NEWS ALERT

NEWS UPDATE : Asian Cricket Third Sri Lanka-Pakistan ODI abandoned due to rain COLOMBO: The third One-day International between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The umpires made this decision after consulting ... Australia want to master all forms of game: Clarke SYDNEY: Australia's limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make them the top nation in all three forms of the game, captain Michael Clarke said ... Bopara glad to be back for England SOUTHAMPTON, England: Ravi Bopara is eager to make up for lost times as he tries to revive his ... South Africa name unchanged squad for England series JOHANNESBURG: South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on ...


Saturday, January 28, 2012

Pakistan 214 all out as England need 145 to win


ABU DHABI: England were left to chase a 145-run target for a series-levelling win in the second Test after Pakistan were bowled out for 214 in their second innings at Abu Dhabi Stadium on Saturday.

Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar finished with six for 62.

Pakistan won the first of three Tests in Dubai by ten wickets.

Pakistan had resumed on 125-4, with Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq at the crease after putting on an unbeaten 71 on Friday.

The duo were cautious early on, scoring just 11 runs from seven overs, but became more attacking as the desert sun burnt through the fog shrouding the Sheikh Zayed stadium and Azhar reached his 14th Test 50 with a flicked shot past square leg.

Strauss had started with Broad and Graeme Swann before introducing Monty Panesar, a decision that paid quick dividends as the Sussex spinner bagged his fourth wicket of the innings.

Shafiq (43) was Panesar's latest victim, getting a thick edge to a turning delivery that was comfortably held by Anderson at slip to end Pakistan fifth-wicket stand at 88.

In came Adnan Akmal. The wicketkeeper scored a career-best 61 in last week's first Test and he began aggressively here, but that was also his undoing, although Ali was first to fall.

Ali tried to fend off Anderson's fierce delivery with his glove, but the ball edged off the bat for a routine catch for wicketkeeper Matt Prior. Pakistan were now on 170-6.

Ali made 68 from 195 balls with eight boundaries.

Akmal (13) was to follow in the next over, Broad claiming his first wicket of the innings thanks to a catch from Strauss at slip.

At lunch, Saeed Ajmal (11) and Abdur Rehman (10) were batting with a vital 26-run partnership but Rehman departed in the very first over after lunch.

Then Panesar wiped off the remaining two wickets in the same over dismissing Ajmal for 17 and Junaid Khan for nought while Umar Gul remained not out on ten


Sehwag urges fans, media to back India



ADELAIDE: Fans and the media should back the Indian team and not seek explanations for their dispiriting 4-0 series loss in Australia, skipper Virender Sehwag said on Saturday.

The last rites were served on India's miserable series when Australia wrapped up a comprehensive 298-run victory early on the final day of the fourth Test at the Adelaide Oval.

It was the eighth consecutive away Test loss for formerly top ranked India after a 4-0 series loss in England last year and they have yet to win a series in Australia in 10 tours.

Sehwag, who led the team in place of the suspended M.S. Dhoni in Adelaide, said while fans had every right to be upset by the series outcome, they should get behind the team.

"They should be upset with our performances and I totally agree with them, but this is the time the fans should back the team," Sehwag said.

"When we won the World Cup everyone was happy and cheering for Team India, and now this time we need the support of the fans and everybody, they should back their own team."

Zimbabwe in serious trouble in NZ



NAPIER: New Zealand were on the verge Saturday of a huge victory over Zimbabwe on the third day of the one-off Test after destroying the tourists for a record low 51 in their first innings.

Forced to bat again, Zimbabwe were immediately in serious trouble in their second innings and went to tea at 12-3, still 432 runs behind New Zealand's 495 for seven declared in Napier.

The Zimbabwe batsmen had no answer to the swing variations of New Zealand's four-pronged pace attack, backed by the subtle tweaking of Daniel Vettori.

Malcolm Waller contributed the bulk of the runs with 23 in the Zimbabwe first innings before he was caught at third slip by Dean Brownlie off Tim Southee.

Veteran paceman Chris Martin was New Zealand's chief destroyer taking two for five off six overs in Zimbabwe's first innings and dismissing all three wickets to fall so far in the tourists' second turn at bat.

Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell and Southee also took two wickets in the first innings and Vettori took one.

The 51 runs in 28.5 overs in Zimbabwe's first innings was their lowest Test innings total. Their previous lowest score was 54 against South Africa in Cape Town in 2005