De Villiers and Clarke become number-one ranked Test batsmen

South Africa's AB de Villiers has reached the number-one batting position for the first time in his career where he has been joined by Australia captain Michael Clarke in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings which were released on Friday. De Villiers' move to the top of the batting chart is due to a combination of his own good performances in the Hamilton and Wellington...

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Strauss flummoxed by England's run of defeats

Captain Andrew Strauss was at a loss to explain what had gone wrong for his England team after they were beaten for the fourth test in a row on Thursday. Sri Lanka's 75-run victory in the first test in Galle means England could lose their place at the top of the world rankings if they suffer a 2-0 whitewash in the series. "You need to be a rocket scientist to work out...

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South Africa rue weather but happy to win series

WELLINGTON: Poor weather undoubtedly halted South Africa's march to the top of the world test rankings after they claimed a 1-0 series win against New Zealand when the third and final test at the Basin Reserve ended in a draw on Tuesday. Graeme Smith's side completed the series victory courtesy of a nine-wicket win in the second test in Hamilton, with the other two matches...

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South Africa close in on New Zealand win

WELLINGTON: South Africa were on the verge of victory over New Zealand at tea on the final day of the third Test at the Basin Reserve on Tuesday after speedster Morne Morkel skittled through the top-order batsmen. New Zealand, set the near impossible target of 389, were 103-5 with Morkel taking all the wickets for the remarkable figures of five for 11 off 11 overs. With...

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Cricket: Dolphins outclass Rams by 32 runs

RAWALPINDI: Karachi Dolphins outclassed Rawalpindi Rams by 32 runs with nine balls to spare in the fourth match of the Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cup here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday. After being put into bat by the Rams captain Sohail Tanvir, the Dolphins made 171 runs for the loss of four wickets in the allotted 20 overs – the highest total so...

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Stallions beat Eagles in low-scoring match

RAWALPINDI: Sialkot Stallions defeated Lahore Eagles by five wickets with an over remaining in the third match of the Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cup here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday. After the Stallions captain Shoaib Malik won the toss and elected to field, his bowlers restricted the Eagles to 129 for eight in the allotted 20 overs. Saad Nasim...

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Cricket: Jayawardene thwarts England in first Test

GALLE, Sri Lanka: Skipper Mahela Jayawardene crafted a classy century to steer Sri Lanka out of trouble on the opening day of the first Test against England in Galle on Monday. Jayawardene hit an unbeaten 168 as the hosts recovered from a disastrous 15-3 by the fourth over to move to 289-8 by stumps at a Galle International Stadium packed with some 8,000 English supporters. Fast...

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Cairns wins libel action against Modi

LONDON: Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns was awarded £90,000 ($142,000) damages on Monday after winning a libel action against former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi in London. In the first libel action heard in England against a post on the micro-blogging site Twitter, Cairns, 41, sued over an "unequivocal allegation" of match-fixing on Modi's...

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Asia Cup: ACC rejects BCB's final over plea

KARACHI: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) plea to review the final over of the Asia Cup final between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Geo News reported. ACC Chief Executive Ashraf-ul Haq told Geo News that the field umpires didn't report about the incident and as per laws their note of concern was necessary. 'The chapter is now...

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Anderson, Broad rock Sri Lanka in first Test

GALLE: James Anderson and Stuart Broad ripped through Sri Lanka's top-order to hand England the early advantage in the first Test in Galle on Monday. Anderson claimed two wickets off successive balls and Broad chipped in with a third as Sri Lanka slumped to 15-3 by the fourth over after electing to bat at the Galle International Stadium. Skipper Mahela Jayawardene (30...

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Philander on fire as South Africa turn screw

WELLINGTON: South African pace sensation Vernon Philander became the fastest man in 116 years to reach 50 Test wickets on Monday as New Zealand struggled to stay alive in the third Test. Philander, 26, reached the milestone in only his seventh Test as New Zealand folded for 275 in their first innings in reply to South Africa's 474-9 declared, avoiding the follow-on by...

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Cricket: Aussies set 282-run target for Windies

GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia: Australia made 281 for nine in the fifth and final one-dayer against West Indies here on Sunday, where the home side are seeking a first series win in 17 years over the Aussies. Skipper Shane Watson, with 66 off 89 balls, and fellow opener David Warner, who crashed 69 off 61 balls, with 10 fours and a six, put on 118 for the first wicket by the...

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Faisal Bank T20: Lahore Lions outclass Karachi Zebras

RAWALPINDI: Lahore Lions defeated Karachi Zebras by six wickets with 13 balls to spare in the second match of the Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cricket Cup here at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Sunday. The Zebras captain Hasan Raza won the toss and elected to bat but the Lions restricted the opponents to 135 for five in the allotted 20 overs. Their prominent scorers were...

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Faisalabad record thrilling win over Peshawar in opener

RAWALPINDI: Faisalabad Wolves recorded a thrilling two-wicket victory over Peshawar Panthers in the opening match of the Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cricket Cup 2011-12 here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Chasing 128, Faisalabad achieved the target with one ball remaining, thanks to an unbeaten brilliant innings of 43 by one-down batsman Ali Waqas. He...

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Whatmore satisfied with Pakistan progress

KARACHI: Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore Sunday expressed satisfaction over his team's performance during their winning Asia Cup campaign, saying it would have been the icing on the cake to beat arch-rivals India.Pakistan beat Bangladesh in a thrilling final by two runs in Dhaka on Thursday, lifting the Asia Cup for the second time.It was Whatmore's first assignment since...

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West Indies win toss, bowl against Australia

GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia: The West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl in their fifth and final one-day international against Australia here on Sunday. The home side lead the five-match series 2-1 and are bidding for a first series win over the Australians in 17 years. Australia won the first ODI by 64 runs before West Indies won by five wickets in a rain-affected second...

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Pakistan unhappy over Bangladesh Cup appeal

KARACHI: Pakistan's cricket board on Sunday expressed disappointment with Bangladesh for considering appealing an incident in the last over of the Asia Cup final which they believe cost them the match. Bangladesh Saturday said it would appeal to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to review the last over, accusing Pakistani paceman Aizaz Cheema of deliberately blocking batsman...

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Australia may go with spin against Windies: Clarke

SYDNEY: Captain Michael Clarke said Sunday Australia could play two spinners in the opening Test against the West Indies next month before he left to join up with the rest of the squad in the Caribbean. Clarke stayed in Australia for treatment on a hamstring injury and has followed the ongoing one-day series against the West Indies on television. "The wickets look really...

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Ireland beat Afghanistan in T20 qualifying final

DUBAI: Ireland defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in the final of the World Twenty20 qualifying tournament on Saturday, in a battle between two sides who had already booked their places at the global showpiece in Sri Lanka. Afghanistan, who had won all eight matches at the qualifiers going into the final, were restricted to 152 for seven off their 20 overs before the...

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Faysal Bank T20 Cup begins today

RAWALPINDI: Twenty20’s massive popularity and status as the most exciting format of cricket has given birth to T20 league in Pakistan. The Super Eight T20 Tournament was introduced last year in Pakistan. Since the tremendous success of Super eight T20 tournament, it has not only become the most popular and widely watched cricket events in Pakistan but the tournament is...

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Cricket: Ireland qualify for World Twenty20

DUBAI: Ireland will play in the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka after hammering Namibia by nine wickets in the preliminary final of the qualifying tournament here on Saturday.The Irish, who will join Afghanistan as the two sides to make it through as qualifiers, made short work of a Namibia side who failed to impress with the bat.The west Africans made just 94-6 off their allotted 20 overs, Ian Opperman top scoring with 26 not out.South African-born Max Sorensen took 2-8 and Australian-born Trent Johnson 2-19 as Ireland pinned back Namibia, who had...

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Cricket: England-Sri Lanka squads for first Test

GALLE, Sri Lanka: Squads and officials for the first Test between England and Sri Lanka starting at the Galle International Stadium on Monday:England: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn, Monty Panesar, Graeme Swann, Steven Davies, James Tredwell.Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Dinesh...

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South Africa build comfortable lead

WELLINGTON: A dominant South Africa built up a comfortable lead of 222-2 at tea on the second day of the rain-disrupted third Test as the New Zealand bowlers struggled in blustery conditions on Saturday.Alviro Petersen moved to 86 not out with JP Duminy on 66 in an unbroken 116-run stand for the third wicket.Saturday's morning session was again washed out and further rain was forecast for later in the day as the tourists targeted a large total with the aim of bowling New Zealand out twice in the abbreviated Test.Only 42 overs were possible on the...

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Winning captain Misbah-ul-Haq returns home

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq returned home Saturday morning after winning the Asia Cup final in a nail-biter against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday, Geo News reported.While talking to the media at Lahore airport along with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf, the winning captain congratulated the nation over winning the Asia Cup after 12 years and credited the entire team for the historic victory.Misbah said that the achievement is a result of team effort where all the members...

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Pollard leads West Indies to 42-run triumph

GROS ISLET: Kieron Pollard smashed a blistering century as West Indies defeated Australia by 42 runs in the fourth one-day international on Friday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.The 24-year-old Pollard hit eight sixes and five fours in his 70-ball 102 as the West Indies made 294 for seven off 50 overs, their highest score at the picturesque Beausejour Stadium.In reply, Australia, who were dismissed for 252, never recovered from losing five wickets in making 112 by the 21st over despite skipper Shane Watson (28), Peter Forrest (24),...

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Angry Afridi knocks out fan at the airport

KARACHI: To the utter disappointment of the whole nation, the great “Boom Boom Shahid Afridi” Friday night punched a fan in the face who was only begging him for an autograph, Geo News reported. Reportedly, Afridi, who was coming out of the airport after arriving here from Bangladesh, flew off the handle, after cohorts thronged him for autographs. It seemed he was not happy with this fan following and was seen almost running out of the airport with a swarm of his admirers in tow. After repeated gestures of annoyance, which failed to deter the...

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Tiger-hunters return home with Asia Cup

KARACHI: Pakistani cricket players returned home on Friday after winning the Asia Cup final in a nail-biter against Bangladesh at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, Geo News reported.Talking to newsmen at the airport, Shahid Afridi was all praise for the team effort against Tigers.To a question, he said that for T20 battles the squad needed some changes, which he would recommend very soon.The team members were showered with rose petals on their arrival by a large number of fans.This is Pakistani team’s first victory under the coaching...

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Pakistan hails 'wonderful' Asia Cup crown

KARACHI: Pakistan on Friday celebrated a nail-biting victory in the Asia Cup after a two-run win over Bangladesh that was hailed as providing some much-needed relief to the troubled country. Pakistan clinched only their second Asia Cup title in Dhaka late Thursday, sending delirious fans pouring onto the streets in major cities to celebrate, though some missed the action...

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N. Zealand bowl 1st against S. Africa in final Test

WELLINGTON: New Zealand captain Ross Taylor won the toss and elected to bowl first in the third and final Test against South Africa at the Basin Reserve on Friday. "Hopefully we can get some early wickets and put them under pressure," Taylor said at the toss, after the morning session was lost because of rain and the covers came off the pitch to show a green wicket. South...

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Cricket: Afghanistan qualify for World Twenty20

DUBAI: Afghanistan booked their place in the 2012 World Twenty20 on Thursday with a 47-run victory over Namibia in the first final of the 16-nation qualifying tournament. In a battle of two undefeated teams, Afghanistan were bowled out for 146 in their 20 overs before Namibia were dismissed for 99 in the 19th over. Despite the loss, Namibia will get a second chance of...

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Pakistan snatch Asia Cup in sensational final

DHAKA: Pakistan recorded a dramatic two-run victory over Bangladesh in a sensational final to win the Asia Cup one-day tournament for second time here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Thursday. Earlier, they had become the Asia Cup champions in 2000. It was looking that Bangladesh, playing the final for the first time in Asia Cup history, would win the title....

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Asia Cup Final Live updates: Pakistan 52/2 after 14 overs

DHAKA: Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim elected to field after winning the toss against Pakistan in the final of the Asia Cup in Dhaka on Thursday. Bangladesh, making their maiden appearance in the final of the one-day tournament, retained the side that defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets in the last league match, on Tuesday. Pakistan made one change from the team that...

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Asia Cup: Bangladesh aim for a final roar against Pakistan

DHAKA: History beckons Bangladesh as they aim to rise above the minnows tag and notch up their biggest title since arriving on international scene when they take on Pakistan Thursday in the final of Asia Cricket Cup here. With former champions India and Sri Lanka shockingly thrown out of the competition, it is most surprising summit line-up for the event which is struggling...

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Windies and Australia thriller ends in tie

KINGSTOWN: A thrilling third one-day international between West Indies and Australia at Arnos Vale here Tuesday ended in the anti-climax of a tie. The tourists made 220 all out after winning the toss and electing to bat, with Mike Hussey top-scoring with 67 and George Bailey hitting a maiden half-century before being dismissed on 59. West Indies' hopes of a win appeared...

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Tigers through to Asia Cup final for first time

DHAKA: Minnows Bangladesh maintained their astonishing record defeating formidable Sri Lanka in an exciting contest to reach the final for the first time in the history of the Asia Cup one-day tournament here at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday. Chasing a modest target, reduced to 212 runs in 40 overs under D/L method after rain interrupted the play, the Tigers...

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Salman Butt’s father denies Aamer’s allegation

LAHORE: The father of Salman Butt has denied an allegation leveled against his son by Muhammaed Aamer. Butt’s father said that Aamer had in the past changed his statement several times and was leveling these allegations to make a return to cricket. During an interview with a British news channel, Aamer claimed that former captain Salman Butt had betrayed their friendship...

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Asia Cup: Tigers bowl out Sri Lanka for 232

DHAKA: Fast bowler Nazmul Hossain grabbed three early wickets as Bangladesh restricted Sri Lanka to 232 in a must-win Asia Cup match in Dhaka on Tuesday. Nazmul rocked Sri Lanka in his sharp six-over opening spell, removing skipper Mahela Jayawardene (five), Tillakaratne Dilshan (19) and Kumar Sangakkara (six) to send the tourists reeling at 32-3 in the day-night match. Chamara...

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Asia Cup: Bangladesh put Sri Lanka in to bat

DHAKA: Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim elected to field after winning the toss against Sri Lanka in the last league match of the Asia Cup one-day tournament in Dhaka on Tuesday. Pakistan have already made it to the final with nine points from three matches. India have eight points from three games, followed by Bangladesh (4/2) and Sri Lanka (0/2). The hosts need a...

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Asia Cup: Bangladesh put Sri Lanka in to bat

DHAKA: Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim elected to field after winning the toss against Sri Lanka in the last league match of the Asia Cup one-day tournament in Dhaka on Tuesday. Pakistan have already made it to the final with nine points from three matches. India have eight points from three games, followed by Bangladesh (4/2) and Sri Lanka (0/2). The hosts need a...

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Ex-ICC chief says India is illegal betting hub

NEW DELHI: A former International Cricket Council chief on Tuesday accused India of fostering corruption in the sport, saying illegal betting in the country was the root cause of the problem. Ehsan Mani, who headed the ICC between 2003 and 2006, estimated that Sunday's Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan in Dhaka attracted $500 million-worth of bets, but did not...

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Aamer says 'brother' Butt lured him into fixing

LONDON: Disgraced Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Aamer said Monday that former captain Salman Butt had betrayed their friendship by involving him in the spot-fixing scandal that has seen him banned from cricket and serve time in a British prison. The highly-rated 19-year-old was released from jail last month after serving half of a six-month sentence for his part in the...

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Bermuda snatches victory from the jaws of defeat

Janeiro Tucker smashed sixes off the first three balls of the last over to guide Bermuda to a stunning five wickets victory over Papua New Guinea (PNG) in a crucial Group A fixture of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2012 at the ICC GCA Oval 1 on Monday. Needing 16 off the final six balls of the match, Tucker blasted three straight sixes off PNG captain Rarva...

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Afghanistan and Namibia stay on course

Afghanistan and Namibia extended their unbeaten run in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2012 to five matches after they won their respective matches on Sunday. Afghanistan defeated Canada by 41 runs in a Twenty20 International at the ICC Global Cricket Academy Oval 1, Dubai Sports City, to stay on top of Group A while Namibia defeated Kenya by seven wickets at...

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