First day of camp affected by rain

Training on the opening day of the Indian cricket team's preparatory camp for the Asia Cup was called off because of inclement weather in Chennai.

Rains since morning forced the team management to call off the day's practice session.

Eight cricketers have assembled here for a two-day camp ahead of the Asia Cup beginning in Sri Lanka from June 15.

Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Ashok Dinda and Pragyan Ojha will fly directly to Colombo after completing their Twenty20 engagements against Zimbabwe.

India will take on Bangladesh in their opening match of the Asia Cup on June 16, followed by a match against arch-rivals Pakistan on June 19.

© PTI

Cricket committe meets to discuss ticket sale for World Cup

he Cricket Board's Local Organising Committee for the 2011 Cricket World Cup met to discuss the sale of tickets for the quadrennial event.

Representatives of all the eight Indian state cricket associations that will host the matches during the World Cup, including Karnataka' Brijesh Patel, Punjab's M P Pandove and Vidarbha's Sudhir Dabir, were present at the meeting.

Officials of Kyazoonga.com, which is overseeing the online sale of the tickets for the event to be hosted jointly by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh were also present.

This was a routine meeting related to the distribution of tickets for sale for the World Cup, Dabir said after the meeting.

Eight Indian centres -- Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mohali -- will together host 29 matches allotted to India.

© PTI

Gilchrist to captain Middlesex

Australia great Adam Gilchrist will captain Middlesex in their next six matches after Shaun Udal announced his resignation as skipper of the Lord's-based county with immediate effect on Friday.

Gilchrist, captain until batsman Neil Dexter takes permanent charge, is now set to lead Middlesex in their upcoming five domestic Twenty20 matches, starting with Friday's game against Kent at Canterbury.

And the wicketkeeper/batsman -- elevated to the captaincy a day after being dismissed for nought -- will also lead Middlesex in their 50-over tour match against Australia at Lord's on June 19.

Commenting on Gilchrist's appointment, Middlesex's director of cricket, Angus Fraser, said in a statement on Friday: "It would be foolish for Middlesex not to make use of one of the most experienced and respected cricketers the game has produced whilst he is at the club.

"He captained the Deccan Chargers to success in the 2009 Indian Premier League and led Australia in all forms of the game with distinction on numerous occasions. In his short time in England he has already had an influential role in the T20 cricket we are playing."

Former Middlesex and England pace bowler Fraser added: "Everything about Adam is world class and since his arrival he has had an extremely positive effect on the dressing room.

"Our players love having him around and playing in the same side as Adam shows our young cricketers what is required to be a great player.

"Adam's presence gives Neil a wonderful opportunity to watch and learn from one of the finest and most respected players to play the game."

The 38-year-old Gilchrist was out for nought against Somerset in Thursday's six-wicket Twenty20 loss at Lord's, having managed just two in his first game for Middlesex.

Former England off-spinner Udal joined Middlesex from Hampshire, where the 41-year-old has spent the bulk of his career, in 2008 and was handed the captaincy in September that year.

But Fraser said the county's "indifferent" cricket -- they are second from bottom in the second division of the two-tier first-class County Championship -- had worn down Udal, who remains available as a player, and had adversely affected his bowling too.

"Shaun cares passionately about how Middlesex CCC performs and has worked extremely hard to turn the team in to a winning outfit but the indifferent cricket we continue to play has worn him down," Fraser said.

"It has affected his bowling too. Shaun is an intelligent and articulate man and he feels the team needs a change in leadership.

Udal added: "Captaining Middlesex has been a huge honour for me. There can be few better feelings than leading a team out at Lord's.

"Letting go of something like that is extremely difficult but Angus Fraser and I have agreed that this is the best way forward for the club."

© AFP

Duckworth and Lewis get honours recognition

The inventors of cricket's controversial Duckworth-Lewis method were among those included in the honours list marking the birthday of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II published here on Saturday.

Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, whose surnames have become part of the fabric of cricket, were both awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire).

The university statisticians' formula is widely regarded as the fairest, if perhaps the most complicated, method yet devised of setting revised targets in one-day matches interrupted by bad weather.

Significantly, unlike other systems, Duckworth-Lewis, in use since 1996, has the capacity to reward the fielding side for taking wickets.

Such has been its fame, the 'Duckworth-Lewis Method' was used as the name for both a band and its "indie cricket concept album" last year.

But that hasn't stopped it coming in for criticism, most recently at the World Twenty20 where eventual champions England lost to hosts the West Indies in a group match by eight wickets.

Although England scored 191 -- a challenging Twenty20 total -- rain meant the West Indies were left with a target of 60 from six overs.

Angry England Twenty20 captain Paul Collingwood, awarded the MBE for his bit-part role in the final Test of the team's 2005 Ashes win, said afterwards: "I don't know what equation you should have but you shouldn't have that one."

But a proud Duckworth said Saturday: "I hope this award demonstrates to the outside world that the country believes we have made a useful contribution to the game -- a lot of people haven't actually realised we are actual people."

Lewis added: "I was thrilled to get the news and it's very satisfying that our solution to the rain-interruption problem on one-day cricket has been recognised in this way."

Several other sports figures were honoured in awards open to British citizens and those from former British Empire turned Commonwealth nations.

They included former England and British and Irish Lions No 8 Andy Ripley, made OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire).

Ripley is seriously ill with prostate cancer and the 62-year-old was given special dispensation to receive his award at Buckingham Palace, the Queen's London residence, last month.

There were OBEs, a rank above an MBE, too for champion jockey Tony McCoy, who this year won the Grand National jumps race for the first time in his career, and former Formula One driver David Coulthard.

Amy Williams, who became Britain's first solo Winter Olympic gold medallist in 30 years when she won won the women's bob skeleton at this year's Games in Vancouver, received an MBE.

Former Sunderland chairman Bob Murray, widely credited with rescuing the north-east football club from the brink of financial collapse in 1986, received a knighthood and is now entitled to call himself "Sir Bob".

Kieswetter, Bell in England's ODI squad

England selected Craig Kieswetter instead of Matt Prior in a one-day squad captained by the returning Andrew Strauss for next week's match against Scotland and the series which follows against Australia.

South African-born wicketkeeper-batsman Kieswetter, who completed his four-year qualification process in February, was in explosive form in England's recent Twenty20 World Cup triumph.

"Craig Kieswetter made a century in only his third one-day international on the tour of Bangladesh and continued to impress during the World T20 tournament in the Caribbean," said national selector Geoff Miller in a statement.

"He has been earmarked for a role at the top of the order and I am sure he will be relishing the opportunity to test himself against high quality opposition."

The Somerset youngster comes in at the expense of test keeper Prior, who played alongside him against Bangladesh in March, for the first time in the 50-over form of the game.

Hampshire batsman Michael Lumb, Kieswetter's opening partner in the World Twenty20, was not included in the 13-man squad and nor was Alastair Cook.

Strauss returns, along with Lancashire pace bowler James Anderson, after both were rested for the tour of Bangladesh.

Warwickshire batsman Ian Bell and Sussex all-rounder Michael Yardy were also recalled to a squad featuring 11 players from England's Twenty20 campaign.

"Michael Yardy's inclusion is a reward for performing consistently to a high level in the World T20 in the Caribbean and also reflects our longer term planning for a World Cup in the Indian sub-continent next year in which spin bowling will be a major feature," said Miller.

"We have named a slightly smaller squad for this summer's NatWest Series than in previous years as our own programme closely mirrors the England Lions schedule for their triangular series against India `A' and West Indies `A'.

"We will draw on additional players from the Lions squad if required and will also consider using the Lions programme to give non-playing members of the one-day squad match practice where appropriate."

England play Scotland in Edinburgh on June 19 before facing Australia in a five-match series, starting in Southampton on June 22.

England squad: Andrew Strauss (capt), Craig Kieswetter, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Michael Yardy, Luke Wright, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom, Ian Bell.

© Reuters

Verma ineligible to fight for BAI top post: Azhar

NEW DELHI: Projected as an outsider by the ruling camp, cricketer-turned-politician Mohammed Azharuddin on Thursday fired a salvo at Badminton Association of India president VK Verma, saying the BAI chief is not eligible for re-election and should gracefully walk away having played a "long innings".



Azhar referred to the Sports Ministry guidelines which fix the terms of a National Sports Federation president to 12 years and said it's time to go for Verma, having been at BAI's helm for as many years.



"Verma has not challenged the validity of the Government guidelines in any court of law and, as such, is bound by the same and ineligible for a re-election," Azhar said from Hyderabad.



"The government guidelines are binding on all. Even an Indian Olympic Association resolution (rejecting the guidelines) cannot nullify it. It is binding on every federation. Having been a government official himself, Verma should have known it better," Azhar said.



The Ministry guideline in question has the sports administrators up in arms, claiming it an infringement of their autonomy and the issue has now snowballed into a crisis with the International Olympic Committee set to discuss it later this month.



Verma not only refused to entertain a Government observer for the election but also claimed that BAI had become self-sufficient and would no more require government funding.



In such a backdrop, Sunday's BAI election in Chennai assumes even more importance and the involvement of Azhar, a former Indian cricket captain and a Congress MP from Moradabad, rendered it quite a high-profile poll for a rather low-profile federation.



The ruling camp questioned Azhar's eligibility to fight in the BAI election and doesn't even consider him a serious threat either but the former cricketer, working overtime to canvass support, promised to spring a surprise on Sunday.



"I can tell you that 30 out of the 35 voting units are aggrieved by Verma's action in his open defiance against the Government of India," said Azhar, whose seriousness to contest the election could be gauged from the fact that he cut short a parliamentary delegation's trip to Europe to return home and muster votes.



"Contrary to what others are saying, I'm optimistic about my prospects. I never harbour negative thoughts. I'm essentially a sportsman and I want to do something for badminton. I have no vested interest in BAI and all I want is to encourage the youth, do something for the youth. I don't know why people should have problems with a sportsperson wanting to join sports administrations.



"Come on, I have played cricket at the highest level and have a fair idea of international sports. People don't want me in because they have seats to cling on to.



"Verma had a long innings, he should be happy with that and move on. I don't think anyone can break his record," Azhar quipped.



One of country's most successful cricket captains and one of the most elegant batsmen of his era, Azhar also questioned Verma's decision not to take government fund.



"I don't believe this self-sufficient thing. The government has been funding all their trips for so many years and now all of a sudden he says BAI doesn't want government money.



"Even the Olympic Charter says federations should work in harmony with the government but here the BAI President is taking on the government. I don't know how federations would survive without government support," he said.



"I want to make it clear that I have nothing personal against anyone and all I want is to do something for badminton," he said.



Asked if he was finding it a tougher battle than winning the Lok Sabha seat from Moradabad, a philosophical Azhar said, "Everything is tough, nothing comes easy in life. You have to fight your way out and I'm doing that."



TOI

I will not disappoint the selectors: Tiwary

JAMSHEDPUR: Eagerly looking forward to making his debut for India, batsman Saurabh Tiwary, who has been picked for the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, says just getting selected in the 15-man squad is "like a dream come true."

The flamboyant middle-order southpaw who replaces hard-hitter Yuvraj Singh, was well aware that he would have to perform in the tournament to prove his mettle and cement his place in the national squad.

"Obviously, there will be pressure on me and I am confident I will not disappoint the selectors, who have put faith in me", he said.

Tiwary, the second player in the national squad from Jharkhand after India captain MS Dhoni, was felicitated by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) on his arrival on Wednesday night.

Tiwary, Jharkhand Ranji captain, said his consistent performance in IPL 3 drew the attention of the selectors, and added that he was also expecting a call for the tri-series held in Zimbabwe recently on the basis of his IPL performance.

Tiwary scored 419 runs for the Mumbai Indians in the last edition of IPL. Replying to a poser, Tiwary said statemate Dhoni is "a great cricketer" and he did not wish to be compared to him.

Earlier, Tiwary, accompanied by JSCA president Amitabh Choudhury, arrived at Keenan Stadium late in the evening. Sunil Tiwary, the cricketer's father, was also feliciated.

Tears rolled down Tiwary's eyes when he spotted his mentor Kajal Das, a former Coach of Jharkhand Ranji team and himself a hard-hitter in the state Ranji Trophy team.

Speaking on the occasion, Choudhury expressed confidence that Tiwary would earn laurels for the state as well as the country like Dhoni.

Later, Tiwary visited Tata Main Hospital to meet his friend, who sustained an injury in a road accident near Chandil.

Meanwhile, a large-number of cricket fans braved the rains and waited at the stadium to get a glimpse of Tiwary.

TOI

Amin to play with Tendulkar's bat on debu

LAHORE: Pakistan's rookie batsman Umar Amin is hoping to make a successful debut for his country at the upcoming Asia Cup by playing with a bat which belongs to iconic Indian Sachin Tendulkar.

The bat was gifted to 20-year old Amin by paceman Shoaib Akhtar after doing well in a domestic match last year.

"I got the bat for scoring a match winning innings in a domestic game and I still have it with me it is a treasured possession for me. I intend to make my debut for Pakistan with that bat," Amin, who plays for Rawalpindi, said.

The youngster has been a prolific scorer in domestic cricket and has also done well for the Pakistan under-19 and A teams. He recently scored a hundred against the England Lions team in the UAE.

Amin said being selected for Pakistan senior team was a dream come true and he was keen to make the most of this opportunity.

"It was a great occasion for me, my family and my friends when we learnt about my selection. But now the real test is to make my presence felt if I get a chance to play in the tournament," he said.

Amin said he was familiar with the Sri Lankan conditions having toured there with Pakistan's second string side.

Umar, who averages over 42 in first class cricket, was playing a T20 club match in his hometown of Rawalpindi when he heard of his selection in the squad.

"My mother called me up and told me that I have been selected in the Asia Cup Squad."

Amin said he was excited at the prospect of facing top international bowlers particularly spinners.

"It will be a challenge and I want to prove that I am ready for international cricket," he said.

Zimbabwe eye final upset, Lanka seek revenge

HARARE: Giant-killer Zimbabwe will hope to cap their fairytale campaign with yet another stunning display while revenge will be high on Sri Lanka's agenda in the final of the cricket tri-series on Wednesday.

Even though both India and Sri Lanka sent second-string squads for the low-profile tournament, few expected Zimbabwe to emerge as the table-topper with 13 points in their kitty.

The minnows twice beat India and both were comprehensive victories. As if to prove it was no fluke, they thumped Sri Lanka in yesterday's dead rubber as well to finish their league campaign with three victories from four outings.

Key to their fortune has been Brendan Taylor's sensational form that has already earned the opener three Man of the Match awards.

In Taylor, Zimbabwe have got a batsman who have the skill and the temperament to see them through.

Hamilton Masakadza, Chamu Chibhabha, Tatenda Taibu and Charles Coventry are no dud with the bat either and they would put their best foot forward tomorrow to lift the title they have come so close to.

There bowling has been a revelation as well, especially their battery of spin bowlers. The likes of Ray Price, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer have not only been accurate but also aggressive and the spirited support they got from the fielders made them all the more lethal.

In yesterday's match, Sri Lanka threatened to run away with the game when Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga added 122 runs in 20-odd overs. Utseya's double strike then unhinged the Lankans and the Zimbabwean eventually bowled them out for 236 inside 48 overs.

Sri Lanka, however, would do everything tomorrow to prevent a repeat.

Skipper Dilshan will particularly expect Dinesh Chandimal, who scored his maiden ODI century against India the other day, to come good tomorrow and underline his talent with another significant knock.

In the bowling department, onus would be on Thilan Thushara and Dilhara Fernando to provide the early breakthrough and remove Taylor at the earliest.

Teams (From):
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Angelo Mathews, Upul Tharanga, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Chamara Kapugedera, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, Chamara Silva, Thissira Perera.

Zimbabwe: Elton Chigumbura (captain), Andy Blignaut, Chamu Chibhabha, Charles Coventry, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Greg Lamb, Hamilton Masakadza, Chris Mpofu, Ray Price, Ed Rainsford, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Brendan Taylor, Prosper Utseya.

TOI

Sehwag continues to be number one Test batsman

STAFF WRITER 11:50 HRS IST

Dubai, June 8 (PTI) Flamboyant Virender Sehwag maintained his number one position in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen and India also held on to its top spot in the latest chart.

Sehwag is leading the list with 863 points and is followed by South Africa's Hashim Amla (842) and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene (836).

Left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir (824) and batting great Sachin Tendulkar (805) are the other two Indian batsmen in top-10 at number six and seven positions respectively.

VVS Laxman (14) and Rahul Dravid (16) also had their rankings unchanged.

In the bowlers list, India have two players in the top-10 with paceman Zaheer Khan placed at number six followed by spinner Harbhajan Singh.

In the teams' list, India are at the top with 124 points followed by South Africa (120) and Australia (119).

Pawar admits to small stake in RCB

Former BCCI chief and current Union Minister Sharad Pawar has disclosed his links with the Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he owns a small percentage by way of having 51,000 shares in Vijay Mallya's United Spirits Limited (USL). The Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise is wholly owned by USL.

Pawar's links with City Corporation, who had bid unsuccessfully for the Pune franchise, had emerged via a report in the Times of India, upon which the Pawar family came out with strong statements denying their role or ownership of anything in the IPL.

Pawar, however, has a link with the Bangalore franchise, with the Pawars owning more than 51,000 shares (currently valued at about Rs. 6 crores) in USL, of which Royal Challengers Sports Private Ltd (RCSPL) is a wholly-owned subsidiary.

Vijay Mallya, however, has defended Sharad Pawar, saying that USL was a public company and had lakhs of share-holders. He said it was absurd to connect the fact that Pawar had shares in USL with ownership of RCB, since by that logic every person who had a share in USL was an owner of RCB.

"It is absurd to say that Sharad Pawar owns any stake in the Royal Challengers Bangalore," Mallya told television channels. "USL has lakhs of subscribers, so are they all owners of RCB? By any yardstick does that seem feasible?"

The Pawars shareholding in USL, which is about 0.05 per cent of the company's equity came up through a merger of Baramati Grape Industries Ltd in 2006, where Pawar's family has a 'significant stake'. The Minister's brother is a director with USL.

The shares are largely held via Lap Finance and Consultancy Pvt Ltd, a family enterprise of the Pawars, which holds at least 13,950 shares of USL.

Lap Finance is fully owned by Sharad Pawar, his wife Pratibha and daughter Supriya Sule. Each of them holds one-third of the shares in the company.

© Cricbuzz

ICC says Sri Lanka World Cup venues on track

Sri Lanka's new venues for next year's World Cup are on track but the refurbishment of an existing stadium is behind schedule, the International Cricket Council said on Monday.

Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament with India and Bangladesh, is set to stage 12 matches at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo and at the newly built grounds in Pallekele and Hambantota, outside the capital.

"With the exception of the Premadasa stadium, others are on track to play a few first-class and international matches before the tournament starts next February," ICC's structural engineer, Eugene van Vuuren, said.

Sri Lanka Cricket is spending around eight million dollars to renovate and re-lay the pitch at the Premadasa stadium, an existing international venue.

"Premadasa is a worry for me," added ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson at the end of a three-day inspection trip.

"I would like to get some games in to try out the pitch conditions before the big show next year." Of the two new stadiums, the 10-million dollar Pallekele stadium in the central district of Kandy has hosted an under-19 match.

The Suriyawewa Stadium in Hambantota, in the deep south, is due to play its maiden first-class domestic match in July.

The Suriyawewa Stadium will host its maiden international game when Sri Lanka play Canada in the World Cup on February 20. The other match at the venue is between Pakistan and Kenya on February 23.

There are few hotels in the coastal Hambantota area and the authorities plan to charter a cruise ship to be anchored offshore to accommodate fans.

Dhiraj Malhotra, the ICC's World Cup co-ordinator, said it was heartening that Sri Lanka was preparing three venues in the short space of a year.

"I don't see much of an issue with the Sri Lankan facilities, everything is slowly falling into shape," Malhotra said.

Officials said they were installing high-intensity floodlights to enable high-definition television broadcasts.

The 43-day tournament will be played across 13 venues in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and ends with the final on April 2 at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium.

Pakistan, the fourth Test-playing nation in South Asia, were removed as co-hosts due to security concerns in the volatile country.

England beat Bangladesh in final Test

Steven Finn took five wickets as England thrashed Bangladesh by an innings and 80 runs inside three days in the second Test to wrap up a 2-0 series victory at Old Trafford here on Sunday.

Bangladesh, following-on, were dismissed for 123 in 34.1 overs with fast bowler Finn taking five wickets for 42 runs in 10 overs.

James Anderson took three for 16 in 10 on his Lancashire home ground.

Defeat meant Bangladesh have now lost 34 of their 68 Tests by an innings.

Anderson and Finn combined to reduce Bangladesh, who'd suffered a dramatic collapse in Saturday's final session, to 37 for five in the 13th over.

Only Mohammad Mahmudullah, with 38, offered much resistance.

England, after rain meant no play was possible before lunch, saw captain Andrew Strauss enforce the follow-on.

Bangladesh, dismissed for 216 after losing all 10 first innings wickets after tea on Saturday, were still 203 runs behind England's 419.

In overcast conditions, their top order struggled against England's new ball pair on Sunday.

England captured the prize wicket of Tamim Iqbal, who'd made hundreds in his last two knocks, including 108 in the first innings of this match, when the left-hander was caught behind second ball for just two fending at a rising Anderson delivery. It was the first time in six innings against England that Tamim had failed to pass fifty.

Imrul Kayes, the Tigers' other left-handed opener, then fell hooking Finn for the second time in the match, with Test debutant Ajmal Shahzad once more taking a catch at long leg.

Junaid Siddique was then caught by Kevin Pietersen in the gully off Anderson and when Finn had Jahurul Islam edging through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior for nought, after trying to cut a lifting ball that was too close to him, Bangladesh were 21 for four off eight overs.

The 6ft 8in quick had taken two wickets for 12 runs in four overs, including two for three in seven balls.

Mohammad Ashraful off-drove Finn for four in textbook fashion.

However, his innings of 14 ended when he couldn't keep down an Anderson delivery that moved off the pitch and edged to Jonathan Trott at first slip.

Bangladesh were now 37 for five, with Anderson having taken three wickets for 10 runs in 6.2 overs.

And the Tigers were 39 for six when Yorkshire quick Shahzad bowled Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan between bat and pad.

But four byes, conceded by Prior - nursing a finger injury - off the bowling of off-spinner Graeme Swann gave Bangladesh the consolation of surpassing their record lowest Test innings score of 62 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2007. Mahmudullah several times hooked Finn to the boundary but, trying to repeat the stroke, he edged and was well caught by a leaping Prior to end a 52-ball innings featuring five fours.

Bangladesh were now 97 for eight and that became 119 for nine when Shafiul Islam was caught at first slip by Strauss off Finn.

And the match ended when Abdur Razzak holed out off Swann.

England's total saw Ian Bell make 128. Bell's third hundred in five Tests against Bangladesh took his average against the Tigers to 158.25.

Swann, with five wickets for 76 runs - his first five-wicket Test haul in England - did the bulk of the damage in Bangladesh's first innings, after they had been 153 for one.

Final scoreboard on the third day of the second Test between England and Bangladesh at Old Trafford here on Sunday:

England 1st Innings 419 (I Bell 128, M Prior 93, K Pietersen 64; Shakib Al Hasan 5-121)

Bangladesh 1st Innings 216 (Tamim Iqbal 108; G Swann 5-76, A Shahzad 3-45)

Bangladesh 2nd Innings

	Tamim Iqbal	c Prior	b Anderson	2
	Imrul Kayes	c Shahzad	b Finn	9
	Junaid Siddique	c Pietersen	b Anderson	6
	Mohammad Ashraful	c Trott	b Anderson	14
	Jahurul Islam	c Prior	b Finn	0
	Shakib Al Hasan	b Shahzad		1
	Mushfiqur Rahim	c sub (K Brown)	b Finn	13
	Mohammad Mahmudullah	c Prior	b Finn	38
	Abdur Razzak	c Morgan	b Swann	19
	Shafiul Islam	c Strauss	b Finn	4
	Shahadat Hossain	not out		4
	Extras	(b13)		13
	Total	(all out, 34.1 overs, 164 mins)		123

Fall of wickets: 1-2 (Tamim), 2-14 (Kayes), 3-18 (Siddique), 4-21 (Jahurul), 5-37 (Ashraful), 6-39 (Shakib), 7-76 (Rahim), 8-97 (Mahmudullah), 9-119 (Shafiul), 10-123 (Razzak)

Bowling: Anderson 10-3-16-3; Finn 10-2-42-5; Shahzad 7-2-18-1; Swann 7.1-0-34-1

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Graeme Swann, Ajmal Shahzad, James Anderson, Steven Finn

Toss: England

Result: England won by an innings and 80 runs

Series: England win two-match series 2-0

Man-of-the-match: Ian Bell (ENG)

England man of the series: Steven Finn

Bangladesh man of the series: Tamim Iqbal

Previous Result

May 27-31: First Test, Lord's: England won by eight wickets

Umpires: Billy Bowden (NZL) and Asoka de Silva (SRI)

Match referee: Alan Hurst (AUS)

Tendulkar rested, Yuvraj dropped

Master batsman Sachin Tendulkar will not be a part of India's Asia Cup squad, after it was reported that he requested the BCCI not to consider him for the tournament.

The other major announcement was the axing of Yuvraj Singh from the ODI squad. Yuvraj has displayed indifferent form and poor fitness levels in the recent past.

Tendulkar had sought a break to spend time with his children, while Yuvraj's ouster was on the cards after a series of disappointing performances in recent times.

"Sachin Tendulkar requested the Board not to consider him for the Asia Cup, as he wanted to spend time with his children, in view of the hectic cricket season ahead," Srinivasan said in a statement after the meeting.

The squad will be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who returns to take charge of the team.

Meanwhile, what will bring cheer to the Indian fans is the return of Virender Sehwag, who has recovered from his shoulder injury and forms part of the squad.

Also returning were Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra.

Amongst the surprise picks were Saurabh Tiwary and Ashok Dinda. While this the first time Tiwary has been picked, Dinda retained his place after being a part of the outfit that performed poorly in Zimbabwe. Dinesh Karthik and Yusuf Pathan are among the high profile names dropped from the side that went to Zimbabwe. Also axed was Murali Vijay who had a torrid outing, and Amit Mishra.

R Ashwin however retained his place after his good showing in the only match he played, along with Pragyan Ojha who had looked like the best spinner on view. They will partner Harbhajan in the spin department.

Squad: MS Dhoni (captain, wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, R Ashwin, Saurabh Tiwary, Ashok Dinda.

Cricket tri-series: Sri Lanka opt to field against India

STAFF WRITER 12:18 HRS IST

Harare, Jun 5 (PTI) Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field against India in the tri-series one-dayer here today.

Teams:

India: Suresh Raina (capt), Dinesh Karthik, Naman Ojha, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Pragyan Ojha, Pankaj Singh.

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Ajantha Mendis, Jeevan Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suraj Randiv, Thissara Perera, Thilan Thushara.

Pakistan's Younus wins appeal against ban

Former Pakistan captain Younus Khan Saturday won his appeal against an indefinite ban and is now likely to be considered for the national team ahead of their England tour.

"The appeal of Younus against an indefinite ban is accepted and the order (punishment) is set aside," the arbitrator, retired justice Irfan Qadir, said in his order.

Younus was one of seven players who were banned or fined in March this year.

The penalties came after an inquiry committee investigated on and off-field problems during team's tours to the United Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Australia between November and February.

Younus and another former captain Mohammad Yousuf were handed indefinite bans over "infighting in the team which let the team down."

Younus was named in a preliminary squad of 35, subject to his clearance from the arbitrator, but was not selected in the 15-man Asia Cup squad announced on Thursday.

He is, however, likely to be considered for team's tour of England to be announced later.

Pakistan take part in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka from June 15-24. They will then play two Twenty20 and two Tests against Australia before playing hosts England in four Tests, five one-day and two Twenty20 -- all in England.

The arbitrator last week lifted Shoaib Malik's one-year ban and reduced his two million rupees (24,000 dollars) fine to half.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) legal adviser Talib Rizvi confirmed Younus's appeal was accepted.

"The arbitrator has accepted Younus's appeal and the PCB will now complete the legal process," Rizvi told AFP.

The arbitrator also quashed the fine on current captain Shahid Afridi and reduced the fine on Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal.

"The appeals of Afridi, and Akmal brothers were also taken up and the arbitrator quashed the fine on Afridi and reduced the fines on Akmal brothers," said Rizvi.

Afridi was fined on charges of ball-tampering in a one-day match against Australia, while the Akmal brothers were punished for discipline violations.

Another former captain Yousuf, banned for an indefinite period, did not appeal, while all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan's appeal against a one-year ban and fine of two million rupees will be heard on June 19.

Cairns drags Modi to court

Cairns drags Modi to court

WELLINGTON, May 23: Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has finally acted on his threat to sue Lalit Modi and has initiated legal action against the suspended IPL commissioner for suggesting that he was involved in match-fixing.

Cairns’ name was taken off the list of players auctioned in January for the third Indian Premier League and Modi, on his twitter page, had stated that the Kiwi was removed “due to his past record in match fixing.”

Furious with Modi, the all-rounder had threatened legal action at that time but has initiated it only now.

“We are trying to have Modi served with papers. We’re going through that process in India but it takes time to get through the court system. We’re waiting for him, though,” the 39-year-old told New Zealand Herald.

Kuznetsova eases into French Open second round

Kuznetsova eases into French Open second round

PARIS, May 23: Defending champion Svetlana Kuznetsova reeled off 11 of the last 12 games to move into the French Open second round with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Romania’s Sorana Cirstea on Sunday.

The 24-year-old Kuznetsova arrived in Paris having won just one claycourt match this season and was in trouble early on against her 20-year-old opponent who made the quarter-finals last year.

Kuznetsova was 1-3 down as Cirstea, the world number 34 who just missed out on a seeding, quickly settled into her rhythm on a sweltering spring day in Paris.

But the Russian, who had won the pair’s only other clash in the second round of the 2008 US Open, rattled off the next five games to claim the opener after 38 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Somdev Devvarman qualifies for French Open

Somdev Devvarman qualifies for French Open

PARIS, May 21: Somdev Devvarman became the first Indian in 13 years to qualify for the men’s singles event of the French Open after scoring a 6-4, 6-1 win over Adrian Mannarino.

It took sixth seed Somdev one hour and 25 minutes to quell the challenge of his French rival in the third and final round and seal one of the 16 main draw spots up for grab.

Leander Paes was the last Indian to play in men’s singles event of the French Open in 1997 when he made the second round of the clay court Grand Slam.

This is for the second time that Somdev has qualified for the men’s singles of a Grand Slam tournament. He first played in a tennis Major at the US Open last year and had reached second round.

SA pip West Indies by a run

SA pip West Indies by a run

NORTH SOUND, May 21: Ryan McLaren kept his nerve in a tense final over to help South Africa formalise a one-run victory over West Indies, and sweep their two-match Twenty20 International series on Thursday.

McLaren fired in a low full toss very wide of off stump, as West Indies, chasing a modest victory target of 121, required three from the final delivery of the match.

But he conceded just one run, after South African point fielder Jean-Paul Duminy swooped on the ball, when West Indies tail-ender Jerome Taylor essayed a slog at it, and it trickled 15 yards away.

South Africa also won the opening match on Wednesday by 13 runs at the same venue to take a psychological boost into the five One-day Internationals between the two sides, which open on Saturday at the VRCG.

Newcomer David Miller had battled to the top score of 33 from 26 balls, and Johan Botha made 23 from 22 balls to add some respectability to the Proteas’ total of 120 for seven from their 20 overs.