PCB is wrong 90 per cent of the time: Miandad

LAHORE :  Lamenting the lack of required power to work right from his day one in office as director general of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), former captain Javed Miandad on Wednesday slammed the decisions taken by the game’s authorities, claiming 90 per cent of those were erroneous.“While closely watching the functioning of the PCB I am disappointed and feel that 90 per cent decisions [taken by the board] are wrong, and are spoiling the sport in the country. I am not part of the PCB planning only because I require power and freedom to work, since I have given 35 years to Pakistan cricket and earned a good name,” Miandad said while talking to Dawn on Wednesday.“People around the world regard my services as a cricketer but the PCB doesn’t want to give me authority to improve [Pakistan] cricket,” the 54-year-old Miandad remarked.“I have already brought this matter into the notice of PCB patron, President Asif Ali Zardari. Soon I will meet him again to apprise him of the poor condition of cricket in Pakistan. I will request him to either take necessary steps [to improve cricketing matters] or allow me to leave the DG post,” stated Miandad, who has been criticised for not leaving the position despite receiving the cold shoulder from the PCB right from day one.The primary cause of friction between PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and Miandad from day one has been that the former is not ready to give latter the appropriate power to work, while the latter is not keen to operate without the authority he demands.“The PCB did not even follow the instructions of President Zardari which he had given to the board last time on my suggestions,” lamented Miandad who featured in 124 Tests and 233 One-day Internationals for Pakistan.Though Miandad avoided pinpointing wrong decisions of the PCB, sources said, he was not happy after the board didn’t take his advice on the appointment of new coach for the Pakistan team following Waqar Younis’s announcement to quit as national head coach after the ongoing Zimbabwe tour.While former Test cricketers Zaheer Abbas and Ramiz Raja (both not employed by the PCB), are part of the coach-searching committee, Miandad has not been given any role in this regard.Miandad, who has had three stints as national coach in the past, also didn’t feel delighted after the PCB decided to give former Test leg-spinner Abdul Qadir the responsibility to control club cricket. Miandad, sources said, held the view that holding club cricket was the prime duty of regional and district bodies.

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Banned Asif learning Anderson's tricks against India

Karachi : Serving a five-year ban for involvement in spot-fixing, Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif says he has been watching James Anderson's performance against India very closely and would try employing the England seamer's tactics if he manages to make a comeback."I have watched James Anderson's bowling very closely again and again and it has been very interesting watching him bowl. When I come back to cricket even after the time away I will be thinking about how Anderson bowled against India and will use that for my benefit. If you think you are the finished article and don't need to learn from others then you are wrong", Asif told 'pakpassion.net'."I love watching Test cricket. Test cricket for me is the pinnacle, the real deal. The England versus India Test series was fascinating, I really enjoyed it. I watched more of the England vs India match as I wanted to see Anderson bowling," he said. Asif also felt that Anderson is bowling with the similar skills and tactics that he had previously used."Only someone like myself who has bowled like Anderson, with a similar style of bowling can truly appreciate what he is doing with the cricket ball and how well he is bowling these days. Anderson has not been playing cricket against the Indians, he has been playing with their minds," he elaborated."He has truly out-thought and baffled the Indians with his artistry and skill. It reminded me so much of what (Mohammad) Amir and I did at times last year to the Australian and English batsmen. If Anderson carries on bowling the way he has been recently and continues to improve then he can become a cricket legend," he said.Asif has admitted that being caught up in the spot-fixing scandal and then being banned has been mentally very tough for him and the events had left him extremely disappointed."Mentally, it's been really tough. Cricket is my life and always will be, and for that to be taken away from me in the circumstances it was, has been terribly difficult to cope with," Asif said."When you have served your country as a professional sportsman, then you don't want that to ever be taken away from you. I've been practising regularly with some of my friends but it's heartbreaking to think that not so long ago I was playing cricket at the top tier of the game and now I'm occasionally playing nowhere near that standard," he added.Asked about his future, Asif, who has taken 106 wickets in 23 Tests, said it was difficult for him to predict where he would be in four year's time when the ban ends."It's four years into the future, it's difficult to predict what can happen in those four years I don't know what the situation will be like in four years. I guess only time will tell. Anyone who has been involved in the game finds it hard to totally move away from the sport," he added.The pace bowler maintained he was innocent and said the Pakistan Cricket Board had not done enough to help him."I am confident of being cleared of the criminal charges at next month's trial under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 at Southwark Crown Court, London," he said."I'm hopeful that I will be cleared of everything and I can resume playing cricket again as soon as possible. Whoever committed any alleged crime, the Pakistan Cricket Board should have dealt with that individual and taken the appropriate action against that individual.The PCB had taken offence to Asif's complaint against it, insisting it had done everything in its power to assist the players during the spot-fixing scandal.

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Pakistan bat first against Zimbabwe

BULAWAYO: Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat in first one day international against Zimbabwe. The team management has included Shoaib Malik in today's playing eleven.Pakistan will look to maintain the winning momentum in the limited-over series starting here on Thursday following their seven-wicket triumph in the one-off Test between the two teams.The form of their top order batsmen - Mohammad Hafeez (119), Azhar Ali (75), Younis Khan (88) and Misbah-ul-Haq (66), who were amongst the runs in the Test - will be crucial for Pakistan And the way their off-spinner Saeed Ajmal foxed the Zimbabwe batsmen, he could well be the ace Pakistan hold over their opponents.The three-match ODI series will be Zimbabwe's biggest test in limited-overs cricket since the tri-series against India and Sri Lanka last year, and they will want to use it as an opportunity to show their proficiency against teams regarded as tougher opposition than the likes of Bangladesh, Kenya and Ireland. Some have suggested that the Queens Sports Club is jinxed for the local team. Brendan Taylor was having none of the conspiracy theories though, and said the hosts only have themselves to blame for the poor showing at the venue and he would like them to change that record. Pakistan's returns in ODI cricket have been solid since their showing at the World Cup, where they reached the semifinals. They beat West Indies in a five-match series, although they lost two dead-rubbers, and also beat Ireland in a two-match series. They would be unhappy with anything less than a win here. Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (C), Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Adnan Akmal (WK), Sohail Tanvir, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema.Zimbabwe: CJ Chibhabha, V Sibanda, H Masakadza, BRM Taylor (C), T Taibu†, MN Waller, GA Lamb, E Chigumbura, P Utseya, RW Price, CB Mpofu.

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Bopara aims to pile on the pain for India

LONDON: England batsman Ravi Bopara has set his sights on piling on the agony for India in a bid to cement his spot in Alastair Cook's one-day team.lthough Bopara has 61 one-day international caps, his inconsistent form means he has never been able to nail down a place in England's squad and the last three matches of the limited overs series against the beleaguered Indians offers a golden opportunity to do just that.Bopara has only scored five half-centuries for England, with an average of just over 28, yet an injury to Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen's rest period means the Essex star is still firmly in captain Cook's plans.Morgan took Bopara's place in the Test team against Sri Lanka earlier this year, but he is out of the rest of the one-day series and the 26-year-old knows he must take advantage, starting in the third match at The Oval on Friday.Bopara, who made 24 in a 60-run stand with Cook to help England win the second one-dayer on Tuesday, said: "I was a bit surprised Eoin was not fit, but nevertheless I was told early enough and was given time to prepare."I've not been told I will definitely play the rest of the series, but obviously I'd like to play and fight for that spot."It's a great chance to make it into the first XI and then perform and cement a place in the side."It's a great chance, with guys resting and a few injuries about. There is a great opportunity to cement my place."While Bopara hopes to take his chance, the real dangers to world champions India could be Cook and Craig Kieswetter.England appeared to face a tough target on Tuesday after Ajingli Rahane and Suresh Raina had powered India to 187 for eight in a match reduced by rain to 23 overs per side under the Rose Bowl lights.But openers Kieswetter and Cook raced to 67 in under seven overs to send Mahendra Singh Dhoni's tourists crashing to yet another defeat after a 4-0 rout in the Test series and a loss in the lone Twenty20 international.Bopara was impressed with England's poise under pressure as they chased down the target and he added "The way we went about our business was unbelievable, especially some of the batters.I thought the way our batters went about chasing it was spot on.
"When I went in we obviously needed a few runs, and it was important I got a partnership going with Cookie.The most important thing was to keep our concentration on a pretty good wicket. We looked to be fairly positive and keep the bowlers under pressure.India's prowess in one-day matches has been unquestioned in recent years, but the draining effects of a miserable tour to England have left them vulnerable even in the short form of the game.A host of injuries has decimated the squad, with Sachin Tendulkar the eighth Indian to be ruled out of the series after the batsman suffered a toe problem before the second game.Skipper Dhoni admits he has few options left to freshen up a team low on morale and energy."We only have specialist bowlers left, which would mean going a batter light, and that is not something we are comfortable with," Dhoni said.We need the extra batsman because most of our batsmen play aggressive cricket.We try to come up with plans that may work, but not much has worked so far for us.

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S.Lanka bat against Australia

PALLEKELE: Sri Lanka's captain Tillakaratne Dilshan won the toss and elected to bat in the second cricket Test against Australia at the Pallekele International Stadium on Thursday.Australia made one change from the side that won the first Test in Galle, bringing in debutant Shaun Marsh for former captain Ricky Ponting, who returned home for the birth of his second child.The left-hander received his baggy green Australian cap before the start of play from his father, Geoff Marsh, a former opening batsman who played 50 Tests and 117 one-dayers before retiring in 1992.Sri Lanka included leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna for his maiden Test match after both Rangana Herath and Ajantha Mendis were ruled out with injuries.Australia: Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Philip Hughes, Michael Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Trent Copeland, Nathan Lyon. 12th man: Michael Beer.Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Prasanna Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews, Suraj Randiv, Suranga Lakmal, Chanaka Welegedara, Seekkuge Prasanna. 12th man: Shaminda Eranga.Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) and Tony Hill (NZL)TV umpire: Aleem Dar (PAK)Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)

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Greenshirts look to begin ODI series on winning note

BULAWAY :  Zimbabwe: Pakistan will look to maintain the winning momentum in the limited-over series starting here on Thursday following their seven-wicket triumph in the one-off Test between the two teams.The form of their top order batsmen - Mohammad Hafeez (119), Azhar Ali (75), Younis Khan (88) and Misbah-ul-Haq (66), who were amongst the runs in the Test - will be crucial for Pakistan.And the way their off-spinner Saeed Ajmal foxed the Zimbabwe batsmen, he could well be the ace Pakistan hold over their opponents.It will also be an opportunity for Pakistan to put some new faces through their paces. They already gave Sohail Khan (right-arm medium fast), Junaid Khan (left-arm medium fast) and Aizaz Cheema (right-arm-medium fast) opportunities to make their mark in the Test.The 32-year-old Cheema was the pick of them, as he claimed eight wickets - four wickets in each innings - during his outing.The three-match ODI series will be Zimbabwe's biggest test in limited-overs cricket since the tri-series against India and Sri Lanka last year, and they will want to use it as an opportunity to show their proficiency against teams regarded as tougher opposition than the likes of Bangladesh, Kenya and Ireland. Some have suggested that the Queens Sports Club is jinxed for the local team. Brendan Taylor was having none of the conspiracy theories though, and said the hosts only have themselves to blame for the poor showing at the venue and he would like them to change that record. Pakistan's returns in ODI cricket have been solid since their showing at the World Cup, where they reached the semifinals. They beat West Indies in a five-match series, although they lost two dead-rubbers, and also beat Ireland in a two-match series. They would be unhappy with anything less than a win here. The visitors are keen to experiment with different combinations and have made it clear they will allow everyone in the squad to get a game. It is a way of testing their fringe talent, an important goal for the team going forward. They will do so without the services of coach Waqar Younis, who is on his last assignment, and will want to end his tenure on a high note.Zimbabwe may introduce a fresh face for the one-day series in middle-order batsman Regis Chakabva. The No. 5 spot will still be contested between Forster Mutizwa and Craig Ervine, neither of whom made a convincing enough case for themselves in the Bangladesh series. Elton Chigumbura's knee injury keeps him out of the squad and Malcolm Waller will likely be given the allrounder's role. Prosper Utseya will be the second spinner to Ray Price, while one of the quicks, most likely Brian Vitori, who was unsuccessful on the Bulawayo pitch during the Test, will be rested. Pakistan have four options for the openers' positions, with Hafeez the only one guaranteed a place. There may also be a contest on for the No. 3 position with Asad Shafiq having shown an inability to convert starts and Pakistan handing Azhar Ali an ODI debut in the second game against Ireland. Given the conditions, Yasir Shah could come in as an additional spinner, to partner Saeed Ajmal. The offspin of Mohammad Hafeez will also come in handy. Junaid Khan will likely keep his place and Sohail Tanvir should get a chance as well, after being left out of the Test match. Pakistan (from): Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat/Rameez Raja Jr, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Adnan Akmal, Junaid Khan, Yasir Shah, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir. Zimbabwe (from): Brendan Taylor, Vusi Sibanda, Hamilton Masakadza, Tatenda Taibu, Forster Mutizwa/Craig Ervine, Regis Chakabva, Malcolm Waller, 8 Prosper Utseya, Ray Price, Kyle Jarvis, Chris Mpofu.

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New players to get a chance during ODI series: Misbah

BULAWAYO: Pakistani captain, Misbah-ul-Haq said that new players will get a chance during the ODI series against Zimbabwe, Geo News reported. Pakistan will play its first match of the ODI series on Thursday. Pakistan will play three ODIs against Zimbabwe, and according to the skipper the team will include new players. He said that winning was of the utmost important and the team will be selected with this in mind. Meanwhile the coach for Zimbabwe said that his team would provide stiff competition to Pakistan during the ODI series.

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White, Dockrell help Ireland take handy lead

Andrew White slammed an unbeaten 123 to help Ireland take a 54 run lead in the ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Namibia on the second day of the four-day contest.At the Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Ireland resumed at its overnight score of 75 for four. But White held the innings together very well.White first shared a 69 run sixth wicket stand with John Mooney (44: 58b, 6x4). Later, George Dockrell (53: 96b, 8x4) batted resolutely with White to help Ireland take a lead.Dockrell-White stand for the eighth wicket was worth 100 runs.White finally ended unbeaten on 123 off 213 balls with thirteen boundaries. Namibia's chief wicket-takers were Louis Klazinga (2-58), Christi Viljoen (5-87) and Stephen Baard (2-32). Ireland ended at 298 in 83.5 overs.Namibia began wiping off the lead with Viljoen following his five wicket haul with a brisk unbeaten knock of 48. Namibia ended the day at 58 for one when rain interrupted play and forced an early closure.

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Match officials announced for Pepsi ICC WCL Div. 6 in Malaysia

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the match officials for the upcoming Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 6 (WCL Div. 6) in Malaysia which includes Steve Davis who has been nominated for the ICC Umpire of the Year 2011 award and is a member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires.Davis will be part of a team of officials from a wide-range of countries who will be officiating in a week-long tournament which begins on 17 September. During his time with the match officials, Davis will also be acting as a mentor and helping to educate and guide the umpires throughout the tournament, as part of an ICC initiative for umpires development outside the Full Members.The umpires standing in WCL Div.6 are:
Srinivasan Adachani (Oman)
Steve Davis (Australia)
Imran Haji (Kuwait)
Neil Harrison (Japan)
David Odhiambo (Kenya)
Durga Subhedi (Nepal)
Kalidass Viswanadan (Malaysia)
Former West Indies Test batsman, Adrian Griffith, will be the referee for the tournament which is taking place across three grounds in Kuala Lumpur ? Kinrara Oval, Selangor Turf Club and Bayuemas Oval. These venues were also used for the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup which was held in Malaysia in 2008.
The finalists of the event, will be promoted to Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 5 which will be staged in Singapore in early 2012.The full schedule for WCL Div. 6 is as follows:
Fixtures
15 Sep - Team Arrivals
16 Sep - Practice
17 Sep - Guernsey v Jersey (Kinrara Oval), Malaysia v Kuwait (Selangor Turf Club), Fiji v Nigeria (Bayuemas Oval)
18 Sep - Malaysia v Nigeria (Kinrara Oval), Kuwait v Jersey (Selangor Turf Club), Guernsey v Fiji (Bayuemas Oval)
19 Sep - Reserve Day
20 Sep - Malaysia v Fiji (Kinrara Oval), Jersey v Nigeria (Selangor Turf Club), Kuwait v Guernsey (Bayuemas Oval)
21 Sep - Fiji v Kuwait (Kinrara Oval), Nigeria v Guernsey (Selangor Turf Club), Malaysia v Jersey (Bayuemas Oval)
22 Sep - Reserve Day
23 Sep - Malaysia v Guernsey (Kinrara Oval), Jersey v Fiji (Selangor Turf Club), Nigeria v Kuwait (Bayuemas Oval)
24 Sep - Final (Kinrara Oval), 3rd/4th Play-off (Selangor Turf Club), 5th/6th Play-off (Bayuemas Oval)
All matches are scheduled to start at 1030 local time

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'Good Test wicket' awaits Aussies, Sri Lanka

Australia and Sri Lanka clash in the second cricket Test in Pallekele from Thursday, relieved they will not be playing on a dustbowl like the one in Galle.The controversial dry wicket in the first Test last week was described as "poor" by match referee Chris Broad and the International Cricket Council sought an explanation from Sri Lankan authorities.Australia won the match by 125 runs as 40 wickets fell in four days - 16 on the second day itself - with 273 being the highest total in the Test.Sri Lankan captain Tillakaratne Dilshan and his Australian counterpart Michael Clarke, who had both criticised the Galle wicket, said the one at the Pallekele International Stadium looked a much better surface."It's a good Test wicket," said Dilshan. "Batting will be a lot easier and it could turn on the fourth and fifth days."Clarke, hoping to put his first Test series as Australia's captain beyond Sri Lanka's reach, also seemed happy with the pitch on offer."It's a lot drier than it was yesterday, but I am sure it will play much better than the one at Galle," said Clarke."The wicket is compact, it is hard. It is very important to put up big scores whether you bat first or second. I also think spin will play a big part as the game progresses."The tourists had announced their playing XI in advance on Tuesday, with Shaun Marsh due to make his debut in place of Ricky Ponting, who returned home after Galle to await the birth of his second child.The left-hander, son of former Australian opener Geoff Marsh, is not a novice to the big stage, having played in 35 one-day internationals and five Twenty20 games.Sri Lanka, meanwhile, added promising seamer Shaminda Eranga and unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis to the 11 that played in Galle in a short-list of 13 announced by Dilshan.Eranga, 25, who took part in the preceding one-day series, will be awarded a Test cap if left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara failed to recover from a knee injury suffered during training on Wednesday.Mendis looked set to replace off-spinner Suraj Randiv, who claimed 2-76 in the first innings at Galle, but returned wicketless in the second despite the helpful track.Clarke said he was surprised Mendis did not play in Galle."He is a very good bowler with a lot of variations," the Australian captain said. "I will be very happy if he is again left out for this match.Dilshan said the hosts had overcome the defeat in the first Test and were ready for the challenge ahead."This is a new game, a new wicket," the Sri Lankan captain said. "The confidence in the team is high. I am sure we will put up a much better performance here."Clarke expected Sri Lanka to bounce back strongly in the series."I am pretty certain they will be tougher than they were in the first Test," he said. "There are a lot of good players in their team and we will have to be at our best if we want to win again.The third and final Test of the series, Australia's first in Sri Lanka since 2004, will be played at the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo from September 16.

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Pakistan to step up efforts to find new cricket coach

KARACHI: A committee that includes former Pakistan captains Intikhab Alam and Zaheer Abbas, which was formed by the country’s cricket chiefs to find a new coach for the national team, will meet for the first time in Lahore on Thursday.The committee that also includes former Test wicketkeeper Col (retd) Naushad Ali will meet at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) headquarters in a bid to hammer out details of its future course of action.Intikhab Alam, who heads the committee, told Arab News on Tuesday that in the initial meeting he and fellow committee members will decide as to how to tackle the issue of finding the best available coach for Pakistan.“We will sit down on Thursday and decide our future course of action,” said Intikhab, who was removed as Pakistan’s coach following the calamitous tour of Australia in 2009-10. “We have to find the best possible person for what is a very important job and will make all out efforts to achieve that target,” he added.Intikhab, who served as Pakistan’s manager till this summer’s tour of the Caribbean, made it clear that the committee, which will be ‘assisted’ by former Pakistan Test opener Ramiz Raja, is in no hurry and will take its time before making its recommendations to the PCB.“We have not been given any time frame to find a new coach,” said Intikhab.“We will be keeping our options open,” he remarked. “The idea is to search for a suitable both at home and abroad and that’s what we are going to do over the coming weeks,” he added.Intikhab said that the PCB would soon be posting advertisements both at home and abroad in its search for a new coach.“I will only be able to give more details about this issue after our meeting on Thursday,” he said.Late last month, the PCB decided to give the task to find a new coach to the former stalwarts, just days after Waqar Younis announced that he would step down as Pakistan coach after the ongoing tour of Zimbabwe. Just before leaving for Zimbabwe last week, Waqar dropped a bombshell when he announced his decision to quit as national coach because of ‘health reasons’A former Test fast bowler, Waqar took over as Pakistan’s head coach in March 2010. Some believe he did a good job while others blame him for the premature retirement of Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain. Afridi decided to quit after falling out with Waqar and later with PCB bosses following the tour of West Indies early this summer.Though Intikhab made it clear that the committee is yet to discuss the issue, it is believed that some of the coaches on PCB’s short-list include former Sri Lanka coach Dave Whatmore, South Africa’s Mickey Arthur and the home-grown Aaqib Javed, who served as Waqar’s assistant before being detached from the team ahead of the tour of Zimbabwe.

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Progressive Steps in Pakistan Domestic Cricket

Pakistan is known nation for the cricket, very capable and extremely professional inborn cricketers are the possession of Pakistan. Getting acknowledged after 17 long years is a simple sign of the presentation of the Pakistan cricket team in past few years. Though the cricket-crazy people have handled to discover extremely brilliant players, the national squad has failed to generate positive outcome on a constant base.The difficulty and the issue regarding the failure of Pakistan’s cricket, according to several cricket legends, can be recognized to be due to shortage of appropriate cricketing infrastructure in the country. No proper reforms or the training sessions that could be held, and have been there in the past years, were lacking this time.The Quaid-e-Azam trophy, the most prominent domestic game in Pakistan, segregate 22 teams into two cluster, one consist of sectors and the second one consist of regional teams.That depicts the excellence and competitiveness of Pakistan cricket. Imran Khan Pakistan’s most victorious and credited captain, consider that the country must integrate into 6 teams rather than 22 team in its domestic formation to make definite that high quality cricket is observed foremost to enhanced performances on the international grounds. Pakistan should work on quality rather than quantity.Pakistan Cricket Board cannot act in void to the country’s fiscal crisis and dropping the number of teams in the domestic competitions will add to the level of redundancy as the majority of the cricketers do not have ability to become dynamic members of the personnel if they are not playing cricket. They need to be polished before launching on the international grounds.One more quandary that PCB is facing downfall in the domestic cricket in Pakistan is the short of subsidy, which leads to the unsatisfactory amenities and revenue for the players that are putting in efforts. After carefully examining the domestic structure, PCB has taken positive steps to promote the domestic cricket and to look upon there issues and solve them for the better performances of the cricketers.Pakistan has been manufacturing unbeatable players like the Akmal brothers and Mohammad Aamer that shows how much potential Pakistan has to surprise the cricketing world. The PCB has taken action to cure the mess and problems it finds itself in currently and has brought drastic change in the cricket world of Pakistan.Pakistan Cricket Board Website: http://www.pcb.com.pk

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My passion for cricket has faded: Inzamam

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq has lost interest for the game he once ruled in, admitting that he is not an ardent follower of the sport anymore.Inzamam, who retired in 2007, is an integral part of Pakistan’s cricket history, being the second-highest run-scorer in Tests for the country. But now one rarely finds the former batsman giving his views on cricketing matters and the performance of the national team.“I’m not the kind of person who loves to criticise the Pakistan Cricket Board or any other individual in the media,” Inzamam told The Express Tribune. “I’m retired now and busy managing my construction business so I don’t normally follow cricket anymore. My passion for the game has faded to some extent.Inzamam also admitted that he does not enjoy following the national team’s progress.“If Pakistan is playing Zimbabwe nowadays, what interest can I have in following the team’s fortunes?” questioned Inzamam. “I don’t know much about the Zimbabwe team, plus we have so many new faces whom I don’t know that I don’t see any point in commenting upon their performances.One finds several former Pakistan players who retired during the last decade still attached to the game in some form or the other. However, Inzamam feels no desire to be part of the sport in any capacity“I’m least interested in finding any role in cricket at any level. I have already served Pakistan cricket a lot. This does not mean I have entirely ruled out any future association with cricket but right now due to my personal circumstances I’m not looking for any cricket-related role.”

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Mention Kevin Pietersen to a South African and you will likely be met with a snarl and a snide remark. The latter could contain an acidic word like "traitor" to match the personality the batsman first displayed when he qualified for England. Mention Imran Tahir to a Pakistani and the reaction is quite different.

Mention Kevin Pietersen to a South African and you will likely be met with a snarl and a snide remark. The latter could contain an acidic word like "traitor" to match the personality the batsman first displayed when he qualified for England. Mention Imran Tahir to a Pakistani and the reaction is quite different."Oh yes!" Adnan Akmal, Pakistan wicket-keeper and the second of the three Akmal brothers said in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, when asked if he had fond memories of Tahir."We grew up together. Actually he and my brother Kamran were really good friends."Tahir grew up in Lahore, with the Akmals as his playmates. He played provincial cricket with seamer Aizaz Cheema, who made his debut with eight wickets for Pakistan during the recently completed test victory over Zimbabwe, and said Tahir's finest quality is how much he "enjoys his cricket".Even Pakistan coach Waqar Younis had a kind word for Tahir, calling him a "fighterPerhaps Pakistan are not all that affected by Tahir's departure because of the depth of their spin department. Saeed Ajmal, with his unreadable doosra, is rated second best in the world behind Graeme Swann. Offspinner Mohammad Hafeez is destructive with the new and old ball and talented left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman and legspinner Yasir Shah have started to nail down national spots.Pakistan's small loss has been South Africa's massive gain. It has taken the country so long to find a world-class tweaker that many of the same South Africans who sulked when Pietersen swopped one nationality for another were only too chuffed when Tahir did the same. It would not have mattered if he arrived from the moon, he would still have been welcomed like a messiah.So far, he has lived up to his reputation. His 14 wickets at the World Cup are supposedly just the entrée and he is expected to dish up ladles of trouble for batsmen in future seasons, particularly on the test platter. That he is an automatic pick for the five tests this summer means a change of mindset has to take place in South African cricket, from the team to the groundsmen, who will have to prepare pitches that can accommodate a spinner for the first time.It will be a juggle, between ensuring Tahir has something to work with and not handing the opposition an advantage. Both Australia and Sri Lanka bring with them interesting prospects. Young Nathan Lyon, who took six wickets in his debut test against Sri Lanka, is the latest spinner being touted to replace Shane Warne, while Sri Lanka's attack is bolstered by mystery man Ajantha Mendis.South African summers have rarely been underlined by spin, but this season could be different. As most of the current Pakistan team will testify, Tahir is a match-winner who should be looked after. They know it is no fault of Pakistan Cricket they were unable to hold onto him because, as Adnan said: "He married a South African woman so he must do well there now.South Africans will agree.

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Galle Test against Lanka 'a match to remember for a number of reasons': Watson

Australia vice-captain Shane Watson has said that the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle will be a match that the Michael Clarke-led team will remember for a long time for a number of reasons."Trent Copeland who was on debut, got a wicket in his first over and bowled very well throughout the whole Test. Nathan Lyon managed to get a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket, getting out the very dangerous Kumar Sangakarra. He then went on to get a five-wicket haul on debut, to become the ninth Australian spinner accomplish this feat," Watson wrote in an article for Fox Sports."This Test was also Michael Clarke's first win as an Australian captain and he made an extremely valuable 60 in our second innings. Michael Hussey showed his class to receive the man of the match with his beautifully crafted 95 in our first innings. And Ryan Harris finished off our win with his second five-wicket haul in Tests," he added.He also highlighted how the win meant Ricky Ponting brought up his 100th Test Match win for Australia."What an amazing achievement for Ricky!" he said.The 30-year-old now hopes that the second Test will be another one for the team to remember."We know that the Sri Lankan team are going to regroup very quickly after our win in Galle. But if we play as well as we did during the first Test, we are going to give ourselves a great chance of wrapping up the series in Kandy he added.The second Test of the three-match series will begin in Kandy on Thursday.

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CSA congratulates five cricketers of the year

CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA (CSA) has extended warm congratulations to the five Cricketers of the Year honoured in the 2011 edition of the South African Cricket Annual which was released in Johannesburg on Tuesday.Four of the players - Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Colin Ingram and Robin Peterson - were members of the Proteas' ODI squad that competed at the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup on the sub-continent.The fifth, Zander de Bruyn, has been a standout performer for the bizhub Highveld Lions for a number of seasons. He represented the Proteas in three Test matches against India and England in the 2004/05 season."The five players are extremely well deserving of this recognition," commented CSA CEO Gerald Majola. "And, without going into all their individual achievements, I believe the entire nation was thrilled by the manner in which Robin and Imran brought spin bowling to the forefront of our game. Both Faf and Colin are just starting out on their international careers and have shown outstanding promise so far."Colin's performance in scoring a century on his ODI debut was magnificent as was his follow up century against Pakistan three innings later The SA Cricket Annual is an indispensable record of the activities of South African cricket at all levels and, although I have not had the opportunity to read it as yet, I am sure it has once again maintained the standard of being one of the best publications of its type in the world."

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Zaheer Abbas willing to replace Waqar as Pakistan coach

Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas has said that he is ready to replace Waqar Younis when he resigns as the coach of the national team after the ongoing tour of Zimbabwe.Abbas, a member of the three-man committee formed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to find a suitable candidate for the coach role, said: "If the PCB needs me I'll be available for the job."Abbas also stressed on the need for a batting coach for the team."We're still struggling in the batting department. We need a batsman to become the coach so the players can learn from him," the Express Tribune quoted Abbas, as saying.He further said that he agreed to become a member of the committee after being asked by PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt.

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England win toss, put India into bat in 2nd ODI

SOUTHAMPTON: England won the toss and put India in to bat in the shortened second one-day international here at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday.The match was reduced to 23 overs a side after rain delayed the start by five hours from the planned 2pm local time.England brought in Ravi Bopara for the injured Eoin Morgan - who will miss the rest of the series with a shoulder injury - and Graeme Swann returned after missing the first match at Durham with a virus. With the match reduced to a near Twenty20 format Jonathan Trott was left out. India made one change with Manoj Tiwary replacing Rohit Sharma who broke his hand on Saturday when he was hit by the first ball he faced from Stuart Broad. Sharma was the eighth Indian player to leave the tour which has seen them beaten 4-0 in the Test series and Sachin Tendulkar stranded on 99 international centuries after aggravating an old toe injury. The series stands at 0-0 after the first match was declared a no result - again because of rain. TeamsEngland: Alastair Cook (captain), Craig Kieswetter (wkt), Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Ben Stokes, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Jade DernbachIndia: MS Dhoni (captain, wk), Parthiv Patel, Ajinka Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Manoj Tiwary, Suresh Raina, Pravin Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, R Vinay Kumar, Munaf PatelUmpires: Billy Doctrove (WI) and Rob Bailey (ENG), 3rd umpire: Marais Erasmus (SA) Fourth umpire: Richard Illingworth (ENG) Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ)The World Champion 2011 World Cup India Face To England Shanwatson Say This Match Has been Draw Butt This Is Not India This Is England And Team InForm
Tour Start India 2011

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ENGLAND  VS  INDIA 1st  TEST     England Won

ENGLAND  VS  INDIA 2nd TEST     England Won

ENGLAND  VS  INDIA 3rd  TEST    England Won

ENGLAND  VS  INDIA 4th  TEST    England Won

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 World champions in T20 2007 India and 2010 England

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ENGLAND  VS  INDIA  1st T20       England Won

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2 Time World cup Champions India butt england not be 1 World Cup

ENGLAND  VS  INDIA  1st   ODI,s    Draw                 

ENGLAND  VS  INDIA  2nd  ODI,s   England Won

ENGLAND  VS  INDIA  3rd  ODI,s   To be Play

ENGLAND  VS  INDIA  4th  ODI,s   To be Play

ENGLAND  VS  INDIA  5th  ODI,s   To be Play

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Watson, Herath, Harris, Hafeez, Misbah and Saeed achieve personal landmarks

Australia's Shane Watson and Ryan Harris, Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka and Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq have achieved career-best rankings in the latest Reliance ICC Test Rankings which were released after the Bulawayo Test.Watson scored 22 and 0 in Australia's 125-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first Test in Galle and has dropped out of the top 20 in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen. However, his match figures of 5-30 have earned him career-best rankings in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers and all-rounders.While Watson has climbed 14 places to claim 22nd position in the bowlers chart, his 3-11 and 2-19 combined with his batting performances have given him a lift of three places in the all-rounders' list which has put him in second position behind South Africa's Jacques Kallis.Watson is not the only Australia bowler to head in the right direction after the Galle Test. Harris, who took 0-6 and 5-62, has jumped seven places to claim 31st position while off-spinner Nathan Lyon has entered in 68th spot after figures of 5-34 and 1-73 in his debut Test.However, Mitchell Johnson has slipped behind India's Zaheer Khan in seventh spot after managing to take two wickets in the Test.Sri Lanka bowlers, led by spinner Rangana Herath, have also improved their rankings despite ending up on the losing side.Herath, who had figures of 3-54 and 5-79, has moved into 17th position for the first time in his career after rising five places while Chanaka Welegedara is in 57th (up by one place), Suranga Lakmal in 59th (up by four places) and captain Tillekeratne Dilshan in 60th (up by three places).In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, England's Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell have jointly claimed second position after Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara slipped three places to fifth position after scoring only 10 and 17 in the recently completed Test.The other Sri Lanka batsmen dropping in the latest table are Thilan Samaraweera in 13th (down by four places) and Dilshan in 29th (down by two places).However, Mahela Jayawardena's second innings effort of 105 has helped him move up four places to 14th position while Australia batsmen making upward movements include Mike Hussey in 11th (up by two places), Michael Clarke in 25th (up by three places) and Phil Hughes in 49th (up by one place).Pakistan's victory by seven wickets in Zimbabwe, which gave it consecutive Test wins for the first time since 2005 following its series-levelling victory against the West Indies in Basseterre, has also brought some good news for its players.Mohammad Hafeez, who was adjudged player of the match for his 119 and 38 with the bat and 4-31 with the ball in the home side's second innings, has moved up 23 places to 65th position in the batting table while he has achieved career-best rankings of 55th and 26th in the bowlers and all-rounders' categories, respectively.Saeed Ajmal, who bagged 4-143 and 2-53, has moved up four places to a career-best 23rd position while fast bowler Aizaz Cheema has entered in 50th position after recording match figures of 8-103.For Zimbabwe, Chris Mpofu has moved up four places to 66th spot, left-arm spinner Ray Price has been rewarded for his four wickets in the match with a leap of 31 places which has put him in 70th spot, Kyle Jarvis is in 78th spot after his 2-96 and off-spinner Greg Lamb, who took 3-120 in the first innings, has entered in 30th position.The player rankings will now be updated after the second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia which starts on Thursday in Pallekele while the Test Championship table will be updated after the conclusion of the third and last Test between the two sides which starts in Colombo on 16 September.

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Anisa Mohammed becomes highest-ranked West Indies women's team's bowler

West Indies :  off-spinner Anisa Mohammed has become the highest-ranked bowler of her country in the Reliance ICC Women's ODI Rankings for bowlers after a successful series against Pakistan women's team which her side by 3-1.Mohammed finished as the most successful bowler in the series with 14 wickets which gave her a jump of four places and put her one spot ahead of Stafanie Taylor in fifth position.Mohammed's team-mate Shanel Daley and Pakistan's pair of Sadia Yousuf and Nida Dar are the other bowlers to make a real impact in the latest rankings. Daley has jumped 13 places to 28th position after claiming seven wickets in the series, Sadia has moved into 54th spot after rising 12 places following her six wickets while Nida Dar has been rewarded for her nine wickets with a jump of 14 places which has placed her in 57th position.In the Reliance ICC Women's ODI Rankings for batters, West Indies captain Merissa Aguilleira has rocketed 24 places to 22nd spot after finishing as the leading run-getter with 106 runs. However, Deandra Dottin has slipped two places to 16th spot but Daley has gained four places following her series contribution of 82 runs.For Pakistan, Javeria Khan has climbed two places to 28th spot while Bismah Maroof is in 44th position after rising six places.The batting table is led by India's Mithali Raj while ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year nominee Stafanie Taylor of the West Indies is second. Taylor had a disappointing series by her high standards when she could manage only 55 runs in four matches.For information relating to the latest Reliance ICC Test Player Rankings, please click here

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Shakib, Tamim relieved of their posts

DHAKA : The Bangladesh Cricket Board sacked national team captain Shakib Al Hasan and vice-captain Tamim Iqbal on Monday following the squad's unsuccessful tour of Zimbabwe."Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal have been relieved of captaincy and vice-captaincy as their leadership was not satisfactory," Jalal Yunus, BCB media director, told AFP."They failed to lead the side during the tour. There are reports of indiscipline against Shakib. In certain areas, Tamim breached discipline. He argued with the head coach.Bangladesh were defeated in their only Test match against Zimbabwe and then lost the five-match one-day series 3-2 Yunus said a new captain would be named before the West Indies tour of Bangladesh in October.Shakib, 24, and Tamim, 22, are the best Bangladesh cricket players to have emerged on the international scene, winning Wisden cricket magazine's international player of the year in 2009 and 2010 respectively.Left-arm spinner cum batsman Shakib was named regular captain of Bangladesh in November last year after he led the cricketing minnows to a 4-0 one-day whitewash of New Zealand as a stand-in captain.In the same role, he also led the side to a 2-0 Test clean sweep against the West Indies in 2009.Shakib, one of the world's leading all-rounders, and Tamim have also played in English county cricket games.Bangladesh hosts the West Indies in two Tests and three one-day International matches in its next assignment in October.

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President Hunte congratulates Windies Women for 3-1 triumph over Pakistan

President of the West Indies Cricket Board Dr. Julian Hunte congratulated the West Indies Women's Team for their series triumph over Pakistan.Windies won the four match series 3-1 with Anisa Mohammed being named Player of the Series after picking up 14 wickets, inclusive of two five wicket hauls."This impressive victory signals to all that you continue on your path towards the very pinnacle of world cricket," Dr. Hunte remarked in a message to Captain Merissa Aguilleira."We continue to be proud of your notable achievements and re-affirm the Board's commitment to ensuring that you are equipped to move upward and it is because of this commitment that we instituted retainer contracts for women," Dr. Hunte said."Barring the hiccup in the third ODI, your team has demonstrated that it intends to be competitive not only against Pakistan but importantly in the World Cup qualifiers in Bangladesh later this year," Dr. Hunte said."I must highlight to outstanding performance of our champion spinner Anisa and specifically congratulate her on the historic feat of becoming the first female West Indian to achieve 50 wickets in ODIs," Dr Hunte pointed out."I note that she is even making strides forward with the bat and look forward to her establishing herself as a genuine all rounder in the future," Dr. Hunte encouraged."Best wishes for continued success in the Twenty20s as we look forward to more victories and improvement in every facet of the game," Dr Hunte urged.The two teams will now contest a four match Twenty20 Internationals with two matches slated for Progress Park in Grenada (6 and 7 September) and the final two for the Guyana National Stadium at Providence (10 and 11 September).The four ODIs were played at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex in St Vincent

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Pakistan win one-off Test against Zimbabwe by 7 wkts

BULAWAYO: Pakistan recorded an easy seven-wicket victory on the fifth and the final say of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe here at the Queen’s Sports Club ground on Monday.Needing 88 runs to win, they completed the chase losing three wickets just before the lunch on the final day.Mohammad Hafeez, who hit a century in the first innings made 38 while Azhar Ali contributed 22 and opener Taufeeq Umar scored eight runs.Veteran Younis Khan and captain Misbah-ul-Haq remained not out on 14 and six, respectively.Having been put into bat by Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq, Zimbabwe reached 412 all out in their first innings before the tourists replied with 466 all out to establish a first-innings lead of 54.There was not much in it at that stage but Zimbabwe's second effort collapsed to 135-8 at the close of the fourth day, leaving the Pakistanis with the prospect of a routine mop-up operation.Man of the match was Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez, who scored 119 and took four wickets for 31.With one more wicket he would have recorded a 'viper' in cricket terms a century plus five wickets in an innings -- but he did not get a bowl in the final session.Zimbabwe's opening innings score of 412 looked likely to secure at least a draw, which was their prime target in terms of their need to gain respectability in top cricket circles after being readmitted to Tests after a gap of six years.And if they had not dropped seven Pakistan wickets in their first innings, plus a fumbled run-out opportunity, the tourists' response might have been much lower than 466.The Zimbabweans' batsmen were exposed by both Pakistan seam and spin in the second innings.
The wicket had deteriorated and they showed inexperience in dealing with it. Five wickets were lost before they even got past the 54-run deficit.Only Tatenda Taibu and Kyle Jarvis stood between a single figure total and the 141 runs they eventually managed to scrape together.They put on 66 for the ninth wicket during the late afternoon of the fourth day not quite a face-saving effort, more a reprimand to their colleagues.However, the Zimbabwe innings lasted only 15 balls on Monday morning, Taibu and last man Christopher Mpofu falling to Cheema.Pakistan lost Hafeez, Tafeeq Umar and Azhar Ali in reaching the winning line, but concentration levels required could not have been of the highest.The first of three one-day internationals will be played here on Thursday, followed by the other two in the series and two Twenty20 matches to round out the Pakistan tour in Harare.

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Pakistan set 88 to win Zimbabwe Test

BULAWAYO: Zimbabwe were all out for 141 in their second innings of the one-off Test match against Pakistan at Queens Sports Club here on Monday.Their first innings score was 412 all out.Pakistan took a 54-run lead with a first innings score of 466 all out. They now require 88 to win.

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Injured Tendulkar to be replaced by Badrinath

India batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the remainder of the ODI Series against England due to a toe injury, the tourists' team manager Shivlal Yadav has confirmed.The BCCI announced later that Tendulkar will be replaced by middle-order batsman S Badrinath."Sachin Tendulkar has been advised rest for four weeks. The All-India Senior Selection Committee has chosen S. Badrinath to replace him,'' said BCCI in a statement.Tendulkar, who continues to chase an elusive 100th international century, missed the opener at the Durham on Saturday and the Indian camp announced on Monday their star man is facing up to four weeks on the sidelines.No replacement will be called up to an India squad which has been beset with health concerns in recent weeks.Rohit Sharma was also ruled out yesterday after suffering a fractured finger in the match at the weekend, which was rained off. Manoj Tiwary has been called up to take his place. Tendulkar will become the eighth player to fly home from India's difficult tour, following Rohit, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh.India will be hoping that Tiwary will be ready in time to join the team in time for Tuesday's second match at the Rose Bowl, with their batting stocks diminished further following the news on Tendulkar.

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Galle Test pitch rated as poor by ICC match referee

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that the pitch for the Galle Test between Sri Lanka and Australia has been rated as poor by Chris Broad, the member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees who officiated in the Test.The ICC's General Manager - Cricket, David Richardson, and the ICC's chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle will now consider all the evidence, including studying video footage of the match and submissions from the host Member Board, before reaching their decision in due course.Galle hosted the first Test between the two sides which was played from 31 August to 3 September. Australia won the Test by 125 runs with 40 wickets falling for 841 runs in 289.5 overs.In accordance with the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, which came into effect in 2006 and which applies to all Tests, ODIs and T20Is, Mr Broad submitted a report to the ICC expressing his concerns over the quality of the pitch.Under clause 3, 4 and 5 of the regulations governing the process, the ICC has provided Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) with a copy of Mr Broad's report and requested the SLC to respond. The SLC has now has 14 days to provide a reply to the ICC's request The ICC will make no further comments until Mr Richardson and Mr Madugalle have reached their decision.ICC's Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process can be found by clicking here.

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Squads and officials released for upcoming Intercontinental Cup fixtures

Ireland will take on Namibia tomorrow (6 September) in the re-scheduled first round fixture of the ICC Intercontinental Cup in Belfast.The two sides were scheduled to play in June but visa issues prevented the Namibia side from arriving in time to play the first round fixture.In the absence of William Porterfield, Kevin O'Brien will be leading the Ireland side in its first Intercontinental Cup fixture of the year.Meanwhile, Kenya travel to the Netherlands to face the Dutch side in its second-round fixture in Deventer which begins on 7 September.Canada will travel to Dublin to face Ireland in its second round of the Intercontinental Cup next week when the sides face-off from 13 to 16 September.Squads and officials for Namibia v Scotland and Afghanistan v UAE will be announced in due course.ICC Match Referee David Jukes will be acting remotely for all three of the games listed below.Squads and match officials for Ireland v Namibia, First Round Intercontinental Cup, 6 to 9 September, BelfastIRELAND (squad): Kevin O'Brien (captain), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Phil Eaglestone, Nigel Jones, Graeme McCarter, John Mooney, Andrew Poynter, Stuart Poynter, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson NAMIBIA (squad): Craig Williams (captain), Raymond van Schoor, Chris Coombe, Gerrie Snyman, Stephen Baard, Andre Englebrecht, Merwe Erasmus, Pieter Rossouw, Louis Klazinga, Stephanus Ackerman, Louis van der Westhuizen, Christoffel Viljoen, Pikky Ya FranceUmpires: Buddhi Pradan and Richard Smith of the ICC Associates and Affiliates Umpires' Panel. Match referee: David JukesSquads and match officials for Netherlands v Kenya, Second Round Intercontinental Cup, 7 to 10 September, DeventerNETHERLANDS (squad): Peter Borren (captain), Wesley Barresi, Mudassar Bukhari, Atse Buurman, Wilfred Diepeveen, Tom de Grooth, Tim Gruijters, Tom Heggelman, Stephan Myburgh, Ahsan Malik, Pieter Seelaar, Michael Swart, Eric Szwarczynski, Vinoo TewarieKENYA (squad): Collins Obuya (captain), Rakep Patel, Tamnay Mishra, Lameck Ngoche, Irfan Karim, Duncan Allan, Emmanuel Ringera, Ibrahim Akello, Lucas Ndandason, Hiren Varaiya, Runish Gudhka, David Obuya, Seren Waters, Dominic WesongaUmpires: Ian Ramage a of the ICC Associates and Affiliates Umpires' Panel and Johan Cloete of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires.Match referee: David JukesSquads and match officials for Ireland v Canada, Second Round Intercontinental Cup, 13 to 16 September, LeinsterIRELAND (squad): Kevin O'Brien (captain), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Phil Eaglestone, Nigel Jones, Graeme McCarter, John Mooney, Andrew Poynter, Stuart Poynter, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary WilsonCANADA (squad): Jimmy Hansra, Harvir Baidwan, Usman Limbada, Hamza Tariq, Rizwan Cheema, Henry Osinde, Hiral Patel, Junaid Siddiqui, Zeeshan Siddiqui, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Khurram Chohan, Marinder Aulakh, Nitish Kumar, Zahid Hussain Umpires: Niels Bagh and Mark Hawthorne of the ICC Associates and Affiliates Umpires' Panel. Match referee: David Jukes An up-to-date points table plus all the results in the competition will be available 

here:http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/events_and_awards/intercontinental_cup/points_table.php
The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception seven years ago. The ICC's premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members' cricket schedule.There will be a total of US$254,000 in prize money for the Associate and Affiliate teams taking part in the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2011-13 with US$100,000 for the winners and US$40,000 for the runners-up. Teams finishing in third and fourth place with receive US$20,000 and US$10,000 respectively while an outright win by any team during the course of the round-robin stage will see it walk away with US$3,000 per match.Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event then evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.
This year's format will include eight teams - Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia and United Arab Emirates.Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in three events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider, Canada in the 2006-07 event, Namibia in 2007-08 while in 2009-10 Afghanistan won the competition

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CLT20 squads confirmed

The Nokia Champions League Twenty20’s return to India will be headlined by the biggest names in world cricket after the confirmation of the 13-team squads.The participating teams are overflowing with cricket’s established and emerging stars, among them MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Daniel Vettori, Chris Gayle, Jacques Kallis, Mike Hussey and Shane Watson.More than 100 players named across the squads have experience at international level.Players from 10 nations will be represented, including a pair from Ireland for the first time in dual Ireland/England international Eoin Morgan and 19-year-old young gun George Dockrell.A number of teams will be able to field virtual international playing XIs, among them the Chennai Super Kings, NSW Blues and Cape Cobras.Not far behind in terms of international playing strength is South Africa’s other representative, the Warriors, as well as the IPL’s Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders.The 13 teams invited to this year’s tournament have consistently shown over the past three years they are the world’s elite at home and on the CLT20 stage.Among them are former CLT20 Champions (NSW 2009 and Chennai 2010), finalists (Trinidad & Tobago 2009 and Warriors 2010), and semi-finalists (Cape Cobras 2009 and South Australia 2010).England’s Leicestershire and Somerset were the last of the 13 teams to qualify last weekend after both won thrilling one-over eliminators in their respective domestic T20 semi-finals.It will be Leicestershire’s first appearance in the CLT20 while Somerset will make a return visit after playing in the inaugural event in 2009.During that tournament they defeated Deccan Chargers in their opening match before bowing out at the group stage.After its success in South Africa in 2010, the CLT20 returns to India with a new naming rights sponsor, more teams, more prize money and participation fees, and the world’s best T20 talent.CLT20 commercial rights holder ESPN Star Sports and its broadcast partners will beam the action live into lounge rooms and bars around the world as a record number of teams battle to claim the world’s most prestigious prize for domestic cricket.This year’s event features a six-team qualifier for the first time that will determine the final three participants in the group stage.The qualifier will be played in Hyderabad from 19-21 September while the 10-team Nokia Champions League Twenty20 starts in Bengaluru on Friday 23 September and ends with the final on Sunday 9 October in Chennai.

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Vaughan expects England to win the 2015 World Cup

Former captain Michael Vaughan : is highly impressed with England's current pool of cricketers and said he expects the three-time finalists to win their first World Cup in 2015. "I expect them to win in 2015. England will have the group of players and strength in depth - they'll be the team to beat," Vaughan told 'BBC England have a pool of 20-22 players they can rotate. Five years ago they didn't have that many that could play international cricket. Now if you dropped or rested three or four players the ones coming in would be of a very good standard," he added.Till date England have never won the World Cup, even though they have reached the finals thrice. Infact, they have not progressed beyond the quarter-finals since 1992. But the last two years have seen England rise, winning the World Twenty20 in 2010, securing an Ashes victory in Australia and achieving the top Test status recently by whitewashing India 0-4 in a recently-concluded series. The 36-year-old Ashes winning captain also backed England's decision to rest Kevin Pietersen from the ongoing ODI series against India and said the star batsman will be an important part of 2015 World Cup campaign."I think the selectors are trying to find any little formula to get the best from KP. They are trying to find that spark that gets him back to how he played in South Africa on his first tour. The last two years have not been his best," said Vaughan."I think in 2015 we'll need [Somerset batsman] Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes [the player in the side in place of Pietersen] and [leg spinner] Scott Borthwick. They will be the core of the team," he added

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England had abandoned ODI in their grasp: Cook

England : captain Alastair Cook maintained his side were ready to go on and win the abandoned first one-day international against India until rain intervened.India appeared to have the upper hand after posting a score of 274-7 with Parthiv Patel making 95 and had England 27-2 in 7.2 overs.But Cook was confident his side - now aiming to add the world number one ranking in 50-over cricket to their Test status as top of the ranking - could have overhauled the Indians."Anything can happen," Cook told reporters after the premature end to the match."That was a very good wicket and a quick outfield - 275 was gettable.India looked like posting a score over 300 but Samit Patel's spin put the brakes on with his ten overs costing just 42 runs in the absence of Graeme Swann who has a virus.Cook added: "He was under pressure knowing we needed to get ten overs out of him against a side who play spin very well.praveen Kumar took both wickets - captain Alastair Cook edged onto his stumps and Craig Kieswetter was trapped leg before. But India are sweating on the fitness of Sachin Tendulkar who will see a surgeon on Monday about an old toe injury that kept him out of this game.Patel's 95 came from 107 balls with 12 fours and he shared a stand of 103 for the second wicket with Virat Kohli who made 55.Patel's well-paced innings looked like giving him his first three figure score for Indian until he was caught behind of James Anderson giving the England bowler his 200th wicket in one-day internationals.Suresh Raina added 38 from 29 balls before he was deceived by a slower bouncer from Jade Denbach and gave Alastair Cook a simple catch at leg slip and while captain MS Dhoni was there towards the end of the innings a total of 300 looked possible but the Indians stalled in the final overs as England snapped up three wickets in the last two overs.On a gloomy day in the north east of England Cook put India in after winning the toss but his bowlers struggled as the Indian opening pair of Patel and Ajinkya Rahane put on 87 for the first wicket.Rahane was first to go - caught in at fine leg by Samit Patel top-edging a hook from Stuart Broad - and Rahul Dravid went for just two.Dravid edged a ball from Stuart Broad to Craig Kieswetter but stood him ground when the England side appealed.The Hot Spot technology failed to pick up the edge but third umpire Marais Erasmus told the on-field officials he had heard a noise and that was enough for Dravid to be given out.But Indian captain MS Dhoni said: "There was nothing on hot spot and he was given not out - the benefit of the doubt always goes to the batsman. I still don't know how they gave him out."Kohli and Patel took the score on before Patel, sniffing his milestone, tamely edged behind and Rohit Sharma was hit on the hand first ball by Broad and retired hurt.Raina and Dhoni swung the bat - but the steady loss of wickets meant India could not get away from England and two wickets in the last over of the innings for Tim Bresnan put the brakes on.With Tendulkar missing the match his wait for his 100th international hundred goes on.

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Ponting celebrates 100 Test wins

Ricky Ponting : became the first cricketer to play in 100 Test wins after Australia defeated Sri Lanka by 125 runs in the first Test in Galle on Saturday.The former skipper, 36, was already Test cricket's most successful captain with 48 wins when he stepped down in April to make way for Michael Clarke.Ponting, who made his Test debut in 1995, has so far played 153 matches and his 12,411 runs make him the world's third highest run-getter behind the Indian duo of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid."His longevity in the game is amazing," said Clarke after Saturday's match. "For about eight or nine of our squad it was the first Test win, and here was Punter (Ponting) with his 100th.""He has played a hell of a lot of games, captained a hell of a lot of games and won a hell of a lot of games. Just an amazing cricketer.But Ponting will miss the second Test in Pallekele from September 8 to go home for the birth of his second child, but is expected to return for the final match in Colombo from September 16.The seven cricketers who have been part of most Test wins are all Australians, and have all been Ponting's team-mates at some stage.

List of players with most Test victories (name, wins):

Ricky Ponting - 100

Shane Warne - 92

Steve Waugh - 86

Glenn McGrath - 84

Adam Gilchrist - 73

Mark Waugh - 72

Matthew Hayden - 71

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Hansra to lead Canada in I Cup

Cricket Canada is pleased to release its 14 man touring squad for the ICC Intercontinental Cup and ODI tour of Ireland, which commences 13 September 2011. The squad, led by Amarbir (Jimmy) Hansra, will depart Toronto on September 8th for Dublin after playing a 2-day warm-up match in Toronto on September 6th and 7th at Maple Leaf Cricket Club, King City. In partnership with the Cricket Ireland and the International Cricket Council, both ODI's in the series (September 19th & 20th) will be streamed LIVE on gocricketgocanada.com. Back in the touring squad is 17-year-old batting phenom Nitish Kumar, who missed Canada's August home series with Afghanistan while representing Canada u19 at the Global u19 Qualifiers.Kumar, having relocated to the UK, where he will study at Repton School in Derbyshire, is joined by some of Canada's equally outstanding young talent in wicket keeper batsmen Hamza Tariq and Usman Limbada, both fresh off match winning partnerships in the Etihad Summer Festival. Making his first official senior team tour selection is 19 year old British Columbia seamer, Manny Aulakh. Aulakh was the leading wicket taker at the Global u19 World Cup Qualifiers in Ireland and recently helped lead his domestic provincial side to the National League T20 Western Division title in Edmonton. Aulakh will join the usual suspects of Canada's experienced seam quartet, consisting of Henry Osinde, Khurram Chohan, Harvir Baidwan, and batting all-rounder Rizwan Cheema. Chohan and Baidwan both spent much of their summer's in UK conditions playing league cricket in Yorkshire and Sussex respectively. TOURING SQUAD Amarbir Hansra (Captain) BC, Rizwan Cheema (Vice Captain) ON, Harvir Baidwan ON, Usman Limbada ON, Hamza Tariq AB, Henry Osinde ON, Hiral Patel ON, Junaid Siddiqui ON, Zeeshan Siddiqui MB, Ruvindu Gunasekera ON, Khurram Chohan AB, Maninder Aulakh BC, Nitish Kumar ON, Zahid Hussain ON. Interim Coach: Ingleton LiburdManager: Johnny BujanPhysio: Jason Israelski

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ICC monitors accuracy of ball-tracking and reviews

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today reiterated that it has always, and will continue to, monitor the accuracy of ball-tracking and all decisions whether referred or not under the Decision Review System (DRS).Following criticism of the DRS in some areas of the media, David Richardson, ICC General Manager - Cricket, re-affirmed that every decision made in Test match and ODI cricket is monitored at the ICC Headquarters in Dubai.He also acknowledged that such monitoring reveals a minute number of errors in technology and that technology is not always conclusive. However, he added what is widely recognized is that in the vast majority of cases an incorrect decision can be - and has been  rectified.David Richardson said: "The purpose of the Decision Review System is to get as many decisions correct as possible. The statistics show that, with the full DRS in operation, the number of correct decisions rises to almost 98 per cent and that is what we must focus on."Even if it is possible only to reach 98 per cent that has to be better than the average achieved without DRS of around 93 per cent."
The statistics from recent Test and ODI Series are:

	Correct % before DRS	Correct % after DRS
West Indies v Pakistan - 2 Tests	94.52%	98.63%
England v Sri Lanka - 3 Tests	92.35%	98.47%
England v India - 4 Tests **	93.35%	96.31%
Sri Lanka v Australia - 5 ODIs	100 %	100 %

** = Ball-tracking not used in this series

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First England-India ODI falls victim to rain

The first one-day international between England and India was abandoned as a no result here on Saturday because of rain.India with Parthiv Patel making 95 made 274-7 from 50 overs but only managed to bowl 7.2 overs at the hosts before the rain came and the match was called off with England 27-2 with Jonathan Trott 14 not out and Ian Bell two not out praveen Kumar took both wickets captain Alastair Cook edged onto his stumps and Craig Kieswetter was trapped leg before But India are sweating on the fitness of Sachin Tendulkar who will see a surgeon on Monday about an old toe injury that kept him out of this game.Patel's 95 came from 107 balls with 12 fours and he shared a stand of 103 for the second wicket with Virat Kohli who made 55.Patel's well-paced innings looked like giving him his first three figure score for Indian until he was caught behind off James Anderson giving the England bowler his 200th wicket in one-day internationals.Suresh Raina added 38 from 29 balls before he was deceived by a slower bouncer from Jade Denbach and gave Alastair Cook a simple catch at leg slip While captain MS Dhoni was there towards the end of the innings a total of 300 looked possible but the Indians stalled in the final overs as England snapped up three wickets in the last two overs.On a gloomy day in the north east of England Cook put India in after winning the toss but his bowlers struggled as the Indian opening pair of Patel and Ajinkya Rahane put on 87 for the first wicket.Rahane was first to go - caught in at fine leg by Samit Patel top-edging a hook from Stuart Broad - and Rahul Dravid went for just two.Dravid edged a ball from Stuart Broad to Craig Kieswetter but stood him ground when the England side appealed.The Hot Spot technology failed to pick up the edge but third umpire Marais Erasmus told the on-field officials he had heard a noise and that was enough for Dravid to be given outKohli and Patel took the score on before Patel, sniffing his milestone, tamely edged behind and Rohit Sharma was hit on the hand first ball by Broad and retired hurt.Raina and Dhoni swung the bat - but the steady loss of wickets meant India could not get away from England and two wickets in the last over of the innings for Tim Bresnan put the brakes on.With Tendulkar missing the match his wait for his 100th international hundred goes on and for England Graeme Swann was suffering from a stomach virus leaving Samit Patel to take on the role of senior spinner.

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Pakistan on verge of victory after Zimbabwe collapse

BULAWAYO: Pakistan were on the verge of victory here on Sunday after an astonishing collapse by hosts Zimbabwe in their second innings of the one-off test match saw them go to tea on 56-5 It left the hosts just two runs ahead of the tourists, who had been dismissed for 466 just after lunch.The only consolation would have been that they had passed their lowest Test total, 54 against South Africa in Cape Town in 2005.The Zimbabweans had more than held their own over the first three days but it seemed to have taken its toll as their top order batsmen surrendered their wickets all too easily with captain Brendan Taylor out for five for his sixth successive failure.Tinotenda Mawoyo was the only one to even reach double figures as he went for 12, but that was as good as it got.Saeed Ajmal and Aizaz Cheema took two wickets apiece while Mohammad Hafeez delivered a heavy blow to the hosts when he trapped Craig Ervine leg before shortly before the interval.Earlier the Pakistani batsmen had thrown caution to the wind as they upped the scoring rate to go into lunch on 460-8.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 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 gully 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 scoring quick runs but was eventually out for 28 after lunch, bowled by the dependable Price.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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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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