NZealand beat Zimbabwe in Twenty20 in first T20

AUCLAND: Martin Guptill continued his rich vein of form against Zimbabwe as he scored 91 not out to help New Zealand beat the visitors by seven wickets at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday in the first of their two Twenty20 internationals.   

Guptill, who scored 232 runs in the three one-day internationals at an average of 77, blasted five boundaries and six sixes as New Zealand made 160 for three off 16.5 overs after Zimbabwe had scored a credible 159 for eight from 20 overs.   

 Kane Williamson (48) combined with Guptill in a 137-run partnership after Kyle Jarvis had taken two wickets in the second over to put New Zealand under some pressure for the first time on their tour.   

 Jarvis had been belted for two boundaries off his first two balls but then bounced back to bowl Rob Nicol with his third delivery of the over.    

Jarvis then bowled a wide before having Brendon McCullum caught off the fourth legitimate delivery for a duck. He finished the eventful over by bowling another wide, conceding a single and then a dot ball.   

Guptill, who was dropped on the boundary on 20, and Williamson, however, set about ticking off the runs with Guptill the aggressor while Williamson kept rotating the strike and ensured New Zealand achieved the total with 19 balls to spare.    

The visitors had finally displayed some of the batting talent that has been hinted at with Hamilton Masakadza blasting three boundaries and three sixes to top score with 53 off 36 balls.    

Elton Chigumbura also cleared the fence four times and hit three boundaries as he scored 48 from 24 deliveries at the end of the Zimbabwe innings.   

Left-arm seamer Michael Bates, who bowled Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor in his first over, grabbed two wickets in the 20th over to finish with innings best figures of three for 31.   

Zimbabwe’s tour concludes after the second Twenty20 international at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Feb. 14. AGENCIES

Clarke appointed Australian captain

SYDNEY: Michael Clarke was appointed Australia”s Test and one-day captain on Wednesday, a day after Ricky Ponting bowed to pressure and quit after the country”s World Cup exit.

Long seen as heir-apparent, the stylish batsman, who turns 30 on Saturday, will jump into the role immediately, leaving this week for a tour of Bangladesh.

Ponting will also be on the plane, taking orders from his former deputy, after being named in the squad to play three one-dayers.

Shane Watson will be Clarke”s vice-captain with Cameron White remaining the Twenty20 skipper.

“First of all can I say what an honour it is to be named captain and also a huge surprise to see Ricky stand down,” Clarke said at a press conference.

“I was very much unaware of where he was at and didn”t know he was going to stand down. It was a huge surprise to me.

“I know Ricky will allow me to do my job to the best of my ability,” he added. “We want to be the best team in all forms and that is going to take time.”

His Test reign will start in August when he skippers a tour of Sri Lanka.

Clarke, though, is not popular with Australian fans, and polls published Wednesday showed how cool the public are to him.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, only 26 percent of 21,000 respondents in an online poll favoured him to be the new captain.

In the Sydney Daily Telegraph, a survey of 8,500 readers placed him a distant third behind Shane Watson and Michael Hussey.

Ponting insisted Clarke was the right man for the job, and vowed to give him all the support he needed.

“He has done nothing wrong when has stood in for me over the past few years and his record in T20 cricket speaks for itself,” he said in a column for The Australian newspaper.

“I will be there in the background for him if he needs me, but from today the Test and one-day teams will be his and I will be one of many players who follow him onto cricket grounds all over the world.”

Asked how he will feel taking orders from a man who used to be his deputy, Ponting replied: “I”ve taken orders most of my life, I”m pretty used to it.”

Clarke was also endorsed by cricket legend Richie Benaud.

“I”d have Clarke, he”s vice-captain, he”s done well the times he”s been captain,” Benaud told the Nine Network.

Clarke made his professional debut for New South Wales as an 18-year-old in the 1999-2000 Australian domestic season.

He made the jump to the national one-day team in January 2003 against England at Adelaide and was chosen to make his Test debut against India at Bangalore in October 2004.

He thumped 151, helping Australia to victory, invoking comparisons to past Australian greats Doug Walters and Mark Waugh.

Since then, he has gone on to play 69 Tests, scoring 4,742 runs, including 14 centuries, with an average of 46.49. A slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Clarke has captured 21 wickets.

In the one-day game, he has collected 188 caps and 5,928 runs at an average of 43.58, with 52 wickets to his name.

A part-time underwear model and a regular in the social pages, Clarke was formerly engaged to model Lara Bingle and controversially returned to Sydney during Australia”s tour of New Zealand in March 2010 for “personal reasons”.

It followed Bingle deciding to sue her former lover Brendan Fevola for disseminating naked pictures of her, which ended up in a women”s magazine.

Clarke later called off his wedding plans. (AFP)

Graeme Smith wants clean sweep against Pakistan

ABU DHABI: South African captain Graeme Smith said he would like to end the tour with a clean sweep in all three formats of the game as they take on Pakistan in the second Test starting from Saturday.

South Africa beat Pakistan in both the Twenty20 matches and took the five-match one-day series 3-2 on the tour shifted to United Arab Emirates because of security fears in Pakistan.

Pakistan escaped with a draw in the first Test in Dubai on Tuesday after Younis Khan notched a fighting unbeaten century and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq scored 76 not out after South Africa set them a challenging 451-run target.

Smith said his team would love to win the second Test — the first-ever in Abu Dhabi Stadium, which like Dubai has become Pakistan’s neutral venue.

“For us it has been a successful tour in terms of the end results and we would love to add Test series to

Butt, Asif demand outstanding dues from PCB

Staff Report

LAHORE: Suspended duo Salman Butt and pacer Mohammad Asif asked the Pakistan Cricket Board to release their outstanding match fees and bonuses since the Twenty20 World Cup earlier this year.

Butt and Asif have written to the Pakistan Cricket Board to release the money.

Butt, who along with pacers Asif and Mohammad Aamer were suspended on suspicion of spot fixing, confirmed he had written to the PCB for release of an amount of approximately Rs 8.7 million ($101,000).

“I am facing a lot of difficulties now because of not having received any of my outstanding amount from the board, this amount goes back to the Twenty20 World Cup and includes match fees, win bonuses and shares from logo sponsorships,” Butt said.

Zakir Khan, the director of PCB’s international cricket operations, confirmed receiving emails for release of

Afridi says a psychiatrist needed for players

Staff Report

KARACHI: Hopeful for the victory in World Cup 2011, said Shahid Afridi, Pakistan cricket captain for One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20, adding that services of a psychiatrist is needed for the players.

While talking to the media men on Saturday, Afridi said that his team will try its level best to win the next world cup. Trend Pk

‘Clown’ Pietersen gets his mojo back

SYDNEY: England batsman Kevin Pietersen believes he is back to his best form just at the right time with the Ashes series against Australia just a couple of weeks away.

The mercurial 30-year-old was dropped by England for the Twenty20 and one-day series against Pakistan in September after a poor run of form.

A spell playing back in South Africa, the land of his birth, had rejuvenated him, Pietersen said, and his 58 was England’s top first innings score in the three-day tour match against Western Australia in Perth.

“I’ve never really been a technical player. I play like a clown,” he told England’s official website (www.ecb.co.uk)

“It’s just my mental approach that I needed to change, just get a load of confidence back, and I’m on fire at the moment.

“I’m looking forward now, I’m not interested in what’s gone. I’m very happy with what’s

Sri Lanka win T20 against Australia by seven wicket

PERTH: Sri Lanka beat Australia by seven wickets in the one-off Twenty20 international at the WACA Ground here on Sunday.

In reply to the home team’s 8-133 after winning the toss and electing to bat, Sri Lanka cruised to 3-134 in 16.3 overs.

Brief scores:

Australia 8-133, 20 overs (S Randiv 3-25)

Sri Lanka 3-135, 16.3 overs (K Sangakkara 44 no)

Result: Sri Lanka won by seven wickets. AGENCIES

Australia win toss and bat against Sri Lanka in T20

PERTH: Australian captain Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to bat against Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 international at the WACA Ground in Perth on Sunday.

It is the first international match of the Australian season.

Clarke, who is under pressure to retain his spot in Australia’s Twenty20 side despite being skipper, leads a home team missing many of the players likely to be key in the upcoming Ashes series against England.

It will be retiring spinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s final appearance at the WACA Ground.

After the one-off Twenty20 clash, Australia and Sri Lanka play three one-day matches, starting at the MCG on Wednesday.

Teams

Australia: Michael Clarke (C), Cameron White, Brad Haddin, John Hastings, David Hussey, Clint McKay, Dirk Nannes, Peter Siddle, Dave Warner, Shane Watson, Steven Smith, Steven O’Keefe (12th

Australia win toss and bat against Sri Lanka in T20

PERTH: Australian captain Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to bat against Sri Lanka in the Twenty20 international at the WACA Ground in Perth on Sunday.

It is the first international match of the Australian season.

Clarke, who is under pressure to retain his spot in Australia’s Twenty20 side despite being skipper, leads a home team missing many of the players likely to be key in the upcoming Ashes series against England.

It will be retiring spinner Muttiah Muralitharan’s final appearance at the WACA Ground.

After the one-off Twenty20 clash, Australia and Sri Lanka play three one-day matches, starting at the MCG on Wednesday.

Teams

Australia: Michael Clarke (C), Cameron White, Brad Haddin, John Hastings, David Hussey, Clint McKay, Dirk Nannes, Peter Siddle, Dave Warner, Shane Watson, Steven Smith, Steven O’Keefe (12th

Shahid Afridi in T20 – Trend Pk VIDEO

Ubaid Awan from Karachi reports on the performance of Pakistan captain for Twenty20, Shahid Khan Afridi. (October 30, 2010)

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