2nd Test: Southee puts Sri Lanka in trouble

COLOMBO: New Zealand's Tim Southee bagged two quick wickets to put Sri Lanka under pressure on the third day of the second and final Test at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo on Tuesday.

Scorecard

The pacer dismissed Angelo Mathews (47) and opener Tharanga Paranavitana (40) in successive overs before Sri Lanka reached 107/5 in their first innings at lunch in reply to New Zealand's 412.

The hosts, who added 64 to their overnight total of 43/3 in the morning session, now need 106 more runs to avoid a follow-on with five wickets in hand.

Prasanna Jayawardene was unbeaten on four at the break with Thilan Samaraweera yet to open his account.

Vice-captain Mathews and Paranavitana added 90 for the fourth wicket after three wickets had fallen for just 12 on Monday.

Paranavitana edged Southee to wicket-keeper Kruger van Wyk while Mathews fell to a superb one-handed catch by Martin Guptill, who held the ball low to his right in the slips.

New Zealand earlier had a chance to break the fourth-wicket stand but skipper Ross Taylor dropped Paranavitana at first slip off fast bowler Trent Boult when the batsman was on 32.

Paranavitana then failed to make the most of the opportunity, adding just eight more runs before he was caught behind to become Southee's third victim of the innings.

Southee, who also removed opener Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara on Monday, has so far taken four wickets for 35 runs off 14 overs.

Mathews, 20 overnight, played some aggressive shots in the morning as he lofted off-spinner Jeetan Patel over wide long-on for the first six of the innings and then cut the bowler past point for a four.

Skipper Ross Taylor (142), Kane Williamson (135) and Daniel Flynn (53) were the main scorers for New Zealand in the first innings, while left-arm spinner Rangana Herath grabbed six wickets for Sri Lanka.

The hosts lead the series 1-0 following their 10-wicket victory in the opening Test in Galle.

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His world crumbling, Sachin Tendulkar sticks to the drill

MUMBAI: In India's second innings on Sunday, a hush enveloped the Wankhede at around 3.15 pm when Sachin Tendulkar misjudged a fuller-length delivery from England left-arm-spinner Monty Panesar, went back and was trapped leg-before for eight. It was the exact same score on which he had been dismissed in the first innings by the same bowler.

The manner of his dismissals and the run of poor scores have again raised questions on whether Tendulkar, clearly past his prime, should retire.

Sunil Gavaskar, who first set tongues wagging while analysing Tendulkar's tendency to get bowled in the home series against New Zealand, caused uproar when he told a TV channel on Sunday that it was time the 39-year-old legend discussed his plans with selectors.

It seemed a subtle way of telling him that the end was near. Tendulkar, though, seems unperturbed by all the talk around him. A good night's sleep and a blank mind seemingly helped him to get into a cocoon as he walked out for batting practice on Sunday.

While the other players just went through their regular fielding drills and other fitness related activities, Tendulkar skipped all that and summoned India's best spinner in this match, Pragyan Ojha, to bowl at him.

For a good half an hour, Tendulkar instructed him to bowl at a particular spot (just short of driving length) and at a particular speed. Ojha did as ordered by his Mumbai Indians teammate.

The left-arm spinner tried out all his variations at the batsman, who tried to perfect his defence. When the ball was pitched on a length, Tendulkar tried to work on his backfoot play. It was seemed quite intense.

Tendulkar even got coach Duncan Fletcher to go behind the nets and analyse his technique. Having noted a few points, the coach and the ward spoke animatedly.

Clearly, the manner of his dismissals at his home ground has hurt him and he is doing everything he can to fix it. While Tendulkar may not be having the reflexes of old and may be picking the ball up a bit late, one cannot doubt his enthusiasm and willingness to train.

Those wishing that he will retire in the middle of the series are mistaken. The message is clear. He won't retire now. Not like this. The greats choose their moment to go. Maybe, Tendulkar's farewell ought to be a touch sweeter.

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Sachin Tendulkar should speak to selectors about future: Kapil Dev

NEW DELHI: Saddened by the criticism that Sachin Tendulkar is facing due to his lean run, former Indian captain Kapil Dev said the veteran batsman should speak to the selectors about his future.

Tendulkar's poor run continued in the recently-concluded second Test against England which the visitors won in just four days despite the track being tailor-made to India's demands.

Following the 39-year-old's most recent failure, ex-captain Sunil Gavaskar said it was time for him to speak to the selectors. And now, Kapil has echoed his former teammate's view.

"Either selectors should speak to him or Sachin should himself have a word with them. The problem is that Sachin does not speak about it openly and the selectors have also been mum about it till now," Kapil said.

"This results in confusion amongst the fans and also invites criticism from everyone, especially when Sachin performs badly. Selectors should talk to him openly. He (Sachin) is a hero and one feels really bad to see fingers being pointed at him," he said.

After the defeat against England in the Mumbai Test, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is also facing the ire of former players. Kapil said Dhoni's place in the playing XI is in itself questionable.

"It is a big loss, indeed. We never let other teams dominate in our own conditions. But, this loss has raised some serious questions. We all know that Dhoni has performed badly in the last 8-10 Tests and going purely by performance, his place in the playing XI seems a bit doubtful.

"When you win, a captain takes the entire credit and similarly he will also be blamed when the team loses. He has let himself down and fans are feeling the same," said the 1983 World Cup winning skipper.

Kapil said that the team is going through a transition phase after retirement of legends such as Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman but hoped that it will bounce back in the remaining two Tests against England.

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South Africa relishing Perth after fighting draw

MELBOURNE: South Africa head into the third and final Test against Australia believing that if all else fails their deep reservoir of grit and determination can still be counted on to confront the most daunting of challenges.

Dominated by Australia for much of the epic, drawn Adelaide Test will feel like more of a victory for Graeme Smith's injury-hit Proteas, whose batsmen turned a seemingly hopeless cause into a brilliant save on the final day.

The series remains locked at 0-0 after Brisbane and Adelaide, and South Africa's status as the top-ranked Test side will be re-examined in Perth when the final match begins on Friday.

The Proteas skipper, however, paid credit to the resilience of his players, who remain unbeaten on tour since February 2010.

"It's really a strengthening point for us considering we haven't played very well," Smith said of the Adelaide draw.

"We had another couple of big injuries in this Test match that created a little bit of hassle for us and we still managed to scrape through after not being in great positions.

"We haven't been at our best but we still haven't been beaten, and that's a very rewarding feeling for us."

Having already lost all-rounder JP Duminy for the series with an Achilles injury, the Proteas withdrew frontline pacer Vernon Philander from Adelaide after he pulled up with a back injury.

All-rounder Jacques Kallis strained a hamstring early on Day One to compound South Africa's woes, but the 37-year-old battled on to score a half-century to help his team avoid the follow-on and then a gritty 38 in the fourth innings.

Duminy's injury opened the door for Faf du Plessis to produce a sensational debut, with 78 in the first innings and superb century in the second to guide South Africa to safety on day five and earn man-of-the-match honours.

Philander's replacement Rory Kleinveldt also made the most of his opportunity, taking three wickets to be the pick of South Africa's bowlers in the second innings after a wicketless debut in Brisbane.

Kleinveldt's performance, along with a dogged effort from pacer Morne Morkel, did gloss over a patchy Test for South Africa's bowlers, who were blasted for 482 runs on Day One.

Queries over Dale Steyn's fitness remain after he had treatment for a leg strain.

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir's international career may be over after he went wicketless for 260 runs, the most runs conceded without taking a wicket in Test cricket.

Philander is expected to be fully fit for Perth, but Smith had his fingers crossed that Kallis could be retained, despite the team's doctor all but ruling him out.

"To watch him be able to still perform with the bat was a crucial factor in the game," said Smith. "He played two very important knocks and his experience and skill definitely shone through.

"Ideally, we'd love to have him fit for Perth. He's definitely not going to bowl, but if we can have him just as a batter, that would be the ideal case."

Australia's bowlers were dead on their legs after toiling for a day and a half in the Adelaide heat without the support of injured pacer James Pattinson.

Australia captain Michael Clarke has already said Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle may not be fit enough for Perth and has called in a bullpen of back-up quicks as cover.

"Obviously, we've had an extra day of rest from a bowling perspective," Smith said. "Both teams will be pretty battered and bruised.

"We have five days left on this tour and an opportunity to create something special. That's what we were fighting for." 

 

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Sebastian Vettel is F1's youngest triple champion

 

Red Bull Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel of Germany (centre) celebrates winning the world championship Team Principal Chrisian Horner (left) after the Brazilian F1 Grand Prix at Interlagos circuit in Sao Paulo Nov 25, 2012. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel became Formula One's youngest triple world champion at the age of 25 after a wet and chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix rollercoaster won by McLaren's Jenson Button behind the safety car on Sunday.-- PHOTO: REUTERS

SAO PAULO (REUTERS) - Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel became Formula One's youngest triple world champion at the age of 25 after a wet and chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix rollercoaster won by McLaren's Jenson Button behind the safety car on Sunday.
The German, needing only a fourth place to join the greats as the first driver to win his first three titles consecutively, finished sixth after fighting back with a damaged car from last on the opening lap.
It proved enough after his sole rival Fernando Alonso, needing victory, crossed the line in his Ferrari in second place with Brazilian Felipe Massa third.
"You're a triple world champion. You're the man. You are a triple world champion," shouted team principal Christian Horner over the team radio as Vettel crossed the finish line after what he said later was the toughest race of his career.

Numbers Game: A look at Detroit's Thanksgiving Day Classic

Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson has yet to be on the winning side on Thanksgiving. (US Presswire)

When former Lions' owner G. A. Richards purchased the Portsmouth, Ohio, Spartans and brought the NFL to Detroit in 1934, the league was far from the worldwide brand it is today. Richards' franchise was clearly playing second fiddle to the Detroit Tigers, who were in the midst of back-to-back World Series appearances, and his team was struggling to draw fans despite a quality product on the field.
That's when Richards came up with the idea to hold a game on Thanksgiving Day, and the reigning World Champion Chicago Bears were chosen as the opponent. A Western Division crown was on the line, and Richards convinced the NBC Radio Network to broadcast the game live to a national audience.
The golden voice of Graham McNamee told the story of a 19-16 Chicago win, and the tradition of Thanksgiving football in Detroit -- bolstered by Richards' delight at an increase of 11,000 fans over his best non-holiday crowd that year -- was born.
Thursday's Lions-Texans game will be the 73^rd edition of Richards' holiday tradition, with the Lions looking for win No. 34.
Here's a look at some of the numbers that help tell the Lions' Turkey Day tale:
26,000 -- The estimated attendence at University of Detroit stadium for the first Thanksgiving Day game.
64,500 -- The capacity of sold out Ford Field for Thursday's Lions-Texans game -- 2.5 times the first game's attendence.
94 -- Number of NBC Radio Network stations that carried the first Thanksgiving Day game live.
200 -- Estimated number of CBS Television stations that will carry Thursday's game live.
24 -- Number of teams (including the Texans) that Detroit has played on Thanksgiving Day. Green Bay is Detroit's most common Thanksgiving opponent (20 games).
87 -- Number of points in the highest-scoring game in the series, a 52-35 Lions win over the Packers in 1951.
12 -- Number of points in the lowest-scoring game in the series, a 12-0 Philadelphia win in 1968.
7 -- Number of shutouts in the series. The Lions are 1-6.
8 -- Lions Thanksgiving Day wins in the 1950s, including 18-6 over Green Bay in 1957, Detroit's last NFL Champonship season.
1939-1944 ­-- The only years since 1934 that a Thanksgiving game has not been played in Detroit (due to World War II).
2 -- Number of overtime games. Detroit is 1-1 in overtime on Thanksgiving. The 1998 game was won on a Jason Hanson field goal. But it's best remembered as the game when referee Phil Luckett incorrectly heard Steelers' captain Jerome Bettis call “tails” in the overtime coin toss. Luckett's error gave the Lions the ball first, and ultimately the win.
3 -- Most touchdowns scored by a player, of which there have been nine.
6 -- Most touchdown passes by a quarterback in a game. Peyton Manning in a 41-9 Colts win over the Lions in 2004.
8 -- Number of games in the Lions' current Thanksgiving Day losing streak. Detroit's fans last went home happy in 2003, a 22-14 win over Green Bay.

England want to go to Kolkata with 1-1 scoreline: Trott

Jonathan Trott praised young India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for his unbeaten 206 in the first innings in Ahmedabad and said such knocks help a side to win matches. (AFP Photo)

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MUMBAI: England batsman Jonathan Trottsaid that the visitors are determined to level four-match series against India in the second Test in Mumbai starting Friday after losing the opener by nine wickets in Ahmedabad.

"I think it will be good to strike early and go to Kolkata 1-1. It is very important that we have that mindset. I think the conditions are bit different here but it will work in both the team's favour with regards to bounce and turn. Touring India is fine but playing good cricket is more important," he told reporters here.

"We need to produce on the field. We are looking forward to Friday. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to get 1-1," the South Africa-born English cricketer added.

Asked about the pitch on offer at the Wankhede Stadium for the second Test, Trott said, "I did have a look at the pitch. It looks a bit similar to the net wicket. It was turning a bit. When you come here, the red soil tends to spin a bit more and you generally get more spin in Mumbai.

"The ball is coming on fine. There is a little more bounce. Ahmedabad was low and slow but here you will find bounce a bit more. Hopefully, our seamers can exploit that."

Trott's assessment of the pitch is different from what India captainMahendra Singh Dhoni had expected.

After winning the first Test against England at Ahmedabad, Dhoni had expressed his displeasure at the Motera wicket and said that he wanted rank turners for the remainder of the series.

Trott praised young India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for his unbeaten 206 in the first innings in Ahmedabad and said such knocks help a side to win matches.

"We saw Pujara get a good double hundred and that is what wins you Test matches. If we had managed to get an extra 100 runs in the first innings and Alastair (Cook) playing in the same way (he did in the second innings), it would have been a different game. There are a lot of ifs but crux of the matter is that we are 0-1 down and we need to play a lot better on Friday," he said.

On his own form, Trott said, "Form goes up and down. It is a frustrating thing in cricket. There is no guarantee in life and cricket."

"We had good individual performances, but didn't play well as a team. We had opportunities to put India under pressure but it didn't happen."

In the Ahmedabad Test, Trott scored 0 and 17 in two innings and the English batsman wants to prove himself in the remainder of the series.

"I was ambitious coming to the Test tour of India and I want to make the most of it. There are three more matches left so I am looking forward to it," he said.

He added that the team has been successful in the last couple of years and will have to readjust its goal for the tough Indian series.

"We shared goals and how we wanted to achieve things and how we wanted to go about it. It happened a lot quicker than what we expected. It's good to readjust your goals and work towards it. We knew touring India would be a huge challenge. We understand the challenge that lays ahead of us in the next three games," Trott said.

Pepsi bags IPL title sponsorship rights for five years

Pepsi bags IPL title sponsorship rights for 5 years

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MUMBAI: Soft drink giants Pepsi pipped leading telecom communications provider Bharti Airtel to become the new title sponsors of the Indian Premier League with a whopping winning bid of Rs 396.8 crores for the next five seasons, starting 2013.

Airtel had offered Rs 316 crores, in the bid for the title sponsorship of the Twenty20 tournament, owned by the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI).

Farooq Abdullah, the chairman of the BCCI's marketing committee, announced that the rights had been won by PepsiCo over the next five seasons.

"The BCCI is very pleased to welcome PepsiCo as a central partner of the IPL. The value of the winning bid reflects the growth and success of the IPL," Abdullah said.

The bids were opened in front of the representatives of the only firms which took part in the process though four other parties had bought the Tender to Invitation from the Board, said IPL governing council chairman Rajeev Shukla.

Shukla said that the title-sponsorship contract was for a five-year period and will end in 2017.

Realty firm DLF ended its five-year-long association with the IPL as the title sponsor in August and the BCCI floated the tenders last month. DLF paid Rs 200 crore for the five year period of 2008-12.

"PepsiCo's bid is double of the Rs 200 crore paid by DLF in the first five seasons of the IPL. It is almost double than what DLF were giving us. DLF were giving 40 crores per year and Pepsi will be giving us on an average 79 crores per year," he said.

"So far our records of selling various properties of IPL has been very good. We have doubled, tripled or quadrupled the amount while selling some of the properties," Shukla said, adding that the fact that the bid by Pepsi was double that of DLF shows the grand success of IPL.

"PepsiCo are one of the largest sponsors in world sport and we look forward to working with them over the next seasons," he added.

Deepika Warrier, the executive director marketing of Pepsico Beverages, said she was happy that the company has reaffirmed its commitment to cricket.

"We have been associated with cricket for the last 20 years. The IPL is a tremendous product. It is a brand which rivals any other sporting brand across the world," she said.

"I think it's an absolutely game changing format. The kind of eyeballs, interest and viewership that the IPL gets in India and across the world is of great interest to us.

"We are very happy with the kind of investment and are confident of getting returns from our investment we are making in the IPL and in cricket in India over the next five years.

"The deal is the reaffirmation of Pepsi foods in India as a market and it's also our absolute commitment to cricket. Together with BCCI, we will take cricket to greater heights in India. It's a leadership stance from Brand Pepsi," she added.

The title sponsor rights include a number of branding and other marketing benefits to be received by the title sponsor at every IPL match during the season as specifically outlined in the Invitation to Tender.

The BCCI had made it clear in its tender notice that the companies which intend to sell off the rights after winning the bid are ineligible to apply in the first place.

Only corporate entities, whether in India or abroad, which are interested in placing a bid for themselves and/or their holding or subsidiary company(ies), for the purpose of the advertisement and promotion of their own brands within their primary product or services categories were eligible to participate in this tender process and to submit bids.

Cheteshwar Pujara, Pragyan Ojha power India to 9-wicket win over England

India made a triumphant start to the series after beating England by nine wickets in the first Test in Ahmedabad.

Ahmedabad: 

Virender Sehwag and Cheteshwar Pujara turned in an exhilarating batting display on a fifth-day track to complement a superb performance by the bowlers on the final morning as India surged to a nine-wicket victory, less than an hour after lunch, in the first Test against England at Motera in Ahmedabad on Monday (November 19).
Scorecard | How India won Ahmedabad Test

After Pragyan Ojha had ended England’s resistance by getting rid of Matt Prior and Alastair Cook, the two overnight batsmen, India lopped off the tail to bowl England out for 406 at the stroke of lunch.

Needing 77 for victory upon resumption, Pujara came out to open the batting with Sehwag following the non-availability of Gautam Gambhir, who missed the entire fourth day’s play as well as the first session on day five after having flown to New Delhi following the demise of his grandmother.

Sehwag and Pujara lay into the England bowling with a succession of brilliant strokes while adding 57 in just 59 deliveries. Pujara, in prime touch after his double hundred in the first innings, drove Graeme Swann against the turn through mid-off with great felicity while Sehwag too batted like a man with his confidence high, given that he had ended a two-year drought with a century in the first innings.

Sehwag was caught at long-on trying to cart Swann out of the ground to gift England a token wicket, but India rattled along to 80 for 1 in just 15.3 overs, making sure England didn’t have too much confidence to take into the second Test so far as their bowling is concerned.

England will take more heart from their second-innings batting effort after having been rolled over for just 191 in the first, though India’s bowlers came back strongly on the final morning.

Overnight 340 for 5 and ahead by 10 runs after trailing by 330 on the first count, England were bowled out for 406 just before lunch. Ojha did the early damage, getting rid of both overnight batsmen by first accounting for Prior, then snaring Cook, whose long vigil was ended by a delivery that kept low, turned and skidded through to hit the off-stump.

Buoyed by having dismissed the man who had steadfastly baulked them for the entire fourth day with one of the finest innings on Indian soil, India kept coming hard at England on a track that played more tricks than before, several deliveries shooting through and making life very difficult for Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

As is his wont, Dhoni began the day with pace at one end and spin at the other, but India had to wait until the 10th over the day before breaking through. A short delivery from Ojha elicited a strange stroke from Prior that flew back high to the bowler’s right, Ojha taking a smart catch to end a partnership of 157. Prior, who had batted quite beautifully, was dismissed for 91.

Cook, though, carried on and on. He was particularly watchful after Prior’s dismissal, but a rare lapse in concentration finally saw his back as he played a tired stroke and trudged back to the pavilion, having played 374 deliveries and struck 21 fours during his remarkable 176.

Sensing an opening, India were all over England, Umesh Yadav having Stuart Broad caught and bowled with a delivery that stopped on the batsman.

Tim Bresnan and Swann added 28 valuable runs for the ninth wicket when R Ashwin, eventually introduced in the day’s 24th over, got Swann on the reverse sweep. Zaheer Khan, who like Yadav bowled beautifully throughout the innings, had Bresnan smartly caught in the covers by Ajinkya Rahane, the substitute, as England were eventually bowled out with lunch imminent.

Ojha was the most successful bowler with 4 for 120, giving him match figures of 9 for 165, while Zaheer took 2 for 59 from 27.3 probing overs and Yadav 3 for 70.

Mirpur Test comes alive after late wickets

As it often happens on the subcontinent, the first Test between Bangladesh and West Indies burst open with possibilities out of nowhere in the last hour on day four. From the safety of 209 for 1, West Indies lost 5 for 35 in the space of 13.1 overs. They still lead by 215 going into the final day, but with the ill Shivnarine Chanderpaul uncertain to bat tomorrow, there is hardly any batting left. Though it still looks unlikely, this may well be Bangladesh's best chance to achieve what would be their first Test win against top opposition.

They have already made a huge statement for a side playing its first Test in a year by posting their highest total, 556. It beat the 488 they had made against Zimbabwe in Chittagong in January 2005. They also took the first-innings lead for only the ninth time in 74 Tests as Nasir Hossain cut loose in the first session.

After the euphoria of the morning, it seemed the final session would be a letdown for the vocal Mirpur holiday crowd when Kieran Powell and Darren Bravo motored towards a double-hundred partnership. However, Bravo's dismissal was to start a cascade of wickets.

Having batted with stylish authority for his 76, Bravo slashed a Rubel Hossain delivery to the wicketkeeper. The pitch, which had done next to nothing till now, suddenly made its presence felt. In the next over, Marlon Samuels watched in disbelief as a Sohag Gazi offbreak reared from good length, took the inside edge and flew to forward short leg.

Despite Chanderpaul not coming out at his designated No. 5 position, Powell - who became only the second West Indies opener after Gordon Greenidge to make a hundred in each innings - and Denesh Ramdin seemed to have quietened things again. It was to be the interval amid the twin storms.

Shakib Al Hasan, who had been carted around, struck in successive overs with arm balls - Powell edged one behind, Ramdin was trapped in front off the other. With no sign of Chanderpaul, debutant Veerasammy Permaul walked in. He drove Shakib for consecutive fours but the other debutant in the game, Gazi, bowled him off the last ball of the day with one that did not turn as much as the batsman expected. Darren Sammy survived two close lbw shouts from Shakib to round off the evening's chaos, which hardly anyone could have foreseen given the way Powell and Bravo were going.

After Chris Gayle fell cheaply to Rubel, Powell and Bravo grew in confidence to toy with the attack. Both used their feet well to spin, and slithered down every now and then to hit boundaries as the pitch refused to degenerate into a day-four subcontinent turner.

Bravo drew more comparisons with his famous uncle as he dispatched Shahadat Hossain for fours through the covers. Powell drove and steered Rubel for three fours in the 50th over to become only the ninth West Indies batsman to make two hundreds in a Test. Powell should not have made more than 17, but Bangladesh squandered two opportunities when they put him down off successive deliveries in the 16th over off Shahadat.

Shahadat had played his part with the bat in the morning, when he hung around for 29 deliveries to help Nasir carry Bangladesh past 550. The hosts made an emphatic start to the day when Mahmudullah punched the first delivery from Sunil Narine to the deep cover rope. Mahmudullah became the fourth Bangladesh batsman to go past fifty this innings, but also became the third to fail to convert it into a hundred when Narine got one to kick in for a catch to forward short leg.

Narine's first wicket had taken 158 deliveries, but he had the second four balls later when he bowled Gazi. Narine's belated relief was also to be short-lived as Nasir took charge after Mahmudullah's departure.

Nasir started the day on 33 off 75 deliveries; he went on to take 63 off the next 61. What stood out in his knock was the calm manner in which he attacked the spinners, who were lofted and slog-swept for boundaries. But he was to join Tamim Iqbal and Shakib, both of who had fallen short of centuries earlier. Tino Best bowled a sucker ball, full, slow and wide outside off, and Nasir edged it to wide slip on 96.

Nasir's was the third wicket to fall today, and seven more were to follow to make it ten for the day. That was as many as had gone down in the first three days put together. The pitch might not have turned alarmingly, but this game certainly has.

Best haul gives West Indies victory in first Test

Dhaka: Tino Best picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in tests as West Indies fought back to beat Bangladesh by 77 runs in the first test in Dhaka on Saturday.

Scorecard

The home side caved in under pressure and were all out for 167 runs in their second innings, having been set a target of 245 runs in a maximum of 78 overs to win on a fifth day track.

Best provided the killer blows to finish with a career best five for 24 as Bangladesh lost the test match despite scoring more than 550 runs in their first innings.

Bangladesh, who scored 556 in their first innings replying to West Indies' 527 for four declared, had the upper hand when a six-wicket haul by debutant off-spinner Sohag Gazi helped them dismiss the visitors for 273 in the second innings.

Gazi took all four West Indies wickets in the morning after the visitors resumed on 244 for six and returned with figures of six for 74 in the innings for a match haul of nine scalps, the best ever by a debutant for Bangladesh.

West Indies clawed their way back to reduce Bangladesh to 44 for two before lunch and maintained the pressure after it as they shackled the batsmen.

Best began his haul with the wicket of opener Junaid Siddique (20) after Ravi Rampaul made the first breakthrough by dismissing the other opener Tamim Iqbal for five.

The right-arm pacer had a rich haul in the second session when he took the wickets of Shakib Al Hasan, Shahriar Nafees and Mushfiqur Rahim to leave Bangladesh limping at 85 for five.

Shakib (two) got a snorter which bounced awkwardly from good length to take the edge for wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin to complete the catch.

Shahriar Nafees (23) was the next to go offering Best a return catch before the bowler trapped Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim (16) lbw to dampen the hosts' chances of a win.

Bangladesh's remaining hopes were over when debutant left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul dismissed Naeem Islam lbw for 26 and bowled Nasir Hossain for 21.

Gazi (19) tried to counter attack with some lusty blows but Permaul ended the fight when he had him caught out by substitute fielder Narsingh Deonarine at mid-off.

Shahadat Hossain survived only two balls as Best returned to take the final wicket of Mahmudullah, the top scorer for Bangladesh in the second innings with 29, to complete his five-wicket haul and the victory.

West Indies opener Kieran Powell was adjudged man of the match for his centuries in both innings.

Khulna, a new venue, will host the second and final test from Nov. 21.

Only Cheteshwar Pujara mastered Graeme Swann

Graeme Swann has done what Shane Warne couldn't do before —.commanded the respect of Indian batsmen and at times even foxed them and bossed them. Watching Swann bowl, with virtually no variation, but good, disciplined off-spin, makes one feel that doosras and carom balls are over-rated weapons. Most pundits have pronounced that Warne's success was attributable chiefly to his accuracy and then to his ability to intimidate. Swann may be the off-spinning version of a Shane Warne-style bowler. It's always fun watching Indian batsmen play good spinners.

If anyone truly mastered Swann, it was Cheteshwar Pujara. This guy has vindicated everyone's trust in his ability. His composure is remarkable. He wasn't batting too slowly; he was simply batting according to the ball being bowled. So at times he seemed to be circumspect and at other times he seemed aggressive. But nothing was pre-determined about his batting. It was like watching Geet Sethi notch up his huge scores on the Billiards table. Keep going by playing according to the merit of every ball being bowled, nothing more or less. Being on 98 overnight was a direct product of this discipline. It was almost like he truly internalised Sachin Tendulkar's mantra that 100 is just a number. Pujara is practicing what Tendulkar wishes he could. We all know that even the great Tendulkar plays differently while approaching landmarks.

The question that comes to mind is: Are the selectors looking in the wrong places for replacements? Pujara doesn't set the T20 world alight. He doesn't play ODIs for India. He is a thoroughbred Test batsman. Maybe he'll break into the ODI team, maybe he won't. But his Test place is assured. We were worried whether he can replace Rahul Dravid, and he has. Pundits will say, "Well, we have to see how he performs overseas." Considering his temperament, I'm sure he'll do well overseas too. And if one or two centuries per overseas series are the benchmark to keep your place in the team, then he'll easily make it.

Virat Kohli seems to be hitting bad form. He could do no wrong in the last 12 months and it appears that he is now finding run-making that much more difficult. But I give him a lot of credit for struggling through his 67 balls and not giving away his wicket. He should have been taken by Jonathan Trott early on, but he shrugged that off and kept going. Attitude wise, there were no shortcomings, but I do believe that his form is beginning a worrisome downward trend. It happens to every batsman, but they work it off. Time for Kohli to spend time with coach Duncan Fletcher and figure out a way out of this. He needs to grit it out.

Yuvraj Singh, too, played a determined innings and his hunger was evident in his approach. This is fantastic for Indian cricket that Yuvraj is trying hardest to secure his a Test berth. I hope he makes a couple of good hundreds in the next few Tests coming up and cements his place in the side for the next eight years or so. For India, a formidable Yuvraj coming in at No 6 can only demoralise the opposition bowlers. He can take the fight to the opposition or be willing to buckle down and graft. Basically, he has to bat according to the demands of the situation.

I have no words for Virender Sehwag's hundred. Whatever I say, he can prove me wrong in the next few matches. He could end up throwing his wicket away or he could slam a triple. The guy is crazy! The team can afford him and also feed off him. His failures don't necessarily result in losses, but his successes invariably lead to victory.

And finally, the elephant in the room — Sachin Tendulkar. What's he doing in this team of kids? It’s like Amitabh Bachchan playing a collegian in a Bollywood movie! I'm sure he'll reel off a couple of hundreds in this series. He's still got it. But I'm not watching the Test matches to see him score hundreds anymore. Been there, done that. Now I'm watching Pujara, Kohli and even the new Yuvraj and perhaps Ajinkya Rahane or Rohit Sharma.

AMIN INSPIRATION

AMIN INSPIRATION