Kenya-Namibia fixtures postponed

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that next month's fixtures between Kenya and Namibia in Kenya have been postponed.

Nairobi Gymkhana was to host the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup match between the two sides from 6-9 June, followed by two 50-over-a-side Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship matches on 11 and 13 June.

However, due to delays related to the ongoing and changing security assessment for Kenya in general-and Nairobi in particular-and the subsequent logistics of successfully staging the match at an alternative venue, the ICC has agreed with both the participating Members that these matches be postponed until September 2012.

The final dates and venue for the September matches will be announced in due course after a further assessment of the situation.

ICC Intercontinental Cup

The ICC Intercontinental Cup has quickly grown in stature and profile since its inception seven years ago. The ICC's premier first-class tournament is an integral part of the Associate Members' cricket schedule.

There will be a total of US$254,000 in prize money for the Associate and Affiliate teams taking part in the ICC Intercontinental Cup 2011-13, with US$100,000 for the winners and US$40,000 for the runners-up.

Teams finishing in third and fourth place with receive US$20,000 and US$10,000 respectively while an outright win by any team during the course of the round-robin stage will see it walk away with US$3,000 per match.

Having previously been designed around a two-group, three-day format, the event then evolved into an eight-team, round-robin and truly global tournament featuring four-day cricket which gives those teams who do not play Test cricket the chance to experience the longer form of the game.

This year's format will include eight teams - Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Netherlands, Scotland, Namibia and United Arab Emirates.

Scotland won the first ICC Intercontinental Cup in 2004, beating Canada in the final, while Ireland has been victorious in three events since then, beating Kenya in the 2005 decider, Canada in the 2006-07 event, Namibia in 2007-08. In 2009-10 Afghanistan won the competition.

Pepsi ICC WCL Championship

The Pepsi ICC WCL Championship, together with the ongoing global divisions of the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League (WCL), is an extremely important event on the calendar of ICC Development Programme as it provides a dual pathway for all Associate and Affiliate Members to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 to be staged in Australia and New Zealand.

The top two teams from the WCL Championship will automatically join ICC's 10 Full Members in the ICC CWC 2015, while the bottom six teams in the WCL Championship will receive a second qualifying opportunity when they will lock horns for the remaining two places in the ICC CWC 2015 by competing in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (CWCQ) in early 2014.

More details on the ICC Intercontinental Cup can be found here.

To read more about the Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Championship, please click here.

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Strauss receives Reliance ICC Test Championship mace

England captain Andrew Strauss on Wednesday received the prestigious Reliance ICC Test Championship mace for leading the team that finished on top of the Reliance ICC Test Championship table on the annual cut-off date of 1 April.

Clive Lloyd, chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee and former West Indies captain, presented the mace to Strauss who also collected a cheque of US$175,000 from Rod Riley, Executive Senior Vice President, Reliance Communications, ADAG, in a ceremony that was staged at Coronation Garden at Lord's and attended by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive David Collier.

At the presentation, Strauss said: "We are proud to be presented with the Reliance ICC Test Championship mace again in recognition of retaining our position as the number-one ranked Test side in the world.

"However, everyone involved in the current England set up remains fully motivated and determined to continue working hard as there is still a great deal more we want to achieve over the coming months and years."

Mr Lloyd, who led West Indies to wins in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1975 and 1979, and ended his illustrious 19-year career from 1966-1985 with 110 Tests and 87 ODIs, said: "The mace is a symbol of excellence and recognition of a side's outstanding achievement in the toughest and most traditional format of the game.

"England has all the reasons to be proud of its feat as it is only the third team after Australia and India to hold the mace when the annual prize money is handed out.

"Test cricket remains the pinnacle form of the game and to further recognise the achievements of the leading teams, an increased total of US $3.8m in prize money will be shared among the top four sides in the next three years, including a distribution of US$1.2million at the 1 April 2013 cut-off date with number-one receiving US$450,000.

"We are also looking forward to the road to the inaugural World Test Championship starting in 2013, from which time every Test match will count towards determining who takes part in the finals event in 2017," said Mr Lloyd.

Sanjay Behl, Group Head - Branding and Marketing, Reliance Communications, ADAG, said: "Reliance congratulates the England cricket team on retaining its number-one ranking on the Reliance ICC Test Championship table.

"The Reliance ICC Test Championship mace symbolises England's domination and supremacy as the best side in the Test arena.

"We at Reliance wish the England team the very best for the games ahead. We also look forward to the other Test playing nations delivering their best so that they too scale up the Reliance ICC Test Championship, thus resulting in more competitive and entertaining Test matches," said Mr Behl.

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Opener Nasir Jamshed out of Sri Lanka tour

LAHORE: Fast-rising opener Nasir Jamshed was Wednesday ruled out of Pakistan's tour of Sri Lanka after fracturing a finger on his left hand.

The 22-year-old, who hit a brilliant one-day hundred against arch-rivals India in the Asia Cup in Dhaka two months ago, injured his finger during a club match, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said.

Jamshed, only named in the one-day squad for Sri Lanka, has been advised to take four to six weeks' rest by the medical team and the PCB said a decision on a replacement will be announced in due course.

Pakistan will play two Twenty20s, five one-day internationals and three Tests on their tour of Sri Lanka starting early next month.

Pakistan announced separate squads for all three formats last week, with Mohammad Hafeez taking over as Twenty20 captain for the first time.

Misbah-ul Haq, who also lost his Twenty20 place, will lead the team in one-dayers and Tests.

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Aussie Hussey defends IPL after fixing claims

NEW DELHI: Kings XI Punjab acting captain David Hussey on Wednesday defended his team's integrity amid allegations of corruption in the Indian Premier League.
Amit Yadav and Shalabh Srivastava, two of the five players suspended by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) following a television sting, are contracted to the Punjab IPL team, but have not played in the ongoing tournament.
Hussey, leading the team in the absence of injured fellow Australian Adam Gilchrist, said he would be disappointed if fingers were pointed at any of his players.
"Everyone in my team, everyone in Kings XI Punjab as a brand, plays with utmost integrity and if any print or TV media tries to write differently or say something differently about my team, then I will be very disappointed," Hussey told reporters.
"I can't really comment on the sting," he added.
Reporters from the Hindi-language India TV, posing as sports agents, recorded the low-profile players as saying that spot-fixing and black money was prevalent in the Twenty20 IPL.
T. P. Sudhindra, Mohnish Mishra and Abhinav Bali were the other first-class cricketers suspended from the game on Tuesday by the BCCI until preliminary investigations were completed.
The probe will be carried out by former police officer Ravi Sawani, who has previously served on the International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.
Sudhindra has played in three IPL matches for the Deccan Chargers this year and Mishra played one game for Pune Warriors. Bali has not featured in the tournament.
India TV showed Sudhindra allegedly agreeing to bowl pre-arranged no-balls in a local amateur match, while Srivastava was reportedly heard boasting he could do the same in the IPL.
Mishra was filmed as saying he was paid a major part of his IPL salary by Pune Warriors in "black" (illegal) money, while Yadav and Bali alleged spot-fixing existed in the tournament.
Srivastava has denied that the voice in the audio was his, and Mishra apologised, saying he made the comment "casually for personal gain."
The Hindu newspaper said corruption rumours had swirled around the IPL for a long time.
"Since millions ride on IPL, this 'domestic' tournament has not escaped the talk of fixed matches," the paper said.
The IPL, a mix of glamour, rich purses for world-class players and the excitement of T20 cricket, has endured a difficult ride over the past four years.
The tournament is already being investigated for alleged fraud and foreign exchange violations.
Its founder Lalit Modi, who was suspended in 2010, is living in London facing Indian government and BCCI charges of misappropriation of funds.

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West Indies 243 all out against England

LONDON: West Indies, after losing the toss, were 243 all out against England on the second day of the first Test at Lord's here on Friday.
Test debutant and West Indies No 11 Shannon Gabriel was out for a first ball duck Friday when he edged Stuart Broad straight to second slip Graeme Swann to leave Shivnarine Chanderpaul stranded on his overnight score of 87 not out.
Fast-medium bowler Broad's figures of seven for 72 were his best in Tests, surpassing his six for 46 against India at his Nottinghamshire home ground of Trent Bridge last year.
During the course of this return, Broad, son of former England opening batsman Chris, became only the seventh player in history to both take five or
more wickets in a Test innings and score a Test century at Lord's.
Broad made his Test-best score of 169 against Pakistan at Lord's in 2010.
This is the first of a three-Test series.
Scoreboard:
Scoreboard at close of West Indies' first innings on the second day of the first Test against England at Lord's here on Friday:
West Indies 1st Innings (overnight: 243-9)
A. Barath c Anderson b Broad 42
K. Powell b Anderson 5
K. Edwards lbw b Anderson 1
D. Bravo run out (Prior/Swann) 29
S. Chanderpaul not out 87
M. Samuels c Bairstow b Broad 31
D. Ramdin c Strauss b Broad 6
D. Sammy c Bresnan b Broad 17
K. Roach c and b Broad 6
F. Edwards c Prior b Broad 2
S. Gabriel c Swann b Broad 0
Extras (b6, lb8, nb3) 17
Total (all out, 89.5 overs, 379 mins) 243
Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Powell), 2-32 (K Edwards), 3-86 (Barath), 4-100 (Bravo), 5-181 (Samuels), 6-187 (Ramdin), 7-219 (Sammy), 8-231 (Roach), 9-243 (F Edwards), 10-243 (Gabriel)
Bowling: Anderson 25-8-59-2; Broad 24.5-6-72-7 (3nb); Bresnan 20-7-39-0; Swann 18-6-52-0; Trott 2-0-7-0
England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonathan Bairstow, Matt Prior (wkt), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson
Toss: England
Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Marais Erasmus (RSA)
TV umpire: Asad Rauf (PAK)
Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SRI)

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SRK banned from entering Wankhede Stadium for five years

MUMBAI: Mumbai cricket officials on Friday announced a five-year ban on Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan from the city's main stadium after a late-night row with staff at the grounds.
The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has filed a police complaint against Khan, co-owner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders, over the heated altercation on Wednesday night at Wankhede stadium.
"The ban was a unanimous decision," MCA president Vilasrao Deshmukh told reporters in the city. "Action will be taken against whoever breaks the law."
The MCA says Khan should not have entered the ground after the game, saying he misbehaved and used foul language when officials asked him to leave. They also tried to stop a group of children including Khan's daughter from playing on the field.
"Even for us, there are rules of who should come in and who cannot," said Deshmukh.
Khan, one of the biggest names in Bollywood, has denied accusations he was drunk or behaving illegally, saying he became angry when officials at the stadium abused him and "physically manhandled" the children.
The MCA's parent body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, will look into the "unprecedented case", said its chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty.
"Never have we seen this kind of behaviour at any time on any (cricket) ground in India," he said.

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Australian IPL player arrested over hotel brawl

NEW DELHI: Indian police said Friday they had arrested Australian cricketer Luke Pomersbach for allegedly molesting a woman and beating up her fiance in a posh New Delhi hotel.
The 27-year-old batsman, who has played for Australia's Twenty20 side, is playing in the Indian Premier League for the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, which took on the Delhi Daredevils on Thursday night.
The cricketer is accused of trying to molest a 27-year-old woman during a party at the up market Maurya Sheraton Hotel on Thursday night.
"We have arrested Luke Pomersbach for assaulting a woman and beating up the fiance who objected to his action," police spokesman Rajan Bhagat told AFP.
Pomersbach has earlier battled depression and drug issues and avoided a jail sentence in Australia after admitting to assaulting a police officer who was trying to arrest him for drink driving. He arrived in India saying he was now "on top of things" after recovering from depression, adding that he was determined to make the most of the money-spinning but scandal-plagued Indian league.

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Gayle, Kohli guide Bangalore to 21-run win over Delhi

DELHI: A double century partnership by Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli guided Royal Challengers Bangalore to a 21-run victory against Delhi Daredevils in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League here at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium on Thursday.
Chris Gayle of the West Indies smashed a dashing unbeaten 128 in just 62 ballswhilen - his first hundred in the season and Kohli remained not out on 73.
Gayle struck 13 sixes and seven fours while Kohli hit nine fours and a six in his 53-ball innings.
Both added 204 runs for the second wicket partnership after Bangalore lost an early wicket .
Bangalore made 215 runs for one wicket in the allotted 20 overs after sent into bat by Kohli who was captaining Delhi in absence of Virender Sehwag..
In reply, Delhi fought well but could not reach the huge target of 216 and were restricted to 194 for seven in 290 overs.
New Zealand’s Ross Taylor top scored with a 26-ball 55.
Geom Super showed this high-scoring match live from Delhi.

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Chanderpaul defies England again

LONDON: Shivnarine Chanderpaul defied England once again with a tenacious unbeaten 87 to lead West Indies to 243 for nine on the first day of the opening test at Lord's on Thursday.
The obdurate left-hander, reprieved on 15 after reviewing an lbw decision, frustrated the hosts with his awkward crab-like stance and intense concentration to keep his team in the game after England had won the toss in favourable bowling conditions.
Fast bowler Stuart Broad completed figures of six for 72 and James Anderson claimed two early wickets but they could not find a way through Chanderpaul's defences.
England thought they had dismissed him when he shouldered arms to a full-length ball from Anderson and umpire Marais Erasmus raised his finger but a review showed the ball would have missed off stump and Chanderpaul survived.
The world's top-ranked test batsman occasionally came out of his shell with crisp attacking strokes, punching the ball through the covers or sweeping powerfully on the leg side.
He reached his 60th test fifty with a firm push for two off Anderson and looked in complete control on his sixth tour of England.
Chanderpaul, 37, added 81 for the fifth wicket with Marlon Samuels who batted with commendable restraint to reach 31 before he drove airily at Broad and gave debutant Jonny Bairstow a sharp high catch at cover point.
Broad had Denesh Ramdin caught at first slip by captain Andrew Strauss for six but Chanderpaul received sensible support from skipper Darren Sammy who made a patient 17 before falling to Broad with the second new ball, caught by Tim Bresnan in the
gully.
Kemar Roach became Broad's fifth victim when he spooned the ball back to the bowler who dived to his left and held a fine low catch. It was the tall fast bowler's fifth five-wicket haul in Tests.
Chanderpaul pulled Broad for successive fours just before the close to edge towards his 26th test century but Fidel Edward's was brilliantly caught one-handed by diving
wicketkeeper Matt Prior off Broad in the day's final over.
Strauss had won the toss under grey skies and Anderson took two early wickets to reduce the touring side to 32 for two.
Anderson ended Kieran Powell's nervous 29-ball innings of five with a fine delivery which nipped back to clip the left-hander's off stump as he tried to leave it
Kirk Edwards also struggled in the unfamiliar conditions and he was trapped lbw for one playing across the line but Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo took West Indies to 83 for two at lunch.
Opener Barath fell early in the afternoon session for 42, driving loosely at a wide ball from Broad and giving Anderson a high catch in the gully which he grabbed at the second attempt.
The diminutive Barath had batted through the morning with a mixture of watchful defence and nine crisp boundaries through the covers and straight down the ground.
Bravo was badly dropped by Graeme Swann at second slip off Anderson but he failed to take advantage of the lifeline and was needlessly run out for 29 in the next over.
Bravo recklessly charged through for a quick single and with Chanderpaul staying firmly in his crease both batsmen ended up stranded at one end.
Although Prior threw the ball wildly back to the bowler, Swann dived to gather it and break the stumps, reducing West Indies to 100 for four. (Reuters)

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Chanderpaul digs in for West Indies

LONDON: Shivnarine Chanderpaul fought a typical rearguard action to lead West Indies to 146 for four at tea on the first day of the opening test against England at Lord's on Thursday.
The tenacious left-hander was unbeaten on 42 at the interval with Marlon Samuels on 14 after the touring side lost two more wickets in the afternoon session.
Opener Adrian Barath was first to go for 42, driving loosely at a wide ball from Stuart Broad and giving James Anderson a high catch in the gully which he grabbed at the second attempt.
The diminutive Barath had batted through the morning with a mixture of watchful defence and nine crisp boundaries through the covers and straight down the ground.
Darren Bravo was badly dropped by Graeme Swann at second slip off Anderson but he failed to take advantage of the lifeline and was needlessly run out for 29 in the next over.
Bravo recklessly charged through for a quick single and with Chanderpaul staying firmly in his crease both batsmen ended up stranded at one end.
Although England wicketkeeper Matt Prior threw the ball wildly back to the bowler, Swann dived to gather it and break the stumps and reduce West Indies to 100 for four.
Chanderpaul was given out lbw to Anderson on 15 but was reprieved after reviewing the decision and he settled in for another trademark long innings.
He frustrated the England bowlers with his awkward-looking open stance and intense concentration, occasionally coming out of his shell to punch the ball firmly through the off side.
England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss under grey skies and Anderson took two early wickets to reduce the touring side to 32 for two.
Anderson ended Kieran Powell's nervous 29-ball innings of five with a fine delivery which nipped back to clip the left hander's off stump as he tried to leave it.
Kirk Edwards also struggled in the unfamiliar conditions and he was trapped lbw for one playing across the line but Barath and Bravo took West Indies to 83 for two at lunch.
England handed a debut to middle-order batsman Jonny Bairstow and West Indies awarded a first test cap to fast bowler Shannon Gabriel.(Reuters)

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New T20 captain Hafeez calls for trust

LAHORE: Pakistan's newly appointed Twenty20 captain Mohammad Hafeez on Thursday called for trust and a good environment in the dressing room ahead of next month's tour of Sri Lanka.

The talented team often makes headlines over rows between the players and a volatile dressing room atmosphere, but Hafeez said he would continue the good example set by Misbah-ul Haq.

Misbah, dropped from the Twenty20 squad but retained as one-day and Test captain for the Sri Lankan tour, is credited with uniting the team after a 2010 spot-fixing sandal saw Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer banned and jailed.

"It's not a team of any individual and we all trust each other and I think the way Misbah has settled the atmosphere of the team -- you will see that this tour will be very positive," Hafeez told reporters.

Hafeez also faces the challenge of leading a team which has two former captains in Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi, often difficult for the incumbent skipper.

"What I have discussed with T20 players is that I am trying to give them full confidence, unfortunately after one or two performances we start thinking that a player does not deserve to have a place in the team," he said.

"I will try to make a good environment for them in the dressing room and give players, like Malik and Khalid (Latif) trust."

Pakistan opens the tour with a Twenty20 in Hambantota on June 1. The two Twenty20 matches will be followed by five one-day and three Tests.

Hafeez agreed his team were short on Twenty20 practice, noting that players were missing out on the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Pakistani players featured in the inaugural IPL in 2008 but have since not been allowed to play as relations between the arch-rivals nosedived after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which India blamed on militants based across the border.

Hafeez said the training camp meant players were well drilled.

"The whole team is focused, practice sessions are going well and we are trying to bring ourselves into an international mould and we will try to bring in good results on the tour," he said.

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IPL: Punjab outclass Chennai by six wickets

DHARAMSALA: Kings XI Punjab easily defeated Chennai Super Kings by six wickets with 21 balls remaining in the Indian Premier League – V here at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday.
Australia’s former wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist won the toss and put Chennai into bat and then restricted them to 120 runs for seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs.
Pacemen Parvinder Awana, Praveen Kumar of India and Azhar Mahmood of Pakistan claimed two wickets each.
For Chennai, West Indies all rounder Dwayne Bravo top scored with 48. He hit three sixes and two fours. Later, he also took two wickets for 18 runs.
In reply, Punjab completed the chase in 16.3 overs for the loss of four wickets as Gilchrist made an unbeaten 64 off 46 balls with nine fours and two sixes.

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Bollywood star faces police probe over cricket row

MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan faced a police probe and a lifetime ban from Mumbai's main cricket stadium on Thursday following a furious late-night row with staff at the ground, officials said.

The actor, who co-owns the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders, took a group of youngsters including his daughter Suhana onto the Wankhede Stadium pitch after a match on Wednesday night.

A security guard tried to stop the children from playing, leading the multi-millionaire actor to argue angrily for 10-15 minutes before finally giving up and leaving the premises, an AFP photographer witnessed.

"Security officials told him to leave, but Shah Rukh Khan started the brawl," Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) secretary Nitin Dalal told NDTV news.

"He entered the ground half an hour after the game. The officers told him that this was not the right time. He misbehaved and he used foul language."

Dalal said the MCA had filed a police complaint and would ban the 46-year-old cricket-crazy star from future attendance at the Wankhede Stadium.

Speaking outside his Mumbai home on Thursday, Khan denied accusations that he was drunk or behaving illegally, saying he had become angry when officials at the stadium abused him and "physically manhandled" the children.

"They were being aggressive and I became aggressive back," he told reporters, saying the MCA owed him an apology.

MCA treasurer Ravi Savant said the stadium ban on Khan would be "for life".

"He'll not be allowed for any match -- Test match, one-day international or any T20 or IPL matches hereafter. That is what we have decided," he said.

Khan is one of the Bollywood film industry's most popular stars, but his sweaty and dishevelled appearance during the incident was a far cry from the carefully managed image presented through his advertising and acting roles.

The actor was embroiled in another ugly row in January after a female director accused him of assaulting her husband at a late-night party.

Khan has also been summoned to appear before a court in Jaipur later this month after he was seen smoking at that city's main cricket stadium, in violation of anti-smoking laws.

Balbir Punj, a senior leader of India's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, told NDTV that Khan was an icon and public figure who "should know how to behave in public".

He referred to an incident last month that saw Khan detained for questioning by US immigration authorities when he arrival at a New York airport.

"When he was humiliated in America, the entire country stood by him. He should respect others and the law must take its course," Punj said

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Barath leads Windies recovery against England

LONDON: Adrian Barath's unbeaten 41 helped the West Indies to 83 for two at lunch on the first day of the first Test against England at Lord's here on Thursday.
West Indies were suffering an all too familiar top-order struggle at 32 for two after England strike bowler James Anderson had removed Kieran Powell and Kirk Edwards.
But opener Barath refused to be cowed and with Darren Bravo (27 not out) offering solid support in an unbroken stand of 51, the West Indies -- who came into this match having won just two of their previous 30 Tests -- got through the session without losing any more wickets against the world's number one-ranked side.
England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to field, doubtless hoping his seamers would exploit the overcast conditions.
But with Barath unfurling several cover-driven boundaries, England did not have things all their own way.
Powell, who made a century against the second-string England Lions last week, fell for five when Anderson, after moving several deliveries away from the left-hander, expertly swung one back in.
Powell was late with his intended defensive shot and was bowled off stump to leave West Indies 13 for one in the ninth over.
Anderson was in the wickets again when Edwards, aiming across the line of a full-length delivery, was lbw for one.
At that stage, Anderson had taken two wickets for nine runs in 19 balls.
But Barath struck his sixth four in just 25 runs when Stuart Broad felt the force of his cover-drive, while off-spinner Graeme Swann was denied a customary early wicket.

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England win toss and field against West Indies

LONDON: England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to field in the first Test against the West Indies at Lord's here on Thursday.
England gave a debut to Yorkshire middle-order batsman Jonathan Bairstow, already capped at one-day international level, making him the 13th son to follow his father into the England Test team.
Bairstow's late father David, also a wicket-keeper/batsman, won four caps from 1979 to 1981. But the younger Bairstow was playing at Lord's as a number six batsman only, with Sussex gloveman Matt Prior continuing behind the stumps.
England left out seamers Steven Finn and Graham Onions from their 13-man squad, with pace bowling all-rounder Tim Bresnan -- victorious in all his 11 previous Tests -- joining quicks James Anderson and Stuart Broad in a four-man attack also featuring off-spinner Graeme Swann.
West Indies gave a Test debut to 24-year-old Trinidad paceman Shannon Gabriel after fast bowler Ravi Rampaul was ruled out with a stiff neck.
World number one-ranked Test side England were looking to re-establish their dominance after losing four out of five Tests against Pakistan and Sri Lanka on their winter tour.
West Indies came into the match having won just two out of their last 30 Tests

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Yuvraj eyes comeback after cancer treatment

NEW DELHI: India's World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh hopes to return to cricket in "three to four months" after recovering from a cancerous tumour, media reports said on Thursday.
Yuvraj, asked by reporters in Chandigarh whether he could make a comeback in a year's time, said: "One year is too late. I am hoping to make an early comeback, maybe by the next three to four months."
The 30-year-old underwent chemotherapy treatment in the United States earlier this year after being diagnosed with a rare germ-cell tumour between his lungs.
On his return to India last month, Yuvraj said he wanted to force his way back into the Indian side but conceded that "it won't be easy and will take time."
The left-handed all-rounder played a key role in India's World Cup triumph last year, scoring 362 runs and taking 15 wickets in nine matches to be the man of the tournament.
Yuvraj has not played competitive cricket since taking part in two home Tests against the West Indies in November.
Yuvraj has scored 8,051 runs in 274 one-dayers and 1,775 runs in 37 Tests since his international debut in 2000.

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IPL: Kolkata overtake Mumbai to get second place

MUMBAI: Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Mumbai Indians by 32 runs with five balls to spare in a low-scoring match in the Indian Premier League - season V here at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
Kolkata reached the second place on points table with 19, behind Delhi Daredevils (20), overtaking Mumbai who remained on 18 points.
Chasing an easy target of 141 to win, Mumbai batsmen could not resist against accurate bowling from Kolkata and were all out for 108 in 19.1 overs.
West Indian off-spinner Sunil Narine captured four wickets for 15 runs while seamers Lakshmipathy Balaji and South African Jacques Kallis claimed two wickets each.
Main scorers for Mumbai were Sachin Tendulkar (27) and Dinesh Karthik (20).
Earlier, Mumbai Indians captain Harbhajan Singh won the toss and put the Knight Riders into bat.
Kolkata were restricted to 140 for seven in the allotted 20 overs as Manoj Tiwary top scored with 41, followed by captain Gautam Gambhir (27) and Yousuf Pathan (21 not out).
For Mumbai, paceman RP Singh took two wickets.

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Sri Lanka will be tough, warns Whatmore

LAHORE: Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore on Wednesday warned his players they faced a battle on next month's tour of Sri Lanka, saying the hosts were tough opponents in home conditions.

The Australian backed the six uncapped players picked across Pakistan's Test, one-day and Twenty20 squads to make an impact on the tour, which starts with a Twenty20 international in Hambantota on June 1.

Pakistan began a short training camp in Lahore on Wednesday ahead of the tour, where they play two Twenty20, five one-days and three Tests.

"We are lucky we are doing a bit of work in the heat," Whatmore told reporters.

"I think we are doing enough to prepare ourselves properly for pretty strong opposition in their home country."

Pakistan, whose Test side is ranked fifth in the world against Sri Lanka's sixth, broke with tradition by selecting separate squads for the three different formats, new to their system but backed by Whatmore.

"I am very agreeable to see that players are beginning to be selected in formats that are suitable to them," said Whatmore, who offered no comment on Mohammad Hafeez replacing Misbah-ul Haq as Twenty20 captain.

Whatmore guided Sri Lanka to World Cup triumph in 1996 and took over as Pakistan coach in March, leading his charges to victory in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

"There are a few new players in the squad and that's a good thing because you know I think keeping exactly the same personnel you are marching on the spot," said the former Australian batsman.

Pakistan have picked uncapped Shakil Ansar, Haris Sohail, Raza Hasan, Rahat Ali, Ayub Dogar and Afaq Raheem in their three squads.

"We want to move forward all the time. In that squad selection there's some very good experienced players we believe are good enough to win matches and that's why they're picked."

Pakistan had a pre-tour setback when limited-overs specialist opener Nasir Jamshed was ruled out for the tour with a fractured finger.

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IPL: Shah Rukh Khan faces police probe over cricket row

MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan faced a police probe and a lifetime ban from Mumbai's main cricket stadium on Thursday following a furious late-night row with staff at the ground, officials said.
The actor, who co-owns the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders, took a group of youngsters including his daughter Suhana onto the pitch of the Wankhede Stadium after a match on Wednesday night.
A security guard tried to stop them from playing, leading the multi-millionaire actor to argue angrily for 10-15 minutes before finally giving up and leaving the stadium, an AFP photographer witnessed.
"Security officials told him to leave, but Shah Rukh Khan started the brawl," Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) secretary Nitin Dalal told NDTV news.
"He entered the ground half an hour after the game. The officers told him that this was not the right time. He misbehaved and he used foul language."
Dalal said the MCA had filed a police complaint and would ban the cricket-crazy star from future attendance at the Wankhede Stadium.
"He'll not be allowed for any match -- Test match, one-day international or any T20 or IPL matches hereafter. That is what we have decided," said MCA treasurer Ravi Savant.
Savant said MCA president Vilasrao Deshmukh was among the officials and security personnel "abused" by Khan, adding that the stadium ban would be "for life".
The sweaty and dishevelled appearance of Khan, one of the most popular stars of the nation's prolific Bollywood film industry, was a far cry from the carefully managed image presented through his advertising and acting roles.
The 46-year-old was embroiled in another ugly row in January after a female director accused him of assaulting her husband at a late-night party.
Khan has also been summoned to appear before a court in Jaipur later this month after he was seen smoking at the city's main cricket stadium, in violation of anti-smoking laws.
Balbir Punj, a senior leader of India's political Bharatiya Janata Party, told NDTV that Khan was an icon and public figure who "should know how to behave in public".
He referred to an incident last month that saw Khan detained by US immigration authorities for questioning on arrival at a New York airport.
"When he was humiliated in America, the entire country stood by him. He should respect others and the law must take its course," Punj said.
Khan's agent was unavailable for comment on Thursday.

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Kolkata crush Pune to take second spot on table

PUNE: Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Pune Warriors by 34 runs to take second spot behind Delhi Daredevils on points table in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League here at the Subarata Roy Shahra Stadium on Saturday.
This was ninth consecutive defeat for Pune Warriors in the tournament.
Winning the toss, the Knight Riders batted first and made 136 for four in the allotted 20 overs.
Main scorers were Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan (42) and New Zealand batsman Brandan McCullum (41) while for the Warriors, South Africa’s left-arm medium-fast bowler Wayne Parnell took two wickets for 18 runs.
Then, Pune were restricted to just 102 for eight in 20 overs as no batsman could resist against the Kolkata spinners.
However, New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder provided some resistance scoring 22.
For Kolkata, off-spinner Yousuf Pathan and left-arm spinner Shakib claimed two wickets each for 12 and 18, respectively.
Geo Super televised this low-scoring match live from Pune.

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