Second day of the second cricket test at Abu Dhabi
Earlier, broad and James Anderson took 16 deliveries to wrap up Pakistan's innings, the last three wickets falling within just seven balls. Misbah-Ul Haq added just one to his overnight score of 83 before being trapped leg-before by broad. He hit five boundaries and four sixes. Stuart broad grabbed four while Graeme Swann took three and Anderson got 2 wickets. In reply, Jonathan Trott and Alastair cook hit half-centuries to help England recover from the early loss of Andrew Strauss. Both added 139 for the 2nd wicket to strengthen their position. Trott took a single off Muhammad Hafeez to reach his ninth half-century . He was bowled by Abdul Rehman after scoring 74 runs. He hit 7 Boundaires. Cook completed his 27th fifty in tests, which came off 133 balls. Later, Saeed Ajmal took wicket of Kevin Pietersen and Morgan to keep pressure on the England batsmen. Saeed took three while Muhammad Hafeez and Abdul Rehman shared one wicket each.
Final of the Australian Open Tennis Tournament
In the first semi-final played at Melbourne Victoria Azarenka beat Kim Clijsters of Belgium 6-4, 1-6, and 6-3. Maria Sharapova defeated Czech star Petra Kvitova 6-2, 3-6, and 6-4 in other semi final.
England vs Pakistan Latest news
Stuart Broad snared captain Misbah ul-Haq (84) leg before wicket in the day’s second over and James Anderson soon dismissed Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan for ducks as Pakistan lost their last three wickets in the space of seven balls.
Pakistan had resumed on 256 for seven, with ul-Haq unbeaten on 83, but the skipper added only a single to their overnight score before falling to Broad, the Nottinghamshire all-rounder’s fourth wicket of the innings. Anderson then claimed the scalp of Saeed Ajmal with a full delivery which angled towards middle and leg stump and trapped the batsmen lbw after he played and missed. Three balls later, England claimed their first catch of the innings to wrap up the Pakistan tail, Junaid Khan edging a short ball from Anderson to Graeme Swann at second slip.
Cornet, Parmentier, Razzano, Rezai in French squad
Alize Cornet, Pauline Parmentier, Virginie Razzano and Aravane Rezai have been selected for Fed Cup opening-round match against Slovakia in Bratislava on February 4-5. The French Tennis Federation indicated that Kristina Mladenovic, 18 and earning a first call-up, would be the reserve. Parmentier, ranked 70 on the WTA computer, is the only one of the quartet who made it through the opening round of the Australian Open. Razzano is ranked 84, Cornet 85 and Rezai 120. "Their results (in Melbourne) were not all that great but even so, I saw some good things on court and that s why I have gone with these four experienced players," said Escude. France will have to do without their top-ranked player Marion Bartoli, the world number nine, as she quit the squad in protest at Fed Cup players not being allowed to deploy their personal trainers -- in her case, her father, Walter. After losing a play-off last season to Spain, two-time winners France dropped out of the Fed Cup elite for the first time and now rank only 15th. The French take on a Slovak squad that includes world number 18 Dominika Cibulkova and 21st-ranked Daniela Hantuchova.
Second test against England 1st day score
Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar negotiated the first hour without any discomfort before Swann gave England the breakthrough at the score of 51.
Taufeeq Umar misjudged a delivery and lost his off stump after seemingly playing no stroke on 16. Hafeez made 31 with four boundaries.
Broad then chipped in with the wickets of Younis and Azhar Ali, both bowled on incoming deliveries to leave Pakistan struggling at 103 for 4.
Skipper Misbah-ul Haq and Asad Shafiq steadied Pakistan's innings and added 100 runs for the 5th wicket. Both completed their half centuries. Asad Shafiq scored 58 before being leg befored by Swann. Misbah remained unbeaten on 83 with the help of 5 boundaires and 4 sixes.
England, aiming to level the three-test series after losing the first test by 10 wickets in Dubai, were rewarded for picking two spinners in form of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar. Pakistan also made one change from their first test line up, bringing in left-arm Paceman Junaid Khan for Aizaz Cheema.
Pakistan vs India Cricket breakthrough
ABU DHABI: Pakistan's ambassador in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday said he was using his contacts to convince India to resume bilateral ties with his country and hopes for a breakthrough next year.
India froze all bilateral ties with Pakistan in the wake of terrorist attacks on their commercial hub Mumbai in November 2008, which New Delhi blamed on militants based in Pakistan.
But despite a recent thaw, with Pakistan declaring India "the most favoured nation" and both prime ministers vowing to improve ties during their meeting at the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) conference late last year, the ties remain suspended.
India refused to send its team to Pakistan for a scheduled tour a month after the Mumbai attacks.
The chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Zaka Ashraf, had also vowed to revive ties but has not received a positive reply from the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Despite tempered optimism, Pakistan's ambassador in the UAE, Jamil Ahmed Khan, said he was using his position to raise support for a series between the countries here.
"I am in regular contact with the Indian ambassador (Kapanaiah Lokesh) here and he has also talked to his government in New Delhi to convince them to play here in the Gulf," Khan told reporters.
A PCB official on Monday said in Lahore that there was no possibility of a resumption of ties this year.
India beat Pakistan in a high-profile World Cup semi-final in Mohali in March last year and are due to face each other in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh in March this year.
Khan said a Pakistan-India series is the most sought-after by fans around the world.
"If Pakistan and India play here it would be a big thing for not only people living here but also for the people around the world. I think 2013 could be the breakthrough because everyone is trying for it," said Khan, who had also worked for United Nations.
Khan said interest in cricket was also developing among UAE locals.
"The locals here are also taking more interest in cricket since Pakistan is playing here and the image of the game as well as that of the Pakistan cricket team is also improving in the Gulf," said Khan. (AFP)
Shahid Afridi prefers Pakistan over Bangladesh league
KARACHI: Dashing all-rounder Shahid Afridi said Wednesday he will skip most of the lucrative Bangladesh league in order to play Pakistan's limited overs series against England.
The 31-year-old hard hitting batsman and skilled leg-spinner was signed for $70,000 -- the highest salary offered to any international player in next month's league -- but the fixtures coincide with Pakistan's matches.
"The Bangladesh league clashes with our one-day and T20 series against England and for me national duty has always remained the top priority because Pakistan has given me a lot," Afridi told reporters.
Afridi is known for his world record fastest one-day hundred, which he made off 37 balls against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1997.
"I want to play for Pakistan because my team needs me and we want to keep the winning sequence intact," he said. Pakistan remain unbeaten in one-day series since losing 3-2 to South Africa in November 2010.
Afridi retired in anger at being dumped as one-day captain last May, but came out of retirement in October.
"I have not as yet made up my mind when to call it quits. But certainly one thing I have decided is that I want to retire when I am performing well so that people remember me positively," he said.
"I think I still have a lot to offer to Pakistan cricket. I will retire when I feel I am at the peak of the career and have also contributed to Pakistan cricket as other legends of Pakistan cricket have done.
"I want to be remembered like Imran Khan, Javed Miandad or Wasim Akram are remembered today. And my ambition remains to reach a consistent scale of performance as these legends did in their careers."
Pakistan will announce the limited overs squad for the England series next month. (AFP)
Misbah, Asad palying now very well
ABU DHABI: Skipper Misbah-ul Haq and Asad Shafiq steadied Pakistan's innings after England paceman Stuart Broad took two wickets in the post-lunch session on the opening day of the second Test here at the Sheikh Zayad Stadium on Wednesday.
Broad dismissed Younis Khan (24) and Azhar Ali (24) to give England a further edge after they dismissed Mohammad Hafeez and Taufiq Umar early to derail Pakistan, who won the toss and batted on a turning pitch.
Pakistan reached tea at 177-4 with Misbah (32) and Shafiq (39) adding 74 for the unbroken fifth-wicket stand.
England, aiming to level the three-Test series after losing the first Test by 10 wickets in Dubai, were rewarded for picking two spinners in Graeme Swann and recalled left-armer Monty Panesar as they introduced spin in the 10th over.
Hafeez and Umar, who put on 114 for the opening wicket in the first Test, negotiated the first hour without any discomfort before Swann gave England the breakthrough.
Umar misjudged a delivery and lost his off stump after seemingly playing no stroke on 16.
Panesar, brought in to replace paceman Chris Tremlett -- flying home after a recurrence of a back injury -- dropped Hafeez off his own bowling but had the Pakistani opener bowled off the very next ball.
Hafeez made 31 with four boundaries.
Broad then chipped in with the wickets of Younis and Ali, both bowled on incoming deliveries to leave Pakistan struggling at 103-4.
Misbah hit Panesar for two towering sixes and benefited from a dropped catch when on 30 as James Anderson failed to hold a sharp chance in the slips.
The inclusion of Panesar, playing his first Test since the July 2009 Ashes Test in Cardiff, is the first time England have played with two spinners since the Dhaka Test against Bangladesh in early 2010.
Pakistan also made one change from their first Test line up, bringing in left-arm paceman Junaid Khan for Aizaz Cheema. (AFP)
Pakistan vs England latest sore
Pakistan are leading the three match series by one nill.
Sharapova, Kvitova now into semi final Australian Open
Maria Sharapova set up an Australian Open semi-final with Petra Kvitova after disposing of fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets. Makarova came into the match on the back of a superb win over Serena Williams, but she could not repeat the dose against Sharapova who dominated the contest from the back of the court as she claimed a 6-2 6-3 victory. Sharapova began in shaky fashion, double faulting twice in the opening game, but she held serve and rarely looked back. Makarova had to save four break points in the opening game as Sharapova stepped in on anything short. The relentless pressure continued and the first break of serve came her way in the fourth game. The one moment of alarm in the opening set for Sharapova came in the fifth game, but she staved off a break point with a precision ace down the middle. Makarova dominated Williams in the fourth round, but could not impose herself on Sharapova and two brilliant backhand returns of serve secured the set for the No. 4 seed. Sharapova dropped just 10 points on serve in the opening set, but Makarova carved out an opening in the third game of the second set to secure her first break of the match. But she made the cardinal sin of failing to back up the break as Sharapova roared back with an immediate reply. For all her power, Sharapova has often been restricted by her lack of fluency around the court. But against Makarova she demonstrated excellent movement the highlight arguably being when tracking down a drop shot and flicking it away for a winner as she secured a break of serve for a 4-2 advantage. Sharapova passed up a match point on the Makarova serve when netting a routine backhand, but she took advantage of the new balls one game later to seal her place in the last four. Kvitova booked her place in the semi-finals of the Australian Open after overcoming a wobble to beat Sara Errani. Kvitova, the No. 2 seed, came into the match as the overwhelming favourite. She held sway over her rival in most departments, but errors leaked from her racket and she had to battle back from 4-1 down in the second set to win 6-4 6-4. Errani s serve was a worry for her supporters ahead of the match and Kvitova seized on a run of second serves, running her rival around the court, and worked a break in the opening game. Errani levelled in the following game as Kvitova s timing went astray. But with Errani serving at below 70mph, Kvitova teed off to break for a second time. Wimbledon champion Kvitova worked a double break to lead 5-2, but promptly threw in a couple of awful games to hand an opening to Errani. But the Czech steeled herself to hold and wrap up the opening set in 53 minutes. The superior power Kvitova possessed looked set to see her home as she broke at the start of the second. But she mixed the sublime with the ridiculous and some sloppy play, coupled with some inventive shot-making from Errani, helped the Italian run through four games on the spin. The frustration was evident for Kvitova, who skulked around the court between points. The low point came when she missed a simple drive volley in the seventh game. It was followed by a huge shriek of frustration, but two points later she had broken serve and ran through the next three games in the blink of an eye to seal her passage to a meeting with Sharapova.
Bangladesh cricket team will visit Pakistan in April
Talking to media in Lahore he said, a security team will come to Pakistan to assess the security arrangements prior to arrival of the Bangladesh team.
Mohsin Hassan Khan, Coach of the Pakistan Cricket team said that England is a strong team
The Coach of the Pakistan Cricket team Mohsin Hassan Khan has said that England is a professional and strong team that can make a comeback into series at any stage under any circumstances. He said in Abu Dhabi that he has told players that they forget the first test and look ahead to the remaining matches. He said that he was impressed with the stupendous performance of the team against a formidable England line up. However‚ he threw caution to the wind by asking his side not to lose their heads‚ as Strauss and his men are likely to make a strong comeback in the second match to be held in Abu Dhabi tomorrow.
Kim Clijsters reach at semi-finals of the Australian Open by beating Caroline Wozniacki
Clijsters, 28, overpowered the Dane to win 6-3 7-6 (7-4) in scorching temperatures at the Rod Laver Arena. The Belgian, who says she is playing in her last Australian Open, will face Victoria Azarenka in the semi-final.
Earlier on Tuesday, Belarussian third seed Azarenka beat Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska 6-7 (0-7) 6-0 6-2.
Clijsters hit 21-year-old Wozniacki, who has never won a Grand Slam, with a barrage of baseline big-hitting to take the first set 6-3, despite a late rally from the Dane. The second set continued in the same vein with Clijsters racing into a 4-2 lead after breaking Wozniacki's serve for the sixth time. She took the next game, and it looked like victory was close
Talha now out of Pakistan Cricket team series against England for remaining Tests
Pakistan's fast rising paceman Mohammad Talha was Monday ruled out of remaining two Tests.
Talha was ruled out of the squad against England after developing spinal disc problems, team manager said Monday.
The 23-year-old, who did not feature in Pakistan s ten wicket win in the first Test in Dubai last week, will return home once his pain subsides.
"Talha developed back problem and in the MRI scan it was revealed that he has a disc problem and when his pain subsides in the next two three days he will return home," team manager Naveed Cheema told AFP.
Cheema said Talha needed ten to twelve days rest.
Pakistan, who plays the second Test here from Wednesday, requires no replacement, Cheema said.
Talha took four wickets in the warm-up match against England when as part of the Pakistan Cricket Board XI. England won that three-day game by 100 runs.
Talha has played one Test, against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 2009 and is regarded as one of the future prospects for Pakistan. –AFP
Maharoof available for Australian tri-series
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's cricket selectors on Monday recalled Farveez Maharoof and Chanaka Welegedera for next month's triangular one-day series in Australia.
The four-man selection panel led by former player Asantha de Mel also named batsman Mahela Jayawardene as the new captain to replace Tillakaratne Dilshan, who quit on Monday.
All-rounder Maharoof and paceman Welegedera each played his last one-dayer in 2010.
Angelo Mathews was retained as vice-captain for the series, also featuring India.
Squad: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisira Perera, Farveez Maharoof, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayaka, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekera, Chanaka Welegedera, Dhammika Prasad.
(AFP)
Brad Hogg Left-arm spinner return to Australian Cricket Team
He was named Monday in the Australian Twenty20 squad to play two matches against India next month.
Hogg retired from international cricket in 2008 after playing seven tests and 123 one-day internationals, but mounted a comeback after an outstanding season for the Perth Scorchers who have reached the final of Australia s Big Bash Twenty20 league.
Hogg turns 41 on Feb. 6, a few day after the Twenty20 series against India which includes matches at Sydney on Feb. 1 and Melbourne on Feb. 3.
Tasmania s George Bailey will captain the Australian team in place of Cameron White, who has been dropped from the squad.
Bailey and White are Melbourne Stars teammates in the Big Bash League and neither has had an outstanding competition. White scored only 55 runs at an average of eight and Bailey 114 runs at an average of 19.
Bailey, who is one of five Melbourne Stars players in the Australian team, previously captained Australia A against New Zealand in Brisbane in November. He also captains Tasmania in one-day and first class matches.
"The National Selection Panel unanimously favored George Bailey as captain of the T20 team," chairman of selectors John Inverarity said. "George is a very good T20 player with a sound record.
"He is widely respected and regarded as an outstanding captain, having had sustained success in this role"
The squad features a number of changes to the one which played South Africa in South Africa late last year, mostly due to injuries.
Vice-captain Shane Watson and young bowlers Pat Cummins and James Pattinson are all injured.
"Shane Watson has yet to regain match fitness and was not considered for selection," Inverarity said. "The intention is for Shane to take however long it takes to become fully fit and then to declare himself available for selection.
"Brett Lee and Bradley Hogg are the veterans in the team and provide a pleasing blend of experience with the youth and relative inexperience in the squad. Brad Hogg s bowling has been outstanding and his case for inclusion was compelling. He has had a real impact in the BBL in recent weeks."
Jayawardene may be a new captain of Sri Lanka Cricket Team
COLOMBO: Tillakaratne Dilshan resigned as Sri Lanka's cricket captain in all three forms of the game on Monday following the team's disastrous tour of South Africa, officials said.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) named former captain Mahela Jayawardene -- who led
the side to the World Cup final in 2007 -- as skipper for next month's triangular one-day series in Australia, also featuring India.
Dilshan, 35, took up the captaincy on a series-to-series basis after Kumar Sangakkara stepped down following Sri Lanka's defeat in the 2011 World Cup final against India.
Sri Lanka lost both the Test and one-day series in South Africa, though they recovered a measure of pride with victory in the final two limited-overs games, the last on Sunday.
Under Dilshan, Sri Lanka lost Test and one-day series against England, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa.
While Dilshan's own batting form suffered during his reign, he led the team to a historic Test win in Durban this year -- Sri Lanka's first on South African soil.
There was no immediate comment from Dilshan, who has so far scored 4,662 runs in 77 Tests and 5,896 runs in 224 one-day internationals.
His replacement is part of an ongoing shake-up after the national team's recent poor run abroad against South Africa and Pakistan.
Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage last week named a four-member selection panel headed by Asantha de Mel, a former national player, and gave them one year to put the team in order.
Australian coach Geoff Marsh and team manager Anura Tennakoon are also tipped to be replaced, local media reported over the weekend. Marsh was appointed in September 2011 for two years.
Former South Africa coach Graham Ford is due in the island on Tuesday to replace Marsh, the state-run Daily News said Monday. (AFP)
Tillakaratne Dilshan is no more Sri Lanka Cricket team captain
Dilshan, who took over as captain From Kumar Sangakkara after the 2011 world cup, led his team on tours to England, the UAE and South Africa and at home against Australia. His captaincy came under severe criticism as Sri Lanka lost both the test and ODI series against all the four countries. Dilshan led Sri Lanka in 11 tests since May 2011, of which his team won one test and lost five. He captained his team in 21 ODIS, winning 8 and losing 13.
Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori moves to quarter-finals of the Australian Open Tennis Tournament.
Murray breezed into quarter-finals after Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakistan retired due to injury in their third set. Murray was leading 6-1 6-1 1-nil when Kukushkin said he could not continue due to hip injury. Kei Nishikori defeated the French man Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6 and 6-3.
In the women's section, Czech second seed Petra Kvitova and Russian Ekaterina Makarova reached the quarter finals. Petra Kvitova beat Ana Ivanovic of Serbia 6-2 and 7-6 . Five-time champion Serena Williams of United States crashed to one of her worst ever grand slam defeats when Ekaterina Makarova beat her 6-2 and 6-3.
Sharapova struggle back to reach quarters
MELBOURNE: Russia's Maria Sharapova battled back from a set down to beat Germany's Sabine Lisicki Monday and reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, her best performance since lifting the title in 2008.
The fourth seed won 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in 2hr 15 min to set up a last-eight clash with fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova, who stunned Serena Williams earlier.
The 24-year-old Sharapova has now reached the quarter-finals or better in Melbourne five times, but this is the first time she has progressed so far since being crowned champion four years ago.
Sharapova started with a blaze of attacking shots and broke Lisicki's first two service games with a series of punishing ground strokes.
But the gritty German refused to give in and slowly fought her way back into the match.
Using clever changes of pace and some deceptive serving, Lisicki didn't allow the much taller Sharapova to find any rhythm and the Russian's game began to fall apart.
Lisicki won the next six games to claim the first set in 36 minutes before Sharapova could stop the rot. The fourth seed then took control of the second set, breaking Lisicki twice to win the set and send the match into a decider.
The turning point came in the third game of the third set when Lisicki had five break points but couldn't convert any of them. Three games later Sharapova broke the German to gain a crucial 4-2 advantage.
Sharapova saved another break point to go to a 5-2 lead and brought up her first match point on Lisicki's serve.
The German held and forced Sharapova to serve for the match, but she kept her nerve and claimed victory on her second match point courtesy of a swinging serve to Lisicki's backhand.
The victory means Sharapova retains a chance of finishing the Australian Open as world number one, along with current incumbent Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka, all of whom are in the quarter-finals. (AFP)
Ferrer wins against Gasquet now in quarters
MELBOURNE: Spanish fifth seed David Ferrer beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open on Monday.
Ferrer, last year's semi-finalist, defeated 17th seed Gasquet 6-4, 6-4, 6-1 and will play either top seed Novak Djokovic or Australian wild card Lleyton Hewitt in Wednesday's quarters. (AFP)
Nishikori wins against Tsonga in Australian Open
MELBOURNE: Kei Nishikori shocked former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in five sets to become the first Japanese man into the Australian Open quarter-finals in 80 years on Monday.
The 24th seed dug deep to knock out sixth seed Tsonga, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in 3hr 30min in sweltering conditions on Hisense Arena.
It was Nishikori's second win over Tsonga after beating him in Shanghai last year and sets him up with a quarter-final against British fourth seed Andy Murray on Wednesday.
It is the first time a Japanese man has reached the last eight at the Australian Open since 1932, when there were two in the quarter-finals.
It was Nishikori's best result at a grand slam, surpassing his fourth round appearance at the 2008 US Open.
He also became only the second Japanese man to reach a grand slam quarter-final in the open era since Shuzo Matsuoka at Wimbledon in 1995.
Nishikori broke Tsonga's serve six times and cashed in on Tsonga's 70 unforced errors, 40 of them on his big forehand.
His only ace in the match brought up three match points in the final game and he clinched victory with a running volley at the net.
Nishikori, seeded here for the first time at a grand slam, is the highest ranked Japanese man in ATP World Tour rankings history. (AFP)
Bailey as a Captain Australia in T20s against India
MELBOURNE: Uncapped George Bailey was Monday named skipper of a revamped Australian squad for next month's Twenty20 internationals against India as selectors looked towards September's T20 world cup.
Bailey replaces Cameron White, who has been dropped from the 14-man squad, while veteran spinner Brad Hogg returns to international cricket just weeks short of his 41st birthday.
Chief selector John Inverarity said Australia's T20 team, currently ranked fifth in the world, needed changes.
"The panel has been discussing this T20 squad for about six weeks and has unanimously decided on the squad, the captain and the vice-captain," he said.
"The selectors consider this to be a very well-balanced T20 squad and look forward to the team acquitting itself very well."
Inverarity said with this in mind the selectors had chosen Bailey to lead the new-look team.
"The panel unanimously favoured George Bailey as captain of the T20 team," he said.
"George is a very good T20 player with a sound record. He is widely respected and regarded as an outstanding captain, having had sustained success in this role."
Inverarity said selectors were looking to the new leadership of coach Mickey Arthur, Bailey and opening batsman David Warner to drive the T20 team.
The squad contains experienced bowlers Brett Lee and Hogg, while Shane Watson was not considered for selection as he regains full match fitness after recent injuries.
Australia take on India in T20 internationals at Sydney Olympic Park on February 1 and at the Melbourne Cricket Ground two days later.
The ICC World Twenty20 takes place in Sri Lanka, starting in September.
Australia - George Bailey (captain), David Warner (vice-capt), Travis Birt, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Hogg, David Hussey, Brett Lee, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Clint McKay, Matthew Wade.
(AFP)
Kvitova downs Ivanovic now in quarter-finals
MELBOURNE: Reigning Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova downed Serbia's Ana Ivanovic in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday.
After cruising through the first set Kvitova held off a late fight-back from the Serb to win 6-2, 7-6 (7/2) in 85 minutes in the first match of the day in the Rod Laver Arena.
The tall left-hander broke Ivanovic twice in the first set and once in the second, but was herself broken when serving for the match at 5-4.
Ivanovic held her next service game to love as Kvitova began to look shaky, but the second seed produced some big serves to take the set into a tiebreak.
And Kvitova took charge of in the tiebreak, quickly opening a 6-2 lead and sealing a place in the quarter-finals when an Ivanovic backhand hit the bottom of the net.
The Czech world number two hit more than twice as many winners as Ivanovic -- 30 to 14 -- which proved the difference between the two players.
"It was quite a hard match at the end of the second set," she said, adding that she was happy to be off the court early on a typically hot Melbourne day.
"I think I was quite lucky I played my match at 11 o'clock. It's hot, but we are in Australia so we are ready for it."
Kvitova has now reached the quarter-finals in Melbourne for the second year in row and will next play either Italian Sara Errani or Zheng Jie from China. (AFP)
Williams at Australian Open
Williams shocked at Australian OpenMELBOURNE: Five-time champion Serena Williams crashed to one of her worst ever grand slam defeats and Japan's Kei Nishikori stunned Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on a day of major shocks at the Australian Open on Monday.
As Andy Murray reached the quarter-finals with minimal fuss, little-known Russian Ekaterina Makarova handed out one of the Open's great upsets when the world number 56 beat out-of-sorts Williams 6-2, 6-3.
Williams, who has been struggling with an ankle injury and admitted she was "not 100 percent", was broken five times and sent down seven double-faults to end her 17-match winning streak in Melbourne, stretching back to 2009. (AFP)
Australia Team for T20 series with India
MELBOURNE: The Australian squad named on Monday for two Twenty20 internationals against India in Australia next month:
Australia - George Bailey (capt), David Warner (vice-capt), Travis Birt, Dan Christian, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Hogg, David Hussey, Brett Lee, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Clint McKay, Matthew Wade. (AFP)
Sri Lanka wins the series in Johannesburg
Batting first‚ South Africa made 312 runs for the loss of four wickets in their alloted fifty overs. In reply‚ Sri Lanka achieved the target for the loss of wickets in overs. South Africa has won five-match series by three-two.
Aisam-ul-Haq‚ Jean-Julien moves to 3rd round of Australian Open
The pair of Pakistan's Aisam-ul-Haq and Jean-Julien Rojer have advanced to the 3rd round beating Philipp Marx and Adil Shamasdin by 7-6 and 6-4 in the 2nd round of doubles event of Australian Open Tennis Tournament.
Andy Murray reached the Australian Open quarter-finals for a third year running after Mikhail Kukushkin retired through injury while trailing 6-1 6-1 1-0.
The effects of two five-set matches in rounds two and three took their toll on Kukushkin, who pulled out with a left hip flexor problem after 49 minutes.
Serena Williams became the most high-profile casualty at the Australian Open so far after suffering a shock last-16 defeat by unseeded Etakerina Makarova.
The 13-time Grand Slam champion - a five-time winner at Melbourne Park - made 37 unforced errors as 56th-ranged Makarova won 6-2 6-3 the 82 minutes.
Petra Kvitova remains in contention for the Australian Open title and world number one ranking after beating Ana Ivanovic to reach the quarter-finals.
The Czech second seed, who has a chance of replacing Caroline Wozniacki at the top of the rankings, won 6-2 7-6 (7-2) on a scorching day at Melbourne Park.
Smith, De Villiers take South Africa to 312
SPORTS NEWS:Smith, De Villiers take SA to 312/4.
Centuries from Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers helped South Africa set Sri Lanka 313 for victory in the fifth Sunfoil one-day international at the Bidvest Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. South Africa leads the five-match series 3-1. South Africa 312-4 off 50 overs (Graeme Smith 125, AB de Villiers 125; Lasith Malinga 2-79).
Firdous inaugurates Shahed Benazir Bhutto Women Cricket Trophy
SPORTS NEWS:Firdous inaugurates Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women Cricket Trophy.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan inaugurated Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women Cricket Challenge Trophy at the Kinnaird College cricket ground. Talking to the media, she said the women cricket initiative would help dispel a distorted and negative image of the country regarding women rights, adding that it would raise a soft image of Pakistan internationally. Dr Firdous said the women cricket tournament was the first step towards economic empowerment of women in the country, adding that the role of more than 50 percent of the country was vital in achieving economic stability. She said women cricketers would serve as ambassadors of an enlightened, moderate and progressive country. Dr Firdous said participation of women cricketers from various parts of the country would enhance national solidarity and convey a good-will message through sports. The minister said, “The government has been taking steps to realise the vision of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto of the empowerment of women politically, socially and economically,” adding that the PPP government had provided identity to women. She said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Patron President Asif Ali Zaradri was writing a new history of women emancipation and empowerment. She acknowledged the fact that women cricket faced resources constraints. Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan urged other departments besides ZTBL to come forward and promote women cricket in the country. She also lauded the role of Kinnaird College for Women in providing cricket grounds for the 1st Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women Cricket Challenge. Earlier, the information minister was introduced with members of the participating teams from Punjab and Federal Areas. She also inaugurated the tournament by hitting a ball.
South Africa bat against Sri Lanka in final ODI
South Africa bat against Sri Lanka in final ODI
JOHANNESBURG: Sri Lanka captain and opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan won the toss Sunday and opted to bowl in the final match of a five one-day international series against South Africa.
Rival skipper and wicketkeeper AB de Villiers admitted he would also have bowled had he called correctly on a picture-perfect pitch at the Wanderers with a sell-out 30,000 crowd expected.
South Africa hold an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series and made one change from the team that suffered a five-wicket loss in Kimberley with Albie Morkel replacing Vernon Philander.
Sri Lanka have retained the team that won two days ago and hope to maintain a steady improvement after a humiliating 258-run loss in the first game following a 2-1 Test series defeat.
Teams
South Africa: Graeme Smith, Alviro Petersen, Colin Ingram, AB de Villiers (captain/wk), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Albie Morkel, Robin Peterson, Wayne Parnell, Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Sachithra Senanayake
Umpires: Marais Erasmus (SA) & Nigel Llong (ENG), TV umpire: Billy Doctrove (WI)
Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)
(AFP)
Pakistan beats world no 1 Test Cricket Team England
PTV to start Sports Channel
PTV to start Sports Channel from Wednesday:
ISLAMABAD, Jan 14 (APP): Pakistan Television will add another feather to its cap on Wednesday when it will launch its Sports Channel to provide sports news and international events for Pakistani viewers.The PTV which started its journey from Lahore on November 26 in 1964 has grown to a number of channels that include its terrestrial channel PTV Home, PTV News, PTV Bolan,, PTV National, PTV Global and AJK TV for viewers of Kashmir. Sports Channel being started on January 11, 2011 will be the latest development in this success story.
Managing Director Pakistan Television Yousuf Baig Mirza while giving details on Tuesday said the launch of sports channel will assist Pakistan to promote regional sports and provide latest news and live coverage of international sports competitions to the Pakistani viewers.
Yousuf Baig Mirza said the Sports Channel will also encourage Pakistani youth towards healthy activities.He said all international and national tournaments, matches of cricket, hockey and other sports would be telecast on the channel which will be through satellite and its signals will also be available to a large number of viewers through PTV terrestrial channels.
Mirza said, “PTV sports channel already has the broadcasting rights of many sporting events.”
Recently Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani while addressing ceremony for the regularization of about 500 temporary employees of the PTV congratulated PTV management for facing the challenges despite global recession and showing a positive fiscal performance and meeting all its expenditures from its resources.
Managing Director Pakistan Television Yousuf Baig Mirza while giving details on Tuesday said the launch of sports channel will assist Pakistan to promote regional sports and provide latest news and live coverage of international sports competitions to the Pakistani viewers.
Yousuf Baig Mirza said the Sports Channel will also encourage Pakistani youth towards healthy activities.He said all international and national tournaments, matches of cricket, hockey and other sports would be telecast on the channel which will be through satellite and its signals will also be available to a large number of viewers through PTV terrestrial channels.
Mirza said, “PTV sports channel already has the broadcasting rights of many sporting events.”
Recently Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani while addressing ceremony for the regularization of about 500 temporary employees of the PTV congratulated PTV management for facing the challenges despite global recession and showing a positive fiscal performance and meeting all its expenditures from its resources.
24-hour Pakistani sports channel
PTV Sports is to be a 24-hour Pakistani sports channel:
The PTV Sports test transmission began emanating from AsiaSat 3S at an orbit of 105.5ºE on 30 December 2011. According to Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Pakistan's minister of information and broadcasting, the process of digitisation should be complete by December 2012. It belongs to the Pakistan Television Corporation. An agreement signed between PTV and Zee TV was aimed at only promoting and broadcasting sports events on the state-run channel
PTV SPORTS Frequency Tunning
Satellite Parameters: AsiaSat - 3S
Downlink Frequency: 4106 MHz
Symbol Rate: 2.893617 Msps
Downlink Polarity - Vertical: FEC 3/4 or Auto
[AsiaSat 3S (105.5°E) C-Band]
Inaugurated PTV Sports
Regularization of PTV Employees
Earlier, Yousef Baig Mirza (MD PTV) told media in Multan that the venture will help promote Pakistan's national and regional sports, provide employment opportunities and "most importantly" motivate the younger generation to take up sporting activity.
Pakistan Television Corporation Launches PTV Sports
Pakistan Television Corporation Launches PTV SportsPTV SPORTS TV is a first 24-hours state-run sports channel aimed to provide sports news and international sports events for Pakistani viewers.
Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, on Wednesday Jan-11-2012, has inaugurated PTV Sports channel at PTV Centre Islamabad.
Test transmission of this sports channel had started from 30 December 2011 on AsiaSat 3S at an orbit of 105.5ºE.
The Prime Minister has also announced the regularization of the 350 more employees of Pakistan Television.
Earlier, Yousef Baig Mirza (MD PTV) told media in Multan that the venture will help promote Pakistan's national and regional sports, provide employment opportunities and "most importantly" motivate the younger generation to take up sporting activity.
Sports Viewers can now Watch live transmission of PTV SPORTS on CABLE TV Service, Satellite Service, IPTV including PTCL SMART TV and online live streaming links.
PTV SPORTS Frequency Tunning:
Satellite Parameters: AsiaSat - 3S
Downlink Frequency: 4106 MHz
Symbol Rate: 2.893617 Msps
Downlink Polarity - Vertical: FEC 3/4 or Auto
[AsiaSat 3S (105.5°E) C-Band]
PTV SPorts Launching important video
Pakistan Sports TV Live Launching important video:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=219454851475419
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=219454851475419
PTV and Zee Tv Agreement for sports
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