England, Ireland, West Indies and Proteas score victories in warm up games

England, Ireland, West Indies and Proteas score victories in warm up games

Kamran, Malik lift Pakistan over India in practice match 

COLOMBO: Kamran Akmal smashed an unbeaten 92 off 50 balls as Pakistan came from behind to defeat India by five wickets in a warm-up match for the World Twenty20 on Monday. Pakistan, chasing India’s commanding 185-3, appeared to be out of contention when they lost five wickets by the 12th over with just 91 runs on the board at the Premadasa stadium. But Akmal and former captain Shoaib Malik turned the game around with a brilliant unbroken stand of 95 off 46 balls that helped Pakistan beat the shell-shocked Indians with five balls to spare. Akmal plundered six sixes, including the winning shot off seamer Irfan Pathan which sailed over the cover fence. Malik remained unbeaten on 37 off 18 balls.

Virat Kohli had earlier top-scored for India with 75 not out, while off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin claimed four wickets for 23 runs. Some 3,000 Sri Lankan fans watched the arch-rivals battle out in the middle in the only warm-up match to be beamed live by the host broadcasters of the World Twenty20 that opens on Tuesday. “We knew that if India could post a huge total, so could we,” said Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez. “Kamran was exceptional, and Malik’s experience also helped.” Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the batting worked well, but the bowlers needed to contain runs on the easy-paced wickets. “It was not really a bad game for us,” he said. “We have got to work on a few things with our bowling.” India and Pakistan are drawn in different groups for the preliminary league, but are seeded to meet in the Super Eights round in Colombo on September 30.

England, Ireland, West Indies and Proteas emerge victorious: In other matches, England beat Australia by nine runs, Ireland pipped Bangladesh by five runs, the West Indies slammed Afghanistan by eight wickets and South Africa overcame New Zealand by nine runs. Reigning champions England piled up 172-6 after being sent in to bat, with opener Alex Hales top-scoring with 52 off 38 balls. Luke Wright hit a 29-ball 35 and Eoin Morgan scored a brisk 30 from 16 balls.

Australia managed only 163-6 in reply against the tight England bowling despite a polished 71 off 51 balls from Michael Hussey, who hit five sixes. England, who take on Afghanistan in their opening match in Colombo on Friday, play another practice match against Pakistan on Wednesday. A middle-order collapse saw Bangladesh go down to Ireland despite Shakib Al Hasan’s hurricane 52 from 23 balls that was studded with three fours and five sixes. Ireland made 164-6 after being asked to take first strike, with Paul Stirling hitting a 41-ball 71 with five fours and as many sixes. Ed Joyce scored 39 from 36 balls. Shakib and Tamim Iqbal (35) took Bangladesh to a comfortable 105-2, before four wickets fell for 21 runs to allow Ireland to bounce back.

West Indies opener Chris Gayle warmed up for the tournament with an unbeaten 65 off 48 balls as the West Indies eased past Afghanistan’s modest 122-7 in the 16th over. New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor hammered seven sixes in an unbeaten 75 from 42 balls, but could not prevent South Africa from carving out a nine-run victory. South Africa rode on captain AB de Villiers’ 54 to make 186-6 before four wickets from Dale Steyn restricted the Black Caps to 177-8. afp

Hosts Sri Lanka take on Zimbabwe in opener

World Twenty20 explodes into action today

HAMBANTOTA: The World Twenty20 Championship explodes into action on Tuesday (today) in tropical Sri Lanka with no runaway favourite and upsets likely in cricket’s shortest and least predictable form. At least half of the 12 participating nations will consider themselves strong contenders to lift the trophy in Colombo on October 7, with the others hopeful of living up to the event’s reputation for shocks. From defending champions England, the powerful West Indies and formidable South Africa to Asia’s top three – former winners India and Pakistan, and Sri Lanka – the field is strong and deep.

The others won’t be taken lightly either, if a string of sensational results in the tournament’s three previous editions are any indication. While many purists are unconvinced by Twenty20, and fear the impact on Test cricket, there’s no doubting its entertainment value. India, initially reluctant to embrace the newest format, won the inaugural event in South Africa in 2007 under rookie skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni after senior pros Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly opted out. It was in the same tournament that Zimbabwe stunned Australia, Bangladesh upset the West Indies, and India brushed aside England, South Africa, Australia and Pakistan in successive games to grab the title.

Pakistan won the second edition in England in 2009, a tournament that made a stunning start when the Netherlands, a non Test-playing nation, upset the hosts by four wickets in front of a packed house at Lord’s. England claimed the 2010 title in the Caribbean, but it was Australia’s amazing win over Pakistan in the semi-final that remained the talking point. With 34 needed from the final two overs, Michael Hussey smashed 38 off 10 balls to take Australia home with one delivery to spare. Only last week, Australia trounced Pakistan by 94 runs to avenge two successive defeats against the same opponents. “It’s the sort of format where nothing can be taken for granted,” said India’s Dhoni. “We have seen one ball change the whole game. “The idea is to do well for all the 40 overs. That is all that matters.” The 12 sides have been divided into four pools for the preliminary league, with the top two from each advancing to the Super Eights round. If the seedings go to plan, fans can expect high-voltage action in the Super Eights – a week-long race to the one-off semis and final in the Sri Lankan capital. England, the West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand are seeded to meet in group one of the Super Eights, with the top two teams making it to the semi-finals.

Group two is already being billed as the “Group of Death”, with arch-rivals India and Pakistan seeded to face Australia and South Africa. Sri Lanka’s frontline batsman Kumar Sangakkara cautioned rivals not to expect spin-friendly pitches at the three venues in Colombo, steamy hill town Pallekele and Hambantota, site of a major new port. “Be ready for a stiff breeze in Hambantota, swing and seam in Pallekele and a good batting surface at the Premadasa (stadium) in Colombo,” the veteran batsman-wicketkeeper said. “Each venue will have a different challenge and sides will have to adjust accordingly. It will make the tournament more exciting.” England are out to prove they can defend the title without star batsman Kevin Pietersen, the man of the tournament in 2010 who has been axed from the national team on disciplinary grounds.

The West Indies are touted as potential champions, with explosive batsmen in Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Marlon Samuels, and a wily spinner in Sunil Narine. The men to watch out for are plenty. Australian spinner Brad Hogg, aged 41, and South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis, 37 next month, will look to rubbish the theory that Twenty20 is a young man’s game. Ace Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh is assured of a warm welcome from the stands, having battled cancer earlier this year to return to the big stage. Also vying for the spotlight will be prolific Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal, dashing Australian opener David Warner, local boy Lasith Malinga, England’s Jonny Bairstow and South African Richard Levi. afp

Groups :

Group A: England, India, Afghanistan

Group B: Australia, West Indies, Ireland

Group C: Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Group D: Pakistan, New Zealand, Bangladesh

Schedule with pakistan standard time (pst) :

Sept 18: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Hambantota at 7:00 pm (PST)

Sept 19: Australia v Ireland, Colombo at 3:00 pm (PST)

India v Afghanistan, Colombo at 7:00 pm (PST)

Sept 20: South Africa v Zimbabwe, Hambantota at 7:00 pm (PST)

Sept 21: New Zealand v Bangladesh, Pallekele at 3:00 pm (PST)

England v Afghanistan, Colombo at 7:00 pm (PST)

Sept 22: Sri Lanka v South Africa, Hambantota at 3:00 pm (PST)

Australia v West Indies, Colombo at 7:00 pm (PST)

Sept 23: Pakistan v New Zealand, Pallekele at 3:00 pm (PST)

England v India, Colombo at 7:00 pm (PST)

Sept 24: West Indies v Ireland, Colombo 7:00 pm (PST)

Sept 25: Pakistan v Bangladesh, Pallekele at 7:00 pm (PST)

Super-Eights

Group one: A1, B2, C1, D2

Group two: A2, B1, C2, D1

Sept 27: C1 v D2, Pallekele at 4:00 pm (PST)

A1 v B2, Pallekele at 7:00 pm (PST)

Sept 28: D1 v C2, Colombo at 3:00 pm (PST)

B1 v A2, Colombo at 7:00 pm (PST)

Sept 29: A1 v D2, Pallekele at 3:00 pm (PST)

C1 v B2, Pallekele 7:00 pm (PST)

Sept 30: B1 v C2, Colombo at 3:00 pm (PST)

D1 v A2, Colombo at 7:00 pm (PST)

Oct 1: B2 v D2, Pallekele at 3:00 pm (PST)

A1 v C1, Pallekele at 7:00 pm (PST)

Oct 2: B1 v D1, Colombo at 3:00 pm (PST)

A2 v C2, Colombo at 7:00 pm (PST)

Semi-finals

Oct 4: Group one winners v Group two runners-up, Colombo at 6:30 pm (PST)

Oct 5: Group one runners-up v Group two winners, Colombo 6:30 pm (PST)

Final

Oct 7: Final, Colombo 6:30 pm (PST)

Australia crush Pakistan in final Twenty20

Australia crush Pakistan in final Twenty20

DUBAI: Australia brought Pakistan down to earth with a thumping 94-run defeat in the third and final Twenty20 international at Dubai Stadium here on Monday. Chasing a daunting 169-run target, Pakistan were all out for 74 -- the joint lowest by a Test playing country in all Twenty20s – for their biggest defeat in the history of the shortest form of the game.

Only Nasir Jamshed (17), Yasir Arafat (15) and Abdul Razzaq (13) could reach double figures as Australian paceman Mitchell Starc (3-11) and Pat Cummins (3-15) ran through the Pakistan batting line-up. Pakistan, who won the first match by seven wickets and the second in Super over, never looked the same side as they lost wickets at regular intervals, the first five falling by the sixth over with the score on 19. Razzaq and Arafat shared the highest partnership of the innings with 20, taking Pakistan past the lowest total in all Twenty20 -- 67 by Kenya against Canada in Belfast in 2008. Pakistan’s previous biggest defeat in Twenty20 internationals was by 48 runs, against England at The Oval in 2009. India were also dismissed for 74 by Australia at Melbourne in 2008.

Earlier Warner made a 34-ball 59 with six sixes and a four and Watson hammered five sixes and a boundary during his 32-ball 47 to put on Australia’s best opening stand of 111 in all T20s after they were put into bat. The Australian openers went berserk from the eighth over when Watson hit Shoaib Malik for three towering sixes and from the other end Warner hit left-armer Raza Hasan for as many sixes in the ninth. Even the successful Saeed Ajmal was hit for two sixes as Australian openers hit nine sixes in the space of 19 balls, bringing the second fifty off just 15 balls. Paceman Arafat, who replaced Sohail Tanveer as the only change to the line-up, had both the openers in successive overs to put brakes on the Australian innings, finishing with 2-30. Glenn Maxwell chipped in with a 20-ball 27 with three fours and six. Ajmal finished with 2-19, taking his tally to 60 wickets -- the most by any bowler in Twenty20 cricket. The two teams now head to Sri Lanka where the fourth edition of the World Twenty20 begins from September 18. afp

More Sharing Services

England star Anderson slams former skipper Vaughan

England star Anderson slams former skipper Vaughan

LONDON: England pace bowler James Anderson has launched a scathing attack on the captaincy of Michael Vaughan, who led his country’s successful bid to regain the Ashes in 2005. Vaughan was widely regarded as a fine leader after revitalising England in the run-up to their first Test series win over old rivals Australia in 18 years. But Anderson, who didn’t feature in the 2005 Ashes after losing his place in the England team, claims Vaughan lacked the ability to talk to his players as individuals and left him feeling “alone and isolated” when he needed support.

Writing in his autobiography, an excerpt of which was published in the Mail on Sunday, the 30-year-old, who is now a key member of the England bowling attack, talked about his relationships with Vaughan and Nasser Hussain, another former national team captain. “My relationship with Nasser was good on and off the field. The same could be said of my relationship with Michael Vaughan, captain during my early England years, since his retirement. Unfortunately, despite our cordiality now, I didn’t enjoy Vaughan as a captain,” Anderson said.

“As a young fast bowler, you need to know that your captain has his arm around your shoulder, if not physically, then metaphorically. Unfortunately, that is not something I ever felt playing under Vaughan. I actually felt alone and isolated when I most needed support. Prime example of that was my recall for the fourth Test against South Africa at the Wanderers in 2005. I had spent the first three Tests on tour out of favour. My tour was one big net, and because I had been so far removed from selection, I wasn’t even thinking about playing. When preferred to Simon Jones, I was underprepared. It was five months since my last first-class action. I didn’t bowl very well. Although I started okay as first change, it wasn’t long before I began dragging the ball down short and wide. I got clattered everywhere and was soon shot of confidence. Vaughan asked: ‘What’s up, mate? Radar gone?’ ‘Yeah, I think it has,’ I said, desperate for some backing. All I received was a pat between the shoulder blades and an instruction to ‘keep going’.”

Anderson believes Vaughan’s failure to communicate well was largely ignored because he was in charge of so many good players that the team’s results kept the spotlight off the captain. “A good captain should know how to talk to his team as individuals. I don’t think Vaughan ever had that in him – a major reason I’ve not held him in as high regard as others have,” Anderson added. “He was not as good a captain as others made out. He was captain of a truly great team in 2005.” afp

Golf : Australia’s Griffin wins in South Korea

Golf : Australia’s Griffin wins in South Korea

SEOUL: Australia’s Matthew Griffin scored the biggest win of his professional career with a single stroke victory at the Charity High1 Resort Open in South Korea on Sunday. The 29-year-old led by two overnight but held his nerve in a topsy-turvy final round for an even-par 72 to give him a nine-under total of 278 and the winner’s cheque of around $178,000.

Kang Kyung-nam, who shot 68, and Park Sang-Hyun, on 71, both from South Korea, pushed Griffin all the way, to finish joint second on 279. Kim Bi-o, winner of two events on the OneAsia circuit already this year, was a shot further back. His hopes of an unprecedented third OneAsia title on home soil came unstuck with two wayward shots on the par five 13th, although he salvaged a bogey with a breathtaking 60-foot putt.

“I am really, really thrilled,” Griffin said after his victory. “This is what I have worked for all my life, so it is absolutely amazing to finally get there. “This is immense. It gives me a lot of security and it also repays the faith that my supporters and sponsors have shown in me over the years.” Griffin, once ranked the third-best amateur in the world, was a relative latecomer to the professional ranks and only scored his first four-round victory at the South Pacific Open in New Caledonia last year. He is a natural left-hander who plays the game right-handed. He dedicated his victory to Peter Beck, a friend and mentor who caddied for him occasionally in his amateur and professional days, who died in 2010.

Park was left ruing his missed opportunity, saying: “Very disappointed, that’s the only thing I feel right now. I sort of think that somehow I was meant to be second in this tournament.” afp

Formula One : Hamilton wins Italian Grand Prix

Formula One : Hamilton wins Italian Grand Prix

MONZA: McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton added the Italian Grand Prix to his list of Formula One victories on Sunday while Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso stretched his overall championship lead to 37 points with third place. Mexican driver Sergio Perez denied Alonso second place, overtaking the Spaniard seven laps from the finish in his Ferrari-powered Sauber in Ferrari’s backyard. Hamilton’s third win of the season, and 20th of his career, lifted the 2008 champion to second in the overall standings with seven races remaining. Alonso has 179 points, Hamilton 142 and Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen 141.

“It’s been fantastic to win here. I’m just so happy for my team, it’s been a fantastic day,” said Hamilton, who had added the Italian flag colours to his helmet for a race at one of Formula One’s most historic and evocative circuits. “Fernando is a two-time world champion so I’m very happy for him too,” he said of his former McLaren team mate after McLaren’s third win in a row. Champions Red Bull had a nightmare afternoon in the sunshine with both Sebastian Vettel, the reigning champion, and Australian Mark Webber retiring late in the race while in scoring positions. Vettel, who had been Alonso’s closest rival in the standings before the start, retired six laps from the finish and slipped to fourth overall with 140 points.

Button retires: The German had already taken a drive-through penalty after pushing Alonso wide on to the gravel and grass as the Spaniard tried to overtake out of the first Lesmo curve. “Okay, that’s enough now,” Alonso said over the team radio. McLaren’s Jenson Button, winner in Belgium last weekend and runner-up in Monza for the past three years, pulled over on to the grass along the pit straight and retired on the 33rd of the 53 laps while in second place. While Hamilton celebrated his first victory at Monza, the big winner was Alonso who got the loudest cheer of the afternoon when he appeared on a podium suspended over the track and above a red sea of fans roaring their support and unfurling a giant Ferrari shield.

The Spaniard, who failed to score in Belgium after being shunted out at the first corner, had started 10th after a mechanical problem had denied him a likely pole in Saturday’s qualifying. “It was a difficult race, starting from 10th, but we knew we had maybe the quickest car this weekend,” said a beaming Alonso, who also addressed the crowd in Italian to another explosion of approval after being interviewed on the podium by former Ferrari champion Niki Lauda. “A perfect Sunday because the win was out of reach...it’s much better than expected.” Lauda took his hat off, literally, to Perez for another astonishing drive by the 22-year-old.

“It’s unbelievable to have a podium for my team at Monza. It’s very special. I went for prime tyres at the start and I decided to stop late. That gave me very fresh tyres at the end. It’s unbelievable,” said Perez. Ferrari’s Felipe Massa finished fourth, denied a first podium since 2010 by team orders that obliged him to let Alonso through on lap 40. The Brazilian had seized second from Button at the start, before the Briton regained his place, and was second again after Button retired.

Raikkonen, Ferrari’s 2007 champion, finished fifth with former Ferrari great Michael Schumacher sixth and his Mercedes team mate Nico Rosberg seventh. Britain’s Paul Di Resta was eighth for Force India with Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi giving Sauber a double scoring finish in ninth and Brazilian Bruno Senna 10th for Williams. The start, always a cause for concern at the fastest circuit on the calendar, was clean with the first big incident coming on lap nine when Toro Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne lost control and skidded across the track, lifting slightly into the air. He walked away afterwards. reuters

Tennis : Hot-stuff Djokovic sets up Murray US Open final

Tennis : Hot-stuff Djokovic sets up Murray US Open final

NEW YORK: Defending champion Novak Djokovic swept into his third consecutive US Open final, setting up a title showdown with Britain’s Andy Murray, with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Spain’s David Ferrer on Sunday. Ferrer had led 5-2 in the first set overnight when the semi-final was suspended due to violent storms which battered New York, but Djokovic thrived under clear blue skies on Sunday, allowing the Spaniard just eight more games. The victory gave the second-seeded Serb a year-leading 60th win and extended his winning run at hardcourt Grand Slams to 27 matches. Djokovic will be aiming for a sixth major in Monday’s final while third-seed Murray, who trails the Serb 8-6 in career meetings, is bidding to become Britain’s first men’s Grand Slam champion since Fred Perry in 1936.

Victory by the Serb in the championship match would mean 30 out of the last 31 majors have been won by either Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. “We were all praying for less wind today. He handled it better than I did yesterday but I came into today a different player,” said Djokovic. “Against Andy, there will be no clear favourite. He’s going for a first Grand Slam and will be very motivated. Hopefully we will both come up with our best tennis.”

Ferrer quickly wrapped up the opening set on Sunday’s resumption before Djokovic, who hadn’t dropped a set in the tournament, made the fourth seed pay, racing into a 5-0 lead in the second, even saving three break points in the fifth game in the process. Ferrer, playing in his second US Open semi-final and bidding to make the final at a major at the 40th attempt, saved three set points in the seventh game before the champion levelled the semi-final.

The world number two, who had been unsettled by Saturday’s storm-filled skies, broke in the opening game of the third set as the faster, hotter conditions played into his hands. Ferrer briefly rallied for 2-2 before the Serb broke again for 4-3, going on to serve two love games to take the set with a fifth ace of the contest. Two more comfortable breaks allowed Djokovic to sweep to a 3-0 advantage in the fourth set as Ferrer wilted under a relentless barrage of pinpoint groundstrokes. It was all over when Djokovic confidently put away a forehand volley.

Earlier on Saturday, Olympic champion Murray, trying to become the first British man to win a Grand Slam title since 1936, withstood blustery conditions to beat Tomas Berdych and reach the US Open final. Third seed Murray advanced by defeating the Czech sixth seed 5-7, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (9/7). “It was brutal,” Murray said, after a tornado warning had been issued earlier in the day. Some of the hardest conditions I have ever played in, and I come from Scotland so that’s saying something.” Trying to end a British men’s Slam drought dating to Fred Perry’s 1936 US title, the lanky 25-year-old Scotsman battled through brutal winds to reach his fifth career Grand Slam final, his second in a row after falling at Wimbledon. After collecting an Olympic crown last month, avenging his Wimbledon final loss to Roger Federer in the final, this might at last be Murray’s moment. Murray and his coach, eight-time Grand Slam champion Ivan Lendl, are the only Open-era players to drop their first four Grand Slam finals, Murray losing at the 2008 US Open, 2010 and 2011 Australian Opens and last June at Wimbledon. Despite wicked breezes, Murray connected on 74 percent of his first serves and won 73 percent of those points while making only 20 unforced errors to 64 for Berdych. afp