Manchester United 1-6 Manchester CityIt was United's heaviest ever home defeat in the Premier League as their neighbours romped to a sensational victory. Mario Balotelli put the visitors in front on 22 minutes and added a second on the hour after Jonny Evans had been sent off for a professional foul two minutes into the second half. 
Matches on the 5th of May will not clash with the FA Cup Final and may accordingly move to a different kick off time on the Saturday or to the Sunday. A further announcement will be made closer to the date. Please note: Fixtures are subject to change. Reproduced under licence from Football DataCo Limited. All rights reserved. Licence number NEWMEDIA/PREMLGE/67175a.
Asia swing safe, say tennis chiefs
Updated at: 0933 PST, Wednesday, October 19, 2011
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Updated at: 1943 PST, Tuesday, October 18, 2011 ABU DHABI: Left-arm paceman Junaid Khan chipped in with a maiden five-wicket haul to help Pakistan bundle Sri Lanka for a mere 197-run total on the first day of the opening Test here on Tuesday.The 21-year-old, playing in only his second Test, with 5-38 and was ably supported by pace partner Umar Gul (2-37) and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal (2-56) after Pakistan put Sri Lanka into bat on a greenish Abu Dhabi stadium pitch. Pakistan finished the day at 27-0, with Mohammad Hafeez on 17 and Taufiq Umar unbeaten on eight. Sri Lanka, who were confidently placed at 51-1 at lunch, could never recover from the loss of six wickets for 65 runs between lunch and tea, as Khan produced a burst of three wickets in the space of just five deliveries. Vice-captain Angelo Mathews cracked four boundaries and a six in a fighting unbeaten 52 to avoid total disaster, putting up innings' highest partnership with Suranga Lakmal of 54 after Sri Lanka were tottering at 114-7. Paceman Aizaz Cheema (1-51) had opened the gates by dismissing former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara (two) in the second over after lunch, forcing an edge off the left-hander which was smartly held by a diving keeper Adnan Akmal. Opener Tharanga Paranavitana then gloved a short-pitch delivery off Gul to Akmal to leave the Islanders struggling at 79-3. Paranavitana hit three boundaries during his patient knock of 37. Skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan, who demoted himself to number five against Australia last month, hit the first ball he faced for a boundary and added 33 with Paranavitana before Sri Lanka lost the way. Dilshan was unlucky to be given out, caught behind off Ajmal by New Zealand umpire Tony Hill when replays showed he clearly missed the ball. Khan then ripped through the middle-order, dismissing Mahela Jayawardene (28) with the third ball of his ninth over, had Parasanna Jayawardene (nought) three balls later and then Rangana Herath (nought) off the first ball of his next. Khan, who took only one wicket in his debut Test against Zimbabwe last month, returned for his third spell to take the last two wickets, getting Chanaka Welegedara (11) and debutant Nuwan Pradeep (one) to wrap up the innings. Before Khan's final acts, Gul had dismissed Lakamal (18) to end Sri Lanka's resistance. Khan, preferred over more experienced Wahab Riaz, justified his selection as both Pakistan and Sri Lanka decided to enter with three pacemen and one specialist spinner, with the Islanders giving debut to Nuwan Prasad. In the first session Sri Lankan openers were cautious, as Misbah brought on spinner Hafeez in the eighth over. But it was Ajmal who gave the breakthrough dismissing opener Lahiru Thirimanne for 20 before lunch. The three Test series was shifted to United Arab Emirates after Sri Lanka refused an invitation to tour Pakistan in the wake of terrorists attacks on a military base in Karachi in May this year. |
DUBAI:
Pakistan were bowled out for 403 in their first innings an hour after
lunch on the third day of the second cricket Test against Sri Lanka at
Dubai Stadium here on Friday.
PERTH: In the men's third place playoff, Pakistan saved the best for last to thrash arch-rivals India 4-1 and notch their first win of the four-day tournament of the inaugural International Super Series in Perth on Sunday.
SHANGHAI: Tennis chiefs have played down fears that the Asian swing will become the perennial victim of player pull-outs at the end of the gruelling season after high-profile absentees at the Shanghai Masters. Team morale high for Sri Lanka series: Misbah
Pakistan skipper Misbahul Haq says "morale of his players is very good as we have been playing very good Test cricket for the last year. “"Everyone knows their role. We are playing on a consistent basis," he said before the start of a three-Test series against Sri Lanka from Tuesday in Abu Dhabi. Pakistan host three-Test matches in the UAE. "Sri Lanka is one of best teams in the world and especially in these conditions" Misbah said. On the subcontinent, they are a tough side. We really have to play well. It doesn't matter if Sri Lanka have not been winning as they were playing in England, different conditions," Misbah said.Mohammad Hafeez, emerged as a quality all-rounder with his top-order batting in all formats as has his off spin bowling. Batting will revolve around Hafeez, Misbah, Younus Khan while Shoaib Malik likely to get another chance to resurrect his career.Pakistan's bowling attack is on full strength with fast bowlers Umar Gul & Wahab Riaz expected to return to side. Spin spearhead is Saeed Ajmal with Hafeez lending support and Abdur Rehman offering variety. (PPI)
Australia leave World Cup plans to last minute
A crane sits atop Cricket Australia's head office in Melbourne, and scaffolding surrounds the building. It's somehow fitting that after the Ashes debacle, even the physical structure of the organisation is being reviewed, along with the internal workings. More pressing are the modifications to Australia's one-day team, which is still being assembled four days from the naming of the World Cup squad.
On Sunday at the MCG, several men will have 100 overs to prove they should be part of the World Cup defence. It's hard to fathom that after four years of preparation, the selectors could be so undecided that one match could influence their decisions. But Andrew Hilditch said as much when he named the 14-man squad for this game against England, the first in a seven-match series.
What have the selectors been doing for the past year if not finetuning their one-day side for the World Cup? David Hussey hasn't played ODI cricket in 15 months, but has suddenly been thrust in for one game and told that he could earn a World Cup place. If the selectors didn't want him for the 50-over tour of India in October, why is he considered now, when his domestic one-day form is poor? And what of Callum Ferguson and Shaun Marsh, who appeared to be groomed for this world event?
There are even more questions over the make-up of the attack Australia will take to the subcontinent. Brett Lee is back from injury and fighting for a place, Shaun Tait is in with a shot, and together with Mitchell Johnson they could form a fearsome, but potentially expensive, pace trio at the World Cup. That leaves Australia's defensive bowling options thin, but the stand-in captain Michael Clarke believes the mix can work.
"I definitely think you could get the overs out of your spinners, Watto [Shane Watson] and your part-timers," Clarke said in Melbourne ahead of the first ODI against England. "Dave Hussey adds to our bowling as well, bowling his part-time off-spin. I certainly see those three guys [Tait, Johnson and Lee] as quite attacking wicket-taking bowlers.
"As you saw last night, Mitchell, Brett and Shaun, when they're bowling well they can also dry the runs up, especially once the ball gets a little bit older. If you get any sort of reverse-swing with a bit of protection for the guys, they can also do that role of bowling pretty fast and straight and dry the runs up. Any time the ball is coming over 140kph or 150kph at you, it's hard to start against."
The job of tying up an end has often been filled over the past year by the medium-pacer James Hopes, the seamer Clint McKay or the offspinner Nathan Hauritz. But for some reason, Hopes appears to be out of favour and will battle to win a World Cup spot, despite having played 17 ODIs over the past year. McKay is injured and Hauritz is competing with Xavier Doherty, although there is a slim chance both spinners could make the 15-man squad.
It was also odd that the selectors bothered choosing 14 men for Sunday's game against England, especially when all along they were intending to leave Hauritz out. Hussey, Lee, Tait and Doherty need to play to press their claims, meaning that Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle will have to rest. Rarely have individual performances mattered more in a single game.
"I don't think it will compromise my captaincy or the team's performance as such," Clarke said. "We've got a squad here, we've got one game tomorrow. It's the last opportunity for players to be looked at before the World Cup selection. That will play a part in selection for this game. But our goal is to win every game we play and to definitely win this series."
The squad for the remaining six games will be chosen after the opening match, and it will almost certainly be the World Cup group minus Ricky Ponting, who is recovering from surgery on his finger. Along with Ponting, Tim Paine is likely to make the World Cup squad, meaning at least one man in the 14-strong group for the first ODI will be axed.
By Wednesday, construction of the World Cup side will be finished. But the work at Cricket Australia headquarters is only just beginning.
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New Zealand v Pakistan, 2nd Test, Wellington, 1st day
Gul, Tanvir put Pakistan ahead in windy Wellington
Stumps New Zealand 246 for 6 (Taylor 78, Gul 2-53, Tanvir 2-63) v Pakistan
Pakistan's seamers punctuated spells of ordinariness with sparks of brilliance to dismantle New Zealand's top order and put their side ahead at stumps. Umar Gul and Tanvir Ahmed were lethal in the first hours of the first two sessions, and though Ross Taylor survived their bursts with a heady mix of caution and enterprise, the home batsmen suffered from a general lack of confidence that prevented them from counterattacking when the bowlers were on song, and from dominating when they weren't.
Gul began Pakistan's dominance with a new-ball spell that oozed intent from the outset. Resisting the natural urge to crank up the pace when aided by a breeze, he relied on subtle sleight of hand and a high release to probe away at the top order. In the first over, he got a swerving inducker to strike Brendon McCullum - who was not offering a shot - above the knee roll. Umpire Daryl Harper ruled in Gul's favour, though replays suggested the bounce was taking it over the stumps. Things were evened out in Gul's next over, when Martin Guptill edged a legcutter on its way to Adnan Akmal, unnoticed by Harper.
That delivery set the template for Gul, who relentlessly pinged uncomfortable lengths on and around off stump, serving up the odd legcutter to go with ones that held their line, carrying through at good height. In his seventh over, he nailed Kane Williamson with a carbon copy of the delivery that Guptill had edged.
Gul also threatened to dislodge Taylor early, beating his outside edge and inducing an inside edge within the batsman's first three deliveries. His opening burst was, however, coming to an end, and Taylor faced fewer challenges thereafter and approached the pre-lunch session with refreshing freedom. Every time Wahab Riaz offered width, Taylor attacked through the off side, driving square and through the covers, and cutting for boundaries.
Consigned to the Scoreboard End, Abdur Rehman resorted to a quick arm and flat trajectory while bowling into a wind that stiffened to 70kmh by lunch. Taylor settled down after the initial flourish and, along with a cautious Guptill, promised to push New Zealand ahead in the second session. Tanvir, however, had plans of his own.
Tanvir had an infuriatingly inconsistent day that was bookended by listless spells into the wind, with both new balls. In the middle session, though, he whistled in from the Vance End at the mid-130s, settling into a miserly rhythm that accentuated the threat of the occasional away-seamer. Guptill was gradually choked for runs and, after playing 12 successive dot balls, he flashed at one well outside off. Jesse Ryder came and went, nicking a ball that was dangled across him, bagging his second successive first-ball duck. James Franklin kept out the hat-trick ball, a scorching yorker that was aimed at the toes but, at 100 for 4, the force was with Pakistan.
Taylor spent most of Tanvir's rampant spell at the non-striker's end, facing only five deliveries from the seamer in the hour following lunch. His battles were against Rehman's teasing line of attack, straightening deliveries from leg stump without offering too much flight, while getting extra bounce. taylor attempted to disperse the crouching in-fielders with a lovely loft for six over wide long-on, and forced two men back on the leg side. However, with wickets falling at the other end, Rehman continued to attack with slip and short leg, and Taylor played within himself unless presented with a bad ball. When Rehman was marginally off-line, he glanced and cut for boundaries, and brought up his half-century by slapping Gul through point for three. As was the case with Tanvir, Gul too metamorphosed at the lunch break and posed no problems through the rest of the day.
Franklin sealed an end with compact defence, camping on the back foot, and keeping out a barrage of searching length deliveries that were angled across him. Along with Taylor, he seemed to have taken the sting out of the Pakistan attack, and when he creamed Tanvir for two early boundaries post tea, New Zealand's fightback seemed set to step up a gear.
Adnan Akmal shifted the momentum back in Pakistan's favour, though, with the best of his five catches in the day. He moved quickly to his right and showed admirable hand-eye coordination to grab a thin edge from Franklin. Riaz took the big wicket, after plodding through the day without courting the extremes like his seaming colleagues did. Returning to the attack for a final fling before the new ball became due, Riaz got Taylor to nick a harmless delivery angling across him and Adnan - scarcely reminiscent of his butter-fingered brother Kamran - pouched another one with elan, diving to his right.
Wind interruptions, and a shocking lack of urgency, meant that Pakistan were well behind the over-rates, forcing Rehman to operate for longer than they would have desired. Thus ensued a period of attrition, with both sides too encumbered to challenge the status quo. Vettori used the opportunity to play himself in, cutting and pulling Rehman for easy boundaries. Young was solid in defence, blocking his way to 7 off 59 balls, before opening up against the second new ball that leaked 36 runs in eight overs. Tanvir was visibly out of steam by now, and was duly taken for 21 in two overs as New Zealand ended the day with a flourish. The fact that they still finished a distant second, underlined just how far they had allowed an average attack dictate proceedings.
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South Africa v India, 2nd ODI, Johannesburg
Will India's batsmen bounce back?
Match Facts
January 15, Johannesburg
Start time 14:30 (12.30 GMT, 18.00 IST)
Start time 14:30 (12.30 GMT, 18.00 IST)
Big Picture
The Durban loss wouldn't have shocked too many Indian fans, given India's well-known batting woes on bouncy pitches. Suresh Raina struggles to handle extra bounce, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh get into trouble when seam movement is thrown into the mix, MS Dhoni is not in danger of losing his wicket but doesn't score as fluently against such deliveries and India don't have Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Virat Kohli has improved on this front - in 2008, Zaheer Khan troubled him with a lot of bouncers in an Irani Cup game - but India are still heavily dependent on Sachin Tendulkar to set the pace. He failed in Durban, and the rest, barring Kohli, couldn't handle the heat.
The track at the Wanderers, the venue of the second ODI, will have bounce but will it do so much as to trouble India? It will be interesting to see how Tendulkar bats. Will he take on the bowling and counter-attack or will he see out the new ball to ease the burden on the middle order? Will India open with Rohit and bring in Yusuf Pathan, who's himself no stranger to trouble against the short ball, in the lower order? This is a big series for several India contenders for the World Cup and it will be interesting to see how the think-tank accommodates them.
And what about India's bowling? Dhoni has already indicated that these are his best bowlers and he will persist with them. Ashish Nehra has had three bad games in a row - he leaked runs in the end overs in the fourth ODI against New Zealand, and struggled with the new ball in the fifth - but his record suggests he will remain one of the key bowlers. It was Munaf Patel who shouldered the burden of bowling in Powerplays and in the final overs in the last game but Nehra was doing that job effectively till recently.
For South Africa, the first ODI was a near-perfect game. In the absence of Jacques Kallis, the team lacks balance and the tail seems long. But AB de Villiers and JP Duminy paced themselves well to control the middle overs. However, concerns remain. Had one of them fallen, would the lower order have the talent and the mental strength to tackle the situation? The next four games will give us a clue.
South Africa packed in four fast bowlers and all of them delivered in the first game. For a brief while, when Dhoni and Kohli were batting, India showed South Africa some of the problems they are likely to face in the World Cup on what would be entirely different tracks in the subcontinent. It also presents another interesting conundrum: is playing and beating India on bouncy tracks in this series the ideal preparation for the World Cup? New Zealand did something similar when they steamrolled India at home just before the 2003 World Cup but it was India who went on to reach the finals then. Or will we see more benign pitches in the rest of the series?
Form guide
India: LWWWW
Players to watch out for…
Morne Morkel: His back-bending, hit-the-deck efforts have been a pleasure to watch. With his height and his whippy release, he extracts generous bounce from short of length and will be at it again in this series. In the first Test in Centurion, he showed great maturity in following the short balls with full deliveries which got him a five-wicket haul. It remains to be seen how he reacts if India put pressure back on him by going after him.
M Vijay: He was seen hanging on the back foot to a full delivery in the first ODI. In the recent past, he has shown vulnerability outside the off stump with his penchant to hang his bat out with his hesitant defensive pokes. However, he has played a few attacking games in South Africa during the IPL and in the Champions League. Can he derive confidence from his past and show us what he is capable of? Or will India replace him with Rohit?
Pitch and conditions
Overcast conditions prevail at Johannesburg and the forecasts predict 72% chance of rain on the match day. The Wanderers pitch has always had some bounce on offer and it will be interesting to see if the overcast conditions persist and assist in seam movement.
Team news
India are likely to go in with three seamers and Harbhajan. It will be interesting to see if they bring in Sreesanth, who featured in the Test series, for this game. They are likely to give Yusuf a run but he might come in from the third ODI on pitches that will have less bounce.
India (possible): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 M Vijay, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Munaf Patel, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra
Will the overcast conditions tempt South Africa to retain the same playing eleven or will they bring in allrounder Faf du Plessis?
South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Colin Ingram, 4 AB de Villiers (wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 David Miller, 7 Johan Botha, 8 Dale Steyn, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 and 11 Any two from Wayne Parnell, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, and Faf du Plessis might get a go.
Stats and trivia
- Raina has just one half-century from the last 17 ODIs. It's not his longest barren patch, though. From April 2006 to June 2008, he went through 19 innings without a fifty.
- de Villiers' 76 was the highest ODI score by a South African wicketkeeper against India. The previous best was Mark Boucher's 68 in 2000.
- de Villiers also became the 10th South African batsman to tally more than 500 ODI runs against India.
- Tendulkar is set to join Sanath Jayasuriya as most capped ODI players (444 games). However, he is set to become the cricketer who has played the most ODI innings. This will be his 433rd innings, and he will go past Jayasuriya who played 432 innings.
Quotes;
"I would back Rohit Sharma as an opener ahead of Murali Vijay. Yusuf Pathan at No. 6 or 7 wouldn't be such a bad ploy once you have considered the surface."
Former India allrounder Ravi Shastri states his wish
"It was a great honour to hear that a player of (Dhoni's) calibre had good things to say about me, but I don't think the selectors will change their minds now. It was disappointing not to make the team, because it's now reasonably clear that it's the end of my dream of representing South Africa in the World Cup."
Albie Morkel, who plays under Dhoni's captaincy in the IPL, expresses his disappointment at not making to the World-Cup squad.
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Richardson rules out international cricket in Pakistan
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The Lahore attacks have ruined the prospect of international cricket in pakistan in the near future.
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The Lahore attacks have ruined the prospect of international cricket in pakistan in the near future.
Dave Richardson, the ICC's general manager for cricket, has firmly ruled out the possibility of international cricket returning to Pakistan in the near future. Pakistan has not hosted an international series since the Lahore attacks on Sri Lanka's cricketers in March 2009, and as long there isn't an improvement in the security situation there was no point talking of bringing international cricket back to the country, Richardson said. Instead, he claimed the way forward was to promote the domestic setup in Pakistan.
"It's useless to talk about bringing back international cricket to Pakistan," Richardson told reporters in Karachi. "I think once there is an improvement in the security conditions and arrangements then teams can be convinced to start looking at playing in Pakistan again."
Pakistan was stripped of its rights to co-host the 2011 World Cup with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the aftermath of the Lahore attacks. Amid the decline in cricket in the country, the domestic competitions deserved more attention, said Richardson. "It might take a lot of time but it doesn't mean that the game cannot progress here. The PCB should concentrate on promoting the domestic structure. According to me, that's the only way to keep the game going."
Richardson is in Karachi to watch the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's premier first-class tournament, which is being played under lights at the National Stadium. It's an unprecedented event in Pakistan domestic cricket and one of the ways the PCB is trying to promote domestic cricket in these difficult times.
"The ICC is working on several recommendations to make Test cricket more interesting and the day-night option sounds very interesting. I am here to see whether it's feasible to conduct Test matches under lights using orange balls.
"The PCB has taken a good decision to hold the final of the five-day domestic tournament under lights and it will help popularise the sport as well."
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New Zealand v Pakistan, 2nd Test, Wellington
New Zealand seek urgent batting revival
Match facts
January 15-19
Start time 11.00 (2200 GMT)
Big Picture
The wicket in Hamilton for the opening Test didn't warrant a three-day match, but New Zealand made it one with their hapless batting in the second innings. The temporary relief provided by a Twenty20 series win, also marking an encouraging start to John Wright's tenure as coach, was sullied by a spineless capitulation on a flattish pitch at Seddon Park. In what are expected to be tougher batting conditions in Wellington, with more swing and movement on offer for the fast bowlers, and where New Zealand were beaten by Pakistan earlier in the year, an urgent recovery is the need of the hour for the hosts. The focus remains on the top order: TimMcIntosh is struggling and could well be replaced, Martin Guptill was given a torrid time by the left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman and the question remains of whether Brendon McCullum will shed some of his aggression in more testing conditions.
Misbah-ul-Haq has led from the front since he took over as Test captain ©Addmore2
As for Pakistan, this is an opportunity to win their first Test series in 11 attempts since 2006. And it would be a memorable one, for their inexperienced players have played a hand in setting it up. Rehman starred in an all-round performance, Asad Shafiq was part of what was, in the end, a match-winning stand, Adnan Akmal showed ability down the order, while Wahab Riaz and Tanvir Ahmed shone with the ball in each innings. Add to that the performance of their captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, who led from the front with a stoic half-century, and things seem to be falling into place for a team plagued by enough distractions off the field. The seamers, Umar Gul, Riaz and Ahmed, should derive more assistance from the Basin Reserve track. It could boil down to whether New Zealand can combat them more determinedly.
Form guide
(Most recent first)
Pakistan: WDDLW
New Zealand: LLDDL
Pakistan: WDDLW
New Zealand: LLDDL
Watch out for…
Left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz was the quickest bowler in the first Test, regularly hitting speeds of around 145kph and causing problems for the batsmen with the angle from which he bowls. He was unlucky in the first innings in Hamilton, but took three crucial wickets in the second. On a more helpful surface in Wellington, New Zealand's struggling batsmen will face a stern test.
In the first innings in Hamilton - his first Test at home - Kane Williamson batted with an assurance that was lacking in many of his senior colleagues. The shot-selection against a relentlessly accurate Abdur Rehman, and his composure against the quicks bodes well for a fragile batting unit.
Pitch and conditions
The first Test was played on a slow-and-low track, something more likely to be seen in Pakistan than in New Zealand. Wellington is likely to be a more traditional New Zealand wicket, with plenty of sideways movement and also extra bounce to interest the quicks. Rain is forecast during the Test, though Saturday is expected to be a sunny day.
Team news
Pakistan are unlikely to tinker much with their combination after the big win in the first Test. That means Umar Akmal is likely to remain on the sidelines, and left-arm spinner Rehman should retain his place. One change they could consider is replacing Tanvir Ahmed with the quicker Sohail Tanvir.
Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Tanvir Ahmed, 11 Wahab Riaz.
Daniel Vettori has hinted that James Franklin could be included in place of opener Tim McIntosh, who failed in both innings in the first Test. He said that with Ryder cutting down on his bowling, and Kane Williamson also likely to bowl only a few overs on account of a seamers' track in Wellington, Franklin's inclusion will reduce the load on the main bowlers.
New Zealand (probable): 1 Tim McIntosh/James Franklin, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Martin Guptill, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Jesse Ryder, 6 Kane Williamson, 7 Daniel Vettori (capt), 8 Reece Young (wk), 9 Tim Southee, 10 Brent Arnel, 11 Chris Martin.
Stats and trivia
- Chris Martin is seven short of becoming only the fourth New Zealand bowler to reach 200 Test wickets.
- Pakistan have lost only one Test series in 13 visits to New Zealand.
- Since 1990, Pakistan have won all three Tests they have played at Wellington, the best win-loss record for any visiting team at this venue.
- Since 1990, New Zealand have been dismissed for less than 200 on nine occasions against Pakistan, the most against any opposition. Their lowest score in home Tests in that period is 93, which also came against Pakistan.
- Daryl Tuffey's 30 wickets against Pakistan is the highest for a New Zealand bowler against one opposition in home Tests since 2000. He is followed by Chris Martin who has 26 wickets in seven home Tests against Pakistan.
Quotes
"We understand it was a poor performance but if we get too down in the dumps then we're not going to rectify it here."
Daniel Vettori doesn't want to wallow in the past
Daniel Vettori doesn't want to wallow in the past
"I bowl 140kph-plus and Wahab (Riaz) is bowling 145kph-plus, so I think at the moment we are a bit faster."
Umar Gul says Pakistan won't be fazed by a fast-bowlers' track in Wellington
Umar Gul says Pakistan won't be fazed by a fast-bowlers' track in Wellington
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Amir's lawyer says deferment is a 'silver lining'
Shahid Karim, Mohammad Amir's lawyer at the spot-fixing hearing in Doha, has said that the ICC tribunal's decision to defer their verdict gives his client renewed hope.
"The last day of the (six-day) hearing was very positive," Karim told AP on his return to Lahore. "It could be a silver lining for us. I hope Amir will be exonerated next month when the verdict will be announced."
Karim had earlier requested the three-man tribunal examining the charges to take more time to study the case before announcing its verdict, which was initially due on January 11. Following the six-day hearing, the tribunal deferred the verdict to February 5.
Karim hopes Amir's age and unblemished record will work in his favour. "I am happy with the procedure of the hearing," he had said in Doha. "The ICC code of conduct has a clause which points to looking at the player's age and past disciplinary record and Amir is young, so we hope the tribunal will keep this in mind."
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Kamran, Misbah-ul-Haq in ODI squad to play NZ
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Players/Officials: Kamran Akmal | Misbah-ul-Haq
Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of New Zealand
Teams: Pakistan
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Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has finally returned to a Pakistan squad, picked on Wednesday for the ODI series against New Zealand. The squad for Pakistan's last assignment before the 2011 World Cup is effectively a shadow squad for the tournament; Akmal changes places with his younger brother Adnan, who misses out.
Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who played only two ODIs last year, against South Africa in the UAE before he was dropped for the final three, also returns. That means no place for the veteran Mohammad Yousuf, who has been effectively dropped from both Test and ODI cricket over the last month or so. His chances of appearing in the World Cup, at this stage, appear slim. Opener Ahmed Shehzad returns to the side, suggesting he is a serious contender for a World Cup berth.
Kamran has not been part of the national side since the summer tour of England and his absence had been surrounded by confusion, which his return does little to clear up. Speculation linking him to the spot-fixing scandal has been rife, but in October he received written clearance from the ICC stating that he had no ongoing cases against him in the ICC.. Since then, he has been scoring heavily on the domestic circuit. However, he was not "given clearance" to play the Tests and Twenty20s in New Zealand by the PCB's integrity committee, which did not provide details about why that decision was taken.
The 19-year-old Shehzad, who made a promising debut last year against Australia in the Middle East, played all three Twenty20 games against New Zealand, scoring 83 runs at an average of 27.66 and a strike-rate of 150.90, with a top score of 54.
Misbah made 14 and 17 in his two ODIs against South Africa and did not feature in the Twenty20 games against New Zealand. Shahid Afridi has been retained as captain. Pakistan will play six one-dayers against the hosts, with the first game taking place in Wellington on January 22.
Pakistan ODI squad: Shahid Afridi (capt), Muhammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal (wk), Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Umer Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umer Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Tanveer Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad .
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