Six captains on this week's ICC Cricket World Radio Show

Cape Town : Hashim Amla, South Africa's stand-in captain, is one of the six captains to participate on this week's ICC Cricket World Radio Show as he looks forward to his side's series against Australia which starts today (Thursday) with a Twenty20 International (T20I) in Cape Town.Also, Zimbabwe and New Zealand captains Brendan Taylor and Ross Taylor preview their series which starts in Harare on Saturday with a T20I while India's Gautam Gambhir talks about his fitness and the ODI series against England which kicks off in Hyderabad tomorrow (Friday).Looking forward to the series in South Africa and India are former captains Kepler Wessels and Ravi Shastri while West Indies women's team's captain Merissa Aguilleira looks ahead to the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier 2011 which will be held in Bangladesh from 14 to 25 November.Amla says: "I am quite excited and it is a big honour for me. The injury to AB de Villiers is a big blow to the team."We are enjoying Gary Kirsten's coaching. It will take a little time to know Gary's ideas but so far it has all been positive."Both the teams are on similar stages in their development. Australia and South Africa have similar traits. It is going to be very competitive (series) and no doubt will be one of the contests to watch out for.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.Gambhir, who is staging a comeback after missing the ODI series against England earlier this summer, says: "I don't know why people are talking about this being a payback series. I think it is just another series."There is no word in my dictionary called "payback". England deserved to win when we played them there."Winning is important for us whether convincingly or otherwise does not matter. They will come hard at us and we will go hard at them."Apart from these exclusive interviews, there is the usual round-up of cricketing news and an update of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings

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No Aussies fixing matches: Clarke

SYDNEY : Australian Test and one-day captain Michael Clarke said Friday he was "100 percent confident" that no Australian cricketers were involved in match-fixing.His comments followed allegations made in a London court this week implicating Australian players during the corruption trial of ex-Pakistan cricket captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif."Me personally, I have never been approached by anyone," he said on his departure for South Africa for a three-match one-day series that kicks off on October 19 ahead of Tests in Cape Town and Johannesburg in November."The players I have played with, I'm 100 percent confident they would never be involved in that," he added on the Cricket Australia website."It is not the Australian way. Never in my time have I experienced a conversation with anybody about any such things.He admitted that some Australian cricketers had been approached, but it had always been reported to the authorities."There has obviously been a couple of occasions where guys (in our team) have been approached and that has been reported to our team manager and to the International Cricket Council," he said."So all the boys in the Australian team are aware that it is happening and that it is going on."But, like I said, it has never involved me and I'm very confident that it has never involved any of the Australian players.The fixing claims emerged as Mazher Mahmood, the former investigations editor for Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World, gave evidence at the trial of Butt and Asif on Tuesday.In recordings played to Southwark Crown Court, an agent, Mazhar Majeed, alleged that Australians, as well as some of the biggest names in Pakistani cricket, were prepared to fix parts of matches.Majeed claimed Australian players would fix "brackets", a set period of a match on which punters bet.Cricket Australia chief James Sutherland has blasted the claims as baseless."These comments or allegations would appear to be outlandish and were made by a person of dubious repute," he said this week. "These would appear to be baseless allegations.

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Australia beat South Africa by 5 wickets in first T20

CAPE TOWN : Australia defeated South Africa by five wickets in the first of two Twenty20 internationals at Newlands on Thursday.South Africa made 146 for seven before Australia reached their target with three balls to spare.The second game takes place in Johannesburg on Sunday.Check Out Cricket Ratings

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Windies beat Bangladesh by 40 runs

DHAKA : Lendl Simmons smashed a maiden century as the West Indies posted an easy 40-run win over Bangladesh in the first one-day international on Thursday to gain a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.The opener made a 124-ball 122 as the West Indies scored a challenging 298-4 before restricting Bangladesh to 258-7 in the day-night match in Dhaka. Shakib Al Hasan top-scored for the hosts with an unbeaten 67.

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Simmons boosts Windies with maiden ton

DHAKA : Lendl Simmons hit an impressive maiden century to help the West Indies post a challenging 298-4 against Bangladesh in the first one-day international on Thursday.The opener, 26, cracked two sixes and eight fours in his 124-ball 122 to prop up the innings after the tourists had been put in bat in the day-night match in Dhaka.He added 67 runs with Adrian Barath, who retired after making 21, and 150 with in-form Marlon Samuels (71).Simmons, who had scored six half-centuries in his last nine one-dayers before this match, completed his hundred in the 37th over with a single to mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan His best came in the 40th over when he hit paceman Shafiul Islam for four boundaries before being caught by Alok Kapali off paceman Rubel Hossian in the 42nd over.Samuels also fell in the same over after hitting two sixes and six fours in his 78-ball knock, but not before setting the stage for the closing-overs onslaught with Simmons.The West Indies plundered 74 runs in the last eight overs, with Kieron Pollard smashing three sixes in his 25-ball 41 and Darren Bravo scoring 20 off 19 balls.Barath left the field due to a hamstring injury as runners are not allowed under new rules, but there was no respite for Bangladesh as Samuels looked in good form from the beginning.Samuels, who hit a half-century in the one-off Twenty20 international on Tuesday, lofted left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak over mid-wicket for the first six of the match.Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, leading in his first one-day series, used seven bowlers, but none could keep pressure on Simmons and Samuels who continued to gather runs comfortably against both pace and spin.Wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin led the West Indies in place of all-rounder Darren Sammy who was ruled out of the match due to an upset stomach

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Misbah vows to win Sri Lanka series

LAHORE : Pakistan cricket team captain Misbah-ul-Haq said that the national team would go all out to win the series against Sri Lanka.However, the opponents cannot be taken easy despite in the absence of Muralitharan, said the captain. Talking with media here at the Qadhafi Stadium, Misbah said that cricket is a team game and it is not wise to rely on a single player He said that the national team would display good performance in the series against Sri Lanka.He further said that there were bowlers in the team with a potential of getting opponents out.The Pakistan captain appreciated the decision of opting referral system during the series

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Sri Lanka look for revival against Pakistan

COLOMBO : Sri Lanka hope to end their Test drought when they face Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates later this month, the team's captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said Thursday.Sri Lanka have not won a Test in their last 11 outings, since beating India in Galle in July 2010 when world bowling record holder Muttiah Muralitharan made his final appearance.This year, Sri Lanka lost an away series against England 1-0, before falling to Australia by a similar margin at home.Dilshan said he looked forward to turning the tide when they clash with Pakistan in a three-Test series which opens at the neutral venue of Abu Dhabi on October 18."The important thing is to remain patient. We have got some inexperienced bowlers and it takes time for them to develop," Dilshan told the Colombo-based Island newspaper.If you take the last series against Australia, we lost one Test that could have gone either way. I thought we played well in the remaining two Tests."Dilshan said the team needs time to overcome the absence of the retired duo of Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas."Guys like Murali and Vaasy did an exceptional job for us for 15 years," he said. "Suddenly when you lose them the team struggles. I believe we need to be patient rather than take harsh decisions.Injured fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep returns to the bowling attack, which also includes off-spinner Suraj Randiv and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.Dilshan predicted a close contest against Pakistan. The Tests will be followed by five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match."I feel they have a balanced side," the captain said. "The wickets will be batsmen friendly and the big challenge for us will be to take 20 wickets in a game.The Sri Lankans leave for the UAE on Friday.Pakistan has been forced to host international matches in neutral countries after a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009

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Bangladesh put Windies in to bat in first ODI

DHAKA : Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim elected to field after winning the toss against the West Indies in the first one-day international in Dhaka on Thursday.Denesh Ramdin led the West Indies in place of Darren Sammy, who was ruled out of the match due to an upset stomach.West Indies: Denesh Ramdin (capt), Adrian Barath, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Danza Hyatt, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons. Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (capt)Abdur Razzak, Alok Kapali, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal

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Khurram leads from the front in UAE win

United Arab Emirates (UAE) registered a 69 run win over Afghanistan in the second and last 50-over League match at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday.Batting first, UAE was restricted to 221 for eight in its 50 overs. In its reply, Afghanistan was bowled out for 152 in 44.4 overs to hand UAE a handsome win.Earlier, UAE lost early wickets. The side was struggling at 127 for five. It required a fine rearguard action from skipper Khurram Khan (43: 49b, 4x4) to stem the rot.Khurram added a crucial 52 runs for the sixth wicket with Ahmed Raza (35). This partnership revived the innings and ensured that UAE have a decent total to work with.For Afghanistan the key wicket-takers were Hamza Hotak (3-43) and Samiullah Shenwari (2-35)In the chase, Afghanistan lost wickets at regular intervals. Opener Karim Sadiq (31) led the charge early on, but there were no partnerships in the Afghanistan line-up.Asghar Stanikzai (33) held the innings together in the middle-order but got no support from the lower-half of the line-up. For UAE, it was skipper Khurram who once again starred, this time with the ball with a spell of 3-24. The other key wicket-takers were Shadeep Silva (2-34), Ahmed Raza (2-12) and Vikrant Shetty (2-16).

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England and India resume battle for position on Reliance ICC ODI Championship table

ICC World Twenty20 champion England and world champion India resume their battle for position in the Reliance ICC ODI Championship table when they go head to head in the five-ODI series, which starts in Hyderabad on Friday.England is currently in fourth position, leading fifth-placed India by just a ratings point. However, all this can change depending how the series pans out. And with number-one ranked Australia also ready to lock horns with third-placed South Africa from next Wednesday at Centurion, there is the possibility of plenty of movement at the top of the order.In the second half of the table, Bangladesh hosts the West Indies in a three-ODI series from Thursday with the home side eyeing an upward movement.Eighth-ranked West Indies leads Bangladesh in ninth place by 15 ratings points but the team placings will reverse if Bangladesh wins all the three matches. If this happens, Bangladesh will gain a place on the table as it would earn a swing of 16 ratings.To find out exactly how the forthcoming matches will affect the team rankings, please click here. Unlike the Test Championship table, the ODI Championship table is updated after every match. Meanwhile, in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, England's Jonathan Trott, who won the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy for the ICC Cricketer of the Year award at the LG ICC Awards in London last month, is in fourth position and will be aiming to improve his ranking further.The 30-year-old trails second-ranked AB de Villiers of South Africa by 54 ratings points and third-ranked Shane Watson of Australia by 10 ratings points. But given he is in a qualification period for batsmen*, it is likely that he will move even further up the ladder depending on how he performs in the series.Trott, who has scored 1,596 runs in 35 ODIs, including 1,113 runs from 24 matches this year, had also played an integral role in England's 3-0 win over India earlier this English summer when he scored 111 runs which had helped him gain two places in the rankings.The next highest-ranked England batsman after Trott is captain Alastair Cook who is in 42nd position while Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell are in 52nd and 55th positions, respectively with Ravi Bopara sitting in 65th spot.India boasts three batsmen inside the top 15 with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading from the front. He is in sixth position and will be keen to regain the coveted number-one position he surrendered to AB de Villiers after the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka last August. Dhoni trails fifth-ranked Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka by 13 ratings points while he is 16 ratings points behind Trott.The other India batsmen aiming to climb up the ladder include Virat Kohli (ninth), Gautam Gambhir (14th) and Suresh Raina (30th).The highest-ranked Bangladesh and West Indies batsmen are Shakib Al Hasan and Lendl Simmons in 23rd and 49th, respectively.In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, England's Graeme Swann will be hoping to strengthen his position on top of the tree. The off-spinner leads second-ranked New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori by 27 ratings points.In the absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan is England's highest-ranked bowler in 27th position.Likewise, India will also be without its four frontline bowlers - Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel and Harbhajan Singh. In their absence, Praveen Kumar is the highest-ranked India bowler in 21st position.Bangladesh left-arm spinners Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan are inside the top 20 in 14th and 17th positions, respectively, followed by West Indies' pace duo of Ravi Rampaul and Darren Sammy in 30th and 31st positions, respectively.

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Bairstow sizzles as England warn India

International novice Jonny Bairstow smashed an unbeaten 104 off 53 balls on Tuesday as England flaunted their all-round prowess ahead of the one-day series against world champions India.England piled up 367-4 in their 50 overs in a practice match against a Hyderabad XI and bowled the home team out for 114 in just 35.3 overs at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.The massive 253-run win was a timely boost for the tourists with the first one-dayer against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's India at the same venue on Friday.Skipper Alastair Cook hit 85 off 74 balls and Craig Kieswetter made 71 during a rollicking opening stand of 151. Jonathan Trott chipped in with a quickfire 74, but it was the 22-year-old Bairstow who stole the show by pounding eight sixes and six boundaries.Bairstow, who has played a solitary one-day international, reached his century with a six off the last ball of the innings. Kevin Pietersen missed out in the run-hunt, falling for 10 Scott Borthwick, a 21-year-old leg-spinner from Durham, enhanced his claims for a full England debut with remarkable figures of 5-31 from his 10 overs in Hyderabad's innings.The tourists won the first practice match against the same opposition on Saturday by 56 runs with fast bowler Steven Finn grabbing a hat-trick in his 4-28.England took the field in the second game without frontline batsman Ian Bell, down with a stomach bug, and leading spinner Graeme Swann, who is recovering from a minor ankle injury.Fast bowlers Finn and Jade Dernbach, and batsman Ravi Bopara, were also rested. The other matches against India will be played in New Delhi (October 17), Mohali (Oct 20), Mumbai (Oct 23) and Kolkata (Oct 25), before England round off the tour with a lone Twenty20 game in Kolkata on Oct 29.

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Windies vow to bounce back in Bangladesh

DHAKA : West Indies captain Darren Sammy said Wednesday he was confident his team will come back strongly in the one-day series after opening the Bangladesh tour with a close defeat.The tourists lost the one-off Twenty20 international by three wickets in a thrilling finish in Dhaka on Tuesday, with Bangladesh's new captain Mushfiqur Rahim smashing a six off the penultimate ball."This is the start of the tour, so we will regroup and come back," Sammy said ahead of the first one-dayer in Dhaka on Thursday."We have three one-dayers and two Test matches, so there is a lot to play for. We will look at the areas where we went wrong and lift our game for the upcoming matches.Sammy was pleased with the form of Marlon Samuels who raised visions of a West Indies victory with a good all-round show before man-of-the-match Rahim (41 not out) snatched the game away from them.Samuels top-scored with a fighting 58, his best in Twenty20 internationals, to help his side post 132-8 and then dismissed key batsmen Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful with his off-spin to reduce the hosts to 71-5.It was good to see the way Marlon performed. He is playing very well at the moment and is doing his bit with the bat and ball," said Sammy."Hats off to Mushfiqur. We know Bangladesh are a good team and they held their nerve better than we did."Rahim lauded his team for delivering under pressure in his first match as captain."This was my first match as captain and I couldn't have asked for more. It was a team effort and I'm really happy," he said."In the last over, I had the confidence that if I got the ball in my zone then I could hit it for a four or six. Fortunately, that is what happened.The West Indies are likely to name leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo for the one-day series to be played on spin-friendly tracks.The hosts will be without vice-captain Mohammad Mahmudullah, who is suffering from a viral fever.Bangladesh have won just three of their 17 one-day internationals against the West Indies.West Indies (from): Darren Sammy (capt), Adrian Barath, Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Danza Hyatt, Anthony Martin, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons.angladesh (from): Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Mohammad Ashraful, Shakib Al Hasan, Alok Kapali, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Shahriar Nafees, Shuvagoto Hom.

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England ready to change script in India

HYDERABAD : England will look to improve on their dismal one-day record in India when they clash with the injury-ravaged world champions in a five-match series starting Friday.England have beaten India just once in their last 10 one-day internationals on Indian soil, which included a thrilling tie during the World Cup in Bangalore in March.Alastair Cook's side will be buoyant after a dominant home season when they beat India 4-0 in the Test series to take over as the world's number one team, and also won the one-dayers 3-0.Cook, however, refused to take victory for granted against a depleted home team missing key players such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh due to injury or poor form."I don't see any relation between what happened in England and what's going to happen out here," Cook said ahead of the first one-dayer at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.India are historically very strong at home, and we have an extremely tough challenge on our hands. It's a great opportunity for an England side to play the world champions in their back yard.England, who arrived in India on October 4 to acclimatise to local conditions, warmed up for the series by winning both practice matches against Hyderabad teams.On Tuesday, they routed the local side by 253 runs after Jonny Bairstow smashed an unbeaten 104 off 53 balls and uncapped leg-spinner Scott Borthwick picked up five wickets.The new-look Indian team has just four survivors -- skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina from the side that beat Sri Lanka in the World Cup final in Mumbai on April 2.Tendulkar, Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel are recovering from injuries, while Harbhajan and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth were dropped due to poor form.India's 15-man squad for the first two one-dayers includes three players leg-spinner Rahul Sharma, 24, left-arm seamer Sreenath Aravind, 27, and fast bowler Varun Aaron, 21 who have yet to play international cricket.Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Sharma are the three spin options, while Praveen Kumar will lead a new-ball attack that also includes Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar.Kevin Pietersen returns for England after being omitted for the one-dayers against India at home, but the tourists are without pace spearheads James Anderson who is being rested, and Stuart Broad who is injured.Tim Bresnan, Jade Dernbach and Steven Finn will head the tourists' pace attack, which also includes 22-year-old uncapped Surrey bowler Stuart Meaker.Despite injuries to star players and the humiliating defeats on English soil, India appeared unfazed."England played very well in England and deserved to win, but we will do well at home," said middle-order batsman Raina.The remaining four matches after the Hyderabad opener will be played in New Delhi on October 17, Mohali on the 20th, Mumbai on the 23rd and Kolkata on the 25th.England will round off the tour with a Twenty20 game in Kolkata on October 29

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My priority will be to improve Pakistan's cricket image: Zaka Ashraf

KARACHI : Zaka Ashraf, after being appointed the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said his priority was to improve Pakistan cricket's image abroad after a series of high-profile scandals.Ashraf, 59, a member of the executive committee of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, said: "I will work day and night to live up to president Zardari's confidence," Ashraf told Geo News. "My top priority will be to improve Pakistan's cricket image and stop bookies and match-fixers.Ashraf said that he will also try to improve relations with other cricket boards, including great rivals India, with whom sporting and diplomatic ties have stalled after a terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008."People in both Pakistan and India love cricket so I will try to resume ties," said Ashraf.I believe in cricket diplomacy and hope that relations with all the countries improve," added Ashraf, who is the 32nd PCB chairman since its inception in 1948.The reign of former Test player Ijaz Butt, 73, ended last week after three turbulent years.Butt was criticised for his policies by former players and parliamentarians alike, but Zardari, who as president of the country is a patron of the PCB, resisted all calls and did not replace him until his tenure expired.Coinciding with Butt's reign was an attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009 which led to the halting of international cricket in Pakistan that continues to this day with teams too worried about security to tour.An independent commission investigating the attack accused the PCB of negligence.Butt also infuriated the England and Wales Cricket Board by alleging English players were involved in match-fixing. He had to retract his statement and apologised after England threatened legal action.Butt sacked Shahid Afridi as captain in May this year, who in protest announced his retirement from international cricket, vowing not to play while Butt was chairman.Butt also got rid of Australian coach Geoff Lawson and was criticised for frequent changes to the captaincy and selection committee

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Spot fixing trial: Pakistanis wanted to lose to damage Afridi

LONDON : Pakistan cricketers were ready to throw one-day internationals and Twenty20s in a bid to undermine then captain Shahid Afridi and make "a lot of money", a London court heard on Tuesday.Mazhar Majeed, an agent for several Pakistan players, told an undercover reporter last year that the players wanted Afridi replaced by then Test captain Salman Butt and were prepared to fix matches to do it, Southwark Crown Court heard.The jury in the trial of Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif saw video of meetings between Majeed and the News of the World's investigation's editor Mazher Mahmood.Mahmood, a star reporter for Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct tabloid, was posing as an Indian frontman for a Far East gambling syndicate.Prosecutors allege Butt and Asif agreed for no-balls to be bowled as part of a spot-fixing betting scam.

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Pakistan to use DRS in Sri Lanka, England series

KARACHI : Pakistan on Tuesday announced it will employ the Decision Review System (DRS) during its one-day series against Sri Lanka later this month and against England early next year.A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) release said it has acquired sponsorship to use the DRS in both the series to be played at the neutral venues of the United Arab Emirates.

PCB announces that the DRS system (Hawk-eye Kit-core) is to be applied during both the Pakistan Vs Sri Lanka (Oct-Nov) and Pakistan Vs England (Jan/Feb 2012) one day International series to be held in the UAE," PCB release said The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday ended the mandatory use of DRS and reverted to its pre-June 2010 position.The use of DRS will now be up to the competing countries, subject to bilateral agreements between the participating boards PCB chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad said the DRS will be helpful."PCB is pleased to be taking a leading role in the use of ICC recommended technologies for international cricket. We hope that other partner boards will follow the example of the PCB and use the DRS in their respective future series," said Ahmad."The Use of the DRS system will bring added value to our forthcoming series," he said ICC general manager cricket David Richardson also praised the step."We believe that using the DRS will result in getting more umpire decisions correct and we accordingly welcome the PCB initiatives and that of its sponsors in securing its use in the upcoming series," said Richardson The powerful Indian Board has been the most vocal against the use of DRS, saying the system has flaws

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Bangladesh spinners restrict Windies to 132-8

DHAKA : Left-arm spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Abdur Razzak took two wickets apiece as Bangladesh restricted the West Indies to 132-8 in the one-off Twenty20 international on Tuesday.Marlon Samuels top-scored for the West Indies with a fighting 58, but received little support from the other end. He hit four sixes and two fours in his 42-ball knock before being dismissed in the last over.Razzak, who opened the attack, finished with 2-27 while Shakib bagged 2-25. Seamer Shafiul Islam took two wickets in the final over to finish with 2-19 off four overs.The West Indies, put in to bat, lost their way after being comfortably placed at 61-1 in the ninth over. Their slide began with the dismissal of opener Lendl Simmons (23), trapped leg-before by Razzak.Off-spinner Naeem Islam and seamer Rubel Hossain each took one wicket.

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Rahim leads Bangladesh to a win

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim led his team to a thrilling three-wicket win over West Indies in the one-off Twenty20 International at the Sher-E-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur on Tuesday.Bangladesh asked West Indies to bat first. West Indies posted 132 for eight in its 20 overs.The key contributor to the West Indies score was Marlon Samuels (58: 42b, 2x2, 4x6). But the rest of the batting line-up did not contribute much.On a slow track, Bangladesh's left-arm spinners Abdur Razzak (2-27) and Shakib Al Hasan (2-25). The other key wicket-taker was Shafiul Islam (2-19).Bangladesh lost wickets at regular intervals and the side slipped to 93 for six. It required Mushfiqur's (41 not out: 26b, 1x4, 2x6) calm approach to tide over the crisis.For West Indies, Ravi Rampaul (2-28) and Marlon Samuels (2-14) picked up the wickets.The two sides will lock horns in a three-match ODI series from 13 October.

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Spot fixing trial: Indian offered Pakistanis $1m to throw Test

LONDON : A shadowy Indian contact offered the agent of several Pakistan cricketers $1 million to ensure they threw a Test match against England, a London court heard Tuesday.The jury in the trial of former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif saw video footage of meetings between the players' agent Mazhar Majeed and undercover News of the World reporter Mazher Mahmood.The former investigations editor for Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct tabloid was posing as an Indian frontman for a Far East gambling syndicate.In an August 21 meeting in Majeed's house in south London, the reporter recorded the agent on the telephone with the unidentified man in India, discussing deliberately throwing the Test match between England and Pakistan at The Oval, which was under way at the time, Southwark Crown Court was told.Referring to the number of Pakistan players under his wing, Majeed was heard saying it was "not a problem" to fix the match result, as "you know how many I've got, you know that they do it.Majeed called his Indian contact and told him: "You know what we spoke about last night, what offer can you give me for today's game? Tell me, just give me a figure now, we haven't got long.There's a possibility, I'm just telling you that now, they're talking at least 1.2 -- at least. In dollars."The prosecution alleged that Majeed and the mysterious contact were floating the possibility of Pakistan deliberately losing the game.Majeed said: "Boss, you know how many I've got, you know that they do it. So of course that's not a problem. But you just give me the figure and I'm going to get back to you. We haven't got much time. One million, yeah The Indian contact replied: "I give you one (million dollars). One I give you, but has to be a definite game score.After the call, Majeed told the reporter: "There's big, big money in results, I tell you, you can see that.In the event, Pakistan beat England by four wickets to secure a memorable Test victory.The court heard that Majeed previously told the journalist that Pakistan were trying to win the match at The Oval because the players wanted Butt to remain as Test captain.Prosecutors allege Butt and Asif agreed for no-balls to be bowled as part of a spot-fixing scam.The two players have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, and conspiracy to cheat at gambling.Majeed and young Pakistan bowler Mohammad Aamer have also been charged with the same offences but are not standing trial alongside Butt and Asif.Mahmood gave evidence from behind a screen after the judge banned descriptions of his appearance because his security could be compromised. He could be seen by the judge and the jury

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Ponting happy to drop down batting order

PERTH : Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting says he is happy to drop down the Test batting order to accommodate Shaun Marsh at No. 3.The 36-year-old, who has scored 12,487 runs in 154 Tests, has long come in to bat at first drop but slotted in as No. 4 during the second Test against Sri Lanka last month in which Marsh scored 141 at No.3 on his debut.Marsh followed it up with scores of 81 and 18 in the third Test when again batting at No.3.Test skipper Michael Clarke sees Marsh as a long-term fixture in the role and Ponting said he had no complaints."It was a long-term plan of Michael's to have Shaun move to No. 3 and me move to No. 4 and Michael (Clarke) move to five and (Mike) Hussey to six,Ponting told reporters."So that wasn't just ... a one-off for that game (in Sri Lanka)."When I first came into the Australian side, batting at six was hard. Waiting that amount of time to bat for me was something that was very foreign to me," he added."But three to four I don't think is as big a change as three to six."Ponting is playing for Tasmania in their Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia at the WACA Ground in Perth starting Tuesday, ahead of Australia's Test tour of South Africa next month.

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