PAKISTAN CRICKET BANNED TRIO NEEDS TO BE IN REHAB OPINION

Pakistan Cricket: Banned trio needs to be in rehab Opinion Pakistan’s banned trio of left-handed batsman Salman Butt, pacer Mohammad Amir and seam bowlerMohammad Asif needs to be put in rehab after being adjudged guilty in the spot-fixing case against them.The players have now been banned from taking part in any cricket related activities in or outside Pakistan.The former Test captain Butt has been banned for 10 years, Asif for seven years and the young sensation Amir for five years by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) anti-corruption unit.This has almost ended Salman Butt’s career and there isn’t any hope left for Asif to make a comeback after seven years either. However, Amir who is just 19 years old has some hope of making an international comeback after five years.Nevertheless, it is time for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to help in the players’ rehabilitation process. Especially it is crucial for the Board to make sure that the young Amir doesn’t lose his way by ending up some where he might regret for the rest of his life.After the spot-fixing debacle, the PCB introduced a new code of conduct within Pakistan cricket in a bid to eradicate the culture of corruption in the country’s sport.The Board has introduced an educational programme for the players in which the basic goal is to enlighten them about all the rules and regulations of the ICC regarding match-fixing and spot-fixing.The programme is also aimed at educating the players to stay away from potential bookmakers.Such a programme can be extremely helpful for the banned trio, especially Amir. According to the person in charge of the programme, Wasim Bari, about 320 players have taken part in the programme and more are expected to follow.The chairman PCB, Ijaz Butt has also expressed his desire to enrol the banned players in the programme to help them in their rehab process. Talking on the matter in a previous interview Butt said, “I hope that this unfortunate saga is put to rest and we can concentrate on cricket. We will continue to work with the ICC on this sensitive matter. We will also see how we can help the three players with their education and rehabilitation programme.”With the help of this programme, perhaps PCB will manage to save the upcoming cricketers from getting involved in match-fixing related controversies.The trio also needs to spend a few sessions with a PCB hired psychiatrist, who would be able to judge their exact mental state because up till now the trio has shown no signs of remorse, which is most disturbing.These individuals have been found guilty of a crime and they need to realize this fact the sooner the batter. All evidence suggested that they were indeed involved in wrong doings but even then no one has seen any show of self guilt from the tainted players. This probably exhibits that the players are still in a state of denial or feel that what they did was not wrong.Now that the career of at least two of the players is nearly over, they need to show some regret, if any. By doing so they may succeed in redeeming their lost integrity in the eyes of the world as there is no shame in admitting one’s shortcomings.Ijaz Butt also needs to remember one thing that Pakistan cricket cannot move forward by leaving these players behind. It should be the Board’s top priority to help the players in their rehabilitation

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Aleem Dar wins the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year 2011

Umpire Aleem Dar has won the David Shepherd Trophy for third time after being named ICC Umpire of the Year at the LG ICC Awards in London tonight.Dar, who is 43 and from Pakistan, was voted to this award by the 10 Full Member captains as well as the eight-man Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, based on his decision statistics and officiating skills over the past 12 months.It is the third year in a row that he has received the ICC award which was renamed last year after the late England umpire David Shepherd*.Dar accepted his award from ICC Hall of Fame 2011 inductee Alan Davidson and said: "It's a great honour and I'm thankful to everyone at the ICC and also my colleagues on the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires along with the Pakistan Cricket Board. I'd like to also thank all my family for all their support since I'm away nearly eight months of the year umpiring."Dar beat off strong competition from his colleagues on the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires Steve Davis, Ian Gould and five-time ICC Umpire of the Year Simon Taufel.Dar, who made his international debut as an umpire in 2000, joined the Emirates Elite Panel in 2004. In the voting period of these awards, Dar stood in five Tests and 13 ODIs. He stood in the ICC Cricket World Cup in the India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, where he was an on-field umpire in eight of the matches, including the final between India and Sri Lanka.Based on the period between 11 August 2010 and 3 August 2011, the LG ICC Awards 2011 ? presented in association with FICA ? take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.For all the individual awards (with the exceptions of the Women's Cricketer of the Year and the Umpire of the Year), a long-list compiled by the selection panel was forwarded to a 25-person Voting Academy made up of former players, respected members of the media, an elite umpire and an elite match referee. They voted on a three, two, one basis (with three being the highest value) and the winners emerged.That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ICC Intercontinental Cup final, several ICC World Cricket Leagues as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its eighth year and this year it will be held in London, England. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007 and 2009), Dubai (2008) and Bengaluru (2010)

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Ryan ten Doeschate wins ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year 2011

Netherlands all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate has become the ICC Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year for the second successive year at the LG ICC Awards in London.The voting academy chose ten Doeschate over other top Associate and Affiliate players including Afghanistan?s Hamid Hassan and the Ireland duo of Paul Stirling and Kevin O?Brien. It is the third time ten Doeschate has claimed the award, the first time he picked up the title was in 2008 while he also won the award last year.During the 12-month voting period, all-rounder ten Doeschate played for the Netherlands in six ODIs making two centuries and one half-century. His batting average was 61.40 for the period with a strike rate of 89.24.The 31-year-old Essex player scored both his ODI centuries during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, the first against England in Nagpur and the second against fellow Associate side Ireland in Kolkata.Ten Doeschate, who was unable to attend due to playing commitments, said upon winning the third ICC award of his career said: ?I?m really sorry I couldn't be there tonight. It's obviously a great privilege to win this award and I'd like to thank all the coaches and my team mates who have helped me during what has been a very good year for the Netherlands cricket team. I hope everyone has a good night and again sorry I can?t be there.?The Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year Award was one of ten individual prizes given at this year?s LG ICC Awards. It was announced by Hashim Amla of South Africa.The Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year award serves to recognise and reward the efforts in all international matches of the outstanding cricketers from the teams outside the ICC Full Members.Based on the period between 11 August 2010 and 3 August 2011, the LG ICC Awards 2011 ? presented in association with FICA ? take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.For all the individual awards (with the exceptions of the Women?s Cricketer of the Year and the Umpire of the Year), a long-list compiled by the selection panel was forwarded to a 25-person Voting Academy made up of former players, respected members of the media, an elite umpire and an elite match referee. They voted on a three, two, one basis (with three being the highest value) and the winners emerged.That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ICC Intercontinental Cup final, several ICC World Cricket Leagues as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its eighth year and this year it will be held in London, England. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007 and 2009), Dubai (2008) and Bengaluru (2010)

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Dhoni's gesture earns ICC Spirit of Cricket Award

India's Mahendra Singh Dhoni has won the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award 2011 at the LG ICC Awards in London.Despite being wrapped up in an intense and difficult Test series in England, the India captain showed the right spirit in agreeing to allow England batsman Ian Bell to continue batting when he was run out in controversial circumstances during the second Test at Trent Bridge in July 2011.On what was the last ball before tea on the third day, Bell hit the ball towards the boundary. He mistakenly thought it had gone for four, left his crease and headed towards the pavilion assuming the session was over and the ball dead. Meanwhile the ball, which had not reached the rope and therefore was still in play, was returned to the middle, the bails removed and Bell was correctly given run out.Upon reflection during the tea interval and following a request from the England team, Dhoni withdrew the appeal and recalled Bell thus turning boos into cheers from the appreciative Nottingham crowd.ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat said: "While the initial appeal and umpire decision were correct to the letter of the law, the decision by Mahendra and his team to withdraw the appeal shows great maturity. To see players and officials uphold the Great Spirit of cricket, which has underpinned the game for more than a century, is very special."This award is voted by the members of the Emirates Elite Panels of ICC Match Referees and Umpires. Dhoni's gesture was voted as the winner ahead of that of South Africa's Jacques Kallis, who twice demonstrated such spirit during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 by walking once he had clarified with opposition fielders directly that they had caught the ball cleanly rather than waiting for the umpires to decide.Based on the period between 11 August 2010 and 3 August 2011, the LG ICC Awards 2011 – presented in association with FICA – take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ICC Intercontinental Cup final, several ICC World Cricket Leagues as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its eighth year and this year it will be held in London, England. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007 and 2009), Dubai (2008) and Bengaluru (2010)

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Stafanie Taylor wins ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year 2011

West Indies all-rounder Stafanie Taylor has been ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year at the LG ICC Awards in London.During the voting period Taylor played 10 ODIs for the West Indies scoring 610 runs at the top of the order at an average of 76.25, while the off-spinner also claimed 15 wickets. She also scored 49 runs and took five wickets in Twenty20 Internationals in the period.The 20-year-old took the accolade ahead of England duo Charlotte Edwards and Lydia Greenway and last year's winner of the title, Australia's Shelley Nitschke.The accolade rounds off a successful year for Taylor who was part of the West Indies side that was victorious as the ICC Women's Twenty20 Cricket Challenge in South Africa.Taylor was unable to attend the ceremony to collect her award in person due to finishing a series against Pakistan yesterday in Guyana.Upon hearing the news of her win, Taylor said: "It is a fantastic honour to be named the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year."I said before the awards that my goal was to be the number one women's cricketer in the world and I'm on my way there with the rankings and to be named the winner of this award makes me extremely happy."I would like to thank my team-mates and coaches from the West Indies team and also my domestic side Jamaica and also my family for all the support they continue to give me and I hope I can continue to represent the West Indies with pride.The Women's Cricketer of the Year Award was one of 10 individual prizes given at this year's LG ICC Awards.The nominations for the Women's Cricketer of the Year were decided after a committee of former players, current administrators and journalists created a long-list. This in turn was broken down into a short-list by a separate 25-person voting academy.Based on the period between 11 August 2010 and 3 August 2011, the LG ICC Awards 2011 – presented in association with FICA – take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ICC Intercontinental Cup final, several ICC World Cricket Leagues as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its eighth year and this year it will be held in London, England. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007 and 2009), Dubai (2008) and Bengaluru (2010)

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Alastair Cook named Test Cricketer of the Year 2011

England's Alastair Cook has been named Test Cricketer of the Year 2011 at the LG ICC Awards.During the performance period, he played 12 Tests and in 18 innings, he compiled 1,302 runs at an average of 51.74, including six centuries and four half-centuries. His highest score of 235 not out against Australia at Brisbane helped his team towards series victory as it won the Ashes away from home for the first time since the 1986-87 season.The independent voting academy of 25 highly credentialed cricket experts put Cook first, ahead of an impressive group of players that had been short-listed, including England team-mates Jonathan Trott and James Anderson, as well as Jacques Kallis of South Africa, who previously won this award in 2005.Cook received his trophy from West Indies ICC Cricket Hall of Famer Curtly Ambrose and said: "I think the highlight of year was when we won in Sydney, to beat Australia and Chris Tremlett to take that final wicket it was truly a great year. This award is about the rest of the team not just me."Based on the period between 11 August 2010 and 3 August 2011, the LG ICC Awards 2011 - presented in association with FICA - take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.For all the individual awards (with the exceptions of the Women's Cricketer of the Year and the Umpire of the Year), a long-list compiled by the selection panel was forwarded to a 25-person Voting Academy made up of former players, respected members of the media, an elite umpire and an elite match referee. They voted on a three, two, one basis (with three being the highest value) and the winners emerged.That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ICC Intercontinental Cup final, several ICC World Cricket Leagues as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its eighth year and this year it will be held in London, England. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007 and 2009), Dubai (2008) and Bengaluru (2010).

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Kumar Sangakkara named ODI Player of the Year 2011

Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara has been named ODI Player of the Year 2011 at the LG ICC Awards in London.During the performance period, he played 25 ODIs and compiled 1,049 runs at an average of 55.21, including one century and seven half-centuries. As wicketkeeper, he also took 36 victims comprising 26 catches and 10 stumpings. Despite that busy workload, he still managed to lead his country to the ICC Cricket World Cup final in Mumbai where they lost narrowly to home team India.The independent voting academy of 25 highly credentialed cricket experts put Sangakkara first, ahead of such talented and in-form players as Australia's Shane Watson, Gautam Gambhir of India and South Africa's Hashim Amla.Sangakkara was unable to attend the awards due to playing in the recently completed Test match against Australia in Pallekele. Upon hearing the news he said: "It's a great honour first of all to have been nominated for this award and a great honour to have actually won it."I would like to thank the rest of my teammates, they have done a great job over the years in one-day cricket and I am privileged to be part of this and led these guys for just over two years. I thank you again, I feel very very proud."Based on the period between 11 August 2010 and 3 August 2011, the LG ICC Awards 2011 – presented in association with FICA – take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.For all the individual awards (with the exceptions of the Women's Cricketer of the Year and the Umpire of the Year), a long-list compiled by the selection panel was forwarded to a 25-person Voting Academy made up of former players, respected members of the media, an elite umpire and an elite match referee. They voted on a three, two, one basis (with three being the highest value) and the winners emerged.That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, the ICC Intercontinental Cup final, several ICC World Cricket Leagues as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its eighth year and this year it will be held in London, England. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007 and 2009), Dubai (2008) and Bengaluru (2010)

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Trott, Cook talk exclusively about winning at the LG ICC Awards

On this week's LG ICC Awards 2011 special ICC Cricket World Radio Show, England's Jonathan Trott and Alastair Cook talk exclusively about winning the ICC Cricketer of the Year and the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year Awards respectively ? at this year's event held in London on 12 September."I am pretty young in international cricket. So to have won this award is a real honour and privilege. It is a great feeling because it comes as the end of a very fruitful year," says Trott after winning the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year Based on the period between 11 August 2010 and 3 August 2011, the LG ICC Awards 2011 - presented in association with FICA - take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.The show can be used in whole or part by radio stations that want free cricket content for editorial use, while the public can also download it straight from www.icc-cricket.com or from iTunes.Also on this week's show, Trott's teammate Alastair Cook talks about being named the ICC Test Cricketer Of The Year for 2011."It is amazing that I won this award despite there being so many great names in the nomination. It is not as much about me, as much about the team. It is great to be part of the success as it has helped me reach here," says Cook.Emirates Elite Panel Umpire Aleem Dar also talks about winning the David Shepherd Trophy for Umpire Of The Year for the third successive year."It is a great honour because this is not about competition between us umpires but a reward for our consistency. I will try my level best to keep up my performance,'' says Dar.Also this week, ICC Cricket Hall Of Fame saw the induction of three greats of the game - former Australia bowler Alan Davidson, former Australia women's captain Belinda Clark and West Indies' former fast bowler Curtly Ambrose."I really feel great. When I first got the call I was surprised. I thought there were so many great cricketers ahead of me that one day I will get a call. But I never expected it to be this soon. I am humbled and honoured,'' says Ambrose on his induction into the elite group.Finally, Tournament Director of Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 6, Edward Fitzgibbon looks ahead to the tournament to be held in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur . The tournament, scheduled to run from 17 to 24 September, features hosts Malaysia, Fiji, Guernsey, Jersey, Kuwait and Nigeria."This year's tournament in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia promises to be a tightly contested event. We will have two sides, Nigeria and Kuwait, who have been promoted from Division 7. All the sides are evenly matched. There are some exciting players to look out for as well and it promises to be an exciting week

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Dhoni moves into sixth spot

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has moved up the order in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen after producing a player of the series performance in the recently-concluded series against England.Dhoni finished the series as the leading run-getter with 236 runs at an average of little under 79. For this achievement, he has been rewarded with a jump of three places which not only puts him in sixth position but also makes him the highest-ranked India batsmen after Virat Kohli dropped three places to ninth position after scoring 194 runs in the series.Also moving in the right direction from the series in England is home side's Jonathan Trott who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for ICC Cricketer of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in London last week. Trott scored 111 runs from four matches and improved his own rating by six points which has helped him leapfrog Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara into fourth position.Both Dhoni and Trott will be aiming to further climb the ladder when they go head to head in the five-ODI series which starts in Hyderabad on Friday 14 October. While Dhoni last topped the batting chart in June 2010, Trott is enjoying his career-best ranking to date and is also in his qualification period. A batsman qualifies for full rating after a minimum of 40 started innings and to date Trott has 34 started innings in 35 appearances.Left-handed Suresh Raina was the second leading run-getter with 198 runs, which has provided him a jump of five places to 30th spot. Ravi Bopara's effort of 197 runs in the series has earned him a leap of 14 places and puts him in 64th spot.India's Rahul Dravid has signed off on an illustrious ODI career in 118th position after playing his first series in two years. The former captain scored 128 runs in his final series which earned him three places in the batting chart.Dravid's low ranking is largely due to the fact that he didn't play ODI cricket since India's victory over the West Indies in a league match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 in South Africa.Dravid's 10,899 in 344 ODIs with 12 centuries and 83 half-centuries makes him the seventh highest run-getter in the history of ODI behind Sachin Tendulkar (18,111), Ricky Ponting (13,602), Sanath Jayasuriya (13,430), Inzamam-ul-Haq (11,739), Sourav Ganguly (11,363) and Jacques Kallis (11,227).During his career, the 38-year-old from Bangalore reached a highest-ranking of fifth after the Edgbaston ODI against England on 27 August 2007 when he scored 56 in India's 42-run victory. He achieved his highest rating of 749 on 18 May 2006 after his match-winning 105 against the West Indies at Sabina Park.Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez and Younus Khan have also made the most of the series against Zimbabwe which concluded with a 3-0 win for the visitors.Hafeez, who won the player of the series award, and former captain Younus have both jumped 11 places each which have left them in 37th and 40th positions, respectively. Umar Akmal has gained one place and is Pakistan's highest-ranked batsman in 17th spot.Rival captains Misbah-ul-Haq and Brendan Taylor have also improved their rankings. Misbah is in 28th position after gaining one place while Taylor has vaulted four places to 34th position.In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, England's Graeme Swann has strengthened his position at the top of the tree. The off-spinner earned 25 ratings position for his eight wickets in the series which have put him on a career-best 750 ratings points.India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin is the biggest mover. Ashwin took six wickets against England and jumped 34 places to 41st spot. Also rising in the rankings are England's fast bowler James Anderson in 11th (up by two places), Praveen Kumar of India in 21st (up by four places) and Mohammad Hafeez in 23rd (up by three places).Bowlers losing ground include Saeed Ajmal of Pakistan in seventh (down by three places), England fast bowler Stuart Broad in 26th (down by four places) and Munaf Patel of India in 33rd (down by six places).In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez has broken into the top three for the first time in his career. Hafeez scored 188 runs and took two wickets against England which has helped him to climb three places to third spot.The list is still headed by Shane Watson of Australia with Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan in second position

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Guernsey and Malaysia score victories in Kuala Lumpur

Guernsey and Malaysia both claimed victories on day two of Pepsi ICC World Cricket League Division 6 (WCL Div. 6) here in Kuala Lumpur.However, heavy downpours at the Selangor Turf Club saw Jersey's match against Kuwait abandoned in the 18th over, just as Kuwait had the islanders on the back-foot at 55-4. The match will be replayed tomorrow at Kinrara Oval.Guernsey looked well set to continue its winning ways of Pepsi ICC WCL Div. 6 when Lee Savident and GH Smit headed to the middle to start the day for the island nation against Fiji at Bayeumas Oval.Savident made his intentions clear for the day when he raced his way to a half-century in 57 balls, Smit was removed from matters though after scoring just 23 when he was judged to be leg-before off the bowling of Waisake Tukana.On a blustery day in Kuala Lumpur, Savident was joined by Jeremy Frith and the duo continued to add runs to the board but Savident's run of form was to be bought to an end on 82 runs when he was also judged lbw but this time off the bowling of Jikoi Kida.As the clouds became grey there was a brief stop for rain but that didn't stop the sides completing the first innings. Frith had another good turn with the bat striking 82 runs before departing after Kitiano Tavo rearranged the 33-year-old's stumps.Tim Ravenscroft and Ross Kneller failed to fire but Stuart Le Prevost made a star-turn with the bat scoring 52 not out in his outing to the middle to help Guernsey to post a score of 279 at the conclusion of the innings.Kida and Tukana proved expensive for the Fijians with the pair taking a wicket each and both going for some 46 runs. Iniasi Cakacaka bowled his full set of overs but the spinner had no luck today with taking wickets, while Tavo and Kika took two-a-piece In reply, things didn't start well for the Fijians losing two of their top order before it has even made 25 runs. Sekove Rakova and Cakacaka both departed early leaving Joe Rika at the top of the order and then later Tukana and Joe's brother Colin to help make runs.Unfortunately for Fiji, Guernsey had other ideas and Frith alongside Gary Rich the pair took two wickets each while wicketkeeper Tom Kimber had a good day with the gloves, catching Cakacaka, Josefa Dabea Balecicia and Colin Rika and rounding off his day with a stumping of Maciu Gauna. Frith earned his second Man of the Match award of the tournament for his efforts with bat and ball.A delighted Guernsey captain, Le Prevost said: "Fiji did challenge us early on, their new ball bowlers were fairly tight but when we got past 200 their heads began to drop. I don't think we take any opposition lightly and they certainly challenged us."There were great runs from Jeremy Frith again and also good to see Lee Savident adding to the total and obviously it's nice to be able to contribute myself.Next up the side face Kuwait on Tuesday, an opposition the team has not faced before. "We've seen Kuwait's scores, but not seen much of them at all as a side, so we will go look at them tomorrow when Jersey play them in their re-match at Kinrara to get a feel for the side," said Le Prevost.Meanwhile, at Kinrara, hosts Malaysia took on Nigeria with the former taking its time to put runs on the board after some strong and tight bowling from the Africans.Saheed Akolade and Oluseye Olympio both going for few runs as the duo's medium pace seemed to perplex the Malaysian openers. The first wicket fell after some 73 runs when Shafiq Sherif departed for 43 after being judged lbw off the bowling of Oluwaseun Odeku again a medium-pacer.Rakesh Madhavan was run-out off the bowling of Olajide Bejide but the next two batsmen made just 16 runs between them before a heavy downpour stopped play for close to four hours but good drainage at Kinrara Oval allowed the teams back on to play a game reduced to 29 overs.Nigeria was set a target of 181 after Duckworth-Lewis was calculated, which the side began to chase down in the afternoon sunshine as the rain clouds burned away. The side failed to spark against strong bowling and fielding from the hosts, Eszrafiq Azis being the pick of the Malaysian attack with 4-27.Poor batting saw the Nigerians requiring 82 runs of the final over of the game, a near impossible task as the sun began to set over Kinrara and the hosts wrapped things up scoring a 108-run victory.A disappointed Nigerian captain Endurance Ofem said: "I was really pleased with how we bowled this morning. We kept things tight and things looked to be going really well until the rain set in. Obviously that's disappointing and we didn't do well at chasing down the target set with the reduced overs but we have to take the positives and move on for Tuesday's game.Malaysia's coach Thushara Kodikara was pleased with how his bowlers went today in the reduced-overs fixture I think credit has to go Nigeria's bowling in the first innings, the first 10 overs of the game they had us on the back-foot with some good tight bowling and they were superb in the field too.It's disappointing that we didn't get a full 50-over game but I was pleased with how my young side performed to restrict Nigeria in the 29 overs. Eszrafiq did particularly well bowling in all the right places to take four wickets and deservedly the Man of the Match award."At Selangor Turf Club, heavy rainfall the night before saw a late start at the ground and Jersey losing quick wickets against a rejuvenated Kuwait.The Division 7 winners had the men in red three down by the 15th over and the side had only managed 51 runs on the board in the process. Ben Stevens was a disappointment again, scoring just six runs today before he was caught and bowled by Sibtain Raza. Things didn't get any better for the Jersey side as the game was called off in the 18th over, with the team four wickets down, due to heavy rainfall. The two sides will replay tomorrow at Kinrara Oval with a 1030 (local time) start.Scores in brief after Day Two

At Kinrara
Malaysia 104-2, 29.5 overs (Sharif 43, R Madhavan 33; Odeku 1-36)
Nigeria 101 all out, 29 overs (Azis 4-27, Khan 3-25)
Malaysia won by 79 runs, D/L method
At Selangor
Jersey 55-4, 18.2 overs
Kuwait
No result
At Bayeumas
Guernsey 279-6, 50 overs (Savident 82, Frith 82, Le Prevost 52; Dabea 2-20)
Fiji 171 all out, 42.3 overs (Tukana 30; Rich 2-22, Frith 2-50)
Guernsey won by 108 runs

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Dilshan, Matthews put Sri Lanka in the lead

Skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan inspired Sri Lanka's tenacious batting display as the hosts took charge of the third cricket Test against Australia in Colombo on Sunday.Sri Lanka, seeking a series-levelling win, closed the third day's play at the Sinhalese Sports Club on 428-6 in their first innings, a lead of 112 runs over Australia's 316 with four wickets in hand.Dilshan struck a rousing 83, Kumar Sangakkara made 79 in his 100th Test appearance, Mahela Jayawardene hit 51 and Angelo Mathews returned unbeaten on 85 as Sri Lanka led Australia for the first time in the series.Prasanna Jayawardene chipped in with 47, sharing a sixth-wicket stand of 81 with Mathews that increased Australia's frustration in the field on a hot, humid day.Dilshan, who had contributed just 56 runs in the previous four innings of the series, hammered 14 boundaries before he was caught behind off Trent Copeland just before tea.Dilshan put on a valuable 121 for the fifth wicket with Mathews on either side of lunch after Australia had threatened to take charge in the morning session.The tourists grabbed the crucial wickets of Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in the space of 12 runs after Sri Lanka resumed at the overnight score of 166-2.The pair, who compiled Test cricket's highest partnership of 624 at the same venue in 2006 against South Africa, put on 101 for the third wicket.The two former Sri Lankan captains appeared to have settled in for the long haul when Australia earned a lucky break.Jayawardene batted aggressively in the morning session to hit four boundaries but chased a wide ball from Shane Watson and edged a catch to wicket-keeper Brad Haddin.Jayawardene, who has hit 10 Test hundreds at the SSC, managed only a half-century this time.Australia claimed the second new ball after 81 overs and met with immediate success when Peter Siddle dismissed a well-set Sangakkara with the fourth delivery.Sangakkara smashed the first ball to the cover fence, but edged a rising ball later in the same over to Haddin.Dilshan, an opening batsman who demoted himself to number five for this match, had a harrowing start to his innings.He left the first delivery from Watson, which dipped in dangerously close to the off-stump and had yet to get off the mark when a miscued shot off Watson fell just short of a diving Shaun Marsh at mid-on.Dilshan opened his account with a flick off Mitchell Johnson for a boundary, which also brought up Sri Lanka's 200 and then joined hands with Mathews to flay the Australian attack on a good wicket.Mathews reached his third half-century in the series with two boundaries in one Siddle over after resumption.Jayawardene brought up Sri Lanka's 400 by pulling Nathan Lyon for a six and repeated the shot off the next delivery.Australia are ahead 1-0 in the series, having won the first Test in Galle by 125 runs.

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Pakistan beat Zimbabwe to sweep entire series

HARARE : Pakistan after a tough contest defeated Zimbabwe by five runs in the second and final Twenty20 International played here at the Harare Sports Club ground on Sunday.Chasing a modest target of 142 runs, Zimbabwe reached 136 for seven wickets as Tatenda Taibu did his best to steer his team to its first victory in any form of cricket in the series but he failed to hit a six required off the final ball of the match.He remained unbeaten on 37 made in 28 balls with the help of three fours and a six.Earlier, Pakistan were restricted to 141-7 due to accurate bowling and excellent fielding by Zimbabwe here Winning the toss, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq elected to bat first but his batsmen could not make enough runs except opener Mohammad Hafeez who scored second consecutive half-century.Hafeez made 51 with five fours and a six during his 38-ball innings. He later also captured three wickets for 11 runs to win his second successive Man-of-the-Match award.Fast bowler Kyle Jarvis was the most successful bowler for Zimbabwe taking three wickets for 14 runs.

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Sri Lanka take charge against Aussies

COLOMBO : Skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan inspired Sri Lanka's tenacious batting display as the hosts took charge of the third cricket Test against Australia in Colombo on Sunday.Sri Lanka, seeking a series-levelling win, closed the third day's play at the Sinhalese Sports Club on 428-6 in their first innings, a lead of 112 runs over Australia's 316 with four wickets in hand.Dilshan struck a rousing 83, Kumar Sangakkara made 79 in his 100th Test appearance, Mahela Jayawardene hit 51 and Angelo Mathews returned unbeaten on 85 as Sri Lanka led Australia for the first time in the series.Prasanna Jayawardene chipped in with 47, sharing a sixth-wicket stand of 81 with Mathews that increased Australia's frustration in the field on a hot, humid day.Dilshan, who had contributed just 56 runs in the previous four innings of the series, hammered 14 boundaries before he was caught behind off Trent Copeland just before tea.Dilshan put on a valuable 121 for the fifth wicket with Mathews on either side of lunch after Australia had threatened to take charge in the morning session.Australian fast bowler Peter Siddle, who battled bravely in trying conditions to finish the day with 2-76 from 27 overs, said his team faced a tough task over the next two days.The tourists grabbed the crucial wickets of Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in the space of 12 runs after Sri Lanka resumed at the overnight score of 166-2.The pair, who compiled Test cricket's highest partnership of 624 at the same venue in 2006 against South Africa, put on 101 for the third wicket.The two former Sri Lankan captains appeared to have settled in for the long haul when Australia earned a lucky break.Jayawardene batted aggressively in the morning session to hit four boundaries but chased a wide ball from Shane Watson and edged a catch to wicket-keeper Brad Haddin.Jayawardene, who has hit 10 Test hundreds at the SSC, managed only a half-century this time.Australia claimed the second new ball after 81 overs and met with immediate success when Siddle dismissed a well-set Sangakkara with the fourth delivery.Sangakkara smashed the first ball to the cover fence, but edged a rising ball later in the same over to Haddin.Dilshan, an opening batsman who demoted himself to number five for this match, had a harrowing start to his innings.He left the first delivery from Watson, which dipped in dangerously close to the off-stump and had yet to get off the mark when a miscued shot off Watson fell just short of a diving Shaun Marsh at mid-on.Dilshan opened his account with a flick off Mitchell Johnson for a boundary, which also brought up Sri Lanka's 200 and then joined hands with Mathews to flay the Australian attack on a good wicket.Mathews reached his third half-century in the series with two boundaries in one Siddle over after resumption.Australia are ahead 1-0 in the series, having won the first Test in Galle by 125 runs

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Pakistan restricted to 141-7 by Zimbabwe

HARARE : Pakistan were restricted to 141-7 due to accurate bowling and excellent fielding by Zimbabwe here at the Harare Sports Club ground on Sunday.Winning the toss, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq elected to bat first but his batsmen could not make enough runs except opener Mohammad Hafeez who scored second consecutive half-century.Hafeez made 51 with five fours and a six during his 38-ball innings.Fast bowler Kyle Jarvis was the most successful bowler for Zimbabwe taking three wickets for 14 runs.

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Pakistan win toss, bat against Zimbabwe in 2nd T20I

HARARE : Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has won the toss and elected to bat against Zimbabwe in the second and final Twenty20 International here at the Harare Sports Club ground on Sunday.Pakistan have made one change to the team that won the first T20, bringing in Junaid Khan for Aizaz Cheema. imbabwe have also made one change: they replaced Chris Mpofu with Prosper Utseya.

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Sri Lanka 250-4 at lunch

COLOMBO : Sri Lanka were 250 for four wickets in reply to Australia's first innings total of 316 at lunch on day three of the third and final test on Sunday. Scores: Australia 316 (S. Marsh 81, M. Hussey 118; S. Eranga 4-65, C. Welegedara 3-75) v Sri Lanka 250-4 (K. Sangakkara 79, M. Jayawardene 51)

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Sri Lanka reply strongly to Australia's 316

COLOMBO : Kumar Sangakkara hit an unbeaten 61 in his 100th Test as Sri Lanka responded bravely to Australia's 316 in the third and final game of the series in Colombo on Saturday.Sri Lanka, seeking a series-levelling win, closed the second day at 166-2 in their first innings after a batting masterclass from Michael Hussey had steered the tourists out of trouble at the Sinhalese Sports Club.Mahela Jayawardene chipped in with 31 not out in a third-wicket stand of 69 with Sangakkara to leave the hosts 150 runs behind with eight wickets in hand.Hussey followed a match-winning 95 in the first Test in Galle and 142 in the drawn second game at Pallekele with a fluent 118 studded with 12 boundaries and two sixes.The left-hander, a veteran of 62 Tests, passed 5,000 Test runs on way to his 15th century the fourth against Sri Lanka.The 36-year-old's value to the team can be guaged by the fact that he has scored four of Australia's last six Test centuries, the other two coming from the blades of Brad Haddin and Shaun Marsh.The hosts began their reply slowly as the left-handed opening pair of Tharanga Paranavitana and Lahiru Thirimanne took 25 overs to put on 56 on the board.Thirimanne, a 22-year-old playing only his second Test, scored a watchful 28 off 80 balls when he was bowled by seamer Peter Siddle just before tea.Paranavitana made 46 when he fell to a sharp catch at short cover by Ricky Ponting off Mitchell Johnson to leave Sri Lanka 97-2.But Sangakkara and Jayawardene, whose partnership of 624 against South Africa at the same venue in 2006 is a world record for any wicket, settled in to build Sri Lanka's reply.Hussey was last man out for Australia, bowled by debutant seamer Shaminda Eranga, who finished with four for 65 after taking a wicket with his first delivery in Test cricket on Friday.Left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara claimed three for 75, while new-ball partner Suranga Lakmal took 2-60.Brad Haddin put on 75 for the sixth wicket with Hussey when Australia resumed the day at 235-5 before he was the first batsman to be removed in the morning session, caught behind off Eranga.Hussey reached the 5,000-run mark with two consecutive boundaries off Welegedara that took his score to 99.Hussey then watched from the other end as Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle were dismissed off successive balls by Welegedera, but Trent Copeland denied the seamer a hat-trick.Hussey reached his century with a flick off Rangana Herath for a single, earning himself warm applause from his team-mates in the dressing room and 2,000 fans at the ground.Welegedara picked up his third wicket when he had Copeland caught at second slip by Mahela Jayawardene as the Aussies slipped from 293-6 to 295-9.Hussey scored 18 in a last-wicket stand of 21 with Nathan Lyon, including a reverse sweep off Herath to the third man fence after Sri Lanka had placed seven fielders on the leg-side.Australia had been reduced to 22-2 in the ninth over on Friday after being sent in to bat by Sri Lanka skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan.

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India slips in ICC ranking after whitewash in England

CARDIFF : After humiliating defeat in the ODI series, India slipped to 5th position in the ICC ODI rankings.In the latest ODI rankings, India’s miserable show in the England tour pushed them to the 5th rank in the chart.Home ground world champion India on arrival in London was number one in test ranking and number two in one-day ranking, but the England team whitewashing them in the four test series pushed them down to third position from first, which the England themselves occupied.Now in one-day series also, England winning it by 3-0 dragged down India to the fifth position from second. England in ranking stand fourth, while Australia on top, Sri Lanka second and South Africa on third position

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Pakistan seal Zimbabwe series with record partnership

Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez with 139 runs and Imran Farhat with 75 formed a record-breaking opening partnerhip of 228 runs against Zimbabwe here Sunday to secure an overwhelming win in the second ODI to take the three-match series.Their combination beat the previous mark set by Saeed Anwar and Ramiz Rajah of 204 against Sri Lanka.The Pakistani pair stayed together for the entire 42.1 overs necessary to record a ten wicket victory over a hapless home side who had scraped together 225-6 in their 50 overs.Hafeez, who recorded his third ODI century and was later named man of the match for the second time on this tour, needed only 147 balls while Farhat's 75 required 106 balls.They treated the Zimbabweans with apparent disdain, running leisurely and with the occasional strike for boundaries. They gave the home side the appearance of one that still has a long way to go before competing seriously against quality Test teams.In reaching 30 runs, Hafeez passed the 2000 mark in ODIs, adding more than 100 more on the way to the next thousand.It was the fifth time that Zimbabwe had been beaten by ten wickets in 400 ODI's played over the years.In restricting Zimbabwe to 225 runs at Harare Sports Club, Pakistan kept the home batsmen well under their thumb.Winning the toss and decided to bat, Brendan Taylor's team got off to a very slow start and they struggled throughout as Junaid Khan and Sohail Tanveer bowled three maidens in the first seven overs.Vusi Sibanda scored one run from 20 balls before getting out for 14. Hamilton Masakadza managed only four from his first 25 balls faced. And Zimbabwe only managed 22 runs in the first ten overs.Masakadza ended with 68 runs but from 118 balls, well below par compared with the performance of Hafeez.Masakadza held the team together, but he fell well short of what he should have scored from that number of deliveries and he must take some blame for the final total on the way to his 18th half century.Taylor also got 50 runs, his 23rd half century, while Taibu hit a bright and adventurous 26. Elton Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya took 13 off Tanveer's last over, but it always looked too little, too late.It was as much Pakistan's opening attack success as Zimbabwe's failure in the early stages of the innings. Khan finished with 1-29 in 10 overs, and Tanveer took two wickets for 43 in nine overs.Masakadza and Chigumbura hit sixes but they were more gestures than substantive contributions.Zimbabwe Coach Alan Butcher commented afterwards: "This was a bad result of course but we need to see the last few matches overall to get a proper picture. There are not many positives though."We need to expand our own innings earlier. Zimbabwe has been prone to collapses in the past and the present players are conscious of this and consequently are over-cautious.This was the fifth match in a row against touring sides that Zimbabwe have lost. The final ODI of the tour is on Wednesday and two Twenty-20 matches follow. Zimbabwe's hopes of redeeming themselves with those three encounters cannot be very high.

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Inter National Fixtures Matches

Please note: Fixtures are subject to change. The Asian cricket website is not responsible for any changes that may be made.

Monday, 12 September 2011

One-day international series

Third One Day International
Netherlands v Kenya, Voorburg, 10:00

LV County Championship - Division One

Durham v Worcestershire, Emirates Durham ICG, 10:30

Hampshire v Warwickshire, The Rose Bowl, 10:30

Nottinghamshire v Sussex, Trent Bridge, 10:30

Somerset v Lancashire, Taunton, 10:30

LV County Championship - Division Two

Leicestershire v Middlesex, Grace Road, 10:30

Northamptonshire v Gloucestershire, Northampton, 10:30

Surrey v Derbyshire, The Kia Oval, 10:30

Kent v Glamorgan, Canterbury, 14:00

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Tuesday, 13 September 2011

One-day international series

Fourth One Day International
Netherlands v Kenya, Voorburg, 10:00

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Wednesday, 14 September 2011

One-day international series

Third One Day International
Zimbabwe v Pakistan, Harare, 08:30

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Friday, 16 September 2011

Test match series

Third Test Match
Sri Lanka v Australia, Colombo (SSC), 05:30

NatWest One Day International Series

England v India, The Swalec Stadium, 14:00

International Twenty20 Series

Zimbabwe v Pakistan, Harare, 13:00

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Saturday, 17 September 2011

Clydesdale Bank 40

Surrey v Somerset, Lord's, 11:30

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Sunday, 18 September 2011

International Twenty20 Series

Zimbabwe v Pakistan, Harare, 13:00

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Monday, 19 September 2011

One-day international series

Fifth One Day International
Ireland v Canada, Dublin, 10:30

Champions Twenty20 League

Ruhuna Rhinos v Trinidad and Tobago, Hyderabad, 11:30

Auckland v Kolkata Knight Riders, Hyderabad, 15:30

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Tuesday, 20 September 2011

One-day international series

Sixth One Day International
Ireland v Canada, Dublin, 10:30

Champions Twenty20 League

Leicestershire v Trinidad and Tobago, Hyderabad, 11:30

Auckland v Somerset, Hyderabad, 15:30

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Wednesday, 21 September 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

Leicestershire v Ruhuna Rhinos, Hyderabad, 11:30

Kolkata Knight Riders v Somerset, Hyderabad, 15:30

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Friday, 23 September 2011

NatWest International Twenty20 Match

England v West Indies, The Kia Oval, 18:15

Champions Twenty20 League

Bangalore Royal Challengers v Warriors, Chennai, 15:30

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Saturday, 24 September 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

Cape Cobras v New South Wales, Chennai, 11:30

Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, Chennai, 15:30

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Sunday, 25 September 2011

NatWest International Twenty20 Match

England v West Indies, The Kia Oval, 18:30

Champions Twenty20 League

Warriors v South Australia, Kolkata, 11:30

TBC v TBC, Kolkata, 15:30

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Monday, 26 September 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

Mumbai Indians v TBC, Bangalore, 15:30

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Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

TBC v South Australia, Kolkata, 15:30

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Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

New South Wales v TBC, Chennai, 11:30

Chennai Super Kings v Cape Cobras, Chennai, 15:30

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Thursday, 29 September 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

TBC v Bangalore Royal Challengers, Kolkata, 15:30

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Friday, 30 September 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

Mumbai Indians v Cape Cobras, Bangalore, 15:30

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Saturday, 1 October 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

South Australia v TBC, Bangalore, 11:30

TBC v Warriors, Bangalore, 15:30

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Sunday, 2 October 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

Mumbai Indians v New South Wales, Chennai, 11:30

Chennai Super Kings v TBC, Chennai, 15:30

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Tuesday, 4 October 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

Cape Cobras v TBC, Chennai, 11:30

Chennai Super Kings v New South Wales, Chennai, 15:30

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Wednesday, 5 October 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

Warriors v TBC, Bangalore, 11:30

Bangalore Royal Challengers v South Australia, Bangalore, 15:30

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Saturday, 8 October 2011

Tour Match

TBC v England XI, Hyderabad, 10:00

Champions Twenty20 League

TBC v TBC, Chennai, 15:30

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Sunday, 9 October 2011

Champions Twenty20 League

TBC v TBC, Chennai, 15:30

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Tuesday, 11 October 2011

Tour Match

TBC v England XI, Hyderabad, 10:00

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Thursday, 13 October 2011

International Twenty20 Series

South Africa v Australia, Cape Town, 17:00

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Friday, 14 October 2011

One-day international series

First One Day International
India v England, Hyderabad, 09:00

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Sunday, 16 October 2011

International Twenty20 Series

South Africa v Australia, Johannesburg, 13:30

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Monday, 17 October 2011

One-day international series

Second One Day International
India v England, Delhi, 09:00

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Wednesday, 19 October 2011

One-day international series

First One Day International
South Africa v Australia, Centurion, 13:30

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Thursday, 20 October 2011

One-day international series

Third One Day International
India v England, Mohali, 09:00

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Friday, 21 October 2011

Women's One Day International Series

South Africa Women v England Women, Potchefstroom, 08:00

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Sunday, 23 October 2011

One-day international series

Fourth One Day International
India v England, Mumbai, 09:00

Second One Day International
South Africa v Australia, Port Elizabeth, 09:00

Women's One Day International Series

South Africa Women v England Women, Potchefstroom, 08:00

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Tuesday, 25 October 2011

One-day international series

Fifth One Day International
India v England, Kolkata, 09:00

Women's One Day International Series

South Africa Women v England Women, Potchefstroom, 08:00

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Thursday, 27 October 2011

Women's Twenty20 Match

South Africa Women v England Women, Potchefstroom, 16:30

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Friday, 28 October 2011

One-day international series

Third One Day International
South Africa v Australia, Durban, 13:30

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Saturday, 29 October 2011

International Twenty20 Match

India v England, Kolkata, 09:00

Women's Twenty20 Match

South Africa Women v England Women, Potchefstroom, 16:30

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Sunday, 30 October 2011

Women's Twenty20 Match

South Africa Women v England Women, Potchefstroom, 16:30

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Wednesday, 9 November 2011

Test match series

First Test Match
South Africa v Australia, Cape Town, 09:30

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Thursday, 17 November 2011

Test match series

Second Test Match
South Africa v Australia, Johannesburg, 09:00

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Thursday, 1 December 2011

Test match series

First Test Match
Australia v New Zealand, Brisbane, 01:00

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Friday, 9 December 2011

Test match series

Second Test Match
Australia v New Zealand, Hobart, 00:30

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Thursday, 15 December 2011

Test match series

First Test Match
South Africa v Sri Lanka, Centurion, 09:30

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Monday, 26 December 2011

Test match series

First Test Match
Australia v India, Melbourne, 00:30

Second Test Match
South Africa v Sri Lanka, Durban, 09:30

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Saturday, 7 January 2012

Other Match

TBC v England XI, TBC, 06:00

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Wednesday, 11 January 2012

Other Match

TBC v England XI, TBC, 06:00

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Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Test match series

First Test Match
Pakistan v England, Dubai, 06:00

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Thursday, 26 January 2012

Test match series

First Test Match
New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Napier, 22:00

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Friday, 3 February 2012

Test match series

Third Test Match
Pakistan v England, Dubai, 06:00

One-day international series

First One Day International
New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Dunedin, 22:00

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Monday, 6 February 2012

One-day international series

Second One Day International
New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Whangarei, 22:00

---

Thursday, 9 February 2012

One-day international series

Third One Day International
New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Napier, 22:00

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Friday, 10 February 2012

Tour Match

TBC v England XI, Abu Dhabi, 14:00

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Sunday, 12 February 2012

International Twenty20 Series

New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Auckland, 22:00

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Monday, 13 February 2012

One-day international series

First One Day International
Pakistan v England, Abu Dhabi, 11:00

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Tuesday, 14 February 2012

International Twenty20 Series

New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Hamilton, 22:00

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Wednesday, 15 February 2012

One-day international series

Second One Day International
Pakistan v England, Abu Dhabi, 11:00

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Friday, 17 February 2012

Women's Twenty20 Match

N Zealand Women v England Women, Wellington, 06:00

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Saturday, 18 February 2012

One-day international series

Third One Day International
Pakistan v England, Dubai, 11:00

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Sunday, 19 February 2012

International Twenty20 Series

New Zealand v South Africa, Hamilton, 22:00

Women's Twenty20 Match

N Zealand Women v England Women, Hamilton, 06:00

---

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

One-day international series

Fourth One Day International
Pakistan v England, Dubai, 11:00

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Wednesday, 22 February 2012

International Twenty20 Series

New Zealand v South Africa, Auckland, 22:00

Women's Twenty20 Match

N Zealand Women v England Women, Auckland, 06:00

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Thursday, 23 February 2012

International Twenty20 Series

Pakistan v England, Dubai, 14:00

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Saturday, 25 February 2012

One-day international series

First One Day International
New Zealand v South Africa, Wellington, 22:00

International Twenty20 Series

Pakistan v England, Dubai, 14:00

Women's Twenty20 Match

N Zealand Women v England Women, Invercargill, 06:00

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Sunday, 26 February 2012

Women's Twenty20 Match

N Zealand Women v England Women, Invercargill, 06:00

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Monday, 27 February 2012

International Twenty20 Series

Pakistan v England, Abu Dhabi, 14:00

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Wednesday, 29 February 2012

One-day international series

Second One Day International
New Zealand v South Africa, Napier, 22:00

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Thursday, 1 March 2012

Women's One Day International Series

N Zealand Women v England Women, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, 12:00

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Saturday, 3 March 2012

One-day international series

Third One Day International
New Zealand v South Africa, Auckland, 22:00

Women's One Day International Series

N Zealand Women v England Women, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, 12:00

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Monday, 5 March 2012

Women's One Day International Series

N Zealand Women v England Women, Bert Sutcliffe Oval, 12:00

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Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Test match series

First Test Match
New Zealand v South Africa, Dunedin, 22:00

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Thursday, 15 March 2012

Test match series

Second Test Match
New Zealand v South Africa, Hamilton, 22:00

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Friday, 23 March 2012

Test match series

Third Test Match
New Zealand v South Africa, Wellington, 22:00

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Monday, 26 March 2012

Test match series

First Test Match
Sri Lanka v England, Galle, 10:00

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Tuesday, 3 April 2012

Test match series

Second Test Match
Sri Lanka v England, Colombo, 10:00

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Azharuddin's son critical after bike accident

Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin's son, Ayazuddin, has been hospitalized after suffering serious injuries in a motorcycle accident in Hyderabad today.His cousin and Azharuddin's newphew, Ajmal-ur-Rehman, 16, was riding on the same bike and died from head injuries.According to reports, Ayazuddin has been admitted to the city's Apollo Hospital.Azharuddin, who is a Congress leader and a member of the Lok Sabha, is reportedly on his way back to Hyderabad from London.Ayazuddin is the younger of Azharuddin's two sons from his former wife, Naureen. Both he and Asaduddin, the elder son, are cricketers.Ayazuddin was racing his imported 1000 cc Suzuki motorcycle, according to the Indian Express."The helmet that Aiyazuddin was probably wearing was totally crushed. Tire marks at the accident spot indicate that the bike skidded and hit the road divider at a very high speed," a police official.Chief Surgeon Dr Mahesh Joshi said the boys were wheeled in to the hospital at 9 am and had no pulse."They had both gone into a state of cardiac arrest. In spite of our best efforts we could not revive Ajmal. Aiyazuddin has suffered serious injuries on his head, chest and abdomen and is at present undergoing surgery Joshi said

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PCB agrees to tour Bangladesh

LAHORE : The Pakistan Cricket Board seems to be working hard to improve the strained relationship with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) as it agreed to tour Bangladesh for a full series in December this year A source in the Board said that the PCB had recently approved a tentative itinerary sent by the Bangladesh board for the series that will include two Tests, three one-day internationals and a T20 match in December.The itinerary for the series has been tentatively agreed upon by both the boards. Pakistan has not played Bangladesh in a bilateral series since early 2008 as it believed that the Bangladesh board had let it down on many occasions, especially by not supporting Pakistan when the World Cup matches were moved out of the country. But now things seem to have settled down," the source said. Stating that the tension between Pakistan and Bangladesh first surfaced in 2009, the source explained, "Pakistan board has not been very happy with BCB since 2009 when it cancelled a bilateral one-day series between the two nations to be held in Bangladesh, immediately after the militants attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore. Pakistan team was to tour Bangladesh for the ODI series but after the attack took place, the BCB cancelled the series on security grounds, saying its government had not given clearance for the Pakistan team to play in Bangladesh.The source said that the relations further soured between the two boards when against all expectations the Bangladesh board supported a resolution in the International cricket Council (ICC) to move the 2011 World Cup matches out of Pakistan on security grounds. "The PCB chief Ijaz Butt was really upset and angry with his Bangladesh counterpart and even had a heated exchange with him after the ICC meeting in 2009 in which the World Cup matches were moved from Pakistan," the source revealed. He said since then the relations had remained tense and even recently when the Bangladesh board didn't fulfill its commitment of sending its under-19 team to Pakistan two months back, the PCB got very upset. "The PCB officials were not satisfied with the reasons given by the Bangladesh board for not sending its team to Pakistan and asking for the series to be postponed to next year," the source said. He also informed that since 2010, even Bangladesh has been requesting the PCB to send its team to Bangladesh to play an ODI series, which was cancelled in 2009 but the PCB kept on refusing. "But now both boards appear to have taken steps to improve their relations and the PCB recently approved the itinerary sent for the Test series by Bangladesh," the source said.

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Pakistan trounce Zimbabwe in second ODI

HARARE : Pakistan beat Zimbabwe by 10 wickets in their second one day international here on Sunday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match series.Mohammad Hafeez hit an unbeaten 139 while opening partner Imran Farhat was not out on 75 as the visitors eased to victory with over seven overs remaining.

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Raina, Dhoni help India post 280-5 against England

LONDON : Suresh Raina hit 84 as India made 280-5 off their 50 overs after being put in to bat in the fourth one-day international here at Lord's on Sunday.Raina shared a stand of 169 with captain MS Dhoni (78 not out) which was the highest fifth wicket partnership for India in one-day internationals against England as India posted a challenging total.Dhoni faced 71 balls, hitting six fours and three sixes, whilst Raina, who accelerated late in his innings faced 75 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes.But it looked like it would be a different story when India were 110-4 in 26th over.Graeme Swann had just dismissed Virat Kholi and Rahul Dravid in his first over and one more wicket would have exposed the Indian tail.But Raina and Dhoni got their side to a score well above the average first innings one-day total here with aggressive batting which delighted the hordes of Indian supporters at the ground.They helped their side to add 109 off the last ten overs with both batsmen hitting the English bowlers high into stands as India finally enjoyed themselves after a dismal summer in England.In a bad session for England Stuart Broad went off without completing the final over holding his arm and Steve Finn was called on to bowl the rest of the over. Earlier, Broad had dismissed both openers Parthiv Patel for 27 and Ajinkya Rahane for 38 but Finn, playing his first match of the series, went wicketless despite bowling well.He eventually snared Raina when he was asked to replace Broad when the batsman was superbly caught by Ben Stokes in the deep.England lead the five-match series 2-0 with one no result and one match left to play, in Cardiff, on Friday.

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Pakistan restrict Zimbabwe to 225-6 in 2nd ODI

HARARE : Pakistan held the upper hand after restricting Zimbabwe to 225-6 in their second One Day International at Harare Sports Club here Sunday.Zimbabwe won the toss and elected to bat with Brendan Taylor's team getting off to a very slow start.There were three maidens in the first seven overs by Juanid Khan and Sohail Tanveer. Vusi Sibanda scored one run from 20 balls before getting out for 14.Hamilton Masakadza scored only four from his first 25 balls. In the first 10 overs only 22 runs were on the scoreboard.It all added up to potential disaster for the home team, though they went on to make a recovery of sorts.Masakadza ended with 68 runs but from 118 balls, well below par. He held the team together, but fell well short of what he should have scored from that number of deliveries. It was his 18th half century.Taylor also got 50 runs, his 23rd half century, while Tatenda Taibu hit a bright and adventurous 26. Elton Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya took 13 off Tanveer's last over, but it had the look of being too little too late.It was as much Pakistan's opening attack success as Zimbabwe's failure in the early stages of the innings. Junaid Khan finished with 1-29 in 10 overs, and Tanveer took two wickets for 43 in nine overs.Sibanda and partner Justice Chibhabha simply couldn't cope with the seamers' policy of swinging the ball across them.The Zimbabwe middle order were much more comfortable with the spinners, taking a succession of singles. Masakadza and Elton Chigumbura hit sixes but they were more gestures than substantive contributions.Taylor might well rue the decision to bat first. Pakistan have a strong batting line-up and they will be feeling confident of getting 226 runs for victory and the series.Pakistan won the first of the three match series in Bulawayo on Thursday

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Improved Sri Lanka keep Aussies at bay

PALLEKELE : Sri Lanka put on a determined batting display, losing just two wickets in their second innings against Australia on Sunday.Sri Lanka, who were dismissed for 174 in the first innings, moved to 164-2 by tea on the fourth day of the second Test at the Pallekele International Stadium.Former captains Kumar Sangakkara (35) and Mahela Jayawardene (13) were together at the crease, with the hosts only 73 runs behind with eight wickets in hand.Australia captain Michael Clarke, worried over forecasts of bad weather for the last two days of the match, had declared his team's first innings at an overnight score of 411-7 Sri Lanka's openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana (55) put on 81 for the first wicket, their best partnership of the series so far after stands of four, zero and two in the previous three outings.Under bright skies they warded off the early threat from the Australian seamers on a good batting wicket.But Dilshan undid the good work just before lunch with a wild heave, soon after a five-minute stoppage due to bad light.The captain, who looked settled in on 36, drove at a wide ball outside the off-stump from seamer Ryan Harris but only managed to edge a catch to Shane Watson at first slip.Paranavitana went on to compile his eighth Test half century before falling to a controversial decision by third umpire Aleem Dar.The left-hander played defensively to Mike Hussey and the ball lodged in the gloves of wicket-keeper Brad Haddin, who was the only one to appeal for a catch.When umpire Tony Hill turned down the appeal, the Australians asked for -- and received -- a favourable review from Dar, even though television replays proved inconclusive.The tourists are looking to clinch the three-match series on their first Test tour of Sri Lanka since 2004 after winning the opening contest in Galle by 125 runs.

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England win toss, put India into bat in 4th ODI

LONDON : England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and elected to field in the fourth one-day international against India here at Lord's on Sunday.England, who hold a 2-0 lead in the series, brought fast bowler Steve Finn into their starting line-up at the expense of Jade Denbach and retained Jonathan Trott meaning another match on the sidelines for Samit Patel.India were unchanged from the side that lost at the Oval on Friday meaning all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who was man of the match despite only just joining up with the squad is retained.India have two one-day internationals left to rescue some pride from what has been a dispiriting summer.They lost the Test series 4-0 and have been decimated by injuries with eight players, including Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh being invalided out of the tour.By contrast England, already ranked the number one Test team in the world have emphasised their desire to get to same status in one-day cricket. After Sunday's match the fifth and final game of the series will be played in Cardiff on Friday.Teams England: Alastair Cook (captain), Craig Kieswetter (wkt), Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Ben Stokes, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn India: MS Dhoni (captain, wk), Parthiv Patel, Ajinka Rahane, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Pravin Kumar, Ravichandran Ashwin, RP Singh, Munaf Patel Umpires: Marais Erasmus (SA) and Richard Illingworth (ENG), Third umpire: Billy Doctrove (WI), Fourth umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG) Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL) Series: 2-0 (England) Results so far: 3 Sept, Durham, No Result, 6 Sept, Southampton England won by seven wickets, 9 Sept, The Oval, England won by three wickets To play: 16 Sept 5th ODI, Cardiff

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Sri Lanka fight back in second Test

PALLEKELE : Sri Lanka's openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Tharanga Paranavitana compiled their best stand of the series to frustrate Australia in the second Test on Sunday.Sri Lanka, trailing by 237 runs on the first innings, moved to 83-1 in their second knock by lunch on the fourth day at the Pallekele International Stadium.Australia captain Michael Clarke, worried over forecasts of bad weather over the last two days of the match, declared his team's first innings at their overnight score of 411-7.Skipper Dilshan and Paranavitana, whose previous partnerships in the series were four, zero and two, finally broke the shackles with a fluent opening stand of 81.Under bright skies they warded off the early threat from the Australian seamers on a good batting wicket.Paranavitana took two successive boundaries off Harris and Dilshan drove the same bowler past mid-on for another four.But Dilshan undid the good work just before lunch with a wild heave soon after a five-minute stoppage due to bad light.The captain, who looked settled in after making 36, drove at a wide ball outside the off-stump from seamer Ryan Harris and only managed to edge a catch to Shane Watson at first slip.Left-hander Paranavitana was unbeaten on 33 at the break and Kumar Sangakkara had yet to score.The tourists are looking to clinch the three-match series on their first Test tour of Sri Lanka since 2004 after winning the opening contest in Galle by 125 runs.

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LG ICC Awards 2011 to be seen across the world

The LG ICC Awards 2011 will be seen on TV in Asia (India, Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Singapore, Hong Kong and PNG), Middle East and North Africa ('MENA'), South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, UK, USA , the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.Whilst most of the broadcasters are the usual ICC event broadcasters - ESS (South Asia), GEO (Pakistan), ADD/Cricone (MENA), Fox Sports (Australia), Sky Sports (UK), Sky Sports (New Zealand) and SuperSport (South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa), there are exciting new players in the Americas.In Canada, Rogers? the largest communications company in Canada, which along with TV distribution is also involved in wireless technology, will broadcast the event while ESPN will show it in the Caribbean. The most exciting tie-up is in the US. The LG ICC Awards 2011 will be the first ICC Event broadcast on the massive ESPN 360 platform in the US. This platform has a reach of 70-80 million and also broadcasts popular American sports like baseball, college basketball and NFL.Apart from the ESS-driven broadcast distribution there are also other partnerships to spread the reach of the event and popularise it across all genres (sports, news and general entertainment).News channel partnerships

In India: Network 18 (CNN-IBN & IBN-7)
In UK: Sky Sports News
News clips distribution:
ICC's usual news access licensees - SNTV & Reuters
General Entertainment partnership:
STAR World
More information on broadcast timings around the world is given below:

Network	Day	Air Date	Start Time (Local)	Duration	Title
ESPN India	TUE	9/13/2011	21:00:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
STAR Sports China	TUE	9/13/2011	23:00:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
STAR Cricket	WED	9/14/2011	7:00:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
STAR Cricket	SAT	9/17/2011	10:00:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
STAR Cricket HD	TUE	9/13/2011	19:00:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
STAR Cricket HD	WED	9/14/2011	7:00:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
Sky Sport 3 (NZ)	SAT	9/17/2011	10:30	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
Sky Sport 3 (NZ)	SAT	9/17/2011	22:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
Fox Sports	THUR	9/15/2011	11:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
Geo Sport	TUE	9/13/2011	20:30	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
CricOne	TUE	9/13/2011	19:30	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
SuperSport (SS2, SS2A, SSHD2)	WED	9/14/2011	18:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
SuperSport (SS2, SS2A, CSN)	WED	9/14/2011	22:45	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
SuperSport (SSHD2)	THUR	9/15/2011	01:15	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
SuperSport (SS2,SS2A,M-Net)	THUR	9/15/2011	06:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
SuperSport (SS2,SS2A)	THUR	9/15/2011	21:30	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
SuperSport (SS2,SS2A)	SUN	9/18/2011	21:30	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
Sky Sports (UK) HD 1	TUE	9/13/2011	18:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
ESPN 3 (USA)	TUE	9/13/2011	TBC	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
ESPN (Caribbean)	THRU	9/15/2011	20:00	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
ESPN (Caribbean)	FRI	9/16/2011	13:30	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
ESPN2 (Caribbean)	SAT	9/17/2011	17:30	1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011
Rogers (Canada)	TBC			1:30:00	LG ICC Awards 2011

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