Pakistan Team Announced for Zimbabwe Tour

S#	Districts
1	Muhammad Hafeez
2	Taufeeq Umar
3	Imran Farhat
4	Azhar Ali
5	Younas khan
6	Misbah ul Haq     Captain
7	Asad Shafiq
8	Umar Akmal
9	Rameez Raja
10	Adnan Akmal       WK
11	Saeed Ajmal
12	Yasir Shah
13	Sohail Tanvir
14	Sohail Khan
15	Junaid Khan
16	Aizaz Cheema
Standbys
1	Sarfraz Ahmad     WK
2	Khurram Manzoor
3	Sharjeel Khan
4	Muhammad Talha
5	Hammad Azam
6	Shoaib Malik   ( Subject to clearance from integrity Committee PCB)

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PCB announces Five Provincial Academies for Under-19 players

Lahore July 20, 2011: PCB announces Five Provincial Academies for Under-19 players to be held in Abbottabad, Islamabad, Multan, Hyderabad and Karachi. A four-week U-19 Provincial Academies programme will start from 25th July – 20th August 2011 under Game Development Department at 5 different venues. Following are the venues of these academies with their respective regions:

	U-19 Players Regions	Academy Venue
1	Abbottabad, Sialkot & Peshawar	Abbottabad Cricket Ground
2	Islamabad & Rawalpindi	Diamond Cricket Ground
3	Lahore & Faisalabad	Multan Stadium, Multan
4	Hyderabad & Multan	Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad
5	Karachi & Quetta	National Stadium, Karachi

The players have been selected by National Selection Committee in consultation with Director Game Development and Regional Association Heads to undergo the above mentioned Provincial Academy Program:
The Names are as follows:

	Regions	Academy Venue
Kamran, Rana Waseem, S. Samiur Rehman, Hasnain Khalid, Khushdil Shah, Khalid Kail, Riazul Amin, Kamran, Fawad Anjum, Ehtisham Sultan, Safiullah, Usman Shinwari, Babar Bakhtiar	Abbottabad	Abbottabad Cricket Ground, Abbottabad
Mohammad Imran, Salman Shinwari, Ubaidullah Ibrahim, Musa Khan, Aimal Khan, Mehran Ibrahim, Jalal Bukhari, Mattiullah Abubakar Butt, Adnan	Peshawar
Mohammad Imran, Salman Shinwari, Ubaidullah Ibrahim, Musa Khan, Aimal Khan, Mehran Ibrahim, Jalal Bukhari, Mattiullah Abubakar Butt, Adnan Sikhu, Luqman Butt, Mukhtar Ahmad, Adeel Malik, Fayyaz Butt, Mohammad Azhar	Sialkot
Abdul Wasay, Ali Nadeem, Sarmad Bhatti, Wajid Ali, Abdul Wajid, Junaid Ashraf, Sohail Ahmad, Adeel Irshad, Shahid Ilyas, Naqqash Basharat	Islamabad	Diamond Cricket Ground, Islamabad
Adnan Mehmood, Mohammand Nawaz, Tayyab Riaz, Umair Azam, Umer Waheed, Kaleem Sana, Mohammad Atlas, Tayyab Abbas, Shujah Haider, Talha Qureshi	Rawalpindi
Babar Azam, Hussain Talat, Junaid Ali, Sami Aslam, Umar Siddiq, Abdul Matin, Asfand Mehran, Salman Ali, Usman Qadir, Zafar Gohar, Mohammad Waheed, Shoaib Akram, Waad ur Rehman, Rohail Ali, Ali Mustafa	Lahore	Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan
Moazzam Hayat, Mohammad Zubair, Waqas Ahmad, Waqas Wasif, Zeeshanullah, Munir Ahmed, Mohammad Farman, Hamad Faisal	Faisalabad
Mir Darya Khan, Usman Ali, Sarang Bhutto, Haaris Khaanzada, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammad Raheel, Babar Khan, Mohammad Javed, Riaz Ahmad, Mohammad Yousaf, Nazeer, Usama, Zafar, Moizul Haq, Iqrar Ali, Mohsin Khan	Hyderabad	Niaz Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
Ahad Raza, Zain Abbas, Mohammad Rameez, Maqbool Ahmad, Shahzad Ali, Ali Raza, Mustansar Hussain, Kumail Abbas	Multan
Ahmer Bin Nasir, Ahsan Ali, Faizan Khan, Faraz Ali, Junaid Ali, Faisal Tahir, Fawad Khan, Wasim Akhtar, Arif Khan, Abdullah Shah, Daniyal Mansoor, Israr ul Haq, Saad Ali, Wasim Ahmad, Maroof Aziz, Mir Hamza, Qamar Iqbal, Imran Dad Khan	Karachi	National Cricket Stadium, Karachi
Abdul Rehman, Abid Ali, Ahmed Shah, Naushad Irshad, Sharafuddin, Shabbir Ali	Quetta

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England lose two early wickets after put into bat by India

NOTTINGHAM: India removed Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott cheaply as England reached lunch on 69 for two on the first day of the second test at Trent Bridge on Friday Captain Andrew Strauss was 29 not out and Kevin Pietersen unbeaten on 26 after runs were difficult to find in cloudy conditions which often produced prodigious swing. Cook was lbw to Ishant Sharma for two, though television replays suggested the ball may have gone over the stumps, while Trott was caught for four at second slip in Shanthakumaran Sreesanth's first over. England, who lead the four-match encounter 1-0 after winning the first test at Lord's, are seeking a sixth straight series victory. Strauss, on two, survived an appeal for lbw by Praveen Kumar when replays showed the ball may have pitched just outside leg stump. Pietersen injected some urgency, getting off the mark with a quick single off his first ball and later pulling Sreesanth through mid-wicket from two consecutive deliveries. hen he was on 17, Pietersen was fortunate as he played across a straight ball from Kumar. He was hit on the pads and received the benefit of the doubt from South African umpire Marais Erasmus. At the end of the over an angry Kumar remonstrated with Erasmus and had to be dragged away by team mate Harbhajan Singh.Kumar could receive a caution from the match referee for his conduct.

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India win toss, put England into bat in 2nd Test

NOTTINGHAM: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field against England in the second Test at Trent Bridge here on Friday.England, 1-0 up in the four-match series, made one change to the side that won the first Test by 196 runs at Lord's on Monday.Yorkshire seamer Tim Bresnan replaced fast bowler Chris Tremlett, who was ruled out with a hamstring problem.This is Bresnan's eighth Test match and first since he featured in the climax of England's 3-1 Ashes series win against Australia in Sydney in January.That meant there was no place in the side for fast bowler Steven Finn after the Middlesex paceman received a late call-up into the squad Thursday.India were forced into making two changes.Fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth came in for left-arm quick Zaheer Khan, who had not recovered after breaking down early at Lord's with a hamstring problem.India also had to rejig their batting order after opener Gautam Gambhir, hit on the elbow fielding at short leg at Lord's, was deemed unfit.Yuvraj Singh took his place with Rahul Dravid, as he did in the second innings at Lord's, set to open the innings alongside Abhinav Mukund.India's Sachin Tendulkar came into this match still needing one more century to become the first batsman to score a hundred international hundreds after making 34 and 12 at Lord's.Tendulkar's 51 hundreds in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals are both world records. England will replace India at the top of the ICC's World Test Championship if they win this series by 2-0 or better.TeamsEngland: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wk), Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson India: Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Venkatsai Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wk), Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma Umpires: Asad Rauf (PAK) and Marais Erasmus (SA), TV umpire: Billy Bowden (NZ)Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle  SL

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India will come back harder, says Strauss

England captain Andrew Strauss is aware that India tend to come back harder after a loss, and said they cannot take the visitors for granted in the second Test beginning here Friday.India won here at Trent Bridge four years ago to secure a series win, and Strauss is wary of another repeat like that.They are going to come back harder at us. Their records speak for itself.. We nearly missed out on a win at Lord's four years ago and they beat us convincingly here,' said Strauss on the eve of the second Test.'They would try to prove to the world they are better than they were last week, and I am sure they would be. Four years ago, India never let us come back in the match here. They batted exceptionally well and showed a competitive spirit. They showed they were not in England to make numbers. We have learnt our lessons.'England posted a 196-run victory at Lord's in the first Test, courtesy an outstanding bowling performance. Strauss said maintaining pressure with the ball will be crucial to their chances in this match as well.'The key is to bowl accurate and if there is something in the wicket, then to bowl them out cheaply. If there is no help, we will look to contain the batsmen. Batsmen score freely when bowlers don't bowl well. If batsmen want to break the shackles, they need to take risks.'On the fitness of speedster Chris Tremlett, Strauss said: 'He (Tremlett) has a hamstring niggle but he should be fine. We would wait till early tomorrow morning for his availability.'Bresnan hasn't let anyone down. He was outstanding in Australia and he is getting better and better. In a way, he is very unfortunate not to be playing. I am sure he will do a good job if Tremlett is not able to recovers in time.England were in serious trouble in second innings with their top five batsmen departing for 62 runs. Strauss called on his team to be more consistent in the remaining matches.'Getting to that situation wasn't ideal. We let India come back in the match and dropped a few catches at crucial junctures. This is something we must change,' Strauss said.'However, we are well prepared for another good performance. We did it in Australia and have been doing that in the last 18 months.

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James Anderson lauds England's performance at Lord's

England pace spearhead James Anderson says on this week's ICC Cricket World audio show that his team's confidence to bowl India out in the first Test at Lord's was the key for the 196-run win in the 2000th Test in history.Anderson, who picked up 5 for 65 in the second innings to script England's win in the Lord's Test, was thrilled with the perfect team performance."It was a great game for us. KP getting a double hundred, Matt Prior getting a hundred. It was a matter of patience for us in an attempt to get ten wickets. We had confidence that we could bowl them out. They have fantastic batters, a world class line-up who could quite easily bat through the day. That's why the patience was key," says Anderson.England's pace bowling group was in top shape in the first Test with Stuart Broad and Chris Tremlett complementing Anderson's effort very well."We discuss all the time on where to bowl to which batsmen. Those two (Broad and Tremlett) speak a lot among each other because they are a lot different to me. Graeme Swann was fantastic as well," recounts Anderson.The performance in the first Test at Lord's helped Anderson leapfrog to second position on the Reliance ICC Rankings for Test bowlers. Despite his match-winning performance in the first Test, Anderson is careful not to underestimate India's ability to bounce back."If you look at their team sheet, it is a daunting line-up. They had the misfortune of Zaheer Khan pulling up early on, but they will come back strong. But hopefully we can continue the good work in the next three games," says Anderson  Former India captain Ravi Shastri also shares his thoughts on the first Test at Lord's. Shastri believes that India was always behind in the Test once Zaheer Khan injured his hamstring on the first day.Once India lost Zaheer on first day it was difficult for India. England were very professional. James Anderson picked up five wickets and they did well overall," says Shastri.In Virender Sehwag's absence, Shastri believes it is important for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to play the role of an impact player."Dhoni tries to play differently in Test matches. His USP is in being an impact player. That's his great strength. He should continue playing that role much like (Adam) Gilchrist did for Australia. With Sehwag not being there, Dhoni needs to be that impact player down the order," says Shastri.Looking ahead to the second Test at Trent Bridge, Shastri opines that it is time for India to play fast-medium swing bowler Sreesanth."India needs to find a good replacement for Zaheer. It is risky to play Zaheer in the second Test. It has to be Munaf or Sreesanth. It swings a lot at Trent Bridge, so it might be Sreesanth who might come in there," says Shastri.Ireland's Under 19 captain George Dockrell looks back on his experience of playing in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Dockrell will be seen in action in the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup Qualifier which got underway on Thursday."It was brilliant to play on such a big stage against the top players and bowl to best batsmen in the world. It was a great experience and I learnt a lot from it. When we went into the World Cup, we knew that we could beat any side in the world," recalls Dockrell.

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England eye repeat as India sweat on Zaheer

England will look for more of the same against India in the second Test at Trent Bridge starting here on Friday. They thrashed the tourists by 196 runs on Monday, with James Anderson taking five for 65 in front of a full house at Lord's in the 2,000th Test of all-time.England, who will replace India at the top of the ICC's Test table if they win this four-match series 2-0 or better, had things pretty much their own way at Lord's, with Kevin Pietersen making a double century, Matt Prior a reviving second innings hundred and Stuart Broad returning to his best bowling form.And even when dropped catches or contentious lbw decisions, for which there are no reviews this series because of Indian objections to ball-tracking technology, went against England, it made little difference."We know we're playing really, really good cricket at the moment," said Anderson. "Everyone's chipping in -- and if we need someone to step up, generally someone is. We're trying to improve each day, as individuals and as a team. If we can do that, we know we can do great things.Anderson, often a beneficiary of the swing friendly conditions on offer at Trent Bridge, has dismissed Sachin Tendulkar six times in seven Tests, including lbw for 12 in the second innings at Lord's to leave the India great stranded on 99 international hundreds."When you get him out you know it's a key dismissal, so we know we've got to be on top of our game to do that," Anderson said. England had a huge break at Lord's when Zaheer Khan broke down early with a hamstring injury and then didn't bowl at all in the second innings. An India spokesman said Wednesday that Zaheer's fitness was "improving considerably".But if the left-arm quick, who four years ago at Trent Bridge took nine wickets in what turned out to be a series-clinching win, is ruled out, India will have to decide between erratic fast bowler Shanthakurman Sreesanth and the steadier Munaf Patel"Ishant (Sharma) has been doing really well -- he was the man of the series in the West Indies -- and Praveen Kumar has taken five wickets (at Lord's)," said India batsman Abhinav Mukund. "Sreesanth is waiting in the wings as well, so it's not that we have a depleted attack. It's just that when you lose a fast bowler during a game it's a completely different scenario.England have a doubt over fast bowler Chris Tremlett, unable to train on Wednesday because of a tight hamstring. If Tremlett is sidelined, fellow Ashes-winner Tim Bresnan will be recalled.Rahul Dravid was the only member of India's celebrated top order to make a century at Lord's but the likes of Tendulkar and Venkatsai Laxman will be keen to post a significant score.So too will 21-year-old left-hander Mukund, opening while Virender Sehwag recovers from a shoulder injury. Sehwag has an unrivalled ability to attack the new ball whereas Mukund, who made 49 and 12 at Lord's, is a far more orthodox opener."I don't want to replace Sehwag or play like he does, because it's not possible," Mukund said. "I just want to go out and play how I know. If it comes off it will help the team." And he insisted India were well-capable of demonstrating the resilience that had taken them to the summit of Test cricket during the rest of this series. "Being the world number one, the India team has conquered a lot of challenges on the way here. "We've come here to take up this challenge, and will definitely give it a good fight.

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Australia: Big Bash T20 League launched with captain announcement

Cricket Australia held a launching ceremony for its much hyped Twenty20 Big Bash League.Dance anthems blared, Mojito glasses clinked and complimentary KFC was in plentiful supply as Australian cricket grasped for a semblance of edginess at the launch of the Twenty20 Big Bash League.Held at Carriageworks, a venue in Sydney s inner west that is more synonymous with hip-hop festivals and art exhibitions, the event brought together a vast array of cricketers, sponsors, media and various other hangers-on.Amid the mess, noise and a humdrum DJ set by a minor Australian celebrity, Erin McNaught, there was room for pondering about what it all meant. Cricket Australia are relentlessly hopeful about building the game s audience and revenue streams.The all eight franchises unveiled their captains and uniforms for the new competition.The captains for each franchise are: Adelaide Strikers – Michael Klinger Brisbane Heat – James Hopes Hobart Hurricanes – Tim Paine Melbourne Renegades – Andrew McDonald Melbourne Stars - Cameron White Perth Scorchers – Marcus North Sydney Sixers – Brad Haddin Sydney Thunder – David Warne The inaugural competition will begin on December 16 with a clash between the Sydney Sixers and the Brisbane Heat at the SCG, which will almost certainly feature some batting pyrotechnics from boom Heat signing, former Australian opener Matthew Hayden.This is the first of 28 matches until the regular games finish on January 19 as the Melbourne Stars play the Adelaide Strikers at the MCG.Two games that will be highlights, however, will occur in early January as the competition lights up through two local derbies as the Stars and Renegades face off at the MCG on January 7 before the Sixers and Thunder play the following day at ANZ Stadium.The semi finals will take place on January 21 (first v fourth) and January 22 (second v third) before the very first KFC T20 Big Bash League final will occur on January 28.

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Zaheer Khan out of India team for second Test

NOTTINGHAM: Inida fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of today's second Test against England at Trent Bridge with a hamstring injury.Left-arm quick Zaheer broke down in the first Test at Lord's, which India lost by 196 runs, after taking two for 18 runs in 13.3 first innings overs and didn't bowl again in the match.The 32-year-old was instrumental in India's seven-wicket win in the corresponding Trent Bridge Test against England four years ago, taking nine for 134 runs in the match.Now his place is set to go to either fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth or seamer Munaf Patel.Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhoni, who refused to divulge the identity of Zaheer's replacement at Trent Bridge, said he hoped India's spearhead would be fit in time for the third Test, starting at Edgbaston on August 10.India also have a doubt over opening batsman Gautam Gambhir, who suffered an elbow injury when hit fielding at short leg at Lord's.If he were ruled out Rahul Dravid, as happened in the second innings at Lord's, would be promoted to open the innings with Yuvraj Singh in line to take Gambhir's place in the team.Meanwhile, Steven Finn has been called up to England's squad because of injury doubts over fellow pace bowler Chris Tremlett.Tremlett tested his hamstring 'niggle' for a second time in England's net session and captain Andrew Strauss is optimistic he will play

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South Africa’s Parnell converts to Islam

JOHANNESBURG: Wayne Parnell, the South Africa left-arm seamer, has announced that he has converted to Islam.Parnell confirmed in a statement on Thursday that he converted to Islamic faith in January this year and is considering to change his name to Waleed, which means 'Newborn Son'.Parnell confirmed that he will "continue to respect the team's endorsement of alcoholic beverages." South Africa's Test team is sponsored by Castle Lager, a local beer. Hashim Amla, also of Muslim faith, does not wear the beer logo on his playing kit after making a special arrangement with CSA because of his religious beliefs.Proteas team manager Mohamed Moosajee, himself a Muslim, said Parnell's Muslim teammates Hashim Amla and Imran Tahir had not influenced his decision to convert from Christianity.Supporting Moosajee's denial of influence by Amla, the players said he had never attempted to convert them to his religion, although they had all been very impressed by the discipline and strict adherence that Amla showed to his religion, by refusing to participate in celebrations with them that involved liquor, staying steadfast in his daily prayers even while on tour, and refusing to wear the kit sponsored by South African beer brand Castle Lager.

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Pak squad announced for Zimbabwe tour

LAHORE: Pakistani selectors Thursday announced a 16-man squad for next month's tour of Zimbabwe, where they play one Test, three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches.Misbah-ul-Haq will lead the squad in all three formats of the game.Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Rameez Raja Junior, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Yasir Shah, Sohail Tanveer, Sohail Khan, Junaid Khan, Aizaz Cheema.

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Flower bemoans lack of ICC ‘leadership’ on DRS

LONDON: England coach Andy Flower on Wednesday accused the International Cricket Council (ICC) of lacking leadership over its failure to issue clear rules about the use of the Decision Review System (DRS).Under existing rules, either side in a series can veto the use of the DRS to determine lbw decisions, something India has elected to do in its ongoing series against England, who defeated the tourists at Lord’s on Monday.However the lack of the DRS during the first Test has cast the spotlight on umpiring in the game, with Billy Bowden twice denying Stuart Broad plumb lbw decisions which would have snared Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina.Asked if he was concerned about the possibility of trouble in the remainder of the series Flower admitted: “Yes, I am actually. We almost saw it happen in this Test match.“It would have been wrong if the outcome of the game had been seriously affected by a couple of those decisions and it was quite right that, luckily, we did continue to create chances. It’s unsatisfactory the way it is, there is no doubt about that.” Flower pointed the finger at ICC chiefs for allowing the current situation to arise, where DRS is used in some Test series but not in others.

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PCB Selection Committee meeting tomorrow at Lahore

LAHORE: A meeting of the national selection committee will be held here tomorrow to discuss the names of players for the tour of Zimbabwe and central contract.Sources said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has called the meeting of the national selection committee in Lahore and it may be continued for two days.The names of the players for the tour of Zimbabwe will be finalized in the meeting.Some new players including Rameez Raja Junior and Sohail Khan, are likely to be included in the squad.As the central contracts of the players have expired on June 30, a new list of the players in this regard will be prepared in the meeting.The names will be announced after the list is approved by the chairman PCB.

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Trott and Anderson up to second in ICC rankings

LONDON: England's Jonathan Trott and James Anderson have risen to second place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test rankings respectively after their side's 196-run win over India at Lord's.Trott has climbed two places, above India's Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, to second spot in the batting rankings, after innings of 70 and 22 during the 2000th Test in history, which was also the opening game of a four-match series. Anderson's seven-wicket haul in the match, including his 11th five-wicket Test return of five for 65 in the second innings, saw him overtake team-mate Graeme Swann in the bowling rankings.Meanwhile, England fast bowler Chris Tremlett went into ninth place on the back of his four wickets at Lord's.India still have two bowlers in the top ten, with Zaheer Khan -- who suffered a hamstring injury at Lord's -- and Ishant Sharma lying in fifth and seventh place respectively.As well as Tendulkar, India have Venkatsai Laxman (seventh) and Virender Sehwag (tenth) in the batting top 10 although Sehwag was left hanging on to his place among the elite after missing the Lord's Test with a shoulder injury.Tendulkar, who needs one more century to become the first batsman to score a 100 international hundreds, dropped down to fourth place after scores of 34 and 12 at Lord's.The South Africa pair of Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn remained top of the batting and bowling rankings respectively

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PCB chairman refuses to speak to media

LAHORE: Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt arrived in the country after four weeks but refused to speak to the media upon his arrival, A large number of media personnel were present at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore to ask the PCB chairman questions about his foreign tour but when Ijaz Butt saw them, he changed his course and headed towards the parking lot. When members of the media followed him, Butt said he could not answer any questions because he is tired after travelling. Ijaz Butt was returning to the country after attending the ICC conference in Hong Kong and taking part in the ceremonies of the 2000th test match between England and India at Lords

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India face uphill task chasing 458 to beat England

LONDON: Rahul Dravid and Venkatsai Laxman held firm as India eyed a record-breaking chase in the first Test after Matt Prior's unbeaten century had swung the match back England's way at Lord's on Sunday.

India, at the close of the fourth day, were 80 for one in their second innings. They needed a further 378 runs in a minimum of 98 overs on Monday's final day to reach their victory target of 458 -- a run-rate of 3.85 an over.This is the 2,000th Test of all-time and no side has ever scored more in the fourth innings to win such a match than the West Indies' 418 for seven against Australia in Antigua in 2002/03.Dravid, who made an unbeaten century in India's first innings, was 34 not out, having opened in place of Gautam Gambhir who was injured fielding at short leg earlier in the day, and Laxman 32 not out at stumps.The two experienced batsmen's stand was so far worth 61.It didn't look as if India would have to make fourth innings history when Prior came in with England having collapsed to 62 for five.But the wicketkeeper stuck with his natural game and made 103 not out off 120 balls, including a six and five fours.It was Prior's sixth century in 44 Tests and second in as many at Lord's following his 126 against Sri Lanka last month.Stuart Broad, who'd led England's attack with four for 37 in India's first innings, gave Prior excellent support in an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 162 at nearly a run-a-ball as India's depleted attack toiled on a sunny day.Broad, who bats left-handed but bowls right, demonstrated his all-round ability with a fluent 74 not out off 90 balls including nine fours.Prior pulled Suresh Raina for six to go into the 90s before a cover-driven four off the part-time spinner took him to his third Test century at Lord's -- he also made 126 not out at the ground on debut against the West Indies in 2007.As soon as Prior got to his century, England captain Andrew Strauss declared on 269 for six and with 30 overs left in the day's play.Broad's joy continued when he struck third ball to bowl Abhinav Mukund for 12, the left-hander playing on to him for the second time in the match.India were again down to just three frontline bowlers as left-arm quick Zaheer Khan remained sidelined with a hamstring strain.Fellow seamer Ishant Sharma still rocked England with three wickets for one run in 16 balls before lunch on his way to four for 59 in 22 overs.Kevin Pietersen had made a superb 202 not out in England's first innings 474 for eight declared.But on Sunday he was out for one when he feathered a steepling Sharma delivery to India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.Five balls later Ian Bell fell in similar fashion for nought

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Sonakshi wishes Tendulkar for England test series

MUMBAI: Indian film star Sonakshi Sinha, while inaugurating a spa in Mumbai on Saturday, extended her best wishes to iconic cricketer Sachin Tendulkar for the ongoing test series against England.
Sachin Tendulkar has always been one of Sinha's favourite cricketers.
Talking about her upcoming film with Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan, the Dabangg beauty said she signed the film because she liked the script and was keen on working with the star.

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Prior rescues England after top-order batsmen fail

LONDON: Matt Prior's unbeaten fifty revived England's second innings after India fast bowler Ishant Sharma's inspired spell had thrown the first Test at Lord's wide open here on Sunday. England were 174 for six at tea on the fourth day, a lead of 362 runs, having collapsed to 62 for five when Prior came to the crease. But Prior was 55 not out at the interval with Stuart Broad, 36 not out, offering good support in a seventh-wicket partnership so far worth 67.India were reduced to just three frontline bowlers once again Sunday as left-arm quick Zaheer Khan remained off the field with the hamstring strain that had sidelined him for most of this match.Sharma, at tea, had taken four wickets for 41 runs in 18 overs -- but only one of those had come after lunch. No team has ever made more in the fourth innings to win a Test at Lord's than the 344 for one posted by the West Indies against England in 1984.England resumed Sunday on five without loss, a lead of 193 runs. But it was not long before the 2,000th Test of all-time was being turned on its head.Opener Alastair Cook took 27 balls for one run before he was caught behind by India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Praveen Kumar, who had taken a Test-best five for 106 in England's first innings.But the real slump started when England captain Andrew Strauss, trying to break the shackles, was lbw for 32 to off-spinner Harbhajan Singh after missing a sweep. His exit left England 54 for two and that soon became 55 for four thanks to Sharma's double-wicket maiden. Kevin Pietersen had made a superb 202 not out in England's first innings 474 for eight declared. But in ideal sunny batting conditions, the advancing Pietersen was undone by a steepling delivery from fast bowler Sharma he could only nick through to Dhoni and, five balls later, Ian Bell went in similar fashion for nought.Sharma then bowling Jonathan Trott for 22 with a good length ball that clipped off stump. Eoin Morgan, five not out at lunch, became Sharma's fourth victim when, on 19, he was late on a pull and Gautam Gambhir, diving forward at mid-wicket, held a low catch.Morgan stood his ground but with replays confirming he was out, it was the end of a stand with Prior worth 45 that had taken England to 107 for six. Prior's well-timed cover-drive for four off Sharma, however, extended England's lead beyond 300 and he went on to complete a 78-ball fifty.India, who spent all of Sunday's first two sessions without star batsman Sachin Tendulkar because of a viral infection, suffered another setback when Prior's pull off Harbhajan struck Gambhir, turning his back at short leg, on the elbow and forced the opening batsman off the field.

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England collapsed to 72-5 after taking 188-run 1st innings lead

LONDON: Ishant Sharma took three wickets, including two in one over, to give India hope of an improbable win against England in the first Test at Lord's here on Sunday.England, at lunch on the fourth day, had collapsed to 72 for five in their second innings 260 runs ahead after Sharma had taken three wickets for one runs in 16 balls on his way to a return of three for 15 in 13 overs.And with the highest fourth innings total to win a Test at Lord's, the 344 for one made by West Indies in 1984, England's lead was far from impregnable.England, five without loss overnight, found runs hard to come by early Sunday even though India were again missing fast bowler Zaheer Khan, off the field with the hamstring injury that had sidelined him for most of this match.Opener Alastair Cook took 27 balls for one run before he was caught behind by India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Praveen Kumar, who had taken a Test-best five for 106 in England's first innings.But the real slump started when England captain Andrew Strauss, trying to break the shackles, was lbw for 32 to off-spinner Harbhajan Singh after missing a sweep.His exit left England 54 for two and that soon became 55 for four thanks to Sharma's double-wicket maiden.Kevin Pietersen had made a superb 202 not out in England's first innings 474 for eight declared.But in ideal sunny batting conditions, the advancing Pietersen was undone by a steepling delivery from fast bowler Sharma he could only nick through to Dhoni and, five balls later, Ian Bell went in similar fashion for nought.Sharma wasn't finished, however, bowling Jonathan Trott for 22 with a good length ball that clipped off stump. Eoin Morgan and Matt Prior were both five not out at lunch as India, who will cede top spot in the ICC's Test Championship rankings to England if they lose this four-match series by two Tests, made clear their determination to stay number one.India suffered a setback before play began when Sachin Tendulkar was prevented from taking the field with a viral infection, a day after his latest bid to score his 100th international hundred ended with him being dismissed for just 34.However, India avoided the follow-on Saturday thanks to Rahul Dravid's unbeaten 103 his first Test hundred at Lord's coming 15 years after he scored 95 at the ground on his Test debut.His innings also took Dravid past Australia's Ricky Ponting and into second place behind Tendulkar in the all-time list of Test run-scorers

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Tendulkar off field with viral infection

LONDON: India great Sachin Tendulkar was off the field at the start of the fourth day's play in the first Test against England at Lord's here on Sunday with a viral infection.An India statement issued Sunday said: "Mr Sachin Tendulkar has a viral infection and is resting under medical advice and would take the field later in the day after further medical assessment."His absence meant India were missing two key players Sunday with strike bowler Zaheer Khan also off the field because of the hamstring strain that had sidelined him for most of England's first innings. Tendulkar, one of cricket's greatest batsmen, was out for 34 on Saturday as his latest bid to score his 100th international hundred ended in disappointment as England maintained their grip on the opening match of a four-Test series.The 38-year-old had played some trademark classic shots before he was caught at second slip by Graeme Swann off Stuart Broad, who led England's attack with four wickets for 37 runs.India were bowled out for 286, featuring Rahul Dravid's unbeaten 103, in reply to England's first innings 474 for eight declared a deficit of 188.England resumed on five without loss in their second innings -- an overall lead of 193 runs.

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India slump to 193-5 against England

LONDON: Sachin Tendulkar failed to score his 100th international hundred at Lord's here on Saturday and his exit sparked an India slump as England seized control of the first Test.India, at tea on the third day, were 193 for five in reply to England's first innings 474 for eight declared a deficit of 281 runs and still 82 shy of avoiding the follow-on.Stuart Broad led England's attack with three for 28 in 14 overs, removing Tendulkar for 34 after dismissing India left-handed openers Gautam Gambhir and Abhinav Mukund before lunch.Rahul Dravid was 59 not out at tea, with India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni unbeaten on four.England, who will replace India at the top of the ICC's Test Championship table if they win this four-match series by two Tests, struggled as Dravid and Tendulkar, India's two most experienced batsmen, compiled a third-wicket stand of 81.But from 158 for two, India lost three wickets for 25 runs.The 38-year-old Tendulkar was given the unusual honour of a standing ovation by a capacity 28,500 crowd as he walked out to bat in what could be his last Test at Lord's, with India 77 for two.He had been rested from India's recent tour of the West Indies and spent much of the intervening time practising at Lord's, where his top score in seven previous Test innings was a mere 37. Tendulkar's first boundary, a backfoot puched cover-drive off fast bowler Chris Tremlett, was a classic. This was the 2,000th Test and the 100th between England and India and many fans had come hoping to witness a 'fairytale' century from Tendulkar.But it was not to be when a 58-ball innings featuring six fours ended when Tendulkar could only edge a good length ball from Broad low to Graeme Swann at second slip.Broad might have dismissed all the trio of Tendulkar, Dravid and Venkatsai Laxman -- who have 99 Test hundreds between them but for dropped catches.Laxman was on nought when England captain Andrew Strauss put down a sitter at first slip and the same over saw Swann, diving to his right, fail to hold a much more difficult catch with Dravid then on 42. Dravid went on to complete a 98-ball fifty featuring 10 fours.But Laxman, fortunately for England, fell for 10 when he timed a flick off Tremlett so well that the ball flew straight to Jonathan Trott at long leg.And 182 for four became 183 for five when Suresh Raina was lbw for nought to off-spinner Graeme Swann.Indian objections mean there are no reviews of lbw decisions this series but even a replay might not have saved Raina. Kevin Pietersen's superb 202 not out was the cornerstone of England's total after they lost the toss, with India medium-pacer Praveen Kumar taking a Test-best five for 106.

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Tendulkar fails to make ton of tons in 2000th Test

LONDON: Sachin Tendulkar's latest bid to become the first batsman to score 100 international hundreds ended in failure when he was dismissed for 34 in the first Test against England at Lord's here on Saturday.The 38-year-old Tendulkar came into this match having scored 51 Test centuries and 48 in one-day internationals both records. He had looked in good touch while stroking six fours before fast bowler Stuart Broad, who has taken all three India first innings wickets to fall so far, produced a good length delivery that Tendulkar could only edge low to Graeme Swann at second slip.Tendulkar's exit continued his mediocre Test record at Lord's where his highest score in what is eight innings remains 37. His dismissal on Saturday left India 158 for three 316 runs behind England's first innings 474 for eight declared in what was the opening match of a four-Test series.

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India fight back after Broad double

LONDON: Sachin Tendulkar's bid to score his 100th international century here on Saturday remained intact after England seamer Stuart Broad starred on the third day of the first Test at Lord's.India, at lunch, were 102 for two in reply to England's first innings 474 for eight declared, a deficit of 372 and still needing a further 173 runs to avoid the follow-on.Rahul Dravid was 15 not out and Tendulkar, who came to the crease having already scored a record 51 Test centuries and 48 in one-day internationals, unbeaten on 10. Broad, the pick of an otherwise wayward England attack, was rewarded for a full length with the wickets of openers Gautam Gambhir (15) and Abhinav Mukund (49) during a spell of two for 25 in eight overs. Mukund, playing in place of the injured Virender Sehwag, and fellow left-hander Gambhir had survived a tricky half hour late Friday after England captain Andrew Strauss declared.There was a nasty moment early on Saturday for Mukund, in only his fourth Test, when he missed a hook off a Chris Tremlett bouncer and was hit on the side of the helmet.He then nervously edged swing bowler James Anderson through gully.But it was Broad who made the breakthrough when he bowled Gambhir between bat and pad with a full swinging delivery to leave India 63 for one.Mukund though straight-drove Broad to move to within four of a fifty.But one run shy of what would have been his second Test half century, the 21-year-old Mukund played on attempting an extravagant shot to end nearly two hours' of game resistance.Tendulkar, who made his Test debut before Mukund was born, walked out to a standing ovation from a capacity 28,500 crowd.He had been rested from India's recent tour of the West Indies and spent much of the intervening time practising at Lord's, where his Test-best score is a meagre 37.Tendulkar looked in a good touch Saturday with his only boundary so far, a backfoot pushed cover-drive off Tremlett, a classic. Kevin Pietersen's superb 202 not out was the cornerstone of England's total after they lost the toss. India medium-pacer Praveen Kumar took a Test-best haul of five for 106 in the absence of strike bowler Zaheer Khan, off the field for most of the innings with a hamstring strain.

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Pietersen strikes double hundred in 2000th Test

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen struck the India bowlers to all parts of Lord's on Friday during a majestic unbeaten innings of 202 on a sun-dappled second day of the first Test.Pietersen unfurled a series of glorious drives at the spiritual home of world cricket before an appreciative capacity crowd attending the 2,000th Test match and the 100th between the two countries. He smacked 21 boundaries and a six in more than eight hours at the crease to complete his third test double century and take England to 474 for eight declared. India survived the final half hour to reach 17 for no wicket at the close and set the stage for Saturday's showpiece day and Sachin Tendulkar, who needs one more century to become the first man to complete 100 international hundreds.India, reduced to three specialist bowlers in the absence of Zaheer Khan who was off the field all day due to a hamstring strain, had their own hero in the lion-hearted Praveen Kumar who took five for 106 from 40.3 overs. Moving the ball disconcertingly through the air at times at no more than medium pace with a low-slung action from an economical run-up, Kumar deservedly won a place on the Lord's honours board in only his fourth test.His performance was all the more creditable as conditions were in favour of the batsmen with the sun shining, the pitch full of runs and little in the way of support

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Kenya names squad named for UAE I Cup and One Day Matches

Cricket Kenya has named a 14 man squad to play in the One Day fixtures and ICC Intercontinental Cup match against United Arab Emirates at Nairobi Gymkhana from 25th July. Chairman of Selectors Alpesh Vader said: 'This is a new look squad with some players being offered the opportunity to show what they can do at this level. The fact that some players have rejected new contracts and made themselves unavailable presents others with their chance.'We have a blend of players who have been involved with the squad for some time, players who have shown good form in domestic cricket and deserve a chance at this level and some who were not recently offered contracts and have a point to prove.'All the players selected have the ability to perform at this level and cement their place in the squad.

The squad is as follows:

Collins Obuya (captain)

Rakep Patel

Tanmay Mishra

Runish Gudka

Hiren Varaiya

Lucas Oluoch

Dominic Wesonga

Karen Kaul

Amit Shukla

Rajesh Bhudia

Rajesh Varsani

Ramesh Mepani

Mansukh Jesani (wicket keeper)

Samarth Patel

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Pietersen anchors England against India

LONDON: Kevin Pietersen's unbeaten 71 took England to 217 for three against India at lunch on the second day of the first Test at Lord's here on Friday as the tourists were forced to do without Zaheer Khan.England, who resumed on 127 for two, lost just one wicket in the session when Jonathan Trott was lbw to Praveen Kumar for 70.Ian Bell was 28 not out, having so far put on 57 for the fourth wicket with Pietersen, as England made steady, if unspectacular, progress against a depleted attack.India suffered a major setback when spearhead fast bowler Zaheer remained off the field with a hamstring injury The left-armer had been the pick of India's attack on Thursday, removing openers Alastair Cook and England captain Andrew Strauss, on his way to miserly figures of two for 18 in 13.3 overs before breaking down.To make matters worse for ICC Test Championship leaders India, who had won the toss, not only were they a bowler light in what was only a four-man attack to start with, but conditions for batting had improved markedly from Thursday's overcast skies.With the sun shining, the South Africa-born pair of Trott and Pietersen resumed on 58 not out and 22 not out respectively.They looked untroubled early on Friday, Pietersen on-driving Ishant Sharma for four.But persevering medium-pacer Kumar was rewarded for his accuracy when Trott, aiming across the line, was lbw for 70 to end a stand of 98 that left England 160 for three.Kumar might not be as quick as either Zaheer or Ishant, but a spell of one wicket for seven runs in six overs was proof of his effectiveness.Pietersen, on 49, almost fell into a well set trap when he glanced Kumar towards Rahul Dravid in the rarely used position of leg-slip.Pietersen stood his ground and, with the umpires consulting replays which proved inconclusive, he went on to complete a 134-ball fifty with five fours -- somewhat subdued by his own standards.But his usual aggression was evident when he advanced down the pitch to drive off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for four and stroked Ishant through the covers for another boundary.

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No central contract for Shoaib Malik

LAHORE: Pakistan`s former captain, Shoaib Malik has been ruled out of contention to get a central contract from the Pakistan Cricket Board as he has still not been able to satisfy the integrity committee about an amount of 90,000 pounds in his account.Sources in the board said that Malik, Danish Kaneria, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar were out of contention for getting a central contract."In Malik`s case he has provided everything that was asked for by the integrity committee of the board except for the questions surrounding the 90,000 pounds," one source told PTI.The source said that the amount was found in one of Malik`s accounts backdated but then went missing in the latest bank statement he submitted to the board."The integrity committee asked him to explain where he had spent the amount but so far he has been unable to give a satisfactory reply to them," the source said."Malik has told the committee that he gave loans to some of his friends but was unable to give details of the persons he had given the amount to, leaving the committee members not satisfied with his response," the source said.Another source aware of the details confirmed that during his appearances before the integrity committee, it was also found that an Indian had worked as Malik`s agent for a while and was investigated."The present situation is that Malik is clear in every regard except for the unanswered questions about how the 90,000 pounds were spent and where," the source said.The Chairman of the Pakistan cricket board in a recent interview had said that once Malik cleared this issue he could walk into the Pakistan team.Ijaz Butt had noted that given his performance at the domestic level and his outstanding record in one-day internationals, the Pakistan team needed an allrounder of Malik’s caliber in the team."I have myself spoken to him and given him brotherly advice that he should just satisfy the integrity committee about this issue and he is clear to play for Pakistan," Butt had said.Malik last played for Pakistan on the England tour last year but since then has been ignored for selection and was also not considered for the World Cup because of his issues with the integrity committee.The PCB is due to announce fresh central contracts by next month for the second half of the year.

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Vettori joins Brisbane Heat for Big Bash

SYDNEY: Former New Zealand Test captain Daniel Vettori on Tuesday became the second international to sign with Brisbane Heat for Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash next summer.The left-arm spinner, who has taken 79 wickets in 70 career T20 games at an average of 20.96, will play alongside compatriot Brendon McCullum in the new-look domestic competition from December 30-February 5.Heat coach Darren Lehmann said it was important to have such an experienced player on the team.“He’s obviously a leader, which is what you want, and to call on that experience and skill will be vital for us,” Lehmann said.The Big Bash League signing window closes on Friday

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Kenya withdraw contracts for five players

NAIROBI: Cricket Kenya on Thursday withdrew its one-year contracts to five first-team players but hoped they would still continue to play for the country.The five, who include opening batsman Alex Obanda and pacemen Nehemiah Odhiambo and Elijah Otieno were in a list of 13 players set to begin new and improved contracts on July 1.But Cricket Kenya chief Tom Sears said only seven players had signed the contracts while the five rejected the offers, claiming the increased amounts were insufficient.“We are very pleased with the group of players who have committed to Cricket Kenya but obviously disappointed that some players chose not to sign their new contracts,” he said.Every player received an offer amounting to a basic increase to their monthly retainer of at least 10 per cent and the opportunity to improve that figure significantly through consistent high performance“They were also guaranteed match fees for domestic cricket for the first time which could significantly increase their earnings,” Sears said.“The fact that they have declined these improved offers calls into question some of the advice they have been receiving, but that is a matter for the players  themselves.While Cricket Kenya believes the five would consider their stand and continue to play for the national side without any contracts, their absence would mean Kenya will be under-strength when they play the United Arab Emirates in the ICC Intercontinental Cup match and one-day series in Nairobi next week.

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Collins Obuya named Kenya captain

NAIROBI: All-rounder Collins Obuya was named as Kenya’s new national cricket captain to replace Jimmy Kamande who was sacked after the disastrous 2011 World Cup campaign, Cricket Kenya said.At 29 Obuya, who has played 92 one-day internationals for Kenya, is the sole senior player left in the team after the national board decided to call time on the careers of most of the older players after the winless tournament in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh earlier this year.His first game as skipper will be against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the ICC International Cup and two limited overs tournament in Nairobi next week under the new coach, Michael Hesson of New Zealand.“I am very proud and honoured to captain my country and will do everything I can to ensure performances and results improve,” said leg-spinner Obuya, who was Kenya’s outstanding performer at the World Cup, including a 98 not out against Australia in Bangalore.“We have some very good players and some very talented ones coming through our system, so it is an exciting time to develop team and work with the new coach Mike Hesson, and the chairman of selectors Alpesh Vadher,” he added.

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Young stars to feature in T20 squad

KARACHI: Pakistan, the former ICC World Twenty20 champions, are working on training their talented youth in hopes of recapturing the title in Sri Lanka next year.Pakistan won the title in England in 2009 which they had previously lost to India in the inaugural edition. However, they failed to defend their title and lost to Australia in the semi-finals of the 2010 World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.Despite being inferior to the big teams in Test and ODI cricket, Pakistan is quite successful in the shortest format of the game.However, due to the absence of players like Shahid Afridi, Mohamad Aamir, Abdul Razzaq, Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad can be said to be suffering from a lack of depth that it boasted of back in 2009.But cricket officials are still optimistic about the country’s Twenty20 future. Intikhab Alam, the team’s manager, expressed the hope that by training the players they can be confident of a good result in next year’s Twenty20 World Cup.“We are in the process of making our plans for next year’s Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka and are confident of preparing the team well,” Alam said while talking to a local English daily.Pakistan’s recent domestic Twenty20 tournament in Faisalabad highlighted the likes of Ramiz Raja Jr, Asad Shafiq, Ahmed Shehzad, Shahzeb Hasan, Sohail Khan and Shoaib Malik who all put up impressive performances which give reason to be hopeful about next year’s World Cup.“Twenty20 is mostly a young man’s game,” Alam said.“You have to have young guys who can hit the ball out of the park. You need guys who can really fight even while defending small totals. You need guys who are exceptionally good fielders. I’m sure that Pakistan currently has plenty of such guys.Alam, who is running the fast-track coaching project at the National Cricket academy in Lahore, said that the first phase revealed some players which can  be included in the national squad.“Several of the youngsters who featured in the first phase look seem to be really good and we can even blood some of them in our national Twenty20 squad,” he added.

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Sri Lanka names squad but not skipper

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Wednesday announced its one-day and T20 squad for Australia’s tour of the island next month, but stopped short of naming a skipper.Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was named captain for the just concluded tour of England, was included in the 20-man squad scheduled to play five ODIs and two Twenty20 games against Australia.They will also play three Tests, but the squad for the longer version of the game was not announced. The only uncapped player in the squad is Sachithra Senanayake.The squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Jeevan Mendis, Chamara Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekera, Isuru Udana, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Malinga Bandara and Sachithra Senanayake.

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Ranatunga leads protest against Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga helped launch a protest on Thursday against alleged corruption in the governing body and the politicization of its administration.Ranatunga is now an opposition lawmaker in Sri Lanka and joined several others to launch a petition on Thursday in Colombo, demanding an end to the government appointing interim committees to run Sri Lanka Cricket.Cricket officials were accused of corruption and mismanagement as the governing body accumulated $69 million in debt after co-hosting the World Cup with India and Bangladesh.Sri Lanka’s sports minister fired the previous administration earlier this month and appointed another interim five-man committee.Ranatunga said the government has politicized cricket and other sports by appointing interim committees to run their administration.”Sri Lanka Cricket has become bankrupt and authorities have no interest in rectifying this sad situation,” he said.He called on the public ”to join hands to stop political interference and restore the image of sports.SLC has been run by successive interim committees, picked by politicians, for seven years.The International Cricket Council this month unanimously decided to amend its laws to make free elections mandatory for all national bodies by mid-2012.Sri Lankan authorities have said election for SLC will be held next year.In March, the International Rugby Board suspended the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union from full IRB member status after failing to conduct appropriate board elections, and restored the membership weeks later after elections were held properly.Netball is also run by an interim committee, but the sport’s officials have said elections will be held shortly for the federation.Ranatunga, who played for Sri Lanka from 1982 to 2000, led the national team in 1996 when the team beat Australia in the final to win the World Cup.Cricket is the most popular and wealthiest sport in the country, but infighting among those seeking a spot on the board and political interference has resulted in elections for office holders not being held for seven years.

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Senior, junior players to get chance in upcoming tours: Younis

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team coach Waqar Younis said that senior and junior players will be combined in the upcoming tours, Younis returned home from Australia after a private trip and was talking to the media at the Lahore airport. While praising the cricket camp in Lahore, he said that it is a positive step to highlight the young talent who can benefit from such training camps. He also said that he will be concentrating on cricket now after coming back from his personal trip.The coach said that he will request the senior players like Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram to give tips to fresh players. Younis was hopeful that the team will deliver good performance in the coming season.He refused to comment when asked about the case hearing of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif.

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Alarming downfall of Pakistan cricket

It is a matter of shame that Pakistan cricket administration degenerated to such an extent that the International Cricket Council (ICC), the governing body of world cricket, had to intervene. After closely watching our players performance, conduct and discipline going deep down the drain, the game’s management falling below international standards and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) acting like a silent spectator, the ICC was compelled to jump into the fray. They appointed a committee called the Pakistan Task Team (PTT) to probe into the affairs and suggest reforms. Should we call it the irony of fate or the outcome of incompetence, inefficiency and corruption on the part of those handling the affairs of our cricket In my opinion, which is based on vast experience of handling cricket affairs from a club to international levels, the disgraceful situation that our cricket is facing is the result of our own making. The deterioration has not occurred overnight. Though the present set up of the PCB has broken all records of inefficiency and corruption, the things have taken a decade or so in coming to the lowest ebb. The major factor responsible for making a laughing stock of our cricket in the world has been the appointment of incompetent heads of the cricket board by the President of Pakistan in his capacity as patron-in-chief of the PCB. Good or bad, the President of Pakistan has been the patron of the cricket board since its very inception. The system worked pretty well for almost half a century because while the patrons themselves remained the nominal heads only, they did not allow other government officials or political figures to interfere in the functioning of the board. Those appointed as presidents of the board were competent as well as honest with no lust for power. While the secretary (now CEO) being head of the secretariat was the kingpin of the board dealing with bulk of the cricket matters, the president (now chairman) acted only as a controller cum advisor.While the various committees formed by the board handled their respective subjects, the board’s council, that was an efficient blend of administrators and former cricketers, played an active role in the formation of policies and their implementation. It also closely supervised the functions of the board and pointing out irregularities if any. All this will indicate that it was not a one-man rule. All matters were mutually discussed and decided by the officials concerned. No chairman of the board was as power hungry as those politically appointed after the year 2000. Acting like Hitler, Mr Ijaz Butt, the present PCB chairman, has broken all previous records as far as the ‘one man show of power is concerned’.The downfall of our cricket started a decade back when these political appointees took the throne of the PCB which is no less than a kingdom when compared with other sports bodies. Although they were men of high stature they found the PCB much more powerful in authority and jurisdiction and more lucrative in perks and privileges than any other sphere of life. As I have said on some previous occasions, ‘cricket administration is a science in itself and can only be run by the people who have passed through it.Since these political appointees had no knowledge and experience of the game the downfall of cricket was natural. The biggest damage they inflicted on the cricket board was that after putting its constitution in the dustbin every chairman assumed total power to run the PCB as the king of a state. They employed their dear ones in the board so liberally that within a decade the strength of the PCB’s employees rose from around 80 to 600. What such a huge number of people do is beyond one’s comprehension. They believed in enjoying life to the hilt with promotion of cricket being a secondary affair.Considering the fact that Ijaz was a former cricketer as well as an administrator his appointment was hailed by the cricket fraternity but he disappointed all and sundry more than his non-cricketing predecessors. His three years period on the PCB throne has, however, been absolutely disgusting in all respects especially the grooming and character building of young players which brought shame and embarrassment to the whole nation. In an effort to become a dictator with overwhelming powers, he destroyed all the unity, strength, discipline and harmony both among the players as well as the officials. His relationship with the ICC also remained sore most of the time. To raise the Pakistan cricket to its rightful place the ICC appointed the PTT which suggested 63 points for improvement. Ijaz has rejected the report in toto. The confrontation with the ICC, being the controlling body of the game, will ruin Pakistan cricket further. We must analyse the PTT report wisely and find methods to improve the PCB’s administration, raising standards of the game and eliminating irregularities, faults and follies.

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England fight back against India in first Test

LONDON: India spearhead Zaheer Khan left the field injured as England fought back on the first day of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday.England, having lost the toss in overcast seam bowler-friendly conditions, were 127 for two when bad light forced an early tea, despite the floodlights being switched on.Jonathan Trott, missed twice, was 58 not out and Kevin Pietersen 22 not out with the two South Africa-born batsmen's unbroken third wicket stand so far worth 65.Left-arm fast bowler Zaheer had been the pick of India's attack, with two wickets for 18 runs in 13.3 overs, when he suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury and slowly walked off the field with England 107 for two.Shortly afterwards, Trott drove off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for four.But he was lucky to be at the crease at all by that stage.Before lunch he'd been missed on eight when, to Harbhajan's first ball of the match, he got an outside edge that slip Rahul Dravid could not grasp.And Trott should have been out for 32 in the second session when, having nicked Zaheer, he saw India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni inexplicably fail to move across to his right for a catch that was never going to carry to first slip Dravid.Instead he went on to complete a valuable 89-ball fifty with seven boundaries.India had held England to 43 for one off 21 overs at lunch in the 2,000th Test match of all time and the 100th between the two countries after the start had been delayed by 30 minutes.Zaheer had in-form opener Alastair Cook lbw for just 12, the first time in seven Test innings the left-hander had failed to make a fifty.Shortly after lunch, India did reduce England to 62 for two when captain Andrew Strauss miscued a pull off a Zaheer bouncer straight to Ishant Sharma at long leg and was out for 22.It was a welcome sight for India after Strauss had made 78 and 109 not out against England fight back against India in first Test LONDON: India spearhead Zaheer Khan left the field injured as England fought back on the first day of the first Test at Lord's on Thursday.England, having lost the toss in overcast seam bowler-friendly conditions, were 127 for two when bad light forced an early tea, despite the floodlights being switched on.Jonathan Trott, missed twice, was 58 not out and Kevin Pietersen 22 not out with the two South Africa-born batsmen's unbroken third wicket stand so far worth 65.Left-arm fast bowler Zaheer had been the pick of India's attack, with two wickets for 18 runs in 13.3 overs, when he suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury and slowly walked off the field with England 107 for two Shortly afterwards, Trott drove off-spinner Harbhajan Singh for four. But he was lucky to be at the crease at all by that stage.Before lunch he'd been missed on eight when, to Harbhajan's first ball of the match, he got an outside edge that slip Rahul Dravid could not grasp.And Trott should have been out for 32 in the second session when, having nicked Zaheer, he saw India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni inexplicably fail to move across to his right for a catch that was never going to carry to first slip Dravid.Instead he went on to complete a valuable 89-ball fifty with seven boundaries.India had held England to 43 for one off 21 overs at lunch in the 2,000th Test match of all time and the 100th between the two countries after the start had been delayed by 30 minutes.Zaheer had in-form opener Alastair Cook lbw for just 12, the first time in seven Test innings the left-hander had failed to make a fifty.Shortly after lunch, India did reduce England to 62 for two when captain Andrew Strauss miscued a pull off a Zaheer bouncer straight to Ishant Sharma at long leg and was out for 22.It was a welcome sight for India after Strauss had made 78 and 109 not out against them 'guesting' for Somerset in their drawn lone warm-up match last week.If England win this four-match series by two Tests they will displace India at the top of the Test standings.

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Shastri summoned in IPL probe

LONDON: Ravi Shastri has been summoned by a law enforcement agency probing alleged financial irregularities in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the former India all-rounder confirmed Thursday.He has been asked to help the Enforcement Directorate over questions relating to the lucrative T20 league in it's first three editions as he was on the governing council."It's a routine thing," Shastri told AFP at Lord's, where he is working as a television commentator during the ongoing first Test between England and India."Everyone who was on on the gc (governing council) has been asked to help with this inquiry," he added. Earlier, the Press Trust of India reported Shastri had been called to attend the directorate's offices in Mumbai next week.Lalit Modi, the driving force behind the money-spinning IPL, was removed as the chairman of the tournament last year.He faces criminal charges, including false accounting and accusations by the Indian cricket board that more than $106 million was misappropriated during his three-year tenure as IPL chairman.

Shastri played 80 Tests and 150 one-day internationals.

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Dilshan to lead Sri Lanka in Australia

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Thursday appointed Tillakaratne Dilshan as skipper for Australia's visit next month, but did not name a deputy. Dilshan will lead in the three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 games, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement. The first game is a T20 clash on August 6.The squad for the Test matches was not announced, but on Wednesday evening SLC issued the names of 20 players who will be in a squad for the ODIs and the T20 games.They are: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Jeevan Mendis, Chamara Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekera, Isuru Udana, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Malinga Bandara and Sachithra Senanayake.

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England struggle against India in first session at Lord’s

LONDON: England lost in-form opener Alastair Cook as they were made to work hard by India on the first morning of the first Test at Lord's here on Thursday.England, at lunch, were 43 for one off 21 overs with captain Andrew Strauss 20 not out and Jonathan Trott unbeaten on nine in what was the 2,000th Test ever played and the 100th between England and India. India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose side are top of the ICC's Test Championship table, won the toss and elected to field under overcast skies.His new ball duo of left-armer Zaheer Khan and Praveen Kumar did not waste the conditions, both bowlers quickly settling into a probing line.Runs were tough to come by for England's left-handed opening pair of Strauss and Cook, both beaten on the outside edge.In what was a landmark match, although purists remain angry with the International Cricket Council's decision to award Test status to a match between Australia and a World XI in Sydney in 2005, there was something almost appropriately old-fashioned about such a start. Strauss would have been run out, backing-up, for three if Ishant Sharma's throw from mid-on had hit the stumps.But England had made just 19 off 11 overs when Ashes hero Cook was lbw for 12 to Zaheer, playing back and looking to defend to mid-on when the ball beat his defensive shot.As, thanks to Indian objections, lbw decisions cannot be reviewed in this series, Cook was unable to challenge Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf's decision but replays suggested the ball would have hit the top of middle and leg.It was the first time in seven Test innings Cook had failed to make a fifty.Zaheer, at the fall of the wicket, had miserly figures of one for eight in six overs on a morning of what traditionalists might have called 'proper' Test cricket rather than the fast-scoring game of recent years.It took Strauss 48 balls to score his first boundary, cutting first-change Ishant Sharma over the slips when the fast bowler dropped short and wide.Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh then saw his first ball edged by Trott, on eight, just short of Rahul Dravid at slip.

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India win toss, put England into bat in first Test at Lord’s

LONDON: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field against England in the first Test at Lord's here on Thursday.England left out fit-again seamer Tim Bresnan from a 12-man squad and selected the same side that drew the third Test against Sri Lanka to complete a 1-0 series win, with paceman Stuart Broad retaining his place.India, opting to field in overcast, swing-friendly, conditions, including seamer Praveen Kumar and batsman Suresh Raina but omitted fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and World Cup-winning star Yuvraj Singh. Abhinav Mukund played in the absence of injured India opener Virender Sehwag.This was the 2,000th Test ever played and the 100th between England and India.And it could see India great Sachin Tendulkar become the first batsman to score 100 international hundreds. He already has 51 in Tests and 48 in one-day internationals, both records.If England, currently third in the ICC's Test rankings, win this four-Test series by two matches they will displace leaders India at the top of the standings.However, India are unbeaten in 10 series under Dhoni and have not lost a Test series against England since 1996, winning three and drawing two of the last five campaigns between the two countries.Teams England: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, James AndersonIndia: Gautam Gambhir, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Venkatsai Laxman, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wk), Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ishant SharmaUmpires: Billy Bowden (NZ) and Asad Rauf (PAK), TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (SA)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SL)

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Cricket's 2000th Test begins at Lord's today

LONDON: A five-day contest where often neither side wins, Test cricket may seem out of touch with 21st Century life yet series opener between England and India beginning today at Lord's will mark its 2,000th match.And with a sell-out crowd expected at the 'home of cricket', where India great Sachin Tendulkar could become the first player to score a hundred international hundreds it seems there is life in the old dog yet.Certainly no-one designing a sporting format today would come up with anything like Test cricket.Yet its sheer length, and associated unrivalled capacity for changes of fortune -- this month marks the 30th anniversary of England's remarkable win, following on, against Australia at Headingley -- means it can create more truly memorable moments than one-day and Twenty20 formats.Starting with a match between Australia and England at Melbourne in 1877, it took a while for Test cricket to be regarded as more important than the old rivals' own first-class matches and, South Africa apart, its global appeal in those early years was strictly limited.Tests were also, for much of their history, comparatively rare events with 803 matches played in the first hundred years compared to 1,197 in the last 34 years.There has rarely been an age since its inception when Test cricket was not facing a crisis many thought threatened its existence, with last year's spot-fixing scandal involving Pakistan players in England the latest example.If that had diplomatic, as well as sporting, ramifications so too did the Bodyline series of 1929/30, when England quicks Harold Larwood and Bill Voce bowled to a packed legside field in a bid to curb the phenomenal run-scoring of Australia great Don Bradman.But by then, the key decision that would broaden Test cricket's horizons had already been taken with two Imperial Cricket Conferences at Lord's in 1926 agreeing to England's exchange of visits with the West Indies, New Zealand and India, opening up cricket to Afro-Caribbean and Asian influences.A series of increasingly sterile Anglo-Australian contests in the 1950s and 1960s left many fearing for Test cricket's future until a vibrant West Indies side during its 'Tied Test' tour of 1960/61 showed there was another way to play the game.Even so one-day cricket migrated to the international arena and soon proved itself a commercial success.Recently the advent of the brash Twenty20, again migrating from the county to the world stage, opened up new audiences.And, with the creation of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League, vast new riches were available to players without the need to have first established their status in the Test arena.Yet as International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat put it on Thursday: "Test cricket is the pinnacle form of the game."It is our link to the game's origins; it is what defines greatness and it is recognised by the players as being the benchmark by which they wish to graded and remembered."History has proven that no other form of the game can create memorable and meaningful moments like Test cricket can."Which is not to say it doesn't face huge challenges. Crowds, outside of England and Australia, are often meagre and the sheer frequency of fixtures can leave even the most ardent fan feeling overwhelmed.Day/night Tests, often heralded as a way of bringing back spectators, remain on the drawing board and whether the ICC's proposed Test Championship, billed as a way of giving greater context to individual series, captures the public imagination, remains to be seen.But so long as a critical mass within the sport believe Test cricket to be living up to its name as the ultimate challenge -- and can convince enough people beyond the boundary to provide the necessary financial support -- it will be around for some time to come.

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Players oppose lie detector tests: FICA

SYDNEY: The world cricketers' association said Thursday it "outright rejects" the MCC's proposals to encourage players to take lie detector tests in an effort to fight corruption within the game.The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the guardian of the rules of cricket, says the potential use of lie detector tests should be widely debated.Former Australia captain Steve Waugh, an MCC member, this week took a lie-detector test as part of his bid to help root corruption out of cricket.But the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) said the testing was irresponsible and it would oppose such actions in "the strongest possible manner"."It is FICA's strong position that the use of lie detectors as a means of determining the guilt or innocence of a player in matters relating to corruption on any practice for that matter is to be rejected outright," FICA chief executive Tim May said in a statement."I commend MCC and Steve Waugh for trying to be proactive in the fight against corruption, but lie detector tests are far from foolproof and not permissible as a means of determining people's guilt or innocence in the courts of the majority, if not all, cricketing territories."It is therefore totally unacceptable that players should be put under pressure to submit to testing that is far from foolproof."To publicly request players to make 'some stand' against corruption, by submitting to this 'imperfect' testing is irresponsible and FICA will oppose such actions in the strongest possible manner," May said."It's a no-win situation for the players. They quite rightly should decline to submit to one -- the testing is not foolproof"The players are not under suspicion for any corruption offence but now with the MCC publicly encouraging them to submit to one, if the player refuses, it looks like he is hiding something."FICA said it was committed to ridding the game of corruption, but would not stand by and have players subjected to a testing technique that had the propensity to churn out incorrect conclusions.May said he had written to the MCC to address the matter in a "responsible manner".Waugh was spurred into action following last year's allegations by Britain's now defunct News of the World tabloid that former Pakistan captain Salman Butt, and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif were involved in the deliberate bowling of no-balls during a Test against England at Lord's as part of a betting scam.The Pakistan trio were suspended for a minimum of five years' each by the International Cricket Council -- verdicts they are appealing at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.They are now awaiting a criminal trial in England due to start in October.

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