SPORTS

CHRISTCHURCH: A blazing unbeaten 116 from Brendon McCullum and a cool-headed Tim Southee spurred New Zealand to a thrilling Twenty20 cricket victory over Australia in a Super Over contest in Christchurch Sunday night.

Chasing New Zealand's 214 for six, Australia needed three to win off the final ball only for captain Michael Clarke to be run out by Nathan McCullum attempting a third, leaving them 214 for four.

The tie forced a Super Over and young Southee, who replaced Daryl Tuffey, was preferred to Shane Bond. He stepped up superbly, conceding just six runs and dismissing big-hitting David Warner before a roaring AMI Stadium crowd of 26,148.

McCullum and Martin Guptill saw New Zealand home in their turn at bat, with Shaun Tait bowling two wides and Guptill hitting his fourth ball for four.

Australia looked home thanks to Clarke's 67 off 45 balls and a whirlwind unbeaten 64 off 26 balls from Cameron White.

White hit five fours and five sixes, and having taken 18 off the penultimate over bowled by Jacob Oram, it left Australia needing just 12 off Southee's final six deliveries.

But Southee stepped up again, conceding just a solitary boundary to White off the fourth ball to help force the tie.

It was New Zealand's first win in five Twenty20 attempts against Australia and avenged Friday's heavy six-wicket defeat in Wellington as the teams prepare for the five-match ODI series starting in Napier on Wednesday.

McCullum's 56-ball knock spurred New Zealand to their first 200-run total as he fell one short of Chris Gayle's world record of 117 for West Indies against South Africa.

He hit 12 fours and eight sixes, two of them from audacious lap shots over the wicketkeeper's head off Tait after he notched three figures.

NEW DELHI: India outplayed Pakistan 4-1 in the men's field hockey World Cup on Sunday.

Sandeep Singh banged in two penalty corners to help India record their first win in the last four matches against Pakistan before some 19,000 delirious home fans at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

India led 4-0 before Sohail Abbas, the world's only player to score more than 300 international goals, narrowed the margin for Pakistan by converting just one of his six penalty corners.

Shivendra Singh scored India’s first goal in a penalty corner in the 27th minutes into the match. India’s position only grew stronger from this point on as Sandeep Singh the second goal in the 35th minute, 3rd goal was scored by Prabhjot Singh in the 37 minute while Sandeep Singh made his second and India’s fourth goal in the 56th minute.

Although Pakistan got a number of opportunities to score a goal but it failed to make use of them till the 59th minute when Sohail Abbas hit Pakistan’s first and last goal of the match.

NEW DELHI: India outplayed Pakistan 4-1 in the men's field hockey World Cup on Sunday.

Sandeep Singh banged in two penalty corners to help India record their first win in the last four matches against Pakistan before some 19,000 delirious home fans at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

India led 4-0 before Sohail Abbas, the world's only player to score more than 300 international goals, narrowed the margin for Pakistan by converting just one of his six penalty corners.

Shivendra Singh scored India’s first goal in a penalty corner in the 27th minutes into the match. India’s position only grew stronger from this point on as Sandeep Singh the second goal in the 35th minute, 3rd goal was scored by Prabhjot Singh in the 37 minute while Sandeep Singh made his second and India’s fourth goal in the 56th minute.

Although Pakistan got a number of opportunities to score a goal but it failed to make use of them till the 59th minute when Sohail Abbas hit Pakistan’s first and last goal of the match.

KARACHI: Director-general Pakistan Cricket Board Javed Miandad said that such person should be appointed coach of the national cricket team who holds command in both departments of the game – batting and bowling.

However, he avoided to make any direct comment on the appointment of Waqar Younis as coach of the Pakistan team.

Talking with media here on Sunday, Javed Miandad refused to make any comment on the controversies of match-fixing.

When asked about coaching offer to Waqar Younis, he said that this is not in his jurisdiction to talk on this matter but in his opinion, such person should be made the coach who can focus on both batting and bowling.

KARACHI: The Pakistan cricket Board (PCB) could not make proper arrangements for players’ sitting in the ground on the opening day of the RBS Twenty20 Cup tournament, being played here at the National Stadium.

The players of Lahore Lions and Quetta Bears had to sit in the sunshine as dig outs were not available in the ground.

Players in T20 matches sit on dig outs instead of dressing rooms but they had to face difficulties at the National Stadium on the first day of the Twenty20 Cup tournament.

PESHAWAR: The 15th Tour de Pakistan Cycle Race will begin tomorrow from Peshawar and the cyclists will complete their journey to Mazar-e-Quaid Karachi in 13 days.

A five-member Afghanistan team is also participating in the race, being organized by the Pakistan Cycling Federation.

In all, 65 cyclists are taking part in the race in which Naimatullah of Sui Southern Gas will defend his title.

The cyclists will cover a distance of 1,650 km from Peshawar to Mazar-e-Quaid Karachi.

They will take rest at Lahore in the first stage and later at Rahimyar Khan in the second stage.

The participants of Tour de Pakistan cycle race will go from Peshawar to Rawalpindi on Monday morning.

KARACHI: Lahore Lions defeated Quetta Bears by 105 runs in the opening match of the RBS Twenty20 Cup here on Sunday.

Kamran Akmal batted aggressively for the victorious team and made an unbeaten 68 to h

Other significant contributors were Umar Akmal (41) and Nasir Jamshed (33).

In reply, Quetta Bears could make only 91 runs for the loss of nine wickets in 20 overs.

Arun Lal top scored with 32 while Aizaz Cheema claimed four wickets for 17 runs.

NEW DELHI: Pakistan Hockey squad is in high spirit to take on India in its first match in Hockey World Cup, to be played today (Sunday) at national stadium here.

“The first match against India is very crucial. If we win that match it will not only be a confidence boost for the boys but also give us psychological advantage going into the tournament,” the captain national hockey team told newsmen.

“It would be one of the most important matches of my life,” he said.

Zeeshan Ashraf said India would have the home advantage. “The match is crucial for both the sides, so pressure will be on both sides,” he added.

Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan said, “the India-Pakistan game is the biggest match of the tournament. Both the teams will be under tremendous pressure to win.”

“We will have a slight edge over India because we have played well against them in the last three encounters. We defeated them comfortably. But tomorrow’s match is all about sustaining pressure and making use of the chances,” he said.

Indian hockey plunged to a new low in 2008 by missing out on an Olympic berth for the first time in 80 years.

India will play with a handicap as they are untested. They did not play any international teams in the run-up.

In form of Sohail Abbas, Pakistan has one of the best drag-flickers in the world, while India has three penalty corner specialists--- Sandeep Singh, Dhananjay Mahadik and young Diwakar Ram.

Pakistan enjoys a better World Cup record over India as they have won the tournament four times - the last being in 1994.

AHMEDABAD: AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis hammered centuries to set up South Africa's consolation 90-run victory over India in the third and final one-day international on Saturday.

De Villiers cracked a quickfire 102 not out for his sixth hundred and skipper Kallis a solid unbeaten 104 for his 17th century as South Africa posted their highest one-day total of 365-2 against India.

De Villiers's century came off just 58 deliveries, the seventh-fastest in one-day cricket.

India, who rested openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, and pacemen Praveen Kumar and Ashish Nehra after gaining an unbeatable 2-0 lead on Wednesday, were all out for 275 in the day-night match in Ahmedabad.

South African paceman Dale Steyn did the maximum damage as he finished with three wickets for 37 runs, including those of well-set Virat Kohli (57) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (nine) in one over.

Seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe bagged three wickets, while spinners Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe took two wickets apiece.

The South African bowlers were superbly backed by wicket-keeper Mark Boucher, who finished with five dismissals.

Suresh Raina (49), Rohit Sharma (48) and Ravindra Jadeja (36) were the other main scorers for India.

De Villiers and Kallis made the most of India's depleted attack, adding 173 for the unfinished third wicket with a wide range of strokes. They built on impressive efforts from openers Hashim Amla (87) and Loots Bosman (68).

Kallis hit three sixes and five fours in his 94-ball knock, reaching his hundred in the penultimate over with a six off fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth.

De Villiers, who made an unbeaten 114 in the previous match in Gwalior on Wednesday, completed his second successive hundred with a four off part-timer Sharma in the final over. He hit three sixes and 11 boundaries.

Amla and Bosman set the pace after their team elected to bat on a good track, dominating the Indian attack to add 113 for the opening wicket.

Bosman fell playing strokes, caught at long-off while attempting a big shot off Yousuf Pathan. Bosman hit four sixes and seven fours in his 46-ball knock.

LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has provided match fixing proves to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) against alleged involvement of wicket keeper Kamran Akmal and medium pacer Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan.

PCB chairman Ijaz Butt on Friday made the startling revelation that ICC had provided PCB with the concrete proves of their alleged involvement in match fixing. Despite repeated questions, Ijaz Butt had refused to name the players.

On investigation, a highly placed official in PCB exclusively told Voice of America on the condition of anonymity that “the two players were wicket keeper Kamran Akmal and medium pacer Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan”.

Wicket keeper Akmal had come under heavy fire for his repeated fumbles on the Australian tour. Its worth mentioning that both players were dropped from the T-20 series against England recently played in Dubai.

When asked if the proves were so concrete, why PCB included Akmal and Rana in the initial list of 30 players for the T-20 world cup, the source said that “both will be missing from the final list for the T-20 WC.

The source further insisted that “PCB has announced an additional wicket keeper Zulqarnain Haider along side Kamran Akmal and Sarfaraz Ahmed in 30 initial players which indicates that Akmal would not feature in the final squad for T-20 WC to be played in West Indies in April.

PESHAWAR: Afghanistan team of cyclists has reached here on Saturday to take part in the 15th Tour de Pakistan cycle race.

On reaching Peshawar via Torkham, the eight-member Afghanistan team was welcomed by Syed Azhar Ali Shah, president Sarhad Cyclists Association.

The team includes five cyclists and three officials.

The Afghan team will participate in the Tour de Pakistan cycle race, beginning March 1 from Khyber Road Peshawar.

Governor NWFP Owais Ahmed Ghani will inaugurate the Tour de Pakistan cycle race, which will conclude on March 13 at the Mazar-e-Quaid, Karachi after going through eleven stages.

Meanwhile, Nepal, Saudi Arab and Iran have regretted to take part in the Tour de Pakistan cycle race.

Sources said that these countries decided not to participating in the race due to security concerns.

SYDNEY: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to appoint former captain Waqar Younis as coach of the national cricket team and a contract in this regard has been sent from the chief operating officer to Waqar, who is currently in Sydney.

The 40-year-old Waqar was the bowling and fielding coach of the Pakistan team on the tour of Australia whom now the PCB has formally offered to be a new coach in place of Intikhab Alam.

Waqar Younis, who took 373 wickets in Test cricket and 416 in One-day Internationals, has confirmed the news of contacting and offering him the coach assignment from the board.

However, Waqar said that he would soon make a decision in this regard.

Waqar has been offered to be the coach till December 2011.

If Waqar Younis agrees, then he will be the coach of the Pakistan team in the third Twenty20 World Cup to be held in the West Indies this year.

LAHORE: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ijaz Butt has revealed that two Pakistani cricketers are involved in match-fixing and the International Cricket Council (ICC) has provided the evidence.

Ijaz Butt said that he cannot tell the names of these cricketers but they are not included in the present team.

Ijaz Butt was speaking at the press conference held here at the Gaddafi Stadium for announcing the names of 30 probable players for the Twenty20 World Cup.

However, when asked about the news regarding wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal’s involvement in match-fixing, Ijaz Butt first said that the final meeting of the committee, probing Pakistan’s embarrassing defeat on the tour of Australia, will be held in Lahore on Febraury 28 and he would make any comment after the report would come out and then the players included in the probable list may be dropped on recommendation of the enquiry committee.

Replying to further questions on match-fixing, the PCB chairman said he never said that the match-fixing is not done but it is difficult to prove it.

He said that he was amazed to see when the ICC provided the evidence.

When various questions were fired on him, he confirmed that not the officials but players are involved in matchc-fixing but they are not the part of the present team.

Ijaz Butt said that he would not mention the names of these players not event to the standing committees of sports.

However, he said that action has been taken against these players.

NEW DELHI: Germany defeated Pakistan 2-1 in a warm-up match prior to the Hockey World Cup here on Friday.

Pakistan team manager Asif Bajwa expressed satisfaction on his team’s performance despite its defeat.

Mohammad Irfan got Pakistan a lead in the beginning of the match against the defending champions but Mathias equaled the score before the half-time.

The match went on 1-1 till the last moments of the match when Germany made the decisive goal tow in the match.

Pakistan will play their first match in the World Cup against their rivals, India, on Sunday.

WELLINGTON: Australia gained a 1-0 lead over New Zealand in the two-match series of Twenty Internationals, winning the first match by six wickets here at Westpac Stadium with four overs to spare on Friday.

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and decided to bat first but none of his batsmen could play with confidence against Australian bowlers and were bundled out for 118 runs.

James Franklin was the top-scorer with 43 followed by Martin Guptill (30) and Gareth Hopkins (21).

For Australia, Mitchell Johnson captured three while Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Shane Watson claimed two wickets each.

In reply, Australia achieved the winning target of 119 runs in 16 overs.

David Hussey played an important role in the Aussies victory hitting 46 off 36 balls.
Shane Bond was the most successful bowler for New Zealand, taking two wickets.

The second Twenty20 International will be played at Christchurch on February 28.

DUBAI: Defending champion Novak Djokovic rallied past Ivan Ljubicic 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 to advance to the semifinals at the Dubai Championships.

Djokovic was down a set and 4-4 against former finalist Ivan Ljubicic, who had 14 aces. But Djokovic won the next eight games and will play Marcos Baghdatis.

The unseeded Baghdatis defeated Michael Berrer 7-6 (5), 6-1. He had 11 aces and gave Berrer no break chances.

Jurgen Melzer overcame Marin Cilic 7-6 (8), 7-5 to reach the other semifinal. Melzer will face seventh-seeded Mikhail Youzhny, who defeated Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 6-4.

ORISSA: Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Patnaik made a sculpture depicting the forthcoming World Cup Hockey championship, which will start from February 28t New Delhi.

Patnaik and his team worked hard to create a mini-stadium with a hockey stick and a seven-feet high World Cup trophy at the Puri beach.

He used 20 tones of sand and took five hours to complete it.

Former Indian hockey captain Dilip Tirky and other national hockey players joins with him to wish Indian hockey team for their success.

The sculpture was signed by several spectators who sent across their wishes for the Indian hockey team.

"We want to give our wishes to the Indian hockey team. The tournament is being held in India after a long time, in New Delhi, and we hope that our Indian hockey team wins the World Cup," said Bharat Sahoo, a spectator.

New Delhi is hosting the 12-team Hockey World Cup from February 28 to March 13 and is gearing up for the Commonwealth Games in October.

DUBAI: The cull of leading players at the Dubai Open continued in spectacular fashion as Australian Open finalist Andy Murray, Nikolay Davydenko, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga all fell in the second round on Wednesday.

With Roger Federer having announced his withdrawal on Sunday, and Gilles Simon being beaten in the first round, it means that only three of the eight seeds have made it through to the quarter-finals of the two million dollar ATP event.

Even for a trio to survive it required Novak Djokovic, the new favourite in Australian Open champion Federer's absence, to recover from a set and 2-3 down against his Serbian compatriot, Viktor Troicki, eventually winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Davydenko, the ATP World Tour champion, had a damaged wrist, causing his retirement after losing the first set 6-3 to Michael Berrer, Tsonga has been unwell, and Murray suggested that trying new tactical combinations had contributed to his exit.

The world number three from Britain was beaten by yet another Serbian, Janko Tipsarevic, whose thrillingly unpredictable 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 6-4, success followed a dramatic see-saw path and had a great finish.

The fifth-seeded Frenchman lost 7-5, 6-3 to Ivan Ljubicic, the former world number three, who was in assertive mood with a big serve which was once the most successful on the tour. Ljubicic was also typically generous with his comments.

COLOMBO: The eleventh Cricket Asia Cup will be played this year in Sri Lanka in and Pakistan will also participate in this event.

Asian Cricket Council spokesman Shahryar Khan told Geo News that the four-nation Asia Cup would be played from June 15 to 24 and this has been decided to give the hosting of the event to Sri Lanka.

Teams from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh will take part in the event.

Sri Lanka have hosted the event thrice and this time, Sri Lanka will take the field for a hat-trick of winning the team title.

India have won the tournament four times while Pakistan won the event once.

KARACHI: Airport Gymkhana cricket team has won the most expensive club cricket Twenty20 league of the country by trouncing Defense Club cricket team here at Korangi cricket stadium, thanks to opener Khalid Lateef who struck remarkable century for his side, Geo news reported.

According to details as reported by the Geo news correspondent Faizan Lakhani, the Defense Club, winning the toss, decided to bat first and managed to accumulate the fighting total 172 runs in allotted 20 overs, featuring Faisal Iqbal’s quick 63 runs of 40 deliveries.

Replying the big ask, the Airport Gymkhana team achieved the target in 18 overs with Khalid Lateef’s brilliant knock who guided his team home by smashing the memorable century including 7 sixes.

Players, participated in the tournament, termed the event the revival of club cricket in Pakistan.

Also, the spectators turned up in a huge number to enjoy final of the tournament.

Meanwhile, on the occasion, the former mayor Karachi and the organizing-head of the league Mustafa Kamal facilitated Karachiites upon organizing successfully the historical club cricket league in metropolis.

The other organizer of the tournament and the former Test player Rashid Lateef vowed to reorganize the league next year at a higher level.

The winning team was awarded 10 million rupees and the runner-ups 5 million rupees.

Khalid Lateef was named player of the match.

GWALIOR: Sachin Tendulkar became the first player to score a double century in one-day international cricket as India beat South Africa by 153 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Tendulkar whacked 200 not out in 147 balls to lead India to 401-3at Roop Singh Stadium.

He had no little help from Dinesh Karthik with 79 and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's unbeaten 68.

South Africa was bowled for 248 in the 43rd over despite a fighting unbeaten 114 by AB de Villiers.

The third one-dayer is on Saturday at Ahmedabad.

WHISTLER: Mohammad Abbas, representing Pakistan in Winter Olympics, will be seen in action here today in skis.

For the first time ever Pakistan is taking part in the Winter Olympics with one Alpine skier representing his country in the Giant Slalom race on Tuesday.

Muhammad Abbas learned the sport with his own homemade skis while growing up in the Nalthar Valley, near Gilgit in Northern Pakistan.

When serving with the Pakistani Army he had the opportunity to train on the slopes in Japan for two weeks.

However, Abbas realizes his chances of bringing home Pakistan's first Winter Olympic gold are slim but he said he wants to finish the race in an "honourable manner."

The slope he trains on in Pakistan is only 500 meters long, not enough for Olympic preparations, so Abbas spent eight weeks abroad preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Abbas said that he achieved his ambition through hard work and hopes he has inspired other Pakistani athletes to take up the challenge and aim for future Winter Olympic games

LAHORE: Pakistan hockey team has left for New Delhi through Wagah border, to participate in the 12th event of the World Cup Hockey Tournament, starting from February 28 and will last till March 13, Geo news reported.

The national hockey team, led by captain Zeeshan Ashraf, comprised of 18 players while Shahid Ali Khan is the coach of national team.

Pakistan is scheduled to play its first match against archrivals India on February 28 while second, third and fourth league matches to be played with Spain, South Africa and Australia on March 2, 6 and 8 respectively.

Earlier, before departure, Zeeshan Ashraf told Geo news that he wanted to kick off mega event with the victory over India.

Senior players Rehan Butt and Sohail Abbas told Geo news they were hopeful of putting up good show even though their group seems tough in the tournament.

Coach Shahid Ali Khan said players have worked industriously in the tough training camp and tried their level’s best to get rid of weaknesses.

Secretary Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Asif Bajwah said the national hockey team will try showing better performance in mega event, adding that the security concerns over playing in India have been eradicated.

LAHORE: Prime minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has announced to allocate Rs500 million in federal budget for promotion of hockey in the country and give Rs10 million for the national team participating in the World Cup.

The national hockey team under the leadership of president Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Qasim Zia met with the prime minister at the Guest House here on Sunday.

Prime minister Gilani said on the occasion that the nation has high expectations with the national team and he hopes that the team would display good performance in the World Cup.

He also announced a cash prize of Rs500,000 for Sohail Abbas, who achieved the feat of scoring 300 goals in international hockey.

The prime minister gave an approval for regularizing the employment of the hockey players in government departments.

On this occasion, PHF president Qasim Zia and secretary Asif Bajwa said that players are the ambassadors of peace and the national hockey team is going India to take part in the World Cup with a message of peace.

DUBAI: Allrounder Abdul Razzaq’s spectacular batting display helped Pakistan to win the second Twenty20 International by four wickets against England here the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

He hammered an unbeaten 46 from just 18 balls with five towering sixes after Pakistan were reeling at 78 for five in 13 overs.

Chasing 149 to win, Pakistan achieved the target of 149 runs with one over left.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik won the toss again and this time he put England to bat first.

England made 148 runs for the loss of six wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

Opener Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen posted 98 runs for the second wicket partnership after England lost Joe Denly, who was bowled by pacer Yasir Arafat.

They took score to 110 in 16.1 overs when Trott was run out by Imran Nazir for 39. Then, England lost two more wickets for only 15 runs due to which their run rate became slower.

Pietersen smashed 62 from 40 balls with three sixes and four boundaries.

Razzaq steers Pakistan to win over England

DUBAI: Allrounder Abdul Razzaq’s spectacular batting display helped Pakistan to win the second Twenty20 International by four wickets against England here the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

He hammered an unbeaten 46 from just 18 balls with five towering sixes after Pakistan were reeling at 78 for five in 13 overs and in looking in danger of defeat..

Chasing 149 to win, Pakistan achieved the target of 149 runs with one over left.

Other main scorers were Umar Akmal, hitting 36 off 41 balls and Fawad Alam with 28.

Fawad provided effective support to Razzaq as both added 48 runs from 25 balls for the sixth wicket stand.

For England, Graeme Swann claimed three for 14 and debutant pacer Ajmal Shahzad got two wickets.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik won the toss again and this time he put England to bat first.

England made 148 runs for the loss of six wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

Opener Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen posted 98 runs for the second wicket partnership after England lost Joe Denly, who was bowled by pacer Yasir Arafat.

They took score to 110 in 16.1 overs when Trott was run out by Imran Nazir for 39. Then, England lost two more wickets for only 15 runs due to which their run rate became slower.

Pietersen smashed 62 from 40 balls with three sixes and four boundaries.

Later, Arafat captured two more wickets on successive balls in the final over to finish with three for 32. Other wicket-takers were Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, taking one wicket each.

Both Pakistan and England made one change each in their teams as Shahid Afridi returned to Pakistan side after serving his two-match ban. He replaced Khalid Lateef..

England leading 1-0 in the two-match series, dropped Ryan Sidebottom, who has a thigh strain following an awkward fall in the field in the Friday match. Ajmal Shahzad came in his to make a T20 debut.

BAHAWALPUR: The sixth Cholistan desert jeep rally has kicked off here on Sunday morning, Geo news reported. The phases of rally have been divided into four different categories, featuring a total of 88 sports drivers. The rally began as the winner of last year tournament Meer Nadir Magsi drove out his jeep first to mark the opening of the race. Earlier on Friday, the Punjab parliamentary secretary for Tourism and Muslims Students Federation (MSF) president Rana Mohammad Arshad said that a sum of Rs3 million was being spent on holding the sixth Cholistan desert jeep rally from February 21-23. Talking to media persons, he said that a helicopter had also been made available to monitor the jeep rally and to act as a swift transportation facility in any emergency situation during the 3-day event. He said the winner of each category of the 234-km rally would get Rs 200,000 prize while the runner up and third position holders would get Rs 150,000 and Rs 100,000 each. Chief Minister’s Senior Advisor Sardar Zulfiqar Ali Khan Khosa will distribute prizes among the winners at the historical Derawar Fort on Feb 23. He lauded the organizers for holding an event that would not only promote tourism but will also provide recreation to the common folks who are worried due to the menace of terrorism. The total distance of rally track is 234 kilometers while hundreds of spectators have arrived to enjoy the tournament.

DUBAI: Pakistan set a target of 130 runs for England in the first Twenty20 International here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Winning the toss, Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik elected to bat first and his team made 129 runs for the loss of eight wickets in the allotted 20 overs.

Malik was the top scorer with 33 off 26 balls, followed by Fawad Alam (23) and Abdul Razzaq (22). Fawad and Abdul Razzaq both hit a six each.

For England, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan claimed two wickets each.

Pakistan are defending their crown in the Caribbean in April and May of this year, and following a forgettable tour of Australia, the coming couple of matches represent a chance to boost their confidence.

For England, this is their first international outing since their series ambitions were thwarted by a rampant Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel at Johannesburg last month.

Teams:
Pakistan: Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Khalid Latif, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik (captain), Fawad Alam, Abdul Razzaq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Umar Gul, Yasir Arafat, Saeed Ajmal.

England: Joe Denly, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood (captain), Eoin Morgan, Luke Wright, Matt Prior (wk), Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Ryan Sidebottom.

DUBAI CITY: First Twenty20 match of two-matches series between Pakistan and England will be played today in Dubai.Shahid Afridi will not be a part of the playing squad because of ban imposed on him due to ball tempering. Fast bowler Wahab Riaz and Muhammad Talha will likely included in the playing eleven in the absence of Muhammad Aamir and Muhammad Asif.

HAMILTON: Mahmudullah claimed his maiden Test century as Bangladesh made a spirited fight back against New Zealand in Hamilton.

Resuming on 87-1, Mahmudullah's 115 and an aggressive 87 from Shakib Al Hasan helped Bangladesh reach 408 in reply to New Zealand's 553 first innings total.

Shakib was controversially dismissed despite the ball appearing not to carry to wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.

New Zealand lost BJ Watling for one as they closed on 9-1.

Bangladesh had made a disappointing start to the third day as New Zealand ripped through the top order, taking five wickets to leave the tourists on 211-6 at lunch.

But Shakib and Mahmudullah took to spin bowlers Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel in the middle session as Bangladesh fought back.

The pair put on a 145-run stand before Shakib was dismissed off the bowling of Chris Martin after tea, and surprisingly he did not ask for the decision to be referred.

Despite the dismissal, Mahmudullah retained his composure to reach three figures for the first time in Test cricket with his 14th boundary of the innings.

He was eventually trapped leg before by Vettori and two overs later Bangladesh's innings came to an end when Rubel Hossain was run out for a duck.

Watling was run out as New Zealand made a stuttering start to their second innings, with play again ended by bad light.

KARACHI: Secretary of the Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) Masood Ahmed said that the national team has obtained NOC from the government for participating in the Indira Gandhi International Judo tournament to be held in India.

On the occasion of the National Women Judo Championship, being played here at the Women’s Sports Complex, Masood Ahmed told that 25 countries are taking part in the judo tournament starting on February 19 in Jaipur, India.

He said that the 17-member Pakistan team has got the NOC to feature in the Indira Gandhi International Judo tournament

Masood told that the visas would be submitted at the Indian embassy on Monday.

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team, comprising 10 players, departed for Dubai from Allama Iqbal International airport early on Sunday morning, Geo news reported.

The team is scheduled to play two-T20-match series against England in Dubai, due to be played on February 19 and 20.

The players included skipper Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Nawaz (wicket keeper), Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Fawwad Alam, Khalid Latif, Umar Akmal, Shahid Khan Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Saeed Ajmal.

Talking to media at airport, the manager Yawar Saeed said not only the players be blamed for the poor show on Australian tour but also the team management should be equally held guilty for the offense.

However, he vowed to get rid of weaknesses, which brought failure for Pakistan amid Australian tour.

He said team morale is sky-high, saying I am hopeful for Pakistan’s triumph on the tour.

DUBAI: Afghanistan's fairytale story in the world of cricket continued on Saturday as they defeated hosts United Arab Emirates to reach their first major tournament, the World Twenty20 finals in the West Indies which runs from April 30 to May 16.

The Afghans won by four wickets, restricting UAE to 100-9 off their 20 overs, in the super four stage of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.

Saqib Ali with 24 runs was the top scorer for the UAE while Mohammad Nabi claimed three wickets for 17 runs for Afghanistan.

Chasing 101, opener Noor Ali with 38 not out and Asghar with 26 helped Afghanistan in reaching the winning target in 19.3 overs.

It is a remarkable feat by the Afghans - most of whom learnt to play cricket in refugee camps over the Pakistan border - as they were in the fifth division of the world cricket league just two years ago.

Afghanistan, who showed their talent when they came within one place of reaching the 2011 World Cup finals, will play either Ireland or The Netherlands - both of them are the joint holders from the previous tournament - in Saturday's final.

The winners of the final will be placed in Group C alongside India and South Africa while the losers will go into Group D with the West Indies and England

VANCOUVER: Years of planning come to a head on Friday when the Vancouver Winter Olympics get underway, culminating a long slog for organisers who are confident there will be no major dramas despite unseasonably warm weather.

Pakistan is taking part in one of the events – skieng - for the first time in the Winter Olympics. as skier Mohammad Abbas

Excitement is building in this waterfront city, routinely voted the most livable in the world, as more than 60,000 people prepare to witness first-hand the Olympic cauldron being lit in BC Place stadium during the opening ceremony.

An estimated worldwide television audience of three billion are expected to watch the Games, the third in Canada after the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, which left the city mired in huge debt for years, and the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary.

About 2,500 athletes from more 82 nations will take part in the February 12-28 showpiece, but it hasn't been a completely smooth ride.

As the clock ticks down, organisers continue to battle warm weather in Vancouver and on nearby Cypress Mountain, the host of the freestyle events.

Tonnes of snow have had to be driven and helicoptered in from higher elevations, with the last-minute rush continuing right up till Friday.

There are no such problems at Whistler, site of the blue-riband alpine skiing events, although there is a good chance of fog becoming an issue.

Eleven venues are being used from BC Place in Vancouver where the opening and closing ceremonies are held, to Canada Hockey Place, which hosts the bulk of ice hockey and where the home nation starts as men's gold medal favourites,

In all, 15 sports will be contested with Germany and Canada the bookmakers' favourites to top the medal table, with the United States, South Korea and Japan also challenging.

The overall Winter Games costs top two billion Canadian dollars (1.65 billion US), with the city of Vancouver having to step in last year and provide funding for the 875 million dollar Athletes Village.

From Pakistan, Mohammad Abbas belonging to Pakistan Air Force is participating in the Winter Olympics.

KARACHI: Naseem Hameed received a hero’s welcome on Thursday, as she became South Asia’s fastest woman by winning the 100-metre race in the South Asian Games played in Dhaka.

The 22-year-old clocked 11.81 seconds to clinch gold medal in the race in the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games Sunday, becoming Pakistan’s first female athlete to win the sprint in the competition’s 26-year history.

Naseem was accorded a warm reception by hundreds of jubilant fans and relatives at the Karachi airport and was then taken to a formal reception hosted by Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad.

The governor lauded Naseem and announced a cash price of Rs5000, 000 for the feat.

She has also been awarded prizes of 500,000 rupees from sports ministry, 200,000 rupees from Karachi Nazim Mustafa Kamal and 100,000 rupees from the Pakistan Athletics Federation.

In an exclusive chat with Geo News, Naseem said: “Allah blessed me with more than I had ever expected.”

“The prayers and encouragement of my parents brought her to this level,” the emotional Naseem said.

She said she would work with more determination and passion to win more laurels for the country. The athlete said she was glad to earn her country and her town Korangi a name.

Naseem further said she was elated by the reception.

In a message, President Asif Ali Zardari also congratulated Naseem Hameed and termed it a role model for Pakistani women.

   SYDNEY: The third game of the ODI series between Australia and West Indies will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. And with the hosts leading the series 2-0, another win here would mean that the Australians would end up having an unassailable lead in the match-up.

It is difficult to see how the West Indian side will be able to overcome the rather strong Australian line-up that has managed to bat and bowl with equal aplomb. And with starts like the ones that the West Indies has had in the series – they were 12/3 in the first game and a worse 16/4 in the second – it is only safe to assume that Australia will be favourites to make it three in a row.

The West Indian side will need to shuffle their batting around a little. Chris Gayle is bound to come good at some point or the other, such is his class. But one cannot be sure of the move to have Runako Morton opening the innings with him, or to have the pair of Dwayne Smith and Kieron Pollard bat so down the order.

One can almost see one of Smith or Pollard going up the order, and Morton going out of the side.

As compared to that, the Aussies have been rotating their best players around. Shane Watson and Brad Haddin have been afforded a break, and that has allowed Tim Paine and Adam Voges a re-entry into the squad. Paine will do both Watson and Haddin’s job as an opener and a wicket-keeper respectively, whereas Voges could be drafted into the playing eleven if the pitch is deemed to be a turner.

The onus, therefore, will lie in the hands of the top-order of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke. The one batsman who has had a quiet series so far due to the lack of opportunities, is Michael Hussey and one can expect him to come to the party here!

LAHORE: Former Australian captain Greg Chappell has turned down an offer to take up the reins of Pakistan's embattled cricket team, saying that he does not intend to coach at the international level anymore.

Chappell is currently the head coach at Australia's Centre of Excellence and chairman of the National Youth Selection Panel.

The former Australia captain said he was approached by Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Wasim Bari to replace Intikhab Alam.

" I was honoured and flattered by the approach but I have declined the invitation," Chappell said

 DHAKA: Pakistan’s Naseem Hameed created history on Monday when she sprinted her way to becoming the fastest woman in South Asia by winning the 100-metre crown of the South Asian Games in Dhaka.

Naseem, who represents Army at the domestic level, bagged her first gold medal before a strong crowd at Bangabandhu National Stadium.

The 22-year-old from Rawalpindi clocked 11.81seconds, 0.12seconds, followed by Sri Lankans Pramila Priyadarshani and Achala Shalika Dias who finished with 11.93 and 12.12 seconds respectively.

For Naseem Akhtar to win the 100-metre sprint was a historic moment as no Pakistani woman had achieved this feat in 26-year history of the regional games.

Wearing national green tights, she led the field among the eight runners after her easy qualification for the finals.

LAHORE: Cricket Council of US has sent a legal notice to chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for humiliating US cricket council and terming it as unauthorized association.

According to notice, PCB Chairman in his February 7 statement blamed former cricketer Javed Miandad that he wants to take illegal US team to China.

US cricket council lawyer declared these allegations as baseless and said these statements don’t suit Ijaz Butt. Cricket Council of US doesn’t want to send team to China or any other country. The notice has asked chairman PCB to deny his statement or withdraw it otherwise legal action will be taken against him.

MELBOURNE: Pakistan ended their disappointing tour losing all matches in the series of three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 match as Australia also won their last match by two wickets on the last ball of the match here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

Chasing an easy target of 128 runs, Pakistan started disastrously by losing both their openers, Imran Nazir (naught) and Imran Farhat (8), for just 10 runs on the board.

However, wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal came to rescue to take his team out of trouble. He held the one end intact as other batsmen were being dismissed at regular intervals.

Pakistan were well on the way to success as long as Kamran was at the crease but his ouster changed the whole scenario and the tourists who were needing only 30 runs from 35 balls to win the match managed only 27 runs with one wicket remaining to give Australia their first T20 win against Paksitan.

Kamran blasted 64 off only 33 balls with seven fours and two sixes while the second top scorer was his younger brother Umar with 21. The only other batsman reaching double-figure was Umar Gul (10).

Shaun Tait was the most successful bowler with three wickets for 13 runs, supported by Shane Watson and Steve Smith claiming two wickets each.

Earlier, Michael Clarke who was leading the Aussies in the absence of Ricky Ponting, won the toss and elected to bat but his team could not make any big score and were all out for 127 in 18.4 overs.

Except Michael Hussey (40 not out), Clarke (32) and David Warner (24), no batsman could enter into double figures as three batmen were run out by alert Pakistani fielders.

For Pakistan, Umar Gul captured three wickets for 20 runs while Malik claimed two for 31. Pacers Mohammad Asif and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan took one wicket each.

Shoaib Malik led Pakistan as their T20 captain Shahid Afridi was banned for playing two T20 matches for ball tampering.

Imran Nazir returned to Pakistan lineup and Imran Farhat made his T20 debut.

Australia also included two debutants – legs-pinning allrounder Steve Smith and left-handed batsman Travis Birt

MELBOURNE: ICC World T20 Champions Pakistan and Australia will meet in the only T20 match of the ongoing Bouncer Series here on Friday, Geo news reported.

The match will be telecast live on Geo Super – only round the clock sports television channel in Pakistan.

Due to ball tempering, Shahid Khan Afridi was charged with and was banned for two international T20 matches, the team will be led by former Test and ODI captain Shoaib Malik.

Talking to Geo news, Malik said I accepted teams’ captainship in compliance with Shahid Khan Afridi’s proposal asking me to lead team in two T20s.