The New Nation - Internet Edition

Jayawardene eyes top-notch performance

bdnews24.com , Dhaka

Captain Mahela Jayawardene wants Sri Lanka to be their ruthless self and keep up the standard they have set in the last four to five years when they take on Bangladesh in both Test and one-day international series.

"We have got a very good side, very good combination that we could come up with and we want to maintain the standard," Jayawardene said on Friday said at a media conference at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium after their first practice session was hampered by bad weather.

"We made steady progress as a team in the last four to five years, in both versions of the game and our Test team has been really consistent. So we just want to maintain that," said Jayawardene, who bagged the ICC most successful Test captain last time.

He said he had repeatedly asked the guys to keep the standard up and play the proper cricket whether the opponents were Bangladesh or some other team.

He also said he himself and his teammates were always serious in every game they played.

"Bangladesh are an improving and young side. We don't want to leave any room for them to get close to us and that's the attitude," said a cautious Sri Lankan captain.

Sri Lanka had earlier visited Bangladesh only once for a full series in 2006, and Jaywardene led his side in place of injured regular skipper Marvan Atapattu. In that series, Sri Lanka won both Tests, but lost one of the three ODIs.

"It was not that pleasant, we lost a one-day game to Bangladesh. Yes, it wasn't a great start, but it's always been a good place for us. The people have been brilliant for us, they love the way we play the game," remembered the 31-year old batsman.

"For me yes it was my start here, but I never expected to captain my country for this long. That was the interim period they gave me the job when Marvan was injured.

"Yeah, things have been okay, you know I don't know how long I will hold the post. But the important thing for us is to improve as a team," he continued.

The Sri Lankans only did some stretching in the morning and dispensed with their scheduled net session because of poor visibility in the net area amid gloomy weather.

Jayawardene hoped the weather would change for the better and they would get the wicket prepared for the first Test, beginning on Dec. 26.

Sri Lanka will tour Pakistan next month as India pulled out of their scheduled tour.

Asked whether they were taking the series against Bangladesh to prepare for the tougher Pakistan tour, Jayawardene said: "That is what I said in the beginning. We do not take things like that.

"For us Test cricket is Test cricket, [it] does not matter who we play against. We do not have any Test Cricket after this right now. So there is nothing for us to get prepared for. Our focus is to win the Test series and win the one-day series. That is it."

The Sri Lankans have brought along a bunch of young cricketers as the team management wants to expose some players to the international cricket. Pacer Chaminda Vass was named in the Test squad but rested from one-day team while mercurial Sanath Jayasuriya was named for the one-day squad.

"First of all they haven't been rested. Sanath has retired from Test cricket and Vassy hasn't been selected for the one-dayers, because we have got some very good young bowlers and it's a case of trying and getting them up to the international level," explained coach Trevor Bayliss.

Gambhir hits century against England

AP, Mohali

Opener Gautam Gambhir posted a century and former captain Rahul Dravid found his long-lost form Friday to spur India to 179-1 at the end of an abbreviated opening day of the second test against England.

Gambhir was unbeaten on 106, his fourth century in 22 tests, and Dravid was batting on 65 when bad light stopped play 42 minutes before the scheduled close.

Poor visibility also delayed the start of play for 20 minutes.

England would be the more thankful of the sides for the lost hour, as the India pair put on an unbeaten 173-run partnership for the second wicket after the early loss of their usual catalyst Virender Sehwag for a duck

Pace bowler Stuart Broad, back in the side after recovering from the hamstring injury which forced him to miss the opening test which India won by six wickets, induced an edge off Sehwag into wicketkeeper Matt Prior's gloves in the second over of the match for the sole breakthrough.

Heavy wintry conditions coupled with a fair sprinkling of grass on the pitch seemed to favor the bowlers, yet skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni elected to bat after winning the toss.

England's seamers dominated the morning session in which the home team's batsmen struggled against the movement of the ball before Gambhir stamped his authority with some firm drives and cuts.

Left-hander Gambhir's 229-ball knock included 12 fours and a lofted six over covers off spinner Graeme Swann as he dominated the Indian innings, posting his third test hundred of the season.

Gambhir was lucky to survive when off-spinner Graeme Swann found the edge, but the chance eluded Paul Collingwood's outstretched hand in the slips.

Dravid's patient 205-ball knock featured seven boundaries, helping the stylish batsman post the 54th half-century of his test career and first in nine test innings.

India resisted the temptation to drop out-of-form Dravid down the order. His first boundary came off the 46th delivery and it was his first four in five test innings.

England has returned to India for two tests after flying home after the curtailed limited-overs series in the wake of last month's Mumbai terrorist attacks in which 164 people were killed.

Eight players move into quarter final in men's singles in V Day Tennis

UNB, Dhaka

Amal Roy (NTC) moved into the quarter final of men's singles match of the Popular Pharmaceutical V-Day Tennis Competition beating Kanchan Ram (Nordic Club) by 6-1,6-3 sets at the Ramna National Tennis court Complex on Friday.

In other men's singles matches, Niranjan Ram, Dipu Lal, Arvind Fernando, Anwar Hossain, Alamgir Hossain, Omar Faruk Sunny, and Ranjan Ram reached the quarter final.

In the boys' singles matches for the 16-year age group, Biplob Ram, Shuvo, Sajib Passhi, Hanif Munna and Arvind Fernando moved into the quarterfinal.

In the boys' singles matches for the 14-year age group, Mats Riparoze, Ranjit Passhi, Shams, Sanjib Fernando, Mark Tally and Jamil Bhuiyan advanced into the quarterfinal.

Australia steadies after early collapse

Reuters , Perth

South Africa will have to deny history to win the first Test against Australia in Perth. The Australians were 7-228 at stumps on the third day Friday, a lead of 322 with Brad Haddin not out on 39 and Jason Krejza on 28.

Only one side has ever got more than 300 to win at the WACA and that was when Australia chased 339 against India in 1977-78.

It was only an unbeaten eighth-wicket partnership of 66 by Haddin and Krejza that steadied the ship for Australia after the top order flopped.

Matthew Hayden was in for 39 minutes of false strokes and near misses, but was unlucky to be given out caught and bowled for four to the bowling of Dale Steyn despite the fact he missed the ball by some distance.

Simon Katich was unusually flat footed and caught behind on 37 off Jacques Kallis bowling.

Ricky Ponting played across the line to a good ball from spinner Paul Harris and was also caught behind for 32. Michael Hussey (8) dragged a ball on from Makhaya Ntini.

With the score 4-88 sensible heads were needed, but Michael Clarke slashed at a ball from Steyn when he was 25, nine runs later Andrew Symonds had a rush of blood and hit Harris straight to Graeme Smith.

At 6-157 South Africa was still in the game but Krejza and Haddin spent an hour consolidating the lead to put their side in a good position for the fourth day.

Earlier Mitchell Johnson became the first left-arm paceman to take eight wickets in a Test innings.

Beginning the day with seven wickets, Johnson finished with 8-61 as South Africa was bowled out for 281 this morning after resuming at 8-243, giving Australia a first innings lead of 94.

In the first session Johnson, bowling his second over of the day and first with the second new ball, dismissed Steyn (8) with a brute of a delivery which lifted sharply at the tailender.

Steyn attempted to sway out of the way but gloved the ball as it went through to wicket-keeper Brad Haddin.

It appeared that Johnson would create further history when Boucher, on eight, skied a hook shot but it landed safely just out of reach of Haddin running back and Brett Lee coming around from fine leg.

Lee continued his wicketless match with a five over spell before his replacement, Peter Siddle, dismissed Boucher caught at point by Simon Katich for 26.

The umpires gave Johnson the ball and he left the field to a standing ovation, holding the ball aloft and showing it to all parts of the field.

Johnson set up the game up on Thursday with an extra-ordinary spell late in the day, claiming 5-2 in a 21-ball spell which saw South Africa tumble from a seemingly safe 3-234.

Sri Lanka to tour Pakistan

Former captains hit out at Indian decision

AP, Islamabad

Sri Lanka has confirmed it will tour Pakistan from next month, filling in after India withdrew from its scheduled tour in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks.

"Today we have received the confirmation from Sri Lanka and the series begins in the fourth week of January," Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer Salim Altaf told AP on Friday.

Sri Lanka will play three tests, three one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international across Karachi, Lahore and Multan.

"The series starts with a Twenty20 match and a one-dayer in Karachi before Lahore hosts the remaining two one-day internationals and the first test match," Altaf said.

Multan will host the second test and Karachi the third.The Sri Lanka confirmation has given the PCB some reprieve after being starved of both game time and the resultant revenue this year.

Prior to India's withdrawal, Australia had pulled out of a tour and the Champions Trophy one-day tournament was postponed, both on security grounds. Pakistan will go throughout 2008 without playing a test.

The PCB has suffered a huge financial loss due to cancellation of Indian series, largely from television rights but also gate receipts, and will recover only a fraction of that by hosting Sri Lanka.

"I can't say what the figure is," Altaf said. "But one thing is sure that the amount of money we would have generated from the television rights from hosting the series against India has no comparison what we will be getting from the Sri Lankan

series," he said.

Indian sports minister M.S. Gill announced India's cancellation in parliament on Thursday. The decision was widely expected after the attacks in Mumbai which killed 164 people. Indian authorities say the attack was committed by militants originating from Pakistan.

India had been due to play three tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international between Jan. 8-Feb. 19.

Vettori strikes after Chanderpaul century

Reuters, Wellington

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori struck in the last over to reduce the West Indies to 258 for six at the close of a fascinating first day of the second test in Napier on Friday.

Vettori bowled West Indies wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin with the first ball of the 91st over to undo some of the damage from a fighting 163-run partnership by the reliable Shivnarine Chanderpaul and newcomer Brendan Nash (74).

Chanderpaul finished on 100 not out with first test century maker Jerome Taylor alongside him on one following a day of fluctuating fortunes.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle won the toss and chose to bat on a sunny day with not a cloud in sight but he was left regretting that decision after steady bowling and brilliant New Zealand fielding reduced the tourists to 74 for four at lunch.

Gayle made his customary blistering start, smashing five boundaries in his 34 before Iain O'Brien produced a brilliant ball which squared the West Indies skipper up and caught the edge of his bat through to wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum.

An aggressive Ramnaresh Sarwan looked to continue the onslaught and raced to 11 before he tried to cut off-spinner Jeetan Patel and gave a faint edge to McCullum.

O'Brien then claimed his second scalp when Xavier Marshall (6) edged a ball to second slip and Jesse Ryder dived to his right to take a superb catch just centimetres from the ground.

With the West Indies 54-3, Guyanan team mates Sewnarine Chattergoon and Chanderpaul dug in and looked like taking their side safely to lunch until Vettori enticed a big drive from Chattergoon (13), which flew to first slip where Jamie How threw his hands up and claimed a brilliant catch.

Chattergoon's dismissal left West Indies staggering at 74 for four on a perfect batting pitch, but Chanderpaul and Nash ground their way through the middle session, adding 80 runs and wearing down the New Zealand attack.

They took the score to 154 for four at tea and began to accelerate after the break.

Nash made his maiden test half century before he was caught at short cover off the bowling of James Franklin, but by the time he departed the West Indies were back in control.

Chanderpaul moved to his 20th test hundred and his first against New Zealand when he turned Vettori around the corner for a single, reaching the mark off 214 deliveries with nine fours and three sixes.

But in the last over of the day Ramdin inexplicably shouldered arms to a straight ball from Vettori and the game swung back towards the hosts.

BCB XI announced for practice 3-dayer against Sri Lanka

Sports Reporter

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Friday the BCB XI, which will take part in a practice three-dayer match against the visiting Sri Lanka scheduled to be held from tomorrow at the BKSP Ground.

The players, who have been chosen, are : Rajin Saleh (captain), Mehrab Hossain (Junior)(vice-captain), Imrul Kayes, Nafis Iqbal, Faisal Hossain, Mohammad Mithun(wicketkeeper), Nazmul Hossain, Shahadat Hossain, Tareq Aziz, Nabil Samad, Saikat Ali, Ashraful Aziz, Md Rahi, Raihanuddin Arafat.

The officials are : Mohammad Salah Uddin (coach), Sajjad Ahmed (manager).

The selected players have been requested to report to the coach and manager today at 4.00 PM at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Rahmatganj MFC holds Sheikh Russel KC 2-2: Ctg Mohammedan beat Muktijoddha SKC 2-0

UNB, Dhaka

Chittagong Mohammedan SC beat Muktijoddha Sangsad KC by 2-0 goals in a match of the Citycell 2nd B. League at the Chittagong Stadium here on Friday.

With this result, Chittagong Mohammedan improved their position with 17 points, while Muktijoddha Sangsad KC remained at four points, both playing 10 matches.

Akbar Hossain Ridon and foreign recruit Rapheal Sagno scored one goal each for the winners in the 39th and 89th minutes respectively.

In the day's other match, minnows Rahmatganj MFS forced Sheikh Russell KC to a 2-2 draw at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS).

With the day's draw, Sheikh Russell KC secured 18 points, while Rahmatganj MFS bagged 14 points from 10 matches.

Mobarak Hossain and Moroccan recruit Touati Youness scored one goal each for Sheikh Russell KC in the 9th and 18th minutes respectively, while Iddris struck twice -- in the 24th and 56th minutes -- for old Dhaka outfit Rahmatganj MFS.

Sunday's match: Dhaka Abahani Limited vs Farashganj SC (BNS at 4:30 pm).