Australia all out for 47 only.......only....... 1 Test Match 2nd ing

Australia 47 (Philander 5-15) & 284 (Clarke 151, Steyn 4-55) lead South Africa 96 by 235 runs

Australia were splintered for 47 after South Africa had been routed for a comparatively bountiful 96 on the second afternoon of the first Test at Newlands, an afternoon that stretched the bounds of comprehension. The visitors' total was their lowest since 1902.

They batted a second time with a handsome lead of 188 after a staggering spell from Shane Watson and a merely excellent one from Ryan Harris appeared to have placed the match in their keeping. But they were 13 for three by tea and lost a frantic 6-8 on the resumption.

Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel were the chief executioners for South Africa, bowling magnificently in helpful conditions, but it must be said they had plenty of help from the batsmen.

Parnell, Theron help South Africa Win ,impossible Target 84 for 37 Bowls Only

JOHANNESBURG, October 16, 2011 (AFP) - Tailenders Wayne Parnell and Rusty Theron snatched an improbable three-wicket win for South Africa in the second Twenty20 international against Australia at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.Parnell (29 not out) and Theron (31 not out) put on an unbeaten 64 for the eighth wicket off just 27 balls to level a series which Australia had looked almost certain to win.

South Africa were reeling at 84 for seven with only 32 balls remaining when Theron joined his franchise teammate Parnell.

There were still 37 needed off three overs when Australian captain Cameron White brought left-arm slow bowler Steve O'Keeffe on to bowl. The left-handed Parnell hit him for a four and two sixes in an over which cost 18 runs.

Cummins bowled the 19th over and conceded 13 runs, including two wides.

Six were needed off the final over and White turned to David Hussey instead of the inexperienced Mitchell Marsh. Theron the off-spinner's first ball high over midwicket to settle the match with five balls to spare.

"It's a bitter pill to swallow," White admitted. "We didn't execute our skills very well at the end but we're a very young side. There were some really encouraging performances from some individuals and the experience of feeling the heat and pressure of Twenty20 international cricket will be invaluable."

Man of the match Theron paid tribute to Parnell for his role in the winning partnership.

First Time Harbhajan dropped for first two ODIS

Harbhajan Singh has been dropped for the first time in

offspinner Harbhajan Singh has been left out of India's squad for the first two ODIs against England on October 14 and 17. Karnataka medium-pacer S Aravind and Punjab legspinner Rahul Sharma have received their maiden international call-ups.Fast bowler, Varun Aaron who was part of the ODI squad in England but did not play, retained his place in the 15-man team. Batsmen Ajinkya Rahane and Manoj Tiwary are the other replacements sent to England who kept their spots.Fast bowler Umesh Yadav, who was not part of the India set-up since the 2010-11 Test series in South Africa, also made a comeback.The squad is missing Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Munaf Patel and Ishant Sharma due to injuries sustained on the recent tour of England. Fast bowler Ashish Nehra, who had declared himself fit after breaking his hand during the World Cup, and allrounder Yusuf Pathan, who was part of the World Cup squad, were not selected.India's squad contained five batsmen - Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Manoj Tiwary - two wicketkeeper batsmen - MS Dhoni and Parthiv Patel - and one allrounder in Ravindra Jadeja. The bowling attack comprised five seamers - Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, S Aravind and Praveen Kumar - and two spinners in R Ashwin and Rahul Sharma

Pink Ball Makes Debut First Class Cricket

This Ball Use In England First Class Cricket 

A fine.. fine.. inngs by 'THE WALL' End of The ODI Match Carrier

R Dravid  69/79  

V Kohli   107/93 

Dhoni*† 50/26 

Ind 304/6

Today Dravid was expansive, clear and even tinged his answers with a pinch of wit while facing the media on the eve of his final one-day match. Throughout his career Dravid's was an image of a man unsatisfied, of a man who despite all his achievements and humility, was struggling to prove something to himself, more than to the outside world. In some ways his battle with the self always benefited Indian cricket as he grew into the role of crisis manager. He climbed up the batting ladder to occupy a permanent position in the top order primarily at three and four where his best batting was seen.

Being a grafter at the first-class level, Dravid found life difficult in his formative years in the one-day game. But once he returned in 1999 having faced the axe a few times in his first three years, he transformed himself into a batsman who could pace an innings cleverly despite never going for the slog. He even led India, kept wickets, and moved up and down the order in search of pressure situations. He did everything that was asked of him and more. Today he explained how he could pull it off.

"I probably had to work harder in one-day cricket than in Tests. It has given me a lot satisfaction that I have been able to achieve so much," Dravid said. "When I started my career, obviously I wasn't recognised as much of a one-day cricketer, [I was] probably more in the traditional frame of mind. That's how I grew up playing cricket, that's how I played my Ranji Trophy cricket. So there was a lot more learning that I had to do in one-day cricket along the way. I faced some ups and downs, I got dropped in the middle, I had to go back and learn some lessons, I had to improve my game, keep getting better."

England v India: 4 Odi It Is aTie

India 280/5 (50 ov)

England 270/8 (48.5/48.5 ov, target 271)

Munaf for his excellent last 5 balls that convert a Loss for India to a Tie at least."

Tendulkar And another 6 Player ruled out of series

Sachin Tendulkar has been ruled out of the remainder of India's tour of England, and is likely to miss Mumbai Indians' Champions League campaign as well, after a visit to a specialist in London confirmed that he will require four to six weeks' of rest to recover from an inflamed big toe on his right foot. S Badrinath, the Tamil Nadu batsman, has been named as Tendulkar's replacement 

India have been rocked by a series of injuries on this tour of England, beginning with Zaheer Khan's hamstring pull on the first day of the Lord's Test. Following his withdrawal from the series, the BCCI said he not only suffered from a recurring hamstring problem, but also required surgery on his right ankle. Yuvraj Singh fractured a finger on his left hand, while Harbhajan Singh strained his stomach muscle during India's crushing defeat in the second Test at Trent Bridge, ruling them out of the rest of the tour.

Opener Virender Sehwag, it was understood, had not completely recovered from the shoulder surgery he underwent immediately after the IPL in May, and was suffering from hearing problems in his left ear, after being exposed to a loud sound on July 24, according to the team management. In another major setback, Gautam Gambhir failed to recover from a concussion he picked up while fielding on the third day of the final Test, subsequently missing the limited-overs leg of the tour. He had also missed the second Test at Trent Bridge after being struck on the elbow at Lord's.

Praveen Kumar had also joined India's long list of injured, missing the fourth Test at The Oval because of an injury to his left ankle, before recovering in time for the Twenty20 international on August 31. Ishant Sharma wasn't as fortunate, returning home after the Tests following a ligament injury to his left ankle, which will require surgery, during the third Test at Edgbaston

Mawoyo carries bat as Zimbabwe make 412

Tea Zimbabwe 412 (Mawoyo 163*, Cheema 4-79, Ajmal 4-143) v Pakistan

Pak 64/1

Tino Mawoyo plodded his way to a stubborn, unbeaten 163, but Pakistan managed to make breaches at the other end to bowl Zimbabwe out for 412 at tea. The Queens Sports Club pitch remained benign, and Mawoyo cashed in on the amiable conditions to overcome a bout of nerves in the 90s, before cruising without fuss in the post-lunch session to become the third Zimbabwe batsman to carry his bat. Pakistan looked deflated in the field, and if not for an energetic burst from the debutant Aizaz Cheema, could have ended up spending a lot more time on it.

Mawoyo had withdrawn into a shell several times during the first day, including a 27-ball sequence in the lead-up to stumps that took him from 80 to 82. He began in brighter fashion today, pouncing on width offered by Sohail Khan to pick up authoritative boundaries. Having entered the 90s, though, he slowed down again as his tormentor-in-chief, Saeed Ajmal, came into the attack.

Ajinkya Rahane & Rahul Dravid Fire On First T-20 Match Against Englend

Ajinkya Rahane replaces Virender Sehwag in the limited-overs squad

Ajinkya Rahane 61/31  Rahul Dravid 31/21
Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane and Jharkhand fast bowler Varun Aaron will replace them. Sehwag had not fully recovered from the shoulder surgery he underwent after the IPL, and is also suffering from a ear problem, while Ishant sustained a ligament injury to his left ankle during the Edgbaston Test.

Rahane, a top-order batsman, has been a prolific run-getter on India's domestic circuit and had a successful tour of Australia with India Emerging Players just recently, with two centuries in three first-class games. He averages 67.72 in first-class cricket and 38.61 in List A games.

Honoured to receive doctorate: Dhoni

Leicester, Aug 30: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was conferred an honorary doctorate on August 29 by the De Montfort University (DMU) after India won the Twenty20 practice match against Leicestershire here.

The World Cup-winning Indian captain was lauded for his exemplary leadership qualities and achievements before he became an Honorary Doctor of Letters at a ceremony here. The Indian team won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 Championship, the 2007-08 Commonwealth Bank One-Day series, and most recently lifted the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, under Dhoni’s captaincy. 

Dhoni, who also led India to the No. 1 Test team status – a ranking they enjoyed before losing the recent Test series to England 0-4 – has recorded the longest unbeaten run as captain. He also holds the record for most number of catches in an innings and for scoring the fastest century scored by an Indian wicketkeeper.

In 2008 and 2009, Dhoni was named the ICC's One-Day International Player of the Year.

"I am amazed and honoured to receive this award," Dhoni was quoted as saying on receiving the doctorate.

"I see this award as an honour for not only me as the captain of the Indian cricket team but as something for the whole team to be proud of,

Gambhir likely to miss England T20

Gautam Gambhir, the India opening batsman, could miss the solitary Twenty20 international against England in Manchester on August 31. Gambhir had a light batting session during India's optional training at Grace Road, but informed team management that he was not able to clearly sight the ball on a few occasions.

"He said that he could not see the ball at times when it came at full speed," Shivlal Yadav, Indian team. "He will be taken to an eye specialist in Manchester on Tuesday." With people making use of the

India First Win To England Series

 Just the name brings a smile to the face. It definitely put a big yahoo across the Indian squad, which arrived to this sun-drenched seaside town on Wednesday from the rainy, grey climes of London. The salubrious surroundings seemed to have had an instant positive effect on the visitors, who were perky and active throughout the three-and-a-half hour long optional training session at the tiny Hove ground.

News of Gautam Gambhir's recovery also brightened the mood, and the batsmen were back swinging their arms with gusto and clearing the boundaries effortlessly; a new-look bowling attack seemed eager and fresh; there was more agility in fielding drills.

India needed the relative anonymity of Brighton to forget the torment of the past month. A new journey has started, involving a format at which they are world champions. Perhaps the aura of the hard-won crown will boost them. Perhaps the good memories will serve well to keep them confident for the next three weeks when they wrestle with England in a solitary Twenty20 international followed by a five-match one-day series.

Sehwag and Ishant ruled out of ODIs

Ajinkya Rahane replaces Virender Sehwag in the limited-overs squad

Virender Sehwag and Ishant Sharma have been ruled out of the limited-overs leg of India's tour of England. Mumbai batsman Ajinkya Rahane and Jharkhand fast bowler Varun Aaron will replace them. Sehwag had not fully recovered from the shoulder surgery he underwent after the IPL, and is also suffering from a ear problem, while Ishant sustained a ligament injury to his left ankle during the Edgbaston Test.

Rahane, a top-order batsman, has been a prolific run-getter on India's domestic circuit and had a successful tour of Australia with India Emerging Players just recently, with two centuries in three first-class games. He averages 67.72 in first-class cricket and 38.61 in List A games. Aaron was also part of that tour to Australia and has been known to regularly clock over 140kmph. In his most recent first-class appearance, he took 4 for 40 and 2 for 49 against the Australian Institute of Sport.

"Carry The Bat" Rahul Dravid Names Record

the third India batsman to carry his bat, after Virender Sehwag and Sunil Gavaskar.

This was a proper day of Test cricket, which has been a rarity over the last two matches, with a Rahul Dravid masterclass making England dig deeper for their successes. However, his unbeaten 146 wasn't enough to save the follow-on and India still face a huge task to avoid the whitewash after closing on 129 for 3 although Sachin Tendulkar remained on 35.Graeme Swann made the early inroads, including the scalp of Dravid, during a superb spell on a pitch offering plenty of turn.

Dravid's unbeaten hundred, his third ton of the series, was a magnificent innings, contributing nearly half India's total (the first time they had reached 300 in the series) during six hours at the crease and 266 balls. He became the third India batsman to carry his bat, after Virender Sehwag and Sunil Gavaskar, and due to Gautam Gambhir's ongoing problems with concussion was back out 10 minutes later for the follow-on. When he took guard he had 448 runs for the series and India's next best was MS Dhoni with 217.

Amitabh Bachcan Is In Full Supoort Of The Indian Cricket Team

The Indian cricket team is gettingbrickbats after it lost its World No.1 Test crown to England. ButBollywood star Amitabh Bachchan supports the team, saying that rubbing them off completely after the loss is a ruthless way of dealing with the situation.
“For years and till not too far away, our cricket team and its captain (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni were the masters. One loss in England and suddenly they are incompetent. People reaction is as subtle and as ruthless as this,” Big B posted on his blog.

“It requires immense acumen to be where they put you and in some manner to maintain it. Some understand the futility and the improbability of the situation and reconcile to it. Others and many others do not. Once there, they believe they are there and nowhere else. This is not entirely an adverse situation.”

“It is quite possible that it thrives too. Others succumb to the moment, understand and accept. This is not entirely wrong too. Both can co exist, its a matter of reconciling with its complexity,” Bachchan added.

Earlier this week, Indian team tasted humiliating defeat after they lost the series by 3-0. The newspapers and the cricket legends have been criticizing their performance in foreign turf by calling it Indian team’s worst performance in recent years

England v India: 4 Test

RP Singh bowls on his return to Test cricket

Replace By Prvin kumar

The final match of what has been a very challenging tour for India

"We're desperate to finish the summer on a high. The work ethic over the last couple of days has been good and encouraging and I'd be very disappointed if we took our foot off the gas."

Andrew Strauss knows that it's hard work that has brought England this far, and will push his team to end the Test series on a triumphant note

"We will stick to our game plan and hopefully it'll reflect in our performance. This is a sport, we go through tough times. It's challenges that make life interesting."

MS Dhoni remains typically philosophical ahead of the final match of what has been a very challenging tour for India

Zimbabwe Win Series

Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, 3rd ODI, Harare  Zimbabwe 250 for 7 (Taibu 83, Shakib 2-41) beat Bangladesh 245 (Mushfiqur 101, Utseya 3-47) by five runs 

 


Mushfiqur Rahim's run-a-ball century went in vain as Bangladesh lost a thrilling match in Harare to hand Zimbabwe the series, with two games left to play. Mushfiqur took Bangladesh within touching distance of victory, after coming to the crease in the 18th over and steadily chipping away at the required rate. He defied a Zimbabwe attack that has dominated the Bangladesh batsmen so far, but he perished one shot away from victory.

He was the backbone of Bangladesh chase and provided the vertebrae for debutant Shuvagoto Hom and Mahmudullah to branch out onto but it was not enough. After Zimbabwe put on a par score of 250 on pitch that was good for batting, Mushfiqur would have felt that he had done enough in the middle overs when he built the foundation for the Bangladesh chase, only to see it unravel in the last eight overs, with a sublime show of toe-crushing death bowling from Kyle Jarvis.

No Shahrukh & Kareena At Dubai Eid Concert

It was one of the most anticipated shows of the season, but unfortunately Shah Rukh Khan and gang will not be performing at the Shoppiesta grand finale Eid concert in Dubai on September 4.

The last minute cancellation has come as a huge disappointment for everyone eagerly awaiting performances by SRK, Kareena and Arjun Rampal.

Says Mohammad Morani, who co-ordinates show for SRK, “Khan’s Eid concert was announced without confirmations.”

But the buzz is that the Ra.One gang along with Priyanka Chopra and American rapper 50 Cent were set to light the stage on fire to commemorate the Muslimfestival in Dubai, until this last minute development.

Apparently, it was Kareena who first opted out of the show citing date issues.

A source adds, “Kareena is supposed to promote Bodyguard in the last two weeks of August, and it’s going to be impossible for her to travel during that time.”

Her reasons are understandable, considering Salman Khan seems to have allotted just 10 days from his super busy schedule for the promotion of his home production.

Once Kareena was out, both SRK and Rampal opted out as well.

But all hope is not lost for Bollywood buffs in Dubai. Priyanka is still part of the show.

What’s more, former boyfriend Shahid Kapoor will join in the party. Adds the source, “Now it’s Priyanka, Shahid and 50 Cent who will be performing at the concert.”

However, fans of King Khan need not be disappointed, as SRK will definitely make a trip to Dubai for another concert called We Are One as part of his promotions for Ra.One.