Papare band back to crank up the atmosphere

The Sri Lankan papare band that kept the fans of both sides dancing and singing throughout last week's first One-Day International (ODI) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Dubai Sports City is back for the third match of the series this Friday.George Hettiaratchy, a Sri Lanka supporter living in Dubai for the past 27 years, has helped coordinate the band's presence at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and he said they got a great reception at last week's match."Though we Sri Lankans lost the match, we continued the music until the end," he said. "More than half of the green zone (of seating) was occupied by the Sri Lankan spectators. Needless to say the majority of them came to the ground to enjoy the papare music."It was heartening to witness that Pakistani spectators also joined with the Sri Lankans and danced to the papare music outside the stadium. It was indeed a carnival atmosphere.The Dubai Sports City ticket office is open late on the eve of the match, until 2100 on Thursday 17 November, to cope with the demand for tickets, and will then reopen at 0800 on match-day.From 1200 on match-day, ticket sales will transfer to the venue box office next to the stadium.Mr Hettiaratchy said papare music, which features drums and trumpets, would enhance what is already expected to be a great atmosphere for the crunch third match, with the five-match series level at 1-1."Playing papare in the stands while all Sri Lankan spectators are waving colourful lion flags and wearing national-coloured t-shirts will certainly add glamour to the occasion," he said."I believe this type of music was introduced to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese when they ruled the coastal areas of the island nation," he said."Papare is very popular among spectators, especially during sports events. We Sri Lankans, by nature, like to enjoy by listening to music and dancing.Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said the atmosphere created by the fans at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, including the papare band, was fantastic to play in front of.We're enjoying (the feeling) with the fans and the papare band," he said. "We're used to that back home and we've played a lot in India with huge crowds too."Sometimes the boys can find more energy if the fans are supporting them. As a captain I'm really enjoying the two sets of fans shouting and supporting their teams and the papare band. We're really enjoying it out in the middle."Mr Maqbul Dudhia, General Manager - Sports Business at Dubai Sports City, said: "We are delighted to have a papare band playing again at Friday's match as it will add an extra dimension to what should be a superb occasion with a great atmosphere We hope the music and colour will again ensure spectators will be entertained by events off the field as much as they are by events on it"Offering this experience is all part of Dubai Sports City's commitment to create a fan-friendly environment and put fans first."We have done that through our extensive use of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Audioboo and we are also doing it through the provision we have made for Jumma Prayers at 1220, very close to the stadium, and there will be signs directing people to the area where they will take place."After Friday's match, the series then moves to Sharjah (20 November) and Abu Dhabi (23 November and a Twenty20 International (T20I) on 25 November).The three ODI matches between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium are all part of 34 days of international action as DSC hosts its biggest season of cricket since the venue opened in 2009.Already the Dubai International Cricket Stadium has staged the second Test of the three-match series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with Pakistan winning that encounter by nine wickets.And after this ODI series, England arrives in January 2012 to face Pakistan in two Tests, two ODIs and two T20Is over a two-month period.In March 2012 the Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host matches in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier

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Aussies strike twice but lose Watson

JOHANNESBURG : Australia dismissed both South Africa's openers early on the first day of the second and final Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Thursday before the hosts fought back through Jacques Kallis.South Africa were 107 for two at lunch, with Kallis on 43 not out off 33 balls. He and Hashim Amla, who batted watchfully to score 14 runs off 50 deliveries, put on an unbeaten 64 for the third wicket.Australia suffered a blow when all-rounder Shane Watson had to leave the field with an injury and was unable to complete his fourth over. Before the setback, Watson had taken the wicket of Jacques Rudolph, caught behind for 30The first breakthrough was made by Mitchell Johnson, who had Graeme Smith caught at second slip for 11.Teenage debutant Pat Cummins generated impressive pace but did not take a wicket in conceding 17 runs off eight overs.The selection of Cummins had been widely expected but it was not known whether Johnson would have kept his place if there had not been a fitness doubt about Ryan Harris, who was reported on Wednesday as having been "stiff and sore" following the first Test.On a hot, sunny day and on a pitch that looked ideal for batting, Cummins induced the first false strokes, with Rudolph getting off the mark in the fourth over with an inside edge for one to fine leg and Smith beaten past the inside edge in the same over.Johnson conceded 11 runs in his third over, which included boundaries by Rudolph and Smith.But in his next over he made a ball climb and move away slightly off a good length to have Smith caught at second slip by Michael Clarke.Amla had scored only one when Australia sought a review of a not out decision by umpire Billy Bowden after Johnson appealed for leg before wicket. Replays showed the ball would have brushed the outside edge of the off stump, within the umpire's discretionary zone, and Amla survived.Kallis joined Brian Lara of the West Indies as the fourth highest run scorer in Tests when he hit the first ball he faced from Watson through the covers for four to take his total of runs to 11,953.He took sole possession of fourth place when he scored a single in Watson's next over.Kallis looked in good form as he hit seven fours and added a six in the last over before lunch when he hit off-spinner Nathan Lyon over mid-wicket

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India win Windies series despite Bravo ton

KOLKATA : Pragyan Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin shared four wickets as India beat a resilient West Indies by an innings and 15 runs in the second Test to clinch the series at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday.The West Indies were bowled out for 463 in their second innings just before tea on the penultimate day after being asked to follow on with 478 runs in arrears, with Darren Bravo smashing a sparkling 136.Left-arm spinner Ojha dismissed free-scoring Bravo and off spinner Ashwin removed Marlon Samuels for an impressive 84 before seamer Umesh Yadav ended the innings with the last two wickets off successive balls.The West Indies, beaten by five wickets in the opening Test of the three-match series in New Delhi, lost their last six wickets for 62 runs in the afternoon session.The tourists, dismissed for 153 in their first innings in reply to India's mammoth 631-7 declared, put in a much-improved batting performance in the second innings as they made the hosts struggle for wickets on a good pitch."It was a long fielding session. We got them out comfortably in the first innings but saw that the track was getting flatter and there was nothing in it for the bowlers," said India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni."I think the first innings was perfect and after that it was a game of patience. Bravo batted superbly."There was no hint of a late collapse when Bravo and Samuels were dominating the Indian attack with exciting strokeplay during their 132-run stand for the fifth wicket Bravo smashed four sixes and 16 fours in his brilliant 230-ball knock for his second Test hundred in three matches, having hammered 195 in the second and final Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka before the India tour.He made India wait for the victory with his defiant stand with Samuels before being caught by Rahul Dravid at lone slip in the afternoon.Ashwin, who got married a day before the Test started, then removed Samuels as he got trapped leg-before after cracking one six and 13 fours in his brisk 111-ball knock.I'd like to commend the guys in the second innings and if we put two innings together we can pose a challenge to other teams," said West Indies captain Darren Sammy, who made 32."It was a good fight in the second innings. India showed us how to bat on this track. It called for application."The third and final Test starts in Mumbai from Tuesday.

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Former Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar on this week's ICC Cricket World

On this week's ICC World Radio Show, former Pakistan captain and one of the most destructive openers Saeed Anwar reflects on his career in which he scored 12,904 international runs, including 31 centuries and 68 half-centuries.Saeed, who played 55 Tests (seven as captain) and 247 ODIs (11 as captain) between 1989 and 2003, says: "I have no regrets from whatever cricket I played and I enjoyed it thoroughly. The good thing about my career was not about individual performances but collectively the Pakistan team won a lot which is the most satisfying part. The most memorable thing for me was that I played in an era when Pakistan had its best-ever side.High and lows are part of a batsman's life, especially for an opener. The best teams in my era were India and Australia and my objective was to score against these two teams. I was lucky enough to score against both the sides.In Tests, Saeed averaged 59 against Australia and 58.80 against India while his average against the two countries in ODIs was 23.55 and 43.5, respectively.Saeed also relives memories of his magnificent 194 in an ODI against India in Chennai in 1997 (a record until it was equaled by Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry in August 2009 before it was broken by Sachin Tendulkar in 2010) and then his 188 not out in the second innings of the Kolkata Test against the same opposition in 1999."My style was a bit different. I was never a kind of a person who would score big runs and set individual records. My main aim was to play such cricket which could entertain the spectators and crowd, while playing for the team at the same time."The best thing about these two innings was that we won on both occasions. I don't see any value in making big runs, establishing records but not winning matches. A player should play such an innings that his side should win."I really rate Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting very high because whenever they have scored runs, their teams have mostly won," says Saeed who started his career with a pair against the West Indies in Faisalabad in 1990.Saeed also speaks about his all-time favourite cricketer, batsmen he admires most, the most difficult bowlers he faced in his career and his most memorable international innings.The show can be used in whole or part by radio stations that want free cricket content for editorial use, while the public can also download it straight from www.icc-cricket.com or from iTunes.Also on the show, noted historian Gideon Haigh takes a walk down memory lane and discusses some of the lowest scores in Test cricket.He says: "Australia scored 23 against Yorkshire on the 1902 tour of England. On the same tour, Australia was bowled out for its lowest Test score ever to date of 36. Curiously, Australia went on to win that series 2-1 in one of the great Test engagements of all time."Just because you have been bowled out cheaply once does not mean you're a bad side."The lowest score of 26 is by New Zealand. Those kind of scores could have been expected more in the old days when a professional side like England took on the then amateur teams like New Zealand. But in the modern day of professionalism and enormous amounts of preparations, these are rare occurrences because there is general uniformity of standards."The Cape Town Test also showed what an unpredictable and glorious game Test cricket is."The United Arab Emirates (UAE) coach Kabir Khan also figures in the show and discusses his side's preparations for the ACC Twenty20 Cup which will be staged in Nepal from 3-11 December. Ten sides will participate in the tournament and the top three sides, apart from Afghanistan, will qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2012 which will be staged in the UAE from 13-24 March

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Pakistan aim to learn from mistakes

DUBAI : Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq hopes his team can learn from its mistakes and show improvement in the third one-day international against Sri Lanka on Friday.Pakistan won the first of five matches by eight wickets last week but allowed Sri Lanka to level the series with a 25-run victory in the second, on Monday.Misbah said his team made mistakes in all three departments."We discussed about mistakes committed in the last game," he said. "We dropped a catch, then gave away 17 extra runs and lost early wickets while batting so we need to overcome those mistakes if we want to win the next game.Sri Lanka posted a challenging 235-7 on the back of Upal Tharanga's 77 and Mahela Jayawardene's return to form 50 before restricting Pakistan to 210.Misbah agreed Sri Lanka, who scored three run-outs in Pakistan's innings, were ahead in the field."They definitely have an edge in fielding and that's where we have to catch them because they effected good run-outs of Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi," said Misbah.Pakistan are likely to bring in paceman Sohail Tanvir in place of Razzaq.Sri Lanka were also forced to summon left-arm paceman Chanaka Welegedara from Colombo after Suranga Lakmal broke down with an ankle injury and was ruled out of the remaining matches.Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said his team is determined to carry the momentum from Monday.We played some good cricket and can take a lot of positives into Friday's game because that's an important match for both the teams as they can take lead in the series," said Dilshan, who has yet to win a series since appointed captain in May.Dilshan said he was enjoying support from the Sri Lankan fans who came in big numbers in the first two matches.It's great to see so many Sri Lankans turning up and in between overs we feel the noise," said Dilshan. "We hope more people come on Friday, which is a holiday here, it gives you encouragement.The remaining matches will be played in Sharjah (November 20) and Abu Dhabi(November 23). Both teams will also play a Twenty20 international in Abu Dhabi on November 25

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India eye Test series win against Windies

KOLKATA : India strengthened their chances of winning the second Test and the series despite the West Indies' improved batting show after a first-innings collapse on the third day on Wednesday.The West Indies, dismissed for 153 in their first innings in reply to India's mammoth 631-7 declared, did better in their second innings to reach 195-3 at stumps at Eden Gardens in Kolkata The tourists, who lost the opening Test of the three-match series by five wickets in New Delhi, face a stiff task to save the match as they still trail by 283 runs with seven wickets in handDarren Bravo was unbeaten on 38 with the help of three sixes and Shivnarine Chanderpaul on 21 not out.Opener Adrian Barath (62) and Kirk Edwards (60) defied the Indian attack with a 93-run stand for the second wicket after the early dismissal of Kraigg Brathwaite (nine), who was caught behind off paceman Umesh Yadav.Barath and Edwards played some attractive shots before fast bowler Ishant Sharma broke the stand immediately after the tea-break when he had Barath caught by Venkatsai Laxman, who held a low catch to his left at first slip.Barath hit 10 fours in his third Test half-century.Sharma struck again when he removed Edwards, trapped leg-before after hitting one six and six fours in his second Test half-century.India gained the big advantage through their bowlers in the morning session as the West Indies could add just 119 runs in 36 overs after resuming at 34-2, with left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha finishing with 4-64.Yadav, who took one wicket on Tuesday, struck twice in the morning to finish with 3-23 in only his second Test match, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin bagged 2-49 The West Indies' batsmen failed to apply themselves in the first innings on a pitch offering turn and bounce to spinners, with Bravo top-scoring with 30.Ashwin and Ojha did the early damage when they took one wicket each before Yadav jolted the West Indies by removing Bravo and Marlon Samuels (25) in successive overs.Ojha got a wicket in the fifth over of the day when he trapped Edwards (16) leg-before for his 50th Test victim in 13 matches after the batsman had added only four runs to his overnight score of 12.Ashwin, who got married a day before the Test started, captured a big wicket in his opening over when he removed in-form Chanderpaul, who was also trapped leg-before.Chanderpaul, who scored 118 and 47 in the opening Test, was able to contribute just four runs this time.Bravo and Samuels played some attacking shots during their 46-run stand for the fifth wicket before falling in the space of seven runs to leave their team struggling at 99-6.Skipper Darren Sammy tried to counter-attack but did not last long, caught behind off Ojha immediately after smashing the spinner for a straight six. He hit one six and two fours in his 14-ball 18.Ojha finished the innings when he trapped Fidel Edwards leg-before for 16

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