Pakistan press for win despite Sangakkara's hundred

ABU DHABI : Kumar Sangakkara hit a fighting hundred but Pakistan still captured three key wickets in the second session to press for victory in the first Test against Sri Lanka here on Friday.The left-handed batsman was unbeaten on 113 as Sri Lanka, trailing by 314 runs on the first innings, reached 212-4 in their second outing at tea on the fourth day at Abu Dhabi stadium.They still need 102 runs to avoid an innings defeat. Angelo Mathews was the other not out batsman on 10.Sangakkara's 26th Test hundred had frustrated Pakistan in the morning session as the former Sri Lankan captain added an invaluable 153 runs for the second wicket with Lahiru Thirimanne (68) to reach lunch at 125-1.Sri Lanka had lost opener Tharanga Paranavitana off the very first ball of their second innings on Thursday, but Sangakkara and Thirimanne took the fight to the Pakistani bowlers.Pakistan then hit back by dismissing Thirimanne soon after lunch, run out after the opener, taking a second run but failed to beat a throw from the fine-leg by Azhar Ali.Seven runs later, Mahela Jayawardene (four) then played on to off-spinner Saeed Ajmal before paceman Junaid Khan bowled skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan through the gate for nine, leaving Sri Lanka at 191-4.Despite the wickets fall, Sangakkara kept his cool, hitting Khan for his 11th boundary to reach three-figure mark, his sixth against Pakistan. He has so far hit 12 boundaries.Pakistan had their chances in the morning session but they spurned as many as five catches, three of Thirimanne which helped the opener to post his maiden half-century.Khan, who destroyed Sri Lanka with 5-38 in their first innings of 197, was the unlukcy bowler on three occasions as Mohammad Hafeez grassed two regulation catches in the slip off Thirimanne when he was on 40.Much to Khan's disappointment Younis Khan held a sharp edge off Sangakkara but the catch was disallowed by the umpires as the ball had bounced before getting into the hands of the slip fielder.Thirimanne again escaped when Hafeez failed to catch a sharp cut when the left-handed opener was on 57.Sangakkara was the fist to get to his fifty, when he took a single off the luckless Khan, while Thirimanne reached his maiden fifty with a single off Saeed Ajmal. He has so far hit four boundaries Pakistan again let off Sangakkara when Younis failed to hold onto a sharp edge when a Saeed Ajmal's delivery surprised the left-handed batsman batting on 56

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Tamim hits half-century against Windies

CHITTAGONG : Tamim Iqbal hit a half-century as Bangladesh reached 165-3 in their first innings at tea on the opening day of the first Test against the West Indies on Friday.The left-handed opener (52) batted patiently for more than a session before falling to a loose shot, caught by teenager Kraigg Brathwaite at mid-wicket while attempting to slog-sweep part-time spinner Marlon Samuels.He cracked five fours in his 141-ball knock for his ninth half-century in 21 Test matches.The West Indies got one more wicket in the afternoon session when seamer Darren Sammy trapped Raqibul Hasan leg-before. Raqibul, returning to the Test side after more than a year, scored a 92-ball 41 with three fours.Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim was batting on 26 at the break with former captain Shakib Al Hasan, who had yet to open his account.Bangladesh batted steadily after winning the toss on a good pitch, scoring 74 runs in the first session and 91 in the second.Shahriar Nafees retired with a bleeding nose in the opening session after being struck by a bouncer from paceman Fidel Edwards in the 20th over.Bangladesh lost opener Imrul Kayes in the 12th over before being steadied by Tamim, who had put on 32 runs for the second wicket with Nafees.Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul struck in his sixth over when he had Kayes caught by wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh.Nafees played some attacking shots early in his innings, hitting Sammy for two successive fours and then smashing Edwards for two boundaries in an over.All-rounders Elias Sunny and Nasir Hossain made their Test debuts for Bangladesh

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Fighting Sri Lanka keep sloppy Pakistan at bay

ABU DHABI : Kumar Sangakkara and opener Lahiru Thirimanne hit fighting half-centuries to keep Pakistan's victory bids at bay on the fourth day of the opening Test at Abu Dhabi stadium here on Friday.Sangakkara was unbeaten on 62 and Thirimanne on 59 not out as Sri Lanka, trailing by 314 runs on the first innings, reached 125-1 in their second outing by lunch, needing another 189 runs to avoid an innings defeat.Pakistan had their chances in the morning session but they spurned as many as five catches, three of Thirimanne which helped the opener to post his maiden half-century.Paceman Junaid Khan, who destroyed Sri Lanka with 5-38 in their first innings of 197, was the unlukcy bowler on three occasions as Mohammad Hafeez grassed two regulation catches in the slip off Thirimanne when he was on 40.Much to Khan's disappointment Younis Khan held a sharp edge off Sangakkara but the catch was disallowed by the umpires as the ball had bounced before getting into the hands of the slip fielder.Thirimanne again escaped when Hafeez failed to catch a sharp cut when the left-handed opener was on 57.Sangakkara was the fist to get to his fifty, when he took a single off the luckless Khan -- his 37th in a glorious career of 107 Tests. He has so far hit seven boundaries off 114 balls.Thirimanne reached his maiden fifty with a single off Saeed Ajmal. He has so far hit four boundaries.Pakistan again let off Sangakkara when Younis failed to hold onto a sharp edge when a Saeed Ajmal's delivery surprised the left-handed batsman batting on 56. The remaining two Tests of the series will be played in Dubai (October 26-30) and Sharjah (November 3-7).

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Sri Lanka resume 2nd innings at 47-1 today

ABU DHABI : Sri Lanka have resumed today their second innings at 47 for one as they are fighting to save the first Test under a heavy 300-plus deficit after Pakistani opener Taufiq Umar hit his maiden double hundred yesterday.Shot out for a low score of 197 in the first innings, Sri Lanka closed on 47-1 after Umar hit a sedate 236 to lift Pakistan to 511-6 declared in their first innings at Abu Dhabi stadium.Sri Lanka, who conceded a 314-run lead, still need another 267 runs to avoid an innings defeat with the pitch showing sings of turn which Pakistan's off-spinners Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez will likely exploit.Paceman Umar Gul struck with the first ball of the second innings, trapping Tharanga Paranavitana before Lahiru Thirimanne (20) and Kumar Sangakkara (27) survived some anxious moments to see off the day.

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Bangladesh opt to bat first in 1st test v W. Indies

CHITTAGONG : Bangladesh won the toss and opted to bat first in the first test against West Indies in Chittagong on Friday. All-rounder Nasir Hossain and left-arm spinner Elias Sunny are making their debut for Bangladesh. West Indies: Darren Sammy (cpt) Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Powell, Darren Bravo, Devendra Bishoo, Ravi Rampaul, Kraigg Brathwaite, Fidel Edwards, Carlton Baugh, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (cpt), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Shahriar Nafees, Roqibul Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Elias Sunny, Shahadat Hossain, Rubel Hossain

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Trott leads England revival against India

MOHALI : Jonathan Trott hit 98 not out as England piled up 298-4 in a must-win one-day international against world champions India in Mohali on Thursday.Samit Patel smashed an unbeaten 70 off 43 balls and Kevin Pietersen scored 64 as England's batting finally came good after skipper Alastair Cook won the toss in the day-night game.The tourists, who were thrashed by 126 runs and eight wickets in the previous two games, need a win to stay afloat in the five-match series.India's new look team, without seven players who won the World Cup final against Sri Lanka in April, will chase a target of six runs an over under lights to clinch the series.Trott and Pietersen, coming together at 53-2, put on 101 for the third wicket on an even-paced pitch ideal for shot-making.Trott then added 103 for the unbroken fifth with Patel, who hit two sixes and seven fours as England plundered 91 runs in the last 10 overs.Trott, who was on 94 at the start of the final over from Vinay Kumar, took three runs from the first two deliveries but managed only a single off the fifth to be denied a fourth one-day hundred.Cook, who fell for zero in the second match, failed once again when he was trapped leg-before by Vinay for three in the fourth over.Craig Kieswetter made amends for his low scores in the first two matches by pounding two sixes and three boundaries in a quickfire 36 before he was bowled by part-timer Virat Kohli in the 13th over.Pietersen and Trott battered the Indian bowling till the 29th over when the hosts ended the century partnership through a contentious decision by umpire Sudhir Asnani.Asnani, standing in an international match for the first time since 1999, declared a stunned Pietersen leg-before even as the tall batsman stretched forward to defend a ball from Ravindra Jadeja.England managed just 30 runs for the loss of Ravi Bopara's wicket -- bowled by Praveen Kumar for 24 -- in the batting power-play between the 36th and 40th overs.

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David Richardson previews the release of the Reliance ICC T20I Rankings

David Richardson, ICC General Manager - Cricket, previews the upcoming release of the Reliance ICC T20I Rankings which will be launched on Monday (24 October), on this week's 30-minute special ICC Cricket World Radio Show.Joining Richardson on this week's full show is South Africa women's captain Cri-Zelda Brits who look ahead to the side's upcoming series against England and the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier next month in Dhaka, Bangladesh (14 to 27 November).With the ICC due to launch the Reliance ICC T20I Player and Team Rankings on Monday, Richardson says: "It's very important for T20 international cricket that these rankings are being announced next week. As many listeners know, the ICC has a policy that the three formats are given equal importance and attention and at the moment we have team and player rankings in place for both Tests and ODIs but not for T20 Internationals. This launch is an important thing for the T20 format."I think rankings are always going to be a talking point, that's what they are intended to do, to generate interest in the game and generate context. Who is to say they are 100-percent right, every follower will think their team is better than the other. They are robust in their creation, over time they do reflect who the better team is and that's all you can ask - they will bring discussion but that is to be expected."

Former England captain Michael Vaughan talks this week on the show about the importance of volunteers in the game of cricket and how they are a much needed entity in the sport.

"Without volunteers at the grass-roots level I don't think the game goes ahead. I look back to my time as a youngster and I had many coaches in Sheffield where the players from the team would help out with the juniors on a weekday evening or a Sunday morning. The scorers, the people make the teas, the ground staff, they're all volunteers around many countries and without them the game would not go ahead," says Vaughan.Previewing the upcoming series between South Africa and England and the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh in November, Brits says: "The last three or four months have been focussed on the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier but that doesn't mean we'll be taking this series against England lightly, especially as they're the number one side in the world."We've worked hard on getting a bigger squad together; there's been lots of competition between the girls to get into the squad for Bangladesh. We've played a few of the teams competing against us in Bangladesh, but the one thing we can't shy away from is the fact we have very little experience of playing in the sub-continent."Also former South African player Pat Symcox looks at the current series between South Africa and Australia: "It's going to be a hard-fought series, it's a face bowling series, Craig McDermott the bowling coach of Australia and Alan Donald, South Africa's bowling coach, will both be getting young guys to have a go with the ball."Australia has the likes of Brett Lee, and new boy Patrick Cummins and left-armer Mitchell Johnson, while South Africa has an attack with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis, it will be tough to bat with bowlers like that," says Symcox.Ireland coach Phil Simmons looks back on the first two rounds of the ICC Intercontinental Cup and Zimbabwe's Tatenda Taibu reviews Zimbabwe's recent performances while Bangladeshi commentator Athar Ali Khan looks forward to Bangladesh's upcoming Test series against West Indies.Apart from these exclusive interviews, there is the usual round-up of cricketing news and an update of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings.

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Sri Lanka fight for survival after Umar's 236

ABU DHABI : Sri Lanka were fighting to save the first Test under a heavy 300-plus deficit after Pakistani opener Taufiq Umar hit his maiden double hundred on the third day here on Thursday.Shot out for a low score of 197, Sri Lanka closed on 47-1 after Umar hit a sedate 236 to lift Pakistan to 511-6 declared in their first innings at Abu Dhabi stadium.Sri Lanka, who conceded a 314-run lead, still need another 267 runs to avoid an innings defeat with the pitch showing sings of turn which Pakistan's off-spinners Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez will likely exploit.Paceman Umar Gul struck with the first ball of the second innings, trapping Tharanga Paranavitana before Lahiru Thirimanne (20) and Kumar Sangakkara (27) survived some anxious moments to see off the day.It was Umar's typical Test match knock which held the Pakistani innings together, adding invaluable runs with Azhar Ali (70), Younis Khan (33), Misbah-ul Haq (46) and Asad Shafiq (26 not out).Umar's is the first double hundred by a Pakistani opener since Aamir Sohail's 205 against England at Old Trafford in 1992, highlighting the lack of quality openers and their regular chopping in the country's team.The 31-year-old left-hander hit 17 boundaries and a six during his marathon 700-minute stay at the crease, showing immense concentration and application, before he ran out of stamina and was run out.He batted solidly, consumed 496 deliveries to notch the second highest Test score by a Pakistani opener behind Hanif Mohammad's 337, made against the West Indies at Bridgetown in 1958.Umar said it was his wish to score a double hundred."I had a burning desire to score a double hundred," a jaded Umar said after play. "It was hot out there but I am glad that I am now in the illustrious company of Sohail and Hanif who were great players from Pakistan."He added 160 for the second wicket with Ali, 82 with Younis for third, 76 with Misbah for the fourth and 75 with Shafiq for the fifth.Pakistan resumed at 259-1 with overnight pair Umar and Ali extending their second wicket stand as they again remained unflappable on a pitch that gave little response to pace and spin.Ali, who has 10 half centuries in 14 Tests now, yet again failed to register his maiden hundred as he came late on a swinging delivery which uprooted his off-stump. Ali struck six boundaries.Younis had a shaky start as he was beaten by Welegedara first ball and was then dropped by Prasanna Jayawardene off skipper Tillakaratna Dilshan when a leg-side edge was dropped by the wicket-keeper despite getting two attempts.Umar, 31, remained steady as he hit a glorious boundary off Suranga Lakmal and then took a single off Herath to go past his previous best score of 135, made on two occasions.He hit 135 against South Africa at Cape Town in 2003 and repeated that score against the West Indies at St. Kitts earlier this year.Younis was trapped leg-before by paceman Chanaka Welegedara.Misbah upped the tempo with four boundaries and six before he was caught behind off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath who finished with 3-126.

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Trott leads England revival against India

MOHALI : Jonathan Trott hit 98 not out as England piled up 298-4 in a must-win one-day international against world champions India in Mohali on Thursday.Samit Patel smashed an unbeaten 70 off 43 balls and Kevin Pietersen scored 64 as England's batting finally came good after skipper Alastair Cook won the toss in the day-night game.The tourists, who were thrashed by 126 runs and eight wickets in the previous two games, need a win to stay afloat in the five-match series.India's new look team, without seven players who won the World Cup final against Sri Lanka in April, will chase a target of six runs an over under lights to clinch the series.Trott and Pietersen, coming together at 53-2, put on 101 for the third wicket on an even-paced pitch ideal for shot-making.Trott then added 103 for the unbroken fifth with Patel, who hit two sixes and seven fours as England plundered 91 runs in the last 10 overs.Trott, who was on 94 at the start of the final over from Vinay Kumar, took three runs from the first two deliveries but managed only a single off the fifth to be denied a fourth one-day hundred.Cook, who fell for zero in the second match, failed once again when he was trapped leg-before by Vinay for three in the fourth over.Craig Kieswetter made amends for his low scores in the first two matches by pounding two sixes and three boundaries in a quickfire 36 before he was bowled by part-timer Virat Kohli in the 13th over.Pietersen and Trott battered the Indian bowling till the 29th over when the hosts ended the century partnership through a contentious decision by umpire Sudhir Asnani.Asnani, standing in an international match for the first time since 1999, declared a stunned Pietersen leg-before even as the tall batsman stretched forward to defend a ball from Ravindra Jadeja.England managed just 30 runs for the loss of Ravi Bopara's wicket -- bowled by Praveen Kumar for 24 in the batting power-play between the 36th and 40th overs.

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Taylor ton rescues Zimbabwe

HARARE : Captain Brendan Taylor struck an unbeaten 128 as Zimbabwe recovered from a disastrous start to post 231-6 off 50 overs against New Zealand Thursday in the first of three one-day internationals.After two Twenty20 defeats to the visitors, the home team were staring further embarrassment when losing four wickets at Harare Sports Club with just 21 runs on the scoreboard.But Taylor and Forster Mutizwa stopped the rot with a brave fifth-wicket stand that lifted Zimbabwe to 177 runs before the latter was out for 69, caught by wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum off the bowling of James Franklin.Taylor, a 25-year-old right-hander with a highest ODI score of 145 not out in South Africa last year, continued to sparkle in sunny, slightly cloudy conditions and slammed three sixes in a penultimate over that yielded 21 runs.His 120-ball stand included seven fours and five sixes while Mutizwa hit three fours and one six off 98 balls as they compensated for the cheap early departures of Vusi Sibanda, Chamu Chibhabhu, Hamilton Masakadza and Tatenda Taibu.New Zealand debutant Doug Bracewell captured the first three Zimbabwe wickets, but was less successful later in the innings, while Franklin (two wickets) and Andy McKay (one) also inflicted damage.

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Taufiq, Younis extend Pakistan lead to 139

ABU DHABI : Pakistan continued to bat Sri Lanka out of the first Test despite losing Azhar Ali in the morning session as they extended their first-innings score to 336-2 in the first Test here on Thursday.Pakistan, resuming their first innings at 259-1 in reply to Sri Lanka's modest 197, frustrated the Sri Lankan bowling as opener Taufiq Umar achieved his career-best score of 146 not out on the third day at Abu Dhabi stadium.Umar found another able partner in Younis Khan who was unbeaten on 25 at the break, the pair having put on 58 so far for the third wicket.Sri Lanka, fighting hard to restrict Pakistan, managed just one wicket in the session when paceman Chanaka Welegedara bowled Ali with an incoming delivery in the seventh over of the day.The overnight pair of Umar and Ali extended their second wicket stand to 160 as they again remained unflappable on a pitch that gave little response to pace and spin bowlers.Ali, who has 10 half centuries in 14 Tests now, yet again failed to register his maiden hundred as he came late on a swinging delivery which uprooted his off-stump. Ali struck six boundaries.Younis had a shaky start as he was beaten by Welegedara first ball and was then dropped by Prasanna Jayawardene off skipper Tillakaratna Dilshan when a leg-side edge was dropped by the wicket-keeper despite getting two attempts.Umar, 31, remained steady as he hit a glorious boundary off Suranga Lakmal and then took a single off Rangana Herath to go past his previous best score of 135, made on two occasions.He hit 135 against South Africa at Cape Town in 2003 and repeated that score against the West Indies at St. Kitts earlier this year.Umar has so far hit eleven boundaries during his 372-ball marathon innings.

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Aussies ease to win in rain-hit first ODI against Proteas

CENTURION : Teenage debutant Pat Cummins had his first ball hit for six but then struck two vital blows as Australia eased to victory in a rain-hit first one-day international against South Africa at SuperSport Park on Wednesday.Facing an adjusted target of 223 off 29 overs, South Africa's chances took a huge dive when Cummins dismissed Jacques Kallis and JP Duminy in the space of three balls.The hosts were bowled out for 129 in 22 overs to give Australia a 93-run Duckworth/Lewis win.Cummins, at 18 the youngest player to represent Australia in a one-day international, confirmed the promise he showed in two Twenty20 internationals against the same opponents. He was hit over extra cover for six by South African captain Hashim Amla but then produced a fast delivery which Kallis edged into his stumps to end a 36-run second wicket stand with Amla.JP Duminy fell to Cummins for the third time in three innings when he edged a catch to second slip two balls later, with Australian captain Michael Clarke taking a good low catch.Former captain Ricky Ponting opened the batting and was named man of the match after he made 63 in an Australian innings of 183 for four in 29 overs.Ponting and Clarke (44) built a solid foundation before lightning and rain drove the players off the field at 96 for one after 19 overs.There was a four-and-a-half hour break before play resumed. Australia went on an all-out assault when they returned with just ten overs remaining in their innings.Clarke was particularly aggressive, adding 15 runs off five balls, including two sixes off successive balls from Lonwabo Tsotsobe.But Clarke was run out when a fierce drive by Ponting was deflected into the stumps at the bowler's end by Johan Botha.Ponting stepped into the opening role when Shane Watson was ruled out with a hip injury. Australia were also without Shaun Marsh because of a shoulder injury.Ponting made his runs off 77 balls and hit nine fours.All South Africa's bowlers took some heavy punishment in the closing overs. Fast bowler Dale Steyn took two wickets but conceded 48 runs in six overs.South Africa suffered an early blow when former captain Graeme Smith was given out leg before wicket to Doug Bollinger in the first over.He consulted with Amla but decided not to ask for a review by the television umpire, although replays showed the ball would have gone over the top of his stumps.Amla and Kallis looked in good form before Cummins made his breakthrough and after that the home side lost wickets at regular intervals and did not look likely to get close to the target.Cummins picked up a third wicket when tailender Johan Botha stepped on his stumps but the fast bowler was expensive, conceding 28 runs in three overs, including five wides when a bouncer to last man Lonwabo Tsotsobe sailed over wicketkeeper Brad Haddin's head.

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1st Test - Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi, 18& 23 October

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