ICC clears Samuels to bowl again

DUBAI: The West Indies were given a boost on Thursday ahead of their Bangladesh tour when all-rounder Marlon Samuels was cleared to bowl by the sport's world governing body.

The off-spinner, a key member of the West Indies Test, one-day and Twenty20 squads for the tour, had been suspended from bowling after being reported for a suspect action in 2008.The International Cricket Council (ICC) said an independent test had found Samuels' action to be legal following significant remedial work, and he could resume bowling.
"A comprehensive analysis revealed that his mean elbow extension was now comfortably within the 15-degree level of tolerance permitted under the relevant regulations," the ICC said in a statement.
The independent analysis was performed by Bruce Elliott, a member of the ICC's panel of human movement specialists, at the University of Western Australia, Perth, this month.
The spinner's action, however, will continue to be scrutinised by match officials to ensure it remained legal, the ICC statement added.
Samuels, currently in Dubai with the West Indies team for a one-week camp ahead of the Bangladesh tour, said he was pleased to know he could resume bowling in international cricket.
"I have been waiting for this moment for a while now," a West Indies Cricket Board statement quoted Samuels as saying.
"I am mainly a batsman in the team but it feels good to know that I can again contribute to the team in another area -- with the ball. I am the kind of player who likes to be always involved in the game."
Part-time spinner Samuels, 30, has so far bagged 57 wickets in one-day internationals and seven in Tests.
The West Indies, who arrive in Dhaka on October 4, will play two Tests, three one-day internationals and a one-off Twenty 20 match in Bangladesh. AGENCIES

Harbhajan axed for first two England ODIs

  

NEW DELHI: India axed spinner Harbhajan Singh on Thursday and drafted in the uncapped Sreenath Aravind and Rahul Sharma for the first two one-day internationals against England next month.Senior players Sachin Tendulkar (toe), Virender Sehwag (shoulder) and Yuvraj Singh (finger) have not recovered from injuries and were left out of the 15-man squad for the matches on Oct. 14 (Hyderabad) and Oct. 17 (Delhi). 
"A number of senior players are not fit...it provides a great opportunity for the youngsters to prove themselves," chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth told reporters in Chennai. 
India's batting received a boost with opener Gautam Gambhir, who suffered concussion in England, returning to the side. 
Harbhajan struggled in England, managing just two wickets in the first two tests before an abdominal strain cut short his tour. 
The 31-year-old with over 400 test wickets declared himself fit for the series against England but the selectors persisted with off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. 
The slow bowling department will also include Punjab leg-spinner Sharma, who has been consistently among the wickets in the Indian Premier League. 
Karnataka left-arm pacer Sreenath Aravind will also hope to make his international debut against England. 
India and England will play three more one-dayers in Mohali (Oct. 20), Mumbai (Oct. 23) and Kolkata (Oct. 25). 
Kolkata will host a one-off Twenty20 international on Oct. 29. 
India failed to win a single match against England on their recent tour. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team lost the test series 4-0 and were knocked off the top of the world rankings by their hosts. 
"We are confident we will do well in home conditions," Srikkanth said. 
"It is a very good combination and we did not compromise on quality. We thoroughly scrutinised the players' fitness and I'm sure they will deliver." 
Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Sreenath Aravind, Rahul Sharma, Manoj Tiwary and Praveen Kumar. AGENCIES

India's PM leads tribute to cricket's Tiger Pataudi

NEW DEHLI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led India on Friday in paying rich tribute to the country's charismatic former cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who has died aged 70 following a lung disease."He was a dashing and daring captain, who brought a new confidence to the Indian cricket scene," Singh said in a condolence message a day after his death."Even after his playing days were over, he remained an iconic figure, an embodiment of poise and polish and a great advocate of sportsmanship."Pataudi, nicknamed "The Tiger" for his superb fielding, played 46 Tests between 1961 and 1975, scoring 2,793 runs at an average of 34.91 with six centuries despite losing his right eye in a car accident in England."Tiger Pataudi was the most charismatic cricketer of his generation," said legendary former Indian opener Sunil Gavaskar."To bat with almost zero vision in one eye and still to score nearly 3,000 runs and half-a-dozen centuries in Test cricket tells you what a genius he was."International Cricket Council chief Sharad Pawar, a federal Indian minister, said Pataudi was "one of India’s greatest, most charismatic and flamboyant captains.""He was a man of exceptional talent who turned out to be an inspiration to millions of cricketers, not only in India but across the globe," said Pawar. "It was an honour and privilege to have known him."Pataudi was always credited with making India competitive and respected in world cricket during his illustrious career.He did not have genuine pacemen at his disposal but shrewdly used the renowned spin quartet of Bishan Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Srinivas Venkataraghavan to put the opposition on the back foot."To my mind, Tiger Pataudi was the best thing that happened to Indian cricket from the time India got Test status. He was the first Indian captain to drill 'Indian-ness' into the Indian dressing-room," said Bedi."He was the best captain the spin quartet played under. He got the best out of all of us at various stages of our respective careers."Sachin Tendulkar, the world's leading run-getter in both Test and one-day cricket, described Pataudi as a "hero" while prolific Indian batsman Rahul Dravid described him as an "inspiration.""It's a terrible loss to the cricketing world. I had the privilege of meeting him on a few occasions. World cricket will miss a hero like him. I really respected him," said Tendulkar.Pataudi became India's youngest captain at the age of 21 during a tour of the West Indies in 1962 when the then skipper Nari Contractor was injured after being hit on the head by a bouncer from Charlie Griffith.He led India in 40 of his 46 Tests, winning nine and securing the country's first series win abroad on the 1967-68 tour of New Zealand.Former off-spinner Prasanna said Pataudi was a "dream captain" for a spinner."He changed the complexion of Indian cricket. He was the one captain who understood the strength (spin) of the Indian side and nurtured it," he said.

Australian Marsh named Sri Lanka coach

COLOMBO: Former Australian batsman Geoff Marsh has been named Sri Lanka's coach on a two-year contract, the country's cricket board said Friday.
"He (Marsh) takes up his new assignment on September 27," Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.
"With his vast coaching and playing experience at the highest level, Sri Lanka Cricket is confident that he would be an ideal choice."
The former Australian opener, 52, scored 2,854 runs in 50 Tests and 4,357 in 117 one-dayers before he quit international cricket in 1992.
Sri Lanka have been without a regular coach since Australian Trevor Bayliss stepped down after guiding the team to the World Cup final in April.
Sri Lanka appointed Stuart Law as an interim coach for the England tour and then former paceman Rumesh Ratnayake for the recent home series against Australia. Law quit in July to coach Bangladesh.
Marsh, part of the 1987 World Cup-winning squad, coached Australia from 1995 to 1999 and then Zimbabwe between 2000 and 2004.
He became the only cricketer to win the World Cup as player and coach when he guided Australia to victory in the 1999 edition.
Marsh is the current coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Pune Warriors and it is not immediately clear whether he will continue with his IPL job.

Fast bowler Akhtar blames Wasim Akram for career ruin

NEW DELHI: Former Fast Bowler of Pakistan Shoaib Akhtar, issuing a juggernaut of accusations, said former Pakistani cricket team captain Wasim Akram was behind ruination of his career and Bollywood actor Shahrukha Khan deceived him.
In his autobiography, he said ball tampering was nothing new in cricket world.
Accusing Wasim Akram of his career ruin, Akhtar stressed the former captain was afraid of him and unwilling to take him in the team; accordingly, he dropped him frequently from the team, dealing a blow to his confidence.
According to pacer Akhtar, it was due to encouragement by former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Tauqir Zia that he could gain success in the international cricket.
Giving his viewpoint on ball-tampering, the former cricketer said this was nothing new, as all fast bowlers had this practice.
He said Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid were not match winners for their team, as they played the game for their personal record.
Commenting on his inclusion in Indian Premier League (IPL), Shoaib Akhtar said actor Shahurkh Khan, former Commissioner Lalit Modi deceived him with regard to his joining Kolkata Knight Riders.
Launching ceremony for Akhtar’s book will be held in Mumbai on Sunday.

Pakistan moves Twenty20 over dengue outbreak

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket authorities were Wednesday forced to shift the national Twenty20 tournament to Karachi after an outbreak of dengue fever in Lahore, the tournament's original venue.
President Asif Zardari, who is also the patron of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said the tournament should also be
used as a fund-raising event for the flood victims in the southwestern Sindh province.
"As desired by the president of Pakistan, the venue of the tournament has been shifted from Lahore to Karachi," a PCB statement said.
The dengue fever outbreak in Lahore, which has so far claimed several lives, prompted concerns among various teams, including Afghanistan, which is also competing.
And PCB director general Javed Miandad said the decision would help players take to the field without worry.
"There was a suggestion that because of the dengue virus we should transfer the event from Lahore and after president's directives we took this decision," Miandad told reporters.
He added that the tournament will help raise funds for millions of displaced flood victims in Sindh.
International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since the March 2009 terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, after which foreign teams refused to tour the troubled country.
Deprived of international cricket, fans in Pakistan take a keen interest in domestic Twenty20 events, filling the stadiums to capacity.

Best ICC umpire Dar reaches home amid warm welcome

LAHORE: Pakistan’s national hero in cricket umpiring reached homeland after receiving International Cricket Council (ICC) trophy as the best umpire for third consecutive year, SAMAA reported Wednesday.
People in large number received the national hero at Allama Iqbal Airport amidst showers of flower petals, as he arrived here from Sri Lanka.
Talking to media, Dar said the award was a result of prayers of the nation, demanding central contract for umpires as well like players.
“Umpiring is never easy amongst technology paraphernalia,” Aleem Dar stressed vowing however, he will continue to perform well in future as well.
It is unfortunate of Pakistani that no international team is coming to Pakistan, the best ICC umpire said underscoring the need to give more heed to domestic cricket.
Earlier dedicating to Pakistan his David Shepherd Trophy after he was named as the ICC Umpire for the year 2011 for the third time, Aleem said that Pakistan has won the honor, saying, “It is a great honor for me to get the award for my country and I shall try to maintain my performance to win more awards for my country. I try to carry out my job with utmost honesty and it is the only secret behind the success.”
It should be mentioned here that he served as umpire in 67 tests, 146 one-dayers and 18 Twenty20 matches

Clarke shines as Aussies win S. Lanka Test series

COLOMBO: Australia clinched the Test series against Sri Lanka 1-0 on Tuesday after resurgent skipper Michael Clarke led from the front to snatch a draw for the tourists in the third and final game.
It was Clarke's first Test tour as captain, the series win coming after the 125-run victory in the opening encounter in Galle. The second Test in Pallekele ended in a rain-affected draw.
Clarke burst into form with a fluent century and Michael Hussey narrowly missed a third consecutive hundred as Australia piled up 488 in their second innings before they were all out shortly before close with a lead of 331 runs.
Sri Lanka were 7-0 from two overs in their second knock when the match was called off at the Sinhalese Sports Club in the capital Colombo.
Clarke hit 112 and Hussey made 93 in a remarkable batting revival after Australia had conceded a first innings lead of 157 runs in good batting conditions.
The victory saw Australia and Sri Lanka exchange positions in the official Test rankings, with Clarke's men moving to fourth place and Sri Lanka dropping to fifth.
Clarke, who went 23 innings without a Test century since making 168 against New Zealand in March last year, hammered 14 boundaries and three sixes in his robust knock.
He was dismissed after he lost concentration following a verbal on-field skirmish with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara and holed out in the deep to become left-arm spinner Rangana Herath's fifth victim.
Herath finished with remarkable figures of 7-157 on an unhelpful pitch, his last wicket giving him 100 Test scalps in 29 matches.
Hussey continued his amazing run in the series, scoring 463 runs in five innings at an average of 92.60, but missed out on a century in each innings.
The left-hander moved to 93 with two fours off Tillakaratne Dilshan, but fell in the same over as he swept high to a diving Chanaka Welegedara at deep square-leg.
The West Australian had scored 95 and 15 in the first Test, 142 in the second and 118 in the first innings here.
Clarke and Hussey put on 176 for the fifth wicket after Sri Lanka had struck an important blow in the day's sixth over.
Australia added just 11 runs to their overnight score of 209-3 when century-maker Phil Hughes top-edged a sweep off Herath to Lahiru Thirimanne at square-leg.
The left-hander made 126, his third Test century.
Herath, who claimed the first five wickets in the innings, shared the second new ball, which was taken in the 87th over with the total 268-4.
Clarke responded to the gamble by driving the spinner through the covers and lofting the next ball for six to bring up his half-century.

And he reached his 15th Test century by pulling Herath to mid-on for his 14th boundary, soon after he had smashed the bowler for his third six.

Pakistan to take on India in U16 football tournament in Nepal

KHATMANDO: Arch-rivals Pakistan and Pakistan will clash in the final of the inaugural SAFF Under-16 Championship final later this Wednesday afternoon in Khatmandu, Nepal.
Green shirts seem resolved to rout India in the final. They will turn up the ground with psychological superiority, as Pakistan got better of strong Bangladesh in semi-final with two goals.
Meantime, India cruised into the final by defeating hosts Nepal.
Green shirts displayed excellent performance by overpowering India, Maldives and Bangladesh. It should be mentioned here that Pakistan scored nine goals in the event.
Head Coach Sajjad Mehmood is satisfied with the performance given by national players thus far, saying Pakistan and India had tough competition as ever.
He added team came up with full preparations.

Mendis records best figures in T20 internationals

KANDY: Spinner Ajantha Mendis produced the best figures in Twenty20 internationals on Monday to bowl Sri Lanka to an eight-run win over Australia at the Pallakele Stadium and a 2-0 series win.
Mendis bemused the Australian batsman to finish with six for 16 off four overs, including a maiden. He is the first bowler to take six wickets in the shortest form of the game.
Australia did well to contain Sri Lanka to a total of 157-9 but were restricted themselves to 149-9 after Shane Watson had got them off to a flying start with 57 off 24 balls including five sixes and six fours.
Watson and David Warner (16) put on 71 for the first wicket before an inspired piece of fielding by Angelo Mathews on the boundary line to dismiss Warner started a sensational Australian collapse.
Mathews took the catch and, before stepping over the boundary, threw the ball to Mahela Jayawardene 30 metres away to give Mendis the first of his six wickets.
Australia slid to 113-6 but skipper Cameron White kept their hopes alive with 39 off 33 balls before he fell in the final over with Australia needing 14 for victory.
Sri Lanka's innings was held together by a superb knock of 86 off 64 balls with one six and 12 fours by Mahela Jayawardene.
John Hastings put a brake on the Sri Lankan run rate by grabbing three wickets for 14 runs as Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 36 runs in the last six overs.
Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said Mathews' moment of brilliance had turned the match.
"We knew one or two wickets and we could put pressure on them. We were hanging in, and waiting for a breakthrough," he said.
Mathews said his reaction had been "pure instinct".
"I just saw Mahela and went for it. I wasn't looking at the boundary, I just wanted to take the catch and relay it to Mahela after I saw it," he said.

Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh on Test return

HARARE: Zimbabwe beat Bangladesh by 130 runs in a one-off Test at Harare Sports club on Monday to claim their first victory since making their return to cricket after a six-year absence.
Zimbabwe had set Bangladesh a victory target of 375 runs in their second innings having declared at 291-5 at tea on Sunday.However, the tourists were bowled out for 244.Despite a steady start to their second innings the tourists were restricted to 228 at lunch, 147 runs short of their target with only two wickets remaining.
Robiul Islam and Rubel Hossain were left to continue Bangladesh's unlikely bid, which was ended by Kyle Jarvis when he had Islam, on 12 runs, out for lbw.
Although Zimbabwe have recently played in other formats it is their first victory in the most respected Test format since self-imposed exile in January 2005, inspired by the fact they had become the whipping boys of Test cricket with little prospect of improvement.
In recent years administrators have introduced a franchised five-province first class league that has provided players with a competitive edge.
ZimCricket managing director Ozias Bvute and chairman Peter Chingoka had also pushed for a return to Test cricket for at least 15 months since Sri Lanka and India played an ODI triangular in the country.

Injured Zaheer's England tour comes to an end

LONDON: India paceman Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the remainder of his side's tour of England after being told he requires ankle surgery, it was reported on Sunday.
Zaheer, who is also suffering from a hamstring strain, is expected to undergo surgery that could keep him out until November.
A statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India read: "Zaheer Khan is suffering from a recurrent right hamstring strain and a right ankle impingement.
"He will require a surgery for his ankle, followed by intensive rehabilitation for both the ankle and hamstring. He will need at least 14-16 weeks to recover completely.
"He will therefore not be able to participate in the ongoing Test series and subsequent T20 International and ODI series against England."
The 32-year-old Zaheer, a crucial part of the Indian Test team which is 2-0 down in the four-match series against England, picked up the injury in the first game at Lord's and missed the second in Trent Bridge.
He was able to bowl just three overs against Northamptonshire before leaving the field for treatment Saturday, prompting India team manager Anirudh Chaudhry to place doubt on his availability for the third Test at Edgbaston, starting on Wednesday.
India have called up fellow left-armer RP Singh for the remainder of the tour.
The 25-year-old Singh last played a Test match in April 2008 and an ODI in September 2009.

PCB slaps fine of Rs.500, 000 on Haider

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday imposed a fine of Rs.500, 000/- on former wicketkeeper Zulqarnin Haider.
The former wicketkeeper appeared before the PCB’s Disciplinary Committee and admitted his mistake.
The committee slapped Haider with the fine of Rs.500, 000 and decided to keep him under observation for a period of one year.
Committee’s head Sultan Rana said that a lenient penalty has been imposed on Haider due to illness of his father.
Realizing his mistake, the wicketkeeper accepted the penalty and promised to avoid such actions in the future.
Later, speaking to media men, he said that he had realized his mistake and was ready to resume his cricketing career.
It may be mentioned here that Haider ran away from the team’s hotel ahead of last one-day international against South Africa in Dubai. He claimed that he was threatened by bookies, who wanted him to fix the match.

Pakistan restores Afridi's right to play abroad

LAHORE: Pakistan on Thursday restored permission for former captain Shahid Afridi to play abroad, allowing him to join England's Twenty20 tournament and ending a damaging row, an official said.
The announcement came after the star all-rounder halted legal proceedings and appeared before a three-man disciplinary committee in Lahore, where he said he had been forced into making a mistake.
The 31-year-old locked horns with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by announcing his retirement from international cricket after being dumped as one-day captain, and by condemning the current management.
The PCB said Afridi violated the players' code of conduct, suspended his central contract and revoked permission for him to play abroad, preventing him from joining Hampshire in the ongoing Twenty20 league in England.
"Afridi regretted the matter and said he will not contest the charges," said PCB legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi on behalf of the committee.
"The committee unanimously decided to fine him 4.5 million rupees ($53,000) for various breaches of the code of conduct," he said.
"The committee also recommended his NOCs (No-Objection Certificates) to play abroad be restored, which the Pakistan Cricket Board has endorsed," Rizvi added.
The three-man disciplinary committee was made up of former first class player Sultan Rana, Test opener Shafiq Ahmed and Usman Wahla.
The stand-off began last month after Afridi publicly criticized coach Waqar Younis for meddling in team selection during a one-day series against the West Indies, which Pakistan won 3-2.
"Afridi appeared before the committee and explained his position and conduct which led to the suspension of his contract and revoking of the NOCs," said Rizvi, the legal advisor.
Afridi's retirement announcement and allegations against officials were both serious violations of players' code of conduct, he said.
The PCB suspended his central contract and ordered him to appear before the disciplinary committee on June 8.
Instead, Afridi went to court, challenging the sanctions and demanding that he be allowed to play abroad. The court ordered the committee meeting adjourned and summoned both parties on June 9.
It temporarily upheld the revoking of the NOCs before Afridi withdrew the case after meeting PCB chairman Ijaz Butt in Islamabad on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka's Jayasuriya to retire after 1st England ODI

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya will retire from all forms of international cricket after the first one-day match of their England tour later this month, he said on Thursday.
"I called here to inform (you of) my retirement from all forms of (international) cricket after 20 years of play," Jayasuriya told reporters in Colombo.
"I'll retire after playing a one-day and a T20 game," he said. Sri Lanka face England in a Twenty20 match on June 25 before the first one-dayer at the Oval three days later.
The 41-year-old all-rounder, who quit test cricket in 2007, made the announcement after Sri Lanka Cricket recalled him for the T20 and one-day squads to face England.
Jayasuriya, who helped Sri Lanka to their only World Cup triumph in 1996, remains the island nation's highest run scorer in one-day internationals with 13,428 runs from 444 matches.

Kirsten appointed South Africa coach

JOHANNESBURG: Gary Kirsten, who led India to their 50-over World Cup triumph this year, has been appointed coach of his native South Africa.
The former opening batsman will formally take over in August ahead of the two home series against Australia and Sri Lanka, Cricket South Africa said at a news conference on Monday.
Kirsten's successful three-year stint as India coach ended in April when he turned down a lucrative contract extension.
The 43-year-old will be taking over from Corrie van Zyl at South Africa.
Kirsten played 101 tests and 185 one-day internationals for his country.

Nadal beats Federer for sixth French crown

PARIS: Rafa Nadal sealed a record-equalling sixth French Open title with a 7-5 7-6 5-7 6-1 win over Roger Federer on Sunday to continue his dominance on clay over his great rival.
The victory meant the Spaniard equalled Bjorn Borg's men's singles record at Roland Garros while it also made sure he would remain world number one amid pressure from Novak Djokovic.
Swiss Federer, who was bidding to beat Nadal in western Paris for the first time in five attempts, raced into a 5-2 lead in the first set and squandered a set point before errors crept into his play as the top seed turned the screw with some exceptional recovery shots.
Nadal rattled off seven games in a row to move 2-0 ahead in the second set as gasps went around a packed crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier, who were mainly supporting record 16-times grand slam champion Federer.
A slow start to the two-week tournament by Nadal was long forgotten by the time two of the greats of the game came to clash in the final after third seed Federer had ended second seed Djokovic's 41-match winning streak in 2011 in the semis.
Like so many of their epic duels down the years, this was another match full of exhilarating rallies and spellbinding winners but "King of Clay" Nadal deservedly prevailed.
Nadal, who has only ever lost one match in his seven years at the French Open, gave Federer a glimmer of a chance in the second set but easily won the tiebreak 7-3.
Federer battled back from 4-2 down in the third with some sublime tennis to extend the contest and had 0-40 on Nadal's opening service game in the fourth set.
However, Nadal roared back to claim his 10th grand slam title when a resigned Federer hit a forehand long, the emotional Spaniard dropping to his knees in celebration.

Donald turns down N.Z. bowling coach job

WELLINGTON: Former South African paceman Allan Donald rejected an offer to become New Zealand's bowling coach Sunday to pursue a job in his homeland, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said.
Donald worked as the Black Caps' bowling coach for three months earlier this year and New Zealand administrators had hoped to sign him on permanently.
NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said Donald had reached a verbal agreement with the governing body but it fell through when the South African had a last-minute change of heart.
"We did everything possible to retain Allan but it is understandable that a role in South Africa would be attractive to both him and his family," Vaughan said.
"Unfortunately that is the nature of professional sport and although I understand the reasons for Allan's decision, it is disappointing."
Vaughan said he believed Donald wanted to become South Africa's bowling coach under a new Proteas management team set to be unveiled this week.
During his time with New Zealand, Donald helped to lift the Black Caps from one of the worst form slumps in their history.
Along with coach John Wright, he turned around the team's fortunes and they exceeded expectations to reach the semi-final of the World Cup in March, losing to Sri Lanka in Colombo. AGENCIES

World press hail Barca triumph

MADRID: The world's press bowed Sunday before Barcelona's sublime 3-1 Champions Cup triumph over Manchester United and asked the question: Is this one of the greatest teams in history, and is Lionel Messi one of the greatest players?
In Spain, there was little doubt of the answer.
"Barcelona touched the heavens," headlined the daily El Pais.
"The best there is," blared the local El Periodico de Catalunya. "The best team in the world," boasted sports daily Mundo Deportivo. "Super Barca. Spanish football still top of the world," said sports paper AS.
Lionel Messi's carving up of the English side left pundits scrambling for comparisons to sum up the performance.
"They floated like butterflies and stung like bees. Led by the unstoppable Leo Messi, Barcelona left Manchester United battered. Bruised. Broken," said British tabloid The Sun.
Manchester gave it their all, the paper said. "But the Red Devils were subjected to a footballing masterclass. Relentlessly torn apart. Relentlessly executed."
The New York Times said the victory fuelled a debate about whether Barcelona was the one of the best teams in football history, quoting Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson's reply: "In my time as manager, yes."
The Daily Mail piled on the praise.
"In the entire history of this beautiful game, few teams have ever approached the state of perfection which FC Barcelona enjoyed in this European final," the Daily Mail said.
"In recent years they had promised to deliver the ultimate performance, the one which would lift them beyond compare. That performance was delivered."
Messi himself came in for the most lavish adoration.
"How can they fail with the enchanting genius Lionel Messi at their heart?" asked the Daily Mail.
The enduring image of the final, it said, would be a smiling Messi stumbling down a flight of steps with the Cup balanced on his head.
"Messi's mischief was done, his place in the pantheon secure. And if Barcelona only had Messi to offer, then they would be lavishly equipped."
London's Daily Telegraph said Messi's "dalliance with the ball was pure, breathless tango with United cast in the role of wallflowers."
"This was the sort of spellbinding performance from Barcelona, and particularly their wonderful Argentine magician, that makes even cynics fall back in love with football," the Daily Telegraph said. "Pass and move, move and score. Bewitching."
Britain's The Guardian said Messi had given the most effective performance by a deep-lying centre-forward since Nando Hidegkuti scored a hat-trick in Hungary's 6-3 defeat of England at Wembley in 1953.
Barcelona had made Manchester's game look rudimentary, the paper said. "A triumph for artistry, patience, imagination. And not a hint of gamesmanship. Magnificent, actually." AGENCIES

Last Pakistan A-Afghanistan clash on May 29

Pakistan A will play the last ODI of the three match series against Afghanistan at Faisalabad on Sunday.
Pakistan A is 2-0 up in the three match series. Both the teams’ players and officials are as follows.
Pakistan Squad: Sohail Tanveer (Captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Sharjeel Khan, Umer Amin,Naveed Yasin, Usman Salahuddin, Rameez Raja, Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan, Muhammad Talha and Sadaf Hussain.
Mansoor Amjad is not available in Pakistan and request has been sent to Chairman PCB to replace him with Saad Nasim.
Afghanistan squad: Nawroz Mangal (Captain), Mohammad Nabi (Vice-Captain), Mohammad Shahzad (Wicket-keeper), Karim Sadiq, Noor Ali, Mohammad Asghar, Javed Ahmadi, Samiullah Shinwari, Mirwais Ashraf, Hamid Hasan, Shahpur Zadran, Izatullah Dawlatzai, Dawlat Zedran, Shabir Noori, Gullbadin Naib and Nasimullah Khan.Pakistan A will play the last ODI of the three match series against Afghanistan at Faisalabad on Sunday.
Pakistan A is 2-0 up in the three match series. Both the teams’ players and officials are as follows.
Pakistan Squad: Sohail Tanveer (Captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Sharjeel Khan, Umer Amin,Naveed Yasin, Usman Salahuddin, Rameez Raja, Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan, Muhammad Talha and Sadaf Hussain.
Mansoor Amjad is not available in Pakistan and request has been sent to Chairman PCB to replace him with Saad Nasim.
Afghanistan squad: Nawroz Mangal (Captain), Mohammad Nabi (Vice-Captain), Mohammad Shahzad (Wicket-keeper), Karim Sadiq, Noor Ali, Mohammad Asghar, Javed Ahmadi, Samiullah Shinwari, Mirwais Ashraf, Hamid Hasan, Shahpur Zadran, Izatullah Dawlatzai, Dawlat Zedran, Shabir Noori, Gullbadin Naib and Nasimullah Khan.

Cricket-West Indies beat Pakistan by 40 runs in first test

West Indies beat Pakistan by 40 runs in the first cricket test, which ended after lunch on day four on Sunday.
Scores:
West Indies 226 from 98 overs (Lendl Simmons 49; Saeed Ajmal 5-69) and 152 from 61.5 overs (Saeed Ajmal 6-42); Pakistan 160 from 64.4 overs (Devendra Bishoo 4-68) and 178 from 73 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 52; Darren Sammy 5-29)

Australia beat Pakistan In final of Azlan Shah Cup on golden goal

Australia beat Pakistan In final of Azlan Shah Cup on golden goal. Match was very interesting remained equal after two haves by score of 2-2. The first extra quarter also went goal less. Australia scored in second extra time and won on golden goal rule

No place for Pietersen in captaincy reshuffle

Former skipper Kevin Pietersen was left among the ranks after England took the bold step of announcing separate Test, one-day and Twenty20 captains
Test skipper Andrew Strauss’s decision to quit one-day internationals created a vacancy but England gave the 50-over leadership to Alastair Cook, his opening partner in the five-day game and long identified as a future England captain, rather than revert to Pietersen.
Ashes star Cook’s elevation had been widely trailed, despite his not considered being a good enough one-day batsman to be selected for the recent World Cup where a stuttering England suffered a 10-wicket quarter-final thrashing by eventual runners-up Sri Lanka.
But England sprung a surprise by announcing fast bowler Stuart Broad would succeed Paul Collingwood as captain of their world champion Twenty20 side. Pietersen, briefly England captain across the board in succession to Michael Vaughan in 2008-09, told the Daily Mirror last month: “If the one-day job becomes available, I would definitely be up for it.”
South Africa born Pietersen was stripped of the England captaincy after a deterioration in his relationship with Peter Moores, now at Lancashire, saw the then coach sacked.
The pair’s exits paved the way for the successful alliance between Strauss and coach Andy Flower that has yielded home and away Ashes triumphs.
Pietersen who has not played since returning home early from the World Cup with a hernia injury in March, hopes to return next week for Surrey in a three-day game against a Cambridge student side.
The 30-year-old put a brave face on being overlooked for a new leadership role with England by telling his Twitter followers on Thursday: “Congrats to Cookie & Broady on the captaincies.. New era for ENG. Young captains for the future.. Exciting times ahead!!”
Strauss has now followed in the footsteps of Ricky Ponting (Australia), Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka), Graeme Smith (South Africa) and Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) who have all, at the very least, stood down as one-day captains of their respective countries since the World Cup.
“Ultimately the decision was made because the end of the World Cup is a watershed for all one-day teams and is a team to refresh and regenerate and to move forward,” the 34-year-old Strauss explained.
“I didn’t think in my own mind that for me to start that process knowing full well I wouldn’t be able to see it through to the next World Cup (in Australia and New Zealand in 2015) was in the best interests of the team.”
Although it is not uncommon for leading nations to have separate Test and one-day captains, Flower admitted England were taking a gamble in opting for three skippers.
“I don’t think any side has had three separate captains before,” he said. “We do not know 100 percent whether it will work or whether it will be the most effective or efficient system, but we are going to give it a try.”

West Indies beat Pakistan again but lose 3-2 in series

West Indies secured a second successive victory with a 10-wicket rout in Guyana as Pakistan finished 3-2 winners in the one-day international series.
Pakistan chose to bat but were 139 all out in 41.2 overs, Ravi Rampaul taking two wickets in an over in his 4-45.
Only opener Mohammad Hafeez (55) defied with six fours in his 10th ODI fifty.
Lendl Simmons fired seven fours and three sixes in 77 from 73 balls, with Kirk Edwards on 40 from 71 as the Windies won with 159 balls remaining.
Hafeez pulled the first ball of the match from Rampaul for four and with two more off the seamer in the seventh over had 22 to his name with the score on 31-1.
Usman Salahuddin and Misbah-ul-Haq departed in successive overs before Umar Akmal struck the only six of the innings when he launched spinner Devendra Bishoo down the ground.
Hafeez was dismissed in the 29th over, the fourth Pakistan wicket to fall, when a delivery from Darren Sammy kept low, took the bottom edge and crashed into the stumps to give the West Indies captain his third wicket.
Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi was out for nine to a brutal delivery from Rampaul that lifted from just short of a length and the innings ended when Junaid Khan fell over playing across the line to Dwayne Bravo and was lbw, giving the all-rounder a second wicket in as many overs.
The Windies had six overs before the lunch break due because of the foreshortened first innings and calmly accumulated 34 without major alarm, Edwards surviving a difficult chance to wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman off the inside edge from the bowling of Afridi when on six.
Simmons, who also top-scored in the fourth match of the series, also gave a tough chance, this time to Hafeez at slip when on 31, but the flashing cut was struck so fiercely that it went for four.
He lofted Hafeez over square-leg for six, then in successive overs deposited Afridi over wide long-on for six more and hit a searing flat pull for six off left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz.
The talented opener from Trinidad & Tobago completed his sixth ODI half century as the Windies recorded their first 10-wicket success since July 2007

Pakistan defeated New Zealand in Azlan Shah Cup

Pakistan on Thursday defeated New Zealand 4-2 in the opening match of the 20^th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh.
It ended a run of five consecutive defeats at the hands of the Kiwis for Pakistan and gave them a good start to a tournament they hope to win.
Pakistan went on the offensive from the first whistle and came close to scoring in the second minute, but Muhammad Umar Bhutta sent his attempt wide with only keeper Kyle Pontifex to beat.
However Muhammad Rizwan Senior made his shot count in the third minute to give Pakistan a 1-0 lead.
The Kiwis then got their act together but failed to get the better of the Pakistani defence marshaled by skipper Muhammad Imran. With only Stephen Jenness showing some deft touches, New Zealand failed to get a decent shot on goal in the opening 15 minutes.
Pakistan were awarded their first penalty corner in the 24^th minute and although the pus out was off the mark, Sohail Abbas managed to get a drag flick on target but was padded away by Kyle only to see it fall onto the path of Syed Kashif Shah who made no mistake to put Pakistan 2-0 ahead.
Though New Zealand were awarded two penalty corners at the stroke of half-time, they failed to make them count and the two teams trooped off with Pakistan leading 2-0.
In the 40^th minute Pakistan were awarded their third penalty corner and Sohail’s low drag flick was well saved by Kyle yet again.
Pakistan went 3-0 up in the 51^st minute when Abdul Haseem Khan managed to steer the ball past Kyle after a fine run by Muhammad Waqas on the right.
However Andrew Hayward reduced the deficit by converting a penalty corner in the 59^th minute. But the joy was shortlived as Umar Bhutta put Pakistan 4-1 ahead in the 61^st minute.
Though Hugo Inglis scored in the 63^rd minute, the failure of New Zealand to take their chances from the six penalty corners they were awarded put paid to their chances of gaining anything from this match.

Thorpe set for November return – coach

Five-time Olympic champion Ian Thorpe was on track to make a return to competitive swimming in November, his coach said on Thursday.
Australia’s most decorated Olympian last February announced his return to swimming for next year’s London Olympics and has spent the past two months working with coach Gennadi Touretski in Switzerland.
Thorpe, 28, was a guest at last week’s Royal wedding in London looking trim and taut after slimming down to under 100kg (220 pounds) for the first time since announcing his comeback.
Under FINA rules Thorpe is not eligible to compete until November, but Touretski said he was confident Thorpe would be ready to begin competition immediately, as he builds towards Australia’s Olympic trials in March.
“I think in November he will come back to racing activity,” Touretski told Australian Associated Press from Switzerland.
“I believe we will start with the World Cup race in Singapore (November 4).”
Touretski, 61, who has coached swimmers to more than 40 world records throughout his career, said Thorpe was making good progress.
“He is in a good stage because his approach is positive,” the former Australian Institute of Sport mentor said.
“He is also very creative. I never communicated with him very close (in the past) but I realise how bright he is.”
The Russian said it was too early to tell whether Thorpe would be more suited to the 100m or 200m freestyle in his comeback, but said he could use his age to his advantage in the shorter events.
“He must do different things with his technical preparation and this of course depends on his physical ability,” Touretski said.
“But at his age… he is stronger now than before and that is encouraging for the future.
“When it comes to his fitness levels, we followed a very simple structure. Of course, he has lost weight, but Ian is now the same he was at the (Sydney) Olympics in 2000.
“To me, he looks brilliant, but I don’t want the emphasis on him losing weight but more on what he is going to do after.”
Thorpe won 11 world titles and set 13 long-course records before announcing his retirement from swimming in November 2006 after 10 years in the Australian team, saying he had lost the desire to compete.