Hosting Pakistan 'home' matches a success.

I think that the first Test between Pakistan and Australia showed the ECB's decision to host the former's 'home' matches in England to be a success.

The crowds for the first Test at Lord's were certainly decent. It will be interesting to see the numbers who turn up to watch them at Headingley, as there is a really strong Asian community up there, so I'm looking forward to seeing a bigger turnout.
England was not the only option for them. They can also play Tests in Abu Dhabi, or in Dubai, but there are doubts as to whether they would get the same sort of crowds as they are getting here.
I think that it was a good opportunity for the ECB, especially with Australia as the opposition, so I think everybody has won out of this series. There is certainly a few quid to be made out of it, which won't do any harm. They saw the opportunity to experiment, and it has worked.
It's just a shame that supporters in Pakistan are not going to be able to see any international cricket in their own country for the foreseeable future.
However the series with Australia ends, England have to be careful not to underestimate Pakistan when their turn to play them comes around at Trent Bridge at the end of the month.

Murali close to 800 as India struggle.

Muttiah Muralitharan edged closer to capturing his 800th Test wicket in his farewell match as Sri Lanka pushed a floundering India to the brink of defeat in Galle.
India, who were dismissed for 276 in their first innings, ended the fourth day on 181 for five and need at least another 63 runs to avoid an innings defeat on the final day of the first Test.
Muralitharan now stands just two wickets away from the landmark figure after he added Yuvraj Singh's scalp to the five wickets he took during India's first innings.
Yuvraj edged a catch to Mahela Jayawardene at slip in the final over of the day to give Muralitharan figures of one for 57.
However, it was fast bowler Lasith Malinga's fiery second spell that broke the back of the Indian batting.
He sent back opener Gautam Gambhir caught behind without scoring off the third ball and later came back to dismiss Rahul Dravid for 44 and Sachin Tendulkar for 84 to finish the day with three for 33.
Dravid and Tendulkar looked like rescuing India after they had lost first innings century-maker Virender Sehwag for 31 when he was snapped up brilliantly by Jayawardene at gully.

Flintoff set to play in Champions League.

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is one step closer to a return to top-flight cricket after being named in the Chennai Super Kings' preliminary squad for the Airtel Champions League Twenty20.

The 32-year-old, who has not played first-class cricket since the Ashes series in England last year, has been named in a star-studded 20-player Kings squad for the second edition of the 10-team tournament which will be played in South Africa from September 10-26.
With eight of the nine teams having named their preliminary squads – with the exception of Wayamba – just three weeks remain before the final squads of 15 are selected on 9 August.
A number of players have been named by more than one team, making each of the final selections an important strategic and financial decision for the teams.
As was the case in 2009, if a player is selected to play for an 'away' team rather than his 'home' team (the team from the country he is eligible to represent in international cricket), the 'away' team must pay $200,000 compensation (£131,000) to the 'home' team.
Flintoff is among world cricket's biggest names who have been named in the preliminary squads, including Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians - MI), MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings - CSK), Mahela Jayawardene (Wayamba Elevens), Dale Steyn (Royal Challengers Bangalore - RCB), Rahul Dravid (RCB), JP Duminy (MI), Matthew Hayden (CSK), Ross Taylor (Central Stags/Victorian Bushrangers/RCB), Muttiah Muralidaran (CSK), Kieron Pollard (South Australian Redbacks/MI), Harbhajan Singh (MI) and Mike Hussey (CSK).

Ponting: Not our greatest team.

Australia are seeking an eighth consecutive Test victory this week but captain Ricky Ponting said the current team would never compare with the more illustrious sides he has played in.
"I don't think there's a team in the world that compares to the team that was, five or six years ago, arguably the greatest team that ever played the game," Ponting said at Headingley on Tuesday while preparing for the second and final Test against Pakistan.
"So it's no good trying to compare other teams to that team."
Ponting, 35, has played in successful Australia sides since his 1995 Test debut, including one under Steve Waugh's captaincy which won a record 16 successive Tests from 1999 to 2001. Ponting also compiled a 16-match winning streak from 2005-2008, when the current team began to form.
The 1999-2001 side included great players such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Waugh and his twin brother Mark, wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, Michael Slater, Matthew Hayden and Brett Lee.
Although the current side made it seven wins in a row with a 150-run victory over Pakistan at Lord's last week, they do not have the same all-conquering aura as their predecessors.
"What I think we have around this group is a good balance of youth and experience with (Steven) Smith and (Tim) Paine coming in. And (Marcus) North and (Doug) Bollinger are still quite new to Test cricket," Ponting said.

Sehwag leads India chase of massive total.

Virender Sehwag led India's reply to Sri Lanka's massive total of 520 for eight declared with a sparkling unbeaten 85 on the third day of the first Test.
Sehwag stroked 14 fours and a six to help India reach 140 for three when bad light ended play with 9.2 overs remaining.
Muttiah Muralitharan, Test cricket's leading wicket taker and playing his final match, moved to within seven of his 800th scalp when he trapped Sachin Tendulkar lbw for eight and he ended with figures of one for 31.
Fast bowler Lasith Malinga, returning to the test side after two and a half years, made the initial breakthrough by trapping Gautam Gambhir lbw for two in his opening over.
Rahul Dravid ran himself out for 18 going for an impossible second run and failing to beat Malinga's throw from mid-off.
An eighth-wicket stand of 115 between Rangana Herath and Malinga enabled Sri Lanka to declare their first innings at tea.
The pair came together at 393 for seven and were not parted until Sri Lanka were past the 500 mark.

Champions League T20 on Eurosport!

Eurosport has signed an exclusive three-year deal to broadcast the Champions League Twenty20 in the UK and Europe.

The competition made an impressive debut on Eurosport in October 2009, and the new deal includes rights to broadcast the tournament on-air and online, with featured matches appearing exclusively on the Eurosport Player, the channel’s online subscription player service.
Cricket fans with iPhones and iPads can also access the tournament on the move in the UK via the Eurosport Player application, which simulcasts British Eurosport and Eurosport 2.
David Kerr, director of British Eurosport, said: “As a new, emerging international tournament the Champions League Twenty20 fits perfectly with British Eurosport’s portfolio of events.
"The event boasts excellent production values, dramatic matches and the best international teams so I am positive this is an event that will grow in importance and profile in the coming years and we are excited about being part of that evolution.”
Eurosport struck the deal with Asia’s biggest sports content provider, ESPN STAR Sports, whose managing director Manu Sawhey said: “We are very pleased to have such an enthusiastic partner in the Eurosport Group, especially with their innovative efforts to showcase this event online in addition to broadcasting it on-air.

Australia close on victory over Pakistan.

Pakistan face a 13th consecutive defeat against Australia in the first Test at Lord's after they were set a world record 440 to win on the third day.

At the close of a day in which the sun shone consistently for the first time in the match, Pakistan were 114 for one in their second innings with vice-captain Salman Butt on 58.
An Australian victory during the remaining two days would break the record they share with Sri Lanka, who have defeated Bangladesh 12 times in a row.
Pakistan needed quick wickets to have any chance of a win when play resumed with Australia 100 for four in their second innings, an overall lead of 205.
Instead nightwatchman Mitchell Johnson stroked a handsome 30 and Ben Hilfenhaus recorded his highest first class score of 56 not out. Last man Doug Bollinger, whose previous best Test score was nine, made 21 in a lively 10th-wicket partnership of 52 with Hilfenhaus.
Debutant wicketkeeper Tim Paine, playing in place of the injured Brad Haddin, weighed in with an enterprising 47 after another feat of monumental concentration from opener Simon Katich.
Katich followed his first innings 80, scored when the Pakistan pace attack were at their most threatening with overcast conditions and moisture in the air, with 83 in exactly four hours.
He played scarcely a memorable shot, apart from a late dab through the slips which may have been premeditated, but his concentration, patience and application have held the Australian batting together and he has now scored half-centuries in each of his last nine Tests.

Aamer warned after Ponting celebration.

Match referee Chris Broad has spoken to Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Aamer about his future conduct after he brushed against Ricky Ponting following his dismissal of the Australia captain at Lord's.

Aamer, who collided with vice-captain Michael Clarke in a Twenty20 international last week, was racing down the pitch to celebrate with his team mates after Ponting was smartly caught at short-leg for 26 on the first day of the first Test.
The International Cricket Council said that while the umpires had not felt the incident warranted any formal action, it was the second time in two matches that Aamer had made contact with a batsman after taking his wicket.
"Aamer is a young, exciting, talented player full of enthusiasm for this great sport and that is to be celebrated and nurtured," Broad said.
"But there are a few things he still has to learn in relation to how to conduct himself on the field of play. I told him that when he takes a wicket, he should celebrate with his team mates rather than getting himself into the personal space of the outgoing batsman.
"He accepted it graciously and undertook to avoid a repeat occurrence. As far as we are concerned the issue is now closed."

New honour for Watson.

Shane Watson became the first bowler to etch his name on the new Lord's honours board as Australia dismantled Pakistan's inexperienced batting line-up to take control of a fast-moving first Test.
Watson finished with five for 40 as Pakistan, replying to Australia's first innings total of 253, crashed to 148 all out in just 40.5 overs.
The Queenslander then opened the batting to score a brisk 31 as Australia extended their lead to 205, reaching the close of a dramatic second day on 100 for four. Simon Katich was one short of his second half-century of the match and the crabby left-hander will resume on Thursday alongside nightwatchman Mitchell Johnson.
Australia did not have it all their own way, with Pakistan's pace attack pegging them back in the final hour of a day which saw 15 wickets fall - but they remain in the box seat. It may have been a landmark day for Watson, but it is not one that Ricky Ponting will want to remember after he failed at Lord's once again.
One of the game's greatest batsmen, Ponting averages just 17 in four Tests at the home of cricket and he was out for a duck, trapped lbw playing no shot to Mohammad Asif. Umar Gul then took two Australian wickets in two balls. Michael Clarke was bowled for 12 after leaving a straight one and Mike Hussey edged the next delivery to Imran Farhat at first slip.
Earlier, Watson had ripped the heart out of Pakistan's middle order, dismissing brothers Umar and Kamran Akmal lbw with some precise swing bowling. Watson halted Shahid Afridi's electric cameo - the captain scored 31 from 15 deliveries - before breaking Salman Butt's resistance, bowling the opener for 68 to leave Pakistan's innings in tatters.

Pakistan draw with Leicestershire in warm-up game .

Butt scored a century against Australia in Pakistan's last Test in January.

 

 Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed and Umar Amin hit half centuries as Pakistan opted for batting practice in their two-day tour match against Leicestershire.

The home side added 19 to their overnight score before declaring on 296-7 when Wayne White was out for 79.
Pakistan only lost three wickets but Butt (57), Azhar Ali (41), Hameed (58) and Amin (51) all retired out.
The tourists, who face Australia in the first Test at Lord's next week, were 280-7 when a draw was agreed.
England is hosting the two-Test series because of continuing security concerns in Pakistan.

Former Australian PM John Howard rejected for ICC post .

Howard was nominated after much debate in Australia and New Zealand.

 

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard has failed in his bid to become the next vice-president of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The 70-year-old hoped to become vice-president later this year before taking up the presidency in 2012.
The ICC has asked Cricket Australia (CA) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) to find someone else as he "did not have sufficient support in the ICC Board".
CA and NZC said they were "deeply disappointed" by the decision.
They now have until the end of August to come up with an alternative candidate for the two-year rotating presidency, for which the vice-presidency is a stepping stone.
Welshman David Morgan is the current ICC president, to be replaced later this year by India's Sharad Pawar, the current vice-president, whose promotion creates the vacancy which must be filled by an Australasian candidate.

A joint statement from Australian cricket chairman Jack Clarke and New Zealand counterpart Alan Isaac said they "had nominated the best possible candidate from the region under the ICC's stipulated process".

Openers set up England success.

England's latest opening partnership proved it has the potential to be one of the best as Craig Kieswetter and Andrew Strauss teed up a handsome seven-wicket victory over Scotland at Edinburgh's Citylets Grange.
Kieswetter (69) and Strauss (64) blazed a total of 21 fours and two sixes in a dazzling first-wicket stand worth 121 after the hosts had been bowled out for 211 in this one-off one-day international.
Durham's Kyle Coetzer (51) and captain Gavin Hamilton (48) did well after the latter opted to bat first but England spinners Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy took control in the middle stages, sharing five wickets. Paul Collingwood closed with a neat 41 not out as the game ended with more than 16 overs remaining.
With 10 overs bowled, the openers had added 75 and quickly took the batting powerplay and the fielding restrictions continued to suit England, with Kieswetter first to 50 off 38 balls. The 22-year-old brought up the landmark with a second towering six off Ross Lyons.
Strauss, who collected 12 boundaries, fell to the final ball of the 15th over, lofting Majid Haq to Neil McCallum at deep midwicket with the total at 121.

Cricket-Scotland v England - ODI - scoreboard.

Scoreboard at the end of the one-day international between Scotland and England in Edinburgh on Saturday.
England won by seven wickets
Scotland innings G. Hamilton st Kieswetter b Swann 48 R. Watson c Swann b Anderson 0 K. Coetzer c & b Yardy 51 J. Davey lbw b Yardy 4 R. Berrington c Broad b Yardy 3 N. McCallum c Swann b Collingwood 22 D. Lockhart b Shahzad 46 M. Parker lbw b Swann 2 R. Haq b Anderson 11 G. Drummond not out 8 R. Lyons b Shahzad 1 Extras (b-1, lb-6, w-8) 15 Total (all out; 49.5 overs) 211
Fall of wickets: 1-1 2-87 3-101 4-108 5-121 6-148 7-157 8-199 9-209 10-211
Bowling: J. Anderson 9-0-43-2, A. Shahzad 8.5-2-24-2, S. Broad 9-0-57-0 (w-1), M. Yardy 10-0-41-3 (w-3), G. Swann 10-0-29-2 (w-4), P. Collingwood 3-0-11-1
England innings A. Strauss c McCallum b Haq 61 C. Kieswetter c Coetzer b Lyons 69 K. Pietersen c Watson b Haq 17 P. Collingwood not out 38 E. Morgan not out 24 Extras (b 2, lb 1, w 1) 4 Total (3 wickets; 33.4 overs) 213

Cricket-England beat Scotland by seven wickets - result.

England beat Scotland by seven wickets in a one-day international in Edinburgh on Saturday.
Scores: Scotland 211 all out in 49.5 overs (Kyle Coetzer 51) v England 213-3 in 33.4 overs (Andrew Strauss 61, Craig Kieswetter 69).

Cricket-Scotland 211 all out v England - ODI - innings.

Scotland were all out for 211 off 49.5 overs in a one-day international against England in Edinburgh on Saturday.
Scores: Scotland 211 in 49.5 overs (Kyle Coetzer 51) v England.

Cricket-Pakistan v India - Asia Cup - scoreboard.

Scoreboard at end of the Asia Cup match between Pakistan and India at Dambulla on Saturday.

India won by three wickets:
Pakistan innings S. Butt run out 74 I. Farhat c Sehwag b Harbhajan Singh 25 S. Malik b Khan 39 U. Akmal c Dhoni b Jadeja 21 U. Amin c Kohli b Harbhajan Singh 5 S. Afridi lbw b Kumar 32 K. Akmal c Raina b Kumar 51 A. Razzaq c Dhoni b Kumar 3 M. Aamer run out 3 S. Akhtar not out 3 S. Ajmal c Nehra b Khan 0 Extras (b-1, lb-5, w-4, nb-1) 11 Total (all out; 49.3 overs) 267
Fall of wickets: 1-71 2-144 3-146 4-159 5-196 6-219 7-227 8-247 9-265 10-267
Bowling: P. Kumar 10-1-53-3 (nb-1, w-2), A. Nehra 9-0-58-0, Z. Khan 9.3-0-41-2, Harbhajan Singh 8-0-47-2, V. Sehwag 3-0-19-0, R. Jadeja 10-0-43-1 (w-2)
India innings G Gambhir b Saeed Ajmal 83 V. Sehwag c Kamran Akmal b Abdul Razzaq 10 V. Kohli b Saeed Ajmal 18 MS Dhoni b Shoaib Malik 56 R. Sharma lbw b Shahid Afridi 22 S. Raina run out (†Kamran Akmal) 34 R. Jadeja b Saeed Ajmal 6 Harbhajan Singh not out 15 P. Kumar not out 3 Extras (lb 15, w 8, nb 1) 24 Total (7 wickets; 49.5 overs) 271

Graeme Smith back in the groove.

Graeme Smith re-found his batting confidence with a timely century that set up South Africa in the second Test against West Indies.
Smith suffered a broken finger during the IPL in March and has had to fight to regain faith in his stroke-play, something he achieved with his 21st hundred as his side reached 296 for 3.
Smith posted 132, becoming the third South African to pass 7000 Test runs, before being bowled by Kemar Roach and was pleased with the performance.
"Confidence is a crucial thing in this game, and I have been working hard through the limited-overs matches, following the lengthy break I had with a broken finger," Smith said.
"It has taken me some time to get the feel back in the game, even though it still hinders me a little bit, but it's had some ice now.
It feels much better now that I have got some big runs on the board." Smith broke the middle finger of his right hand taking a catch while playing with Rajasthan.

Dilshan targets 1000 calendar runs.

Tillakaratne Dilshan has said the tri-series in Zimbabwe, in which he led Sri Lanka to victory as stand-in captain, helped him recover his lost form and carry it into the Asia Cup, where he sunk Bangladesh with an aggressive half-century followed by a canny spell in Dambulla.
Dilshan made 71 off 51 balls, helping Sri Lanka achieve the first-ever 300-plus total in Dambulla, and set his sights on scoring 1000 runs before 2010 ends.
He presently has 603.
"Before the Zimbabwe tour I was out of form.
I started training and watched video clips of my batting and the little things that had gone wrong with my batting, and I made the necessary adjustments," he said after Sri Lanka's 126-run win.
"I got the start in the first match in Zimbabwe and I have carried the form to the Asia Cup.
"I want to continue with this form for the next couple of months.
I am close to 1000 runs in ODI cricket for the year.
There are about five matches or so before the end of 2010 and I am hoping to make 1000 runs.
I am enjoying my batting at the moment and trying to take some chances in the first 10 overs.
If I survive I want to go for a big score.

SL-India Tests in Galle and Colombo.

Galle will host the first Test between Sri Lanka and India in July, while the next two matches will be held in Colombo, at the SSC and the P Sara Oval.
India will return home following the completion of the Asia Cup but will go back to Sri Lanka on July 9 for the Test series, followed by a triangular tournament also involving New Zealand.
The third Test was originally scheduled for Dambulla but Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said the venues had to be switched because the floodlights at the SSC would not be ready in time for the one-day competition.
Instead Dambulla will now host the tri-series from August 10 to 29 while SSC will stage a Test.
The first Test is between July 18 and 22 at Galle.
The second and third are between July 26 and 30, and August 3 and 7 respectively.
The tri-series begins on August 10 and each team will play the other twice before the top two play the final.
There will be a reserve day for each match of the tri-series including the final.

Kenya cricket thrown into turmoil by strike.

Cricket Kenya has been forced to cancel a short tour to England after a contractual dispute arose between the board and the players on the eve of the trip.
The players are refusing to travel unless the board agree to their contract demands, and Kenya's preparations for the World Cricket League Division One tournament in Netherlands have been thrown into turmoil.
The trip to Rochdale, Lancashire was meant to have been a warm-up for the competition in Netherlands, and the players' decision was only relayed to the board hours before they were due to leave.
It is believed that the boycott will leave CK around $50,000 out of pocket.
The contracts for the 16-man national squad expired at the end of May and had been expected to be renewed without difficulty, CK offering a 10% pay rise despite continuing poor on-field performances from the team.
However, last week a four-man deputation claiming to represent the squad met with CK officials and set out new terms which were deemed unacceptable.
They included reverting to a number of old terms and conditions which had been set aside a few years ago after the ICC, African Cricket Association and CK decided they stifled new players.
Surprisingly, the deputation did not contain any of the current squad but did include Maurice Odumbe, Steve Tikolo and Kennedy Otieno as well as Isaiah Odhiambo.