Playing for Pakistan is like 'mental torture': Misbah

Pakistan cricket's endless parade of controversies and scandal has made playing for the national team akin to 'mental torture', according to captain Misbah-ul-Haq.

Since appointed test captain in October after Salman Butt was banned for spot-fixing during last year's test series against England, Misbah has led a team dogged by corruption allegations and political in-fighting.

Following five-year bans imposed by the ICC on Butt and two other players in February, Pakistan have been rocked by the departure of sacked one-day captain Shahid Afridi, who resigned in acrimony in May citing differences with the Pakistan Cricket Board.

"It is a mental torture to go through such things and it affects your performance. It is bad for Pakistan cricket and people taunt us at home and abroad," the 37-year-old batsman Misbah told Geo Super sports channel in an interview.

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“Pakistan's players needed a union to educate them and improve communications with their coaches and paymasters in the wake of a number of ugly contractual disputes,” said Misbah, who took over the reins of the one-day side after Afridi's dismissal.

“A players association can play a positive role in preparing and grooming players for international cricket and in understanding their contractual obligations,” said Misbah, whose appointment as one-day captain sparked a row with Afridi.

“Once the contract is signed it is no use for players to complain about it. These matters must not be discussed in the media, it is better for players to directly speak to the board,” added Misbah.

Misbah's comments follow leg-spinner Danish Kaneria's legal challenge against the board's decision to overlook him for national selection.

Despite the troubles, Misbah said that he remained fit and passionate about the sport.

“I am mentally up for international cricket. As long as I am performing I will carry on, he said. Age is no bar for me. I feel a cricketer only matures after the age of 30. Fortunately that is what happened to me,” added Misbah.

Dhoni was given out due to wrong replay, confirms ICC

Dubai: The ICC today confirmed that an error by the host broadcaster during first day's play in the second Test between the West Indies and India in Barbados led to the wrong replay being shown to the third umpire that led to Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's dismissal.

During India's innings, India captain Dhoni was out caught at mid-on off the bowling of Fidel Edwards.

On-field umpire Ian Gould suspected that the delivery may have been a no-ball so, as per the correct protocols, he sought confirmation from the third umpire, Gregory Brathwaite.

But the delivery Brathwaite was shown by the host broadcaster was legitimate and hence, Dhoni was given out.

However, it was subsequently established that Brathwaite had been shown the wrong replay and that the delivery that led to Dhoni's dismissal should indeed have been called a no-ball.

"The host broadcaster for this series, IMG Media, acknowledged the mistake and has apologised. Having looked into the situation, I am satisfied it was an unfortunate but honest mistake in what is a tense and live environment," said Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.

"It is worth pointing out that the umpires followed the correct procedures and are without blame in this matter.

"Seeing as the game has continued, clearly there is no opportunity to reverse the decision. We are forced now put it behind us and move on with the remainder of the match," he added. .

Pak look to finish strong against Windies

Pakistan will be looking to give unshakeable proof that the West Indies were fortunate to gain a victory in their One-day International series, when the final match is contested on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium.

The Pakistanis were upstaged by rain and a blistering innings from Lendl Simmons to lose the previous match last Monday at Kensington Oval by one run under the Duckworth-Lewis Method.

The visitors have an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the series, following victories in the first three matches, but they will want to sign-off with a strong performance to knock West Indies back down a few notches, particularly with the two-Test series looming.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said that though the conditions they contested the previous match were difficult, his side should have still performed much better.

"We started on a difficult pitch, but the way Mohammad Hafeez batted, we thought we would have scored 270 to 275," he said.

"But I think we missed that chance, and we did not bat well in the end. It was disappointing because we missed an opportunity to score a big total, and we have to do much better, and show more consistency in the future."

Afridi said though the Pakistanis wanted to give some of the less experienced players an opportunity to play, he still felt that they were good enough to help the side finish the series on top.

"I am pretty happy with our boys, and the way they have played in this series, so I think we can be proud," he said.

"We set a total in the previous game, and in the conditions, and with our attack, I felt it was a decent target, but the weather played a role, and we lost."

West Indies Darren Sammy was relieved to get a victory over a Test-playing nation other than Bangladesh for the first time in two years, but he is looking forward to the final match, and hoped there are no interruptions to prove that the hosts are the genuine article.

"It has been a long time since we have beaten a top side, but we took the opportunity, and came through in the end," he said.

"We needed that victory, and it was good to win against a top side, and the guys will take the positives from this game, and we will look to take confidence from it, and put it into play here."

As always, the two teams will keep their gazes fixed to the skies to see if the weather will allow them to achieve their goals. The forecast for Thursday indicated scattered thunderstorms with a 60 percent chance of rain.

But the Guyana National Stadium, a gift from India to the Guyanese people, boasts a hi-tech drainage system under the surface. Like many of the international grounds in the Caribbean now, it was installed when the facility was constructed ahead of the 2007 World Cup, which was staged in the region.

Squads:

West Indies (from): Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo (vice captain), Carlton Baugh Jr, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons

Pakistand (from): Shahid Afridi (captain), Misbah-ul-Haq (vice captain), Abdur Rehman, Ahmed Shahzad, Asad Shafiq, Hammad Azman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Salman, Sadaf Hussain, Saeed Ajmal, Tanveer Ahmed, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Akmal, Usman Salahuddin, Wahab Riaz

Umpries: Asoka De Silva (SLK), Norman Malcolm (WIS)

Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)

TV Umpire: Joel Wilson (WIS)

Reserve Umpire: Peter Nero (WIS)

Andre Botha announces retirement

Ireland all-rounder Andre Botha announced his retirement from international cricket here on Wednesday.

The 35-year-old South African-born player, qualified for Ireland on residency grounds, appeared in the past two World Cups and made 141 appearances for his adopted country.

But recent seasons had seen the left-hand bat and right arm medium-pacer, who took two for five in the shock 2007 World Cup win against Pakistan, struggling with injury.

"I have given this matter serious and long consideration, but ultimately have come to the conclusion that the time is right now," said Botha, who appeared in just two games at the recent World Cup in the subcontinent.

"I can assure you it's a matter I haven't taken lightly, but sometimes your body makes up your mind for you."

Botha took 42 wickets in as many one-day internationals and averaged just under 20 with the bat.

"Andre has been an integral part of this Irish team's success since his debut way back in 2001," Ireland coach Phil Simmons said.

"He will be sorely missed, not only for his cleverly disguised slower balls or his trademark square cuts, but for his total dedication to the cause and the team," the former West Indies batsman added.

"His courage continuing to represent Ireland with the different injuries he's endured over the last couple of years has been incredible, and shows just what a big heart he has."

© AFP

Cook set to take over ODI captaincy

Alastair Cook is expected to be appointed as England's One Day Internationals captain, with Andrew Strauss set to stand down from his post. Strauss will continue leading the English Test side though.

The ECB is expected to meet on Thursday and formally announce this, alongwith a new Twenty20 captain. Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad are the contenders for the T20 job, which would make this the first time that England have three separate captains in all three forms of the game.

The Twenty20 captain will be needed because Paul Collingwood - who recently announced his Test retirement - is reportedly going to give up the Twenty20 captaincy.

The decision of Strauss to step down doesn't come as much of a surprise, with the batsman having indicated the possibility of his stepping down right after the World Cup, in which England crashed out in the quarter-finals after having a series of close finishes in the league stages.

Cook, who has played only 3 ODIs since December 2008, had an outstanding Ashes series in Australia, scoring 766 runs in England's historic triumph. He did captain England in the three ODIs he played in - which were all against Bangladesh in 2010 when Strauss was rested, and gave a good account of himself. England won all three ODIs, with Cook scoring 64, 60 and 32.

© Cricbuzz (with inputs from agencies)

Shoaib wants proper farewell match

Pakistan's enigmatic fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar wants to be given an opportunity to play a final farewell match this year although he announced his retirement from international cricket during the World Cup.

Although Shoaib himself has kept a low profile since returning from the World Cup, well-placed sources confirmed that the fast bowler had conveyed to the PCB about his desire to play a farewell match.

The experienced player suffered a setback in the World Cup as his announcement after the New Zealand match led to him not getting another opportunity in the cricketing extravaganza.

Ross Taylor and Co smashed him for 28 runs in his last international over.

Worse, he was fined $2000 for misbehaving with teammate Kamran Akmal who dropped Taylor twice in one over of Shoaib.

Local daily 'The News' reported on Thursday that Shoaib had kicked Kamran on the field during the match and used abusive language which led to an ugly scene on the field.

The report stated that while Shoaib was fined and issued a notice, the management also fined Kamran $1000 for his role in the incident.

According to the newspaper, some members of the Pakistan team didn't want the board to allow Shoaib any farewell match later this year in any series as they were still upset over the incident in the New Zealand match and didn't want the speedster back in Pakistan colours.

In 2007, erstwhile captain Inzamam-ul-Haq had also announced his retirement after Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup in the first round.

But the cricket board later allowed and picked Inzamam to play a Test against South Africa in Lahore as a farewell gesture and also rewarded him with a cash bonus.

Sources said that Shoaib had mentioned the example of Inzamam while requesting for a chance to play a proper farewell match.

"He is not satisfied that he never got a proper opportunity to play his final match and be given a proper send off by his fans and that is why he wants a farewell match," one source said.

© PTI

India get rewarded for finishing as Test No.1

India will be handed USD 175,000 for finishing as the number-one Test side while also pocketing another USD 75,000 for finishing as second-ranked ODI team this season, the ICC said today.

India (128 points) has been sitting on top of the Test Championship table since December 2009. South Africa (117 points) will pocket USD 75,000 for ending in second position in the Test Championship table at the cut-off date of April 1.

Australia earns USD 175,000 for finishing on top of the ODI table with 128 points at the cut-off date. It has been occupying the number-one position on the ODI Championship table since leapfrogging South Africa and India in September 2009.

In the latest ODI rankings issued today, Australia has 129 points, eight points more than India's (121 points).

Among batsmen, Virat Kohli lost two places to slip to eighth while captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar lost one spot each to be at ninth and 10th respectively.

South African Hashim Amla maintained his top spot in the batting charts while New Zealand's Daniel Vettori continued at the top of bowling list.

No Indian is in the top 10 in bowling chart with Zaheer Khan at 14th.

Australia's Shane Watson became the top-ranked ODI all-rounder and also achieved a career-best ranking in batting, jumping nine places to fourth after his record innings against Bangladesh.

Watson has piped Shakib Al Hasan into number-one position in the all-rounders' rankings after taking three wickets and scoring 294 runs in the series. He now leads the Bangladesh captain by a comfortable 44 points margin.

Watson's scores of 37, 185 not out and 72 in the series have also helped the 29-year-old Queenslander vault nine places to a career-best fourth position. He is now the highest-ranked Australia batsman with Mike Hussey staying in sixth place, captain Michael Clarke rising two places to 11th spot and former captain Ricky Ponting moving one place up to 16th position.

For Bangladesh, Imrul Kayes has climbed four places to 42nd position but Shakib has slipped two places to 26th spot.

In the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Mitchell Johnson's seven wickets in the series have given him a lift of seven places and he now sits in sixth position. Brett Lee is the other Australia bowler who has improved his ranking as he has returned to the top 20 in 20th position after a jump of three places.

The news for Bangladesh bowlers is not very good as Abdur Razzak, Shakib Al Hasan and Mashrafe Mortaza have dropped in the latest rankings. Razzak has fallen five places to 11th position, Shakib has slipped three places to 15th spot and Mashrafe has dropped four places to 36th place.

© PTI

Buchanan appointed NZC Director of Cricket

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) today announced that former Australian National Coach John Buchanan is to become the new Director of Cricket for NZC.

The Director of Cricket is a new role and a first for world cricket. Buchanan will report to the Chief Executive with the position based at the New Zealand Cricket head quarters in Christchurch.

Buchanan will start with NZC in May and is being appointed as the architect of the new high performance programme. He will perform a number of key duties including the establishment of clear and consistent national coaching philosophies, implement a talent identification programme and oversee the Selection Panel.

Justin Vaughan, NZC Chief Executive, said he was delighted that John accepted the role.

"John's appointment is an exciting one for New Zealand Cricket. He has a great cricketing pedigree and will provide outstanding leadership as NZC look to move forward."

Buchanan, 58, has a track record of success and ended his eight year tenure with the Australian team with the best record of any coach in International cricket history.

"It's an honour to be appointed to this challenging role. It is a wonderful opportunity to build on the work that has been done," said Buchanan.

"New Zealand Cricket has a proud history and is a true honour to be given the responsibility. I want to be part of the next successful era and am committed to building sustainable high performance for New Zealand Cricket."

John Buchanan key facts:

* Australian National Coach from 1999-2007 in a tenure that included a world record number for straight Test wins (16), consecutive ODI wins (21) and two World Cup wins.

* Delivered Queensland their first Sheffield Shield title in 1994-95 and in his five year coaching tenure delivered the Sheffield Shield and Mercantile Mutual Cup twice each.

* Has a degree in Human Movement, a Teaching Diploma and a Master of Arts in Sports Administration.

* Was the first coach to use computer analysis of every ball bowled.

* Was a professional cricketer and represented Queensland in the late 1970s.

Cricket South Africa president ousting 'unlawful'

A South African High Court on Friday ordered Cricket South Africa (CSA) to re-instate its president Mtutuzeli Nyoka, who was fired following a public feud with the organisation's chief executive.

Nyoka took CSA to court after the organisation's members' forum, comprising provincial presidents, passed a vote of no confidence in Nyoka at a special meeting in February.

The court found that Nyoka's sacking was unlawful and should be set aside, Sapa news agency reported.

CSA said it would appeal the judgment.

"Cricket South Africa will file notice of appeal in due course," it said in a statement.

A dispute between Nyoka and CSA chief executive Gerald Majola had been simmering since Nyoka challenged the payment of a 1.7 million rand ($248,000, 172,000-euro) bonus to Majola following the staging of the Indian Premier League in South Africa in 2009.

Other key staff also received bonuses, which were awarded without the approval of CSA's remuneration committee.

Nyoka recently accused Majola of lying to him about the contents of a contract between CSA and the IPL.

The then-president claimed he was deceived into supporting Majola in a row with the Gauteng Cricket Board, which controls the country's biggest cricket stadium, the Wanderers in Johannesburg, resulting in the Gauteng board being dissolved.

Gauteng demanded to know the terms of the contract between CSA and the IPL, stating that it believed Majola had put CSA at financial risk.

Casualties of the controversy include the board's treasurer, Hentie van Wyk, and leading banker Paul Harris, an independent director, who failed to gain re-election at last year's annual meeting after querying the bonus payments.

When the payments were first made public before the 2010 annual meeting, CSA promised an independent inquiry but this was later changed to an internal hearing, headed by vice-president AK Khan, which cleared Majola of wrongdoing.

© AFP

Australia complete sweep as Hussey hits ton

Michael Hussey scored his first one-day century in four years to help Australia complete a 3-0 clean sweep against Bangladesh with a 66-run win in the third and final match on Wednesday.

The middle-order batsman cracked two sixes and nine fours in a 91-ball 108 for his third one-day hundred, and his first since February 2007, as Australia posted a huge 361-8 in the day-night match.

Bangladesh made a bold reply before finishing at 295-6 despite an impressive 93 from opener Imrul Kayes, who hit two sixes and 10 fours in his 95-ball knock.

Kayes batted confidently against both pace and spin and looked set to complete his second one-day century before being caught behind off debutant paceman James Pattinson.

He put on 136 for the second wicket with Shahriar Nafees, who made 60 for his second successive half-century. Mohammad Mahmudullah was the other notable contributor with an unbeaten 68.

Australia virtually wrapped up the match when seamer Shane Watson dismissed skipper Shakib Al Hasan (nine) and Mushfiqur Rahim (one) in one over.

Watson, who hit a record 15 sixes in his career-best 185 not out in the previous match on Monday, earlier put Australia on course for a big total with a 40-ball 72 which contained three sixes and 11 fours.

Man-of-the-match Hussey was then involved in two useful stands, adding 89 for the fourth wicket with skipper Michael Clarke (47) and 70 for the sixth wicket with Mitchell Johnson, who hammered 41 off just 24 balls.

Hussey fell in the last over, trapped lbw by seamer Shafiul Islam, but not before boosting his team's chances of sweeping the series.

Australia got off to an explosive start after winning the toss as Watson and makeshift opener Ricky Ponting (47) added 110 runs for the opening wicket in just 11.5 overs.

Watson began aggressively, hitting Shafiul for four boundaries in an over early in his innings before pulling left-arm spinner Shakib over mid-wicket for a six to reach his half-century.

The Australian opener, who completed his fifty off just 25 balls with the help of two sixes and nine fours, was bowled in the 12th over while attempting to sweep left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak.

Ponting also played attractive shots during his 50-ball knock, hitting two fours and a six from a Mashrafe Mortaza over. He looked well set before being trapped lbw by Razzak.

Razzak finished with 3-58 and Mortaza with 3-80.

© AFP

Is BCCI answerable under the RTI Act?

It seems the Sports Ministry now considers Board of Control for Cricket in India answerable under the Right to Information Act as it has transferred such an application to the cricket body.

The Central Information Commission in number of recent decisions on sports federations had declared them to be public authority covered under the RTI Act, but in 2008 Information Commissioner Padma Balasubramanian had exempted BCCI from the ambit of transparency law through her order.

The latest order of the Sports Ministry, however, cites the October 26, 2010 decision of the Kerala High Court which declared officials of Kerala Cricket Association as public servants. The appeal against the High Court order was dismissed by the Supreme Court this year.

"The High Court of Kerala in a case related to State Cricket Association, has ruled that the Federations are required to perform public duties by virtue of holding their offices and hence, are public servants.

"The Supreme Court has refused to interfere with the ruling of the High Court," Joint Secretary Injeti Srinivas at the Ministry said in a reply to an RTI application seeking to know whether Supreme Court has held BCCI officials as public-servants.

Responding to the application, Srinivas who is the Appellate Authority at the Ministry "directed" the Public Information officer "to transfer the application to BCCI for response to the specific queries pertaining to them."

Activist Subhash Agrawal had sought to know from the Sports Ministry nature of assistance received by the BCCI from it, constitution of BCCI and its affiliated state-bodies, outline of BCCI budget for last two years, details of pending allegations of corruption etc against officials of BCCI.

He had also demanded information on money paid separately to each of players, coaches, selectors and members of board of BCCI in last two years, assets and awards given players, coaches and others by BCCI.

In addition, Agrawal also asked if BCCI had ever given some grant or loan to Constitution Club, New Delhi besides amount, date and purpose of such funds among other details of such financial help.

© PTI

Watson can do it again: Hussey

After being treated to some wonderful stroke play by Shane Watson, which saw the opener etch his name in the record books, Mike Hussey believes that the batsman has the potential to go even further.

Watson hit a record 15 sixes in an unbeaten knock of 185 runs from just 96 balls to see Australia home with nine wickets to spare during the second one day international (ODI) against Bangladesh on Monday.

The powerful hitting exhibited by 29-year-old, who will be in action for his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals after the series, has left his teammates contemplating whether they had ever witnessed a better display.

Comparing Watson's knock with that of former cricketer Adam Gilchrist's 149 -- studded with eight sixes -- which the left-hander hit against Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup final in Barbados, his teammate Hussey expressed that it was difficult to separate the two innings.

"It was pretty phenomenal, consistent hitting really," said Hussey.

"I haven't seen consistent hitting like that since probably Gilly in the World Cup final in 2007. But it was a phenomenal innings and he's been able to put together quite a few in the last little period -- the 161 not out against England (in January) was a pretty amazing innings, too, at the MCG. His consistency at being able to do it is pretty amazing," Hussey was quoted as saying by AAP.

Emphasizing upon Watson's recent run of form, Hussey felt the all-rounder, who was only 15 runs short of Sachin Tendulkar's record, has the ability to go higher.

"He just keeps seeming to raise the bar all the time, so I reckon he could do it again.

"Once you've done something once, it gives you that belief that you can go on and do it again... there's no reason why he can't do it again and again," he added.

© PTI

Make Afridi long-term captain: Akram

Former Pakistan great, Wasim Akram, has called on the board to repose faith in Shahid Afridi by appointing him captain of the national team on a long-term basis.

"I think Afridi should be made captain for a long term so that he gains more confidence because he is developing into a good captain," Akram said.

He also backed the all-rounder's demand for a batting coach.

"I agree the team needs a batting coach. Every team now has a full-time specialist batting coach with them and I have always believed that even at this level, the best players sometimes need to be given guidance and tips on batting issues," he said.

Akram's views are in complete contrast to Javed Miandad's, who has rejected the concept of having specialists on the support staff.

Miandad turned down the Pakistan Cricket Board's offer to accompany the team to West Indies as batting coach, on personal grounds.

But Akram pointed out that even in international cricket, a batting expert with loads of experience and background could make a big difference to the team.

"A batting coach can help batsmen sort out their technical issues and also guide them on different oppositions and conditions."

Akram also felt the selectors did the right thing by allowing pacer Umar Gul to take a break from the one-day series in the West Indies.

"I think Gul has been playing non-stop cricket for a while now and needed this rest. It is not a bad idea to have a rotation policy in the bowling department because top pacers carry the risk of getting injured due to over-work," he noted.

He hoped that his former pace partners Waqar Younis and Aaqib Javed would be able to groom the bowlers picked for the West Indies tour.

"It is good they are trying out new pace bowlers because we have lots of talent in this area.

Akram, however, felt that there was a need to teach the Pakistani bowlers to bowl with discipline and cut down on the extras.

© PTI

Pakistan to develop young cricketers in Windies

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis said on Wednesday he hoped to use the upcoming tour of the West Indies to bring on new cricketing talent for the years ahead.

The side fly out to the Caribbean on Thursday for a tour that will include one Twenty20 international, five one-dayers and two Tests.

With express paceman Shoaib Akhtar retired and fellow fast bowler Umar Gul rested, Pakistan have selected left-armers Junaid Khan and Sadaf Hussain -- both 21 -- and 20-year-old all-rounder Hammad Azam.

"We have selected some youngsters for the tour in the hope that they get groomed and serve the country in the future," Waqar said at the conclusion of a two-day training camp in the eastern city of Lahore.

Junaid has 167 wickets in 35 first-class matches while Hussain's tally in 18 domestic matches stands at 90.

Kamran Akmal, dropped after his sloppy wicket-keeping in last month's World Cup, made way for 29-year-old Salman Ahmed while veteran batsman Younis Khan, rested for the tour, was replaced by 20-year-old Usman Salahuddin.

Salahuddin, a right-handed batsman, has scored 1505 runs in 24 domestic matches.

"We are not taking the West Indies team lightly. We also have experience at our disposal and we hope to do well on the tour," said former captain and fast bowling legend Waqar, adding that he hoped to see an improvement in his side's batting.

"Whatever shortcomings we had during the World Cup, we want to overcome. The main thing is that I want the batsmen to show improvement."

Pakistan failed to persuade former great Javed Miandad to serve as batting coach and Waqar said the team should look elsewhere.

"I don't know why we go round and round and come back to Miandad again and again. If Miandad doesn't want to do the job then we must ask someone else for help because its not an issue of technique, its an issue of slight adjustment in batsmen's scoring runs," said Waqar.

Hussey, Watson hit 361 in Bangladesh one-dayer

Michael Hussey hit an impressive hundred and Shane Watson made a quickfire half-century as Australia posted 361-8 in the third and final one-day international against Bangladesh on Wednesday.

Hussey cracked two sixes and nine fours in a 91-ball 108 for his third one-day hundred, and his first since February 2007, while opener Watson smashed three sixes and 11 fours in his 40-ball 72.

Middle-order batsman Hussey was involved in two useful stands, adding 89 for the fourth wicket with skipper Michael Clarke (47) and 70 for the sixth wicket with Mitchell Johnson, who hammered 41 off just 24 balls.

Hussey fell in the last over, trapped lbw by seamer Shafiul Islam, but not before boosting his team's chances of sweeping the series. Australia already hold an unbeatable 2-0 lead.

Watson, who hit a record 15 sixes in his career-best 185 not out in the previous match on Monday, put the Bangladeshi attack to the sword again with his exciting strokeplay.

Australia got off to a blazing start after winning the toss as Watson and make-shift opener Ricky Ponting (47) added 110 runs for the opening wicket in just 11.5 overs.

Watson began aggressively, hitting Shafiul for four boundaries in an over early in his innings before pulling left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan over mid-wicket for a six to reach his half-century.

The Australian opener, who completed his fifty off just 25 balls with the help of two sixes and nine fours, was bowled in the 12th over while attempting to sweep left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak.

Ponting also played attractive shots during his 50-ball knock, hitting two fours and a six from a Mashrafe Mortaza over. He looked well set before being trapped lbw by Razzak.

Razzak finished with 3-58 and Mortaza with 3-80.

Australia rested fast bowler Brett Lee and wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin, bringing in Tim Paine and paceman James Pattinson, who made his one-day debut.

Bangladesh replaced Raqibul Hasan and Rubel Hossain with Mortaza and Alok Kapali.

© AFP

Kirsten interested in coaching SA: report

Gary Kirsten might be interested in taking up the South Africa coach job.[© AFP]

Gary Kirsten, who stepped down as India cricket coach after guiding the team to its first World Cup title in 28 years, now wants take up the top job in South Africa even though he has not submitted a formal application before the dateline.

A report in 'The Sunday Times' said Kirsten is interested in the Proteas coaching vacancy, but he is also weighing up several other offers.

"He's expressed interest, yes," said Andrew Hudson, the national selection convener and a man who sits on the panel to select a successor to Corrie van Zyl, who has stepped down after the Proteas' World Cup debacle.

"He's certainly been in discussions with Gerald Majola (Cricket SA's CEO)," Hudson was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

Kirsten is known to be keen on working with the current crop of international players, believing them to be among the most talented on the circuit, the report said.

"He is taking time off before considering his options. He is known to be calm and prudent - as befits a former opening batsman - and not overly eager to rush into a decision," it said.

Cricket South Africa, meanwhile, have approached Professor Johann Coetzee to psychometrically test all the applicants for the coaching job.

Coetzee was approached by Boeta Dippenaar, who sits on the interview panel as the players' representative, and as a result of the approach finds himself being part of the assessment.

"I'm not involved with selection of the candidate. I'm just a neutral, objective adjunct to the panel," said Coetzee, a human development consultant and psychologist who has worked as an academic at the universities of the Free State and North West.

The professor has identified 18 key characteristics pertinent to the post and will conduct his interviews and tests with a view to identifying whether the candidates possess these characteristics.

Coetzee will spend two hours with each candidate on the shortlist.

The list of shortlisted candidates has not been formally released by CSA, but reportedly includes Richard Pybus, the Cobras coach who won the SuperSport Series title last weekend, Vinnie Barnes, the current Proteas bowling coach, Duncan Fletcher, former coach of England and John Buchanan, former coach of Australia.

© PTI

Morkel looks forward to IPL duel with Sachin

Delhi Daredevils' pacer Morne Morkel is relishing the prospect of another bowling duel with Sachin Tendulkar when his side takes on the Mumbai Indians in an Indian Premier League match on Sunday.

South African quickie Morkel had accounted for Tendulkar's wicket during the league stage match of the World Cup in Nagpur, which the Proteas won by three wickets.

He had also dismissed Tendulkar once during India's nearly two-month-long tour of South Africa just before the World Cup.

The lanky pacer said he had always enjoyed playing against the world's leading run-scorer in Test and one-day cricket.

"For the last couple of months, I had been regularly bowling to Tendulkar. Obviously, it's going to be one big challenge tomorrow. He is a world-class player and everyone knows that. He has been performing well for the last couple of months. It's a big challenge and as always I am looking forward to it," said Morkel.

The South African was bought by the Delhi outfit for USD 475,000 on the first day of the players' auction held in Bangalore in the second week of January this year.

When asked about sharing the dressing room with India opener Virender Sehwag, who is the skipper of Delhi Daredevils, Morkel said it's good to have a calm and composed person like him in the IPL.

"He is a good guy. Always planning and bringing out new things. It's exciting sharing the dressing room with him. He is the captain of our side and it's special to work under him. He is very calm and cool guy and it's good to have him in IPL," he said.

Morkel said it would be tough adjusting to the Twenty20 format but is ready to perform.

"It's going to be tough to adjust but IPL is a huge tournament and I am ready to play my part. It's going to be an exciting tournament with a new bunch of guys. First game is tomorrow and we are done with our preparations. Looking forward to start the tournament on a winning note," he said.

Morkel said it would be challenging to bowl on Indian wickets. "... but it's a challenge that I have always enjoyed. I have fair idea of the Indian conditions and pitches as the World Cup just finished. I am improving my skills on a daily basis."

© PTI

Sanga, Duminy wickets were the key: Warne

Kumar Sangakkara's wicket and the dismissal of JP Duminy were the key moments of the match due to which Rajasthan could clinch a 8-wicket victory against the Deccan Chargers, feels skipper Shane Warne.

Siddharth Trivedi, named the Man of the Match for his figures of 3/15, picked up the important wicket of Sangakkara while Warne chipped in with a couple of wickets including that of JP Duminy.

"Deccan have got a pretty good side, but getting Sangakkara and Duminy out was the key," Warne told reporters at the post-match press conference.

"Dan Christian played well for them. But had we not got those two breakthroughs, it could have been a bit harder out there in the middle. Those two wickets slowed the proceedings," Warne added.

But the Australian legend conceded that there was still a lot of work to be done especially with the younger lot in the side.

"I think we still have got lot to work to do. From the point of view of the first game with so many young kids, we have done well. We don't have any superstars in our line-up but the youngsters have really worked hard."

About the younger players in his side, Warne said that they were bit nervous which resulted in lapses in the field including a few overthrows.

"I think the young kids were bit nervous with the overthrows. But, there's a little bit to learn in the field just through experience, and if you look at the bigger picture, our experiments paid off," the satisfied Rajasthan skipper stated.

Warne also attributed promoting Botha also worked in their favour. Johan Botha, who was promoted to number 3, shined with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 67 off 47 balls which powered Rajasthan's 8-wicket win.

"Experimenting with Botha and to promote him up the order at No. 3 was our plan before the game and that worked really well. The little things we tried all seemed to have worked well in this game. That's a nice way to start, considering during the last three editions, our opening games have been pretty poor."

Warne admitted that it was getting close in the end.

"We felt like we needed three boundaries in those last four overs and then Ross hit that six and we won with eight wickets in hands. Ross brings in a lot of experience. It's a nice blend of youth and experience with both Ross and Botha in the side. It's a pretty convincing win," he said.

When asked if he enjoyed playing cricket in Hyderabad, Warne said, "For an old man like me, it is quite a nice to start with a win."

The master tweaker said that he had done a lot of fitness training in the lead-up to the event and it was "nice to have some muscles."

Warne feels that more he bowls in match situation, better he would get. The skipper was a bit worried about Jacob Oram''s groin strain. "We would take a call tomorrow. I hope it's not the end of the tournament for him," he said.

© Cricbuzz (with inputs from agencies)

Clarke leads Australia to win with century

Michael Clarke celebrated his captaincy debut with a responsible century as Australia raced to an emphatic 60-run victory over Bangladesh in the opening one-day international on Saturday.

The stylish middle-order batsman, leading in his first one-day series after replacing Ricky Ponting as skipper last month, scored 101 for his sixth one-day hundred to help his team post a challenging 270-7 on a slow pitch.

Bangladesh never looked like achieving the target despite half-centuries from opener Tamim Iqbal (62) and skipper Shakib Al Hasan (51), finishing at 210-5. The Bangladeshi captain completed 3,000 one-day runs during his knock.

"I'm very happy to make a century today. The wicket was quite slow but once you got in, it was a nice wicket to bat on," said Clarke, named man of the match.

"They (Bangladesh) have four spinners in their team and they have got a lot of talent. So we are pretty happy to get off to a good start, although there is room for improvement."

Mushfiqur Rahim (44 not out) and Mohammad Mahmudullah (28 not out) were the other notable contributors for Bangladesh, who now trail 1-0 in the three-match series. The last two one-dayers will be played in Dhaka on April 11 and 13.

"We knew they (Australia) would be tough. It was hard to chase 270 on this wicket where the ball was keeping low," said Shakib.

"We will keep sticking to our plans and hopefully we will do well next time."

Clarke, who cracked two sixes and six fours in his 111-ball knock, earlier propped up the innings just when Bangladesh looked like restricting Australia to a modest total with their tight spin bowling. Australia, who lost to India in the World Cup quarter-finals, were struggling at 138-4 in the 30th over before the skipper added 84 runs for the fifth wicket with Michael Hussey (33).

Clarke, needing five runs off the last three deliveries of the innings to complete his hundred, smashed paceman Mashrafe Mortaza for a six over mid-wicket before being caught in the deep off the next ball.

Left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo, who dismissed Hussey and Steven Smith (one) in the same over, was the most successful bowler with 3-44.

Bangladesh, electing to field after winning the toss, struck in the fourth over when Mortaza, who missed the World Cup due to a knee injury, bowled Brad Haddin for 10.

Opener Shane Watson (37) and Ponting (34) then dominated the attack with attractive shots. The opener hit Mortaza for a four and a six off successive balls before lofting spinner Abdur Razzak over mid-wicket for a six.

Ponting also looked in excellent touch, cracking three successive fours off Mortaza and hoisting Shuvo over long-on for a six. His brilliant cameo ended when he was run out going for a third run.

Watson, who added 65 for the second wicket with Ponting, also fell when looking well set as he was trapped lbw by Razzak after hitting two sixes and three fours.

© AFP

Rally for Sri Lanka ex-skipper flops

A campaign by fans of Sri Lanka's World Cup-losing skipper Kumar Sangakkara to demand his reinstatement ended in a flop Saturday, with only a handful of supporters turning up.

Sangakkara loyalists had organised the demonstration as a Facebook event, with 6,512 fans signing up to attend, but reporters counted only 17 people at Colombo's Independence Square public park.

"It is possible that some of the fans may have gone to another park because of a misunderstanding about the location," an organiser told reporters.

The "peaceful demonstration to take Sanga back to the captaincy" urged supporters to wear blue or white shirts, the colours of the national team, and carry the national flag.

Sangakkara, 33, quit one-day captaincy earlier this week but said he will stay on as Test captain for an interim period for the forthcoming series with England, and possibly Australia.

The wicketkeeper-batsman, currently in India to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament, has said he has no plans yet to retire as a player.

Sangakkara's deputy, Mahela Jayawardene, has also given up his position and the three-member team of selectors followed suit, leaving Sri Lankan cricket in limbo.

© AFP