Australia take series with 51-run win

Australia secured the one-day series with two matches to spare after a comprehensive 51-run victory at the Gabba as England's batting once again flopped. The top order was rocked by the pace of Brett Lee, then John Hastings removed the key pair of Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell before the innings subsided rapidly to give Australia their first piece of silverware since March last year.The hosts' innings had been far from problem-free but Michael Clarke registered a much-needed half-century, which was his first since the Adelaide Test. He fell to the Man of the Match Chris Woakes, who took 6 for 45, England's best overseas analysis in one-day internationals,...

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Japan crowned Kings of Asia

Substitute Tadanari Lee was the hero as his goal led Japan to a 1-0 win over Australia at the Asian Cup Final.Lee volleyed home Yuto Nagatomo's left-wing cross after 108 minutes at Khalifa Stadium to clinch the title and deny Australia a maiden triumph.The Socceroos had the game's first chance when a slick move ended with Carl Valeri feeding Matt McKay but he sliced wide of the far post.Mark Schwarzer then nearly gifted Japan the opening goal when, in trying to prevent the ball going behind for a corner, he kicked it straight to Nagatomo. The defender's effort from distance to sailed over the bar with David Carney scrambling back to cover.Japan...

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Hafeez, Afridi star in series-levelling win

A solid maiden ODI century from Mohammad Hafeez, a monstrous assault in the death overs led by Shahid Afridi and a spirited performance in the field were features of a roaring comeback by Pakistan in the ODI series, which they leveled 1-1 with a 43-run win at the AMI Stadium in Christchurch. Hafeez counter-attacked after Pakistan had been dented in their start and dropped anchor in the middle overs to set up a launching pad for Afridi and Umar Akmal to smash 126 runs in the last ten overs. Faced with a stiff chase, New Zealand fought hard but timely breakthroughs meant they were always struggling to measure up to the asking rate, eventually...

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Trott heroics keep England alive

England 8 for 299 (Trott 102, Prior 67, Hussey 4-21) beat Australia 7 for 278 (Watson 64, Trott 2-31) by 21 runsJonathan Trott's calculating century ensured England stayed in the series with a 21-run victory that upset Australia's national holiday in Adelaide. The tourists began the game needing to win and the scenario won't change when they head to Brisbane for Sunday's fifth ODI, but they have been boosted by an end to four consecutive limited-overs losses.Trott's perfectly timed 102 off 126 balls stood tall on a day that was meant to be a celebration of all things Australia, but the home supporters left unhappy as the series score-line in...

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Rain wipes out second one-dayer

Pakistan 31 for 0 v New Zealand Abandoned Queenstown is the place for adrenaline-junkies but there was little excitement on Wednesday as persistent rain allowed only 4.2 overs of play in the second one-dayer between Pakistan and New Zealand.There were showers early in the morning, but it cleared up before start of play, raising hopes of the fans who had gathered. The rains returned, however, soon after Daniel Vettori chose to field, as every international captain has done after winning the toss in Queenstown.New Zealand stuck with their plan of giving James Franklin the new ball, ahead of the much quicker Hamish Bennett, and it didn't work as...

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Marsh and Bollinger star in Australian victory

Australia 230 (Marsh 110, White 45, Tremlett 3-22, Shahzad 3-43) beat England 184 (Trott 32, Bell 32, Bollinger 4-28) by 46 runs Shaun Marsh wasn't deemed good enough to be in Australia's World Cup squad, but in his first outing as Mike Hussey's injury replacement he cracked a brilliant hundred to lift his team from a hopeless position to 46-run victory at Hobart. Marsh's 110 rescued the hosts from two collapses, then England put together a poor run chase as Doug Bollinger completed a fine all-round match with four wickets. Australia's top order slumped to 4 for 33 and, following a 100-run stand between Marsh and Cameron White, they slipped to 8 for 142, before Marsh turned the game on its head. But his matchwinning effort wouldn't have been possible without Bollinger, who showed previously...

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Yusuf shines as India win thriller

India 223 for 8 (Yusuf 59, Harbhajan 23*, Morne 3-28) beat South Africa 220 (du Plessis 60, Duminy 52) by two wicketsYusuf Pathan swung the game India's way with three brutal shots and Harbhajan Singh sealed the win with two violent game-breaking hits. Morne Morkel had threatened to derail India's chase with an inspired performance but it was India who held their nerve, and took a 2-1 lead in the series. India were 104 runs adrift of the target when Yusuf cemented his World Cup spot by biffing Johan Botha for three sixes in an over to push India ahead. When he fell, 39 runs short of the target, Harbhajan crashed Wayne Parnell and Morne for stunning...

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Misbah, Younis set up drawn match and series win

New Zealand 356 (Vettori 110, Gul 4-87) and 293 (Guptill 73, Gul 4-61) drew Pakistan 376 (Misbah 99, Martin 4-91) and 226 for 5 (Younis 81, Misbah 70*) Pakistan weathered a hostile opening spell that reduced them to 42 for 3 in the first hour, worked their way to safety in the second session, and made a half-hearted attempt to win the Test before settling for a draw that gave them the series 1-0. It was their first victory outside the subcontinent since the triumph in New Zealand in 2003-04, and their first anywhere since 2006-07. It was another impressive result for a team that has managed to hold its own on the field - with Test wins against...

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Ruthless South Africa win by 135 runs

South Africa 289 for 9 (de Villiers 76, Duminy 73, Amla 50) beat India 154 (Kohli 54, Tsotsobe 4-31) by 135 runs India had to survive the new ball if they were going to make a fist of chasing 290 but they were gasping for breath within 11 overs, after slipping to 43 for 4, and never quite recovered. South Africa had threatened twice to run away to a mammoth total in their innings. India pulled them back on both occasions to keep the target below 300, but the chase went nowhere. South Africa were 82 for 2 in the 14th over before Munaf Patel removed Hashim Amla to slow the innings down, but the hosts bounced back to reach 213 for 3 in the 36th...

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FIFA Ballon d'Or winner 2010 - Lionel Messi

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Messi: It was a wonderful surprise

Sporting a disbelieving look but smiling all the same, Lionel Messi joked at how heavy the newly presented FIFA Ballon d’Or felt. After his Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola offered to take it home for him, the Argentinian magician stepped down from the stage and spoke about his triumph to FIFA.com.FIFA.com: Lionel, how are you feeling?Lionel Messi: I’m happy, but I didn’t expect it because everyone had been talking so much about Xavi and Andres [Iniesta]. They also deserved it for the wonderful year they had. They won the World Cup, which usually goes a long way to deciding who wins this award, and they both had big parts to play in that. That’s...

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Messi, Marta, Mourinho and Neid crowned as the best of 2010

Argentina’s Lionel Messi collected the FIFA Ballon d’Or, his second consecutive title, while Brazil’s Marta continued her winning streak by claiming her fifth FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year award at the FIFA Ballon d’Or Gala held at the Zurich Kongresshaus on Monday evening. Meanwhile, José Mourinho, the Portuguese coach of Real Madrid, and Germany’s women’s national team coach Silvia Neid were the inaugural winners of the FIFA World Coach of the Year for Men’s Football and FIFA World Coach of the Year for Women’s Football awards, respectively. These awards were decided after a poll in which the captains and head coaches of the men’s (for...

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India win despite van Wyk fifty

India 168 (Rohit 53, Raina 43) beat South Africa 147 for 9 (van Wyk 67) by 21 runsMorne Van Wyk defined irony on a lovely Durban night at the marvellous Moses Mabhida Stadium. On the day where he went unpicked by the IPL franchises, van Wyk hit a cultured 39-ball 67 to threaten to overhaul India's strong 168, but he fell in the 11th over to trigger a collapse and India closed in quickly. South Africa had deployed three spinners on a slow, low surface, but Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina propelled India to a match-winning total.Van Wyk had the crowd in screaming in delight with his strokeplay: He looted 25 runs from six deliveries, spread over two...

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Pakistan seal win on dramatic day

Pakistan 367 (Shafiq 83, Misbah 62, Arnel 4-95) and 21 for 0 beat New Zealand 275 (Southee 56, McCullum 56, Ahmed 4-63) and 110 (McCullum 35, Rehman 3-24, Gul 3-28) by 10 wicketsWhat Pakistan inflicted on New Zealand on a dramatic third day in Hamilton was nothing short of an embarassment. On a still-placid track, the hosts were victims of some incisive Pakistan bowling but let themselves down through some equally inept batting, transforming a Test that had been closely-fought on the first two days into a hopelessly one-sided contest in just one session.Pakistan's build-up to this Test had been hijacked by the spot-fixing hearings in Doha but...

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Dan Christian top buy early on Day 2

List of players involved in the IPL auction held in Bangalore on January 8 and 9, 2011. The list of players bought is in descending order of their final bid price. Players sold on Sunday are in boldGautam Gambhir sold to Kolkata Knight Riders for a record $2.4 million.Yusuf Pathan to Kolkata Knight Riders for $2.1 million.Robin Uthappa to Pune for $2.1 millionRohit Sharma to Mumbai Indians for $2 million.Irfan Pathan to Delhi Daredevils for $1.9 million.Yuvraj Singh to Pune for $1.8 million.Saurabh Tiwary to Royal Challengers Bangalore for $1.6 million.Mahela Jayawardene to Kochi for $1.5 million.David Hussey to Kings XI Punjab for $1.4 millionDale Steyn goes to Deccan Chargers for $1.2 millionMuttiah Muralitharan to Kochi for $1.1 million.AB de Villiers to Royal Challengers Bangalore for...

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IPL auction: Who got whom

*Gambhir sold to Kolkata to $2.4 million dollars.*Dilshan sold to Bangalore for 650,000.*Zaheer Khan, sold! To Bangalore for $900,000. Small change compred to Gambhir! *Ross Taylor, New Zealand batsman, sold to Rajasthan Royals for $1 million.*Yusuf Pathan sold to Kolkata for $2.1 million dollars.*Kevin Pietersen sold to Deccan Chargers for $650,000 (only).*Mahela Jayawardene has been sold to Kochi for $1.5 million dollars.*Yuvraj Singh has been sold to Pune for $1.8 million dollars.*AB de Villiers, South African batsman and potential wicketkeeper, sold to Bangalore for $1.1 million dollars.*Ganguly is the first unsold player.*Cameron White has been sold to Deccan Chargers for $ 1.1 million dollars. He is the first Australian sold.*Kolkata buy Jacques Kallis for 1.1 million dollars. *Rohit...

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Teams spend big to overhaul their rosters

Shaking off months of controversy, litigation and uncertainty, cricket's biggest, richest and most brassy domestic event, the Indian Premier League, sprang into life again, breaking records and banks on the first day of auction weekend in Bangalore.From the 88 players auctioned today, 15 new millionaires were created by the ten IPL franchises who will compete in season four, but there was another sorry bunch of 16 players who were left 'unsold' when the auction finally ended at 6 pm.Minutes after his name was the first to be randomly pulled out from a list of 'marquee players' at 11 am on Saturday morning, Gautam Gambhir earned the highest playing contract in cricket, $2.4m for two years with the Kolkata Knight Riders. With the top seven of the 15 new 'millionaires' being Indian, the day was...

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New Zealand let it slip after lunch

Tea New Zealand 160 for 5 (Young 2*, Williamson 12*, Rehman 2-32) v PakistanPakistan compensated for the lack of assistance from the Seddon Park pitch with a more determined effort after lunch that undermined a strong foundation laid for the New Zealand innings by Brendon McCullum. His dismissal shortly after the break, the subsequent stagnation against Abdur Rehman's left-arm spin and the run-out of Jesse Ryder, just when he was trying to inject some fluency to the innings, tilted the scales after it had seemed Pakistan had erred by opting to field on a dryish surface. New Zealand had themselves to blame for the turn in the tide. Their batsmen didn't take advantage of opportunities given, through umpiring errors or lapses in the field, and lost track during a shift in momentum brought about...

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England complete crushing Ashes victory

England 644 (Cook 189, Prior 118, Bell 115) beat Australia 280 (Johnson 53, Anderson 4-66) and 281 (Smith 54*, Anderson 3-61, Tremlett 3-79) by an innings and 83 runs England ended 24 years of hurt in crushing style at the SCG as they secured an innings-and-83-run victory to take the Ashes series 3-1. The crowning moment came shortly before noon when Chris Tremlett found Michael Beer's inside edge to bowl him leg stump. It was the first time in their history that Australia have suffered three innings defeats in a series and left nobody in any doubt where the balance of power now lies. The England players immediately embraced at the striker's...

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