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Pakistan wins ODI series against India

Pakistan has won the three-match ODI series with a comfortable 85-run victory against India in the second match at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Thursday. 

Chasing a 251-run target, the Pakistani bowling attack never allowed their opponents to build partnerships and they were eventually dismissed for 165 in 48 overs. Skipper MS Dhoni top scored with 54 not out and Virender Sehwag made 31 in a dismal batting display that only featured 10 fours in the entire innings.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal picked up three wickets giving away 20 runs. All of his wickets came in one over. Junaid Khan also grabbed three wickets and Umar Gul two. 

India got off to cautious start after Sehwag and Gambhir negotiated the Pakistan pacers well and added 42 for the first wicket before the latter got an inside edge onto the stumps off the impressive Junaid. Sehwag was trapped lbw by Gul. Junaid also sent back Virat Kohli (6) who was smartly taken by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal. Gul grabbed his second wicket removing the dangerous Yuvraj Singh (9) with another excellent delivery that forced the left-hander to edge behind to the keeper. 

India's plight was made worse once Suresh Raina (18) was stumped off the bowling of Mohammad Hafeez to leave the home side tottering on 95 for five after 26 overs. R Ashwin did not last long after Shoaib Mallik had him stumped. 

Ajmal then ensured India were heading for a big defeat after striking thrice in an over to get rid of R Jadeja, B Kumar and A Dinda cheaply. All the while Dhoni could only watch from the other end. 

Earlier, opener Nasir Jamshed led the way with his second successive hundred of the series (106 off 124 balls) to help Pakistan reach 250 in 48.3 overs. His knock featured 12 fours and two sixes. It was also the left-hander's third ton on the trot against India. After being put into bat, Pakistan made a fantastic start with openers Mohammad Hafeez and Jamshed putting on 141 runs in 24 overs. But occasional bowler Ravindra Jadeja made the breakthrough having Hafeez bowled for 76 with a length delivery on middle and off that went straight on with the arm. 

The batsman tried a slog sweep but missed the ball that sneaked through and rattled the stumps. Hafeez's dismissal opened the door for India as they clawed back their opponents claiming the next five wickets for 69 runs. Pakistan lost their second wicket with the score on 145 when Azhar Ali was run out. Ravindra bowled a full delivery outside off, Ali looked to play a sweep but got a bit of glove onto his pads. The ball rolled over to the leg side and as Jadeja appealed for an lbw, Ali set off for a single but was sent back.

Dhoni chased the ball and lobbed it to Sehwag who came up to the stumps and whipped off the bails to run out Ali, who slipped on his way back to the stumps. Younis Khan (10) was given out leg before wicket even though he got a thick inside edge onto his pads. 

The lucky bowler was Suresh Raina as the umpire raised his finger to reduce Pakistan to 177-3 in 34.3 overs. Five runs later skipper Misbah-ul-Haq was trapped plumb in front by R Ashwin. Jamshed and Kamran Akmal both fell off alternate deliveries with the score on 210 in the 41st over off the bowling of Jadeja. 

Jamshed was stumped by wicket keeper MS Dhoni while Kamran slashed hard at a delivery which landed in the hands of Sehwag at first slip. Pacers Ishant Sharma and B Kumar then clean up Shoaib Mallik (24), Umar Gul (17) and Saeed Ajmal (6) to leave Pakistan well below the 300-run mark. Jadeja finished with 3-41 and Sharma bagged 3 for 34. Pakistan won the first match in Chennai by six wickets. The final match of the series is at the Firoz Shah Kotla in Delhi on Jan 6. This is the first bilateral series since the Mumbai terror attack in 2008.

Bangladesh wins 2nd ODI series

Bangladeshies have won 5-match series with 3-2 victory against West Indies. They won by 2 wickets today in the deciding match. This is their 2nd ODI series victory in cricket. They first got first series victory in 2010 against New Zealand. 

Bangladesh lost eight wickets as they were chasing 218-run target set by West Indies Indies in the fifth and deciding one-day international at their home ground Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday.

The vice-captain smashed a solid 45 off 42, featuring seven boundaries, and hauled two wickets of the Caribbeans removing Darren Bravo (51) and Andre Russell for a duck.

After restricting West Indies to a modest 217, Bangladesh appeared in trouble with losing three wickets -- Tamim Iqbal (4), Anamul Haque (0) and Jahurul Islam (10) -- only for 30 runs.

Later, skipper Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah made a 91-run partnership in the fifth wicket.

But Narine broke the strong partnership by sending back Mahmudullah in the 21st over of the innings.

Narine also sent Mushfiqur back to the pavilion scoring 47 from 59 balls with seven boundaries.

Later, Nasir Hossain and Mominul Haque made a 43-run partnership before Narine dismissed Mominul at 25.

Nasir Hossain (39) and Elias Sunny (1) were unbeaten at the last moment and took the team to its target in 43.5 overs.

West Indies bowlers Kemar Roach grabbed five wickets while Sunil Narine picked up three.

Earlier, Kieron Pollard knocked a brilliant 85 off 74 to guide West Indies to post 217 runs in 48 overs.

Pollard scored 85, featuring five boundaries and eight sixes, before getting back to the pavilion.

Batting first, the tourists lost wickets at regular intervals and at one stage they lost three top orders for only 17 runs.

Later, Pollard and Darren Bravo made a 172-run partnership.

Mominul Haque broke the 172-run fifth wicket partnership by sending back Kieron Pollard in 32nd over.

Darren Bravo scored 51 from 107 balls that featured three boundaries and one six.

Bangladeshi bowlers Shafiul Islam grabbed three wickets while Mominul and Mahmudullah captured two wickets and Sohag Gazi took one wicket.

Marlon Samuels and Veerasammy Permaul were run out.

With the series level at 2-2, the Tigers brought in batsman Jahurul Islam and paceman Shafiul Islam for Naeem Islam and Mashrafe Mortaza from today's match.

The West Indies brought back Andre Russell for Dwayne Smith.

Earlier, Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim won the toss and invited West Indies to bat.

Bangladesh beat tourists by seven wickets in the opening match in Khulna on November 30 and by 160 runs in the second match on December 2 on the same venue.

West Indies beat Bangladesh by four wickets in the third ODI on December 5 and by 75 runs in the fourth match on December 7.

West Indies have clinched the two-match Test series by 2-0 against Bangladesh.

The West Indies cricket team arrived on a month-long tour in Dhaka on November 5 to play a full- fledged series against host Bangladesh.

ICC World T20 winners will also play a lone T20 in Dhaka on December 10.

Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (Captain), Tamim Iqbal, Anamul Haque, Jahurul Islam, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Sohag Gazi, Elias Sunny and Abdur Razzak

West Indies: Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle, Devon Thomas, Sunil Narine, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Veerasammy Permaul, Marlon Samuels and Kieran Powell

West Indies defeats Bangladesh by 75 runs

Bangladesh on the way to outplayed again in the 4th ODI of Sahara Cup series on their home ground at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Friday.

They lost 5 wickets on 13 runs only at the early of their batting and the match went their control. However, after 26 overs they could touch 107 for 6.

Then, Muhfiq went for 27, Shohag Gazi for 13 and Elias Sany for no run. Finally Bangladesh was totally dismissed for 136 with losing of total 10 wickets.  

An inspired spell of fast bowling by skipper Darren Sammy and Kemar Roach broke the back of Bangladesh as the pair shared five wickets.

Sammy grabbed three wickets and Roach two

Sammy had Anamul Haque caught and bowled, forced Naeem Islam to be caught in the slips and then removed Mominul Haque caught at square leg.

Roach bowled Tamim Iqbal for a duck and induced an edge from Nasir Hossain.

Earlier, Sammy top scored with a gutsy 60 not out off 62 balls to help his side reach 211-9 in 50 overs after the hosts won the toss and put their opponents into bat. Darren Bravo added 34.

Mahmudullah was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Elias Sunny and Abdur Razzak took two wickets each. Shohag Gazi and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza claimed one each.

Bangladesh lead the five-match series 2-1. The Tigers won the first two games in Khulna by seven wickets and 160 runs but West Indies won the third one-dayer by four wickets.

     

Captain, Vice Captain leading Bangladesh

Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim weathered the storm to put Bangladesh back on track in the fourth ODI against West Indies at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Friday.

Vice-captain Mahmudullah and skipper Mushfiqur were batting as the Tigers rallied from 13-5 to reach 79-5 after 19 overs.

An inspired spell of fast bowling by skipper Darren Sammy and Kemar Roach broke the back of Bangladesh as the pair shared five wickets.

Sammy grabbed three wickets and Roach two

Sammy had Anamul Haque caught and bowled, forced Naeem Islam to be caught in the slips and then removed Mominul Haque caught at square leg.

Roach bowled Tamim Iqbal for a duck and induced an edge from Nasir Hossain.

Earlier, Sammy top scored with a gutsy 60 not out off 62 balls to help his side reach 211-9 in 50 overs after the hosts won the toss and put their opponents into bat. Darren Bravo added 34.

Mahmudullah was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while Elias Sunny and Abdur Razzak took two wickets each. Shohag Gazi and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza claimed one each.

Bangladesh lead the five-match series 2-1. The Tigers won the first two games in Khulna by seven wickets and 160 runs but West Indies won the third one-dayer by four wickets.

Celebration day for West Indies Cricket

West Indies Team celebrating their ICC World Twenty20 Title after remarkable win
of a ICC title since 2004 against host Sri Lanka on Sunday, October 7, 2012   

It was an historic day for West Indies cricket as the Caribbean side, thanks largely to an astonishing lone hand by Marlon Samuels, overcame the home team Sri Lanka by 36 runs to win the ICC World Twenty20 at the R Premadasa International Stadium in Colombo on October 7, 2012.

The final was billed as the battle between West Indies stylishness and Sri Lankan discipline, but when it came to their on-field displays it was the men from the Caribbean who displayed the stronger discipline, as they wore down Sri Lanka's formidable batting line-up with sharp fielding and incisive bowling, particularly by mystery spinner Sunil Narine. 

Chasing a challenging 138 to win on a sluggish turning wicket, Sri Lanka's batsmen were put under pressure from the start as Tillakaratne Dilshan was bowled by a peach of a delivery from Ravi Rampaul in the first ball of the second over. It was always going to come down to a battle between the Sri Lankan big three -- Dilshan, skipper Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara -- and the West Indian bowling.

What a long waited victory for Gayle!

Jayawardene and Sangakkara, after Dilshan's departure, consolidated well by putting on 42 runs for the second wicket, although at a slow pace. But Sangakkara's dismissal in the 10th over, caught at deep square leg off Samuel Badree, opened the floodgates. Angelo Mathews went three runs later, bowled by West Indies skipper Darren Sammy, and then in the thirteenth over Sri Lanka's last hope, Jayawardene, fell trying to reverse sweep Narine. Then Jeevan Mendis and Thisara Perera were run out in the space of four balls, as the pressure of the climbing run rate became too hot to handle for the home team. 

At 64 for six, the game was as good as won, although Nuwan Kulasekara briefly threatened a coup with a 16-ball 26. But it was to be West Indies' day as Malinga became Narine's third wicket, and the one that sealed West Indies first ICC multinational tournament triumph since the 2004 Champions' Trophy. 

Earlier, the West Indies batsmen faced similar problems when at the start of the innings. Johnson Charles was out in the first over trying to clear the infield against Angelo Mathews, and Chris Gayle's innings could not have been in sharper contrast to what fans have come to expect of the big-hitting Jamaican. Gayle played and missed for 15 balls for only three runs before being trapped in front by Ajantha Mendis in the sixth over, by which time West Indies had crawled to just 14. 

The real leader and future of West Indies Team who
 received the title for  his team victory

Samuels was watching from the other end as his side's ambitions of lifting the treasured title seemed to have vanished with Gayle's departure. At the end of ten overs West Indies had reached 32 for two and Samuels on 20 off 32 balls, a competitive score a distant dream. Nuwan Kulasekara then dropped Samuels on the boundary, and then the match turned, mostly through some astonishing strokeplay by Samuels. He picked the opposition's best bowler, Lasith Malinga, for particularly harsh punishment. 

Malinga's second over, the thirteenth of the innings, was hammered for 21 runs, with Samuels clobbering three sixes. Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka's other danger man in the bowling department, was having a much better day. He trapped Dwayne Bravo leg-before -- an erroneous decision as Bravo had inside-edged the ball on to his pad -- in the next over with the score on 73, but Samuels went on his way hitting a six and a four in the next over by Jeevan Mendis. 

Ajantha then put Sri Lanka on top again, picking up two in two balls -- that of Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell -- leaving West Indies at 89 for five at the end of the sixteenth. But it was Samuel's day and he again reserved his best for the best as 19 came off Malinga's last over, which saw a boundary and two sixes off Samuel's bat. The second of the two maximums, an almighty crack over the long on boundary, was recorded as the biggest six of the tournament at 108 metres. 

In all, Samuel's had plundered 39 runs off the 11 balls he faced from Malinga. He was finally dismissed in the next over, attempting his seventh six off Akila Dananjaya to be caught at midwicket for 78 off 56 balls, including 52 off his last 19deliveries. It was then left to captain Darren Sammy, who scored 26 off 15 deliveries to take West Indies to 137, a total scarcely imaginable ten overs previously. 

West Indies won World Twenty20 Championship 2012

West Indies won the ICC World Twenty20 Championship 2012. WI has beaten Sri Lanka by 36 runs.  Meanwhile, Sri Lanka reached 101 losing 10 wickets playing 18.4 overs in the final of the ongoing ICC World T20 which is being held at R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Colombo in Sri Lanka.

Marlon Samuels of West Indies has become the Man of the Match. 

Shane Watson of Australia has become the Man of the Series for ICC World T20 2012. He is the Player of the Tournament.

West Indies team: Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (Captain), Andre Russell, Denesh Ramdin, Sunil Narine, Ravi Rampaul and 11 Samuel Badree.

Sri Lanka team: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Jeevan Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath/Akila Dananjaya.