Cricket info

Cricket Schedule 2013

2012-12-03T21:15:00.001-08:00

Calender year 2013 would be important for all the teams of ICC as it will feature very important series. We have put list of upcoming cricket series or tournament in the year 2013 with detailed description and information. In some countries like India and South Asian countries, cricket is like religion and it is followed by more than one billion cricket fans. For ensuring fair tour for all teams, ICC has released FTP (Future Tour Program). It provide framework to respective board to prepare their plans in advance with other nations on the basis of pre-determined series tour Itinerary. Below list provides full timetable schedule for each country.

Month	Series Details	Host
Nov 2012-Jan 2013	England tour of India 2012 (4 Test, 2 Twenty20 and 5 ODI matches)	India
Dec 2012-Jan 2013	Big Bash League 2012-13 (35 Twenty20 matches)	Australia
Dec 2012-Jan 2013	Sri Lanka tour of Australia 2012-13 (3 Test, 5 ODI and 2 T20)	Australia
Dec 2012-Jan 2013	New Zealand tour of South Africa 2012-13 (3 T20, 2 Test and 3 ODI matches)	South Africa
Dec 2012-Jan 2013	Pakistan tour of Zimbabwe 2012-13 (2 Test, 3 ODI and 2 T20)	Zimbabwe
Dec 2012-Jan 2013	India vs Pakistan 2012-13 (2 T20 and 3 ODI matches)	India
Feb-Mar 2013	Pakistan tour of South Africa 2013 (3 Test, 2 T20 and 5 ODI matches)	South Africa
February 2013	West Indies tour of Australia 2013 (5 ODI matches)	Australia
Feb-Mar 2013	England tour of New Zealand 2013 (3 T20, 3 ODI and 3 Test matches)	New Zealand
Feb-Mar 2013	India vs Australia Test Series 2013 (4 Test matches)	West Indies
Feb-Mar 2013	Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka 2013 (2 Test and 3 ODI matches)	Sri Lanka
March 2013	Zimbabwe tour of West Indies 2013 (2 Test, 3 ODI and 2 T20 matches)	West Indies
Apr-Mar 2013	IPL 2013 (76 matches)	India
Apr-May 2013	Sri Lanka tour of West Indies 2013 (2 Test, 3 ODI and 2 T20 matches)	West Indies
May-Jun 2013	New Zealand tour of England 2013 (2 Test, 3 ODI and 2 T20 matches)	England
June 2013	Champions Trophy 2013 (15 ODI matches)	England
Jun-Jul 2013	Pakistan tour of West Indies 2013 (2 Test, 5 ODI and 2 T20 matches)	West Indies
July 2013	India tour of Zimbabwe 2013 (3 ODI matches)	Zimbabwe
Jul-Aug 2013	South Africa tour of Sri Lanka 2013 (3 Test, 5 ODI and 3 T20 matches)	Zimbabwe
Jul-Sep 2013	Australia tour of England 2013 (5 Test, 2 T20 and 6 ODI matches)	England
Jul-Aug 2013	The Ashes 2013 (5 Test matches)	England
September 2013	Australia tour of Scotland 2013 (Only ODI match)	Scotland
September 2013	England tour of Ireland 2013 (Only ODI match)	Ireland
September 2013	Champions League Twenty20 2013 (23 Twenty20 matches)	N/A
October 2013	Sri Lanka tour of Zimbabwe 2013 (2 Test and 3 ODI matches)	Zimbabwe
Oct-Nov 2013	Pakistan vs South Africa 2013 (2 Test, 5 ODI and 3 T20 matches)	UAE
October 2013	Australia tour of India 2013 (7 ODI and 1 Twenty20 match)	India
Oct-Nov 2013	New Zealand tour of Bangladesh 2013 (2 Test, 3 ODI and 1 Twenty20 match)	Bangladesh
Nov 2013-Jan 2014	England tour of Australia 2013-14 (5 Test, 5 ODI and 3 T20 matches)	Australia
Nov 2013-Jan 2014	India tour of South Africa 2013-14 (3 Test, 7 ODI and 2 T20 match)	South Africa
Nov 2013-Jan 2014	The Ashes 2013-14 (5 Test matches)	Australia
Dec 2013-Jan 2014	New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka 2013 (3 Test, 5 ODI and 2 T20 match)	Sri Lanka
Dec 2013-Jan 2014	New Zealand tour of West Indies 2013-14 (3 Test, 5 ODI and 1 T20 match)	West Indies
Dec 2013-Jan 2014	Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 2013-14 (3 Test, 5 ODI and 2 T20 match)	Sri Lanka

Cricket Schedule 2012

2012-01-09T05:53:00.000-08:00

Calender year 2012 would be important for all the teams of ICC as it will feature very important series. We have put list of upcoming cricket series or tournament in the year 2012 with detailed description and information. In some countries like India and South Asian countries, cricket is like religion and it is followed by more than one billion cricket fans. For ensuring fair tour for all teams, ICC has released FTP (Future Tour Program). It provide framework to respective board to prepare their plans in advance with other nations on the basis of pre-determined series tour Itinerary. Below list provides full timetable schedule for each country.

Month	Series Details	Host
Dec 2011-Jan 2012	Sri Lanka tour of South Africa 2011 (3 Test and 5 ODI Matches)	South Africa
Dec 2011-Jan 2012	Big Bash League (31 Twenty20 matches)	Australia
Dec 2011-Feb 2012	India tour of Australia 2011 (4 Test and 2 Twenty20 matches)	Australia
Jan-Feb 2012	Pakistan vs England 2012 (3 Test, 4 ODI and 3 T20 matches)	UAE
Jan-Feb 2012	Zimbabwe tour of New Zealand 2012 (1 Test, 3 ODI Matches and 2 Twenty20)	New Zealand
Feb-Mar 2012	Australia Tri Series 2012 (8-11 ODI Matches)	Australia
Feb-Mar 2012	South Africa tour of New Zealand 2012 (3 Twenty20, 3 ODI and 3 Test Matches)	New Zealand
March 2012	Asia Cup 2012 (6 ODI and 1 Final match.)	Bangladesh
Mar-Apr 2012	Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh 2012 (5 ODI Matches)	Bangladesh
Mar-Apr 2012	Australia tour of West Indies 2012 (5 ODI, 2 Twenty20 and 3 Test matches)	West Indies
Mar-Apr 2012	England tour of Sri Lanka 2012 (2 Test matches)	Sri Lanka
Apr-May 2012	IPL 2012 (74 IPLT20 matches)	India
Apr-May 2012	Pakistan vs Bangladesh 2012 (2 Test and 3 ODI matches)	UAE
May-Jun 2012	West Indies tour of England 2012 (3 Test, 3 ODI and 1 Twenty20 match)	England
May-Jun 2012	Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka 2012 (3 Test, 5 ODI and 2 Twenyt20 matches)	Sri Lanka
Jun-Jul 2012	Australia tour of England 2012 (6 ODI matches)	England
Jun-Aug 2012	New Zealand tour of West Indies 2012 (3 Test, 5 ODI and 2 Twenty20 matches)	West Indies
Jul-Aug 2012	India tour of Sri Lanka 2012 (3 Test matches)	Sri Lanka
Jul-Sep 2012	South Africa tour of England 2012 (3 Test, 5 ODI and 3 Twenyt20 matches)	England
Aug-Sep 2012	Bangladesh tour of Zimbabwe 2012 (2 Test, 3 ODI and 2 Twenty20 matches)	Zimbabwe
Aug-Sep 2012	New Zealand in India 2012 (3 Test matches)	India
Aug-Sep 2012	Pakistan vs Australia 2012 (5 ODI and 1 Twenty20 match)	UAE
Sep-Oct 2012	T20 World Cup 2012 (27 Twenty20 matches)	Sri Lanka
October 2012	Champions League Twenty20 2012 (23 Twenty20 Matches)	N/A
Nov 2012-Jan 2013	England tour of India 2012 (4 Test, 1 Twenty20 and 7 ODI matches)	India
Nov-Dec 2012	New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka 2012 (2 Test, 5 ODI and 1 Twenty20)	Sri Lanka
Nov-Dec 2012	South Africa tour of Australia 2012 (3 Test matches)	Australia
Nov-Dec 2012	West Indies tour of Bangladesh 2012 (2 Test, 5 ODI and 1 Twenty20)	Bangladesh

Reliance ICC T20 Ranking

2012-01-06T05:32:00.001-08:00

	Team	Matches	QFY Matches	Points	Rating
1	England	11	19	1435	130
2*	New Zealand	9	19	1056	117
2*	Sri Lanka	9	18	1056	117
4	South Africa	8	16	900	113
5	Australia	11	21	1223	111
6	Pakistan	14	26	1486	106
7	India	6	13	635	106
8	West Indies	8	16	711	89
9	Afghanistan	3	8	224	75
10	Zimbabwe	7	11	376	54

Reliance ICC ODI Ranking

2012-01-06T05:31:00.001-08:00

	Team	Matches	Points	Rating
1	Australia	33	4291	130
2	India	44	5149	117
3	South Africa	22	2537	115
4	Sri Lanka	33	3693	112
5	Pakistan	37	4018	109
6	England	35	3706	106
7	New Zealand	25	2174	87
8	West Indies	27	2146	79
9	Bangladesh	32	1995	62
10	Zimbabwe	30	1402	47
11	Ireland	12	492	41
12	Netherlands	9	137	15
13	Kenya	7	0	0

Reliance ICC Test Ranking

2012-01-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

Reliance ICC Test Ranking

	Team	Matches	Points	Rating
1	England	37	4634	125
2	India	41	4846	118
3	South Africa	24	2781	116
4	Australia	37	3815	103
5	Pakistan	31	3081	99
6	Sri Lanka	31	3062	99
7	West Indies	30	2654	88
8	New Zealand	23	1903	83
9	Bangladesh	18	135	8

India face daunting task

2012-01-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

India have eight wickets in hand and two days to stave off defeat after reaching 2-114 at stumps on a day where Australia captain Michael Clarke made history during the second Test at the SCG.

Clarke registered an undefeated 329 - the highest score in the SCG's 100-Test history - before declaring Australia's innings closed at 4-659 midway through the second session on day three.

Mike Hussey offered his skipper terrific support, scoring an unbeaten 150 to supplement Ricky Ponting's 134.

The tourists, after scoring just 191 in their first innings, trail by 354 runs in their second visit to the crease.

Gautam Gambhir (68 not out) and a watchful Sachin Tendulkar (8 not out) will resume on day four.

But they can consider themselves fortunate to still be there.

Tendulkar narrowly avoided being bowled off an inside edge on seven while wicket-keeper Brad Haddin should have accepted a thick edge from Gambhir on 66 from James Pattinson's bowling.

The Indians' planned fightback began disastrously when lethal opener Virender Sehwag slashed at a short and wide delivery from Ben Hilfenhaus (2-37).

David Warner took a spectacular leaping catch at point to remove the dangerous left-hander for just four.

That brought Dravid to the crease and he got off the mark with a classy flick to the boundary in front of mid wicket.

But on 29 Hilfenhaus produced a sublime off-cutter to pass through the narrowest of 'gates' and clip The Wall's middle and off stump.

It left India 2-100 as Tendulkar made his way to the middle of the SCG for the last time to the cheers of 31,644 fans.

Earlier, Clarke smashed a host of new records with a brilliant 329 not out, while Hussey batted superbly to finish unbeaten on 150.

The pair added 334 runs without loss to leave the deflated tourists staring down the barrel of a second consecutive defeat on Australian soil.

In all, the hosts added 622 runs for the loss of one wicket after Clarke and Ponting (134) were united at 3-37 late on day one.

After breaking through for his maiden double century late on day two, run-hungry Clarke picked up where he left off when play resumed on Thursday.

His 329 not out is:

•     The record score on the SCG, bypassing Englishman Tip Foster (287) and West Indian Brian Lara (277);

•     The third highest score by an Australian in Tests;

•     The equal 12th highest score in Tests.

•     The highest score for an Australian against India;

•     The highest score in Australia-India Tests;

•     The sixth time in history an Australian batsman has reached 300

His epic knock lasted 617 minutes, 468 balls and included 39 fours and a six.

The skipper's declaration left him five runs short of the highest Test score by an Australian captain, held by Mark Taylor on 334 (also Don Bradman's highest Test score).

Matt Hayden's 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003/4 remains the highest tally by an Australian while Lara leads all comers with 400.

Hussey became the third century maker of the innings, bringing up his ton with a sharp single shortly before lunch.

The left-hander produced one of his finest Test innings, belting 16 fours and a six off 253 deliveries.

England Is Going To Face India in World Twenty20

2012-01-04T02:26:00.000-08:00

The 2012 World Twenty20 will be held between September 18 and October 12, 2012 in Sri Lanka the ICC have confirmed. Colombo, Pallekele and Hambantota will be venues for the men's tournament, while the women's group games will be played in Galle.

The format will see four groups of three in a preliminary round. England, the defending champions, and India are in Group A and will be joined by one of the Associate or Affiliate teams that qualify. The other qualifying team will be in Group B with West Indies and Australia. Sri Lanka, South Africa and Zimbabwe make up Group C, and Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh are in Group D.

The top two teams in each group will make it through the preliminary round, after which there will be a Super Eight stage, featuring two groups. The format is essentially the same as the last edition in 2010, though there are four fewer teams this time.

The tournament will include two teams qualifying from the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2012, which will be staged in the United Arab Emirates from March 13-14 2012.

Hosts Sri Lanka will play the tournament's opening fixture against Zimbabwe in Hambantota. England begin their defence against a qualifying team on September 21 and will then play India in Colombo on September 23.

The women's tournament has Australia, India and England in one group with a qualifying team, and New Zealand, West Indies and Sri Lanka with the other qualifying team in the other. The men's and women's semi-finals and finals will be played on the same day, in Colombo. The semi-finals are on October 4 and October 5 with the finals on October 7.

Tickets for the tournament are planned to go on sale to the public from March 1, 2012 and will be available via website and box-office sales in Sri Lanka. The ICC's chief executive Haroon Lorgat assured they would be reasonably priced.

"We all know how passionate and loyal the Sri Lankan public is towards our sport and we will ensure the tickets are affordable so that they can enjoy the event," he said at the launch of the tournament in Colombo. "Following the success of the recent ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, I am confident that the hosts, Sri Lanka, will deliver a world-class event."

Lorgat also said the tournament was another opportunity to promote women's cricket. "I am happy that the men's and women's semi-finals and finals will once again be played on the same days at the same venues. We remain committed to showcase women's cricket in this way, which is unique in the world of team sports."

Batting lets India down again

2012-01-03T09:58:00.000-08:00

The Sydney Test begun dreadfully for India. After the ignominy of the Melbourne defeat, many had predicted that MS Dhoni's men would bounce back in the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Alas, their predictions were nowhere close to the mark.
Electing to bat on a pitch favourable to batsmen, the tourists were torn asunder by some top-class fast bowling by the Australians. Even a valiant fifty by Dhoni was not enough as India failed to reach the 200-run mark. James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus shared all the wickets between them. That's a profound piece of information, and tells a great deal about their dominance.

For the first time since 1999 India look clueless Down Under. The much-improved show in 2004 and 2008 was down to the fact that the openers took the shine off the ball. In the ongoing series, it's been openers the culprits.
Gautam Gambhir did not look half the player we know he is. Pattinson, playing only his fourth Test, sent him back for a duck as Michael Clarke took a waist-high catch in the slips. Rahul Dravid looked very unconvincing during his brief innings of 5 before Siddle had him caught at short-leg. Virender Sehwag played some good shots but one could sense something amiss in his style of play. He looked tethered. It was not long before he perished for 30, Pattinson having orchestrated his downfall.

VVS Laxman has had tremendous success against the Aussies in the past, but for some reason he has looked more of a struggler in this series. It's difficult to believe that he is the same Laxman who put the Aussies to the sword on countless occasions in the last decade. Pattinson buried the Very Very Special player with an outswinger as Shaun Marsh took a comfortable catch at third slip.
Sachin Tendulkar, during his innings of 41, looked very good. But in cricket, you need a lot of luck besides skills. As he played onto his stumps off Pattinson, the spectators breathed a sigh of despair. Another day gone by with the historic ton not coming to pass!
Virat Kohli has a lot to learn. Test cricket is a different ball game. It's the straight bat that gets you runs in all formats but in Test matches it's sacrosanct that you play with a straight bat. Otherwise you are done for. He is only playing his fourth Test, so he should be excused for a fidgety 23.
The Indian tail wags once in a while, we all know. So there was little surprise when no significant contribution came off them. Dhoni did his best with 57 not out but his innings could not ameliorate a disorienting batting performance by the Indians - 191 all out was all they could eke out.
However, India were given a big lift when Zaheer Khan sent back David Warner, Marsh and Ed Cowan in quick time. But the hope tailed off soon after Ricky Ponting (44) and Clarke (47) put on an unbroken 79 for the fourth wicket to tilt the momentum back in Australia"s favour. The hosts closed the day on 116 for 3, just 76 runs away from overtaking the Indian total.
Things now heavily ride on the Indian bowlers. If they can bowl Australia out for under 250 on Wednesday, the match is on. They can do it, but the fear deep inside is that there is going to be one big partnership that would halt India's growth in the match. Just like the Ponting-Michael Hussey partnership in the second innings of the Melbourne Test that changed the course of the match.
Right now it's Australia in the driver's seat and the Indians face a tall order to turn it around.
courtesy:criketnext

Look beyond fixing row, says England cricket captain

2012-01-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

LONDON — England Test captain Andrew Strauss has insisted his side are prepared to play against Pakistan players named in the spot-fixing trial that led to three cricketers being jailed.
But the opening batsman warned that, despite the impact of the case, it was too soon to say that corruption had been eradicated from world cricket.
Wahab Riaz, Umar Akmal and Imran Farhat - all named in the trial in London in October as having links with agent Mazhar Majeed, who was himself sent to prison -- have been included in Pakistan's squad for the forthcoming three-Test series against England in the United Arab Emirates, which starts on January 17.
Majeed was jailed along with former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif for their roles in a plan to deliberately bowl no-balls as part of a spot-fixing scam during the 2010 Lord's Test against England.
However, left-arm quick Riaz and batsmen Akmal and Farhat had no charges brought against them and Strauss did not regard their selection for the series as a provocative gesture by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
"It's there obligation and duty to pick the best side they think is available to them," Strauss, speaking at England's Heathrow Airport hotel ahead of their departure for the UAE, said Monday.
"I think the spot-fixing stuff is something we are desperately keen to move on from. I don't think there's any good that can come from churning it all up again and it's time to just concentrate on the cricket.
"We will play whichever XI is selected."
But Strauss urged everyone involved in world cricket to remain "vigilant" in the fight against corruption, adding he was unable to say the whole game was entirely "clean".
"I don't think it's possible to say that. I think there's more awareness about it, which I think is a good thing. There have been some consequences to what went on at Lord's.
"But it's a hard thing to eradicate completely, policing it is very, very tough and I think there's a huge responsibility on the administrators but also upon the players to make sure that any inkling, anything we see that might be untoward is reported and acted upon.
"We all need to be vigilant," added Strauss, who last year led England to the top of the world Test rankings.
"You've got to have a degree of wariness when anyone approaches you who you don't know. That's just the way the world is and we've got to deal with it accordingly."
England-Pakistan series have produced several flashpoints down the years, be they rows about umpires or allegations of ball-tampering, which led to Pakistan's unprecedented forfeit of a Test match at The Oval in 2006.

But Strauss insisted there was no reason why England-Pakistan matches should inevitably generate controversy.
"This perception that there's always issues between Pakistan and England, we should see this as an opportunity to eradicate that," he said. "There's no reason why that should be the case.
"If we approach it in the right spirit then that should be good for relations between the two teams and world cricket in general.
"Pakistan are playing a lot of good cricket and that's going to be the challenge for us to overcome them, on the field.
"What's happened before is water under the bridge and I hope both sides can play in the right spirit and produce an entertaining and exciting Test match series."

Pakistan informed ICC before selecting Riaz

2012-01-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

The Pakistan Cricket Board said Saturday it sought clearance from the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit before selecting fast bowler Wahab Riaz for next month's test series against England.
Riaz was not picked for Pakistan's last two series against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for unknown reasons.

Spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said in a statement the PCB approached the anti-corruption unit "as a precautionary measure" to seek any relevant information about Riaz.
"In the absence of any observation, the PCB proceeded with selecting Wahab (Riaz) for the England series," Sarwar said.
Three Pakistani cricketers are in prison in England after they were found guilty of spot-fixing during a test match against England in 2010.
Former captain Salman Butt was sentenced for 2 years, fast bowler Mohammad Asif for 1 years and young paceman Mohammad Amir for six months.
Wahab, 26, was a key component in Pakistan's bowling lineup in the absence of Asif and Amir in 2011.Although Pakistan lost the World Cup semifinal against archrival India in March, Wahab took 5-46. He went on to claim another seven wickets in the one-day series against West Indies shortly after the World Cup before he was rested for the series against Zimbabwe.
Wahab traveled with the Pakistan team in October to the United Arab Emirates for the series against Sri Lanka but was never picked in the playing XI for test matches before being dropped for the limited-overs series.
"We would like ICC's anti corruption unit to share any information on our players with PCB in order to jointly proceed in such matters," Sarwar said.
"We hope we are able to establish that protocol in the future."
ICC's chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement that "it remains the absolute right of a member board to decide which player it wishes to include in a squad or select in its team for any match."
Lorgat also said that the ICC's permission is only required for selection if a player has been charged, provisionally suspended by the ICC or banned by an independent tribunal.

Cricket recognised in New Year’s Honours List

2011-12-31T07:20:00.000-08:00

ECB chairman Giles Clarke, former international umpire Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird, ECB disability cricketer of the year Umesh Valjee and disability cricket pioneer Jeffrey Levick have all been honoured in the New Year’s Honours List announced today.
Clarke, who has been ECB chairman since 2007, received a CBE for services to cricket while Bird was awarded an OBE for services to cricket and charity. The former Yorkshire and Leicestershire batsman was a first-class umpire for 28 years and officiated in 68 Test matches and three World Cup finals. He has previously been awarded an MBE.Valjee, who captained England’s deaf cricketers to victory in the T20 tri-series in Australia earlier this year, scoring three centuries, received an MBE together with Levick, chairman of Hampshire Cricket Board.
Levick, who has been involved in grass-roots cricket for more than 50 years, chairs the ECB’s Regional Disability Cricket Development Forum for the south and west and has been instrumental in developing disability cricket in the Hampshire region.
Clarke said: “This has been a marvellous year for cricket at all levels with the England team becoming the world’s number one ranked Test side, a memorable finish to our county season and a five per cent growth in participation at grass-roots level in our national network of ECB focus clubs.
“The entire game will be pleased to see that the excellent work which is being done to promote disability cricket has been acknowledged and, of course, that one of our most popular and best-loved umpires has received further national recognition.
“These awards are a tremendous accolade for cricket in this country and will provide a real boost for all those who work tirelessly to promote our national summer sport.”

India beated By Australia In First Test

2011-12-30T05:54:00.000-08:00

India's famed batting line-up produced yet another spineless display to crash to an embarrassing 122-run defeat in the first cricket Test and hand Australia a 1-0 lead in the four-match Test series here today.
Chasing a target of 292 in the second innings, India's top-order collapsed like a proverbial house of cards against the pace trio of James Pattinson (4/53), Peter Siddle (3/42) and Ben Hilfenhaus (2/39) to be bundled out for a paltry 169 in 47.5 overs on the final session of the penultimate day.
India were always up against history as no side since 1963 has made more than 250 runs in the fourth innings at MCG to win a Test match.
Sachin Tendulkar promised some ray of hope during his little cameo of 32 runs, but the rest of the top-order batsmen cut a sorry figure against the Australian quicks and at one stage the tourists had lost four wickets for just 22 runs.
Openers Virender Sehwag (7) and Gautam Gambhir (13) and the senior trio of Rahul Dravid (10), Tendulkar and VVS Laxman (1) all failed to save the day for India and departed inside the 90-run mark.
Young Virat Kohli (0) suffered his second failure of the match and made matters worse by showing his displeasure at a plumb leg before decision.
Ravichandran Ashwin (30) rode his luck for a while and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (23) was street-smart during his stay, but the task proved to be too tall for them to achieve once the top-order departed early.
Teams:
India (From): Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravichandran Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Umesh Yadav, Pragyan Ojha, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar
Australia (From): David Warner, Ed Cowan, Shaun Marsh, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke(c), Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin(w), Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson, Daniel Christian, Mitchell Starc

Ponting, Hussey steady Australia after early strikes

2011-12-27T22:44:00.000-08:00

Umesh Yadav's triple strike brought India right back into the match before Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey held fort for Australia as the first Test between the two sides hung in balance at tea on the third day in Melbourne, on Wednesday.
Australia, leading by 51 runs in the first innings, lost their first four wickets for mere 27 runs in their second essay, three of them to Yadav, before the experienced pair of Ponting (33 not out) and Hussey (29) stretched the score to 81 for four at the break.

Australia presently lead India by 132 runs overall.
Ponting and Hussey have so far put on 54 runs for the fifth wicket and halted Australia's slide after their four top-order batsmen batted poorly to leave the hosts in a mess.
Yadav sent tremors through the Australian top-order by removing openers David Warner (5) and Ed Cowan (8) in his fourth over with the hosts scoreboard reading 13.
Warner aimed a cut at a Yadav delivery without much footwork and dragged the ball on to his stumps while Cowan shouldered arm to an incoming ball and was trapped leg before wicket.
To make matters worse for Australia, Shaun Marsh (3) inside edged a Yadav delivery on to his stumps.
If that was not enough, skipper Michael Clarke was done in by a beautiful incutter from Ishant Sharma , which hit the stumps after getting a slight inside edge.
New man in Hussey, on a king's pair, drove the first ball he faced from Ishant to midwicket for three and from then on seized the initiative for his Australia along with Ponting.
Hussey flicked and then hooked Yadav imperiously for fours and later gloriously straight drove Ishant and cut Zaheer Khan.
His senior partner Ponting looked compact at the other end. A straight driven four of Ishant was the pick of the former Aussie skipper's shots in the afternoon.
Earlier, India dished out poor batting display this morning to be bowled out for 282 as Australia made a remarkable comeback to gain a vital 51-run first innings lead at lunch.
Comeback man Ben Hilfenhaus (5/75) turned out to be the star performer for Australia with his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests.
Hilfenhaus accounted for overnight batsmen Rahul Dravid (68), Virat Kohli (11), captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (6) and Ishant (11) in the morning session to bring Australia back in the reckoning after India were comfortably placed at 214 for three at the close of play on day two.
Peter Siddle also did his bit by inducing an edge from a tentative VVS Laxman (2) and getting the wicket of Ravichandran Ashwin (31) to finish with figures of three for 63.
Resuming at 214 for three, India lost their final seven wickets for just 68 runs this morning.

Ron Reed: Twenty20 Big Bash jury still out

2011-12-24T07:30:00.000-08:00

THE most enjoyable sporting moment of the week? It's a no-brainer. Take yet another bow, Shane Warne. Watching and listening to the old master nominate precisely how he was going to dismiss the Brisbane Heat's star batsman Brendon McCullum and then doing it exactly to order the next ball was fascinating.
He said later a bit of luck was involved because you can try those things 50 times on another day and they don't come off.
That's perfectly true, but luck still had less to do with it than the sublime skill, vast experience and unwavering confidence that went into his astonishing career as the best spin bowler in history.
His sense of showmanship was an important ingredient, too.The context for all this, of course, was that Warne's team, the Melbourne Stars, recorded their first win of the Big Bash, with a tick under 30,000 people almost filling Brisbane's Gabba ground.
For Cricket Australia, this was gold. If the Big Bash becomes the success story they hope for - and after the first six matches in week one the jury is still very much out - this will be remembered as the night it took off.
But it also posed what is perhaps the most perplexing question about the ambitious project - what's most important, the box office or the TV ratings?
The Brisbane game went through the roof in both respects but elsewhere the crowds - 13,000 in Sydney, 23,000 at the MCG and 13,000 at Etihad Stadium - have been underwhelming, to say the least.
But the TV audiences have been strong, giving Cricket Australia something to hang its hat on when it comes to jousting with the critics and sceptics.
I have always believed that while TV sport offers a lot, there is nothing like actually being at an event to suck up the atmosphere and take in the big picture.
But when you've got Warne miked up and delivering the insight and drama that he produced the other night ... well, you just don't get that sitting in the grandstand, watching the game in the old-fashioned way.
You have to suspect that whether they meant to or not, CA has found a way to get people to watch cricket as distinct from going to it - time will tell.
Another question that could prove critical is whether the combination of mostly low-profile international hired-guns, superannuated locals coming out of retirement, domestic level stalwarts and a few young up-and-comers will deliver enough star power to keep the punters interested.
Warne is Warne, of course, but whether Stuart MacGill and Brad Hogg, for instance, add much to the mix is debatable.
The two most entertaining innings so far have been played by David Warner and Shaun Marsh, who are part of the future of Australian cricket at all levels - but their Test priorities mean that the Big Bash won't see much more of them, probably no more in fact.
The Melbourne Renegades have made a disastrous start, losing both games and pulling a poor crowd to Etihad Stadium, but they have been desperately unlucky to lose their best player - and that includes their Pakistani imports - when Brad Hodge hurt his hammy in a practice match.
This column has been a fan of Twenty20 from the outset and we've watched some or all of every match so far, live or on TV. The positives have outweighed the negatives but for a range of reasons it simply hasn't caught fire - yet. Hopefully it will.
And on the subject of T20, the week's worst development was Boroondara Council's ban on the game at the 40 park grounds it controls. Councils and all other public rule-makers should be encouraging kids to play sport, not depriving them of it.

Cricket Australia defends scheduling of Big Bash Twenty20 tournament immedately before Boxing Day Test

2011-12-13T10:42:00.000-08:00

Cricket Australia yesterday defended their scheduling of the Big Bash Twenty20 tournament immediately before the Boxing Day Test by saying no player out of the picture could have forced their way in.

“The point we have reached, the selectors know exactly where we are … we know which players we want,” CA spokesman Peter Young said.
“There is no conjecture about the scheduling here, the planning has been very, very careful and deliberate.
“The planning was always that players would arrive for the first Big Bash game and then beyond that develop their individual planning.”
The next Sheffield Shield match is not until February 2, by which time Australia’s four-Test seriesSo regardless of injuries and form slumps over the course of the series, no player beyond those in current peripheral considerations can make a claim because they will only be playing short-form cricket.
But the situation will be far worse for any Australian player who is dropped from the side between now and the fourth Test, because no amount of Twenty20 runs would convince selectors of recalling them for the five-day game.
Test prospect Ed Cowan was yesterday pulled from a Chairman’s XI match against India on Thursday to play Twenty20 instead. Cowan was named in a different Chairman’s XI side to play India in a three-dayer, but with Test incumbents Phillip Hughes and David Warner also named in that team, Cowan may not have the opportunity to open the batting, where he has been most successful of late.
“At this stage with the individual development that each player has, playing a Big Bash or Chairman’s XI match is neither here nor there,” Young said.
Meanwhile, injured paceman Mitchell Johnson believes he can return to the Test side after his six-month layoff due to a foot injury, despite the emergence of young stars James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc.
“This gives me a good chance to work on a few things,” said Johnson, 30.
“I haven’t been really able to do that for the last few years because of the scheduling.
“It gives me a great opportunity to get my fitness back up, my strength and then work on some technique stuff with my bowling and batting.
“(Age) 28, 29, 30 is meant to be at your peak as a bowler.
“Brett Lee performed at that age and he was unbelievable. I don’t think age should have anything to do with it.
“For me I’ve learned a lot about my game and experience for me over the last couple of years is a good thing.
“I’m not really too worried to be honest.”

Bracewell takes six New Zealand Beat To Ausralia

2011-12-11T22:26:00.000-08:00

HOBART: New Zealand paceman Doug Bracewell took six wickets in a devastating spell around lunch on the fourth day of the second test on Monday to fire his country to a dramatic first victory over Australia since 1993.
Australia, requiring 241 for victory in the second test, had appeared to be grinding their way to their target on the back of David Warner’s maiden test century until Bracewell (6-40) helped send them tumbling from 159 for two to 233 all out.
The seven-run victory was the first on Australian soil for the Black Caps since 1985 and came despite opener Warner’s unbeaten 123, which earned him the man of the match award in his second test.
In a thrillingly tense finish, Warner and Nathan Lyon put on 34 for the last wicket before Bracewell bowled the spinner through the gate to end what had been a topsy-turvey test match on a greentop wicket at the Bellerive Oval.
New Zealand’s victory, only their third in Australia, levelled the series at 1-1 after the hosts won the first test in Brisbane by nine wickets.
“It was a great turnaround from Brisbane,” New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor said at the presentation ceremony. “It’s always enjoyable captaining the country and beating Australia. I’m proud of the team.”
Australia had started the day on 72 without loss and confident of victory despite being bundled out for 136 in their first innings on Saturday.
“Disappointed, no doubt,” captain Michael Clarke said. “We were pretty inconsistent throughout this test … the ball swung all day and we needed a couple more partnerships.”
New Zealand struck almost immediately after play started with quick Chris Martin having Phil Hughes caught by Martin Guptill in the slips for 20 without any addition to the score.
It was the fourth time the Martin-Guptill combination had claimed the wicket of Hughes in four innings in the series and probably ended the embattled lefthander’s hopes of a place in the side for the upcoming series against India.
Warner combined with Usman Khawaja to put on 50 runs for the second wicket before the Black Caps struck again when a brilliant catch from Taylor in the slips off the bowling of debutant Trent Boult sent Khawaja back to the pavilion for 23.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting had been looking for a big score on his home island and settled in well enough but had made just 16 when he slapped a short ball from Bracewell straight to Tim Southee at extra cover.
Bracewell’s next over put the match back in the balance when he dismissed Clarke and Michael Hussey for ducks on consecutive balls.
Clarke was deceived by an outswinger and caught in the slips by Taylor before an inswinger trapped Hussey lbw with umpire Asad Rauf forced to reverse his decision after a TV review.
Warner reached his century with two runs through square leg soon after lunch but the Australians were reduced to 192-6 when Tim Southee had Brad Haddin, the last recognised batsman, caught by Taylor for 15.
Peter Siddle followed for two soon afterwards with Southee again taking the wicket courtesy of a catch by Jesse Ryder before Bracewell took over to end the match.
James Pattinson (4) got a thick edge which Guptill snapped up in the slips and two balls later a peach of a delivery clean-bowled Mitchell Starc for a duck to leave the Australians languishing on 199-9 and set up the dramatic climax.

Umpire Aleem Dar fires in a couple of bouncers at Dave Warner in the nets

2011-12-09T01:35:00.000-08:00

TEST umpire Aleem Dar spends most of his time giving batsmen out but yesterday he decided to have a crack at getting one or two out. The popular Pakistani showed he has a fiery side too, coming off his long run to fire in a series of bouncers at Australian opener Dave Warner.
Formerly a first-class leg spinner, the umpire decided to let go a few medium pacers at the end of yesterday's optional net session.
Michael Clarke was not too impressed with Dar's length, advising him that he was bowling too short and an amused Warner announced the official fancied himself a chance outside off when bowling to left-handers.
"Don't give him the pleasure," Clarke jested.
Dar's first-class career consisted of 17 matches over 12 years and was rather modest. He gave up playing cricket in 1998 and took up umpiring in 2000.
He does, however, keep his hand in and made an appearance in the B3 division of Brisbane's Warehouse Association on the Saturday before the Brisbane Test.
Dar had appeared for the Macgregor side on an earlier visit, scoring an 80 and a 50.
However, he did not do so well this time.
The umpire had apparently cruised to 16 when there was an appeal for caught down the leg side. Those on the scene swear there was no nick but the official was undone by one of his own kind and given out.
Dar accepted the decision with good grace. His friend, fellow Pakistani Asad Rauf, was an amused spectator.

New Record In Cricket History

2011-12-08T05:28:00.000-08:00

Virender SEHWAG 219 becomes the 2nd player in the history of cricket to score double century in ODI cricket. Well done Champion!

Now luck with Clarke

2011-12-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

Michael Clarke's superb 139 against New Zealand at the Gabba was sparkled with class, but the Aussie skipper was happy to admit it'd been a lucky journey to the triple figures.
Clarke's century in his first innings on home soil as Test captain seemed fate at times.
On the second day on just 23, he played on to Doug Bracewell, but was called back after video replays confirmed umpire Aleem Dar's suspicion that the young Kiwi had over-stepped the crease.
And then on 85 he feathered an inside edge to Reece Young, who had no excuse for spilling the easy chance.

Finally, after reaching his third century in his last six innings, he was put down once more, this time by third slip Jesse Ryder on 105.
Clarke was happy to acknowledge his hot streak of luck, but said that he'd take big runs whichever way they came.
"You have to perform personally; you have to score runs personally to stay in the team. If you're not scoring runs, somebody else is going to take your place," said Clarke.
"Probably my main goal since taking over the captaincy has been trying to lead from the front on the field, making sure I'm scoring runs and doing whatever I can to help the team have success."
"When things are going your way ... you have to cash in and make the most of it. That was my goal in this innings once I got that life on twenty-odd."
Clarke wasn't the only Aussie to pile up some form and approval, with senior statesman Brad Haddin (80) and Ricky Ponting (78) easing pressure with composed and fluent knocks.
The Australian skipper was delighted to see two of his most experienced bats contributing, but was quick to downplay suggestions that either had been under serious scrutiny.
"(Ponting's) probably as pleased as anyone ... he's brought some momentum home with him (from South Africa) and it was really nice (to see him score runs)," said Clarke.
"I'm sure he's disappointed he didn't make 100, but he's not far away, that's for sure."
"(Haddin has) been working hard for a while now, so it was a real positive for him. Coming into the summer he's trained as hard as ever and his confidence is back up."
"That's how Hadds plays his best, and there's going to be times when he's going to get out playing his shots, but when he's positive in his mind and attacking in the way he plays, I think that's when he has the most success."
"I don't think (runs) were crucial for his future. I've known Hadds for a long time but I've made it very clear to him that his keeping is the number one priority to me; that's his main job in the team."

Kohli and Rohit overpower West Indies

2011-12-03T02:56:00.000-08:00

Lendl Simmons withstood like the boy on the burning deck, while Ravi Rampaul shot from the hip like the last man standing. Their half-centuries were stirring for they created them from ruins, but neither led West Indies to victory. Instead, Virat Kohli's methodical century, which enhanced his growing stature as an expert of the chase, and Rohit Sharma's efficient finishing act, prevailed and led India to a 2-0 lead on a drizzly day in Visakhapatnam.

India's bowlers had a critical role in the victory as well, before they were rendered bereft of ideas by Rampaul's record-breaking assault at No. 10. Umesh Yadav and Vinay Kumar, the new-ball operators, exploited rare seam-bowling conditions on the subcontinent and cut through the West Indian top order. Under cloudy skies, on a cracked pitch that had bounce, they used consistent outswing to help reduce West Indies to 149 for 8 despite defiance from Simmons. The end should have quickly followed, but it didn't, because Rampaul blitzed 86 off 66 balls and added 99 for the tenth wicket to lead West Indies to 269 for 9.

The chase was not hiccup-free either. India suffered two early wickets and the loss of an off-colour Sehwag - whose 26 lacked enough strike and momentum - to slip to 84 for 3 in the 17th over. Sehwag could have fallen on 1 and 15 but was dropped by Darren Sammy and Darren Bravo, who is as poor a fielder as he is promising a batsman.

The moments that cost West Indies most, however, were the let-offs Kohli had. On 24, Kohli swiveled and tried to pull Andre Russell, a shot he would execute with success later during his eighth century. This time Denesh Ramdin failed to catch the ball and the umpire did not signal leg-byes. On 40, Kohli drove the ball hard back at the bowler Marlon Samuels, who couldn't hold on as he dived to his right. Kohli gave West Indies no more chances.

Rohit had a painful start to his innings. His third ball was a short one from Rampaul and it thudded into the glove of his bottom hand. Three balls later Rohit retorted with a audacious pull off the front foot that sent the ball into the crowd beyond the midwicket boundary. It was the start of a 163-run partnership that decided the game.

Though the challenge was sizeable, Kohli and Rohit ensured the asking-rate, which hit a run a ball for the first time after 23 overs, was always under control. Sammy, unlike his counterpart Sehwag who often had six fielders in the circle when India were bowling, spread his field and the batsmen were able to whittle down the target without risking their wickets.

There were a few more tense moments as the contest entered its home stretch. After closing the gap between runs required and balls left with five boundaries in ten balls - Kohli 3, Rohit 2 - Kohli was dismissed for 117. Raina was caught behind hooking a short ball soon after, and India needed 22 off 24 balls. Rohit, however, did the job he didn't do in Cuttack. He stayed the course, striking a six over long-off to reach 90 and then watching from the other end as the game was won.

A few hours earlier, the match didn't look like it would go into its 99th over. The floodlights were on as play began after a delayed start in front of a strong crowd and Yadav didn't take long to give them reason to roar. In the second over, he produced a late outswinger that grazed Adrian Barath's outside edge en route to the wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel.

A feature of Yadav's bowling was how upright the seam was before the ball hit the pitch and seamed away. Sehwag had a third slip because of all the movement, and when Samuels edged Yadav, Raina dived to his right and took a low catch. West Indies were 25 for 2.

Simmons went on the attack, stylishly whipping Yadav to the square-leg boundary, and walking out of his crease to drive Vinay on the up through extra cover to bring up 1000 career runs. At the other end, there was false promise from Bravo, who flicked and straight drove Varun Aaron for fours before lofting Vinay to the fielder at mid-on. Two balls later, Danza Hyatt was walking back for nought.

Only after Ramdin - Yadav's third wicket - departed with his team reeling at 63 for 5, did things begin to look up for West Indies. Simmons reached his half-century and Pollard brought up the 50 partnership by launching the offspinner R Ashwin over the straight boundary. He followed that with another six over wide long-on next ball. Another slump was around the corner, though.

Pollard, Sammy and Russell fell in quick time and it was then that Rampaul made his entrance. He swept Ashwin for four and clubbed him over long-on, before targeting Jadeja and scoring two more fours. Between those braces of shots, Simmons had been run out for 78.

The boundaries were small but Rampaul would have cleared larger ones today. He brought up his half-century off 35 balls and hit half a dozen sixes and as many fours, most of them swung with power on the leg side. There was an inevitability about how the innings ended, with Rampaul slamming Aaron over the straight boundary. He walked off the field with a composed look on his face, knowing the job was only half done. He wouldn't be able to complete it, though.

Afridi rips Bangladesh to shreds

2011-12-02T09:37:00.001-08:00

Shahid Afridi grabbed five wickets for 23 runs and then kept his cool in a batting crisis as Pakistan overcame Bangladesh by five wickets in the first one-day international in Dhaka yesterday.
The leg-spinner ripped through the Bangladesh line-up as the hosts were bowled out for 91.

Pakistan lost five wickets chasing the modest target which was eventually overhauled in the 26th over to give the tourists the lead in the three-match series.
Seamer Rubel Hossain and spinner Shakib Al Hasan claimed two wickets apiece to leave Pakistan struggling at 5-63 before Afridi took his team home with an unbeaten 24 off 23 balls.
As the runs dried up on the turning wicket, Afridi broke free with three successive fours off Shakib and then cut the same bowler for another boundary to win the game.
Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq made 16 not out, sharing a match-winning stand of 30 with Afridi.
It was Pakistan's 26th win in 27 one-dayers against Bangladesh, the lone defeat having come during the 1999 World Cup in England.
Bangladesh, who lost half their batsmen for 31 runs on the slow wicket, were dismissed in 30.3 overs and barely passed their lowest one-day total against Pakistan of 87.
Wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed picked up four catches as the four Pakistani spinners shared eight of the 10 wickets.
Bangladesh's batting never recovered after losing opener Tamim Iqbal with the fourth ball of the innings, trapped leg-before by off-spinner Mohammad Hafeez.
Seamer Umar Gul, who shared the new ball with the spinner, struck in his third over when he forced Naeem Islam to edge a catch to the slips.
Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim was caught behind off Shoaib Malik for 11, before Afridi grabbed two wickets in one over to reduce the Tigers to 5-31.
Afridi had opener Shahriar Nafees caught at backward point by Malik and then saw Mohammad Mahmudullah edge a catch to Sarfraz three balls later.
Nasir Hossain and Shakib put on 36 for the sixth wicket and Nasir made 21 before he top-edged a catch off Aizaz Cheema, while Shakib became Afridi's third victim on 15.
Last man Rubel Hossain hit an unbeaten 15 before Afridi claimed the final two wickets.
The second one-dayer will be played at the same venue tomorrow.
Afridi made his peace with former coach Waqar Younis, who took the captaincy from him after a fiery tour of the West Indies.
The pair met recently in the United Arab Emirates and resolved their differences.
"Look, when you work together like I and Shahid did you have such difference of opinions and disagreements and that is exactly what happened with us,"Waqar said.
"But in the end what is important is that both of us just wanted to see Pakistan cricket do well."

India vs West Indies, 1st ODI at Cuttack

2011-11-30T23:52:00.001-08:00

Having taken the Test series 2-0, India will be looking to extend their dominance over West Indies in the five-match ODI series. But it will not be all that simple for the home team as West Indies displayed tremendous fighting spirit in the Test series and they will be hoping to come up with a similar effort in the ODIs.

With the internet user base growing day by day, the concept of watching the matches live on your laptop/desktop has taken a massive step. People do multi-tasking even without being in front of the television set. Because of the demand there are several sites which stream cricket matches on the net. But not all of them are authentic. Some take you into other domains while some make you click hundreds of links without taking you to the streaming page.

Live streaming of the cricket matches is catching up with lot of cricket fans. Many people love watching cricket on web. There are many TV companies that offer live telecast of cricket on internet, and one would think that it would be satisfying to watch the sport via these companies, owing to the fact that there are so many of them, and the competition would spur them to good provision.

Several sites live stream cricket matches as Internet penetrates the smallest of cities in India. Here is a group of authentic streaming sites. These mentioned websites provide nonstop coverage and that too at a single click. Also you have option of multiple servers to view it.

Praveen Kumar to miss Windies and Australia Matches

2011-11-29T23:36:00.000-08:00

New Delhi: India have been dealt a blow ahead of next month's tough tour of Australia with pacer Praveen Kumar on Tuesday ruled out of the Tests there besides the entire ongoing ODI series against the West Indies due to a fractured rib.

What was on Monday described as "a blunt chest on the left side", which ruled him out of the first three ODIs of the ongoing series against the West Indies, was on Tuesday declared a fractured rib by the BCCI needing over a month's recovery time.
"Praveen Kumar underwent a scan yesterday (28 Nov 2011) evening, and was found to have a fractured rib, as per the report that came through today," the BCCI said in a statement.
"He is expected to recover in 5-6 weeks and has therefore been ruled out of the ODI series against the West Indies, as well as the Test series in Australia that follows," it added.
While Abhimanyu Mithun has replaced for the ongoing ODIs against the West Indies, Praveen's replacement for the four Tests against Australia, starting December 26, will be announced on Monday next.replacement for the Australia tour will be named on 5 December 2011, when the selectors meet in Ahmedabad to pick the Indian team for the last two ODIs against the West Indies," the BCCI said.
Praveen suffered some pain after the Twenty20 match against England on October 29 and requested for a two-week break.
He then played the Ranji Trophy match for Uttar Pradesh against Saurashtra in Meerut where he aggravated the problem.
Ahead of the first ODI on Tuesday in Cuttack, India's stand-in captain Virender Sehwag had described Praveen's injury as a "niggle".
Praveen has been battling quite a few injury problems this season. The 25-year-old had been ruled out of the World Cup due to a tennis-elbow injury.
He had also sustained an ankle injury during the Test series in England in July-August.
Praveen has 27 wickets from six Tests and 69 scalps from 61 ODIs under his belt.

Bowlers lead Pakistan to crushing win

2011-11-29T09:22:00.000-08:00

Mushfiqur Rahim said before the match that it was time for Bangladesh to stop aiming for "respectable losses" and show they can compete against the best. By the interval, their spinners had laid the groundwork for a confidence-building win at the start of the series, but those hopes fizzled out as Pakistan's varied attack proved far superior. Barely seven overs into the chase, the result was a foregone conclusion.

Pakistan's ruthlessness wasn't surprising. Their bowlers, especially the spinners, downed Sri Lanka in all three formats in the UAE barely a few days before they landed in Bangladesh. That they conceded their first boundary only in the ninth over was an example of their discipline.

Pakistan had their anxious moments with the bat, struggling to post even 135 despite their brisk start, but with the ball in hand, they never gave the hosts an inch. There was an air of expectation from the packed, weekday crowd at the Shere Bangla Stadium when the Bangladesh openers walked out, but the chase had derailed once Pakistan had them struggling at 15 for 3 at the end of five overs.

Umar Gul started the slide when he trapped Naeem Islam in front in the second over. Mohammad Hafeez then had Alok Kapali chipping to midwicket for a duck, and confusion in the calling led to Imrul Kayes' run-out. Save for a drop at long-off by Umar Gul, Pakistan's fielding was sharp.

The more experienced duo of Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim had a tougher task than they would have anticipated, but even they couldn't display any resilience to make the chase more competitive. They didn't have the luxury of time - the run-rate inched along at a rate comparable to modern Test cricket.

Shakib lost his offstump trying to cut Hafeez, and that increased the pressure on Mushfiqur, who struggled to combat Saeed Ajmal's parsimonious bowling from round the wicket. Mahmudullah nicked Aizaz Cheema's first ball of the match, and with the required rate crossing 11, Mushfiqur perished trying to be innovative - a reverse paddle landed just short of short third man, but Nasir wasn't interested in the single, leaving his captain stranded.

A flat-batted swat in the ninth over by Nasir off Cheema gave Bangladesh a release, but it was only momentary as Bangladesh had to wait till the 16th over for their next boundary. The result was inevitable, and the only positive for Bangladesh was the fact that they batted out 20 overs.

It wasn't the easiest outing for Pakistan's batsmen either. It was a tough initiation as Bangladesh played to their strength - spin - to restrict the tourists to 135. Pakistan started brightly after winning the toss, but the going got tough once the slower bowlers - five in all - began operating at either end on a typically dark Dhaka pitch.

The captain Mushfiqur Rahim didn't waste any time getting his spinners on, bringing in Abdur Razzak as early as the second over. The in-form Hafeez went on the attack and while he was around, Pakistan were motoring along at eight an over.

The ninth over was significant for Bangladesh as Shakib managed to keep the aggressive Hafeez quiet for five balls. Determined to break the shackles, Hafeez attempted a slog and lost his wicket. Bangladesh took control after that wicket-maiden.

Asad Shafiq and Shahid Afridi both perished in similar fashion, getting caught in the deep. The captain Misbah tried restoring some order but he kept running out of partners.

The procession of wickets continued when Bangladesh went out to bat. With spin expected to dominate this tour, Bangladesh will have to figure out how to tackle Pakistan's slower bowlers on pitches suited to their style.

Misbah thrilled with 'outstanding performance'

2011-11-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

he Pakistan captain, has termed his side's 4-1 humbling of World Cup finalists Sri Lanka in the one-day series in UAE an "outstanding performance". Pakistan have won all their bilateral ODI series this year, against New Zealand, West Indies, Ireland, Zimbabwe and now Sri Lanka.

"It good to see us beating a top-ranked side 4-1, and I congratulate my side for this," Misbah said after the victory in the fifth match in Abu Dhabi. "I am happy because the team is improving and performing so well. The goal is to improve day by day and we want to extend the victory succession. This team has now been playing together for almost a year and a half, so it is now getting good experience and developing into a good team."

In UAE, Misbah had the experience of three former captains - Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi - to fall back on, while a number of youngsters also performed creditably. Misbah was happy with the combination of youth and experience available at his disposal.

"I am really pleased to have a mixture of junior and senior players," he said. "They are understanding their roles and responsibilities, and I am very happy with the way they are fulfilling the duty. Now you can say that it's an experienced side, and I foresee a good future for my team."

The win allowed Pakistan to climb to fifth spot in the ICC rankings, their best rating in recent times as they look to shrug off the tumultuous after-effects of the spot-fixing scandal. The depth of their bowling options gave Pakistan the edge in the series, in addition to their reserve strength.

"Our bench strength and the playing XI are outstanding, and this is the main reason team is performing well," Misbah said. "It's a tough competition in the bowling department as whoever is handed a chance to play is performing. The idea is to rotate the circle and try out every one accordingly, and so far everyone is taking the opportunity well."

Misbah backed the returning allrounder Shoab Malik, who endured a torrid time in the two chances he got, making scores of 2 and 0. "Malik came in after an outstanding performance in Pakistan [at the domestic level] but he is going through tough time and this happens sometimes in your career.

"He is batting well at the nets as well but it happens that sometimes you aren't able to score runs at the top level. But he is still a good batsman and a match-winner for the team. So he still has a lot of cricket in him and just needs one innings to get back in touch."