PAK wins a low scoring game against WI...

Pakistan 134 for 5 (Umar Akmal 41*, Tonge 4-25) beat West Indies 133 (Miller 51, Aamer 3-24, Gul 3-28) by five wickets.MoM: Umar Akmal

Pakistan tripped and stumbled and chased with the assurance of sleepwalkers, but ultimately a superior fast-bowling attack and depth in batting sealed them a low-scoring showdown. A fine bowling performance where wickets were shared all around ensured a woefully inexperienced West Indies were bowled out for an unthreatening 133 after they opted to bat. Pakistan's batting has floundered repeatedly this year and today they nearly lost it, bewildered by Gavin Tonge's four-wicket haul, before Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi added 58 to finish the deal.

This match as a contest ended well before Pakistan could come out to bat. Floyd Reifer had spoken of the importance of this tournament for fans in the Caribbean, and vowed at the toss that his team would play "the best cricket possible". What followed was anything but, as a combination of accurate fast bowling and not-so-clever batting decided the direction of this match.

SL trashes SA in CT opener......

Sri Lanka 319 for 8 (Dilshan 106, Jayawardene 77, Sangakkara 54) beat South Africa 206 for 7 (Smith 58, Mendis 3-30) by 55 runs (D/L). MoM: T M Dilshan

Led by a blazing century from Tillakaratne Dilshan and a brace of cameos, the world's No. 5 team started their Champions Trophy campaign in fine style by beating the top-ranked side. Graeme Smith's decision to field was based on the lack of dew in the afternoon but none of the bowlers, barring Dale Steyn, made an impression. Dilshan's 92-ball 106, coupled with significant inputs from captains past and present, lifted them to a daunting total that was well beyond South Africa.

Sri Lanka carried the energy from their powerful batting display into the field and Ajantha Mendis, unlike the home side's spinners, extracted bounce and turn under lights. Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis showed signs of dominance with an 81-run stand in quick time but once Smith was bowled off Mendis' first delivery, and Kallis and JP Duminy fell in successive balls, Sri Lanka could apply the chokehold.

yuvi misses CT.........;(

India's Champions Trophy campaign has suffered a major setback even before it has started with Yuvraj Singh fracturing his finger during a practice session in Johannesburg. The injury will sideline him for six weeks and Virat Kohli will fly to South Africa as a replacement as soon as the formalities are completed.

Yuvraj injured his finger while fielding and did not take part in the net sessions that followed. He was attended to by the physio Nitin Patel before heading for a medical examination, which the fracture.

India were plagued with injuries going into the tournament. Virender Sehwag did not travel to South Africa due to a shoulder injury, while Gautam Gambhir, who did not feature in the team's only practice match against New Zealand, is nursing a groin strain.

India's tournament opener is against Pakistan on Saturday after which they will take on Australia and West Indies next week.

Sehwag no more DD captain!!!!!

Virender Sehwag has stepped down as captain of Delhi Daredevils, the franchise said on Monday. Sehwag is coming out of a shoulder injury and said he wanted to focus on his batting. Gautam Gambhir will lead Delhi in next month's Champions League Twenty20, and is expected to remain captain in next year's IPL, with wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik as his deputy.

"I would like to thank GMR for their understanding in accepting my request to step down," Sehwag said. "Personally, I would like to concentrate on my own batting and contribute to the team."

Sehwag, 30, said he had full faith in Gambhir, who had captained the side during the second edition of the IPL and had also been a Ranji Trophy-winning captain for Delhi. "Gautam did a great job of captaining Delhi and also during IPL 2 in South Africa this year," Sehwag said. "He has shown very good leadership skills and will bring fresh energy into the Delhi Daredevils."

Gambhir, on his part, said he would draw from his experience of leading Delhi on the domestic circuit. "I am delighted at my selection as captain of Delhi Daredevils and I am committed to deliver my best," Gambhir said. "I have led Delhi in the past and it was an enriching experience. Hopefully, I can put into practice all that I have learnt.

"I have always looked up to Viru . He has been a guide and friend for me. It is always difficult to fit into the shoes of someone as illustrious as him. I can always turn to him for any advice, as also to the other seniors in the team. We have had great camaraderie in the side and this will help us reach greater heights."

SACHIN'S NEW RECORD......

Sachin Tendulkar scored a sublime 138 to help India clinch the final of the tri-series against Sri Lanka on Monday. The maestro averages a staggering 56 in finals of tournaments. In 2009, he averages close to 60 runs per innings. Take a look:-

Sachin Tendulkar... ODIs Runs HS Ave 100

In Finals 32 1627 138 56.10 6

Vs Sri Lanka 74 2749 138 44.33 8

In Sri Lanka 29 1023 138 40.92 4

When India win 215 10324 186* 57.35 32

In 2009 9 473 163* 59.12 2

Overall 428 16895 186* 44.57 44

Aussies grab no:1 spot again!!!

Australia regained the top position in the ICC one-day rankings owing to its 6-0 lead in the ongoing seven-match series against England.

The rankings as on 18/9/09: 1. Australia (127), 2. South Africa (127), 3. India (126), 4. Pakistan (109), 5. Sri Lanka (108), 6. New Zealand (105), 7. England (102), 8. West Indies (78), 9. Bangladesh (55), 10. Zimbabwe (26). — PTI

FLINTOFF ---- UAE's temporary coach??????

Freelance England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff will coach the United Arab Emirates national team while he recovers in Dubai from a knee surgery, his agent told a newspaper here.

Andrew Chandler told The Times that Flintoff, who has quit Test cricket and recently rejected an incremental contract from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has chosen Dubai for his rehabilitation from a knee surgery.

Unofficial coach

Flintoff has struck a deal with the Dubai Sports City authorities and would work as the unofficial coach, Chandler said.

INDIA LEAVES FOR SA .........

The Indian cricket team on Friday left to participate in the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in South Africa from September 22.

The team left by the Dubai-bound flight from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport here and will take a connecting flight from Dubai to Johannesburg. The tournament is scheduled to take place from September 22 to October 5. India was the joint winner along with host Sri Lanka in 2002. The team will play a warm-up match against New Zealand on Septeber 20.

Placed in Group A along with Australia, Pakistan and the West Indies, India will open its league engagements on September 26 against Pakistan.

The squad: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Abhishek Nayar, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, R.P.Singh, Ishant Sharma, Amith Mishra, Dinesh Karthik. Coach: Gary Kirsten. — PTI

Tendulkar for two innings each in ODIs

Sachin Tendulkar is in favour of one-day cricket but believes the 50-over format can be tinkered with in order to reduce the advantage gained by the team winning the toss. He said that the total of 100 overs could be split into four innings of 25 each, which would mean that no side would have the best of the conditions for the entire match.

Tendulkar said he first thought of the format during the Champions Trophy final in 2002 where India played Sri Lanka in Colombo. In that match,SL batted 50 overs before rain washed out the game shortly after India began their chase. On the reserve day, rain once again forced an abandonment after Sri Lanka had completed their innings.

"I am for 50-over cricket. I think we should have 25 overs a side to start with. I thought of this during the 2002 Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka," Tendulkar toldTimes Now, an Indian news channel. "In the finals, we ended up playing 110 overs against Sri Lanka. First they played 50 overs and we played 10 overs before the rain interruption. The next day, Sri Lanka again played 50 overs and in the end we were declared joint winners. I thought, 110 overs and still no result.

"That is when I thought, we should have 25 overs first for one side and then the other, and then once again 25 overs for one side and then the other. Today, we can tell the result of close to 75% of matches after the toss. We know how the conditions will affect the two teams. But it [his idea] is not too dependent on the toss because, for example, in a day-night match both the teams will have to bat under lights. The conditions change very dramatically but this would ensure that it's same for everyone."

Tendulkar's comments come at a time when the future of the one-day game is being questioned. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has scrapped its domestic 50-over tournament while Cricket South Africa is considered changing to its domestic 45-over competition. The ECB is also likely to propose that the ICC conduct a formal review of the future of the 50-over format after the 2011 World Cup to protect the ODI structure amid the rise of Twenty20 cricket.

New Zealand seal T20 series 2-0..........!!!!

New Zealand 170 for 4 (Ryder 52, McCullum 49) beat Sri Lanka (Sangakkara 69, Jayawardene 41, Bond 3-18, Nathan McCullum 2-18 ) by 22 runs.MoM,MoS:Jesse Ryder.

Having been beaten soundly in the Test series, New Zealand now head into the tri-series brimming with confidence after a second consecutive 20-over victory over Sri Lanka, this time by 22 runs. Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder's clinical hitting and Nathan McCullum's teasing offspin were responsible for driving New Zealand to victory and handing Sri Lanka their fourth Twenty20 loss in a row.

Brendon McCullum and Ryder were badly out of form during the Test campaign, but showed both courage and muscle during an 84-run opening stand in 62 deliveries, while Nathan McCullum gave further proof that New Zealand's limited-overs recruits have helped shape a change in fortunes. When Sri Lanka quickly slumped to 11 for 3 this game looked almost over as a contest, but Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara still had a sting to inflict, adding 67 in 43 balls. Then came the fatal blow in the 11th over, bowled by Nathan McCullum, as Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews departed to clever changes of pace. Thereafter, Sri Lanka were never in the hunt.

There were to be no fireworks this evening from Tillakaratne Dilshan, who flicked straight to deep square leg in the first over, giving Shane Bond his first international wicket since 2007. In walked Mahela Udawatte at No. 3, the one change Sri Lanka made, and back out he went after he checked his first ball from Kyle Mills and gave point a dolly. Sri Lanka's chances dimmed when Mills got Sanath Jayasuriya to miscue to midwicket in the fourth over.

Mills' third over wasn't as productive, as Jayawardene put away two full tosses and a half-volley on the pads. After the Powerplay overs Sri Lanka were 37 for 3, compared to 64 for 2 on Wednesday. Then Jayawardene and Sangakkara stepped on the gas, rattling up a 50-run stand in 6 overs. Where Jayawardene improvised to dab the ball past Brendon McCullum behind the stumps, walk across and paddle, and pull six over fine leg, all off Ian Butler, Sangakkara used his feet to come out and bisect midwicket and square leg.

By now the crowd had roared back to life and New Zealand appeared worried, but in one over the mood changed dramatically. Daniel Vettori called on Nathan McCullum, who came in for this game in place of Peter McGlashan, and within four balls he snapped Sri Lanka's spine. Jayawardene's top edge was well held by Ryder at short fine leg, and then Angelo Mathews chipped softly to midwicket. Vettori knew taking the pace off would work, and that was a sensational over from Nathan McCullum.

Nathan McCullum put down a very tough caught-and-bowled chance off Sangakkara, who reached his half-century off 40 balls. Sangakkara kept flaying but his luck ran out on 69 when he top-edged back to Oram. Bond completed the dénouement with 3 for 18.

It was only a matter of time before Brendon McCullum and Ryder found their groove in coloured clothing. Brendon McCullum got off the mark with a cramped chop to third man, but there was nothing restrained about strokes that raced to the boundaries at backward point, square leg and midwicket. Against Nuwan Kulasekara he began by pulling off his own version of the scoop trademarked by Dilshan, with some help from his helmet, getting way across and scooping the ball from outside off stump, on to Sangakkara's helmet, for four.

Lasith Malinga's second over cost 19. First Brendon McCullum steered a couple to third man by getting outside leg stump, then backed away and carved six over backward point, put a no-ball away for four with power past two off-side fielders, and finished off by slapping three through cover.

Ryder had been content allowing his partner take charge, ticking along to 10 by the time Brendon McCullum was 35. Ajantha Mendis came on for one over, the sixth, and allowed just three but Malinga Bandara was given a rude welcome by Ryder, who got down and swatted six over midwicket. He nonchalantly paddled Jayasuriya for four and Brendon McCullum slammed Dilshan for a six, his 100th boundary shot in this format.

With New Zealand's run rate 8.30, Jayasuriya struck when Brendon McCullum knocked back a return catch for 49. Ryder accelerated his game efficiently, repeating the slogged six twice off Dilshan in a 20-run 12th over in which he raised his fifty off 31 balls. Then Mendis returned to bowl the next over and immediately had Ryder beaten in the flight and popping an easy catch to extra cover.

Jayasuriya, after a break and a change of ends, came back to dismiss Ross Taylor playing across the line for 16. Martin Guptill, demoted to No. 4, jacked the run-rate back with six and a four in Kulasekara's comeback over, the 17th, which cost 17. Malinga bowled a seven-run final over in which he yorked Guptill for 32, but by getting 87 in the last ten overs New Zealand had done well.

Opening ceremony to be held at Dhaka

The Opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be held at Dhaka on February 17, 2011 and the opening match on February 19.

This was decided at the Central Organising Committee (COC) of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 here on Wednesday.

The COC also approved the operational plan and event budget and fixed the venue inspection schedule.

The full match schedule of the World Cup would be announced on November 9.

ICC Awards 2009 nominees.........

"The LG ICC Awards are an opportunity for the ICC and FICA to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable performances of the world's top players," said ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat while announcing the list of nominations in Mumbai.

"It is also a chance for followers of our great sport to reflect on some of the great cricketing feats they have witnessed over the past year. This will be the sixth time the awards have been handed out and yet again there are so many great performances to recall. Selecting the winners will no doubt test our selectors and voting academy."

The lists were compiled by a five-man ICC selection panel chaired by former West Indies captain and current chairman of the ICC cricket committee, Clive Lloyd. The panel also includes former players such as India's Anil Kumble, Mudassar Nazar of Pakistan, Bob Taylor of England and New Zealand's Stephen Fleming.

The ceremony will take place in Johannesburg on October 1, to coincide with the ICC Champions Trophy 2009. The previous editions were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007) and Dubai (2008).

The nominations

• Cricketer of the Year
  Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tillakaratne Dilshan, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Shakib Al Hasan, Mitchell Johnson, Graham Onions, Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara, Harbhajan Singh, Graeme Smith, Andrew Strauss, Daniel Vettori, AB de Villiers
• Test Player of the Year
  Stuart Broad, Michael Clarke, MS Dhoni, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Gautam Gambhir, Shakib Al Hasan, Mitchell Johnson, VVS Laxman, Jesse Ryder, Thilan Samaraweera, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Peter Siddle, Harbhajan Singh, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Andrew Strauss, Graeme Swann, Daniel Vettori, AB de Villiers
• ODI Player of the Year
  Shivnarine Chanderpaul, MS Dhoni, Andrew Flintoff, Chris Gayle, Umar Gul, Martin Guptill, Michael Hussey, Nuwan Kulasekara, Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Thilan Thushara
• Emerging Player of the Year
  Martin Guptill, Ben Hilfenhaus, Philip Hughes, Amit Mishra, Graham Onions, Kemar Roach, Jesse Ryder, Peter Siddle
• Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year
  Rizwan Cheema (Canada), Khurram Chohan (Canada), Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands), Trent Johnston (Ireland), Alex Cusack (Ireland), Neil McCallum (Scotland), Kevin O'Brien (Ireland), Niall O'Brien (Ireland), William Porterfield (Ireland), Boyd Rankin (Ireland), Edgar Schiferli (Netherlands), Steve Tikolo (Kenya), Regan West (Ireland), Bas Zuiderent (Netherlands)
• Twenty20 International Performance of the Year
  Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Dwayne Bravo, Alex Cusack, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle, Umar Gul, David Hussey, Sanath Jayasuriya, Zaheer Khan, Ajantha Mendis, Wayne Parnell, Abdur Razzak, David Warner
• Women's Cricketer of the Year
  Suzie Bates (New Zealand), Holly Colvin (England), Charlotte Edwards (England), Laura Marsh (England), Sana Mir (Pakistan), Shelley Nitschke (Australia), Mithali Raj (India), Karen Rolton (Australia), Priyanka Roy (India), Lisa Sthalekar (Australia), Claire Taylor (England), Sarah Taylor (England), Stefanie Taylor (West Indies), Haidee Tiffin (New Zealand), Aimee Watkins (New Zealand)
• Umpire of the Year
  Billy Bowden (New Zealand), Aleem Dar (Pakistan), Steve Davis (Australia), Ian Gould (England), Tony Hill (New Zealand), Daryl Harper (Australia), Asad Rauf (Pakistan), Simon Taufel (Australia)

Gambhir loses top status to Sangakkara

Indian opener Gautam Gambhir on Monday lost the No. 1 Test batsman’s tag to Kumar Sangakkara who reclaimed the spot for the fourth time in his career after brilliant knocks against New Zealand.

The Sri Lanka captain followed up his half-century in the first innings of the second Test against New Zealand with an exquisite 109, his 20th Test century, to reclaim the top position from Gambhir.

Mahela Jayawardene and middle-order batsmen Thilan Samaraweera have both achieved career-best rankings. While Jayawardena has jumped four places to third position Samaraweera’s 11th century in what was his 54th Test has put him just outside the top 10 in 12th position.

BCCI Corporate Trophy kicks off today!!!

Fresh from a much-needed break of nearly two months, India's leading cricketers will begin another packed season with the Corporate Trophy, the BCCI's new showpiece domestic one-day tournament - with Rs 1 crore (US$204,272) for the winners - starting on Tuesday.

The Indian board has invited 12 corporate teams to take part in the eight-day tournament, which will see most of the Indian team - with Sachin Tendulkar a prominent exception - play for their employers across four venues. There are two teams from Air India, which has seven members of the Indian team on its rolls including MS Dhoni, the captain.

On the face of it, the corporate trophy is a high-profile season starter that will help ease top cricketers back into 50-over mode ahead of the one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka -which starts for the Indians on September 11 - and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa later in the month. The BCCI has staked big money on this - the runners-up get Rs 50 lakh (US$102,109) - claiming that the tournament's prime objective is to promote employment opportunities for domestic cricketers in India's corporate houses.

But the real significance of the tournament possibly lies elsewhere - in its design to kill off another tournament. It was conceived in January, just four months before the Indian board announced its amnesty offer for ICL cricketers. ICL players have since admitted privately that after the corporate tournament was announced they received calls from their employers asking them to wind up their association with the unofficial league. "And then, as we were wondering how we could possibly return to the official fold, came the BCCI's amnesty offers," a leading Indian ICL player said.

As it turned out, the corporate trophy was, in fact, the first nail in the ICL's coffin; the unofficial Twenty20 league cancelled its March programme and that finally led to an exodus of players back into official cricket. At the same time, the BCCI has ensured that the corporate trophy, despite a glittering launch last week, will not cut into the IPL's glamour either in format or content; no foreign players here, and no high-octane promotional campaigns, just the prize money and two major venues in Bangalore and Mohali with Visakhapatnam and Dharamsala hosting the other matches.

Besides, the preliminary rounds don't make for close contests, if the stronger teams play to full strength. Air India (Blue) and ONGC are the clear favourites in Groups A and B. ONGC, led by Gautam Gambhir, have a bowling attack that could represent India on a lean day: Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel and Amit Mishra. Air India (Blue) feature Harbhajan Singh, Dhoni, RP Singh, VVS Laxman and Mohammad Kaif.

Groups C and D are more evenly placed. In Group C, Indian Oil, with Wasim Jaffer and Rohit Sharma being their big draws, could be challenged by Tata Sports Club, who have Rohan Gavaskar, Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar in their ranks. But it's Group D where the real competition is at, with Air India (Red) holding a slight edge over India Cements, who have Rahul Dravid, S Badrinath, L Balaji and Sudeep Tyagi in their line-up.

SriLanka spoils NZ party ... wins series2-0....!!!

Sri Lanka 416 (Samaraweera 143, Jayawardene 92, Patel 4-78) and 311 for 5 dec (Sangakkara 109, Jayawardene 96) beat New Zealand 234 (Taylor 81, Herath 3-70, Muralitharan 3-71) and 397 (Vettori 140, Oram 56, Herath 5-139) by 96 runs.

MoM:M.Jayawardene.

MoM:Samaraweera.

Sri Lanka were expected to wrap up victory early on the final day, but had to wait until the 68th over of the day to seal a 2-0 sweep and cement their place at No. 2 in the ICC Test rankings. They had New Zealand six wickets down for 182 at stumps on day four, but were thoroughly frustrated by a century stand between Vettori and Oram in a cracking morning session. When Tillakaratne Dilshan snapped an excellent 124-run partnership by dismissing Oram two minutes before lunch, it seemed likely that victory was around the corner, but Vettori found an able ally in Iain O'Brien and the pair added 69 in 78 gut-wrenching minutes.

Like in the morning, Sri Lanka struck shortly before the interval and tea was pushed back by half an hour. The last wicket to fall was Vettori, excellently held at deep square leg by a tumbling Rangana Herath - who took five wickets - and New Zealand had finally been dismissed for 397, the highest fourth-innings total at the SSC. They were owned for the better part of four days, but fought back credibly on the fifth. It was not enough, for the damage was irreparable, and Sri Lanka finished deserved winners.