All-round Razzaq flattens New Zealand

Pakistan 183 for 6 (Shehzad 54, Razzaq 34*, Franklin 2-12) beat New Zealand 80 (Styris 45, Afridi 4-14, Razzaq 3-13) by 103 runs

Abdul Razzaq pummeled an 11-ball 34 to propel Pakistan to 183, before returning to flatten the New Zealand top order with the new ball, as the visitors stormed to a 103-run victory in the third Twenty20 in Christchurch. Razzaq capitalised on some inexperienced death bowling from Adam Milne to hammer 31 from the last nine deliveries of the innings, and picked up three wickets for 13 as New Zealand imploded dramatically, effectively surrendering the game within the first three overs of their chase.

The chase was derailed almost before it had begun as the top four batsmen all collected ducks. Martin Guptill began the catastrophic collapse when he edged Razzaq to point, pushing away from his body with hard hands to one that nipped away a touch. Jesse Ryder turned in his third failure of the series in the following over when he top edged a pull, and Dean Brownlie's decision to sneak a quick single to get off the mark backfired when Shahid Afridi effected a rare Pakistani direct hit. Ross Taylor was unfortunate to be adjudged lbw to one that struck him slightly above the knee roll, but didn't do himself any favours by playing all around the straight delivery. Three overs into the innings, New Zealand had lost four wickets for three runs, and when James Franklin lost his head, and his middle stump, two overs later, there was only one direction the match was heading. New Zealand had made 11 runs for the loss of five wickets from their first five overs. Pakistan were 51 for no loss at the same stage.

Styris resisted bravely, throwing his bat to collect a couple of boundaries over cover in Razzaq's last over, and even swatting a six over midwicket to give the Christchurch crowd something to cheer about, but with the required run-rate tipping 15, and wickets falling regularly at the other end, there was little he could do. Peter McGlashan dragged Abdur Rehman onto the stumps attempting to reverse sweep and Nathan McCullum didn't hang around long, succumbing to Shahid Afridi's straighter one. Styris eventually fell for 45, and Afridi wasted little time cleaning up the tail - an 134 kph arm ball to dismiss Tim Southee first ball being the highlight of his spell. Styris aside, none of the other New Zealand batsmen managed double figures. They made 28 collectively.

Pakistan's impressive total was set up by an explosive opening partnership between Ahmad Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez, who blasted 81 in 8.4 overs to set pulses racing at the AMI stadium. Shehzad in particular, was quick to punish anything on a length, peppering the midwicket boundary repeatedly, while also driving through the covers when the ball was pitched up. Hafeez too got into the action scooping Mills over the shoulder for four, before unfurling a wristy swat that sent the ball sailing over deep square-leg a few overs later.

The introduction of slow bowling into the attack did the trick for New Zealand though, as both openers perished attempting to maintain the frenetic scoring rate, and three more wickets followed soon after. Younis Khan was run out, attempting a suicidal single, Asad Shafiq was caught on the boundary after having used up 15 deliveries for his 8 and Shahid Afridi departed for a quickfire 14.

Umar Akmal kept Pakistan ticking with some intelligent hitting, but it was Abdul Razzaq who boosted the visitors' total and swung the momentum decidedly Pakistan's way with a brutal display of power hitting. Razzaq swung in the V, launching Tim Southee twice over midwicket before taking on Milne in the last over. Razzaq smoked the short deliveries over cover, and sent the fuller ones racing along the ground to the boundary, and 19 runs came off the last five deliveries, despite Milne's best efforts to vary the pace and find the blockhole.

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India level series with 87-run win

India 205 (Steyn 6-50) and 228 (Laxman 96) beat South Africa 131 (Harbhajan 4-10) and 215 (Sreesanth 3-35, Zaheer 3-57) by 87 runs

India reiterated that they are no longer poor travellers by pulling off a series-levelling win in Durban, the scene of one of their worst Test defeats in 1996. Monday's victory at Kingsmead, after a humiliating loss in Centurion, joined other famous successes over the past decade on some of the world's fastest tracks - Headingley, Jamaica, Nottingham, Johannesburg and Perth.

The match was even at the start of the fourth day but India's bowlers barely sent down a bad ball in the morning session to seize control of the Test. A Sreesanth snorter to Jacques Kallis started South Africa's slide, before two lbws - one a marginal decision and the other a howler, both sure to refuel the UDRS debate - hurt them further. Ashwell Prince tried to resist but India plugged away to remove the tail an hour into the second session and set up a decider in Cape Town next week.

The ebb and flow of the match was matched by Sreesanth's bowling form. The wayward, antic-loving Sreesanth was missing in the morning as he sent down an accurate spell of sustained hostility. The highlight was in the day's seventh over - an unplayable bouncer that reared up sharply and jagged in towards Kallis, who had no way of avoiding it. He jumped and arched his back in an attempt to get out of the way but could only glove it to gully. It was the snorter needed to remove the kingpin of South Africa's batting. There was no over-the-top Sreesanth celebration either, just a fist pump before getting back to business.

That wicket put India slightly ahead, and there was no doubt who the front-runners were when AB de Villiers offered a half-hearted forward defensive against a Harbhajan Singh delivery from round the wicket. He was struck in front of middle, looked lbw and the umpire agreed, though Hawk-Eye suggested the ball would have bounced well over the stumps.

Mark Boucher has, over a decade in international cricket, built his reputation as a scrapper and, with Prince also around, it wasn't yet lights out for South Africa. Boucher, though, made only 1 before he was given lbw to a delivery that was angling across him and comfortably missing off stump .

South Africa had lost three wickets, and there was still no boundary in the morning, a testament to the scarcity of bad deliveries. When the first four did come, from Dale Steyn, it was an edge to third man. Steyn had pinged Zaheer Khan on the helmet with a quick bouncer on Tuesday, and was the target of a string of short balls. After three of those, Zaheer slipped in a fuller delivery, which Steyn duly nicked to slip.

At 155 for 7, with lunch 45 minutes away, the game looked set for a quick finish. Prince and Paul Harris, however, resisted with some dour batting and a couple of confident boundaries from Prince. They saw out the 10 overs to the break but a pumped-up Zaheer, chatting with the batsmen after almost every ball, ended the stand in his first over after the resumption with a peach that clipped Harris' off stump.

Prince and Morne Morkel then stood firm for an hour, reducing the required runs to double digits. India's wait seemed to have ended when Ishant Sharma had Morkel wafting to gully, but that turned out to be his regulation wicket off a no-ball. In his next over, though, Ishant didn't overstep when he found the edge off Morkel to Dhoni. Two balls later, an alert Cheteshwar Pujara threw down the stumps from short leg, catching the No. 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe short, and sparking celebrations. The Indians were ready to grab the stumps as souvenirs, when they realised the third umpire had been called for. The dismissal was confirmed moments later and there was no stopping the celebrations this time.

India came into this Test with their No. 1 status questioned after the clobbering in Centurion and doubts over whether they had the bowling to take 20 wickets. They provided answers to both in Durban, handing South Africa their third straight defeat at the venue.

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England retain the Ashes with innings win

England 513 (Trott 168*, Prior 85, Cook 82, Strauss 69, Pietersen 51, Siddle 6-75) beat Australia 98 (Tremlett 4-26, Anderson 4-44) and 258 (Haddin 55*, Watson 54, Bresnan 4-50) by an innings and 157 runs

England have retained the Ashes in Australia for the first time in 24 years, after inflicting one of Australia's heaviest losses, with a margin of an innings and 157 runs on the fourth morning at the MCG. It took less than 90 minutes for England to collect the three wickets they needed for victory, and when Tim Bresnan picked up his fourth wicket, an edge behind from Ben Hilfenhaus, the celebrations began.

Bresnan finished with 4 for 50 and was mobbed by his team-mates when the final wicket fell, and the big collection of England fans at the MCG burst into full voice. It was a wonderful moment for England, who will now aim to turn their 2-1 lead into a series victory at the SCG next week, but as the holders of the Ashes before the tour they have done enough to retain the urn.

For the first time in history, Australia have lost two Tests in a home series by an innings, and the margin was their worst defeat in Australia in 98 years, and their eighth-worst of all time. There was some fight from Brad Haddin and Peter Siddle, who put together an 86-run partnership after the early loss of Mitchell Johnson, but it was only ever a matter of time for England.

During the Haddin-Siddle stand, both men cleared the boundary off Graeme Swann, providing something to cheer for the Australian fans who had turned up despite the certain result. Haddin's half-century came in 86 balls and Siddle posted his highest Test score, before the end came in a rush with Siddle and Hilfenhaus falling in quick succession, and the injured Ryan Harris unable to bat.

Johnson was bowled by Chris Tremlett in the second over of the day for 6 and it seemed like the morning's play would be over in a rush, before Haddin and Siddle came together. It took a while for the next wicket, Siddle (40) caught on the boundary straight down the ground when he slogged Swann, and England knew their goal was almost achieved.

Now, the questions turn to Sydney and what each team can achieve with the Ashes already decided. For England, the goal is obvious - win or draw and ensure they take the Ashes outright, rather than simply retaining them.

For Australia, the series can still be drawn, but they must decide whether to make changes, including whether to risk Ricky Ponting with his broken finger. Ponting had x-rays during the morning, and when he spoke straight after the defeat he didn't know the results, but was still hopeful of playing at the SCG.

"I've got a point to prove to myself and the team, with my performances in the past four Tests," Ponting said. "I will be doing everything I can to be ready for Sydney. I still think I've got a lot to offer the Australian cricket team."

"It's pretty hard to accept," Ponting said of the loss. "We haven't deserved it, that's the bottom line, haven't played well enough. It was tough, but wasn't a 98 all out wicket. They showed us how to bat. We can still level the series, which has got to be the motivation for us. Get to Sydney and salvage some pride. We've let ourselves down and our supporters down."

After the past 18 months were all geared towards regaining the Ashes, Australia's future must involve some changes. Andrew Strauss and his England team can celebrate a much-deserved triumph.

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Zaheer, Harbhajan skittle out SA for just 131!

Tea on Day 2

South Africa collapsed dramatically for a paltry 131 in 37.2 overs to concede a sizeable lead of 74 runs to India. Harbhajan Singh joined the party after Lunch to take four quick wickets. The hosts added only 57 runs losing six wickets in about 20 overs of the afternoon session.

India had to work hard to get its first wicket after Tea and it came when Hashim Amla missed a pretedermined sweep shot to an arm ball from Harbhajan Singh to get plumb infront of off and middle. Amla settled for a modest 33 from 46 balls with 5 fours while SA got reduced to 96 for 5 in the 26th over. In the very next over, Ashwell Prince (13) dragged his backfoot drive off Zaheer onto the stumps to open the door for the clean up job for the Indians.In th e 30th over, Harbhajan Singh produced a well disguised top spinner just outside off and Steyn playing for the off break edged it and got brilliantly caught by Dravid at slip who dived to his left to hang onto a half chance! Harbhajan then swallowed Paul Harris with a bat pad edge that was nicely caught to the right by Pujara at shortleg.

South Africa managed to put up some resistance after this through Boucher and Morkel but it was broken by Ishant who came back for a new spell. Morkel (10) went for a pull shot off a rising delivery from Ishant which flew off the top edge to square fine leg and Harbhajan Singh ran back to hold onto a superb overhead catch! Morkel added 24 runs with Boucher for the 9th wicket. Last man - Lonwabso Tsotsobe presented a cheap wicket to Harbhajan as he slogged the off spinner straight into the hands of mid wicket. Boucher remained helplessly unbeaten on 16 as SA folded to 131 all out. Zaheer with 13-2-36-3 and Harbhajan with 7.2-2-10-4 have brought India seriously back in this series with their wicket taking abilities.
Lunch on Day 2
South Africa went to Lunch on Day 2 at a shaky 74 for 4 after bowling out India for 205 within an hour this morning. Zaheer Khan provided the opening for India by taking two wickets and then Ishant with a run out and Sreesanth chipped in to help India bounce back strongly in this Second Test.
It was by the end of the 5th over that India found its first breakthrough when Zaheer got one to angle in but leave the left handed Graeme Smith (9) late to force an edge to the keeper. A few overs later, Zaheer got his second wicket when Alviro Petersen (24 from 39 balls) shuffled back for a flick but didn't get hold of it and the ball hit the edge of the thigh pad and dragged itself onto the leg stump. India's hopes of getting more wickets looked bleak as Zaheer didn't get good support from the wayward Sreesanth. However in the 16th over, a wicket came out of nowhere when Jacques Kallis was tragically run out backing at the non-striker's end. Ishant Sharma got this run out while deflecting a backfoot straight drive from Amla unknowingly onto the stumps to have Kallis (10) in trouble.
At the stroke of Lunch, Sreesanth who got a change of ends struck gold when he got one to kick up around off to hit the glove off AB de Villiers (0) in a backfoot defence and it was another catch for MS Dhoni behind the stumps.
Early on, India resuming at 183 for 6 were bowled out for 205 in less than 10 overs this morning. Harbhajan Singh (21) was the first to go as he pushed at a Steyn delivery with hard hands to be brilliantly caught by the diving AB de Villiers at third slip. Steyn got a five-wicket haul with that. In the 62nd over, Morne Morkel finally got his first wicket when he had Zaheer Khan edging him behind to the keeper with one that held its line around off. MS Dhoni after a fighting 35 from 57 balls (with 3 fours and a six) perished next after smashing Steyn straight into the safe hands of Petersen at sweeper covers. The last man to fall was Sreesanth who miscued a slog off Morkel to be caught behind in the very first ball he faced.
Steyn finished with rich figures of 19-6-50-6 while Morkel and Tsotsobe picked up two wickets each. India added only 22 more runs today before losing its final four wickets.

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Steyn provides bowling master class

The Kingsmead pitch was as green as advertised and Dale Steyn took full advantage with some high-class swing bowling

When the covers came off the Kingsmead pitch early this morning, bowlers the world over would have felt like many men do on their wedding day: the world's most beautiful bride had been unveiled. It was as green as it was talked up to be, almost living up to that legend about the only difference between the Durban pitch and outfield being the painted lines. With gloomy overhead conditions that appeared to have made themselves comfortable for at least a day, it was a bowler's paradise. We'd seen this movie before. Ten days ago. In Centurion.

The psychological mind- games reached their climax when Allan Donald said the pitch looked "exactly the same" as the one on which India were shot out for 66 and 100 in 1996. "Exactly" is probably an exaggeration, but it was a surface that the South Africa bowlers would have relished bowling on and the India batsmen would have felt jittery batting on, especially with memories of Morne Morkel's SuperSport Park destruction fresh in their minds. It wasn't Morkel who would be a worry this time, though.

Durban is known for swing and Dale Steyn's arrived like the 1960s. He showed his ability to move the ball away from the first over and exploited the conditions to his advantage. "We had big bounce and a little bit of movement off the seam," Steyn said at the end-of-day press conference.

At the other end, Morne Morkel, with height on his side, was trying to produce something similar to what he did in Centurion, but had no success this time around. While the short ball comes quite naturally to him and has earned him much success, he wasted it today. He used it too often and didn't execute his follow-ups with the same strategic smartness as he did in Centurion. When Sehwag hit him for four off a fuller ball, Morkel returned to the short ball in defence. His line was questionable, on off stump, or just outside and his first spell was aborted after three overs. Things didn't improve when he returned, and he bowled an over in which M Vijay did not have to play at a single ball.

The bowling at the Old Fort Road end remained gentle and while Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe were posing little threat, Steyn was following the gospel Graeme Smith had preached earlier in the week. Smith emphasised the importance of bowling well, even if conditions are favourable. He went as far as to say that the pressure is greater on the bowlers to perform well when the pitch offers them something.

"Everybody is expecting wickets and we knew something would happen," Steyn said. He usually bowls an opening spell of five or six overs, but he knew patience would pay off and insisted on bowling an extended spell. "I always knew there was a wicket just around the corner. I kept saying to Graeme saying one more, one more." It was during one of the "one more" overs, that he dismissed Virender Sehwag, with slight away movement. Steyn kept begging. His next over went wicket-less, but then another "one more" and Vijay, who had left so well, poked at one. The wickets came at crucial times, just when South Africa may have started to worry about wasting the new ball.

Tsotsobe got Sachin Tendulkar to poke at a wide one in the first over after lunch, but Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman came together to steady India and it was up to Steyn to intervene again. Dravid received a beautiful ball, bouncing steeply and moving away a touch, although it was the bounce more than the movement that got Dravid out. Steyn's movement was the highlight of his bounce and he admitted that it was the right tool to bring out on this occasion. "I'm very lucky that I can get the ball to do that. I don't try and do it all the time. You have to be able to do it on certain days. If it doesn't work you going to get clipped through midwicket and sent to the leg-side boundary. You don't want to be a hero every ball."

Steyn was certainly was not the hero for his fourth wicket, Tsotsobe was. An outrageous dive to his right at midwicket saw him snatch Laxman's pull out of the air. 'It was unbelievable," Steyn said. "I only got three wickets today and he got a great catch. He can fall asleep sometimes in the field but that was unbelievable. I am actually pretty jealous of that catch."

Tsotsobe came into this match under pressure to keep his place, although with Wayne Parnell having contracted chicken pox, it now seems as though Tsotsobe would have played no matter what. He was fairly mediocre up front, barely hovering around the 130kph mark and showing a desperate need for some more pace. Although he was pinpointed as the weak link, Steyn denied this. "I thought he bowled nicely at SuperSport Park."

Tsotsobe captured the scalp of Tendulkar and also picked up the wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara late in the day, which went a long way towards backing up his selection. "He got another opportunity today and he's proved that he can bowl," Steyn said. "He is definitely somebody who is going to be around this team for a long time."

Steyn said that Tsotsobe should be open to learning from everyone, as he became about 18 months ago. "Before, I thought I could do things on my own and let my own skills take over. But it's a team sport, and if you can take in as much information as you can and listen to the guys around you that have been around for 150 matches, that can make a difference in your career."

India still have four wickets in hand and Steyn has stressed the importance of focusing on knocking them over. "We will treat their bowlers like we treat their top-order batters. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves."

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South Africa opt to bowl after rain delay

South Africa chose to bowl against India

Graeme Smith won a crucial toss after an hour's rain delay on a green track in Kingsmead and, to nobody's surprise, chose to bowl. Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel will be relishing the chance to bowl on this juicy pitch under overcast conditions, and look to repeat their Centurion demolition job. South Africa have gone in unchanged, resisting the temptation to field an all-pace attack by retaining Paul Harris.

India's batsmen need to show more backbone than they did on the first day of first Test, and their task became harder when opener Gautam Gambhir was ruled out due to an injured left hand. In his place comes M Vijay, who made a century and an important 37 in his previous Test, but the conditions in Durban couldn't be more different than the sluggish tracks of the Chinnaswamy. Cheteshwar Pujara, who starred in that Bangalore victory over Australia, gets his second Test cap, at the expense of Suresh Raina, who has been in abject form. The only other change is fast bowler Zaheer Khan returning to lead the attack.

Intermittent showers are predicted through the day, and India's task could be made harder by a stop-start day of cricket.

India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Cheteshwar Pujara, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Sreesanth

South Africa: 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Ashwell Prince, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Paul Harris, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe

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Cricket World Cup 2011 Fixture,Schedule

Cricket world cup is always a great attraction to all cricket loving countries specially in South Asian Countries. This time Three Asian countries co-hosting the tenth cricket world cup which is scheduled to start on 19th February 2011 in Mirpur Bangladesh. This World Cup is co-hosted by India,Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Here is the schedule or Fixture of World Cup Cricket 2011. You can also download this fixture from the link mentioned below.

http://worldcupcricket2011.in/fixture-schedule-cricket-world-cup-2011

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Australia collapse for 98

James Anderson and Chris Tremlett destroyed Australia's batting line-up for 98 in less than two sessions on Boxing Day, as the Australians were dismissed for their lowest Ashes total in a home Test in 74 years. The frailties in the batting order were exposed as every man but the not-out Ben Hilfenhaus was caught behind the wicket, unable to handle a little bit of movement off the pitch.

Anderson and Tremlett finished with four wickets each, and Tim Bresnan collected the remaining two, more than justifying Andrew Strauss's decision to send Australia in on a pitch with a green tinge and some moisture. The bowlers hit the right lines and found some nibble off the seam, but several of the Australians would be disappointed to have played with hard hands at deliveries they could have left.

They lost four wickets before the first break and even a long lunch couldn't help them regroup, as the rest of the order collapsed after the resumption. In one particularly ugly patch for the home side they lost 3 for 0, as Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson all edged behind or to slip, and a few late runs from the tailenders Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle could not get the side to triple-figures.

When Matt Prior pouched the final catch, his sixth of the innings, the batsman Ben Hilfenhaus raced off the field immediately, knowing that he and his bowling colleagues have a mammoth task ahead of them to save the game. Five men reached double figures in the innings but Michael Clarke's 20 was the best score, and there was no repeat of Michael Hussey and Brad Haddin saving the day as they have in previous matches this series.

After lunch, Steven Smith was the first to depart when he prodded hard away from his body and got a thick edge behind off Anderson for 6. He was followed by Clarke, with a thin edge to Prior off Anderson when he wafted outside off, before Haddin edged to slip off Bresnan and Johnson was caught behind off Anderson.

Tremlett picked up the two remaining wickets, Siddle (10) and Hilfenhaus edging behind to Prior. It had all finished rather the same way it began, with Tremlett and Anderson causing problems by teasing outside off stump and keeping the batsmen tied down.

Shane Watson was dropped twice on 0; Anderson found the edge from the fifth ball of the match and saw Paul Collingwood spill the chance at third slip, and his next over Anderson watched on as Kevin Pietersen at gully couldn't cling on to a hard cut that flew over his head. Watson's luck ran out when he couldn't get out of the way of an excellent bouncer from Tremlett, and the ball lobbed off the gloves to Pietersen at gully.

The out-of-form Phillip Hughes cut the first runs of the match with a boundary through point, but fell for 16 when his attempted cover-drive was edged to gully to give Bresnan a wicket in his second over. That was followed by Ponting (10) edging a cracking ball from Tremlett to second slip where it was snapped up by Graeme Swann, who was required to bowl only two overs.

Tremlett got the ball to rise sharply and nip away significantly off the seam, and Ponting was doing well to even get bat on such a good ball. There was more bounce in the surface than the batsmen might have expected from the usually slow and low drop-in pitches, which helped Michael Hussey survive an lbw review when Tremlett's delivery was shown to be going over the top.

But Hussey didn't survive in the last over before lunch, when he edged behind off Anderson for 8. It was a fine bowling and fielding effort from England, who will retain the Ashes if they win the match, and provided their batsmen don't fall into the same traps that Australia's did, that is looming as the most likely outcome over the next few days.

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Southee's five help New Zealand end losing streak

New Zealand 146 for 5 (Guptill 54) beat Pakistan 143 for 9 (Southee 5-18 by five wickets

The youngsters shone for New Zealand as they defeated Pakistan by five wickets in the first Twenty20 at Eden Park. Tim Southee ripped the heart out of the Pakistan line-up with a brutal spell of five for 18 in four overs, and Martin Guptill's fearless half-century ensured the chase went smoothly for the hosts. The visitors had rocketed to 58 for 1 in 5.5 overs before Southee struck five times in nine deliveries to derail the Pakistan middle order, using his height and pace to torment the batsmen on the quick, hard surface and throwing in the odd slower ball to keep them guessing. Guptill then attacked the Pakistan bowling with style and chutzpah, to get his team off to a rapid start, and continued to attack throughout his innings, despite the clatter of wickets at the other end.

Martin Guptill began the New Zealand chase with gusto as he flayed Abdul Razzaq for 15 in his first over with two commanding strikes and a tickle down to fine leg, before hoisting Shoaib Akhtar for a giant six over square-leg. The pace of the Auckland pitch showed up three balls later as Jesse Ryder's thick edge off Shoaib flew to slip, standing almost at the edge of the circle, at shoulder height. Guptill continued to make merry despite the loss, hitting Shoaib for another six on the leg-side before the paceman struck again, this time to remove debutant Dean Brownlie for five.

Scott Styris played an audacious uppercut off his second ball for six, but was undone soon after by Shoaib, attempting an ugly slog across the line to an indipper that pegged back leg stump. Shoiab had another, and the aeroplane was on show for the third time in three overs, but although there were breakthroughs, Guptill's fireworks at the other end had boosted the score to 55 in five overs.

The Pakistan spinners provided some reprieve, but Guptill motored to his maiden Twenty20 half-century in 23 deliveries, having hit Wahab Riaz for consecutive boundaries and lofting Mohammad Hafeez for six over long on. The dazzling knock came to an end when he was run out attempting an ill-advised single on 53, after having pushed the Pakistan fielders to the limit with swift singles during the entirety of his stay.

Ross Taylor was content to cruise alongside James Franklin while the spinners operated, with his side well ahead of the required rate. Hafeez picked up his second wicket when he hurried one onto Franklin, but with 29 runs to get in more than five overs, the victory was all but secured. A couple of trademark slog sweeps later, New Zealand were within striking distance, and Peter McGlashan finished the job for the hosts with 2.5 overs to spare.

The Pakistan innings too was off to a rollicking start, thanks to some bloody minded batting by the Pakistan openers. Shahid Afridi, having promoted himself to the top of order, wasted little time unfurling his signature slogs, while Hafeez also swung across the line with abandon to propel Pakistan to 36 in 3.5 overs, before the wickets began to tumble.

Afridi was caught at mid-on by a backpedalling Ross Taylor, after New Zealand's other debutant, Adam Milne, had shelled a chance in the previous delivery, but Pakistan kept the foot on the pedal as they raced to 50 in five overs. A devastating spell from Tim Southee was enough to cripple the innings, as he blasted out five wickets in a staggering nine ball burst, which left Pakistan reeling at 68 for 6. Southee's barrage included a hat-trick - New Zealand's second in Twenty20 internationals which yielded the scalps of Younis Khan, Hafeez and Umar Akmal, as he superbly utilised the pace and bounce on offer, and varied his pace beautifully to lay the Pakistan middle order bare.

Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz were on hand for Pakistan, both scoring invaluable thirties as the tail enders pushed Pakistan towards respectability with some sensible batting and a flurry of boundaries towards the end. Southee's spell however, had done the damage, and 143 was always going to be challenging to defend on a pacy pitch with miniscule straight boundaries.

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Tendulkar focussed amid the frenzy

There were whites, there were blacks, there were browns at the grass banks of SuperSport Park, and all they wanted was for Sachin Tendulkar's 50th Test hundred to come in front of them

He was in a foreign land. At least a land that has stayed the most foreign to India even after their resurgence away from home. They started chanting "Sachin, Sachin" from the time he guided one past short third man to move to 88. There were whites, there were blacks, there were browns at the grass banks of SuperSport Park, and all they wanted was for Sachin Tendulkar's 50th Test hundred to come in front of them.

It was difficult to not let that affect you, but Tendulkar was in a different sphere. He was trying to save a game, trying to kill time, trying to run through the deficit. He took his time to get to 89, and South Africa tried to cut out boundary-scoring areas. A forward short leg came in, Morne Morkel bowled bouncers, around the helmet area, and into the ribs. Tendulkar kept ducking, the lower ones he kept keeping out; if he was nervous, he wasn't showing it. Against Paul Harris, who has somehow managed to be India's nemesis, he hit a straight six to send the crowd into frenzy again.

The chants started again. When at 97, he faced another flurry of bouncers. One of them went for five wides. Ten deliveries he spent on 97. Then came Dale Steyn. He got an inside-edge past midwicket to move to 99. Then he squirted one between cover and extra cover, celebrating as he ran the 100th run. Not extravagantly. The helmet came off, the back arched a bit, and he looked up to the skies. Not sure he noticed, but there were clouds headed towards the ground. He had a chat with MS Dhoni, with whom he had added 160 priceless runs. He then raised the bat to the dressing room for a brief second, then to the crowd for a little while longer, and went back to business. There was a Test to be saved. This was not the time to get carried away.

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Perth classic Tendulkar's finest

With Sachin Tendulkar reaching 50 Test centuries, ESPNcricinfo asked some of his team-mates to pick the best of the lot

VVS Laxman 114 in Perth, 1992

I was young and watched that innings on TV and that innings became very, very special immediately and it still remains. For somebody on his first tour of Australia, especially when the team is not doing well, and to score a century on a fiery track like Perth at a tender age said a lot about Tendulkar's talent. Some of the shots showed glimpses of a great batsman at work. Some of the shots he played against Merv Hughes are a dream for any batsman: being a short guy, on a bouncy track, against a quick bowler and to play on the up, you have to have a lot of talent to do that. He displayed that in abundance during that century. He remained positive even as the wickets fell around him and play naturally. He dominated the Australian bowlers easily. Even to a youngster then t became clear how special Sachin was.

Javagal Srinath 114 in Perth, 1992

It was a wicket where there were a lot of cracks. It was quick, real fast as the WACA was famous for in those days. There was no player who could really face the Australian attack. Tendulkar was just 18 or something and he was not only able to stand up to the bowling but bat aggressively. The ball was deviating left, right and centre from the cracks. No-one really knew how the ball would travel after pitching. But Tendulkar encountered it with such aplomb that it became the highlight of that series in many ways even if we lost the Test. My other favourite Tendulkar century was against South Africa in Johannesburg against Allan Donald and Brian McMillan at their fastest on a very pacy Wanderers' pitch. Another top-pick is the terrific century against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999. It was mind over matter, about handling the pressure every ball.

Rahul Dravid 116 in Melbourne, 1999

To me this was a special hundred because he was captain of the team and we were struggling as a unit in that series and not playing particularly good cricket. And here was Tendulkar, facing up to a good bowling attack comprising Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming, Brett Lee and Shane Warne, and, standing tall when nobody else was scoring runs. He was in total control. For a long part of his career had some good batsmen around him but that was a time when a lot of us were young and none of us was playing well and he had to carry it on his own. And he did it beautifully. In some ways it was a Lara-esque innings because [Brian] Lara for a long time had to carry the side on his own. And the pressure is never easy. It was definitely not the toughest wicket he batted on but the atmosphere at the MCG and batting without any support was just brilliant. As a leader he was under tremendous pressure and to come in and make a terrific century was really a standout innings.

John Wright 126 vs Australia, Chennai 2001

The hundred I'll always remember is his 126 versus Australia in Chennai 2001. Counting back, it was his twenty-fifth hundred, at what was to be a halfway stage that we wouldn't have thought about then. It was a big, big game, the world's champion team, a Test that was going to decide the series, a contest between some greats of the modern game - Warne, McGrath and Sachin. I think he just loved that stage. He had come into that series in good form, and was batting beautifully even though until Chennai he had not got a century in the series. They were saying that the Aussies had been thinking about that, that Tendulkar's big knock was due. It was coming. There was also a lot of talk about how India depended too much on him. For me, though, the outsider who had come into Indian cricket without any baggage, you never picked that up inside the changing room. There was an overall confidence all the way through the team, its batsmen and its bowlers. The Aussies won the toss and put up a big first-innings score and we knew that we had to get close to it to get a foothold in the game. It was our big player who pulled out his big innings which gave us a chance to win that game. When he came in we were about 180 behind Australia, and when he was out, India were 77 in front. I remember him hitting Colin Miller for a six to reach his hundred. The ball went over long-on into the far end of the ground, we were sitting in our viewing area with spectators on two sides of us behind us and on our right and the celebration was wild. And loud. As much as we may see batsmen hitting sixes to reach centuries now, something like that was rarely done ten years ago. It was wonderful, emphatic, a statement. He was up against McGrath, Warne, Gillespie and the world's best team. It was hot and sweltering, we were sweating buckets sitting out in the viewing area and the crowd was packed in to every inch of the ground. And then, there was Sachin batting for us, batting for them.

Navjot Sidhu 114 in Perth, 1992

The ball was really bouncing around that day. Normally for a short-statured man it is very, very difficult to face the short ball, but the consummate ease with which Tendulkar played those horizontal cut shots on that pitch were amazing. Even a good length ball was going top of the stumps but Tendulkar showed his mastery with his wrists - he played the pull shot, cuts and flick using the wrists beautifully on the fastest pitch at the time - in a way proving already at the age how great he was.

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'Congrats you massive little legend!'

Sanjay Manjrekar: "He has got it finally! and judging from his reaction..meant a lot to him...the 50th test ton..this is one record that is there to stay."

Harsha Bhogle: "All great players redefine their profession.50 Test hundreds was considered unthinkable. Sachin has done it."

Yuvraj Singh: "Greatest achievement by a bats man ever! His name is sachinnnnnnn tendulkarrrrrrrrrr!! Wooohooooooooo."

Iain O'Brien: "Congrats you little massive legend!"

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Tendulkar and Dhoni hold up South Africa

South Africa took such a significant stride towards victory during the first session that it seemed as though their 1-0 lead would be secure before tea on the fourth day at SuperSport Park. However, they faced resistance: first from Sachin Tendulkar, whose concentration did not waver as his middle-order mates departed meekly, and then from MS Dhoni, whose belligerent approach brought rewards on a sparsely-populated outfield.

After taking four wickets before lunch, including the prized scalps of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, South Africa were wicketless in the second session. They took the new ball as soon as it became available after 80 overs but India's run-rate only increased as the shiny Kookaburra raced off Dhoni and Tendulkar's bats. Their partnership for the seventh wicket was worth 117 and they had reduced the deficit to 90. For the first time in the Test, India had an iota of hope, especially with the unpredictable weather in Centurion. But even if Tendulkar reaches his 50th Test century and Dhoni also remains unbeaten at stumps, South Africa will still be one wicket away from regaining immediate control of the game.

When Dhoni walked out with Tendulkar after lunch, with India six down and trailing by 207, it seemed a question of when and not if South Africa would win on the fourth day. The desperateness of the situation allowed Dhoni to play aggressively and he did so, driving Lonwabo Tsotsobe past mid-off and through cover in the first over after the break - the 79th of the innings.

Seeking a quick end to the match, Smith gave the new ball to Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, urging them to take the wicket that would expose India's tail. It did not happen. Tendulkar's was calmness and good judgment personified, while Dhoni attacked, sometimes merely pushing the ball with enviable timing through the off side, sometimes lashing drives and cuts with high back-lift and fierce follow-through. Both approaches yielded boundaries, and he began to catch up with Tendulkar.

Mokel, who tormented India with pace and bounce on the opening day, leaked 13 in his second over with the new ball. Tendulkar cut him fiercely, and Dhoni pulled and drove through cover. There were a glut of boundaries in the first hour after lunch, three of which Dhoni took off consecutive deliveries from Jacques Kallis, leaving the bowler chuntering at the end of the over.

Paul Harris got the odd ball to jump, turn and trouble Tendulkar, but he was largely ineffective, considering he was operating on a fourth-day surface. As the deficit decreased towards 100, Dhoni tempered his aggression, while Tendulkar continued batting resolutely, his cutting and driving off the back foot being the stand-out feature of the innings.

South Africa will attempt to regroup during tea, and take the wicket that will restore the dominance they've enjoyed for 11 sessions.

That 11th session of dominance contained four Indian wickets, the last of which was Suresh Raina, brittle as ever, hanging his bat outside off stump in the final over before lunch to edge Kallis to slip. His dismissal had reduced India to 277 for 6, and it was the perfect end to a session in which South Africa had performed with patience.

Dravid and the nightwatchman Ishant Sharma had played carefully and their partnership lasted 48 minutes, holding up South Africa. Morkel thought he had broken the resistance when he stooped during his follow through to catch a leading edge off Ishant, but umpire Ian Gould asked the third umpire to check if Morkel had overstepped. He had. The frustration didn't last long, however, as Steyn had Ishant caught at short leg. The ball travelled quickly to Amla, who took a sharp catch to his left.

During his composed innings, Dravid went past 12,000 Test runs but India needed much more from him than 43. Morkel accounted for him by angling one into him before seaming it away, grazing the outside edge of Dravid's tentative push. Laxman stayed scoreless for eight balls but used the opportunity against Harris to treat the spectators to two sublime shots - a cover drive and a wristy flick. He wasn't as comfortable against pace, though, often playing from his crease, and eventually edged a full ball to gully, giving Tsotsobe his first wicket of the match.

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Harris takes six to level Ashes series

Australia wasted no time in levelling the Ashes series with a crushing 267-run victory at the WACA as Ryan Harris tore out the remaining resistance with a Test-best 6 for 47 to humble England. He finished off the visitors in a hurry as they were blown away in 10 overs on the fourth morning to set up a potentially thrilling conclusion to this series over the Christmas and New Year period.

Harris collected the rewards that eluded him in Adelaide as he finished with nine in the match, while Mitchell Johnson claimed the other wicket to fall as he, too, picked up nine. Johnson's revival in this match reflects Australia's upward curve, leaving England with much to ponder before the MCG Test starts on Boxing Day.

This was Australia's first Test victory in six matches since beating Pakistan at Lord's. It gave Ricky Ponting, who didn't take the field due to a broken little finger, the perfect 36th birthday present and will ease the pressure on him for the time being although he faces a race to be fit for Melbourne.


James Anderson was the first to depart when he played back to Harris, lost his off stump and will have left with Australian chirping ringing in his ears. Ian Bell and Matt Prior were England's last chance of extending the context, but after a few more elegant cover drives Bell tried to work a straight ball through the leg side and was trapped straight in front. He asked for a review, but it was a hollow gesture.

Two deliveries later Harris had his five when Prior could only fend the ball towards gully where Michael Hussey, another who has enjoyed an outstanding Test, dived to his right to hold a sharp chance. The roars of the Australians, both the players and supporters, were deafening as the momentum of this series continued to swing towards the hosts in dramatic fashion.

Graeme Swann predictably had a swing but it didn't last long when he inside-edged a drive at Johnson and the final wicket went to Harris when Steven Finn fended to third slip. It was a clinical conclusion, a reminder of how Australia used to finish off Test matches and they were unrecognisable from the Test thrashed in Adelaide.

From being 5 for 69 on the first day this has been one of finest Test turnarounds in recent times and they'll take a huge surge of confidence into the next clash. However, both teams will remember that a similar momentum-shift occurred in 2009 when Australia won at Headingley before England secured the Ashes at The Oval. Despite the margin of victory in this, and the previous match, these two teams are closely matched and the series could turn into a classic.

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Johnson's six blows England away

Mitchell Johnson revived his Test career and sparked Australia's Ashes hopes into life with a brutal six-wicket haul on the second day at the WACA as England subsided to 187 all out. Johnson claimed four during the morning session and returned to mop up the tail as the visitors lost all ten wickets for 109 following a solid opening partnership. He was well supported by Ryan Harris, who claimed three key victims, but this was the Johnson show.

His hours in the nets since being dropped have clearly worked and he also rode on the confidence of his batting effort to produce a wonderful spell of 9-3-20-4 which included a spell of three wickets in 12 balls to crash through England's previously formidable top order. Harris's performance was also important, as he removed the key scalps of Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell who had both made impressive half-centuries.

England made comfortable progress for most of the first hour to suggest further pain for Australia. However, Johnson's introduction changed the complexion as he settled into a tight line then rediscovered his swing, which makes him such a deadly prospect when he's on song. His scalping of Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, and Paul Collingwood were classic left-armer to right-hander dismissals as the batsmen were beaten by sharp movement.

Cook looked set to continue his prolific series before driving at a full delivery which shaped away, giving Mike Hussey a low catch in the gully. It was an area that the Australians haven't attacked enough to Cook and it brought rewards. Trott only lasted eight balls when Johnson beat a flat-footed drive with one that swung back into the right hander and would have taken off stump.

Pietersen's stay was even briefer as Johnson followed two off-stump deliveries with another inducker which struck the batsman in front of middle and leg. Pietersen asked for a review, but he never wore the expression of a man confident he would be saved and indeed the ball was striking flush on leg stump. Three wickets in 12 balls and the series was alive.

Collingwood is the one England top-order batsman not to fill his boots so far - he failed in Brisbane and hit 42 in Adelaide - and was nowhere near the delivery that snaked back and struck him on the front pad. Initially he wasn't given but, after some persuading from Johnson, Ricky Ponting ask for a review and it proved a perfect call with the ball hitting in line and taking off stump six inches from the top.

A team that had racked up 1240 runs for six wickets in their last two innings were looking shellshocked. Ryan Harris collected the other wicket to fall during the session and it was a major strike, too, with Strauss in fine form after being reprieved on 16 when Brad Haddin and Shane Watson left an edge to each other and it flew between them.

Strauss had been particularly strong through the leg side when the bowlers strayed but was undone by a good delivery from Harris that climbed and took the edge. No one in the England team, though, is playing better than Bell. He launched his innings with a perfect straight drive and showed outstanding composure to weather the Johnson storm until the lunch interval. His timing remained perfect whenever the bowlers strayed in a display that showed how much he has developed since four years ago in Australia.

At stages some of Australia's tactics were curious, especially when they persisted with the short ball but the plan did bring Matt Prior's wicket. The ball after being hit on the shoulder by Peter Siddle, a ball struck his body, bounced back onto the glove and down onto leg stump. It was Siddle's first wicket since the opening day in Brisbane when he took six.

Graeme Swann offered solid support to Bell in a useful stand of 36 and received plenty of short stuff which he handled reasonably well. However, Harris returned the attack, after treatment on a minor calf problem, and found the edge that Ben Hilfenhaus repeatedly missed. Left with the quick bowlers for company, Bell felt he had to attack and edge a booming drive which was superbly held by Ponting at second slip.

With the last specialist batsman gone the end came swiftly against Johnson. He speared one through Tremlett then completed a special performance when James Anderson, who certainly isn't a favourite amongst the home side, fenced to first slip. Australia now have a foothold in the series and a solid batting effort can set up victory.

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Morkel and Steyn exact a carefully planned revenge

Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel must remember Kolkata 2010 the same way the United States remembers Vietnam. That's where they thought they had a chance to defeat an opposition that looked beatable, and that's where they misjudged badly. They were wounded from all fronts, their morale was broken and in the end, they lost the battle.

After their victory in Nagpur a week earlier, South Africa had an ideal opportunity to win the series in the subcontinent. That never happened. They collapsed to 296 on a turning track at Eden Gardens and conceded a massive 643/6 to lose by an innings and 57 runs. Dale Steyn bowled thirty overs and Morne Morkel 26, both conceding 115 runs apiece. Virender Sehwag, in particular, treated the pair as though they were nothing more than cheap rag dolls. Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman followed, although in less manic fashion, and then MS Dhoni joined the party. Steyn and Morkel were left hurting. On Thursday, at SuperSport Park in Centurion, they exacted a carefully planned revenge.

"It's the most important thing not to forget your aggression," Morkel said after the first day when a mixture of that attacking instinct and ingenious strategy helped South Africa seize the advantage.

The match was being billed as a contest between South Africa's bowlers and India's batsmen, in particular the openers on both sides, and it did not disappoint. Steyn versus Sehwag was considered the heavyweight fight but it lasted just three balls. The first two were regulation Steyn balls, shaping away outside off and Sehwag dutifully left them. In his next over, Steyn began with a similar delivery, moving away just a touch. Sehwag could not resist.

He didn't care that Hashim Amla was positioned at short third-man for in case he gave in to the temptation. The urge to hit on the up was too tempting and Sehwag went for it. In doing so, he scooped it off the outside edge to Amla giving South Africa immediate reward, even though they were prepared to wait. "We knew we would have to stay calm and patient and that he would give it away," Morkel said.

The middleweight clash lasted a few more rounds. Morkel was unrelenting as he banged in short balls by the half-dozen to Gautam Gambhir, but mixed them up well. He topped 151 kph at times and sent the ball whizzing around Gambhir's ears in the first over. In the second over he bowled to Gambhir the real crux of the strategy emerged. Two short balls, followed up by a fuller one, and then another. When Morkel, elegant as a giraffe, reached down to save four off his own bowling from the second fuller ball, it was as though he was prophesising his own victory.

He almost had his man in the next over when a nasty bouncer took something on the way through to Mark Boucher. Umpire Steve Davis thought it shaved something other than the glove. Morkel did not relent and gave Gambhir no scoring opportunities as the pattern of short, short, full continued. Gambhir survived Morkel's first spell but just as he was relaxing, Morkel returned from the other end and continued the same trend. Two more short balls, and then Gambhir perished to the follow-up. He was too late on the full ball and the outside edge was comfortably taken by Paul Harris at first slip.

The way Steyn and Morkel varied their lengths was crucial to their success. "They weren't sure whether to go forward or back," Morkel said. Steyn used the seam movement in exemplary fashion, particularly as he got the ball to go away from Rahul Dravid and in to Gambhir. Morkel's height allowed him to extract the spongy bounce but he managed to mix the short balls with a range of deliveries that landed on a good length and ones that were full enough to tease the batsmen's toes. It was that assortment that got Dravid out as he was hit on the pads by a delivery that stayed lower than expected.

Steyn came out spitting venom after tea. The over he bowled to Tendulkar immediately after the break covered an entire spectrum. It contained a delivery that moved away, one that straightened, one that moved in, a bouncer and an over-pitched ball. In the next over, Steyn left Laxman aghast by getting right through him and pegging back his middle stump. He also got rid of Tendulkar, who was looking strong in the battle against Lonwabo Tsotsobe, with a ball that straightened.

South Africa's opening bowlers, who have been labelled the most fearsome in world cricket, out-thought the Indians with their follow-up balls. The straighter or fuller deliveries were proving to be the wicket-taking ones but they didn't forget that the ball India have always been vulnerable against on tour was the short one.

The pair has always been revered because of their styles complementing each other and Morkel said they aimed to exploit the variety to their advantage. "Myself and Dale are different bowlers. I'm six foot five but he is a bit shorter. I need to use my strength which is my bounce. I don't get a lot of swing and shape off the wicket, but Dale does."

While they were dismantling the Indian line-up, some luck also went their way. Suresh Raina, who was considered a target for short balls, ended up edging a length delivery from Jacques Kallis to third slip. After his dismissal a recovery seemed imminent. Even the South African bowlers expected it. "They have a quality top six or seven and we were lucky that Harbhajan was run out today," Morkel said. Harbhajan appeared confident before he was caught short of his crease by an underarm throw from Mark Boucher.

South Africa will be aware that is still plenty of movement left in the pitch, but an Indian attack without Zaheer Khan is a far less scary prospect than one with him. Morkel has some advice for his batsmen when they get they turn out tomorrow. "You need to leave well. It nips about but it's a touch slow." First, South Africa have one more wicket to claim but they must sense that the end is close with a debutant and a captain struggling for form at the crease. Then the revenge will be complete.

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Bangla song "Chithi" by Arfin rumey

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রিয়াল-বার্সায় সেই রোনালদো-মেসি

৮-০, ৫-০, ৩-০, ৫-০। ! মেসি, ভিয়া, জাভি, ইনিয়েস্তা—বার্সেলোনার এমন জয়ের যাঁরা কারিগর, তাঁদের নিয়ে যিনি কাজ করছেন সেই পেপ গার্দিওলাই তো বিস্মিত হচ্ছেন, সাধারণ দর্শক আর কী বলবে!
বার্সেলোনার এই চার জয়ের সর্বশেষটি এল পরশু। বার্সেলোনাকে হুঁশিয়ার করে ন্যু ক্যাম্পে এসে রিয়াল সোসিয়েদাদ উড়ে গেল ৫-০ গোলে। এই জয়ের পর বার্সেলোনা কোচ গার্দিওলাই বলেছেন, ‘আমরা ঠিক জানি না এই দলটা কী করতে চলেছে! এটা সাধারণত এক বা দুটি ম্যাচে ঘটতে পারে। কিন্তু এখন এটি ঘটছে সব সময়!’
বার্সেলোনার মতো অন্যস্তরের ফুটবল খেলতে না পারলেও ভালো খেলছে রিয়াল মাদ্রিদও। বার্সেলোনার সঙ্গে এল ক্লাসিকোর ফলটা বাদ দিলে এ মৌসুমে হোসে মরিনহোর দলকেও দুর্দমনীয় বলতে হয়। স্প্যানিশ লিগে বার্সেলোনার প্রধান প্রতিদ্বন্দ্বীরা পরশু রিয়াল জারাগোজার মাঠ থেকে ফিরেছে ৩-১ গোলের জয় নিয়ে।
অন্য স্তরের খেলোয়াড়দের মধ্যে শ্রেষ্ঠ বলতে হবে লিওনেল মেসিকেই। গত চার ম্যাচে বার্সেলোনা করেছে ২১ গোল, এর ৭টিই আর্জেন্টাইন তারকার। আলমেরিয়ার বিপক্ষে হ্যাটট্রিক করেছেন, এল ক্লাসিকোয় গোল না পেলেও পরের ম্যাচেই ওসাসুনার বিপক্ষে জোড়া গোল করে দলকে জিতিয়েছেন। সোসিয়েদাদের বিপক্ষেও গোল ‘হয় না হয় না’ করতে করতেও দুর্দান্ত দুটি গোল পেয়ে গেলেন।
বার্সার মেসি আর রিয়ালের ক্রিস্টিয়ানো রোনালদো ছুটছেন সমান্তরালে। পরশু একটি গোল করেছেন রিয়ালের পর্তুগিজ এই উইঙ্গারও। রিয়াল-বার্সার শিরোপা লড়াই যেমন জমে উঠেছে, তেমনই জমজমাট মেসি-রোনালদো দ্বৈরথও। স্প্যানিশ লিগের সর্বোচ্চ গোলদাতার তালিকায় দুজনই এখন পাশাপাশি। সমান ১৭টি করে গোল করেছেন দুজনই।
দুই দলের দুই কোচও মেতেছেন তাঁদের সেরা খেলোয়াড়ের বন্দনায়। রোনালদোকে নিয়ে রিয়াল কোচ মরিনহো বলেছেন, ‘ক্রিস্টিয়ানো রোনালদো একজন ফেনোমেনন খেলোয়াড়। যে মাঠেই যায়, ও সেই মাঠই মাতিয়ে আসে।’
রোনালদো জারাগোজার মাঠ মাতিয়ে এসেছেন ঠিক, কিন্তু রিয়াল বার্সেলোনার মতো প্রতিপক্ষকে ছিঁড়েখুঁড়ে শেষ করে দিতে পারেনি। অনেকটা শ্রমসাধ্য জয় নিয়েই ফিরতে হয়েছে তাদের। জার্মানির মেসুত ওজিলের ১৫ মিনিটের গোলের পর ৪৪ মিনিটে ফ্রি-কিক থেকে ব্যবধান ২-০ করেন রোনালদো। দ্বিতীয়ার্ধের শুরুতেই গোল করেছেন অ্যাঙ্গেল ডি মারিয়া। পেনাল্টি থেকে একটি গোল শোধ করে জারাগোজা।
বার্সাকে তাতিয়ে দিয়ে ন্যু ক্যাম্পে নেমে এই রাতে ৯ মিনিটেই প্রথম গোল খায় সোসিয়েদাদ। গোলটি করেন ভিয়া। ৩৩ মিনিটে ব্যবধান দ্বিগুণ করেন ইনিয়েস্তা। দ্বিতীয়ার্ধের খেলা মিনিট দুই না পেরোতেই গোল করেন মেসি। খেলা শেষের মিনিট তিনেক আগে মেসি করেন তাঁর দ্বিতীয় গোল। আর বদলি বোজান কিরকিচ শেষ মুহূর্তে করেন ৫-০।
ইংলিশ প্রিমিয়ার লিগে চেলসি আটকে গেছে টটেনহাম হটস্পারে। টটেনহামের মাঠে পাভলিউচেঙ্কোর গোলে পিছিয়ে পড়া চেলসির জন্য ড্র করতে পারাটাই ছিল অনেক। ৭০ মিনিটে দিদিয়ের দ্রগবা গোল পেয়ে যান টটেনহাম গোলরক্ষক গোমেজের ভুলে। শট ফিস্ট করতে গিয়েও ব্যর্থ হয়েছেন। এরপর এই গোমেজই হয়েছেন নায়ক আর দ্রগবা হয়ে যান চেলসির খলনায়ক। দ্রগবার পেনাল্টি ঠেকিয়ে স্পারদের ড্র এনে দিয়েছেন গোমেজ।
চেলসি কোচ কার্লো আনচেলত্তি অবশ্য দ্রগবার ওপর চাপ সৃষ্টি করতে ।

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গভীর শ্রদ্ধায় পালিত হচ্ছে শহীদ বুদ্ধিজীবী দিবস

প্রতিবছরের মতো এবারও শহীদ বুদ্ধিজীবীদের প্রতি গভীর শ্রদ্ধা নিবেদনের মাধ্যমে জাতি পালন করছে শহীদ বুদ্ধিজীবী দিবস। শহীদদের প্রতি শ্রদ্ধা জানাতে শীতের সকালে রাজধানীর এবং রায়েরবাজার বধ্যভূমিতে ভিড় করতে শুরু করে নানা শ্রেণী-পেশার লোকজন।
মিরপুর শহীদ বুদ্ধিজীবী স্মৃতিসৌধে সকাল আটটার দিকে রাষ্ট্রপতি জিল্লুর রহমান ও প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনা পুষ্পস্তবক অর্পণের মধ্য দিয়ে শহীদদের প্রতি শ্রদ্ধা জানান। এ সময় বিউগলের করুণ সুর বাজানো হয়। তাঁদের সঙ্গে সেখানে মন্ত্রিপরিষদ সদস্য, সাংসদ ও দলের জ্যেষ্ঠ নেতারা উপস্থিত ছিলেন। রাষ্ট্রপতি ও প্রধানমন্ত্রী এ সময় এক মিনিটি নীরবতা পালন করেন।
প্রধানমন্ত্রী ও রাষ্ট্রপতি শ্রদ্ধা নিবেদন শেষে বের হয়ে যাওয়ার পরপরই শ্রদ্ধা জানাতে শুরু করে বিভিন্ন রাজনৈতিক, সামাজিক ও সাংস্কৃতিক সংগঠন। শহীদ পরিবারের সদস্যরা শ্রদ্ধা জানাচ্ছেন হারানো স্বজনদের প্রতি।
এদিকে রায়েরবাজার বধ্যভূমিতেও শহীদদের প্রতি শ্রদ্ধা জানাচ্ছে সর্বস্তরের লোকজন।
আওয়ামী লীগ, বিএনপিসহ অন্যান্য রাজনৈতিক দল এবং সামাজিক ও সাংস্কৃতিক সংগঠন বিভিন্ন কর্মসূচির মধ্য দিয়ে দিবসটি পালন করছে। আওয়ামী লীগ বেলা তিনটায় বঙ্গবন্ধু আন্তর্জাতিক সম্মেলন কেন্দ্রে আলোচনা সভার আয়োজন করেছে।

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Hapless New Zealand swept away again

India 107 for 2 (Parthiv 56, Yuvraj 42) beat New Zealand 103 (Styris 24, Ashwin, 3-24, Yuvraj 2-5, Nehra 2-34) by eight wickets


Only Brendon McCullum showed any intent, but Ashish Nehra nipped him out before he could inflict serious damage

New Zealand were at the receiving end of another humiliation as a hapless batting performance led to their lowest score against India and sealed a 0-5 whitewash. On a dry pitch susceptible to the influence of the overcast weather, New Zealand were keen to make the most of initially favourable batting conditions. But their edginess against pace at the start of the innings, and capitulation to spin later on, ensured their misery in ODIs continued.

The pitch offered limited assistance to the bowlers and was not responsible for the domination that India showed; New Zealand's inability to survive perhaps was. The seamers were crafty enough to make use of the hint of swing and movement available early on, the spinners, led by R Ashwin, varied their lengths, pace and worked the angles well to prove more than a handful against the middle and lower orders.

Praveen Kumar's control and Ashish Nehra's quick recovery from a Brendon McCullum onslaught in his first over set up India. Praveen earned his prize straight away, beginning with three straight-ish deliveries before getting one to nip away and prompt a fatal poke from Martin Guptill. Nehra had a contrasting start, struggling for line and length, dragging one short to be dispatched over square leg and providing width to be slammed through the off side for two boundaries. McCullum's aggressive posture, characterized by his advances down the wicket as well as moving well across to look for scoring opportunities, promised an entertaining counterattack. It caused his downfall instead, as he shuffled across to Nehra and was done in by the inswing to be caught on the pads, leaving New Zealand 14 for 2.

Smart stats
This is the second time India have won an ODI series 5-0. The only previous instance was against England in 2008-09, when a seven-match series was curtailed to five due to the terrorist attack in Mumbai. India won each of those five games.
For New Zealand, it was their fourth 5-0 drubbing in a five-match series. Three of those four series defeats have happened since 2003.
New Zealand's total of 103 is their lowest in a completed innings against India. It's their second-lowest in India - they'd scored six runs fewer against Australia in Faridabad in 2003.
India won with 173 balls to spare, which is their fourth-highest in all ODIs and their best against New Zealand. For the visitors too, it's the fourth-heaviest defeat in terms of balls remaining.
Over the five-match series, Indian batsmen averaged 56.95 runs per wicket, at a strike rate of 94.05 runs per 100 balls, and scored four hundreds. New Zealand averaged 24.38 at a strike rate of 80.43, and didn't manage a single hundred.
Ashish Nehra became the 11th Indian bowler to take 150 ODI wickets.
The pitch largely behaved itself for the duration of the innings and the Indian bowlers, for their part, provided reasonable opportunities to ease the pressure. Ross Taylor looked confident, piercing the field with some delicious drives past mid-off, but his stay ended with an instinctive attempt at a pull against Nehra, and the ball scraped the glove on the way to Parthiv Patel. Jamie How appeared on course to lend some respectability to what's been a miserable series with some lovely flicks off his pads and Scott Styris seemed determined to get the innings back on track, but the steadiness that they had painstakingly brought to the innings was obliterated by spin.

The slow bowlers were expected to play a prominent role as the day wore on and it didn't take long for Yuvraj Singh to step into the act. In the 17th over, after having built a stand of 43 with Styris, How tried to play across the line and was bowled as the ball straightened. Styris misread the length and played the sweep, almost as an afterthought, against Ashwin in the next over to be caught plumb. And Grant Elliott, included in the line-up to strengthen the batting, made no impact, failing to read the straighter one from Yuvraj to be lbw.

Three wickets in three overs, and the departure of Daniel Vettori to a catch at slip not long after indicated New Zealand were in a hurry to finish the game even before the weather, overcast and ominous, was given a chance to intervene. Sure enough, Kyle Mills' inability to read Ashwin's carrom ball and Tim Southee's gifting a catch to short leg marked a sorry end to a line-up that bats deep.

The early wickets of the in-form Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli were the only consolation as New Zealand succumbed to a 0-5 battering, with their World Cup preparations in disarray following a bitter experience in two recent assignments in the subcontinent. India, for their part, have been boosted by the successful return of Yusuf Pathan and the consistency of Ashwin, while consecutive fifties from Parthiv Patel have further spiced up the selection race for the World Cup.

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Gautam Gambhir, bowlers make 2-0

India 259 for 2 (Gambhir 138*, Kohli 64) beat New Zealand 258 for 8 (Guptill 70, Styris 59, Sreesanth 4-47) by eight wickets
The captain led from the front to set up an easy chase

Gautam Gambhir's bowlers responded well to his call of bowling first, restricting New Zealand with smart, accurate bowling, and the captain reciprocated with a fluent 138 off 116 balls to make the chase look easy.

Gambhir, capping off a return to form that began with a struggling Test fifty in Hyderabad last month, never let his strike-rate come under 100 once he crossed the mark in the sixth over. He had for company an equally hungry Virat Kohli, who now has two centuries and a fifty in his last three international outings.

Dew, expected later in the evening, was the reason why India put New Zealand in on a cracking surface, but the towels were conspicuous by absence in the second half of the game. Which is what made the bowling effort special.

The pitch played slow and low, and India cut out the pace and the room. There was nothing spectacular done with the ball, just accurate, wicket to wicket bowling for most of the part. Martin Guptill and Scott Styris tried to take New Zealand towards a fighting total with important fifties, but India pulled the visitors back every time they threatened to break free.

New Zealand began with three boundaries in the first two overs, but Sreesanth's late swing removed Jamie How. Guptill and Kane Williamson looked solid but subdued in a 50-run stand for the second wicket. Those runs took 12.5 overs coming - all but seven of those deliveries in the Powerplay.

The duo did little to upset the bowlers' rhythm. Munaf Patel was allowed to hit the same spot again and again, with slight seam movement either way. One of those moved a bit more than expected, and found a way through Williamson's bat and pad, taking the top of off. The pressure showed when Ross Taylor went to hit Yusuf Pathan's first delivery for a six, but found deep midwicket.

Styris came out in the 25th over with the score yet to reach three figures, and cut out the unproductive balls, taking singles with ease and finding timely boundaries. When he and Guptill asked for the Powerplay in the 35th over, R Ashwin responded with a carrom balls to remove Guptill. That set New Zealand back by a couple of overs.

Styris and Daniel Vettori had to take some time set up another charge, but Sreesanth pegged them back again. Like he did in the first match of the series, Sreesanth came back for a new spell in the 46th over, and took two wickets with his first two deliveries. He ended a threatening ninth-wicket partnership in the last game, and got rid of Styris and Vettori this time.

New Zealand opened their defence with Nathan McCullum, presumably to get through some overs of spin before dew appeared, and immediately troubled M Vijay, who struggled to come to terms with the slowness of the pitch.

Gambhir, however, was playing in a different world. He timed almost everything sweetly except for a couple of inside edges that went for fours. Against Kyle Mills, he walked down the pitch on a couple of occasions to create the driving length. When Mills pitched slightly short, he cut him away. The driving between mid-off and extra cover stood out.

By the end of the eighth over, Gambhir had scored four times Vijay's eight, taking India to 40, and putting Mills out of the attack. Against Styris he made room and went over extra cover. Andy McKay strayed too straight, and was clipped for four into the leg side. There was not a hint of power; the short back lift emphasised how well he timed the ball.

Vijay continued his patchy innings until he tried a premeditated slog-sweep off Vettori in the 18th over, and was bowled. Gambhir, though, had reached 54 off 48 by then, out of India's 87, and looked set to carry India through. A crucial moment came in the 22nd over when Gambhir's bat got stuck into the ground as he tried to slide it in, but Vettori failed to collect the throw cleanly and Gambhir was let off.

Every time Gambhir needed quick runs, he made room and went over extra cover. Kohli batted like he was never dismissed in Guwahati, pulling powerfully wide of long-on, and punching square for most of his runs. Over by over, the 116-run partnership brought the asking rate down, until it read 4.3 for the last 13 overs when Kohli found short midwicket with a pull shot.

It was a distraught batsman that left the wicket, 36 short of a third straight century, which was possible with 56 still required. His captain and a senior back in Delhi, though, was there to see India home and continue their unbeaten home season.

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