Pakistan tour of India, 2007/08

1st ODI: India v Pakistan at Guwahati - Nov 5, 2007
Match scheduled to begin at 09:00 local time (03:30 GMT)

2nd ODI: India v Pakistan at Mohali - Nov 8, 2007 (14:30 local, 09:00 GMT)

3rd ODI: India v Pakistan at Kanpur - Nov 11, 2007 (09:00 local, 03:30 GMT)

4th ODI: India v Pakistan at Gwalior - Nov 15, 2007 (14:30 local, 09:00 GMT)

5th ODI: India v Pakistan at Jaipur - Nov 18, 2007 (14:30 local, 09:00 GMT)


Test Match Schedule

Thu 22 - Mon 26 ---- 09:30 local, 04:00 GMT
1st Test - India v Pakistan-Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi


Fri 30 - Tue 4 Dec----09:30 local, 04:00 GMT
2nd Test - India v Pakistan---Eden Gardens, Kolkata

Sat 8 - Wed 12---09:30 local, 04:00 GMT
3rd Test - India v Pakistan--M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Muralitharan claims 700th Test wicket

Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan became the second man in history to claim 700 Test wickets in the third and final match of the series against Bangladesh on Saturday.

The 35-year-old followed his 6-28 figures in the first innings with a further 6-54 in the second to finish with a match haul of 12-82, his 20th 10-wicket haul in Tests.

Muralitharan reached the landmark with the last wicket of the match as Syed Rasel spooned up a catch to Farveez Maharoof at mid off, sparking wild celebrations in the bowler's hometown stadium.

His final wicket dismissed Bangladesh for 176 and secured Sri Lanka a 3-0 whitewash with an innings and 193-run victory.

Muralitharan is chasing Australian Shane Warne's 708 wicket world record tally, a milestone he looks likely to pass during Sri Lanka's two test tour of Australia in November.

A veteran of 113 Tests, Muralitharan needed just 12 matches to go from 600 to 700 wickets.

The spinner's career has been plagued by controversy over the legality of his bowling action after being no-balled for throwing in Melbourne by umpire Darryl Hair in 1995.

Doubts still persist in some quarters, despite extensive biomechanical testing determining his action is legal according to current ICC regulations which permit a 15-degree elbow bend.

Graham Ford new Team India coach

South African Graham Ford was on Saturday appointed as India's cricket coach for a one-year period.

"The seven-member Special Committee headed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India President Sharad Pawar [Images] has decided to appoint for as the Indian team coach initially for one year," Board Treasurer N Srinivasan told media persons in Chennai.

Ford's appointment came after a marathon two-hour meeting of the special committee, which also interviewed former England [Images] spinner John Emburey.

"Ford will intimate the BCCI before its working committee meeting in Delhi on June 12 as to when he would be able to join the team," Srinivasan said.

"No ratification (of the committee's decision) is necessary as Board president himself was the chairman of the committee," he said.

Ford, 46, was the coach of the South African team between 1999 and 2002, having taken over from the late Bob Woolmer [Images].

He then joined Kent County Club in 2004 as director of coaching where he has a contract running till 2008.

The special committee had earlier invited Ford and Emburey to make a presentation after its June 4 meeting in Bangalore when it also rejected an application by former Sri Lankan and Bangladesh coach Dav Whatmore.

Ford had an edge over Emburey as he was the favourite among the senior members of the Indian team.

Warne touched by Sachin, Lara gesture

LONDON, Jan 1: Australian spin legend Shane Warne, who announced his retirement from international cricket recently, has said that he was overwhelmed by messages from two of his greatest opponents — India's Sachin Tendulkar and West Indies' Brian Lara.

"I have been overwhelmed by the personal messages of support from people in all walks of life. Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, my two greatest opponents, have been in touch, along with John Howard (Aussie PM) and Russell Crowe (actor).

I've also had hundreds of notes from people I don't know but who say they have enjoyed watching me play cricket. Thank you," the Times quoted the spinner as saying.

Warne said that he had never planned such a long career in international cricket. Reminiscing his debut in international cricket, he said: "During our team New Year's Eve party last night, I couldn't help recalling the evening when I reckon my international career began.

"It was December 31, 1991, and I was sitting at the top of the old Sydney Park Royal Hotel working my way through a cooler of beer with Geoff Marsh and David Boon. Marsh turned to me and said: 'Mate, this is what playing for Australia is all about.'"

He added: "Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that 15 years later I would still be in the business. It has been a wonderful, roller coaster ride. And now, as somebody used to sing, the end is near."

Ponting praises Buchanan’s input

Sydney: Australian captain Ricky Ponting has praised the work of coach John Buchanan for much of the team's success and believes his successor has an enormous role to fill.

While the headlines ahead of Tuesday's fifth Test against England have been dominated by the retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer, Buchanan will also be the team coach for his last Test match.

Buchanan, 53, will stand down after the World Cup in the Caribbean in April and a search is underway for his replacement. Ponting's supportive comments come after leading England batsman Kevin Pietersen claimed the Australian coach was not respected by his own team.

Ponting said Buchanan and his support staff had long been overlooked but deserved to share the team's achievements. "They have to accept some of the accolades that come the team's way," he said on Monday.

"You look at the standard of cricket that we've been able to play over a long period of time. Just before John took over and certainly right through his stint as coach we've played some amazing cricket. Even this current run, we've won 11 matches on the trot."

Ashes: Flintoff guides England to 234-4

SYDNEY, Jan 2 (AP): Glenn McGrath took two wickets in five balls to give Australia's attack some impetus in his farewell Test before Andrew Flintoff revived the England innings with an unbeaten 42 on day one of the fifth Ashes match.

At stumps on Tuesday, England was 234 for four after Flintoff won the toss and elected to bat.

The England captain struck five boundaries and a big driven six over long-on off Stuart Clark after coming to the crease when England slipped from 166 for two to 167 for four.

At Tea: England 149/2 in 52 overs
At Lunch: England 58/1 in 17 overs

Paul Collingwood was unbeaten on 25 when bad light stopped play seven overs before the scheduled close on a rain-shortened first day.

With only the tailenders to come after the fifth-wicket pair, the pressure was on Flintoff to produce his biggest innings of the series if England had any hope of avoiding a 5-0 series whitewash by the Australians.

Flintoff was averaging only 22 as England slumped to four losses in the series and had only one 50, a meager return compared with his performances with bat and ball in England's 2-1 series upset in 2005.

He and Collingwood defied the Australian bowling for almost 1 1/2 hours, giving England slight honors on the first day of what will be the final Test match for two of cricket's greatest bowlers and 104-test veteran opener Justin Langer.

Shane Warne and McGrath, No. 1 and No. 3 on the list of all-time wicket takers in Test cricket, are quitting Test cricket after the Ashes.

McGrath had the only success of the departing Australian trio, who led the hosts onto the field in the morning after the start was delayed 70 minutes by rain.

Just when Ian Bell (71) and Kevin Pietersen (41) appeared to be getting on top of the Australian attack in a 108-run third-wicket stand, McGrath struck twice in consecutive overs to remove both batsmen.

The veteran paceman saw Pietersen stepping down the wicket at him, pitched one in short and the England No. 4 miscued to mid-wicket, where Mike Hussey took a diving catch.

Bell was out first ball of McGrath's next over, bowled between bat and pad, before Flintoff and Collingwood guided England to stumps with a 67-run partnership.

McGrath finished with 2-57 from 21 overs, while Brett Lee and Clark took one wicket apiece and Warne went for 59 runs from 19 overs on a pitch that offered little assistance to the spin bowlers.

The Australians took a wicket in each of the first two sessions, with Lee having Andrew Strauss (29) caught behind and Clark removing Alastair Cook (20) in the same mode from an inside edge without addition to the lunchtime total of 58 for one.

McGrath created chances in the morning session, having a loud shout for lbw against Strauss declined and a chance put down off the England opener at third slip, with Langer getting two hands onto a thick edge before putting it down.

But it took McGrath 20 overs for his breakthrough, and lifted his world record for a fast bowler to 559 wickets by stumps.

Australia is aiming to be only the second team to sweep a five-Test Ashes series, the first since Warwick Armstrong's side achieved it in 1920-21.

Scoreboard

England 1st innings
A. Strauss c Gilchrist b Lee 29
A. Cook c Gilchrist b Clark 20
I. Bell b McGrath 71
K. Pietersen c Hussey b McGrath 41
P. Collingwood not out 25
A. Flintoff not out 42
Extras (lb1 w3 nb2) 6
Total (4 wkts) 234
Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-58, 3-166, 4-167
Bowling: McGrath 21-4-57-2 (2nb), Lee 15-3-50-1 (1w), Clark 19-3-54-1 (2w), Warne 19-1-59-0, Symonds 6-2-13-0
Still to bat: Chris Read, Sajid Mahmood, Steve Harmison, Monty Panesar, James Anderson.
Overs: 80
Toss: England
Bad light stopped play at 6:20pm (0720 GMT)
Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) Billy Bowden (NZL)
TV Umpire: Peter Parker, Australia
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)
Series: Australia leads 4-0.