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Ganguly out of first Test

          Multan: Indian skipper Saurav Ganguly has been ruled out of the first Test, beginning here from tomorrow. A back injury sustained in the final one-day international at Lahore on Wednesday has prevented him from appearing in the game. Rahul Dravid will lead the team and Punjab player Yuvraj Singh is likely to replace Ganguly. The pitch has a tinge of green, obviously to support the home pace attack which in terms of miles per hour is one the most formidable in world cricket.

Multan: Indian officials happy with security (Go To Top)

          Multan: Security officials accompanying Indian cricket team have reportedly expressed satisfaction with the arrangements ahead of the first Test between Pakistan and India that begins here from tomorrow. Sources revealed to Online News that the Indian officials were comfortable with the security arrangements, but requested that all cars parked in the hotel's parking area be removed. They also requested that security around the Allama Iqbal Park near the hotel be tightened further.

Inzimam wants century hattrick on home turf (Go To Top)

          Multan: Pakistan Captain Inzamam-ul Haq is keen to notch up a third consecutive match-winning century on his home ground. Inzamam, 34, scored hundreds in two previous Tests played at the plush cricket stadium on the outskirts of his hometown against Bangladesh in 2001 and 2003. "It is always a special motivation while playing before my own people and this is a very special occasion," Inzimam, the son of a renowned cleric in Multan, was quoted by the News, as saying.

           "Probably the pressure is a bit more because the people expect a lot from me, but that will always keep me on my toes. I will be very happy if I can get runs here and inspire my team to win," he added. The solid middle-order batsman has scored 6,680 runs from 91 Tests with 18 centuries so far. Hoping to set aside the disappointment of the 3-2 defeat in the one-day series against the Indians, Inzimam said: "India may have gained the edge by winning the one-dayers, but I am confident we can regroup and stage a comeback in the Tests." "My two Test hundreds in Multan against Bangladesh helped Pakistan win both times and I hope the same will be repeated against India," he said. "The wicket here is usually very sporting, helping both the bowlers and the batsmen. It should be a great start to the Test series," he told the paper.

Shilpa Shetty kisses Pak flag (Go To Top)

          Lahore: The visit by Akshay Kumar and Shilpa Shetty was no different in terms of charm and charisma, until Shilpa went ahead and did the unprecedented - she kissed the Pakistani flag, taking her audience by surprise. Shetty attired in a snug tomato-red outfit, ended her first dance on Thursday by dramatically swaying the Indian and Pakistani flags together and kissing the latter. Recalling the "impromptu" movement onstage on Thursday night during her performance, Shilpa was quoted by Online News and the Daily Times as saying that it was simply an innocent gesture symbolising the current state of peace and friendship between India and Pakistan.

          Shetty rejected the suggestion that the Indian film industry is churning out propaganda movies. "Bollywood has never produced any movie to intentionally hurt Pakistanis. If unintentionally, we have hurt your sentiments, on behalf of the Indian film fraternity, I apologize to everyone today. Never has it been our intention, not in the past nor in future," she said. "We are working to bring people together, and I will say it again, all movies should be watched for their entertainment value," she said.

          Meeting reporters at the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club here, a relaxed Akshay Kumar, 37, managed to bowl Pakistanis over with his charming and dexterous responses at a Friday tete-a-tete. He said that he is not interested in doing propaganda movies that show either India or Pakistan in poor light. Also present at the press conference were Indian TV actor Sajid Khan, the brother of the famous Indian choreographer, Farah Khan, and Pakistani star Reema, who turned up to endorse the peace process and thank her counterparts for coming to Lahore.

Indian TV channel ban to stay: Rashid (Go To Top)

          Islamabad: The Pakistan Government has no intention of lifting its ban on Indian television channels in the near future, the country's Information Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, told the National Assembly on Friday. According to the Daily Times, Ahmed was quoted as saying that three new channels would be introduced next week and 31 channels from next month. Speaking during a question and answer session, he also confirmed that the government had imported machinery for the "Azad Jammu and Kashmir TV" through open tenders. This channel, he added, would have an independent set-up, although PTV would supervise its operations. He also clarified that only 13 people had been re-employed in PTV because of their skills.