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DECEMBER5,5, 2014 2014 –-PAKISTAN LINKLINK – P25 DECEMBER PAKISTAN
Umar Gul, Younis Khan Return to Pakistan’s Limited Over Squad
SHARJAH: Paceman Umar Gul and batsman Younis Khan returned to Pakistan`s squads for next month`s Twenty20 and one-day series against New Zealand in United Arab Emirates, officials said recently. The 30-year-old Gul had his career derailed by a knee operation last year and in his return early this year he failed to impress. Pakistan`s chief selector Moin Khan said Gul and Riaz`s return will bolster the squad for the two
Twenty20 matches in Dubai on December 4 and 5. The Twenty20 will be followed by five one-day internationals. "Gul and Riaz are making comebacks from injury to make the pace attack more potent and I hope the squad will do well considering next year`s World Cup," Khan said in a Pakistan Cricket Board release. Also returning to the one-day team is 37-year-old Younis who amassed 468 runs in the 2-0 win over
Australia last month. That came on the back of his controversial axing from the threematch one-day series against Australia in which Pakistan were white-washed last month. Another paceman Wahab Riaz is also in both the squads after suffering a knee injury in the one-day series against Australia while opener Ahmed Shehzad returns after suffering a head injury in the first Test against New Zealand. New Zealand beat Pakistan by an innings and 80 runs to level the three-match Test series in Sharjah recently. Pakistan squads (Twenty20): Shahid Afridi (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Irfan, Owais Zia, Raza Hasan, Saad Nasim, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz One-day: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Bilawal Bhatti, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan, Zulfiqar Babar. J
New Zealand Thrash Pakistan in 3rd Test, Level Series 1-1 SHARJAH: Emotional New Zealand completed an innings and 80 run win over Pakistan in the third and final Test in Sharjah recently, to level the threematch series 1-1. Seamer Trent Boult took 4-38 and Mark Craig 3-109 which overshadowed Asad Shafiq's career best 137 as Pakistan were dismissed for 259 in their second innings in the fading light at Sharjah stadium. The win was more praiseworthy in a week when New Zealand were left grieved by Australian batsman Phillip Hughes' tragic death recently, the day when both teams abandoned second day's play. Boult ended Shafiq's fighting 183minute knock of 18 fours and six sixes -- his fifth Test century -- with a short delivery. Craig wrapped up the innings by dismissing Rahat Ali for six to end with match figures of 10-203. He took 7-94 in the first innings. Boult struck thrice in the space of
18 balls to leave Pakistan struggling at 24-3 before Craig and Sodhi (2-82) chipped in. Pakistan won the first Test in Abu Dhabi by 248 runs while the second ended in a draw in Dubai. Pakistan's batting failure was miserable on a pitch where New Zealand plundered 690. Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed (37) tried to take the attack to the New Zealand bowlers with a 73-run stand for the sixth wicket before Sodhi removed Ahmed and Yasir Shah (ten) in the same over before tea. Shafiq hit Craig for a six and four to reach his hundred off 123 balls to delay the defeat after Pakistan lost Mohammad Hafeez (24) and Misbahul Haq (12) in the post lunch session. Hafeez gave a return catch to Craig while Misbah was adjudged caught behind off the glove on the same bowler and even a referral couldn't save the Pakistan skipper. J
ICC Announces Schedule of Warm-Up Matches for ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
LONDON: The International Cricket Council (ICC) recently announced the complete schedule of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, including match start time and warm-up matches. A total of 14 non-ODI warm-up matches will be played across Adelaide, Christchurch, Melbourne and Sydney from 8 to 13 February, with host and four-time former world champion Australia taking on reigning world champion India at Adelaide Oval on the first day. Four matches will be played on the second day, with Christchurch hosting South Africa and Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval, and co-host New Zealand and Zimbabwe going head to head at Bert Sutcliffe Oval. In Sydney, England will face West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and Blacktown will host the Asian clash between Pakistan and Bangladesh. Three qualifiers will be in action on Tuesday, 10 February, day three of the warm-up matches. European rivals Ireland and Scotland will lock horns at Blacktown in Sydney while neighbours India and Afghanistan will prepare for the tournament proper at the Adelaide Oval. Eight sides will feature on Wednesday, 11 February. New Zealand will meet South Africa at Hagley Oval, and Sri Lanka will take on Zimbabwe at Bert Sutcliffe Oval (both matches in Christchurch), 1992 World Cup finalists England and Pakistan will test each other at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Australia will play the UAE at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. On Thursday, 12 February, the West Indies will play Scotland at the Sydney Cricket Ground and Ireland
will play Bangladesh in Blacktown, while Friday, 13 February, sees the UAE play Afghanistan at Melbourne's Junction Oval in the final warm-up game. The public will be welcome to attend warm up matches which will be ticketed but free of charge. Details of how to obtain tickets will be announced in due course. It should be noted that warm-up matches are not official ODIs and operate under slight-
ly different rules with up to 15 players able to be used throughout the game with no more than 11 players may field at any one time. The spectator experience will not be the same standard as at normal ODI matches. For media, entry will be through the normal accreditation process and only those that complete the second phase of the accreditation process, which starts on 1 December, will be given access to the venues. Additionally, the ICC has also confirmed the match start time of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. The 14 February tournament opener between New Zealand and Sri
Lanka will start at 1100 (NZT), while Australia will square-off against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the same day with the first ball to be bowled at 1430 (AEDT). The 29 March final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will start at 1430 (AEDT). Complete schedule with match start time is attached. The schedule of warm-up matches is: Sunday, 8 February -India v Australia (1400), Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Monday, 9 February - South Africa v Sri Lanka (1100), Hagley Oval, Christchurch; New Zealand v Zimbabwe (1100), Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Christchurch; England v West Indies (1430), Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney; Pakistan v Bangladesh (1430), Blacktown ISP, Sydney Tuesday, 10 February - Ireland v Scotland (1430), Blacktown ISP, Sydney; India v Afghanistan (1400), Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Wednesday, 11 February - New Zealand v South Africa (1100), Hagley Oval, Christchurch; Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe (1100), Bert Sutcliffe Oval, Christchurch; Australia v UAE (1430), Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne; England v Pakistan (1430), Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Thursday, 12 February - West Indies v Scotland (1000), Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney; Ireland v Bangladesh (1000), Blacktown ISP, Sydney Friday, 13 February - Afghanistan v UAE (1000) Junction Oval, Melbourne. J
Zimbabwe Whitewashed 5-0 MIRPUR: Taijul Islam's hat-trick, the first by an ODI debutant, spun Zimbabwe out for 128 and spurred Bangladesh to their second 5-0 series win. The home side won with 25.3 overs and five wickets to spare, with Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman unbeaten on 51 and 13 respectively. Bangladesh's spin attack was the story of the match. Taijul, replacing Rubel Hossain, took his first ODI wicket at the start of the 27th over, trapping Solomon Mire lbw. Two balls into the start of the 29th, he had four wickets and had completed his hat-trick, with the wickets of Tinashe Panyangara, John Nyumbu and Tendai Chatara. Taijul became the fourth Bangladesh bowler to take a hattrick, after Shahadat Hossain, Abdur Razzak and Rubel. Panyangara left a big gap between pad and bat, and Taijul duly slid one through. Nyumbu went on the back foot and missed a quicker and flatter delivery, which
struck his pads right in front of the stumps. Chatara seemed as eager as the bowler to complete the hat-trick, swinging across the line and leaving his stumps unprotected. Chatara missed, and Taijul slammed his chest in celebration. When Shakib Al Hasan took the tenth wicket in the 29th over, Taijul was summoned to lead the team off the field. He had finished with figures of 7-2-11-4, and walked off with a sheepish smile on his face with his teammates slapping him on his back. After the 10-minute innings break, Bangladesh started their chase poorly. Tamim Iqbal guided one to third-man, Anamul Haque and Shakib edged catches to slip, and debutant Soumya Sarkar gave leg slip a dolly. The top order's breakdown was reminiscent of Bangladesh's second innings in the Dhaka Test, but it was nothing compared to Zimbabwe's implosion. J
PCB Asks ICC for Date to Test Ajmal LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board has asked the ICC for a date for the official testing of Saeed Ajmal's reworked action. Ajmal underwent his third unofficial test at Loughborough University on December 1 after which the PCB applied for a reassessment of his
reworked action in order to have him available for the World Cup. Ajmal had undergone two unofficial tests in November and his offspinner and faster balls were found legal, but his doosra was still over 15-degree limit. Ajmal was suspended from bowling in September after his action was
deemed to be illegal for all deliveries. Ajmal's elbow extension was going up to 42 degrees on average in the official tests conducted which led to his suspension. He then worked on his action for over six weeks before undergoing first unofficial test last month which showed "substantial improvement."J
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DHAKA: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina (centre) and members of the Bangladesh cricket team pose for a photography with the tournament trophies after their fifth and final One-day International against Zimbabwe at the Sher-e Bangla National Stadium. Bangladesh beat Zimbabwe 5-0.