Dottin inspires series victory

West Indies Women pulled off a superb victory over India Women in the final over to win the third One-day International and take the three-match series 2-1.

Playing in front of a vocal and supportive crowd at Warner Park, Windies Women reached 181 for seven to win by three wickets with four balls remaining.

Earlier in the day, the hosts had restricted the visitors to 180 for seven off their 50 overs.

The victory sparked celebration in the Windies' dressing room, as the team came from a game down to win the ODI series 2-1.

The star of the day for Windies Women was Deandra Dottin. She hit a blistering 63 to take the Player-of-the-Match award.

The powerful allrounder smashed six fours and one six, increasing the tempo at a crucial stage in the innings. She added 80 for the fourth wicket with Windies Women's captain Merissa Aguilleira, who once again held a calm head under pressure.

Speaking after the match, Dottin was full of praise for her teammates and support staff.

"The team spirit is amazing," she said. "Even when the heat is on, we never panic, we never stress.

"When I went in we were under a bit of pressure. . .There was a lot of tension out there as we had to win the match to win the series. We didn't want India to get this one. We had to do all we could to pull this one off.

Dottin added: "I promised the others that I would ‘go for it'. Merissa played really well and when we were together at the crease, we kept talking and started to count down the target in fives. We wanted to be there until the end.

"We both got out, but we never lost hope. We are a strong team and we knew the others coming after us would take care of this for us."

The victory concluded a satisfactory home series for Windies Women. Last week, they also won the Twenty20 International series 3-2.

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Kenya a force to be reckoned with says Obuya

Kenya captain Collins Obuya believes his side is a forced to be reckoned with when it comes to its cricket despite ups and downs in its performances. The 30-year-old leg-spinning all-rounder says the side has a good blend of players ahead of this month's ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2012 which will be played across the five venues from 13-24 March.

Obuya, perhaps most well-known for his performance with Kenya in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003 when he picked up 13 wickets at 28.76, including 5-24 in the side's victory over Sri Lanka in Nairobi in the one-day format of the game, said ahead of the ICC WT20Q 2012: "There would be few people and teams who don't know about Kenya cricket and they need to know we are a force to be reckoned with, despite our ups and downs in terms of performance.

"We can beat any side on a good day and a bad day in the office is all in the spirit of the game. Teams and spectators should expect great performances as we have a good blend of players."

Obuya who has represented Kenya in 96 ODIs and 12 Twenty20 Internationals said the side had been preparing well after its recent T20I series against Ireland in Mombasa and is confident despite knowing little about some of the opposition his side will face in Group B of the event.

"We know very little about Oman and Italy as this will be our very first time against them. But we are not taking these teams lightly as it tends to be the unknowns that cause the upsets in these events and we hope to apply ourselves well when we play them.

"We watched USA play in 2010 when we met in last ICC WT20 Qualifier, they are a good side and we hope our game will be a good one. As for Ireland, Namibia, Scotland and Uganda they are all sides we have met several times and they will all provide tough matches for us."

Obuya admitted it was vital for the side to do well in this event after a disappointing performance by the African side in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

"It is very important for us to reclaim our pride and place as one of the top Associate sides and show that we are a force to be reckoned with in cricket.

"Whatever happened last year was a great lesson and that's why we moving on from the debacles by rebuilding the team. We want to make a statement with our performance and even if we don't qualify we want to have positives that we can draw from. If we qualify then it will be time for us to show the spark that is Kenya.

"We need the exposure in a competition like the ICC World Twenty20 2012 in Sri Lanka to grow even further as a side."

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ICC Champions Trophy 2013

The ICC organises a second 50-overs per side event in addition to the ICC Cricket World Cup called the ICC Champions Trophy, which takes place every two years. The event, formally known as the ICC Knockout, has been contested six times and Australia is the only side to have won the competition on two occasions. The next event will be held in England in 2013.

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Borren fires early warning to competitors

Netherlands captain Peter Borren has fired an early warning to the rival sides by saying his side is aiming for nothing less than winning this month's ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2012 which will be played across the five venues from 13-24 March.

Borren, who took one for 31 runs and scored 30 in the Dutch side's four wickets victory over current ICC World Twenty20 champion England in the opening match of the 2009 event at Lords, says: "It is our goal to not only qualify for the ICC World Twenty20 Sri Lanka 2012 but to win the qualification tournament outright.

"I believe we now have a side capable of doing that. In the past, maybe we didn't quite have that belief but this is a new team and I think other sides will be surprised to see by our improvement."

He adds: "The Netherlands team is on a rise and improving. Our results over the last year in all the competitions have been encouraging, particularly our season in the Clydesdale Bank 40 League in the English County Championship in the United Kingdom where we played 12 matches and won five and five.

"We have learnt how to win games. I think people can expect to see us a well-organised team in the field.

"We have a varied and disciplined attack with plenty of options available for me as a captain. We have a dangerous batting lineup which is nicely balanced between guys who have the ability to rotate strike effectively and guys who can find the boundary."

29-year-old Borren moved to Netherlands to pursue a career in cricket soon after representing New Zealand in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2002 where he played alongside current New Zealand captain Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder. Since then, he has since played in 49 ODIs, 10 T20Is and 16 first-class matches as a right-handed middle-order batsman and right-arm media-fast bowler.

However, the Dutch faces an uphill task as it will be without the services of Ryan ten Doeschate, the three-time winner of ICC's Associate ODI Player of the Year award. At the time of the qualifying tournament in the UAE, Doeschate will be busy in a domestic Twenty20 tournament in South Africa.

"Any team in world cricket would, of course, love to have a player of Ryan's class in its side. So, he will naturally be missed," admits Borren, adding that the Dutch side was used to playing without him and hoped the other senior players will rise to the occasion and fill the gap left by the phenomenal all-rounder.

"Given his commitments around the world, we are very used to playing without him. If you look at our top five batsmen in Michael Swart, Stephan Myburgh, Tom Cooper, Alexei Kervezee and Wesley Baressi, there should be enough runs there to cover in Ryan's absence," he says.

Netherlands has qualified automatically for this tournament on the basis of having T20I as well as ODI status which it earned in South Africa after finishing in the top six of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2009.

The Dutch side has been seeded third in this month's qualifier and has been bracketed with Afghanistan Canada, PNG, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Denmark and Nepal. It opens its campaign against Canada on the first day of the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Reviewing his group, Borren says: "We have played reasonably regularly over the years against Afghanistan, Canada and Denmark and used to play a bit against Bermuda. We have a good record against these four sides. Whilst we absolutely respect them and are well aware of their capabilities, I am confident that we have the game to beat them.

"As for PNG, Hong Kong and Nepal, we do not know so much about them. We are going to have to do some early scouting at the tournament and learn how they play. I know that PNG has improved an awful lot and has some very dangerous players, Hong Kong I saw play in its sixes competition where it was excellent in beating major nations. Nepal has always had a very strong U19 side and must now be seeing the benefit of that in the senior ranks.

"These teams have also played quite a bit of T20 cricket and have been successful in qualifying those tournaments to have reached this stage of qualification. They will be very competitive and there will be upsets at this tournament. Whilst we will take no-one lightly, I am confident we have the team to win this group."

Borren says preparing for the tournament was itself a tough challenge due to the freezing winter in the Netherlands. "It has been very cold in the Netherlands over the winter, which makes training and preparing for such a big tournament a real challenge. During that time, the majority of the squad has been working indoors, which is never ideal.

"However, three factors are in our favour in regards to team preparations. Firstly, five of our guys have been playing regularly in the southern hemisphere and will be good to go, secondly we played in the Caribbean T20 tournament in January and thirdly we have a very intensive week of preparation in Cape Town planned prior to the tournament.

"The Netherlands hasn't played an awful lot of Twenty20 in the recent times. However, the makeup of our side means that it is a format which suits us. So, I am comfortable with where we are at."

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ICC Chief Executives' Committee to meet in Dubai

The ICC Chief Executives' Committee (CEC) will gather in Dubai on 5 and 6 March 2012 for a routine meeting. Among the topics for discussion are:

Independent Governance Review

Following publication of the Woolf report on the independent governance review of ICC, the CEC representatives will be given the opportunity to consider the 65 recommendations and its implications.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC Chief Executive, said: "The CEC is an important grouping and it would be valuable for them to properly consider and express their views on the report and its recommendations."

T20 strategy

The CEC will hold a strategic conversation on whether the current strategies relating to T20 cricket are appropriate to best manage the balance and long term viability of all three formats of the game.

Mr Lorgat said: "Cricket is uniquely fortunate to boast three exciting formats at international level and we have recognised the inevitable need to strategically manage these formats for each to be successful in the long run.

"The discussion is intended to stimulate thinking on the volume and scheduling of T20 cricket, its role in developing the game further and the implications for cricket as a whole."

Cricket matters

Amongst other cricket matters, the CEC will consider the practical application of No Objection Certificates, the suitability of ICC Test and ODI ranking systems for determining qualification to ICC events and for promotion and relegation purposes, disability cricket and cricket in multi-sport games.

The CEC will also consider appointments to the ICC Cricket Committee in terms of the committee's Terms of Reference.

Mr Lorgat said: "Clive Lloyd has completed a successful three year term as chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee and the CEC will consider this position and make a recommendation to the ICC Board."

There will also be updates on the Future Tours' Programme (FTP) Agreement, domestic integrity matters (anti-corruption and anti-doping), anti-racism policy and international venue accreditation standards.

Cricket Development

The CEC will receive updated presentations on the progress with global development of the game including the new strategy to grow and integrate the women's game internationally.

"The development programme has a comprehensive strategy which includes improving performance standards and to have 1 million new participants from the Associate and Affiliate Member countries playing the game by 2015," concluded Mr Lorgat.

The CEC comprises the Chief Executives or nominated representatives of the 10 Full Member nations as well as three Associate Member representatives. The ICC Chief Executive chairs the meeting and, by invitation, the ICC President or the ICC Vice President may attend.

Haroon Lorgat	ICC Chief Executive (Chairman)
Sharad Pawar	ICC President
Alan Isaac	ICC Vice President
Subhan Ahmed	Pakistan
Nizam Uddin Chowdhury	Bangladesh
David Collier	England and Wales
John Cribbin	Associate Member Representative
Warren Deutrom	Associate Member Representative
Francois Erasmus	Associate Member Representative
Dr Ernest Hilaire	West Indies
Sanjay Jagdale	India
Gerald Majola	South Africa
Wilfred Mukondiwa	Zimbabwe (alternate for Ozias Bvute)
Nishanta Ranatunga	Sri Lanka
James Sutherland	Australia
David White	New Zealand

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Will write to ICC about Pak Tour: BCB Chief

LAHORE: The Chief of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Mustafa Kamal said that they wanted to tour Pakistan and would write to the ICC in this regard.

Kamal holding a news conference alongside PCB Chief Zaka Ashraf said he was satisfied with the security arrangements in Pakistan and was awaiting the return of international cricket to the country.

Zaka Ashraf said that Pakistan was a secure country for cricket and was hopeful that the ICC would not be a barrier in international cricket returning.

He said he would work with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf for getting permission from the ICC to bring back international cricket to Pakistan.

Earlier, the security team visiting Pakistan to review the security arrangements was briefed by the country’s officials and the BCB president was looking satisfied.

He expressed his willingness for sending Bangladesh cricket team here to play a series of One-day Internationals.

The delegation reviewed the security measures at the National Stadium in Karachi and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The delegation will go back to Bangladesh tomorrow to submit a report to its government on security arrangements in Pakistan for the matches.

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Whatmore announced as new coach

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has announced that Dav Whatmore will be the national team’s new coach.

Prior to Whatmore’s appointment Mohsin Hasan Khan was serving the coach for the national team.

Whatmore will assume charge during the upcoming Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

According to the PCB, Whatmore has signed a contract to serve as the coach for two years.

Julian Fountain has also been appointed the fielding coach for the side.

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Cricket: Australia beat Sri Lanka in sensational 1st final

BRISBANE: Australia beat a gallant Sri Lanka by 15 runs in the first tri-series one-day international final at the Gabba on Sunday.

After Australia made an imposing 321 for six, Sri Lanka replied with 306 in 49.2 overs.

The Sri Lankans were always going to struggle to reach the Australian total after David Warner blasted 163, the highest ever ODI score at the Gabba.

Warner was in magnificent touch as he smashed 13 fours and two sixes in his 157-ball innings, sharing in 50-run partnerships with Matthew Wade, Shane Watson and Michael Clarke.

For Sri Lanka it was an opening bowler, Nuwan Kulasekara, who starred with the bat, scoring 73 from just 43 balls with seven fours and three towering sixes.

Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan began well and attacked from the outset, scoring at a faster rate than the Australians had in their innings.

However, veteran pace bowler Brett Lee struck to remove both openers, before part-time spinner David Hussey enticed a false shot from in-form Dinesh Chandimal.

The match appeared as good as over when Lee struck again to get rid of Kumar Sangakkara for 42, leaving Sri Lanka struggling at 115 for four.

But a highly entertaining seventh wicket partnership of 104 from only 70 balls between Kulasekara and Upul Tharanga (60) -- including 68 runs in the five-over batting powerplay -- saw Sri Lanka claw their way back.

When Hussey struck again to dismiss Kulasekara the Australians were back in control, holding on despite some late hitting from Dhammika Prasad (31 not out).

The second final will be in Adelaide on Tuesday

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Cricket: Warner ton helps Australia post 321-6

BRISBANE, Australia: David Warner scored a magnificent 163 to lead Australia to 321 for six in the first tri-series one-day international final against Sri Lanka on Sunday.

Warner, whose previous highest ODI score was 74, smashed 13 fours and two sixes in his 157-ball innings to dominate the Sri Lankan attack.

The 25-year-old left-hander was in imperious touch as he became only the seventh Australian to pass 150 in a one-day international, batting through the entire innings until he was bowled on the last ball of the 50th over by medium pacer Dhammika Prasad.

Warner also passed Englishman David Gower (158) to record the highest ODI score by any player at the Gabba.

Australian skipper Michael Clarke earlier won the toss and had no hesitation batting first on an overcast Brisbane afternoon.

Warner and fellow opener Matthew Wade got the Australians off to a blistering start, smashing their first 50 runs from just 40 deliveries.

Wade brought up his 50 and the Australian 100 in just the 18th over as the home side continued to dominate. Wade's half century came off 52 deliveries and included three boundaries and a towering six over mid-on off Lasith Malinga.

Warner reached his 50 soon afterwards with the two powerful left-handers providing the platform for a massive score.

The Sri Lankans eventually broke through when Rangana Herath took a spectacular catch in the deep to dismiss Wade for 64 with the total on 136.

Wade smashed Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on, only for Herath to leap backwards, thrust out his left hand and snare the ball, somehow managing to hold on to it as he crashed into the ground just inside the boundary rope.

Shane Watson joined Warner at the crease and carried on where Wade left off. He and Warner put on 50 before the burly Watson skied a catch to Lahiru Thirimanne off Farveez Maharoof at deep midwicket for 21.

Warner hardly missed a beat, however, bringing up his 100 with an outside edge to the third man boundary during the same over.

The Sri Lankans slowed the run rate with quick dismissals of Dan Christian and David Hussey, but Warner and Clarke put on 50 off just 38 balls and Mike Hussey played a late cameo of 19 to ensure the visitors would be chasing over 300 under lights

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Broad completes double-century of ODIs as ICC match referee

Chris Broad has become only the second member of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees to complete a double-century of One-Day Internationals (ODIs) when he took the field for the toss in the first final of the three-nation tournament between Australia and Sri Lanka in Brisbane on Sunday.

The 54-year-old former England opener made his debut on 3 January 2004 in Dunedin in an ODI between New Zealand and Pakistan. And now after eight years, Mr. Broad stands as only the second match referee after Ranjan Madugalle to have officiated in 200 or more ODIs.

In addition to 200 ODIs, Mr. Broad has officiated in 51 Tests, which puts him third on the all-time list behind Madugalle (132) and Clive Lloyd (53), while his 41 T20Is places him in second position after Madugalle (46).

As an opener for England, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire and Orange Free State, Mr Broad played in 340 first-class matches, including 25 Tests, scoring 50 centuries (including six in Tests). In 34 ODIs, he scored 1,361 at an average of 40 with his only century being against New Zealand at McLean Park in Napier in 1988.

Reflecting on his achievement, Mr Broad said: "Obviously, I have an extra reason to be happy today. But at the same time, it is also an indication of the number of ODIs that have been played since I started my career eight years ago (1,180 ODIs have been played since Mr Broad made his debut as an ICC match referee).

"There have been a number of people who have helped me reach the figure of 200, notably my family, friends, my fellow match officials and my colleagues at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC). I have been extremely privileged to have these people around me throughout my career."

Mr Broad said his love for his job hasn't lessened, adding his most memorable match as an ICC match referee was the famous ODI at the Wanderers in 2006 when South Africa chased down Australia's total of 434 to win by one wicket with one-ball to spare.

"It was simply an outstanding day of cricket which produced entertainment all through. The players played as hard as they possibly could, gave the utmost respect to their opponents and played the match within the Spirit of the Game.

"I am as passionate and loving of my job as I was on the day of my first game."

Mr Broad said he has not set any targets for himself: "I don't set any targets for myself. I like to see cricket being played in a competitive spirit with fairness and honesty."

In his tribute to Mr Broad, Vince Van Der Bijl, ICC Umpires and Referees Manager and a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1981, said: "This milestone signifies Chris' dedication to the game and match officiating.

"Chris' great passion for cricket and the way it should be played is embodied in his refereeing approach. He has a positive and professional drive that is deeply appreciated by his colleagues as well as the home boards across the globe. His sheer enjoyment in being a match referee is infectious."

Match referees (span) ODIs

Ranjan Madugalle (1993-to date) 265
Chris Broad (2004-to date) 200
Roshan Mahanama (2008–to date) 179
Jeff Crowe (2004–to date) 165
Mike Procter (2002-2008) 162
Clive Lloyd (1992-2007) 133
Raman Subba Row (1992-2001) 119
Cammie Smith (1993-2002) 118
Javagal Srinath (2006-to date) 111
Alan Hurst (2004-2011) 102

Also

Andy Pycroft (2009-to date) 48
David Boon (2011-to date) 11

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Cricket: Pak team for Asia Cup, Misbah retained as captain

LAHORE: Pakistan’s 15-man squad was announced on Saturday for the Asia Cup to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh later this month.

The four-nation event will include defending champions India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan and will run from March 11-22.

Misbah-ul-Haq was retained as captain while Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat and Adnan
Akmal were dropped from the squad for the tournament.

Pakistan's defeats in the One-Day International and Twenty20 series to England prompted calls for a change in team management and captaincy, but the PCB opted to retain Misbah for the Asia Cup.

Chief selector Iqbal Qasim said opener Nasir Jamshed and wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed had been recalled for the tournament.

"We feel that since Nasir has done well in domestic cricket and in the recent Bangladesh Premier League he deserves a chance to play for the national team," Qasim said.

The PCB is also expected to announce the appointment of Australian Dav Whatmore as head coach later on Saturday. Mohsin Khan has been acting as interim coach for the England series.

Squad:
Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Hammad Azam, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema.

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Cricket: Herath dropped from Sri Lanka Asia Cup squad

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's cricket selectors on Saturday left out left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for the upcoming four-nation Asia Cup tournament in Bangladesh.

Herath, part of the Sri Lankan squad for the ongoing triangular one-day series in Australia, was replaced by leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna, who played his last one-day international in November.

The 14-man squad will be led by Mahela Jayawardene, with all-rounder Angelo Mathews as his deputy.

Sri Lanka will join defending champions India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the 50-overs-a-side tournament, to be played at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka from March 11 to 22.

Sri Lanka, who meet India in their opening match on March 13, also recalled fit-again fast bowler Suranga Lakmal who played his last one-dayer against Pakistan in November.

Pacemen Dhammika Prasad and Chanaka Welegedara, currently in Australia, also failed to find a place in the Asia Cup squad.

Sri Lanka will clash with Australia in the first of best-of-three finals in Brisbane on Sunday.

World Cup winners India, the third team, were knocked out of the competition following Sri Lanka's victory over Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

Sri Lanka squad:
Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Angelo Mathews (vice-captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Farveez Maharoof, Sachithra Senanayake, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Seekkuge Prasanna, Suranga Lakmal.

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Cricket: Kenya, Uganda meet in WCT20 warm-ups

NAIROBI: Kenya are to host regional rivals Uganda in five matches in their build up for this month's ICC World Twenty20 qualifiers in the United Arab Emirates, cricket officials said.

Both Kenya and Uganda will play in Group B at the March 13-24 tournament, which will also involve 14 other Associate and Affliate sides, after which only two teams will advance to the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in September.

Kenya played and lost all three T20 matches against Ireland, who will also compete in the same group in Dubai, when the two teams met in Mombasa last month and the hosts are keen for some victory ahead of the global qualifiers.

"We look forward to competitive matches against a strong Ugandan team that has performed well recently to help our team prepare for the qualifiers," said Cricket Kenya chief Tom Sears

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Cricket: South Africa sweep New Zealand ODI series

AUCKLAND: Paceman Marchant de Lange picked up four wickets on his one-day international debut as South Africa completed a 3-0 clean sweep against New Zealand with a five-wicket victory in the third and final ODI in Auckland on Saturday.

South Africa's bowlers bundled out New Zealand for 206 in 47 overs after the visitors had won the toss and opted to bowl in wet and windy conditions at Eden Park.

Hashim Amla, who made 92 in the last ODI in Napier on Wednesday, continued his impressive form by scoring 76 as South Africa reached their target with 40 deliveries to spare.

The stylish right-hander, who was dropped on 30 by Nathan McCullum off Kyle Mills, added 80 runs for the first wicket with makeshift opener Wayne Parnell (27) and 58 runs with Albie Morkel (41) for the second to anchor the chase.

Amla hit seven sublime boundaries in his knock before he mistimed a pull shot to be caught by New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, giving seamer Kyle Mills his 200th wicket in ODIs.

The visitors, who had also won the preceding three-match Twenty20 series 2-1, lost some wickets after Amla's dismissal but it was not enough for New Zealand to post an unlikely win.

South Africa pacemen Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe pegged New Zealand back with some hostile fast bowling at the start and the hosts struggled for momentum from there on.

The 21-year-old de Lange, who made his Test debut last December against Sri Lanka, also extracted good pace and bounce from the track as New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals to be bundled out with three overs left in their innings.

The 55-run stand between James Franklin (36) and debutant Colin de Grandhomme (36) for the fifth wicket was the only half-century partnership in the New Zealand innings.

De Grandhomme, who hit three sixes and a four in his 36-ball knock, and Kane Williamson were run after some athletic fielding by South Africa while left-arm spinner Robin Peterson lopped off the tail with two wickets at the end.

The three-Test series between the two sides begin in Dunedin on Wednesday. (Reuters)

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New Zealand crumble to South African pace

AUCKLAND: New Zealand crumbled under the withering pace of the South African bowlers and were unable to bat out their 50 overs in the third one-day international at Eden Park on Saturday.

Not even the showers which swept over Auckland throughout the day could save New Zealand as they struggled to 206 all out in the 47th over with the umpires ruling not enough time was lost to reduce the number of balls.

With South Africa holding an unbeatable 2-0 lead going into the final ODI, New Zealand had only pride to play for but found that was not enough to combat the pace of Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Marchant de Lange.

Aided by heavy cloud cover, Tsostobe (one for 36) and Steyn (0-28) softened up the batsmen before De Lange ripped through the middle order to finish with 4-46 from nine overs.

Faced with a barrage of deliveries around 145 kilometres (90 miles) per hour, the New Zealand batsmen were not allowed to settle.

Martin Guptill was dismissed cheaply while fellow opener Rob Nicol played cautiously for 12 off 40 deliveries before he was back in the pavilion.

After 19 overs New Zealand were struggling at less than three an over when Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson tried to lift the pace by cracking 13 off a Steyn over.

That forced Steyn out of the attack only to introduce the express deliveries of De Lange, who had McCullum caught by Faf du Plessis for 47 off his second delivery to have New Zealand 74 for three.

The attempt by Williamson and James Franklin to consolidate the innings lifted New Zealand to 105 before Williamson was run out for 22.

Colin de Grandhomme celebrated his first one-day international with a six to get off the mark and blazed away at a run a ball until he was run out by Albie Morkel for 36 and New Zealand were in trouble at 160 for five.

In the 42nd over De Lange claimed two wickets, first removing Franklin for 36, caught at short cover by Hamish Amla, who then moved to first slip where he caught Andrew Ellis two balls later.

In the following De Lange over Amla was at midwicket where he caught Nathan McCullum for 10, leaving spinner Robin Peterson to wrap up the innings with the wickets of Kyle Mills and Michael Bates.

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Pakistan Team Squad For Asia Cup 2012 And Players List

Pakistan Cricket Board announce the Pakistan Indian Team Squad For Asia Cup 2012. In this Series Pakistan has to face India and that will be surely a great match after the World Cup 2011, where Pakistan lose from India. After the poor performance of the Pakistan team where they were whitewashed by 4-0 in the ODI matches and them also lose T20 matches by 2-1 now this is the time for Pakistan Team Squad to prove themselves that they are still the best because only this team in this whole series is a team on whom you can never bet. Pakistan team is the most unpredictable team of the world so nobody know what will gonna be happen in this thrilling series.

Pakistan Team squad has all the abilities that they can win this series and also this team is the most favorite team for this Asia Cup Series 2012 which will going to be start on 12th March and ends on 22nd March. The first match of this Series will played between the most favorite Pakistan and Bangladesh at Mirpur, as all the matches will be in Mirpur at Sher-e- Bangla Stadium. Pakistan team Player list for Asia Cup 2012 has a strong bowling side like Umer Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Boom Boom Shahid Afridi.

Junaid will not going to play this series as during the UAE series Junaid suffers a knee injury. Pakistan has all the capabilities to win this series, although the home ground advantage is with Bangladesh but this team is not so strong in front of the Giants like Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka but Pakistan team squad mostly players knows the Sher-e-Bangla stadium very well as by playing matches during the BPL so this team can also avail this advantage too.
Pakistan Team Squad For Asia Cup 2012 And Players List The decision of who will be in the team for this series is totally in the hands of Pakistan Cricket Board and now this time only we can suppose that who will be a part of those matches but Pakistan Cricket Board will going to be announce the full and final squad for this series today or tomorrow.  As Misbah-ul-Haq is the Captain of the Pakistan Team in the Asia cup but now cricket lovers do not want to see Misbah as a part of Pakistan Team Squad For Asia Cup 2012 because of his poor performance in UAE series which will cause an ultimate lose for Pakistan team reputation.

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Whatmore arrives in Lahore to sign contract

LAHORE: Former Australian batsman Dav Whatmore, who guided Sri Lanka to World Cup glory, arrived here to sign a contract to become Pakistan’s new cricket coach, an official said Friday.

The 57-year-old Whatmore, who played seven Tests and one limited overs international for Australia, coached Sri Lanka to the World Cup title in 1996 and also helped Bangladesh reach the second round in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

Whatmore was chosen by a three-member coaching committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after regular coach Waqar Younis left the post citing health issues in September last year.

Former Pakistan opener Mohsin Khan was appointed interim coach under whom Pakistan beat Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and whitewashed England 3-0 in Tests before they went down tamely 4-0 in one-day series and 2-1 in the Twenty20 internationals last month.

The head of the coaching committee Intikhab Alam confirmed Whatmore will sign a contract.

“Whatmore and Julien Fountain (likely to take over as fielding coach) have arrived here and Whatmore will sign a contract as head coach of the Pakistan team,” Alam told refusing to give further details of the contract.

Whatmore’s first assignment will be to help the team in the four-nation Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Defending champions India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will also compete in the March 11-22 event.

Alam said Whatmore would assist the newly-formed selection committee along with captain Misbah-ul Haq to pick the squad later Friday. Former spinner Iqbal Qasim was appointed head of the selection committee after Mohammad Ilyas resigned from the post on Thursday.

Whatmore will be Pakistan’s fourth foreign coach after Richard Pybus (South Africa), Bob Woolmer (England and South Africa) and Geoff Lawson served in the past.

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The hub of cricket’s development

DUBAI: Dubai’s status as an east-meets-west business hub is being rivalled in the world of sport with cricket’s state-of-the-art academy, also a home from home for Pakistan’s international brigade.

Set up by the International Cricket Council (ICC), in company with Dubai Sports City (DSC) in 2010, the Global Cricket Academy (GCA) caters for players from around the world.

Tim Anderson, the ICC global development manager, said the academy is the hub of the game’s development.

“The ICC’s vision, together with DSC, was to develop a world-class, multi-purpose facility, and then provide a wide variety of programmes that could see anybody from the global and local cricket community use them,” Anderson told AFP.

Maqbool Dudhia, general manager of DSC, said the academy is fulfilling those objectives.

“The idea is to be a cricketing hub for the world, something that suits it perfectly given the UAE’s geographical location in relation to the rest of the cricketing world, and we are delighted it has not only fulfilled that objective but exceeded it,” said Dudhia.

Since the academy opened, 24 of the ICC’s members – including Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, England, the West Indies, as well as a number of English county teams – have used the facilities for either camps, training or matches.

The GCA and the adjoining Dubai Stadium have also become home for the Pakistan team which is forced to play their international cricket in the UAE because of security fears back home.

In addition, over 1,500 children have participated in the junior progammes, while the facilities have hosted several UAE club competitions and a number of training courses for coaches, officials and groundsmen.

Former Australian wicket-keeper Rod Marsh introduced a multi-dimensional programme of education and coaching as the academy got off to a flying start.

Since Marsh returned to Australia last year, former Pakistan opener Mudassar Nazar is in charge of the coaching, alongside former New Zealand paceman Dayle Hadlee.

“I enjoy my role as it is an opportunity for me to pass on what I know about the game,” said Nazar.

“The enthusiasm and the will to learn is in abundance and I hope the talent unearthed at the academy will go places at international level.”

The facilities and the top-class coaching have attracted children of expats from not only India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka but also from European countries.

“My son was wasting his time watching television and playing computer games before I got to know about the GCA and now he is on cloud nine, learning cricket,” said Asif Kashodia, a Pakistani businessman.

To test skills there is Hawkeye, allowing coaches to highlight weaknesses, not only in players but in those who want to learn umpiring.

The ProBatter, which allows batsmen to simulate facing the world’s leading bowlers, is the main attraction.

Pitch Vision is a new plug-and-play coaching aid that allows analysis of players’ techniques.

There are various types of bowling machines all of which offer different and varied challenges, as well as numerous types of surfaces, both in the indoor facility and the outdoor practice and match pitches.

There are two full-sized cricket grounds, where warm-up matches and the first-ever cricket series between disabled teams of Pakistan and England was played.

And visiting school teams find the GCA a delightful place.

“Our lads are learning heck of a lot. There are different pitches like WACA and Asian wickets where you can play different lengths, and from cricket to catering we were taken well care of. We want to come again and again,” said David Fallows, director of Bromsgrove School in Birmingham.

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Supporters want India-Pakistan series: Gavaskar

ABU DHABI: Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar on Tuesday said he hoped a window could be found to accommodate an India-Pakistan series, as tight schedules were stopping the arch-rivals from playing each other.

India suspended all bilateral ties with Pakistan in the wake of the deadly 2008 militant attacks in Mumbai, which New Delhi blamed on extremists based across the border.

But despite a recent thaw, with Pakistan declaring India “the most favoured nation” and both prime ministers vowing to improve relations, formal cricketing ties remain suspended.

Both countries are scheduled to play in 2013 under the International Cricket Council (ICC) Future Tours Programme (FTP) but India’s busy schedule has left no space for the ties to be revived.

Former India captain Gavaskar said his country’s tight schedule makes the imminent resumption of matches tough.

“Hurdles are very simply, the tight schedules which are there for India in particular are stopping the revival. India are absolutely tight up until 2014,” Gavaskar told

“I think if the ICC can convince other scheduled tours around India and Pakistan to be delayed then maybe it can create a window but honestly… it looks difficult even in 2014.”

Gavaskar, widely respected in both India and Pakistan for his superb batting, said any series between the two South Asian rivals needs proper time and length.

“Frankly, if you want to have a India-Pakistan series it can’t be one Test. It has to be a proper three Test, five one-day and two to three Twenty20. But I think the real connoisseur of the game wants India and Pakistan to play Tests,” he added.

People in both countries were missing the contest, while the cricketers were keen to play and prove themselves, he said, likening the contest to the age-old rivalry between England and Australia.

Gavaskar said the last match between the two countries in Mohali  the one day international World Cup semi-final in March 2011 — was memorable, not just for the electric atmosphere among the fans both inside and outside the stadium.

Pakistan’s prime minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani, attended the match at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh in a move seen as “cricket diplomacy” to improve fractured ties.

“There is that wanting on the part of the cricket supporters but their hands are tied for the reasons that the schedules are tight,” said Gavaskar.

“As former players we can only talk about it. It’s up to the administrators whose hands are tied because they need approvals from the respective governments.”

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