Kohli tied 6th in T20 rankings
Dubai: Virat Kohli is the highest-ranked Indian batsman at joint sixth but there is no Indian presence in the top-10 of the bowlers’ list in the latest ICC Twenty20 Rankings issued here on Wednesday. At eighth, Suresh Raina is the second Indian batsman in the top-10 with Yuvraj Singh being a distant next best at 16th. Off-spinner R Ashwin is the highest-ranked Indian bowler at 16th in the chart. Elsewhere, Pakistan will begin their two-match Twenty20 International series against Zimbabwe on August 23 with an aim to reduce the gap with number-one ranked Sri lanka. The two-match series starts in Harare with the second match scheduled to be held on 24 August. Currently ranked second with 124 ratings points, Mohammad Hafeez’s side can gain one ratings point if it wins both the matches, to finish with 125 ratings points and thereby reduce the gap with number-one ranked Sri lanka (128) to three.
Akram marries Australian gf
lahore: Former Pakistan cricket captain Wasim Akram on Wednesday announced he had married his Australian girlfriend, Shaniera Thompson, after clerics contended it was “sinful” for the couple to live together without being wed. “I married Shaniera in lahore last week in a simple ceremony and this is the start of a new life for me, my wife and for my kids,” Akram was quoted as saying by a local journalist. Akram, 47, proposed to the 30-year-old former public relations consultant last month and they married on August 12 in the presence of immediate family, sources said. “last week, Akram married Shaniera during a gathering at a farm house on Defence Road. Only family members participated in the ceremony,” a source said. Akram’s father is unwell and wanted to see his son married again, the sources said. His first wife Huma died in 2009.
Kallis eyes last shot at ODI WC
Johannesburg: Senior all-rounder Jacques Kallis has decided to end his six-month long sabbatical from ODIs and is ready to return to the South African squad for a last shot at the 50-over World Cup to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand in 2015. Kallis on Tuesday reiterated his intention to extend his ODI career and to be a part of the Proteas team in their quest to win the next edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup. “Playing for my country has always been both a huge honour and a privilege,” Kallis said in a statement released by Cricket South Africa (CSA). “It remains my aspiration to be available for the 2015 edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup but, at the same time, I know as an all-rounder approaching my 38th birthday, I will need to assess my future in the game season by season. “At the moment I am feeling mentally and physically refreshed and I am looking forward to carry on playing for my country as long as possible,” he said.
pcb asks Akmal for new mri scan
Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board has ordered a fresh MRI scan on young batsman Umar Akmal who claimed to be fit after returning home early from the Caribbean Premier league. Umar returned to lahore after being called by the PCB from the West Indies where he was playing in the CPl and is said to have suffered a epileptic fit while on a flight from Trinidad to Antigua. “I am fit and there is nothing wrong with me. I have had some tests in the West Indies and they were clear. Such reports cause distress to my family and my fans,” Umar said blaming the media for spreading unfounded stories about his fitness. The rigt-handed batsman said he had brought his medical reports with him and would also meet the PCB chairman, Najam Sethi to clear up the matter. But the Board was clearly not satisfied and after going through his medical reports ordered him to undergo another MRI at the Shaukat Khanum hospital.