KEN vs CAN: Kenya crush Canada to move to the top of ICC standings

NAIROBI – Left arm spinner Hiren Varaiya dashed Canada’s hopes with another five wicket haul on Sunday as Kenya won the ICC Intercontinental Cup match by eight wickets at the Nairobi Gymkhana club.Varaiya grabbed five wickets to reduce Canada to 281 runs in their first innings and the 23-year-old was equally up to the task with his slow spin which saw the tourists wrap up for 158.

Kenya, after scoring 302 in their first innings needed only 79 runs to win after openers Morris Ouma and David Obuya had ensured the hosts with an easy target wwhen they crafted an unbroken 79-run partnership with a day in hand.

The pair went on to put a 107-run for the first wicket before the partnership ended when Ouma (63) departed in the 24th over.

Thereafter it was an easy task for Tony Suji (13) and Collins Obuya (14) to finish the job.

Vice captain David Hemp played a leading role on both sides of the Bermuda innings — falling short by only three runs for his century in the first innings and unbeaten 68 in the second — and was rewarded with the man of the match award.

The maximum 20 points won the match took Kenya to the top of the standings with 40 points from just two matches — six points ahead of the early pacesetters Netherlands.

Blow by blow: India win 1st ODI by five wickets

A 100-plus partnership between MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh helped India beat Pakistan by five wickets in the first ODI at Guwahati on Monday.Chasing 240 to win, India scored 242 for five with three overs to spare.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and guided by a well-complied 83 by Mohammad Yousuf, they scored 239 for seven. The Indian spinners dominated the Pakistan batsmen and gave them no chance to set up a daunting total.

India lost the early wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, but good partnerships saw them overhaul the target with ease even as they lost two wickets towards the end.

With this win, India have taken an important 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The next match will be played at Mohali on Thursday, November 8. That will be a day-night affair.

Don’t expect too much of us – Clarke

Michael Clarke says Australia cannot keep expecting series whitewashes after the retirement of several of the side’s biggest stars. Clarke believes that with the changeover brought by the departures of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn it is unrealistic to think Australia will dominate world cricket as they have for the past decade.

“I think the Australian public has taken the Australian cricket team’s form for granted because we have had so many great players and they have performed so good for 10-15 years,” Clarke told the Herald Sun. “I think it is unrealistic now and I think that has shown recently.

“We didn’t win the Twenty20 World Cup. We only won 4-2 in the Indian one-day series and that was a tough series. I hope we win every game we play, but the reality is it can’t happen.”

Last summer Australia triumphed 5-0 in the Ashes and they have not been beaten in a World Cup match since 1999. However, Clarke is expecting a harder assignment this season for the two Tests against Sri Lanka and the four-Test series with India.

“We have two very strong teams coming here and we have to give credit to other sides in the world who are playing very good cricket,” Clarke said. “I believe it’s going to be very different this summer to past summers. It’s going to be very tough.”

His team-mate Stuart Clark has already predicted 2-0 and 4-0 Test series wins for Australia this season, however Clark also conceded that Australia’s attack could be “a tad vulnerable” without Warne and McGrath. Clark will be expected to act like a veteran despite having played only nine Tests, as the less experienced Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait and Ben Hilfenhaus try to establish themselves.

“The public will be very critical and make pretty quick judgments,” Clark said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “There’ll be a lot of eyes on us in this series. We can’t worry about that. It might take a little bit of time, but we’re confident we’ll be fine. We have to be ourselves; come up with our own ways of doing things.”

Misbah cannot forget shot that cost Pakistan the World Twenty20 title

Misbah-ul-Haq said Saturday that he will always be troubled by his shot that cost Pakistan the World Twenty20 title in September.Attempting to flick the ball to fine-leg off seam bowler Joginder Sharma, Misbah holed out to Shantakumaran Sreesanth in the last over, giving India a five-run win in the World Twenty20 championship’s title contest.

As Pakistan prepares for a limited-overs series in India starting Monday, Misbah said “I’ll regret that shot all my life”.

“It was a rare opportunity of winning the World championship, you don’t come so close often,” said Misbah, who was Pakistan’s top scorer in that final.

Misbah was criticised for twice failing to secure victory in the final over against India during the World Twenty20 championship. He also failed to hit the winning run off the last two balls with scores level against India in the preliminary round, leading to a bowl-out that India won.

“Media criticism is one thing, but one always has to live with a feeling of sadness” Misbah said.

250 visas per match for Pakistan cricket fans

As many as 250 visas will be issued to Pakistani fans for each cricket match to be played between the two arch rivals in India, Indian Deputy High Commissioner Manpreet Vohra has said.Cricket visas will be issued to ticket holders, he told reporters here.

Vohra said that the media officials and guests of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would be issued extra visas.

Those holding a one-day cricket match ticket will be able to stay in India for four days and those with test match tickets would be allowed a seven-day stay.

Surprisingly, Vohra said the Indian diplomatic office had received only a few queries on the visa-issuing procedure and required documentations.

The PCB has assigned the distribution of tickets to the American Express, the Daily Times quoted Vohra, as saying.

Indian and Pakistan will soon review their bilateral visa agreement and this will be further liberalised, Vohra said.

The new visa agreement will have sufficient leverage and flexibility, and will make special concessions for categories like senior citizens and create more categories, he said.

Under the present visa regime, there is no tourist visa category, he added.

“But we have been liberal in issuing visas and our policy actually outstrips the visa agreement,” he said.

At present, the only categories that exist are that of visitor visas, which are given to members of divided families and visas to pilgrims in additional to the usual business, diplomatic and government visas.

I am not intimidated by Sachin, Sourav: Tanveer

Undaunted by the presence of heavyweights like Sachin Tendulkar in the Indian line-up, Pakistani seamer Sohail Tanveer said his side’s bowling attack was good enough to rattle the hosts even without spearhead Mohammad Asif in the ODI cricket series starting on Monday.

“If you have faith in your abilities then you can achieve anything, no matter how tough the opposition. I cannot afford to be intimidated by big names like Sachin (Tendulkar) and Sourav (Ganguly) and allow their presence to affect my performance,” Tanveer, who is on his maiden trip to India and will face the veteran Indians for the first time, told reporters here in a media interaction.

“Definitely we will miss Asif but even without him, I think our bowling is strong enough to trouble any line-up in the world. We have a nice combination of seamers and quickies,” he added.

Tanveer, however, admitted that taking wickets on the sub-continental tracks is one of the toughest assignments for a bowler but felt Pakistani bowlers were more likely to do well here, having grown up playing on such pitches back home.

“It is difficult to bowl on the tracks in sub-continent but since we have also played our domestic cricket on such pitches, we are well-prepared for the task,” he explained.

Enjoying his first trip to India, the 22-year-old said he was looking forward to the challenge of taking on Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men in their own backyard after the thrilling matches the two sides played in the Twenty20 World Championship.

“There is lot of excitement whenever we play India because of the involvement of the fans. Besides I have always wanted to come to India so cricket has fulfilled that wish of mine. I hope to have good time both on and off the field,” Tanveer said.

The left-armer, whose wrong-footed action became a talking point during the Twenty20 World Cup, said even he was amazed as to how strange he appeared while bowling.

“Honestly, I have not developed this action. It is natural. And even I was taken aback a bit when I first saw myself on TV but I never intended to make my action look strange,” he grinned.

Excited about opening the attack with Rawalpindi Express Shoaib Akhtar, Tanveer said the comeback-pacer would be Pakistan’s trump card in the series.

“Shoaib showed that he is in very good form when he took those four wickets against South Africa in the last ODI. He will definitely be a key player for us,” he said.

On the Indian attack, Tanveer said the hosts’ current bowling line-up was perhaps one of the best in recent times.

“India have a very good bowling line-up. I don’t think I have seen a better Indian attack than this. Earlier there used to be one strong bowler but others were mediocre but the current three-four bowlers are all very good,” he said.

The young seamer revealed that he grew up idolising pace legend Wasim Akram.

“Wasim bhai have been my hero since childhood. I have learnt a lot from him. I have always tried to emulate him,” he said.

‘I went to the cricket match like any other spectator’ : deepika Padukone

She has the look and attitude – qualifications required for apun ka pictures ka heroine. So, you know she is the daughter of tennis champ Prakash Padukone, has moved from Bangalore to Bombay to become the numero uno model.. and then yuppy-dedo parachuted into the movies, nixing more projects than you and I have toes and fingers.
 
Why? Because she was selected by Farah Khan to debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan – a role that was once being tipped for Priyanka Chopra.

Jo bhi hai, the striking looking Miss D P has consumed solid news column space because of her proximity – that sounds better than ‘closeness’, doesn’t it? – with Nihar Pandya. He’s said to be her pehla pehla pyaar and is a showbiz aspirant himself..

Then there were rumours about clubbing with Ranbir Kapoor. And then a joint decision was taken to stay apart till their different debut films release, on November 9. Aah, there’s a worth-investigating story of judaai here.

Really, who could have played the fuming Emperor Akbar to this potential Prince and the Showgirl love story? Not Sanjay Leela Bhansali hopefully, no no can’t be.. he doesn’t talk or look like Prithviraj Kapoor, any which way. He’s made a Hum Dil De Chuke Sonam, hasn’t he?

Then our Deepika jale kahin dil was linked – how much itihaas I’m giving you guys – with Mahendra Singh Dhoni, then Yuvraj Singh..

Believe me, I know she’s not the sort who’ll give me spicy dum aloo answers to questions at this point of her life and career. But as many journos say, “Poochhne me kya vaanda hai.” Bole to..

News is that Nihar Pandya will be accompanying you to the Om Shanti Om premiere in London.
(Pause) I wouldn’t know about this. But he was present at one of the Om Shanti Om events.

He was with your father.
He was there because Shah Rukh and Farah had invited him.

Ranbir Kapoor’s Saawariya is releasing on the same day as Om Shanti Om. Will you wish him luck?
I wish the entire team of Saawariya all the best. I think we have worked hard and so have they. But for me, my film is the most important thing in my life.. I believe we have made a fantastic movie.

Buzz is that you have invited Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the trial of Om Shanti Om.. when it happens.
I really haven’t thought of that. I went to the cricket match like any other spectator to cheer the entire team. I was watching a cricket match ‘live’ in the stadium after a very long time. If the team has the time to attend the trial show, I’ll definitely invite all of them.

Are you friendly with the entire team? Or only selected cricketers like Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh?
Well, I’ve met all of them. I also congratulated them since they’re doing a fantastic job as a team.

Since the last couple of months, you’ve been in the news for professional as well as personal reasons.
I’m completely used to that now. The kind of profession it is. Whoever opts to be a celebrity is bound to be in the public eye. Anything we do will be written and talked about. I’m prepared for that.

So you won’t mind being spotted with another actor?
Whether it’s going out with friends or acting in a certain movie, I’ll lead my life the way I want to.

Are you anxious.. or cool.. with eight days left for your debut movie?
Is that a question? I’m quite nervous and.. excited.

Have you seen the film?
No, not yet.

Are your parents happy with your decision of joining movies?
Obviously they are.

Are you recognised in public now?
Yes.. now I am.

‘I’d try that shot again’ :Misbah-ul Haq

Misbah-ul Haq’s infamous scoop shot may have cost Pakistan the Twenty20 cricket World Cup but the middle order batsman says he would not hesitate to play the stroke again.

Misbah scooped a Joginder Sharma delivery at short fine leg which fell in the hands of S Sreesanth when Pakistan needed six runs off four balls with one wicket in hand during the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.

“I will have no problem playing that shot again. You may get out on your favourite shot, batsmen also get out while playing cut and drive,” Misbah said in a media interaction in New Delhi.

“You have to have the confidence of playing that shot again,” he added.

Asked why did he scoop the ball at such a crucial juncture, Misbah said he misread the trajectory of the delivery.

“I thought it might be a four but the trajectory of that ball was a bit high. It was a bit slow,” he said and admitted that “it took me a long time to overcome what happened thereafter in the T20 final”.

Misbah, who is known for keeping calm under pressure situations, said his role in the one-day team would change a bit.

“My role will be a bit different with senior players like Younis and Yousuf in the team. It might be a bit different but I’ll have to keep the rate of the scoring under pressure situation. Pressure will be the main thing,” Misbah said.

The 33-year-old player is on his first trip to India and feels performing well against the hosts would add to his new-found fame.

“Any player who does well against India gets instant recognition as playing against them is always special considering the build-up,” he said.

“I hope to carry the momentum of my fine form in the Twenty20 World Cup against them,” he added.

The late-bloomer idolises former skipper Inzamam-ul Haq and says he wants to model himself on him.

“I have always followed Inzamam a lot. As a batsman I want to be a finisher like him and win matches for my country,” he said.

Law agrees to new one-year contract

Stuart Law, the Lancashire batsman who had expressed doubts about playing for the club next season, has signed a new one-year contract.

“Stuart is an exceptional batsman and has just finished another great season for the club,” Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s cricket manager said. “His experience at both a domestic and international level is invaluable, and he brings a lot to the squad both on and off the field.”

Law, 39, joined the county in 2002 and has been the club’s leading batsman with 7,141 first-class runs at an average of 58.53.

“Lancashire is one of the biggest clubs I’ve even been involved with,” Law said. “I thought that Queensland had a big fan base, but Lancashire probably has the biggest in the world and the pressure for success is immense – which makes it an even bigger privilege to play for such a passionate county.

“I’ve always wanted to play for Lancashire ever since playing League cricket for Littleborough in 1991-92, and I’m very grateful I’ve got the opportunity to continue my career at Old Trafford for at least another season.”

Law will be taking part in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) later this month before spending Christmas in Brisbane, where he can inspect the newly opened stand named in his honour at the Allan Border Field.