Talha eyes comeback to Pak team after successful domestic season

Pakistani pacer Mohammad Talha has expressed hope that his successful season in domestic cricket will impress the selection committee and earn him a much awaited recall to the national team.Pakistan's limited-overs squad for the Caribbean tour includes five players yet to play for the senior team- wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman, batsman Usman Salahuddin, allrounder Hammad Azam and pacers Sadaf Hussain and Junaid Khan.Talha, who took 53 wickets in ten matches at an average of just over 22 in last season's Quaid E Azam Trophy, hopes that the selectors took note of his consistent domestic performances and would include him in Pakistan's Test team for the Windies tour.The selectors deserve credit for taking note of players who have performed well in domestic cricket. Junaid Khan and Sadaf Hussain are such examples of consistent form in domestic cricket and I too hope that my successful season in domestic cricket will have impressed the selection committee," PakPassion.net quoted Talha, as saying.Talha feels that confidence and rhythm are the key ingredients in his bowling, and that he can replicate his domestic form in international matches. "I've felt good rhythm to my bowling all season and my confidence is high. I firmly believe that I can provide Pakistan with a good attacking option against the West Indies," he added.Talha's solitary Test chance came against Sri Lanka in the ill-fated match at the Gaddaffi stadium in Lahore in March 2009, which was abandoned following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team as they were on the way to the ground for the third day's play.He had the figures of 1 for 88 off 17 overs against the Sri Lankans before the series was dumped.

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Afridi happy with all-round performance

Pakistan's limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi has said that it was "good cricket all around" for his team, which registered a comfortable eight-wicket win over the West Indies in the first one-day international (ODI) of the five-match series on Saturday."I was very happy when West Indies won the toss and chose to bat because I thought the pitch would help our spinners," the Dawn quoted Afridi, as saying."I think our spinners have been doing a great job for us in the last few months, and they again set things up for us," he added.Misbah-ul-Haq was the top-scorer with an unbeaten 73 off 90 deliveries, and Asad Shafiq supported him with 61 not out from 76 balls, after man-of-the-match Mohammad Hafeez gave Pakistan a flying start with 54 runs off 45 balls in their successful chase of 222 for victory.Shafiq ushered Pakistan over the finish line with 51 balls remaining, when he edged a slog at a delivery from Kemar Roach to the 'third man' for a single."The way the openers Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad played was also good to see, and then the partnership between Misbah and Asad brought us home. It was good cricket all around for us," said Afridi. West Indies captain Darren Sammy said: "We put ourselves in a hole when we were batting, and the spinners were bowling, so we really have to come better in the next game.""I was surprised to see the pitch offer so much turn and bounce, but I will back our guys. We will put in the hard work at practice and come back," he added.Sammy said that his team needs to 'show more intent' in its approach."We have a new batting coach, and he has been doing some good work, but we can't lose sight of us reaching 221 coming from our position in the middle of the innings, so hopefully we can improve on this next time," he added.The second game in the five-match ODI series is at the same venue on Monday. The third and fourth ODIs will be played on April 28 and May 2 at Kensington Oval in Barbados, with the final match of the series on May 5 at the Guyana National Stadium.

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PAK WI PHOTO

Apr 23, 2011 Mohammad Salman celebrates the run-out of Darren Bravo © AFP		Apr 23, 2011 Mohammad Hafeez steers one through the off side during his fifty © AFP		Apr 23, 2011 West Indies seamers' had a tough day in the field against Pakistan © AFP		Apr 23, 2011 Misbah-ul-Haq top-scored in Pakistan's eight-wicket win © AFP
Apr 23, 2011 Asad Shafiq and Misbah-ul-Haq steered Pakistan to victory with a 134-run stand © AFP		Apr 23, 2011 Mohammad Hafeez pulls on his way to a rapid fifty against West Indies © AFP		Apr 23, 2011 Wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh appeals for the stumping of Ahmed Shehzad © AFP		Apr 23, 2011 Darren Bravo anchored West Indies' innings with 67 from 109 balls © Getty Images
Apr 23, 2011 Lendl Simmons was caught behind for 24 off the bowling of Saeed Ajmal © Getty Images		Apr 23, 2011 Lendl Simmons flicks through the leg side © Getty Images		Apr 23, 2011 Devon Smith is trapped lbw by Mohammad Hafeez for 17 © Getty Images		Apr 23, 2011 The debutant Pakistan seamer Junaid Khan runs in to bowl © Getty Images
Apr 21, 2011 Umar Akmal was the only Pakistan batsman who made more than 25 runs © Associated Press		Apr 21, 2011 Darren Sammy celebrates the fall of a wicket © AFP		Apr 21, 2011 West Indies' bowlers kept picking up wickets at regular intervals © Associated Press		Apr 21, 2011 Lendl Simmons was the only batsman to score a half-century in the match © AFP
Apr 21, 2011 The Pakistan team get into a huddle © Associated Press		Apr 21, 2011 Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo put on 99 runs for the second wicket © AFP		Apr 21, 2011 Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi celebrates the fall of a wicket with bowler Abdur Rehman © AFP		Apr 21, 2011 West Indies captain Darren Sammy hugs legspinner Devendra Bishoo who picked up four wickets © Associated Press

Apr 21, 2011 West Indies captain Darren Sammy and Man of the Match Devendra Bishoo pose with the silverware © AFP		Apr 21, 2011 Ravi Rampaul was expensive but took three wickets as West Indies won by seven runs © Getty Images		Apr 21, 2011 Umar Akmal played an impressive lone hand in Pakistan's chase © Getty Images		Apr 21, 2011 Darren Sammy helped get his team's defence off to a good start by removing Mohammad Hafeez © Getty Images
Apr 21, 2011 Darren Bravo made an impressive 42 from 33 deliveries © Getty Images		Apr 21, 2011 Lendl Simmons led a positive West Indies innings by rushing to a 31-ball fifty © Getty Images		Apr 21, 2011 Pakistan celebrated an early scalp as Andre Fletcher fell for 1 © Getty Images		Apr 20, 2011 Darren Sammy and Shahid Afridi pose with the Twenty20 trophy they will play for on April 21 © AFP
Apr 20, 2011 West Indies seamers Kemar Roach, Andre Russell and Ravi Rampaul at practice © Associated Press		Apr 20, 2011 The West Indies squad at a training session © Associated Press		Apr 20, 2011 Carlton Baugh practises his keeping ahead of the Twenty20 and one-day series against Pakistan © Associated Press		Apr 20, 2011 Shahid Afridi and Waqar Younis at a press conference © AFP
Apr 20, 2011 Mohammad Salman at a training session in Gros Islet © AFP		Apr 20, 2011 Darren Sammy and Shahid Afridi pose with the ODI trophy that they will play for © AFP		Apr 20, 2011 Shahid Afridi at a training session ahead of the Twenty20 international between Pakistan and West Indies © AFP		Apr 12, 2011 Misbah-ul-Haq bats in the nets at the Gaddafi Stadium © AFP
Apr 12, 2011 Taufeeq Umar bats in the nets © AFP		Apr 12, 2011 Shahid Afridi practises his batting before Pakistan's tour of the West Indies © AFP		Apr 12, 2011 Umar Akmal in Pakistan's training camp ahead of their tour to the West Indies © AFP		Apr 12, 2011 Shahid Afridi loosens up with team-mates during a preparatory camp © Associated Press

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Pakistan beat West Indies by eight wickets

Updated at: 0153 PST,  Sunday, April 24, 2011

GROS ISLET: Pakistan beat West Indies by eight wickets in the first one-day international on Saturday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground here. Brief scores: West Indies: 221 for six in 50 overs (Darren Bravo 67) v Pakistan 222 for two in 41.3 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 73 not out, Asad Shafiq 61 not out, Mohammad Hafeez 54)

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West Indies win toss and bat against Pakistan

Updated at: 1836 PST,  Saturday, April 23, 2011

GROS-ISLET, Saint Lucia: West Indies captain Darren Sammy won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan in the first One-day International at the Beausejour Cricket Ground here on Saturday: Teams West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Devon Smith, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kirk Edwards, Dwayne Bravo, Carlton Baugh Jr, Andre Russell, Kemar Roach, Devendra Bishoo.Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Salman, Hammad Azam, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan.Umpires: Asoka De Silva (SL), Norman Malcolm (WI), TV umpire: Peter Nero (WI), Reserve umpire: Gregory Brathwaite (WI).Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ)

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