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that's what i like about the australians you guys got alot of talent over here when we loose a player the team is fucked we got 11 great playersQuote:
Originally Posted by Tonearm_Terrorwrist
i know the talent is here alot of coloured kids is playing cricket now
one thing i noticed about us compared to say india, south africa and england is our domestic competitions ... over here, our first class competition goes over 4 days ... where as the others go for 2/3 days ... which isnt' enough to prepare players, especially fringe and young players, for test cricket ... i've always thought if all nations had a 4 day first class domestic competition they would all lift their test game, because it helps alot, because it allows you to build innings and work away at opposition batting ... in 2/3 days you rush alot, you might get 350 in a day and things like that ... but when you can grind your opposition bowlers into 2, 2 1/2 days of fielding, that really saps their enegry, confidence and mentally ability ... which is probably our strength ... alot of times, england, south africa, india have out gunned us in first innings ... but we always come back because we've had that first class experience of lengthy cricket and know how to go the whole way ... and another thing is, i'm not sure about south africa, but we got a world class cricket academy and institute of sport, with alot of former players helping out, which is great, passing of the torch sorta thing
also, england's decision to cut the amount of overseas players from 2 to 1 is definately a positive move for them ... more english players getting exposure to first class cricket will benefit them ... with so many overseas players ... haha especially australians ... clogging up their domestic spots they don't have many quality reserve players to call on when a first team player is out ... as was found out in pakistan and recently australia ... so that can only serve them well ...
south africa and india really need to sort out their quota system because it's really hindering them ... especially south africa ... if they had strauss and pieterson in their team they would be performing alot better than they have been ... but i guess it leaves doors open for other young kids ... good to see young africans getting into cricket rather than football/rugby ... hopefully west indian kids can get back into cricket because football is really dominating there ...
the quota system has its pros and cons... but surely a world cup winning team would attract more people to compete at grass roots level...
i definitely see the long term benefits of having guys from other cultures in the top side, but there has to be a better way than creating dissention among future kevin pietersons...
Team Matches Points
Rating
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Australia 54 7038 130
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South Africa 43 5313 124
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New Zealand 45 5103 113
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Sri Lanka 53 5879 111
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Pakistan 36 3950 110
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India 50 5320 106
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England 43 4457 104
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West Indies 47 4666 99
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Bangladesh 42 1892 45
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Ireland 11 317 29
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Zimbabwe 36 779 22
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Kenya 11 0 0
Last updated: 28 Apr 2007
The LG ICC Player Rankings are the official guide to the relative merits of batsmen, bowlers and all-rounders in Test match and ODI cricket.
Top 10 ODI Batsman
Name
Country
1
R.T. Ponting
2AUS
Mohammad Yousuf
3PAK
K.P. Pietersen
4ENG
K.C. Sangakkara
5SL
M.E.K. Hussey
6AUS
M.L. Hayden
7AUS
J.H. Kallis
8SA
R. Dravid
9IND
B.C. Lara
10WI
Younis Khan
PAK
Top 10 Bowlers
Name
Country
S.M. Pollock
SA
N.W. Bracken
AUS
G.D. McGrath
AUS
S.E. Bond
NZ
W.P.U.J.C. Vaas
SL
M. Muralidaran
SL
D.L. Vettori
NZ
M. Ntini
SA
B. Lee
AUS
Abdur Razzaq
BAN
good to see bracken up at number 2 ... been a great bowler for nsw for sometime and he's getting his just rewards ...
i can't believe the result of this poll
Which World Cup winning side is the greatest? http://cgi.cricket.org/logos/NATIONAL/AUS/spacer.gifhttp://cgi.cricket.org/logos/NATIONAL/AUS/spacer.gif
The class of '07http://cgi.cricket.org/logos/NATIONA...pop-up-bar.gif57.0% (6519 votes) http://cgi.cricket.org/logos/NATIONAL/AUS/spacer.gif
Ponting's '03 professionalshttp://cgi.cricket.org/logos/NATIONA...pop-up-bar.gif18.8% (2149 votes)
http://cgi.cricket.org/logos/NATIONAL/AUS/spacer.gifWaugh's '99 warriorshttp://cgi.cricket.org/logos/NATIONA...pop-up-bar.gif18.2% (2077 votes) http://cgi.cricket.org/logos/NATIONAL/AUS/spacer.gif
Border's '87 battlershttp://cgi.cricket.org/logos/NATIONA...pop-up-bar.gif6.0% (687 votes)
okay ... class of 07 was destructive ... but let's face it, no one we played even came within a country mile of beating us ... we destroyed south africa twice, steam rolled the west indies, annilhate new zealand and england and fucked up sri lanka twice ...
in 03 we battled a little harder, especially fighting efforts against pakistan and sri lanka in the semi final ... but still didn't look like losing, apart from the england and kiwi games where brad hogg and andy bichel saved us with bat and ball twice
in 87, we were a shit team ... we couldnt win a game if we played ourselves ... the fact we won this tournament is a testament to hard hard hard work ... and with our future 89 ashes team gelling, we were about to skyrocket to the top and this was the catalyst to that ...
but for real ... england 99 is definately our best ... we lost against pakistan, lost against new zealand, and to even consider a final place had to win 5 in a row ... we did that and killed pakistan in the final ... if you look at our opposition, far superior to what we faced in the 2 world cups after ... pakistan: shoaib in full force, inzy, saeed anwar, waqar and wasim were alot better than in 03; west indies were stronger than they were in the next 2, same as new zealand, and south africa, lets be honest they choked big time and should of won that world cup ... our team, apart from ponting and gilchrist, were all in their prime; the waughs, lehmann, mcgrath, warne, bevan, fleming, no one was fucking with them ... the fact we won 5 in a row after being one loss away from elimination is a testament to our mental strength and determination, which makes them our best winners imo ...
Afro-Asia Cup set for June 2007
http://images.supersport.co.za/Smith...thNtiniRbg.jpgThe second Afro-Asia Cup will be held in Bangalore and Chennai in June 2007. Three day-night matches will be played on June 6 (Bangalore), June 9 and June 10 (Chennai).
Mr. Sharad Pawar, President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India who launches the event today at a press conference in Delhi said, "We are delighted that India should play host to this auspicious event. The match-up of the best players of Asia against the best players of Africa is a proven formula for success. I expect there to be tremendous interest in the tournament."
Mr. Syed Ashraful Huq, Chief Executive of the Asian Cricket Council says, "To have the best available cricketers of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh come together in one team to represent the spirit of Asian fraternity and co-operation is hugely significant in itself. We can expect the Afro-Asia cricket at the great venues of Bangalore and Chennai to be intensely competitive."
Peter Chingoka, Chairman of the Africa Cricket Association says that "There is no doubt that the Africa team take these matches very seriously and the 2005 Afro-Asia Cup was a hard-fought contest. Thanks to the players and respective boards a great deal of development money is raised which goes a long way in strengthening the game in Africa."
Mr. Cassim Suliman, Chief Executive of the Africa Cricket Association
(ACA) said: "We are thankful to the Boards for making their players available and the potential line-up of talent is remarkable. The funds raised by those in the public eye at the very top will go a long way in securing the future growth and development of the game.
"Since 2005 the Afro-Asia funds have been used across Africa to set up coaching programs and competitions for girls and boys and in providing facilities and equipment to numerous countries and clubs across Africa. The same is true for Asia.
"In fact, with this Afro-Asia Cup being held in India, the benefits to our cause will be even greater and ensure that both Africa and Asia will continue to spread the game over the two continents."
The Afro-Asia Cup is owned by the Africa Cricket Association and Asia Cricket Council, the development bodies for cricket in both continents. They came together in 2005 to form Afro-Asian Cricket Co-operation (AACC).
Sightsavers International, a charity specializing in the eradication of blindness. In 2006 a donation was made to Sightsavers by Afro-Asian Cricket Co-operation of USD$226,485. The Chief Executive of Sightsavers has reported that 9 Countries in Africa and 8 countries in Asia benefited in their programme with regards to eye treatment.
Further to that a lot of aid was given to the Tsunami Relief Organizations in Asia.
The first Afro-Asia Cup was held in South Africa in August 2005. The 2007 and 2008 Afro-Asia Cups are set in the ICC Future Tours Program and like the 2005 version will be official ODIs.
In addition to the three Afro-Asia Cup matches there will be a Women’s Asia v Africa match and a men’s Twenty20 Asia v Africa match in Bangalore on the 5th of June.
This will be the first time that International Twenty 20 cricket is played in India.
SMITH CAPTAIN: The Selection committee of the African Eleven is proud to announce the Squad that will represent Africa in the forth-coming Afro/Asia Series June 2007 in India. Graeme Smith (Captain) - South Africa
Steve Tikolo (V.Captain) - Kenya
Johan Botha - South Africa
Mark Boucher - South Africa
Elton Chigumbura - Zimbabwe
A.B. De Villiers - South Africa
Herschelle Gibbs - South Africa
Andrew Hall - South Africa
Jacques Kallis - South Africa
Makhaya Ntini - South Africa
Thomas Odoyo - Kenya
Peter Ongondo - Kenya
Shaun Pollock - South Africa
Vusi Sibanda - Zimbabwe
Hiren Varaiya - Kenya
The selection of the A Team and the Woman’s Team will be concluded by the 7th May 2007 they are to compete in the Woman’s Twenty/20 and A Team Twenty/20 competition in Bangalore India.
Afro-Asia Cup to showcase talent
Afro-Asia Cup game one, Centurion: Africa XI v Asia XI
Match begins 1100 BST
Kenyan players will get their chance to appear with South African stars when the Afro-Asia Cup begins on Tuesday.
Steve Tikolo, Collins Obuya, Thomas Odoyo are among the squad for the opening match at Centurion.
"Every player in the squad will play at least one game," said Mickey Arthur, South Africa's new coach, who will take charge of the Africa XI.
Pakistan's Inzamam-ul-Haq leads a side drawn from India, Sri Lanka and with two players from Bangladesh.
"The four cricketing nations in Asia are used to playing against each other - it's going to be good to play with one another," said Inzamam.
"We did it when we played for Asia in the tsunami matches, and it was a very good experience."
The Africa side will be led by Shaun Pollock for the opening match and the second game in Durban on Saturday.
Graeme Smith will take the helm for Sunday's final match, after serving an ICC-imposed ban for time-wasting.
The series has come under fire for adding to players' workloads and also because it carries full one-day international status.
And several leading players have dropped out citing English county commitments and injuries.
But Arthur said there had been no problem motivating his players.
"Any professional always wants to perform well," he said on the eve of the series opener.
"The first practice we had was more of an ice-breaker than anything, but I was very happy with the intensity of the practice we had today." Africa (from): Shaun Pollock (Capt), Boeta Dippenaar, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher (Wkt), Monde Zondeki, Jacques Rudolph, Nicky Boje, Justin Ontong, Steve Tikolo, Collins Obuya, Thomas Odoyo, Dale Steyn, Justin Kemp. Asia: Inzamam-ul-Haq (Capt), Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Yousuf Youhana, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzak, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe-bin-Mortaza, Anil Kumble, Shoaib Akhtar.
this is going to be some great cricket that combined asian team is the greatest team in the world & the african team is going to be alot weaker than the south african team this shit is going to be exciting
for the cats that's don't know about the afro asian cup
Afro-Asia Cup: History in the making
K Kumaraswamy in Durban | August 19, 2005 16:19 IST
"All that glitters is gold."
It is the slogan that goes with the official Mandela Coin, minted to celebrate the 130th anniversary of South Africa's first gold coin as well as 10 years of democracy.
While the politicians are equating gold with its rich and often bloodied history, the cricket administrators are hoping it would pave the way for a greener future for the game and more gold in return.
The inaugural edition of the Afro-Asia Cup kicked off on Wednesday to empty stands on a winter day in Johannesburg but the brains behind the concept firmly believe that "it is history in the making."
Dubbed as made-for-television, the series pits the two continental teams, with players drawn from their respective one-day international playing countries.
The opening match at the Wanderers proved to be some kind of a pot-boiler with the hosts winning by two runs.
Most of the thrill, at the sight of the fast ball darting off the seaming pitch and beating the bat, might have been vicarious pleasure because the grounds were hardly at their best and true conditions.
Hastily planned in the off-season, with title sponsors found only four days before the start, the tournament has had its critics.
Contravening the game's tradition of pitting two countries against each other has been openly pointed out, and the strengthening of the vote bank in the ICC secretly.
But all such talk has been summarily dismissed as rubbish.
"Africa and Asia are two continents of similar backgrounds and missions. They share the same socio-economic situation. In the case of cricket, cricket was played by the elite before it became a game of the masses. And we need to develop it further. There is so much to be done that there is no time for politics," said Peter Chingoka, chairman of the African Cricket Association.
Referring to the game featuring two continents as against the convention of two countries, Chingoka said new ideas are needed to further the game.
"That's what somebody would have said about the Ryder's Cup [golf]," the Zimbabwean said.
"When someone first thought of it, people would have said 'he must be crazy'. But now if they don't have it on the calendar, you wonder why they didn't have it.
"There is no point in sitting and talking over a cup of coffee. You open up and bring other people in, the game gets bigger and better.
"It was inconceivable that we have 20,000 people on day one. We have got to start somewhere. We have made a start and its a long journey."
ACA's acting chief executive officer Cassim Suliman said his continent is the fastest growing region in cricket with more and more countries taking upto it.
And he said the game could prove to be the much needed distraction for the region's youth, turning them away from guns and bombs.
"Africa is bleeding ... from war and genocide. Cricket can turn them. It has given them a chance to live, hope and courage," he said.
Suliman, whose great great-grand parents hailed from Gujarat, must know. A sixth generation Indian-origin citizen, Suliman is a key figure in the South African cricket and has held many posts in the Cricket Board.
He was a Director of Cricket South Africa until resigning recently, and still the CEO of Easterns Cricket Association.
As one who grew up in the apartheid era, he played an active role in thwarting the rebel tours in the 1970s and 1980s.
Naturally, he stresses on the humane aspect of sport.
"It is about building relations, making new friends. It is a very positive thing. This is history in the making," he said.
Suliman believes the response for the event will go up as it progressed.
"It is correct that this is not the right season [for cricket], particularly in Johannesburg in the winter. But to see 5,000 people come and watch the game on Wednesday, a working day in South Africa, is a miracle. I am sure there are going to be many more on Saturday and Sunday and then you will know the enthusiasm for the game in South Africa."
Both Suliman and Chingoka talked about ambitious plans for the game in Africa.
Cricket co-ordinators in four regions of the continent would be appointed soon to conceive and implement programmes for the development of players, coaches, umpires and infrastructure.
The Asian angle would come in sharing talent and resources, having tours with teams visiting from both the sides.
Curiously, the administrators have not thought about the Afro-Asia Cup beyond 2007. At present, there are plans only for three years with Asia to host the event next year, and Africa again the following year.
"After that, we will see how it had progressed. We will go back to the drawing board and see if we had achieved what we set about, whether it had been good or bad, whether it is worth it," Suliman said.
"You will never know how good is something unless you test it. We are testing it now."
You're out, Mugabe
May 13, 2007
AUSTRALIA'S cricket team will be banned by the Federal Government from its planned forthcoming tour of Zimbabwe.
It is understood Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer wrote to Australian cricket's governing body, Cricket Australia, yesterday advising it of his intention to prevent the tour going ahead in September.
In his letter, Mr Downer is understood to have told Cricket Australia he had been advised by government lawyers that he had the discretion to stop the tour.
Prime Minister John Howard is today expected to announce the unprecedented decision to ban the tour. Mr Howard raised the issue with Australian captain Ricky Ponting after the team returned from its recent triumph at the World Cup in the West Indies.
The Government had argued that if the tour went ahead, it would be used as a propaganda weapon by Zimbabwe's murderous President Robert Mugabe.
His desperate efforts to hang onto power have scuttled democracy and ruined the country's once-thriving economy.
Mr Downer told Cricket Australia at a meeting on Thursday the Government's preference was that the tour not go ahead.
Cricket Australia was reluctant to announce a ban on the one-day series itself because this would have made it potentially liable for a $2.4 million compensation payment to Zimbabwe. The Government's decision to impose the ban extricates Cricket Australia from its contractual obligation to pay any fine.
There was also some concern that the fine money paid to Zimbabwe would have gone straight into the
pockets of corrupt members of the Mugabe regime.
It is understood there is an out for Australia under the terms of the existing contract.
The International Cricket Council fines can be waived if player security is considered to be at risk or if a team is banned from a tour by its own government. According to senior sources close to the process, a unilateral withdrawal from the tour by Cricket Australia could also have had implications for relations with other cricketing countries.
"A decision by Cricket Australia to impose a ban might have been frowned upon by other cricketing nations," the source said.
"This decision gets Cricket Australia out of a hole."
Mr Downer outlined his position to ABC radio on Friday, saying: "I think if the Australian cricket team goes - and the Australian cricket team is the greatest team in the world - the message that it will, inadvertently, of course, be sending to the Mugabe regime is that it's not isolated.
"That the world's greatest cricket team is happy to go and participate in a sports festival there in Zimbabwe ... I don't think that is the right message.
"And secondly, I know from talking with many Zimbabweans ... they don't want to see the tour (go ahead) because it will be seen as a propaganda victory (to Mr Mugabe's regime)."
After meeting with Mr Downer on Thursday, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said that if the Government intervened to stop the tour, the $2.4 million fine would be waived
i think 03's tournament was alot better than this years, alot more interesting.
with this years i just lost interest after a while, australia never looked like losing a match.
zimbabwe is a beatifull country the houses is big & crime was very low & good people
it was the bread bascket of africa
when zimbabwe was under colonization thats when it was the bst african country ... its a shame a country so beautiful could end up like that, a zimbabwean girl came to my school when i was in year 10 and the stories she told, you wouldnt believe them if they told, its shit you think only happen in hollywood and shit ... and just of note, zimbabwe rejected an offer to play the scheduled one dayers at neutral venues ...
Top players slam World Cup
May 15, 2007
A SURVEY of the world's best cricketers revealed most players were underwhelmed by this year's World Cup and have little faith in the International Cricket Council's ability to govern the game.
In a damning assessment of the sport's showpiece event and the ICC, most of the 45 elite players surveyed admitted they were not satisfied by the governing body's ability to organise World Cups or the game.
The survey, conducted by the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) and released today, found 56 per cent of players were both not satisfied by the ICC's ability to deliver World Cups and lacked confidence in the ICC governing cricket.
Significant numbers also said they had not been educated properly on matters such as corruption, doping and racism.
The survey found 89 per cent of players rated the recent World Cup in the
Caribbean as either average (44 per cent), below average (38 per cent) or poor (eight per cent).
Only three per cent of respondents said the tournament was excellent, while eight per cent rated it good.
On top of the murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, the World Cup was criticised for being too long, having too many lopsided matches, having a long and meaningless Super Eights stage and putting fans offside through a lack of atmosphere and steep ticket prices.
Australia's win over Sri Lanka in the final was also marred by rain and the inability of the umpires and match referee Jeff Crowe to call the match off because of light even though both sides had conceded the game over.
Those scenes of chaos made for an anti-climatic finish when the match eventually finished in darkness.
Just as alarming for the ICC, significant numbers of players said they were not properly educated on anti-doping, anti-corruption and anti-racism measures.
Fourteen per cent of players said they had not been properly educated by the ICC on its anti-doping policy, 16 per cent said they had not been adequately educated in anti-corruption matters and 18 per cent said they were not aware of their obligations under the sport's anti-racism code.
The survey was distributed to members of the FICA member nations, which includes Australia and the elite cricket-playing nations
theyve got a point ... the icc couldnt organise a root in a brothel, that world cup was all over the place ... but still that survey doesnt mean shit ... only 45 players were asked ... thats only a handful per nation ...
i was chillin at my friends spot on saturday & there was a cat from zimbabwe in our company & according to him it's a beatiful place
he says on average the people in zimbabwe live better there then what they live here & it's only been fucked up now for the last few years
he left zim about 6 months ago & is looking forward in going back once magabe dies
he says magabe will run that country till he dies
what seems bad to so might not be that bad to others
i enjoyed the world cup i got to see alot of teams play almost evryday i was watching cricket
i don't understand how somone who enjoys test cricket can find the worldcup too long
yeah i didnt really think it was too long, just from an australian point of view it was kind of uneventful, except for the fact they detroyed pretty much every team they played.
i enjoyed the games between other countries, new zealand were good to watch, same with sri lanka.
did you see kenya play?
chris gayle got absolutely creamed in the jatz crackers ... and ive had that done to me 3 times before so i felt his pain ... that shit fuckin HURTS
Captain Kallis guides SA to victory
http://images.supersport.co.za/Kalli...HittingGbg.jpgCaptain Jacques Kallis anchored the innings in typical fashion to guide South Africa to a convincing four-wicket win over India in their one-day international in Belfast on Tuesday.
Full Scorecard
India were restricted to 242 for eight after Kallis won the toss and put them in to bat. South Africa replied with 245 for six to win with three balls to spare.
Kallis came to the crease in the 13th over and stood firm as the wickets tumbled around him to score an unbeaten 91. He faced 116 balls and hit six fours in his steadying innings.
India's innings turned on a third-wicket stand of 158 between Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar. Andre Nel separated them in the 44th over when he yorked Dravid's leg stump out of the ground.
The Indian captain scored a solid 74, but his team should have made more of a fist of their innings even considering his untimely dismissal. That they didn't had much to do with the fact that Tendulkar was dismissed just one run short of a century.
That disaster befell the Indians an unlucky 13 balls after Dravid went. Tendulkar clipped a delivery from Nel towards the cover boundary and set off for the run that took him to 99. Fair enough. But then he turned for a second to try and reach his ton, and a crackerjack throw from the deep by Morne van Wyk to Mark Boucher found the maestro just short of his ground.
Decent death bowling saw India lose four more wickets in what remained of their innings, two of them to Kallis. There were also two scalps for Andrew Hall, while Nel finished with three for 47.
South Africa's reply smouldered rather than burned, but that proved the best course of action on a lively pitch and against India's tricky attack.
AB de Villiers and Van Wyk made a good enough start with their opening stand of 56 that was ended when left-arm fast bowler Rudra Singh had De Villiers caught behind for 24.
That stirred Kallis into action, and as long as he was given reasonable support the result wasn't in serious doubt. Reliable help came from Van Wyk (44), who shared a stand of 43 with the skipper before he attempted to nurdle a ball from leg-spinner Piyush Chawla to leg but sent a catch looping to cover.
Boucher, whose innings was ended at 23 by a dodgy leg-before decision given in favour of Zaheer Khan, helped Kallis add another 41 for the fifth wicket.
Then Vernon Philander scored a useful 17 not out in the unbroken stand of 55 that put the South Africans over the top.
To Philander fell the honour of scoring the winning runs, which came when he belted Yuvraj Singh through long-off for four. Chawla proved a handful and took three for 47.
Bumper season for SA cricket
http://images.supersport.co.za/CSA_LOGO_White_bg.jpgCricket South Africa on Wednesday announced the fixtures for the 2007/8 season, and fans are in for a treat of domestic and international cricket that includes seven tours and the hosting of the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 South Africa 2007 in September.
Gerald Majola, CSA CEO, said at a media conference: “This is going to be a bumper season for South African cricket, both domestically and internationally.
“The new season, which kicks off with the tour to Ireland this month, will include seven international tours and the hosting of the inaugural World Twenty20 South Africa in 2007.
“We believe that the T20 format is going to bring in a new audience for cricket, and we believe this interest will spread to other forms of the game.
“On the home front, the Standard Bank Pro20 broke all domestic attendance records last year, and we expect this pattern to continue in the new season.
“We also believe that this will impact on audiences following other domestic competitions.
“We will be into our fourth season of franchise cricket, all indications are that the MTN Domestic Championship and the SuperSport Series in the longer version of the game will again produce outstanding and competitive cricket.
“On the international front, we will be using this season with its seven tours to increase the pool of Proteas players so that we can meet the challenges of this busy 2007/8 season.
“This means that the domestic programme will give emerging players a good opportunity to catch the attention of the national selectors, and this will give added incentives to do well in our home competitions.
“The international tours will be a good mix of home and away conditions, and our Standard Bank High Performance Programme has been geared to prepare players for different conditions and different formats of the game.
“The international tours include away tours to Ireland, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. “At home, we will be hosting New Zealand and West Indies as well as the ICC World Twenty20 South Africa 2007. “We are not taking our first international tour to Ireland lightly, and the Proteas squad, with several new players in it, is determined to do well. “The squad will play in a five-match ODI tournament against India and Ireland, which will be held in Belfast from June 22.”
Yuvraj takes India to series win
On a day when three batsmen engineered rescue acts in bowler-friendly Belfast, India prevailed, sneaking a thrilling 6-wicket win to clinch the Future Cup
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Justin Kemp helped lift South Africa to 148 but it wasn't enough as India won by six wickets and took the series in the third ODI in Belfast
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/...77064.icon.jpgMakhaya Ntini is congratulated by Morne Van Wyk after dismissing Sachin Tendulkar early
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/...77065.icon.jpgGautam Gambhir just about makes his ground as Mark Boucher whips
South Africa beats Australia
http://images.supersport.co.za/Smith...attingGLbg.jpgGraeme Smith led from the front to take South Africa to an eight-wicket victory in their ICC World Twenty20 warm-up match against Australia at Supersport Park on Sunday afternoon.
Full Scorecard
The near capacity crowd that made the most of a glorious spring day to pack Supersport Park had their money's worth as they watched Smith bludgeon an undefeated 89 off 61 balls.
Chasing a target of 180 for victory, Smith and Herschelle Gibbs got off to a very good start with an opening stand of 54 before Gibbs was bowled by Ben Hilfenhaus for 20. Smith was joined by AB de Villiers, and although their 50 partnership took them 43 balls, they soon began to knock off the runs. Smith reached his half century off 36 balls, hitting nine fours, while De Villiers needed just 29 deliveries to reach 50.
They put on 116 for the second wicket, but with victory in sight, De Villiers was caught in the covers by Brad Hodge off Nathan Bracken for 65. His runs came off 35 balls and included four boundaries and four sixes.
JP Duminy joined Smith at the crease, but added only one run before Smith clinched the victory with a boundary off Bracken to win the match by eight wickets with five balls in hand.
The partisan crowd was with the Proteas all the way, cheering every run, and as victory appeared imminent, the strains of "Shoshaloza" were heard around the ground.
Earlier, Australia, sent in to bat by South Africa, made a competitive 179 for eight, although they lost wickets at regular intervals.
Veteran workhorse Shaun Pollock got the ball rolling when he bowled Adam Gilchrist (nine) and Brad Haddin (nought) with the last two balls of his second over to have Australia 18 for two.
Bowling partner Makhaya Ntini got into the act in the next over when he ran Brad Hodge out for six.
Andrew Symonds and Michael Hussey got Australia back on track with a fourth-wicket stand of 42, before AB de Villiers took an excellent catch off Andre Nel to send Hussey back for 14.
Symonds, for whom T20 cricket could have been designed, smashed 45 off 26 balls, including six fours and a six, before he was caught by Ntini off Johan van der Wath's first delivery.
Matthew Hayden, always a danger man, hit 18 off nine balls, with two massive sixes, but Vernon Philander put paid to his scoring efforts with a magnificent ball that shattered his wicket.
Morne Morkel took two wickets in three balls, with Brett Lee caught on the boundary by Pollock for 11, and Hogg bowled for 28 off 19 balls.
Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Bracken scored 41 runs off the last three overs, with Johnson contributing six fours in his 30. After the match, the crowd had some additional entertainment when the two sides practised a 'bowl-out' - the method that will be used in the event of a tie during the T20. Australia won the bowl out, which went into a sudden death situation, after the two teams were equal after six bowlers had bowled at the wickets.
Gibbs, Kemp ease SA to victory
http://images.supersport.co.za/Gibbs...itsSixGLbg.jpgHerschelle Gibbs and Justin Kemp shared a century stand to earn South Africa a stirring eight-wicket win over West Indies in the World Twenty20 opener in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
Scorecard
Gibbs and Kemp are two of the most maddeningly mercurial talents in South African cricket, but on the night they emerged on the right side of that equation with an unbroken partnership of 120.
Gibbs' 90 not out, which came off 54 balls with 14 fours and two sixes, was brimful of breathtaking innovation despite him batting with a runner after straining a calf. Kemp was all elegance and power for his unbeaten 46.
Quietly, they stole Chris Gayle's thunder. The West Indies opener gobsmacked the capacity crowd with his belligerent 117, the first century to be scored in the international version of 20-over cricket.
That was the cornerstone of West Indies' total of 205 for six. South Africa replied with 208 for two to win with 14 balls remaining.
Gayle murdered his innings off 57 balls with seven fours and 10 sixes. He reached his ton in the 15th over off 50 deliveries, and of those just 15 of those were dot balls. He took singles off another 15 balls. The rest were dispatched to or over the boundary.
There was little South Africa could do as Gayle laid into the bowlers as if they had said something awful about his mother.
He drilled the seventh ball he faced, which was bowled by Shaun Pollock, low and menacing over square leg to register his first six in the third over.
By then the runs were already raining like shrapnel, and that was the pattern until Devon Smith edged Vernon Philander to Mark Boucher in the 14th over.
Smith's 35 was by some distance the lesser part of a stand of 145, the biggest in the short history of international 20-over cricket.
Gayle smashed, slashed and bashed his way forward for another three overs before he skied Johan van der Wath to Boucher. Graeme Smith and Pollock made sure to shake the centurion's hand as he left the ground.
South Africa fought back superbly to take three more wickets and concede just 27 runs from the 25 deliveries that remained after Gayle had gone.
But there remained plenty of work to do with the bat, and things looked bleak when Graeme Smith was struck a painful blow on the hand by the first ball of the innings, bowled by Ricardo Powell.
The skipper soldiered on until the sixth over, when he drove at Ravi Rampaul and was smartly caught by Gayle at extra cover for 28.
AB de Villiers scored 16 before hoiking at Fidel Edwards and skying a catch to the wicketkeeper. That reduced South Africa to 88 for two in the ninth over. The match was in the balance then, but not for long as Gibbs and Kemp shut the door on their opponents with brilliant batting that the Windies could neither contain nor end. The West Indians fell apart under the mounting pressure, dropping Gibbs on 20 and 43 and Kemp on 13. Their ground fielding dwindled to a level that would have embarrassed the average eight-year-old, and they gave up long before the result was in the book.
Smith all clear, Gibbs 50-50
http://images.supersport.co.za/Smith...HitsBallGL.jpgThe Proteas were able to breath a huge sigh of relief when both X-rays and a CAT scan revealed that their captain, Graeme Smith, suffered no fracture when he was hit on the right hand by West Indies paceman Daren Powell at the Wanderers on Tuesday night.
Smith was rushed to hospital immediately after he was dismissed off the first ball of the sixth over of the ICC world Twenty20 opener -- he actually suffered the injury to the first ball of the innings -- and the prospect of a tournament-threatening injury threatened to remove some of the gloss from South Africa’s eight-wicket victory.
“In spite of the fact that the results reveal no fracture, there is bound to be severe bruising of the soft tissue,” cautioned team physiotherapist Shane Jabaar.
“We will have to be guided by his physical condition in treating the injury but hopefully he will be able to pick up a bat in two days’ time.”
Smith was able to follow the progress of his team on television from a local hospital. “Fortunately there was a TV set there and I dashed in and out of the X-ray room to follow the boys’ progress,” he said.
“It was a win of great character,” he commented.
“When we got Chris Gayle out in the 14th over, we got together in the middle and were determined to get back into the game in the final six overs. That was what we managed to do with both ball and in the field. It was a turning point.
“Herschelle (Gibbs) and Justin (Kemp) both batted brilliantly. Herschelle underlined that the ability of a batsman to go through the innings is just as important in this form of the game as it is in an ODI.”
The news about Gibbs, who finished with an unbeaten 90 off 55 balls and aided by a runner for much of the time, was not quite as positive. “Herschelle has a first degree plus strain of the hamstring (of the right leg),” commented Jabaar. “At this stage he can only be regarded as a 50-50 chance for Saturday (against Bangladesh at Newlands).” Fortunately, the Proteas are well stocked for top-order batsmen. Both Gulam Bodi and AB de Villiers have proved their ability to open at this level while JP Duminy is also a top three batsman.
Thirty Six Runs In Six Balls Herschelle Gibbs Cricket video
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it's a whille back but it's defintly worth watching
South African cricket has a quota for one coloured player, which is met by Cape coloured opener Herschelle Gibbs
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australia vs zimbabwe is going to start soon
right now pakistan vs scotland, they in 10th over pakistan is batting already 3 down & the runs is coming slow
pakistan won the game due to poor batting from the scots
it looks like australia is going to win zimbabwe through the fuckworth system but zimbabwe if the game goes on zimbabwe should win it
ZIMBABWE BEATS AUSTRALIA http://flagspot.net/images/z/zw1.gif http://flagspot.net/misc/fis_vari.gif
The Zimbabwe team race on to the pitch, engulfing each other. This is a magnificent result and, it must be said, a thoroughly deserved victory. Zimbabwe have played so well this evening. "Congratulations Zimbabwe" flashes up on the board - not a phrase expected before this match. Remember you could have got 10 to 1 on Zimbabwe at the start of this game, in a two-horse race. And Australia were 50-1 on.
Zimbabwe really have shone in this match, with nerveless fielding, accurate bowling and then an excellent display of batting from a confident Taylor who carried his bat to bring up an unbeaten 60. Ponting is still smiling: "We've been outplayed." He calls the batting "diabolical" but wait, read this: "It's a mental thing for us - we've got to start respecting the game a bit more." There it is, Ponting has said it: Australia have admitted they have been taking the game too lightheartedly.
Perhaps lessons from the 2005 Ashes have not been learned, when their drubbing - having dismissed Twenty20 as "a bit of fun" - set the tone for the summer. And this result tonight is interesting - we did wonder if Australia had a fall coming given their confidence heading into the tournament, though nobody expected that it would be so dramatic, nor that they would lose to Zimbabwe. Their upcoming opponents, though, must be fearing a resurgence - perhaps the monster will be woken now.
Let's focus now, though, on Utseya who is calm in the win. "We needed someone to play sensible, Brendan Taylor did that." He said he was going to bowl first anyway, so the toss was unimportant. Utseya leaves the interview, punching his fist in the air. As well he might. What an extraordinary match we have just witnessed. Taylor is the Man of the Match. "Words can't describe the win. Allround brilliant performance by the guys." He said it.
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/...79495.icon.jpgBrendan Taylor appeals as Mike Hussey is run out by a direct hit from point
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/...79499.icon.jpgAn ecstatic Gary Brent celebrates bowling Brett Lee
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/...79505.icon.jpgVusi Sibanda steams into one
MAN OF THE MATCH Brendan Taylor
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when the zimbabweans came back on the field it was pure adrenalin i couldn't sit we where jumping around screaming like mad men
just watched the match mate, and while the format is pretty dubious, i dont mind seeing a lower team like zimbabwe have a win.
the game is good to watch, but i really dont think it has to be taken that seriously.
it was an exciting game & zimbabwe out classed australia
i'll agree with that.
zimbabwe were very professional, a bit surprisingly.
you guys vs england next & with kevin pieterson on the team, it's going to be a tough game, if you guys loose you going to be out, i wouldn't want to be pontin right now. if you can get pieterson out early australia should win
it's actually a very exciting time for australian cricket suporters, cricket is best enjoyed in situations like this, that's how alot of our games are, it looks like we going to loose or we got an impossable target to reach & then we do it, it's exciting stuff
right now we like afro samurai we got the no.2 headband in search for no.1 & we getting better all the time
too bad zimbabwe will never outclass us in a test match. honestly i didnt even know this 20 20 world cup was on it's getting absolutely no coverage lol the only cricket article in the paper yesterday was how ricky ponting is going to advanced hair studios lol
waiting for the real cricket to start in november. fucking india and their bullshit lapdogs ICC changing our schedule and shit for the summer i wanted the sydney test to stay the same cos day 1 is jan 2 and i usualy go back to work from xmas break on the 3rd or 4th damn. dont matter we'll beat them wherever whenever.
20 20 is a toss of the coin job, it was fun 2 years ago now its just too much getting sick of the shit
cricket & rugby is big down here & it's been a great month so far, the biggest disscision i had to make was what i'm going to watch & what i must miss.
the 20 20 is the most exciting form of cricket, this worldcup opened the doors for this sport it's going to be big, that test cricket should be done with becuase it's too boring, i don't sleep much & watching test cricket it normally knocks me out, i feel sorry for the players that must stand in the sun for 5 days without even a gameboy for entertainment in the field
yesterday we played a game & today we playing another game, what more can a man ask for & we got rugby inbetween that to
man, i can't agree with getting rid of test cricket. thats the truest form of the game, and to me is just as interesting as 20/20.
especially from a tactical point of view, its just more interesting.
and the game can turn completely between inninngs, with 20/20 its over so fast that you can hardly appreciate it.
i still like 20/20, but it doesnt rival test cricket.
i'm just fucking with tonearm it can be boring but not as boring as i made it sound
Cricket's future is Twenty20
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Since time immemorial everything has been changing to keep up with the pace of modern life and cricket is no different.
All most all sport played by humans have undergone major changes to keep up with the times. The off-side rule in hockey has been abolished, tie-breakers introduced in tennis, and FIFA made many changes in football to make it more appealing to the fans.
Similarly the bosses running cricket have made their fair share of changes in the game. About 35 years back, it was a game spread over five days with most of the matches ending in a dreary draw before near-empty stadiums.
Bringing the fans back into the stadium and making the Test match more interesting was proving to be a big headache for the administrators of the game when they took a cue from English county's One-Day championship and introduced the limited-over match at the international stage. The first One-Day International took place between England and Australia in Melbourne in 1971.
And four years later in 1975 the West Indies won the inaugural World Cup with the fans coming out in large numbers to enjoy the latest version of the game.
Soon ODIs became a rage with day-night matches, coloured clothing, innovative tactics and new strategies adding more excitement to the game.
The World Cup became a regular fixture and Test cricket also changed with more matches throwing up a winner.
However, with an increase in the number of ODIs, the traditional fan and aficionados lamented the demise of the game, as they knew.
But there was nothing that could stop the rising popularity of the One-Dayers with most of the venues seeing record crowds to watch the slam bang version of cricket.
Those who had said that the ODIs would never be able to rule public imagination had to eat their words as it had a positive effect on the Test arena too. Teams now played to win, scoring runs at a faster rate, developed new strategies with players becoming more athletic and ready to take more risks.
Then, in 2003 there was time for one more change in the format with another abridged version of the game coming out in the open. It was the Twenty20 in which each team had only 20 overs to play with the match getting over in about three hours.
And just like the first ODI World Cup, we are going to see the first Twenty20 World Cup soon.
And once again the critics are up in arms saying that Twenty20 in nothing more that a shameless copy of baseball where all that the batsmen has to do is to swing the bat with all their might as the bowlers have been made just an appendage with too many restriction imposed on them.
But going by the initial response, it seems that though some of their concerns maybe valid but is not likely to dent the popularity of the Twenty20 match.
The biggest appeal of Twenty20 lies in the short duration of the matches. This is what has been Test cricket's biggest bugbear with the One-Dayers also losing fans especially in mostly in the developed countries as taking a day off in this fast moving world is becoming increasingly impossible.
This is where Twenty20 comes in. A cricket fan can come back home in the evening and sit down and enjoy the complete match. The common fan is more interested in seeing the ball fly to all corners of the field and enjoy the run feast than worry about the intricacies of the game.
While this version may lead to more domination by the batsmen with some bowlers already voicing their concern, it is also likely to lead to more innovation by the fielding team.
Who knows tomorrow we may see something as revolutionary as what New Zealand skipper in the 1992 World Cup did – opening the bowling with a spinner. And that in turn may also see the ODIs and Tests undergoing yet another change.
Twenty20 will also be helpful in spreading the game to those countries where it has not taken roots due to the amount of time involved in completing one match. Already countries like China and USA are showing interest in wielding the willow.
So instead of simply criticising Twenty20 let us grab the pop corn bowl, sit back and enjoy as in a fast paced world, the game that gives you result in the least possible time is going to be the future.
India win bowl out thriller
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India won a dramtic bowl-out 3-0 to beat Pakistan and seal their place in the Super Eights after their Twenty20 World Cup Group D match ended in a thrilling tie.
Proteas keep battling Tigers at bay
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South Africa survived an early batting assault from Bangladesh to record a comfortable 7 wicket victory under the lights in Cape Town to win Group A.
Bold Jayasuriya knock sinks Kiwis
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Sri Lanka underlined why they are serious contenders for the ICC World Twenty20 with a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand to finish top of Group C.
Australia unstoppable at Newlands
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England qualified for the Twenty20 World Cup Super Eights despite being hammered by Australia by eight wickets in a one sided game at Newlands .
Vettori engineers win for NZ over India
http://images.supersport.co.za/Vetto...16BowlsGbg.jpgDaniel Vettori had India in a spin as they wasted a good start and crashed to a 10-run defeat to New Zealand in their Twenty20 World Cup Group E match on Sunday.
Full Scorecard
After opening batsman Virender Sehwag had thrashed 40 off 17 balls as India raced to 76 without loss in the sixth over, left-arm spinner Vettori asked too many questions of the remaining Indian batsmen, taking four for 20 as they finished on 180 for nine.
Vettori's testing variations of flight and pace first accounted for Robin Uthappa for a duck as he pushed back a return catch and then Gautam Gambhir, who looped a catch on the leg side to wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.
Gambhir had top-scored with 51 off 33 balls and shared in an opening stand of 76 off just 37 deliveries with Sehwag.
Irfan Pathan (11) and Dinesh Karthik (17) were victims of Vettori's third spell as the required run rate became insurmountable for India.
Earlier, Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram made merry in the last five overs to lift New Zealand to a challenging total.
The pair shared a partnership of 73 runs in 5.2 overs as New Zealand scored 190 all out in 20 overs. McMillan scored a scintillating 44 off 23 balls, with four sixes, and Oram slammed 35 off 15 balls, with three sixes.
They reversed a decline in the innings that saw New Zealand slide from 69 for one in the ninth over to 91 for five in the 13th over.
Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was the bowler who halted the charge, taking two for 24 in his four overs, while left-arm seamer Rudra Pratap Singh finished with two for 29. Neither McMillan nor Oram could bat through to the end of the innings, however, as New Zealand lost four wickets in the final over, wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni claiming the credit for three run outs. McCullum top-scored for New Zealand at the top of the order with 45 off 31 balls, setting the side on their way to their highest total in Twenty20 internationals. Their previous best was 170 all out against Australia in Auckland in 2004/05.
Australia win as Lee takes hat-trick
http://images.supersport.co.za/LeeBr...16JumpsGbg.jpgAustralia gave Bangladesh a lesson in Twenty20 cricket when they thrashed them by nine wickets with 37 balls to spare in their ICC World Twenty20 (T20) Super Eight game at Newlands on Sunday afternoon, as Brett Lee took the first hat-trick in international T20 cricket.
Final Scorecard
Australia won the toss and sent Bangladesh in to bat. Bangladesh were unable to reproduce the pyrotechnics of Saturday, when they raced to their first 50 off just 23 balls against South Africa. This time, they were much more pedestrian as tight bowling and skilful fielding by Australia kept them in check.
Tamim Iqbal and Nazim Uddin put on 40 for the first wicket before Uddin was caught by Ponting off Michael Clarke for 11. Ponting initially fumbled the ball before catching it.
Tamim Iqbal was the top scorer, with 32 runs off 40 balls, while Aftab Ahmed made 31 off 34. The first wicket stand was the only partnership of note.
Mohammad Ashrafal, who recorded the fastest 50 in T20 history, off just 20 balls, against the West Indies, could only muster seven runs before be was caught by Symonds off Stuart Clark. Although Aftab Ahmed tried to keep things going, he started running out of partners.
Lee's hat-trick came in the 18th over, when Shakib Al Hasan was caught behind by Adam Gilchrist, and Lee followed up by bowling first Mushrafe Mortaza and then Alok Kapali. Farhad Reza could have been his fourth victim in four balls had Lee not bowled a no-ball. The hat-trick was his second in international cricket - he took a hat-trick against Kenya in the 2003 World Cup.
His opening partner Nathan Bracken took two wickets in successive balls in the final over, when he had Aftab Ahmed caught by Brad Hodge and then Farhad was caught by Michael Hussey off his next delivery.
Chasing a modest total of 124 for victory, Australia were merciless. Hayden was brutal, bludgeoning his way to 73 not out off 50 deliveries.
He hit nine fours and three sixes.
Gilchrist was only marginally less brutal, racing to 43 off 26 balls, including a single boundary and four sixes, before he was run out by Mushrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal as he scrambled for a third run. After their hiccup against Zimbabwe in their first match, Australia have returned to the all-conquering brand of cricket which has taken them to the top in Test and 50-over cricket, and it would be a brave punter who did not back them to reach the final of the T20 in Johannesburg next Monday.
Morkel stars in SA win over England
Albie Morkel top scored and took two important wickets in South Africa's 19-run win over England in a Twenty20 World Cup Super Eights match in Cape Town on Sunday.
Morkel scored 43 in South Africa's total of 154 for eight and claimed two for 12 in England's reply of 135 for seven.
Morkel faced 20 balls and hit three fours and four sixes, three of them consecutively off leg-spinner Chris Schofield.
Number seven batsman Morkel came to the crease in the 15th over after South Africa had slumped to 91 for five, and six balls later they were 94 for six.
Pace bowler Stuart Broad led England's disciplined bowling performance with a haul of three for 37, but they did themselves no favours by dropping five catches.
South Africa reduced England to 27 for three before opener Matt Prior and Owais Shah stood firm with a partnership of 55. Medium pacer Morkel had Prior caught at deep cover for 32 before bowling Shah for 36 in his next over to halt England's momentum. England's last real hope of winning was snuffed out in the 19th over when fast bowler Johan van der Wath shattered Andrew Flintoff's stumps for 17.
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Albie Morkel smashes Chris Schofield for one of three consecutive sixes
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Kevin Pietersen collides with Shaun Pollock and is caught short by a direct hit from Makhaya Ntini
it was tough playing against england because our legendry bowler alan donald is the bowling couch for england now & their star batsmen is a south african they should change englands team name to the south african b side
Cricket: Pakistan beats Australia in World Twenty20; England loses to New Zealand
JOHANNESBURG - Misbah-ul-Haq hit an undefeated 66 in Pakistan's six-wicket win over Australia on Tuesday at the World Twenty20 tournament.
Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik was 52 not out to guide Pakistan to 165-4 after winning the toss and making Australia bat at the Wanderers Stadium.
Australia made 164-7 in its 20 overs, with Michael Hussey and Brad Hodge sharing a 63-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Earlier, England lost by five runs to New Zealand and looks likely to exit the Super Eight stage, while Sri Lanka played Bangladesh later Tuesday.
Hussey came in after the dismissal of captain Ricky Ponting - who battled his way to 27 off 26 balls - when Australia was on 92-4 in the 12th over.
Hussey hit 37 off 25 balls with three fours and one six, while Hodge scored 36 off 29 balls with three fours.
Sohail Tanvir was the best Pakistan bowler with 3-31 off his four overs.
Pakistan's batsmen started at a good run rate but lost four wickets by the seventh over. Stuart Clark took the first three wickets, finishing with 3-27, before Misbah and Malik got together at 46-4.
Without taking any excessive chances, they dominated the Australian attack in a 119-run partnership and Pakistan won with five balls to spare.
Misbah scored 66 off 42 balls with seven fours and the biggest six of the tournament so far - measured at 111 meters (364 feet). Malik reached 52 off 38 balls with four fours and two sixes.
In the opening match of the day, Craig McMillan hit four sixes in his 57 to help New Zealand beat England.
New Zealand, sent in to bat by England captain Paul Collingwood at the Kingsmead Stadium, reached 164-9 in its 20 overs after smashing 124 off the final 11 overs.
England finished at 159-8 and is bottom of its four-team group after losing to South Africa on Sunday. The top two teams advance to the semifinals and England must now win its final group match against India on Wednesday and rely on other results going its way.
New Zealand lost free-scoring opener Brendon McCullum in the first over for four, and then England's policy of rotating bowlers paid off as New Zealand's dangerous top-order was out of the way by the sixth over at 31-4.
But that signaled the arrival of Scott Styris and McMillan at the Kingsmead Stadium.
Styris hit four sixes in his 42 off 31 balls, and put on 60 with McMillan who faced the same number of balls.
When Styris departed, McMillan accelerated and took the score to 134-6 in the 17th over before he was caught by Dimitri Mascarenhas off the bowling of Darren Maddy.
Captain Daniel Vettori hit 17 off 9 balls.
Maddy took 2-6 in his single over, and James Anderson got 2-24 off his full quota of four overs.
Vikram Solanki stood in as wicketkeeper after Matt Prior broke his right thumb Monday during practice. England called up Durham wicketkeeper Phil Mustard as Prior's replacement on Tuesday.
England started the chase well with new opening pair of Maddy and Solanki, who put on 62 for the opening wicket before Solanki went for 24 in the eigth over.
The dismissal started a chain of wickets, with Maddy the next to go for 50 off 31 balls with four 4s and two sixes.
Kevin Pietersen and Luke Wright each contributed 24, and Owais Shah hit 21, but the rest were unable to get into double figures as England wasted its good start.
Even so, there was still an outside chance for England with just two overs to go and 20 runs needed. But Shah was run out, and Shane Bond had Mascarenhas and Wright well caught on the cover boundary by substitute Jeetan Patel.
After the game, England captain Paul Collingwood apologized for visiting a lap-dancing club Friday night.
"It's obviously unacceptable and I'll have to learn from that," Collingwood said. "I made a mistake."
Proteas victory sends England home
Wed, 19 Sep 19:12:00 2007
South Africa beat New Zealand by six wickets in the Twenty20 World Cup Group E match in Durban to send England crashing out of the competition.
http://d.yimg.com/eur.yimg.com//ng/s...1820855446.jpg New Zealand stumbled to a total of 153 for eight before the hosts polished off the total with five balls to spare as Justin Kemp smashed an unbeaten 89 off 56 balls.
Morne Morkel took four for 17 to lead South Africa's fightback after Lou Vincent (32) and Brendon McCullum (38) put on 68 for the first wicket.
Morkel was denied the first five-wicket haul in Twenty20 internationals when umpire Billy Doctrove ruled that the delivery that bowled Mark Gillespie in Morkel's last over was a no-ball.
New Zealand, who beat India and England in their first two Super Eights matches, fell away after their sturdy opening stand and they depended heavily on Craig McMillan's unbeaten 48 to post a respectable total.
McMillan and Jacob Oram (15) shared 41 for the fifth wicket, New Zealand's only other noteworthy stand.
In South Africa's reply, Kemp and Mark Boucher (23) put on 65 for the fourth wicket after their side had slipped to 45 for three.
Shaun Pollock (16 not out) helped Kemp - who smashed six fours and six sixes - complete the job with an unbroken stand of 48 for South Africa who now have four points from two games in the group and face India in their last game.
Morkel earned captain Graeme Smith's praise after he set up the victory.
"He has the ability to bowl quick and, with his height, to get bounce," Smith said.
"The calmness he is handling himself with and the trust he is showing in his own bowling has been great.
"He's a humble guy and I'd like to keep him working hard and making further progress."
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Justin Kemp relieved the pressure with some huge hits
India wins Durban run-feast by 18 runs
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 9:19:39 PM
Durban: http://in.yimg.com/twenty20/images/e...aj1909news.jpgThe left-handed Yuvraj Singh set the Kingsmead Cricket Ground alight tonight with an amazing show of power hitting, becoming the first man in the history of Twenty20 cricket to hit six sixes in an over, and starring in India's 18-run victory over England to stay in the hunt for a semifinal berth in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament. England fast bowler Stuart Broad was at the receiving end of man of the match Yuvraj Singh's whiplash blade.
T20 cricket may be about big hitting and we have seen nearly 200 sixes in the tournament but everyone who was privileged to watch Yuvraj Singh tear apart Broad's bowling is unlikely to forget that he hit clean cricket shots around the park as India built on a century stand between openers Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag to make 218 for four in 20 overs. He said the five sixes that England allrounder Dmitri Mascarenhas hit him recently in the ODI series rankled and he wanted to set the record staright
To their credit, the England batsmen tried to make a match of it but Yuvraj had put it beyond their reach and India ran out winner by 18 runs. It kept India in the running for a berth in the semifinals, leaving itself the task of winning tomorrow's night game against South Africa. South Africa and New Zealand have won two matches each and Paul Collingwood's team went out without a win in three group E games.
For all that, to put a Sehwag blitz takes some doing. And two men managed to do that after Sehwag cracked a 38-ball half-century. Gambir got there in two deliveries fewer but Yuvraj reached the milestone with just 12 deliveries reducing Paul Collingwood to a helpless state as he waded into Broad with impunity.
Yuvraj had walked in to bat when India seemed to be losing some momentum and with 26 deliveries left for the innings to end. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had again batted ahead of Yuvraj and was unable to hit the boundaries. Yuvraj was welcomed to the crease by Chris Tremless with a short delivery that went past his flashing blade.
That was the only time Yuvraj's bat did not make contact with the willow. He batted as if he had been at the crease all day, driving the next ball over covers. Two fours followed in the next over from Flintoff and a single off the left ball set him up to face Broad. Nobody would have been prepared for the mayhem that followed.
He got the first one over wide long-on and the second was a flick off the pads over long leg and into the crowd there. He stepped outside the line of the leg stump and sent the third soaring over extra cover. And when Broad sought to go round the wicket and delievered a full toss, Yuvraj guided the ball over the point fence for his fourth six. The fans had already screamed themselves hoarse.
Collingwood called for a mini meeting with Broad but Yuvraj sent the next delivery, bowled from over the wicket, climbing over the man at the mid-wicket fence by going down on one knee and connecting it sweetly. Broad knew the last one was also going to get the treatment and Yuvraj did not disappoint, leaning back to hit it over long on.
The ball was still on its way when he swirled around and waved his bat at his team mates in acknowledgement of their cheers. It was the fastest Twenty20 fifty - it came up from 12 balls and had three fours and six sixes.. Garry Sobers and Ravi Shastri achieved the feat of scoring six sixes in an over in first-class matches and Herschelle Gibbs in the ICC World Cup 2007.
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Yuvraj Singh smashes a six off Andrew Flintoff, England v India, Group E, ICC World Twenty20, Durban, September 19, 2007
we lost 1 game & we out the compitition, now that's some fucked up shit. it feels like i got kicked in the balls
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Reprieve for Robin Uthappa: Vernon Philander drops a dolly
India v Pakistan, World Twenty20 final, Johannesburg
India hold their nerve to win thriller
It was the best advertisement for Twenty20 cricket as the inaugural World Cup final at the Wanderers was absolutely scintillating as India beat Pakistan by five runs with three balls to spare. The game see-sawed throughout and Mizbah-ul-Haq's heroic rearguard almost saw Pakistan through before Dhoni's gamble to give the final over to the relatively inexperienced Joginder Sharma paid off as Misbah tried being a little too cute and Sreesanth poached the offering.
Full report to follow
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Sohail Tanvir was reliable as usual and got the dangerous Robin Uthappa out early on © Getty Images
Gautam Gambhir stitched together the fabric of the Indian innings with a magnificent 75, but tigerish bowling and fielding from Pakistan left them with only a modest target of 158 to chase to win the inaugural ICC World Twenty20. Umar Gul, the highest wicket-taker in the tournament, was the undoubted bowling star, taking 3 for 28 in a splendid spell where he bowled yorkers almost at will.
A late 30-run cameo from Rohit Sharma gave India hope, and they would attempt to draw inspiration from the previous encounter between the sides, when they tied the game despite scoring only 141 in Durban.
India's plans for the game had been rocked by the groin injury to Virender Sehwag, and his replacement, Yusuf Pathan, was nearly run out after dawdling for the first one. Otherwise known as Irfan's older brother, Yusuf came into prominence in domestic Twenty20, and he quickly demonstrated his ability with a straight six off Mohammad Asif.
With Asif bowling well below his normal pace, Yusuf then carved one through point for four before an ambitious pull landed in Shoaib Malik's hands at mid-on. That stemmed the early tide, and India were reliant mainly on singles to up the scoring rate. Robin Uthappa endeavoured to inject some momentum into the innings, but his attempt to go over extra-cover landed tamely in the hands of the fielder.
With Malik quickly bringing on Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez, India needed someone to find the gaps. Gambhir was the man, lacing some lovely drives through the covers and pushing the singles as Yuvraj Singh played himself in. Gambhir was ruthless with the loose delivery, heaving Afridi over midwicket for six as runs started to come too quickly for Malik's liking.
His response was to call on Umar Gul, Pakistan's most effective pace bowler in this competition. Gambhir cut him behind point en route to a 38-ball 50, but Gul's round-the-wicket line was soon to earn its reward. Yuvraj, in resplendent batting form in previous big games, didn't ever get going and a miscued pull landed straight back down in Gul's hands.
With the fielders showing tremendous commitment in the outfield and Gul mixing short-pitched deliveries with perfect yorkers, the batsmen grew increasingly frustrated. The pressure finally told on Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose swipe met only with air as Gul produced another fast-and-straight special.
Gambhir tried to break free of the shackles, and a massive six that thudded into the scoreboard at midwicket had the Indian fans dancing, but Gul's retribution was swift. An attempted flick-paddle went straight to Asif at short fine leg, and Gambhir's splendid innings was finally over.
Sharma had shone against South Africa in a crunch game, and he came to the fore again in the final two overs, taking Yasir Arafat for two fours before he lofted a slower ball from Sohail Tanvir in the direction of long-on. Hafeez got there, but could only tip the ball over the rope. On such incidents could matches between these two rivals be won and lost, but after excelling with the ball it was Pakistan that were tantalisingly close to the trophy.
india really played great cricket & deserve their title as world champions
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India and Pakistan line up ahead of the Twenty20 final
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Yuvraj Singh lines up a cut shot during his innings of 14
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Gambhir plays a pull off the back foot
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An India fan roars his support as the teams line up for the anthems
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RP Singh is jubilant after dismissing Mohammad Hafeez to start a Pakistan collapse
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Yuvraj Singh
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Pollock dropped for first test v Pakistan
http://images.supersport.co.za/Pollo...ppealsGLbg.jpgSouth African allrounder Shaun Pollock has been dropped for the first time in his career and will not play in the first test against Pakistan which begins on Monday.
"I am surprised and disappointed at not being considered for the first test," Pollock told a news conference on Friday.
The former South African captain, 34, is his country's most experienced test player with 416 wickets in 107 tests and has scored 3781 runs.
"It is first time I have been dropped apart from fitness issues so it is disappointing because I know what I can still do and what my job is," he said.
"But obviously no individual is bigger than South African cricket or the team and it is a decision of the captain and coach that I have to respect.
"Coach Mickey (Arthur) told me yesterday that they wanted to go into the first test with a different side and I won't be part of it.
"Mickey still feels I have a right to play especially in South Africa where pitches are more conducive. Personally I don't think my job on the flat subcontinent pitches is over.
"If the opportunity arises they might play me in the second test. I will take it on a day-to-day basis." Pollock ruled out that he would consider retiring from tests as a result of being dropped. "I will just have to make sure I perform up to standard and it is up to the selectors to take me for tours ahead," he said.
we are the best but politics will always fuck it up for us so we not the best we just a good team & that's not good enough for me
one more thing i need to get off my chest if kallis was playing in the 20 worldcup we might of not beat india in that game but we would of still been in the compitition & on the next game we would of taken them out & i swear to god that's the truth
Kallis, Amla sparkle for Proteas
http://images.supersport.co.za/Kalll...7DrivesRbg.jpgJacques Kallis put three months of inactivity behind him with deceptive ease as he and Hashim Amla made sure that the Castle Proteas had an excellent first day to their cricket tour of Pakistan on Thursday.
The pair put on 130 in only 140 minutes for the third wicket after the Proteas had been sent into bat by the PCB Patrons’ XI to lay the foundation for a very solid first day (of three) close-of-play total of 294/5 in the allotted 90 overs. The total was actually worth another 50 or 60 runs as the pitch was typically low and slow as was the outfield which had a boundary distance of some 90 metres on one side of the wicket.
It was Kallis’ first innings in the middle in any form of cricket since leading the Proteas in their one-day matches against Ireland and India in Belfast in June but any casual observer would have found it hard to believe.
His timing, balance and footwork were well nigh perfect from the first ball he faced just before lunch as he compiled a classy 73 off 105 balls (9 fours) in two hours and 20 minutes.
“It is nice to be playing cricket again,” commented Kallis of his innings. “It was great to get runs under the belt, particularly in the first few days of the tour.”
It took a brilliant catch at midwicket to get rid of Kallis, and Amla was also out to a good catch in the deep just when he seemed certain to make the first century of the tour.
“I don’t expect the test wicket to be anything like this,” commented Amla, who is on his first tour of Pakistan, of his innings of 87 off 154 balls with 10 fours and two sixes. “I was very pleased to start the tour this way,” he added. “Even if the test wicket is different, it is important to spend time in the middle and it was an extremely valuable exercise.”
Amla’s innings was an object lesson of how to bat on the sub-continent as he wore down the opposition bowlers between lunch and tea and then batted with great freedom in the evening session. His two sixes, struck over extra cover, were classic strokes and were the pick of the day.
Amla’s innings was also a vindication of the selectors’ decision to send the test specialists to India with the South African A side ahead of the Pakistan tour and the Dolphin batsman has certainly benefited from the exercise. It was generally a good batting day for the Proteas as the two openers, Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs, also spent the best part of two hours at the crease while AB de Villiers, batting at No 6, was at his fluent best in contributing an unbeaten 48 (103 balls, six fours).
Both he and Mark Boucher will have the opportunity for further batting practice on day two with the only failure being Ashwell Prince, who is bound to be shifted up the order in the second innings to give him another knock. The three-day match against what virtually amounts to the Pakistan A side is being played on a 12-a-side basis with only 11 on the field at any given moment, and Shaun Pollock and JP Duminy were the two unlucky tourists to sit out this game. The first test starts on Monday.
Boucher scores first tour ton
http://images.supersport.co.za/Bouch...BlocksGLbg.jpgMark Boucher scored the first century of the Proteas tour of Pakistan on Friday as the tourists put in their second day of solid match practice against the PCB Patron’s XI in preparation for the Test series which starts in Karachi on Monday.
The feisty wicketkeeper batted for just over four hours before he finally ran out of tail-end partners to finish unbeaten on 109 off 184 balls with nine fours and one six.
His partnership with AB de Villiers (81 off 182 balls with eight fours) for the sixth wicket of 119 runs was one of two century partnerships put together by the Proteas over the first two days and gave them a substantial first innings total of 467 to which the home side replied with 136/3 by the close.
“The pitch was too slow for attractive cricket,” commented Boucher. “We had the unusual situation where it was easier to score off the spinners than the quicker bowlers, something that is strange for this part of the world,” he added.
Asked about the success of Pakistani leg-spinner Rizwan Ahmed who finished with 7/144 in 37 overs, Boucher said he had deserved his success. “He had to bowl a lot of overs for his wickets and we were able to score a lot of runs off him, so we were quite happy with the way that we handled him.”
Rizwan’s best wicket was probably that of De Villiers. The South African No 6 went down the pitch to attack him and was beaten by the turn to nick the ball to slip.
The Proteas’ position would have been much stronger at the close but for two uncharacteristic dropped catches by Herschelle Gibbs, the first in the covers and the second at third slip.
Coach Mickey Arthur declared himself satisfied with the bowling effort. “We are getting some nice variety into our pace attack,” he commented. “Dale Steyn swings the ball at pace, Morne Morkel gets a lot of bounce and Makhaya Ntini is very effective, bowling across the left-handers. Then you have Andre Nel’s ability to bowl a heavy ball and I thought he was particularly good when he attacked the left-handers from around the wicket. “It was also very important for Paul Harris, who has not played in Pakistan before, to get in a good spell in a match. “There is certainly strong competition for places in the Test side with five seamers in the touring party, not to mention Jacques Kallis, who, I thought, looked lively today. He has come back very well from his break.” The South Africans will want to finish off the Pakistan first innings reasonably quickly although they are unlikely to enforce the follow on. They need to give Ashwell Prince another innings and both Graeme Smith and Gibbs would probably also appreciate more time in the middle.
Akhtar faces action over brawl
http://images.supersport.co.za/Akhta...02BowlsRbg.jpgThe Pakistan cricket board has called fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar to attend a disciplinary hearing after he was sent home from the World Twenty20 earlier this month after hitting a teammate.
Akhtar left South Africa after he hit Mohammad Asif with a bat before the start of the tournament. The bowler has said the blow was unintentional.
"We have issued a notice to Shoaib and asked him to appear before the committee on October 6 to record his statement, Shafqat Naghmi who heads the board's disciplinary committee said on Saturday.
The board has given the three-member committee two weeks to complete its hearing into the brawl and submit a report.
Akhtar has said his bat hit Asif accidentally and that allrounder Shahid Afridi had provoked the row.
"Besides Shoaib, Asif and Afridi would also be examined on October 6 and we will also question the team manager and some players," Naghmi said.
The controversial Akhtar escaped a fine of $5 000 last month for leaving a training camp in Karachi without informing the team management.
He appealed and the fine was suspended after it was accepted that he had told captain Shoaib Malik that he intended to leave.
Last year the fast bowler and Asif tested positive for a banned substance in out of competition tests conducted by the board and were sent home from the Champions Trophy in India. They were at first banned and then cleared by a drugs inquiry tribunal and appeals panel of the board. Akhtar has played just one test and four one-dayers in the last 15-months due to fitness and discipline related problems.
Ganguly doubtful for second Aus ODI
http://images.supersport.co.za/Gangu...rainingRbg.jpgIndian batsman Saurav Ganguly is an injury doubt for the second one-day international against Australia on Tuesday after limping off the field during the first match.
Ganguly tried to stop a ball during the Australian innings when he pulled up clutching his right hamstring and walked off the field during Saturday's rain-abandoned opening game.
Gautam Gambhir replaced him as opener when India batted. "It is the hamstring, he will have an MRI scan done tomorrow," skipper Mahendra Dhoni told reporters. Ganguly, 34, has had a series of fitness problems. He made a comeback late last year after he was dropped from the team for many months due to poor batting form and fitness.
Aussies eager to prove their status
http://images.supersport.co.za/Gilch...BattingGbg.jpgInjury-hit Australia aim to prove their status as world champions when they play their first one-day international since April, stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist said on Friday.
Australia, who have not played any 50-over match since claiming the World Cup in the Caribbean, will face Twenty20 champions India on Saturday in the first of seven one dayers.
"We were probably caught short a little bit in the Twenty20," Gilchrist, whose team were knocked out in the semi-finals of the Twenty20, told a news conference.
"There is no excuse for us now. We've had plenty of time and we know the conditions well."
Wicketkeeper Gilchrist will lead the team on Saturday as regular skipper Ricky Ponting recovers from a hamstring injury.
Ponting trained on Friday and is expected to return later in the series but injuries will provide newcomers the opportunity to help avenge their Twenty20 semifinal loss to India.
"We've got six changes for our first one-day international since the World Cup final through retirements, injuries and babies being born," said Gilchrist.
"Over the years we've shown that we have great depth. We'll be able to put out a team tomorrow that will be able to win the game."
Pace spearhead Glenn McGrath retired after the World Cup while allrounder Shane Watson, Mike Hussey and Shaun Tait are missing due to injuries.
Left-arm paceman Nathan Bracken is back home to be with his wife for the birth of their first child and is expected to return later in the series.
Denting Indian euphoria over their Twenty20 success is also on Australia's agenda.
Gilchrist said his men would be fired up following the comments made by some of the Indian players during their Twenty20 clash.
"We're giving a lot of focus on the fiery nature of a few of the Indian players," he said. "We expect that from all fast bowlers. It doesn't matter what they say, you got to back it up with good cricket.
"They did that in that semi and throughout the Twenty20," he said. "We've been doing that for well over a decade now. "We don't play on emotion, but on skill level and it is on a par with anyone else in the world." The tour will end on October 20 wiith a Twenty20 showdown.
Rain ruins Australia's one dayer v India
http://images.supersport.co.za/Clark...tRaisedGbg.jpgRain forced the abandonment of the opening one-dayer between India and Australia after Michael Clarke hit a career-best 130 for the visitors on Saturday.
Final Scorecard
India, replying to Australia's 307 for seven, were nine for one in 2.4 overs when showers halted the day-night game. Although the rain stopped, a wet outfield meant the match was called off after a three-hour wait.
Left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson trapped Sachin Tendulkar leg before for a duck in the second over before the weather intervened.
"It was good to score a hundred but disappointing it was a bit of a waste," Clarke told reporters.
Australia were playing their first one-dayer since claiming an unprecedented World Cup hat-trick in the Caribbean in April.
Adam Gilchrist, the stand-in captain with Ricky Ponting absent due to a hamstring strain, said his players were ready to go back out despite the conditions.
"I was happy to take the guys out to field in those conditions," said Gilchrist. "But the umpires and the match referee felt the field was unfit for play."
Dhoni said: "I can only say there's a fine line between being brave and foolish."
</B>TEST DEBUT
Clarke, who hit a hundred on his test debut at the same ground in 2004, put on 144 for the fifth wicket with Brad Haddin (69) and 73 for the sixth with James Hopes (37).
The 26-year-old Clarke recovered from a painful blow to his right hand from left-arm paceman Rudra Pratap Singh early on to hit 10 fours and three sixes, helping Australia recover from 90 for four after Gilchrist had opted to bat.
"I'm hoping it is just a bruise," Clarke said. "I will have a scan after I have a bit of ice tonight."
Clarke was run out off the last ball of the innings, leaving Australia with high hopes of avenging their recent semi-final defeat in the Twenty20 World Cup.
Fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth struck three quick blows, removing Brad Hodge (0), Matthew Hayden (34) and Andrew Symonds (7) in successive overs. Sreesanth finished with three for 55 while left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan took two for 64 but the Indian bowlers struggled against Clarke and Haddin, who cracked 87 runs in the last 10 overs. The second game in the seven-match series is in Kochi on Tuesday.
Donald turns down full-time England job
http://images.supersport.co.za/Donal...ithMitGLbg.jpgAllan Donald has turned down the chance to become England's full-time bowling coach.
The former South Africa fast bowler said on Friday that he did not want to tour with the England team for family reasons. Donald has been working with England's fast bowlers since May.
"It has been an immensely enjoyable time but after 11 years on the road I feel that the commitment I would have to make to touring would be too great," Donald said.
England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive David Collier said Donald was offered a full-time contract in July.
"We are grateful to Allan for his contribution this summer and we fully understand the reasons for his decision not to take up the offer," Collier said. England are currently in Sri Lanka for five one-day international matches, starting on Monday. Donald, 40, retired from cricket in 2002 with 330 test wickets at an average of 22.25 runs.
Boucher is the world's best
http://images.supersport.co.za/Bouch...ebratesGbg.jpgMark Boucher became statistically at least the leading Test wicketkeeper of all time when he stumped Umar Gul off the bowling of Paul Harris on the third afternoon of the first Test match between South Africa and Pakistan at Karachi National Stadium on Wednesday.
It was his fourth dismissal in the match and was his 396th in Test match cricket, putting him one ahead of Australia’s Ian Healy who set the previous mark of 395.
The only other wicketkeepers with more than 350 dismissals are two other Australians – Adam Gilchrist with 381 and Rod Marsh with 355.
It seems certain that both Boucher and Gilchrist will go through the 400 barrier but Boucher is half a decade younger than Gilchrist and has the opportunity to set a mark that will stand for a long time.
His position as South Africa’s No 1 is unchallenged although he has a very capable understudy in AB de Villiers.
Harris takes five as Pakistan are bowled out
http://images.supersport.co.za/Harri...ppealsAIbg.jpgSouth African spinner Paul Harris took five wickets as Pakistan were bowled out for 291 runs, conceding a 159-run lead at tea on the third day of the first test in Karachi on Wednesday.
Live Scorecard
Playing in only his fifth test, his fourth against Pakistan, Harris took 5 for 73 -- his first five-wicket haul -- to dismiss the home side after they resumed on 219 for six after lunch.
Pakistan conceded a big lead in reply to South Africa's first innings score of 450.
The left arm spinner took three wickets after lunch, two of them stumpings by Mark Boucher to give him the highest number of dismissals for a test wicketkeeper.
Boucher equalled Australian Ian Healy's mark of 395 when he stumped skipper Shoaib Malik (73) and then set the record by stumping Umar Gul (12) seven overs later.
Harris started the Pakistan collapse by breaking an obdurate 84-runs seventh-wicket stand between Malik and his deputy, Salman Butt, who made a painstaking 24 from 76 balls.
Left-handed Butt was trapped leg before by an armer playing across the line at the total of 233.
Five runs later, Malik had a rush of blood, playing a wild slog and beaten by the turn. He was dismissed with his team 12 runs short of saving the follow-on.
Malik, who batted for 227 minutes and 170 balls in his patient innings, hit six fours and one six off Harris.
Tailenders Gul and Danish Kaneria teamed up to save the follow-on by taking the total to 259. After Gul was dismissed, Kaneria and Mohammad Asif put on 32 runs for the last wicket.
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He reached his 150 off 238 balls
Cricket: No evidence of racial discrimination, ICC says
8:03AM Wednesday October 03, 2007
LONDON - Darrell Hair has no evidence that the International Cricket Council (ICC) sacked him from its elite panel of umpires because of his race, an employment tribunal was told today.
Hair, 55, is suing cricket's governing body in the central London tribunal for racial discrimination over his sacking from matches involving test nations last November.
Cross-examining Hair, ICC barrister Michael Beloff said the Australian's case was based on suspicion.
"I shall put it to the tribunal that you're swinging about wildly, seeking to make allegations against anyone you can without anything more than suspicion," Beloff said.
Hair claims the ICC bowed to pressure from a bloc of Asian members led by Pakistan and India when it stood him down.
His dismissal followed the abandoned fourth test between England and Pakistan at The Oval in August 2006.
Hair and West Indian umpire Billy Doctrove awarded victory to the home side after the Pakistan team failed to return to the field in protest at being penalised five runs for suspected ball tampering.
Amid the controversy that followed, Hair offered to resign in return for US$500,000 ($661,638).
Today Hair denied an allegation by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that the offer compromised his position or constituted a "secret payment".
"I was, to my mind, seeking some sort of settlement," Hair said.
"There was nothing secretive ... but I expected confidentiality."
Doctrove, who has continued to umpire at the highest level, is expected to give evidence at the tribunal later this week.
Hair today told the tribunal he believes he would have been treated differently if he was from the West Indies, India or Pakistan.
Hair yesterday accused the ICC of racially discriminating against him when he was prevented from umpiring tests involving Sri Lanka between 1995, when he controversially no-balled Muttiah Muralitharan for throwing, and 2003.
But Beloff suggested the fact Hair had referred to Muralitharan's action as "diabolical" in his autobiography might have had more to do with his prolonged exclusion from Sri Lanka test matches.
Beloff then asked: "Are you saying that this episode, your removal from the panel of those to umpire in Sri Lanka, has this got anything to do with the claim you're bringing against the ICC board?"
Hair replied: "No, it does not."
The hearing continues.
Indians Come Crashing Down To Earth
October 02 2007
http://images.teamtalk.com/07/10/247...nds_578498.jpg Symonds on his way to 87.
Australia produced a ruthless performance to win the second one-day international against India by 84 runs in Kochi.
Andrew Symonds and Brad Haddin both made 87 as Australia piled-up 306-6 after being asked to bat, a total they had little trouble defending.
In response, India stumbled to 222 all out in 47.3 overs with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 58 the only note of resistance.
Left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg led the way with three wickets, while Stuart Clark and Michael Clarke claimed two apiece during an impressive bowling display from the world champions.
Earlier, Dhoni's decision to field first backfired as Australia recovered from 8-2 in the fourth over to post a formidable total.
A third-wicket stand of 58 between Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke partially repaired the early damage, before Clarke (27) was stumped off a wide delivery from Irfan Pathan.
Left-arm seamer Pathan (2-47) collected his second wicket by bowling Hayden between bat-and-pad for 75 to leave Australia at 160-4 in the 32nd over.
But Symonds and Haddin shared a momentum-turning fifth-wicket stand of 108 in 15.4 overs.
Symonds hit nine fours and two sixes before being caught and bowled by Shantha Sreesanth for 87 from 83 balls, while Haddin finished unbeaten on 87 from just 69 balls - his best score in a one-day international.
The opener in Bangalore last Saturday was washed out, meaning Australia lead the seven-game series 1-0 ahead of the third match in Hyderabad on Friday.
They used vulgar words, says Harbhajan
Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is peeved over the way Australians are behaving. He claims that the visitors haven't been sporting enough in the series so far, targeting him particularly with "personal and vulgar" words in the second one-dayer in Kochi on Tuesday.
Harbhajan got out to Michael Clarke and, while leaving, exchanged words with the Australians. Umpire Steve Bucknor had to pat him on his shoulder and ask him to move on.
Speaking to the media, a visibly frustrated Harbhajan said: "Australia are a good team, but that does not mean they can do whatever they want. They do not play the game in the right spirit even if they like to say they do. There is nothing gentlemanly about their approach."
Harbhajan also added that he personally did not have any problem with a bit of chatting on the field but it has to be about the game.
Australia, on the other hand, are also irritated with the way, they claim, S Sreesanth has behaved. "(Adam) Gilchrist tried to explain it to him, to try not to get tangled up with some childish exchanges," Symonds has said. Meanwhile, both the captains, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Gilchrist have tried their best to remain as calm as possible on the issue.
Time for Team India to walk the ODI talk
Over the years, India and Australia have engaged in a few, classic, off-field duels. Among them were the Glenn McGrath-Sachin Tendulkar face-off, Harbhajan Singh's penchant to have Ricky Ponting facing him, and even VVS Laxman making Jason Gillespie's life difficult.
Pre-series projections were about fascinating battles, but there has also been a harsh reality involved. The last time India actually won an ODI against Australia was back in 2003-04, in a VB Series match in Sydney. The teams have played nine more times since, and India have lost all.
The other day's loss in Kochi wasn't a bolt from the blue. The recent Twenty20 victory over the world champions notwithstanding, their Kochi outing was another reminder of how they have been slaughtered time and again.
"They're very good at their strategies and how they implement it in the match," admitted Yuvraj Singh on Thursday afternoon. "What we need to look at is definitely very simple. We need to bowl better, bat better. In the next game the guys need to play more and talk less," he said. Sreesanth's angry looks haven't stopped the batsmen from taking runs. Instead, from costing 5.54 runs an over in the rain-affected Bangalore tie, he went on to give 7.74 runs an over in Kochi.
Harbhajan Singh is angry with the Australians for having said a few personal things to him. "It's fine if they're chatting about cricket but they can't go overboard with it. Australians are bad losers," he says.
For the record, the Aussies haven't lost a match in their last 12 outings. The Kochi win was their 22nd victory in last 25 one-dayers versus India. Ponting announced his return pretty obtrusively. "The Indians are actually not what they're looking to be. We know them well, and it's just that they're trying to be a bit aggressive to match-up to the situation. These are pressure-games no doubt, but they also need to back it up with performances," he said.
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/...00/80473.1.jpg
Jacques Kallis' second century of the match put South Africa in a strong position on the fourth day of the first Test in Karachi
Pakistan v South Africa, 1st Test, Karachi, 5th day
Steyn ends Younis' resistance
An intriguing final day's play awaits Pakistan and South Africa in Karachi with the balance slightly in the visitor's favour. They need to pick seven wickets while Pakistan require another 278 runs to win the first Test
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/...80455.icon.jpgPakistan celebrate Ashwell Prince's wicket
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/...80438.icon.jpgPakistan players celebrate the wicket of Herschelle Gibbs
http://www.cricinfo.com/db/PICTURES/...80425.icon.jpgJacques Kallis in action during day three of the Test
Proteas behind the Boks
http://images.supersport.co.za/Smith...sFieldGLbg.jpgGraeme Smith and the Castle Proteas squad and team management on Friday sent a message of support and encouragement to the Springboks ahead of the knock-out phase of the Rugby World Cup. “Greetings and best wishes from Pakistan,” said Smith in a statement. “Now that you are entering the critical knock-out phase of the tournament, we send you every good wish for the remainder of the tournament. We have every confidence that you will go all the way and make all South Africans extremely proud. We will adjust our pool session and team preparation on Sunday so that we can watch the match live. Good luck.”
Shah paves way for Eng to level series
http://images.supersport.co.za/ShahO...04HooksGbg.jpgEngland batsman Owais Shah scored 82 to set up a 65-run victory as his side levelled the series against Sri Lanka in the second one-day international in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, on Thursday.
Full Scorecard
Shah's 92-ball knock guided England to 234 for eight after they had collapsed to 61 for four.
The hosts lost wickets steadily in reply to slump to 126 for nine before a last-wicket stand of 43 between Jehan Mubarak (44no) and Dilhara Fernando (20) lent their effort respectability.
Shah shared partnerships of 78 with skipper Paul Collingwood (42) for the fifth wicket and then 70 with Graham Swann (34) to lift the tourists after their shaky start.
Swing bowler Ryan Sidebottom then struck two important blows with the new ball, removing Upul Tharanga (eight) with his second ball and then claiming the prized scalp of Sanath Jayasuriya (ten), who cut straight to cover in his 400th ODI.
Kumar Sangakkara was dropped twice early and battled for 54 minutes for his nine before the left-hander nicked a catch behind off paceman Stuart Broad.
Mahela Jayawardene (23) and Tillakaratne Dilshan (29) repaired some of the damage with a 52-run stand for the fifth wicket before Graham Swann bowled Dilshan through the gate and Jayawardene flicked a slower ball from Collingwood to mid-wicket.
Sidebottom, Collingwood, Broad and Swann finished two wickets apiece.
Sri Lanka's bowlers had started well after England chose to bat first, making early inroads and then bowling consistently straight.
Opener Alastair Cook (one) was brilliantly caught by a diving Mahela Jayawardene at first slip having edged a Chaminda Vaas outswinger.
Farveez Maharoof trapped Ian Bell (18) lbw and had Phil Mustard (28) caught at cover off a leading edge.
Kevin Pietersen laboured through 41 deliveries for his 12 runs before pulling a short ball straight to mid-wicket.
England were left struggling on 61 for 4 in the 19th over before Collingwood and Shah rebuilt the innings.
Fernando ended the partnership, trapping Collingwood lbw, but Shah was then supported by allrounder Swann. Maharoof was the pick of Sri Lanka's bowlers taking three for 30 from nine overs. The third game in the five-match series is in Dambulla on Sunday.