Pakistan prevail in thrilling finale

Pakistan's long, long wait for a Test victory over Australia finally came to an end amid scenes of excruciating tension on the fourth morning at Headingley, as a simple equation of 40 runs for victory with seven wickets still standing was made to look as complex as the proof to Fermat's Last Theorem. They eventually crept home with three men still standing, but their collective nerves in tatters, as Umar Gul launched the winning shot through the covers with the scores already level.

The margin of victory looked more comfortable than it felt, and that's putting it mildly. The eventual difference between the sides was the wicketkeeper, Kamran Akmal, whose 13 from 26 balls was as close as Pakistan came to a composed fourth-day performance. That said, had Akmal been given out caught in the gully with five runs still required, who knows what miracles might have transpired. Mike Hussey's low scoop was turned down by the TV umpire, but after Mohammad Aamer had edged another four to balance the books, Akmal slammed another chance which Hussey this time plucked to his left.

The morning had begun amid scenes of raucous optimism from the noisy knots of Pakistan fans in the Western Stand - lured by five pound tickets and the prospect of a chance to witness history - and there was an early moment of poignancy as well, as Rudi Koertzen was given a guard of honour to commemorate the final day of his 108-Test umpiring career. 

But as soon as the focus returned to the centre of the field, Australia resumed their attack with the same vigour that had hauled them back into contention in the final moments of the third evening's play. Doug Bollinger, who had jolted Pakistan with two wickets in seven balls, made it three in 17 as the overnight anchor, Azhar Ali, feathered a length delivery through to Tim Paine, only moments after spanking a full toss through the covers to bring up his maiden Test half-century.

At 146 for 4, with a tantalising 34 still needed for victory and Australia's fielders cranking up the chatter, the stage could hardly have been less ideal for the impetuous Umar Akmal, a man who likes nothing better than to blaze away with impunity. He edged Ben Hilfenhaus for a streaky four through third slip, a shot accompanied by a roar of relief from the stands, but one over later, he was gone as well, via a flat-footed poke to a regulation outswinger.

With Bollinger bounding in with the unstoppable intent of a latter-day Merv Hughes, appeals and alarms were two-a-penny. Kamran Akmal survived consecutive appeals for caught behind and lbw - both rightly turned down by Koertzen - before Shoaib Malik was dropped one over later by a diving Michael Clarke at second slip. He couldn't make his luck count, however, as Marcus North at extra cover clung onto a full-blooded drive off Hilfenhaus, to leave Pakistan on the ropes at 161 for 6, with Aamer's appearance at No. 8 scarcely helping to settle the nerves.

Akmal's response was two priceless fours in five balls - the first a touch streaky as he snicked an outswinger away through third man, the second more emphatic as he got up onto his toes to punch a drive through extra cover. With 13 consecutive Test victories over Pakistan, including their corker at Sydney in January, Australia's belief did not waver at any stage of the morning, but in the final analysis, they were unable to make amends for their 88-all-out debacle on the first day.

Tendulkar denies blood-in-book report

New Delhi: Sachin Tendulkar has denied a report that his blood will be used in a special pictorial "celebration" book on the career of the Indian cricket legend.
The mammoth book slated to appear in February is designed to be the "ultimate tribute to a living sporting legend" and "the definitive work on his life and career", publishers Kraken said.
The 37-year-old Tendulkar, who is in Sri Lanka playing a Test series, denied reports which appeared last week in British newspaper The Guardian that his blood would used on the book's signature page.
"There is no truth in my blood being part of the book," Tendulkar told The Times of India in comments published on Saturday.
Kraken chief executive Karl Fowler was quoted by the British broadsheet as saying 10 copies of the book would be printed using Tendulkar's blood.
Fowler, who had been earlier cited as saying Sachin's blood would be "mixed into the paper pulp so it's a red resin" told the Times of India that his comments had been "misunderstood."
"The Opus will not carry any blood as mentioned in the several articles/TV reports that have appeared over the past few days," The Times quoted Fowler as saying.
"I believe my thoughts on this matter have been misunderstood," the publisher added.
News reports say around 1,000 Opus copies, each numbered and personally signed, will go on sale at 2,000 to 3,000 dollars.
Each of the 852 pages are 50 centimetres (20 inches) square and edged in gold leaf. The publication weighs 37 kilograms (82 pounds) and contains around 1,500 images and more than 300,000 words.
Tendulkar is the first cricketer to be given the Opus treatment. Previous works have been published on Ferrari, Manchester United, Diego Maradona, Michael Jackson and the Burj Khalifa.

Malinga rested, Mendis likely to replace Muralitharan

Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga, who helped bowl his side to a 10-wicket victory over India in the first Test on Thursday, has been rested on medical advice for the second Test that starts on Monday.
Malinga was rested on the advice of team physiotherapist Tommy Simsek after the bowler complained of stiffness in his right knee, chairman of selectors Aravinda de Silva said.
The 26-year-old, who only returned to the test arena at Galle after having last played a test match in Dec. 2007 because of an injury to the knee, took five for 50 in India's second innings that helped his side to a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
"We have to be cautious with Malinga. He was not feeling quite fit to go through a five-day Test. He complained of stiffness in his knee," said De Silva.
Malinga will be replaced by Dilhara Fernando.
Ajantha Mendis who took six for 67 in a three-day game against India but was overlooked for the first test, was named in the 16-man squad and is likely to take the now retired Muttiah Muralitharan's position.
Muralitharan retired after he took his 800th test wicket with his final delivery at Galle.
Former captain Mahela Jayawardene was named as Kumar Sangakkara's vice-captain to replace Muralitharan.
"We want Mahela who has a good cricket brain to be part of the decision-making in the middle," said De Silva.
Sri Lanka squad: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tharanga Paranavitana, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis, Dilhara Fernando, Chanaka Welegedara, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Thilina Kandamby, Dammika Prasad, Lahiru Thirimanne, Nuwan Pradeep.

Sangakkara and Paranavitana punish India

The Test is only a day old but already it appears as though it's Sri Lanka's game to lose. As expected, the lambs were led to slaughter. The Indian bowling attack defined mediocrity and Sri Lanka bossed it around in style to reach a strong position by the end of the opening day in Galle. Kumar Sangakkara and Tharanga Paranavitana sealed well-compiled tons as the hosts galloped towards gaining complete control before rains brought an early end to the day's play.

No Test hundred is easy. Especially if it's scored against a team ranked No. 1 in the world. However, this was one of the easier hundreds Sangakkara has scored against a top-ranked team. A maiden hundred, though, is never easy irrespective of the opposition and Paranavitana played splendidly to get to his. His celebration was befitting of the landmark: He screamed in delight, pumped his fists, jumped in joy, and ran almost all the way to the boundary.

What stood out was the ease with which Paranavitana and Sangakkara progressed. It appeared as though they were having a net session. India's weak bowling attack was further handicapped by Harbhajan Singh's ailment. He hobbled away during the second session and, though he returned to bowl later, was still suffering from the after effects of the injury and illness that threatened his presence in the team. He hardly looked his best and once again disappeared into the pavilion in the final session.

Without Harbhajan in his element, India's attack lacked bite, inspiration and skill, which was reflected in the lines bowled. Pragyan Ojha pinged the middle-and-leg line with a backward short leg and short leg in place. Often, he slipped the ball outside leg. While Paranavitana swept and worked him behind square leg, Sangakkara backed away to cut from middle stump. Never did it seem that he was taking any undue risk.

Harbhajan bowled farther outside off and hardly got the two left-hand batsmen to drive. He had a short cover and a short extra cover in place but the length and line was never right for the drive. The part-timer Virender Sehwag eventually produced mistakes from the batsmen. Sangakkara, on 65, edged a square drive but MS Dhoni couldn't catch a straightforward chance and Paranavitana edged an attempted cut but Yuvraj Singh couldn't reach it despite a dive at backward point.

For the main part, the batsmen sparkled with pretty stroke play. Sangakkara's best shot was an on-the-up punch to the straight boundary off Ishant Sharma, who was poor in his first couple of spells. Sangakkara repeatedly tucked and punched Ishant through the on side and used his crease to cut and drive the spinners. He sashayed down the track to crash Ojha to the long-on boundary and swept and cut Harbhajan. Early in his innings, Sangakkara played a couple of expansive shots - one which flew just past short extra cover and the other which vanished over the slips - but he quickly settled down. The trademark Sangakkara hits were on display: the square drive on bent knee, the cover-drive hit with a high front elbow, and the precisely placed cuts and the occasional dash down the track.

His partner Paranavitana had started with two edged boundaries in Ishant's first over but quickly tightened his game. He rarely chased the ball, he rarely tried to play an expansive shot and he rarely looked in trouble. There was a punchy drive through extra cover against Ishant and an off-driven boundary in the same over during the first session. There was also a moment of apprehension, when he got a leading edge against Harbhajan in the last over before lunch, but Gautam Gambhir couldn't react quickly enough at silly point to take it. Paranavitana continued to make merry after the break: He flicked and off drove Mithun, slog swept and straight drove Ojha, and rotated the strike with dabs and nudges.

Sangakkara had chosen to bat after overnight rain delayed the start and left the pitch damp in Galle. Though Sri Lanka lost Tillakaratne Dilshan, who gloved an attempted pull against Mithun, they hardly broke a sweat thereafter.

The manner of Sangakkara's dismissal captured the spirit of the day. The ball was a long hop from Sehwag and Sangakkara pulled it straight to Sachin Tendulkar at deep midwicket. It seemed the only way the Indians were going to buy a wicket and it was aptly gifted to Sehwag, the best Indian spinner on view.

There were couple of other moments that indicated perhaps the course of the Test. The first was when Ishant got a delivery to kick up from short of a length with a puff of dust from the pitch. A few overs later, Ojha drifted one in from round the stumps, pitched the ball on leg and middle and got it to spin across Mahela Jayawardene's bat. Muttiah Muralitharan, eight wickets short of 800, wouldn't have missed either sign