PAK VS NZ ODI SERIES : NZ LEVEL THE SERIES

Brendon McCullum hit a return-to-form hundred and Scott Styris took three wickets in two overs as New Zealand beat Pakistan by 64 runs in the second day-night international here on Friday.


McCullum notched 131 to help the Black Caps post a challenging 303-8 on a flat Abu Dhabi Stadium pitch before Styris (3-23) triggered a middle-order collapse which saw Pakistan bowled out for 239, leaving the three-match series level at 1-1.


Pakistan won the first match by 138 runs on Tuesday. The final match will be played here on Monday.Chasing a daunting target, Pakistan got off to a solid start of 77 with Khalid Latif (45) and Salman Butt (59) setting the tempo. Even after Latif fell leg-before to New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori in the 17th over, Pakistan were well on course.


Butt and Younus (19) added another 47 for the second wicket before Styris struck three times in ten balls to turn the match in his team's favour.


Bowling for the first time in 13 months, Styris had Younus smartly caught at short mid-wicket by a diving Ross Taylor and then next ball induced Shahid Afridi (0) to play into the same fielder's hands. In his next over, Styris had Kamran Akmal (four) caught at short cover before Butt was run out after being sent back by Mohammad Yousuf.


Vettori then trapped Yousuf (18) to push Pakistan to the brink of defeat.Although Shoaib Malik (26) and Abdul Razzaq (35) resisted, it was too little too late against a professional New Zealand.


Earlier, New Zealand had McCullum to thank for repairing the innings through a second wicket stand of 126 with Martin Guptill (62).


Stripped of the vice-captaincy to allow him to concentrate on batting last month, McCullum steadied the innings, driving and cutting with authority during his 129-ball knock. He hit 14 boundaries and three sixes.Guptill hit five boundaries and two sixes during his 70-ball knock before holing out to paceman Razzaq.


McCullum also added 44 for the fifth wicket with Vettori (30) before Razzaq returned for his second spell to have the New Zealand captain caught behind off a miscued hit.


McCullum reached the three-figure mark off 108 deliveries. He was finally dismissed in the 47th over, bowled off an inside edge by paceman Umar Gul.


He also added 56 for the seventh wicket with Jacob Oram who made 33 not out.


Pakistan brought back Malik after resting him in the first match, while New Zealand included fit-again Kyle Mills and Neil Broom.

ENGLAND VS SOUTH AFRICA ODI SERIES

Captain Andrew Strauss hit one of three half-centuries as England made a solid start to their tour of South Africa, piling up 294 for seven in their 50-overs match against the Diamond Eagles franchise team in Bloemfontein on Friday.


Strauss hit 72 and shared a second wicket stand of 123 with Jonathan Trott (85) as England took advantage of good batting conditions after being sent in to bat.


Eoin Morgan slammed a quick 67 not out off 52 balls as the innings ended with a flurry of scoring.
Eagles opening bowler CJ de Villiers took an early wicket when he bowled Joe Denly for three but Strauss and Trott put the tourists in command.


Strauss made his runs off 85 balls with seven fours and a six before holing out to square leg against the medium-paced Ryan Bailey.


Trott took 81 balls to reach his fifty but needed only another 23 deliveries to reach 85, with seven fours, before he was bowled by Bailey.

AMITHA BACHAN PRAISES SACHIN

Praises are pouring in from all quarters after Sachin Tendulkar scored 17000 runs in One-day cricket. And, this time it came from none other than Bollywood super star Amitabh Bachchan.

Bachchansaid: "Every time he (Sachin Tendulkar) sets a new example in front of us. I congratulate him and the entire country is proud of him."This came when the world cricket fraternity was competing with each other on congratulating the little master for his rare feat.

POINTING'S CHAT IN THE MIDDLE INSPIRED THE AUSSIES

Skipper Ricky Ponting asked his team to be brave and face the might of Sachin Tendulkar and India in the nail-biting fifth ODI at Hyderabad, which Australia won by three runs.


An emotional pre-match talk from Ponting was the catalyst for a remarkable match as the Australians overcame an extraordinary 175 from Tendulkar to win by three runs.


With his team ripped apart by injuries and in a hostile environment, it was effectively an Australia 'A' attack that somehow managed to hang on as they claimed a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, The Daily Telegraph reports."That's what I'm most proud of. Everything that's happened over the last couple of weeks, for us to keep finding ways to win games says a lot about the team, a lot about the individual players and the way we go about it," Ponting said.


"I actually asked the guys for a little bit extra, asked them to be really brave and to play the best form of cricket they possibly could and back themselves at every opportunity. I thought the first half of the game with our batting we did that to a tee, and I think even in the last half of the game with the bowling we did that really well, so it a great day for us."


Ponting also lauded Tendulkar's effort, as the Indian star became the first batsman to pass 17,000 one-day runs. His 175 came off 141 balls, but his dismissal as India needed 19 runs from 17 balls was decisive.


India must win Sunday's clash in Guwahati and again in Mumbai on Wednesday to clinch the series and top ranking from Australia.

AUSSIE PLAYERS INJURIES -WORRIES RICKY PONTING

World champions Australia said on Thursday they were struggling to focus on the ongoing one-day series in India because the team had been decimated by a string of injuries to key players.


With the seven-match series tied at 1-1, the injury-plagued tourists are down to the bare bones for the third international at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Saturday.


"With a few little niggles around, the focuses do tend to go towards that," said left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, himself battling an ankle injury."But we have got to regroup, sit in our team meetings and talk about what went wrong in Nagpur and what we thought we did right out there."


Australia won the first match, in Vadodara on Sunday, by four runs, before crashing to a heavy defeat in Nagpur on Wednesday after India piled up a mammoth 354-7 and bowled out the tourists for 255.


Ricky Ponting's men came to India depleted by the absence of four one-day regulars, vice-captain Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Bracken and Callum Ferguson.


Pace spearhead Brett Lee (elbow) and all-rounder James Hopes (hamstring) missed Nagpur, while Johnson only just made it.


In a further blow, wicket-keeper Tim Paine -- a replacement for Haddin -- broke a finger during the demolition in Nagpur and has been asked to return home.


The selectors, who flew in young all-rounder Moises Henriques to reinforce the injury-stricken squad, have now called up Graham Manou to replace Paine.


If Manou arrives in New Delhi by Friday, he is certain to play a day later, but it is unclear if Lee and Hopes will be available for selection on Saturday.


India need to win the series to overtake Ponting's men as the top-ranked one-day team in the world.