Kevin Curran Died In the age of 53

Kevin Curran, the former Zimbabwe batsman and  national team coach, has died aged 53 early this morning in Mutare. A statement by Zimbabwe Cricket said he collapsed while jogging but the exact cause of death was yet to be determined.

Curran was coach of the Mashonaland Eagles team and was in Mutare preparing for their T20 fixture against Mountaineers on Wednesday, which has now been postponed.

"We are still in shock, Kevin was the epitome of health and we have yet to make sense of this tragic loss," ZC's managing director Wilfred Mukondiwa said. "KC's past and continued contribution to the game of cricket is unquestionable and dates as far back as his playing days up until the phenomenal work he had been doing at Mash Eagles."

"I have yet to meet a man more passionate about cricket in this country," Mash Eagles chief executive officer, Vimbai Mapukute, said. "KC had put his heart and soul into developing our franchise and had great plans for our high performance gym and other facilities... his passing will leave a huge void at Mash Eagles and I feel that I have not only lost a key business ally but a friend as well."

CSA acting CEO Jacques Faul also paid tribute. "It is very sad news," he said. "He is well remembered for his brief playing stint in this country for KwaZulu-Natal and Boland where he always played the game to the best professional standards."

Curran made his international debut in the 1983 World Cup, when Zimbabwe beat Australia by 13 runs atTrent Bridge. In a four-year career that had spanned two World Cups, he scored 287 runs in 11 games with two half-centuries. As a right-arm seamer, he took nine wickets. By the time his country had gained Test status, he had almost completed his 10-year qualification for English residency and decided not to return.

Curran was one of the most effective overseas players in English cricket in the decade from the mid-1980s, scoring 1000 runs in a season five times. Gloucestershire controversially declined to renew his contract at the end of 1990 and he moved to Northamptonshire, where he played until his retirement in 1999.

He served as Zimbabwe's assistant coach before moving west to take charge of Namibia. In September 2004, he returned home as director of coaching at the CFX Cricket Academy in Harare. In August 2005, he replacedPhil Simmons as national coach and held that position till 2007. Within days, he took over as head of Zimbabwe Cricket Academy. He coached the Zimbabwe Under-19 team during the World Cup in 2010. Shortly after taking over as the Mashonaland Eagles coach, he was named in the senior selection panel.

Kumble to head ICC's cricket committee

Anil Kumble, the former India captain and legspinner has been appointed chairman of the ICC cricket committee. He replaces Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain, who had headed it since 2008.

According to an ICC media release, Kumble's nomination was "unanimously" agreed by the ICC board at a meeting in Colombo earlier this week. Two members of the panel, former Australia captain Mark Taylor and ICC statistician Davin Kendix, got a one-year extension, while former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop voluntarily stepped down. Bishop nominated the recently retired England captainAndrew Strauss as his replacement, which was accepted by the ICC board.

ICC president Allan Isaac said he was confident Kumble would bring his extensive experience as a player and as an administrator to the ICC cricket panel. "In Anil Kumble, we have a new chairman who has unquestioned experience not only as a player with India but also as an administrator with Karnataka State Cricket Association," Isaac said. "I am sure that he will carry on Clive's good work and bring, like Andrew Strauss, contemporary thinking to the committee as both understand clearly the issues facing the modern game."

Under its ambit, the ICC cricket committee periodically recommends changes to the rules in the various formats of the game to make it more balanced and appealing. Earlier this year the committee hadrecommended that the number of bouncers permitted in an ODI over be increased to two, doing away with the bowling Powerplay and reducing the number of fielders permitted outside the 30-yard circle from five to four. All these changes were ratified by the ICC's chief executives committee in June.

For Kumble, this is another shot in the arm after the BCCI appointed him as the head of its technical committee after the board's AGM last month. Immediately after retiring from cricket, Kumble stepped into the administrator's shoes by effortlessly winning the elections in the Karnataka State Cricket Association, where he is the president. Kumble would be the second Indian to head the committee after Sunil Gavaskar.

The ICC Cricket Committee: Anil Kumble, Allan Isaac, Dave Richardson, Geoff Allardice, Andrew Strauss, Mark Taylor, Kumar Sangakkara, Tim May, Gary Kirsten, Clare Connor, David White, Trent Johnston, Ravi Shastri, Steve Davis, Ranjan Madugalle, David Kendix.

Pakistan Cricket Fixtures schedule 2012-2013

Pakistan schedule, International cricket fixtures PAK, Test matches, Oneday International, ODI, Twenty20 International cricket matches, 20-20, five day matches, 2012-2013

Pakistan Schedule

Feb-2013
Fri 01 - Tue 05 08:30 GMT, 10:30 local	Pakistan v South Africa 1st Test - South Africa vs Pakistan The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Thu 14 - Mon 18 08:30 GMT, 10:30 local	Pakistan v South Africa 2nd Test - South Africa vs Pakistan Newlands, Cape Town
Fri 22 - Tue 26 08:30 GMT, 10:30 local	Pakistan v South Africa 3rd Test - South Africa vs Pakistan SuperSport Park, Centurion
Mar-2013
Fri 01  16:00 GMT, 18:00 local	Pakistan v South Africa 1st T20I - South Africa vs Pakistan Kingsmead, Durban
Sun 03 12:30 GMT, 14:30 local	Pakistan v South Africa 2nd T20I - South Africa vs Pakistan Buffalo Park, East London
Sun 10 08:00 GMT, 10:00 local	Pakistan v South Africa 1st ODI - South Africa vs Pakistan OUTsurance Oval, Bloemfontein
Fri 15  12:30 GMT, 14:30 local	Pakistan v South Africa 2nd ODI - South Africa vs Pakistan SuperSport Park, Centurion
Sun 17 08:00 GMT, 10:00 local	Pakistan v South Africa 3rd ODI - South Africa vs Pakistan The Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Thu 21 08:00 GMT, 10:00 local	Pakistan v South Africa 4th ODI - South Africa vs Pakistan Kingsmead, Durban
Sun 24  08:00 GMT, 10:00 local	Pakistan v South Africa 5th ODI - South Africa vs Pakistan Willowmoore Park, Benoni
Jun-2013
Fri 07 09:15 GMT, 10:15 local	Pakistan v West Indies 2nd Match, Group B - ICC Champions Trophy Kennington Oval, London
Mon 10  12:00 GMT, 13:00 local	Pakistan v South Africa 5th Match, Group B - ICC Champions Trophy Edgbaston, Birmingham
Sat 15 09:15 GMT, 10:15 local	Pakistan v India 10th Match, Group B - ICC Champions Trophy Edgbaston, Birmingham

Sri Lanka Enter World Twenty20 Final

Colombo: Discipline Sri Lankan bowlers powered the hosts to the final of the 2012 World Twenty20 as they beat 2009 champions Pakistan by 16 runs in a low-scoring thriller at Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Thursday.

Sri Lanka will meet the winner of second semifinal between Australia and West Indies in the summit clash on Sunday.

Rangana Herath derailed Pakistan's chase as he dismissed danger man Mohammad Hafeez and Shahid Afridi in quick succession to reduce Pakistan to 91 for 6.

Earlier, Ajantha Mendis gave Sri Lanka first breakthrough as he bowled out Imran Nazir (20) after a steady start by Pakistan in their chase of 140.

Angelo Mathews then trapped Nasir Jamshed leg before wickets and got Kamran Akmal caught behind the stumps to hurt Pakistan's chase.

Herath then joined the party by getting rid of Shoaib Malik.

Herath stretched the show further in the 15th over by quick wickets of Hafeez and Afridi.

Pakistan restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 139/4 in their semifinal clash at the R Premadasa stadium on Thursday.

Some 35,000 fans at the Premadasa stadium watched Sri Lanka struggle to force the pace after Mahela Jayawardene elected to take first strike on a sluggish pitch that hampered stroke-making.

Sri Lanka plodded to 123-4 in 19 overs when Thisara Perera smashed three boundaries in the final over bowled by seamer Umar Gul which realised 16 runs.

Openers Jayawardene and Tillakaratne Dilshan put on 63 in 10 overs, a slow start by Twenty20 standards but crucial nevertheless for Sri Lanka still had all their wickets in hand.

Jayawardene liberally employed the reverse sweep during his knock of 42 off 36 balls, but was caught at fine-leg while attempting the same shot off leg-spinner Shahid Afridi.

Kumar Sangakkara made a promising 18 from 11 balls when he was snapped up on the long-on fence as he tried to hit Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez out of the ground.

Gul was unlucky to see the TV umpire declare a no-ball after he had Jeevan Mendis given out leg-before in the 18th over.

But Gul removed Dilshan two balls later with another leg-before decision that made Sri Lanka 117-3.

Dilshan was unusually subdued during his innings, taking 43 balls to score 35 with the help of three boundaries.