First Pak-Sri Lanka Test begins today

ABU DHABI : Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq is hoping his team can build on their recent good performance while Sri Lanka are looking to end their drought when the two sides meet here in the first of three Tests from today.The 37-year-old Misbah took over as Test captain following a spot-fixing scandal in England last year and has since batted superbly to help Pakistan draw series against a formidable South Africa and the West Indies.He also lifted Pakistan to away wins over New Zealand and Zimbabwe and hopes to carry on the good work against Sri Lanka, who have lost their last two series against England and Australia -- both 1-0  since Tillakaratne Dilshan took over earlier this year.Misbah hopes his team will continue their recent winning streak."The morale is good, and everyone knows his role," Misbah said on Sunday."Cricket is a team game and since everyone knows his role we have been consistent in Tests and building on.Misbah leads a batting line-up which is a mixture of youth and experience with veteran Younis Khan and talented players like Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.Since taking over as captain Misbah has scored 704 in eight Tests at 78.22 and will be Pakistan's mainstay against the Sri Lankan spin duo of Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv -- both trying to overcome the loss of legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.Sri Lanka have not won a Test, losing three and drawing eight Tests, since Muralitharan bade farewell to Test cricket after taking a world record of 800 wickets.But Misbah said Sri Lanka were still a good team."Sri Lanka no doubt is one of the best teams, especially in these conditions so we have to play well to beat them," said Misbah.Dilshan, 34, is looking to improve his captaincy as well as his batting form after contributing just one half-century against Australia, an 83 in the final Test at Colombo last month."We have a very young bowling unit and I think they are getting experience, so I hope they are now ready to do their job and establish the team in the Tests," said Dilshan.

Apart from Dilshan, Sri Lanka have the experience of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara -- both in the twilight of their careers and all-rounders Angelo Mathews, Tharanga Paranavitana and Prasanna Jayawardene to put solid totals on the board.Ironically, bowlers from the both the sides will have to toil hard as wickets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been on the slower side, but could help spinners on the final two days.Pakistan have a better pace attack with Umar Gul (125 wickets) boosting the department after being rested in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, with left-arm pacemen Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan, and Aizaz Cheema in support.Pakistan will also look to Saeed Ajmal in the spin department.The remaining two Tests will be played in Dubai (October 26-30) and Sharjah (November 3-7). The Test series will be followed by five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 match.Test squads:Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan.Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Rangana Herath, Suraj Randiv, Chanaka Welegedara, Suranga Lakmal, Kosala Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, Kaushal Silva.Umpires: Tony Hill (NZL) and Rodney Tucker (AUS)Tv umpire: Ahsan Raza (PAK)Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

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Akmal brothers involved in Afridi’s removal: Haider

KARACHI : Former Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Hadier said Monday that Kamran Akmal and Umer Akmal were involved in the removal of former skipper Shahid Afridi. Haider added that the Akmal brothers were involved in politicking in order to secure their place in the Pakistani side. The former wicket-keeper was Xclusive and alleged that Waqar Younis would also take part in lobbying against certain players. Commenting on Mazhar Majeed the agent at the center of the spot fixing controversy, Haider said Majeed would be seen with several players and he was interested in making him his agent but was stopped by senior players. Haider also thanked former sports minister Ijaz Jhakrani for including him in the team on the basis of performance.

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Butt says he ignored fixing requests

LONDON : Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt told a court in London on Monday that he had ignored requests by his agent to fix cricket matches against England.At his trial with fast bowler Mohammad Asif, Butt, 27, said he did not fulfil his duty to inform the cricketing authorities of an alleged corrupt approach by his British-based agent Mazhar Majeed.But he insisted that he had rejected the agent's suggestions to deliberately lose wickets at last year's Twenty20 World Cup and score no runs in an over in a Test against England last summer."Never in my whole life have I intended to do anything like that, play a match in a certain way. I always do what is required to the best of my ability," he told Southwark Crown Court.Butt said that the agent rang him late at night on the eve of the final day of the Oval Test in August 2010, in a conversation that was recorded by an undercover journalist for the now-defunct News of the World newspaper.The cricketer said Majeed had asked him, referring to a maiden over in which no runs are scored: "You know the maiden that we're doing for the first over? You know the third over you face, do one more maiden".Butt said he replied to Majeed: "Bro, just leave it, OK."He told the court: "I intended to say, 'that's enough, I've heard enough of that conversation'."When the agent again allegedly called Butt the following morning making a similar request the cricketer replied using the Urdu and Punjabi term "theek hai", meaning "OK".Butt told the jury this meant he was trying to end the conversation quickly."I was trying to get rid of the conversation, not to offend anyone... I was absolutely not interested in what he was talking about," he said.

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India thrash England again in huge win

NEW DELHI : World champions India rattled England once again with bat and ball to win the second one-dayer by eight wickets on Monday and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.Seamer Vinay Kumar returned with his best international figures of four for 30 as a lacklustre England were shot out for 237 in good batting conditions at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi.Virat Kohli then smashed an unbeaten 112, his seventh one-day century, and Gautam Gambhir made 84 not out as the under-strength hosts surpassed the modest target under lights in the 37th over.Tempers flared in the second session between England's fielders and India's batsmen, forcing the umpires to intervene on at least three occasions India, depleted by the absence of seven World Cup-winning stars due to injury or poor form, will wrap up the series if they win the third match in Mohali on Thursday.The hosts had won the first game in Hyderabad by 126 runs last Friday.A series win will help Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men make amends for the disastrous tour of England recently where they were blanked 4-0 in the Test series before losing the one-dayers 3-0.Kevin Pietersen's 46 was the top score for England as wickets tumbled at regular intervals after captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bat on an easy-paced pitch.Fast bowler Tim Bresnan gave England a lifeline when he removed both openers, Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane, by the seventh over to make India 29-2.But Delhi team-mates Kohli and Gambhir delighted some 30,000 home fans with an 209-run winning partnership to take India home.England had made a disastrous start, losing openers Cook and Craig Kieswetter before a run had been scored.Cook slashed the fifth ball from Praveen Kumar to point, while Kieswetter edged Vinay to Kohli at slip in the second over.The shackles were broken when Praveen conceded 17 runs in his third over as Jonathan Trott smashed three consecutive fours and Pietersen also helped himself to a boundary.Trott made a fluent 34 with seven fours when he was caught behind off Vinay to reduce England to 48-3 by the 10th over.Ravi Bopara helped Pietersen add 73 for the fourth wicket before India hit back by removing both batsmen in the space of four deliveries.Bopara was leg-before to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for 36 and Pietersen was caught behind chasing a wide ball from seamer Umesh Yadav.Samit Patel and Jonathan Bairstow carried the total past the 200-run mark from a shaky 121-5, adding 86 for the sixth wicket before both fell in quick succession.Patel (42) was trapped leg-before by Yadav and Bairstow holed out in the deep off Ravindra Jadeja after making 35

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Australian squad named for Test series in South Africa

SYDNEY  : Teenage quick Patrick Cummins could become Australia's youngest Test player in nearly 60 years after being called up Monday for their two-Test series in South Africa.The explosive 18-year-old has played just three first-class matches for New South Wales, taking nine wickets, but has impressed for Australia against South Africa in the current Twenty20 series.He replaces James Pattinson in the only change to the squad that defeated Sri Lanka 1-0 in their three-Test battle last month and if he makes his debut will become the youngest Australian to play a Test since Ian Craig in 1952-53Craig was 17 years and 293 days on debut, with Cummins to be 18 years and 185 days when the Test series against South Africa starts.The next youngest was Tom Garrett, who was 18 years and 232 days when he played in Australia's first Test match in 1877.Australia play two Tests in South Africa, the first on November 9 in Cape Town and the second in Johannesburg from November 17.The explosive Cummins took 2-27 off four overs in Australia's second Twenty20 international against South Africa on Sunday, opening the bowling and taking two for three in a two-over burst.For Hilditch, Monday's announcement is likely his last as chairman of selectors with Cricket Australia set to appoint a full-time selection chairman and new panel as part of a review earlier this year.Squad: Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson (vice-capt), Michael Beer, Trent Copeland, Patrick Cummins, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Phil Hughes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle.

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Team morale high for Sri Lanka series: Misbah

ABU DHABI : Pakistan skipper Misbahul Haq says "morale of his players is very good as we have been playing very good Test cricket for the last year.Everyone knows their role. We are playing on a consistent basis," he said before the start of a three-Test series against Sri Lanka from Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan host three-Test matches in the UAE. "Sri Lanka is one of best teams in the world and especially in these conditions" Misbah said. On the subcontinent, they are a tough side. We really have to play well. It doesn't matter if Sri Lanka have not been winning as they were playing in England, different conditions," Misbah said.Mohammad Hafeez, emerged as a quality all-rounder with his top-order batting in all formats as has his off spin bowling. Batting will revolve around Hafeez, Misbah, Younus Khan while Shoaib Malik likely to get another chance to resurrect his career.Pakistan's bowling attack is on full strength with fast bowlers Umar Gul & Wahab Riaz expected to return to side. Spin spearhead is Saeed Ajmal with Hafeez lending support and Abdur Rehman offering variety. (PPI)

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Vinay shines as India bowl out England for 237

NEW DELHI : India bowled England out for a modest 237 in good batting conditions in the second one-day international at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi on Monday.Kevin Pietersen's 46 was the top score as wickets tumbled at regular intervals after England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to bat in the day-night match.Vinay Kumar returned with his best one-day figures of four for 30, and fellow-seamer Umesh Yadav picked up two wickets in an impressive display by the under-strength hosts.India, missing seven World Cup stars due to injury or poor form, will chase a target of less than five runs an over for a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.The hosts had won the first game in Hyderabad by 126 runs last Friday.England made a disastrous start, losing openers Cook and Craig Kieswetter before a run had been scored.Cook slashed the fifth ball from Praveen Kumar to point, while Kieswetter edged Vinay to Virat Kohli at slip in the second over.The shackles were broken when Praveen conceded 17 runs in his third over as Jonathan Trott smashed three consecutive fours and Pietersen also helped himself to a boundary.Trott made a fluent 34 with seven fours when he was caught behind off Vinay to reduce England to 48-3 by the 10th over.Ravi Bopara helped Pietersen add 73 for the fourth wicket before India hit back by removing both batsmen in the space of four deliveries.Bopara was leg-before to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for 36 and Pietersen was caught behind chasing a wide ball from Yadav.Samit Patel and Jonathan Bairstow carried the total past the 200-run mark from a shaky 121-5, adding 86 for the sixth wicket before both fell in quick succession.Patel (42) was trapped leg-before by Yadav and Bairstow holed out in the deep off Ravindra Jadeja after making 35

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ABU DHABI : Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq is hoping his team can build on their recent good performance while Sri Lanka are looking to end their drought when the two sides meet here in the first of three Tests from Tuesday.The 37-year-old Misbah took over as Test captain following a spot-fixing scandal in England last year and has since batted superbly to help Pakistan draw series against a formidable South Africa and the West Indies.He also lifted Pakistan to away wins over New Zealand and Zimbabwe and hopes to carry on the good work against Sri Lanka, who have lost their last two series against England and Australia  both 1-0  since Tillakaratne Dilshan took over earlier this year.Misbah hopes his team will continue their recent winning streak."The morale is good, and everyone knows his role," Misbah said on Sunday."Cricket is a team game and since everyone knows his role we have been consistent in Tests and building on."Misbah leads a batting line-up which is a mixture of youth and experience with veteran Younis Khan and talented players like Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.Since taking over as captain Misbah has scored 704 in eight Tests at 78.22 and will be Pakistan's mainstay against the Sri Lankan spin duo of Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv -- both trying to overcome the loss of legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.Sri Lanka have not won a Test, losing three and drawing eight Tests, since Muralitharan bade farewell to Test cricket after taking a world record of 800 wickets.But Misbah said Sri Lanka were still a good team."Sri Lanka no doubt is one of the best teams, especially in these conditions so we have to play well to beat them," said Misbah.Dilshan, 34, is looking to improve his captaincy as well as his batting form after contributing just one half-century against Australia, an 83 in the final Test at Colombo last month."We have a very young bowling unit and I think they are getting experience, so I hope they are now ready to do their job and establish the team in the Tests," said Dilshan.Apart from Dilshan, Sri Lanka have the experience of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara -- both in the twilight of their careers and all-rounders Angelo Mathews, Tharanga Paranavitana and Prasanna Jayawardene to put solid totals on the board.Ironically, bowlers from the both the sides will have to toil hard as wickets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been on the slower side, but could help spinners on the final two days.Pakistan have a better pace attack with Umar Gul (125 wickets) boosting the department after being rested in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, with left-arm pacemen Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan, and Aizaz Cheema in support.Pakistan will also look to Saeed Ajmal in the spin department.The remaining two Tests will be played in Dubai (October 26-30) and Sharjah (November 3-7). The Test series will be followed by five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 match.Pakistan had hoped to host Sri Lanka but an attack on a Karachi military base forced the Islanders to turn down the invitation in May this year and the series was shifted to UAE.International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009

Test squads:
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan.
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Rangana Herath, Suraj Randiv, Chanaka Welegedara, Suranga Lakmal, Kosala Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, Kaushal Silva.
Umpires: Tony Hill (NZL) and Rodney Tucker (AUS)
Tv umpire: Ahsan Raza (PAK)
Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

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Rugby Union legend Jeremy Guscott hails "spectacular" Dubai Sports City

England and British and Irish Lions rugby union legend Jeremy Guscott hailed Dubai Sports City (DSC) as spectacular after taking a tour last week.Guscott, in the United Arab Emirates as a media pundit during the ongoing rugby world cup in New Zealand, used the gap between the quarter- and semi-finals to visit DSC, which includes the 25,000-seater Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the 18-hole Ernie Els-designed championship golf course, the ICC Global Cricket Academy, Dubai Sports City Hockey and Athletics Stadium and artificial and natural turf rugby and football pitches, as well as a thriving residential community at Victory Heights and the Bradenton Preparatory Academy.And the man who won 65 caps for his country, a further eight Lions caps during three tours, and was one of the most gifted backs of his generation, was impressed by what he saw."It's an amazing place," he said. "The facilities already completed are spectacular and once the remaining ones, like the indoor pitch and academies, are ready then it will be even more impressive, if that's possible."The vision behind this project is remarkable and I can see Dubai Sports City being a place where people at all levels of sport, from the elite right through to recreational players, are going to want to come again and again.Guscott received a guided tour of the venues at DSC and was also shown the plans for the completion of the project by the General Manager Sports Business Macky Dudhia, plans that include a rugby academy.Mr Dudhia said afterwards: "We are delighted that Jeremy was able to take the time to visit Dubai Sports City and see for himself the world-class facilities we have here."It is also gratifying to get an endorsement of what we are doing at Dubai Sports City from a sportsman of Jeremy's stature."We already have a series of outstanding, world-class facilities in operation, including the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the Ernie Els-designed championship golf course, the ICC Global Cricket Academy and a field hockey and athletics stadium.These facilities are already attracting sports stars and professionals from all over the world and that process will only continue and increase as Dubai Sports City develops further in the weeks and months to come.

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South Africa level T20 series against Australia

JOHANNESBURG : Tailenders Wayne Parnell and Rusty Theron snatched an improbable three-wicket win for South Africa in the second Twenty20 international against Australia at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.Parnell (29 not out) and Theron (31 not out) put on an unbeaten 64 for the eighth wicket off just 27 balls to level a series which Australia had looked almost certain to win.Australia's youth brigade took their side to the brink of victory but in the end a lack of experience proved costly to the tourists. Teenage debutant Mitchell Marsh hit four sixes in the last two overs to give Australia's innings a late boost, taking them to a total of 147 for eight, which seemed more than enough when fellow teenager, fast bowler Pat Cummins, sparked a South African collapse.Marsh, 19, made 36 off 21 balls on the day he joined older brother Shaun and father Geoff as an international cricketer.Cummins, 18, opened the bowling and dismissed Colin Ingram and JP Duminy as he took two for three in a two-over burst. James Pattinson, 21, kept the pressure on, taking two for 17 in four overs.South Africa were reeling at 84 for seven with only 32 balls remaining when Theron joined his franchise teammate Parnell.There were still 37 needed off three overs when Australian captain Cameron White brought left-arm slow bowler Steve O'Keeffe on to bowl. The left-handed Parnell hit him for a four and two sixes in an over which cost 18 runs.Cummins bowled the 19th over and conceded 13 runs, including two wides. Six were needed off the final over and White turned to David Hussey instead of the inexperienced Mitchell Marsh. Theron the off-spinner's first ball high over midwicket to settle the match with five balls to spare.

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Pakistan’ll continue recent winning streak: Misbah

ABU DHABI : Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq is hoping his team can build on their recent good performance while Sri Lanka are looking to end their drought when the two sides meet here in the first of three Tests from Tuesday.The 37-year-old Misbah took over as Test captain following a spot-fixing scandal in England last year and has since batted superbly to help Pakistan draw series against a formidable South Africa and the West Indies.He also lifted Pakistan to away wins over New Zealand and Zimbabwe and hopes to carry on the good work against Sri Lanka, who have lost their last two series against England and Australia  both 1-0  since Tillakaratne Dilshan took over earlier this year.Misbah hopes his team will continue their recent winning streak.The morale is good, and everyone knows his role," Misbah said on Sunday"Cricket is a team game and since everyone knows his role we have been consistent in Tests and building on."Misbah leads a batting line-up which is a mixture of youth and experience with veteran Younis Khan and talented players like Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.Since taking over as captain Misbah has scored 704 in eight Tests at 78.22 and will be Pakistan's mainstay against the Sri Lankan spin duo of Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv -- both trying to overcome the loss of legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.Sri Lanka have not won a Test, losing three and drawing eight Tests, since Muralitharan bade farewell to Test cricket after taking a world record of 800 wickets.But Misbah said Sri Lanka were still a good team."Sri Lanka no doubt is one of the best teams, especially in these conditions so we have to play well to beat them," said Misbah.The remaining two Tests will be played in Dubai (October 26-30) and Sharjah (November 3-7). The Test series will be followed by five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 match.Pakistan had hoped to host Sri Lanka but an attack on a Karachi military base forced the Islanders to turn down the invitation in May this year and the series was shifted to UAE.International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009

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Debutant Marsh gives Australia late boost

JOHANNESBURG : Teenage debutant Mitchell Marsh hit four sixes in the last two overs to give Australia's innings a late boost in the second and final Twenty20 international against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.Australia made 147 for eight in their 20 overs. Marsh hit 36 off 21 balls as the last two overs yielded 35 runs, breaking the shackles imposed by South Africa's bowlers for most of the innings.Marsh, 19, was handed his first cap, joining brother Shaun and father Geoff as Australian international cricketers, because fellow all-rounder Shane Watson was ruled out by what was described as a minor hip injury.Marsh joined skipper Cameron White when Australia were struggling at 87 for five with one ball remaining in the 14th over. He played a supporting role as White batted aggressively before being run out for 39 off 26 balls in the 17th over, then showed his potential as one of Australia's most promising young players.His first six was off Wayne Parnell in an over which brought 15 runs, then he thrashed three more sixes off Morne Morkel before he was bowled off the last ball of the innings.With Australia having won the first match by five wickets in Cape Town on Thursday, South Africa's bowlers dominated the early part of the innings, with Lonwabo Tsotsobe producing his country's most economical four-over spell by taking two for 11, including a first spell of one for six.Morkel and Rusty Theron also took two wickets each on a pitch which looked ideal for batting but which had some uneven bounce.

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Pakistan and Sri Lanka aim for improvement in Test Championship table

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be aiming to make an upward movement in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table when they go head to head in a three-Test series which starts at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.Sri Lanka is currently sitting in fifth position on 103 ratings points, while Pakistan is nine ratings points behind in sixth position.However, all this can change depending how the series pans out. While Sri Lanka only needs to win the series to leapfrog fourth-ranked Australia, Pakistan needs to win by 2-0 or better if it wants to move ahead of Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka's 1-0 or 2-1 series win will put it one ratings point ahead of Australia, a 2-0 win will place it on 107 ratings points, while a 3-0 win will give it a lead of four ratings points over Australia.On the other side of the coin, if Pakistan wins by a 2-0 margin it will move to 100 ratings points while relegating Sri Lanka to 97 ratings points whereas in case of a 3-0 win, Pakistan will rise to 102 ratings points - just two behind Australia - and Sri Lanka will drop to 96 ratings points. If Pakistan wins 1-0, it will narrow its gap with Sri Lanka to just one ratings point.If the series ends in a draw, then Sri Lanka will drop a ratings point while Pakistan will gain a point.Meanwhile, Bangladesh also takes on West Indies in a two-Test in Chittagong from Friday.Seventh-ranked West Indies leads ninth-placed Bangladesh by 81 ratings points and as the rankings system is weighted to reflect this difference, the West Indies' failure to win the series comfortably will mean it will drop points.If the series ends in a one-all draw, Bangladesh will gain eight ratings while the West Indies will drop five ratings points, but if the West Indies wins both the Tests, then it will earn only one ratings points whereas Bangladesh will concede only two ratings points.To find out exactly how Pakistan-Sri Lanka and Bangladesh-West Indies Test series will affect the Championship table, please click here. The Test Championship table, unlike the ODI Championship table, is updated only after the end of the series.In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen, former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara will be targeting to regain the number-two position which he last held in May before slipping from that position after the first Test against England in Cardiff.Sangakkara is currently in fifth position but trails England's pair of Ian Bell and Alastair Cook, who jointly share the second spot, by only 17 ratings points. Number-one ranked Jacques Kallis of South Africa is 77 ratings points ahead of the left-handed Sri Lankan.The other batsmen from either side who will be eyeing return to the top 10 include former captains Mahela Jayawardena and Younus Khan. Both the batsmen are currently in 14th and 15th positions, respectively but require less than 40 points each to break into the top 10.Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq is enjoying a career-best ranking of 17th and if he manages to produce the same form he showed against South Africa in Dubai and Abu Dhabi last year (he had scores of nine, 79 not out, 77 and 58 not out), then he has a good chance of moving further up the order.Other batsmen inside the top 50 and hoping to move up the order include Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan (29th), Azhar Ali (34th), N.T.Paranavithana (42nd), Imran Farhat (48th) and Prasanna Jayawardena (50th).In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath is the highest-ranked bowlers from either side in 17th position, followed by Umar Gul (22nd), Saeed Ajmal (23rd), Abdul Rehman (35th) and Aizaz Cheema (50th).The bowling table is headed by Dale Steyn of South Africa, who is followed by England's James Anderson and Graeme Swann.

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Aussies win toss, bat against Proteas

JOHANNESBURG : Australia won the toss and decided to bat in the second and final Twenty20 international against South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.Both teams showed one change following the first match, which Australia won by five wickets in Cape Town on Thursday.South Africa picked left-arm seam bowler Wayne Parnell ahead of left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, while Mitchell Marsh earned his first cap for Australia in place of fellow all-rounder Shane Watson.Australian captain Cameron White said Watson had a minor hip injury but would be fit for the first one-day international at Centurion on Wednesday. Marsh, 19, will be playing along side older brother Shaun. They are the sons of former Australian opening batsman Geoff Marsh.Conditions looked ideal for batting on a hot afternoon.South Africa: Hashim Amla (captain), Graeme Smith, Colin Ingram, JP Duminy, David Miller, Heino Kuhn, Johan Botha, Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne Morkel, Rusty Theron.Australia: Cameron White (captain), David Warner, Matthew Wade, Shaun Marsh, David Hussey, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Steve O'Keeffe, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins, Doug Bollinger.Umpires: Johan Cloete and Shaun George (both RSA), TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA)Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)

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Sri Lanka keen to end 11-match losing streak

ABU DHABI : Pakistan-Sri Lanka three Tests cricket series starts with first match on Tuesday here at the Sheikh Zayed International Stadium. Sri Lanka players had training session on Saturday afternoon at Zayed Stadium. Dilawar Mani, CEO of Emirates Cricket Board said admission to first Test will be free. "We expect two sides that have some world class players to dish out an exciting series and it is great opportunity for fans in the UAE to witness high class cricket."The second Test will be played in Dubai from October 26-30 and third in Sharjah from November 3-7. Sri Lanka squad for subsequent five one-day international matches and a T20 international will be named later.Sri Lanka will be keen to end a 11-match losing streak since their last win against India at Galle in July 2010. This year, they lost an away series against England 1-0, before being beaten by Australia by a similar margin at home.Sri Lanka's Test squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Rangana Herath, Suraj Randiv, Chanaka Welegedara, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, Kaushal Silva, Kosala Kulasekara.

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Pakistan, Sri Lanka teams arrive in UAE

ABU DHABI : Pakistan and Sri Lanka cricket teams arrived here on Saturday for playing a series of three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 match.The matches of the series will be played at three venues - Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.The first Test of the series between the two countries will begin on October 18 at Abu Dhabi..This is for the first time that a Test match will be played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates, and this is also the first time the two teams are meeting for an all out series since the 2009 tour of Pakistan during which the Sri Lankan team became victim to a terrorist attack in Lahore.

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New Zealand put Zimbabwe into bat

HARARE : New Zealand won the toss and sent Zimbabwe in to bat in the first of two Twenty20 internationals at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.Teams Zimbabwe: Brendan Taylor (captain, wk), Hamilton Masakadza, Chamu Chibhabha, Forster Mutizwa, Charles Coventry, Elton Chigumbura, Malcolm Waller, Regis Chakabva, Prosper Utseya, Raymond Price, Kyle JarvisNew Zealand: Ross Taylor (captain), Brendon McCullum (wk), Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Kane Williamson, James Franklin, Nathan McCullum, Jacob Oram, Doug Bracewell, Kyle Mills, Luke Woodcock

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McCullum leads N Zealand to 10-wicket win over Zimbabwe

HARARE : Brendon McCullum slammed an unbeaten 81 as New Zealand raced to a 10-wicket win in the first Twenty20 international against Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.The New Zealand bowlers set up the victory by restricting Zimbabwe to 123 for eight in their 20 overs after being sent in, with home skipper Brendan Taylor the only batsman to shine, making 50 not out. Opening bowler Kyle Mills and off-spinner Nathan McCullum took two wickets each in a steady New Zealand bowling performance.Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill (40 not out) made the target look ridiculously easy, needing only 13.3 overs to score the required runs.McCullum thrashed six sixes and five fours off 46 balls as he confirmed his reputation as one of the world's most destructive hitters in the shortest form of the game. Guptill hit two sixes and two fours and faced 30 balls.Zimbabwe were hit by the late withdrawals of two key players, experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Tatenda Taibu because of injury and batsman Vusi Sibanda,whose mother died early on Saturday.Tall seam bowler Mills struck two early blows for New Zealand, dismissing both opening batsmen inside the first five overs. Hamilton Masakadza holed out to mid-off after hitting Doug Bracewell for six in the previous over and Chabu Chibhabha edged an attempted drive to wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.Taylor and Forster Mutizwa added 28 for the third wicket before Mutizwa was leg before to left-arm spinner Luke Woodcock. Malcolm Waller tried to lift the scoring rate, hitting Nathan McCullum for six, but was caught at deep square leg in the same over. Charles Coventry also fell playing an ambitious shot against McCullum caught at cover.Hopes of a late flurry were dashed as three wickets fell off the final seven balls of the innings.Mills finished with two for 15 and Nathan McCullum took two for 17 but with the exception of one over from James Franklin which yielded ten runs, all New Zealand's bowlers proved difficult to score off.

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Taylor fights lone battle for Zimbabwe

HARARE : Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor fought virtually a lone battle against New Zealand's bowlers in the first of two Twenty20 internationals at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.Taylor made 50 not out off 46 balls as Zimbabwe limped to 123 for eight in their 20 overs after being sent in.Zimbabwe were hit by the late withdrawals of two key players, experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Tatenda Taibu because of injury and batsman Vusi Sibanda, whose mother died early on Saturday.Tall seam bowler Kyle Mills struck two early blows for New Zealand, dismissing both opening batsmen inside the first five overs. Hamilton Masakadza holed out to mid-off after hitting Doug Bracewell for six in the previous over and Chabu Chibhabha edged an attempted drive to wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.Taylor and Forster Mutizwa added 28 for the third wicket before Mutizwa was leg before to left-arm spinner Luke Woodcock. Malcolm Waller tried to lift the scoring rate, hitting off-spinner Nathan McCullum for six, but was caught at deep square leg in the same over.Charles Coventry also fell playing an ambitious shot against McCullum, caught at cover.Hopes of a late flurry were dashed as three wickets fell off the final seven balls of the innings.Mills finished with two for 15 and Nathan McCullum took two for 17 but with the exception of one over from James Franklin, which yielded ten runs, all New Zealand's bowlers proved difficult to score off.

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Bangladesh reach 220 after dismal start against Windies

DHAKA : Mushfiqur Rahim hit a gutsy half-century under pressure as Bangladesh recovered from a horror start to post a competitive 220 against the West Indies in the second one-day international on Saturday.Bangladesh were struggling at 18-4 in the opening five overs after birthday boy Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach bagged two wickets apiece, but skipper Rahim led his team's recovery with a 109-ball 69.Wicket-keeper Rahim, playing his 100th one-day international, added 40 runs for the fifth wicket with Alok Kapali (20) and 57 for the next with Naeem Islam (30) to steady the innings.The Bangladeshi captain hit one six and two fours before being caught by Marlon Samuels at deep square-leg off seamer Andre Russell while going for a big shot in the 40th over.Nasir Hossain scored a useful 54-ball 50 and Abdur Razzak contributed 25 off 19 balls to help Bangladesh cross the 200-mark.The hosts made a dismal start after winning the toss when they lost three wickets for one run in the first two overs, with paceman Roach taking two wickets in the space of four balls and Rampaul one.Fast bowler Rampaul, who turned 27 on Saturday, struck with his fourth delivery when he had opener Imrul Kayes caught by wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin for no score.Roach got two wickets in his first over, having opener Tamim Iqbal caught by Russell at third-man and then Mohammad Ashraful by skipper Darren Sammy in the slips to send Bangladesh reeling at 1-3.Former skipper Shakib Al Hasan (12) began aggressively when he hit Roach for three fours in an over but his flourish did not last long as he fell in the next over, caught behind off Rampaul.But Rahim received valuable support from Kapali and Naeem to prop up the innings and keep alive his team's hopes of levelling the three-match series.The West Indies made one change from the side that won the opening one-dayer by 40 runs in Dhaka on Thursday, with fit-again Sammy replacing opener Adrian Barath.Bangladesh retained their team.

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Bangladesh elect to bat in second Windies ODI

DHAKA : Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim elected to bat after winning the toss against the West Indies in the second one-day international on Saturday.The West Indies made one change from the side that won the opening one-dayer of the three-match series by 40 runs in Dhaka on Thursday, with fit-again skipper Darren Sammy replacing opener Adrian Barath.Bangladesh retained their team.Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Abdur Razzak, Alok Kapali, Imrul Kayes Mohammad Ashraful, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal.West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Danza Hyatt, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons.

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Pakistan cricket team leaves for UAE

LAHORE : The Pakistan cricket team led by Misbah-ul-Haq left for the UAE Saturday to play against Sri Lanka starting with the first Test on Tuesday, October 18 at the Sheikh Zayed International Cricket Stadium,While talking to media at Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport, team coach Mohsin Khan said that the current team is balanced with junior and senior players, and it will try to give optimum results in the upcoming series. He said that the team has worked on different areas to improve performance as tough game is expected between the two teams.Captain Misbah-ul-Haq expressed his hopes to deliver good performance and said that he is satisfied with the players combination.The team is scheduled to play 5 ODI, 3 Test and one Twenty20 matches against Sri Lanka.The Sri Lankan cricket team is led by Tillakaratne Dilshan.

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Dhoni inspires India to 126-run win over England

HYDERABAD :  India: Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni led from the front as beleaguered India redeemed themselves with a 126-run win over England in the first one-day international here on Friday.Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 87 off 70 balls to power the injury-ravaged world champions to 300-7 after he won the toss and chose to bat on a sluggish wicket at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.England, fresh from their overwhelming success over India at home, were shot out for 174 in 36.1 overs to hand India the early lead in the five-match series.Captain Alastair Cook top-scored with 60, but England lost their last eight wickets for 63 runs after being comfortably placed at 111-2 in the 23rd over.Left-arm spinner Ravinda Jadeja and off-break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed three wickets each and seamer Umesh Yadav claimed two in front of 25,000 delighted home fans.India, playing their first international at home since the World Cup triumph in April, were without star batsman Sachin Tendulkar and at least six other regulars, due to injury or poor form.The hosts defended the total with a new-look bowling attack in which three specialists, Vinay Kumar, Yadav and Ashwin, had played only 25 one-dayers between them before Friday's match.England were reduced to 40-2 by the 10th over before Cook and Jonathan Trott (26) put on 71 for the third wicket.Jadeja turned the match around by removing both batsmen in successive overs, Cook holing out in the deep and Trott being bowled to make England 120-4.The tourists slipped further to 134-7 as Ashwin dismissed Ravi Bopara and Tim Bresnan and Jadeja took care of the highly-rated Jonathan Bairstow.Yadav bowled Graeme Swann and Samit Patel, before Ashwin signalled India's emphatic win by shattering the stumps of last man Jade Dernbach.Earlier, Suresh Raina made 61 off 55 balls and added 72 for the fifth wicket with Dhoni after India were reduced to 123-4 by the 29th over.Jadeja chipped in with 27 off 22 balls at the end as India hammered 91 runs in the last 10 overs.The second one-dayer will be played in New Delhi on Monday.

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Cricket: Pakistan and India to play blind series

KARACHI : While India and Pakistan await a breakthrough in reviving main cricketing ties, they will field blind teams in a limited over series next month, a Pakistani official said Friday.We have arranged a three Twenty20 and three one-day international match series with India late next month and hope that with that blind series both the nations will play more and more, Syed Sultan Shah, president of the Pakistan Blind Cricket Association, told India stalled cricketing ties with Pakistan after Islamist gunmen killed 166 people in Mumbai in 2008, attacks that New Delhi blamed on Pakistani militants and which Islamabad conceded were planned at least partly on Pakistani soil.India and Pakistan now insist relations are back on track and peace talks have since resumed. But despite an agreement in principle to resume the hugely popular bilateral cricket series, there has been no break through.Pakistan and India are slotted to play a series in the Future Tours Programme of the International Cricket Council next year but a date and venue have yet to be finalised.Shah said the Indian blind team would be accorded a warm welcome on November 16 at the Wagah border crossing, near Lahore."We want to give a message that people of India and Pakistan are friends and through this series we will also project the message that cricket should not suffer," said Shah, also Pakistan's first blind team captain.The three Twenty20 matches will be played in Lahore on November 18, 19 and 20, while the three one-day matches are scheduled for November 22, 24 and 26.Pakistan have won two of the three World Cups held in blind cricket, the last one at home in 2006.A blind team comprises of four totally visually impaired players, three partially blind and four partially sighted players.Totally blind players are helped by a runner whose one run is counted as double, two as four and four as eight.The ball has a bell to help the batsmen, bowlers and fielders sense its approach.Pakistan has not hosted international cricket since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009, killing eight Pakistanis and wounding seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach

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Six captains on this week's ICC Cricket World Radio Show

Cape Town : Hashim Amla, South Africa's stand-in captain, is one of the six captains to participate on this week's ICC Cricket World Radio Show as he looks forward to his side's series against Australia which starts today (Thursday) with a Twenty20 International (T20I) in Cape Town.Also, Zimbabwe and New Zealand captains Brendan Taylor and Ross Taylor preview their series which starts in Harare on Saturday with a T20I while India's Gautam Gambhir talks about his fitness and the ODI series against England which kicks off in Hyderabad tomorrow (Friday).Looking forward to the series in South Africa and India are former captains Kepler Wessels and Ravi Shastri while West Indies women's team's captain Merissa Aguilleira looks ahead to the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier 2011 which will be held in Bangladesh from 14 to 25 November.Amla says: "I am quite excited and it is a big honour for me. The injury to AB de Villiers is a big blow to the team."We are enjoying Gary Kirsten's coaching. It will take a little time to know Gary's ideas but so far it has all been positive."Both the teams are on similar stages in their development. Australia and South Africa have similar traits. It is going to be very competitive (series) and no doubt will be one of the contests to watch out for.The show can be used in whole or part by radio stations that want free cricket content for editorial use, while the public can also download it straight from www.icc-cricket.com or from iTunes.Gambhir, who is staging a comeback after missing the ODI series against England earlier this summer, says: "I don't know why people are talking about this being a payback series. I think it is just another series."There is no word in my dictionary called "payback". England deserved to win when we played them there."Winning is important for us whether convincingly or otherwise does not matter. They will come hard at us and we will go hard at them."Apart from these exclusive interviews, there is the usual round-up of cricketing news and an update of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings

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No Aussies fixing matches: Clarke

SYDNEY : Australian Test and one-day captain Michael Clarke said Friday he was "100 percent confident" that no Australian cricketers were involved in match-fixing.His comments followed allegations made in a London court this week implicating Australian players during the corruption trial of ex-Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif."Me personally, I have never been approached by anyone," he said on his departure for South Africa for a three-match one-day series that kicks off on October 19 ahead of Tests in Cape Town and Johannesburg in November."The players I have played with, I'm 100 percent confident they would never be involved in that," he added on the Cricket Australia website."It is not the Australian way. Never in my time have I experienced a conversation with anybody about any such things.He admitted that some Australian cricketers had been approached, but it had always been reported to the authorities."There has obviously been a couple of occasions where guys (in our team) have been approached and that has been reported to our team manager and to the International Cricket Council," he said."So all the boys in the Australian team are aware that it is happening and that it is going on."But, like I said, it has never involved me and I'm very confident that it has never involved any of the Australian players.The fixing claims emerged as Mazher Mahmood, the former investigations editor for Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World, gave evidence at the trial of Butt and Asif on Tuesday.In recordings played to Southwark Crown Court, an agent, Mazhar Majeed, alleged that Australians, as well as some of the biggest names in Pakistani cricket, were prepared to fix parts of matches.Majeed claimed Australian players would fix "brackets", a set period of a match on which punters bet.Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland has blasted the claims as baseless."These comments or allegations would appear to be outlandish and were made by a person of dubious repute," he said this week. "These would appear to be baseless allegations.

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Australia beat South Africa by 5 wickets in first T20

CAPE TOWN : Australia defeated South Africa by five wickets in the first of two Twenty20 internationals at Newlands on Thursday.South Africa made 146 for seven before Australia reached their target with three balls to spare.The second game takes place in Johannesburg on Sunday.Check Out Cricket Ratings

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Windies beat Bangladesh by 40 runs

DHAKA : Lendl Simmons smashed a maiden century as the West Indies posted an easy 40-run win over Bangladesh in the first one-day international on Thursday to gain a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.The opener made a 124-ball 122 as the West Indies scored a challenging 298-4 before restricting Bangladesh to 258-7 in the day-night match in Dhaka. Shakib Al Hasan top-scored for the hosts with an unbeaten 67.

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Simmons boosts Windies with maiden ton

DHAKA : Lendl Simmons hit an impressive maiden century to help the West Indies post a challenging 298-4 against Bangladesh in the first one-day international on Thursday.The opener, 26, cracked two sixes and eight fours in his 124-ball 122 to prop up the innings after the tourists had been put in bat in the day-night match in Dhaka.He added 67 runs with Adrian Barath, who retired after making 21, and 150 with in-form Marlon Samuels (71).Simmons, who had scored six half-centuries in his last nine one-dayers before this match, completed his hundred in the 37th over with a single to mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan His best came in the 40th over when he hit paceman Shafiul Islam for four boundaries before being caught by Alok Kapali off paceman Rubel Hossian in the 42nd over.Samuels also fell in the same over after hitting two sixes and six fours in his 78-ball knock, but not before setting the stage for the closing-overs onslaught with Simmons.The West Indies plundered 74 runs in the last eight overs, with Kieron Pollard smashing three sixes in his 25-ball 41 and Darren Bravo scoring 20 off 19 balls.Barath left the field due to a hamstring injury as runners are not allowed under new rules, but there was no respite for Bangladesh as Samuels looked in good form from the beginning.Samuels, who hit a half-century in the one-off Twenty20 international on Tuesday, lofted left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak over mid-wicket for the first six of the match.Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, leading in his first one-day series, used seven bowlers, but none could keep pressure on Simmons and Samuels who continued to gather runs comfortably against both pace and spin.Wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin led the West Indies in place of all-rounder Darren Sammy who was ruled out of the match due to an upset stomach

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Misbah vows to win Sri Lanka series

LAHORE : Pakistan cricket team captain Misbah-ul-Haq said that the national team would go all out to win the series against Sri Lanka.However, the opponents cannot be taken easy despite in the absence of Muralitharan, said the captain. Talking with media here at the Qadhafi Stadium, Misbah said that cricket is a team game and it is not wise to rely on a single player He said that the national team would display good performance in the series against Sri Lanka.He further said that there were bowlers in the team with a potential of getting opponents out.The Pakistan captain appreciated the decision of opting referral system during the series

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Sri Lanka look for revival against Pakistan

COLOMBO : Sri Lanka hope to end their Test drought when they face Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates later this month, the team's captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said Thursday.Sri Lanka have not won a Test in their last 11 outings, since beating India in Galle in July 2010 when world bowling record holder Muttiah Muralitharan made his final appearance.This year, Sri Lanka lost an away series against England 1-0, before falling to Australia by a similar margin at home.Dilshan said he looked forward to turning the tide when they clash with Pakistan in a three-Test series which opens at the neutral venue of Abu Dhabi on October 18."The important thing is to remain patient. We have got some inexperienced bowlers and it takes time for them to develop," Dilshan told the Colombo-based Island newspaper.If you take the last series against Australia, we lost one Test that could have gone either way. I thought we played well in the remaining two Tests."Dilshan said the team needs time to overcome the absence of the retired duo of Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas."Guys like Murali and Vaasy did an exceptional job for us for 15 years," he said. "Suddenly when you lose them the team struggles. I believe we need to be patient rather than take harsh decisions.Injured fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep returns to the bowling attack, which also includes off-spinner Suraj Randiv and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.Dilshan predicted a close contest against Pakistan. The Tests will be followed by five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match."I feel they have a balanced side," the captain said. "The wickets will be batsmen friendly and the big challenge for us will be to take 20 wickets in a game.The Sri Lankans leave for the UAE on Friday.Pakistan has been forced to host international matches in neutral countries after a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009

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Bangladesh put Windies in to bat in first ODI

DHAKA : Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim elected to field after winning the toss against the West Indies in the first one-day international in Dhaka on Thursday.Denesh Ramdin led the West Indies in place of Darren Sammy, who was ruled out of the match due to an upset stomach.West Indies: Denesh Ramdin (capt), Adrian Barath, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Danza Hyatt, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons. Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt)Abdur Razzak, Alok Kapali, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal

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Khurram leads from the front in UAE win

United Arab Emirates (UAE) registered a 69 run win over Afghanistan in the second and last 50-over League match at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday.Batting first, UAE was restricted to 221 for eight in its 50 overs. In its reply, Afghanistan was bowled out for 152 in 44.4 overs to hand UAE a handsome win.Earlier, UAE lost early wickets. The side was struggling at 127 for five. It required a fine rearguard action from skipper Khurram Khan (43: 49b, 4x4) to stem the rot.Khurram added a crucial 52 runs for the sixth wicket with Ahmed Raza (35). This partnership revived the innings and ensured that UAE have a decent total to work with.For Afghanistan the key wicket-takers were Hamza Hotak (3-43) and Samiullah Shenwari (2-35)In the chase, Afghanistan lost wickets at regular intervals. Opener Karim Sadiq (31) led the charge early on, but there were no partnerships in the Afghanistan line-up.Asghar Stanikzai (33) held the innings together in the middle-order but got no support from the lower-half of the line-up. For UAE, it was skipper Khurram who once again starred, this time with the ball with a spell of 3-24. The other key wicket-takers were Shadeep Silva (2-34), Ahmed Raza (2-12) and Vikrant Shetty (2-16).

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England and India resume battle for position on Reliance ICC ODI Championship table

ICC World Twenty20 champion England and world champion India resume their battle for position in the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table when they go head to head in the five-ODI series, which starts in Hyderabad on Friday.England is currently in fourth position, leading fifth-placed India by just a ratings point. However, all this can change depending how the series pans out. And with number-one ranked Australia also ready to lock horns with third-placed South Africa from next Wednesday at Centurion, there is the possibility of plenty of movement at the top of the order.In the second half of the table, Bangladesh hosts the West Indies in a three-ODI series from Thursday with the home side eyeing an upward movement.Eighth-ranked West Indies leads Bangladesh in ninth place by 15 ratings points but the team placings will reverse if Bangladesh wins all the three matches. If this happens, Bangladesh will gain a place on the table as it would earn a swing of 16 ratings.To find out exactly how the forthcoming matches will affect the team rankings, please click here. Unlike the Test Championship table, the ODI Championship table is updated after every match. Meanwhile, in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, England's Jonathan Trott, who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in London last month, is in fourth position and will be aiming to improve his ranking further.The 30-year-old trails second-ranked AB de Villiers of South Africa by 54 ratings points and third-ranked Shane Watson of Australia by 10 ratings points. But given he is in a qualification period for batsmen*, it is likely that he will move even further up the ladder depending on how he performs in the series.Trott, who has scored 1,596 runs in 35 ODIs, including 1,113 runs from 24 matches this year, had also played an integral role in England's 3-0 win over India earlier this English summer when he scored 111 runs which had helped him gain two places in the rankings.The next highest-ranked England batsman after Trott is captain Alastair Cook who is in 42nd position while Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell are in 52nd and 55th positions, respectively with Ravi Bopara sitting in 65th spot.India boasts three batsmen inside the top 15 with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading from the front. He is in sixth position and will be keen to regain the coveted number-one position he surrendered to AB de Villiers after the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka last August. Dhoni trails fifth-ranked Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka by 13 ratings points while he is 16 ratings points behind Trott.The other India batsmen aiming to climb up the ladder include Virat Kohli (ninth), Gautam Gambhir (14th) and Suresh Raina (30th).The highest-ranked Bangladesh and West Indies batsmen are Shakib Al Hasan and Lendl Simmons in 23rd and 49th, respectively.In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, England's Graeme Swann will be hoping to strengthen his position on top of the tree. The off-spinner leads second-ranked New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori by 27 ratings points.In the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan is England's highest-ranked bowler in 27th position.Likewise, India will also be without its four frontline bowlers - Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh. In their absence, Praveen Kumar is the highest-ranked India bowler in 21st position.Bangladesh left-arm spinners Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan are inside the top 20 in 14th and 17th positions, respectively, followed by West Indies' pace duo of Ravi Rampaul and Darren Sammy in 30th and 31st positions, respectively.

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Bairstow sizzles as England warn India

International novice Jonny Bairstow smashed an unbeaten 104 off 53 balls on Tuesday as England flaunted their all-round prowess ahead of the one-day series against world champions India.England piled up 367-4 in their 50 overs in a practice match against a Hyderabad XI and bowled the home team out for 114 in just 35.3 overs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.The massive 253-run win was a timely boost for the tourists with the first one-dayer against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's India at the same venue on Friday.Skipper Alastair Cook hit 85 off 74 balls and Craig Kieswetter made 71 during a rollicking opening stand of 151. Jonathan Trott chipped in with a quickfire 74, but it was the 22-year-old Bairstow who stole the show by pounding eight sixes and six boundaries.Bairstow, who has played a solitary one-day international, reached his century with a six off the last ball of the innings. Kevin Pietersen missed out in the run-hunt, falling for 10 Scott Borthwick, a 21-year-old leg-spinner from Durham, enhanced his claims for a full England debut with remarkable figures of 5-31 from his 10 overs in Hyderabad's innings.The tourists won the first practice match against the same opposition on Saturday by 56 runs with fast bowler Steven Finn grabbing a hat-trick in his 4-28.England took the field in the second game without frontline batsman Ian Bell, down with a stomach bug, and leading spinner Graeme Swann, who is recovering from a minor ankle injury.Fast bowlers Finn and Jade Dernbach, and batsman Ravi Bopara, were also rested. The other matches against India will be played in New Delhi (October 17), Mohali (Oct 20), Mumbai (Oct 23) and Kolkata (Oct 25), before England round off the tour with a lone Twenty20 game in Kolkata on Oct 29.

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Windies vow to bounce back in Bangladesh

DHAKA : West Indies captain Darren Sammy said Wednesday he was confident his team will come back strongly in the one-day series after opening the Bangladesh tour with a close defeat.The tourists lost the one-off Twenty20 international by three wickets in a thrilling finish in Dhaka on Tuesday, with Bangladesh's new captain Mushfiqur Rahim smashing a six off the penultimate ball."This is the start of the tour, so we will regroup and come back," Sammy said ahead of the first one-dayer in Dhaka on Thursday."We have three one-dayers and two Test matches, so there is a lot to play for. We will look at the areas where we went wrong and lift our game for the upcoming matches.Sammy was pleased with the form of Marlon Samuels who raised visions of a West Indies victory with a good all-round show before man-of-the-match Rahim (41 not out) snatched the game away from them.Samuels top-scored with a fighting 58, his best in Twenty20 internationals, to help his side post 132-8 and then dismissed key batsmen Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful with his off-spin to reduce the hosts to 71-5.It was good to see the way Marlon performed. He is playing very well at the moment and is doing his bit with the bat and ball," said Sammy."Hats off to Mushfiqur. We know Bangladesh are a good team and they held their nerve better than we did."Rahim lauded his team for delivering under pressure in his first match as captain."This was my first match as captain and I couldn't have asked for more. It was a team effort and I'm really happy," he said."In the last over, I had the confidence that if I got the ball in my zone then I could hit it for a four or six. Fortunately, that is what happened.The West Indies are likely to name leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for the one-day series to be played on spin-friendly tracks.The hosts will be without vice-captain Mohammad Mahmudullah, who is suffering from a viral fever.Bangladesh have won just three of their 17 one-day internationals against the West Indies.West Indies (from): Darren Sammy (capt), Adrian Barath, Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Anthony Martin, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons.angladesh (from): Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Alok Kapali, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Shahriar Nafees, Shuvagoto Hom.

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England ready to change script in India

HYDERABAD : England will look to improve on their dismal one-day record in India when they clash with the injury-ravaged world champions in a five-match series starting Friday.England have beaten India just once in their last 10 one-day internationals on Indian soil, which included a thrilling tie during the World Cup in Bangalore in March.Alastair Cook's side will be buoyant after a dominant home season when they beat India 4-0 in the Test series to take over as the world's number one team, and also won the one-dayers 3-0.Cook, however, refused to take victory for granted against a depleted home team missing key players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh due to injury or poor form."I don't see any relation between what happened in England and what's going to happen out here," Cook said ahead of the first one-dayer at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.India are historically very strong at home, and we have an extremely tough challenge on our hands. It's a great opportunity for an England side to play the world champions in their back yard.England, who arrived in India on October 4 to acclimatise to local conditions, warmed up for the series by winning both practice matches against Hyderabad teams.On Tuesday, they routed the local side by 253 runs after Jonny Bairstow smashed an unbeaten 104 off 53 balls and uncapped leg-spinner Scott Borthwick picked up five wickets.The new-look Indian team has just four survivors -- skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina from the side that beat Sri Lanka in the World Cup final in Mumbai on April 2.Tendulkar, Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel are recovering from injuries, while Harbhajan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth were dropped due to poor form.India's 15-man squad for the first two one-dayers includes three players leg-spinner Rahul Sharma, 24, left-arm seamer Sreenath Aravind, 27, and fast bowler Varun Aaron, 21 who have yet to play international cricket.Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Sharma are the three spin options, while Praveen Kumar will lead a new-ball attack that also includes Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar.Kevin Pietersen returns for England after being omitted for the one-dayers against India at home, but the tourists are without pace spearheads James Anderson who is being rested, and Stuart Broad who is injured.Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach and Steven Finn will head the tourists' pace attack, which also includes 22-year-old uncapped Surrey bowler Stuart Meaker.Despite injuries to star players and the humiliating defeats on English soil, India appeared unfazed."England played very well in England and deserved to win, but we will do well at home," said middle-order batsman Raina.The remaining four matches after the Hyderabad opener will be played in New Delhi on October 17, Mohali on the 20th, Mumbai on the 23rd and Kolkata on the 25th.England will round off the tour with a Twenty20 game in Kolkata on October 29

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My priority will be to improve Pakistan's cricket image: Zaka Ashraf

KARACHI : Zaka Ashraf, after being appointed the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said his priority was to improve Pakistan cricket's image abroad after a series of high-profile scandals.Ashraf, 59, a member of the executive committee of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, said: "I will work day and night to live up to president Zardari's confidence," Ashraf told Geo News. "My top priority will be to improve Pakistan's cricket image and stop bookies and match-fixers.Ashraf said that he will also try to improve relations with other cricket boards, including great rivals India, with whom sporting and diplomatic ties have stalled after a terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008."People in both Pakistan and India love cricket so I will try to resume ties," said Ashraf.I believe in cricket diplomacy and hope that relations with all the countries improve," added Ashraf, who is the 32nd PCB chairman since its inception in 1948.The reign of former Test player Ijaz Butt, 73, ended last week after three turbulent years.Butt was criticised for his policies by former players and parliamentarians alike, but Zardari, who as president of the country is a patron of the PCB, resisted all calls and did not replace him until his tenure expired.Coinciding with Butt's reign was an attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009 which led to the halting of international cricket in Pakistan that continues to this day with teams too worried about security to tour.An independent commission investigating the attack accused the PCB of negligence.Butt also infuriated the England and Wales Cricket Board by alleging English players were involved in match-fixing. He had to retract his statement and apologised after England threatened legal action.Butt sacked Shahid Afridi as captain in May this year, who in protest announced his retirement from international cricket, vowing not to play while Butt was chairman.Butt also got rid of Australian coach Geoff Lawson and was criticised for frequent changes to the captaincy and selection committee

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Spot fixing trial: Pakistanis wanted to lose to damage Afridi

LONDON : Pakistan cricketers were ready to throw one-day internationals and Twenty20s in a bid to undermine then captain Shahid Afridi and make "a lot of money", a London court heard on Tuesday.Mazhar Majeed, an agent for several Pakistan players, told an undercover reporter last year that the players wanted Afridi replaced by then Test captain Salman Butt and were prepared to fix matches to do it, Southwark Crown Court heard.The jury in the trial of Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif saw video of meetings between Majeed and the News of the World's investigation's editor Mazher Mahmood.Mahmood, a star reporter for Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct tabloid, was posing as an Indian frontman for a Far East gambling syndicate.Prosecutors allege Butt and Asif agreed for no-balls to be bowled as part of a spot-fixing betting scam.

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Pakistan to use DRS in Sri Lanka, England series

KARACHI : Pakistan on Tuesday announced it will employ the Decision Review System (DRS) during its one-day series against Sri Lanka later this month and against England early next year.A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) release said it has acquired sponsorship to use the DRS in both the series to be played at the neutral venues of the United Arab Emirates.

PCB announces that the DRS system (Hawk-eye Kit-core) is to be applied during both the Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka (Oct-Nov) and Pakistan Vs England (Jan/Feb 2012) one day International series to be held in the UAE," PCB release said The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday ended the mandatory use of DRS and reverted to its pre-June 2010 position.The use of DRS will now be up to the competing countries, subject to bilateral agreements between the participating boards PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad said the DRS will be helpful."PCB is pleased to be taking a leading role in the use of ICC recommended technologies for international cricket. We hope that other partner boards will follow the example of the PCB and use the DRS in their respective future series," said Ahmad."The Use of the DRS system will bring added value to our forthcoming series," he said ICC general manager cricket David Richardson also praised the step."We believe that using the DRS will result in getting more umpire decisions correct and we accordingly welcome the PCB initiatives and that of its sponsors in securing its use in the upcoming series," said Richardson The powerful Indian Board has been the most vocal against the use of DRS, saying the system has flaws

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Bangladesh spinners restrict Windies to 132-8

DHAKA : Left-arm spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak took two wickets apiece as Bangladesh restricted the West Indies to 132-8 in the one-off Twenty20 international on Tuesday.Marlon Samuels top-scored for the West Indies with a fighting 58, but received little support from the other end. He hit four sixes and two fours in his 42-ball knock before being dismissed in the last over.Razzak, who opened the attack, finished with 2-27 while Shakib bagged 2-25. Seamer Shafiul Islam took two wickets in the final over to finish with 2-19 off four overs.The West Indies, put in to bat, lost their way after being comfortably placed at 61-1 in the ninth over. Their slide began with the dismissal of opener Lendl Simmons (23), trapped leg-before by Razzak.Off-spinner Naeem Islam and seamer Rubel Hossain each took one wicket.

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Rahim leads Bangladesh to a win

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim led his team to a thrilling three-wicket win over West Indies in the one-off Twenty20 International at the Sher-E-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur on Tuesday.Bangladesh asked West Indies to bat first. West Indies posted 132 for eight in its 20 overs.The key contributor to the West Indies score was Marlon Samuels (58: 42b, 2x2, 4x6). But the rest of the batting line-up did not contribute much.On a slow track, Bangladesh's left-arm spinners Abdur Razzak (2-27) and Shakib Al Hasan (2-25). The other key wicket-taker was Shafiul Islam (2-19).Bangladesh lost wickets at regular intervals and the side slipped to 93 for six. It required Mushfiqur's (41 not out: 26b, 1x4, 2x6) calm approach to tide over the crisis.For West Indies, Ravi Rampaul (2-28) and Marlon Samuels (2-14) picked up the wickets.The two sides will lock horns in a three-match ODI series from 13 October.

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Spot fixing trial: Indian offered Pakistanis $1m to throw Test

LONDON : A shadowy Indian contact offered the agent of several Pakistan cricketers $1 million to ensure they threw a Test match against England, a London court heard Tuesday.The jury in the trial of former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif saw video footage of meetings between the players' agent Mazhar Majeed and undercover News of the World reporter Mazher Mahmood.The former investigations editor for Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct tabloid was posing as an Indian frontman for a Far East gambling syndicate.In an August 21 meeting in Majeed's house in south London, the reporter recorded the agent on the telephone with the unidentified man in India, discussing deliberately throwing the Test match between England and Pakistan at The Oval, which was under way at the time, Southwark Crown Court was told.Referring to the number of Pakistan players under his wing, Majeed was heard saying it was "not a problem" to fix the match result, as "you know how many I've got, you know that they do it.Majeed called his Indian contact and told him: "You know what we spoke about last night, what offer can you give me for today's game? Tell me, just give me a figure now, we haven't got long.There's a possibility, I'm just telling you that now, they're talking at least 1.2 -- at least. In dollars."The prosecution alleged that Majeed and the mysterious contact were floating the possibility of Pakistan deliberately losing the game.Majeed said: "Boss, you know how many I've got, you know that they do it. So of course that's not a problem. But you just give me the figure and I'm going to get back to you. We haven't got much time. One million, yeah The Indian contact replied: "I give you one (million dollars). One I give you, but has to be a definite game score.After the call, Majeed told the reporter: "There's big, big money in results, I tell you, you can see that.In the event, Pakistan beat England by four wickets to secure a memorable Test victory.The court heard that Majeed previously told the journalist that Pakistan were trying to win the match at The Oval because the players wanted Butt to remain as Test captain.Prosecutors allege Butt and Asif agreed for no-balls to be bowled as part of a spot-fixing scam.The two players have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat at gambling.Majeed and young Pakistan bowler Mohammad Aamer have also been charged with the same offences but are not standing trial alongside Butt and Asif.Mahmood gave evidence from behind a screen after the judge banned descriptions of his appearance because his security could be compromised. He could be seen by the judge and the jury

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Ponting happy to drop down batting order

PERTH : Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting says he is happy to drop down the Test batting order to accommodate Shaun Marsh at No. 3.The 36-year-old, who has scored 12,487 runs in 154 Tests, has long come in to bat at first drop but slotted in as No. 4 during the second Test against Sri Lanka last month in which Marsh scored 141 at No.3 on his debut.Marsh followed it up with scores of 81 and 18 in the third Test when again batting at No.3.Test skipper Michael Clarke sees Marsh as a long-term fixture in the role and Ponting said he had no complaints."It was a long-term plan of Michael's to have Shaun move to No. 3 and me move to No. 4 and Michael (Clarke) move to five and (Mike) Hussey to six,Ponting told reporters."So that wasn't just ... a one-off for that game (in Sri Lanka)."When I first came into the Australian side, batting at six was hard. Waiting that amount of time to bat for me was something that was very foreign to me," he added."But three to four I don't think is as big a change as three to six."Ponting is playing for Tasmania in their Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia at the WACA Ground in Perth starting Tuesday, ahead of Australia's Test tour of South Africa next month.

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Cricket Australia slams “outlandish” allegations

SYDNEY : Cricket Australia on Tuesday said it was not aware of any evidence implicating Australian players in match-fixing and slammed the credibility of the man who made the claims in a London court.The details emerged as Mazher Mahmood, the former investigations editor for Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World tabloid, gave evidence at the trial of ex-Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif.In recordings played to Southwark Crown Court, an agent, Mazhar Majeed, alleged that Australians, as well as some of the biggest names in Pakistani cricket, were prepared to fix parts of matches.We were very surprised to hear the report this morning,said Cricket Australia (CA) General Manager of Public Affairs Peter Young."We are aware that some very outlandish claims have been made by a person of very dubious repute and they've apparently been replayed to the court.He said CA was conscious of respecting the judicial process and not saying anything that might compromise the trial, but denied ever seeing any proof of match-fixing by Australian players."What we can say is that we are not aware of any evidence," he said."Our long-standing formal view for well over a decade has been that any credible evidence needs to be pursued and investigated with vigour by the International Cricket Council, and that is our position today."During the trial, a video secretly filmed in a car was played showing the agent and Mahmood posing as an Indian frontman for a gambling syndicate -- meeting during the first day of Pakistan's Test against England on August 18 last year.In it, Majeed alleged that Australian players would fix "brackets", a set period of a match on which punters bet."The Australians, they are the biggest. They have 10 brackets a game," he said.Arranging a "bracket" could cost between #50,000 and #80,000, he said.For a result, Twenty20 is about #400,000 and Test matches, depending on the situation, is about #1 million," he added.Young said CA would be talking with the International Cricket Council on Tuesday "to understand any advice they might have We do note that the ICC has had an anti-corruption expert scrutinising every single ball that we've bowled and every single ball that we've faced for well over a decade," he added."There has been no suggestion of any concerns about Australian cricket.

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Wasim, Waqar, Ijaz and Moin involved in match-fixing: Majeed

LONDON : A sports agent accused of taking bribes to fix matches said Pakistan's best known former players were involved in betting scams and that Australian cricketers were "the biggest" culprits, a London court heard on Monday. Agent Mazhar Majeed, 36, told an undercover journalist match-fixing had been going on "for centuries" and named celebrated former Pakistan fast-bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis as alleged participants, the court heard. Prosecutors allege that Majeed conspired with Pakistan's former Test captain Salman Butt, 27, and fast bowlers Mohammad Asif, 28, and Mohammad Amir, 19, to fix parts of the Lord's Test between England and Pakistan last August.Butt and Asif, who are standing trial, deny conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments. The jury at Southwark Crown Court was played covert recordings of meetings between the agent and former News of the World journalist Mazher Mahmood, who was posing as a rich Indian businessman organising a proposed cricket tournament in the United Arab Emirates. Majeed met Mahmood at a west London restaurant on Aug. 18 last year the first day of Pakistan's Oval Test against England and, after the meal, discussed match-fixing in the undercover reporter's car, the court was told."It's been happening for centuries. It's been happening for years. Wasim, Waqar, Ijaz Ahmed, Moin Khan they all did it, Majeed said. (REUTERS)

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