De Villiers and Clarke become number-one ranked Test batsmen

South Africa's AB de Villiers has reached the number-one batting position for the first time in his career where he has been joined by Australia captain Michael Clarke in the latest Reliance ICC Player Rankings which were released on Friday.

De Villiers' move to the top of the batting chart is due to a combination of his own good performances in the Hamilton and Wellington Tests, as well as Kumar Sangakkara's disappointing show with the bat against England in the Galle Test.

De Villiers scored 83 in South Africa's nine wickets victory over New Zealand in the Hamilton Test and then followed up with 38 and 68 in the drawn Wellington Test. These performances have helped him earn 35 ratings points which have given him a career-best rating of 821 and a lift of two places.

Sangakkara, who had entered the Galle Test as the number-one ranked Test batsman, scored nought and 14 in Sri Lanka's 75 runs victory over England. This meant the former Sri Lanka captain has dropped from 850 ratings points to 813 ratings point which cost him three places in the batting table.

Sangakkara is now ranked fourth but can regain the number-one spot if he performs strongly in the Colombo Test which starts next week as he trails the two number one-ranked batsmen by only eight ratings points.

Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers' team-mate, has also slipped one position to third after managing just six runs in his only innings in Hamilton and then missing the Wellington Test.

So the fall of Kallis and Sangakkara has helped Michael Clarke regain the number-one position -a week before he leads his side in the three-Test series against the West Indies. It is the second time Clarke has headed the batting table after he first topped the batting list in August 2009 after he scored 93 against England in Australia's victory by an innings and 80 runs in the Leeds Test.

Apart from a reshuffle at the top of the order, South Africa's Hashim Amla has moved up two places to eighth after scores of 16 and 46 in Hamilton and 63 in Wellington, England's Jonathan Trott has jumped six places to ninth after scoring 12 and 112 in Galle, New Zealand captain Ross Taylor has gained three places and is now in 10th position after scoring 44 and 17 in Hamilton and 18 in Wellington while Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardena has lifted seven places to 19th spot after scoring 180 and five in Galle.

Other batsmen losing ground include South Africa captain Graeme Smith in 12th (down by two), Alastair Cook in 14th (down by nine), Kevin Pietersen in 22nd (down by two), Matt Prior in 24th (down by two) and Brendon McCullum in 25th (down by one).

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, South Africa's Vernon Philander has continued to climb up the chart. The fast bowler had figures of four for 70 and six for 44 in Hamilton and six for 81 and none for 29 in Wellington.

Philander has gained 148 ratings points which has not only given him a career-best rating of 764 but also led to a jump of 11 places which puts him in a career-best fifth position.

He is the third South Africa bowler inside the top 10 with Dale Steyn firmly holding the number-one position and Morne Morkel in 10th spot after slipping one place.

Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath is the other bowler to earn a career-best rating and ranking. The left-arm spinner took six for 74 and six for 97 for which he earned 92 ratings points which has put him on 752 ratings points and a seventh position in the bowling charts after a rise of six places.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan is in number-one position but New Zealand's Daniel Vettori has slipped two places to fifth spot which has put England's Stuart Broad and Australia's Shane Watson one place up in third and fourth spots, respectively.

Meanwhile, England finds itself in a must-win situation in the Colombo Test if it has to retain its number-one position on the Reliance ICC Test Championship table. England's victory will keep it ahead of South Africa by a fraction of a point but its failure to win the Test will make South Africa as the new number-one ranked side.

If England loses the series 2-0, it will drop from 118 ratings points to 113 ratings points - three points behind South Africa - while a 1-0 defeat will mean it will slip to 114 ratings points.

Australia will also be eyeing to gain, at least, one place on the Test Championship table when it takes on the West Indies in the three-Test series in Bridgetown on 7 April.

While a series win will put it ahead of India in third position, a 3-0 series win will put Australia on equal points with England on 113 ratings points (if England loses 2-0 to Sri Lanka). And when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point, then Australia will be placed above England in second position as it will have a rating of 113.10 against England's rating of 113.045.

The Test Championship table as well as the player rankings will now be updated at the conclusion of the Colombo Test.

West Indies v Australia series schedule

7-11 April - 1st Test, Bridgetown

15-19 April - 2nd Test, Port of Spain

23-27 April - Third Test, Roseau, Dominica

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Strauss flummoxed by England's run of defeats

Captain Andrew Strauss was at a loss to explain what had gone wrong for his England team after they were beaten for the fourth test in a row on Thursday.

Sri Lanka's 75-run victory in the first test in Galle means England could lose their place at the top of the world rankings if they suffer a 2-0 whitewash in the series.

"You need to be a rocket scientist to work out where things have gone wrong," Strauss told reporters after his side were bowled out for 264 on the fourth day.

"We haven't put scores on the board and we are not going to win too many test matches if that's the case.

"I thought we showed in the second innings, technically and game-plan wise, there's a lot of skill in our dressing room against spin bowling.

"We just didn't apply ourselves in the right manner in the first innings," added Strauss, referring to their meagre total of 193.

England struggled to cope with spin when they lost 3-0 to Pakistan in their most recent series in the Gulf and the visitors were undone by the turning ball again in Galle as slow left-armer Rangana Herath picked up 12 wickets in the match.

NO EXCUSE

"In the fourth innings you can understand the odd ball spitting and you'll get the odd dismissal but the first innings was no excuse and that is what is most frustrating," said Strauss who is himself desperately out of form with the bat.

The skipper singled out second-innings centurion Jonathan Trott (112) for praise.

"Everyone has got different game plans," said Strauss. "There's always a balance between attack and defence in test cricket and Jonathan was a good example of that.

"He put the bad balls away and a lot of the time he was patient enough to wait for that bad ball.

"A lot of the guys have got great pedigree with the bat and they will get another opportunity to prove it in next week's second test in Colombo."

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was delighted with his team's win.

"It's a good challenge for us to go up against the world's number one team," said Jayawardene.

"We knew we would have to work really hard to get a result against them and the series will give us an idea where we are right now and where we need to improve.

"This is a good start for us, we just need to try and maintain it. The English batting lineup is top class and they were going to come hard at us," added Jayawardene.

"They had a few partnerships and we had to wait patiently. Once we got the new ball we knew we would create more opportunities and that's what we did.

"There were also a couple of really good catches to turn things around for us."

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South Africa rue weather but happy to win series

WELLINGTON: Poor weather undoubtedly halted South Africa's march to the top of the world test rankings after they claimed a 1-0 series win against New Zealand when the third and final test at the Basin Reserve ended in a draw on Tuesday.

Graeme Smith's side completed the series victory courtesy of a nine-wicket win in the second test in Hamilton, with the other two matches badly affected by rain. They also won both the earlier Twenty20 and one-day international series.

The Proteas did have an opportunity to clinch a 2-0 win on the final day of the third test after Morne Morkel claimed 6-23,only for Kane Williamson to graft his second test century and ensure New Zealand scratched out a battling draw.

"It's been a terrific tour for us," Smith said of the way in which the side had managed to build on their victories in theTwenty20 and one-day international series into the tests.

"Any tour where you can walk away with every trophy is a tick. There have been some great performances throughout the six-and-a-half weeks. "All teams in all formats have played well, which is what you want."

South Africa had the opportunity to claim the world's top test ranking if they swept the tests 3-0, but rain washed out the final day of play in Dunedin and more than seven hours in Wellington, something Smith rued.

"We've pretty much been on the front foot throughout this test series... (but) the weather played a big part in Dunedin and here.

"Losing close on 150-160 overs, we were the one team pushing to win... we gave ourselves an opportunity to win. "We missed some opportunities today that would have allowed us to win two-nil (but)... I think (one-nil) is a fair reflection." (Reuters)

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South Africa close in on New Zealand win

WELLINGTON: South Africa were on the verge of victory over New Zealand at tea on the final day of the third Test at the Basin Reserve on Tuesday after speedster Morne Morkel skittled through the top-order batsmen.

New Zealand, set the near impossible target of 389, were 103-5 with Morkel taking all the wickets for the remarkable figures of five for 11 off 11 overs.

With New Zealand captain Ross Taylor suffering a broken forearm and taking no further part in the Test, the hosts have only four tailend batsmen left.

Morkel was on a hat-trick after cleaning up Dean Brownlie and Daniel Vettori with successive yorkers with the last two balls of his 10th over but Kane Williamson placed the first ball of his next over through mid-on for three.

The 21-year-old Williamson has been the sole rock of the New Zealand innings, surviving a painful strike in the groin and at least four edges behind the stumps to be 58 not out at tea with Kruger van Wyk on seven.

Morkel started his destructive campaign in New Zealand's second over when Daniel Flynn gloved a rising delivery through to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher to be gone without scoring.

Brendon McCullum also failed to get off the mark before Morkel trapped him lbw and New Zealand were two down for one run in the fifth over.

Opener Martin Guptill produced a gritty display, lasting nearly 100 minutes in the middle and facing 55 balls before he edged Morkel to Jacques Rudolph at gully and was gone for 18.

With the fiery Dale Steyn, Marchant de Lange and Vernon Philander supporting Morkel New Zealand were struggling for survival.

Brownlie faced 18 balls without scoring before launching into de Lange and taking 14 off one over, including three boundaries, but he was to add only one more run before Morkel struck again.

South Africa had resumed the day at 75 without loss and cracked on a further 114 at more than seven an over before declaring at 189-3.

AB de Villiers had a rollicking time with the bat racing to 68 off 49 deliveries, including eight fours and a six, before he was caught at long on by Williamson off Doug Bracewell.

The declaration came with de Villiers' dismissal leaving JP Duminy unbeaten on 33 off 23 balls including three sixes and two fours.

Meanwhile, Taylor, who suffered a broken forearm when hit by Morkel on the fourth day, was to undergo surgery Tuesday and the New Zealand management said he would be sidelined for at least four weeks.

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Cricket: Dolphins outclass Rams by 32 runs

RAWALPINDI: Karachi Dolphins outclassed Rawalpindi Rams by 32 runs with nine balls to spare in the fourth match of the Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cup here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.

After being put into bat by the Rams captain Sohail Tanvir, the Dolphins made 171 runs for the loss of four wickets in the allotted 20 overs – the highest total so far in this tournament.

Opener Khalid Latif played the biggest innings of this tournament hitting 88 from 61 balls with eleven fours and two sixes. He got out in the final over.

Other main scorers were Asad Shafiq (31) and Rameez Raja Jr (28).

For the Rams, pace bowler Yasir Arafat took two wickets for 30.

The Rams could not chase the huge target and were bowled out for 139 in 18.3 overs.

Naved Malik scored 59 and Mohammad Nawaz made 37 while the Dolphins bowlers Faraz Ahmed and Sohail Khan captured three wickets each.

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Stallions beat Eagles in low-scoring match

RAWALPINDI: Sialkot Stallions defeated Lahore Eagles by five wickets with an over remaining in the third match of the Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cup here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.

After the Stallions captain Shoaib Malik won the toss and elected to field, his bowlers restricted the Eagles to 129 for eight in the allotted 20 overs.

Saad Nasim top scored with an unbeaten 27, followed by Ali Azmat (24) and captain Taufiq Umar (22).

For the Stallions, Bilawal Bhatti was the most successful bowler with three for 33 while Raza Hasan claimed two for 21.

The Stallions achieved the target of 130 in 19 overs, thanks to an unbeaten sixth wicket partnership of 47 runs between Shahid Yousuf (27) and Ali Khan (18) after Shakeel Ansari made 32.

However, Shahid Yousuf was declared the man-of-the-match.

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Cricket: Jayawardene thwarts England in first Test

GALLE, Sri Lanka: Skipper Mahela Jayawardene crafted a classy century to steer Sri Lanka out of trouble on the opening day of the first Test against England in Galle on Monday.

Jayawardene hit an unbeaten 168 as the hosts recovered from a disastrous 15-3 by the fourth over to move to 289-8 by stumps at a Galle International Stadium packed with some 8,000 English supporters.

Fast bowler James Anderson claimed two wickets off successive balls in his second over and new-ball partner Stuart Broad chipped in with the third after Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat.

Jayawardene retrieved the situation by adding 52 for the fourth wicket with Thilan Samaraweera (20) and 61 for the fifth with young batsman Dinesh Chandimal (27).

Tailender Rangana Herath contributed just five runs in an eighth-wicket stand of 62 with his captain, who reached his 30th century with a paddle sweep off Graeme Swann for a boundary.

As the bowlers wilted under the hot sun, England were left to rue three dropped catches -- two by Monty Panesar and one by Anderson -- that reprieved Jayawardene.

The Sri Lankan captain has so far hit 20 boundaries and three sixes.

Jayawardene surpassed Australian legend Don Bradman's tally of 29 Test hundreds and moved to fourth place among those still playing at the top level behind Sachin Tendulkar (51), Jacques Kallis (42) and Ricky Ponting (41).

Number 10 Chanaka Welegedara kept Jayawardene company at stumps on 10, the pair having added 36 valuable runs.

Sri Lanka's South African coach Graham Ford hailed Jayawardene's "special innings" and said the fightback had ensured his team will be competitive in the match.

Anderson, who claimed his 250th Test wicket with the dismissal of opener Lahiru Thirimanne, said England needed to get over the disappointment of allowing Sri Lanka to bounce back.

Anderson had Thirimanne caught at second slip in his second over and then forced Kumar Sangakkara to edge the next ball to wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

Mahela Jayawardene denied Anderson a hat-trick with a defensive push, but saw his partner Tillakaratne Dilshan perish in Broad's next over to another catch in the slips.

Samaraweera was run out soon after lunch when he backed up too far at the non-striker's end as Anderson deflected a ball on to the stumps.

Panesar conceded just 42 runs in his 23 overs, but Swann's 23 wicketless overs cost 92 runs on a pitch that is already providing uneven bounce

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Cairns wins libel action against Modi

LONDON: Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns was awarded £90,000 ($142,000) damages on Monday after winning a libel action against former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi in London.

In the first libel action heard in England against a post on the micro-blogging site Twitter, Cairns, 41, sued over an "unequivocal allegation" of match-fixing on Modi's Twitter account in January 2010.

Judge David Bean, sitting at London's High Court, said Modi had "singularly failed" to provide any reliable evidence that Cairns was involved in match-fixing or spot-fixing, or even strong grounds for suspicion of cheating.

"It is obvious that an allegation that a professional cricketer is a match-fixer goes to the core attributes of his personality and, if true, entirely destroys his reputation for integrity," he said.

"The allegation is not as serious as one of involvement in terrorism or sexual offences (to take two examples from recent cases). But it is otherwise as serious an allegation as anyone could make against a professional sportsman."

Cairns, who captained his country in one-day internationals, was not in court on Monday to hear the ruling of the judge, who heard the case without a jury.

Earlier this month his lawyer, Andrew Caldecott, said Cairns, who lived in England as a child when his father Lance played there and had himself played seven seasons for Nottinghamshire, was extremely concerned about his reputation in Britain.

The court had heard that Modi's tweet was picked up by leading cricket website Cricinfo.

When Cairns complained, Cricinfo withdrew its report, paid damages and apologised -- but Modi declined to apologise and pleaded justification, maintaining the charge was true.

Cairns's case was that it was "wholly untrue" and a very grave libel which could destroy all he had achieved in a 20-year career where, despite being plagued by injuries, he completed the rare double of scoring over 3,000 runs and taking more than 200 wickets in Test cricket.

At the time of the tweet, Modi was one of the most powerful men in cricket.

The court was told that, in 2007 and 2008, Cairns captained the Chandigarh Lions in three competitions in the Indian Cricket League (ICL), which flourished briefly before the rise of the IPL, a lucrative domestic Twenty20 competition featuring many of the world's leading players.

The allegation made by Modi related to the second and third of these competitions, between March and April 2008 and October and November that year.

Caldecott told the court that in October 2008 Cairns was called to an ICL directors meeting at a hotel where, according to the cricketer, his denial of rumours of his alleged involvement in match-fixing appeared to be accepted.

"No specific charges of match-fixing were ever put to Mr Cairns. No names of any accusers were mentioned.

"He was never informed after his departure that statements had been taken -- mainly later -- from Indian players alleging corrupt activity by various players including him."

Caldecott added Cairns was then effectively suspended for not declaring an ankle injury which had been exacerbated by a charity walk completed in memory of his late sister.

He returned to New Zealand for an operation, was never contacted with any complaint and, in 2009, was entered for the IPL auction. (AFP)

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Asia Cup: ACC rejects BCB's final over plea

KARACHI: The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) plea to review the final over of the Asia Cup final between Pakistan and Bangladesh, Geo News reported.

ACC Chief Executive Ashraf-ul Haq told Geo News that the field umpires didn't report about the incident and as per laws their note of concern was necessary. 'The chapter is now closed for the ACC.'

The council has also informed both the boards about the decision, the CE said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday expressed disappointment with Bangladesh for considering appealing an incident in the last over of the Asia Cup final which they believe cost them the match.

Bangladesh Saturday said it would appeal to the ACC to review the last over, accusing Pakistani paceman Aizaz Cheema of deliberately blocking batsman Mahmudullah Riyad from taking a second run.

Pakistan beat Bangladesh in a thrilling final on Thursday by two runs to lift the four-nation Asia Cup.

PCB director Intikhab Alam called Bangladesh's stance "disappointing".

It's really sad and disappointing to hear the statement from the BCB official," Alam said.

"It was a thrilling final and everyone praised Bangladesh for their fight and their decision to appeal is just an after thought after the result.

"The fact of the matter is that no match umpire of referee complained about this to Pakistan management and Bangladesh's complain will spoil a wonderful final which everyone enjoyed," said Alam.

BCB said it would seek five penalty runs for deliberate obstruction and a reversal of the result in their favour.

"We have seen video footage of the incident repeatedly. It is clear that Cheema blocked Riyad deliberately," Enayet Hossain Siraj, chairman of the BCB operations committee, told reporters.

"We will lodge a written appeal to the ACC very soon and will also give a copy to the International Cricket Council."

Bangladesh is currently considering an invitation to tour Pakistan for a limited over series next month.

They sent a delegation to assess security arrangements in Pakistan for the tour but said a final decision will only be made by the country's government.

Should Bangladesh go they will be the first Test playing nation to tour Pakistan since terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore three years ago.

The attacks, which left eight people dead and seven visiting players and an assistant coach wounded, suspended all international cricket in Pakistan as teams refused to tour the troubled country because of security fears.

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Anderson, Broad rock Sri Lanka in first Test

GALLE: James Anderson and Stuart Broad ripped through Sri Lanka's top-order to hand England the early advantage in the first Test in Galle on Monday.

Anderson claimed two wickets off successive balls and Broad chipped in with a third as Sri Lanka slumped to 15-3 by the fourth over after electing to bat at the Galle International Stadium.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene (30 not out) and Thilan Samaraweera (19 not out) carried the hosts to 66-3 by lunch on the opening day as the harsh sun dried moisture from the pitch and made batting easier.

The pair have so far put on 51 for the fourth wicket.

Anderson, who had a review for leg-before against opener Lahiru Thirimanne turned down in his first over, removed the left-hander in his second over to make Sri Lanka 11-1.

Thirimanne hung his bat out to edge an easy catch to Graeme Swann at second slip and give Anderson his 250th wicket in his 67th Test.

The fast bowler added to the tally off the next delivery as veteran Kumar Sangakkara edged a rising ball to wicket-keeper Matt Prior.

Jayawardene denied Anderson a hat-trick with a defensive push, but lost his partner Tillakaratne Dilshan in Broad's next over.

Dilshan, who edged Broad twice over third-man for boundaries, was caught by England captain Andrew Strauss at first slip as he attempted another wild stroke.

The tourists awarded a Test cap to all-rounder Samit Patel, who will bat in the middle-order and bowl left-arm spin, the third slow bowler in the ranks after Swann and Monty Panesar.

Patel was preferred over Ravi Bopara, who could have played only as a specialist batsman after a side strain ruled him out of bowling in the series.

Sri Lanka left out Chamara Silva, who hit 163 against the tourists in a practice match last week, to play young batsman Dinesh Chandimal

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Philander on fire as South Africa turn screw

WELLINGTON: South African pace sensation Vernon Philander became the fastest man in 116 years to reach 50 Test wickets on Monday as New Zealand struggled to stay alive in the third Test.

Philander, 26, reached the milestone in only his seventh Test as New Zealand folded for 275 in their first innings in reply to South Africa's 474-9 declared, avoiding the follow-on by just a single run.

At stumps on the fourth day, South Africa, who hold a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series, were 75 without loss in their second innings, leading by 274 runs with one day remaining.

First innings centurion Alviro Petersen is not out 38 with captain Graeme Smith on 34 as the tourists look to bat New Zealand out of contention.

New Zealand's fading hopes of levelling the series received a severe setback when captain Ross Taylor was hit on the left forearm by paceman Morne Morkel.

He was taken to hospital where an x-ray confirmed a broken bone and team management said he was unlikely to take any further part in the game.

With the senior batsman out of action, Philander made the most of the short route to the New Zealand tail, finishing with six for 81 and tightening South Africa's grip on the Test.

New Zealand were 160-3 with Taylor on 18 when he was hit. They made it to 219-3 before they lost another wicket but slumped from 263-5 to 263-8, leaving tailenders Mark Gillespie and Chris Martin needing to add 12 runs to avoid the follow-on.

The home side resumed in the morning at 65-0 with openers Daniel Flynn and Martin Guptill fighting their way to 86 and seeing off hostile bowling from Dale Steyn and Morkel before Philander started the damage.

Flynn, in the unfamiliar role of opener and playing his first Test in two years, went for 45, nicking a ball in Philander's first over of the day to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.

Brendon McCullum had two lives on his way to 31, including being dropped at point by JP Duminy off Steyn.

Duminy had earlier spilled two edges from Guptill, off Steyn's bowling, when fielding in the gully. Guptill went on to make 59 before he was trapped lbw by Philander in the last over before lunch.

When Taylor was taken to hospital and diligence was required by New Zealand, Dean Brownlie and Kane Williamson made cautious progress in a 59-run stand until the new ball arrived and Brownlie top-edged Philander, dismissed for 29.

New Zealand went to tea at 231-4 and the innings collapsed soon after play resumed.

After Steyn claimed Williamson for 39, Philander came back to remove Daniel Vettori (30) and Doug Bracewell (0). Marchant de Lange picked up the wicket of Kruger van Wyk (7).

Two lusty fours from Gillespie ensured South Africa would have to bat again before he became Philander's sixth victim, caught by AB de Villiers for 10.

Petersen and Smith were untroubled, taking South Africa through to stumps, with a declaration expected on the final morning.

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Cricket: Aussies set 282-run target for Windies

GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia: Australia made 281 for nine in the fifth and final one-dayer against West Indies here on Sunday, where the home side are seeking a first series win in 17 years over the Aussies.

Skipper Shane Watson, with 66 off 89 balls, and fellow opener David Warner, who crashed 69 off 61 balls, with 10 fours and a six, put on 118 for the first wicket by the 20th over as the tourists looked on course for a 300-plus total.

West Indies then slowed the rate after the openers had departed and Australia took the unusual decision to promote Brett Lee up the order after the veteran had hit a breezy, career-best 59 in Friday's fourth game which was won

by the hosts.

Lee replaced George Bailey, who had made 19, but lasted just 10 balls either side of a rain delay before he was bowled by off-spinner Sunil Narine who had earlier also dismissed the dangerous Warner.

Peter Forrest, with 53, was the fifth man out, caught by Kemar Roach off Andre Russell with the score at 241 in the 45th over.

David Hussey was out next ball when he fended off a quick, steep delivery from Russell to be caught behind for nought before Matthew Wade prevented becoming a hat-trick victim.

Wade and Mike Hussey smashed Russell for 21 runs off the seamer's last over, the 49th of the innings, but the bowler had the satisfaction of seeing Hussey caught in the deep off his last delivery.

Roach bowled an impressive final over of the innings, conceding just two runs while also seeing the back of Wade who had made a valuable 26 off 17 balls with two sixes.

Roach finished with 3 for 53 while Russell claimed 4 for 61.

West Indies lead the five-match series 2-1.

Australia won the first game by 64 runs before West Indies won by five wickets in a rain-affected second match.

That win ended the West Indies' miserable run of 15 defeats in 16 one-dayers against Australia.

The third ODI ended in a thrilling tie but Kieron Pollard crashed a blistering century to set up a 42-run win for the Windies in the fourth match.

Both sides were unchanged for the final ODI

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Faisal Bank T20: Lahore Lions outclass Karachi Zebras

RAWALPINDI: Lahore Lions defeated Karachi Zebras by six wickets with 13 balls to spare in the second match of the Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cricket Cup here at the Rawalpindi Stadium on Sunday.

The Zebras captain Hasan Raza won the toss and elected to bat but the Lions restricted the opponents to 135 for five in the allotted 20 overs.

Their prominent scorers were Rameez Aziz (37), Hasan Raza (33 not out) and Khurram Manzoor (31).

In reply, the Lions completed the chase in 17.5 overs for the loss of four wickets, thanks to a brilliant batting display by Ahmed Shahzad who remained unbeaten on 61 and Umar Akmal hit 43. Both added 83 runs for the third wicket partnership after the Lions were reeling on 15 for two.

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Faisalabad record thrilling win over Peshawar in opener

RAWALPINDI: Faisalabad Wolves recorded a thrilling two-wicket victory over Peshawar Panthers in the opening match of the Faysal Bank Super Eight Twenty20 Cricket Cup 2011-12 here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Chasing 128, Faisalabad achieved the target with one ball remaining, thanks to an unbeaten brilliant innings of 43 by one-down batsman Ali Waqas.

He was followed by opener Asif Ali, who made 29.

For Peshawar, Mohammad Aslam claimed two wickets.

Earlier, Peshawar batted first after their captain Umar Gul won the toss and made 127 for eight in the allotted 20 overs.

Their main scorers were Mohammad Fayyaz (23), Zohaib Khan (22) and Iftikhar Ahmed (20) whereas the top scorer was ‘Mr Extras’ with 24.

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Whatmore satisfied with Pakistan progress

KARACHI: Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore Sunday expressed satisfaction over his team's performance during their winning Asia Cup campaign, saying it would have been the icing on the cake to beat arch-rivals India.

Pakistan beat Bangladesh in a thrilling final by two runs in Dhaka on Thursday, lifting the Asia Cup for the second time.

It was Whatmore's first assignment since taking over earlier this month.

The former Australian batsman -- who guided Sri Lanka to the World Cup title in 1996 -- said his team had been consistent and competitive in all matches.

"It would have been the icing on the cake to have beaten India and go on to win the cup. We made some mistakes but were in the game late in the second 50-over block," Whatmore told AFP.

"It was just one of those games that makes you analyse more." India's Virat Kohli smashed a career-best 183 to help India chase down a daunting 330-run target but India failed to make it to the final.

Whatmore, who also helped Bangladesh reach the latter stages of the 2007 World Cup held in the Caribbean, praised the Asia Cup hosts.

"Bangladesh had a really good Asia Cup. On the evidence of this tournament, everyone would agree they have improved. They need to be consistent now," he said.

Whatmore backed Misbah-ul-Haq after the Pakistan captain came under pressure over the team's 4-0 whitewash against England in a one-day series last month.

"I wasn't aware Misbah was under pressure prior to the Asia Cup. He has some wonderful qualities as a captain and contributed well to our overall performance," said Whatmore, who played seven Tests for Australia.

Pakistan's next assignment is a tour of Sri Lanka starting in May before taking on Australia in a five-match one-day series later in the year.

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West Indies win toss, bowl against Australia

GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia: The West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl in their fifth and final one-day international against Australia here on Sunday.

The home side lead the five-match series 2-1 and are bidding for a first series win over the Australians in 17 years.

Australia won the first ODI by 64 runs before West Indies won by five wickets in a rain-affected second match.

That win ended the West Indies' miserable run of 15 defeats in 16 one-dayers against Australia.

The third ODI ended in a thrilling tie, but Kieron Pollard crashed a blistering century to set up a 42-run win for the Windies in the fourth match.

Both sides were unchanged for the final ODI.

Teams

West Indies: Johnson Charles, Adrian Barath, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Carlton Baugh (wk), Darren Sammy (captain), Sunil Narine, Kemar Roach

Australia: Shane Watson (captain), David Warner, Matthew Wade (wk), George Bailey, Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Peter Forrest, Clint McKay, Xavier Doherty, Brett Lee, Ben Hilfenhaus

Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SL) and Peter Nero (WI), TV umpire: Shavir Tarapore (IND)

Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM

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Pakistan unhappy over Bangladesh Cup appeal

KARACHI: Pakistan's cricket board on Sunday expressed disappointment with Bangladesh for considering appealing an incident in the last over of the Asia Cup final which they believe cost them the match.

Bangladesh Saturday said it would appeal to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to review the last over, accusing Pakistani paceman Aizaz Cheema of deliberately blocking batsman Mahmudullah Riyad from taking a second run.

Pakistan beat Bangladesh in a thrilling final on Thursday by two runs to lift the four-nation Asia Cup.

Pakistan Cricket Board director Intikhab Alam called Bangladesh's stance "disappointing".

"It's really sad and disappointing to hear the statement from BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) official," Alam told AFP.

"It was a thrilling final and everyone praised Bangladesh for their fight and their decision to appeal is just an after thought after the result.

"The fact of the matter is that no match umpire of referee complained about this to Pakistan management and Bangladesh's complain will spoil a wonderful final which everyone enjoyed," said Alam.

BCB said it would seek five penalty runs for deliberate obstruction and a reversal of the result in their favour.

"We have seen video footage of the incident repeatedly. It is clear that Cheema blocked Riyad deliberately," Enayet Hossain Siraj, chairman of the BCB operations committee, told reporters.

"We will lodge a written appeal to the ACC very soon and will also give a copy to the International Cricket Council."

Bangladesh is currently considering an invitation to tour Pakistan for a limited over series next month.

They sent a delegation to assess security arrangements in Pakistan for the tour but said a final decision will only be made by the country's government.

Should Bangladesh go they will be the first Test playing nation to tour Pakistan since terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore three years ago.

The attacks, which left eight people dead and seven visiting players and an assistant coach wounded, suspended all international cricket in Pakistan as teams refused to tour the troubled country because of security fears

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Australia may go with spin against Windies: Clarke

SYDNEY: Captain Michael Clarke said Sunday Australia could play two spinners in the opening Test against the West Indies next month before he left to join up with the rest of the squad in the Caribbean.

Clarke stayed in Australia for treatment on a hamstring injury and has followed the ongoing one-day series against the West Indies on television.

"The wickets look really slow and have spun as much as any wickets around the world," Clarke told reporters at Sydney airport.

"We always talk about spin in India and Sri Lanka but the wicket in St Vincent, that's as much as I've seen the ball spin and bounce for a long time.

"If conditions are like what we've seen in the one-dayers, then it's something we definitely need to consider (playing two spinners)."

Clarke believes spinners Michael Beer and Nathan Lyon could make a good double act in the Test series, starting in Barbados on April 7.

"They're two very good spinners who have great control," he said. "I've seen them both throughout the Australian summer bowl very early in an innings, so they can control the new ball as well.

"From what I've seen in the one-dayers, I think they'll both be a handful."

While he admits Australia have not been at their best in the one-day series, Clarke said it was going to take some players time to adjust to the Caribbean conditions.

The West Indies are chasing their first ODI series win over Australia in 17 years and lead 2-1 with one match to play.

"I would like to have won every game but conditions have been tough," he said.

"It's a lot different from what we've been facing in Australia. It's been a great experience for guys who haven't been to the West Indies before.

"We've got plenty of time plus we've got a three-day tour game before the first Test and we will be 100 percent ready to go for that first Test match."

Clarke said he had come through weeks of physio treatment in great shape and would be ready to play in the opening Bridgetown Test.

He was ruled out during the home tri-series finals earlier this month with a hamstring injury suffered against Sri Lanka.

"The physio's really confident at where I'm at now. Knowing that we've got that time before the tour game, I'll be 100 percent," he said.

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Ireland beat Afghanistan in T20 qualifying final

DUBAI: Ireland defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in the final of the World Twenty20 qualifying tournament on Saturday, in a battle between two sides who had already booked their places at the global showpiece in Sri Lanka.

Afghanistan, who had won all eight matches at the qualifiers going into the final, were restricted to 152 for seven off their 20 overs before the Irish reached their target with seven balls to spare.

The Irish had Paul Stirling to thank for the win, after he hit a 38-ball 79, including nine fours and three sixes, in the process scoring the second-fastest half-century in T20 history.

Man-of-the-match Stirling's effort eclipsed that of Afghanistan wicket keeper Mohammad Shahzad, whose 77 off 57 balls included seven fours and two sixes.

Stirling, who ended the tournament as the highest run scorer with 357 in 11 games, ahead of Shahzad in second on 352 in nine, praised Ireland's positive attitude and said the conditions contributed to his blistering knock.

"Under the lights, the ball came up well. Afghanistan have strong bowling, they've got one of the strongest team attacks in the tournament. The wicket suited my style," he said.

"It was my first time playing under lights and tonight showed that the runs go up when you play later in the day."

Ireland skipper William Porterfield said he was delighted with the tournament victory but warned that the win was just the start of a hard fight ahead.

"It's a long way to go now to the ICC World Twenty20. We're obviously looking forward to it, playing against Australia and the West Indies is going to be a tough task. We've got to keep working hard and improving our skills.

Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal accepted that Stirling was the difference between the sides.

"Our score was good enough. The batters achieved what we planned for, especially getting the wicket of Porterfield on the first ball was good enough start. But the way Stirling played he demolished every plan we had," he said.

"The two best teams played the final. The way they can bat is amazing. We were expecting Ireland to be in the ICC Twenty20 2012, especially as they have played a few more ICC Twenty20s than us. They have more experience than us."

Player of the tournament went to third-place Namibia's Raymond van Schoor, who notched up 324 runs in nine games at an average of 54 and also picked up six wickets.

Ireland hammered Namibia by nine wickets in the preliminary final earlier on Saturday to meet Afghanistan after making just 94-6 off their allotted 20 overs.

It was Stirling again who led the run chase, hitting nine fours and a six in an unbeaten, 32-ball 59 to see the Irish home in just 10.1 overs.

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Faysal Bank T20 Cup begins today

RAWALPINDI: Twenty20’s massive popularity and status as the most exciting format of cricket has given birth to T20 league in Pakistan. The Super Eight T20 Tournament was introduced last year in Pakistan.

Since the tremendous success of Super eight T20 tournament, it has not only become the most popular and widely watched cricket events in Pakistan but the tournament is also scheduled twice in the PCB yearly event calendar.

The Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 is a unique platform wherein the national cricket stars from various cities of Pakistan will join forces with the world class Pakistani players in a thrilling one week event.

The Faysal Bank Super-8 National Twenty20 Cricket Cup will commence from today March 25 till April 1st. at Pindi Stadium in Rawalpindi.

Eight teams drawn in two groups will featuring in the tournament: Faisalabad Wolves, Karachi Dolphins, Karachi Zebras, Lahore Eagles, Lahore Lions, Peshawar Panthars, Rawalpindi Rams, Sialkot Stallions.

The winning team will receive Rs.2.5 million as prize money and the runners-up Rs.1 million.

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