Misbah slams 50 to revive Pakistan chase

NEW DELHI: Chasing a 297-run target, Pakistan were given some respite by skipper Misbah-ul-Haq as he slammed a gritty fifty in the first match of the Asia Cup in Fatullah.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Misbah, who reached his half-century in 62 balls with the help of 4 boundaries and a single six, also put up a steady stand with Umar Akmal.

Akmal too reached his 18th ODI half-century in the 41st over to take the partnership pass 100 runs and give Pakistan a fighting chance.

Misbah and Akmal helped revive Pakistan's run chase after they got off to a bad start as they lost their top order cheaply against Sri Lanka.

The wickets started falling when pacer Suranga Lakmal gave Sri Lanka the first breakthrough when he dismissed opener Sharjeel Khan (26).

Sharjeel was caught comfortably at mid-on by skipper Angelo Mathews after the Pakistan opener mis-timed a short of length delivery.

Pakistan then tried to get its run chase back on track courtesy a steady stand between Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez when the duo stitched a crucial 49-run partnership for the second wicket.

However, Chaturanga De Silva and Mathews struck in consecutive overs to send Shehzad (28) and Hafeez (18) back to the pavilion.

Spinner Sachithra Senanayake then joined the wicket taking party when he scalped Sohaib Maqsood (17) by getting him caught at deep mid-wicket.

Earlier, opener Lahiru Thirimanne notched up his second ODI hundred to power Sri Lanka to a challenging 296 for six against Pakistan.

Thirimanne hit 11 fours and a six in his 110-ball 102-run innings and starred in a 161-run stand with Kumar Sangakkara (67) for the second wicket to lay the foundation for a huge score at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium.

Pakistan tried to make a comeback in the middle overs as they picked up a few wickets, before skipper Angelo Matthews provided the late charge, cracking a 50-ball 55, to take Sri Lanka close to the 300-mark.

For Pakistan, Umar Gul (38) and Shahid Afridi (56) picked up two wickets each, while Saeed Ajmal (1/50) took one.

Electing to bat, Sri Lanka made a watchful start before opener Kusal Perera (14) edged an Umar Gul delivery straight to Umar Akmal behind the stumps in the eighth over to slip to 28 for one.

However, Thirimanne continued his good run and notched up his fifty off 56 balls in the 20th over, his first half-century since last July.

He and first-down batsman Sangakkara ensured Sri Lanka suffer no more damage as the two left-handed batsmen amassed runs at good pace and took Sri Lanka to the 100-mark in the 20th over.

The duo then changed gears, piling up 68 runs in the next 10 overs. Sangakkara, who has been in red-hot form, brought up his 84th fifty in as many balls in the 27th over when he blasted Mohammad Hafeez for a boundary through the midwicket area.

In the 31st over, Thirimanne picked up Hafeez for special treatment as he sent him over deep midwicket to bring up the first six of the match and move into the 90s.

However, Pakistan came back into the match with Gul dismissing Sangakkara in the 32nd over when his miscued pull landed in the hands of Ahmed Shehzad.

Thirimanne brought up his hundred with a cover drive off Gul, but the Lankan opener could not stay longer as off-spinner Ajmal disturbed his off stump in the 36th over.

Skipper Matthews, who had come to bat after Sangakkara's dismissal, plundered a four and six in consecutive balls off Ajmal in the 38th over.

But Sri Lanka suffered another blow in the next over when Shahid Afridi deceived Mahela Jayawardene and induced a thick edge from his bat which disturbed the off-stump.

Afridi then picked up the wicket of Thisara Perera in the 43rd over when the spinner had him caught at deep midwicket as Sri Lanka slipped to 245 for five. Another mix-up in the middle and new batsman Chaturanga de Silva, too, had to walk back to the hut.

Ajmal and Junaid bowled well at the death overs but Dinesh Chandimal and Matthews shared an unbeaten 45-run stand for the seventh wicket to ensure Sri Lanka reach close to 300.

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Somdev wins as Del Potro retires hurt

DUBAI: India number one Somdev Devvarman today recorded the biggest win of his career by beating world number five Juan Martin Del Potro but the victory came when the Argentine retired mid-way into the first round match of the Dubai Duty Free Championships, here.

Somdev, ranked 78, had won the first set 7-6 (3) in an hour and seven minutes and immediately after this, Del Potro took a medical timeout due to pain in his left wrist.

The Argentine second seed found it tough to continue and conceded the match.

Somdev had lost 4-6 4-6 to Del Potro last year at this very event in the pre-quarterfinals.

This is Somdev's first ever win against a top-5 player who is also a Grand Slam champion. Del Potro is the 2009 US Open winner.

Somdev has competed against the legends of the game, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic but haven't won against any of them, although he fought well against all these multiple Grand Slam winners.

He lost to Nadal in 2011 at Indian Wells Masters in two close sets and the same year he had lost to Federer at this very Dubai event.

Last year in his second meeting against the Swiss legend at the Roland Garros, he suffered a tame defeat in the second round.

Against Djokovic, he lost in straight sets at the Miami Masaters last year.

Before today's match, his one of the biggest wins were against Croatia's Marin Cilic (world number 15) and Ivo Karlovic (world number 25) in 2009 and against Cyprus' world number 22 Marcos Baghdatis (world number 22) in 2010.

Somdev was well prepared coming into this tournament as he had won the Delhi Open Challenger tournament on Suday. He had reached the semifinals of the Chennai and Kolkata events in the preceding weeks.

The Indian traded a break with Del Potro before pushing the match into tie-breaker. He kept hitting it on the backhand of the Argentine, inducing unforced errors from his big-bodied rival.

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Sri Lanka fight back with quick wickets

NEW DELHI: Pakistan seemed to lose the plot right at end at Sri Lanka bounced back with quick wickets to choke them in first match of the Asia Cup in Fatullah on Tuesday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Chasing a 297-run target, Pakistan were given some respite by skipper Misbah-ul-Haq when he slammed a gritty fifty; however, he fell victim to Lasith Malinga soon after.

Misbah, who reached his half-century in 62 balls with the help of 4 boundaries and a single six, also put up a steady 121-run stand with Umar Akmal.

Akmal (74) too reached his 18th ODI half-century in the 41st over to take the partnership pass 100 runs before being dismissed by pacer Suranga Lakmal.

Misbah and Akmal helped revive Pakistan's run chase after they got off to a bad start as they lost their top order cheaply against Sri Lanka.

The wickets started falling when Lakmal gave Sri Lanka the first breakthrough when he dismissed opener Sharjeel Khan (26).

Sharjeel was caught comfortably at mid-on by skipper Angelo Mathews after the Pakistan opener mis-timed a short of length delivery.

Pakistan then tried to get its run chase back on track courtesy a steady stand between Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez when the duo stitched a crucial 49-run partnership for the second wicket.

However, Chaturanga De Silva and Mathews struck in consecutive overs to send Shehzad (28) and Hafeez (18) back to the pavilion.

Spinner Sachithra Senanayake then joined the wicket taking party when he scalped Sohaib Maqsood (17) by getting him caught at deep mid-wicket.

Earlier, opener Lahiru Thirimanne notched up his second ODI hundred to power Sri Lanka to a challenging 296 for six against Pakistan.

Thirimanne hit 11 fours and a six in his 110-ball 102-run innings and starred in a 161-run stand with Kumar Sangakkara (67) for the second wicket to lay the foundation for a huge score at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium.

Pakistan tried to make a comeback in the middle overs as they picked up a few wickets, before skipper Angelo Matthews provided the late charge, cracking a 50-ball 55, to take Sri Lanka close to the 300-mark.

For Pakistan, Umar Gul (38) and Shahid Afridi (56) picked up two wickets each, while Saeed Ajmal (1/50) took one.

Electing to bat, Sri Lanka made a watchful start before opener Kusal Perera (14) edged an Umar Gul delivery straight to Umar Akmal behind the stumps in the eighth over to slip to 28 for one.

However, Thirimanne continued his good run and notched up his fifty off 56 balls in the 20th over, his first half-century since last July.

He and first-down batsman Sangakkara ensured Sri Lanka suffer no more damage as the two left-handed batsmen amassed runs at good pace and took Sri Lanka to the 100-mark in the 20th over.

The duo then changed gears, piling up 68 runs in the next 10 overs. Sangakkara, who has been in red-hot form, brought up his 84th fifty in as many balls in the 27th over when he blasted Mohammad Hafeez for a boundary through the midwicket area.

In the 31st over, Thirimanne picked up Hafeez for special treatment as he sent him over deep midwicket to bring up the first six of the match and move into the 90s.

However, Pakistan came back into the match with Gul dismissing Sangakkara in the 32nd over when his miscued pull landed in the hands of Ahmed Shehzad.

Thirimanne brought up his hundred with a cover drive off Gul, but the Lankan opener could not stay longer as off-spinner Ajmal disturbed his off stump in the 36th over.

Skipper Matthews, who had come to bat after Sangakkara's dismissal, plundered a four and six in consecutive balls off Ajmal in the 38th over.

But Sri Lanka suffered another blow in the next over when Shahid Afridi deceived Mahela Jayawardene and induced a thick edge from his bat which disturbed the off-stump.

Afridi then picked up the wicket of Thisara Perera in the 43rd over when the spinner had him caught at deep midwicket as Sri Lanka slipped to 245 for five. Another mix-up in the middle and new batsman Chaturanga de Silva, too, had to walk back to the hut.

Ajmal and Junaid bowled well at the death overs but Dinesh Chandimal and Matthews shared an unbeaten 45-run stand for the seventh wicket to ensure Sri Lanka reach close to 300.

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Somdev wins as Del Potro retires hurt

DUBAI: India number one Somdev Devvarman today recorded the biggest win of his career by beating world number five Juan Martin Del Potro but the victory came when the Argentine retired mid-way into the first round match of the Dubai Duty Free Championships, here.

Somdev, ranked 78, had won the first set 7-6 (3) in an hour and seven minutes and immediately after this, Del Potro took a medical timeout due to pain in his left wrist.

The Argentine second seed found it tough to continue and conceded the match.

Somdev had lost 4-6 4-6 to Del Potro last year at this very event in the pre-quarterfinals.

This is Somdev's first ever win against a top-5 player who is also a Grand Slam champion. Del Potro is the 2009 US Open winner.

Somdev has competed against the legends of the game, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic but haven't won against any of them, although he fought well against all these multiple Grand Slam winners.

He lost to Nadal in 2011 at Indian Wells Masters in two close sets and the same year he had lost to Federer at this very Dubai event.

Last year in his second meeting against the Swiss legend at the Roland Garros, he suffered a tame defeat in the second round.

Against Djokovic, he lost in straight sets at the Miami Masaters last year.

Before today's match, his one of the biggest wins were against Croatia's Marin Cilic (world number 15) and Ivo Karlovic (world number 25) in 2009 and against Cyprus' world number 22 Marcos Baghdatis (world number 22) in 2010.

Somdev was well prepared coming into this tournament as he had won the Delhi Open Challenger tournament on Suday. He had reached the semifinals of the Chennai and Kolkata events in the preceding weeks.

The Indian traded a break with Del Potro before pushing the match into tie-breaker. He kept hitting it on the backhand of the Argentine, inducing unforced errors from his big-bodied rival.

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Misbah, Akmal slams 50s to revive chase

NEW DELHI: Pakistan seemed to lose the plot right at end at Sri Lanka bounced back with quick wickets to choke them in first match of the Asia Cup in Fatullah on Tuesday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Chasing a 297-run target, Pakistan were given some respite by skipper Misbah-ul-Haq when he slammed a gritty fifty; however, he fell victim to Lasith Malinga soon after.

Misbah, who reached his half-century in 62 balls with the help of 4 boundaries and a single six, also put up a steady 121-run stand with Umar Akmal.

Akmal (74) too reached his 18th ODI half-century in the 41st over to take the partnership pass 100 runs before being dismissed by pacer Suranga Lakmal.

Misbah and Akmal helped revive Pakistan's run chase after they got off to a bad start as they lost their top order cheaply against Sri Lanka.

The wickets started falling when Lakmal gave Sri Lanka the first breakthrough when he dismissed opener Sharjeel Khan (26).

Sharjeel was caught comfortably at mid-on by skipper Angelo Mathews after the Pakistan opener mis-timed a short of length delivery.

Pakistan then tried to get its run chase back on track courtesy a steady stand between Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez when the duo stitched a crucial 49-run partnership for the second wicket.

However, Chaturanga De Silva and Mathews struck in consecutive overs to send Shehzad (28) and Hafeez (18) back to the pavilion.

Spinner Sachithra Senanayake then joined the wicket taking party when he scalped Sohaib Maqsood (17) by getting him caught at deep mid-wicket.

Earlier, opener Lahiru Thirimanne notched up his second ODI hundred to power Sri Lanka to a challenging 296 for six against Pakistan.

Thirimanne hit 11 fours and a six in his 110-ball 102-run innings and starred in a 161-run stand with Kumar Sangakkara (67) for the second wicket to lay the foundation for a huge score at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium.

Pakistan tried to make a comeback in the middle overs as they picked up a few wickets, before skipper Angelo Matthews provided the late charge, cracking a 50-ball 55, to take Sri Lanka close to the 300-mark.

For Pakistan, Umar Gul (38) and Shahid Afridi (56) picked up two wickets each, while Saeed Ajmal (1/50) took one.

Electing to bat, Sri Lanka made a watchful start before opener Kusal Perera (14) edged an Umar Gul delivery straight to Umar Akmal behind the stumps in the eighth over to slip to 28 for one.

However, Thirimanne continued his good run and notched up his fifty off 56 balls in the 20th over, his first half-century since last July.

He and first-down batsman Sangakkara ensured Sri Lanka suffer no more damage as the two left-handed batsmen amassed runs at good pace and took Sri Lanka to the 100-mark in the 20th over.

The duo then changed gears, piling up 68 runs in the next 10 overs. Sangakkara, who has been in red-hot form, brought up his 84th fifty in as many balls in the 27th over when he blasted Mohammad Hafeez for a boundary through the midwicket area.

In the 31st over, Thirimanne picked up Hafeez for special treatment as he sent him over deep midwicket to bring up the first six of the match and move into the 90s.

However, Pakistan came back into the match with Gul dismissing Sangakkara in the 32nd over when his miscued pull landed in the hands of Ahmed Shehzad.

Thirimanne brought up his hundred with a cover drive off Gul, but the Lankan opener could not stay longer as off-spinner Ajmal disturbed his off stump in the 36th over.

Skipper Matthews, who had come to bat after Sangakkara's dismissal, plundered a four and six in consecutive balls off Ajmal in the 38th over.

But Sri Lanka suffered another blow in the next over when Shahid Afridi deceived Mahela Jayawardene and induced a thick edge from his bat which disturbed the off-stump.

Afridi then picked up the wicket of Thisara Perera in the 43rd over when the spinner had him caught at deep midwicket as Sri Lanka slipped to 245 for five. Another mix-up in the middle and new batsman Chaturanga de Silva, too, had to walk back to the hut.

Ajmal and Junaid bowled well at the death overs but Dinesh Chandimal and Matthews shared an unbeaten 45-run stand for the seventh wicket to ensure Sri Lanka reach close to 300.

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Ranchi Rhinos beat UP Wizards 2-1

LUCKNOW: Defending champions Ranchi Rhinos eked out a close 2-1 win over Uttar Pradesh Wizards to consolidate their position in the points table of the Hero Hockey India League at the Dhyan Chand Stadium, on Saturday.

The Rhinos were, by far, the better side on display as they dominated the proceedings from start to finish and enjoyed the better share of ball possession.

The Rhinos outplayed the Wizards in terms of circle penetration as well as they made inroads into the hosts' citadel 21 times as compared to their opponents' nine attempts.

To sum up, it was a close contest between the two finest teams of the tournament, but it was the Rhinos who utilised the chances that came their way.

The Rhinos took the lead through star English drag-flicker Ashley Jackson, who converted a penalty corner in the 18th minute.

The Wizards had their chances in the match but the forward line, led by Ramandeep Singh, failed to cash in on the opportunities.

Another Englishman Barry Middleton (26th minute) doubled the Rhinos' lead with a field goal in the second quarter as the visitors' went into the halfway break with a comfortable 2-0 advantage.

At the change of ends, the Wizards adopted an aggressive approach and created a few bright openings but the Rhinos defense led by captain Moritz Furste stood like a rock to thwart any danger to their citadel.

The Wizards, however, managed to pull one back in the 50th minute when Edward Ockenden scored from a field effort to raise the hope of the home fans in the entertaining match which was witnessed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

But that was all the home team can manage as the visitors fell back and defended their citadel with precision to register their second win in the six-team franchise-based event.

The Rhinos and Wizards are presently tied at the third position in the standings with 11 points from three matches each.

Uttar Pradesh Wizards will next face Jaypee Punjab Warriors here tomorrow, while the Ranchi Rhinos will face Dabur Mumbai Magicians on February 4.

Speaking on his team's performance, Ranchi Rhinos head coach Gregg Clark said, "It was an important game today as in the first match against Uttar Pradesh Warriors we did not deliver as per expectations. Our next game is against Mumbai Magicians and they look like a difficult team to play against and we have to be extra careful against them."

Uttar Pradesh Wizards chief coach Roelant Oltmans said the team lost the momentum as the game progressed.

"We started off very well but somewhere lost the momentum. Our next match is against Punjab Warriors and we will prepare accordingly. We will work on our strategy and techniques accordingly."

This was the first match in Lucknow of the second edition of the league and 'King of Bhangra' Daler Mehndi performed on his hit numbers at the opening ceremony.

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Kohli inches closer to top spot in ODIs

DUBAI: Virat Kohli's individual brilliance during India's disastrous show in the lost ODI series against New Zealand has helped the young batsman inch closer to the top spot in the latest ICC rankings issued on Saturday.

ICC Rankings: Teams | Batsmen | Bowlers | Allrounders

India were drubbed 0-4 in the series which concluded on Friday but Kohli, placed second in the rankings right now, stood out by contributing 291 runs in the five-match affair.

That performance fetched him 11 ratings points in the ICC list, taking his overall tally to 870, just two points behind number-one ranked AB de Villiers.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the next best-placed Indian batsman at sixth in the list, followed by Shikhar Dhawan, who slipped a rung to 11th after an indifferent outing against New Zealand.

In the bowling charts, Ravindra Jadeja is the highest-placed Indian at ninth spot, which is a loss of three positions.

Meanwhile, Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson have made impressive gains in the rankings for batsmen.

Taylor, named Player of the Match in the final ODI at Wellington on Friday, jumped six places to return to the top 10, and now sits in 10th place. Taylor was the second highest run-getter in the series with 343 runs from five matches.

Williamson ended as the highest run-getter in the series with 361 runs, and risen 20 places to a best-ever ranking of 11th with 688 ratings points, only 25 ratings points behind Taylor. Williamson shares the 11th position with Dhawan.

The latest rankings update also takes into account Australia's 4-1 series win over England. As a result, Australia batsman George Bailey is now up a place to a third, just 14 ratings points behind Kohli and 16 behind de Villiers.

Meanwhile, England batsman Eoin Morgan has jumped four places to 13th even as New Zealand's Martin Guptill returned to the top 20, moving up five places to 19th.

Outside the top 20, the batsmen to move up include Ian Bell in 23rd (up by three), Glenn Maxwell in 32nd (up by nine), Corey Anderson in 34th (up by 51), David Warner in 40th (up by 17), James Faulkner in 50th (up by 15), Jesse Ryder in 52nd (up by three), Shaun Marsh in 64th (up by 17), and Ravindra Jadeja (up by eight) and Aaron Finch (up by 35) in joint 65th.

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Somdev, Bopanna-Myneni seal Cup tie

INDORE (India): Hosts India fought off a spirited challenge from Taiwan to grab an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Davis Cup Asia/Oceania group one tie in Indore on Saturday.

Somdev Devvarman wrapped up the marathon second singles against Chen Ti of Taiwan that had been stopped due to bad light on Friday with the scores level at 7-7 in the fifth set.

Devvarman held his service game and then broke Chen in the next to win 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (7/3), 1-6, 6-2, 9-7 after an attritional battle that lasted more than four hours.

The 103rd-ranked Indian, who was expected to ease past the number 284 Chen, had wasted four match points in the decider on Friday evening, but played aggressive tennis when it mattered to win.

"Five-setters are never easy, so it was nice to get out of this one," Devvarman said. "I attacked and went after his serve today which paid off in the end."

India's new doubles team of Rohan Bopanna and debutant Saketh Myneni were stretched by the Taiwanese pair of Lee Hsin-Han and Peng Hsien-Yin before winning 6-0, 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) later on Saturday.

Yuki Bhambri had given India the lead in Friday's opening singles when he overcame an ankle injury in the third set to beat Yang Tsung-Hua 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (1/7), 6-3.

The inconsequential reverse singles will be played on Sunday. India, led by their newly-appointed non-playing captain Anand Amritraj, are without two long-time regulars as Leander Paes opted out of Davis Cup duty for the entire year and Mahesh Bhupathi was dropped.

India next play South Korea in April for a place in the World Group playoffs.

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Kiwis promise more short-pitched test

WHANGAREI (New Zealand): The Indian batting frailties against short-pitched bowling stood exposed in the ODI series and New Zealand coach Mike Hesson on Saturday said the Kiwis will continue with the tactic even in the upcoming Test series starting February 6.

The Kiwi bowlers sent down some short stuff, aided by the longer square boundaries, as the Indian batsmen fell to their habit of compulsive pulling in the five-match ODI series which the hosts won 4-0.

Hesson said the tactic would be re-used in the two-match Test series.

"Yes, if conditions allow, then absolutely, we will deploy it," agreed Hesson.

"It is the ability to push guys back and then bowl their natural length, the ability to do that and obviously presenting the seam so that we can find the outside edge. That is the sort of formula that we have had for a while," he said.

"I think we showed that at the Basin Reserve the last time we played, and the way we forced the West Indies back and got them out, that is something that we will look to continue against India as well," he added.

As India prepare to start the Test leg of their tour with a two-day tour game here, Hesson said the Black Caps certainly have a spring in their step post the ODI triumph.

"There is definitely some confidence within the group that we can compete with these guys and India are a good side. But we know it is a different format. We will have a few new faces but we will certainly take some confidence into the series after the ODI series win," said Hesson.

"Even in our wildest dreams we didn't think we would win 4-0 against such a quality side. It all went very well as planned but you need quality players to have executed those plans. Players understanding their roles and training for those roles specifically and going out under pressure and being able to execute those plans was the key to our success," he added.

India were soundly out-classed in all departments throughout the series, while tying one game in Auckland. The Men in Blue are yet to win a game on the tour.

"Even after the tie, we played pretty well. You have to give credit to the way R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja played that day. But we never felt there was a shift in momentum and we always felt we were playing pretty good cricket," he explained.

"Then, we backed it up in Hamilton on a tough wicket for us against a sub-continent side and that was exceptional. Some people considered it to be a dead rubber (the last game in Wellington) but we certainly didn't. We prepared well for it and were focused today," said the happy coach after the white-wash.

Even so, India will be hoping for a chance as they have reinforcements coming in, as Cheteshwar Pujara, Murali Vijay, Zaheer Khan, Umesh Yadav and Wriddhiman Saha join the squad.

It was a turning point for them in South Africa earlier and Hesson is wary of the threat these new players pose in the longer format.

"Zaheer and Pujara are extremely well performed players. Pujara especially, in the last couple of years when we played against him while we were in India a year, a year-and-a-half ago. He was in his infancy then.

"Today, he looks a high quality player and obviously his record suggests that. Zaheer obviously has been out for a while but he is quite a crafty character especially in conditions that suit him. So it will be a challenge for us," he said.

The Kiwi batsmen were hardly troubled by the Indian bowlers in the ODIs but Hesson said he respected the visiting attack.

"We have had a good look at the Indian seam attack in the ODIs. Clearly the conditions will be a little different, especially in the first innings of the Tests. The Indian seamers are good bowlers, especially if there is a little bit in the wicket.

"We have got to prepare accordingly, and obviously it will be a change in format so we need to make that shift quickly. Our openers in the Tests are coming off some domestic form, so hopefully they can set the tone for us," said Hesson.

New Zealand have had a fantastic year in international cricket, except perhaps the tour of Bangladesh, and now pose a great threat to India.

"In Bangladesh, we had a different group of players. The Sri Lanka tour afterwards was really important for us as we introduced a number of new guys there, who did well. We won our first game in a long, long time and that we did with a lot of inexperienced guys.

"Some of them are playing today, some aren't. But some are sort of pushing underneath, and when we got our full squad back we just saw how good we can be," he signed off, referring to the 4-0 whitewash as a marker for the upcoming Tests.

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T20 turns cricket batsmen-centric: Ian

SYDNEY: Former Australia captain Ian Chappell feels that Twenty20 cricket has made the game more batsmen-centric and more needs to be done to maintain a balance between the bat and the ball. According to him, if this continues it could lead to the demise of the sport.

Chappell in his column in the Daily Telegraph feels the organisers are putting more emphasis on big hitting and bringing entertainment through bowlers being battered all over the park.

"While sixes are becoming as common as cheerleaders at T20 matches, over 30 percent of the runs at Bellerive were registered via rope-clearing shots. This is more than 10 percent above the previous highest yearly average for international T20 matches. The number of games and the on-ground fireworks aren't the only explosions occurring in T20 cricket," Chappel said.

"T20 sixes are on the increase and while this may sound exciting for the patrons, the administrators need to ensure they retain the right balance between contest and entertainment."

The former prolific batsman points out that this sort of imbalance between the bat and ball could have dire consequences for the sport.

"If they don't get the balance right the consequences down the track could be dire and the game may eventually become unrecognisable as cricket," quipped Chappell.

According to the Australian batting technique and proper shot selection is being neglected to score quick runs and that eventually that could lead to the sport becoming a poor amalgamation of cricket and baseball.

"Batting is an art but with the boundaries being reduced and bats improving at a rapid rate, there's plenty of incentive for players to completely ignore technique and concentrate on raw power. If this trend continues, T20 will eventually become a poor impersonation of baseball," Chappell said.

"There's definitely a place for hitters who excel but some batting artistry must remain for the game to resemble cricket."

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