Sangakkara fights alone after Pakistan rip through Sri Lanka batting

DUBAI : Pakistan's bowlers once again caught Sri Lanka napping on the opening day of the second cricket Test at Dubai Stadium here on Wednesday.Sri Lanka, opting to bat on a bouncy pitch, were pegged back by Umar Gul (3-49) before slumping further to 176-8 by tea as the Pakistan attack kept relentless pressure on the batsmen with some early help from the pitch Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 211 to help Sri Lanka draw the first of three Tests in Abu Dhabi last week, top-scored with 78 hitting eleven boundaries and added an invaluable 54 runs for the sixth wicket with debutant Kaushal Silva (20).At tea, Rangana Herath (six) and Chanaka Welegedara (15) were at the crease.When Sangakkara looked set for another century he lost his concentration as he jumped down the crease to hoist left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman straight into the hands of deep mid-wicket fielder Asad Shafiq.Sangakkara, who also added 27 for the seventh wicket with Dhammika Prasad (seven), had defied the Pakistani bowlers during the first session in which Sri Lanka lost five wickets, three in Gul's incisive first spell.Junaid Khan ably complemented Gul by dismissing Tillakaratne Dilshan (seven) and Angelo Mathews (19) to leave Sri Lanka struggling at 78-5 at lunch.Gul trapped opener Lahiru Thirimanne (one) in front of the wicket with the second delivery of his second over as Indian umpire Shahvir Tarapore upheld the appeal for his maiden decision in his first Test.Gul then had two wickets in his fifth over, as Tharanga Paranavitana slashed a wide delivery straight into the hands of skipper Misbah-ul Haq who held a sharp chance. Tharanga made six.Off his sixth delivery, Gul had the experienced Mahela Jayawardene edging into the slips for Misbah to make two in two, leading by example in the slips after Pakistan floored seven chances in the first Test.Khan, who took a career-best 5-38 to dismiss Sri Lanka for a paltry 197 in the first innings, had Dilshan caught in the slip and then Mathews caught behind by keeper Adnan Akmal.Sangakkara dispatched Gul for his eighth boundary to bring up his 37th half-century before Rehman's dismissed him and Silva in his first spell.Sri Lanka were forced to make two changes from the first Test line-up, leaving injured Prasanna Jayawardene and Nuwan Pradeep to include Prasad and Silva.Pakistan replaced paceman Aizaz Cheema with Rehman.

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Pakistan pacers rock Sri Lanka in 2nd Test

DUBAI : Umar Gul ripped through Sri Lanka's top order with a burst of three wickets in his opening spell on the first day of the second cricket Test on Wednesday.Gul broke through in only the third over of the match after Sri Lanka, electing to bat, slumped to 30-3 by the ninth over before struggling to 78-5 by lunch at the Dubai cricket Stadium.Kumar Sangakkara, who scored a fighting 211 to help Sri Lanka draw the first Test at Abu Dhabi last week, was unbeaten on 29 and with him was Kaushal Silva (one) after Junaid Khan carried on the good work by Gul with two more wickets.The 27-year-old paceman Gul trapped opener Lahiru Thirimanne (one) in front of the wicket with the second delivery of his second over as Indian umpire Shahvir Tarapore upheld the appeal for his maiden decision in his first Test.Gul then had two wickets in his fifth over, as Tharanga Paranavitana slashed a wide delivery straight into the hands of skipper Misbah-ul Haq who held a sharp chance. Tharanga made six.Off his sixth delivery, Gul had the experienced Mahela Jayawardene edging into the slips for Misbah to make two in two, leading by example in the slips after Pakistan floored seven chances in the first Test.Amidst the wicket slide, Sangakkara held his nerves as he straight drove Khan for two fours to release some pressure at the other end. He also benefitted from a dropped catch when Taufiq Umar failed to hold a chance off spinner Saeed Ajmal.Khan, who took a career-best 5-38 to dismiss Sri Lanka for a paltry 197 in the first innings at Abu Dhabi, dismissed Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan for seven, caught off a rash drive in the slip for Misbah's third catch.Khan then broke Sangakkara-Mathews brief stand of 28, when wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal held a faint edge off Mathews who made 19.Sri Lanka were forced to make two changes as wicket-keeper batsman Prasanna Jayawardene, who hit a match-saving 120 in the first Test, was ruled out due to abdominal strain.They also left out paceman Nuwan Pradeep, giving a Test cap to wicket-keeper batsman Kaushal Silva and bringing in experienced paceman Dhammika Prasad.Pakistan brought in left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman for paceman Aizaz Cheema as the only change.

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Sri Lanka bat in second Pakistan Test

DUBAI : Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan won the toss and chose to bat in the second Test against Pakistan at the Dubai Stadium on Wednesday.Sri Lanka were dealt a blow when their wicket-keeper batsman Prasanna Jayawardene, who hit a match-saving 120 in the drawn first Test at Abu Dhabi last week, was ruled out due to injury.Also out was paceman Nuwan Pradeep and the two slots went to keeper Kaushal Silva and fast bowler Dhammika Prasad. The 25-year-old Silva is making his Test debut.Pakistan brought in left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman in place of paceman Aizaz Cheema.The third Test of the series will be played in Sharjah from November 3.Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan.Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Rangana Herath, Chanaka Welegedara, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Kaushal Silva.Umpires: Tony Hill (NZL) and Shahvir Tarapore (IND)
Tv umpire: Zameer Haider (PAK) Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

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Dominant India whitewash England

KOLKATA: World champions India brushed aside England by 95 runs in the fifth and final one-day international in Kolkata on Tuesday to sweep the series 5-0 Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 75 off 69 balls to power India to 271-8 after the hosts were sent in to bat by England captain Alastair Cook at the Eden Gardens.Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja then grabbed 4-33 and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 3-28 as England were shot out for 176 in 37 overs after a promising start in the day-night match.The whitewash made partial amends for the disastrous tour of England in July-September, when India were routed 4-0 in the Test series to lose the world number one ranking and were blanked 3-0 in the one-dayers.India swept the series despite the absence of seven players, including star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who were part of the team that won the World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai in April.India have beaten England in 16 of their last 18 one-day internationals at home, losing one and tying the other during the World Cup earlier this year.India were reduced to 123-4 before Dhoni hit his way out of trouble, pounding four sixes and three boundaries, to help the hosts put up a challenging total on a sluggish wicket.The late flourish led by the captain saw India plunder 84 runs in the last eight overs, including 39 off the final 12 balls.Left-arm seamer Samit Patel claimed three for 57, while fast bowler Steven Finn took 2-47.Cook and Craig Kieswetter provided the best start for the tourists in the series as they put on 129 for the first wicket by the 21st over.Both hit half-centuries before India grabbed five wickets for 12 runs to reduce England to 141-5 in the 26th over.Fast bowler Varun Aaron triggered the collapse by bowling Cook for 60, while Kieswetter was leg-before to Jadeja for 63.Ian Bell, making his first appearance in the series in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen, had made two when he was caught behind by Dhoni off Ashwin.Jadeja then removed the two Jonathans, Trott and Bairstow, in eight balls to open up the lower order.Ravi Bopara was bowled by Suresh Raina round his wickets and Tim Bresnan holed out against part-time spinner Manoj Tiwary.The rivals will return to the Eden Gardens on Saturday for a one-off Twenty20 international before England return home.

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Zimbabwe ensure a thrilling win over NZ

BULAWAYO : Zimbabwe: Malcolm Waller hit a single off the fifth ball of the last over to take Zimbabwe to a dramatic one-wicket win in the third and final one-day international against New Zealand at Queens Sports Club on Tuesday.Waller finished on 99 not out off 74 balls as Zimbabwe chased down a New Zealand total of 328 for five which included centuries by Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson.It was Zimbabwe's highest successful run chase and ended a sequence of seven successive defeats for the home side.New Zealand captain Taylor (119) and Williamson (100 not out) shared a fifth wicket stand of 195 off only 133 balls.It turned what seemed likely to be a respectable total into an imposing one, doubling the total by adding 164 runs in the final 15 overs, with the rampage starting in the batting powerplay taken after 35 overs.But Zimbabwe got off to a brisk start with captain Brendan Taylor following centuries in the first two matches with 75 off 65 balls as he and Hamilton Masakadza (36) put on 100 for the second wicket.Tatenda Taibu hit an aggressive 53 but it was a swashbuckling sixth wicket stand of 112 off 85 balls between Waller and Elton Chigumbura that put victory within reach for Zimbabwe.Waller and Chigumbura got the target down to 34 off 36 balls when Chigumbura was bowled by Jacob Oram, trying a big shot.In a nervy finish, three more wickets fell and with four needed off the last over, Waller was dropped twice by Ross Taylor at midwicket.Two runs were scored off the first miss and one off the second.Then Ray Price skied a catch and was caught with the scores tied but the batsmen crossed and Waller had the strike and clinched the match."Brendan Taylor and Waller batted very well," said Ross Taylor, who took the blame for dropping Waller."When you drop catches you lose matches," he added.While Taylor accelerated after a slow start in which he scored his first fifty off 83 balls before reaching his century off 115 deliveries, Williamson was in superb form from the start, hitting his century off 69 balls."It was an outstanding effort. It was disappointing for Kane that we couldn't get the win," said his captain.Waller paid tribute to Chigumbura."Having Elton there striking it so well was a real help. We had nothing to lose and we came out and played really well.

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Taylor, Williamson punish Zimbabwe bowlers

BULAWAYO : Zimbabwe: Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson hit centuries as New Zealand piled up 328 for five in the third and final one-day international against New Zealand at Queens Sports Club on Tuesday.Taylor (119) and Williamson (100 not out) shared a fifth-wicket stand of 195 off only 133 balls that turned what seemed likely to be a respectable total into an imposing one, adding 164 runs in the final 15 overs.Zimbabwe made a good start by claiming the first three wickets for 41 runs, with bustling fast bowler Njabulo Ncube taking two wickets in his first spell in international cricket.New Zealand captain Taylor made a cautious start, taking 83 balls to reach his half-century, as he and Jesse Ryder (53) launched a recovery with a fourth-wicket stand of 83.The tempo increased rapidly when Williamson joined Taylor, who went to his sixth one-day international century off 115 balls.Williamson was in superb form and reached his second hundred off 69 deliveries, scoring seven runs off the final two balls of the innings.Zimbabwe gave new caps to Ncube and leg-spinner Natsai M'shangwe and both impressed in their first spells before wilting as Taylor and Williamson went on the rampage.Ncube took two for 28 in an opening spell of six overs but then conceded 41 runs off his next 2.5 overs before being ordered out of the attack in the final over after bowling a second high full toss.He bowled Taylor in his last over to finish with three for 69.M'shangwe started with a maiden and bowled eight successive overs for only 26 runs before being hit for another 24 runs in his last two overs.New Zealand, holding a winning 2-0 lead in the series, rested leading scorer Martin Guptill in order to give some of their other batsmen time in the middle ahead of a one-off Test starting at the same ground on November 1.The plan did not work for BJ Watling, who opened in Guptill's place and was run out without facing a ball, but Taylor, Ryder and Williamson all played their first major innings of the tour

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Spot-fixing trial: Butt's lawyer concludes arguments

LONDON : During day 14 of the spot fixing trial the lawyer for Salman Butt accused fast bowler Muhammed Amir of having direct contact with bookies in Pakistan, Ali Bajwa who is representing the former Pakistan captain in his closing argument said that even though Amir was young he did not need anyone’s guidance for fixing and understood right from wrong. Bajwa added that Butt had no control over Amir’s bowling and that the fast bowler was in direct contact with Mazhar Majeed. Bajwa also levelled allegations against Muhammed Asif and said Butt had nothing to do with the no-ball bowled by the pace bowler. Bajwa said Butt did not direct Asif to run fast and the captain’s advice did not mean there was fixing. Bajwa requested the court to ignore statements made by Muhammed Asif. Bajwa further said he would leave the fate of his client upon the jury and hoped Butt would be cleared of the charges. Bajwa was followed by the lawyer for Muhammed Asif who during his closing arguments said Mazhar Majeed was corrupt and his life was filled with lies.Alexander Milne who is representing Asif said evidence proved that Salman Butt and Mazhar Majeed were involved in fixing and no marked bills were recovered from his client

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Dhoni leads India to 271-8 against England

KOLKATA : Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 75 off 69 balls to power India to 271-8 in the fifth and final one-dayer at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday.England, hoping to avoid a 5-0 series whitewash after losing the first four games, grabbed wickets at regular intervals after skipper Alastair Cook asked India to bat in the day-night match.India were reduced to 123-4 before Dhoni hit his way out of trouble, pounding four sixes and three boundaries, to help the world champions put up a challenging total on a sluggish wicket.The late flourish led by the captain saw India plunder 84 runs in the last eight overs, including 39 off the final 12 balls.Left-arm seamer Samit Patel claimed three for 57, while Steven Finn took 2-47.Indian openers Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane put on 80 runs in 17 overs when England hit back with three wickets without a run being added.Finn, England's most impressive fast bowler in the series, bowled Gambhir (38) and the in-form Virat Kohli with the first and last deliveries of his sixth over.In the next over, Tim Bresnan forced Rahane (42) to edge a ball to wicket-keeper Craig Kieswetter, who dived to his right to pick up a superb catch.Kolkata local Manoj Tiwary, making his first appearance in the series in place of opener Parthiv Patel, scored 24 with the help of four boundaries when he was caught behind off Stuart Meaker.Suresh Raina helped Dhoni lift the total to 162-4 in the 37th over, before he was run out for 38 by a direct throw from Ravi Bopara.Patel dismissed Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in successive overs, but Dhoni stepped in to steer India to a competitive total.England gave seasoned batsman Ian Bell his first game in the series in place of Kevin Pietersen, who has a fractured thumb

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Fielding let us down during first test: Misbah

DUBAI : Pakistan cricket captain Misbah ul Haq said Tuesday the teams fielding was disappointing during the first test against Sri Lanka. Misbah while speaking to the media said the team was concentrating on improving their fielding during training sessions and they would try to show an improved performance in the second test. He added fast bowler Umer Gul was fit and the wicket for the second test was similar to the one used during last year’s test against South Africa

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Sunny makes seven-wicket debut in drawn Test

CHITTAGONG : Bangladesh's Elias Sunny made a memorable seven-wicket debut against the West Indies in the rain-hit opening Test, which ended in a draw on the fifth and final day on Tuesday.The left-arm spinner grabbed 6-94 in the first innings and 1-34 in the second as the West Indies finished at 100-2 after being set a 226-run target to win the match off 37 overs.Opener Lendl Simmons made a 49-ball 44, while Kirk Edwards (28 not out) and Darren Bravo (24 not out) were the unbeaten batsmen when play was called off with 15 overs remaining.No play was possible due to rain on Saturday and Sunday.Sunny also became the third Bangladeshi to bag six wickets in an innings on debut in the morning session as the West Indies were bowled out for 244 in their first innings in reply to Bangladesh's 350-9 declared.The hosts declared their second innings closed at their tea total of 119-3, with left-handed Shahriar Nafees (50) scoring his sixth Test half-century with the help of eight fours.Openers Imrul Kayes (13) and Tamim Iqbal (37) were the other batsmen dismissed in the second session.Seamers Darren Sammy and Ravi Rampaul, and spinner Marlon Samuels each took one wicket.The second and final Test starts in Dhaka on October 29.The West Indies earlier added 100 runs in 17 overs to their overnight total of 144-5, with skipper Sammy smashing a brisk 43-ball 58 with the help of two sixes and eight fours for his maiden Test half-century.Sunny, 25, took two of the five wickets to fall in the morning session while left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan took the last three wickets to finish with 3-53 off 18 overs.Sunny, who took four wickets on Monday, struck in his second over when he had Samuels caught by Raqibul Hasan in the covers. Samuels could add just seven runs to his overnight score of 17 Sammy and Carlton Baugh (30) then counter-attacked to add 60 runs in just seven overs for the seventh wicket before Sunny broke the stand when he bowled Baugh for his sixth victim.The West Indies captain completed his half-century with a six off Sunny, but did not last long as he was bowled by Shakib after hitting the second six of his innings.Shakib also dismissed Devendra Bishoo for no score in the same over.

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ICC T20 BASTMAN RANKING

TEAM NAME CAREER RATING E.J.G. Morgan 866 Ind 31/08/2011 832 B.B. McCullum 824 Aus 28/02/2010 799 K.P. Pietersen 873 Aus 16/05/2010 793 M.D.Jayawardena 787 W.I 07/05/2010 784 S. Raina 742 Eng, 31/08/2011 742 T.M. Dilshan 814 N.Z 02/09/2009 733 K.C. Sangakkara 769 W.I 07/05/2010 732 Umar Akmal 716 Zim16/09/2011 714 S.R. Watson 715 RSA 13/10/2011 701 G.C. Smith 750 Zim 10/10/2010 700

 

 

LAST UPDATE : NOVEMBER,26.2011

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ICC T20 BOWLWER RANKING

TEAM NAME CAREER RATING B.A.W. MENDIS 748 v Australia, 08/08/2011 748 SAEED AJMAL 766 v South Africa, 10/05/2010 766 N.L. McCullum 711 v Zimbabwe, 17/10/2011 711 J. BOTHA 724 v West Indies, 20/05/2010 724 G.P SWANN 770 v Pakistan, 07/09/2010 770 SHAHID AFRIDI 819 v Sri Lanka, 12/08/2009 819 S.W. TAIT 782 v Pakistan, 07/07/2010 782 D.J.G. SAMMY 688 v England, 25/09/2011 688 S.L MALINGA 679 v England, 25/06/2011 679 M.MORKET 649 v Australia, 13/10/2011 649

LAST UPDATE : SATURDAY,NOVEBER,26,2011

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T20 ALL- ROUNDER RANKING

TEAM NAME CAREER RATING S.R. Watson 400 v South Africa, 13/10/2011 385 Shahid Afridi 415 v New Zealand, 13/11/2009 339 D.J. Hussey 341 v England, 14/01/2011 316 M.Hafeez 246 v Zimbabwe, 18/09/2011 246 C.H. Gayle 287 v India, 09/05/2010 194 Yuvraj Singh 198 v South Africa, 09/01/2011 182 J.H. Kallis 248 v West Indies, 19/05/2010 179 T.M. Dilshan 173 v Australia, 06/08/2011 169 J.A. Morkel 220 v Pakistan, 10/05/2010 164 Abdul Razzaq 183 v New Zealand, 30/12/2010 163

LAST UPDATE : SATURDAY,NOVEBER,26,2011

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Debutant Sunny puts Windies in spin

CHITTAGONG : Elias Sunny bagged four wickets on his debut to boost Bangladesh's hopes of taking a first innings lead in the opening Test against the West Indies on Monday.The left-arm spinner took 4-56 as the West Indies reached 144-5 in their first innings at stumps on the penultimate day in reply to Bangladesh's total of 350-9 declared.Sunny, 25, did not have to wait long for his first Test wicket as he trapped Kirk Edwards leg-before in his third over before dismissing Darren Bravo (two), teenager Kraigg Brathwaite and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the last session.The West Indies were struggling at 52-3 before Chanderpaul (49) and Brathwaite steadied the innings with a 62-run stand for the fourth wicket.Sunny again put pressure on the tourists when he removed both the batsmen in his last five overs. Chanderpaul's 72-ball knock contained two successive sixes over long-on off the left-arm spinner.Brathwaite, bowled off a no-ball in paceman Rubel Hossain's opening over, scored a 135-ball 33 before being caught by Imrul Kayes.Marlon Samuels was unbeaten on 17 and Carlton Baugh on six not out when bad light stopped play.Bangladesh paceman Shahadat Hossain got a wicket in his second over when he had Lendl Simmons (seven) caught by Raqibul Hasan at gully.Edwards, dropped on three by Shahadat at mid-on in Sunny's opening over, failed to make the most of the chance as he fell after scoring 17 runs.Bangladesh earlier added 95 runs to their Friday's total of 255-4 before declaring their innings closed in the afternoon session. No play was possible on Saturday and Sunday due to rain.Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo (3-81) and fast bowler Fidel Edwards (2-88) shared five wickets as Bangladesh batted 31.4 overs in the day.Edwards struck with his first delivery when he had skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (68) caught by Bishoo at square-leg before dismissing Shahriar Nafees (32) in his next over. Rahim hit five fours in his 145-ball knock.Nafees, who retired hurt on 21 after being struck by an Edwards bouncer on Friday, could add just 11 runs before being caught by wicket-keeper Baugh.Bishoo also took two wickets in successive overs, removing debutant Nasir Hossain (34) and then Sunny for no score. Nasir hit six fours in his 47-ball knock.His third wicket came in the second session when he had Shahadat stumped for nine runs. Naeem Islam remained unbeaten with 36.The second and final Test starts in Dhaka on October 29.

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England top ICC's inaugural T20 rankings, Pak 7th

DUBAI : Reigning world champions England top the inaugural Twenty20 rankings announced for the popular format of the game here on Monday.England, who won the the third edition of the World Twenty20 under Paul Collingwood in the West Indies last year, have a rating of 127 points and lead second placed Sri Lanka by just one point.England are already world number one in Tests, while Australia top the one-day rankings.The International Cricket Council (ICC) general manager cricket David Richardson said a true context will be provided to the new and popular brand of the game through the rankings."The launch of T20 rankings will generate even more interest in the shortest format and will help to give more context to bilateral T20 matches," Richardson, a former South African wicket-keeeper, said at the launch ceremony.Only six ranking points separate the next four sides with New Zealand on second with 117 followed by South Africa (113) and 2007 World T20 winners India on fifth with 112. Australia are placed at sixth with 111, Pakistan are seventh (97) and West Indies next on 89.Afghanistan, who played the third edition of World Twenty20, are ninth with 75 and Zimbabwe are tenth (54).Bangladesh, Ireland and Scotland have not played the required number of matches since the August 2009 (period from which the rankings have been drawn) and so were not placed in the rankings.Richardson said it was important to recognise all formats of the game."We have rankings for Tests and one-day already in place since 2001, so the T20 rankings is a new addition and will help us draw the seedings for the next World Twenty20 Cup to be held in Sri Lanka next year," said Richardson.England's Eoin Morgan tops the Twenty20 players rankings in the batting department, while Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka is the top bowler and Australia's Shane Watson is the world's best Twenty20 allrounder.New Zealand's Brendon McCullum is second in the batsmen's rankings while England's Kevin Pietersen is third and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene is fourth.Jayawardene welcomed the Twenty20 rankings and said it will add to the competition."I think rankings are important and will add to the competition," Jayawardene said at the launch. "Twenty20 cricket is a positive influence on the other formats of the game," he added

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Afridi should guide young players and captain: Wasim Akram

ISLAMABAD : Former cricket captain, Wasim Akram said the spot-fixing scandal scared Pakistan cricket, Geo News reported. Akram added that it was time to forget the past and concentrate on the future. Speaking to the media Akram said Shahid Afridi could play cricket for another three years and he should guide young players and the captain. Akram said he would help the Pakistani side without being made coach and in his opinion the side should have tried to win the Abu Dhabi test.

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Bangladesh put Windies under pressure in 1st Test

CHITTAGONG: Shahadat Hossain and debutant Elias Sunny took one wicket each as Bangladesh put the West Indies under pressure on the penultimate day of the opening Test on Monday.The West Indies lost opener Lendl Simmons and Kirk Edwards before reaching 50-2 in their first innings at tea in reply to Bangladesh's total of 350-9 declared in Chittagong.Opener Kraigg Brathwaite was unbeaten on 12 and Darren Bravo on two not out at the break.Paceman Shahadat got a wicket in his second over when he had Simmons (seven) caught by Raqibul Hasan at gully before left-arm spinner Sunny removed Edwards in his third over in Test cricket.Edwards, dropped on three by Shahadat at mid-on in Sunny's opening over, failed to make the most of the chance as he was trapped leg-before after scoring 17 runs.Bangladesh earlier added 95 runs to their Friday's total of 255-4 before declaring their innings closed in the afternoon session. No play was possible on Saturday and Sunday due to rain.Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo (3-81) and fast bowler Fidel Edwards (2-88) shared five wickets as Bangladesh batted 31.4 overs in the day.Edwards struck with his first delivery when he had skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (68) caught by Bishoo at square-leg before dismissing Shahriar Nafees (32) in his next over. Rahim hit five fours in his 145-ball knock.Nafees, who retired hurt on 21 after being struck by an Edwards bouncer on Friday, could add just 11 runs before being caught by wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh.Bishoo also took two wickets in successive overs, removing debutant Nasir Hossain (34) and then Sunny for no score. Nasir hit six fours in his 47-ball knock.His third wicket came in the second session when he had Shahadat stumped for nine runs. Naeem Islam remained unbeaten with 36.The second and final Test starts in Dhaka on October 29.

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Reliance ICC T20I Rankings launch

Dubai : meeting icc Cricket Wt20 ratings are in release 24 October Check out the 

Reliance ICC T20I Rankings launch

Reliance ICC Test Rankings launch

Reliance ICC odi cricket Rankings

India 3rd position in 4-0 England slip to 5th positaion top position Australia series againts south africa

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Morgan, Mendis and Watson are number-one ranked T20I players

England's Eoin Morgan, Ajantha Mendis of Sri Lanka and Shane Watson of Australia were announced as the number-one ranked batsman, bowler and all-rounder, respectively in the Reliance ICC T20I Player Rankings which were released in Dubai today (Monday).In 18 T20Is, Morgan has scored 569 runs at an average of 47.41 and only Matthew Hayden (308 runs at 51.33) and Andrew Symonds (337 runs at 48.14) have better averages than the left-hander.Commenting on the launch of the rankings, the 25-year-old said: "International Twenty20 rankings give players an ideal guide as to how they're performing in this form of the game."From an England perspective it's great to see a number of colleagues feature in the player rankings and I know they, like all players listed, will be looking to improve their positions and develop their game as we look forward to playing more international Twenty20 cricket ahead of Sri Lanka next year," he added.While Morgan is the only batsman to boast a rating of over 800 points on the day of the launch, New Zealand's Brendon McCullum and Kevin Pietersen of England are both within striking range.Second-ranked McCullum is on 799 ratings points while third-ranked Pietersen, who is likely to face India in Kolkata on Saturday, is sitting on 793 ratings points.The top 20 list includes four batsmen each from Australia and South Africa and three each from Sri Lanka and India.Ajantha Mendis, who won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in Dubai in 2008, leads the field in the bowlers' category.The 26-year-old from Moratuwa is the fourth leading wicket-taker behind Pakistan trio - Shahid Afridi (53), Umar Gul (47) and Saeed Ajmal (45) - with 39 wickets in 20 matches. His bowling figures of six for 16 against Australia in Pallekele on 8 August 2011 stands as the best bowling figures in T20Is to date."I feel honoured and humbled to be ranked as the top bowler in a list which includes some of the finest current bowlers," he said."While celebrating my number-one ranking, I cannot thank my team-mates enough for their continued support and guidance. If fact, our number-two position on the Championship table illustrates how well we have gelled as a team and consistently produced good performances," he added.The salient feature of the bowlers' ranking is that seven spinners figure inside the top 10.New Zealand's left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori, who has recently retired from the shortest version of the game but remains one of the most respected voices in cricket, was impressed with these stats when he said: "I believe spin bowlers have adapted to T20 cricket better than most."To see spinners succeed in a tough environment is great for the game and means bowlers can enjoy Twenty20 cricket, most of the time!"Shane Watson leads the all-rounders' category that also includes three Pakistanis in second-ranked Afridi, fourth-ranked Mohammad Hafeez and 10th-ranked Abdul Razzaq inside the top 10.David Hussey is in third position as the top 10 also includes two South Africans in Jacques Kallis and Albie Morkel.A humble Watson said: "With so many fantastic players in world cricket it is a great honor to be recognised as the number-one all-rounder in the international Twenty20 cricket. While personal milestones and accolades are nice, our goal as a team is to play more consistent T20 cricket and allow the rankings to take care of themselves."The games we play over the Australia summer are a wonderful opportunity to begin this climb and prepare ourselves in the best way possible for the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka next year.

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England women claim a crushing 96-run victory over South Africa

Captain Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor set a record partnership for the second wicket as England women claimed a crushing 96-run victory over South Africa in the second one day international of the series in Potchefstroom today.Charlotte Edwards and Danielle Wyatt got England off to a solid start after South Africa won the toss and inserted the visitors. Wyatt had reached 37 - her highest one-day score - before she was bowled by Shabnim Ismail in the 20th over.Edwards continued to control the game, registering her fifth one-day international century as she and Sarah Taylor (77) put on 159 for the second wicket - a new record. Their stand was finally broken when Taylor was caught at square leg in the 41st over. Two overs later, after a superb innings that included 22 boundaries, Edwards (138) was caught at short fine leg, leaving England on a commanding 263 for three.With seven overs remaining and seven wickets in hand England continued to push for runs but lost the wickets of Arran Brindle, Lydia Greenway and Jenny Gunn in the process.Heather Knight and Laura Marsh batted out the overs for England who finished on 315 for six.England took momentum into the field where Marsh claimed the first wicket to disrupt the South African attack.Halfway through the 16th over the dangerous Trisha Chetty was caught behind by Taylor off the bowling of Danielle Hazell, leaving South Africa on 84 for two.As South Africa attempted to rebuild England piled on the pressure and a good spell from Brindle and Knight saw the wickets begin to tumble as the hosts were reduced to 147 for six.The South Africa tail had an impossible task and crumbled under the pressure with England's spinners wrapping up the win. South Africa were bowled out for 219 with 15 balls remaining.England women claimed a 96-run victory and are 2-0 up in the three match series.Charlotte Edwards said: "It was a good all round team performance today. I'm really pleased how we've come back with our bowling and our fielding performance."It's always nice to clinch a series and to contribute to that is fantastic. I was really pleased with how I played today, I wanted to get a big score out here. "Sarah and I have batted a lot together - she's world class.England women play the third ODI against South Africa on Tuesday 25th October

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Waqar believes bowlers will recover for second Test

Former Pakistan coach Waqar Younis expects the team's fast bowlers to shake off the effects of two days in the field and be ready for action again in time for Wednesday's second Test against Sri Lanka at Dubai Sports City.Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema and Junaid Khan bowled 88 overs between them in Sri Lanka's second innings of the opening match of the three-Test series as Pakistan battled in vain to force a win.But while Waqar accepted the workload in hot conditions would have left the trio jaded he was confident they would all be ready to go again at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium after three days of rest and recovery."It was hot in Abu Dhabi and that will have taken its toll on the bowlers," he said. "But three days is long enough (for them to recover) and they will make sure they are nice and fresh when they come for the next game."I'm sure they won't do much bowling over the three days between matches. The team might be doing some more fielding practice instead," he added, a comment on the seven catches put down by Pakistan in Sri Lanka's second innings.The two teams have two scheduled days of practice at the ICC Global Cricket Academy, another part of the rapidly developing Dubai Sports City community, ahead of Wednesday's start of the Test.Despite the frustrations of the dropped chances for Pakistan and the resultant failure to force a win in the first Test after securing a first innings lead of 314, Waqar was heartened by the team's display."Overall, Pakistan did extremely well," he said. "They bowled very well in the first innings to bowl Sri Lanka out for 197. That was a great effort, especially by Junaid Khan and Aizaz Cheema. Both of them bowled their hearts out and put Sri Lanka on the back foot but Kumar Sangakkara (who made 218) was too good."Umar Gul looked like he needs another game (to get into his best rhythm) but Junaid Khan and Aizaz Cheema were very positive and they were unfortunate not to pick up more wickets because their bowling deserved more."Waqar, who stepped down as coach in September after 18 months in the role having taken Pakistan to the semi-finals of the ICC World Twenty20 and the ICC Cricket World Cup, did not rule out a return to coach the team in future.Now in the United Arab Emirates as part of the TEN Sports commentary team for the series, Waqar said he was willing to leave the door open to a possible return in due course."The job of the coach is very time-consuming," he said. "I've just finished and I need a bit of time to settle down (but) then I'd think about it (again)."Waqar admitted he was still getting used to watching the Pakistan team without the pressures of being the coach."It is a bit strange not to be part of the team," he said. "I think it shows in my commentary a bit when I talk about the players because I still have a feeling for them."It does get a bit frustrating watching them but in this role there's not the same pressure and that's the beauty of commentary," he said

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Third day's play called off in Bangladesh

CHITTAGONG : The first test between Bangladesh and West Indies at Chittagong was affected by the weather again on Sunday as early drizzle and a damp outfield forced the cancellation of the third day. No play was possible on Saturday due to a damp outfield. The match referee and umpires made the decision after an inspection at 1015 local (0415 GMT) time. Play will resume 30 minutes earlier than scheduled on Monday at 0900.Bangladesh were on 255-4 from the first day after opting to bat, with captain Mushfiqur Rahim unbeaten on 68

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Sri Lanka thwart Pakistan's victory hopes to salvage draw

ABU DHABI: Kumar Sangakkara hit his eighth double hundred and Prasanna Jayawardene notched up a fighting century to thwart Pakistan's hopes of victory to salvage a draw for Sri Lanka in the first Test here on Saturday.Sangakkara scored 211 during a marathon near eleven-hour stay while Prasanna made 120, for his fourth century, as Sri Lanka piled on 483 to frustrate Pakistan on the fifth and final day at Abu Dhabi stadium.A cluster of wickets in the final session with Umar Gul taking 4-64 left Pakistan with an improbable target of making 170 in a maximum 20 overs, but they called it quits on 21-1 after 10 overs.Sangakkara finally fell in the last over before tea, when he was trapped leg-before by the part-time leg-spinner Azhar Ali for his first wicket in Test cricket but not before he had frustrated Pakistan for almost two sessions.Sangakkara batted for 651 minutes, faced 431 deliveries and hit 18 boundaries during an epic knock.With just 25 overs remaining and the match heading towards a draw, Prasanna fell caught behind off paceman Aizaz Cheema but by that time he and Sangakkara had changed the course of the match.Sangakkara flicked Cheema to fine-leg for his 18th boundary to reach his double hundred after 604-minutes of defiant batting, punching the air in delight.Together with Prasanna, Sangakkara added 201 for the sixth wicket stand, erasing the previous best of 169 in Pakistan-Sri Lanka Tests for this wicket between Kamran Akmal and Yasir Arafat at Karachi two years ago.Sangakkara, 33, has also achieved a personal landmark by scoring a double hundred as he is now third behind Sir Donald Bradman (12) and West Indian Brian Lara (nine) in terms of scoring Test double hundreds.Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq employed all possible means but the Sangakkara-Prasanna pair did not served up any chances in the first three hours. Prasanna reached his hundred with his 11th boundary, an uppish drive off spinner Saeed Ajmal.In all Prasanna hit 12 boundaries during his 273-ball knock.Resuming at 298-5 Sri Lanka survived the morning session unscathed as the overnight pair of Sangakkara and Prasanna kept Pakistan's three-pronged pace attack at bay to take their team to 364-5 at lunch.Prasanna dropped by substitute Wahab Riaz off Gul on 11 one of six catches Pakistani fielders dropped on Friday -- hit Aizaz Cheema and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal for consecutive boundaries to help Sri Lanka erase the deficit.Sangakkara, whose wicket was crucial for both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, then came into his own hitting Ajmal for an exquisite cover drive to the ropes and gave no chance to bowlers.Pakistan used all five bowlers but were left to rue the missed chances of Friday which spoiled their chances of taking the lead in the three-Test series.The second Test starts in Dubai on October 26, while the third will be played in Sharjah from November 3.

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