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NEWS UPDATE : Asian Cricket Third Sri Lanka-Pakistan ODI abandoned due to rain COLOMBO: The third One-day International between Sri Lanka and Pakistan was abandoned due to rain here at the R Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday. The umpires made this decision after consulting ... Australia want to master all forms of game: Clarke SYDNEY: Australia's limited-overs tour of England and Ireland represents the start of a two-year campaign to make them the top nation in all three forms of the game, captain Michael Clarke said ... Bopara glad to be back for England SOUTHAMPTON, England: Ravi Bopara is eager to make up for lost times as he tries to revive his ... South Africa name unchanged squad for England series JOHANNESBURG: South Africa have kept faith with a winning formula by naming an unchanged squad for the three-Test series in England starting next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on ...


Monday, April 11, 2011

Gul will return with bang in Pakistan's Test series against Windies: Intikhab

Pakistan cricket team manager Intikhab Alam has expressed confidence that pacer Umar Gul will bounce back with a vengeance in next month's two-match Test series against the West Indies after having few weeks of rest.Pakistan have little experience in their pace attack, as three of their most seasoned pacers- Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq- are no more in the limited-overs squad for the Caribbean tour.Akhtar has retired from international cricket, Razzaq was axed due to his below-par performance in the World Cup, and Gul has been rested."Gul needed a rest. The last time when we rested him, he returned with a bang and I expect him to do that again soon," The News quoted Intikhab, as saying.However, Intikhab was confident that youngsters like Wahab Riaz, Juniad Khan and Sadaf Hussain would give their best in the Caribbean islands."We have Wahab Riaz who is getting better and better. Junaid Khan is really good while Sadaf, we have been told, is a decent find," he said.The Pakistan squad includes five players yet to play for the senior team- wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman, batsman Usman Salahuddin, allrounder Hammad Azam and pacers Sadaf and Junaid."It is necessary for any team to keep trying youngsters. It's an ongoing process which is like giving fuel injections to the team," Intikhab said, adding, "It's a golden opportunity for the youngsters to prove their worth."Due to shortage of time, Pakistan have decided against holding a training camp ahead of the West Indies tour. However, Intikhab said, the 16-man squad will assemble in Lahore on April 12 for a two-day gathering ahead of the tour."We will have light training during those two days," he said, adding, "We will have around four to five days before the series gets underway and that will be ample time for the players to adapt to the playing conditions in St Lucia."

Sunday, April 10, 2011

IPL: Malinga fires Mumbai to 8-wkt victory


Updated at: 1959 PST,  Sunday, April 10, 2011
NEW DELHI: Lasith Malinga grabbed five wickets in a superb exhibition of fast bowling to set up Mumbai Indians' eight-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League match on Sunday.The Sri Lankan, known for bowling accurate yorkers, finished with 5-13 off 3.4 overs as Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians dismissed Virender Sehwag's Delhi Daredevils for 95 in the Twenty20 tournament. Naman Ojha (29) and Venugopal Rao (26) were the main contributors for Delhi, who could not even bat their full quota of 20 overs. Five batsmen failed to open their accounts in a dismal batting performance.Mumbai did not face any difficulty in achieving a modest target, winning their opening match with more than three overs to spare at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi. Tendulkar (46 not out), who added 68 for the unfinished third-wicket stand with Rohit Sharma (27 not not), ended the match when he drove seamer Irfan Pathan through the covers for a four.Malinga jolted Delhi with two wickets in three balls when he bowled Australian David Warner and local boy Unmukt Chand in his opening over to reduce the hosts to 11-2.

Delhi suffered a big setback when captain Sehwag was run out for 19 following Tendulkar's direct-hit at the striker's end.

Malinga then returned for his second spell to get two more wickets in one over, again in the space of three deliveries, when he bowled Rao and South African Morne Morkel.

The fast bowler ended the innings when he had last-man Ashok Dinda caught by New Zealander James Franklin at mid-off.

India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who opened the attack, finished with 2-14 off three overs.

Brief scores
Delhi Daredevils 95 in 17.4 overs (N. Ojha 29, V. Rao 26; L. Malinga 5-13, H. Singh 2-14) lost to Mumbai Indians 99-2 in 16.5 overs (S. Tendulkar 46 not out, R. Sharma 27 not out) by eight wickets.

Miandad rejects batting coach offer

KARACHI, Apr 9: Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad has turned down an offer from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take over as the batting coach of the national cricket team. The director-general cricket of the PCB confirmed that he had informed the board that he would not be able to immediately join the team and accompany them on the tour to the West Indies because of prior commitments."As it is, I believe you cannot change the technique or style of a batsman once he is in the national team. I think the main job of the batting coach is to guide the batsmen in different matches on how to adjust to different pitches and how to counter specific opposing bowlers," Miandad said. The former Pakistan coach said while he was always available to serve Pakistan cricket, he would not be able to go to the West Indies "I am committed for a few months but I am there to guide the players in the training camp and work with the youngsters in the National Cricket Academy. I will discuss taking this responsibility full time after the West Indies tour," Miandad added. However, the sources close to Miandad said that he was not comfortable with the idea of working in a support staff team headed by chief coach Waqar Younis. "Miandad believes that if he is to be successful as a batting coach he will require independence to implement his plans," the source said "Miandad being a very senior player also obviously wants certain powers to work as batting coach," the source added.

Bangalore spoil Kochi’s IPL debut

Updated at: 1534 PST,  Sunday, April 10, 2011
KOCHI: AB de Villiers smashed a quickfire 54 as the Royal Challengers Bangalore spoilt the Indian Premier League debut of Kochi Tuskers Kerala with a six-wicket win on Saturday.Chasing a stiff 162, Bangalore overhauled the target with eight balls to spare in the high-scoring thriller at the Nehru Stadium, with de Villiers' 40-ball unbeaten half-century the pick of the batting.Bangalore looked in trouble at 137-4 in the 18th over but de Villiers held his nerve and Asad Pathan hit three fours in a row to pull off a fine win for the team, which is owned by multi-millionaire liquor baron Vijay Mallya.Batting first, Kochi rode on a rollicking 80-run opening stand between Brendon McCullum and Venkatsai Laxman to pile up 161-5 off 20 overs.McCullum, the first century-maker of the IPL, hammered 45 off 32 balls and Test specialist Laxman carted a 26-ball 39 with two fours and two sixes to underline his worth in the shortest format of the game.New Zealand left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori was the most impressive among the Bangalore bowlers, giving away just 17 runs while taking one wicket in his four overs.Kochi, led by Sri Lankan Mahela Jayawardene, is one of the two debutant teams in the this year's lucrative Twenty20 competition alongside Pune Warriors.Scores Kochi Tuskers Kerala 161-5 in 20 overs (B. McCullum 45, V. Laxman 36, B. Hodge 27) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 162-4 in 18.4 overs (AB de Villiers 54 not out, M. Agarwal 33) by six wickets.

Australia beat Bangladesh by 60 runs in ODI opener

Updated at: 1720 PST,  Saturday, April 09, 2011
DHAKA: Michael Clarke celebrated his captaincy debut with a responsible century as Australia raced to an emphatic 60-run victory over Bangladesh in the opening one-day international on Saturday. The stylish middle-order batsman, leading in his first one-day series after replacing Ricky Ponting as skipper last month, scored 101 for his sixth one-day hundred to help his team post a challenging 270-7 on a slow pitch.Bangladesh never looked like achieving the target despite half-centuries from opener Tamim Iqbal (62) and skipper Shakib Al Hasan (51), finishing at 210-5. The Bangladeshi captain completed 3,000 one-day runs during his knock.Mushfiqur Rahim (44 not out) and Mohammad Mahmudullah (28 not out) were the other notable contributors for Bangladesh, who now trail 1-0 in the three-match series. The last two one-dayers will be played in Dhaka on April 11 and 13.Clarke, who cracked two sixes and six fours in his 111-ball knock, earlier propped up the innings just when Bangladesh looked like restricting Australia to a modest total with their tight spin bowling.Australia, who lost to India in the World Cup quarter-finals, were struggling at 138-4 in the 30th over before the skipper added 84 runs for the fifth wicket with Michael Hussey (33).Clarke, needing five runs off the last three deliveries of the innings to complete his hundred, smashed paceman Mashrafe Mortaza for a six over mid-wicket before being caught in the deep off the next ball.Left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo, who dismissed Hussey and Steven Smith (one) in the same over, was the most successful bowler with 3-44.Bangladesh, electing to field after winning the toss, struck in the fourth over when Mortaza, who missed the World Cup due to a knee injury, bowled Brad Haddin for 10.Opener Shane Watson (37) and Ponting (34) then dominated the attack with attractive shots. The opener hit Mortaza for a four and a six off successive balls before lofting spinner Abdur Razzak over mid-wicket for a six.Ponting also looked in excellent touch, cracking three successive fours off Mortaza and hoisting Shuvo over long-on for a six. His brilliant cameo ended when he was run out going for a third runWatson, who added 65 for the second wicket with Ponting, also fell when looking well set as he was trapped lbw by Razzak after hitting two sixes and three fours

IPL: Rajasthan thrash Deccan by eight wickets

Updated at: 1942 PST,  Saturday, April 09, 2011
HYDERABAD: Johan Botha showed rare skill with the bat to guide Rajasthan Royals to an emphatic eight-wicket victory over a listless Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League on Saturday.The South African spinner hit eight fours and a six in his unbeaten 67 off 47 balls as Rajasthan overhauled Deccan's 137-8 with seven balls to spare at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.Botha, a surprise promotion to number three in the batting order, shared 52 runs with veteran India batsman Rahul Dravid (28) and another 58 with New Zealand's Ross Taylor (21 not out).Earlier, Deccan were off to a confident start after being put in to bat by Rajasthan skipper Shane Warne but lost their way against Siddharth Trivedi and Amit Singh, each picking three wickets.Australian spin legend Warne, who led Royals to a surprise title triumph in the inaugural IPL edition in 2008, chipped in with two wickets, including that of dangerman JP Duminy (14).Kumar Sangakkara's new stint as Deccan skipper got off to a poor start as he edged Trivedi behind the wicket for a duck.Australian Daniel Christian, one of the most expensive buys in the auction this year with a price tag of $900,000, hit two sixes in his 19-ball 26 before falling to Trivedi. Brief scores:Deccan Chargers 137-8 in 20 overs (D. Ravi Teja 28, D. Christian 26; S. Trivedi 3-15, A. Singh 3-35) lost to Rajasthan Royals 141-2 in 18.5 overs (J. Botha 67 not out, R. Dravid 28) by eight wickets.

Clarke ton helps Australia post 270-7 against BD

Updated at: 1417 PST,  Saturday, April 09, 2011
DHAKA: Michael Clarke hit an impressive century in his first match as captain to help Australia post a challenging 270-7 in the opening one-day international against Bangladesh on Saturday.Clarke, leading in his first one-day series after replacing Ricky Ponting as skipper last month, made a responsible 101 after Bangladesh threatened to restrict Australia to a modest total with their disciplined spin bowling.Australia, who lost to India in the World Cup quarter-finals, were 138-4 in the 30th over before Clarke propped up the innings with a vital 84-run stand for the fifth wicket with Michael Hussey (33). Clarke, needing five runs off the last three deliveries of the innings to complete his sixth one-day hundred, smashed paceman Mashrafe Mortaza for a six over mid-wicket before being caught in the deep off the next ball.He hit two sixes and six fours in his 111-ball knock.Left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo was the most successful bowler with three wickets for 44 runs, including those of Hussey and Steven Smith (one) in the same over.Bangladesh, electing to field after winning the toss on a slow pitch, tasted success in the fourth over when Mortaza, who missed the World Cup due to a knee injury, bowled Brad Haddin for 10.Opener Shane Watson (37) and Ponting (34) then dominated the attack with some handsome shots. The opener hit Mortaza for a four and a six off successive balls before lofting left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak over mid-wicket for a six.Ponting also looked in excellent touch, smashing three successive fours off Mortaza and hoisting Shuvo over long-on for a six. His brilliant cameo ended when he was run out going for a third run.Watson, who added 65 for the second wicket with Ponting off just eight overs, also fell when looking well set as he was trapped lbw by Razzak after hitting two sixes and three fours in his 32-ball knock.The remaining two one-dayers will be played in Dhaka on April 11 and 13.

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Kirsten, Dhoni and Tendulkar on ICC CWC 2011 special show

On this week's 30-minute special ICC Cricket World Radio Show, India captain MS Dhoni and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar reflect on winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 while departing India coach Gary Kirsten talks exclusively about winning the event and leaving his coaching role with the Indian team.It was a magnificent occasion and dream come true for me and the Indian people to win the ICC Cricket World Cup. I never pictured winning the World Cup, we said over two years ago we wanted to win the World Cup and until the event happened, and only then, did I think from day to day about how we could go about reaching that goal rather than long term planning for the success," says Kirsten."Every individual I worked with, alongside Paddy Upton and later Eric Simons, we needed to get to know in a meaningful and authentic way and what was required to get the best out of him as a player. We treated each individual differently and then set up a team structure and worked on what we wanted to achieve as a team, we set our goals as a team - it became noticeable how much of a team we really were as time progressed," adds Kirsten on his stint with the India side.Finally he says, "I've got nothing but gratitude for this country and for this team after my time with them and after winning on the ICC Cricket World Cup.Meanwhile India captain MS Dhoni and batsman Sachin Tendulkar reflect on what it means to have won the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time since 1983. Dhoni says, "I don't think we felt burdened to win the World Cup since India's last victory in 1983, it was an achievement by our country back then. Cricket is a popular sport here, we were expected to win every game in this event and people knew we were talented it was an opportunity for us to fulfill. The players were in good nick for the whole tournament and although we struggled on occasion the bowlers did well and we defended modest totals to win the event.Tendulkar adds, "As a young boy I started dreaming of winning the World Cup and to have now won it, I am still speechless. It is by far the best moment of my career, I've been dreaming of this moment for 21 odd years and its worth every minute, its been really special. Its my sixth World Cup and you can well imagine having played one of them where we lost in the semis and one where we lost in the finals it was really heartbreaking but one should never give up, continue to work hard and not lose hope. My biggest dream was this and I continued to chase it and it came true," says the Indian batting maestro Joining Kirsten, Tendulkar and Dhoni on the show are Player of the Tournament Yuvraj Singh with team-mates Harbhajan Singh, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. Also in this week's show Sri Lanka batsman and ICC CWC 2011 finalist Mahela Jayawardena looks back on losing the final to India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 2 April. "I'd swap my hundred any day for a championship medal, we fought hard but we had to take wickets but we couldn't seem to get the breakthrough we need. We knew 270 was going to be a difficult total to chase but they batted really well. "India are worthy world champions, they didn't start off well but they built momentum, they had an explosive batting line up and they proved themselves in the knock-out stages and did well in the last three games and worthy champions," says the Sri Lankan.Apart from these exclusive interviews, the show has the usual round up of cricketing news plus an update of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings ODI cricket. This show is a 30-minute special ICC CWC 2011 ICC Cricket World audio show and has been put together by the ICC's global broadcast partner, ESPN STAR Sports.

CM Sindh announces cash awards for Pak cricketers

Updated at: 2000 PST,  Friday, April 08, 2011
KARACHI: Chief minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah hosted a reception in honour of the Pakistan cricket team, the World Cup semi-finalists, and also announced a cash award of Rs 0.5 million each for the players. Those attended the reception, held here at the Chief Minister House, were captain Shahid Afridi, coach Waqar Younis, manager Intikhab Alam and ten players of the team while Akmal Brothers, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar and Junaid Khan were not present on the occasion.Praising the performance of the national team in the World Cup 2011, the chief minister said the World Cup 2015 would go only to Pakistan.Captain Afridi thanked the people for providing full support to his team and said that if they continue the support then Pakistan would Insha Allah win the next World Cup.On this occasion, Qaim Ali Shah presented ajrak and Sindhi cap to all members of the team and announced a cash award of Rs 0.5 million for each player.

Wisden drops Pakistan player from Cricketers of the Year

Updated at: 1628 PST,  Friday, April 08, 2011
LONDON: The Wisden Cricketers Almanack has broken with more than 80 years of tradition by naming only four Cricketers of the Year in its latest edition instead of its usual five.Since 1926 the cricketing bible has named five players who had the biggest impact on the English summer in its annual edition but reduced the number this year to reflect last year's spot-fixing scandal.Three Pakistan players Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, and Salman Butt were embroiled in the scandal and later suspended by the International Cricket Council. Asif was banned for seven years, with two suspended, Aamer banned for five years and Butt 10 years, with half suspended.Wisden would not say which of the Pakistan players would have been included on the list but it is likely to have been Aamer, the bowling sensation who was the star of last year's series against England."If (the player in question) were exonerated, then it would be possible to reconsider the position," Wisden editor Scyld Berry said."That's why I didn't pick anyone else instead. But as things stand, we don't feel we can choose him. It's all very sad."The news overshadowed the nominees who do make the reduced list  Tamim Iqbal, Eoin Morgan, Chris Read and Jonathan Trott.Bangladeshi Tamim and Irishman Morgan are the first players from their respective countries to make the list while Read is recognised for his role in Nottinghamshire's march to the County Championship Trott was honoured after a prolific year in Test and one-day cricket for England in his first full year as an international.

Aussie skipper Clarke faces Bangladesh test

Updated at: 1517 PST,  Friday, April 08, 2011
DHAKA: Australia's Michael Clarke will be determined to make a strong start in his new role as captain when he leads against Bangladesh in a one-day series starting in Dhaka on Saturday.The stylish middle-order batsman last month replaced Ricky Ponting as skipper at a time when Australia are trying to revive their fortunes in both Test and one-day cricket.Australia not only lost the Ashes against England at home last year but also failed in their bid to win a fourth successive World Cup when they crashed to India in the quarter-finals, both the defeats coming under Ponting.Ponting, with 13,288 runs in 359 one-day internationals, has retained his place as batsman in the squad for three matches against Bangladesh."Having his (Ponting's) experience around the group is very important for our development moving forward," Australia vice-captain Shane Watson said Wednesday."We have got three games in Bangladesh with a new captain that will add a slightly new dynamic to our team. I think it's really an exciting phase in Australian cricket."Australia began their tour on Thursday with a 90-run win over a Bangladesh Cricket Board team in a practice match in Dhaka, with Clarke, Ponting, Brad Haddin and Mike Hussey all scoring half-centuries.Paceman John Hastings bagged four wickets, including a hat-trick.Australia have made a few changes to their World Cup squad. David Hussey opted out of the series, while spinner Xavier Doherty and paceman James Pattinson have come in place of Jason Krezja and Shaun Tait.Fast bowler Tait quit one-day cricket after the World Cup.Bangladesh have won just one of their 16 one-dayers against Australia, but batsman Shahriar Nafees said the hosts could make the visitors struggle."I think Australia will be under massive pressure. They didn't do well in the World Cup and they'll have a lot to prove. We have to utilise this," the Bangladeshi batsman said ahead of the opening match."If we can make the best use of our conditions, I think we can make them struggle.Bangladesh, who could not make it to the World Cup quarter-finals, recalled fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza after he missed the showpiece event due a knee injury. Shakib Al Hasan was retained as captain.Uncapped batsman Shuvagoto Hom and all-rounder Alok Kapali were the surprise inclusions in the squad.Former captain Mohammad Ashraful, Junaid Siddique, Naeem Islam and Nazmul Hossain, members of the World Cup squad, were dropped for the series against Australia.The last two one-dayers will be held in Dhaka on April 11 and 13.Australia (from): Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, John Hastings, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith, Cameron White.Bangladesh (from): Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Shahriar Nafees, Raqibul Hasan, Alok Kapali, Shuvagoto Hom, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Rubel Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shafiul Islam.

IPL-4 begins today

Updated at: 1221 PST,  Friday, April 08, 2011
NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League cricket bandwagon rolls into action today with organisers hoping India’s World Cup victory last weekend will help the competition regain some of its lost sparkle.This year’s edition — spread over 51 days and comprising 74 matches across 13 venues — will be the first after the ousting of its outspoken founder Lalit Modi, who was forced out last year under a cloud of corruption allegations.The tournament’s future had looked in doubt amid claims of corruption, money-laundering and tax evasion, as well as secret deals to hide teams’ real owners and even links to India’s criminal underworld.But a massive PR exercise by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has ensured the IPL has kept its date with fans, as well as sponsors and advertisers hungry for their share of the huge commercial pie.IPL chief executive Sundar Raman dismissed fears that cricket fans in India, still recovering from celebrations after Saturday’s victory over Sri Lanka in the World Cup final, could suffer sporting overload.The success of the Indian team in the World Cup has made it (IPL) more interesting,” Raman told AFP, saying the tournament would “carry on from where the World Cup ended“Fans are already into cricket and celebrating India’s victory. We are confident of building on the success of the last edition.This year’s IPL, the fourth time it has been held, will have two new teams in Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors, taking the total number of franchises to 10.The opening game will feature Chennai Super Kings, led by victorious Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and the Kolkata Knight Riders, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.The IPL revolutionised the sport when it burst onto the scene in 2008 with a high-octane blend of international star players, scantily-clad cheerleaders and Bollywood glamour.Using the short Twenty20 form of the game, IPL matches are usually three-hour events packed with music, delirious crowds and countless television advertisements.Everything from the time-out to the drinks break is sponsored by companies, earning Indian cricket authorities millions in revenue.The fourth edition is likely to see IPL bosses reduce the decadent post-match parties, which were blamed by some for India’s failure in the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean last year.The much-discussed cheerleader jobs all taken by Western women in previous editions  might be given to locals who will don traditional Indian outfits in place of barely-there miniskirts, local media reports say

Friday, April 08, 2011

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