Ireland beat England by 3 Wickets

Following the target of 328, Irish side lost the wicket of William Porterfield on the very first ball of innings. Opener Ed Joyce and Paul Stirling added 62 runs in the second wicket partnership. Joyce was lucky to get 3 chances, showing poor fielding the English fielders dropped easy catches.

The resistance of Ed Joyce finished on 32. Niall O’Brien was taken by Swann on 29. This time Kevin O’Brien came on the crease and started crashing English bowlers, he played powerful strokes all around the ground including boundaries and sixes along with Alex Cusack O’Brien scored the fastest hundred of World Cup on 50 balls. Cursack went left O’Brien after scoring 47 runs. Aggressive innings of O’Brien ended on 113. Trent Johnston and Mooney got their target in 49.1 overs.

Sri Lanka Cricket refutes 'baseless' fixing report, condemns channel

Sri Lanka Cricket has rubbished allegations of match-fixing that have cropped up against Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Smaraweera due to a TV report, condemning the channel for carrying a “baseless and demoralising” story.

While commentating on the World Cup match between the Lankans and Pakistan, which the hosts lost by 11 runs, the channel’s anchor had said that Jayawardene and Smaraweera could have deliberately “changed the game” by scoring just two and one run respectively during the game. The channel had also claimed that a local businessman had placed a $ 18,000 bet on the match.

“It is with deep regret that we note that a leading television channel in a special programme has stated that Sri Lanka has lost against Pakistan due to two of our leading players not getting runs in that game,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.

“Further they added that the two players had failed intentionally, thereby implying that our players might have been involved in match-fixing,” said SLC.

“SLC will take up the matter with the relevant authorities of this channel, based on the fact that this channel has brought great distress to two of our cricketers who have served the country with honour and dignity,” it added.

Sri Lanka were chasing 277 in the match and ended it 266-9. Jayawardene is already contemplating legal action against the channel. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan team manager Anura Tennekoon rejected suggestions that there might be an SLC or ICC inquiry against the players.

“Knowing both Mahela and Thilan, we feel there is no necessity to investigate the matter and, as far as the ICC has concerned, they have the right to investigate but so far they have not brought anything on this,” Tennekoon said. “But we will discuss the matter with our lawyer as well.”

World Cup Trophy made of EGG-SHELLS!

With cricket mania gripping the nation, S. Durga Shankar, an eggshell sculptor in Vishakhapatnam city of India's southern Andhra Pradesh state prepared a miniature of the World Cup trophy.

Shankar made the replica, which stands about six centimetres high, using four eggshells. The sculptor also put up the trophy for auction on the Internet for 10 million rupees ($221,115).

The original cricket World Cup trophy is made with about 11 kilograms of gold and its height is about 60 centimetres.

A billion dreams will rest on the Pakistani team's shoulders as they seek to become the second Pakistani team, after the 1992, to bag the trophy and title in one-day cricket championship.

The world cup is currently going on and is been jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka need Murali and Malinga to hit ground running

The co-hosts were one of the pre-tournament favourites to win the showpiece but Saturday's 11-run defeat by Pakistan exposed some glaring weaknesses in their bowling armoury. Muralitharan should have been trapping rival batsmen with his mystifying powers of flight and spin but has instead been leaking runs to rank outsiders such as Canada.

In the first match he was the most expensive of the Sri Lankan attack. The off-spinner's figures of 2-38 at the cost of 4.22 against a bunch of part-timers in Hambantota was hardly the kind of stats the world's most prolific wicket-taker would want to shout about.

He was the most economical of the Sri Lankan bowlers against Pakistan but having picked up only one wicket, his success rate would have hardly set Sri Lankan pulses racing. But at least Muralitharan is playing a part in all the action as the same cannot be said of Malinga.

The 27-year-old, who made his name in the 2007 World Cup by claiming four wickets in four balls against South Africa, has not even tested one run-up to the pitch.

SORE BACK

He was sidelined with a sore back against Canada but had been declared fit for the contest against Pakistan.

However, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was not prepared to gamble on his fitness and chose to rest him for "the more difficult matches we have ahead" -- a strategy that backfired on Saturday.

With showdowns against world champions Australia now less than a week away, the Sri Lankans know they can no longer waste time experimenting with their line-ups and plan to draft Malinga into action in their match against Kenya on Tuesday.

"We will consider him for the next game because we need to get him into his rhythm ahead of the game against Australia next Saturday," Sri Lanka's team manger Anura Tennekoon told Reuters.

"Malinga was rested as a precautionary measure. We don't want to take any chance with him because he is our key bowler. Malinga is fit but we don't want to take that extra one percent (risk with his fitness) and play him."

Pakistan kick out Kenya (Highlights)

Pakistan opened their account in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 with a massive victory over Kenya by 205 runs.Younus Khan hits the bull's eye. A total of 17 wickets were fallen during the match, ten of Kenya and seven of Pakistan. Here is the highlights of the match. The package has been compiled by ESPN Star Sports.

A right decision, finally

After taking ages, the reasons best known to the PCB and its selection body, the PCB finally announced that Shahid Khan Afridi would lead Pakistan in the cricket's most coveted trophy - the World Cup. Although the selection body plays role of a dummy in almost all the decisions, yet every sports lover in Pakistan is fully aware that all affairs in the PCB are run by one man and that is its Chairman Ijaz Butt.

All the nations who are taking part in this mega event, which is set to be played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, (thanks to the powerful Indian lobby that deprived Pakistan of hosting World Cup matches on their soil for the so-called terror threat), have announced their captains well before the final countdown to this event, and the most surprising one is the name of Ricky Ponting, who has failed to perform both as captain and as player but was retained by the Australian Cricket Board. Despite having the most professional and disciplined history, the Australian Cricket Board has to compromise on sporting issues.

The exclusion of Steve Waugh from the 2007 World Cup squad is one such examples of their professionalism but they reposed confidence in Ponting but Pakistan is totally different from the rest of the world and here personal decisions are imposed in every field of the game despite having full knowledge that such decisions not only destroy the cricket in the country but also bring bad name to the entire team. No one can judge the abilities of a captain from one series or some matches, it is true Afridi at times failed to deliver the goods but no one can deny the fact he is a complete all-rounder and if he fails with the bat, he will make up for this loss with his bowling, breath-taking fielding and above all leading the side with sheer commitment and complete devotion. Afridi is the most talented and arguably the best captain after Imran Khan who had complete authority on and of the field.

Afridi has, once again, proved his critics wrong with his stylish batting when it was needed in the current Kiwi series and Pakistan managed to won the ODI series against them on their own soil after almost 17 long and hard years wait although the umpires have done all they can with their error-prone decisions to stop Pakistan from achieving this milestone.

Muhammad Hafiz, who has been given so many opportunities and is perhaps the only individual who has enjoyed all-out backing of the PCB, is still struggling with his performance that is far from satisfactory. He was included in the team as a specialist opener not as a part time off break bowler. Kamran Akmal and even Umar Akmal are taking things for granted and their off-the-field behaviour is not acceptable. It was hoped that after being dropped from Pakistan team, Kamran Akmal will make a strong comeback in the side and will not repeat the past mistakes, but it seems he has not learnt anything.

The way he dropped the catch of Nathan MaCcullam at a crucial stage of the fourth ODI and giving broad smile rather than being ashamed was by no way acceptable. No one is indispensable every body has to earn his place in the side rather taking things for granted.

Squads of all teams for IPL 2011 | IPL 4

Auction for Day 1 out of 2 days is no over. Here are the shortlisted players and their teams for IPL 2011 till now:

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina , M Vijay, Albie Morkel, Michael Hussey, Wriddhiman Saha, Dawyne Bravo, Doug Bollinger, S Badrinath, Muttiah Muralitharan, R. Ashwin

Deccan Chargers: Kevin Pietersen, Cameron White, Kumar Sangakkara, JP Duminy, Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Dale Steyn

Delhi Daredevils: Virender Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, David Warner, Naman Ojha, James Hopes, Morne Morkel, Aaron Finch

Kings XI Punjab: Adam Gilchrist, Shaun Marsh, David Hussey, Dinesh Karthik, Stuart Broad, Abhishek Nayar, Praveen Kumar, Ryan Harris, Piyush Chawla

Team Kochi: Mahela Jayawardene, VVS Laxman, Brendon McCullum, Sreesanth, RP Singh, Parthiv Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Steven smith, Ramesh powar, Brad Hodge

Kolkata Knight Riders: Gautam Gambhir, Yusuf Pathan, Jacques Kallis, Brad Haddin, Shakib-al-Hassan, Bret Lee, Eoin Morgan, Manoj Tiwary

Mumbai Indians: Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds, David Jacobs, James Franklin

Sahara Pune Warriors: Yuvraj Singh, Graeme Smith, Robin Uthappa, Tim Paine, Angelo Mathews, Ashish Nehra, Callum Ferguson

Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Ross Taylor, Rahul Dravid, Johan Botha, Sourav Tiwary, Paul Collingwood

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Tillakartane Dilshan, Zaheer Khan, AB de Villiers, Daniel Vettori, Sourabh Tiwary, Dirk Nannes, Cheteshwar Pujara

Buy tickets for Cricket World Cup 2011 online

The tickets for ICC Cricket World cup 2011 are available online. The first phase of tickets for the 2011 World Cup in, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is on and are available on Kyazoonga ICC's online ticket partner for the world cup.

In the phase I, you can buy the tickets of Group matches. The price range is different with the lowest being 20 cents. However, the tickets for semi-finals and finals of the World cup are not on sale. You can sign up for the for the alert to get notified when they become available.

The price of tickets for World cup 2011 has been lowered after many stadiums remained empty in 2007 world cup at West Indies. The response seems to be brilliant. Almost all of the tickets in Phase I for India's matches has been sold out.

Kyazoonga has offered a lot of options for buying tickets. Follow your team offers you to buy tickets for all the matches of your team. There are also options for "love your city" and corporate/bulk order.

Misbah named Test captain, Shahid remains ODI, T20 skipper

Test cricketer Misbah-ul-Haq has been named the new Test Captain of Pakistan, while Shahid Afridi would lead One-day and T20 teams, Geo News reported Friday.

Earlier on Thursday PCB in a surprise move had announced the captain-less squad against South Africa, which had given rise to the suspicion that Afridi being replaced by Misbah.

National selectors came out with quite a few surprises on Thursday, recalling senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq and once again overlooking former captain Shoaib Malik for the limited-overs series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates.

Kamran Akmal was replaced with Zulqarnain Haider, while former captain Younis Khan was ignored once again.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) added another twist to the story when it decided against naming the captain even though it had earlier earmarked experienced all-rounder Shahid Afridi to continue as skipper till World Cup 2011.

Afidi, who has been leading Pakistan in ODIs and Twenty20s since this year’s ICC World Twenty20 championship in the Caribbean, has been included in the 15-man touring party.

Misbah’s stunning return and a delay in naming the captain has raised quite a few eyebrows. According to media report, during a marathon meeting with national selectors in Lahore on Thursday, PCB chairman Ijaz Butt declared that the team’s captain will be named later.

It is reported that one of the prime reasons why Misbah has been recalled is because he could lead Pakistan if Butt agrees to sack Afridi as captain. However, a top official has insisted that Misbah’s recall is based purely on cricketing merit. Mohsin Hasan Khan, Pakistan’s chief selector, defended the decision to recall Misbah, who last played a One-day International in September 2009.

“We needed a senior batsman in the team,” Mohsin told. “Due to the unavailability of Salman Butt, there weren’t many experienced batters in the side,” he added. Salman Butt together with fast bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last month after being accused of accepting bribes from match-fixers during the Lord’s Test against England.

But why was Misbah, who is already 36 and was discarded as a spent force almost a year ago, preferred over younger and fitter batters like Faisal Iqbal, Aamer Sajjad, Khurram Manzoor and Taufeeq Umar — all prolific run-getters on the domestic circuit last season.”

“Misbah was really successful in the Pentangular Cup,” said Mohsin. But Misbah played just two matches in the Pentangular Cup, scoring 176 runs. The Mianwali-based batsman, however, top scored in the National One-day Cup with 490 runs at 163.33.

There was no room for the experienced Younis Khan in the team. Mohsin said that the PCB is yet to clear Younis for national duty. “We didn’t get any clearance as far as Younis is concerned.” Mohsin, a former Pakistan Test opener, said that Shoaib Malik will have to prove his form before earning a recall.

“He needs to come back in form. There was a lot of discussion about him but in the end we decided to give him more time to win back a place in the team.”

Mohsin said that Kamran Akmal, who recently underwent an appendicitis operation in Lahore, can regain his place in the team once he attains full fitness. “We have dropped him because of health reasons,” he said adding that the selectors want to groom wicketkeepers like Zulqarnain Haider and Sarfraz Ahmed.

“We are trying to make an all-round combination of youth and experience which is why Zulqarnain and Sarfraz will be given ample chances.” Zulqarnain has replaced Akmal as the team’s stumper for the limited-overs series against South Africa, while Sarfraz has been included in the Pakistan ‘A’ squad for the tour of West Indies getting underway from November 3.

Meanwhile, Imran Farhat has been recalled to the ODI squad at the expense of big-hitting opener Shahzaib Hasan. Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul will lead the pace attack in the absence of Asif and Amir. Veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and rookie fast bowler Tanveer Ahmed complete the pace quartet.

But it will be there spin quartet that is likely to trouble South Africa on pitches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which are expected to assist spinners. Pakistan have included two specialist spinner — Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman — in the squad. With Afridi and Muhammad Hafeez, also in the squad, they will have ample spin options during the series, which will kick off with a Twenty20 International in Abu Dhabi on October 26. “We have some really good spinners and I’m sure they will do well in UAE,” said Mohsin.

Pakistan squad: Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Tanveer Ahmed, Zulqarnain Haider

Pakistan Vs South Africa 2010 in UAE - Fixtures and Schedule

Pakistan Cricket board had announced Pakistan and South Africa series in UAE which will act as the 'home' for Pakistan. Pakistan Vs South Africa 2010 is scheduled to start from 26 Oct. The matches to be played at Dubai and Abu Dhabi which includes 2 T20s, five ODIs and 2 test matches.

There has been no international matches on the Pakistani soil after the Lahore attack. Earlier, Pakistan has hosted the Australian and New Zealand team in UAE and are planning host Australia and England again next year in UAE. The full Schedule of Pakistan Vs South Africa 2010:

Oct 26 - Tue			Pakistan v South Africa, 1st T20I	16:00 GMT			Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi
Oct 27 - Wed			Pakistan v South Africa, 2nd T20I	16:00 GMT			Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi
Oct 29 - Fri			Pakistan v South Africa, 1st ODI	11:00 GMT			Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi
Oct 31 - Sun			Pakistan v South Africa, 2nd ODI	11:00 GMT			Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi
Nov 02 - Tue			Pakistan v South Africa, 3rd ODI	11:00 GMT			Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium	Dubai
Nov 05 - Fri			Pakistan v South Africa, 4th ODI	11:00 GMT			Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium	Dubai
Nov 08 - Mon			Pakistan v South Africa, 5th ODI	11:00 GMT			Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium	Dubai
Nov 12 Fri - Nov 16 Tue			Pakistan v South Africa, 1st Test	06:00 GMT			Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium	Dubai
Nov 20 Sat - Nov 24 Wed			Pakistan v South Africa, 2nd Test	06:00 GMT			Sheikh Zayed Stadium	Abu Dhabi

Pakistan's Mohammad Aamer warned over clash with Ricky Ponting

The Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Aamer was warned about his conduct after clashing with the Australia captain Ricky Ponting on the first day of the Lord's Test yesterday. Aamer was spoken to by the match referee Chris Broad at the close of play after he had collided with Ponting as he celebrated dismissing the Tasmanian for 26.

"Aamer is a young, exciting, talented player full of enthusiasm for this great sport and that is to be celebrated and nurtured," said Broad. "But there are a few things he still has to learn in relation to how to conduct himself on the field of play.

"I told him that when he takes a wicket, he should celebrate with his team-mates rather than getting himself into the personal space of the outgoing batsman. It's a spirit of cricket issue.

"It has happened twice now so we as a playing control team thought it would be sensible for me to have a word with him. He accepted it graciously and undertook to avoid a repeat occurrence. As far as we are concerned the issue is now closed."

Ponting appeared to jut out an elbow as he made contact with Aamer but neither on-field umpire felt the incident warranted any formal action under the ICC Code of Conduct. The umpires Rudi Koertzen and Ian Gould spoke to the Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi at the time and then advised Broad to have a word with Aamer.

Steyn and Botha have Windies on rack

The home team produced another inept batting display to reach the close of play with a 19-run lead and only three wickets left. The defiant Shivnarine Chanderpaul was 57 not out and Sulieman Benn was unbeaten on 4. Paceman Dale Steyn ripped through the top order with three wickets before spinner Johan Botha took three more.

Steyn removed openers Dale Richards (17) and Chris Gayle (10) and then dismissed Narsingh Deonarine for a first-ball duck. Steyn was earlier involved in a war of words with Benn and appeared to spit in his direction when the South African was dismissed.

Botha had Brendan Nash (12) caught at slip by Jacques Kallis after tea before claiming the wickets of Denesh Ramdin (1) and Shane Shillingford, who made 25 in 77 deliveries. Experienced left-hander Chanderpaul provided typically dogged resistance with a 156-ball knock that contained six fours.

Earlier, South Africa was bowled out for 346 after Ashwell Prince ground out an unbeaten 78 and AB de Villiers hit 73. Prince hit five fours in his painstaking 262-ball innings while De Villiers needed 189 deliveries. Benn was in sparkling form with the ball for West Indies, taking 6 for 81 in 46.4 overs.

Pakistan Vs Australia 2010 in England - Fixtures and schedule

England is hosting Australia vs Pakistan series 2010 that starts from the 5th of July. Pakistan will be playing four warm-ups against MCC and three other English country before they start the 1st T20 on July 5. The series in England will host two T20s and two tests. After this series Pakistan will play against the host England.

Date	Match Details	Time		Venue
		GMT	IST
Jul 05 - Mon	Pakistan v Australia, 1st T20I	16:00	21:00	Edgbaston, Birmingham
Jul 06 - Tue	Pakistan v Australia, 2nd T20I	16:00	21:00	Edgbaston,Birmingham
Jul 13 Tue - Jul 17 Sat	Pakistan v Australia, 1st Test	09:30	14:30	Lord's, London
Jul 21 Wed - Jul 25 Sun	Pakistan v Australia, 2nd Test	09:30	14:30	Headingley, Leeds

England v Australia: Andy Flower demands improvement from England

"Without a doubt it is better to beat Australia 5-0 than 3-2 or 4-1," said Flower, whose England team go into Wednesday's NatWest Series match at the Oval with a 3-0 lead. "I think that the fact that we have won three games and that we can win another two, grows our self belief and can dent theirs."

The Germans managed 4-0 against the Aussies in the football World Cup but nobody beats them 5-0 at cricket, do they? Well, actually New Zealand did so at home in 2005. But Flower will not allow his team to entertain thoughts of emulating that until they have secured win number four.

"Australia are a fine side and have been a fine side for a long time and we pay them due respect," Flower said. "But it's important to play every game as well as you can when you are representing your country, so we're not looking at 5-0 just yet, we're looking at winning the next game."

So far England have looked like losing just once, during a crazy 20 minutes at Old Trafford where their middle-order collapsed. Otherwise, they have dominated with a swagger. Even so, while Flower reckons England would be ready if the World Cup began next week, he feels here is still room for improvement.

"The most obvious area to improve is on the batting front," he said. "We are putting Eoin Morgan under continual pressure in those middle overs and the top four must embrace the responsibility of staying in for longer and finding the balance between attacking and staying in. It's not an easy balancing act, but that's their challenge.

Morgan's rise as a finisher of zen-like calm has probably contributed to that pressure. With the Irishman ready to mop up behind them the early order have felt more confident to take more risks. You would think his presence might have liberated Kevin Pietersen from being England's main provider, but he has not looked any freer at the crease now his monopoly as top dog has been broken.

"It's a very healthy thing that the heat has been taken off KP," said Flower. "If it is the case that he thrives more on being the centre of attention then that is not a healthy thing. Cricket is a team game and while KP is a world-class player, he recognises the importance of his role within the team."

One other area attracting Flower's scrutiny is the new-ball bowling, so far the province of James Anderson and Tim Bresnan. To date, Australia's opening batsmen have posted opening stands in excess of fifty in every game. In the World Twenty20, Bresnan opened with Ryan Sidebottom, but as yet, the left-armer has been overlooked in this series in favour of Anderson.

"Part of our philosophy in 50-over cricket is to attack with the new ball, but we haven't been able to take the wickets upfront we'd have liked to yet," Flower said. "I wouldn't say it's an area of concern but it's an area of focus. You only really get one chance of the ball going sideways these days, and that's at the start, so we need to use it well."

In their three victories England have bowled first on every occasion, though without much evidence of swing. Today's match at the Oval, a floodlit game that starts at 1pm, is unlikely to buck that trend though Anderson does usually bowl well at the venue.

Save for their opening batsmen and bowlers, Australia need to improve in all departments if they are to stave off ignominy ahead of this autumn's Ashes. The addition of Shaun Tait has added telling pace to Doug Bollinger's nagging accuracy, but any pressure the pair create has not been sustained by the others.

"We definitely don't want a whitewash," said Shane Watson, Australia's most consistent batsmen in the series. "There's no doubt England are playing good cricket at the moment and that we need to step up as a group. We don't like to lose 5-0."

India spoils Lanka's Asia Cup hat-trick dream

India swiftly erased a Sri Lankan dream at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium here on Thursday night. Pursuing a title hat-trick, defending champion Sri Lanka crumbled in the chase and India won the Asia Cup.

In a final that was headed just one-way after Sri Lanka was reduced to 51 for five while trailing India's 268 for six in 50 overs.

M.S. Dhoni's men scored steady runs and scythed through the host's top-order to make it a no-contest. India won by 81 runs to claim a title that it won last in 1995. Sri Lanka scored 187 in 44.4 overs.

Sri Lanka never recovered from a steady fall of wickets right from the moment, Tillakaratne Dilshan tamely popped up a catch off Praveen Kumar.

Worse was to follow when Upul Tharanga shouldered arms to Zaheer Khan while skipper Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, for once failed to brave a crisis.

Ashish Nehra (four for 40), a pale shadow in the earlier matches, sprung back to life and forced Jayawardene to fish outside off-stump. Nehra's night of joy continued as Mathews chased a wide delivery and Sangakkara pulled without punch. Thilina Kandamby and Chamara Kapugedera (55 n.o.) with a dogged 54-run sixth-wicket partnership and Nuwan Kulasekara's powerful blows, only managed to delay the inevitable defeat.

Earlier, every time the Indian batsmen threatened to cut loose, a wicket fell to stymie the steady run-flow. All the Indian batsmen got their starts, but only Dinesh Karthik, atop the order and Rohit Sharma, in the closing stages of the innings, planted their feet firmly.

Factoring in the pressure of chasing in a cup final on a ground with below-par lights, Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni opted to take first strike on winning the toss. India missed a solid opening partnership despite Gautam Gambhir and Karthik tiding past the first five overs.

A busy Karthik (66, 84b, 9x4) guided and cut the ball for fours against Kulasekara and Lasith Malinga. Not to be outdone and playing his 100th ODI, Gambhir unfurled a silken drive against Malinga and watched a chip-and-charge edge of Kulasekara pop out of a leaping Kandamby at first slip. Gambhir though failed to capitalise and was soon left stranded by Upul Tharanga's throw.

Karthik continued unhindered and the opener gritted through Angelo Mathews's tight first over and enjoyed his reprieve on 46 when Farveez Maharoof failed to latch on to the catch in his follow-through. Karthik had a brief ally in Virat Kohli, who like his earlier stints in the tournament, flickered and faded while adding 62 runs for the second wicket.

Malinga shines

Malinga, the pick among the Sri Lankan bowlers, nudged out Kohli with a short-pitched delivery. Dhoni then partnered Karthik and the Indian skipper loosened up against Maharoof and Muralitharan with clouts over mid-wicket. Another stumble was around the corner as Karthik, after bracing past Malinga's classic decoy – a bouncer followed by the yorker – miscued a slog sweep off Kandamby, who later prised out Dhoni to land a double blow on the Indians.

At 167 for four in 32.2 overs, the onus on shoring up the innings rested on Rohit (41, 52b, 3x4) and Suresh Raina and the two contributed a 50-run fifth-wicket partnership. Raina remained tentative against Malinga's bouncer while Rohit stood tall and hooked fine. Raina gained his breath against spin before losing his way against Malinga and the beefy strikes failed to materialise once Rohit perished in the slog overs.

India however managed a competitive total, which acquired an alarming proportion after the seamers struck in tandem under lights.

For Sri Lanka, the failure of its last match hero – Maharoof – was symbolic of a day on which its best laid plans were in tatters.

No bilateral cricket causes on-field spats

Former captain Moin Khan has said that emotional intensity witnessed during the India-Pakistan Asia Cup clash last night was the result of no bilateral cricket being played between the two countries since 2007.

“There is always a lot at stake in an Indo-Pak match no matter how much one tries to say it is just another cricket encounter. The high degree of emotion involved in the match was proof of that,” Moin said.

“When we regularly play bilateral matches the players get used to the tension and pressure situation. People on both sides also get used to accepting that in sports one team has to lose,” he noted.

The match, which India won by three wickets in the final over, saw verbal clashes between Kamran Akmal and Gautam Gambhir and Shoaib Akhtar and Harbhajan Singh.

The umpires, Billy Bowden and Doctrove had to intervene to separate the players. The Indian government has not allowed bilateral cricket ties.

with Pakistan since the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. The Asia Cup match was only the second clash between the two arch-rivals since September last year when they played in the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

“But since we are now back again and playing against each other rarely, obviously emotions run high and we saw it last night,” Moin said.

The former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman, however, said that there was a responsibility on the players to control their emotional outbursts on the field.

“Personally I like these incidents because it shows how committed the players of both sides are to win. But at the end of the day we have to realise that there are millions watching the match and many youngsters who idolise the players. So the players need to be careful and don’t let things get out of their hands,” he said.

Moin felt that fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar should have shown more restraint in the final overs of the match.

“One should have remained calm and composed in the pressure cooker situation. Maybe the frustration of not getting the wicket got to him.”

Moin praised the Pakistan team’s overall effort and their fighting spirit and said, “though India won, the Pakistani players fought hard.”

Asia Cup 2010 - Schedule and Fixtures

Asia Cup 2010 starts from Jne 15 in the island of Sri Lanka. The tournament features four test playing nations of Asia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The finals is scheduled for June 24. All the matches are played in Dambulla.

Each team will play 3 matches and top two teams will fight in the finals. Here are schedule of Asia Cup 2010 Sri Lanka:

Date	Match Details	Time		Venue
		GMT	Pakistan
Jun 15 - Tue	Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 1st match	09:00	14:00	Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
Jun 16 - Wed	India v Bangladesh, 2nd match	09:00	14:00	Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
Jun 18 - Fri	Sri Lanka v Bangladesh, 3rd match	09:00	14:00	Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
Jun 19 - Sat	Pakistan v India, 4th match	09:00	14:00	Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
Jun 21 - Mon	Pakistan v Bangladesh, 5th match	09:00	14:00	Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
Jun 22 - Tue	Sri Lanka v India, 6th match	09:00	14:00	Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
Jun 24 - Thu	Final	09:00	14:00	Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium

Memorable title triumph for England

Defying odds, England ambushed Australia by seven wickets to win its first title in an ICC Global event at the Kensington Oval here on Sunday. Chasing 148, England outplayed Australia with three overs to spare to triumph in the ICC World Twenty20. The side was professional; It was also ruthless.

The bowlers, led by left-arm paceman Ryan Sidebottom, set up the victory. Then intrepid opener Craig Kieswetter (63 off 49) and the inspiring Kevin Pietersen (47 off 31) took the match away from Australia with a 111-run partnership for the second wicket.

Both were dismissed late in the game but, by now, the verdict was not in doubt. Skipper Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan closed out the contest clinically. In a big game, the Aussie bowling and fielding wilted. England was emotional in its celebrations.

Australia had success straightaway when Michael Lumb, clipping Shaun Tait uppishly, was held at mid-wicket. In walked Kevin Pietersen.

England regrouped. When Dirk Nannes bowled a fuller length, he was cover-driven and flicked for boundaries by the attacking and quick-footed Craig Kieswetter.

The free-stroking Kieswetter cashed in on fuller length deliveries; Tait was bravely driven over the covers.

Pietersen had his moment of uncertainty against the speedy Nannes. He created room on the off-side but found a yorker-length ball thudding into his pads. However, a cover-drive on the up against left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson underlined his quality. The England total was 44 for one after the six Power Play overs.

Pietersen, settling down, was looking increasingly dangerous. He sashayed down the track to ease Johnson down the ground.

His batting has the rare blend of strong back-footed play, the ability to use his feet to shimmy down the pitch and wristy sub-continental flair. He simmers with aggression; wants to dominate. His cricket oozes belief and confidence.

So quickly do his feet move that the bowlers' length is disrupted.

Consequently their line suffers. He is an Englishman with the attitude of an Aussie.

Gradually, the hunter became the hunted. The England zeroed in on Shane Watson, the weak link, with Kieswetter dismantling the Aussie pacemen with strikes that were chancy but effective.

When Tait returned, Pietersen, his footwork precise, head still and balance perfect, smacked him over his head.

Pietersen's back-swing is a thing of beauty. Crucially, he was picking the length early and was ready with his response. When Tait bowled a full length scorcher, Pietersen, effortlessly, eased the ball over the long-off ropes. It was a stunning strike.

On a bright, sunny afternoon, England, perhaps influenced by the rousing Australian chase in the last four duel against Pakistan, opted to field.

Paul Collinwood also displayed belief in his pacemen. The English seam and swing bowlers were not as quick as their Australian counterparts but were bowling in the right areas with clever alterations in speed and length. Bowling in Twenty2o cricket is a lot about anticipating the batsman's next move.

Left-arm paceman Ryan Sidebottom has impressed in the competition. He has a largely semi-open release and his wrist and seam positions are excellent.

He can hit the seam relentlessly, surprise the batsmen with his two-way movement and extract lift from just short of a good length.

Key batsman Shane Watson slashed at a rising ball, angling across, from Sidebottom in the first over. 'Keeper Craig Kieswetter could not latch on to the offering but Greame Swann was quick to pouch the deflection. If the England bowling was on target, the fielding was sharp. The Englishmen did create the pressure that forces mistakes.

Michael Clarke pushed Tim Bresnan to cover. David Warner took off from the non-striker's end but Michael Lumb's under-arm throw caught him out of the crease.

Australia slumped to eight for three in the third over. Sidebottom's lifting delivery down-the-leg-side seemed to have brushed Brad Haddin's thigh for a swift Kieswetter to pouch the ball. The umpire upheld an appeal for caught behind. Television replays suggested otherwise.

Australia was just 24 for three after the Power Play overs. England has contained and struck during an extremely important phase of the match.

Michael Clarke put a price on his wicket. The Australian captain is nimble-footed and his duel against off-spinner Swann made compelling viewing.

Swann's changes in pace, length and trajectory seldom allowed Clarke to break free. It was eventually the dip in Swann's flight that did Clarke in with skipper Paul Collingwood picking up a smart catch at short mid-wicket. At the half-way mark, Australia was struggling at 47 for four.

Left-arm spinner Michael Yardy, quicker and flatter through the air, kept the Aussies under check until David Hussey swung him over mid-wicket for the maximum.

Then the in-form Cameron White cut loose against Yardy with booming strokes over the straight field and the mid-wicket region.

David Hussey earned a reprieve at 25 when Broad misjudged a skier at mid-on; Tim Bresnan was the bowler to suffer.

Broad, soon, held on to a looping ball when White (30 off 19) attempted to biff paceman Luke Wright.

David Hussey continued to torment England. And his brother, Miracle Man Michael Hussey, drove and flicked with a surgeon's precision.

David Hussey's enterprising innings (59 off 54 balls) in a pressure situation concluded when he was run out going for a second run in the final over.

Broad, who has a sense of occasion, sent down a creditable last over of yorkers and slower balls, conceding just seven runs. Australia was stopped from crossing the psychologically importantl 150-run barrier.

Afridi not bothered by Pakistan's problems

Welcome, to what seems, is the often perplexing world of the Pakistan cricket team, who will continue the defence of their World Twenty20 title against Australia at the Beausejour Stadium on Friday.

Last year’s attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore effectively led to the suspension of international cricket in Pakistan and turned the national side into globe-trotters denied the chance to play in front of their own fans.

If that were not bad enough, a wretched tour of Australia, where Pakistan lost all three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 match led to seven players being either banned or fined by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Former captains Younus Khan and Mohammad Yousuf were banned indefinitely from playing for Pakistan.

Shoaib Malik, another former captain, was banned for one year and fined two million rupees (24,000 dollars), as was all-rounder Rana Naved.

Meanwhile Shahid Afridi, now Pakistan’s captain and the Akmal brothers, Kamran and Umar, were heavily fined.

It was during the Australia tour that Afridi was involved in an extraordinary incident where cameras caught him munching on the ball during a one-day international in Perth.

On top of all of this, Pakistan saw paceman Umar Gul, the leading wicket-taker in Twenty20 cricket with 43 victims in 26 matches, withdraw with a shoulder injury.

And while the team were in the West Indies, a report into the Australia tour became public which quoted former coach Intikhab Alam as saying the players were “mentally retarded”. Yet the kind of off-field dramas that might destabilise rival international sides are regarded as part and parcel of Pakistani cricket life.

“It’s a normal thing for us, going through this kind of situation,” Afridi told reporters of Pakistan’s disciplinary problems at Beausejour Stadium on Wednesday. “The only thing is performance and if we win the games everything will be fine,” Afridi added.

As was the case in England last year, Pakistan have had a less than smooth journey to the semi-finals, having been well beaten early on by Australia, losing by six wickets to England in the Super Eights and then going down by one run in the second round to New Zealand.

But in a match they had to win to stay in the tournament, Pakistan beat South Africa by 11 runs on Monday. “We had a very similar situation in England, but we are focused on beating Australia,” leg-spinning all-rounder Afridi said. “I think we are feeling good.

“We have played well but just missed some opportunities, against England and then just losing (on the last ball) against New Zealand.

“Overall the guys are very confident after the last game and I think it will be a great game against Australia.” Afridi said his team’s progress was vital to the well-being of cricket in Pakistan and urged the rest of the game’s leading nations to return to his homeland, saying his side had toured countries where security was an issue.

“This competition is very important,” he said. “We are here to play good cricket and win this competition because there is no cricket in Pakistan. “We tell the people we still love playing cricket away and at home as well and we want to see cricket back at home.

“The situation in India was not so good four, five, six years ago when Pakistan visited there and Sri Lanka as well but Pakistan was the only team that visited there and played there. “I think this is the thing we should (have), cricket relations should continue.”

Pakistan sends SA from T/20 World Cup tournament

Defending champions Pakistan is through to the semifinals of the 2010 ICC World Twenty/20 Championship following their 11-run win over South Africa at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia on Monday.

Pakistan needed a victory to prolong their Twenty/20 World Cup ambition of back to back titles while South Africa was aiming to prove their doubters wrong.

Most of the teams who have batted first have gone on to win so far in the tournament, so there was no prize guessing what Shahid Afridi would have done.

But trouble surfaced very early in the innings as they slumped to 18 for three after five overs.

Pakistan needed a savior, and the Akmal brothers came to their rescue.

The champions have struggled against the quicker bowlers in the past, but South Africa's Captain Graeme Amith might have missed that little detail.

Akmal brothers save Pakistani innings

The spinners were introduced and both Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal satisfied their appetite for runs in a partnership worth 61 runs.

Herschelle Gibbs provided the breakthrough for South Africa to break up the Akmal brother partnership as Kamran went for 37 from 33.

Afridi joined Umar and the pair lifted the tempo in another 61 run stand which came off 33 deliveries.

Akmal raised his bat to signal but both fell to Langeveldt in the seventeenth over.

Umar was caught by Gibbs for 51 which came off 33 balls including two fours and four sixes while Afridi was bowled for 30 as Pakistanis innings ended at 148 for 7.

South Africa's Langeveldt finished with four for 19.

Ajmal demolish SA batting line-up

The South Africans began their reply shakily, losing Gibbs in the third over, caught by Misbah-ul-haq Niazi off Abdul Razzaq for three and Smith caught by Afridi off Abdur Rehman for 13 to leave the scoreboard reading 23 for 2.

Saeed Ajmal removed Jacques Kallis for 22 and when Jean Paul Duminy was caught by Rashid Latif off Rehman for three, South Africa were 68 for 4.

Abe de Villiers carried South Africa's hopes in a valiant 53 which included one four and two sixes off 41 deliveries.

HHe tried a few shots along the way but his improvisation provided Ajmal with his second of four wickets as South Africa's chance of a successful chase became unlikely. Johan Botha was the last man out as South Africa's participation in the tournament ended at 137 for 7 with Ajmal claiming 4 for 26.