Jan 30, 2012

England Also Could Win Only at Home Says Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram.

Pakistan 0-2 in the ongoing three-match Test series in the UAE

The 45-year-old also felt that even England also could win only at home.

England, who defeated India 4-0 at home last year to snatch the No.1 tag from them, are now trailing Pakistan 0-2 in the ongoing three-match Test series in the UAE.

"It's (World No.1) a very misleading number," Akram said.

"England are lions only at home and their weaknesses are always exposed on foreign tours of a top side is one that can handle every condition in West Indies did it in the 1970s and 80s. Pakistan did it for while under Imran Khan, when we were playing to australia have done that in the 1990s," he added.

Stating that he was "proud of Pakistan", Akram said,

Jan 28, 2012

Australia Won Border-Gavaskar Trophy and Series Won 4/0 and Whitewash aginst india.

Chasing a world-record target of 500 to win the fourth Test, India resumed on 6-166 and were bowled out for 201 in 58 minutes of play at Adelaide Oval.

Australia 7 for 604 dec and 5 for 167 dec beat India 272 and 201 (Sehwag 62, Lyon 4-63, Harris 3-41) by 298 runs.



"The bowlers in this series have been absolutely outstanding and it certainly gives the batsmen a lot of confidence," said Hussey who averaged 58.6 in the test series.

Paceman Peter Siddle, who claimed 5-49 in India's first innings of 272 on a flat batting track and had figures of 6-96 for the game, was named man of the match.

Siddle said patience was the key to his haul of 23 wickets at 18.65 in the series.

Captain Michael Clarke, who scored 626 runs at 125.2 in the series including a triple hundred and a double ton, won the player of the series award.

Ex-skipper Ricky Ponting, who averaged 108.8 in the series, said he was just glad to make a contribution.

"We're heading in the right direction," said Ponting, 37

"The disappointment of last summer has inspired a few of us. There's been a bit of fire in the belly and we've known we've had to get better," Clarke said of Australia's 2010/11 Ashes defeat.

Australia's preparations for their 2013 Ashes tour

Australia's next Test series is in the West Indies in April.

Series New Zealand Won The One-off Match aginst Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe tour of New Zealand, 2011/12

Test debuts SW Masakadza and F Mutizwa (Zimbabwe)

Scorecard:

New Zealand 495 for 7 dec

Taylor 122, Watling 102 Not Out


Zimbabwe 51 All Out

Waller 23

Zimbabwe 143 All Out

Chakabva 63 and Martin 6-26


New Zealand won by an innings and 301 runs

Chris Martin had combined figures of 8 for 31

Man of the Match CS Martin (New Zealand)

Pakistan Classic Win Second Test beat England by 72 Runs at Abu Dhabi


Scoreboard: DAY 4

Toss Pakistan, chose to bat

Pakistan 257 ALL OUT

England 327 ALL OUT


Pakistan 214 ALL OUT

England 72 ALL OUT for 36.1 over

Pakistan won by 72 runs

Player of the match Abdur Rehman (Pakistan)

Abdul Rehman 6 wickets for 10.1 over, 7 madian, JUST 25 RUNS

Series Pakistan led the 3-match series 2-0

England were shot out for their lowest Test score of 72 against Pakistan in all Tests. Left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman took six wickets.England captain Andrew Strauss top-scored with 32.

Pakistan won the 1st Test by ten wickets in Dubai.

....Pakistan won the 2nd Test and Series Won......

NOTE:

The 3rd Test will be played in Dubai from February 3.

Whitewash, Clean Sweep, Shutout India and Australia 4-0 Series Victory.

India tour of Australia, 4th and Final Test:

Australia v India at Adelaide, Jan 24-28, 2012

Scoreboard:

Australia 604/7dec & 167/5dec

India 272 ALL OUT

India 166/6 (56.0 over)

India require another 334 runs with 4 wickets remaining

Stumps - Day 4

India losing eight consecutive overseas Test is a massive.

Tendulkar's average of 35.87 in the series is his lowest ever in a series in Australia and his fourth-lowest overall in series of four or more matches. His lowest average is 33.66 in South Africa in 1992-93.

Rahul Dravid once again had a batting failure taking his run tally to just 194 runs in the series. Except for the 2003 tour, Dravid's average in Australia is just 24.95 in 22 innings.

VVS Laxman ended the series with 155 runs in eight innings at an average of 19.37. This is his second-lowest average in a series (four or more matches) after the 17.57 in the home series against Australia in 2004.

Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag last shared a century stand in Centurion in 2010. Since then, they have aggregated 182 runs in 12 innings at an average of 15.16 with a highest of 27.

NOTE:

Cricket Australia have annouced that there will be free entry to Adelaide Oval tomorrow..

Australia Won Series 4-0 and Whitewash in Home Ground vs india.

Jan 26, 2012

Australia On Top for Adelaide Test Day 2

Michael Clarke entered this Test with a whitewash on his mind and they are After two days, he could hardly have hoped for Australia to be in a stronger position to push for it.

Scoreboard:

Australia 604/7declared

Michael Clarke 210 Runs

Ricky Ponting 221 Runs


India 61/2 for 21 Over

Sachin Tendulkar 12 runs not out

Gautam Gambhir 30 runs not out


India trail by 543 runs with 8 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

Stumps - Day 2

Australia got Sehwag off a full toss, and Dravid was bowled off his elbow.

Australia captain Michael Clarke (210), who shared a record partnership of 386 with Ricky Ponting (221), has warned his bowlers they need to stay disciplined on such a good batting wicket.

The 386-run partnership in 380 minutes between Clarke and Ponting is the fourth-highest by an Australian pair for any wicket.

Australia Aim for whitewash aginst india.

Jan 25, 2012

England Control in Pakistan For Day One Second Test


England tour of United Arab Emirates,

2nd Test: England v Pakistan at Abu Dhabi, Jan 25-29, 2012

Umpires SJ Davis (Australia) and BNJ Oxenford (Australia)

TV umpire BF Bowden (New Zealand)

Match referee J Srinath (India)

Reserve umpire Ahsan Raza (Pakistan)

Scoreboard:

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat

Pakistan 256/7 for 94 over and Stumps - Day 1

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq 83 Runs NOT OUT for 5 FOURS & 4 SIXES

Asad Shafiq 58 Runs Out

England's Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann Take Six Wickets

Australia v India, 4th and Final Test, Adelaide, 1st day Close For Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke Unbeaten Century.

Scoreboard: Australia — 1st innings

Australia won the toss and elected to bat

Australia 335/3 for 90.0 over Stumps - Day 1

E. Cowan 30

D. Warner 8

S. Marsh 3

R. Ponting 137 Not Out

M. Clarke 140 Not Out

Ricky Ponting, with his 41st Test century, and Michael Clarke, with his 19th, ensured that India's tour, as enjoyable thus far as a cold shower on a winter morning, gained nothing by way of succour and the Ponting said he and Clarke would seek to build their unbroken 251-run partnership.

Former Australian captain who made his debut against Sri Lanka at Perth in 1995 - hit his 13,000th run.

The only two men to have scored more Test runs than Ponting, India's Sachin Tendulkar (15,432) and Rahul Dravid (13,262), were both fielding on Tuesday.

Ricky Ponting says for it's never been about making 13,000 runs or 14,000 runs. It's about doing what I can when it's required of me to get my team through a certain situation in a game.

"You have to be careful not to bat too long. It will be a tough wicket to take 20 wickets if you want to win this game," he said.

They are two worrying aspects to the bowling for Zaheer, Umesh, and Ishant didn't get the ball to swing enough and they even when they had it reversing, it wasn't the late, sharp curve that causes trouble for the four frontline bowlers also couldn't manage world-class consistency and they another one debut wicketkeper only Wriddhiman Saha, impressive behind the stumps.

And the Clarke was dropped on 133 by a diving Laxman at second slip.

Jan 11, 2012

Johnson says Test career isn't over

Injured fast bowler Mitchell Johnson believes that "five to six years" of cricket is still left in him and he wants to use the Indian Premier league to regain his place in the Australian Test cricket side.

Johnson had injured the big toe of his left foot while batting Australia to victory in the second Test against South Africa in late November and had to undergo a surgery.

Since then the 30-year-old pacer has been out of the national team and is also been ruled out of the upcoming West Indies tour in March-April.

And with youngsters in Pat Cummins and James Pattinson doing well in Tests it would be difficult for Johnson to regain his spot. But the bowler said he was ready to work hard and was hopeful of making a comeback in the fifth edition of the IPL.

"I'm definitely confident of my ability. I'm only 30 years of age, I've got five or six years left in me so that's my goal," said Johnson on Fox Sports.

"Whether I get back straight away or not we'll have to find out but I'll be working as hard as I can.

"(The IPL) wouldn't be a bad way to get back into it, four over spells, short and sharp. If not I'm happy to start back into grade cricket or back into State cricket," he added.

Johnson has played 47 matches and has taken 190 wickets so far since making his Test debut in November 2007 against Sri Lanka.


Jan 6, 2012

Australia won by an innings and 68 runs against India

India crushed out their best batting display overseas in the last six months but could not prevent an embarrassing innings and 68 runs defeat by Australia in the second Test at Sydney Cricket Ground.

India were bowled out for 400 in the second innings 20 minutes shortly after tea on the fourth day as Australia won the 100th Test at the SCG and took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the four-match series. For India, it was their sixth successive Test loss overseas.

Australian captain Michael Clarke was the Man of the Match with his unbeaten 329, the highest score at the SCG, that took the hosts to a mammoth 659 for four declared in the first innings. Australia took a huge 468-run first innings lead having skittled India out for 191 runs in the first innings on the opening day of the New Year Test.

India, resuming at 114/2, came out on the fourth day determined to put on a respectable performance. They had a good first session scoring 129 runs, but lost way during the second when five wickets fell for just 108 runs.

It was local boy Clarke, who triggered the dramatic batting collapse by picking up the crucial wicket of Sachin Tendulkar (80), who again fell short of his much-awaited 100th international century.

Other notable contributors were Gautam Gambhir (83), V.V.S. Laxman (66) and Ravichandran Ashwin

In 2008 against India, Clarke took three wickets in five balls in the dying overs to clinch the Sydney Test for Australia.

Tendulkar's wicket triggered a batting collapse as India slumped from 271 for three to 286 for seven. Virat Kohli (9) failed again and is likely to be replaced by Rohit Sharma in next week's third Test at Perth. Zaheer Khan blasted a quickfire 35 off 26 balls.

Jan 4, 2012

I don't want to play for Australia again: Hodge

Consistently ignored by the national selectors despite scoring tons of runs in domestic cricket, out-of-favour batsman Brad Hodge says he is no longer interested in playing for Australia again.

Hodge, who is considered as the most devastating batsman in domestic cricket, played just six Test match for Australia despite averaging 55.88 and also having a double hundred to his name.

His ODI career lasted just 25 matches during which he scored three fifties and a century at an average of 30.26.

"There's two 37-year-olds (Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey, who is actually 36) doing pretty well now. If I was still there I'd be doing pretty well, I reckon," said Hodge, who turned 37 last week and has not played international cricket since mid-2008.

"But I don't want to play for Australia again, no way," he was quoted as saying by 'The Age'.

Hodge, instead, said he would like to spent the rest of his career as a freelancer in various Twenty20 tournaments around the world and represent his state team Victoria in domestic circuit.

"This is my life now. It's enjoyable, stress free. It's time for the youngsters to step up and do something," said the right-hander, who is the leading run scorer in Australia's domestic limited overs competition this season with 312 runs.