Saturday, 17 December 2011
Saqibul, Nafees lead Bangladesh recovery
Shakib Al Hasan and Shahriar Nafees helped Bangladesh recover from the early breakthroughs and gave their side a much-needed boost on Saturday by guiding the hosts to 234-5 on the opening day of the second test against Pakistan.
The pair’s fifth-wicket stand of 180 was Bangladesh’s first century partnership in tests for more than a year.
After a delayed start to the match due to thick fog, Pakistan won the toss and opted to send Bangladesh in and they gathered almost immediate earningses when Cheema struck in the second over of the day.
Mohammad Nazimuddin was the man to depart, trapped lbw for a duck, and soon after he was followed back to the dressing rooms by fellow opener Tamim Iqbal, who was caught by Cheema off the bowling of Umar Gul for 14.
That left Bangladesh in trouble on 16 for two but worse was to follow as they also lost Mohammad Mahmudullah (nought) and Nasir Hossain (seven) in the morning session, both players falling victim to Cheema.
Cheema bowl out Mahmudullah for a first ball duck and Nasir Hossain edged a simple catch to wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal off the bowling of Cheema again.
At lunch things looked grim for Bangladesh as Pakistan reduced the home side to 54 for four, who had suffered an innings defeat in the first of the two-match series against Pakistan, but Nafees and Shakib hit back after the break.
That partnership between Nafees and Shakib was the highlight for the hosts. They saw off the tricky conditions in the first session and grew in confidence once the conditions eased out after lunch. They batted positively, ran brilliantly between the wickets and scored at a fair clip to take Bangladesh to a decent position.
Shahriar Nafees scored 97 before being caught behind by wicket keeper Adnan Akmal off the bowling of Umar Gul in last session of the day.
The visitors named an unchanged side following the innings and 184-run victory in Chittagong, while Bangladesh again dropped Mohammad Ashraful from their side. Injury also kept Rubel Hossain out of the team, meaning Robiul Islam and Nazmul Hossain were drafted into the starting XI.
Pakistan fast bowler Aizaz Cheema took 3-52, while Umar Gul claimed 2-63. Shakib Al Hasan who is on 108 and Mushfiqur Rahim who is on 5 will resume play tomorrow.
Bangladesh to tour Pakistan in April 2012
The Bangladesh Cricket Board will conduct a security inspection of Pakistan in January 2012 as a precursor to Bangladesh's tour of Pakistan in April the same year, Mustafa Kamal, the president of the BCB has said. His statements came after PCB officials, including new chairman Zaka Ashraf, met with BCB members in Dhaka.
Following the meeting, Ashraf announced that the PCB had endorsed Kamal as the next president of the ICC. Under the ICC's rotation policy, it is PCB's and BCB's turn to jointly nominate a candidate. If approved, the nominee will assume office as the ICC's vice-president at the end of its annual conference in 2012 and thereafter ascend to the presidency in 2014.
However, Kamal still needs to be approved by a majority of BCB directors by December 24, 2011.
Following the meeting, Ashraf announced that the PCB had endorsed Kamal as the next president of the ICC. Under the ICC's rotation policy, it is PCB's and BCB's turn to jointly nominate a candidate. If approved, the nominee will assume office as the ICC's vice-president at the end of its annual conference in 2012 and thereafter ascend to the presidency in 2014.
However, Kamal still needs to be approved by a majority of BCB directors by December 24, 2011.
Friday, 16 December 2011
Asia Cup dates rule out India-Pakistan series
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The Asian Cricket Council has confirmed that the Asia Cup 2012 will go ahead as scheduled, from March 12 to 22 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, all but ruling out the possibility of Pakistan touring India as outlined
in the Future Tours Programme. The decision was taken at the ACC's
meeting in Singapore earlier this week; it also endorsed, pending a
fuller discussion and satisfaction with security and other issues, a
proposal by Pakistan to host the 2014 tournament.
"It was agreed that the Asia Cup 2012 would go ahead on the proposed
dates," Subhan Ahmed, the PCB chief operating officer, told
ESPNcricinfo. "There was discussion of the ACC postponing the Asia Cup
if both India and Pakistan agreed to play their series within that slot
but that idea has faded out for many reasons."
The PCB was hoping at the meeting to get some confirmation from the BCCI
on the resumption of bilateral series between India and Pakistan but
Ahmed said that the BCCI representative, Ratnakar Shetty, was unable to
give any assurance in the absence of N Srinivasan, the president of the
Indian board.
"Pakistan-India series was not on the agenda at the ACC meeting but we
were looking forward to Srinivasan coming across to discuss it," Ahmed
said. "We had an ideal platform here to talk with our India counterpart
but he [Srinivasan] didn't attend the meeting.
"He [Shetty] was not in a position to talk on it. So I don't think India
and Pakistan could play each other in a full series next year but they
will meet in the Asia Cup."
Zaka Ashraf, the PCB chairman, was also in Singapore. He was due to
travel to Chennai in the first week of December to talk to Srinavasan on
the mutual cricketing interests of both countries but the sudden
illness of Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, also the PCB's chief
patron, forced him to postpone of the visit.
At the ACC meeting, Pakistan also proposed hosting the 2014 Asia Cup.
Ahmed said that the other ACC members showed their support and
understood how essential the hosting of the event was for the country
but asked the PCB to satisfy them on security concerns. "Our request has
been endorsed and was not turned down. They want a full discussion on
the precautionary steps that the PCB will take to ensure security. We
obviously assured them the best and the case has been deferred until
next meeting."
Umar Farooq is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Youngsters must be carefully chosen - Abdul Razzaq
"Bringing in young players is a good move and that is an ongoing process," Razzaq told ESPNcricinfo. "But only talented players, who are tough and have superb class, should be called up."
Pakistan experimented on their recent tour of Zimbabwe and have a couple of young, untested fast bowlers - Mohammad Talha and Mohammad Khalil - in their squad for the Tests in Bangladesh. Razzaq, though, said players should not only be tried against low-profile opposition. "I remember when I debuted in 1996 my seniors gave me a benchmark, and said I had to prove my ability by performing against teams like Australia, South Africa and England. All the newcomers should be tough enough to face that kind of opposition in order to be prosperous and play at least ten years of cricket."
Razzaq, who is set to depart for Australia to play for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League, said his next aim in international cricket was to play in the 2012 World Twenty20.
He said he would concentrate on the shorter formats of the game. "I still have some cricket left in me and the upcoming World Twenty20 is what I am focussing on. Test cricket is behind me; it's too late for a comeback. I want to make a final call on that but it's a decision that needs to be taken with the PCB in the loop."
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Younis Khan moves up to 5th place in ICC Test rankings
Pakistan’s Younis Khan has jumped up 10 positions in the ICC Test batsmen rankings to take number fifth position after scoring a terrific double ton against Bangladesh in the first Test of the two match series at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.
Younis, who claimed fifth place is behind Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis and England duo, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell.
Australia opener David Warner is the biggest mover in the rankings for Test batsmen as his unbeaten century in Hobart has lifted him 131 places to 70th position.
New Zealand fast bowler Doug Bracewell’s stellar showing in their sensational seven-run victory in the Hobart Test has lifted him 50 places to 39th position.
The 21-year-old Bracewell had figures of 3-20 and 6-40 which turned out to be the cornerstone of New Zealand’s first Test victory in Australia in 26 years. Bracewell is now New Zealand’s third highest-ranked bowler after Daniel Vettori (seventh) and Chris Martin (up by one place to 16th).
He also appreciated the role of skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, who has been leading the team quite brilliantly in all three formats of the game.
According to Younis, “I will give Misbah 100% marks on his captaincy because he is an educated person and he has the respect of the team. Everybody listens to him and if you want to give him advice he takes it with an open heart.”
On the other hand, Misbah also praised Younis for his consistent contribution in winning matches for the team. The veteran batsman has been one of the best performers for Pakistan in the past decade and is considered to be a real team-man.
He is a Test match specialist and aims to become the most successful player for Pakistan in the format. Currently, Younis has more than 6000 Test runs with 19 centuries to his credit. He has played only 72 matches, but aims to complete a century.
The 34-year-old earlier revealed, “It’s my dream to play 100 Test matches. If I am lucky enough to play 100 Test matches maybe I will be close to [some records].”
The stylish batsman has the ability to play that number of games, considering his form and fitness.
Before scoring a double century against Bangladesh, Younis also hammered a ton in the last Test he played against Sri Lanka. He will look to carry onto the same momentum into the final game of the tour against the minnows and possibly score a third consecutive hundred.
However, his main test will be to repeat such performances against the world number one Test team England, which will face the Men in Green in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the start of next year.
The first Test of the three match series will start on January 17 in Dubai.
Former Australian cricketers wants Ponting to step down
Some of the former Australian cricketers suggest their teammate and retired skipper, Ricky Ponting, to hang his boots with honour before he is axed disgracefully for his continuous lean patch.
The past greats like Shane Warne, Allan Border and Damien Fleming, who happened to rub shoulders with the most senior player of this time, collectively opine that Punter’s peak age is over now, so he must step down voluntarily in favour of some talented youngster.
Ponting has been out-of-form since the past couple of years. His last international century came in 2010. As a captain, he could not lead the team to defend their title in the ICC World Cup 2011. Following the showpiece tournament in the sub-continent, the Tasmania-born legend had to pass on the baton to Michael Clarke under severe pressure by the selectors and fans.
After Ponting experienced some of the worst batting slumps in two recent series against South Africa and New Zeeland, the Kangaroo cricket managers have almost decided to sideline him for the upcoming 4-Test home series against India.
Talking to the media today, Border said, “I think one of the old boys will go. I think Hussey or Ponting will go.”
Warne added, “He’s a great of the game, he’s been fantastic for Australian cricket.”
Fleming told, “Without putting a time limit on your career, you leave yourself open to this. If he said he wanted to play the summer six months ago I reckon the selectors would have gone with that. But he’s said before the Hobart Test that he wants to continue on. Well, his figures are making it really hard for him to get a game.”
Apart from this trio, some other superannuated players have also appealed to Punter to set aside from the game and spend rest of his life with esteem.
Ponting enjoyed great time in international cricket during the last decade. He captained the Oz side to win two consecutive World Cup editions in 2003 and 2007. He was also part of the squad which clinched the tournament’s 1999 version.
With 158 Test, 370 ODI and 17 T20I games to his name, the 36-year-old, like India’s Sachin Tendulkar, wants to hold on for the years to come.
India Vs Australia 2011-12 Cricket Schedule
Sri Lanka Vs South Africa Cricket Schedule 2011-12. Sri Lanka Vs South Africa Series 2011 Test and ODI Cricket schedule Fixtures. Sri Lanka Vs South Africa Series Cricket schedule. SL vs SA fixtures series 2011 cricket highlights. Watch South Africa vs Sri Lanka Cricket Highlights. Watch Sri Lanka tour of South Africa Cricket schedule upcoming matches 2011-12.
India Vs Australia 2011-12 Fixtures
India Vs Australia Test Schedule
Thu Dec 15 – Fri Dec 16
00:00 GMT | 11:00 local | 05:30 IST
Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI v Indians
Manuka Oval, Canberra
Mon Dec 19 – Wed Dec 21
00:00 GMT | 11:00 local | 05:30 IST
Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI v Indians
Manuka Oval, Canberra
Mon Dec 26 – Fri Dec 30
23:30 GMT | 10:30 local | 05:00 IST
1st Test - India v Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Tue Jan 3 – Sat Jan 7
23:30 GMT | 10:30 local | 05:00 IST
2nd Test - India v Australia
Sydney Cricket Ground
Fri Jan 13 – Tue Jan 17
23:30 GMT | 10:30 local | 05:00 IST
3rd Test - India v Australia
Western Australia Cricket Ground, Perth
Tue Jan 24 – Sat Jan 28
23:30 GMT | 10:30 local | 05:00 IST
4th Test - India v Australia
Adelaide Oval
India vs Australia T20 Schedule 2012
Wed Feb 1 D/N
08:35 GMT | 19:35 local | 14:05 IST
1st T20 - India v Australia
Stadium Australia, Sydney
Fri Feb 3 D/N
08:35 GMT | 19:35 local | 14:05 IST
2nd T20 - India v Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground
India Vs Australia 2011-12 Fixtures
India Vs Australia Test Schedule
Thu Dec 15 – Fri Dec 16
00:00 GMT | 11:00 local | 05:30 IST
Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI v Indians
Manuka Oval, Canberra
Mon Dec 19 – Wed Dec 21
00:00 GMT | 11:00 local | 05:30 IST
Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI v Indians
Manuka Oval, Canberra
Mon Dec 26 – Fri Dec 30
23:30 GMT | 10:30 local | 05:00 IST
1st Test - India v Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground
Tue Jan 3 – Sat Jan 7
23:30 GMT | 10:30 local | 05:00 IST
2nd Test - India v Australia
Sydney Cricket Ground
Fri Jan 13 – Tue Jan 17
23:30 GMT | 10:30 local | 05:00 IST
3rd Test - India v Australia
Western Australia Cricket Ground, Perth
Tue Jan 24 – Sat Jan 28
23:30 GMT | 10:30 local | 05:00 IST
4th Test - India v Australia
Adelaide Oval
India vs Australia T20 Schedule 2012
Wed Feb 1 D/N
08:35 GMT | 19:35 local | 14:05 IST
1st T20 - India v Australia
Stadium Australia, Sydney
Fri Feb 3 D/N
08:35 GMT | 19:35 local | 14:05 IST
2nd T20 - India v Australia
Melbourne Cricket Ground
