Rain threat looms large again

Match facts

Saturday, June 16
Start time 1430 (0900 GMT)

	Pakistan's batting has been shaky recently © AFP  Enlarge
Related Links Numbers Game : Pakistan's bowlers bail out their batsmen Matches: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (RPS) Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka Teams: Pakistan | Sri Lanka

Big Picture

There was a time when winning the toss did more for a side's chances at the R Premadasa Stadium than its performance in a day-night match did. Batting under lights at the erstwhile Khettarama ground was so difficult that teams invariably chose to bat, and invariably won. And then came the 2011 World Cup. The playing square was relaid. New floodlights were installed. And the ghost of the Premadasa chase was laid to rest. With the white ball not doing as much at night now, the last five ODIs at the ground have been won by the side batting second. With the final two games of this ODI series to be played here, it evens things out further for these two well-matched sides.

Sri Lanka and Pakistan have alternated between taking punches and delivering them. They did that in the T20I series, which was tied 1-1. They split the first two games in the five-match ODI series as well, before rain decided to have its share in the third. More of it is forecast for tomorrow, but with a reserve day in place now, it would take a lot of water over two days to deny us a result.

On paper, Sri Lanka's top eight look as dangerous and as powerful as any top eight ever in ODI cricket. The three senior batsmen, the explosive Angelo Mathews and Thisara Perera, the fast-maturing Lahiru Thirimanne and Dinesh Chandimal. Upul Tharanga is only 27, but is already closing in on 5000 ODI runs. Sri Lanka's major headache these days is to figure out the batting order.

Pakistan's batsmen have wobbled so much recently that their bowlers, especially the three quality limited-overs spinners, have had to work harder to deliver wins. Misbah-ul-Haq opted for the extra batsman, Asad Shafiq, in the third ODI but the wash-out denied him the opportunity to see whether the move would work.

As the series nears its end, both sides would want to start delivering more punches than they take.

Form guide

Sri Lanka WLLLL (Completed games, most recent first)
Pakistan LWWLW

Watch out for...

Not only have the Pakistan batsmen struggled to make the big runs of late, they have also struggled to make them fast enough. There has been a certain tentativeness in the line-up which has had them sweating even in small chases. While it makes games exciting, the batting requires more stability as well as firepower. Both are available; only lying dormant at the moment.

Not that it is a big concern right now, but Dinesh Chandimal has a top-score of 32 from his past seven ODI innings. In his short career, he has already impressed in England, South Africa and Australia, but his home average is yet to go past ten. He does tend to get tied down in sluggish conditions. Which is how they will be in Sri Lanka as long as he plays, and thereafter.

Team news

There was word that Mohammad Hafeez had injured himself during training, but he has been declared fit for tomorrow. Mohammad Sami is recovering as well from his thumb injury. The question is, will Pakistan abandon Asad Shafiq for Sami, if he is passed fit to play? Unlikely.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Saeed Ajmal

Sajeewa Weerakoon, the 34-year old left-arm spinner, had a watery international debut on Wednesday. No reason why he shouldn't get a second game tomorrow.

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Upul Tharanga, 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Sajeewa Weerakoon

Stats and trivia

• Four of the ten batsmen with the lowest ODI strike-rates in the last two years are Pakistani. (Min. 800 balls faced).
• Younis Khan averages 20.75 this year in ODIs at a strike-rate of 89.72. His career figures are 32.33 at 75.64

Quotes

"If you take the last few months, our trend has been to do very well in one game and do badly in the other game. I think we need to stop that. As a team we need to work towards that. Consistency is a very big factor. If we play like we played the last game we will be a top team."
Tillakaratne Dilshan says Sri Lanka need to stop blowing hot and cold

Abhishek Purohit is an editorial assistant at ESPNcricinfo

 Feeds: Abhishek Purohit

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Herath returns, Sri Lanka bat

Toss Sri Lanka chose to bat v Pakistan
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Mahela Jayawardene won the toss, and keeping with the pattern in the few matches so far in the tour, opted to bat. The pitch at Hambantota produced two low-scoring Twenty20 games, but the surface at Pallekele is expected to be more batsman-friendly.

Sri Lanka fielded a strong line-up, bringing in the left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who was rested for the Asia Cup in March. Their seam-heavy attack includes the allrounders Thisara Perera and Angelo Mathews. Lasith Malinga returned after missing the second Twenty20.

Pakistan decided not to play Imran Farhat, thereby promoting Azhar Ali as opener. Sohail Tanvir, who was retained after his sound performances in the Twenty20s, was picked to lend more variety to Pakistan's seam line-up, which also included the returning Mohammad Sami. The visitors went in with six specialist seamers, including two spin-allrounders.

Sri Lanka began the series needing to reverse their recent poor record against Pakistan, which included just two wins in the last ten encounters.

Sri Lanka: 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Lasith Malinga

Pakistan 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Azhar Ali, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Umar Gul, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 10 Sohail Tanvir, 11 Mohammad Sami

Kanishkaa Balachandran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

 Feeds: Kanishkaa Balachandran

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Gayle formally recalled to West Indies squad

Chris Gayle's 15-month international exile is over after he was formally recalled to the West Indies ODI squad for the forthcoming series against England, starting in Southampton on June 16.

In keeping with the fractious and drawn out nature of the dispute that kept Gayle out of the team, his recall was confirmed after a meeting of more political than selection nature in St Vincent. Gayle and his agent Michael Hall spoke with an array of political and cricket figures including the island's prime minister Ralph Gonsalves, Antigua and Barbuda prime minister Baldwin Spencer, WICB president Julian Hunte, WICB director Elson Crick and the WICB's legal officer Alanna Medford.

The meeting, devised to smooth over any "residual matters" between Gayle and the WICB, was followed by the announcement of the squad for the limited-overs segment of the England tour, with Gayle returning to the ranks for the first time since the 2011 World Cup.

West Indies ODI squad Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Darren Sammy (capt), Dwayne Smith, Andre Russell, Tino Best, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul, Sunil Narine

"Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board recently met by teleconference and are pleased that consistent with his previous commitment Mr Chris Gayle has made himself available for selection to the West Indies team," a WICB statement had said of the meeting. "The board believes that Mr Gayle's stated commitment to West Indies cricket will be an asset to the team and looks forward to his contributions in that regard."

Gayle's recall was first mooted during West Indies' earlier home series against Australia, when he met with WICB officials to repair a relationship that had deteriorated around the emergence of Twenty20 and the rise of the Indian Premier League. It then dissolved entirely when the former captain criticised the coach Ottis Gibson and the WICB during a radio interview last year.

In England the mood for Gayle's return has gathered strength, pushed along by the words of Kevin Pietersen, who said it would be "brilliant for the game" if he was recalled, while the former West Indies fast bowler and widely respected commentator Michael Holding effectively challenged the WICB to stop delaying Gayle's rehabilitation as an international player.

Lendl Simmons is the other notable recall to the ODI team after he missed the home matches against Australia. Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell also return to the team for limited-overs matches after completing their IPL duties.

Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here

 Feeds: Daniel Brettig

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Two bouncers an over likely in ODIs

	David Richardson discusses some of the recommendations made by the ICC cricket committee meeting at Lord's
Related Links Sites: Cricinfo ICC Site

The ICC's cricket committee has recommended the number of bouncers permitted in an ODI over be increased to two. They also concluded the bowling powerplay be removed and the number of fielders permitted outside the 30-yard circle reduced from five to four.

The committee's recommendations will be ratified by the ICC Board in in Kuala Lumpur later this month, if they are incorporated into ODI playing conditions the mandatory Powerplay of 10 overs at the start of each innings will remain but only one period of five overs will now be nominated as a Powerplay, to be taken by the batting side and completed by the 40th over.

The changes are designed to "improve the balance between bat and ball and to create an identity for ODIs distinct from the Test and Twenty20 formats", an ICC release stated.

The committee decided there had been little impact from two five-over Powerplays being taken between the 16th and 40th overs, but did think using two new balls from each end had proven successful - both measures were recommended at last year's meeting.

"The changes will help enhance what is still an exceptionally popular form of the game," David Richardson, ICC General Manager of Cricket, said. "The committee was mindful of the need to avoid continual changes but was determined to complete the process initiated last year to enhance the format. It is now confident that these recommendations for ODI cricket, which showed its popularity during the 2011 World Cup will help create an even more attractive spectacle as we approach the World Cup in 2015."

Other recommendations of the committee, chaired by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, were that the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) method of calculating scores in rain-affected matches should remain. An Indian mathematician, V Jayadevan, had proposed his system - the VJD method - replace D/L but the committee unanimously agreed there was no evidence of any significant flaws in the D/L method nor that any improvements could be offered by the VJD method.

In addition, to improve over-rates, it was recommended that drinks should not be brought onto the field other than at official drinks breaks and players should always assume a not-out decision following a review and be ready to immediately resume play after the decision is made.

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Army raids Umar Gul's house; arrests his brother

Pakistan Army commandos raided cricketer Umar Gul's house in Peshawar and arrested his brother on charges of harbouring a wanted militant, according to a media report on Wednesday. The fast bowler's brother, Meraj, was arrested with two other men on charges of providing shelter to his uncle, Haji Daly, believed to be an active member of the banned Lashkar-e-Islam, The Express Tribune reported.

A local resident told the newspaper that a team of commandos raided the house yesterday.

Two paramedics, Younas and Shakil, were among those arrested. They were moved to an undisclosed location.

An official of the local police station claimed Haji Daly was injured in an operation by armed forces at Bara in Khyber tribal region, and had fled to Peshawar and lived with Meraj for several days before leaving the city.

The Khyber Agency is a stronghold of the Lashkar-e-Islam.

"The injured man was brought to Hayatabad Medical Complex with two local paramedics who changed his bandages," the official said.

The injured man left the hospital without his identity being ascertained, he said.

Reports indicated that the two arrested paramedics are employees of a maternity home located adjacent to Gul’s house.

Gul's family owns the maternity home.

However, members of Gul's family declined to comment on the matter. A cousin of Gul confirmed that a raid had been carried out and three people were arrested.

Positive IPL news for Pakistan - Butt

Ijaz Butt, the former PCB chairman, has said that BCCI president and IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has assured him that the Pakistan players will be readmitted into the IPL. Butt had met Shukla and former BCCI president Sharad Pawar last week in Delhi, in a meeting sanctioned by the PCB.

Butt had then briefed current Pakistan board chief Zaka Ashraf about the discussions at the Delhi meeting, as well as on all the past communications he had had with the BCCI during his three-year tenure as board chief that ended last October. The briefing was organised in view of Zaka Ashraf travelling to India on Saturday, for the IPL final in Chennai on Sunday.

"With the consent of the incumbent PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, I met Rajiv Shukla and Sharad Pawar, and discussed the progress on the Indo-Pak cricketing relations," Butt told the Dawn. "In Delhi, Rajiv Shukla assured me that Pakistani players will be allowed to play in the next [2013] IPL edition."

During Butt's tenure, the relationship between Pakistan and India hit a low following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Following those attacks, bilateral ties between the neighbours were severed, and Pakistan players have not been a part of the IPL since. Also, a team from Pakistan was not invited to participate in the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20). Earlier this month, progress was made on last point, with the BCCI - the CLT20's largest stakeholder - saying it would inform the tournament's governing council that it had no objection to a team from Pakistan participating. Later, Ashraf was invited to watch the IPL final by the BCCI.

"Both Rajiv and Pawar are my very good friends, and we are on good terms for a long time," Butt told ESPNcricinfo. "I, during my tenure [as PCB chief], was for the resumption of dialogues with the BCCI. There were some differences though, which I don't want to share or comment on, but in the end I had to try to have good relations with everyone.

"I have had a good meeting with Zaka during which we discussed a lot of aspects, and I have updated him on my talk with the BCCI officials. From what I can see, there is improvement at the government level and both countries are coming closer. So now it's up to both boards, they should engage in healthy dialogues to revive bilateral ties."

Ashraf before flying to India, spoke to the media, said he is hopeful of a fruitful visit. "Their invitation [to the IPL final] is a strong clue that both countries are moving towards having good relations," Ashraf told reporters at the Lahore airport. "This is rare, in the past no such invitation was extended. So I am hopeful that I will have a good meeting with the BCCI officials on the sidelines of the IPL final regarding the revival of bilateral ties."

© ESPN EMEA Ltd.

Boom Boom Shahid Afridi has been blessed with another baby girl

Boom Boom Shahid Afridi has been blessed with another baby girl. Congratulations to Boom Boom for becoming Father of one more cute kid :)

IPL 5 Cricket Match Fixing Exclusive Video.Players caught on cam - India TV HD

Breaking News!!! Players caught on camera.Exclusive.Match fixing/Spot fixing
Sting operation reveals Black money in IPL!!!
All credits go to India TV
Video owned by India TV

Sialkot Stallions 2nd Best T20 Team Of The World

Sialkot Stallions 2nd Best T20 Team Of The World

Tamim Iqbal 'I wanted hair like Afridi's'

Tamim Iqbal talks about idolising Boom Boom, and rubbing Rubel up the wrong way





Interview by Nagraj Gollapudi

May 13, 2012

First time I met a hero
I was about seven or eight years old. Shahid Afridi had come play for Abahani Limited, a Dhaka club. Akram Khan, my uncle, had got Afridi to Bangladesh. I could not believe my eyes. I was too young and too shy to say anything to him. He was a heartthrob in Bangladesh and one of the most popular international cricketers after he had scored the fastest ODI century. And here he was, in front of me. I love his dark hair and I tried copying his hairstyle for a while, but it didn't take off. I started to want to hit as far as he hits, and thanks to him I can hit some long balls out of the field.

First notable sledge
It happened when Bangladesh shocked India in a group match in the 2007 World Cup in Port-of-Spain. We were chasing a small target. Munaf Patel was bowling his second over. The first five balls I had not been able to take any run. The final delivery, Munaf pitched it wide of off stump. I stepped out, swung my bat and the top edge went over third man. Munaf was unimpressed and said that I needed to start playing some proper shots. I felt I must be doing something good to get a good international bowler giving me some verbal treatment. I felt good.

First time I took a bowler for granted
Again, this happened in the 2007 World Cup. After my match-winning half-century against India, I was confident. Perhaps, a bit over-confident, as I would find out against Bermuda in another group match. I thought I had faced better bowlers, so I blindly charged Saleem Mukuddem, a medium-fast bowler. I thought I would put him in his place. I stepped out and hit as hard as I could, but the top edge flew over point and third man charged in and took a brilliant catch. It taught me that you can never take anyone for granted in international cricket.

First dressing-down from a coach
It was a domestic first-class match for Chittagong against Sylhet. We had batted on the first day. The next morning I woke up late, at 9am. I drove desperately through the crowded streets of Chittagong to get to the ground, but by the time I got there, the first over had already been bowled. The Chittagong coach, Minhazul Abedin, looked at me in disbelief. I pretended I had been sick overnight, but I didn't get away: after I spent the rest of the day fielding, I was asked to run 20 laps for my mistake.

First time I batted right-handed
Rubel Hossain, the Bangladesh fast bowler, and I have always had verbal duels. He would say how he would easily get me out in the first over he bowled, and I would promise him I would thrash him out of the ground. In 2009 I was playing for Abahani Limited against Gazi Tank, Rubel's team. I had scored 160 and my confidence was high, so I decided the time was ripe to silence Rubel. I played a couple of balls right-handed just to surprise him. I was scared inside as he bowls at speeds of 140kph. I was lucky to escape unhurt!

Nagraj Gollapudi is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Sialkot Stallions to play in CLT20

NEW DELHI: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday gave go ahead to Champions League Governing Council to take decision on Pakistan team`s participation in the tournament.

Champions League Governing Council will meet on May 28 in Chennai.

The latest move will see Pakistan team Sialkot Stallions play in the Champions League T20. This will be the first time post 26/11 that a Pakistan team will play in the country.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)and some top cricketers have hailed the BCCI decision, which would go a long way in promoting cricket in the region.

Full SaQuad For Srilanka

Speaking to the media, PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf announced that the Pakistani all rounder would be leading the team in the shortest format of the game, however Misbah ul Haq would remain captain for the One day International and Test formats. Hafeez would serve as the vice captain in these formats.

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed Mohammad Hafeez as the captain for the Twenty 20 (T20) format of the game during the tour of Sri Lanka.

Ashraf said that Misbah was consulted in all decisions made by the board.

“We are proud of you and will always be proud of you,” Ashraf said in praise of Misbah.

Speaking to the media Hafeez thanked the board and Misbah for giving him the opportunity to lead the T20 team.

“I will try my best to enhance the moral and image of the team.” Hafeez also praised former captains he had played under and said he would implement what he had learnt from them.

“His leadership qualities, calmness and honesty are exemplarily” Hafeez said while describing Misbah.

T20 Team: Khalid Latif, Ahmed Shahzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Umer Akmal, Shakil Ansar, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arfat, Sohail Tanveer, Saeed Ajmal, Raza Hasan, Umer Gul, Haris Sohaib, Mohammad Sami, Hamad Azam, Nasir Jamshed.

ODI: Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umer Akmal, Sarfaza Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Umer Gul, Rahat Ali, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Sami, Asad Shafiq, Ijaz Cheema, Azhar Ali, Imran Farhat.

Test: Mohammad Hafeez, Taufiq Umer, Azhar Ali, Misbah ul Haq, Younis Khan, Asad Shafique, Adnan Akmal, Umer Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Sami, Faisal Iqbal, Junaid Khan, Afaq Rahim, Mohammad Qayyum Dogar, Ijaz Cheema.

Awsome song For pakistan Cricket Must watch