ASIA CUP 2016 : India, Sri Lanka sweat over injury concerns ahead of clash

Dhoni is playing through this tournament with a back brace, despite spasms. 

Injuries and pitch conditions are amongst the primary focus a day ahead of India's match against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup on Tuesday (March 1). Both teams will be hampered with injuries to key players and might feel the sting of not playing their best eleven. 

For Sri Lanka, it is a must-win game. They will now have to beat both India and Pakistan to stand a chance to qualify for the final. The fitness of regular skipper Lasith Malinga will be their biggest concern ahead of the important clash.

Malinga missed their previous game against Bangladesh due to a niggle in the knee. The game before that, against UAE, was his first game in three months and he pulled up sore after picking up a match-winning four-wicket haul. Angelo Mathews, stand-in skipper, was unsure about Malinga's availability for the rest of the tournament and the Lankans will not rest easy if the pacer does pull out of the game against India.

MS Dhoni and Co. have their own set of worries as well. The skipper himself is playing through this tournament with a back brace, despite spasms. There is a back-up option of Parthiv Patel but it looks likely that Parthiv might step in for one of the regular openers in this game. Both Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are nursing injuries.

Rohit suffered a blow on his left toe, which forced him to go for scans. Although the scans did not reveal a crack, Rohit did not take part in the training session ahead of the game against Sri Lanka. Dhawan, who missed the game against Pakistan due to an injury to his left heel, was seen wearing a bandage but still managed to do a few fitness drills before going out to have a hit. If both of them miss out, then it will force the team to make a few changes right from the top.

A straightforward move could be to draft in Parthiv as an opener but Team India will also consider the option of pushing Kohli to open and drafting in Pawan Negi to bolster the batting in the lower-middle order.

The pitches that have been provided so far in Dhaka have all aided the seamers to a large extent. The last time India faced Sri Lanka on a green-top in Pune, their batting crumbled against a young Sri Lankan pace attack. This time around the islanders have a more potent new-ball bowlers in Nuwan Kulasekara and Angelo Mathews but India's batting has also shown a marked improvement in such conditions. 

With the exception of Dinesh Chandimal, none of the other batsmen have shown an inclination to stick around © AFP

With Kohli and Rohit showing the technical nous to shore up the batting in similar conditions, it does appear that India have that front sorted.
The same cannot be said about Sri Lanka though. Their batting came a cropper twice in succession. With the exception of Dinesh Chandimal, none of the others have shown an inclination to stick around and milk runs, as Mathews conceded. Chandimal himself was guilty of throwing away a good start against Bangladesh.

But Sri Lanka still possess a line-up that bats very deep. They will be banking on the others to come good soon enough. Tillakaratne Dilshan will be under focus. In the absence of experience down the order, the pressure on the senior opener to deliver becomes even more acute. He hasn't found his touch so far and he'd do well to pace his innings better. Sri Lanka will need him to set up the ideal base for the power-hitters down the order like Thisara Perera and Dasun Sanaka to capitalise.

India need another win to put them in pole position to grab a spot in the final. Form isn't a concern for Dhoni's men but man-management will be critical in the build-up to the World T20. They will tread carefully before taking a call on fielding players with niggles with the big tournament following soon after. It will be interesting to see how they tackle this tricky situation.

Squads (From):

India: Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravichandran Ashwin, Suresh Raina, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, Pawan Negi, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Parthiv Patel

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Dinesh Chandimal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milinda Siriwardana, Dasun Shanaka, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dushmantha Chameera, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Jeffrey Vandersay 

Mustafizur Rahman ruled out of Asia Cup

Mustafizur Rahman finished with figures of 1 for 19 against Sri Lanka © AFP

In a major blow to Bangladesh's Asia Cup campaign, Mustafizur Rahman, the bowling spearhead, has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a side strain he suffered during the team's 23-run victory over Sri Lanka. Tamim Iqbal has been called up as his replacement. Mustafizur's latest injury has been classified as a Grade 1 strain and is unlikely to keep the bowler out of reckoning for a long time, with World T20 fast-approaching.

The injury setback comes despite Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) best efforts to manage his fitness. The board had expressed its concerns regarding the 20-year-old's participation in the inaugural season of the recently-concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL) after he was snapped up by the Lahore Qalandars for USD 50,000. The left-arm pacer eventually missed the T20 league due to a shoulder injury.

Mustafizur was key to his team's exceptional show against Sri Lanka, as he conceded just nine runs in two overs in his second spell, denying the Sri Lanka in their chase of 147. The 20-year-old has been a revelation in his team's phenomenal rise in limited-overs cricket, picking up 26 wickets - including two fifers and a six-wicket haul - in three One-Day International (ODI) series victories over India, South Africa and Zimbabwe at home in 2015. 

Iqbal, who had earlier taken paternity leave and opted out of the Asia Cup, will now join up with the squad. Bangladesh are second on the table with two wins in three games and face Pakistan in their final group-stage game on March 2 ( Wednesday).

Malik-Akmal Show denies UAE

Umar Akmal scored a 46-ball unbeaten half-century © AFP

Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal led Pakistan's chase with composed fifties as the three-time champions registered a convincing seven-wicket win against UAE on Monday (February 29).

The victory wasn't all smooth sailing for Pakistan though. At one stage they were reduced to 17 for three with Amjad Javed, the UAE captain, claiming all three, before a rousing third-wicket stand of 114 between Akmal and Malik rescued Pakistan.

Being thrown into the deep end is a time-tested strategy to help people overcome drawbacks. Javed did just that when he opted to bat first. Batting has been UAE's weakest link in this tournament so far while Pakistan's bowling is reputed to be the one of the most potent, given the pace-friendly conditions on offer. 

For a while it seemed like the skipper had thrown his men into sink. Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Irfan all struck with the new ball to reduce UAE to 12 for 3 in just four overs. Amir, at his stingy best, castled Muhammad Kaleem from round the wicket while Sami had the better of an attacking Rohan Mustafa. Irfan's bounce was too much for Mohammad Shahzad and soon after Shahid Afridi had Usman Mushtaq caught at short fine leg.

It almost seemed too easy for Pakistan now. They just had to turn up to pick up wickets. But UAE were kept afloat by Shaiman Anwar, who came out attacking despite wickets tumbling at the other end. Mohammad Nawaz, Pakistan's debutant left-arm spinner was carted for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries while Afridi was smashed for three boundaries on-the-trot by Anwar. He scored 46 off the 72 that UAE made before he was dismissed, by another Irfan snorter.

After the tone was set, the rest took the cue. Mohammad Usman and Amjad Javed did not let slip and threw their bats at everything thrown at them. Extra bounce that yielded Irfan his two wickets, now became his weakness as edges repeatedly sailed to the boundary and even beyond. The duo added 46 off 32 deliveries, mainly by going all out at everything that was thrown at them, an approach that paid rich dividends. 

UAE ended up with a decent score of 129 on a track that was offering assistance for both spin and pace. That UAE could end up with just 129 was also largely due to a miserly spell from Amir, who bowled 21 dot balls in his four overs and conceded just six runs to cap off a second good game in succession. 

It was now up to UAE's stronger suit - the bowling - to try and force an upset. Going into the innings break, UAE had the momentum but the target wasn't too high to rattle Pakistan. Javed, however proceeded to do just that with an inspiring spell that accounted for Shajeel Khan, Khurram Manzoor and Mohammad Hafeez in quick succession. 

But UAE's firepower fizzled out in front of a mature stand between two of Pakistan's most experienced batsmen. Malik and Akmal approached the chase calmly and allowed Pakistan to settled down in the initial overs before breaking free towards the end, to finish the chase with eight balls to spare.

Apart from Javed's initial burst, UAE's bowling was largely off-colour. Mohammad Naveed, who had impressed in the first two games, was expensive this time around. Javed's early efforts too were undone as he ended up as the most expensive bowler.

The back-up bowlers kept things quiet with Malik and Akmal steadying the ship but the lack of penetration in that period cost them dearly. Malik was dropped on 41 by Usman Mushtaq and by then Pakistan had the game in the bag. The duo made light work of the chase towards the end with a flurry of boundaries that helped Pakistan get over the line.

Brief scores: UAE 129/6 in 20 overs (Shaiman Anwar 46, Amjad Javed 27*; Mohammad Amir 2-6, Mohammad Irfan 2-30) lost to Pakistan 131/3 in 18.4 overs (Shoaib Malik 63*, Umar Akmal 50*; Amjad Javed 3-36) by 7 wickets

Kohli fined for dissent after dismissal

Virat Kohli reacted after being given out lbw despite getting an inside edge

India batsman Virat Kohli has been fined 30% of his match fee for violating the ICC Code of Conduct by showing dissent after he was given out in the Asia Cup game against Pakistan in Mirpur. Kohli admitted to the offence and accepted the penalty imposed by match referee Jeff Crowe.

"The incident happened in the 15th over of India's innings when Kohli, after being given out leg before, displayed dissent by first showing his bat and then leaving the crease while looking back at the umpire and uttering some words that were contrary to the spirit of the game," the ICC said in a release.

Replays of the delivery showed that Kohli had inside edged the Mohammad Sami delivery on to his pad but was given lbw by the on-field umpire Ruchira Palliyaguruge.

He was on 49 at the time, having rescued India from 8 for 3 in a chase of 84. India were eight runs from victory when Kohli fell and they eventually passed the target with five wickets in hand and 27 balls to spare.

Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2016 : Sabbir's one-man act too much for Sri Lanka

Bangladesh 147 for 7 (Sabbir 80, Chameera 3-30) beat Sri Lanka 124 for 8 (Chandimal 37, Al-Amin 3-34) by 23 runs

Sabbir Rahman made a career-best 80 in T20 internationals

After they ran into early trouble, Sabbir Rahman scored more than half of Bangladesh's runs. Their bowlers followed it up by squeezing Sri Lanka in the 148 chase, eventually picking up their second win in the Asia Cup by 23 runs.

A packed crowd at the Shere Bangla National Stadium was kept on the edge for three and a half hours, mainly by Man-of-the-Match Sabbir's superb and clean hitting that gave him ten fours and three sixes. The home side's tight bowling and rapid fielding across the outfield stood out too.

The loss would, however, ring loud alarm bells for Sri Lanka, especially after how they missed out on taking advantage of the home side slipping to 26 for 3, and later being unable to hit any boundaries for four and seven-over clumps. This was the first time Sri Lanka were beaten by Bangladesh in a T20.

On a pitch devoid of any grass, Bangladesh had to defend what Shakib Al Hasan called a "par score" in the innings break. But Shakib and Mustafizur Rahman bowled eight overs between them for just 40 runs, taking three wickets. Al-Amin Hossain finished with 3 for 34.

But Bangladesh's defence had not started well. Like he did in the previous match, Soumya Sarkar dropped a catch at slip in the first over, off Taskin Ahmed, this time the lucky batsman being Dinesh Chandimal who had not scored a run. Tillakaratne Dilshan too was dropped, though the chance at wide first slip in the second over was quite hard for a diving Mahmudullah.

But Dilshan was removed in the fourth over with Sarkar making up for his drop with a brilliant catch running back about 30 yards from mid-off, diving full length and landing safely with the ball. Chandimal and Shehan Jayasuriya then added 56 runs for the second wicket though, like Bangladesh, they went through exactly four overs without a boundary.

Jayasuriya broke that duck with a six in the 11th over but Chandimal holed out in the same over after making a run-a-ball 37 after mainly trying reverse hits in the last few balls he faced. Shakib quickly removed Jayasuriya in the next over, for a 21-ball 26 after missing a wide delivery to get stumped by Nurul Hasan.

Bangladesh's biggest fear factor was Thisara Perera because of his performance in 2014 but today he was lackluster, falling leg-before to Mustafizur and Sri Lanka soon slipped to 92 for 5 in the 15th over.

Angelo Mathews swung and missed plenty during his 20-ball 12 before he was well caught at point by Shakib running back a fair way. In the 18th over, with 46 still required, Dasun Shanaka finaly struck one sweetly, breaking the seven-over boundary drought. Al-Amin conceded nine runs in the over and Sri Lanka were still 37 adrift from their target with two overs to go.

Mustafizur gave away just five runs in the penultimate over before Al-Amin took two wickets in the last over to seal the win.

Earlier, Sabbir's hitting spree began in the fourth over when he took three fours and a six off Nuwan Kulasekara to kick-start Bangladesh's innings that saw the openers Mohammad Mithun and Sarkar return for ducks within the first nine balls.

In the fifth over, however, Sabbir got into a mix-up with Mushfiqur Rahim resulting in the latter's run-out. But Sabbir responded brilliantly, taking three fours off Perera in the next over. With Shakib, Sabbir took to building the innings and the pair went through 4.1 overs without a boundary.

Sabbir broke the shackles in the 13th over with a well-timed six over midwicket which also brought up his fifty off 38 balls. Jayasuriya conceded 17 in the over, with Sabbir hitting two fours right after the six. He cracked Dushmantha Chameera's first ball through the covers and added another four in the next over, off Rangana Herath. Sabbir struck his third six before getting out, trying to repeat the hit through midwicket, but was caught for 80 off 54 balls. At that point, he had scored just over 74 per cent of Bangladesh's 108 runs.

Shakib, who had till now struggled to time several balls, and Mahmudullah kept the momentum going with three fours in the next seven balls before Shakib was caught behind miscuing a bouncer in the 18th over. Mahmudullah, who has turned into Bangladesh's finisher in this Asia Cup, pulled a four followed by a six straight over the bowler's head in his unbeaten 12-ball 23, to give them the much-needed final thrust.

Chameera took 3 for 30 but Kulasekara gave away 44 runs in four overs. It was quite surprising to see Mathews not bowling his fourth over after he had given away just eight runs in his first three. Herath was economical but didn't take a wicket in his four overs.

US firm to produce documentary on Yuvraj

A United States-based firm will produce a documentary on 2011 Cricket World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh's life, Times of India has learnt. The documentary, to be produced by Los Angeles based Apex Entertainment, will trace Yuvraj's cricketing career besides his battle with cancer. Keeping in mind a biopic on captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who led the Indian team to the 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup, is in it's final stages cricket fans across the country were looking forward to a film based on Yuvraj, who was the top performer in both the tournaments.

Fans will get to watch two movies on cricket this year with Azhar (a movie on former India skipper Mohd Azharuddin's life) and Dhoni: The Untold Story scheduled for release in May and September respectively.

Apex Entertainment has a long list of producing premier sports-based movies like The Rookie (2002), Miracle (2004), Invincible (2006), Secretariat (2010), Big Shot (2012), Gigante (2013), Million Dollar Arm (2014). These movies not only received critical acclaim but went on to become top grossers at the box office as well.

Mark Ciardi, president and co-founder of Apex Entertainment, confirmed that his firm had bagged the rights to Yuvraj's film. "I have always believed in our company's philosophy o bringing aspirational stories rom the world to you characters who overcome adversity stories that inspire minds," he said on Saturday (February 27). "Yuvraj's story is not just a cricket story, it's a human interest story.

"People like to watch greatness. He is an inspiration to a billion Indians and cricket fans globally, the way he faced odds in his life and career, the way he survived cancer and the way he fought back to earn his place in the Indian team. His story is worth telling and that's why we are extremely thrilled to have got this chance."

Ciardi, who was the brain behind movies like the Invincible, Secretariat and Million Dollar Arm and Emmy Award winning series ESPN 30 for 30, feels the rise in popularity of Twenty20 cricket also prompted his firm to make the move.

"The USA has a sizeable Indian population who follow cricket," he pointed out. "A superstar like Yuvraj Singh is widely followed especially after he came to the US for cancer treatment.

"It was one of our common friends Ash Vasudevan (Apex co-founder) who helped us connect with Yuvraj last year where he told us that he quite liked Invincible and Miracle which were produced by us and he would like a film made on his life as well. I am happy that he gave us the rights and we would do our best to not disappoint him."

To lend realism to the documentary, the Apex team will shoot widely in India besides laying their hands on archival footage available on Yuvraj sporting career. It is also learnt that Yuvraj's father Yograj Singh, who recently acted in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Singh is Bliing, and mother Shabnam will have a role in the non-fiction film, which is likely to be released next year.

Players will bounce back from India loss: Malik

Pakistan's Shoaib Malik walks back to the pavilion after being dismissed during the Twenty20 match against India at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, on February 27, 2016

Pakistan miscalculated the pitch in Dhaka and will learn from their mistakes after a crushing five-wicket loss to bitter rivals India, batsman Shoaib Malik said on Sunday (February 28). His sidewere bundled out for a paltry 83 in Saturday's (February 27) crucial tie against MS Dhoni's side.

They must win against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday (February 29) to keep their Asia Cup hopes alive.The game has an added significance as it will make Pakistan the first team to play 100 Twenty20 internationals.

"Playing against India, it's a pressure game for both the teams," Malik said after a training session in Dhaka."We made some mistakes, we didn't know what the conditions here would be. It was tough to bat yesterday. But we miscalculatedsomewhat, because we had no idea about the conditions."

"Now we have played. Now we know how to deal with it. It's going to be a great game against UAE. Obviously, you learn from your mistakes, and that's why we are here doing practice," Malik added.

When Pakistan defended their meagre total, Mohammad Amir generated pace and swing with pinpoint accuracy on a helpful track to leave India rattled at 8-3 inside three overs.But Virat Kohli coolly negotiated Amir's fiery spell to strike 49 off 51 balls and steer India home with 27 balls to spare.

Malik expressed full confidence in his bowlers and urged the batsmen to back them up."We know we have the best attack among all the teams. Batsmen have to take responsibility," he said.

"Whoever gets in has to score 60-70, so your team ends up scoring 140-150, which the bowlers can defend."

Virat Kohli praises Mohammad Amir for his ferocious spell

Mirpur: After steering India to a crucial victory in an Asia Cup match against Pakistan, Virat Kohli extolled comeback fast bowler Mohammed Amir for his ferocious opening spell, on Saturday.

Kohli scored 49 in a tricky chase of 84 after Amir had reduced India to eight for three inside third over.

"I would like to complement Mohammad Amir for the way he bowled. I actually congratulated him while he was bowling. It was so happy to play such an amazing spell. He is a world class bowler," Kohli said at the post match presentation ceremony.

Kohli said the conditions were tough for batting and he was determined to rectify the mistakes he committed in the Bangladesh match.

"It wasn't an easy wicket to bat on, I wasn't too happy with myself in the last game, where I went too hard at the ball, wanting to continue the way I played in Australia. I had to respect the conditions, I made mistakes in the last innings but I dug in this time."

Asked about his batting style, Kohli said"Even if it is a defensive shot, the intent is positive. Counter-attacking is the game I play, that's why I bat at no.3 but sometimes you have to respect the conditions and play that way.

"It is very important to be able to change your shot at the last moment in such conditions. You need to be switched on mentally, stay calm and relaxed, cant; hit every ball out of park."

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said they had though that Asia Cup would be a tournament for practice ahead of T20 World Cup but it was turning out to be a tough assignment due to conditions.

"We are a team that loves to play aggressive cricket but this pushes us to respect the conditions which will be good going into the WT20. I'm glad we restricted them to 85 runs, 100 or 110 runs and the game was on," Dhoni said.

"The fast bowlers did well but even after that we took wickets at regular intervals which is crucial to stop runs in this format. We have to be switched on in the field, that is one department where you can guarantee performance, one run out can take the game away from the opposition," the Indian captain added.

Pakistan rued that his batsmen did not bat according to the situation.

"We have played so much cricket, we should have read the pitch, we did not play according to the pitch, if we lose 4-5 batsmen in the first six overs we can't score 140. We had to read the situation, Kohli was an example, and Yuvi," he said.

"It was not 160 pitch, If we had survived the fast bowlers there wasn't much turn on the pitch for their spinners. You could have managed 7-8 runs in an over," he said.

Women umpires named in panel to officiate at the ICC World T20

Kathy Cross and Claire Polosak will be the first women umpires to officiate at the Women's World T20.

Australia's Claire Polosak and New Zealand's Kathy Cross are set to make history in the upcoming ICC World T20 2016, after the two were named to officiate for the women's tournament, marking the first instance of women qualifying to adjudicate at the World T20. While Cross has officiated at the Women's World Cup in 2000, 2009 and 2013, Polosak will stand in a global event for the first time when she oversees the New Zealand-Ireland clash at Mohali on March 18.

Polosok had become the first woman to officiate in a senior men's cricket event in October 2015 when she was the third umpire for a Matador BBQ's One-Day Cup.

"Her historic debut in the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup as third umpire late last year and now featuring in such a prestigious ICC tournament is an inspiration to other aspiring female cricket umpires," James Sutherland, CEO of Cricket Australia, said on Friday (February 26) following her appointment.

"Claire's dedication and love of the game shines through as her officiating continues to go from strength to strength," he was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

Polosok started umpiring at the age of 15 and dreams to watch umpires of both genders officiate in a Test match.

"It's ultimately about working your way through the pathway but at the moment I'm just concentrating on being the best I am for the game that's in front of me," she was quoted as saying by Fairfax.

"If I continue to work hard the opportunities will come," she added. "There is a really good statistic that there has been more astronauts than there has been Test umpires. So it's a very tight tunnel to get through. But like the players you always want to go to the next level if possible."

The group stage of ICC World T20 2016 is set to start on March 15.

Mohammad Amir's sensational first over

Mohammad Amir almost had Rohit Sharma on the first ball

When everyone thought the game was over after India bundled out Pakistan for 83 in Mirpur, Mohammad Amir conjured up a spectacular first over to begin the Indian chase. Here's how our ball-by-ball commentator described the double-wicket over that had Pakistan hoping again.

0.1 Mohammad Amir to Sharma, no run, Pakistan cannot believe that isn't lbw! Amir has bowled a scorching yorker, angling across the right-hander and then bending back to hit the toe of the front foot. That looks so good. I think Rohit is really lucky

0.2 Mohammad Amir to Sharma, OUT, Amir's got him this time! Another incredible ball, slanting across Rohit at pace from over the wicket, pitching on a good length around off and bending back into the right-hander, beating the inside edge of the bat to crash into the pad. The umpire takes a while but eventually sends Rohit on his way. Two outstanding balls from Amir. That one is crashing into middle stump

0.3 Mohammad Amir to Kohli, 1 run, a fuller and wider ball outside off, Kohli tries to drive but gets a thick outside edge to third man

0.4 Mohammad Amir to Rahane, 1 wide, strays down leg side, Rahane misses the glance

0.4 Mohammad Amir to Rahane, OUT, another lbw!! Amir is bowling a sensational first over. Rahane knows that the ball is slanting across him from over the wicket, he knows it is going to bend back viciously late, but he can't do anything about it. He tries to defend on the leg side, closing the face a touch, but he misses and gets struck plumb in front. This is bowling of the highest skill

0.5 Mohammad Amir to Raina, no run, Raina is beaten comprehensively first ball. Short of a length outside off and seaming away from the left hander, he pokes in hope

0.6 Mohammad Amir to Raina, no run, moves forward and towards the off side to defend one that moves away from him to the bowler

India vs Pakistan Asia Cup T20 Live Scores: India beat Pakistan by 5 wickets

India 85 for 5 (Kohli 49, Amir 3-18) beat Pakistan 83 (Pandya 3-8, Jadeja 2-11) by five wickets

           India's pacers did a lot of damage early on

There is a bar for international batsmen and with Pakistan it is never quite certain which way they will push it. Whatever happens, there is never a shortage of spectacle and that box was at least ticked in Mirpur. Pakistan crumbled to 83 all out in 17.3 overs - their lowest ever score in T20Is after batting first. There is a bar for international bowlers too and Pakistan have been vaulting over it for years. Mohammad Amir, playing his sixth international limited-overs match in nearly as many years, turned up like he hadn't missed a beat. He took out Rohit Sharma and Ajinkya Rahane in the first over of the chase and a low-scoring game that had threatened to be one-sided was given the thrill India-Pakistan cricket is known for. But logic had to prevail in the end and India held on for a five-wicket win.

Rohit, who had stood a class apart on a similarly challenging pitch on Wednesday, was beaten for pace and prodigious inswing before he even had his bearings set. The yorker may well have burned a hole through his boot and crashed into off stump. Amir could not have sounded his warning any clearer or louder but his leg-before appeal was turned down. So he pulled his length back but kept the inswing going. Rohit was rapped on the pads again and this time there was no doubt. Ajinkya Rahane, coming as a late replacement as Shikhar Dhawan rested a niggle, weathered a couple before he too couldn't handle the ball bending back into him at 140 kph-plus and was caught in front. Suresh Raina popped a catch to mid-on in Amir's next over and India were 8 for 3.

Virat Kohli persevered amid the carnage, deflecting the memory of an inswinger that nearly had him lbw and an edge that flew over the slip cordon. Both were off Amir's bowling, but his full quota was all done by the seventh over. After that sensational spell of 4-0-18-3, India gained the breathing room they needed and Kohli's 49 off 51 balls secured a fifth T20I win in six matches in the lead up to the World T20.

As taxing as India's batsmen had it, it was hard not to think about their bowlers. MS Dhoni had won the toss and handed them first use of a green-tinged pitch. Ashish Nehra began in vintage fashion, moving the ball across the right-hander and getting it to bounce more than expected. A surprised Mohammad Hafeez nicked the fourth ball of the match through to the wicketkeeper. At the other end, Jasprit Bumrah's natural bustle into the crease had the same effect but was bringing the ball into the right-hander. Khurram Manzoor's pads weathered a lot of impact as he came in at No. 3 and played out a maiden over on his T20I debut. Sharjeel Khan was undone by Bumrah's offcutter in the fourth over and India's discipline was bearing the sweetest fruit.

Kane Williamson named New Zealand Cricketer of the Year

Kane Williamson score over 1,000 runs in Tests and ODIs for New Zealand in 2015.

Kane Williamson finished with an average of 90.15 in Tests in 2015

New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson has been named New Zealand Cricket’s player of the year for his incredible achievements in the year 2015. Williamson had also won the Halberg sportsman of the year and has swept all major awards in the New Zealand Cricket’s awards night. He won the Test player of the year, Redpath Cup for Cup for First-Class batting efforts, something he won even last year. But Williamson’s night did not end there as he also collected the prestigious Sir Richard Hadlee medal for cricketer of the year. Outgoing skipper Brendon McCullum too was felicitated for his excellent contribution to New Zealand cricket over the years

Williamson thoroughly deserves all the accolades that he has collected. He scored 1172 runs at an average of 90.15, which include as many as five tons in 2015. he surpassed McCullum’s record of scoring most runs in a calendar year. He was excellent in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) as well. He collected 1357 runs at 57, second only to teammate Martin Guptill, who scored 1489 runs at 55, 

Guptill bagged the ODI and T20 International (T20I) player of the year for some outstanding performances in 2015, where he became the first New Zealand player to score a double century in ODIs. He achieved this feat when he scored an unbeaten 237 in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Left-arm pacer Trent Boult collected the Winsor Cup for First-Class bowling, an award he won last year as well.

New Zealand recently lost the Test series against Australia 0-2, but managed to win the ODI series before that 2-1.

History beckons for Mumbai's new milestone man

Shreyas Iyer needs 95 more runs to break VVS Laxman's record

With 1321 runs, four centuries and 11 fifty-plus scores in the 2015-16 edition of Ranji Trophy, Shreyas Iyer has hardly put a foot wrong. Be it on batting-friendly wickets or green tracks, Iyer has been Mumbai's man for all occasions.

Scoring more than 1000 runs in a single Ranji Trophy edition is a big feat, considering only 15 before him have achieved that since the start of India's premier domestic competition in 1934. But always aiming bigger comes second nature to 21-year-old, who has now gone on to occupy the second position for most runs in a single edition of Ranji Trophy, only behind VVS Laxman.

Most runs in a single edition:

Season	Batsman	Team	Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100s	50s
1999-00	VVS Laxman	Hyderabad	9	14	1415	353	108.84	8	0
2015-16	Shreyas Iyer	Mumbai	11	18	1321	200	73.38	4	7
1998-99	Vijay Bharadwaj	Karnataka	10	15	1280	200	106.66	4	7
2008-09	Wasim Jaffer	Mumbai	10	16	1260	301	84	4	5
2013-14	Kedar Jadhav	Maharashtra	11	17	1223	204	87.35	6	2

Only the fourth Mumbai player to score more than 1000 in a calendar year, Iyer now proudly occupies the top-spot for most runs in a Ranji season, ahead of some big names.

Most runs by a Mumbai player in single edition:

Season	Batsman	Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100s	50s
2015-16	Shreyas Iyer	11	18	1321	200	73.38	4	7
2008-09	Wasim Jaffer	10	16	1260	301	84	4	5
2008-09	Ajinkya Rahane	10	17	1089	201	68.06	4	5
1944-45	Rusi Modi	5	7	1008	245*	201.6	5	1
2012-13	Abhishek Nayar	11	17	966	132	96.6	3	8
1997-98	Vinod Kambli	8	10	880	232*	125.71	3	1

Considering that Mumbai still have an innings left in the 2015-16 final and are likely to be involved in a tough fight to the finish, Iyer still has a good chance of breaking Laxman's record. His penchant for achieving big could drive the youngster to get those required 95 runs in the days to follow and make history by doing so.

Pakistan get government clearance for World T20 participation in India

The Shahid Afridi-led side begin their World T20 campaign on March 16

The Pakistan government, on Thursday (February 25) allowed its cricket team to participate in next month's World Twenty20 in India, Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman (PCB) confirmed.

"I am pleased that our government has given its consent for our team to visit India. As a duty of care, we have asked ICC to put in place special arrangements for the Pakistan cricket team while in India. We will also be expecting visa facilitation and other arrangements for the Pakistani fans wishing to visit India for the ICC World T20," Khan said in an official release.

Earlier, PCB had stated that they would tour India for the World T20 only when they get a government clearance. Further, the board even proposed an alternative to the ICC - of staging their matches at a neutral venue if the government did not give the nod for their travel across the border.

Anurag Thakur, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary, has assured that security would be top-notch for all the participating teams, including Pakistan, and no side should feel insecure about travelling to India.

"BCCI will organise the World Cup in the nicest possible way and will provide every team with highest protection. Earlier also we have hosted many World Cups and international matches and I don't think any country should feel insecure here," Thakur had said when asked about Pakistan's security worries.

Pakistan begin their World T20 campaign against a qualifier on March 16 before their highly-anticipated clash against India in Dharamsala on March 19.

Cricket South Africa announce squad for Women's World T20

South Africa women will begin their campaign against Australia in Nagpur on March 18

Cricket South Africa (CSA), on Thursday (February 25), named their squad for the Women's World Twenty20, to be played in India from Match 15.

Led by Mignon du Preez, South Africa will face Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ireland in Group A but Hilton Moreeng, the head coach, is pleased with the balance of youth and experience in the squad and expects his team to qualify for the knockouts.

"From a selection point of view and from the preparation we have done in the last two years, we think we have selected the best squad for the conditions that we will be faced with," Moreeng said."It's a well-balanced squad with lots of experience and a bit of youth. We've given ourselves the best chance to play well and compete, as well as to qualify for the knock out phase," he added.

In the previous edition of the tournament in 2014, South Africa caused an upset, knocking out New Zealand on the way to their first-ever semifinal appearance. Moreeng believes there's opportunity to repeat performance in India, citing the high confidence within the squad.

"Players learn all the time and what better way to learn than from the ones who have done so before. We've played some of the top teams in the world of late. We have just finished a series against England and are busy with one against West Indies now. The exposure to top-notch players is invaluable for what we are trying to prepare for.

"The confidence in the team is much higher now, we all know that on the day in a T20 match anything can happen, one over can swing the game either way so the execution of our skills on the day will be key."

South Africa women will begin their campaign against Australia in Nagpur on March 18.

Squad: Mignon du Preez (c), Trisha Chetty, Odine Kirsten, Moseline Daniels, Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk, Dinesha Devnarain, Chloe Tryon, Sune Luus , Shabnim Ismail, Masabatha Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Matshipi Marcia Letsoalo , Lizelle Lee, Yolani Fourie.

Tom Cooper added to Netherlands squad for World T20

Cooper was also a last-minute entrant in the 2014 World T20

Tom Cooper, the 29-year-old allrounder, has been added to the Netherlands squad for the World Twenty20, which will be played in India from March 8. Cooper has been roped in as a replacement for the 18-year-old Sikander Zulfiqar, who will remain with the squad as a reserve player to get some international experience.

As per the ICC rules, squad changes can be made until February 29. Changes after that can be done only in case of injuries.

"At the moment of the ICC deadline for squad nominations, Netherlands player Tom Cooper wasn't available for selection. One week into Netherlands' training camp in Bangalore at the Karnataka State Cricket Association Three Ovals facility, [the selectors] are excited to be able to announce that Cooper is now available to join the squad in India," a press release from Netherlands Cricket stated.

Anton Roux, coach of the Netherlands team, welcomed Cooper's inclusion, saying his experience comes as a boost to the team. "Tom's availability certainly adds some more spice to our team. His Dutch cricket family will welcome him back with open arms, and are looking forward to having massive fun playing together with the men in Orange."

Cooper, who has played 23 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 15 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) last made his international appearance in 2014, in the previous edition of the World T20, in Bangladesh. Cooper recently played for Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League 2015-16. In five innings, Cooper could only manage 39 runs with a highest of 25, while he picked up a lone wicket.

Cooper was a last-minute entrant in the 2014 World T20 too, and was among the chief contributors in a crucial game against Ireland. Netherlands needed to reach the target of 190 in 14.2 overs or lesser in order to get through to the next round. They managed to pull off the remarkable chase in 13.5 overs with Cooper hitting a 15-ball 45. He also scored a 23-ball 40 against New Zealand in a Group 1 game.

"Tom Cooper was part of the hugely successful 2014 World T20 team that progressed to the Super 10 phase as only Associate Member nation, so the current team will certainly benefit from Cooper's inclusion and experience," Jeroen Smits, the chairman of selectors, said.

Netherlands are grouped alongside Bangladesh, Ireland and Oman, and will only progress to the main stage of the World T20 if they finish as the top side of Group A in the qualifiers. They play their opening match against Bangladesh in Dharamsala on March 9.

Netherlands Squad: Peter Borren (c), Wesley Barresi, Logan van Beek, Mudassar Bukhari, Ben Cooper, Tom Cooper, Timm van der Gugten, Vivian Kingma, Ahsan Malik, Paul van Meekeren, Roelof van der Merwe, Stephan Myburgh, Max ODowd, Michael Rippon, Pieter Seelaar. Reserve: Sikander Zulfiqar.

United Arab Emirates vs Sri Lanka 2016 Asia Cup Twenty20 Highlights: Lasith Malinga, Dinesh Chandimal Guide Defending Champions to 14-Run Win

A clinical Sri Lanka thrashed inexperienced United Arab Emirates by 14 runs to open their 2016 Asia Cup Twenty20 campaign with a win. Lasith Malinga was the star of the show with figures of 4/26. Catch all the highlights of the match.

Lasith Malinga picked up a four-wicket haul

UAE were expected to pose a challenge for the defending champions Sri Lanka on Thursday (February 25), especially after overcoming the likes of Afghanistan and Nepal to get to the main round of the Asia Cup. They did not disappoint. Sri Lanka faced a grim situation after being restricted to just 129 after being put in to bat. It required the brilliance of skipper Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara to quell fears of a shock defeat. Sri Lanka eventually managed to win by 14 runs but UAE had done enough to gain more than just respect.

The eventual result wasn't quite how the game started though. Sri Lanka had a new opening pair with Dinesh Chandimal getting a promotion to partner Tillakaratne Dilshan. A move that was possibly made to give Chandimal some time to get going. With that change Sri Lanka also ensured that they had a more power-packed middle order. Not that it quite helped their cause today though with batsmen failing to showcase level-headedness in the face of pressure.

Both Chandimal and Dilshan found batting relatively easier early on and added 51 in just seven overs without being troubled too much. UAE didn't help themselves by being very patchy with their fielding with the ball repeatedly scooting past the knees of fielders. For a while UAE seemed quite out of place in the proceedings. Sri Lanka might well have just let their guard down after such a promising start. But then the tone shifted rapidly.

After adding 68 in nine overs, Dilshan finally seemed to be losing patience. He was scoring at run-a-ball but Chandimal was finding the boundaries more consistently. After failing to connect with the scoop or the reverse sweep, he finally holed out to deep mid wicket against skipper Amjad Javed.

UAE seemed a tighter unit after the confidence gained by picking up that wicket. Milinda Siriwardana was Javed's next victim, again caught in the deep. This time off a short delivery. The skipper, true to his role, led the change in his team's fortunes. Chandimal had just got to his fifty off 38 balls before he too swung one to mid wicket. Javed then proceeded to shake up Mathews with zippy angled in deliveries, forcing the batsman into a wild slash off the third. The skipper's spell read 3-0-14-3 in that period. Sri Lanka's rhythm was disturbed. Sri Lanka were 68/0 after nine overs. They added only 30 runs in the next 6.2 overs and lost four wickets as well.

The new batsmen coming in were forced to get going straight away with the innings approaching the end stages. Easier said than done. It has been one of Sri Lanka's problems in the batting department. UAE's strong start was a far cry from their insipid start to the innings. Much of the undoing was also down to Sri Lanka's batsmen failing to rotate strike regularly. Every batsman seemed more intent in targeting the boundaries than staying put. It might have helped to have a mature head like Mathews in at that situation but he too let them down after missing a reverse sweep against Rohan Mustafa. Shehan Jeyasuriya played one paddle too many and paid the price.

Amjad Javed had finished his spell by then and it was now the turn of Mohammad Naveed to take over the mantle from his skipper. He picked up two important wickets in his second spell to keep Sri Lanka on a leash. Murmurs of 'upset' started creeping in. Sri Lanka managed just 61 runs in their last eleven overs to finish with a below-par 129/8.

UAE would have been gung-ho about a massive victory going into the break but it all fizzled off in a matter of moments. Malinga and Kulasekara bagged two wickets apiece in their respective first overs to skittle out the top order. Malinga struck off the first ball of the innings when he trapped Rohan Mustafa plumb in front. A slower yorker got Mohammad Shahzad off the last ball. Kulasekara had Muhammad Kaleem caught at mid off and Muhammad Usman at slip, with both batsmen trying to hit out. There was no recovery from that stage. At 16/4, UAE's chase had crashed even before take-off.

Despite the target being a small one, they were not allowed to gather any momentum. To back up the senior duo's splendid start, the other senior Rangana Herath joined in to bag two more, including the talented Shaiman Anwar. Now reduced to 47/6 in just ten overs, UAE's hopes of creating an upset ended. All it needed was a calm head to steer the chase. Swapnil Patil kept one end up with a solid hand but the damage done already was too significant to nullify by just staying in.

With only the tail for company, an asking-rate of close to ten an over seemed next to impossible against the likes of Herath and Malinga. Sri Lanka went onto win by a fairly comfortable margin of 14 runs. Malinga bagged two more in the end overs to finish with 4/26, but he would have been left with a sense of relief rather than rejoice. UAE had caused quite a stir with their efforts with the ball. It was a pity that the batting efforts did not quite match up to the same.

Brief scores: Sri Lanka 129/8 in 20 overs (Dinesh Chandimal 50, Tillakaratne Dilshan 27; Amjad Javed 3-25, Mohammad Naveed 2-27) beat UAE 115/9 in 20 overs (Swapnil Patil 37; Lasith Malinga 4-26, Nuwan Kulasekara 3-10) by 14 runs.