Pakistan`s great victory against Zimbabwe:

SHEIKHUPURA, Pakistan —Fifth one-day International, 187-3 beat Zimbabwe 181 by seven wicketsYounis Khan's half century upstaged Zimbabwe by seven wickets in the fifth and final limited overs international to blank the tourists 5-0 in the one-day series.Younis smashed a 51-ball 63 and added 97 runs with debutant Khurram Manzoor (50) for the second wicket to help the home team overhaul a modest target of 182 with 19 overs to spare at Sheikhupura Stadium.Two young debutants -- pacemen Abdur Rauf (3-45) and Wahab Riaz (2-19) -- earlier bowled with fire to knock Zimbabwe out for 181 in 45.4 overs.Pakistan's convincing win enthralled a crowd of 20,000 who braved the chilly weather in open stands to witness the first match at the venue for 10 years.The home team were never in trouble in their run-chase, even after losing opener Nasir Jamshed (19) in the seventh over as Younis and Manzoor made it child's play against Zimbabwe's bowling.Younis hit eight boundaries and a six before being caught at mid-on by stand-in captain Hamilton Masakadza off left-arm spinner Ray Price.
Manzoor, who hit six boundaries off 74 balls, was bowled by Price an over later but Misbah-ul Haq (31 not out) and Fawad Alam (14 not out) saw off the runs without facing any problems.Earlier, Pakistan once again bowled with discipline to put the tourists in trouble right from the start.Rauf had opener Masakadza (five) in the fifth over before returning for his second spell to dismiss Gary Brent (seven) and Chris Mpofu (nought) to lead Pakistan's new-look bowling attack.Pakistan, leading 4-0 in the five-match series, made five changes from the line-up of their previous match -- bringing back experienced batsman Younis and awarding one-day debuts to Riaz, Rauf, Rizwan Ahmed and Manzoor.Zimbabwe, still without captain Prosper Utseya and frontline paceman Tawanda Mupariwa, remained unchanged.Opener Vusi Sibanda (18) was run out before left-arm fast bowler Riaz took over, dismissing Tatenda Taibu (six) and Sean Williams (19), while Shoaib Malik trapped Chamu Chibhabha (one) leg-before as the tourists struggled to 67-5.A sixth wicket stand of 85 between Brendon Taylor (49) and Elton Chigumbura (34) gave some respectability to their total.Taylor hit five boundaries during his 79-ball knock before he was bowled by Malik.Chigumbura hit two boundaries off 57 balls before being stumped by Sarfraz Ahmed off left-arm spinner Fawad Alam.Pakistan then wrapped up the tail in quick time to set up the whitewash.
The home team won the first match in Karachi by 104 runs, followed by victories at Hyderabad (five wickets), Multan (37 runs) and Faisalabad (seven wickets).

Australia Beats India in Twenty20 Cricket

Australia's cricket team has beaten India by nine wickets in a Twenty20 International match in Melbourne, Australia.After bowling India out for only 74 runs -- the second lowest total ever in a Twenty20 match -- Australia scored 75-1 in 11.2 overs. Irfan Pathan was India's top scorer with only 26 runs before being caught out.Michael Clarke was unbeaten on 37, and Brad Hodge was on 10. Adam Gilchrist scored 25 from 22 balls for the home side, in a match played in front of more than 84,000 fans.The victory was Australia's first in three Twenty20 matches against India. The two teams start a limited-overs triangular series that includes Sri Lanka Sunday when Australia faces India in Brisbane.

Nothing more important than playing for Pakistan:SHOaiB AKHTAR

Karachi :Pakistan`s fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's sudden appearance in the national team's practice session at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore.Shoaib has remained out of public view since returning home from India and even the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials said the pacer had not tried to contact them even after being dropped from the central contracts list and the home series against Zimbabwe.Despite being ignored for the home one-day series against Zimbabwe on fitness grounds and dropped from the central contracts list, express bowler Shoaib Akhtar declared nothing was more important to him than playing for his country."I have no problems if they don't give me a contract. I don't need one to play for Pakistan. Playing for my country is a far bigger honour than anything else and I don't just play for money," he told reporters. Shoaib has finally came out of his self-imposed hibernation and showed up for a training session at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Shoaib categorically denied signing a contract to act in any Indian film and insisted playing for Pakistan was his biggest goal and honour."When I have not signed anything why are they making a big issue of it. Someone spoke to me and that is all. As an individual I can consider many things but cricket remains my top priority," he said.

Deepika Shines at yuvraj's Birthday Party

Actress Deepika Padukone was the centre of attention at the birthday party of cricketer Yuvraj Singh.
Yuvi threw a party for family and friends at Mumbai’s J W Marriott Hotel. While many senior members of the Indian cricket team were absent, the bash did see the presence of Yuvi’s close friend Zaheer Khan, who, like Yuvi, is also known to have several friends in the film industry.But one person who set many heads turning was Deepika Padukone, who has previously admitted to being “friends” with some cricketers.The Om Shanti Om actress looked dazzling at the party and mingled with guests without any air of a celebrity.Eyewitnesses say the body language between Deepika and Yuvi suggested that there was indeed something brewing between them.At the party, Yuvi particularly seemed to be in a mood to celebrate after proving his detractors wrong about him being suited to the five-day format of cricket.One person who was conspicuous by his absence at the party was Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Malik retains captain of Pakistan team:

KARACHI - Shoaib Malik is to retain the Pakistan`s captain until the end of next year despite the series defeat against India, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf said on Thursday.
"We will stick to our decision to name him as captain for the year (2008). We will give him our full backing and we feel he can mature into a good captain in time," Ashraf told reporters.The 25-year-old Malik's captaincy and own form have come under the microscope after Pakistan's one-day and test series defeats at home to South Africa and then the disappointing showing in India.Malik led Pakistan in the one-day series in India, which the hosts won 3-2, and the first test in New Delhi which India won by six wickets before going on to complete a 1-0 series triumph.Vice-captain Younis Khan was the captain for the last two tests as Malik was ruled out with an ankle injury.Ashraf said the board had made Malik the captain this year keeping in mind the future of Pakistan cricket."He is young and he will learn from his mistakes. Overall the team's performance in India lacked focus," he said.Ashraf said Pakistan's Australian coach, Geoff Lawson, had been asked to give a detailed report on Pakistan's first test series loss in India since the 1979-80 rubber.

India near cricket Test series win over Pakistan

Misbah-ul-Haq relished India's attack with a second successive century to boost Pakistan's hopes of forcing a draw in the third and final Test here on Tuesday.The middle-order batsman followed his second-Test 161 with a brilliant 133 not out as Pakistan warded off a threat of follow-on to post 537 in their first innings in reply to India's 626.India were strongly placed to clinch their first Test series against Pakistan at home since 1980 after reaching 131-2 in their second innings at stumps on the penultimate day for an overall lead of 220.The hosts lead 1-0 in the series, with the final Test heading for a draw.India lost openers Gautam Gambhir (three) and Wasim Jaffer (18) before former captains Sourav Ganguly (63 not out) and Rahul Dravid (35 not out) steadied the innings with an unfinished 105-run stand for the third wicket.Ganguly, who smashed a maiden Test double-hundred in the first innings, raced to his half-century off 57 balls with a six off leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and nine fours.The hosts needed a couple of early wickets in the morning to raise victory hopes after Pakistan had resumed at 369-5, but had to wait for two sessions to wrap up the innings on a track where the ball sometimes kept low."Our first target was to avoid the follow-on and we did that. If India set a target then we will go after it. The pitch surprises me as the odd ball keeps low, but it's getting better and better," said Pakistan's coach Geoff Lawson."I think this needs to be a five-Test series. It's little unsatisfactory to have three Tests because it's tough to come back after losing the first. India and Pakistan deserve a five-match series."India also earned a dubious distinction of conceding a record 76 extras in a Test innings, surpassing the previous highest of 71 by the West Indies against Pakistan at Georgetown in 1988.

The sundries were the third-highest contributor in the innings after Misbah and stand-in captain Younis Khan (80).Misbah, who had played just seven Tests before this series since his debut in 2001, was Pakistan's find of the tour as he remained a thorn in India's flesh with scores of 82, 45, 161 not out, six and 133 not out in five innings.The 33-year-old played a key role in two useful partnerships to thwart India, adding 144 for the sixth wicket with wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal (65) and 93 for the next with debutant Yasir Arafat (44)."It surprises me that he (Misbah) has not played much, but he has been outstanding in this series. It needs an unplayable ball to get him out. He concentrates hard and has shown he is a world-class player," said Lawson.India's 19-year-old seamer Ishant Sharma, playing only his second Test, claimed the last four wickets to finish with 5-118, but Pakistan had already saved a follow-on at that stage.Needing 427 to make India bat again, Pakistan achieved their objective in the second hour of the morning during the Misbah-Akmal partnership.There was no stopping Misbah, who continued to frustrate the Indian attack with a solid defence and a flawless shot-selection. He hit 17 fours in his 322-ball knock.It was the second successive time Misbah and Akmal helped their team avoid the follow-on, having already done so in the drawn second Test in Kolkata with resolute centuries.With the pitch offering little help to seamers and spinners, India found wickets hard to come by as they got just one in the morning.Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was the lone wicket-taker in the morning, when he had Akmal stumped by Dinesh Karthik.Akmal executed some handsome shots and added 33 to his overnight score of 32. He hit 12 fours in his eighth half-century.India 1st innings 626 (S. Ganguly 239, Y. Singh 169, I. Pathan 102; Y. Arafat 5-161, D. Kaneria 3-168)Pakistan 1st innings (overnight 369-5):

Fall of wickets: 1-59 (Hameed), 2-149 (Butt), 3-221 (Younis), 4-227 (Yousuf), 5-288 (Iqbal), 6-432 (Akmal), 7-525 (Arafat), 8-527 (Sami), 9-529 (Akhtar).

Pakistan pacer Asif recovering after surgery

Pakistani pacer Mohammad Asif has undergone successful keyhole surgery in Australia to fix a chronic elbow problem that forced him to miss the ongoing series in India.A Pakistan cricket Board official said the surgery was carried out by a well known Australian specialist in Sydney on Monday."The initial reports are that it was not a major operation and it has been successful," Shafqat Naghmi, chief operating officer, told Reuters on Tuesday."But Asif could recover up to three months before he resumes playing cricket," he said, adding that a specialist would soon determine how long the full rehabilitation period will be."We fear he would require to rest for three months, which means he is certainly out of next month's home series against Zimbabwe," he said.Naghmi said Asif would also face a race against time to be 100 percent fit for the home series against Australia tentatively scheduled for March 9.The Australians are due to send a delegation to Pakistan in January after general elections to assess the security situation ahead of their tour, which includes three tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match.Asif has this year had to sit out four one-day games against South Africa and was ruled out of the Indian tour.And here is the rest of it.

UPDATE 1-Cricket-India gain upper hand after Younis's 80

BANGALORE, India, Dec 10 (Reuters) - India grabbed two more wickets in the second session to wrest the initiative at tea after Younis Khan struck a masterly 80 for Pakistan on day three of the third and final test on Monday.Younis, stand-in captain for injured Shoaib Malik, shared in two fruitful partnerships after the visitors resumed at 86 for one on a placid pitch.But Younis's dismissal along with the experienced Mohammad Yousuf (24) in subsequent overs saw Pakistan, seeking to level the series, reduced to 265 for four with 162 more needed to avoid the follow-on.In-form Misbah-ul-Haq and Faisal Iqbal were at the crease on 17 and 14 respectively at tea.Saurav Ganguly and Irfan Pathan blasted their maiden double hundred and century respectively on Sunday after Yuvraj Singh smashed 169 to help hosts India post an imposing first-innings total of 626.India are 1-0 up in the series after winning the opening test by six wickets in New Delhi.Resuming at seven, Younis took his overnight second-wicket stand with Salman Butt (68) to 90 and then shared in an entertaining stand of 72 with Yousuf for the next wicket Left-handed Butt fell half an hour before lunch when he edged Ganguly, bowling gentle medium-pace, behind.

Younis, who scored a century in the drawn second test in Kolkata, batted with controlled aggression for his 20th fifty.The Indian attack looked largely ineffective barring two inspired spells by the tall seamer Ishant Sharma.Younis, who hit 12 fours in his 156-ball essay, combated India's experienced spin duo of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh with ease, despite having a minimum two men in catching positions.He was bowled by off-spinner Harbhajan trying to reverse sweep, a stroke that had fetched him a couple of boundaries earlier.Yousuf fell in the same over in which he had a verbal duel with home skipper Kumble standing at gully. He drove at an away -going delivery from left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan for Yuvraj Singh to take a low catch.

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"Younis Khan" hits fifty to lead Pakistan fightback

BANGALORE, India, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Younis Khan struck a masterly half century to steer Pakistan to a confident 180 for two at lunch on the third day of the third and final test against India on Monday.Younis, stand-in captain for injured Shoaib Malik, hit 62 and took his overnight second-wicket stand with Salman Butt (68) to 90 after the visitors resumed at 86 for one.Mohammad Yousuf (6) was at the wicket with Younis at lunch break.Saurav Ganguly and Irfan Pathan blasted their maiden double hundred and century respectively on Sunday after Yuvraj Singh smashed 169 to help hosts India post an imposing first-innings total of 626.India are 1-0 up in the series after winning the opening test by six wickets in New Delhi.Resuming at seven, Younis, who scored a century in the drawn second test in Kolkata, batted with controlled aggression for his 20th fifty.

The visitors still need 247 runs to avoid the follow-on.Younis and Butt, 50 overnight, drove left-armer Pathan freely for boundaries before Ganguly, bowling gentle medium-pace, struck half an hour before the break to dismiss left-handed Butt, who edged behind. The Indian attack looked largely ineffective on a placid pitch barring an inspired opening spell by the tall seamer Ishant Sharma, who got the ball to move and troubled Butt.Younis, who hit 10 fours, reverse swept off-spinner Harbhajan for a boundary and used his full reach to combat experienced leg spinner Anil Kumble.Yousuf looked tentative early but settled down quickly to dourly defend against the spinners, who operated with a minimum of two men in catching positions..

We have a game plan "Younis"

Bangalore: Many Indian dailies here have published news that Younis Khan had expressed his reluctance to lead the team in the Bangalore Test in place of the injured Shoaib Malek.What happened was that the reporters who published that news had checked with Ehsan Malek, the Pakistan team manager about it.Although he had categorically denied the rumour on Thursday night, the reporters went ahead and published that Khan was a reluctant captain.Some even stated that Mohammad Yousuf was also reluctant to lead the team and that there is rift in the team over selection of the replacement."I am the vice captain and I will lead the team. I was never the vice captain before and I was requested to take up the job for this series. This is a big series so I thought I needed to do it," Khan said. However, he did clarify that he does not want captaincy on a long term basis.A candid Khan then went on to say: "Whenever I have been given captaincy I have been running away from it. If you captain the team in an India-Pakistan series, your life is bound to get spoiled. You are judged on your performance. It is really tough captaining in an India-Pakistan series."

When asked whether it was his team's best chance to equal the series with many of the Indian players injured, Khan said: "We have a game plan for this match."We will play according to it. It does not matter who is playing or not. In Kolkata we proved that we can fight. Here we want to show that we can win."To a query whether his team was under pressure having to win here to save the series, Khan said: "Pressure is bound to be there in all international matches. It will be double in an India-Pakistan match. It all depends on how we handle the pressures and apply ourselves," he believes. .