ICC and PCB resolve 2011 WC dispute at 10:13 AM

David Morgan, the ICC president, and Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, arrived at an agreement during a meeting in Dubai © Associated Press

The ICC and the PCB have resolved their dispute over the staging of the 2011 World Cup. The PCB, which was stripped of its rights to host the tournament in the aftermath of the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, will retain its host fees of US$10.5 million and also receive a payment, still undisclosed, as additional compensation for the loss of hosting rights. The two parties reached an agreement during a meeting between the ICC president David Morgan and the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt in Dubai. It is expected that the settlement will be signed later today, at which point the PCB will withdraw its legal proceedings against the ICC.

However, Butt told AFP that the PCB was aiming to include a clause in the agreement which would allow Pakistan to host some of the World Cup matches depending on the teams' approval. "We have also demanded to include a clause in (Thursday's) agreement that if the security situation improves in Pakistan, some of the World Cup matches be played in Pakistan subject to teams' acceptance," he said.

It was also agreed that the PCB would be free of its liabilities and obligations associated with hosting matches during the tournament, including the location of the tournament secretariat which had originally been set for Lahore.

"This resolution is good for world cricket and provides an improved platform for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 as we now have a degree of certainty surrounding the event that was not there while the dispute was ongoing, " Morgan said after the agreement was reached. "I am glad we were able to come to an amicable agreement and I believe this is a fair resolution for the PCB and the ICC."

He added that international cricket would return to Pakistan once the ICC deemed the security situation in the country was fit for teams to tour. "When the position in Pakistan, from a safety and security point of view, becomes satisfactory to the ICC and its specialist security advisors as well as to visiting teams, then international cricket will return to Pakistan," he said.

Butt, who had strongly opposed the ICC's decision to move matches out of Pakistan, welcomed the breakthrough. "The PCB is content with the settlement that has been reached," he said. "We are able to see this dispute from the other side. We realise also the logistical and administrative difficulties that would be associated with organising our matches in the other three co-host countries.

"Our number-one priority is that cricket in Pakistan must not be allowed to suffer unduly and I believe this agreement is the best possible outcome for the game," he said.

The PCB had reacted sternly over its loss of hosting rights for the tournament and had issued a legal notice to the ICC in May, calling the decision "discriminatory" and "legally flawed".

Six Sri Lankan cricketers were hurt in the attack on their team in March when they were touring for a two-Test series; other countries, prior to the tour, had refused to visit citing concerns over the volatile security situation in Pakistan. The PCB had also filed a case in the Lahore court against the ICC's decision to move the headquarters of the 2011 World Cup (the World Cup secretariat) from Lahore to Mumbai.

In June, the ICC ruled out the possibility of Pakistan's matches being hosted at neutral venues, including the UAE. It confirmed the decision to allocate Pakistan's share of the matches to the three other co-hosts, India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The row showed signs of abating when, earlier this month, the PCB said it was looking for an out-of-court settlement to resolve the matter and added it was entitled to a substantial compensation for its share of matches being taken away.

Courtesy By Cricinfo

Younis not about to resign at 11:47 AM

Younis Khan: "I am trying my level best to lead the team and achieve the best results" © AFP

Younis Khan has taken responsibility for Pakistan's Test and ODI series defeats in Sri Lanka but has refused to resign from the captaincy. He had come under widespread criticism from the domestic media and former players, who also demanded major changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board's setup and asked the senior team management to take responsibility for the defeats. Younis has instead hit back at those who suggested he should step down.

"I accept the responsibility of defeat, but will not apologise to anyone nor will I resign as captain because it's part of the game to lose and win," Younis was quoted as saying by the Pakistan daily Jang. "I am trying my level best to lead the team and achieve the best results but some people want me to relinquish the captaincy, which I won't. Am I not a good captain or do I lack leadership qualities?"

Pakistan lost the three-Test series 0-2 and surrendered the ODI series with their third consecutive loss in the five-match series before saving face with wins in the last two ODIs. Younis singled out those two wins as proof that Pakistan could do well in Sri Lanka. "We won the last two one-day matches by huge margins, and it proved that the team had the capacity and the talent to win the Tests and one-day matches," he said. "But due to the batsmen's inconsistency, we failed to finish properly."

Younis, who returned to Pakistan after the ODI series, had earlier blamed a weak domestic setup as the reason for below-par performances in Sri Lanka. Reiterating that 'groupism' within the team had nothing to do with the team's poor showing on tour, Younis defended Pakistan's unity. "There were no differences in the team. In fact I can say that the team was never as united as it was during the Sri Lanka tour," he said.

Responding to accusations of match-fixing, Younis said: "Baseless allegations are affecting the team's performances. No one should doubt my integrity. I can never resort to any wrongdoing."

Via Cricinfo

We played mature cricket to win - Afridi at 11:42 AM

Shahid Afridi's third Twenty20 half-century in a row proved immense © AFP

Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's captain for the one-off Twenty20, believes his team played 'mature cricket' to beat Sri Lanka and end their six-week tour on a winning note. Afridi, leading his country for the first time, got Pakistan to rally around him magnificently in carving out a win which went to prove that Pakistan's victory in the ICC World Twenty20 final against Sri Lanka was no fluke.

As in the Lord's final it was Afridi's all-round brilliance that tilted the scales in favour of Pakistan. He scored a well-paced half-century off 37 balls, took a vital wicket and also affected a run out to grab the Man-of-the-Match award on his debut as captain. "As captain I am really happy to have won. The guys really played mature cricket. What I told them was we are the champions and we should play like a champion team and the guys gave me a good response," said Afridi. "We really struggled in the Test series and we didn't play too well in the ODIs. This is a good victory for us. It will keep the guys morale high in the future."

About his game Afridi said: "I love to play my natural game but the situation was not right, we lost an early wicket but I thought if I stayed long the players will rally around me and I can have the scoreboard running."

Afridi spoke about giving youngsters a chance at the expense of seniors who are not performing to expectation. "If the seniors are not performing we should give them a rest and give opportunities to the youngsters to show their talent. This was an opportunity to give the younger guys and they have lived up to it."

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said that Pakistan outplayed them and that a loss always hurt. "They batted much better than we did and bowled disciplined lines and lengths. At the end of the day you can analyse our game to bits but Pakistan played just better than us.

"It was a chaseable target and we didn't do well to get there. We've got to accept that responsibility and say that it was a match we should have won but we weren't good enough. At 100 for 3 with seven overs to go it was a very gettable total but we fell away and lost too many wickets too quickly. Partnerships are key in any form of the game and we didn't have too many of them either."

Sangakkara said the turning point of the match was the way Afridi batted. "We made early inroads but that little captain's innings of his really took the game away from us. That's the way he bats he comes up the order and enjoys that responsibility in Twenty20 cricket. We were ready for that but he just batted us out of the game."

Via Cricinfo

Afridi stars Pakistan's T20 win at 10:49 AM

COLOMBO: Shahid Afridi shone with bat and ball on his debut as Pakistan's Twenty20 captain to steer the world champions to an emphatic 52-run win

Afridi smashed 50 off 37 balls in Pakistan's 172-5, and then claimed 1-21 in four economical overs and effected a run out with a direct throw as Sri Lanka were shot out for 120 with 11 balls to spare.

A sell-out crowd of 35,000 at the overflowing Premadasa stadium watched the first T20 match between the two teams since the World Twenty20 final in England in June, when Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets.

The result was the same as seamer Rana Naved and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal picked up three wickets each to stun the hosts.

Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals with skipper Kumar Sangakkara the only batsman to offer resistance against the fired-up Pakistanis with 38 off 31 balls.

Afridi, who was man of the match in both the semi-final and final at the Worlds, once again dominated the battle to help Pakistan end an otherwise dismal tour of Sri Lanka on a winning note.

Pakistan had lost the preceding Test series 2-0 and conceded the One-dayers by a 2-3 margin during the six-week tour.

Afridi hit two sixes and four boundaries after taking over the Twenty20 team from Test and one-day skipper Younis Khan, who has retired from the shortest format of the game.

Pakistan, who elected to bat after winning the toss, lost a wicket off the first ball when Kamran Akmal was bowled by Nuwan Kulasekara after attempting a big heave.

The other opener, Imran Nazir, cracked five fours and a six in his 40 off 28 balls to boost the total as Pakistan moved to 59-3 by the eighth over.

Teenager Umar Akmal, who hit a 20-ball 30, put on 66 for the fourth wicket with Afridi.

Abdul Razzaq and Misbah-ul Haq added a quickfire 33 as Pakistan plundered 47 runs in the last five overs to leave Sri Lanka facing a daunting target of 8.7 runs an over.

Afridi the unlikely captain at 4:27 PM

Pakistan Tries Its Luck With an Unlikely Captain

Sports may specialize in tales of the improbable, but there are still some things you just don’t expect to see happen. On Wednesday, Shahid Afridi will captain Pakistan’s cricketers in a Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Think Michael Vick becoming president of the Humane Society of the United States, or Manchester United’s manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, being awarded the Freedom of Liverpool.

Of course not all national cricket captains are straight arrows like England’s Andrew Strauss. Should Afridi last very long in his new role, there is a good chance he will find himself tossing for innings with Ricky Ponting of Australia, whose issues with alcohol and betting once threatened to capsize his career.

Afridi, 29, has had a career whose colorfulness is eclipsed among current players only by his turbulent erstwhile Pakistan teammate Shoaib Akhtar. Afridi’s extensive rap sheet includes a four-match ban for insulting opponents and a match umpire; a dressing room dispute with his captain and vice captain over his place in Pakistan’s batting order; sanctions after a girl was found in his room — his explanation that she was seeking his autograph was not accepted — and being fingered as the provocateur two years ago when Akhtar finally lost it and struck a teammate with a bat.

There was a brief, mysterious and never fully explained retirement from test cricket three years ago, and as recently as last year the Indian star Vangipurappu Laxman, his captain in the first Indian Premier League tournament, complained that “Afridi has no team ethics.”

That he has survived at all is because of his exceptional talent. A dull or mediocre player — admittedly not a type often seen in Pakistan teams — would have been discarded long ago.

That Afridi is anything but dull or mediocre was made abundantly clear in his first international innings as a 16-year-old. Not for him the diffident, deferential entrance. Playing against Sri Lanka in Nairobi he struck bowlers who included the world-class Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas for 100 runs from only 37 deliveries, still the fastest century ever struck in a one-day international. He is also fourth on the list, with a violent 45-ball assault on India in 2005.

He has continued his career in that vein as the most destructive batsman around. He averages 111 runs per 100 balls, easily the fastest among those who have scored more than 1,000 runs, in one-day internationals. He also bowls fast, attacking wrist spin and is a fine fielder in a team often lacking in this respect.

The problem has been lack of consistency and judgment, overconfidently audacious stroke play that often costs his wicket when restraint would have produced better results. That he has played only 26 five-day tests in 11 years since his debut, and none in the last three, reflects the exasperation he has induced in captains and selectors.

His attributes might, though, have been designed with the Twenty20 format in mind. He bestrode this year’s World T20 tournament in England with both bat and ball, his innings in the semifinal and final taking Pakistan to its victory. Along with his brilliance, there was a fresh sense of him as a team man. When the 17-year-old paceman Mohammad Aamer beat the dangerous South African batsman Jacques Kallis in the semifinal, only to see the ball fly off the edge of the bat for four runs, it was Afridi who ran 20 meters to put an arm around his team-mate and encourage more of the same.

Much of the credit was due to Pakistan’s captain, Younis Khan, who reminded Afridi of his importance to the team but also counseled patience in his batting, pointing out that he did not need to strike every single ball for four or six.

Khan’s retirement from T20 created the opening for Afridi to step up. He has some experience of leadership in domestic cricket, and there may be a hint of his likely style in his criticisms of Shoaib Malik, Pakistan’s captain before Khan, for not being tough enough with his players.

It might be a short-lived experiment or could be the prelude to his stepping onto the big stage at some point should Khan, still one-day and test captain, lose form or fall victim to Pakistan’s ever-Byzantine cricket politics. But whether it lasts a day or a decade, Afridi’s tenure as Pakistan captain is unlikely to be dull. After all, nothing else in his career has been.

Lockerbie outlines plans for US-style IPL at 3:25 PM

Lockerbie outlines plans for US-style IPL

Don Lockerbie: 'We're going to do it well, we're going to do it smart, we're going to do it best' © Cricinfo Ltd

There was a certain irony that on the day plans for a major Twenty20 tournament in the USA were announced, the USA Cricket Association's chief executive, Don Lockerbie, was at Lord's watching an Ashes Test, a format many seem to think is growing less relevant by the year.

Lockerbie was in town to meet with leading administrators to advance his plan to make the USA a major cricketing destination. While he wants to build the USA into a leading cricketing power, he also believes Twenty20 cricket is a format made for the American audience.

"I'd like to see a successful, world-class, best-players-in-the-game tournament, an invitational franchise league or something like that, in the near future," he said. "That would be the dream. It's too early to say what kind of format that would be, but we're putting out a tender for proposal."

Will that, as has been rumoured, be another IPL? "The IPL as I look at it now is a remarkable, fantastic model to follow. Look at what it's been able to do. Our hat is off to Lalit [Modi] and the people behind this fantastic sports property.

"So, of course, you want to look at it as a model to emulate, or as a model to partner with, or at least to come up with something that has its own fresh appeal.

"The USA is a country that wants to see the superstars, and that's what we have to focus on. We have to invite them to come and play in the USA, and eventually we hope to develop our own superstars."

The USA already has one major venue, in Florida, and Lockerbie said more are planned, either in new areas, such as Indianapolis, or by expanding existing facilities in California and New York.

"The proof will be, is the USA ready to undertake these type of events? When the US was announced back in the late 1980s as the host for the 1994 [football] World Cup, the world laughed and said 'what are they going to do with our game'. And yet we still hold the record for the most tickets sold at a football World Cup.

"Before the world laughs at the US taking on cricket, it's important to say we're going to do it well, we're going to do it smart, we're going to do it best and with the world's experts and put together a programme that will be successful."

And he added that his plans were very much in tune with the ICC and would fit in with the existing international calendar. "We're going to make sure what we do has ICC backing. That's the promise we made when we did a presentation to the ICC in Dubai [in April].

"We made a commitment we will be a significant contributor to the world of cricket and a good partner. I don't see us as a competitor, I see as being a partner in something that will make sense to the game as it continues to evolve."

Unlike many previous comets who have blazed into US cricket with bold ideas only to disappear without trace, Lockerbie has the professionalism and drive to make you think he really can pull off these plans. A highly-regarded sports organiser and event administrator, he was venue director at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and is well connected in not only the game but also the corporate world, something vital for the backing he seeks.

[Via www.cricinfo.com]

Strauss ton holds England together at 12:55 PM

Andrew Strauss's 18th Test century guided England on the opening day and became even more important as the middle order faded © Getty Images

Andrew Strauss launched a stirring riposte to Ricky Ponting's 150 in Cardiff, carrying his bat through the first day to hand England the early ascendancy in the second Test. Strong off his pads, and stronger through the point region, Strauss (161 not out) moved within 16 runs of his highest ever Test score and beyond the 5,000-run career barrier. But the significance of this innings lay not in personal milestones but in its impact on an England team which, after the tea break, looked decided shaky against the enigmatic Mitchell Johnson and the consistent Ben Hilfenhaus.

Profligate in the first session, potent in the last, Johnson personified a day of fluctuating fortunes at Lord's. The foundations built by Strauss and Alastair Cook during an historic 196-run opening stand were eroded by a middle order stumble that drew Australia back into the contest. And, in both cases, Johnson was the pivotal figure.

Through his first 11 overs Johnson conceded 77 runs, including 15 boundaries, to allow England the opportunity to build on the bonhomie of their Cardiff escape. Whether overawed by the occasion of his first Lord's Test, upset by the ground's pronounced slope or just shy of form and confidence, Australia's spearhead appeared decidedly blunt in his exchanges with Strauss and Cook, guilty of straying both sides of the wicket and failing to find a consistent length in the period before tea.

But with a change of session came a change of fortune. The ball, which stubbornly refused to swing while still coated in lacquer, suddenly found its arc, with Johnson its pilot. His reverse swing slowed a scoring rate that had threatened to spiral out of control, and eventually accounted for the wicket of Matt Prior, bowled to a beautiful, tailing delivery.

Were it not for the stoic batting of Strauss, who ground his way to his highest Test score on home soil, Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle may well have seized back all the initiative surrendered in the earlier sessions. As it was, England headed to stumps in a position of strength, though perhaps not quite as strong as they might have hoped, after a final session in which four wickets fell for the addition of 109 runs.

Together with Cook, Strauss forged the highest first wicket partnership by an England combination at Lord's (196) in an Ashes Test, bettering by 14 runs the 83-year-old record held by Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe. Though Cook fell just five runs short of his century, becoming Johnson's 100th Test scalp in the process, Strauss thrust forth into the evening, denying the probing offerings of Johnson and Hilfenhaus with both old and new balls

Prior to the final session, England's cause had been helped no end by an Australian attack that lurched from the lamentable to the horrendous, and one temporarily without the services of Nathan Hauritz. Hauritz, in dropping a powerfully struck return catch by Strauss, dislocated the middle finger on his bowling hand and was immediately taken from the field for treatment. So savage was the force of Strauss's drive that Hauritz, upon viewing his contorted finger, immediately signalled to the dressing room in distress and almost vomited on the pristine playing surface.

Scans cleared Hauritz of a fracture, and the off-spinner resumed his place in the field in the final session. But the Australians will nonetheless harbour significant concerns over Hauritz's effectiveness over the final four days - both for variation, and also the workload of their fast bowlers, who are playing the second of back-to-back Test matches.

Extras, misfields and overthrows all blighted Australia's morning effort, but by far the biggest disappointment was Johnson, who arrived on these shores trumpeted as the best paceman in international cricket. In a portent of what was to come, Johnson began the day with a full, leg-side delivery that Cook duly clipped to the square-leg boundary. His errant ways continued in the first half-hour, at one stage conceding four boundaries in six deliveries to Strauss, prompting Ponting to replace him with Siddle after four expensive (26 runs) overs.

Siddle, too, was awry, failing to contend with the slope of the Lord's pitch and making life difficult for Brad Haddin. Australia's only saving grace was Hilfenhaus, who began the match with three consecutive maidens and was rewarded after lunch with the wicket of Ravi Bopara. He might also have had Strauss earlier in the second session, if not for the small detail of his no-ball and Haddin's turfed catch. Strauss went onto raise his 18th Test century moments before tea. It was that kind of day for the Australians.

The confidence of England's openers visibly lifted over the course of the first session. Cook, the chief aggressor, enthralled the capacity Lord's crowd in the lead-up to lunch by pulling Johnson at every opportunity - not all of them from bad deliveries - en route to a half-century raised from just 73 deliveries. Strauss, save for a bright flurry against Johnson, was happy to steadily accumulate as part of a partnership that rocketed along to 125 by the lunch break.

Eight minutes prior to lunch, Cook and Strauss bettered their highest ever opening partnership against Australia, eclipsing their stand of 116 from the Perth Test two years ago. They advanced that total to 196 - England's highest opening stand in an Ashes Test since 1956 - before Cook fell in the 48th over to a fuller, straighter Johnson delivery that rapped him on the back pad.

England's day tapered thereafter. Bopara's cheap dismissal was compounded by that of Kevin Pietersen, whose aura is dimming with each innings at present. The prodigiously talented batsmen tried mightily to surrender his wicket before the tea break, and succeeded just after by playing inside a shorter Siddle delivery. Paul Collingwood, the rock of Cardiff, then fell to the loosest of strokes off the bowling of Michael Clarke, and was soon followed by Andrew Flintoff, the departing hero, who edged a Hilfenhaus offering to Ponting at second slip.

The onus fell to Strauss to save the day for England, and the captain duly obliged. He saw off both the reverse-swinging old ball, and the harder new one to ensure advantage remained with the hosts heading into the second day.

[Via www.Cricinfo.com]

Give this team time before you judge us - Younis at 12:51 PM

 

Younis Khan: "I am not looking for excuses but for reasons" © AFP

Younis Khan has responded to Pakistan's first Test series defeat in Sri Lanka by pleading for more time to rebuild the team after "very little cricket over the last 18 months". Speaking after a game in which Pakistan's batting collapses tilted the balance towards Sri Lanka, Younis said he didn't want to put blame on any individual - the team was lacking by just 20%, failing to stay focused throughout the games and while facing pressure situations.

"It's very easy right now to write this team off," he said, "But how many Tests have we played in the last 14 months? For one full year we didn't play at all. As and when we start playing more regularly, we will learn to adapt. I think it's not about the technique, not about the bowling, not about the weather.

"Give this team some time, don't point fingers too early. It will be very easy for me too to blame particular players, even myself. But the reality is, we haven't been playing any Test cricket. It's very easy for me to give up, to say I can't captain this team. But somebody will have to stand up and fix the situation."

Before the start of the series, Younis had said that being undercooked should not be an excuse for international teams. But three heart-breaking collapses later, Younis said it was time to analyse the situation, and that he concluded thus not as Pakistan captain but as an analyst. "Out of the four matches we have played, one was stopped midway, one we drew, and lost two," he said. "And that too it felt like we were not beaten, we lost them ourselves. So I am not looking for excuses but for reasons. And this is one of the major reasons."

The irony of the situation, though, is that it was not the youngsters, the debutants, who let the team down. It was the experienced pros who failed all three times to arrest the collapses. Younis saw that as one of the positives from the series. "This team is in a rebuilding phase," he said. "We had three debutants in the last match, and one in this. But if Saeed Ajmal is putting up a fight, if Abdur Rauf is putting up a fight, if Fawad Alam is putting up a fight, if Mohammad Aamer is putting up a fight, that gives me some solace. I will have to give them some time. So too the media and the fans."

Younis reiterated that the problem came from not finishing matches. "There is only 20% that we are lacking. If we play to our potential - everybody knows about us - we will start winning. It is all about concentration and how to adapt to conditions."

Over six and a bit days, Pakistan have had three disastrous sessions, while the other sessions have been full of heartening performances from their youngsters. Their bowling attack looks in good health, especially with an impending comeback of Mohammad Asif, and Ajmal and Danish Kaneria fighting for the spinner's slot. Yet they have lost the series, which can be a very demoralising experience.

Younis, though, wants to look ahead immediately, to the next Test. "What can I do? I can only ask them to focus for longer durations. After Tests we have to play one-dayers too. It will be every difficult if we go 2-0 down or 3-0 down. If we push more, keep pushing, we can win the last Test, which should give us a lot of motivation before the one-dayers. And if we can win both, we will get some satisfaction at least."

Via www.Cricinfo.com

Four hundreds in an innings at 10:31 AM

Four tons in an innings, and starting big but losing

Four-thirty-five and losing, Pakistan's lowest Test totals, and the most prolific Australian

Adelaide 2006 is one of 14 occasions in Ashes Tests when a side lost after making 435 in the first innings © Getty Images

How often have four Australians made centuries in the same innings of an Ashes Test? asked Rob Broughton from Leicester
Australia's four centuries in the first Test in Cardiff was actually the first time they had ever made as many in one innings in an Ashes Test - although there was a very near miss at Lord's in 1993, when Mark Taylor, Michael Slater and David Boon all made hundreds, then Mark Waugh was out for 99. England have also done it once in an Ashes Test - at Trent Bridge in 1938, when Charles Barnett, Len Hutton, Eddie Paynter and Denis Compton were the centurions. There have been two instances of five centuries in a Test innings - by Australia (the only other time they have had more than three) against West Indies in Kingston in 1954-55, and by Pakistan against Bangladesh in Multan in 2001. For a full list of the most hundreds in a Test innings, click here.

How many times have England lost to Australia (or vice versa) after scoring as many as 435 in the first innings of the match? asked Anura de Kretser from Melbourne
I suspect you asked this when England looked like losing in Cardiff, which somehow they avoided! On only 14 occasions in all Test cricket has a score of more than 435 in the first innings of a match (not necessarily either side's first innings) not been sufficient to avoid defeat. Five of those came in Ashes Tests, including the highest of all - Australia's 586 in Sydney in 1894-95, when England won by 10 runs after following on. On the last tour Down Under, in 2006-07, England declared at 551 for 6 in the first innings in Adelaide but went on to lose; in the final Test in Melbourne in 1928-29 England made 519 but lost by five wickets; at Headingley in 1948, England lost despite scoring 496 in the first innings (that was the match in which Australia made 404 for 3 on the last day to win); and also at Headingley, in 2001, Australia lost after scoring 447 in the first innings of the match. Australia also lost the final Test of the 1932-33 Bodyline series in Sydney despite a first-innings score of 435 - the same as England in Cardiff.

Pakistan were bowled out for 90 by Sri Lanka - is that their lowest against them? And is it their lowest against anyone? asked Hafeez Ahmed from Islamabad
Pakistan's first innings of 90 in the second Test in Colombo was indeed their lowest total against Sri Lanka, beating their 117 in the previous match in Galle. It was the 10th time Pakistan had been bowled out for less than 100 in a Test. Their lowest two totals - 53 and 59 - both came in the same match, against Australia in Sharjah in 2002-03. For a list of Pakistan's lowest Test totals, click here.

When was the last time England won a live Ashes Test match when Glenn McGrath played (he was injured for the two England won in 2005)? asked Duncan Davies from Australia
The last one was in 1998-99, when England won the fourth Test in Melbourne, to make the series score 2-1 to Australia, despite the presence of the formidable Glenn McGrath. If you take the view that that was also a dead rubber, as the Ashes had already been decided even if the series hadn't, the answer is the first Test of 1997, at Edgbaston. England also won at Headingley in 2001, but they had already lost that series.

What is the highest score by someone in their first match as a Test captain? asked S Srinivasan from Chennai
Two players have made double-centuries in their first Test as captain: Shivnarine Chanderpaulhit 203 not out for West Indies against South Africa in Georgetown in 2004-05, but the highest score is 239, by New Zealand's Graham Dowling, against India in Christchurch in 1967-68.

Who has the most first-class runs by an Australian? (No Australians make it onto Cricinfo's records list.) My guess is Stuart Law, Darren Lehmann or Justin Langer? asked Alex Thalis from Australia
All good guesses - but actually the top Australian at the moment is none other than Don Bradman, who made 28,067 runs in first-class cricket, at the handy average of 95.14. But he's probably about to lose top spot to Justin Langer, who has 27,943 runs (at 50.25) as I write. Stuart Law has 27,080, while Darren Lehmann made 25,795.

[Via Steven Lynch Cricinfo.com]

Legends of the fall at 10:25 AM

Perhaps one collapse in a Test had become boring, so Sri Lanka and Pakistan produced two here

Well done us: Younis Khan welcomes Saeed Ajmal to the all too famous Sri Lankan collapse © AFP

Something changes in the air when these two friendly teams come up against each other. Pakistan and Sri Lanka may not have a historical rivalry going, but for dramatic turns and collapses look no further. There have been three already in this series, Sri Lanka's losing seven wickets for 63 today being the latest, but those who follow these contests regularly will point to a long history of collapses, against the run of play - across formats.

Remember Singapore? Sanath Jayasuriya scored the fastest half-century in a chase of 216. By the time Jayasuriya fell for a 28-ball 76, the contest was all but over - only for them to lose the next nine wickets for 76 runs. What happened in Kandy two years ago? Sri Lanka sat pretty with a lead of 131 and then lost the whole team for a matter of 51. Pakistan provided their own version twice in this series, losing 18 wickets for 137 in less than two-and-a-half sessions.

Those who follow these contests will also tell us that Pakistan have often had the better of these collapses: Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis taking all ten to dismiss Sri Lanka for 71 in Kandy in 1994, Wasim going berserk at the SSC in 2000, reducing Sri Lanka's second innings from 67 for 2 to 123, or the Sharjah tie in which Abdul Razzaq went mad with his reverse-swing as Sri Lanka lost their last eight wickets for 23 in a chase of 197. Muttiah Muralitharan pulled one back for Sri Lanka in Peshawar in 1999-2000, sending Pakistan from 137 for 2 to 199.

Knowing the history Sri Lanka and Pakistan share its likely a few more instances may have slipped under the radar, but the number of Test collapses alone is sizeable or the last 20 years or so. For some reason, batsmen find the momentum swings irresistible. For some reason, everything comes together for bowling sides at the same time. It could be a freak coincidence too, but the presence of good bowlers against tails could suggest a trend. The likes of Wasim and Waqar could run through tails in a hurry, and so can Murali and now Ajantha Mendis. Mendis is accurate, doesn't spin the ball much, and his fast legbreak has proven to be too good for lesser batsmen.

Pakistan, who were on their way to losing this series via those two cave-ins, needed to get back at Sri Lanka. And against all trends today, Umar Gul, still struggling for rhythm and bowling regular no-balls, suddenly started reversing the ball. Gul had had an ordinary series thus far, coming off that special World Twenty20.

Younis Khan had earlier told Cricinfo that he just needed time. "He hasn't had any time to rest. For four days we kept doing the victory march in Pakistan, and came here directly. He is a match-winner, he might just take some time but he will recover."

Recover he did, and just in time. And a comeback of Pakistani proportions started. In a sudden flow of momentum, just to facilitate Sri Lanka's collapse, smaller errors like dropped catches seemed to stop mattering - they just didn't cost much. Kumar Sangakkara, looking set and to accumulate, got a ripper that nipped in late to take the slight gap between bat and pad. Gul's accuracy came back, the pads became to difficult and when Nuwan Kulasekara got a widish delivery, he threw his bat it without getting in position. Ranganna Herath got a swinging yorker first up, which he managed to get under.

Saeed Ajmal, for his part, got into the Test mode, slowing down his deliveries, flighting them as opposed to darting them in as in Galle, and creating doubt with his doosras. And when Pakistan start a day off with a direct-hit run-out, drama must be in the air. These are the same teams who were playing sleepathons in Pakistan earlier this year.

Perhaps one collapse in a Test had become boring, so they gave us two here. Who knows if a third one is around the corner? Even match, a pitch that will start to crumble, so yeah, why not? We won't we surprised.

[Via Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo]

Iqbal Qasim appointed chief selector at 4:19 PM

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).

England pull off great escape at 4:16 PM

James Anderson and Monty Panesar steal a single to guide England to safety at Cardiff © AFP

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.

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.

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.

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.

Courtesy By Andrew McGlashan is assistant editor of Cricinfo

Sri Lanka bowlers pull off improbable win at 12:33 PM

Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 1st Test, Galle, 4th day

Sri Lanka 292 (Paranavitana 72, Aamer 3-74, Younis 2-23) and 217 (Ajmal 3-34, Aamer 3-38, Younis 2-27) beat Pakistan 342 (Yousuf 112, Misbah 56, Kulasekara 4-71) and 117 (Herath 4-15, Thushara 2-21, Mendis 2-27) by 50 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Thushara bowled a dream spell, giving away just 12 runs in eight overs and picking two wickets © AFP

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Player/Officials: Rangana Herath Thilan Thushara

Matches: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Galle

Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka

Teams: Pakistan Sri Lanka

During a collapse of Pakistani proportions, the incredible Galle Test took a complete U-turn and decisively went Sri Lanka's way. Pakistan started the day needing 97 with eight wickets in hand after Salman Butt and first-innings centurion Mohammad Yousuf had looked good negotiating the last half hour yesterday. But Thilan Thushara and Rangana Herath bowled exceptional spells of varied left-arm bowling to help Sri Lanka take the last eight wickets for just 46.

Pakistan's trouble against left-arm spinners are well documented - even Herath's previous best bowling in Tests had come against Pakistan - and he started the slide with his first ball of the day. Yousuf pretended to play a shot, but the bowl went straight on to get the lbw. A brain freeze from Butt followed, and he holed out to long leg. No run added, two wickets taken, game on.

Though he got just two wickets today, Thushara did the main job. Not a single loose delivery was offered in an eight-over spell during which he beat the batsmen so often that a ball hitting the middle of the bat could make it to a highlights package. Thushara got the ball to move both ways, seaming it away and swinging it in. Kumar Sangakkara read the situation perfectly, employing in-and-out fields, not giving easy release through boundaries, nor singles without an element of maneuvering. With Thushara bowling as he was, maneuvering was not going to come easy.

Thushara got Shoaib Malik with one that moved away, bringing in the last capable batsman, Kamran Akmal. Akmal is quite capable of running away with small chases with fluent doubt-free batting, but nothing loose was on offer. Even when Akmal got a square-cut going the result was just a single because of the field. Nervously Misbah-ul-Haq and Akmal survived 21 deliveries, adding just eight, that too thanks to a misfield that went for four.

Thushara struck again at that time, getting the ball to tail in and trap Akmal lbw. Misbah didn't feel too comfortable either and fell trying to steal a leg-bye off a big lbw appeal. It was the fifth ball of the Thushara over, and he could have been trying to retain the strike, but there was never a run in it.

By the time Thushara and Herath were done with their first spells, Pakistan had lost five wickets for 20 runs in 15 overs. There was no conceivable way then for the tail to get the remaining 77. Especially with Ajantha Mendis yet to bowl, who ended with his first ball a 10-run stand between Abdur Rauf and Umar Gul. The accurate carrom ball was just too good for Gul.

Mohammad Aamer hung around for a bit but Herath came back to finish the match minutes before lunch, ensuring Galle's reputation of being a tough venue to bat last at remained intact.

Curtesy By Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at http://www.cricinfo.com/

Aaamer and Younis put Pakistan in sight of win at 9:56 AM

Pakistan 342 and 71 for 2 (Butt 28*) need 97 to beat Sri Lanka 292 and 217

(Ajmal 3-34, Aamer 3-38, Younis 2-27)

A mid-afternoon's dream: Mohammad Aamer's three-wicket spell rocked Sri Lanka © AFP

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News : Poor footwork cost us - Bayliss

Player/Officials: Mohammad Aamer Younis Khan

Matches: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Galle

Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka

Teams: Pakistan Sri Lanka

A fiery mid-afternoon spell from Mohammad Aamer and stable stock bowling from Younis Khan (yes, Younis Khan) rattled Sri Lanka's second innings, setting themselves 168 to win the Galle Test, in which pace bowlers had taken 23 of the 32 wickets to fall.

History is on Sri Lanka's side (no team has scored more than 6 runs in the fourth innings to win a Galle Test and, if achieved, 168 would be the third-highest total in fourth innings here), but the nature of the pitch and the contest is on Pakistan's. During the early stages of the hour-and-a-half Pakistan batted, a record-making win seemed inevitable, but two quick wickets late in the day meant the fourth, and most likely final, day won't be purely academic.

While Aamer has been the revelation of this match, Younis' bowling proved to be the wild card yet again - after he had broken two vital partnerships in the first innings. Pakistan started the first two sessions on a high - Umar Gul taking a wicket in the first over of the day and Aamer taking three post-lunch - but were thwarted for some time by two partnerships, both ended by Younis.

Aamer's spell was the highlight, with swing both ways at good pace, and featuring the big wickets of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jaywardene. His third victim was Tharanga Paranavitana, the first-innings half-centurion, who fell for 49 this time.

The action started late - after a 30-minute rain delay - but with immediate returns for Pakistan. Malinda Warnapura had a poor effort again, poking at the second delivery of the day, without moving his feet.

Nightwatchman Rangana Herath, though, proceeded to frustrate them almost till lunch, playing and missing regularly as is the nightwatchman's wont. It didn't help that Gul lost his rhythm fairly early, bowling four no-balls in a three-over spell. Paranavitana cashed in on that blip, and punished fully every poor delivery. Those three overs went for 22, and Sri Lanka were on their way.

Younis stemmed the flow of runs, through Abdur Rauf and himself. Both were unlucky that they didn't get Herath in the next nine overs. A plumb lbw off Rauf was missed by the umpire, and Younis kept beating him outside the off stump.

With two overs to go for lunch, Younis went for the pads as opposed to the outside edge, and ended the frustrating 68-run stand. Sri Lanka went in to lunch with the score effectively on 20 for 2. Paranavitana, who had been kept off strike for most of the last hour, moved to 42 in only 50 deliveries.

Post lunch, though, Aamer made the ball sing - and it wasn't music to the batsmen's ears. In the fourth over after the interval, Paranavitana got one that moved away from him and took the edge. Jayawardene, for the second time, got a good delivery, in Aamer's next over. The ball pitched in front of stumps, and moved away sharply, kissing the hanging bat on the way. In his next over, Sangakkara edged another swinging delivery, and 86 for 2 had become 101 for 5, a lead of just 51 runs.

Thilan Samaraweera counterattacked, so did Tillakaratne Dilshan. A flurry of boundaries, mostly drives down the ground, eased the slip cordon, and brought a mid-off in. In no time the two added 37 runs, but the captain returned to put the lid on. He didn't get as much movement as in the first spell, but went for only two in his two overs. Then he changed ends, and in his second over of the new spell got Dilshan. It was not the best of shots, though, chasing a wide and full delivery and guiding it to second slip.

For good measure Saeed Ajmal, who had Dilshan dropped off his bowling earlier, came back and got Samaraweera with a doosra. The eight-wicket partnership between Angelo Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara had added by 35, but a slash outside off just after tea ended Mathews' 27. A quick 20-run partnership between Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara carried the target past 150, but Ajmal made sure it didn't go too far.

Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor were conspicuously more watchful than they were in the first innings. Against the new and moving ball, they tried to play as few shots as possible, and kept Sri Lanka at a distance, also adding 36 in that period. At the end of the 11th over, an out-of-shape ball was changed, and the new ball got the breakthrough right away, with Manzoor edging Ajantha Mendis outside off. Younis the batsman failed where Younis the bowler succeeded, and got beaten by a sharp inswinger by Mathews.

From 39 for 2, though, Butt and Mohammad Yousuf played out the nervous period till stumps. Butt, especially, wasn't bogged down, and a late-cut from Yousuf in the last over before bad light stopped play brought the target inside 100.

Source by http://www.cricinfo.com/

Yousuf century gives Pakistan lead at 10:33 AM

Mohammad Yousuf marked his return to official cricket with his first century in Sri Lanka, a serene innings that lifted Pakistan from a precarious 80 for 4, and put them two runs ahead of Sri Lanka's total by the time he finally got out. Consequently Pakistan were in considerable control of a match that see-sawed for the first four sessions, with neither team claiming clear ascendance.

Yousuf got solid support from Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik, with whom he added 139 and 75 respectively. Those partnerships were the first time in the match that batsmen played with assurance for long periods. To be fair to Sri Lanka, the pitch had eased a bit from yesterday, but the wicketless Ajantha Mendis proved to be a crucial factor on the second day.

"The final most unpredictable act" at 1:46 PM

Lord's was a flag-waving sea of green and Dil Dil Pakistan rang out once more to celebrate Pakistan's victory in the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup. A Pakistani bus with people hanging off every door, window, and cramming the roof blared its horns outside the home of cricket. What a moment for Pakistan cricket fans and the residents of St John's Wood, NW8.
Pakistan cricket and unpredictability have become bedfellows over the years. At the start of this tournament there was a sense that the bedfellows were falling out of love. Pakistan had become predictable no-hopers. An underwhelming show in the warm-ups was followed by a cold performance against England.
Fans of Pakistan cricket may be pleased to know that unpredictability is back with a vengeance. Not only have Pakistan gone from unconvincing to unbeatable, they also won the final with the cool of habitual winners.