Colombo: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi on Tuesday asked his team to be more consistent and make winning a habit if it hopes to go all the way in the ongoing cricket World Cup. Pakistan had a tumultuous build-up to their World Cup campaign, which was ridden by captaincy issues and a spot-fixing scandal. But once the World Cup kicked off, Shahid Afridi's men zoomed to top of Group A after...
11:35 PM, Dec 23, 2007
Melbourne: Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan will not be able to mentor the next generation spin talents Down Under because of prior commitments, which includes playing in the Indian Premier League in May. The veteran of 800 Test wickets was supposed to spend some time at Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence in Brisbane tutoring the budding spinners of the country. "Unfortunately, Murali will not be able to make it," said...
11:28 PM, Dec 23, 2007
New Delhi: India opener Virender Sehwag is in the capital to consult his personal physician for a rib injury he suffered during a practice session last week. Sehwag took a day's break from training after being hit by a local bowler at the nets last Friday. He is, however, expected to fly back to Bangalore and join his teammates on Wednesday, according to sources. Though it is not a major...
10:29 PM, Dec 23, 2007
New Delhi: The International Cricket Council on Wednesday advised MS Dhoni to read the UDRS rules before questioning its implementation as the Indian skipper expressed his disappointment with the use of technology following the controversy surrounding Ian Bell's decision in the tied World Cup game with England on Sunday. Talking to CNN-IBN exclusively, ICC's General Manager, Dave Richardson, said Dhoni should be aware of the rules that assist in making...
09:36 PM, Dec 23, 2007
New Delhi: Controversial West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels apparently rejected an offer to play in the World Cup as a replacement for injured Dwayne Bravo fearing that police officials might arrest him here over charges of match-fixing. Noted commentator and columnist Tony Cozier wrote in Trinidad Express that the 30-year-old Jamaican, who is coming out of a two-year ban on charges of match fixing, was in good form and was...
09:26 PM, Dec 23, 2007
New Delhi: The ICC has cleared Devendra Bishoo to join the West Indies World Cup squad as a replacement for injured allrounder Dwayne Bravo. The ICC said in a statement on Tuesday that the tournament's technical committee had given West Indies the go-ahead to include the uncapped Bishoo in its 15-man squad after Bravo was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with a left knee injury. Bishoo is...
08:25 PM, Dec 23, 2007
Colombo: Just keeping his players fit over the six weeks of the tournament is the biggest concern of manager Intikhab Alam as Pakistan seek to become the first Asian team to win a second World Cup. The 1992 champions, plagued by troubles beforehand, have suddenly become one of the favourites in the tournament after beating the fancied co-hosts Sri Lanka by 11 runs on Saturday in the capital Colombo. Having...
05:56 PM, Dec 23, 2007
New Delhi: West Indian pacer Kemar Roach, who registered the first hat-trick of the tournament on Monday, said the emphatic win over the Netherlands has given the side the much-needed confidence after the beating it took at the hands of South Africa in their World Cup opener. Roach, who starred with a six-wicket haul including a hat-trick, the sixth in the history of World Cup, made a statement of intent...
05:35 PM, Dec 23, 2007
New Delhi: West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach says he was inspired to his six-wicket haul against Netherlands in the World Cup on Monday by big brother Dwayne Bravo. Roach took a career-best 6-27, including a rare World Cup hat-trick, to lead West Indies to a morale-boosting 215-run victory over the Dutch in Group B. He said Bravo, who was ruled out of the tournament last week by a knee...
05:27 PM, Dec 23, 2007
New Delhi: Dutch captain Peter Borren called for a review of strategy after his team suffered a 215-run defeat against the West Indies in a World Cup Group B match here on Monday. The Dutch had put up an extraordinary show against England but failed to live up to the expectations they raised after posting a big total batting first. Borren, however, defended his decision of bowling first. "We will...
04:57 PM, Dec 23, 2007
New Delhi: A handful of bussed-in school children and a few dotting heads here and there were all the stands at the Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium played host to during the Group B World Cup match between West Indies and the Netherlands here on Monday. The prospect of a one-sided encounter seemed to have taken a toll on the match. That it was the first working day of the week...
04:32 PM, Dec 23, 2007
Nagpur: Canada captain Ashish Bagai urged his batsmen to show some responsibility as the side plunged to a huge 175-run defeat against Zimbabwe in their World Cup league match at VCA stadium here on Monday. Canada were all out for 123 while chasing 299 to win and Bagai said they will try to sort out their batting woes. "Yes, it is disappointing in the manner we batted. It was sad...
04:28 PM, Dec 23, 2007
Colombo: Sri Lanka are past experimenting (for the present) and that means injured Lasith Malinga is a doubtful starter in the World Cup game against Kenya on Tuesday. It doesn't come as a surprise either listening to the coach Trevor Bayliss views on the subject. He underlined the focus of Kumar Sangakkara's side is on this third game in Group A of the event, the second at the reshaped Khettarama...
03:42 PM, Dec 23, 2007
Colombo: Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar said on Monday that Pakistan's recent spot-fixing affair had been a painful one, but had made its players determined to do well at the World Cup. "We are a hurt side and we want to hurt other teams — in a good sense I mean," Akhtar said. An ICC tribunal banned former captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for five years earlier this...
03:30 PM, Dec 23, 2007
Bangalore: England expect Stuart Broad to return to training on Tuesday after the seam bowler missed their nail-biting World Cup tie with co-hosts India through illness. Broad has been confined to bed for several days but an England spokesman told AFP on Monday: "Broad's much improved today and we're hopeful he'll be able to take part in a full practice session tomorrow (Tuesday)." England continue their quest for a maiden...
03:25 PM, Dec 23, 2007
New Delhi: Tim Bresnan has been reprimanded for equipment abuse and the England team has been fined because of its slow over rate during its World Cup tie with India. The International Cricket Council on Monday said it took action against Bresnan because "after he was clean bowled by Piyush Chawala (sic), hit the stumps with his bat" on the final ball of England's 48th over on Sunday. Bresnan accepted...
03:10 PM, Dec 23, 2007
Bangalore: England batsman Ian Bell on Monday said he was lucky to be "pushed back to the crease" by the Umpire Decision Review System when he was most certainly out LBW against India in the thrilling World Cup match that ended in a tie here. Bell contributed 69 valuable runs as England tied the scores after being set an imposing target of 339 by the Indians. Bell survived the LBW...
02:58 PM, Dec 23, 2007
Bangalore: Ireland's left-arm spinner George Dockrell on Monday said they will use the experience of playing against England before to prepare for their next World Cup tie against the English side on Thursday. After suffering a heart-breaking defeat against Bangladesh in their World Cup opener, Dockrell said they are determined to bring their campaign back on track. "We are familiar with quite a few of the English guys as we...
01:55 PM, Dec 23, 2007
Bangalore: England captain Andrew Strauss, who won the 'Man of the Match' award for his brilliant 158 in Sunday's World Cup match against India, said Australian legendary leg spinner Shane Warne was a "genius" to have said that the clash would end in a tie. "I think Warne is a genius to have predicted that way (a tie). What more can I say," a disappointed Strauss told reporters late on...
01:42 PM, Dec 23, 2007
Colombo: Sri Lanka's top pace bowler Lasith Malinga has recovered from back strain and could make his 2011 World Cup debut against Kenya on Tuesday, according to coach Trevor Bayliss. "He is available for selection for tomorrow's match," Bayliss told reporters on Monday. "We've got a selection meeting this afternoon, but he is available for selection now." Sri Lanka sorely missed Malinga's pace over the weekened when Pakistan recorded a...
01:05 PM, Dec 23, 2007
