World Cup 2011: Pakistan get good start, reach 52

Earlier, India set 260 runs target against Pakistan to win in the match being played at Mohali Stadium. India won the toss and elected to bat first at a flat batting wicket but Wahab Riaz’s 5-wicket haul didn’t allow them to put a huge total. Sehwag provided the much-needed flying start but Wahab magic bowling pushed India into a defensive mode. After Sehwag, he bowled out Kohli and Yuvraj, the two inform batsmen.

Hafeez tossed the ball that enticed Gambhir to come forward but he missed and Kamran did the job. Gambhir made 27 off 32 and hit two boundaries in his innings. Bad fielding and dropping of five catches once again allowed Tendulkar to score 85 runs. Raina, at the end, grabbed India to past 250 scores. Pakistani spinners bowled superbly against strong Indian batting. Ajmal picked two wickets while Hafeez took one wicket.

After winning the toss, Indian Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that he was not sure if this match was the biggest match he had ever played. He said that they had made one change in the team and Ashish Nehra has been called in place of Ravichandran Ashwin.

Pakistan Captain Shahid Afridi said that winning or losing the toss did not matter. He said that they had made no change in the squad. In the World Cup 2011, India and Pakistan each have won four of their last five games but this will be the first time Pakistan is going to face India in semi-finals. Collectively, both the teams have faced each other four times in the World Cups, with India winning all four matches.

In the cricket ground in Mohali, Pakistan has played twice against India and won both the matches. Pakistan also has a better record in the One-Day-International matches as they have won 69 out of a total of 119 games while India only managed to win 46 matches.

Any team that wins today’s match will face Sri Lanka in the final of the World Cup on April 2. This will be the first World Cup final in which two Asian teams will be fighting for the top prize. Regardless of who wins the match, the World Cup trophy will return to Asia after 12 years.

Pakistan elects to bat first against South Africa

Staff Report

ABU DHABI: Skipper Shahid Afridi won the toss and elected to bat against South Africa in the opening Twenty20 international at Zayed International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Johan Botha leads South Africa in the two consecutive Twenty20s, after which Graeme Smith takes over as skipper for the five one-day internationals and two tests.

South Africa is fresh off a 3-0 win in ODIs and 2-0 win in Twehty20s against Zimbabwe. SAMAA

All Three Suspended Players are Coming Back Home

ICC has allowed all three players to go back home after Pakistan Government requested them to allow players to fly back. Muhammad Asif, Muhammad Aamir and Salman Butt are schedule to fly back on Friday. Officials make it clear that the return of players will not make them release from charges as they are still under investigations and if investigation team wants to investigate from them then they will be send to England.

Rehman Malik told media that they talk with Scotland Yard and they have agreed to allow these players to go back home. Muhammad Asif and Muhammad Aamir were under investigation for bowling No Balls during fourth test match. According to allegation these players were involve in spot fixing. Yasir Hameed statement added in to this matter and he was also involved in the issues.

PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt said that players are returning back and it is a responsibility of board to protect their players but it is true that there are some strong evidences against these players. Salman Butt was also found involve in it and he was alleged for head of the ring. There are some news that there was some foreign currency found from his room and that was marked currency.

Pakistan to bat in 2nd Test

BIRMINGHAM: Salman Butt has won the toss and Pakistan will bat.

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Pakistan to bat in 2nd Test

England 354 all out against Pakistan

NOTTINGHAM: England, after winning the toss, were bowled out for 354 on the second day of the first Test against Pakistan at Trent Bridge here on Friday.

Mohammad Asif took five wickets for 77 runs as England lost their last six wickets for just 17 runs in 51 balls following a fifth-wicket stand of 219 between Eoin Morgan (130) and Paul Collingwood (82).

This is the first of a four-Test series.

England elect to bat first vs England

LONDON: England won toss and elected to bat first against Pakistan in first Test at Trent Bridge, Geo News reported Thursday.

Strauss won the toss and decided to bat first.

Salman Butt said he would have batted first too, but he fancies his attack to cause problems in the overcast conditions.

England win toss and bat against Pakistan

NOTTINGHAM: England captain Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan in the first Test of a four-match series at Trent Bridge here on Thursday.

England dropped Tim Bresnan from their 12-man squad. Bresnan had been a late replacement for fellow Yorkshire seamer Ajmal Shahzad, who withdrew with an ankle injury on Wednesday.

This was England batsman Kevin Pietersen”s first match for nearly a month because of a thigh injury.

Pietersen”s right foot and ankle were both strapped up after he trod on a stray football during practice here on Wednesday but the South Africa born shotmaker was passed fit.

Pakistan were unchanged from the team that beat Australia by three wickets at Headingley last week to level a two-Test series at 1-1.

That match saw Pakistan lose the toss toss and bowl Australia out for just 88 in their first innings in similarly overcast conditions.

For this series, the controversial Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), which allows teams two unsuccesful challenges per innings, was in use in England for the first time with South Africa”s Marais Erasmus the third umpire.

Thi was the first Test between England and Pakistan since their meeting at The Oval in 2006 where Pakistan forfeited the match, and so handed England victory, after refusing to take the field having been being penalised for ball-tampering.

Teams
England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson

Pakistan: Salman Butt (capt), Imran Farhat, Azhar Ali, Umar Amin, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Asif

Umpires: Tony Hill (NZL) and Asoka de Silva (SRI)
TV umpire: Marais Erasmus (RSA)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)

Australia 253 all out against Pakistan

LONDON: Australia, after losing the toss, were bowled out for 253 on the second day of the first Test against Pakistan at Lord”s here on Wednesday.

Michael Hussey was 56 not out after Pakistan left-arm quick Mohammad Aamer took four wickets for 72 runs in 19.5 overs. This is the first of a two-Test series.

3 NATO troops die in Afghanistan

KABUL: NATO says three international service members have been killed in an attack by insurgents in southern Afghanistan.

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3 NATO troops die in Afghanistan

Pakistan opt to field in first Test vs Australia

LONDON: Afridi’s Test captaincy has started ideally as Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl against Australia in first Test at Lord’s.

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Pakistan opt to field in first Test vs Australia

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