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Pakistan vs West Indies 2011

Cricket Schedule of Pakistan vs West Indies 2011. Fixtures of Pakistan vs West Indies 2011 has been announced. The first schedule match of Pakistan vs West Indies 2011 between Pakistan vs West Indies begins Apr 23, 2011 onwards. Keep viewing CriSchedule for latest updates on Cricket Schedule and Fixtures of upcoming Pakistan vs West Indies 2011.

Pakistan will tour West Indies in the month of April 2011. After taking some rest from World Cup 2011, both team will participate in bilateral series which will include 1 T20I, 5 ODI and 2 Test matches spanned over a month.

If we go by pure ratings, the two teams do not have a great distinction with them being just two points apart in ODIs and separated by one point in Tests. But the difference in the confidence of the two outfits is what matters. Pakistan have just completed a decent world cup campaign by reaching the semi finals and being beaten by the eventual winners of the tournament won't dent them too much. West Indies on the other hand have had anything but a smooth time of it in international cricket. A fresh squad and resting of veterans for the initial two matches of the ODI series suggests the emphasis of team management on exposure of young players. Pakistan has also made some changes in their armory by axing the inconsistent Abdul Razzaq and Mr Butterfingers Kamran Akmal but have preserved most of the stars of their WC Campaign.

This will be an exciting series because even though the Windies have the home advantage, Pakistan on their day can be a formidable lineup and have the ability to crush the opposition by mere individual brilliance. The pitches in WI have recently been low and slow which almost makes teams from the subcontinent feel at home and the small grounds signals party time for the big hitters. In my opinion, the ODIs will be a little more competitive but WI will want their seniors (Gayle, Chanderpaul and Co) to perform if they need to be anywhere close to Pakistan for the Tests.

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Handling media will be Fletcher's biggest challenge: Vaughan

Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan feels that newly appointed India coach Duncan Fletcher's "biggest challenge" will be to handle the media in a cricket crazy nation.Vaughan wrote on his Twitter account that Fletcher will make good use of the talent available in the Indian team but being in the limelight is something he has never "understood"."Duncan will work well with all the talent.. His biggest challenge will come from the media..he has never really understood how it works..!!" tweeted Vaughan, who captained the side that won the Ashes in 2005 after 18 years and under the supervision of Fletcher.

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Coaching World champs India a challenge for Fletcher: Simons

India's bowling coach Eric Simons is keenly looking forward to working with Duncan Fletcher and says that for the former Zimbabwe captain, coaching the World champions will be a big challenge.The 49-year-old South African, whose contract was extended by the Indian board on Wednesday, said that he expected Fletcher to bring in fresh ideas like the way he did when he was in charge of the England team. Fletcher coached England for eight years (1999-2007) and also led them to an Ashes victory after 15 years in 2005.Simons will now be in charge of the Indian team for next month's tour of the West Indies as the 62-year-old Fletcher, now a British citizen, will join the team only after the series due to prior commitments."I have never worked with Duncan, so I am looking forward to working with him. I am sure he will bring in some fresh ideas to the team like he did during his English stint. But I think coaching the No.1 team in the world will be a real challenge for Fletcher," said Simons, who was appointed the bowling coach in January 2010.Simons and his compatriot Gary Kirsten, the former India coach, forged a successful partnership that saw India becoming the No.1 Test team and winning the 2011 World Cup after 28 years. Simmons also played a key role in India's success in South Africa, where they drew the Test series for the first time. On his extension, Simons said: "I had agreed in principle to continue as the bowling coach. Now that they have agreed to give me an extension, I have to sit down with them and discuss the nature of the contract and the tenure." Simons admitted that looking at India's stature in world cricket, his job will only get tougher. "These are exciting and tough times for me. The last one year has been great for me and now the job has become tougher. The challenge will be to keep the team on top. The expectations are always high from World champions and living up to them will be a challenge for this Indian team," said Simons, who coached the South African team for two years (2002-04). Simons, however, is concerned about the form of the fast bowlers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) ahead of a hectic international calendar that also involves a tour to England for four Test matches in July-August. "Conditions are tough for Indian bowlers on pitches which heavily favour batsmen. I think we have to ensure that we have enough bench strength ahead of the two series so that we can rotate our bowlers. In the modern era, you always need a group of bowlers since you can't always rely on your main bowlers to be fit," said Simmons. Asked if his bowlers need to cut down on the amount of cricket they play to stay fit, Simons said: "That is a personal choice, I can't say much about it. My job is to give them confidence. When you're confident you can run in and bowl quickly in good areas, they can play as much as they want."

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I am available for West Indies tour: Harbhajan

Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh today said that he would be available for the Indian cricket team''s forthcoming tour of West Indies but was not aware of the plans of other senior players."I have no idea from where the news (of senior players opting out of West Indies tour) have poured in. As far as I am concerned I am available for the tour," Harbhajan told reporters ahead of his IPL side Mumbai Indians' match against Rajasthan Royals here tomorrow."As far as others are concerned neither I have talked to anybody and nor any body has talked to me. We will be playing three tests there and I don't want to miss any of those," he said.Talking about the winning streak of the Mumbai Indians, Harbhajan said that he was happy the way things were going."I am happy with the way things have gone till now. We have been through rough patches but one or the other has been able to pull us through. Like in the last match Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds batted well to help us to reasonable score which could be defended," he said.Asked about the good form of Rajasthan Royals captain Shane Warne, Harbhajan said, "He is great cricketer and greatest spinner. I myself would be talking to him and get tips so that I can prolong my international career."Harbhajan praised his team-mate Ambati Rayudu, saying that the youngster is a "special talent"."It would also be a challenge for youngsters like Rayudu to face a great spinner (in Warne). He (Rayudu) is a special talent and we always knew that. He was unfortunately lost in between but lately he has been performing well. He is capable of filling in the big shoes of great Indian batsmen like VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid," he added.Talking about his own role in the side, Harbhajan said that it had not changed much. "I and seniors like Sachin try and build the team like a unit and instill confidence in the youngsters by telling them to be part of think tank," said Harbhajan.Asked about the sharp fielding of Mumbai Indians which has helped them win a few matches, Harbhajan said that the players have responded to the drills of fielding coach Jonty Rhodes"We have South African Jonty Rhodes as the fielding coach and boys have responded well. In the previous match it was the fielding rather my five wicket haul which had won the match for us."

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Fletcher is the best man for the job, says Akram

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels the decision of BCCI to appoint Duncan Fletcher as the chief coach of the national team is a positive one. "After Gary Kirsten, Fletcher is the best man to be Indian team's mentor," Akram said on Friday. "He is very experienced and has vast knowledge. Waqar (Younis), who played in Glamorgan when Fletcher was coach, praised his coaching skills a lot." Akram feels most Indian players are experienced enough to handle situations on their own but Fletcher still had a role to play. "This Indian team doesn't need coaching, but Fletcher's excellent man management skills will surely help," said Akram. Former India captains Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev have spoken in favour of an Indian coach, post the Gary Kirsten era. In his newspaper column, Gavaskar mentioned the name of Mohinder Amarnath "because most players represent the Hindi belt." Akram says language is no barrier anymore. He feels a foreign coach is quite beneficial for the sub-continent teams simply because "he is a neutral guy." Having worked with foreign coaches like Richard Pybus in Pakistan, Akram does understand a bit about foreign coaches and their ways. "Our home-bred coaches have plenty of mood swings and preferences, but a foreigner will have no such things, no favorites. He just does his work, doesn't talk much with the media and remains focused on his work," explained Akram. A former Zimbabwean international, Fletcher will take charge of Team India from the England tour which starts in July. Akram feels Fletcher's work-experience in England will surely come in handy for Dhoni and team."Fletcher has done plenty of coaching in England, and he knows their players very well. Beating England at their backyard will be tough but Fletcher's presence in the Indian dressing room will be a huge advantage," feels Akram.

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PCB waiting ICC response on CA statement

Lahore: The PCB is still waiting for a response from the ICC on the letter it sent to the world body over the statement made by Cricket Australia chief executive which blamed Pakistan for not doing enough to curb corruption in cricket."The ICC has still not sent us a reply to our letter in which we asked them to inquire into the statement made by James Sutherland recently," a senior PCB official said."Maybe because of the Easter holidays the offices are closed but we have asked the ICC to look into this issue as we have taken it very seriously," chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed said.CA Chief Executive James Sutherland in a recent interview to an Australian newspaper said that he did not believe that the PCB had done enough to implement the recommendations of the Justice Malik Qayyum report in 2000 on match-fixing in Pakistan cricket.Sutherland had said that if the PCB had done enough the spot-fixing scandal last year involving Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer could have been avoided.The PCB official said the Board wanted the ICC to inquire from CA about the statement and find out on what grounds Sutherland had made it."The PCB has been in the forefront of fighting corruption in cricket and we have taken measures to discipline players.So Sutherland's statement came as a surprise to us," he said.Subhan said that the PCB would also take up the matter at the next ICC meeting scheduled in June in Hong Kong.He said that the PCB had avoided direct interaction with CA on the matter and wanted the ICC to look it.Butt, Aamer and Asif were all banned for a minimum of five years in February by the ICC anti-corruption tribunal after being found guilty of spot-fixing during the England tour last year.All three have appealed against their bans to the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Switzerland.

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Pakistan eye clean sweep against Windies

Updated at: 1817 PST,  Sunday, May 01, 2011

BRIDGETOWN: Pakistan will look to stay on track for a series sweep when they face West Indies in the fourth one-day international on Monday at Kensington Oval but skipper Shahid Afridi has warned his team over complacency.the Pakistanis hold an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, following a three-wicket victory last Thursday at the same venue in easily the most competitive match of the series.The visitors won the first two ODIs at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in the neighbouring island of St. Lucia by the handsome margins of eight wickets and seven wickets, respectively before they almost stumbled in the third match.Pakistan have simply allowed West Indies first strike in each match, and used their spin bowling triumvirate of Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Hafeez and captain Shahid Afridi to tie down the home team batsmen for low totals before undertaking relatively easy chases.This formula almost backfired on the Pakistanis in the previous match, leading Afridi to warn his side that they need to avoid complacency in the remaining matches.Chasing a modest 172 for victory from a rain-reduced allocation of 45 overs, the visitors were left reeling on 49 for four, following a new-ball blitz from Ravi Rampaul, and the visitors required a steady, unbeaten 62 from Misbah-ul-Haq to complete the job, after leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo threatened to wreak late havoc. "There are still some problems with our batting, and I'm sure the management and coaches will come at us hard in the meetings," said Afridi."The way the boys delivered in the series was good, but the batsmen need to spend some time in the middle. We all know we made mistakes."West Indies have moved to ease the pressure, recalling Ramnaresh Sarwan to their squad.Sarwan was one of three senior batsmen dropped from the squad for the first three matches following the World Cup.But the shoddy batting of their replacements -- including left-handed opener Devon Smith, who makes way for Sarwan, following three lbw dismissals for low scores to the off-spin of Hafeez -- have prompted the selectors to boost the experience in the side.Sarwan has played 166 ODIs since his debut 11 years ago, but he has scored only one hundred in the last five years -- against Ireland -- and managed just 155 runs at 25.83 during the World Cup. West Indies captain Darren Sammy recognised that his side has a serious problem, and hoped they could turn things around in the remaining matches, particularly ahead of the two Tests that follow the ODI series. "We as a batting unit, myself included, have to take more responsibility like Bishoo does with the ball," he said."It's about getting the formula right. We have had good starts, but we haven't capitalised on them."The way forward is to gain experience. This group is not short on talent, we need to play and get more consistency."Pakistan have now won their last eight ODIs against West Indies spread over the last four years.West Indies (from): Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo, Carlton Baugh Jr, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl SimmonsPakistan (from): Shahid Afridi (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdur Rehman, Ahmed Shahzad, Asad Shafiq, Hammad Azman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman, Sadaf Hussain, Saeed Ajmal, Tanveer Ahmed, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal, Usman Salahuddin, Wahab RiazUmpires: Asoka De Silva (SL), Peter Nero (WI), TV umpire: Joel Wilson (WI), Reserve umpire: Norman Malcolm (WI)Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ)

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Sarwan recalled to Windies squad

Updated at: 1844 PST,  Sunday, May 01, 2011

BRIDGETOWN: Veteran batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan was recalled to the West Indies squad in place of opener Devon Smith for the final two matches of the series against Pakistan which has already been lost 3-0. The 30-year-old Sarwan has featured in 166 one-day internationals and has four centuries and 35 fifties. The fourth one-dayer takes place in at the Kensington Oval here on Monday with the fifth and final game in Guyana on May 5.West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo, Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons.

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Wahab, Hafeez to be rested: Afridi

Updated at: 1712 PST,  Sunday, May 01, 2011

BARBADOS: A few changes will be made in the Pakistan cricket team for the remaining matches of the one-day international series.Captain Shahid Afridi said that he wanted to provide chances to young players while faults in batting line have to be removed.Talking with Geo News from Barbados, Afridi said that in the upcoming matches, fast bowler Wahab Riaz would be replaced by Tanveer Ahmed while opener Taufiq Umar would be played in place of Mohammad Hafeez.Regarding fast bowler Junaid Khan, the skipper said that the young pacer has begun his international career just now and he wanted to give him more chances.He said that middle-order batsman Usman Salahuddin may be included in the final eleven of the last match of the series.Afridi said that he was glad the national team has won two consecutive series under his captaincy and it shows that the team’s performance is being improved day-by-day.

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KKR crush Punjab by eight wickets

Updated at: 1548 PST,  Sunday, May 01, 2011

KOLKATA: Kolkata Knight Riders scored an eight-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab, achieving a modest 120-run target with more than two overs to spare for their fifth win in eight games.The Punjab side, led by former Australia wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist, struggled for momentum from the onset as the Knight Riders bowled and fielded brilliantly to restrict Kings XI Punjab to 119 for six after putting them in to bat first.Skipper Gautam Gambhir (45 not out) and Manoj Tiwary (34 not out) knocked off the runs with an unbroken partnership off 85 runs for the third wicket.The Knight Riders moved to the top of the table with their fifth win in eight matches in the tournament.Kolkata and Mumbai each have 10 points, followed by Bangalore (nine), Rajasthan (nine), Chennai (eight), Deccan (six), Delhi (six), Punjab (six), Kochi (six) and Pune (four).Brief scores:Kings XI Punjab 119-6 in 20 overs (D. Karthik 42, A. Gilchrist 26; Iqbal Abdulla 2-19) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 120-2 in 17.2 overs (G. Gambhir 45 not out, M. Tiwary 34 not out, E. Morgan 28) by eight wickets

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Delhi win as Sehwag masters tricky track

Updated at: 1504 PST,  Sunday, May 01, 2011

KOCHI, India: Virender Sehwag smashed a 47-ball 80 on a difficult pitch to set up Delhi Daredevils' 38-run win over Kochi Tuskers Kerala in an Indian Premier League match on Saturday.The skipper hit five sixes and eight fours as Delhi posted 157-7 before dismissing Kochi for 119 for their third victory in eight matches of the Twenty20 tournament. Delhi pacemen earlier did the maximum damage, with South African Morne Morkel emerging the most successful bowler with 3-18 off four overs. Seamers Irfan Pathan and Ajit Agarkar each took two wickets.South African left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe completed the victory when he bagged the last three wickets in one over Ravindra Jadeja (31) and Australian Brad Hodge (27) were the main run-getters for Kochi, who suffered their fifth defeat in eight matches.Delhi were struggling at 35-3 after electing to bat on a slow track where the ball sometimes kept low, but opener Sehwag steadied the innings with a 56-run stand for the fourth wicket with Yogesh Nagar (22). Sehwag stepped up the run-rate after his team managed just 46 runs in the opening 10 overs, hitting left-arm spinner Jadeja for two successive sixes. He scored 49 runs off the last 15 balls he faced.The Delhi captain completed his half-century in style, pulling seamer Vinay Kumar over mid-wicket for a six. He fell in the 18th over attempting another big shot, caught in the deep off Kumar.Sehwag put on 41 for the fifth wicket with Australian Travis Brit, who contributed a 13-ball 20 with the help of one six and two fours.Fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth jolted Delhi with two wickets in his opening over as he bowled Australian David Warner and then trapped Naman Ojha lbw with deliveries that kept low. Brief scores:Delhi Daredevils 157-7 in 20 overs (V. Sehwag 80; Y. Nagar 22, T. Brit 20; S. Sreesanth 2-10) beat Kochi Tuskers Kerala 119 in 18.5 overs (R. Jadeja 31, B. Hodge 27; M. Morkel 3-18, R. van der Merwe 3-20, Irfan Pathan 2-27, A. Agarkar 2-23) by 38 runs.

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Windies recall veteran Sarwan

Updated at: 2312 PST,  Saturday, April 30, 2011

BRIDGETOWN: Veteran batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan was recalled to the West Indies squad in place of opener Devon Smith for the final two matches of the series against Pakistan which has already been lost 3-0. The 30-year-old Sarwan has featured in 166 one-day internationals and has four centuries and 35 fifties.The fourth one-dayer takes place in at the Kensington Oval here on Monday with the fifth and final game in Guyana on May 5. West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo, Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons.

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Pakistan to host Afghanistan series

Updated at: 1830 PST,  Saturday, April 30, 2011

 LAHORE: Afghanistan's cricket team will become the first foreign national side to play in Pakistan, two years after internationals were suspended over security fears, an official said Saturday.International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since March 2009, when gunmen attacked a convoy carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in the eastern city of Lahore."Afghanistan will send its national team to Pakistan in July and play the Pakistan 'A' team, and hopefully this will benefit our team," Naseem Ullah Danish, chief executive of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, said. Danish met Pakistan Cricket Board officials in Lahore on Friday where they agreed to play a three-match one-day series, with games in Lahore, Faisalabad and Rawalpindi.Five Afghan regional teams and their under-19 string are playing their domestic matches in the Pakistani border town of Peshawar, as their main grounds are being renovated.Danish hoped Pakistan's second XI will also play in Afghanistan later this year."We have also invited the Pakistan 'A' team to Afghanistan for the inaugural match in Nangarhar where we have almost completed an international stadium," he said.Since many Afghan players learnt their cricket in Pakistan they owe a great deal to the neighbouring country, Danish said."Pakistan has always been helpful to us and have helped us reach this far in international cricket," he said. Most of the Afghan national team learnt the game as refugees in Pakistani camps after Soviet troops invaded their country in 1979.Afghanistan won the Inter-Continental Cup and the International Cricket Council's divisions five to one in the last two years, earning ICC one-day status and qualifying for the World Twenty20 held in the West Indies last year.International teams were reluctant to tour Pakistan even before the Lahore attack, and the troubled country has since had to play its home matches at neutral venues in England and the United Arab Emirates. The attack, which left eight people dead and wounded seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach, forced the ICC to strip Pakistan of its share of World Cup 2011 matches.But Danish said security in Pakistan would not be an issue for his team."Security is not an issue and by playing in Pakistan we want to send out a positive message to the world and hope that teams come to Pakistan and play here," he said.

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Sri Lanka fix matches since 1992, alleges Tillakaratne

Updated at: 0729 PST,  Friday, April 29, 2011

COLOMBO: Former Sri Lanka cricket captain Hashan Tillakaratne has made a sensational revelation that match fixing has been common in Sri Lanka's cricket and promised that he would come out with the names of the responsible persons in the near future.Tillakaratne who led Sri Lanka in Ten Tests between 2003 and 2004 said that he could vouch with responsibility that Match fixing has been a problem in Sri Lanka's cricket since 1992."I can tell this in agreement with my conscience. Match fixing is not something that started happening yesterday or today. According to my knowledge, it happened since 1992. I say this with great responsibility" said Tillakaratne."I am not saying that this match (The world cup final) was fixed. But anyway match fixing is something which has been in this country over a period of time. This has spread like a cancer today" he explained."There were threats of this issue being exposed during various times. But it was pushed down by giving money to various people. If the people who were responsible for that are listening to this, I state this today with great responsibility, I will shortly reveal the names of those responsible" Tillakaratne promised when he appeared in a TV talk show."Why? Because there is a huge following of people who love cricket, and this is a side which they don't know about" he explained.Former captain who said he did not imply categorically that the recent world cup final was fixed, however expressed his reservations about the selections.

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