Sangakkara fights alone after Pakistan rip through Sri Lanka batting

DUBAI : Pakistan's bowlers once again caught Sri Lanka napping on the opening day of the second cricket Test at Dubai Stadium here on Wednesday.Sri Lanka, opting to bat on a bouncy pitch, were pegged back by Umar Gul (3-49) before slumping further to 176-8 by tea as the Pakistan attack kept relentless pressure on the batsmen with some early help from the pitch Kumar Sangakkara, who scored 211 to help Sri Lanka draw the first of three Tests in Abu Dhabi last week, top-scored with 78 hitting eleven boundaries and added an invaluable 54 runs for the sixth wicket with debutant Kaushal Silva (20).At tea, Rangana Herath (six) and Chanaka Welegedara (15) were at the crease.When Sangakkara looked set for another century he lost his concentration as he jumped down the crease to hoist left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman straight into the hands of deep mid-wicket fielder Asad Shafiq.Sangakkara, who also added 27 for the seventh wicket with Dhammika Prasad (seven), had defied the Pakistani bowlers during the first session in which Sri Lanka lost five wickets, three in Gul's incisive first spell.Junaid Khan ably complemented Gul by dismissing Tillakaratne Dilshan (seven) and Angelo Mathews (19) to leave Sri Lanka struggling at 78-5 at lunch.Gul trapped opener Lahiru Thirimanne (one) in front of the wicket with the second delivery of his second over as Indian umpire Shahvir Tarapore upheld the appeal for his maiden decision in his first Test.Gul then had two wickets in his fifth over, as Tharanga Paranavitana slashed a wide delivery straight into the hands of skipper Misbah-ul Haq who held a sharp chance. Tharanga made six.Off his sixth delivery, Gul had the experienced Mahela Jayawardene edging into the slips for Misbah to make two in two, leading by example in the slips after Pakistan floored seven chances in the first Test.Khan, who took a career-best 5-38 to dismiss Sri Lanka for a paltry 197 in the first innings, had Dilshan caught in the slip and then Mathews caught behind by keeper Adnan Akmal.Sangakkara dispatched Gul for his eighth boundary to bring up his 37th half-century before Rehman's dismissed him and Silva in his first spell.Sri Lanka were forced to make two changes from the first Test line-up, leaving injured Prasanna Jayawardene and Nuwan Pradeep to include Prasad and Silva.Pakistan replaced paceman Aizaz Cheema with Rehman.

Read More

Pakistan pacers rock Sri Lanka in 2nd Test

DUBAI : Umar Gul ripped through Sri Lanka's top order with a burst of three wickets in his opening spell on the first day of the second cricket Test on Wednesday.Gul broke through in only the third over of the match after Sri Lanka, electing to bat, slumped to 30-3 by the ninth over before struggling to 78-5 by lunch at the Dubai cricket Stadium.Kumar Sangakkara, who scored a fighting 211 to help Sri Lanka draw the first Test at Abu Dhabi last week, was unbeaten on 29 and with him was Kaushal Silva (one) after Junaid Khan carried on the good work by Gul with two more wickets.The 27-year-old paceman Gul trapped opener Lahiru Thirimanne (one) in front of the wicket with the second delivery of his second over as Indian umpire Shahvir Tarapore upheld the appeal for his maiden decision in his first Test.Gul then had two wickets in his fifth over, as Tharanga Paranavitana slashed a wide delivery straight into the hands of skipper Misbah-ul Haq who held a sharp chance. Tharanga made six.Off his sixth delivery, Gul had the experienced Mahela Jayawardene edging into the slips for Misbah to make two in two, leading by example in the slips after Pakistan floored seven chances in the first Test.Amidst the wicket slide, Sangakkara held his nerves as he straight drove Khan for two fours to release some pressure at the other end. He also benefitted from a dropped catch when Taufiq Umar failed to hold a chance off spinner Saeed Ajmal.Khan, who took a career-best 5-38 to dismiss Sri Lanka for a paltry 197 in the first innings at Abu Dhabi, dismissed Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan for seven, caught off a rash drive in the slip for Misbah's third catch.Khan then broke Sangakkara-Mathews brief stand of 28, when wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal held a faint edge off Mathews who made 19.Sri Lanka were forced to make two changes as wicket-keeper batsman Prasanna Jayawardene, who hit a match-saving 120 in the first Test, was ruled out due to abdominal strain.They also left out paceman Nuwan Pradeep, giving a Test cap to wicket-keeper batsman Kaushal Silva and bringing in experienced paceman Dhammika Prasad.Pakistan brought in left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman for paceman Aizaz Cheema as the only change.

Read More

Sri Lanka bat in second Pakistan Test

DUBAI : Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan won the toss and chose to bat in the second Test against Pakistan at the Dubai Stadium on Wednesday.Sri Lanka were dealt a blow when their wicket-keeper batsman Prasanna Jayawardene, who hit a match-saving 120 in the drawn first Test at Abu Dhabi last week, was ruled out due to injury.Also out was paceman Nuwan Pradeep and the two slots went to keeper Kaushal Silva and fast bowler Dhammika Prasad. The 25-year-old Silva is making his Test debut.Pakistan brought in left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman in place of paceman Aizaz Cheema.The third Test of the series will be played in Sharjah from November 3.Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan.Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Rangana Herath, Chanaka Welegedara, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Kaushal Silva.Umpires: Tony Hill (NZL) and Shahvir Tarapore (IND)
Tv umpire: Zameer Haider (PAK) Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

Read More

Dominant India whitewash England

KOLKATA: World champions India brushed aside England by 95 runs in the fifth and final one-day international in Kolkata on Tuesday to sweep the series 5-0 Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 75 off 69 balls to power India to 271-8 after the hosts were sent in to bat by England captain Alastair Cook at the Eden Gardens.Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja then grabbed 4-33 and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed 3-28 as England were shot out for 176 in 37 overs after a promising start in the day-night match.The whitewash made partial amends for the disastrous tour of England in July-September, when India were routed 4-0 in the Test series to lose the world number one ranking and were blanked 3-0 in the one-dayers.India swept the series despite the absence of seven players, including star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who were part of the team that won the World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai in April.India have beaten England in 16 of their last 18 one-day internationals at home, losing one and tying the other during the World Cup earlier this year.India were reduced to 123-4 before Dhoni hit his way out of trouble, pounding four sixes and three boundaries, to help the hosts put up a challenging total on a sluggish wicket.The late flourish led by the captain saw India plunder 84 runs in the last eight overs, including 39 off the final 12 balls.Left-arm seamer Samit Patel claimed three for 57, while fast bowler Steven Finn took 2-47.Cook and Craig Kieswetter provided the best start for the tourists in the series as they put on 129 for the first wicket by the 21st over.Both hit half-centuries before India grabbed five wickets for 12 runs to reduce England to 141-5 in the 26th over.Fast bowler Varun Aaron triggered the collapse by bowling Cook for 60, while Kieswetter was leg-before to Jadeja for 63.Ian Bell, making his first appearance in the series in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen, had made two when he was caught behind by Dhoni off Ashwin.Jadeja then removed the two Jonathans, Trott and Bairstow, in eight balls to open up the lower order.Ravi Bopara was bowled by Suresh Raina round his wickets and Tim Bresnan holed out against part-time spinner Manoj Tiwary.The rivals will return to the Eden Gardens on Saturday for a one-off Twenty20 international before England return home.

Read More

Zimbabwe ensure a thrilling win over NZ

BULAWAYO : Zimbabwe: Malcolm Waller hit a single off the fifth ball of the last over to take Zimbabwe to a dramatic one-wicket win in the third and final one-day international against New Zealand at Queens Sports Club on Tuesday.Waller finished on 99 not out off 74 balls as Zimbabwe chased down a New Zealand total of 328 for five which included centuries by Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson.It was Zimbabwe's highest successful run chase and ended a sequence of seven successive defeats for the home side.New Zealand captain Taylor (119) and Williamson (100 not out) shared a fifth wicket stand of 195 off only 133 balls.It turned what seemed likely to be a respectable total into an imposing one, doubling the total by adding 164 runs in the final 15 overs, with the rampage starting in the batting powerplay taken after 35 overs.But Zimbabwe got off to a brisk start with captain Brendan Taylor following centuries in the first two matches with 75 off 65 balls as he and Hamilton Masakadza (36) put on 100 for the second wicket.Tatenda Taibu hit an aggressive 53 but it was a swashbuckling sixth wicket stand of 112 off 85 balls between Waller and Elton Chigumbura that put victory within reach for Zimbabwe.Waller and Chigumbura got the target down to 34 off 36 balls when Chigumbura was bowled by Jacob Oram, trying a big shot.In a nervy finish, three more wickets fell and with four needed off the last over, Waller was dropped twice by Ross Taylor at midwicket.Two runs were scored off the first miss and one off the second.Then Ray Price skied a catch and was caught with the scores tied but the batsmen crossed and Waller had the strike and clinched the match."Brendan Taylor and Waller batted very well," said Ross Taylor, who took the blame for dropping Waller."When you drop catches you lose matches," he added.While Taylor accelerated after a slow start in which he scored his first fifty off 83 balls before reaching his century off 115 deliveries, Williamson was in superb form from the start, hitting his century off 69 balls."It was an outstanding effort. It was disappointing for Kane that we couldn't get the win," said his captain.Waller paid tribute to Chigumbura."Having Elton there striking it so well was a real help. We had nothing to lose and we came out and played really well.

Read More

Taylor, Williamson punish Zimbabwe bowlers

BULAWAYO : Zimbabwe: Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson hit centuries as New Zealand piled up 328 for five in the third and final one-day international against New Zealand at Queens Sports Club on Tuesday.Taylor (119) and Williamson (100 not out) shared a fifth-wicket stand of 195 off only 133 balls that turned what seemed likely to be a respectable total into an imposing one, adding 164 runs in the final 15 overs.Zimbabwe made a good start by claiming the first three wickets for 41 runs, with bustling fast bowler Njabulo Ncube taking two wickets in his first spell in international cricket.New Zealand captain Taylor made a cautious start, taking 83 balls to reach his half-century, as he and Jesse Ryder (53) launched a recovery with a fourth-wicket stand of 83.The tempo increased rapidly when Williamson joined Taylor, who went to his sixth one-day international century off 115 balls.Williamson was in superb form and reached his second hundred off 69 deliveries, scoring seven runs off the final two balls of the innings.Zimbabwe gave new caps to Ncube and leg-spinner Natsai M'shangwe and both impressed in their first spells before wilting as Taylor and Williamson went on the rampage.Ncube took two for 28 in an opening spell of six overs but then conceded 41 runs off his next 2.5 overs before being ordered out of the attack in the final over after bowling a second high full toss.He bowled Taylor in his last over to finish with three for 69.M'shangwe started with a maiden and bowled eight successive overs for only 26 runs before being hit for another 24 runs in his last two overs.New Zealand, holding a winning 2-0 lead in the series, rested leading scorer Martin Guptill in order to give some of their other batsmen time in the middle ahead of a one-off Test starting at the same ground on November 1.The plan did not work for BJ Watling, who opened in Guptill's place and was run out without facing a ball, but Taylor, Ryder and Williamson all played their first major innings of the tour

Read More

Spot-fixing trial: Butt's lawyer concludes arguments

LONDON : During day 14 of the spot fixing trial the lawyer for Salman Butt accused fast bowler Muhammed Amir of having direct contact with bookies in Pakistan, Ali Bajwa who is representing the former Pakistan captain in his closing argument said that even though Amir was young he did not need anyone’s guidance for fixing and understood right from wrong. Bajwa added that Butt had no control over Amir’s bowling and that the fast bowler was in direct contact with Mazhar Majeed. Bajwa also levelled allegations against Muhammed Asif and said Butt had nothing to do with the no-ball bowled by the pace bowler. Bajwa said Butt did not direct Asif to run fast and the captain’s advice did not mean there was fixing. Bajwa requested the court to ignore statements made by Muhammed Asif. Bajwa further said he would leave the fate of his client upon the jury and hoped Butt would be cleared of the charges. Bajwa was followed by the lawyer for Muhammed Asif who during his closing arguments said Mazhar Majeed was corrupt and his life was filled with lies.Alexander Milne who is representing Asif said evidence proved that Salman Butt and Mazhar Majeed were involved in fixing and no marked bills were recovered from his client

Read More

Dhoni leads India to 271-8 against England

KOLKATA : Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 75 off 69 balls to power India to 271-8 in the fifth and final one-dayer at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday.England, hoping to avoid a 5-0 series whitewash after losing the first four games, grabbed wickets at regular intervals after skipper Alastair Cook asked India to bat in the day-night match.India were reduced to 123-4 before Dhoni hit his way out of trouble, pounding four sixes and three boundaries, to help the world champions put up a challenging total on a sluggish wicket.The late flourish led by the captain saw India plunder 84 runs in the last eight overs, including 39 off the final 12 balls.Left-arm seamer Samit Patel claimed three for 57, while Steven Finn took 2-47.Indian openers Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane put on 80 runs in 17 overs when England hit back with three wickets without a run being added.Finn, England's most impressive fast bowler in the series, bowled Gambhir (38) and the in-form Virat Kohli with the first and last deliveries of his sixth over.In the next over, Tim Bresnan forced Rahane (42) to edge a ball to wicket-keeper Craig Kieswetter, who dived to his right to pick up a superb catch.Kolkata local Manoj Tiwary, making his first appearance in the series in place of opener Parthiv Patel, scored 24 with the help of four boundaries when he was caught behind off Stuart Meaker.Suresh Raina helped Dhoni lift the total to 162-4 in the 37th over, before he was run out for 38 by a direct throw from Ravi Bopara.Patel dismissed Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in successive overs, but Dhoni stepped in to steer India to a competitive total.England gave seasoned batsman Ian Bell his first game in the series in place of Kevin Pietersen, who has a fractured thumb

Read More

Fielding let us down during first test: Misbah

DUBAI : Pakistan cricket captain Misbah ul Haq said Tuesday the teams fielding was disappointing during the first test against Sri Lanka. Misbah while speaking to the media said the team was concentrating on improving their fielding during training sessions and they would try to show an improved performance in the second test. He added fast bowler Umer Gul was fit and the wicket for the second test was similar to the one used during last year’s test against South Africa

Read More

Sunny makes seven-wicket debut in drawn Test

CHITTAGONG : Bangladesh's Elias Sunny made a memorable seven-wicket debut against the West Indies in the rain-hit opening Test, which ended in a draw on the fifth and final day on Tuesday.The left-arm spinner grabbed 6-94 in the first innings and 1-34 in the second as the West Indies finished at 100-2 after being set a 226-run target to win the match off 37 overs.Opener Lendl Simmons made a 49-ball 44, while Kirk Edwards (28 not out) and Darren Bravo (24 not out) were the unbeaten batsmen when play was called off with 15 overs remaining.No play was possible due to rain on Saturday and Sunday.Sunny also became the third Bangladeshi to bag six wickets in an innings on debut in the morning session as the West Indies were bowled out for 244 in their first innings in reply to Bangladesh's 350-9 declared.The hosts declared their second innings closed at their tea total of 119-3, with left-handed Shahriar Nafees (50) scoring his sixth Test half-century with the help of eight fours.Openers Imrul Kayes (13) and Tamim Iqbal (37) were the other batsmen dismissed in the second session.Seamers Darren Sammy and Ravi Rampaul, and spinner Marlon Samuels each took one wicket.The second and final Test starts in Dhaka on October 29.The West Indies earlier added 100 runs in 17 overs to their overnight total of 144-5, with skipper Sammy smashing a brisk 43-ball 58 with the help of two sixes and eight fours for his maiden Test half-century.Sunny, 25, took two of the five wickets to fall in the morning session while left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan took the last three wickets to finish with 3-53 off 18 overs.Sunny, who took four wickets on Monday, struck in his second over when he had Samuels caught by Raqibul Hasan in the covers. Samuels could add just seven runs to his overnight score of 17 Sammy and Carlton Baugh (30) then counter-attacked to add 60 runs in just seven overs for the seventh wicket before Sunny broke the stand when he bowled Baugh for his sixth victim.The West Indies captain completed his half-century with a six off Sunny, but did not last long as he was bowled by Shakib after hitting the second six of his innings.Shakib also dismissed Devendra Bishoo for no score in the same over.

Read More