Friday 13 February 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

IS seizes Iraq town near base housing US forces: Pentagon

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - Islamic State jihadists have captured the western Iraqi town of Al-Baghdadi, putting them close to an air base where US troops are training Iraqi forces, the US military said Friday.The sprawling Al-Asad air base came under attack Friday by IS militants but Iraqi soldiers repelled the assault, which involved suicide bombers, Iraqi and US officials said.We do assess that right now they have control of Al-Baghdadi, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told a news conference, adding they took hold of the town in the past several days.The town is located in Anbar province and is only kilometers from Al-Asad air base, where about 300 US Marines are stationed to assist Iraqi government troops.A group of 20-25 IS fighters, wearing Iraqi army uniforms, carried out the attack on the base, according to Kirby. All of the militants were killed or died when detonating suicide bombs.He said that at no time were US troops anywhere near the fighting.Kirby said the fall of Al-Baghdadi, one of the few towns that had remained under the Baghdad governments control, did not represent a major setback in the overall war effort.This is arguably the first in at least a couple of months, if not more, where they (IS) have had any success at all at taking any new ground, Kirby said.So this is an enemy that we still assess to be in a defensive posture.He added: Its one town. Its not all of Anbar. Its not all of Iraq.We need to keep it in perspective.

McCullum, Anderson get New Zealand off to World Cup flyer

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SYDNEY (AFP) - New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and Corey Anderson both made dashing fifties as the World Cup co-hosts launched the tournament with an imposing 331 for six against Sri Lanka in Christchurch on Saturday.After all the hype for the tournament, an event which officials predict will attract a potential global television audience of 2.5 billion people, rain briefly played a spoiling role at Christchurch.No sooner had Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to field then light rain forced a delay at a chilly Hagley Oval.But fortunately for the players and hardy spectators, the match -- which took place nearly four years to the day since an earthquake devastated Christchurch -- started in a touch of drizzle just a matter of minutes later than scheduled.McCullum, bidding to lead his side to a maiden World Cup title after six semi-final appearances, cover-drove his first ball to the boundary and made a quickfire 65 before he holed out off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, the first bowler to take a wicket at this World Cup.Meanwhile the hard-hitting Anderson, out off the last ball of the innings, made 75 off just 46 deliveries faced.The most astonishing feature of the innings, however, was that Sri Lanka spearhead Lasith Malinga, went wicketless in an expensive 10-over spell costing 84 runs.They (New Zealand) batted really well, said Sri Lankas Jeevan Mendis. We need two batsmen to step up and the rest bat around them. Worryingly for Sri Lanka -- the 1996 champions and beaten finalists at the last two World Cups -- New Zealand have never lost a home one-day international after scoring more than 300 runs batting first.There will be little love lost later Saturday when arch-rivals Australia and England meet for a Valentines Day clash in front of an estimated crowd of more than 90,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Australia are in search of a fifth World Cup crown and England their first, having made the most recent of their three losing appearances in the final when the tournament was last staged in Australia and New Zealand in 1992.The Australians will be overwhelming favourites to launch their 2015 campaign with a victory given theyve beaten England in 13 of their last 15 home ODI matches.However, defending champions India are the only team to have lifted the trophy on their own turf in the tournaments 40-year history. You can view that as pressure if you like, or you can view that as a wonderful opportunity and an honour, said stand-in skipper George Bailey of playing in a home World Cup.England, who ditched captain Alastair Cook before they set off for Australia, appear a long shot to end their World Cup drought but coach Peter Moores told the BBC: I think in the team we can attack from a lot of different positions.If Australia-England represents crickets oldest international rivalry, India-Pakistan is its fiercest and the two Asian nations will open their World Cup against one another in Adelaide on Sunday in a game for which tickets sold out within 20 minutes.Pakistan, who won their only World Cup in Australia in 1992, have endured a chaotic build-up with match-winning spinner Saeed Ajmal suspended because of a suspect action and eight players already fined for breaking a curfew.South Africa, looking to end their World Cup heartache, boast some of the worlds leading players, including captain AB de Villiers -- who, against the West Indies, recently smashed the fastest one-day international century, off just 31 balls.West Indies won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979 and were runners-up in 1983 but since then, their best performance was a run to the semi-finals in 1996.Serial giant-killers Ireland, as well as Scotland, will look to cause an upset but the Celtic nations will have to cede heroic underdog status at this tournament to Afghanistan.Making their debut at the World Cup, it has been an incredible journey for Afghanistan whose players learnt the game as refugees in Pakistan -- a game that was once banned by the Taliban.

Tennis: Wawrinka storms on serve to reach Rotterdam semi-finals

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ROTTERDAM (AFP) - Stan Wawrinka was untouchable on serve in the opening set as the Swiss powered into the semi-finals of the ATP Rotterdam World Tennis event on Friday with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over Gilles Muller.Fourth seed Wawrinka will Saturday face second seed Milos Raonic, whose big serve accounted for a mere six aces in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky.The Canadian winner has lost in all three previous matches to Wawrinka. Its a short stay so far in Rotterdam, but I am glad to be in the semi-finals, said Raonic, making his Dutch debut. The most important was to get this win.Wawrinka started out on fire in the opening set as he committed one error and fired at 100 percent on first serves on his way to defeating Muller for the second time this season. Wawrinka matched Muller on serve, with nine apiece; he finished with 21 winners.It was a really close first set, but it was a very good match for me, said Wawrinka, who last played here in 2005. Im getting better and better with each match.There was nothing really wrong with my game, I think I did everything pretty well. Im very pleased with how it went. Gilles has such a big serve that there is little chance to break him.But I have to keep up this level for the semi-finals, nothing will be easy.At the top of the draw, Frenchman Gilles Simon ended a 12-match losing streak to Andy Murray as he dumped the top seed out in the quarter-finals.The persistent challenger stood 1-12 against the two-time Grand Slam winner and unleashed one of his best performances to stage the 6-4, 6-2 upset.Simon will take a 6-3 record into his semi-final with defending champion Tomas Berdych, who scraped his knuckles during a second-set fall on court on the way to a defeat of Gael Monfils 6-1, 6-4.Murray, who went down double breaks at the start of each set, confessed to getting off to a poor start; the recent Australian Open finalist admitting he never found the rhythm to recover.I struggled with most shots and I had a poor start, said the world number four who won the Dutch title in 2009.I felt like it was tough hitting the ball in the slower conditions.My timing was well off. Simon is a top, top player who has been around the top 20 for most of his career. None of the matches Ive won against him have been easy. He fights to the end and likes to extend the rallies.Thats his game. I didnt feel tired but I certainly did not start well. I was not hitting the ball well from the back of the court and I made a lot of mistakes in the rallies.Ive lost so many times to Murray that Im not afraid at all, said the 19th-ranked French winner. I know his game so well, there are no surprises. I knew what to expect and so did he.It was hard for me at the end to close it out, but the win was really worth it.Playing him gets easier every time that I do it. Im happy that I was successful today. Against Berdych I hope to continue just like this.Berdych has now reached his third ATP semi-final of the season after posting his fourth win from five meetings with quirky French player Monfils, a former world number seven now ranked 21st.Berdych landed on his hand in the third game of the second set and had the trainer out to take a look before playing on without incident.The Czech fired seven aces among his 32 winners during the 71-minute match, breaking on three of nine occasions and never facing a break point.Monfils, whose enthusiastic game can go on and off the boil in an instant, saved a match point in the penultimate game before Berdych set up two more match-winners with a forehand cross-court.

Tennis: Serena seeking to succeed Venus in Dubai

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DUBAI (AFP) - Serena Williams restarts her 2015 campaign after her Australian Open triumph last month by seeking to end a Middle East drought by succeeding big sister Venus as champion.She does so having just made three pieces of tennis history. The 33-year-olds success in Melbourne made her the oldest open era winner of that title, yet she arrives at the Dubai Open starting Sunday without having won the title in four attempts.Williams tenacious Australian exploits also carried her total of Grand Slam titles to 19, overtaking both Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, and moving her to within three of the open era record of Steffi Graf. Yet the best the now-legendary American has managed in this region is a final in nearby Doha.Next week offers a decent chance of putting that right, especially as Williams proved last month that she has found a way of coping even when she isnt feeling too good.It was so long (five years) since Id even been in a final in Melbourne that I was like, Oh let me just try, Williams explained. My theory now is to relax and play the match as best as I can. I dont have to win any more.Describing how she acquired this pressure-free attitude, she said: it started last year when I was so hyped on trying to get to 18 Grand Slam titles.Its great to have good intensity, and at the same time to keep calm and not get over worked up. Thats what Ive been working on.If Williams is able to maintain this difficult synthesis here she should have a better chance of this elevated Premier 5 tournament, whose draw size has been doubled to 64 players, which contains nine of the worlds top ten, and which offers $2.5 million prize money. Her third piece of recent history-making came last week when she agreed to return to Indian Wells next month, for the first time since she and Venus decided to boycott the tournament 14 years ago after the now-notorious hostility of spectators.Although Venus apparently does not plan to join Serena on an emotional return to southern California she will be accompanying her here in Dubai where she is used to taking more of the limelight than little sister.Venus returns as titleholder, having last year avenged Serenas semi-final loss to Alize Cornet of France, and in the process becoming both the first wild card and the first unseeded player to win the title.Venus also returns with her highest world ranking in four years - it has risen to 11 after defeating former Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska en route to the last eight in Australia - and she has fresh hopes of regaining a place in the top ten despite having had her chances written off by some people. The 34-year-old former winner of seven Grand Slam titles nevertheless still lives with chronic health problems which can cause unexpected fluctuations in form. Sometimes in life you just have to learn to deal with the cards you been dealt, Venus says. Its been an adjustment, getting used to how I need to live now.She left Australia rather ominously commenting: It feels like a long season already, with so many matches in a row. In fact Venus has played only ten matches this year, after winning the Auckland title by beating Caroline Wozniacki in the final.However she will probably have to defend the Dubai title unseeded, in which case she could meet the former world number one from Denmark at an early stage this time - or indeed any of the main contenders in a superb field.It also contains the Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, the Wimbedon finalist Eugenie Bouchard, the former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, the French Open finalist Simona Halep, and the 2012 Dubai champion Agnieszka Radwanska.

Golf: Aussie Jones shares Pebble Beach lead with Snedeker

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PEBBLE BEACH (AFP) - Australias Matt Jones fired eight birdies in a six-under-par 66 on Friday to share the halfway lead with former champion Brandt Snedeker at the $6.8 million Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in California.Snedeker and Jones finished 36 holes at 12-under-par 131, one stroke ahead of overnight co-leader Justin Hicks.John Daly, who started the day one off the lead, couldnt find a birdie over his last 11 holes and fell six shots adrift. First-round co-leader J.B. Holmes also struggled and found himself six back and in danger of missing the cut.The field will be reduced after Saturdays third round, after every player has tested each of the three courses in use over the first three rounds -- the par-72 Pebble Beach Golf Links, par-72 Spyglass Hill and par-71 Monterey Peninsula.Australian Jason Day, who vaulted to fourth in the world with his playoff win at Torrey Pines on Sunday, made a big move toward the top, carding a nine-under 62 at Monterey Peninsula to join a group tied for 14th on nine-under par despite being unwell.Snedeker had five birdies without a bogey in his five-under 67 at Spyglass Hill.The 34-year-old American won the Pebble Beach crown in 2013 and went on to win the Canadian Open the same year, but hasnt added to his six US tour titles since then.Jones is seeking to add a second US title to the Houston Open crown he captured last year.Hicks fired a three-under 68 at Monterey Peninsula and was alone in third on 11-under 132.Ten players were tied at 10-under: Jon Curran, Billy Horschel, Charlie Beljan, Michael Putnam, Chez Reavie, Daniel Berger, Alex Prugh, Will Wilcox, David Hearn and Chesson Hadley.Days move into contention was all the more impressive since the 27-year-old thought a stomach ailment might prevent him from teeing off.Day said he thought he caught a bug from his young son Dash, who was so ill earlier this week that his parents took him to a hospital emergency room.He had some stomach problems and he was throwing up, Day said. And then he gave it to my wife and then my wife gave it to me. So I didnt think I was going to play today, especially 30 minutes before my round because I was feeling pretty awful.Day shook it off to post a 62 that included an eagle and eight birdies with just one bogey.To be able to shoot nine-under out there with how sick I was, thinking about pulling out, was pretty special, Day said.

India to resume talks with Pakistan after 6-month hiatus

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NEW DELHI (AP) - India is sending its top foreign ministry official to Pakistan to resume talks after a six-month hiatus.Taking advantage of the Cricket World Cup, where their teams play this weekend, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted Friday he spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the phone and offered to further strengthen ties.Sharif welcomed the Indian officials proposed visit to Pakistan to discuss all issues of common interest, Sharifs press secretary said in a statement in Islamabad. No dates have been announced for the visit.Modi also said he spoke to leaders of some of Indias other neighbors Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan all cricket-mad nations participating in the sports competition being jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.Conveyed my best wishes for the Cricket World Cup, Modi said.Indias Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar is also scheduled to visit Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan apart from Pakistan, Modi said.Last August, India called off talks with Pakistan after its ambassador in New Delhi met with Kashmiri separatist leaders, saying the Pakistani official could either talk with India, or talk with the rebels.The setback came shortly after India and Pakistan had agreed to resume talks in May when Sharif attended Modis inauguration.As tensions increased, Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged fire regularly in the disputed Kashmir region.The United States said Friday it would welcome a resumption of talks.The relationship between India and Pakistan is critical to advancing peace and security in South Asia, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in Washington.India and Pakistan have used cricket diplomacy to break past impasses.Then-Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met with then-Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2011 during a World Cup cricket match in the northern city of Chandigarh, using the same cover employed in 2005 by then-President Pervez Musharraf for a meeting with Singh during an India-Pakistan cricket match.Then-President Ziaul Haq visited Jaipur, India, to watch a cricket match between the two countries in the 1980s.Since their independence from Britain in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought three wars, two of them over Kashmir. Both countries control parts of the Himalayan region and claim it in its entirety.

Portland worker pleads guilty for role in Pakistan bombing

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PORTLAND (AP) - A Pakistani man who worked at a sewage plant pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact to a suicide bombing that killed about 30 people in Pakistan and injured another 300.Reaz Qadir Khan, 51, admitted before Judge Michael Mosman on Friday that he arranged for Ali Jaleel to receive $2,450 before Jaleel participated in the May 2009 attack. He also admitted providing financial help and advice to Jaleels wives after the bombing, with the knowledge it would help them avoid capture.The judge set sentencing for June 8. Prosecutors and defense attorneys have jointly requested a sentence of seven years and three months in federal prison. The maximum possible sentence is 15 years.Khans attorney, Amy Baggio, did not immediately return a phone call or email seeking comment about the unexpected decision to plead guilty.Jaleel was one of three people who carried out the attack at Pakistans intelligence headquarters in Lahore. Jaleel, who died in the attack, took responsibility for the bombing in a video released by al-Qaida.Khan was arrested in March 2013 and placed on leave from his city job as a wastewater treatment plant operator.According to the indictment, Khan conspired with Jaleel starting in December 2005. The following month, Jaleel sent Khan an email that prosecutors said referred to past mutual promises he and Khan had made to seek martyrdom in the name of Allah.According to the indictment, Jaleel emailed Khan in 2008 about his plan to travel to Pakistan. Two years earlier, Jaleel had been part of a small group from the Maldives that tried to enter Pakistan for training, but he was detained, returned home and placed under house arrest.Khan, the indictment states, instructed Jaleel on how to avoid detection and offered financial help.In October 2008, Jaleel wrote that he needed money. Prosecutors said Khan arranged to have $2,450 waiting for Jaleel in Karachi, Pakistan.Jaleel wrote to Khan the following month, saying he was about to enter training camp and did not need all the money. Khan told Jaleel to keep the money so it could be sent to Jaleels two wives in the Maldives, the indictment said.Shortly after the suicide attack, Khan wired almost $750 from an Oregon store to one of Jaleels wives, the indictment says.Khan was born in Pakistan and has lived in the United States since 1988.

Sri Lanka fight back with two quick wickets

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CHRISTCHURCH (Dunya News) – Right-arm leg-spinner Jeevan Mendis took two wickets on successive balls in the 34th over to bring Sri Lanka back into the match against New Zealand on Saturday.Mendis first claimed the wicket of Kane Williamson when he was caught by Karunaratne at deep mid-wicket and on the next ball got the wicket of Ross Taylor who was stumped by Sangakkara. Williamson scored 57 runs while Taylor made 14 runs. New Zealand were 193/4 at the end of the 34th over.After put into bat first, New Zealand openers Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill gave got off to a blistering start and added 111 runs for the opening stand. Left-arm leg-spinner Rangana Herath broke this partnership and removed dangerous Brendon McCullum in the 16 over. McCullum scored 65 runs off just 49 balls with the help of 10 fours and a towering six. Martin Guptill was caught by Sangakkara off the bowling of Lakmal. Guptill scored 49 runs.

Oil extends gains on hopes for more balanced market

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NEW YORK (AFP) - World oil prices rose Friday as the market found reasons to hope for a decline in US oil production and improved demand in the eurozone.US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for March delivery closed at $52.78 a barrel, a gain of $1.57 from Thursdays close.Brent North Sea crude for April, the international benchmark, leapt $2.24 to $61.52 a barrel in London trade, crossing above $60 for the first time this year.The story is mostly about optimism the oil demand will pick up after solid numbers in the eurozone, said Phil Flynn of Price Futures Group.Economic activity in the eurozone was up slightly in the fourth quarter, expanding by a better-than-expected 0.3 percent after a 0.2 percent rise in the third quarter, according to official data released Friday. The currency blocs fourth-quarter growth was led by a 0.7 percent gain in Germany, Europes largest economy, that also beat estimates.On the supply side, the market was supported by a new attack on a petroleum site in Libya which could disrupt production, and, notably, by another drop in the number of rigs in operation in the United States.According to the Baker Hughes US drilling rig count, the number of rigs in operation fell by 84 this week (7.4 percent) to 1,056.The people that are bearish argue rig counts cuts dont matter because the rigs that are taken off are ones that dont produce much oil, Flynn said. But my take on it: If you think it wont have an impact over time, youre mistaken.Some analysts remained skeptical that there will be a sustainable rebound in the price of oil, which has shed about 60 percent of its value since June.News of companies forecasting falling output and layoffs in the oil and gas industry is stoking the expectation that oil production will correspondingly reciprocate and drop off precipitously (spoiler: it wont), said Matt Smith of Schneider Electric in a market note.News of companies forecasting falling output and layoffs in the oil and gas industry is stoking the expectation that oil production will correspondingly reciprocate and drop off precipitously (spoiler: it wont), Smith said.A US stockpiles report Wednesday showing crude reserves standing at an 80-year high for this time of the year has exacerbated concerns about a global supply glut.Tim Evans of Citi Futures said that Fridays action, extending strong gains Thursday, was a technical recovery as investors rebalanced their portfolios.We note that the actual physical fundamentals remain deep in bear market territory, Evans said, citing a first-half 2015 global supply/demand balance that looks like a 1.4 million barrel per day surplus.The rally has distracted the market from this physical reality, but it still represents a material downside risk in our view.

Euro dips despite better eurozone growth data

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro dipped against other major currencies Friday despite improved growth numbers in the ailing eurozone, as the market worries about Greeces debt crisis.The euro is mildly softer despite slightly better-than-expected data, and with comments from Greek and German officials signaling willingness to compromise with respect to Greeces reform, budget and debt plans, said Eric Viloria, currency strategist at Wells Fargo Securities.Official data released Friday showed economic activity in the eurozone was up slightly in the fourth quarter, expanding by a better-than-expected 0.3 percent after a 0.2 percent rise in the third quarter. The currency blocs fourth-quarter growth was led by a 0.7 percent gain in Germany, Europes largest economy, that also beat estimates.The euro slipped to $1.1393 around 2200 GMT, from $1.1406 late Thursday.The euro really didnt benefit from these good growth numbers because the market knows they will change nothing in the European Central Banks monetary policy, said Vassili Serebriakov of BNP Paribas.Beginning next month, the ECB will launch an unprecedented trillion-euro bond-buying program through September 2016 in a bid to ward off deflation and boost the flagging eurozone economy.Traders were also watching Greeces negotiations with its creditors Friday as hopes rose that a make-or-break meeting with eurozone financial ministers Monday could reach a new debt deal.The new anti-austerity Greek government is demanding a replacement agreement to its 240-billion-euro ($270-billion) bailout from the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.The bailout is due to expire at the end of February, and failure to reach a replacement agreement could trigger a Greek default and a chaotic exit from the euro.

McCullum departs after scoring half-century

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CHRISTCHURCH (Dunya News) – Left-arm leg-spinner Rangana Herath removed dangerous Brendon McCullum in the 16th over of the World Cup opening match between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in Christchurch on Saturday.Brendon McCullum was caught by Jeevan Mendis off the bowling of Rangana Herath when the New Zealand score was 111 in the 16th over. McCullum scored 65 runs off just 49 balls with the help of 10 fours and a towering six. Earlier, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and decided to bowl first against New Zealand in an overcast condition.

New Zealand off to a flying start

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CHRISTCHURCH (Dunya News) – New Zealand openers Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill gave a flying start to their side in the World Cup opening match against Sri Lanka on Satarday.New Zealand were 77 without loss in the first 10 overs. Captain Brendon McCullum was on 45 and Martin Guptill contributed 26 runs.Earlier, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and decided to bowl first against New Zealand in an overcast condition.

Pakistan, India set for World Cup blockbuster

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ADELAIDE (AFP) - Crickets version of a gladiatorial streetfight will play out on Sunday when defending champions India take on arch-rivals Pakistan in a high-voltage World Cup clash at the Adelaide Oval.Millions of passionate fans across the world will follow the Pool B match which organisers said was sold out in 20 minutes despite an uninspiring build up by both teams.Mahendra Singh Dhonis India start their campaign desperate to bounce back after a miserable bilateral tour of Australia where they were beaten 2-0 in the Tests and did not win a match in the subsequent tri-series.Pakistan have had their bowling attack decimated due to injuries and the reluctance to rush back one-day crickets number one bowler Saeed Ajmal despite the off-spinner being cleared of a suspect action.With seamers Umar Gul and Junaid Khan sidelined with injuries, Pakistan suffered a severe blow when the seasoned Mohammad Hafeez was ruled out of the tournament with a calf injury.Lanky paceman Mohammad Irfan -- the tallest man to ever play international cricket at 7 feet, one inch -- will lead the bowling attack that includes leg-spinners Yasir Shah and Shahid Afridi.With India in disarray, Pakistan will seek to end their winless World Cup streak against the neighbours -- five successive defeats since 1992 -- with renewed hope.Skipper Misbah-ul Haq, who like Afridi will quit one-day cricket after the tournament, will be inspired by Pakistans title under Imran Khan when the World Cup was played Down Under in 1992.If we play as well as we can, there is no reason why we cant win again, Misbah, 40, said when asked if his team can repeat the magic of 1992. Where there is a will, there is a way.Misbah, playing only his second World Cup, said he was determined to change his teams fortunes against India. What happened in the past will not count. There is no reason why we cant win, he said.Pakistan go into the game under a cloud, however, after eight players -- including Afridi -- were fined for breaking a team curfew.A winning start for either team will boost hopes of taking one of the four quarter-final spots from the pool which also includes mighty South Africa, the West Indies, Ireland, Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates.In their last one-day meeting a year ago in the Asia Cup in Dhaka, Pakistan snatched a dramatic one-wicket win with two balls to spare after Afridi smashed Ravichandran Ashwin for two sixes in the final over.Dhoni, 33, will hope his and his teams luck changes following the birth of his first child, a baby girl, in a New Delhi hospital a week before the tournament.India will rely on their free-stroking batsmen to make up for a relatively modest bowling attack to put it across Pakistan in what is expected to be a run-laden pitch at the Adelaide Oval.The current squad has just four players -- Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ashwin and Dhoni himself -- who were part of the winning combination four years ago.But the nucleus of the side is the same which won the Champions Trophy one-day tournament in England in 2013 and finished runners-up to Sri Lanka in the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh last year.In Rohit Sharma, the only batsman with two 200s in one-day internationals, Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Raina and Dhoni, India have the firepower to demolish the best attacks in the tournament.But having lost their most experienced seamer Ishant Sharma with a knee injury, Dhoni may turn towards all-rounder Stuart Binny to balance at attack that has three frontline spinners, Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel.

Sri Lanka win toss and bowl against New Zealand

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CHRISTCHURCH (AFP) - The World Cup opener between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Christchurch faced a rain delay Saturday with a light shower sweeping in just after Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl.The covers were immediately placed on the pitch although the drizzle was barely noticeableSri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews, who has a preference for batting first, said he opted to bowl because he could not overlook a wicket that looks fresh.New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who would have preferred to bowl first, said batting was not a setback.The wicket looks good, but we have batted here first in the past with success. Sri Lanka omitted Dinesh Chandimal, Thisara Perera, Dushmantha Chameera and Sachithra Senanayake from their side while New Zealand left out Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tom Latham and Nathan McCullum.

Hosts look to start World Cup with a bang

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SYDNEY (AFP) - There will be little love lost when arch-rivals Australia and England meet for a Valentines Day clash in front of an estimated crowd of more than 90,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground when the 2015 World Cup gets underway on Saturday.The first match of the six-week tournament, which features 14 teams and a mammoth 49 fixtures in all, will start hours earlier when New Zealand take on Sri Lanka at Christchurchs Hagley Oval.The competition is being played at seven venues in Australia and seven in New Zealand. The top four in each group qualify for the quarter-finals of an event which officials predict could attract a potential global television audience of 2.5 billion.Australia are in search of a fifth World Cup crown and England their first, having made the most recent of their three losing appearances in the final when the tournament was last staged in Australia and New Zealand in 1992.The Australians will be overwhelming favourites to launch their 2015 campaign with a victory given theyve beaten England in 13 of their last 15 home ODI matches.That includes three wins in the recent tri-series culminating in a crushing 112-run success in the final.The only uncertainty surrounding the Australian side concerns the captaincy, with George Bailey given the leadership of the 50-over team in the ongoing absence of the injured Michael Clarke.Baileys World Cup could extend to a solitary match if Clarke regains full fitness -- he has managed just one score in excess of 50 in his last 14 innings.However, despite his own situation, Bailey is relishing the prospect of playing a World Cup on home soil with Australia looking to match India, the defending champions, as the only side to lift the trophy on their own turf in the tournaments 40-year history.You can view that as pressure if you like, or you can view that as a wonderful opportunity and an honour, he said. And thats certainly the way I think were trying to approach it.England, who ditched captain Alastair Cook before they set off for Australia, appear a long shot to end their World Cup drought.But veteran seamer James Anderson said the side, now led by former Ireland batsman Eoin Morgan, was backing itself.I think there is a genuine belief that we can surprise a few teams, said Anderson. We feel confident that we can beat anyone if we play our best.Sri Lanka, losing finalists in the last two World Cups, will hope to emulate their celebrated 1996 team by lifting the trophy this time.But they face a tricky start against a New Zealand side who, on home soil, recently defeated the Lankans 4-2 in a one-day series.Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said: Weve put everything under the carpet and were just going to go out there and be positive.New Zealand, six-time semi-finalists, have been tipped for a maiden World Cup title and skipper Brendon McCullum said: Its a team Im really comfortable taking into a World Cup and we give ourselves a good chance.If Australia-England represents crickets oldest international rivalry, India-Pakistan is its fiercest and the two Asian nations will open their World Cup against one another in Adelaide on Sunday in a game for which tickets sold out within 20 minutes.Pakistan, who won their only World Cup in Australia in 1992, have endured a chaotic build-up with match-winning spinner Saeed Ajmal suspended because of a suspect action and eight players already fined for breaking a curfew.South Africa, looking to end their World Cup heartache, boast some of the worlds leading players, including captain AB de Villiers -- who, against the West Indies, recently smashed the fastest one-day international century, off just 31 balls.West Indies won the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979 and were runners-up in 1983 but since then, their best performance was a run to the semi-finals in 1996.Serial giant-killers Ireland, as well as Scotland, will look to cause an upset but the Celtic nations will have to cede heroic underdog status at this tournament to Afghanistan.Making their debut at the World Cup, it has been an incredible journey for Afghanistan whose players learnt the game as refugees in Pakistan -- a game that was once banned by the Taliban.
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