Pakistan Win Fifth Hong Kong Sixes Title

Pakistan prevailed in the final over England to be crowned Hong Kong Sixes champions for a record-equalling fifth time on the final day in Kowloon. Sri Lanka and hosts Hong Kong were the losing semi-finalists.


10th Place Play-Off: Bangladesh 113-2 beat New Zealand 37 all out by 76 runs

The day began with a match between Hong Kong Women and China Women after which it was time for the 10th place play-off between Bangladesh and the under-performing New Zealand. Bangladesh piled up 113 after being asked to bat by the Kiwis with Rony Talakdar, Shabbir Rahman and Nazmul Hossain all passing 30 as Mumbai Indians bowler James Franklin leaked 30 runs off his single over. The Black Caps then slumped to 37 all out in reply as Rapash Baisya and Mosharraf Hossain each took two wickets.


9th Place Play-Off: South Africa 98-2 beat Australia 51 all out by 47 runs


Defending champions Australia capped a miserable tournament with defeat at the hands of South Africa. They were bowled out for just 51 in response to South Africa’s 98 as Matthew Hulett ended with figures of three for five from his solitary over. Earlier, Hulett and Dillon du Preez had both made unbeaten 40s as the Australians toiled in the heat.


First Quarter-Final: Sri Lanka 121-2 beat Woodworm All Stars 118-1 by 4 wickets


The first quarter-final was a high-scoring affair as Sri Lanka overhauled the All Stars’ total of 118 off the final ball of the match. Sanath Jayasuriya, Lou Vincent and Ryan ten Doeschate had all reached 30 for the All Stars as Sachith Shanaka went for 36 from his over. Opener Kusal Perera made 31 in the Sri Lankan run chase and Chathura Peiris and Dilshan Munaweera added 30s of their own, but it was left to captain Chamara Kapugedera to hit the last ball for six to see them home.


Second Quarter-Final: England 101-4 beat India 99-1 by 2 wickets


England’s cricketers made it two wins in less than 24 hours against India’s cricketers with a two-wicket win in the second quarter-final. Indian openers Mayank Agarwal and Dinesh Karthik both passed 30, but Rikki Clarke bowled a tidy penultimate over to pull things back for the English. Captain Rory Hamilton-Brown hit a nine-ball 34 in reply and Tom Smith hit three sixes in four balls as England won with two balls to spare.


Third Quarter-Final: Hong Kong 101-3 beat Scotland 100-0 by 3 wickets


Hong Kong continued their good form with a comfortable win over Scotland. Saltires openers Calum MacLeod and Preston Mommsen continued their excellent form in passing 30 as their side reached three figures from the final ball of their innings. It wasn’t enough as Hong Kong’s Munir Dar opened the innings with 24 from seven balls and Nizakat Khan hit five sixes on his way to a seven-ball 30.


Fourth Quarter-Final: Pakistan 87-4 beat Ireland 86-2 by 2 wickets


Eventual champions Pakistan booked their place in the semi-finals with a hard-fought win over a tenacious Ireland in the last quarter-final. Paul Stirling top-scored for the Irish in their total of 86 as Abdul Razzaq and Sohail Tanvir both conceded just 11 runs from their solitary overs. Umar Akmal bludgeoned an unbeaten 40 from only 10 balls in the Pakistani run chase as they got home with two balls to spare.


Before the start of the semi-finals, a Hong Kong Development side beat their Chinese counterparts by 30 runs in a six-a-side match.


First Semi-Final: England 101-2 beat Sri Lanka 94-3 by 7 runs


England held their nerve against a late onslaught from Chathura Peiris to win by seven runs and book their place in the final. Darren Stevens hit 32 from 10 balls before retiring and Rikki Clarke added late impetus with 34 from eight as England reached 101 from their five overs. Stevens then bowled an outstanding opening over and reduced Sri Lanka to six for two before Thisara Perera and Peiris got Sri Lanka close.


Second Semi-Final: Pakistan 116-3 beat Hong Kong 84-3 by 32 runs


Pakistan hammered Hong Kong in the second semi-final to set up a clash with England as they prevailed by 32 runs over the hosts. Umar Akmal continued his imperious form with a six-ball 34 and was helped by contributions of 25 from nine balls, 24 from seven and 22 from five from the trio of Sharjeel Khan, Abdul Razzaq and Hammad Azam as Pakistan reached 116. Razzaq then took two wickets in the opening over of the hosts’ run chase and they never really recovered in spite of a late valiant effort from Haseeb Amjad who ended with 38 from 10 balls.


Final: Pakistan 154-5 beat England 119-6 by 25 runs


So to the final, which consisted of five eight-ball over per side, and a comprehensive win for Pakistan. They batted first and amassed 154 as captain Abdul Razzaq and left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir both returned to record half-centuries and hit Rikki Clarke for 40 in his solitary over. None of England’s top-order got going as Umar Akmal took three wickets in the second over of the innings to peg them back after a relatively successful start. Tom Smith (29 from nine balls) and Peter Trego (32 from 10) gave them hope, but they were bowled out from the final ball for 119.


Pakistan skipper Abdul Razzaq was named Player of the Final, while their leading batsman Umar Akmal picked up the Ben Hollioake Trophy for Player of the Tournament.

Kirk And Fidel Edwards Put Bangladesh Under Pressure

West Indies 355 (K Edwards 121, Shakib Al Hasan 5-63) v
Bangladesh 204-7 (Shakib Al Hasan 73, F Edwards 5-58)
Second Test, Dhaka, day two
Scorecard | Day One


Edwards Kirk and Fidel put the West Indies into a strong position on day two of the second and final Test against Bangladesh in Dhaka with a century and a five-wicket haul respectively.


26-year-old Kirk scored his second Test century in just his third match as the West Indies were bowled out for 355 and Fidel's return of five for 58 - his 11th five-wicket haul - heaped the pressure on Bangladesh, who closed on 204 for seven.


Almost single-handedly keeping them within range of the tourists was Shakib Al Hasan, who himself took five for 63 and then top scored with 73 in Bangladesh's innings.


Edwards faced 273 balls on his way to 121 and his innings included 14 fours and two sixes while Marlon Samuels (48) offered good support before Shakib removed both set batsmen as well as Carlton Baugh (6), Darren Sammy (1) and Fidel Edwards (9) to take his eighth five-wicket haul in Test cricket.


Fast bowler Fidel might have missed out with the bat but he soon tore into Bangladesh and had them reeling as he removed Tamim Iqbal (14), Imrul Kayes (29), Shahriar Nafees (7), Raqibul Hasan (0) and Mushfiqur Rahim (0) as the home side slumped to 59 for five.


Shakib, along with Naeem Islam, who made 45 before being run out, and Nasir Hossain, unbeaten on 34, helped revive the innings but he fell when he was bowled by leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo.


Debutant Suhrawadi Shuvo was unbeaten on two when stumps were called.


The series is level after the opening match, in which two full days were lost to rain, was drawn in Chittagong.

Dominant England Seal Series Victory Over South Africa 30 October 2011

England Women 121-3 (Taylor 40) beat
South Africa Women 118-2 (Brits 50) by 7 wickets
Third Twenty20 International, Potchefstroom
Scorecard


England Women completed an unbeaten tour of South Africa with a seven-wicket victory in the third and final Twenty20 International in Potchrfstroom.


After the second game in the three-match series was washed out, they added a 2-0 series win to a 3-0 One-Day International series win earlier this month.


Batting first, South Africa scored 118 for two but were swept aside as England reached 121 for three in just 15.5 overs.


Crizelda Brits top scored for the home side with 50 in 52 balls from the top of the order with Trisha Chetty (33), Chloe Tryon (18 not out) and Mignon du Preez (16 not out) also making handy contributions.


Brits was bowled by Arran Brindle and Chetty caught by Lydia Greenway off Jenny Gunn as excellent bowling from England kept runs at a premium - Georgia Elwiss and Laura Marsh conceding five runs per over or less.


In reply, England lost Marsh for two when she was bowled by Mazabatha Klaas but Charlotte Edwards (22 in 17 balls) and Sarah Taylor (40 in 28) took control of the innings and after Edwards was bowled by Tryon, Taylor added 76 for the third wicket with Greenway, who was unbeaten on 31.


Klaas had Taylor caught by Sunette Loubser but by then the damage had been done and it was left to Greenway and Brindle, who made nine in seven balls, to guide England to a comfortable victory.

Katich faces Cricket Australia sanctions

MELBOURNE, Australia —Cricket Australia said Saturday that former test opener Simon Katich will face possible sanctions under its code of behavior for making “detrimental public comment” about his strained relationship with captain Michael Clarke.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said in a statement he was “surprised and disappointed” to see comments made by Katich after new full-time national selector John Inverarity indicated the door was not closed to Katich for future selection.

On Friday, the 36-year-old Katich said a dressing room altercation he had with then vice-captain Clarke following the Sydney test against South Africa in 2009 would prevent him from ever playing again for Australia. Katich said the incident was a key factor behind his Cricket Australia contract not being renewed in June.
FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2010 file photo, Australia's Simon Katich reacts as he walks back to the pavilion after losing his wicket during the first day of their second test cricket match against India, in Bangalore, India. Cricket Australia says former test opener Simon Katich has been reported under its code of behavior for making "detrimental public comment" about his strained relationship with captain Michael Clarke.

Katich, when asked about Inverarity’s comment that “the book is closed on nobody,” said: “It’s pleasing to hear, but I think you don’t have to be Einstein to figure out it’s not just the selectors that had a part in sending me on my way, so that’s one of those things.”

Asked who else played a part, Katich, who had a century for New South Wales in a domestic first-class match Friday, replied: “To be brutally honest, what happened in the dressing room here a few years ago probably didn’t help my cause.”

Cricket Australia said it “emphatically refutes any suggestion that Michael Clarke influenced the independent selection panel’s recommendations for the 2011-12 CA contract players’ list. The suggestions made by Katich are completely erroneous, inappropriate and unfair to Clarke, the selectors and to CA.”

Sutherland said details of Katich’s hearing will be released in the next few days.

Katich said Friday he had not spoken to Clarke about the incident.

Asked if he thought he would be part of the team while Clarke is still there, Katich said: “I wouldn’t have thought so, because that’s probably why I’m in this position in the first place.”

Clarke, speaking in Durban after Australia clinched the one-day series against South Africa, said he was not a selector when Katich had his contract cut.

“Since becoming a selector I’ve made it clear … that the door’s certainly not closed on anyone,” Clarke said. “But in saying that, I don’t think his comments are certainly helping him get back into this team at the moment.”

Katich has scored 4,188 runs at an average of 45.03 from 56 tests for Australia.

He was dropped from the national squad for the first time in 2007 and told that his test career was all but over. Katich responded by scoring a record 1,509 runs in the domestic Sheffield Shield, earning a test recall.

Ashraf wants international cricket in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan cricket's new chief Zaka Ashraf said Friday his main objective will be to bring international cricket back to his country after an attack by gunmen more than two years ago led to a boycott by touring teams.

Foreign sides have stayed away since March 2009 when gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore, leaving six police officers and a van driver dead.

"I will be working closely with our international partners to ensure that the millions of cricket loving Pakistanis are not denied the ability to watch their stars and the game they love on our country's soil," Ashraf said in a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

"For that I intend to work closely with ICC, ACC (Asian Cricket Council) and other boards in order to ensure a good relationship with them. This would also help in confidence-building for their decisions to come and play in Pakistan."

Since 2009, Pakistan has played most of its 'home' matches in the United Arab Emirates.

As for the team, Ashraf thinks allrounder Shahid Afridi still has plenty to offer as a one-day player after coming out of international retirement.

Afridi quit international cricket after differences with former PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and ex-coach Waqar Younis. However, he made himself available for selection after Ashraf took over from Butt earlier this month and Younis stepped down for personal reasons.

"As a Pakistan national and as a cricket viewer I think Afridi is very good one-day player," Ashraf told reporters, adding that he would meet Afridi soon to discuss the player's future.

"He has contacted me, but I could say something only after we both meet with each other."

Pakistan is currently playing a test series against Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates and it is likely Afridi's fate would be decided before the one-day series begins on Nov. 11 in Dubai.

Ashraf had talks with several PCB officials at its head office in Lahore on Friday and also plans to meet with various former test cricketers, including his favorite crickter-turned-politician Imran Khan.

"I want to develop consensus on how to move forward after meeting with legends," Ashraf said. "I am a very good listener."

Ashraf said he needed at least "two to three months" to settle down and study the working of the PCB.

For well over a decade, the PCB has been governed on an ad-hoc basis with the chairman appointed directly by the president of the country.

The International Cricket Council has set 2013 as the deadline for all the cricket boards to run their operations democratically.

Ashraf successfully headed Pakistan's top agricultural bank — Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) — for three years before being appointed as PCB chairman.

England Beats India by Six Wickets to Avoid Cricket Tour Sweep

England avoided being swept on its cricket tour of India with a six-wicket victory in a Twenty20 match in Kolkata.

Kevin Pietersen, playing with a broken thumb, scored 53 as England, the reigning world champion in the sport’s shortest form, reached its victory total of 121 with eight balls remaining.

Steve Finn took 3-22 as India was limited to 120-9 after winning the toss and electing to bat. Suresh Raina’s 39 was the top score for the host, which won 5-0 in the one-day series between the teams.

England earlier this week was named the No. 1 team in the first International Cricket Council Twenty20 rankings. It’s also the world’s top-ranked Test team.

disciplined Indian attack in the fourth ODI

Mumbai, Oct 23 (England failed to capitalise on a good start and were bowled out for 220 by a disciplined Indian attack in the fourth ODI at the Wankhede Stadium here Sunday.

Electing to bat, England were given a flying start by openers Alastair Cook (10) and Craig Kieswetter (29) but they kept losing wickets at regular intervals to get all out in 46.2 overs.

The visitors' fallibility against spin was once against exposed with Ravichandran Ashwin (3-38) and Ravindra Jadeja (2-41) picking five wickets among themselves on a slow turner. They were well complemented by debutant pacer Varun Aaron, who picked three for 24.

England started off with two successive maidens but captain Cook and Kieswetter soon started scoring at a fast clip to put up 39 runs in 5.6 overs.

Kieswetter came specially hard on R. Vinay Kumar, smashing him for a six and two fours in the fourth over, forcing the Indian skipper Mahendera Singh Dhoni to replace the pacer with off-spinner Ashwin.

The lanky spinner's first five deliveries were hammered for 15 runs by Kieswetter, but Ashwin, on the last ball, trapped Cook leg before with a straighter one to end the over on a high.

England slumped to 39/2 within two balls as Praveen Kumar slammed a low delivery into Kieswetter's pad to get him leg before.

Jonathan Trott (39) and Kevin Pietersen (41) looked to build on the start with their 73-run third wicket stand but Vinay Kumar, back for his second spell, castled Trott's stumps to separate the two.

Pietersen, a bit subdued on the slow surface didn't last long and pulled a ball from Ashwin straight into the hands of substitute fielder Manoj Tiwary.

Jadeja and Ashwin then ran through the middle order, striking thrice in six overs.

Tim Bresnan, with run-a-ball 45, pushed the score past 200 but Aaron, bowling consistently at 140 kph, knocked off the bails of the lower order thrice to dismiss the visitors with 23 balls remaining