Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sri Lanka eye return to Pakistan
HAMBANTOTA: Pakistan's cricketing isolation could end in October if Sri Lanka, who were targeted in a deadly terror attack in Lahore two years ago, agree to tour the troubled country Sri Lankan officials said Wednesday they were in talks with the International Cricket Council's Pakistan Task Team (PTT) to explore the possibilities."We are still discussing the option with the ICC and with all the other board members," said Sri Lanka Cricket chairman Somachandra de Silva."There are still some security concerns in Pakistan but if things improve, and Pakistan is a brotherly nation, we can consider it - all depends on the ICC's clearance," De Silva said.Sri Lanka are scheduled to tour Pakistan in October this year under the Future Tests Programme.According to reports in the Pakistani media, the governments of both countries are already in talks to hold the series in Pakistan.The attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus on March 9, 2009, killed eight people and injured seven Sri Lankan players as well as their assistant coach, leading to the suspension of all international cricket in Pakistan.Barely a month later, the ICC stripped Pakistan of its share of World Cup matches, forcing the team to play all their Group A matches in Sri Lanka, co-hosts with India and Bangladesh.The suspension also meant Pakistan have been forced to play their home series in the United Arab Emirates, England and New Zealand for the last two years.The ICC formed the Pakistan Task Team (PTT) with England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke to find ways of reviving international cricket in Pakistan and to help improve the disciplinary situation. Even before the Lahore attacks, Pakistan was a no-go area for international teams because of security fears sparked in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the United States which sparked a "war against terror" in and around the country.Australia have not toured Pakistan since 1998, forcing Pakistan to play their home series in Sri Lanka and Sharjah in 2002 and in England last year.Pakistan was also stripped of the right to host the 2008 Champions Trophy after Australia, South Africa and England refused to tour, forcing the ICC to move the tournament to South Africa, held in 2009.Meanwhile, De Silva said he hoped Hambantota will become a major cricket venue in Sri Lanka."It was only Colombo for the last two decades, but with Hambantota coming up for the World Cup matches we have brought cricket to the poor people and we will develop this," said the 68-year-old former Sri Lanka international.De Silva said the stadium - which became one-day cricket's 177th venue when Sri Lanka played Canada on Sunday - will also host a Test against Australia."We have decided to stage a Test in Hambantota against Australia when they tour in July this year and also one or two one-dayers in the same series. There is an option of staging World Twenty20 matches next year," said De Silva.Sri Lanka will host the fourth edition of World Twenty20 next year. (AFP)
Kamran, Younis fight for Pak recovery
HAMBANTOTA: After losing two early wickets for just 12 runs, Pakistan are fighting hard for recovery in Group A match of the ICC World Cup 2011 here at the Mahinda Rajapakse stadium on Wednesday.Wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal and veteran batsman Younis Khan are batting on 41 and 28, respectively as Both the experienced batsmen have taken Pakistan out of trouble.Now, Pakistan are 87-2 after 20 overs.Earlier, captain Shahid Khan Afridi won the toss and decided to bat but their start was disastrous as both openers fell early to Kenyan pace-bowlers.Both Kenyan opening bowlers dominated the scene in early overs to keep Pakistan in pressure.First, Elijah Otieno removed Mohammad Hafeez, caught by Waters for nine when Pakistan were 11 on the board and in the next over, Thomas Odoyo dismissed Ahmed Shahzad for one.However, Kamran and Younis handled the situation and soon took their team out of trouble.In Group A, all teams except Pakistan have so far played one match each as Pakistan are going to play their first match in the tournament today.Pakistan chose left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman in addition to their three-man seam attack of Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq.Kenya, who crashed to New Zealand in their first match by 10 wickets after being shot out for 69 on Sunday, left out opener Alex Obanda and brought in Tanmay Mishar as the only change in their side.
Pakistan in trouble as openers fall in early overs
HAMBANTOTA: Kenyan pace-bowlers got rid off both Pakistani openers in early overs to dominate the scene in Group A match of the ICC World Cup 2011 here at the Mahinda Rajapakse stadium on Wednesday.First, Elijah Otieno removed Mohammad Hafeez, caught by Waters for nine when Pakistan were 11 on the board and in the next over, Thomas Odoyo dismissed Ahmed Shahzad for one. Thus, Pakistan lost two wickets for only 12 runs in seven overs. Earlier, Pakistan captain Shahid Khan Afridi won the toss and decided to bat.In Group A, all teams except Pakistan have so far played one match each as Pakistan are going to play their first match in the tournament today.Pakistan chose left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman in addition to their three-man seam attack of Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq.Kenya, who crashed to New Zealand in their first match by 10 wickets after being shot out for 69 on Sunday, left out opener Alex Obanda and brought in Tanmay Mishar as the only change in their side.
Pakistan win toss, elect to bat against Kenya
HAMBANTOTA: Pakistan captain Shahid Khan Afridi won the toss and decided to bat against Kenya in the World Cup Group A clash against Kenya at Mahinda Rajapakse stadium on Wednesday.In Group A, all teams except Pakistan have so far played one match each as Pakistan are going to play their first match in the tournament today.Pakistan chose left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman in addition to their three-man seam attack of Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq.Kenya, who crashed to New Zealand in their first match by 10 wickets after being shot out for 69 on Sunday, left out opener Alex Obanda and brought in Tanmay Mishar as the only change in their side.Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Ahmed Shahzad.Kenya: Jimmy Kamande (captain), Seren Waters, Collins Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tanmay Mishra, Rakep Patel, Morris Ouma, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, Shem Ngoche.Umpires: Nigel Llong (ENG) and Tony Hill (NZ), Tv umpire: Daryl Harper (AUS)Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
Cricket World Cup: Kotla faces tough World Cup test
NEW DELHI: New Delhi's historic Feroz Shah Kotla ground will come under scrutiny on Thursday when it hosts a high-profile World Cup match between South Africa and the West Indies after an international ban.The ground was banned from hosting international matches in December 2009 when a one day international between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned after just 23.3 overs due to the "dangerous" nature of the playing surface.It has hosted Indian Premier League matches since but with no World Cup warm-up game at the stadium, it is unclear how the pitch will behave.Star South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis said he was not losing sleep over the track for their opening Group B encounter at the stadium, named after the 14th-century Mughal emperor of Delhi, Feroz Shah Tughlaq."I haven't had a look at the wicket. I have seen it during the IPL and it wasn't too bad."Probably it's not going to be a 300-350 wicket. We do have the balance in the team that can play on any type of wicket."Local cricket officials appeared determined to avoid a repeat of the 2009 embarrassment and have been going the extra mile to ensure the track comes up to scratch."I am not overly concerned but I will be able to sleep peacefully only after Thursday," said Delhi and District Cricket Association vice-president Chetan Chauhan."We did not lose (out) much on cricket, but the stigma of having been banned was tough to come to terms with. We have worked hard on the wicket and I am sure we will pull it off without any glitches," added the former India Test opener.International Cricket Council pitch consultant Andy Atkinson has also been in New Delhi since last Friday. "Yeah, the pitch preparation is my responsibility," Atkinson told the Mail Today newspaper."I am sure it will behave well this time. I am here till February 28 to see the second match (between the West Indies and Holland) through."Atkinson's efforts took a slight knock with unseasonal rains in New Delhi but he is pleased to see the sun shining again."The sun is out but it's like lacking the warmth. I wish it shines brightly because it is winter and the grass doesn't grow here in winter." (AFP)
Cricket World Cup: Strauss hopes Dutch trouble deceives India
NAGPUR: England captain Andrew Strauss hopes his side's unconvincing start to the World Cup will lull co-hosts India into a false sense of security for the blockbuster clash on Sunday The reigning World Twenty20 champions had just eight balls to spare in defeating the Netherlands by six wickets on Tuesday after a ragged bowling and fielding display that helped the Dutch notch 292 for six.Essex all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate cashed in with a career-best 119 before England, led by Strauss, who scored 88, managed to avert a major upset to match their defeat at the hands of the Dutch at the 2009 World Twenty20."Hopefully India will take us lightly after this performance," Strauss told reporters at the VCA Ground in Nagpur."We generally raise our games against better sides. We are very excited about playing India in Bangalore. "There will be a great atmosphere and we will back ourselves to beat them," he insisted. India crushed co-hosts Bangladesh in their opener on Saturday.But Strauss, who shared a century stand with new opening partner Kevin Pietersen, readily conceded England would have to improve their fielding display after a "shemozzle" against the Netherlands.Asked if England's performance had been acceptable for the opening match of a World Cup, Strauss replied: "Certainly not. The first 50 overs was a very poor performance, and certainly the last 10 overs was exceptionally poor."One of England's most inept moments was a reprieve for ten Doeschate on 47 when James Anderson and Pietersen let an outfield catch drop between.There was also a no-ball called after England had too few men inside the circle, allowing Dutch captain Peter Borren to be recalled after being bowled by Stuart Broad."We were a little bit shell-shocked by what happened in those last 10 overs," Strauss said. "You can't afford to drop that many catches and we were pretty untidy on the ground as well."That meant Holland probably got 30 or 40 more than they should have done. We were way off where we want to be in the field."We came in very determined to start the tournament well. But it was one of those days in the field where everything seemed to go wrong."As for the Borren blunder, Strauss said: "It was just a miscommunication."I said to Stuart Broad 'do you want a man out there?' and Paul Collingwood thought I said 'go out there'.Strauss added that ten Doeschate, who also took two wickets, deserved acclaim for his innings regardless of England's ineptitude."I think you've got to give a lot of credit to Ryan ten Doeschate for the way he played."We've seen him do that for Essex, but on the big stage it's a hard thing to do and he played exceptionally well."Meanwhile the England captain took some heart from his side's run-chase."We needed to get back on the horse pretty quickly with the bat and make sure we put in a good, solid, professional performance," he said."It was a little bit tighter than we wanted it at the end. We probably didn't use the powerplay as we would have liked, but I think we always had the batting under control."We can take some confidence out of that." (AFP)
England win after Netherlands set huge target
NAGPUR: Captain Andrew Strauss guided England to a six-wicket win by achieving a huge target set by the Netherlands in a Group B match of the World Cup here at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground on Tuesday Chasing a difficult target of 293, England openers Strauss and Kevin Pietersen provided a solid start of 105 runs. Strauss made 88 from 83 balls and Pietersen scored 39 while John Trott scored 62, adding 61 for the second wicket with Stauss.Later, Trott and Ian Bell (33) made together 58 for the third wicket.Paul Collingwood and Ravi Bopara made 30 runs each and added 54 runs of rthe unbeaten fifth wicket partnership to see England win their opening match in the tournament.Earlier, a superb century by Ryan ten Doeschate powered the Netherlands to an astonishing total of 292 runs for six wickets against a strong England side after captain Peter Borren had won the toss and elected to bat first. The 30-year-old South Africa-born right-hander hit three sixes and nine fours in his 110-ball 119 that was the cornerstone of the Netherlands's innings.It was his fourth hundred in One-day Internationals and the first in the World Cup.Ten Doeschate added 78 runs with Tom Cooper (47), 64 with Tom de Grooth (28) and 61 with skipper Peter Borren (35 not out) to set a target that should be quite a test for England's tweaked batting order.Doeschate also claimed two wickets to earn the Man-of-the-Match award for his fine allround performance.Earlier, The Dutch openers provided a bright start of 36 from only six overs but the English bowlers soon got rid off them..Tim Bresnan got Alexei Kervezee caught behind for 16 when Netherlands were 36 and Graeme Swann got Wesley Barresi stumped out for 29, again by wicketkeeper Matt Prior.Then, Ten Doeschate ensured there was no panic in the Dutch camp. He offered dogged resistance in the company of former Australia under-19 player Cooper, consolidated the innings with his smart association with de Grooth before providing the late charge with Borren.
World Cup final venue gets safety nod
MUMBAI: Mumbai's revamped Wankhede stadium was cleared by fire chiefs on Tuesday to host the World Cup final, a welcome boost for a venue criticised for failing to respect safety standards."We have given the NOC (no objection certificate) to the stadium. They have fulfilled all the fire safety norms," Mumbai deputy chief fire officer A. N. Shinde told the PTI news agency after a fourth inspection of the ground."They can host matches. The stadium is safe and secure."The Wankhede will host the final on April 2 as well as two group matches.
