Pakistani Dramas, BollyWood Movies, Watch Cricket

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Virat Kohli Century

2012-01-25T22:06:00.001-08:00

Virat Kohli made his first Test century but India were bowled out for 272, handing Australia a 332-run lead in Adelaide...

Zoom TV

2012-01-23T23:40:00.000-08:00

Zoom TV

PTV HOME

2012-01-23T23:28:00.001-08:00

PTV HOME

Ary Digital

2012-01-23T23:22:00.001-08:00

ARY DIGITAL

Masala TV

2012-01-23T23:09:00.000-08:00

MASALA TV

Michael Clarke Another Century With Ponting...

2012-01-23T22:23:00.000-08:00

Michael Clarke put on another big stand with Ricky Ponting, to take Australia to a position of strength on day one in Adelaide..

15 Creative Free Online Fax Services

2012-01-23T22:17:00.000-08:00

Free resources are always useful for professionals. Online Fax Services are a great money saver for everyone. These services not only saves your time but they also saves your money.

Although most of these online fax services are not free to use but you can always opt for the trial version before actually buying the paid version.

You will no more be on the mercy of the Fax machine being kept on the reception area of your office. These Online Fax Services send Fax to you in form of emails so you can check the fax at your ease.

In this post I am going to create a list of free online fax services that will give you a great service at your door step without any cost. Enjoy!

Sachithra Senanayake hit the six

2012-01-22T23:16:00.001-08:00

Sachithra Senanayake hit the six that won Sri Lanka the match, South Africa v Sri Lanka, 5th ODI, Johannesburg...

Sri Lanka ride on Sangakkara ton in thriller

2012-01-22T23:06:00.000-08:00

Kumar Sangakkara fashioned Sri Lanka's second consecutive 300-plus chase...

Hard-hitting Perera seals first win for Sri Lanka

2012-01-20T23:32:00.000-08:00

It took Sri Lanka three consecutive defeats to get their batsmen firing in unison. Tillakaratne Dilshan finally played with freedom to give the chase momentum, Dinesh Chandimal anchored it in the middle overs, and Thisara Perera stunned South Africa with sustained hitting to overhaul a stiff target in Kimberley. Perera had also struck crucial blows earlier with the ball, making South Africa lose their way in the final quarter of their innings, when 350 had looked achievable at one stage.

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2012-01-17T00:28:00.000-08:00

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2012-01-16T23:25:00.000-08:00

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Andrew Strauss chose to bat

2012-01-16T22:59:00.000-08:00

Andrew Strauss chose to bat in the first Test against Pakistan in Dubai...

Tendulkar out for eight in third Test

2012-01-14T02:32:00.001-08:00

PERTH: Sachin Tendulkar's hunt for a 100th international century was again foiled Saturday when he was out for eight in the second innings of the third Test against Australia at the WACA Ground.

The Indian batsman was lbw to Mitchell Starc to leave him stuck on 99 centuries in Tests and one-day internationals.

Dav Whatmore arrives in Lahore

2012-01-14T02:18:00.001-08:00

Dav Whatmore arrives in Lahore to meet with the PCB about the Pakistan coaching job.

3rd Test Day 2 Lunch..

2012-01-13T23:39:00.001-08:00

Yadav takes three wickets but Warner marches on past 150

David Warner Hundred against India Just 69 Balls In HD

2012-01-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

David Warner Gets 180

2012-01-13T22:55:00.000-08:00

David Warner's 180 off 159 balls put Australia in a commanding position against India on the second day at the WACA.

Warner's blazing ton destroys India

2012-01-13T02:18:00.000-08:00

David Warner devastated India by smashing the fourth fastest Test century on the first day at the WACA.

Pakistani Dramas OST

2012-01-13T00:18:00.000-08:00

Ost Jo Chalay to Jaan Se Guzar Gaye.

DownLoad 

Main Hari Ost (Ary Digital)

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Khushbu Ka Ghar Ost (Ary Digital)

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Kuch Kami si hai Ost

Downlaod

Parwaz Ost

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Saeed Ajmal Interview at Geo Super BKBH

2012-01-12T23:45:00.000-08:00

ECB board agree to Morgan review

2012-01-12T23:08:00.001-08:00

The ECB board have formally agreed to accept the Morgan Review in principle.

ESPNcricinfo understands that, while some minor details will be clarified at a later date, the board has resolved to cut the number of championship matches from 16 to 14 and to return to 50-over cricket from 2014. The reduction in cricket will, the ECB believe, allow them "to facilitate appointment to view for t20 cricket on Thursday, Friday and Saturday."

The county chief executives will meet at Lord's on January 23 to discuss the finer details of the salary cap and to decide how to split the two divisions in the championship. While Morgan has recommended a continuation of two divisions of nine teams, the ECB will consider a top division of eight teams and a bottom division of ten.

An ECB media release stated: "The board concluded that the review was holistic in its approach and therefore determined that the review should be adopted in full or not at all."

ECB Chief Executive David Collier commented: "The ECB Board is most grateful to David Morgan for the clear recommendations and conclusions reached in this Review. The Board welcomed the wide consultation which has taken place in reaching these conclusions and we shall now meet with stakeholders within the game to discuss the detail and rationale behind these recommendations."

George Dobell is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

India's top order fails again

2012-01-12T22:54:00.000-08:00

Lunch India 4 for 73 (Laxman 4*, Kohli 10*) v Australia
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

A familiar tale unfolded at the WACA as India slid to 4 for 73 against an unrelenting Australian pace attack on day one of the third Test. Much as they had done on the first day in Sydney, India's batsmen struggled to cope with the swing, seam and disciplined line of the home attack, this time comprising the quartet of Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Mitchell Starc.

Hilfenhaus removed Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir at either end of the morning session, while Siddle accounted for Rahul Dravid, bowled for the fourth time in five innings. Harris was perhaps the pick of the quicks in his first Test appearance since November last year, and had the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar to show for it.

Much responsibility now rests on India's last recognised pair of VVS Laxman and Virat Kohli to salvage something from another poor start to an innings.

40 Helpful iPad Apps for Productivity and Project Management

2012-01-12T03:14:00.001-08:00

Graphic designers, web masters and web designers are busy people who would spend most of their time facing their computers in order to do some work or monitor their sites. There is always tons of work to do every day in order to make sure that things will be okay. With the long list of things to do, it would be a big help to have some iPad applications to aid you to be more productive in your work and be able to manage your work well.
Even if you are not in your workplace, you will still be able to do some tasks and not waste your time by using certain iPad apps. There are so many productivity apps that you can use depending on what you need. Today, we will share to you 40 iPad Productivity Apps wherein 15 of them are free to download. Browse now and select which ones are vital for you.

Simplenote

From the name itself, it is indeed simple. You can take notes as many as you can in plain text and sync them to the cloud via web app.

Download Source

Evernote

Evernote is a digital note-taking tool that makes your work much easier.

Download Source

Catch Notes

Catch Notes have features like tagging and hash-linking for your notes. This will surely be a good partner for your work.

Download Source

Dropbox

You will have a better way of storing your files through Dropbox. It gives you previews of your documents, media and photos.

Download Source

Fuze Meeting HD

Wherever you are, you can attend meetings through video conference and you can even invite others to join you. You can also run multimedia presentations for it is compatible with PDFs, videos, images, MS Office and Apple iWork apps.

Download Source

Roambi-Visualizer

You can turn your data into interactive visual charts from excel, Google Docs and others.

Download Source

TaskPad HD

You can automatically synchronize tasks across devices and manage it using any browser. It also has a good user interface.

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SugarSync

With SugarSync, you can view, save and edit your files and photos. You could also stream music and share files with others.

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Note Hub

This app enables you to create projects with notes, drawings, and much more. It is a great tool for productivity.

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Documents 2

Like your desktop computer, you can use this to access files and create one when you are in mobile.

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Read It Later

If you find an interesting page in the web, you can save it and read later even without an internet connection.

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TextPlus

Work would certainly be a lot easier for you can communicate with other people using Text Plus.

Download Source

Dragon Dictation

Tired of taking down notes? You can merely record it and you will be given an accurate transcription that can be emailed and saved for future use.

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Sundry Notes

You can write, draw, record and do lots of things including the ability to export PDfs and send emails.

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WebEx

Participate meetings online and be able to share presentations with WebEx.

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Spring Pad

Supporting iOS5, this app can help you save anything that you want to and even has reminders for you.

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Things for iPad ($19.99)

Many people love using this app for it is very convenient and worth it for the workflow.

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OmniFocus ($39.99)

You can easily manage anything for your work with OmniFocus with location-aware list, flexible viewing options and on-the-fly task entry with voice notes and image attachments.

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Pocket Informant HD ($14.99)

You can easily organize your action lists and calendars in Pocket Informant in a way that you will love.

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Pages ($9.99)

A great word processor that works well with iCloud where you can create, edit and save documents.

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Numbers ($9.99)

The most innovative spreadsheet app that allows you to store your documents.

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Keynote ($9.99)

Presentations are a lot easier using this app.

Download Source

Documents to Go ($9.99)

This can help you a lot in creating documents even when you are away from a desktop or a laptop.

Download Source

GoodReader ($4.99)

An application that reads PDF files and also allows you to place some highlights, underlines, drawings and others on the said file.

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MindNode ($9.99)

Collect, organize and outline your ideas through mind maps using MindNode.

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Atomic Web Browser ($0.99)

A fullscreen browser that can aid you whenever you want to check your site.

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GoDocs for Google Docs ($4.99)

Another app that gives you easier and faster access to documents, PDFs, Videos and a lot more.

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Awesome Notes HD ($4.99)

Instead of sticky notes that flung, you can make use of Awesome Notes with color coded notes placed in folders.

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Offline Pages ($4.99)

If you want to read some interesting articles from the internet while you are offline, do that with Offline Pages.

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Jump Desktop ($14.99)

Work like you are using your laptop with this application.

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Bento ($4.99)

A personal database where you can organize contacts, track projects, plan events and manage things.

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Voice Memos ($0.99)

You can continue working on anything else while you are recording important things at the same time.

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Ego ($2.99)

If you want to monitor what is going on with your site, use this app to get updated of your web stats.

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List Pad Pro ($1.99)

Create a list to help you have better task management and keep track of it through this app.

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Journal Pad Pro ($1.99)

If you would like to keep some notes, a journal or a diary, this app can surely help you.

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Extreme Tasks ($0.99)

Be reminded of all your daily tasks to make sure that you won’t skip any of your important activities using Extreme Tasks.

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Pocket Brain ($0.99)

A simple to do list that syncs with the built in calendar in your iPad.

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Capture Notes 2 ($4.99)

Aside from taking down notes, you can also do some recording with this application.

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Keeper HD ($1.99)

With a clean and hi-tech theme, you could jot down notes in this app and have it emailed to you for further usage.

Download Source

Toodledo – To Do List ($2.99)

You can easily manipulate your list with Toodledo. This will give a feeling of using a paper planner and you will also be impressed to know that you can personalize its look and feel.

Download Source
Productivity apps are certainly important aids in order to finish some vital tasks faster that usual. Since you could save time, you will have more time for other tasks or maybe for relaxation. Choose the right iPad productivity app for you and get it from the App Store.

The Top 10 iPhone Apps for SEO

2012-01-10T03:23:00.000-08:00

Search Engine Optimization is one of the best ways to get your website or blog ranked within the search engines. iPhone is treated as one of the best device for applications in the mobile market. If you have an iPhone, there are a couple of apps which will make your onsite optimization efforts go smoothly. With iphone SEO Apps a user can get latest information about his website at any time.

Now days, blogging from your iPhone is pretty easy and hassle-free. With the use of some handy applications from the iTunes Store you can perform SEO tasks right through your device. So here we decided to share some of the top iPhone SEO apps available on the market today for the iPhone platform. Enjoy!

Tweetdeck

Ego

Domain Tracker

iSEO Tools

PPC Editor

AnalyticsAPP

PokeSEO

URL Site Submitter Pro

EliteSEM

SEO Check

Bresnan ruled out of Test series

2012-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Tim Bresnan, the England pace-bowling allrounder, has been ruled out of the Test series against Pakistan after failing to recover from the elbow surgery he underwent before Christmas. The news has come as a major surprise to the England camp even though Bresnan sat out the first warm-up match.

He travelled with the squad to the UAE last week but was not able to play against a ICC Combined XI and at the end of the match the decision was taken to send him home. His absence is a significant blow for England as he is able to get the ball to reverse-swing, which is set to be a key weapon in the Test series, and also adds to the team's formidable lower-order strength.

"Bresnan tried to bowl today, having had an injection and a good rest," Andrew Strauss, the England captain, said. "I think we were all expecting him to be absolutely fine. But it's very painful - and given that, he's probably not going to be able to play for two or three weeks."

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan by Ary Digital Episode 9

2012-01-09T00:13:00.001-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan by Ary Digital Episode 8

2012-01-09T00:12:00.001-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan by Ary Digital Episode 7

2012-01-09T00:10:00.000-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan by Ary Digital Episode 6

2012-01-09T00:07:00.000-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan by Ary Digital Episode 5

2012-01-08T23:59:00.001-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital Episode 4

2012-01-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 1

2012-01-08T23:31:00.001-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan [Episode 1] - 23rd September 2011 - Part 1/4

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan [Episode 1] - 23rd September 2011 - Part 2/4

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan [Episode 1] - 23rd September 2011 - Part 3/4

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan [Episode 1] - 23rd September 2011 - Part 4/4

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital

2012-01-08T23:29:00.001-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 16

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 15

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 14

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 13

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 12

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 11

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 10

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 9

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 8

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 7

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 6

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 5

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 4

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 3

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 2

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 1

Ary Digital

2012-01-08T23:23:00.001-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagalpan.
Dareecha.
Main Chand Si.
Kafir.
Mehmoodabad ki malkain.
Kala Jadoo.
Kuch Thay Mere
Maaye Ni.
Qissa Char Darvesh
My Dear Soutan.
Khushbu Ka Ghar.
Bulbulay.
Dugdugi
Kya Life hai.
Main Haari.
Umm-e-Kulsoom.
Niyat
Pul Sirat
Timmy G
Rani Beti Raaj Kray.
Roag.
Zindagi Dhoop tum Ghana Saya.
Mer Saaein
Neeli Chatri
Aurat or Char Deewari.
Dil Dard Dhuan
Aey Ishq Hamain Barbad na ker
Saraab
Daddy
Saans
Badtameez
Bahu Rani.
Tujhpe Qurban
Moerr us Gali ka
Ijazat
Shehr-e-Dil k Darwazay
Qurbat
Daam
Ganday Bachay
Diya Jalay.
Mere Sanwarya ka Naam

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 3 Full

2012-01-08T23:10:00.001-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan By Ary Digital - Episode 2 Full

2012-01-08T23:08:00.000-08:00

'Better to win by playing defensively' - Misbah

2012-01-08T22:56:00.001-08:00

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, has said he would rather win matches than worry about maintaining a balance between attack and defence. Though Misbah led Pakistan to six wins in 10 Test matches in 2011, there has been some criticism that he adopts a safety-first approach as captain.

"Cricket these days should be taken up with a balanced approach," Misbah said at the end of a four-day training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium organised to help Pakistan prepare for their upcoming series against England in the UAE. "[But] it's better to win by playing defensively, instead of losing by playing aggressively. It's all about the situation; what you are required to do or not do in a particular scenario."

The camp in Lahore mainly focussed on the bowlers and entailed strenuous fielding drills at the beginning of each day, as well as mental strengthening sessions for the players. Among the batsmen, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Imran Farhat and Mohammad Hafeez were spotted having intense sessions in the nets. A big positive to come out of the camp was that fast bowler Junaid Khan, who suffered an abdominal muscle strain during Pakistan's recent one-day series against Sri Lanka, was declared fit to play. The players have now dispersed and will reconvene on January 9 to leave for the UAE, with the first Test to begin on January 17 in Dubai.

'Drop VVS and get Rohit'

2012-01-08T22:53:00.001-08:00

"I would still drop VVS [Laxman] and get Rohit [Sharma] in for next Test. Makes long-term sense. Give Virat [Kohli] one more Test ... just to be sure he does not belong here. VVS averages 20 in last 12 overseas innings. Even if he gets a good score in next Test, it will not serve India long. Also if Virat, before the tour, was India's next big thing, should he not get more than two Tests on his first stint in Australia?"
Commentator and former India batsman, Sanjay Manjreka

Pakistani Dramas

2012-01-06T23:57:00.001-08:00

Ary Digital
Geo TV
Express Entertainment
Hum TV
PTV Home
A-Plus
TV One
A-TV
Ary Musik
AAG TV
AAJ TV

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan [Episode 1] - 23rd September 2011 - Part 4/4

2012-01-06T23:45:00.001-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan [Episode 1] - 23rd September 2011 - Part 3/4

2012-01-06T23:43:00.001-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan [Episode 1] - 23rd September 2011 - Part 2/4

2012-01-06T23:40:00.001-08:00

Kuch Pyar Ka Pagal Pan [Episode 1] - 23rd September 2011 - Part 1/4

2012-01-06T23:36:00.000-08:00

South Africa win first home series since 2008

2012-01-06T22:12:00.000-08:00

South Africa 580 for 4 decl. (Kallis 224, de Villiers 160*, Petersen 109) and 2 for 0 beat Sri Lanka 239 (Dilshan 78, Philander 3-46, Steyn 3-56) and 342 (Samaraweera 115*, Kallis 3-35) by 10 wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

South Africa won their first home series since 2008, a period in which they had been denied on five occasions, prevailing over Sri Lanka by 10 wickets to take the rubber 2-1. An innings defeat seemed the most likely result at the start of the day, but a wicketless pre-lunch session and another century from the resurgent Thilan Samaraweera helped Sri Lanka barely avoid that ignominy

Radio City 101.6 FM Dubai

2012-01-05T03:07:00.000-08:00

Video of the Day

2012-01-04T22:58:00.000-08:00

Michael Clark Triple Hundred...

Stumps Day 3

2012-01-04T22:50:00.000-08:00

Stumps Day 3
India trail by 354 runs with 8 wickets remaining.
*Sachin Tendulkar 8
Gautam Gabhmir 68

Michael Clarke was unbeaten on 329

2012-01-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

Michael Clarke was unbeaten on 329 when he declared on the third day, with Australia leading India by 468 at the SCG

Jaque Kallis Double Hundred

2012-01-04T03:43:00.001-08:00

Jacques Kallis of South Africa celebrates after reaching his double century during the second day of the third test cricket match against Sri Lanka in Cape Town January 4, 2012.

Kallis, Petersen pound feeble Sri Lanka

2012-01-04T00:03:00.000-08:00

Alviro Petersen made a memorable return to Test cricket, and Jacques Kallis enjoyed his new-found batting freedom as South Africa made a merry mockery of Sri Lanka's decision to bowl at Newlands. Kallis had a sense of occasion, converting his 114-ball century into a 150-plus score in his 150th Test. His first ton against Sri Lanka, and his first in a year, was all the more significant since it silenced murmurs of failing form following the first pair of his glittering career, in Durban.

Kallis' century reaffirmed his love affair with Cape Town, a venue where he now has nine Test hundreds and over 2000 runs. But one man who might be happier with his day's work is Petersen, whose fluency during his second Test ton glossed over the fact that he was returning to the side after a year. The pair's dominance yielded 205 runs in under 50 overs, and negated any advantage Sri Lanka had gained from Dhammika Prasad's early breaches.

Regardless of the ease with which South Africa progressed, there was merit in Sri Lanka's call to bowl; their historic win in Durban did not mask their problems against pace and bounce, and was founded upon South Africa's own abject batting display. Dilshan's decision shielded his weaker suit, and gave his seamers the mandate to attack South Africa in marginally helpful weather. He was, however, let down by a sketchy plan of action, and conditions that quickly played into the batsmen's hands. Sri Lanka were too full in the first hour, too short in the second, and all over the place in the afternoon, before tightening their act after tea.

In between-times, though, Prasad managed to hit the in-between lengths. His ability to ramp the pace up to 140 kph - a rare feat in an attack missing Dilhara Fernando - earned him success against Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla. Both batsmen began well, but perished to familiar failings - Smith chopped on while attempting a reckless cut, and Amla was trapped in front as he walked across the stumps. Amla consulted with Petersen, and rightly chose not to review the decision. That wasn't the only instance of Petersen's solid judgement in his comeback innings.

A couple of early drives down the ground and a nudge through square leg signalled that Petersen had carried his domestic form into the big league. Thereafter, he built steadily, before summoning the spirit to thrash Prasad over square leg for a six. He brought up his fifty with a brace of boundaries against Thisara Perera, before receding into the background.

Kallis came out throwing punches in all directions, reminiscent of his half-century against Australia in the recent Johannesburg Test. He nearly pulled his fourth ball straight to fine-leg, where Chanaka Welegedara inexplicably didn't go for the catch. Another pull off Angelo Mathews spiralled towards midwicket and landed safe. Encouraged, Mathews persisted with the short stuff, and Kallis pounded him into pulp with a raft of murderous pulls in front of square. Sri Lanka had missed their chance to nip him out early, and Kallis proceeded to enjoy himself.

Sri Lanka's discipline faltered dramatically after lunch. The early-morning moisture had evaporated, and with it all traces of sideways movement. Kallis rushed to his fifty off just 42 balls, and went on to expose their lack of pace, and Rangana Herath's lack of spin on the first-day surface. A 21-over phase without a single maiden suggested Sri Lanka's afternoon could not get any worse, but it did when they wasted both their reviews in desperation.

Petersen's signature shot was easily the straight drive, a shot he executed with an assured forward step and exemplary timing. Kallis, on the other hand, went on to produce shots of immense beauty in every direction. The punchy pulls gave way to picture-perfect cover drives and sublime straight hits, but the stroke that stood out was an astonishing whipped on-drive from the line of off stump when Thisara Perara was looking to angle one across defensively.

That shot came after Petersen's fall, sucked into an uppish drive by a Welegedara slower ball. The run-rate dropped below four for the first time in the 66th over, with de Villiers struggling to deal with Welegedara's offcutters. Having batted out of his comfort zone all day, Kallis seamlessly shifted into accumulation mode and chugged past 150. The stand was worth 86 by stumps, leaving Sri Lanka wondering if they had lost the Test even before it had started.

Via Cricinfo

Ponting 134 Clark 251 in SCG

2012-01-03T23:49:00.000-08:00

Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting have prior form in shattering Indian spirits at the SCG. Four years ago, they conspired to steal victory during a mad quarter hour late on the fifth day, when Clarke was handed the ball by the captain Ponting and took three wickets in an over. This year, they tortured India more slowly, with a partnership that lasted the best part of six hours and all but ensured Australia could not lose the Test.

Of course, since Kolkata in 2001, nothing has ever been truly certain in Tests between these two countries. But the drought-breaking century from Ponting - his first in nearly two years - and Clarke's maiden Test double-hundred steered Australia into the kind of position from which it would take a Kolkata-like comeback to rescue India. They would need something very, very special.

The Sydney crowd had already witnessed the exceptional, from Clarke and Ponting. By stumps, Clarke was unbeaten on 251, having batted through the day, and it was not out of the question that he could become the first man to score a Test triple-century at the SCG. Michael Hussey had chipped in with 55 not out and Australia's lead had ballooned to 291, with six wickets in hand.

Clarke's innings was mature and mesmerising, but it was Ponting's hundred that had really brought the crowd to life. Ponting had been starved of a Test century in his past 33 innings, and for the first time since the early days of his career had faced pressure to justify his place in the side. At no stage during his slump did he give up. It was somehow appropriate for a man who had fought so hard over the past few months that he was dirty and dishevelled when his hundred arrived.

The milestone came via a quick single, a poorly-judged one too, for a direct hit from Zaheer Khan at mid-on would have had Ponting run out for 99. He dived to make the crease and climbed up off the ground - the most fitting metaphor imaginable - with helmet askew and dirt all down his shirt and trousers. It was a sight that brought smiles from Clarke and even the umpire Ian Gould, and importantly from Ponting himself.

Amid all the debate over his form and his position in the side in recent months, Ponting had maintained that he was batting well. In this innings, he was. There were several classic Ponting pulls and his flicks through the leg side were a feature of his game. To some degree, he eschewed the typical Ponting back-foot drives through the off side, though that in part came down to the lines India bowled.

It was not until the second new ball arrived that Ponting departed, caught at point for 134 when he drove Ishant Sharma. Ponting walked off to a standing ovation, having joined his catcher, Sachin Tendulkar, and Jacques Kallis as the only men to have scored 40 Test centuries. His 288-run stand with Clarke, the highest fourth-wicket partnership ever compiled against India in Test cricket, had demoralised the visitors.

More was to come from Clarke, who had brought up his 18th Test century, and his fourth in his past 11 innings, with a perfectly placed cover-drive for four in the last over before lunch. His double-century arrived from his 284th delivery with a flick through square leg off Zaheer, and it brought a kiss of the helmet and a tear to the eye of Clarke, who is in his first home summer as Australia's full-time captain.

Clarke scored his runs all around the ground, with cover-drives, off-drives, clips off the pads, pulls, cuts, lofts over the infield against spin - perhaps the only thing he didn't attempt was a reverse-sweep. He was seeing the ball so well that he was able to walk across his stumps and down the pitch to turn good balls from the fast men into opportunities to score through the leg side. By stumps, he had the best score by an Australia batsman in an SCG Test, and needed 37 more to beat Tip Foster's record for all-comers.

To cap it all off for Australia, Hussey joined in late in the day with some quick runs, including two consecutive fours followed by a six off R Ashwin. It was an immensely disheartening day for India, who could manage only one wicket throughout the day after 13 had fallen on the opening day. There were no-balls from the part-time offspinner Virender Sehwag, strange field placements from MS Dhoni and a general lack of spark, which was to be expected by the end of a long, hot day in the field.

In the first couple of overs of the morning, Dhoni had a man back at deep square leg when he needed to be on the attack, and later he removed all of his slips while Umesh Yadav was bowling, seemingly a concession that all he could do was try to slow the run scoring of Ponting and Clarke rather than try to get them out.

He can be rest assured that Clarke won't be as defensive in the field when he gets his chance. Unfortunately for Dhoni, that might be a while off yet.

Via Cricinfo

100 Test at SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground)

2012-01-01T23:18:00.000-08:00

A commemorative cap marks the 100th Test at the SCG ahead of the second Test between Australia and India.

Morgan 45 keeps England afloat

2010-05-04T13:54:00.001-07:00

Eoin Morgan stood firm against his former countrymen with a determined 45 from 37 balls, as England were made to scrap for every single after losing the toss and being asked to bat first in their must-win Group D encounter at Providence.

On a slow and cracked surface, Ireland's battery of medium-pacers rose to the challenge of stifling England's attacking intent, and only 24 hours after posting a hefty 191 for 5 on the same ground against West Indies, they were forced to make do with a middling 120 for 8. That first score proved insufficient for victory, and with more rain in the offing and the rain rules in Ireland's favour, Paul Collingwood and his men will be watching the heavens as anxiously as the pitch when their turn comes to bowl.

The scenario was much as it had been when the teams last met in an international fixture, on a sticky surface at Belfast back in August, and then as now, the veteran Trent Johnston led the line impeccably. With lateral movement from a tight and full length, he claimed four for 14 in his four-over spell, with just a solitary boundary in his 24 deliveries, as Michael Lumb pulled a fractional short ball through midwicket for four.

Whereas Lumb and Craig Kieswetter had started like the clappers against West Indies on Monday, this time they found the shackles hard to break. Boyd Rankin spoiled his figures with a brace of leg-stump long-hops that Lumb clipped round the corner for two welcome boundaries, but that same shot soon proved to be his downfall, as Boyd Rankin stooped at short backward square to cling onto a sharp chance from the first ball of Kevin O'Brien's spell.

One ball earlier, Kieswetter had been badly dropped by Andre Botha as he edged a lifting seamer from Johnston through the slips, but he couldn't make his good fortune count. In Johnston's next over, he set off for a suicidal single to short midwicket and was rightly sent back by the stationary Kevin Pietersen. As he dived, his bat bounced in the crease, and after a lengthy analysis the third umpire, Asad Rauf, sent him on his way for 13.

In the same Johnston over, England's innings really hit the skids as Paul Collingwood edged a fizzing seamer to Botha at slip, who this time made no mistake to send the captain on his way for a third-ball duck. At 32 for 3 at the end of the Powerplay overs, England had made almost half as many runs as they had managed in their first six overs against West Indies, for the loss of three more wickets.

And three soon became four as Pietersen - who had been engaged in a game of cat-and-mouse with the 17-year-old left-arm spinner George Dockrell - picked out John Mooney with an exocet to deep square leg off O'Brien, in a near-replica of his dismissal in the West Indies game. At the halfway mark of the innings, England were floundering at 49 for 4, with all of their hopes invested in a certain former Irishman, Eoin Morgan.

Morgan did what he could in the trying circumstances, clipping Alex Cusack through short fine leg before bludgeoning Dockrell through midwicket, but at the other end, Luke Wright found the conditions especially tough to negotiate. He was tied in knots by Dockrell's fourth and final over - an absolute masterpiece, consisting of five dot-balls in a row followed by a wild top-edged mow that landed in no-man's land for a single.

Wright did eventually revert to his normal self by belting O'Brien over long-off for the first six of the innings in the 16th over, but from his very next delivery, he slapped a Rankin full-toss to Will Porterfield at wide mid-off as England slipped to 90 for 5 with 20 balls remaining. With boundaries at a premium, Tim Bresnan came and went for an uncomplicated five from six balls, while Morgan himself holed out to long-on with three balls remaining. Johnston then ran Michael Yardy out with a direct hit from long-on, to put a personal seal on a special performance from the Irish.

New Zealand in Super Eights after easy rain-hit win

2010-05-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

Zimbabwe came into the tournament as one of the form teams after shocking Pakistan and Australia in the warm-ups, but they subsided to one of the lowest Twenty20 totals against New Zealand to become the first team to bow out of the competition. After making a sprightly start, they collapsed spectacularly - losing eight wickets for sixteen runs - to ease New Zealand's path to the Super Eights.

With rain hampering play in Guyana for the second day in a row, Zimbabwe's entire campaign in the West Indies lasted only 48.2 overs. Though the end was not as farcical as the near-darkness climax to the 2007 World Cup final, they was plenty of confusion before the match ended: after play was initially halted 8.1 overs into the chase, the teams came back onto the field an hour and a half later, expecting to play a couple of overs and complete the game. The players stood around for a few minutes before officials decided no more play was possible, declaring New Zealand winners.

On the field, Nathan McCullum was the hero for New Zealand again. After his all-round heroics against Sri Lanka on Friday, he swept through the Zimbabwe middle-order to collect his second successive Man-of-the-Match award. The quick offspinners of Scott Styris also scooped up three wickets in an over to hasten the end of the innings.

Such a limp finish didn't seem likely after Zimbabwe's openers defied New Zealand on a Providence pitch offering plenty of turn. At 57 for 1 in the seventh over, things were looking good for Zimbabwe, but a sharp bit of fielding from Jacob Oram and Gareth Hopkins started the slide. Hamilton Masakadza, one of the biggest-hitters in the Zimbabwe line-up, swung the ball towards deep square leg, where Oram moved quickly to his left and fired in a slightly wayward throw; Hopkins collected yards in front of the stumps and under-armed it to catch a diving Masakadza short.

There was no resistance after that: Andy Blignaut, playing his first international game in five years, had started confidently after being pushed up to No. 3, but made a mess of a slog sweep to be bowled by Vettori.

Nathan McCullum's next over dealt the killer blows, as he nipped out three wickets with his loopy offbreaks. Elton Chigumbura slammed the first ball straight to long-on, Charles Coventry punched loosely back to the bowler two balls later, and Craig Ervine didn't get near the ball after charging out of the crease to be stumped off the final delivery. Zimbabwe had sunk to 63 for 6 after nine.

After Timycen Maruma and Greg Lamb watchfully played out a few overs, Styris scalped three in four deliveries in the 13th over to erase Zimbabwe's hopes of reaching triple-digits. Vettori returned to finish off the innings by bowling Ray Price which meant Zimbabwe had been bowled out with nearly five overs to spare.

It was the second shortest completed innings in Twenty20s, and marked a total reversal of fortunes from the strong position they were placed in by Tatenda Taibu and Masakadza. Taibu dominated the partnership with a combination of nifty footwork and improvised strokeplay, such as the bent-knee carve over backward point for four off Shane Bond after making plenty of room. He fell slapping a short ball straight to square leg, but Masakadza kept the run-rate high with typically muscular strokes before his run-out sparked the slide that sent Zimbabwe out of the competition.

Their exit was confirmed by some sensible batting from New Zealand, who were always mindful of the Duckworth/Lewis machinations during their chase. Brendon McCullum powered a couple of midwicket fours and there was a trademark scoop for three, but the rest of runs were mostly made in calm singles.

Via Cricinfo

Injured Murali out of World Twenty20

2010-05-03T03:10:00.001-07:00

Sri Lanka's chances at the World Twenty20 have suffered a huge blow after offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan was ruled out of the tournament with a groin injury. He has been advised two to three weeks' rest, and no replacement has been named yet.

Murali, who is also the team's vice-captain, was injured during Friday's opening match against New Zealand in Guyana, which Sri Lanka lost by two wickets. "Clinical tests revealed a grade one strain of his right adductor muscle," team physiotherapist Tommy Simsek said in a statement released by Sri Lanka Cricket in Colombo. Murali is the world's leading wicket-taker in Tests and one-dayers, and Sri Lanka's frontline spinner in all formats. He had a successful IPL season, part of the Chennai Super Kings squad that eventually won the tournament.

The defeat on Friday leaves Sri Lanka needing to win against Zimbabwe on Monday to avoid being eliminated from the tournament in the Caribbean.

Watson, Hussey pummel Pakistan

2010-05-02T13:57:00.001-07:00

Australia served serious notice of their intentions in this tournament with a pummeling of the defending champions Pakistan at St Lucia. Shane Watson and David Hussey continued where their side had left off in the Australian summer, with brutal half-centuries leading the way. Pakistan's bowling got away with an off-day against Bangladesh, but not so here and only some nerveless bowling from Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Aamer at the very death kept the score to 191, a remarkable five wickets falling in the very last, maiden over.

That last over might not matter in any case for the 19 that preceded it were all Australia's. Watson had feasted himself in the summer at Pakistan's expense and his love affair continued in more romantic surroundings. A little luck initially helped him, Misbah-ul-Haq putting down two tough chances. The bulldozing ways of David Warner also assisted, his impetus helping Australia to a brisk start.

Pakistan very rarely open the bowling with a spinner and five balls apart, Shahid Afridi's experiment with Mohammad Hafeez was an unquestioned failure. Warner lofted him for an effortless six over long-off to end the second over and in his next, the game was blown open as the pair took 17. Like that, all the pressure Aamer had built went.

Warner fell soon after, as did Michael Clarke, but like a right-handed Mathew Hayden, Watson simply bullied his way forth. The brutality of his batting has grown over but so has, less noticed, his handling of spin. Against Hafeez he spared no mercy, heaving him for three sixes, the last of which brought up his fifty in the 10th over.

He was intelligent against Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, not always picking them, but picking away each bad ball. A couple of full tosses were driven and pulled, but one cut, against Afridi, was a shot for all formats. But just when he seemed ready to explode, Hussey interrupted.

Pakistan's fielding was slowly unraveling in any case, but Salman Butt's drop at long-off when Hussey was on 18 was particularly unnecessary; he'd hit one maximum by then already, but the reprieve unleashed a violent celebration. To rub it in, he took it out on Mohammad Sami, the unlucky bowler. He had bowled well until the 16th over, when his length and head went, allowing Hussey to loft and pull his way to four sixes and a 28-run over. Amid the mess, Watson's innings briefly forgotten, Hussey's own fifty came up.

Pakistan were schizophrenic with the ball; Afridi was again poor and the decision to bowl through Hafeez even poorer, especially as it meant Razzaq didn't bowl at all. But Aamer and Ajmal, exemplary both, pulled back some respect at the very end as seven wickets fell in the last four overs.

Via Cricinfo

Raina century seals one-sided win

2010-05-02T13:53:00.000-07:00

Suresh Raina struggled at first, then he sizzled. He overcame a jittery period of mis-hits and short-pitched bowling, scoring 82 off the last 38 balls he faced, en route to only the third century in Twenty20 internationals. Yuvraj Singh came back to form, Graeme Smith's reluctance to attack with Dale Steyn confounded, and India's 186 was always going to be too much on a difficult pitch and a slow and big outfield.

South Africa's reply, in the face of a four-spinner Indian attack - without using Yuvraj - was even more confounding. Jacques Kallis and Smith struggled to flow, and hesitated to take risks. Their run-rate crossed six an over for the first time in the 11th over, and it was too late by then, despite some late hitting from Kallis.

India had got off to a similar start, albeit against seamers, but unlike South Africa they threw away the caution at a more appropriate time. With two early wickets gone and both Raina and Yuvraj struggling to present the middle of the bat, India were 43 after eight overs. There was no mucking around after that. Although the odd mis-hit remained a feature of the partnership, the sweet shots grew in frequency and India got 143 in the next 12 overs. It worked for them that the mis-hits kept bouncing in front of deep fielders, and the sweet ones cleared them easily.

From the time he came to bat in the first over, Raina was given a fair share of back-of-a-length deliveries. By the time India's both irregular openers, in absence of Gautam Gambhir (down with diarrhoea), ended their struggle, Raina had survived a catch off a Morne Morkel no-ball. He would go on to survive run-out attempts from Smith and AB de Villiers, when on 37 and 47.

The introduction of spin, when Raina was 19 off 22 and Yuvraj 5 off 9, was what turned it around. In the ninth over, Roelof van der Merwe's first and only, Raina played two lovely inside-out drives to get six off two deliveries, and Yuvraj slog-swept to get six off one. That was trigger enough to shed away inhibitions. The first ball of the next over, Raina guessed a back-of-a-length delivery, backed away and slogged Kallis for six. His best shot was when he made room against a near yorker from Albie Morkel in the next over and squeezed it wide of point for four.

Yuvraj, meanwhile, had found his timing back, and took the lead in scoring, playing the effortless pick-ups, short-arm pulls, and the inside-out shots. By the time he skied one to hand, Raina, having put in the struggle, the ugly moments, was there in a position to cash in. Steyn, underused in the first half of the innings, came back well, but he was now limiting damage as opposed to causing it.

Rory Kleinveldt, who got M Vijay in the first over and Yuvraj later, was the one who suffered the most. And he was asking for it too, bowling either length or full tosses in the 18th over, and was hit to such varied areas as midwicket, cow corner, extra cover, straight over his head, and over long-off. Twenty-five came off that over, during which Raina moved from 75 to 93. He reached his century with a slogged six in the final over, which went for 19.

Raina will cherish this knock all the more because the pitch interested a variety of bowlers. South Africa had managed to assume a strong position with their hit-the-deck bowlers, India were about to do so with the spinners. Harbhajan Singh bowled the first over, Yusuf Pathan was introduced inside the Powerplay, and Loots Bosman was out of his depth on the slow pitch.

With both Kallis and Smith struggling, by the time the first piece of enterprise came, a slog-swept six from Smith in the 11th over, the required run-rate had reached 13. By the time Kallis reached his fifty, off 45 balls, they were needing 15.5 in each of the six overs to come.

Suddenly Kallis exploded, hitting three sixes in the next two overs. It seemed for the second time in 40 overs a batsman was about to put behind him the struggles and play a decisive knock. Yet, there were just too many risks required, and one of them claimed Kallis, leaving 59 to get off 21. The requirement was comfortable enough for India to be able to experiment: Praveen Kumar bowled just one over, for three runs. With two straight wins, India stormed to the second round as the table leaders.

Via Cricinfo

Morgan overcomes dip in form during IPL

2010-05-02T13:48:00.000-07:00

Eoin Morgan believes his IPL experience has been beneficial despite being limited to six appearances for the Bangalore Royal Challengers. Morgan was bought for $220,000 on the back of some sparkling displays for England, but could only muster 35 runs in four innings in India before being pushed aside.

However, as many players have insisted, the IPL involvement was about more than just the on-field results for Morgan, although he was desperate to have more impact on Bangalore's tournament. Even when he wasn't involved in the action he was busy tapping the knowledge of his experienced team-mates.

"I think mentally I've come back a lot stronger," he said after England arrived in Guyana to prepare for their opening World Twenty20 match against West Indies on Monday. "I was left out of the squad a few times when I wanted to play. I felt good in my own game, but that's another learning experience I went through and hopefully I'll be a better player for it.

"Rubbing shoulders with the likes of [Anil] Kumble and [Rahul] Dravid and being able to pick their brains. Half of the South Africans were there too and Australians, so playing with the different nations gives you new ideas, especially for Twenty20."

He also hinted that there may be a few new tricks on show during the tournament. "I'm not going to reveal anything at the moment but we'll see how things go," he said.

Morgan has already shown a wide array of sweeps, paddles and scoops, and he has the ability to hit the ball huge distances with seemingly minimal effort. The emergence of Morgan in an England shirt has been one of key factors in the team's improved Twenty20 form in recent months.

He has brought much-needed power and innovation to the middle order and has already produced a couple of match-winning innings. Against South Africa, at Centurion, he slammed 85 off 45 balls and against Pakistan in Dubai in February he notched an unbeaten 67 off 51 to guide a successful run chase.

His quiet IPL raised concerns about his form coming into this event, but he allayed any worries after an impressive 63 off 62 balls in England's warm-up victory against South Africa in Barbados. The innings suggested he is ready to continue the form he showed during the winter tours.

"We've gained a lot of confidence knocking over South Africa and had a competitive game there where a couple of guys got a knock and the spinners bowled exceptionally well," he said. "That's exciting for us going into the group stages."

Although England's minds are firmly fixed on their first game against West Indies, their second fixture against Ireland will reunite Morgan with his former team-mates. He was part of the Irish squad that reached the Super Eights of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and although his personal contribution was minimal - including being run out for 2 against England in Guyana - it was a time he'll never forget.

"I've got some great memories playing for Ireland especially at the 2007 World Cup," he said. "The greatest in my mind is beating Pakistan on St Patrick's Day, which was a fantastic day for Irish cricket."

That, though, is as close to sentimental as Morgan will get as he prepares to face his countrymen and he is ready to share his knowledge with the England camp to help plot Ireland's downfall. "I'm living the dream at the moment by playing a World Cup for England and hopefully we'll be here for the final stages," he said. "It's where I want to be.

"I know a lot of the guys well and played against them for a number of years. But they'll be doing the same to us. They see us play all the time on television so will know plenty about us too."

Via Cricinfo

Pakistan overcome Ashraful assault for 21-run win

2010-05-01T14:17:00.001-07:00

Pakistan survived a Mohammad Ashraful scare to begin the defence of their world title at St Lucia with a 21-run win over Bangladesh. Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt had laid the foundations with a 142-run stand that should've put the game beyond Bangladesh. But Ashraful, with Shakib Al Hasan for company, took a real pop at an imposing 173-run target, before Mohammad Sami swung a slow-burning game decisively Pakistan's way.

Bangladesh had been poor for vast chunks of the game, first with the ball, and then in starting the chase. But Ashraful's forceful 91-run stand with Shakib brought them close enough to get Pakistan jittery with five overs to go. Sami, on his T20I debut, ensured it wasn't to be with a fine two-wicket over to effectively end the game.

Mohammad Aamer had throttled Bangladesh's start and Ashraful arrived with trouble brewing. Having typically tried all manner of unnecessary improvisation initially, Ashraful settled down to playing normal strokes. It's asked often why he doesn't play those more, and let this be another time. He quickly deposited Abdul Razzaq for a wonderful six over midwicket, but really cranked up the heat when he took on Pakistan's captain next.

The first ball of Shahid Afridi's spell, the 11th over, was driven exquisitely over extra cover but it was in his next over that he really shook Pakistan up. Again he lofted Afridi, but with such grace and timing that the ball fairly sailed over long-off. A couple of balls later, he went squarer and soon after brought up his fifty.

Shakib meanwhile was showing the world once again why he is such a special young man. He never panicked, which can't often be said of Ashraful, and went about choosing his spots almost at will. Saeed Ajmal was heaved for one and Mohammad Hafeez was slog-swept for two maximums and suddenly Bangladesh had recovered from 36 for 2 to 115 for two after 14.

As so often, however, it wasn't to be and the surprise was that it was Shakib who perished first. Afridi took a gamble in bringing back an uncertain Sami, but it paid off as Shakib fell and Mahmudullah followed a few balls later. Ashraful still went on, dishing out some serious stick to Afridi, before falling, inevitably, to an improvised paddle, signaling a brave end.

Pakistan's big bonus, alongside Sami's effort, was Butt's earlier contribution. He has appeared ill-suited to the format, unable to work gaps and not blessed with the power that gets poorer batsmen more runs. But he has a good ODI record and the intent was there from the start with a first-ball boundary. From thereon, at regular intervals he would dance down, move away, find gaps or go aerial and went about as quietly as you can in reaching fifty off 29 balls. There was no violence, just clear-headed intent and faith in his regular strokes.

His improved leg-side game was on display as well; in three successive overs after the 10th, he swept Shakib, slog-swept Abdur Razzak and slapped debutant Suhrawadi Shuvo over long-on for sixes.

Akmal gave him predictable company, almost immediately trying to set the agenda. A bold statement was made against left-arm spin - Bangladesh's most potent weapon - straight away, as he twice swept away Abdur Razzak in the second over.

He was the one who took risks, almost paying for it when a miscued pull was fluffed by Ashraful. They were to pay for it as Akmal did what he does best. Out came the cuts, the scything cover drives, the pulls and the occasional mind-boggling slap over extra cover. All the while singles and doubles flowed on the large ground, giving Akmal a comfortable 73.

Bangladesh were unable to string together an over of good balls. It wasn't until the 16th over, when they claimed Akmal finally, that they bowled an over without conceding at least one boundary. They recovered, not allowing any more in the final overs but the damage had been done.

Afghanistan debut in morning show

2010-05-01T03:29:00.001-07:00

Afghanistan make their big-screen debut on Saturday's morning show, a sleeper that suddenly became a smash hit by defying every script written for them. A team from a war-torn, dysfunctional country, with half their players born in refugee camps, they narrowly missed qualifying for the 2007 World Cup but are making up for it with this tournament. They have surprised many an Associate team during their stunning rise from Division Five to a world event. Yet they will know that what they are going to face - the pace of Zaheer Khan, the spin of Harbhajan Singh, the might of MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh - is nothing like anything they have faced so far.

India will know Afghanistan are not quite Bangladesh, but it was a first-match loss to perceived minnows three years ago that knocked them out of the 50-over World Cup. They have not played a warm-up match this time, know little about their opponents and will want to be as alert as against their other group-mates, South Africa. On the other hand, they would like this slow transition from the IPL to top-level international cricket. A win against Afghanistan, no matter what the margin, will more or less assure them a place in the next round. How the tournament would love an upset, though.

The only dampener is the timing of the match. Almost all India games in this tournament have 9.30am starts - 7pm in India - as opposed to the usual evening timings for matches played in the West Indies. Clearly the TV audience gets a preference to the islands hosting the event, only three years after a disastrously organised World Cup. Who will 'Bring It On' at 9.30am?

Form guide (most recent first)

Afghanistan WLWWW
India WLLLL

Watch out for...

Suresh Raina is coming off a successful IPL, where he was Man of the Final, and gave Sachin Tendulkar a fight for the Man-of-the-Tournament award. Will he be able to carry that promise into a big tournament, after having flattered to deceive often?

Mohammad Nabi, an offspinning allrounder, was the leading wicket-taker at the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers, with 13 wickets at 10.53 to ease Afghanistan's way. He scored 58 on his ODI debut and 102 in his first first-class game, and although he doesn't have a body of work behind him in Twenty20s, he has a strike-rate of 134.24 for his 98 runs.

Team news

Twenty20 is not where you experiment, not even against Afghanistan. They might not have had a warm-up match, but don't expect Indian to experiment too much, for this is an important game.

India: (possible) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 M Vijay, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Ravindra Jadeja/Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar/R Vinay Kumar, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra.

Afghanistan: (possible) 1 Karim Sadiq, 2 Noor Ali, 3 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 4 Nowroz Mangal (capt), 5 Hamid Hassan, 6 Mirwais Ashraf, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Samiullah Shenwari, 9 Asghar Stanikzai, 10 Shapoor Zadran, 11 Raees Ahmadzai.

Pitch and conditions

Going by warm-ups, this seems to be a high-scoring venue, and one for giant-killing: inside three days, Zimbabwe have successfully defended 173 and 143 against Australia and Pakistan respectively. Zimbawe's spinners, and Shahid Afridi seem to have enjoyed themselves. What will interest India a bit more is the forecast for scattered showers. A washed-out match against a minnow team can seriously jeopardise progress in such an event.

Stats and trivia

This will be the first Twenty20 international for Gros Islet.
Afghanistan's 66.67% is a better success-rate than India's 55% in Twenty20 internationals, but Afghanistan have played only six matches, and that too against Associate teams.
Quotes
"I don't take my opponents lightly. At the end of the day you have to win whichever team you play… Our preparation will remain the same as if you are playing the best opponent in world cricket."
MS Dhoni knows there is no room for under-estimation in World Twenty20's snappy format.
"I know there will be pressure; there will the pressure of television, the pressure of the crowd, but they are quick learners and I hope they will adjust to it."
Kabir Khan, Afghanistan's coach, knows business is about to pick up.

Via CricInfo

IPL absentees look for early momentum

2010-05-01T03:27:00.000-07:00

Rust could conceivably be a part of it when Bangladesh and Pakistan open proceedings in a tight Group A. The defending champions have played six Twenty20 internationals since last year's final and Bangladesh only two. Neither set of players had any involvement in the IPL, though there was some competitive domestic T20s.

But the format bestows natural flavours to both sides; Pakistan's players are long used to it and of Bangladesh it is said that the shorter the format the greater their opportunity. Bald statistics, in win-loss numbers, don't bear this out but the threat remains greatest surely in this format, given the fine margins on which it is built.

In any case, Bangladesh are much improved recently, as performances against India and England indicate. In Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mashrafe Mortaza they have the makings of a solid spine. Sprinkled around them, Pakistan will do well to understand, is credible danger in men such as Mohammad Ashraful, Aftab Ahmed, Mahmudullah and Abdur Razzak.

But even without Umar Gul, Pakistan will take some bringing down. Is there any side in the tournament as flexible? There are five allrounders (not including Kamran Akmal) in the squad and conceivably four of them will make any starting XI. If the batting is thinned, and will miss Shoaib Malik and even Younis Khan from last year, the bowling attack and its variety will be the envy of all.

Both sides are blessed with spin and it may well be a decisive factor.

Form guide (most recent first)

Pakistan WLLWW
Bangladesh LLLLL

Watch out for

Pakistan's middle order is bare, so much will depend on Umar Akmal, their batting discovery of the last year. He hasn't quite exploded in the format just yet, but his skills are far too well-rounded for that to remain the case. He has the shots and the head and a couple of handy innings in the Champions Trophy last year hinted at a temperament for the big stage.

Shakib Al Hasan is Bangladesh's Atlas, a man eminently capable not only of propping up his side when needed, but dragging them along in his brilliance. In particular, given Pakistan's frailties against left-arm spin, his four overs will have to be carefully monitored. He hasn't struck gold with the bat yet in T20 internationals, but it is only a matter of time.

Team news

Pakistan's ideal line-up should be fairly straightforward, especially the batting, in which there are fairly limited options. The bowling will depend on the surface; if there is spin, they can play two seamers (with Abdul Razzaq the third seamer) and have up to five spinning options. Otherwise they can play three fast bowlers (with Razzaq again) and still have four spinning options.

Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Kamran Akmal (wk), 3 Shahid Afridi (capt), 4 Umar Akmal, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Fawad Alam, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Mohammad Sami, 9 Mohammad Aamer, 10 Mohammad Asif, 11 Saeed Ajmal

Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Aftab Ahmed, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Naeem Islam, 7 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 8 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 9 Mashrafe Mortaza, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Syed Rasel

Stats and trivia

Bangladesh have lost ten Twenty20 internationals in a row, their last win coming back in September 2007 at the inaugural World T20.

Pakistan have beaten Bangladesh in all three T20Is the two sides have played.

Quotes

"I want to see the same body language whether we are playing Bangladesh or Australia."
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's captain, will not be taking any team lightly.

Via CricINFO

New Zealand start with tense victory

2010-05-01T03:24:00.000-07:00

New Zealand edged Sri Lanka in just the sort of cliffhanger the organisers would have wanted to kick off the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. If McCullum is talked of as a match-winner, it is probably Brendon that one thinks of, but it was his brother Nathan who was the hero with an all-round performance, topped off by a six over long-off to seal a tense victory with one delivery to go.

On a track that lived up to it's pre-match billing of being sluggish, basic line-and-length bowling from New Zealand's slow bowlers was enough to curtail Sri Lanka to 135, despite Mahela Jayawardene's polished 81, his highest score in Twenty20s.

The balance swung from one side to the other through the chase: New Zealand looked in control after Jesse Ryder's power-hitting at the top, but tight spells from the two oldest players in the tournament, Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan, seemingly shut New Zealand out of the game.

When Ajantha Mendis nipped out Scott Styris in the 17th over, the asking rate was over 10 and half the New Zealand side was dismissed. Jacob Oram, though, kept the game alive with two consecutive hits over long-on for six to round off the over. Lasith Malinga sent down an over of patented hard-to-hit full deliveries in the 18th, and two wickets - of Oram and Gareth Hopkins - fell in the first two deliveries of the penultimate over to again put Sri Lanka in charge.

With 18 needed off nine, Daniel Vettori shuffled across and swung Chanaka Welegedara for four in front of deep square leg, and McCullum mishit a low full toss over mid-on to scramble three off the final delivery.

Ten off the final over, from Malinga, was still a tough ask. The first delivery was squeezed to mid-on for a single and they comically stole a bye after Vettori missed a full delivery - with McCullum charging down the track, both batsmen were at the keeper's end, Sangakkara lobbed the ball to Malinga who missed the stumps from a few yards even though he could have walked and taken the bails off.

McCullum then swiped a full delivery to long leg for four to reduce it to 4 off 3, making New Zealand fans believe again. A hard drive to long-on resulted in Vettori's run-out as he attempted a non-existent second, but McCullum's glorious hit over long-off for six off the penultimate delivery confirmed New Zealand's victory.

Such a close finish didn't look likely at the halfway stage after Ryder and Martin Guptill piled on 62 in eight mostly trouble-free overs. Ryder feasted on some leg-side gifts, and also threw in some muscular hits over midwicket to race to 42 off 25 before being bowled by a quicker one from Murali.

Jayasuriya didn't get to bat, but showed his value with the ball, knocking out Guptill's middle stump with a quick yorker, before Murali got rid of danger-man Ross Taylor in the 15th over. Only sixteen runs came in the six overs after Ryder's dismissal, to propel the required-rate and ask for some late heroics.

McCullum had been superb at the start of the match as well, when handed the new ball, stifling the most explosive batsman of the previous World Twenty20, Tillakaratne Dilshan.

The big guns at the top of Sri Lanka's batting order carried on their form from the IPL: Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, who had forgettable campaigns in India, scratched around looking uncomfortable, while Jayawardene, who was close to his best towards the end of the tournament, was rarely troubled in his first outing as an international Twenty20 opener.

Jayawardene made virtually all of Sri Lanka's runs during the early stages of their innings. He started off with a powerful swat over square leg for six off Shane Bond, then finessed McCullum through covers for four. On a pitch where pace was a disadvantage, Bond was expensive: Jayawardene taking him for two fours in the fourth over.

The best phase of Sri Lanka's innings was a fluent 59-run partnership between debutant Dinesh Chandimal and Jayawardene. The pair began cautiously, with an over of singles off Vettori, before Chandimal boosted the innings with a big six over long-on off Styris in the 11th over - the first boundary for 35 deliveries. Jayawardene then took charge again, picking off the bad deliveries on offer to hit a boundary an over. A stunning parried, overhead catch from Taylor ended Chandimal's stay, and series of yorkers from Tim Southee kept the runs down, before a raft of outfield catches restricted Sri Lanka to what still proved a competitive total.

Sri Lanka now need to win on Monday against Zimbabwe, who have surprised Australia and Pakistan in the warm-ups, if they are to avoid early elimination.

Via CricInfo

Shoaib Malik Divorce

2010-04-07T14:56:00.000-07:00

Kolkata clinch hard-fought victory

2010-04-07T14:53:00.001-07:00

In stark contrast to the silence that accompanied the listless defence against Kings XI Punjab, the Eden Gardens faithful responded passionately to a charged performance from Kolkata Knight Riders, which derailed Delhi Daredevils' chase to secure an invaluable 14-run victory. At the heart of the turnaround was Sourav Ganguly, who scored a half-century to build a challenging total, after which he fielded like few believed he could: the direct hit that ran out Gautam Gambhir ended a threatening 99-run partnership and turned the game Kolkata's way.

The result took them level on 10 points with Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the fourth-placed team.

It nearly didn't happen for Kolkata though. Virender Sehwag, who was reprieved on 7 when the umpire failed to hear or see an edge, threatened to deliver Delhi their seventh win. His partnership with Gambhir put Delhi on course and he completed a 34-ball half-century, his slowest in the IPL. It was greeted with silence by Eden Gardens. Delhi needed 48 off 32 balls with seven wickets in hand when Ajit Agarkar's inswinger crashed into Sehwag's stumps, and the slide had begun.

Ajantha Mendis, chosen ahead of Shane Bond because of a dry pitch, had Kedar Jadhav caught at cover - Ganguly jumping to intercept a hard drive - in the 17th over. The next, from left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla, was pivotal. He bowled Farveez Maharoof with one that pitched middle and hit off, before reacting athletically to run out Rajat Bhatia three balls later.

The decisive blow was struck by Ashok Dinda in the penultimate over when Dinesh Karthik, Kolkata's last threat, pulled to Brendon McCullum at midwicket. His exit left Delhi needing 30 off 10 balls, a task too hard for Daniel Vettori and Amit Mishra. It was fitting that Dinda landed the last blow, for he had struck the first during an astonishing opening over. He hurried David Warner with four skiddy deliveries, cramping him for room, before beating him with the fifth - a quick one that uprooted offstump before Warner had brought his bat down. Delhi knew then that they were in for a scrap.

Unlike Ganguly, who used the pace of Dinda, Agarkar and Angelo Mathews, Gambhir instructed his bowlers - from Maharoof to Rajat Bhatia - to take the pace of the ball. It didn't work immediately for Kolkata made their best score at the end of ten overs this season - 88 - and had all wickets intact.

Chris Gayle, who had scored 40 off 21, fell soon after though, missing a swipe against Bhatia, and Ganguly followed in similar fashion against Vettori. Brendon McCullum was run out cheaply too and Kolkata scored only 30 runs between overs 12 and 16 to reach 130 for 3.

The innings needed acceleration and it was provided by Mathews and Tiwary. Mathews had been dropped Bhatia on 10 - a caught and bowled opportunity - and he made Delhi pay with two well-aimed blows over long-on. Tiwary joined in the hitting right at the end, and they boosted the innings by taking 18 runs off Mishra's last over. Their partnership was worth 70 in 6.5 overs, and it helped set Delhi a testing target in a match vital to Kolkata's semi-final chances.

Pakistan to bank on spinners for defending WT20 title: Waqar

2010-04-07T14:52:00.004-07:00

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis believes that defending champions Pakistan would be banking upon its spinners to retain the ICC World Twenty20 title.

Waqar said that the team has spinners who could pocket the coveted title for a second consecutive time.

"We have a variety of all types of bowlers but I think we have an edge in the spin department and we will be depending upon our spinners to play a key role in team's success to defend the title," Waqar told reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing training camp at the National Cricket Academy here.

He pointed out that slow bowlers like Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez could inflict heavy damage on the best batting line up in the world.

Waqar said he was pleased with the response of players during the ongoing training camp, adding that if they maintained the same momentum, Pakistan would surely lift the WT20 title.

"I have been associated with the team in the past and I have never seen that high level of interest shown by players in training and fitness which I believe is a very good sign because total commitment and promise is needed to achieve our set goals in the event," he said on The Daily Times.

Lumb assault knocks out Punjab

2010-04-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium remained a fortress for Rajasthan Royals, who made it eight out of eight wins at the venue by bulldozing Kings XI Punjab with five overs remaining. Opener Michael Lumb pummelled 83 off 43 balls to deliver Rajasthan their third straight victory, which lifted them to joint second spot, an unlikely position for a team that was written off after starting with three defeats in a row.

Rajasthan sprinted to the highest total of the season in the first five overs (65), after Punjab had mucked about to gather the least runs in the final five overs (27), reflecting the gulf between the two sides. Punjab reverted to being the bumbling bunch that has been entrenched at the bottom of the table all season: the batting lost fizz after a bubbly start, the fielding was the usual butter-fingered effort, and the bowling lacked inspiration.

Mahela Jayawardene top-scored again, and Yuvraj Singh briefly showed off his awesome hitting, but with the rest failing to contribute anything substantial Punjab ended up with an inadequate total.

The variety of sweeps against the spinners and the trademark carves behind point off the quicks were the highlight of Jayawardene's innings, in which only seven runs were scored in front of the wicket. He had some luck as well, a leading edge six to third man off Aditya Dole, reprieved when Shane Warne reacted slowly to a caught-and-bowled chance and dropped by Dole at deep square leg.

With Kumar Sangakkara's poor tournament continuing, it was Yuvraj who provided some support for him. Warne was at his bewitching best in the previous game, but had no answer to Yuvraj today. First, Yuvraj muscled him over midwicket for a six, and two overs later clobbered two flat sixes and a four to take 24 runs off eight balls against the Rajasthan captain.

The match turned in the next over from Dole: he had Yuvraj dragging a short ball onto the stumps and Jayawardene edged to a wide slip. That sucked all the momentum out of the Punjab innings, and they never recovered.

Ravi Bopara pottered about before being run out after racing down the track for a second run which his partner, Irfan Pathan, was not interested in. Watson varied his length and pace well towards the death, and Siddharth Trivedi's steady servings of slower deliveries proved hard to score off, so much so that Punjab couldn't hit even one boundary in that period.

The Punjab score looked insufficient, but it was not as measly as Lumb and Naman Ojha made it seem. The match was essentially decided after the fourth over of the chase, in which Lumb lashed fast bowler Rusty Theron for 20 runs to blast Punjab to 55 for 0.

The template was set in the first over, when Ramesh Powar made a hash of a simple fielding chance to give away two extra runs, and Sreesanth followed that up with gift of a short ball that was pulled for four by Lumb.

Sangakkara shuffled his bowlers around but to no avail: Lumb picked off the spinners with a bunch of sweeps and reverse-sweeps, while showcasing his full range of strokes against the quicks. The 100 came up in the ninth over when Irfan was caned for four fours, and Lumb was also eyeing his century. He was dismissed in the next over, but Ojha, who has been quiet when Lumb was blasting, took charge of the chase, and with the help of Yusuf Pathan finished off the game in the 15th over.

Women's squads confirmed for ICC World Twenty20 2010

2010-04-07T14:50:00.005-07:00

Semi-finals and final to run as double-headers with men's section

All eight women's squads for the ICC World Twenty20 2010 have now been confirmed with the very best players in the world all getting ready for the big event, which gets underway in the West Indies later this month.

The group stages of the women's element of the tournament will take place in St Kitts with the semi-finals happening in St Lucia and the final being staged in Barbados. The knock-out matches will all feature as double-headers with the men's equivalents just as they did in England last year.

Charlotte Edwards will lead defending champion England and will want to lift the trophy again as she did at home last year. Having also won the ICC Women's World Cup 2009 in Australia, England will be anxious to claim a third world title on as many continents.

To help Edwards along that path, there are some new faces in the England squad as well as some of the old guard. Claire Taylor, who was player of the 2009 tournament as well as winning the Women's Cricketer of the Year at the LG ICC Awards last year, returns after missing the tour of India, as does Holly Colvin, but the experienced Isa Guha and Caroline Atkins have not been included.

There is room, however, for youngsters such as Anya Shrubsole (18), Danielle Wyatt (18), Heather Knight (19) and Danielle Hazell (21) as England pick a squad with one eye on the future.

Beaten finalist at the 2009 event New Zealand has a familiar took to it with Aimee Watkins again leading the way. She will be supported ably by Amy Satterthwaite, Suzie Bates, Lucy Doolan and Nicola Browne who, although all still young, have already managed to gather plenty of experience at international level.

The home team, West Indies, will be difficult to beat especially if Stafanie Taylor and Deandra Dottin can fire with the bat. The squad includes three new faces from last year's tournament in England with batter Britney Cooper, seam bowler Shemaine Campbelle and all-rounder Tremayne Smartt being given the chance to impress.

The other two main contenders for top honours will be Australia and India and both have announced strong squads for the trip to the Caribbean. Australia will be led by Jodie Fields with Alex Blackwell, Lisa Sthalekar and Shelley Nitschke being the players to watch.

Jhulan Goswami will again captain Team India in a familiar-looking side that contains such experienced players as Mithali Raj and Anjum Chopra.

The action gets underway in St Kitts on 5 May with the final taking place in Kensington Oval, Barbados on 16 May. All the women's squads are listed below while the men's squads were announced last week. For more information about the ICC World Twenty20 2010 go to www.icc-cricket.com.

Women's squads

Australia: Jodie Fields (captain), Alex Blackwell, Jessica Cameron, Sarah Elliott, Rene Farrell, Rachael Haynes, Julie Hunter, Shelley Nitschke, Erin Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Leah Poulton, Clea Smith, Lisa Sthalekar, Elyse Villani.

England: Charlotte Edwards (captain), Katherine Brunt, Holly Colvin, Lydia Greenway, Jenny Gunn, Danielle Hazell, Heather Knight, Laura Marsh, Beth Morgan, Nicola Shaw, Anya Shrubsole, Claire Taylor, Sarah Taylor, Danielle Wyatt.

India: Jhulan Goswami (captain), Mithali Raj, Poonam Raut, Sulakshana Naik, Anagha Deshpande, Rumeli Dhar, Amita Sharma, Harmanpreet Kaur, Reema Malhotra, Diana David, Gouhar Sultana, Soniya Dabir, Priyanka Roy, Anjum Chopra.

New Zealand: Aimee Watkins (captain), Amy Satterthwaite, Suzie Bates, Erin Bermingham, Kate Broadmore, Nicola Browne, Sophie Devine, Natalie Dodd, Lucy Doolan, Maria Fahey, Sara McGlashan, Liz Perry, Rachel Priest, Sian Ruck.

Pakistan: Sana Mir (captain), Nain Abidi, Armaan Khan, Batool Fatima, Asmavia Iqbal, Bismah Maroof, Qanita Jalil, Urooj Mumtaz Khan, Javeria Wadood, Sajida Shah, Nida Rashid, Sania Khan, Sadia Yousaf, Rabia Shah.

South Africa: Cri-Zelda Brits (capt), Susan Benade, Trisha Chetty, Mignon du Preez, Shandre Fritz, Shabnim Ismail, Ashlyn Kilowan, Marcia Letsoalo, Sunette Loubser, Alicia Smith, Angelique Taai, Chloe Tryon, Charlize van der Westhuizen, Dane van Niekerk.

Sri Lanka: Chamani Seneviratne (captain), Dilani Manodara, Inoka Galagedara, Shashikala Siriwardene, Dedunu Silva, Suvini de Alwis, Chamari Atapattu, Ehsani Kaushalya, Sandamali Dolawatta, Sripali Weerakkody, Udeshika Prabodhani, Deepika Rasangika, Hiruka Fernando, Chandi Wickramasinghe.

West Indies: Merissa Aguilleira (captain), Kirbyina Alexander, Shemaine Campbelle, Britney Cooper, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Cordel Jack, Stacy-Ann King, Pamela Lavine, Anisa Mohammed, Juliana Nero, Shakera Selman, Tremayne Smartt, Stafanie Taylor.

Settlement in Shoaib Malik case

2010-04-07T14:50:00.003-07:00

The controversy surrounding Shoaib Malik, the former Pakistan captain, appears to have moved a step closer to resolution on Wednesday with the announcement that he had filed for divorce from Ayesha Siddiqui, whom he had married seven years ago, and her family saying they would withdraw apolice complaint filed against him.

This paves the way for Malik to go ahead with his marriage to Sania Mirza, the Indian tennis player, in Hyderabad next week.

The announcement - which followed five days of negotiations - was made at a press conference at Ayesha's house and attended by representatives of the Mirza and Siddiqui families, though the three principals were absent. Shafi, Sania's uncle, said the complaint against Malik would be withdrawn - an application has already been filed with the police - and in turn he would pay Ayesha maintenance under Islamic law.

"I am very happy about it", Ayesha's mother said. "All community leaders have come to him (Shoaib) to do the settlement and he has done it. Finally justice has been done to my daughter."

On Monday, Hyderabad police said they had registered a complaint of cheating, harassment and intimidation filed by Ayesha against Malik.

Malik admitted, at a public appearance the same day, that he had married Ayesha but claimed it was done on the phone, he had never met his wife and that the photographs sent to him did not match the person who later claimed to be his wife.

Clarke falls from second position while Ponting drops out of top 15

2010-04-07T14:49:00.005-07:00

Ross Taylor, Simon Katich, Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger on the charge

New Zealand slips behind Pakistan after losing both Tests against Australia

Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting, the mainstay of Australia's batting line-up, have both dropped in the latest Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen which were released on Thursday, a day after the conclusion of the second and last Test in Hamilton.

Clarke, who had number-one ranked Virender Sehwag firmly within his sights before the start of the Test as just 16 ratings points separated the two batsmen, has dropped to fifth position after his contributions of 28 and 63.

Clarke's gap with Sehwag has also opened to 29 ratings points which reflects the close fight at the top as the Australia vice-captain has slipped three places after conceding only 13 ratings points.

Clarke's fall has moved South Africa's Hashim Amla back to second place with an opportunity to snatch the number-one position from Sehwag when he faces the West Indies in the three-Test series which starts in Kingston, Jamaica, on 10 June.

Ponting, who scored 22 and six in Hamilton, has dropped out of the top 15 after slipping six places to 16th position. When the Tasmanian takes the field against Pakistan at Lord's on 13 July, he'll be trying to avoid to drop to 20th position, his lowest-ranking in eight years which he had achieved against the same opposition after the Sydney Test in January.

However, the good news for Australia is opener Simon Katich has continued to head in the right direction. The left-handed opener has moved up two places to achieve his career-best 13th position after scoring 88 and 106 in the Test which Australia won by 176 runs.

Katich had entered the series in 19th position and after his series contribution of 291 runs he has gained six valuable places. He is now the second highest-ranked Australia batsman after Clarke.

Also on the charge is New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor who has jumped six places to occupy 10th position. Taylor scored 138 and 22 in Hamilton.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers, Australia's Mitchell Johnson has bounced back strongly after a disappointing first Test in Wellington to jump three places and regain second position, which he had first achieved last year in March in Durban against South Africa.

The left-arm fast bowler, who took 10 wickets in Hamilton, had slipped two places to fifth position after managing just one wicket in the first Test.

Johnson's team-mate Doug Bollinger is also on the move upwards and has achieved a career-best 15th position after climbing four places following his figures of 3-57 and 2-87.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship, Australia has narrowed the gap with second-placed South Africa to just one ratings point. However, New Zealand has joined Pakistan on 80 ratings points but falls below Pakistan in seventh position after the ratings were calculated beyond the decimal point.

For information on the ICC Player Rankings go to: www.reliancemobileiccrankings.com.

West Indies Women get set for ICC World Twenty20 2010

2010-04-07T14:49:00.001-07:00

Sherwin Campbell, coach of the West Indies Women's team, has outlined plans, as the players get ready for the ICC World Twenty20 tournament to be played in the Caribbean. Campbell has been with the team for two years and said he is confident his players can lift the trophy when the final is played at Kensington Oval in Barbados on May 16. Before that, the team will be in camp in St Kitts from April 11 to the start of the tournament. During that period, they will play one-day games and T20 matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

On his team's chances in the event, Campbell said: "We expect to do very well. I find we are better at T20 cricket than we are at 50-over cricket, so we go into the ICC WT20 confident of doing well. Our aim is to win. We are playing at home and every team dreams of winning at home."

"We enter the tournament ranked at number five so the first aim will be to get into the top four (semifinals) and move on from there. Last year in St Kitts we beat England, and it is currently number one in the world, so we are confident. Playing the preliminary matches in St Kitts will be to our advantage. Last year, we got great support from the people and we will be expecting the fans to come out again."

"We have some very good players, such as Stafanie Taylor, who is among the top batters in the world, and Deandra Dottin, who can hit the ball with great power at the top of the order. Pam Lavine is our most experienced player and also a good batter and reliable bowler. We also have Cordel Jack, a reliable batter; Stacy King, a good all-rounder who bats in the middle-order and bowls in the middle overs; Anisa Mohammed is a world-class off-spinner; and our captain Merissa Aguilleira is a good leader and her batting has improved. Shemaine Campbelle is small but anyone who can bat, bowl and keep wicket at international level gives us many options. Overall our strength is our belief in the ‘team' concept where everyone plays for each other."

Campbell also highlighted that the team needs to improve on its fielding. He said: "Our fielding against England last year was excellent, but I still want to see more improvement in that area. In T20, the more runs you save; you give yourself a better chance of winning. In our team, we have a good bowling unit. What we need to do is identify the players for various situations and that is what we will be doing in the camp and in the warm-up matches. In batting, we have seen signs of great improvement, but again, we need to work harder."

On women's cricket in the West Indies, he added: "I am happy the tournament is being played in the West Indies. It will certainly show people that women's cricket is a game to focus on and that the girls deserve respect. In the past, women's cricket was seen as a bit of a pastime, but not nowadays. It is growing and having been involved in women's cricket for a few years now I have seen the rapid changes. The game is faster now, it's full of energy and life, and players all across the world are very dynamic."

The full squad is as follows: Merissa Aguilleira (Captain), Kirbyina Alexander, Shemaine Campbelle, Britney Cooper, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Cordel Jack, Stacy-Ann King, Pamela Lavine, Anisa Mohammed, Juliana Nero, Shakera Selman, Tremayne Smartt, Stafanie Taylor

Match schedule
Saturday, April 17 at St Paul's - West Indies vs Sri Lanka (ODI)
Monday, April 19 St Paul's - West Indies vs Sri Lanka (ODI)
Tuesday, April 20 at Cayon - West Indies vs Sri Lanka (T20)
Thursday, April 22 at Cayon - West Indies vs Sri Lanka (T20)
Friday, April 23 at Cayon - West Indies vs Sri Lanka (T20)
Monday, April 26 at Molineux - West Indies vs Pakistan (T20)
Tuesday, April 27 at Molineux - West Indies vs Pakistan (T20)
Thursday, April 29 at Molineux - West Indies vs Pakistan (T20)

3 iPhone Camera Lenses

2010-04-03T02:52:00.001-07:00

iPhone camera lenses can be great addition to your phone and helps you take better and more interesting pictures. Of course you can try to mount SLR lens on your phonebut it takes some time and doesn’t give any guarantee you will be able to take some shots at the end.

On Amazon you can find some cool lenses that are made specially for iPhone – telescope, macro/wide and fish-eye it’s all there. Of course you will not be able to squeeze dSLR quality out of iPhone and these lenses, but I can guarantee a lot of fun experimenting.

Telescope Lens 6x ZOOM for APPLE iPhone 3G

Want some camera zoom on iPhone? Here you go – massive looking telescope lens with 6x zoom will help you to do that. It is very easy to attach as it comes together with plastic cap that you simply snap to your iPhone. I have seen this bad boy in action – it works great and have very impressive look too, you can defiantly stand out of the crowd.

Wide and Macro Lens for iPhone

This and other Digital King lenses for iPhone is very qualitative as they are manufactured with optical glass that sits in aluminium body. This particular lens is for macro photography and wide angle shots and works with iPhone 3G and 3GS. To mount this lens you need to attach a magnet first and then just snap the right lens on it.
Fish-eye Lens for iPhone

This fish-eye is from the same manufacturer as the previous lens which means great quality and same mount system. this lens will give you possibility to take 180° shots. The only downside of the lens is that it is relatively very expensive (around $80).

I hope you will me able to experience a lot of fun taking pictures with these lenses and I’m sure that there is also many other options you can choose. Here is some iPhotographytips, apps and photos for your inspiration!

Gambhir ends 2009 as number one batsman in ICC rankings

2010-01-01T12:44:00.001-08:00

Indian opener Gautam Gambhir capped a memorable year by ending it as number one Test batsman in the ICC rankings issued today. Gambhir's opening partner Virender Sehwag remained static at number four while Rahul Dravid gained one place to occupy 13th spot.

Sachin Tendulkar lost one place to slid to 17th just a rung above VVS Laxman who gained one spot. Two Sri Lankans - Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara - were in between Gambhir and Sehwag.

There was not much change lower down the batsmen's chart, with West Indian Shivanarine Chanderapul gaining one place to jump to eighth. South Africa's Jacques Kallis and Kiwi Ross Taylor shared joint ninth.

In the bowlers' chart still headed by South African Dale Steyn, Indian off-spinner Harbhajan remained unchanged at sixth while Zaheer Khan lost one place to drop out of top 10. He is now at 11th spot.

England off-spinner Graeme Swann was the biggest mover as he jumped seven places to third place, the highest in his career. The 30-year-old took nine wickets, including a five-wicket haul in the South African second innings, in the second Test in Durban.

Haroon Lorgat reflects on 2009 in this week's ICC Cricket World audio show

2010-01-01T12:43:00.001-08:00

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni talks about what it's like to lead the number-one Test side in the world

Podcast available for free download and editorial use fromwww.icc-cricket.com

On this week's ICC Cricket World audio show ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat reflects on 2009, a historic year for the ICC.

Looking back over the past 12 months, Mr Lorgat says: "It has been such a demanding year... We had four major events - the Women's World Cup, the World Twenty20, the Cricket World Cup Qualifier and the successful ICC Champions Trophy held in South Africa - which meant a lot of work. On top of that it was our centenary year and unfortunately we had the tragic incident in Lahore, which was so sad for the game."

Mr Lorgat also looks forward to 2010, saying it's all systems go for such upcoming events as the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand next month and the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies, which starts in April. In addition to those, work has already begun in preparing for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 so there is plenty to keep Mr Lorgat and his staff as busy as ever.

The show can be used in whole or part by radio stations that want cricket content, while the public can also download it straight from the ICC website at http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net/media_interactive_zone/podcast.php.

In addition, this week's ICC Cricket World includes an interview with MS Dhoni, who describes what it's like to be captain of India, the number-one Test team. This week's show also takes a look at who will finish the year at the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings as well as a round-up of the latest news in the world of cricket.

The weekly ICC Cricket World audio show runs for 15 minutes and has been put together by the ICC's global broadcast partner ESPN STAR Sports.

England's bowlers Swann into the top 10

2010-01-01T12:42:00.001-08:00

Man of the match Graeme jumps to third place as Broad moves up to seventh; South Africa's Harris and Ntini slip down the order but Australia's Hauritz makes gains

Batsmen Cook, Bell, Strauss and Watson move up after successful Tests for them in Durban and Melbourne

England off-spinner Graeme Swann has capped off a memorable year by breaking into the top five of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers and all-rounders for the first time.

Swann finishes 2009 in third position in the bowlers' category of cricket's official player rankings after his man-of-the-match performance in the second Test against South Africa in Durban.

The 30-year-old took match figures of 56-6-164-9, including a five-wicket haul in the second innings and, as a result, has gained a further eight places, moving ahead of spin rivals Harbhajan Singh of India and Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidaran in the process.

It is Swann's highest ranking of his career to date and his good form with the bat recently - he scored 85 in the first innings of the Centurion Test - has meant that he has also gained three places in that list, putting him in fourth position behind Australia's Mitchell Johnson.

The news is also good for Swann's team-mate Stuart Broad, who has gained six places to seventh in the bowling rankings. Broad's pace was the perfect foil to Swann's beguiling off-spinners and his four second-innings wickets helped expedite the Proteas' demise in the second Test, which England won by an innings and 98 runs.

Broad has also broken into the top five of the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders with a career-high rating in that category.

Not surprisingly, the picture isn't as rosy for most of South Africa's bowlers. Veteran pacer Makhaya Ntini has slipped four places to eighth position after failing to take a wicket in the match while left-arm slow bowler Paul Harris has dropped five places, out of the top 10, to 12th spot.

On a more positive note, Morne Morkel has gained six places and now sits in 24th position in the rankings thanks to his three first-innings wickets in Durban. And for Australia, spinner Nathan Hauritz's five wickets in the second innings of the match against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground has earned him five places with the 28-year-old now occupying 38th position in the list.

SA's Dale Steyn has managed to cling on to number-one spot although he is now under significant pressure from Johnson, who is in top form in his side's current series against Pakistan.

As far as the batting rankings are concerned, England captain Andrew Strauss is the main mover in the top 20, gaining four places to joint-13th position, level with Rahul Dravid of India and South Africa's AB de Villiers, who drops one place.

South Africa's Ashwell Prince has slipped out of the top 20 while England's Alastair Cook is up four places to 27th and Ian Bell gains eight spots to 33rd in the rankings.

After several close calls, Australia opener Shane Watson finally reached his maiden Test century during the MCG Test and this effort has earned him 19 places in the latest rankings with the all-rounder now sitting in 34th position with further gains possible for the remainder of this series.

Ricky Ponting loses two more places in the latest rankings and now sits in 16th position. The batting rankings are still headed by Gautam Gambhir of India followed by the Sri Lanka pair of Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara.

For information on the ICC Player Rankings go to: www.reliancemobileiccrankings.com.

Celebrating a century for the ICC

2010-01-01T12:41:00.001-08:00

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat looks back at some of the highlights of the ICC's centenary year celebrations

It was fascinating to see the Catch the Spirit flag go full circle after arriving in Australia ready for the Test match in Sydney at the start of the New Year. The flag began its journey in Sydney on 2 January 2009 and has since travelled the globe collecting signatures during the ICC's Centenary. It is a symbol of the values and Great Spirit which underpins our Great Sport. This was just one highlight of the grand celebrations during 2009.

ICC members across the world held 'Catch the Spirit' events to showcase the history and spirit of the sport in their own way. There was a Beach Cricket Festival in Vina Del mar, Chile; the 'Europa Cup', celebrating girls' cricket in Munich, Germany; a centenary gala day in Cameroon; a sixes tournament in Papua New Guinea, plus plenty more events across the ICC's 104 Members. One of the standout 'Catch the Spirit' activities has to be the unique promotional video produced by the Cricket Association of Nepal with the Nepal Tourism Board called Mero Desh Pyaro Nepal (My Country, Lovely Nepal). It is a superb illustration of how the game is supported widely and passionately in diverse communities. The spirit of cricket really does stretch right across the globe.

Perhaps the legacy by which the Centenary will be remembered will be the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame which was launched in association with the international players' association (FICA). During the course of the year, presentations were made to legends of the game, formally inducting them into the Hall of Fame, which now includes both inaugural inductees based on FICA's Hall of Fame, plus five newly announced greats which were selected through a comprehensive and robust process ahead of the LG ICC Awards in September 2009. I was delighted to be involved in the presentation parties for a few of these awards where I saw just how much the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame cap meant to the game's greats. The likes of Sir Richard Hadlee, Graeme Pollock and Sir Viv Richards were thrilled to be honoured in this way. The Hall of Fame has now become a focal point to recognise the legends of the game and will continue to grow in the years ahead.

The Centenary has also provided an opportunity to recognise some of the game's unsung heroes, the people who are instrumental to the running of our Great Sport. The ICC Centenary Medal has been awarded to 1000 special volunteers selected by our Members who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and have gone beyond the call of duty in serving the game. I hope that the medal will be seen as a symbol of our gratitude and acknowledgement of the devotion that volunteers around the world give to our Great Sport.

The ICC has also extended its social responsibility programmes during the centenary. We have established THINK WISE with the global cricket AIDS partnership (UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative) to build on our long term commitment to raise awareness and reduce the stigma sometimes associated with HIV in cricket playing countries. This has included the launch of the first THINK WISE community project in collaboration with loveLife in South Africa which aims to use the popularity and power of cricket to help reduce HIV infection rates in high risk areas. In all these initiatives I am grateful for the willing contributions of many icon players.

The ICC has also embarked on promoting peace through cricket with a number of projects being set up across the Asia sub-continent as a result of the successful initiative we launched at the ICC World Twenty20 2009. The first of these projects will involve training former child soldiers in Sri Lanka with the skills to become peer cricket leaders in their home communities. This programme was shortlisted for the Peace and Sport Annual Awards 2009 and I look forward to seeing it develop in years to come and illustrate how cricket can be a force for good across the globe. All of these social initiatives are an integral part of the ICC's vision to "captivate and inspire people….while building bridges between continents, countries and communities".

2009 was also a special year at the highest level of our Great Sport. I would like to congratulate the England women's team on winning the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup and the ICC World Twenty20, Pakistan for taking the honours in the men's ICC World Twenty20 and Australia for successfully defending its ICC Champions Trophy title. There was of course also fascinating Test match cricket during the Ashes contest, while India ended the year at the top of the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Rankings. There is plenty of cricket to look forward to in 2010 with the ICC Under19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand around the corner and the ICC World Twenty20 2010 in the Caribbean a few months later.

There were also a series of memorable events in the Pepsi ICC Development Programme, with Pepsi ICC World Cricket League events in locations as diverse as Buenos Aires, Guernsey and Singapore, as well as regional tournaments held in five continents across the world.

I would like to thank ICC staff, members and cricket fans around the world for making 2009 a special year for cricket. I now look forward to 2010 and beyond as we continue to build a Great Sport with Great Spirit.

Sangakkara blitz too much for sloppy India

2009-12-10T12:51:00.001-08:00

Skipper Kumar Sangakkara lashed 78 off just 37 balls to inspire Sri Lanka to a 29-run win over India in the first Twenty20 international on Wednesday.

Sangakkara hit 11 fours and two sixes, his fourth Twenty20 fifty off 21 balls equalling the fastest by a Sri Lankan, until he was run out off the final delivery of the innings.

Sri Lanka amassed 215 for five after being put in on a good pitch and then restricted the hosts to 186 for nine.

India dropped three easy catches, missed an easy run out and repeatedly misfielded to spoil their hopes at the halfway mark.

Sangakkara, who made 137 in the final test in the 2-0 series defeat, lashed 17 runs in one over from left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and 15 more off debutant seamer Ashok Dinda in another.

He added 74 with Tillakaratne Dilshan for the second wicket and 69 for the fourth wicket with Chamara Kapugedera, who blazed to 47 from just 20 deliveries.

Indian openers Gautam Gambhir, who hit 55 off 26 balls, and Virender Sehwag (26) began promisingly but fell while desperately trying to score quickly before Sri Lankan steadily tightened their grip.

The second and final game will be played in Mohali on Saturday.