National cricket team return after Zimbabwe's successful tour

LAHORE : National cricket team arrived at Allama Iqbal International airport here after completing Zimbabwe's successful tour and were accorded warm welcome.During the tour, national team played 1 test, 3 One Day Internationals and 2 T20 matches against the host team Zimbabwe and won all of them.Talking to media at the airport, skipper Misbah ul Haq said that all players got a chance to play against Zimbabwe and they performed well which resulted in a great victory.He further said that Sri Lanka would be the strong target and a good cricket would be seen during the upcoming series.Meanwhile, national team coach Waqar Younis said that the team's tour to Zimbabwe was his last tour, adding that he learnt a lot during his tenure as a coach.He said that all credit of a successful tour went to the players.PCB officials received national team at the airport. Security was kept tightened on the occasion.

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Aussie coach quits after series win

COLOMBO : Australia national coach Tim Nielsen has decided to step down rather than reapply for his job, he said Tuesday, soon after the team posted a 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka in Colombo.Nielsen, 43, who held the job for four years, would have had to reapply for the expanded role of head coach, a post which is being created following recommendations made by the seven-month Argus Review of Australian cricket.He had been due to stay on in the current role for next month's tour of South Africa before a new head coach was appointed, but Australia will now have to look for an interim coach.Nielsen told reporters in Colombo he was not interested in applying for the revised job position.Cricket Australia said Nielsen is due to take up a "new Australian cricket role that will be announced soon CA chief executive James Sutherland said Nielsen could not be persuaded to apply for the new post, but thanked him for his hard work since taking over from John Buchanan in 2007.During Nielsen's tenure, Australia lost two Ashes series against England and failed to retain the limited-overs World Cup in April after winning it on the last three occasions.Australian cricket is undergoing a transitional period following the retirement of greats like Shane Watson, Mathew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist.The sweeping Argus Review was ordered by the Australian cricket board after the Test team's humiliating 3-1 Ashes series defeat to England this year. The announcement came after Michael Clarke replaced Ricky Ponting as captain and led Australia to Test and one-day series wins in Sri Lanka on his first full tour at the helm.

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Aussies win series after 3rd Test drawn against Sri Lanka

COLOMBO : Australia clinched the Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0 Tuesday after resurgent skipper Michael Clarke led from the front to snatch a draw for the tourists in the finely poised third and final game.For Clarke it was a victorious first Test tour as captain, the series win coming after the 125-run defeat of the hosts in the opening encounter in Galle. The second Test in Pallekele ended in a rain-affected draw.Clarke said he was delighted at his team's performance after receiving the series trophy named after spin legends Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan.The skipper burst into form with a fluent century and Michael Hussey narrowly missed a third consecutive hundred as Australia piled up 488 in their second innings before they were all out shortly before close with a lead of 331.Sri Lanka were 7-0 from two overs in their second knock when the match was called off at the Sinhalese Sports Club in the capital Colombo.Clarke, who replaced Ricky Ponting as captain, hit 112 and Hussey made 93 in a remarkable batting revival after the tourists had conceded a first innings lead of 157 runs in good batting conditions.Clarke, who went 23 innings without a Test century since making 168 against New Zealand in March last year, hammered 14 boundaries and three sixes in his robust knock.He was dismissed after he lost concentration following a verbal on-field skirmish with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and holed out in the deep to become left-arm spinner Rangana Herath's fifth victim.Herath finished with remarkable figures of 7-157 on an unhelpful pitch, his last wicket giving him 100 Test scalps in 29 matches.Hussey continued his amazing run in the series, scoring 463 runs in five innings at an average of 92.60, but missed out on a century in each innings of this match The left-hander moved to 93 with two fours off Tillakaratne Dilshan, but fell in the same over as he swept high to a diving Chanaka Welegedara at deep square-leg.The West Australian had scored 95 and 15 in the first Test, 142 in the second and 118 in the first innings here.Hussey, who picked up the man-of-the-match awards in all three Tests, was also adjudged the man of the series.He and Clarke put on 176 for the fifth wicket after Sri Lanka had struck an important blow in the day's sixth over.Australia added just 11 runs to their overnight score of 209-3 when century-maker Phil Hughes top-edged a sweep off Herath to Lahiru Thirimanne at square-leg.The left-hander made 126, his third Test century.Sri Lanka will now prepare for Test and one-day contests against Pakistan to be played in the United Arab Emirates from next month.

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Sportsmen discuss flood situation with President

KARACH I: President Asif Ali Zardari met a delegation of 30 athletes who called on him to discuss the flood situation in SindhJaved Miandad and other well known athletes were the part of this meeting.Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt was also present there.Prior to the meeting it was reported that the former cricket captain Shahid Afridi would hold a separate meeting with the president but that was not the case. According to sources there was no development pertaining to Afridi’s return to international cricket.

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Clarke hits ton as final Test heading for draw

COLOMBO : Australian captain Michael Clarke burst into form with a brilliant century as the third and final cricket Test against Sri Lanka headed for a draw in Colombo on Tuesday.Clarke made 112 as the tourists, trailing by 157 runs after the first innings, piled up 429-5 in their second knock by tea on the fifth day, a lead of 272 runs with five wickets in hand.Michael Hussey followed two successive hundreds in the series with 80 not out after helping Clarke add 176 runs for the fifth wicket to frustrate Sri Lanka's bid for a series-levelling win.Australia need to play out the last session to clinch a 1-0 series win after the 125-run victory in the first Test in Galle.The second Test in Pallekele ended in a rain-affected draw.Clarke, who went 23 innings without a Test century since making 168 against New Zealand in March last year, hammered 14 boundaries and three sixes to end his drought.The hundred left him on the doorstep of a series win in his first Test tour as captain after replacing Ricky Ponting at the end of the World Cup in April.Clarke eventually lost concentration following a brief verbal skirmish with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and holed out in the deep to give left-arm spinner Rangana Herath his fifth wicket of the innings.Left-hander Hussey continued his remarkable form, taking his run aggregate to 450 runs in five innings with two centuries.Clarke and Hussey came together after Sri Lanka had struck an important blow in the sixth over of the day, dismissing century-maker Phil Hughes.Australia had added just 11 runs to their overnight score of 209-3 when Hughes top-edged a sweep off Herath to Lahiru Thirimanne at square-leg.The left-hander made 126, his third Test century.Herath, the lone wicket-taker in the innings, shared the second new ball which was taken in the 87th over with the total 268-4.Clarke responded to the gamble by driving the spinner through the covers and lofting the next ball for six to bring up his half-century.The Australian captain failed to add to his lunch score of 71 when wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene missed a difficult stumping chance off Herath.Clarke reached his century by pulling the spinner to mid-on for his 14th boundary, soon after he had smashed the bowler for his third six.

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Skipper Clarke steers Aussies towards safety

COLOMBO : Australian captain Michael Clarke hit a robust half-century to frustrate Sri Lanka's victory bid on the last day of the third and final Test in Colombo on Tuesday.Clarke was unbeaten on 71 as the tourists, trailing by 157 runs on the first innings, reached 303-4 in their second knock by lunch on the fifth day, a lead of 146 runs with six wickets in hand.Australia need to play out the remaining two sessions to force a draw and clinch the series 1-0 on the back of the 125-run win in the first Test in Galle.The second Test in Pallekele ended in a rain-affected draw.Clarke notched up his highest score in the series to keep the tourists afloat after Sri Lanka had struck an important blow in the day's sixth over.Australia added just 11 runs to their overnight score of 209-3 when century-maker Phil Hughes top-edged a sweep off Rangana Herath to Lahiru Thirimanne at square-leg.The left-hander made 126, his third Test century.Herath, the left-arm spinner who claimed all the four Aussie wickets to fall, shared the second new ball, which was taken in the 87th over with the total 268-4.Clarke responded to the gamble by driving the spinner through the covers and lofting the next ball for six to bring up his half-century.Michael Hussey kept his captain company at lunch with 21, the pair having put on 83 runs so far for the fifth wicket.

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Delegation of athletes to meet President

KARACHI : A thirty-member delegation of athletes will meet with President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday and discuss relief efforts for Sindh flood affectees,Former cricket captains Shahid Afridi, Javed Miandad and other well known athletes will be part of this delegation.The meeting will take place at the Bilawal House and PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt will also be attending. Chief Minister’s advisor on sports Haleem Adil said the purpose of the meeting is the formation of a campaign to collect funds for the flood affectees. It is expected that Shahid Afridi might hold a separate meeting with President Zardari.

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Sri Lanka hope to level series despite Hughes ton

COLOMBO : Sri Lanka kept their hopes alive of securing a series-levelling win over Australia in the final Test in Colombo on Monday, despite an unbeaten century from opener Phil Hughes.Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath grabbed all three wickets as the tourists, trailing by 157 runs on the first innings, ended the fourth day's play at 209-3 in their second knock at the Sinhalese Sports Club.Hughes was unbeaten on 122 and skipper Michael Clarke was on eight, with Australia going into the final day on Tuesday 52 runs ahead with seven wickets in hand.Clarke's men will need to bat out at least two of the last three sessions to draw the match and clinch the series 1-0 on the back of a 125-run win in the first Test in Galle.The rain-hit second match in Pallekele was drawn.Hughes had walked to the crease in danger of losing his spot in the team after failing to score a half-century in 11 innings since an unbeaten 86 against New Zealand in March last year.The left-hander, who had an umpire's review for a catch at the wicket go in his favour off the last ball of the day, responded with an aggressive knock that contained 16 boundaries and a six.Hughes had also survived a review for leg-before on 99 before cutting seamer Chanaka Welegedara for two runs later in the same over to bring up his third Test century.Hughes celebrated the landmark by raising his fist towards the travelling Australian media in the press box before he acknowledged the cheers from his team-mates and the crowd.Hughes contributed 36 in an opening stand of 62 with Shane Watson, who fell leg-before to Herath for 21 when a TV review overturned umpire Tony Hill's decision to reprieve the batsman.Shaun Marsh added 60 for the second wicket with Hughes when he was given out by Hill, caught at short-leg off Herath, even though replays showed the ball made no contact with the bat.Marsh, surprisingly, did not ask for a review.Hughes then put on 66 for the third wicket with Ricky Ponting, before the former captain edged a vicious turner from Herath to the slips after making 28.Earlier, Sri Lanka gained a sizeable lead through a maiden Test century from vice-captain Angelo Mathews.Mathews returned unbeaten on 105 as the hosts added 45 runs to their overnight score of 428-6 before they were all out for 473 shortly before lunch on the fourth day.Fast bowler Peter Siddle claimed two of the last four Sri Lankan wickets to finish with 4-91 from 35 overs. Trent Copeland and Mitchell Johnson picked up two wickets each.Siddle bowled Shaminda Eranga for 12 and trapped Herath leg-before for three within the first hour.Mathews was stranded on 95 when Sri Lanka lost their ninth wicket, but the right-hander reached the coveted century by driving Siddle to the cover fence for his 10th boundary.The 24-year-old has been one of Sri Lanka's few batting stars in the series, having made 95 in the first Test and 58 in the drawn second game.Last man Suranga Lakmal contributed 13 in a 10th-wicket stand of 23 with Mathews before he was bowled by Johnson.

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Sri Lanka hope to level series despite Hughes ton

COLOMBO : Sri Lanka kept their hopes alive of securing a series-levelling win over Australia in the final Test in Colombo on Monday, despite an unbeaten century from opener Phil Hughes.Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath grabbed all three wickets as the tourists, trailing by 157 runs on the first innings, ended the fourth day's play at 209-3 in their second knock at the Sinhalese Sports Club.Hughes was unbeaten on 122 and skipper Michael Clarke was on eight, with Australia going into the final day on Tuesday 52 runs ahead with seven wickets in hand.Clarke's men will need to bat out at least two of the last three sessions to draw the match and clinch the series 1-0 on the back of a 125-run win in the first Test in Galle.The rain-hit second match in Pallekele was drawn.Hughes had walked to the crease in danger of losing his spot in the team after failing to score a half-century in 11 innings since an unbeaten 86 against New Zealand in March last year.The left-hander, who had an umpire's review for a catch at the wicket go in his favour off the last ball of the day, responded with an aggressive knock that contained 16 boundaries and a six.Hughes had also survived a review for leg-before on 99 before cutting seamer Chanaka Welegedara for two runs later in the same over to bring up his third Test century.Hughes celebrated the landmark by raising his fist towards the travelling Australian media in the press box before he acknowledged the cheers from his team-mates and the crowd.Hughes contributed 36 in an opening stand of 62 with Shane Watson, who fell leg-before to Herath for 21 when a TV review overturned umpire Tony Hill's decision to reprieve the batsman.Shaun Marsh added 60 for the second wicket with Hughes when he was given out by Hill, caught at short-leg off Herath, even though replays showed the ball made no contact with the bat.Marsh, surprisingly, did not ask for a review.Hughes then put on 66 for the third wicket with Ricky Ponting, before the former captain edged a vicious turner from Herath to the slips after making 28.Earlier, Sri Lanka gained a sizeable lead through a maiden Test century from vice-captain Angelo Mathews.Mathews returned unbeaten on 105 as the hosts added 45 runs to their overnight score of 428-6 before they were all out for 473 shortly before lunch on the fourth day.Fast bowler Peter Siddle claimed two of the last four Sri Lankan wickets to finish with 4-91 from 35 overs. Trent Copeland and Mitchell Johnson picked up two wickets each.Siddle bowled Shaminda Eranga for 12 and trapped Herath leg-before for three within the first hour.Mathews was stranded on 95 when Sri Lanka lost their ninth wicket, but the right-hander reached the coveted century by driving Siddle to the cover fence for his 10th boundary.The 24-year-old has been one of Sri Lanka's few batting stars in the series, having made 95 in the first Test and 58 in the drawn second game.Last man Suranga Lakmal contributed 13 in a 10th-wicket stand of 23 with Mathews before he was bowled by Johnson.

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Hughes leads Aussies fight back against Sri Lanka

COLOMBO : Phil Hughes hit timely form as Australia fought hard to wriggle out of a tight corner in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Monday.Hughes was unbeaten on 78 as the tourists, trailing by 157 runs on the first innings, moved to 127-2 in their second knock at tea on the fourth day at the Sinhalese Sports Club.Michael Clarke's Australia need to bat out a major part of the last four sessions to draw the match and win the series 1-0 on the back of a 125-run victory in the first Test in Galle.Hughes had walked to the crease in danger of losing his spot in the team after failing to score a half-century since an unbeaten 86 against New Zealand in March last year.The left-handed opener responded with an aggressive knock that contained 11 boundaries and a six.Hughes contributed 36 in an opening stand of 62 with Shane Watson, who fell leg-before to Rangana Herath for 21 when a TV review overturned umpire Tony Hill's decision to reprieve the batsman.Shaun Marsh added 60 for the second wicket with Hughes when he was given out by Hill, caught at short-leg off Herath, even though replays showed the ball made no contact with the bat.Former captain Ricky Ponting, who replaced Marsh, had yet to score.Sri Lanka, needing a win to draw the series, gained a sizeable lead through a maiden Test century from vice-captain Angelo Mathews.Mathews returned unbeaten on 105 as the hosts added 45 runs to their overnight score of 428-6 before they were all out for 473 shortly before lunch on the fourth day.Fast bowler Peter Siddle claimed two of the last four Sri Lankan wickets to finish with 4-91 from 35 overs. Trent Copeland and Mitchell Johnson picked up two wickets each.Siddle bowled Shaminda Eranga for 12 and trapped Herath leg-before for three within the first hour.Mathews was stranded on 95 when Sri Lanka lost their ninth wicket, but the right-hander reached the coveted century by driving Siddle to the cover fence for his 10th boundary.The 24-year-old has been one of Sri Lanka's few batting stars in the series, having made 95 in the first Test and 58 in the drawn second game.Last man Suranga Lakmal contributed 13 in a 10th-wicket stand of 23 with Mathews before he was bowled by Johnson.

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Mathews' ton gets S Lanka 157-run lead over Aussies

COLOMBO : Angelo Mathews scored his maiden test hundred to give Sri Lanka a handy first-innings lead of 157 against Australia on the fourth day of the third and final Test on Monday. Mathews, unbeaten on 85 overnight, was stuck nervously in the nineties as he lost three partners in quick succession but finally got across the elusive 100-mark with a cover-driven four off Peter Siddle. Mathews, on 95 when the ninth wicket fell, would have tothank last man Suranga Lakmal for hanging around for 37 minutes to help him get to his century. The 24-year old all-rounder, who had twice been dismissed in the nineties in his 16-Test career, jumped into the air to celebrate his century and was warmly applauded by his team mates in the dressing room. Australia made early inroads into the Sri Lankan batting on Monday when Siddle breached the defence of debutant Saminda Eranga (12) and trapped Rangana Herath (3) leg before. Chanaka Welegedara (1) was run out after a misunderstanding with Mathews that saw both batsmen stuck at the non-strikers end. Siddle, who replaced the injured Ryan Harris for the final Test, was Australia's best bowler, finishing with four wickets for 91. Australian were 16-0 in their second innings, with Shane Watson and Phil Hughes at the crease at lunch. Australia lead the three-Test series 1-0.

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World wants to see Indo-Pak play: Saqlain

ISLAMABAD : Pakistan spin legend Saqlain Mushtaq, believes that the rival of Indo-Pak cricket series will be great as the entire world wants to see India and Pakistan play for the sheer passion the players show.There are talks that Indo-Pak cricket could be revived with India hosting a series in February-March 2012.“I personally feel that India and Pakistan should start a series on the lines of Ashes. But lets wait for the ties to resume first," Mushtaq said. Talking about Indian team's performance on the England tour, Mushtaq said, 'It was the failure of the team and you cannot just blame the spinners. You didn't have runs on the board and, in such scenario, the spinners can’t gamble".“The conditions were pacer-friendly and, as one saw, it was the pacers who did the trick for the hosts. So I don't think it would be right to blame the spinners alone,Mushtaq said that he thinks India's performance in England was an overall failure and no specific department should be blamed. "The injuries made things worse for India as they could not field a full-strength. I am sure that if India did not have injury problems, the outcome would have been different.In fact, I am sure that things will be different when England visits India next month. India should have all their players fit and the conditions will also favour them," he said.

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Fate of national T20 undecided

LAHORE : As Dengue continues its grip over Lahore, cricket seems to be its latest victim. The fate of the national T20 tournament which was scheduled to begin from the 25th of this month has now been cast in doubt Several teams have advocated that the venue for the tournament be changed from Lahore or the dates should be pushed back. According to sources the PCB has not made an official announcement about the tournament.

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Sri Lanka lead Australia by 157 runs

COLOMBO : Sri Lanka, replying to Australia's first innings total of 316, were all out for 473 before lunch on the fourth day of the third and final Test in Colombo on Monday.Angelo Mathews returned unbeaten on 105. The hosts, seeking a series-levelling win, lead Australia by 157 runs on the first innings.

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Sri Lanka take charge against Aussies

COLOMBO : Skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan inspired Sri Lanka's tenacious batting display as the hosts took charge of the third cricket Test against Australia in Colombo on Sunday.Sri Lanka, seeking a series-levelling win, closed the third day's play at the Sinhalese Sports Club on 428-6 in their first innings, a lead of 112 runs over Australia's 316 with four wickets in hand.Dilshan struck a rousing 83, Kumar Sangakkara made 79 in his 100th Test appearance, Mahela Jayawardene hit 51 and Angelo Mathews returned unbeaten on 85 as Sri Lanka led Australia for the first time in the series.Prasanna Jayawardene chipped in with 47, sharing a sixth-wicket stand of 81 with Mathews that increased Australia's frustration in the field on a hot, humid day.Dilshan, who had contributed just 56 runs in the previous four innings of the series, hammered 14 boundaries before he was caught behind off Trent Copeland just before tea.Dilshan put on a valuable 121 for the fifth wicket with Mathews on either side of lunch after Australia had threatened to take charge in the morning session.Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle, who battled bravely in trying conditions to finish the day with 2-76 from 27 overs, said his team faced a tough task over the next two days.The tourists grabbed the crucial wickets of Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in the space of 12 runs after Sri Lanka resumed at the overnight score of 166-2.The pair, who compiled Test cricket's highest partnership of 624 at the same venue in 2006 against South Africa, put on 101 for the third wicket.The two former Sri Lankan captains appeared to have settled in for the long haul when Australia earned a lucky break.Jayawardene batted aggressively in the morning session to hit four boundaries but chased a wide ball from Shane Watson and edged a catch to wicket-keeper Brad Haddin.Jayawardene, who has hit 10 Test hundreds at the SSC, managed only a half-century this time.Australia claimed the second new ball after 81 overs and met with immediate success when Siddle dismissed a well-set Sangakkara with the fourth delivery.Sangakkara smashed the first ball to the cover fence, but edged a rising ball later in the same over to Haddin.Dilshan, an opening batsman who demoted himself to number five for this match, had a harrowing start to his innings.He left the first delivery from Watson, which dipped in dangerously close to the off-stump and had yet to get off the mark when a miscued shot off Watson fell just short of a diving Shaun Marsh at mid-on.Dilshan opened his account with a flick off Mitchell Johnson for a boundary, which also brought up Sri Lanka's 200 and then joined hands with Mathews to flay the Australian attack on a good wicket.Mathews reached his third half-century in the series with two boundaries in one Siddle over after resumption.Australia are ahead 1-0 in the series, having won the first Test in Galle by 125 runs

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Kuwait defeat Jersey in final-over thriller

Kuwait defeated Jersey in a final-over thriller to complete an exciting game today (Monday) at Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL Div. 6) in Kuala Lumpur. The two sides faced-off today after rain forced its fixture to be abandoned yesterday.The teams headed to Kinrara Oval for a 1030 start but heavy rainfall saw the game delayed but the clouds cleared in time for a reduced-overs fixture, 39 to be precise, which began at 1345 local time.The top order did not have a great start to the day with Jersey three down by the 15th over, Abdullah Akhunzada, Saad Khalid and Mohammed Naseer sharing the spoils. It was then up to captain Peter Gough alongside Corey Bisson to stabilize the Jersey innings which the duo did, both scoring half-centuries.Bisson departed on 54, after a call to run from Gough saw the 19-year-old not quite have the pace to make it to his crease in time and he was run out by Kuwaiti wicketkeeper Sharjeel Tahir. Gough anchored the team's innings until the 33rd over when he was caught by Mohammad Amin, while the rest of the Jersey side failed to sparkle with the bat. In contrast, Kuwait's fast bowler Saad and legbreak bowler Akhunzada both had good games take three wickets each to leave the side chasing 157 in its 39 overs.After a short break, Kuwait made light work of knocking of the runs in the afternoon sunshine at Kinrara Oval, Irfan Bhatti and Aamir Javed contributing 55 runs to the target before Bhatti was dismissed bowled by Ben Stevens on the last ball of the 10th over.Some good catching in the field saw Aamir and Saad Qamar dismissed off the bowling of James Faudemer, as things began to look bad for the Kuwaitis who slipped to 128-6 in the 28th over losing key middle-order batsmen Saad Khalid, Hisham Mirza and Sibtain Raza for just 34 runs.With 4.2 overs to go, and 20 runs to get, it was up to Naseer and Amin to try and steer the side home but Naseer departed after being clean bowled by Charles Perchard. The task of winning the game then fell to Amin and Akhunzada but Stevens had other ideas and the very next over clean bowled the former, setting up a thrilling final three overs.Akhunzada was promptly caught at short mid-wicket by Ben Silva off the bowling of Stevens, who was cleaning up the tail with aplomb, leaving Sharjeel Tahir and Azmatullah Nazeer to attempt to win the game for the Division 7 winners. Azmatullah smashed a huge six to bring the target down to six runs off nine balls, adding to that a couple of quick singles and the duo needed to strike four runs off the last over to give Kuwait victory. Despite Jersey's bowlers best efforts Azmatullah and Sharjeel had an alternative plan and needing just four off the last over the duo needed just three balls to seal the deal for the team and leaving Gough's Jersey to ponder another defeat."I thought we performed superbly in the field today and Ben Stevens did really well to work his way through the Kuwait batting line-up. Corey Bisson and myself did well batting today, but I know we have the strength in our top order in Sam de la Haye, Dean Morrison and Ben that we will bounce back as a batting unit and perform better tomorrow."We really pushed Kuwait and we just need another good day to get ourselves our first win, both of these first two matches have been tight and we've shown we've got the skills we just need to finish these games off with victory now," said the Jersey captain Gough.Kuwait coach Basil Jayawardene added: "I think as a team we're still getting used to the conditions here in Malaysia and we needed some time to bed into the tournament. Jersey definitely tested us as a side today but we managed to finish the game and seal the win with three balls to spare."Scores in brief after Round 2At Kinrara (39-over fixture) Jersey 156-8, 39 overs (Bisson 54, Gough 52; Akhunzada 3-22, Saad 3-31)Kuwait 157-9, 33.3 overs (Amir 42; Stevens 3-10, Faudemer 2-17) Kuwait won by one wicket

Pepsi ICC WCL Division 6 Points Table

Team	P	W	L	T	N/R	Pts	NRR
Malaysia	2	2	0	0	0	4	+2.34
Guernsey	2	2	0	0	0	4	+1.17
Fiji	2	1	0	0	1	2	-0.45
Kuwait	2	1	0	0	1	2	-0.638
Jersey	2	0	0	0	2	0	-0.148
Nigeria	2	0	0	0	2	0	-1.797

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Cricket: Former players term Waqar’s stint successful

KARACHI: With the conclusion of the sucessful Zimbabwe tour, Waqar Younis’ tenure as Pakistan coach has come to an end as former players and team management hail the performance of the former captain.Former team manager Intikhab Alam, who also heads the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) committee formed to find Waqar’s replacement, has given a thumbs-up to the former fast-bowler’s performance and termed his tenure a successful one.Former chief selector Abdul Qadir hoped Waqar could serve Pakistan cricket in the future while former captain Aamir Sohail believed that controversies came in his way to do better.Waqar, who took over as head coach in March 2010 after Pakistan’s win-less Australia tour, announced before that he would quit the post after the Zimbabwe series citing health reasons.During his 18-month stint, his first as head coach, Pakistan reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, won a Test and One-Day International series against hosts New Zealand, clinched the ODI series against West Indies and Ireland before whitewashing Zimbabwe.However, Waqar’s term was filled with controversies, first by the spot-fixing scandal in England before reports of rifts between him and former captain Shahid Afridi resulted in the retirement of the all-rounder. A heavy loss to England in the Test series also tarnished an otherwise impressive show by Pakistan.Waqar’s exit to affect continuity Alam, who was replaced by Waqar, felt the 39-year-old did a good job given the amount of young blood in the team.“He did a good job,” Alam told The Express Tribune. “It’s a demanding job and Waqar handled it well.The team started showing progress and his exit will affect continuity.Lack of coaching experience may have created issues Meanwhile, Qadir said that Waqar’s lack of coaching experience may have raised issues linked to team management.I know Waqar as a sincere and hard working person,” said Qadir. “He has given huge services to Pakistan as a cricketer and coach.“But I believe his issue with Afridi was just because of his lack of experience as coach,” said the former leg-spinner.“This may have happened because he was based abroad or issues within the team management hampered his performance He could have done much better: Sohail However, Sohail felt his time with the team could have been more fruitful. “His service as a coach was relatively better said Sohail. “But to me he failed as per expectations because he was a legendary cricketer

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PAKISTAN CRICKET BANNED TRIO NEEDS TO BE IN REHAB OPINION

Pakistan Cricket: Banned trio needs to be in rehab Opinion Pakistan’s banned trio of left-handed batsman Salman Butt, pacer Mohammad Amir and seam bowlerMohammad Asif needs to be put in rehab after being adjudged guilty in the spot-fixing case against them.The players have now been banned from taking part in any cricket related activities in or outside Pakistan.The former Test captain Butt has been banned for 10 years, Asif for seven years and the young sensation Amir for five years by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption unit.This has almost ended Salman Butt’s career and there isn’t any hope left for Asif to make a comeback after seven years either. However, Amir who is just 19 years old has some hope of making an international comeback after five years.Nevertheless, it is time for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to help in the players’ rehabilitation process. Especially it is crucial for the Board to make sure that the young Amir doesn’t lose his way by ending up some where he might regret for the rest of his life.After the spot-fixing debacle, the PCB introduced a new code of conduct within Pakistan cricket in a bid to eradicate the culture of corruption in the country’s sport.The Board has introduced an educational programme for the players in which the basic goal is to enlighten them about all the rules and regulations of the ICC regarding match-fixing and spot-fixing.The programme is also aimed at educating the players to stay away from potential bookmakers.Such a programme can be extremely helpful for the banned trio, especially Amir. According to the person in charge of the programme, Wasim Bari, about 320 players have taken part in the programme and more are expected to follow.The chairman PCB, Ijaz Butt has also expressed his desire to enrol the banned players in the programme to help them in their rehab process. Talking on the matter in a previous interview Butt said, “I hope that this unfortunate saga is put to rest and we can concentrate on cricket. We will continue to work with the ICC on this sensitive matter. We will also see how we can help the three players with their education and rehabilitation programme.”With the help of this programme, perhaps PCB will manage to save the upcoming cricketers from getting involved in match-fixing related controversies.The trio also needs to spend a few sessions with a PCB hired psychiatrist, who would be able to judge their exact mental state because up till now the trio has shown no signs of remorse, which is most disturbing.These individuals have been found guilty of a crime and they need to realize this fact the sooner the batter. All evidence suggested that they were indeed involved in wrong doings but even then no one has seen any show of self guilt from the tainted players. This probably exhibits that the players are still in a state of denial or feel that what they did was not wrong.Now that the career of at least two of the players is nearly over, they need to show some regret, if any. By doing so they may succeed in redeeming their lost integrity in the eyes of the world as there is no shame in admitting one’s shortcomings.Ijaz Butt also needs to remember one thing that Pakistan cricket cannot move forward by leaving these players behind. It should be the Board’s top priority to help the players in their rehabilitation

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Aleem Dar wins the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year 2011

Umpire Aleem Dar has won the David Shepherd Trophy for third time after being named ICC Umpire of the Year at the LG ICC Awards in London tonight.Dar, who is 43 and from Pakistan, was voted to this award by the 10 Full Member captains as well as the eight-man Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, based on his decision statistics and officiating skills over the past 12 months.It is the third year in a row that he has received the ICC award which was renamed last year after the late England umpire David Shepherd*.Dar accepted his award from ICC Hall of Fame 2011 inductee Alan Davidson and said: "It's a great honour and I'm thankful to everyone at the ICC and also my colleagues on the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires along with the Pakistan Cricket Board. I'd like to also thank all my family for all their support since I'm away nearly eight months of the year umpiring."Dar beat off strong competition from his colleagues on the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires Steve Davis, Ian Gould and five-time ICC Umpire of the Year Simon Taufel.Dar, who made his international debut as an umpire in 2000, joined the Emirates Elite Panel in 2004. In the voting period of these awards, Dar stood in five Tests and 13 ODIs. He stood in the ICC Cricket World Cup in the India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, where he was an on-field umpire in eight of the matches, including the final between India and Sri Lanka.Based on the period between 11 August 2010 and 3 August 2011, the LG ICC Awards 2011 ? presented in association with FICA ? take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.For all the individual awards (with the exceptions of the Women's Cricketer of the Year and the Umpire of the Year), a long-list compiled by the selection panel was forwarded to a 25-person Voting Academy made up of former players, respected members of the media, an elite umpire and an elite match referee. They voted on a three, two, one basis (with three being the highest value) and the winners emerged.That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ICC Intercontinental Cup final, several ICC World Cricket Leagues as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its eighth year and this year it will be held in London, England. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007 and 2009), Dubai (2008) and Bengaluru (2010)

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Ryan ten Doeschate wins ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year 2011

Netherlands all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate has become the ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year for the second successive year at the LG ICC Awards in London.The voting academy chose ten Doeschate over other top Associate and Affiliate players including Afghanistan?s Hamid Hassan and the Ireland duo of Paul Stirling and Kevin O?Brien. It is the third time ten Doeschate has claimed the award, the first time he picked up the title was in 2008 while he also won the award last year.During the 12-month voting period, all-rounder ten Doeschate played for the Netherlands in six ODIs making two centuries and one half-century. His batting average was 61.40 for the period with a strike rate of 89.24.The 31-year-old Essex player scored both his ODI centuries during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the first against England in Nagpur and the second against fellow Associate side Ireland in Kolkata.Ten Doeschate, who was unable to attend due to playing commitments, said upon winning the third ICC award of his career said: ?I?m really sorry I couldn't be there tonight. It's obviously a great privilege to win this award and I'd like to thank all the coaches and my team mates who have helped me during what has been a very good year for the Netherlands cricket team. I hope everyone has a good night and again sorry I can?t be there.?The Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year Award was one of ten individual prizes given at this year?s LG ICC Awards. It was announced by Hashim Amla of South Africa.The Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year award serves to recognise and reward the efforts in all international matches of the outstanding cricketers from the teams outside the ICC Full Members.Based on the period between 11 August 2010 and 3 August 2011, the LG ICC Awards 2011 ? presented in association with FICA ? take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.For all the individual awards (with the exceptions of the Women?s Cricketer of the Year and the Umpire of the Year), a long-list compiled by the selection panel was forwarded to a 25-person Voting Academy made up of former players, respected members of the media, an elite umpire and an elite match referee. They voted on a three, two, one basis (with three being the highest value) and the winners emerged.That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ICC Intercontinental Cup final, several ICC World Cricket Leagues as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its eighth year and this year it will be held in London, England. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007 and 2009), Dubai (2008) and Bengaluru (2010)

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