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Chetan Narula Melbourne, Dec 30 (PTI) Comprehensively beaten by India at the MCG to concede a Test series lead, Australia skipper Tim Paine Sunday admitted his batsmen failed to cope with the high quality opposition bowling attack in the absence of banned Steve Smith and David Warner. India beat Australia by 137 runs in the third Test to go 2-1 up in the four-match series and take giant strides towards winning their first ever Test series on Australian soil in seven decades....

Solomon Mire missed out on a chance to become Zimbabwe’s first century-maker in a T20 international as his 94-run knock carried Zimbabwe to 162-4 after captain Hamilton Masakadza lost his first toss in the tri-series and his team was put in to bat. Opener Fakhar Zaman (47) and Hussain Talat (44) led Pakistan to 163-3 in 19.1 overs against an inexperienced bowling attack as Pakistan registered its second win against Zimbabwe....

Hafeez fell to a low catch in the slips by Tim Southee off paceman Trent Boult as Pakistan were 0-1 at lunch after BJ Watling’s fighting, unbeaten 77 took New Zealand to 274 all out in their first innings. Fellow opener Imam-ul-Haq was unbeaten on nought as Pakistan trailed by 274 runs with nine wickets intact as both teams fight for a series-clinching win. The three-match series is tied at 1-1....

The Pakistani team was expected to take part in the Championship, which was inaugurated at the Sher-e-Kashmir Indoor Stadium, as the organisers had put up the flag of the neighbouring country, alongside other participating nations. “We were expecting the Pakistan team and had even made all out efforts to arrange for their visa at Indian High Commission in Islamabad. The High Commission staff was very cooperative and promised that visa will be issued despite very short notice,” Mohammad Iqbal, an official of the Indian Pencak Silat Federation, told PTI on Monday....

Palmieri scored twice in a matchup of conference cellar dwellers as the Devils snapped a six-game losing streak and got just their third victory away from home. “This is a big road trip for us. We wanted to get off to a good start,” said Palmieri, who leads the Devils with 14 goals. “We scored timely goals and that’s what you need to do. It’s a fresh start. You can’t worry about what happened in October and November....

Pardew’s departure was confirmed on Monday following a 2-1 defeat at Burnley two days earlier, goals from Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood sinking the Baggies. The Englishman was appointed as the replacement for Tony Pulis in November, but was unable to turn around the club’s fortunes. During Pardew’s four-month reign, West Brom won a single Premier League game, a 2-0 success at home to Brighton and Hove Albion. A run of eight successive league losses proved enough for West Brom to part company with the former Newcastle United and Crystal Palace manager....

European football’s governing body suspended the Serbian club after the adjudicatory chamber of its Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) ruled they had contravened regulations relating to unpaid debuts for the third time in the past five years. UEFA stated Partizan’s debuts stood at just under €2.5million, as of September 30 last year – the majority of which was owed to social and tax authorities. However, Partizan presented new evidence during the CAS hearing that showed they had cleared their tax bill....

The team is obviously pumped about it; check Twitter for more. They're using the #PaintedClassic hashtag, naturally. Now, the ball is back in the NHL's court. A suggestion: Get Capitals winger Tom Wilson to paint the ice for next year's Winter Classic.

Djokovic was beaten by Taro Daniel at Indian Wells last week in his first match since returning from an elbow injury and 12-time grand slam champion has now lost three matches in a row for the first time since 2007 after going down 6-3 6-4 to the unseeded Paire. The 30-year-old was a shadow of his former self, winning just 53 per cent of points on his first serve and failing to break of serve....

The West Indies fared better with the bat compared with the first two matches, reaching 153-6 in their 20 overs after winning the toss. Opener Andre Fletcher scored a 43-ball 52 – his team’s only half-century on this tour. It was not enough, however, as Pakistan got to the total comfortably, with opener Babar Azam scoring a rapid 40-ball 51. The hosts raced to 61 in the sixth over with left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman smashing two sixes and six boundaries in his 17-ball 40....

The 12-man squad will be extended further after a three-day practice match between Pakistan ‘A’ and South Africa on 8th October; the match will be a chance for players like Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shahzad and Shan Masood to gain a spot in the final squad. Pakistan recalled paceman Mohammad Irfan and also included three spinners in the squad. The cricket board, who are without a chief selector confirmed Misbah-ul Haq as the captain....

Fakhar Zaman and Shan Masood were also picked as Pakistan looks for an opening batsman to partner Imam-ul-Haq. Opener Mohammad Hafeez will retire from test cricket on Friday when the series against New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates ends. Amir has been left out of the squad since before the Asia Cup in the UAE in September, and was not considered for the test series against Australia and New Zealand, also in the UAE....

While there will be many well-known Pakistani stars like Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, and Hassan Ali who will be the main attractions, we look at some of the talented uncapped Pakistani players who have been making waves in the domestic circuit and will be looking to become household names with some quality performances in the PSL. #5 Hussain Talat The 22-year-old all-rounder’s name has been floating about in the domestic circuit for the last couple of years....

Whether you see these tags as justified or just another typical case of tall poppy syndrome directed at both through jealous minds. You have to again applaud the lovely part that Fate has played between the two. As we wait with baited breath for a series between the two early in 2012, that will prove or disprove everything that is known and indeed unknown about the two TeamsSo let us run the rule over both the Teams....

Kyle Palmieri scored twice, Keith Kinkaid made 21 saves and the Devils came back from a season-opening win in Sweden by routing the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals 6-0 Thursday night in their first game at a packed Prudential Center. Marcus Johansson, Blake Coleman, Jean-Sebastien Dea and Brian Boyle also scored. In their previous game, the Devils beat Edmonton 5-2 overseas last weekend “We continued the way we played in Sweden and were on top of them early,” Palmieri said....

Both sides were eliminated by Mexico in the Gold Cup’s knockout stages, with Miguel Herrera’s men recipients of dubious penalty decisions in each fixture. MORE: Photos from Gold Cup semifinals | Saturday: U.S. vs. Panama | Sunday: Mexico-Jamaica Panama’s football federation (FEPAFUT) president Pedro Chaluja claimed he had the support of CONCACAF president Alfredo Hawit — who is occupying the role in the interim, after predecessor Jeffrey Webb left the position in May when he was arrested and indicted in the U....

Leeds, July 18 (PTI) Young wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant was today named in the 18-member Indian squad for the first three Tests against England, but senior batsman Rohit Sharma was once again ignored for the five-day format. The 20-year-old Pant has been named as the specialist wicketkeeper-batsman alongside Dinesh Karthik, who had played the team’s last Test against Afghanistan in the absence of an injured Wriddhiman Saha. Saha continues to be out nursing a thumb injury sustained during the IPL earlier this year....

The biggest matchup of the day? Drew Brees vs. Josh Norman, a guaranteed chess match that will play out with Saints wide receivers playing the part of pawns. But other storylines infuse the NFC South narrative. Cam Newton continues to twist the traditional mold of an MVP candidate. Luke Kuechly has his own Defensive Player of the Year bona fides. And Carolina is not yet in the clear in clinching a No....

The 19-year-old was outstanding in his professional debut with the Magic, posting 27 points (11-of-18 shooting), nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 35 minutes against the Pistons. Orlando wasn’t able to close out Wednesday night’s contest with a win, ultimately falling by a final score of 113-109, but the franchise must be thrilled with what it saw out of this year’s No. 1 overall pick. Banchero’s stats show that he didn’t just have the best debut among the players in his class — he had one of the best debut performances in recent memory....

In general, players can expect to spend around 30 hours with Paper Mario: The Origami King before they reach its conclusion. This approximate completion time assumes that a fan will tackle at least some of the game’s side quests, and players that are looking for a shorter experience can get it by ignoring most of that content. On the other hand, fans can undoubtedly get some additional hours out of The Origami King by focusing on completing all of the optional missions....