Clarke and Lee passed fit for NSW

Clarke and Lee passed fit for NSW

Michael Clarke and Brett Lee have been given the all-clear to return for New South Wales in Sunday's FR Cup match against Tasmania as they attempt to prove they are fit enough for Test selection. Clarke's back injury, which ruled him out of tours to South Africa and India, has continued to improve while Lee has overcome an elbow problem that forced him home early from India.

It will be Lee's first one-day game for his state since 2007 while Clarke last appeared in the format three years ago. The pair's selection means New South Wales have eight internationals to pick from for the game at North Sydney Oval.

Josh Hazlewood, the young fast bowler, and Burt Cockley, who was a replacement in India without playing a game, are also in the squad. Mitchell Starc, Ben Rohrer and Dominic Thornely have been dropped.

Victoria take on Western Australia in Melbourne on Saturday and have been hit by the withdrawal of the fast bowler Shane Harwood, who injured his right shoulder at training on Thursday. Harwood had surgery on the arm before the season and will be replaced by Steve Gilmour, who made his first-class debut last season.

New South Wales squad Phillip Hughes, David Warner, Phil Jaques, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich (capt), Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Brett Lee, Stephen O'Keefe, Stuart Clark, Burt Cockley, Josh Hazlewood.

Victoria squad Rob Quiney, Chris Rogers, Brad Hodge, David Hussey (capt), Aaron Finch, Michael Hill, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Glenn Maxwell, Darren Pattinson, Steve Gilmour, Bryce McGain.

Western Australia squad Wes Robinson, Marcus Stoinis, Marcus North (capt), David Bandy, Theo Doropoulos, Mitchell Marsh, Luke Ronchi (wk), Ashley Noffke, Aaron Heal, Brad Knowles, Brett Dorey, Michael Hogan.

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Lee faces uphill battle for Test spot

Lee faces uphill battle for Test spot


The push of Brett Lee and Stuart Clark to regain their Test spots at the Gabba could be in vain after Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, indicated Australia's three younger bowlers would remain the panel's preferred option. Australia's decision makers are already looking ahead to next year's Ashes series and will use the Tests against West Indies and Pakistan to groom the side for the attempt at regaining the urn.

That means Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus will have the inside running, leaving Lee and Clark to hope for the next berth whenever the side goes with a four-man pace attack. There is always a chance of that formation being used at the Gabba, which hosts the first match against the West Indies from November 26, but Hilditch does not see any changes to the pecking order.

"It's going to take something pretty special for Brett Lee or Stuart Clark to force their way in for a variety of reasons," he told the Australian. "The situation has pretty much remained as is. Those three bowlers were the leading wicket-takers in the Ashes. One [Johnson] has just been named international cricketer of the year, Hilfenhaus was the bowler of the Ashes and Peter Siddle was the young cricketer of the year."

Despite their success they were unable to prevent Australia from losing the series and Johnson's performances in the two defeats at Lord's and The Oval were particularly costly. Hilditch said Lee and Clark remained "very good" bowlers".

"Brett has been one of our very best," he said. "It's up to him to get back to four-day cricket and demonstrate a case to get back in." Lee has suffered in 2009 with a recovery from ankle surgery, a side strain and now an elbow problem that means he must prove his fitness for New South Wales.

While the attack appears settled, with Siddle expected to start bowling next week after a minor side strain, the batting order is less predictable. There has been a big push for the opener Phillip Hughes to return to the team, but Michael Hussey's strong performances in India have almost certainly secured his spot at the Gabba.

Shane Watson replaced Hughes during the Ashes and has been told by Hilditch to remain flexible as the selectors try to find a way back in for the 20-year-old. ''As far as Phil Hughes is concerned, I've made it very clear that he is a long-term player," Hilditch told the Sydney Morning Herald. "He is certainly in the running, we've been watching how he's been going in the Sheffield Shield … He is going to be strongly considered for the first Test.''

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Adrian Barath calm ahead of maiden tour

Adrian Barath calm ahead of maiden tour

Adrian Barath: "It will be challenging for me playing against Australia, but as a player you will have to face them and this will be the first time for me."

Adrian Barath had reason to feel hard done by at not being selected for the tour of England this year, but was not putting too much thought to his impending Test debut. Barath, the promising Trinidad & Tobago batsman from whom much is expected, has had an outstanding regional first-class season (845 runs at an average of 44.47) and looks primed for a Test debut in the upcoming tour of Australia.

There were few nerves as far as the shift from Twenty20 to Test cricket was concerned. "Over the next couple of days I will be doing some batting in the nets and practicing and I will be practising even more when I get to Australia to make sure I am ready for the challenge,' he said.

The contract row that rumbled on for the past few months denied him a possible Test debut against Bangladesh, but Barath was keen to look ahead. "I got selected against Bangladesh this year and I did not play because of the unfortunate situation, but I am glad to see things back to normal, back to the full-strength West Indies team again," he said.

"I think everyone was waiting on that and it is a wonderful feeling for me to have this opportunity again to represent the region. It will be challenging for me playing against Australia, but as a player you will have to face them and this will be the first time for me but, hopefully, I can rise to the challenge and play each ball on its merit."

West Indies will play three Tests in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth before returning for a one-day series in February.

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Tillakaratne Dilshan suffers ankle injury

Tillakaratne Dilshan suffers ankle injury

Sri Lanka allrounder Tillakaratne Dilshan has suffered an ankle sprain but it is unlikely to keep him from the first Test against India, beginning on November 16 in Ahmedabad. He picked up the injury at the indoor nets in Mumbai, where for the seond day running no play was possible at the practice match against the Board President's XI.

"It's a minor ankle sprain," Brendon Kuruppu, the Sri Lankan team manger, said. "He [Dilshan] batted today [in the indoor nets] for some time. He should be okay in a couple of days. As of now the reports are very positive. He has to see how it feels while practicing on the field. Hopefully he should be fit for the first Test.

"He's okay and there's no need to panic. We will assess the injury at the ground. He suffered the injury while playing a warm-up game [yesterday] at the MCA's indoor stadium."

Rain ruled out play on Thursday for the second straight day in the three-day practice game between the visiting Sri Lankans and the Indian Board's President's XI in Mumbai. Kuruppu, however, was not in favour of playing a limited-overs contest on the final day.

"We are going into a Test series," said Kuruppu. "The frame of mind is different for the two forms. One-dayers are not ideal preparation before Tests. We have got something out of two days in keeping fit and get the team spirit going. But we have missed out on getting a feel of the pitch and other natural conditions."

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Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan recalled for Tests

Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan recalled for Tests

Temperamental fast bowler Sreesanth has been given another chance to resurrect his stop-start career, after being selected in India's 15-man squad for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka. Weeks after being given a "final warning" for his poor on-field behaviour, Sreesanth is now a candidate to share the new ball with Zaheer Khan, who has recovered from his shoulder injury.

Sreesanth last played for India in 2008, and had his share of injuries and criticism over attitude in equal measure. During the time he spent out of the Indian team, Sreesanth played 10 first-class games for 28 wickets, including one five-wicket haul for Warwickshire, and 23 overs for no wickets against Andhra in his latest Ranji Trophy match. Clearly his selection is a gamble on promise over form. It is a big - bordering on generous - decision made by the selectors, and an equally big chance for Sreesanth to wash away all the criticism against him.

The decision to pick 15 players, and that too an extra batsman, raised questions about the selection. Usually for a home series, only 14 players are picked. And with the middle order set in stone, neither Vijay nor Badrinath has a realistic chance of starting in Ahmedabad. Now both of them will miss important Ranji Trophy matches, when only one was needed as injury cover, unless someone is sent back to domestic cricket on the morning of the Ahmedabad Test.

The selection also left the bowling unbalanced. MS Dhoni is not a fan of playing only two pace bowlers unless the pitch is extremely spin-friendly, and the selectors have given him only three fast bowlers to choose from. Zaheer Khan is coming back from injury, Ishant Sharma is in poor form, and Sreesanth is a completely unpredictable character. One bowling back-up would have been of more value than two batting back-ups. And what about Munaf? He has lost his Test place on the basis of 13 overs bowled in two ODIs against Australia, one of them on a flat Hyderabad pitch.

India squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, M Vijay, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra.

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Jayasuriya's future under scrutiny

Jayasuriya's future under scrutiny


Sanath Jayasuriya's cricketing future has been put in the balance with Sri Lanka's selectors saying today that his days as an opener are effectively over and that following the upcoming tour of India he will be picked on performance alone. Jayasuriya, 40, has been picked in the one-day squad as an allrounder who can bat down the order and bowl left-arm spin.

"What we expect from Sanath is that he should win one in three games for Sri Lanka, which he was doing in the past," Ashantha de Mel, Sri Lanka's chairman of selectors, said in Colombo. "But now that has reduced and we are a little concerned about it. In the Champions Trophy in South Africa his performance was below par .That's the reason why we have gone in with the option of playing him as an allrounder."
Fielding was one of the key areas where Sri Lanka suffered during the Champions Trophy and to address the poor standards and improve them Sri Lanka Cricket acquired the services of Gavin Fingleson, a former Olympic baseball player.

"He didn't come and change but showed us how do things right. He showed us little points that will make us better and quick fielders, at the same time we also realized to be quicker on the field you've got to be fitter as a side," Sangakkara said. "We started doing a lot of work on fitness running. Gavin showed us a lot of drills and how you can gain that extra second advantage when going for a catch or trying to stop the ball. At the same time the most important point was to make sure at practice you do everything as perfectly, those are the habits we have to build on."

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Chance to score early points

Chance to score early points

England's two-and-a-half-month tour of South Africa begins in earnest on Friday with the first of two Twenty20 internationals at the Wanderers as both sides look to make an opening statement. Having the one-day leg of the tour first means it won't be buried after the main event of the Tests and should retain importance.

The winners will say Twenty20 allows them to build momentum, while the losers will quickly brush off the significance of the matches ahead of the one-day series next week. However, there is still a sense, outside of the World Twenty20, that internationally this format is still the third priority.

England's preparations were going well until their defeat against South Africa A when the batting subsided for 89 all out, while injuries haven't helped the planning. Paul Collingwood takes the reins for the Twenty20s before Andrew Strauss returns for the one-dayers which also creates a slightly disjointed feeling about the tourists' line-up.

Team news
Loots Bosman returns at the top order to partner Graeme Smith with Jacques Kallis rested. Dale Steyn is also back after missing the second one-dayer against Zimbabwe, while both frontline spinners are selected. Albie Morkel will provide the power in the middle order.

South Africa 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Loots Bosman, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Albie Morkel, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Roelof van der Merwe, 9 Johan Botha, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Charl Langeveldt.


England's fast-bowling department has been stretched so far and Stuart Broad will miss this match and probably the second one as well. However, James Anderson is available after resting a sore knee, but the lack of action for Graham Onions could count against his selection despite his back problem clearing up. Alastair Cook is an unconvincing option as opener, but with Kevin Pietersen not yet quite ready to return and Strauss opting out of Twenty20 he is there by default, although a throat infection could keep him out.

England (possible) 1 Joe Denly, 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Paul Collingwood (capt), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Sajid Mahmood, 11 James Anderson ...

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England humbled in Twenty20 warm-up

England humbled in Twenty20 warm-up

It wouldn't be an England tour without a warm-up embarrassment and on cue, after two impressive 50-over displays, the tourists capitulated for a paltry 89 on a slow pitch at Bloemfontein to a strong South Africa A side. A four-wicket defeat is hardly ideal preparation four days before the opening international of the trip, but reinforces the notion that England's 20-over game is still some way off the pace.

Andrew Strauss had hoped the good work of recent days wouldn't unravel after passing over the captaincy to Paul Collingwood for the Twenty20 matches. After batting with freedom and confidence in their first two warm-up matches, England couldn't find any momentum on a stodgy surface and weren't helped by three comical run outs. They failed to use 15 of their allocated deliveries as the last six wickets fell in 26 balls.

Having assessed the surface the new ball was thrown to Graeme Swann and he responded with another impressive spell of 2 for 9 as South Africa A were made to work. Adil Rashid also collected a couple in an encouraging display, but Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Rory Kleinveldt ended any doubts over the result with some powerful hitting.

England won't read too much into the result - they have a history of recovering from such setbacks - and conditions in the highveld will be much different. However, if they cared to flick through the TV channels they would have come across pictures of South Africa wiping the floor with Zimbabwe at Centurion Park. This was a day where they were reminded how tough this tour will be.

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Strauss hundred eases England home

Strauss hundred eases England home

Andrew Strauss continued England's confident build-up in South Africa with an unbeaten 117 as the tourists comfortably chased down the Warriors' competitive 254 for an eight-wicket victory in Kimberley. The bowlers were given a much tougher workout than against the Eagles two days ago, but Strauss and Joe Denly made the target appear simple with an opening stand of 175 in 28 overs as the win came with more than nine overs to spare.

Denly's innings was timely after his failure in the first warm-up game and the corresponding success for Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan. The expectation is one of that trio will miss out when Kevin Pietersen returns, but with them all showing promising form the selectors will be faced with a tough decision. There has rarely been any concern over Strauss's form in recent times, but it is always good for a touring side to have their captain in the runs and his hundred followed a confident 72 against the Eagles.

The opening pair wasn't particularly tested by the Warriors attack and increased the tempo steadily throughout their partnership. Denly managed two sixes and Strauss also cleared the ropes with a strong blow over long off in another display of how his limited-overs game continues to develop. One area Andy Flower is targeting for improvement during this one-day series is England's boundary-hitting and the early signs have been encouraging, although clubbing Dale Steyn and Co. will be a different matter.

Denly picked out long on with a century for the taking, but Strauss didn't miss out and reached three figures from 109 balls. Alastair Cook was given an outing in place of Trott and collected 34 off 36 balls, adding 53 in nine overs with Strauss, before picking out square leg with the target nearing. Paul Collingwood helped finish off the chase.

Swann took a simple return catch to remove Jeggels and Matt Prior collected his second stumping when Colin Ingram was beaten outside off. The two Jacobs set about rebuilding the innings and took advantage of some loose deliveries from Rashid and also tucked into Collingwood's medium pace which was unusually expense.

Arno Jacobs went to his fifty from 59 balls and Davey Jacobs joined him with a boundary off Sajid Mahmood but fell next ball as he tried to go over the top. Swann returned to claim his third and England did well during the closing stages of the innings, with the final five overs yielding just 26 runs as Jacobs lost the strike and with it the chance of a hundred.

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Feeble New Zealand sink to 49-run defeat

Feeble New Zealand sink to 49-run defeat

A clinical Pakistan maintained their perfect Twenty20 record against an injury-ravaged New Zealand by strolling to a 49-run victory. Imran Nazir smashed his first half-century in limited-overs since returning from the ICL and some swinging from the lower order pushed the target to a tough 162. The spin pair of Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal had confounded New Zealand's batsmen in the one-dayers, but the match was settled even before they came into the attack today.

Against the Twenty20 world champions, New Zealand's chances were slim, given the long list of unfit players. The biggest blow was the loss of captain Daniel Vettori to a head injury picked up during the one-dayers; the list also included James Franklin and fast bowler Kyle Mills. Key allrounder Jacob Oram had also rushed back home, on paternity leave. New Zealand were actually forced to bring on a half-fit Franklin as a substitute when Aaron Redmond (who didn't come out to bat) picked up a groin strain while bowling.

Pakistan had lost some of the impetus, but Razzaq showed some of the big-hitting he was famous for several years ago to muscle Pakistan past 160, which proved more than sufficient.

New Zealand have less than a day to regroup and find XI fit players before the second Twenty20 on Friday

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Vettori back on top of rankings

Vettori back on top of rankings

Daniel Vettori took seven wickets his side's 2-1 series victory

Daniel Vettori has regained the No.1 spot in the ODI bowling rankings after leading New Zealand to a 2-1 series win against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. Vettori jumps back to the top-spot he lost in March this year by replacing team-mate Kyle Mills, who slips four places.

There are three spinners in an unlikely top-five that includes Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh captain, second and Ray Price, the Zimbabwe spinner, jumping three places to third. Both have enjoyed recent success with Price taking six wickets in the recently concluded 2-0 defeat in South Africa.

MS Dhoni retains his No.1 batting ranking with Michael Hussey strengthening his second spot after both enjoyed a successful ODI series. Dhoni contributed 285 runs in his team's 4-2 loss, while Hussey was the most successful batsman with 313 runs.

Brendon McCullum, the explosive New Zealand opener, enters the top 20 batsmen for the first time, climbing 16 places to claim the 16th spot.

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New Zealand win despite Aamer heroics

New Zealand win despite Aamer heroics

The Jekyll and Hyde that is Pakistan cricket displayed both its faces in the series decider against New Zealand. Pakistan needed only 212 to clinch a 2-1 series victory on a placid pitch but their batting combusted in typically dramatic fashion. When all hope was lost, though, there was more drama as Mohammad Aamer scripted a phenomenal comeback with Saeed Ajmal. It was New Zealand, however, who held their nerve to win the decider in the desert.

When Aamer came to bat at No. 10, Pakistan needed 126 runs from 26.5 overs with only two wickets in hand, and people were emptying the Sheikh Zayed stadium thinking the game was over. But what is Pakistan cricket without its twists and turns? And what is New Zealand cricket without a struggle to finish games? Aamer and Ajmal threw their bats around, played conventional and unorthodox shots, and added 103, the second highest last-wicket stand in ODIs. It went to the last over, bowled by Jacob Oram, with Pakistan needing eight runs to win, but Ajmal top-edged the first ball and was caught by Kyle Mills at short fine leg.

Aamer initially appeared as though he was having a lark - a tailender indulging himself in a lost cause. Even when he hit Daniel Vettori for three slog-swept sixes in an over, it seemed a matter of time before the last wicket fell. However, Aamer persevered, cutting and driving Mills in particular, and the game hurtled towards a thrilling finale. The pressure, however, kicked in only when they got close to the target and Ajmal succumbed with Aamer stranded on 73, the highest score by a No. 10 batsman in ODIs.
New Zealand also had their share of batting wobbles. They were in a great position at 138 for 2 in 27th over, after choosing to bat, but they collapsed to be bowled out for 211. McCullum, who hit a superbly-paced 76, fell to a tame dismissal, caught and bowled by Shoaib Malik. Younis then proceeded to suffocate them with his spinners.

From the 18th over to the 45th, New Zealand faced only two overs of seam bowling, gradually succumbing to the slow men. Ajmal confused them with his doosras, Afridi taunted with his sliders and googlies, and Malik tested with his offbreaks. Most batsmen pushed and prodded with nervous uncertainty, unsure about the destination of the spinning deliveries and one felt that a wicket was always around the corner. New Zealand, however, scraped to 211 before they were dismissed in the 47th over. It proved to be just enough.

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Brendon McCullum helps New Zealand level series

Brendon McCullum helps New Zealand level series

Brendon McCullum, it is fair to say, hasn't had the best year, or in fact the best time of it since he launched the IPL into orbit two years ago. Expectation has generally overtaken him, he has been dropped as vice-captain and questions about his suitability to opening have been asked. But an immaculately constructed 131, McCullum's second century in 162 ODIs, led New Zealand to 303 for 8 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and paved the way for them to level the three-match series at 1-1.

There were periods of acceleration, uncertainty and consolidation in New Zealand's innings and McCullum stood firm through it all, falling only in the 47th over, the last of the batting Powerplay. Pakistan's chase needed a similar effort but none was forthcoming. They seemed to have a plan: the top order batted cautiously, preserved wickets and steadily built a platform for the middle and lower order to fire from. The launchpad was there - they reached 124 for 1 - but the asking-rate had risen to over seven an over, heaping pressure on the likes of Shahid Afridi. And when the time came for Pakistan's thrust, Scott Styris nipped out three crucial wickets in two overs. The plan had failed and the exodus of fans from the venue began as early as the 28th over.

The match, though, was McCullum's. His innings was everything his many, unfulfilled contributions haven't been. The early harassing - the shimmies down the tracks, the moving around - was there but it wasn't until Martin Guptill arrived, that McCullum really settled in.

Guptill implemented the truism that the easiest singles in cricket are found in Pakistan's 30-yard circle. It was selfless stuff, for the real beneficiary was McCullum. Umar Gul was driven and cut, though mostly the violence was reserved for Abdul Razzaq, who, had he been actually handing out chocolates, could not have been friendlier: a short ball was pulled over square leg, before he was cut just as hard. McCullum, soon, was celebrating a fifty. Spin threatened circumspection but not for long as Guptill danced down to loft Saeed Ajmal for six in the 20th over. McCullum deposited Afridi for six over midwicket and within a trice, the century stand was up.

McCullum's real work began after a needless slog from Guptill began a mini-collapse, at the end of which three wickets had gone for not much. As in the first game, New Zealand's huff was running out at the halfway mark and McCullum now needed to shepherd. His captain helped, for so obdurately does Daniel Vettori stick around that he could be the crease's chalk: he gave McCullum support in a fifty-run partnership which stealthily stole momentum back.

McCullum reined himself in. The singles he kept picking but neither did he forget his basic intent. A brace of drives, off pace and spin alike, were sudden, sharp reminders to Pakistan of his strength. As further wickets fell, the significance of the Powerplay grew, and when it came, so too arrived the McCullum of that IPL knock.

The century had come a couple of overs earlier and now the gloves were off. The McPaddle had a second coming as both Gul and Aamer suffered. He later flicked a six off his hips so pure, it made you wonder why he would try such contrived shots. Jacob Oram stole handy runs at the end and New Zealand now had their best chance to win their first ODI against Pakistan in the UAE.

Pakistan's selectors had done away with the fiery Champions Trophy opening combination of Imran Nazir and Kamran Akmal, preferring stability instead. Salman Butt and Imran Nazir took few risks, despite an asking-rate of more than six from the start of the reply. Butt began by punching Kyle Mills through point for four and thereafter Pakistan hit a four in every over between the fourth and the tenth.

Despite the frequency with which they found the boundary, though, Butt and Latif were unable to score rapidly, because New Zealand's excellent in-fielding prevented the singles that were so easily available when Pakistan were bowling. Latif's innings was ended by Vettori, who came on in the 17th over and struck immediately, trapping the opener lbw with an arm ball.

Vettori and Mills bowled tidily, and with Younis Khan and Butt shunning shots, the asking-rate climbed: it was seven an over in the 20th and 7.5 by the 25th. Younis had plodded to 19 when he chipped his 37th ball - in Styris' first over - towards midwicket. Ross Taylor leapt to his right and took the catch with one hand. The captain departed with Pakistan needing 180 off 136 balls and Afridi entered to his customary, rousing welcome from a hopeful crowd. A ball later, he was striding back, having chipped to Taylor at midwicket again for a duck. Pakistan promoted Kamran Akmal ahead of Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik, who perished while driving Styris to short cover. Pakistan had gone from 124 for 1 to 133 for 4.

If the contest wasn't over then, it certainly was when Butt and Yousuf had a moment's misunderstanding, one which led to Butt being run out for 59 and Pakistan needing 170 off 120 balls. The platform had been shattered and the game was lost.

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