Afridi tells Pakistan to learn New Zealand lessons

Updated at: 1238 PST,  Wednesday, March 09, 2011

PALLEKELE: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Wednesday urged his team to learn the lessons of the 110-run defeat against New Zealand.The Black Caps rode on a brilliant unbeaten 131 by Ross Taylor to post a challenging 302-7 before Tim Southee removed the top order with a burst of three early wickets to bowl Pakistan out for 192."There were quite a few lessons to be learned from the defeat, especially those chances we gave to Taylor and when you give such chances to a player like him he makes you pay," said Afridi.Wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal let Taylor off twice in the same Shoaib Akhtar over - once when the batsman was on nought and then on eight - allowing two straightforward chances to slip past him.Afridi said his bowlers were poor in the death overs when New Zealand plundered 139 runs off the last 10 overs."I think the way we started with the ball was good, but then the missed chances maybe demoralised the bowlers and they were very poor in the end," said Afridi.Afridi hoped his top order batsmen will show improvement in the next game, against Zimbabwe on Monday."Our top order did not work well although we have given them the time to settle down and this was the first time we were chasing. We need to learn how to bat while chasing," said Afridi."Taylor took the game away from us although the bowlers had reverse swing. But the way he played was brilliant and he took the game away from us," said the Pakistan captain.Pakistan now have six points from four matches, second in Group A behind New Zealand who also have six points but a better net run-rate.Co-hosts Sri Lanka (five points from four) and Australia (five from three) are third and fourth respectively. (AFP)

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Dhoni wants easy ride against Dutch

Updated at: 1223 PST,  Wednesday, March 09, 2011

NEW DELHI: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni wants to have an easy game against the Netherlands on Wednesday after surviving some anxious moments at the World Cup.The Indians cantered to an 87-run victory against Bangladesh followed by a high-scoring tie with England and a tense five-wicket victory over upstarts Ireland."It has been a good start for us so far," Dhoni told reporters Tuesday ahead of the clash against the Dutch at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium."We saw a tight game, a close game and a good one. We are now looking forward to an easy game against the Netherlands."We want to make the most of this game and especially in the departments where we want to see an improvement. We should not really be thinking about the result but the process, what are the things we want to get out of it."Dhoni accepted that the bowling had not been up to the mark but backed his under-fire attack to come good as the tournament progressed."We would like to improve a bit in our bowling especially when a batsman sets in, how to put pressure on that particular batsman and push him into playing a big shot and get him out."I don't mind who is taking the wickets as long as the team is winning. To target a particular bowler is difficult. Bowlers are also under pressure as there has been a lot of talk about it."But they are showing signs of improvement and I am hopeful they will peak at the right time."Dhoni said all-rounder Yuvraj Singh's form with the ball was a bonus for the side as that afforded the luxury to play an extra batsman."I am a big fan of Yuvraj. He bats at number four or five. He can play aggressively or be defensive if the situations so demands."He is a big asset to the team. He also has to fill in the job of the fifth bowler which he has done brilliantly till now."The burly left-hander excelled as a part-time spinner, taking 5-31 against Ireland before making an unbeaten 50 under pressure to become the first player to achieve the double feat in the World Cup.Dhoni replied cheekily when asked about the controversial umpire decision review system."Many times we have just taken the DRS for the heck of it before the 50 overs run out to see what happens. We don't mind using them instead of taking it back unused to the dressing room." (AFP)

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Broken bat inspires Taylor assault

Updated at: 1924 PST,  Tuesday, March 08, 2011

PALLEKELE: Birthday boy Ross Taylor destroyed the Pakistan attack in a devastating display of power hitting on Tuesday - and revealed he had done it all with a broken bat.Taylor, celebrating his 27th birthday, hit 131 in 124 balls with a whopping seven sixes to take his side to a total of 302-7 in their 50 overs at the Pallekele stadium.He was helped out by Nathan McCullum, who smashed 19 in just 10 balls, and Jacob Oram, who hit 25 in nine balls, including three sixes, off a shell-shocked Pakistan attack.Before he had even opened his account, Taylor received a huge let-off when an edge flew between wicket-keeper and first slip, and the same over 'keeper Kamran Akmal put down a straightforward chance behind the stumps when he was on eight."I had a bit of luck early on which I put down to my birthday but towards the end there I hit a few boundaries which was pretty sweet," said Taylor.He said it had been tough going early on."They're very good exponents of reverse swing. I played and missed a lot but hopefully we can learn from the way they bowled and keep them to a minimum."Towards the end of his innings Taylor signalled for a new bat and he revealed the one he had been using had suffered damage before the match."I cracked it in the nets a couple of days ago. It seemed to go OK today but hopefully the new one can be just as good," he said.Taylor said New Zealand's approach had been to establish themselves before launching a blitz at the end of their innings."One of our strengths is the power we have down the bottom and it showed today with the way Nathan McCullum batted and Jake (Oram). We had a bit of impetus to go into it so it was really good.""I think it's probably a par total from where we were but hopefully we can get some early wickets and you never know," he added.

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Taylor steers Kiwis to 302-7 against Pakistan

Updated at: 1755 PST,  Tuesday, March 08, 2011

PALLEKELE: Ross Taylor smashed a brilliant career-best hundred to lift New Zealand to an emphatic 302-7 in their key World Cup Group A match against Pakistan at the new Pallekele stadium on Tuesday. After captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and decided to bat first, New Zealand set Pakistan a difficult target of 303 runs.Taylor was given two 27th birthday gifts, dropped on zero and eight off Shoaib Akhtar, before unleashing some of the most incredible slugging ever inflicted on an attack in a one-day international cricket match never mind the World Cup He thumped seven towering sixes and eight boundaries in his unbeaten knock of 131 scored off 124 balls for his fourth one-day hundred Taylor made the most of his good fortune and ran riot in the 47th over of the innings, hitting paceman Akhtar for two boundaries and three sixes -- 28 runs in all -- to reach his first World Cup hundred off 117 deliveries.He then hit two boundaries and three sixes to take 30 off Abdul Razzaq's 49th over, helping New Zealand add 100 in the last five overs.Taylor added a blistering 85 for the seventh wicket with Jacob Oram (25 off just nine balls, with three sixes and a boundary) off just 22 balls to punish a hapless Pakistan bowling attack.Taylor's previous best of 128 not out came against Sri Lanka at Napier in 2006. In all, New Zealand blasted 92 runs off the last four overs. Taylor added 57 for the third wicket with Martin Guptill (57) and 62 for the fifth wicket with Scott Styris (28).Shoaib had provided Pakistan's breakthrough as early as the fourth ball when he bowled Brendon McCullum for six.Pakistan had opened the bowling with left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, the first time they had used such a tactic since April 1998 when Mohammad Hussain opened against South Africa in a one-dayer at Centurion.It was paceman Umar Gul (3-32) who dismissed Jamie How (four) to make it 55-2, leaving the repair work to Taylor and Guptill.Both team made two changes each from their last game. New Zealand left out the unwell Jesse Ryder and paceman Hamish Bennett and brought in How and Oram.Pakistan brought back Shoaib Akhtar and Abdur Rehman from their line-up against Canada.

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New Zealand win toss, bat against Pakistan

Updated at: 1340 PST,  Tuesday, March 08, 2011

PALLEKELE: New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has won the toss and decided to bat first against Pakistan in their crucial match in the World Cup Group A match here at the Pallekele International Stadium on Tuesday.Pakistan have made two changes in the team bringing back fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman, replacing Wahab Riaz and Saeed Ajmal.New Zealand brought in Jamie How and Jacob Oram in place of unwell Jesse Ryder and Hamish Bennett in two changes from the side which beat Zimbabwe by seven wickets in their last match. The Pakistanis have won all their three World Cup games and will be looking to further consolidate their pole position in Pool A by taming the Black Caps, whom they beat 3-2 in a six-match One-day International series in New Zealand last month.New Zealand are taking the field after what was a highly clinical 10-wicket triumph over Zimbabwe that followed a seven-wicket defeat against defending champions Australia.The newly-built Pallekele stadium becomes the 178th one-day international venue. Its pitch has been under focus and could play a major role in the outcome of today’s match. It seems to be hard and is likely to provide the bowlers with more bounce than many of the other World Cup wickets.Teams:Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Ahmed ShahzadNew Zealand: Daniel Vettori (captain), Brendon McCullum (wk), Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Ross Taylor, James Franklin, Scott Styris, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Jacob Oram.

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In-form Green Brigade to meet NZ

Updated at: 0820 PST,  Tuesday, March 08, 2011

PALLEKELE: In-form Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq said his team was ready for the double challenge of facing New Zealand as well as a mystery World Cup pitch on Tuesday.The Group A rivals meet at the newly-built Pallekele stadium in the first-ever one-day match at the venue, a factor which vice-captain Misbah believes will give both teams plenty to think about."Of course, it adds to the challenge because we don't know how the pitch will behave but that's the same for both teams, and as far as we are concerned we are up to the challenge," Misbah said Monday.The 36-year-old has anchored the Pakistan team in the World Cup with two half-centuries against Kenya and Sri Lanka and a hard-fought 37 in the last match against Canada.Pakistan sit top of Group A with six points after three matches, followed by co-hosts Sri Lanka (five points in four) and defending champions Australia (five after three), with New Zealand fourth with four in three matches.Misbah said Pakistan's recent one-day series win over New Zealand will count for nothing."We have done well against them in World Cups and in the recent series there but that win will count for nothing as it's a new game at a new place," said Misbah, of Pakistan's 3-2 win in New Zealand last month.Pakistan will bring in paceman Shoaib Akhtar after resting him in the last match against Canada, while left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman will also be available after missing the last match due to a leg muscle injury.Led by skipper Shahid Afridi's leg-spin, which has garnered a tournament-leading 14 wickets, Pakistan possess variety in their bowling with off-spinners Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez, coupled with a strong new-ball attack of Akhtar, Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz."I think we know how good their bowling can be," said New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori."They can probably defend any score because of the nature of their bowlers. They bring a lot to the table."Pakistan successfully defended a below-par 185-run target against Canada and 278 against co-hosts Sri Lanka in the two of their three matches.New Zealand, who lost to Australia by seven wickets but eased past Kenya and Zimbawe by 10 wickets in each game, have four points after three matches."We know to win these big games it needs complete team performances and that's what we have done. "It's a matter of stepping up against the harder teams," said Vettori, whose country has lost six World Cup matches against Pakistan since winning their first in 1983.Unlike the bowling head-to-head, New Zealand hold the upper hand in batting, with openers Martin Guptill (86) and Brendon McCullum (76) chasing a 186-run target against Zimbabwe without being separated."I'm not sure you could ask for too much more, we wanted complete performances out of ourselves and that we gave in the last match," said Vettori, whose team have made the semi-finals in the last three World Cups.The hill town of Kandy has suffered from persistent rains and the only international match here, a Test between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in December, was drawn without a single innings completed in five days.The warm-up matches before the World Cup were also moved because of bad weather.

Teams
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran
Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Ahmed Shahzad.
Coach: Waqar Younis
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock.Coach: John Wright

Umpires: Daryl Harper (AUS) and Nigel Llong (ENG)
TV umpire: Ian Gould (ENG)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
Match start: 02:00 PM

Pitch conditions: Heavy rains last month have hit the preparations of the pitch, and if the sun comes out in the next two days, the square will have good grass and help the seamers, provided the grass is not removed. The pitch has bounce and if it doesn't rain will help batsmen.Pakistan v New Zealand head to head Head-to-head record for the World Cup Group A match between Pakistan and New Zealand at the Pallekele stadium on Tuesday:

Matches: 88
Pakistan: 51
New Zealand: 34
No result/Tied: 3
First meeting: Feb 11, 1973, Christchurch - New Zealand won by 22 runs
Last meeting: Feb 5, 2011, Auckland - New Zealand won by 57 runs
(AFP)

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Vettori urges team not to fear Pakistan

Updated at: 0930 PST,  Tuesday, March 08, 2011

PALLEKELE: New Zealand Skipper Daniel Vettori said Monday that they would focus on their own game and not worry about formidable Pakistan in their World Cup match on Tuesday.Pakistan, inspired by captain Shahid Afridi, who has taken a tournament-best 14 wickets with his leg-spin, have won all three matches and top Group A with six points.New Zealand, who beat Kenya and Zimbabwe by ten wickets apiece but lost to Australia by seven wickets, have four points from three matches."The game, like against most teams, is about yourself and trying to work out how you could actually get the best performance out of yourself because that's pretty much where we have let ourselves down in the past," said Vettori.The captain, whose side lost a home one-day series to Pakistan that ended only last month, said he was aiming for consistency."We have not been able to put that consistent team performance together, so that's what we are asking," said Vettori, whose team were whitewashed in one-day series against Bangladesh and India last year."If we can get right in ourselves then we have more of a chance than if we worry about Pakistan," said Vettori, whose country has lost six of seven World Cup matches against their opponents.The pitch at the Pallekele stadium is an unknown for both teams but Vettori expects a batsman-friendly surface."I think we are expecting it to be a little bit quicker than most grounds but still it will be a batter-friendly wicket," said Vettori, whose openers are in top form.Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum hit unbeaten half-centuries in New Zealand's win over Zimbabwe on Friday.Vettori said the teams knew each other well due to their recent clashes."We are fortunate that we played a lot against them lately so we are pretty familiar but they are pretty familiar with us so it's going to be a tough game but hopefully there is some confidence from the Zimbabwe game," said Vettori.And the New Zealand captain said he hoped key batsman Ross Taylor would fire."I think your best players are the ones who win the World Cup and Ross is obviously one of our very good players. He has high expectations from himself and he wants to perform," said Vettori."I expect him at one stage in this tournament to win a game for us and hopefully it's tomorrow." (AFP)

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Cricket WC: Hansra, Bagai take Canada to rare win

Updated at: 2139 PST,  Monday, March 07, 2011

NEW DELHI: Jimmy Hansra struck a fine half-century under pressure as Canada defeated Kenya by five wickets on Monday to register only their second victory ever in a World Cup. Hansra hit seven fours and two sixes in his knock of 70, his best in 11 one-day internationals, to help Canada overhaul Kenya's 198 with 27 balls to spare in the day-night clash at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium. The Indian-born Hansra, who came in to bat with the team reeling at 48-3, put on 132 for the fourth wicket with his captain Ashish Bagai to ensure the efforts of fast bowler Henry Osinde (4-26) did not go to waste.
Bagai remained unbeaten on 64 off 97 balls with seven fours. "I was disappointed in myself and my team over the last three or four games so it was good to get some runs under the belt. Jimmy played a fantastic knock with me and both of us did a great job to get us over the line," said Bagai. "We were fortunate to have no run-rate pressure really. It was four runs an over and we got a decent start and kept up with the run rate right the way through." Disappointed Kenyan skipper Jimmy Kamande said: "We started off very, very badly and I thought it was a good recovery." He added that at one stage he thought they could post 220 or 230, which would have been defendable.Canada's previous World Cup win came against Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup at Durban. The result had little bearing on the quarter-final hopes of either teams, languishing at the bottom of the Group A table.Canada's chase began in a dramatic fashion with opener Rizwan Cheema being ruled leg before wicket off the second ball of the first over but the batsman asked for a review and the decision was overturned. Cheema though did not last long as he was bowled by Elijah Otieno after carting the paceman for a six and a four in the same over. Zubin Sarkari was run out by a direct throw from Kamande and opener Ruvindu Gunasekera was stumped off the bowling of off-spinner James Ngoche. Ngoche could have picked up a second wicket in the same over when Hansra hit straight to mid-on but Seren Waters dropped a sitter, a mistake that was to cost the Kenyans. Earlier, Osinde picked up three wickets in his opening spell to help reduce Kenya to 57-5 by the 15th over before a fight back by Tanmay Mishra and Thomas Odoyo. Mishra hit a composed 73-ball 51 for his fourth half-century in one-day internationals and Odoyo also chipped in with 51, containing five fours and a six. Osinde struck early for Canada, removing opener Morris Ouma off the second ball of the innings and his partner Waters in the fifth over. The paceman then sent back David Obuya to grab his third wicket before Harvir Baidwan brought an end to a promising knock by Collins Obuya (31). Veteran Steve Tikolo (12) was given out lbw. Kamande sought to rebuild the innings with Mishra, putting on 52 runs for the sixth wicket but portly leg-spinner Balaji Rao had him caught behind for 22. Mishra's dogged fightback came to an end when he holed out tamely to Surkari off part-timer John Davison in the 43rd over.(AFP)

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Kenya set 199-run target for Canada

Updated at: 1750 PST,  Monday, March 07, 2011

DELHI: Kenya have set a modest target of 199 runs for Canada in their World Cup Group A match here at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Monday.After captain Jimmy Kamande won the toss and elected to bat, Kenya were all out for 198 in exact 50 overs.Earlier, they found it difficult to make runs against accurate bowling by Canada and lost their five top order batsmen for only 57 runs.However, Tanmay Mishra and Jimmy Kamande came to their rescue and took the score to 109, adding 52 for the sixth wicket before Kamande (22) departed.Then, Mishra, joined by Thomas Odoyo, added further 57 runs for the seventh wicket partnership.Mishra scored 51, his fourth One-day International half-century, before being dismissed by John Davison.But Odoyo continued his fight till the end and was bowled by Harvir Baidwan on the last ball of the Kenya innings. He also made 51, his eighth ODI fifty, with five fours and a six.For Canada, seamer Henry Osinde was the most successful bowler takin four for 26 while Rizwan Cheema claimed two wickets.

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Pakistan ready for NZ on mystery pitch

Updated at: 1529 PST,  Monday, March 07, 2011

PALLEKELE: In-form Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq said his team was ready for the double challenge of facing New Zealand as well as a mystery World Cup pitch on Tuesday.The Group A rivals meet at the newly-built Pallekele stadium in the first-ever one-day match at the venue, a factor which vice-captain Misbah believes will give both teams plenty to think about."Of course, it adds to the challenge because we don't know how the pitch will behave but that's the same for both teams, and as far as we are concerned we are up to the challenge," Misbah said Monday.The 36-year-old has anchored the Pakistan team in the World Cup with two half-centuries against Kenya and Sri Lanka and a hard-fought 37 in the last match against Canada.Pakistan sit top of Group A with six points after three matches, followed by co-hosts Sri Lanka (five points in four) and defending champions Australia (five after three), with New Zealand fourth with four in three matches.Misbah said Pakistan's recent one-day series win over New Zealand will count for nothing."We have done well against them in World Cups and in the recent series there but that win will count for nothing as it's a new game at a new place," said Misbah, of Pakistan's 3-2 win in New Zealand last month.Pakistan will bring in paceman Shoaib Akhtar after resting him in the last match against Canada, while left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman will also be available after missing the last match due to a leg muscle injury.Led by skipper Shahid Afridi's leg-spin, which has garnered a tournament-leading 14 wickets, Pakistan possess variety in their bowling with off-spinners Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez, coupled with a strong new-ball attack of Akhtar, Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz.

"I think we know how good their bowling can be," said New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori."They can probably defend any score because of the nature of their bowlers. They bring a lot to the table."

Pakistan successfully defended a below-par 185-run target against Canada and 278 against co-hosts Sri Lanka in the two of their three matches.New Zealand, who lost to Australia by seven wickets but eased past Kenya and Zimbawe by 10 wickets in each game, have four points after three matches."We know to win these big games it needs complete team performances and that's what we have done. It's a matter of stepping up against the harder teams," said Vettori, whose country has lost six World Cup matches against Pakistan since winning their first in 1983.Unlike the bowling head-to-head, New Zealand hold the upper hand in batting, with openers Martin Guptill (86) and Brendon McCullum (76) chasing a 186-run target against Zimbabwe without being separated."I'm not sure you could ask for too much more, we wanted complete performances out of ourselves and that we gave in the last match," said Vettori, whose team have made the semi-finals in the last three World Cups.The hill town of Kandy has suffered from persistent rains and the only international match here, a Test between Sri Lanka and the West Indies in December, was drawn without a single innings completed in five days.The warm-up matches before the World Cup were also moved because of bad weather.

• Teams
• Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (capt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran
• Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Ahmed Shahzad.
• Coach: Waqar Younis
• New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Luke Woodcock.Coach: John Wright Umpires: Daryl Harper (AUS) and Nigel Llong (ENG)TV umpire: Ian Gould (ENG)Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)Match start: 02:00 PM Pitch conditions: Heavy rains last month have hit the preparations of the pitch, and if the sun comes out in the next two days, the square will have good grass and help the seamers, provided the grass is not removed. The pitch has bounce and if it doesn't rain will help batsmen.Pakistan v New Zealand head to head Head-to-head record for the World Cup Group A match between Pakistan and New Zealand at the Pallekele stadium on Tuesday:
• Matches: 88
• Pakistan: 51
• New Zealand: 34
• No result/Tied: 3
• First meeting: Feb 11, 1973, Christchurch - New Zealand won by 22 runs
• Last meeting: Feb 5, 2011, Auckland - New Zealand won by 57 runs
• (AFP)

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Hafeez sees end to opening misery

Updated at: 1529 PST,  Monday, March 07, 2011

PALLEKELE: Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez admitted on Monday that he and fellow struggling opener Ahmed Shahzad have let their team down, but a World Cup blitz could be just one innings away.Hafeez and Shahzad have managed opening partnerships of 11, 28 and 16 in three matches so far, a performance which captain Shahid Afridi and coach Waqar Younis have already insisted must improve.Despite the lack of good starts, Pakistan's middle-order has fired to help the team win all three games at the World Cup, giving them six points and top position in Group A ahead of co-hosts Sri Lanka and Australia.Hafeez believes he and Shahzad will fire as a partnership in Tuesday's match against New Zealand having both hit centuries against the Black Caps during team's 3-2 series win on the eve of the World Cup."As an opener I know we have not given a good start to the team, but there's no lack of confidence and we just need one good partnership to get the rhythm back," said Hafeez.The 30-year-old Hafeez also provides a spin option to Pakistan, an added quality which has helped him keep his spot in the team.Hafeez made nine against Kenya at Hambantota, before being run out for 32, after intially shaping well in the Sri Lanka match."You need luck in cricket to perform. Here there is lateral movement with the new ball and the swing is also there so both of us are trying to put up a long partnership which is the requirement," said Hafeez.Hafeez, who has so far scored 1,462 runs in 67 one-day internationals, said he was confident the openers will handle New Zealand's bowling well."We handled their bowling very well in New Zealand. Confdence is very high and I hope to perform against them," said Hafeez. (AFP)

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Kenya win toss, elect to bat against Canada

Updated at: 1339 PST,  Monday, March 07, 2011

DELHI: Kenya captain Jimmy Kamande has won the toss and elected to bat against Canada in their World Cup Group A match here at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground on Monday The pitch was supposed to aid the spinners and get lower and slower as the match progressed. This is why Canada have included two spinners in their team in left-arm spinner Parth Desai and leg spinner Balaji Rao.Teams:Kenya: Maurice Ouma, Seren Waters, Collins Obuya, David Obuya, Steve Tikolo, Tanmay Mishra, Jimmy Kamande (captain), Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Elijah Otieno, James Ngoche.Canada - Rizwan Cheema, Ruvindu Gunasekara, Zubin Surkari, Ashish Bagai (captain), Jimmy Hansra, Tyson Gordon, John Davison, Harvir Baidwan, Parth Desai, Henry Osinde, Balaji Rao Both teams know that it will be their best chance to post a win in the World Cup.The whipping boys, who have each lost all three of their matches so far, will also hope that they will be able to breach the 150-run mark for the first time in this tournament.While Kenya have been bundled out for scores of 69, 112 and 142 -- amassing just 323 runs in their three outings – Canada have fared little better.The North Americans have managed 122, 123 and 138 in their matches against Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Pakistan, respectively.

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Only honour at stake for Kenya, Canada

Updated at: 2103 PST,  Monday, March 07, 2011

NEW DELHI: Whipping boys of the tournament, Canada and Kenya will have only pride to play for when they meet in a low-key World Cup clash today.The two non-Test playing teams are languishing at the bottom of Group A without a point after having lost three games each.Their performances have added weight to the International Cricket Council's decision to chop the number of teams to 10 from 14 for the next edition.Ireland are the only associate nation who have managed to throw the form book out of the window and script an upset win, against England in Bangalore this week.Canada had a golden chance to imitate Ireland against Pakistan when they bowled their rivals out for a below-par 184 following some inspired bowling led by medium-pacer Harvir Baidwan.But the opportunity was squandered with Ashish Bagai's men folding up for 138 in 42.5 overs despite being comfortably placed at 104-3 at one point.Bagai refused to play the minnow card when explaining his team's 46-run defeat and accepted that his side had no answers to the leg-spin of Shahid Afridi, who picked a match-winning 5-23."Our batting let us down, we just played poorly during our chase," said Bagai. "It was a good toss to lose as the wicket had become better as the game progressed but Afridi took it away from us."Ireland played pretty bravely against England and that's why losing against Pakistan was more disappointing."Kenya were whacked by 10 wickets by New Zealand before being hammered by Pakistan and Sri Lanka in one-sided encounters."Our big concern is we are not batting out our 50 overs," Kenyan captain Jimmy Kamande said. "That's the one area we want to work on very, very hard because you can't win matches without batting your full quota of overs."Kamande also dismissed reports of a rift in the team ahead of the day-night clash against Canada."The whole squad I know is giving its 110 per cent. You don't need to tell anyone you need to perform against Canada."After all these tough matches against Test sides that's what we need to show, that we have learnt from them."Canada have also suffered big defeats and we know they will also come hard at us and that's what we should be prepared for." (AFP)

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Cricket WC: Yuvraj shines as India down fighting Ireland

Updated at: 2152 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

BANGALORE: Yuvraj Singh put in a superb all-round display as India survived some anxious moments to post a five-wicket victory over a fighting Ireland in their World Cup match on Sunday. The part-time spinner bagged a maiden five-wicket haul to restrict Ireland to a modest 207 and then hit an unbeaten 50 to help his side achieve the target with four overs to spare in the day-night match in Bangalore. India were wobbling at 100-4 before Yuvraj and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (34) added 67 runs for the fifth wicket. Yusuf Pathan gave the finishing touches to India's second win in three matches with an attractive 24-ball 30 not out, which included two sixes and one four in one over from left-arm spinner George Dockrell. Ireland, who upset England in their last match at this venue on Wednesday, made India struggle for runs with their disciplined bowling and brilliant fielding. Paceman Trent Johnston, who became the third Irish player to figure in 50 one-day internationals, jolted India when he dismissed Virender Sehwag (five) and Gautam Gambhir (10) in his opening three overs. Johnston, who sustained an injury after falling on his follow-through, did not bowl after five overs. India looked in trouble when Sachin Tendulkar (38) was trapped lbw while attempting to sweep Dockrell and Virat Kohli (34) was run out. The pair added 63 for the third wicket. Left-arm spinner Yuvraj (5-31) earlier played a key role in restricting Ireland despite an impressive 75 from skipper William Porterfield. His victims included Kevin O'Brien (nine), who hammered the fastest century in World Cup history against England, as Ireland lost their last eight wickets for 85 runs in a dramatic collapse. Yuvraj gave the capacity crowd plenty to cheer about after left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan had rocked Ireland with two early wickets. Porterfield, dropped on nought by Pathan in the slips off Zaheer, went on to complete his fifth half-century in one-dayers before being caught in the covers off Yuvraj. He hit one six and six fours. Ireland were on course to post a challenging total following a 113-run stand for the third wicket between Porterfield and Niall O'Brien (46) before they slipped from a healthy 122-2. They suffered a crucial blow when well-set Niall O'Brien was run out after completing 1,000 runs in one-day internationals. His brother, Kevin, failed to repeat his heroics from the last match as he offered a return catch to Yuvraj. There was no hint of the slide when Porterfield and Niall O'Brien were steadying the innings after Zaheer's double strike. The Irish pair never looked in trouble, comfortably gathering runs against both pace and spin. Zaheer struck with the fourth delivery of the match when he bowled Paul Stirling for a duck before having Ed Joyce caught behind for four.(AFP)

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Yuvraj helps India restrict Ireland to 207

Updated at: 1749 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

BANGALORE: Part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh bagged a maiden five-wicket haul as India dismissed Ireland for 207 in their World Cup Group B day-night match here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday despite skipper William Porterfield's half-century.The left-arm spinner's victims included Kevin O'Brien (nine), who hammered the fastest century in World Cup history in his team's upset victory over England, as Ireland lost their last eight wickets for 85 runs.Yuvraj (5-31) gave the capacity crowd plenty to cheer about after left-arm paceman Zaheer Khan had rocked Ireland with two early wickets. Zaheer finished with 3-30.Porterfield (75), dropped on nought by Yusuf Pathan in the slips off Zaheer, went on to complete an impressive half-century, his fifth in one-dayers, before being caught in the covers off Yuvraj. He hit one six and six fours.Ireland were on course to post a challenging total following a 113-run stand for the third wicket between Porterfield and Niall O'Brien (46) before they slipped from a healthy 122-2.They suffered a crucial blow when well-set Niall O'Brien was run out after completing 1,000 runs in one-day internationals. His brother, Kevin, failed to repeat his heroics from the last match as he offered a return catch to Yuvraj.There was no hint of the slide when Porterfield and Niall O'Brien were steadying the innings after Zaheer's double strike.The Irish pair never looked in trouble, comfortably gathering runs against both pace and spin. They initially relied on singles and twos before Porterfield swung leg-spinner Piyush Chawla over square-leg for a six.Zaheer earlier struck with the fourth delivery of the match when he bowled Paul Stirling for a duck before having Ed Joyce caught behind for four.Earlier, India captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni won the toss and put Ireland who set a modest target of 208 runs for the hosts.India are aiming to maintain their unbeaten run at the event after beating Bangladesh and tying with England, while Ireland are seeking their second win in three matches.India retained the team which tied the last match against England at the same ground.Ireland made one change from the side which shocked England by three wickets at the same venue on Wednesday, bringing in Andrew White in place of Gary Wilson.

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England record dramatic 6-run win against Proteas

Updated at: 1704 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

CHENNAI: England defeated South Africa by six runs in a sensational match in the World Cup Group B here at the Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. South Africa, who were heading the Group B points table with four points from two straight wins, have now gone down to second position while England went up to lead the table with five points from four matches.South Africa, set a seemingly modest 172 for victory, were bowled out for 165 as England, who only days earlier had been beaten by minnows Ireland, won with 14 balls to spare South Africa, set just 172 for victory, were bowled out for 165 as England, who only days earlier had been humbled by Ireland, won with 14 balls to spare.Paceman Stuart Broad finished with four for 15 in 6.4 overs, ending the contest when he had Morne Morkel caught behind.The Proteas lost four wickets for three runs to be 127 for seven having been in control at 75 for one as once again Graeme Smith's men appeared to choke on the big occasion.Earlier, South Africa left-arm spinner Robin Peterson took three for 22, including two wickets in the first over of the match to dismiss England openers Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen.Ravi Bopara, recalled in place of the dropped Paul Collingwood, was named man-of-the-match after top-scoring with 60 in England's 171.With 10 overs left, South Africa only needed 30 to win with three wickets remaining.The eighth-wicket pair of Dale Steyn and Morne van Wyk got the target down to 12 before van Wyk (13) bottom-edged a cut off Tim Bresnan. The Proteas then needed eight off three overs but Broad had Steyn lbw for 20 before removing Morkel.From 124-3, South Africa lost three wickets with no addition to the total.AB de Villiers (25) was bowled by a James Anderson delivery that just clipped the top of the stumps and then Faf du Plessis (17) was needlesly run out before JP Duminy was bowled by Anderson for nought.Peterson fell cheaply when wicketkeeper Matt Prior caught him off left-arm spinner Michael Yardy for three.Smith (22) and Hashim Amla (42) had enjoyed an opening stand of 63.Off-spinner Graeme Swann had Smith caught behind after a lengthy review suggested the ball had brushed the left-handed opener's glove before Amla chopped on to Broad.Broad gave England renewed hope when he had Jacques Kallis edging to Prior for 15, the batsman taking the fielder's word the ball had carried rather than requesting a review.

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Intikhab backs Pakistan selections

Updated at: 1637 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

PALLEKELE: Pakistan manager Intikhab Alam Sunday brushed aside criticism from former great Imran Khan, who said team selections at the World Cup had been negative.Imran said playing with two frontline pacemen and two spinners, in addition to Mohammad Hafeez as spinning all-rounder and fast-bowling all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, was defensive.But Intikhab said Pakistan had been making the most of their resources."Everyone has the right to give his opinion, but we have not closed our eyes and ears," he said."The team management is doing its homework and is doing whatever is needed in the best interests of the team," Intikhab added ahead of Pakistan's Group A match against New Zealand in Pallekele on Tuesday.Imran's criticisms come despite three wins out of three for Pakistan, which sees them at the top of the group."I strongly believe that although Pakistan have won three matches, they are playing with one specialist bowler short and need to include a bowler in place of a batsman or an all-rounder," said Imran.Intikhab, who was coach/manager of the 1992 Pakistan World Cup-winning team that Imran captained, said the teams would face the extra challenge of playing at high altitude in the hill resort of Pallekele."This place is 2000 feet above sea level and altitude affects the breathing, for which we are working hard during training," said Intikhab, who was coach when Pakistan won the 2009 World Twenty20.He said his team were happy they had come into the tournament being jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as underdogs."It was good for us that we were not rated when we came to the tournament, it suited us. But we are trying to do our best and taking every game seriously without thinking too much on how we have played so far."Intikhab said New Zealand, who have two wins out of three matches, would be difficult opponents."It's a tough game against New Zealand. We won the series against them but here the conditions are different so we need to work very hard to keep our 100 per cent record intact." (AFP)

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Southee targets Misbah as dangerman

Updated at: 1637 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

PALLEKELE: New Zealand pace spearhead Tim Southee said Sunday that in-form Pakistan batsman Misbah-ul-Haq was in his sights for the match between the Group A rivals on Tuesday.The 36-year-old Pakistan batsman was in prime form on his side's recent tour of New Zealand, making 203 runs in four innings to help Pakistan secure a series win and has continued to score runs at the World Cup.Misbah scored 65 against Kenya, 83 not out against Sri Lanka and 37 against Canada, playing a key role in his team's three wins in as many matches."He has obviously been having a great period not just against New Zealand but also in the World Cup," said Southee."Hopefully, we have learnt from the way we bowled against him in New Zealand and we can work on a couple of things to try and put an end to the form he is in, also (Shahid) Afridi and a couple of other guys who are standing up in key moments in games."Southee said his team had put the defeat against Australia earlier in the competition behind them and were focusing on Pakistan in Pallekele."It's been mixed results so far, we've had two convincing wins but obviously you can't dwell on the loss to Australia," said Southee.New Zealand, who have beaten Kenya and Zimbabwe, both by ten wickets, are on four points from three matches, fourth in the table behind Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia."We learnt from that game and moved on and we showed that in the game against Zimbabwe. It's a tournament where you can't dwell on things too much. You've got to move on and take each game as it comes," said Southee, who has seven wickets in this World Cup.The paceman said he relishes the challenge of getting into the final eleven."You're never really safe in a side where you have guys like Kyle Mills coming back and playing outstandingly and it wasn't that long ago when he was number one in the world."It's good to have that competitiveness amongst the bowlers. That's a healthy thing but I guess your spot is never cemented in the side," said Southee, who admitted learning from tours of Bangladesh and India last year."We were lucky that a majority of the side came over and we played a lot of cricket on the subcontinent and although the results didn't go our way and weren't that great I think we learnt a lot on those tours," he said. (AFP)

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India win toss, put Ireland into bat

Updated at: 1343 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

BANGALORE: India captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni has won the toss and put Ireland into bat in their Group B day-night match of the World Cup here at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.India are aiming to maintain their unbeaten run at the event after beating Bangladesh and tying with England, while Ireland are seeking their second win in three matches.India retained the team which tied the last match against England at the same ground Ireland made one change from the side which shocked England by three wickets at the same venue on Wednesday, bringing in Andrew White in place of Gary Wilson.Teams: India: Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Piyush Chawla, Munaf Patel.Ireland: William Porterfield (captain), Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Andrew White.

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S Africa spin England out for 171

Updated at: 1245 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

CHENNAI: England were all out for 171 against South Africa in a World Cup Group B match at the Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday After captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat first, England made a disastrous start losing three wickets for 15 runs All three wickets went to left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, two in the first over as he opened the South African bowling.However, Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir was the most successful bowler who grabbed four wickets for 38.

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Struggling England fight for World Cup future

Updated at: 1204 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

NEW DELHI: With their World Cup hopes hanging in the balance England made a disastrous start against South Africa Sunday as India geared up for their Ireland clash desperate to avoid another giant-  killing.
In a game they desperately need to win in their bid to qualify from Group B, England slumped to 15 for three against the Proteas in Chennai, losing skipper Andrew Strauss and key batsmen Kevin Pietersen and Ian  Bell.
England won the toss and chose to bat at the Chidambaram Stadium but soon found themselves in deep trouble as slow left-armer Robin Peterson took all three wickets to fall.Strauss's team have an impressive recent record against South Africa in ODIs but are struggling in fourth place in Group B on just three points after a win against the Netherlands, a tie against co-hosts India and a shock defeat to Ireland.Strauss said he hoped in-form South Africa, who top the group with four points after wins over West Indies and the Netherlands, would take his team lightly following their defeat by minnows Ireland."The great thing about this tournament is you have a chance to get back on the bike straight away," said Strauss."It's something as a side we've been very good at in the past -- bouncing back when we've had a poor performance. Hopefully, South Africa will treat us more lightly, given we've lost to Ireland."

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Losing another point doesn’t matter, insists Sangakkara

Updated at: 1047 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara insisted that the loss of another point in Saturday's washout against Australia will not damage their World Cup dream.Sri Lanka had already been beaten by Pakistan before facing the defending champions and now have five points from four games, the same tally as Australia who have played a game less.Pakistan, with a perfect six points from three matches, lead the way in Group A from where the top four teams qualify for the quarter-finals."One point is better than no point," said Sangakkara after his team won the toss and had reached 146-3 in 32.5 overs before rain halted play at the R. Premadasa stadium on Saturday."It doesn't matter as long as you qualify (for quarters)."Sangakkara said Sri Lanka, the 1996 champions, needed to win their two remaining group games against Zimbabwe and New Zealand."If you lose a game, you lose a game; if you win, you win. That's how we look at it, so it doesn't really matter where you finish," said Sangakkara."We need to beat every single good team to get into the final and to win the World Cup, so that's where we are at the moment and the defeat against Pakistan is behind us," said Sangakkara of the narrow 11-run loss last week.Sangakkara, whose 73 not out had led his team's recovery after being 75-3, said his team was in the game when rained spoiled a potentially good match."The game was really well-poised, 18 overs to go and we were realistically looking at anything close to 250 or, maybe, even slightly above, it could have been a great game of cricket had it continued," said the Sri Lankan captain.The Australian pace duo of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait had removed Tillakaratne Dilshan (four) and Upul Tharanga (six) before Mahela Jayawardene (23) was run out.Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera (34 not out) had added 71 for the fourth wicket before the match was abandoned, leaving a sell-out 35,000 crowd disappointed."Unfortunately it was the first time it really rained during the World Cup and for all the crowd, expecting a good game, it was disappointing," said Sangakkara.Sri Lanka next play Zimbabwe at Pallekele on Thursday, before going to India to face New Zealand in Mumbai on March 18.

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England win toss, bat against South Africa

Updated at: 0836 PST,  Sunday, March 06, 2011

CHENNAI: England captain Andrew Strauss has won the toss and elected to bat first against South Africa in their Group B match here at the M A Chidambaram Stadium on SundayEngland has made one change in their team as Ravi Bopara has come in place of Paul Collingwood while there is no change in South Africa side.

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Rain stops play after Sri Lanka reach 146-3

Updated at: 1652 PST,  Saturday, March 05, 2011
COLOMBO: Rain stopped play in the World Cup Group A match between Sri Lanka and Australia at R. Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Saturday.
The pitch was covered as heavy rain fell, with Sri Lanka, who chose to bat, 146-3 after 32.5 overs.Skipper Kumar Sangakkara was unbeaten on 73 and Thilan Samaraweera on 34 not out.

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Sri Lanka win toss, bat against Australia

Updated at: 1344 PST,  Saturday, March 05, 2011

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and decided to bat in their World Cup Group A match against Australia at R. Premadasa stadium here on Saturday.Sri Lanka named all three spinners, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, in their side. They left out paceman Nuwan Kulasekera from the line-up which beat Kenya by nine wickets on Tuesday, bringing in left-arm spinner Herath on a brownish pitch which is expected to turn.Australia remained unchanged from the side which beat New Zealand last week.Defending champions, Australia, who have not lost a World Cup match since 1999, are seeking their third straight win in the tournament but the co-hosts Sri Lanka are aiming for their third win in four matches.Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Mahela Jayawardene, Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath.Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, David Hussey, Cameron White, Steve Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait

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Cricket WC: Bangladesh captain's house attacked by angry fans

Updated at: 1110 PST,  Saturday, March 05, 2011

DHAKA: Angry fans attacked the house of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan after his team crashed to a humiliating nine-wicket World Cup defeat against the West Indies, police said Saturday.Shakib's mother and sister were inside the three-storey house in the western district town of Magura when several motor-cycle riders stopped and threw stones at the house on Friday evening, local police chief Proloy Chisim said."The stones broke one window of the house. His father spoke to me after the incident and we have already stepped up security in the area," he said.Shakib's father Mashrur Reza told reporters that a number of windows were shattered on the first floor, including those of the captain's room.Bangladesh, one of the three co-hosts of the World Cup, were bowled out for their lowest one-day-international total 58 on Friday to leave them facing a huge struggle to secure a place in the World Cup quarter-finals.Fans also stoned the bus carrying the West Indies team as the players were leaving Sher-e-Bangla stadium after the match in what police claimed was a case of mistaken identity.Police said fans thought it was the Bangladeshi team bus and they hurled stones at it, shattering two windows. Police and the elite Rapid Action Battalion have arrested 38 young men in connection with the attack. "We have filed cases against them and they have been sent to the court," police sub-inspector Abdur Razzak said.Up to 3,000 fans also torched Bangladesh jerseys and held protest marches on the Dhaka University campus to vent their anger at the loss.Shakib said it was his worst performance but has insisted his side's World Cup campaign was not over.Bangladesh's score was worse than their previous low of 74 against Australia in Darwin in 2008 and was also the fourth lowest total in World Cup history. The World Cup co-hosts, with one win from three games in Group B, face England, South Africa and the Netherlands in their remaining group matches.(AFP)

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Cricket WC: Australia to face S. Lanka today

Updated at: 0933 PST,  Saturday, March 05, 2011

COLOMBO: Defending champion Australia will face host Sri Lanka in a crucial match of group A of the tournament at R. Premadasa Stadium, Geo News reported.Geo Super will air live match from Colombo at 2:00 PST.A victory in this game will not only boost the confidence but will almost seal a place in the knock out stages.Australia are yet to lose a game in this world cup with their fast bowlers helping two comfortable wins once each against Zimbabwe and New Zealand. Same can’t be said of Sri Lanka as it dropped two crucial points against Pakistan but had easy wins against minnows, Kenya and Canada.Australia have won more than twice as many games as compared to Sri Lanka. They have won nearly all their bilateral World Cup matches -- except the 1996 final.

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Cricket WC: West Indies rout toothless Tigers

Updated at: 1558 PST,  Friday, March 04, 2011

DHAKA: West Indies took a giant stride towards the World Cup quarter-finals by pounding lacklustre Bangladesh by nine wickets in a key Group B match on Friday.Lanky spinner Suleiman Benn grabbed 4-18, and fast bowlers Kemar Roach and Darren Sammy claimed three each, to bowl out Bangladesh for their lowest one-day total of 58 in 18.5 overs. The West Indies surpassed the small target in 12.2 overs even before the lights came on for the day-night game at the packed Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka. Chris Gayle remained unbeaten on 37 off 36 balls, while Darren Bravo was on nine after Devon Smith was bowled by off-spinner Naeem Islam for six. With only their second win in the last 11 one-day internationals, the West Indies have four points from three matches, the same as group leaders South Africa, who have played one match less. Bangladesh, with one win from three games, were left with a mountain to climb to stay in contention for the quarter-finals. The hosts must win their remaining league matches against England, South Africa and the Netherlands to ensure a place in the last eight.A sell-out crowd of 25,000 jeered the home team and threw paper placards on the field after Bangladesh fell below their previous low of 74 against Australia in Darwin in 2008.Bangladesh's reckless batting on a slow wicket saw them being bowled out for the lowest total in this World Cup after Kenya made 69 against New Zealand. It was also the fourth lowest total in World Cup history. Sammy's men took wickets at regular intervals after Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won his third successive toss and chose to bat. The home team lost hard-hitting opener Tamim Iqbal off the third ball of the match when the left-hander attemped a lofty cover drive off Roach and edged a catch to Sammy at second slip. Sammy, who handed the new ball to left-armer Benn for one over before coming on himself, forced Imrul Kayes to edge a catch to wicket-keeper Devon Thomas with his third delivery. In his next over, Sammy removed Mushfiqur Rahim for no score, the young batsman flicking a catch to Ramnaresh Sarwan at short-mid-wicket. Junaid Siddique hit a fluent 25 with four boundaries when he fell leg-before to Roach, a decision that was referred to TV umpire Asad Rauf. Benn, who replaced Roach after the fast bowler's five-over spell that cost just 18 runs for two wickets, bowled Shakib with his second ball. Sammy earned another success in his sixth over, the 14th of the innings, when Raqibul Hasan drove a slower ball to point where the towering Keiron Pollard took a low catch.Roach, replacing Sammy for his second spell, struck with his first ball when former captain Mohammad Ashraful edged a catch to the wicket-keeper after making 11. Benn then took the last two wickets in three balls to terminate the Bangladesh innings in quick time.Bangladesh take on England next in Chittagong on March 11, the same day when the West Indies play Ireland in Mohali.(AFP)

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New Zealand humble Zimbabwe by ten wickets

Updated at: 1548 PST,  Friday, March 04, 2011

AHMEDABAD: New Zealand recorded a 10-wicket victory against Zimbabwe in the World Cup on Friday, boosting their chances of making it to the quarter-finals.After bowling out Zimbabwe for just 162, the Kiwis rode on unbeaten half-centuries by Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum to canter to the target with 99 balls to spare in the Group A clash at the Sardar Patel Stadium.The opening partnership between Guptill (86) and McCullum (76) was the highest for the tournament.The victory, the second for New Zealand by a 10-wicket margin in the tournament, moved them up in the table with four points from three games. Pakistan lead the charts with three wins from as many matches.Guptill, named man of the match, launched New Zealand's chase with a bang, carting seven fours and two sixes off 108 balls on way to his 10th ODI half-century.McCullum was equally belligerent, hitting six fours and two sixes in his 95-ball knock.Earlier, seamers Tim Southee, Kyle Mills and Scott Styris shared six wickets after Chigumbura won the toss and elected to bat on a benign wicket.But it was not a start they would have wished for, losing their top five batsmen inside 15 overs to a combination of Kiwi pace and spin.Opener Charles Coventry was the first to go, run out with just two runs on the board as Hamish Bennett at mid-on threw the stumps down at the bowler's end.Tatenda Taibu, coming into the game on the back of a match-winning 98 against Canada, earned a reprieve when Vettori failed to pouch a sitter off Southee.But the bowler was rewarded off the very next ball when he had Taibu trapped leg before wicket for eight, a decision upheld after television replays showed Southee's ball would have hit the off-stump.Mills, back in action after missing his team's seven-wicket defeat to Australia, sent back Craig Ervine for 11 before Vettori dismissed Chigumbura and Regis Chakabva in his first over to leave Zimbabwe in deep trouble at 46-5.Opener Brendan Taylor (44) waged a lonely battle until he was struck on the pads against the gentle pace of part-timer Styris to be dismissed six runs short of a deserved half-century.

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Play with 'fire' to beat Aussies, says Wasim

Updated at: 1543 PST,  Friday, March 04, 2011

COLOMBO: Pakistan great Wasim Akram, the last captain to beat Australia in a World Cup match, says teams need a plan and "fire in the belly" to end the side's long run of success at the World Cup.Australia, who play Group A rivals Sri Lanka on Saturday, have not lost a match at the showpiece tournament since going down to Pakistan at Leeds in 1999, and have stretched their unbeaten run to 31 matches.The have won their past 25 World Cup matches since the tied semi-final against South Africa in the tournament held in England 12 years ago."You need a plan in the mind and fire in the belly to beat Australia," Wasim said. "Have a set plan and your body language should be like that of champions."Wasim, who took 4-40 in the 1999 win against Australia, said Pakistan's body language was worthy of winners as they downed Steve Waugh's men by 10 runs."We had a successful run in the group stages and I remember we planned well for the Australia match, but sadly we lost the final when it mattered the most for the World Cup title and the Australians were better," said Wasim.Pakistan lost a one-sided final at Lord's by eight wickets after being dismissed for just 132.Wasim said the toss would be important on a slow pitch in Colombo, where the co-hosts are planning to play all three of their spinners -- Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath."What I have noticed at R. Premadasa stadium is that the toss is crucial, so winning the toss will be crucial for Sri Lanka, even if they were planning to play three spinners," said Wasim."It will once again be difficult to chase for teams at the ground."Wasim said Australia, with three quality pacemen in Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson, look strong."Australia are still a force and with their three fast bowlers bowling over 145 kmh (90 mph), it's going to be difficult for teams scoring runs against them and keeping wickets in hand," said Wasim.Wasim, who took 414 Test and 502 one-day international wickets, praised Pakistan's performances."The way Pakistan are playing, it would be tough to beat them. I think Shahid Afridi is leading the side well, the sort of unity required for Pakistan team is brought by Afridi and it's good for them," said Wasim.Afridi, who has 14 wickets in the tournament as a leg-break bowler, has led Pakistan to three wins out of three and they top Group A with six points. (AFP)

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Imran Khan sees World Cup as most open yet

Updated at: 1543 PST,  Friday, March 04, 2011

KARACHI: Pakistan's former World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan has said this year's tournament is the most open he has seen.Imran, who skippered Pakistan to victory in 1992, said the opening matches in the Feb 19-April 2 tournament being held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh had highlighted the fact that no team stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field."This is perhaps the most wide open World Cup I have seen and after the results of the India and England match and the way Ireland upset England I don't think there are any clear favourites," he said on Friday.Ireland pulled off one of the biggest shocks in the 36-year history of the event by beating England by three wickets on Wednesday in Bangalore after being set 328 to win. England and co-hosts India tied on Sunday."The pitches in all three countries will support the batsmen more as the month progresses and it is very hot and humid at this time of the year. So you need to have maximum wicket-taking bowlers in your side to do well," he said.PURE PACE"Teams which don't have variety and pure pace in their bowling and prefer to rely more on batting all-rounders are already facing problems," he added.The former cricketer-turned politician felt that Ireland were capable of causing more upsets in Group B before the quarter-finals. Kevin O'Brien scored the fastest ever World Cup century in 50 balls."The century by Kevin O'Brien was one of the best one-day innings I have seen in my life. The Irish are a fighting unit and I don't think you can rule them out of contention by any stretch of the imagination," Imran said."Teams which have the mental strength to chase down 300 plus totals have to be respected." He said Pakistan's shoddy performance against Canada on Thursday which they only won by 46 runs was a wake-up call for the players but still backed his compatriots to make the quarter-finals."To me the real contests will start from the knockout stage. I think the International Cricket Council (ICC) need to rethink the format for future World Cups."Imran said the ICC needed to help associate members build up domestic structures in their countries rather than just providing them opportunities to play in international competition."Unless these minnows don't have proper domestic cricket they can't come up," he said.The ICC said before the tournament started that it would reduce the number of teams playing from 14 to 10 for the next edition in Australia and New Zealand in 2015. (Reuters) He pointed out that India's bowling was exposed in their game against England.

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Bangladesh bundled out for 58 by West Indies

Updated at: 1524 PST,  Friday, March 04, 2011

DHAKA: Bangladesh were bowled out for just 58 in 18.5 overs against the West Indies in their World Cup Group B match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Friday.It was the fourth lowest total in World Cup history after Canada (36) against Sri Lanka in 2003, Canada again (45) against England in Manchester in 1979 and Namibia (45) against Australia in 2003.Fans inside the 25,000-capacity ground reacted angrily to their team's capitulation by throwing placards onto the pitch.Captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and decided to bat first. This is Bangladesh's second defeat in this World Cup after they lost their first match by 87 runs to India before hitting back to see off Ireland by 27 runs.Bangladesh and the West Indies retained the same teams that beat Ireland and the Netherlands, respectively.

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Cricket WC: Bangladesh bat against W. Indies

Updated at: 1327 PST,  Friday, March 04, 2011

DHAKA: Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bat in the World Cup Group B match against the West Indies at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium on Friday. Both teams have one win each from two matches and the game could prove crucial in deciding quarter-final berths in a group that includes India, England and South Africa.Bangladesh and the West Indies retained the same teams that beat Ireland and the Netherlands respectively.Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam. West Indies: Darren Sammy (capt), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kieron Pollard, Devon Thomas, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Kemar Roach.(AFP)

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Zimbabwe 162 all out against New Zealand

Updated at: 1313 PST,  Friday, March 04, 2011

AHMEDABAD: Zimbabwe were all out for 162 in 46.2 overs against New Zealand in their Group A match here at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera on Friday.Opener Brendan Taylor (44) and all-rounder Prosper Utseya (36) were the main scorers for Zimbabwe after their captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss and elected to bat.For New Zealand, seamer Tim Southee was the most successful bowler taking three wickets for 29 runs while captain Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills claimed two wickets each.New Zealand now require to make 163 runs to beat Zimbabwe for their second win from three matches in Group A.Zimbabwe made two changes from the side which defeated Canada. Regis Chakabva Tinashe Panyangara have been brought in for the injured Sean Williams and Christopher Mpofu.New Zealand, defeated by Australia in their last game, left out Jamie How in favour of seamer Kyle Mills.Each of the two teams has played two games, winning and losing apiece so far in the tournament.

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Cricket World Cup: Afridi feared repeat of 2007 shock

Updated at: 1012 PST,  Friday, March 04, 2011

COLOMBO: Captain Shahid Afridi admitted that the 2007 World Cup disaster against Ireland weighed heavy on his mind when Canada gave his team a major fright, saying it served as a good wake-up call for Pakistan. Pakistan, bowled out for a paltry 184, were indebted to Afridi's one-man show, whose leg-breaks earned figures of 5-23 and helped his team avoid the kind of upset they suffered against Ireland in the Caribbean four years ago.In the end Pakistan pulled off a 46-run win on Thursday, their third in as many matches to give the 1992 champions six points and top position in Group A, ahead of Sri Lanka and defending champions Australia. "Yes, that match in 2007 was on my mind," said Afridi, of Pakistan's infamous three-wicket defeat to Ireland in Jamaica which led to his team's first round exit from the last World Cup."I know what would have happened had we lost against Canada," said Afridi, of the possible backlash from the millions of fans back home."But I told the players we must play for a win, that we should not be negative and work hard irrespective of the result."Afridi blamed poor batting for Pakistan's difficulties."I think there was poor shot selection and very poor batting," said Afridi of Pakistan's innings which was wrapped up in 43 overs."If we want to play good cricket against quality teams then we must improve this and wake up."Afridi said the third pitch employed at the R. Premadasa stadium was difficult to bat on."I think the condition of the pitch was such that we needed to bat with patience, but we didn't do that," said the captain of Pakistan's batting in which only Umar Akmal (48) and Misbah-ul-Haq (37) showed resistance. "It was a totally different pitch from the match we played against Sri Lanka. There were clouds overhead and the ball was stopping and moving."Afridi explained his plan to put the brakes on the Canadian innings worked well after Jimmy Hansra (43) and Zubin Surkar (27) took Canada to 104-3."Their number three and five batted sensibly," said Afridi of the fourth wicket partnership of 60. "My plan was to bowl maiden overs so that the asking rate climbed and that worked."Afridi, who is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 14, said he was enjoying his bowling."I am doing my level best for the team and it is turning well for me," he said.Pakistan next face New Zealand at Pallekele on March 8. (AFP)

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Zimbabwe win toss, elect to bat against New Zealand

Updated at: 0841 PST,  Friday, March 04, 2011

AHMEDABAD: Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura won the toss and elected to bat against New Zealand in their Group A match here at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera on Friday.Zimbabwe made two changes from the side which defeated Canada. Regis Chakabva Tinashe Panyangara have been brought in for the injured Sean Williams and Christopher Mpofu New Zealand, defeated by Australia in their last game, left out Jamie How in favour of seamer Kyle Mills. Each of the two teams has played two games, winning and losing apiece so far in the tournament.Teams today:New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (wk), Martin Guptill, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, James Franklin, Scott Styris, Nathan McCullum, Daniel Vettori (captain), Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Hamish BennettZimbabwe: Brendan Taylor, Charles Coventry, Tatendu Taibu (wk), Craig Ervine, Elton Chigumbura (captain), Regis Chakabva, Greg Lamb, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer, Ray Price, Tinashe PanyangaraUmpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Marais Erasmus (SA), TV umpire: Rod Tucker (AUS)Match referee: Roshan Mahanama (SL). 

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