South Africa beat Zimbabwe by 45 Runs 1st ODI

South Africa began their season with a 45-run victory over neighbours, Zimbabwe, at Benoni yet were left with plenty to ponder after a battling century from Tatenda Taibu in a record sixth-wicket stand of 188. The game was done as a contest when Zimbabwe fell to 48 for 5, but Taibu and Stuart Matsikenyeri refused to roll over and plundered the home attack with Taibu reaching his second ODI hundred in the final over.

In their first outing since making an early exit from the Champions Trophy, South Africa's reshaped batting unit produced a solid effort as they piled up 295 for 5 after Hashim Amla top-scored with 80 alongside a fluent run-a-ball 51 from AB de Villiers and a powerful 39-ball fifty by Albie Morkel. With Ryan McLaren striking twice on debut and Dale Steyn claiming two in four balls the game was heading for swift end, but South Africa lost their intensity.

Taibu and Matsikenyeri exposed the bowling attack with Zimbabwe's highest sixth-wicket stand and their second largest partnership in ODIs. South Africa's bowling was a concern for them during the Champions Trophy and this performance will have done little to alleviate those worries ahead of the England series.

Wayne Parnell's return can't come soon enough with Dale Steyn still appearing short of a gallop. Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Charl Langeveldt are vying for spots against England, but neither made an outstanding case in this outing while, despite a lively innings, Morkel continued to look unthreatening with the ball at this level.

After struggling with the bat in Bangladesh - and slumping for an embarrassing 44 all out on one occasion - Zimbabwe will take great heart from their fighting effort and it could well encourage a shuffle of the order for the next game with Taibu and Matsikenyeri both making strong cases for promotion.

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Former players question Umar Akmal's absence in 2nd ODI Against New Zealand

Former Pakistan captains have questioned the manner in which Umar Akmal was omitted from the second ODI against New Zealand, which Pakistan lost to leave the series tied at 1-1. Akmal's name was a surprising omission from the team sheet at the toss - Shoaib Malik took his place - and Younis Khan's explanation for the change was not entirely clear.
Akmal, 19, has had an excellent start to his international career, scoring his maiden ODI century in just his third game and averages 49.83 in the format.
"It can be very discouraging for a young man like Umar since he has been very impressive in recent games for Pakistan and is raring to go against the Kiwis," said Waqar Younis, commentating on the series in the UAE. "It is bound to shake his confidence in the coming games."
Rameez Raja questioned whether the decision was down to Pakistan's rotation policy or something else entirely. "I would like to know the logic behind this and whose decision was it to omit Umar from this game," he said. "This will only hurt Pakistan."
Salahuddin Ahmed, a former national selector, was similarly critical of the decision to drop an in-form player. "I think the ouster will hurt the confidence of Umar to a large extent. This should have not been done with him at this moment," he told the Karachi-based Dawn. "I will also not support the decision of dropping Shoaib Malik from the first ODI, since he is one of the best allrounders for this version of the game. Pakistan should have gone with Kamran Akmal with any of the regular openers to make room for both Shoaib and Umar for all these matches."

England crushing win on Diamond Eagles Warm Up Match

England started their tour of South Africa with a crushing 185-run over the Diamond Eagles franchise team in a 50-overs match in Bloemfontein on Friday.
Captain Andrew Strauss hit one of three half-centuries as England piled up 294 for seven, taking advantage of good batting conditions after being sent in to bat.
Stuart Broad struck with the second ball of the Eagles' innings and the home team never recovered, crashing to 109 all out in 26.2 overs. Five England bowlers took two wickets each.
Strauss hit 72 and shared a second wicket stand of 123 with Jonathan Trott (85) before Eoin Morgan slammed a quick 67 not out off 52 balls as the innings ended with a flurry of scoring.
Eagles opening bowler CJ de Villiers took an early wicket when he bowled Joe Denly for three but Strauss and Trott put the tourists in command.
Strauss and Trott were content to play themselves in as they compiled their century partnership before lifting the tempo.
Strauss made his runs off 85 balls with seven fours and a six before holing out to square leg against the medium-paced Ryan Bailey.
Trott took 81 balls to reach his fifty but needed only another 23 deliveries to reach 85, with seven fours, before he was bowled by Bailey when he missed an attempted pull.
Morgan was mainly responsible for England scoring 57 runs in the batting Powerplay, which was taken from the 43rd to the 47th over. But he rode his luck, surviving two dropped catches.
Eagles opening batsman Morne van Wyk edged the second ball of the innings from Broad to Graeme Swann in the slips.
Promising left-hander Rilee Rossouw hit four fours in making 17 off 10 balls but was caught behind off the first ball of Broad's second over.
James Anderson, Sajid Mahmood, Swann and Paul Collingwood also took two wickets each as the Eagles collapsed.
England play a second warm-up match against the Warriors franchise in Kimberley Sunday before returning to Bloemfontein for a Twenty20 match against South Africa A on Tuesday ahead of two Twenty20 internationals and five one-day internationals against South Africa.

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New Zealand Terrific Win on Pakistan 2nd ODI

Brendon McCullum hit a return-to-form hundred and Scott Styris took three wickets in two overs as New Zealand beat Pakistan by 64 runs in the second day-night international here on Friday.
McCullum notched 131 to help the Black Caps post a challenging 303-8 on a flat Abu Dhabi Stadium pitch before Styris (3-23) triggered a middle-order collapse which saw Pakistan bowled out for 239, leaving the three-match series level at 1-1
Chasing a daunting target, Pakistan got off to a solid start of 77 with Khalid Latif (45) and Salman Butt (59) setting the tempo. Even after Latif fell leg-before to New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori in the 17th over, Pakistan were well on course.
Butt and Younus (19) added another 47 for the second wicket before Styris struck three times in ten balls to turn the match in his team's favour.
Bowling for the first time in 13 months, Styris had Younus smartly caught at short mid-wicket by a diving Ross Taylor and then next ball induced Shahid Afridi (0) to play into the same fielder's hands.
In his next over, Styris had Kamran Akmal (four) caught at short cover before Butt was run out after being sent back by Mohammad Yousuf.Vettori then trapped Yousuf (18) to push Pakistan to the brink of defeat.
Although Shoaib Malik (26) and Abdul Razzaq (35) resisted, it was too little too late against a professional New Zealand.
 

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Bangladesh thrilling ODI victory by 1 Wicket

All-rounder Naeem Islam hit a superb 73 not out off 90 balls to power Bangladesh to a thrilling one-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in the fifth and final one-dayer here on Thursday.
The 22-year-old kept his cool and added 35 runs along with last man Nazmul Hossain to snatch victory from Zimbabwe, with the hosts finishing the series comfortable 4-1 winners.
Brendan Taylor hit a brilliant 118 not out -- his maiden ton -- off 125 balls to propel the visitors to 221 for nine wickets, with Man-of-the-Series Abdur Razzak sharing the wickets with Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah.
Zimbabwe were smelling a pride-restoring victory when they reduced the hosts to 187 for nine, with all Bangladesh's big names returning to the pavilion thanks to three run-outs and some tight bowling.
Then Naeem stepped up, hitting three consecutive sixes off Chamu Chibhabha in a sensational 48th over, capitalising on a power-play, and then scoring five runs in the 49th over to seal victory in front of 20,000 spectators at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
"Right to the end I never thought we would lose," said Naeem, who was well supported earlier in his innings by Mahmudullah.
Earlier, Taylor returned to form for the tourists, hammering 118 off just 125 balls and holding his side's innings together when wickets tumbled at the other end against the rampaging Bangladeshi spinners.
Taylor hit seven fours and four sixes and took 19 runs in the last over to guide Zimbabwe to their best score in the series, which the visitors had already lost after being shot out for 44 in the previous match Tuesday.
The Bangladeshi slow bowlers again spun a web around the Zimbabwe batsmen, but Taylor first put on 62 with a promoted Elton Chigumbura and took the score past 200 single-handedly after they were reduced to 113 for seven.
Chigumbura, with a breezy 38, was the only other notable scorer in the Zimbabwe innings.
Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan said his top order and middle order failed again, but Naeem's heroics pulled them through for an unlikely victory.
"We thought the game was over but as far as Naeem is concerned he played a really good innings and with good confidence," he said.
Zimbabwe drew first blood in the series, posting a five-wicket victory in the first match on October 27.
But led by their spinners, Bangladesh bounced back in the next three matches to clinch the series with a match in hand.
Visiting captain Hamilton Masakadza said they lost the match in Naeem's explosive 48th over.
"I thought the guys fought hard, tried hard but that one over which went for 18 to 20 runs changed things," he said.

Australia Defeted India by 3 Runs in 5th ODI

Australia defeated India by three runs despite a scintillating 175 by Sachin Tendulkar in the fifth one-day international here on Thurday.

Tendulkar, 36, smashed 19 fours and four sixes for his 45th one-day century before India were bowled out for 347 in 49.4 overs while chasing Australia's imposing 350-4 in 50 overs.

Tendulkar, who became the first batsman ever to surpass 17,000 runs in one-day cricket when he reached seven runs, also shared a 137-run partnership with Suresh Raina (59) to take India close in the day-night encounter.

But his dismissal in the 48th over proved the turning point of the game and handed Australia a 3-2 lead in the seven-match series.

Debutant fast bowler Clint McKay picked three wickets, including that of Tendulkar, while Shane Watson took 3-47 to cap a fine all-round performance, having scored 93 earlier.

Australia were also indebted to Shaun Marsh, who struck a career-best 112 and shared 145 runs for the opening wicket with Watson after the world champions won the toss and elected to bat at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium.

India began their chase in rollicking fashion with openers Virender Sehwag (38) and Tendulkar putting on 66 runs in 53 balls but lost their way in the middle with three quick dismissals.

Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and skipper Dhoni all failed to reach double-figures as they tried to go for the big shots, India slipping to a shaky 162-4 by the 24th over.

Raina kept his cool, reaching his 12th one-day half-century with a six before a Watson double strike tilted the scale back in Australia's favour.

Earlier, Marsh clobbered eight fours and two sixes in his run-a-ball knock for his maiden one-day hundred, reached with a clipped two to deep square leg off paceman Ashish Nehra (1-79).

Watson too thrived in batsmen-friendly conditions, hitting nine fours and three sixes in his 89-ball effort before being caught at deep mid-wicket as he tried to slog sweep off-spinner Harbhajan Singh (1-44).

Cameron White then hit a sparkling 57 off 33 balls to complete a run-feast by the injury-hit Aussies, missing nine of their regular one-day players to various niggles.

India's bowlers were left with little answer to the Aussie onslaught, as reflected in the dismal figures of fast bowlers Nehra and Munaf Patel (0-73). Praveen Kumar picked two wickets but at the cost of 68 runs in nine overs.

The visitors were off to a flying start with Watson and Marsh laying the platform for the huge total with their aggressive stroke-making.

Marsh, dropped on 29 by Dhoni and on 52 by Sehwag, was finally dismissed by Nehra who had him caught by Gambhir at long-on.

The next match will be played in Guwahati on Sunday.

Pakistan Crush to Newzealand by 138 1st ODI

Shahid Afridi hit an aggressive half-century and took two wickets to cap Pakistan's 138-run win over New Zealand in the first day-night international here on Tuesday.

Afridi's 50-ball 71 supplemented by Kamran Akmal's undefeated 43-ball 67 and Khalid Latif's steady maiden fifty lifted Pakistan to an imposing 287-9 before they shot New Zealand out for 149 in the 40th over.

The victory, which gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the three-match one-day series, was also a sweet revenge for the winners who lost to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy semi-final last month.

The remaining two matches will be played here on Friday and Monday, before the two teams move to Dubai for two Twenty20 internationals on November 12 and 13.

Chasing a daunting target, New Zealand were never on course as Gul shook them by bowling Brendon McCullum (21) and Martin Guptill (four) by the tenth over.

Teenager Mohammad Aamir accounted for Ross Taylor (nought) and Abdul Razzaq sent Scot Styris (five) back as New Zealand reeled at 50-4.

Aaron Redmond (52) and Daniel Vettori (38) provided the only resistance during a 69-run fifth wicket stand before five wickets fell for 10 runs.

Earlier, it was Akmal who gave Pakistan's innings the final touches with a belligerent 43-ball 67 laced with four sixes and five boundaries as Pakistan ran rampant, making 107 in the last ten overs.

He built on vice-captain Afridi's innings, who was instrumental in initially stepping up the run-rate with his bold hitting as he smashed three sixes and four boundaries during his 30th half-century.

Afridi added 101 runs for the fifth wicket with Latif after New Zealand paceman Shane Bond dismissed opener Salman Butt and Younus - both without scoring - in his incisive five-over spell.

Latif, who scored 19 in his only previous one-day match in January last year, was also involved in a 57-run stand for the third wicket with Mohammad Yousuf, who shaped well for his 30 before being run out.

Afridi hit Vettori for a six before smashing two off successive deliveries off Nathan McCullum. He hit Bond for a straight drive to reach his half-century off 36 deliveries, his first in 33 matches.

Afridi's last ODI fifty came against Zimbabwe at Multan last year.

Latif hit only two boundaries during his 112-ball knock.

Kamran's innings was special as he made full use of the power-play, and added 86 off just 37 balls for the seventh wicket with Abdul Razzaq, who made 20-ball 26.

Pakistan won the toss elect to bat first against New Zealand

1st ODi in UAE between Pakistan and New Zealand.Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi the straw-colored grass is well rolled into the turf and it should be good for batting. There are some cracks but they haven't opened up and the pitch looks very hard."

Pakistan won the toss and Younis Khan (C) Packistan elect to bat first against New Zealand 1st ODI.

Starting is very Slow and loose two wickets (Salman Butt and Younis Khan (C)) no score 2.1 over.

Bond Clash those wickets 1st two overs. New Zealand some Player injured but Daniel Vettori (c) said all team player will be all efford against Pakistan.

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Bangladesh's most comprehensive win

Bangladesh won their five-match one-day international cricket series against fellow minnows Zimbabwe in style after beating the visitors by six wickets in the fourth match here on Tuesday. 
The visitors were shot out to one-day international cricket's fifth lowest total, setting the hosts an easy target of 45 to seal the series 3-1 before Thursday's final match. 
In reply, Bangladesh overcame some moments of panic, losing four wickets in five runs after the openers added 33 runs in 6.3 overs, before cruising home to a well-deserved victory in front of 20,000 fans at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium. 
Stand-in Zimbabwean captain Hamilton Masakadza won the toss but came to rue his decision to bat first as Bangladesh opted for the same pace-spin opening attack that paid rich dividends on Saturday. 
"Obviously, we misread the wicket. It was slower than we thought," Masakdza said, conceding that his batsmen also gave away wickets cheaply. The visitors lost their four top batsmen for eight runs, due largely to some innocuous shots on a wicket that was forecast to be a batting paradise. 
All-rounder Malcolm Waller (13) tried to build the innings with Stuart Matsikenyeri (11), but once he lofted a catch at cover-point off Bangladeshi captain Shakib Al Hasan, Zimbabwe's innings folded up for just 44 in 24.5 overs. 
Shakib, the world's number one one-day allrounder and Wisden magazine's international cricketer of the year, was the wrecker in-chief, picking up three wickets and conceding just eight runs in 6.5 overs. 
"When we started playing, we thought it was a flat track but when our spinners came in it was doing a bit and they landed the ball in the right areas," the 22-year-old captain said. 
Left-arm spinner Enamul Haque got three wickets, repeating his brilliant feat on Saturday. 
But it was the pace-spin opening attack of Nazmul Hossain and Abdur Razzak which triggered the collapse, both grabbing two wickets each while giving away only 10 runs apiece. Nazmul was adjudged man of the match for picking the heavyweight wickets of Masakadza and Charles Coventry and the brilliant catch that sent back Waller.
In reply, Tamim Iqbal played a quick-fire 22 in front of his home crowd. But once he was gone, trying to sweep Raymond Price, three more followed in some unnecessary panic that the hosts are known for. 
It needed the steady hands of Raqibul Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim to guide Bangladesh to one of their best victories in one-day cricket.

Australia Crush to India by 24 Runs in Mohali

Ricky Ponting was a relieved man after a series-leveling 24-run win over India, and the Australian captain revealed that he was worried about their total of 250 not being big enough, but that his bowlers made victory possible. 
"It was a good win but I thought we left out some 30-40 runs. We lost wickets at crucial moments which caused us to lose momentum and 250 seemed a little short. But our bowlers did a great job," a beaming Ponting said. Heaping praise on left-arm pacer Doug Bollinger, who took three wickets, Ponting said, "He showed his wicket-taking ability today. Everytime I pressed him into action, he did well. He and Shane (Watson), along with (Nathan) Hauritz did well and the whole bowling unit did a great job. The dew made it harder but we stuck to our job." Ponting was particularly happy that his bowlers have not allowed the Indian opening pair of Viernder Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar to score big knocks. Ponting also dismissed the suggestion that Sachin Tendulkar's dismissal, a terrible LBW judgement by umpire Ashoka de Silva, was the turning point of the match. Ponting seemed more impressed by Harbhajan's batting ability and described him as a dangerman in the powerplays. 
Even though the team has lost a number of frontline players to injury, Ponting said the team was getting some balance now.
On losing the toss, Ponting said," I wanted to bat first, so it did not matter. I knew there would be some seam movement early on but once we see through that period, it would become flatter. I always prefer to set a good total and put pressure on the opposition."

India Won the toss Field First Against Australia in 4th ODI

India have won the toss and they will bowl first. Sehwag is fit to play but Gambhir isn't. Dhoni didn't see any point in risking him so fair enough. Virat Kohli gets a game.

One change for Australia. Adam Voges goes out and Shaun Marsh gets a game. That should a lot of you who were questioning Marsh's exclusion from the previous game. The teams are up above.

Shane Bond confidence over pipping Pakistan in Abu Dhabi

New Zealand’s pace bowler Shane Bond is confident of his team’s good performance against Pakistan in the first of the three matches in Abu Dhabi.

New Zealand’s five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Champions Trophy in Johannesburg was reason to believe a series win was within their grasp, although Bond is wary that the environment would suit Pakistan far better.

“We’ll redraw the stuff we had last time on them. It worked pretty well in terms of the bowlers; we knew what we had to do. Obviously this time we''ll have to adapt to the surface which will be flat and slow like Pakistan conditions,” Bond said.

 Bond will be a key figure at the top of the bowling order as he continues his return to the international fold, the New Zealand Herald reports.

 He returned in September’s one-day series in Sri Lanka, followed by the Champions Trophy, where he showed glimpses of his class.

A return to the test stage looms in the three-test home series against Pakistan starting on November 24 in Dunedin.

“It’ll be quite nice to get a full run of cricket in this series and then get back and get into some four-day cricket as well. I’m expecting the more I play the better I’ll get. I haven’t hit top form but it’s not far away,” he said.

“Everyone goes on about the speed, I’m happy with the pace I’m bowling. The more I bowl the more consistent I’ll get. I haven’t put in a consistent performance yet. I’ve been good in the odd spell then I’ve come back and haven’t been as sharp as I’m supposed to be,” he said.

India Lead 2-1 against Australia 7 ODI Series

India 230 for 4 (Yuvraj 78, Dhoni 71*) beat Australia 229 for 5 (Hussey 81*, Ponting 59, Watson 41) by six wickets.

Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni shared a serene 148-run stand to help India win a battle of attrition on a sluggish track at the Feroz Shah Kotla and take a 2-1 lead in the seven-ODI series. Australia would perhaps rue the fact that they settled for 229 when they batted after winning an important toss.

"A total of 220 should be a good score on this pitch," Ponting had said and Australia's approach while batting reflected his mindset. Their bowlers did pick up three quick top-order wickets to leave India wobbling at 53 for 3 but Yuvraj and Dhoni batted with the knowledge that sufficient time spent at the crease would ensure a risk-free victory. The pitch was slow and not conducive to stroke making but it did not spin treacherously, despite the visibly dramatic wear and tear.

The game was evenly balanced mid way during the chase with India in consolidation mode at 101 for 3, but Yuvraj and Dhoni slowly and surely pulled India ahead. They batted with restraint while settling in on this track because, as Michael Hussey proved earlier during an unbeaten 81, batting got easier with more time spent on it.

They scored largely in singles and twos before Yuvraj attacked in the 34th over with 94 needed in 17 overs. He flicked for six and hit an extra-cover drive off Moises Henriques before he repeated the sequence next over with a bludgeoned six over long-on and a square-driven boundary against Adam Voges. The momentum shifted permanently after that and Yuvraj played several exquisite drives. He fell 29 runs short of the target but Dhoni struck a couple of boundaries to ward off any hiccups.

Australia built the 230 target to India of 3rd OneDay

Australia won the toss today Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi and elect to bat first, they are set the target to India 230 of 50 Overs.

Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson played with admirable patience and skill on a slow, low track to push Australia to 101 for 1 at the half-way mark in the third ODI in Delhi. India came back with the wicket of Watson but Michael Hussey joined Ponting and ensured there wouldn't be any further damage.

"A total of 220 should be a good score on this pitch," Ponting said after winning an important toss and Australia's approach reflected his mindset. Ponting, who opened only for the second time in his career in Tim Paine's absence, and Watson didn't try anything fancy on the sluggish track.

Australia Won the Toss elect to bat First 3rd ODI in Delhi

It's a good Saturday to all you following this game between India and Australia at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi. Australia won the toss and Australia are batting. Ponting's happy to win it. Three changes for Australia. The teams are up above. As you can see, Bollinger replaces Hilfenhaus, Manou comes in for Paine while Moises Henriques replaces Shaun Marsh. It's also Henriques' debut. He's not an unfamiliar face for Indian audiences. He was part of the NSW team which won the Champions League. India are not change.

India Team: 

SR Tendulkar, V Sehwag, G Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, SK Raina, MS Dhoni*†, RA Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, A Nehra, P Kumar, I Sharma.

Australia Team: 

SR Watson, RT Ponting*, CL White, MEK Hussey, AC Voges, MC Henriques, MG Johnson,GA Manou†,NM Hauritz, PM Siddle, DE Bollinger.