Pakistan look for revenge

DAMBULA, July 29: After a 2-0 drubbing at the hands of Sri Lanka, Pakistan will look to take revenge their loss in the five-match ODI series which will kick off at Dambullaon Thursday.
Despite the one-sided nature of the test series, it will be difficult predicting the same result for the ODIs as well. And this has to do with the new-look Pakistani team, which looks pretty balanced on paper. The first game will obviously set the trend, and the visitors will defenitely try to start the series with winning note.

Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, the venue of the day-night match, has sitting capacity of more than 16,000. The stadium was built in 2000 and the first match took place in March 2000 was between England and Sri Lanka. The pitch is considered to be good for bowlers.
Pakistan had made few changes in their team that played in the test series and with a squad of 16 players, it could just get tricky. Starting with the openers, Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor have been shown the door from the test side, and in their place is the very explosive Imran Nazir and Nasir Jamshed. Nazir will possibly walk into the side and Kamran Akmal, wicket keeper batsman, will be his opening partner. Middle order will be lead by captain Mohammad Yousuf him self along with .Shahid Afridi Shoaib Malik and Misbah-ul-Haq.
For Sri Lanka, Sanath Jayasuriya will look to reverse the bad run in the IPL as well as in the ICC World T20 and the fifty overs format perhaps will help him settle down.

Kumar Sangakkara on the other hand, will be fresh from a match-saving century, and will carry forward that confidence in the series. but the side miss the absence of experience fast bowler Chaminda Vaas. Vaas recently retired from test cricket and the eselectors didn’t consider him for the odi series.

Meanshile Younis Khan, the Pakistan captain, has said that his players will look to play out Muttiah Muralitharan, and not give him too many wickets in the ODI series. “Murali is a matchwinner for Sri Lanka and everybody knows that if he bowls his ten overs he will put Sri lanka in a good position, ” Younis said. “We will be working on not giving Murali wickets.”
It may be mentioned here that Muralitharan, who returns to the Sri Lanka side after missing the 2-0 victory in the three-Test series for a knee injury, boasts an impressive record against the visitors. He has taken 88 wickets in 60 games against Pakistan

Younis also stressed on the importance of getting off to a winning start in the first ODI in Dambulla on Thursday, and said the team would need to regroup and start afresh after the defeat in the Test series.

India must decide its priorities: Gary Kirsten

Johannesburg, July 26: There are trends developing in world cricket that are of concern to the future of the game, including in India, Indian coach Gary Kirsten said here, saying Team India has to decide its priorities in terms of test cricket and other forms of the game, like T20.

Kirsten was speaking on Saturday at a gathering here organised by the Indian mission here for local and visiting captains of business and industry who had attended the Doing Business with India Conference.

“It’s quite interesting that we’ve got a Twenty20 World Cup in April next year in the West Indies and Team India don’t play one T20 game until that tournament starts.
“What should be happening is that we should be going on tour and playing six T20 games and one or two 50 over games. I think that’s going to happen - it’s just a matter of time.
Kirsten said he believed that 50-over games were “here to stay”.

On test cricket, Kirsten said: “The worrying side that I’m seeing is that a guy like Andrew Flinthoff as a high profile cricketer has now made the decision to leave test cricket because he feels that he can get more longevity out of his body and earn a much more money by moving away from test cricket and playing one day cricket and twenty over cricket.
“He’s perfectly right in his decision. Why not?

“The one area that is concerning me about where test cricket is going is that if you are going to be paying playing substantially more to play IPL as opposed to playing a test match for their country, it's a natural progression that the guys are then going to say ‘I’m not interested in bowling 25 overs in a day when I can bowl four over a six-day period and earn three times as much.”

Kirsten said the “bottom line” was that every country needed to look at test cricket and say how important it was to them. “Team India plays six tests this year. Is that sufficient or are there other priorities? I don’t know.”

“We do need to look at the economics, but if we are going to keep test cricket going like we wanted to, we need to sort out the priorities of test cricket and (whether it) stands above anything else (like) T20 cricket.” (IANS)

Constant format switches hurting consistency: Gambhir

CHENNAI, July 23: A packed international schedule and constant shifting between three formats has made it difficult for top players to maintain a consistent level, India opener Gautam Gambhir said.

“It’s difficult to consistently perform for anyone because we play so much of cricket, that too in changing format(s),” Gambhir is quoted as saying.
After a prolific spell with the bat in the last 12 months, the 27-year-old left-hander took over as the world's top-ranked Test batsman last week from Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf.
However, Gambhir’s form dipped at the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June and subsequent One-day series in West Indies just two months after scoring 445 runs in India’s first Test series victory on New Zealand soil for more than four decades. “We played Test cricket just before the IPL (Indian Premier League) which meant a change to the Twenty20 format after just a few days’ gap,” he said. The Twenty20 World Cup followed soon after the conclusion of the IPL season.

“It’s very difficult to change your mindset so quickly and be at the peak of your game,” Gambhir added.

The Delhi batsman said too much cricket was also affecting player performances.
“The more you play, the more you are bound to fail. No one can keep the intensity always.”
India’s next assignment is a triangular One-day series in Sri Lanka in September before the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

“At the moment, I am on complete break and not at all thinking about cricket because I want to be in right frame of mind when I resume the game,” he said.
“You have to be very tough mentally to survive in international cricket.” (PTI)

Misbah, Malik boost Pakistan’s lead in final Test

COLOMBO, July 22: Former captain Shoaib Malik hit an unbeaten 106 today to put Pakistan on course for a face-saving victory in the third and final Test against Sri Lanka here.
Pakistan, who lost the first two Tests to hand Sri Lanka a decisive lead in the series, finally flexed their batting muscle to pile up 300-5 in their second innings by stumps on the third day. Kamran Akmal returned unbeaten on 60 after adding 114 for the unbroken sixth wicket with Malik as Pakistan established an overall lead of 366 runs with five wickets in hand.

West Indies on backfoot Bangladesh spinners in action

KINGSTOWN (St Vincent), July 18: Bangladesh’s spinners gave them control of the second and final Test against West Indies on Friday, despite a resilient 95 from Travis Dowlin before the home team were dismissed for 237 in their first innings.

The Tigers then confidently negotiated 10 overs in about an hour to reach 35 for one in reply with Tamim Iqbal not out on 14 and Enamul Haque Jr not out on five at the close on the opening day of the Test at the Queen's Park Stadium Complex.

Bangladesh suffered an early setback, when opener Imrul Kayes was caught behind off Darren Sammy for 14.

But earlier, the Tigers' frontline spin bowling triumvirate of Mahamudullah, Enamul, and stand-in captain Shakib Al Hasan extracted appreciable bounce and turn from the pitch, and tormented the West Indies' batsmen, after the visitors chose to field.

Mahmudullah captured three wickets for 44 runs from 13 overs with his off-spin, Shakib took three for 59 from 21.1 overs, and fellow left-arm spinner Enamul, who replaced injured captain and fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza, supported with three for 62 from 24 overs.

Before lunch, Mahmudullah grabbed two wickets in his first and only over to leave West Indies wobbling on 107 for three.

Mahmudullah, playing in only his second Test, pulled things back for Bangladesh, after West Indies practically dominated the first hour with an opening stand of 60 from Dale Richards and Omar Phillips.

Mahmudullah removed Richards for 69 and Ryan Hinds for two - both caught and bowled - in the space of three balls in the penultimate over before the interval to leave West Indies wobbling.

After play started half-hour later than scheduled because of damp spots on the pitch from rain water which seeped through the covers, Shakib made the breakthrough, when Phillips was caught at deep mid-wicket for 23, two balls after long-on fielder Shahadat Hossain had muffed his skier off the same bowler.

In between the Bangladesh spinners tying up the heads of the West Indies batsmen, Richards played some enterprising strokes, and reached his 50 from 64 balls, when he late cut Shakib for the 10th of his 11 fours.

But Mahmudullah change the course of the innings, when he dismissed Richards, after the batsman flat-batted his second ball for the last of his two sixes, and two balls later, Hinds, who replaced left-arm spinner Nikita Miller in the West Indies line-up.

After lunch, a near hour-long stoppage for rain failed to slow Bangladesh down, as West Indies slumped to 178 for seven.

Mahmudullah trapped West Indies captain Floyd Reifer lbw for one in the third over after the interval before rain stalled Bangladesh half-hour later.

The weather however, did little to put a damper on Bangladesh's enthusiasm and the spinners' hold on the West Indies' batsmen when play resumed. Shakib had Dave Bernard Jr caught at backward point for 17 after putting on a valuable 43 with Dowlin for the fifth wicket.

This triggered a slide which saw Bangladesh collect three wickets for three runs in the space of 11 balls before Dowlin inched to his 50, when he drove his 94th delivery from Shakib through extra cover for two.

After tea, Bangladesh were frustrated, when Ryan Austin joined Dowlin and added 59 for the eighth wicket before Shahadat dismissed him hit wicket.

Bangladesh then claimed the last three West Indies wickets for 18 in 34 balls, with Shakib ending the innings, when he had Dowlin caught at extra cover trying to force his way to a landmark hundred with an inside-out shot.

The 32-year-old Dowlin batted for close to 3-3/4 hours to smote seven fours and one six from 162 balls.

Bangladesh lead the two-Test series 1-0, after they won the opening Test which ended last Monday in St. Vincent by 95 runs.

The Tigers need only to draw the match to clinch their first-ever Test series victory overseas. (Agencies)

Sri Lanka seize control after Pakistan collapse

COLOMBO, July 12: Sri Lanka seized control of the second Test on Sunday by bowling Pakistan out for 90, the tourists' lowest total against Sri Lanka.

Seamer Nuwan Kulasekara was the chief destroyer, triggering the collapse with the new ball after Pakistan won the toss, and finishing with four for 21 from nine overs.

Spinner Ajantha Mendis finished off the innings, scything through the lower order to claim three for 20 from 10 overs. Sri Lanka needed just 36 overs to bowl out Pakistan. Former captain Shoaib Malik was the only batsman to offer resistance, scoring an unbeaten 39.

Sri Lanka lost opener Malinda Warnapura (11) before reaching the tea interval on 49 for one, only 41 runs behind. Opener Tharanga Paranavitana was on 19 and captain Kumar Sangakkara unbeaten on 12.

Pakistan appeared to have claimed an early advantage when they won the toss on a good batting pitch, albeit a venue that traditionally offers assistance to the fast bowlers in the first session of a Test match. However, they were rocked by superb new ball bowling from Kulasekara and his new ball partner Thilan Thushara, who claimed two for 23. Pakistan lost the wickets of Khurram Manzoor (three), skipper Younis Khan (nought), Mohammad Yousuf (10) and Misbah ul Haq (nought) in the first 45 minutes of play. Manzoor was the first to go, caught behind after edging a leg-cutter from Kulasekara. Khan then chopped a delivery from left-armer Thushara onto his stumps to leave Pakistan six for two. Yousuf started confidently but then drilled a catch to backward point off Kulasekara. Shortly afterwards, Kulasekara found the outside edge of Misbah to leave the tourists on 19 for four.

Pakistan rallied briefly with Fawad Alam (16), who replaced the out-of-form Salman Butt, adding 32 with Shoaib Malik.

However, the left-handed Alam was shuffling across his stumps and Angelo Mathews seized on this technical weakness with an inswinger that trapped him lbw.

Wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal fell just before lunch, slashing at a wide delivery from Thushara to be caught behind for nine.

Having reached lunch on 74/6, they slumped deeper into trouble after the break as Kulasekara pinned Abdur Rauf lbw for a duck. Mendis then worked his magic with the tail. Umar Gul was caught at short cover off the full toss and both Mohammad Aamer and Saeed Ajmal were trapped lbw. Sri Lanka won the first match of this three-Test series in Galle by 50 runs. (Agencies)

Dravid’s inclusion will be a bonus for ODI team: Ganguly

MUMBAI, July 8: Former skipper Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday welcomed Rahul Dravid’s return to India’s ODI scheme of things and said the experienced right-hander’s inclusion will be a bonus for the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side at the Champions Trophy in South Africa later this year.

The BCCI selection committee included Dravid in the 30-member probable list for the Champions Trophy to start from September 24, paving way for the former captain's return to the ODI team since October, 2007.

“He’s (Dravid) so good in all forms. His inclusion will be a bonus for India. I'm sure he would do well. It’s the right decision (by the selectors to recall him). He himself would not have expected it,” Ganguly said after attending the Cricket Board's Technical Committee meeting on his 37th birthday.

Apart from Dravid, left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra, who impressed in the Indian Premier League in South Africa as well as the just-concluded ODI series in West Indies, was also included in the list of probable for the biennial event.

Ganguly also advised out-of-favour left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan to draw inspiration from Dravid and Nehra's comeback and earn his place back into the national team.
“Irfan should look at the example of Rahul Dravid and Ashish Nehra. If you keep performing well you are bound to bounce back. He's young and talented, he knows he has to do better,” said the Bengal stalwart.
In the recent past Irfan’s performance had dipped significantly prompting the selection panel to omit his name from the probable list. Ganguly also said too much should not be made out of the India team's early departure from Twenty 20 World Cup in England.
“India have done well in all forms of the game. We had a poor outing in T20 World Cup but not too much should be read into it. We have some superb players,” he said.
He threw in his weight behind Dhoni and said winning and losing are part of the game and it would be wrong to vilify the captain for it.

“It’s bound to happen. You can't go on for so long without (hitting) a lean patch. He's (Dhoni) a smart cricketer and has a good head,” Ganguly complimented. Asked for his opinion on ICC's idea to reduce Test matches by a day and introduce day/night Tests, Ganguly said he would forever remain a supporter of five-day games.
“I’m always for five-day Tests. I’m not averse to day/night Tests, but the issue of the white ball needs to be sorted out to make it interesting,” he declared. (PTI)