India calls off Pakistan cricket tour

India has called off its proposed cricket tour of Pakistan next year amid simmering tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours over last month's Mumbai attacks, an official said on Thursday.

"The proposed tour of the Indian cricket team to Pakistan stands cancelled,"

Rajeev Shukla, a senior official from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, told reporters.

India were scheduled to play three Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match during the five-week tour from January 6 to February 19.

"We received a communication from the government stating that in the present circumstances, it is not feasible to tour Pakistan,"

Ratnakar Shetty, chief administrative officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said, without elaborating.

He said no discussions had taken place over whether the series could instead have been played at neutral venues.

Shetty denied that the decision could wreck the next Cricket World Cup, which is meant to be jointly hosted by India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"It will not affect the 2011 World Cup as that is a different tournament,"

he said, adding he believed that relations between the Indian and Pakistani cricket boards would not suffer due to India scrapping the tour.

But Pakistan cricket officials said they were unhappy with Thursday's announcement.

"We take this decision as disappointing -- something which will hurt Pakistan cricket badly -- but it was beyond our control,"

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt told a foreign news agency.

Indian Sports Minister Manohar Singh Gill had said last week he was not in favour of the team playing in Pakistan when "people from their soil were indulging in mass murder in India."

It was to have been the fifth series between the two countries since 2004, when cricket ties resumed after a 15-year gap caused by cross-border tensions.

Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar had said it would be "impossible" for India to tour Pakistan in the current climate.

"Diplomatically, there has been a fall-out between the two nations and I don't see why cricket won't follow suit. So at the moment it is impossible to go ahead with the tour,"

he told a television channel recently.

The tour was first put in doubt when the Indian government denied permission to the national junior hockey team to visit Pakistan.

Cancellation of Pakistan tour is media’s speculation: BCCI

Vice president of Indian cricket board Rajiv Shukla said that the Indian government did not refuse to permit the Indian team for touring Pakistan and the news of the tour cancellation is a mere media speculation.

He said that the tour at the moment has not been cancelled.

Rajiv Shukla said that the terrorists are nobody’s friends.

He said that 80 Muslims were killed in the Mumbai attacks.

First Cricket Champions League to be held in India

The first Cricket Champions League will be played in India and one team from Pakistan is also expected to take part in the event.

Indian Cricket Board official and commissioner Indian Premier Leage Lalith Modi said that the matches of the event would be played in Jaipur, New Delhi and Mohali during the current year.

Eight teams will participate in the Cricket Champions League. The teams securing the first and the second positions in the domestic Twenty20 events of South Africa and Australia besides the winner and runner-up of the Indian Premier League will also take part in the event.

Under a proposed schedule, two teams from England had to play in the IPL but due to differences between the Indian and English boards on some administrative matters of the Champions League any team’s participation in the event from England is not looking possible.

Lalith Modi said that if no team comes from England then any team from Sri Lanka or New Zealand would fill this gap.

He said that a team from Pakistan would also take part in the event and the PCB has ensured its complete cooperation in this regard.

India urges ICC to hold Champions Trophy in Pakistan

The Indian Cricket Board has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to hold the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

The board said that even if there were any security risks in Pakistan then it may be delayed rather than changing its venue.

The ICC has to finally decide this week in its executive board meeting in Dubai that whether the Champions Trophy should be held in Pakistan or in any other country.

Sri Lanka and South Africa are being considered as the substitute venue but ICC president Ray Maley has recently declared at the ICC Trophy ceremony in Lahore that the security situation and organizing matters in Pakistan are quite satisfactory.

Now, India supporting Pakistan has also issued an statement that the Champions Trophy should not be shifted anywhere from Pakistan.

India v Pakistan, final, Kitply Cup, Mirpur

Pakistan 315 for 3 (Butt 129, Younis 108) beat

India 290 (Dhoni 64, Yuvraj 56) by 25 runs

A familiar nemesis and a battle-scarred warhorse inspired a downcast bunch to brave the odds and hand Pakistan their first multi-nation title in more than five years. In front of their board chairman, who had lashed out after their previous loss, and their coach, who was criticised for his overly optimistic statements, Pakistan turned in an intense, yet controlled, performance to clinch the Kitply Cup and head home upbeat for the Asia Cup.

In an era of slam-bang cricket, Pakistan reverted to a strategy straight out of the early 1990s: win the toss, bat, see off the new ball, keep wickets, accelerate and launch a big score. From 75 for 1 in the 20th over, on a pitch where the ball appeared to be stopping on the batsmen, they soared to 315. Salman Butt cracked his fifth hundred against India, and seventh overall, but it was Younis Khan's pumped-up century that charmed - under the cosh after his two successive ducks, he chose the big stage for the comeback.

India started well but came apart in the face of the middle-over onslaught. Eight bowlers were tried but Pakistan made the most of the lack of a fifth specialist, going after the part-time spinners even though the field was spread. Piyush Chawla came into this game on the back of a morale-boosting four-wicket haul but ended up having a harrowing time, finishing with the most expensive spell by an Indian spinner in an ODI.

All wasn't lost yet - India had chased down a similar total against Pakistan in Dhaka ten years ago - but there was no batsman, or partnership, to hold the innings together. A constantly mounting run-rate forced some poor shot selection and Yuvraj Singh's wicket, just when he was settled enough to guide the chase, all but shut the door. And just when Mahendra Singh Dhoni raised visions of a robbery, Umar Gul produced a masterclass in death-over bowling to seal the deal. His two early wickets, earned with bouncers, were probably more important but it was the final two, nailed with yorker-length balls, that will stick in the mind. The yorker that crashed into the base of Piyush Chawla's leg stump came with the effect of a hammer knocking in the final nail in the coffin.

Vital contributions ensured India stayed in the fight but what India could have done with was a couple of batsmen with the innings-building capabilities of Butt and Younis. The pitch wasn't conducive to strokeplay early and both bided their time through the Powerplays. Once set, there was little the bowlers could do and the blistering 240 they crashed in 30 overs made up for the lost time. This didn't come about through wild bashing; rather it was because of a pair who understood the nuances of the one-day game and illustrated the value of pacing an innings.

One needs to go back more than 25 years when a Pakistani second-wicket pair added more than 200 against India. The present duo couldn't match the rate set by Mohsin Khan and Zaheer Abbas, who belted 205 in just 27 overs, but did enough to set a rock-solid platform.

Younis raised his bat to the crowd twice: the first when he had a laugh at himself for getting off the mark, on the back of two successive ducks, and the second, a more emphatic celebration, when he brought up his century. It was truly a Younis special, the sort you expect from a batsmen who's used to his back against the wall. At no point was there a shortage of intent, whether he was drilling through the covers or pulling over midwicket or hustling between the stumps or even paddling fine.

If Younis nudged and glided, Butt punched and slapped. He didn't work on subtle glances and focused instead on forcing the ball through the gaps. He pulled out some of his signature strokes, like the slap through point and flick towards square leg, but the shot that defined this knock was the slog-sweep, whistling balls over midwicket. India, bizarrely, never plugged the gap - even after both batsmen peppered the midwicket boundary - and conceded 84 runs to the duo in that region. The V had a different definition today.

Yuvraj chose to play in a different sort of V - between midwicket and fine leg. He was intent on sweeping the spinners and the packed off-side field prompted him to try out the slog-sweep, the flick, the conventional sweep and the vertical back-drive. He survived a close lbw appeal and a Fawad Alam caught-and-bowled chance but couldn't gauge the low bounce from Shahid Afridi, snicking to the wicketkeeper.

Dhoni held the lower order together and, typically, he chose to rotate the strike as the tailenders went for their shots. Irfan Pathan struggled to get his timing right and both Praveen Kumar and Chawla had no clue against Gul. Dhoni's two late sixes kept the flame flickering but, with nine wickets down and needing to go for broke, he holed out to deep point. He might have left it too late but the real damage was probably done much earlier in the evening.

India v Pakistan, 2nd match, Kitply Cup, Mirpur

India 330 for 8 (Sehwag 89, Gambhir 62, Yuvraj 55) beat

Pakistan 190 (Malik 53, Praveen 4-53, Chawla 4-40) by 140 runs

India showed how the hectic pace of Twenty20 cricket could be replicated in the one-day game, pounding 330 on a sluggish pitch before their bowlers rounded off a thumping win in their opening match of the tournament. Pakistan, coming off 12 successive wins against weak opposition, crashed to their worst defeat against India and their coach Geoff Lawson, who had hoped for a 150-run win, would have been embarrassed to see the shoe on the other foot.

India's domination was complete. Their mammoth total was made possible not by one but three batsmen: Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir made the most of some sloppy catching, getting within four runs of India's highest opening stand against Pakistan, before Yuvraj Singh raised visions of a 375-plus total. They settled for 330 but it didn't matter in the final analysis. Once Pakistan crumbled to 26 for 3, it was only a case of picking up the pieces.

A run-rate of 6.6 is impressive in all conditions but the fact that India kept it up on a sluggish pitch that offered some assistance to the medium-pacers added more gloss to the effort. Their fifty came up as early as the seventh over but Pakistan's four-pronged pace attack didn't start as badly as what the run-rate suggested. They troubled the batsmen with swing and seam and even managed the edge on a few occasions but they were let down by poor fielding. Younis Khan allowed Gambhir two lives - on 4 and 29 - with identical edges flying past him at second slip and Kamran Akmal let off Sehwag on 43 when he lost control of the ball after appearing to have snared an edge to his right.

Sehwag, who walked all the way back to the boundary before returning, made the most of his good fortune, racing to his first fifty in a year. He was dropped for the final stages of India's CB Series but an injury to Sachin Tendulkar allowed him another chance. He wasn't his customary buccaneering self, and that was probably because of the nature of the surface, but he continuously peppered the region behind square. Preferring to use the pace of the bowlers, he walked across and whipped a few off his pads while settling for the judicious glide on other occasions.

The area behind square was productive for Gambhir as well but it was the occasional skip down the ground that unsettled the bowlers. He didn't hesitate charging the quicker men and actually cut one over the infield, off left-armer Wahab Riaz, with both his feet in mid-air.

Riaz dismissed both openers in the space of a couple of overs but went on to have a forgettable day. It was the first time he was up against top-class opposition and the wheels began to come off once Yuvraj went after him. He even let slip two beamers - the second was probably because of the slippery ball - and wasn't allowed to complete his final over. It meant he earned the dubious distinction of bowling the most expensive spell against India, conceding one more than what Ata-ur-Rahman did in Sharjah back in 1996.

Incidentally it was in that game where India passed 300 for the first time in an ODI. Here, more than 12 years later, they were in sight of much as Yuvraj began striking it clean. He gauged the slow nature of the track and ensured he played late. A couple of half-trackers were swatted away over midwicket and his neat clips towards square leg suggested a batsman preparing to explode.

It was always going to be an uphill task for Pakistan and the contest was all but over once Praveen Kumar struck four big blows, including a two-in-two. Swinging the new ball either way, he showed how dangerous he could be in congenial conditions. Praveen had Rohit Sharma to thank for the opening breakthrough: a sensational reflex catch at short cover got rid of Salman Butt.

A slightly wide ball was lashed hard but Rohit, throwing himself to the left and ensuring his hands got around a low chance, hung on superbly. There was no need of any such acrobatics for the next one: Younis Khan snicked to the wicketkeeper and walked back for his second successive duck.

Akmal and Misbah ensured Praveen didn't have a perfect day - taking 17 off his fifth over, including four cracking fours - but Akmal was livid after falling to a full toss, lobbing a leading edge to mid-on. Misbah too couldn't carry on, falling to an injudicious waft, and it was left to Shoaib Malik to pick up the pieces. He soldiered on to a fifty but his meaty blows were largely inconsequential in the face of a steep mountain. Chawla finished with four wickets, tormenting the tail and rounding off a near-perfect day.

Indian cricket team not touring Pakistan

Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Dr Nasim Ashraf said that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) had expressed its willingness for tour of Pakistan but it was put off after the Indian players’ refusal.

Talking with media at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, Dr Nasim Ashraf told that the PCB had invited India to play three One-day Internationals in Pakistan but the BCCI expressed its inability due to busy schedule of the Indian team.

However, it was assured that the India’s team would visit Pakistan before the Asia Cup or the Champions Trophy.

The chairman PCB said that the Indian team’s refusal would not make any difference to the Australia’s tour of Pakistan.

He said that the negotiations are in process with the Cricket Australia and it is hoped that the Australian team would tour Pakistan from March 29.

Regarding a question asked about Shoaib Akhtar, Dr Nasim Ashraf said that Shoaib’s case is with the disciplinary committee and after receiving the final report it would be presented before the Board’s next meeting.

Indian Cricket team to tour Pakistan next month

The Pakistan Cricket Board has formally extended an invitation to India so that the three One-day match series could take place next month.

Talking to Geo News here on Thursday, PCB’s Chief Operating Officer, Shafqat Naghmi said the BCCI had given a positive response in this regard. He said that three One-day match series was likely to be played between two traditional rivals in the mid of March 2008.

“They have shown a positive response, however, we have not yet received any official confirmation from the BCCI”,

PCB’s COO added.

Shafqat said the proposed series was not an alternate to the Australian visit since according to newly held negotiation; the Australian team could tour Pakistan in March.

IPL's place in world cricket calendar to be discussed

The Indian Premier League (IPL) and its place in the world cricket calendar is expected to be a key area of discussion as chief executives [or their equivalent] from all boards under the ICC umbrella meet over two days in Kuala Lumpur, starting tomorrow.

Also on the agenda at the meeting, to be chaired by the ICC's chief executive Malcolm Speed, are: format and number of teams for the 2011 World Cup, feedback on the international schedule post-2012, and a pioneering proposal from the ICC management to start the

"trialling of an 'umpire decision review system' during the England v South Africa Test series to be played in England in July/August 2008".

The meeting of chief executives follows a scheduling summit, also in Kuala Lumpur, to review the draft international programme post-2012. While the question of how to accommodate the IPL and the proposed Champions League in the schedule will be touched upon, some wrangling is also expected on who will get to play the big teams.

Pakistan, for instance, is expected to push for a "fair share" of Tests and one-dayers.

"Our cricketers have to play optimum number of matches if we are to realise our target of becoming the world's best team,"

Nasim Ashraf, the Pakistan board chairman, was quoted as saying in The News.

"Without putting them at the risk of injury or burnout, we will ensure that their international commitments are at par with other top teams like Australia, India and South Africa."

Ashraf is also expected to seek the help of other members in convincing Australia to go ahead with their tour to Pakistan in March-April, which seems unlikely with Cricket Australia expressing concerns over security.

"We have already got a raw deal in the FTP and if Australia don't come as per schedule, we will just have three Tests this year and that too when India tour later this year in December,"

Ashraf told PTI.

"We still remain hopeful they will fulfill their obligations of touring Pakistan but the truth is we are in a frustrating situation. Despite repeated assurances that no cricket team has been hit by violence in Pakistan and that it is safe for them to tour and they will be given state-level security, they are still expressing concerns."

Besides scheduling, what will be tracked with keen interest is the umpire decision review system.

"According to the proposal, the captain of the fielding team or the batsman, as the case may be, will be entitled to a limited number of occasions to request the on-field umpire to review his decision in consultation with the TV umpire,"

said an ICC spokesperson, in a statement.

"The chief executive committee will review this proposal and make a recommendation to the ICC board. If the trial is given the go-ahead by the Board, the final playing conditions will be developed in consultation with the ICC cricket committee."

Pakistan mull ODIs with India if Australia pull out

Pakistan are considering inviting India for a quickfire series of ODIs if, as is becoming increasingly likely, Australia pull out of their scheduled tour in March-April.

Doubts about whether Australia will come for their first tour in nearly a decade have increased day-by-day over the last week, the latest coming from Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain.

The Pakistan board has all along insisted it's priority is to get Australia to come to visit, but has privately admitted they are working on alternative options, which include inviting another country over.

And a well-placed source revealed to Cricinfo that informal talks had been held with the BCCI about a series of ODIs in Pakistan in case Australia don't come.

"There have been informal discussions with the BCCI but nothing has been firmed up. Things will become clearer in a day or so,"

the source said.

"The first priority is still to get Australia to come over but if they don't come, options have to be and are being examined."

Two PCB officials, including the chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi are currently touring India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh for bilateral board talks regarding scheduling ahead of an ICC meeting to devise the Future Tours Programme (FTP) till 2013. The ostensible purpose of the mission is to fill the gaps in Pakistan's schedule in the current FTP.

The current Pakistan administration is said to be unhappy over their predecessor's work on the last FTP, which has left Pakistan with a number of gaps in their cricketing calendar.

"Pakistan played half the number of Tests that Australia did according to that FTP and that is something that needs to be rectified,"

the source said. But as a result of Australia's hesitancy, the trip has become an opportunity for Pakistan to try and arrange an alternative contest with countries who are free in March-April.

Both boards, however, are officially denying the development. India, as ever, is hemmed in by a hectic schedule. Between their return from Australia and the first Test against South Africa, an ODI series, even just across the border, seems unlikely.

"It's not possible,"

a senior BCCI official told Cricinfo.

"The Indian team returns from Australia on March 8 and the first Test against South Africa starts in Chennai on March 26. Where is the time?"

Ahsan Malik, the PCB spokesman, explained the board's focus was on getting Australia over.

"This is an official trip with regards to the FTP till 2013. They wanted to meet boards and have a pre-scheduling round of meetings with them. Our full concentration is on playing Australia."

Kapil Dev files petition against BCCI

Kapil Dev has filed a petition against the Indian board for stopping his pension after he joined the Indian Cricket League (ICL), an initiative not backed by the BCCI.

Kapil levelled the charge that the board had "deliberately amended the rules" following his move to the ICL by altering the word 'pension' with 'Benevolent Fund'.

Kapil's affidavit, which was filed in the Delhi High Court, read:

"The only way of earning a livelihood for us retired cricketers is through the game and the board cannot, by illegally changing its rules and regulations, deprive us of the benefits."

He also contested BCCI's decision to sack him as the chairman of the National Cricket Academy, a post he held till joining the ICL as the chairman of its executive board.

The BCCI members met for a special general meeting last August where the decision to remove Kapil from the chairman's post at the NCA was made along with decision to deny players the right to derive any benefit from the BCCI if they were associated with the ICL. This meant former players, Kiran More, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Sandeep Patil, EAS Prasanna, Madan Lal, Rajesh Chauhan, who joined the ICL in various roles, also had their pensions revoked by the board.

BCCI okays $400,000 sign-on fee for Warne

Shane Warne will be the Indian Premier League's most expensive signing, at a cost of US$400,000 for the first season, set to kick off in April 2008. The finance committee of the Board of Control for Cricket in India met in Mumbai on Friday and approved several decisions taken by the IPL's governing council regarding payment of its players.

The fee quoted for Warne is the signing amount for him to be part of the player pool from which franchises will bid for the rights to employ players within their ranks. With Brian Lara reportedly being paid US$1 million to appear in the Indian Cricket League, and the market heating up over the two rival leagues, Warne and similar big-ticket signings could rope in well in excess of US$1 million, sources revealed.

The second-highest signing-on fee has, not surprisingly, been paid to Glenn McGrath, whose nifty line-and-length bowling see him join up for US$350,000. Stephen Fleming, whose agents flirted with the ICL but in the end held back - to the extent that Fleming was one of those present at the IPL's launch - also nets US$350,000.

Mohammad Yousuf, who had reportedly signed with the ICL before being lured away by the Pakistan board - which made no effort to stop Inzamam-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq or Imran Farhat from joining the unrecognised league - has signed up with the IPL for US$330,000. A surprise entrant in the top five - and at the moment the list does not include current Australian or Indian cricketers - is Shoaib Malik, who is guaranteed US$300,000.

The ICL, which is nearing the end of its inaugural edition, will hand out approximately Rs 18 crore [approx. US$4.5 million] in total prize-money for its 16-day tournament.

The fees have been decided for only 34 of the 49 cricketers signed up by the IPL, sources said, and, of these, only 11 have received [partial] advance payments. The only player to receive payment in full is Yousuf, not surprising given that he was once a dead certainty to join the ICL. It is understood that McGrath is among those who have been given a sizeable advance.

The 29 others who have received contracts:

[All amounts in US$]
Australia Justin Langer 175,000

Sri Lanka Farveez Maharoof: 150,000, Kumar Sangakkara: 250,000, Mahela Jaywardene: 250,000, Muttiah Muralitharan: 250,000, Sanath Jayasuriya: 250,000, Nuwan Zoysa: 100,000, Dilhara Fernando: 150,000, Chaminda Vaas: 175,000, Lasith Malinga: 200,000

Pakistan Mohammad Asif 225,000, Shahid Afridi: 225,000, Shoaib Akhtar: 225,000, Younus Khan: 225,000

West Indies Shivnarine Chanderpaul 175,000

New Zealand Daniel Vettori 225,000, Jacob Oram 200,000, Scott Styris 150,000, Brendon McCullum 175,000

South Africa Loots Bosman 150,000, AB de Villiers 175,000, Albie Morkel 200,000, Graeme Smith 225,000, Herschelle Gibbs 225,000, Shaun Pollock 200,000, Ashwell Prince 150,000, Makhaya Ntini 175,000, Mark Boucher 175,000, Jacques Kallis 200,000.

Pakistan Vs India, 3rd Test, Bangalore, 5th day

India 626 (Ganguly 239, Yuvraj 169, Pathan 102, Arafat 5-161) and 284 for 6 dec (Ganguly 91, Karthik 52) drew with

Pakistan 537 (Misbah 133*, Younis 80, Butt 68, Akmal 65, Ishant 5-118) and 162 for 7 (Iqbal 51, Kumble 5-60)

When India left Pakistan just 47 overs to score an improbable 374 for victory, the Bangalore Test appeared to be meandering to a draw. As the opening pair added 44, thoughts turned to how soon the match could be called off but dramatic interventions from Anil Kumble and Yuvraj Singh pushed Pakistan to the precipice before bad light saved them from acute embarrassment with 11 overs still to be bowled. The playing conditions didn't allow the use of floodlights, leaving India to rue a declaration that probably came half an hour too late. However, they would have been satisfied to clinch their first home Test series victory against Pakistan since 1979-80.

Even when Yasir Hameed and Younis Khan fell in the space of four balls, one bowled by a Kumble express and the other popping up a return catch, it appeared to be a wobble rather than a quake. Salman Butt and Faisal Iqbal steadied the innings with a 29-run stand and, when Butt got a thin edge behind to give Kumble his third wicket of the innings, Pakistan decided to blast their way out of trouble.

With the fielders crowding the bat, cuts and drives flew to the boundary as Misbah-ul-Haq and Iqbal added 73 at seven an over. Only nine balls remained for the mandatory overs to start when Kumble struck again. A short and fast one drew Iqbal into the pull, and when it looped up to Ishant Sharma at mid-on, all thoughts of handshakes and an early finish disappeared.

Kamran Akmal walked out to join Misbah, but this time Pakistan's premier rescue act couldn't even get started. Kumble started his cricket as a medium-pace bowler and those roots were very much in evidence in the quicker delivery that deviated away just enough to peg back Akmal's off stump. Mohammad Yousuf avoided the hat-trick, but Yuvraj Singh, the birthday boy, then left his mark on proceedings.

An arm ball ended Misbah's came on 37, while Yasir Arafat had no answers to one that went straight on. Given the batting qualities of Shoaib Akhtar and Danish Kaneria, India were effectively three decent balls away from a famous victory, but Mohammad Sami kept Yousuf company long enough for the umpires to bring their light-meters out. Once they asked the question, the batsmen were off like a cannonball shot.

India had their chances before tea as well. Rahul Dravid couldn't grab a thick outside edge from Butt off Kumble's bowling, and the captain was himself the culprit moments later when he spilled a chance at gully after Hameed had flashed outside off stump. Hameed rubbed it in with three fours in an Irfan Pathan over but batting, by and large, was no picnic on a pitch where the bounce had become impossible to predict.

India certainly found that to be the case when they resumed in the morning, in the lead by 220 runs. There was no excessive urgency or interest in a challenging declaration. With the odd delivery not rising above shin height, their approach was understandable, though any fears that Pakistan might chase down a target in excess of 300 weren't grounded in reality.

Sourav Ganguly started the morning with an inside edge for four off Sami, and there was four too for Dravid as Yousuf made a complete hash of backing up a throw. But with Shoaib bowling at serious pace and pitching it short, scoring opportunities were hard to come by.

Kaneria was also brought on early, and proved equally difficult to put away, bowling into the leg-stump rough. Ganguly tried to force the issue with a sprightly saunter down the pitch and an off drive, and when Sami subsequently dropped one short, he played a withering pull to the midwicket boundary.

Then came the sticky patch. The partnership was worth 152 when Dravid was deceived by a googly from Kaneria, and three balls later, Ganguly slashed a wide ball from Sami straight to Iqbal at gully. His knock ended on 91. Another nine runs and he would have become only the seventh man in history to make a double-hundred and a century in the same Test.

The sheen was then taken off Yuvraj's birthday celebrations as Rudi Koertzen gave him out caught behind off Sami for two. Replays suggested the bat had made contact with boot rather than ball. Suddenly, 178 for 2 had become 184 for 5, but instead of retreating into a shell, VVS Laxman and Dinesh Karthik upped the ante. Laxman flicked and then square drove Sami for two fours in an over, while Karthik took a shine to Kaneria, clouting a six and two fours over the leg-side field.

Three balls after lunch, India's immediate prospects, with a tour of Australia looming, were dealt a sickening blow when Laxman took his eyes off a Shoaib bouncer and was struck on the elbow. The physio came out and had a look, but Laxman was clearly in so much pain that there was no option but to come off and perhaps head for a precautionary X-ray.

Pathan came out to replace him, and his batting form was evident in the cover drives that he played off Shoaib and Kaneria. Karthik, who had a point to prove to the knee-jerk-reaction crew questioning his suitability for Australia, was playing a busy little innings at the other end, sweeping and cutting Kaneria for fours as thoughts turned to sending Pakistan in.

A straight drive off Arafat got him to his half-century from 66 balls, but when the next ball was edged behind, Kumble called them in. You could hardly have predicted what happened next. India will reflect on missed opportunities, but at the end of the day, they'll take a 1-0 series win, their first against Pakistan on Indian soil since the days when a fresh-faced Kapil Dev was leading the attack.

Asia Cup to go ahead as scheduled

The ninth Asia Cup will be played in Pakistan next June, as originally planned. This was confirmed by the executive board of the Asian Cricket Council, which met in Delhi.

The teams taking part are defending champions Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, along with Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates. The previous edition of the Asia Cup was held in mid-2004, with Sri Lanka defeating India by 25 runs to claim the trophy.

The Asia Cup was initially scheduled for April 2008, but it was postponed to accommodate the Indian Premier League, a franchise-based Twenty20 tournament organised by the Indian board.

There was speculation that the Asia Cup could be postponed again because of the political situation in Pakistan but Nasim Ashraf, the president of the Pakistan Cricket Board, allayed those doubts by saying he had received an assurance from the BCCI that India would participate in the tournament.

The details of the fixtures will be released at a later date.

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.

Tendulkar and Dhoni doubtful starters for Test

India suffered twin jolts ahead of the third Test against Pakistan, as it emerged that Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are doubtful starters due to injuries.

"Sachin aggravated a mild knee problem from the ODI series while fielding in the Kolkata Test, "

captain Anil Kumble said.

"A specialist opinion was sought immediately on arrival in Bangalore and upon advice, an injection was administered. His condition continues to improve but if he fails to recover by tomorrow morning, we feel it's wise to call a backup. We have called Gautham Gambhir.

Kumble added that Dhoni's ankle injury, picked up during the ODI series, hasn't fully healed yet.

"Dhoni continued to play after getting his ankle strapped up. We were initially thinking of resting him for this game but after this new development about Sachin we still aren't sure at this point in time. A decision on him will be taken tomorrow morning. "

Kumble said that Dhoni needs seven days to get fully fit.

"It's not that he can't play with strapping. But it's important for us to look ahead as lots of cricket is coming up."

The injuries mean Yuvraj Singh may finally get a chance to play in his first Test match since July 2006, having sat on the sidelines as India's middle order has prospered in this series. Any final decisions, however, will be taken on the morning of the Test.

Pakistan V India, 2nd Test, Kolkata, 3rd day

Day 3 Pakistan 358 for 6 (Akmal 119, Misbah 108*, Harbhajan 3-86) trail India 616 for 5 dec by 258 runs

Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal finally revealed Pakistan's heart, as they batted for over two sessions to help their side to 358 for 6 at the close of the third day at Eden Gardens. The pair put on 207 runs for the sixth wicket, notching up a century each and taking Pakistan to the brink of saving the follow-on, and perhaps the Test.

Harbhajan Singh provided a late twist to the day, removing Akmal two overs before play ended. It was a fitting end, as it was Harbhajan who instigated Pakistan's collapse in the morning session, one which left them teetering at 150 for 5. They are still 258 runs short of making India bat again.

Nothing, however, will take this day away from Misbah and Akmal. By the day's last session, in which both brought up their hundreds, it was difficult to decide who would be happier.

Akmal,

who reached it first, had not scored a century for 16 Tests. His last, against the same opponents, came 22 months ago. It felt longer, for in that time, his stock has fallen till it could not fall any further: had he not scored here, he would likely have been dropped. But Akmal at least had done it four times before this; for Misbah, this was a first, and within context, will be difficult to better. The pair had come together just before lunch, with Pakistan in serious strife.

Akmal was the go-getter from the start. He took his time to settle, to assess threats, the situation and run-scoring options. He began by sweeping Harbhajan and continued using that shot to good effect through the afternoon, only getting finer with each attempt.

The further he progressed, however, the more strokes came out. His backfoot play, the cut and pull in particular, flowered first, as he marked significant moments with one of each: a cut brought up the fifty partnership and Pakistan's 200 soon after mid-day drinks, an emphatic pull as tea beckoned brought up his own fifty and another forcing cut brought up his fifth hundred (and fourth against India) before drinks in the final session. It also brought up no doubt, memories of the great Mohali escape.

Had Munaf Patel held on to an edged hook on 87, Akmal may not have had a chance to show one and all his love for the drive. As India took the new ball, that chance apart, Akmal drove Munaf Patel and Zaheer Khan relentlessly straight and through cover until eventually, he was deceived by Harbhajan.

Misbah continued from where he had left in Delhi, at once appearing Pakistan's most sensible and best batsman. Spurred on initially by Younis Khan's daredevilry, he took educated risks before lunch, lofting Anil Kumble over midwicket, slog-sweeping and flashing through slips. He was dropped by Sachin Tendulkar, a difficult chance at midwicket, after which the situation's gravity - and requirement - seemed to hit home.

After lunch, he settled for the day, content mostly to defend and occasionally to nudge and pinch runs. Obstacles were placed in his way, most notably whenever Zaheer Khan pitched short. One steepler after lunch ballooned off his edge and in the 90s, after tea, his ribs were given a solid working over.

But those periods apart, Misbah capped his sudden rise to the front ranks of Pakistan's batting. There weren't many shots later, but whenever he chose to play them, he did so with minimum fuss. A cut off Patel in the 90s was efficiently done, while the clip to square leg off Kumble would've been remembered similarly, had it not brought up his maiden hundred.

Yet nothing that preceded their partnership had revealed any sign of such fight. Harbhajan had threatened to embarrass them alone, defining the morning session. Though Pakistan had made an uncomplicated start, Harbhajan was giving the ball considerable loop, though if it's not done with your team 600 runs to the good, then it will never be done.

He was getting turn too: twice, Salman Butt resisted the temptation to drive balls going across him, but the third time the charm couldn't be resisted. Butt was pulled into a drive, Rahul Dravid at slip accepting the edge.

The big fish was reeled in Harbhajan's next over, Mohammad Yousuf defeated in classic manner. He offered flight to drive, before putting one in quicker. It spun sharply and straight through a drive as Pakistan's morning darkened.

Younis fought a brief, reckless battle where runs came freely, but reverse-sweeps and heaves over midwicket were high-risk ways of going about it. And living by the sword eventually meant dying by it, as a poor shot to an even poorer ball from Patel brought his end. As Kumble trapped a clueless Faisal Iqbal, Pakistan were left hoping for miracles. Misbah and Akmal provided them with a little one, though it still might not be enough.

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

India 352 for 3 (Jaffer 192*, Tendulkar 82, Dravid 50, Ganguly 17*) v Pakistan

Wasim Jaffer's bat sparkled brightest on a day of total dominance for India's batsmen, as they ground Pakistan into the Kolkata dust on the opening day of the second Test at Eden Gardens. Jaffer was undefeated on 192 when bad light ended play six overs early, but his fifth hundred was his most joyous yet. With support from Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, he took India to 352 for 3.

For an ailing Pakistan, without their injured captain Shoaib Malik and hampered by a seriously unwell Shoaib Akhtar, it was, by some distance, one of their most dispiriting days in recent memory. Kamran Akmal led the way in the field with an untidy, fumble-ridden performance that included another dropped catch as their chances of winning this series ebbed away under a barrage of boundaries.

But their woes should not take away from a day that was lit up by the beauty of Jaffer. He is compact even on his worse days, and has real grace in his shots, but rarely has he put it all together at such pace. His back-foot punches through covers, the pulls and clips are well-appreciated, but rarely have they come in such quick succession, in such sustained bursts of boundary-hitting. If ever a batsman was in the zone, it was Jaffer at Eden Gardens on Friday.

He was gold from the very start, the early loss of his opening partner as much an inconvenience as a fly is to an elephant. No particular area of the ground was favoured over others and no particular shot over another: pulls, drives, punches, cut and clips were all played with that seductive upright elegance, elbows high, bat straight.

But if he favoured one bowler over another, it was probably Sohail Tanvir, to whom he showed no mercy. Having driven him arrow-straight early in the piece, he struck him for four fours in an over a little before lunch. Later in the afternoon, as India raced to their 200, he hit him for a hat-trick of fours. As the day neared its end, Jaffer continued doing so, mostly through the leg side as Tanvir's inexperience came out of the closet.

He was no less imposing, or elegant, against the legspin of Danish Kaneria, never more so than in the day's 49th over. In it, he reached his hundred with a push through the covers, before celebrating by clipping him twice in a row through midwicket for four.

So commanding did the shy-looking Jaffer become that his support - Dravid and Tendulkar - were mostly overshadowed in stands of 134 and 175 respectively. Dravid was more than willing to go unnoticed, putting together a studied fifty. He was brisk enough to begin, particularly against Kaneria, as he got caught in Jaffer's slipstream. But just as he was bedding himself in post-lunch, Billy Doctrove sent him back for a phantom edge: replays couldn't tell whether Akmal's take was worse or Doctrove's decision.

Tendulkar was more energetic and before he was bowled - by his own shot rather than Kaneria's googly - a hundred seemed a done deal. Alongside Jaffer, he took the wheels right off Pakistan in the afternoon. The pair scored at nearly five an over, Tendulkar by turn cheeky and impulsive, but never in less than total control. The one blot came in the first over after tea, an edge off Mohammad Sami, though Akmal was obliging enough to drop.

Pakistan had a day you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy, and compounded it with a comically poor performance in the field. They were effectively a three-man attack for much of it, the decision to play an ill and weak Shoaib always loaded with risk. He could only manage nine overs, and though the early ones had pace, by the end, he should have been running in with an IV drip.

Kaneria was inconsistent, mixing some ordinary overs with brighter ones and Mohammad Sami, also unwell, remained committed but without luck. Perhaps their plight was best captured by the sight of Tanvir, the new hot young thing on Pakistan's pace block, switching to left-arm spin halfway through the afternoon. It was an admission that poor fortune - in their catastrophic run-in to this Test - and a sublime Jaffer had emphatically won the day.

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.