National cricket team return after Zimbabwe's successful tour

LAHORE : National cricket team arrived at Allama Iqbal International airport here after completing Zimbabwe's successful tour and were accorded warm welcome.During the tour, national team played 1 test, 3 One Day Internationals and 2 T20 matches against the host team Zimbabwe and won all of them.Talking to media at the airport, skipper Misbah ul Haq said that all players got a chance to play against Zimbabwe and they performed well which resulted in a great victory.He further said that Sri Lanka would be the strong target and a good cricket would be seen during the upcoming series.Meanwhile, national team coach Waqar Younis said that the team's tour to Zimbabwe was his last tour, adding that he learnt a lot during his tenure as a coach.He said that all credit of a successful tour went to the players.PCB officials received national team at the airport. Security was kept tightened on the occasion.

Read More

Aussie coach quits after series win

COLOMBO : Australia national coach Tim Nielsen has decided to step down rather than reapply for his job, he said Tuesday, soon after the team posted a 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka in Colombo.Nielsen, 43, who held the job for four years, would have had to reapply for the expanded role of head coach, a post which is being created following recommendations made by the seven-month Argus Review of Australian cricket.He had been due to stay on in the current role for next month's tour of South Africa before a new head coach was appointed, but Australia will now have to look for an interim coach.Nielsen told reporters in Colombo he was not interested in applying for the revised job position.Cricket Australia said Nielsen is due to take up a "new Australian cricket role that will be announced soon CA chief executive James Sutherland said Nielsen could not be persuaded to apply for the new post, but thanked him for his hard work since taking over from John Buchanan in 2007.During Nielsen's tenure, Australia lost two Ashes series against England and failed to retain the limited-overs World Cup in April after winning it on the last three occasions.Australian cricket is undergoing a transitional period following the retirement of greats like Shane Watson, Mathew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist.The sweeping Argus Review was ordered by the Australian cricket board after the Test team's humiliating 3-1 Ashes series defeat to England this year. The announcement came after Michael Clarke replaced Ricky Ponting as captain and led Australia to Test and one-day series wins in Sri Lanka on his first full tour at the helm.

Read More

Aussies win series after 3rd Test drawn against Sri Lanka

COLOMBO : Australia clinched the Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0 Tuesday after resurgent skipper Michael Clarke led from the front to snatch a draw for the tourists in the finely poised third and final game.For Clarke it was a victorious first Test tour as captain, the series win coming after the 125-run defeat of the hosts in the opening encounter in Galle. The second Test in Pallekele ended in a rain-affected draw.Clarke said he was delighted at his team's performance after receiving the series trophy named after spin legends Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan.The skipper burst into form with a fluent century and Michael Hussey narrowly missed a third consecutive hundred as Australia piled up 488 in their second innings before they were all out shortly before close with a lead of 331.Sri Lanka were 7-0 from two overs in their second knock when the match was called off at the Sinhalese Sports Club in the capital Colombo.Clarke, who replaced Ricky Ponting as captain, hit 112 and Hussey made 93 in a remarkable batting revival after the tourists had conceded a first innings lead of 157 runs in good batting conditions.Clarke, who went 23 innings without a Test century since making 168 against New Zealand in March last year, hammered 14 boundaries and three sixes in his robust knock.He was dismissed after he lost concentration following a verbal on-field skirmish with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and holed out in the deep to become left-arm spinner Rangana Herath's fifth victim.Herath finished with remarkable figures of 7-157 on an unhelpful pitch, his last wicket giving him 100 Test scalps in 29 matches.Hussey continued his amazing run in the series, scoring 463 runs in five innings at an average of 92.60, but missed out on a century in each innings of this match The left-hander moved to 93 with two fours off Tillakaratne Dilshan, but fell in the same over as he swept high to a diving Chanaka Welegedara at deep square-leg.The West Australian had scored 95 and 15 in the first Test, 142 in the second and 118 in the first innings here.Hussey, who picked up the man-of-the-match awards in all three Tests, was also adjudged the man of the series.He and Clarke put on 176 for the fifth wicket after Sri Lanka had struck an important blow in the day's sixth over.Australia added just 11 runs to their overnight score of 209-3 when century-maker Phil Hughes top-edged a sweep off Herath to Lahiru Thirimanne at square-leg.The left-hander made 126, his third Test century.Sri Lanka will now prepare for Test and one-day contests against Pakistan to be played in the United Arab Emirates from next month.

Read More

Sportsmen discuss flood situation with President

KARACH I: President Asif Ali Zardari met a delegation of 30 athletes who called on him to discuss the flood situation in SindhJaved Miandad and other well known athletes were the part of this meeting.Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt was also present there.Prior to the meeting it was reported that the former cricket captain Shahid Afridi would hold a separate meeting with the president but that was not the case. According to sources there was no development pertaining to Afridi’s return to international cricket.

Read More

Clarke hits ton as final Test heading for draw

COLOMBO : Australian captain Michael Clarke burst into form with a brilliant century as the third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka headed for a draw in Colombo on Tuesday.Clarke made 112 as the tourists, trailing by 157 runs after the first innings, piled up 429-5 in their second knock by tea on the fifth day, a lead of 272 runs with five wickets in hand.Michael Hussey followed two successive hundreds in the series with 80 not out after helping Clarke add 176 runs for the fifth wicket to frustrate Sri Lanka's bid for a series-levelling win.Australia need to play out the last session to clinch a 1-0 series win after the 125-run victory in the first Test in Galle.The second Test in Pallekele ended in a rain-affected draw.Clarke, who went 23 innings without a Test century since making 168 against New Zealand in March last year, hammered 14 boundaries and three sixes to end his drought.The hundred left him on the doorstep of a series win in his first Test tour as captain after replacing Ricky Ponting at the end of the World Cup in April.Clarke eventually lost concentration following a brief verbal skirmish with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and holed out in the deep to give left-arm spinner Rangana Herath his fifth wicket of the innings.Left-hander Hussey continued his remarkable form, taking his run aggregate to 450 runs in five innings with two centuries.Clarke and Hussey came together after Sri Lanka had struck an important blow in the sixth over of the day, dismissing century-maker Phil Hughes.Australia had added just 11 runs to their overnight score of 209-3 when Hughes top-edged a sweep off Herath to Lahiru Thirimanne at square-leg.The left-hander made 126, his third Test century.Herath, the lone wicket-taker in the innings, shared the second new ball which was taken in the 87th over with the total 268-4.Clarke responded to the gamble by driving the spinner through the covers and lofting the next ball for six to bring up his half-century.The Australian captain failed to add to his lunch score of 71 when wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene missed a difficult stumping chance off Herath.Clarke reached his century by pulling the spinner to mid-on for his 14th boundary, soon after he had smashed the bowler for his third six.

Read More

Skipper Clarke steers Aussies towards safety

COLOMBO : Australian captain Michael Clarke hit a robust half-century to frustrate Sri Lanka's victory bid on the last day of the third and final Test in Colombo on Tuesday.Clarke was unbeaten on 71 as the tourists, trailing by 157 runs on the first innings, reached 303-4 in their second knock by lunch on the fifth day, a lead of 146 runs with six wickets in hand.Australia need to play out the remaining two sessions to force a draw and clinch the series 1-0 on the back of the 125-run win in the first Test in Galle.The second Test in Pallekele ended in a rain-affected draw.Clarke notched up his highest score in the series to keep the tourists afloat after Sri Lanka had struck an important blow in the day's sixth over.Australia added just 11 runs to their overnight score of 209-3 when century-maker Phil Hughes top-edged a sweep off Rangana Herath to Lahiru Thirimanne at square-leg.The left-hander made 126, his third Test century.Herath, the left-arm spinner who claimed all the four Aussie wickets to fall, shared the second new ball, which was taken in the 87th over with the total 268-4.Clarke responded to the gamble by driving the spinner through the covers and lofting the next ball for six to bring up his half-century.Michael Hussey kept his captain company at lunch with 21, the pair having put on 83 runs so far for the fifth wicket.

Read More

Delegation of athletes to meet President

KARACHI : A thirty-member delegation of athletes will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday and discuss relief efforts for Sindh flood affectees,Former cricket captains Shahid Afridi, Javed Miandad and other well known athletes will be part of this delegation.The meeting will take place at the Bilawal House and PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt will also be attending. Chief Minister’s advisor on sports Haleem Adil said the purpose of the meeting is the formation of a campaign to collect funds for the flood affectees. It is expected that Shahid Afridi might hold a separate meeting with President Zardari.

Read More

Sri Lanka hope to level series despite Hughes ton

COLOMBO : Sri Lanka kept their hopes alive of securing a series-levelling win over Australia in the final Test in Colombo on Monday, despite an unbeaten century from opener Phil Hughes.Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath grabbed all three wickets as the tourists, trailing by 157 runs on the first innings, ended the fourth day's play at 209-3 in their second knock at the Sinhalese Sports Club.Hughes was unbeaten on 122 and skipper Michael Clarke was on eight, with Australia going into the final day on Tuesday 52 runs ahead with seven wickets in hand.Clarke's men will need to bat out at least two of the last three sessions to draw the match and clinch the series 1-0 on the back of a 125-run win in the first Test in Galle.The rain-hit second match in Pallekele was drawn.Hughes had walked to the crease in danger of losing his spot in the team after failing to score a half-century in 11 innings since an unbeaten 86 against New Zealand in March last year.The left-hander, who had an umpire's review for a catch at the wicket go in his favour off the last ball of the day, responded with an aggressive knock that contained 16 boundaries and a six.Hughes had also survived a review for leg-before on 99 before cutting seamer Chanaka Welegedara for two runs later in the same over to bring up his third Test century.Hughes celebrated the landmark by raising his fist towards the travelling Australian media in the press box before he acknowledged the cheers from his team-mates and the crowd.Hughes contributed 36 in an opening stand of 62 with Shane Watson, who fell leg-before to Herath for 21 when a TV review overturned umpire Tony Hill's decision to reprieve the batsman.Shaun Marsh added 60 for the second wicket with Hughes when he was given out by Hill, caught at short-leg off Herath, even though replays showed the ball made no contact with the bat.Marsh, surprisingly, did not ask for a review.Hughes then put on 66 for the third wicket with Ricky Ponting, before the former captain edged a vicious turner from Herath to the slips after making 28.Earlier, Sri Lanka gained a sizeable lead through a maiden Test century from vice-captain Angelo Mathews.Mathews returned unbeaten on 105 as the hosts added 45 runs to their overnight score of 428-6 before they were all out for 473 shortly before lunch on the fourth day.Fast bowler Peter Siddle claimed two of the last four Sri Lankan wickets to finish with 4-91 from 35 overs. Trent Copeland and Mitchell Johnson picked up two wickets each.Siddle bowled Shaminda Eranga for 12 and trapped Herath leg-before for three within the first hour.Mathews was stranded on 95 when Sri Lanka lost their ninth wicket, but the right-hander reached the coveted century by driving Siddle to the cover fence for his 10th boundary.The 24-year-old has been one of Sri Lanka's few batting stars in the series, having made 95 in the first Test and 58 in the drawn second game.Last man Suranga Lakmal contributed 13 in a 10th-wicket stand of 23 with Mathews before he was bowled by Johnson.

Read More