Hamilton Masakadza signs for Sylhet Royals

The top order Zimbabwean batsman, Hamilton Masakadza, has caught the media attention after signing with one of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchises, Sylhet Royals, during the player auction held in Dhaka. This hard hitter batsman has been signed for $30 000.

He has become the third Zimbabwean player after national team skipper Brendan Taylor and former Zimbabwe all-rounder Sean Ervine who will play in the second edition of the BPL. Their presence in the second edition of the tournament will add Zimbabwean flavor.

The 29-year-old player has lost many opportunities in several Twenty20 (T20) leagues, including the inaugural Bangladesh Premier League last year. Finally, he has got his breakthrough this time around.

While Masakadza is going to make his appearance for the first time in the BPL, both Taylor and Ervine will make their second appearance after making debut in the inaugural season last year.

His performance in the shortest format of the cricket game is good. Playing 22 T20 international matches, he has scored 585 runs at an average of 26.59 including 5 half-centuries with a career best 79 runs.

His inclusion in the second edition of the EPL is the recognition of his form with the bat during the unofficial T20 tri-series that was held in June. This tri-nation series also featured Bangladesh and South Africa.

With scoring more than hundred runs than his nearest rival, Hamilton Masakadza became the top run scorer in that competition. He compiled four consecutive half-centuries and a hundred in the warm-up match.

It has been come to know from various reports that the player will get 30% whereas 10% will go to Game On, the event management firm who has taken all the responsibilities for organizing the tournament.

BCB cancel Pakistan tour over security concern

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) members have taken decision to put on hold of their Pakistan tour regarding the security situation.

The decision to not send Bangladesh cricket team to Pakistan now has come as a great relief for millions of supporters. BCB chief, Nazmul Hassan, told reporters in Dhaka, “Bangladesh will not visit Pakistan for now.”

Board members have come to a decision after taking into an account of the overall security situation in Pakistan and the concern that Bangladeshi people have expressed over the safety of their players.

Bangladesh was scheduled to play a T20 and an ODI match on January 12 and 13 respectively. Both of the matches were scheduled to be held in Lahore.

Because of the political instability, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had to organize their home matches in different venues in abroad ranging from Dubai to London since 2009 when gunmen attacked in Sri Lanka cricket team’s bus in Lahore. In this incident, eight people were killed and seven Sri Lankan players were wounded.

On December 22, Zaka Ashraf, chairman of the PCB, said that their Bangladeshi corresponding had confirmed that the tour was absolutely on.

According to Hassan, BCB had informed the Pakistan board about their change of decision. He said, “We've sent a letter to Pakistan three days ago explaining our position. We've decided to wait and see.”

So, Bangladesh’s tour of Pakistan is facing uncertainty. It is not sure if they will visit Pakistan or not.

India and Pakistan will usher in 2013 at team hotel

Ahead of the series deciding second ODI match that will be played on January 3 at Eden Gardens, both India and Pakistan will arrive in Kolkata tomorrow. Both of the teams will celebrate the New Year together with private parties at team hotel tomorrow.

Subir Ganguly, the CAB joint-secretary, said, “They will remain confined to hotel tomorrow as there are some private parties organized to usher in the New Year. The CAB is not organizing any party.”

A number of former cricketers from both the countries will be present in the private parties. Among these former players, there will be retired Indian batsman VVS Laxman. This legendary player will be honored by the CAB for his memorable performance at the Eden Gardens.

There is no surety about President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit during the match. For him, three VVIP boxes have been reserved on the second floor of the B C Roy Club House and not a single person will be given permission to enter on the floor when the President will be there.
The 2^nd ODI match between India and Pakistan is going to be an exciting one. Fans around the world will eagerly wait to see the match winner.
Pakistan cricket team has won the first ODI match by six wickets and led the three-match ODI series 1-0. No doubt, the host team will be under pressure.  

Pakistan takes 1-0 lead of the 3-match ODI series against India

Pakistan has taken the lead of the three-match ODI series 1-0 after beating the host by six wickets in the first ODI match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on December 30 (Sunday).

Pakistan cricket captain, Mohammad Hafeez, won the toss and invited India to bat first. After coming to bat first, Indian cricket team scored 227 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their limited overs.

Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni played an important innings. He scored an unbeaten 113 runs which helped his team to make a competitive score. He was supported by Suresh Raina (43) along with whom he made a 73-run partnership in the sixth wicket stand which took the host out of trouble.

After the departure of Suresh Raina, Dhoni and Ravichandran Ashwin made a record of unbeaten seventh wicket partnership of 125 runs off 100 balls that guided team India to pass the 200-mark. This was India’s best seventh wicket partnership so far.

In reply, the touring team reached the target with 11 balls remaining at hand. They scored 228 runs for four in 48.1 overs. Nasir Jamshed and Shoaib Malik played the most important role and guided their team to victory. Nasir Jamshed scored unbeaten 101 while Shoaib Malik remained not out on 34.

Indian cricket team will try their best to come back to the series with a victory in the second ODI match.  

Yuvraj Singh gets recall in India’s ODI squad

Yuvraj Singh has been included in the 15-man ODI squad that will play against the tourist team Pakistan in a three-match ODI series beginning from December 30 at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad.

His inclusion will help to increase the strength of the team. It has been more than a year he has got his recall to India’s ODI squad. He last played his ODI match against Sri Lanka in the final of the last year’s World Cup tournament which India won.

He got his recall to the Indian T20 squad for the Twenty20 World Cup within months of recovering from a rare germ cell cancer. Showing his aggressive batting style that helped India to get victory in the second and final T20 match against Pakistan, he impressed the selectors.

The 31-year-old player scored 72 runs from 36 balls including 4 boundaries and 7 sixes. With the ball, he also took one wicket. Because of his all-rounder performance, he was announced player of the match.

It is expected that Yuvraj Singh will be a permanent member of the ODI squad and prolong his record.

Pakistani bowlers will try to take his wicket as early as possible because if he sets in the field then he will send the ball out of the boundary.

Watch India vs Pakistan 1st ODI match live on STAR CRICKET

The first match of the three-match ODI series between India and Pakistan is going to be held on December 30 (Sunday) at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad. This match is scheduled to kick off on 11:30 GMT (17:00 Indian Standard Time).

Millions of fans around the world are eagerly waiting to see the match between these two arch-rival teams. These two teams are facing each other in a bilateral series after five years. That is why, it has got extra attention to the cricket lovers.

It is sure that fans will not miss the chance to enjoy the match live on stadium. Even fans will have to wait for a long time for India-Pakistan match ticket. Good news is that tickets are available online. So, fans can buy their tickets on on BookMyShow from home. The range of the ticket price is between Rs. 2000 and 15,000.

If you cannot manage a ticket then can enjoy the match live on TV or visit some websites which will provide ball-by-ball updates. It will be telecast live on STAR CRICKET. ESPNcricinfo is the most reliable website which will prove live online score.

I hope that fans can enjoy an exciting match between these two teams. Let’s see who can win the opening match.

Mohammad Irfan and Shoaib Malik have been selected in Pakistan’s ODI squad

Left arm pacer, Mohammad Irfan, and experienced all-rounder, Shoaib Malik, have made their place in Pakistan’s ODI squad that will play against the host nation India in a three-match ODI series, which is scheduled to begin on December 30 in Chennai.

According to a statement announced by the PCB, the tour management had requested the national selection committee to retain Malik and Irfan in the ODI squad and it was accepted.

Because of their good performances in the recently concluded two-match T20 series, they have been retained with the national squad for three ODI matches against India.

Shoaib Malik played an important innings in the first T20. His half-century helped his team winning the match. Tall fast bowler, Mohammad Irfan, was also impressive with the ball in both the matches.

These two players were mainly selected in the T20 squad for the two-match Twenty20 series which ended in a 1-1 draw.  It is the best opportunity for both of them to permanent their place in the ODI squad.
However, Shahid Afridi could not impress the team management with his performance and that is why he will be taken back to home along with the other member of the T20 squad.  

Faf du Plessis wants his team to do well against New Zealand

According to Sport24, South Africa’s T20 stand-in captain, Faf du Plessis, wants his team to keep winning and continue their success against New Zealand. Even, they will look forward to defending their top position in Test ranking when they will take on New Zealand in a two-match Test series in their home ground. First Test match will start in Cape Town next week.

Faf du Plessis said, “Test cricket is such an awesome test of skill and we are all looking forward to the longer version of the game.”

It will be a tough challenge for them to hold their top position in the Test ranking. There is no doubt that they will have to do their best to keep their position as a number one team in the longest format of cricket game. They will not expect to gown in the ranking.

New Zealand is not in good form. They should also try their best to make the match competitive.

Mike Hussey announces retirement from international cricket

The third Test against Sri Lanka is going to be the last match for Australian batsman Mike Hussey as he has announced his retirement from international cricket. He has told Australia’s Nine Network that he has taken this decision to spend more time with his family members.

The 37-year-old Hussey has become the second experienced Australian batsman to retire in a month after former captain Ricky Ponting who called his retirement before the third Test against South Africa in Perth.

No doubt his decision to bid farewell international cricket will make the cricket fans surprise. He has announced his retirement at a time when he is at the top form of his career. He has scored three centuries in his last five Tests.

His absence will make a big problem for team Australia when they will tour to India in February and March and play back-to-back Ashes Tests in 2013.

Playing 78 Tests, he has scored 6,183 runs at an average of 51.52, including 19 centuries and 29 half-centuries. He has so far played 185 and scored 5442 at an average of 48.15. In shorter format of cricket game, he has scored 3 centuries and 39 half-centuries. He has also played 38 T20 internationals and scored 721 runs.  

Tony Greig dies of cardiac arrest

The death news of Tony Greig has come as a great shock for millions of cricket lovers. Cricket fans will not see him anymore doing commentary. He was just 66-year-old when he breathed his last.

This legendary commentator died of cardiac arrest in ST Vincent’s hospital. When he was taken to hospital from his home in the morning between 10 and 11am, his condition was critical and he had no hope of recovery.

He was diagnosed with lung cancer two months before his death. He was suffering from this incurable disease. Even, he went under surgery later in November.

The South Africa-born Tony Greig was the former England cricket captain. Between 1972 and 1977, he played 58 Tests for England. After that he joined the Australian media magnate Kerry Packer's breakaway World Series.

Later he became a popular commentator and had worked for Nine Network. Cricket fans pay tribute to him. May God rest his soul in peace.

Kumar Sangakkara cannot play the remaining matches of Australia tour

The injury of Kumar Sangakkara has come as a big blow for the Sri Lankan cricket team. Because of his injury, he cannot play the rest of the matches in Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia. He had fractured his left hand after a ball from Mitchell Johnson hit his left hand in the second Test match.

He had to go under scan which had revealed a fracture on his left hand. He will have to go under surgery that will require around six to eight weeks to get recovery.

It has prolonged Sri Lanka’s injury list. Other three players who had sustained injury in the first two Test matches are Wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene, Chanaka Welegedara and Nuwan Kulasekara.

After being struck by a Johnson delivery, Prasanna Jayawardene sustained a hairline thumb fracture. Chanaka Welegedara is suffering from hamstring injury while Nuwan Kulasekara hurt his ribs and they are unlikely to be fit.

This injury list will put the team management under immense pressure. They will have to face a lot of problems to select the squad for the rest of the matches.

Sri Lankan cricket team will have to find someone who can successfully replace Kumar Sangakkara.

It is the time to see if young players can successfully replace the injured players.

Australia secures Test series victory

Defeating Sri Lanka by an innings and 201 runs in the second Test match, Australia has ensured their Test series victory with one game left at hand.

Sri Lanka was bowled out for 103 before tea on the third day at the MCG. Neither of their batsmen could make any strong protest against the Australian bowlers. They needed 304 runs more to overhaul their first-innings deficit.

Injury was the main reason for tourists’ bad performance against Australia. Kumar Sangakkara, who was the top run scorer in the first-innings, was unable to continue his batting after breaking his hand. Other two players, who could not bat due to injury, were Prasanna Jayawardene and Chanaka Welegedara.

Mitchell Johnson showed his all-rounder skill with both the bat and ball. With the bat, he scored unbeaten 92 and with the ball, he took two wickets for 16. He was supported by debutant Jackson Bird who also took 2-29. This opening bowling pair caused the great damage in Sri Lanka’s batting line up.

Australia resumed the third day with 440-8 and their first-innings ended in 460. Skipper Clarke scored 106 from 187 balls including 14 boundaries. David Warner was the third highest run scorer who played an aggressive innings of 46-ball 62.

The final and third match between Australia and Sri Lanka will be played on January 3.  

Salman Khan starrer Dabangg 2 surpasses the opening day collections of Dabangg

Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha starrer Dabangg 2 has earned Rs 21.10 crore in India on the first day of its release and has surpassed the opening day collections of the original movie. The main reason of earning huge amount of money on the first day is that the movie was released in a larger number of screens.

Dabangg 2 was released in 2500 screens across India against 1800 for the previous one. Not only that but also it has amassed Rs 100 crore in just six days. It has made the record of becoming one of the highest earning movies on the opening day for any non-holiday release in Bollywood till date. It even surpassed the first day collections of Akshay Kumar’s Rowdy Rathore, which earned Rs 15 crore. It was a non-holiday release too.

With this movie, the actor-producer, Arbaaz Khan, made his directorial debut. Dabangg2 is a sequel of Dabangg which was directed by Abhinav Kashyap and managed to rake in Rs 14.5 crore on its first day.

Salman starrer Dabangg 2 gathers Rs 100 crore in 6 days

Salman Khan’s latest movie, Dabangg 2, is doing well in the box office. It has already crossed the margin of Rs 100 crore in just six days. This achievement has been come to know after trade analyst Taran Adarsh post a comment on Tweeter. He tweeted about the film’s collection,

“#Dabangg2 Fri 21.10 cr, Sat 19.06 cr, Sun 25 cr, Mon 12 cr, Tue 15.5 cr, Wed 8.12 cr. Total: Rs 100.78 cr nett. 100 cr crossed in 6 days!”

It is expected that this movie will earn more money and it may break even Salman Khan’s previous records. Fans will not be surprised if it becomes the highest grossing movie.

Dabangg 2 is the sequel of Dabangg directed by Abhinav Kashyap. It was released in 2010. Salman Khan and Sonakshi Sinha play the male and female lead roles as Chulbul Pandey and Rajjo Pandey.

Dabangg 2 was released on December 21 and it was shown across 2,500 screens.  

Anees Bazmee wants to get confirmation from Salman Khan for No Entry Mein Entry

Director Anees Bazmee is waiting for Salman Khan’s schedule for his new movie No Entry Mein Entry which he wants to start working next year. He said that he would meet Salman by the first week of January 2013 and confirmed the dates.

It is almost sure that Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan and Anil Kapoor will play the male lead roles, but female lead roles are yet to be finalized. He said, “Nothing has been finalised yet. Things will fall in place only once I get Salman's dates. So I will finalise the leading ladies after that.”

The director is expecting that his movie will be released in the middle of 2013. Everything depends on Salman Khan’s availability for this new movie.

No Entry Mein Entry is a sequel to No Entry which was released on 2005. It got huge success in the box office. So, fans can hope to see another successful comedy movie from director Anees Bazmee.  

Tickets are being sold at a higher price for 2nd T20

The second T20 match between India and Pakistan is going to be an exciting one as it will decide the fate of the two-match T20 series. Because of its excitement, the price of the tickets for the second match has been increased.

It has been reported that the match tickets are being sold at a much higher price than its original cost. The tickets whose original price was Rs 300 are being sold for as high as Rs 2,500. However, cricket lovers did not bother about the high price of the tickets.

The second T20 match between India and Pakistan will be played on December 28 (Friday) at Motera stadium in Ahmedabad.

Pakistan cricket team is leading the T20 series 1-0 after defeating the host team by 5 wickets. Indian fans are expecting that their team will win the match and level the series.

After the T20 series, both these two teams will play three ODI matches.  

India seeks for must win against Pakistan

The second T20 match against their arch-rival team Pakistan is going to be a big challenge for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men. There is no other option but to win the match if Indian cricket team wants to level the two-match T20 series 1-1.

Pakistan cricket team won the first T20 match by 5-wicket with 2 balls remaining at hand. This victory has put much pressure on captain MS Dhoni and his men and they will try to give their best form to retain the trophy at home. On the other hand, Pakistan will desperately look for winning the second T20 match too and seal the series 2-0.

It seems that middle-order batting line-up is one of the biggest problems for Indian cricket team. Except the opening pair Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane, all the other batsmen looked uncomfortable against the Pakistani bowling attack headed by the experienced Umar Gul.

Apart from the openers, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were the only ones to have reached the double figures. So, their batsmen will have to play well to achieve victory.

Weak bowling line-up also seemed to be a big problem for the host team. Only the debutant bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar performed well. He captured 3 wickets for nine in four overs. Except him, no other Indian bowlers could make pressure on Pakistani batsmen. Dhoni may bring some change in the bowling line-up.

Let’s see who can win the match.

Acer plans to launch 7-inch $99 Tablet

It has been reported that the Taiwan-based Company, Acer, is going to make a $99 tablet PC. Perhaps this new tablet PC will be named Iconia B1. It is supposed to come in early 2013. According to The Wall Street Journal, this cheaper tablet PC will be based on Android operating system.

It will come with a 7-inch screen that will be supported by 1,024-by-600 resolution, and a 1.2-GHz dual-core processor. Users may find its specifications similar to the Kindle Fire or Nook Color.

This low-priced tablet PC is obviously going to be a big threat for other tablet PCs. It seems that Internet giant Google is also joining in this low-priced tablet segment by introducing a $99 version of its Android-based Nexus 7 tablet PC next year. Google’s plan to introduce a cheap rated tablet PC came to an attention after a report out of Taiwan last week.

Acer debuted pocket-sized Iconia A110 tablet PC in fall this year. It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and priced $230.

Virender Sehwag gets call in ODI squad

India’s hard hitter opening batsman, Virender Sehwag, has been included in the ODI squad that will play against arch-rival Pakistan in a 3-match ODI series starting from December 30 in Chennai. However, Zaheer Khan, who is the most experienced bowler in the Indian cricket team, has not been selected for the high-profile series.

After meeting with captain MS Dhoni and Coach Duncan Fletcher at the BCCI headquarters, selectors have replaced allrounder Irfan Pathan, fast bowler Umesh Yadav and middle-order batsman Manoj Tiwary. The reason of not being selected in the squad was their injury. Now, they are recovering from their injuries. Their positions have been replaced by Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Shami Ahmed and Amit Mishra.

The Uttar Pradesh all-rounder, Bhuvneshwar, and the Bengal seamer, Shami, are two new faces in the squad who have made their place in the squad showing their consistent performances on the domestic circuit and India A tours.

It is the right time for Virender Sehwag to prove his talent. Because of his poor form in CB series in Australia, he was dropped from the Asia Cup in March this year. Zaheer Khan has been restored for the upcoming Test series against Australia in February.

The absence of Sachin Tendulkar will be a big blow for the Indian cricket team. Their form in the home ground is also not good. They experienced defeat at the hands of England.

Now, let us see if India can defeat Pakistan and improve their ODI ranking.

Pakistan beats India in 1st T20 by 5-wicket

Pakistan cricket team is leading the two-match T20 series 1-0 after beating their arch-rival India by 5-wicket with two balls remaining at hand.

This match was full of excitement as both teams had equal opportunity to win the match. Even match result was not decided until the last over of this match.

After coming to chase 133 runs in their limited overs, the tourist lost 3 early wickets for 12 and was put under pressure. They looked in serious trouble. All three wickets were taken by debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

However, skipper Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik successfully guided their team to victory. They made a 106-run partnership in the fourth-wicket stand.

Hafeez scored 61 runs including two sixes and six fours. After his departure, Indian fans started dreaming that their team would win the match and remained undefeated. Shoaib Malik remained not out on 57 along with Shahid Afridi who scored 3 runs from two balls.

India won the match and elected to bat first. In their 20 overs, they scored 133 runs for the loss of 9 wickets.

For India, Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane respectively scored 43 and 42 runs. Except them only two other Indian batsmen managed to reach double figures.

Umar Gul claimed three wickets while Saeed Ajmal got two wickets. Other two wickets were shared by Mohammad Irfan and Shahid Afridi.

Second ODI match will be played on December 28 in Ahmedabad. After that, both India and Pakistan will play three ODIs that will kick off on December 30 in Chennai.

Sachin Tendulkar retires from ODI

India’s most prolific batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, has announced his retirement from the limited-over format of cricket game. The ‘Little Master’ has broken all the records with the bat. Making his ODI debut in 1989, he has played 463 matches and scored 18,426 runs at an average of 44.83.

In the 50-over format, he is still the top run-scorer and highest centurion with 49 centuries. Even, he has played the highest number of ODI matches. The match against Pakistan on 18 March in the Asia Cup was his last one-day international match. In this match, he scored 52 runs that helped his team getting a six-wicket victory against Pakistan.

In recent years, Sachin Tendulkar had been struggling with the bat. Because of his poor performance in several matches both in home and abroad, he made up his mind to end his 23-year cricket career. He feels blessed to have fulfilled the dream of being part of a World Cup-winning Indian team.

It is thought that Indian cricket team might suffer because of his absence. There is no doubt that no one can replace his position in the national cricket team of India. Even, his records will remain unbroken for long and long time.