Kiwis to be tough challengers on home soil: Misbah

The entire team has to play quality cricket as a unit in New Zealand: Misbah.—AFP photo

LAHORE: Warning all the contenders not to underrate a ‘sting-crammed’ side like Pakistan in the World Cup, Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq on Monday predicted that New Zealand — despite their recent failures in Bangladesh and India — would be strong opponents on their home soil for his charges in the upcoming Test series.
“I think no one should consider New Zealand’s [poor] performances on Asian pitches and atmosphere, [because] they have always been tough rivals in their home conditions,” Misbah, who will lead Pakistan in the two-Test series in New Zealand next month, said during the national team’s training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Monday.
“Though [Pakistan] beating New Zealand is quite possible, to achieve this every member of the squad has to give his cent per cent. And the entire team have to play quality cricket as a unit,” Misbah, 36, added.
Pakistan, who start their tour to New Zealand on Dec 23 with a one-day warm-up against Auckland, will play their first Test from Jan 7-11 at Seddon Park, Hamilton followed by the second Test at the Basin Reserve, Wellington from Jan 15-19.
Asked if Pakistan’s bowling was potent enough to dismiss New Zealand batsmen in Tests, Misbah said after his bowlers did a commendable job against South Africa on predominantly batting-friendly tracks in the UAE, he hoped they would do better on relatively livelier New Zealand pitches.
“But I believe every department of the game should click to earn positive results. And for that every bowler and batsman needs to keep his confidence level high because this [joint effort] makes a difference,” he insisted.

Pakistan trains for New Zealand test

Pakistani cricket players, from left to right, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul and Sohail Tanveer, background, enter the ground to take part in a practice session in Lahore.

Gambhir leads India to easy win over New Zealand

Indian cricketers Gautam Gambhir (R) and Yuvraj Singh celebrate their team victory during the second one-day international cricket match between India and New Zealand at The Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. India beat New Zealand by eight wickets. -AFP Photo

JAIPUR: India’s stand-in captain Gautam Gambhir cracked an unbeaten 138 off 116 balls to lift the hosts to an eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the second one-day international on Wednesday.
The left-hander’s eighth one-day century enabled India to surpass New Zealand’s challenging 258-8 with seven overs to spare in the day-night match at the Sawai Man Singh stadium in Jaipur.
The emphatic victory gave India a 2-0 lead in the five-match series after the hosts had won the first game in Guwahati on Sunday by 40 runs.
Gambhir put on 87 for the first wicket with Murali Vijay (33) and 116 for the second with Virat Kohli, who followed up his century in Guwahati with a fluent 64.
The skipper hit 18 boundaries in his fluent knock. Gambhir led India as regular captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was rested for the series along with other senior players including Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh.
Fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth set up the win by grabbing four wickets after Gambhir won the toss and elected to field in good batting conditions.
Martin Guptill top-scored for the Black Caps with a dour 70, before Scott Styris boosted the total with 59 off 54 balls.
Sreesanth removed Styris and skipper Daniel Vettori (31) off successive balls in the 46th over, after the pair had put on a quickfire 58 for the fifth wicket.
Nathan McCullum prevented a hat-trick as New Zealand recovered from a middle-order slump to smash 88 runs in the last 11 overs.
Guptill, who opened the innings, crawled to his half-century in the 30th over. The Black Caps opted for the batting powerplay in the 35th over, with the total at 137-3, and took advantage of the field restrictions to hit 33 runs in the next five overs.
Guptill fell in controversial circumstances when Indian umpire Sanjay Hazare declared him caught behind off Ravichandran Ashwin even as the wicket-keeper appealed for a stumping.
New Zealand were without the injured duo of Brendon McCullum and Daryl Tuffey, but Vettori was back after missing the first game with a back injury. The third match will be played in Vadodara on Saturday

Miandad declines batting consultant job, reports say

Despite turning down the offer to become a batting consultant, Miandad has reportedly agreed to coach Pakistani batsmen during their training camp for the New Zealand tour. —AFP/File Photo

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad declined on Wednesday, to play the role of batting consultant for the national team’s tour of New Zealand.

The batting great reportedly declined the job after being told by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that he would have to report to head coach Waqar Younis. Miandad, currently serving as PCB director-general, was interested to work as batting and fielding consultant in the lead up to World Cup 2011 but has now backed out as he wants more authority, reports said.
The former coach of the national team has however, offered to help the Pakistan batsmen during the national team’s training camp, which is set to get underway in Lahore next week

Zimbabwe overcome Bangladesh in first ODI despite Shakib

Skipper Shakib Al Hasan kept alive Bangladesh’s hopes with an impressive 63 for his 16th half-century in one-dayers, adding 54 for the seventh wicket with Mohammad Mahmudullah (14). —AFP Photo

DHAKA: Paceman Christopher Mpofu and spinner Raymond Price shared five wickets as Zimbabwe surprised Bangladesh by nine runs in their opening one-day international on Wednesday.

Mpofu finished with 3-25 and left-arm spinner Price took 2-29 off 10 disciplined overs as the tourists bowled Bangladesh out for 200 after scoring 209 for a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Bangladesh’s left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak played a key role in restricting Zimbabwe, finishing with 4-41. He also completed 150 wickets in one-day internationals.
Skipper Shakib Al Hasan kept alive Bangladesh’s hopes with an impressive 63 for his 16th half-century in one-dayers, adding 54 for the seventh wicket with Mohammad Mahmudullah (14).
He was the ninth batsman out at 195 and his team could add only five more runs before being all out. He hit eight fours in his 65-ball knock.
Four batsmen were run out in Bangladesh’s innings.
Bangladesh were seeking their fifth successive one-day victory, having beaten New Zealand 4-0 at home in October.
Zimbabwe, put in to bat, faltered against Bangladesh’s spinners after making a sound start through Brendan Taylor and Chamu Chibhabha, who added 53 for the opening wicket in 10 overs.
Razzak did the maximum damage when he removed Taylor (27), Chibhabha (24) and skipper Elton Chigumbura (seven) in his three overs to reduce the tourists to 71-3 in the 14th over.
Regis Chakabva (45), playing only his second one-day international, steadied the innings with a 65-run stand for the fifth wicket with Craig Ervine (41) before giving a return catch to off-spinner Mahmudullah.
Zimbabwe lost their last five wickets for 25 runs, with left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo and Mahmudullah finishing with two wickets apiece. Left-arm spinner Shakib took one wicket

Rain halts Sri Lanka push in final test at Pallakele

Sri Lankan cricketers walk back to the pavilion after the game was disrupted by bad light, as ground staff pull in covers during the second day of the third test cricket match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele. -Photo by AP

KANDY: Sri Lanka took two West Indies wickets in the afternoon session before rain brought play to an early end on the second day of the third and final test at Pallakele on Thursday.
The tourists lost Shivnarine Chanderpaul for 54 and Dwayne Bravo without scoring to reach 244-5 before play was halted prior to the scheduled tea interval with Brendan Nash unbeaten on 62 and Carlton Baugh on nought.
Sri Lanka made a vital breakthrough soon after lunch by ending a 99-run fourth wicket stand between Chanderpaul and Nash.
Ajantha Mendis removed the defiant Chanderpaul when Mahela Jayawardene pulled off a brilliant diving catch at slip, inches off the ground.
Seven balls later left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who was brought into the attack rather late in the innings, made up for lost time by taking the wicket of Dwayne Bravo.
Wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene brought off a smart stumping when Bravo charged forward but missed the sharp-turning ball.
The wicket of Darren Bravo was all hosts Sri Lanka had to show for their morning’s work as West Indies reached 229-3 at lunch.
West Indies, resuming on 134-2, went into lunch with fourth-wicket pair Chanderpaul and Nash putting together an unbroken stand of 87 off 173 balls.
Nash reached his half-century before the break off 74 balls, with five fours helping him to 55. Left-hander Chanderpaul played the anchor role, batting throughout the session to 46.
Chanderpaul survived a suicidal reverse sweep shot off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath at 38.
The umpire ruled him out lbw but he successfully challenged the decision, the replay showing the ball clearly hit his gloves.
There was no such luck for Bravo, however, who added only five runs to his overnight score of 63 before Dilhara Fernando trapped him lbw in the fourth over of the day.
Bravo asked for a referral but the ball was shown to have thudded into his pads, hitting him between leg and middle.
The three-match series is tied at 0-0 after the first two tests were drawn.

Australian states woo Indian T20 investors

Cricket Australia looking for an opportunity to cash in on T20 cricket like the IPL. -Photo by AFP

NEW DELHI: If cars and coal are deemed fine, then so should cricket.
New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria are making precisely this pitch as they woo deep-pocketed Indian investors to buy franchises in Australia’s Twenty20 league.
After Cricket Australia (CA) approved private ownership in its expanded Big Bash League in October, Cricket NSW and Cricket Victoria have turned their focus on the game’s financial hub and expect Indian industrialists to add cricket to their overseas investment portfolio.
“If Tata (Motors) can acquire Jaguar, if Indian companies can make heavy investment in mining in Australia, why not in Australian cricket?” asked Jamie Stewart, Managing Director of the Commune Sports and Entertainment, which is seeking Indian investment for NSW and Victoria.
“It’s going to be a win-win situation for the Indian companies. This is going to be a marriage of entrepreneurial spirit and cricket establishment,” the former Australian first class cricketer told Reuters in an interview.
“We have already met some 14-15 individuals and the response is pretty good. Most of them have an abiding passion for cricket. We are looking for investors with a passion for the game and the financial resources to meet the investment commitment.”