Pakistan declare at 330-7 in warm up match

Updated at: 2043 PST,  Monday, May 09, 2011

GUYANA: Pakistan declared their first innings at 330-7 after captain Misbah-ul-Haq scored an unbeaten century on the first day of the two-day warm up match against Guyana here on Sunday.Misbah, who was looking in great form, made 101 not out while Mohammad Hafeez and Azhar Ali smashed fifties providing a sound start of 92 runs. Hafeez made 52 and Azhar hit 57.For Guyana, Aamer Khan claimed three and Zaheer Mohammad took two wickets.At stumps, Guyana were 25 for no loss.

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IPL: Pune beat Punjab by five wickets

Updated at: 1537 PST,  Monday, May 09, 2011

MOHALI: Skipper Yuvraj Singh hit a 15-ball 35 as Pune Warriors beat Kings XI Punjab by five wickets to post their third win in 10 games of the Twenty20 tournament.Mumbai have already made sure of the semi-finals with 16 points. They are followed by Kolkata (14), Bangalore (13), Chennai (12), Rajasthan (11), Kochi (10), Delhi (eight), Pune (six), Deccan (six) and Punjab (six).Pune, who bowled well to restrict Punjab to 119-8, won with more than two overs to spare in Mohali, with Yuvraj, opener Manish Pandey (28) and Robin Uthappa (22) being the main scorers.Australian Shaun Marsh top-scored with 32 for Punjab, who suffered their sixth defeat in nine matches.Kings XI Punjab 119-8 in 20 overs (S. Marsh 32, D. Karthik 30, P. Valthaty 23; W. Parnell 2-12, B. Kumar 2-14, R. Sharma 2-17, M. Marsh 2-26) lost to Pune Warriors 120-5 in 17.1 overs (Yuvraj Singh 35, M. Pandey 28, R. Uthappa 22; S. Srivastava 2-20) by five wickets.

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PCB takes notice of Afridi's statements

Updated at: 1040 PST,  Monday, May 09, 2011 LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken the notice of Shahid Afridi's statements blaming coach Waqar Younus of interfering in his work, Geo News reported.The PCB regarded Afridi's statements as violation of code of conduct and hinted action after the tour report.On his return Sunday morning after one-day series against West Indies Captain Shahid Afridi said some people interfere in his work, which is displeasing.The national team captain said that he would soon be meeting the PCB Chairman.When queried about his differences with Waqar Yunus, he confirmed this in a low voice that something is definitely wrong in the team affairs.

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Gayle, Dilshan power Bangalore to victory

Updated at: 2010 PST,  Sunday, May 08, 2011

BANGALORE: Chris Gayle hammered 36 runs in an over in his 16-ball 44 to fire Royal Challengers Bangalore to a nine-wicket win over Kochi Tuskers Kerala in an Indian Premier League match on Sunday.The West Indies batsman put on 67 for the opening wicket off just 3.5 overs with Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan (52 not out off 31 balls) as Bangalore achieved a modest 126-run target with more than six overs to spare.It was Bangalore's sixth victory in 10 matches and Kochi's sixth defeat in 11 games of the Twenty20 tournament.Mumbai have already made sure of the semi-finals with 16 points. They are followed by Kolkata (14), Bangalore (13), Chennai (12), Rajasthan (11), Kochi (10), Delhi (eight), Deccan (six), Punjab (six) and Pune (four).Gayle, the only batsman to have made two IPL centuries, went on the rampage in the third over when he hit seamer Prasanth Parameswaran for four sixes and three fours in a seven-ball over, including a no-ball.His flourish ended in the next over when he was bowled by seamer Vinay Kumar, but not before putting his team on course for victory.Dilshan also went for shots early in the innings, cracking one six and three fours in an over from off-spinner Ramesh Powar. He completed the victory with an unfinished 61-run stand for the second wicket with Virat Kohli (27 not out).New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori and paceman Sreenath Aravind earlier shared four wickets to restrict Kochi to a small total.Kochi made a steady start when Australian Michael Klinger (24) and New Zealander Brendon McCullum (22) added 43 for the opening wicket before losing their way. Ravinder Jadeja was the other main scorer with 23.Brief scores:Kochi Tuskers Kerala 125-9 in 20 overs (M. Klinger 24, R. Jadeja 23, B. McCullum 22; S. Aravind 2-20, D. Vettori 2-24) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 128-1 in 13.1 overs (T. Dilshan 52 not out, C. Gayle 44, V. Kohli 27 not out) by nine wickets

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Mumbai in IPL semis, Delhi out of contention

Updated at: 1948 PST,  Sunday, May 08, 2011

MUMBAI: Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma shone with the bat as Mumbai Indians booked a semi-final berth in the Indian Premier League on Saturday with a 32-run victory over Delhi Daredevils who are now out of contention.Kolkata Knight Riders, second in the points table behind Mumbai, also brightened their playoff prospects, beating Chennai Super Kings by 10 runs via the Duckworth-Lewis method in a rain-marred home match at Eden Gardens.Put into bat, opener Aiden Blizzard (37) gave Mumbai a rollicking start but Delhi pegged back the hosts by removing Sachin Tendulkar (14) and the Australian left-hander in successive overs.Sharma (49) joined Rayudu (59) in the middle for a brisk 87-run partnership that powered Mumbai to a commanding 178-4 at the Wankhede Stadium.Delhi lost their top four batsmen, including skipper Virender Sehwag (2), inside three overs and could not recover from the early setbacks.James Hopes (55) and Y Venugopal Rao (37) helped them to 146 all out with a ball to spare.

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Pakistan set for Windies warm-up against Guyana

Updated at: 1538 PST,  Sunday, May 08, 2011

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: Pakistan continue their sojourn through the Caribbean with a two-day match against host nation Guyana, starting on Sunday at the Bourda Oval.The Pakistanis will look to transition from the limited-overs mode of the game, as they prepare to face West Indies in the first Test of two, starting on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.The visitors won the preceding one-day international series 3-2, but they sputtered in the last two matches, when West Indies were able to fight back to finish on a high note.Misbah-ul-Haq will take over the reins of captaincy of the Test side from Shahid Afridi, and the visitors will welcome two pairs of fresh legs into the squad, with the arrival of former captain Younis Khan and key fast bowler Umar Gul.Both Younis and Gul were rested following a challenging tour of New Zealand, which preceded a gruelling World Cup in Asia.They will be the only two players that would need to get acclimatised to conditions in the Caribbean, since the rest of the squad has spent the last few weeks in the Caribbean.Pakistan will be eager to get themselves ready, since the series is widely regarded as their best chance to win their first-ever Test series in the Caribbean.Guyana are likely to be weakened, after batting heroes Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan were named in a West Indies 15-member training squad, which will take part in a two-day match practice match of its own at the neighbouring Demerara Cricket Club.The side however, does include left-hander Narsingh Deonarine, who has a chance to remind the West Indies selectors about his ability, after losing his place over the last six months.Squads:Guyana (from): Shemroy Barrington, Ronsford Beaton, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Derwin Christian, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fuddadin, Trevon Griffith, Leon Johnson, Keon Joseph, Amir Khan, Zaheer Mohammed, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Gajanand SinghPakistan (from): Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Abdur Rehman, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam , Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman, Saeed Ajmal, Tanvir Ahmed, Taufiq Umar, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis KhanUmpires: Nigel Duguid, Clyde Duncan, Match referee: Colin Stuart, Reserve umpire: Shannon Crawford

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