Jamshed helps Pakistan level series

Opener Nasir Jamshed hit an aggressive 97 to guide Pakistan to a seven-wicket win over Australia in the second one-dayer, levelling the three-match series at 1-1 in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

The 22-year-old left-hander took the attack to the Australian bowlers during his 98-ball innings, hitting 11 boundaries and two well-timed sixes to help his team successfully chase a 249-run target in the 43.4 overs at Abu Dhabi Stadium.

Australia owed their recovery to another left-hander Michael Hussey (61) to post a challenging total despite an impressive performance by Pakistan's ace spinner Saeed Ajmal (4-32).

Australia had won the first match by four wickets in Sharjah on Tuesday. The third and final match will be played in Sharjah on Monday.

Pakistan's batting, which folded in the first one-day for 198, showed a remarkable improvement as Jamshed and Mohammad Hafeez (23) raced to 66 by the 12th over to set their team on course for a win.

Even when Hafeez pulled Dan Christian straight into the hands of Hussey, Jamshed remained unperturbed, as he pulled Christian for two exquisite sixes over mid-wicket.

He brought up his sixth one-day fifty off 58 balls.

As he looked set for his second hundred, Jamshed miscued a drive off Mitchell Johnson straight into the hands of Mitchell Starc at mid-off. He added 101 for the second wicket with Azhar Ali who made 59 not out.

Pakistan also lost Asad Shafiq (nine) but Ali and Misbah-ul Haq (35) saw off the target.

Australian paceman Starc and James Pattinson, who shared eight wickets between them in the first match, found the ball hard to grip in the humid conditions and dismissed just one batsman.

Misbah showed delight after the win.

"I am really, really happy that we showed remarkable improvement and won this game," said Misbah. "The bowlers did a wonderful job and then Jamshed and Ali played good knocks, so it's satisfying."
Australian captain Michael Clarke praised the winners.

"Full credit to Pakistan. I was difficult to bowl under lights but there are no excuses," said Clarke.

Earlier Hussey came good with his 38th one-day fifty to lead an Australian recovery from a precarious 87-4 after they won the toss and batted. Australia scored 73 runs in the last 10 overs foiling Ajmal, who at one point looked capable of keeping Australia down to 220.

Hussey added an invaluable 66 for the fifth wicket with George Bailey (39) and then a rapid 58 for the sixth with Glenn Maxwell who made 28 in 27 balls to propel the Australian total.

Hussey hit two sixes and a boundary off 72 balls before he was bowled by Ajmal in the 46th over.

Australia had lost opener Mathew Wade in the second over for seven before David Warner and Clarke added 66 for the second wicket.

Warner, who played an uncharacteristically slow knock, with his first run coming off his 19th delivery, and Clarke (37) slowly built the score to 74 before Pakistani spinners Ajmal and Hafeez (1-28) took three quick wickets.

Hafeez dismissed Clarke while Ajmal accounted for Warner -- both trapped in front of the wicket. Warner hit two boundaries in his 24, which came off 68 balls.

Australia upped the pace of their innings when Maxwell hit two towering sixes off Abdur Rehman in the 40th over, helping them to 31 in the batting power-play. Paceman Junaid Khan took 3-52.

Dernbach stars as England beat South Africa

London: Jade Dernbach marked his return to England duty with three wickets, including the prize scalp of Hashim Amla, in a four-wicket win over his native South Africa in the third one-day international at The Oval.

Dernbach, recalled in place of Tim Bresnan, took three for 44 in nine overs on his Surrey home ground Friday as South Africa were dismissed for a below par 211 with 20 balls of their innings left.

Fellow seamer James Anderson took four for 44 in 9.4 overs, including a spell of three for one in eight balls that polished off the tail to help set up a win -- England's first over the Proteas this season in any format -- that levelled the five-match series at 1-1.

England slumped to 64 for three in reply before a fourth-wicket partnership of 108 between former South Africa youth international Jonathan Trott (71) and ex-Ireland left-hander Eoin Morgan (73) punished the tourists for not making enough runs after winning the toss.

Amla was again South Africa's top scorer, as he had been while making a masterful 150 in the Proteas' 80-run victory at Southampton on Tuesday.

But his return to the ground where last month he became the first South Africa batsman to score a Test match triple century saw him dismissed by Dernbach for just 43.

South Africa made a steady start after winning the toss, with Amla and Graeme Smith sharing an opening partnership of 50. But Smith was bowled by Anderson for 18 after the left-hander charged down the pitch.

England then got Amla, a thorn in their side all season, out relatively cheaply when Dernbach produced a full length delivery that nipped back and bowled him off the inside edge. James Tredwell, replacing rested fellow off-spinner Graeme Swann, took two for 49 as both South Africa captain AB de Villiers and JP Duminy holed out when well set.

Dean Elgar, in only his second innings at this level, made 42 until bowled by a clever slower ball from Dernbach, who last played for England in a one-dayer against Australia in July, that completely deceived the left-hander.

Dernbach, born in Johannesburg but who arrived in England as a schoolboy, struck again when Wayne Parnell edged to wicke

Deccan Chargers in talks to sell their team

The BCCI has extended time for the IPL franchise Deccan Chargers to sort out the financial mess related to the team. IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla told news agency PTI that the franchise has been give time till September 15th to sort out all their financial problems and get back to the BCCI.

This came after Chairman of Deccan Chronicle Holdings TV Reddy told the Economic Times in an interview that the group was selling the Deccan Chargers cricket team and that they were at an advanced stage of negotiations.

The Deccan Chronicle group has been facing a major financial crisis and had mortgaged assets of their IPL team to banks to raise funds. This was without the consent of BCCI and against the rules of the IPL.

The IPL Governing Council had earlier imposed a August 31st deadline for the Hyderbad-based franchise to sort out their financial issues.

The Deccan Chargers along with another franchise – Royal Challengers Bangalore have also been guilty of not clearing dues owed to its cricketers.

The Deccan Chronicle group had acquired the franchise for USD 107 million in 2008.

Shane Bond willing to become Black Caps' bowling coach

Wellington, Sep 1: Former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond has expressed his willingness to take up the role of bowling coach with the national team after current coach Damien Wright's tenure comes to an end after the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.

Bond, who took 87 wickets from 18 Tests, works with the NZC and Central Districts team as a bowling coach and has worked with current New Zealand bowlers Doug Bracewell and Adam Milne.

"I am interested in the role, but I want to know more. There's not much else to say really, until I see a job description," Bond was quoted as saying.

Former Australian coach and current director of New Zealand Cricket (NZC) John Buchanan seemed keen on giving Bond's name a serious thought.

"We'll go through the advertising process. We're aware that Damien Wright has to move on so we'll go through that process, but obviously someone like Shane Bond presents [himself] as one of the candidates that we're very interested in talking with," Buchanan said.

"We are very disappointed to lose a quality coach like Damien but can totally understand his reasons for having to step away from the job," the Daily Times quoted him, as saying.

PCB chief Zaka Ashraf appointed chairman of Asian Cricket Council

Lahore, Sep 1: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf has been appointed as chairman of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) development committee.

This is a coveted position that deals with development of the game of cricket in associate member countries of the ACC.

Pakistan did not have any committee chairmanship of the ACC in 2011, the Daily Times reports.

"The PCB chairman has called a meeting of the development committee in Pakistan in September.

"The meeting will help showcase Pakistan as safe for such forums to take place. Last time the ACC development committee meeting was held in Pakistan in 2006 in Islamabad," said a spokesman for the PCB on Friday.

Fear in eyes of opposition batsmen motivates Ajmal

Karachi, Sep 1 : Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has said he gets motivated to bowl well by seeing fear in the opposition batsmen's eyes.

Ajmal has vowed to keep improving despite being snubbed from the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year Award.

He is currently with the team playing against Australia and has prompted them to make 'special plans' on countering his threat on the UAE pitches.

Rewarded with a place in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Team of the Year, Ajmal said the pressure to live up to expectations has not taken a toll, but, instead, motivated him to do better, The Express Tribune reports.

He said: "Expectations from fans as well as teammates motivate me a lot. Whenever I've heard of being a trump card for the team, I aim to perform even better. The expectation puts a bit of pressure but this motivates me to do better. I know batsmen fear facing me and it makes me happy. Not dejected on missing out the ICC awards."

Meanwhile, several former cricketers, including chief selector Iqbal Qasim, raised concerns after Ajmal was omitted from the shortlisted candidates for the top three ICC awards.

While he was included in the ICC Test Team of the Year, his name was a notable exclusion from the ICC Cricketer of the Year, ICC Test Cricketer of the Year and ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year, despite an impressive performance during the 12-month qualifying period.

The 34-year old, who surpassed the 100-wicket mark in the opening One-Day International against Australia in Sharjah, said that his aim was to be the best in the world regardless of how much hard work it took.

Laxman happy with his decision to retire

Bangalore: A fortnight after suddenly deciding to retire, V.V.S.Laxman looked absolutely relaxed on landing here on Friday, ahead of Sunday’s felicitation by the Anil Kumble-headed Karnataka State Cricket Association.

“I’m happy... I’m comfortable with the decision I’ve taken,” Laxman, always the gentleman, told The Telegraph.

Wife Sailaja nodded, adding: “I’m very happy... I’m saying it because, now, I see him very happy... From what I can make out, he’s not missing cricket.”

They’ve been married for eight years.

Laxman did want to watch either the third or the fourth (and final, as it turned out) day’s play of the first Test, in hometown Hyderabad, but couldn’t.

“We’d set out on the third day, but it began to rain rather heavily... Then, the next day, both children (son Sarvajit and daughter Achintya) fell ill... For the first time, they found me at home when they weren’t well and I didn’t want them to feel bad,” Laxman explained.

If it’s not on Saturday, Laxman will definitely be at the Chinnaswamy on Sunday, the third day of the second and final India versus New Zealand Test.