At last a mettlesome squad for India

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday rested master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, and dropped out of form batsmen Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan from the 15-member squad selected for the Asia Cup to be played in Sri Lanka from June 15. Virender Sehwag is back in the squad after his injury and has been appointed Mahendra Singh Dhoni's deputy. Jharkhand's budding all-rounder Saurabh Tiwari, who was quite impressive in the third edition of the India Premier League (IPL) tournament, is the new face in the team.

The fifteen member squad is: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag (Vice-Captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, R Ashwin and Saurabh Tiwary. (ANI)

Vettori dominates at rain-hit day

Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum punished Pakistan on a day on which only 36 overs of play were possible due to rain and bad light in Dunedin. When Vettori bunted Saeed Ajmal for a single minutes into the second session, he beat Shane Warne as the highest run-getter at No. 8. While Warne's 2005 runs came at an average of 19.09 in 91 Tests, Vettori got there in less than half the number of matches with an average of 43.86. Vettori, however, missed becoming the first No. 8 to score back-to-back Tests hundreds by one run.

The pitch seemed to have eased out on the second day, Pakistan went on the defensive too early, and Vettori and McCullum applied themselves remarkably during their 164-run seventh-wicket partnership. The seam bowlers did create a couple of chances, both against McCullum. The first was in the second over of the day when Mohammad Asif induced an outside edge that flew through third slip, a fielding position that was left vacant in order to have a deep point. McCullum had added one to his overnight 25 by then. In the 12th over, Umar Gul got a leading edge that flew over midwicket. Mohammad Aamer and Asif hit the bodies of McCullum and Vettori once each with bouncers. And that's all Pakistan had to cheer about.

All the cheer was in the New Zealand camp with their captain, statistically their best batsman in recent years, leading from the front. Vettori had trouble against the bouncer but anything loose was punished with certainty. Both versions of the cut were on view; the full-blooded one to the left of point, the late one to the right. And when Vettori received one bouncer too many, he upper-cut Aamer over slips.

While Vettori was doing what came naturally to him - good eyes, smart batting, big heart - McCullum had to continue curbing his natural attacking game. He did that just fine in the last hour on the first evening, and improved on the second morning. After that edge early in the day, he tightened his game further. He negated Asif effectively, covering all stumps, taking the lbw and bowled out of the equation by getting outside the line, and using soft hands when playing outside off. The odd over-pitched delivery was driven down the ground mercilessly.

Once Aamer and Asif were played out, with 41 runs added in 10 overs and both batsmen through to their fifties, it became more about accumulation against Saeed Ajmal and Gul. Vettori was involved in a seventh-wicket 100-run partnership for the sixth time but, just when it seemed the duo was close to inflicting irreversible damage, Gul produced - out of nowhere - a yorker in the last over before lunch to send McCullum back.

After the break, though, persistent rain sent the players in and they returned with hands in pockets deep into the final session. In the 4.5 overs possible before bad light ended play for good, Vettori drove nicely through covers, was again dropped at first slip, before missing out on a century. On 99, Vettori looked to cut a full delivery from Gul, and an edge finally went to hand, making sure Gul remained the only centurion in the match. The catcher in this case, Kamran Akmal, was the record-holder along with Vettori for most centuries for a No. 8, three.

NZ Crippled by Pak

Led by interim T20 captain Shahid Afridi, Pakistan made short work of a severely compromised New Zealand team, first piling up an impressive 160 runs and then using a varied-attack strategy to clinically remove the Kiwis for 112 for 18.3 overs. Pakistan cruised to a 49-run victory in the Cool & Cool Cup's first of two T20 matches against New Zealand, in Dubai, overcoming their ODI loss and defending their superb 20 out 26 record, in number of T20 internationals won and played till date.

New Zealand started the match with the odds strongly against them whatso many key players missing, mostly due to injuries. Their biggest blow was to sit out captain Daniel Vettori, who was ordered to undergo a CT scan after being hit on the grill of his helmet during the second one-day international in Abu Dhabi and showed signs of a concussion later. James Franklin and Kyle Mills were also on the bench, due to injuries. All-rounder Jacob Oram missed out on this match to fly home for the birth of his son. During the match, Aaron Redmond suffered a groin strain while bowling, so could not bat, leavinf the kiwis no choice but to send back out an unfit Franklin to replace him. With barely 12 fit players to choose from to flesh out the team, the Kiwis' chances were slim from the get-go, playing against world T20 champions Pakistan.

Even so, there were reasons to hope things would go NZ's way in chasing the high target of 161, atleast in the beginning. Brendon McCullum who stepped in as captain in Vettori's absence, started off with a smashing 17 runs in the first over itself, bowled by Mohammad Aamer. Aamer came back though, in the next over scalping McCullum for 19 runs, and Ross Taylor(5) in the third over. It was pretty much downhill from there on. Abdul Razzaq (2-9) then dismissed Scot Styris (4) and Neil Broom (14) before Shahid Afridi (2-21) and Saeed Ajmal (2-18) wrapped up the New Zealand's innings.

Earlier, opener Imran Nazir hit five boundaries and four towering sixes off 38 balls before New Zealand, who put Pakistan into bat, hit back by taking the last six wickets in the space of 69 runs. Nazir and Kamran Akmal (13) took Pakistan to 34 as Nazir hit two successive sixes off Ian Butler's fifth over. Nazir added a quickfire 36 with captain Afridi (24), also completing his second Twenty20 half-century off just 34 balls. Paceman Shane Bond had Nazir caught in the outfield in the 12th over to put the brakes on the innings. Abdul Razzaq's 15-ball 26 that included three boundaries and a six, gave Pakistan a final flourish to their innings.

New Zealand must reshuffle their severely compromised player strength the best way they can to take on an upbeat Pakistan once more for the second Twenty20 today, at the same venue.

Pakistan takes on NZ in T20

After losing the ODI series to New Zealand by a close margin, Pakistan have nobody but themselves to blame for not having performed consistently in all forms of the game. The Pakistan batting swung from the sublime to the pathetic during the series. Younus Khan, who went through a fair share of controversies before the start of the series, neither found form with the bat nor could he win the trust of his team mates. Ultimately, he backed out of the tour to New Zealand and Mohammed Yousuf was appointed the captain in his place. The performance of the bowlers was much better considering that they contained the Kiwi batsmen in a couple of games. It was the batters who failed to deliver when the situation demanded their presence in the middle. Having said this, the Pakistan team would want to put aside these problems and under Shahid Afridi, look to let the cricket do all the talking. Taking into consideration their recent T20 performances, Pakistan can be counted upon to deliver their best.

The Kiwis would be ecstatic after pulling off a series victory, especially after the team experienced some turbulence before the start of the series. The resignation of Andy Moles as the coach of the New Zealand team and the removal of Brendon McCullum from the position of vice-captain, saw Daniel Vettori under a lot of pressure. However, Vettori was upto the task as he shepherded his troops in a professional manner. There were a lot positives that the Kiwis could take from the three matches. McCullum's return to form would be the most welcome one as the right-hander was desperately short of runs and confidence before the start of the series. The Kiwis would also be happy with the performance of the bowlers who were consistent most of the time, never letting the Pakistan batsmen settle into a groove. However, the one thing that would concern the captain is the form of the middle order. New Zealand have got off to good starts most of the time but failed to capitalise as the middle order could not build upon these starts. The Kiwis, however, are a dedicated bunch and would play to the best of their abilities as they aim to upstage the T20 Champions.

Younis quits captaincy

Drama and controversy seem to be as much a part of Younus Khan's captaincy as the actual cricket is. Vehemently denying that it has nothing to do with Pakistan's narrow 7-run defeat against New Zealand in Tuesday's final ODI in Abu Dhabi, Younus announced his resignation as captain of Pakistan's national cricket team, saying he needs to rest. Maybe Younus feels he needs a rest not just from the physical game, but also from all the politics and turmoil that has been following him for months. This latest move has a 'last straw' quality to it. Younus has had his captaincy marred with trouble since he replaced Shoaib Malik, following Pakistan's defeat in a home one-day series against Sri Lanka this January. More recently, he handed over his resignation in angry protest against allegations of match-fixing and deliberate under-performance in the team's Champions Trophy losses against Australia and New Zealand. Though the Pakistan Cricket Board rejected his resignation and Younus later came around, seemingly enthused by his fans' support with him continuing as captain, there were atleast eight or nine players in the current squad who had been unhappy with Younis as captain for a while, and had made their concerns clear to PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt, immediately after the Champions Trophy.

All along, there has been a steady rift growing between Younus and various players on the team. Now he gives up his captaincy and takes a break from the game as well, acceding to the loss of confidence he feels from his team members in his leadership, made worse by his recent poor performance in the Cool & Cool Cup series against New Zealand in UAE (0, 9, and 13 runs in the ODI's). Effectively, after Younis informed the Butt of his decision, it signaled a victory for player power over an unpopular captain. The PCB immediately named senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf , as a one-time stand-in captain to lead the side in a three-Test series in New Zealand beginning later this month. Kamran Akmal, the wicketkeeper, will be his deputy. Younis' immediate future is yet unclear. It is believed that he wants to continue playing international cricket and will return to Pakistan and play some domestic cricket to set himself up for the Australia tour, beginning at the end of December. A return to captaincy seems highly improbable; neither is the PCB likely to offer it to him, having been burnt so many times, nor is he likely to take it up, given his experience this time round. Pakistan will leave UAE on Sunday to play the three Tests in New Zealand, the first of which is scheduled on November 25, in Dunedin.

NZ win despite stunning turnaround

Monday night's Cool & cool Cup ODI series- decider proved a full-length 50-over match can conjure up those twists and turns in the plot like no other format can. Batting first, New Zealand's Brendon McCullum, who scored a brilliant hundred on Friday, stood out once again with an aggressive 78-ball 76 which included three sixes and six fours. New Zealand were well on course for a big score but once McCullum got out, caught and bowled by Shoaib Malik, the Pakistani spinners led by Ajmal sparked a middle-order collapse to take last seven wickets for 47 runs. New Zealand had raced to 72 by the 12th over, with McCullum reaching his fifty off just 47 balls.

It was paceman Umar Gul who provided the breakthrough, removing opener Aaron Redmond caught off Aamir for 21. This was Gul's 100th wicket in 67 one-day internationals. With NZ all out for 211, the target seemed easy enough for Pakistan to chase. That's when the real twists began, and how. Pakistan's top and middle order crumbled swiftly to leave the side teetering at 101/9, leading everyone - probably even the teams themselves - to believe the match was a cinch-win for the Kiwis, with an already sparse crowd of mostly Pakistan supporters starting to empty the stadium. And then the plot twisted yet again. With only two wickets left in hand, Pakistan needed 126 runs from 26.5 overs. Then Mohammad Aamer came out to bat at number 10, and mastered a comeback that almost changed the course of the game. Almost, A scintillating performance by the 17-year old Aamer, belting out a brilliant and unbeaten 73 off 81 balls (including seven 4s and three 6s), and sharing a 103-run partnership with Saeed Ajmal, brought about a dramatic spin to the game that had everyone riveted with renewed attention, piling up just between them, half the runs in Pakistan's entire score. Remarkably shortening the gap to bring up the score to a nailbiting 204, Aamer made his maiden ODI 50, also notching up the highest score by a number 10 batsman in World one-dayers.

Unfortunately for Pakistan, it was close, but not close enough. After effortlessly knocking the Kiwi bowlers all around the Sheikh Zayed stadium much to the visibile frustration of skipper Daniel Vettori who conceded a hattrick of sixes to the cool cat Aamer, the two Pakistani tailenders' heroics succumbed to a last burst of intensity from NZ, losing their last wicket Ajmal (33), to Kyle Mills (b Jacob Oram). What Aamer's effort also did, though, was highlight the failure of his more capable team-mates. Pakistan crashed and burned from 47 for 0 to 101 for 9 with batsmen playing rash shots that betrayed a nervous and muddled mindset. No one took ownership of the chase and New Zealand kept gaining ground with disciplined bowling.Coming only 8 runs short of their target in the last over, Pakistan fell to the resolute Kiwis, conceding the match and series to New Zealand, 2-1. Pakistan won the first match by 138 runs on Tuesday before New Zealand levelled the series with a 64-run win on Friday. Continuing in the Cool & Cool Cup series, the teams now move to Dubai where they play two Twenty20 matches on November 12 and 13.

Pak v NZ 2nd ODI overview

Expectations are sky-high, especially for the winners of the 1st ODI, Pakistan, at the Cool & Cool Cup series being played between them and New Zealand, that kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. A dramatic turnaround after their fourth wicket, and a gallant performance led by Shahid Afridi saw Pakistan win by a whopping 138 runs.

For the 2nd ODI being played now at the same venue, Pakistan brings back middle-order batsman Shoaib Malik after New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat. Malik was given a rest for the opener, and he now replaces Umer Akmal. On the Kiwi side, pacer Kyle Mills, who sat the first match out due to an injured shoulder, returns, as also Neil Broom. The two replace Ian Butler and Nathan McCullum.

Pak win by huge margin

Posters of "Boom Boom Afridi" held up by Pakistani cricket fans at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium in the team's first ODI against New Zealand for the Cool & Cool Cup, were waved even more excitedly when their hero walked out on the ground, at a stage when the Pakistani side were limping around at 70/4. Delivering on his fans' expectations, Shahid Afridi changed the course of their game at that point, knocking a crafty 71 runs off 50 balls, setting the scene for Kamran Akmal to come in and do further damage with his 43-ball 67 (four sixes, five boundaries), and Khalid Latif steadying the ship with his maiden half-century. The result was Pakistan lurching into a whopping 287/9, which New Zealand had trouble with from the get-go.

The Kiwis struggled at 50/4, and unfortunately did not have any dramatic rescue in store for them, as did Pakistan have, from Afridi and company. Chasing an imposing target, NZ began faltering from the start. Gul made short work of Martin Guptill, sending him back for 4 in the tenth over, and youngster Mohammad Aamir scalping Ross Taylor for a duck.

Aaron Redmond (52) and Daniel Vettori (38) provided the only resistance during a 69-run fifth wicket stand but after which NZ sadly crumbled again, this time, finally. After scalping Vettori, Afridi also claimed Nathan McCullum's wicket for nought on the first ball itself. Five wickets fell for 10 runs, which had the Kiwis were calling it a day, all out for 149 runs.

The victory, which gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead with two more ODIs to go in the series, was also sweet revenge for the winners who lost to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy semi-final last month. Skipper Younis Khan praised his deputy Afridi for his stellar performance and picking up the run-rate into such an incisive win. Interesting, considering all the recent speculation doing the rounds, of Afridi wanting to take over Khan's captaincy and the side being frought by divided loyalties. The New Zealand side has their own troubles to contend with, with the team being coach-less after the dismissal of Andy Moles, and the role of coach now on Daniel Vettori's shoulders, adding to his responsibilites of skipper and selector. The remaining two matches will also be played in Abu Dhabi on Friday, November 6 and Monday, November 9, before the two teams move to Dubai for two Twenty20 internationals on November 12 and 13.