Pakistan won Kitply Cup

.

Kitply Cup winners : Pakistan (Beaten India in Finals by 25 runs)

.

MS Dhoni's young side began the Kitply Cup as favourites but they couldn't leave behind India's unfortunate history in one-day finals. Pakistan won the toss, put up a huge score and chiselled away at India's batting till they caved in. India were 26 runs short of their target of 316, while Pakistan had three heroes: Umar Gul who took four precious wickets, Younis Khan who hit his way out of bad form with a 99-ball 108, and Salman Butt whose 129 was a record-equalling fifth hundred against India. It holds Pakistan in good stead for the Asia Cup, which begins ten days from now.

...

..

The first half of the game was an uncanny repeat of the Dhaka final played between these two teams ten years ago. Flat pitch, early wickets, twin hundreds, a double hundred stand (Butt and Khan added 205), 315 runs scored (Pakistan had scored 314 that day), and a hotly contested chase. What differed was the finish. India made 316 that day, but today, they had few heroes. After Gautam Gambhir's typically brisk 40 and Yuvraj Singh's 56, Dhoni held one end up as wickets fell all around. In the end, 32 to get from 12 balls were too much for the India captain. With just Ishant Sharma to give him company, Dhoni holed out attempting a second six of the Shahid Afridi's last over.

Man of the Series: Salman Butt.

For more click the below links

India reached Finals

.

India reached Finals in Bangladesh Tri-Series

.

With a sterling knock of 107 runs, Gautam Gambhir steered India to a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in the third match of the Kitply Cup in Mirpur.
.
Gambhir slammed his fifth ODI hundred, his second against Bangladesh with the help of twelve fours and one six and guided his side to victory in 35.1 overs. He was aptly adjudged as the 'Man of the Match'.
.
He looked subdued when he opened the innings with Sehwag and allowed his partner to hog the limelight. Sehwag, carrying on the momentum, slammed 59 runs. He slammed his 27th ODI fifty in just 29 balls and added 85 runs for the first wicket with Gambhir. Dolar Mahmud picked his prized wicket but the 'Delhi Demolisher' had done the damage before his exit.
.
After Sehwag, Gambhir took charge of the innings and added 56 runs with Rohit Sharma for the second wicket. Rohit made 26 runs and perished playing an unwanted shot to Abdur Razzak. Yuvraj Singh played a short cameo of 26 runs and added 75 runs with Gambhir.
Earlier, India bundled out Bangladesh for 222 runs with a ball to spare but their efforts must have given a lesson or two to Pakistan, who succumbed without any fight to India on Tuesday. .
Bangladesh had a couple of mini collapses when they lost two early wickets and then lost three wickets in the death overs. It wasn't a bad bowling by the Indians but a fighting effort by the hosts. Their top-order failed to trigger a good start but Raqibul Hasan made sure he held the innings together. He was unfortunate to miss out on a century as RP Singh got his wicket for 89 runs. After electing to bat first, Bangladesh got the first blow in the opening over of Praveen Kumar, who struck to dismiss the in-form Tamim Iqbal. Iqbal gave a faint edge to the Dhoni.
.
RP Singh, who replaced Ishant Sharma, picked the second Bangla wicket in the sixth over and sent Shahriar Nafees back for 9 runs. Raqibul was his second victim while he scalped Mahmudullah (24) as his third victim. After the fall of Nafees, skipper Mohd Ashraful scored 36 runs and added 76 runs for the third wicket with Raqibul. Dhoni introduced Yusuf Pathan, who picked Mohd Ashraful as his maiden ODI wicket. Piyush Chawla then soon removed Mushfiqur Rahim for 5 runs. Irfan Pathan, finally, managed to bag his first wicket of the tri-nation series when he dismissed Alok Kapali for 20 runs. Dolar Mahmud was his second kill.

Today' s Breaking News

India not taking Bangladesh lightly

.
.

After their massive victory over Pakistan, the Indian team should have it easy against Bangladesh in their last league game in the tri-series here on Thursday.

.
For the Indians the match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur should be a good practice for Saturday's final. In the unlikely event of a big Bangladesh victory, Pakistan could be in danger of missing the final, the hosts joining the Indians by virtue of better quotient.
Any doubts of India taking the match lightly were dispelled by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who indicated that his side would take the match seriously.
"We got to win every match. In fact, it is not about winning and losing, it is all about going out there and playing to your potential," Dhoni said.
.
"Everybody wants to win. It was a good game of cricket against Pakistan yesterday. Hopefully rain will not interfere tomorrow," Dhoni said.
It is to be seen if the team management tries out rookies Manpreet Gony and Pragyan Ojha. It should be an ideal situation for fast bowler Gony and left-arm spinner Ojha to showcase their talent.

Today' s Breaking News

India hand embarrassing defeat to Pakistan

.

.

Bangladesh tri-series (Bangla, India & Pak)

India handed an embarrassing defeat to Pakistan in their match of the tri-nation series in Mirpur. Chasing a mammoth 331 runs, Pakistan batting fell short by 140 runs and collapsed for a mere 190 runs.With this win, India dashed Pakistan's hopes to extend their winning streak to 13 consecutive victories. No Pakistani batsman rose to the challenge except their skipper Shoaib Malik, who scored 53 runs.Praveen Kumar spelled doom for the immediate neighbours as he picked four wickets to deplete Pakistan of their top-order. He made early inroads in their batting and removed Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Mohd Yousuf and Kamran Akmal.He dismissed Salman Butt and Younis Khan off successive deliveries. Butt made 9 runs while Younis Khan went for a naught for the second time in the tri-series. Mohd Yousuf contributed just eleven runs.

.

After early jolts, Kamran and Misbah consolidated Pakistan innings and added 55 runs in no time. Praveen then sent Kamran back for 38 runs, who looked threatening. All hopes then clung to Misbah but he also perished. Ishant Sharma claimed his wicket for 24 runs. Piyush Chawla also clinched four wickets of Shahid Afridi (23), Sohail Tanvir (6), Shaoib Malik and Wahab Riaz. Yuvraj Singh avenged his wicket when he sent Umar Gul back for seven runs.Earlier, with a splendid batting display, India made 330 runs at the loss of eight wickets against Pakistan at the Shere Bangla Stadium in Mirpur.Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir mauled Pakistani bowlers and added 155 runs for the first wicket. Wahab Riaz picked their wickets for 89 and 62 runs respectively.

Pakistan managed to get the first breakthrough in the 22nd over when Riaz claimed Gambhir's wicket.Debutant Yusuf Pathan started his ODI career disappointingly as he could add only three runs. Rohit Sharma also failed to perform and added just nine runs.Yuvraj Singh continued his romance with the Pakistan attack and slammed his 36th ODI fifty. This was also his tenth half-century against the archrival. Captain Dhoni added 38 runs for the fifth wicket with Yuvraj, contributing 24 runs before Sohail Tanvir saw him off. After the fall of Yuvraj and Dhoni, Irfan (17) and Raina (26) added 51 runs for the seventh wicket.Pakistan had gone with four fast bowlers and were struggling with the over rate. Their fielding was also very sluggish as they missed quite a few chances. Shahid Afridi's tweakers not only helped Pakistan catch up with over rate but also fetched him couple of wickets. Umar Gul picked three wickets of Yuvraj, Irfan and Raina.

Pakistan crush Bangladesh by 70 in tri-series opener

.

Pakistan bulldozed Bangladesh by 70 runs in the rain-curtailed tri-series opener to extend their unbeaten run in one-day internationals to 12 at Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka. Riding on sparkling half-centuries by Salman Butt (70) and Mohammad Yousuf (59) Pakistan scored a challenging 233 before being folded in 39.3 overs, after sent in to bat in a match reduced to a 40-40 affair.

They then restricted their rivals to 163 for eight in their quota of 40 overs to register their 12th consecutive win. Flamboyant all rounder Shahid Afridi (3/19) and left-arm paceman Wahab Riaz (3/22) swung their arm to good effects sharing six wickets between them, breaking the spine of Bangaldesh batting.

Hosts' skipper Mohammad Ashraful was the only batsman who put up some resistance though he was not his usual attacking self and adopted a defensive approach. He remained unbeaten on 56 and strangely played last over of the match as a maiden, bowled by Younis Khan.

Shahriar Nafees (9) and Tamim Iqbal provided a steady if not flamboyant start to Bangladesh against a good Pakistan attack, led by Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir. The opening pair put up 35 runs before Riaz, who was playing only his second one-day match, had Nafees caught behind the wickets.

Iqbal joined his partner in the dressing room soon when Afridi beat him in the air and wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal did not waste anytime to dislodge his stumps. Ashraful stood at one end watching his teammates coming and going as Raqibul Hasan (8) too started his walk back to the pavilion becoming second victim of Riaz.

The first three batsmen succumb to casual shots not helping the hosts in any way to build partnerships, needed to get close to the big target set by their rivals.

Soon the Bangaladeshis were tottering at 77 for four with Afridi dismissing Alok Kapali for a nought as the batsman failed to negotiate a faster delivery and drew the ball on to his leg stump. Bangladesh were heading for a defeat only from here as their batsmen lacked passion and fire in their belly needed to overhaul the big target.

Umar Gul then dealt a twin-blow to the hosts removing Mamudulla and Mashrafe Mortaza in the 30th over of the innings, ending all hopes of getting close to the target. Earlier, Pakistan got off to a solid start with Butt and Kamran Akmal (25) adding 75 runs in 12 overs.

Though Akmal and Younis Khan (0) returned off successive balls, Yousuf chipped in with a 56-ball 59 and Misbah looked still in the Twenty20 mode as he creamed 39 runs off 22 balls to help Pakistan cruise past the 200-mark in the 35th over.

Today' s Breaking News