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CARDIFF, United Kingdom (AFP) – Uncapped Surrey seamer Jade Dernbach was called up into a 12-man England squad on Tuesday for the second Test against Sri Lanka at Lord’s starting on Friday after James Anderson was forced out with injury. Anderson suffered a side strain during the course of England’s first Test win and the swing bowler was not on the field when Sri Lanka were shot out for just 82 at Sophia Gardens here on Monday to give the hosts an innings and 14 run victory that left... Read Full Story

HI (AFP) – Huge-hitting Shahid Afridi makes such a noise on the field that they call him “Boom Boom”, but the crowd-pleaser is leaving the game quietly after clashing with Pakistan’s cricket hierarchy. The imposing all-rounder, who bowls dangerous leg-spin and smashes sixes for fun, is widely regarded as one of limited-overs cricket’s most destructive batsmen, and Pakistan’s foremost player. But Afridi, 31, announced his retirement late on Monday after a row with coach Waqar Younis... Read Full Story

  KARACHI (AFP) – Shahid Afridi, who was replaced as Pakistan’s one-day captain earlier this month, announced his retirement from international cricket on Monday, geo television reported. Read Full Story

BELFAST, United Kingdom (AFP) – Pakistan coach Waqar Younis praised his team for a “wonderful job” after they shrugged off the cold to complete a 2-0 one-day international series away to Ireland at Stormont. A much-improved batting performance by the home team give Pakistan a victory target of 239 which the World Cup semi-finalists passed for the loss of five wickets with eight balls to spare on Monday. “This game could have been dodgy for us but everybody chipped in,” said former... Read Full Story

CARDIFF, United Kingdom (AFP) – Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said there was no point in reading the riot act after a stunning collapse to 82 all out saw his side lose the first Test against England. A rain-affected match appeared destined for a draw after England declared their first innings on 496 for five — a lead of just 96 — with only 51 overs left on Monday’s fifth and final day here at Sophia Gardens. But what had seemed a moribund match was sparked into life by England... Read Full Story

KARACHI (AFP) – Pakistani hopes of reviving international cricket rose after successfully hosting a one-day series against Afghanistan, but experts on Monday warned against any imminent breakthrough. Pakistan’s second string whitewashed Afghanistan — the first international team to tour since the Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore in 2009 — in the three-match series which finished on Sunday. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said the untroubled series, albeit against lowly-ranked... Read Full Story

BRIDGETOWN (AFP) – Veteran batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan was recalled to the West Indies squad in place of opener Devon Smith for the final two matches of the series against Pakistan which has already been lost 3-0. The 30-year-old Sarwan has featured in 166 one-day internationals and has four centuries and 35 fifties. The fourth one-dayer takes place in at the Kensington Oval here on Monday with the fifth and final game in Guyana on May 5. West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Dwayne Bravo... Read Full Story

COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lanka’s former cricket captain Hashan Tillakaratne has claimed that his country had been fixing games since 1992, once again raising the spectre of corruption in the sport. The left-handed batsman, who played 83 Tests and 200 one-dayers for Sri Lanka during his 15-year career, said he was prepared to back up his allegations by naming some of those involved. “Match fixing is something which has been in this country over a period of time. This has spread like a cancer... Read Full Story

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AFP) – Afghanistan coach Rashid Latif hopes to unearth new cricket stars among poor refugee communities during matches being played in the Pakistani border city of Peshawar, he said on Friday. Although Pakistan no longer hosts international cricket because of poor security, war-torn Afghanistan’s cricketers are crossing the border to play in volatile Peshawar because their main grounds are being renovated. The area is home to thousands of Afghans who have fled... Read Full Story

NEW DELHI (AFP) – India’s newly-appointed coach Duncan Fletcher on Thursday got a taste of the challenges he faces when two senior former players said a fellow countryman should have got the job instead. Fletcher, a former Zimbabwean all-rounder who rose to prominence during his eight-year stint as England coach, was awarded a two-year contract Wednesday by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, former Indian captains and influential voices in... Read Full Story