Cricket Classic

Shahid Afridi withdraws retirement decision

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:15:00 +0000

KARACHI: All-rounder Shahid Afridi on Tuesday reversed his decision to retire from international cricket, saying he wanted to play for Pakistan since the chairman of the cricket board has been replaced.

President Asif Ali Zardari last week appointed banker Zaka Ashraf chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to replace Ijaz Butt, who had developed serious differences with Afridi in May.

"Since the board chairman has changed, I take back my retirement decision and am available to play for Pakistan," Afridi told reporters. "I had said I will never play with Butt as chairman, so things have changed now."

The 31-year-old all-rounder announced his sudden retirement from international cricket after being dumped as one-day captain following a row over selection with team coach Waqar Younis on tour in the West Indies in May.

Kohli Hundred Powers India to 8 wickets victory Over England

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 19:08:00 +0000

NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli (112 not out) and Gautam Gambhir (84 not out) shared an unbeaten 209-run stand to steer India to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over England in the second one-day international at Ferozeshah Kotla stadium in New Delhi on Monday.

With this thumping win, India took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series against the visiting side.

Kohli completed another impressive century, his seventh in one-dayers, to lead the Indian run chase as they achieved the modest 238-run target in just 36.4 overs.

Kohli hit 16 boundaries in his 98-ball brilliant knock as he raced to his seventh ton in just 89 balls.

Gambhir played a perfect partner for flamboyant Kohli, as the left-hander himself played a gem of an innings off 90 balls and smashed ten boundaries.

India got off to a bad start as they lost openers Ajinkya Rahane (14) and Parthiv Patel (12) early.

Tim Bresnan struck twice in his successive overs to provide England early breakthroughs after visiting bowlers checked India's run chase from the beginning.

Rahane was caught near the boundary rope while trying to hit two consecutive sixes in the seventh over. The right-hander hit a six and a four in his 15-ball cameo.

Earlier, pacer Vinay Kumar took 4 wickets for 30 runs to help India bundle out England for 237 on Monday.

Vinay led an impressive young Indian attack as they knocked off England top-orders cheaply to reduce the visitors to 121/5 in 25.2 overs. Umesh Yadav supported Vinay and Praveen Kumar well as a third paceman and took two English wickets for 50 runs.

Praveen started Indian attack by removing England skipper Alastair Cook for nought in the very first over. Vinay soon joined the party as he dismissed Craig Kieswetter (0), Jonathan Trott (34) inside the mandatory powerplay.

England failed to accelerate in the end as they lost their last five wickets for just 30 runs and were eventually bowled out in 48.2 overs.

Jonathan Bairstow (35) and Samit Patel (42) tried to revive England innings with a steady 86-run stand for the sixth wicket before both fall in quick succession.

Virat Kohli took a well timed catch at the boundary to dismiss Bairstow off Ravindra Jadeja in the 43rd over soon after Patel became Yadav's second victim in the previous over.

Bairstow played a patient innings of 35 off 49 balls with the help three boundaries whereas Patel smacked two sixes and two fours in his 53-ball knock.

Ravichandran Ashwin and Yadav struck in the consecutive overs to give England double blow as they dismissed Ravi Bopara (36) and Kevin Pietersen (46) respectively.

Yadav increased England worries when Pietersen went for the drive but the ball took a faint outside edge off the bottom of the bat and Dhoni grabbed it behind the wickets soon after Ashwin broke a crucial 73-run fourth wicket partnership between them.

Indian seamers were on a roll as they removed England top three batsmen inside the mandatory powerplay to reduce the visitors to 48/3.

After losing two early wickets, Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen tried to steady England innings as they added 48 runs third wicket stand. Trot lost his cool and got faint edge which went into the gloves of skipper MS Dhoni.

England started their innings on a bad note as they lost skipper Alastair Cook and Craig Kieswetter in the first two overs.

Praveen Kumar struck on the fourth delivery of the first over to remove Cook who attempted to hit over point but failed to get the elevation as Ravindra Jadeja made no mistake to pouch it.

Vinay Kumar joined his partner to give England another shock as he dismissed Craig Kieswetter to thump visitors to 0/2.

Earlier, England skipper Alastair Cook won the toss and decided to bat against India. Both India and England have retained the same side which played the first ODI in Hyderabad.

Buoyed by the resounding 126-run triumph in the opening game, India will seek to maintain their supremacy against England in the second ODI with the focus on grooming the young brigade.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicketkeeper), Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar.

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Craig Kieswetter (wicketkeeper), Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Jonathan Bairstow, Graeme Swann, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn, Jade Dernbach.

Spot Fixing

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:56:00 +0000

Butt confronted Majeed at World Twenty20

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt told a court on Monday how he confronted his agent Mazhar Majeed about text messages he had sent him to fix elements of a Twenty20 match against South Africa at the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup.

Butt's comments came on the afternoon of the ninth day of the alleged spot-fixing trial at Southwark Crown Court. It was the first time he had taken the witness box after the prosecution closed its case.

Former opening batsman Butt was questioned about text messages he had received from Majeed, who was his agent from 2006 until 2010, relating to fixing. Butt first gave the background to the messages, which came on the back of a losing tour of Australia when they lost every single match in 2009-10.

"He would say before a game 'give me something'," Butt told the court. "I didn't like it and I felt bad about it. We are not what you are thinking of us. We don't lose intentionally. But it didn't make any difference to him."

He added, on when Majeed would raise such topics: "I would get rid of the conversations in my own language and say 'thik he'." At this stage Butt utilised the services of the female interpreter standing by his side for the first time. She explained that what he was saying meant 'Okay, let's move on'.

Despite Butt's intentions to deter Majeed's messages, they didn't stop. His lawyer, Ali Bajwa QC, asked him to explain messages found on Majeed's phone that were sent to him. One such message read: "Give us one in the seventh and one in the eighth." Bajwa asked Butt if he remembered receiving the messages at that time. He said 'Well it is my phone so I must have read them". But when Bajwa asked him if he knew what the message meant, he responded "No".

During the Twenty20 match against South Africa, on May 10 2010 in St. Lucia, Butt was dismissed in the second over caught while trying to pull Dale Steyn. But Pakistan won the match by 11 runs. Bajwa asked Butt if he was captain at that time so to determine to the jury whether he had any influence on events in the match and Butt said, "No".

The court had already heard from written evidence given by the Pakistan team's then security manager, Major Khwaja Najam Javed, that Majeed was in the Caribbean at the time for the tournament with his family.

Butt then explained that he confronted Majeed on the day of this match and he told him: "We are not like these messages you are sending me. These things you are sending me we have to report. He then said that I was his friend and we had known one another for a long time and that he was just checking if we were doing anything dodgy.

Butt added: "I took his word for the explanation because in four years there was nothing like this and this was something that anybody in my place would not have been suspicious about because I never expected it to come. I didn't report it because I thought he meant what he said."

The case continues.

Akmal brothers involved in Afridi’s removal: Haider

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:43:00 +0000

KARACHI: Former Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Hadier said Monday that Kamran Akmal and Umer Akmal were involved in the removal of former skipper Shahid Afridi.

Haider added that the Akmal brothers were involved in politicking in order to secure their place in the Pakistani side.

The former wicket-keeper was speaking to Geo News and alleged that Waqar Younis would also take part in lobbying against certain players.

Commenting on Mazhar Majeed the agent at the center of the spot fixing controversy, Haider said Majeed would be seen with several players and he was interested in making him his agent but was stopped by senior players.

Haider also thanked former sports minister Ijaz Jhakrani for including him in the team on the basis of performance.

Australia Vs South Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:39:00 +0000

Australian squad named for

Test series in South Africa

SYDNEY: Teenage quick Patrick Cummins could become Australia's youngest Test player in nearly 60 years after being called up Monday for their two-Test series in South Africa.

The explosive 18-year-old has played just three first-class matches for New South Wales, taking nine wickets, but has impressed for Australia against South Africa in the current Twenty20 series.

He replaces James Pattinson in the only change to the squad that defeated Sri Lanka 1-0 in their three-Test battle last month and if he makes his debut will become the youngest Australian to play a Test since Ian Craig in 1952-53.

Craig was 17 years and 293 days on debut, with Cummins to be 18 years and 185 days when the Test series against South Africa starts.

The next youngest was Tom Garrett, who was 18 years and 232 days when he played in Australia's first Test match in 1877.

Australia play two Tests in South Africa, the first on November 9 in Cape Town and the second in Johannesburg from November 17.

The explosive Cummins took 2-27 off four overs in Australia's second Twenty20 international against South Africa on Sunday, opening the bowling and taking two for three in a two-over burst.

For Hilditch, Monday's announcement is likely his last as chairman of selectors with Cricket Australia set to appoint a full-time selection chairman and new panel as part of a review earlier this year.

Squad: Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson (vice-capt), Michael Beer, Trent Copeland, Patrick Cummins, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Phil Hughes, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle.

Pakistan vs Srilanka

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:26:00 +0000

Pakistan, Sri Lanka look to build Test sides

ABU DHABI: Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq is hoping his team can build on their recent good performance while Sri Lanka are looking to end their drought when the two sides meet here in the first of three Tests from Tuesday.

The 37-year-old Misbah took over as Test captain following a spot-fixing scandal in England last year and has since batted superbly to help Pakistan draw series against a formidable South Africa and the West Indies.

He also lifted Pakistan to away wins over New Zealand and Zimbabwe and hopes to carry on the good work against Sri Lanka, who have lost their last two series against England and Australia -- both 1-0 -- since Tillakaratne Dilshan took over earlier this year.

Misbah hopes his team will continue their recent winning streak.

"The morale is good, and everyone knows his role," Misbah said on Sunday.

"Cricket is a team game and since everyone knows his role we have been consistent in Tests and building on."

Misbah leads a batting line-up which is a mixture of youth and experience with veteran Younis Khan and talented players like Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq.

Since taking over as captain Misbah has scored 704 in eight Tests at 78.22 and will be Pakistan's mainstay against the Sri Lankan spin duo of Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv -- both trying to overcome the loss of legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.

Sri Lanka have not won a Test, losing three and drawing eight Tests, since Muralitharan bade farewell to Test cricket after taking a world record of 800 wickets.

But Misbah said Sri Lanka were still a good team.

"Sri Lanka no doubt is one of the best teams, especially in these conditions so we have to play well to beat them," said Misbah.

Dilshan, 34, is looking to improve his captaincy as well as his batting form after contributing just one half-century against Australia, an 83 in the final Test at Colombo last month.

"We have a very young bowling unit and I think they are getting experience, so I hope they are now ready to do their job and establish the team in the Tests," said Dilshan.

Apart from Dilshan, Sri Lanka have the experience of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara -- both in the twilight of their careers -- and all-rounders Angelo Mathews, Tharanga Paranavitana and Prasanna Jayawardene to put solid totals on the board.

Ironically, bowlers from the both the sides will have to toil hard as wickets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been on the slower side, but could help spinners on the final two days.

Pakistan have a better pace attack with Umar Gul (125 wickets) boosting the department after being rested in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, with left-arm pacemen Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan, and Aizaz Cheema in support.

Pakistan will also look to Saeed Ajmal in the spin department.

The remaining two Tests will be played in Dubai (October 26-30) and Sharjah (November 3-7). The Test series will be followed by five one-day internationals and one Twenty20 match.

Pakistan had hoped to host Sri Lanka but an attack on a Karachi military base forced the Islanders to turn down the invitation in May this year and the
series was shifted to UAE.

International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since a militant attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009. (AFP)

Test squads:
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umar, Imran Farhat, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan.

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Rangana Herath, Suraj Randiv, Chanaka Welegedara, Suranga Lakmal, Kosala Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, Kaushal Silva.

Umpires: Tony Hill (NZL) and Rodney Tucker (AUS)
Tv umpire: Ahsan Raza (PAK)
Match referee: David Boon (AUS)

South Africa v Australia 2nd Twenty20

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 18:21:00 +0000

Tailenders Parnell, Theron give S.Africa victory

JOHANNESBURG: Tailenders Wayne Parnell and Rusty Theron snatched an improbable three-wicket win for South Africa in the second Twenty20 international against Australia at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.

Parnell (29 not out) and Theron (31 not out) put on an unbeaten 64 for the eighth wicket off just 27 balls to level a series which Australia had looked almost certain to win.

Australia's youth brigade took their side to the brink of victory but in the end a lack of experience proved costly to the tourists.

Teenage debutant Mitchell Marsh hit four sixes in the last two overs to give Australia's innings a late boost, taking them to a total of 147 for eight, which seemed more than enough when fellow teenager, fast bowler Pat Cummins, sparked a South African collapse.

Marsh, 19, made 36 off 21 balls on the day he joined older brother Shaun and father Geoff as an international cricketer.

Cummins, 18, opened the bowling and dismissed Colin Ingram and JP Duminy as he took two for three in a two-over burst. James Pattinson, 21, kept the pressure on, taking two for 17 in four overs.

South Africa were reeling at 84 for seven with only 32 balls remaining when Theron joined his franchise teammate Parnell.

There were still 37 needed off three overs when Australian captain Cameron White brought left-arm slow bowler Steve O'Keeffe on to bowl. The left-handed Parnell hit him for a four and two sixes in an over which cost 18 runs.

Cummins bowled the 19th over and conceded 13 runs, including two wides.

Six were needed off the final over and White turned to David Hussey instead of the inexperienced Mitchell Marsh. Theron the off-spinner's first ball high over midwicket to settle the match with five balls to spare.

Asia Cup 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:07:00 +0000

Finally India vs Pakistan

After China and the United Arab Emirates had put in a bid to host the Asia Cup 2012, Bangladesh has come out tops with the Asian Cricket Council awarding it the rights to host the event. The decision came after an executive committee meeting of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) in Dhaka on Dec 11. The tournament will unfold at the Shere Bangla National staidum in Mirpur from March 1 to March 12. The last time Bangladesh hosted the Asia Cup was in 2000.

"We are thrilled the 11th Asia Cup will be held in Bangladesh," Syed Ashraful Huq, CEO of the ACC, told ESPNcricinfo. "It goes well with Mustafa Kemal's presidency of both bodies [ACC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board] and we are confident the tournament will go well."

The tournament will involve Asia's four Test-playing nations - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and possibly some associate countries in the Asia region. "We are endeavouring to have more countries take part in future events [of the Asia Cup]," Shahriar Khan, media manager of the ACC, told ESPNcricinfo. "At this stage Afghanistan are the only real world-class challengers. We would like the other countries to come up and once they are ready, we would expand the Asia Cup in the years ahead."

China was one of the contenders for hosting the tournament but lost out due to conc erns over whether it had the cricketing infrastructure to hold a quadrangular one-day competition. "There are no floodlights, that are required, as all the matches [in the Asia Cup] have to be day and night games," Huq said. The cricket matches of last month's Asian Games were held in the city of Guangzhou in southern China. Guangzhou's stadium has an 80-metre boundary and seven pitches, four of which were used to hold 30 Twenty20 matches during the Asian Games.

India are the current holders of the Asia Cup, having beaten Sri Lanka by 81 runs in the final in Dambulla, Sri Lanka in June this year.

PAKISTAN VS SRILANKA

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:53:00 +0000

Pakistan will continue recent winning streak: Misbah

England VS India

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 14:28:00 +0000

England need quick response to stay in series

The first one-day international was a rude awakening for a young England team and already the talk has begun of 'here we go again' when it comes to their one-day record in India. The warning signs are certainly there - three years ago India won the first ODI in Rajkot by 158 runs to begin their march to a 5-0 scoreline before the series was curtailed - and it will be a major test of the Alastair Cook-Andy Flower combination to respond to the opening result. A five-match series gives the visitors time to fight back, but that recovery has to start in Delhi otherwise there will be too much daylight between the teams.

Back on home soil, with time to move on from the defeats in England, India looked much more like the marauding force that took the World Cup. For Duncan Fletcher (and, to a lesser degree, MS Dhoni) the India team is a long-term project as a rebuilding phase begins and he'll be heartened by some of the performances. Put coloured clothes on Suresh Raina and he's a world-beater, R Ashwin is a promising spinner, Umesh Yadav has a bit of pace and the fielding is showing signs of improvement.

Then there's the captain himself. Dhoni is a phenomenal cricketer and not only because of that helicopter shot that keeps depositing balls into the stands. He just keeps on going. Straight after the England tour - which pushed him to the limit - he was leading Chennai Super Kings at the Champions Trophy and now there's this series. Then West Indies arrive for a full tour before a trip to face Australia down under. He's had one break this year, but after his struggles on the early part of the England tour, is back to delivering consistently with the bat.

However, despite the positive signs for the hosts, this series isn't yet beyond England. They have shown, time and again, their ability to bounce back from disappointment. This is a team made of stern stuff. But they need to play smart cricket and think on their feet. The fast bowlers didn't react to Dhoni's onslaught in Hyderabad, while the middle-order collapse against spin wasn't a new phenomenon. The batting order continues to vex minds - for, example, where is Jonathan Trott's best position and should Ian Bell play? - while Samit Patel hasn't really done enough since his return to the team. Flower has made tough calls in the past, but he has also remained calm under pressure. This situation calls for both traits.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

India WLTLL
England LWTWW

Spotlight

In the absence of Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin has become India's senior spinner in one-day cricket. Tall, able to extract bounce and with a well-disguised carrom ball, he caused England plenty of problems in the opening game. None of the batsmen appeared to be able to pick his variations and were often left waiting to play off the pitch which leaves precious little time to adjust. Harbhajan may well be back before too long, but Ashwin has more than earned an extended run.

Kevin Pietersen has insisted he knows the secret to turning around his one-day form and England need him to prove it in Delhi. Shuffled back up to No.3 on Friday with a tough target to chase, he never settled while making 19 and appeared more troubled by the pitch than many. When the ball bounced, or kept low, Pietersen's reactions made sure everyone knew the ball must have done something alarming. Throw in his poor fielding display, where he let through three boundaries, and it was a performance to suggest all is not quite right.

Team news

There is little reason for India to tinker with their side after such a comprehensive performance. The initial squad was selected for the first two matches so it will be interesting to see if any changes are made for later in the series.

India (probable): 1 Parthiv Patel, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Vinay Kumar, 11 Umesh Yadav

England tend not to rush into changes after one defeat so the odds favour them giving the same side a chance to make amends for the opening display. However, legspinner Scott Borthwick and seamer Chris Woakes showed form in the warm-ups and are options to strengthen the bowling attack possibly at the expense of Samit Patel.

England (probable): 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Jade Dernbach

Pitch and conditions

The Feroz Shah Kotla stadium regained its international status in time for the World Cup after the ICC suspended the venue following the abandonment of the India-Sri Lanka ODI in December, 2009. The old wicket was a flat track full of runs, and while the new strip is not as lifeless, it is unlikely to give the bowlers much joy.

Stats and trivia

England have played two ODIs in Delhi (it would have been three but the 2008 match was cancelled) and they have a 1-1 record. In 2006 they lost by 39 runs but in 2002 clung on for two-run victory which kept them alive in a series they would finish sharing.
In his last four ODI innings, MS Dhoni has hit 284 runs for just once out which has lifted his average back over 50

Quotes

"We were outplayed by the Indians on this occasion. They out-fielded us - something that doesn't often happen to us - and we didn't deserve to win the game. But one down in a five-match series, we're going to look to do something about that in Delhi."
Andy Flower keeps a level head about England's position

"We always kept our heads high and that probably made the difference in this first game. We would like to continue with that attitude."
Virat Kohli on the virtues of having the right mindset

Pakistan Coach

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 10:46:00 +0000

Arthur in line for Pakistan national team coach's job

KARACHI : The Pakistan Cricket Board has shortlisted former South African coach, Mickey Arthur, for the post of head coach of the national team.

Arthur in line for Pakistan national
team coach's job

An official source in the board confirmed that Arthur was one of the five candidates finalised by the special committee, which was formed by the board to recommend former coach Waqar Younis' replacement.

The committee, headed by ex-Pakistan captain, Intikhab Alam, shortlisted Australia's Dean Jones, former England allrounder Dermot Reeves, Arthur and two Pakistanis -- Aaqib Javed and Sabih Azhar -- for the job.

"The committee had submitted the list to the former chairman of the board, Ijaz Butt and he had told Intikhab and
Rameez Raja who is on the committee to first negotiate with Arthur and if he declined than the others in order of preference," the source said.

Arthur, a well-known name in international cricket, coached the South Africans from 2005 to 2010 before stepping down due to differences with Cricket South Africa.

Arthur, who is now coaching a South African provincial side, had in 2009 also withdrawn from the race for coaching the England team that eventually went to Andy Flower.

"There is a consensus among the committee members that includes former captain Zaheer Abbas, that Arthur has the best profile for the Pakistan team job," the source said.

Since Butt has has been replaced by Zaka Ashraf who is yet to take charge, the source said negotiations with Arthur and others had slowed down. "Basically it is now a waiting game as the committee members now want to know what is the line of thinking the new
chairman has about who should be head coach of the Pakistan team. The new chairman might prefer to have a local coach in case of which Aaqib and Sabih stand good chances of winning the race," the source said.

Aaqib, a former pacer, has been assistant and bowling coach with the national team on many tours, while Sabih was this week appointed manager cum coach of the Pakistan under-25 team that will play in the SAARC championship in Maldives from October 31.

The source said Jones was also a strong contender but hurt his chances by giving an interview to an Australian newspaper in which he confirmed he was in line for the job.

During the interview, Jones also spoke on the sensitive issue of convincing Shahid Afridi to take back his retirement decision.

PAKISTAN VS SRILANKA

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:26:00 +0000

AJMAL AND HAFEEZ WILL BE THE KEY FOR PAKISTAN :BASIT ALI

Former Pakistani Test cricketer and middle-order batsman, Basit Ali, has expressed his opinion that off-spinner, Saeed Ajmal and all-rounder, Mohammad Hafeez are going to be key players for Pakistan in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.

The series between the two countries is going to start from October 18, 2011, with the first Test at Abu Dhabi.

The Sri Lankan team is going through a rebuilding phase at the moment as they no longer have the services of legendary bowlers, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas or Lasith Malinga, who has confined himself to limited overs cricket.

All these bowlers have played a big role for Sri Lanka’s Test victories in the last decade and it is surely going to be a huge challenge for the inexperienced Sri Lankan bowling attack to take 20 wickets in a match against a quality opposition like Pakistan.

On the other side of the coin, the former middle-order batsman believes that Saeed Ajmal is at the peak of his career at the moment and he is going to be a huge force in the future assignments. He also praised the performances of Mohammad Hafeez in the recent past and hopes that he is going to carry on with the same momentum.

He said, “For Pakistan, the key is Saeed Ajmal in bowling and Hafeez is in good form with bat and ball. These two players can play an important role in upcoming series.”
While talking about the new ruling of the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding two new balls at both ends in One Day International cricket, Basit said that this rule is going to favour the bowlers on green tracks and will be ideal for batsmen on flat pitches.

“It will be difficult to handle for batsman in seaming and bouncy condition but will help batsman in Asia. It would be very difficult for bowlers to bowl in Asia, which provides another advantage for batsman. The harder the ball the faster it will go and it will be easy pickings for batsman in batting friendly condition like we have in Asia,” Basit added.

Indian Premier League

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 21:03:00 +0000

IPL news

IPL 2012 to clash with West Indies schedule

The 2012 IPL will be the longest edition of the tournament yet and will clash with a number of international tours, most notably Australia's tour of West Indies in April and West Indies tour of England in May. Pakistan are also scheduled to play international cricket during the event, which will be played from April 4 to May 27, but their players have not been part of the IPL since the inaugural tournament in 2008.

The BCCI approved the dates of the tournament on Friday and West Indies, with their traditional home season falling in March and April, will once again have to find a way of coping without players who want to play in the lucrative Twenty20 league. According to the ICC's Future Tours Programme, West Indies host Australia for three Tests and five ODIs in March and April, before heading to England to play three Tests, three ODIs and a T20I in May and June.

Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle, who starred for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2011 IPL, and allrounders Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo were given No Objection Certificates by the West Indies Cricket Board to play in the tournament this year. Pollard missed the ODI series against Pakistan while Bravo missed the Tests to turn out for their IPL franchises Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings. The Gayle situation is further exacerbated because he is involved in a standoff with the board over his decisions to play domestic T20 events around the globe, and has not played for West Indies since the World Cup.

The Australia players who have IPL deals will be free to join the league mid-way, as they did this year after their ODI series against Bangladesh. However, England's players will once again find themselves at odds with the IPL, since the West Indies series starts on May 1. That could discourage franchises from bidding for players from England, should they be part of a player auction next year.

Pakistan are scheduled to welcome Bangladesh in April and May for two Tests and three ODIs, after which they are due to tour Sri Lanka for three Tests, five one-dayers and two T20Is. Pakistan's visit would require Sri Lanka's international players to leave the IPL early, something that became a contentious issue in 2011 for Sri Lanka's tour of England.

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 20:51:00 +0000

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Division One, 2nd round, 4th day

Shehzad ton takes HBL to victory

Ahmed Shehzad scored a sparkling century to help Habib Bank Limited clinch a three-wicket win overAbbottabad while chasing 368 at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. HBL began the day with all ten wickets intact and Shehzad approached the task with aggression, smashing 161 in 162 balls, including 26 fours and a six. He added a decisive 234 for the opening wicket with Shan Masood, who was the calmer, more sedate of the two partners. Their stand set up the foundation for a win. Abbottabad, however, made inroads and would have sensed the possibility of a victory at 337 for 7. But Hasan Raza remained unbeaten on 36 while Danish Kaneria made an quickfire 32 to help his team seal victory.

Water and Power Development Authority completed the formalities on the final day, beatingFaisalabad by seven wickets at the Sports Stadium in Sargodha. They had been resting easy at 205 for 3 overnight, chasing 260, and Aamer Sajjad and captain Naved-ul-Hasan ensured there was no damage done, seeing their team through to victory.

The contest between National Bank of Pakistan and Islamabad ended in a thrilling draw at the Diamond Club Ground. NBP were set 303 to win and the game was there for the taking after Khurram Manzoor and Nasir Jamshed added 192 for the opening wicket. Khurram made 107 and Jamshed contributed 85 off 122 balls. But thereafter, the innings began to slide. Afaq Raheem's offspinners played a decisive role, as he picked up six wickets to undermine the foundation laid by the opening stand. NBP lost wickets at regular intervals and slipped to 259 for 8, with Islamabad sensing a win now. But Raza Hasan and Uzair-ul-Haq batted cautiously through to the finish. In the end, NBP finished with 287 for 8; they'll undoubtedly regret not taking advantage of that opening stand.

Karachi Blues didn't take long to beat Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited at the National Stadium in Karachi. ZTBL had been reeling at 174 for 6 after following on and the Karachi bowlers polished off the tail, taking just eight overs to capture the remaining four wickets. Seamer Mohammad Sami finished with a five-for, while Tariq Haroon took 4 for 51. Karachi were victors by an innings and 112 runs.

Rawalpindi had an excellent chance of clinching victory against Pakistan International Airlines at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, but fell short by 18 runs and had to settle for a draw. PIA had enjoyed the better of the contest for three days but they came close to losing on the fourth. From 185 for 2 overnight, they slipped to 229 for 8 in search of quick runs and declared, setting Rawalpindi a target of 354 in 71 overs. Nasir Malik picked up five wickets. In the chase, opener Naved Malik led the way with 139 and though Rawalpindi seemed to be losing their way, reduced to 124 for 4 at one stage, they fought back superbly. Adnan Mufti blasted 57 off 39 balls to add 122 in quick time with Naved, and took Rawalpindi closer to the target. Mohammad Rameez then came in and finished unbeaten on 59, off 44 balls, including five fours and two sixes. However, the acceleration came a little late as Rawalpindi couldn't reach the target in the allotted number of overs.

State Bank of Pakistan ensured their contest against Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium ended in a draw. SBP would have begun the day thinking of a draw as they were only 36 runs ahead overnight. A five-wicket haul from Prince Abbas threatened to upset their plans but a collective batting effort in the end, with much-needed support from the lower order, helped them save the game. Rameez Raja chipped in with 42 while the rest of the top and middle orders got starts. However, the team was still in some trouble at 126 for 6. But Gulraiz Sadaf ended any Sialkot hopes of a surprise win, batting determinedly for his unbeaten 72 with support from Rizwan Haider. SBP were eventually bowled out for 220, Sialkot could only bat five overs in the fourth innings.

South Africa v Australia 2nd Twenty20

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:38:00 +0000

Australia's chance for Twenty20 success

South Africa v Australia 2nd Twenty20

South Africa were rusty in the first game, which was to be expected after such a long lay-off. They missed chances in the field and, JP Duminy aside, didn't hit their straps with the bat. But on a better batting pitch in Johannesburg, they will be able to use the pace from Australia's fast men and feel the ball coming off the bat. Hashim Amla now has a match under his belt as the country's captain and he will lead with more confidence at the Wanderers. The key for the hosts is to produce a more consistent performance - Duminy, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe played well in the series opener, but they cannot be expected to carry the side.

For Cameron White's Australia, this match presents a rare chance to win a Twenty20 series. Flying in to a country for one or two Twenty20s and then heading home could become a familiar feeling for White, who is not part of the ODI squad, and it would do his confidence a world of good to depart with a 2-0 result. Shane Watson has been told by Michael Clarke not to expect a rest any time soon, even if he feels tired after his Sri Lanka tour and Champions League commitments. Watson is not the type of player who would want a break in any case. His strong half-century in Cape Town showed the kind of form he is in, and if he and David Warner make a good start, Australia will be hard to beat.

Form guide

South Africa LLWWW
Australia WLLWL

In the spotlight

South Africa's batting in the first match was built around JP Duminy, who played himself in and then started finding the middle of the bat. He enjoys playing against Australia and will again be a key man at the Wanderers.

David Warner finished the Champions League T20 with a pair of centuries but viewers didn't get to enjoy his fireworks in Cape Town, where he was run out in the first over. If Warner spends a few overs at the crease in Johannesburg, expect plenty of balls to fly into the crowd.

Team news

Rusty Theron was a weak link in South Africa's attack and could be under pressure from Wayne Parnell. Graeme Smith was rusty in the first game and would benefit from another outing. Richard Levi has a strong case to be included, and it could be at the expense of David Miller.

South Africa (possible) 1 Hashim Amla (capt), 2 Graeme Smith, 3 JP Duminy, 4 Colin Ingram, 5 Richard Levi/David Miller, 6 Heino Kuhn (wk), 7 Johan Botha, 8 Robin Peterson, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Rusty Theron/Wayne Parnell, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

The spinner Steve O'Keefe was given only one over in the first game, with David Hussey effectively acting as the lead spinner. That could mean the selectors will consider leaving O'Keefe out in Johannesburg, especially with a harder pitch on offer, and handing a debut to Mitchell Marsh, a powerful batsman who can also offer another seam-bowling option.

Australia (possible): 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White (capt), 6 Steven Smith, 7 Mitchell Marsh, 8 Matthew Wade (wk), 9 James Pattinson, 10 Patrick Cummins, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pitch and conditions

The Wanderers surface is expected to be hard and bouncy, with plenty of runs available for the batsmen. The seamers are likely to find more assistance than the spinners. The forecast is for a sunny day and a top of 27C.

Stats and trivia

South Africa and Australia have met in seven Twenty20 internationals. Thursday's win by Australia was the first victory in those seven games by the away team.
Graeme Smith needs 42 runs to become the third man to reach 1000 runs in Twenty20 internationals, after Brendon McCullum and Kevin Pietersen.

Quotes

"If we can improve 5-10% every game, we are heading in the right direction."
South Africa batsman JP Duminy

Pak VS Ind

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 05:41:00 +0000

Pakistan and India to play blind cricket series

Karachi: While India and Pakistan await a breakthrough in reviving main cricketing ties, they will field blind teams in a limited over series next month, a Pakistani official said on Friday.

"We have arranged a three Twenty20 and three one-day international match series with India late next month and hope that with that blind series both the nations will play more and more," Syed Sultan Shah, president of the Pakistan Blind Cricket Association, told AFP.

India stalled cricketing ties with Pakistan after Islamist gunmen killed 166 people in Mumbai in 2008, attacks that New Delhi blamed on Pakistani militants and which Islamabad conceded were planned at least partly on Pakistani soil.

India and Pakistan now insist relations are back on track and peace talks have since resumed. But despite an agreement in principle to resume the hugely popular bilateral cricket series, there has been no breakthrough.

Pakistan and India are slotted to play a series in the Future Tours Programme of the International Cricket Council next year but a date and venue have yet to be finalised.
Shah said the Indian blind team would be accorded a warm welcome on November 16 at the Wagah border crossing, near Lahore.

"We want to give a message that people of India and Pakistan are friends and through this series we will also project the message that cricket should not suffer," said Shah, also Pakistan's first blind team captain.

The three Twenty20 matches will be played in Lahore on November 18, 19 and 20, while the three one-day matches are scheduled for November 22, 24 and 26.
Pakistan have won two of the three World Cups held in blind cricket, the last one at home in 2006.
A blind team comprises of four totally visually impaired players, three partially blind and four partially sighted players.

Totally blind players are helped by a runner whose one run is counted as double, two as four and four as eight.

The ball has a bell to help the batsmen, bowlers and fielders sense its approach.
Pakistan has not hosted international cricket since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009, killing eight Pakistanis and wounding seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach.

Australia in South Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 05:20:00 +0000

Johnson 'in a good place' after Shield success

Mitchell Johnson is confident he will take on South Africa in good form after collecting five wickets to help Western Australia to victory in their Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania on Friday. Importantly, Johnson said he was finding some swing during the four-day game at the WACA, after he struggled to have a major impact during the recent Test series in Sri Lanka.

Johnson has had a difficult 12 months, having collected only 21 Test wickets at 41.28 since the start of the Ashes. However, South Africa was the scene of one of Johnson's most successful periods in international cricket in early 2009, when he moved the ball in the air and bowled with aggression to help Australia to a 2-1 Test series win.

"I was happy with the rhythm throughout this [Shield] game," Johnson told reporters in Perth after the match. "The ball swung out there for me a fair bit. I'm just really in a good place at the moment. I feel in good nick. The wickets [in South Africa] are probably going to be a little similar [to the WACA], with that early-on seam. So I'm looking forward to that again. I'm confident at the moment."

He will join Australia's squad in South Africa for the three one-day internationals, which begin on Wednesday in Centurion, and the two Tests that follow. Although the Test squad has not yet been named, Johnson is expected to be a key member of the attack, along with Ryan Harris and Trent Copeland, who both bowled well in Sri Lanka.

Johnson picked up 5 for 69 in the second innings of the Shield game, including the key wicket of Tasmania's captain George Bailey, who had made a century and was threatening to take the game away from Western Australia. It was a fine turnaround for Johnson after he rolled his ankle on the first day of the match.

"I've done it a few times now. I thought I did it worse this time," Johnson said of the injury. "But it turned out fine. I've just got to keep strapping it and get a bit of strength into it."

Johnson flew out of Perth on Friday night to join the Australians, who won the first Twenty20 in Cape Town on Thursday. The second T20 will be played at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday.

England VS India

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:33:00 +0000

Dhoni inspires India to 126-run win over England

HYDERABAD, India: Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni led from the front as beleaguered India redeemed themselves with a 126-run win over England in the first one-day international here on Friday.

Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 87 off 70 balls to power the injury-ravaged world champions to 300-7 after he won the toss and chose to bat on a sluggish wicket at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.

England, fresh from their overwhelming success over India at home, were shot out for 174 in 36.1 overs to hand India the early lead in the five-match series.

Captain Alastair Cook top-scored with 60, but England lost their last eight wickets for 63 runs after being comfortably placed at 111-2 in the 23rd over.

Left-arm spinner Ravinda Jadeja and off-break bowler Ravichandran Ashwin grabbed three wickets each and seamer Umesh Yadav claimed two in front of 25,000 delighted home fans.

India, playing their first international at home since the World Cup triumph in April, were without star batsman Sachin Tendulkar and at least six other regulars, due to injury or poor form.

The hosts defended the total with a new-look bowling attack in which three specialists, Vinay Kumar, Yadav and Ashwin, had played only 25 one-dayers between them before Friday's match.

England were reduced to 40-2 by the 10th over before Cook and Jonathan Trott (26) put on 71 for the third wicket.

Jadeja turned the match around by removing both batsmen in successive overs, Cook holing out in the deep and Trott being bowled to make England 120-4.

The tourists slipped further to 134-7 as Ashwin dismissed Ravi Bopara and Tim Bresnan and Jadeja took care of the highly-rated Jonathan Bairstow.

Yadav bowled Graeme Swann and Samit Patel, before Ashwin signalled India's emphatic win by shattering the stumps of last man Jade Dernbach.

Earlier, Suresh Raina made 61 off 55 balls and added 72 for the fifth wicket with Dhoni after India were reduced to 123-4 by the 29th over.

Jadeja chipped in with 27 off 22 balls at the end as India hammered 91 runs in the last 10 overs.

The second one-dayer will be played in New Delhi on Monday.

Spot Fixing

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:23:00 +0000

Majeed was more than £700,000 overdrawn

Agent Mazhar Majeed had bank overdrafts of more than £700,000 and at least 27 bank accounts, a court heard on Friday in the ongoing alleged spot-fixing trial involving Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif.

As the prosecution neared a conclusion to its evidence on the eighth afternoon of the trial, policeman Detective Constable Steven Blake from the Special Investigations Unit at New Scotland Yard, gave detailed information of Majeed's financial situation when probed by the case's junior prosecutor Sarah Whitehouse and Ali Bajwa QC, Butt's legal representative.

Majeed was recorded on a secret camera accepting two separate amounts of £10,000 and then £140,000 from an undercover journalist working for the News of the World to assist with cheating involving Pakistan cricketers. That money was marked by the investigators.

The jury heard that Majeed had two accounts with the Allied Irish Bank, three accounts with the Clydesdale Bank, one account with the Royal Bank of Scotland-owned Coutts, one account with Barclays and as many as 21 accounts with the NatWest Bank - with 13 of those closed by the time of the police investigation but eight were still active. One of those NatWest accounts was £497,949 overdrawn.

Bajwa, who has already sought to discredit Majeed previously in the trial, probed Blake further and confirmed with him in front of the court that his total overdraft debt was worth £704,043. He also revealed records of other multiple closed accounts with the HSBC Bank, prior to the case in question.

Alexander Milne QC, the barrister of Asif, re-established the point, while Blake was in the witness box, that no marked money belonging to the News of the World was found in Asif's hotel room when it was raided by police (£2,500 of marked money was found in Butt's room and £1,500 of marked money in Amir's room).

He also confirmed that Asif had no Swiss bank account, as Bajwa also did, though Blake explained that it was difficult to investigate the presence of Swiss bank accounts. Blake also said that of the £150,000 handed over by the newspaper, £104,300 is yet to be recovered.

Butt and Asif, clients of Majeed's, are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord's Test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with the agent, teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.

The case continues.

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:31:00 +0000

IPL says no to Pakistan players

HYDERABAD (INDIA): The Indian Premier League Governing Council Friday decided to not to include Pakistani players for the next IPL season to be played in 2012, Geo News reported quoting Indian media.

The council decided in a meeting that there will be no Pak players in the next season of the T20 league. IPL's newly appointed chairman Rajiv Shukla had said that it will be up to the franchises to take a decision on Pakistan players whether to buy them or not.

The meeting also decided that there will be nine teams participating in 2012 after Kochi was expelled from the league, last month.

This means that there will be a new format of the IPL. It is learnt that the IPL is likely to go back to its home and away format and the number of matches will increase

Srilanka VS Pakistan

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 19:38:00 +0000

Sri Lanka look for revival against Pakistan

COLOMBO: (AFP) 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 fter a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009

Cricket Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 10:53:00 +0000

Not rushing decision on coach despite urgencey - Sutherland

Cricket Australia will not rush in to naming Tim Nielsen's replacement as head coach, even if it means starting the home summer with the stand-in Troy Cooley still in charge. The appointment of Pat Howardas general manager of team performance means that in theory the search for a new mentor can move forward, but it will be slowed by the fact Howard does not start his new job until mid-November.

That leaves only a fortnight before the first Test of the summer, against New Zealand at the Gabba starting on December 1. Cooley, the head coach at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, is with Australia's squad in South Africa as acting coach, and he could find himself filling the position a little longer, after Cricket Australia's chief executive James Sutherland said the process would roll out over "the next couple of months".

"We know and understand that we don't have a coach, we've got Troy Cooley, who is acting in the role at the moment," Sutherland said. "We're very aware of that. What I've always said is we will step up this process but we're not going to get ahead of ourselves. We understand the urgency but we're not going to compromise the process, because we have to make sure that we go through a rigorous process to identify the best person for the job.

"It's clearly a key focus and virtually the first thing that will come on to Pat's radar. We're in a position from today to go forward very quickly with that and roll that out over the next month or so, or whatever it takes - probably over the next couple of months."

Howard will be a key man in finding the new head coach, an expanded position that also involves directing the coaching strategy for elite cricket throughout Australia. He said the captain Michael Clarke would play an important role in determining the new mentor, as the pair would need to work closely together to push Australia back up the Test rankings.

"He's got to be complementary and work with the captain," Howard said. "You can't have antagonism working from day one - that's never going to work. So the ability to have effectively what is the spine of cricket, the coach and captain, has got to work really well together. Those considerations have absolutely got to be part of how you fit that jigsaw puzzle together. Michael's skills and strengths have got to be utilised and complemented."

Appointing coaches is nothing new for Howard. During his time as high-performance chief with the Australian Rugby Union he signed the New Zealander Robbie Deans as coach of Australia's national side, a move that has resulted in the Wallabies reaching this Sunday's World Cup semi-final against the All Blacks. Australia's cricket team has never had a foreign head coach, and while that tradition is likely to continue, Howard will at least bring a fresh perspective to the search.

"I see myself having a very strong role in that," he said. "I have done a lot of coach recruitment - ACT Brumbies, the Reds in Queensland, who won the Super-15 this year, and Australia. I have a fairly strong history, albeit in another sport, in this.

"I recruited Robbie Deans. That was a fairly unique time. It was what was required in the game at the time and we went through a fairly rigorous process in being able to deal with that. You've got to recruit the best person for the job. That factors in things like culture, it factors in where the team is at, and you don't take in an pre-conceived ideas. A big thing for me is that it's not about the names, it's about getting the capabilities that the game needs right now to complement the other people who are there."

The other major appointment on the horizon is the national selector, a full-time role that will include heading a five-man selection panel. For the time being, the incumbent chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, remains in position along with the part-time selector Jamie Cox, while Greg Chappell, who will be cut when a new panel is appointed, is in South Africa as the selector on duty.

"We're probably more advanced in the national selector role," Sutherland said. "We advertised a few weeks ago, so the search consultant recruiter that we've been working with has been meeting with various people and has gathered a list of names that has been waiting in abeyance for the general manager to be appointed. Now we're at a stage where we can start talking about that a bit more freely and start getting down to a shortlist to identify that. It's going to be a similar sort of time frame but we're certainly very aware that the summer is approaching and we want to have someone on board as quickly as possible."

England VS India

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 20:38:00 +0000

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.

South Africa VS Australia

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:33:00 +0000

South Africa return against rebuilding Australia

Australia's month-long tour of South Africa begins with a Twenty20 in Cape Town, a match that will be South Africa's first international in any format since March 25. During that same period, Australia have been to Bangladesh for a one-day series and Sri Lanka for Tests, ODIs and Twenty20s. They haven't been overworked, though, and by comparison South Africa will have to shed their rust as quickly as possible. They have a new captain, Hashim Amla, standing in for the injured AB de Villiers, while star players Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn are being rested. Still, Twenty20 is a format that South Africa have mastered considerably better than their opponents in recent years.

Australia are trying to find their best Twenty20 outfit, under the captaincy of Cameron White, and they have three uncapped men in this squad. One of those is the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who has benefited from Brad Haddin's recent retirement from the format and Tim Paine's broken finger. The side is also in a state of flux off the field: Troy Cooley is the acting coach for this trip after Tim Nielsen's resignation following the tour of Sri Lanka, while the selection panel is temporary while replacements are found. Five members of the Twenty20 squad will fly home ahead of the ODIs, so quite how much momentum the team could carry if they win in the shortest format is questionable. But kicking off the tour with a win would be an adequate start.

Form guide

South Africa LWWWW
Australia LLWLL

In the spotlight

Hashim Amla is one of the world's finest batsmen, but he is yet to show his best against Australia. Across all formats, he averages 39.05 against Australia, compared to an overall mark of 49.70. He also has the burden of captaining his country for the first time in his career. Graeme Smith is on hand to provide advice but the best way for Amla to lead is from the front - with big runs at the top of the order.

At 18, Patrick Cummins will become Australia's second-youngest debutant in any format. Only Ian Craig, who won a baggy green at 17, was younger. Cummins bowls with genuine speed and has won rave reviews, most recently from his team-mate Shane Watson, who said Cummins was "as impressive as I've seen for any young guy coming through for the past ten years". He is, however, incredibly raw, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the pressures of international cricket.

Team news

The injury to AB de Villiers means Heino Kuhn will take the gloves, while Albie Morkel is also missing from the original squad due to injury. Wayne Parnell will struggle to make the final XI, while Ryan McLaren and Richard Levi are also in danger of missing out.

South Africa (possible) 1 Hashim Amla (capt), 2 Graeme Smith, 3 JP Duminy, 4 Colin Ingram, 5 David Miller, 6 Heino Kuhn (wk), 7 Johan Botha, 8 Robin Peterson, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Rusty Theron, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

The absence of Brett Lee due to his bout of appendicitis guarantees a debut for Cummins. On a pitch that could offer some turn, Steve O'Keefe and Steven Smith are both likely to play. Aaron Finch is the extra batsman in the squad, but he will struggle to oust Shaun Marsh or David Hussey.

Australia (possible): 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 David Hussey, 5 Cameron White (capt), 6 Steven Smith/Mitchell Marsh, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Steve O'Keefe, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Patrick Cummins, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pitch and conditions

An early-season pitch at Newlands should be a touch on the slow side, so the spinners are likely to play an important role. The weather is expected to be fine and warm.

Stats and trivia

Australia have won only one of their previous eight Twenty20 internationals, while South Africa have won six of their previous seven
Australia's leading Twenty20 international wicket-taker is Mitchell Johnson, who was not considered good enough to be part of this squad
Only three players from each side were part of the last Twenty20 between the two teams: Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and JP Duminy, along with David Warner, Cameron White and David Hussey

Quotes

"Everybody's been given their room and space to have a lot of freedom when they play, and also to express themselves within the team environment. It's been a really nice few days for the guys to connect with each other."
Stand-in captain Hashim Amla is pleased with South Africa's preparation ahead of the Twenty20s

"We didn't play that well in Sri Lanka but in the same breath we weren't that far away either. I think we are heading in the right direction. We've got a very young squad together now and the more Twenty20 we play, the better we will be."
Australia captain Cameron White on his team's progress

SPOT - FIXING

noreply@blogger.com (Nomisatti) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:23:00 +0000

NOTW journalist grilled about phone-hacking

The lawyer of Mohammad Asif grilled the prosecution's chief witness - former News of the World journalist Mazhar Mahmood - as to whether he knew of any phone-hacking during his undercover investigation in the alleged spot-fixing trial on Wednesday. And he also became the latest to try to discredit agent Mazhar Majeed.

It was the most fraught session so far in the six days of the trial, in which Salman Butt and Asif face charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord's test in August last year when they allegedly conspired with Majeed, teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.

Alexander Milne QC, the barrister of Pakistan fast bowler Asif, quizzed Mahmood on how he came to begin his covert sting investigation. Mahmood replied that he had received information from a source (whose identity he kept secret), who he had known for a long time. He added there was an agreement that there would be payment to the source on publication of his information.

Given the developments in this year's closure of theNews of the World, due to illegal phone-hacking methods used to acquire exclusive stories for the newspaper, Milne pressed Mahmood on whether he had any knowledge of hacking and whether the origin of his initial information come from hacked text messages.

"Is this not hacked material?" Milne asked. "Downloading texts from a telephone without the knowledge of the person who owns that telephone is illegal."

Milne added: "I'm asking you if there is anybody at the News of the World who has hacked evidence that might be of relevance to this case and which would be disclosable?"

Mahmood, speaking from behind a screen for the third consecutive day in the witness box and becoming slightly defensive because of the questioning, said: "I had no idea about any phone hacking…prior to doing anything with the information I received, I spoke to the lawyer at the newspaper."

Milne also suggested to Mahmood that he met with Asif after the controversy was published, while posing as a lawyer by the name of Imran Sheikh. Milne also suggested to Mahmood that he was spotted in Lahore between December and January earlier this year by Asif, despite telling the court he had not visited Pakistan in that time. Mahmood vehemently denied both suggestions and agreed to submit his passport to the court for checks.

"Not only is he (Asif) a match-fixer, but he is a liar," was one of Mahmood's angry responses. "He's been banged to rights as far as I'm concerned and I have no desire to meet him."

Milne opened his address by first asking Mahmood about his experiences with Majeed, the agent at the centre of the trial, and referred to a number of bizarre claims and boasts by Majeed, which was a similar line of questioning taken by the legal team of former Pakistan captain Salman Butt.

In his line of questioning, Milne was implying that Mahmood should have realised Majeed was a fantasist. Milne suggested to Mahmood that "he made as much effort to impress you as you were to impress him, with all the names that were dropped".

Milne added: "He claimed to know everyone at Sky Sports, as well as Roger Federer and Brad Pitt…he had an Aston Martin, a fleet of cars and a big house. He was always 'bigging' himself up and told you his house cost £1.8 million."

Mahmood was asked by Milne whether he believed all of his boasts, to which Mahmood answered: "It was of no interest to us. I was only interested in the criminality of the people involved."

The case continues.