Domestic ban for Pakistan's ICL players

The Pakistan Cricket Board has banned players who participated in the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL) from playing in the ongoing domestic season. Six Pakistan players - Inzamam-ul-Haq, Azhar Mahmood, Abdul Razzaq, Shabbir Ahmed, Imran Farhat and Taufiq Umar - appeared in the inaugural tournament of the ICL earlier this month.

"It is a policy decision that players who play in unauthorised leagues cannot be allowed to play in any domestic competition organised by the PCB,"

said Shafiq Ahmed, the PCB domestic cricket general manager.

"We cannot allow violation of our rules and regulations by anyone. We don't think it is a harsh decision."

Reacting to the ban, Farhat told Reuters,

"Cricket is our bread and butter. This is a violation of our fundamental rights."

He said the players would take legal action and try to obtain a stay on the ban.

The PCB had already announced that players associating with the ICL would not be considered for national selection.

On Saturday, the Indian board had stated its displeasure with Daryl Tuffey, the New Zealand fast bowler and an ICL recruit, being allowed to represent his state side Auckland in a 50-over match against the visiting Bangladesh side.

Misbah takes 23rd position in ICC Test rankings

KARACHI: Following his outstanding performance in the Test series against India, Pakistani batsman Misbah-ul-Haq has entered into the top-25 of ICC Test rankings for batsmen.

This is a major move as the right-handed middle-order batsman jumped from the 88th position to the 23rd after scoring 464 runs in six innings at an average of 116.

Other big mover is Sourav Ganguly who has entered into the top-20 for the first time in seven years.

The left-hander notched up two centuries, one fifty at an average of 89.00 to earn the Player of the Series award and jump four places to 20th in the ICC list.

However, Pakistan’s vice-captain Younus Khan dropped from seventh to eighth and India’s Sachin Tendulkar dropped a rung to 19th.

On the bowling front, India's Test captain Anil Kumble is relishing his time in charge and the veteran leg-spinner took 18 wickets in the three-Test series to move up two places to fifth in the bolwers list but Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar came down to 10th position.

Meanwhile, pace spearhead Irfan Pathan's maiden Test hundred has pushed him to the sixth spot in the rankings for all-rounders, behind Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka.

At the top, Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara and Australia's Ricky Ponting are sharing the number one position in the rankings for batsmen.

The two are locked on 936 ratings points but Sangakkara has the first chance to move ahead again when Sri Lanka and England take the field for the third and final Test of the series in Galle, starting on Tuesday.

Pakistan Vs India, 3rd Test, Bangalore, 3rd day

akistan 369 for 5 (Younis 80, Butt 68, Misbah 54*, Akmal 32*) trail India 626 by 257 runs

After their efforts that saved the Kolkata Test, Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal staged another rearguard action that brightened Pakistan's chances of avoiding the follow-on in the final Test. Pakistan had slumped to 288 for 5 midway through the afternoon, but their unbeaten 81-run partnership righted the balance somewhat on a day when the Indian bowlers had to work exceptionally hard for little reward. The variable bounce challenged the batsmen, but also took its toll on the Indians, with 31 byes conceded in an astonishing tally of 70 extras.

When Faisal Iqbal's innings of 22 was ended by a nasty lifter from Ishant Sharma, India would have scented an opportunity to finish things off quickly. Sharma was impressive with the second new ball, bowling with good pace and extracting disconcerting bounce.

Misbah survived a couple of confident leg-before shouts, and luck was very much on his side on a day when Rudi Koertzen failed to spot a thin edge behind off Harbhajan Singh's bowling. Misbah was on one at the time, and his 151-ball half-century frustrated the Indians all afternoon.

He wasn't all stodge either, playing some lovely cuts and steers when the bowlers dropped short, but the aggressive intent was left to Kamran Akmal, who once again cut and drove beautifully against his favourite opposition. By stumps, Pakistan needed just 58 to ensure India bat again, a healthy position that appeared unlikely when their two main men fell in quick succession before tea.

After Salman Butt had fallen in the morning session, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf added 72 at a fair clip. Younis played a glorious cover-drive off Ishant Sharma, and once again showed his mastery of the reverse sweep with three off Harbhajan. With Yousuf driving Anil Kumble on the up over cover, some of the Indians must have been dreading another marathon partnership between two men who average over 80 together, and an astounding 171.50 against India.

Younis's predilection for the reverse sweep, though, changed the game. When Harbhajan came round the wicket, he went for it again, only to be undone by the low bounce. Soon after, an irked Yousuf walked up to Kumble at gully and exchanged words. He didn't appear to be mollified by the response, and the incident probably had a lot to do with his dismissal - a loose steer to point after Irfan Pathan had angled one well wide of off stump.

Pakistan had enjoyed the better of the morning session too. Butt eased a couple of lovely drives through the covers, though he was also extremely fortunate to survive a vociferous shout for leg before from Pathan. Younis played a superb straight drive off Sharma and a square drive off Pathan, but the inconsistent bounce kept both batsmen on their toes.

Sharma was bowling too many no-balls though, and Kumble turned to Sourav Ganguly to exert some pressure from one end. And the move paid off when Butt, who had been put down at short leg by Gautam Gambhir off Harbhajan, got a thin edge to a delivery that slanted away from him.

Both Younis and Yousuf were lucky to see outside edges fly past the lone slip, and with Kumble bringing himself on 20 minutes before lunch, it was apparent that there would be a serious examination by spin in the afternoon. Instead, it was gentle medium-pace that almost did the trick, but Simon Taufel failed to spot that Younis had glanced one down the leg side off Ganguly. Dinesh Karthik's lukewarm reaction probably made up his mind, and Ganguly was a far from happy chappie as he walked off the field for lunch. It just about summed up a day when India huffed and puffed without being able to blow the house down.

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, 7th round, 2nd day

National Bank pile on the pressure for WAPDA

Group A

Riding on Naumanullah's career-best 176, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) finished on an impressive 443 before restricting Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) to 121 for 3 by stumps on day two at the NBP Sports Complex in Karachi.

Table leaders WAPDA were faced with the danger of being forced to follow on by NBP currently placed at number two just behind their opponents in the 11-team Group A ranking. The 32-year-old Naumanullah, who had already crossed his 11th hundred on the opening day, was involved in a splendid second-wicket stand of 231 with the other centurion, 17-year-old left-handed opener Nasir Jamshed, who made 134. As NBP resumed at their overnight 278 for 3, Naumanullah started at 126 not out. His eventual 176 came off 330 balls in almost eight and three-quarter hours with 24 fours.

Later, however, only wicketkeeper Rashid Riaz made 52 from 82 balls down at No. 8, with seven fours and a six. His seventh-wicket partnership with Mansoor Amjad (28) yielded 78. For WAPDA, lanky left-arm medium-fast bowler Sarfraz Ahmed finished with figures of 4 for 70 while wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider snapped up five catches.

WAPDA soon lost three wickets with only 56 on the board. Then came an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 65 between Nawaz Sardar (32) and captain Aamer Sajjad (31). WAPDA still need another 173 to make NBP bat again.

Habib Bank Limited (HBL), after managing a modest 233, hit back at Lahore Ravi, bowling them out for a mere 128 at the Lahore Country Club. After having taken a substantial lead of 105, Habib Bank extended that to 162 by reaching 57 for 1in their second innings by stumps.

In the Lahore Ravi first innings, in which only three batsmen reached double-figures, opener Kashif Siddiq top-scored with 61 runs off 151 balls in a minute short of four hours with seven boundaries. The Habib Bank bowlers performed superbly. Veteran pace bowler Sajid Shah, playing his first match of the season, returned figures of 4 for 50 in 12 overs. Left-arm Kamran Hussain and Fahad Masood picked up three wickets each, for 20 and 38, respectively.

At the at Sargodha Stadium, Faisalabad piled on the agony for Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) as they declared their first innings at a whopping 521 for 7. There were no individual hundreds but as many as seven batsmen crossed the half-century mark. Imran Ahmed, the middle-order batsman, top-scored with a career-best 84. SSGC were 52 for 2 in reply at the close, having started off needing a mountain to climb. They need to score 372 to make Faisalabad bat again.

Tall scoring was the order of the day at the Gymkhana Ground, where Multan rattled up a highly impressive 567 for 5 before applying closure. At 122 for 2, bottom-placed Pakistan Customs were left to score another 296 runs to avoid the follow on.

For Multan Rameez Alam, playing in only his second first-class match, scored an unbeaten 155 off 216 balls in five hours with 25 fours and two sixes. Rameez turns just 19 next month. Earlier, captain Abdul Rauf missed what would have been his career's maiden first-class hundred by a mere two runs. Sohaib Maqsood had a chance to score his second century in succession, but he fell at 96. His knock, however, came off just 63 balls and included 12 fours and four sixes in a 176-run fifth-wicket stand with Rameez.

Hyderabad's 20-year-old left-handed opener Aqeel Anjum, who had scored his first-class career's first century on day one, contributed a double-hundred in his team's 415 against hosts Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium. No other batsman reached even fifty. Aqeel's monumental 204 was made off 375 balls in almost eight and a half hours and included as many as 33 boundaries. Sialkot were 48 for no loss at stumps.

Group B

Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited (SNGPL) continued to make sure that former Group B leaders Islamabad, who are now down at number three, stay where they are as they compiled an exact 400 at the Diamond Cricket Club Ground in Islamabad.

This total has given SNGPL, who are at number two in the 11-team Group B ranking, a big first-innings lead of 222. Islamabad were 25 for 1 in their second innings by the day's close. Middle-order batsman Khurram Shahzad followed his career-best 166 in a sixth-round match against Peshawar with another magnificent 145 not out, that took him a mere 134 balls to make with 18 fours and a six. With Tauqeer Hussain (58), his sixth-wicket stand was worth 135.

After only 41 overs could be bowled on the opening day, in which Lahore Shalimar limped to 143 for 8, 14 wickets fell on the second at the Sheikhupura Stadium after almost 70 overs were completed before fading late forced an early close. Lahore Shalimar, however, gained a slender first-innings lead of 22 as they dismissed Karachi Blues for a 135 in reply to their total of 157. By stumps the Lahore team were 83 for 2 having enhanced their lead to 105.

Karachi's woes started as their left-handed opener Shadab Kabir, a former Pakistan player, perished for a third-ball duck following scores of 167 and 84 in the previous match against Abbottabad. Sharjeel Ashraf top-scored with 37 while Faraz Ahmed chipped in with 25 down the order. There were 24 Extras but Lahore's 19-year-old right-arm fast bowler Mohammad Naved, playing in only his second first-class match, had the last laugh with career-best figures of 6 for 51. In his debut match, the drawn encounter against Rawalpindi, Naved captured 6 for 91 and 3 for 90.

Earlier, allrounder Tariq Haroon took 4 for 70 for Karachi while left-arm fast bowler Malik Aftab returned figures of 3 for 59. Asif Khan, Shalimar's opener, was unbeaten on 39 from 81 balls.

Both teams are certainly not in contention for a place in the tournament final. With 12 points from five matches, Karachi Blues are placed at number seven in the 11-team Group B table. Lahore Shalimar are even further down at the ninth spot with a mere nine points from six previous appearances.

At the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) Stadium in Rawalpindi, table leaders Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) sailed past Quetta with a first-innings score of 276 for 5, that has laready given them a lead of 105 runs.

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) took their overnight 247 for 6 to 286 all out against Abbottabad at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. The home team were 184 for 4 in reply, requiring another 103 runs to attain the first-innings lead.

KRL took control of their match over hosts Peshawar at the Arbab Niaz Stadium, having made 452 runs for 6 declared. The left-handed Saeed Anwar, unbeaten at 86 overnight, went on to make 130 runs. Bilal Asad (105) and Yasir Arafat (100) made unbeaten centuries as the unbroken seventh-wicket stand produced 172. Medium-pacer Yasir, who made his unbeaten 100 off only 99 balls with eight fours and three sixes, then took 4 for 40 as Peshawar went in to bat. Peshawar then crashed to a poor 94 for 5. They need to score another 208 with five wickets in hand to avert the follow on.

Pakistan Vs India, 1st Test, Delhi, 5th day

RESULT: India won by 6 wickets.

Ind 203/4 after 61.1 overs.
Tendulkar 56* (110), Jaffer 53 (81).
Akhtar 4/58.

Akhtar pitches in a short delivery outside the off stump and the inform Tendulkar makes no mistake in cutting the ball past point to seal the win for India with a boundary. The fielder dived in despair but could not stop the ball as it flew off the bat.

It has been an interesting Test match as the balance of power shifted between the sides regularly but in the end it is India who have come out on top to take a 1-0 lead in this three match series. Through out the five days we have seen some magnificent cricket and the next match is sure to be as entertaining.

Man of The Match: Kumble was awarded the man of the match award for his seven wickets in the match and leading from the front as the new Indian captain.

Security tightens for Indo-Pak Test after threat: officials

Security was tightened at the ongoing Test match between India and Pakistan here on Sunday after an e-mail threat targeting the visiting team was reported by media outlets, officials said.

An e-mail sent to a television channel on Saturday, a day after a series of blasts in three northern Indian cities killed 13 people and wounded at least 40, threatened the safety of the visiting Pakistani team.

"Don't think it's a joke. We will attack you if you play (a) Test match with India,"

said the e-mail, according to excerpts published in the Indian Express Sunday, the fourth day of the first Test.

"Go back to your country."

Authorities were taking the threat seriously because a similar one was sent to lawyers around the same time as the blasts outside local courts in Uttar Pradesh state on Friday, said a Delhi and District Cricket Association official who did not want to be named.

Security, already extensive, had been tightened further on Sunday in wake of the e-mail, the official said.

Pakistan is scheduled to play India in a second match in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata starting November 30, with a third match set for Bangalore from December 8.

Earlier, an official from Indian cricket's regulatory body said the security situation was under control.

"I think adequate security arrangements have been made and proper cover has been provided to the players as well as the spectators,"

Board of Control for Cricket in India's vice president Rajeev Shukla told the Press Trust of India.

Pakistan Vs India, 1st Test, Delhi, 3rd day

Pakistan 231 and 212 for 5 (Butt 67, Kumble 3-54) lead India 276 (Laxman 72*, Kaneria 4-59) by 167 runs

This has been a match of partnerships, right from Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Sami's rearguard action to the VVS Laxman-Mahendra Singh Dhoni stand that resurrected India on Friday. On the third day an opening partnership for Pakistan, unlikely as that sounds, set the stage, but the spin pair of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh picked up four wickets in the span of 47 runs to peg them back. And once again, it was a partnership, Misbah combining with Kamran Akmal, that restored the balance, with a rush of runs in the dying moments of the day taking Pakistan to 212 for 5, a threatening lead of 167.

The momentum has swung both ways in the course of this game, and when play began on the third day, the balance was delicately poised. Danish Kaneria decided to rudely upset it, picking three of the four wickets to fall, bringing the curtain down on the Indian innings for a lead of only 45. VVS Laxman was unbeaten on 72, the top score of the Indian innings, but he made little effort to shield the tail, and this meant a rather quick end to proceedings.

Anil Kumble, leading the side, and fresh from a Test hundred in his last match, against England at The Oval, can usually be counted on to resist. And he did not throw his wicket away. Rather Kaneria got one to bounce and turn a bit extra and the ball went off the shoulder of Kumble's defensive bat straight to first slip. The rest of the tail, however, did not even attempt to fight.

Harbhajan Singh was bowled attempting to flick Sohail Tanveer across the line, Zaheer Khan hit one six and then scooped to mid-off aiming to hit the ball out of the ground once more, and Munaf Patel swept off the stumps without having much idea where the ball was, trapped plumb in front. Laxman, through all this, was batting assuredly, but had not farmed the strike, and made 15 of the 48 runs added, pushing his own score to 72 not out as India closed on 276.

A first-innings lead of 100 and over, with so much time left in the game, would have put India in control, but their lead of 45 left the door open for Pakistan to come back into the game. Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed stormed through this door with an aggressive opening partnership. While not necessarily looking to clatter every ball out of the park, the intent was positive from both openers.

While Butt was merely translating his one-day form into Test runs, Hameed showed real promise, putting away loose deliveries almost unfailingly. Pakistan have juggled opening partnerships plenty in the recent past, but it is this combine that has looked the most likely to succeed, and even once put up 100 against Australia, the only such stand in the last three years.

On the day they were well on course to building something big, having got a good measure of the fast bowlers. When Kumble introduced himself into the attack, perhaps a touch late, things changed. There was a hesitancy in the batting, a tendency to not commit fully and the partnership was duly broken. Hameed (36) pushed firmly to off, but failed to keep the ball down and Laxman plucked the ball out of the air just inches from the ground.

The opening stand of 71 gave Younis a chance to express himself and he too looked to play aggressively, picking up boundaries against the spinners and fast bowlers. But the relentlessness of Kumble eventually won a positive result from Simon Taufel as a full ball struck Younis on the pad, getting past bat. Younis had made 23 in another mini partnership, but the pressure was beginning to tell on Pakistan, even with the score on 114 for 2.

Mohammad Yousuf then began his occupation of the crease, and just as he looked set for a long stint, the late introduction of Harbhajan brought joy for India. Yousuf looked to drive Harbhajan's first ball through leg and ballooned a catch back to the bowler. Then Kumble prised out Butt, who had made 67 vital runs. Bowling round the stumps Kumble floated in a googly that landed in the footmarks, Butt took the bait and flashed hard, edging straight to Dravid at slip.

When Harbhajan added a fortuitous wicket to his kitty - Shoaib Malik dragged one that bounced a bit extra onto his stumps via pad - Pakistan had lost four wickets for only 47 runs. But luck soon swung the other way as Misbah edged Kumble straight to forward short leg only for Wasim Jaffer to fluff the simplest of catches. Perhaps taking that as a sign, Misbah gave up the dour prodding, leaving that to Akmal, and began to counterattack. He lofted Harbhajan over the long-on and midwicket, as the shadows lengthened at the Ferozshah Kotla. Stumps were drawn not long after, with Pakistan on 212 for 5. India won't want the lead, which currently stands at 167, to swell into something much bigger, for chasing might just be tricky with Shoaib Akhtar steaming in.

Pakistan Vs India, 1st Test, Delhi, 2nd day

India 228 for 6 (Dhoni 57, Laxman 57*) trail Pakistan 231 (Misbah 82, Kumble 4-38) by three runs

A match that appeared to be drifting inexorably in Pakistan's direction in the afternoon session was left tantalisingly poised after a 115-run partnership between Mahendra Singh Dhoni and VVS Laxman pushed India back into contention. Shoaib Akhtar bowled with tremendous pace to dismiss both openers, and there were two wickets too for Sohail Tanvir on debut, but after slumping to 93 for 5, India would have been satisfied to end the day just three runs adrift.

Dhoni and Laxman eased the immediate pressure with scampered singles, a pattern broken only when Dhoni cut Mohammad Sami powerfully for four. Laxman then played two magnificent strokes down the ground off Tanvir, and Dhoni greeted Danish Kaneria's reintroduction with a savage cut for four, but at tea, it was still Pakistan that were dictating terms.

The complexion of the game changed after tea though, with Dhoni's straight swat off Kaneria revealing India's positive intent. Laxman laced some gorgeous shots down the ground and through midwicket, while Dhoni muscled the ball through the off side field whenever he was afforded the width.

Shoaib Malik rotated his bowlers often, using Shoaib's pace in short bursts, and both batsmen were largely content to see him off. Even then, the runs came at four an over as the partnership mounted rapidly. A push through cover took Dhoni to 50, but his movement thereafter was hampered by the ankle that he had injured in Jaipur.

John Gloster, the Indian physio, came on to give it some strapping, but it was clearly a factor as he charged a Kaneria leg break to get the thinnest of edges through to Kamran Akmal. His 57 had spanned just 93 balls, and been the dominant part of a partnership similar to that which saved the Lord's Test for India in July.

Laxman eased to his own half-century soon after, Anil Kumble played one flamboyant square drive off Shoaib, and the fag end of the day was all about consolidation. When the umpires offered the light at the scheduled close, with Pakistan well behind the over-rate, both Laxman and Kumble had little hesitation in walking off.

The situation when Dhoni arrived to a raucous ovation had been very different. Rahul Dravid, who had played some lovely shots in his 38, saw his off stump knocked back by a Tanvir delivery that pitched on middle and leg and left him a shade. Coming soon after Ganguly's departure - bowled off the inside edge to give Tanvir his first Test scalp - it put a severe dent in India's hopes of establishing a first-innings lead.

The unlikely figure of Mohammad Yousuf had provided a telling blow minutes earlier. A sizeable crowd had cheered Sachin Tendulkar all the way to the crease, but when there was a mix-up between him and Dravid over going for a second run, Yousuf's throw to the keeper found him inches short.

Another run-out, albeit a much more bizarre one, had precipitated the end of the Pakistan innings in the morning. Neither Munaf Patel nor Zaheer Khan could break through with the relatively new ball, and after 40 more minutes of being thwarted, Kumble brought himself and Ganguly on.

And it was off Ganguly's bowling that the 87-run partnership - a Pakistani record for the ninth wicket against India - was finally broken. Misbah-ul-Haq, who had faced 243 balls for his 82, played one to point and set off. He seemed to have made his ground when Dinesh Karthik's throw came in. But rather than get his body in the way, Misbah chose airborne evasive action and the ball struck the stumps. When the third umpire handed down his decision, the crowd erupted.

It took Kumble just two balls to clean up Kaneria, leaving India's vaunted batting line-up to chart their own course on a pitch predicted to be at its best for batting on the second day. Though Karthik went before lunch, fending at a Shoaib delivery that moved away, Dravid and Wasim Jaffer proceeded to put on 56 without too many alarms.

Shoaib was the biggest threat, combining the odd unplayable delivery with some wayward stuff. Clearly unhappy with the landing area on the pitch, he asked for sawdust, changed his boots and then kicked a ball away in frustration on his followthrough when he couldn't find rhythm.

The second coming proved to be luckier. Dismayed to see Billy Doctrove turn down a leg-before appeal against Jaffer in the opening over of the innings, he returned to thud one into the pads at serious pace. In the ensuing 6.2 overs, India would lose 4 for 22 and stumble towards an abyss. Fortunately for them, neither Laxman nor Dhoni were in freefalling mood.

Kolkata Test to go ahead as scheduled

KOLKATA: The second Test between India and Pakistan in Kolkata, starting November 30, will not be rescheduled despite widespread violence in the city, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced today.

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has in turn assured adequate security for the teams after a protest by a minority organisation led to riots, prompting the army to take control.

"As far as the BCCI is concerned, the second Test will not be rescheduled,"

Rajiv Shulka, the BCCI vice-president was quoted in the Times of India.

"However, if the staging association (CAB) feels it's not in a position to hold the match, we will take a decision at the right time."

India and Pakistan last met in a Test at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the Asian Test Championship in 1999. However, the match was marred by riots inside the stadium as the spectators started burning newspapers in the stands, hurled stones, fruit and plastic bottles on to the field when India were on the brink of defeat. The match was held up for over three hours as about 65,000 people were removed by police and security men. India fell short by 46 runs chasing 279.

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

Pakistan's Kaneria targets Tendulkar scalp

Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria said he will target all India's batsmen in the forthcoming Test series but getting the wicket that has eluded him so far -- Sachin Tendulkar -- would be a dream.

"I have not dismissed Tendulkar and perhaps this will be the last time I will be up against him so I wish to get his wicket,"

Kaneria told AFP before leaving for India on Monday.

Besides Kaneria, batsman Faisal Iqbal and paceman Mohammad Sami will join the Pakistan squad in India where the first of three Tests start in New Delhi from Thursday.

Pakistan won the fifth and final one-day game by 31 runs Sunday at Jaipur but India clinched the series 3-2.

Kaneria, 26, said playing against India was always a tough challenge.

"India pose one of the biggest challenges for us, and playing against them in their own backyard is more challenging because they have world class batsmen like Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and many others,"

he said.

The bubbly spinner has grabbed 31 wickets against India in eight Tests but has yet to dismiss Tendulkar.

"He (Tendulkar) is a master and I came close to dismissing him in the 2005 series at Mohali. I thought it was a bat-pad but the umpire thought otherwise and his wicket eluded me.

"The world knows how good a batsman Tendulkar is and it would be like an empty cupboard without his wicket so the first thing in all the innings would be to get his wicket and it's always the key."

Kaneria said he would target all Indian batsmen with the ploy he usually unfolds against the archrivals.

"Since you know Indians play leg-spin, well, you have to use a different ploy against them so I have that in my mind and I want to play my part as the main bowler and help Pakistan win the series,"

said Kaneria, only the second Hindu behind Anil Dalpat to play for Pakistan.

Kaneria said scoring big would be the key to victory.

"Since they have a very deep batting line-up the opposition needs to score big and then only you can pressurise India. If we score big then we can attack them like we did against them at Bangalore in 2005,"

said Kaneria, who has 208 wickets in 48 Tests.

Pakistan squared the series 1-1 with a come-from-behind win at Bangalore in the third Test two years ago.

Kaneria felt Pakistan will badly miss former captain Inzamam-ul Haq in the batting department.

"Inzamam was like a big brother to every player and he infused a fighting spirit in the team so not only as captain but also as a key batsman he will be missed. But we now have Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf to shoulder our batting."

The other two Tests will be played at Calcutta (November 30-Dec 4) and at Bangalore (December 8-12).

Fifth ODI, Pakistan Vs India, November 18,2007, Jaipur

Malik and Tanvir earn Pakistan consolation win

Pakistan 306 for 6 (Malik 89, Yousuf 74, Sreesanth 3-52)

India 275 (Sharma 52, Yuvraj 50, Tanvir 4-53, Malik 3-61)

Shoaib Malik excelled with both bat and ball as Pakistan notched up the consolation win that reduced India's margin of victory in the one-day series to 3-2. A 168-run partnership with Mohammad Yousuf revived Pakistan's stuttering innings, and he then picked up the key wickets of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as an under-strength team outlasted an Indian side that had also rested four regulars.

By the time Malik arrived in the middle, Sreesanth had struck in each over of his second spell to transform a promising start (65 for 0) into a decidedly rocky one (77 for 3). But with Yousuf in the sort of form that fetched him an unbeaten 99 in the previous game, the innings was steadily rebuilt, first with singles, and then with big hits over midwicket and through the covers.

Malik's innings was laced with some good fortune too, with top-edged pulls off Sreesanth and Praveen Kumar, the debutant, falling safe, but the manner in which he and Yousuf took on India's slow bowlers completely changed the complexion of the innings.

Yousuf was again at his unhurried, classy best. He picked the gaps on the leg side cleverly and cut the ball behind point fluently when the bowlers erred. He was well on track for the century that he had missed both in Guwahati and Gwalior, but was flummoxed when the previously expensive Yuvraj Singh spun one past the bat as he lunged forward.

Malik's 82-ball 89 had ended in similar fashion just minutes earlier, with Murali Kartik deceiving him in the flight. But Misbah-ul-Haq and the impressive Fawad Alam finished with a flourish to ensure that the exit of the two established batsmen didn't really affect the final total.

India's reply was doomed almost from the start, with Sohail Tanvir and Iftikhar Anjum doing the damage. Sourav Ganguly was among the four rested, and it was Gautam Gambhir who emerged to open with Sachin Tendulkar. He cut and flicked Tanvir for two fours, but was fortunate to be reprieved when a thick edge just brushed the fingertips of second slip. His luck didn't last though, and when he played down the wrong line, he was plumb in front.

Tendulkar got going with two gorgeous cuts for four off Umar Gul, but Robin Uthappa, promoted to No. 3, struggled in conditions where the ball moved around. Anjum was dismayed when a flashing edge was put down by Misbah at slip, but he didn't need to frown for long. With his feet statuesque, Uthappa repeated the shot, and this time Misbah's fingers weren't slippery.

Tendulkar was carrying on where he left off in Gwalior, cover-driving and flicking Tanvir with superb timing. But when he was drawn to play one that angled well away from him, Misbah was on hand once again to take the catch. That put India on the back foot, and it was backs-to-the-wall moments later when Virender Sehwag had a grotesque dart at another Tanvir delivery that angled across. Sarfraz Ahmed took his first catch in ODIs, and India were in disarray at 62 for 4.

Yuvraj struggled horribly early on, getting off the mark from the 11th ball he faced, a fortuitous inside edge for four. His timing was awry, and when Anjum thumped him on the helmet with a well-directed short ball, it exemplified India's travails. But Rohit Sharma played himself in and then proceeded to play some gorgeous shots, including a six on-the-walk over mid-off, as an 81-run partnership revived Indian hopes.

But a tame loft to long-on ended his innings, and when Yuvraj, who had overcome early jitters to post yet another 50, was given out caught off the arm, Malik and Pakistan sensed their moment. Dhoni, who appeared to damage an ankle while running a single, lost patience and miscued one to cover, and Kumar made little impact. It was left to Irfan Pathan to reduce the margin as the match petered out.

Sharma's composure and class apart, India could take some comfort from the performances of Kumar and Sreesanth. Sreesanth struggled for line and fluency against the left-hand Salman Butt, and it was Kumar who was clearly more impressive in the first spell. Bowling in the low 130s for the most part, he got some movement and troubled both batsmen with his accuracy before a couple of wayward deliveries at the end of the spell allowed the batsmen to score a few.

Sreesanth went for 20 in his first three overs, but when he returned, it was a different tale. Butt miscued a pull to short mid-on, and Yasir Hameed was also undone by steep bounce outside his off stump. Imran Nazir had been largely becalmed on his way to 20, but when a slower ball came his way outside off stump, he couldn't resist the temptation. The swipe came straight back at Sreesanth, who took a smart catch.

That was as good as it got for the capacity crowd. Malik and Yousuf wrested the initiative, and a young pace attack along with Alam - who showed nice variations despite going wicketless - made light of the absence of Shoaib Akhtar to script an emphatic victory. For Malik, the star of the show, it was the perfect note with which to end one campaign and prepare for a more testing one.

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

Coach Lawson optimistic over paceman Asif’s fitness

KANPUR, India: Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson is confident that Mohammad Asif, one of his team’s main strike bowlers, will get fit in time to play a role in the Test series against India starting in Delhi from November 22, writes Khalid Hussain.

As media reports continue to cast a doubt over Asif’s fitness with some saying that the medium pacer might be unable to play any of the three Tests because of an elbow problem, Lawson sounded much more optimistic.

“I just talked to Asif 30 minutes back and he is really training hard to get fit in time for the Test series,”

the former Australian pacer told ‘The News’ on Saturday night. Asif, 24, who aggravated a tennis elbow injury in last month’s home series against South Africa was ruled out of the first three one-dayers against India because of fitness reasons.

Pakistan on Sunday played their one-dayer against the home side here in Kanpur but there are no signs of Asif joining the team. He will be missing the next two One-day Internationals (ODIs) to be played in Gwalior (November 15) and Jaipur (November 18) and remains doubtful for the Test series getting underway from November 22 at Delhi. But Lawson, who believes Asif’s presence can really benefit Pakistan in the Test series against India, said that Asif’s progress has been good.

“He has been training for a few days now and I’m hearing that there is some improvement,”

he said.

“He hasn’t actually started playing cricket yet but I think Asif should begin it soon,”

he added.

There have been strong doubts about Asif’s role on the Indian tour from the day national selectors announced that he would be missing the first three one-dayers. Sources had disclosed to this correspondent that Asif will take almost six weeks to recover which meant that he could be out of action till the mid of December. Pakistan’s last of the three Tests against India is scheduled to end on December 12 in Bangalore.

The Sheikhupura-born Asif, who has taken 51 wickets from 11 Tests and also has 31 ODI scalps from 20 games, first sustained the elbow problem during last summer’s tour of England following a brief county stint with Leicestershire.

The injury forced him to miss the first three Tests against England and only made a comeback in that fateful fourth Test at The Oval. The elbow problem subsided after some rest and treatment but once again dogged him during the home series against South Africa, forcing him to sit out of four of the five one-dayers following a series of long spells in the two-match Test series against the Proteas.

‘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.

‘Woolmer was planning to retire’

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Bob Woolmer was planning to retire from international cricket after the World Cup, Murray Stevenson, the Pakistan team’s former fitness trainer, told the inquest into the former Pakistan coach’s death.

Stevenson said Woolmer had told him minutes after Pakistan’s loss to Ireland on March 17 — which led to Pakistan’s elimination from the tournament — the match against Zimbabwe would be his last.

“He told me he had two bottles of champagne in his room at the hotel and we would drink it on Wednesday when the team played Zimbabwe, because it would be his last game in international cricket,”

Stevenson was quoted in the Jamaica Gleaner.

Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room the next day and was declared dead after being taken to the hospital.

Stevenson indicated Woolmer was apprehensive of returning to Pakistan after the loss to Ireland and that he overheard him talking to Asad Mustafa, the Pakistan team’s operations manager.

Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, 4th round, 3rd day

Sialkot face big defeat against Karachi Whites

Group A
Having been left with the rather difficult task of chasing a steep victory target of 352 runs, Sialkot were threatened with a big defeat as they lost three wickets with only nine runs scored in their second innings against Karachi Whites at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Ground No.1 on Friday. Sialkot, overnight at 144 for 8, were dismissed for 166 runs yesterday morning, conceding a first-innings lead of 106. Karachi Whites rode on a brisk century by the opening batsman Khalid Latif as they made 245 for 8 in their second innings. Mohammad Sami struck two lethal blows as three Sialkot wickets fell cheaply. Tanvir Ahmed took the third wicket from the other end. Earlier, Tanvir finished the Sialkot first innings with impeccable figures of 6 for 43, in the process also crossing the 250-wicket mark in 67 first-class matches. The 28-year old Tanvir's career had started in 1999-00.

Khalid Latif, 22, a former Pakistan Under-19s captain under whom the team won the Under-19s World Cup staged in Bangladesh in 2004, reached his fourth first-class hundred, as he made 104 off only 155 balls in just short of four hours with 16 fours and a six. The other Karachi batsmen didn't do much, in the face of some hostile Sialkot bowling especially from fast-medium Imran Malik (3 for 36), but Atif Ali Zaidi (30) stayed long enough to help Khalid in a 97-run stand for the third wicket. Later, the in-form and prolific Afsar Nawaz hit 38 runs off just 42 balls with the help of five boundaries. Champions of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Championship title in 2005-06 and runners-up last season, Sialkot have lost two of their three matches this time and have gained no points. Defending champions Karachi Whites -- it was in fact Karachi Urban who won in 2006-07 -- have 12 points from three matches.

Water and Power Development Authority's (WAPDA) captain Aamer Sajjad, unbeaten at 99 overnight, fell without adding to his score yesterday morning but his team took its first-innings lead over Faisalabad to 179 runs at the Iqbal stadium in Faisalabad. WAPDA scored 447 in response to Faisalabad's 268. The home team was 75 for two in its second innings by the close of play yesterday. WAPDA's Tariq Aziz raised his score to 167 runs, made off 239 balls with 18 fours in five hours 23 minutes and shared a 286-run third-wicket stand with Aamer Sajjad. Bilal Khilji scored an unbeaten 84 off 153 balls with seven boundaries.

Lahore Ravi made short work of the Pakistan Customs, and won by a convincing nine-wicket margin, within three days of their fourth-round match at the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) Ground in Lahore on Friday. Tottering at 28 for 4 in their second innings on Thursday afternoon, still 72 runs in deficit, Customs were bowled out for 133 in their second innings. Needing a mere 34 runs to win, the Lahore team made 36 for one and got through. The lone fight in the Customs second innings was put up by the captain Zahoor Elahi, a former Pakistan representative, who remained unbeaten at 59 after having come in at number six. He batted for just short of two and quarter hours, faced 74 balls and hit eight fours. The Lahore Ravi pace trio bowled splendidly, with Waqas Ahmed finishing with figures of 4 for 51 in 16.3 overs. Salman Rahat got 3 for 28 and captain Junaid Zia followed his first innings figures of 6 for 34 with 2 for 46 runs the second time.

Customs are having a really terrible time this season. They were already at the bottom of the 11-team Group A table and have now fallen to their fourth successive defeat. Lahore Ravi have risen to be among the top four, with 18 points from their four matches.

At the Gymkhana Ground in Okara, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) had Multan forced to follow on. Facing NBP's big first innings score of 514, Multan were bowled out for 246, thus conceding a lead of 268 runs. They were 113 for 2 in their second innings, still needing another 155 runs just to make NBP bat again. Hammad Tariq earlier completed a hundred, his 101 coming off 158 balls with 13 fours and a six.

Group B
Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) lifted themselves from the bottom of the 11-team ranking, as they defeated table leaders Islamabad by six wickets at the Diamond Club ground in Islamabad on Friday, with over a day to spare. Islamabad, after having been dismissed for 95 runs in their first innings, totalled 257 in the second. And ZTBL polished off the required 136 without breaking into a sweat. For ZTBL, former Pakistan left-arm fast-medium bowler Mohammad Khalil bagged 10 wickets in the match. Following his first innings 6 for 45, yesterday he completed 4 for 81 in 22.5 overs. For ZTBL, yesterday's victory was their first in four matches following two losses and now they have climbed up to number seven with nine points. Islamabad suffered their first defeat after three successive wins.

Powered by three individual centuries, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) scored 491 for 6 declared after Lahore Shalimar had managed only 227 runs in their first innings at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore. Facing a massive deficit of 264, the Lahore team were 73 for 3 in their second outing. The century-makers in the KRL innings were Mohammad Wasim (125), Azhar Ali (110) and Saeed Anwar (106). After Wasim and Azhar had added 179 runs for the second wicket, Azhar joined hands with Saeed for a 177-run partnership for the fourth wicket.

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) stretched their first-innings lead to 189 runs over Hyderabad after making 416 at the Niaz stadium in Hyderabad. Saeed Bin Nasir extended his overnight 140 to 163 that came off 231 balls in a little over five and a half hours with 23 fours and a six. The allrounder Rizwan Ahmed hit a century, 103 not out off 196 balls with eight fours, in Hyderabad's second innings of 214-4. The hosts are only 25 runs ahead though at the moment. SSGC's in-form pace bowler Sohail Khan captured all Hyderabad second innings wickets to fall, for 55 runs. He has already taken eight wickets here, to add to his 16 in his team's previous two matches.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) beat Peshawar by the big margin of 262 runs at the Arbab Niaz stadium in Peshawar, also within three days of their four-day Group B encounter. Faisal Iqbal closed the second innings at 283 for 8 that left Peshawar with an improbable target of 402 runs. The home team crashed to 139 all out. Earlier, PIA opener Khurram Manzoor took his score to 143 runs, made off only 164 balls with 21 fours and a four. With another nine points, PIA have taken their tally to 27 in four matches, the same as Islamabad's. Peshawar remain stuck at three points in three appearances.

Quetta forced Abbottabad to follow on at the Bugti stadium in Quetta. Abbottabad conceded a first-innings lead of 179 runs, although opener Wajid Ali made 114 in their total of 282 runs. In their second innings, Abbottabad were 78 for 2, still 101 runs behind.

Teams for Inter Region Level II Tournament

Pakistan Cricket Board has announced the following Region Teams for Inter Region Level II Tournament starting from November 11, 2007.

Lahore Region

1. Atif Ijaz
2. Waqas Satti
3. Ashfaq Ahmed (V.Capt)
4. Abid Ali
5. Mohammad Zubair (Wk)
6. Adnan Butt
7. Naeem Arshad
8. Shahab Basharat
9. Qasim Zia
10. Zainshah Nawaz
11. Shahbaz Nazar
12. Ghulam Mustafa
13. Zaheer Maqsood (Capt)
14. Haroon Ali
15. Ahmed Naseem
16. Babar Manzoor (U-19)
17. Salman Afzal (U-19)
18. Yasir Ajmal (U-19)
19. Farhan Khan (U-19)
20. Mohammad Naved (U-19)

Multan Region

1. Mohammad Yasir
2. Babar Waqas
3. Rahat Ali
4. Mahmood Lodhi
5. Zeeshan-ul-Haq
6. Moinuddin
7. Atiq Ahmed (Capt) (Wk)
8. Mohammad Amjad
9. Majid Javed
10. Waqas Sharif
11. Qaiser Shehzad (V.Capt)
12. Ahmad Jamal
13. Mohammad Ahsan
14. Raza Musaib
15. Babar Ali
16. Sanaullah (U-19)
17. Farhan Ali (U-19)
18. Mudassar Ali (U-19)
19. Adil Hanif (U-19)
20. Mohammad Khawar (U-19)

Faisalabad Region

1. Raheel Ameer
2. Hasan Mahmood (V.Capt)
3. Aamer Siddiq
4. Qaiser Iqbal (Capt)
5. Mohammad Shakir
6. Yasir Ameer
7. Farrukh Shahzad
8. Allah Ditta
9. Shahid Siddiq
10. Adnan Munir
11. Mohammad Salman
12. Waqas Maqsood
13. Dabeer Ali
14. Hafiz Amin
15. Nauman Shehzad (Wk)
16. Adnan Khan (U-19)
17. Ali Waqas (U-19)
18. Mohammad Ashfaq (U-19)
19. Fazal Ranjha (U-19)
20. Zahoor Khan (U-19)

Quetta Region

1. Zahoor Ahmed (Capt)
2. Ata-ur-Rehman (Wk)
3. Mohammad Akbar
4. Maqbool
5. Talib Hussain
6. Sanaullah
7. Qadir Khan
8. Mohammad Nasim
9. Mohibullah
10. Maqbool Umaid
11. Abdul Bashir
12. Mohammad Asim
13. Abdul Wahab
14. Ashraf Khan (Killa Abdullah)
15. Amjad Khan
16. Naik Mohammad (U-19)
17. Dad Mohammad (U-19)
18. Ibrahim Shah (U-19)
19. Mohammad Irfan Ismail jnr (U-19)
20. Attaullah (U-19)

Sialkot Region

1. Naved Sarwar
2. Rizwan Sultan
3. Mudassar Ehsan
4. Javed Hussain (Capt)
5. Kamran Younis (V.Capt)
6. Bilal Azmat
7. Prince Abbas
8. Bilal Butt
9. Kashif Imran
10. Tariq Mahmood
11. Mohammad Imran
12. Aamer Yousuf
13. Zohaib Akhtar
14. Balawal Bhatti
15. Ameer Hamza
16. Kaleem Ahmed (U-19)
17. Mohammad Qasim (U-19)
18. Mohammad Yasin (U-19)
19. Mohammad Abbas (U-19)
20. Raza Hasan (U-19)

Rawalpindi Region

1. Asad Zahid (Capt)
2. Usman Ashraf
3. Tahir Rauf
4. Nauman Ali
5. Hamid Riaz
6. Ali Sarfraz
7. Raza Iqbal
8. Atif Hussain
9. Nadeem Sikandar
10. Kamran Baig
11. Masood-ul-Rehman
12. Haseeb Amjad
13. Sharjeel Khan
14. Shah Jahan
15. Haseeb Azam
16. Samiullah (U-19)
17. Nasir Malik (U-19)
18. Faisal Iqbal (U-19)
19. Fawad Hussain (U-19)
20. Jamal Anwar (U-19)

Hyderabad Region

1. Zafar Ali (Wk) (Capt)
2. Taj Mohammad Wasan
3. Imran Chandio
4. Nauman Ali
5. Shoaib Laghari
6. Zahid Mahmood
7. Zeeshan Gul
8. Zeeshan Ali
9. Lal Kumar
10. Mohammad Saqib
11. Ghulam Yasin
12. Noor Mohammad
13. Yar Mohammad
14. Mohammad Sohail
15. Sajjad Haider Mirza
16. Mir Ali Talpur (U-19)
17. Sharjeel Khan (U-19)
18. Bilal Irshad (U-19)
19. Hasan Ali (U-19)
20. Mizan Rahi (U-19)

Peshawar Region

1. Shahid Khan
2. Shahid Iqbal (V.Captain)
3. Israrullah
4. Mian Khan
5. Khizar Hayat
6. Faisal Kamal
7. Zakirullah
8. Tariq Khan
9. Hazrat Hussain
10. Mohammad Farooq
11. Nasir Ahmad (Captain)
12. Mohammad Azam Khan
13. Sajid Ali
14. Hammad-ul-Hasan
15. Fahad Zaman
16. Mohammad Rizwan (U-19)
17. Afaq Ahmed (U-19)
18. Abdul Rahim (U-19)
19. Asif Khan (U-19)
20. Adil Amin (U-19)

Islamabad Region

1. Sarwar Khan
2. Syed Zeeshan Ali
3. Faizan Riaz
4. Mohammad Altaf
5. Wajid Ali
6. Imran Rafiq
7. Ahmed Dar
8 Sajid Ali
9. Asad Manzoor
10. Wasim Anwar
11. Shah Laeeq
12. Tanvir Afzal
13. Mudassar Ali
14. Owais Afzal
15. Umar Khalid
16. Ghulam Murtaza (U-19)
17. Nauman Masood Butt (U-19)
18. Umair Mir (U-19)
19. Zahid Iqbal (U-19)
20. Yasir Waheed (U-19)

Abbottabad Region

1. Almar Afridi (Captain)
2. Wajid Khan
3. Waqas Haroon
4. Saeed Khan
5. Mohammad Shakeel
6. Asif Ali
7. Nabiullah
8. Imran Khan Abbasi
9. Waqar Orakzai
10. Fazal-e-Rabbi
11. Adnan Shahab
12. Hammad Ali Shah (V.Captain)
13. Asif Afridi
14. Tariq Afridi
15. Ahmed Jamal
16. Zakir Afridi (U-19)
17. Zeeshan Jadoon (U-19)
18. Rehan Afridi (U-19)
19. Rameez Ahmed (U-19)
20. Fawad Malook (U-19)

Karachi Region

1. Naved Khan (Captain)
2. Behram Khan (V.Captain)
3. Raheel Waris
4. Fazal Subhan
5. Rameez Raja
6. Shaharyar Ghani
7. Murad Khan
8. Nadeem Shad (Wk)
9. Zaheer Abbas
10. Misbah Khan
11. Tariq Murad
12. Faraz Ahmed Khan
13. Syed Mohammad Zafar
14. Abdul Ameer (U-19)
15. Shahzaib Hasan (U-19)
16. Asad Baig (U-19)
17. Usama Basharat (U-19)
18. Abdul Jabbar (U-19)
19. Junaid Naeem (U-19)
20. Farhan Baig (U-19)