Sunday 29 March 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tsunami warning after Papua New Guinea hit by 7.7 quake

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SYDNEY (AFP) - A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea Monday, US seismologists said, with hazardous tsunami waves possible within 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) of the epicentre.The quake hit at a depth of 65 kilometres, some 54 kilometres from the nearest city of Kokopo on New Britain island and 789 kilometres from the capital Port Moresby, the United States Geological Survey said.Based on preliminary earthquake parameters... hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1,000 kilometres of the earthquake epicentre, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said.The tsunami risk was expected to be limited to PNG and the Solomon Islands.The initial quake was followed by a smaller 5.7-magnitude aftershock in the same area.Geoscience Australia seismologist Jonathan Bathgate said there was a possibility of a local tsunami but based on the magnitude of the quake it was likely to be on the lower end of the scale.Although people would have felt strong shaking... theres probably not going to be a lot of widely spread damage, he told AFP.The nearest town of Kokopo, the capital of East New Britain, has a population of around 20,000. It started to grow after nearby Rabaul was flattened by volcanic eruptions in 1994.Earthquakes are common in PNG, which sits on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.The last big tremor off the Pacific nations coast was a 6.8-magnitude quake that struck Bougainville island in December.In 2013 the neighbouring Solomon Islands were hit by a devastating tsunami after an 8.0-magnitude earthquake rattled the region. That tsunami left at least 10 people dead, destroyed hundreds of homes and left thousands of people homeless.

Australia lauded for World Cup win

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - Australia lauded its World Cup winning team Monday for a fairytale victory on home soil over New Zealand, with praise heaped on retiring one-day captain Michael Clarke after a dream farewell.Clarke hit 74 as Australia cruised home by seven wickets in a one-sided final in front of a record crowd of 93,013 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.The win, culminating a gruelling tournament, was front page news across the country with The Australian newspaper saying: Pitch perfect Australia lives the dream to claim fifth World Cup.Done it without raising a sweat or anybodys pulse, the broadsheets cricket writer Peter Lalor said.Michael Clarkes side made easy work of New Zealand at the MCG, much as they had with India in the semi-final and Pakistan in the quarter.The Sydney Daily Telegraph focused on the outgoing Clarke, who announced his retirement from the one-day international format on the eve of the final.Pups fairytale farewell as Aussies crowned world champions, it said on its front page, referring to Clarke by his nickname.Lifting the trophy provided Clarke the fairytale ending that seemed so unlikely in November, when his chronic hamstrings again betrayed him and the ambition of captaining a World Cup winning team appeared far-fetched, it added.The captain, wearing a black armband, dedicated the win to Phillip Hughes, the team-mate who died after being hit on the head by a bouncer last year, which the Telegraph said was a fitting tribute.Of course no silverware could erase the painful memories of Phillip Hughes tragic and traumatising death, cricket writer Richard Hinds said.Yet, at the twilight of a confronting, even brutal summer, this was rich reward for Australias experience, endurance and composure.Australia batsman Hughes died on November 27 last year, two days after being hit on the head by a Sean Abbott bouncer in a first-class match in Sydney.With Clarke choosing to now focus on Test cricket, The Age in Melbourne said the team was in transition but was in good hands with Steve Smith expected to be named his successor.In Michael Clarke and Steven Smith, two generations of Australian cricket steered their team through the final leg of their long trek to a fifth World Cup, wrote Malcolm Knox, the Fairfax Media cricket writer.The outgoing captain and the incoming; the elder who has battled his health all summer to get in, and the younger who has been almost impossible to get out.With Clarkes retirement from the one-day game, Australia is already in transition, he added. Brad Haddin, and presumably Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson, will not be defending their title in England in 2019, but otherwise the strength of the current team is its youth.

Tennis: Serena thrashes US teen to advance at Miami

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MIAMI (AFP) - Serena Williams crushed a teenaged talent less than half her age Sunday to reach the fourth round of the ATP and WTA Miami Open, defeating American Catherine Bellis 6-1, 6-1.The 15-year-old US challenger was no match for the 33-year-old American, a 19-time grand slam champion who is bidding for a record eighth trophy at her home event.Bellis, the junior world number one, found herself in a major test against the games current dominator in her first WTA appearance since the US Open, where she upset Dominika Cibulkova.World number one Williams is competing in Miami for the 15th time since debuting as a teenager herself in 1998, a year before Bellis was born.Top-seed Williams will next face Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, a winner over German 13th seed Angelique Kerber 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.Williams, bidding for a third consecutive Miami title, stretched her win streak to 14 matches at Crandon Park. Her career Miami record now stands at 69-7.Williams wrapped up the affair in 41 minutes with 15 winners and five breaks of the prodigys serve. Bellis committed 21 unforced errors.If you break down her age and her ability and how well I think she handled the moment and how well she played, I think it was good, Williams said.Shes young and her being an American, you want to see people like her do well. When youre up against them, you have to kind of put that aside, even though Im always cheering for her. Otherwise I have to put it aside and play the match.Williams said that the knee injury which knocked her out of an Indian Wells quarter-final last week continues to improve.Ive been feeling pretty good, much better than I did in my last tournament. Ive surpassed my expectations, Williams said. When Im out there I dont feel it as much. It feels a little better every day.Third seed Simona Halep defeated Italys Camila Giorgi 6-4, 7-5 to continue the momentum she took from last weeks title at Indian Wells. The Romanian overcame five double-faults in a victory requiring nearly 90 minutes.Halep is bidding for a fourth WTA title this season after winning at Shenzhen, Dubai and Indian Wells.Italian 15th seed Flavia Pennetta defeated two-time Miami champion Victoria Azarenka 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (8/6).In the mens draw, Britains Andy Murray won his 499th career match, downing Colombian Santiago Giraldo 6-3, 6-4 to reach the fourth round.The 27-year-old Scotsman, who won the Miami title in 2009 and 2013, would become the ninth active player to reach 500 victories if he wins his next match against South African 15th seed Kevin Anderson, who eliminated Argentinas Leonardo Mayer 6-4, 6-4.Hopefully I can win some more throughout my career, Murray said. Maybe it doesnt happen in a couple of days. I hope it does. But if not, then, you know, Im sure at some stage I will get there.I obviously want to try and win more, and hopefully still have quite a few years ahead of me left to add to that number. Its a lot of wins. Its not easy these days to win that many matches, so thats a good sign.Murray was pleassed with his showing.I played well, I thought it was a good performance. I hit the ball pretty clean, he said. He came out and started swinging a bit towards the end of the match and made it a little bit tricky, but I thought for the most part I played very well.Murray won in 84 minutes, breaking three times and hitting 19 winners took advance. Against Anderson, Murray has three wins from four matches, the last in Valencia last year.Frances 32nd-ranked Adrian Mannarino won his first match in 13 attempts against a top 10 opponent as he stunned an off-form Stan Wawrinka, the seventh seed, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5), while Gael Monfils won an all-French match with good friend and 11th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-4, 7-6 (7/4).

Football: Germany boost Euro campaign with Georgia win

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TBILISI (AFP) - Marco Reus and Thomas Muellers first-half goals sealed a 2-0 win in Georgia on Sunday to put world champions Germanys Euro 2016 qualifying campaign back on track.After suffering a shock defeat to Poland and drawing at home to Ireland last October, Joachim Loews Germany arrived in Tbilisi needing three points to stay in the hunt for top spot in Group D.Scotlands 6-1 drubbing of bottom side Gibraltar in Glasgow means the Scots, Poland and Germany are all level on 10 points in the table ahead of Sunday nights qualifier in Dublin between Ireland and Poland.After failing to impress in their seven internationals since winning Brazil 2014, this was a far more polished display from the world champions.Germany created 13 chances while restricting their hosts to just two shots, and only an outstanding display from Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria kept his side in the game.Having experimented with a 3-1-4-2 formation in Wednesdays 2-2 friendly draw at home to Australia, Loew reverted to the 4-2-3-1 line-up with which he won the World Cup.Leow started with seven of the side which won the World Cup final while captain Bastian Schweinsteiger made his first appearance since Germany were crowned world champions in Rio de Janerio.Georgia suffered an early set back when experienced centre-back Aleksandr Amisulashvili was forced off injured, to be replaced by uncapped teenager Lasha Dvali with just four minutes gone.Reus, who also scored Germanys opening goal against Australia, hit the crossbar with five minutes gone, while Mueller fired just wide on 12 minutes.Georgia are second from bottom of Group D after also losing to Poland, Ireland and Scotland, but the home crowd passionately cheered every counter-attack by the hosts at the sold-out Boris Paichadze stadium.The Germans went ahead when Mario Goetze, who was playing up front, wove his way through the defence and rolled his pass to the unmarked Reus, who drilled home on 39 minutes.The Borussia Dortmund winger was only denied his second moments later when Loria palmed his long-range shot over the bar.With half-time beckoning, Mesut Ozils well-timed pass found Mueller, who held up his marker and fired home to fouble the lead.The games tempo dropped in the second half, but Georgia enjoyed their best period in the final 20 minutes with some sustained pressure.Schweinsteiger was forced to clear from a late corner as Georgia kept the visitors on the back foot.The win sets up Germany ahead of their next qualifier away to minnows Gibraltar in June before key qualifiers home to Poland, then away to Scotland and Ireland in September and October.

Football: Coentrao gets winner as Portugal see off Serbia

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LISBON (AFP) - Real Madrids Fabio Coentrao scored the winning goal as Portugal beat Serbia 2-1 in Lisbon on Sunday to move top of Euro 2016 qualifying Group I.Coentrao arrived at the back post to convert a low ball across the box from Joao Moutinho to decide the encounter at the Estadio da Luz after Nemanja Matic had cancelled out Ricardo Carvalhos early opener with a spectacular strike.Cristiano Ronaldo captained the home side but in the absence of another Real Madrid star, central defender Pepe, the veteran Carvalho played alongside Bruno Alves in the heart of the back four.And the 36-year-old Monaco man got the breakthrough 10 minutes in, heading past Vladimir Stojkovic from a Coentrao cross to score his first international goal in eight years after Dusan Basta had needlessly given away a corner.Serbia, playing their first competitive game under Radovan Curcic and struggling in the section, drew level from a corner of their own in the 61st minute.Aleksandar Kolarovs ball in from the left was helped on by Radosav Petrovic and Chelsea midfielder Matic -- back on the ground where he used to star for Benfica -- connected with a stunning acrobatic overhead kick that left Rui Patricio helpless in goal.But Serbia were only level for two minutes before Coentrao got Portugals winner, to the delight of the home fans in the crowd of more than 58,000.

Football: Lacazette on target in France victory

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SAINT-ETIENNE (AFP) - Alexandre Lacazette scored his first international goal to set France on the way to a 2-0 friendly victory over Denmark in Saint-Etienne on Sunday evening.The Lyon striker set the ball rolling in the 14th minute and Arsenals Olivier Giroud added another before half-time as Les Bleus bounced back from their 3-1 defeat to Brazil at the Stade de France last Thursday.Coach Didier Deschamps made eight changes to his starting line-up from that game, with Raphael Varane, Morgan Schneiderlin and Antoine Griezmann the only players to keep their places.Young Real Madrid defender Varane wore the captains armband in the continued absence of the injured Hugo Lloris, while Saint-Etiennes Stephane Ruffier was handed a start in goal in front of his home fans.The bitter rivalry between Saint-Etienne and Lyon ensured that the crowd at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard gave Lacazette and his OL teammate Christophe Jallet a hostile reception, but the former overcame that to open the scoring.When Griezmanns effort was blocked by Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, Lacazette -- the leading scorer in Ligue 1 this season with 23 goals -- lashed home the loose ball to open his international account on his sixth cap.The Euro 2016 hosts continued to press and Dimitri Payet curled a shot just wide before the second goal arrived seven minutes prior to the interval.Monaco midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia drove towards the Danish penalty area and set up Giroud -- with 37 caps the most experienced member of the French starting line-up -- to beat Schmeichel with a low left-foot finish.That was the end of the scoring, although the visitors should have equalised just before the break, but Nicklas Bendtner, who netted a hat-trick in last weeks friendly win against the United States, headed against the right post from close range.Christian Eriksen saw his long-range effort saved by Ruffier in the second half as the goalkeeper marked a rare international start with a clean sheet.France are next in action on June 7 when they host Belgium at the Stade de France before travelling to Albania six days later.Denmark currently sit second in Euro 2016 qualifying Group I behind Portugal halfway through the campaign, with their next match at home to Serbia in June.

Golf: Ramsay returns to form with victory at Trophee Hassan II

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AGADIR (AFP) - Scotlands Richie Ramsay overcame a bumpy front nine before striking back with three straight birdies as he won the Trophee Hassan II tournament on Sunday by one stroke for his third European Tour victory.A final round of 69, on the picturesque par-72 Golf de Palais Royal layout in Agadir, left Ramsay on 10-under and one shot clear of Frenchman and fellow overnight leader Romain Wattel.It was a glorious return to form for the 31-year-old from Aberdeen after missing the cut in four of his five starts this season. I made some great putts on nine and ten and when I stood over my putt on 12 (for birdie), I felt really confident with my putter and just told myself to go for it, a delighted Ramsay told Sky Sports. The seven iron I hit on the last hole was one of the greatest shots Ive ever made and this victory means a huge amount. This is for my brother and my family who are watching back at home. Ive gone through some tough times but I always kept believing. It was so much fun out there today and its absolutely brilliant, Im going to go out now and celebrate with my caddie. He began the final round as one of three men in front with Wattel and Scotlands Andrew McArthur with a group of seven players just one shot back on six under. Wattel moved within a shot of the Scot with a birdie at the relatively easy par-5 17th but couldnt muster the birdie he needed to force a playoff when he couldnt chip in from the fringe on the 18th green. Wattel was looking for his first European Tour victory but settles for a morale-boosting runner-up finish. It appeared a third victory, to follow previous triumphs in 2009 at the South African Open and European Masters in 2012, had slipped away from Ramsay when he dropped three shots at eight and nine where he made bogey-double bogey allowing Wattel to take the outright lead. But he refound his putting touch early on the inward turn with three consecutive birdies at 12, 13 and 14 to catch and then overtake the 24-year-old from Montpellier and never looked back. Steady golf down the stretch, with four straight pars to close, and the fact that none of the challengers, apart from Wattel, were able to mount a serious challenge left Ramsay to savour a fine victory. A group of six players finished on eight under and two shots back including Englishman Chris Wood, who shot a 67, Spaniard Pablo Larrazabal, Swede Mickael Lundberg, South African duo George Coetzee and Jaco Van Zyl as well as Irishman Kevin Phelan. McArthur endured a difficult final day and slumped home with a three over 75 to slide down the leaderboard into a tie for 34th. Spanish veteran Jose Maria Olazabal, 49, who won the Ryder Cup both as a player and captain and also won the Masters twice, finished strongly with a blistering 66 to finish in a tie for ninth at seven under with four other players.

Golf: Walker wins Texas Open before hometown supporters

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SAN ANTONIO (AFP) - Hometown hero Jimmy Walker captured his fifth US PGA Tour title on Sunday, firing a two-under-par 70 final round to win the $6.2 million Texas Open by four strokes.Walker, who lives only a half-hours drive from the TPC San Antonio course, led by four shots when the day began and finished on 11-under 277 to defeat fellow Texan Jordan Spieth by that same margin.Its at home. Its cool. You can feel the love from your friends and family, Walker said. Its not everyday that you can win in your hometown.It was the second US PGA triumph of the season for Walker, who won his second consecutive Sony Open in Hawaii title earlier this year and also captured last years Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the 2013 Frys.com Open.Walker birdied the par-5 second and eighth holes but took bogeys at the fourth and par-3 seventh to make the turn level for the day. He began the back nine with a birdie from 16 feet but then missed a five-foot putt for par at 12 and took a bogey.Walker added a 16-foot birdie putt at the par-3 16th and an 18-foot birdie putt at the par-4 17th, then parred the 18th to secure the victory, his fifth win in 37 starts after playing for nine years before securing his first PGA title.It was playing hard, Walker said. It wasnt giving up many pars. I was leaking some oil there but I started making some putts.Walker, who snapped a streak of 10 54-hole PGA leaders that had failed to win, will take practice rounds at Augusta National on Monday and Tuesday.I like Augusta, Walker said. All this adds momentum and confidence. Its what were constantly building toward.Spieth, a 21-year-old Texan who shared second at last years Masters, will rise from sixth to fourth in the world rankings out on Monday, trailing only world number one Rory McIlroy, Swedish world number two Henrik Stenson and defending Masters champion Bubba Watson.Spieth has had eight top-seven finishes in his past 10 worldwide starts.The top 14 finishers were all US players, with 2014 PGA playoff winner Billy Horschel third on 284, seven shots adrift, and Daniel Summerhays with Chesson Hadley on 285.Dustin Johnson and Ryan Palmer shared sixth on 286 with Brendan Steele, Chris Kirk and Scott Pinckney on 287.

Motorcycling: Rossi wins thrilling Grand Prix of Qatar

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DOHA (AFP) - Nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, on a Yamaha, won a spectacular Grand Prix of Qatar on Sunday as he withstood a furious onslaught from fellow Italian Andrea Dovizioso over the final laps to take the opening race of the season. A see-saw battle saw the the lead change hands numerous times before the 36-year-old Rossi opened up a slight gap on the final two laps and held off the charging Dovizioso on his Ducati, who was looking for his first win in MotoGP. It was a stunning 109th victory for the iconic Rossi and his 197th podium as Italy swept the board with Andrea Iannone, also on a Ducati, coming home third.It was a first time Italy took the top three places since the Japanese MotoGP in 2006. Rossi won by 0.174sec with Iannone 2.250 back, Spaniard Jorge Lorenzo in fourth and world champion Marc Marquez well back in fifth at 7.036 after a nightmare start. This was one of the best victories for me, said Rossi with his trademark grin. The bike was fantastic, I never gave up but it was a real fight with the Ducatis and the Hondas who were really strong. Im so happy for me, for the team and for Yamaha. The second part of the race was really good and Im very happy because we had difficulties in testing and practice but my experience helped today. This is a great, great victory but I had a good feeling this morning. he added. Lorenzo, also on a Yamaha, was also in the hunt for victory and led midway through the race before Rossi, who began from eighth on the grid, charged to the front and went into battle with his compatriot Dovizioso. It came down to an all Italian battle with Rossi seizing the lead for the final time with two laps to go and just hanging on to cross the line ahead of Dovizioso, who started from pole position. Dovizioso, who was the 125cc world champion in 2004, was delighted with his performance despite missing out on a maiden win in the sports most prestigious category. Im happy to come back from what Ive been through and it was a really tight race right until the final lap, he said. I had no more grip on my tyres so I couldnt attack but to come second in the first race of the season is really great. he added. Marquez never fully recovered from a dreadful start when he was forced off the track and left last, although the Spaniard did battle back to finish fifth.Earlier, German rider Jonas Folger won the Moto2 season-opening race on a Kalex at the Losail circuit.The 21-year-old -- winning his first race in this category after two podium finishes in his maiden season last year -- beat home two other Kalex riders in Belgiums Xavier Simeon and Thomas Luthi of Switzerland. French rider Alexis Masbou won the Moto3 event as the 27-year-old -- recording his second success at this level having won the Czech race last year -- edged out fellow Honda riders Enea Bastianini of Italy and Briton Danny Kent.

Solar Impulse departs Myanmar for China

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MANDALAY (AFP) - Solar Impulse 2 took off from Myanmars second biggest city of Mandalay early Monday and headed for Chinas Chongqing, the fifth flight of a landmark journey to circumnavigate the globe powered solely by the sun.The single-seater aircrafts team spent more than a week waiting in Mandalay for weather conditions to improve in southwestern China for what will be one of the most challenging legs of the round the world attempt so far.Speaking on a live feed from mission control in Monaco, Prince Albert gave pilot Bertrand Piccard clearance for takeoff.Bertrand, from Albert, you are clear to proceed. Have a nice flight, Prince Albert said.Thank you very much my friend, Piccard replied before taking off at around 3:35 am local time (2105 GMT Sunday) into the dark pre-dawn skies.Piccard, one of the two Swiss pilots of the solar-powered plane, will have to battle extreme cold of down to -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) in the cockpit and the general unpredictabilities of flying above the mountainous Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Sichuan.Flying at high altitude for most of the journey, Piccard will also need to use additional oxygen.The 1,375-kilometre (854-mile) route is expected to take around 18 hours.If the plane flies direct it will cross over a remote region of Myanmars border with China where intense fighting has broken out between predominantly ethnic Chinese Kokang rebels and Myanmars military.The fighting has forced tens of thousands of refugees to flood into neighbouring Yunnan province. Earlier this month Beijing mobilised fighter jets to patrol its side of the border after a bomb, apparently from a Myanmar warplane, landed in a sugar plantation in Chinese territory killing five. The team behind Solar Impulse 2, which has more than 17,000 solar cells built into its wings, hopes to promote green energy with its circumnavigation attempt.Ridiculed by the aviation industry when it was first unveiled, the venture has since been hailed around the world, including by UN chief Ban Ki-moon.Muscat was the first of the 12 planned stops on the planes maiden journey around the world from Abu Dhabi, with a total flight time of around 25 days spread over five months.From Oman the plane flew to the Indian city of Ahmedabad before heading to Varanasi and then Mandalay. From Chongqing it will depart for the eastern coastal city of Nanjing before embarking on the most arduous leg of its journey, an 8,172-kilometre, 120-hour odyssey across the Pacific to Hawaii.

Clarke reveals Test aim after World Cup win

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - Australia captain Michael Clarke said his next target after winning the World Cup in his last one-day international on Sunday was to take his team back to the top of the Test rankings.Clarke hit 74 as Australia defeated New Zealand by seven wickets in a one-sided final in front of a record crowd of 93,013 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.Australia bowled out the Black Caps for 183 and then galloped to victory in the 34th over to win one-day crickets showpiece event for the fifth time, with this World Cup triumph their first on home soil.The 33-year-old Clarke, who announced his retirement from the one-day international format on the eve of the final, added 112 runs for the third wicket with his likely successor Steve Smith, who made an unbeaten 56 and struck the winning boundary.Australia are currently second in the International Cricket Councils Test rankings, six ratings points behind South Africa.But leaving the 50-over format will give Clarke -- whose career has been blighted by back and hamstring problems -- an opportunity to concentrate on the five-day game.My next task is to try and get Australia back to the number one position in Tests, he told reporters after Sundays match.We have a busy period ahead with tours of the West Indies and then on to England for the Ashes. I hope my retirement from one-day cricket will prolong my Test career. I am only 33 and hope I have a few more years left in the game.Clarke said he had not made up his mind about playing in various Twenty20 leagues around the world due to his Test commitments.I have not thought about playing in the T20 leagues, he said. I just wanted to concentrate on the World Cup. Now that it is over, I will get time to think over it.But I am very excited about Test cricket. I dont want to rush to any decisions about other things.Clarke scored 7,981 runs at an average of more than 44 including eight centuries and a best of 130 in his 245 one-day internationals.He added signing off from the shorter format by winning the World Cup was the ideal way for him to bow out of ODI cricket.There are no such things as fairytales in sport but this is as close as it gets, he said.There was a lot of pressure and expectation playing in front of our own crowds. But the boys soaked up that pressure well. Mentally we were ready for the final.Clarke praised his bowling unit after the left-arm pace trio of Mitchell Starc, James Faulkner and Mitchell Johnson shared eight wickets on Sunday to set up the emphatic victory.Our bowlers won us the World Cup, he said. There is no doubt that Starc deserved the man of the series award for his 22 wickets. Starc and the whole bowling unit have done a great job.Our bowling in every single game has been exceptional.I think being aggressive and going for wickets was a good strategy. If there are wickets in hand, the last 15 overs can be very destructive. So its better to take wickets and not just restrict the runs.Clarke complimented New Zealand, whose unbeaten tournament run of eight consecutive victories ahead of the final included a one-wicket pool-stage win over Australia in Auckland, saying they were worthy finalists.New Zealand deserve credit for the way they played in the World Cup, he said. I wish them good luck for the future. But it was to be our day today.

Starc truth a lesson for future one-dayers

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SYDNEY (AFP) - Amidst all the blazing hitting witnessed at the 2015 World Cup, the value of one of crickets enduring constants was proved again -- nothing slows a run-rate quite like taking wickets.Few matches better demonstrated this point than Australias dominant seven-wicket win over New Zealand in Sundays final in Melbourne.Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc, deservedly named man-of-the-tournament for a haul of 22 wickets at a stunningly meagre average of just over 10 apiece, summed up his brilliant six weeks in the finals opening over.The dynamic Brendon McCullum, New Zealands inspirational captain, couldnt lay a bat on the first couple of balls he faced and was then yorked for a duck by an express Starc delivery off the third.What this World Cup has clearly shown is that a fast, full and straight yorker is a very good delivery, tweeted former Australian paceman Jason Gillespie.Starc was one of several left-arm quicks, including New Zealands Trent Boult, who also took 22 wickets, to star at this World Cup.Both bowlers were well-supported by aggressive fields set by their respective captains in Australias Michael Clarke and McCullum, whose sides also showed the value of a genuine five-man attack.Nevertheless, this tournament witnessed the most 300-plus and even 400-plus totals at a World Cup.Crowds loved the big hits but many within cricket werent so sure, with the fielding restriction that means just four men are allowed outside the 30-yard circle in the last 10 overs under fire.In the old days you had one area you couldnt defend, now theres two and if a good batsman is set, as a bowler youve got very little price, said ICC chief executive David Richardson.One of the things we might look at is allowing an extra fielder out of the ring in the last 10 overs...That might be a sensible change.New Zealand may have lost their maiden World Cup final but on the way they won eight straight matches and in so doing disproved the theory that in order to play good aggressive cricket, it is also necessary to verbally abuse or sledge your opponents.New Zealands semi-final win over South Africa was a brilliant example of how you could play attacking, hard cricket and not worry about the man, said Richardson.The Black Caps also showed that with the ICC now being run by the Big Three of India, Australia and England -- whose dire effort in crashing out in the first round was no surprise -- that talent, good organisation and strong leadership can help compensate for a small playing base and a lack of financial clout.One crumb of comfort for England, who will host the 2019 tournament, was that the past two World Cups have now been won by the host nation in India and Australia.Plenty of colour, excitement and no little skill was provided in the early stages by the four non-Test or Associate sides, with Afghanistans Shapoor Zadran, the UAEs Shaiman Anwar and Scotlands Josh Davey all making a name for themselves.Meanwhile Ireland, for the third World Cup in a row, enjoyed success against Test nations with wins over the West Indies and Zimbabwe.Yet, as things stand -- despite Richardson leaving the door open to change -- the 2019 World Cup will feature 10 teams (the same number as there are Test nations) rather than this years 14.Remarkably, the next World Cup is scheduled to last slightly longer than the 44-day marathon of 2015 as there will be more marquee matches demanding prime-time television slots. Richardson made the point that the game must do more for the Associates between World Cups, but what is the long-term future for cricket in those countries if they do not have a realistic chance of playing in the sports showpiece tournament?In 2017, the top eight-ranked sides in the ICCs standings will gain direct entry to England 2019.The bottom four, in a list that will now include Afghanistan and Ireland, will play in a 10-team 2018 qualifier to determine the last two teams involved.The Associates will still have a meaningful chance, ICC chairman Narayanaswami Srinivasan told Fox Sports during the final.A record Melbourne Cricket Ground crowd of more than 93,000 made their feelings known by booing Srinivasan at the presentation ceremony.

150 Pakistanis stranded in Aden also hopeful after Sanaa evacuation

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SANAA (Dunya News) – The hopes of at least 150 Pakistanis stranded in Aden city of Yemen rose after Pakistan evacuated most of the citizens from Sanaa and escorted them to a safe location in Alhudaidah from where they’re being transported back to Pakistan.According to details, the government has decided to transport Aden-based Pakistanis via road to Al-Makla and the second PIA flight will bring more 250 passengers home on March 31.Foreign Office spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said that Pakistan Navy’s frigate ship has also left for Aden where it will help evacuate Pakistanis.

PIA's flight carrying 502 Pakistanis from Yemen lands at Karachi airport

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Pakistan International Airline’s (PIA) special flight PK 7002 carrying as many as 502 passengers from Yemen has landed safely at Karachi airport, Dunya News reported.Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif directed Shah Muhammad Shah and Humayun Khan to reach the airport to welcome the passengers.The flight landed at around 23:30 and will now transport several passengers to Islamabad early morning where Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Pervaiz Rashid and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry will welcome them.Prime Minister has ordered to send more flights to Yemen to escort more Pakistanis in next 48 hours.

Misbah terms Sangakkara 'best' batsman

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LAHORE (Dunya News) – Outgoing Pakistan ODI captain Misbahul Haq on Sunday termed Sri Lankan cricketer Sangakkara as ‘best’ batsman and said that Shahid Afridi did not get chance to exhibit his batting spell, Dunya News reported.Talking exclusively at Dunya News’ show Yeh Hai Cricket Deewangi, Misbah said that he did not get the chance to play the ‘boom boom innings’.Talking about Rahat Ali’s dropped catch against Australia, Misbah said young bowler’s good performance must not be forgotten.
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