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While he knows all too well how tough it will be for his inexperienced side to beat India and Pakistan, Hong Kong captain Tabarak Dar sees the Asia Cup as an excellent opportunity to learn and develop.The tournament starts in Karachi on June 24, and Dar believes it will encourage Hong Kong and other smaller sides to lift their game in the future. “I believe this [Asia Cup] is a very good chance to play with big guns Pakistan and India, the two world-class outfits,” he told the , a Pakistan daily. “And if we are able to compete with them it would only benefit Hong Kong cricket.”Even though our task is very tough, we are pretty optimistic of putting up a good show here because the stage is set for our lads to prove everyone where we stand in international cricket.”Hong Kong lost both their matches in the previous Asia Cup in 2004. They play hosts Pakistan on Tuesday and India the next day.”At the end of the day, we are not here on holidays,” said Dar, 32. “Our aim is to be competitive in this tournament and try to create an upset or two. Playing alongside the best teams will be a good learning process for my team.”While Dar could not single out any one player to watch out for, he had confidence in his team. “There are individuals in this squad who are capable of big things,” he said. “Basically, ours is a side that contains all-round players. However, we are pinning our bowling hopes on Nadeem Ahmed, who was a youngster when we played in Sri Lanka in 2004.””Straight after the Asia Cup we have the ACC Trophy, so we are looking at it as an opportunity to play against bigger Test nations and show the world where we stand here and then in the ACC Trophy,” said Dar.Aftab Habib, Hong Kong’s coach, admitted they were up against the odds. “We are a very small team but this Asia Cup gives us an opportunity to know where we stand against bigger teams and it is a huge stepping stone for us,” Habib, a former England Test player who took over as coach 10 months ago, told . “I am honoured to be associated with Hong Kong cricket and by now have got to know the boys well and the goal for me is to take them further.”

SYDNEY – Test captains from three countries, along with survivors of DonBradman’s greatest team, gathered in Sydney tonight to honour worldcricket’s oldest living skipper, former Invincible Bill Brown.The Brisbane 90-year-old was feted at a testimonial dinner chaired byformer England captain Tony Greig with guests including ex-Australianskippers Brian Booth, Bob Simpson and Ian Craig, and New Zealand greatWalter Hadlee.Hadlee’s son, cricketing knight Sir Richard, also joined the tribute,along with former Australian paceman Geoff Lawson.Completing the line-up were members of Bradman’s 1948 Invincibles BillJohnston, Sam Loxton, Neil Harvey and Arthur Morris.Brown, who played in the first two Tests of the 1948 Ashes series,captained Australia in 1946 in the inaugural Test against New Zealand.He scored two centuries at Lord’s and averaged over 46in a 22-Test career either side of WWII.Cricket’s elder statesman has declared the modern game to be in “a goodstate of health” despite sledging which he can’t stand and the ’90smatch-fixing scandals which he calls “completely beyond the pale,they’ve got to be stopped”.Brown is the sixth Australian Test player to live into his nineties.Australia’s oldest Test cricketer was Ken Burn, who died in 1956 aged 93years and 307 days.Items auctioned at tonight’s dinner included a 1948 Ashes bat signed byboth teams.Funds raised will help the Lord’s Taverners Australia assistdisadvantaged children.

New Zealand’s players at the ICC Champions Trophy next month are not affected by the contracts issue which has resulted in an impassed between the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) and the International Cricket Council.New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive Martin Snedden said today that he had worked through the issue with the New Zealand Cricket Players’ Association (NZCPA).”We have agreed that the ICC sponsorship provisions for the ICC Champions Trophy are covered by New Zealand Cricket’s existing player contracts,” he said.As a result, Snedden did not think that any New Zealand players will be detrimentally affected by signing the ICC contract before next month’s event.However, Snedden said he was sympathetic the views of members of the TelstraClear Black Caps and would continue to work through the issue with the Players’ Association as part of their ongoing contract negotiations.”The issue is an important one for international cricket and I hope all parties will be able to work towards a solution which allows the ICC to meet its contractual obligations,” he said.This position was supported by the NZCPA spokesman, Heath Mills.”The Players’ Association focus is to ensure the players are looked after and I feel we have worked well with New Zealand Cricket to achieve this.”This issue is going to need to be addressed internationally so that it does not affect future events,” Mills said.

St Lucia has hosted several outstanding Jazz Festivals in the past but it has never been the venue for the type of electrifying atmosphere that was generated at its new state-of-the-art Beausejour Stadium yesterday.International cricket’s newest venue was bursting at the seams to celebrate an enthralling six-wicket West Indies victory over New Zealand.It was set up by yet another outstanding contribution from Mr Can Do No Wrong Shivnarine Chanderpaul and equally vital input from Ramnaresh Sarwan and captain Carl Hooper.And significantly, it was achieved without anything noteworthy from their champion but now struggling world record-holder, Brian Lara.He made way for Hooper and Ridley Jacobs before he came in to end a successful run-chase in pursuit of a challenging 249.It was attained for the loss of four wickets with five balls in reserve when Lara spanked a boundary through extra-cover to trigger wild scenes.When Hooper emerged from the pavilion in Lara’s accustomed No. 4 position, the West Indies still required another 108 from 100 balls to take a 1-0 lead in the series that has now been reduced to four matches.By then, Chanderpaul, opening the batting in a One-Day International for the first time in a year, was firmly entrenched after sharing successive stands of 55 with Chris Gayle and 86 with Sarwan.For the remainder of the evening, the 10 000 fans in the stands screamed themselves hoarse with patois chants and did the Mexican Wave over and over as Chanderpaul and Hooper increased the tempo when it was so vitally needed.The unstoppable Chanderpaul remained to the end, unbeaten on 108 off 135 balls his fourth century of the season in both forms of the game.Hooper provided even more excitement with some scintillating strokes in a run-a-ball 47 before he was pacer Paul Hitchcock’s third victim in the 46th over.By then the West Indies had done enough to bring down an asking rate that stood at 7.40 after 42 overs to a more manageable 24 from 25 balls.This was a good victory. What made it good was the manner in which we chased, Hooper said.It wasn’t exactly a small total to get, even though the wicket was good and the outfield wasn’t huge, but the manner in which we got the runs; I was very pleased.It had been proposed more than once in recent matches that the in-form Chanderpaul would move up from No. 6 and it finally came to fruition yesterday.At the start, he allowed Gayle to do the bulk of the scoring, but he blossomed to play some enterprising strokes, none more memorable than a six over extra-cover off Daniel Vetorri’s left-arm spin.The left-handed Chanderpaul also counted eight fours on the way to his third hundred in limited-overs internationals in the identical position where he made his previous two.We have been thinking about Shiv opening for a while. Today was an opportune time to do it, Hooper said.He seemed pretty keen on opening. Batting through the innings is important and I thought it worked well for us.In contrast, Lara has been a shadow of himself since returning to the game with a bothersome elbow, but there were some who felt that he would never have been demoted from his accustomed slot.Brian has been struggling for form all during the Indian series and I’d like to say that the coach and Brian thought it best if I was promoted ahead of him, Hooper said.New Zealand’s total was clearly a lot more than the West Indies bargained for after Pedro Collins sliced through the Black Caps’ top half by snatching three scalps in five balls inside his first two overs.A position of 55 for four represented immense strife for New Zealand, but they recovered admirably after Collins removed Chris Nevin (to an irresponsible slash to a wide ball), Craig McMillan (bowled from a forcing back foot stroke) and Chris Harris (lbw shuffling across his stumps).Before those were gone, Mervyn Dillon enjoyed the distinction of claiming the first international wicket on the ground with the finest ball of the match, which cut back sharply and cut Nathan Astle in half.The noisy crowd, including many visitors from neighboring islands, might have anticipated an even lower total than New Zealand’s 176 in their opening abandoned match, but there was a splendid recovery in two significant partnerships that involved captain Stephen Fleming.Very early in the piece, he was showing bold aggression and the use of his feet against the faster bowlers, but as New Zealand lost wickets frequently, he changed to a lower gear and played responsibly for his 89 off 116 balls.The first phase of the fightback was in association with Lou Vincent the pair adding 57, but the more meaningful stand was one of 81 in 18.4 overs with Scott Styris.Styris, a big-hitter who specialises in the abbreviated version of the game, launched a calculated assault, especially in the closing stages when he clouted three sixes, including two off Dillon.His 85 off 83 balls, which also included eight fours, ensured that New Zealand raised 76 for the last ten overs, in which Dillon suffered badly. After the fast bowler’s first five overs went for 17, his second quota yielded 43 runs.With the runs flowing freely at the death, it was surprising that Collins, the West Indies’ best bowler on the day, was not utilised for his full ten overs, while the part-time spinners Gayle and Ryan Hinds did so.Still, it did not matter in the end.

The man widely acknowledged as the Caribbean’s best umpire has given ahuge vote of confidence to three of his West Indian colleagues.Steve Bucknor, one of international cricket’s most capped umpires,believes Eddie Nicholls, Billy Doctrove and Basil Morgan can comparefavourably with any of the officials on the International CricketCouncil’s (ICC) National Grid panel.I think our top umpires are as good as any anywhere, Bucknor saidahead of the seventh One-Day International between West Indies andSouth Africa at the Arnos Vale Playing Field yesterday.I’ve seen umpiring around the world and it is my opinion that they areas good as any in the world.As an experienced umpire who has stood in three successive World Cupfinals, 56 Tests and 90 One-Day Internationals in each of the tenTest-playing nations, Bucknor has had the benefit of officiating withseveral other umpires.When the ICC moves to introduce an elite panel of about a dozenumpires which will serve in all Test matches, the 54-year-old Jamaicanis certain to be among that group.And he feels Nicholls, the second of the West Indies representativeson the ICC panel, should also be in the line-up.Once the system is implemented, the current policy in which an umpirefrom the host country is automatically appointed will be eliminated.In my opinion, Nicholls is within the top ten quite easily, Bucknorsaid of the Guyanese police assistant superintendent who has stood in15 Tests and 26 One-Day Internationals.With this new system coming maybe next year, it is possible that hecould get into the new panel that is going to be made up of about ten,12 umpires who will do all of Test cricket.Dominican Doctrove and Morgan, of Montserrat, are not members of theNational Grid panel which is made up of 20 umpires four from Englandand two from each of the other Test-playing countries with theexception of Bangladesh.I have seen Test umpires who are not half as good as Doctrove andMorgan, Bucknor said.They are better than some I have seen on the circuit but because thesystem says two from each country, the best umpires are notnecessarily within the top 20. I hope there is a place for themsometime soon.Outside of the main group of the dozen top umpires, there is expectedto be a secondary panel of about 25 umpires.On this panel, I think budding umpires should come through, saidBucknor.

FULL NAME: Patrick Kudzayi Gada
BORN: 5 May 1978, at Harare
MAJOR TEAMS: CFX Academy (1998/99), Manicaland (1999/2000-2000/01),Mashonaland (2001/02). Present club side: Takashinga
KNOWN AS: Patrick/Paddy Gada.
BATTING STYLE: Right Hand Bat
BOWLING STYLE: Right Arm Medium Fast
OCCUPATION: Professional cricketer
FIRST-CLASS DEBUT: CFX Academy v Australian Cricket Academy, at AlexandraSports Club, 27-29 March 1999
TEST DEBUT: Still awaited
ODI DEBUT: Still awaitedBIOGRAPHY (updated March 2002)Patrick Gada, Academy student in 1999, is one of the most promising young all-rounders in Zimbabwe. He is highly rated for his attitude and self-discipline. He is a non-smoker and does not drink alcohol; from a young age he practised hard and worked on his fitness. He is a pleasant and quietly-spoken young man who deserves to go far in the game.Like most black players at the present, Patrick has no family background in cricket, although his family has always been very enthusiastic about soccer. His interest in cricket began at Chengu Primary School in Highfield, a high-density suburb of Harare, and he well remembers the times when Dave Houghton used to come and coach. Later on Lazarus Zizhou and Dave Levy took over, and both had much to do with developing Patrick’s interests and skills. Patrick has always been first and foremost a batsman, but he has kept up his medium-paced bowling and occasionally bowls useful off-spin as well. He opened both batting and bowling from a young age.His first match, as far as he remembers, took place when he was about ten years of age. Once he scored 125 in a thirty-over game, when he was captaining his team, and won the Willards Trophy for his school. He took part in the national primary schools cricket week, captaining the Harare South team and being selected for the national B team.He progressed to Prince Edward High School, having been offered a place there by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union because of his cricketing potential. He had also been offered a place at Chinhoyi High School, but preferred Prince Edward mainly because of the better sporting and academic opportunities it provided. He was immediately appointed as captain of the Under-13 team and progressed up the school year by year. He remembers his best scores when he reached the first team as being 90 against St John’s and 78 against Eaglesvale, batting at number four. He used to bowl regularly as well, opening the bowling at times and taking useful wickets, with seven in an innings being his best performance. In 1995 he went on tour to England with the school team. He names the late `Bunny’ Brereton as the high-school coach who helped him the most.At school Patrick was also an athlete, notably in triple jump and long jump. He played rugby and soccer as well, but cricket remained his premier sport. He played his first club match in 1992, for Bionics Cricket Club, which became in turn Hungwe, Winstonians and now Takashinga.In 1993 Patrick was selected for the Mashonaland Under-15 team, where he did well and was a reserve for the national side; he progressed to the Mashonaland Under-19 team along with such players as Brian Murphy, Gavin Rennie, Darlington and Everton Matambanadzo and Gary Brent. Even at the age of 16 he made some good scores, but just missed selection for the national side. He left high school after gaining his O-Levels in Form Four, but hopes to improve his academic qualifications at some time in the future.He followed his cricket interests, doing some coaching privately in the high-density areas and assisting the Zimbabwe Cricket Union and the Mashonaland Cricket Association on a private, part-time basis. In 1995/96 he began to play for Old Hararians Sports Club, coaching and practising in Highfield and at Harare Sports Club during the off season. His best club performance has been 96 not out against Kwekwe in 2001/02. In 1998 he was encouraged by the Old Hararians captain Trevor Penney to apply for the Zimbabwe Cricket Academy, and he was accepted for the 1999 season.His main memory of that year, along with many other students, was the visit of the Australian Cricket Academy team, which completely outclassed the local academy, mainly due to the express pace of Brett Lee who terrorized the locals and caused Patrick himself much concern. "It was a great turning point for all the Academy guys," he says.From 1999 Patrick played and coached in England. It was a good experience, although he found the pitches too slow, sub-standard and uncovered. He did learn to adapt to the various pitches, both good and bad. In the years 2000 and 2001 he played for Preston Nomads in Sussex, enjoying both seasons with bat and ball. "It is always good fun and experience playing in the UK," he says.After leaving the Academy, Patrick went to Manicaland for the remaining two years of his Academy contract. He opened the batting for them in the Logan Cup and played some useful innings, gradually finding the confidence to play his strokes more readily at that level.In September and October 2001, after the English season, he also visited the United States of America and played in Florida and Hartford, Connecticut. He came across some good players, especially from the West Indies, and had a good time both on and off the field. On his return, having completed his three-year contract with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, he decided to return from Manicaland to Mashonaland, especially as he had family responsibilities after the death of his mother. He signed a new contract and returned to Takashinga, who are now based in his home town of Highfield. He enjoyed a good all-round season in the national league, and expected to finish with the most wickets and the best bowling average for the league season.As a batsman his main attribute, he feels, is his concentration and the ability to bat for long periods of time, while as yet he is not fully fluent with his strokes at the top level. He is a strong back-foot player, scoring the majority of his runs on the on side and square of the wicket, while he also cuts well. He admits to having difficulty with the moving ball outside the off stump but is working on the problem. He is happy to open the innings, but given the choice feels he would prefer number four or five. He usually fields in the middle distance or in the gully. He has a very safe pair of hands and enjoys fielding, and is fairly quick to the ball.Cricket heroes: Viv Richards, Richie Richardson and Graham Gooch.Toughest opponents: "Brett Lee still sticks out in my mind, no doubt about that, for his express pace! I would love to face him again sometime, hopefully take him on, but if not to stick around for a long period."Future ambitions: "I hope to stay in the game and keep working on my game all the time. It will take time, but I hope to keep improving. I would like to play cricket at the highest possible level, and do well. I also want to assist youngsters as we keep trying to build up Zimbabwean cricket. My biggest wish at the moment is to represent Zimbabwe in the coming World Cup as we host all our home games."Biggest influences: "My late mother, my dad in Highfield, my family and good friends all around the world."Proudest achievement: "I remember when I was captain of Harare South and my junior school in Highfield, the England A side came over, including Michael Atherton, Neil Fairbrother, Derek Pringle and `Sid’ Lawrence, in 1989/90, and I got an autographed bat from them. Then I was rated High Glen Best Junior Batsman, in 1990. Also when I was awarded my cricket colours at Prince Edward High School in 1994 for the most outstanding performance and service. Also meeting the master King Viv Richards at the Malcolm Marshall Memorial match in London in 2000, and again in America in 2001, in Hartford, Connecticut."Best friends in cricket: "Amos Maungwa – he’s always out there, he tries very hard and we play and practise together for Takashinga. All those who love the game and always think positively. My late mother and all my remaining family for all their trust, love and encouragement; Devon Malcolm, the Hopkins family and Mr John Smith, all in Sussex, England."Other interests: "I like reading, especially cricket magazines and current information. I like fitness training; every time I’m free I go out and work on my fitness. I also like listening to music and watching cricket on television or on tape."Personal views: "I would like to help juniors coming up and offer a helping hand from the knowledge I’ve gained from the game so far. I can’t wait to see Zimbabwe get on top of world cricket and dominate more than West Indies did and more than Australia will ever do. My young players for the future are team-mates Tatenda Taibu, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Hamilton Masakadza, and Joe Gatting (son of Mike) who plays for Preston Nomads and Sussex CCC juniors. My motto in life is to respect and learn from others, and above all give thanks to the Almighty."

Queenstown will join New Zealand’s list of international venues by hosting a One-Day international against India next year, while a Super Max International will also feature on the tour.However, there will be no Boxing Day Test this summer. New Zealand Cricket released the tour schedule today.The only two Tests in New Zealand over the summer will be in Wellington and Hamilton before Christmas.New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden said the decision on the Boxing Day Test was not a precedent for future seasons. It had been necessary because India needed to be home for the World Cup preparation by January 16 and to fit that in New Zealand felt it was best that both teams have seven ODIs in succession as part of their World Cup build-up rather than splitting the ODIs around the Tests.”We will go back to it next year,” Snedden said.He added that there were also financial reasons for not playing ODIs before Christmas.The two Test, seven ODI tour will start with a Max international being played at a venue still to be decided.The last time a Max international was played was for the opener of the West Indies tour at Christchurch in 1999/00.Queenstown which was the spectacular venue for the Otago team’s three-day match against England earlier this year, will host an ODI on January 4, the height of the holiday season in the summer resort.”The ideal situation for us is to ensure that every region gets an international game.”At that time of year there are no students in Dunedin and most people from Dunedin are in Central Otago so Carisbrook was not a viable option.”Alexandra is not easy to get up to the required standard and the Queenstown Events Centre are keen because it will take some effort to get it to standard but we are confident that can be done,” he said.”It is important that we get international cricket into the Otago region.”There is a fairly large holiday population in Central Otago then and it is a ground with a beautiful backdrop,” he said.Hamilton will host its first ODI under lights with the final game of the tour on January 14.”They’ve put a huge investment into the ground in Hamilton. We considered Taupo but it was Northern Districts’ wish that Hamilton be supported. All the reports are that the lights will be good for a night game,” he said.The State Shield has been timed to coincide with New Zealand’s departure to South Africa and most players will be involved in the domestic one-day series before leaving.The selectors also asked that Shield games be scheduled after the one-day series so they could assess any players who may have come into consideration during the first part of the State Shield.The first Test of the tour will be at the Basin Reserve in Wellington from December 12-16 and the second Test will be in Hamilton from December 19-23.The itinerary is:Super Max International at TBA, December 4; India v Central Districts at Napier, Dec 6-8; 1st Test at Wellington, Dec 12-16; 2nd Test at Hamilton, Dec 19-23; 1st ODI at Auckland (day/night), Dec 26; 2nd ODI at Napier, Dec 29; 3rd ODI at Christchurch (day/night), January 1; 4th ODI at Queenstown, Jan 4; 5th ODI at Wellington (day/night), Jan 8; 6th ODI at Auckland (day/night), Jan 11; 7th ODI at Hamilton (day/night), Jan 14.

Bangladesh cricket history’s most cheerful day was when they achieved a stirring victory against Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup. It stunned the World since Pakistan, up to that stage of the tournament was leading and well ahead of Australia, the ultimate winners. In fact, that historic victory paved the way for Bangladesh’s admission to the ICC as a regular member, a status granted a year later. Since then, Bangladesh has made a good effort to establish its credentials in International Cricket. Although they lost their inaugural Test match against India at Dhaka in November last and more recently have again been out played in the first Test match of the current two-test series against Zimbabwe, they have fought well and learnt at the same time. One should give them due credit for the amount of effort their cricketers have put in these matches and that also assures their bright future.Bangladesh played its first One-day Internationals in 1985-86 and to date has played 40 ODI’s, losing 38 and scoring a solitary victory each against Kenya, Scotland and Pakistan. It would be worth reviewing their performance in the recently concluded One-day International series against Zimbabwe.Harare – First match:
Bangladesh tasted heavy defeat at the very out set of the series. Zimbabwe taught the babes of International Cricket a tough lesson by seven wickets. Bangladesh reached a relatively low total of 151 for 8 in 50-overs. Akram Khan (35), Mushfiqur Rahman (31) and Mohammad Rafique (22) were the only notable scorers. B Strang (2/25), Mutendera (2/45) and A Blignaut (2/24) all bowled well to contain the visitors and claim wickets. Zimbabwe, slowly but easily reached the target with 6.5 overs and seven wickets to spare. S Carlisle scored 40, A Flower 40 not out and G Flower 32 not out.Harare – Second match:
Alistair Campbell scored his seventh One-day century (103) off 145 balls with 8 hits to the fence. He was associated with S Carlisle in a 2nd wicket partnership of 133 to enable Zimbabwe reach a modest total of 230-7, after being put into bat by Bangladesh. Manjurul Islam returned his career best analysis of 3 for 37 in ten overs. Bangladesh in reply, crashed to 103 all out in 30.4 overs. Only Javed Omar carried his bat for 33. Incidentally, the opener repeated this feat in the second innings of the first Test also. Bangladesh’s last six wickets fell for 28 runs in nine overs. Heath Streak claimed 2 for 20, Mutendera 3 for 23 and Viljoen 2 for 14. Skipper Naimur Rahman struck 25 off 21 balls with four fours.Bulawayo – Third match:
Bangladesh gave a good account of themselves in this match. Zimbabwe scored an imposing total of 308 for 4, mainly built through the 148 runs of a 4th wicket partnership between brothers Grant and Andy Flower. Grant scored 142 not out and Andy 81. S Carlisle scored 42 not out. Though Bangladesh surpassed their previous highest score of 257 yet their valiant effort fell 36 runs short of the target. Opener Javed Omar scored 69, Habibul Bashar hit 74 and their 3rd wicket partnership produced 74 runs off 103 balls. B Strang claimed 3 for 56, Mutendera 2/44 and Andy Blignaut 2/41. Grant Flower who had smashed 65 off the last five overs was the Man of the Match and the Series.For the tourists, Javed Omar, Habibul Bashar, M Rahman and N Rahman batted with determination while Manjural Islam, Mohammad Sharif and Mushfiqur Rahman bowled well. Zimbabwe fully exploited the lack of experience and weaknesses of the minnows of International Cricket and thus convincingly won. However the visitors have surely been enriched with useful experience and exposure to top-level cricket.

New Zealand Cricket has named a sponsor for women’s domestic tournaments in the country. Action Indoor Sports, who currently sponsor the New Zealand women’s team, will now play a role in the domestic circuit as well. A full round of the newly named one-day and Twenty20 competitions will start on December 10.”It’s a very exciting phase with Twenty20 playing a major part in the growth of women’s cricket,” said Justin Vaughan, CEO of New Zealand Cricket. “We believe the shortened format will pave the way for greater involvement of women in cricket from school and club level through to Major Association and international arenas.”The NZC also announced the itinerary for the upcoming women’s cricket season. New Zealand will host Australia in the annual Rose Bowl series in a split tour comprising two matches in late December and six matches in February next year. New Zealand lost the Rose Bowl last summer and will be keen to make amends this year. “The Twenty20 format suits our team and we have a good record against the Australians, so the make-up of the tour gives us a really good chance,” coach Gary Stead said.The first game of the Rose Bowl series will be played at Seddon Park in Hamilton on December 28.

In the end, it didn’t matter that this match had no official sanction. Try telling that to the tens of thousands of people who thronged the National Stadium in Karachi. In the end, what counted was that an international XI, no matter how ragtag and rusty it was, had set foot on Pakistan soil, had safely played a game of cricket. A game, such as this, had not been played for close to four years in a nation where following for that game frequently crosses the line between passionate and fanatical. For the record, Pakistan All Star XI demolished International World XI who were led by the 43-year old Sanath Jayasuriya.Young batsmen Umar Akmal and Shahzaib Hasan made half-centuries at frenetic pace and were backed by handy contributions from the rest. Pakistan XI were set on their way by the pair of Shahzaib and Imran Nazir, who put on 83 by the time the field restrictions were lifted, at nearly 14 an over. The International XI fielders showed they were short on match practice by dropping numerous catches and fielding poorly on a ground where the ropes had been pulled in. Shahzaib was the first to fall for 54 off just 21 deliveries, which included six fours and four sixes.Akmal, coming in at No. 5, soon took over and blitzed ten boundaries on his way to an unbeaten 67 off 37 as Pakistan XI zoomed to 222 for 7. Thandi Tshabalala, the South Africa offspinner, picked up 3 for 20 while Shapoor Zadran, the Afghanistan fast bowler, took 2 for 38.Jayasuriya hit a six and a four in the first over of the chase but fell of its last delivery, caught by his counterpart Shahid Afridi. Facing such a tall target, International XI kept losing wickets regularly, and fast bowler Tabish Khan soon dealt the decisive blows. He bowled Ricardo Powell, Jermaine Lawson and Tshabalala off successive deliveries to take a hat-trick and reduce International XI to 52 for 6 in the seventh over.Zadran stuck around to make 42 along with Loots Bosman, who batted low at No. 9 due to an injury and remained unbeaten on 27. Pakistan used everyone but wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed as bowlers. Afridi, who had lasted seven balls with the bat to club three boundaries, had Zadran stumped off the final delivery of the match as International XI managed 138 for 8.The second and final game in the series will be played tomorrow at the same venue.