Sunday, October 30, 2011

Swann targets further improvement


Tim Bresnan & Graeme Swann
Stand-in Twenty20 captain Graeme Swann says England still have plenty to work on despite finishing a dismal tour with a six-wicket victory over India.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Saeed Ajmal puts Pakistan 1-0 up after Second Test win against Sri Lanka


• Sri Lanka 239 & 257; Pakistan 403 & 94-1
• Pakistan win by nine wickets and lead three-match series 1-0



Pakistan's spinner Saeed Ajmal celebrates after dismissing Sri Lanka's batsman Suranga Lakmal
Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal (second left) celebrates after dismissing Sri Lanka's Suranga Lakmal. Photograph: Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images
The off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests as Pakistan completed a nine-wicket win in four days in the Second Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Needing 94 for victory, the opener Mohammad Hafeez scored a quickfire unbeaten 59 and knocked off the runs with Azhar Ali (29) after Pakistan lost Taufeeq Umar early.
When Pakistan bundled out Sri Lanka for 257 in their second innings the 34-year-old Ajmal, with five for 68, led the Pakistan spinners, who took eight out of the 10 wickets to fall.
Ajmal ran through the Sri Lanka tail, keeping the batsmen guessing with his doosras, after Abdur Rehman (two for 65) broke a stubborn seventh-wicket stand by dismissing Dhammika Prasad.
Angelo Mathews (52 not out) and Prasad (33) added 56 for the seventh wicket to take the lead closer to the 100-run mark.
Pakistan dismissed opener Tharanga Paranavitana (72) and wicketkeeper-batsman Kaushal Silva (eight) before tea after removing Sri Lanka's batting mainstays Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and their captain, Tillakaratne Dilshan, in the morning.
Sangakkara, who scored a double century to save Sri Lanka in the first Test in Abu Dhabi, added 73 for the second wicket with Paranavitana before he was given out lbw to Rehman. A fuming Sangakkara stormed back to the pavilion, clearly unhappy with the decision, and was soon followed by Jayawardene, who struggled during his 34-ball stay before being bowled around his legs while trying to sweep Ajmal.
Dilshan was undone by some superb reverse swing bowling from the left-arm seamer Junaid Khan and was struck right in front to a delivery that came in after pitching. Junaid bowled around the stumps to the right-handers and was able to get the old ball to swing both ways, making life difficult for the batsmen on a wearing pitch.
Pakistan are playing "home" Tests in the Gulf region because of security fears in their own country. The final match of the series is at Sharjah from 3 November.

England end tour on a high with impressive Twenty20 victory over India



• Kevin Pietersen hits form to guide tourists to six-wicket win
• First England triumph over India at Eden Gardens since 2006


Kevin Pietersen, India v England
England's Kevin Pietersen hits out during his decisive innings against India at Eden Gardens. Photograph: Bikas Das/AP
Finally. After the tribulations of the past week, England were able to fly home on a high. In beating India by six wickets at Eden Gardens – not only their first victory over India this tour, but their first of any kind against them here since 2006 – they reaffirmed, indeed enhanced, their newly bestowed status as the world's number-one ranked Twenty20 side to go with their World T20 title.

England's time on the T20 summit will be painfully brief if India win

England top the ICC's Twenty20 rankings but another flop at Eden Gardens could send them tumbling down the list


Kevin Pietersen, Craig Kieswetter and Paul Collingwood

Friday, October 28, 2011

Kevin Pietersen doubtful for Twenty20 game with India

Saturday.Kevin Pietersen

Batsman Kevin Pietersen is a major doubt for England's final game of their disappointing India tour on Saturday.

Australia clinch one-day series against South Africa

Australia's Mike Hussey hits out against South Africa
South Africa play Australia in Durban in their third and final one-day international.

Australia beat South Africa by 3 wickets
South Africa won the toss and decided to bat
222 for 6 (50.0 overs)
227 for 7 (47.3 overs)