HBL overpower star studded KESC in extra time

KARACHI: Striker Khayyal Muhammad struck in the injury time to help Habib Bank Limited (HBL) stun star-studded Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) by 1-0 in a match of the Pakistan Premier Football League held here at the Korangi Baloch Football Ground in Sharafi Goth on Wednesday.After the match entered into extra time it seemed that it would end in a goalless draw but in the 92nd minute Habib Bank’s striker Khayyal Muhammad brought into the game the sort of sensation for which handful of crowd was waiting when he took a rebound on his chest on a corner kick and guided it smartly into the net to bring a 1-0 win for the bankers.Earlier, in the first half the now balanced KESC after the induction of five key players into its fold, failed to repeat the sort of performance they had shown in their 2-1 victory against KPT at the same venue the other day.Their frontline did not click as they missed three open net chances when Muhammad Rasool was off the target in the 29th and 31st minute and Abdul Rehman wasted the third just after the start of the second half.On the other hand, HBL, who had beaten NBP by 3-2 in their opener, remained lucky to convert the only fine opportunity they got in the injury time through positive striker Khayyal Muhammad.KESC coach Hassan Baloch was worried about lack of coordination among his players. “Because of the induction of five new players in the side there is a problem in coordination and that is why we missed quite few chances. But I am hopeful that we will overcome the problem as the time progresses and will get settled,” Hassan told ‘The News’.HBL coach cum manager Yousuf Khan termed his team’s win a welcome gesture for the future. “It was unbelievable. I had accepted that we will share one point each after the match entered into extra time. But we got the corner and that was converted by Khayyal Muhammad which gifted us three crucial points,” Yousuf told ‘The News’.This was the last match here in Karachi and the provincial metropolis will host their share of meetings in the 182-match marathon after Eid-ul-Fitr. KESC will now move to Rawalpindi on August 1 where they will face Army in their match at the Army Sports Complex on August 3 while HBL will proceed to Lahore where they will meet Pak Elektron Limited (PEL) in their third match on August 4 at the Model Town Football Academy Ground in the Punjab capital.Today (Thursday) is the rest day while on Friday PMC Athletico will lock horns with PEL at the Agriculture University Ground in Faisalabad.

Tigers earn their stripes, win one-day series

ROSEAU, Dominica: Half-centuries from Shakib Al Hasan and Mohammad Ashraful trumped a maiden One-day International hundred from Travis Dowlin, and inspired Bangladesh to a series-clinching three-wicket victory over West Indies here on Tuesday. Shakib, the Bangladesh captain, struck 65 from 61 balls to earn the Man-of-the-Match award, while Ashraful scored 64 from 77 balls, as the Tigers successfully chased 275 at Windsor Park for a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.Left-hander Abdur Razzak sealed the result with six balls to spare, when he top-edged a pull at a short, wide ball from Dave Bernard Jr to third man for four.It was Bangladesh’s highest successful run chase in more than 200 ODIs, and the victory followed their first-ever against West Indies by 52 runs on Sunday at the same venue.“I can’t explain the feeling,” said Shakib.“The boys have tried their best. The team has been supportive throughout the series, and so have the support staff, and we have done well.The series concludes on Friday at Warner Park in St. Kitts, where the two sides will also contest a Twenty20 International on Sunday.“Travis played really, really well for his hundred.“We knew coming into the game with five bowlers we were taking a risk, and it did not help that we lost three of our bowlers at critical stages. But I thought we played well and put in a big effort.“There have been a lot of positives which the guys can take from this series. It’s a young team, and we all need to be patient with them,” Reifer said.But the Tigers stumbled through their chase, after Dowlin struck an even, undefeated 100 to help West Indies post 274 for six from their allocation of 50 overs.They made a steady start and then wobbled on 64 for two before Ashraful featured in two successive half-century stands that stabilised the innings and put Bangladesh firmly on course.Ashraful added 52 for the third wicket with Raqibul Hasan, and then 74 for the fourth wicket with Shakib before he was caught at long-off off leg-spinner Rawl Lewis in the 37th over with 85 still needed.But there was plenty of drama in the closing stages, as Bangladesh would lose Shakib, Mahmudullah, and Mushfiqur Rahim, and West Indies would lose the services of key fast bowler Kemar Roach after he bowled two beamers.The Tigers have cruelly exposed the limitations of the batting of the makeshift West Indies side with their spin bowling in the preceding two Tests, and the first ODI, but Dowlin flipped the script with six fours and one six in a 117-ball knock.He reached his hundred, when he steered a delivery from Syed Rasel into square cover for a single.Dowlin had laboured 88 balls over 50 which he reached, when he swept Shakib to backward square leg for two, as the four Bangladesh spinners managed to keep things steady in the middle overs.But Bangladesh leaked 98 runs in the last 10 overs, including 50 in the Batting Power Play between the 40th and 44th overs, to give West Indies a late boost, after they had limped to 176 for five.Dowlin led the charge, but Rawl Lewis gathered a vital 22 from 27 balls in a sixth wicket stand of 64 from 40 balls, and Darren Sammy made a crucial 24 from 19 balls, as West Indies made 29 from the last 15 balls of the innings.Score board West Indies won tossWest IndiesD M Richards run out (Naeem Islam) 20A D S Fletcher c Naeem Islam b Shakib 22D S Smith run out (Tamim Iqbal) 44T M Dowlin not out 100*F L Reifer c Shakib b Naeem Islam 7D E Bernard st Mushfiqur b Abdur Razzak 22R N Lewis b Syed Rasel 22D J G Sammy not out 24Extras (lb3, w10) 13Total (6 wkts, 50 overs) 274Did not bat: †D C Thomas, G C Tonge, K A J RoachFall: 1-33, 2-52, 3-118, 4-134, 5-181, 6-245Bowling: Syed Rasel 8-0-61-1 (1w); Rubel Hossain 5-0-38-0 (1w); Shakib Al Hasan 10-2-42-1; Abdur Razzak 10-0-58-1 (4w); Naeem Islam 8-0-26-1 (1w); Mahmudullah 9-1-46-0 (2w)BangladeshTamim Iqbal c Bernard b Roach 29Junaid Siddique c Roach b Bernard 23Mohammad Ashraful c Richards b Lewis 64Raqibul Hasan c Reifer b Bernard 20*Shakib Al Hasan c Richards b Sammy 65†Mushfiqur Rahim c Sammy b Thomas 31Mahmudullah c (sub) Miller b Thomas 3Naeem Islam not out 3Abdur Razzak not out 11Extras (b5, lb5, w15, nb2) 27Total (7 wkts, 49 overs) 276Did not bat: Rubel Hossain, Syed RaselFall: 1-46, 2-64, 3-116, 4-190, 5-238, 6-251, 7-261Bowling: Roach 7.5-0-55-1 (2nb, 2w); Tonge 10-0-49-0 (2w); Sammy 10-0-39-1 (1w); Bernard 10-0-59-2 (7w); Lewis 10-0-53-1 (1w); Thomas 1.1-0-11-2 (2w)ODI debuts: D C Thomas and G C Tonge (West Indies)Man of the match: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)Result: Bangladesh won by three wicketsSeries: Bangladesh lead 3-ODI series 2-0Umpires: B R Doctrove (West Indies) and T L Hill (New Zealand). TV umpire: N A Malcolm (West Indies). Match referee: R S Mahanama (Sri Lanka)

Players approached by bookies’

KARACHI: The menace of match-fixing reared its ugly head again on Wednesday with a media report claiming that Pakistani cricketers were approached by bookmakers in Colombo during the recently-concluded Test series against Sri Lanka. The report claimed that some unidentified Indian bookies approached several Pakistani players during the second and third Tests against Sri Lanka in Colombo earlier this week. Yawar Saeed, the Pakistan team manager, was quoted as saying by the newspaper that the incidents did happen but the team management took appropriate steps to erase any chances of further contacts between the players and the bookies. “Yes we were told by some of the players that a few suspicious people approached them during the Colombo Tests,” Yawar was quoted as saying in the report. “We lodged a complaint with the hotel management and they immediately shifted all of us to another floor of the hotel,” he said. Yawar said the players have been strictly told to avoid such people and if anybody approaches them they should immediately inform the team management about it. According to details, the alleged ‘Indian’ bookies contacted the players during the second and third Test matches in Colombo, inviting them for lunches and dinners. According to Yawar, they were Mumbai-based bookies who probably are “in action again to try and get matches fixed”. The report has added fuel to suspicions of foul-play in Pakistan’s 0-2 defeat in the Test series against Sri Lanka. Pakistan lost the first two Tests from seemingly winning positions and then failed to win the final one in spite of having the upper hand. That match ended in a draw. Pakistan cricket was hit hard by allegations of match-fixing in the nineties and resulted in a life-ban on former captain Saleem Malik and fines on several other players.

Ponting has no Edgbaston hang-ups

BIRMINGHAM,: Australia captain Ricky Ponting insisted returning to Edgbaston, where the third Ashes Test starts on Thursday, held no bad memories for him after England’s dramatic win here in 2005.Four years go, England won by two runs in one of the most thrilling finishes in Test history to level the series at 1-1.Victory provided the springboard for their 2-1 Ashes series win — England’s first in 18 years.The morning of the first day four years ago saw Australia lose Glenn McGrath to a freak injury when the fast bowler trod on a stray cricket ball on the outfield.But despite that Ponting, who won the toss, still decided to field first only for England to score 407 runs on the first day.Come the last day of the match Australia needed 107 more runs to win with just three wickets standing. But, thanks mainly to Shane Warne (42) and Brett Lee (43 not out), they got within touching distance before Michael Kasprowicz, McGrath’s replacement, was caught behind off the glove.Ponting, just one of three Australian survivors set to play on Thursday from the 2005 team - the others are fellow batsmen Michael Clarke and Simon Katich - told reporters here on Wednesday. “At the end of the day I don’t think we were that disappointed coming away from here last time.“It was a great Test match and one in which, during the majority of the game we weren’t at our best but one in which we almost pulled what would have been one of the great Test wins ever.“So if anything, I think we’ve got some fond memories of 2005 here just because it was such a great game of cricket.”But whereas four years ago Australia were 1-0 up, now they find themselves 1-0 down with three to play after their 115-run loss to England at Lord’s.“It’s about righting the wrongs from Lord’s and making sure you see a better Australian performance than you did last time at Lord’s,” Ponting said.England too are much changed from 2005 with only captain Andrew Strauss, recalled batsman Ian Bell and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff set to play this week although fast bowler Stephen Harmison is in the 12-man squad from which their third Test side will be picked.But weather, not history was uppermost in Ponting’s mind as rain lashed down on Edgbaston on Wednesday, causing large puddles to form on the outfield.“I am a bit more worried about the weather than anything else to tell the truth,” said Ponting, whose side are weighing up whether to recall the likes of Stuart Clark and Shane Watson in a bid to bolster their bowling.Any time lost to bad weather would benefit England as it would reduce Australia’s chances of victory and help the home side preserve their lead in the series.

Afridi gets T20 captaincy

KARACHI: Pakistan on Wednesday named their World Twenty20 championship hero Shahid Afridi as captain for the one-off T20 International against Sri Lanka in Colombo on August 12.Though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that its chairman Ijaz Butt “has appointed Shahid Afridi as captain for the Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka”, the senior allrounder is set to lead the Greenshirts in their title defence in the West Indies next year.The 29-year-old confirmed that Butt has assured him Twenty20 captaincy till the April 30-May 16 spectacle in the Caribbean, saying that he would try his best to make it two in a row for Pakistan.“I’m proud to get this honour,” Afridi said from Dambulla where Pakistan were preparing for their one-day series opener against Sri Lanka on Thursday (today).Afridi replaces regular skipper Younis Khan as the Twenty20 captain. Younis announced his retirement from the slam-bang version of the game after spearheading Pakistan to a title-winning triumph at Lord’s on June 22.Just days later, Butt announced that he would try and convince Younis to change his mind about quitting Twenty20 cricket but apparently his efforts failed.Younis will continue as Pakistan’s regular captain for Tests and One-day Internationals.“Younis is a very good captain and everybody is supporting him,” said Afridi.Afridi, who made his international debut as a 16-year-old in 1996, is one of Pakistan’s senior most players but has never captained the country in any format of the game.He was always floated as a captaincy candidate in recent years but was never actually selected till now. This time, however, the PCB has chosen him ahead of vice-captain Misbah-ul-Haq, to lead Pakistan in the Twenty20 format.It was his heroics in back-to-back World Twenty20 editions in South Africa and England that prompted the authorities to give him the responsibility. Afridi was the man of the tournament when Pakistan reached the final of the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 where it lost to old-rivals India. He narrowly missed that prize in England last month but was the man of the match in the semifinal and final against South Africa and Sri Lanka.The flamboyant cricketer said that captaincy is unlikely to affect his performance.“My focus will remain on giving my best for the team and hopefully I will carry on from where I left in the Twenty world cup,” he said.Afridi, who has played 26 Tests, 273 One-day Internationals and has appeared in all 23 Twenty20 Internationals, opted out of the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka but is now back in the 16-man touring party for the one-day series against Sri Lanka.It will be the first time Afridi will lead the national team in any format of the game, getting his chance nearly 13 years after making his Pakistan debut. He has plenty of captaincy experience at the domestic level, having led Habib Bank Limited (HBL), Sindh and Karachi Dolphins over the past few years.“Captaining Pakistan shouldn’t be a problem for me,” he said. “I’m confident that the team will give its best.”Afridi is already eyeing a second World Twenty20 title in the Caribbean. Pakistan will begin the defence of their title against fellow Asian Test nation Bangladesh in St Lucia on May 1.The 2010 World Twenty20 championship comes just ten months after Pakistan lifted the crown at Lord’s after the International Cricket Council (ICC) was forced to make some adjustments to the cricket calendar because of the postponement of the ICC Champions Trophy.

NMSG might be delayed till December

KARACHI: The second edition of the National Mind Sports Games (NMSG), launched with great fanfare last August, will be held later this year.A spokesman of the Mind Sports Association of Pakistan (MSAP), informed ‘The News’ here on Wednesday that it has been decided in principle to have the 2nd NMSG staged during the month of December and a final decision in this regard was to be taken soon.The MSAP, he added, had originally planned holding the 2nd NMSG in August, exactly one year after the inaugural event, but after deliberations it was decided to have it in the last week of December when the student community will be on winter vacations.The Board of Directors of the MSAP, headed by Khurshid Hadi, was instrumental in making the first-ever NMSG a success story. The NMSG carried cash awards of around Rs fifteen lacs that was indeed quite a substantial amount in the context of bridge, chess and scrabble.The inaugural NMSG had gained added significance by the decision of the Pakistan Bridge Federation (PBF) and the Scrabble Association of Pakistan (SAP) to declare their respective contests as the National Championships for the year 2008. The Chess Federation of Pakistan (CFP), having organised the National Chess Championship just a fortnight ago, had classified the chess competition in the NMSG as a national ranking event.

Younis wary of Murali

DAMBULLA: Younis Khan, the Pakistan captain, has said his players will look to play out Muttiah Muralitharan, and not give him too many wickets in the ODI series. “Murali is a matchwinner for Sri Lanka and everybody knows that if he bowls his ten overs well Sri Lanka will win,” Younis said. “We will be working on not giving Murali wickets.” Muralitharan, who returns to the Sri Lanka side after missing the 2-0 victory in the three-Test series through a knee injury, boasts an impressive record against the visitors. He has taken 88 wickets in 60 games against Pakistan at 24.62 and an economy rate of 4.03. At home, the record improves further — an average of 22.78 and an economy rate of 3.64 — with 19 wickets in 13 matches. Younis said fielding would be a key aspect throughout the five ODIs and one Twenty20 International. “We are aware of Sri Lanka’s strength,” Younis said. “We must stick to our basics everyday and in every game. Sri Lanka’s fielding is fantastic and they have the upper hand in fielding. If we field like we did in the Twenty20 we can provide good competition.” Younis also stressed on the importance of getting off to a winning start in the first ODI in Dambulla on Thursday (today), and said the team would need to regroup and start afresh after the defeat in the Test series. “Every day’s a different day,” Younis said. “We want to forget about the Test series and start anew. We are more motivated because we are again in a ‘do and die situation’. Having lost the Test series it would be good for me and for Pakistan if we can leave by winning the ODI and T20. All our boys are very keen to win the ODI series because after the World Twenty20 we had no celebrations, because we straight away came to Sri Lanka.” Younis also welcomed the ICL players back into the international fold and hoped they would “perform well for the country and then for themselves.”