Wish Sachin scores 100th ton in Melbourne: Shane Warne

Australian spin legend Shane Warne has little doubt that Sachin Tendulkar would get his 100th international century on the present tour Down Under, but he wished the iconic Indian batsman to reach the milestone in the first Test starting on December 26 here.

"I feel Sachin would get his 100th century but I wish he does so in Melbourne," Warne said on the sidelines of a function at the Melbourne Cricket Ground where his 300kg bronze statue was unveiled this morning.

Warne also expects the famed Indian batting line up to do well in the upcoming series.

"I think their batters, especially Rahul Dravid, will make big runs. He's a quality person, a quality act, a quality player. India has a quality team. In Test cricket we've seen them, against the West Indies. Their batsmen will do pretty well," said Warne.

If Warne is confident about India's good showing in the batting department in Australia, he has serious doubts over the visitors' bowling abilities.

"Their bowlers will have to stay fit. If Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma get injured, then I think their bowling attack could be quite weak. The Australian batsmen could perform pretty well. I think it's going to come down to how India are going to take 20 wickets with their bowling," he said.

India in Australia 2011-2012 Test Series Schedule

Date	Match Details	Time (IST)	Place
Dec 26 - 30	Australia v India, 1st Test	05:00	Melbourne
Jan 03 - 07	Australia v India, 2nd Test	05:00	Sydney
Jan 13 - 17	Australia v India, 3rd Test	08:00	Perth
Jan 24 - 28	Australia v India, 4th Test	05:31	Adelaide

India have clinched the Test series

India dismissed the West Indies for 463 in its second innings eight minutes before tea on the fourth day after the visitors resumed the day at 195-3.

India, which had a massive 478-run first innings lead, faced stiff resistance from Bravo (136) and Marlon Samuels (84), before spinners Ojha and Ravichandran Ashwin took two crucial wickets each to regain control. It was then left to pace bowler Umesh Yadav to help remove the tail and finish with figures of 4-80.

The West Indies batting lineup showed a new strength in its second innings as its free stroke play changed the tempo of the game even though it was always doomed to lose after being dismissed for only 153 in the first innings.

The West Indies was cruising at 401-4 at one stage before Ojha, Ashwin and Yadav claimed a pair of wickets each to pick up the last six for just 62 runs. Bravo was the pick of the batsman and his aggression seemed to rub on to others. After making 195 against Bangladesh at Mirpur last month, Bravo brought up his second test century in 12 matches.

The 22-year-old left-hander dominated the bowling and reached his century with a four, celebrating by taking off his helmet, pumping his fist in the air and waving his bat toward the dressing room.

Bravo made on 119. His 5th-wicket partnership with Samuels made the Indian bowling look pedestrian as they plundered 132 runs off 158 deliveries before Bravo was out caught to a low catch by Rahul Dravid at slip off left-arm spinner Ojha.

Dravid also took a fine one-handed catch to his right off Ojha to dismiss Carlton Baugh for 3, before offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin trapped Samuels lbw in the next over to end West Indies' hopes of prolonging proceedings.

Captain Darren Sammy made a dashing 32 off 37 balls with one four and three sixes, but the end was always inevitable.

Earlier, Chanderpaul, seen as the visiting side's best hope of putting up a resistance, was dismissed when he seemed to be settled in for another big innings.

Chanderpaul hit six fours off 94 balls before he was dismissed by Yadav with the second new ball. Chanderpaul, resuming on 21, played-on a delivery around the off stump much to the joy of the few thousand spectators at the stadium.

The final test will be held in Mumbai from Tuesday.

Scorecard:

India 1st innings - 631/7 dec.

VVS Laxman - 176*
MS Dhoni - 144

West Indies 1st innings - 153 allout

Ojha - 4/64
Yadav - 3/23


West Indies 2st innings - 463/10

Darren Bravo - 136

Yadav - 4/80

Ganguly saddened by poor crowd Eden Gardens

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday joined the growing list of cricketers who expressed their concern about poor crowd turnout in the Eden Gardens and said something needs to be done to so that more people come to watch Test cricket.

The second Test between India and West Indies on Monday began with less than a thousand spectator in attendance, a pitiful sight for a historical venue where in the past more than a 100,000 people would come to witness a cricket match.

Shocked to see the poor response for the match, former English captain and now commentator Tony Greig likened Eden Gardens to that of a "morgue", while Indian stalwart Rahul Dravid echoed on the same lines, saying the old "magic" was missing.

"It was sad to see an empty Eden Gardens. Something seriously needs to be done to get the crowd back," said Ganguly, who plays for Bengal in Ranji Trophy, on the sidelines of Tuesday's practice.

With crowd turn out dwindling for Tests, the ICC is currently toying with the idea of having floodlit Test matches but Ganguly felt day-night games cannot be an option.

"In the subcontinent conditions where there is dew towards the evening, I don't think day-night would be an option. But Test format is mother of cricket and we got to find a solution to it," he said indicating proper planning and scheduling of Test cricket.

During the first day's play, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid recreated their old magic of 2001 Test against Australia when they forged a 140-run partnership but Ganguly said the epic 376-run stand in 2001 would remain classical ever.

"It will remain one of the memorable partnerships. But yesterday Dravid played well putting India in a strong position."

Laxman's 281 and Dravid's 180 in an epic 376-run stand helped India rise from the dead for a 171-run win after being asked to follow on by Australia in the Test in 2001.

Asked about the hype centered around Sachin Tendulkar's impending 100th international century which he missed again by getting out at 38 Monday, Ganguly said: "It's just a matter of time."

After the first day's play, West Indies coach Ottis Gibson had said maybe it was the heavy load of fan's expectations which was getting the better of Tendulkar but Ganguly disagreed.

"I don't think pressure is getting on him. He has been there for 22 years and the burden of expectation has always been there. The way he got to the 99, he will get to the 100. It's just a matter of time," he said during Bengal's practice at the Jadavpur ground.

West Indies in India 2011, Schedule

Date	Match Details	Time (IST)	Place
Nov 06 - 10	India v W.Indies, 1st Test	09:30	Delhi
Nov 14 - 18	India v W.Indies, 2nd Test	09:30	Kolkata
Nov 22 - 26	India v W.Indies, 3rd Test	09:30	Mumbai
Nov 29 - Tue	India v W.Indies, 1st ODI	14:30	Cuttack
Dec 02 - Fri	India v W.Indies, 2nd ODI	14:30	Vizag
Dec 05 - Mon	India v W.Indies, 3rd ODI	14:30	Ahmedabad
Dec 08 - Thu	India v W.Indies, 4th ODI	14:30	Indore
Dec 11 - Sun	India v W.Indies, 5th ODI	14:30	Chennai

Good to have Sachin in the side: MS Dhoni

India Cricket Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not have much to say about Sachin Tendulkar's captaincy but said it's good to have a "genius" like him in the side.

MS Dhoni was asked to react on former BCCI secretary J Y Lele's book, in which he wrote that Sachin Tendulkar could not prove himself as a successful skipper as he paid heed to too many advices.

"I have not played under his captaincy. It's always good to have him in the team, he is a genius and comes up with his own ideas. It's good to have him on the field as he is a class batsman," MS Dhoni told reporters at an Army function, where he was bestowed the honorary rank of Lt Colonel in Territorial Army.

Lele wrote in his book that,"Sachin could not exactly prove himself as a successful captain, though as a player he is a legend, the greatest. His biggest problem was that he used to listen to too many people. Basically a very soft, rather shy, cultured gentleman, Sachin formed the habit of respecting elders.

"He thought it was his duty to implement what they suggested. While doing so, he sometimes did not apply his mind. In deserving cases, it proved advantageous, in others, otherwise."

Asked about upcoming West Indies series at home, Dhoni said, "We have got full batting strength and good bowlers in our side, so hopefully we do well in the series."

The West Indies series starts at Delhi on Sunday, November 6.

Australia in South Africa 2011, Schedule

Date	Match Details	Time		Place
		GMT	IST
Oct 13 - Th	S.Africa v Aus, 1st T20I	16:00	21:30	Cape Town
Oct 16 - Su	S.Africa v Aus, 2nd T20I	12:30	18:00	Johannesburg
Oct 19 - We	S.Africa v Aus, 1st ODI	12:30	18:00	Centurion
Oct 23 - Su	S.Africa v Aus, 2nd ODI	08:00	13:30	Port Elizabeth
Oct 28 - Fr	S.Africa v Aus, 3rd ODI	12:30	18:00	Durban
Nov 09 - 13	S.Africa v Aus, 1st Test	08:30	14:00	Cape Town
Nov 17 - 21	S.Africa v Aus, 2nd Test	08:00	13:30	Johannesburg

Ready to bat at No. 4: Ricky Ponting

Ex-Captain Ricky Ponting has revealed that Shaun Marsh's elevation to the 1st down in the Australian Test team was a part of skipper Michael Clarke's 'long-term plan'. Ponting added that he had no problem in moving down the order as long as he is part of the playing XI.

Australia shuffled its batting order to squeeze in Marsh at the No.3 position, which means former captain Ponting, his successor Clarke and Michael Hussey had to slip down one spot each.

"It was a long-term plan of Michael's to have Shaun move to No 3 and me move to No 4 and Michael move to five and Hussey to No. 6" Ponting said.

"So that wasn't just something I don't think as a one-off for that game. Michael sees that in the best interests of the team going forward for a period of time. So I'll be three this week, probably three in the one-dayers in South Africa and then probably drop back to four for the Test Cricket matches," he added.

Ponting also said that playing at number four spot would give him some more time to think on how to go about his batting.

"When I first came into the Australian side, batting at six was hard. Waiting that amount of time to bat for me was something that was very foreign to me.

"But three to four I don't think is as big a change as three to six, or it certainly wasn't in the last Test because I was in pretty early both times. Slight adjustment. It just gives me a little bit more time once our fielding's over to get my head around what I have to do to bat," Ponting was quoted as saying in the Australian media.

Clarke had earlier made it clear that all-rounder Shane Watson will not be moving down the order from his original opening slot.

West Indies in Bangladesh 2011, Schedule

Date	Match Details	Time (IST)	Place
Oct 11 - Tue	Bangladesh v W.Indies, Only T20I	14:00	Dhaka
Oct 13 - Thu	Bangladesh v W.Indies, 1st ODI	14:00	Dhaka
Oct 15 - Sat	Bangladesh v W.Indies, 2nd ODI	14:00	Dhaka
Oct 18 - Tue	Bangladesh v W.Indies, 3rd ODI	08:30	Chittagong
Oct 21 - 25	Bangladesh v W.Indies, 1st Test	09:00	Chittagong
Oct 29 - Nov 02	Bangladesh v W.Indies, 2nd Test	09:00	Dhaka

ICC Cricket Awards 2011

The award winners:

Player of the year: Jonathan Trott (England)

Test Player of the year: Alastair Cook (England)

ODI Player of the year: Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka)

Women cricketer of the year: Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)

Umpire of the year: Aleem Dar (Pakistan)

Best Twenty20 performance of the year: Tim Southee (NZ) - for taking 5-18 v Pakistan

Associate and Affiliate Player of the year: Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands)

Spirit of Cricket award: MS Dhoni (India)

Emerging player of the year: Devendra Bishoo (West Indies)

Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in One Test Match Series

Pakistan won by seven wickets against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club here on Monday. They were left needing 88 runs for victory after bundling the home team out for 141 runs in their 2nd innings, although they did lose 3 wickets in the process.

Having been put into bat by Pakistan skipper Misbah ul Haq, Zimbabwe reached 412 all out in their 1st innings before Pakistan replied with 466 all out to establish a 1st-innings lead of 54.

There was not much in it at that stage but Zimbabwe's 2nd innings collapsed to 135-8 at the close of 4th day.

Man of the match was Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez, who scored 119 and took four wickets for 31. With one more wicket he would have recorded a 'viper' in cricket terms - a century plus five wickets in an innings - but he did not get a bowl in the final session.

For Zimbabwe, it is a disappointing result following their victory over Bangladesh but they can go out of this Test match with their heads held high. They ran Pakistan close for most of the game and they can be proud of the way they took the fight to Pakistan.

The first of three one-day internationals will be played on Thursday, followed by the other two in the series and two Twenty20 Cricket matches to round out the Pakistan tour in Harare.

I Support Anna Hazare

Sachin slips, Dravid enter top-10 in ICC rankings

Almost all the Indian batsmen save Rahul Dravid slipped in the latest ICC Test Rankings for batsman released on Tuesday.

The poor performance of their batsmen in England Test series affected their individual rankings with Sachin Tendulkar dropping a spot to 5th place.

However, Rahul Dravid, at the back of his 3 centuries and 461 runs, ensured a leap of four places to make it to the top-10.

Jacques Kallis firmly entrenched at the top of the ranking table. Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen's star acts during the test series helped them to gain four and five places respectively.

While Bell is now 3rd in the list after Kallis and Sangakkara, Pietersen has also broken into the Top-10 and is now in 7th place.

VVS Laxman, who has had a terrible series, lost 5 places to be at 17th while Virender Sehwag also dropped a couple notches to be at 19th. Gautam Gambhir is now 31st.

In the bowling department, Zaheer Khan remained 7th despite bowling only 13.3 overs in the test series. Off-spinner Graeme Swann is now in top-3 with a leap of two places while Dale Steyn and James Anderson remained number 1 and 2 respectively.

While Stuart Broad maintained his 5th position, Tim Bresnan with his brilliant show is now 11th, having gained five places. India's Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma dropped a place each to be 12th and 13th in the list respectively.

Dravid announces retirement from ODIs

Hours after he was chosen for the ODI series in England, veteran Indian batsman Rahul Dravid announced his retirement from both the Twenty20 Cricket International, 50-over format of the game.

However, he will play in the five-match ODI series against England, beginning on September 3 and continue playing Test cricket for India.

"I am honoured and privileged to be selected in the Indian one-day team," he said after India's warm-up match against Northamptonshire in which he did not play.

"Since I had not been picked for one-day cricket for the last two years, I was obviously a little surprised and to be honest, because I had not been picked," he said in the statement issued after the warm-up game.

He said he now wants to concentrate on Tests in the future though he had not informed about it to the BCCI before his selection.

"At the end of this one-day series, I would like to announce my retirement from one-day and Twenty20 cricket and concentrate only on Test cricket. I had not informed the selectors or the board of my desire to solely focus on Test cricket," he said.

"I am committed, as always to give my best to India in this one-day series and obviously the Test series that follows." Dravid last played an ODI against the West Indies during the 2009 Champions Trophy in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dravid has made 10765 runs in 339 ODIs with an average of 39.43 with 12 hundreds and 82 fifties. He has not played any Twenty20 International match.

He recently became the second highest run-getter in Test cricket - 12576 runs from 155 matches - behind Sachin Tendulkar and also levelled Sunil Gavaskar's 34 Test centuries.

Warne slams MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina

Shane Warne has launched a ruthless attack on India's young batsmen and felt MS Dhoni's captaincy was being affected by his below-par wicketkeeping as the visitors slumped to a massive 319-run defeat against England in the 2nd Test.

"As far as the batting is concerned, it is three down, all down. If you get Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman out, the rest all follow suit because they can't handle the intensity of the position," Warne wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

Warne was particularly critical of Suresh Raina and finds the left-hander a misfit for the challenging Test Cricket Format.

"The way some of the Indians play the short-ball is embarrassing. Suresh Raina just does not look like a Test player when the ball is dug in. He is OK in Twenty20 Cricket and ODI matches because teams can't bowl that many short balls at him, but in Test cricket they can batter him."

"India have to bounce back to make this a competitive series and the guide has to come from Dhoni. He needs to lift everyone. He looks too casual at the moment. He has lost his positive body language. "The skipper has to set the tone with the fielding. He cannot hang on to a ball behind the stumps and that is hurting his captaincy, batting and having an impact on the whole team. He needs to work really hard on his keeping over the next week because you can't carry on like that," he said.

"There is an argument that says he should not be playing the next game because he can't keep hold of the ball. Dhoni is a quality person and leader so I am sure he will turn it around but deep down he will feel a bit embarrassed about how it has been going," Warne added.

England win comprehensively! Lead the Series 2-0

England secured a fantastic victory inside four days to go 2-0 up in the test series as India's batsman crumbled to 158 all out at Trent Bridge.

India has won the toss and elected to field first in the 2nd Test match against England.

Yuvraj Singh will play in place of Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid to open, and Sreesanth will plays for the injured Zaheer Khan.

This has been England's Test match. It did not begin that way when they were reduced to 124/8 in the first day. However, a brilliant 73 run partnership for the ninth wicket between Broad and Swann helped England reach 221. It was Rahul Dravid's brilliant 34th Test century that allowed India to reach 267/4 and it looked like India would build a healthy lead.

In stepped Stuart Broad and he blew away the Indian tail with a hat-trick, the first ever taken at Trent Bridge. This was also the first Test hat-trick against India in Tests. India lost their last six wickets for only 21 runs. A potential lead of 100-150 plus was cut down to only 67 runs.

There was a ray of hope when the openers departed cheaply. But, Bell and KP stepped up to the plate and took the Indian bowling apart. Bell registered his first century against India and backed from fifties by Morgan, Prior and Bresnan, England amassed 544. The abject display by the Indian bowling on the third day put England in the driver's seat and they never looked back.

Tim Bresnan was the star as he picked up his maiden five wicket haul in Tests. Tendulkar sparkled with his 60th Test fifty but it was a bridge too far for the India team as they suffered their biggest loss in terms of runs against England. This 319 run loss will be a bitter pill to swallow for MS Dhoni and his men.

This is the first time that India have lost two consecutive Tests in England since 1974. This is also the first time that MS Dhoni has lost two consecutive Tests in his captaincy stint. One must feel for Rahul Dravid here. Before this series, whenever Dravid has scored a century, India have lost only once. Now, he has scored two consecutive centuries in two matches and India have lost both. England are now in a great position to clinch this Test series in Edgbaston, but India will be determined to bounce back. However, for the time being, it is a very disappointed Team India.

Match Details

Ist Innings
England 221/10
Stuart Broad 64
Praveen Kumar 3/45

India 267/10
Rahul Dravid 117
Stuart Broad 6/46

2nd innings
England 544/10
Ian Bell 159
Praveen Kumar 4/124

Target 478

India 158/10
Sachin Tendulkar 56
Tim Bresnan 5/48

Man of the Match : Stuart Broad

Dhoni in danger of one-match ban for Slow over-rate

Indian skipper MS Dhoni is facing the danger of a one test-match ban unless his side manage to increase their over-rate following slow bowling during England's 1st innings in the opening Test.

India recorded an over-rate of 13 overs per hour instead of the required 15, according to a report in the tabloid 'Daily Express'.

The ICC code of conduct states that the skipper of any team which is found responsible of bowling slow over-rates on three occasions in a 12-month period will face a one-match suspension.

India had failed to maintain the required over-rate during January's 3rd Test against South Africa and the recent match against the West Indies in Barbados.

Even if MS Dhoni escapes punishment at Lord's here, the threat will remain throughout the England Test series, the report said.

Not to use the DRS for LBW

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have agreed the protocols for the use of the Decision Review System (DRS), in consultation with the ICC, for the forthcoming Test series which begins at Lord's Cricket Ground on Thursday, 21 July 2011.

In accordance with the recent ICC Board decision, the minimum standards of infra-red technology and stump microphones will be employed during the four Test Series and five One Day Internationals between England and India .

The agreement of both Boards is required to extend the DRS technology beyond these minimum standards. While ECB were in favour of full usage of DRS, which would have included ball tracking technology, the BCCI indicated their desire for the system to be limited to the agreed minimum standards in this series. Accordingly, to achieve practical application, it has been agreed by all parties that players shall not be able to review leg-before-wicket (LBW) decisions during the Test and ODI series.

ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, said: 'While we are disappointed that the full DRS will not be used to support the umpires, we are pleased that the ECB and BCCI have worked hard to ensure the minimum DRS is used in this much anticipated series.

'It is common knowledge that the ICC and ECB would have liked ball tracking to have been included so that LBW decisions could have also been reviewed, but the last Chief Executives Committee and Board meeting in Hong Kong had agreed to independently confirm the accuracy of ball-tracking technology. This will now take place as a matter of urgency.'

The ICC Board had agreed a CEC recommendation that ball tracking technology be used only if both participating teams agree.

India won the three-Test series 1-0

India settled for a draw in the 3rd and final Test against the West Indies after rock-solid century-maker Shivnarine Chanderpaul and the home bowlers gave them a fight on Sunday. Chasing 180 for victory, India finished on 94 for three, deciding to bring the match to a close with the statutory final 15 overs remaining on the last day of the inaugural Test at Windsor Park.

The result meant that the visitors won the three-Test series 1-0, following a 63-run victory inside four days in Jamaica and a draw in the 2nd Test at Barbados. The visitors also wrapped up their second straight Test series victory over West Indies in the Caribbean and they also became the first Indian side to win a Test and one-day series here.

Harbhajan Singh take 400 Test wickets

Harbhajan Singh became the 11th bowler in history to capture 400 Test wickets while Ishant Sharma again bowled impressively in the rain-lashed third Test between India and West Indies on Thursday.

India were 8/0, replying to West Indies' first innings total of 204/10, when a combination of rain and bad light stopped play early on the second day at Windsor Park, where only 49.2 over were possible.

Ishant Sharma, the most successful of all the bowlers in the series, upstaged Harbhajan, taking 5-77 from 21.3 overs.

His success, followed up his 6-55 in the first innings of the drawn 2nd Test at Bridgetown, taking his tally in the three-Test series to 21 wickets at 14.04 apiece. Harbhajan, playing his 96th Test for the Indians, bowled Carlton Baugh for the West Indies top score of 60 about an hour and 20 minutes after lunch to achieve the milestone.

Only former skipper Anil Kumble (619) and Kapil Dev (434) have taken more wickets for the visitors than Harbhajan.

He is also the 4th spin bowler to take 400 wickets in Test Cricket, following in the footsteps of fellow off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka, whose 800 scalps are the most, Australia's Shane Warne (708), and Kumble.

17-member Test squad for India's upcoming tour of England

Star players Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir and Zaheer Khan likely returned to the team as the national selectors on Saturday announced a full-strength of 17-member Test team for India's upcoming tour of England starting mid July.

Yuvraj Singh, who missed the tour of West Indies because of a chest infection, also made a comeback to the Test squad along with Kerala speed star S Sreesanth.

Wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha got the nod ahead of Parthiv Patel as the 2nd wicketkeeper, while Virat Kohli and opener Murali Vijay were dropped from the squad announced by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan after a meeting of the selection committee here.

Tamil Nadu opener Abhinav Mukund was retained in the squad but pacer Abhimanyu Mithun couldn't find a spot in the team.

Dashing opener Virender Sehwag, who was also forced to skip the Caribbean tour because of a shoulder surgery, will miss the first test but will join the team after a fortnight.

The team, to be captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, will have Gambhir as the vice-captain.

The squad has as many as five pace bowlers considering the seaming conditions in England. It has two spinners in Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra.

Test Team Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Gautam Gambhir (vc), Virender Sehwag, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, S Sreesanth, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel.

India are scheduled to host play 90 Tests and 166 ODIs in next 8-year

A day after the BCCI announced dates for IPL next season, the ICC on Tuesday virtually left an unofficial window for the cash-rich Twenty20 event, making it possible for players from most nations to participate in it.

The ICC on the third day of its annual conference left gaps in the FTP for most nations during April and May for the eight-year period from 2012-20.

The FTP, which was approved by the ICC Executive Board on Tuesday on the recommendations of Chief Executives' Committee, contains an official two-week window in September for the Champions League Twenty20 each year and leaves space for an unofficial IPL window in April and May.

Under the new FTP calender, India are scheduled to host Pakistan for a Test series in 2013, the first time after 2007.

But, beyond that, particulars of other series between the two countries were vague with neither the host nation nor the number of games was specified. They would also play 90 Tests and 166 ODIs within the eight-year span.

India also plays fewer Test matches than England and Australia in the 8-year period though the world champions would be the busiest team in ODIs.

The FTP has a clear division among the Test playing countries with England, Australia and India scheduled to play the most Tests, followed by Sri Lanka and South Africa.

England will play 99 matches, Australia 92, Sri Lanka 76 and South Africa will play 74 Tests respectively. They are followed by the West Indies and New Zealand with 66 Tests each and Pakistan 65 followed by Bangladesh 42 and Zimbabwe 41.

The ODIs are more evenly distributed. India will play 89 away ODIs among its 166 matches. Zimbabwe have the fewest at 64, of which 37 are at home. All other countries play between 100-160 games.

In the Twenty20 format, most teams are scheduled to play between 30-55 matches.

India in England 2011 Complete Series

Date	Match Details	Time (IST)	City
Jul 21 - 25	Ind v Eng, 1st Test	15:30	London
Jul 29 - Aug 02	Ind v Eng, 2nd Test	15:30	Nottingham
Aug 10 - 14	Ind v Eng, 3rd Test	15:30	Birmingham
Aug 18 - 22	Ind v Eng, 4th Test	15:30	London
Aug 31 - Wed	Ind v Eng, Only T20I	22:30*	Manchester
Sep 03 - Sat	Ind v Eng, 1st ODI	14:45	Chester-le-Street
Sep 06 - Tue	Ind v Eng, 2nd ODI	18:30*	Southampton
Sep 09 - Fri	Ind v Eng, 3rd ODI	18:30*	London
Sep 11 - Sun	Ind v Eng, 4th ODI	14:45	London
Sep 16 - Fri	Ind v Eng, 5th ODI	18:30*	Cardiff, Wales

* - Day-night Match...

Pakistan win by 196 runs and level the series at 1-1

Abdur Rehman finished with career-best figures, and shared the last five wickets with fellow spinner Saeed Ajmal to usher Pakistan to a series-levelling 196-run victory in the second Test against West Indies on Tuesday.

Rehman captured four for 65 from 24.3 overs, and Ajmal took three for 79 from 31 overs, as West Indies, in pursuit of a highly improbable target of 427, were dismissed for 230 in their second innings about 15 minutes before lunch on the final day at Warner Park.

The match came to an anti-climatic close, when Kemar Roach failed to beat Wahab Riaz's direct hit at the bowlers' end, and was run out for 12, after indecision about taking a single with Devendra Bishoo.

The Pakistani victory meant the two-Test series was tied 1-1, after West Indies claimed a 40-run victory in the first Test.

Sri Lanka in England 2011, Test, ODI & T20i Schedule

Date	Match Details	Time (IST)	Place
May 26 - 30	England v Sri Lanka, 1st Test	15:30	Cardiff, Wales
Jun 03 - 07	England v Sri Lanka, 2nd Test	15:30	London
Jun 16 - 20	England v Sri Lanka, 3rd Test	15:30	Southampton
Jun 25 - Sat	England v Sri Lanka, Only T20I	19:00	Bristol
Jun 28 - Tue	England v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI	17:30	London
Jul 01 - Fri	England v Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI	15:15	Leeds
Jul 03 - Sun	England v Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI	15:15	Chester-le-Street
Jul 06 - Wed	England v Sri Lanka, 4th ODI	18:30	Nottingham
Jul 09 - Sat	England v Sri Lanka, 5th ODI	15:15	Manchester

West Indies defeated Pakistan by 40 runs in 1st test

West Indies Captain Darren Sammy took five wickets and Ravi Rampaul claimed four as the West Indies defeated Pakistan by 40 runs on Sunday in the 1st Test.

Chasing 219 for victory, the Pakistanis were dismissed for 178 in their 2nd innings about 50 minutes after lunch on the 4th day at Guyana.

WI captain finished with the impressive figures of 5/29 from 17 overs that helped him to earn the man of the match award, and Ravi Rampaul supported with 4/48 from 21 overs.

Fittingly, the embattled Sammy brought the match to a climax when he bowled Pakistan bowling hero Saeed Ajmal for three.

The victory gave West Indies a 1-0 lead in the two-match test series, which concludes with the 2nd Test, starting on Friday at Warner Park in St. Kitts.

It was also the West Indies' first Test victory since February 2009, when they humbled England by an innings and 23 runs at Sabina Park in Jamaica. "This is all about West Indies cricket," said Sammy. "We as a team needed this performance, this victory, and I can't stop commending the effort of the guys - every single person that batted on such a difficult pitch.

"It was a total team effort, and it was good to come out on the right side of the result for a change."

The result also meant that Pakistan will have to wait for another trip to earn their first Test series victory in the Caribbean. "To lose a Test match is never an easy thing," said Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, whose 52 was the top score in his side's 2nd innings.

"But they played better cricket than us. They bowled really disciplined throughout the match, and most of the time, they got us out with good bowling."

Misbah added: "I think it was a bit of everything that went wrong for us, but our fielding especially. We dropped way too many catches.

"We gave away too many runs, especially runs scored by the tail. They had good partnerships towards the end of each innings, particularly in the 2nd innings, and that was really crucial.

Pakistan's bid for victory hit a problems in the final half-hour before lunch, when Sammy removed Misbah and Mohammad Salman - both lbw - in the space of three balls to leave the visitors on 153 for six at the interval.

But the result did not appear to be a formality until Sammy trapped Umar Akmal plumb lbw for 47, as Pakistan lost their last four wickets for 18 runs in the space of 31 deliveries after lunch.

Akmal's dismissal established a new record for the most lbw decisions ever in a Test of 20, erasing the previous mark of 17 between the two sides 18 years ago at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad.

India in West Indies 2011, Series Schedule

Date	Match Details	Time (IST)	Place
Jun 04 - Sat	West Indies v India, Only T20I Ind won by 16 runs	-	Trinidad
Jun 06 - Mon	West Indies v India, 1st ODI Ind won by 4 wickets	-	Trinidad
Jun 08 - Wed	West Indies v India, 2nd ODI Ind won by 7 wickets	-	Trinidad
Jun 11 - Sat	West Indies v India, 3rd ODI Ind won by 3 wickets	-	Antigua
Jun 13 - Mon	West Indies v India, 4th ODI WI won by 103 runs	-	Antigua
Jun 16 - Thu	West Indies v India, 5th ODI WI won by 7 wickets	-	Jamaica
Jun 20 - 24	West Indies v India, 1st Test Ind won by 63 runs	-	Jamaica
Jun 28 - Jul 2	West Indies v India, 2nd Test Match Drawn	-	Barbados
Jul 06 - 10	West Indies v India, 3rd Test	-	Dominica

India get rewarded for finishing as No.1 in Test

India will be handed USD 175,000 for finishing as the No.1 Test side while also pocketing one more USD 75,000 for finishing as 2nd-ranked ODI team this season, the ICC said today.

India has been sitting on top of the Test Championship table since December 2009 with 128 points. South Africa (117 points) will pocket USD 75,000 for ending in 2nd position in the Test Championship table at the cut-off date of April 1.

Australia earns USD 175,000 for finishing on top of the ODI table with 128 points at the cut-off date. It has been occupying the number-one position on the ODI Championship table since leapfrogging South Africa and India in September 2009.

In the latest ODI rankings issued today, Australia has 129 points, eight points more than India's 121 points.

Afridi should return to Test cricket: Imran Khan

Pakistan's ODI & T20 skipper Shahid Afridi should return to Test cricket and captain the national team in all three formats of the sport, former skipper Imran Khan said.

Afridi pulled out of a Test series against Australia last year in England after losing the 1st Test at Lord's as skipper.


Since then he has only captained Pakistan in one-day internationals and Twenty20 cricket matches. Senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq led Pakistan in their last two Test series against South Africa and New Zealand.

Afridi, who led Pakistan to the semi-finals of the World Cup that ended on Saturday, has made himself available for this month's tour to the West Indies after previously planning on missing the series.

"There should be just one captain for all three formats of the game," Imran told reporters at a function held in Lahore to honour Pakistan's World Cup umpire Aleem Dar.

"The main reason for India winning the World Cup is that their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads them in Tests, ODIs and T20 cricket," the cricketer turned politician said.

Imran said that Dhoni had matured quicker as a captain because he had developed the temperament to handle the different pressures of the three formats.

"Afridi must also be captain in all three formats of the sport. My belief is that unless you captain in Test cricket you can't really be at the top of your game," he said.

England win the Ashes Series 3-1

England won the fifth Ashes Test by an innings and 83 runs on Friday to claim a first series triumph in Australia in nearly a quarter of a century.

The tourists, who had already ensured they would retain the famous urn, needed a little more than 17 overs to remove Australia's last three batsmen on day five of the final Test to win the Ashes series 3-1.

"We came over here desperately wanting to win the series. Obviously in Melbourne we retained the Ashes but we really wanted to finish with a bang over here in Sydney," an ecstatic Andrew Strauss said on the podium.

"All credit to the guys, they've been outstanding again, the way the bowlers bowled on day one, the batsmen dipped their bread in it again and we got another victory."

"So we're delighted with what we've done and we're certainly going to enjoy this evening, that's for sure."

Australia have lost series by bigger margins but in more than 130 years of Test cricket they had never conceded three defeats by an innings or more in a series against any country.

Stand-in skipper Michael Clarke had been handed the unenviable task of leading a demoralised Australia side into the final test after Ricky Ponting was ruled out with a broken finger.

"It's been a tough couple of months to be honest, we've been outplayed in all facets of the game," said Clarke, who like Ponting failed to inspire his team with the bat throughout the series.

"I think England have shown us what execution and discipline does with the ball and they've managed to go and make some big scores with the bat as well."

"Obviously I'm very disappointed like all the boys. We didn't perform as well as we'd have liked."

Free entry had ensured a half full house as the tourists performed the final rites but it was dominated by England fans with the Barmy Army's songs and chants echoing around the famous ground.

They celebrated wildly as England, just four years after suffering a first Ashes clean sweep in 86 years, matched the achievement of Mike Gatting's touring party of 1986-87.

Alastair Cook was named Man of the Match and won the Compton-Miller medal as Man of the Series.

The England opener made 189 in Sydney and 766 runs at an average of 127.66 over the fives Tests, the second highest by an Englishman in an Ashes series.

India and South Africa Test Series have ended 1-1

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni looked forward to new challenges after his side validated their ranking as the number one Test team by earning a share of the series against 2nd-ranked South Africa at Newlands on Thursday.

The third and final Test ended in a draw when play was called off eight overs early with India on 166 for three after being set to make 340 to win.

Opening batsman Gautam Gambhir guided India to safety with a careful innings of 64.

"We're happy with our performance," said MS Dhoni, pointing out that India were possibly one wicket away from being able to force a win when South Africa were reeling at 130 for six on the 4th day.

"If we could have got that one wicket we could have done something very special," he said.

Dhoni said he felt a shared series was a fair result and that his team were less concerned with the world ranking than with the process of preparing and playing well.

"Series between the top teams are very good for cricket," he said. "This year we go to England and then to Australia, so we will have played all the other top three teams."

Dhoni said there was always room for improvement. "We need to have a bigger pool of players because of the amount of games we play, especially fast bowlers, who are always likely to have injuries. It will be nice to have more fast bowlers who can do well in all conditions when we go to England and Australia."

South African captain Graeme Smith was less satisfied after India batted out the final day, scoring 166 for three after being set to make 344.

"It was a pity we couldn't close them out today but it has been a tremendous Test Series, very competitive."

But Smith acknowledged that South Africa were in trouble on the 4th day before Jacques Kallis made his second century of the match despite struggling with a side injury.

"Jacques was an inspiration to all of us in the dressing room," said Smith. "We could see how much pain he was in."

Kallis said the injury had got worse during his innings. Initially expected to be out of action for two weeks, he said he would rest for four weeks, "then start focusing on the World Cup".

The World Cup in Asia starts on February 19.