Bowlers set up big win for Karachi Blues

Karachi Blues 252 (Akbar 95, Waqar 5-56) and 10 for 0 beat Peshawar 166 (Tariq 4-43, Tanvir 3-83) and 95 (Tanvir 5-47, Tabish 5-48) by 10 wickets
Scorecard

Karachi Blues skittled Peshawar in the second innings within 22 overs to complete a 10-wicket win and take the top position in Group I with 12 points. After taking an 86-run lead in the first innings, Karachi fast bowlers Tanvir Ahmed and Tabish Khan ran through the Peshawar batting on the second day to bowl them out for 95. The batsmen took less than two overs to overhaul the target and pick up nine points for the win.

Tanvir triggered the collapse when he picked up Peshawar opener Mohammad Fayaz off the first ball of the innings. There wasn't much resitance after that, as the two bowlers shared five wickets each. The five wickets took Tanvir's tally to eight for the match.

Karachi, after choosing to field on the first day, had run through Peshawar in the first innings too. The batsmen weren't allowed to settle as regular wickets tumbled. Only two Peshawar batsmen - Sajjad Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan - scored more than 30 and the team folded for 166. In response, Karachi collapsed to 119 for 7 and were in danger of conceding a first-innings lead. But an unbeaten 96 by Akbar-ur-Rehman helped them take a decisive lead. Waqar Ahmed, who took 5 for 56, and Riaz Afridi, 3 for 99, were the successful bowlers.


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Dhoni rues top-order failure

Entire team to be blamed: Dhoni

India had their second successive top-order batting collapse but unlike the first ODI in Chennai, where their lower order came to the rescue, Pakistan's bowlers didn't give the hosts a second chance and completed a big win to take the series.

MS Dhoni rued the failure of his batsmen after the bowlers had brought India back into the match. Pakistan had appeared set for a huge total after a 141-run opening stand, but India's bowlers struck regularly in the second half of the innings to limit their target to 251.

India's openers made an edgy start, but were still in the middle by the 10th over and had put up 42 on the board. However, just like the previous game, a wicket opened the floodgates and the team was reduced to 95 for 5 in 26 overs. There were no lower-order stands of note this time and while Dhoni stayed unbeaten, the team was all out for 165.

"Last 30 overs we needed 180, so if you put 100 off 20, then you can get 80-90 off last 10 with five fielders inside the circle," Dhoni said. "But the key is to have wickets in hand and we never were in a position.

"Virat [Kohli] has scored runs for us, but one of the top three needs to play with the middle order, that will make it easy, not that they aren't trying, but it happens."

The batting failures in the two matches have meant that India have neither been able to put up a competitive total nor be in a position to chase one down. Dhoni said there was experience in the batting but all have struggled to find form on tracks that have helped bowlers but also rewarded batsmen who showed patience.

"The bowlers brought us back into the game," Dhoni said. "The spinners in the second half of the first innings bowled well and the faster bowlers made most of the bounce available off the pitch. But when we went into bat, we lost too many wickets."

"Initially there was something for fast bowlers, then it became flat, but there was something for the spinners. There was turn in the first as well as second innings, but after 25th over the ball started doing a bit for the faster bowlers, even with the old ball. So there was everything for everyone. There were runs for batsmen too. It was a good ODI wicket."

Dhoni also conceded that the team was finding it difficult to win matches with part-time bowlers in view of the amended ODI rules which stipulate five fielders inside the circle for full 50 overs.

"We are used to play with part-timers. Now it's difficult for part-timers to bowl with five players inside the circle. If there's dew, then you don't get turn as well. With the new rules, you've to assess whether six batsmen are enough or seven."

"What we're looking at is somebody who can fill in the gap -- a genuine allrounder to bring in the balance in the side. Lower-order contribution is also very important especially when you're chasing."

Misbah-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, said a total of 300 was on the cards after the platform Pakistan openers had set but the pitch was not an easy one to score on, especially for new batsmen. He, however, praised the bowling attack for another efficient performance.

"The bowlers are really doing a great job, especially Junaid who is moving it both ways and asking questions of the batsmen," Misbah said. "Irfan has his height, Gul also bowled well today, and Ajmal and Hafeez always deliver for us.

"We have the edge in the quality of our bowling. Indian batsmen are struggling for quite a long time. But I think our bowlers exploited the conditions better. Normally we get flat pitches here in India. But both the pitches - in Chennai and Kolkata - were challenging for batsmen," he said.

Misbah also singled out Nasir Jamshed for special praise and said the batsman has matured well during the tour.


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Kallis reopens death penalty debate

Jacques Kallis has called for a debate on the restoration of the death penalty in South Africa after the murder of a former first-class cricketer with strong links to the team.

John Commins, the uncle of a former Test player with the same name, and father of a players' agent, was killed on Wednesday night. Flags at Newlands were flown at half-mast on the second day of the Test match against New Zealand in his honour.

Kallis posted a message on twitter after the day's play which read: "Thoughts and prayers with @DonneCommins and family. Tragic news. Something really has to be done about the crime in this country #deathpenalty."

Donne Commins, daughter of the murdered man, is the agent of many prominent players including Morne and Albie Morkel, Herschelle Gibbs and Mark Boucher, Kallis' best friend who was forced to retire after a freak eye injury last July.

Boucher was due to enjoy a farewell parade on the third day of the Test, which he has asked to postpone because of the murder.

Cricket South Africa had planned to honour Boucher on his career and help promote his Save the Rhino foundation which is focused on anti-poaching. He was also going to conduct media interviews for only the second time since his retirement. Instead, Boucher's tribute will now be held next month during the Pakistan Test in Cape Town.

"Donne has been very close to me for most of my career and has been much more to me than a business partner," Boucher said in a statement. "She has been incredibly supportive over the past few months in particular during which time she has been a tremendous pillar of support."

The South African sporting community has been rocked by two deaths in the space of two days: Commins, who played 10 first-class matches for Western Province, and Olympic cyclist Burry Stander who was killed in a hit-and-run accident while on his bicycle in Kwa-Zulu Natal.


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Warner and Hughes steer Australia

Lunch Australia 1 for 127 (Warner 68*, Hughes 50*) trail Sri Lanka 294 by 167 runs
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

David Warner and Phillip Hughes gave Australia a strong start as they replied to Sri Lanka's 294 on the second day at the SCG. At lunch, Australia had reached 1 for 127 and Warner was well set on 68, while Hughes had also looked good for his 50, and the only success Sri Lanka had celebrated during the first session was the run-out of Ed Cowan for 4.

Cowan had nobody to blame but himself for his dismissal as he ambled through slowly for the first run after Warner pushed the ball between midwicket and mid-on. Warner was quick between the wickets but Cowan's sluggish first run and a hesitation when he turned for a second cost him as Nuwan Pradeep's throw was collected at the bowler's end by Dhammika Prasad, who whipped the bails off.

That left Australia at 1 for 36 and Warner had done most of the scoring in the opening stand, including with three consecutive boundaries off Pradeep. He continued to score briskly after Cowan's departure and reached his half-century from his 37th delivery with a boundary through backward point when Pradeep dropped short, and it was typical of his innings.

Warner was especially strong through the off side, latching on to any width from Sri Lanka's seamers and by the time lunch came around he had nine boundaries, none of which came on the leg side. Hughes was also enjoying Sri Lanka's off-side line and he had managed five boundaries from backward point to extra cover, as well as one that he pulled forward of square off Pradeep.

Hughes brought up his half-century from his 85th delivery in the over before lunch with a boundary through point, using the pace off Suranga Lakmal's bowling. Tillakaratne Dilshan had caused Hughes a few problems, though there were no realistic chances, and strangely Rangana Herath was not given a chance to bowl before lunch.


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Murali spins Renegades back to the top

Melbourne Renegades 6 for 155 (Cooper 59, Rohrer 35) beat Adelaide Strikers 107 (Murali 3-18, Samuels 3-16) by 48 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Muttiah Muralitharan ripped through the Adelaide Strikers to send the Melbourne Renegades back to the top of the Big Bash ladder with a crushing 48-run win at Etihad Stadium.

Murali was virtually unplayable as he skittled the visitors' middle order on his way to 3 for 18 off four overs. He clean-bowled the dangerous Nathan Reardon - beating him in flight - before catching Kieron Pollard and Theo Doropolous plumb off front in consecutive deliveries to end any hopes the Strikers had of a middle-order revival.

Nathan Rimmington helped build the pressure early for the Renegades removing both openers and going for just seven runs in his first two overs. The visitors never got going after that and only Johan Botha (31 off 31) and Michael Neser (29 not out off 24) offered any real resistance as they crumbled to 107 all out. Marlon Samuels helped clean up the tail to finish with 3 for 16 off three overs.

Earlier, Tom Cooper revived the hosts following a sluggish start with a hard-fought 59 off just 46 balls. Cooper combined with Ben Rohrer (35 off 27) for a 46-run partnership in the middle overs to set the hosts up for a late onslaught in which they produced 37 runs from the final three overs.

The visitors will be left to rue some poor death bowling as Neser, Putland and Richardson all struggled to bowl to their fields when it mattered most as the Renegades posted a more than competitive total of 155 on a low and slow drop-in deck.

Perhaps the highlights of the match came in the field, with Pollard taking a spectacular one-handed catch running back with the flight off his own bowling and Will Sheridan and Aaron O'Brien holding sharp chances inside the circle.

The Renegades are now virtually assured of a top four finish while the Strikers are right back in the pack, sitting at fourth for the moment ahead of the Scorchers and the Heat, who have game in hand against the Stars on Thursday night.

The result sets up some tantalising fixtures over the final games of the tournament, with the Strikers set to play the Hurricanes and the Scorchers in matches that will shape the top four.


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Kolkata offers more hope for India

Match facts

January 3, 2012
Start time 1200 (0630 GMT)

Big Picture

India are again left needing to come from behind, third time in their last four series. A superb display of swing bowling by Junaid Khan crippled India's batting line-up on an overcast Chennai morning before MS Dhoni rescued his team with a fighting century. Such a procession of batsmen to the pavilion appears unlikely in Kolkata, where overhead conditions haven't been as bowler-friendly and the curator Prabir Mukherjee has promised a "typical one-day wicket with lots of runs" with the side batting first having an early advantage. But the visitors have been practicing hard to seal their team's first bilateral ODI series win over India since 2005.

Pakistan's seamers bowled extended spells at the nets on Tuesday, with Umar Gul, Junaid and Mohammad Irfan aiming at one stump. India, on the other hand, missed a session on Tuesday and have an optional one on the eve of the game. They may be short of adequate preparation for a game they cannot afford to lose.

Form guide (Completed games, most recent first)

India: LWWWL
Pakistan: WLWLL

Players to watch

Shoaib Malik was initially picked only for the T20s but has been retained for the ODIs and played a good supporting hand in Chennai. He's had a good tour so far, guiding Pakistan to victory in the first T20 before giving Nasir Jamshed company in his team's successful chase on Sunday. A former Pakistan captain, Malik has struggled to keep his place in the side for a while but his experience has come in handy in this limited-overs series.

After his century in the first Test against England in Ahmedabad, Virender Sehwag has failed to fire. He was not picked in March last year for the Asia Cup, and could be under pressure to perform, given he's had just one half-century in his last 10 innings in ODI cricket.

Team news

Rohit Sharma's poor run of scores in ODIs continued in Chennai and India could consider replacing him with Ajinkya Rahane. However, there is uncertainty over Virat Kohli's availability, as he limped off the field after slipping while bowling in Chennai. MRI scans revealed no serious damage, but his condition continues to be monitored.

India (possible): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Rohit Sharma/Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt and wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Ashok Dinda.

It seems unlikely Pakistan will make changes, even though Mohammad Irfan proved expensive in Chennai.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Nasir Jamshed, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Junaid Khan, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Mohammad Irfan.

Stats and Trivia

  • Rohit Sharma is 22 short of reaching 2000 runs in ODIs.
  • Kamran Akmal is 70 short of scoring 3000 in ODIs.

Quotes

"If he keeps on doing that then we will find another great left arm fast-bowler of Wasim Akram's type."
Younis Khan on Junaid Khan

"We are used to playing with part-timers. Now it's difficult for them to bowl 10 overs with five players inside the circle. So you've to assess whether six batsmen are enough or seven [are needed]."
MS Dhoni says the new ODI rule, which permits only four fielders outside the 30-yard circle in the non-Powerplay overs, creates problems for teams that lack genuine allrounders


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Cook ready for 'unknown territory'

There is no need to ask Alastair Cook what his New Year's resolution is. As he walked with a relaxed stride on Wednesday evening to board the flight to India, to lead England in the one-day series, he only had victory on his mind. And nothing was going to betray his confidence.

You can remind him about India being the defending world champions in the 50-over format. You can remind him about the 5-0 annihilation MS Dhoni's men inflicted on England in late 2011, not to mention the same in 2008 and the 6-1 drubbing in 2005-06. But Cook can equally shoot back out about the historic triumph against India in the Test leg, which allowed the England players to celebrate a lovely Christmas at home. And without being combative, he could at the same time remind you that England, and not India, are the No.1 on the ODI rankings.

Of course, Cook did not say any of those things at the team departure press conference. What he did say, though, was the one-day players will do well to adopt a similar approach and work ethic as practiced by the Test squad: adapt, work hard and enjoy.

"We can definitely take some confidence as a batting unit, especially the way we handled their spinners after that first innings in Ahmedabad. We have got to do something like that once again in the ODIs if we want to win."

Yet Cook is aware of the challenge awaiting his team. Missing from the first-choice ODI squad are the trio of James Anderson, Graeme Swann and Jonathan Trott ,who have been allowed to rest as part of the selectors' plan to keep England squads competitive at all times across all formats, along with Jonny Bairstow who is on compassionate leave.

"Every time you start the tour it is a huge challenge," Cook said. "I sat here two-and-half months ago saying to win a Test series in India would be an amazing experience and to do that was a great effort by the whole squad. India in their backyard in one-day cricket is again a huge challenge for us. We lost 5-0 last time, so it will be a good measure of us as a side to see how we have improved. But again we have got a squad that is capable of doing something special."

England have done special things in the last few years but one of the key driving forces, Andy Flower, the team director, will be absent this time India. Flower and the ECB recently agreed that he had to achieve a "realistic and sustainable work-life balance", he had to take frequent breaks. Under Flower, since May 2007, England's ODI record win-loss record was 60-52 in 120 matches. In 2012 England won 12 ODIs and lost two with series wins against Pakistan (4-0 in UAE), Australia (4-0 at home) and West Indies (2-0 at home).

To try and help ensure a smooth transition as Flower steps aside from the one-day squad, the ECB the former England left-arm spinner and current selector Ashley Giles. Asked if the relationship with Giles, with whom he has never worked in a similar manner before, would be hard to establish, Cook disagreed.

He said Giles was an important influence when he entered the England dressing room for the first time in 2006. According to Cook, Giles was the facilitator, acting as the channel between the players and Duncan Fletcher, the then England coach.

"He was a senior citizen of the side when I went to Pakistan. He was kind of called the dad in one way," he said. "He was that gel in the middle of the team, always looking after players. He was the bridge between Duncan Fletcher and some of the players and I see him carrying along that kind of relationship with the players now as a coach."

Flower, Cook maintains, remains the "boss" and is just a "telephone call" away in case of any emergency. But that did not mean they would have to wait for him to take every call as it was the responsibility of him and Giles to take forward the ODI team. The key in making sure this new coaching set-up runs smoothly is to communicate openly and clearly.

"It is an unknown territory and we haven't done it before," Cook said. "But it is a bit like the three captains. It was new, it was fresh and I thought it worked really well because of the energy those three captains brought to each different side. And I can see this having the same effect on the coaching side with Test and ODIs being split. We all will have to work hard on the relationship and we all are going to have to communicate really well to do it. But as we get used to it, the relationship will improve."

Neither does Cook want comparisons drawn between Giles and Flower. "Of course, they are going to be different because they are different characters, they are different people. What is important is all three of us work together and have a strong relationship because you do need a strong leadership. Gilo will have to get used to me as a captain and I'll have to get used to him as a coach just like I Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss did."

Like any good forward-thinking leader, Cook did not waste time and has taken the initiative to meet Giles a "few times", to make sure both men get acquainted to each other's styles and thoughts quickly. The next few weeks will not define the partnership, but it will lay down some early markers.


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Bird strikes twice but Sri Lanka otherwise steady

Lunch Sri Lanka 2 for 80 (Jayawardene 30*, Thirimanne 4*, Bird 2-14) v Australia
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

On a day when Australia entered a Sydney Test with four fast bowlers and sent the opposition in, Jackson Bird was the only one of Michael Clarke's men who struck before lunch. Sri Lanka lost both openers to Bird but given the green tinge to the pitch, which offered some early movement for the fast bowlers, their score of 2 for 80 at the first break was reasonable and importantly the captain Mahela Jayawardene had made a good start, on 30, alongside Lahiru Thirimanne on 4.

Jayawardene had struck five boundaries, including a couple of strong strokes through point, and he had already moved to his highest score of what has been a disappointing tour for him personally. He also had a life early; on 4, he edged Peter Siddle to second slip, where Michael Hussey was slow to react to a chance he should have taken, and managed only to get his left hand to the ball, which then ran away to the boundary.

Thirimanne had also had a near miss first ball when he was given out lbw off the bowling of Bird. After some consideration, Thirimanne asked for a review and replays showed the ball had pitched just outside leg stump, forcing Aleem Dar to overturn his decision. Until the replays, Bird thought he was on a hat-trick after having Tillakaratne Dilshan caught behind for 34 when he pushed at a ball that moved away and got a thick outside edge through to Matthew Wade.

Dilshan had been steady and occupied the crease for 100 minutes before his lapse, which was Bird's second wicket after he also got rid of Dilshan's opening partner Dimuth Karunaratne. On 5, Karunaratne went for a pull from just outside off stump but the ball bounced more than he anticipated and his top edge flew high and over the slips cordon and was taken by Hussey, running back with the flight of the ball from second slip.

That wicket left Sri Lanka at 1 for 26 and gave Clarke some encouragement after he sent Sri Lanka in. Australia's two left-armers, Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson, struggled to create any real opportunities and some turn and bounce from Nathan Lyon, who bowled two overs before lunch, might have had Australia's selectors wondering about the wisdom of their decision to leave Glenn Maxwell out and include four fast men.

The inclusion of Starc for the injured Shane Watson was the only change for Australia, while Sri Lanka were forced to bring four new men in to cover for injuries. Dinesh Chandimal will keep wicket and bat at No.7 instead of Prasanna Jayawardene, who suffered a hairline fracture to his thumb in Melbourne.

Thirimanne was included as a replacement for Kumar Sangakkara, who also suffered a broken digit in the MCG Test, and had little time to acclimatise having just flown in from Sri Lanka. The same can be said of Suranga Lakmal, who has been thrust into the side in place of Shaminda Eranga, who hurt his ankle at training on match eve. There will also be an opportunity for the fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep, who has been named as a replacement for the injured Chanaka Welegedara (hamstring).


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Injured Zaheer likely to miss Ranji quarter-final

Zaheer Khan, who made his captaincy debut during Mumbai's last Ranji Trophy Group A game against Gujarat that ended in a draw, is almost certain to miss the quarter-final against Baroda at the Wankhede Stadium from January 6. It was the recurrence of the right calf strain that prevented him from taking the field during Gujarat's second innings.

Following the draw, Mumbai finished with 23 points from eight games. This meant they were placed third in Group A. If they progress to the semi-finals, they will face either Uttar Pradesh or Services.

Mumbai entered the Gujarat game needing at least three points, via a first-innings lead. As a result, Zaheer, who had hurt his right calf during his marathon spell on the last day of their thrilling victory against Madhya Pradesh in Indore, bowled a long spell in the second session of the first day. Due to the eight-over spell - which meant he had bowled 17 overs in the first two sessions - he was seen frequently stretching his calf.

He looked uncomfortable even during his half-hour stay at the crease as the last batsman for Mumbai on the third day. However, once Mumbai were assured of a place in the quarter-finals, thanks to a 203-run first-innings lead, Zaheer preferred to stay indoors during Gujarat's second innings.

Not once did Zaheer walk out to field, let alone bowl, during the second innings that lasted just over 100 overs. Though the Mumbai team management has officially maintained that Zaheer "preferred to take it easy", ESPNcricinfo understands that he is "all but ruled out of the quarter-finals."

It would come as a disappointment for Zaheer, not just because he was finding some rhythm since being dropped from the Indian team after a lacklustre outing during the England Tests but also because he would have been facing Baroda, his former domestic team.

The good thing for Mumbai is that their regular captain Ajit Agarkar, who missed the Gujarat game due to a sore groin, will be back in action. Agarkar has missed four games this season due to a variety of fitness-related issues. If Sachin Tendulkar makes himself available for the knockout stage, as stated last week by Mumbai Cricket Association joint secretary Nitin Dalal, that will be the biggest boost for Mumbai, especially in the wake of Zaheer's likely absence.


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Uncapped Diana Baig in Pakistan squad

Diana Baig, the uncapped bowling allrounder from Gilgit, has been named in the 15-member squad for the Women's World Cup to be held in Mumbai later this month. Sidra Ameen, a middle-order batsman, who last played for Pakistan in 2011, has been recalled while the allrounder Marina Iqbal has been dropped.

Pakistan last played an ODI series in Ireland in 2011. They played the Asian Cricket Council Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup in October 2012, finishing runners-up to India. Pakistan made minor changes to the squad from previous international series, with Sana Mir continuing to lead the side.

Pakistan qualified for the World Cup finishing runners-up to West Indies during the 2011 Women's World Cup Qualifier. Pakistan are placed in Group B along with Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. They will play their first match against Australia on January 31 at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

Pakistan squad: Sana Mir (capt), Nain Abidi, Bismah Maroof, Nida Rashid, Javeria Wadood, Sidra Amin, Rabia Shah, Batool Fatima (wk), Asmavia Iqbal, Qanita Jalil, Sumaiya Siddiqui, Sadia Yousaf, Elizebath Barkat, Nahida Bibi, Diana Baig


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