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Bowlers help Bangladesh to series win

 

After their famous 4-0 win against the same opposition at home in 2010, another clean sweep beckoned for Bangladesh after they wrapped up the second ODI by 40 runs. Bangladesh defended 247 and their decision to bat first was vindicated despite concerns over the spinners' effectiveness with a dew-laden ball.

Bangladesh made the two new balls count. Mashrafe Mortaza, who took three wickets, bowled two good spells to make sure New Zealand's required run-rate never went down. Offspinner Sohag Gazi took the other new ball, and like Mashrafe, tied down the batsmen at first before picking up three wickets. Mominul Haque was Mushfiqur Rahim's golden arm, removing the McCullum brothers.

When they began their chase of 248 run, Hamish Rutherford was the first to go, chopping a Mashrafe delivery onto his stumps for 1, repeating his score from the first match. Anton Devcich and Grant Elliott were removed off successive deliveries a little while later, the former popping a catch back to Gazi and the latter getting stuck on the crease to Abdur Razzak, and falling leg-before.

As the chase began to gather pace, the visitors pinned their hopes on the captain Brendon McCullum to make his first significant score on this tour. It remained that way, as he fell just when his partnership with Ross Taylor was starting to worry Bangladesh.

After the second drinks break, McCullum went back to a Mominul delivery that didn't turn much, missed it and was given out leg-before. In the next over, Tom Latham was run out thanks to Rubel Hossain's throw after Taylor sent him back after completing the first run. James Neesham was caught off a short ball from Gazi, caught by a diving Naeem Islam at square leg.

Gazi picked up the crucial wicket of Taylor just after he had smashed a six at the end of the batting Powerplay. That wicket - the eighth falling with the score on 158 - spelled the end of New Zealand's resistance in this series, as Bangladesh waited for the inevitable. Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum held things up for a while before Nathan McCullum holed out at long-on in the 46th over. The end came when Tim Southee missed Mashrafe's straight ball in the 47th over.

Bangladesh, on the other hand, were off to a better start with the bat, but none of their batsmen pushed on for a big score. The New Zealand bowlers were accurate and controlled their bowling variations. The Bangladesh batsmen had to be patient, but were often frustrated as they could not get on top of the medium-pacers. Brendon McCullum set planned fields, packing the off side and to his credit, he was backed by the bowlers and the fielders.

Corey Anderson and Neesham both took four wickets, after Southee and Kyle Mills restricted the Bangladesh openers with tight spells with the two new balls. Their tidiness in the first 35 overs paid off when Bangladesh lost three quick wickets after the 36th over, at the start of the batting Powerplay, Bangladesh's scourge. It set them back for the last nine overs during which they added only 63 runs and lost four wickets.

Mushfiqur, Naeem and Nasir Hossain fell in the space of eleven balls, which took them from 169 for 3 to 173 for 6. All three dismissals were soft and the shots played, particularly that of Mushfiqur and Naeem, were unnecessary.

The top and middle-order batsmen threw away good starts. The openers, Tamim Iqbal and the debutant Shamsur Rahman began steadily with a stand of 63. Tamim was the enforcer, but the debutant Shamsur was relatively sedate during his 25. Tamim drove stylishly through the covers and his only six, down the ground off Southee in the ninth over, was his best shot.

Mominul struck five boundaries, one of them straight down the ground and another flicked through midwicket. But he fell to a trap, pulling a slower ball from Anderson to Nathan McCullum at deep midwicket.

Soon after, Tamim got stuck in the forties for 18 balls, before reaching his 25th ODI fifty off 75 balls. He was finally dismissed by inside edging Anderson's slower ball onto his stumps, after missing on several wild swishes. As the sun set below Mirpur's horizon, the home crowd looked disappointed that the batsmen failed to capitalise, but the mood changed as the evening wore on.

Batting is an area that still needs improvement, but with an inspired bowling performance such as this, Mushfiqur need not give himself and the rest of the batsmen the hair-dryer. With cricket being one of the unifying factors in the country, celebrations are expected everywhere

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Today Cricket Fixtures

6th ODI: India v Australia at Nagpur 1 pm local

1st ODI: Pakistan v South Africa at Sharjah  4 pm local

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Rubel hat-trick sinks New Zealand

 

Rubel Hossain's six-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, turned the first ODI on its head, helping Bangladesh win by 43 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis method. The visitors were starting to get away with the game despite a steep target after the 105-minute rain break, needing 124 off the remaining 13 overs, but Rubel's spell marked the turning point.

The last time Rubel faced New Zealand in Mirpur, he took four wickets including the last one of Kyle Mills that sealed the 4-0 series win. This time, he took the wickets of Corey Anderson, Brendon McCullum and James Neesham in consecutive balls in his third over, and later added two more to become only the second Bangladeshi, after Mashrafe Mortaza, to take six wickets in an ODI.

New Zealand's target was revised from the original 266 to 206 in 33 overs after heavy rain forced a long interruption 20 overs into the chase. New Zealand were behind on D/L at that stage and had there been no further play, Bangladesh would have won. Play resumed, but the visitors failed to grab their second chance. New Zealand's chase lost momentum from the promising position after rain, when they needed 86 off 60 balls before Rubel started his third over. They smashed 38 runs off the three overs immediately after the rain break, having been set a stiff total to chase.

The game changed in the 24th over. Anderson had smashed four sixes and three fours till that point and hence posed a threat to Bangladesh's chances. But he tried one too many slogs, and was bowled by Rubel off the third ball of the over.

McCullum got a ball that took off on him as he advanced on the front foot, taking a leading edge that was taken easily at point by the substitute Shamsur Rahman. Rubel had taken a hat-trick in a domestic one-day competition only last month but oddly, it escaped his attention. This time, he had the 25,000-plus crowd to remind him. He bowled a short one down the leg side and Neesham tried to flick it away. Mushfiqur Rahim took an excellent catch diving to his right, and once the umpire Enamul Haque was convinced, Rubel wildly celebrated with his team-mates, among whom was Sohag Gazi who took a Test hat-trick earlier this month in Chittagong. Rubel became the third Bangladeshi to take a ODI hat-trick, after Shahadat Hossain (2006) and Abdur Razzak (2010), both against Zimbabwe.

He added the wicket of Nathan McCullum in his fifth over to claim his maiden five-wicket haul. He claimed his sixth when Mortaza took a superb running catch in the 30th overs and the game ended at that point, because Kane Williamson, who had injured his hand while fielding, did not come out to bat.

New Zealand made a poor start to their 266-run chase. Hamish Rutherford tried to hit Gazi down the ground, but missed and was bowled in the fourth over. Grant Elliott was promoted in place of the injured Williamson, but he didn't force matters. In the 11th over, debutant Anton Devcich missed a heave across the line to Mahmudullah, to be clean bowled like Rutherford.

Ross Taylor started off luckily, under-edging one past the wicketkeeper's left-hand and one past the first slip in the same over off Mortaza. He became Rubel's first victim when he tried to cut close to his body but ended up edging to Mushfiqur. The other side of the rain break belonged to Bangladesh.

Earlier, Mushfiqur and Naeem Islam took hold of a situation that had all the makings of a typical Bangladesh collapse, when they were struggling at 25 for 3. Naeem's dour start, alongside Mushfiqur's flair, guided the home side out of trouble, as they added 154. Mushfiqur brought out a range of shots, from his favoured slog-sweep to the spinners to the more conventional cuts and drives. He played the upper-cut on a few occasions and also pushed the singles, especially when Naeem got stuck early in his innings.

Naeem took 17 balls to get off the mark, but slowly started finding the gaps. Naeem got to 50 off 75 balls, while Mushfiqur reached his half-century off 53 balls. Mushfiqur continued to be aggressive towards the latter part of his innings, but fell in the second over of the batting Powerplay, edging Neesham's off-cutter to the wicketkeeper for 90 off 97 balls. Naeem too fell to the same bowler for 84 off 115 balls, trying to hoick a slower one but edging it to the wicketkeeper.

Before that, Naeem added 51 for the sixth wicket with Mahmudullah, which was crucial because Bangladesh's usual finisher, Nasir Hossain, was out in the same over as Mushfiqur, the 37th. The New Zealand bowlers held things back in the last ten overs, conceding just 62 runs. They took four wickets in the last five overs after Naeem fell in the 45th over, with Neesham ending with four wickets. In the end, rain and Rubel came in their way

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Mohammad Hafeez Contract with Melbourn Renegades

 

Mohammad Hafeez , the Pakistan allrounder,
has agreed to a Big Bash League contract with
the Melbourne Renegades. He will miss the
first two games of the tournament due to
international commitments with Pakistan in the
UAE. This will be the first time he will play in
the Australian T20 league, which begins on
December 20..

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Drawn Tests give ODIs more context

Bangladesh vs Newzealand
1st odi Today

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ICC World T20 Bangladesh 2014 Schedule

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Jhon Cena vs Alberto Del Rio "Hell in a cell"

 

He will return to face Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Hell in a Cell on October 27th.

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Tag Team Championship Match Discussed For Hell in a Cell

 

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Tag Team Championship Match

WWE was planning on having Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. The Shield's Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Hell in a Cell, but Vince McMahon changed those plans to have the match happen last night. It was his decision to change the titles, according to F4WOnline.com. The match that is currently being pitched has The Uso's vs. Cody and Goldust vs. The Shield

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*Spoilers* WWE Superstars Taping Results Prior To WWE Raw

Below are matches taped for this week's edition of WWE Superstars from St. Louis, Missouri:

1. Damien Sandow defeated Kofi Kingston
2. Dolph Ziggler defeated Big E Langston. Ziggler hit ZigZag for the win on Big E.

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Daniel Bryan Talks WWE Hell in a Cell, How Far He Has Come in WWE, Comparing WrestleMania To Proposing To Brie Bella

Daniel Bryan recently was interviewed by Jim Varsallone of the Miami Herald to talk about WWE Hell in a Cell, which is in Miami, Florida. He also discusses how far he has come and his proposal to Brie Bella. Below are some of the highlights of the interview:
On his ride to the top in WWE:

It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s just surreal,” Bryan said. “It feels like yesterday I was wrestling at the armories in front of 200, 300 people. Now being in these big stories in WWE and main eventing pay-per-views, I’ve main evented every show I’ve been on the last two months, it’s pretty surreal, and to do it in front of large crowds on such big shows, it’s awesome.”

On WWE Hell in a Cell:

“Hell in a Cell is one of the most brutal matches that you can do in WWE,” he said. “I’ve never been in one. So I’m going to go out there and do it once and probably only once [Bryan chuckles]. I don’t think most of the guys who’ve been in Hell in a Cell matches ever really want to go do it again. A lot of times the top guys end up doing multiple Hell in a Cell matches, but they’re [rough]. Every WWE superstar does want to do it once just to experience it.”

Comparing WrestleMania to proposing to Brie Bella:

“Oh, I was way more nervous to pop the question,” Bryan chuckled, “way more nervous to pop the question. You would think it would be the opposite, in front of 70,000 people, going out there in your spandex, but absolutely not. Popping the question was way more nerve-wracking.”

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FIFA WORLD CUP 2014 QUALIFYING Matches of 15 oct 2013

Fixtures

Date				Matches
15/10/13 16:00			Leobnan		Egypt
15/10/13 18:00			Portugal		Luxembourg
15/10/13 19:00			Cyprus		Albania
15/10/13 19:30			Costa Rica		Mexico
15/10/13 19:45			Republic of Ireland		Kazakhstan
15/10/13 19:45			Faroe Islands		Austria
15/10/13 20:00			Scotland		Croatia
15/10/13 20:00			Hungary		Andorra
15/10/13 20:00			Norway		Iceland
15/10/13 20:00			Switzerland		Slovenia
15/10/13 20:00			Israel		Northern Ireland
15/10/13 20:00			Lithuania		Bosnia-Herzegovina
15/10/13 20:00			Greece		Liechtenstein
15/10/13 20:00			England		Poland
15/10/13 20:15			Denmark		Malta
15/10/13 20:30			Serbia		FYR Macedonia
15/10/13 20:30			Jamaica		Honduras
15/10/13 20:30			Panama		USA
15/10/13 20:30			Chile		Ecuador
15/10/13 20:30			Paraguay		Colombia
15/10/13 20:45			Italy		Armenia
15/10/13 20:45			Sweden		Germany
15/10/13 21:00			Belgium		Wales
15/10/13 21:00			Romania		Estonia
15/10/13 21:00			Turkey		Netherlands
15/10/13 21:10			Latvia		Slovakia
15/10/13 21:15			Peru		Bolivia
15/10/13 21:15			Bulgaria		Czech Republic
15/10/13 21:30			Uruguay		Argentina
15/10/13 22:00			Azerbaijan		Russia

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Manzoor ton breaks top-order drought

 

Usually, a couple of hours into a Pakistan Test innings, Younis Khan is in the middle trying to rescue the team after the top order has floundered. In Abu Dhabi, he was relaxing in the pavilion, fiddling around with a camera while chatting with Junaid Khan. He could afford to joke around as Pakistan's new opening pair, Khurram Manzoor and Shan Masood, put on 135 runs, Pakistan's first century stand for the first wicket since January 2012, back when they were making a mockery of England's No. 1 ranking.

It is much too soon to talk of them making a mockery of the current No. 1 side in the world, but Pakistan's sixth opening combination in seven Tests put them on course for a healthy first-innings side. Manzoor went on to his maiden Test century, the first by a Pakistan opener against South Africa in a decade, to heap the pressure on Graeme Smith's side.

Manzoor is only playing his 10th Test, spread over more than four years, but was already deemed the senior opener in the squad, after Mohammad Hafeez was axed. He is fresh off twin half-centuries in his previous Test, and though he had a few nervy moments early on, he didn't throw away his wicket. He was generally watchful against the quicks, wearing a blow on his ribs from Jacques Kallis, and only opened out just before lunch when the spinners came on, taking three boundaries in two overs.

What stood out as much as his crisp strokeplay and concentration was his desire to get a big score. He regularly chided himself when he played a loose shot, even knocking his helmet with his bat several times after chasing a wide one from Vernon Philander and nearly nicking it when on 90. It was a bit of struggle for him around that time, scoring only one run in 24 deliveries. Just as the pressure was mounting on him, he broke free with consecutive boundaries off Robin Peterson. The century arrived soon after with a push towards cover for two, celebrating in a chest-thumpingly exuberant manner.

His combativeness was also on display late in the day, when a wicketless Dale Steyn charged in with the second new ball. When Steyn flung the ball at him after fielding it, Manzoor didn't back down, snapping back at the world's No. 1 bowler. Later in the over when Steyn glared after a quick delivery, Manzoor blew him a kiss.

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Pakistan prime minister dissolves PCB

 

The Prime Minister of Pakistan and new Patron of the PCB, Nawaz Sharif, has dissolved the governing board of the PCB, and formed a five-member interim management committee (IMC) to run cricket in the country. The PCB's acting chairman Najam Sethi‚ former chairman Shahryar Khan, former players Zaheer Abbas and Haroon Rasheed, former team manager Naved Cheema were appointed to the committee.

The IMC was directed by Sharif to elect one of its members as chairman, and the committee unanimously chose Sethi, who has been acting as caretaker chairman since July and will represent Pakistan at the ICC board meeting on October 18 and 19 in London.

"The Patron of PCB, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, has been pleased to direct the following: 1. Paragraph Section 41 of PCB Constitution has been amended and under the said paragraphs the board has been superseded," the PCB said in a release. "An Interim Management Committee (IMC) has been constituted to ensure that PCB remains enabled to continue to perform day-to-day domestic and international functions for the promotion of the game and in line with the directions of the court."

The dissolution was the outcome of an issue that began with the Islamabad High Court's judgement on a constitutional writ petition challenging the election of the previous PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf, who was then suspended and replaced temporarily by Sethi for a 90-day term. Sethi, a senior journalist and former caretaker chief minister of Punjab, also ran into trouble with the courts, with another judgement severely curtailing his powers. The court had set a deadline of October 18 for the PCB to hold fresh elections for chairman but the PCB wasn't able to comply.

The reason best known to ESPNcricinfo for the noncompliance was an incomplete electoral college of many regional associations in Punjab - the largest province in the country - and the refusal of the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold the elections. The PCB had written three letters to the Election Commission in compliance with the court order but it learned the commission can not carry out the election of an autonomous body. The PCB has appealed against the judgement of the Islamabad court but the appeal has been pending since July 25.

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Kolkata, Mumbai get West Indies Tests

 

Eden Gardens in Kolkata and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host India's two Tests against West Indies in November, which will mark the end of Sachin Tendulkar's 24-year career. While Eden Gardens will host the first Test from November 6 to 10, Tendulkar's farewell Test will be played at his home ground from November 14 to 18. The decision was taken during the BCCI's tour programme and fixtures committee meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.

While the first two ODIs of the tour will be played at Kochi (November 21) and Visakhapatnam (November 24), either Baroda or Kanpur will stage the last match of the series on November 27. Barabati Stadium in Cuttack will host the visitors' preparations prior to the series, including a three-day game to be played from October 31 to November 2.

Once Tendulkar had requested the BCCI to play his last competitive game at his home ground, the decision with regard to his farewell Test - also his 200th - was a mere formality at the meeting of the committee headed by BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla. As a result, the Cricket Association of Bengal, which had been promised Tendulkar's 200th before he announced his decision to retire after the Test, was awarded with Tendulkar's penultimate Test.

The series against West Indies wasn't scheduled on the FTP. When it was announced in September, it raised doubts over the schedule and duration India's tour to South Africa, and whether the series would be Tendulkar's last. Tendulkar confirmed that it would indeed be his farewell series last week.

As for the doubt over the venue for the third ODI, the Baroda Cricket Association, the home turf of BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel, was allotted the match as per the BCCI's rotation policy. If the Reliance ground, which usually stages all the ODIs in Vadodara but does not belong to the association, is available, then the match will not be shifted to Kanpur, the home of Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association that Shukla is in charge of.

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India are trialling Suresh Raina at No 4 as back-up for Yuvraj Singh ahead of the 2015 World Cup

 

As he dissected India's performance after their heavy defeat to Australia in the first ODI, MS Dhoni also revealed an important development: India are trying to develop Suresh Raina as a No 4 batsman with an eye on the 2015 World Cup. This was why Raina had been sent in ahead of long-time No 4 Yuvraj Singh in Pune, and he would bat there for a while, according to his captain.

"As of now what we want is for Suresh to bat at No 4 for a considerable period of time," Dhoni said. "It's only Yuvraj Singh who we have got and if he is in good form and we go till the World Cup without anything happening, then he will bat there. But if he doesn't, all of a sudden we can't say we do not have a No 4 batsman.

"All the other slots, we have players and we even have replacements. But apart from Yuvraj, I don't see anybody who has batted 50 ODIs at No 4. That can be a concern and we will have to rectify that from this point. No point going too late and then saying we don't have time to do anything."

Dhoni's rationale in wanting a back-up for a crucial batting position is understandable, especially given Yuvraj's recent history. Yes, he's made his second comeback since recovering from cancer but it is still unclear how his form will hold up as the World Cup approaches. He is obviously the first-choice No 4 but there is every reason to have a contingency plan in place.

So for the second time in his eight-year international career, Raina will get another sustained run up the order. The first opportunity had come in 2008, when over 13 successive innings in Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India, he produced one century and four fifties at an average of nearly 40.

As his career has progressed, Raina's desire to gain a promotion in the line-up has increased. He's seen Virat Kohli come in and establish himself at No 3 with a string of hundreds. Raina knows that for all the death-over slogging, it is the centuries that catch attention and bring lasting recognition. Last year, Raina pointed out that he'd "scored only three (ODI) hundreds", as he staked his claim for elevation again.

While Raina's desire cannot be faulted, mere elevation in the batting order will not result in more hundreds. They will have to be earned by taking on the responsibility of building an innings, something Raina hasn't exactly shown the inclination for when he has been given the chance. Captaincy should ideally translate into more cautious batting, as in Dhoni's case, but when Raina led India in Zimbabwe in 2010 and in the West Indies in 2011, he refused to change his aggressive approach.

India had sent second-string sides for both tours, and Raina mostly came in with plenty of overs to go after a top-order wobble. In nine innings over those tours, he averaged 23.57, including two not-outs in chases that were almost over by the time he walked in. Three times he failed going for his favourite slog-sweep when the situation demanded restraint.

In Pune, Raina looked to launch James Faulkner over midwicket, after gaining a hard-earned start against Mitchell Johnson's pace, and fell for 39. It was not the ideal response from a No 4 batsman at that point in a tough chase. Raina, however, is used to going for similar strokes to similar deliveries. Aggression comes naturally to him. Also, an overwhelming majority of his career has been spent at No 5 or below. Often, he doesn't have the luxury of getting himself in so these shots are instinctive.

It is not to say Yuvraj would have never gone for the same shot at that moment. But at No 4, a batsman must temper the urge to turn a 10-run over into a 16-run over with an eye on the big picture. Yuvraj has done that successfully for more than a decade. He can hit six sixes in an over in a Twenty20, but he also makes sure he lasts long enough to get the big scores that win ODI games. That necessitates controlling the urge to deposit one more over midwicket. It needs one to duck under a few short balls early on rather than try to work them for singles, one of Raina's preferred ways of handling the bouncer barrage he usually faces. Dhoni knows Raina will need some time to unlearn and adjust.

"We will have to give him some kind of experience at No 4," Dhoni said. "He's batted too long at No 6. That is why sometimes you see these instinctive shots, when the batsman sees and goes after them. It is very important that he uses these opportunities well. Then we'll have two batsmen who have a fair amount of exposure at No 4."

Raina has the chance to increase his centuries from "only three." Will he able to adapt and rein himself in? India will have a clearer picture of his ability by the end of the Australia series

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Ton plus hat-trick for Gazi in draw........

 

Even as the first Test meandered to a draw, Bangladesh had plenty of reasons to celebrate, not least among them Sohag Gazi's performance on the final day. A Test hat-trick, only the second by a Bangladesh bowler, gave him a singular place in cricket history - he became the first cricketer to score a hundred and take a hat-trick in a Test. That wasn't the only record he claimed.

When Mushfiqur Rahim managed to latch on to a rebound off his chest, to get rid of BJ Watling off the third ball of the 85th over, Gazi became only the third player in this decade to score a hundred and take five wickets in a Test, after R Ashwin and Shakib Al Hasan.

Having taken two wickets off successive balls in that over, Gazi then went on to complete a hat-trick, courtesy a one-handed catch at first slip by Shakib, who dived forward to catch the ball close to the ground.

The early finish to the game on the fourth evening meant that the possibility of rain loomed over the final day, but the weather stayed clear. New Zealand, however, began the fifth day slowly. They were consolidating and, with Peter Fulton at the crease, they achieved that. Fulton kept the Bangladesh spinners at bay in his own way, with the bat coming down from his 1.98 metre frame and defending the ball low to the ground. He scored 59 runs in more than three hours, adding 101 for the second wicket with Kane Williamson.

Fulton fell leg-before to Gazi in the second hour of play, and was followed by Williamson who was out after adding 51 runs with Ross Taylor for the third wicket. Williamson made 74 off 150 balls, with two fours and a six, but was out to a freak dismissal: his fierce pull got lodged between Anamul Haque's thighs and the short-leg fielder held on to complete the catch.

Taylor accelerated a bit after lunch, hitting Abdur Razzak for three consecutive fours in the first over after the break, as he and Brendon McCullum added 32 runs from 3.4 overs. The New Zealand captain, however, was undone by Gazi's length. The hat-trick followed, and the visitors had little to do but declare with the score on 287 for 7, setting Bangladesh a 256-run target in a maximum of 48 overs.

Tamim Iqbal and Anamul started cautiously, and survived a few lbw appeals. Anamul was the first to go, caught at cover off a poor Bruce Martin delivery. The shot was poor too. Tamim struggled to get the ball off the square, and also enjoyed some luck. He was dropped at deep square leg by Anderson off Martin on 29, and by Taylor at slip when he was on 40. Tamim spent 29 balls in the forties before an awkward-looking drive led to a top-edge, giving a catch to Martin in the covers.

Marshall Ayub once again gave a glimpse of his potential as a No. 3 with good technique, but he fell lbw to Sodhi. Shakib and Mominul Haque then got Bangladesh to safety in the last hour

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Australia Set target 306 runs against Indai in Pune

 

Australia captain George Bailey built on a century opening stand even as wickets fell around him, and his lower order finished strongly to set India a target of 305. Given the slow and slightly uneven pitch, it appears to be a difficult chase, unless the ball comes on much better in the evening.

The visitors had an excellent start in the T20 as well, but lost too many wickets and failed to take advantage at the death. They seemed to follow the same pattern today, threatening to waste a 110-run first-wicket partnership between Aaron Finch and Phillip Hughes by losing regular wickets. Bailey, however, held the innings together with a smart, busy knock, but became the seventh man to fall with the score on 264 in the 47th over. Just when it seemed Australia had lost all their steam, the lower order looted 38 off India's seamers in the last three overs to push their side over the 300-mark. Ishant Sharma suffered the most, going for 56 in seven overs, while Vinay Kumar went for 68 in nine.

Overwhelmingly favouring the on side, Bailey was always on the lookout for singles and twos and also quick to pull, sweep and cut, especially against the spinners. He arrived when Australia had slipped from 110 for 0 to 113 for 2, but didn't waste any time to get going. Australia could have easily got tied up by the spinners had they hesitated, but Bailey looked purposeful as soon as he arrived.

Glenn Maxwell played another quick cameo after a hard-hitting 27 in the T20, but having already hit Vinay for a couple of sixes in the 38th over, mishit one to cover. Fortunately for Australia, Bailey shepherded them past 250 before exiting.

Before their captain, Finch and Hughes took their time to get in and then accelerated to leave India looking flat. Finch, after his 89 in Rajkot, was looking in control with another powerful half-century before he mishit Yuvraj Singh to long-off.

India's seamers bowled a tight line initially, and Australia weren't able to attack, resulting in a start of 13 for 0 in six overs. They started to make up from the seventh over. Finch, playing on his IPL home ground, had got some measure of the pitch by now and lofted, drove and pulled Bhuvneshwar Kumar for three boundaries. Australia began getting more and more width, and prospered. Finch played the cut intelligently given the lack of pace, preferring placement over power and often punishing Ishant Sharma either side of point. Hughes crunched several fours through the covers. He was also put down on 32 at point by Virat Kohli as he drove at Ishant.

Like in the T20, Dhoni turned to part-timer Kohli. Finch took him for a four and a six to reach his fifty. Australia were galloping now but the breakthrough came for India immediately after the first drinks break. Having nudged Ravindra Jadeja through vacant leg slip for a couple the previous ball, Hughes repeated the shot next delivery, only to find conventional slip had moved down the on side to hold onto a sharp chance.

Shane Watson strode in and tried to impose himself early, but mishit his fourth delivery straight to long-on. It was Yuvraj's first ball, and also his first ODI wicket since the 2011 World Cup. He would likely be called upon with the bat as well if India are to get anywhere near 305

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South Africa aim to rediscover their Test rhythm

South Africa hope to ease themselves back into the long format in the UAE after several months of limited-overs fare, while Pakistan will be looking to take down another No. 1 team at "home"

That's what Graeme Smith thinks he is going to say when his team step across the boundary on Monday morning. Those four words contain no mystery. They are a simple, to the point instruction, which explains how the world's top-ranked Test team plans to approach their series against Pakistan.

On the surface, it seems a safety-first stance. South Africa have not played Test cricket since the last week in February and have not been away from home in whites for 11 months. They've realised they will need a bit of time to find their feet, adjust to foreign conditions and get back into what they've termed a "pattern of play".

But they also understand they can't take too long to get back into the groove. There is a lot at stake in this series - not least of which being that it could become the most important Test cricket South Africa is involved in in 2013 because the India tour remains in limbo.

Maintaining a sizeable gap at the top of the Test rankings is dependent on how South Africa play in the UAE. Anything less than a clean sweep will send South Africa backwards, because of the weighting system which highlights the difference between the two sides.

As the No. 1 outfit, South Africa are expected to beat Pakistan, who sit at No. 6. So if they draw, they drop points and if they are defeated, they drop even more points. There's a good chance these intricacies don't matter at the moment, even with the Test championship launched and the race to the final four in 2017 having begun (who is really aware of that at this early stage anyway?), but they may serve as a small incentive and could mean South Africa puts the onus on themselves to play aggressive cricket.

Conditions are not expected to suit a fast-moving game, especially in Abu Dhabi. Smith said the pitch looked "pretty similar" to the one South Africa played on in 2010. That was the first Test the ground hosted and there was only one innings in which a team was bowled out. The total number of runs scored over the five days was 1374, an average 274.8 a day.

The other two matches there yielded one draw between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and a victory for Pakistan over England. The latter was the only fixture which saw a team bowled out in an innings for under 100 - England were dismissed for 72. Twice, teams have bowled out for less than 200 on the surface and five of the 12 innings played there have not had all 10 wickets fall.

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International stars vie for main stage CLT20 2013

The first match of the qualifying round is significant for both teams because Faisalabad Wolves are making their Champions League debut, and Otago Volts, after failing to qualify for any of the previous editions since the inaugural tournament in 2009, get another crack. After some uncertainty as to whether Faisalabad would feature in the tournament, the first qualifier will go ahead as planned.

Faisalabad possess a number of key players who could help propel their campaign into the group stage. They are led by Misbah-ul-Haq, who has enjoyed a consistent run of good form in limited-overs cricket over the past eighteen months. They also have one of the most dangerous spinners in the game in Saeed Ajmal, whose personal performance will help determine how far Faisalabad progress in the tournament. Ehsan Adil and Asad Ali's limited international experience will hold them in good stead as they round off a decent bowling attack.

Otago come in as one of the tournament's surprise packages. Led by Derek de Boorder, the squad consists of a number of former and current international players. Brendon McCullum, whose T20 exploits are well known, is a key figure. With Ian Butler, Neil Wagner and Nathan McCullum as well, Otago have an attack that can compete against some of the more illustrious sides in the tournament. They will, however, be without their Netherlands allrounder, Ryan ten Doeschate, who is still tied up with commitments for Essex, at least for the first game.

Players to watch

Brendon McCullum will forever be associated with Twenty20 cricket. He smashed an unbeaten 158 in the inaugural match of the IPL in 2008, and an audacious 116* against a fiery Australian attack that included some scoops off the 150kph Shaun Tait. On his day, McCullum can take apart any international attack. The bowling partnership between Nick Beard and Jacob Duffy will also play a vital role as they tied for first on the wicket-takers' list at the HRV Cup - 15 each. How they fare on flatter Indian pitches will be an indicator of Otago's chances.

Asif Ali finished as the third leading run-scorer in the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup. He scored 152 runs in five innings at an average of 50.66 and strike rate of 129.91. In the tournament final, he was involved in a match-turning partnership with Misbah after Sialkot Stallions had reduced Faisalabad to 79 for 3 in the 13th over. The pair put on 79 in 46 balls, which proved the difference as Faisalabad won by 36 runs. Ali ended up getting his highest score of the tournament in that match, an unbeaten 70 off 49 balls.

Stats and Trivia

• Faisalabad's Ehsan Adil finished on top of the wicket-takers list in the Faysal Bank Super Eight T20 Cup this year with 12 scalps in five matches
• Otago Volts had won nine games on the trot in the HRV cup this season en route to qualifying for the Champions League

Quotes

''All the teams have got players with X-factor. Our first concern is about the Wolves and Misbah-ul-Haq and one or two other internationals in their team."
Vaughn Johnson, the Otago Volts coach

"This is a positive sign. I think it will be the first step towards reviving Indo-Pak cricket, which is so cruelly suspended."
Faisalabad Wolves manager, Haroon Rasheed, sees the granting of visas as a welcome breakthrough in relations

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Champions League T20 (CLT20) 2013 Schedule

Sep 17, 2013	15:30	Otago Volts vs FW , 1st Qualifier T20	Hyderabad
Sep 17, 2013	19:30	SRH vs TBC , 2nd Qualifier T20	Hyderabad
Sep 18, 2013	15:30	Otago Volts vs TBC , 3rd Qualifier T20	Hyderabad
Sep 18, 2013	19:30	FW vs SRH , 4th Qualifier T20	Mohali
Sep 20, 2013	15:30	FW vs TBC , 5th Qualifier T20	Mohali
Sep 20, 2013	19:30	Otago Volts vs SRH , 6th Qualifier T20	Mohali
Sep 21, 2013	19:30	RR vs Mumbai Indians , 1st T20	Jaipur
Sep 22, 2013	15:30	Brisbane Heat vs TT , 2nd T20	Ranchi
Sep 22, 2013	19:30	CSK vs Titans , 3rd T20	Ranchi
Sep 23, 2013	15:30	Highveld Lions vs Perth Scorchers , 4th T20	Ahmedabad
Sep 23, 2013	19:30	Mumbai Indians vs TBC , 5th T20	Ahmedabad
Sep 24, 2013	15:30	Titans vs Brisbane Heat , 6th T20	Mohali
Sep 24, 2013	19:30	TT vs TBC , 7th T20	Mohali
Sep 25, 2013	15:30	Perth Scorchers vs TBC , 8th T20	Jaipur
Sep 25, 2013	19:30	RR vs Highveld Lions , 9th T20	Jaipur
Sep 26, 2013	19:30	CSK vs TBC , 10th T20	Ranchi
Sep 27, 2013	19:30	Mumbai Indians vs Highveld Lions , 11th T20	Ahmedabad
Sep 27, 2013	19:30	Mumbai Indians vs Highveld Lions , 11th T20	Ahmedabad
Sep 28, 2013	15:30	Titans vs TBC , 12th T20	Ranchi
Sep 28, 2013	19:30	CSK vs Brisbane Heat , 13th T20	Ranchi
Sep 29, 2013	15:30	Highveld Lions vs TBC , 14th T20	Jaipur
Sep 29, 2013	19:30	RR vs Perth Scorchers , 15th T20	Jaipur
Sep 30, 2013	15:30	Titans vs TT , 16th T20	Ahmedabad
Sep 30, 2013	19:30	Brisbane Heat vs TBC , 17th T20	Ahmedabad
Oct 1, 2013	19:30	RR vs TBC , 18th T20	Jaipur
Oct 2, 2013	15:30	Perth Scorchers vs Mumbai Indians , 19th T20	Delhi
Oct 2, 2013	19:30	CSK vs TT , 20th T20	Delhi
Oct 4, 2013	19:30	TBC vs TBC , 1st Semi Final T20	Jaipur
Oct 6, 2013	19:30	TBC vs TBC , 2nd Semi Final T20	Delhi
Oct 6, 2013	19:30	TBC vs TBC , Final T20	Delhi

 

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