Broad rescues England from total collapse

NOTTINGHAM: Stuart Broad again proved a thorn in India's side with the bat as he rescued England from total collapse on the first day of the second Test at Trent Bridge here on Friday.England collapsed to 88 for six after losing the toss in overcast, swing-friendly, conditions.But Broad, batting at number nine on his Nottinghamshire home ground, top-scored with 64 in a total of 221.India at stumps were 24 for one in reply, a deficit of 197 runs, as they looked to level this four-match series at 1-1 after losing the first Test at Lord's by 196 runs. Rahul Dravid, who made an unbeaten century at Lord's, was seven not out and Venkatsai Laxman 13 not out after India lost opener Abhinav Mukund to the first ball of their innings when he pushed at James Anderson and was caught in the gully by Kevin Pietersen.Earlier, India's pace trio of Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, recalled in place of the injured Zaheer Khan, all took three wickets apiece.England captain Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell were the only other batsmen apart from Broad to make more than 30.The hosts came into this match knowing they would replace India at the top of the ICC's Test rankings if they won this 2-0 or better.But during the last decade India have either won or squared several series after losing the first Test.And although they were without left-arm quick Zaheer due to the hamstring injury that had forced him off the field early on at Lord's, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni opted to field after winning the toss.Sharma made the breakthrough when he had Alastair Cook lbw for two before Sreesanth had Jonathan Trott, on four, caught by second slip Laxman.Pietersen, who made 202 not out at Lord's, survived a huge lbw shout from Kumar on 17.Kumar, risking disciplinary action, angrily questioned South African umpire Marais Erasmus's decision -- there are no lbw reviews this series because of Indian objections to ball-tracking technology -- at the end of the over before being pulled away by Harbhajan Singh.England, 69 for two at lunch, lost six wickets for 55 runs in the second session with Kumar striking twice in four balls.Five balls after lunch, Pietersen, on 29, was squared up by Sreesanth and nicked to third slip Suresh Raina.Swing bowler Kumar rocked England with a Test-best five for 106 at Lord's and, on Friday, the medium-pacer dismissed Strauss when a full-blooded drive was well-held by Raina.That same over saw 85 for four become 85 for five when Kumar's outswinger to Eoin Morgan had the left-hander lbw for nought.att Prior had frustrated India with an unbeaten century after England had collapsed to 62 for five in their second innings at Lord's.But on Friday he made just one before edging Sreesanth to first slip Dravid.Bell was dropped on 22 by Dravid but he got himself out when he flat-footedly cut at Sharma and was caught behind by wicketkeeper Dhoni.Broad and Nottinghamshire team-mate Graeme Swann hit out during an entertaining stand of 73 in just 70 balls.But their ninth-wicket partnership ended when Swann, who needed an X-ray as a result, gloved a rising delivery from Kumar to Mukund on 28.Left-handed batsman Broad, who made an unbeaten 74 in the second innings at Lord's, on-drove Kumar for his seventh four to complete a 56-ball fifty featuring seven fours before he was last man out when he holed out to off-spinner Harbhajan.

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England reduced to 124-8 at tea by India

NOTTINGHAM: India's seamers reduced England to 124 for eight at tea on the first day of the second Test at Trent Bridge here on Friday as they looked to level the series.India, albeit in helpful, overcast conditions, took six wickets for 55 runs in 24 overs after lunch as they ripped through England's top order.Stuart Broad (six not out) and Graeme Swann (nought not out) were unbeaten on their Nottinghamshire home ground.England, 69 for two at lunch, lost four wickets for 15 runs in a dramatic slump at the start of the second session, with Praveen Kumar striking twice in four balls.Five balls after lunch, Kevin Pietersen, on 29, was squared up by fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, in for the injured Zaheer Khan, and third slip Suresh Raina held the edge to leave England 73 for three. Kumar had rocked England with his command of swing while taking a Test-best five for 106 in the hosts' 196-run series-opening victory at Lord's.The medium-pacer had England captain Andrew Strauss, who'd 'got in', out for 32, when the left-hander's full-blooded drive flew to Raina, who held an excellent catch.And that same over saw 85 for four become 85 for five when a full-length outswinger to left-hander Eoin Morgan pitched in line and had the former Ireland international lbw for nought.Matt Prior had frustrated India with an unbeaten century after England had collapsed to 62 for five in their second innings at Lord's.But on Friday he managed just one before, playing at a ball from Sreesanth that left him, the wicketkeeper nicked straight to Rahul Dravid at first slip.England, in the face of some high-class swing and seam bowling, had lost three wickets for three runs in 23 balls to be 88 for six.Tim Bresnan, replacing injured fast bowler Chris Tremlett, was undone on 11 by a ball from Ishant Sharma that nipped away.Ian Bell, the last of England's frontline batsmen, was dropped on 22 by Dravid but he got himself out for 31 when he flat-footedly cut at Sharma and was caught behind by India captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.England came into this match knowing they would replace India at the top of the ICC's Test rankings if they won this four-match series 2-0 or better.But during the last decade India have fought back to either win or square series after losing the first Test. And although they were without left-arm quick Zaheer due to the hamstring injury that had cut short his participation at Lord's, Dhoni fielded first.Sharma made the breakthrough when he had Alastair Cook lbw for two.Sreesanth struck with his fourth ball when Jonathan Trott, on four, drove at an outswinger and edged to Venkatsai Laxman at second slip.Pietersen, who made a man-of-the-match winning 202 not out at Lord's, survived a huge lbw shout from Kumar on 17, after walking across his stumps. Kumar, risking disciplinary action, angrily questioned South African umpire Marais Erasmus's decision -- there are no lbw reviews this series because of Indian objections to ball-tracking technology at the end of the over before being pulled away by team-mate Harbhajan Singh

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England lose two early wickets after put into bat by India

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

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Third Round of U-16 PCB- PEPSI Cricket Stars Program

Lahore July 22, 2011: First Phase of PCB-PEPSI Cricket Stars Program for U-16 players has started from 10th July 2011. This is the Second Edition of the program which is being conducted by PCB in collaboration with PEPSI International.
The Trials for the Third round talent hunt activities of this nationwide talent hunt program for young and upcoming players will be held in 5 districts of Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
2 days open trials at each of the below mentioned districts would be held under the supervision of regional Head Coaches and NCA Talent Hunt Officers, which will be followed by the age verification process to be conducted by NCA medical panel
Players born on or after September 1, 1995 are eligible to appear for trials.  Original Form B of NADRA is required for age verification and no other document in this regard would be accepted.
Players clearing the age verification process will be shortlisted for final trials to be held at a later date at respective regional headquarters.
The Schedule of trails for 3rd round activities of the First Phase is attached:
PEPSI-PCB STARS PROGRAM FOR U-16S

S#	Districts	Region	Dates	Venue
1	Abbottabad, Haripur	Abbottabad	26-27 July, 2011	Abbottabad Stadium
2	Mansehra, Batgram, Kohistan, Chitral	Abbottabad	26-27 July, 2011	Hazara university ground
3	Noshki	Quetta	26-27 July, 2011	Noshki Cricket stadium
4	Gujranwala, Hhafizabad &Mandi Bahauddin	Sialkot	26-27 July 2011	Jinnah Stadium, Sialkot
5	Faisalabad, Gora, Toba Tek Singh & Jhang	Faisalabad	26-27 July 2011	Iqbal stadium, Faisalabad

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Pakistan Team Announced for Zimbabwe Tour

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

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PCB announces Five Provincial Academies for Under-19 players

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

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

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

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

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England lose two early wickets after put into bat by India

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

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

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

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India will come back harder, says Strauss

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

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James Anderson lauds England's performance at Lord's

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

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England eye repeat as India sweat on Zaheer

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

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Australia: Big Bash T20 League launched with captain announcement

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

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Zaheer Khan out of India team for second Test

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

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South Africa’s Parnell converts to Islam

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

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Pak squad announced for Zimbabwe tour

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

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Flower bemoans lack of ICC ‘leadership’ on DRS

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

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PCB Selection Committee meeting tomorrow at Lahore

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

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Trott and Anderson up to second in ICC rankings

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

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PCB chairman refuses to speak to media

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

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India face uphill task chasing 458 to beat England

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

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

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