Mahendra Singh Dhoni go past Kirmani's record


India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday done another milestone as he piped Syed Kirmani to become the Indian wicketkeeper with the highest number of dismissal in his kitty.

Dhoni confused Kraigg Brathwaite off Pragyan Ojha's bowling to bag his 199th victim in his 62nd Test match - one more than Kirmani who represent India in 88 Tests. Among Dhoni's 199 victims, 173 are wedged behind and 26 are stampings.

Apart from Dhoni and Kirmani, only Kiran More and Nayan Mongia are the other two wicketkeepers who have record more than 100 dismissals. More had 130 dismissals from 49 Tests while Mongia had 107 wounded from 44 Tests.

Chanderpaul century thwart India another time

West Indies 256 for 5 (Chanderpaul 111*, Brathwaite 63, Ojha 3-58) Vs India


India will look to enclose up the West Indies first innings when they take the field on the second day of the first test at the Feroz Shah Kotla..

On the first day, Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored a winning century to help the West Indies reach 256 for five at stump in New Delhi.

The duo had put on 108 for the fourth wicket before Brathwaite became the third wounded of the day for Pragyan Ojha (three for 58).

Ojha's fellow spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (two for 79) claims the other two wickets to fall on an opening day where honours ended relatively even between the two sides.

Having win the toss and opted to bat, West Indies openers Brathwaite and Kieran Powell put on 25 before the later became the first wicket to fall.

Powell had previously been drop by Ojha off his own bowling in the 10th over but he was not so fortunate two overs later when, still on 14, he was attentive lbw by the same bowler.

That brought Kirk Edwards to the fold and he added 20 with Brathwaite before becoming India's second injured party, Ojha this time cling on to a caught-and-bowled possibility to send the 27-year-old back for 15.

The West Indies' plight worsens after lunch when they lost Darren Bravo for 12, bowled by Ashwin.

However, the entrance of Chanderpaul gave Brathwaite the support he wanted and the duo started to turn the match around with an imposing century stand, during which both players bring up their half-centuries.

Brathwaite's fifty was only his second in Tests - compare to 57 for Chanderpaul - but the 18-year-old could not twist that into a maiden ton as he was dismiss in the final session.

The youngster was drawn onward by an Ojha delivery and he could not get his foot back in time before Mahendra Singh Dhoni whip the bails off to total the stumping.

That left the West Indies on 180 for four and they lost one more batsman not long after when Marlon Samuels, having strike three fours in a rapid 15, edged Ashwin through to Dhoni.

With their opponents 200 for five, India might have felt the challenge was edging their way, but Chanderpaul and Carlton Baugh (19 not out) respond with an continuous 56-run stand to leave the Windies in a sensible position at stumps.

During that partnership, the 37-year-old Chanderpaul reach his 24th Test century, attainment three figures with half-a-dozen fours and two sixes.

Sri Lanka countenance encounter to save series

Sri Lanka 413 and 164 for 5 (Paranavitana 66*, Sangakkara 51) lead Pakistan 340 (Younis Khan 122, Misbah 89, Azhar 53, Welegedara 5-87) by 237 runs


Sri Lanka retain hope of salvage a series draw next to Pakistan after final day four with a 237-run lead in spite of the loss of several late wickets.

The tourists head into the final day on 164 for five in their second innings after a middle-order fall down, but will hope to push their guide out towards 300 in the morning before having a break at the Pakistan batsmen.

Tharanga Paranavitana reach stumps on 66 not out after a stable 156-ball stay at the fold which features four fours and a six, while Kumar Sangakkara's half-century also kept Sri Lanka ticking along.

But Sangakkara's way out for 51 shortly after tea was the prelude to a trying evening session for the tourists.

Mahela Jayawardene (20), Angelo Mathews (13) and Kaushal Silva (naught) were all attentive lbw as the Pakistan attack summary Sri Lanka from 80 for two to 155 for five.

Paranavitana and Kosala Kulasekara (4no) saw Sri Lanka to stump without further loss, and both players will need to kick on in the morning if the tourists are to level the best-of-three series at 1-1.

Earlier in the day, Chanaka Welegedara claim his first five-wicket Test haul to help bowl Pakistan out for 340, giving Sri Lanka a useful first-innings benefit of 73.

Pakistan started the last but one day on 282 for six, trailing Sri Lanka by 131 runs, and they suffered a miserable start as Abdur Rehman (three) was dismiss in the first over without any addition to the overnight score, Welegedara the bowler with Paranavitana taking the catch in the slips.

Umar Gul could only give five to the total before him too fell, caught at mid-off by Mathews off the bowling of Rangana Herath, as Pakistan slip to 289 for eight.

However, captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who was winning on 50 overnight, help Pakistan, cut into Sri Lanka's benefit as he put on 47 for the ninth wicket with Saeed Ajmal.

That stand came to an end when Misbah, having strike seven fours and a six in his 89, was wedged at backward short leg by Tillakaratne Dilshan, Suraj Randiv the successful bowler.

The departure of Misbah bring Junaid Khan to the wicket but he was not capable to hang around as Welegedara bowled him between bat and pad for a duck, implementation his maiden five-wicket return in Tests and ending Pakistan's innings in the process.

Sri Lanka suffer an early blow as they looked to build on their lead after lunch when the prolific Dilshan was out in the opening over for four, the opener nick a Gul delivery to Mohammad Hafeez at third slip.

That bring Sangakkara to the wicket earlier than he would have hope, but the elegant left-hander steadily helped Sri Lanka recover next to opener Paranavitana.

Sangakkara's knock came to an end when he got too much altitude as he attempt to cut away a Hafeez delivery for four and Asad Shafiq took the catch at point.

Jayawardene look in good touch as he race away to 20 off just 30 balls before being attentive in front by Gul, while the off-spin of Ajmal accounted for Mathews and Silva inside four balls late on as Pakistan broken the day on top.

Pak Judges Responsibility PCB in force for fixing

Pakistan's senior judges, who conduct match-fixing investigation in the past, on Sunday said their recommendations to check dishonesty in cricket were ignored and that led to the latest betting disgrace.


A British judge on Thursday sentence former captain Salman Butt to 30 months, fast bowler Mohammad Asif to one year and Mohammad Amir to six months of jail for their roles in spot-fixing last year's Lord's Test next to England.Their agent Mazhar Majeed established a 32-month jail term.

Pakistan conduct different investigation on match-fixing between 1994 and 2000 but the menace resurfaced during the tour of England last year.

"When the young cricketers see a lot of money in the game, they get unfocused and go out of their minds to earn," said Justice retired Malik Mohammad Qayyum, who conduct a complete inquiry between 1998 to 2000.

"It was because of that I optional the Pakistan Cricket Board to check players' possessions from time to time, but no action was taken. Look at Amir; he is so young and talented, but had there been a proper check on him, this case would not have happen."

Retired judge Fakhruddin Ibrahim said fixing was not new in international cricket. "It's old and widespread disease," Ibrahim told.

"Too much money has made the game a business and too much dishonesty has come in, and that's not restricted to Pakistan only. It's a problem in India as well and other countries."

Ibrahim led the 1995 one-man charge to investigate allegation by Australian trio of Shane Warne, Tim May and Mark Waugh, who answerable then Captain Salim Malik for offering a bribe to underperform during their tour of Pakistan.

Ibrahim absolved Malik of all charges due to lack of proof after the Australian trio refuse to give their statements to the investigation in Pakistan.

"PCB needs to make this current case an example, but the trouble is that the appointments in the PCB are also political and merit is not follow, so such troubles surface," said Ibrahim.

Justice Qayyum record the trio's statement in Australia and barred Malik and paceman Ata-ur-Rehman. It also fine former captains Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq, and Mushtaq Ahmed and Akram Raza.

Another judge Ijaz Yousuf said he optional certain players to be banned in 1998. "We conducted an inquiry and optional that some players be banned and a new team be made, but that was never implement," said Yousuf.