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NEWS UPDATE : Asian Cricket Third Sri Lanka-Pakistan ODI abandoned due to rain COLOMBO: The third One-day International between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The umpires made this decision after consulting ... Australia want to master all forms of game: Clarke SYDNEY: Australia's limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make them the top nation in all three forms of the game, captain Michael Clarke said ... Bopara glad to be back for England SOUTHAMPTON, England: Ravi Bopara is eager to make up for lost times as he tries to revive his ... South Africa name unchanged squad for England series JOHANNESBURG: South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on ...


Saturday, April 02, 2011

Shoaib unlikely for semi against India

Updated at: 1505 PST,  Friday, April 01, 2011
MOHALI: Paceman Shoaib Akhtar is unlikely to play in Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal against archrival India, according to a source close to the Pakistan team.Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi raised expectations of a return for Akhtar when he said he knew the bowler wasn’t fully fit, but would to have him in the lineup to offer something different against the powerful Indian batsman.But a source, who was not authorized to comment to media, told The Associated Press late Tuesday that Pakistan team management was not in favor of disturbing a winning combination.The 35-year-old Akhtar has already announced he’ll retire from international cricket after the World Cup, but has not played in four of the seven matches in the tournament.In his absence, Pakistan has defeated Zimbabwe, handed three-time champion Australia its first World Cup loss since 1999 and also thrashed the West Indies by 10 wickets in the quarterfinals.The only likely change (for semifinal) from the quarterfinal team is that leftarm spinner Abdur Rehman might come in place of offspinner Saeed Ajmal,” the source told Several former Pakistan players have called for Akhtar to be reinstated in a bid to unsettle India’s batsmen, who are comfortable playing spin but could be vulnerable against all-out pace

Clarke needs to improve his man-management: Warne

Updated at: 1505 PST,  Friday, April 01, 2011
SYDNEY: New Australia captain Michael Clarke is an astute cricket tactician but will need to be more "formal and firm" in his man-management, according to spin-bowling great Shane Warne.Clarke was appointed Australia's 43rd test captain on Wednesday in place of Ricky Ponting, who had resigned a day earlier, and departs with his first squad to Bangladesh for three one-dayers on Monday.Warne, who took 708 test wickets in a glittering career and remains a highly influential voice in Australian cricket, said Clarke, a close friend, was the right man for the job but would need to further develop some of his skills."As far as a leader of men goes, this is where I think Michael can improve," he wrote in his column for Friday's Daily Telegraph. "The way he conducts himself is laid back and fun by nature, but as skipper he will need to become a bit more formal and firm."In dealing with his team, I believe he has their respect as a player, but now it's time to earn that respect as a leader - firstly from the extended Australian cricket family and then the public," Warne added. In other areas, though, Warne said he thought Clarke, who turns 30 on Saturday, was already the finished article. "His communication skills remind me of a young Mark Taylor, who was the best captain I played under," he wrote."He works well with the bowlers and we don't see him running up to them after every ball -- that's a good thing by the way -- or looking like a cop directing traffic. "Some captains like that because it's a power trip - look at me, I'm in charge."Warne, who never captained his country in tests because of off-field indiscretions, said he thought Clarke's style of captaincy would suit a team that does not enjoy the ascendancy that Australia had in Warne's heyday."His tactics are spot on and his style of play is aggressive," Warne wrote."With a team in transition, it's important to put players under pressure. That is, you have to risk losing to win, not be happy to not lose and draw."That way the players learn how to win and learn by their mistakes. You can't just be defensive, sit back and hope someone will make something happen. You must be pro-active and set the ground rules out from day one."We know we won't be number one again in any form of the game for some time but if the attitude of the team is 'try to be the best we can be', then the current group can't do any more than that," he added.

Clarke appointed Australia skipper

Updated at: 1505 PST,  Friday, April 01, 2011
SYDNEY: Michael Clarke, long the heir apparent to Ricky Ponting, finally assumed the throne when he was named Australia's 43rd test captain on Wednesday, a day after his mentor quit the post.
The 29-year-old will also take charge of the one-day side, which plays three matches in Bangladesh next month. All rounder Shane Watson was appointed the new vice-captain of the test and one-day teams."I just want to say what a honour it is to be named captain of Australia and a huge surprise to see Ricky stand down," Clarke told a news conference at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)Clarke, who turns 30 this weekend, begins the job with Australian cricket at its lowest ebb since the mid-1980s, ranked fifth in the world in tests and still smarting from a home Ashes drubbing and a quarter-final exit at the World Cup.The key for me is we go back to old-fashioned basics. That's batting, bowling and fielding," he said. "I'm not going to reinvent the wheel."We want to become the number one ranked team in all forms and that's going to take a long time," he added.If newspaper and website polls are to be believed, Clarke's appointment was not welcomed by a lot of fans, many of whom take exception to his transformation from a working class boy from Sydney's western suburbs into a celebrity.The tattoos, top of the range BMW, glamorous apartment in the beach side Sydney suburb of Bondi and celebrity girlfriends make him a very different captain from his 42 predecessors.Also a keen tweeter, it was via his Twitter page (twitter.com/MClarke23) that Clarke apologised for not walking when given out during the Ashes defeat in Adelaide in December."My address has changed and I've got a few more tattoos than when I was a kid, but the person inside is exactly the same," he said."I need to be continue to be true to myself, people will have their own opinions," he added. "I certainly don't believe I can get the whole of this country to like me.For me it's about earning the respect of the doubters by leading the team in the right way and playing cricket in the right way.Nicknamed Pup, Clarke burst onto world cricket's stage with 151 on his test debut in Bangalore in 2004 and another century on his home debut against New Zealand. He averages 46.49 in 69 tests and 44.32 in 195 ODIs.

Afridi pulls out of West Indies tour: source

Updated at: 1505 PST,  Friday, April 01, 2011
KARACHI: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has withdrawn from next month's tour to West Indies, a source at the national cricket board told Reuters.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) source, who declined to be identified, said the 31-year-old all-rounder had made himself unavailable for the tour which starts on April 18."He will not be going to West Indies as apparently he wants to take a break from the game," said the source before adding the player had spoken to the chairman of the PCB and explained he was not in the right frame of mind to go to the Caribbean.Afridi quit test cricket in 2010 but had been expected to play in the one-dayers and Twenty20s in West Indies.Pakistan were knocked out of the World Cup when they lost by 29 runs to rivals India in the semi-finals on Wednesday.Flamboyant Afridi has appeared in 320 one-dayers, 27 tests and 42 Twenty20s for Pakistan.He has been captaining Pakistan in limited-over matches since last year.Pakistan will play one Twenty20, five one-dayers and two tests in West Indies.

Pak-India series to resume soon: Ijaz Butt

Updated at: 1505 PST,  Friday, April 01, 2011
Pak-India series to resume soon: Ijaz Butt
Butt balmes bad fielding and slow batting for losing the semi-final.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ijaz Butt on Thursday said that the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that bilateral sports ties between the two countries would resume soon.Talking to the media at Wagha Border, Butt said that Wahab Riaz’s selection was a right decision because Shoaib Akhter could not bowl in the second spell.

Lahore: Shahbaz greets cricket team at airport

Updated at: 1505 PST,  Friday, April 01, 2011
Shahbaz Sharif welcomed the Pakistan cricket team when they arrived at the Lahore airport on Friday.Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif congratulated the team on reaching the semi-finals and said that winning and losing was part of the game.Intikhab Alam, manager of the Pakistan cricket team, said that the team performed at their best in the tournament and that he was grateful to Shahbaz Sharif for welcoming the team at the airport. Opening batsman Muhammad Hafeez said that he made a few mistakes in the match against India which he regretted.Earlier, when the cricket team arrived at the Karachi airport, fans were gathered to see their team but the players were sneaked out of the airport for security reasons.

Afridi asks Indian media to behave


Updated at: 1505 PST,  Friday, April 01, 2011
The captain says decision regarding Shoaib’s selection will be taken after assessing the pitch.Shahid Afridi said on Tuesday that the Indian media should not sensitise the petty things related to the match. Addressing a press conference in Mohali, the skipper said that Indian media should portray positive aspects of both teams as relations between India and Pakistan had been through to a tumultuous phase due to the media.He said that Pakistan would fight hard against India to clinch the victory in the semi-final. Pakistan have a really good bowling attack, the players are confident and they will surly perform well in the match, Afridi said.............................................................................................................

Pak-India agree on liberalizing visa regime


Updated at: 0015 PST,  Saturday, April 02, 2011
NEW DELHI: Indian home minister P Chidambaram Friday said that visa regime between Pakistan and India had already been liberalized and in this regard a Joint Working Group would also meet to explore further ways, Geo News reported Talking to reporters in New Delhi, the Indian home minister described the recently concluded India-Pakistan Home Secretary level talks as a positive development’’, saying it was one of the many steps to be taken towards resolution of disputes between the two neighbouring countries.Chidambaram was speaking at his monthly review press conference about his assessment of the two-day talks held in the Capital between Home Secretary G.K. Pillai and Pakistan’s Interior Secretary Chaudhary Qamar Zaman Kaira on March 28-29. It is a positive step. It is one among many steps that have to be taken towards resolution of disputes between India and Pakistan," he told reporters.Mr. Chidambaram also brushed aside apprehensions that the Indian probe team which will visit Pakistan to gather information and evidence in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case will have limited legal jurisdiction. He said that modalities for the team will be worked out taking into account existing laws.He said that Pakistan has agreed in principle to receive an Indian commission to gather evidence and information in that country in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case.Modalities and procedures would have to be worked out. And when we work out the modalities and procedures, you can be rest assured, that I will be mindful of the legal provisions. Obviously I can not send a team without being mindful of legal provisions,’’ he said. He expressed the hope that modalities and procedures would be worked out quickly and the Indian team would be able to travel to Pakistan soon.In reply to a question on easing visa regime between India and Pakistan, Mr. Chidambaram said that visa regime had already been liberalised considerably. ``In the meanwhile, the joint working group will meet to explore further ways of liberalising visa procedures,’’ he added.To a question on sharing Samjhauta Express information with Pakistan, Chidambaram said India has exchanged with Pakistan information available up to date.

Dhoni, Sangakkara - two skippers, one dream

Updated at: 1505 PST,  Friday, April 01, 2011
India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a star of countless TV commercials, and Kumar Sangakkara, the well-heeled son of a Sri Lankan lawyer, will be at the heart of Saturday's World Cup final action.For the first time in the history of tournament finals, the two captains are also the wicket keepers.Sangakkara is relishing the challenge that his triple role as captain, batsman and keeper brings."Wicketkeepers, sometimes everyone says they are over-burdened and it's not the easiest job. But it's also the most fun, I think, when you are always involved," he said.Dhoni's job is the same as Sangakkara but his way of going about things is different.MSD, as he is popularly known, keeps his emotions in check despite the cauldron-like situation that faces his team due to the expectations of millions of cricket-crazy fans."Dhoni is a very fine captain and hasn't been known to crack even in extreme situations," says former Pakistan captain and current manager Intikhab Alam."He lives up to his image of being composed throughout. He promotes himself when needed, which shows he's positive. Sangakkara is the really thinking type and is comfortable leading from the front."Off the field too, Sangakkara is more articulate and eloquent, a trait inherited from his lawyer father who ensured that his son took time out from his busy cricket schedule to study law.The youngest of four siblings, Sangakkara showed early signs of leadership as head prefect at the prestigious Trinity College.Despite showing a talent for tennis, it was the college principal who advised his mother to encourage her son to pursue cricket.Sangakkara was always tipped to succeed former skipper Mahela Jayawardena, thanks to his consistent form with the bat and ability behind the wickets.Married to his longtime girlfriend Yehali, 33-year-old Sangakkara is the proud father of twins - a girl and a boy.Dhoni, 29, is less polished, sometimes bordering on the blunt, but it is not something that counts against him."I was impressed in the manner he admitted that he misread the pitch," former Pakistan captain Imran Khan said after Dhoni told the media he was wrong in his assessment of Mohali wicket that hosted the India-Pakistan semi-final.Unlike Sangakkara's privileged upbringing, Dhoni, the son of a steel factory worker, clawed his way up from India's backwaters, squeezing in a college degree amid his cricketing duties.Dhoni was a shock choice to lead the national team after Sourav Ganguly's tumultous reign ended in 2007.But his calm demeanour - and an endorsement from batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar - worked in his favour.Multi-millionaire Dhoni, a regular fixture of TV commercials where he endorses ceiling fans to high-end property, broke the hearts of his legion of female admirers when he married girlfriend Sakshi in 2010."Dhoni is a quiet customer off the field but definitely has a charismatic presence on it," says former England player-turned pundit Jonathan Agnew"Sangakkara is a class act on and off the field. He is polished, speaks beautifully to the media and is a player of the highest quality."

About Cricket



About Cricket What is Cricket?
Explaining Cricket is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players. It is a bat-and-ball game played on a roughly elliptical grass field, in the centre of which is a flat strip of ground 22 yards (20.12 m) long, called a pitch. At each end of the pitch is a set of wooden stumps, called a wicket. A player from the fielding team (the bowler) propels a hard, fist-sized cork-centred leather ball from one wicket towards the other. The ball usually bounces before reaching a player from the opposing team (the batsman), who defends the wicket from the ball with a wooden cricket bat. Another batsman (the "non-striker") stands in an inactive role near the bowler's wicket.Generally, the batsman attempts to strike the ball with the bat, and run to the other end, exchanging places with his partner, scoring a run. However, he can attempt to run without hitting the ball, and vice versa. While the batting team scores as many runs as it can, the bowling team returns the ball back to either wicket. If the ball strikes a wicket before the batsman nearer to that wicket has reached safety, then the batsman is out, or "dismissed". The batsman can also be out by failing to stop the bowled ball from hitting the wicket, or if a fielder catches the ball before it touches the ground. Once the batsmen are not attempting to score any more runs, the ball is "dead" and is bowled again.Once out, a batsman is replaced by the next batsman in the team. As there must always be two batsmen on the field, the team's innings ends when ten batsmen are out, and the teams exchange roles. The number of innings, and possible restrictions on the number of balls in each, depend on the type of game played. At the end of the match - of which there are several definitions - the team that has scored more runs wins. In first-class cricket, a draw can result if the team to bat last fails to match the required total before a time limit is reached. This can add interest to one-sided games by giving the team in the worse position an incentive to play for a draw. This is distinct from a tie, which results if scores are level at the completion of both teams' innings. 
Objective and results
Cricket is a bat and ball sport. The objective of the game is to score more runs than the opposing team. A match is divided into innings during which one team bats and one team fields. The word "innings" is both singular and plural in cricket usage. If the team batting last is dismissed while their total score is n runs less than that of their opponents, they are said to have lost by n runs. If, in a two-innings match, one team is dismissed twice with a combined first- and second-innings score less than their opponents' first-innings score, then the winning team has no requirement to bat again and they are said to have won by an innings and n runs, where n is the difference in score between the teams.If the team batting last is dismissed with the scores exactly equal then the match is a tie; a tie is a rare result, particularly in matches of two innings a side. If the team batting last reaches their target, they are said to have won by n wickets, where n is the number of wickets the opposition still needed to take in order to dismiss them. If the time allotted for the match finishes before either side can win, then the game is a draw.If the match has only a single innings per side, then a maximum number of deliveries for each innings is often imposed. In this case the side scoring more runs wins regardless of the number of wickets lost, so that a draw cannot occur. If this kind of match is temporarily interrupted by bad weather, then a complex mathematical formula known as the Duckworth-Lewis method is often used to recalculate a new target score. A one-day match can be declared a "No-Result" if fewer than a previously agreed number of overs have been bowled by either team. This can occur if an interruption makes a resumption of play impossible, for example an extended period of bad weather.