UAE series: 'Fawad can come in handy against England'

LAHORE: Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief selector Iqbal Qasim has tipped Fawad Alam to come in handy in the upcoming series against England, given the all-rounder’s impressive show in the ongoing Quaid-i-Azam Trophy.
Alam, the second highest run-scorer in the tournament, made his last international appearance in a Twenty20 against New Zealand last year

and has been overlooked since.
Qasim, however, pointed out the importance of having a left-handed batsman in the middle-order and said the 26-year-old could be useful against England.
“I think Alam is playing well and is a good cricketer,”
Qasim told The Express Tribune. “He can come in

handy as a middle-order batsman and his fielding is up to the mark as well. The team management should consider his performance.”
Qasim added that Alam needed to be considered as a batsman and should be included for the longer format as well after a century on Test debut in 2009.
“The management should take him as a middle-order batsman rather than an all rounder. He’s a good enough batsman and fulfils all the requirements, so it will be a good decision to take him with the team.”
Fawad hopeful of comeback
Meanwhile, the left-hander, who has represented Pakistan in 27 One-Day Internationals, 24 Twenty20s and three Tests and is currently playing for NBP in the Qu
aid Trophy, remained hopeful of donning the national colours again and hoped that the selectors would give him another chance.
“My job is to perform and that’s what I’m doing,” said A
lam, who has scored 840 runs in the season so far. “I’m hopeful that my recent performance will remind the selectors of my potential. I won the best batsman’s award in the Pentangular Cup and I’m focused on the four-day version of the game.
“Now its up to the selection committee to decide on my inclusion in the team.”

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Cricket: All or nothing, says Mohsin

KARACHI:Mohsin Khan has expressed his willingness to continue as the national team’s head coach and hinted at rejecting an offer, if made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), that reduces his role to a batting coach.

Mohsin, who was chief selector before being appointed head coach as the PCB searched for a full-time replacement to Waqar Younis, had his tenure extended for the Bangladesh tour after an impressive show saw Pakistan clinch the Test, One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 series against higher-ranked Sri Lanka.

However, recent developments suggest that the coach-hunting committee is close to finalising a deal with Australian Dav Whatmore who gained recognition after his stint with Sri Lanka led the underdogs to World Cup triumph in 1996.

While the appointment of separate coaches is also likely for all three departments of the game, officials have suggested that Mohsin may be offered a role to assist the batsmen. Mohsin, however, looks likely to refuse such an offer.

“I’m always ready to serve Pakistan but with grace and dignity,” the coach told The Express Tribune. “I’ll not avail an opportunity at the cost of my self-respect. I’ll refuse any offer which ignores years of service for my country as a cricketer, selector and coach.”

Mohsin added, however, that he was yet to be approached officially in this regard.

“The last time I met PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf, he assured me that I will continue my role,” said Mohsin, who has drawn appreciation from various quarters, including former captains Shahid Afridi and Aamir Sohail.

‘Team mentally tough now’

Mohsin, while terming his experience as head coach successful, felt his stint helped the players improve their mental toughness and fighting spirit.

“At this stage you can’t teach players the basics. My goal was to make them mentally tough and instil the fighting spirit in the team and I’ve succeeded to an extent. This is visible in the way we’ve won matches from hopeless positions. The side has also avoided controversies.”

‘Still room for improvement’

However, the former Test cricketer felt there was room for improvement in the team, which he can supervise.

“I’ve developed a great understanding with the players. But weak links are there and a lot of hard work still needs to be done.”

The coach praised the team for dominating Bangladesh, although the side was relatively weaker. “We were under pressure being the favourites but I’m very happy with the way team has proved their dominance, which wasn’t an easy task on their home soil.”

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Mushtaq Ahmad predicts a spin battle between England and Pakistan – Cricket News Update

Mushtaq Ahmad predicts a spin battle between England and Pakistan – Cricket News Update

England’s spin bowling consultant Mushtaq Ahmad believes that the three match Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be a spin battle between Graeme Swann and Saeed Ajmal.

Both spinners are currently rated two of the best in international cricket and will be aiming to do well against each other on slow pitches in UAE.

According to Mushtaq, “I see this series as a big challenge for the English and Pakistani spinners and there is going to be tough competition between Swann [Graeme] and [Saeed] Ajmal, who are the best off-spinners in the business today. It will depend on what sort of pitches are prepared for the series but I sense they will give assistance to the slow bowlers.”

The English spin bowling coach has also played 52 Tests for Pakistan, but says his profession will not be affected by emotions.

This series will be of extreme importance for the Poms, as they have mostly won matches on home soil. They will be quite confident of doing well, especially in the longest version of the game, being the number one ranked side in this format.

However, Pakistan have also been playing some consistent cricket over the past one year. The team is yet to be beaten in any series under skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, who is geared up for the upcoming encounter.

Last time when both sides played a Test series was back in 2010 and England completely dominated that competition. Their success came on home soil though and things will be quite difficult for them in the heat of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

In order to overcome Pakistan in UAE, the British side will need to rely on their spinners more than the seamers.

Mushtaq has been working hard to polish the spin bowlers in the side and claimed, “England has been preparing hard for this series and I have tried to convince them that they must learn to depend on spin if they want to win in the Asian region.”

Both teams will also feature in One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 series after the Tests.

The first game of the series will be held in Dubai on Tuesday, January 17, 2012.

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Aussies set up batting camp ahead of India Test

SYDNEY: New Australia coach Mickey Arthur has set up a training camp for his under-fire batsmen ahead of the opening Boxing Day Test against India in Melbourne.

Concerned by Australia's fallibility against the swinging ball exposed in the team's seven-run loss to New Zealand in this week's Hobart Test, Arthur has put in place a three-day camp in Melbourne next week.

Cricket Australia said Thursday Test captain Michael Clarke will be joined by Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Dan Christian, Shane Watson and possibly Shaun Marsh, who has a back injury, in the MCG nets from next Tuesday.

They will be facing bowling machines that will simulate the deliveries of tall Indian seamer Ishant Sharma and others.

Meanwhile in Canberra, David Warner, Phillip Hughes and Usman Khawaja, who all played in the Hobart Test, will be playing for a Chairman's XI against India in a three-day game.

Arthur said the camp was designed to sharpen the focus of the Australian top order ahead of four Tests against the second-ranked Indians.

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Warne to spin in T20 despite burned hand

MELBOURNE: Cricket legend Shane Warne said Tuesday he was almost certain to make his comeback in Australia's revamped Twenty20 competition as planned, despite burning his hand badly while cooking.

Sporting a heavily bandaged hand, the former Test champion gave himself a "95 percent chance" of playing in the opening match for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League against the Sydney Thunder in Melbourne on Saturday night.

"It should be fine by Saturday," he told reporters.

Warne's kitchen accident left his bowling hand and fingers with blisters, including "a couple of awkward ones on the spinning fingers".

He brushed off suggestions he could wear bandages or a glove to stop the wounds ripping open during the match.

"Bowling legspin is all about feel so if I put a glove on I'm not sure I can tweak them down there that well," he said.

"I'm hoping I won't need that and I'll be ready to go."

The 42-year-old said while he hoped to take the field, he would not play unless his hand was healed enough for him to bowl properly.

"If I won't be able to bowl then I won't be playing -- that would let the team down," he said.

Warne apparently called an end to his stellar cricket career at the Indian Premier League (IPL) in May but recently confirmed he would play with the Melbourne Stars, saying he had never been fitter.

The cricketer said part of his desire to return for the Big Bash was so his three children could watch him, and agreed it was an "added bonus" that his British fiancee Liz Hurley would be there too.

Warne, who has not played Test cricket since helping Australia to a 5-0 Ashes whitewash over England in January 2007, had led the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL until this year.

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Experience will hold us in good stead: Dhoni

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni believes the experience in the team's ranks will hold it in good stead against Australia in the four-match Test series starting with the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

Dhoni also said the Australian team cannot be taken lightly just because there are some young players.

The wicketkeeper batsman said India only need to play to their potential.

'Most of the batsmen have played there before. We are hoping we will do well there. Even last time (in 2007-08) we had a very good chance and we did really perform well. It is not that if the opposition is not doing well, it will be a best chance for us. We have to play to the level of the kind of talent that we have got and not worry about such things,' said Dhoni on the eve of the warm up match against Chairman's XI.

'It depends on how we prepare ourselves during the 12 days before the Test match and how we adapt to the conditions,' Dhoni was quoted as saying in The Age.

Dhoni has vowed to give his touring side the best possible chance to exploit Australia's weaknesses and is well aware this campaign is perceived as his nation's greatest chance to win a series on Australian soil.

India's batting, led by Sachin Tendulkar, is strong and experienced but much will depend on whether fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma can stay fit, with the attack expected to be rounded out by paceman Umesh Yadav and spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

'Some people think that the last Australian team was much better than the current Australian side. Some of the present players were not part of the 2008 side. To judge them is quite a difficult task. Anil Kumble was part of our side [then]. The spinners coming into the team now are not as experienced as Anil. It applies to the Australian team also. They had big players like Adam Gilchrist and others,' Dhoni said.

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Wasim not to be part of task team formed to improve domestic cricket

LAHORE : Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram has excused himself from being part of the task team formed to improve domestic cricket,

According to sources, the PCB has decided to form a task team to improve domestic cricket which will be headed by Intikhab Alam.

Sources further add that Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Moin Khan, Sarfaraz Nawaz and Iqbal Qasim will be part of the task team.

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Team performance improving day by day: Abdul Razzaq

LAHORE : Renowned cricket all-rounder Abdul Razzaq said the performance of the Pakistan cricket team is improving day by day and he can representative the national team for further three years.

Abdul Razzaq was talking with media here at the Allam Iqbal International Airport on the occasion of leaving for Australia where he will participate in their domestic cricket.

He said that the performance of the national team has improved and its series of victories will help a lot Pakistan in the forthcoming Malaysia Cup and the Twenty20 World Cup.

The all-rounder further said that he can play T20 and one-day cricket for two to three years more for Pakistan and during this period he will try his best to transform his experience to newcomers

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Team's winning performance is reaction to spot-fixing scandal: Misbah

ISLAMABAD : Pakistan cricket team captain Misbah-ul-Haq has said that the team's winning performance in the series against New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka is a reaction to the spot-fixing scandal which could have easily thrown them into disarray.

"I think the way we are performing, you can say what happened with Pakistan cricket, the boys have come out really strong and all wanted to do well. It's the reason behind that. The day controversies hit the team, I think the boys had it set in their mind that they will prove that they are a good cricket team and good players," espncricinfo.com quoted Misbah as saying.

However Pakistan wrapped up the first Test against Bangladesh, giving them their fifth win in their previous nine Tests - this one by an innings-and-184-run.

Misbah, who took over as captain in 2010 gave his team the credit after their latest triumph.

"I think if the team is doing well then credit goes to everyone, which also includes the captain," Misbah said.

"But the main thing is players are important in the team. If they are not performing, the captain can't do anything. For which I think the credit goes to every player. They are putting in their efforts and fulfilling their responsibilities. That's why the team is winning."

Misbah said the spark came from their series against South Africa last year, where Pakistan fought to draw both Tests.

"The confidence comes from the performances. When you are performing as a team game by game and you are performing well, the confidence is building. This is really helping us as a team. The series against South Africa in October last year was a big test for us. We played really strong against them in the two Test matches and at that time South Africa was one of the best Test sides.

"After that the team got the confidence as every player performed in that series which kept on building in every match after that," he concluded.

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Younus vaults into fifth position

Pakistan batting's mainstay Younus Khan has charged up the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen after his double-century set-up an innings and 184-run victory for Pakistan in the first Test against Bangladesh.

The 34-year-old, whose triple-century against Sri Lanka at Karachi in February 2009 had put him in number-one position, has moved up 11 places to claim fifth position behind Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, South Africa's Jacques Kallis and England duo, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell.

Mohammad Hafeez and Asad Shafiq, who also scored centuries in the Chittagong Test, have also made upward movements. Hafeez has gained 12 places and is now in 47th position, while Asad has moved up 20 places to claim 63rd spot.

Bangladesh's Nazimuddin, who scored 31 and 78 on his debut, has entered in 64th position.

Spinners Abdur Rehman and Elias Sunny have improved their rankings after good performances in the Chittagong Test. Abdur Rehman, who had figures of 3-9 and 4-88, has jumped 13 places to 22nd position while Sunny, who took 3-123 in Pakistan's only innings, has jumped 14 places to 53rd spot.

New Zealand's fast bowler Doug Bracewell's stellar performance in the Blackcaps' sensational seven-run victory in the Hobart Test has lifted him 50 places to 39th position. The 21-year-old Bracewell had figures of 3-20 and 6-40 which turned out to be the cornerstone of New Zealand's first Test victory in Australia in 26 years.

Bracewell is now New Zealand's third highest-ranked bowler after Daniel Vettori (seventh) and Chris Martin (up by one place to 16th).

The other notable bowlers from the Hobart Test obart to improve their rankings are Australia's new ball pair of James Pattinson and Peter Siddle.

Siddle, who won the ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in Johannesburg in 2009, has gained three places and is now in 13th position while Pattinson, a 21-year-old from Melbourne, has jumped 31 places to 41st position following his match figures 34.5-10-105-8.

The bowlers' list is headed by South Africa's Dale Steyn with England's James Anderson second and Morne Morkel of South Africa third.

Australia opener David Warner is the biggest mover in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen as his unbeaten century in Hobart has lifted him 131 places to 70th position. Warner, adjudged man of the match, carried his bat while scoring 123 runs that came off 170 balls and included14 fours.

The other batsmen to head in the right direction from the Hobart Test are all New Zealanders and include captain Ross Taylor, Dean Brownlie and Kane Williamson.

Taylor, who was New Zealand's top scorer in the second innings with 56, has gained two places and is now ranked 21st while Brownlie has moved up 12 places to 55th position after scores of 56 and 21. Williamson contributions of 19 and 34 have helped him move up six places to 68th spot.

Meanwhile, South Africa and Sri Lanka go head to head in the three-Test series at Centurion from Thursday with both the sides eyeing upward movements.

South Africa currently sits in third position on 116 ratings points, one behind India, while Sri Lanka is in fifth spot, 17 ratings points behind.

If South Africa wins the series by 2-0 or better, it could leapfrog India into second position, while Sri Lanka's victory by 1-0 or better might put it ahead of Australia in fourth position. The teams ranking on the Championship table will largely depend on how the Australia-India series pans out.

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Rahul Dravid to deliver Sir Donald Bradman Oration in Canberra

India's Rahul Dravid, Test cricket's second highest run scorer, will deliver the Sir Donald Bradman Oration at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra on Wednesday.

Dravid is the first Indian invited to deliver the Oration at the event which honours the career, contribution and memory of the world's greatest-ever cricketer, Sir Donald Bradman.

During his Oration, Dravid will speak on a wide range of issues, including:

• The strong link between India and Australia during the first World War
• What Don Bradman meant to India in the 1930s
• Cricket's place in India and India's place in world cricket
• The challenges for cricket, including scheduling and balancing the three formats of the game

Tonight's event will also include a tribute to a group of Australian servicemen who helped restore public morale, and cricket's place in the community, in the weeks following the final shots of World War II in Europe.

At the request of then Prime Minister John Curtin, a group of Aussie soldiers and airmen were pulled together to play a series of " Victory Tests" in England in May-August 1945. They took on Wally Hammond and Len Hutton's Englishmen in front of packed houses - 375,000 attended the five games - and held them to a 2-2 series draw.

Reg Ellis, the sole remaining survivor from the Combined Services team, will be a special guest of Cricket Australia tonight. Trained by Clarrie Grimmett before WWII, Ellis was a slow left arm bowler and was Australia's top wicket-taker in the Victory Tests.

Since 2000, the Sir Donald Bradman Oration has provided a platform for a prominent national or international figure to reflect on Sir Donald's career, and on cricket's place in their own lives and the life of their nation. Past orators have been former Prime Minister John Howard, General Peter Cosgrove, Sir Michael Parkinson, Richie Benaud, Alan Jones, Ricky Ponting, Greg Chappell and Sir Tim Rice.

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Intikhab: Pakistan is "very positive" about England series

Former Pakistan cricket captain, coach and team manager Intikhab Alam says the team is "very positive" about its chances against England in the upcoming Test, One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) series taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next year.

Intikhab, who now works as the Pakistan Cricket Board's Director of Game Development and its Director of Cricket Operations (International), has been in the UAE this week to check on arrangements ahead of the tour.

And he said: "We are very positive. The way the team has gelled means morale is rocketing high but we have to make sure we keep playing that same way.

"England are the number one Test side in the world and so despite our recent successes (against Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) they will be different kettle of fish.

"They will be a real test but we have enough talent to beat them. We have done it in the past and we can do it again."

Intikhab said he expected Pakistan's bowling would be the team's strength in the upcoming series that features three Tests, four ODIs and three T20Is, starting with the opening Test at Dubai Sports City which begins on 17 January.

"What we have to work on is our fielding and batting against better attacks like England," he said. "But we are fortunate to have a complete bowling attack with all the spin options - leg-spin, left-arm and off-spin - and we have good fast bowlers as well."

And Intikhab said the Pakistan players' familiarity with conditions in the UAE would also work in their favour.

"We've been playing back-to-back series but the players will have a fortnight's rest before they come back here to the UAE so they should be in good shape.

"The team is used to playing here in the UAE with matches in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and also Sharjah so we should have an advantage in that respect."

Intikhab checked out the facilities at Dubai Sports City and was impressed by what he saw.

"I wanted to check out the facilities at the (ICC) Global Cricket Academy," he said. "I think it's all very good and they have got all the necessary equipment, including different types of pitches," he said.

"There's the ProBatter simulator, where you can face any bowler you want. It makes sense and it's very good as it gives you the same atmosphere as you get facing that bowler for real. And there's a spin bowling machine - that's very interesting too.

"The facilities are top class (at the ICC Global Cricket Academy). They've worked very hard, provided all the facilities and you can't complain about anything," he added.

Please find attached photographs of Intikhab Alam's visit to the ICC Global Cricket Academy. The photographs are © Dubai Sports City and are available for free editorial use.

Bank Alfalah presents the Mobilink Jazz Cup - Pakistan v England. The itinerary for the series, which features matches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, can be found at http://www.pcb.com.pk/contents/pakistan-international-cricket-schedule.html

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Rivals bid to end poor runs

South Africa and Sri Lanka each begin the three-Test series at Centurion on Thursday aiming for a return to form.

The hosts have failed to win any of their last four Test series at home - losing to Australia before drawing with England, India and Australia - while Sri Lanka are seeking their first Test victory anywhere since July 2010.

That match against India coincided with the final appearance before retirement of legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who helped his team to victory over India in Galle.

Since then Sri Lanka have lost four and drawn 10 of their 14 Tests.

The tourists are at least boosted by the likely presence in their side of key batsman Kumar Sangakkara, who is recovering well after splitting the webbing on his right hand whilst fielding in a warm-up match.

Sri Lanka vice-captain Angelo Mathews acknowledges his team's batsmen are likely to face a hostile opposition bowling attack on a lively pitch, making Sangakkara's presence even more crucial.

Mathews said: "The main thing we need to adapt to is the bounce and the pace. The team is in a good mood but we need to show it out there on the field."

Sri Lanka's bowling options have been further limited by the withdrawal from the squad of pace man Nuwan Pradeep, who tore a hamstring over the weekend.

South Africa have no such injury concerns as they get ready to unleash a pace attack spearheaded by Dale Steyn on a wary opposition.

Teams

South Africa (probable): Graeme Smith (capt), AB de Villiers (vice-capt), Jacques Rudolph, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher (wkt), Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir

Sri Lanka (from): Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Kaushal Silva (wkt), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dimuth Karunaratne, Chanaka Welegedara, Dilhara Fernando, Thisara Perera, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Thilan Samaraweera

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Marsh unlikely to be fit for first India test

Australian batsman Shaun Marsh has been withdrawn from the team to play India in a tour match next week and is unlikely to be fit for the opening test on Dec. 26, Cricket Australia said on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old's ongoing injury problem is a blow as he had been expected to compete for a place in the Australian top order, which is under intense scrutiny after Monday's first test defeat to New Zealand since 1993.

Marsh, who scored a century on his test debut in Sri Lanka in September, has not played since injuring his back in the first test against South Africa last month, which Australia lost after being skittled for 47 in the second innings.

He had been selected to play for a Chairman's XI in Canberra in India's second tour match, which starts next Monday, but has now been ruled doubtful for the Boxing Day test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

"While we are hopeful, Shaun's chances of recovering sufficiently in order to be considered for the first test against India are unlikely at this stage," Cricket Australia's Pat Howard said.

Ed Cowan, who has been in prolific form with the bat as an opener for Tasmania this year, has been moved from the team for India's first tour match, which starts in Canberra on Thursday, to replace Marsh in the second.

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Shane Warne confident of return despite burnt fingers

MELBOURNE : Shane Warne is confident he will be fit to make his return to cricket in Australia's revamped Twenty20 competition this weekend despite burning his bowling hand while cooking.

The 42-year-old, who had retired from all cricket earlier this year, has been the main marketing face of the Big Bash since announcing his return and is scheduled to play his opening match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday.

A prolific user of Twitter, the leg-spinning great posted a picture of his blistered right hand on his page (www.twitter.com/warne888) along with a plea for remedies.

Deciding eventually to seek conventional medical treatment, Warne said he had a "95 percent chance" of playing his first cricket in Australia since retiring from test cricket at the start of 2007.

"They just drained all the blisters and then they cut them all open so they wouldn't fill up again," Warne told reporters on Tuesday.

"There's just a couple of awkward ones on the spinning fingers. But hopefully I've got four days and it should be fine by Saturday."

Warne took 708 test wickets and remains one of his country's most popular cricketers.

His signing for the Melbourne Stars was a major boost to the Big Bash League, which begins in Sydney on Dec. 16.

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Cricket: Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final from Dec 20

KARACHI : Pakistan will again hold the final of its premier first-class tournament under floodlights this month as part of the International Cricket Council's efforts to introduce day and night test matches.

A senior PCB official told Reuters the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final would be played from Dec. 20-24 at the national stadium with pink balls being used in the match.

"The decision to make the Quaid Trophy final a day and night affair has been taken because the ICC is keen to see its member countries experiment with using the pink ball and have day and night matches," Saqib Irfan said.

The PCB also held the previous final of its premier tournament under the lights earlier this year. AGENCIES

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Australian cricketers branded ‘lowest of the low’

Australia’s cricketers were Tuesday damned by the press as the “lowest of the low” after a disastrous loss to New Zealand and branded a team in crisis ahead of a Test series against India.

Michael Clarke’s men handed the Black Caps their first victory on Australian soil in 26 years after a dramatic batting collapse in the second innings in Hobart, described as arguably their most embarrassing defeat in Test history.

“Lowest of the Low,” read the headline in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph over a photo of a crestfallen Australian number 11 Nathan Lyon, while the Sydney Morning Herald remarked on the once dominant team’s loss of form.

“Once the kings of world cricket, Australia are no longer capable of putting away eighth-ranked New Zealand,” the Herald said.

Commentators rubbished Australia’s batsmen, who gave away a solid lead going into the fourth day to succumb to New Zealand with Clarke and Michael Hussey both out for nought and Ricky Ponting making just 16.

“It’s sad and getting silly,” Robert Craddock wrote in the Telegraph.

“If new chairman of selectors John Inverarity is not brave enough to end Ricky Ponting’s Test career, he should stand down himself.”

Others called for opener Phil Hughes, who made just 24 runs over two innings, to be dropped.

“His sacking is so obvious it will barely be discussed by the (selection) panel when they meet early next week and he will not be recalled under any circumstances against India,” said Craddock.

All commentators criticised the inability of the batting line-up to finish off the Kiwis, after Australia failed to reach a 241 target despite at one point only requiring 82 runs to win the match with eight wickets in hand.

Test debutant David Warner almost took his side to victory with an unbeaten 123, but he could not stem the rapid fall of wickets, including those of Ponting, Clarke and Hussey who were all removed within 15 balls.

“The top order again failed against the swinging delivery, a fact that will be noted by India as it prepares for the four-Test post-Christmas series,” wrote Peter Lalor in The Australian.

Lalor added that Australia’s recent score of just 47 in Cape Town and the historic loss to New Zealand proved “this inconsistent team had new depths to plumb”.

“Australia will head into the marquee series of the Test summer with a misfiring batting line-up vulnerable to costly and spectacular collapses if yesterday’s humiliating defeat to New Zealand has not sharpened John Inverarity’s axe,” concluded the Herald.

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Razzaq, Afridi gear up with Australia stint

Pakistan all-rounders Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq expressed hope Monday that their Twenty20 stint in Australia would stand them in good stead to beat England next month.Thirty-one-year-old Razzaq said he is fit again and hopes to play a part against England. “My injury was not serious and I am now fully fit,” Razzaq told AFP before his departure. “I am very keen to play against England and do my part in the team’s win over England Both Razzaq and Afridi will play for Melbourne Star in the Big Bash Twenty20 league in Australia starting from December 16 Afridi, who performed well in the team’s 4-1 one-day win over Sri Lanka and 3-0 sweep against Bangladesh, said England pose a real threat.“It will be a fantastic series against England,” said Afridi. “I don’t play Tests anymore but having watched England’s progress towards world number one I am sure they will be a real test for Pakistan team

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Cricket Ireland provides development boost

In another major boost for the local game, Cricket Ireland, in conjunction with support from Sport Northern Ireland, today announced the appointment of two development officers who will be working in the NCU and NW regions.

29 year old Irish international Nigel Jones will have responsibility for the NCU region. The Civil Service North captain has played 25 times for Ireland, and has gained extensive playing and coaching experience in New Zealand, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

His counterpart in the NW region is 28 year old Brian Allen, who has played representative cricket for the NW and Ireland A. The current Fox Lodge captain is a current level 3 coach, and is a certified Coach Education tutor and assessor. His previous cricket development experience included a three year spell as NWCU Development Officer from 2006-2009.

National Development Manager Tim Simmonite said of the appointments: "I'm delighted to welcome the two lads to Cricket Ireland's ever-increasing Development Team. With their range of experiences - Nigel as a current International player with an extensive coaching background, and Brian with his previous skills and knowledge in cricket development - they are two excellent appointments. I look forward to working with them in the continued drive to develop our game to the highest possible standards."

NCU Chairman Brian Walsh was clearly delighted by the appointment stating: "The NCU is delighted to welcome Nigel Jones as their Cricket Development Officer. The appointment of a Development Officer in the NCU will allow the union to develop priority areas such as youth cricket, club/school links, girls and women's cricket, and club accreditation.With Nigel's appointment we believe we have the perfect choice to realise our aspirations."

NW Chairman Joe Doherty said: "Brian Allen is well known in the North West, both as a talented player at club and representative levels and as a CDO, having held a post here in the recent past. With our new structures, we are delighted to welcome Brian back to spearhead our development effort, not least in the areas that do not have a tradition of grass roots cricket. Brian has a special talent for working with cricket 'newcomers' and I know he will hit the ground running in this respect. There is undoubtedly a rich harvest out there and to have Brian back on our North West team is an exciting development."

The Development Officers will begin their roles this month.

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Cricket captures public's heart in Nepal

The aftermath of civil war and chronic political instability have given Nepalis little to cheer about in recent years but the nation's cricketers have emerged as a surprise source of inspiration.In a country where sporting achievement has often taken a back seat to the realities of poverty and conflict, Nepal's fastest-growing game attracted sell-out crowds all last week as fans cheered the team in Asia's Twenty20 Cup.The national stadium at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, which has no seating and an unofficial capacity of 8,000, saw daily crowds of 10,000, with many fans perched on walls and the roofs of cars to watch the action. Only a few years ago, even the biggest matches attracted just a handful of spectators."The crowds always inspire us to put in our best performance," Paras Khadka, Nepal's captain, 25, said. "There is a bright future for Nepal in cricket because we have been able to play well at international level. The numbers of Nepali fans have significantly increased and they want us to qualify for the World Cup."Nepal bowed out of the ACC Twenty20 Cup to eventual winners Afghanistan in the semi-finals on Friday, but their strong showing ensured them a berth in the qualifiers for next year's Twenty20 World Cup to be held in Sri Lanka. The success marked a milestone in the development of the national cricket side, which started just 15 years ago In a country where most people live on less than $1.25 a day, and half of all under-fives have chronic malnutrition, sport provides a popular diversion.While football has traditionally been the biggest sport, the buzz in the coffee shops of Kathmandu has been all about cricket, with jubilant Nepalis talking up the team's chances in the tournament, which ended Sunday."I am a die-hard fan of cricket and love to cheer for the Nepali team. The team always shows spirit and performs passionately," said student Nirjana Sharma, 23, who was among thousands who saw Nepal in action on Friday.Despite their team not making it to the final, about 4,000 Nepalis roared on every wicket on Sunday as Afghanistan pipped Hong Kong by eight runs. Niranjan Rajbanshi, of the Nepal Sports Journalist Forum, acknowledges that cricket has a long way to go until it is as popular as in neighbouring India. But look further afield and Nepal holds its own, he says."I have been to cricket grounds all around Asia and you don't see the crowds in other countries that you get here," he said.Cricket spread worldwide through the British Empire but Nepal, which was never occupied by Britain, came to the game in the 1920s when it was introduced by the ruling Rana dynasty.It remained a sport for the aristocracy in Nepal until improvements in communications and transport in the 1980s meant it could be played seriously outside Kathmandu. Interest began to develop and the national side played for the first time, in the ACC Trophy in Kuala Lumpur, in 1996.But the 10-year Maoist armed insurgency which began that same year saw the deaths of 16,000 Nepalis, crippled the country's education system and impeded the development of sports.After a peace deal was signed in 2006, cricket has made rapid progress, with the media carrying extensive reports on major tournaments and crowds for major matches rivalling those seen in some Test-playing nations. "When we used to play club-level matches, the stadiums were almost empty," said Pawan Agrawal, a former national captain and a member of the Cricket Association of Nepal.He said up to 20,000 people would now come to watch the national side playing tournaments at Tribhuvan University. "The popularity of cricket in the subcontinent and the live TV coverage has been instrumental," he said. Today the country boasts 377 senior clubs playing on 72 grounds - 17 of which have turf wickets.Nepal's international cricketers have not been paid in the past, with most fitting in practice around their day jobs, but the Cricket Association of Nepal agreed in November to offer them a small stipend of 5,000 rupees ($61) a month."Football is number one here but cricket's achievements have definitely challenged its supremacy," said Binod Pandey, who covers the sport for the Kathmandu-based Nagarik daily newspaper. "There are a lot of possibilities for Nepal to play world tournaments in the future.

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Pakistan crush Bangladesh by innings & 184 runs

CHITTAGONG : Bangladesh: Pakistan thrashed Bangladesh by an innings and 184 runs on the penultimate day of the opening Test here at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Monday to gain a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.Bangladesh, trailing by 459 runs, resumed their second innings at 134-4 and were bowled out for 275 after lunch to suffer their 62nd defeat in 72 Tests.Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman grabbed four wickets for 88 runs as he, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and paceman Aizaz Cheema shared five wickets that fell on the fourth-day.Fast bowler Rubel Hossain did not bat due a shoulder injury, suffered while fielding on Sunday.Debutant Mohammed Nazimuddin (78), Shakib Al Hasan (51) and skipperMushfiqur Rahim (49) were the main run-getters for Bangladesh.Cheema ended the innings when he had Shahadat Hossain (21) caught by Umar Gul in the covers in his first over with the second new ball.Rehman dismissed well-set Nazimuddin and former captain Shakib in the morning session before accounting for Rahim to finish the match with seven wickets after having taken three in the first innings.Ajmal was the other wicket-taker in the morning when he bowled Mohammad Mahmudullah for no score.Nazimuddin was involved in two stands, adding 78 runs for the fifth wicket with Shakib and 47 for the next with Rahim before being caught by Ajmal at mid-off.Opener Nazimuddin, 41 overnight, hit two sixes and nine fours in his 186-ball knock.He was the second-highest scorer in the first innings with 31.He defied the Pakistani attack for more than an hour and completed his half-century when he turned Rehman to deep mid-wicket for three runs.He then played a couple of big shots, lofting Rehman over extra cover and then Ajmal over mid-wicket for sixes. He gave two chances off Ajmal after completing his half-century but wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal missed both.Bangladesh had added only 24 runs to their overnight total when Shakib was trapped leg-before by Rehman after hitting eight fours in his ninth Test half-century.Pakistan had on Sunday posted a mammoth 594-5 declared in their first innings in reply to Bangladesh's 135, with Younis Khan (200 not out), Mohammad Hafeez (143) and Asad Shafiq (104) being the main scorers.The second and final Test starts in Dhaka on Saturday.

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Bracewell bowls Kiwis to sensational 7-run win over Aussies

HOBART :  Australia: Seamer Doug Bracewell bowled New Zealand to a sensational seven-run victory over Australia in the second Test in Hobart on Monday for the Kiwis' first win in Australia for 26 years.The Black Caps captured eight wickets for 74 runs for a dramatic victory midway through the fourth day of an extraordinary Test match at Bellerive Oval.Bracewell finished with 6-40 off 16.4 overs in a match-winning performance to stun the Australians, who appeared on track for victory at 159 for two chasing 241 runs to win.But the Australians folded spectacularly and David Warner's unbeaten maiden Test century went in vain as wickets tumbled around him and Nathan Lyon was bowled by Bracewell in the 64th over to claim victory.It was the Black Caps' first victory in Australia since 1985 as they tied the two-Test series after comprehensively losing the first Gabba Test by nine wickets.Bracewell turned the match around with the wickets of Ricky Ponting (16), Michael Clarke (0), Michael Hussey (0), James Pattinson (4), Mitchell Starc (0) and Lyon (9).Warner carried his bat to finish unbeaten on 123 off 170 balls with 14 boundaries to cement his Test position after fellow opener Phillip Hughes was out again cheaply.Warner surprisingly was preferred to Bracewell as official man-of-the-match in a television viewers' poll.Wickets continued to fall around Warner with Brad Haddin snapped up by Ross Taylor in the slips off Tim Southee and Peter Siddle taken at third slip off Southee for two.Bracewell removed Pattinson and Starc within three balls to have the Black Caps one wicket away from victory after Australia had lost seven wickets for 40.Lyon survived two tense reviews for lbw as Warner went after the runs against a spreadeagled field before Bracewell finished the game when he bowled Lyon.Ponting's possible final Test innings in his home state finished in a whimper after he was given a standing ovation to the wicket.Test cricket's third-highest runscorer spooned a catch to cover after playing back to Bracewell and was out for 16 after scoring just five in the first innings.Clarke was caught at slip by Taylor and Hussey was out first ball lbw after a review went in bowler Bracewell's favour.Hughes's Test future again looked uncertain after he was out in the day's second over with no addition to his overnight score of 20.It was the fourth straight time Hughes was caught by Martin Guptill in the slips off Chris Martin's bowling in the series

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Openers propel Australia towards victory over Kiwis

HOBART : Australia: Openers David Warner and Phillip Hughes gave Australia a strong platform for victory over New Zealand before rain ended play early on the third day of the second Test on Sunday.The two left-handers put on 72 without loss off 19 overs to give the Australians a flying start as they chase 241 at Hobart's Bellerive Oval to wrap up a two-nil series win over the Black Caps.Australia thrashed New Zealand by nine wickets in the first Test in Brisbane last weekend.No play was possible after tea, with Warner on 47 off 50 balls with eight boundaries and a concentrated Hughes not out 20 from 64 deliveries. Australia will push for victory on Monday's fourth day, needing 169 more runs with all 10 wickets intact.A total of 30 wickets have fallen in the eight of sessions play in a Hobart Test where the ball has dominated the bat.Neither opener had too many troubles, although "Hot Spot" replays suggested Hughes may have gloved a leg-side catch to wicketkeeper Reece Young in the third over before he had scored, but the Kiwis did not seek a review.Hughes is seeking a big innings to ease pressure on his Test spot after falling cheaply to Martin three times in the series.The Kiwis, leading by 14 runs on the first innings, lost seven wickets for 87 in the extended morning session to be all out for 226 at lunch after resuming the day on 139.James Pattinson (3-54), Peter Siddle (3-66) and spinner Nathan Lyon (3-25) shared the wickets as the Black Caps unravelled after losing skipper Ross Taylor and Dean Brownlie.Taylor top-scored with 56 off 169 balls but once he and first innings top-scorer Brownlie (21), the Kiwi innings crumbled as they sought to set a match-winning fourth innings total.Kane Williamson was out on the third ball of the day, brilliantly caught by a diving Ricky Ponting at second slip off Siddle for 34.Pattinson dropped a sharp caught and bowled chance off Taylor before the Kiwi captain brought up his 15th Test half-century off the next ball.But the bowler had his revenge in the 63rd over when he enticed Taylor to nick an outswinger to Michael Clarke at first slip.Brownlie tried to get out of the way of a Pattinson bouncer only to be caught behind off the back of his bat for 21.Without the steadying influence of the injured Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand tail folded, with Tim Southee (13), Doug Bracewell (4) and Trent Boult (21) all out irresponsibly slogging spinner Lyon.

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Pakistan cricket chief set for India trip next month

DUBAI : Pakistan cricket chief Zakar Ashraf said on Friday he hoped to visit India next month to further efforts to revive bilateral ties stalled since terrorists attacks on Mumbai three years ago."I have high hopes of reviving ties with India," Ashraf said on the sidelines of third day-night match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Friday. "I have received a positive reply from India today and hope to tour them next month."Ashraf's comments came on the day when blind teams from both the countries started a low profile series in Pakistan, the first visit by any cricket team to Pakistan in three years.India stalled all bilateral ties with their South Asian neighbours in the wake of terrorist attacks on their commercial hub Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on militants based in Pakistan.But there has been a recent thaw, with Pakistan declaring India "the most favoured nation" and both prime ministers vowing to improve ties during their meeting at the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) conference earlier this month.Ashraf expressed hope he would meet with Narayan Srinivasan, his counterpart in Board of Control for Cricket in India."I have high hopes of a positive meeting and when we can have sporting events like kabbadi and blind cricket with India, why not top level cricket which is already regarded as the most sought after series in the game," said Ashraf, who took over last month.Ashraf said the International Cricket Council (ICC) has already termed Indo-Pak matches as an "iconic series" and everyone is waiting for both the nations to play.As per the ICC Future Tours Programme, Pakistan and India are slated to play in March next year but India's hectic schedule is a big hurdle in the series.But Ashraf hoped a slot will be found."When there is a will, there is a way and we hope the bilateral ties to resume sooner than later," said Ashraf.Pakistan last toured India in 2007, while their rivals have not toured them since featuring in the Asia Cup in 2008

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Pakistan unlikely to get new coach before next year

KARACHI : Pakistan’s cricket team is unlikely to get a new coach before the Test and ODI series against England in the United Arab Emirates next year in January.Insiders in the board also said while Dav Whatmore was a leading candidate to take over as head coach of the team, there were still some other candidates in the run who had not been identified.It seems unlikely that the PCB will appoint the new coaching staff before the series against England. Since the committee appointed to shortlist, interview and recommend the final list of coaches for appointment has yet to complete its work,” one well-informed source said.The source expressed surprise over a recent statement from one of the committee members, Colonel Naushad Ali who is also associate manager of the Pakistan team in their ongoing series against Bangladesh.Naushad had told the media that the committee, which is headed by Intikhab Alam, had finalised its candidate for the position of head coach and for the other specialist coaching positions for batting, bowling and fielding.This seems unlikely because the word in the board is that the committee is yet to finalise its list of coaching staff. Even negotiations with Whatmore have not been held for quite a few days now,” the source said.The names of Julian Fountain, Aaqib Javed and Mohsin Khan are being touted to be appointed on the coaching staff under the supervision of Dav Whatmore.But the source pointed out that the PCB itself was facing a dicey situation.The team is doing well at present under the supervision of Mohsin Khan the interim coach. There is uncertainty over whether it would be a good idea to change a winning management  combination before a crucial series like the one against England and bring in a new coaching set-up,” the source disclosed.Even Pakistan’s former captain Shahid Afridi, on returning home after the one-day series in Bangladesh, supported retaining the same management and coach for the series against England insisting that Mohsin had done a good job.The source said that it was most likely that the board Chairman Zaka Ashraf will have a word with the players and officials on a planned visit to Bangladesh on the coaching issue.Ashraf is due to visit Bangladesh for the test series and he will most certainly have a word with the captain, coach, manager and other senior players on the coaching issue,” the source said.

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DRS to be used for Pakistan-England tests: PCB

KARACHI : Pakistan’s cricket board said on Saturday the umpiring Decision Review System (DRS) will be used in the three-Test series against England in the United Arab Emirates next month.Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told sponsorship had already been secured for the DRS for the one-day series against England Now it has been extended to the Tests against England as well Sarwar said.Ball-tracking technology provided by HawkEye will be used during the series, Sarwar said, but there will be no Hot Spot thermal imaging, which has been employed in some series to judge fine nicks.Sarwar said the PCB backed the use of technology to assist umpires with close and disputed calls.“PCB has supported the use of DRS and we believe that it will add value to the Test series,” said Sarwar of the system under which teams are allowed two unsuccessful challenges per innings to decisions made by the on-field umpires.The first Test starts in Dubai from January 17. The second Test will be played in Abu Dhabi (January 25-29) and the third in Dubai (February 3-7).The teams will also play four one-day internationals and three Twenty20s.The International Cricket Council (ICC) first used the DRS on an experimental basis in 2008.The system was made mandatory in June this year but three months later the use of DRS was left to the competing countries, subject to agreements between the participating boards.The powerful Indian board has been the most vocal against the use of DRS, saying the system has flaws.

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Pakistan Cricket Board seeks to resume international in the country – Cricket News Update

Pakistan Cricket Board seeks to resume international in the country Cricket Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is seeking the resumption of international cricket by alluring foreign teams after assuring them of foolproof security during their tour of Pakistan.Talking on the matter, a source from the PCB said, “The board (PCB) has formed a foolproof security plan and it will be presented and explained to the all cricket nations in future."According to insiders, PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf plans to reveal the security arrangements in next week’s Asian Cricket Council (ACC) meeting in Singapore.The chairman is also expected to meet the chairman of Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Mustafa Kamal on the sidelines of the meeting inorder to convince him to send his team to Pakistan.Pakistan are currently touring Bangladesh, where they won the three-match one-day series by 3-0 and are looking strong in the first Test of the two-match Test series.Zaka will also visit India this month, where he would try to convince his counterparts to formally announce a series between the two rival nations.India and Pakistan have not played against each other since the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008, which India blames on Pakistan backed extremist groups.The arch rivals have faced each other in International Cricket Council (ICC) events but have refrained from playing in a bilateral series.Meanwhile, Pakistan’s top priority is to host Bangladesh in 2012, which would open the doors for international cricket in the terror plagued country.Foreign teams have avoiding touring Pakistan since the 2009 terror attacks on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore, when the side was touring Pakistan.Eight Pakistanis lost their lives, while eight Sri Lankans were injured in the terror ambush as their bus was en route to Gaddafi stadium to play against the host team.After escaping from the failed ambush, the Sri Lankans were airlifted back to their country and the series was immediately called off.This had adverse effect on cricket in Pakistan, as the national team now has to play home events at a neutral venue. So far PCB has used England and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as neutral grounds to host home tournaments.Tagged in: England, cricket, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Terrorism, UAE, Zaka AshrafTest your Cricket knowledge by placing free betting on cricket matches. Get most accurate Cricket betting odds and picks for successful betting

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Afghanistan win dramatic final

Afghanistan beat Hong Kong by eight runs in the ACC Twenty20 Cup final to retain their title in thrilling fashion.Hong Kong seemed capable of pulling off a shock victory for long periods of the match at Tribhuvan University.Having bowled their opponents out for 125 they needed 47 more off the final eight overs, with eight wickets in hand.Afghanistan pace bowlers Hamid Hassan (3-12) and Dawlat Zadran (2-21) then turned the match around with Hong Kong's remaining wickets falling for just 38.Needing 11 to win from the final over, just two were scored before Nadeem Ahmed was run out going for a second run off the second ball of the over Afghanistan made it three wins out of three in the ACC Twenty20 Cup but they can rarely have been forced to fight so hard for a win in the tournament.Hong Kong opening bowler Munir Dar can feel most aggrieved to have finished on the losing side after picking up 5-23 to help bowl Afghanistan out for 125 with a ball to spare.Dar picked up wickets in each of his first two overs to send back the Afghanistan openers Mohammad Shahzad and Nawroz Mangal then fell for ducks as the batting side slumped to 24-4 in the sixth over.Gulbodin Naib (57 off 50 balls) then gave his team a total to defend by sharing in stands of 49 with Asghar Stanikzai (11) for the fifth wicket and 42 with Mohammad Nabi (24) for the sixth wicket.Afghanistan then lost their last five wickets in the space of seven balls in the chase for late runs.Nadeem Ahmed was Dar's best ally in the bowling department with a phenomenal 2-8 from four overs.Hong Kong were on course for victory when they reached 79-2 at the start of the 13th over.Courtney Kruger (17) was then bowled by Dawlat to begin the Afghanistan fightback.As long as skipper Jamie Atkinson (35) remained at the crease there were still hopes of a shock ACC Twenty20 Cup winner The right-hander became another victim of Dawlat to leave 21 still needed off 17 balls with just four wickets left.Hong Kong's lower order were unable to cope with the pressure as Afghanistan completed a dramatic turnaround.Hong Kong have the consolation of a place in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier next March as reward for their contribution to a magnificent competition.They join the winners, Oman and Nepal in UAE next year.

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India win despite Pollard heroics

West Indies big hitter Kieron Pollard gave India a scare before the hosts won the fifth and final ODI by 34 runs in Chennai.Pollard hit 10 sixes - the most struck against India in an ODI innings - on his way to 119 off 110 balls before he was last man out. A sixth-wicket stand of 89 between Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell (53 off 42 balls) put West Indies back in with a chance of victory after half their side went down for 78 in pursuit of 268.India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel had two opportunities to end the partnership early but was found wanting on each occasion.Russell was dropped on 30 off a bottom-edge before Patel put the same batsman down five runs later off Virat Kohli.India finally made the breakthrough when non-striker Russell ran through for a needless single and was well short of his crease following a direct hit from Gautam Gambhir at short third-man.Darren Sammy sliced to third man off Ravindra Jadeja for three as Pollard lost his final significant batting partner.After losing Sunil Narine cheaply, Pollard brought up his highest ODI score with successive sixes off Pathan to also bring up the 200.Fifty seven were needed off the final 10 overs but only two wickets remained.Kemar Roach brought the innings to a stand-still when he batted through 15 balls without scoring before he was bowled by a Jadeja delivery that spun past his outside edge and hit off-stump.Pollard knew time was running out to reach his 100 at that point but Virat Kohli inexplicably let a catch slip through his hands at long-on with the batsman on 99.Not only did that allow Pollard to get to a 98-ball ton but the ball slid over the boundary.The burly right-hander hammered his ninth and 10th sixes soon after but it always seemed likely the wickets column would prove crucial.So it proved as Pollard eventually holed out to Ajinkya Rahane on the long-off boundary with 35 balls remaining. In a hugely eventful match, Irfan Pathan made a dramatic comeback to international cricket - following more than two-and-a-half years in the wilderness - when he struck with the first ball of West Indies' innings.The left-armer swung a delivery back into Lendl Simmons and trapped the opener leg before.Pathan struck again in his third over to remove Kieran Powell, who played on for 15.Fellow opening bowler Abhimanyu Mithun then got in on the act with two wickets as West Indies slumped to 36-4.Denesh Ramdin (14) helped Pollard begin the recovery in a fifth-wicket stand of 42 before Russell offered even greater support.Manoj Tiwary (104 not out) and Kohli (80) had earlier dominated India's innings of 267-6 as they added 117 for the fourth wicket before the former retired hurt with cramp.Right-hander Tiwary's maiden ODI century came off 125 balls with 10 fours and one six.Kohli also seemed well-placed for three figures before he holed out to long-on going for quick runs in the closing stages.West Indies pace bowler Roach had got his side off to a flying start with wickets off consecutive balls of the first over. Rahane was trapped lbw before Parthiv Patel was bowled by a delivery that kept low.Gautam Gambhir was also a victim of the low bounce when Anthony Martin trapped him leg before for 31 after taking part in a stand of 83 with Tiwary for the third wicket.India wrap up the series 4-1 but the tourists can take some heart from some battling displays and outstanding individual performances.

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Pakistan in sight of huge win against Bangladesh

CHITTAGONG : Younis Khan cracked an unbeaten double-century and Asad Shafiq made his maiden hundred as Pakistan closed in on victory in the first Test against Bangladesh here on Sunday.Younis smashed a solid 200 not out and Shafiq an impressive 104 as Pakistan posted 594-5 declared in their first innings in reply to Bangladesh's 135 in Chittagong.The hosts faltered against spin before reaching 134-4 in their second innings at stumps on the third day, with debutant Mohammed Nazimuddin and Shakib Al Hasan each unbeaten on 41.Bangladesh still trail by 325 runs with six wickets in hand.Off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez, who was pressed into the attack after only five overs, struck with his fifth delivery after the tea break when he bowled opener Tamim Iqbal for 15.Bangladesh lost three wickets in the space of six runs after Nazimuddin and Shahriar Nafees added 50 for the second wicket, with off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman and paceman Aizaz Cheema doing the damage.Nafees made 28 and Nasir Hossain three while Mohammad Ashraful failed to open his account before Nazimuddin and Shakib added 54 for the unbroken fifth-stand stand to steady the innings.Pakistan declared their innings in the afternoon session immediately after Younis turned left-arm spinner Shakib to square-leg for two runs to complete his double-century, his third score of 200 or more in 72 Tests.Younis dominated the Bangladeshi attack with rich strokeplay, hitting three sixes and 18 fours in his 290-ball knock.Bangladesh continued to struggle for success as they took more than a session to get their lone wicket, but not before Younis and Shafiq had put on 259 for the fifth wicket.Left-arm spinner Elias Sunny broke the stand when he dismissed Shafiq, who cracked two sixes and nine fours in his 235-ball innings before being caught by Nafees at long-off while going for a big shot.Pakistan added 179 runs after resuming at 415-4.Younis, 96 overnight, reached his 19th Test hundred in the opening over when he flicked paceman Shahadat Hossain for a four. He was later caught off a Rubel Hossain no-ball by Sunny at deep square-leg on 138.Sunny finished with 3-123, while off-spinner Mohammad Mahmudullah and Shahadat took one wicket each.

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Hafeez, Younus put Pakistan in control against Bangladesh

CHITTAGONG : Younus Khan closed in on a century after Mohammad Hafeez hit a career-best 143 as Pakistan strengthened their grip on the first Test against Bangladesh on Saturday. The visitors, resuming on 132-0, reached 415-4 at the close on the second day to build up a lead of 280 runs after bowling out Bangladesh for 135. Younus (96) was batting with Asad Shafiq (40) at the close, capping another day of domination for Pakistan in the field. The former Pakistan captain became only the fourth Pakistani cricketer to complete 6,000 runs in Tests. Bangladesh hoped to build up some momentum after left-arm spinner Elias Sunny had Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq dismissed for 20 runs in the final session. However, the unbroken 104-run stand between Younus and Shafiq kept Pakistan firmly in control as they built on the well-composed century of opener Hafeez. Hafeez, who faced 237 balls and clubbed 14 boundaries, was unlucky to be dismissed lbw, though replays suggested the ball took a thin inside edge and hit him on the backfoot. Resuming on 74, the right-hander completed his fourth Test century and second against Bangladesh with a boundary off Mahmudullah, who gave Bangladesh their first breakthrough in the morning.The off-spinner trapped overnight batsman Taufiq Umar lbw on 61, ending his 164-run opening stand with Hafeez. Azhar Ali was the other batsman dismissed, edging paceman Shahadat Hossain to wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim for 26. (Reuters)

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Australia chase 241 to win second Test

HOBART : Australia: Australia were chasing 241 runs for victory in the second Hobart Test after New Zealand were dismissed for 226 at lunch on the third day on Sunday.The Kiwis, leading by 14 runs on the first innings, lost seven wickets in the extended morning session after resuming the day at 139 for three.The Black Caps unravelled after the loss of skipper Ross Taylor and Dean Brownlie, with their frail tail throwing the bat at the Australian bowlers Australia will be looking to wrap up a two-nil series victory after hammering New Zealand by nine wickets in last week's first Test in Brisbane.James Pattinson (3-54), Peter Siddle (3-66) and spinner Nathan Lyon (3-25) shared the wickets.Taylor topscored with 56 off 169 balls but once he departed along with first innings topscorer Brownlie (21), the Kiwi innings quickly fell away.Kane Williamson was out on the third ball of the day, brilliantly caught by a diving Ricky Ponting at second slip off Siddle for 34.Taylor was dropped on 48 in a sharp caught and bowled chance by Pattinson before he brought up his 15th Test half-century off the next ball.But Taylor's resistance ended in the 63rd over when he nicked a Pattinson outswinger to Michael Clarke at first slip.Brownlie, who was hit on the left hand by a Mitchell Starc delivery, tried to get out of the way off a Pattinson bouncer only to be caught behind off the back of his bat for 21.New Zealand were into their tail, minus injured Daniel Vettori, as they sought enough runs to defend in the fourth innings of the Test.Wicketkeeper Reece Young was out 15 minutes before lunch, lbw to Siddle for nine, but Tim Southee (13), Doug Bracewell (4) and Trent Boult (21) were out slogging spinner Lyon.A total of 30 wickets have fallen in seven sessions with a result possible on the third day if rain does not intervene.

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Pakistan on course for big total against Bangladesh

CHITTAGONG : Opener Mohammad Hafeez hit a career-best 143 to help Pakistan take a sizeable lead on the second day of the opening Test against Bangladesh here at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Saturday.He cracked 14 fours in his fourth Test century as Pakistan reached 295-3 in their first innings at tea in reply to Bangladesh's 135, for a 160-run lead with with seven wickets in hand.Younis Khan was unbeaten on 25 at the break with skipper Misbah-ul-Haq 16 not out as the tourists added 163 runs to their overnight total of 132 for no loss.Hafeez, whose previous best was 119 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo this year, was unlucky to be adjudged leg-before off left-arm spinner Elias Sunny, as TV replays suggested he had inside-edged the delivery on to his pad.Bangladesh struggled for success on an easy-paced pitch as they took only three wickets in the first two sessions, with off-spinner Mohammad Mahmudullah, paceman Shahadat Hossain and Sunny taking one wicket each.The hosts took the second new ball immediately after it was due and Shahadat had a chance to dismiss Younis on 15, but Sunny dropped the catch at deep square-leg.Bangladesh also let off Misbah on five when the batsman edged paceman Rubel Hossain, but Shahriar Nafees failed to hold on to the ball at second slip.Hafeez put Pakistan in a strong position when he added 164 for the opening wicket with left-handed Taufeeq Umar (61) and 56 for the second wicket with Azhar Ali (26).Hafeez, 74 overnight, reached his century in the morning session with an aggressive shot when he drove Mahmudullah through the covers for a four.The hosts broke the opening-wicket stand in the day's 16th over when Mahmudullah trapped Umar leg-before after the batsman had added eight runs to his overnight score of 53. Umar's 164-ball knock contained eight fours.Bangladesh got their second wicket when Shahadat had Azhar caught behind

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Hafeez to the fore as Pakistan's ODI bowlers dominate at the top

Pakistan players now occupy the top two positions in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers after a strong performance from Mohammad Hafeez in the recent three-match series in Bangladesh.The 31-year-old gains six places in the latest rankings and now sits just 19 ratings points behind team-mate Saeed Ajmal, who heads the list.Hafeez took six wickets in the series at an average of just 8.16 and an economy-rate of less than two runs per over making him the pick of an impressive bunch. Ajmal did enough to stay top of the world rankings with series figures of 4-52.There were also gains for Umar Gul, who rose three places to 26th position, and Shoaib Malik, who gained 35 places to 82nd in the world.Hafeez's bowling, coupled with some good support with the bat down the order, has earned him one place on the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders and he now occupies second position, having overtaken Australia's Shane Watson. He is just 13 ratings points behind leader Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh.Despite losing the series 3-0, Shakib was his usual competitive self and his series figures of 4-90 earned him three places on the bowling rankings as he moves to seventh overall.For India, R Ashwin has broken into the top 20 of the bowling charts for the first time in his career. With two matches remaining in the ongoing series with the West Indies, the 25-year-old from Chennai has gained three places and moves up to 18th position in the rankings.There is also good progress for Ravi Rampaul in the bowling rankings (up one place to 13th), while in the batting list those moving up include Lendl Simmons (up five spots to 25th), Darren Bravo (up 15 to 54th) and Andre Russell (up 34 to 76th). For India, Virat Kohli (up one place to fourth) and Rohit Sharma (up 21 places to 35th) also improve. However, Gautam Gambhir loses seven places in the latest rankings to 19th position and is now level with South Africa's JP Duminy.

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India clinch West Indies ODI series

INDORE : Virender Sehwag hit a record 219 off 149 balls as India defeated the West Indies by 153 runs in Indore on Thursday to take a decisive 3-1 lead in the five-match ODI series.India piled up their highest one-day total of 418-5 and then bowled out the West Indies for 265 in the day-night international.The fifth and final match will be played in Chennai on Sunday.Brief scores:India 418-5 in 50 overs; West Indies 265 all out in 49.2 overs.

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England squad named for 3-Test series against Pakistan

LONDON : England announced on Friday their squad for playing a three-Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates starting in January:Following is the 16-man squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Steven Davies (wk), Monty Panesar, Ravi BoparaItinerary: Jan 03: England arrive, Jan 07-09: TBC v England XI, venue TBC, Jan 11-13: TBC v England XI, venue TBC, Jan 17-21:1st Test, Dubai, Jan 25-29: 2nd Test, Abu Dhabi, Feb 03-07: 3rd Test, Dubai, Feb 10: TBC v England XI, Abu Dhabi, Feb 13:1st ODI, Abu Dhabi, Feb 15:2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi, Feb 18:3rd ODI, Dubai, Feb 21:4th ODI, Dubai, Feb 23:1st T20, Dubai, Feb 25:2nd T20, Dubai, Feb 27: 3rd T20, Abu Dhabi.

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Hafeez ton puts Pakistan in strong position

CHITTAGONG : Mohammad Hafeez completed his fourth Test century to put Pakistan in a strong position on the second day of the opening Test against Bangladesh here at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Saturday.The opener was unbeaten on 113 as the tourists reached 212-1 in their first innings at lunch in reply to Bangladesh's 135 after adding 80 runs to their overnight total of 132 for no loss.Hafeez, 74 overnight, reached his hundred in style when he drove off-spinner Mohammad Mahmudullah through the covers for a four. He has so far cracked 12 boundaries in his 187-ball knock.Azhar Ali was unbeaten on 24 at the break.Hafeez put Pakistan on course for a big total with a 164-run stand for the opening wicket with left-handed Taufeeq Umar, who scored 61 for his 12th Test half-century.Bangladesh broke the opening-wicket stand in the day's 16th over when Mahmudullah trapped Umar leg-before after the batsman had added eight runs to his overnight score of 53.Umar's 164-ball knock contained eight fours.Pakistan on Friday bowled Bangladesh out in 51.2 overs, with left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal each taking three wickets.Fast bowlers Aizaz Cheema and Umar Gul took two wickets apiece.

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New Zealand lead Aussies in low-scoring Test

HOBART : New Zealand held a lead of 43 runs at tea on the second day after rolling Australia for 136 in the second Test at Bellerive Oval on Saturday.Fast bowlers Peter Siddle and James Pattinson helped the Australians avoid their lowest Test score against the Kiwis with a 56-run eighth-wicket stand after the home side went to lunch at 81 for seven.At tea, New Zealand had added to their 14-run innings lead to be 29 without loss with Martin Guptill on 12 and Brendon McCullum on nine.Australia struggled in their pursuit of the Kiwis' first innings of 150 and at one stage were on track for their lowest Test total against New Zealand of 103 set in Auckland in 1986.But Siddle (36) and Pattinson (17) saved their blushes with their partnership as the Bellerive pitch began to play easier after its first-day demons.New Zealand's all pace attack kept the Australians under pressure with Chris Martin (3-46), Trent Boult (3-29) and Doug Bracewell (3-20) among the wickets. Australia lost six wickets in the extended morning session after resuming at 12 for one following Friday's loss of Phil Hughes for four.David Warner only lasted 17 minutes into the second day before he nicked Martin to Ross Taylor at first slip for 15.Ricky Ponting walked before he was given out leg before wicket for five after playing Tim Southee across his pads.It was the fifth time in his last six Test innings that Test cricket's third-greatest runscorer was out lbw and the 30th Test innings since his last century.Ponting's last big knock was 209 against Pakistan almost two years ago in Hobart.Usman Khawaja's watchful 51-ball vigil ended when he edged Martin to wicketkeeper Reece Young for seven in 77 minutes and left Australia 35 for four.Mike Hussey tried to get his bat out of the way of a Boult lifter only to bottom-edge a catch to Young for eight to send Australia reeling at 58 for five.Brad Haddin was out to a loose shot finding Brendan McCullum at mid-off for five and giving Bracewell his first wicket.Michael Clarke did not offer a shot and was surprised by Bracewell's low bounce to be bowled for 22.But Siddle and Pattinson eased Australia past their trans-Tasman Test lowest score before Siddle was caught in the slips by Guptill off Bracewell and Pattinson fell in the next over, brilliantly caught in the gully by Kane Williamson off Boult.Boult took his third wicket in his debut Test trapping Mitchell Starc lbw for four. (AFP) 

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India win toss, put Windies into bat in 3rd ODI

AHMEDABAD : India captain Virender Sehwag won the toss and put West Indies into bat in the third One-day International being played here at the Sardar Patel Stadium Motera on Monday. India, leading 2-0 in the five-match series, made one change from the side that won the second one-dayer by five wickets as they brought in paceman Abhimanyu Mithun in place of Varun Aaron.The West Indies replaced opener Adrian Barath with debutant spinner Sunil Narine.Teams: West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Lendl Simmons, Danza Hyatt, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Sunil Narine.India: Virender Sehwag (captain), Parthiv Patel, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Abhimanyu Mithun. 

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DHAKA: Despite a magnificent maiden hundred by Nasir Hossain, Pakistan recorded second consecutive victory against Bangladesh to win the series of three One-day Internationals 2-0 here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday. Nasir scored exact 100 runs in 155 balls with a six and eleven fours but his team was defeated by 76 runs in the end. Chasing 263, Bangladesh could make 186 runs for seven wickets in the allotted 50 overs. Earlier, Umar Akmal scored 59 and Shahid Afridi hit 42 off 27 balls as Pakistan piled up 262-7 after they won the toss and elected to bat in the day-night match at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium. The total proved beyond Bangladesh's reach after they were reduced to 19-4 in the 10th over, and managed only 186-7 despite a maiden international century from Nasir Hossain. Nasir cracked 100 and Shakib Al Hasan made 34, the pair sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 106 runs, but Bangladesh were never in the hunt against the tight Pakistani bowling. The 20-year-old Nasir, playing only his ninth one-dayer, plundered 11 boundaries and a six before he was dismissed in the final over. Seamer Umar Gul finished with four for 36, while off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez conceded just 15 runs in his 10 overs with two wickets. Pakistan's 27th win over the Tigers in 28 one-dayers has left only academic interest in the third and final match to be played in the port city of Chittagong on Tuesday. The one-dayers will be followed by two Test matches. Pakistan had won the Twenty20 international by 50 runs and the first one-dayer by five wickets at the same venue. Hafeez, who opened Pakistan's attack, removed Imrul Kayes and Shahriar Nafees in successive overs after Gul had dismissed the aggressive Tamim Iqbal in his second over. Gul also had Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim caught at gully, before Nasir and Shakib delayed the inevitable with their century partnership. Pakistan's innings revolved around a fourth-wicket stand of 83 between Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq (37), before Afridi smashed two sixes and three boundaries towards the end to boost the total. Hafeez (32) and Younis Khan (37) put on 57 for the second wicket after opener Imran Farhat had fallen in the third over. Akmal lifted the tempo by reaching his 11th one-day half-century off 49 balls, steering seamer Rubel Hossain to the third-man fence. The 21-year-old fell in the next over, the 39th of the innings, when he holed out in the deep off Shakib to make Pakistan 176-4. It soon became 193-5 as one-day debutant Elias Sunny picked up his first wicket when he had Misbah caught in the deep in the 42nd over.

BRISBANE : A James Pattinson-inspired Australia won the first trans-Tasman Test at the Gabba on Sunday by nine wickets within four days.They required 19 second innings runs to win after a stunning burst by Test debutant Pattinson (5-27) helped the hosts rout New Zealand for 150 in their second innings on Sunday.Australia (1-19) lost opener Phil Hughes (seven) - who was dropped the previous ball - before David Warner (12 not out) hit the winning boundary.The 21-year-old Victorian boasted figures of 5-7 by his seventh over - his first five-wicket haul in just his 10th first-class game.New Zealand began the day at 1-10 but went to lunch at 7-121.And they were 8-123 when the stubborn Dean Brownlie (42) was dismissed by Peter Siddle (1-44) on the eighth ball after lunch.Off-spinner Nathan Lyon (3-19) helped clean up the tail.It marked a big turnaround for Pattinson who was 0-13 after his first Test over on Thursday, finishing with first innings figures of 1-64 off 15 overs.But not everything he touched turned to gold on Sunday.He dropped Perth-born Brownlie on 34, denying Warner a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket.New Zealand took seven off the first over of the day before all hell broke loose.Martin Guptill (12) was snapped up at bat-pad and two balls later Kane Williamson (0) was caught behind driving - as was captain Ross Taylor (0) next ball.Jesse Ryder survived the hat-trick ball, jamming out a nasty yorker but New Zealand soon slumped to 5-28 in the 13th over.Nightwatchman Doug Bracewell would not have fancied his odds of surviving considering his rotten luck in Brisbane - he had three chances go down off his bowling in Australia's 427 first dig after dismissing Michael Clarke (139) on a no ball. Sure enough he was next to go - giving Pattinson five scalps. The aggressive Ryder (36 off 38) showed some resistance before being caught slogging.Pattinson was named man of the match for his efforts in the second dig.

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Nasir Hossain’s ton in vain as Pakistan win series

DHAKA : Despite a magnificent maiden hundred by Nasir Hossain, Pakistan recorded second consecutive victory against Bangladesh to win the series of three One-day Internationals 2-0 here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday.Nasir scored exact 100 runs in 155 balls with a six and eleven fours but his team was defeated by 76 runs in the end.Chasing 263, Bangladesh could make 186 runs for seven wickets in the allotted 50 overs.Earlier, Umar Akmal scored 59 and Shahid Afridi hit 42 off 27 balls as Pakistan piled up 262-7 after they won the toss and elected to bat in the day-night match at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.The total proved beyond Bangladesh's reach after they were reduced to 19-4 in the 10th over, and managed only 186-7 despite a maiden international century from Nasir Hossain.Nasir cracked 100 and Shakib Al Hasan made 34, the pair sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 106 runs, but Bangladesh were never in the hunt against the tight Pakistani bowling.The 20-year-old Nasir, playing only his ninth one-dayer, plundered 11 boundaries and a six before he was dismissed in the final over.Seamer Umar Gul finished with four for 36, while off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez conceded just 15 runs in his 10 overs with two wickets.Pakistan's 27th win over the Tigers in 28 one-dayers has left only academic interest in the third and final match to be played in the port city of Chittagong on Tuesday.The one-dayers will be followed by two Test matches.Pakistan had won the Twenty20 international by 50 runs and the first one-dayer by five wickets at the same venue.Hafeez, who opened Pakistan's attack, removed Imrul Kayes and Shahriar Nafees in successive overs after Gul had dismissed the aggressive Tamim Iqbal in his second over.Gul also had Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim caught at gully, before Nasir and Shakib delayed the inevitable with their century partnership.Pakistan's innings revolved around a fourth-wicket stand of 83 between Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq (37), before Afridi smashed two sixes and three boundaries towards the end to boost the total.Hafeez (32) and Younis Khan (37) put on 57 for the second wicket after opener Imran Farhat had fallen in the third over.Akmal lifted the tempo by reaching his 11th one-day half-century off 49 balls, steering seamer Rubel Hossain to the third-man fence.The 21-year-old fell in the next over, the 39th of the innings, when he holed out in the deep off Shakib to make Pakistan 176-4.It soon became 193-5 as one-day debutant Elias Sunny picked up his first wicket when he had Misbah caught in the deep in the 42nd over

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