer, Sussex will have a huge hole to fill.

Bright young thing: Luke Wells is a batsman with a great deal going for him. Blessed with a similar temperament to Alastair Cook but, perhaps, more elegant, he seems to have the ideal game to step-up to Test cricket. A lack of limited-overs experience - he has only played one T20 and six List A games - cannot help, but this is a 22-year-old who could go a long way in the game.

Captain/coach: Ed Joyce, 34, probably takes on the captaincy at an ideal stage of his career; established, experienced and with little more to prove as a player, he will be able to dedicate his energy towards the role. Mark Robinson, the head coach, will continue to coax the best out of his eclectic squad with a calm and quiet wisdom that, in a shrill world, could easily be undervalued.

ESPNcricinfo verdict: Chris Adams described Sussex as the 'benchmark team' of the Championship; a description that makes sense: finish above them and you are challenging; finish below them and you are in trouble. They are likely to be very competitive in the limited-overs formats.

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Wasim offers help to Pakistan quicks

Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, has taken the reins of the country's fast-bowlers to help their progress. He and the PCB reached an agreement for a short-term fast-bowling camp in Karachi between April 20-29, ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Along with the camp, Wasim, with the collaboration of the PCB and a cellular company, will search for the fastest bowlers in the country. The search will be nationwide as the candidates will be selected from 8-10 cities over 5-7 days. Any bowler with a bowling speed of 140kph or more will be selected.

He will also work with Pakistan's full-time bowling coach Mohammad Akram in the national camp planned in Abbottabad, north of Islamabad, from May 3-9. "The idea is to sit and talk with the bowlers and give them confidence," Akram said. "I will assess the bowlers, find out their problems and help them to rectify them. A lot of young bowlers need some insight. I will then keep a track of them and follow them closely."

"I saw them in Test matches against South Africa they didn't impress me, but in one-day cricket they looked different and wicket taking bowlers. I have to teach them what is a good corridor, what is the right line and length. Regardless of any sort of pitches anywhere in the world, they have to be consistent in length, with yorkers, and know how to take wickets."

Akram, 46, who has been with Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL champions, for the last three seasons, is currently in Pakistan on a two-month break. He rues the absence of Pakistan players in the IPL and believes it is a loss for the tournament. Pakistani players featured in the inaugural IPL in 2008 but India stalled all bilateral ties after the November 2008 Mumbai attack. Despite a short series between the countries in December and January, Pakistani players were not allowed to take part in the sixth edition of the IPL.

"Politics should stay away from sports, and we should play cricket," Akram added. "Our players should have gone to the IPL. I think batsman are scoring easy runs in the absence of Pakistani bowlers and our bowlers could be top wicket takers there. The psyche of Pakistan bowlers is strong, they are physical and mentally tough while Indian bowlers get spoiled within a year. They start with express pace from 140-plus but in a year go down around 130."

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