Cardiff: England captain Alastair Cook insisted he did not care which side his team faced in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy after they booked their place in the last four with a 10-run win over New Zealand in Cardiff on Sunday. England top Group A ahead of Monday's final match between defending champions Australia and Sri Lanka at The Oval. If England finish as pool winners they will face...
08:01 AM, Jun 17, 2013
Karachi: In the aftermath of the crushing defeat to India, former skipper Aamir Sohail has launched a scathing attack on one of Pakistan's greatest cricketers, Imran Khan, saying the World Cup-winning captain is responsible for the current state of sport in the country. "I want to say clearly, and for once we must face the truth, that Imran is responsible for the state of affairs in our cricket," Sohail said....
05:06 AM, Jun 17, 2013
Cardiff: England put a ball-tampering row behind them to book their place in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy with a 10-run win over New Zealand in Cardiff on Sunday. New Zealand, chasing 170 for victory in a match reduced by rain to 24 overs per side, were held by the tournament hosts to 159 for eight. Victory saw England, yet to win a major 50-over competition, into the last...
12:42 AM, Jun 17, 2013
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has thrown his support behind under fire skipper Misbah-ul-Haq after the national team's disappointing Champions Trophy tournament. Misbah, 39, was the only Pakistani batsman to shine with two half-centuries in England as the Greenshirts lost all their three group matches to West Indies, South Africa and India. The team's disappointing performance has led to calls for changes in the squad and for the removal of...
09:55 PM, Jun 16, 2013
London: Down with a recurrent back injury, Australia's regular skipper Michael Clarke says the actions of David Warner and other team-mates in Birmingham had an "impact on his leadership". "It certainly has an impact on the leadership. There's no doubt about it," Clarke said. Opener Warner was suspended by Cricket Australia until the start of the Ashes series and fined after attacking England's Joe Root in a bar. Warner along...
08:59 PM, Jun 16, 2013
Karachi: Former captain Zaheer Abbas has lamented the shortage of quality batsmen in Pakistan and said the absence of role models has led to the side's woes in batting department. "The way I see it our poor batting performances in recent years can be put down to the fact that we are not producing role models for the new players," Zaheer said. "Tell me today who is the role model...
07:53 PM, Jun 16, 2013
New Delhi: Being aware about his limitations as a bowler has been key to Bhuvneshwar Kumar's success at the international level, feels his childhood coach Sanjay Rastogi. "Bhuvi knows his limitations as a bowler and never tries to cross those. Consistency makes his bowling more lethal. He will get better with experience and can spearhead Indian pace attack with this consistency," Rastogi said on Sunday. Kumar claimed 2 for 19...
05:47 PM, Jun 16, 2013
Birmingham: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has told his match-winning young team to remain focused as it approached the business end of the Champions Trophy. The reigning World Cup champions have enjoyed a remarkable campaign in the eight-nation tournament so far, becoming the only team to enter the semi-finals with an all-win record. But Dhoni knowns all the good work will mean nothing if his team slips up in Thursday's...
03:27 PM, Jun 16, 2013
Cardiff: Left-handed batsman Corey Anderson will replace Grant Elliot in New Zealand's ICC Champions Trophy squad. Elliott exacerbated an injury to his left calf during a training session here Saturday. New Zealand's next and final Group A match is against England here Sunday. The International Cricket Council's (ICC) Event Technical Committee approved the change. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the committee before the player can be...
03:14 PM, Jun 16, 2013
Cardiff: James Anderson has insisted that allegations of ball-tampering levelled against England by former captain Bob Willis are "very disappointing" and definitely untrue. England limited overs coach Ashley Giles refuted on Saturday the claims made by Willis, now a television pundit, who alleged the side were obtaining reverse swing by methods banned under cricket's laws. "As a team we're really surprised by his comments," England seamer Anderson told the Mail...
03:14 PM, Jun 16, 2013
Islamabad: Former Test cricketers called for drastic changes to the Pakistan team Sunday after its shambolic performance in the Champions Trophy. Pakistan lost all three group matches to be eliminated from the tournament as their batsmen crumbled against West Indies, South Africa and arch rivals India with the scores of 170, 167 and 165 respectively. Fast bowling great Wasim Akram told Geo Television that Pakistan used to give India a...
02:52 PM, Jun 16, 2013
Live updates from Group A fixture featuring England and New Zealand played at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. England, one of the strong contenders for the trophy, had themselves to blame as their strong bowling attack failed to defend an imposing 293 for seven against Sri Lanka. New Zealand, on the other hand, are placed much better as despite a loss tomorrow, they still can progress to the semifinals provided result...
01:51 PM, Jun 16, 2013
London: Defending champions Australia will have to put David Warner's bar brawl controversy and questions surrounding their team culture behind them when they take on Sri Lanka in their final league fixture here on Monday to decide the last of the remaining ICC Champions Trophy semi-final places. It will be a virtual quarter-final clash between the two sides at Kennington Oval but a lot will depend on the outcome of...
12:24 PM, Jun 16, 2013
Team India's build-up to the 2013 Champions Trophy was an uncomfortable one. The IPL had ended but its shady aftermath plagued them. MS Dhoni bore ...
11:07 AM, Jun 16, 2013
London: Under-pressure Australia coach Mickey Arthur tried to focus on cricket and the threat posed by Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga as the fall-out from the David Warner affair continued on Saturday. Title-holders Australia must beat Sri Lanka at The Oval on Monday to have any chance of qualifying for the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy. But they go into the key fixture still facing questions about their team culture after...
09:00 AM, Jun 16, 2013
Birmingham: Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul-Haq on Saturday said that he was disappointed with his team's performance after losing to India, their third consecutive loss in the ICC Champions Trophy here Saturday. India beat arch-rivals Pakistan by eight wickets in a match marred by rain at Edgbaston to finish fourth and last in Group B. "Disappointing performance again with the bat, the weather also played a part as it was difficult to...
08:54 AM, Jun 16, 2013
Cardiff: New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum believes it's only a matter of time before Luke Ronchi "tears a team apart" with the bat after a run of low scores since making his Black Caps debut. Although born in New Zealand, Ronchi played international cricket for Australia, where he grew up, in four one-dayers and three Twenty20s from 2008 to 2009. However, he subsequently returned home and made his New Zealand...
08:39 AM, Jun 16, 2013
London: Stand-in captain George Bailey insists leading Australia during the Champions Trophy tournament in Britain has been a "dream come true" despite the distractions of the David Warner affair. The 30-year-old Tasmanian, already Australia's Twenty20 skipper, has found himself in charge of the one-day side while regular captain Michael Clarke has been sidelined with a recurrence of his longstanding back problem. Bailey responded by top-scoring for defending champions Australia with...
08:38 AM, Jun 16, 2013
Birmingham: India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday lauded his team's fielding performance against Pakistan saying that they are currently the world's top fielding side. "The whole team is doing really well in all the three departments. We are the top fielding side in world cricket as of now; we need to keep the intensity up," Dhoni said after India beat their arch-rivals by eight wickets here at Edgbaston to...
08:36 AM, Jun 16, 2013
