Team India loose the No. 1 tag

If there is one team which has always made India bite the dust at home, it has to be South Africa. And the Proteas did it once again at the first test at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur. They thrashed India by an innings and six runs. This defeat not only serves as a blow to MS Dhoni and his men but also took away the tag of being the No. 1 tag Test Side in the world from India which they had achieved just only a few weeks back.

Resuming at an overnight score of 66 for 2, Indian team bundled out for 319 in their second innings despite a spirited 100 by Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. This after the home side was asked to follow on after getting bowled out for a mere 233 in their first innings. South Africa has scored a massive 558 for 6 in their first innings riding on the double hundred if Hashim Amla and a spirited century by Jacques Kallis.

India vs South Africa, 1st Test - Scorecard

What will hurt the Indians more than the loss is the manner in which they lost the test at home within four days. In the first innings they were bowled out for less than what Hashim Amla had scored individually in the first innings. If Dayle Steyn ran through the batting order in the first innings, Team India found Ray Price too hard to handle in the second.

This was South Africa's fifth Test win in India in 11 attempts which converts into an impressive winning percentage in India. Indian fans might take some solace from the fact that this was first defeat for Team India in one and half year with the last one coming way back in August 2008 in Colombo versus Sri Lanka. This was also the first time Mahendra Singh Dhoni has tasted defeat after taking over the reins over Indian cricket.

Team India will be in a state of dilemma ahead of the second test in Eden Gardens, Kolkata. With neither the spinners nor the pacers having troubled South African batsman, it will be difficult for Dhoni to take a call on the pitch in Kolkata. Eden has traditionally provided turn and bounce to the spinners but Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra looked far from impressive in Nagpur. If India level the series in Kolkata they will retain the No. 1 tag or else Graeme Smith and his men will have the honours.

Sreesanth likely to return for Kolkata Test

Nagpur: Kerala pacer S Sreesanth is likely to play in the second Test match of the ongoing series between India and South Africa.

Sreesanth is expected to undergo a fitness test on February 10.

He was left out of the squad for the Nagpur Test due to a hamstring injury that he got during the series against Bangladesh.

Hashim Amla played spin the Indian way

South African batsman Hashim Amla has his roots in India and if his first innings performance

in the Nagpur test is anything to go by Amla seems to have Indian genes of playing the spin bowling. He is one of the few good players of spin bowling in the South African but his double hundred in the first innings might make cricket pundits rate him as one of the best players of spin bowling. What's more special about the innings was that he never seemed to play a false stroke.

Representing a side which has anything but good record against spin bowling, Amla not only played Harbhajan Singh and Amit Mishra with full control but made them sweat and bite dust at the Vidharba Cricket Association Ground. The manner in which he dominated Harbhajan who is one of the best off spinners in world cricket right now needs to be lauded. This on a pitch which was offering both turn and bounce to both the Indian spinners.

Hashim Amla's style of taking spin resembled more of Indian batting that South African as he used his wrists to perfection and never tried pushing hard at the ball which most of the tourists do in the sub-continent. The 26-year old Amla almost meditated at the wicket in a marathon innings pf more than 11 hours facing 473 balls and sending the ball 22 times over behind the fence. The icing on the cake, Indian bowlers could not get him out as Grahme Smith declared with Amla unbeaten on 253. Along with the seasoned Jacques Kallis, Amla added 340 runs for the third wicket which is the record third wicket stand by any visiting side against India. If on Day 1 he played under the shadow of Kallis on Day 2 he took the lead once Kallis departed. During his double century Amla was completely at home, tackling the spinners, the turning track and the conditions with a command normally associated with sub-continent batsmen.

Steyn sails Proteas to an innings victory

Nagpur: South Africa take a 1-0 lead in the series as India losses by an innings and 6 runs. Dale Steyn took 10 wickets in the match as he cleaned up the tail for India to fold for 319 on the fourth day of the Nagpur Test on Tuesday.

Buzz up!

Trailing by 325 runs, Sachin Tendulkar’s masterly 46th Test century could not stop South Africa from bowling India out for 319.

Steyn’s seven-wicket haul in the first innings had forced India to follow-on, after his piercing line and length made sure that the home team was at some distance from the imposing South African total of 558-6 declared.

India vs South Africa, 1st Test - Scorecard

Steyn took seven for 51 runs and three for 57 in the match.

Resuming the day at 66-2, Team India lost overnight batsman Murali Vijay (32) inside the first hour of play.

Tendulkar, who hit two successive centuries during India''s 2-0 Test win against Bangladesh, defied the South African attack for close to four and a half hours before being bowled off the pad by left-arm spinner Paul Harris. Harris took three wickets for 76.

The two teams now move to Kolkata for the second and final Test of the series to be played from February 14.

India’s number one Test ranking is in danger of being handed over to South Africa if they lose the series while a draw will see them retain the top spot.

Brief Scorecard:

South Africa: First Innings 558 for six declared (Amla 253 not out, Kallis 173, de Villiers 53).

India: First Innings 233 (Sehwag 109, Badrinath 56, Steyn 7-51)
Second Innings (follow-on) 319 (Tendulkar 100, Steyn 3-57, Harris 3-76)

Australia aim to keep that winning feeling

The series opener wasn't the close contest that many people expected from a West Indies outfit that challenged Australia during the Tests. The absence of Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and others was noticeable although there were some positive signs from the young allrounder Kieron Pollard. It's worth remembering that West Indies began their Test tour with a dismal performance at the Gabba, where they were beaten inside three days, before they lifted significantly for the rest of the series. For that to happen in the one-dayers, they need not only their captain Chris Gayle to lead from the front but also several of the newer players like Pollard, Kemar Roach and Lendl Simmons to play important roles.

For Australia, the 113-run victory in Melbourne has heightened their resolve to go through the summer undefeated, an aim that Shane Watson said was laid out by Ricky Ponting at the start of the season. They believe they have worked out Gayle's weakness - cramping him and giving him no width early in his innings - and they know he is the key to a successful West Indies. Like the visitors, Australia are without some of their best one-day players including Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken but the depth in their fast-bowling ranks has been very impressive. Ryan Harris has taken 16 wickets in four ODIs this season, Doug Bollinger has troubled Gayle and Clint McKay couldn't even squeeze into the XI in Melbourne having been Man of the Match in the previous game.

Form guide (most recent first)

Australia WWWWW

West Indies LLLLL

Watch out for...

Kieron Pollard knows the Adelaide Oval well. It was his home ground during December and January when he played with South Australia in the Big Bash. Pollard was the tournament's leading run scorer and two of his best three scores came in Adelaide. He can also bowl a bit, as he showed at the MCG with 3 for 45, and his maturity impressed his captain Gayle. The more Pollard can resemble Bravo, the better the chance of a West Indies win.

Questions have been raised over Michael Clarke's value as a Twenty20 batsman but his importance to Australia's one-day international setup is not in doubt. He may not provide Shane Watson- or Cameron White-like thrills but his anchoring role in the middle order has been one of the reasons Australia have won 21 of their past 25 ODIs. The long straight boundaries at Adelaide Oval allow him to tick the score over relatively risk-free, as he did with 80 including only three boundaries against Pakistan on Australia Day. Of the current crop of Australians, none has scored more ODI runs in Adelaide than Clarke.

Team news

Deciding which bowler to leave out was more troubling for Australia's selectors than worrying about who to include at the MCG, such has been the success of the attack this summer. McKay was desperately unlucky not to play and might miss out again given the usual reluctance to change a winning line-up, especially one that won so easily.

Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Gayle was happy with his bowlers at the MCG but he was concerned by the batting. If West Indies wish to make any changes to the top order, Wavell Hinds and Brendan Nash are the two men who could come in. Nash's game isn't especially suited to limited-overs, so the most likely scenario would be including Hinds for his first international match since 2006, having been ineligible for the past couple of years due to signing as a Kolpak player in county cricket. Runako Morton could be vulnerable after he looked very rusty at the MCG, struggling to react quickly enough against bowling that was only mid-130kph and scratching his way to 3 from 15 balls.

West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Wavell Hinds, 3 Travis Dowlin, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Narsingh Deonarine, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Dwayne Smith, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach.

Pitch and conditions

Australia had no trouble posting nearly 300 in Adelaide on Australia Day and there is no reason to expect a low-scoring encounter this time. The forecast for Tuesday is for a hot and humid day with temperatures reaching 36C.

Stats and trivia

* West Indies haven't beaten Australia in an Adelaide ODI since 1986-87. Australia have won the three games since then

* When Denesh Ramdin caught Michael Hussey at the MCG he became the third West Indies wicketkeeper to take 100 ODI dismissals. He got there in his 68th match, much quicker than Jeff Dujon (80 games) but slower than Ridley Jacobs (61)

* The Australians who triumphed at the MCG have played a combined tally of 1007 one-day internationals, nearly double the West Indies' mark of 511 games

Quotes

"We'll take Adelaide as Adelaide and then we'll go from there but an unbeaten summer, that would be great."

Doug Bollinger

"We did well with the ball [in Melbourne] but my worry is always with our batting."

Chris Gayle

Australia aim to keep that winning feeling

The series opener wasn't the close contest that many people expected from a West Indies outfit that challenged Australia during the Tests. The absence of Dwayne Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and others was noticeable although there were some positive signs from the young allrounder Kieron Pollard. It's worth remembering that West Indies began their Test tour with a dismal performance at the Gabba, where they were beaten inside three days, before they lifted significantly for the rest of the series. For that to happen in the one-dayers, they need not only their captain Chris Gayle to lead from the front but also several of the newer players like Pollard, Kemar Roach and Lendl Simmons to play important roles.

For Australia, the 113-run victory in Melbourne has heightened their resolve to go through the summer undefeated, an aim that Shane Watson said was laid out by Ricky Ponting at the start of the season. They believe they have worked out Gayle's weakness - cramping him and giving him no width early in his innings - and they know he is the key to a successful West Indies. Like the visitors, Australia are without some of their best one-day players including Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken but the depth in their fast-bowling ranks has been very impressive. Ryan Harris has taken 16 wickets in four ODIs this season, Doug Bollinger has troubled Gayle and Clint McKay couldn't even squeeze into the XI in Melbourne having been Man of the Match in the previous game.

Form guide (most recent first)

Australia WWWWW

West Indies LLLLL

Watch out for...

Kieron Pollard knows the Adelaide Oval well. It was his home ground during December and January when he played with South Australia in the Big Bash. Pollard was the tournament's leading run scorer and two of his best three scores came in Adelaide. He can also bowl a bit, as he showed at the MCG with 3 for 45, and his maturity impressed his captain Gayle. The more Pollard can resemble Bravo, the better the chance of a West Indies win.

Questions have been raised over Michael Clarke's value as a Twenty20 batsman but his importance to Australia's one-day international setup is not in doubt. He may not provide Shane Watson- or Cameron White-like thrills but his anchoring role in the middle order has been one of the reasons Australia have won 21 of their past 25 ODIs. The long straight boundaries at Adelaide Oval allow him to tick the score over relatively risk-free, as he did with 80 including only three boundaries against Pakistan on Australia Day. Of the current crop of Australians, none has scored more ODI runs in Adelaide than Clarke.

Team news

Deciding which bowler to leave out was more troubling for Australia's selectors than worrying about who to include at the MCG, such has been the success of the attack this summer. McKay was desperately unlucky not to play and might miss out again given the usual reluctance to change a winning line-up, especially one that won so easily.

Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Shaun Marsh, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Ryan Harris, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Gayle was happy with his bowlers at the MCG but he was concerned by the batting. If West Indies wish to make any changes to the top order, Wavell Hinds and Brendan Nash are the two men who could come in. Nash's game isn't especially suited to limited-overs, so the most likely scenario would be including Hinds for his first international match since 2006, having been ineligible for the past couple of years due to signing as a Kolpak player in county cricket. Runako Morton could be vulnerable after he looked very rusty at the MCG, struggling to react quickly enough against bowling that was only mid-130kph and scratching his way to 3 from 15 balls.

West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Wavell Hinds, 3 Travis Dowlin, 4 Lendl Simmons, 5 Narsingh Deonarine, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Dwayne Smith, 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach.

Pitch and conditions

Australia had no trouble posting nearly 300 in Adelaide on Australia Day and there is no reason to expect a low-scoring encounter this time. The forecast for Tuesday is for a hot and humid day with temperatures reaching 36C.

Stats and trivia

* West Indies haven't beaten Australia in an Adelaide ODI since 1986-87. Australia have won the three games since then

* When Denesh Ramdin caught Michael Hussey at the MCG he became the third West Indies wicketkeeper to take 100 ODI dismissals. He got there in his 68th match, much quicker than Jeff Dujon (80 games) but slower than Ridley Jacobs (61)

* The Australians who triumphed at the MCG have played a combined tally of 1007 one-day internationals, nearly double the West Indies' mark of 511 games

Quotes

"We'll take Adelaide as Adelaide and then we'll go from there but an unbeaten summer, that would be great."

Doug Bollinger

"We did well with the ball [in Melbourne] but my worry is always with our batting."

Chris Gayle

Donald keen on England role

Allan Donald is set to put himself forward as England's new bowling coach following the departure of Ottis Gibson to West Indies. Donald previously held the role briefly in 2007 before his family situation forced him to turn down the full-time position, but he is now ready to return to the international scene.

"If I make contact with the ECB I would be throwing my name in the hat. I've not had any official contact with the ECB." Donald told Sky Sports News. "In 2007 I really enjoyed the time I spent with the team. It was an environment I enjoyed being in, working with elite cricketers, and obviously I would be silly not to consider the position. I would think it over, it's a great challenge for any coach at this level."

After declining the England job in 2007, which led the ECB to Gibson, Donald returned to Warwickshire as their bowling coach but at the end of the 2009 season went home to South Africa after his young son suffered health problems. Donald has worked in the media in recent months, but is clearly eager to return to hands-on duties.

"My young boy went through a tough time and I had to abort that immediately," he said. "At the moment he's fine and I'm just about ready to get back into it full time."

Last month Donald was linked with the bowling coach position for India but the role went to the former South Africa coach Eric Simons. With the recent upheaval in South African cricket, following the departure of Mickey Arthur, there could be an opening for Donald on home soil in the coming months.

Vincent Barnes, the current South Africa bowling coach, is rumoured to be set to leave after the current India tour, however a role with England would come with greater financial reward and Donald is excited by the potential of a developing side.

"You can see that Ottis has worked very hard," he said. "There's a lot of discipline and hardness in the attack and you can see the skills he has implemented. [James] Anderson has become a quality bowler so has [Stuart] Broad and they are set for some big things. Not only the bowling unit, but the team itself is also becoming a solid one."

Source:cricinfo

Daily Cricket News Briefing Latest Cricket News Rohit called up as cover for Laxman

The Indian selectors have called up Rohit Sharma to the squad for the first Test against South Africa as cover for VVS Laxman. Laxman hasn't fully recovered from the finger injury he sustained while fielding during the first Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong last month.

Captaining the Indian Board President's XI in the tour game against the South Africans, Rohit managed just 20 but was delighted with his selection. "It feels good that I've been asked to stay back...Bahut hi achcha lag raha hai (I'm feeling great)," he told the Kolkata-based Telegraph.

This is the first time Rohit is part of the Test squad since the 2008 visit to Sri Lanka. He was in fine form during the Ranji Trophy this season, making 527 at 87.83, including a highest of 309* against Gujarat.

Meanwhile, Laxman skipped the team's fielding practice on Wednesday afternoon, but did have a bat at the nets.

India will be sweating over the injuries that have dogged the side of late - key batsmen Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh and fast bowler Sreesanth have already been ruled out of this match.

Captain MS Dhoni, though, looked to have recovered fully from the back spasms which forced him to miss the Chittagong Test. "One can't have any control over injuries. Obviously, we'll miss Dravid. It's like a captain having no control at all over the toss."

Source:cricinfo

Last chance for Pakistan

Big Picture

Finally Pakistan's drawn out, controversial and currently win-less tour comes to an end. At the start of the summer they were a chance of challenging Australia in the Test series. Then they were determined to topple them with a band of reinforcements in the one-day series. After losing eight internationals in a row, this is the last opportunity to do something successful.

The good news is the tourists are the World Twenty20 champions after their triumph in England last year and they have won their past seven games in this genre. However, they will be without their captain Shahid Afridi, who was so hungry in the final ODI in Perth that he chomped on the ball. After admitting to tampering, he will miss two Twenty20s before being allowed back. That leaves Shoaib Malik in charge as the third leader of the trip.

Australia should be confident given their form this season, but this is their weakest format and they have won only 11 of their 24 internationals. Michael Clarke is captain full-time after Ricky Ponting's T20 retirement, but already there have been calls for Cameron White to have the top job given Clarke's apparent unsuitability to the game.

Form guide (Most recent first)

Australia ANLLL

Pakistan WWWWW

Watch out for�

Umar Gul didn't have much fun in the one-day series and hasn't played since delivering a nine-ball over that cost 23 in Adelaide. Those numbers should be ignored by the selectors because Gul is a Twenty20 master. He is the most successful bowler in the world in this format, with 39 wickets at 11.58 in 23 games.

Steven Smith is a batsman-legspinner who is most exciting for his brutal shot-making. Only 20, Smith has immense power and has quickly proved he is ready for international action, although the rise may have come a little too quickly for his bowling. He had limited opportunities in the Big Bash with the bat, but took seven wickets at 10.28 in five games and has 310 runs and nine victims in seven one-day domestic contests.

Team news

Australia have some strong fast bowlers to choose from, with Ryan Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and Dirk Nannes jostling for three spots. There is also competition at the top of the order with Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh and David Warner all preferring to walk out first.

Australia squad Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, David Warner, Michael Clarke (capt), Cameron White, Travis Birt, David Hussey, Steven Smith, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Dirk Nannes, Shaun Tait.

Pakistan have to tinker to fill the various roles of Afridi and are also without Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, who don't play Twenty20s. There are still 15 players with the squad so the touring selectors have plenty of options.

Pakistan squad Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal (wk), Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Khalid Latif, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Imran Farhat, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif, Saeed Ajmal, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Mohammad Aamer.

Pitch and conditions

The surface in Melbourne is usually hard work for everyone in the longer forms of the game, but that can often be overcome in Twenty20s. The weather might also be tricky, with rain predicted in the morning before easing to isolated showers.

Stats and trivia

* Australia have lost both times they have faced Pakistan in Twenty20s

* Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal have played 27 T20 internationals, four behind the leader Brendon McCullum, while Australia's most experienced men are Michael Clarke and Nathan Bracken, who is not in the squad, on 19.

* Australia haven't completed a T20 game since their first-round exit at the World Twenty20 in June. Their two games against England in September were wash outs.

* The MCG has hosted two of these internationals, with Australia winning each time

Quotes

"We have to win this game. We are professionals and not [just] looking forward to us going back to our country after 100 days. We're just concentrating on tomorrow's match."

Shoaib Malik, Pakistan's stand-in captain

"They're the best team in the world at this format of the game. We'll have to play exceptionally well again to beat them."

Cameron White, Australia's vice-captain

Malik named captain to keep stability

Shoaib Malik will captain both Twenty20 internationals against England in Dubai later this month despite the return of regular captain Shahid Afridi because the board does not want to change leaders in the middle of tours.

Malik led Pakistan in the Melbourne Twenty20 against Australia last week, after Afridi was banned for two matches for tampering with the ball during the last ODI against Australia in Perth. That ban means Afridi will also miss the first game against England, on February 19, though he returns for the second game the following evening.

But because the tour is so short, the PCB has decided against changing the captaincy and keeping Malik in charge. There has been speculation since Afridi was caught on TV biting the ball repeatedly that his future as the format's captain is in doubt. Malik, Pakistan's captain in all three formats as recently as last year, is being talked about as a candidate again but Wasim Bari, the board's chief operating officer, played down such notions.

"It is not a good idea to have one captain in one match and another in the next," he told Cricinfo. "There is no point in doing it match to match so we decided, as it is a short tour, to just keep Malik as captain for both games. Afridi is our captain in the format. Had there not been a ban, there would not have been a problem."

Incidentally, Malik is reunited as captain with Yawar Saeed, who accompanies the side as manager once again. Exactly one year ago today Saeed was part responsible for a series report in which he wrote that Malik was a "loner" and "aloof" and that he should be replaced by Younis Khan as captain.

Of equal significance is the absence of Intikhab Alam, Pakistan's coach, from the squad and his future with the side. Most often the public face of Pakistan in defeat, Intikhab has come in for increasingly heavy criticism after the Australian tour. He is due to appear before a board inquiry committee later this week and Ijaz Ahmed, coach of the Under-19 side and who will alredy be in Dubai as head of the A side, will join the senior squad as a batting and fielding coach. Perhaps tellingly, Bari refused to be drawn over Intikhab's future.

"There is no word yet on Intikhab's future. There is an inquiry being held at the moment and subsequently it will be decided. Ijaz is not the coach but the batting and fielding coach for the side there," Bari said. "Daniel Vettori and New Zealand also toured without a coach and it has happened before so it is not so unusual."

Harris And Hauritz Set Up 113-Win For Australia

Australia 256-8 (Watson 59, Ponting 49) beat
West Indies 143 (Harris 3-24, Hauritz 3-28) by 113 runs
Scorecard
First One-Day International, Melbourne

Ryan Harris and Nathan Hauritz both returned three wickets during Australia's thumping 113-run win over the West Indies in the first One-Day International in Melbourne.

Shane Watson stroked 59 and Ricky Ponting 49 as Australia posted 256 for eight batting first and in reply the tourists were blown away, dismissed for 143 in just 34.2 overs.

Watson faced 74 balls and Ponting 61 and althought they were the only two players to pass 40, enough batsmen got starts to set the West Indies a tough target despite Kieron Pollard impressing with three for 45, dismissing Ponting, Michael Clarke (18) and Brad Haddin (8).

In reply, the West Indies were quickly in trouble when they slipped to 12 for three, losing the wickets of Chris Gayle (7), Runako Morton (3) and Travis Dowlin (1) to the new-ball burst from Doug Bollinger (2-18) and Harris (3-24).

Lendl Simmons made 29 and Pollard 31 as the West Indies tried desperately to rebuild but they continued to lose wickets as they fell further behind the required run rate.

Harris added the wickets of Denesh Ramdin (7) and Nikita Miller (4) to his earlier dismissal of Morton while off-spinner Hauritz dismissed Pollard, Dwayne Smith (7) and Ravi Rampaul (3).

The second of five matches is in Sydney on 9th February.

Taylor Blasts New Zealand To Easy Victory

New Zealand 185-5 (Taylor 78) beat
Bangladesh 183-8 (Mushfiqur Rahim 86, Butler 3-43) by five wickets
Scorecard
Second One-Day International, Dunedin

Ross Taylor blasted 78 in just 51 balls to help New Zealand seal their One-Day International series against Bangladesh with a comprehensive five-wicket win in Dunedin.

Bangladesh were restricted to 183 for eight, Mushfiqur Rahim's 86 helping them recover from 25 for five and in reply, Taylor smacked six fours and five sixes to guide New Zealand home in just 27.3 overs.

Andy McKay (2-17), Daryl Tuffey (1-55) and Ian Butler (3-43) combined to rip out the top five Bangladeshi batsmen in just 12.2 overs and the tourists were quickly 46 for six when Mahmudullah was run out by Martin Guptill.

Rahim then put on 101 with Naeem Islam (43), hitting eight fours and three sixes in 107 balls to ensure that Bangladesh at least used up their full quota of overs before Shahadat Hossain thumped 16 in seven balls at the death.

That was a taster of what was to come when Taylor reached the crease in the tenth over following the dismissals of Brendon McCullum (9) and Peter Ingram (28) and the big-hitting right-hander took the game away from Bangladesh with some aggressive batting, backed up by 32 from Guptill and an unbeaten 20 from James Franklin.

Pacer Shafiul Islam impressed once again by taking three for 49 and Rubel Hossain returned two for 68 but they were completely outclassed for the third time in the tour after they were thrashed in the Twenty20 International and opening ODI.

The third and final ODI is in Christchurch on 11th February.

Cricket World® Player Of The Week - Hashim Amla

South African batsman Hashim Amla has been named as the Cricket World® Player Of The Week after his unbeaten 253 during the opening Test against India in Nagpur.

Amla's career-best effort, which saw him occupy the crease for 473 deliveries and enabled South Africa to score 558 for six before declaring to put India under massive pressure.

Amla stroked 22 fours during his innings and put on a record third-wicket stand in India of 340 with Jacques Kallis, who made 173.

Other contenders for the weekly award included Shaun Tait, Kallis, and Daniel Vettori.

India Left Struggling After Being Skittled By Steyn

South Africa 558-6 dec. (Amla 253no, Kallis 173) v
India 233 (Sehwag 109, Steyn 7-51) & 66-2
First Test, Nagpur, day three

A stunning spell of bowling from Dale Steyn negated an equally brilliant Virender Sehwag century and left South Africa in the clear after day three of the first Test in Nagpur.

After Sehwag scored 109 in 139 balls, Steyn returned a career-best seven for 51 to rout India for 233 and South Africa, who amassed 558 for six before declaring late on day two, enforced the follow on and had India reeling at 66 for two when stumps were drawn, still 259 runs behind.

Sehwag was in blistering form, hitting 16 fours as he motored to an 18th Test century in 134 deliveries but he had little support, only debutant Subramaniam Badrinath (59) and Gautam Gambhir (12) reaching double-figures, as South Africa, spearheaded by Steyn, showed their ruthless streak.

Four batsmen were bowled, two without offering a stroke to the fast bowler while there was a wicket apiece for Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell and Paul Harris as India lost their last six wickets for just 12 runs; shortly before Mahendra Singh Dhoni was caught by Jacques Kallis off a Harris delivery that spat at him, India were 221 for four and looking reasonably well set, but that all changed in the space of just seven overs.

When India batted again, Gambhir was bowled by Morkel and Sehwag was caught by Graeme Smith off Steyn which left Sachin Tendulkar unbeaten on 15 and Murali Vijay on 27.

Hashim Amla's unbeaten 253 enabled South Africa to declare while Jacques Kallis also stroked 173.

Kamran Akmal Dropped For Twenty20s Against England

Under-pressure wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal has been dropped as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have named a 14-man squad to play England in two Twenty20 Internationals in Dubai later this month.

Akmal is to be replaced by Sarfraz Ahmed behind the stumps, Shoaib Malik will lead the side due to Shahid Afridi's ban and there is no place for Mohammad Asif, who is not allowed to enter the United Arab Emirates after a doping offence in 2008 and Akmal's exclusion comes despite a half-century in the one-off Twenty20 International against Australia in Perth.

Fast bowler Mohammad Talha and all-rounder Yasir Arafat are added to the squad with Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq returning as Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Iftikhar Anjum miss out altogether.

Iftikhar, along with Aamer Sajjad and Mohammad Aamer, were named as reserves.

Reigning ICC World Twenty20 champions Pakistan play England on 19th and 20th February, also playing their A side in a warm-up game.

Pakistan: Shoaib Malik (captain), Shahid Afridi, Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Khalid Latif, Umar Akmal, Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir Arafat, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal

First Day’s Play of First Test Between India and Sri Lanka!

Yesterday on 15th of November 2009 Indian master blaster Sachin Tendulkar completed 20 years of International Cricket and he became the first Indian to achieve the feat. We all wishes him best of luck for his career and we pray from God that he give us many more moment of pride.

Today the first test of the three match series begin at Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad. Lankan team is very keen to win the test match so that they can create the history. Lankan team has so far never won a test match in India.

Indian skipper Mahender Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first, but Welegedara gave him some trouble at the very beginning by dismissing both the openers Gambhir and Sehwag along with the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar. Very Very Special Laxman too did not stand for much. He was dismissed by Prasad.

Brave performances by Rahul Dravid along with Yuvraj Singh and skipper Dhoni brought India to a great position at the end of the day one play. 385 at the end of the day one, while Dravid is still batting at 177 clearly tells that team India has now upper hand against Sri Lanka. Tomorrow if Dravid can contribute a bit while others will just need to give him company at the middle, then Sri Lanka will really feel it difficult to stop them before 500 runs mark. Once 500 runs are on the board for the first innings, team India will surely won the match.

Score at the Stumps of the First Day: India: 385/6 (90 Overs)

Rahul Dravid 177* (251 Balls, 26 Fours, and 1 Six)

Harbhajan Singh 2* (11 Balls)

Mahender Singh Dhoni 110 (159 Balls, 10 Fours, 1 Six)

Yuvraj Singh 68 (93 Balls, 13 Fours)

Gautam Gambhir 1 (10 Balls)

Virender Sehwag 16 (11 Balls, 3 Fours)

Sachin Tendulkar 4 (3 Balls, 1 Fours)

VVS Laxman 0 (4 Balls)

Extras 67 (B 2, LB 2, NB 2, W 1)

Ponting angered by England tactics

Ricky Ponting delivered a stinging critique of England's gamesmanship after a contentious final session in which the hosts' 12th man and physiotherapist made multiple visits to the centre. The Australian captain's comments were tantamount to an accusation of time-wasting by an England side attempting to save the first Test, and will do little to defuse tensions between the two sides following a fractious day's play at Sophia Gardens.

Hostilities between the camps commenced before a ball was bowled on Sunday, with Mitchell Johnson and Kevin Pietersen involved in a verbal altercation after the latter hit balls in the direction of the Australian fast bowler. They continued after the commencement of play, with Andrew Flintoff temporarily standing his ground to a Ponting catch at second slip, and again when Stuart Broad and Peter Siddle bumped shoulders in the final session. A pitch invasion staged by a pair of protesters further added to the intensity of the occasion.

But the controversy most likely to linger was the involvement of Bilal Shafayat and Steve McCaig, the England 12th man and physiotherapist, who made appearances in the 102nd and 103rd overs of the innings despite scant evidence that the batsmen, Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar, called upon their services. Shafayat ran gloves and water to the batsmen - receiving a none too subtle chirp from Ponting for his troubles - while McCaig briefly checked on their physical condition at a time when Australia was desperately pressed for time to claim a victory that, barely an hour before, appeared an inevitability.

Speaking after the match, Ponting expressed his frustration over England's apparent stalling tactics, reprising memories of his vocal disapproval of England's use of substitute fielders during the 2005 Ashes series. An Australian team spokesman confirmed they would not make an official complaint, although Ponting invited the ICC's match referee, Jeff Crowe, to review the incident.

"I don't think it was required, he changed [the gloves] the over before and I don't think they'd be too sweaty in one over," Ponting said. "I'm not sure what the physio was doing out there. I didn't see anyone call for the physio to come out. As far as I'm concerned, it was pretty ordinary, really. But they can play whatever way they want to play. We came to play by the rules and the spirit of the game. It's up to them to do what they want to do.

"A few guys were questioning the umpires, a few guys were questioning the 12th man, but it's not the 12th man's fault. Someone from upstairs was sending him out there. That's where it needs to be taken up. There was nothing there that we could do out on the ground. We had to get them off as quick as we could and get a couple more overs.

	They can play whatever way they want to play. We came to play by the rules and the spirit of the game. It's up to them to do what they want to do

"I was unhappy with it, but it lasted a couple of minutes, and we got them off the ground. I don't want to make that big a deal with it. I'm sure others will be taking it up with the England hierarchy, as they should. It's not the reason we didn't win. We've got to look at those reasons."

Andrew Strauss, the England captain, denied his side had contravened the spirit of cricket, insisting that the reasons for Shafayat's presence on the playing field in the dying moments of the game were legitimate.

"There was a lot of confusion, to be fair," Strauss said. "We first of all sent the 12th man out to let Jimmy and Monty know there was time left, and not the overs. Then there was drink spilled on Jimmy's gloves, and he called up to the dressing room and we weren't sure if he needed 12th man or physio. If Ricky is upset, that's a shame.

"Our intentions were good. We weren't trying to deliberately waste a huge amount of time. Those weren't our tactics. Those two were playing very well out in the middle and the reality of the situation is that Australia didn't take the final wicket and we got away with a draw."

Both captains sought to defuse the Johnson-Pietersen and Broad-Siddle rows. "It was just a few guys on the ground taking each other's space," Ponting said of Johnson's verbal exchange with Pietersen. Strauss, meanwhile, insisted the match had been played in a good spirit. "I don't think there were lines crossed," he said.

England pull off great escape

	James Anderson and Monty Panesar steal a single to guide England to safety at Cardiff © AFP
Related Links Players/Officials: James Anderson | Paul Collingwood | Nathan Hauritz | Monty Panesar | Graeme Swann Matches: England v Australia at Cardiff Series/Tournaments: Australia tour of England and Scotland Teams: Australia | England

James Anderson and Monty Panesar produced the most important innings of their lives as England's final pair survived 11.3 overs to pull off a thrilling escape at Cardiff. When Paul Collingwood fell for a monumental 245-ball 74 England still trailed by six, but once Australia had to bat again, valuable time was taken out of the game leaving Andrew Strauss and a packed Cardiff nervously clock-watching. The Australians threw everything into the final hour in an electric atmosphere with the crowd cheering the two unlikely batting heroes as though the Ashes had been won.

A vital moment came when Anderson collected consecutive boundaries off Peter Siddle to finally erase the deficit. It meant that two further overs would be lost from the remaining allocation, but there was yet another twist. Australia had bowled their overs quickly during the final hour, which meant it came down to a clock-watch situation for the batsmen. The crucial mark was 6.40pm: at that point it meant there was no time for Australia to start a run chase.

The closing overs were in the hands of Nathan Hauritz - who rose above all the pre-match concern over his quality to claim three final-day wickets and six in the match - and Marcus North. Anderson, outwardly calm while inside he must have been churning, blocked confidently but also picked up vital runs to just edge the lead ahead further. Meanwhile, Panesar, the most unlikely of batting saviours, watched the ball like a hawk. Having left expertly against the quicks he played with soft hands against the spinners, and one of the biggest cheers of the day came when he square cut North for a boundary.

However, while Anderson and Panesar were there at the end to soak up the acclaim the escape wouldn't have been possible without one of Collingwood's most determined innings for his country. He came in early after Kevin Pietersen lost his off stump, shouldering arms to Ben Hilfenhaus, and soon faced an England card that read 70 for 5. He found vital support from Andrew Flintoff, Stuart Broad and particularly Graeme Swann, who overcame a peppering from Siddle, to share a 20-over stand.

Collingwood fought with very ounce of the grit that makes him such a valuable player. He survived some early scares against Hauritz when an inside edge fell just short of Simon Katich at short leg and another delivery almost rolled back onto the stumps until Collingwood stepped on it. He went 31 deliveries after lunch without scoring, but unlike some of England's other batsman he isn't someone who gets overly twitchy when his own score his moving along.

Collingwood's fifty came off 167 balls, the slowest by an England batsman since Nasser Hussain against West Indies in Port of Spain during the 2004 tour, but the pace of his innings mattered not a jot. His only mistake proved his downfall as he chased some width from Siddle and Mike Hussey took a juggling catch in the gully. He could hardly believe what he had done and couldn't even bring himself to remove his pads as he watched the two tailenders defy Australia. Collingwood isn't a superstar; he doesn't fit into the hero mould, but here he was both.

Ponting admitted it was a tough result to take and Australia were ahead of the game virtually throughout the final day. Pietersen, who had an early-morning confrontation with Mitchell Johnson during the warm-ups, never settled against the swinging ball as the quicks probed away on the full length that causes him problems. His troubles ended when he completely misjudged the line from Hilfenhaus and didn't offer a shot. It was excellent bowling from Hilfenhaus, who had been shaping the ball away and made one hold its line, but Pietersen's back lift and footwork are currently not in sync.

	Matt Prior chose a forgettable shot to fall to Nathan Hauritz © Getty Images

In the eighth over of the session it was time for Hauritz and he was in the wonderful position of being able to bowl with men around the bat. He immediately found more turn, and posed a greater threat than England's spinner managed over two days, and made one bounce a touch more against Andrew Strauss as he tried to cut.

While the England captain can perhaps be partly excused his shot as the cut is a legitimate option against the offspinner, the same can't be said for Matt Prior. He had already flirted with danger by dabbing Hauritz through short third man and had also been beaten twice outside off stump by clever changes of pace and flight. Trying to go through the off side again he was undone by extra bounce and gloved a chance to slip.

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Flintoff fought against his natural inclination to attack, playing watchfully against Hauritz as he accompanied Collingwood for 23 overs. The out-of-sorts Johnson, who was later horribly wayward with the second new ball, broke through when Flintoff pushed at one going across him and before tea Broad had also gone, trapped leg before playing back at Hauritz.

For Hauritz it appeared he would provide the ultimate response to his critics by securing a Test victory until he tired slightly in the tension-filled closing stages. Collingwood and Swann took a large chunk out of the evening session, with Swann completing an impressive match with the bat. Shortly before tea he was given a peppering from Siddle who sent down a violent over that struck three painful blows - two on the glove and one on the elbow - which required the physio to come out twice in three deliveries.

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His runs were also crucial as England ate away into Australia's lead before he went for a pull against the impressive Hilfenhaus and was palpably leg before. Collingwood now had just two bowlers for company and when he departed an Australian victory looked assured. England, though, dug deep, deeper perhaps than many thought Anderson and Panesar could.

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However, despite the scoreline still reading nil-nil the reality is that England were a distance second-best for much of the match. Australia have shown that, despite the loss of many greats, they are a unit of huge desire who will take some beating. At least this time, though, it won't be a whitewash.

Tamim century puts Bangladesh in charge

Bangladesh moved towards safety in the first two sessions before accelerating in the last to take control of the game. Tamim Iqbal hit his maiden century and shared a 146-run stand with Junaid Siddique to hand Bangladesh a 252-run lead by the end of the fourth day's play in St Vincent. However, if they don't manage to bowl out West Indies on the final day they might wonder if they had erred by not scoring at a faster clip today.

West Indies didn't allow them to get away at a frenetic, match-controlling, pace with disciplined line-and-length bowling but perhaps Bangladesh were worried about repeating their first-innings collapse and opted for the safety-first tactic; they didn't try to quicken the scoring until post-tea.

Tamim started the third session like a runaway express, hitting David Bernard to all parts of the ground - a crunching pull hopping on one leg and a thunderous wallop over wide mid-off being the highlights - but fell, going for the fifth boundary in the over. With his exit, the momentum started to slowly shift and when Siddique fell, squeezing Darren Sammy to gully, it slowed down further. And with Mohammad Ashraful falling cheaply, yet again, Bangladesh were forced to return to the cautious route.

Before his late blitz Tamim had steered the side calmly, playing almost out of character. In the past, he has paid for his over-aggression but today, he was careful not to cross that line. He looked for his favourite off drives and didn't flinch from cutting if the ball was short. When Tino Best hurled sharp bouncers at him, he swayed away calmly but when it was short and wide enough to cut, he went for it. Post lunch, he grew more sedate, concentrating on defense and singles, and fetched the odd boundary to reach a century off his 206th ball - the most he has ever faced in a Test innings - with a push in the direction of point.

He did have his share of luck, though. He was on 34 when Floyd Reifer, the West Indies captain, dropped a sitter at slips off Sammy and, while on 76, Omar Phillips dropped another easy chance at midwicket with Ryan Austin bowling.

Siddique gave him company after lunch and started the session with two cut boundaries against Kemar Roach, but he too settled down to score at a gentle pace. With the bowling looking unthreatening as the session wore on, he picked singles easily without breaking much sweat. He looked to get on the front foot for his drives and appeared set for his maiden hundred, but the new ball found him out as he edged Sammy to gully.

Tamim had Imrul Kayes for company for much of the first session. Kayes chose to stay rooted to the crease, intent on blocking everything thrown against him. He was aware of his off stump and left many a delivery alone, only defending what he had to play at. However, he lost patience when Austin tempted him with a flighted delivery and drove it straight to short cover.

For their part, West Indies stuck gamely to their task on hand on a slow pitch. Sammy and Kemar Roach attacked the left-handed batsmen from round the stumps, punctuating the length deliveries coming in with ones that straightened outside off stump. It was a game of patience. Sammy, in particular, was disciplined and was unlucky to go wicketless in the first two sessions. He saw Tamim being dropped at slip and, in the same over, produced another edge only to see the ball fly between slip and gully. He went past the outside edge on a few more occasions but found some luck in the last session, removing Siddique with a full delivery that moved away and inducing Raqibul Hossain to drag an attempted pull onto the stumps. However, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan steadied the innings after the loss of three quick wickets with an unbeaten stand of 54. They rotated the strike well, ensuring the lead kept growing, and will look to take it beyond 300 tomorrow to set the hosts a challenging target.

Sammy was well supported by Roach, who attacked mainly from round the stumps today. He had tended to push a tad too much across to the left-handed batsmen in the first innings but he switched the angle today and kept it fuller than the rest. He even slipped in a couple of very good yorkers but they were well dug out by Tamim. He dragged a few short in the second session before the spinners Austin and Nikita Miller took over the burden.

Austin did his part; he flighted his deliveries from a high-arm action and attacked with men crowding the bat. The suffocation nearly worked when Tamim slogged him across the line to wide midwicket but it fell safely. He continued to chip away relentlessly, never afraid to flight the ball but couldn't break through. Miller bowled a flatter trajectory and didn't taste any success. It would be interesting to see how Bangladesh spinners bowl on the final-day track. That could determine the fate of the match.

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Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

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Iqbal Qasim appointed chief selector

Former Pakistan spinner Iqbal Qasim has been appointed chairman of a new, restructured national selection commitee. Former Test cricketers Saleem Jaffer, Ijaz Ahmed, Azhar Khan and Mohammad Ilyas have also been appointed members. Two co-opted members, Asif Baloch and Farrukh Zaman, have also been included to make it a seven-member panel, but they will not have a vote on selection, and are only expected to provide input.

As had been expected after the previous committee was disbanded, the board has streamlined the selection structure by making just the one committee responsible for all selections, senior and junior. All major regions in Pakistan have been represented; Zaman ostensibly looks after the NWFP region, Baloch after Balochistan and the rest over Sindh and Punjab.

"The responsibility for them is to spot and nurture talent from the grassroots to the Test arena," Wasim Bari, director HR and adminstration, told Cricinfo. "We have streamlined the process by making one committee responsible for all selections."

Qasim, who was a member of the selection committee until the 2007 World Cup, has been appointed in an honorary post. He is a senior employee with the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and it is believed that his role will not be a day-to-day one. As such, in a break from recent practice, he is an honorary head and will not be a full-time paid selector unlike the last two selection committees where the chairman and other members were all full-time, professional selectors. It is not clear yet, however, about the status of the members, though it is likely they will remain full-time paid professionals.

There remains a sense of continuity, however, with the retention of Jaffer, who was part of the two previous selection committees, and Ilyas, who headed the last junior selection committee. Ijaz Ahmed is also a part of the existing board set-up, working at the National Cricket Academy.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt had earlier disbanded the national senior and junior selection committees after Abdul Qadir, then the chief selector, resigned from his post claiming he wasn't allowed to carry out his duties. The new committee will be responsible for selection matters with effect from August 1, 2009.

National Selection Committee: Iqbal Qasim (chairman), Saleem Jaffer , Ijaz Ahmed, Mohammad Ilyas, Azhar Khan (members), Asif Baloch, Farrukh Zaman (co-opted members).