Ramiz Raja

Full name Ramiz Hasan Raja
Born August 14, 1962, Lyallpur (now Faisalabad), Punjab
Current age 48 years 131 days
Major teams Pakistan, Allied Bank,Islamabad Cricket Association, Lahore,Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, Punjab,Service Industries
Also known as Rameez Raja
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak
Other Commentator

On and off the field, in Pakistan cricket, it will be difficult to find a more stylish man than Ramiz Raja. In Pakistan's post-90s mess of scandal, dirt and intrigue, he also emerged, importantly, as a rare man of integrity and considerable dignity on the field and in administration. As an opening batsman Raja arrived on the scene the next Majid Khan. His basic game was built on solid, understated elegance. Some of the leg-side play was outstanding and the flick to square leg soon became a signature stroke. Why he didn't score more runs in Tests remains a mystery, though his importance to Pakistan's strong ODI sides of the 80s and early 90s cannot be underestimated. In the World Cups of 1987 and 1992 he was a key figure and as well as taking the catch that won it for Pakistan in 1992, he scored two hundreds through the tournament. His integrity and seniority helped him in captaining Pakistan late in his career, but the qualities became of greater use after he retired. First, as a bright, dynamic chief executive of the Pakistan board he was instrumental in bringing about a prosperous period in the early 2000s, including negotiating a breakthrough in Pakistan-India ties. The series won an important Laureus award for bringing the countries together through cricket. But by then he had also become an articulate voice of Pakistan the world over as a television commentator. That career has gone from strength to strength so that in the modern turmoil of Pakistan cricket, Raja's has been an authoritative, informed and sane voice amid the madness.

Former Pakistan cricketers push for players association

The death of 38-year-old first-class cricketer Aamer Bashir, after a long-running battle against cancer, has led to a call from former Pakistan players Ramiz Raja, Rashid Latif and Abdul Qadir for the establishment of a players association in the country.
"I think the way, and the conditions in which Aamer Bashir passed away are sad and there are many other players facing similar financial problems," Ramiz told PTI. "The formation of the players association will mean they can work for the welfare of players from one common platform."
Leading cricketers like Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan and Basit Ali worked hard to ensure Bashir received proper medical treatment, in addition to monetary assistance from the board. Ramiz asked for a more organised set-up to help such cricketers, and made it clear that forming a players association did not mean the players wanted to confront the board's authority.
"It should not be viewed that way [as a threat to the board]," he said. "If we have a proper association it can work for the welfare of players and also educate them on how to handle things and behave while playing for Pakistan."
"When you are fighting with a terminal illness having financial issues plays a big role in only worsening the disease," Latif, who had campaigned to raise funds for Bashir, said. Latif also noted that the board had opposed earlier efforts to set up a players body, a point that Qadir agreed with.
"Even if the board does not give us permission we can easily go to court and get permission because I think it is the right of cricketers to have a representative body in the country it is long overdue," Qadir said. "I just feel in Pakistan cricket, where there are so many disputes and controversies, a players association can play a very productive and positive role."

Bates destroys Pakistanis in tour opener

Pakistan's tour of New Zealand got off to a poor start after they lost their twelve-a-side Twenty20 match to Auckland at Colin Maiden Park. The hosts won with 40 balls to spare, easily chasing down the target of 92 after Pakistan were bowled out in 17.4 overs.
Pakistan were put in to bat and were in immediate trouble, sinking to 7 for 3 inside the third over. Left-arm seamer Michael Bates did the early damage, getting Mohammad Hafeez out caught and bowled off the fourth ball of the match. Two balls later he got Ahmed Shehzad to nick to Lou Vincent and be dismissed for a duck. In Bates' next over he got rid of the big fish - the captain Shahid Afridi, for 1. Afridi tried to pull Bates, but only got it as far as square leg, where Anaru Kitchen took a sharp catch.
Pakistan never recovered from that rocky start. Umar Akmal provided them with a silver lining, showing some signs of form to get to 25 - Pakistan's top score of the innings. Left-arm spinner Roneel Hira dismissed Younis Khan for 18 and then Umar in his next over, and Fawad Alam was run out for 0 in between, to leave the visitors reeling at 52 for 6. Umar was trying to power Hira through the off side off the back foot, but missed the ball and was bowled. Abdul Razzaq wasn't able to pull off a recovery and fell to offspinner Bhupinder Singh for 16. Bates came back into the attack and dismissed Wahab Riaz to finish with figures of 4 for 11 in three overs.
Auckland opener Colin de Grandhomme was in a hurry to knock off the required runs and raced to 20 off 12 before he was caught at gully by Shehzad off Shoaib Akhtar. Martin Guptill, the only member of the Auckland side who is in New Zealand's squad for the Twenty20 series against Pakistan, played the sheet-anchor role, and batted through the innings, making 28. Shoaib managed another wicket, bowling Lou Vincent, but was expensive, going at 7.75 in his four overs.
Saeed Ajmal did a good job of drying up the runs, giving away 20 in his four overs, and picked up the wickets of Anaru Kitchen and Colin Munro. Gareth Hopkins, who was dropped from New Zealand's squad for the Twenty20 and Test series against Pakistan, made only 8 before falling to Wahab Riaz. But Auckland were always comfortable, and reached their target with plenty of overs to spare, helped by the 17 extras conceded by Pakistan's bowlers.
Pakistan will have two days to recover before the first Twenty20 match of the three-match series against New Zealand, in Auckland, on December 26.

Tempting prospect for bowlers at Kingsmead

The sun has made a welcome appearance in Durban to ease some of the concerns for the ground authorities, but Wilson Ngobese, the chief groundsman at Kingsmead, doesn't want to predict too much about the nature of the pitch for the Boxing Day Test.
As of now, the track looks green and is rock solid, but if it doesn't get enough sun, Ngobese fears a repeat of Centurion where the toss became a major factor because of the moisture retained by the covered pitch. And there has been only two days of fair weather until now: Tuesday and Wednesday have been the only dry days over the last week. Even Tuesday was overcast, though it didn't rain.
"I want to give a wicket that is fair for everybody," Ngobese said, looking relieved to have uncovered the pitch. "It must not excessively help the bowlers too, and then if you can't bat I can't help it. But we are expecting more rain till the start of the match, and I am hoping for more such sunny days. Still, it should help the bowlers with good bounce." BBC Weather has forecast light rains for Friday and Saturday, and heavy showers for the first day of the match.
Ngobese said a lot depended on the weather. "If that man [pointing towards the sky] has other plans, I am helpless." The sea breeze, he said, will help the bowlers, but the one blowing from west to east, into the Indian Ocean, can prove dangerous - for the batsmen and the game. That's because the breeze from the west will bring rain, and the one from the sea will blow it away.
Ngobese said he would cut the grass a bit, but not too much. "I don't want to show cracks on the pitch."
Including Wednesday, there are four days to go until the start of the match, and the ground staff are hoping for good weather.
Eight of the last nine Tests in Durban have produced results, with South Africa losing twice to Australia and once to England.

Positive signs for Ponting's Boxing Day hopes

Ricky Ponting put in a strong performance at Australia's training session at the MCG on Thursday, significantly easing any doubts over his place for the Boxing Day Test. Ponting fielded well during the drills, although he was using only his right hand and made sure to keep his left well out of the way, to avoid any chance of suffering a knock to his broken little finger.
He will not bat until Friday, but given that this time last year he was nursing a much more serious elbow injury, which couldn't keep him out of a Test against Pakistan, the chances of him missing a Boxing Day encounter with the Ashes on the line are slim. Ponting has not missed a Test since October 2004, and his 72-match streak seems likely to grow to 73.
"He had a field and things pulled up well there," said Australia's wicketkeeper Brad Haddin after training on Thursday. "He's going to have a bat tomorrow and with a bit of luck all that goes to plan. At this stage the finger is recovering well and with a bit of luck he'll recover well for Boxing Day. The signs are all good at this stage."
Ponting's batting form is nowhere near his best, and since the end of Australia's home Tests last summer,he has averaged 29.62 and hasn't made a century in nine matches. It's a most un-Ponting-like stretch, but with Australia needing to avoid defeat at the MCG to keep the series alive, his on-field guidance will be important in a side that has six men with 25 or fewer Tests' experience.
"He's our leader and we get a lot of inspiration from him," Haddin said. "He's been a great leader for Australia for a long time and especially with this group of players. You just have to see the turnaround we had from Adelaide to Perth to see the effect he has on the cricket team. It's very important that he plays."
Australia's other selection issue surrounds the makeup of their attack, with the left-arm spinner Michael Beer a strong chance to come in to the side on an MCG surface that will be much slower than at the WACA. The likelihood is that the Victorian Peter Siddle will be left out of a Test in front of his home crowd, but the selectors haven't always taken the most expected option this summer.
"I think if a spinner does come in, it will be a tough call on whoever they leave out," Haddin said. "Ryan [Harris] and Mitch [Johnson] obviously got the results in Perth but look at the spell [Ben] Hilfenehaus bowled, when Mitch was taking the wickets.
"He shut down the scoreboard. And look at the aggressive spells Sidds bowled that made the English batsmen quite uncomfortable. Whoever they decide to go with - it will be a tough decision if they go with three quicks and not four."
Beer bowled in the nets at the MCG on Thursday, and while those practice facilities are familiar to him as a former Victorian squad member, he can't be expected to be overly used to bowling on the ground itself. Beer did not play at the MCG while he was on the fringes of the home state side, and now faces a debut in front of 90,000-plus spectators.
"He's a quality spinner," Haddin said. "The little I have seen of him, he likes the contest and is a very competitive bowler. He's fitted into our group very well and we're looking forward, if he gets his opportunity, to another Australian getting a debut at Test cricket. He'll do Australia and himself proud."

Ponting backs Johnson's WACA record

Australia's fast bowlers have gathered in Perth, uncertain of who will be carrying the drinks when the third Test begins on Thursday. The captain Ricky Ponting has said there will be strong competition between the fast men, with Mitchell Johnson back in the mix after being dropped along with Ben Hilfenhaus for the Adelaide Test.
Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris have all been named in Australia's 12-man squad, and although there is a chance that all four could play, Ponting always prefers to have a specialist spinner on hand. If that means Michael Beer plays alongside the allrounder Steven Smith, one of the pace bowlers must sit out.
The early indications are that it won't be Johnson, who is viewed as the most dangerous man in the attack, although his recent form has been poor. Johnson has a strong record at the WACA, where he has taken at least five wickets in all three of his Tests, and it was the venue of one of his greatest spells of bowling, when he took 8 for 61 against South Africa in 2008-09.
"He's taken an eight-for here so he has to come back into the reckoning considering it's a game we have to win," Ponting told the Australian. "I've always used him as a strike bowler but unfortunately he wasn't able to deliver in Brisbane. He's had a chance to get away and sort things out and he has worked exceptionally hard in Adelaide. Hopefully we'll see some good stuff from him in Perth this week."
Johnson was working with the bowling coach Troy Cooley in the nets at the Adelaide Oval while his team-mates were on their way to an innings defeat, and Ponting was pleased with his progress. He was also happy with the efforts of Siddle, who took a hat-trick on the opening day of the series but hasn't picked up a wicket since that first innings at the Gabba.
"Sids had none-for in Adelaide but I think he bowled a lot better than that," Ponting said. "I thought he got better as the game went on and never got any results to show for it. I'm very comfortable with the way he's going and I was very impressed with (Ryan) Harris. To come back into the side and bowl that way was really exciting. He's someone who will bowl well at the WACA."
The Australians have already used five different fast men - Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Siddle, Ryan Harris and Doug Bollinger - in the two Tests, and the full-time selector Greg Chappell said there weren't a lot of options around the country. Trent Copeland and Mark Cameron have been impressive in the Sheffield Shield this season, while Peter George is also bowling well, having made his Test debut in India in October, but Chappell believed the proven men were the way to go in a crucial Ashes Test.
"Well, there are not a lot of options," Chappell said in an interview with his brother Ian in Brisbane's Sunday Mail. "Mitch was, up until very recently, our best wicket-taker and the one most likely to win a Test or to help us get 20 wickets. If we can get him bowling well, he's still the most dangerous bowler we have."
The players gathered on Sunday in Perth, where Phillip Hughes and Michael Clarke had arrived early to spend extra time working with the batting coach Justin Langer. The third Test is not expected to be easy for the batsmen, with word from the WACA curator Cameron Sutherland that the game could be over in four days.
"We're going to aim for a fair bit of grass on top this year," Sutherland told Perth's Sunday Times. "Certainly we want a result and we're confident that we'll have a pitch that will produce a result."

India can face challenge on front foot

Andreas isn't happy that our car doesn't stop at his security check-point, instead driving right into the compound of the stunningly beautiful SuperSport Park in Centurion, the venue of the first Test. He looks like a security guard who has seen it all, one who's kept various kinds of people from entering his ground. It has been overcast all day, and a slight drizzle has made it cold for a summer day. Not as cold as Andreas, though.
"You didn't ask for my permission before entering, now you are not allowed to go into the stadium" he says, pointing towards where the accreditation pass would have been - had there been one. "Okay," we say, "let's step out of the compound again, and then ask for your permission." However, he can't keep the act up for long, and starts laughing. And then he says, "We are going to beat you, boss," pointing to a board featuring Dale Steyn and Ashwell Prince, saying. "Pure Protea. 100% South African."
"Pure Protea," repeats Andreas, and in the friendliest of manners, leads us on a tour of the ground. The ground itself is a pretty sight, with its grass banks, old-fashioned bars with wooden benches, the barbeques, the red benches in the press box, the old dressing room in the corner that is not used anymore, and the feel of the breeze going right across the open turf. South Africa cannot be inhospitable, else it wouldn't be hosting so many top sporting events. Even Andreas has become a friend now, and he will be bought beers if - as he says - South Africa are going to beat India, boss. Warm hosts as they might be, the South Africans will bring a cold edge when they host the No. 1 side in the world.
And India are not expecting anything less. The advertisements say the South Africans are waiting; the same can be said of the Indians. India know this tour will define how the team is seen. They know they will hang on to their No. 1 ranking even if they lose all three Tests. They also know how seriously their No. 1 ranking will be taken if they perform abysmally here. They know it has never been less about rankings.
In an interview with ESPNcricinfo recently, Gary Kirsten, India's coach, said his side didn't need to justify its No. 1 position, but also that the "Test series [against South Africa] will be a defining moment" for the team. He said this team, if it won the series, could well become the greatest Test side to come out of the country. Without doubt, given Australia's current form, beating South Africa in South Africa remains the biggest challenge for this Indian team.
A measure of how big a challenge this Test series is can be made from how this is a personal challenge for almost every individual in the side, at least the batting unit. Gautam Gambhir has returned to form through the series against New Zealand, but this will be the truest test of his technique since his remarkable comeback to the Indian side. There will be seam movement, and there will be constant bouncers, the kind Morne Morkel bowled to him in Nagpur to get him out twice in one day.
Rahul Dravid knows that every failure for him is as good as three for a younger batsman. Is he still the man for the situations that call for the most determined of efforts, mentally and technically? There won't be a better time than an overcast morning and a bouncy pitch come Thursday morning to prove this.
VVS Laxman has saved and won matches he had no business winning and saving, but he knows he hasn't scored a century in South Africa and it's a record that could do with some setting straight.
The last time Suresh Raina came here for a full tour - albeit a long time ago, and he has since been part of a World Twenty20-winning side and has succeeded in the IPL here - he was sent back mid-tour, ruthlessly exposed during ODIs played on testing tracks. That drop and a subsequent injury have been the lowest points of his career. He has come back a mentally stronger cricketer and, with a few months to go for the World Cup, he will badly want to conquer the country that effectively cost him a place in the previous World Cup.

The other troika, the coaching staff, will probably draw much more attention - not least because they are South Africans. Every player in the side swears by Kirsten's methods - and it has shown in the results - but the same cannot be said of the bowling coach, Eric Simons. While Paddy Upton's mental conditioning work is much more intangible, India's bowling hasn't quite gone from strength to strength under Simons. It is often said that he doesn't quite know the subcontinent conditions well enough, and that spans the sample of his work with the bowlers. In South Africa, in conditions he should know better than most, the room for benefit of doubt will be minimal.
That said, this is the most confident Indian side to have travelled to this side of the Indian Ocean. They know a lot can go wrong, but they also know a lot can go right. They are obviously feeling good as a team, and also as a unit that can do well in crisis situations. They have become better tourists over the years. South Africa is not that foreign either: they have played a World Twenty20 here since their last tour, and most of their players have played the IPL and the Champions League. And despite the individual challenges to the batsmen, they are perhaps the best Test batting unit going around right now. The bowlers cherish helpful conditions, which if delivered as promised, should be as lethal in their hands as in the South Africans'.
Given the constraints of Indian cricket, with its commercial commitments, the team has also prepared the best that it could. It will help that they have stayed unbeaten through a home season for the second time in the last three years. This is not quite the Final Frontier as the admen would have it - they still have Australia to beat in Australia - but there is a sense that all the hard work of the last two to three years could come to nought if they lose comprehensively. The Indian team, however, evident at least from what Kirsten said, is not thinking about how to not lose, but how to win. While all of that pans out - we're waiting.

Michael Beer surprised at Test call-up

Michael Beer's selection for the third Test in Perth was a shock to everyone in Australian cricket - not least to Beer himself. Having played only five first-class matches since his debut in October, Beer has suddenly found himself in line to become Australia's 418th Test cricketer, as the selectors search for a way to blunt England's powerful batting line-up.
It has been a sharp rise for a man who until last summer was playing club cricket in Melbourne, working at Puma and hoping to find a way into a Victorian team that already featured the spinners Bryce McGain and Jon Holland. Beer is the biggest bolter Australia's selectors have chosen since Peter Taylor, the offspinner, who bowled Australia to victory in Sydney in 1986-87 having played six previous first-class matches.
"I was a little bit surprised and I don't think it really sank in until I rang my parents and actually blurted it out myself and thought hang on, what's going on here?'" Beer said. "Twelve months ago I probably wasn't a professional cricketer, that's in all facets, and then WA gave me the opportunity under Mickey Arthur and they've been really great and backed me and I've enjoyed every minute of it.
"The move to Perth has been brilliant for me. It definitely created a lot of opportunities and I've really enjoyed playing with the Warriors. I love it and the deck's good. I love bowling on it."
A tall left-armer, Beer has impressed Arthur, his state coach, with his competitiveness, despite having not taken more than three wickets in an innings at state level. "He has a way to go. He is young in the game, but in a year's time he will be sensational," Arthur said. "He will be able to handle anything international cricket can throw at him."
The challenge for Beer is to ensure that in a year's time - or in a month's time - he has not become yet another in Australia's long list of discarded spinners. If he debuts at the WACA, he will be the tenth slow bowler Australia have used in Tests since the retirement of Shane Warne and No. 9, the newly-axed Xavier Doherty, believes the selectors are panicking.
"There is probably a little bit of panic there, but it is only a short series," Doherty told the Mercury. "We've got to turn it around pretty quickly. In an ideal world, I would have liked a few more chances. You have seen how many spinners they have used over the last couple of years, so I'm sure the selectors aren't quite sure who the next person is. But I'm sure if I am given another chance, I can certainly make an impact.
"I started to feel the pressure. Once I started leaking a few boundaries instead of getting back to the basics of what I learnt in Shield cricket over the last couple of years, I probably went searching for a few more wickets and probably produced a few more bad balls. It cuts me pretty deep to know I didn't put in my best performance in Adelaide and knowing I'm a better bowler than that."

Zaheer returns for remaining ODIs

Zaheer Khan, the India fast bowler, has been included in the squad for the remaining three ODIs against New Zealand after he missed the third Test and the first two ODIs with a groin strain. Praveen Kumar, who missed the first two ODIs with a fever, also made a comeback.
The Indian selectors also gave Suresh Raina a break for the rest of the series following comments by MS Dhoni saying the batsman needed a rest. Sreesanth, too, didn't feature in the squad. Both of them will presumably leave for South Africa early to prepare for the Test series, which begins on December 16.
Rohit Sharma, the Mumbai batsman who was dropped after the tri-series in Sri Lanka in August, is part of the squad for the fourth and fifth ODIs. Rohit is currently representing Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy game against Gujarat in Valsad, which won't finish before the third ODI that will be played in Vadodara on December 4.
Medium-pacer R Vinay Kumar will stay with the team for third ODI, but will be released to play for Karnataka by the time the fourth and fifth ODIs arrive. The only other change in the squad for the fourth and fifth games is Parthiv Patel taking over wicketkeeping duties from Wriddhiman Saha, who might also be leaving for South Africa.

Butt and Amir accuse ICC of unfair treatment

A day after the ICC turned down their appeals against provisional suspensions from international cricket Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir hit out at the governing body's decision, reached after a two-day hearing in Dubai this weekend. The players' comments appear to be in contrast to those made by Aftab Gul, Butt's lawyer, who said yesterday they were satisfied with the hearing and just not its decision.
The pair returned to Lahore on Monday and spoke to reporters at the airport, claiming that the ICC had treated them unfairly. But as the day wore on, Butt appeared on several TV channels, intensifying his attack against the decision reached by Michael Beloff, the ICC code of conduct commissioner, and built up claims of "a conspiracy" against the players and Pakistan.
The root of their discontent was the the ICC and the hearing itself. "They listened to us but it felt as if their decision had already been made from before," Butt said. "It was not based on a single piece of evidence. There was no evidence that established that we had some agreement with Mazhar Majeed. After a 12-hour hearing the only so-called evidence they had was the same NOTW article and the same video everyone has seen."
Asked by Geo, a leading channel, to explain the contents of the video, an agitated Butt asked, "You are asking me questions but you tell me where am I in this video? These things have to be proven when you talk about such charges, you cannot base it on just suspicions. It is supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. I am not here to convince you, did he say on video that I had done something? Of course I am denying all this. I feel like I am talking to the English media."
Amir echoed similar concerns. "Before leaving for Dubai we felt the case will be in our favour, but when he gave the decision it looked as if he had written the decision before," he told reporters at the airport. "We went for the truth but this could be a conspiracy against Pakistan, to tarnish Pakistan's reputation."
The PCB has distanced itself from the defence of the players, insisting that it is up to them and their lawyers to resolve the matter. They have prevented the players, including Mohammad Asif who has withdrawn his appeal, from using board facilities such as the National Cricket Academy for training. But now, the pair insist, it is time for authorities to get involved.
"It [the PCB distancing itself] wasn't expected," Butt said. "Nobody from the PCB has even called us so I don't know what is going on there. But I think now is the time for even the government to get involved as well as the PCB because it isn't just about three players. This is Pakistan being cornered."
Butt and Amir have been suspended from international cricket, along with Asif, since September 2. They are not permitted to appeal against the latest verdict and they will now appear before an independent anti-corruption tribunal that will look into the actual charges and give a verdict on whether the players are innocent or guilty.
No date has been set for the full hearing despite a request by the players to do so. "We'll carry on, we'll wait for the hearing," Butt said, "They haven't given us a date even though we asked for it."
Taffazul Rizvi, the PCB legal advisor has criticised the pair's attack on the arbitration. "It was highly inappropriate of the players to cast doubts on the impartiality of the tribunal after the short order had been announced," he said.

Lorgat confident of ICC's case against suspended trio

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC's chief executive, has said he is confident the organisation has put together a solid case against the three Pakistan players accused of spot-fixing that will "stand the test of scrutinty". The players, former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt and new-ball bowlers Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif, will face an independant tribunal that will decide their fate from January 6 to January 11, 2011.
"We've worked hard at collecting all the evidence that we would require to make the charges stand," Lorgat told the BBC.
Michael Beloff QC, who chairs the ICC's code of conduct commission, will head the tribunal that will hear the case, along with fellow code of conduct commissioners Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa and Kenya's Sharad Rao. If the players are found guilty, Lorgat said they will be dealt with firmly. "We would want to be proportional but at the same time we do not want to show any leniency. These are severe issues and integrity of the game is absolutely fundamental and we would not want to tolerate any of that in the sport."
The players, however, will be free to challenge the ruling in the Court for Arbitration for Sport. "My understanding is that any matter that we decide on in a disciplinary process is always open to contest in the Court of Arbitration for Sport," Lorgat said.
The News of the World, the tabloid that broke the spot-fixing story in August, is also set to be part of the tribunal hearings. The story first appeared in the publication on the third evening of the fourth Test at Lord's between Pakistan and England.
NOTW alleged that the three players were involved in bowling deliberate, planned no-balls in England's first innings. Much of the published story centred around a video sting operation in which Mazhar Majeed, an agent to the players, was filmed talking about the no-balls and allegedly taking payment for them from undercover reporters posing as a betting syndicate.
The evidence gathered by the publication was passed on to Scotland Yard and the ICC's anti-corruption unit (ACSU), who subsequently launched their own investigations and gathered more evidence. The UK's Crown Prosecution Service is currently considering whether the evidence passed on to them by police is enough to warrant criminal prosecution against the players.
The ICC's response was swifter. They provisionally suspended the three, soon after the story emerged, based on the ACSU's investigations. Since then, Butt and Amir have had their appeals against suspensions dismissed by Beloff in a hearing in Dubai. Asif chose not to appeal

Gambhir ton seals series win against shaky New Zealand

New Zealand's one-day woes continued into a ninth straight game as their batting failed to cope with moist early-morning conditions in Vadodara. Zaheer Khan, coming back after injury, and Munaf Patel swung and seamed the ball all right, but New Zealand will look back at how unremarkable their response was. With the pitch easing out in the afternoon, Gautam Gambhir made the chase look ridiculously easy, becoming only the eighth captain to score centuries in back-to-back ODIs.
From the time he won the toss and put New Zealand in, Gambhir hardly put a foot wrong, keeping his perfect captaincy record and India's unbeaten home season intact. New Zealand's openers gifted their wickets, the middle order went into a shell, and even though James Franklin and Nathan McCullum added 94 for the eighth wicket, it was never going to be enough. Not with Gambhir making room and peppering the off side with drives and cuts, bringing up his fifty in 30 balls, out of India's 64 then.
Watching Gambhir bat, the struggle New Zealand went through early in the morning seemed far away. Brendon McCullum, making a comeback himself, laid out a welcome mat for Zaheer, guiding a widish delivery straight to second slip. Martin Guptill ran himself out soon after.
Between those dismissals, Williamson set the template for the day. His front foot went across to the first ball he faced. It swung in enough down the leg side to be called a wide, but Williamson had fallen over trying to correct the movement. Neither Williamson nor Ross Taylor could get rid of that tendency during their short stays. Taylor's wicket, though, came in a tame fashion as he tried drive Zaheer on the up. The shot was played away from his body, and an inside edge ensued.
Taylor's No. 4 position has been a matter of debate, with arguments that he should take more responsibility and bat at No. 3. Williamson's inability to counterattack only seemed to highlight that notion. For the third game running, he got off to a slow start, and did little to hit Munaf off his plan.
Munaf loves to bowl back of a length, just outside off, and wobble the ball slightly either way. He tends to get a bit rattled when somebody uses that predictability to come down and hit him. In this series, though, no one has come close to doing that. And once Williamson allowed Munaf to do what he wanted, that lbw call seemed a matter of time with the batsman regularly falling over.
Modern captains tend to go into the containment mode once the 15th over ends irrespective of how many wickets they might have got. Gambhir, who had put New Zealand in, was refreshingly old-school. When he saw R Ashwin turn the first ball, he set Test-match fields for Scott Styris and James Franklin. Yuvraj, at leg slip, soon came into action taking a sharp low catch to send Styris back. Daniel Vettori did a B McCullum, guiding Yusuf Pathan straight to slip for another sharp catch for Yuvraj, who later returned to leg slip to get rid of Gareth Hopkins too.
Having fallen behind the over-rate, though, Gambhir omitted to use four of Zaheer and Nehra's overs. Facing part-time spinners on a pitch that had eased out a bit, Franklin and N McCullum had little trouble building a partnership. It was almost as if Gambhir was not concerned at all by their stand.
The way he turned out with the bat, Gambhir need not have worried either.
After having been at the wrong end of Gambhir's off-side play in Jaipur, New Zealand tried to cramp him up, and found that Gambhir was equally adept at scoring through the on side. He flicked the second ball he faced fine for a boundary. In Kyle Mills' next over, he picked the gap between mid-on and midwicket. In Mills' next, Gambhir started making room and went into his favourite off side. He capitalised on the correction on the next delivery, moving to 23 off 11.
Andy McKay got the same treatment: wide ball, four; too straight, four; wide again, four. With time, Gambhir's favourite chips over extra cover and midwicket came out too. He might have seemed to slow down after reaching his fifty, but he took only 58 further deliveries to get to the hundred.
M Vijay didn't struggle like he did in Jaipur, but had to stay content with being the lesser partner in the opening stand. And like he did in Japiur, Virat Kohli came out and scored a half-century in the company of his captain as India cantered home.

3rd ODI: India v New Zealand at Vadodara, Dec 4, 2010

Feisty and firm, capricious and correct, insatiable and insecure, Gautam Gambhir is one of the most complete batsmen of the current era. He is adept at opening in all three forms of the game. He can be more aggressive than Virender Sehwag, he can play the kind of back-to-the-wall innings that would do Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman proud, and he can accumulate without taking any risks, much like Sachin Tendulkar has been doing in the last quarter of his career. He walks down the track to the fastest of bowlers, and an unfriendly word or three with the fielding side only help him concentrate harder, though it's not as if he needs external motivation to make the most of his time as a cricketer. He almost lost the fight to his own high standards and to the fickle selectors, which left him "not wanting to play anymore" when he was dropped for the 2007 World Cup, and insecure when he did make it back. For about eight first years of his career, he was the domestic cheque that would not be honoured at international level. While the bowlers on the Ranji circuit swore by this little left-hand batsman, he had just two international centuries to show after 13 Tests and 19 ODIs when he was left out of the World Cup party.He came back with massive runs in domestic cricket, a few important technical adjustments, and with the reputation of being the best player of spin in India, outside the international side. A century in his second ODI back and a final-winning fifty in the inaugural World Twenty20 paved the way for his Test return. Test fifties against Murali and Mendis in the summer of Murali and Mendis in 2008 told him he belonged. In his next 13 Tests, he scored eight centuries: centuries to set up wins, centuries to bat opposition out, and centuries to hold on for draws, including the near 11-hour marathon in Napier. The Arjuna Award came his way, the ICC named him the Test player of 2009, but much more tellingly Sehwag called him the best Indian Test opener since Sunil Gavaskar. The only plausible flaw in Sehwag's claim is Sehwag himself.

Gambhir led India's domination again, with an in-form Kohli continuing to impress. Another comprehensive win, achieved with as much ease, if not more, as the previous game, and New Zealand have been shut out, slipping to their ninth consecutive defeat in completed ODIs. India's seamers set it up with Zaheer marking an excellent return after not playing the first couple of games, and the spinners then doing their bit. On a track that needed at least 270, New Zealand mustered 224 and true to the track's reputation, the chase was easy with Gambhir leading the way. Expect the teams to make some changes in the next couple of games. Stay put, we'll get you the presentation details in a short while.
Time for the presentation.
Vettori: "A good toss to win. The ball seamed and spun and the track was a bit damp. But as the wicket dried out, 224 was never going to be enough. It was really tough early on. The track got better, and India played exceptionally well, with Gambhir leading the way. We were pushing hard to be as simple as possible. The pressure is not off our backs, we have to keep fighting and it's about time we showed we some good players in the team. Our top order needs to stand up, and hopefully that'll happen in the next couple of games."
Gambhir is Man of the Match: "It was an important game because we did not want to give New Zealand any scope for a comeback this series. Zaheer is a quality bowler and he got Brendon McCullum in the first over, and that set up the game for us. Munaf has been bowling well throughout, as well in the Ranji Trophy. It's good for Indian cricket. Any hundred would be important because I have seen a lot of low scores in the recent past. We've decided before the game that this is a three-game series after the first two matches, and we'll try to put the best side forward."
That's it folks. Thanks for your feedback. See you again for a couple of dead rubbers, on December 7 and December 10. Before you log off for the day, catch up on all the action from a full Saturday of Premier League action on ESPNsoccernet, and follow another two games later on Sunday. Also, don't forget to read Sid Monga's bulletin for the match which is up. Okay, adios.

IPL T20 cheerleader

Starting with the defending champs, the zero to hero Deccan Chargers. You never know what you are going to get out of this team result wise, but you will be guaranteed fireworks either way. Led by the mercurial Adam Gilchrist, the Chargers have a motley crew of seasoned war horses and troubled talents in the shape of Gibbs, Symonds, Laxman, Smith and Vaas. Combine that with the rising talents of Roach, Harris and local lads Ojha and Sharma and you have a well balanced side capable of mauling any opponent. Go Chargers Go Chargers Go Go Go!!

The Super Kings should really have won the first installment of the IPL in 2008. They were simply awesome for a great deal of that first tournament but haven’t gelled since. A team heavy with local players, MS Dhoni’s team has a smattering of talent but no real major depth outside of the likes of Hayden, Hussey, Raina, Muralidaran, Morkel and the Indian skipper himself. Couple of guys past their prime in this team but 20/20 cricket is a strange old game so who knows what they are capable of.

Another team that hasn’t delivered on their ridiculously talented setup is the Mumbai Indians. Tendulkar, Malinga, Khan, Bravo as well as previously brilliant J-P Duminy make this a more than decent side. They have also acquired the dangerous Kieron Pollard who was simply amazing in the 20/20 Champions league last year and joined the team for an undisclosed sum. Pretty much more than anyone else so look for him to shine in the baby blue of Mumbai.

Change of captain and perhaps a change of fortune for the wonderfully balanced Kings Punjab. Yuvraj Singh, arguably the biggest most miserable doos in Indian cricket has been relieved of the captaincy with Kumar Sangakkara, who actually possesses people skills, taking over. It’s a good side this with some prominent local lads, a handful of handy Aussies and a bit of a belter co-owner which always helps.

Another team that hasn’t delivered on their ridiculously talented setup is the Mumbai Indians. Tendulkar, Malinga, Khan, Bravo as well as previously brilliant J-P Duminy make this a more than decent side. They have also acquired the dangerous Kieron Pollard who was simply amazing in the 20/20 Champions league last year and joined the team for an undisclosed sum. Pretty much more than anyone else so look for him to shine in the baby blue of Mumbai.

The Final - Indian Premier League T20 - Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings 168 for 5 (Raina 57*, Dhoni 22, Fernando 2-23) beat Mumbai Indians 146 for 9 (Tendulkar 48, Pollard 27, Jakati 2-27) by 22 runs…
Chennai Super Kings played the smarter cricket and deservingly won the IPL Cup by defeating fancied Mumbai Indians by 22 runs at the packed DY Patil Stadium.
Batting first after winning the toss, the Super Kings shrugged off a slow start as “Player of the Match” Suresh Raina (57 not out), dropped twice, led from the front to pile up 168 for five and then turned in some brilliant performance in the field to restrict Mumbai Indians to 146 for nine.
The much-heralded Mumbai batting line-up caved in under pressure despite a brave 48 by skipper Sachin Tendulkar and big-hitting by Kieron Pollard (27 off 10) even as the Super Kings took some brilliant catches with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni yet again spot-on with his field placements and bowling changes.
Apart from Raina, there were quite a few other heroes for the Super Kings. Spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (17 runs in four overs), Shadab Jakati (2 for 26 from three) and Ravichandran Ashwin (24 in four) and later, seamers Albie Morkel and Doug Bollinger, all chipped in at the right moment to author a historic victory for the Super Kings who had finished runners-up in 2008.
The other factor that tilted the scales in the Super Kings, who also won the Fair Play trophy, favour was the team composition, besides of course their superior fielding. The Chennai outfit kept their faith in their three specialist spinners and held their catches.
The Mumbai Indians went in with just one in Harbhajan Singh while opting for an overly pace attack that was not as effective on a pitch that grew progressively slower.
The home team, faced with a big target, never got into their stride despite a promising second wicket partnership between Tendulkar and Abhishek Nayar who put on 66 runs. But Nayar committed a blunder attempting a non-existing single and was run out. The rot well and truly set in at that point.
Later, despite Tendulkar farming the bowling, wickets fell at the other end. The spinners came into their own with Ashwin up front followed by Muralitharan and Jakati, who dismissed Tendulkar and the dangerous Saurabh Tiwary in one over, doing the bulk of damage.
The Mumbai Indians kept back the powerful Pollard and when he came into bat, the asking rate had climbed to over 15. He blasted some massive hits, but it was all too little too late and he eventually fell to a brilliant catch by Matthew Hayden who thus atoned for a dropped chance earlier in the evening.
The turning point of course was Jakati’s third and the 15th over of the innings when he removed Tendulkar and Tiwary. Thereafter, the rest of the batsmen, barring Pollard, were simply not up to the task and although Pollard took 22 off Bollinger in the 18th over, his exit signaled the end of the Mumbai Indians’ challenge.
Super Kings did well not to look the gift horse in the mouth when they batted. The going in the initial overs was rather painful and scratchy despite a few big hits by the two openers, Murali Vijay and Hayden who looked distinctly out of depth.
In fact, Hayden was lucky to survive a plumb leg-before decision early in his innings, but even otherwise, was unconvincing. At the other end, Vijay batted quite beautifully until he tried to break the shackles and departed in the eighth over.
Hayden followed his partner back into the dugout, miscuing a big hit. Subramaniam Badrinath did not stay long and with the runs all but dried up, he too fell trying to force the pace and the Super Kings were reduced to 67 for three in the 12th over.
In walked skipper Dhoni and almost immediately set about repairing the damage. Raina, meanwhile, lived a charmed life, being dropped when on 13 and 28 and the Mumbai Indians were to pay a heavy price for these lapses.
The pair went on at a good clip to add 72 runs for the fourth wicket before Dhoni fell in the 18th over trying to maintain the brisk pace.
At this stage, the Super Kings still did not have enough runs on the board, but Raina and Albie Morkel came up with some big hits to push the score along. However, just when the partnership appeared to be flourishing, Morkel was run out attempting a bye in the final over.
Lasith Malinga sent down two dot balls to Raina and off the third, the southpaw batsman attempted a suicidal bye that caught Morkel well short of the crease. Another dot ball followed to new man Anirudha Srikkanth and then five wides. Anirudha hit the fifth legal ball to the boundary and finished the innings with a two.
Thus, a total of 168 gave the Super Kings lots to play with after looking hopelessly out of the contest in the first 10 overs when they scored a mere 59 runs.

Indian Premier League T20
The Final - Indian Premier League T20 - Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings live online TV link in here . live T20 Cricket watch in your Home Theater with us . Now you get the best online sports coverage on the net directly on your PC! Download our software and watch all live matches, international broadcasts and championships in High Quality Definition (HQD)! You don’t have to miss another big game! If you’re looking for online sports entertainment with thousands of channels that include Cricket and others Sports TV . you’ll be completely satisfied with our services. We guarantee it.

T20 Cricket World Cup Final between Australia VS England

2020 Cricket World Cup Final between Australia VS EnglandHI, every ONE today i am going to tell you a story of 2020 Cricket World Cup Final 2010 which was held in west indies.When Australia reach in final every One expecting that Australia will win the Title this 3rd 2020 cricket world cup. But England Charge to Twenty20 Glory and win the Title against the most favorite team of Cricket. As you know England never win World cup before today so it is great moment for the people of England and Pakistan too because Australia defeat Pakistan in semi Final so we are happy too So, hugs, handshakes and backslaps all round as England have won their first world title in cricket! They were picked out as the dark horses to win this tournament, and after a stuttering, rain-affected start to the group stages, they hit their stride superbly in the Super Eights, winning all their games in that stage, followed by a thumping win in the semi-finals over Sri Lanka. The England dug-out leapt as one when the winning runs were hit, chasing their victorious captain down and quickly surrounding him in a joyous team huddle. The England celebrations will surely go on long into the night in Bridgetown.Spare a thought for the Australians. They were the team to beat in this tournament, and England were the only ones to manage that feat! They were utterly dominant in the group stages and Super Eights. Their self belief and a magical innings from Michael Hussey powered them to a stunning win in the semi-final over Pakistan, but they have not been at their best today. England looked and played like the more professional side, and they are deserving champions."I dont know about England Government, but I declare National Holiday for Tomorrow!" says Asim in.... the U.S. "Enjoy First ever ICC world cup."Craig Kieswetter gets the Man of the Match award: "I wouldn't say it was easy, but its nice to get runs in a final. KP took the pressure off, allowed me to play quite freely. A lot of work still needs to be done on my keeping, and I'll be putting in some hard yards in at Taunton."Kevin Pietersen gets the Player of the Tournament award, with 248 runs in the competition. "A pretty interesting week for me, a little kid on Monday and this trophy today. This is for the whole team. Winning is a habit you create, and this team is hungry for success. What a great, great tournament, good for the boys. It's never easy playing Australia, but our bowlers did a great job this morning and 150 wasn't enough."Paul Collingwood, victorious captain, on the win: "It's right up there, its got to be, this is the first world cup we've ever won. We've got some good players in the side, and with the work ethic we've had this year I think we're starting to see the results on the pitch. We're getting there, and we have today.""When you want to be the best you've got to beat the best. When we got them three wickets down early doors, we gave ourselves a great opportunity. We want to kick on from this. This is the first trophy we've ever won, we're going to enjoy it, we'r going to savour it."

Australia Vs Pakistan 2nd Semifinal of World Cup T20 2010

Australia Vs Pakistan 2nd Semifinal of World Cup T20 2010

MCG repeated at Lord’s in Final of ICC World Twenty20 2009

Quite a few scenes witnessed at Lord’s on June 21, 2009 resembled to the ones at the Melbourne Cricket ground (MCG) on March 25, 1992. There was only a change of personnel besides the venue of course.
It was Imran Khan whose team had staged a comeback from nowhere to win the World Cup against all odds in 1992 and now it was the side captained by Younis Khan having exceeded all expectations by annexing the Twenty20 crown.Younis had been talking of Imran from the moment he was handed over the leadership earlier this year. The enterprising right-handed batsman has tried himself to model on the legendary all-rounder who’s also considered the greatest-ever captain produced by the country.
But even Younis, an optimist of the highest order, himself had never spoken of claiming the World Twenty20 title in England in the summer of 2009. His cherished goal remained winning the World Cup in 2011.
This clearly reflected that Pakistan stood no chance whatsoever when they landed in England. Yet they would be returning home with the trophy in their baggage much to the delight of their countrymen who have had very little to celebrate over the years.
The final of ICC World Twenty20 at Lord’s looked like progressing on a predictable course from the moment Kumar Sangakkara elected to bat after winning the toss. It was the only thing the Sri Lankan captain could have expected to ‘win’ on a day when everything was destined to go Pakistan’s way.
It became evident from the very first over that Sri Lanka, the most consistent of all the participating teams, would struggle to find their feet in the final that they would have almost certainly dominated if their opponent was someone else.
Tillakaratne Dilshan, the tournament's most prolific scorer having played the innings of his lifetime in only the previous outing, must have discovered it’s a different ball game playing Pakistan in such an environment when everyone seemed to have taken for granted that Sri Lanka were bound to fail.
Dilshan was named the Player of the Tournament but even he couldn’t contribute a single run when it mattered the most. His early dismissal opened the floodgates as the Sri Lankan batsmen were unable to master the bowling.
Sri Lanka’s average score in the six Powerplay overs leading to final was 53 for one but they had crashed to 34 for four in the final. The skipper tried his best to repair the damage that saved his team from the embarrassment of getting bowled out for a very low total.
Sangakkara’s fighting knock also ensured that the final would not be over quickly although the manner in which all the Pakistani bowlers were getting their acts together his effort was truly outstanding.
Sri Lanka, with the most potent bowling attack in the business, would have fancied their chances of defending the total of 138 against any team but mind you it was Pakistan who could have even surpassed 238 in the prevailing circumstances.
As it turned out, Sri Lanka’s bowling resources proved inadequate and they could never repeat their performance of the earlier games. The likes of Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Lasith Malinga were made to look ordinary as the day belonged to Shahid Afridi and his team.

the T-20 World Cup for the first time.

We are just a moment away from the world T20 cup and from the title defend it had been a year when the last time this nation had some thing for joy , happiness and celebration . when our national team won the world cup in England on the longest day of the year 21 June and mind it that this day was really the longest day for every pakistani and for every cricket lover the day of glory and pride 2009 is the year to remember after 17 year our national team won the biggest title of all and crowd the title of world champion under the dynamic leadership of younis khan the second khan in the history of pakistan to achieve this.

The same moment of glory is coming again another chance to shine on the biggest stage of them all in world cricket . Another chance to become champion and more over that another chance to give happiness and moment of joy to our mother land and in fact to win the title is the need of the hour as our nation is facing number of problems and difficulties and more over that the people are waiting for the good new and this is the moment for our cricketers to give them some thing to celebrate and now it’s our duty to support our national cricket team.
If we support and stand with our team so it will give our team some confidence and will help them in forgetting the conspiracies and scandals circulating in the print and electronic media. We need to bucked them up which will results in their high morale. And it will help them in looking forward towards another title and towards the crown of champions. My message to the young lads reading this blog that its our responsibility too to support our team and to support our new captain shahid afridi who is looking pretty much confident of defending the title and to bring back title home.

There is no doubt that our national team is going through a hard time. They have some important players injured and banned from international cricket as a punishment. We have to believe in our team, no matter we win or lose after fighting, but we have to be with them. We came back in last world cup from no way out and then we won with the support of local people and with prayers people have done. Although we have very slim chances of winning the world cup this year with the current squad but we can do that as we have done it last year.

just want to convey one important message to our national heroes through this blog no matter what’s the situation is during the matches we the pakistani want you to play like champion and want to see you fight like a army of lions remember that you are the T20 Champion if you stand your ground and keep unity faith and discipline in your line them you will achieve the glory once again if not them remember that the people of pakistan is always supporting you and is always their for you. Just fight like a corner tiger don’t worry about the result .

Pakistan Wins Twenty20 Cricket World Cup

Shahid Afridi of Pakistan receives the man of the match award after beating Sri Lanka in their the final ICC Twenty20 Cricket World Cup match at Lord's, in London, on June 21, 2009. COPAA congratulates the Pakistan Team on its resounding victory in the Twenty20 World Cup against Sri Lanka at Lords in London.
COPAA congratulates the Pakistan Team and the People of Pakistan. The Pakistan team by its latest success has brought name and fame to Pakistan and has given it the worldwide image of a progressive and sports loving nation. COPAA appeals to the government of Pakistan to provide more funds for the development of cricket as a national sport in Pakistan and give maximum aid and encouragement to Pakistan's energetic cricket associations for expanding the base of cricket in the country and the emergence of dedicated supporters of the game.
Pakistan's latest triumph in cricket will give a boost to the national cricket team and enhance Pakistan's reputation in the many countries where cricket is played as a national game. This victory will be a powerful moral booster to those Pakistanis who are rendering creditable services to the IDPs and all those adversely affected by the current affairs in the northwest part of Pakistan.
Cricket here in the US it is a thriving sport, and the cricket fields at Woodley boast pitches that have been played upon by the famous as the late Omar Qureshi and PM Zulifaqar Ali Bhutto, to recently as Asif Mohommad, Rizwan-us-Zaman and Harris Khan.
COPAA welcomes your feedback and strives hard to better serve the Pakistani American community. Please give us your feedback suggest improvements, and please provide any thoughts on COPAA's efforts.

Indian Squad For Twenty20 – T20 World Cup 2009

Indian Squad for Twenty20 World Cup in England is named. However, its only the preliminary and squad is subject to some changes if need be.

There is no surprise and MS Dhoni will be captain for the second edition as well. He takes all credit in surprising cricket mad Indian fans by a win in South Africa in 2007 against Australia. No wonder the game instantly became popular here in the sub continent.
About 30 members are named in the preliminary squad and this will be trimmed to 15 members before the event. In the 30; however, seniors such as explosive in form batsman Virender Sehwag and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh find spot. There is a surprise inclusion in Lakshmipathy Balaji who was off limelight for more than 3 years after some shine with his bowling. The team of 30 look like this:
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Naman Ojha, Subramaniam Badrinath, Robin Uthappa, Ravindra Jadeja, Manoj Tiwary, Virat Kohli, Wriddhiman Saha, Amit Mishra, Abhishek Nayar, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ravichandran Ashwin, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Dhawal Kulkarni.
The final 15 members are guessable by anyone who follows Indian cricket international and domestic circuits closely.

ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2007

The 2007 ICC World Twenty20 was a Twenty20 cricket tournament which took place in South Africa from September 11 to September 24, 2007. It was the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship. Twelve teams took part in the thirteen-day tournament, comprising the ten Test playing nations as well as Kenya and Scotland, the latter teams having qualified by reaching the final of the 2007 WCL Division One tournament. India won the tournament beating Pakistan in the final.

The Australia Cricket Team celebrate with the World Cup trophy

The Australia Cricket Team celebrate with the World Cup trophy.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

The dream came true for cricket lovers in Chittagong on Monday as the port city was awarded two group stage matches of the ICC 2011 World Cup by the International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday.
The Chittagong Divisional Stadium will host Bangladesh's first round matches against England, on March 11, and Netherlands, on March 14, while the remaining six games for the hosts including two quarterfinals will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur here in Dhaka.
And as confirmed previously, the opening ceremony of the 14-nation showpiece event will also be held in Bangladesh, at the Banga-bandhu National Stadium on February 17. The tournament opener between Bangladesh and India will be held on February 19 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
The other first round matches scheduled for Mirpur are Bangladesh v Ireland (February 25), Bangladesh v West Indies (March 4) and Bangladesh v South Africa (March 19). Besides, this venue will play host to the first and third quarterfinals on March 23 and 25 respectively.
World Cup Cricket 2011 Schedule

End of Stiy Wah

Stiy Wah

ICC to inspect pitches for World Cup

The ICC's pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, will be visiting India in early September to inspect six out of the eight venues in the country for the 2011 World Cup. Among the six is the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi, the host for the controversial India-Sri Lanka ODI in December 2009 which was abandoned due to an unfit pitch.
"Atkinson is on a week-long visit in the first week of September to inspect six out of eight World Cup match hosting centres in India," Ratnakar Shetty, the BCCI's chief administrative officer, said.
Mohali and Nagpur are the venues Atkinston will not be visiting. "He would be visiting the other six centres (Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Ahmedabad). Anyway barring Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, the other centres are to host international matches against Australia and New Zealand and we would know their preparedness," Shetty said. "Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi would host some first-class games before the World Cup."
Atkinson had inspected the Kotla pitch on February 14 and 15 earlier this year and was happy with the remedial work under the supervision of Venkat Sundaram, former head of the BCCI curators' panel. The ground continued to host IPL games this summer.

Khalid Latif leads Pakistan to bronze

Pakistan won bronze at the Asian Games by thumping Sri Lanka by six wickets in the third-place play-off in Guangzhou. Pakistan captain, Khalid Latif, who is their only player with international experience, made an unbeaten half-century and combined with 19-year-old Bilawal Bhatti, who hadn't played any Twenty20s before this tournament, for a quick 56-run stand that completed the victory with two overs to spare.
"It was important to stay at the wicket till the end," Latif said after the win, "something I could not do against Afghanistan, but managed it today against a top side like Sri Lanka. Of course we would have wanted to win the gold medal, but at least we will go home with a bronze."
Sri Lanka's batting has let them down in their previous two matches, but they began confidently on Friday after choosing to bat, with the experienced pair of Nuwan Zoysa and Jeevantha Kulatunga putting on 52. Zoysa, who played 30 Tests for Sri Lanka as a left-arm seamer, has opened the innings for them in the Asian Games, and made a run-a-ball 24, while Kulatunga raced to 31. However, Sri Lanka frittered away the solid beginning as all their other batsmen, barring Dilshan Munaweera (28), made single-digit scores.
Sri Lanka kept their hopes of a medal with some regular breakthroughs. Any worries Pakistan had after they slipped to 85 for 4, though, were eased by Latif, who smashed three sixes in an over off legspinner Malinga Bandara. Bhatti finished off the match in style, with a six off Zoysa, which meant Sri Lanka will return empty-handed.
Sri Lankan captain Jehan Mubarak dismissed suggestions that his team, with 11 international players in their ranks, took the tournament lightly. "Not at all, we all wanted to win, but I think we did not adapt to the conditions quickly enough," he said.

Brilliant Shakib knocks down New Zealand

Bangladesh rode on an outstanding all-round performance from Shakib Al Hasan to beat New Zealand by nine runs in Mirpur, making Daniel Vettori's pre-match comments about his ability seem almost clairvoyant.
Shakib was scintillating with the bat in the latter part of Bangladesh's innings, unleashing a range of shots in the batting Powerplay to lift Bangladesh to a competitive 229. He then tormented the visitors with the ball, scalping four invaluable wickets including a double-strike in the 15th over to remove the rampant Brendon McCullum and Grant Elliott. He then returned to bowl a brilliant penultimate over in the rain-curtailed run chase, giving away just three runs and claiming the wicket of Nathan McCullum to give his side an unexpected 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Bangladesh's hopes of defending the smallish total suffered a huge dent when they lost their captain and strike bowler, Mashrafe Mortaza, to a sprained ankle after bowling just one over. The blow left the inexperienced Nazmul Hossain and the hosts' spinners to step up considerably, and vice-captain Shakib to take over the familiar captain's role for the rest of the match.
Brendon McCullum's devastating form at the top of the order exacerbated the problem for Bangladesh as he set about blasting the attack to all corners for 61 off 45 deliveries. He plundered boundaries at will, cutting and pulling short balls ferociously as well as slamming the fuller deliveries over cover and down the ground. Jesse Ryder too got in on the action, hitting three boundaries in his innings of 21, before chipping Shakib to short midwicket with the score on 53 in the seventh over.
Brendon McCullum used his feet against all the bowlers, with a particularly majestic straight strike off Naeem Islam in the eleventh over standing out. His fancy footwork, however, ultimately led to his undoing when he danced passed a dipping delivery from Shakib. Elliot followed two balls later to leave the visitors wobbling at 84 for 4 before the rain that had threatened through the day became heavy enough for the umpires to call for the covers.
When play resumed, New Zealand were left chasing 210 from 37 overs: a target Ross Taylor and Daniel Vettori set about hauling in systematically. Vettori was adjudged out after pulling a chest-high full toss straight to deep square leg, though the third umpire ruled it as a no-ball after the batsman asked for a referral. That was the second controversial umpiring incident of the day, following a stumping that should have been given during the Bangladesh innings, when Junaid Siddique survived after being caught out of his crease.
Vettori did not last long however, top-edging a sweep to short fine leg for 24. Shanan Stewart and Ross Taylor followed soon after, leaving the visitors in deep waters. Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum kept trying, but were no match for a Shakib special in the penultimate over. Nazmul then successfully defended 17 in the last over to spark off scenes of jubilation in the stands.
Earlier, New Zealand's slow bowlers strangled Bangladesh after a solid start. Vettori was at his miserly best, finishing with 2 for 29 from his ten overs, while Nathan McCullum and Ryder also made inroads into the Bangladesh line-up.
Opener Imrul Kayes fell to Kyle Mills after a 34-run stand for the first wicket, but Shahriar Nafees played intelligently for his 35, mixing firm defense with calculated aggression, before Vettori's introduction made an immediate impact.
He removed Nafees with a quick yorker in his second over, as Bangladesh began to feel the pinch. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals, with only Shakib managing to come to grips with the slowish surface. He began smartly against the seamers in the middle overs before exploding in the 45th, pulling Tim Southee for consecutive boundaries and then slamming Andy McKay down the ground in the following over to bring up his half-century. An inventive scoop and a crash through the covers off Mills raised hopes of 240, before a slower ball ended his stay. A couple of lusty blows from Mortaza lifted the score to 229, a score which ultimately proved sufficient.