Nine Delhi players stay away from Ranji fitness camp on Day 2

The revolt of Delhi players against the DDCA continued on Thursday with nine players of the Delhi Ranji team not attending the conditioning camp on the second day.

Pacer Ashish Nehra who had attended the camp on the first day was also missing today.

After Virender Sehwag's outburst against "nepotism and corruption" in the Delhi District and Cricket association (DDCA), seven players including pacer Ishant Sharma and opener Gautam Gambhir had skipped the opening day of the camp on Wednesday.

However, DDCA Vice-President and Selection Committee chairman Chetan Chauhan had insisted that the players were absent because of other engagements.

Apart from the revolting quartet of Sehwag, Ishant, Gambhir and Nehra, others missing from the camp were Rajat Bhatia, Mithun Manhas and Chaitanya Anand, Aditya Jain and Sunny Sherawat.

Sehwag had earlier threatened to quit the Delhi team for Haryana.

Sehwag has alleged that the selection process in the Delhi team is manipulated by the all-powerful Sports Committee. He has received support from other senior players like Gambhir, Ishant and Nehra on the issue.

Soruce:http://www.hindustantimes.com

Strauss gets England off to sound start

England captain Andrew Strauss

England captain Andrew Strauss led from the front as his side reached 108 for one at lunch on the first day of the decisive fifth Ashes Test against Australia at the Oval here on Thursday.

Strauss, England's best batsman this series, was 50 not out and Ian Bell 41 not out in a match the hosts had to win to regain the Ashes.

England were in trouble at 12 for one when Alastair Cook fell cheaply after fellow left-handed opener Strauss had won the toss and chosen to bat.

But this time there was no repeat of the first morning collapse at Headingley which sent Australia on their way to an innings and 80 run fourth Test win that levelled the series at 1-1.

Strauss, batting in the composed, "emotionless", fashion which he said Wednesday would be vital to his team's chances of success, completed an 89-ball fifty featuring 10 fours but without taking any undue risks.

At the interval, his stand with Bell was worth 96 in 128 balls.

Bell, promoted to No 3 after Ravi Bopara was dropped, was himself under pressure after twice falling to left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson for a total of 11 runs at Headingley.

England began cautiously against Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle before Cook struck the day's first four, an off-drive off Hilfenhaus, in the third over.

He also pulled Siddle for another boundary but Cook, a 95 in England's second Test win at Lord's apart, had had a lean series.

And Siddle had his revenge when he squared up Cook, static on the crease, and had him caught at second slip by Australia captain Ricky Ponting for 10 to leave England 12 for one in the sixth over.

Bell, often criticised for an inability to make runs when England need them most, struck Siddle for three fours in six balls.

Second change Johnson had a huge appeal for caught behind against Bell correctly rejected by Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, the ball brushing the batsman's shirt.

While Bell left that delivery alone, it was a different story with Johnson's third ball, a rearing bouncer which flew off the splice but, fortunately for Bell, landed away from a fielder.

Strauss though on-drove Johnson for four to bring up England's fifty in the 14th over.

And Bell's boundary off Stuart Clark saw England's second-wicket duo post a fifty stand of their own in 70 balls.

However, the Warwickshire batsman kept both short leg and short backward square interested as Johnson tested him with rising leg-stump deliveries

Bell cover-drove Hilfenhaus for four, a stylish shot but then squatted down, seemingly suffering with cramp and required on-field treatment before resuming his innings on 29.

Strauss, who several times struck his trademark square-cut for four was equally strong off his pads when Australia's four-man pace attack strayed off line on a typically good Oval pitch for batting.

Australia need only a draw to retain the Ashes.

Scoreboard
England 1st Innings

A. Strauss not out 50
A. Cook c Ponting b Siddle 10
I. Bell not out 41
Extras lb2, nb5 7
Total for 1 wkt 108

Fall of wkt 1-12


Source:cricbuzz.com

New Zealand save follow-on against Lanka

Resolute

Resolute batting by New Zealand's eighth-wicket pair of Jesse Ryder and Daniel Vettori denied Sri Lanka a follow-on in the first Test here on Thursday.

The duo, who came together with the Black Caps still needing 30 runs to avoid the follow-on in the rain-hit Test, put on a defiant stand of 36 after tea on the third day.

Ryder was dismissed for 42, but skipper Vettori returned unbeaten on 33 as New Zealand ended the day at 281-8, still 171 runs behind Sri Lanka's first innings total of 452.

Tailender Iain O'Brien was the other batsman at the crease on three.

Sri Lanka have two days, weather permitting, to force a win at the Galle International Stadium on a wearing wicket that has already started to assist the spinners.

Just 76 overs were bowled during the day after heavy rain delayed the start by 90 minutes and bad light ended play 20 minutes early.

The Black Caps, led by a gutsy 69 from left-handed opener Tim McIntosh, were sitting pretty at 180-3 when three wickets fell for 15 runs in the post-lunch session.

The collapse was triggered by two wickets from left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara, who had Ross Taylor caught behind for 35 and bowled Brendon McCullum for one off the inside edge.

Star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan had two lucky breaks when he earned a leg-before verdict against the sturdy McIntosh and had Jacob Oram caught off the pad at short-leg for 12.

Television replays showed Australian umpire Daryl Harper erred in both decisions.

The middle order collapse undid the good work of McIntosh, who had batted through the rain-affected morning session after resuming at his overnight score of 36.

The left-hander survived two blows on his helmet and shoulder by rising deliveries from Thushara, but hung on for six hours to anchor New Zealand's reply.

The 29-year-old Auckland batsman, who has a century to his credit in five previous Tests but had never played an international match outside New Zealand, hit six boundaries and a six.

Nightwatchman Jeetan Patel helped McIntosh put on 49 for the third wicket, himself contributing 26, before he was leg-before to Muralitharan 20 minutes before lunch.

Taylor added 51 runs for the fourth wicket when he edged a well-pitched delivery from Thushara to wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

Muralitharan, the most successful Test bowler in history, took his record tally to 773 with the wickets of McIntosh and Oram.

New Zealand play two Tests, two Twenty20 internationals and a limited-overs tri-series also featuring India during the five-week tour.

Soruce:Cricbuzz.com

DDCA selection row

The players are unhappy with the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) sports committee which, they claimed, interfered in selection matters and also indulged in corruption.
DDCA Sports Secretary Sunil Dev has refuted the allegations and said he was prepared to talk to the players and resolve the differences.
Apart from Gambhir and Sharma, left-arm paceman Ashish Nehra was another senior player who has Sehwag's campaign against the sports committee.
A concerned DDCA President Arun Jaitley has told his officials not to precipitate the crisis and let things “cool down”.

Isinbayeva meets disaster

Fraser is now the third-fastest woman over the distance, tied with Christine Arron of France. Only Florence Griffith-Joyner (10.49) and Marion Jones (10.65) have run faster.
Bekele emulated his mentor Haile Gebrselassie with a fourth straight 10,000m crown and Yargeris Savigne led a Cuban one-two to defend her women’s triple jump title.

Injured Pietersen out of Champions Trophy

LONDON

LONDON: Injury prone all-rounder Andrew Flintoff faces a taxing schedule after being named in all three of England's One-day squads on Monday, each one missing injured batsman Kevin Pietersen.

Flintoff, who is set to make his farewell to Test cricket in this week's Ashes decider at the Oval despite still struggling with a knee problem, has made it clear he wants to remain a force in One-Day Internationals.

And the England selectors appear to have taken the 31-year-old at his word.

He was included in the 15-man party from which England will pick their side for the seven home ODIs against Australia that follow hard on the heels of the Ashes finale before that squad heads to South Africa for the Champions Trophy where England will bid to win their first major One-day title.

Test captain Andrew Strauss will lead a squad featuring just one uncapped player in Kent batsman Joe Denly.

But before that, and with star batsman Pietersen recovering from an Achilles injury, Flintoff will be a member of the 14-man squad that travels to Belfast for a match against Ireland that takes places just three days after the scheduled end of the decisive fifth Ashes Test.

That team will be captained by Paul Collingwood, in the rested Strauss' absence, as will the 15 man-squad chosen to face Australia in two Twenty20 internationals at Old Trafford, Flintoff's Lancashire home ground.

As well as Flintoff, Denly, leg-spinner Adil Rashid, wicket-keeper Matt Prior, Owais Shah and Ashes discard Ravi Bopara are in all three squads.

Jonathan Trott, Bopara's replacement at the Oval, only makes it into the Twenty20 squad as a batting stand-in for the absent Strauss.

But Alastair Cook, keeper James Foster, Test fast bowler Stephen Harmison, Ian Bell, Rob Key and all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas have all failed to make the cut for the Champions Trophy squad after being included in the provisional 30 and do not feature in England's other One-day parties either.

"We have kept faith with the bulk of the squad which was successful in the NatWest Series against West Indies earlier this summer and also included two players, Luke Wright and Adil Rashid, who were part of our squad for the ICC World T20," said England national selector Geoff Miller.

"Joe Denly has impressed the selectors for a while with some excellent performances in One-day cricket, and with Kevin Pietersen unavailable through injury, this is an excellent opportunity for Joe to step up to the next level and show what he is capable of."

Strauss ruled himself out of England's Twenty20 plans earlier this year but remains available for the 50-over format.

However, Miller said: "Andrew Strauss has led the side extremely well in both forms of cricket this summer."

"But the selectors felt it would be beneficial for him to have a short break from international cricket following the conclusion of the Ashes Test series, and Paul Collingwood will lead the side in Ireland and in the T20s."

Squads

For the ODIS against Australia and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa:

Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

England squad for ODI v Ireland in Belfast on August 27:

Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Rashid Shah, Graeme Swann, Ryan Sidebottom, Luke Wright.

England squad for the T20 internationals against Australia on August 30 and September 1

Paul Collingwood (capt), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Rashid Shah, Graeme Swann, Ryan Sidebottom, Luke Wright, Ian Trott.

TOI

West Indies snubs Gayle, Sarwan for Champions Trophy

BRIDGETOWN (

BRIDGETOWN (Barbados): West Indies will be without its leading players for the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa next month.


The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Monday again left out the players who chose to strike during the Test, One-day and Twenty20 series against Bangladesh in July in the Caribbean.

Former skipper Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo and Jerome Taylor are the main stars absent.

The side will again be led by 37-year-old Floyd Reifer and includes two uncapped players in all-rounder Royston Crandon and wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton.

Walton, a Jamaican who represents the Combined Colleges & Campuses, appeared in both Tests against Bangladesh but did not appear in the limited overs matches.

Crandon, 26, is a hard-hitting right-hander and off-spinner from Guyana.

West Indies has also recalled fast bowlers Tino Best and Daren Powell.

Best also played in the tests against Bangladesh but has not appeared in One-dayers since May 2006.

Powell, who declared his unavailability for the Bangladesh series, returns for the first time since last March against England in the Caribbean.

Fellow fast bowler Fidel Edwards, the most experienced bowler in the previously chosen 30-man provisional squad, missed out with a persistent back injury.

David Williams, the assistant coach, will be at the helm following last week firing of head coach John Dyson.

Squad: Floyd Reifer (captain), Darren Sammy (vice-captain), David Bernard Jr., Tino Best, Royston Crandon, Travis Dowlin, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Daren Powell, Kieran Powell, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith, Gavin Tonge, Chadwick Walton

TOI

Jankovic downs Safina to win Cincinnati title

CINCINNATI (Ohio), Aug 17: Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic boosted her US Open hopes with a brisk 6-4, 6-2 victory over world number one Dinara Safina on Sunday in the final of the two million-dollar WTA Cincinnati Open.
“My smile is back and I’m having fun playing the matches,” said Jankovic, who started the year atop the world rankings but has seen her status slip with a series of lackluster results. “This is what I missed. I missed this for maybe seven months this year.” Jankovic bounced back from a tough semi-final victory on Saturday night to claim her second title of 2009, after a victory in a claycourt tournament in Marbella in April.

Sehwag wants to quit; just a tactic, says DDCA

New Delhi, Aug 17: Indian opener Virender Sehwag has threatened to quit the Delhi Ranji team, alleging interference in selection matters by the DDCA Sports Committee members.
Sehwag, who is currently in Bangalore undergoing rehabilitation for his injured shoulder, has been told to put his decision on hold till he meets the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) President Arun Jaitley. The meeting is likely to take place on August 27 or 28 to discuss the matter. The explosive right-hander has threatened to leave the team for Haryana, saying that he is frustrated with the interference in selection matters. The DDCA’s Sports Secretary Sunil Dev said he has not received any communication from Sehwag nor has he approached him for a No Objection Certificate to play for some other state. But a top DDCA source said Sehwag’s threat to quit was just a “pressure tactic” to bring in a couple of his players in the Ranji squad. “He wants to bring Mayank Tehlan and Pradeep Sangwan into the team. But since the Delhi team is well set, it is not possible. That is the reason why he is making such threats,” the source told. Sehwag has claimed that some selectors group together to force a player of their choice into the side, leaving the captain and selection committee chairman powerless. He has also alleged manipulation in the selection of Delhi under-16 and under-19 teams. The Delhi team, which won the 2007-08 Ranji title, failed to even make the knock-out stage last season. Sehwag did not play a single match last season because of his engagements with the national team. (PTI)

Saina crashes out of World Badminton Championships

HYDERABAD

HYDERABAD: It requires a diamond to cut another. On a day when the BWF World Championships moved into the semifinal stage, the packed Gachibowli Indoor stadium witnessed a clash of titans.

It was a fight between an ageing warrior, who lost his kingdom long back, and the reigning emperor. In the end, the 33-year-old Peter Hoeg Gade, who held the No.1 ranking for several months, bowed to the hegemony of Lin Dan, fondly called Super Dan by fans.

The defending World and Olympic champion withstood the stiff opposition of Gade and prevailed with a 22-20, 21-16 victory in the quarterfinals. Gade played as if he was fighting for survival and made the Chinese struggle hard for each point. The long rallies, power packed smashes and deft drops made it the best match of the tournament so far.

There were also two upsets and two heartbreaks. While the World No.1s in the men's and women's singles, Malaysia's Lee Chong Wei and Hong Kong's Zhou Mi, lost, India's challenge in the tournament ended too as Saina Nehwal and mixed doubles pair of V Diju and Jwala Gutta failed to progress.

But considering the reputations of the rivals, the upsets in the singles events shocked none. While Wei lost to the finalist of last World Championships, Sony Dwi Kuncoro of Indonesia 21-16, 14-21, 21-12, Zhou lost to two-time World champion Xie Xingfang 21-15, 21-18.

Saina, who became the first Indian to reach the quarters on Thursday, suffered a straight-game loss to Wang Lin of China 21-16, 21-19.

Before the Indian could get off the blocks, Wang surged ahead to a 9-2 lead in the first game. Saina, who fought back and reduced the deficit (11-11), failed to carry on the momentum and lost it rather meekly 21-16.

With the crowd rooting for her, Saina got off to a brilliant start in the second and was 10-2 before Wang began to catch up.

The Chinese girl, who lost to Saina in the final of Indonesian Super Series, defended well and frustrated Saina by pushing the dribbles back. Saina found it difficult to manage her backhand drive and conceded several unforced errors.

Saina complicated the situation by conceding eight points on the trot. and then, leading at 17-15, Saina failed to hold the nerve.

Wang collected two points and at 17-17 the net chord helped Wang take the lead. Once Wang surged ahead Saina lost her confidence and succumbed.

"She played a good match. When I beat her in Indonesia she confined herself to lifting the dribbles but now she has started pushing them. She defended very well. I am not too disappointed with the loss," Saina said.

Earlier in the day, Diju and Jwala proved no match for defending champions Nova Widianto and Liliyana Natsir of Indonesia. The Indian pair lost 21-16, 21-14.

"It was very disappointing. I don't know why but we played according to their plans," Jwala said later.

Former world champion Taufik Hidayat of Indonesia and World No.2 Chen Jin of China made it to the semifinals in men's singles, while Lu Lan of China and Pi Hongyan of France reached the last four stage in women's singles of the competition.

TOI

Jamaican Bolt sets new 100m world record

BERLIN

BERLIN: Jamaican Usain Bolt added the world crown to his Olympic title as he scorched to victory in a world record 9.58 seconds in the men's 100m final at the World Athletics Championships on Sunday.

Billed as the first of three potential Berlin duels between Bolt and American reigning world champion Tyson Gay, the 22-year-old show-boating Jamaican crushed the field and smashed his own record of 9.69sec set in similarly spectacular fashion at the Beijing Olympics final.

Gay claimed silver in 9.71sec, finishing a good couple of metres off Bolt, with former world record holder Asafa Powell of Jamaica clocking 9.84sec for bronze.

"I said anything could happen and it did," said Bolt. "It was a big target but I got 9.58sec and I'm really happy with myself. Now I plan to do even better in the future.

"I was ready, I was feeling good after the semi-finals. I came out and executed it in the final."

Gay was magnanimous in defeat.

"I'm really happy with my performance," said the 27-year-old. "I showed a lot of heart. I didn't complain about my groin injury. I blocked everything out in the final and put it together the best I could.

"I've been telling you someone can run 9.5sec. I'm really happy he did it.

"It shows a human being can take it to the next level. Unfortunately, I wasn't the one to do it but I still have confidence I will do it one day."

Bolt, who took the Beijing Games by storm last summer, winning all three Olympic sprint golds and all in world record times, had overcome a nervy semi-final in which he false started for the first-ever time in his career.

But when it came to the final, he enjoyed his normal start, his head staying down over the first 40 metres before slowly bringing his towering 6ft 5in frame fully upright and lengthening out his stride to attain maximum velocity.

After having enraptured the crowd with his trademark bow-and-arrow posing before starter's orders, his pull was exemplary and he was soon away from Gay - who had a marginally better reaction time - and his other rivals and celebrating another new world record.

In sultry conditions at the Olympic Stadium, with a temperature of 28C (82F), Bolt's training partner Daniel Bailey of Antigua finished in fourth at 9.93sec on a photo finish with Trinidad's Olympic silver medallist Richard Thompson.

Dwain Chambers, the world indoor 60m silver medallist who is competing here after having served a two-year doping ban, came in sixth with 10.00sec.

Trinidadian Marc Burns and American Darvis Patton, who finished seventh and eighth, in the Beijing Olympics repeated their places here in 10.00 and 10.34sec respectively.

Powell said: "To come here and get third place I feel very proud."

For Gay and the rest of the US team, there now lies in wait a highly-anticipated 200m run-off and a 4x100m relay against Bolt and his Jamaican team-mates over the coming week.

TOI

Dravid returns, Sehwag to miss tri-series and Champions Trophy

CHENNAI:

CHENNAI: Veteran Rahul Dravid, on Sunday, staged a comeback into India's 15-member One-day squad while Virender Sehwag was ruled out of next month's More Pictures
tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

The 36-year-old Dravid, who last played an ODI back in October 2007, was included in the squad to bolster the batting line-up for the two tournaments, which will also see the return of Sachin Tendulkar.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra was included in place of left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha in the squad, announced by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan.

There was no major surprises in the team which features eight batsmen, four pacers, two spinners and an all-rounder in Yusuf Pathan.

Mumbai left-hander Abhishek Nayar was retained in the side but his Ranji team-mate Rohit Sharma was axed to accommodate Suresh Raina, who had skipped the West Indies tour because of a thumb injury.

The selection committee, headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth met at the Chidambaram Stadium, on Sunday, to pick the squad for the September 8-14 tri-series in Sri Lanka and the September 22-October 5 Champions Trophy and they went by the fitness level of the players and their performance in recent past.

Dravid's return was more or less certain after the Indian top and middle order's poor display against short-pitch deliveries in both the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and during the West Indies tour.

Besides, Sehwag's shoulder injury which necessitated a surgery, weakened the Indian top order and the selectors felt Dravid's vast experience would strengthen the line-up.

In Sehwag's absence, Tendulkar is set to open with Gautam Gambhir, while Dravid and Raina will add beef to the top and middle order, which also include vice captain Yuvraj Singh and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Sehwag's absence allowed Dinesh Karthik to hung on to his place as a reserve opener.

In the bowling department, Mishra staged a comeback to the ODI format after six long years to join Harbhajan Singh in the spin unit.

A regular in the Test squad now, Mishra played the last of his three ODIs back in April 2003 against South Africa and was frustrated at being branded a Test specialist.

Squad: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Dinesh Karthik, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar .

TOI

Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe by four wickets

Charles Coventry

Zimbabwe's Charles Coventry equalled the highest individual one-day international score on Sunday, but saw his big-hitting party gatecrashed by Tamim Iqbal as Bangladesh wrapped-up the one-day series here.

Coventry blasted an unbeaten 194 to equal former Pakistan opener Saeed Anwar's 12-year record, as Zimbabwe piled up 312-8 in their 50 overs, but Bangladesh opener Tamim then hit his country's highest individual score of 154 as the tourists took victory with 13 balls to spare.

"I was due for a big innings. I was getting good starts but not big hundreds. It would have felt better had I finished the innings," said Tamim.

Coventry praised the tourists for their battling response.

"Well done to the Bangladeshis for the way they chased. We'll be out there trying the hardest the next time," said the 26-year-old, who was playing in his 15th one-dayer.

He dominated Zimbabwe's innings with the next highest score a more modest 37.

Coventry hit seven sixes and accelerated from 129 in the 42nd over to 180 in the 47th as fans wondered if he would become the first player in history to hit a one-day international double century.

But he had to settle for a share of Anwar's record although Bangladesh could have dismissed him earlier when Mahmudullah dropped him at square leg on 137.

Coventry shared an 82-run stand for the second wicket with Hamilton Masakadza as the home side eyed levelling the five-match series at 2-2.

But they reckoned without 20-year-old left-hander Tamim who first of all made his third half-century of the series before going on to hit his highest score in his 60th international.

Tamim's 154 came off 138 balls with seven fours and six sixes.

Zimbabwe skipper Prosper Utseya looked for positives in defeat.

"The innings of 312 wasn't enough. But our game is improving. We're playing international cricket and we missed chances that should have been taken. 3-2 sounds better than 4-1 and we need to come back strong and play well for the fans."

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was overjoyed at another series win which followed their historic Test and ODI sweep in the West Indies.

"Tamim batted magnificently, can't get better than that. We played very good cricket against West Indies and this series too, everyone chipped in but we need to improve our fielding," said Shakib.

"Cricket is the most popular game in Bangladesh and we thank out fans for their support."

The final match of the series is here on Tuesday.

Scoreboad:

Zimbabwe

M Vermeulen c Siddique b Alam 5
H Masakadza c Hasan b Mohammad Ashraful 21
C Coventry not out 194
B Taylor lbw b Enamul Haque jnr 9
S Williams b Naeem Islam 4
S Matsikenyeri run out 37
E Chigumbura c Naeem Islam b Enamul Haque 15
M Waller b Alam 3
T Mupariwa lbw b Rasel 0
P Utseya not out 7
Extras (b1, lb3, w12, nb1) 17
Total (8 wkts: 50 overs) 312



Did not bat: R Price.

Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Vermeulen), 2-87 (Masakadza), 3-102 (Taylor), 4-111 (Williams), 5-218 (Matsikenyeri), 6-282 (Chigumbura), 7-302 (Waller), 8-303 (Mupariwa)

1-5, 2-87, 3-102, 4-111, 5-218, 6-282, 7-302, 8-303

Bowling:

Rasel 9-1-52-1 (2w)
Alam 8-0-63-2 (5w)
Shakib Al Hasan 9-0-70-0 (3w)
Enamul Haque jnr 9-0-51-2 (1nb)
Mahmudullah 6-0-32-0 (2w)
Mohammad Ashraful 4-1-11-1
Naeem Islam 5-0-29-1



Bangladesh

Tamim Iqbal c sub (Haji Jamil) b Price 154
Junaid Siddique c Williams b Masakadza 38
Mohammad Ashraful c Coventry b Price 10
Raqibul Hasan b Price 35
Shakib Al Hasan c Waller b Masakadza 19
Mushfiqur Rahim lbw b Utseya 15
Mahmudullah not out 21
Naeem Islam not out 4
Extras (lb1, w15, nb1) 17
Total (6 wickets; 47.5 overs) 313



Did not bat: Mahbubul Alam, Syed Rasel, Enamul Haque jnr

Fall of wickets: 1-68 (Junaid Siddique), 2-94 (Mohammad Ashraful), 3-213 (Raqibul Hasan), 4-246 (Shakib Al Hasan), 5-279 (Tamim Iqbal), 6-300 (Mushfiqur Rahim)

Bowling:

Mupariwa 8.5-0-65-0 (1nb, 2w)
Chigumbura 9-0 63-0 (2w)
Utseya 10-0-46-1 (2w)
Masakadza 7-0-52-2 (3w)
Price 10-0 60-3 (2w)
Waller 3-0-26-0 (2w)



Result: Bangladesh won by four wickets

Series: Bangladesh lead 3-1

Toss: Zimbabwe

Umpires: K Barbour and A Saheba

TV umpire: O Chirombe

Match referee: J Srinath

Source:cricbuzz

Kambli retires from international cricket

Vinod Kambli,

Vinod Kambli, has announced his retirement from international cricket. He will continue to make himself available for domestic selection. Kambli last played international cricket in 2000.

Kambli made the announcement at the inauguration of his sports academy, Khel Bharati, in the presence of Virender Sehwag, who inaugurated the academy, and Ramakant Acharekar, who coached Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar during their youth.

Kambli - who is Tendulkar's childhood friend - burst on to the scene with back-to-back double centuries in his third and fourth Tests, but unfortunately couldn't fulfill the promise showed then. A stop-start selectorial policy and a weakness against the short ball meant he played in only 17 Test matches, scoring 1084 runs at an average of 54.20.

He played 104 ODIs, scoring 2477 runs at an average of 32.59 and a strike rate of 71.94.

He made nine comebacks into the ODI team, but played his last Test in 1995, before he had turned 24. Since being out of the Indian team, he has tried his hand at movies and reality shows on the small screen.

© Cricbuzz

Tendulkar can continue as long as he wants: Ganguly

KOLKATA, Aug 14: Age might be catching up with Sachin Tendulkar but former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels the Mumbai veteran is the best cricketer in the world right now and can continue as long as he wants. The iconic left-hander said his 36-year-old former opening partner is a better batsman than him and can pick the time to call it quits. “To be honest, he is a bigger player than I am. He deserves to go whenever he wants to. He is probably the best in the world with (the retired) Brian Lara. He can play until anytime he wants and I am sure his performance will remain consistent,” Ganguly said in an interview on Friday. Ganguly said he enjoyed partnering Tendulkar at the top and doesn’t regret quitting earlier than him. “We have enjoyed a lot together at the top of the order and contributed thousands of runs. But I have taken a decision to quit. So, there is nothing to regret. I am sure he would also take the decision (to call it quits) at some stage,” the 37-year-old player said.

Nehra wants to slip into Zaheer’s shoes

NEW DELHI, Aug 14: Back in reckoning after being on the sidelines for more than three years, injury-prone pacer Ashish Nehra said despite being short of match practice, he is ready to lead the Indian attack in the absence of regular spearhead Zaheer Khan. “In the absence of Zaheer Khan I am ready to be the lead bowler. I may have been out for over three years but people must realise I am a very experienced and have been playing cricket for the last 10 years. I am excited and hope there are no injuries,” Nehra said. Nehra made a comeback to the Indian Team after four years with a successful June ODI tour of West Indies where he took six wickets from three matches to be the leading wicket-taker of the series. “I was happy with my performance in the West Indies tour. I still feel I am bowling at about 80-85 percent of my capability. I am back in rhythm and will soon reach 100 per cent,” he said. Nehra said his stint with the Indian Premier League, where he played for Delhi Daredevils, was crucial in making his resurgence possible. “IPL gave an opportunity to make a comeback into the Indian team after more than three years. IPL is as good as international cricket. Every team has about eight-nine international cricketers so the standard is really high”, he said. “It is a good platform for anybody who has been out of the team and wants to make a comeback into the national squad,” Nehra said. (PTI)

Xie stuns top seed Zhou to enter semis

Hyderabad, Aug 14: China’s Xie Xingfang knocked out top seed Zhou Mi of Hong Kong 21-15 21-18 to move into the semi-finals of the women’s singles at the the World Badminton Championships here on Friday.

It was a day of surprise results as women's seventh seed Lan Lu of China stunned third-seeded Dane Tine Rasmussen 21-15, 21-13 in 31 minutes to enter the semi-finals. Fifth seed Xie’s opponent in the semi-final is France's eighth seed Pi Hongyan, who defeated 11th seed Juliane Schenk of Germany 15-21, 21-15, 21-19 in an hour-long duel. Pi, who moved to France after failing to make it to the Chinese national team, said it was her best performance in the world championships. “I can’t say how happy I am today. This is my best performance in the World Championhips. I am having a good time here,” said Pi, who has been a quarter-finalist for three consecutive years between 2005-07 at the World Championships. In the men’s singles, Indonesian fourth seed and Athens Olympics gold medallist Taufiq Hidayat stopped the giant-killing run of unseeded Dane Jan O Jorgensen 21-19, 21-19, to enter the semi-finals. Jorgensen, 21, had upset South Korean eighth seed Park Sung-hwan and 16th seed Boonsak Ponsana of Thailand in the previous two rounds, and made it tough for Hidayat before bowing out. In the semi-final, Hidayat takes on Chinese second seed Chen Jin, who beat Indonesia's Simon Santoso 21-10, 21-13. (IANS)

Saina Nehwal off to winning start in World Championship

Hyderabad

Hyderabad, Aug 12 (PTI) Ace Indian shuttler Saina Nehwal hardly showed any fatigue from a recent bout of chickenpox as she stormed into the pre-quarterfinals of World Badminton Championships with a straight-game victory over Russian Anastasia Prokopenko here Wednesday.

The 20-year-old, who was laid low by chicken pox just a few days before the championship, outplayed her rival 21-10 21-17 in 27 minutes in the women's singles second round.

The local favourite faces Bulgarian Petya Nedelcheva Thursday.

Among other Indians, men's doubles pair of Akshay Dewalkar and Jishnu Sanyal squandered a position of strength to go down 21-17 13-21 18-21 against 16th seed Vitalij Durkin and Alexandr Nikolaenko of Russia in 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, top seed Mi Zhou of Hong Kong beat Kiwi Michelle Chan Ky 21-11 21-15, while men's number one seed Chong Wei Lee beat Ola Fagbemi of Nigeria 21-11 21-14.

Anwar likely to get a key position with Pak team

Anwar likely to get a key position with Pak team

Karachi, Aug 12 (PTI) Former Pakistan captain Saeed Anwar is all likely to get a key position with the national cricket team after the left-handed opener today held a discussion with the PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt in Lahore.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said Butt met with Anwar and discussed how his services could be utilised by the national team.

"The PCB Chairman and Saeed (Anwar) will meet again in the coming week to discuss the plan in detail," the board said.

Butt, however, thanked Anwar for offering to assist the PCB and Pakistani players.

"I am thankful for Saeed's encouraging response and I am sure Saeed will be able to contribute a lot to Pakistan cricket," he said.

Anwar, a stylish left handed opener, has largely remained out of the limelight since his retirement in 2003 as he has devoted most of his time to religious activities. .

Zimbabwe refuses to send under-19 team to Pakistan

Zimbabwe refuses to send under-19 team to Pakistan
Karachi, Aug 12 (PTI) The volatile security situation in Pakistan continues to scare away foreign cricket team and even Zimbabwe today turned down an invitation to send its under-19 team to the trouble-torn country.

The Pakistan Cricket Board said Zimbabwe had security concerns about playing in Pakistan after which it was decided to send the Pakistan under-19 team to the African country later this year.

PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt said former England skipper Tony Greig's proposal to arrange a World XI tour of Pakistan has been rejected due to the huge costs involved.

"Yes, we did receive a proposal from Tony Grieg regarding a World XI team tour to Pakistan. Having evaluated it, we concluded that the costs were too high and perhaps the timing of the tour would not have served the purpose for us," Butt said in statement.