Pietersen puts England on top

By: AFP | April 06, 2012 | The Nation

COLOMBO - Kevin Pietersen shrugged off a switch-hit controversy to smash an explosive 151 off 165 balls as England took charge of the second Test against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Thursday.
The flamboyant Pietersen plundered 16 boundaries and six sixes in his 20th Test century as the tourists piled up 460 in their first innings before being all out just before stumps on the third day. Sri Lanka, trailing by 185 runs, were 4-0 from one over in their second knock at close with Lahiru Thirimanne and Dhammika Prasad at the crease. England, who lost the first Test in Galle by 75 runs, have two days to force a series-levelling win on the wearing P. Sara Oval wicket and retain their number one ranking.
Pietersen was warned twice by the on-field umpires before the tea break for changing his stance to make a switch hit -- a right-hander playing a shot with a left-hander's grip. The warning from officials Bruce Oxenford and Asad Rauf came after bowler Tillakaratne Dilshan had to stop twice in his run-up as Pietersen turned around in his stance.
The laws of the game state the switch hit is legal, but a batsman cannot change stance before the bowler has delivered the ball.
Match referee Javagal Srinath of India said a third offence by any of the England batsmen in the innings would have resulted in five penalty runs being awarded to Sri Lanka.
The incident marred an otherwise profitable day for the tourists, who finally came good with the bat after losing four Tests in a row in Asia this year -- the 3-0 rout by Pakistan and the Galle defeat. But England may feel that they ought to have punished the hosts more.
Alastair Cook hit 94 and Jonathan Trott followed his 112 at Galle with 64, the pair sharing a second-wicket stand of 91 after skipper Andrew Strauss made 61 on Wednesday.
Pietersen reached his hundred in the same over he was warned, executing a reverse sweep for two, and celebrated the landmark by pulling the next ball from Dilshan for a boundary.
He had given England the lead with his third six, a straight drive off Suraj Randiv, which also brought up his half-century.
The South African-born batsman had earlier smashed two fours and a six off three consecutive deliveries from Randiv, and also hammered Dilshan high over long-off.
Pietersen, who put on 94 for the fourth wicket with Ian Bell (18), was dismissed in the final session when he was leg-before to Rangana Herath as he tried to sweep the left-arm spinner.
Cook fell six short of his 20th century for the second time in four Tests when he edged off-spinner Dilshan to skipper Mahela Jayawardene at first slip. The 27-year-old had also fallen for 94 in the second Test against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in January, when he was leg-before to another off-spinner, Saeed Ajmal.
Trott added just two runs to his lunch score of 62 when he edged a sharp turning delivery from Herath to give an easy catch to Jayawardene in the slips.
     scoreboard

Sri Lanka 1st innings 275
England 1st innings
(overnight 154-1):
A Strauss c P Jayawardene b Dilshan    61
A Cook c Jayawardene b Dilshan    94
J. Trott c Jayawardene b Herath    64
K Pietersen lbw b Herath    151
I Bell c Randiv b Prasad    18
M Prior c Prasad b Herath    11
S Patel c Prasad b Randiv    29
T Bresnan b Herath    5
G Swann c Dilshan b Herath    17
J Anderson lbw b Herath    2
S Finn not out    2
EXTRAS: (b1, lb2, nb2, w1)    6
TOTAL: (all out, 152.3 overs) 460
FOW: 1-122, 2-213, 3-253, 4-347, 5-380, 6-411, 7-419  8-454, 9-458, 10-460.
Bowling: Lakmal 22-4-81-0 (nb2), Prasad 23-8-63-1 (w1), Herath 53-9-133-6, Dilshan 20-4-73-2, Randiv 34.3-4-107-1.
Sri Lanka 2nd innings:
D Prasad not out    0
L Thirimanne not out    0
EXTRAS: (lb4) 4
TOTAL: (for no loss, one over)    4
BOWLING: Anderson 1-1-0-0
Sri Lanka trail by 181 runs with 10 wickets in hand.

Sami, Umar, Nawaz star in PCB XI win

By: Sportsdesk | April 05, 2012 | The Nation

LAHORE – M Nawaz (5/35), M Sami Aslam (207*) and Umar Waheed (100*) helped Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) XI to inflict crushing 302 runs victory over British University Charity XI in a first one-dayer played here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday.
Opting to bat first, PCB XI piled up 388 runs for the loss of two wickets in the allotted quota of 50 overs. Thanks to opener Sami Aslam who scored 155-ball unbeaten 207 runs with the help of 22 boundaries and three sixes after the hosts lost opener and skipper Azam Ghumman when team score was 15 runs.
Sami and Imamul Haq steadied the innings and put on 120 runs for the second wicket stand before later fell prey to James Kostoris after scoring 51 runs laced with four boundaries.
Then Umar Waheed joined with Sami Aslam and  they added 253 runs for the unbroken third wicket stand and helped Pakistan Cricket Board XI to post 388 runs in 50 overs. Umar Waheed also completed his century  He was not out 100 with the help of eight boundaries, besides 29 extra runs including 24 wide deliveries.. British Universities bowlers and fielders looked off-colour as they bowled waywardly and fielding poorly that also proved harmful to the visitors. British Universities team tried seven bowlers to dislodge the third wicket partnership but failed to separate the pair. James Horrow and James Kostoris claimed one wicket each.
Chasing a huge total of 389 for victory, the visitors from UK succumbed to pressure and were bowled out for 86 runs in 27 overs. M Nawaz of PCB XI bowled superbly and destroyed the visitors batting line-up and took five wickets for just two runs in 6 overs. Usman Qadir got three wickets for 33 runs while Mir Hamza and Irfan also bowled well.. Sami Aslam adjudged Man of the Match for his scintillating knock.
Earlier British University captain opted to rest because of his illness.
Ahsan Raza and Shozab Raza supervised the match while Zameer Haider was the TV umpire.
Summarised scores: Sami Aslam not out 207, Imam-ul-Haq 51, Umar Waheed 100 not out; v British University Charity XI 86 all out; Brendan Mckerchar 24, Aamer Khan 10,  James Kostoris 14; M Nawaz 5/2, Usman Qadir 3/33

Ton-up Jayawardene rescues Sri Lanka

By: AFP | April 04, 2012 | The Nation

COLOMBO - Skipper Mahela Jayawardene cracked his second century in consecutive matches to pull Sri Lanka out of trouble in the second and final Test against England in Colombo on Tuesday.
Jayawardene followed his match-winning 180 in the first Test in Galle with a classy 105 after seamer James Anderson had reduced the hosts to 30 for three within the first hour at P. Sara Oval. Thilan Samaraweera (54) added 124 for the fourth wicket with his captain as Sri Lanka recovered to post 238 for six by stumps on the opening day in a remarkable re-run of the Galle Test.
Sri Lanka had slumped to 15-3 in the first four overs of the match at Galle, before Jayawardene and Samaraweera rescued the hosts by putting on a half-century partnership.
A sell-out crowd of 5,000, mostly travelling English fans, applauded warmly when Jayawardene reached his 31st Test century with a single off left-arm spinner Samit Patel after tea.
The 34-year-old struck 11 fours and a six in his eighth hundred against England before he was trapped leg-before by off-spinner Graeme Swann with a sharp, turning delivery.
England, whose 75-run defeat at Galle followed a 3-0 rout by Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates earlier in the year, need a win to level the series and retain their number one ranking.
Andrew Strauss' men will slip to second spot behind South Africa if they lose or draw the match.
Angelo Mathews, returning to the side after missing the first Test with a calf injury, was unbeaten on 41 after adding 62 runs for the fifth wicket with his skipper.
Samaraweera said the sluggish pitch hampered shot-making. "This is not a typical Oval wicket which had true bounce," he said. "This time the ball is not coming on to the bat, it's not easy to score runs. "We have probably lost one extra wicket, but hopefully we can get to 300 and put England under pressure."
Anderson struck in his third over when he forced Tillakaratne Dilshan to edge a catch to wicket-keeper Matt Prior after the previous two balls had been driven for boundaries.
Kumar Sangakkara was dismissed first ball for the second match in a row when he was snapped up by Strauss in the slips, the England captain taking the catch at second attempt.
Lahiru Thirimanne padded up to a straight ball from Anderson and was given out leg-before by umpire Bruce Oxenford, a decision upheld by the third umpire after the batsman asked for a review.  The tourists went in with a three-man seam attack, bringing in Bresnan and Steven Finn to partner Anderson with the new ball. Spinner Monty Panesar was dropped, while Stuart Broad has flown home with a calf injury. 
Sri Lanka made two changes from the side that won in Galle, as a fit-again Mathews and Dhammika Prasad returned in place of Dinesh Chandimal and Chanaka Welegedara.
Jayawardene once again prevented a hat-trick, as he had done in Galle, and went on to master the England attack on a dry wicket that is expected to crumble in the later stages of the match.
Steven Finn, who joined Anderson and Tim Bresnan in a three-man seam attack, said England will be satisfied by the day's play.
"We have had a pretty good day," said Finn, who turns 23 on Wednesday. "It was a day of attrition. Jayawardene played really well and kept us at bay for a fair while, but it's pretty even at the end of the day.
"You have to wait for batsmen to make mistakes. I think every bowler did that. We've played the patient game and we have to do it again tomorrow."
Finn said Anderson's bowling stood out after a hard day's work in the field. "Jimmy is an exceptional bowler and he showed that again with three early wickets and being consistent throughout the day," he said. "He is someone that I've looked up to and hopefully I can keep learning from him."

SCORECARD

SRI LANKA 1ST INNINGS:
L Thirimanne lbw b Anderson    8
T Dilshan c Prior b Anderson    14
K Sangakkara c Strauss b Anderson    0
M Jayawardene lbw b Swann    105
T Samaraweera lbw b Bresnan    54
A Mathews not out    41
P Jayawardene c Prior b Finn    7
S Randiv not out    5
EXTRAS: (b4)    4
TOTAL: (6 wkts, 90 overs)    238
FOW: 1-21, 2-21, 3-30, 4-154, 5-216, 6-227
BOWLING: Anderson 17-2-52-3, Finn 18-3-43-1, Bresnan 15-2-32-1, Patel 16-3-32-0, Swann 22-2-71-1, Pietersen 2-0-4-0.
TOSS: Sri Lanka
UMPIRES: Asad Rauf (PAK) and Bruce Oxenford (AUS)
TV UMPIRE: Rod Tucker (AUS)
MATCH REFEREE: Javagal Srinath (IND)

Djokovic completes Miami treble

By: AFP | April 03, 2012 | The Nation

MIAMI  - World number one Novak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) on Sunday to win his second straight ATP Miami Masters title and third overall. Djokovic, who won here for the first time in 2007, became just the third man to win the title three or more times, along with Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
For his third straight match, Djokovic cruised through the first set before finding himself in a tense tussle in the second. However, even though the second set went with serve until the tie-breaker, it was Murray who was under pressure most, fighting off break points in three of his service games.
“I thought I played a great match from start to end,” said Djokovic, who didn’t drop a set in the tournament. “There was a couple of service games I had a chance to break him in the second set. He’s such a quality player, you never know. That’s why he’s right at the top — he always comes back, even if you feel you have control of the match,” Djokovic said. “I’m really happy to close it out in straight sets.”
Djokovic, 24, captured his 30th ATP title, and his second this year after his triumph at the Australian Open. It marked his 11th victory in the ATP’s elite Masters 1000 series. Murray had beaten Djokovic in the semi-finals at Dubai in February, and the Serb was then upset by American John Isner in the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters last week.
Djokovic said that made this win, which made him the first man since Roger Federer in 2006 to successfully defend the Miami crown, all the sweeter. “I had a great tournament after that tough loss in the semi-finals at Indian Wells,” said Djokovic, adding he recalled his 2007 triumph in Miami as a springboard to his current success.
Murray, who beat Djokovic in the 2009 Miami final, was playing his first match since Wednesday, when he downed Janko Tipsarevic in the quarter-finals. He advanced to the title match on a walkover when world number two Rafael Nadal withdrew before their semi-final with a left knee injury.
Oddly, that was Murray’s second walkover of the tournament, after Canadian Milos Raonic pulled out of their scheduled third-round clash with an ankle injury. Whether it was the layoff or not, Murray wasn’t at his sharpest, his 39 unforced errors making things easier for Djokovic.
His only break chance in the entire two hour, seven minute encounter came in the fifth game of the first set, but he was unable to convert it and stem Djokovic’s momentum. The Serb had gained the upper hand in the fourth game of the opening set, which Murray led 40-0 but ended up losing on Djokovic’s second break point.
Djokovic eventually closed out the opening set with his first ace of the match, and Murray promptly found himself in a 0-30 hole in the first game of the second — typical of the pressure he faced throughout the second set. “Maybe it took a few games to get used to the pace,” Murray said, but added he thought the set was closer than the score reflected.
“There were a lot of close games in the first set. He played better on the big points in the first set. In the second set, it was very close. If I was sluggish and I was only a couple of points away from winning the set, I’d say that’s a very good sign.” Murray said his biggest problem was his return game, normally his strong point.
“If I had returned a bit better I would have been right in the match,” he said. “That’s the only thing that I’m surprised that I didn’t do well, because it’s normally the strongest part of my game.”

England strike back after collapse

 

England strike back after collapse

By: AFP | March 28, 2012 | The Nation

GALLE  - England bounced back after being spun out cheaply by Sri Lanka to leave the first cricket Test evenly poised at the Galle International Stadium on Tuesday.
At the end of an eventful second day’s play in which 17 wickets tumbled on a slow pitch, Sri Lanka led the tourists by 209 runs with five second innings wickets in hand.
Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath grabbed six wickets as England were bowled out for 193 in their first innings after skipper Mahela Jayawardene’s 180 had lifted Sri Lanka to 318 earlier in the day.
But the hosts slumped to 84-5 in their second knock, four of those wickets falling to off-spinner Graeme Swann, to set up a thrilling finale. Swann, who had failed to take a wicket in the first innings, ripped through the top order in the final session of play.
At stumps, Dinesh Chandimal was unbeaten on 17 and Suraj Randiv was on two. England lasted just 46.4 overs as the world’s number one Test side, still to recover from a 3-0 thrashing by Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year, once again fumbled against spin.
Ian Bell top-scored with 52, but England lost their way before defiant batting by the tailenders pushed the total from a shaky 92-6. Stuart Broad smashed 28 in a 30-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Bell, taking 18 runs in four balls from seamer Suranga Lakmal that included three boundaries and a six.
Swann’s 24 runs came from six fours and England’s tail prospered further when James Anderson (23 not out) and Monty Panesar (13) put on 36 runs for the last wicket. England will slip to number two behind South Africa in the official rankings if they lose the two-Test series.
The tourists lost opener Alastair Cook in the second over of the innings before a run had been scored when he was trapped leg-before by Lakmal. Jonathan Trott and captain Andrew Strauss put on 40 for the second wicket, before both fell in successive overs from Herath.
Trott was stumped for 12 and found himself knocked to the ground after colliding with celebrating wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene. Strauss departed in Herath’s next over for 26, given out leg-before by the TV umpire after on-field official Asad Rauf turned down a loud appeal by the Sri Lankans.
Kevin Pietersen failed to add to his lunch score of three when he was bowled off the inside edge of the bat by an incoming delivery from seamer Chanaka Welegedara. Earlier, Sri Lanka added 29 runs to their overnight score of 289-8 before being dismissed 30 minutes after the start of play.
Anderson finished with a five-wicket haul when he ended Mahela Jayawardene’s 394-minute knock through a catch by wicket-keeper Prior. The Sri Lankan captain hit 22 boundaries and three sixes in his 30th Test century which helped the hosts recover from a disastrous 15-3 on the opening day.
ScoreCard
SRI LANKA 1ST INNINGS: (OVERNIGHT: 289-8):
L Thirimanne c Swann b Anderson    3
T Dilshan c Strauss b Broad    11
K Sangakkara c Prior b Anderson    0
M Jayawardene c Prior b Anderson    180
T Samaraweera run out    20
D Chandimal c Bell b Patel    27
P Jayawardene lbw b Anderson    23
S Randiv run out    12
R Herath lbw b Patel    5
C Welegedara lbw b Anderson    19
S Lakmal not out    0
EXTRAS: (lb14, nb4)    18
TOTAL: (all out, 96.3 overs)    318
FOW: 1-11, 2-11, 3-15, 4-67, 5-128, 6-170, 7-191, 8-253, 9-307, 10-318
BOWLING: Anderson 20.3-5-72-5, Broad 21-3-71-1, Panesar 23-11-42-0, Swann 23-3-92-0, Patel 9-1-27-2
ENGLAND 1ST INNINGS:
A Strauss lbw b Herath    26
A Cook lbw b Lakmal    0
J Trott st P Jayawardene b Herath    12
K Pietersen b Welegedara    3
Ian Bell b Herath    52
M Prior lbw b Herath    7
S Patel lbw b Herath    2
S Broad lbw b Herath    28
G Swann c Dilshan b Randiv    24
J Anderson not out    23
M Panesar lbw b Randiv    13
EXTRAS: (lb2, w1)    3
TOTAL: (all out, 46.4 overs)    193
FOW: 1-0, 2-40, 3-43, 4-65, 5-72, 6-92, 7-122, 8-157, 9-157, 10-193
BOWLING: Welegedara 11-2-46-1, Lakmal 9-2-45-1, Herath 19-5-74-6, Randiv 7.4-0-26-2
SRI LANKA 2ND INNINGS:
L Thirimanne b Swann    6
T Dilshan b Broad    0
K Sangakkara c Bell b Swann    14
M Jayawardene c Anderson b Swann    5
T Samaraweera st Prior b Swann    36
D Chandimal not out    17
S Randiv not out    2
EXTRAS: (b1, lb3)    4
TOTAL: (5 wkts, 34 overs)    84
FOW: 1-4, 2-8, 3-14, 4-41, 5-72
BOWLING: Anderson 5-0-18-0, Broad 5-2-8-1, Swann 12-2-28-4, Panesar 7-1-19-0, Patel 5-2-7-0
Toss: Sri Lanka

Pietersen wary of Sri Lanka heat

By: Agencies | March 24, 2012 | The Nation

COLOMBO - Kevin Pietersen believes the searing heat will be the biggest challenge facing England in their Test series against Sri Lanka, but admits his old nemesis of left-arm spin must also be tamed.
England have worked hard at acclimatising to the soaring temperatures and draining humidity by training in the middle of the day but Pietersen ranks it as the most physically demanding trip of his career. He is also aware that Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka's first-choice spinner, is waiting to test the theory that Pietersen has a blind spot against slow left-armers but he is clear about which problem he is most concerned about. "Sri Lanka have magnificent players - obviously the likes of (Mahela) Jayawardene, (Kumar) Sangakkara and (Tillakaratne) Dilshan - but their attack is very good too," he said. "They've got a left-arm spinner, Herath, who bowls wicket to wicket and you saw against Pakistan what a guy like Abdur Rehman did to us. Left-arm spin is a huge part of the game now and it's not going to be easy at all. But it's not really the spinners (we have to worry about) out here, it's the heat. I that will be the biggest threat to us.
"It's unbelievable, make no bones about that, but it's something we have to try and get over as quickly as possible. I'm trying to just not do too much and to conserve a lot of energy, not run around like a crazy fool like you do in England or Australia or South Africa, where you can afford to do that.
It's something we have to try and control. On days off we need to get out, swim in the sea, spend some time in the sun and let your body get used to it. If you only spend time in the dressing room or in the ground and you try and take conditions in like that it's not going to work. You need to get out as much as you can." England's pre-Test preparations suffered something of a blow on Thursday when it was revealed Ravi Bopara is suffering with a side strain that will rule him out of bowling in the Test series.

South African batsmen dominate in Wellington

By: Agencies | March 24, 2012 | The Nation

WELLINGTON (AFP) - South Africa took control of a weather-disrupted opening day in the third Test against hosts New Zealand, compiling 136-2 on Friday on a wicket expected to favour the bowlers.
At the close of play at Basin Reserve, Alviro Petersen was unbeaten on 44 with JP Duminy on 23, while the New Zealand bowlers were left to rue their failure to capitalise on a green-tinged wicket and overcast conditions. Only 42 of the possible 90 overs were bowled following overnight rain that ruled out the morning session and bad light forced an early end to the day.
New Zealand captain Ross Taylor had no hesitation opting to bowl when he won the toss saying he hoped "for some early wickets", and had cause to celebrate with the disputed dismissal of Graeme Smith for five and the total at 13. However, from there the honours rested with South Africa -- who lead the three-Test series 1-0 -- with Hashim Amla (63) and Petersen putting on 93 for the second wicket.
Amla posted his 23rd half-century in an effortless batting display, pushing the bowlers to all corners and offering few opportunities to the field. He brought up his 50 taking 14 off one over by Dean Brownlie after Taylor turned to the part-timer in a desperate move to break the partnership.
Taylor also had spinner Daniel Vettori operating after only 13 overs as his quick bowlers failed to show the required aggression to dictate terms to South Africa. Doug Bracewell, the pick of the New Zealand bowlers, was fortunate to claim Smith's wicket, caught behind by Kruger van Wyk in the sixth over.
The South African captain appealed against the decision and television replays were inconclusive with a clear sound as the ball passed the bat but no touch registered with the hotspot detector. Mark Gillespie, New Zealand's top bowler in the second Test, had difficulty with his line when bowling with the wind in the first session, but had better control and success running into the breeze after the tea break.
He lured Amla into attempting a pull shot with a short pitched delivery and the batsman ended up getting a top edge which was safely claimed by the South Africa-born van Wyk to have the tourists at 106-2. Bracewell finished the day with one for 30 off 11 overs while Gillespie had one for 37 off nine overs.

SCOREBOARD

SOUTH AFRICA 1ST INNINGS:
G Smith c van Wyk b Bracewell    5
A Petersen not out    44
H Amla c van Wyk b Gillespie    63
JP Duminy not out    23
To bat: AB de Villiers, J Rudolph, M Boucher, D Steyn, V Philander, M Morkel, M de Lange
EXTRAS: (w 1)    1
TOTAL: (2 wkts; 42 overs)    136
FOW: 1-13, 2-106
BOWLING: Martin 9-3-21-0, Bracewell 11-1-30-1, Gillespie 9-1-37-1, Vettori 11-3-28-0, Brownlie 2-0-20-0
TOSS: New Zealand
UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (PAK), Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
TV UMPIRE: Billy Doctrove (WIS)
MATCH REFEREE: Ranjan Madugalle

Pakistan win Asia Cup, beat Bangladesh by 2 runs

Bangladesh fall agonizingly short of famous victory

Last updated: 22nd March 2012
 

Pakistan celebrate a nerve-racking victory in the final at Dhaka

Shakib Al-Hasan also passed 50 in a losing cause for Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal stuck his fourth successive half-century at the tournament

Sarfraz Ahmed struck a vital unbeaten 46 down the order to boost his side's totalTeams

• Bangladesh
• Pakistan

Pakistan have been crowned Asia Cup champions for a second time after beating host nation Bangladesh by two runs in a gripping final at Mirpur.
Set a competitive 237 to claim a memorable victory on home soil, Bangladesh fell agonisingly short at the death to ensure Pakistan clinched the title for the first time since 2000.
The Tigers appeared on course for victory when half-centuries from Tamim Iqbal (60) - his fourth in a row in the competition - and Shakib Al-Hasan (68) took them up to 170-3.
A lower-order wobble saw Pakistan assume control, however a nine-ball camoe of 18 from Mashrafe Mortaze put Bangladesh back in contention, with only nine runs required off Aizaz Cheema's final over.
But the Pakistan seamer held his nerve at the death, conceding just six and claiming the wicket of Abdur Razzaq, to leave the home players and fans inside the Shere Bangla National Stadium distraught.

Impressive

Only some late hitting from wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, who top-scored with an unbeaten 46, helped Pakistan to a defendable 236-9.
It could have been worse for Misbah-ul-Haq's side as they struggled in the face of an energetic display from the hosts.
Despite playing just their second tournament final Bangladesh showed little sign of nerves as their bowlers shared the wickets while an impressive fielding display brought the key wicket of Misbah when he was run out by Nasir Hossain's direct hit.
The wickets continued to fall at regular intervals thereafter before Ahmed completed his patch-up job by hitting 19 off the final over from Shahadat Hossain (0-63).
Bangladesh had qualified for their first final following back-to-back wins after chasing and captain Mushfiqur Rahim had no hesitation in sending Pakistan in after winning the toss.
It paid immediate dividends as Nasir Jamshed (nine) and Younus Khan (one) fell inside the opening six overs before Misbah's slight hesitation was punished by a perfect throw from Hossain.
That left Pakistan 55-3 and, following their flying start, Bangladesh were able to focus on applying the pressure on an exposed Pakistan middle-order.
It worked too as Mohammad Hafeez's frustration, after managing 40 from 87, finally got the better of him when he was caught trying to clear the infield off Razzak before Hammad Azam offered a simple return chance to Shakib.
Hard-hitting duo Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi both got into their thirties but failed to go on to leave Pakistan in trouble at 178-7.
Ahmed then took it upon himself to haul his side past 200 and, with the tail providing just enough support, then launched a blistering attack in the final over to give Pakistan hope.

Progress

Bangladesh made a solid start in reply, Tamim continuing his fine form with eight boundaries in his 68-ball knock of 60.
The aggressive left-hander shared an opening stand worth 68 with Nazimuddin, however the latter's turgid contribution of 16 from 52 balls left Bangladesh behind the required rate.
Nazimuddin and Jahurul Islam both fell with the score on 68 and only 13 further runs had been added when Tamim mistimed an attempted pull off Umar Gul out to Younis at midwicket.
Nasir Hossain and Shakib helped rebuild the innings with a stand worth 89, however it came off 19.2 overs to ensure the required rate remained up near nine an over.
Shakib struck seven boundaries and blasted one towering six off Cheema during his almost match-winning 68 off 72 balls, but the Pakistan seamer got his revenge by clean bowling the left-hander in the 44th over.
Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah, two of the home side's major hopes in their quest to cross the finishing line, took their side closer to the target, but Cheema again stalled their progress when he removed the Tigers skipper for 10.
Mahmudullah was on strike at the start of the final over with only nine runs required, but he failed to find the rope as Cheema produced a nerveless final flourish.

 

ICC backs Ajmal's bowling action

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/sports/20-Mar-2012/icc-backs-ajmals-bowling-action

By: AFP | March 20, 2012 | The Nation

NEW DELHI  - The International Cricket Council on Monday backed Saeed Ajmal's controversial bowling action following reports that India had complained about the Pakistan off-spinner.
Indian television channel NDTV, quoting unnamed sources, said the team management had spoken to the ICC about Ajmal's action after Sunday's Asia Cup match between the arch-rivals in Dhaka. ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat, however, clarified that the governing body saw no problem in the off-spinner's bowling style.
"We have tested Ajmal, checked him and monitored him in match situations, and found he bowls within the allowed degrees of tolerance," Lorgat told the Times Now news channel. "We must be careful at what the eye sees and what the reality is," Lorgat said.
Ajmal claimed the wicket of batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar as India produced their best ever one-day chase to surpass Pakistan's commanding 329-6 with five wickets and 13 balls to spare. It was the first match between India and Pakistan since the World Cup semi-final at Mohali in March last year.
The 34-year-old Ajmal, who has played 20 Tests and 63 one-dayers since his international debut in 2008, has found himself under the spotlight several times due to his action.
He was first reported by match officials during a one-day series against Australia in the United Arab Emirates in 2009, but was later cleared to play after remedial work was done on his action. Doubts about his action were again raised during the recent Tests against England at the same venue, but both the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board absolved Ajmal of any wrongdoing.

Asia Cup: India face tough task against arch-rivals Pakistan

 

Asia Cup: India face tough task against arch-rivals Pakistan

PTI | Mar 17, 2012, The Times of  India

Despite the inconsistent show by the bowlers, Indian captain MS Dhoni said he has faith in them and that they would learn from their mistakes. (AP Photo)

MIRPUR: Stung by the upset defeat against minnows Bangladesh, India will be under immense pressure when they go into their must-win last Asia Cup league match against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday with bowling in the slog overs continuing to be a big worry.

The Indians have no option but to put it across their traditional rivals to stay alive in the tournament as the shock defeat against Bangladesh has thrown their campaign into jeopardy.

The stunning defeat against Bangladesh would have certainly hurt the Indians, especially Sachin Tendulkar whose phenomenal feat of scoring the 100th international ton went in vain. But they have to regroup quickly and put the debacle behind them.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have already secured a berth in the final with victories over Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and will be under less pressure unlike the Indians.

The Indians have generally managed to lift their game when they take on their bitter foes and it remains to be seen whether Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men can upstage the Pakistanis in what promises to be a thrilling contest under lights at the Sher-e-Bangla National stadium.

Now that Tendulkar has completed the historic 100th international century after a frustrating year-long wait, the champion batsman will be mentally more relaxed and that could allow him to play more freely.

Tendulkar has a good track record against Pakistan and will be determined to make an impact on Sunday.

While the Indian batting has done reasonably well in the Asia Cup after struggling on the bouncy Australian tracks, it is the bowling which has been a cause of concern.

The pacers -- Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Vinay Kumar -- have not been consistent enough in the death overs on these flat sub-continental tracks while the spinners like R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been patchy.

The Indians have to quickly sort out their bowling woes as any mistake tomorrow could see the team bowing out of the tournament.

Despite the inconsistent show by the bowlers, Indian captain Dhoni said he has faith in them and that they would learn from their mistakes.

"The bowlers have talent, it is there. They just need to execute plans with consistency. The youngsters will learn more. They will start performing. They felt the pressure in the game against Bangladesh," Dhoni said.

"They (Bangladesh) played better cricket throughout. They began well and capitalised on that. They made sure they spent time on the crease. At the start of the Powerplay our bowlers felt the pressure and crumbled. A a bit more runs on the board would have been better," Dhoni said.

"Bangladesh can play really well on their day, they used the conditions well, their reverse swing bowling was good. And they got the partnerships going." he said.

While India's top order batsmen have got the runs, Rohit Sharma, who failed miserably during the tour of Australia recently, did not score much against Bangladesh and it would be interesting to see if he is retained in the team.

Manoj Tiwary, who did not get to play a single match during the tri-series in Australia, has been waiting in the wings for much too long and the team management could consider him as a replacement for Rohit.

Paceman Vinay Kumar had to sit out of the last game against Bangladesh because of a niggle and it remains to be seen if he is fit enough to take the field on the morrow. In case he is not fit, Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda, who was trifle expensive in his second spell, could be retained.

Although Pakistan have won both their matches, they have some problem areas as well.

The batting has not been consistent enough and they have lost wickets quickly at the top of the order, which they need to rectify.

Opener Mohammad Hafeez has been in good form but the other opener Nasir Jamshed has to be a little more consistent alongwith the seasoned Younis Khan who has not yet made an impression in the tournament.

The Pakistani bowling has been quite impressive, especially spinner Saeed Ajmal who has bamboozled the batsmen with his variety. The pacers Umar Gul and Aizaz Cheema have also been among the wickets.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq knows that the pressure will be squarely on India and can treat the game as a preparation for the March 22 final.

Having already booked a berth in the final, Misbah wants his batsmen to show more consistency in order to win the tournament.

"We have to be more consistent as a batting unit. The bowling has always kept us in the hunt. Especially, if you have a world class bowler like Saeed Ajmal in your team, its a big edge," Misbah said.

Teams (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Manoj Tiwary, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Rahul Sharma, R Vinay Kumar.

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Abdur Rehman, Aizaz Cheema, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Saeed Ajmal, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan.

Pakistan cut Sri Lanka to size

 

Pakistan cut Sri Lanka to size

By: AFP | March 16, 2012 | The Nation

DHAKA  - Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal cracked half-centuries under pressure as Pakistan virtually booked a place in the Asia Cup final with an emphatic six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on Thursday.
Pakistan were struggling at 33-3 before Misbah (72 not out) and Akmal (77) added 152 for the fourth wicket to help their team achieve the modest 189-target set by Sri Lanka with more than 10 overs to spare in the day-night match in Dhaka.
Fast bowler Aizaz Cheema (4-43) and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal (3-27) also played important roles in Pakistan's second successive victory by restricting Sri Lanka to a small total.
Sri Lanka, who lost to India in their opening match, needed a win to keep their hopes of reaching the final alive but were let down by their batsmen as only Kumar Sangakkara (71) and Upul Tharanga (57) could defy the Pakistani attack.
Pakistan lost three wickets had fallen in the opening 13 overs, with paceman Suranga Lakmal taking two and leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna, before Misbah and Akmal took charge.
The Pakistani captain hit one six and nine fours in his 93-ball knock while Akmal, who was dropped on 46, struck two sixes and seven boundaries from 72 balls.
Sri Lanka, electing to bat, were earlier well-placed at 161-4 following a 96-run fifth-wicket stand between former skipper Sangakkara and Tharanga but they lost their last six wickets for just 27 runs.
Ajmal started the slide when he bowled Tharanga. He then removed Farveez Maharoof and last-man Lakmal.
Cheema, who conceded 21 runs in his first two overs, came back strongly to dismiss openers Mahela Jayawardene (12) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (20) in quick succession before removing Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga.
The Pakistani bowlers were backed by their fielders, with Younus Khan taking a superb catch to his left in the slips to account for Dinesh Chandimal off Gul. Sri Lanka raced to 33 in the opening five overs before they were reduced to 65-4, with Cheema taking two wickets and Gul and Hammad Azam one apiece.
Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by 21 runs and India beat Sri Lanka by 50 runs in their opening matches.
Each side will play the other once in the round-robin league, with the top two advancing to the final on March 22.
     scoreboard

SRI LANKA
M Jayawardene c Hafeez b Cheema    12
T Dilshan c Ajmal b Cheema    20
K Sangakkara b Cheema    71
D Chandimal c Younus b Gul    0
L Thirimanne c Akmal b Azam    7
U Tharanga b Ajmal    57
F Maharoof c Misbah b Ajmal    2
N Kulasekara c Ahmed b Gul    4
S Prasanna not out    5
L Malinga b Cheema    1
S Lakmal c Jamshed b Ajmal    0
EXTRAS: (lb5, w4)     9
TOTAL (for all out; 45.4 overs)    188
FOW: 1-33, 2-43, 3-47, 4-65, 5-161, 6-165, 7-172, 8-183, 9-187, 10-188 (Lakmal).
Bowling: Gul 8-1-20-2 (w2), Cheema 9-0-43-4 (w2), Hafeez 10-0-40-0, Azam 4-0-21-1, Ajmal 8.4-1-27-3, Afridi 6-0-32-0.
Pakistan:
M Hafeez c Chandimal b Prasanna    11
Nasir Jamshed c Tharanga b Lakmal    18
Younus Khan c Maharoof b Lakmal    2
Misbah-ul-Haq not out    72
Umar Akmal c Tharanga b Maharoof    77
Hammad Azam not out     4
EXTRAS: (lb1, nb2, w2)    5
TOTAL: (for 4 wkts; 39.5 overs)    189
FOW: 1-29, 2-31, 3-33, 4-185.
Bowling: Malinga 8-1-44-0, Kulasekara 7-2-22-0, Lakmal 8-1-37-2 (nb2), Prasanna 7.5-1-49-1, Maharoof 7-0-23-1 (w2), Dilshan 2-0-13-0.
Result: Pakistan win by six wickets

Pakistan face Lanka test in Asia Cup

 

 

Pakistan face Lanka test in Asia Cup

By: Agencies | March 15, 2012 | The Nation

DHAKA  - : The ever-so-unpredictable Pakistan face their first big test of the tournament when they take on an injury-hit Sri Lankan team, which was outclassed by India in its lung-opener, in an Asia Cup league match on Thursday.
Pakistan started their campaign on a winning note by beating Bangladesh even though it was a close shave for them given the home team's fighting performance in a steep chase. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, failed in the chasing job against India.
Faced with a mammoth 304, the islanders fell short by 50 runs despite the fact that they have a batting order that runs deep and was expected to click in the familiar sub-continental environs.
But for the sheer unpredictability of Pakistan, both the teams seem quite a match for each other on paper. Even Pakistan has a long batting order to boast off and they have the destructive Shahid Afridi, who can snatch a game but, like his team, is not consistent enough.
He can be the game-changer one day but can also be a complete letdown the next. But Pakistan can bank on his leg-break bowling which comes in handy almost always. Their openers notched up good scores against Bangladesh but the experienced middle-order comprising the likes of Younus Khan and Misbah-ul Haq failed to fire.
The bowling too was unimpressive against a side which is considered a minnow at the international level. Pace spearhead Umar Gul was expensive and would have to get his act together quickly as his form is crucial to the team's chances.
Sri Lanka, meanwhile, also have major bowling issues to deal with. Their bowling attack, sans Lasith Malinga, came a cropper on a placid track and allowed the Indians to plunder runs in the lung-opener.
Malinga is expected to be back for Thursday's match after being ironically left out on Tuesday due to his tendency to concede runs against India. On the batting front too, there are concerns as the chase went haywire after skipper Mahela Jayawardene's dismissal. The explosive Tillakaratne Dilshan would hold the key to a big score and the four-time champions would hope he fires after a rather disappointing start to the tournament.
For a batting order that runs till number nine, the effort against India was not good enough. "Three-hundred, I thought, was gettable on this wicket," Jayawardene said after the defeat on Tuesday.
"We batted really well but we made quite a few mistakes [too], and that has probably cost us the game." What also hurt Sri Lanka was the absence of their two attacking all-rounders -- Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera -- both of whom are out injured.
Teams (from):
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (Capt.), Abdur Rehman, Aizaz Cheema, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Hammad Azam, M Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Saeed Ajmal, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younus Khan
Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (Capt.), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Thisara Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna, Kumar Sangakkara, Sachithra Senanayake, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne.

Pakistan beats Bangladesh by 21 runs at Asia Cup

AP

12 March 2012 

Bangladeshi cricketer Shakib Al Hasan is bowled by Pakistan's Umar Gul during the one day international (ODI) Asia Cup cricket match between Bangladesh and Pakistan at The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. -AFP Photo

DHAKA: Umar Gul took three wickets with Mohamamd Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi claiming two each as Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 21 runs in the opening match of the limited-overs Asia Cup tournament on Sunday.
Chasing a target of 263, Bangladesh was dismissed for 241 with 11 balls to spare, with Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan contributing 64 each.
Nasir Hossain scored 47 in a sixth-wicket stand of 89 with Shakib. In Pakistan’s innings, opener Mohammad Hafeez scored 89, Nasir Jamshed made 54 and Gul added 39. Gul finished with bowling figures of 3-58.
Pakistan’s victory was far from straightforward as Bangladesh was just 39 runs away when Nasir was bowled by Gul with four wickets intact.
After Bangladesh was reduced to 135-5, Nasir and Shakib steadied the innings and helped the team reach 224 before losing Nasir.
Bangladesh lost the remaining four wickets for just 17 runs in a hard-fought battle.
Shakib was the last man to go, dismissed by Gul, as he appeared frustrated to watch so many partners fail to make a stand and attempt to win the game. Shahadat Hossain was unbeaten for no runs.
Earlier, Pakistan was cruising at 135-1 in the 28th over but was reduced to 198-7 by the 42nd over in the face of tight bowling by Shahadat Hossain (3-53) and Shakib (2-41).
Tailender Gul faced only 25 balls in his aggressive innings to help a struggling Pakistan reach 251-8. Sarfraz Ahmed was not out for 19 while Saeed Ajmal was unbeaten on eight at the end.
The 11th edition of the Asia Cup also involves India and Sri Lanka. India has won the competition five times while Sri Lanka won it four times. Pakistan has won it once.