England captain Strauss hopes team will learn from mistakes

DUBAI: England captain Andrew Strauss stressed a 3-0 hammering inflicted by Pakistan was not “all doom and gloom” for his team, hoping they learn from their mistakes and move on.

Pakistan thumped England by 71 runs in the third and final Test on Monday to seal an emphatic 3-0 win — the first whitewash in all Tests between the two countries.

England had not lost a Test series under Strauss since their 1-0 defeat in the Caribbean in February 2009.

“It’s very important we debrief this tour very thoroughly, like we do on any tour and learn some lessons and don’t walk away if that’s staring at us in the face. But at the same time it’s not all doom and gloom, you don’t become a bad side overnight,” Strauss said after the defeat.

England, who rose to number one in Test rankings in August last year after winning their last six series, continued to struggle in Asian conditions with Pakistani spinners Saeed Ajmal and Abdul Rehman destroying them in the series.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal took 24 wickets while Rehman finished with 19.

For England, Jonathan Trott remained top scorer in the series with 161 with Alastair Cook 159 and wicketkeeper batsman Matt Prior finishing at 150.

Strauss also managed 150 but key batsmen Kevin Pietersen (67), Ian Bell (51) and Eoin Morgan (82) were major let downs.

Strauss admitted playing spinners on turning pitches was a different challenge.

“Obviously, the challenges here are diffrerent, English sides generally have not played well in these sort of conditions in the past, we need to break that tradition and we are not going to do that by doing the same things,” said Strauss.

England also have tours to Sri Lanka (April) and India (November) this year and Strauss hoped the batsmen learn fast.

“I have not been involved in any series where so many of our batsmen have had hard times as this one. We have all got some questions to answer individually, some soul searching and thoughts to put into on how we can do things better going forward.

“It is also important for the guys to start turning their attention towards Sri Lanka in the particular challenges. There may not be the same challenges as here, but they will be slightly different in terms of the conditions etc, so we need to learn lessons from this.

“If you are a good enough player you find a way, it may take you a week or so finding a way you don’t make the same mistakes again. We haven’t been good enough or quick enough to adapting our game, that’s for sure,” Strauss said.

Pakistan and England will now play a four-match one-day series, starting with the first in Abu Dhabi on February 13. That will be followed by three Twenty20 internationals.

England 104-6 at close, Pakistan routed for 99

DUBAI: England edged to a slender five-run lead over Pakistan at the close as 16 wickets fell during an extraordinary opening day of the third and final test at Dubai Stadium Friday.

Routed for a low score of 99 in their first innings by England pacemen Stuart Broad (4-36) and James Anderson (3-35), Pakistan spinners moved to the fore to leave England struggling at 104-6.

England, playing for pride after losing the first two Tests and the series, now hold a slight lead on a seemingly batting-friendly pitch.

At the close, Andrew Strauss was unbeaten on 41 and James Anderson was on three not out.

Paceman Umar Gul led Pakistan’s fightback by dismissing opener Alastair Cook (one) and Jonathan Trott (two) before Strauss added 57 for the third wicket with Kevin Pietersen (32) during their bids to overcome batting frailties.

England’s batting had flopped during their two wicket defeat in the first Test here and in the 72-run defeat in the second match in Abu Dhabi.

Pakistani spinners Abdul Rehman and Saeed Ajmal, who grabbed 34 of the 40 wickets in the first two Tests, then grabbed four more wickets, with Rehman dismissing Pietersen and Eoin Morgan (10) and Ajmal accounting for Bell (five).

Pietersen’s dismissal made it 34 leg-before dismissals for the series, beating the previous record of 33 in the Pakistan-West Indies series in the Caribbean in 1993.

Rehman, who took 3-23, then bowled Matt Prior (six) with England just one behind Pakistan.

Earlier in the morning, England’s pace duo of Broad and Anderson bowled well to expose Pakistan, who won the toss and batted. Asad Shafiq topscored with 45.

Anderson struck in the first over, trapping opener Taufiq Umar for a duck.

Broad then clicked into gear, snaring Ali in his third over through a caught behind and Younis in his next, caught off a rising delivery, again by wicket-keeper Prior.

He then claimed Hafeez’s wicket trapping him leg before. Australian umpire Simon Taufel initially turned down the appeal but changed the decision after England called for a review.

Hafeez mocked the decision review system and may face a hearing from match-referee Jeff Crowe of New Zealand after the day’s play.

From the other end Anderson trapped Misbah-ul Haq for one in a decision challenged by the Pakistani skipper to no avail. That left Pakistan struggling at 21-5.

Shafiq and Adnan Akmal (six) added 18 for the sixth wicket before Broad changed ends to dismiss the wicket-keeper, again with a sharp incoming delivery which caught the batsmen in front of the stumps.

Graeme Swann then teased a miscued a drive from Rehman (one) gathered by a grateful Pietersen at mid-off, leaving Pakistan in danger of being bowled out for their lowest ever Test total — 53 against Australia in 2002.

Shafiq hit his first boundary in the last over before lunch to take Pakistan to that lowest mark and then hit another off left-arm spinner Monty Panesar to avoid the ignominy.

But Panesar, who took 2-25, had the last laugh, breaking the 34-run stand — the best of the innings — between Ajmal (12) and Shafiq after lunch.

Gul made 13 before Anderson bowled him to wrap up the innings.

England resisted the temptation to change their line-up but Pakistan brought paceman Aizaz Cheema for Junaid Khan. AGENCIES

Pak-India football series cancelled

A two-match football series between the two sides scheduled to be held in Britain next month has been called off.

“The series has been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances and a fresh date will be announced in due course,” said a Pakistan Football Federation spokesman in a statement.

The two matches were scheduled for Derby on September 3 and Glasgow on September 9 and were anxiously awaited by fans at home and in Britain, which has a sizeable South Asian population.

Pakistan had announced a 22-member squad for the series on Thursday and the team was scheduled to fly on Saturday.

The series was supposed to be played last year but the Indian Football Federation could not get clearance from its own government.

New Delhi put a stop to bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan in the wake of terrorist attacks on Mumbai in 2006, which India blamed on militants based in Pakistan.

Pakistan cricket authorities are trying to organise a tour of India early next year

Mary McDonnell says the ‘Battlestar Galactica’ legacy lives on

TrendPK.com: Speaking of Emmy dress plans, nominee Mary McDonnell (“The Closer”) reports, “As a matter of fact, I’m in the thick of it right now. I think we’ve found a stylist we’ll be working with. As I’m sure you’re well-aware, there’s a whole series of events that go on in a 10-day period. There’s a whole process of setting it up now. I’m really looking forward to it, because I love fashion, and I love getting dressed up. Or, I love it when people dress me up — put it that way.”

McDonnell is especially savoring Emmy recognition now — after years of being overlooked by the Academy of Television for her (and her fellow actors’) role on “Battlestar Galactica.” The thoughtful, culturally relevant sci-fi series did, however, win a 2006 Peabody Award.

“Whatever it was, at this point, it doesn’t matter,” says the actress, who played President Laura Roslyn for four seasons. She shrugs. “The legacy of the show just grows every day, the legacy of ‘Battlestar.’ It was such a great thing, and people are falling in love with it as it goes further and further out into the world. In the U.K., they already loved it because they had an equivalent of SyFy (Channel) there, and they could download the show. I’ve been to conventions there, and I knew it had a strong fan base. But now that it’s airing on the BBC, it’s kind of going through the roof.”

“Glee: The 3D Concert Movie” – Reviews are in!

TrendPK.com: Directed by Kevin Tancharoen (2009’s “Fame”), “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie” depicts a Glee concert in East Rutherford, New Jersey during the cast’s Glee Live! In Concert! tour. The film features backstage footage and a familiar setlist of songs from the show’s first and second seasons.

While Gleeks won’t get a chance to weigh in on the concert movie until this weekend, “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie” currently sits at 65% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and seems to deliver exactly what it’s promising: a 3D concert for only the most die-hard Gleeks.

Here’s what critics are saying:

“You get the feeling that you’re actually there, with the best seat in the house.” — Jessica Bakeman, Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Even the uninitiated could do a lot worse than this 80-minute musical valentine to the outsider in us all.” — Lael Loewenstein, Variety

“The Fox TV phenomenon is the Lewis & Clark of discovering new revenue streams. And this big-screen iteration is just as buoyant and bright-eyed as the rest of the franchise.” — David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer

Then things started to turn a little more negative:

“It’s a thin feature, but undeniably entertaining, providing the fanbase with the colorful, boppy good time they’ve been longing for during the summer hiatus.” — Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com

“I’m calling bullsh** on this 3D concert movie. The movie plays like an evangelical prayer meeting, though I’d hold the hallelujahs.” — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

“Sprinkles only a few highlights of real musical talent through an otherwise blatant pat-on-the-back montage.” — Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter

“It strains to celebrate diversity and individualism, while its processed music exemplifies strict corporate teamwork.” — Stephen Holden, New York Times

“Even the totally Gleeked-out, most ardent fans of Fox’s hit television show Glee may find that the franchise’s latest endeavor leaves little to sing about.” — Joy Tipping, Dallas Morning News

Desperate Housewives – stars react to news of show’s end

TrendPK.com: ABC announced over the weekend that the upcoming season of “Desperate Housewives” would be the show’s last.

Sunday night, several stars of the long-running evening soap opera were swarmed by press and asked for their thoughts after seven seasons of murder, mystery and mayhem.

“I was glad that it was finally out there and decided, because I felt like it was coming and I was saying, ‘Hey guys, i think this is coming,’ and everybody was saying ‘no,’ ‘ Marcia Cross told THR.

Almost all of the actors asked expressed a feeling of sadness but relief, knowing they can go into their final season with the knowledge that they can end it on their own terms.

“I think we probably could have gone to nine,” said Felicity Huffman, “but I think it was too much of a risk to take and they really value creator Marc Cherry and the show.”

“You go into acting jail at the end of these things because it’s hard for anyone to see you as anything other than Lynette Scavo or whatever it is,” she added. “So I think it’s unwise to look at the carnage around you of past television actresses and go, ‘Well it’s not going to happen to me.’

“It probably will, which is why I’m planning on opening supermarkets and gas stations.”

Pak-India series 5, 5 matches are expected to play: Butt

Pak-India series 5, 5 matches are expected to play: Butt

Pakistan India cricket series of five tests five one-days and two T20 is expected in the end on the on going year. Chairman PCB Ijaz Butt told that Pakistan Cricket Board is confident about holding of series at home ground but on the request of India matches can be played in India. In an interview to media Butt said that when Pakistan team went to India then it played five test, five one-day and two T20 matches with India so now India too will have to play same number of matches with Pakistan

Pakistan is hopeful for representation in Champions League: Butt

Butt further said that meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has proved good and we want to hold the series as soon as possible but to find time, from busy schedule of teams, to hold this event would be a difficult task. We can hold the series after six months as well. Chairman further added that initially BCCI had some reservations on some matters but now all problems would be solved by Manmohan Singh. Regarding the issue of nonprticipatio of Pakistani players in IPL he said that both countries had political tensions in the past due to which our players were not invited but now bilateral relations are improving and Pakistan is hopeful for representation in Champions League.

Indian team will get a warm welcome: Butt

He told that as soon as we will get the green signal the preparations will be started. Butt further said that complete security plan will be provided to the government and Indian team will get a warm welcome.

India Pakistan Series Will Held In The End Of This Year: Ijaz Butt

India Pakistan Series Will Held In The End Of This Year: Ijaz Butt

Chairman of Pakistan cricket board Ijaz Butt has said that the positive statement from Indian Foreign Secretary about India Pakistan series is pleasurable. We are about to write the letter to government about the preparation of holding the series matches. Hopefully the cricket lovers will enjoy the series between the two traditional rivals in the end of this year. If it would difficult to play in the home ground Pakistan is ready to play at the neutral venue. While talking to media he said that the decision, of holding series with Pakistan, from Indian side is a positive step and Pakistan appreciates India for this step. In the meeting with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the President of ICC Sharad Pawar and Head of BCCI Shashank Manohar were also present. Manmohan Singh gave instructions about the holding of series between two countries.

Players Will Give Good Performance In India Pakistan Series.

About the performance of Abd-ur-Razzaq and Kamran Akmal in World Cup, he said that both players presented very bad game in World Cup, the cricket of both players is over now so they should quit the game. He further said that it depends upon them that they get position in the team again by proving themselves capable of playing international cricket by giving good performance in domestic cricket. The trend of emptying the place for new players is not there in our country. Senior players do not decide something about quiting their career the cricket board has to decide something about them. This is the issue due to which the board is being criticized. If Shahid Afridi would not have played well, then he too would not be included in the team any more. But he has proved his abilities in World Cup by taking 21 wickets. Misbah-ul-Haq too has given good performance in World Cup so he must not be criticized. Hopefully players will give good performance in India Pakistan series.

India Pakistan Series: Step Towards Betterment of Relations.

It is to be remembered that no India Pakistan series held since Mumbai blast. India Pakistan series would be a positive towards the betterment of bilateral relations.

Lady Gaga’s new single all ready to be on ‘Glee’

TrendPK.com: It seems the ‘Glee’ team can get anything they want, including Lady Gaga’s new single that hasn’t even been released yet.

Ryan Murphy revealed that ‘Glee’ will be taking on “Born This Way” sometime in March or April, states Entertainment Weekly. The song will reportedly involve Max Adler’s character who is a closeted gay bully.

“I don’t really know what that’s going to be, but I do know we’re going to do a whole episode that’s about that song,” Murphy said about the song having a huge part in the episode.

‘White Collar’s’ Tiffani Thiessen: Baby-Centric and Loving It

While the “White Collar” team is busy creating episodes of their sophisticated crime dramedy, off-camera their set is becoming something of a romper room. At least, that’s the feeling one gets listening to Tiffani Thiessen, whose six-month-old daughter, Harper, is the latest addition to the tiny visitor contingent.

“There are a lot of people on our show who have kids. She’s definitely the newest one. I think they love having her energy around the set. It’s fun. I think we’re going to have a little playroom/nursery when we go back into production,” says the actress, who plays the smart wife of an FBI man (Tim DeKay) on the popular series that also stars Matt Bomer as a reformed, debonair thief. They’ll resume work in March for the show’s third season. “White Collar” returns to the USA Network schedule with part two of Season 2 on Jan. 18.

It wasn’t easy going back to work six-and-a-half weeks after giving birth, Thiessen admits. “I missed everyone, but I was not real excited about going back. It was definitely challenging. You’re kind of like a walking zombie, tired all the time. I’m nursing, so my mom would come to the set and take care of her while I was working. The show has been amazing. They gave me time whenever I had to nurse her. I’m really blessed to have had so much understanding and a lot of great help. I have to give credit where it’s due — I couldn’t have done it without help from my mom and my husband (actor Brady Smith).”

Right now, Thiessen’s attention is on Harper’s first Christmas and “all the things you’ve got to do — the cheesy photos with Santa, the Christmas tree,” she notes happily. The Smiths will spend “half our Christmas in California with my family, and half in Texas with his,” she adds.

There’s also Thiessen’s new entrepreneurial sideline: Petit Nest, the baby furnishings line, including, she says, “cribs, dressers, chairs, gliders, decorative art and things like bedding and linens.”

“When I was designing my own nursery … I realized there was not a lot out there that appealed to (my) tastes,” she says.

All of which might lead one to think the one-time “Saved by the Bell” and “Beverly Hills, 90210″ cutie has a baby-centric mindset these days. And that’s just fine with her. “She’s the light of my life,” she says of Harper. “I fall in love with her more every day.”

FAMILY TRADITIONS: Speaking of families and holidays, Andy Garcia reports it will be a big family gathering this Christmas for him and his kin. “We take our holidays very seriously. We have 30 people over for Thanksgiving every year, and celebrate Christmas with our extended family members. We have four kids,” reminds the actor, whose grown daughters, Dominik and Daniella, have already followed him into the acting realm.

Indeed, acting is quite the family affair in the Garcia clan. Speaking of 19-year-old college student Alessandra and 8-year-old son Andres, he notes, “In school, they always take story theater and that kind of thing. They’re exposed to the theater. I think that being comfortable performing in front of people is very good for their self-esteem. My oldest daughters did that from a very early age. Now they’re obviously colleagues. We’ve done two movies together,” he says, referring to his “City Island” and “The Lost City.”

He adds, “As a proud father, it’s always good to look across the dining room table and see your child there is happy and being fulfilled.”

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