Sri Lanka seek a batting revival

GALLE: Sri Lanka were Sunday searching for solutions to their batting woes after Australia hammered them by 125 runs in the first cricket Test in GalleThe hosts lost on a dusty wicket, apparently tailor-made for their spinners, on Saturday after being shot out for 105 in the first innings in reply to Australia's 273.Sri Lanka managed 253 in their second knock on in the back of a classy century from Mahela Jayawardene and 95 from young Angelo Mathews, but the target of 379 never looked like being surpassed.They have now gone nine Tests without a win since the retirement of world bowling record holder Muttiah Muralitharan in July last year, but it is the batting that is causing the main worry.In Cardiff in May, Sri Lanka were all out for 82 in just 24.4 overs, losing to England by an innings in a Test match that had been destined for a draw.Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan admitted batting failures had let the team down in recent months.Dilshan's carefree approach to batting at the top of the order contributed to his side's defeat, but the captain said he will never change his aggressive style.In the first innings, Dilshan drove debutant Trent Copeland's first delivery to the cover fence for a boundary -- but he was caught off the second delivery when he attempted a similar stroke.When Sri Lanka batted a second time, Dilshan played a few loose shots before he was bowled by Ryan Harris for 12.Except for Jayawardene and Mathews in the second innings, none of the Sri Lankan batsmen were able to Australia's spot-on bowling on the crumbling wicket.The seasoned Kumar Sangakkara fell for 10 and 12, while the usually prolific Thilan Samaraweera managed only 26 and 0.Dilshan said he hopes his team-mates will have learnt a lesson for the second Test which starts in Pallekele on Thursday.

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Pakistan gain lead over Zimbabwe

BULAWAYO: Pakistani batsmen threw caution to the wind here on the fourth day of the one-off test with Zimbabwe as they upped the scoring rate to go into lunch on 460-8 in their first innings, a lead of 48.Beginning the session on 357-5 and looking for a big lead to put Zimbabwe under pressure, Pakistan lost three wickets, including the pivotal wicket of Younis Khan, who only added 27 to his overnight score of 61.He was caught somewhat fortuitously at first slip by captain Brendan Taylor off veteran spinner Raymond Price, the ball first bouncing off wicketkeeper Tatenda Taibu's pad.Umar Akmal survived a TV review of a run-out appeal but he failed to capitalise on that reprieve as he was caught soon afterwards by Taylor off Gregory Lamb for 15.Sohail Khan was then caught by Lamb on the mid-wicket boundary off Christopher Mpofu for 11.Khan had been dropped at gulley by Hamilton Masakadza just beforehand - the sixth spilling of the innings and he punished Masakadza by hitting the next ball for a six.Saeed Ajmal spent the last three overs of the morning seeking quick runs and he is on 24 at the break.Zimbabwe's fielding in general cost them dear throughout the innings and it showed no change on Sunday as several elementary errors in the field cost them more runs.

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Pakistan batsmen dominate Zimbabwe on third day

BULAWAYO: Pakistan made 280 runs for the loss of only three wickets before tea on the third day of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe here at the Queen’s Sports Club ground on Saturday.Batting at the crease were veteran batsman Younis Khan with 30 and captain Misbah-ul-Haq with 37 as Pakistan were 132 runs behind Zimbabwe’s 412 with seven wickets remaining.Earlier, opener Mohammad Hafeez, who hit his third test hundred, made 119 and Azhar Ali scored a patient 75. They added 188 runs for second wicket after Pakistan lost Taufeeq Umar at only eight runs on the board.

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Hafeez, Azhar take Pakistan to comfortable 196-2

BULAWAYO : Zimbabwe: In-form Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez had two lucky escapes on his way to his third Test century here on Saturday on the third day of the one-off Test with Zimbabwe.Hafeez's luck ran out though two balls from the lunch interval when on 119 he spooned the ball to Gregory Lamb off medium pacer Hamilton Masakadza.However, he and the more sedate Azhar Ali, who was 65 not out, had taken Pakistan on to a comfortable 196-2 at the break in reply, 217 runs adrift of the hosts respectable 412 all out in their first innings.Hafeez's 119 included a six and 17 fours and saw him pass the landmark of 1000 runs.Hafeez rode his luck throughout the innings as in his opening over of the day Chris Mpofu dropped a straightforward caught and bowled chance. He and Ali were also stranded at one end of the wicket but a fielding fumble let them off.Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor persisted with seamers through most of the morning, Mpofu bowling ten straight overs but finally opted for a change of tactics when he brought on medium pacer Masakadza and it duly paid off with Hafeez's rush of blood to the head.

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Hafeez, Azhar take Pakistan to comfortable 196-2

BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe: In-form Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez had two lucky escapes on his way to his third Test century here on Saturday on the third day of the one-off Test with Zimbabwe.Hafeez's luck ran out though two balls from the lunch interval when on 119 he spooned the ball to Gregory Lamb off medium pacer Hamilton Masakadza.However, he and the more sedate Azhar Ali, who was 65 not out, had taken Pakistan on to a comfortable 196-2 at the break in reply, 217 runs adrift of the hosts respectable 412 all out in their first innings.Hafeez's 119 included a six and 17 fours and saw him pass the landmark of 1000 runs.Hafeez rode his luck throughout the innings as in his opening over of the day Chris Mpofu dropped a straightforward caught and bowled chance. He and Ali were also stranded at one end of the wicket but a fielding fumble let them off.Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor persisted with seamers through most of the morning, Mpofu bowling ten straight overs but finally opted for a change of tactics when he brought on medium pacer Masakadza and it duly paid off with Hafeez's rush of blood to the head

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Pakistan rebound to take third ODI

A tame batting effort saw West Indies Women plunge to their first defeat in their four-match One-Day International against Pakistan Women, going down by three wickets at Arnos Vale on Thursda. Sent in, after losing the toss, West Indies buckled for 92 off 38 overs and Pakistan then stuttered and stumbled to their target with 17 balls to spare.West Indies lead the series 2-1 with the final game tomorrow at the same venue.The hosts struggled from early on when the usually prolific Stafanie Taylor fell for four and her opening partner Kycia Knight got five, as the score slipped to 10 for two.Taylor skied a catch in the second over from pacer Marina Iqbal (2-12) before Knight slapped the same bowler to point.Deandra Dottin's lean spell continued when she stroked a catch to mid-on to fall for one at 11 for three, as West Indies slid further.However, captain Merissa Aguilleira and Shanel Daley patched up the innings with a 30-run, fourth-wicket stand to stabilise the innings.Aguilleira stroked 34 from 87 balls while Daley supported with 15 from 57 balls.Once they were separated, wickets continued to tumble as off-spinner Nida Dar (4-16) and leg-spinner (3-17) ripped apart the innings.Pakistan also started shakily, slipping to 11 for three as Tremayne Smartt grabbed two for 15 in an incisive opening burst.However, Bismah Maroof hit a patient, unbeaten 41 from 135 balls to hold the innings together and steer Pakistan to victory.

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England win toss, put India into bat in 1st ODI

DURHAM: England captain Alistair Cook won the toss and put world champions India into bat in the first of their five one day internationals here on Saturday.India - who are seeking to restore some honour after losing the Test series 4-0 and the one-off Twenty20 - left out master batsman Sachin Tendulkar because of a toe injury, replacing him with Parthiv Patel, and leaving him stuck on 99 international hundreds.India also handed Ajinkya Rahane his one-day international debut which leaves just four of the side that won the World Cup beating Sri Lanka in April. The home crowd were given a filip as Durham star Ben Stokes got the nod from the England selectors.

Teams
England: Alastair Cook (captain), Craig Kieswetter (wk), Jonathan Trott, Eoion Morgan, Ian Bell, Ben Stokes, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Jade Dernbach
India: Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain/wk), R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, R Vinay Kumar, Munaf Patel.
Toss: England
Umpires: Billy Doctrove (WI) and Richard Illingworth (ENG), TV Umpire: Marais Erasmus (SA)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ)

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Injured Tendulkar misses ODI against England

CHESTER-LE : STREET, England: Sachin Tendulkar's agonising wait to score a 100th international century has been prolonged further with the batting great missing the first of the five one-day internationals against England on Saturday because of a foot injury. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he would lead out the same team that lost the one-off Twenty20 match against England by six wickets at Old Trafford on Wednesday. Tendulkar's absence allows fellow Mumbai player Ajinkya Rahane make his one-day international debut and the 23-year-old opener will be called into action immediately after England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and opted to field first. Tendulkar, the game's highest run-getter with 51 test and 48 one-day centuries, needs just one more triple figure score to become the first cricketer to record 100 international tons. Stuck on 99 since scoring a century against South Africa in the World Cup in March, the 38-year-old batsman is reported to be suffering from a swollen toe and was expected to consult a surgeon soon. India surrendered their world number one test status to England following a 4-0 whitewash in that series, a setback attributed both to their poor performances and a spate of injuries to key players.

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Australia beat Sri Lanka by 125 runs

GALLE, Sri Lanka: Australia beat Sri Lanka by 125 runs on the fourth day of the first test at the Galle International Stadium on Saturday as the tourists took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Scores: Australia 273 (M. Hussey 95; S. Lakmal 3-55, R. Herath 3-54) and 210 (M. Clarke 60; Herath 5-79) beat Sri Lanka 105 (N. Lyon 5-34; S. Watson 3-11) and 253 (M. Jayawardene 105, A. Mathews 95; R. Harris 5-62)

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Pakistan team doesn’t need head coach: Afridi

KARACHI: World acknowledged all rounder boom, boom Shahid Khan Afridi has said that Pakistan team didn’t need head coach.Talking to Cricket Funzz News representative Nasim Rajput, former captain Shahid Afridi said that the bowling and batting coaches should work under the strong manager. Replying to a question, Afridi said that he would definitely come back in the national team. To another question, he said that let it be Zimbabwe or any other team, each and every victory is vital.Regarding Eid, he replied that it was quite different for him, as despite being in the country he offered Eid prayer for the first time sans father

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ODI series would be great test for us: Swann

England might have a 4-0 Test victory and a Twenty20 win under their belt but off-spinner Graeme Swann feels the upcoming five-match ODI series starting on Saturday would be a great test for the hosts.Swann and Co have so far completely outplayed India on the tour and the off-spinner said they will now look to extend their domination in the one-day series as well."It is a great test for us - hopefully the conditions will suit us and we can pull off a victory. It's where we want to go in one-day cricket, we want to be an improving team and it's a good chance to start," Swann told reporters."We are going to have to be at our absolute best to beat them and we are confident at the moment; that Twenty20 win on Wednesday night has done no harm for our confidence at all," he added.England, who replaced India as the world No. 1 Test team with their 4-0 whitewash, are currently ranked fifth in the ICC ODI rankings. A series victory over India will see them climb up the ladder.Over the years, England have failed to transform their Test form into the limited-overs cricket and Swann said this is an area where they would look to work on this summer."This was an area we need to really watch; it can often be a bit of a damp squib after a Test series and hopefully it will be a positive rather than negative end to the summer," he said."It's not something we have discussed amongst us until now, but I'm sure we will soon. The summer has gone great for us; we are hoping to carry that on in the one-day series. It's a better feeling to be winning rather than losing," he added.In their last two Ashes wins, where they beat Australia 2-1 at home in 2009 and 3-1 away last winter, England were unable to hold on to their form and lost 1-6 in the two seven-match ODI series that followed.Asked about England's poor ODI record, Swann said, "I dunno we've missed a certain X-factor in players but I think we're getting that now in Jake Dernbach and Eoin Morgan.we're starting to find those real match-winners with bat and ball."The five-match ODI series versus India begins in Durham on Saturday.

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India and England aim for improvements in ODI Championship table

World champion can rise to second place while number-one ranked Test side can climb to thirdSwann needs wickets to retain status as the top-ranked bowler while Dhoni and Tendulkar will need to perform to stay among the top 10 batsmenAfter swapping places in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table, both India and England will be aiming for improvements in the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table when they go head to head in a five-ODI series which starts at Chester-le-Street on Saturday.England made a clean sweep of the four-Test series to claim number-one ranking for the first time in 32 years. Although a sweep of the ODI series will not be enough to dislodge Australia from the number-one position, it will provide England a lift of two places which will put it ahead of South Africa and India in third position.England currently sits in fifth position on 107 ratings points - 10 ratings points behind third-ranked India and nine points behind fourth-placed South Africa.A 5-0 series win will earn Alastair Cook's side nine ratings points and will dock India eight ratings points. This will mean England will join South Africa on 116 ratings points but will be ranked ahead of the Proteas when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point whereas India will slip to fifth position on 109 ratings points.In a sharp contrast, India also has an opportunity to leapfrog Sri Lanka into second position. But to make this happen, it will have to win the series by 4-1 or better. A 4-1 series result will put India on 120 ratings points while dropping England to 104 ratings points, a 5-0 win will take India to 122 ratings points - eight behind Australia - while leaving England on 101 points - just one ahead of Pakistan which will take on Zimbabwe in a three-ODI series on 8 September If India wins the series 3-2, it will stay on 117 ratings points but will slip behind South Africa in fourth position if England wins the series 3-2. In the event of England winning 3-2, India will drop to 114 ratings points while England will rise to 110 ratings.To find out how England-India and Zimbabwe-Pakistan series results will affect the team rankings, please click here.Meanwhile, in the Reliance ICC ODI Player Rankings, there will be pressure on Graeme Swann, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and India's iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar who will be looking to score his 100th international century.Swann is currently the number-one ranked bowler in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers but he enjoys a slender two-point lead over New Zealand's Daniel Vettori. If the England spinner fails to take wickets, this two-point lead will disappear quickly which will leave the New Zealander as the only bowler beyond the 700-point mark.Swann is the only bowler from either side who figures inside the top 10. The next highest-ranked bowler from either side is England fast bowler James Anderson while India's highest-ranked bowler is Praveen Kumar in 25th position.In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, India boasts three batsmen inside the top 10 - Virat Kohli (sixth), Dhoni (ninth) and Tendulkar (10th). Dhoni trails eighth-ranked Michael Hussey of Australia by 18 points while 10th-placed Tendulkar leads injured India team-mate Gautam Gambhir, who is in 12th position, by eight points.Dhoni and Tendulkar, along with Kohli, will be aiming to produce strong performances in the ODI series which will not only help India to improve its current ranking but will also allow them to move in the right direction.South Africa's pair of Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers is sitting on top of the batting table while Australia's Shane Watson is in third place.Watson also leads the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders while the highest-ranked England all-rounder is Tim Bresnan whereas India's Praveen Kumar in 45th position is the highest-ranked India all-rounder in the absence of Yuvraj Singh (fifth), Yusuf Pathan (24th) and Virender Sehwag (35th).
Series schedule:
England v India
3 Sep - First ODI, Chester-le-Street
6 Sep - Second ODI (d/n), The Rose Bowl
9 Sep - Third ODI (d/n) - The Oval
11 Sep - Fourth ODI - Lords
16 Sep - Fifth ODI - Cardiff
Zimbabwe v Pakistan
8 Sep - First ODI, Bulawayo
11 Sep - Second ODI, Harare
14 Sep - Third ODI, Harare
To understand how the team and player rankings are calculated, please click here

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Hashim Amla talks exclusively about his LG ICC Awards nominations

Icc Cricket : On this week's LG ICC Awards 2011 special ICC Cricket World Radio Show, South Africa's Hashim Amla talks exclusively about being short-listed in three categories - ICC Cricketer of the Year, ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year and the LG People's Choice Award - for this year's event which is due to be held in London on 12 September."It's a huge honour and privilege to be nominated alongside such great players who have also had great years, it means a lot to me. I'm proud to be nominated against all these guys, but no matter what happens it's a big enough honour to be nominated and I'm hoping that regardless of what happens in the awards I hope I can continue to perform," says AmlaThe ICC Cricket World Cup was a highlight for me this year, I really enjoyed it, it was my first World Cup, it was well organised and even though we didn't perform as well as we could have, the team spirit was truly fantastic," reflects the opening batsman who also featured in the recently announced ICC Test Team of the Year.Based on the period between 11 August 2010 and 3 August 2011, the LG ICC Awards 2011 - presented in association with FICA - take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game Also on this week's show, fellow nominee Pakistan's Azhar Ali talks about being short-listed for the ICC Emerging Player of the Year and looks ahead to the current series against Zimbabwe. The 26-year-old batsman is up against fellow countryman Wahab Riaz and West Indies duo Darren Bravo and Devendra Bishoo for the title."It feels good to be nominated alongside Wahab Riaz as we play cricket together not only in the national team but also in Lahore for our domestic team. It's great he's on the short-list too, it helps that one of my team-mates is competitive as well and pushing for the same award," says Azhar."Lots of people have helped me throughout my career, I can't name them all but especially Waqar Younis have given me a lot of confidence that I can play my best game and that I am good enough to be here. Lots of people have supported me from the Pakistan National Cricket Academy along with my own domestic side's coaches and captains."The awards are a good incentive, if you keep performing well you'll get the recognition you deserve," adds Azhar.Finally, former India captain-turned-commentator Ravi Shastri looks ahead to the upcoming ODI series between England the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 champions, India, that begins tomorrow in Durham."England will start as favourites for this series, at home, fielding in home conditions and they are in fact a far superior fielding side to India. Fielding is the key here, that will keep India in with a chance in these games. It will be interesting to see where they place Rahul Dravid, he could be handy even at number five or six, unless the conditions dictate otherwise," observes Shastri.This show has been put together by the ICC's global broadcast partner, ESPN STAR Sports.

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Defiant Mawoyo carries bat but Pakistan hit back

BULAWAYO: Tintotenda Mawoyo became the third Zimbabwean player to carry his bat as the opener made 163 not out in his side's first innings total of 412 on the second day of the Test against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club Friday.After the early loss of Taufeeq Umar, the Pakistan batsmen settled well on an easy pitch and by the close had reached 116 for one with Mohammad Hafeez on 79 and Azhar Ali on 27 They trail by 296 runs with nine wickets in hand.The day, however, belonged to the 25-year-old Mawoyo who picked up where he left off on Thursday as he stone-walled the Pakistan attack.Resuming on 82 he went on to reach his maiden Test century and then, as wickets fell around him, pushed on past the 150-mark.When last man Chris Mpofu was bowled by Aizeez Cheema to signal the delayed tea interval, Mawoyo had become the 47th batsman in the history of Test cricket -- this is the 2006th Test match to carry his bat.The only two Zimbabweans to do it before him also achieved the feat against Pakistan. Mark Dekker made 68 not out in Rawalpini in 1993 while Grant Flower hit 156 not out on this ground in 1998.Starting the day on 245 for four, Zimbabwe lost Craig Ervine early when he gave Juanid Jhan his first Test wicket, caught and bowled for 49, ending a fifth wicket partnership of 94 with Mawoyo.Debutant Greg Lamb, however, dug in to add another 95 with the opener for the sixth wicket.Mawoyo had a major stroke of luck when he was on 98 as Adnan Akmal missed a straightforward stumping off Saeed Ajmal. It was his second chance as Sohail Khan dropped him on the boundary when he had made 25 There was a little bit of uncertainty as he reached his century. Mawoyo thought he was running a leg-bye only to realise it was his all-important 100th run when the umpire failed to signal the extra.Mawoyo faced 453 balls and spent a total of 645 minutes at the crease, hitting 20 boundaries during the course of his innings Only David Houghton, who made 266 in 675 minutes against Sri Lanka in Bulawayo in 1994 and Flower, whose 201 not out against Pakistan in Harare in 1995 spanned 654 minutes, have produced longer innings for Zimbabwe When Lamb fell for 38, the Zimbabwe tail fell apart but they still got the side across the psychological 400-odd mark Saeed Ajmal bowled with guile and variation, his doosras a constant torment to the Zimbabwe batsmen but he was out of luck, finishing with four for 143. It fell to Aizaz Cheema to clean up with tail and he helped himself to four for 79 When Pakistan came out after tea, they were quickly in trouble as Taufeeq Umar was given out leg before to Kyle Jarvis even though the ball pitched outside leg stump Hafeez, however, made light of the setback, hammering one six off Lamb and 15 fours -- three of them off successive deliveries from Brian Vitori as he raced to 79 from just 93 deliveries His partner Azkar Ali was more circumspect, nudging his way to 27 from 72 deliveries but by the close the stand was worth 108 and both batsmen were looking forward to another dig on this batting-friendly pitch. (AFP)

Zimbabwe first innings (overnight 245-5)
T. Mawoyo not out 163
V. Sibanda st A. Akmal b S. Ajmal 45
H. Masakadza b S. Ajmal 11
B. Taylor lbw b S. Ajmal 10
T. Taibu c A. Akmal b S. Khan 44
C. Ervine c and b J. Khan 49
G. Lamb lbw b S.Ajmal 39
R. Price c Azhar Ali b Cheema 6
B. Vitori c Y. Khan b Cheema 14
K. Jarvis b Cheema 0
C. Mpofu b Cheema 8
Extras (7b, 13lb, 1w, 2nb) 23
Total (all out, 150.4 overs) 412
Fall of wickets: 1-71, 2-91, 3-111, 4-176, 5-270, 6-365, 7-374, 8-394, 9-394, 10-412
Bowling: Cheema 28.4-11-79-4 (2nb); S. Khan 24-8-62-1; J. Khan 29-14-55-1 (1w); S. Ajmal 41-9-100-3; M. Hafeez 9-1-30-0; A. Ali 6-1-23-0

Pakistan first innings
M. Hafeez not out 79
T. Umar lbw b Jarvis 4
A. Ali not out 27
Extras (6lb) 6
Total (for 1 wkt, 29 overs) 116

To bat: Younis Khan, Misbah ul Haq, Umar Akmal, Adnan Akmal, Junaid Khan, Sohail Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Aizaz Cheema

Fall of wickets: 1-8
Bowling: Vitori 8-0-55-0; Jarvis 7-3-16-1; Mpofu 3-0-12-0; Price 9-3-19-0, Lamb 2-0-8-0

Match position: Pakistan trail Zimbabwe by 296 runs with nine first innings wickets left in hand at the close of the second day.

Toss: Pakistan
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG) and Rodney Tucker (AUS)
TV umpire: Jeremiah Matibiri (ZIM)
Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

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Mawoyo carries bat as Zimbabwe rack up 412

BULAWAYO: Tino Mawoyo became the third Zimbabwean player to carry his bat as the opener made 163 not out in his side's first innings total of 412 on the second day of the Test against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club here Friday.The 25-year-old picked up where he left off on Thursday as he stone-walled the Pakistan attack. Resuming on 82 he went on to reach his maiden Test century and then, as wickets fell around him, pushed on past the 150-mark.When last man Chris Mpofu was bowled by Aizeez Cheema to signal the tea interval Mawoyo had become the 47th batsman in the history of Test cricket -- this is the 2006th Test match to carry his bat.The only two Zimbabweans to do it before him also achieved the feat against Pakistan. Mark Dekker made 68 not out in Rawalpini in 1993 while Grant Flower hit 156 not out on this ground in 1998esuming on 245 for four, Zimbabwe lost Craig Ervine early when he gave Juanid Jhan his first Test wicket, caught and bowled by for 49, ending a fifth wicket partnership of 94 with Mawoyo.Debutant Greg Lamb, however, dug in to add another 95 with the opener for the sixth wicket.Mawoyo had a major stroke of luck when he was on 98 as Adnan Akmal missed a straightforward stumping off Saeed Ajmal. It was his second chance as Sohail Khan dropped him on the boundary when he had made 25.There was a little bit of uncertainty as he reached his century. Mawoyo thought he was running a leg-bye only to realise it was his all-important 100th run when the umpire failed to signal the extra.Mawoyo spent a total of 645 minutes at the crease hitting 20 boundaries during the course of his innings. Only David Houghton, who made 266 in 675 minutes against Sri Lanka in Bulawayo in 1994 and Flower, whose 201 not out against Pakistan in Harare in 1995 spanned 654 minutes, have produced longer innings for Zimbabwe.When Lamb fell for 38, the Zimbabwe tail fell apart but they still got the side across the psychological 400-odd mark. Saeed Ajmal bowled with guile and variation that often confused the Zimbabwe batsmen but he was out of luck by finishing with four for 143. It fell to Aizaz Cheema to clean up with tail and he helped himself to four for 79. Tea was delayed for almost 30 minutes at the request of Misbah ul Haq with Zimbabwe eight wickets down at the scheduled time

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Mawoyo digs in as Zimbawe reach 314-5

BULAWAYO: Rookie opener Tinotenda Mawoyo continued his slow march at the crease on Friday as Zimbabwe reached 314-5 at lunch on the second day of the one-off Test against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club.Mawoyo has been dug in now for eight hours and 22 minutes altogether, reaching his first Test century after facing 327 balls.At lunch, with 362 balls behind him and in partnership with debutant Greg Lamb he moved on to 117 runs.Mawoyo had some luck along the way. He was dropped on the boundary on Thursday by Sohail Khan when on 25. And with an extraordinary piece of good fortune when on 98 he went down the wicket to Saeed Ajmal, missed the ball and saw Akmal fumble to miss an easy stumping.The Zimbabwean then faced 16 balls on 99 before crossing the line.Even that was an incident. He got a thin edge to Ajmal and ran what he thought would be a leg bye. The celebrations came when umpire Ian Gould made no signal.Craig Ervine struggled when resuming on 38 and he was caught and bowled by Juniad as he tried to hit over the slips but caught the shoulder of the bat.However, he had put on 94 runs for the fifth wicket with Mawoyo, priceless from Zimbabwe’s viewpoint.The Pakistanis tried everything they could to break through under the desperate captaincy of Misbah ul Haq but they secured only Ervine’s wicket during the session.They urgently need one more wicket after the break to get into the tail. If they fail to do that quickly Zimbabwe will be heading for a much better score than they or anybody else expected.

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Jayawardene resists as Aussies close to victory

GALLE: Australia closed in on a convincing victory in the first Test in Galle on Friday after Sri Lanka's top order was ripped apart for a second time.Sri Lanka, set an improbable target of 379 to win on a crumbling wicket, were tottering at 120-5 at the close of the third day's play at the Galle International Stadium.Former captain Mahela Jayawardene provided a batting lesson for his team-mates, making an unbeaten 57 with the help of eight boundaries.Angelo Mathews was the other not out batsman, on 32, having put on 52 runs for the sixth wicket with his senior partner.Australia start the fourth day's play on Saturday needing five more wickets to win and take the lead in the three-Test series, their first in Sri Lanka since 2004.Sri Lanka need to defy history to stop the tourists -- the highest fourth innings score at the ground is 210 by New Zealand two years ago.The hosts, who were shot out for 105 in the first innings, succumbed to a hostile three-wicket burst by Ryan Harris and probing seam bowling from Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson.Harris trapped Tharanga Paranavitana leg-before with the first ball of the innings and then bowled Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan in his fourth over to leave the hosts 15-2.Kumar Sangakkara would have been another Harris victim, but survived a review for leg-before off the first ball he faced.Harris, a 31-year-old from Sydney playing only his sixth Test, followed his defiant 23 in Australia's second innings with 2-15 in his first five overs.Sangakkara and Jayawardene, Sri Lanka's two most experienced batsmen, attempted to rebuild with a 37-run stand on either side of the tea break.Watson, who took three wickets in 10 balls in the first innings, broke the partnership when Sangakkara (17) fenced a vicious rising delivery to Mike Hussey at gully.Thilan Samaraweera edged a ball from Johnson to wicket-keeper Brad Haddin for a 14-ball duck, leaving Sri Lanka on 63-4.Harris bowled Prasanna Jayawardene to complete a pair for the Sri Lankan wicket-keeper, but Mathews dug in to ensure the game went into the fourth day.Australia resumed at 115-6 after the entire morning session was wiped out by heavy rain and were dismissed for 210 in their second innings midway through the post-lunch session.Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath finished with 5-79 after claiming three wickets in the first innings.Australia added 15 runs to their overnight score when they lost the wicket of Johnson, who top-edged a high catch off Herath which was taken comfortably by the wicket-keeper.Usman Khawaja put on 40 for the eighth wicket with Harris before falling leg-before to Chanaka Welegedara for 26 to leave Australia 170-8.Australia's total was boosted by a last-wicket stand of 32 between debutants Trent Copeland and Nathan Lyon.Lyon made 13 before he was caught in the deep off Dilshan, leaving Copeland unbeaten on 23

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Sri Lanka in danger of defeat against Aussies

GALLE: Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris grabbed two early wickets to leave Sri Lanka facing defeat in the first Test in Galle on Friday.Sri Lanka, set a tough target of 379 on a crumbling wicket, were tottering at 34-2 by tea on the third day at the Galle International Stadium.Harris trapped Tharanga Paranavitana leg-before with the first ball of the innings and then bowled Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan in his fourth over to leave the hosts 15-2.Harris, who contributed a defiant 23 in Australia's second innings, claimed 2-15 in a hostile five-over opening spell.Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, Sri Lanka's two most experienced batsmen, both former captains, denied the tourists further success till tea.Both batsmen were unbeaten on 11 apiece after Sangakkara survived a review for leg-before off the first ball he faced from Harris.History favours Australia to win the match and take the lead in the three-Test series the highest fourth innings score at the ground is 210 by New Zealand two years ago.Australia, who resumed at 115-6 after the entire morning session was wiped out by heavy rain, were dismissed for 210 in their second innings midway through the post-lunch session.Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath finished with 5-79 after claiming three wickets in the first innings.Australia added 15 runs to their overnight score when they lost the wicket of Mitchell Johnson, who top-edged Herath and the wicket-keeper took the skier comfortably.Usman Khawaja had put on 40 for the eighth wicket with Harris when he was leg-before to Chanaka Welegedara for 26 to leave Australia 170-8.Australia's total was boosted by a last-wicket stand of 32 between debutants Trent Copeland and Nathan Lyon.Lyon made 13 before he was caught in the deep off Dilshan, leaving Copeland unbeaten on 23.

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Sri Lanka need 379 runs to win first Test

GALLE: Sri Lanka faced a target of 379 runs to win the first cricket Test against Australia and take the lead in the three-match series.Australia, who resumed their second innings at 115-6 with an overall lead of 283 runs, were all out for 210 in the afternoon session of the third day's play on Friday.Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath finished with 5-79.The entire morning session was lost to heavy rain.

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Aussies take commanding lead against Sri Lanka

GALLE: Unheralded Australian debutant Nathan Lyon took a stunning 5-34, including a wicket with his first ball, as Sri Lanka's batsmen capitulated in the dramatic first Test in Galle on Wednesday.Sixteen wickets fell on the dusty, deteriorating track during an eventful second day's play which ended with the tourists enjoying a commanding lead of 283 runs with four wickets in hand.Seamer Shane Watson claimed three wickets in 10 balls and another newcomer Trent Copeland struck in his first over as Australia, restricted to 273 on the first day, skittled Sri Lanka out for 105 by tea.Coming in for their second innings the Australians also found runs hard to come by, collapsing to 115-6 when bad light forced stumps to be drawn.The tourists lost Watson first ball and former captain Ricky Ponting for four, before skipper Michael Clarke (60) and Michael Hussey (15) put on 49 for the fourth wicket.Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath spiced up the contest further when he removed both batsmen in two balls and dismissed Brad Haddin in his next over as Australia slipped from 110-3 to 112-6.Usman Khawaja was unbeaten on two and Mitchell Johnson was on three as Australia look to turn the screws on the hosts when play resumes on Friday.Opener Tharanga Paranavitana's 29 was Sri Lanka's top score as the last seven wickets fell for just 18 runs.Off-spinner Lyon never looked back after removing Kumar Sangakkara with his first delivery in Test cricket -- the first Australian in 117 years to achieve the feat.Brought on after the morning drinks break, the 23-year-old had Sangakkara edging the first ball towards the slips where Clarke dived to his left to take a low catch.Lyon, who served on the Adelaide Oval groundstaff until a year ago, then ran through the tail to justify his much-criticised selection for the tour after just four first-class matches.He is only the 14th bowler in history to take a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket, and the second Australian since Arthur Coningham did it against England in 1894.Watson then ripped through the middle order, extracting considerable reverse swing with the old ball to trap Thilan Samaraweera, Prasanna Jayawardene and Paranavitana leg-before.Copeland, asked to share the new ball with Ryan Harris ahead of the experienced Mitchell Johnson, saw his first delivery hit for a boundary before the second fetched him a wicket.Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had disdainfully smacked the first ball to the cover fence, attempted a similar shot off the next, but found Ponting standing in the way.The 36 year-old former captain dived to his right at short cover to snare a brilliant catch.Paranavitana and Samaraweera added 43 for the fourth wicket, before Watson and Lyon swung the Test Australia's way.When Lyon took a return catch off last man Chanaka Welegedara to claim his fifth wicket, he had the best figures by an Australian debutant since Jason Krejza's 8-215 against India in Nagpur in 2008.

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Controversy hits cricket team

BULAWAYO: After the tour of West Indies, there seem to be differences emerging between the team captain and coach over the playing eleven during the first test against Zimbabawe, According to sources , captain Misbah ul Haq wanted to include either Yasir Shah or Sohail Tanveer in the playing eleven but coach Waqar Younis wanted to include Aizaz Cheema and successed in doing so. During this ordeal, team manager Naveed Akram Cheema remained a silent spectatorThis is not the first time differences emerged over the selection of the playing eleven during a tour. During the tour of West Indies, differences emerged between coach Waqar Younis and skipper Shahid Afridi, which led to the eventual resignation of Afridi.

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Pakistan win toss, put Zimbabwe into bat

BULAWAYO: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and decided to bowl first in the only Test beginning today here at the Queen’s Sports Club ground.Pakistan left out the unorthodox left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir, and former captain Shoaib Malik, who is making a comeback in this series.Zimbabwe have included Greg Lamb in their side in place of injured Elton Chigumbura.Teams:Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Umar Akmal, Adnan Akmal (wk), Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Khan, Aizaz Cheema.Zimbabwe: Tino Mawoyo, Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor (captain), Craig Ervine, Tatenda Taibu (wk), Greg Lamb, Ray Price, Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu, Brian Vitori.

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Pak win toss, but decide to bowl vs Zimbabwe

BULAWAYO: Pakistan, after winning the toss, have decided to bowl against Zimbabwe in the first and only test match today, Thursday. Misbah-ul-Haq is leading Pakistan this tour. uring the tour three one day internationals will be played on 8th, 11th, and 14th of September while two T20 matches are set for 16th and 18th September in Harare. Zimbabwe stand confident for now as they have recently won a test match against Bangladesh after making a return to test cricket after six years.

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Zimbabwe vs Pakistan * One-off Test, Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, 1 Sep 2011.

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Injured Gambhir to be replaced by Jadeja

India's left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir has been ruled out of the limited-overs segment of the England tour due to concussion.Gambhir has now been replaced by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, the BCCI announced in a media release on Wednesday.Suresh Raina has been named India's vice-captain for the limited-overs leg of the tour.Gambhir fell backwards and banged his head against the ground while attempting to catch at Kevin Pietersen in the fourth and final Test against England at The Oval."He was

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England win lone T20 against India

MANCHESTER: England beat India by six wickets in the lone Twenty20 international match at Old Trafford on Wednesday.Scores: India 165 off 19.4 overs (A. Rahane 61; J. Dernbach4-22) v England 169-4 off 19.3 overs (E. Morgan 49). (Reuters)

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Meet Elena Tice, international cricketer at just 13!

Elena Tice became the second youngest cricketer ever (male or female) to play an official One-Day International or Twenty20 International.Elena made her ODI debut on 17 August against Netherlands at Utrecht at the age of 13 years and 274 days in the ICC European Women's Championship. She made her Twenty20 International debut on 15 August also against Netherlands in the ICC European Women's Championship.The youngest ever cricketer (male or female) is of course Sajjida Shah of Pakistan women's team who made her debut at the age of 12 years and 271 days against Ireland in July 2000.A leg-spinner, Elena picked up 2-34 on in her only ODI and ended with figures of 3-12 in her second Twenty20 International. Elena has thus far played one ODI and two Twenty20 Internationals.
Born in Basingstoke, Hampshire, Elena was introduced early into cricket. She recalls playing with her two elder brothers in the backyard from an early age."Well I suppose I was introduced to cricket at a very young age, spending endless hours in the garden bowling to my dad and my two older brothers," said Elena who was unaware that she was the second youngest international cricketer ever.The family moved from Hampshire to Indianapolis in USA when Elena was four. There she showed her talent at Little League baseball. When she was six, the family moved to Vienna, Austria where her true initiation into cricket began."My brothers and my dad always encouraged me to play. When I was six years old, I lived in Vienna for three years, where I played for the Austria Cricket |Club. I had a great Sri Lankan coach there called Siva Nadarajah. Both Siva and my dad (George), taught me how to play and that is where the interest really started. I moved back to Ireland when I was nine and attended Aravon School where my enthusiastic headmaster, Kevin Allwright, brought me on in school cricket and introduced me to Merrion Cricket Club where I now play all my club cricket," recalled Elena.Elena's coach Siva also played a part in Elena's brother, Patrick, becoming a wicketkeeper. Elena was seven when she played her first competitive match in Vienna. She always played for boy's team till she moved back to Ireland."I was playing for my Viennese Club against a Swiss team. My brother brought me on to bowl at the death, without ever having bowled much before. I managed not to disgrace myself."Elena believes her biggest strength as a cricketer is the support she received from her family. "My core strengths are definitely my parents, in that they drive me miles to endless cricket grounds. They are really supportive and they are amazing to me! I also take great enjoyment out of the game and the people I play it with," said Elena.Elena's family was always into cricket. Her father, George (now a veterinary) was cricket captain at his high school. Her grandfather was captain of Sussex school boys and one of her brothers (Patrick) is a wicketkeeper is currently in the Ireland Under 19 squad. Her eldest brother, Dalton, has played provincial rugby for Leinster Under 19.A medium-pace bowler in her earlier years, Elena turned to spin quite by chance."Up until the beginning of this season, I bowled medium pace. However, I was suddenly converted to leg-spin when I realised I was better at it! I had practised it a little bit in the corridor of my house in the winter months with my brother. Mind you, all my coaches always told me it was a terrible idea but eventually I convinced them otherwise after joking around in the net when they realised I was kind of good at it. I have had to work hard this season in club cricket but everyone has been really supportive," said Elena.An enthusiastic fielder too boot, Elena likes to field at short extra. She still remembers the day she got a call informing her of her international call-up. "One of the selectors informed me by phone. I was surprised and it took a while to sink in.When the day finally arrived, team coach and former international Jeremy Bray informed her that she was part of the playing XI. "Inspite of being the youngest, they were all really nice to me and it didn't take me long to settle in. Everyone has been really supportive, especially my coaches, in both the club and Irish squad, who have really worked hard with me. No one has ever made me feel too young to do it," recalled Elena.Captain Isobel Joyce handed her the first cap and she still remembers the moment vividly. ?'It was really amazing - I wouldn't have ever dreamt of getting a cap this early on."Elena's next big moment was picking her first international wicket. "To be honest it was a relief to get off the mark. I even surprised myself. I was more just hoping to survive without being hit round the park, so the wickets were a real bonus," said Elena. But her best moment came in her second Twenty20 International where she ended with a haul of 3-12."I came on at the end of the Dutch innings, having not bowled too successfully in the previous match. I had been practising in the nets in between innings and it all came together at that moment. Of course the fielders were fantastic, with Kim Garth taking a good catch, and Cecelia Joyce making a good stumping," summed up Elena.She grew up admiring former England players Andrew Flintoff and Ashley Giles. "I remember watching Engalnd play in the 2005 Ashes where I took a real liking to Freddie Flintoff and Ashley Giles," said Elena. Her ultimate dream as a cricketer is for a repeat of what happened at Bengaluru during ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 when Ireland beat England. "My dream is to play in the World Cup and to have another Bangalore experience (beat England!)," stated Elena.For now, Elena stays in Wicklow and is studying in second year at St Gerard's School. "I would love to be a veterinary surgeon."

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Hussey revives Aussies in first Test

Michael Hussey rescued Australia with a battling 95 after Sri Lanka stung the tourists with pace and spin in the first cricket Test on Wednesday.The crafty left-hander narrowly missed his 14th century as Australia, caught on a difficult dusty wicket, recovered from a shaky 157-5 at tea to 273 all out by stumps on the opening day.Former captain Ricky Ponting was the only other batsman to resist the Sri Lankan bowlers, making a fluent 44 even as the top order floundered around him.Seamer Suranga Lakmal and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath claimed three wickets each to give Sri Lanka the edge in the series opener at the Galle International Stadium.Hussey was last man out, leg-before wicket to Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, after a heroic four-hour knock that included three sixes. Sri Lanka had one over to face before close, but the umpires called off play for bad light as soon as the batsmen had walked in.Herath, a 33-year-old playing only his 28th Test despite making his debut at the same ground 12 years ago, finished with three for 54 from 24 accurate overs.Lakmal, whose previous five Tests had fetched him just 10 wickets, returned with three for 55.There was no sign of the panic to follow when Australian captain Michael Clarke won the toss and decided to bat after the start was delayed by an hour due to overnight rains.Australia raced to 28-0 in six overs, 22 of them coming from the blade of Shane Watson, who smashed Chanaka Welegedara for four boundaries in one over. But Dilshan introduced Herath in the seventh over and the bowler met with immediate success when Watson was caught behind off his first delivery.Lakmal was rewarded for a probing first spell when he had opener Phillip Hughes fending a rising ball to Tharanga Paranavitana in the slips, the batsman going for just 12 runs.Clarke helped Ponting retrieve the situation by adding 55 for the third wicket on either side of the lunch interval. But Clarke fell for 23 soon after the resumption. Sri Lanka asked for a television review after umpire Richard Kettleborough turned down a confident appeal for leg-before from Herath. Replays confirmed the ball would have hit middle stump and TV umpire Tony Hill declared Clarke out.Herath removed Ponting when the well-set batsman attempted a mighty heave off a ball that spun sharply, spooning an easy catch to Angelo Mathews at deep mid-off.Ponting, the only member of the touring side to have played a Test in Sri Lanka before this trip, batted confidently to hit six boundaries. Usman Khawaja was dismissed for 21, but Brad Haddin (24) helped Hussey add 48 for the sixth wicket in the final session.Australia awarded Test caps to seamer Trent Copeland, 25, and off-spinner Nathan Lyon, 23, while Khawaja was preferred to Shaun Marsh for the number six position.Sri Lanka left out unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis and decided to go with two seamers in Welegedara and Lakmal, and two slow bowlers in Herath and Suraj Randiv.

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PCB announces itinerary of Sri Lanka series

KARACHI: Pakistan and Sri Lanka will play a three Test series, five one-day internationals and a T20 match in the United Arab Emirates from Oct. 18 to Nov. 26 this year, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Tuesday. The series will also see the revival of Test cricket at the Sharjah stadium after 11 years after Pakistan and Australia last played Tests at the desert venue in 2002. Pakistan has been forced to play its home series against Sri Lanka in the UAE after the Lankans refused to tour Pakistan because of security concerns. Sharjah will also host an ODI between the two teams marking its return as an international venue after eight years. The PCB announcing the itinerary of the series said the matches would be played at Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi as the venues were cost effective. "We had a choice of neutral venues but we opted for UAE because it allows us to manage things smoothly," chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmad said. The Sri Lankan team came under attack by militants in March, 2009 in Lahore in which six Pakistani policemen and a van driver were killed and five visiting players wounded. Since then no foreign team has toured Pakistan. Sri Lanka had also offered to host the series at home but the offer was declined by the PCB. Pakistan is also due to host England in Jan-Feb next year in the UAE for a full series.

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Pakistan set to test revived Zimbabwe

HARARE: Having negotiated the first hurdle in their campaign to justify Test nation status by beating Bangladesh in a one-off Test two weeks ago, Zimbabwe now face a much higher fence on Thursday - Pakistan.The single Test match, which starts Thursday, will be followed by three ODI's and two Twenty-20s.Zimbabwe was granted a return to Test cricket by the ICC last year after a gap of six years. They had been obliged to field a weak side following a strike of nearly all their professionals and two consequent Test defeats by an innings and more than 200 runs. Withdrawal from Tests was inevitable and those years have been used to rebuild. With just what success is now under the microscope with three successive tours by Bangladesh, followed by Pakistan and in October/November New Zealand.These opponents are considered by the ICC to be ones a nascent Zimbabwe can best cope with.

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Pak women lose first ODI against West Indies

ST. VINCENT: Pakistan’s women’s cricket team lost the first One-day International against the West Indies. Pakistan scored only 82 runs in 40 overs and only three players reached double figures. In reply West Indies reached the total in 20 overs and lost only two wickets.The hosts have taken a 1-0 lead in the four match series.

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Spot-fixing scandil

KARACHI: A year on from the spot-fixing scandal that ended in long bans for three leading Test players, Pakistani cricket is still struggling to recover.In late August 2010, Britain's now-defunct News of the World tabloid alleged that captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif had arranged deliberate no-balls for money from an agent during the Lord's Test against England."We were settling in the hotel after coming from the third day's play when police raided the team hotel, showed us documentation and searched the rooms of the players," then-team manager Yawar Saeed told."It was earth-shattering and I couldn't believe my ears for the first 20 minutes.Pakistan lost the match by an innings and 225 runs the following day as a visibly upset Butt tried his best to hide his shock, and the claims of spot-fixing at the spiritual home of cricket shook the game around the world.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) pulled the trio from the one-day series which followed and Scotland Yard investigated the players before they were allowed to return home on condition they would return for criminal proceedings.The International Cricket Council (ICC) went on to suspend them and an anti-corruption tribunal led by senior lawyer Michael Beloff heard their case in Doha in January and February this year.Butt was given a ten-year ban with five years suspended, Asif seven years with two years suspended and Aamer a flat five-year ban effectively meaning all three will be out of action for five years.The gifted Aamer is still only 19 and could yet make a return to the game, but Butt and Asif will be into their 30s by the time their bans expire, and their international careers appear to be over.Pakistan have not fared badly since the England tour, drawing a Test series against a strong South Africa side, beating New Zealand away and reaching the semi-final of the World Cup.But Saeed said Pakistan was still feeling the loss of three star players who could have led the side into the future."In Salman we had a young captain who in his first Test as leader defeated Australia and then in Aamer we had a world-class fast bowler who even in his early days was lethal," said Saeed, who quit his post after the scandal-hit tour."I still feel they were set up but the fault lies with them and it seems they did it for temporary monetary gains. Even today it's hair-raising when I remember that incident," said Saeed, who refused to accept the management could have done anything to prevent what happened."We barred their agents coming into their hotel rooms but we couldn't stop them from talking to someone on the phone. Had we known, we would have taken every possible step."Forced by the ICC, the PCB took measures to prevent a repeat in the future, forming an "integrity committee" to look into players' assets and adding stringent clauses on match-fixing to players' central contracts.PCB chairman Ijaz Butt admitted the loss of three key players had been devastating for a cricket-mad country where the game is often a unifying force in adversity."Losing three players hurt us badly," said Butt. "Salman had shown great potential as captain but after that case we had to look around for a permanent captain and it was tough."The side suffered yet another blow earlier this month with the surprise resignation of coach Waqar Younis, who stepped down after less than 18 months in charge, citing "personal grounds".Captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said the side wants to give Waqar a fitting send-off with a successful Test and one-day international tour of Zimbabwe.Pakistan have sent a new-look side to the African nation and their fans will hope they bring back brighter hopes for the future.

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Aussies, Sri Lanka set for tough Test battle

GALLE: Rival captains Michael Clarke and Tillakaratne Dilshan will look to lead their young teams from the front when Australia and Sri Lanka begin their three-Test series on Wednesday.Clarke, 30, begins his reign as a full-time Australian Test captain hoping to ease into the giant boots of Ricky Ponting, who quit as skipper after the World Cup in April.Ponting, the world's most successful Test captain with 48 wins, will take the field as the senior statesman and the team's frontline batsman, but the focus will clearly be on the new skipper.Clarke's lone Test as captain so far, when he stood in for an injured Ponting, was a forgettable experience as England swept to an innings and 83-run win at Sydney in January.Ponting began his Test captaincy in Sri Lanka in 2004, leading Australia to a 3-0 sweep, and Clarke will hope for similar results even without retired greats like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist.Dilshan, 34, also took over after the World Cup from Kumar Sangakkara and goes into his first home series as captain hoping to make up for the 1-0 defeat in England earlier in the year.Dilshan will miss the experience of prolific off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, Test cricket's leading bowler with 800 wickets, who retired from the longer format a year ago.Sri Lanka have not won a Test since Muralitharan bade goodbye, losing two and drawing six matches since July 2010.The first Test at the Galle International Stadium marks the start of a new chapter for both teams looking to climb back in the Test rankings.Former world number ones Australia have fallen to fifth place, while Sri Lanka, ranked second just a year ago, are fourth behind leaders England, South Africa and India.With the top four teams due to contest the inaugural world Test championships in England in 2013, both Australia and Sri Lanka will hope to push their claims."I think it is going to take time for us to work our way back up the rankings," said Clarke. "But I'm confident with the talent we have and our dedication, I can see us having some success."Clarke made a confidence-boosting start to the tour, winning the one-day series 3-2 before hitting a century in the drawn three-day practice match in Colombo ahead of the first Test.Dilshan, meanwhile, was hoping his inexperienced bowling attack would perform well in home conditions where batsmen and slow bowlers have traditionally dominated.The home squad has four spinners in its ranks, including the unorthodox Ajantha Mendis and leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna, 26, who has yet to make his Test debut.Sri Lanka will be without sling-arm fast bowler Lasith Malinga, who rattled the Australians with his third one-day hat-trick last week, as he has quit Test cricket to concentrate on the shorter forms of the game.Local media speculated that efforts were being made to convince Malinga to change his mind and make himself available from the second Test onwards.Rookie paceman Shaminda Eranga, 25, is one of the four young seamers in the squad for the Galle Test alongside Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad and Chanaka Welegedara."There is a lot of variety in our bowling, but we must put up good runs on the board to put the Australians under pressure," said Dilshan. "The key to success is how we bat."The remaining two Tests will be played in Pallekele (September 8-12) and Colombo (Sept 16-20)

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Fiji and PNG through to Gold Medal Match

Fiji and PNG have each booked a place in Friday's gold medal match after wins over Vanuatu and New Caledonia respectively at the Pacific Games Cricket Competition in Noumea.In the match of the tournament so far, Fiji fought back from the jaws of defeat to snatch a four run victory over Vanuatu.Set the modest total of 114 to win, Vanuatu were in control for the majority of the run chase before terrific bowling spells from both Viliame Yabaki and Jikoi Kida caused a late innings collapse to hand Fiji the victory."It's an awesome feeling to win and I haven’t had that feeling for a long time," said Fiji captain Jo Rika. "Yesterday we spoke about playing to our strengths and improving our fielding and bowling and taking nothing away from our great batting performance, but we really improved in the field today."Sakaraia Lomani was again the stand out with the bat for Fiji smashing another 44 not out and was well supported by his captain Rika who was in fine touch for his 36.In reply Vanuatu were well in control early thanks to a terrific 44 from Lenica Natapei and 27 from Andrew Mansale.However once Mansale departed and Natapei followed soon after the young Vanuatu side struggled to deal with the spin of Yabaki who took two wickets in three balls to set up the win.Yabaki ended with figures of 4-21 and Kida also got well amongst the wickets taking 3-21.In the afternoon PNG dealt the hosts New Caledonia a significant blow, defeating them by 150 runs and setting up a showdown with Fiji on Friday.New Caledonia put up a spirited fight in the field restricting PNG to 6-197 off their 20 overs, which considering their performance yesterday against Fiji was a great improvement from the inexperienced side."It is a huge pleasure to play against a side like PNG and to keep them to under 200 which was less than Fiji scored against us yesterday and was one of our targets so we are pretty happy," said Noel Sinyeue who top scored and also took two wickets. "To take six wickets against a team like PNG is a real achievement."For PNG Kapena Arua top scored with 62 and Tony Ura once again performed brilliantly with 57. Sinyeue was the only multiple wicket-taker for New Caledonia ending with figures of 2-28.After a solid performance in the field, sadly it all went downhill with the bat for New Caledonia bowled out for just 47 thanks mainly to an awesome display of bowling from Inoa Baeau who ended with the incredible figures of 5-3 from four overs.Tomorrow will see PNG v Fiji and Vanuatu v New Caledonia in two matches that will not influence who will play-off in the medal matches. These fixtures will be repeated again on Friday when PNG and Fiji play off for gold and Vanuatu and New Caledonia for bronze.PNG's Arua says however they will hold nothing back against Fiji tomorrow in what is effectively a dead rubber."We always do the normal routine, we are a good side and always want to maintain our standard," he said. "We have many strengths and tomorrow we will make sure we use them."Brief scores:At Terrain de cricket N’Du: Fiji 3-113, 20 overs (S Lomani 44 not out, J Rika 36; S Obed 2-29) Vanuatu 8-109, 20 overs (L Natapei 44, A Mansale 27; V Yabaki 4-21, J Kida 3-21) Fiji won by 4 runs At Terrain de cricket N’Du: PNG 6-197, 20 overs (K Arua 62, T Ura 57; N Sinyeue 2-28) New Caledonia 10-47, 14 overs (N Sinyeue 13; I Baeau 5-3, J Mado 3-10) PNG won by 150 runs

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Dry wicket leaves Aussies, Sri Lanka in a spin

Australia and Sri Lanka were searching for the right combination to tackle a bone-dry wicket as they prepared for Wednesday's first cricket Test in Galle.

Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan and his Australian counterpart Michael Clarke expected spin to dominate at the Galle International Stadium, leaving selection headaches for both teams.The wicket looks more dry than what we got in previous matches in Galle," said Dilshan, who leads Sri Lanka for the first time in a home series. "It will be a bit slow and I think it will turn after tea on the first day itself.Clarke, who begins his reign as a full-time Australian Test captain, also foresaw a trial by spin for his batsmen. "I hope I win the toss," he said. "It will be harder to bat as the game goes on. Our biggest challenge in the series is how we are going to play spin bowling. It is going to be a tough battle."Clarke's predecessor Ricky Ponting is the only one in the touring party to have played a Test match in Sri Lanka, way back in 2004 when Australia won 3-0.Australia were debating whether to play both their specialist spinners, Michael Beer and Nathan Lyon, or go in with three fast bowlers in Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and debutant Trent Copeland. Left-armer Beer, 27, has played in just one Test, while the 23-year-old Lyon was a surprise selection for the tour after just four first-class matches behind him.Copeland, 25, a lanky seamer from New South Wales, enhanced his claims in the three-day tour match in Colombo last week with a five-wicket haul in the first innings.Australia will also need to choose between two left-handers, Shaun Marsh and the Pakistan-born Usman Khwaja, for the number six place in their batting line-up.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, left out the rookie duo of seamer Shaminda Eranga and leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna in a short-list of 13 players announced on Tuesday.Dilshan was non-committal when asked if Sri Lanka would field three spinners -- unorthodox Ajantha Mendis, left-armer Rangana Herath and off-spinner Suraj Randiv -- in the opening clash. "There is a good chance of playing three spinners, but I can also bowl a bit of off-spin, so we will see what is best," he said. If all three play, left-arm bowler Chanaka Welegedera may be the only seamer in the team with all-rounder Angelo Mathews sharing the new ball.The first Test marks the start of a new chapter for both teams as they look to climb back up the Test rankings. Former world number one Australia have fallen to fifth place, while Sri Lanka, ranked second just a year ago, are fourth behind leaders England, South Africa and India.With the top four due to contest the inaugural world Test championship in England in 2013, both teams will hope to push their claims. A series win for Australia would see them rise to fourth place, but the positions will remain unchanged if Sri Lanka win.Since the retirement of world bowling record holder Muttiah Muralitharan a year ago, Sri Lanka have failed to win a Test, having lost two and drawn six. The remaining two Tests will be played in Pallekele (September 8-12) and Colombo (Sept 16-20).

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PCB forms committee to pick new coach

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket authorities on Monday formed a committee to pick a new national team coach to replace Waqar Younis, who will step down next month.Waqar is leaving his post for medical reasons after Pakistan's current tour of Zimbabwe.The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the four-member committee will be headed by former captain and coach Intikhab Alam, and will consider candidates from within and outside Pakistan.Following Waqar's resignation, PCB has constituted a committee to look for a new coach," it said in a statement, adding that the other members were Zaheer Abbas, Naushad Ahmed and Ramiz Raja.PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad said Sunday that former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore, who coached Sri Lanka to World Cup glory in 1996 before guiding Bangladesh to the World Cup Super Sixes in 2007, could be approached."Although Whatmore is currently employed in India's National Academy, we can still contact him for the post," Ahmad told media in Lahore.Former paceman Aaqib Javed, who was Waqar's assistant until this year's World Cup, has also emerged as a strong candidate to take over as head coach.Pakistan has a bitter history of sacking coaches after abysmal performances by the team. They hired South African Richard Pybus and Australia's Geoff Lawson in the past but both were dismissed before their tenures finished.Former England batsman Bob Woolmer also coached Pakistan between 2004-2007 until he died in mysterious circumstances after the team's shock defeat against Ireland in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.Pakistan approached former Australian great Greg Chappell last year, who turned down the offer of the position.

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Ponting, Clarke hope to change Test fortunes

Australia's star batsmen Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke are hoping to shrug off their recent poor run in Test cricket when they take on Sri Lanka from Wednesday.The tourists will rely heavily on the batting exploits of captain Clarke and his predecessor Ponting to win the three-test series, Australia's first since the embarrassing 3-1 Ashes defeat to England in January. But the pair have struggled in the five-day format for almost two years and will be keen to make amends when the first test opens at the Galle International Stadium.Ponting, 36, is the third highest run-getter in Test cricket behind the Indian duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, with 12,363 runs from 152 matches and 39 centuries.But he has not scored a test hundred in his last 20 innings since making 209 against Pakistan at Hobart in January 2010.Clarke, 30, has fared no better, going without a hundred in 10 matches after hitting 168 against New Zealand in Wellington in March last year.But a turnaround in the fortunes of the tourists' captain and elder statesman may be just an innings away.Ponting, who made way for Clarke as captain after the World Cup in April, scored 53 and 90 not out during the preceding one-day series against the Sri Lankans which Australia won 3-2.Clarke also chipped in with two half-centuries in the series and then scored 104 in a three-day practice match in Colombo last week ahead of the first test.Clarke, who begins his reign as a fulltime Australian test captain on Wednesday, said he was keen to score test runs again."My form has not been as good as I would like in test cricket," Clarke told the travelling Australian media."For me, Test cricket is the ultimate, the pinnacle, and I want to be at my best."I could not have asked for better preparation, but now I have got to do it when it counts. It's important to make runs every time I bat but I would prefer a hundred in the first test."Clarke, regarded as one of the finest players of spin bowling, has scored 4,742 runs in 69 tests at an average of 46.49 with 14 centuries.Ponting admitted Australia's Ashes loss when he was captain had affected his batting, and now looked forward to doing well as the team's frontline batsman."The team's performance had started to play on my mind and it probably dragged my batting down a little bit," Ponting told Cricinfo in a recent interview."I have got to score runs that are going to be enough to win for Australia, and that's my main objective for the immediate future.

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Australia can gain one place with series victory

Australia can make its first step on the road to regaining number-one position on the Reliance ICC Championship table by beating Sri Lanka over a three-Test series, which begins on Wednesday.If Michael Clarke's team wins by even a single match, it will move ahead of Sri Lanka on the ladder into fourth position from its current place in fifth. If Australia wins the series 3-0 it will close the gap on third-placed India to 10 points.However, Tillakaratne Dilshan and his men will be eyeing upward movement of their own and a clean sweep by the home team in this series will see them move to 114 ratings points, just three behind the World Champion. To see how future results will affect the table, check out the ICC Test Championship predictor function by clicking

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Hard-working Ajmal strives for more success

LAHORE: Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal said on Thursday that like other bowlers in world cricket, he has also been trying out new techniques of bowling in order to deceive the batsmen and is not too worried about suggestions that his ‘doosra’ had now been mastered by the batsmen.Talking to media before the start of the training camp for the tour of Zimbabwe at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, Saeed said that every bowler was keen to introduce some new varieties to his bowling to survive in the international cricket and he was also aspiring to achieve some unique trajectory to stay on top of the batsmen.He admitted that English off-spinner Graeme Swann had more spin in his delivery than him, but his (Saeed’s) own strategy was to restrict the batsmen from taking runs as it put a lot of pressure on them which eventually resulted in their dismissal.Asked if he was feeling any pressure for the fact that he is the main spin bowler going to Zimbabwe with the Pakistan team after the absence of Shahid Afridi and Abdul Rahman, Saeed said he was quite focused on the tour and added that new spinner Yasir Shah could prove to be good support for him.He said his last series against the West Indies was very satisfying for him as he was also declared as Man of the Series there.“After having played county cricket, I feel I have improved as a bowler and am in perfect physical condition to face Zimbabwe.Saeed said he was happy after the ICC included his name among those nominated for the ‘player of the year’ award.Last time my name was included in the T20 category and now it is for the ODIs and I am quite hopeful about winning it,” he said.

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Pakistan to face stiff challenge from Zimbabwe: Latif

KARACHI: Former Test skipper Rashid Latif said on Saturday that Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan team would be facing a stiff challenge from hosts Zimbabwe during their upcoming tour starting from September 1.“By beating fast rising Bangladesh side in the ongoing test and ODIs series, Zimbabwe has shown top form and that could prove dangerous for Pakistan,” he told APP in an interview.“Don’t take Zimbabwe lightly,” he warned.“Pakistan may have a slight edge in ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals, but it will be tough for them in test matches because of a lack of experience in the bowling department,” he said.“Selectors made a mistake by resting pace duo of Umer Gul, Wahab Riaz. They needed more test matches. But poor selection system may cause yet more trouble for Pakistan in a one-off test,” he pointed out.“Regular chopping and inconsistent policies of selectors may bring embarrassment to the team,” Latif maintained.He said Zimbabwe at full strength, especially after the return of players such as captain Brendan Taylor, Ray Price, Craig Ervine, Kayle Jarvis and new star left arm pace bowler Brian Vitori, might pose problems for Pakistan.“There will be too much burden on Saeed Ajmal and that may put him under pressure,” he commented.He said Pakistan’s batting looked strong on paper with Misbah, Younis Khan, Muhammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Imran Farhat and Umer Akmal in the line-up.However, he said, despite the strong line-up, batting has always been Pakistan’s troubled area Lets hope batsmen live up to their reputation,” he added

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Ijaz Butt’s reign a mixed bag: Bari

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Bari, who is currently holding the post of director education in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has stated that chairman Ijaz Butt’s reign has been a mixed bag which has brought both joy and disappointment to cricket fans in the country the former Test wicket-keeper claimed that the governing body of the game has brought on-field success despite some ugly controversies since 2008.Ijaz Butt is set to end his stint as PCB chief in October this year and it is not yet clear if he would continue at the helm of cricket in Pakistan.Bari who has remained a vital cog of Ijaz’s administration added that the performance of the team in major limited-overs competitions has been satisfactory in the last three years, the highlight being the title win in the 2009 T20 World Championship in England. The men in green also made it to the semi-finals of all ICC events since the 2007 T20 World Championship.Bari also thinks that the replacement candidate for coach Waqar Younis should be someone who understands the game in the country and should have solid credentials. He cited the example of English team coach, former Zimbabwe batsman Andy Flower who has transformed the fortunes of his team and taken them to the top of Test rankings.Bari feels that the upcoming international season is of immense importance for Pakistan, especially the series against England and Sri Lanka which are set to take place in the United Arab Emirates.Bari claimed that the educational department of PCB is trying its best to impart training and education to the upcoming players who are likely to represent the national team in the years ahead

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Poor preparation behind India’s Test debacle, says Lloyd

LONDON: Former West Indian captain Clive Lloyd on Friday said that he was surprised in India’s 0-4 whitewash in the Test series against England and blamed poor preparation of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men as the main reason for the debacle.‘‘Nobody expected England to beat India 4-0 But you can’t come to any country and play just one warm up game,” said Lloyd who, as chairman of ICC Cricket Committee, was here to announce the names of shortlisted players for various awards for the ICC Awards ceremony on September 12.Young players especially need 3-4 four-day games before Tests and couple in between. If you are out of form, you don’t get your form in nets,he said.Lloyd gave the example of Virender Sehwag to drive him his point that without preparation a player howesover big would struggle.‘‘You don’t get runs by walking straight in. I don’t care how good you are, you don’t get it You are not going to run into form in Test matches. You need to get your timing right, the foot movement, picking the ball properly,’’ he said.Lloyd described the current Indian bowling attack, especially the spinners, as the weakest he has seen during his years of association with the game.Spin-wise, it looks the weakest. You always had good spinners. As for fast bowlers, anyone would break down with the sort of workload which (Ishant) Sharma had.Agencies

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Let the Games Begin

New Caledonia was treated to a spectacular opening ceremony to the Pacific Games last night with the highlight for East-Asia Pacific Cricket being Vanuatu captain Andrew Mansale carrying his nation’s flag into the main stadium.It was a huge moment for Mansale as he led a 277 strong Vanuatu contingent into the arena in front of a vocal capacity crowd.Cricketers from Fiji, PNG and New Caledonia were also on hand to enjoy the festivities ahead of the cricket tournament that begins on Monday local time. PNG who have sent a relatively inexperienced squad will be aiming for a sixth straight Pacific Games Cricket Gold Medal.Vanuatu will enter the event with a near full-strength side aiming to win their first ever Pacific Games Cricket gold medal.With the tournament right in the middle of a busy international schedule for Fiji, they have named five debutants which will provide a great insight into the future of Fijian Cricket. Fiji performed superbly in their warm-up match against PNG on Friday and if they can replicate that enthusiasm in the field during the tournament proper they will be a big chance to play-off for gold later this week.The hosts New Caledonia who are not yet an ICC member will be aiming to provide their players with some much needed experience against quality opposition, and if their warm-up matches are anything to go by, the other three sides will need to come ready to play.New Caledonia will play Fiji in the first match on Monday morning, followed by a rematch of the Pepsi ICC Division 1 Final in the afternoon when PNG take on Vanuatu.

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Swann hopes to shine in the sub-continent tours

Graeme Swann might have left India in a spin in the fourth Test but the England spinner feels his best is yet to come and hopes to peak during the tough series coming up over the next 18 months.Swann helped England complete the 4-0 whitewash in The Oval after snapping nine wickets in the final Test, though he had to spent most part of the four-match series watching his pace colleagues wrecking havoc on the Indian batters."I've hardly had to do anything this summer," Swann was quoted as saying in the Sunday Mirror."If you take The Oval game out of it, I've had my easiest summer ever. I've just stood at second slip watching Jimmy Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Stuart Broad take all the wickets," said Swann, who scalped just four wickets in the first three Tests."I know I'll be looked upon as the main weapon in the subcontinent and be expected to take the wickets. I know I've got a lot of hard work to do in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan and then in Sri Lanka and India he added.Swann considers Sri Lankan as the hardest place for a spinner and said if England have to dominate world cricket then they world need to perform at the sub-continent."In Sri Lanka a spinner has to do all the donkey work. Seamers just can't do it. After four or five overs they are cooked. It's the heat. Sri Lanka is the hardest place to get wickets, but I know I can bowl well there," he said. "It'll be a litmus test for the team. It's been a phenomenal two years for England. I have to pinch myself sometimes."However, if we want to be as dominant as the West Indies team of the 1970s and 80s, and the Aussies from the mid-90s, then we have to do well in the sub-continent," he added.

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