Australia squad for the India Tour

Australia  selectors announced   17 man squad which includes the uncapped allrounders Glenn Maxwell and Moises Henriques for the tour of India. Fast Bowler  James Pattinson also included  in a five man pace attack after absent most of the Australian summer due to  rib injury. 

The selectors have also recall left arm spinner Xavier Doherty and all-rounder Steven Smith to the Test side. Doherty have played just two Tests matches  both  in the Ashes in 2010 which Australia vanished but he win the race over Steven O' Keefe. Steven Smith also  has not played Test cricket after the  Ashes but has been selected for his capability to bowl leg spin and also his ability to handle spinners.  Left hander batsman  Usman Khawaja has also been chosen in the side . 

Australia Squad: 

Michael Clarke (skipper), Shane Watson, David Warner, Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes, Matthew Wade, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, Jackson Bird, Xavier Doherty, Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Peter Siddle

Sri Lanka clinched the T20 Series against Aussies after last ball win

Jayawardene and Perera guided Sri Lanka beat Australia by 2 runs (D/L Method) in the 2nd Twenty 20 Internationals at MCG on Monday. This win leads Sri Lanka sweeps the T20 series 2-0.

Australia won the toss put Sri Lanka into bat first, Sri Lanka scored 161 runs for the loss of four wickets in their 20 overs. Mahela Jayawardene smashed 61 runs from 45 ball included with 5 fours and 2 sixes. Thisara Perera made unbeaten 25 from 24 balls. 

In the chasing Australia failed to made a good start. After 10 overs rain interpreted the match for some minutes so the target revised by DL Method. Aussies 59 from 30 balls. Finally Australia ended their innings with 119 for 5 in 15 overs. Shaun Marsh was the top scorer with unbeaten 47 runs and skipper Bailey made 45 runs. Kulasekara, Mendis, Perera take one wicket each. Thisara Perera named for the Man of the Match award.

Bell guide England ended series on high

Opening batsmen  Ian Bell's unbeaten 113 runs, England beat India by seven wickets in the 5th  and final ODI  here on Sunday.  India seal the five match series 3-2. England made  a solid start with the openers  putting up a 50 runs stand. After that Joe Root (31) and an unbeaten Eoin Morgan (40) guide England to chase down  target of 227 runs  in 47.2 overs.

Root was playing well  each ball with the straight bat, until he tried a risky shot of going after Ravindra Jadeja and missed it completely to be bowled for 31. England were 143 for 3 in 35.4 overs and Bell was the key and he didn't allow his team down to brought up  his 3rd ODI century.

Earlier, an sharp bowling show by England bowlers led by Tim Bresnan bowled  out India to a low total of 226 runs. India got off to a nervous start after put in to bat and at one stage didn't look like going past 200. But a rough knock of 83 by Suresh Raina and some useful cameos from the batsmen lower down the order guide the India to a competetive total on the board.

Raina's wicket finished India's expect of going past the 200 run mark, but thanks to the useful knocks by R Ashwin (19) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (31) this objective was achieved with relative ease. For England, Bresnan starred with four wickets while Finn and James Tredwell take two wickets each. Ian Bell named for the Man of the Match award.

Mathews sets up Sri Lanka win over Australia at Sydney

Sri Lanka won the 1st Twenty20   International against Aussies  by five wickets at Sydney on Saturday Night. following Australia made  137 for 3 in their 20 overs, Sri Lanka replied among 139 for 5 in 18.5 overs.

David Warner had before put Australia in a fine position with a sparkling knock of 90 not out.The  Sri Lankan batsmen were forever in control of the run chase and they reached the target when Thisara Perera blasted Ben Laughlin for two successive sixes. Sri Lanka lead the two match series 1-0. David Warner named for the Man of the Award for his best knock.

The both  teams will meet again in the 2nd  and final match in Melbourne on Monday.

Graeme Smith stars as South Africa beat New Zealand by 1 wicket in the final ODI

Ryan McLaren cracked a six off the last  ball of the match as South Africa prevent  a one-day international series whitewash at the hands of New Zealand with a remarkable one wicket victory at Potchefstroom. 

South Africa looked to have wasted Graeme Smith's excellent  116 runs  at the top of the innings when, in pursuit of 261 runs for victory, they drooping from 229 for 5 to 258 for 9 to be left needing three off the last  delivery  to take the win.

McLaren's 25 not out proved vital as wickets tumbled around him and followed an inspiring bowling spell by the all rounder as he take 4 for 52 in New Zealand's 260 for 9.

This  was Smith who provided the spine of South Africa's flourishing run chase, though. The Test captain struck 14 fours in scoring 116 runs  and looked to have steered the side  into a winning position.

New Zealand, cheerful after pocketing their 1st ODI series win in South Africa on Tuesday, had earlier built what looked a defendable total thanks to fifties  from Grant Elliott (54), Colin Munro (57) and James Franklin (53 *). McLaren fine bowling  with four wickets, as did Lonwabo Tsotsobe who ended with 4 for 45 off his 10 overs spell.Graeme Smith named for the Man of the Match Award.

England squad announced for the New Zealand Tour

England's  selectors have replaced fast bowler Tim Bresnan with the uncapped Chris Woakes in the Test squad for the tour of New Zealand. Tim Bresnan will fly back to England after the ODI tour of India and have his elbow assessed; he had an elbow surgical treatment in 2011 and has lost form ever since. 

Test squad: 

Alastair Cook (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Nick Compton, Steven Finn, Graham Onions, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes 

ODI squad:

 Alastair Cook (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, James Harris, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes 

T20 squad: 

Stuart Broad (captain), Jonny Bairstow, Danny Briggs, Jos Buttler, Jade Dernbach, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes, Luke Wright

Rohit, Raina sets up series win for India against England

 India claimed  the ODI  series against England as the hosts ride on the batting performance  of Suresh Raina (89*) and Rohit Sharma (83) to style a easy five wicket win  in the 4th ODI  match and take the 3-1 lead in the five match series  on Wednesday. 

The India  1st  restricted the England to 257 for 7  and then come back  some concerned moments before chased the target with 15 balls left  in a floodlit game played in English conditions at Mohali. 

 The  India  had the match  in control after putting visitors  into bat, they scored as many as 100 runs in the final  ten overs with unheralded Joe Root unbeaten  57  from  45 balls) and Kevin Pietersen’s 76  runs given that the delayed sparks with some strong hits. skipper Alastair Cook was another notable performance  with a knock of 76 runs. Indians held their spirit during the run chase and it was finally Raina who guided the team home. 

This  was a worthy series win  for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his boys  who had come under fire for indifferent performances in recent matches, which leads  the team lost a Test series to England and an ODI series crush against arch rivals Pakistan at home.  Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rebuild  the innings with a 52 runs  partnership for the 2nd  before James Tredwell struck for his team in his very first over by Virat  Kohli for 26 and followed by Yuvraj out for 3.

Earlier, put into bat, England lost three wickets in quick sequence in the middle of the innings after a reasonably good start, but the young batsmen Joe  Root unleashed a dramatic counter attack to steer the total past the 250 mark, it was looked uncertain at one stage. 

Root, who smashed  eight boundaries and a six during his 45-ball blitzkrieg, and Pietersen were largely responsible for England's recovery. Spinner Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the Indian bowlers with (3 for 39) while Ishant Sharma (2 for 47) and R Ashwin (2 for 63) were the other wicket takers.  Suresh Raina named for the Man of the Award for his match winning knock.

Australia beat Sri Lanka in the Final ODI and Square the Series 2-2

Australia have came back after  the absense  of skipper  Michael Clarke and averted ruin by level  the one day series against Sri Lanka at 2-2 with a hard 32 runs  win  at Bellerive.

The unbeaten hundred  from Phil Hughes and three wickets each from Xavier Doherty and Moises Henriques have guide  the Australia  side to a fighting win after they were behind 2-1 in the series.

Phillip  Hughes smashed  138 from 154 balls, his career best  ODI score, to secure Australia's 5 for 247 and set up a scary run chase for Sri Lanka. Doherty (3 for 21) then dismissed  three of the Sri Lankan’s  top four and Henriques (3 for 32) made vital breakthroughs to pull Australia off the canvas.

Sri Lanka  were 1 for 57 when Mahela Jayawardene, in his final  match as skipper, was caught for 38 from 39.  Doherty strike again in his next over when he had Lahiru Thirimanne (1 off  10) caught in the deep at 2-62. When Henriques had Tillakaratne Dilshan (19 off  48) caught behind it was 3-71 and Xavier Doherty bowled Dinesh Chandimal (6 off  10) for 4-77.

A important  79 runs  partnerships  between Angelo Mathews (67 off  79) and Jeevan Mendis (26 off 40) for the 6th  wicket .Finally Sri Lanka bowled out for 215 runs in 48.3 overs.  Phillip Hughes got Man of the Match award and Nuwan Kulasekara named for the Player of the Series.

Kane Williamson guide New Zealand's first ever series win at South Africa

New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum on Tuesday claimed  one of his country's most excellent one-day series wins  and an brilliant  innings by Kane Williamson which made win possible over South Africa.

Kane Williamson smashed  145 not out to set up a 27 runs win for New Zealand in the 2nd  one day international   at the Diamond Oval. This win leads  the New Zealand  a winning 2-0 lead in the three match series and was a major turn for a team who were crushed  by an innings in both Test matches.

Kane Williamson bounced back from a unsatisfactory Test series with a confident, stroke filled career-best innings in a New Zealand total of 8 for 279. There was a record total of five run-outs as the South Africa  limped to 252 runs  all out in reply.

Kane Williamson and Grant Elliott (48) laid the base for New Zealand's total with a 3rd wicket stand of 127 runs from  128 balls. South Africa at one  in control as Graeme Smith and Colin Ingram put on 139 runs partnership  for the 2nd  wicket. Kane Williamson named for the Man of the Match award for his career best Century.

Trinidad & Tobago won the third successive Caribbean T20 Title

Caribbean T20 Final

Guyana Vs Trinidad & Tobago 

St. Lucia, 20 January 2013

Trinidad & Tobago won the toss and chose to field first

Guyana 116 for 6 in 20 overs

Christopher Bornwell 32

Trevon Griffith 29

Shannon Gabriel 2-16

Royad Emrit 2-18

Trinidad & Tobago 120 for 1 in 12.3 overs

Lendl Simmons 52*

Kieron Pollard 25*

Evin Lewis 32

Trinidad & Tobago won by 9 wickets.

Man of the Match - S Gabriel, Man of the Series - D Bravo

India moved to No.1 in the ICC ODI Rankings

India reached No.1 spot in the ICC ODI Rankings. India gain two massive win over England in the current five match ODI Series. After the loss against New Zealand South Africa slipped into 3rd Place. 

TEAMS                RANK     POINTS

India                        1            119
England                    2            118
South Africa             3            116
Sri Lanka                 4             111
Australia                   5            111

Sydney One Dayer washed out due to rain

Rain washed Sri Lanka of the possibility to win their one day international series with Australia on Sunday, after two umpiring howlers and one more top order collapse restricted the Aussies  to just 9 for 222 at the Sydney.

Sri Lanka  2-1 lead  in the five match  series, Sri Lanka reached 0 for 14, with openers Tillakaratne Dilshan with unbeaten 9 runs  and captain Mahela Jayawardene on 4  successfully negotiating the first 3.2 overs in reply before rain . Rain stopped falling nearly an hour before the match was called off ,  the outfield measured too wet for play.

This  will go down as a missed opportunity for the Sri Lanka, who will now head to Hobart for Wednesday's fifth and final match  seeking successive  ODI series wins, after their victory over New Zealand at home in November last year.

Australia's innings was built seriously around top scoring opener David Warner (60) and some lusty lower order hitting from No.9 Mitchell Starc with unbeaten 52. Nuwan Kulasekara take 3 for 30 and Lasith Malinga also claimed 2 for 33 runs. Rangana Herath (2 for 37) and Thisara Perera (2 for 64) were the other wicket takers.

New Zealand thriller win against South Africa in the first ODI

James Franklin batted brilliantly with the tail to secure a nervous one wicket upset win for New Zealand in the 1st  one day international against South Africa at Boland Park on Saturday.

James Franklin made unbeaten  47  as the final  three New Zealand wickets added 104 runs in a low-scoring match after South Africa had been all  out for 208.

Franklin  put on 35 runs  for the 8th  wicket with Nathan McCullum (24) and 47 runs  for the ninth wicket with Kyle Mills. When Kyle Mills was bowled by Ryan McLaren for 26 runs  there were still 22 runs needed but Franklin successfully farmed the strike before hitting McLaren through the covers for the winning boundary.

Faf du Plessis was the top scorer with 57 runs  as South Africa were all  out for 208 runs after being sent in to bat. Then McLaren take  4 for 46. Left-arm opening bowler Mitchell McClenaghan claimed  4 for 20 on debut as New Zealand's bowlers exerted stiff control.

McClenaghan take  the important  wickets of Graeme Smith and captain AB de Villiers and followed up with two late wickets. Du Plessis made a determined 57 runs from  71 balls. James Franklin named for the Man of the Match award for his crucial innings.

India crush England by seven wickets lead the series 2-1

Following Indian  bowlers bundled  England for 155 runs, Virat Kohli’s blowy 79 ball 77 guide  India chase the target in just 28.1 overs at the newly constructed HEC International Stadium in Ranchi on Saturday. With this seven wicket win, India take  a 2-1 lead in the five-match ODI series.

India have won the toss and decided to bowl first.  England start solidly but after opener dismissal England lose wickets in regular intervals. Joe Root was top scorer for England with 39 runs and Ian Bell and Tim Bresnan made 25 runs. Ravindra Jadeja claimed 3 for 19 in his 6.2 overs. Ishant Sharma and R Ashwin take 2 wickets each. Finally England bowled out for 155 runs in 42.2 overs.

In the chasing, India lose opener Rahane for duck, and followed by Gautam Gambhir with 33 runs. But Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh chased towards target without pressure. Yuvraj Singh scored 30 runs. Virat Kohli was the top scorer for India with unbeaten 77 runs and Son of Soil MS Dhoni not out on 7 runs. India chased Target 157 for 3 in 28.1 overs. Virat Kohli named for the Man of the Match award.

Brisbane Heat wins Big Bash League T20 2013 Title

The Brisbane Heat are the new champions of Australian Twenty20 cricket after defeated  the Perth Scorchers by 34 runs in  Big Bash League  final at the WACA Ground.

Chasing 168 runs  for victory, the Perth Scorchers were restricted to 9 for 133, with dangerman Shaun Marsh out  for just 16 off 24 balls. TheBrisbane  Heat only booked their place in the BBL finals with an upset win over Hobart Hurricanes  in the last round of the season.

Joe Burns (43 from  27 balls) top scorer for the Brisbane Heat in their total of 5 for 167, while Dan Christian (37 from  21) provided some vital big hits at the tail-end of their innings. And even if Brisbane opener Pomersbach couldn't get close to repeating his recent heroics, he still managed 37 runs from  38 balls to get the Brisbane Heat off to a hard start.

The Brisbane Heat's bowlers then backed up the efforts, with West Indies paceman Kemar Roach (3 for 18 off his four overs) and spinner Nathan Hauritz (0 for 11) grinding down the Perth Scorchers early, before Ben Cutting snared the crucial scalp of Marsh. Adam Voges (49 from  32 balls) and Marcus North scored 24  looked promising in patches.

Kulasekara, Mallinga stars as Sri Lanka beat Australia by four wickets

Sri Lanka gain  four wicket victory after right arm fast bowler  Nuwan Kulasekara collapse Australia with a excellent  display of swing bowling in the 3rd  one day international in Brisbane on Friday.

Australia's top and middle order batsmen capitulated before Kulasekara's inswing while Lasith Malinga (3 for 22) polished off the tail to bowl out the Australia  for 74 in 26.4 overs. This  win, though not as convincing as it should have been, puts Sri Lanka 2-1 lead  in the five match series. Sydney hosts the 4th  one day on Sunday.

For Australia, only Mitchell Starc unbeaten 22  and Xavier Doherty (15) managed double digits, adding 34 runs for the final  wicket to take the home side past their lowest ODI total ever. Mitchell Johnson (3 for 11) blew away their top order, while Starc claimed a two  as Sri Lanka lost six wickets before scrambling over the line in 20 overs.

Kushal Perera was unbeaten on 22 runs, while Tillakaratne Dishan also contributed as many runs. After Kulasekara had showing Australia's lower order, Malinga ran through the tail, dismissed  Johnson, Wade and Clint McKay. Nuwan Kulasekara named for the Man of the Award.

Perth Scorchers qualified for the Big Bash Finals after thriller win over Stars

Perth Scorchers will play the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League final after beating  the Melbourne Stars in one of the most impressive Twenty20 clashes in domestic cricket history. Suitably  Michael Hussey (21), who donned the wicketkeepers gloves in the field, scored the winning runs  four off the last ball when the Perth Scorchers only required a single off the last delivery.

Perth Scorchers  successfully chased an magnificent total set by the D/L  method at 139 from 13 overs - a rain revised total after the Stars scored 2 for 183 in 18 overs. The match would have finished differently had a no ball not been awarded for James Faulkner's first, last ball which Adam Voges (36) failed to hit with Perth Scorchers  needing 3 runs for win.

Replays show Faulkner's foot was over the line, but the no ball was awarded for the Melbourne Stars having three fielders, rather than the required four, fielders in the circle. The mass of the credit for Perth Scorchers  should go to Shaun Marsh who hit 68 runs from  40 balls, with  11 boundaries. Adam Voges also played a vital innings smashed  three sixes in his 21 ball knock.

Earlier, Cameron White made  88 runs from 53 balls, with  five sixes, after being promoted to opener and number three Hodge added 70 from  43 balls with six maximums. The Perth Scorchers will now host the final match  against the Brisbane Heat  on Saturday at the WACA ground.

India gain massive win in the 2nd ODI and square the Series 1-1

India fight  back to square the five match  ODI series against England at 1-1 credit to a 127 runs  win  in Kochi.

India won the toss and batted first. They started slowly, but lead by some belatedly fireworks from MS Dhoni (72 off  66 balls) and Ravi Jadeja (61 off  37), they scored  a tough total of 285 for 6 in  50 overs. England build  little by little after the early loss of in-form Ian Bell, but when Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan in a double wicket maiden they never fully recovered.

And in the end, with 14 overs remains  and collapse to a score of 158 runs  all out, it was a poor performance from the England  having upset the India  in the first game. Virat Kohli (37) and Yuvraj Singh (32) rebuild  the innings carefully. Suresh Raina (55) posted consecutive half century in the series, but it was only once India got into the final 10 overs of their innings that they cut loose. Dhoni and Jadeja added 108 in the last 10 overs .

Kevin Pieterson scored made 44 runs from 42 balls Joe Root, playing his 1st  knock at ODI level, and Craig Kieswetter mutual as the innings ground to a halt. 

Woakes, a capable batsman, dismissed  for a duck three balls later, while James Tredwell (1) and Steven Finn (0) fell in successive balls to Ravi  Ashwin. Patel took the batting powerplay and smashed a defiant unbeaten 30. Ravindra Jadeja named for Man of the Match award for brilliant fifty and his crucial 2 wickets. The 3rd One Day starts on Saturday at Ranchi.

Brisbane Heat into the Finals after 15 runs win over Renegades

 Luke Pomersbach's unbeaten 112 runs  guide  push Brisbane Heat to a 15 run upset victory over Melbourne Renegades in  Big Bash League knockout semi final at Etihad Stadium. The Brisbane Heat compiled a terrifying total of 3 for 183 before fast bowler  Ben Cutting take  3 for 24 as the Melbourne Renegades scored 9 for 168 in reply.

The Melbourne Renegades  finishing on top of the table with a 7-1 win-loss record, they were unable to overcome the fourth-placed Heat. Punishing left hander Pomersbach, who was handed a lifeline at Brisbane by coach Darren Lehmann after a series of alcohol related incidents in Western Australia, hit  15 fours and two sixes in his 70 ball knock.

The Melbourne Renegades starts  their run chase well as Aaron Finch and Alex Hales scored  34 from the first three overs. But Cutting take  1-1 from the fourth over to apply the brakes, bowling Hales for 20. Spinner Nathan Hauritz got  his first wicket of the tournament when Alex Doolan fell for 13 at 2 for 63 and the key breakthrough came two deliveries later when Renegades' leading runscorer Finch (23) holed out to deep cover to spinner Chris Lynn (2 for 15).

Cutting also bowled Tom Cooper for 14  while the home side's other main batting hope Ben Rohrer fell to Lynn's bowling at 5 for 131 after smashing 42 off 22 balls. Luke Pomersbach's hundred  was only the second by any player this season in the BBL and he was  the leading run scorer with 360.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

South Africa wrap the Test Series with huge win

South Africa's cruel destruction of New Zealand showed why they are ranked the number one team in Test cricket, both captains agreed after the South Africa  finished an innings win in the 2nd  and final Test at St George's Park on Monday.

Fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel used the 2nd  new ball to upsetting effect as South Africa won by an innings and 197 runs before lunch on the fourth day. It was their second consecutive innings win against the outclassed New Zealanders.

Man of the match Steyn claimed  3 for 48 for match figures of 8 for 65 while Morkel take 2 for 36 as New Zealand were bowled out for 211 on Monday. They wanted only a combined 34 deliveries to take the last five wickets. Dean Brownlie and BJ Watling put on 98 runs  for the 5th  wicket before Brownlie was caught behind off Jacques Kallis for 53 in the tenth over of the day.

The new ball was taken three overs later and the rest of the batsmen folded quickly, with an early finish becoming inevitable when Watling was bowled by Dale Steyn for 63. The both  teams meet in three one day internationals, starts  in Paarl on Saturday, but then both face new Test challenges next month. South Africa are at home to Pakistan in three Tests while New Zealand will be hosting England.

New Zealand fight back but South Africa in control on Day 3

New Zealand fight fearlessly to move to 157 for 4 in their 2nd  innings, following on and still 247 runs behind South Africa’s 1st Innings Total, at the end  of the 3rd  day's play in the second test on Sunday.

Unbeaten pair BJ Watling (41) and Dean Brownlie (44) show  stern fighting and the duo looked relatively untroubled as they added an unbroken 5th wicket partnership of 73 runs  off 27.2 overs to steer their side  to the end  of play. Opener Martin Guptill scored  48 runs  before being bowled by seamer Rory Kleinveldt who went on to have Daniel Flynn (0) caught behind with his next ball.

Kleinveldt finished  the day with 2 for 31 while left arm spinner Robin Peterson, who accounted for Brendon McCullum (11) and Kane Williamson (11), take  2 for 29. The New Zealand  showed far more willpower with the bat than they had in their 1st  innings when they subsided to 121 all out in reply to the top ranked South Afroca  525 for 8 declared.

The first  session had belonged to fast bowler  Dale Steyn, the world's peak ranked bowler, he take  5 for 17 off in his  13 overs to bundle New Zealand out 30 minutes before lunch, at that stage trailing South Africa by 404 runs. Watling provided the one shining light for the New Zealand  in their first dig as his battling 63 runs  from  87 balls with 13 fours added some gloss to the innings.

New Zealand resumed  the day on a parlous 47 for 6 and the pair of Watling and Doug Bracewell (7) added 14 runs to the overnight total before the right-handed Bracewell prodded at a Steyn delivery to send an outside edge through to keeper De Villiers. The forceful Watling was the last man out, caught at 1st  slip off the bowling of fast bowler  Morne Morkel.

Sri Lanka crush Australia by eight wickets in 2nd ODI

Lahiru Thirimanne smashed his maiden one day International century helped Sri Lanka levelled the five match one day series against Australia with  eight wickets win on Sunday.

Sri Lanka put the hosts in to bat after rain delayed the start at the Adelaide Oval and the bowlers utilized  on cloud cover and moisture in the pitch to restrict Australia to 170 all out.

In the Sri Lanka reply started poorly when Upal Thuranga was caught behind off Clint McKay for 0 but Thirimanne made unbeaten 102  and Tillakaratne Dilshan (51) dug in to guide Sri Lanka reach 172 for 2 with almost 10 overs remaining.

The series is level at 1-1 after two of the five matches, with the teams next match in Brisbane on Friday.

South Africa right on Top after another NZ batting collapse

New Zealand shrunken again against South Africa's fast bowling  attack when they staggered to 47 for 6 in their 1st  innings in reply to the South Africa’s  525 for 8  declared on the 2nd  day  of the second Test at St. George's Park in Port Elizabeth.

The pace duo of Dale Steyn and Rory Kleinveldt finished the day with figures of 2 for 14 and 2 for 18 respectively, while left arm spinner Robin Peterson grabbed  two wickets in two balls. Hashim Amla, Du Plessis and Dean Elgar all scored  three scored centuries  for the world's top side.

Faf Du Plessis, who began the day on 69, eventually made  137 off 252 balls including  with 14 fours and two sixes . Elgar bring up his first century, in his 3rd  Test, off what turned out to be the last ball of South Africa's innings to end not out on 103 off 170 balls  with 14 fours and a six.

Elgar and Du Plessis shared for a partnership of 131 runs  off 38.5 overs, a South African 6th wicket record stand against New Zealand. Hashim Amla  was out for 110 off 235 balls with his innings including eight fours while he and Du Plessis put on 113 runs for the 5th wicket off 36.5 overs. South Africa are already lead the series 1-0

Luke Pomersbach stars as Brisbane Heat reached semi finals after crushing win against Hurricanes

A vicious onslaught from Luke Pomersbach has powered Brisbane Heat qualify for  the semi finals of the KFC T20 Big Bash League.

Pomersbach cracked the fastest 50 of the contest as the Brisbane Heat thrash  Hobart Hurricanes by eight wickets to set up a date with Melbourne Renegades at Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.

Chasing the Hobart Hurricanes  below par 3 for 150, the Brisbane Heat made a mockery of Hobart's battle with what had appeared a sticky Bellerive pitch to reach the target in just 14.1 overs.

Luke Pomersbach's 50 came from just 24 balls and his 82 off  42 included with 13 fours and two sixes. The Brisbane Heat finish the regular season equal on eight points with the Hobart Hurricanes and Adelaide Strikers but with a greater net run rate. 

Fast Bowler  Doug Bollinger (1 for 41) went for 27 from his 1st  two and Jason Krejza wasn't sighted again after taking 0-31 from his first two. Peter Forrest (18 off 11) was caught in the deep off Bollinger   but the onslaught continued and in form bowler  Ben Laughlin was dispatched for 20 from his 1st  over.

Luke Pomersbach and Joe Burns unbeaten 41 runs  from 27  put on 107 from 55 balls to demolish the Hobart Hurricanes finals hopes. Hobart Hurricanes  needed a late grow from Jonathan Wells (40 off  24) and Englishman Owais Shah (32 off  28) to make their score competitive.

The Hobart Hurricanes  had hurt their way to 3 for 84 before Wells and Shah put on 66 runs  from 42 deliveries. The Hobart Hurricanes managed just a one  six, hit by Ricky Ponting (17 off  16), with miserly Heat, skipper James Hopes bowling a tight 1 for 18 from his four overs while Dan Christian grabed  2 for 32.

Irfan in, Akmal brother are left out for South Africa Tour

Pakistan Cricket Board select talles fast bowler Mohammad Irfan for the Next Month South Africa Tests. Irfan was impressed with brilliant bowling in last India Series. Akmal brothers are left out for Pakistan Test Squad.

Pakistan Squad:

Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Nasir Jamshed, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Haris Sohail, Faisal Iqbal, Taufiq Umar

Hashim Amla century guide South Africa in Control on Day 1

Hashim Amla position out a brilliant hundred  to gave  South Africa the benefit on the 1st  day of the 2nd  and final Test against New Zealand at St George's Park on Friday.

Hashim Amla made unbeaten  106  as South Africa reached 325 for  4  at  the end  of play. Unbeaten  century partnership between Amla and Faf du Plessis (69 not out), with some free scoring after tea, put South Africa on Top.

Hashim Amla was concerned in partnerships of 92 runs  for the 2nd  wicket with skipper  Graeme Smith and 86 runs  for the fourth wicket with de Villiers. Bracewell was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers, grabed  2  for 70 in 21 overs.

All Round England beat India by nine runs in Series opening match

England under arrest a run of 13 straight one day international losses away to India with a nine run triumph at Rajkot.

Led by contributions from the full  batting order, England scored  a spirited total of 325 for 4 in their 50 overs. Alastair Cook (75) and Ian Bell (88) set the tone, and Samit Patel applied the quickfire  touches with a 20 ball 44.

India's openers made a strong  start, and three batsmen - Gautam Gambhir (52), Yuvraj Singh (61) and Suresh Raina (50)   made  half centuries as they set about their target. But visitors  take  wickets at crucial times, with James Tredwell the pick of the attack, to keep the hosts at bay, finally reducing  them to 316 for 9  in an amusing start to the five match series.

Having won the toss, the England skipper and Bell put on a record 1st wicket stand for England against India in ODIs, adding 158 runs  in superior time to get the innings started. Kevin Pietersen (44) and Eoin Morgan (41) then collective in a more belligerent partnership, adding 76 runs  in 65 balls.

India captain Dhoni  hit four massive sixes to unsettle England, but Dernbach, whose bowling had been average until that point, accounted for him with a slower ball when he had 32, then added Ravindra Jadeja later in the over. Ravi Ashwin and Bhuvneshwar Kumar tried to keep in touch with the run rate, but there was to be no final twist as the Indian challenge finally subsided.

Phillip Hughes stars as Australia thrash Sri Lanka in the 1st ODI

Phil Hughes was  the first Australian to score a hundred on his one day international debut as he powered the side to a 107 run win over Sri Lanka at MCG on Friday.

Phillip Hughes made  112 runs  and stand in captain George Bailey scored  89 runs before David Hussey smashed unbeaten  60  off 34 balls to post  a good total into a commanding 305 for 5 in 50 overs  on a flat Melbourne  wicket.

Dinesh Chandimal reserved Sri Lanka in contention with a aggressive 73 runs  but four wickets from Clint McKay and some excellent fielding, including three run outs, restricted the Sri Lanka  to 198 runs  in reply. Victory finished a three match losing streak against Sri Lanka at the MCG.

Australia  won the test series 3 0, lead the five match  series 1-0 with the 2nd  game on Sunday in  Adelaide. Opener Aaron Finch and number three Usman Khawaja managed just 16 and three respectively after Australia won the toss but Phillip Hughes put on 140 for the 3rd  wicket alongside George Bailey at the rate of a run a ball. Hughes named for the Man of the Match award for maiden Cenutury.

Marsh guide Perth Scorchers reaches Semi Final after crushing win over Strikers

Shaun Marsh and his side  Perth Scorchers went on a record run bender to crush  the Adelaide Strikers by 98 runs on Thursday  and qualified for the   Big Bash League  semi final.

Shaun Marsh scored  79 runs  from 60 balls to become the This seasons  top run scorer as Perth Scorchers scored  4 for 189 runs  a record high score in this summer's T20 series. The Adelaide Strikers then collapsed  to 91 runs  all out in 18.3 overs in a unsuccessful  run chase to end their season . The win leads Perth Scorchers  to grab 2nd  spot from the Melbourne Stars and book a home semi final next Wednesday.

Shaun Marsh cracked eight fours and two sixes to top the run scoring list with 328 runs  ahead of Melbourne Renegades skipper Aaron Finch (309 runs. Marsh and Herschelle Gibbs (54 off 34 balls) built a strong platform for the Perth Scorchers with a 95 run opening stand from 12.1 overs.

The in form left hander was removed  in the penultimate over as Adam Voges (35 off  18 balls) continued the aggressive of Adelaide's bowlers. The Adelaide Strikers' run chase was cruelled by early wickets, 2 for 5 after eight balls with Michael Klinger (0) and Travis Head (4) out. Tim Ludeman (11), Nathan Reardon (0) and Callum Ferguson (13) soon followed and Adelaide was a hopeless 5 for 39 runs  in the 9th  over, requiring a run rate forthcoming 13 runs an over to win.

Perth Scorchers fast bowler  Nathan Coulter-Nile dismissed four batsmen yet curiously end  with 3 for 12. Alfonsa Thomas take 3 for 14. Richardson finished with 20, the top score for the Adelaide Strikers.

Alex Hales storms guide Melbourne Renegades beat Sixers

England  opener Alex Hales finished the Sydney Sixers' Big Bash League title defence in stunning style as the table topping Melbourne Renegades sounded an gloomy warning ahead of the finals.

Alex Hales, signed as injured Jamaican Marlon Samuels' alternate on Tuesday, smashed  89 from 52 deliveried,  hitting  eight sixes to lift the  Melbourne Renegades to a total of 5 for 178 and a 29 run win. The show came less than 12 hours after he completed the exacting journey from London to Sydney, but the 24-year-old showed no signs of jetlag in   easy win.

After a sluggish start by the visitors, who opted to bat first, Alex Hales twisted the match  on its head when he single handedly plundered 22 runs from Josh Hazlewood in the 5th  over. Ales Hales take  a particular liking to the spin of Steve O'Keefe (0 from 50 from 3 overs), smacking four sixes off one over with  a punishing blow over long on that travelled 111m and landed on the roof of the Members' Pavilion.

Ben Rohrer  made 57 runs, stand in Renegades skipper in the absence of Aaron Finch  shared a 112 runs partnership with Hales and was in awe of the young gun who was in India three weeks ago with England's national T20 side. Alex Hales' knock was the 2nd  best of the tournament, with Aaron Finch's unbeaten 111 in the season opener the only improved effort.

The first difficulty always looked insurmountable, and so it proved as the Melbourne Renegades made it seven wins off its  eight matches and rolled the Sydney Sixers for 149 runs  with the final ball  of the match. O'Keefe,  top scored for the Sydney Sixers with 41 runs, exacted a small degree of revenge with the bat when he pulled a short ball to Hales in the deep that the Englishman lost in the lights.

Melbourne Stars beat Sydney Thunder by 13 runs

Sydney Thunder's edition of pointlessness has been completed after the bottom of the ranking  lost its 13th straight match by 13 runs against the Melbourne Stars at the MCG on Tuesday.

The Melbourne  Stars, missing two big players  in Shane Warne and Lasith Malinga, struggled to set a total before concluding on 8 for 145 in  20 overs. After Melbounre  star import Chris Gayle put his side  in a brilliant position, the Sydney Thunder lost 9 for 70 to grasp defeat from the jaws of victory. Fast Bowler  Dirk Nannes twisted the ball of the night to dismiss dangerman Brad Hodge (39 from  26) with a ball that beat the batsman and crashed into middle stump.

The Sydney Thunder also removed David Hussey for 32 and then bowled well at the death   taking 4 wickets  for 16 runs  in the final overs   to keep the Melbourne Stars well below a par score. Chris Gayle   has been under pressure to perform after a series of failures   grabed  2 for 5 and ran out Melbourne Stars opener Luke Wright.

Chris Gayle flayed the attack to all parts of the ground, bringing up his fifty in  just 25 balls and the visitors were 1 for 59 after six overs and closing  to victory. The Melbourne Stars tightened the bowling and Bird gave his team a lift when he took a diving catch to dismiss Matt Prior for 7, leaving Sydney 2 for 62 in the 8th  over. Chris Gayle finally out  for 65 from  43 balls, holing out in the deep to Glenn Maxwell off Dimitri Mascarenhas (2 for 27).

The Sydney Thunder had been winless in seven games this Big Bash season, and the defeat now continues the franchise's 13-match streak dating back to last season. The result leads  that the Melbourne Stars (10 points) join the Melbourne Renegades (12) in the finals. The remaining places will be filled by two of the Perth Scorchers, Adelaide Strikers and Hobart Hurricanes, who are separated only by net run rate going into the final round of matches.