KARACHI: Opener Ali Asad slammed an unbeaten 117 to help Karachi Dolphins take a fine start when they defeated Peshawar Panthers by eight wickets in G

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LAHORE: A team manager?s report on Pakistan?s disastrous tour of Australia blamed defensive captaincy by Mohammad Yousuf and discipline problems for t

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DUBAI: Afghanistan’’s fairytale story in the world of cricket continued on Saturday as they defeated hosts United Arab Emirates to reach their first major tournament, the World Twenty20 finals in the West Indies which runs from April 30 to May 16.
The Afghans won by four wickets, restricting UAE to 100-9 off their 20 overs, in the super four stage of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.

Saqib Ali with 24 runs was the top scorer for the UAE while Mohammad Nabi claimed three wickets for 17 runs for Afghanistan.

Chasing 101, opener Noor Ali with 38 not out and Asghar with 26 helped Afghanistan in reaching the winning target in 19.3 overs.

It is a remarkable feat by the Afghans - most of whom learnt to play cricket in refugee camps over the Pakistan border - as they were in the fifth division of the world cricket league just two years ago.

Afghanistan, who showed their talent when they came within one place of reaching the 2011 World Cup finals, will play either Ireland or The Netherlands - both of them are the joint holders from the previous tournament - in Saturday’’s final.

The winners of the final will be placed in Group C alongside India and South Africa while the losers will go into Group D with the West Indies and England.

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KARACHI: Opener Ali Asad slammed an unbeaten 117 to help Karachi Dolphins take a fine start when they defeated Peshawar Panthers by eight wickets in G

More: continued here

LAHORE: A team manager?s report on Pakistan?s disastrous tour of Australia blamed defensive captaincy by Mohammad Yousuf and discipline problems for t

More: continued here

DUBAI: Afghanistan’’s fairytale story in the world of cricket continued on Saturday as they defeated hosts United Arab Emirates to reach their first major tournament, the World Twenty20 finals in the West Indies which runs from April 30 to May 16.
The Afghans won by four wickets, restricting UAE to 100-9 off their 20 overs, in the super four stage of the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.

Saqib Ali with 24 runs was the top scorer for the UAE while Mohammad Nabi claimed three wickets for 17 runs for Afghanistan.

Chasing 101, opener Noor Ali with 38 not out and Asghar with 26 helped Afghanistan in reaching the winning target in 19.3 overs.

It is a remarkable feat by the Afghans - most of whom learnt to play cricket in refugee camps over the Pakistan border - as they were in the fifth division of the world cricket league just two years ago.

Afghanistan, who showed their talent when they came within one place of reaching the 2011 World Cup finals, will play either Ireland or The Netherlands - both of them are the joint holders from the previous tournament - in Saturday’’s final.

The winners of the final will be placed in Group C alongside India and South Africa while the losers will go into Group D with the West Indies and England.

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VANCOUVER: Lee Jung-su won the men’’s 1,500m short-track speed skating gold at the Winter Olympics on Saturday, but powerhouse South Korea’’s hopes of a podium sweep were shattered on a last-bend collapse.

American Apolo Anton Ohno finished second to become the most decorated Olympic short-track skater with six medals from three Games.

Lee clocked 2min 17.611sec with Ohno 0.365sec behind while another American J.R. Celski finished third in 2:18.053 in the first event of the eight-race short-track competition.

South Korea were just metres from a sweep, but Sung Si-Bak and Lee Ho-Suk collided and both men crashed into the boards around the final turn.

“I don”t feel good about it because I wanted them to get medals, too,” said Lee Jung-Su, who has emerged as South Korea’’s number-one after finishing top in the 1,000m and 1,500m World Cup series this season ahead of his Olympic debut.

“I usually don”t start from the front. Today I decided to be in the lead from the beginning and it worked out,” said the 20-year-old.

Lee Ho-Suk, 23, was aiming for his first Olympic gold after finishing runner-up to compatriot to Ahn Hyun-Soo four years ago in Turin.

“I was fully aware that Lee Ho-Suk was strong and concentrated for gold. Short track is very unpredictable,” the winner said.

Ohno swapped the lead with the three Koreans in the six-man race before the final lap.

“I was fighting with one Korean and then I passed him and was fighting with another Korean,” said the 27-year-old Japanese American who denied South Korea’’s sweep of four men’’s medals in Turin by winning the 500m.

“The Koreans were skating pretty aggressively throughout the race, it made it a little bit easier.

“Now I have six medals, I just feel good. It’’s like my first Olympics,” said Ohno, whose collection includes two golds and nine world titles.

Ohno surpassed long-track star Eric Heiden’’s haul of five medals, all of them golden, and tied another long-track legend Bonnie Blair’’s six as the most medalled US winter Olympian.

Celski said: “I can”t even explain what happened. It’’s just a blur. I knew there was a lot of movement, it was hard for me to stay out of it and then I found myself going over the line in third.”

The 19-year-old was competing for the first time after his skate blade deeply sliced his left leg at the national championships in September and underwent surgery.

It was South Korea’’s 30th Olympic short-track medal, and their 18th gold, since the sport made its debut in 1992.

“I was expecting more disqualifcations from the race. It was a crazy first race but it turned out well,” added Ohno, who won his first Olympic title in the same event in 2002.

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KOLKATA: South Africa made a solid start in the second and final cricket Test against India on Sunday, racing to 116-1 by lunch on the opening day.

Debutant Alviro Petersen and in-form Hashim Amla put on 107 for the unbroken second wicket after India dismissed skipper Graeme Smith in the third over at the Eden Gardens.

Smith, who went ahead despite a fractured finger to play the crucial Test and then won the toss for the second time in the series, made four when he was bowled by left-arm seamer Zaheer Khan.

Petersen, handed his Test cap at the last minute after wicket-keeper Mark Boucher was ruled out with back spasms, responded with a fluent 57 not out comprising 10 boundaries.

Petersen, a 29-year-old from Port Elizabeth, has already played 10 one-day internationals where he averages 48.85.

Amla, who made an unbeaten 253 in the first Test which the Proteas won by an innings and six runs, continued his good form to remain unbeaten on 49.

South Africa need only a draw to take over from India as the number one team in the official Test rankings.

The Eden Gardens wicket, sporting a greenish tinge, provided even bounce and enabled the batsmen to play their shots.

Both teams made one change from the sides that played in the first Test in Nagpur.

India welcomed back middle-order batsman Venkatsai Laxman, who missed the first Test with a finger injury, in place of Wriddhiman Saha.

AB de Villers will keep wicket for the tourists after Boucher missed out.

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KARACHI: Opener Ali Asad slammed an unbeaten 117 to help Karachi Dolphins take a fine start when they defeated Peshawar Panthers by eight wickets in G

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RICHMOND: Dutch world champion Sven Kramer who had earlier stormed to gold in the 5,000 metres brought some much-needed joyous scenes to the Vancouver Olympic Games on Saturday celebrating his first first Olympic gold with Dutch fans and banishing the painful memories of the Turin Games four years ago when he failed to triumph as many expected.

Kramer, the three-times reigning world all-round champion and world record holder, had earlier added the only major honour missing from his resume by upgrading his 2006 Turin silver after powering to an amazing 2.35-second winning margin for his first Olympic title.

The 23-year-old had been cheered on by orange-clad fans from the Netherlands who ringed the track, clocked six minutes 14.60 seconds to surpass the mark of 6:14.66 set by his compatriot Jochem Uytdehaage at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.

After the win Kramer joined his fans at the Holland House close to the Richmond Olympic Oval to continue the celebrations as the young Dutchman was presented with a giant gold medal.

Kramer’’s masterful performance had left his rivals wondering if he is beatable, the flying Dutchman blasting around the 12-1/2 laps in an Olympic record time of 6:14.6 to banish memories of Turin four years ago where he took silver in the 5,000 and bronze in the team pursuit.

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