Pakistan vs Bangladesh opening ODI today

Pakistan vs Bangladesh opening ODI today: Pakistan will be looking to keep their momentum going with the opening match of the ODI series against Bangladesh.

The first ODI of the three matches series will be played at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur at 12:30 of Pakistan Standard Time today.

Bangladesh vice-captain Mohammad Mahmudullah back in the squad after recovering from injury, while Elias Sunny will also be keen to make his mark after being recalled. After three years absence, all-rounder Farhad Reza has also forced his way back into the squad.

Pakistani team has opened their tour with crushing defeat to the home side in the only Twenty20 encounter.

Pakistan are a far more settled unit, with Misbah-ul-Haq continuing to lead the team after the ODI series win over Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates.

Left-arm seamer Mohammad Khalil has returned to the national side to replace injured Junaid Khan. Younis Khan is expected to replace Shoaib Malik in the opening ODI.

The two teams have so far played 26 matches and Bangladesh has won single match and lost 25 against Pakistan.

Pakistan Team: Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Aizaz Cheema,

Bangladesh Team: Tamim Iqbal, Naeem Islam, Shahriar Nafees, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, Nasir Hossain, Farhad Reza, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam,

Yuvraj Singh vows to return after lung tumour diagnosis

Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh has told cricket fans it is simply a matter of time before he is back playing again after being diagnosed with a non-malignant lung tumour.

A wave of sympathy swept the country when his mother said in a statement at the weekend that the left-hander, who turns 30 next month, had a golf ball-sized tumour.

Yuvraj played in the Delhi and Kolkata tests against West Indies this month but will be missing for the five-match one-day series against the same opponents that starts in Cuttack on Tuesday.

"Overwhelmed with your love and support. I am absolutely fine, just need to get match fitness and training, will be back soon," he said on his Twitter account.

"Need some more time to regain 100p (percent) fitness. Nothing serious, need to build up the lost stamina."

One of the cleanest strikers of a cricket ball, middle-order batsman Yuvraj is not a regular member of India's test side but is an automatic choice in their limited-over teams.

Yuvraj was instrumental in India's 2007 World Twenty20 victory in South Africa and hit England fast bowler Stuart Broad for six sixes in an over in one of the matches.

He was also named player of the tournament in India's successful 50-over World Cup campaign on home soil in February, March and April.

The statement from his mother Shabnam Singh said Yuvraj suffered regular bouts of coughing and vomiting during this year's World Cup but ignored them.

As the problem persisted he finally sought medical advice.

"Scans showed Yuvraj was dealing with something really serious. A golf-ball sized lump (was) found over his left lung and doctors advised us to go in for more detailed scans," his mother said.

"Everyone who knows Yuvraj knows he is a fighter and has been very strong and a pillar for the family through this trying period. We are sure that very soon he will be back on the cricket field in India colours."

Paceman Junaid Khan out of Pakistan’s Bangladesh tour

Pakistan paceman Junaid Khan was ruled out of the team’s tour of Bangladesh after injuring his abdominal muscle during the fifth and final one-day against Sri Lanka here on Wednesday.

The 21-year-old left-arm paceman had a MRI scan after he felt pain during his three-over spell in the match, which revealed a partial tear.

“The scan revealed a partial tear of the abdominal muscle which requires six weeks of rest,” said assistant team manager Naushad Ali. “He is out of the Bangladesh tour and needs rehabilitation.” Khan’s injury is the second blow to Pakistan after allrounder Abdul Razzaq was Tuesday ruled out of the tour with a shoulder injury.

Pakistan have already announced a 16-man squad for the tour of Bangladesh where they play one Twenty20 match, three one-day internationals and two Tests, starting with the Twenty20 in Dhaka on Tuesday.

Ali said Pakistan Cricket Board’s selection committee would in time name replacements for the injured duo.

Khan, who made his Test debut on the tour of Zimbabwe in September this year, has so far played four Tests, nine one-day internationals and two Twenty20s.

Sri Lanka Sports minister asks cricket team to shape up

Sri Lanka’s sports minister has told the nation’s cricket team to start talking to each other to help end their losing streak, saying a lack of communication was the main problem in the squad.

Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage met the players, selectors and administrators on Tuesday to find a solution ahead of next month’s Test and one-day tour of South Africa.

“It was revealed that the main reason why the national cricket team had failed to perform was due to miscommunication between the team, the selectors and the coaches,” the ministry said in a statement.

“It was discussed in detail the importance and the necessity for captain Tillakaratne Dilshan to maintain sound communications with the selection committee and coach (Geoff Marsh).”

The players were allowed to “openly and freely” discuss matters with the minister, the statement added.

Interim committees appointed by the government have run cricket in Sri Lanka for the last seven years, prompting accusations that politicians were interfering in the sport.

Aluthgamage two weeks ago dissolved Sri Lanka Cricket’s interim managing committee to clear the way for the national board committee to be elected for the first time in seven years in line with International Cricket Council rules.

Sri Lanka have failed to win Test and one-day series in their last three encounters in England, at home against Australia and in the United Arab Emirates against Pakistan.

Their worst performance came against Pakistan earlier this month when they lost the Test series 1-0 and the one-dayers 4-1, before being thrashed by five wickets in the lone Twenty20 international.

Local media has speculated about tensions in the team after Sri Lanka lost the World Cup final to India in April that led to the resignations of skipper Kumar Sangakkara and his deputy Mahela Jayawardene.

Marsh, a former Australian opening batsman, took over as coach ahead of the Pakistan series.

Sri Lanka open the six-week tour of South Africa with a practice match in Benoni from December 9 to 11.

The back-to-back Tests will be played at Centurion (December 15-19), Durban (December 26-30) and Cape Town (January 3-7), before the rivals face-off in a five-match one-day series.

Wasim Akram Advocates one coach for Pakistan

KARACHI: Former Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram on Tuesday urged the nation's cricket authorities to appoint a single head coach rather than three separate ones for bowling, batting and fielding.

Pakistan have been on hunt for a national team coach since Waqar Younis quit the post in September this year citing health problems.

Former opening batsman Mohsin Khan has since led the team on an interim basis and has shown a willingness to continue.

But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formed a three-man committee to find a replacement for Younis, suggesting a foreigner would be better suited to the hot-seat.

New PCB chief Zaka Ashraf has stressed the need for separate batting, fielding and bowling coaches in addition to a head coach, but Wasim cautioned against complicating team affairs.

"I think the idea of separate coaches doesn't suit Pakistan," Wasim told AFP.

"Pakistan need one head coach who should guide the team in case the of too many coaches things will get complicated."

The PCB committee had shortlisted five candidates for the post but progress has been delayed after Ashraf said he wanted separate coaches for each department.
AFP

Australia VS New Zealand 1st Test at Brisbane

Australia VS New Zealand 1st Test at Brisbane: Paceman Mitchell Johnson is likely to be sidelined for up to five months with a foot injury, Cricket Australia said on Wednesday, almost certainly ruling him out of upcoming test series against New Zealand and India.

The 30-year-old, who has taken 190 wickets in 47 tests, injured his left foot in the recent test victory against South Africa and subsequent scans revealed a piece of metal embedded under his big toe.

"Mitchell will travel to Melbourne this week to be reviewed by specialist doctors and will most likely need surgery, which is expected to keep him out of cricket for four to five months," team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in a news release.

"The programme for his recovery will be assessed following any surgery."

Johnson, ICC Player of the Year in 2009, has endured a disappointing 12 months with the ball since being unceremoniously dropped for the second Ashes test against England last year.

He returned with a nine-wicket haul in the third Ashes test in Perth but has rarely threatened to reach such heights since, taking just three wickets at the cost of 255 runs in the two recent tests in South Africa.

The leftarmer was one of five players unavailable through injury for the first of two tests against New Zealand, which starts on Thursday at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Australia, who play India in a four-test series starting in late December, have included four uncapped players in their squad for the Gabba match, including three pace bowlers.