England set for extra Windies and Pakistan matches

SOUTHAMPTON: England are in line to tag on two additional Twenty20 matches against the West Indies to the end of an already packed home season.They are also set to play additional one-day matches away to Pakistan, either in the United Arab Emirates or Sri Lanka, where they face the islanders in two Tests from March until early April next year.The extra West Indies games, which are set to follow home series against both Sri Lanka and India, come in a bid to fulfil broadcast obligations.The ECB face a problem honouring a deal with satellite station Sky, signed in 2008, that is worth some #260 million ($421 million).

That was intended to include a Stanford Super Series every November.

However, American businessman Allen Stanford was arrested and accused of being behind a $7 billion (#4.3 billion) fraud in 2009. He is now in jail and due to stand trial in New York on September 12.

Clarke also said the matches could help the financially ailing West Indies Cricket Board.
England Test captain Andrew Strauss, who has retired from limited overs internationals, said his team-mates would cope with the additional workload.

Meanwhile England also released a preliminary schedule for their off-season tour programme featuring three Tests against Pakistan and an unspecified number of one-day internationals, possibly as many as five, in January and February.

England are also due to travel to India in October to play the world champions in five one-day internationals and a Twenty20.

That would give England a combined nothern hemisphere winter schedule of five Tests, 10 one-dayers and a Twenty20.

Pakistan have not played a major international side at home since an armed attack on Sri Lanka's team bus in Lahore in March 2009 turned the country into a 'no-go' area for the world's top teams.

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Afridi to leave for London Wednesday

KARACHI: Former captain Pakistan cricket team Shahid Afridi will leave for London Wednesday to represent Hampshire in the English Twenty20 event, Geo News reported.He was earlier planned to leave on Tuesday but due to his father’s arrival from the US after treatment, his departure has been delayed. He will leave for London after meeting his father.Afridi will be representing Hampshire in Thursday match against Essex.

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Sangakkara ton helps Sri Lanka save final Test

SOUTHAMPTON: Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara's maiden Test hundred in England helped the tourists save the series finale at the Rose Bowl here on Monday.But a draw in the third and final Test gave England a 1-0 win in this three-match series after an innings and 14-run win in the first Test in Cardiff was followed by stalemate at Lord's.Rain, which robbed the first Test ever staged at the Rose Bowl of 155 overs on the first three days, had the final say when a downpour during the tea interval on the fifth day brought this match to a premature close.

Sri Lanka were 334 for five in their second innings in reply to England's first innings 377 for eight declared, a lead of 141, having lost just two wickets on the last day.

One of those was Sangakkara, out shortly before tea for 119 when the left-hander's square cut off James Anderson was caught by substitute Adam Rouse at backward point.

His exit ended a fifth-wicket stand of 141 with Thilan Samaraweera, who was left stranded on 87 not out.

Sangakkara had managed just 65 runs in five previous innings this series but, leading Sri Lanka in the absence of the injured Tillakaratne Dilshan, he showed his class with a 25th Test century.

Sri Lanka resumed on Monday on 112 for three, 81 runs behind, with Sangakkara 44 not out and nightwatchman Rangana Herath unbeaten on two, in overcast, seam bowler-friendly conditions.

But Sangakkara, who averages over 56 in Tests, cover-drove fast bowler Chris Tremlett for four in the first over of the day.

Anderson nearly had Herath out for five but first slip Andrew Strauss was distracted by Graeme Swann, moving across from second slip, and the England captain dropped the fast-travelling chance.

When first-change Stuart Broad came on, Herath, primarily a left-arm spinner, pulled him for a well-struck boundary. Broad later twice left the field with a bruised left heel.

Herath was eventually lbw on the backfoot to off-spinner Swann after missing a sweep for a gutsy 36.

Sri Lanka reached lunch on 226 for four, with Sangakkara 89 not out and Samaraweera 26 not out.

By that stage the 33-year-old Sangakkara, who resigned as Sri Lanka captain after their World Cup final defeat by India in Mumbai in April, had surpassed his previous Test-best in England of 66 at Trent Bridge five years ago.

England, though, were only one more over away from the new ball, which they took as soon as they could.

Sangakkara went into the 90s with a lucky four over the slips off Anderson before a comfortable single off Broad saw him to a hundred featuring 13 fours and spanning nearly five and a half hours after he came in at 25 for one.

England had built a strong position by bowling Sri Lanka out for just 184 in the tourists' first innings, with Tremlett, on the ground where he played for Hampshire before moving to Surrey last season, taking a Test-best six for 48.

Ian Bell's 119 not out -- his second century of the series following his unbeaten 103 in Cardiff -- helped give England a first innings lead of 193 and allowed Strauss to make an enterprising declaration.

England remained third in the ICC Test rankings -- they would have gone joint second if they'd won -- behind leaders India, their next Test opponents, and South Africa.

England and Sri Lanka now face each other in a Twenty20 match and five one-day internationals, starting with the Twenty20 contest in Bristol on Saturday, June 25.

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Bell ton puts England on top against Sri Lanka

SOUTHAMPTON: Ian Bell's second hundred in three matches guided England into a commanding position on the fourth day of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl here on Sunday.

Sri Lanka were 14 without loss in their second innings at tea on the fourth day, with Tharanga Paranavitana nine not out and Lahiru Thirimanne unbeaten on three on his Test debut.

The tourists were still 179 runs behind after England captain Andrew Strauss enterprisingly declared on 377 for eight, a lead of 193.

Bell finished on 119 not out -- the first Test hundred at the Rose Bowl -- following his unbeaten 103 in England's innings and 14-run first Test victory in Cardiff.

Together with Eoin Morgan, who made a breezy 71, he shared a sixth-wicket stand of 137 against a flagging Sri Lanka attack badly missing retired greats Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga, not to mention the injured Nuwan Pradeep.

England resumed Sunday on 195 for four, a lead of 11 that owed much to a fluent 85 from Kevin Pietersen, who had come in with England struggling at 14 for two.

Bell was 39 not out overnight and James Anderson unbeaten on nought.

Anderson drove the third ball of the day, from Thisara Perera, off the back foot through the covers for four and later repeated the stroke off the same bowler -- both shots worthy of any 'proper' batsman.

Anderson struck two successive cover-driven fours off Chanaka Welegedara but, next ball, he was caught behind off the same bowler for a sparkling 27, having helped Bell put on 45 for the fifth wicket.

Bell, 78 not out at lunch, pressed onto his 14th Test century.

Late cut and square cut boundaries off successive deliveries from left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara took the 29-year-old to 95.

Meanwhile left-hander Morgan cover-drove Welegedara for a fifth boundary to complete an 88-ball fifty and bring up a century stand with Bell.

And Bell went to his own hundred when he hooked a Suranga Lakmal bouncer for a single to get to a century in 159 balls with 12 fours.

Morgan, who had an lbw decision overturned on review on 58, got himself out when, trying to carve Lakmal through the offside, he got an edge and gave wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene his fourth catch of the innings.

England then lost a flurry of wickets chasing quick runs, with Matt Prior, who made a hundred in the drawn second Test at Lord's, out for nought.

Strauss, in a match where 155 overs have been lost to bad weather, called a halt in a bid to give his bowlers plenty of overs in which to dismiss Sri Lanka and claim a 2-0 series victory.

And they might have had an early breakthrough when left-hander Paranavitana gloved first innings hero Chris Tremlett down the legside, only for diving wicketkeeper Prior to drop the difficult one-handed catch.

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Bell tolls for Sri Lanka as England build lead

SOUTHAMPTON: Ian Bell guided England into a 107-run lead on the fourth day of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl here on Sunday.England were 291 for five in reply to Sri Lanka's first innings 184 at lunch on the fourth day, with Bell 78 not out and left-hander Eoin Morgan 26 not out.Their unbroken partnership was so far worth 55 after Bell and nightwatchman James Anderson, who made a sparkling 27 featuring five fours, added 45 for the fifth wicket in what was the first Test ever staged at the Rose Bowl.

England resumed on 195 for four, a lead of 11 runs, after Kevin Pietersen had shown something of his old form with a fluent 85 on Saturday.

Pietersen had come in with England struggling at 14 for two, following the early loss of captain Andrew Strauss and Jonathan Trott.

But Pietersen, together with opener Alastair Cook (55) put on 106 for the third wicket and then shared a stand of 71 with Bell for the fourth.

Bell was 39 not out overnight and Anderson unbeaten on nought.

In a match where 155 overs had already been lost to rain, England were keen for quick runs in a bid to force a victory that would give them a 2-0 series win after an innings and 14-run victory in the first Test in Cardiff was followed by the drawn second Test at Lord's.

Anderson drove the third ball of the day, from Thisara Perera, off the back foot through the covers for four.

Next ball Anderson, who bats left-handed but bowls right, gently steered Perera through the slip cordon for another four.

Later he followed up with another superb back-foot cover drive for four off Perera -- a shot worthy of any 'proper' batsman.

Bell then completed a 74-ball fifty with his eighth boundary, a deftly-timed late cut off seamer Suranga Lakmal.

Anderson struck two successive cover-driven boundaries off Welegedara but, next ball, he was caught behind off the left-arm paceman, who has repeatedly troubled England captain and opening batsman Andrew Strauss this series.

England were now 236 for five, a lead of 52 runs, but a Sri Lanka attack that has struggled throughout this series rarely looked like taking another wicket in the session.

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Pietersen puts England firmly in control

SOUTHAMPTON: Kevin Pietersen continued his return to form by hammering 85 but captain Andrew Strauss failed again as England took a firm grip on the third day of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

The home team, replying to Sri Lanka's 184, reached the close on 195 for four after yet another rain-affected day at the Rose Bowl.

Pietersen, who also made 75 in the second-test draw at Lord's, missed out on his 18th Test century when he fell just before stumps were drawn. Ian Bell was unbeaten on 39 and nightwatchman James Anderson nought not out.

Alastair Cook also made a record-equalling 55 but Strauss's weakness against left-armers showed up again when he fell for three to seamer Chanaka Welegedera.

Sri Lanka look as if they will struggle to claim the victory they need to draw the series after England won the first Test in Cardiff, with bad weather having ruined every day of the game in Southampton.

Strauss was dismissed by Welegedera for the third consecutive innings, edging to Tharanga Paranavitana at first slip.

The England captain, who has scored just one Test century in two years, angrily thumped the bat with his glove after his dismissal.

Strauss is not under pressure for his place but he should expect no respite, with left-armer Zaheer Khan expected to lead India's attack in the four-Test series starting next month.

Cook, who scored six centuries in his previous nine Tests, reached 50 for the sixth consecutive time to match the England record held by Ken Barrington (1963), Ted Dexter (1962) and Patsy Hendren (1930).

Left-hander Cook was third man out after a stand of 106 with Pietersen, edging Dilhara Fernando to gully with a rare loose shot outside off stump.

The in-form Jonathan Trott (4) also chased a wide ball from Suranga Lakmal who was bowling from around the wicket, leaving England perilously placed at 14 for two before Pietersen and Cook came together.

Pietersen was caught behind off Thisara Perera when it looked like he would go on to three figures.

Earlier, Sri Lanka resumed on 177 for nine and Stuart Broad took the last wicket by having Welegedera caught at short extra cover by Eoin Morgan for seven.

Fernando made a Test-best 39 not out.

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Rain stops play again in England-Sri Lanka Test

SOUTHAMPTON: England were 69 for two in reply to Sri Lanka's 184, a deficit of 115 runs, when rain stopped play on the third day of the third Test at the Rose Bowl here on Saturday.

Alastair Cook was 32 not out and Kevin Pietersen 27 not out after Saturday's fourth rain delay.

Some 120 overs were lost on the first two days of what was the first Test ever staged at the Rose Bowl.

England lead the three-match series 1-0.

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England lose two wkts for 54 against Sri Lanka’s 184

SOUTHAMPTON: England captain Andrew Strauss's problems against Sri Lanka's Chanaka Welegedara continued in the third and final Test at the Rose Bowl here on Saturday.
England were 54 for two in reply to Sri Lanka's first innings 184, a deficit of 130 runs, at lunch on the third day.
Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen were both 22 not out after England were reduced to 14 for two after the early exits of Strauss and Jonathan Trott.

Strauss managed just three runs before he opened the face against left-arm seamer Welegedara to a ball he could have left and gave a simple catch to Tharanga Paranavitana at first slip.

Strauss's exit was the third time in as many innings he'd been dismissed by Welegedara after twice falling lbw for four and nought in the drawn second Test at Lord's.

It left Strauss with just 27 runs for the series and meant the 34-year-old had scored just one hundred in his last 35 Test innings -- 110 in the drawn Ashes opener against Australia in Brisbane in November.

But Cook -- playing his 66th consecutive Test and so breaking the England record shared by Alan Knott and Ian Botham -- drove Welegedara off the back foot for a superb boundary.

Suranga Lakmal though had Trott out for just four after a ball angled across the right-hander took the outside edge on its way to wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

Pietersen got off the mark with a straight driven four off Lakmal and later used just the one hand in playing a similar shot for another boundary off the same bowler.

Although troubled by left-arm spinner Rangana Herath in this series, Pietersen went down the pitch to drive the first ball he faced from him for four in the last over before lunch.

Sri Lanka, 177 for nine overnight, added just seven more runs.

Welegedara was last man out, caught driving to Eoin Morgan at cover to give the wayward Stuart Broad his only wicket of the innings.

Dilhara Fernando was a Test-best 39 not out, runs that looked increasibly valuable as England struggled in reply.

England fast bowler Chris Tremlett, who until his move to Surrey last season played at the Rose Bowl for Hampshire, took a Test-best six for 48 in 20 overs.

England lead this series 1-0 after an innings and 14-run win in the first Test in Cardiff.

Victory here will see them go joint second in the ICC Test rankings alongside South Africa with only India, their next opponents, above them.

But England's prospects may be blighted by rain, which having wiped out 120 overs from the first two days of this match and delayed Saturday's start returned at lunchtime, as much as by Sri Lanka.

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Rain delays England-Sri Lanka third day

SOUTHAMPTON: Rain delayed the scheduled 11.00am (1000GMT) start of the third day's play in the third and final Test between England and Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl here on Saturday.

Early morning blue skies had offered hope of a prompt resumption, only for a shower shortly before 11:00am to keep the players in the changing rooms.

Sri Lanka, after losing the toss, were 177 for nine with Surrey fast bowler Chris Tremlett, who made his name at this ground playing for Hampshire, taking a Test-best six for 42.

This match, the first Test ever staged at the Rose Bowl, has been blighted by rain with only 61.2 overs out of the scheduled 180 being bowled in the first two days.

England lead the three-match series 1-0 after an innings and 14-run win in the first Test in Cardiff was followed by the drawn second Test at Lord's. (AFP)

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Tremlett's joy of six stifled at rainy Rose Bowl

SOUTHAMPTON: Chris Tremlett marked his return to the Rose Bowl with a Test-best haul to leave Sri Lanka on 177 for nine when rain forced an early close to the second day of the third and final Test here on Friday.
Fast bowler Tremlett took six for 42 in 18.2 overs, surpassing his five for 87 against Australia in Perth in December -- a match that marked his return to Test duty following a three-year absence since his debut in 2007.

The 29-year-old giant quick ripped through Sri Lanka's middle and lower order with four wickets for 16 runs in 32 balls here on Friday.

Nevertheless Sri Lanka's total represented a revival from the depths of 39 for four.

Dilhara Fernando was 33 not out and Chanaka Welegedara seven not out at stumps in a debut Test at the Rose Bowl that has been plagued by bad weather -- of the 180 overs scheduled for the first two days, only 61.2 have been bowled.

England bowling coach David Saker was delighted by Tremlett's analysis, which followed the 6ft 7in paceman's successful Ashes tour.

Tremlett, who made his name at the Rose Bowl with southern county Hampshire before moving to Surrey last season, had helped bowl England to an innings and 14-run first Test win in Cardiff before the drawn second Test at Lord's.

He'd already exploited the assistance offered by a green-tinged pitch to take two for 17 in 11 overs on Thursday before Thilan Samaraweera and Prasanna Jayawardene kept England at bay.

But, after rain meant no play before lunch Friday, Samaraweera could added seven to his overnight 24 before he was dismissed in Tremlett's first over of the day, caught in the gully by Kevin Pietersen to end a stand worth exactly fifty.

Tremlett then had Thisara Perera edging an intended pull to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Sri Lanka were now 91 for six, with Tremlett having taken two wickets for two runs in seven balls.

Tremlett had his five-wicket haul when Rangana Herath top-edged a pull to James Anderson at fine leg.

But Stuart Broad was unable to follow-up, the seam-bowling all-rounder too often harmlessly short.

Prasanna Jayawardene, who made a century in the first Test, repelled England's attack with several stylish shots on his way to 43.

But England captain Andrew Strauss saw his move in bringing on Graeme Swann
vindicated by just the off-spinner's second ball, which Prasanna Jayawardene slog-swept straight to Eoin Morgan at deep midwicket.

Prasanna Jayawardene, in for nearly three hours, helped Fernando add 41 for the eighth wicket -- runs that could yet prove valuable -- before Tremlett's first ball back saw Suranga Lakmal caught behind for a duck.

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Sri Lanka reeling at 177-9 before rain forces early tea

SOUTHAMPTON: Chris Tremlett marked his return to the Rose Bowl with a Test-best haul to leave Sri Lanka on 177 for nine when rain forced an early tea on the second day of the third and final Test.
Fast bowler Tremlett took six for 42, surpassing his five for 87 against Australia in Perth in December.

The 29-year-old giant quick ripped through Sri Lanka's middle and lower order with four wickets for 16 runs in 32 balls here on Friday.

Nevertheless Sri Lanka's total represented something of a revival from the depths of 39 for four.

Dilhara Fernando was 33 not out and Chanaka Welegedara seven not out when the players came off the field.

Tremlett, who made his name at the Rose Bowl with southern county Hampshire before moving to Surrey last season, had helped bowl England to an innings and 14-run first Test win in Cardiff before the drawn second Test at Lord's.

In this match, he'd already exploited the assistance offered by a green-tinged pitch to take two for 17 in 11 overs on Thursday before Thilan Samaraweera and Prasanna Jayawardene kept England at bay.

But, after rain meant no play before lunch on Friday, Samaraweera could only add seven to his overnight 24 before he was dismissed in Tremlett's first over of the day.

The 6ft 7in quick struck Samaraweera a painful blow on the glove with his second ball Friday and, four deliveries later, induced a loose drive straight to Kevin Pietersen in the gully to end a stand worth exactly fifty.

Tremlett then had recalled all-rounder Thisara Perera out edging an intended pull through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior.

Sri Lanka were now 91 for six, with Tremlett having taken two wickets for two runs in seven balls.

The one consolation for the tourists was they'd at least managed more runs than their record low Test score in Britain of 82 all out in Cardiff.

Tremlett though completed his five-wicket haul when Rangana Herath top-edged a pull to James Anderson at fine leg to leave Sri Lanka floundering at 117 for seven.

But, after Tremlett's spell of three for 18 in six overs, Stuart Broad was unable to follow-up, the seam-bowling all-rounder too often harmlessly short.

Prasanna Jayawardene, who made a century in the first Test, repelled England's attack with several stylish shots on his way to 43.

But England captain Andrew Strauss saw his move in bringing on Graeme Swann
vindicated by just the off-spinner's second ball, which Prasanna Jayawardene slog-swept straight to Eoin Morgan at deep midwicket.

Prasanna Jayawardene, in for nearly three hours, helped Fernando add 41 for the eighth wicket -- runs that could yet prove valuable -- before Tremlett's first ball back saw Suranga Lakmal caught behind for a duck.

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YEH HAI CRICKET PAKISTAN

                                                                       Presents
                                        YEH HAI CRICKET PAKISTAN

A² Studios Team

• Ahad
• Kandy422
• MattW
• Addy (Myself)

Special thanks to these guys, without their effort this patch would not have been possible.

Key Features Of the Patch

Index	Preview
Latest Kitsxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Teams Logos
Kit Accessories
Squads/Linups
Pitchad & Stumps
Outfield Side-Ads
Geo Super Overlay By MattW
Pakistan Outfields
6 Pakistan Stadiums (Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Islamabad & Sialkot)
Teams & Stadiums Replacement Info
DVD Cover

Quote:

7 Din, 31 Matches, 13 Teams, Waqar Mansoor Raza!

PASSWORD: A S Q U A R E
*with Caps lock ON!

I N S T A L L A T I O N :
Extract the RAR file which contains the Install programs. PATCH.exe contains the main portion of the patch, which must be installed in your EA Sports Cricket 2007 Folder usually located at "C:\Program Files\EA SPORTS\EA SPORTS(TM)"

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Zulqarnain to appear before PCB committee today

LAHORE: Pakistan's runaway wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider will appear before the disciplinary committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today (Friday), Geo News reported.

In a long awaited hearing Zulqarnain will try to convince the disciplinary committee that his decision to desert the national team in Dubai and flee to London, where he sought asylum, was justified as he was under threat from alleged match-fixers.

According to Zulqarnain, he received the threat during the series against South Africa last year in Dubai after which he left the hotel without informing the team management.

The wicket-keeper only returned to Pakistan in late April after getting assurances of security from interior minister, Rehman Malik.

The PCB, however, has told Zulqarnain to face disciplinary proceedings for violating his central contract.

He said the chairman of the Board, Ijaz Butt had also ignored attempts by Zulqarnain to seek a one-to-one meeting with him.

The board is also upset with Zulqarnain's latest claims in the media that some Pakistani players involved in spot-fixing.

Sources said the disciplinary committee is expected to record statements of some Pakistan players who were in the team that played against South Africa and manager, Intikhab Alam.

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Bravo, Sarwan lead Windies to win in lost series

KINGSTON: Darren Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan led the West Indies to a comfortable seven-wicket win over India in the final encounter of their five-match one-day international series on Thursday.

With India having already clinched the series by winning the first three games, West Indies were able to finish off with a second straight win which delighted a lively crowd at Sabina Park.

With former skipper Chris Gayle watching in the crowd in green-framed sunglasses, there was a relaxed mood for a game which meant little to India.

The Caribbean side had exactly the same sequence of results in their recent ODI series against Pakistan, with a pair of wins after the series was gone.

This time, though, they will take encouragement from the performances of batsmen Sarwan (75) and Bravo (86) as well as a bowler ahead of Monday's first test.

Andre Russell, who won acclaim for his hard-hitting batting in the last game in Antigua, continued to establish his credentials as a genuine all-rounder with an impressive spell of 4-35.

Virat Kohli's 94 off 104 balls, on a good batting track in the Jamaican capital, was the heart of the Indian innings including a 110-run partnership with Rohit Sharma (57).

But West Indies took the last seven wickets for just 62 runs as India failed to use all their alloted 50 overs and set a target which was always achievable on such a kind surface.

The hosts, though, have made a habit of struggling when chasing down targets and when they lost opener Lendl Simmons (6) early, trouble looked on the cards.

Sarwan then produced his best innings since returning to the team -- batting with intelligence and tidiness -- before he had to retire with cramp.

Bravo, whose promise has long been heralded, delivered his best score in international cricket -- the left-hander hitting three fours and six sixes.

West Indies needed to get a move on given they had left themselves 80 to get from the last 10 overs and when Bravo was stumped off Amit Mishra, leaving his foot right on the crease but with nothing grounded behind, nerves began to show.

Marlon Samuels (28 not out) and Kieron Pollard (24 not out) easily guided them home, however.

Samuels celebrated the winning runs by dashing to the stands to shake hands with fellow Jamaican and former skipper Gayle -- a move that might not win him appreciation in all quarters of the Caribbean.

Now the focus turns to the five-day game and West Indies, who have struggled against spin all through their home series against Pakistan and India, will now need to give great thought to their selection.

Gayle seemed happy enough in the 'party stand' with friends but it remains to be seen whether he watches the first test from that vantage point or if peace is finally made between him and the selectors.

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England uproot Sri Lanka top order

SOUTHAMPTON: Sri Lanka were reduced to 81 for four against England on a rain-marred first day of the third and final Test at the Rose Bowl here on Thursday.

Only 38 overs out of a scheduled 90 were possible on the opening day of what was the first Test ever staged at the home of southern county Hampshire.

But that was enough time for England, 1-0 up in this series, to rip through a top order lacking Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, out with a broken thumb suffered while making 193 in the drawn second Test at Lord's.

By contrast stand-in skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, the tourists' two most experienced batsmen, have yet to score a fifty this series and managed a mere six runs combined on Thursday.

James Anderson marked his comeback to England duty by taking two wickets, while the 6ft 7in Chris Tremlett, who troubled Sri Lanka with his pace and bounce, also struck twice on the ground where he made his name.

Anderson ended the day with a return of two for 24 runs in 16 overs while Tremlett, who until his move to Surrey last season played for Hampshire, had two for 17 in just 11.

Sri Lanka were in dire straits at 39 for four.

But Thilan Samaraweera (24 not out) and Prasanna Jayawardene (10 not out) prevented further collapse with an unbroken stand of 42.

"It was nice, I played here for a long time and it's been a couple of years since I've been back, so it was nice of the Hampshire fans to welcome me back," said Tremlett.

"I think as a whole we bowled pretty well. It was certainly an improvement on last week (at Lord's).

"It was impressive for Jimmy to come back in without any overs. The Twenty20 game he was going to play in got washed out but he hit his straps straightaway, so credit to him," Tremlett added.

Anderson, who missed Lord's with a side injury, was recalled in place of Steven Finn as England looked to build on a series lead secured by an innings and 14-run victory in the first Test in Cardiff.

England, after captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and fielded, saw Anderson strike in the 13th over.

Test debutant Lahiru Thirimanne, in for Dilshan, edged to Strauss at first slip and fell for 10.

Sri Lanka spent more than an hour on 23 for one because of a rain break.

But five balls after the resumption, that became 23 for two when opener Tharanga Paranavitana was lbw on the back foot to a full length swinging delivery from Tremlett.

Sangakkara is one of the world's leading batsmen, with an impressive Test average of more than 56 coming into this match.

But on Thursday he only made two before, trying to drive an Anderson delivery that cut away off the pitch, he was caught behind by Matt Prior.

It took Sangakkara's tally for the series to a meagre 65 runs at an average of 13.

Another lengthy rain break followed before, in late evening sunshine, Tremlett produced a lifting delivery that Mahela Jayawardene could only edge to wicketkeeper Prior to leave Sri Lanka 39 for four.

"Sangakkara will be pretty unhappy seeing the replay of the shot he played.

"Tharanga lost it half-way down the track; the debutant (Thirimanne) got a good ball, and Mahela got a beauty," said Sri Lanka batting coach Marvan Atapattu.

The former Test opener also offered an implied rebuke to Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene for arriving late on tour following stints in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League.

"People coming from 50-over and then 20-over versions doesn't really help... You're in a country where your technique is going to be tested.

"It doesn't happen overnight; you need some time. This is why players need to get to a place like England, play a few practice games, get runs and get into Test level." (AFP)

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India dismissed for 251 against West Indies

 KINGSTON: India failed to build on 94 from Virat Kohli and 57 from Rohit Sharma, and were dismissed for 251 in 47.3 overs in the final one-day international against West Indies here on Thursday.

Kohli struck 10 boundaries from 104 balls, and Sharma hit two fours and one six from 72 deliveries in a 110-run stand for the second wicket, propping up the Indians after they were sent in to bat on a hard, bouncy Sabina Park pitch, and stumbled to 79 for three in the 17th over.

When Kohli was run out in the 36th over, failing to beat Ramnaresh Sarwan's throw to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh Jr going for a second run, the visitors batting collapsed under mean, purposeful West Indies bowling.

The world champions lost their last seven wickets for 62 in the space of 70 deliveries, as Andre Russell, playing an international match for West Indies on home soil for the first time, captured four for 35 from 8.3 overs.

Yusuf Pathan threatened to turn the tide for India, but Russell had him caught behind for 30 in the 46th over at the height of the carnage.

Kieron Pollard took two for 39 from eight overs, and Kemar Roach two for 52 from his allotment of 10 overs to support Russell in the demolition of the Indian batting.

West Indies made one change to their line-up for the match, with opener Adrian Barath making his return, following a five-month injury lay-off, nursing a damaged hamstring.

The Indians made two changes - Subramanian Badrinath and Praveen Kumar are not playing, so Shikhar Dhawan returns after missing the previous match, and Vinay Kumar plays his first match on the tour.

The visitors were looking to sign-off the ODI series with a resounding victory, after they stumbled in the fourth ODI two days ago, losing by 103 runs at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.

The world champions still hold an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the series, after victories in the first three matches.

But they will want to finish strongly, bringing West Indies back down to earth, particularly with a three-Test series immediately following.

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Sri Lanka slump against England on rain-marred 1st day

SOUTHAMPTON: England made Sri Lanka collapse to 29 for three at tea on the first day of the rain-marred third Test at the Rose Bowl here on Thursday.

James Anderson marked his comeback to England duty by taking two wickets, while Chris Tremlett struck on the ground where he made his name with southern county Hampshire.

Mahela Jayawardene was three not out and Thilan Samaraweera nought not out in the first Test ever played at the ground.

In the five overs possible between lunch and tea, England took two wickets for six runs.

Anderson's figures stood at two for 12 in nine overs, while Tremlett had an analysis of one for five in five.

Lancashire swing bowler Anderson, who missed the drawn second Test at Lord's with a side injury, was recalled in place of Steven Finn as England looked to build on a 1-0 series lead secured by an innings and 14-run victory in the first Test in Cardiff.

After England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and fielded, Anderson struck in the 13th over.

Test debutant Lahiru Thirimanne, in for injured Sri Lanka skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had his thumb broken by Tremlett while making 193 at Lord's, edged a drive through to Strauss at first slip and fell for 10.

Two balls later, the rain that had delayed the start by more than an hour returned and forced an early lunch with Sri Lanka 23 for one.

And five balls after an 81-minute rain break, 23 for one became 23 for two when Tharanga Paranavitana was lbw on the back foot to a full length swinging delivery from Tremlett.

Sangakkara, the third left-hander in Sri Lanka's top three, had to be persuaded to lead the side in Dilshan's absence after resigning the captaincy following the team's World Cup final defeat by India in Mumbai in April.

One of the world's leading batsmen, with an impressive Test average of more than 56 coming into this match, Sangakkara has often struggled in England.

And on Thursday he only made two before, trying to drive an Anderson delivery that cut away off the pitch, he was caught behind by Matt Prior.

It took Sangakkara's tally for the series to a meagre 65 runs at an average of 13.

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West Indies win toss, field against India in final ODI

KINGSTON, Jamaica: West Indies captain Darren Sammy won the toss and elected to field against India in the final One-day International on Thursday at Sabina Park here.

West Indies have made one change, with opener Adrian Barath making his return to the line-up, following a five-month injury lay-off, nursing a damaged hamstring.

The Indians have made two changes - Subramanian Badrinath and Praveen Kumar are not playing, so Shikhar Dhawan returns after missing the previous match, and Vinay Kumar plays his first match on the tour.

The visitors will be looking to sign-off their ODI series with a resounding victory, after they stumbled in the fourth ODI two days ago, losing by 103 runs at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua.

The world champions still hold an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the series, after victories in the first three matches, but they will want to finish strongly, bringing West Indies back down to earth, particularly with a three-Test series immediately following.

Teams:
West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath, 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), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Manoj Tiwary, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Vinay Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma

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

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PCB restores Afridi permission to play abroad

Updated at: 1918 PST,  Thursday, June 16, 2011
LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board reinstated a no-objection certificate Thursday, clearing former captain Shahid Afridi to join Hampshire in England's Twenty20 tournament, a disciplinary committee said.The committee unanimously decided to fine him 4.5 million rupees ($53,000) for various breaches of the code of conduct," Pakistan Cricket Board legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi announced on behalf of the committee.The committee also recommended his NOCs to play abroad be restored, which the Pakistan Cricket Board has endorsed," said Rizvi.

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England win toss, put Sri Lanka into bat in final Test

SOUTHAMPTON, England: England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to field against Sri Lanka in the rain-delayed third and final Test at the Rose Bowl here on Thursday.

England, 1-0 up in this series, made one change from the side that drew the second Test at Lord's.

Ashes spearhead James Anderson, who missed that match with a side injury, replaced fast bowler Steven Finn.

Sri Lanka were without captain and opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan who had his thumb broken by fast bowler Chris Tremlett while making 193 at Lord's.

Kumar Sangakkara, his immediate predecessor as captain, took over the leadership of the side.

Meanwhile Dilshan's place in the side was taken by Test debutant opener Lahiru Thirimanne who, like Sangakkara, made a hundred in last week's drawn warm-up match against Essex.

Sri Lanka also recalled seamer Thisara Perera in place of the struggling Farveez Maharoof.

Rain delayed the start by 75 minutes.

This match marked the debut as a Test ground of the Rose Bowl, the home of southern county Hampshire, which became the 10th venue in Britain to stage a Test match.

England owe their lead in this series to an innings and 14-run win in the first Test in Cardiff.

Victory in this match would see England go joint-second in the ICC Test rankings, alongside South Africa, with only India, their next opponents this English season, above them.

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Afridi to appear before disciplinary committee today

KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricket captain Shahid Afridi is all set to receive a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the country’s cricket board after appearing before the disciplinary committee Thursday.

After getting the NOC, Afridi will be able to play in an ongoing English Twenty20 event as the all-rounder withdrew his petition against the board from the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday.

The development took place within less than 24 hours of Afridi and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt meeting in Islamabad on Tuesday under the gaze of senior government officials.

On Wednesday, the PCB summoned Afridi for a hearing at its headquarters in Lahore today.

“PCB has been informed by Shahid Khan Afridi that the constitutional petition filed by him before the Sindh High Court has today been dismissed as withdrawn,” said a PCB media release.

“Therefore, in continuation of the proceduere that had been postponed as per court orders, PCB has directed Shahid Afrdito to appear in person before the Diciplinary Committee of PCB on 16 June,” it concluded.

Afridi said he had taken the initiative.

“I have withdrawn my petition filed before the High Court of Sindh at Karachi against Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a first step to resolving the matter,” Afridi said in a statement.

“As a true sportsman and cricketer, I believe that for the future progress, advancement and success of cricket in Pakistan it is necessary to strengthen PCB as an institution,” Afridi said.

“I have all the zeal and energy to play cricket for the nation for many years to come. I will be appearing before the disciplinary committee tomorrow, inshallah (God willing).”

According to sources, during the meeting Butt agreed to reissue an NOC to Afridi to play professional cricket abroad provided the all-rounder withdrew his court case against the Board. Both parties agreed on a compromise after which Afridi withdrew his petition on Wednesday.

Sources said the player will now appear before a PCB disciplinary committee later this week. “The committee will recommend that the Board should reissue Afridi an NOC to play in England. It might also penalize the former captain but the punishment won’t be strict as was expected before the Afridi-Butt meeting,” said the source.

Sources close to Afridi said the star cricketer will leave for London later this week to represent Hampshire in the English Twenty20 event — Friends Pro-t20.

“We have withdrawn the petition and after this Afridi will appear before the disciplinary committee likely on Thursday,” Afridi’s lawyer Mehmood Mandviwala told reporters outside the SHC.

“We didn’t want to go to court but were forced. Now I hope Afridi will get the NOC (no-objection certificate) and will be able to play in England and Sri Lanka,” he added.

The PCB revoked Afridi’s permission to play abroad, preventing him from appearing in the ongoing Twenty20 league in England and threatening his participation in next month’s inaugural Sri Lankan Premier League.

The stand-off began last month after Afridi accused coach Waqar Younis of undue meddling in team selection during the one-day series against the West Indies, which Pakistan won by 3-2.

The PCB removed him as one-day captain and in protest, Afridi announced his retirement from international cricket and accused PCB officials, including Butt, of mishandling his case.

The PCB said Afridi had violated the players’ code of conduct. It suspended his central contract and revoked his NOC. Afridi then went to court last week.

Afridi’s lawyer said the star would appear before a PCB disciplinary committee when a new date is set. A spokesman said the PCB would wait for the court to formerly order out the petition before deciding on a future course of action.

Meanwhile, Hampshire are still awaiting confirmation that star signing Shahid Afridi is free to play in their Friends Life t20 title defence.

“We haven’t received any notification from the PCB yet,” said a Hampshire spokesman.

“We are aware as a club that there have been discussions between Afridi and the PCB but we were not privy to those.

“We are very hopeful that the rumours are true that he has been granted a No Objection Certificate, but at the moment we have to wait on confirmation from the PCB.”

“If we get confirmation that the NOC has come through then we will get Shahid on a plane immediately.

“Having spoken to Shahid last time he was here I’m under no illusions that he is raring to get back to Hampshire to play.”

Afridi has already missed Hampshire’s opening six games of the Twenty20 tournament and the Royals expect him to at least miss Friday’s visit to Glamorgan, meaning an earliest possible return will come against Essex next Thursday.

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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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