Virender Sehwag will play Tendulkar-Warne led Cricket All-Stars

India’s ex opening batsman Virender Sehwag who took retirement from international cricket last week, has decided to play Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne’s 3-match ‘Cricket All-Stars’ T20 series that will be played at Citi Field, Minute Maid Park and the Dodger Stadium on Nov. 7, Nov. 11 and Nov. 14 in New York City, Houston and Los Angeles respectively. Sehwag is the only player in the roster of the ‘Cricket All-Stars’ who is still playing the domestic cricket. Sehwag has been in good form in the Ranji Trophy.

There were rumors of his rejoining the Indian team especially when Harbhajan Singh has made his place in the national team for the T20 and ODIs. Tendulkar and Warne are happy at Sehwag’s joining their event that is going to be an annual tournament in the world. Ben Sturner who is CEO of Leverage Agency and is doing marketing for the ’ Cricket All-Stars’ said that it is delight to fetch one of the most amazing cricketers of the world and he is the best of the best. He added that Sachin’s Blasters and Warne’s Warriors team members will be selected in a draw ceremony that will take place next week in New York City.     

Cricket All Stars: Tendulkar and Warne bring T20 passion to USA

A three-match T20 exhibition tournament contested between two teams led by Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar will be played in the USA next month. New York, Houston and Los Angeles will host the matches and more than two dozen retired internationals from other Test nations will feature in the event titled "Cricket All-Stars Series 2015". The matches are scheduled on November 7, November 11 and November 14 at New York's Citi Field, Houston's Minute Maid Park and Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium.

 

The first two games will be played in the daytime while the third and final game is slated to be played in the lights. A total 26 other players are set to participate including Brian Lara and Wasim Akram besides the captains whose teams are named Sachin's Blasters" and "Warne's Warriors".

Three former Indian team-mates of Tendulkar: Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman and Ajit Agarkar also join him on the list. Four other Australians namely Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Glenn McGrath and Brad Haddin have also joined Warne on the list. Nine other players including Anil Kumble, Andy Flower, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shahid Afridi, Waqar Younis, Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Michael Hussey were also tentatively included in the list.     

Pakistan beat England in 2nd Test escaping bad light to take 1-0 lead

Pakistan takes a 1-0 lead in the three-match series by beating England by a margin of 178 runs on the fifth and final day of the second Test in Dubai on Monday. The last batsman dismissed was Adil Rashid who scored 172-ball 61 in 239 minutes. England were 285-8 at tea on the fifth afternoon at Dubai stadium in a chase of a daunting 491-run target. Leg-spinner Yasir Shah claimed 4 wickets for 87 and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar dismissed 3 for 53.

 

Joe Root (71) and Stuart Broad (30) showed a resistance before Adil Rashid was not out on 47 at the break in the fight put up by England. Pakistan had realized a win at lunch when they were three wickets away from victory but Rashid and Broad baffled them with their 60-run partnership for the eighth wicket. It was Wahab Riaz who brought Pakistan two wickets closer to the victory by removing Broad but Rashid and Wood kept Pakistan further awaited through their 32-run stand.

  

England’s hopes of surviving were relying on Root who resumed on 59 but Babar did not delay to remove Root by drawing an edge of his bat in the slips where Younis Khan was ready to take a low catch. Jonny Bairstow did not survive much longer after he was dropped on 11 off Babar as Shah bowled him with a googly for 22 as England fell to 163 for five. Shah had caught Jos Buttler by Younis in the slips for 7 when England went to lunch on 187-6.

Younis Khan becomes highest run-scorer of Pakistan in Tests

Younis Khan leaves Javed Miandad behind as highest run-getter of Pakistan in Test cricket reaching the milestone by hitting a huge six off Moeen Ali in the First Test against England on Tuesday in UAE. Total 19runs were needed by Younis Khan to surpass Miandad’s 8,832 runs scored in 124 matches during a remarkable career which spanned from 1976 to 1993. Younis had scored 8,814 runs in 101 Tests before the match started with a record 30 centuries by any Pakistani and he said he was not nervous at the possibility of exceeding great Miandad whose record was not broken for 22 years as Inzamam-ul-Haq was unable to equalize the tally in his last Test in 2007 falling two runs short.

Inzamam-ul-Haq finished his Test career with 8830 runs in 120 matches. Younis said before the match that he wants to play for his country and records are not the best identity for him because he wants to be remembered as a batsman who always played for his country. Younis like Miandad scored a century on debut which was against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi in 2000. He scored 468 runs in the 2-0 victory against Australia last year which was first Test series win of Pakistan against Australia in 20 years.

Yasir Shah prone to miss first Test against England in UAE

Yasir Shah may be the latest addition to Pakistan’s unpleasant happenings to the first England Test as the leg spinner had a back injury during training on the eve of the first Test in Abu Dhabi. Yasir who was being considered to play a major role for Pakistan in the Test series against England picked a back injury during practice and may be sidelined like top-order batsman Azhar Ali who is suffering from a toe infection. 

   

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq termed Yasir will start the first game is unlikely saying that they will wait before making a final decision on Yasir on the morning of the first Test but his current condition suggests that his participation is highly doubtful. Pakistan were relying their hopes on Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar to create problems for English batsmen in the absence of Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman who played a major role in the 2012 whitewash against England.

 

Spin bowling legend Abdul Qadir believes Yasir has Ajmal's tactics and considers him the difference between the two teams. Qadir said Pakistan enjoys clear advantage against England due to their spin attack and if Yasir keeps to bowl the way he has performed in the last few series then England will be in deep trouble because England is not too good against leg spin traditionally. The first game of the three-match Test series is starting on October 13.