Tamim, Nasir, Jahurul, Shakib, Rahim deliver incredible win

Bangladesh 293 for 5 (Tamim 70, Nasir 54, Jahurul 53, Shakib 49, Rahim 46*) beat India 289 for 5 (Tendulkar 114, Kohli 66, Raina 51) by five wickets

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan delivered an improbable win for Bangladesh that left Sachin Tendulkar's record 100th international century in the shade and threw the Asia Cup wide open. As the focus remained on Tendulkar's achievement for most of the match, Bangladesh did what they had threatened to do in the tournament opener against Pakistan - they showed that they could chase big totals under pressure against Test opposition.

Photo Source: AFP

Bangladesh had asked India to bat knowing that chasing has been easier on the Mirpur pitch in this tournament than batting first. Though the strategy had not worked, just about, against Pakistan, India did not have an Umar Gul or a Saeed Ajmal to stop a side hungrier than they were for success.

 

Shakib and Rahim did not succumb to the gnawing tension that an asking-rate of above eight runs an over brings. Instead, India's bowlers crumbled against their aggression. Shakib blitzed 49 off 31 deliveries and were it not for a close stumping decision going against him, might have finished the game on his own.

With 66 needed off 50 deliveries, Shakib was adjudged stumped off R Ashwin with replays showing enough doubt for the benefit to have gone to the batsman. Rahim, who had said yesterday that India's thin bowling unit gave Bangladesh confidence, slammed 46 off 25 as Bangladesh won with four deliveries left.

A steady build-up from Tamim Iqbal and Jahurul Islam had left Bangladesh with a climbing asking-rate. With Nasir Hossain in control at one end, Shakib gave Banngladesh hope with hitting that was as uninhibited as it was daring. He took 18 runs off the 37th over, bowled by Ashok Dinda, with a couple of swings over midwicket and thick edge to third man. R Ashwin dropped it short, and was punched and pulled for boundaries. It was now Irfan Pathan's turn. A slash followed another pull, and the momentum had shifted in Bangladesh's favour.

India managed to sneak in some quiet overs after Shakib fell. It came down to 37 needed off 24. India's quick bowlers were having problems in controlling their deliveries and full tosses had been dished out often. The 48th over was when it fell apart for them. Irfan bowled a wide outside off stump. MS Dhoni ran upto him with some advice. Irfan bowled a length ball on Mushfiqur's pads next. Flicked over deep square leg for six. A stern-looking Dhoni had more words for Irfan. A high full toss followed from around the wicket. Swung over deep midwicket for six more.

With 16 needed off 12, Praveen began the 49th over with a waist-high no-ball. Sliced over point for four. A length delivery followed. Mushfiqur wound up and dispatched it over long-on. Game over. Mushfiqur roared on the field; Shakib did an encore in the dressing room. Bangladesh had only their third ODI win over their big neighbours.

When Tamim and Jahurul were ensuring that Bangladesh did not lose too many wickets during the middle overs, it had seemed that Bangladesh were not far away from coming short against the stiff asking-rate. Tamim again displayed his recent penchant for buckling down to play a long innings while Jahurul picked up the scoring after a slow start. The duo kept getting the odd boundary but could not really dominate. They fell after their fifties, trying to keep up with the requirement, but Shakib and Mushfiqur stunned India with their refusal to give in.

Defeat would have been the last thing on India's minds when after a year of hype and expectation, Tendulkar got his 100th international century against and in the country where he had equalled Sunil Gavaskar's then-record 34 Test centuries in 2004 on way to his highest Test score. It wasn't one of Tendulkar's better hundreds and will ultimately be remembered only for being the one that brought up the unprecedented landmark. In fact, it was his second-slowest innings of 100-plus in ODIs and ended up restricting India's progress. They ended up on 289 for 5, an underwhelming outcome considering their power-packed batting line-up had had a platform of 173 for 1 in the 36th over.

Bangladesh's attack was persevering but limited. Tendulkar duly milked them to finally go past a landmark that hardly anyone knew existed before he got close to it, but put tremendous pressure on the player himself in a frenzied build-up that lasted a year.

Tendulkar had motored to 80 off 102 deliveries but took another 36 before he took his hundredth run, off Shakib Al Hasan. The monkey off his back, he belatedly took charge, hitting consecutive boundaries off Shahadat Hossain before a slog ended up in the keeper's hands. Tendulkar's departure came immediately after Suresh Raina's brisk innings had ended after having kept India going amid his senior partner's quest for the century. Raina hit 51 off 38 and built on a 148-run second-wicket partnership between Tendulkar and Kohli, who looked set to become the first India batsman to score three consecutive ODI hundreds until he played on for a breezy 66.

The hosts should have had Kohli first ball in the sixth over, when Shafiul Islam struck him on the back leg in front of middle stump, but umpire Paul Reiffel remained unmoved. Kohli's form took over after that, and with Tendulkar batting as safely as he does during some of his long Test innings, India motored along without giving Bangladesh half a chance more.

Bangladesh had themselves to blame for allowing Tendulkar to settle with a generous sprinkling of wide deliveries from their fast bowlers. His first four scoring shots were all boundaries, as he cashed in on width to drive and punch through the off side.

Shafiul did have Gautam Gambhir playing on early off a forcing flat-footed drive, but Kohli did not take long to get going after his reprieve. The field hardly moved as he flicked and cover-drove for fours in consecutive overs.

Spin was expected to be a major factor on a dry-looking pitch but Tendulkar and Kohli negotiated Bangladesh's slow army without any problems. The scoring-rate did take a slight beating as singles dominated but Tendulkar soon found the freedom to slog-sweep Shakib Al Hasan over wide long-on. With his feet moving precisely now, he made room to cart Shakib inside-out over extra cover to reach his first international fifty in 13 innings. As he passed 80, Tendulkar took his time amid some nerves. Meanwhile, after having contemptuously worked his way to another fifty, Kohli played on against Abdur Razzak.

Raina's slog-sweeps and lofted shots over extra cover kept the runs coming, though, but Tendulkar was clearly feeling the pressure at the other end. He played out a maiden to Mashrafe Mortaza on 83, and on several occasions, took off for non-existent singles before being sent back. The century arrived in the 44th over, and Tendulkar's relief was evident. With the innings in need of a final burst, Dhoni slammed 16 off the 50th over to get India to 289, but for once, Bangladesh chased with as much faith as their fans have in their team.

Source: ESPNCricinfo

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Sehwag wins series for India with record 219

India 418 for 5 (Sehwag 219, Gambhir 67, Raina 55) beat West Indies 265 (Ramdin 96, Jadeja 3-34, Rahul Sharma 3-43) by 153 runs.

Virender Sehwag slammed 219, the highest one-day score ever, to help India seal the series against West Indies in Indore © Associated Press

It took nearly four decades for a batsman to score the first double-century in one-day international cricket but less than two years for the second. Virender Sehwag, the batsman most touted to break Sachin Tendulkar's record for the highest individual ODI score, didn't merely break it - he shattered it and raised the bar so high that it's hard to imagine anyone, apart from Sehwag himself, raising it higher.

Top 20 Most individual runs in an innings in One-Day Internationals

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Unlike Tendulkar in Gwalior, Sehwag wasn't running out of time as he raced towards 200 in Indore. He got there in the 44th over and had made 219 off 149 balls by the time he was dismissed in the 47th. And in one of cricket's stranger coincidences, both ODI double-centuries were scored in the same Indian state - Madhya Pradesh - at venues less than 500 kilometres apart.

Sehwag's performance led India to 418 for 5, their highest ODI total, and sealed victory in the five-match series against West Indies. It was an innings characteristic of Sehwag's approach to batting. He hit his second ball for four and simply did not stop. He took plenty of risks too, surviving two run-out chances and two dropped catches, but thundered on, ensuring India's run-rate stayed above seven after the 15th over. Sehwag's only out-of-character moment came in the 20th over, when he dived to avoid being run out. Sehwag never dives. It was a sign that he was determined to stay the course. He went to 50 off 41 balls, to 100 off 69 balls, to 150 off 112 and past 200 off 140. The record was broken with a withering cut that sped to the backward-point boundary, and he celebrated with an aggressive fist-pump before breaking into a smile.

Before this game, and after each of the previous three, Sehwag had admitted that the top-order failures, which he contributed to, were the reason India had struggled in their chases. Sehwag had made a duck in the previous match in Ahmedabad, where India lost, but led by example today.

India did two things differently at the Holkar Cricket Stadium. They chose to bat for the first time in the series and also opened with their strongest combination, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, pushing Parthiv Patel down the order. The upshot of those decisions was an opening partnership of 176 that began smoothly, picked up speed, and gathered the momentum of a runaway train before it was eventually ended, inevitably, by a run-out.

A strong crowd continued the trend of resurging attendances during the home ODIs and they cheered the first boundary in the second over, when Sehwag flicked Ravi Rampaul's first ball for four - a welcome he would give several other West Indian bowlers. Sehwag looked dangerous from the start. Gambhir did not. After making only 3 off 15 balls, Gambhir finally had the width he needed and cut Kemar Roach to the point boundary.

Both batsmen could have been dismissed on 20, though. Sehwag had given up hope of making his ground but Kieron Pollard missed the stumps from point, and Andre Russell dropped Gambhir on his follow through. Gambhir began to steer, cut and drive through the off side frequently, going over fielders' heads and placing wide of the boundary riders. Seven of his first nine fours were in this region. India ended the mandatory Powerplay on 63 for 0.

The field spread after that but it didn't matter. Sehwag and Gambhir scored 45 runs between overs 11 and 15. This passage began with Sehwag hoisting the offspinner Sunil Narine's first ball over the long-on boundary. He then launched Darren Sammy's first inside out over extra cover. This passage ended with Sehwag hammering Narine again, this time into the stands beyond deep midwicket.

The field came in for the bowling Powerplay and Gambhir immediately cut Roach through point, and then dabbed for a single to reach his half-century off 51 balls. The smash-and-dab combo was a feature of the partnership. Sehwag got to his hundred with a fierce cut, hit in the air, brushing the fingertips of the leaping fielder at point before speeding to the boundary. The next ball, he ran Gambhir out, to a direct hit from Samuels. Visibly upset with himself, Sehwag continued to punish West Indies.

When he was hitting fours, Sehwag preferred to go square of the wicket, flicking and glancing the numerous deliveries he received on the pads. When he wanted six, he usually went straighter, targeting the arc between midwicket and long-on. He hit 25 fours and seven sixes in all. On 170, in the 38th over, Sehwag spooned Rampaul towards cover, where Sammy dropped a dolly, leaving the bowler distraught.

The rest of the innings was a blur of boundaries and landmarks. Suresh Raina got to his half-century off 42 balls. India reached 300 in 39.1 overs. Sehwag broke his personal best - 175 against Bangladesh in the World Cup - with a flick to the square-leg boundary. He went past 8000 ODI runs with a chip over the fielder at short fine leg. That shot took him from 191 to 195, and soon he was cutting Russell to send India into rapture. When Sehwag was dismissed - lofting Pollard to the substitute Anthony Martin at long-off - most of the West Indian fielders came from far and wide to shake his hand.

Sehwag did not come out to field - the only blot on his performance - and watched from the dressing room as West Indies' top-order batsmen crashed and burned amid a flurry of shots. India's debutant legspinner Rahul Sharma struck with the last ball of each of his first three overs in international cricket, bowling Marlon Samuels, Danza Hyatt and Pollard to leave West Indies reeling at 100 for 5.

Rahul, who's been in India's squads since the home ODIs against England but stayed on the bench, bowled a variety of deliveries. He sent down legbreaks, googlies and topspinners at varying speeds, but it was the one delivered quicker that brought him success.

Samuels tried to cut a fast topspinner but bottom-edged it on to his stumps. Hyatt then stepped out of the crease, but was yorked by a fast legbreak. The ball pitched outside leg stump and spun between the batsman's pads to bowl him. Pollard was the next to go, swinging across the line and missing a topspinner that clipped off stump.

After losing more wickets, West Indies decided to bat out time instead of playing shots, and the match ended in stark contrast to how it began - tamely. Denesh Ramdin, however, made 96, his best score and the highest by a West Indies wicketkeeper in ODIs. His 64-run partnership with No. 11 Sunil Narine merely kept India on the field longer than they would have liked.

Source: Cricinfo

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Nasir Hossain contributed 100 but Pakistan clinch ODI series

Visiting Pakistan clinched the ODI series 2-0 with one match in hand beating hosts Bangladesh by 76 runs in the second ODI at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday, reports UNB.

Chasing the target of 263 runs, Bangladesh were restricted to 186 for 7 in stipulated 50 overs.

It was the 21st consecutive wins for Pakistan against Bangladesh in the limited over format.

But credit must goes to all rounder Nasir Hossain for whose maiden ODI ton helped Bangladesh to score a respectable total. The all-rounder contributed 100 runs off 134 balls with 11 fours and a six before he was dismissed by pacer Umar Gul. He was later adjudged the player of the match.

The hosts faced serious batting jolt to chase the target losing their first four quick wickets - openers Tamim Iqbal (4) and Imrul Kayes (6), Shahriar Nafees (7) and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (1) in a span of 19 runs.

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan (34) and Nasir Hossain offered some resistance contributing 106 runs in the 5th wicket stand. Shakib scored 34 runs off 90 balls with a four.

Mahmudullah (20) and debutant Elias Sunny (0) were remained unbeaten.

Pacer Umar Gul grabbed four wickets for 36 runs while off-break bowler Mohammad Hafeez captured two wickets conceding 15 runs.

Besides, Saeed Ajmol took one wicket for 33 runs.

Earlier, middle order Umar Akmal polished half century and Shahid Afridi's hurricane innings helped Pakistan to score 262 for 7 in stipulated 50 overs against Bangladesh.

The Bangladeshi bowlers kept the Pakistani batsmen under their control maintaining good line and length in the beginning of the innings. The visitors had to wait above 25 overs to cross hundred runs after opting to bat first in the day/night affairs.

Pakistan lost early their opener Imran Farhat (4), who gave an easy catch to Nasir Hossain at point off pacer Shafiul Islam delivery.

Another opener Mohammad Hafeez then pairing with one down Younus Khan contributed 57 runs in the second wicket stand.

Hafeez, who was sent back to the dressing room by pacer Rubel Hossain delivery, scored 32 runs off 56 balls with six fours before he gave a catch to Imrul Kayes.

Dependable batsman Younus Khan who was seemed comfortable on the crease finally was trapped leg before wicket by spinner Abdur Razzak delivery. He scored 37 runs off 70 balls with three fours. As the Pakistani batsmen failed to accelerate the run rate their skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal took the responsibility to stretch the innings.

The duo contributed 83 runs in the fourth wicket stand to take the team to a comfortable position.

Akmal, who completed his 11th ODI fifty today, smashed 59 runs off 54 balls with five fours and a six while Misbah made 37 runs off 55 balls with one four with the team's total sticking at 193 for 3.

Later, number seven batsman Shahid Afridi helped Pakistan to pass above 250 runs after the departure of all rounder Shoaib Malik (17).

The hard hitting batsman cracked 47 runs off 27 balls hitting three boundaries and two over boundaries.

Sarfraz Ahmad (12) and Sohail Tanvir (0) were remained unbeaten till the end of the innings.

Pacers Shafiul Islam and Rubel Hossain scalped two wickets each conceding 50 and 58 runs respectively while spinners Shakib Al Hasan, debutant Elias Sunny and Abdur Razzak took one wicket apiece for 27, 46 and 58 runs.

Earlier, in the first ODI, Pakistan recorded a-five-wicket victory over Bangladesh on Thursday last.

The third and last ODI of the series between the two sides will be held on December 6 at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.

Source: The News Today

Photos Source: Yahoo Sports

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Test Championship not until 2017

The ICC Test Championship will not be held before 2017, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said. The tournament was initially scheduled for 2013, but it cannot be conducted before 2017 due to the ICC's commitments to its broadcaster and sponsors.

The prospect of switching the 2013 Champions Trophy to a Test championship
was discussed at the October 10 ICC executive board meeting © Getty Images

"I am afraid that [the Test championship] is no longer going to happen in 2013," Lorgat said in Dubai, where he was attending the second ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. "At the last board meeting we decided the first opportunity to play the Test championship is 2017. I am disappointed it is not going to take place sooner but it is a reality of the commitments we have already got through to 2015."

The ICC's broadcast partner is ESPN STAR Sports*, with whom they have a contract till 2015. The Champions Trophy, the ICC's second-most significant one-day tournament, is scheduled to be played in June 2013 in England, but the ICC had hoped to convince all interested parties to switch that tournament to play-offs between the top four Test teams as per the ICC Test rankings.

However, after the ICC's executive board meeting in October, it released a statement saying there would be significant commercial challenges in replacing the Champions Trophy without the support and consent of the ICC's broadcast partner since the financial implications on the Members would be significant. Changing the tournament from a one-day one to Test play-offs would have required a substantial cut in the broadcast rights fee, which would have repercussions on the Members.

Lorgat, on Monday, said the switch would not be possible. "We attempted to switch the Champions Trophy to become a Test championship but that is not going to be possible."

The MCC criticised the ICC's decision, calling it "disappointing". "MCC has been very consistent in its support for Test cricket and the need for governing bodies to give the five day game a bit of a boost," John Stephenson, MCC Head of Cricket, said. "Today's announcement is a setback for Test cricket, at a time when we need to work to find the optimum balance between all formats of the game."

The Test championship is a concept aimed at increasing the popularity of Test cricket, something the ICC has consistently pledged their commitment to. Lorgat had said ahead of the ICC's last board meeting that hosting a Test Championship in 2013 would be ideal since "player and public interest in Test match cricket is at an all-time high". Lorgat, on Monday, maintained his stance that a championship would have been a positive move for Test cricket. "We attempted to form the World Test Championship which I think would have been a very good context in ensuring the primacy of Test cricket but again we will have to wait for 2017 to see that as a reality."

Source: ESPNcricinfo

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Still Playing Catch-Up

Mary Keitany of Kenya is favored to win the women’s race Sunday at the New York City Marathon. She might even set a course record, but one thing she will almost certainly not do is set a world record.

Mike Segar/Reuters

Mary Keitany finished third among women in the New York City Marathon last year and is favored to win Sunday's race. Her best time is 2:19:19.

The bridges and hills of New York are not accommodating to unprecedented performance. The fastest that any woman has run here, 2 hours 22 minutes 31 seconds, is more than seven minutes slower than the fastest time ever run, 2:15:25 by Paula Radcliffe of England at the 2003 London Marathon.

Technically, Radcliffe’s time is now considered a “world best” instead of a “world record.” In August, track and field’s world governing body made a controversial ruling, striking Radcliffe’s two fastest times from record consideration because they came in races in which she was paced by men.

Now, the official women’s record is 2:17:42, run by Radcliffe in a women’s-only race at the 2005 London Marathon. That is still nearly five minutes — or about a mile in distance — faster than any woman has run in New York, and 38 seconds faster than any other woman has covered 26.2 miles on any course.

Lately, the men’s world record has been batted around like a volleyball. It has officially been broken three times in the past four years. Patrick Makau of Kenya set the current record of 2:03:38 at the Berlin Marathon in September. That time had been beaten in Boston in April, but the course is not certified for records; and it was nearly eclipsed last Sunday in Frankfurt.

Meanwhile, the women’s record has gone unchallenged for years. The reasons are varied. First, Radcliffe is an outlier who radically changed the way women trained and raced, piling on the mileage and speed in workouts and setting a blistering pace from the starting gun, as elite male runners now do.

“Paula was ahead of her time,” said Deena Kastor of the United States, the 2004 Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon. “She could go out at a grueling pace and keep it. I think it brought a realization to the men as well that you don’t have to be so timid going into a marathon.”

Regarding training, Kastor said: “I think people go into a marathon so concerned about riding the line between getting as fit as possible without overdoing it, and that was never Paula’s concern. She goes out there and grinds on a daily and weekly basis. It’s very admirable. Sometimes, it leads to injuries with her, but the end result is that she’s got this untouchable world record and a well-deserved one. I think 2:15 will be in the books for a while.”

While the numbers of elite women are growing, the depth still does not match men’s marathoning. In particular, few women are fast enough to serve as pacemakers for a world-record pace. Only a few women have even run a half-marathon at Radcliffe’s record marathon pace, said Dan Lilot, the agent for the American marathoner Kara Goucher.

And given the new rules in the sport, men can no longer be used to pace women to record times.

“I don’t know how you find a woman pacesetter to go through the half in 68 flat,” said Mark Wetmore, an American agent who represents a number of female Ethiopian runners. “If a woman can do that, she’ll want to race. Maybe you’ll need to have two women in 2:20 shape and one decides to take care of the other and help her out so she can run 2:17. There are very few of these women.”

Women tend to run the marathon later in their careers, when they face decisions about motherhood, which inevitably disrupts training and can lead to protracted comebacks. Werknesh Kidane of Ethiopia won the world cross-country championship in 2003 and finished second in the 10,000 meters at the 2003 world track and field championships in a stirring 30:07.15; many projected her to be a sub-2:20 marathoner. But she then had two children and essentially took a three-year break from competition from 2006 to 2009.

Married to Gebre Gebremariam, the defending New York City Marathon champion, Kidane has finally taken up the marathon this year at age 29. She finished seventh in Boston in April in 2:26:15 and will run New York on Sunday, but she remains well short of earlier projections.

“When you take off 6, 8, 10 months, it’s hard to come back,” said Wetmore, Kidane’s agent. “Werknesh is just getting back to her premotherhood self.”

A number of the top female distance runners are still competing on the track and are expected to move up to the marathon after the 2012 London Olympics. They include Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia, the 2008 Olympic champion at 5,000 and 10,000 meters; Meseret Defar of Ethiopia, the 2004 Olympic champion at 5,000 meters and 2008 bronze medalist; and Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya, the 2011 world champion at 5,000 and 10,000 meters.

They can be encouraged by the marathon debut in Chicago last month of Ejigayehu Dibaba, Tirunesh’s sister, who won a silver medal at 10,000 meters at the 2004 Olympics. She finished second in Chicago in 2:22:09, the third-fastest debut marathon for a woman.


But the question for track runners moving up the marathon is always one of timing: “Did they wait too long?” in the words of Mary Wittenberg, director of the New York City Marathon.


Although Radcliffe’s best times have not been challenged, this year has produced some encouragingly fast results. For the first time since 2008, a woman has run a marathon under 2:20. Actually three of them have. Keitany ran 2:19:19 to win in London in April. Florence Kiplagat of Kenya ran 2:19:44 to win Berlin in September. And Liliya Shobukhova of Russia ran 2:18:20 to win in Chicago last month, making her the second-fastest female marathoner.


“I feel like marathons have been more tactical in the last 5 or 10 years,” Goucher said. “In the past year, some women have shown more interest in running fast.”


Women from Kenya and Ethiopia are moving up to the half-marathon and the marathon at an earlier age, according to runners, coaches and agents.


Keitany did not have a long track career, running a half-marathon at age 24 in 2006. Six months later, she paced the London Marathon.


“I was not afraid” of the distance, Keitany, 29, said.


She represents another development among female African runners, who have begun in larger numbers to break free of traditional subservient roles in society to become full-time professional athletes.


“Finally, after many years, you are seeing women have the possibility to approach athletics like a job, not just as mothers who run,” Gabriele Nicola, an Italian who is Keitany’s coach, said.


This growing professionalization can be found in their wearing GPS watches, which give the precise distance run during workouts; using electrolyte drinks instead of water; and having a diverse support staff.


Keitany has a support group of 10 people, including physical therapists, masseuses and male runners hired to pace her during workouts. Her sister-in-law watches her 3-year-old son, Jared, so Keitany can train and sleep between twice-daily runs.


“She is already in the Olympics as a sleeper,” Nicola said with a laugh.


A whispery figure who is about 5 feet tall and 88 pounds, Keitany finished third in New York last year in her marathon debut in 2:29:01 but shaved nearly 10 minutes off that time in winning London in April. In February, she shattered the world half-marathon record in 1:05:50, breaking the previous mark by 35 seconds.


Eventually in the marathon, Keitany said, “Maybe I can run under 2:18.”


But everyone seems to agree that Radcliffe’s 2:15:25, the fastest time ever run, will remain safe for years. As fast as Shobukhova was in Chicago, she would have to run nearly three minutes faster to reach that mark.


“I don’t realize how you train for 2:15,” Shobukhova told reporters after the race.

Source: The New York Times

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Englands's dramatic mid-innings collapse in the fifth ODI against India

Final Score: India 271 for 8 (Dhoni 75*) beat England 176 (Jadeja 4-33, Kieswetter 63) by 95 runs 

England chose a particularly humiliating route to their second 5-0 whitewash in consecutive ODI tours of India, as they allowed their resolve to collapse twice in one match - first with the ball, as MS Dhoni walloped 75 not out from 69 balls to take his series tally to 212 runs without loss - and then with the bat, as they squandered a 20-over scoreline of 129 for 0 to lose all ten of their wickets for 47 runs in exactly 100 balls.

India's stars with the ball, as in the first match of the series in Hyderabad, were once again the spinners, Ravindra Jadeja, who claimed 4 for 33 in eight overs, and R Ashwin, 3 for 28 in nine. They joined forces with the part-timers Manoj Tiwary and Suresh Raina, to choke England's innings in a sea of slogs and dot-balls. Of England's last nine batsmen, only Samit Patel (18) and Graeme Swann (10 not out) reached double figures. The rout was sealed with 13 overs to spare when Steven Finn top-edged an Ashwin carrom ball to the keeper and triumphant captain, Dhoni.

For the first two-fifths of the innings, England's progress could hardly have been more serene. Alastair Cook and Craig Kieswetter saved their best performances of the series for the very last gasp. Kieswetter brought up his half-century from 49 balls - and England's 100 with it - with a savage carve through the covers off Varun Aaron, and Cook was scarcely any tardier, reaching his own milestone from 51. For the majority of their stand, England were consistently 20 runs ahead of the required rate, without having needed to take any risks whatsoever.

The innings, however, was derailed by the extra pace of Aaron, who came round the wicket to extract Cook's off stump for 60 from 61 balls - the exact same score he had managed in the first match at Hyderabad. Eight balls later, Kieswetter followed suit for a run-a-ball 63, as Jadeja pinned him lbw on the front foot, and suddenly the innings was wide open.

Bell, playing in his first match of the series after Kevin Pietersen had been ruled out with a chipped bone in his thumb, scratched around for 2 from six balls before snicking Ashwin to the keeper, and three balls later, all hope had been truly lost when Jonathan Trott, England's likeliest middle-order ballast, pushed loosely at Jadeja and edged a simple chance to slip for 5.

In Jadeja's next over, England's innings went even further off-track, as the overawed Jonny Bairstow tried to hit his way out of trouble but instead skidded a thick outside edge to Ajinkya Rahane at backward point. Ravi Bopara squandered the chance to be a hero when he was bowled round his legs for a 16-ball 4 by Ashwin, and Tim Bresnan - so often England's most combative tailender - confirmed the general air of surrender when he chipped a loose drive off Tiwary for a fourth-ball duck.

Long before the final indignity, England had already blown their best chance to salvage some pride in the series thanks to another scruffy fielding performance which undermined another superb display of fast bowling from England's only shining light of the series, Finn. From a comfortable 71 for 0 after 15 overs, India slumped to 81 for 3 in subsequent bowling Powerplay, with Finn sparking the loss of three wickets for no runs in ten balls with a brilliant double-wicket maiden.

First to go was Gautam Gambhir for 38, in near-identical fashion to his dismissal by Finn at Mumbai, as a lifting delivery outside off nipped off the inside edge and into the stumps. Then, after welcoming Virat Kohli with a series of excellent deliveries in the channel outside off, he bowled him with a final-ball beauty that zipped off the seam and crashed into off stump as the batsman offered no stroke.

Four balls and no runs later, and Tim Bresnan was into the act as well, as Kieswetter atoned for an earlier drop with a soaring leap to his right to cling on to a flying edge. A second consecutive maiden for Finn was then followed by an equally frugal first over from Bopara, and India's collapse should have been four wickets for one run in 25 balls when Swann at second slip dropped an absolute dolly off Suresh Raina.

India needed no further invitation to make England pay. Raina was eventually run out for 38 from 46 balls when his bat bounced in the crease as a direct hit came in from square leg, but it was the crunching hitting of the irrepressible Dhoni that left England's prospects in the dust. He saved his most savage assault for the new boy, Meaker, whom he battered for a massive six over wide long-on in a penultimate over that went for 21. Patel fared scarcely any better in the 50th of the innings, in which a further 18 runs were scalped.

By the end of it all, Dhoni had added 330 ODI runs since England last dismissed him at The Oval in September, and his personal dominance was a perfect reflection of a series in which the tables of the summer had been emphatically turned.

Source: Cricinfo

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Tigers stun Caribbeans to earn solace win

The Tigers cruised to easy victory after packing visiting Caribbeans for 61 in just 22 overs in the third and final game of the three-match series at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong Tuesday.

The invigorated home side, which is out there with all its might to win the game, scored 62 in 20 overs losing the wickets of Imrul Kayes and Shahriar Nafees.

Imrul failed to connect properly a delivery from Kemar Roach in the fifth over and gave a catch to Kieron Pollard. Meanwhile, Samuels bowled Nafees in the first ball of eighth over.

Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim batted with opener Tamim Iqbal to win the third one-day game.

Spinner Shakib Al Hasan ripped through the West Indies batting line up after the pacers – Nazmul Hossain and Shafiul Islam – had initiated the havoc removing top two batsmen in 11 overs.

Kieran Powell scored 25, the highest run by any Caribbeans batsman in the match, followed by Carlos Brathwaite who is only other batsman to score a double figure.

The win would earn a kind of solace and revitalise for the upcoming Test series the hosts who lost the previous two ODIs held at Sher-e Bangla Stadium in the capital.

Pacer Nazmul Hossain began the wrecking in sixth over deceiving opener Danza Hyatt to give a catch to Imrul Kayes in the slip. In the 11th over, Shafiul Islam, another pacer, came up to remove Marlon Samuels.

Nasir Hossain joined the fold to cause havoc to the Caribbeans squad. After bowling out Kieran Powell in the second ball of the 12th over, he took the catch of Kieron Pollard in the next ball.

Shafiul sent back Darren Bravo in a superb delivery in the next over.

Darren Sammy, the Caribbeans captain, fell victim to leg before as former Bangladesh skipper Shakib delivered his first ball in the match. In his second over, Shakib bowled Denesh Ramdin.

Tattered totally, the West Indies batsmen had no clue how to stay in the crease. Suhrawadi Shuvo appeared to add to their miseries by taking catch of Andre Russell in his own ball in the 17th over.

Then it was all Shakib’s. He trapped Barthwaite leg before in the 20th over and bowled Anthony Martin in the 22nd over to post a brilliant four-for-16 figure as a Bangladeshi bowler.

Out there in gallery, Bangladesh supporters and fans were on the moon.

Earlier, winning the toss for the fourth consecutive time, Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim invited West Indies to bat.

Start of the match, which was scheduled to begin at 1:30pm, was deferred by half an hour due to a wet outfield caused by rain.

The Caribbeans won the second consecutive ODI against host Bangladesh by eight wickets at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in the capital’s Mirpur area on October 15.

On October 13, West Indies won a 40-run victory in their first ODI at the same venue.

Bangladesh, however, defeated West Indies by three wickets with just one ball to spare in the one-off Twenty20 international on October 11.

One of the two Test matches will take place in Chittagong on October 21 while the rest one in Dhaka on October 29.

Bangladesh: Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Shahriar Nafees, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim (Captain), Shuvagata Hom, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Shafiul Islam and Nazmul Hossain

West Indies: KOA Powell, DM Bravo, MN Samuels, DP Hyatt, D Ramdin, KA Pollard, AD Russell, DJG Sammy (Captain), A Martin, CR Brathwaite and KAJ Roach

Source: The Daily Star

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Bangladesh rout West Indies for 61 runs

The threat of rain loomed over gloomy Chittagong but the weather stayed clear enough for Bangladesh to demolish West Indies for their second-lowest total in one-day internationals. From 33 for 1, Bangladesh's bowlers began to hack through the line-up as nine wickets fell for 28 runs. The strong crowd that turned up despite the wetness cheered as the home side dished out retribution for the two defeats in the series, and for the humiliation in the 2011 World Cup.

West Indies had lost only two and four wickets during their victories in Mirpur but this Chittagong pitch was different. The pace was sluggish, the bounce low and the ball did not come on to the bat. There was turn too. To add to that, rain on the eve of the match had left the outfield soggy, and shots hit along the ground lost speed quickly. Batting conditions were far from ideal, and Mushfiqur Rahim immediately chose to bowl after winning four out of four tosses on the tour.

Danza Hyatt and Kieran Powell, playing because Lendl Simmons had a back problem, struggled to score. They added only 10 runs in six overs before Hyatt lost patience and attempted to loft Nazmul Hossain, who replaced Rubel Hossain, down the ground and edged to slip.

Marlon Samuels, the scourge of Bangladesh on this tour, tried to play like he had in Mirpur. He stayed back in his crease irrespective of whether the ball was full or not and attempted to drive and steer behind point. After 14 quiet deliveries, Samuels tried to carve Shafiul Islam and holed out to Suhrawadi Shuvo at sweeper cover. West Indies were 33 for 2 in the 11th over.

Powell looked the best of the batsmen, which wasn't saying much, as he batted with an upright stance and used his top hand to drive straight and through the off side. He had hit the only boundaries (four) during the mandatory Powerplay, all of them against medium-pace. Spin in the 12th over, however, was a tougher test and Powell was bowled off the second ball he faced from Nasir Hossain. The offbreak drifted into him, pitched on leg stump, and ripped across the outside edge to hit the top of off stump. It was the delivery of the match. The very next ball, Nasir induced a return catch from Pollard. They were his first one-day wickets and Nasir had reduced West Indies to 34 for 4.

The innings went into free-fall thereafter. Darren Bravo edged a square drive to the keeper in the 13th over and Darren Sammy was lbw to Shakib's first ball off the next. Shakib went on to cut through the lower order, finishing with figures of 4 for 16 as he ended the innings in the 22nd over.

Source: ESPN EMEA Ltd.

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Kohli secure emphatic India victory

A series of double-strikes at vital junctures in England's innings helped India limit the visitors to a below-par total in good batting conditions at the Feroz Shah Kotla and secure a 2-0 lead in the five-ODI series. The first occurred at the beginning of the innings, the second at the halfway stage and the third at the start of the slog. They forced England to revert to a watchful approach, when they had been well placed to surge, leaving India's batsmen with a modest chase on a fast outfield with small boundaries.

Virat Kohli made England's 237 look like very little at the
Feroz Shah Kotla © AFP

Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir made short work of it. After surviving a fiery new-ball spell from Steven Finn and helping India build after the early loss of the openers, both batsmen settled down to score with a fluency that had been visible only in patches in England's innings. Their 209-run partnership, during which Kohli raced to a century and Gambhir made a half-century, helped achieve the target of 238 with eight wickets in hand and 13.2 overs to spare.

The ease with which India chased on a dewy evening put their bowlers' effort, and that of Vinay Kumar who took a career-best 4 for 30, in perspective. India inflicted the first double-strike within the first two overs. Alastair Cook hoped to make best use of a pitch he felt would get slower as the match progressed but his duck was a setback to those plans. The fourth ball off the match, from Praveen Kumar, was short and wide and Cook cut it straight to Ravindra Jadeja at point. While Praveen was fortunate to strike with an ordinary delivery, Vinay Kumar produced a sharper ball in the second over to dismiss Craig Kieswetter - it bounced and seamed away from the right-hand batsman and took the outside edge of the tentative prod to a wide first slip.

The second brace of wickets occurred in the 25th and 26th overs. Bopara didn't pick a straighter one from R Ashwin and was lbw and Kevin Pietersen, who had found his fluency after a slow start, drove at and edged a wide ball from Umesh Yadav to give MS Dhoni a low catch.

Despite being reduced to 0 for 2 and 121 for 5, though, England hit boundaries regularly and had partnerships that helped them recover. What they didn't do well was take singles and twos - there were 172 dot balls in the innings. India would have only 108 dot balls in theirs. The first partnership, between Bopara and Pietersen, was worth 73, and the second, between Jonny Bairstow and Samit Patel, 86. All of those batsmen, in addition to Jonathan Trott, began to create problems for India but no one stayed long enough to cause significant damage.

Bairstow and Patel had led England to 207 in the 42nd over, when they also fell in successive overs - the third and decisive double-strike. Patel got a skiddy delivery from Yadav that kept low and struck him plumb in front, while Bairstow was caught on the long-off boundary. He had hit Jadeja hard and far but Kohli took the catch at head height just inside play. England had slumped to 211 for 7 and this time there was no recovery. The tail, which had caused India so many problems in England, did not contribute.

After 8.2 overs of the chase India were 35 for 2. England had been exactly the same in their innings. Tim Bresnan had dismissed Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane, but he wasn't England's most dangerous bowler. Finn was.

Finn clocked speeds of 150 kph and above consistently in his first spell. He beat Kohli with sheer pace after inducing an edge that went past slip for four. In the 10th over, Gambhir edged Finn past his stumps to the fine-leg boundary while attempting a cover drive. With three slips in place there was a huge gap between cover point and mid-off and Gambhir was aiming for it. He tried to steer once again, and Finn watched the outside edge fly wide of third slip once more. There was a third boundary in the over - Gambhir clipped a half-volley off his pads through square leg. Finn's frustration began to show and India began to pull away fast.

The other England bowlers caused no problems. Kohli pulled Jade Dernbach with a trace of arrogant dismissiveness, he drove Ravi Bopara with grace through cover, and Gambhir cut Graeme Swann behind point to bring up the 50-partnership off 42 balls.

Kohli reached his half-century off 45 balls, Gambhir got to his off 62. Both batsmen were level on 58 after 25 overs but thereafter Kohli began to race ahead with frequent boundaries and a constant turning over of the strike. He got to his century off only 89 balls with a deft glance off the pads against Jade Dernbach. He celebrated his seventh ODI hundred with a fist-pump. A few overs later, Kohli was fist-pumping again, after smashing Dernbach through midwicket to finish the game.

Source: ESPN EMEA Ltd.

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Two-time Indy 500 winner Wheldon killed in wreck

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Every race car driver heads onto the track understanding this race could be the last and hoping it won't be.

On Sunday, IndyCar drivers got a harsh reminder when the worst happened to one of their own.

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon died when his car got caught up in a 15-car pileup, sailed over another vehicle and smashed into a catch fence at IndyCar's season-ending race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Drivers crash during a wreck that involved 15 cars during the IndyCar Series' auto race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2011. Wheldon was airlifted to a hospital. Will Power (12), of Australia, is airborne at left. (AP Photo/Las Vegas Review-Journal, Jessica Ebelhar) LAS VEGAS SUN OUT MANDATORY CREDIT

"Things happen in this kind of racing," said Wade Cunningham, also caught up in the wreck. "It's so close. Not much room for error. I was near the front of what caused all this, so I'm not thrilled about it. At this point, whose fault it was is kind of immaterial."

The green flag had barely stopped waving when disaster struck.

Wheldon, driving from the back of the field for a chance at $5 million, was moving through the pack when he drove into a tangle of cars careening off each other in every direction.

Unable to avoid the massive wreck unfolding before him, Wheldon clipped another car and went hurtling through the air, his car bursting into flames as it flew into a fence.

After just 11 laps, the race was over. Two hours later, track officials announced that Wheldon was dead. The Englishman was 33.

"One minute you're joking around at driver intros and the next, Dan's gone," said Dario Franchitti, whose wife, actress Ashley Judd, had to bring him a box of tissues. "I lost, we lost, a good friend. Everybody in the IndyCar series considered him a friend. He was such a good guy. He was a charmer."

With the speed — close to 225 mph during practice — and a crowded 34-car field, a big worry was aggressive driving early in the 200-lap race.

Chaos started when two cars touched tires coming around turn 2 and almost no one had time to react.

Within seconds, several cars burst into flames and debris covered the track nearly halfway up the straightaway. Some points of impact were so devastating workers had to patch holes in the asphalt.

Video replays showed Wheldon's car turning over as it went airborne and sailed into what's called the catch fence, which sits over a barrier designed to give a bit when cars make contact. Rescue workers were at Wheldon's car quickly, some furiously waving for more help to get to the scene.

"It's unfortunate that early on in the race they've got to be racing so close. ...," Team Penske owner Roger Penske said. "You always worry about those at these mile-and-a-halves at the speed and with this many cars."

Three other drivers, including championship contender Will Power, were hurt in the pileup.

Wheldon was airlifted from the track to University Medical Center; news of his death came from IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard:

"IndyCar is very sad to announce that Dan Wheldon has passed away from unsurvivable injuries," he said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today. IndyCar, its drivers and owners, have decided to end the race."

In his honor, drivers, many sobbing openly, took part in a five-lap salute around the 1.5-mile oval as thousands of fans stood and cheered from the grandstand.

Also injured in the crash were JR Hildebrand and Pippa Mann. Both will remain in the hospital overnight. IndyCar said Mann was being treated for a burn to her right pinkie finger and will be released Monday morning; Hildebrand was awake and alert but will be held overnight for further evaluation. Power was evaluated and released.

An autopsy was planned Monday for Wheldon.

"I'll tell you, I've never seen anything like it," Ryan Briscoe said. "The debris we all had to drive through the lap later, it looked like a war scene from Terminator or something. I mean, there were just pieces of metal and car on fire in the middle of the track with no car attached to it and just debris everywhere. So it was scary, and your first thoughts are hoping that no one is hurt because there's just stuff everywhere. Crazy."

IndyCar has not had a fatality since Paul Dana was killed at Homestead in 2006 during a crash in a morning warmup. Wheldon won the race later that day.

The accident appeared to start when Cunningham's car swerved on the track and Hildebrand drove over the left rear of Cunningham's car. Hildebrand appeared to go airborne, and Cunningham's car shot up into the wall, setting off a chain reaction among the cars behind him.

Some of those cars slowed, others didn't, and others spun in front of Wheldon and Power. There was so much confusion on the track it was hard to tell who was driving what car.

Power appeared to fly over Alex Lloyd's car, his ride rolling into the catch fence and landing on its right side. His in-car camera showed one of the front tires coming toward him in the cockpit.

Wheldon then appeared to drive over a car driven by Paul Tracy, who seemed to be slowing down. Wheldon, however, went airborne and spun into the fence.

"It was like a movie scene which they try to make as gnarly as possible," said Danica Patrick, making her final IndyCar start. "It was debris everywhere across the whole track. You could smell the smoke. You could see the billowing smoke on the back straight from the car. There was a chunk of fire that we were driving around. You could see cars scattered."

Wheldon, who came to the United States from England in 1999, won 16 times in his IndyCar career and was the series champion in 2005.

Despite winning this year's Indy 500, Wheldon couldn't put together a full-time ride this season but had a deal in the works for 2012.

Andretti Autosport, the team with which Wheldon won the 2005 Indy 500, had agreed to a contract early Sunday for Wheldon to replace Patrick next season. The deal was supposed to be signed after the race.

"Back when he was with the team in '05, we referred to the team as The Beatles because it was such perfect harmony (with his teammates) — and with Dan coming back, there was talk of putting The Beatles back together," said John Lopes, chief marketing officer and VP of marketing for Andretti Autosport. "So today is devastating. We not only lost a future teammate, but a longtime teammate. It's so sad. He's going to be sorely missed and fondly remembered."

Wheldon landed in the Las Vegas race thanks to Bernard's promise of $5 million to any moonlighting driver who could win the IndyCar season finale. Although there were no takers, Bernard refused to scrap the idea and Wheldon was declared eligible for the prize, which would have been split with a fan.

Asked about speed after the crash, Wheldon's former boss Chip Ganassi said, "There'll be plenty of time in the offseason to talk about that. Now is not the time to talk about that."

And Franchitti said: "I agree. We'll discuss that and sort it out."

But driver Oriol Servia didn't mince words: "We all had a bad feeling about this place in particular just because of the high banking and how easy it was to go flat. And if you give us the opportunity, we are drivers and we try to go to the front. We race each other hard because that's what we do," he said. "We knew it could happen, but it's just really sad."

Wheldon had been providing blog posts for USA Today in the days leading up to the Las Vegas race, and in one posted Saturday to the newspaper's website he spoke of how he expected Sunday to be "pure entertainment."

"This is going to be an amazing show," Wheldon wrote. "The two championship contenders, Dario Franchitti and Will Power, are starting right next to each other in the middle of the grid. Honestly, if I can be fast enough early in the race to be able to get up there and latch onto those two, it will be pure entertainment. It's going to be a pack race, and you never know how that's going to turn out."

The accident spoiled what Bernard had hoped would be a showcase event for the struggling IndyCar Series.

The second-year CEO worked the entire season on turning the finale into a spectacle, and said he would offer his resignation to the IndyCar board of directors if ABC's broadcast didn't pull a .8 ranking. His goal was to improve upon last year's horrible television rating for the season finale and give the series some momentum for a strong season in 2013 with the introduction of a new car and new manufacturers.

So Bernard poured everything into Las Vegas, renting the speedway from owner Bruton Smith and agreeing to promote the event himself. He landed enough sponsorship to at least break even, and the $5 million challenge bought him an enormous amount of publicity the entire year.

Bernard got the Las Vegas Strip to close to stage a parade of cars, and hosted industry parties and a blackjack tournament to boost interest in the race. He even got MGM Grand Resorts to offer a pair of tickets to anyone staying this weekend in one of the chain's 14 properties.

But what was hoped to be a day of celebration quickly turned somber.

When drivers returned to the track for the tribute laps, Wheldon's No. 77 was the only one on the towering scoreboard. Franchitti sobbed uncontrollably as he got back into his car for the memorial ride. The sound of "Danny Boy" echoed around the track, followed by "Amazing Grace." Hundreds of crew workers and representatives from each team stood at attention in honor of Wheldon.

"What can you say? We're going to miss him," Ganassi said. "Everybody in IndyCar died a little today."

Source: 

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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