Friday 23 October 2015

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Tennis: Ferrer steps up fight for London with Vienna semi-final spot

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VIENNA (AFP) - ATP year-end candidate David Ferrer put himself closer to a place in Novembers season finale after dispatching Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-2 in the quarter-finals of the Austria Open on Friday.The Spanish top seed is fighting for one of the two remaining spots at the World Tour finals in the English capital and spent only 74 minutes in his win over the listless Italian.Ferrer stands provisional eighth, trailing seventh-placed Kei Nishikori of Japan who is currently sidelined with a recurring shoulder injury.It was a close first set, I was a break up but he played well, said the 33-year-old winner after beating Fognini for the ninth time without a loss.Hes not consistent. In the second set he lost focus and I was able to win.Ferrer will play on Saturday against Gael Monfils after the sixth seeded Frenchman recovered to defeat Czech Lukas Rosol 6-7 (3/7), 6-3, 6-3 with 18 aces and 40 winners as he continues to impress in his first tournament return from injury.Monfils is back on court after last playing six weeks ago when he quit a US Open first-round match with a lower back problem.It will be tough for sure, hes top 10, Ive not played top 10 for a while, said Monfils. The court is very slow here, but my main focus is on the recovery.Ill be ready to offer what I have. If Im in good shape there will be long rallies. Hopefully I can hang in with David.2014 Vienna finalist Ferrer said that he has put London qualification out of mind and must think only of his next match.I will be focused for the semi-final, I did a good step to get closer to London, but nothing has changed. I will still have to fight.South African Kevin Anderson went down to defeat - but not before serving his way through the 1,000 ace barrier.The second seed hit 23 aces but still lost 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to Steve Johnson of the United States in a gruelling two and three-quarter hour duel.Anderson now has 1,003 aces in 2015, joining Ivo Karlovic (1,321) and John Isner (1,162) in the 1,000-plus aces club.The result did nothing to help his outside chances of snatching one of the two remaining places in the eight-man London field.Anderson, 29, entered Fridays match in provisional 11th place, but standing more than 1,100 computer points shy of a theoretical spot in the field.Johnson, ranked 47 in the world, will be competing in his third semi-final of the season where he will face Latvias Ernests Gulbis who knocked out seventh seed Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5).Tennis is unpredictable, anything can happen, said Johnson after winning in front of an all-time record crowd for the Stadthalle of 9,100. Im pleased I went out there and executed.Ernests was once a top 10 player and hes had a great career. Its not a surprise, hes a great player. Ive played him six times and lost the last four.I played well today and Im really glad to go through. I hope Im able to stick around in Vienna a few more days.Gulbis, who now stands outside the world top 100 after riding a career ranking roller-coaster, has rededicated himself to training after reuniting with Vienna-based coach Gunther Bresnik.Gulbis will be playing his first semi-final in more than a year after downing Karlovic, who lost despite 19 aces and 38 winners in a match without a break of serve.

Tennis: Pavlyuchenkova to face Kuznetsova in Moscow's WTA final

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MOSCOW (AFP) - Defending Kremlin Cup champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova battled back from a set down to beat compatriot Daria Kasatkina on Friday to set up an all-Russian final with Svetlana Kuznetsova.At the ATP and WTA combined event Pavlyuchenkova, who is seeking her seasons second and career ninth title won 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in her first ever meeting with the 18-year-old qualifier in two hours.Kasatkina, 102nd in the WTA rankings, dominated the play from the start, while Pavlyuchenkova, who won last week in Linz, Austria, looked visibly tired.After taking the opening set in 39 minutes, Kasatkina suddenly lost her nerve allowing Pavlyuchenkova to pull the scores level at one set all after one hour 17 minutes on court.In the deciding set, Pavlyuchenkova pulled away into a commanding 5-1 lead, which allowed her to secure her place in Saturdays match for the title.There were difficulties with everything. Even to be on the court was hard, Pavlyuchenkova said.My condition was really bad today. I didnt have strength or energy or even really very much desire, to be honest.But I hope I will manage to recover for the final as I want to show my top tennis on Saturday. In the other semi-final Russias two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova saw off Ukraines Lesia Tsurenko in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.In the ATP section top seed and defending champion Marin Cilic of Croatia barely broke sweat on his way to the semi-finals defeating Russian Andrey Kuznetsov 6-2, 6-1 in 54 minutes.In the last-four round Cilic will face another Russian Evgeny Donskoy who ousted compatriot Teymuraz Gabashvili 6-3, 6-2.Meanwhile, second seeded Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut, last years runner-up, cruised comfortably into the semi-finals with a win over Lucas Pouille to record his second win 6-4, 6-2 over the Frenchman in as many meetings.Pouille is a tough opponent but today after he broke back to level in the first set I managed to improve my game a great deal, Bautista Agut said.And I think I played better at the end of the match. Ive lost all five of my seasons previous semi-finals but I really want to make it to the final here. Thats why I came to Moscow.In the match for a place in the final Bautista Agut will face Germanys fourth seed Philipp Kohlschreiber, who disposed of Dutchman Robin Haase also in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.

Tennis: Anderson breaks 1,000-ace barrier in Vienna loss

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VIENNA (AFP) - Kevin Anderson went down to defeat in the Austria Open quarter-finals on Friday but not before serving his way through the 1,000 ace barrier for the season.The second seeded South African hit 23 aces but still lost 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to Steve Johnson of the United States in a gruelling two and three-quarter hour duel.Anderson now has 1,003 aces in 2015, joining Ivo Karlovic (1,321) and John Isner (1,162) in the 1,000-plus aces club.The result did nothing to help the South Africans outside chances of snatching one of the two remaining places in the eight-man field for the World Tour Finals in London next month.Anderson, 29, entered Fridays match in provisional 11th place, but standing more than 1,100 computer points shy of a theoretical spot in the field.Vienna top seed David Ferrer, who was playing a quarter-final against Italys Fabio Fognini later in the day, occupies eighth place at the moment.He trails seventh-placed Japans Kei Nishikori who is currently sidelined with a recurring shoulder injury.Johnson, ranked 47 in the world, will be competing in his third semi-final of the season where he will face Latvias Ernests Gulbis who knocked out seventh seed Ivo Karlovic 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (7/5).Tennis is unpredictable, anything can happen, said Johnson after winning in front of an all-time record crowd for the Stadthalle of 9,100.Ernests was once a top 10 player and hes had a great career. Well have to see what happens.I played well today and Im really glad to go through. I hope Im able to stick around in Vienna a few more days.Gulbis, who now stands outside the world top 100 after riding a career ranking roller-coaster, has rededicated himself to training after reuniting with Vienna-based coach Gunther Bresnik.Gulbis will be playing his first semi-final in more than a year after downing Karlovic, who lost despite 19 aces and 38 winners in a match without a break of serve.The Latvian son of a millionaire businessman said that after wrist and shoulder problems this season: Ive been playing well for the last few months.But my wrist problem meant that I had to pull out of the US Open and two Asian tournaments. I came to Vienna to train and started slowly.Ive been getting better with each match and played well today. My place is inside the top 100 -- not outside of it.I beat two top 20 players here (John Isner and Karlovic) so things are improving for me.

Golf: Rose tightens grip on Hong Kong Open

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HONG KONG (AFP) - Justin Rose tightened his grip on the Hong Kong Open Friday as he moved to the top of the leaderboard -- but he singled out compatriot Ian Poulter as a key rival standing between him and the trophy.World number seven Rose, whose last visit to Fanling in 2011 saw him turfed out early after missing the cut, shot a four under par round of 66 to go nine under on the second day.Poulter climbed to joint third position after hitting 66, going seven under par at the halfway point of the tournament.His precipitous descent to number 51 in the world rankings saw him make a last minute dash to Hong Kong in a bid to save his European Tour membership and his Ryder Cup chances.Taiwans Lu Wei-chih, who underwent brain surgery in 2012, who was on seven under and Denmarks Lucas Bjerregaard, the world number 285, on eight under, completed the top four. But American Dustin Johnson missed the cut after a poor day on the course, which saw him chalk up a two over par round of 72, including a double bogey on the sixth that left him hacking around in the rough. The world number eight finished the day at one over after two rounds. Poulter, who said he was suffering from jetlag, insisted he was not just there to make up the numbers.I dont play to take part -- obviously I play to win, the former Hong Kong Open champion said. There is added drama for the 39-year-old since he must finish on top to qualify for the coveted WGC-HSBC Champions event in Shanghai next month. He has been in the tournament, known as Asias major, every year since it started in 2005.Poulter added he was looking forward to the chance of playing with his friend Rose this weekend. Any time you get to play with a mate, and obviously a good one like Justin, is always quite nice, he said. Roses consistency over the first two days saw him play just one bogey, on the penultimate hole Friday, before finishing on a birdie. He said he was happy with his performance despite struggling with a sore left hip as temperatures topped 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit). He called Poulter a tough to beat opponent.Poulter is a past champion and hes on the leaderboard, Rose said. Hes always good when hes got something to prove, and hes probably a dangerous guy now that hes outside the top 50 in the world, and I know that hell be desperate to get back in it.Indias Anirban Lahiri, ranked 39 in the world and top of the Asian Tour Order of Merit, played a solid round of 67 to finish on six under after two rounds -- but said he could have done even better. Matthew Fitzpatrick, aged 21, from England, tipped by Rose ahead of the tournament as a young player to watch, also finished day two on six under after shooting a round of 67.Big-hitting but laid-back Johnson shrugged off a poor performance which saw him ejected early. I didnt drive it very good, I didnt hit irons very good, I didnt do anything very good, he confessed. Two former champions, Australias Scott Hend and Miguel Angel Jimenez from Spain, also failed to make the cut after shooting rounds of four and three over respectively.

Golf: Korea's Ji keeps halfway lead in Taiwan

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TAIPEI (AFP) - South Koreas Ji Eun-Hee, overnight leader in the $2 million Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship, carded a three-under-par 69 Friday for a two-day total of 135 and a halfway lead into the weekend.Kiwi golfer Lydia Ko, who was three shots behind Ji for a tie of seventh place after the opening round, fired a five-under 67 for a total of 136 that made her only one shot away from Ji.Another shot behind for a tie of third place were British Charley Hull and Chinas Lin Xi Yu, followed by Korean duo Ryu So Yeon and Yoo Sun Young who both had a two-day total of 139.Ji, who tied ninth in the 2014 Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship, struck a double bogey on hole 6 that offset her two birdies in the first two holes. She then regained momentum by netting three consecutive birdies from hole nine.The 29-year-old said she had not been on good form and was suffering from a back injury. Actually I hurt my middle back today, this morning actually. So this one, just bothering me on my swing, and especially with my driver. So I missed a lot of fairways today.When asked if she was annoyed by intermittent rain and high winds, she said: Weather is going to be like this tomorrow and the day after, so trying to be patient every day and just focus on my play.Ko, currently world number two and aiming for her 10th title, collected seven birdies against two bogeys.It was kind of a slow start. I gave myself quite a few opportunities the first couple holes, and I didnt make any, she said. Suzann Pettersen of Norway fired a six-under-par of 66, the lowest of the day, which made her two-round total 140 and put her in joint seventh place.

Formula One: Heavy rain puts USA Grand Prix at risk

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AUSTIN (AFP) - Torrential rain and dangerous electrical storms led to the cancellation of Fridays second free practice session and may threaten the running of this weekends United States Grand Prix.The session was initially postponed indefinitely because marshals at the Circuit of the Americas were unable to work because of the close proximity of the lightning.Hopes of starting the session later were dashed when it was confirmed that practice had been abandoned because the circuits medical helicopter would not be allowed to take off for at least two hours due to the conditions.@F1 @circuitamericas looks like my boat licence may help today...., tweeted Lotuss French driver Romain Grosjean.If the conditions persist, as forecast, the race could be delayed or cancelled, many paddock observers said.The opening free practice session, in the morning, was also hampered by rain and run in damp conditions.Germanys Nico Rosberg, who is seeking a victory to keep alive his hopes of wrecking Mercedes team-mate and defending two-time champion Lewis Hamiltons Texan title party, was fastest in that session.Hamilton was fifth and Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari, who is second in the title race, was sixth, but the session was of little value and gave few clues as to the relative competitive potential of the teams.The cancellation of Fridays action was not unexpected following forecasts of storms associated with typhoons in the region throughout the weekend. Hurricane Patricia, which has hit the coast of Mexico, is reported to be the strongest storm ever measured.Continued bad weather could lead to the cancellation of practice and qualifying on Saturday as well as Sunday.The last time qualifying took place on a Sunday was at the 2013 Australian Grand Prix when the Saturday session was postponed because of heavy rain.In 2004, and in 2010, qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix was abandoned on Saturday because of a typhoon and it took place on Sunday morning.Theres nothing we can do, said the sports commercial ring-master Bernie Ecclestone. Its alright for those of us who have got jobs and things to do, but I feel sorry for the public.They are here to enjoy some racing and all they are getting is soaked in the rain.Rosberg had made a determined first move towards stopping Hamiltons march to his third title when he had topped the times in opening free practice.The 30-year-old German, who has to prevent Hamilton beating him by three points in Sundays race at the Circuit of the Americas to keep his own challenge alive, clocked a best lap of one minute and 53.989 seconds on a damp, drying track.Hamilton, feeling his way cautiously, was one of the majority of drivers who were slow to join the fray and wound up fifth quickest after a relatively desultory session in poor conditions.Rosbergs best time left him more than 1.2 seconds clear of the Red Bull pairing of Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo with Carlos Sainz fourth for Toro Rosso.Four-time champion Vettel, who is second behind Hamilton in the title race, was sixth for Ferrari after clocking only 10 laps in the session.Vettel has already been handicapped ahead of Sundays race by being hit with a 10-place grid penalty after Ferrari introduced new engines for the event.Rosberg completed seven laps in the 90 minutes while Hamilton did only four.The busiest men were the two McLaren Honda drivers, Jenson Button, the 2009 champion, and two-time champion Fernando Alonso, who has an upgraded engine in his car this weekend.Button completed 20 laps and Alonso 18 while Raffaele Marciello did 19 laps for Sauber, but it was mostly meaningless stuff in difficult conditions as the drivers acquainted themselves with the circuit on full wet tyres before switching briefly to intermediates as the track dried out.A shame we couldnt run in FP2, sorry to the fans that came to watch today but we cant control Mother Nature StaysafeJB22, tweeted Button.

Rallying: World champion Ogier leads Latvala in Catalunya

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SALOU (AFP) - World champion Sebastien Ogier led Volkswagen team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala by four seconds after the first full day of the Rally of Catalunya on Friday.French driver Ogier wrapped up his third consecutive title with three races to spare at the Rally of Australia last month before Latvala confirmed Volkswagens dominance by snatching victory in Corsica last time out.Latvala has an 11-second advantage over Estonias Ott Tanak, who holds a surprise third spot in a Ford Fiesta.

Global supply glut sends oil prices sliding again

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NEW YORK (AFP) - Oil prices stretched losses into a second week Friday amid little sign of an end to the generous crude supply situation.In New York trade, West Texas Intermediate crude for December delivery finished at $44.60 a barrel, down 78 cents for the day and $2.02 off the previous Fridays close.In London, Brent crude for December lost nine cents at $47.99 a barrel, after falling as low as $47.45. A week ago Brent closed at $49.93 per barrel.Crude prices on both markets sank after China cut interest rates again in what some took as a signal of more worries over growth in the worlds second largest economy.It was a schizophrenic day for commodities, noted CMC Markets analyst Jasper Lawler.There was an initial rally on the prospect of improved demand in China after the Peoples Bank of China cut interest rates.This was followed by a swift reversal lower on the realization that the previous five rate cuts had not worked -- and that actually the policy move just serves to prove Chinas economy is in trouble.Worries about the health of the Chinese economy continue to batter commodities prices, echoed Sanjeev Gupta, who heads the Asia-Pacific oil and gas practice at professional services firm EY.Fawad Razaqzada at trading firm Gain Capital said the overall picture this week has been of a well-supplied market that will likely only be more glutted when Iranian crude exports surge after the western embargo on the country is lifted.Prices were hammered Wednesday after the US Department of Energy said the countrys commercial oil inventories jumped eight million barrels to 476.6 million in the week to October 16.And the Baker Hughes North American rig count released Friday showed only a minor dip in US drilling as production remains high.At times this week, it looked like the buyers were back in the game as oil prices managed decent intra-day bounces, Razaqzada said.However, those proved to be merely short-covering rallies and the sellers grew in confidence after the US commercial oil inventories rose surprisingly sharply for a second straight week, he told AFP.That reminded hopeful bullish speculators that the excessive supply of the stuff is still a big factor weighing on sentiment, he said.In addition, he said, The firmer dollar has weighed on the buck-denominated black gold.

Euro slides again on potential ECB stimulus boost

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NEW YORK (AFP) - The euro skidded lower for a second day Friday after the European Central Bank said it could weigh boosting its economic stimulus efforts in December.ECB chief Mario Draghis hints Thursday of possible loosening of the monetary reins, with the tools of an expansion of the 1.1 trillion euro bond-purchase program and an interest rate cut possibly on the table, raised the prospect of more euros flooding the market. A day after falling more than two cents against the dollar, the euro lost nearly another cent, trading at $1.1016 around 2100 GMT, down from $1.1111 at the same time Thursday.The shared currency briefly dropped below $1.10 in Friday trade, for the first time since early August.The ECB signal was followed Friday by Chinas interest rate cut, the sixth in a year, to counter the slowdown in the worlds second-biggest economy.Both moves came ahead of the Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the US central bank weighing whether to raise near-zero interest rates. Most analysts expect the Fed will wait at least until the December meeting for liftoff.While it can be argued that stimulus abroad is good for US markets and makes it easier for the Fed to raise interest rates in December, the reasons why these central banks are easing and the consequence it has for the dollar could also deter them from tightening, said Kathy Lien of BK Asset Management.

Broad praises England's calm Root

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DUBAI (AFP) - England paceman Stuart Broad hailed fast-rising batsman Joe Root after the 24-year-old held Englands batting with authority on the second day of the second Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Friday. The fast-rising Root was unbeaten on 76 to lead Englands strong reply of 182-3 in reply to Pakistans 382, trailing by 196 runs with seven wickets intact.Broad said Root has brought calmness in the teams batting.Hes very natural against the spin, said Broad of Root. He doesnt look panicked or rushed, he just knows his areas to score and plays it. Hes got us in a good position.I think Joe has brought a lot of calmness to the batting unit - and Cookie, he played beautifully today and set a nice platform - but Joe brings a calmness the young guys can feed off.Englands recovery was led by Alastair Cook (65) and Root who shared a solid 113-run stand for the third wicket after Moeen Ali fell for one and Ian Bell for just four.Broad praised Roots excellent form in 2015, having crossed 1,000 runs in the calendar year before this series. Joes been in great form in 2015 - I saw Cooky and Joes stats and they were quite similar - and hes as good a player of spin as any Englishmen that Ive played with.Cook has also crossed 1,000 runs this year during his epic 263 in the drawn first Test in Abu Dhabi last week.Broad refused to compare Root with any Indian batsmen, regarded as better players of spin bowling. I wouldnt liken him to anyone but the way he judges length is brilliant. He doesnt look like hes in panic, sweeping and dancing because hes not sure what to do.Broad said Root looks older than his years. He certainly looks like a senior the way he moves in the field. Hes been crucial to us winning series in the past year and tomorrow, hopefully, will be his day. Because if he can be the guy we bat around, we have a few guys who make half-centuries, we should make 400-plus.Broad paid tribute to the England bowling.We are delighted as a bowling unit to get ten wickets on a first-day pitch for under 400. It was good to only lose three wickets for a decent score, you always say it but the next hour is the most important and tomorrow morning is probably the biggest hour in the game.

West Indies struggle to save second Test

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COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka stretched their lead to 113 over West Indies Friday as they followed up a clinical bowling performance with a solid start to their second innings in a low-scoring Test in Colombo. The opener Kaushal Silva was unbeaten on 31 and Dinesh Chandimal was not out on five as the home team finished the second day of the final Test at the P. Sara Oval on 76-2.Responding to their hosts first innings total of 200, the tourists were all out in the last ball of the afternoon session for just 163 after pace bowler Dhammika Prasad took four for 34.Our plan was to bowl them out for less than 200 and it worked, Prasad said. All the bowlers bowled well. I was more interested in the team doing well than taking my fifth wicket. We did not want to allow a lead to the West Indies, he said.And having wrested the initiative away from the tourists, Sri Lanka then drove home their advantage as debutant Kusal Mendis justified the faith of the selectors with an entertaining innings of 39.The opener Dimuth Karunaratne was out first ball of the innings, caught by a diving Devendra Bishoo, after flicking uppishly at a ball by Jerome Taylor, but 20-year-old Mendis showed few sign of nerves.Hitting seven fours, Mendis became the second wicket to fall, caught behind off Jomel Warrican with the total on 55.Silva and Chandimal then saw out the remaining 10 overs to leave the hosts well placed to clinch the series following their innings victory in the first Test in Colombo.None of the West Indies batsmen passed the 50 mark in their first innings, with opener Kraigg Brathwaite top-scoring with 47.It was a good pitch, said Brathwaite. But the Sri Lankan bowlers bowled really well. Spinners got good purchase.After resuming in the morning on 17-1, few of the West Indies batsmen ever looked comfortable and found runs harder to get as the day wore on -- struggling in particular to score off the miserly Rangana Herath.Between lunch and tea, the tourists lost six wickets for the addition of 86 runs. Prasad led the way with his four wickets but he was well backed up by Dilruwan Perera who finished with 3 for 28 while left arm spinner Milinda Siriwardana also chipped in with 2 for 26. Play began half an hour late due to a soggy outfield caused by heavy overnight rains. Although the light was gloomy at the start, it had improved significantly by the afternoon.The tourists have never won a Test match in Sri Lanka in 10 previous attempts.

S. Africa's Du Plessis fined for dissent

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MUMBAI (AFP) - South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis has been fined 15 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent at an umpires decision during the fourth One-Day International against India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said Friday.The incident happened in the 15th over of South Africas run-chase when du Plessis showed obvious dissent by raising his right hand after being declared caught behind off Axar Patel, the ICC said in a statement.It added that Du Plessis, 31, had admitted the offence and had been fined 15 per cent of his undisclosed match fee for breaching the ICC code of conduct during South Africas defeat to India on Thursday.Hosts India won the contest in Chennai by 35 runs to tie the five-match one-day series at 2-2 going into Sundays decider in Mumbai.

New Zealand too strong for PM XI in tour opener

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CANBERRA (AFP) - New Zealands Black Caps launched their Australian tour with a thumping 102-run win over the Prime Ministers XI in a one-day game in Canberra on Friday.After setting a target of 307, the Black Caps - led by paceman Trent Boult - made light work of Test aspirants Usman Khawaja, Cameron Bancroft and Joe Burns with the pink ball at Manuka Oval, dismissing the trio for a combined total of six runs.Adam Voges brought up a solid 55 as he looks to fill one of the holes left by several retirements ahead of the three-Test series against the Kiwis starting in Brisbane on November 5.Boult finished with three wickets for 27 and James Neesham claimed three for 23 as the New Zealand bowlers dismissed the PM XI for 205 off 45.2 overs.Khawaja went for a duck after being caught off a swinging ball from Boult, while Bancroft was bowled on one by stand-in skipper Tim Southee.Boult reduced the hosts to 13 for three after claiming Burns on five.The left-arm quick managed to find some movement on the normally slow, flat pitch with the bright pink ball under lights.Khawaja and Bancrofts opening partnership of one paled in comparison to the 196-run stand of Kiwi openers Tom Latham (131) and Martin Guptill (94) - the second biggest by a visiting side in the history of the traditional Manuka Oval fixture.Latham said New Zealands win was a good way to start the tour and he hoped to continue the momentum into the next two days.He praised both Boult and Southee for their efforts in tearing down the PMs XI top order.Weve certainly got a lot of confidence in them, he said.I think the way theyve been bowling the last couple of years has been outstanding and they certainly set the tone at the top of the innings for us.Ryan Carters top-scored for the PMs XI with 74.Khawaja, Bancroft, Burns and Voges will get another chance to press their claims on Saturday and Sunday in a two-day red ball Cricket Australia XI match with the Black Caps, featuring fellow hopefuls Shaun and Mitchell Marsh.Having not faced them before, Voges relished the chance to look at the Kiwi bowling attack. I get another opportunity over the next couple of days, so everytime I go out there Ive just got to try and make as many runs as I possibly can, Voges said.It was nice to get a few tonight but it wouldve been nice to get a lot more.Peter Siddle, also looking to shore up his Test claims, didnt have as much success with the pink ball as Boult earlier in the day, with the veteran paceman ending the first innings with 1-54.Jason Behrendorff got 3-56, while Ashton Agar (1-52), David Hussey (1-40) and Mark Steketee (1-79) also got on the board.The Kiwis were without skipper Brendon McCullum, rested after recently returning from London where he gave evidence at the perjury trial of former teammate Chris Cairns.BJ Watling, Kane Williamson and Matt Henry also sat out the day-nighter, but are expected to play a role in the CA XI clash.

Windies to host Australia, S. Africa in ODI tournament

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ST. JOHNS (AFP) - West Indies, world champions Australia and South Africa will clash in a three-nation one-day international tournament in the Caribbean in June next year.The 10-match event will take place over a three-week period from June 6 to June 26, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced.Matches will be played in Guyana, St Kitts and Barbados.This tournament promises to be very exciting with two of the worlds top teams coming to the Caribbean, said Roland Holder, the WICB manager for cricket operations.It will provide a golden opportunity for our team to test themselves against two of the best sides in the world in the ODI format.The tournament opens with round-robin matches contested at the Guyana National Stadium before the teams travel to Basseterre in St. Kitts for another series of matches at Warner Park.The series then moves to the Barbados capital of Bridgetown for the final round of matches at Kensington Oval, culminating with the final.

Youm-e-Ashur being observed today

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LAHORE (Dunya News) - Youm-e-Ashur is being observed today (Saturday) with reverence and religious fervour throughout the country to pay tributes to Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his companions for their supreme sacrifices.Every year, this day is observed on 10th of Muharram to commemorate the supreme sacrifice rendered by Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his 72 companions at Karbala to uphold the truth.Taziya, Alam and Zuljanah processions would be taken out in all the major cities and towns across the country. On the day, religious clerics and scholars would shed light over the historical, social and religious aspects of supreme sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA).In Lahore, the main Zuljanah procession emerged from Nisar Haveli inside Mochi Gate late on Friday night amidst strict security arrangements. Thousands of Azadars are participating in the Zuljanah procession which after passing through its traditional route will culminate at Karbala Gamay Shah in the evening where Majlis-e-Sham-e-Ghariban will be held to commemorate the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) in which noted ‘Zakerin’ will highlight the importance of the sacrifice of grandson of Prophet (PBUH) and his companions.The main Zuljanah procession in Karachi will be taken out from Nishtar Park. The procession will pass through M A Jinnah Road, Empress Market, Regal Chowk and Tibet Centre and culminate at the Hussainia Iranian Imam Bargah, Kharadar.In Peshawar, the main Zuljanah procession will be taken out from Imam Bargah Kocha Jan Alam and after passing through its traditional route will culminate at the same Imam Bargah in the evening.The main Zuljanah procession in Quetta will be taken out from Alamdar Road which will pass through its traditional route and culminate at the Imam Bargah Kalan after Maghrib prayer.Zuljanah processions would also be taken out in other major cities, including Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Muzaffargarh, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Khairpur.Tight security arrangements have been chalked out to maintain law and order across the country during Ashura.All the provincial governments have beefed up security for mourning processions and thousands of security personnel have been deployed to avoid any untoward incident.Beside police force, law enforcement agencies’ personnel have also been deployed to ensure peace and harmony.Pillion-riding has been banned for two days in several cities while control rooms have been set up for strict monitoring through CCTV cameras.Mobile phone services will remain blocked on Youm-e-Ashur in sensitive areas in 68 districts across Pakistan as terrorists often use cellular phones as detonators. The Interior Minister has sent list of the areas to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
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