England skipper Morgan promises PSL fans 'some good innings' as part of Peshawar Zalmi squad

The second edition of the PSL will be held in Dubai starting Feb 9. The opening match is between defending champions Islamabad United and the Peshawar Zalmi. Morgan joined the Zalmi squad after he completed England's tour of India. "I'm delighted to be part of the Peshawar Zalmi team for the PSL and am really looking forward to the start of the event," he said. Morgan said he had heard good things about the first season of the PSL from many players and was glad he would have the chance to play in the mega event himself. "Last year, many of my friends told me about how good the PSL was, and they really rate the PSL very highly. It's good to be in Dubai for the second season and I'm very excited. The England skipper said he would do his best to perform and entertain PSL fans. "I know how passionate PSL and Peshawar Zalmi fans are. They follow every ball, every wicket, every boundary. I will try my level best to give a good performance in the PSL and come up with some good innings for Peshawar Zalmi," he vowed. Eoin Morgan has scored 1,568 runs in 67 T20Is for England, as well as 5,193 in 173 ODIs.

ICC decides to roll back Big Three system

The decision was taken at the first ICC Board meeting of 2017 in Dubai. The ICC Board agreed to revise financial distribution, ensuring a more equitable distribution of revenues. It also agreed to further progress on future international cricket structures and agreement around the consistent use of Decision Review System (DRS). The council's board agreed to work collaboratively on the detail of the constitution and model, with a view to achieve a final sign off at the April board meeting and submission to the full ICC Council in June. “Today was an important step forward for the future of the ICC and cricket around the world. The proposals from the working group to reverse the resolutions of 2014 and deliver a revised constitution and financial model were accepted by the ICC Board," said ICC Chairman Shashank Manohar following the meeting. “I want the ICC to be reasonable and fair in our approach to all 105 Members and the revised constitution and financial model does that. There are still details to work through and concerns to be addressed, but the principle of change is agreed and not for debate." 

International cricket structures

The top brass of the ICC identified a preferred model for all three formats of the sport. This framework accommodates existing agreements which will be presented to the ICC Board for full consideration in April. According to the framework, a nine-team Test league will be run over a two-year cycle. Remaining three Test teams will be guaranteed a consistent and confirmed schedule of Test matches against all other teams. Similarly, a 13-team ODI league will be run over a three-year period leading to the qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. It was also agreed that the regional T20 competition structures will be developed as a pathway to qualification for the ICC World T20. The session also agreed that a scheduling summit will now be held in March before a detailed proposal is put to the ICC Board in April.

Misbah to decide on retirement after PSL

"The idea is to assess myself how badly I want to play cricket," he said while talking to ESPNCricinfo. "I think in this one month I will make my decision to quit or at least give a certain date. I could easily have quit after England series in UAE [in November 2015] but that wasn't the right way." Much has been said about Misbah's future in cricket and it was rumoured that he would announce his retirement after Pakistan's latest defeat against Australia in the recent Test series. "You sometimes don't see your own achievements and personal gains," he said. "You also have to think about the team you have built, you have to see where it stands at a certain stage." The skipper said it was easy for him to call it a day after he led Pakistan to number one position in ICC Test rankings, a position his side held for a little over a month last year, but he decided against it because "I don't really think about my personal gains". The unassuming middle-order batsman will be remembered for his remarkable leadership of an embattled Pakistan side in the aftermath of the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, which resulted in five-year bans for Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir. "I knew I had more to lose from Australia and New Zealand, but I think that wasn't a right way to think about. I had to stand there and give youngsters a message that you have to face the music in tough situations, face the challenge," he added. Misbah said considering that he bats in the middle order, it was important for him to "bring stability whatever the situation". "If we are four down then being an experienced batsman I should go and anchor partnerships and try to rebuild. The idea always is to take the team to a respectable total on which our bowlers can give a fight," Misbah added He also hit back at his critics who censured him after his below-par performance in the Australian Test series. "I feel angry when former players who have played the game at highest level, whose understanding about the game is even better than mine, still target my batting."

Australia Defeat Pakistan In One Day Game

Australia piled on the runs, setting an unassailable target of 369/7 for Pakistan ─ the home team's highest score at the venue ─ thanks to a record opening partnership of 284 between David Warner and Travis Head. Pakistan was bowled out for 312 at 49.1 overs. Despite Pakistan's loss, the green shirts received praise for scoring above 300 in chase of the Australian target. The team's 312 is the sixth-highest ever at the Adelaide Oval. Babar Azam scored 100 and Sharjeel Khan a quickfire 79, but the home side were always in control and celebrated Australia Day in style with a convincing win. Sharjeel Khan has smashed three half centuries this series, the highest for Pakistan in any bilateral series against Australia, according to ESPN Cricinfo. Warner and Head earlier got Australia away to a superb start, with Warner particularly damaging as he smashed the Pakistan attack to all parts of the ground. Warner blasted 179 and Head 128 on their way to an opening stand of 284, a new Australian record for any wicket in ODIs. Both batsmen made their highest scores in one-day internationals, with Head also recording his maiden international century. After losing the toss and being asked to bowl first, the Pakistanis almost got the perfect start when Mohammad Amir enticed an edge from Warner with his first ball. But a diving Azhar Ali at first slip couldn't hold onto a difficult chance and Warner was soon in full flight. He brought up his 50 from 34 balls and his 100 from 78 including 11 fours and two massive sixes. His 150 came from only 107 deliveries with 17 boundaries and three sixes.

Bangladeshi player denied bail in snaps case

Metropolitan magistrate Zakir Hossain said another court which deals with internet-related crime would instead hear the bail application, meaning the 31-year-old spinner would remain behind bars on remand at a Dhaka prison. “The court directed us to move to the cyber court to seek bail. It also asked the jail authorities to look after the health of Sunny as he was sick,” Sunny’s lawyer M. Muradduzaman said. Police arrested the left-arm bowler in a Dhaka suburb on Sunday after his long-time girlfriend Nasrin Sultana, 23, filed a complaint two weeks ago.

In her complaint Sultana said Sunny opened up a fake Facebook account in her name and posted ‘intimate photos’ which she found ‘offensive and defamatory’. She also claimed that they had been married since 2014 and filed a separate lawsuit against Sunny on Monday, accusing the player of seeking dowry worth millions from her family. Sunny has denied all the accusations, including the claim that the couple had been secretly married for more than two years. If found guilty Sunny could be jailed for up to 14 years and fined 10 million taka (around $125,000) under the country’s strict internet law, which local right groups say is being used to crack down on dissent. Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan has said that Sunny, who has played 16 One-day Internationals and 10 Twenty20 Internationals could be banned from the sport if found guilty.

Blazing Shahzaib century inspires KW into Cup final

On a belter of a National Stadium in perfect cricket weather, both sides crossed 300 — a phenomenon that was inconspicuously missing during the badly truncated league stage of the tournament held in Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Peshawar — before Karachi Whites cantered to a 70-run victory to await the winners of the second semi-final — between Karachi Blues and Peshawar on Tuesday — in Friday’s final. The first ex-Pakistan man to dominate was Shahzaib Hasan, who now few may still remember as a World Twenty20 winner with Younis Khan-led Pakistan side in 2009, with a swashbuckling knock of 171 that set the tone for the Whites to reach a colossal 375-6 — comfortably the highest one-day total this season. Islamabad, in turn, made a brave attempt to put up a decent fight before late order collapse derailed their aspirations for a first success over Karachi. With the run-rate, understandably mounting all the time, Shan Masood batted uncharacteristically to score a stroke-filled 136 until he was fifth out at 256. Thereafter, Islamabad were left with the Herculean task of scoring at a rate that even the best in the business would have struggled to attain over the remaining 11.5 overs. Cashing in on the batting side’s predicament, former Under-19 World Cup winner and the third of the Pakistan discards Anwar Ali returned for a final burst to grab five wickets for the first time in his List A career. Luck generally favours the brave and it certainly sided with Shahzaib emphatically in this game. He was caught off a Shehzad Azam Rana no-ball on 31 after having witnessed his opening partner Arsalan Bashir falling to a sensational one-handed catch at point by Shan who went airborne to hold the ball. Shahzaib was in savage mood and looked on course for a double century when he went across too far to paddle Hamza Nadeem behind but lost his wicket after having bludgeoned as many as seven sixes and 18 boundaries. Had he not been dismissed as early as 39.2 overs, Karachi Whites were even eyeing topping the 400-run mark, a point their head coach and former Pakistan paceman Saleem Jaffer made afterwards. “It was quite achievable when Shahzaib was hammering the ball to all parts of the ground. The pitch was just too good for batting and I think, in hindsight, bowling first [after Islamabad had won the toss] made no difference at all,” the soft-spoken Saleem observed while talking to Dawn. “The best part is we are through to the final where Karachi Whites will be hard to beat if the boys play with the same intensity they exhibited today.” Shahzaib had previously made four one-day hundreds and none were bigger than 135. National selector Tauseef Ahmed must have gone home overly impressed by what he saw as the 27-year-old right-hander make yet another statement to win a recall to the Pakistan side after being out of it since November 2010. Skipper Akbar-ur-Rehman helped himself to an 85-ball 58 (three fours) while wisely allowing Shahzaib to take charge during their second-wicket partnership of 162 in 165 deliveries. Saad Ali then stroked four fours and three sixes in a sublime 45-ball effort of 61 as he played second fiddle to the opener in the third-wicket stand of 83 in 57 balls.

 Anwar then thrashed four more sixes and a four in scoring a feisty 45 from only 28 balls, while the 40-year-old Tariq Haroon blasted an 18-ball 31 to put the match beyond Islamabad’s reach. And despite Shan showing rare aggression — a virtue the 27-year-old left-hander has not displayed thus far at the Test level, Islamabad lacked the powerful strikes to seriously worry Karachi Whites. The game-changing moment arrived in the sixth over of the daunting chase when the in-form Ahmed Shehzad, who otherwise batted in positions other the customary opening post, was well taken in the cover by Anwar for 15 Despite the negativity surrounding his batting approach, Shan was able to surpass his best one-day score of 108 — for his employers United Bank against National Bank in the preceding departmental event — as he struck 15 boundaries and a brace of sixes. Shan was involved in two noteworthy partnerships; he added 99 in 94 balls for the second wicket with Abid Ali (59 off 53 balls, five fours and one six) before Abid was spectacularly run out by a direct throw from the midwicket region by Tabish Khan. Faizan Riaz (29) helped Shan put on 91 in 77 balls when Anwar held another well-judged catch in the deep before spinner Azam Hussain forced a tired-looking Shan to play across the line and win a leg-before-wicket verdict. The rest of the game then belonged to Anwar, who claimed five wickets for 19 runs in 4.1 overs to end up with 5-49, while usurping his old best of 4-37.

Breathless Nadal, Serena reach quarters

Nadal, searching for a revival after injuries wrecked last season, was tested by France’s Gael Monfils before winning 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to book a last-eight clash with Milos Raonic. Nadal, 30, was also pushed to five sets by Alexander Zverev, 19, in round three, but he has survived to reach his first major quarter-final since the 2015 French Open. The Spanish world number nine now has an excellent chance to add to his 14 Grand Slam titles after world number one Andy Murray and title-holder Novak Djokovic were both knocked out. “I’m very happy being in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam after a couple of years without being there,” he said. “It’s very special for me, especially here in Australia where I feel [it’s] a little bit like home.” A day after defending women’s champion and top seed Angelique Kerber also fell by the wayside, Serena beat Barbora Strycova 7-5, 6-4 to set up a last-eight meeting with Johanna Konta. The American great would gain much from winning in Melbourne, as she would overtake Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles and end Kerber’s short reign as world number one. In hot afternoon conditions, she fought off the Czech Republic’s Strycova in two tight sets, following her sister Venus into the quarter-finals without dropping a set. “I have absolutely nothing to lose in this tournament,” said Serena, 35. “Everything here is a bonus for me. Obviously I’m here to win. Hopefully I can play better.” Britain’s Konta, the ninth seed, also reached the last eight with a perfect record in sets after a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory over Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova. Despite the task facing her, Konta was delighted to be playing Serena, a childhood idol, for what would be her second straight Australian Open semi-final. “I’m really looking forward to the challenge and I’m looking forward to being on court, out on court with her and competing against her,” said the 25-year-old. Mirjana Lucic-Baroni wrote another chapter in her fairytale career revival when she beat American qualifier Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-2 to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final in 18 years. The former teen prodigy, now 34, won the 1998 Australian Open women’s doubles with Martina Hingis but she fled her abusive father and suffered a series of injuries to put her career on hold. Her joy was unbridled at beating Brady as she reached the last eight at a major for the first time since 1999, when she lost to Graf at Wimbledon aged 17. “I hope no one is going to pinch me and wake me up because this is just incredible,” said Lucic-Baroni. Lucic-Baroni will play her quarter-final against US Open finalist Karolina Pliskova, who ended home hopes with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Australia’s Daria Gavrilova. In the men’s draw, David Goffin put away Austria’s Dominic Thiem 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-2 to become the first Belgian man to reach the Australian quarter-finals. Goffin will next play Grigor Dimitrov, who halted the fairytale run of Denis Istomin, the 117th-ranked Uzbek wildcard who shocked defending champion Novak Djokovic in round two. The bespectacled Istomin won the first set but injury problems set in and he went down 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-1 to the in-form Bulgarian.Canadian third seed Raonic, still suffering from the effects of flu, beat Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to earn his quarter-final against Nadal. 

Collated results (prefix number denotes seeding):

Men’s singles: Fourth round: 9-Rafa Nadal (Spain) bt 6-Gael Monfils (France) 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4; 3-Milos Raonic (Canada) bt 13-Roberto Bautista (Spain) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1; 15-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) bt Denis Istomin (Uzbekistan) 2-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-1; 11-David Goffin (Belgium) bt 8-Dominic Thiem (Austria) 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-2. Women’s singles: Fourth round: 5-Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) bt 22-Daria Gavrilova (Australia) 6-3, 6-3; Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (Croatia) bt Jennifer Brady (US) 6-4, 6-2; 9-Johanna Konta (Britain) bt 30-Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) 6-1, 6-4; 2-Serena Williams (US) bt 16-Barbora Strycova (Czech Republic) 7-5, 6-4.

NZ complete series sweep after Bangladesh implode

Latham (41) and de Grandhomme (33) took their side through to 111 for one at Hagley Oval after umpires extended play by an extra 30 minutes because a result was within sight. New Zealand knocked off the runs in 18.4 overs to complete a rout of Bangladesh, winning all eight matches — three Twenty20 Internationals, three One-day Internationals and two Tests — during the tour. Jeet Raval was bowled for 33 by Kamrul Islam Rabbi about 10 minutes before the scheduled end of play, but de Grandhomme came out and hit two of the first five balls he faced for six to signal’s New Zealand’s intentions to try and complete victory inside four days. He hit two more in succession to end the game. Bangladesh, who were dismissed for 160 in their second innings in the first Test in Wellington after scoring 595-8, were bundled out for 173 in their second innings on Monday, setting the hosts a victory target of 109. “Today was probably our best day of cricket throughout the series which probably gave us the upper hand,” New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said. “A lot of credit to the bowlers and the way they bowled on a good surface was a fantastic effort and to then tick off the runs tonight was very nice.” Neil Wagner had sparked Bangladesh’s collapse from 92-3 to 106-7, with the left-armer capturing three of the four wickets to fall, including two in one over. Taskin Ahmed (33) and Kamrul (25 not out), however, produced a 51-run ninth-wicket partnership to ensure New Zealand would need to chase in excess of 100 after Mahmudullah top-scored with 38. Tim Southee had earlier achieved a personal milestone when he had Shakib Al Hasan caught by de Grandhomme at backward point for eight to bring up 200 Test match wickets. The 28-year-old is now behind Sir Richard Hadlee (431), Daniel Vettori (361), Chris Martin (233) and Chris Cairns (218) on the country’s all-time list.“I guess those things are nice to tick off on the way but it’s nice to also sit back and enjoy another Test win,” said Southee, who was named man-of-the-match after figures of 8-142. New Zealand had a first innings lead of 65 runs after Henry Nicholls had combined with the tail to take their side to 354 though the left-hander missed out on his maiden Test century when he was bowled for 98. “We had our moments but I think we lost our way a bit,” said Bangladesh stand-in captain Tamim Iqbal. “Bowling them out for 350 was a fantastic job ... but I think our batters ...needed to take more responsibility and score more runs and put them under pressure.”

India defeat Pakistan in the Women Session

India set a target of 121/5 for the green shirts. Mithali Raj's unbeaten 73 set the team up for victory. With Jhulan Goswami, Ekta Bisht and Preeti Bose on the offence from the beginning of India's bowling overs, the game was tipped in India's favour from the beginning. Pakistan ended the second inning with 104 for the loss of six wickets, 17 runs short of the target. Captain Bismah Maroof's 25 runs were the highest individual score on the Pakistani side. Opener Javeria Khan scored 22 while Nida Dar and Sana Mir returned to the pavilion with 12 runs not out each. Pakistan qualified for the final after defeating Thailand by five wickets on Saturday.

Smith's Stunning Performance for Australia

The Australia skipper smashed 164 off 157 balls, the highest individual One-day International score at the Sydney Cricket Ground, to lead Australia to 324 for eight. Man-of-the-match Smith struck 14 fours and four sixes in his seventh ODI century after winning the toss to give the Black Caps a tough target to chase down. Smith then took two great catches and paceman Josh Hazlewood claimed three wickets to dismiss the Kiwis for 256 in 44.2 overs. Smith’s knock, the seventh highest by an Australian, surpassed South Africa’s A.B. de Villiers’ 162 at the same ground in last year’s World Cup. It was also the joint-highest by an Australia captain. Ricky Ponting also made 164 against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2006. He then underlined his man-of-the-match qualities with two decisive catches in the Black Caps’ innings. It was his throat-high catch at slip that got a big breakthrough to dismiss New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson for just nine. Smith later latched onto a flying one-handed screamer to dismiss B.J. Watling for six off Mitchell Marsh, hurling himself to his left in the gully for a stunning catch. “I got a bit of luck. I was probably out lbw at one point,” Smith said. “It’s nice to get my highest score at my home ground and post a huge total. “We were able to get over the line, which was the most pleasing thing. I am sure New Zealand will hit back hard.”

Afghanistan win the victory over Bangladesh in the ODI series

DHAKA: Afghanistan skipper Asghar Stanikzai top-scored 57 runs as his side shocked Bangladesh by claiming a two-wicket victory in the second one-day international to level the three-match series 1-1 in Dhaka on Wednesday.Bowlers set up the win for Afghanistan as leg-spinner Rashid Khan took 3-35 and Mohammad Nabi claimed 2-16 to help the visitors dismiss Bangladesh for a modest 208 runs on a slow pitch at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.Man-of-the-match Nabi showed his all-round skill scoring 49 runs and putting on 107 runs with Stanikzai in the fifth wicket as Afghanistan recovered from 63-4 to reach 212-8, completing their second win against Bangladesh in four meetings. Stanikzai hit four fours and two sixes in his 95 balls to atone for some of his causal batting in the opening match, which saw Afghanistan lose by seven runs despite dominating Bangladeshi bowlers for a long period.

Defending a modest score, Shakib Al Hasan gave Bangladesh some hope with three early wickets before finishing with 4-47, but Nabi and Stanikzai stood firm to put Afghanistan in a strong position.

Mashrafe Mortaza trapped Nabi leg-before to end their partnership before debutant Mosaddek Hossain, who claimed 2-30, including one off his first ball, removed Stanikzai.But Najibullah Zadran made 22 and other lower-order batsmen gave him valuable support to see Afghanistan home, setting the third and final match on October 1 as the series decider.Stanikzai hailed his bowlers for their brilliant effort.

“This match, the credit goes to the team. Nabi and Rashid bowled really well,” he said.

“The ball reversed in the end, but Najib did it for us.” 

Earlier, Bangladesh could only pass the 200-run mark owing to an unbeaten 45 runs of Mosaddek, who shared 43 runs with Rubel Hossain in the last wicket pair.Put into bat first, Bangladesh, who were looking for their 100th ODI win and to wrap-up the series after winning Sunday's first match by a narrow seven runs, made a cautious start with the opening pair fetching 45 runs.Mirwais Ashraf, who claimed 2-23, removed both the openers Tamim Iqbal (20) and Soumya Sarkar (20) before Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad revived the innings, adding 61 runs for the third wicket.Afghan spinners took control of the proceedings once Naveen-ul-Haq bowled Mahmudullah for 25.Rahim, who scored 38, soon followed Mahmudullah attempting his favourite slow-sweep as Naveen-ul Haq took the catch at deep square leg off leg-spinner Shah. Nabi trapped Shakib Al Hasan leg-before for 17 before Rashid worked out the lower order. Bangladesh captain Mortaza lamented their poor batting.“(Our) batting wasn't up to the mark. The wicket was on the slow side, and after getting 20-30 runs, somebody should have made a good score,” he said.

Pakistan defeat West Indies in second T20 international Cricket Match

Pakistan outclassed world champions the West Indies by 16 runs in the second Twenty20 match in Dubai on Saturday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game series. Pakistan scored 160-4 in their 20 overs after they were sent in to bat with skipper Sarfraz Ahmed (46 not out), Khalid Latif (40) and Shoaib Malik (37) amongst the runs. They then restricted the West Indies to 144-9 with left-arm paceman Sohail Tanvir taking 3-13, also completing 50 wickets in the shortest format. Medium pacer Hasan Ali grabbed 3-49. Andre Fletcher made 29 while Sunil Narine top-scored with 30 for the West Indies. Pakistan won the first match — also in Dubai — by nine wickets on Friday. Both teams kept the same eleven from Friday's first match which Pakistan.

Barca to miss injured Messi: Zidane

Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane insists it is obvious rivals Barcelona will miss the injured Lionel Messi during a three-week layoff, but has injury concerns of his own ahead of Saturday’s trip to Las Palmas. The five-time World Player of the Year is set to be sidelined for Barca’s trips to Sporting Gijon, Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Champions League and Celta Vigo in the next week due to a groin strain. “Messi is Messi. We all know what he can bring to this team,” Zidane said on Friday. “Obviously, Barca are a different team when he is not there.” However, Madrid have been struck by a double injury blow of their own with a huge Champions League clash at Borussia Dortmund to come on Tuesday. Brazilian duo Marcelo and Casemiro will miss both trips to Las Palmas and Dortmund as well as Eibar’s visit to the Santiago Bernabeu next weekend. Both are also expected to miss Brazil’s World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Venezuela early next month. Marcelo limped off in the first-half of Real’s 1-1 draw with Villarreal on Wednesday and is expected to be out for at least two weeks. “He has been diagnosed with a grade two muscle strain in the soleus muscle of his right calf,” Madrid said in a statement on Friday. “It is always worrying when someone gets injured, even more so when they are first choice players,” Zidane said. Midfielder Casemiro has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture of his left fibula picked up in Sunday’s 2-0 win at Espanyol which will rule him out for three weeks. Casemiro has become a vital player in balancing Madrid’s midfield since Zidane took over as coach in January to balance the more attacking roles enjoyed by Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. “There is no other player who plays like Case,” added Zidane. “Hopefully the injuries aren’t severe and they return as soon as possible. We have a big squad.”

Pakistan defeat West Indies in first T20 International Cricket Match

Pakistan enjoyed the first T20 international cricket match against West Indies and won by 9 wickets after spoiling the opponent team on 115/10 in 19.5 overs.  The green-shirts are in good form after smashing England by nine wickets in the only Twenty20 game, which was wicket-keeper Sarfraz Ahmed’s first match as skipper, on their last tour. On the other hand, the West Indies will hope to forget their off-field confusion and underline their status as World Twenty20 champions. Sarfraz, who replaced Shahid Afridi following Pakistan’s first-round exit in the World Twenty20, hopes his team won’t be discouraged by the champions. “We didn’t think England were World Twenty20 finalists when we beat them at Manchester,” said Sarfraz. “We will do the same here, go out and play hard because the team which plays well on the ground wins a T20 match.” He added: “Even without Gayle and Russell, West Indies is strong and a T20 match is not won with big names only.”

Fast bowler Mohammad Amir joined the squad after his wedding on Tuesday and will spearhead a spin-cum-pace attack. Opener Mohammad Hafeez and lanky paceman Mohammad Irfan are out through injury. Middle-order batsman Umar Akmal will be in focus after being recalled following his axing on the England tour over disciplinary issues. Umar smashed a fiery century in a national Twenty20 event to force his comeback. The supremely talented but troubled West Indies side have arrived in the United Arab Emirates after sacking coach Phil Simmons and without all-rounder Andre Russell, who is facing a doping hearing. The Windies are also missing flamboyant big-hitter Chris Gayle, who complains of injury problems and makes only sporadic appearances for his country. Gayle also missed the West Indies’ one-run Twenty20 win over India in Florida last month, while Russell will front a hearing into claims he missed three drugs tests in a 12-month period, an offence which could trigger a two-year ban. Carlos Brathwaite stunned England when he smashed Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes to clinch the West Indies’ second World T20 title in April. Brathwaite will now captain the side in UAE while towering former fast bowler Joel ‘Big Bird’ Garner replaces Simmons, who repeatedly clashed with the West Indies board. Brathwaite hopes his team will show their huge talent in the humid conditions in the United Arab Emirates, where they also trained ahead of the World Twenty20 in India. “It wasn’t as hot early in the year, but, apparently, we’re smack dab in the middle of their summer, so it can get very, very hot,” said Brathwaite. “It’s for the players to prepare well, manage themselves well off the field, rehydration-wise, get enough rest, and each and every one of us is a professional, and evidently performing well when the games come.” Brathwaite’s uncapped players — including wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran, all-rounder Rovman Powell and fast bowler Kesrick Williams — will also want to fire against a dangerous Pakistan side.

The West Indies will rely heavily on their T20 specialist spinners Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine, who shared five wickets to spark a 22-run win in a warm-up game on Tuesday. The second match will follow at the same venue on Saturday with the third in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. The teams will also play three One-day Internationals and three Tests.

Australia' broke nine-year record in T20 cricket

Opener Glenn Maxwell's blistering century in Australia's world record 263 powered the visitors to a comprehensive 85-run win over Sri Lanka in the first Twenty20 international in Pallekele. Australia, who broke Sri Lanka's nine-year record of 260/6 against Kenya in 2007, restricted the hosts to 178 for nine in 20 overs to take the lead in the two-match series. Maxwell decently manage the Sri Lankan bowling attack with his unbeaten 145 off 65 balls, which was laced with 14 fours and nine sixes, after the visitors were invited to bat first. Skipper David Warner gave Australia a fiery start with his 28 runs off 12 balls as he put on a 57-run opening partnership with Maxwell to lay a solid foundation. Off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake bowled Warner on a looping delivery that held its line to take the off stump, but Sri Lanka's joy was shortlived as Maxwell was just warming up at the other end. The opener, who registered his maiden T20 century in his 35th game, found the perfect partner in Usman Khawaja, who scored 36 off 22 balls, as the duo put together 97 runs for the second wicket. Debutant left-arm spinner Sachith Pathirana got Khawaja trudging back to the pavilion, only to see Travis Head join forces with Maxwell. Maxwell and Head, who scored an 18-ball 45, then put on 109 runs for the third wicket as it was raining boundaries at a packed Pallekele International Stadium. Maxwell fell 11 runs short of teammate Aaron Finch's top T20 score of 156 as he faced a single ball in the final over of the innings. In reply, Sri Lanka were never in the chase after losing openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kusal Perera (4) in the first two overs of the innings. Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc struck in his very first over to get Dilshan, who is set to retire from international cricket after the second T20, bowled for four. The pressure of scoring at over 13 runs an over proved just too much for an inexperienced Sri Lankan batting side as the Aussie bowlers kept picking wickets at regular intervals. Skipper Dinesh Chandimal top-scored with 58 runs, his fourth T20 half-century, before falling to medium-pacer Scott Boland. Chamara Kapugedara also hit a 25-ball 43, studded with three fours and three sixes, to give some respect to the Sri Lankan total. Starc and Boland claimed three wickets each as James Faulkner, Moises Henriques and Adam Zampa took one each.

Tennis: Andy Murray pulled victory for Great Britain

Second seed and 2012 champion Andy Murray enjoyed Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov game by 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 to reach a sixth US Open quarter-final Monday, clocking up a personal fast serve record in the process. The 29-year-old reigning Wimbledon and Olympic champion stormed to an impressive seventh win in 10 meetings against the 22nd-seeded Dimitrov. From the moment Murray broke for a 3-1 lead in the first set, on the back of a lung-busting 32-shot rally, the outcome of the Arthur Ashe Stadium clash was never in doubt. For good measure, Murray sent down his fastest ever serve of 141mph (226.9 km/h) at the end of a set where he allowed Dimitrov just five points on his service. “I once hit a 145mph serve in San Jose but they recalibrated the machine the next day so it didn't count. Tonight was the first time I have gone above 140,” said the 29-year-old. “It was lucky and I doubt I'll ever do it again.” Dimitrov broke only once in the match in the fourth game of the second set but it was a brief respite as Murray quickly reclaimed it before taking 10 of the next 12 games to seal the rout. Dimitrov committed 43 unforced errors as Murray set up a last-eight clash with Japanese sixth seed Kei Nishikori, the 2014 runner-up who downed 37-year-old Ivo Karlovic 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4). Karlovic fired 21 aces in the contest but Nishikori's 44 winners and a miserly seven unforced errors proved the key. “It's never easy facing someone serving like Ivo, never easy to return those kind of serves,” said Nishikori. “But I tried to stay down. I have been returning well, so that also helped today. I think I played one of the best matches — serve, return, ground strokes.”

Tennis: Novak Djokovic steamed into US Open quarter final

Novak Djokovic steamed into the quarter finals of the US Open with  tremendous victories against 84th-ranked Briton Kyle Edmund. Edmund, playing in a Grand Slam fourth round for the first time, barely got a look-in during the first two sets against the world number one and defending champion, who booked a last-eight meeting with ninth-seeded Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-2 winner over American Jack Sock. “Feels great to play a full match after aweird couple of days when I didn't have too much tennis,” said Djokovic, who received a walkover into the third round when Czech Jiri Vesely pulled out of the tournament injured and played just six games before third-round foe Mikhail Youzhy retired. Even with the extra rest, however, he required on-court treatment on his right arm – the same one he had treated during his scrappy first-round victory over Jerzy Janowicz. Having raced through the first two sets in just over an hour, Djokovic sought treatment after surrendering his first service break of the night – starting a run of three straight games for Edmund that gave the Briton a 3-2 lead. Djokovic put the set back on serve with a break for 3-3, and broke Edmund at love to close out the match. Even after the tighter third set, Djokovic was pleased with his night's work. “I came out of the blocks with high intensity which was hard after waiting all day to start the match,” he said. “I made him work for every point.”

Football: Rooney's celebration after winning goal for England

Rooney is celebrating the winning goal for England in the World Cup 2018 football qualificaion match against Slovakia in Trnava. Rooney, the performer, maintaining record for 116th appearance as an England outfield player, adopted a deep-lying midfield role for much of the game despite Allardyce having said he would play in a number 10 position. But Allardyce said: “This is the most decorated outfield player in England. He's won everything at Man United, more or less, and at Champions League and domestic level. “He holds a lot more experience at international football than me as an international manager. “So using his experience with a team, and playing as a team member, it's not for me to say where he's going to play. “It's up to me to (ask): 'Are you playing well in that position? And if you are playing well and contributing, that's great.' “Yes, I'd like him to get forward a bit more. He's been a goalscorer all his life and I want him still to score goals, but he reads a game as he reads it. “I must admit, he did play a little deeper than I thought he'd play. But I was pleased with his performance.” Rooney, 30, started the game in midfield alongside Jordan Henderson in a 4-1-4-1 system. He pushed up into a more orthodox number 10 role at half-time, only to retreat to a midfield holding role after Allardyce sent on Dele Alli for Henderson. Rooney, England's captain, has been playing as a number 10 for Manchester United this season and Allardyce indicated prior to Sunday's game that he would use him in a similar role. Adding to the confusion, Rooney himself told ITV he had played “where Sam wanted me to play”.‘Lucky coin’ England dominated possession against a stubbornly unadventurous Slovakia team, but it took the 57th-minute dismissal of Martin Skrtel for the visitors to take control. Skrtel, the former Liverpool centre-back, was booked in the second half for catching Harry Kane with a flailing arm and saw red after stamping on the same player's calf. Lallana hit the post and substitute Theo Walcott had a goal ruled out for offside as Slovakia threatened to pull off a repeat of their 0-0 draw against England at Euro 2016. But with the last kick of the game, Lallana aimed a left-foot shot towards the near post and Slovakia goalkeeper Matus Kozacik could not prevent the ball squirming beneath him and trickling over the line. Allardyce, who succeeded Roy Hodgson after Euro 2016, said the winning goal was “richly deserved”, but admitted it had come as a “huge relief”. Slovakia coach Jan Kozak felt his team's display had set the tone for the rest of their Group F campaign. “If you want to be successful, you need to leave everything on the pitch,” he said. “We, as a team, have the character and the enthusiasm. But the opposition were very tough. “England are a good team, but they had fewer chances here than they did in the Euros. It was only when we went a man down that they created more.” Allardyce, meanwhile, revealed an unlikely source of inspiration during his post-match press conference when he showed reporters a “lucky coin” he had been given before the game. “A father and his son, who was in a wheelchair, came to the hotel this morning and said: 'Is it OK if you have a picture with my son?” he said. “When we finished, he said: 'Here's a lucky coin for you.' So I said: 'Thank you very much.' In the end we had a little bit of luck and we won, so it'll stay with me.”

Cricket: Fifth One Day International in the name of Pakistan

Pakistan confidently chased England by four wickets to secure its victory in the fifth and final one-day international in Cardiff. England have the series with 4-1 but the success of Pakistan save them from their clean sweep and ended their season as 4-1 in 50-over cricket match. Pakistan dropped its 3 wickets on just 77 Runs in the chase of 303 after that fourth-wicket partnership of 163 between Shoaib Malik (77) and Sarfraz Ahmed (90) turned the match in the favor of Pakistan. Imad Wasim, who born in the nearby south Wales city of Swansea, hit the winning drives when he struck a four off all-rounder Chris Jordan with 10 balls to spare as Pakistan finished on 304 for six. Mohammad Rizwan was on 34 with not out position and left-hander Imad Wasim on 16 and not out. Previously, Jason Roy and Ben Stokes both strucked quick fifties as England made 302 for nine in the fifth and final one-day international against Pakistan. Roy made 87 and Stokes an ODI-best 75 as England, bidding for a first 5-0 clean sweep of a home one-day series, set Pakistan a challenging total to chase. At 244 for five England, who posted a world record 444 for three in the third ODI in Nottingham, have set again good total. But Pakistan pulled them back with paceman Hassan Ali taking an ODI best 4 for 60 and left-arm quick Mohammad Amir 3 for 50. Both of them performed their best and restrict England players in the last overs from setting again a huge target against Pakistan. Opening batsman Roy, dropped on 56 when a diving Mohammad Rizwan could not hold a tough chance at mid-wicket, put on 72 for the fourth wicket with Stokes. All-rounder Stokes and wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow then he added 55 Runs for the 5th wicket. England had positive start after being sent into bat on a green pitch and under overcast skies by Pakistan captain Azhar Ali, who was in hope for English bowlers attack by having ground and pitch conditions in their favor. Ultimately, Pakistan have won the match and secured it from getting clean sweeped from England in the last ODI 50-overs match which was being played in Cardiff.

Cricket: The first England player who commits to Bangladesh tour

Moeen Ali has become the first England player to confirm unreservedly that he will be available for the upcoming tour of Bangladesh. The future of the tour was in the balance after an attack on a Dhaka cafe in July killed 20 — mostly foreign — hostages, with the Islamic State group claiming responsibility. But all-rounder Ali, speaking in Cardiff on Saturday ahead of England's fifth and final One-Day International (ODI) against Pakistan in the Welsh capital on Sunday, said: “If selected, I'll definitely go. “I'm pretty happy with everything and really looking forward to it,” the Worcestershire off-spinner and left-handed batsman added. “I've been there a few times, five or six.” Following the Dhaka attack, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sent an inspection team to Bangladesh led by long-serving security chief Reg Dickason. After he reported back, the ECB said last month that the tour, which includes three ODIs and two Test match fixtures in October and November, would go ahead as planned.“My view is you're not safe anywhere these days,” said Ali. “I think you can be anywhere and still not be safe.” England assistant coach Paul Farbrace, who was with the Sri Lanka squad when their bus came under armed attack in Lahore in 2009, has also said he intends to travel to Bangladesh. But England one-day captain Eoin Morgan, who was among a group of players given a security briefing by Dickason, said Friday he had still to make up his mind. Meanwhile wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow told several British newspapers: “I've not made a 100 percent decision but I know within my mind that I have a lot of faith in Reggie. I've been on a heck of a lot of tours with him, he's known me since I was a young boy. So I've got a lot of faith in him.” Ali said he had no qualms about anyone taking their time over deciding whether or not to commit to the tour. “It's really tough (to decide), even for myself. “Everyone's different, and has their own views on things — and as a team, you back other other's decisions. “It's up to the individual. There's no pressure on anyone — it's up to that person and how he feels.