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

Pakistan players now occupy the top two positions in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers after a strong performance from Mohammad Hafeez in the recent three-match series in Bangladesh.The 31-year-old gains six places in the latest rankings and now sits just 19 ratings points behind team-mate Saeed Ajmal, who heads the list.Hafeez took six wickets in the...

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India clinch West Indies ODI series

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

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England squad named for 3-Test series against Pakistan

LONDON : England announced on Friday their squad for playing a three-Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates starting in January:Following is the 16-man squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven...

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Hafeez ton puts Pakistan in strong position

CHITTAGONG : Mohammad Hafeez completed his fourth Test century to put Pakistan in a strong position on the second day of the opening Test against Bangladesh here at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Saturday.The opener was unbeaten on 113 as the tourists reached 212-1 in their first innings at lunch in reply to Bangladesh's 135 after adding 80 runs to their overnight...

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New Zealand lead Aussies in low-scoring Test

HOBART : New Zealand held a lead of 43 runs at tea on the second day after rolling Australia for 136 in the second Test at Bellerive Oval on Saturday.Fast bowlers Peter Siddle and James Pattinson helped the Australians avoid their lowest Test score against the Kiwis with a 56-run eighth-wicket stand after the home side went to lunch at 81 for seven.At tea, New Zealand...

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

AHMEDABAD : India captain Virender Sehwag won the toss and put West Indies into bat in the third One-day International being played here at the Sardar Patel Stadium Motera on Monday. India, leading 2-0 in the five-match series, made one change from the side that won the second one-dayer by five wickets as they brought in paceman Abhimanyu Mithun in place of Varun...

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

BRISBANE : A James Pattinson-inspired Australia won the first trans-Tasman Test at the Gabba on Sunday by nine wickets within four days.They required 19 second innings runs to win after a stunning burst by Test debutant Pattinson (5-27) helped the hosts rout New Zealand for 150 in their second innings on Sunday.Australia (1-19) lost opener Phil Hughes (seven) - who was...

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Nasir Hossain’s ton in vain as Pakistan win series

DHAKA : Despite a magnificent maiden hundred by Nasir Hossain, Pakistan recorded second consecutive victory against Bangladesh to win the series of three One-day Internationals 2-0 here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday.Nasir scored exact 100 runs in 155 balls with a six and eleven fours but his team was defeated by 76 runs in the end.Chasing...

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