India look to maintain momentum

On a roll after six consecutive ODI wins, India will look to maintain the winning streak against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Even without explosive opener Virender Sehwag, who was nursing a lower back injury, the Indians were hardly pushed as they beat the Lankans by six wickets in the opening match on a tricky Dambulla pitch.

The much-touted Murali-Mendis combine failed to work for the Lankans, forcing skipper Mahela Jayawardene to admit that the duo's magic was somewhat on the wane.

Remember the horror

However, the Indians would do well to remember the humiliation they were subjected to when the two teams squared up the last time around at the R Premadasa stadium.

Chasing a modest 227, the Indians were sent packing for 103 in under 27 overs with Mendis wrecking the visiting line-up with a four-wicket haul.

For the hosts, ageing warhorse Jayasuriya continues to be in good form but middle-order mainstay Kumar Sangakkara's inconsistent run with the bat has become a major concern.

Jayawardene, himself battling a batting slump, however, insists that one loss is not reason enough to press the panic button and his team-mates would come back hard.

"We will continue to play we have played"

"The way we have been playing of late has changed and we will continue with that. I give credit to our guys because it was not an easy wicket but it probably slowed down later on and so was good to score runs," he said.

Without a fifty in his last 13 one-day internationals, Jayawardene's return to form would be a prerequisite for Sri Lanka's prospects of squaring the series in Saturday's day-nighter.

The other major difference between the two teams in Dambulla was the runs extracted from the power-plays. While the Indians milked 40, the Sri Lankans could muster only 28 and that too for the loss of two wickets.

The Lankan batting is yet to fire

The Sri Lankan top order has not performed to expectations and opening partnerships have not been consistent.

Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis were a shadow of their intimidating past when they bamboozled batsmen. At Dambulla, they conceded almost hundred runs for a solitary scalp.

Proteas displace Oz as number one

South Africa have displaced Australia at the top of the ICC's one-day rankings after securing a 39-run win in Perth.

The ODI series triumph follows South Africa's 2-1 win in the Test series and though Australia remain the number one team in the longer version of the game, the Proteas return home with the new-found tag of being the top team in one dayers.

India remained the third-placed ODI team with 120 points while South Africans have five points more. Australia also have 125 points but were pushed to the number two slot as they were found fractionally behind the Proteas when decimal points were calculated.

Australia needed 289 runs for a win to remain the number one side but 249 was all they managed before folding in 49 overs with Michael Hussey (78) and Brad Haddin (63) making futile efforts with the bat.

Earlier,Amla(97) and AB de Villiers (60) steadied South Africa with a 118-run stand and then JP Duminy (60 not out off 42 balls) provided the late burst as South Africa posted 288 for six wickets.

Australia faltered early in the chase and could not really recover from the early setbacks.

The hosts needed a strong start from Shaun Marsh (5) and David Warner (22) but debutant South African Lonwabo Tsotsobe rocked the Australian boat with early double strikes and Ricky Ponting's men could never really recover from that.

Proteas gun for top rank at the WACA

South Africa might have won the ODI series against Australia but the number one team spot will still be up for grabs at the WACA.

When the Proteas entered the ODI series without their charismatic skipper Graeme Smith, not one critic gave them a chance against a brilliant Aussie batting-line up. But with what they have done now, tomorrow's game becomes crucial because that will decide which team would take top honours in the ICC cricket rankings.

The South African side though would miss the services of their of top pacers Makhaya Ntini and Dale Steyn who have been rested after a epic tour, while back from injury Nathan Bracken and Micheal Clarke would further brace the Australian side. The replacement in the Australian side to accomodate these two should be Cameron White and Shaun Tait.

For the South Africans, the rest to the senior pacers would mean that the two left-arm fast men Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe will be making their ODI debuts after appearing in one of the Twenty20 internationals. Jacques Kallis might also be rested but that would depend upon Van Jaarsveld's fitness.

The Aussies have been given rollicking starts by David Warner and Shaun Marsh and the Kangaroos would be hoping of another good show from the openers. Marsh has been the top scorer of the series from either side picking up 213 runs.

For the Proteas, this would be a new look side but still the way Johan Botha has led the side, writing this team off would be at your own perils.

The track at WACA should be another belter with good and predictable bounce, thereby promising oodles of runs to both sides.

This match is very important considering the return Test and ODI series begins in a month and hence so team would look to give the final advantage to the other.would be very important and neither side would want to give the other one

Teams

Australia: Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Nathan Bracken, Brad Haddin, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Marsh, Shaun Tait, David Warner, Cameron White.

South Africa: Johan Botha, Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher, AB DeVilliers, Jean-Paul Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Albie Morkel, Morne MOrkel, Makhaya Ntini, Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Vaughan Van Jaarsveld, Graeme Smith.

Warne: Sachin key to Indian dreams

Shane Warne believes India could realise their number one dream only if Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar keeps himself fit.

Warne also refused to agree with the fact that it was the best-ever Indian team so far despite its recent victories against Australia and England.

"I think the best Indian team that I played against was my first one way back in 1991. But this current team is a bit tougher... And I think they can challenge for the number one title in the world, only if Sachin remains fit," he said in reply to an e-mailed questionnaire.

Asked what set Tendulkar apart from all other cricketers of his era, Warne said he had perfect judgement of a bowler.

Sachin in a different league

"Sachin is just a class above everybody else because of the way he judges the line length of a bowler and the way he conducts himself on the pitch," he pointed out.

Warne, however, avoided commenting on how long the Indian batting maestro should go on to play cricket.

The former leg-spin wizard defended Australia's loss to India in the sub-continent, saying Ricky Ponting's men were not on decline but other team's were catching up with them.

"I think they're playing excellent cricket, other sides are just catching up," Warne said.

No shame in losing to India

"I think Australia is going through a change in period and India is always hard to beat in India... I thought it was a wonderful series and India just outplayed Australia and were a better team, there is no disgrace in that.

"Australia were in a position to win 3-nil against South Africa recently, but lost the series. But there are signs early in 2009 that Australia will be a very strong team," he added. Recalling the inaugural season of the which he won captaining and coaching an underdog Rajasthan Royals team, Warne said it was a memorable experience.

"My experience was full of wonderful memories; I thoroughly enjoyed the team spirit that we created amongst our group. It was something I will always remember." Warne justified his comments that Rajasthan Royals got him in cheap, saying it was indeed a lot less price paid by the franchise owner considering he led the team to title win.

"In the context of everything to have the captain and the coach as one person and looking back in hindsight, I'm sure Emerging Media would be very happy with the price they paid for me considering we won the whole competition. If I went on the market now I'm sure I'd get a lot more," he said, adding, "I'm very happy to be in Rajasthan Royal." But Warne said he remained a die-hard Test fan and enjoyed the format the most and did not feel that Twenty20 was a threat to its future.

Nothing to beat Test cricket

"No, I think Test cricket is always the number one version of the game, because that is the true test of a cricketer. T20 is also a great format of the game and will ultimately help Test cricket by the way the game is played." Warne believed fitness was key to success of his team.

"Fitness is a very important aspect of the game; you have to be fit for your role, whatever your role in the team is," he said.

Asked about his plans to make the team ready for the Second IPL, Warne said, "We'll have an open, honest and frank conversation about how we will go about winning in April."

He, however, refused to divulge the details, saying, "We cannot win it in January." Warne also did not seem much interested in roping in any additional players to the Rajasthan Royals squad in the upcoming auction in Goa.

Warne, happy with Rajasthan Royals

"I'm very happy with our squad, we'll only add players if they can make a difference," he said.

Asked who was his favourite batsman to bowl at in international cricket, Warne replied, "Darryl Cullinan (of South Africa). I would like to bowl to him for a living." On recent terror attacks in Mumbai, Warne felt it did not affect the game but wished it had never happened.

"Obviously there is a bit of a concern when something like that happens and - I really felt for the people of India, it was horrific and something I wish never happened. All we can do is rely on the information given to us by security...

"No, I don't (think it was harming the game), but obviously any terror attack is something we all wish would never happen and that would stop," he added.

Dhoni leads India victory charge

Half-centuries from Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni powered India to a comfortable six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the first one-day international in Dambulla.

Opening batsman Gambhir (62) and Raina (54) added 113 runs for the second wicket after India had lost Sachin Tendulkar (five) cheaply to a dubious leg-before decision while chasing 247 for victory.

Dhoni (61 not out) then took command, putting on 44 runs for the fourth wicket with Yuvraj Singh (23) and 66 runs with Rohit Sharma (25no) as India overhauled the target with just under two overs to spare.

Sanath Jayasuriya (107) had compiled his 28th ODI century and Kumar Sangakkara made 44 in difficult conditions as Sri Lanka finished with a decent 246 for seven after being asked to bat first.

Sri Lanka then claimed the early breakthrough when left-arm seamer Thilan Thushara rapped Tendulkar on the pads with a delivery that pitched just outside leg stump and straightened.

Kumar Dharmasena, umpiring his first ODI, upheld a vociferous appeal, although replays showed the height was questionable.

Left-hand batsman Gambhir, opening in place of Virender Sehwag who was ruled out due to injury, steadied the innings in the company of Raina.

An accurate line from Thushara and Nuwan Kulasekara had kept the batsman quiet, but Raina broke the shackles by hitting Kulasekara for a six and two boundaries in the bowler's fourth over.

The two easily tackled Sri Lanka's feared spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, both going on to amass half-centuries.

All eyes on Murali today

Sri Lankan ace spinner Muttiah Muralidaran, who is already the world's leading taker of Test wickets, is poised to become the leading bowler in one-day internationals.

Barring injury or a spectacular sudden loss of form for the 36-year-old, that new record is likely to come in the five-match one-day series against India, starting here on Wednesday.

Already the world's leading wicket-taker in Tests with 769 scalps in 125 matches, the off-spinner needs just three wickets to surpass former Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram's mark of 502 in one-day internationals.

"We will be very happy when he gets the record. It is another milestone for him and another one for Sri Lankan cricket," Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene told reporters on Tuesday.

"Everyone knows the amount of hard work he has put in over the last 16 years, going through a lot of hardship. Now, after a few games, or even tomorrow, he might hold the records in both Tests and one-dayers.

"That's an amazing effort for a guy who started as a fast bowler and then turned into an off-spinner."

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said he was sure the "champion" Sri Lankan spinner would complete a bowling double in the series, but his team would make him work hard for the record.

"He is a brilliant bowler and has been very consistent. He is a champion bowler," said Dhoni.

Jayawardene said his team was keen to clinch a fourth successive one-day series after beating Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

"India are a very competitive side. They pose a tough challenge for us and we are looking forward to that," he said.

"Their batting looks better this time, with Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag returning to the one-day squad. I think batting will be their strength. They also have two good pacemen (Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma)."

India won the last one-day series 3-2 in Sri Lanka without Tendulkar, Sehwag and Sharma, who were injured.

The Sri Lankan captain, without a half-century in his last 12 one-dayers, said he had been working hard on his batting and hoped to regain form.

"I'd like to get more runs and contribute more to the team's totals. This is something I have been working really hard. I hope I get it right against the Indians," said Jayawardene.

Indian captain Dhoni said his team had to adapt to the conditions early.

"We have two experienced players (Tendulkar and Sehwag) with us this time. A lot depends on the conditions here and we have to adapt quickly."

TEAMS
INDIA (from): Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Pragyan Ojha, Irfan Pathan, Praveen Kumar.

SRI LANKA (from): Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilina Kandamby, Jehan Mubarak, Farveez Maharoof, Muttiah Muralidaran, Ajantha Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Angelo Mathews.

Umpires: Brian Jerling and Kumar Dharmasena.

Younis takes over Pak captaincy

The Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly relieved Shoaib Malik of captaincy duties and handed the reins to batsman Younis Khan.

Malik's position as skipper hung in the balance after his side crashed to a humiliating defeat to Sri Lanka in a three-match one-day series last week.

The 234-run loss in the final match in Lahore was Pakistan's biggest ever in terms of runs and prompted calls from several former players to sack Malik.

The PCB demanded an explanation from the team management for the defeat and chairman Ijaz Butt indicated a decision would be made only after deliberating on the team report.

But just weeks after being retained as captain for an indefinite period, the PCB has decided to move on.

According to Pakistani television reports, Younus met with Butt this morning and has accepted the task.

"Younus has agreed to lead the side," Geo TV quoted a PCB source as saying.

Younus was vice-captain of the Pakistan team under Inzamam-ul-Haq and was seen as the natural choice once Inzamam stepped down following the first-round exit from the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.

But the 31-year-old at that point refused the captaincy, saying he did not want the added pressure.

His stand forced the PCB to turn to Malik - a much younger and less experienced leader.

Malik faced criticism throughout his two-year term, but his reign was nevertheless extended at the start of last month.

Malik's most significant win was a 3-0 ODI triumph over West Indies in Abu Dhabi late last year.

Jayawardene looking for revenge

Mahela Jayawardene admits his side will be intent on revenge when they take on India in the first one-day international.

Sri Lanka lost an ODI series against India last August but hope this time they will have the momentum after clinching the recent Test series 2-1.

"The defeat against India hurt us badly, but we are now looking to turn things around," said Jayawardene.

"We beat them in the Tests but lost the one-day series against them, so it's going to be an interesting series.

"We will try to keep the momentum going."

Jayawardene's men have showed no ill effects from a hectic fixture schedule in recent months, during which time they have posted convincing wins in a two-match Test series against Bangladesh and the following triangular one-dayers which also included Zimbabwe.

Shining light

They were then pitted against Pakistan, whose original opponents India called off a series with their neighbours because of political tension, and clinched a 2-1 win having lost the first game in Karachi.

Despite their good form, they have been inconsistent with the bat although Tillakaratne Dilshan has been a shining light.

"We have had problems with our batting and have been bowled out for low totals," said Jayawardene, who has struggled for form of late.

"But the good thing is we still managed to win and the guys have shown a lot of character.

Extended break

"We still scored a series win in Pakistan and the batting has also started to click, so it's a good sign before we take on India."

India paceman Zaheer Khan has other ideas however, saying: "I'm looking to play good, competitive cricket and focus on the process rather than the results.

"I've always felt that if I bowl well, wickets would follow. So the focus is on bowling well."

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side have had an extended break following the cancellation of the Pakistan tour, and Zaheer has used the time to perfect his technique.

"I was advised to cut short my run-up but that was a long time back," he said.

"A longer run-up wasn't adding to my bowling in terms of generating pace.

"So I knew I had to do it, but I didn't want to do it right off at international level.

Proteas claim series after crushing win

Impressive knocks from Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers helped South Africa claim a convincing eight-wicket victory in the fourth one-day international against Australia and an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.

De Villiers smashed an unbeaten 82 from 85 balls, while Amla was 80 not out as the pair put on a 144-run partnership to help steer the Proteas to their target of 223 with almost 12 overs to spare.

Australia's innings of 222 had been patchy at best, with Ricky Ponting's 63 the only highlight for the hosts at the Adelaide Oval.

South Africa opener Herschelle Gibbs also produced a scintillating cameo of 38 as the tourists made light work of their run chase.

Gibbs faced just 29 balls, smashing eight boundaries, and was the key player in a 58-run opening stand with Amla.

He eventually miscued one of several lofted drives and was caught by Mike Hussey at mid-on.

Gibbs' replacement, Jacques Kallis, also made batting look easy but he was dismissed by James Hopes with Shaun Marsh taking the catch at short mid-wicket.

That left the Proteas on 79 for two - but Amla and De Villiers forged what proved to be the match-winning partnership.

Hopes was the best of the Australian bowlers, finishing with one for 28 off 7.1 overs, while Ben Hilfenhaus was the other wicket-taker.

Earlier, Australia won the toss but were bowled out in 48 overs. Dale Steyn returned the best figures (three for 49), while Makhaya Ntini finished with three for 52.

Tendulkar, Sehwag rise in ICC rankings

Sachin Tendulkar went up a spot to tied 10th while Virender Sehwag also rose a rung to 19th in the latest ICC ODI rankings.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni remained second while Yuvraj Singh was stuck at seventh in the latest list.

In the bowling figures, Zaheer Khan dropped a rung to tied 11th but remained the only Indian in the top 20.

Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara raced up the rankings to second with yet another good performance in his side's successful ODI series in Pakistan.

The 26-year-old's jump of four places sees him overtake team-mate Muttiah Muralitharan and push Australia's Nathan Bracken into third place. New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori still tops the table.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting has regained the fifth spot in the batting rankings while West Indies captain Chris Gayle still tops the table.

Indian team reaches Colombo

The Indian cricket team arrived at the Bandaranaike International airport in Colombo on Monday afternoon.

The team led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni was received by Sri Lankan officials and the players were given a warm welcome. A large crowd had turned up to catch a glimpse of the stars as they trooped out from the terminal.

The Indians had a practice session in Chennai in the morning from where they boarded a flight to Colombo.

Dhoni and his teammates will take on the hosts in five-match one day series, beginning with the first ODI on Wednesday at Dambulla.

The tour will be rounded off with a Twenty20 international on February 10.

Shakib, Tigers rewarded

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has rewarded Shakib Al Hasan for becoming the world's number one all-rounder in the ICC ODI rankings.

BCB president Lt. Gen Sina Ibn Jamali handed over a memento and a cheque of Tk 1,00,000.00 to Shakib on behalf of the board at the end of the third and final one-day against Zimbabwe at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

The BCB president also declared a prize of Tk 50,000.00 for each member (players and team management) of the squad that won the three-match one-day series by 2-1 against Zimbabwe.

Jamali made this announcement during a dinner reception in honour of State Minister for Youth & Sports Ahad Ali Sarker at a local hotel, which was attended by the Bangladesh cricket team.

Sehwag confident about facing Mendis

On the eve of the Indian team's departure for Sri Lanka, Virender Sehwag has sought to put the rivals on the backfoot.

Sehwag said he had done his homework against mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis and would not hesitate to attack him, adding that his knowledge of the nuances of the game made it easy for him to deal with mystery bowlers like Mendis.

"I am exceptionally aware of the nuances of the game. I know what's happening, who is where and how to take advantage of him in the field. I studied him (Mendis) during the Asia Cup in Pakistan. Even at non-striker's end, I kept following his methods. His style when he is bowling off-spin, googly, or pushing it through middle finger.

Sehwag: I'll not have problems against Mendis

"So I have no problem in attacking him. A bowler is demoralised if he knows that a batsman has read him completely", Sehwag said.

He said a bowler like Mendis preferred to keep three or four fielders close to bat. "It means there are open spaces in the field. Even a mis-hit can give you boundaries," he explained.

"Unlike the accepted norm, I find hitting against the spin more profitable. It allows one to free one's arms," he said.

The explosive right-hander, who claimed that he never looks back in regret, said his big knocks won't count anything for him if the team had not won ultimately.

"I never look back. I have never looked back on those innings. What is gone is gone, it's over," he asserted.

"Nothing more thrilling than winning"

Asked whether his two triple centuries in Tests mean anything special to him, Sehwag replied, "They don't. Surely not as much as winning a match for your team. All of us play to win. Nothing is more thrilling than winning a match for your team." Sehwag also recalled how an advice from former India captain Sunil Gavaskar helped him correct his stance.

"Once Sunil Gavaskar asked me look to take middle or off-stump guard. And I think it has suited me. With a leg-stump guard, you could be chasing a wide delivery. Or leaving a gap. With a middle-and-off stump guard, the bowler doesn't know where to pitch his stuff.

"If it is in stumps, you could whip it to onside. If it is outside the off-stump, he is allowing you to play your favourite shots. I always take middle stump guard," he said.

Sehwag also had a unique way of keeping focussed at the crease.

Sehwag hum songs

"I want my mind to be absolutely free while facing up to a bowler. I try to hum songs, bhajans, Sai Baba bhajans, Kishore Kumar songs, especially those pictured on Amitabh Bachchan, till the bowler is about to deliver," he said.

"I then tell myself: Watch It. I try to sing songs as perfectly as possible in order to keep my mind completely uncluttered," the 30-year-old batsman said.

On whether it would be tough to find a replacement for Anil Kumble, Sehwag said, "Kumble was in a league of his own. It's impossible to get a bowler like him." "In his absence, Harbhajan Singh is our frontline spinner. On foreign pitches, it would be three pacers and Harbhajan. So there would be added responsibility on him. He is now sufficiently experienced and one hopes he would rise to the occasion.

Jayawardene turns sight on India series

After the 2-1 ODI series victory over Pakistan, Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene has now turned his sight on India.

He said his side was keen to avenge their home loss against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men last year.

The Sri Lankans went down 2-3 to India in the one-day series and Jayawardene didn't mince words when he said they were looking to turn things around when Dhoni's team tours the island nation for a five-match series starting on Wednesday.

"The defeat to India hurt us badly and we are now looking forward to turning things around this time," Jayawardene said on Sunday before leaving Pakistan.

India will be tougher opponents, says SL skipper

The captain though cautioned his players that India would be a tougher opponent than Pakistan.

"India is shaping up well in both forms of the game. We beat them in Tests but lost the one-day matches, so it would be a good series and we would try to keep the momentum going," he said.

Jayawardene was happy with the way his team performed against Pakistan.

"It has been a good series for us in Pakistan and the players showed lot of character coming back from defeat in the first match. The batting has also started to click so it's a good sign and progress before we take on India," he said.

The skipper agreed that if Sri Lanka have to beat India their batting will have to be consistent throughout the series.

"We have had problems with consistency with our batting in recent series being bowled out for low totals. But the good thing is we still managed to win and that shows the character in the team," Jayawardene said.

Pakistan drop to fifth spot

Pakistan has slipped one place to fifth in the ICC ODI Championship table following its 2-1 series defeat at home to Sri Lanka.

Although Shoaib Malik's team won the first ODI of the series in Karachi thanks to a brilliant unbeaten century by Salman Butt, it then proceeded to lose the second and third matches after impressive displays by the visitors.

That means Pakistan loses three ratings points and drops below New Zealand into fifth place on the table.

SL team retains seventh spot

For its part, Sri Lanka has gained two ratings points from that series and as a result stays in seventh position but it is now just one point behind England in sixth spot.

Mahela Jayawardene and his men next face third-placed India in a five-match ODI series from Wednesday.

Sri Lanka is a team with a proud one-day pedigree having won the ICC Cricket World Cup in 1996 and was runner-up the last time around in the West Indies.

During that event in April 2007 it was ranked as high as fourth in the world so no doubt the players will feel they belong further up that ladder than seventh.

Meanwhile, despite winning the series against Zimbabwe 2-1 Bangladesh lost one ratings point to 46 but has maintained its place in ninth position in the rankings. Zimbabwe is now just two ratings points behind 10th-placed Ireland having gained a point from that series.

There will be plenty of opportunities for change at the bottom of the table with Zimbabwe heading to 12th-placed Kenya for a five ODI series beginning in Mombasa on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka clinch series victory

Seamers Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara turned in a stunning performance with the new ball as Sri Lanka secured a stunning 234-run victory over Pakistan to clinch the one-day series 2-1.

Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara ended Pakistan's hopes of overhauling a target of 310 by claiming three wickets apiece in quick succession to leave Pakistan reeling at 22 for six in just under nine overs.

Muttiah Muralitharan then reached the 500-wicket mark in the one-day game with two tail-end wickets as Pakistan were skittled out for 75 runs in just 22.4 overs.

Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan (137 not out) had put Sri Lanka in command with an unbeaten century, helping Sri Lanka amass 309 for five in their 50 overs.

Kulasekara and left-arm seamer Thushara then quickly hit stride and effectively ended the match as a contest even before Pakistan could get their chase off the ground.

Pakistan decided to tweak their fragile batting order, opening the innings with Younis Khan and dropping first match centurion Salman Butt down to three.

The move backfired as Younis (four) was trapped in front by Thushara with the last ball of his first over.

Kulasekara then swung into action, inducing an edge from Butt (zero) which was held by Thilina Kandamby at first slip.

They fell like nine pins

Wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal (nine) lasted a couple of overs before he was consumed by Thushara, while Farveez Maharoof took a fine reflex catch at short midwicket to send back opener Khurram Manzoor (three) off Kulasekara.

Misbah-ul Haq was dismissed for a seven-ball duck, caught behind off Thushara, while Shahid Afridi (zero) was bowled, shouldering arms to a delivery that nipped back.

Umar Gul (27) looked good during a 44-run stand with skipper Shoaib Malik (19) which helped Pakistan get past the 50-run mark, a feat which looked distinctly unlikely after the new-ball blitz.

Muralitharan enters the 500 wicket club

But the pair were dismissed off successive deliveries and Muralitharan cleaned up the tail to bring up victory.

Muralitharan needs only two more wickets to level Pakistan's Wasim Akram (502), the leading wicket-taker in ODIs.

Earlier, Dilshan gave Sri Lanka a solid start in the company of Sanath Jayasuriya (45), vindicating Mahela Jayawardene's decision to bat first under overcast skies.

Jayasuriya fell immediately after enforcing the batting power play at the start of the 16th over, but Dilshan consolidated the innings through a 108-run stand for the second wicket with Kumar Sangakkara (50).

Fast bowler Gul struck quick blows at the death, removing Jayawardene (18) and Chamara Kapugedera (nought) in the same over, but Sri Lanka powered on to 309 for five in 50 overs.

Did Malik miss Akhtar?

Pakistan dropped bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir and brought in inexperienced youngsters Sohail Khan and Saeed Ajmal.

Sohail shared new-ball duties with Gul - both started with maiden overs - and kept Sri Lanka on a tight leash with accurate first spells.

Gul's first six overs yielded just 16 runs, while Sohail conceded only 18 from the same number of overs, forcing the Sri Lanka openers into several false shots.

Ifthikar Anjum then proved expensive, however, and Jayasuriya broke the shackles to swing momentum Sri Lanka's way by hitting him for three boundaries and a six in his fourth over.

Jayasuriya flattered to deceive

But Jayasuriya fell victim to Gul in the next over, the left-hander miscuing a pull shot which went straight to Ajmal at mid-on.

Sangakkara and Dilshan started with a mix-up which almost cost another wicket, but settled down to plunder runs.

Another mix-up ended Sangakkara's innings, but Dilshan forged a half-century partnership with Thilina Kandamby (32) and went on to reach his second century in 155 ODIs with a single off Ajmal.

Dilshan's knock came off 139 deliveries and was punctuated by 10 boundaries. Gul finished with three wickets from nine overs, conceding 45 runs, while Ifthikar conceded 53 runs from five overs and was not used again..

Bowling good, batting poor

After a shocking defeat in the tri-nation opener, things went from bad to worse as the Bangladesh lost the first game of the three-match series by two wickets. However, the Tigers yesterday savored success by securing a 2-1 series victory against Zimbabwe yesterday.

The initial target was to whitewash the lowly African nation in the series as consolation for their first defeat but Mohammad Ashraful's men settled for a face-saving series victory when they beat Zimbabwe by six-wicket in the series deciding curtailed-over match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

Definitely it came as a relief but the series left more questions to answer ahead of their next international assignment at home against Pakistan in March. All the credit must go to the bowlers who continued their recent impressive performance but coach Jamie Siddons needs to find swift answers about his brittle top order batting.

In reply to a paltry target of 120 in 37 overs, Bangladesh reached home for the loss of four wickets with 27 balls remaining. However, the scoreboard was misleading as the top order batting looked shaky despite the fact that the pitch was much better than in the first two games.

Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful also admitted that they have to give a long look at their batting to earn international success.

"It's really fine that we finally bounced back to win the series and I must say our bowlers played an excellent role in the series victory. They (the bowlers) showed character in the last few series but we have a real headache with our batting," said Ashraful in a post-match briefing.

"If our batting had clicked like the bowling we could get much more international success in the last few months. So, we have to work hard on our batting and I think the coming premier division cricket league will be helpful for us to return among runs," he added.

He however said that it was not easy to bat on this pitch and that was the reason the low-scoring games were produced in the tri-nation and three-match one-day series.

"Yes, most of our players are stroke-makers and that's why it was not so easy for us to score runs here. But as the bowlers were in good form, the management had decided to give them the advantage," he explained.

"I was lucky enough as we won the toss in three games. In the first game I made a mistake by deciding to bat first. The toss was a really important factor," he confessed when asked about how he evaluated his team's 2-2 record against the Zimbabweans.

Ashraful praised his bowlers, particularly his deputy Mashrafe Bin Mortaza.

"We were under pressure after the defeat in the first game but the bowlers did an excellent job especially what I believe is that Mashrafe is in his peak form for the last one year. And Shakib was excellent. I believe that as a team we are improving," said Ashraful.

Zimbabwe skipper Prosper Utseya also heaped praise on the Tigers as he believes that Bangladesh has been improving day by day in the international arena.

"Bangladesh is showing improvement and they deserved the victory. We should work out our top order failure, though given the conditions it was not easy to bat here," said Prosper.

Mohammad Ashraful might be a relieved man after the series win but in no way can he relax because the boos of the supporters while he was receiving the trophy will ring on in his ears for a long time to come.

Super Shakib

It was a special day for Shakib Al Hasan as he took centre stage yesterday as he started the match as the best all rounder in the world.

Going to sleep early after the news was broken to him on Thursday night, Shakib contributed significantly to yesterday's decider by picking up three wickets and scoring an unbeaten 33 off 36 deliveries to make the day memorable for both him and the Tigers.

The holiday crowd on Friday chanted his name and got behind him entirely and the object of their affection did little to disappoint as he kept to his reputation of guiding his side to victory. But, despite all his achievements and attention the lad from Magura remains level-headed about it all and thinks its best to not let success get to his head.

"I tried to sleep early last night. When I went in to bat, I had it in my mind that I'll have to do something today because I would need to prove my worth as the best all-rounder. No doubt it is my personal success but my team's victory is much more important to me and comes first" said Shakib admitting that he was excited when he went in to bat.

"After this success people will expect more out of me, but I am positive in my thinking and outlook. I believe my achievements will inspire my other teammates and our team can rise through the ranks in international cricket. I also believe that more players from Bangladesh will make it in the ICC Championship rankings" he added.

Shakib also came up with a popular saying, "It's easier to achieve independence but difficult to maintain, so I have to be keep my feet on the ground".

When asked which one of his performances was his best, the all rounder smiled and said, "actually my memory is not that sharp, however I can remember a few batting performances".

While Shakib is having a ball on the field, his captain Mohammad Ashraful is clearly going through a bad patch but has the full support of his team.

When asked about all the criticism against Ashraful, Shakib said, "Its not easy to captain a side like Bangladesh, Ash (Mohammad Ashraful) is not scoring at the moment but I do not think he is batting badly. It's just a matter of time before he comes back from the rust and makes a big score".

There has been a lot of debate on the pitches in Mirpur which has produced low scoring games so far and Shakib believes that it would be difficult if the same pitches are prepared for the upcoming series against Pakistan in March, owing largely to the opponent's strong seam attack.

Shakib stars for Bangladesh

Shakib Al Hasan put in a match-winning performance with both bat and ball to steer Bangladesh to a 2-1 series win over Zimbabwe in the third one-day international in Mirpur.

In a match reduced to 37 overs per side due to heavy fog, Shakib took the spotlight in both innings as the Tigers chased down their opponents' 119 with six wickets in hand.

Shakib finished with bowling figures of three for 15 from eight overs, and he starred again in the Bangladesh reply with a measured 33 not out to see his side home.

The day started poorly for Zimbabwe after play belatedly got under way with the impressive Mashrafe Mortaza trapping Vusi Sibanda leg before without a run on the scoreboard.

Mortaza, impressing with the new ball, quickly removed Hamilton Masakadza and Stuart Matsikenyeri to leave the batting side wobbling at 31 for three.

Sean Williams weighed in with 38 valuable runs, including five boundaries, in a productive partnership with Keith Dabengwa, who finished undefeated on 21.

Tamim Iqbal got the chase off to a good start, hitting five fours on his way to a 49-ball 34, but an early run out and Mohammad Ashraful's dismissal for just three gave Zimbabwe hope.

Spinner Ray Price was responsible for that wicket, one of two he claimed in a remarkable spell of 7-2-9-2.

But even that level of economy was not enough to hold off Bangladesh as Shakib and Mushfiqur Rahim (20no off 31 balls) secured the six-wicket victory.

Proteas blow Australia away

Albie Morkel again provided the late hitting to guide South Africa to a three-wicket win against Australia in the third ODI.

Morkel's heavy scoring has proved invaluable for the visitors in the final overs so far in the series, and so it proved again as the 27-year-old all-rounder blasted 40 off 22 balls to help his side reach their target of 270 with 21 balls to spare.

Opener Herschelle Gibbs top-scored for the South Africans with 64 from 52 balls to provide the platform for his side to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Earlier, a middle-order collapse restricted Australia from posting a bigger total than they may have expected. Rookie David Warner blasted 69 from 60 balls, but the hosts lost four for 44 in the middle overs before being bowled out for 269.

The Proteas nevertheless had to fight for the win and had Mark Boucher to thank for making an unbeaten 31 after coming to the crease with the game in the balance.

South Africa skipper Johan Botha, who kept the visitors in the contest with a superb spell of bowling returning figures of three for 32 from 10 overs, fittingly struck the winning runs.

Gibbs' half-century gave South Africa the start they were craving as the veteran opener blasted 10 boundaries and a six on his way to a rapid 64 off 52 deliveries.

Both openers received a life in the first over of the run-chase as first Ricky Ponting dropped Hashim Amla, before David Hussey put down a simple chance at backward point to let Gibbs off the hook and deny Shaun Tait an early breakthrough.

Amla's stay came to an abrupt end with his score on 13 when a horrible mix-up between the wickets gifted Australia the breakthrough.

Gibbs, meanwhile, continued to look threatening, blasting Mitchell Johnson over the extra-cover fence, while Jacques Kallis was content to nudge the ball around bringing up 10,000 runs in one-day internationals on his way to hitting 60.

Momentum turned when Johnson removed Gibbs who edged to Michael Hussey at slip before Nathan Bracken continued the revival by removing AB De Villiers cheaply, also caught by Hussey at first slip.

Australia's chances were further strengthened when Nathan Hauritz bowled JP Duminy for nine, and when Tait had Kallis caught behind the Australians were right back in it.

Boucher and Neil McKenzie (27) set about rescuing the innings, putting on 46 runs before McKenzie was caught short of his ground attempting to steal a run on the arm of Warner.

But Morkel, who was not without luck as Tait dropped a diving chance with his score on 10, was up to the task.

Warner plays a crucial innings

Australia head earlier appeared on course for a mammoth total but a steady flow of wickets saw the hosts bowled out for 269 in the final over.

The opening hour of play belonged to Warner who slammed six boundaries and two sixes to set the SCG alight and hand his side a dream start.

Warner's attack began in the fifth over blasting spearhead Dale Steyn for 15 runs.

The visitors turned to Kallis to try and stem the flow of runs but Warner showed the veteran all-rounder little respect sending his first delivery to the mid-wicket fence.

With momentum on their side the hosts opted to take their batting powerplay in the 17th over forcing Botha to bring Steyn back into the attack.

Despite the loss of both Warner and Shaun Marsh (43), the hosts made good use of the powerplay but the contest quickly turned in the visitors' favour when Australia lost three wickets for 23 runs in a damaging six-over period.

Bangla win match, series

Shakib Al Hasan put in a match-winning performance to steer Bangladesh to a 2-1 series win over Zimbabwe.

In a match reduced to 37 overs per side due to heavy fog, Shakib took the spotlight in both knocks as the Tigers chased down their opponents' 119 with six wickets in hand.

Shakib turned in a miserly spell of eight overs for 15 in the first innings, collecting three wickets along the way.

Amazingly, four of the 24-year-old's overs were maidens as the tourists struggled to establish any rhythm at the crease.

He was at it again in the Bangladesh reply, putting together a measured 33 not out to see his side home.

The day started poorly for Zimbabwe after play belatedly got under way with the impressive Mashrafe Mortaza trapping Vusi Sibanda leg before without a run on the scoreboard.

Mortaza, impressing with the new ball, quickly removed Hamilton Masakadza and Stuart Matsikenyeri for 10 apiece to leave the batting side wobbling at 31 for three.

Sean Williams weighed in with 38 valuable runs, including five boundaries, in a productive partnership with Keith Dabengwa, who finished undefeated on 21.

Tamim Iqbal got the chase off to a good start, hitting five fours on his way to a 49-ball 34, but an early run out and danger man Mohammad Ashraful's dismissal for just three gave Zimbabwe hope.

Spinner Ray Price was responsible for that wicket, one of two he claimed in a remarkable spell of 7-2-9-2.

But even that level of economy was not enough to hold off Bangladesh as Shakib (33no off 36 balls) and Mushfiqur Rahim (20no off 31 balls) secured the six-wicket victory.

Malik fined for slow play

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik was fined 20% of his match fee for slow over rates in the second one-day international against Sri Lanka in Karachi.

Sri Lanka had lost the first match on Tuesday by eight wickets, but came back strongly to clinch an imposing 129-run win to square the three-match series 1-1.

Pakistan, with a pace attack comprising Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul and Ifthikar Anjum had struggled with their over rates on Tuesday as well, but had bowled out Sri Lanka in just over 45 overs to escape punishment. Sri Lanka, however, batted their full quota of overs on Wednesday which left Pakistan in trouble.

Match referee Chris Broad imposed the fines after Malik's side were ruled to be two overs short of their target when time allowances were taken into consideration.

The players were fined 10% of their match fee and skipper Malik double the amount.

Sri Lanka a 129-run win over Pakistan.

Nuwan Kulasekara had rattled Pakistan's top-order with the new ball by claiming two early wickets as the hosts slipped to 17 for three in pursuit of a target of 291.

Half-centuries from opener Salman Butt (62) and captain Shoaib Malik (54) - the two shared a 108-run stand for the fourth wicket - helped haul Pakistan back into the game, but Muralitharan did for Malik and Sanath Jayasuriya accounted for Butt five deliveries later to trigger a collapse.

Mendis, who had gone wicketless in the first match on Tuesday, then ran through the tail as Sri Lanka wrapped up victory with 15.1 overs to spare.

Butt, Malik half-centuries in vainMalik and Butt, who made a match-winning century yesterday, then rebuilt the innings and got Pakistan back on track.

Malik reached his 31st ODI half-century by sweeping Jayasuriya to the boundary, but he fell shortly after trying to steer Muralitharan to third man and only guiding the ball straight into Sangakkara's gloves.

Butt, who marked this match with his 10th career half-century, then succumbed to Jayasuriya's guile. He attempted to work a delivery on the on-side but the leading edge flew to Mahela Jayawardene at cover.

Pakistan's innings then quickly unravelled and ended when Iftikhar Anjum (five) was trapped in front by Mendis.

Murali, Mendis continue their magic

Muralitharan finished with three for 19 from seven overs, while Mendis had three for 29 from 6.5.

Earlier, the quick wickets of Jayasuriya (19) and Sangakkara (16) left Sri Lanka in a familiar backs-to-the-wall position, but Kandamby and Dilshan prevented a collapse.

A cameo from Chamara Kapugedera (44 off 39 deliveries) and a useful 24 from Jayawardene saw Sri Lanka amass 290 for eight from their 50 overs.

Dilshan again got Sri Lanka off to a bright start in the company of Jayasuriya. Pakistan's new-ball bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir again proved expensive as the Sri Lankan openers put on 43 runs in just under six overs.

Pak vs SL, 2nd ODI,

Chasing a massive target of 291 runs, Pakistan have lost three early wickets in the second one-dayer in Karachi.

Half-centuries from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Thilina Kandamby helped Sri Lanka set Pakistan a testing target of 291 on Wednesday.

Dilshan (76) and Kandamby (59) put on 99 for the third wicket as the tourists turned in a much-improved performance with the bat.

The early wickets of Sanath Jayasuriya (19) and Kumar Sangakkara (16) left Sri Lanka in a familiar backs-to-the-wall state, but Kandamby and Dilshan prevented a collapse.

A cameo from Chamara Kapugedera (44 off 39 deliveries) and a useful 24 from Mahela Jayawardene saw Sri Lanka amass 290 for eight from their 50 overs.

Dilshan again got Sri Lanka off to a bright start in the company of Jayasuriya.

Pakistan's new-ball bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Sohail Tanvir again proved expensive as the Sri Lanka openers put on 43 runs in just under six overs.

Shoaib was hit for four boundaries in his second over and was quickly shunted out of the attack as Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik pressed Umar Gul into service.

Just as he had done yesterday during the hosts' eight-wicket win in the first ODI, Gul again made the breakthrough - although Jayasuriya brought about his own downfall.

The Matara left-hander, playing from deep within the crease, disturbed the off stump with his heel while going back to defend a delivery from Gul.

Gul then ran out Kumar Sangakkara for 16 to leave Sri Lanka on the back foot at 66 for two.

But Kandamby, who was drafted into the side in place of Jehan Mubarak and promoted up the order ahead of the out-of-sorts Jayawardene, looked in fine touch as Sri Lanka worked up some momentum.

Dilshan fell in similar fashion to his dismissal yesterday, mistiming a pull and presenting Shoaib with his first wicket in more than a year, but by then Sri Lanka had a strong platform.

The 26-year-old Kandamby, was dropped on 16 by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, went on to compile a maiden half-century before falling to Iftikhar Anjum.

Gul was the pick of Pakistan's bowlers, finishing with four for 58 from nine overs.

Teams:

Pakistan: Khurram Manzoor, Salman Butt, Younus Khan, Shoaib Malik (C), Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (W), Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Shoaib Akhtar.

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara (W), Mahela Jayawardena (C), Chamara Kapugedera, Thilina Kandamby, Farveez Maharoof, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralidaran, Ajantha Mendis.

Ashraful to continue as captain

Mohammad Ashraful will continue as Bangladesh captain despite the consecutive defeats to Zimbabwe at home, the Bangladesh Cricket Board have indicated.

Bangladesh lost to Zimbabwe in a league match of the triangular series which included Sri Lanka last week, a defeat which almost cost them a place in the final. And Zimbabwe again clinched a thrilling victory in the first match of their three-match bilateral one-day series leaving Ashraful's position at the helm in doubt.

But the Bangladesh Cricket Board have suggested a change in captain was not on the cards with Enayet Husain Siraj, BCB director and chairman of the cricket operations committee, telling the Daily Star: "It was a huge mistake to appoint Ashraful as a captain because the timing was wrong. But we don't want to make the same mistake by removing him at the wrong time."

He added: "I think it would have been better for Bangladesh cricket if Habibul Bashar had continued for another year.

"I don't know the reason behind the decision to appoint Ashraful, but without any doubt it was a mistake.

"He was given the captaincy job when he should have been given more time to prepare himself as a batsman, but unfortunately we put extra pressure on him.

"Now everyone wants him removed just when he is getting better by day."

Bangladesh level series

Bangladesh levelled the three-match one-day international series against Zimbabwe with a six-wicket triumph in Mirpur.

A fine 96-run partnership between Sean Williams and captain Prosper Utseya helped the tourists recover from a poor start to reach 160 for nine from their 50 overs after being asked to bat first.

But the hosts, with Raqibul Hasan (52 not out) and opener Mehrab Hossain Jr (43) leading the way, surpassed their victory target for the loss of just four wickets and with more than five overs to spare.

The result leaves the teams with all to play for in the final ODI, which takes place at the same ground on Friday.

Zimbabwe lose wickets at rapid pace

Zimbabwe lost their first wicket on Wednesday in the ninth over when Nazmul Hossain had Hamilton Masakadza (17) caught at mid-off by Rubel Hossain.

That was a sign of things to come as wickets then began tumbling at a rapid pace.

Vusi Sibanda fell for seven in the 11th over before Tatenda Taibu (three) quickly followed suit and then Zimbabwe lost Stuart Matsikenyeri (10), Elton Chigumbura (one) and Malcolm Waller (one) in the space of three overs to leave the tourists floundering on 47 for six in the 19th over.

Williams hit three fours and a six as he combined well with Utseya to repair Zimbabwe's innings before he was dismissed - run out by Mashrafe Mortaza - for 59 in the 47th over.

Utseya reached a career-best 38 before perishing in the final over, with Ray Price (seven) then bowled by Mortaza with the last ball of the innings.

Cake walk for Bangladesh

Chasing just 161, Bangladesh knew they did not have to produce anything too spectacular to level the series.

Opener Tamim Iqbal was bowled between bat and pad by Tawanda Mupariwa for 21 and Mohammad Ashraful contributed only five before Ed Rainsford had him caught at short cover by Utseya, but Mehrab and Raqibul shared a 52-run stand for the third wicket to get the home side back on track.

Shakib Al Hasan (22) came in and picked up where Mehrab left off as Bangladesh inched further towards their target, with Mushfiqur Rahim (13 not out) finishing things off in style with a six over long leg off Mupariwa.

Teams:

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Mehrab Hossain jnr, Mohammad Ashraful, Raqibul Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Naeem Islam, Mashrafe Mortaza, Nazmul Hossain, Rubel Hossain

Zimbabwe: S Matsikenyeri, SC Williams, T Taibu, MN Waller, E Chigumbura, P Utseya, RW Price, T Mupariwa, EC Rainsford, V sibanda, H Masakadz.

Zimbabwe plan to seal series

Mirpur is set to throw a scorcher of a contest as Zimbabwe plan to seal the series as Bangladesh try to come back.

Low Scores

The low scoring matches are now regularity on these grounds but the intensity of the contests is what is driving the crowds in. The disappointment though has been that the home team has not been able to pull any of the close ones through. After having the opposition reeling at 6 for 5 against the Lankans and then at 44 for 6 in the last match against Zimbabwe, it's the killer instinct which is somewhere not visible.

Discipline the key

On the other hand the Zimbabweans have been disciplined to the core and according to their skipper that's what is keeping them in the hunt to seal the series in the second ODI itself.
"I think we are a more disciplined side and if we continue to be like that then we should win the series," said Utseya.
His side had similarly tested the Lankans last year at home and a series win away would show that they are coming back to some standards after the recent crisis.

A big score needed

On the other hand the Bangladesh camp know they are struggling but captain Ashraful said that just one good total on the board and things would turn brighter.
"We just have to get a decent score on the board. That is the only area where we are struggling," he said.
A series loss at home will be a huge knock in self-belief for Bangladesh, with critics already out their with there knives saying they don't deserve playing cricket at the highest level.

Players to watch

The players to be watched out are man of the match for the previous game Ray Price and in form Bangladeshi pacer Mashrafe Mortaza who almost did it alone for his side last time and a similar show this time around would definitely floor the Zimbabweans.
If they win tomorrow, the African nation struggling for victories would clinch their first series victory in a period spanning over two years - the last one incidentally again was against Bangladesh at home in July 2006.

Teams

Bangladesh - Mohammad Ashraful (capt), Enamul Haque Jr, Junaid Siddiqui, Mahbubul Alam, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Nazmul Hussain, Raqibul Hasan, Rubel Hussain, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal.

Zimbabwe - Prosper Utseya (capt), Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer, Keith Dabengwa, Hamilton Masakadza, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Chris Mpofy, Tawanda Mupariya, Foster Mutizwa, Ray Price, Ed Rainsford, Vusi Sibanda, Tatenda Taibu, Malcolm Waller, Sean Williams.

Butt century leads Pakistan to victory

Salman Butt's unbeaten century guided Pakistan to a comfortable eight-wicket win in the first ODI in Karachi.

Iftikhar Anjum (4-42) and Umar Gul (3-30) ripped Sri Lanka out for 219 despite Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya's opening stand of 71.

Butt (100no) and Khurram Manzoor (83) put on 168 for Pakistan's first wicket and Younus Khan (20) and Shoaib Malik (11no) helped Butt finish the job.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene opted to bat after winning the toss and Tillakaratne Dilshan (42) and Sanath Jayasuriya (38) ripped Pakistan's new ball bowlers apart.

Umar Gul pegged the visitors back by sending back both openers and seamer Ifthikar Anjum snared three middle-order wickets to help restrict the visitors to an unflattering score on a placid track.

Butt and Manzoor had begun Pakistan's reply cautiously against an accurate spell from new-ball bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara.

Muttiah Muralitharan finally broke through in the 39th over, the first of the batting side's powerplays. He latched on to a return catch to get rid of Manzoor, but by then Pakistan were well on the road to victory.

Younis Khan (20) was the other wicket to fall, a victim of Farveez Maharoof.

Butt, however, brought up his eighth one-day century with a single of Dilshan, reaching the mark in 116 deliveries and remained to finish off the task in the company of skipper Shoaib Malik (11 not out).

Pakistan prepared for Mendis

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik has revealed his team have formulated a strategy to deal with Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis during their three-match one-day international series.

The Sri Lankans, fresh from victory in last week's triangular series involving Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, head to Karachi for Tuesday's first ODI boasting two of world cricket's most feared spinners in Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan.

"We have faced Murali on several occasions in the past and most of our batsmen have done well against him," said Malik. "Mendis is a relatively new bowler and we have prepared a strategy to tackle him. It's a secret - you will find out about it during the series."

Malik, who was retained as Pakistan skipper following his team's 3-0 ODI whitewash against West Indies in Abu Dhabi last November, is under no illusions as to the size of the task ahead.

"There's no doubt that Sri Lanka are one of the best teams in the world," added the 26-year-old all-rounder. "But we are also playing well as a team, which is why I'm expecting some tight games in the series.

"It's a short series and winning the first match is going to be crucial."

Ganguly honoured with golden bat

The former Indian skipper was felicitated in Kolkata as a poignant show of nostalgia marked the two-hour-long programme.

As the former Indian skipper was presented with the bat made of one kg gold worth Rs 25 lakh, confetti was showered amid a dazzling display of fireworks in the Cricket Association of Bengal function 'Celebrating a legend'.

Speaking on the occasion, chief guest of the function West Bengal Sports Minister Subhas Chakraborty described Ganguly as a 'Dhruv Tara' (the guiding star) and compared him with the warrior Arjuna who battled all odds in the Mahabharata.

More kudos for Dada

He said he would request the Calcutta University to confer an honorary D. Litt on Ganguly for his rare achievements which no other sportsman has got so far.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who was to be the chief guest, could not attend the function due to illness.

There was also a 10-minute docu feature -- 'Dadagiri: A fire within' -- encompassing Ganguly's long trip to international arena featuring his debut at the Lord's, his steering of India to the World Cup final in 2003 as skipper, the abiding image of him taking off his shirt on the Lord's balcony after winning the Natwest Trophy in 2002, his spat with Greg Chappell and his statement at a press conference to quit the game ahead of the Australia Test series.

Terming Ganguly as a rare cricketer who has the combination of flamboyance and maturity, CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya said, "He was one of the rare cricketers who made his debut for the senior Bengal side in the final of the Ranji Trophy which his team won." "History will remember him as a leader who rescued India from a period of crisis," Dalmiya said, referring to Ganguly's captaincy of the national team in 2000.

Ganguly changed Indian cricket forever

"His career transformed Indian and Bengal cricket and inspired generations to believe they can overcome all challenges which come their way," the former BCCI chief said.

Former Chief Minister Siddharth Shankar Ray, who was also present on the occasion despite his old age, described Ganguly as the greatest ever cricketer.

Comparing Ganguly's cricketing prowess with veteran footballer-cum-cricketer Chuni Goswami, Ray, the cricket enthusiast said, "Chuni was a great cricketer with all the shots in his armoury, but he (Chuni) has to admit that he did not have the flair in drives and hitting over the bowler's head.

That is where it all began

"And it was Ganguly who showed it with eloquence." Trustee Board Chairman PB Dutta, who was also on the speaker's panel, indirectly referred to Rahul Dravid and said, "Ganguly is still good. But he retired gracefully, it's a lesson for some of the seniors who are still continuing for reasons best known to them." An emotional Ganguly spoke of his first game at the Eden when he was only 13 years old.

It was an under-15 match between Bengal and Orissa. Terming Ganguly as a rare cricketer who has the combination of flamboyance and maturity, CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya said,

"He was one of the rare cricketers who made his debut for the senior Bengal side in the final of the Ranji Trophy which his team won." "History will remember him as a leader who rescued India from a period of crisis," Dalmiya said, referring to Ganguly's captaincy of the national team in 2000.

Thanks for all the support

Ganguly also thanked Dalmiya for being a huge support when he started his career. 'An insiders' look', a chat session involving all the Bengal captains Ganguly has played under brought the curtains down on the programme.

The session, moderated by Arun Lal, with the panel including Sambaran Banerjee, Pranab Roy, Utpal Chatterjee, Saba Karim, Deep Dasgupta, Devang Gandhi, Rohan Gavaskar and Laxmi Ratan Shukla revealed several secrets only known to the dressing room so far.

Price shines in Zimbabwe's win over Bangladesh

Veteran Raymond Price grabbed 4-22 and hit two boundaries in the last over to lead Zimbabwe to an exciting two-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first one-day international here on Monday.

The 32-year-old recorded his career-best figures and then scored a match-winning 24 not out as Zimbabwe surpassed Bangladesh's modest 124 with four balls to spare.

Paceman Mashrafe Mortaza (3-21) and spinner Shakib Al Hasan (3-11) picked three wickets each to reduce Zimbabwe to 92-8, before debutant Malcolm Waller (24) and Price crushed the home team's victory bid.

With Zimbabwe needing six runs off the final over, man-of-the-match Price struck boundaries off the first two deliveries from seamer Nazmul Hossain to give his team a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

It was Zimbabwe's second successive win over Bangladesh, having beaten the hosts by 38 runs in the recent tri-series in Dhaka that also featured Sri Lanka.

Earlier, Price and fellow left-arm spinner Keith Debengwa (3-15) wrecked Bangladesh's innings.

The hosts were off to a slow start, taking 24 deliveries to score their first run off the bat after Mohammad Ashraful won the toss and elected to bat in overcast conditions.

Opener Junaid Siddique was the first to go when he was trapped leg-before by paceman Edmond Rainsford, who conceded just five runs in his first six overs.

Tamim Iqbal (13) was dismissed by Hamilton Masakadza, while Ashraful struggled to make four off 18 balls.

Shakib revived the innings briefly making 15, which included a pulled six over midwicket.

Raqibul Hasan top-scored with a 33-ball 28, but the rest of the batting caved in as Bangladesh slumped to their third lowest one-day total against Zimbabwe.

The second one-dayer will be played here on Wednesday.

Australia clinch a thriller in Hobart

In an eerily similar situation to Friday night, the Proteas - chasing 250 to take a 2-0 series lead - required 60 runs from their final six overs when they initiated their batting powerplay.

But Mark Boucher, with 37 not out, and Albie Morkel, the South African hero from the MCG, nearly pulled off the impossible with an unbeaten whirlwind stand of 39 off only 19 balls at the Bellerive Oval.

With 41 required from the final three overs, they struck 15 and nine off the next two, bowled by Ben Hilfenhaus and Nathan Bracken, leaving an unlikely 17 off the final over to pinch victory.

Seven runs were still needed from the final two balls after Boucher slogged Hilfenhaus over mid-wicket for six but the Tasmanian paceman held his nerve on the final two balls.

After Australia reached 249 for nine on the back of half-centuries from Ricky Ponting and man of the match Shaun Marsh, the Proteas were on track for another against-the-odds victory thanks to a 93-run stand between Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers.

A 135-run stand off 145 balls between Marsh and Ponting, who both made half-centuries, formed the nucleus of Australia's innings but their departures within minutes of each other saw the run-rate head south rather than north.

The hosts could garner only 92 runs in their final 20 overs - a period when most sides aim to double their score.

Akram: Zaheer best left-arm pacer

Former Pakistan speedster Wasim Akram has rated Zaheer Khan as the best left-arm pacer in the game in the present times.

"Without doubt Zaheer Khan is the best. He has improved his bowling. He can swing the ball both ways and also get it to reverse swing. He can also bowl close to the wicket, wide of the crease and round the wicket," Akram was quoted as saying by the 'Gulf News' on Saturday.

Akram, who bagged 414 wickets in Test matches and 502 wickets in one-dayers, has in the past helped Zaheer with tips on the art of swing bowling.

Zaheer finished with a seven-wicket match haul against Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy final that ended in India.

India the strongest team at the moment: Akram

The former Pakistan captain also felt India presently was the strongest team and felt his country should not severe cricketing ties with the neighbours.

"With India becoming the best team in the world, Pakistan should play against them. Sporting ties should never be cancelled," he said, expressing concern over the lack of international cricket matches in Pakistan.

"India have won against Australia at home and away, and beaten England and South Africa. I will admit that South Africa are the best only if they do well in India during their tour," he said.

Akram concerned about Pakistan cricket

Akram also feared Pakistani players' exodus in the absence of international cricket in the country. "If Pakistan does not get to play international cricket, they may lose more players to the Indian Cricket League (ICL). If cricketers do not get enough opportunity to play the game they will leave.

"So Pakistan should play international cricket either at home or abroad at any cost. Pakistan will find their tour to Australia in October really tough as they have not played Test cricket for close to one year," he said.

On Shoaib Malik, who has been given extension as the captain, Akram said, "He has improved a lot. Cricket captaincy is something you learn over the years. You have to learn to handle the media, the senior players and how to act off the field. He has to learn to take advantage of senior players because without their support you cannot go a long way.

Graceful in defeat

"People only remember the wins, not the close matches," Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful heaved a sigh in disappointment after their heartbreaking two-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lankan in the tri-nation final at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday.

It was amazing the way the Tigers bounced back in the tournament with a five-wicket victory against Sri Lanka after a shock defeat to Zimbabwe and played the final matchin a jam-packed stadium. There might be a reason to feel pain but no way they would hold their heads down after such a stupendous performance as it would be hard to find how many teams defended a small total like 152 runs in such a brave manner.

It's a match where many can debate with 'may' or 'may be not' issues but must accept that it was a good match to watch.

But in the end it seemed that many were hardly bothered to think about how good the match was rather tried to make the Bangladesh captain a scapegoat for the defeat. It was not only that some frustrated fans chanted slogans against him outside the stadium rather Ashraful had to battle with the press afterwards: why he gave the ball to an inexperienced bowler like Rubel Hossain in a crucial stage of the match?

Ashraful, however, defended his decision and said that it was Muttiah Muralidaran's brilliant batting that took the match away although it was so close to make history by winning a tri-nation tournament for the first time.

"In the last match he (Rubel Hossain) bowled really well to wrap up the Sri Lankan tail and that's why I kept faith on him. He has a different kind of action and is capable of giving bouncers and yorkers but he failed to maintain his normal bowling in an crucial stage," Ashraful said.

"It's natural after the defeat many considers it a wrong decision but I think Murali played a brilliant knock. Luck also favoured him, otherwise one could have been top edged during the hasty innings. There is always chance for the pacers when tailenders bat," he added.

The question was raised why he did not try his another spin option in Mahmudullah Riyad but Ashraful found no reason to bring the off-spinner into the attack.

"All the bowlers bowled very well so there was no scope for me to try Riyad in any stage," he said.

Ashraful was understandably disappointed by the outcome as they lost another chance to rewrite the history. The Tigers hardly have the reputation that they can play good cricket against big opponents on the trot but they proved it wrong in the tournament after the way they fought back following a 38-run defeat in the first match against Zimbabwe.

"We are really frustrated. It's true that it could not be possible to win a match after making only 152 runs but we started to believe once Shakib (Al Hasan) brilliantly caused the damage in the very first ball with a run out. And then our bowlers did an excellent job and the fielding was also brilliant but in the end we could not make it," said a frustrated Ashraful.

He was not ready to accept that inexperience played any part in their defeat but man-of-the series Shakib admitted that they had hardly any experience to go through in such situations.

"We don't face such a situation so often, so we might have been nervous. Actually Murali made the difference and I think people will remember Murali as a batsman in the series because he was not a threat too much as bowler," said Shakib, who was ranked the best spinner of the season by the ICC.

Like his captain, the all-rounder also believed that people only remember victories.

"Nobody will remember how good my performance was as we lost the match," he said adding that they have learned a lot from this game.

Both Bangladesh captain and the best performer in the tournament may have uttered this out of frustration but without any doubt, it was a match for any cricket lover to remember for life.

Ponting rueful after ODI defeat

Aussie captain Ricky Ponting was left to reflect on what might have been after his side were on the wrong end.

The Proteas capitalised on a well-chosen batting powerplay to plunder 18 runs off the 48th over, bowled by Ben Hilfenhaus, to steal a remarkable victory with three balls to spare in the opening one-day international at the MCG.

Morkel was the star of the show for the tourists, hitting a match-winning 40 off only 18 balls as the Proteas found the 50 runs they needed from the final five overs to pass Australia's total of 271 and claim a three-wicket win.

India squad for SL tour on Sunday

"Members of the all-India selection committee will meet at the Cricket Centre (in Mumbai) to pick the squad for the tour of Sri Lanka," a BCCI statement said.

The tour, featuring five ODIs and a Twenty20 International, has been arranged following the gap in the Indian team's engagements in the wake of the cancelled tour of Pakistan.

The Indian squad, set to reach Sri Lanka on January 26, will play the first two matches at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium (RDICS) at Dumbulla on January 28 and 30.

Colombo's R Premadasa International Cricket stadium (RPICS) will host the third and fourth matches of the series on February 2 and 5, as well as the one-off Twenty20 International on February 10.

The fifth and last ODI is scheduled on February 8 at Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), also in Colombo.

South Africa stun Australia

South Africa twice came back from forlorn positions to defeat a new-look Australia by three wickets..

Led by Albie Morkel, who made a match-winning 40 off only 18 balls, the Proteas capitalised on a well-chosen batting powerplay to plunder 18 runs off the 48th over, bowled by Ben Hilfenhaus, to steal a remarkable victory with three balls to spare..

Morkel delivered the final twist in a thrilling match which Australia had for the large part appeared destined to win at the MCG on Friday..

The Proteas needed 50 off the final five overs but, aided by the powerplay, Morkel and Johan Botha carved a match-winning 51-run stand off only 35 balls..

Marsh, Hussey steer Aussies to 271

After reaching an imposing 271 for eight, built largely on half-centuries from Shaun Marsh and David Hussey, the Proteas lost early wickets and were in big trouble when Jacques Kallis departed with the score on 90 for three in the 19th over.

But a 123-run stand between the irrepressible Jean-Paul Duminy and the hitherto out-of-form Neil McKenzie returned the momentum to the Proteas before Duminy's dismissal for 71 triggered another swing..
The Proteas lost four wickets for eight runs in less than three overs to slump to 221 for seven before the older Morkel brother and Botha put the Australians to the sword.

The pair were aided by a pair of costly misfields from Shaun Tait and Nathan Bracken.

Tait's error gifted Morkel a boundary when only one should have been conceded, while Bracken's stumble allowed the Proteas to grab an extra two runs.

That came moments after Bracken had conceded 13 runs in the 47th over, which finished with a massive six from Morkel..

SA spoil Aussie party

It was a devastating finish for the Australians, who until the final few overs were about to celebrate a win of substance.

Five of their less experienced players had been responsible for putting the home side in control.

Marsh, Hussey and to a lesser extent Cameron White made valuable contributions with the bat, before Hilfenhaus and Tait made important breakthroughs with the ball.

That pair had removed Herschelle Gibbs and Hashim Amla with the new ball then dismissed McKenzie and Mark Boucher during the Proteas' stumble.

Australia were also helped by a charitable fielding performance from the tourists..


Vaughn van Jaarsveld gave lives to Ricky Ponting and Hussey, and McKenzie reprieved Marsh.

Ponting and Hussey were the two most costly.

Ponting was dropped on 33 and lived to make 46, while Hussey's life enabled him to make 52 at better than a run a ball to lift Australia's run rate towards the end of their innings.

But Morkel's heroics at the death ensured the Proteas would not pay the ultimate price.

Teams:

Australia: Shaun Marsh, Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Hussey, David Hussey, Cameron White, Brad Haddin (wk), James Hopes, Nathan Bracken, Ben Hilfenhaus, Shaun Tait.

South Africa: Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy, Neil McKenzie, Mark Boucher (wk), Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Albie Morkel, Johan Botha (capt), Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn.

Murali shines with the bat

Master spinner Muttiah Muralitharan enjoyed the rare chance to win a match for Sri Lanka with the bat in a tense finish to the Tri-Nations final against Bangladesh in Mirpur.

Muralitharan, who has an ODI batting average of just over six, crashed four fours and two sixes to steer the tourists to their target of 153 in a match where the specialist batsmen found scoring runs treacherous.

His 16-ball 33 not out, combined with a more measured 38no from Farveez Maharoof, saw Sri Lanka to a two-wicket victory.

Tigers dismissed for 152

Nuwan Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis grabbed three wickets apiece as Sri Lanka dismissed Bangladesh for 152 in the triangular one-day series final in Dhaka today..

Fast bowler Kulasekara picked three of the first five wickets in a lively opening spell to send Bangladesh reeling at 54-5 in the 19th over. His victims were openers Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique, and Mushfiqur Rahim..

The hosts never looked like posting a challenging total after the early blows and lost their last four wickets for just one run, with unorthodox spinner Mendis claiming three to finish with 3-24..

Raqibul Hasan top-scored with a fighting 43 in his team's below-par batting performance. He added 53 for the seventh wicket with Naeem Islam (21), the highest stand of the innings..

Bangladesh, who recorded a surprise five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on Wednesday to edge out Zimbabwe for a place in the final, were clueless against pace in early overs after being put in to bat.

Seamers Thilan Thushara and Maharoof also kept pressure on the hosts, each taking one wicket in opening spells.

The Sri Lankan pacemen were brilliantly backed by wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, who took four catches.

Shakib Al Hasan, who cracked 92 in Wednesday's win, contributed only nine runs this time before being caught behind while attempting to cut Thushara.

Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan finished with 2-33.

Three-member panel to probe Asif's case

The new regime of the PCB has come under severe pressure to penalise the fast bowler after documents pertaining to his 19-day detention in Dubai was made public by United Arab Emirates officials last week..

Asif was detained after 0.24 grams of opium was found in his possession and, during interrogation, had confessed to using the substance although he said he believed it was a remedy given to him by a traditional Islamic healer..

No charges were pressed against Asif and he was deported without trial..

The PCB under former chief Nasim Ashraf had conducted their own inquiry into the matter but Ashraf had resigned without taking a decision on the findings of the probe..

The present setup led by chairman Ijaz Butt had refused to take action against the 26-year-old fast bowler..

However, with Pakistan politicians and the International Cricket Council demanding a probe, the PCB have swung into action..

The PCB have now appointed a three-member team comprising former Test cricketer and director of human resources Wasim Bari, the PCB's medical expert Dr Sohail Saleem and Asif Sohail, a member of the PCB's media department..

"The committee will start work immediately," a PCB spokesman said..

"No time frame has been given to them to complete their findings," he added..

Asif has already been suspended from all forms of cricket by the PCB for failing a drugs test during the Indian Premier League..

He is scheduled to appear before the IPL drugs panel for a hearing on January 24 in Mumbai..