Dominant Australia on Course for Series Sweep
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SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2014 SPORTS Violence-plagued Bangladesh to host Asia Cup COLOMBO: Asia’s cricket chiefs yester- Bangladesh Cricket Board had made a yesterday that it will seek further clarifica- Murad said in a statement. “Win or lose, month-long bilateral tour of day said violence-plagued Bangladesh detailed security presentation at the tion on the Asia Cup during a meeting of the experience we gain will be very Bangladesh from January 27 that fea- would remain the venue for next meeting. An ACC release said 11 match- the International Cricket Council on important for us.” Bangladesh is also tures two Tests, two Twenty20 matches month’s Asia Cup and added es will be played in the tournament January 9. Afghanistan will join Asia’s four due to host the World Twenty20 tour- and three one-day internationals. Afghanistan as the fifth team in the with the final on March 8. Election- Test nations-India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka nament from March 16 to April 6. The “We pay great attention to player regional one-day tournament. Some related violence in Bangladesh has and Bangladesh-in the 50-over tourna- three venues chosen for the World safety and security. We have been observers had expected officials to claimed more than 140 lives since late ment, Huq added. The fast-improving Twenty20 - capital Dhaka, Chittagong assured of that,” Cricket Sri Lanka’s sec- move the tournament out of October, with opposition parties boy- Afghanistan team, which has qualified and Sylhet-have all experienced vio- retary Nishantha Ranatunga said. “If we Bangladesh following an outbreak of cotting the polls and organizing a series for their maiden appearance in the 50- lence over the past month. want cricket to continue in this region, violent protests and strikes in the capi- of blockades across the country. over World Cup, have also made it to An ICC spokesman told AFP last we need to play in these (Asian) coun- tal Dhaka ahead of elections today. The Pakistan Cricket Board had said their third successive World Twenty20. month that the world body was “active- tries.” Sri Lanka’s cricketers had been “The tournament will go ahead as on Thursday it was seeking its govern- The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said ly monitoring” the situation in attacked by militants during a tour of scheduled in Bangladesh from February ment’s advice about sending a team for it was grateful to the ACC and the other Bangladesh. The danger posed to Pakistan in March, 2009 while they 25,” Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief the Asia Cup due to the continuing politi- teams for allowing it to participate in the teams was underlined last month when were on their way to resume a Test executive Ashraful Huq said after an cal unrest in Bangladesh. But Huq said regional competition. a small bomb exploded outside the match in Lahore. “We have faced these executive board meeting in Colombo. Pakistan did not raise any security con- “Afghanistan needs the kind of elite hotel of the West Indies Under-19 team (security) problems, Pakistan has faced “Everything is in place for the tour- cerns at the meeting. “Pakistan have said level experience that competing in the port city of Chittagong, prompt- these problems and now Bangladesh is nament, no one raised any issue about yes, they have not said no,” he said. against big teams can provide us,” ACB ing them to cut short their tour. Sri facing them,” Ranatunga said. “We must safety,” Huq said, adding the However, a Pakistan board source said chief executive Noor Mohammad Lanka said it will go ahead with its unite to face these challenges.” —AFP Dominant Australia on course for series sweep Aussies on brink of Ashes whitewash over England SYDNEY: A dominant Australia looked firmly ting downfall, Mitchell Johnson (3-33), Ryan ond ball of the day, when England captain on course for a 5-0 Ashes series sweep when Harris (3-36) and Peter Siddle (3-23) played Alastair Cook inexplicably padded up to an they reached 140 for four, a lead of 311, at decisive roles with another display of top inswinger and was trapped leg before for the close of play after skittling England for quality pace bowling. “It’s obviously not a seven. 155 on a dramatic second day of the fifth test done thing yet, we’ve got to make sure we Harris could have had a second wicket yesterday. Chris Rogers, who had made 73 bat well in the morning and get some more with his next delivery when Ian Bell edged not out, and George Bailey, unbeaten on 20, and bowl like we did today to bowl them out the ball behind, only for Shane Watson to will resume on day three looking to further again,” Harris told reporters. “We sort of fig- fluff a reasonably simple catch in the slips. inflate the lead before Australia unleash their ure they are going to fire at some stage, we Nightwatchman James Anderson braved a pace attack on the hapless tourists. hope they don’t but... I don’t think the wick- couple of overs of short bowling before England’s bowlers made inroads into the et’s getting any easier. If we bowl like we did departing, also for seven, after finding the Australian batting order in the final session today, I think we’ll go alright.” Australia had edge with a stab at a fuller length Johnson ABU DHABI: Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez (second right) plays a to contribute to the 13 wickets to fall at the made 326 in their first innings before reduc- delivery, which Michael Clarke leapt to claim Sydney Cricket Ground but the day was ing England to 8-1 overnight and drove in the cordon. Kevin Pietersen lasted just shot during the final day of the first cricket Test match between Pakistan defined by a first hour that left the tourists home their advantage by ripping through nine balls and 12 minutes before being dis- and Sri Lanka at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi yesterday. —AFP reeling at 23-5. While a dispirited England England’s top order in the early blitz. It was missed for three courtesy of another edge to had once again contributed to their own bat- Harris who started the carnage with the sec- the slips from a Harris delivery, which Watson took this time after a juggle. Lanka salvage draw FOLLOW-ON SAVED With England now 17-4 after just 32 min- in first Pakistan Test utes of play, Bell did his best to dig in. He ABU DHABI: The first Test between before by the same bowler soon after tea took 42 minutes to get off the mark but had Pakistan and Sri Lanka ended in a draw on for 55. Hafeez hit 11 fours during his sedate just two runs on the board 14 minutes later the fifth and final day in Abu Dhabi yester- knock. Younis Khan was the other unbeat- when a superb delivery from Siddle had him day after Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed en batsman with 13. Mathews said he was caught behind by Brad Haddin. “We knew we Shehzad hit half-centuries. Hafeez finished happy with his team’s fightback. “Pretty had to start well and pick up early wickets, with 80 not out for his ninth Test half-cen- happy with the result and hope to continue we didn’t think we’d get that many, I guess,” tury, his first in 11 innings, while Ahmed like this in the series,” said Mathews, named Harris added. Shehzad notched his maiden fifty on his man-of-the-match. “We were in a spot of Debutant Gary Ballance (18) went just debut as Pakistan, set 302 runs in a possible bother after the third day but I am happy after lunch before Jonny Bairstow (18) and of 67 overs, finished on 158-2. that we came good in batting and forced a Ben Stokes (47) offered some resistance in a The draw left the three-Test series open, draw.” partnership of 49 for the seventh wicket. with the second Test starting in Dubai on Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq was dis- Wednesday. The third Test will be played in appointed at his side’s batting collapse in When they were dismissed in one Siddle over, Sharjah from January 16. The no-result is the first innings. “It was a pretty even though, England’s hopes of any kind of also a moral victory for the Sri Lankans who match. We dominated the first three days respectable score went with them. England were in a danger of losing after conceding but they came back strongly,” said Misbah, saved the follow-on and looked like they a big 179-run lead in the first innings and who also scored a century in the match. might just scramble to tea but Johnson were 186-4 after the third day, leading by “We need to improve our batting because returned to the fray and clean bowled Boyd SYDNEY: Australia’s fielder George Bailey (center) and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin just seven runs with six wickets intact. Sri the way we lost six wickets for 50-odd runs Rankin, the third of the England new caps, for Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews hit a was not good and also our bowling when (right) call an unsuccessful Leg Before Wicket appeal against England’s Ben Stokes 13 to end the innings and bring up the break. career-best 157 not out to pull his team out the wicket is not conducive.” Earlier, Sri (left) on the second day of the fifth Ashes cricket Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground Stuart Broad, welcomed to the crease by a of danger on the fourth day when they lost Lanka declared their second innings on yesterday.