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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Pakistan look to draw first blood

KARACHI : Buoyed up by their series-winning triumphs in all three formats of the game against Sri Lanka in the UAE, Pakistan will be eyeing a comprehensive win against Bangladesh in Dhaka on today when they open a month-long tour with a one-off Twenty20 International.Pakistan landed in Dhaka just a day after beating better-ranked Sri Lanka in the three-match series (1-0) and five-match One-day International series (4-1) before winning their one-off Twenty20 game in Abu Dhabi last Friday.Compared to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh are likely to be easier opponents but the Pakistanis are wary of the threat their lower-ranked hosts can pose at times to visiting teams.Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has warned his players against taking Bangladesh for granted."It would be a big folly on our part to think we can walk over Bangladesh. We are playing a full series in Bangladesh after a long time and I have told the players to treat the series as a top ones because there will be lot of pressure on us," said the seasoned batsman ahead of the series-opening Twenty20 encounter.However, the fact is that Pakistan will begin the match as overwhelming favourites. They have a hundred percent record against Bangladesh having won all the four Twenty20 Internationals played between the two teams.While Pakistan, who won the World Twenty20 title in England in 2009, are one of the top teams in the fastest format of the game, Bangladesh have never beaten a top-flight team other than West Indies in T20 cricket.The good news for Bangladeshi supporters is that the home team thrashed West Indies in a similar tour-opening Twenty20 game recently."West Indies were favourites against us as we don't usually play Twenty20s. At the end of the day, we bowled well and despite a hiccup in batting we finished as winners," said Mushfiqur Rahim, the Bangladesh captain.Rahim warned Pakistan that his team will go all out for wins rather than just respectable losses against them in the series."I think Bangladesh cricket has crossed that barrier where we aim for a respectable loss against a big team," Mushfiqur said. "That mentality is not there within this group of players. We play to win every game against whichever team. "They're the favourites no doubt but if we play our best cricket, it won't be easy to beat us in any of the formats," he stressed.Squads:Pakistan (likely): Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Asad Shafiq, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Umar Akmal (wk), Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Aizaz Cheema, Umar Gul, and Saeed Ajmal.Bangladesh (likely): Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Alok Kapali, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (captain & wk), Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, and Shafiul Islam.

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Yuvraj vows to return after lung tumour diagnosis

Crowd-pleasing batsman Yuvraj Singh has told cricket fans it is simply a matter of time before he is back playing again after being diagnosed with a non-malignant lung tumour.A wave of sympathy swept the country when his mother said in a statement at the weekend that the left-hander, who turns 30 next month, had a golf ball-sized tumour. Yuvraj played in the Delhi and Kolkata tests against West Indies this month but will be missing for the five-match one-day series against the same opponents that starts in Cuttack on Tuesday."Overwhelmed with your love and support. I am absolutely fine, just need to get match fitness and training, will be back soon," he said on his Twitter account."Need some more time to regain 100p (percent) fitness. Nothing serious, need to build up the lost stamina."One of the cleanest strikers of a cricket ball, middle-order batsman Yuvraj is not a regular member of India's test side but is an automatic choice in their limited-over teams.Yuvraj was instrumental in India's 2007 World Twenty20 victory in South Africa and hit England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in one of the matches.He was also named player of the tournament in India's successful 50-over World Cup campaign on home soil in February, March and April.The statement from his mother Shabnam Singh said Yuvraj suffered regular bouts of coughing and vomiting during this year's World Cup but ignored them.As the problem persisted he finally sought medical advice."Scans showed Yuvraj was dealing with something really serious. A golf-ball sized lump (was) found over his left lung and doctors advised us to go in for more detailed scans," his mother said."Everyone who knows Yuvraj knows he is a fighter and has been very strong and a pillar for the family through this trying period. We are sure that very soon he will be back on the cricket field in India colours.

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New Zealand can rise above the West Indies in Reliance ICC Test Championship

New Zealand can rise to seventh in the Reliance ICC Test Championship table with a 2-0 win over Australia in the series that begins in Brisbane on Thursday.A win in both Tests would earn Ross Taylor's team 10 ratings points and move it above the West Indies on the log. In that scenario Australia would drop level with Sri Lanka on 99 points but would remain in fourth position by a fraction.A win for Australia in the series would close the gap on third-placed South Africa but would not be enough to move ahead of the Proteas.Click here to use the predictor function on the rankings page of the ICC website to find out how future results could affect the Reliance ICC Test Championship table .Reliance ICC Test Championship (as of 29 November, ahead of Australia v New Zealand series)

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Steve Bernard named as ICC Regional Referee for East-Asia Pacific

The ICC has announced that former Australia team manager Steve Bernard has been appointed to the role of ICC Regional Referee for the East-Asia Pacific (EAP) region. The job will involve acting as referee for a wide range of development and women's internationals and tournaments throughout the region.Mr Bernard was the preferred candidate due to his broad cricketing knowledge coupled with his vast experience managing players, coaches and other team support staff. As a player, he was a successful right-arm fast bowler who represented New South Wales in first-class cricket from 1970 to 1978.He was a New South Wales selector from 1983 to 1995 and a national selector from 1993 until 1998 when he took over as the manager of the Australia team, a role he fulfilled until retiring earlier this year."I'm honoured to have been chosen to work in this role," said Mr Bernard. "I'm excited to be able to contribute to the game of cricket in this manner, particularly focusing on developing the game."I look forward to working with the ICC, and the stakeholders of the game within the EAP region," he said.The role of regional referee is to act as tournament referee for ICC regional tournaments and ICC World Cricket League events; remote referee for women's international matches and ICC Intercontinental Cup matches; and match referee for ODIs and T20Is involving Associate and Affiliate teams.The EAP region includes Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Indonesia, Philippines, Samoa, South Korea and Tonga.ICC Global Development Manager Tim Anderson said: "We welcome Steve to this important role and with his vast experience of cricket we have no doubt he will be an excellent referee. We were presented with an outstanding list of candidates and although we had a difficult job deciding, there is no doubt we have the right person for the role."It was encouraging to see the quality of candidates received for what is a part-time and essentially volunteer role. It is great for the ICC and for the development of cricket in the EAP region to have someone of Steve's calibre involved.Mr Bernard joins the ICC Regional Referee Panel which now consists of:

Dev Govindjee (Africa)
Adrian Griffith (Americas)
Graeme La Brooy (Asia)
Steve Bernard (EAP)
David Jukes (Europe)

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Pakistan keen to build on winning streak in Bangladesh

DHAKA : Misbah-ul-Haq’s Pakistan will look to continue their recent winning form when they open the tour of Bangladesh with a Twenty20 International here on Tuesday.The three-week visit, which also comprises three One-day Internationals and two Tests, is Pakistan’s first full tour of their South Asian rivals since 2002 Pakistan are buoyed by their emphatic success over Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates this month, where they beat their accomplished rivals in all three formats of the game.“This is a good period for us and I hope we will continue to win,” Misbah told reporters. “It’s all about team work. The guys know what is expected of them and they work hard to fulfil their responsibilities. It’s really good to have a team like this.”Pakistan have enjoyed overwhelming success over Bangladesh in the past, but Misbah cautioned his team-mates against taking the hosts lightly.“We will have to play good cricket to beat them because Bangladesh are a strong side at home. They are sure to put up a tough fight,” the Pakistan captain said. “We have to be more consistent in our batting. There is always room to improve the fielding and we must be more disciplined in our bowling.”When Pakistan last played a Test series in Bangladesh in 2002 they won both matches by heavy margins, the first by an innings and 178 runs in Dhaka and the second by an innings and 169 runs in Chittagong.Bangladesh have endured a wretched period at the top level, having lost nine of their last 10 Tests with one drawn game.The 1-0 loss at home to the West Indies in October was their 61st defeat in 71 Tests since they entered the big league in 2000.Bangladesh have won just three Tests so far, while seven matches were drawn.The hosts, now led by their gutsy wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim, will look to push Pakistan hard when the two-Test series starts on Dec 9.Squads for Twenty20 match:BANGLADESH: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Alok Kapali, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Farhad Reza, Nasir Hossain, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Elias Sunny, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Rubel Hossain.
PAKISTAN: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Sohail Tanvir, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Khalil, Sarfraz Ahmed, Aizaz Cheema, Abdur Rehman.
Schedule:
Nov 29: Twenty20 International (Dhaka, D/N).
Dec 1: First One-day International (Dhaka, D/N).
Dec 3: Second One-day International (Dhaka, D/N).
Dec 6: Third One-day International (Chittagong).
Dec 9-13: First Test (Chittagong).
Dec 17-21: Second Test (Dhaka).—Agencies

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West Indies eye upward movement in Reliance ICC ODI Championship

It's all to play for a resurgent West Indies team as it takes on world champion India in a five-match ODI series, which starts tomorrow at Cuttack. A good showing for Darren Sammy's men will move them above New Zealand in the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table.With confidence high after an encouraging Test series, coupled with the fact India will be without a number of key players, the men from the Caribbean will feel they have a chance to upset the odds.Click here to use the predictor function on the rankings page of the ICC website to find out how future results could affect the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table.In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings, MS Dhoni is certain drop to fourth place at best given he is not playing and a player loses one per cent of his rating for each of team's ODIs that he misses.But it should present an opportunity for India's next highest-ranked batsman, Virat Kohli, to perhaps break into the top three and above his captain, Dhoni.

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