New Zealand-England Second Test Draw

Persistent rain and a pitch that offered the seam bowlers little assistance ensured the second Test between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve ended in a damp draw when the final day's play was abandoned without a ball being bowled on Monday.
Much of Sunday's fourth day was also washed out after lunch as intermittent rain showers swept across the Wellington region resulting in a near farcical situation as the umpires cleared the ground for play three times, only for the rain to return and force further delays.
New Zealand were 162 for two when match officials abandoned the day's play at 1405 local (0105 GMT) with Kane Williamson 55 not out while Ross Taylor was on 41 after the pair combined for an 81-run partnership to thwart England's bowlers on Sunday.
The hosts were still 49 runs away from making England bat again after Alastair Cook had enforced the follow on when New Zealand were bowled out for 254.
The visitors, who had been asked to bat by New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum as he tried to exploit whatever advantage the pitch would provide, batted the hosts out of the match on the first day with Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott scoring centuries.
Despite Stuart Broad's six for 51 in New Zealand's first innings, none of the pace bowlers got much assistance from the pitch throughout the match, which frustrated England bowling coach David Saker.

Brief scores
England 465 (Trott 121, Compton 100, Prior 82)
New Zealand 254 (McCullum 69, Broad 6-51) and 162 for 2 (Williamson 55*)
Result Drawn

Haddin Called in as Cover for Wade

Haddin Called in as Cover for Wade (Watch)
Australia's woes in the ongoing tour of India mounted on Monday as they were forced to call in Brad Haddin as cover for wicket-keeper Matthew Wade, who has sprained his right ankle and is in doubt for the third Test starting from Thursday.
"Cricket Australia (CA) advises that Matthew Wade's scans have confirmed a sprained right ankle. Given the uncertainty of Wade's availability, Brad Haddin will fly from Australia to Mohali today to join the squad," CA said in a statement.
The visiting side trails 0-2 in the four-match series. Wade had injured his ankle while playing basketball on Saturday.
"Matt has a complex ankle injury which has been confirmed by the scans and at this stage is in doubt for the Third Test starting on Thursday. A final decision on whether he will be available for the third Test will be made closer to the match," Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said.
Wade was in doubt before the second Test as well after he fractured his cheek bone during training but played through pain and scored a 62 in the first innings.
He has been Australia's first-choice wicket-keeper since last April's tour of West Indies when Haddin left the series midway to be with his ailing daughter.
The 35-year-old Haddin has the experience of playing in India as he was a part of the side that toured in 2008.
He has been in good form in the domestic circuit having scored 468 runs at an average of 52.00 with two centuries in the Sheffield Shield.

Australia Take on West Indies in Final

After a fortnight of matches spread across Mumbai and Cuttack, the ICC Women's World Cup 2013 prepares for a finale between five-time champion Australia and the West Indies at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday. It would have taken a brave man to predict that the West Indies would be one of the finalists, especially after the drubbing it received at the hands of India in the tournament opener. After barely managing to squeeze into the Super Sixes on the back of a superior net run-rate, the West Indies - which could not afford a single defeat in its three Super Six matches -- won all its matches to secure a berth in the final for the first time ever. However, the X factor has been Dottin. With nine wickets to go with 204 runs, she will clearly be the one to watch out for. Dottin's contributions have come at vital stages, her knock of 60 setting up an eight-run win over Australia in its final Super Six clash. Apart from the allrounders, the side has an able seamer in Tremayne Smartt, capable of moving the ball both ways. Add to it the spin of Anisa Mohammed, the team's leading wicket-taker in ODIs, and the side is clearly well equipped to pull off another surprise.Australia will have the added pressure of being the favourite. Although the side has managed to win five out of its six games in the tournament so far, there have been signs of inconsistency in the batting department. The team management would not have taken the manner in which the West Indian slow bowlers stifled Australia in the last Super Six clash. Despite getting off to starts, no Australian batter has managed to get totals of substance. There have been just three fifties and one century in six matches so far, and Australia will be hoping for a good platform from Rachael Haynes and Meg Lanning. The middle-order's patchy form has been a cause of concern with Jess Cameron and Lisa Sthalekar looking extremely vulnerable early on. The bowling unit, however, has been in tremendous form. The team management will be faced with a tough decision of leaving out one of its promising pacers, with Ellyse Perry, who missed the last three games due to an ankle injury, all set to return. 

Teams from: 

West Indies: Merissa Aguilleira (capt & wk), Stafanie Taylor, Shemaine Campbelle, Shanel Daley, Deandra Dottin, Kyshona Knight, Kycia Knight, Natasha McLean, Anisa Mohammed, Subrina Munroe, Juliana Nero, June Ogle, Shaquana Quintyne, Shakera Selman, Tremanyne Smartt. 

Australia: Jodie Fields (capt & wk), Meg Lanning, Rachael Haynes, Jess Cameron, Alex Blackwell, Lisa Sthalekar, Erion Osborne, Ellyse Perry, Julie Hunter, Holly Ferling, Megan Schutt, Renee Chappell, Sarah Coyte, Alyssa Healy, Elyse Villani.

Match facts
Sunday February 17, 2013 (day/night)

New Zealand to Bowl Against England

New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl against England in their opening one-day international at Seddon Park on Sunday.
"Chasing on this ground can be beneficial," said New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.
New Zealand's last ODI victory at Seddon Park was five years ago when they beat England by 10 wickets as McCullum and Jesse Ryder took just over 18 overs to pass the target of 165.
England, who beat New Zealand 2-1 in the just completed Twenty20 series, have bolstered their side with the arrival of Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Graeme Swann and James Anderson.
New Zealand, whose only success in the Twenty20 series was on the same Seddon Park ground, have spruced up their squad with the addition of batsmen BJ Watling and Kane Williamson as well as medium-fast bowler Kyle Mills.

Teams

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, BJ Watling (wk), Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum (captain), Grant Elliott, James Franklin, Andrew Ellis, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan
England: Alastair Cook (captain), Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler (wk), Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn.

Sri Lanka Win Thriller to Seal Series 2-0

Sri Lanka prevailed in a rain-hit thriller to clinch the second and final Twenty20 international against Australia and seal the series 2-0 on Monday.
Glenn Maxwell hit two successive boundaries to bring Australia agonisingly close to their target but could not make contact with the last delivery sent down by Thisara Perera as Sri Lanka eked out a narrow victory via the Duckworth-Lewis method.
Put into bat, Mahela Jayawardene (61 not out) featured in fifty-plus partnerships with Jeevan Mendis (25) and Perera (35 not out) to help Sri Lanka overcome a slow start and post 161-4 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Australia lost both their openers cheaply but captain George Bailey (45) and Shaun Marsh (47 not out) guided them to 60-2 in 10 overs before rain led to the loss of five overs' play.
Australia were required to score 122 runs from 15 overs under the revised target and 18 runs from the last over from Perera, who removed Bailey with the second ball and followed it with a waist-high full toss which was adjudged a no-ball.
Marsh managed a single off the next delivery and watched from the other end as Maxwell hit two straight boundaries to raise hopes of a memorable victory before failing to put bat to the ball at the death.
Earlier, Sri Lanka's batsmen scored just 56 runs in the first 10 overs but came back strongly, smashing 105 in the second half of their innings.
Spinners Maxwell (1-23) and Xavier Doherty (1-30) and paceman James Faulkner (1-24) took a wicket each as Australia made inroads into Sri Lanka's batting order.
But Mahela Jayawardene (61 not out off 45 balls), Jeevan Mendis (35 not out from 15) and Perera (25 off 24) ensured Australia faced a difficult run chase.
Sri Lanka's late flurry yielded 80 runs from the final seven overs.
It started when Jayawardene lifted Maxwell for a straight six that remarkably rebounded off a seat and rolled all the way back to the bowler.

And by the closing overs Jayawardene was flourishing in a 59-run partnership with Perera.
The pair clubbed 20 from Ben Laughlin's final over, including three fours and a six, as Australia again closed out their bowling innings poorly.
Laughlin finished with the untidy figures of 1-40 while Mitchell Starc (0-35) also copped late punishment.
The result means Australia have just 30 wins from 60 Twenty20 Internationals.
Worryingly, their top order again failed to fire as Aaron Finch and David Warner were both out for seven.

The match ended on a sour note as Perera and Warner started an argument. Jayawardene and Matthew Wade then took over before Bailey intervened to bring a halt to discussions.

Brief scores
Sri Lanka 4 for 161 (Jayawardene 61*, T Perera 35*)
Australia 3 for 119 (Marsh 47*, Bailey 45)
Result Sri Lanka won by 2 runs (D/L method)
MOM Thissara Parera (Sri Lanka)

Pakistan Name Squad For South Africa Test

Pakistan on Friday included lanky paceman Mohammad Irfan in a 16-man squad for next month's three Tests against world number one side South Africa, but there was no place for the three Akmal brothers.
The 30-year-old Irfan, who is said to be seven foot one inch tall, impressed with his steepling bounce during Pakistan's recent tour to India where he featured in all three one-day matches and two Twenty20 internationals. But he has yet to play a Test.
The Test squad, led by Misbah-ul Haq, will open with a four-day side match at East London from January 25 before the first Test in Johannesburg from February 1.
The Pakistan Cricket Board said separate squads for two Twenty20 internationals and five one-day matches, which follow the Tests, will be announced later.
Surprisingly, none of the three Akmal brothers - Kamran, Umar and Adnan - are part of the Test squad and no selector was available to say why.
Nineteen-year-old paceman Ehsan Adil was also selected for the first time after impressing during the Junior World Cup in Australia last year. Adil has taken 56 wickets in ten first-class matches this season.
The pace squad will be led by the experienced Umar Gul, Junaid Khan and Irfan.
Uncapped left-hander Haris Sohail and Faisal Iqbal also retained their places in the squad after failing to play any match on the Sri Lanka tour while left-handed opener Nasir Jamshed, who has yet to play a Test, also made the cut.

Pakistan Test squad:

• Misbah-ul-Haq (capt)
• Mohammad Hafeez
• Nasir Jamshed
• Azhar Ali
• Asad Shafiq
• Younis Khan
• Taufeeq Umar
• Sarfraz Ahmed (wk)
• Junaid Khan
• Mohammad Irfan
• Ehsan Adil
• Saeed Ajmal
• Adbur Rehman
• Haris Sohail
• Faisal Iqbal
• Umar Gul

India vs Pakistan 2012-13 Schedule

Date and Time	Match Details and Series
Tue Dec 25  19:00 local | 13:30 GMT	1st T20 - India vs Pakistan  M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
Thu Dec 27  19:00 local | 13:30 GMT	2nd T20 - India vs Pakistan  Sardar Patel Stadium Motera, Ahmedabad
Sun Dec 30  14:30 local | 09:00 GMT	1st ODI - India vs Pakistan  MA Chidambaram Stadium - Chepauk, Chennai
Thu Jan 3  14:30 local | 09:00 GMT	2nd ODI - India vs Pakistan  Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Sun Jan 6  14:30 local | 09:00 GMT	3rd ODI - India vs Pakistan  Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Bangladesh Record Biggest ODI Win

Anamul Haque became the third youngest Bangladeshi to hit a hundred before the home team spun out the West Indies for their biggest one-day win of 160 runs in Khulna on Sunday.
Anamul scored a dominating 120 in Bangladesh's imposing 292-6 before spinners Abdur Razzak (3-19) and Sohag Gazi (3-21) dismissed the tourists for a low score of 132 in 31.1 overs in the second one-day for a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Bangladesh won Friday's first match by seven wickets, also in Khulna.
But the hosts took a giant leap on Sunday as they achieved their biggest one-day win, improving on their 146-run win over Scotland in Dhaka six years ago.
The West Indies were never in the hunt for the big target chase, losing wickets at regular intervals as the Bangladeshi spinners once again made stroke-play difficult for the batsmen on a slow Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium pitch.
Only Darren Bravo (28) and Kieron Pollard (25) offered some resistance as the top-order West Indian batsmen Chris Gayle (15), Marlon Samuels (16) and Lendl Simmons (nine) failed once more.
Gayle hit two boundaries and a six before edging paceman Mashrafe Mortaza to wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim, while Simmons and Samuels were dismissed by Gazi who remained the best home bowler in Tests and one-days.
Bravo added 41 for the third wicket with Samuels before left-arm spinner Razzak struck thrice, dismissing Dwayne Smith (nought) in his second over and had Bravo and Devon Thomas (nought) in his fourth.
Earlier, it was the 19-year-old right-hander Anamul who in only his second one-day set up the win with a solid 174-run partnership with Rahim (79).
Anamul pulled a short ball from Ravi Rampaul in the 47th over to become the third youngest Bangladeshi and the eighth youngest in the world to score a century, behind countrymen Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.
Anamul faced 145 balls and hit 13 fours and two sixes, lifting the innings during a sixth wicket stand of 64 with Mominul Haque (31) as the hosts scored 86 in the last 10 overs.
The Anamul-Rahim stand is a new record for Bangladesh-West Indies one-days, beating the 146 between Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels in Dhaka 10 years ago.
It also becomes the highest total by Bangladesh in all one-days against the West Indies, improving on 276-7 they scored in Dominica three years ago.
Bangladesh had lost Tamim Iqbal (five) and Naeem Islam (six) by the seventh over but Anamul and Rahim repaired the innings.
Paceman Rampaul was the best among the tourists, finishing with a career-best 5-49.

Brief scores
Bangladesh 292 for 6 (Anamul 120, Mushfiqur 79, Rampaul 5-49)
West Indies 132 (Gazi 3-21, Razzak 3-19)
Result Bangladesh won by 160 runs
MOM: Anamul Haque (Bangladesh)

Kiwis Thrash Sri Lanka to Level Series

New Zealand have beaten Sri Lanka by 167 runs on the last day at P Sara Oval to end a nine-Test winless run since January.
The drought included five straight Test defeats, including the first Test in Galle last week, a humiliating 10-wicket loss in three days.
New Zealand bowled out Sri Lanka for 195 in their second innings, five overs after tea.
Angelo Mathews was last out, for a dogged 84 off 228 balls in just under five hours. He was the only batsman to score more than 30.
Sri Lanka started the day at 47-4, 316 runs away from an unlikely victory, and toiled in seeking a draw to win the series 1-0.
But the equally desperate New Zealanders kept chipping away with wickets; one in the morning, two after lunch, and the last three in a sudden rush at the end to win a test in Sri Lanka for the first time since 1998.

Brief Scores
New Zealand 412 (Taylor 142, Williamson 135, Herath 6-103) and 194 for 9 dec (Taylor 74)
Sri Lanka 227 (Samaraweera 76, Mathews 47, Southee 5-62, Boult 4-42) and 195 (Mathews 84, Southee 3-58, Boult 3-33)
Status New Zealand won by 167 runs
MOM Ross Taylor (New Zealand)
Player of the series Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

2013 Ashes Schedule

England will play five Tests, five one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals in their 2013-14 Ashes campaign in Australia, Cricket Australia said on Thursday.
The Test series begins at Brisbane's Gabba ground on November 21-25 and finishes in Sydney from January 3-7 in 2014.
The other Test matches will take place in Adelaide (December 5-9), Perth (December 13-17) and Melbourne (December 26-30).
A schedule of five ODIs and three T20 internationals to complement the Tests will be confirmed in the New Year, officials said.
"We are delighted to be able to confirm the Ashes fixtures so far in advance of the series," Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said.
It means fans will be able to plan their trips around the country to follow all the action.
"I am sure there will be a lot of fans from the UK who will want to make the trip over and we look forward to hosting them here."
Cricket Australia also announced four other tour games against a Western Australia XI, Australia A, NSW XI and a Chairman's XI.
The first Test will take place in Brisbane from November 21 to 25, before the series moves on to Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney.

Warm-up game schedule
October 31-November 2 Western Australia XI v England, WACA
November 6-9 Australia A v England, Bellerive Oval, Hobart
November 13-16 New South Wales XI v England, SCG
November 29-30 CA Chairman's XI v England, Manuka Oval, Canberra

Ashes Itinerary
November 21-25 Australia v England, 1st Test, Gabba
December 5-9 Australia v England, 2nd Test, Adelaide Oval
December 13-17 Australia v England, 3rd Test, WACA
December 26-30 Australia v England, 4th Test, MCG
January 3-7 Australia v England, 5th Test, SCG

Bangladesh Name Uncapped Gazi for Windies Test

Bangladesh have named uncapped off-spinner Shohag Gazi in their 14-member squad for the first Test against West Indies beginning in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Hasan, a 20-year-old fast bowler from Sylhet, has played four Twenty20 internationals for Bangladesh this year. In six first-class games, he's taken eight wickets at 43.37 apiece. Gazi, 21, has 87 wickets at an average of 24 from 18 first-class games for Barisal.
Gazi's selection was a reward for his impressive performance in the ongoing National Cricket League where the 21-year-old claimed 11 wickets in two matches, including a hat-trick, and hit a century.
Pace bowler Rubel Hossain returned to the side, led by stumper Mushfiqur Rahim, after a long injury lay-off.
There was no such joy for former captain Mohammad Ashraful, who was replaced by Naeem Islam in the side.
Khulna hosts the second and final Test from November 21.

Bangladesh Test squad:

• Mushfiqur Rahim (captain & wk)
• Mahmudullah (vice-capt)
• Tamim Iqbal
• Junaid Siddique
• Shahriar Nafees
• Shakib Al Hasan
• Naeem Islam
• Nazimuddin
• Nasir Hossain
• Elias Sunny
• Shahadat Hossain
• Rubel Hossain
• Abul Hasan
• Shohag Gazi

Mathews Named T20 Captain

Mathews Named T20 Captain, Malinga Named Vice-captain


All-rounder Angelo Mathews was named Sri Lanka Twenty20 captain on Wednesday for the next 12 months in an appointment which could lead to him taking over as leader of the Test side.
Mathews, 25, the Sri Lanka vice-captain in all three formats of the game, succeeds Mahela Jayawardene who resigned as T20 captain after his side lost this month's World Cup final to West Indies.
"We are giving Mathews a free hand to captain the T20 side for one year after which we will review his performance," said chief selector Ashantha de Mel.
Mathews' first assignment will be to lead Sri Lanka in a one-off T20 international against New Zealand at Pallekele on Oct. 30. Fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been named at the T20 vice-captain, also for a one-year term.

Kevin Pietersen Left Out for India Test

Kevin Pietersen has been left out of England's Test squad for the tour of India as the controversial batsman pays the price for the text message scandal that has left his international career in tatters.

Pietersen was dropped for the final Test against South Africa after sending texts to opposition players that contained criticism of then England captain Andrew Strauss.

The South Africa-born star has since met England coach Andy Flower for clear-the-air talks, but there are still issues to be resolved and that meant there was no place for Pietersen on the plane to India.

While Pietersen remains in exile at present, England cricket managing director Hugh Morris left the door open for the 32-year-old to return to the fold in the future.

Strauss retired from all cricket in the immediate aftermath of the Pietersen row and the fall-out from a stormy few months for English cricket continues to be felt.

Pietersen's omission and the selectors' decision to drop Essex batsman Ravi Bopara after poor run of form this year paved the way for two uncapped batsmen to be included in Alastair Cook's 16-man squad for the four-match Test series.

Somerset's Nick Compton and Yorkshire's Joe Root have been called up after both enjoyed impressive seasons in English county cricket.

Compton, the 29-year-old grandson of England great Denis Compton, was the top English batsman in the county championship with an average of 99.

Root opened the batting for Yorkshire, averaging 43.41 and winning the Cricket Writers Club Young Cricketer of the Year award on Monday.

The 21-year-old is being lined up to fill the gap left by Strauss's shock retirement.

The squad includes three spin bowlers, Samit Patel, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, as England adapt to the demands of playing on the slow pitches in India.

England Test squad for India tour:

• Alastair Cook (Essex, capt)
• James Anderson (Lancashire)
• Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
• Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
• Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire)
• Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
• Nick Compton (Somerset)
• Steven Finn (Middlesex)
• Graham Onions (Durham)
• Eoin Morgan (Middlesex)
• Monty Panesar (Sussex)
• Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)
• Matt Prior (Sussex, wk)
• Joe Root (Yorkshire)
• Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire)
• Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire)

Kolkata Knight Riders v Auckland

Live On Star Cricket....

15 Oct 2012- Mon, 9:00 PM.

Teams:

Kolkata Knight Riders (From): Manvinder Bisla(w), Gautam Gambhir(c), Brendon McCullum, Jacques Kallis, Manoj Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Rajat Bhatia, Brett Lee, Pradeep Sangwan, Sunil Narine, Lakshmipathy Balaji, Iqbal Abdulla, Shakib Al Hasan, Ryan ten Doeschate, Debabrata Das

Auckland (From): Martin Guptill, Lou Vincent, Azhar Mahmood, Anaru Kitchen, Colin de Grandhomme, Colin Munro, Gareth Hopkins(w/c), Ronnie Hira, Kyle Mills, Andre Adams, Michael Bates, Mitchell McClenaghan, Bruce Martin, Chris Martin, Bradley Cachopa













Watch out for

Azhar Mahmood: The experienced all-rounder has been Aces' star performer so far delivering with both bat and ball in the qualifiers. With the Aces coming up against the IPL champions, the team will be desperate for Azhar to prove himself again.

Gautam Gambhir: Having failed to deliver in the first game, the KKR skipper will want to ensure his form doesn't slip further. The southpaw has the skill to counter any attack and will want to take full toll against the Aces.

Mills Sets up Auckland's Big Win

The Auckland Aces are on the brink of securing entry to the Champions League Twenty20 tournament after crushing Pakistan's Sialkot Stallions by six wickets.

Played at New Wanderers Stadium in South Africa, the Aces limited Sialkot to 130 for nine, before blasting their way to victory with six wickets and 17 balls in hand.
The win ensures they will have every chance of progressing, with a victory tonight over English side Hampshire guaranteeing their berth in the tournament.
Martin Guptill and Lou Vincent got the Aces pursuit off to the perfect start, putting on 32 for the opening wicket off 3.3 overs.
Having dashed to 20, Vincent fell when his thick edge was caught at thirdman. His replacement, Azhar Mahmood, ensured that the Aces maintained their momentum, who alongside Martin Guptill put the New Zealand side in a dominant position.
Halfway through the innings the Aces were looking comfortable at 79 for one, leaving just 52 to get off the last 60 deliveries. Four runs later though they lost their strike weapon, when Guptill was dismissed on 40.
 That brought about the arrival of Anaru Kitchen who rotated the strike effectively in the initial stages.
Sialkot though found some hope when Sarfraz Ahmed made a double strike in the 14th over.
Firstly Ahmood was caught off a wide delivery on 24, before Colin de Grandhomme edged one without scoring.
That left the Aces at 97 for four at the end of the 14th over. Kitchen remained in the middle and was joined by Colin Munro and together the pair wrestled back control of the match.
The duo found the boundary regularly in a quick-fire partnership of 39 and surpassed the required total after 17.1 overs. Kitchen launched a six over wide long-on to end the chase and finish unbeaten on 33.
Earlier the Aces had taken wickets at crucial moments throughout the Sialkot innings, not allowing them to form big partnerships.
Michael Bates took a wicket off his fourth delivery to dismiss the dangerous Shakeel Ansar in the second over. The pressure was maintained when Kyle Mills captured an extremely rare Twenty20 maiden in the following over.
Mills continued to frustrate the Pakistani side, who were struggling to get anything away. Three of the top four batsmen made starts, but were unable to push on to a much needed big score.
Andre Adams was effective with two wickets, while Hira also chipped in with a couple. At the end of the 15th over Sialkot were 97 for six.
Shahid Youself was the main contributor with 39 off 25 balls, while Ali Khan also had an impact when he smashed two big sixes in the 18th over.

Brief scores
Sialkot Stallions 130 for 9 (Yousuf 39, Mills 2-6)
Auckland Aces 136 for 4 (Guptill 40)
Result Auckland Aces won by six wickets
MOM Kyle Mills (Auckland Aces)
Points Auckland Aces 2, Sialkot Stallions 0

Australia Favorite Against West Indies

A determined last year runner-up Australian outfit will be aiming to eliminate the 'Chris Gayle factor' when they meet a rejuvenated West Indies in the semifinal of the ICC World Twenty20 on Friday.
For Australia, it will be a chance to get into the final for the second time in succession after the 2010 edition and once again stamp their class as world's premier cricketing outfit.
For West Indies, it's more about the identity and trying to fight the inner demons which have affected their cricket since late 80's.
A berth in the final of a global event can be a big boost for the Caribbean nation where basketball, athletics and soccer have captured the imagination of the masses.
On Friday when the two teams lock horns, it will also be a battle between Shane Watson and Chris Gayle.
If Watson, who has won four man-of-the-match awards in five matches will play a key role in Australian set-up, Gayle can change the complexion of the match at any point of time with his ferocious power-hitting.
By sheer statistics, Watson is miles ahead of Gayle having scored 242 runs in five matches along with 11 wickets which makes him the favourite to win the 'Player of the Tournament' award.
However, Gayle who has so far hit 10 sixes in five matches, has scored two 50's and on his day can tear apart any bowling attack in the world.
The law of averages did catch up with Watson in the last match against Pakistan but that means that he will be hungrier than ever to take Aussies to the summit clash.
While Gayle and Watson will hold fort as the main protagonists for their respective sides, there will still be a few competent cricketers who will try to play the supporting roles to the best of their abilities.
Marlon Samuels has beautifully complemented Gayle. He might not look as destructive as Gayle from the onset but once set, can be as devastating as anybody.
For Australia, the main supporting role has been played by Mike Hussey whose responsible innings ensured smooth passage into the semi-finals.
Fidel Edwards has the pace and Ravi Rampaul can be skiddy but Watson has more variations up his sleeve while Mitchell Starc has always been incisive in his first spells.

Teams from

Australia: George Bailey (captain), David Warner, Shane Watson, Michael Hussey, Cameron White, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brad Hogg, David Hussey, Clint McKay, Mitchell Starc.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Samuel Badree, Darren Bravo, Fidel Edwards, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith.

Match facts
Friday October 5, 2012 (day/night)
Start time 19:00 local (13:30 GMT)

Sri Lanka Enter World Twenty20 Final

Discipline Sri Lankan bowlers powered the hosts to the final of the 2012 World Twenty20 as they beat 2009 champions Pakistan by 16 runs in a low-scoring thriller at Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Thursday.

Sri Lanka will meet the winner of second semifinal between Australia and West Indies in the summit clash on Sunday.

Rangana Herath derailed Pakistan's chase as he dismissed danger man Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi in quick succession to reduce Pakistan to 91 for 6.

Earlier, Ajantha Mendis gave Sri Lanka first breakthrough as he bowled out Imran Nazir (20) after a steady start by Pakistan in their chase of 140.

Angelo Mathews then trapped Nasir Jamshed leg before wickets and got Kamran Akmal caught behind the stumps to hurt Pakistan's chase.

Herath then joined the party by getting rid of Shoaib Malik.

Herath stretched the show further in the 15th over by quick wickets of Hafeez and Afridi.

Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 139/4 in their semifinal clash at the R Premadasa stadium on Thursday.

Some 35,000 fans at the Premadasa stadium watched Sri Lanka struggle to force the pace after Mahela Jayawardene elected to take first strike on a sluggish pitch that hampered stroke-making.

Sri Lanka plodded to 123-4 in 19 overs when Thisara Perera smashed three boundaries in the final over bowled by seamer Umar Gul which realised 16 runs.

Openers Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan put on 63 in 10 overs, a slow start by Twenty20 standards but crucial nevertheless for Sri Lanka still had all their wickets in hand.

Jayawardene liberally employed the reverse sweep during his knock of 42 off 36 balls, but was caught at fine-leg while attempting the same shot off leg-spinner Shahid Afridi.

Kumar Sangakkara made a promising 18 from 11 balls when he was snapped up on the long-on fence as he tried to hit Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez out of the ground.

Gul was unlucky to see the TV umpire declare a no-ball after he had Jeevan Mendis given out leg-before in the 18th over.

But Gul removed Dilshan two balls later with another leg-before decision that made Sri Lanka 117-3.

Dilshan was unusually subdued during his innings, taking 43 balls to score 35 with the help of three boundaries.

Brief scores

Sri Lanka 139 for 4 (Jayawardene 42, Dilshan 35)

Pakistan 123 for 7 (Hafeez 42, Umar Akmal 29*, Herath 3-25)

Result Sri Lanka won by 16 runs

MOM Mahela Jayawardene (Sri Lanka)

Pakistan Super8 MAtches

Pakistan Super8 MAtches

(1) Pakistan vs South Africa ( Fri Sep 28)

(2) PAkistan vs India (Sun Sep 30)

(3) Pakistan vs Australia (Tue Oct 2 )

India Thrash England

Harbhajan Singh picked up 4/12, the best ever figures by an Indian bowler in T20Is, while Piyush Chawla and Irfan Pathan picked up two wickets. England were bowled out for 80, chasing 171 against India in their final group league encounter in the ICC World Twenty20 on Sunday.
India's spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla shared six wickets in quick succession to wreck havoc to the English middle-order batsmen. The defending champions lost six wickets for 21 runs as they were reduced to 60/8 in 11.4 overs from 39/2 in 5.1 overs.
England lost Graeme Swann (0), Jos Buttler (11), Tim Bresnan (1), Craig Kieswetter (35), Jonathan Bairstow (1), and Eoin Morgan (2) quickly to Harbhajan and Chawla.
Pacer Irfan Pathan gave India an early breakthrough when he dismissed Alex Hales (0) in the very first over.
Pathan struck again soon as he dismissed Luke Wright (6) in his second over to jolt England's run chase as they were reduced to 18/2 in 2.4 overs.
Sent in to bat, fine batting by Rohit Sharma (55 not out), Gautam Gambhir (45) and Virat Kohli (40) guided India to a fighting total of 170/4.
Rohit was the pick of the Indian batsmen as he remained unbeaten on 55 off just 33 balls, which included a huge six and five hits to the fence.
The right-hander stitched two useful partnerships of 47 and 38 with skipper MS Dhoni (9) and Gambhir for the fourth and third wickets respectively.
Gambhir also played a useful knock of 45 off 38 as the southpaw smashed five boundaries in his innings.
Graeme Swann gave England a crucial breakthrough in the eleventh over when he dismissed in-form Kohli to halt Indian run charge.
Kohli, who is in the form of his life, played another useful knock as he hit six boundaries in his 32-ball 40.
After losing Irfan Pathan (8) early, Kohli and Gambhir put on quick 57-run stand for the second wicket to lead the India innings.
India lost opener Pathan (8) in the third over after a quick start.
Paceman Steven Finn struck early to get rid of Pathan after the Indian openers added 24 runs in 2.4 overs.
Pathan, who was sent in to open in the absence of Virender Sehwag, failed to capitalise the opportunity as he hit just one boundary in his run-a-ball innings.

Brief scores
India 170 for 4 (Sharma 55*, Gambhir 45, Kolhi 40)
England 80 (Kieswetter 38, Harbhajan Singh 4-12)
Result India won by 90 runs
Points India 2, England 0
MOM Harbhajan Singh (India)

Pakistan Thrash New Zealand

New Zealand's late fightback went in vain as Pakistan beat the Kiwis by 13 runs in a thrilling encounter in their World T20 match in Pallekele on Sunday.
The Kiwis were left stranded requiring a high run rate when they lost Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum in quick succession before Saeed Ajmal struck for the second time to dismiss Jacob Oram.
McCullum was left completely bemused when Umar Gul's swinging delivery trickled back slowly to knock off the leg stump bail.
After a steady start to the innings, the Kiwis lost both their openers when Kane Williamson (15) was run out immediately after Shahid Afridi struck to dismiss Rob Nicol (33).
Afridi gave Pakistan an important breakthrough in his first over as he dismissed Kiwi opener Nicol for 33 runs, which included three 4s and a single six.
A beautiful Afridi swinger, which depicts his natural style of bowling, was instrumental in knocking Nicol's off stump out of the ground.
Williamson on the other hand failed to capitalize on his impressive start as a splendid effort in the field led to him falling short of reaching the crease.
Chasing a target of 178, openers Nicol and Kane Williamson gave the New Zealand innings a steady start by putting up a speedy 50-run partnership in just 38 balls.
Earlier, after being spearheaded by Nasir Jamshed (56), Pakistan set up a formidable target of 178 for New Zealand.
Daniel Vettori scalped the dangerous Jamshed after he scored a quick 27-ball fifty that included two 4s and four 6s to lead the Pakistan attack.
Jamshed put up a blistering partnership with Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez (43) before Hafeez lost his wicket to James Franklin.
A perfect delivery by Franklin was able to find the off stump of Hafeez, who was earlier dropped by Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor on the third ball of the innings.
Jamshed while trying to make room on the offside hit a slower Vettori delivery towards the boundary where Nathan McCullum made no mistake in catching a simple catch.
Earlier, Jacob Oram was able to get the better of Kamran Akmal when the Pakistan wicketkeeper was caught comfortably on the cover boundary by Rob Nicol.
The Pakistan duo of Jamshed and Hafeez added quickfire 50 runs for the second wicket after losing opener Imran Nazir, which helped Pakistan scored 100 runs in just 10.5 overs.
The first Pakistan wicket fell when seamer Tim Southee gave New Zealand crucial breakthrough as he got rid of dangerous Pakistani opener Nazir.
Nazir and skipper Hafeez gave Pakistan terrific start as the duo added 47 runs for the opening wicket. Pakistan just lost only one wicket while added 51 runs during the first six overs of powerplay.
Nazir was hitting well before being caught and bowled by paceman Southee, who held up a fine catch on his follow through. Nazir scored a quickfire 16-ball 25 with the help of five boundaries.

Brief scores
Pakistan 177 for 6 (Jamshed 56, Hafeez 43)
New Zealand 164 for 9 (Nicol 33, B McCullum 32, Ajmal 4-30)
Result Pakistan won by 13 runs
Points Pakistan 2, New Zealand 0
MOM Nasir Jamshed (Pakistan)