Balanced Indian team confident ahead of NZ tour

Indian skipper MS Dhoni will be leading his bunch of talented cricketers to New Zealand - the country where India registered its first ever overseas Test series victory. The feat in 1968, under the leadership of Nawab of Pataudi (Jr.), broke India’s 35-year long jinx of not winning abroad which earned the team a tag of ‘poor travelers’. One would expect the Indian team to always do well in New Zealand as it won its first-ever Test series there, but the harsh conditions and lively bounce has always come in way of the Indians, ensuring that the highpoint in India’s cricket history was never repeated again. The graph has been going southwards ever since, as the last time India won a Test in Kiwi-land was three decades ago. However the recent success of India, both at home and away, hints at revival of the poor record and this may be the appropriate time to begin as Team India will be seen in new dark blue jerseys, doing away with the highly popular light blue outfit. "Everyone knows the conditions in New Zealand are tough. It's a big tour for us and we want to win," said MS Dhoni at a pre-tour conference in Mumbai. Coach Gary Kirsten too expressed confidence in the team's ability to do well in conditions that are vastly different to what the players are used to at home, in the sub-continent. "We have a very balanced team -- in batting, pace and spin bowling. We are capable of playing in any condition. Conditions will be vastly different and the weather would be cold with a bit of rain. But we have the players to overcome these," Kirsten said. Dhoni insisted that preparation would be the key to his team’s success, and that practice sessions could prove to be crucial in the eventual outcome of the series. “We will have to put a lot into our training sessions once we get there. We have four days before the first Twenty20 match, which will be very crucial,” he said. Many players in the Indian team, including the skipper, will be travelling to New Zealand for the first time and Dhoni said he was looking forward to the inputs from teammates who have experienced conditions in New Zealand during the long flight. "It is not just about talking to players who have been there. Ours is an open team, everybody is allowed to speak. We will take inputs from everyone and take what is best for the team," added Dhoni. The six-week tour opens next Wednesday with the first of two Twenty20 Internationals. India and New Zealand will also play five one-day internationals and three Tests. Apart from conditions, India has to counter a resurgent New Zealand team that did well in the recently-concluded ODI series against Australia and a 2-1 home-series win against the West Indies. “New Zealand will always be a competitive team. The Kiwis are fighters and it is worth being wary of them at home. We certainly won’t be taking New Zealand for granted,” said the Indian coach, Gary Kirsten.

source:http://icc-cricket.yahoo.com/news/2009/february/news20090219-106.html

I have to lead by example in SA: Ponting

As Australia heads for a gruelling Test tour of South Africa with an inexperienced side, skipper Ricky Ponting said he would “lead by example” and expected the same from some of his senior colleagues. “If we look at those on the plane to South Africa, four have never played a Test, two have played only one and just four have played more than Mitchell Johnson’s 18: (Michael) Clarke, Mike Hussey, Simon Katich and myself. “That creates extra responsibility for us four. As senior players, we must stand up and lead from the front to show the younger players the way,” Ponting wrote in his column for the ‘Australian’. “I know that as captain and the most experienced player in the team, it is up to me to set the example.” Concerned about the challenge the youngsters face while graduating from domestic to international level, the skipper said he was ready to help them out. “It is a big step from domestic to Test cricket, and we have to make the transition for the younger and inexperienced players as comfortable as possible,” he said.

SOURCE:http://www.apakistannews.com/i-have-to-lead-by-example-in-sa-ponting-105835

6 more ICL players allowed to play domestic cricket

KARACHI: Six more Pakistani cricketers who had sided with the controversial Indian Cricket League (ICL) have been allowed to play in domestic matches.The Sindh High Court (SHC) while ruling in favor of six more players banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), allowed the players to take part in domestic cricket.The cricketers get permission to play domestic cricket are Imran Farhat, Humayun Farhat, Imran Nazir, Taufiq Umer, Riaz Afridi and Rashid Khan.Inzamamul Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmad and Azhar Mahmood still facing ban imposed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).The PCB had banned 20 of its leading cricketers because of their association with the ICL.

SOURCE:http://www.geo.tv/2-17-2009/35313.htm

Player rift lit fuse for Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar's outburst

FINANCIAL cutbacks, boardroom politics and player discontent are believed to be behind Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar's extraordinary outburst following the club's 4-0 loss to Melbourne Victory.
A club insider said there had been rumblings of discontent since Adelaide revealed they were releasing stalwart Ange Costanzo, Brazilian Diego and midfielder Jonas Salley.
It appears Vidmar has been a slow-burning fuse to a time bomb that eventually exploded and tore the heart out of a club that only three months ago had been hailed as the fairytale story of Australian sport after reaching the final of the Asian Champions League.
Vidmar apologised on Sunday for describing Adelaide, the city, as a "pissant town". And after a crisis meeting with club owners and officials, United released a statement saying the issues the coach raised had been resolved.
But Vidmar did not retreat from his claims that United was a club riven by egos, jealousies and political manoeuvring.

source:http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,25059857-5000940,00.html

Sky Sports has signed a deal with Cricket Australia to screen live coverage of the next Ashes series Down Under.

England's 2010-11 tour - taking in all the Tests, one-day internationals and Twenty20 games - will be the sixth consecutive trip to Australia shown live on Sky Sports, and is part of an agreement which gives the broadcaster the rights to all Australian international cricket on home soil from 2009 until September 2012.
And the deal means Sky Sports is now the place to watch the next three Ashes series live - starting with all five npower Tests in England this year and taking you through to the summer of 2013.
Vic Wakeling, managing director for Sky Sports said: "We believe there is growing interest in all forms of cricket, but the priority for the English public remains the Ashes which is why we are delighted to be covering the next three series, through to and including the series planned for the summer of 2013."
Also included in the deal are Australia's home series against Pakistan and West Indies in 2009-10, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (2010-11) and New Zealand and India (2011-12).
Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland said: "Cricket Australia is delighted to have finalised the deal with Sky Sports, an organisation that has a long and illustrious history of supplying high quality content to its viewers.
"It is important that Australian cricket is seen by as many fans as possible around the world and the agreement with Sky Sports will help us to achieve this aim."
Sky, which became the first broadcaster to provide multi-platform coverage of an England cricket tour with the 2006-2007 Ashes series, has also been awarded mobile and online rights, providing live coverage for subscribers to Sky Mobile TV available on 3G handsets on Orange, Vodafone and T-Mobile and Skyplayer accessible via skysports.com.
The deal bolsters an already unrivalled cricket calendar on Sky Sports which takes in live coverage of matches from South Africa, New Zealand, India and West Indies

source:http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12341_4915309,00.html

The final round of the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am has been postponed after no play was possible on Sunday

Strong winds and heavy rain prevented any of the 68-man field getting out of the clubhouse so the first threesome is set to tee off from 7.30am local time on Monday morning.
Strong winds are again expected at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Monday, though, with long-hitting American Dustin Johnson holding a four-shot lead over Canadian Mike Weir.
At least 50 per cent of the players would have to complete the final round for it to count, organisers said.
"Hopefully see if we can get the golf tournament in," PGA Tour vice-president of rules and competition Mark Russell said. "I don't think the wind is going to be as strong tomorrow morning.
"We're mandated by the regulations to do everything we can to play 72 holes, so we're going to see what we can do tomorrow.
If we find that we're not going to be able to finish tomorrow, we'll make a decision at that time."

source:http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12176_4926599,00.html

Celtic and Rangers played out a dour 0-0 draw in their Old Firm derby at Parkhead.

Chances were few and far between as the two arch-rivals cancelled each other out.
Scott McDonald had Celtic's best chance of the game on the quarter hour mark when he headed Willo Flood's cross wide from six yards out.
Rangers were denied twice by Artur Boruc in the second half when he produced a flying save to prevent Stephen McManus scoring an own goal and then keeping out David Weir's towering header.
The stalemate means Celtic remain two points clear of Rangers at the top of the table.
Most of the attention pre-match had been on 17-year-old John Fleck who became the youngest Ibrox debutant in the Glasgow derby since skipper Barry Ferguson's brother, Derek, played in a 1-1 draw at the same venue in 1984.
His first involvement came in the third minute when his cross from the left after taking a Ferguson pass had Boruc stretching to get a hand to it at the back post before Hoops defender Lee Naylor cleared the danger.
Celtic were more confident in the early exchanges but neither keeper was seeing much action in a mainly midfield battle littered with mistakes.

source:http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3083918,00.html

Austria's Manfred Pranger won the men's slalom gold medal in difficult icy conditions at the Alpine World Skiing Championships in Val D'Isere.

Austria's Manfred Pranger won the men's slalom gold medal in difficult icy conditions at the Alpine World Skiing Championships in Val D'Isere.
Only two of the top eight skiers after the first run were able to complete the second run on the Bellevarde piste.
Pranger's combined time was 1 minute 44.17 seconds with France's Julien Lizeroux second, 0.18 seconds behind.
Canadian Michael Janyk climbed from ninth after the first run to claim the bronze medal, 0.35 seconds behind.
Pranger, 31, who became a father two weeks ago, said: "First a son and now this. Life could not be better. I've been dreaming about this for so long. After all I've been through (with injuries) this is fantastic."
606: DEBATE
Graham Bell's report from Val d'Isere
The Austrian set the fastest time in the first run, holding a 0.04 second lead over Sweden's Johan Brolenius, with favourite Jean-Baptiste Grange of France third. But both Brolenius and Grange fell in the final run to hand a first major championship gold to Pranger.
It gave Austria their first gold medal of an otherwise-disappointing championships.

Bode Miller crashed out in three of five events in Val D'Isere
Janyk, who won Canada's second medal after John Kucera's gold in the downhill last weekend, said: "I'm very surprised.
"I knew I was skiing really well. I was waiting for my opportunity and today was the day."
American Bode Miller's hopes of a medal were dashed when he fell halfway down the second run. He had complained during the championships that his aggressive style was not suited to the course.
"I seem to ski well but not see the finish line," he said after his third

source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/winter_sports/7891401.stm

Three-times Welsh Open finalist Ryan Day is confident he can go one better and win the tournament to claim his first ranking title on home soil.

Venue: The Newport Centre Date 16-22 February Coverage: BBC Two Wales & BBC Sport website
Day suffered a first-round exit in last month's Masters at Welmbley
Day, 28, the highest-ranked Welshman, starts his quest for victory in Newport against Michael Judge on Tuesday.
"I'll just wait for my next opportunity. If I keep knocking on the door, eventually it will open for me," said the world number eight.
"I don't think being the highest-ranked Welsh player adds to the pressure."
Day has suffered two first-round exits recently, at the Maplin UK Championship in Telford and the Masters at Wembley.
Those defeats, however, have not dented the Welshman's confidence, and he has set himself the target of winning what would be a special double for him - the Welsh Open and the World Championship.
606: DEBATE
Who do you think will win the Welsh Open?
"My goals for the season are to get into the top four in the rankings and to win the World Championship," said Day.
"I'm fifth in the provisional rankings at the moment so the first one is well within reach. The World Championship is open. Whoever gets their head together and plays well for two weeks can win it and I don't see why that can't be me."
The other Welshmen competing in the seven-day tournament, which starts on February 16, are Matthew Stevens, Mark Williams and Dominic Dale.
Carmarthen's Stevens will play Andy Hicks in a first-round qualifier on Monday, while Williams and Dale face David Gilbert and Liang Wenbo respectively on Monday.
Mark Selby will begin the defence of his title on Tuesday when he lines up against Paul Davies, while world number one Ronnie O'Sullivan will play six-time world champion Steve Davis on Wednesday.
On Monday, world number two Stephen Maguire will face Ian Preece and Mark Allen will play Joe Swail.

SOURCE:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/snooker/7891517.stm

Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest lap of the week in pre-season testing at Sakhir in Bahrain.

The Finn clocked one minute, 33.325 seconds with Toyota's Jarno Trulli 0.104 secs behind, BMW Sauber's Christian Klien posted 1:33.666.
Practice had been disrupted for two days by a sandstorm that grounded the medical helicopter.
At Jerez in Spain on Friday, British world champion Lewis Hamilton went fastest with a lap of 1:19.632.
Hamilton was fastest for a second straight session while former team-mate Fernando Alonso of Renault was next, followed by Nico Rosberg of Williams and Red Bull's Mark Webber.
Toro Rosso's French driver Sebastien Bourdais clocked the best time for the second day running - in a time of 1:17.472 - but in a 2008 car while the other teams were using vehicles that had been reconfigured to conform with the new rules for the 2009 season.
606: DEBATE
Give your reaction to the Jerez and Bahrain tests
Alonso had finished slowest on Thursday but after a number changes the Spaniard said he was pleased with the way his car is starting to drive.
"We concentrated more on set-up work today to get a better understanding of the car and make it easier to drive," he said.
"The car responded well to the set-up changes we made, so I think we've found some good solutions."
Webber drove for the second time since he suffered a broken leg while riding a bike at his own charity event in November last year.
The 32-year-old Australian managed 92 laps despite an early .

SOURCE:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/7887072.stm

Neptune Collonges warmed up for next month's Cheltenham Gold Cup with a comfortable victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown.

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The Paul Nicholls-trained winner, ridden by Ruby Walsh, tracked last year's victor and the early pacesetter The Listener in the opening stages.
The pair were together at the fourth last, before Neptune Collonges, the 8-13 favourite, went comfortably clear.
Notre Pere tried hard to challenge but the winner triumphed by five lengths.
The victory was a confidence boost for Neptune Collonges, who fell last time out while challenging in the Lexus Chase at the same venue in late December.
The winner is now third favourite at 6-1 behind stablemates Kauto Star and Denman for the big race at the Cheltenham Festival after he finished third last year.
Winning trainer Paul Nicholls said he was looking forward to the Gold Cup after Neptune Collonges' performance.
"We've done a lot of work on his jumping as he got quite lazy and wasn't too brilliant for the first week after he fell here in the Lexus," said Nicholls.
"It's come together well and he will improve for the run so we're very happy with him."

SOURCE:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/horse_racing/7891461.stm

Donna Fraser rolled back the years as she claimed a superb 200m and 400m double at the European Trials and UK Championships in Sheffield

The 36-year-old took the 200m in 23.48 seconds, while her time of 52.83 for the 400m was just outside the European Championships qualifying standard.
Meanwhile, Mo Farah continued his fine form with victory in the 1500m in a time of three minutes 40.57.
Kelly Sotherton took silver in the shot put, but pulled out of the high jump.
The heptathlete had a slight hip injury and decided to withdraw from the high jump as a precaution.
But the real success story of the day was Fraser's performance as she justified her decision not to retire.

SOURCE:http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/7891720.stm

Pietersen & Flintoff set to debut as highest paid players

Panaji, Goa: Season II of the DLF Indian Premier League today kicked off in earnest with the IPL Player Auction at Goa. With a mere nine weeks to go, all the eight franchisees utilized distinct strategies to pick – up the players that formed a tactical fit for the playing squads. The highlight of the auction though was the historic bids for the two Englishmen at US $ 1.55 million for all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and batsman Kevin Pietersen from the Chennai Super Kings and the Bangalore Royal Challengers which should make them the highest paid players in the League. Another player that saw multiple bidding and a distinctly higher final auction price of US $ 950,000 compared to his reserve price was South African batsman Jean Paul Duminy, who will now turn out for the Mumbai Indians. Bangladeshi pace bowler Mashrafe Bin Mortaza though was the surprise package at the auction going for a final bid of US $ 600,000 to the ShahRukh Khan owned Kolkata Knight Riders.

Expressing satisfaction on the way the Auction went Mr. Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, DLF Indian Premier League said, "This was a very strategic auction with each franchisee knowing exactly what they wanted in terms of international talent to strengthen their playing squads. I look forward to the prodigious talents of Pietersen and Flintoff making their debuts in Season II for the Bangalore Royal Challengers and Chennai. I am certain now more than ever that fans across Indian and indeed the world are in for an exciting second season."
Season II will see 5 Englishmen, 2 South Africans, 2 Bangladeshi’s, 2 Australians, 2 New Zealanders, 3 West Indians and 1 Sri Lankan make their debuts in the DLF Indian Premier League in 2009. A grand total of US $ 7.65 million was bid for the 17 new Indian Premier League debutan

IPL second season set for April 2009

Even before the start of the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League, the organisers have announced that the second edition is tentatively scheduled between April 10 and May 29 next year.
According to the Future Tours Programme, Australia are slated to be touring South Africa in April, 2009, India are set to be in New Zealand, and West Indies in Bangladesh. India haven't toured New Zealand since early 2003 with their scheduled trip in 2007 put of because plans to prepare for the World Cup.
The announcement comes in the wake of comments from David Collier, the ECB chief executive, who said the board was planning to adapt their domestic Twenty20 Cup to attract more leading players and offer an alternative to the IPL.
"It is a question of finding periods of the year for this [the IPL] to take place," Collier had said. "We are one of the few countries who play in June, that is why our competitions are so successful because we can attract the best players in the world. That is why we believe that an English Premier League will be very successful including a broad range of cricketers."
Lalit Modi, the IPL Chairman, said the format of the tournament would remain unchanged in its second season. The eight franchisees will first play against one another in a league on home-and-away basis. The top four teams will then figure in the two semi-finals and a final.
The first edition of the IPL kicks off on April 18 in Bangalore and the final is scheduled for June 1. "The dates of the second season of the DLF Indian Premier League were decided at a meeting of the Governing Council of the DLF Indian Premier League held in Mumbai," said Modi. "I am confident of the inaugural season becoming a huge success and the second season will be even a bigger success."

SOURCE:http://www.ask.com/bar?q=IPL+SECOND+EDITION&page=1&qsrc=2106&zoom=Upgrade+to+Windows+98+%3CKW%3ESecond+Edition%3C%2FKW%3E+Free%7CLoose+Change+%3CKW%3ESecond+Edition%3C%2FKW%3E%7C&ab=0&u=http%3A%2F%2Fcontent-www.cricinfo.com%2Fipl%2Fcontent%2Fstory%2F345624.html

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15: Mark Martin (R), driver of the #5 Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet, shakes hands with a young fan prior to during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR

Murray triumphs as Nadal knee creates new worry

ROTTERDAM (AFP) — World number one Rafael Nadal suffered another knee injury worry as he slipped to a 6-3, 4-6, 6-0 defeat to Britain's Andy Murray in the Rotterdam Open Sunday.
The fourth-ranked Scot, who won his second title of 2009, admitted that the knee injury which struck the Spaniard in the second set - and which Nadal refused to discuss - took the sparkle off the final.
The Spaniard suffered the problem from the second set and took a treatment break after the third game. From that point on, and through seven straight breaks of serve, the six-time Grand Slam title winner claimed just two points on his serve in the set.
"I'm happy with the week but not especially with the way that it ended," said Murray, who also won in Doha in January against Nadal.
"I can't be disappointed with how I was playing. I knew something was wrong with Rafa as he took about 30kph off of his serve in the second set.
"But he was hitting so hard that it was rushing me. That was part of the reason for all of the breaks.
"I could see him shaking his head. But he's not the kind of guy who's going to stop chasing the ball unless there's a good reason. He said that he sometimes has a knee problem when he plays a lot on hard court."
Nadal came to Rotterdam a week after lifting the Australian Open and needed three sets in all but one of his matches here.
The humble Spaniard paid full credit to Murray, who now stands 2-5 in their series and can claim bragging rights as winner of their first final after losing their first five meetings.
But Nadal was loathe to discuss his injury, refusing to say it had any bearing on the one-hour, 50-minute match.
"I came here tired from the Australian Open, but this was still a very important result for me," said the world number one.
"I have to look at the positive. This was a good week for me, especially to reach this final."
Nadal refused to commit fully to the Dubai event starting in a week.
He is apparently trying to keep all of his options open depending on his fitness after resting this week at home in Mallorca.
"It's tough when you can't play to your level. The problem is something from this week, it's tough to play like this, I couldn't push off on my shots." said the player who missed the Davis Cup final last November due to knee worries.
"I hope I can play Dubai, we will see what's going on. I'm not saying anything but you never know."
Murray became the first Briton to win Rotterdam after three runner-up finishes by Tim Henman. He improved to 13-1 on the season with titles in Doha and Rotterdam.

PHOENIX - FEBRUARY 15: Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics signs autographs at the HP Digital Playground at Jam Session presented by Adidas during NBA All Star Weekend on February 15, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2009 NBAE. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NBAE via Getty Images

Source:http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/gallery/im:urn:newsml:sports.yahoo,getty:20050301:nba,photo,baea2f74ec757169555823887960b365-getty-83008115gs065_2009_nba_all_:1

Atletico de Madrid's Diego Martín Forlán Corazo (L) celebrates after scoring against Getafe's goalkeeper Jacobo Sanz Ovejero (R) during their Spanish league football match at Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid, on February 15, 2009. AFP PHOTO/Pedro ARMESTRE

source:http://www.fifa.com/newscentre/photo/photolist.html

Buchanan rejects talk of coaching England

source:http://icc-cricket.yahoo.com/news/2009/february/news20090214-82.html

Former Australian coach John Buchanan has said he is unlikely to take on the job of England coach.Hugh Morris, managing director of England cricket, hinted this week that Buchanan could be targeted to take over from interim coach, Andy Flower, after England's tour of the West Indies. England is looking for a new full-time coach following the sacking of Peter Moores last month. "It is very flattering of the ECB, through Hugh Morris, to suggest my name as a possibility for a role with English cricket," Buchanan said. "I am always open to the prospect of being engaged in this capacity.” "At this point though, I have had no formal communication from the ECB.” "It is extremely unlikely for me to accept a fulltime coaching role with the English cricket team for a number of reasons.” "I finished the coaching role with CA (Cricket Australia) because I believe in a shelf life for coaches, and in my opinion, I had reached mine by the completion of the World Cup in 2007.” "I am not sure I could travel that road again, and indeed with another country." During Buchanan's tenure, the Australian cricket team posted a number of world records including the highest number of consecutive Test wins (16), the longest number of consecutive wins in World Cup (11) and the highest winning percentage in Test and one-day internationals of any coach.

NEWSJayawardena hoping to end on a winning note

Mahela Jayawardena is hoping that the upcoming Test series against Pakistan, which will be his last as Sri Lanka’s captain will end on a winning note. Jayawardena, who will step down as captain after the series, said that his team has a good combination of young and experienced players and hoped that a Test series win was possible outside Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, who won the ODI series in Pakistan 2-1 in January, will play a three-day warm-up in Karachi before the first Test, which starts on February 21. "The boys have practiced very hard and it is an opportunity for us to perform well and win the series. Winning a Test series outside Sri Lanka is always great," Jayawardena told reporters before leaving for Pakistan. The first Test in Pakistan will be played in Karachi from February 21-25 while the second will be played in Lahore from March 1-5 Under Jayawardena's captaincy, Sri Lanka has won 15 Tests, lost seven and drew four with the winning ratio of 62.5 percent. As captain, he averaged 64.70 in Tests with 11 centuries. Unsure about the conditions in Pakistan for the upcoming Test series, Jayawardena said his team will study and assess the situation. “Our chances are good but we have to wait and see what the conditions are going to be after the one-day series. I am not quite sure how they want to go about especially in the preparation of wickets. We'll go there and see what challenges lie ahead of us and try and make plans accordingly." Sri Lanka has named two newcomers in their 15-man squad, batsman Tharanga Paranavitana and fast bowler Suranga Lakmal. The skipper had a word of encouragement for the youngsters. "It is a good opportunity for the newcomers, especially for Suranga Lakmal to learn from the fast Pakistani wickets. We are well focused on the tour and would do our utmost to the series," said Jayawardena, who has led the Sri Lankan team in 26 Tests and 97 ODIs during the past three years. Sri Lanka’s last Test series in Pakistan four years ago ended in a one-all draw.

Australia clinches T20 thriller by 1 run

sorce:http://icc-cricket.yahoo.com/news/2009/february/news20090215-88.html

Adam Voges’ breathtaking catch in the dying moments and a sensational spell by Nathan Bracken helped Australia beat New Zealand by just one run in a T20 thriller at the SCG. The Sydney Cricket Ground once again lived up to the recent reputation of churning out close contests and Sunday’s clash was one more addition. Chasing 151 to win, the tourists lost by one run after Brendon McCullum, New Zealand vice-captain looked set to lead the team to victory by smashing 61 off 47 balls before a brilliant Adam Voges catch sent him back. New Zealand started shakily losing two wickets for just 12 runs. However, McCullum put on 61 runs with Neil Broom in a promising third-wicket stand before Broom fell for 36 top-edging a James Hopes delivery to Callum Ferguson with the score at 73-3. Grant Elliot (23) then joined in and shared a 58-run stand for the fourth wicket as the Kiwis neared the target. With 45 required off 4 overs, McCullum hit 20 runs off James Hopes over, and with 20 runs needed off 12 balls, the match was all but in the bag. The first ball of the 18th over bowled by Ben Hilfenhaus , looked destined to go for a six but Voges, at long off, pouched it just inches inside the rope. Showing high level of composure, the 29-year-old Voges threw the ball into the air before attempting to regather it. He quickly regrouped and lunged forward to take the all important wicket. The Kiwis never recovered from the setback and with 14 required off the final over by man of the match Nathan Bracken, the visitors finished up at 5-149 with McCullum'S big brother Nathan hitting a four and six off the last two balls. Nathan Bracken bowled superbly throughout, with match figures of 4-1-16-0. The left-arm fast bowler also became only the second bowler from Australia to bowl a maiden over in Twenty20 internationals. Earlier, Australia’s stand-in skipper Brad Haddin had won the toss and elected to bat first. Tim Southee and Iain O'Brien removed dangerous opening pair Haddin (15) and David Warner (23) relatively cheaply before Butler and Vettori bowled a tight spell. Hussey and Voges added 52 runs for the fourth wicket, allowing the Australian to revive the innings. However, in an attempt to score briskly, Voges (26 runs off 24 balls) departed and Hussey (41 runs off 39 balls) followed the suit soon. Tight bowling from Vettori and an encouraging return for Ian Butler in his first international in over four years helped stem the flow. Vettori took one for 23 off four overs and two excellent outfield catches to restrict Australia to 150 for seven off the 20 overs. It left the tourists requiring a run rate of 7.55 per over. James Franklin, who was flown in specifically for the match, was surprisingly given just one over, the first of the match, in which he conceded just 6 runs. The Kiwis included five Twenty20 international debutants -- Butler, Martin Guptill, Grant Elliott, Neil Broom and Iain O'Brien in the playing XI to Australia's three, Callum Ferguson, Peter Siddle and Moises Henriques. Prior to the Twenty20 game, the two sides had contested for the Chappell-Hadlee ODI series that had finished at 2-2 after the last ODI had to be abandoned due to rain at the Gabba, Brisbane on Friday.

West Indies v England, 3rd Test, Antigua

England like to warm up before play with a game of football, but on Sunday they will go one stage further as they start a Test match on a football pitch. The centre circle runs through the Antigua Recreation Ground pitch that has been hurriedly prepared following the abandonment at the Sir Vivian Richards stadium but, as with the old stands, manual scoreboard and cramped facilities, everyone has worked overtime to ensure the show can go on. The grand old girl is coming back to life. The ARG last hosted a Test in 2006 before being mothballed by the pressures of World Cup development, but is now trying to complete a remarkable transformation from a ramshackle relic to a Test arena for the most belated of encore performances. It has been a mammoth task. Since yesterday's decision to abandon the second Test there has been a round-the-clock operation to try and get Antigua's former international venue back up to standard. Some people were up all night. The outfield, which in parts remained far from ideal, was watered by the fire brigade, the pitch tended by the groundsman. On Saturday morning the ground resembled a scene from one of those reality TV shows where they set a challenge to rebuild something in a day. Construction teams have worked overtime, the painters were whitewashing the stands (you had to be careful what you leant on) and the TV crews rigged their equipment. Empty beer bottles were cleared away, trees had to be chopped down to create access and an army of people cleaned the ground. Temporary sightscreens were built from scratch and the scoreboard operator painted the player names. But with less than 48 hours to turn what was, in certain sections, a crumbling stadium into something that can handle two international teams, 6,000 England fans, the local support and the media means that this remains one of the most patched-up Test venues in recent memory. Still, less than a day after the abandonment there was a positive vibe in Antigua. "This is going to be brilliant," one WICB worker told Cricinfo. "The atmosphere is going to be like the old days. The infrastructure was already here, we are just adding the finishing touches." Finishing touches was probably underplaying it slightly. The wicket that will be used is the one produced for the team's practice sessions prior to the second Test. The England players said the pitch had been quite spicy in training, and the bowlers were rarely going at full pelt against their own batsmen. Suffice to say we won't see any batting world records this time, but to even make it playable has been a handsome feat. And once again much attention will be on the outfield, which is uneven and patchy, especially on the edges of what has been the football pitch. It will be like a trip back to club days for all the players.