Afridi helps Pak to thumping win

Leg-spinner Shahid Afridi capped an excellent return to international cricket with three wickets as Pakistan thumped Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the first ODI on Friday.

Afridi took 3-27 in his first match since returning from a six-month exile, helping Pakistan dismiss Sri Lanka for a paltry 131 in 40.3 overs before Younus Khan and Imran Farhat hit fifties to anchor the chase at Dubai stadium.

Pakistan lost Mohammad Hafeez (five) in the second over of their innings but Farhat added 103 for the second wicket stand with Younis Khan (56 not out) to ensure a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Farhat hit leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna for his seventh boundary to reach his ninth one-day fifty but with only 17 needed he was trapped leg-before wicket by paceman Suranga Lakmal for 50.

Younis, whose fifty was his 45th in one-dayers, took the team past the target in just 21.5 overs. He hit seven boundaries during his 57-ball knock.

Pakistan were on course for a comprehensive win thanks in large part to Afridi, who finished with 3-27 and was ably supported by Saeed Ajmal (2-21) and Mohammad Hafeez (2-24) as Sri Lanka lost their last seven wickets for 54 after opting to bat.

Dinesh Chandimal top-scored with 28 while opener Tharanga Paranavitna (25) and Mahela Jayawardene (24) were other notable scorers but none went on to make a big score against some lethal spin bowling.

Sri Lanka lost Tillakaratne Dilshan in the second over of the match, bowled by paceman Aizaz Cheema for four.

With their captain back in the pavilion, Sri Lanka did not recover as wickets continued to fall, in-form Kumar Sangakkara falling for five after struggling through 24 deliveries.

Chandimal and Paranavitana added 30 for the third wicket before Pakistan's spinners ran riot, grabbing the last seven wickets for a mere 54 runs.

Afridi, who only last month decided to go back on a decision to retire from international cricket in protest at being sacked as one-day captain, struck in his first over of the match.

Chandimal hit him for a six off his fourth ball, but the leg-spinner had him leg-before the very next ball. Chandimal hit two sixes and a four off 31 balls.

The 31-year-old Afridi then dismissed Prasanna (five) and Lasith Malinga (11) during his incisive 9.3 overs spell.

Jayawardene and Paranavitana were the others to provide some resistance but they too departed to spinners.

The second match will also be played in Dubai on Monday. The remaining matches are scheduled for Dubai (November 18), Sharjah (November 20) and Abu Dhabi (November 23).

The teams will also play a Twenty20 in Abu Dhabi on November 25.

1st ODI: SL choose to bat as Afridi returns

Dubai: Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan won the toss on Friday and chose to bat first in the opening one-day international against Pakistan at Dubai International Stadium.
The Sri Lankans included two experienced fast bowlers in Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando, as well as giving a debut to all-rounder Kosala Kualsekara.
Pakistan, fresh off a 1-0 win in the three-match Test series, brought back seasoned all-rounders Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq.
Afridi, the former captain, returns after a brief retirement while Razzaq is back for the first time since the World Cup.
Line-ups:
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Abdur Razzaq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema, Saeed Ajmal.
Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (c), Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Mahela Jayawardene, Angelo Mathews, Kosala Kulasekara, Seekkuge Prasanna, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando, Suranga Lakmal.

Herschelle Gibbs hits six sixes in one over

Philander, Tahir add youth and flair to Proteas

Proteas took a leap of faith with the selection of fast bowler Vernon Philander and leg-spinner Imran Tahir to play the first Test against Australia at New lands.




THE Proteas took a leap of faith with the selection of fast bowler Vernon Philander and leg-spinner Imran Tahir to play the first Test against Australia at Newlands yesterday.

Not only did the pair earn their first caps, they are also both attacking bowlers. In an SA dressing room that has tended to value experience and consistency over youth and flair, that represents a significant departure from the norm.

The inclusion of Philander and Tahir marked the first time that a Proteas Test team has featured two debutants since Wayne Parnell and Ryan McLaren cracked the nod in the fourth Test against England at the Wanderers in Johannesburg last January, which was 11 Tests ago.

That, in turn, highlights a point that is particularly pertinent in the modern SA. Unlike Parnell and McLaren, Philander and Tahir are both players of colour although the latter hardly counts because he was born and raised in Pakistan.

Tahir’s selection has been perhaps the worst kept secret in South African cricket.

Philander’s was greeted with doubts and questions.

That is despite his 94 wickets in 19 first-class matches in the previous two seasons. In fact, no player at the moment with 250 first-class wickets to his credit anywhere in the world has a lower average than Philander, who went into the Test having claimed 251 scalps at 20,04.

The raised eyebrows did not escape the attention of former Proteas fast bowler Roger Telemachus.

"You’re only going to play Test cricket when you deserve to, and he does," Telemachus said. "It’s not about his colour. It’s about the skill, the knowledge and the passion he has for the game. I was selected because I was good enough; Vernon was selected because he is good enough. Transformation is all about giving a guy his opportunity because he is good enough."

Philander was good enough on the day to dismiss Phil Hughes, Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris. But there was no such happy beginning for Tahir, who rarely threatened the batsmen in six wicketless overs in which the runs flowed at more than one per ball.

Former Test batsman Peter Kirsten said Tahir was a victim of circumstances. "Michael Clarke and Shaun Marsh really batted well in the hour that he bowled, and unfortunately Morne Morkel wasn’t up to his usual good standard at the other end. I think Graeme (Smith) was probably forced to bring Tahir on too early. There was no real spin, and he over- pitched and got smacked.

"If the sun comes out tomorrow and the wind keeps blowing, this pitch will certainly turn on Saturday — perhaps even Friday afternoon."

Philander, Tahir add youth and flair to Proteas