England win toss, bat on flat Abu Dhabi track

ABU DHABI: England captain Alastair Cook won the toss and chose to bat in the first day-night international against Pakistan at Abu Dhabi Stadium here on Monday. Routed 3-0 in the preceding Tests by Pakistan, England brought in new faces in Steven Finn, Samit Patel and Ravi Bopara for the four-match one-day series. Pakistan kept the same combination which beat Afghanistan by seven wickets in the only one-day played in Sharjah on Friday, resisting the temptation to play left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman. Teams: Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Farhat, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik. England: Alastair Cook (capt), James Anderson, Ravi...

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Ponting may replace injured Clarke as captain

SYDNEY: Australia captain Michael Clarke will miss Friday’s tri-series one-day international against Sri Lanka with a hamstring injury, Cricket Australia said on Monday. Clarke strained his right hamstring while fielding during Australia’s four-wicket ODI loss to India in Adelaide on Sunday. The Australia skipper said scans on Monday revealed that the injury was not too serious. “I have a grade one hamstring strain so will be out of Friday’s game,” Clarke posted on Twitter. Australia will name a replacement captain on Tuesday for the Sydney ODI against Sri Lanka, with wicketkeeper and vice-captain Brad Haddin and ex-skipper Ricky Ponting in the frame. Regular vice-captain Shane Watson only returned to club cricket last weekend...

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Probables for Olympics to be finalised next week, says Bajwa

KARACHI: Probables for the Olympic Games will be finalised in a week’s time, secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Asif Bajwa told reporters on Friday. “We would be holding extensive training camps for the players before finalising the squad for the Olympics,” he said. “Our focus is to provide maximum training and coaching to help players remove their deficiencies. “The probables need to harness their skills and improve in various areas of the game,” Bajwa emphasised. Commenting on the selection of veteran forward Rehan Butt, the PHF official said the selectors and chief coach were evaluating his form and fitness in order to decide his fate. He said the PHF was planning longer camps for the probables in Europe and...

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