Bangladesh name preliminary World Cup squad

DHAKA: Bangladesh on Friday announced an initial 30-man squad for the World Cup starting in February.

Bangladesh squad: Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Mohammad Ashraful, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Roqibul Hassan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Nazmul Hossain, Naeem Islam, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Abdur Razzak, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Shahriar Nafees, Mohammad Nazimuddin, Shamsur Rahman, Jahirul Islam, Sahagir Hossain, Syed Rasel, Shahadat Hossain, Mahbubul Alam, Dolar Mahmud, Mithun Ali, Nasir Hossain, Shuvogoto Chowdhury, Shabbir Rahman, Alok Kapali, Enamul Haque.

Read more: Bangladesh name preliminary World Cup squad - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/Bangladesh-name-preliminary-World-Cup-squad/articleshow/7116112.cms#ixzz18ShBRKzG

No Dravid, Pathan in India's preliminary World Cup squad

MUMBAI: Veteran batsman Rahul Dravid and off-colour pacer Irfan Pathan failed to find a place in India's 30-strong list of probables announced on Saturday for next year's ODI cricket World Cup in the sub-continent.

In a squad which didn't offer any major surprises, youngsters Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were included along with established stars such as Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag.

The squad would be pruned to half by next month and chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth said whatever be the final combination, it would do well at the quadrennial mega-event starting February 19 and to be played in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"As you know there are no big surprises. This is a probables team and everyone selects himself. There is one more month to go to select the final team and we will sit down and think calmly before finalising the team," Srikkanth told reporters after a meeting of the selection panel.

"I am confident that the team will do well in the World Cup. They have been doing well in one-day cricket. The World Cup is happening in the sub-continent and I am confident that the team will do well," he added.

Apart from the omission of the 37-year-old Dravid, who has not played an ODI since September last year, and Pathan, on the sidelines since February 2009 in ODIs, there aren't any surprise selections.

The batting list expectedly features Tendulkar, Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. The 22-year-old Pujara along with Virat Kohli are among the youngsters picked at least in the preliminary squad.

The bowling line-up is also on the expected lines with the pace attack led by Zaheer Khan featuring Ashish Nehra, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel and Ishant Sharma.

The spin department has the experienced Harbhajan Singh along with Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha and R Ashwin.

Apart from Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the probables list has three other wicketkeepers in Parthiv Patel, Wriddhiman Saha and Dinesh Karthik.

List of probables for World Cup:

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel, Ishant Sharma, Vinay Kumar, M Vijay, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Saurabh Tiwary, Yusuf Pathan, Parthiv Patel, R Ashwin, Wriddhimaan Saha, Dinesh Karthik, Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra, Piyush Chawla, Cheteshwar Pujara, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar.

Read more: No Dravid, Pathan in India's preliminary World Cup squad - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/No-Dravid-Pathan-in-Indias-preliminary-World-Cup-squad/articleshow/7123014.cms#ixzz18SgjtzZJ

3rd Test: England 81/5 at stumps on Day 3

PERTH: A resurgent Australia looked all set to level the Ashes after a historic century by the reborn Mike Hussey in the third Test against England at the WACA Ground on Saturday.

At stumps on the third day England were in disarray at 81-5 in their second innings having been set 391 to win, with night-watchman James Anderson yet to score.

Scorecard

Up 1-0 in the series, England needed their biggest ever run chase to win the match and their hopes appeared forlorn after their top five -- Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood -- all went cheaply late in the day.

Cook was trapped lbw by Ryan Harris for 13 and Strauss (15) became Mitchell Johnson's seventh victim for the match when he nicked a ball to Australian captain Ricky Ponting in the slips.

Pietersen, dismissed for a duck in the first innings, made just three before being caught by Shane Watson at first slip from the bowling of Ben Hilfenhaus.

Just minutes before stumps, Trott fell to Johnson (2-28) for 31, caught by Brad Haddin on the rebound off the hands of Ponting, who immediately left the field with an injured finger on his left hand.

Then from the last ball of the day and without any addition to the score, Collingwood (11) was brilliantly caught by a diving Steven Smith in slips from the bowling of Harris (2-22).

If England can somehow conjure an unlikely win here they retain the Ashes, while an Australian win levels the series with two Tests to play.

England have only ever successfully chased 300 in the fourth innings three times in Test cricket.

Their biggest ever chase was back in 1928 at the MCG, when they made 332-7 to defeat Australia.

The Australian second innings of 309 was anchored by another brilliant effort from Hussey, who was the last man to fall for 116 and has 517 runs in the series at 103.40.

The left-hander, who was close to being dropped for the first Test at the Gabba, also became the first batsman in Ashes history to pass 50 in six consecutive innings.

He produced a number of classical pull shots during his innings, including one to bring up his 13th Test century and second of the series.

Hussey, who became recalled seamer Chris Tremlett's (5-87) fifth scalp of the innings and eighth for the match, batted for 315 minutes, faced 172 balls and hit 15 boundaries.

He had been given out lbw to Tremlett, from the last ball before lunch, but his challenge was successful after replays showed the ball was going over the stumps.

Opener Watson again fell agonisingly short of a Test century when trapped lbw by the impressive Tremlett for 95.

Watson, who was chasing his third Test century, fell in the 90s for the fourth time at the top level.

Watson challenged the decision and was clearly unhappy when it was upheld as he felt he had edged the delivery into his pad, but replays showed his bat actually made contact with the pad rather than the ball.

He had been at the crease for 241 minutes and 174 balls, hitting 11 boundaries, and combined with Hussey for the only century partnership of the match so far.

Read more: 3rd Test: England 81/5 at stumps on Day 3 - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/ashes-2010-yearn-for-urn/top-stories/3rd-Test-England-81/5-at-stumps-on-Day-3/articleshow/7123097.cms#ixzz18Sg4QkPz