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BRIEF-Cricket-Australian team weakest for years, says Imran

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 13:37:55 +0000

KARACHI, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Former Pakistan captain Imran
Khan has described the Australian team as one of the weakest he
has seen in years.

“This is one of the weakest Australian teams I have seen
play, they are still recovering from the loss of some great
players but they are surviving because of their strong domestic
structure,” Imran said during a cricket show on Geo New Channel
on Sunday.

Pakistan suffered a whitewash on their recent tour of
Australia, losing the test series 3-0, the one-dayers 5-0 as
well as defeat in the lone Twenty20 match.

Imran, who played 88 tests and 175 one-day internationals,
said the biggest problem affecting Pakistan cricket was a weak
domestic structure. “That is why we are not thriving despite
having so much raw talent. We should have beaten this Australian
team in the recent series,” he said.

(Editing by Alison Wildey

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UPDATE 2-Cricket-Amla floors India with unbeaten 253

admin — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:47:04 +0000

* Amla scores unbeaten 253

* Shares in two big partnerships

* India 25-0 at the close
(Updates at close)

By Sanjay Rajan

NAGPUR, India, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Hashim Amla posted his
first test double century to grind India’s insipid bowling into
submission on the second day of the opening test on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Amla scored an unbeaten 253 to enable South
Africa declare their first innings at an imposing 558 for six at
Nagpur’s VCA Stadium.

India were 25 without loss in reply at the close with
Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir not out on nine and 12
respectively.

Number three batsman Amla shared in a 108-run fourth wicket
stand with AB de Villiers (53) after taking his overnight
partnership with Jacques Kallis (173) to 340.

Mark Boucher struck 39 and put on 78 for the sixth wicket
with Amla, 115 overnight, after Kallis, De Villiers and JP
Duminy (9) were dismissed by spinners on a pitch that had
started to offer turn and bounce.

Continued…