Pakistan Beat Australia By 3 Wickets

Pakistan was left tantalisingly close to ending its 15-year winless streak against Australia at stumps on the third day of the second and final Test at Headingley.Pakistan ended the third day on 3 for 140 - just 40 short of a victory target of 180 that would end a record run of 13 straight Test defeats by Australia stretching back to 1995.But despite Headingley being bathed in bright sunshine, the umpires took the players off at the scheduled close.Pakistan left-handed opener Imran Farhat, dropped on 4, made 67.Azhar Ali was 47 not out and Umar Akmal was on 2 as Pakistan opted not to request an extra half-hour play.Left-arm quick Doug Bollinger gave Pakistan a nasty jolt by taking two wickets for no runs in seven balls to remove both Farhat and fellow left-hander Umar Amin.It was a reminder to Pakistan, bowled out for 139, chasing a victory target of 176 in Sydney in January, of what can happen against Australia.However, Ali - in only his second Test - helped Farhat put on 110 for the second wicket as Pakistan's top order at last produced a significant partnership when it was most needed.The 28-year-old Farhat faced 95 balls with nine boundaries before he was yorked by Bollinger who then had Umar Amin caught behind for nought.Farhat told reporters Amin's exit ended any hopes Pakistan had of claiming an extra half hour in which to force victory."If Umar Amin had stayed in we would have stayed out for 30 minutes so it was a good decision by the management to come back in the morning because there's not going to be as much pressure," Farhat said.As for any bad memories of Sydney, he added: "We didn't think about that. We've forgotten that. The management and all the players said 'that's in the past'. The atmosphere is very positive."Australia's Steven Smith, who made a Test-best 77 earlier in the day, said his side had not given up hope."We'll see how it goes in the morning. We've got to believe in ourselves. Hopefully, we can get a few wickets and put a bit of pressure on."Pakistan were 0 for 18 when first slip Shane Watson dropped Farhat off Bollinger despite getting both hands to the ball.But Australia did remove in-form batsman Salman Butt, in his first match as Pakistan captain, when the left-handed opener, on 13, edged Ben Hilfenhaus to Michael Clarke at second slip.But captain Ricky Ponting was let down by his bowlers - Mitchell Johnson in particular, whose spray-gun accuracy continued to disappoint.Watson, who claimed a Test best 6 for 33 in Pakistan's first innings, allowed 10 runs off his fourth over, including two leg-glanced boundaries by Farhat to ill-directed balls outside leg stump.Smith battles
That Australia set Pakistan as many as they did was thanks mainly to Smith's dashing 77 in only his second Test.He was last man out in an Australia total of 349 - a vast improvement on its humbling first innings 88 - having come in when its lead was only 47..

Bangladesh claim early wicket after making 238

West Indies' disciplined seam attack limited Bangladesh to 238 all out on the second day of the first cricket test at Arnos Vale.The visitors hit back late in the day as the home team reached17-1 in reply at the close.Bangladesh, resuming on 42-0 after a rain-curtailed opening day, stumbled against the pace of Kemar Roach (3-46) and TinoBest(2-58). The probing medium pacers Dave Bernard (2-30) and Darren Sammy (1-38) also supported well.No Bangladesh batsman managed to reach 40 and it was left to captain Mashrafe Mortaza, who hit a top score of 39, and fellow fastbowler Shahadat Hossain, with a career-best 33, to boost the total.Best struck in the day's second over as Tamim Iqbal (14) snicked an expansive drive to skipper Floyd Reifer at first slip at 45-1. Four runs later, his opening partner and fellow left-hander Imrul Kayes perished in unlucky circumstances.Imrul notched four boundaries in 33 off 66 balls before he was ruled leg before as he played no stroke to a Sammy delivery that struck him high and was heading past off stump.Junaid Siddique and Raqibul Hasan shared a stand of 30 for the third wicket before four wickets tumbled for 42 runs in the final 45minutes before lunch. Bernard accounted for Siddique and Raqibul, his maiden test wickets. Raqibul (14) edged a drive low to gully, while Siddique(27) miscued a pull straight to midwicket.Mohammad Ashraful, the most experienced of the visitors, followed soon afterward as Best struck in his first over of a second spell. Ashraful (6) drove at a full-length delivery and feathered a catch to wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton.All rounder Shakib-al-Hasan (17) perished just before the break, deflecting a catch to Dale Richards at gully to provide Roach with his first test wicket.Debutant Mahmudullah (9) fell to Roach as he sliced a drive to Omar Phillips in the gully. Bangladesh's lower order produced a rearguard after taking tea at149-7, with the last three wickets adding 89 runs. Mortaza, lucky to survive a caught behind appeal off Roach before he scored, batted with typical freedom. .

Pakistan's Cricketer Muhammad Yousuf at number 1 on return

Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf moved to the top of the official test rankings for batsmen this week after his first test since being recalled on quitting the unofficial Indian Cricket League.Yousuf struck 112 and 12 to give his side the upper hand against Sri Lanka before they dramatically collapsed to lose the opening test by 50 runs on the fourth day at Galle on Tuesday.Yousuf toppled countryman Younis Khan to move to the top of the rankings for the first time in his career, a statement from the International Cricket Council said on Wednesday.Yousuf, 2007 ICC cricketer of the year, was second when he was removed from the rankings early in 2009 because Pakistan had not played a test match since the qualifying date.(Reporting by Jano)

It was a great Victory : Sangakkara

GALLE: Kumar Sangakkara, leading Sri Lanka for the first time in a Test series, was delighted with the win, but said he was worried by the team's modest totals of 292 and 217 in the two innings."It was a great win by the side because, until today, Pakistan had outplayed us in the match," said Sangakkara."Rangana and Thushara were spot-on in their bowling. All credit to them for putting the ball in the right areas. It's nice when things work out."But honestly, we have a lot of thinking to do about our batting. We have to figure out our mindset, we need to be patient. There are no excuses. We have to perform every single time."

Team’s lack of Test cricket proved costly: Younis Khan

By Jano
GALLE: The stunned Pakistan captain Younis Khan said the team's lack of Test cricket -- just three Tests in the last 18 months -- had proved costly."I never thought we would lose this game because we needed only 97 runs today with eight wickets in hand," he said. "But Herath bowled so well and ensured we did not have any partnerships."I am not making excuses, but many of our boys have not played Test cricket for a long time, some not at all. It takes time to get used to it."I can't go out and play for them. They must learn to handle the pressure themselves."Younis, however, promised an improved showing in the remaining two Tests."Pakistan are always slow starters," he said. "No one gave us a chance in the World Twenty20 and we won the title. I am certain we will come back strongly in the series."Wish we had won this one because then we would have needed to win only one more to take the series. Now we must win both games. It will be tough, but not impossible."We have done it before, we can do it again."

Ricky Ponting wants quicks to rise to Ashes challenge

CARDIFF: Australia captain Ricky Ponting wants his inexperienced pace attack to make their mark in Ashes history after fast bowler Brett Lee was ruled out of the first Test against England.Lee was forced to withdraw less than 48 hours before Wednesday' series opener with England here at Sophia Gardens after damaging an abdominal muscle in his left side.Now the 32-year-old, who has taken 310 wickets in 76 Tests, could be out until at least the third match of the series at Edgbaston.His absence means Australia will go into Wednesday's match with an attack where no-one has yet bowled a ball in Test cricket in Britain.However, Australia know about life without Lee.Foot and ankle surgery after the 2008 Boxing Day Test loss to South Africa in Melbourne ruled him out of this year's return series in South Africa.But the likes of left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson helped inspire Australia to a 2-1 away series win and now Ponting is looking for more of the same."Reputations and legend are generally made out of these bigger series and there is no bigger series than an Ashes series to do that," Ponting told reporters here Monday."One good initiative we have had since we have been here is during every game day or training day, one or two guys have been telling us what an Ashes series means to them, and what it means to be a part of it."Hearing them say some of the things they have said makes me think they really want to forge their own identities and make an impact in this series."Lee was the pick of Australia's attack in taking six for 76 during last week's drawn warm-up match against the England Lions at Worcester.
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Jones 'desperate' to stay at Worcestershire

Simon Jones is an anxious man as he waits to find out his fate with Worcestershire. Jones is out of contract at the end of this season and despite a long list of injuries he has said he is "desperate" to stay with the county.Jones, who has been dogged by injury since he was forced to miss the final Test of the 2005 Ashes series, underwent surgery on his knee in April and at the time it was expected he would be able to play the second half of the summer. Then in June the results of scans delivered further bad news that Jones was out for the season.While Worcestershire said last month that the focus was on his recovery, Jones is desperate to be given more time to prove his worth. "I still haven't heard anything. The club have got to think about what they want to do and, whatever that is, there is nothing I can do about it," he said. "It is a bit of a waiting game which is a little bit frustrating."It is not a very nice situation to be in. You'd rather know one way or another but at the end of the day it is the club's decision and I've got to wait and see. At the end of the day I have just got to be patient and I hope it works in my favour because I am desperate to stay at Worcester. I love the changing room and the lads and everyone around it. I think it is a fantastic place to play." .

Langer defends Championship format

Somerset captain Justin Langer has protested against the ECB's proposed decision to cut the number of County Championship matches to accommodate the Champions League which will take place in September 2010. The ECB is facing a serious backlash from professional players over radical plans to reform domestic cricket and Langer has defended the current four-day format, saying it is "perfect"."I think they should stay with the 16 per county," he told the Bristol Evening Post. "The two divisions [with promotion and relegation] is excellent because there are no dead-rubber games. You have to play home and away in my opinion because that is the best way to play it and two divisions is excellent because every game has something on it."You want to be in the first division because that is where the best cricket, the esteem and the prize money is. If our blokes can perform at this level they will be close to being ready for international cricket. The way the four-day cricket is set up at the moment is perfect."A proposal by Alan Fordham, the ECB's head of cricket operations, includes several schemes such as reducing the number of Championship games from 16 to 12, and possibly splitting the tournament into three divisions. At the heart of the idea is the realisation that squeezing in two Twenty20 competitions from 2010 will mean an increasingly punishing schedule for county players. .

Pakistani bowlers dominate first day’s play

GALLE: Pakistan's new-look bowling attack dealt regular blows to get Sri Lanka all out for 292 runs on the opening day of the first cricket Test here on Saturday.The hosts were 104-3 at lunch and 194-5 after being sent in to bat by Pakistani captain Younus Khan on a wicket freshened up by early morning rain in this coastal town.Teenage fast bowler Mohammmad Aamir, seamer Abdul Rauf and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, all making Test debuts, responded to their skipper's gamble in brilliant fashion.Aamir claimed two wickets in his first three overs and Rauf chipped in with two more to leave the strong Sri Lankan batting tottering on the even-paced wicket at the Galle International Stadium.Left-handed opener Tharanga Paranavitana was Sri Lanka's saviour with 72, adding 75 for the third wicket with Mahela Jayawardene (30) and 43 for the fourth with Thilan Samaraweera (31).Later, debutant Angelo Mathews (42), Nuwan Kulasekara (38), Tillakaratne Dilshan (28) also made significant contributions to take their team to a respectable total of 292. Tail-ender Rangana Herath remained not out on 20.The 17-year-old Aamer, who was one of Pakistan's heroes in their triumphant World Twenty20 campaign in England last month, justified his Test debut at the expense of seasoned all-rounder Abdur Razzaq..

Broad wants to perform better

LONDON: Stuart Broad, as befits the son of former England opener Chris, has always looked a cricketer of the highest pedigree.An Ashes series against Australia starting next week will be the perfect opportunity for potential to be translated into consistent achievement with both bat and ball.After 17 Tests, Broad averages 31.35 with the bat which gives a hint of the ability good judges predict will make him into a Test class all-rounder.But his 46 wickets have cost an expensive 37.95 runs each and it is in this area the selectors will expect a marked improvement as England strive to regain the Ashes surrendered so tamely in Australia two years ago.