World Cup Records

HISTORY
By:Muhammad Waqar Mansoor Raza. The ICC World Cup was introduced in 1975 and since then, this biggest one-day cricket tournament has been held every fourth year. A brief history of these World Cups, played so far on nine occasions in various countries, is given below:

1st World Cup-1975
The first ever edition of the World Cup was staged in England where all the 15 matches of the tournament were played at Test match venues.
Eight countries participated in the tournament. Six of them were the then Test-playing nations and were joined by East Africa and Sri Lanka who were associate members of the ICC.
All teams were divided into two groups of four, each playing the other one. England, New Zealand, India and East Africa were in Group-A while the West Indies, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka were in Group-B.
Almost 200,000 people witnessed 15 matches, most of which ended in easy victories but the final, played between Australia and the West Indies, provided a befitting finale to the tournament.
The West Indies, after defeating New Zealand by five wickets and Australia after beating England by four wickets in the semi-finals, faced each other in the final. Batting first, the West Indies piled up 291-8 with the help of their captain Clive Lloyd’s devastating hundred and Rohan Kanhai’s brilliant fifty. In reply, Australia put up a tremendous effort through Ian Chappell’s dashing 62 but they fell just 18 runs short of their target before a capacity crowd at Lord’s on June 21, 1975.

   2nd World Cup-1979

The West Indies repeated their success in the second World Cup, defeating England by 92 runs in the final at Lord’s on June 23, 1979. First, they made 286-9 and then bowled England out for 194 runs in 51 overs.This tournament was also held in England on the same pattern as it was in the first, with eight teams playing 15 matches. However, one match was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.
Sri Lanka and Canada were added to the six Test-playing nations on the basis of their performance in the ICC Trophy, which was introduced to determine the non-Test playing participants of the World Cup.
The West Indies, New Zealand, India and Sri Lanka were placed in Group-A while England, Australia, Pakistan and Canada made up the Group-B.
The Windies again qualified for the semi-finals along with England, New Zealand and Pakistan. Australia, this time, could not reach the semis as their cricket board picked up a depleted side due to conflict with Kerry Packer, who organised a big circus for cricketers of the world.
Pakistan despite displaying good performance in the semi-final were again beaten by defending champions – West Indies – by 43 runs while in the other semi-final which was also a closely-contested game, England won by just nine runs against New Zealand.
 

3rd World Cup-1983     

India, who were an under-rated side, created the biggest upset by overwhelming the mighty Windies by 43 runs in the third World Cup final.
They began on a sensational note as they in their very first match in the tournament humbled the West Indies, who remained unbeaten throughout the first two World Cup competitions and won the championship on both occasions.
For the first time, each of the all eight teams won at least one match in the tournament which involved 27 matches instead of 15 played in the earlier editions.
This tournament was played on double-league basis enabling the teams within a group to tackle each other twice.
Group-A comprised England, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka while the West Indies, Australia, India and Zimbabwe constituted Group-B.
The West Indies, England, India and Pakistan qualified to play semi-finals which proved one-sided affairs as India unbelievably outplayed England while the West Indies beat Pakistan.
However, supremacy of the West Indies’ in one-day cricket, spanning over eight years, finally ended as India dethroned them in the final.

4th World Cup-1987

The World Cup was played for the first time outside England where all three previous World Cups were staged. This time, it was held in the sub-continent of India and Pakistan as the two countries jointly organized it in October-November 1987.
It was the longest tournament, taking six weeks, and involving 27 matches at 21 venues all over the subcontinent. All matches were of 50 overs each side.
The format was the same as of the World Cup 1983 as four teams in the two groups faced each other twice on double-league basis before the semi-finals. In all, 27 matches were played – 17 in India and 10 in Pakistan. They included two semi-finals ( one each at Lahore and Bombay) and the final in Calcutta.
India and Australia had no difficulty in reaching the semi-finals from Group ‘A’ while Group ‘B’ saw Pakistan and England qualifying for the semis. But India, the defending champions and Pakistan, both the co-hosts could not reach the final as it was earlier expected.
However, Australia, led by Allan Border, overcame their old rivals, England, in the final before a huge crowd of over 80,000 people at the Eden Gardens and for the first time, they emerged World Cup champions.

5th World Cup-1992

After three semi-final defeats in previous World Cup tournaments and a disastrous start in the fifth World Cup, Pakistan for the first time in the history won the prestigious mega event, defeating England in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was a glorious moment for Pakistan emerging champions in front of over 87,000 people.
This was Pakistan’s first appearance in the World Cup final and they won in their first attempt whereas England played in the final for the third time but they never win in the coveted Cup.
This time, the World Cup was jointly organized by Australia and New Zealand. It was the largest ever, involving 39 matches – 25 in Australia and 14 in New Zealand, 10 of the latter being day/night games. This was the first World Cup to involve floodlit cricket with coloured clothing, white ball and dark sightscreen. Matches were again of 50 overs per innings.
Besides the eight countries who participated in the earlier tournaments, there were South Africans who for the first time took part in the World Cup. They marked their Cup debut by reaching the semi-final with an outstanding performance by their young and united squad. But they failed to win the semis against England as the crucial rules for rain-affected matches made it impossible for them.
In the other semi-final, Pakistan toppled New Zealand and ended their Cup record of seven consecutive victories.
Instead of being divided into two groups, each of the nine teams in the tournament played the others once before the top four in the qualifying table played off in the semi-finals. The whole event continued for 33 days.
6th World Cup-1996

Sri Lankans, the then underdogs, won the sixth World Cup and became the world champions. They came of age at Lahore on March 17, 1996, exactly afrter making their international debut in the inaugural World Cup in 1975.
The World Cup’96 was organised jointly by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In all, 37 matches were scheduled to be played in three countries but two games could not be held as Australia and the West Indies refused to go to Sri Lanka due to security fears.
However, 17 matches were staged in India, 16 in Pakistan and two in Sri Lanka. Some of the matches were held under floodlights.Under the new format of the World Cup, 12 teams were divided into two groups. For the first time in World Cup history, three ICC associate member nations – Keneya, The Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – participated in the competition.For the first time, a quarter-final round was introduced in which Pakistan, the defending champions, and South Africa, who did not lose any league match, went out. Pakistan lost to their traditional rivals India at Bangalore while South Africa lost to the West Indies. Other two teams ousted were England and New Zealand.Sri Lanka won their semi-final against India at Calcutta, by default after crowd trouble had prompted match referee to award the match to Sri Lanka. Australia gained a thrilling five-run victory over the West Indies.The main feature of the sixth World Cup was the last appearance made by veteran cricket star Javed Miandad who played in all the six World Cup competitions – a record which has not been equaled for the last 15 years.

 7th World Cup -1999

The seventh edition of the World Cup was staged in England who had earlier organised the first three tournaments of this event. This time, 42 matches were played during a long period of seven weeks.
Again, a record number of 12 teams participated in the tournament. Netherlands and the UAE were replaced by Bangladesh and Scotland on the basis of the performance in the qualifying ICC Trophy and, thus, both played for the first time in a World Cup event.The 12 teams were divided into two groups of six teams each. Group ‘A’ consisted of England, Sri Lanka, India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya while Group ‘B’ comprised Pakistan, Australia,New   Zealand, West Indies, Bangladesh and Scotland      
8th World Cup – 2003                             .

The eighth World Cup was hosted by South Africa, for the first time in the history of the tournament. Two other African nations, Zimbabwe and Kenya also joined South Africa as co-hosts.
This World Cup was the largest so far in duration, number of participating teams and matches. In all, 14 teams took part in the tournament which continued for 44 days and overall 54 matches were played. Six of them were scheduled to be played in Zimbabwe and two in Kenya.
Ten of the matches were played under flood-lights – five each in Cape Town and Durban.
All teams were divided into two groups where all matches were played on round-robin league basis. Three top teams from each group – Australia, India and Zimbabwe from group ‘A’ and New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Kenya from group ‘B’, - reached the Super Six stage from where four teams qualified for the semi-finals on the basis of points or net run-rate.
Australia defeated Sri Lanka and India ousted Kenya in the semi-finals but the final proved to be one-sided as Australia thrashed India by 125 runs to win their second successive title and the third over all.

9th World Cup – 2007

The West Indies for the first time hosted the World Cup for which various Caribbean countries joined together. This time, a record number of 16 teams participated in the mega event.
The ninth World Cup was the largest tournament so far which lasted 48 days during which 51 matches were played.
All teams were divided into four groups for the first time. Each team played against other three teams in its group. Then, two top teams from each group moved into the Super Eight stage, introduced for the first time in the World Cup history.
The teams who reached the Super Eight stage were Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, West Indies, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
In the first semi-final, Sri Lanka defeating New Zealand and Australia beating South Africa qualified for the final. However, Australia became the World Cup champions for the third time in a row and the fourth time overall.
Pakistan went through an embarrassing defeat at the hands of underdogs Ireland. Their coach Bob Woolmer could not survive this shock and was found dead in his hotel room.early in the morning other day. His sudden death marred the ninth World Cup.

10th World Cup – 2011

Now, the World Cup has entered into its 36th year. The Cup has so far been played on nine occasions in various countries.
The tenth World Cup was scheduled to be organized jointly by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh but Pakistan has been deprived of staging the matches of this mega event due to security reasons.
However, the tenth World Cup will be played from February 19 to April 2 and 49 matches will be held during the period of 43 days. This time, 14 teams are taking part in the tournament and they have been divided into two groups of seven each.
Group ‘A’: Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya.
Group ‘B’: England, South Africa, West Indies, India, Bangladesh, Netherlands and Ireland.
Every team will play against other six teams in its group from which four teams will qualify for the next stage where quarter-finals will be played instead of Super Six or Super Eight.
The matches will be played at eleven venues - eight in India, three in Sri Lanka and two in Bangladesh. The first semi-final will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka while the second will be staged in Mohali, India and the final will be played in Mumbai, India on April 2.

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Shahid Afridi meets Ijaz Butt in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Former cricket captain Shahid Afridi met Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt in Islamabad Tuesday, Geo News reported.

According to sources, important government officials were also present in the meeting.

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Afridi, Butt resolve differences

SLAMABAD: Former cricket captain Shahid Afridi met Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt in Islamabad and reached an out of court settlement, Geo News reported.

According to the sources, important government officials were also present in the meeting. Former skipper agreed to withdraw the case against the PCB and also to appear before the disciplinary committee of the board.

The PCB will issue the NOC for Afridi after he appears before the committee. After getting the required permission Afridi will be able to play for Hampshire County in a T20 tournament in England and Sri Lanka Premier League.

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Martin inspires West Indies to first win over India

ANTIGUA: West Indies inspired by a career-best spell from leg-spinner Anthony Martin, completed a 103-run victory to secure a consolation victory in the fourth One-day International against World champions India on Monday.

Rohit Sharma led the way with 39, and was one of a handful of Indian batsmen that got starts without carrying on, as Martin captured four for 36 from 10 overs, and West Indies successfully defended a target of 250.

Martin, later named Man-of-the-Match, rounded off the victory, when he had Ishant Sharma stumped for a duck with his final delivery of the match at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

The victory was a consolation for West Indies, after India took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series with a victory two days ago at the same venue.

The final match of the series will be played on Thursday at Sabina Park in the Jamaica capital of Kingston.

India's bowlers had done their best to maintain the status quo, but Kieron Pollard top scored with 70 and Lendl Simmons supported with 67, helping West Indies reach 249 for eight.

Praveen Kumar was the most successful Indian bowler with three for 37 from 10 overs, and leg-spinner Amit Mishra captured two for 56 from 10 overs.

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Pollard and Simmons set India toughest target of series

NORTH SOUND, Antigua and Barbuda: Half-centuries from Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons helped West Indies reach 249 for eight in the fourth One-day International on Monday and set world champions India their highest target of the five match series.
Praveen Kumar was the most successful Indian bowler with three for 37 from 10 overs, and leg-spinner Amit Mishra captured two for 56 from 10 overs, as the visitors again kept the West Indies batting in check on another hard, true Vivian Richards Cricket Ground pitch.

Pollard smashed six fours and two sixes in the top score of 70 from 72 balls to spark a West Indies revival, after they stumbled to 103 for five in the 27th over.

Simmons supported with 67 from 78 balls, Carlton Baugh Jr made 39, and Andre Russell, the West Indies batting hero from the previous match, added 25.

The new ball pair of Kumar and Ishant Sharma, one of the three changes to India's line-up for the match, struck early on, leaving the hosts on 12 for two.

Sharma had opener Danza Hyatt caught at backward point for one in the second over, and Kumar had Ramnaresh Sarwan caught in the same position for the same score in the fifth over.

The Indians met resistance in the form of a 53-run stand between left-hander Darren Bravo and Simmons before Mishra triggered another mini-crisis, West Indies losing the pair, as well as Marlon Samuels for 38 in the space of 65 deliveries.

The visitors were again put on the back-foot, when Pollard and Baugh added 96 - largely untroubled - for the sixth wicket to move West Indies in the right direction.

But off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had Pollard caught at long-on in the 45th over - the second over of the Batting Power Play - before Baugh and Russell continued West Indies attacking intent, briskly putting on 41 for the seventh wicket.

Kumar returned for his final spell, and removed Baugh and Russell off successive balls in his final over - the penultimate of the innings - but West Indies would have felt reasonably content with their final total.

India made three changes, bringing Sharma, Ashwin, and left-handed batsman Manoj Tiwary, in to replace Munaf Patel, Harbhajan Singh, and Shikhar Dhawan.

West Indies made two changes, swapping Bravo and leg-spinner Anthony Martin for Kirk Edwards and Devendra Bishoo respectively.

The Indians hold an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

The world champions are looking to close in on a clean sweep in an ODI series for the first time on Caribbean soil, and can take comfort in the knowledge that West Indies have never won any of the five ODIs they have played at the VRCG.

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4th ODI: India win toss, put Windies into bat

NORTH SOUND, Antigua and Barbuda: India captain Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field against West Indies in the fourth one day International at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground here on Monday.

The Indians have made three changes, bringing left-handed batsman Manoj Tiwary, fast bowler Ishant Sharma, and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in to replace Shikhar Dhawan, Munaf Patel, and Harbhajan Singh.

West Indies have made two changes, swapping Darren Bravo and Anthony Martin for Kirk Edwards and Devendra Bishoo respectively.

The visitors hold an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, following a three-wicket victory in the third match two days ago.

The world champions also won the first ODI by four wickets last Monday at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad, where they won the second ODI by seven wickets two days later.

India are looking to close in on a clean sweep in an ODI series for the first time on Caribbean soil, and can take comfort in the knowledge that West Indies have never won any of the five ODIs they have played at the VRCG.

Teams:
West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Lendl Simmons, Danza Hyatt, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Carlton Baugh Jr (wk), Andre Russell, Kemar Roach, Anthony Martin

India: Suresh Raina (captain), Parthiv Patel (wk), Manoj Tiwary, Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra

Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG), Norman Malcolm (WI), TV umpire: Peter Nero (WI)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ)
Reserve umpire: Gregory Brathwaite (WI)

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T20 harming cricket: Mohammed Yusuf

LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain, Mohammed Yusuf describes the T20 format of cricket as being detrimental for the game, Geo News reported.

The former skipper states that tournaments for this format should only be organized by the cricket board.

He added that youngsters are suffering due to this format because they do not learn patience which is required for other formats of cricket.

He claims that the batting line up of Pakistan has been deteriorating since T20 became popular.

Speaking about the chances of Lahore team in the local T20 tournament, Yusuf said that the team was capable of performing well despite the absence of Abdul Razzaq and Wahab Riaz.

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India to try new players against wobbly West Indies

Updated at: 1954 PST,  Sunday, June 12, 2011
NORTH SOUND: India can close on a clean sweep against the West Indies with victory in the fourth one-day international of the five-match series here on Monday.

But their captain Suresh Raina has strongly hinted that they are likely to give a few more players exposure in the match at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

The Indians took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the series following a three-wicket victory in the third ODI on Saturday at the same venue.

With several senior players either rested or injured, following a surfeit of cricket over the preceding six months, the visitors have chosen a young squad who have acquitted themselves well so far.

Raina disclosed that the world champions are likely to make a few changes to their winning squad.

Manoj Tiwary, Vinay Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Wriddihiman Saha, who are all yet to play in any of the ODIs, are therefore expected to get some time on the field.

"We have a couple of guys sitting on the bench," said Raina. "I hope everyone gets a chance in the last two games."

Raina was excited about the way his side has played so far, considering they had little time to prepare for the series.

Most of the players were engaged in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and that ended only a week prior to the opening match on the Caribbean tour.

"God has been very kind to all the boys," he said. "Credit goes to (coach) Duncan Fletcher, (bowling consultant) Eric Simons and the other support staff. We have gelled well as a team."

Raina hailed spinner Amit Mishra, whose leg-spin has bamboozled the West Indies batsmen in the last two matches in particular, and believes he will be a threat in the three-Test series that follows.

The first Test opens on Monday, June 20, at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, where India clinched a famous victory five years ago under the leadership of Rahul Dravid, ending a 35-year drought for a series win in the Caribbean.

"Credit goes to Amit Mishra for bowling well," said Raina. "We have the Tests coming up and these tracks are helpful for leggies.

"He has been among the wickets in the IPL and against South Africa as well, so I expect him to also do well here."

West Indies captain Darren Sammy can only hope that his side can use the typically relaxed atmosphere of a dead-rubber to regain some of the gloss that has been wiped away from his side.

Sammy found it difficult to come up with answers about why his side has found it so challenging, but feels the batsmen need to put things right before the series is finished.

"We have not been getting runs at the top," he said. "We have been getting a lot of lower order runs, and it has been happening from the previous series (against Pakistan).

"We still have to work on it, but I can't fault the effort of the guys. They showed a lot of character (on Saturday).

"Everybody believed that we could win, after we fought back so well, but we lacked the finishing touch.

"But like the Pakistan ODI series, we will be going all out to win the last two matches to try and redeem ourselves."

West Indies have now lost all five ODIs they have played at the VRCG, following its inauguration four years ago ahead of the 2007 World Cup.

Squads
West Indies (from): Darren Sammy (capt), Carlton Baugh Jr, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Danza Hyatt, Kemar Roach, Anthony Martin, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons

India (from): Suresh Raina (capt), Subramaniam Badrinath, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh

Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG), Norman Malcolm (WIS)
TV umpire: Peter Nero (WIS)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)
Reserve umpire: Gregory Brathwaite (WIS) (AFP)

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New Zealand drop sanctions for Zimbabwe tour

Updated at: 1546 PST,  Sunday, June 12, 2011
WELLINGTON: The New Zealand government has approved a tour by the Zimbabwe cricket team, saying Sunday it would waive travel sanctions on teams from the African nation.

Zimbabwe are scheduled to play in New Zealand next year for the first time in 11 years and Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said the government would not block the tour.

Sanctions were imposed on Zimbabwe several years ago to express opposition to alleged human rights abuses by the government of Robert Mugabe.

McCully said visas would be granted to the cricketers and management conditional on the situation in Zimbabwe "not deteriorating in a significant way."

A proposed tour of New Zealand by Zimbabwe in 2005 was cancelled when the government refused to grant the players visas.

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India secure ODI series against Windies

Updated at: 0927 PST,  Sunday, June 12, 2011
 ANTIGUA: A superb unbeaten 86 from Rohit Sharma led India to a three-wicket victory over West Indies Saturday to secure the five-match one-day series for the tourists who now have an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Sharma led India’s recovery from 92 for six as they chased down 226 at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium.

An 88-run partnership with Harbhajan Singh (41) put India back in contention and then Praveen Kumar (25 not out) saw the tourists through to a comfortable victory with 22 balls to spare.

It was a day for lower order contributions with West Indies only managing to set a decent target thanks to an outstanding 92 not out from 84 balls by Jamaican Andre Russell.

Russell’s score is the highest made by a number nine batsman in one-day internationals and included a 78-run partnership with wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh as the Caribbean side recovered from 85-6.

The big hitting innings included eight fours and five sixes as the success-starved home crowd were finally treated to some entertainment.

Once again West Indies struggled against spin with leg-spinner Amit Mishra taking 3-28 from his ten allotted overs.

Opener Lendl Simmons again was the pick of the West Indies batsmen with 45 before Mishra had him caught by Virat Kohli at slip but the middle order again failed.

India’s innings had a similar structure with opener Parthiv Patel hitting 46 but no-one else making a major contribution until Sharma’s big knock turned the game.

“That was a game that got away from us,” said West Indies captain Darren Sammy.

“Russell and Baugh got us back into it and the guys were confident but we lacked the killer instinct after taking early wickets.

“We have not been getting runs at the top and we lacked the finishing touch
he said.

With the series in the bag, India skipper Suresh Raina said he would rotate the squad in the final two games before the test series begins.

“We have a couple of guys sitting on the bench and I hope everyone gets a chance in the last two games,” he said.

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

Updated at: 1839 PST,  Saturday, June 11, 2011
NORTH SOUND, Antigua and Barbuda: India captain Suresh Raina won the toss and elected to field against the West Indies in the third one-day international at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground here on Saturday.

The Indians are unchanged for the third straight match, but West Indies have brought Danza Hyatt, Andre Russell and Kemar Roach in to replace Dwayne Bravo, Anthony Martin and Ravi Rampaul.

The visitors lead the five-match series 2-0, following a four-wicket victory in the first ODI last Monday at Queen's Park Oval, where they won the second ODI by seven wickets two days later.

India are looking to take an unbeatable lead in the series, and they can take comfort in the knowledge that West Indies have never won any of the four ODIs they have played at the VRCG.

Teams
West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Lendl Simmons, Kirk Edwards, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Danza Hyatt, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Carlton Baugh Jr (wk), Andre Russell, Kemar Roach, Devendra Bishoo

India: Suresh Raina (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Amit Mishra

Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG), Norman Malcolm (WI), TV umpire: Gregory Brathwaite (WI), Reserve umpire: Peter Nero (WI)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ)

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ECB starts probe against Surrey for playing Amir

Updated at: 1132 PST,  Saturday, June 11, 2011

London: The England and Wales Cricket Board has launched an investigation into banned Pakistani bowler Mohammad Amir's appearance for a village side, and sought a 'full written explanation from the club' in this regard. Amir, who has been banned for five years by an Anti-Corruption Tribunal after proven guilty of spot-fixing during last year's tour of England, played club cricket in Surrey last Saturday, starting for Addington 1743 in a Surrey Cricket League Division One fixture against St Lukes at the LSE ground in New Malden.Amir, who faces criminal charges over the bowling of two no-balls in the fourth Test against England last August, claimed he had been told by Surrey Cricket League side Addington 1743 that the game against St Lukes was a 'friendly'.However, the ICC, who is investigating the matter, has made it clear that the ban prevents Amir from playing cricket at any level, and if it takes a dim view of Amir's appearance in New Malden on Saturday, his exile may be extended.Meanwhile, in a statement, the ECB "announced that it has requested the Surrey Cricket Board to assist it in its investigation of the circumstances surrounding the Pakistan cricketer Mohammed Amir's appearance for Addington 1743 CC in a Surrey Cricket League Division One match last weekend.""ECB has also written separately to Addington 1743 CC seeking a full written explanation from the club of the events leading up to Amir's appearance in the match," the statement added.It said that the decision came after the ECB "confirmed Addington 1743 CC falls under its regulatory jurisdiction by virtue of the club being affiliated to the Surrey Cricket Board," adding that the ECB will also continue to assist the ICC with its own inquiry into the matter.

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Zaheer, Sreesanth out of West Indies Tests

Updated at: 2146 PST,  Friday, June 10, 2011

NEW DELHI: Injured fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth were Friday ruled out of India's three-Test series against the West Indies starting later this month.The pace duo also missed out on the ongoing five-match one-day series in the Caribbean which India are leading 2-0."Zaheer has a right ankle problem, and Sreesanth has a right elbow problem. Both players will require some time off for rehabilitation," said N. Srinivasan, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).Abhimanyu Mithun and Praveen Kumar have been named as their replacements in the Test squad. India are already without Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh for the Test series beginning in Kingston, Jamaica on June 24.Tendulkar, the world's leading batsman in both Tests and one-dayers, has opted out of the tour in order to spend time with his family while the other players are injured.
India's revised Test squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Venkatsai Laxman (vice-capt), Murali Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel.

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ICC may extend Mohammad Aamir's ban

Updated at: 1537 PST,  Friday, June 10, 2011

KARACHI: The 5-year ban on bowler Mohammad Amir may be extended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he was caught playing league cricket over the weekend, according to a newspaper report.Aamir, who was found guilty of spot-fixing in a Test match vs England last August, claimed he had been told that the game was a friendly and would not affect his ban which prevents him from playing cricket at any level for 5 years."It is understood Amir - who, along with Mohammad Asif and Salman Butt, faces a criminal hearing at Southwark Crown Court in October over charges relating to cheating and conspiracy to obtain corrupt payments - was on friendly terms with three of Addington's players," the paper reported.The ICC took notice of the violation and Aamir's lawyers have reportedly contacted the cricket governing body over the issue.

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IPL 2011: Rest in Peace

The saga comes to an end. Yes, I am talking about the Indian Premier League 2011. After 51 days of hectic entertainment and, yes, definitely cricket, the viewers, more than the players, are relieved. It has been a big huge season for the fans of world cricket since the beginning of 2011. And definitely they have thoroughly enjoyed. It is clearly evident from the Q4 results of most companies and will be clearer from the Q1 results of 2011,how much productivity has been hit.Let us ,in this article, go beyond the actual cricketing aspect and see what people across the globe,lost and gained from this mega extravaganza, IPL 2011.

West Indies tour selection

Most of the cricket boards request India to tour their country not just because they could play against the world’s numero uno  test team, but more so because they could generate a lot of income from the grounds and the television world. And with India winning the 2011 world cup still fresh in mind,the West Indies Cricket Board could not have asked for a better itinerary. But little did they realise that IPL was going to shatter their dreams big time.

Seven members of the World Cup 2011 winning 2011 are not in the squad to the West Indies tour. Out of which only Santhakumaran Sreesanth has been dropped. The remaining 6 have either been injured, fallen sick or have requested rest.Surprisingly, all the 6 played the lucrative IPL, and have sat out of the National team selection. I thought domestic tournaments were played to get selected to the National team,whilst,this one is being a complete opposite.India is now sending a second string to the West Indies tour and it is going to be more like a West Indies team against India ‘A’ or Board President’s XI. Probably with the state of affairs in the Carribean cricket not being great,this tour will be one to watch.

International players

The Orange cap holder of this season’s IPL is Christopher Henry Gayle(Oh! i don’t know, I just love writing the full names of the players). He tormented the oppositions in most of the matches he played and won his franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore,many matches single handedly. Gayle played just 5 matches out of their 7 outings in the Cricket World Cup 2011. He was dropped,apparently without being told,after the tournament for the home series against Pakistan and again now for the home series against the Indians.The loss of the WICB from the Pakistan’s series selection was the gain of the beer baron’s outfit.Now lets wait and watch who is going to be the beneficiary.

RCB: One man show – The Gayle show

Little did the Sri Lanka board know when they sent their contingent to play the IPL about the retirement of their huge match winner. In the middle of the IPL,when the SLC requested their players to return,to practice, for the upcoming England series,they were in for a body blow,when Lasith Malinga, retired from the longest form of cricket(nowadays ODIs have become the longer form of the game). The board could do nothing but start their own T-20 league and invite cricketers from India to participate in it.

This has been a long standing doubt for me and I still have not got it clarified. He is the only overseas player to have been retained by the franchise,which did not even bother retaining Mr.Cricket. Yes I am here talking about Albie Morkel. He has been dropped from the Chennai side only in a couple of matches,because that is the potential and talent that this Protea brings to the plate. Its surprising that he has not played an international match in the last 7 months and was not even their in the World Cup squad. In fact has it been the way Dhoni has handled it or is it just mere coincidence, Faf du Pleesis who made his debut in the WC for his nation,could not make his debut for his franchise this year.

The Invincibles – II

Oh, this is not yet another sequel, that is hitting the theaters this summer. It did hit the television set for more than 6 weeks now. Yes, I am here referring to the unstoppable Chennai Super Kings. This team seems to be more stronger than the World Cup 2007 Australian side. There was just one question in that tournament, who would play Aussies in the finals, and of course lose. This is how it was in this year’s IPL. CSK was simply superb throughout the tournament. They did not a single thing wrong in the finals. I wished Dhoni had held back Ashwin from bowling the first over,at least we would have had a match on hands. There was a huge outbreak of the yellow fever in the Marina beach city.

Yellow : The colour of domination

Chepauk is going to host 9 matches again in the next edition. The IPL management should try alternative methods to keep the spirits alive in the other camps as well. May be they could give a 2 win grace bonus for the other franchisees at the round robin stage. Or allow them to play 13 batsmen. They got to be considerate to the other franchises as well for these outfits got to support a huge Bollywood star cast,pay for international cheer leaders, and also keep their players under control. Man, give them a chance.

There are loads more that have been given and taken(pun unintended) in this edition of the IPL. The television viewership has taken a huge hit after overdose of cricket. Companies like Vodafone have run out of ideas for their ZooZoo ads. Abhishek Bachchan has finally got a movie offer to do a single role.  Ranbir Kapoor has become a full time stand up comedian. Truck loads of changes have happened ever since the IPL got completed. India rising is happening.

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Updated at: 1609 PST,  Tuesday, May 17, 2011

LONDON: Former England captain Tony Greig has called for an end to India's "domination" of the International Cricket Council (ICC), saying it was the first thing he'd change if in charge of the governing body."Number one, we have got to try and get the ICC right," Greig told the BBC in an interview."We have a situation at the moment where the ICC is dominated by India."They tell Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and one or two other countries what to do and they always get the vote. "It's very hard, but somehow we have got to change things at that level."South Africa-born Greig added: "We are playing too much cricket. I would be getting all the countries from the world and saying hey listen, what is this nonsense of giving Indian domestic cricket an open window"To give the IPL (Indian Premier League, a domestic Twenty20 competition) an open window, and reduce by two months the time available for cricketers to play around the world, in the current environment is just ridiculous."We have got to look very, very closely and make sure we do not destroy the cornerstone of the game which is Test cricket," said the 64-year-old former all-rounder, who settled in Australia after his playing days were over and has since enjoyed a long career as a television cricket commentator."It is laughable that (Chris) Gayle and (Kieron) Pollard are playing in the IPL when the West Indies are playing Pakistan -- that is just ridiculous."Greig, though, stressed his longstanding affection for Indian cricket, dating back to his time as a player which included leading England to a 3-1 Test series win in India in 1976/77."I took to India and the subcontinent very much...I loved the place," he said while giving an interview to coincide with the publication of a new biography, 'Tony Greig: A Reappraisal of English Cricket's Most Controversial Captain,' by David Tossell."It was the first time I really felt as if we were entertaining people, as the people there loved the game so much -- to go to those stadiums and find them packed full," explained Greig, who made his name in England with south coast county Sussex. "To this day (Kolkata's) Eden Gardens remains one of my top three grounds, just because of the incredible atmosphere.

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Kochi record easy win over Rajasthan

Updated at: 1609 PST,  Tuesday, May 17, 2011

LONDON: Former England captain Tony Greig has called for an end to India's "domination" of the International Cricket Council (ICC), saying it was the first thing he'd change if in charge of the governing body."Number one, we have got to try and get the ICC right," Greig told the BBC in an interview."We have a situation at the moment where the ICC is dominated by India."They tell Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and one or two other countries what to do and they always get the vote. "It's very hard, but somehow we have got to change things at that level."South Africa-born Greig added: "We are playing too much cricket. I would be getting all the countries from the world and saying hey listen, what is this nonsense of giving Indian domestic cricket an open window? "To give the IPL (Indian Premier League, a domestic Twenty20 competition) an open window, and reduce by two months the time available for cricketers to play around the world, in the current environment is just ridiculous."We have got to look very, very closely and make sure we do not destroy the cornerstone of the game which is Test cricket," said the 64-year-old former all-rounder, who settled in Australia after his playing days were over and has since enjoyed a long career as a television cricket commentator."It is laughable that (Chris) Gayle and (Kieron) Pollard are playing in the IPL when the West Indies are playing Pakistan -- that is just ridiculous."Greig, though, stressed his longstanding affection for Indian cricket, dating back to his time as a player which included leading England to a 3-1 Test series win in India in 1976/77."I took to India and the subcontinent very much...I loved the place," he said while giving an interview to coincide with the publication of a new biography, 'Tony Greig: A Reappraisal of English Cricket's Most Controversial Captain,' by David Tossell."It was the first time I really felt as if we were entertaining people, as the people there loved the game so much -- to go to those stadiums and find them packed full," explained Greig, who made his name in England with south coast county Sussex."To this day (Kolkata's) Eden Gardens remains one of my top three grounds, just because of the incredible atmosphere.

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IPL: Valthaty, Chawla shape Punjab victory

Updated at: 2357 PST,  Sunday, May 15, 2011

DHARAMSHALA, India: Paul Valthaty cracked a brisk 62 and Piyush Chawla bagged three wickets to help Kings XI Punjab score a 29-run win over Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League match on Sunday. Opener Valthaty added 102 for the second wicket with Australian Shaun Marsh (46) as Punjab made 170-6 before restricting bottom-placed Delhi to 141-8 to keep alive their hopes of making it to the semi-finals.Leg-spinner Chawla finished with 3-16 off four overs.Marsh's best came in the 13th over when he hammered left-arm spinner Sridharan Sriram for 24 runs off five balls, including three sixes. He also hit five fours in his 28-ball knock.Valthaty, who hit Australian paceman James Hopes for 16 runs in an over, smashed three sixes and six fours in his 50-ball knock.Paceman Irfan Pathan was the most successful bowler with three wickets, including those of Valthaty and Marsh in one over.Delhi failed to capitalise on a 52-run stand for the opening wicket between Australian David Warner (29) and Naman Ojha (28), losing five wickets in the space of 40 runs.Seamer Shalabh Srivastava did the early damage when he dismissed both the openers in successive overs while Chawla got two wickets and seamer Valthaty one to reduce Delhi to 92-5.Bangalore lead the 10-team league table with 17 points, followed by Chennai (16), Mumbai (16), Kolkata (14), Punjab (12), Rajasthan (11), Kochi (10), Pune (eight), Deccan (eight) and Delhi (eight).Brief scores:Kings XI Punjab 170-6 in 20 overs (P. Valthaty 62, S. Marsh 46, D. Karthik 27; Irfan Pathan 3-28, A. Salvi 2-40) beat Delhi Daredevils 141-8 in 20 overs (D. Warner 29, N. Ojha 28; P. Chawla 3-16, S. Srivastava 2-39) by 29 runs.

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Ajmal bowls Pakistan back into contention

PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Saeed Ajmal continued to torment the West Indies as he bowled Pakistan back into the opening Test on Saturday when the hosts were reduced to 96 for seven in their second innings for an overall lead of 162.The off-spinner has collected four for 23 from 14 overs for match figures of nine for 92 to leave the West Indies tottering at the interval on the third day at the Guyana National Stadium, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul not out on 12 and Darren Sammy not out on seven. Ajmal struck with the fifth ball of the day, after West Indies continued from their overnight total of 34 for two.He removed night-watchman Kemar Roach lbw for three, following the West Indies fast bowler's unsuccessful review of New Zealand umpire Tony Hill's decision. It was the 13th lbw decision awarded in the match.Ajmal continued to mesmerise the West Indies batsmen, many of whom have failed to pick his doosra, removing Ramnaresh Sarwan for 11 and Carlton Baugh for seven.Ajmal was unfortunate that he did not count Lendl Simmons among his scalps, when the West Indies opener, on 20, charged down the pitch, and slogged at a flighted delivery.The ball ricocheted from the batsman's front pad, eluded wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman, and raced to the third man boundary for four leg byes. Next over, Wahab Riaz made sure the lost chance was not too costly for Pakistan when Simmons fended a short delivery and was caught at silly mid-off for 21, leaving West Indies 47 for four. With Ajmal tying the batsmen down, and Wahab and Umar Gul bowling steadily from the other end, there were few scoring opportunities for West Indies, but Sarwan eased the tension with a typically smooth cover drive off Wahab for his first boundary.Ajmal, however, remained a constant threat and this brought Sarwan's downfall, caught at forward short leg fending an awkwardly bouncing delivery.Pakistan were gifted another wicket when Brendan Nash was run out for three, looking for a second run, and being sent back by Chanderpaul.Ajmal then struck in the last 15 minutes before the interval when Baugh was caught at mid-wicket, swinging a shortish delivery low to the fielder. Pakistan are seeking their maiden Test series victory in the Caribbean.

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Karthik powers Punjab to 6-wkt win over Kochi

Updated at: 2208 PST,  Saturday, May 14, 2011

INDORE: Dinesh Karthik smashed five sixes in his 33-ball 69 to power Kings XI Punjab to a six-wicket victory over Kochi Tuskers Kerala in an Indian Premier League match on Friday.He put on 111 for the third wicket with Australian Shaun Marsh (42) as Punjab surpassed Kochi's total of 178-7 with seven balls to spare for their fifth win in 11 games of the Twenty20 tournament.Punjab were struggling at 31-2 after paceman Rudra Pratap Singh dismissed skipper Adam Gilchrist (nine) and Paul Valthaty (17), but Karthik and Marsh shattered Kochi's hopes with their big-hitting. Karthik, who reached his half-century with a six over mid-wicket off spinner Ravindra Jadeja, also hit seven fours while Marsh cracked two sixes and five fours in his 30-ball knock.Singh got his third wicket when he removed Karthik, superbly caught by skipper Mahela Jayawardene in the covers, before holding a return catch to dismiss Marsh in the space of three runs.Australian David Hussey (21 not out) finished the match with a straight six off paceman Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.Chennai and Mumbai have already made sure of the semi-finals with 16 points each. They are followed by Bangalore (15), Kolkata (14), Rajasthan (11), Punjab (10), Kochi (10), Pune (eight), Delhi (eight) and Deccan (six).Sri Lankan Jayawardene earlier hit two sixes and eight fours in his 52-ball 76 to help Kochi post a challenging total. He added 93 for the opening wicket with New Zealander Brendon McCullum, who hit a 27-ball 32.Jayawardene, who reached his half-century with a six off leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, was run out in the last over. Owais Shah was the other main scorer with a 12-ball 23. Brief scores:Kochi Tuskers Kerala 178-7 in 20 overs (M. Jayawardene 76, B. McCullum 32, O. Shah 23; B. Sharma 2-32) lost to Kings XI Punjab 181-4 in 18.5 overs (D. Karthik 69, S. Marsh 42, D. Hussey 21 not out; RP Singh 4-25) by six wickets.

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Gambhir to lead young team to West Indies

Gautam Gambhir has been named captain of India's limited-overs squad which will tour the West Indies to play five ODIs and one T20 beginning June 4.Captain MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan have been rested. Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla and Ashish Nehra are the three players from India's World Cup-winning squad to be axed.Parthiv Patel, Rohit Sharma, Subramaniam Badrinath, R Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra and Wriddhiman Saha are returning to the squad. Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma, who were left out of the World Cup due to injury and poor form respectively, have also returned.Badrinath's fantastic show in the IPL has earned him a recall to the ODI squad after nearly three years. He has made 349 runs in nine innings at an average of 87.25 -- a phenomenal number for T20 cricket.Pacer R Vinay Kumar, who dropped off India's radar after a fruitless tour of Zimbabwe last year, has also made a comeback after a decent show at the IPL, where he has 12 wickets in 11 games and has started bowling a Lasith Malinga-like round-arm delivery. More to follow.Squad: G Gambhir (C), S Raina, P Patel (wk), V Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, S Badrinath, R Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, I Sharma, M Patel, V Kumar, Y Pathan, A Mishra, W Saha.

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Saeed Ajmal vaults into third position

Pakistan's off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has broken into the top three of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers for the first time in his career. The latest player rankings were released on Friday after the conclusion of West Indies and Pakistan ODI series in Guyana.The 33-year-old from Faisalabad, who took six wickets in the series which Pakistan won by 3-2, has climbed 16 places and now sits in third position, just five points behind Zimbabwe's left-arm spinner Ray Price.
Saeed's rise means the top four spots are now occupied by spinners with New Zealand's Daniel Vettori leading the field and England's Graeme Swann sitting in fourth position.Saeed's jump also means he has now become Pakistan's highest-ranked bowler with captain Shahid Afridi dropping out of the top 10 after a disappointing series by his high standards. Shahid, who managed just two wickets, has slipped five places to 14th position.Saeed's fellow off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez has also improved his ranking after claiming six wickets in the series at 23.50. The 30-year-old from Sargodha has moved up seven places and now occupies 27th position. The West Indies bowlers have also made good progress in the latest rankings with fast bowler Ravi Rampaul and wrist spinner Devendra Bishoo heading in the right direction.Rampaul, the 26-year-old Trinidadian, claimed eight wickets in three matches and has been rewarded with a jump of 15 places which has put him in 29th position. The 25-year-old Bishoo, who finished as the leading wicket-taker in the series with 11 wickets, has rocketed 114 places and now sits just outside the top 100 in 116th position.In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, West Indies opener Lendl Simmons has rocketed 150 places to 67th position after finishing as the leading run-getter in the series with 279 runs at just under 70.Hafeez, who was the second most successful batsman in the series with 267 runs, has improved his ranking by 17 places and is now in 49th position. Misbah-u-Haq's series contribution of 184 runs has helped him move up three places to 31st spot while Umar Akmal has achieved a career-best ranking of 23rd after rising four places.Hafeez's all-round performance in the series has also helped him become the sixth-ranked all-rounder in the world. His 267 runs and six wickets in the series have helped him climb six places in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders.In the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table, Pakistan had started the series with a difference of 35 ratings points relative to West Indies. This gap had meant Pakistan was expected to win the series convincingly. As such, because the rankings are weighted to reflect this difference, Pakistan's failure to win comfortably has meant it has dropped points.Despite losing the series 3-2, the West Indies has earned four ratings points which puts it five points clear of ninth-ranked Bangladesh, while Pakistan has dropped three ratings points to open the gap with fifth-placed England by five points.Pakistan next ODI commitment is a two-match series against Ireland in Belfast on 28 and 30 May, while West Indies will play world champions India next in a five-match series at home in June.

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Windies leg spinner Bishoo puts Pakistan in trouble

PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Pakistan were undermined by leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and West Indies captain Darren Sammy as they collapsed to 113 for six in their first innings at tea on the second day of the opening Test on Friday.Umar Akmal was not out on 27 and Abdur Rehman was not out on 13 at the break as the Pakistanis continued their reply to West Indies' first innings total of 226 at the Guyana National Stadium. Akmal and Rehman were busy trying to restore respectability to Pakistan's innings, after Bishoo collected three wickets for 41 runs from 16 overs, and Sammy two for 16 from 12 overs, to send the visitors crumbling to 80 for six.Akmal announced himself with a flowing off-drive on the move off Sammy for his first boundary. He then put Bishoo on the defensive with a lofted drive to long-on for four, and a cut through backward point for another boundary in the leg-spinner's ninth over.Rehman endured a barrage of short-pitched bowling from West Indies two frontline fast bowlers Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul to survive until the break.Things had taken a dramatic twist for the Pakistanis when they lost five wickets for 23 runs in the space of 78 deliveries.Taufeeq Umar was lbw to Sammy for 19 playing forward and across a delivery angled in to the left-hander from around the wicket in the fifth over after lunch.Three overs later, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was trapped lbw for two on the backfoot to a flatter, faster delivery from Bishoo.Azhar Ali was bowled for 34 in the next over, offering no stroke to a delivery from Sammy that moved back. Asad Shafiq was lbw for two playing down the wrong line to a leg-break from Bishoo, following a successful West Indies review of New Zealand umpire Billy Bowden's not-out verdict, and Mohammad Salman suffered a similar fate, falling lbw for six.Before lunch, the visitors looked to have firm control, as Azhar and Taufeeq guided them to 45 for one, after they lost opener Mohammad Hafeez early. Hafeez was Pakistan's most prolific batsman in the preceding one-day series, but he was bowled for four, dragging a delivery from Rampaul into his stumps in the second over of their innings.Azhar and Taufeeq made steady progress in between a couple Alarming moments. Taufeeq was fortunate on one when he edged a rising ball from Rampaul between second slip and gully for his first boundary.West Indies raised his heart rate again when he was on five, appealing unsuccessfully for a caught behind off the same bowler.Azhar hardly placed a foot wrong and got into the thick of things with a square drive through cover and a back-foot cover drive from successive deliveries in Kemar Roach's fifth over.Earlier, Pakistan needed half an hour to complete the demolition of the West Indies first innings, after the hosts resumed from their overnight total of 209 for nine. Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal suffered the indignity of Roach smashing a searing drive through cover for his third boundary, but he had the last laugh when he had the West Indies fast bowler caught at forward short leg for a Test-best 24 from bat-pad, playing defensively forward.Ajmal finished with the impressive figures of five for 69 from 33 overs.Pakistan are seeking their maiden Test series victory in the Caribbean.

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Azhar, Taufeeq steady Pakistan

Updated at: 2215 PST,  Friday, May 13, 2011

PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Azhar Ali and Taufeeq Umar guided Pakistan to 45 for one in their first innings, after they lost an early wicket before lunch, in the opening Test against West Indies on Friday. Azhar was not out on 27 and Taufeeq was not out on 13 at the interval as Pakistan started their reply to West Indies' first innings total of 226 on the second day of the Test at the Guyana National Stadium.Pakistan lost opener Mohammad Hafeez - their most prolific batsman in the preceding one-day series - in the second over of their innings, when he was bowled for four, dragging a delivery from Ravi Rampaul into his stumps.But Azhar and Taufeeq made steady progress in between a couple alarming moments.Taufeeq was fortunate on one when he edged a rising ball from Rampaul between second slip and gully for his first boundary.West Indies raised his heart rate again when he was on five, appealing unsuccessfully for a caught behind off the same bowler.Azhar hardly placed a foot wrong and got into the thick of things with a square drive through cover and a back-foot cover drive from successive deliveries in Kemar Roach's fifth over.Earlier, Pakistan needed half an hour to complete the demolition of the West Indies first innings, after the hosts resumed from their overnight total of 209 for nine.Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal suffered the indignity of Roach smashing a searing drive through cover for his third boundary, but he had the last laugh when he had the West Indies fast bowler caught at forward short leg for a Test-best 24 from bat-pad, playing defensively forward.Ajmal finished with the impressive figures of five for 69 from 33 overs, fellow off-spinner Hafeez supported with two for 22 off 13 overs, and left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman captured two for 51 from 29 overs.Pakistan are seeking their maiden Test series victory in the Caribbean.

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Pakistan spinners put brakes on Windies

Updated at: 0929 PST,  Friday, May 13, 2011

GEORGETOWN: Pakistan's spin bowlers, led by four-wicket Saeed Ajmal, gave them early control of the first Test against West Indies on Thursday.Off-spinner Ajmal ended the opening day with four for 63 from 29 overs, as West Indies, electing to bat, reached 209 for nine in their first innings.Mohammad Hafeez, bowling off-spin, supported with two for 22 from 13 overs, and Abdur Rehman captured two for 46 from 26 overs.Gaining appreciable turn and bounce from an unpredictable Guyana National Stadium pitch, the spinners created headaches for the West Indies' batsman, several of whom got starts, but failed to carry on.Hafeez gave an early indication of what to expect, when he shared the new ball with Umar Gul, and bowled Devon Smith in the sixth over of the match.It was the fourth straight time that Hafeez had dismissed the West Indies left-handed opener, stretching back to the preceding one-day series.Lendl Simmons, whose 49 was the top score for West Indies, and compatriot Darren Bravo held firm for the remainder of the morning period, taking West Indies to 66 for one lunch.Pakistan continued to tighten their grip, when Wahab Riaz trapped Bravo lbw for 25 in the third over after the interval.Riaz also interrupted the West Indies' flow when he struck Simmons on his left knee, and forced him to retire hurt on 41, leaving the home team on 81 for two.Pakistan ran into defiance when Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, West Indies' two most experienced batsmen, came together, and spent just over 90 minutes in astute consolidation.Rehman made a decisive breakthrough however, when he had Sarwan caught behind for 23, top-edging a cut, and requiring New Zealand umpire Tony Hill to review his not-out verdict, to leave West Indies 131 for three at tea.After tea, Ajmal and Rehman continued to apply the pressure, and things fell apart for West Indies in dramatic fashion.Ajmal gained lbw verdicts to dismiss Brendan Nash for five, and Carlton Baugh for four before Rehman had West Indies captain Darren Sammy caught at deep mid-on for 12.But Ajmal swung fortunes firmly Pakistan's way when he bowled the obdurate Chanderpaul for 27 with a doosra that spun sharply out of the rough outside the left-hander's off-stump.Ajmal also trapped Simmons lbw after the batsman returned to the middle following the dismissal of Sammy, and Hafeez too, gained an lbw decision to remove Ravi Rampaul for 14.Both sides included a Test newcomer in their teams with the Windies playing leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo while Pakistan handed a first Test to Mohammad Salman.The Pakistanis are seeking their maiden Test series victory in the Caribbean.
Scoreboard:
West Indies 1st innings
D.Smith b Mohammad Hafeez 13
L.Simmons lbw b Saeed Ajmal 49
D.Bravo lbw b Wahab Riaz 25
R.Sarwan c Mohammad Salman b Abdur Rehman 23
S.Chanderpaul b Saeed Ajmal 27
B.Nash lbw b Saeed Ajmal 5
C.Baugh lbw b Saeed Ajmal 4
D.Sammy c Umar Akmal b Abdur Rehman 12
K.Roach not out 16
R.Rampaul lbw b Mohammad Hafeez 14
D.Bishoo not out 10
Extras (b-1 lb-7 w-1 nb-2) 11
Total (for nine wickets; 90 overs) 209
Fall of wickets: 1-15 2-71 3-127 4-136 5-142 6-159 7-162 8-175 9-198
Bowling: Umar Gul 13-0-40-0, Mohammad Hafeez 13-5-22-2, Abdur Rehman 26-9-46-2, Saeed Ajmal 29-12-63-4, Wahab Riaz 9-1-30-1 (nb-2 w-1)
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Azhar Ali, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Salman, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal. (AFP/Reuters

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West Indies 131-3 at tea against Pakistan

Updated at: 0017 PST,  Friday, May 13, 2011

PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Lendl Simmons hit an unbeaten 30 on Thursday to guide West Indies to 66 for one when lunch was taken on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan.Darren Bravo was not out 23 as West Indies made slow progress after losing opener Devon Smith for 13, bowled by off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez.West Indies skipper Darren Sammy, who left out batsman Marlon Samuels and pace bowler Fidel Edwards, won the toss and decided to bat.The Caribbean side, featuring recalled local favourites Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, suffered an early blow when Smith departed in the sixth over with the total on 15.The left-handed Bravo joined Simmons and cautiously saw the hosts through to lunch with a run-rate of just over two per over and just six boundaries coming in the opening session.Simmons, nephew of former West Indies batsman Phil Simmons, was one of the few success stories in the recent one day series, making four half-centuries against the tourists.

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1st Test: Windies elect to bat against Pakistan

Updated at: 1931 PST,  Thursday, May 12, 2011

PROVIDENCE, Guyana: West Indies captain Darren Sammy won the toss and decided to bat in the first Test against Pakistan on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium here.Both sides have included a Test newcomer in their final elevens  leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for the West Indies and Mohammad Salman for the tourists.It is an extra special occasion for Bishoo as he becomes the 289th player from the Caribbean to be handed the maroon cap in Tests in front of his home crowd.Salman is the 206th Test player for Pakistan, and becomes the fourth (wk/batsman that the visitors have tried in the last year to fill that pivotal role due to the inconsistency of Kamran Akmal.The Pakistanis are seeking to become the latest international side to create history on Caribbean soil, as they seek their maiden Test series victory here.In six previous visits, starting in 1958, Pakistan have lost four series, and drawn two.The visitors also share the unenviable record of being one of the two Test-playing nations -- along with Sri Lanka -- not to have recorded a Test series victory in the Caribbean.Pakistan have won just four of the 21 Tests they have played in the Caribbean, but there is huge optimism that Misbah-ul-Haq's side can put the matter to rest.The Pakistanis are brimming with confidence after winning the preceding one-day international series 3-2, and aware that West Indies have not won a Test  let alone a Test series -- in just over two years.Team West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brendan Nash, Carlton Baugh Jr (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Devendra BishooPakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Salman (wk), Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed AjmalUmpires: Billy Bowden (NZ), Tony Hill (NZ), TV umpire: Asoka De Silva (SL), Reserve umpire: Norman Malcolm (WI) Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL)

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ICC pondered 'stings' to catch fixers

Updated at: 1523 PST,  Thursday, May 12, 2011

LONDON: International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat has considered the use of 'sting' operations to trap players prepared to fix matches.The South African administrator said the use of a "mystery shopper" could help weed out possible fixers as the global governing body tries to eradicate corruption from top-flight international cricket."I thought when this issue came up last year that perhaps we could have a 'mystery shopper'," Lorgat told the BBC's Hardtalk programme."In other words, some people posing as bookmakers approach players and see if those players report along with our codes of conduct."However, Lorgat admitted the proposal had met with strong resistance."We would have to get the players' federations consenting to it and they of course opposed it and were not happy, they considered it a form of entrapment," he said.Another plan would give the ICC access to players' bank accounts and assets so that they could be monitored, but Lorgat conceded that had less chance of being enacted than his 'sting' scheme."It is a bit more complex than that, there are human rights issues and legalities to understand properly," he said.Three memmbers of the Pakistan team - former Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer - were all bannned by the ICC for a minimum of five years each for their involvement in a spot-fixing scam during last year's tour of England.The trio now face criminal prosecution in England.But the scandal, which involved the bowling of deliberate no-balls during the Lord's Test, only came to light as a result of a 'sting' operation carried out by Britain's News of the World tabloid.Many pundits said the fact it took a newspaper, rather than the ICC's own anti-corruption and security unit, to expose the affair was an embarrassment for the global governing body.That was a point the ICC denied at the time but Lorgat told the BBC: "We are doing a review of our whole process and all of our systems right now."We have engaged an independent firm to conduct that review and I'm hopeful that some constructive recommendations will come up that will enhance or improve the way we are currently tackling the issue

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IPL: Gayle floors hapless Rajasthan

Updated at: 2353 PST,  Wednesday, May 11, 2011

JAIPUR, India: Explosive opener Chris Gayle smacked an unbeaten 70 as Royal Challengers Bangalore thrashed Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets in the Indian Premier League to consolidate their play-off chances. The West Indies' batsman continued his fairytale run, clobbering six fours and four sixes in his 44-ball knock to help Bangalore overhaul a 147-run target with three overs to spare at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.Gayle has played a huge role in reviving his team's fortunes ever since he was roped in as a replacement for the injured Dirk Nannes last month, guiding the franchise to their sixth win in a row.With 398 runs in his kitty, the left-hander has now surged to second in the run-getters list with two centuries and one fifty.The win moved Bangalore to second in the table, one point adrift of leaders Mumbai Indians (16) while Rajasthan slumped to their third consecutive defeat, denting their chances of advancing in the tournament. Rajasthan skipper Shane Warne, playing his last home game in the tournament, was left to rue a dropped catch of Gayle when the batsman was on 13.The Australian spin legend is set to retire from all forms of the game after the end of the IPL.Virat Kohli, leading Bangalore in the absence of an injured Daniel Vettori, chipped in with 39 not out and opener Tillakaratne Dilshan made 38.The hosts earlier frittered away a bright start given by openers Shane Watson (34) and Rahul Dravid (37) who put on 73 runs inside the first 10 overs before being dismissed in the space of three balls by Sreenath Aravind.Aravind returned to send back in-form South African all-rounder Johan Botha who nicked the left-arm paceman to wicket-keeper Arun Karthik for a 20-ball 19 including just one boundary.New Zealand's batting star Ross Taylor (13) too failed to fire, falling to a slower ball from South African speedster Charl Langveldt while attempting to clear the ropes.Brief scores:Rajasthan Royals 146-6 in 20 overs (R. Dravid 37, S. Watson 34; S. Aravind 3-34) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 151-1 in 17 overs (C. Gayle 70 not out, V. Kohli 39 not out, T. Dilshan 38) by nine wickets

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IPL: Punjab stun Mumbai by 76 runs

Updated at: 2319 PST,  Wednesday, May 11, 2011

MOHALI, India: Shaun Marsh hit 43 and Bhargav Bhatt bagged four wickets as bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab stunned table-toppers Mumbai Indians by 76 runs in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.
Mumbai could never recover after losing three wickets for 27 runs and were bowled out for 87 in 12.5 overs chasing a 164-run target, with West Indies' Kieron Pollard top-scoring with 17 in a dismal batting show.Seamer Praveen Kumar did the early damage when he took two of the first three wickets, including that of skipper Sachin Tendulkar (six). Left-arm spinner Bhatt finished with 4-22, including three wickets in one over. Australians Shaun Marsh and Adam Gilchrist (28), and Dinesh Karthik (31) helped Punjab post a competitive total despite a five-wicket haul by seamer Munaf Patel (5-21).Marsh, who put on 70 for the second wicket with skipper Gilchrist, hit five fours in his 34-ball knock before falling to a superb diving catch by Pollard in the deep off Patel.Mumbai, who had already made sure of a place in the semi-finals, still lead with 16 points.They are followed by Chennai (14), Kolkata (14), Bangalore (13), Rajasthan (11), Kochi (10), Pune (eight), Delhi (eight), Punjab (eight) and Deccan (six). Brief scores:Kings XI Punjab 163-8 in 20 overs (S. Marsh 43, D. Karthik 31, A. Gilchrist 28; M. Patel 5-21, L. Malinga 2-24) beat Mumbai Indians 87 in 12.5 overs (B. Bhatt 4-22, P. Kumar 2-19) by 76 runs.

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