Cricket

[Tejas-MkII]

India has a chance to claim the number one spot in the Reliance [ Get Quote ] Mobile ICC [ Images ] ODI Championship when it turns out for the tri-nation series involving host Sri Lanka [ Images ] and New Zealand [ Images ].

The series begins at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo from Tuesday.

India trails number-one ranked South Africa [ Images ] by just one rating point, but if it wins all the three matches (including the final), it will gain two ratings points which will put it in number one position for the first time since the rankings were introduced in October 2002.

However, if India loses one match in the tournament, it will stay on 126 ratings points while defeat in two matches will drop it to 123 ratings points.

There is plenty at stake for Sri Lanka and New Zealand as well in the forthcoming series.

Daniel Vettori's [ Images ] side can narrow the gap with the third-placed side if it finishes unbeaten in the series as in this case it will rise to 119 ratings points. Kumar Sangakkara's [ Images ] side will also gain six ratings points if it makes a clean sweep in front of its own supporters.

Sri Lanka has been a hard team to beat on its home turf. While India leads Sri Lanka 59-42 in head-to-head records, Sri Lanka has won 22 matches and lost 16 to India in the previous 42 encounters between the two sides in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has also dominated New Zealand when playing in its territory, having won 10 out of 16 matches with one no-result. Overall, New Zealand narrowly leads Sri Lanka 34-30.

Meanwhile, England [ Images ] has dropped two places to sixth after slumping to defeat in the opening two ODIs against Australia [ Images ] in London [ Images ]. Australia won the opener at The Oval by four runs and then doubled the lead at Lord's where it won by 39 runs.

As such, Australia has climbed to 123 ratings points after gaining four ratings points while England has slipped from fourth to sixth place.

However, England can still move ahead of Australia if it wins the remaining five matches in the series. On the other side of the coin, if Australia maintains its winning spree and claims the series 7-0 it will jump to128 ratings points while England will slide to 101 ratings points.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni [ Images ] and vice-captain Yuvraj Singh [ Images ] renew their battle for the number-one spot. At present, Dhoni leads Yuvraj but the rankings can be reversed if Dhoni struggles and Yuvraj shines with the bat.

Besides Dhoni and Yuvraj, India boasts two more batsmen inside the top 20. Little master Sachin Tendulkar [ Images ] occupies 12th position with a place in the top 10 well within his sights while opener Gautam Gambhir [ Images ] shares 17th spot with New Zealand's Ross Taylor [ Images ].

Sangakkara is the only Sri Lanka batsman inside the top 20, sitting just outside the top 10 in 11th position. Mahela Jayawardena is in 30th position while Tillekeratne Dilshan [ Images ] is 32nd.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara [ Images ] is feeling the pressure from New Zealand duo of Kyle Mills [ Images ] and Daniel Vettori.

With only 36 points separating Kulasekara from Vettori, a change at the top of the order looks inevitable.

Sri Lanka also has Muttiah Muralidaran inside the top 20 in fifth position while Ajantha Mendis [ Images ] is in 12th spot while 23rd placed Harbhajan Singh [ Images ] is the highest-ranked India bowler in the absence of 16th placed Zaheer Khan [ Images ]. Jacob Oram [ Images ] is the other bowler from the three sides to figure inside the top 20 in 17th spot.

Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh leads the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders. Oram is in third position while Yuvraj Singh is in fifth position, just five points behind. Sri Lanka's highest-ranked all-rounder is Sanath Jayasuriya [ Images ] in 12th spot.

 

[SSGPA1]

Austrailia vs. India, 2nd ODI:

Dhoni score: 113 in 99 balls n/o yet.
7 fours and 3 sixes. Raina scores 53 in 44 balls. They have killed Austrailian bowling. ball by ball score line looks as follows:


Recent overs 1 1 . 1 6 . | 1 6 6 2 1 1 | 4 6 2 4 1 1 | 1 1 4 1 2

 

[sirius]

brief scores:
India 354/7 (50 ov)

Australia 255 (48.3 ov)

India won by 99 runs

 

[SSGPA1]

India loses series today.

4 players gone for duck.

9 runs were extras (nb , wide etc) 3 Indian players actually scored less then extras.

Jadeja scored 57 and P kumar scored 54 but this was scored at a very slow rate.

DE Bollinger took 5/35:

O M R W Econ
10 4 35 5 3.50

 

[NSG_BlackCats]

The butcher from Najafgarh hammered another double

Virender Sehwag has done it again in style. In the second day of the final test against Sri Lanka, he brought up his double ton off just 168 balls before completing his 250 runs off just 207 balls. This was the fastest ever 250 runs in the history of test Cricket. He is now the only Indian who has 6 double tons. If he able to score a triple ton tomorrow, he will be the only batsman in the world to score 3 triple century in test cricket. He is 3rd fastest Indian to reach 6000 runs in test cricket. The only two other are the two living legends Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar.
This man is proving all the cricket pundits (experts) wrong. In the beginning of his career, Steve Waugh had cautioned the Australian promoters not to sign him. As per Waugh, he would not last long in international cricket.

Source

 

[SSGPA1]

Sehwag hit 40 fours and 7 sixes. This means 202 runs out of 284!!

Hats off to Sehwag!

I hope that one day Sehwag and other SA batsmen will bat like this on pitches outside SE Asia.

 

[Gin ka Pakistan]

Hat off to Khurram Manzoor

 

[SSGPA1]

Make Afridi ODI captain: Inzamam

LAHORE: Former Test captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has backed all-rounder Shahid Afridi to be appointed as Pakistan’s one-day captain while insisting that Mohammad Yousuf should be given more time at the helm in Test cricket.

Inzamam said while the team’s performance in Australia was indeed disappointing but added that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needed to plan ahead.

“I think the PCB should not act hastily despite our Test series loss [in Australia]. I think Yousuf must be given more time as captain,” he said.

“I know Yousuf well. He has a great cricketing brain and he is well respected. And it is unfair to expect any captain to start producing results in two or three series.

“Every captain needs time to settle down and get results,” the 120-Test veteran insisted.

Inzamam, who retired in 2007, said Yousuf must also be given a fair chance to prove his worth.

“The fact is that after these tough tours to New Zealand and Australia, I am sure this team will perform much better against other teams,” he added.

The former captain, however, felt that it would be a good move for the board to appoint Afridi as one-day captain.

“I have seen him [Afridi] lead in domestic cricket plus he has done a good job as Twenty20 captain. He is naturally aggressive and a good leader of men. I am sure he can revive the team in one-day and Twenty20 cricket,” he said.—Agencies

DAWN.COM | Sport | Make Afridi ODI captain: Inzamam

 

[SSGPA1]

Make Afridi ODI captain: Inzamam

jin chacha kib pecha chorain gay??

When Inzi was captain, Younus was his vice for a long period of time. I would like to knwo if Yousuf bhia was justa great cricketing brain then why was he not VC under Inzi's entire tenure a captain??

Again a prime example of third class politics. These old farts don't want Pkaistan to win the WC because they are afraid that Pakistanis will forget them.

Younus should be the captain of Pakistani team and Malik, Misbah and Kamran Akmal should not have any place in our teams.

There are 170 million people in Pakistan and PCB should be able to find replacements for these trouble makers rather easily!!

 

[Hyde]

oh my god

oh my god

oh my god

how is it possible........... did anybody watch Australia vs New Zealand match today?

NZ made 214 and Australia at one stage seems possible and then with superb performance of White and Clarke they were about to win...

Editing: sorry whatever i written after that was wrong.................

 

[Al-zakir]

PCB allows Yousuf to compete in Bangladesh

Staff Report

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given permission to batsman Mohammad Yousuf to play in a private league in Bangladesh. This comes after a day when the board reiterated that players need its permission for taking part in foreign competitions. “The PCB firmly conveys to all concerned that no player is allowed to play cricket outside Pakistan without having prior approval from the board in this regard,” the PCB statement said. “Any player interested to play cricket in any part of the world should apply to the board to seek permission for the same.” A PCB spokesman said board chied Ijaz Butt had now given the green light to Yousuf to compete in a Bangladesh private league. “Yousuf had requested the PCB that he wanted to play in Bangladesh and Ijaz has given him the permission,” the spokesman added. Last week the PCB barred Yousuf and Younus Khan from representing Pakistan for an indefinite period due to infighting, but said both players were eligible to compete in domestic cricket and abroad in competitions like county cricket and private leagues. The PCB had said that Yousuf and Younis were involved in infighting while on tour in Australia, which negatively affected the whole team. The PCB also imposed heavy fines on Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal and Kamran Akmal after a review of the national team’s performance in Australia where they lost 3-0 in the Test series and were routed 5-0 in the one-day series. Shoaib Malik and Rana Navedul Hasan were banned for a year and also fined for unspecified reasons.

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan

Cool ! Very cool!!!!

 

[Al-zakir]

Shoaib Akhtar to feature in Bangladesh's T20 league

Thursday, April 8, 2010



DHAKA: Controversial Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar is likely to be seen in action during Bangladesh’s T20 league.

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Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal said Akhtar would be representing the Cyclones of Chittagong during the T20 league, which is scheduled to commence on April 11.

“It is all but confirmed that Akhtar will join the team before the start of the tournament,” The Daily Times quoted Iqbal, as saying.

Akhtar, who has been out of international action for quite some time, was not even included in the list of 30 probables for the upcoming ICC T20 World Championship despite the 34-year old speedster declaring himself fully fit.

Last month, Akhtar took part in three one-day practice games against the Afghanistan national team, which was training in Lahore. He played only as a bowler in the first two games, and in the third game he only turned up to bowl his overs.

Akhtar has even not featured in a five-day match for Pakistan for more than two years, and many cricket followers and scribes around the globe are asking the question "Will we ever see Shoaib Akhtar in a Pakistan shirt again?"

He had earlier said that his international career was not over and stressed that his aim is to win back his place in the Pakistan team.

“My aim and goal is to win back my place in the Pakistan team and I strongly believe that I will be back. You know things change very quickly in Pakistan cricket and I'm confident that my chance will come again,” Akhtar had said

Shoaib Akhtar to feature in Bangladesh's T20 league - dnaindia.com

 

[Skies]

NCL Twenty20
Franchises taking shape

Just two days ahead of another Twenty20 fiesta, three teams have thrown up big names while the other trio have remained silent on their team composition, particularly their foreign imports.

Twenty20 specialists Imran Nazir and Rana Navedul Hasan are set to join the Dhaka Dynamites for the National Cricket League T20s that will begin on April 11.

Nazir and Rana Naved played in the recently-concluded Port City League where the swashbuckling opener starred for eventual champions Chittagong Brothers Union while the all-rounder was in the books of Noakhali Top Sports.

Apart from the Pakistani duo, the Dhaka franchise are also eyeing Sri Lankan leg-spinning all-rounder Jeewan Mendis to balance an already quality squad of players that include the likes of Mohammad Ashraful, Mahmudullah Riyad and the evergreen Mohammad Rafique. The team will be coached by Bangladesh's assistant coach Khaled Mahmud.

Kings of Khulna, bought by ATN Bangla chairman Mahfuzur Rahman, have contacted Pakistani opener Imran Farhat and are looking for another all-rounder from Sri Lanka.

A team source revealed that the Khulna franchise, to be coached by former Bangladesh coach Sarwar Imran, are eyeing players from the Indian Premier League (IPL) once the semifinal line-up in that tournament is complete.

The Cyclones of Chittagong, who on Wednesday revealed that Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhter will be one of their foreign acquisitions, are also looking for another Sri Lankan all-rounder but have already acquired the services of Mohammad Salahuddin, the Tigers' fielding coach.



But apart from Dhaka, Khulna and Chittagong, the other three teams are still undecided on their foreign imports.

Barisal Blazers' Icon Player Shahriar Nafees informed that he would sit with the team owners after today's first practice session to discuss team matters.

"We haven't talked to our team owners about our foreign players. We will do it tomorrow (Friday) when we practice and then we can tell you about our prospects," said Nafees who also addedFranchises taking shape that former Bangladesh captain Minhazul Abedin would be the coach of their team.

Rajshahi's first-class captain Khaled Mashud was also unaware of his team's foreign players and like the Barisal franchise, the Rajshahi Rangers are still waiting to meet the team owners. Mashud also said that he would like to see Naeem Islam captain the team instead of him although the team officials have indicated they want him to lead.

"I think Naeem should lead the side. I will be there in the field but I think Naeem has a future in this format and he should be the captain," said Mashud.

All the franchises are going for either Pakistanis or Sri Lankans since the IPL has kept most Twenty20 specialists busy but teams are ready to splurge on foreign imports for the weeklong tournament. According to a tournament organiser, the team owners, most of whom are top entrepreneurs, are looking to get the best available foreign players and are keenly awaiting for the IPL players to show up in the latter part of the competition.



Models add a touch of glamour to the launching ceremony of the National Cricket League T20 2009-10 at the Sheraton Hotel yesterday. Photo: STAR

Meanwhile, the Sultans of Sylhet will disclose their team details including the status of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and name their team sponsors, co-owners, chief patrons, advisors and also reveal their foreign players in a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today.

 

[Introvert]

Yousuf likely to play England series
Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The prospects of Muhammed Yousuf’s comeback in international cricket has become brighter as a result of Pakistan cricket team captain Shahid Afridi, Geo News reported Wednesday.

It is expected that Yousuf will take back his decision regarding retirement.

According to sources, Afridi a day earlier contacted Yousuf and talked to his friends as well.

Shahid Afridi said Yousuf’s elders assured that Yousuf would review his decision on retirement.

The new captain Afridi said he wanted Muhammed Yousuf to be part of the Pak squad during England series.

Meantime, middle order batsman Muhammed Yousuf said he made up his mind on retirement at the behest of his elders, adding, ‘If they want me to withdraw the decision, I may make a comeback in the cricket world.’

http://www.geo.tv/5-26-2010/65583.htm

 

[Introvert]

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