Under-19 World Cup 2008, 1st day

Pakistan U-19s 76 for 2 (Amin 31*, Shehzad 27*) beat Malaysia U-19s 75 (Arifin 28, Raza 6-29) by eight wickets

Adil Raza, the 16-year-old seamer, scythed through hosts Malaysia, taking 6 for 29, before Pakistan knocked off the runs with eight wickets to spare to begin their World Cup title defence in perfect fashion.

Pakistan needed only 9.3 overs to chase down their target of 76, with Umar Amin and Ahmed Shehzad adding 69 of those runs for the second wicket. Amin, who scored 31, hit seven fours in his breezy knock, while Shehzad saw Pakistan through to the finish

Pakistan captain Imad Wasim's decision to field first reaped immediate reward as his seamers Raza and Mohammad Aamer claimed three wickets apiece to have Malaysia reeling at 35 for 6 after 10 overs. Nik Azril Arifin, who scored 28 off 43 balls, was the only Malaysian who showed enough application to stay at the crease, and it was only a matter of time before Raza returned to polish off the tail.

Australia Us-19s 312 (Hill 124) beat Namibia U-19s 163 (Botha 56) by 149 runs

Michael Hill, the captain of the Australian side, scored the first century of the Under-19 World Cup as their team cruised to a 149-run win in their tournament opener against Namibia. After being put in to bat, most of the Australian top order frittered away the opportunity to get some batting practice, but Hill blasted 124 from a mere 71 balls to lift Australia to an imposing 312. Namibia were never in the hunt, and folded for 163 in just 31 overs.

Hill came to the crease in the second over the match, after Kumar Sarna was trapped in front for 1, and quickly set about dominating the Namibian bowlers. He hit an astonishing 11 sixes and added 126 for the third wicket with Steven Smith, whose contribution was 39, in just 13.3 overs. Hill fell in the 24th over, with Australia having already rocketed to 195, but thereafter the team lost its way as they added only 117 more runs. Michael Cranmer (40) and James Faulkner (36) got starts, but Namibia fought back with wickets towards the end as Australia's innings ended two overs short of their quota.

Namibia's run-chase never got a start - they lost their first two wickets with only ten on the board, and from there it was only a matter of damage control. Dawid Botha, their captain, helped achieve that with a blistering 46-ball 56, while Louis van der Westhuizen creamed 48 from 35, but thereafter wickets fell in a heap - the last six went down for 34 - as Namibia's innings folded with 19 overs to spare. Steven Smith finished as Australia's most successful bowler, his legspinners fetching him 4 for 41 from seven overs.

England U-19s 110 for 0 (Taylor 52*) beat Ireland U-19s 109 (Dougherty 34, Finn 3-21, Harris 3-40) by ten wickets

England's new-ball bowlers were the stars as they helped crush Ireland by ten wickets with more than 34 overs to spare in their first game of the Under-19 World Cup at Bayuemas Oval. Steven Finn, James Harris and Chris Woakes, the three seamers for England, did the job after Ireland were put in to bat, sharing eight out of ten wickets to bundle them out for 109. England's opening batsmen then completed the formalities, knocking off the runs in less than 16 overs.

Ireland's woes began soon after they began batting: Finn struck in his second over, getting rid of Paul Stirling, one of the openers, for 2. Wickets then fell at regular intervals, with Christopher Dougherty, the other opener, the batsman to offer some resistance. He made 34, and was one of only three batsmen to get into double digits. Finn and Harris helped themselves to three wickets each, while Woakes and Tom Westley, an offspinner, took two each.

Billy Godleman and James Taylor, the England openers, then knocked off the runs in a hurry. Godleman scored at more than a run a ball for his unbeaten 38, but Taylor managed the bulk of the strike, scoring an unbeaten 52 from 63 balls as England sailed him with plenty to spare.

India U-19s 280 for 5 (Goswami 58, Srivastava 83*) beat Papua New Guinea U-19s 85 (Sangwan 2-18, Abdulla 3-2) by 195 runs

Format change planned for Afro-Asia Cup

The Afro-Asian Cup, the second staging of which took place in Bangalore in June last year, looks likely to undergo a radical overhaul of its format.

The event has raised valuable funds for the African Cricket Association and the Asian Cricket Council, but it has been less than a hit with audiences and has been roundly condemned as an unnecessary burden in an already packed international calendar. The third Afro-Asian Cup was initially scheduled to be held in Kenya in June 2008 but Cricinfo was told several weeks ago it was unlikely to go ahead.

But while there had been speculation the event would be ditched completely, it is now reported that the organisers are to propose a new format which would involve matches being on a country basis rather than continent v continent, as is the case now.

There is already an Asia Cup - the itinerary for the 2008 event in June was revealed earlier this week - and to run alongside that there would be a new Africa Cup. That would be likely to feature South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, as well as other countries such as Namibia and Uganda. The winners from the two continents, and possibly the runners-up as well, would then progress to the finals.

A source close to the event told Cricinfo that the appeal of the revised format was that it would include more countries and appealed far more to local sponsors and broadcasters. What's more, the emerging African countries have been after more meaningful international cricket, and for them this will be a godsend.

It seems that the choice for the organisers was change or bust. The emergence of the IPL - and to a lesser degree the ICL and Stanford 20/20 - on top of the burgeoning Test and ODI merry-go-round means that the international calendar no longer has time for the Afro-Asia Cup as it was. More regional tournaments with a quick in-and-out best-of-three final anytime during the year seems to appease both organisers and sponsors, and it can be scheduled to fit in one of the increasingly rare gaps in the international schedule.

The proposal is due to be put to the next meeting of the Afro-Asia Cup Council early in March.

Kaneria hits out at 'lifeless pitches' in India

Danish Kaneria, the Pakistan legspinner, criticised the lifeless pitches prepared by India in the recent Test series, and said they made contests less interesting.

"I am really disappointed at not having the success my team and countrymen were expecting of me, but the pitches used in India were of low bounce and did not give any support to the bowlers,"

Kaneria told AFP. Pakistan lost the three-match series 1-0 and managed to bowl out India on only two occasions.

Kaneria said the turning point of the series was Pakistan's failure to put up a fighting total in the second innings of the first Test in Delhi. After conceding a first-innings lead of 35, Pakistan mustered only 247 in their second innings, enabling India complete a six-wicket win.

"Had we scored 300 runs, we would have won the first Test and from there on it would have been difficult for India to level the series."

"The pitches in the second Test at Kolkata and third at Bangalore were playing well even on the fifth day, which demoralised the bowlers,"

said Kaneria. Despite finishing as Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in the series with 12, he was disappointed he could not achieve his target of 20 wickets.

Pakistan's next assignment is a five-match ODI series at home against Zimbabwe, with the first match in Hyderabad on January 23.

Muhammad Asif likely to be out for two more months

KARACHI: Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif is expected to be out of cricket action for two more months after surgeons in Australia recommended that he needs to have surgery for his elbow problem.

PCB sent Asif last week to Sydney to consult a sports medicine specialist after the pacer failed to recover from an elbow strain and feature in the Indian tour last month.

“We have got a detailed report from the surgeon in Sydney and he has recommended surgery for which he has been given a go-ahead,”

a PCB official said.

Asif will have the corrective surgery on Monday after which the Board reckons he could be out of cricket for two months as part of his rehabilitation process.

“But the proper position would only be known after his initial check-up soon after the surgery. But the surgeon believes two months are required for the healing process to be completed,”

the official added. Asif missed out on the ongoing Indian tour because of the elbow injury and in November also sat out from four One-day Internationals against South Africa in the home series.

Fitness favours Pakistan in high-stakes finale

Buoyed up by a strong finish in the second Test in Kolkata, Pakistan are looking to turn the tables on hosts India in the final Test starting in Bangalore from tomorrow (Saturday).

A team official told on Thursday that the morale in the Pakistan camp is high after the drawn second Test in which the tourists made a great escape and now the players are confident of leveling the series in Bangalore.

“Unlike the previous Test when we had a lot of fitness headaches, things are much positive now and the players are looking ahead to end the series 1-1 here,”

Ahsan Malik, the team’s spokesman said in a telephonic conversation from Bangalore.

He said that Pakistan will miss the services of regular skipper Shoaib Malik, who continues to remain out due to an ankle injury, but pointed out that stand-in captain Younis Khan has full support of his team-mates.

Malik, who got injured in a training session immediately after the first Test in Delhi, had to sit out of the Kolkata Test and will be unable to take command of his team in Bangalore either.

“Malik went to see a specialist here today and was advised another five-day rest,”

said the official.

“The players are all pumped up to seal this Test and tell the world that they are match winners,”

he added. Pakistan lost the one-day series last month 2-3 and have been unable to come at par with India in the Test series, having lost the opening Test in Delhi by six wickets. They were reduced to the role of saving the second Test at the Eden Gardens after allowing India post a mammoth 616 in the first innings.

Pakistan carried out a training session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday but were unable to view the pitch which was covered because of wet weather.

“The captain and team officials will examine the pitch tomorrow after which the playing eleven for the Test will be decided in a team meeting,”

Malik said.

It is expected that the pitch will have some life for the pacers after two low and slow tracks at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi and the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. According to Narayan Raju, the curator, the wicket is hard with a lot of grass on it and ample moisture underneath.

With Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami fully fit and Sohail Tanvir, Rao Iftikhar Anjum and Yasir Arafat also available for selection, Pakistan have enough pace options. In contrast, India might struggle as some of their top pacers — Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, RP Singh and S Sreesanth — are all unavailable for the final Test.

Younis Khan moves up in ICC Test rankings

DUBAI: Pakistan’s Younis Khan has plenty of cause for celebration. Not only has he managed to keep the series against India alive by saving the second Test in Kolkata but he has also moved up one place to seventh in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player Rankings for Test batsmen.

According to an ICC media release, the 30-year-old, who was standing in as captain for Shoaib Malik, was rock-solid in the second innings when his side were relying on him to survive. At 78-4, things looked decidedly shaky but Younis was then joined by Mohammad Yousuf, himself occupying fourth position in the rankings, and the duo saw off the Indian onslaught.

Younis ended unbeaten on 107 and, coupled with a useful knock of 43 in the first innings, it was enough to lift him above Australia’s Matthew Hayden on the log. It was also a wonderful match for some of Younis’s Pakistan teammates. Maiden centurion Misbah-ul-Haq moved up 22 places to 44th position with his 161 not out in the first innings while wicket-keeper/batsman Kamran Akmal progress five places to 29th spot after a fine 119.

India, too, have their share of upward mobility in the latest rankings. Wasim Jaffer has reached his career-best rating following a stellar match for the man from Mumbai. A double century in the first innings was backed up by a half-century in the second with the result that the 29-year-old moves up no fewer than 17 places to 23rd in the latest rankings.

There was also progress for Sourav Ganguly (up four places to 24th position), VVS Laxman (up one place to 19th position) and Sachin Tendulkar (up one place to 17th spot).

Australia’s Ricky Ponting still leads the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen. He is now under serious pressure from South Africa’s Jacques Kallis but even more so from Kumar Sangakkara in third position, who is in such fine form for Sri Lanka.

With the batsmen dominating the match in Kolkata, many of the bowlers have slipped a little in the ICC Player Rankings for Test bowlers. India’s Anil Kumble drops one place to joint-sixth position while teammate Zaheer Khan slips a place to 12th spot and Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria is down two places to 16th.

Muttiah Muralitharan is still out in front of the bowling rankings and may even stretch his lead when the rankings are updated on Thursday (today) following the conclusion of the Test between Sri Lanka and England in Kandy.

Meanwhile, there is no change at the top of the ICC Player Rankings for Test all-rounders with Kallis almost out of sight. The South African is a remarkable 190 rating points ahead of his nearest rival, Andrew Flintoff of England, with another Protea, Shaun Pollock, in third position.

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, 8th round, 4th day

Group A

National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) easily defeated Pakistan Customs by 214 runs at the NBP Sports Complex. Customs, set a target of 410 to win, fell way behind and, after a third-wicket partnership of 100 between Asif Iqbal and Bilal Shafayat, lost their last seven wickets for only 85 runs. Tahir Mughal took 7 for 59 through some devastating bowling as Customs crashed to 195 all out. With two wickets in the first innings, the 30-year-old Tahir 9 for 125 in the match. Bilal scored 63 runs off only 76 balls with 10 fours and a six while Iqbal contributed 63. Later, Yasir Shah chipped in with a quick 31but could not avoid the inevitable as Customs folded in 60 overs.

Hyderabad were denied a win by Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) at the Niaz Stadium as the latter, after having been set a target of 458, batted their way to safety with 360 for 6 by close of the match. An opening partnership of 128 set the tone for the day as WAPDA batsmen delivered a much-improved performance in the second innings. Ahmed Said top scored with 80 while his opening partner Kashif Rashid scored 71. Zulqarnain Haider, the wicketkeeper, remained unbeaten on 51 off 115 balls and shared a 96-run sixth-wicket partnership with Kashif Raza to take WAPDA to safety.

Habib Bank Limited (HBL) retained their position at the top of the table as they beat Multan by two wickets at the Multan Cricket Stadium. HBL made heavy weather of their target of 132 and lost eight wickets for 104 runs before finally managing to win. A heroic unbeaten 55 from Hasan Raza, their captain, took HBL through. Ansar Javed and Rahat Ali, both left-arm medium-fast bowlers, almost pulled off an exciting win for Multan. Both captured four wickets apiece with Ansar conceding 49 runs from his 14 overs and Rahat only 31 runs in 13 overs.

After having conceded an 18-run lead to Sialkot, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) managed to draw the match by scoring 320 for 4 in their second innings at the Jinnah Stadium. Opening batsman Asif Zakir made amends for missing a hundred in the first innings by making a monumental 170 in the second, his seventh first-class century. He faced only 258 deliveries and hit 20 fours while sharing valuable partnerships with all batsmen.

Despite a double-century by Asad Shafiq, Karachi Whites failed to attain a first-innings lead over Faisalabad on the final day of their match at the Iqbal Stadium. Chasing Faisalabad's 499, Karachi put up a brave effort but fell short by 48 runs. Shafiq batted for over eight and a half hours and faced 350 balls for his 223, which included 25 fours and two sixes. By close, Faisalabad had reached 100 for 3 in their second innings after having lost all the wickets with only 17 runs on the board. A splendid unbroken stand of 83 for the fourth wicket between Imran Ali (37) and first innings centurion Mohammad Salman (49) took them to safety.

Group B

An unbroken 97-run sixth-wicket partnership saved Karachi Blues from an innings defeat against Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) at the KRL Stadium. Resuming on 217 for 7 in their first-innings, Karachi lost their last three wickets for one run and conceded a lead of 185. Following on, Karachi were reeling at 147 for 5 but Faraz Patel and Shadab Kabir scored unbeaten half-centuries to take their team to 244 without losing any more wickets.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) retained their position at the top of the table after gaining a 128-run first-innings lead over Lahore Shalimar at the Gaddafi Stadium. Lahore stretched their first-innings score to 436 after resuming on 315 for 6 overnight. Sibtain Raza, batting at No 9, scored an 80-ball 85 with 14 fours and a six to take Lahore past 400. Fazl-e-Akbar, former Pakistan international, finished with 7 for 103. With a first-innings lead and three points taken, PIA opted for batting practice, notching up a score of 245 for 2 with Khurram Manzoor (108) and Kamran Sajid (103*) adding 223 runs for the second wicket.

Peshawar were denied a win by Quetta even after forcing the latter to follow-on at the Arbab Niaz Stadium. Quetta had surrended a lead of 164 but, in their second innings, compiled 360 for 9 with ten of their batsmen going into double figures and taking their team to safety.

At the Mirpur Cricket Stadium, Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) took a first-innings lead over Rawalpindi after dismissing them for 242. Mohammad Khalil grabbed four wickets while Inam-ul-Haq captured three for ZTBL. Barring Usama Shahroon and Usman Saeed, none of the Rawalpindi batsmen were able to make an impact.

There was play at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium on the last two day's of Sui Northern Gas Pipeline's (SNGPL) match against Abbottabad. SNGPL had declared their first-innings on 317 for 5 after an unbeaten 100 by Yasir Arafat and Umar Akmal's 97. In reply, thanks to identical scores of 115 not out by vice-captain Wajid Ali and captain Adnan Raees, Abbottabad managed 355 for 2 in just 69 overs to earn a first-innings lead as well as three points.

Group A

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	Aban	Pts
Habib Bank	7	6	1	0	0	0	54
National Bnk	7	5	0	0	2	0	48
WAPDA	7	4	0	0	3	0	39
Faisalabad	8	2	2	0	4	0	27
Lahore Ravi	7	3	3	0	1	0	27
Karachi Whites	7	2	2	0	3	0	21
Multan	8	2	3	0	3	0	21
Sui Sthn Gas	7	2	2	0	3	0	21
Sialkot	7	1	3	0	3	0	15
Hyd (Pakstn)	7	0	4	0	3	0	3
Pakistan Customs	8	0	7	0	1	0	3

Group B

Team	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	Aban	Pts
PIA	8	5	0	0	3	0	48
Sui Gas	7	5	1	0	1	0	45
Islamabad	7	4	3	0	0	0	36
Khan RL	7	2	1	0	4	0	27
Zarai TBL	8	2	2	0	4	0	24
Lahore Shalimar	8	2	2	0	4	0	18
Rawalpindi	7	1	2	0	4	0	18
Peshawar	7	1	4	0	2	0	15
Karachi Blues	7	1	3	0	3	0	12
Abbottabad	7	0	2	0	5	0	9
Quetta	7	0	3	0	4	0	3

ICC launches U-19 World Cup

Pakistan will start their defence of the Under-19 World Cup by playing the hosts Malaysia on February 17 as they bid to become the first team to win a hat-trick of titles. The tournament was officially launched in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday as the ICC announced the schedule.

Pakistan are the only team to have won back-to-back titles at this level, having triumphed in 2004 and 2006 in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka respectively and start as top seeds in Malaysia. India, the winners from 2000 and beaten finalist last year, are seeded second, with Australia (winners in 1988 and 2002) seeded third and England (winners in 1998) fourth as those two sides were losing semi-finalists in 2006.

All four will be in action on the opening day with Pakistan meeting Malaysia at Johor Cricket Academy in Johor, India facing Papua New Guinea (PNG) at Kinrara Cricket Academy in Kuala Lumpur, Australia taking on Namibia at Penang Sports Club in Penang, and England facing Ireland at Selangor Turf Club in Kuala Lumpur.

The 16 participating teams will be battling for a place in the final on March 2 in Kuala Lumpur. Besides the ICC's 10 full members and hosts Malaysia, five qualifiers - Namibia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Ireland, and Bermuda - will take part in the two-week long tournament.

"I am looking forward to what should be a great tournament,"

David Morgan, ICC president-elect, said.

"Over the years, U-19 World Cup has proven to be a great breeding ground for some of the best players in the world. Many have progressed from this level into their respective senior teams and I've no doubt the experience of playing at this event helped them no end when they got their chance at the top level."

"For the first time, the event is being hosted by one of our Associate Members - and it is great to see Malaysia staging another ICC tournament. Another first is the fact that apart from hosting the tournament, Malaysia will be participating in their first World Cup. It will also be the debut performance of Bermuda, which qualified for this event through the Americas Region earlier this year."

YAM Tunku Imran, president of the Malaysian Cricket Association, said:

"We thank the ICC for recognising the development programmes that we have implemented and seeing the potential that Malaysia has as a cricketing nation.

"Through the years we have been able to host many international events and we believe that we will be able to host an event of this magnitude and prestige successfully. Furthermore, we have impressive cricket grounds of international standards complete with necessary facilities to accommodate an event of this nature."

Groups (seedings in brackets)

Group A (to be based in Johor) - Pakistan (1), Zimbabwe (8), New Zealand (9), Malaysia (16)

Group B (to be based in Kuala Lumpur) - India (2), West Indies (7), South Africa (10), PNG (15)

Group C (to be based in Penang) - Australia (3), Sri Lanka (6), Nepal (11), Namibia (14)

Group D (to be based in Kuala Lumpur) - England (4), Bangladesh (5), Bermuda (12), Ireland (13)

Major dates

February 10 - Teams arrives
February 11-14 - Warm-up matches
February 15 - Opening ceremony
February 17-22 - First group stage
February 24-March 1 - Super League and Plate competitions
March 2- Final

Thank God I did all right, expresses Sarfraz

NEW DELHI: It was a debut that Sarfraz Ahmed will remember for the rest of his life. In front of thousands of Indian fans at the majestic Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, the 20-year-old Sarfraz kept the wickets for Pakistan and didn’t take long in making a good impression on everybody watching the game.

“The feeling was better than what I’ve imagined,”

said the Karachi-born youngster, who led Pakistan to a title-winning triumph in last year’s Youth World Cup.

“To be playing for Pakistan against India in India was like a dream come true and thank God I did all right,”

he expressed.

Sarfraz had replaced the out-of-sorts Kamran Akmal in the final game of the series and gave a good account of himself with two catches. A talented middle-order batsman, Sarfraz didn’t get a chance to bat in the game that Pakistan won to finish the five-match series 2-3.

“For me the best part was that we won the match,”

he said.

“We really played well today and it was great to be a part of it,”

he added. Sarfraz, who was rushed to India last week after Akmal suffered from a finger injury, said that he took the field confidently after getting complete backing from the ‘captain, coach and other senior players’.

“Shoaib bhai sat down with me and told me that whatever happens in the match he would back me and that really helped. The coach was also very supportive and so were all the senior players and I must say that without their backing I couldn’t have played the way I did,”

he explained.

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, commended Sarfraz’s performance in his debut match and said that the youngster has a great future in international cricket.

“Sarfraz really did us proud,”

he said.

Team manager Talat Ali Malik described Sarfraz as a ‘natural’ wicket-keeper saying that he is a welcome addition to the Pakistan squad.

“Sarfraz is athletic and has the reflexes of a natural wicket-keeper,”

he said.

“The boy is still quite young and I’m sure with experience he would turn into a world-class player,”

he remarked.

Fourth ODI, Pakistan Vs India, Gwalior

A glorious exhibition of strokeplay from Sachin Tendulkar put India in the ascendancy as Pakistan struggled to stay afloat in the five-match ODI series. On a pitch where most other batsmen were restricted in their shot-making, Tendulkar played with the fluency and confidence of old, finding gaps with effortless ease as India ate into the target of 256.

To compound Pakistan's problems, Shoaib Akhtar, who bowled with genuine menace for three overs, went off with what looked like a shin injury after completing his fourth. He returned only in the 25th over, by which time India were well past half-way. In his absence, Tendulkar unveiled some stunning drives, including a couple of pushes through the covers off the back foot that brought back memories of the halcyon years.

Sourav Ganguly and Gautam Gambhir didn't make much of an impression. Ganguly poked one into the slip cordon off Shoaib, and Gambhir pulled a poor delivery from Rao Iftikhar Anjum straight to Sohail Tanvir at midwicket. That brought Virender Sehwag to the crease, and though he was scratchy early on, Tendulkar's punched drives and measured clips off the pads gave him the time to play himself into form. A chop behind point set the tone, and a withering cover-drive then suggested that Redemption Road wasn't too far away.

And after Shahid Afridi had stemmed the tide for a couple of overs, it was Sehwag that once again unleashed mayhem with a huge six over midwicket. Tendulkar followed suit with three magnificent drives through cover, each timed better than the previous one. For the Pakistani bowlers who have taken a pounding in this series, respite didn't seem to be on the agenda.

50 overs
Pakistan 255 for 6 (Yousuf 99*, Younis 68, Zaheer 2-40)

On a sluggish pitch where unfettered strokeplay was rarely an option, Pakistan were indebted to the old firm of Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan for a competitive total that gave them some hope of squaring the series. Having elected to bat, Pakistan made sedate progress before Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq injected some much needed urgency in the final phase of the innings. Younis had dropped anchor initially with a doughty 68, and there was also a patchy innings from Shoaib Malik after he promoted himself to the opener's slot.

Yousuf's splendid unbeaten 99 - he needed three off the last ball, but could get only two to long-off - was anything but patchy though, with some glorious drives through the covers and a lofted six over midwicket off Harbhajan Singh. As ever, he was immensely strong off the pads, and with Misbah ticking along at a run a ball, the run-rate crept towards five.

India though rarely let things drift. The bowlers, both pace and spin, were fairly accurate, and the fielding a marked improvement on the previous games. Even Sourav Ganguly played his part, with the priceless wicket of Shahid Afridi, slightly unfortunate to be given leg before after being struck just outside the line of off stump.

At that stage, Pakistan were in disarray at 131 for 4, with Younis having looped a return catch to Yuvraj Singh off the leading edge. But Yousuf's ability to find the gaps made the difference as the sluggishness of the early overs was forgotten by the finish.

Malik surely wouldn't have bargained for Salman Butt lasting only two balls. RP Singh, taking the new ball, shaped the ball from leg to middle to trap him plumb in front, 129 short of what he had scored on Sunday. Left to consolidate, he and Younis did it mainly in singles, and even those didn't come along frequently.

It took 14 overs for the 50 to be raised, and there was a moment of controversy as the Indians claimed a catch behind off Younis. Amiesh Saheba made the right decision though, with the ball having bounced just before nestling in MS Dhoni's gloves. Pakistan were just beginning to shed the shackles when Zaheer Khan picked up his 200th ODI wicket. Malik's heave against the line was an ugly one, and it got what it deserved - an inside edge on to the stumps.

With the run-rate still below four after 20 overs, acceleration was required and, though Yousuf signalled his intent with a loft down to long-on off Yuvraj Singh, India refused to loosen the grip. Younis was given a reprieve on 48, when Dhoni missed a tough stumping chance off the pads, and it was left to him and Yousuf to ensure that India would have a tricky target to chase under lights.

Pakistan agree Gwalior has a perfect batting track

GWALIOR, India: Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik and team officials on Tuesday inspected the wicket here at the Roop Singh stadium ahead of the must-win game of the series against India to be played tomorrow (Thursday).

A team official said that Shoaib, coach Geoff Lawson and manager Talat Ali Malik agreed to the general impression that a perfect batting wicket has been prepared for the crucial fourth one-dayer.

“It is a true batting wicket and could produce a high-scoring game on Thursday,”

said the official.Pakistan will take the field for tomorrow’s One-day International 1-2 down in the series after having lost the previous game in Kanpur. They have won here to remain alive in this five-game series.

Before the arrival of the Pakistanis at the stadium, the chief groundsman had said that fans should get ready for a run feast on Thursday. Samndar Singh Chauhan, Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association’s chief curator, told reporters that a perfect batting strip at the Roop Singh stadium will ensure a high-scoring game between Pakistan and India.

Chauhan said that the wicket is so good that even a score of 280-290 will be chasable.

“It’s a perfect batting wicket and we have prepared it keeping in view the fact that people want to watch exciting and high-scoring games,”

he said.

He added, the pitch will remain in good shape even in the second innings and a score around 280 will not be difficult to chase. Chauhan believes that both Pakistan and India are unlikely to field two spinners in the game like the way they did in Kanpur. There is a tinge of grass on the pitch but it will most probably be removed before the game.

Chauhan said:

“There is some grass on the wicket but we are rolling it down to turn it into brown. Actually, we do not want sideways movement otherwise the match will be a low-scoring one.”

He added:

“The temperature during the day is 33-34 degrees while in the night it dips to 12-13 degrees.So there is a possibility of heavy dew. We have chemical spray but it is not of very good quality. We are trying to get a better machine from Delhi by tomorrow.”

Lara, Inzamam named in ICL teams

Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq headlined the list of players as the Indian Cricket League (ICL) announced its teams for the inaugural tournament. Lara has been named in the Mumbai Champs side while Inzamam will play for Hyderabad Heroes.

Inzamam and Lara, along with Stuart Law, Chris Cairns and Craig McMillan are likely to lead the teams.

The other international players include Abdul Razzaq, Taufeeq Umar and Shabbir Ahmed of Pakistan, Australia's Ian Harvey, South Africa's Johan Van der Wath, Lance Klusener, Nicky Boje and Andrew Hall, New Zealand's Nathan Astle, Chris Harris and Daryl Tuffey and England's Vikram Solanki. The ICL is in talks with Sri Lanka's Marvan Atapattu, while Russel Arnold and Upul Chandana have already signed.

The overseas players have been spread among the six teams - Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chandigarh Lions, Chennai Superstars, Delhi Jets and Kolkata Tigers. The coaches for these teams are Sandeep Patil, Madan Lal, Balwinder Sandhu, Moin Khan, Daryll Cullinan and Michael Bevan.

"We have ensured the teams are balanced in every way and receive the best facilities in terms of coaching, showcasing their talent and exposure to international cricket,"

Kapil Dev, the chairman of the ICL's executive board, said.

"I wish all the players best of luck for the tournament."

The teams will be taking part in a practice camp in their respective cities.

The tournament begins on November 30 in Panchkula, a town near Chandigarh.

Teams:

Chennai Superstars: Stuart Law, Ian Harvey, Hemang Badani, Chris Read (wk), Russell Arnold, Sridharan Sriram, Shabbir Ahmed, V Devendran, R Sathish, Dakshinamoorthy Kumaran, Hemanth Kumar, Jamaluddin Syed Mohammed, Thiru Kumaran, J Hareish, V Sarvanan, R Jesuraj, Sanjeev Martin, G Vignesh, P Vivek.
Coach: Michael Bevan

Hyderabad Heroes: Inzamam-ul-Haq, Chris Harris, Nicky Boje, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, Anirudh Singh, Ambati Rayudu, S Shahubuddin, Stuart Binny, IS Reddy, Vinay Kumar, Ibrahim Khaleel, Kaushik Reddy, Bheema Rao, Alfred Absolem, Shashank Nag, PS Niranjan, Baburao Yadav, Zakaria Zuffri.
Coach: Moin Khan

Kolkata Tigers: Craig McMillan, Lance Klusener, Darren Maddy, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, Rohan Gavaskar, Upul Chandana, Deep Dasgupta, Abu Nechim, Parviz Aziz, Shiv Sagar Singh, Boyd Rankin, Mihir Diwakar, Rajiv Kumar, Sayed Akhlakh, Subhomoy Das, Sujay Tarafdar, Pritam Das, Anshu Jain, Ali H Zaidi.
Coach: Daryll Cullinan

Delhi Jets: Taufeeq Umar, Niall O'Brien, Paul Nixon, Dale Benkenstein, JP Yadav, Mohnish Mishra, Abbas Ali, Ali Murtaza, T Sudhindra, Abid Nabi, Sachin Dholpure, Abhishek Tamrakar, Dishant Yagnik, Dhruv Mahajan, Abhinav Bali, Raghav Sachdev.
Coach: Madan Lal

Mumbai Champs: Brian Lara, Vikram Solanki, Robin Morris, Nathan Astle, Kiran Powar, Shreyas Khanolkar, Johan Van der Wath, Rakesh Patel, Avinash Yadav, Nantie Hayward, Subhojit Paul, Dheeraj Jadhav, A Sanklecha, Ranjeet Kirid, Pushkaraj Joshi, Suyash Burkul, Raviraj Patil, Nikhil Mandale, Sridher Iyer.
Coach: Sandeep Patil

Chandigarh Lions: Chris Cairns, Imran Farhat, Dinesh Mongia, Hamish Marshall, Andrew Hall, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Rajesh Sharma, TP Singh, Sarabjeet Singh, Ishan Malhotra, Daryl Tuffey, Sumit Kalia, Chetan Sharma, Manish Sharma, Luv Ablish, Bipul Sharma, Karanveer Singh, Amit Uniyal, Gaurav Gupta, Harpreet Singh.
Coach: Balwinder Sandhu

‘Akhtar is getting fitter and stronger’

KANPUR: Pakistani officials insist that Shoaib Akhtar is getting fitter and stronger with each day he spends in the team camp even as speculations surfaced that he could be carrying a knee injury.

Shoaib began the series bowling at a furious pace but has been showing signs of exhaustion and is mostly relying on his slower delivery to take wickets against the Indians in the ongoing ODI series.

There were rumours that the hard work he has been through in the series has left him with a painful knee but team manager denied it here on Sunday.

“Look at him, does he look unfit,”

Talat Ali asked a group of Pakistani reporters as Shoaib bowled the match’s fifth over against India here.

“The thing about Shoaib is that people always speculate about him,”

said Talat.

“I just want to make it clear that Shoaib is a hundred percent fit and in fact he is getting fitter and fitter,”

he added.

Shoaib has spent the best part of the year on the sidelines because of injury and suspension and just returned to international cricket by featuring in the final ODI against South Africa in Lahore last month.

Shoaib, 33, is expected to play a key role in Pakistan’s campaign in the current ODI series in India as the tourists are 1-2 down and need to win the remaining two matches. More importantly, Shoaib will be needed to bowl at his brilliant best in the three-match Test series against India starting in Delhi from November 22. Talat was confident that Shoaib will play a major role in Pakistan’s Test campaign on this tour.

Pakistan likely to call up additional wicketkeeper

Kamran Akmal's continuing descent behind the stumps has forced the Pakistan team management to call for another wicketkeeper to boost their squad for the remainder of the current tour against India. Though not officially confirmed yet, Sarfraz Ahmed, the promising young wicketkeeper, will be the man going to India.

Akmal has had a shocking ODI series behind the stumps in India: he has dropped four catches in three matches, including a reprieve to Sourav Ganguly off the first ball of the third ODI in Kanpur. Sadly for Pakistan and Akmal, it is merely a continuation of the poor form that has plagued him over the last 18 months, where he has spilled chances regularly in England, South Africa and at home.

The selectors were keen on sticking with him through the India tour, given his experience and the high-profile nature of the contest, but so fragile have his performances become, they have been left with no other option.

Akmal, however, will remain in India and officials stress that the selection is of a back-up, not a replacement. Akmal has, according to officials, aggravated a hand injury, which has both hampered his performances and now requires rest.

"Akmal played with injury today [in Kanpur] and it worsened, so the team decided to ask for an additional wicketkeeper,"

Javed Akhtar, the team's media co-ordinator, told.

"The management requested the board for another wicketkeeper,"

an official told.

"Akmal will stay on in India. He has a problem in his right hand and it has prevented him for doing his job. So we have decided to send Sarfraz, not as a replacement but as a back-up to Akmal."

Sarfraz is highly-regarded in domestic circles. He was captain of the Under-19 team that won the World Cup in Sri Lanka last year and in his debut first-class season for Karachi, impressed behind and in front of the stumps. This season he has progressed: he performed admirably in the two four-day matches for Pakistan A against Australia A in September.

Having joined Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) this season, he has put together a good start to the domestic season, with 15 victims in three matches and a couple of fifties for added measure.

"We've had our eye on Sarfraz for a while now. He is a promising young wicketkeeper, he can also bat a bit and is doing well this season,"

said the official.

"This is a good opportunity for him."

Third ODI, Pakistan Vs India, Kanpur, November 11, 2007

Led by Yuvraj Singh with bat, ball and in the field, India repelled a determined push from Salman Butt to pull off an ultimately comfortable 46-run win at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Butt's fourth ODI hundred intermittently threatened India's 294 but it was built without solid support and ultimately wasn't enough to prevent them taking a 2-1 series lead.

Yuvraj foiled Pakistan at key moments, first with an intelligent, elegant 77, then with a shining run out amid a gloomy fielding performance and finally with a vital wicket. The interventions were necessary for when Pakistan began the chase, their target appeared a stroll.

Perhaps it is the Kanpur air, but Pakistan's openers prosper here. Two years ago, Shahid Afridi terrorised India; today Butt gave them a fright. It had rained boundaries when India's openers were at the crease earlier, but with Butt, Afridi and Younis Khan there came a monsoon. Afridi set the tone from his first ball and though an ugly swish was his end - Irfan Pathan is on top in this battle of Pathans - the boundaries continued.

It wasn't surprising that Butt was in the mix, for against India, he generally is. He averages 45 against them, as compared to 33 overall and all his hundreds have been against them.

Of his initial strokes, not one would be out of place in a Test and if we're familiar with the wristy flourishes through off, his leg-side play was surprisingly prominent. An early pull wide of mid-on was an appetiser, a punch through midwicket in Zaheer Khan's first over, a grand main course and a clip between the two to bring up his fifty a zesty dessert.

But India soon wised up: Zaheer switched to round the wicket, the off side was tightened and Butt's cover drives made redundant. Boundaries vanished, runs slowed and wickets fell. For all their fielding comedy, India - or rather Yuvraj - managed to pull off a spectacular run out when it mattered, with Mohammad Yousuf being the lazy, familiar victim.

Spinners took over in the 20th over and a wily choke slowly fell into view: spin, bounce, little flight, gaps not easy to pierce, hurried play. Butt struggled against Harbhajan Singh in particular: he hit ten fours in his first fifty, but didn't hit another for 56 balls. Yuvraj bogged Shoaib Malik down first, before dismissing him and in this passage the result was written, though not without another nearly-there innings by Misbah-ul-Haq.

Yuvraj's earlier intervention was as decisive, with a familiar partner in crime. Yuvraj and Dhoni spell trouble for Pakistan for today they put on their fourth century stand against them in seven innings (average 99.8), and like the others, this came when it mattered most and at terrifying pace.

Pakistan had just clawed some momentum back after a poor start. Old men might struggle with early mornings, but Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly were as sprightly as a pair of teens after being put in. Ganguly was blessed with a life off the first ball of the match when Kamran Akmal dropped him and it was just the boost he needed.

Duly, the pair punished Pakistan with boundaries. And just when another century stand awaited ODI cricket's greatest opening pair, Pakistan cut their losses along with their pace and brought in Sohail Tanvir. He responded with a wonderful, controlled spell, immediately finding the edge off Tendulkar, who thus fell, for the second match running, to cricket's unluckiest dismissal: caught Akmal.

A few run-light overs later, Ganguly too was gone and suddenly as Gautam Gambhir went, Pakistan strutted with collars upturned. But not for long. Yuvraj was dropped when still nervy, ironically by Butt. Dhoni and Yuvraj then took drinks, took stock and took control. Yuvraj made the first move, a spell of two runs in three overs broken by two sixes, swept and driven off Abdur Rehman. And when fun is to be had, Dhoni doesn't miss out. He matched his deputy next over, though where Yuvraj caressed balls with love, Dhoni fairly bludgeoned two sixes.

Shoaib Akhtar and Afridi were treated as one, clubbed for three boundaries in two overs. Yuvraj was choosier, sweeping Afridi for four to reach fifty and celebrating the next ball with six. Afridi the legspinner is at his peak, but Indian batsmen don't care: two wickets in three games at nearly six an over in this series is in line with a career bowling average of nearly 58 against India.

The pair brought up their century partnership in the 43rd over, and even though Dhoni went immediately after, India were set. Tanvir excelled again at the death, but was alone. Abdur Rehman was hidden for as long as possible, and when he couldn't be hidden any longer, India prospered. His last three overs went for 41, the misery of miseries for Malik being that they were the 45th, 47th and 49th of the innings. Yuvraj and the lower order picked him for sixes as a sniper might a sitting duck. In the final calculation, that period sealed it.

	India v Pakistan
Venue	Modi Stadium, Kanpur on 11th November 2007 (50-over match)
Toss	Pakistan won the toss and decided to field
Result	India won by 46 runs
Umpires	IJ Gould (England), AM Saheba
Third umpire	SL Shastri
Referee	RS Mahanama (Sri Lanka)
Man of the Match	Yuvraj Singh

---

India innings		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
SC Ganguly	b Sohail Tanvir	39	46	4	1
SR Tendulkar	c Kamran Akmal b Sohail Tanvir	29	27	5	-
G Gambhir	b Abdur Rehman	25	49	1	-
Yuvraj Singh	c Misbah-ul-Haq b Abdur Rehman	78	95	4	3
*+MS Dhoni	b Shoaib Akhtar	49	52	4	2
RV Uthappa	b Umar Gul	19	17	1	1
IK Pathan	not out	17	7	-	2
Harbhajan Singh	not out	10	10	-	-
M Kartik	did not bat
Z Khan	did not bat
RP Singh	did not bat
xtras	(6 b, 2 lb, 3 nb, 17 w)	28
Total	(6 wickets, innings closed, 50 overs)	294
Fall of wickets: 1-68 (Tendulkar, 10.4 ov), 2-82 (Ganguly, 14.1 ov), 3-129 (Gambhir, 27.6 ov), 4-229 (Dhoni, 43.1 ov), 5-260 (Yuvraj Singh, 46.3 ov), 6-265 (Uthappa, 47.2 ov)

Pakistan bowling	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	Wides	No-Balls
Shoaib Akhtar	10	1	41	1	4	2
Umar Gul	10	0	70	1	2	1
Sohail Tanvir	10	1	26	2	1	-
Shahid Afridi	7	0	57	0	2	-
Shoaib Malik	6	1	34	0	2	-
Abdur Rehman	7	0	58	2	2	-

---

Pakistan innings		Runs	Balls	4s	6s
Salman Butt	lbw b Harbhajan Singh	129	142	17	-
Shahid Afridi	b Pathan	12	7	2	-
Younis Khan	b RP Singh	21	21	4	-
Mohammad Yousuf	run out (Yuvraj Singh)	16	24	2	-
*Shoaib Malik	lbw b Yuvraj Singh	12	32	2	-
Misbah-ul-Haq	b Kartik	38	47	2	-
+Kamran Akmal	c Harbhajan Singh b RP Singh	2	2	-	-
Sohail Tanvir	run out (RP Singh)	0	0	-	-
Abdur Rehman	b RP Singh	2	5	-	-
Shoaib Akhtar	c sub (RG Sharma) b Khan	1	2	-	-
Umar Gul	not out	2	2	-	-
Extras	(1 lb, 12 w)	13
Total	(all out, 47.2 overs)	248
Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Shahid Afridi, 3.2 ov), 2-72 (Younis Khan, 8.6 ov), 3-104 (Mohammad Yousuf, 17.4 ov), 4-134 (Shoaib Malik, 27.3 ov), 5-214 (Misbah-ul-Haq, 41.6 ov), 6-226 (Kamran Akmal, 43.4 ov), 7-231 (Sohail Tanvir, 43.6 ov), 8-244 (Abdur Rehman, 45.6 ov), 9-246 (Salman Butt, 46.5 ov), 10-248 (Shoaib Akhtar, 47.2 ov)

India bowling	Overs	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	Wides	No-Balls
RP Singh	8	1	62	3	1	-
Pathan	10	0	61	1	1	-
Khan	7.2	2	25	1	1	-
Harbhajan Singh	10	0	32	1	3	-
Kartik	6	0	38	1	1	-
Yuvraj Singh	5	0	18	1	1	-
Tendulkar	1	0	11	0	-	-