Moin Khan Appointed Chief Selector

Pakistan's cricket bosses on Monday appointed former captain Moin Khan as chief selector, a post he said he took on as a challenge.
The 41-year-old takes over from Iqbal Qasim, who stepped aside earlier this month in a move seen as a reaction to the team's miserable performance in the Champions Trophy in England.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Khan held discussion with interim chairman Najam Sethi and accepted the role.
"Former captain and wicket-keeper Khan will take over as chief selector while the rest of the members of the committee will remain the same," a PCB release said.
Former left-arm paceman Salim Jaffer, Test batsman Azhar Khan, Farrukh Zaman and Asif Baloch are the other selectors.
Moin Khan said he accepted the role as a challenge.
"It is an honour and a privilege to be offered the position of chairman of national selection committee -- a position held by many greats in the past and most recently by legendary spinner Qasim," he was quoted as saying in the release.
Khan played 69 Tests and 219 one-day internationals for Pakistan in 1990s and was also a member of World Cup winning team in 1992.
Last week the Islamabad high court ordered Sethi to hold elections for the PCB chairman within 90 days.

Malik, Kamran Dropped From West Indies Probables

 The Pakistan selectors on Saturday decided to drop the senior trio of Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal and Imran Farhat from the probables list in the wake of team's failure in the Champions Trophy but at the same time recalled veterans Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan for West Indies tour.
A reliable source in the board said that 20-member probables list has been submitted to the Pakistan Cricket Board.
"The list also includes several new players who have done well at the domestic level or have played in the recent past for the national team," the source disclosed.
The new players in the list include openers Ahmed Shahzad and Khurrum Manzoor, middle order batsmen Sohaib Maqsood and Haris Sohail, all-rounders Hammad Azam and Muhammad Nawaz.
Faisal Iqbal, Umar Akmal and pace bowler Aizaz Cheema have been recalled.
"Wicketkeepers Adnan Akmal and Sarfaraz Ahmed are included in the probables list," he said.
The selectors had met with head coach Dav Whatmore in Lahore this week to discuss the performance of the team in the Champions Trophy and plans for the forthcoming tours.
Pakistan will play five one-day internationals and two T20 matches on their tour to the West Indies followed by one-dayers against Zimbabwe in mid August.
The team is due to leave on July 7 for the West Indies and it has been learnt that the selectors had submitted names to the board so that visa processing can start.

Sreesanth, Chavan and Chandila Arrested for Spot Fixing

In a high profile operation, Delhi Police Special Cell arrested cricketer S Sreesanth and two other cricketers on charges of spot-fixing. Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila have been arrested as well with Seven bookies.
The initial interrogation have revealed that the parts of IPL matches at Mohali and Mumbai were fixed.
Special CP Special Cell SN Shrivastava is supervising the entire operation. The role of more players is suspected, a source says.
Sources said that a team led by DCP Sanjeev Yadav were camping in Mumbai to execute this covert operation. They were acting on a tip-off followed by call interception of players and bookies.
The police team had waited to get proper evidence against the players and let go of two opportunities earlier even though they had prima facie proof of spot-fixing.
Finally the arrests happened on late Wednesday night at hotel Trident in Mumbai.
The cops have recovered money and proof of transaction between players and bookies.
The accused will be brought to Delhi on a transit remand after being produced at a Mumbai court. They will be interrogated to get to the core of conspiracy.
Spot-fixing is different from match fixing as the whole match and the result is not fixed but parts of the match are fixed such as balls, sixes and fours at particular times. 
The franchise issued a statement saying that had been "taken by surprise" by the development.
A case has been registered at the Marine Drive police station in Mumbai under sections 420, which deals with cheating, and 120 (b), which deals with criminal conspiracy. The players are in the custody of Delhi police.

Umar Gul Out of Champions Trophy With Knee Injury

Pakistan's Champions Trophy challenge suffered a major blow on Thursday as pace spearhead Umar Gul was ruled out with a knee injury that will keep him out of action for up to 12 weeks.
The 29-year-old complained of knee trouble during last month's tour of South Africa and was sidelined after playing the first two games of the five-match one-day series.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced Gul would head to Australia for an operation next month.
"Gul complained of right knee pain during the South Africa tour. He was rested for imminent damage to his medial meniscus and bone of right knee. On his arrival back to Pakistan he underwent MRI scan which confirmed knee problem," a PCB release said.
Gul's initial reports were sent to Australia where a specialist advised surgery and rest and gave a timeframe of 8-12 weeks for full recovery. The PCB said they hoped the operation would go ahead in Melbourne early next month.
The bowler has taken 163 wickets in 47 Tests and 167 in 116 one-day internationals. He is also the leading wicket-taker in Twenty20 internationals with 74 in 52 matches.
Pakistan are in Group B alongside India, the West Indies and South Africa in the Champions Trophy to be played in England from June 6-23.
Defending champions Australia, Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand form Group A.

India to Play 3 Tests 7 One-day and two Twenty20 matches in South Africa

The Indian cricket team will play three Tests, seven one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches during their tour of South Africa, slated to start at the end of this year.
Cricket South Africa and the Indian Cricket Board were contemplating accommodating one more Test but things could not materialise as both boards decided to stick to ICC's Futures Tour Programme (FTP)
The Indian team will be short on Test cricket when they take on the world number one side, playing the first longer-version game since the 4-0 whitewash of the Australians at home in March.
South Africa last played the format in February and will only meet Pakistan for two matches in the UAE before hosting India.
Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg or Centurion could be the three possible venues for the Test series.
There is a possibility of the Boxing Day Test returning to Durban after it was cancelled previous season because CSA opted to play three festive T20s instead.
India drew their last Test series in South Africa 1-1 in 2010-11.

South Africa Win

Shahid Afridi's brilliant 88 off 48 balls went in vain as Pakistan fell short of South Africa's mammoth total of 343 by 34 runs in the third one-day international at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday. 
A high-scoring encounter with South Africa winning it and taking a 2-1 lead. Pakistan's batsmen got starts but weren't able to push on. Afridi threatened to take the game away from South Africa but by the time he began imposing his presence. 
Pakistan, who were bowled out for 309 to slip 2-1 down in the series, had been in deep trouble when Afridi walked in at 132 for five but he gave his side hope as he thrashed 88 off 48 balls with seven sixes and five fours.
Afridi's innings included some of the biggest sixes seen at the Wanderers.
One, after he had been bowled off a no-ball, was a mighty hit onto the roof of the four-tier Centenary stand which was last seen bouncing towards an adjacent golf course.
Afridi was yorked by Ryan McLaren when he had 73 but a check requested by umpire Billy Bowden showed the bowler had over-stepped.
McLaren then bowled a wide, which meant Afridi still had a free hit to which he committed all his power.
There was one more six before he hit a full toss from Lonwabo Tsotsobe to McLaren at long-off.
There was still a possibility of a reprieve as the umpires checked whether the full toss was above waist height, which would have meant another no-ball, before confirming the dismissal. 
Earlier, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers shared a world record third wicket partnership as South Africa recovered from a slow start to post an imposing total.
Amla hit 122 with De Villiers eclipsing him on 128 as they managed 238 as a pairing before the hosts finished on 343 for five after being sent in.
South Africa struggled early on, with left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Irfan taking two early wickets as Pakistan's fast bowlers exploited some early life in the pitch.
The first two overs, by Junaid Khan and Irfan, were maidens before Irfan bowled Graeme Smith with the total on four.
Amla and Colin Ingram put on 38 for the second wicket but the stand took 65 balls before Irfan produced a vicious lifter which Ingram could only fend to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
However, the momentum swung when De Villiers joined Amla at the crease.
Their record stand beat by one run the previous one-day international third wicket mark set by Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar for India against Kenya in 1999.
That ensured Pakistan would have a challenging run chase on a ground renowned for high scoring.
De Villiers was quickly into his stride and the pair posted a fifty partnership off just 38 balls.
The rate slowed slightly when Pakistan brought their spin bowlers into action and after 35 overs South Africa were on 115 but that was when the torrent began as the last 15 overs yielded 156 runs.
Amla reached his 11th one-day international century off 99 balls, while De Villiers earned his 14th century in the format off 87 deliveries.
Amla was caught at cover for 122 off 113 balls with nine fours and a six and De Villiers was held at deep midwicket for 128 off 108 deliveries, with 12 fours and three sixes.
Pakistan were briefly reduced to ten men after Irfan, who had been a doubtful starter because of a hamstring strain, left the field for treatment.
He was replaced by Umar Akmal but after 20 minutes the umpires informed Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq that the maximum 20 minutes allowed for treatment had expired. Pakistan had a fielder short for two overs before Irfan returned.

Brief scores
South Africa 343 for 5 (Amla 122, de Villiers 128)
Pakistan 309 (Afridi 88, Hafeez 57, McLaren 3-56, Tsotsobe 3-74)
Result South Africa won by 34 runs
MOM :Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers (South Africa)

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

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

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

Sri Lanka's Easy Win

Rangana Herath starred with the ball in both innings (5-65 and 6-43) as Sri Lanka won the match on the third day by 10 wickets against New Zealand in Galle on Monday.
The debutant Dimuth Karunaratne (60) has the joy of hitting the winning runs on debut. After an evenly matched second day, the third was all Sri Lanka's. New Zealand have extended their losing streak to five now, having lost two each to West Indies and India before this.
Karunaratne hits nine boundaries in 60-ball. Tharanga Paranavitana not out on 31. Rangana Herath declared man of the match for his 11-wicket in the match.
Earlier, New Zealand were shot out for 118 in their second innings after lunch.
Middle-order batsman Daniel Flynn top-scored for New Zealand with 20, while Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath finished with 6-43.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 247 in their first innings on Day 2 in reply to New Zealand's 221.
New Zealand had collapsed to 96/8 in their second innings at lunch on the third day after failing to cope with Herath's left-arm spin.
The tourists, trailing by 26 on first innings, were just 70 runs ahead with two wickets in hand. They lost seven wickets in the morning session for 61 runs after resuming on 35/1.
Fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara did the early damage with two wickets in his opening three overs before Herath, who took one wicket on Sunday, struck four times in five overs to have New Zealand reeling at 79/7.
Herath, who took 5/65 in the first innings, was on a hat-trick when he bowled Daniel Flynn (20) and then trapped Doug Bracewell leg-before.
The Sri Lankan spinner started the slide when he had skipper Ross Taylor leg-before for 18 before accounting for James Franklin (2) for his first two wickets.
Kulasekara struck in his second over of the morning when he bowled opener Martin Guptill before dismissing Williamson, caught down the leg-side by a diving wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene.
Guptill fell on his overnight score of 13, while Kane Williamson (10) added just one run in the morning.
Sri Lanka were bowled out for 247 in their first innings on Sunday in reply to New Zealand's 221, with skipper Mahela Jayawardene scoring 91 and vice-captain Angelo Mathews 79.
Fast bowler Tim Southee took four wickets and off-spinner Jeetan Patel three for New Zealand.

Brief scores
New Zealand 221 (McCullum 68, Flynn 53, Herath 5-65) and 118 (Flynn 20, Herath 6-43)
Sri Lanka 247 (M Jayawardene 91, Mathews 79, Southee 4-46) and 93 for 0 (Karunaratne 60*)
Result Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets
MOM Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

India-Pakistan Champions Trophy

The first lot of tickets for the Champions Trophy India vs 

Pakistan clash at Edgbaston, England, June 15 next year 

was sold out in just three hours after windows opened.

The tickets went on sale Monday, and the 15-match 

tournament's first match was a complete sell-out eight 

months in advance, said an International Cricket Council 

(ICC) press release.

The 2013 edition of the Champions Trophy will be the last, 
the previous having been held in 2009 in South Africa.

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)

England's 2nd Tour Game Venue Shifted

The second warm-up game of the England on their forthcoming tour to India has been shifted from the Mumbai Cricket Association's Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) ground to D Y Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.
Announcing this at a media conference, MCA president Ravi Savant said, "We met BCCI president N Srinivasan this morning and he has agreed to our request to shift the second warm-up game of England from BKC to DY Patil stadium."
The shifting of the match scheduled from November 3-5 was necessitated as there were a lot of security issues relating to MCA's BKC ground, said Savant.
This is one area where lot of people from the suburbs and from in and around Navi Mumbai can come and see the England team in action which otherwise they won't be able to do, he said.
The BCCI president was magnanimous enough to accede to our request, Savant added.
England are to reach Mumbai on October 29 and will prepare for the four-Test series -- considered a grudge rubber by India after their 0-4 rout in the last away series -- by playing three warm-up tour games -- two in Mumbai and the third in Ahmedabad, venue of the opening match of the rubber.
England's tour opener is scheduled from October 30 to November 1 at Brabourne Stadium and the third game is to be held on a ground, just outside the Sardar Patel Stadium at Motera from November 8-11.
The opening Test is scheduled at the Motera main stadium from November 15-19 with the subsequent Tests scheduled in Mumbai (November 23-27), Kolkata (December 5-9) and Nagpur (December 13-17).
England would play two T20 Internationals against India on December 20 (Pune) and December 22 (Mumbai) prior to departing home for the Christmas and New Year break, before returning to play in a five-match ODI series begins from 11 January 2013 at Rajkot.

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.