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Monday, December 30, 2013

Dunya TV

Dunya TV

Charsadda: Three of a family killed in rocket attack

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CHARSADDA (Dunya News) – According to details, a rocket hit a house in Wardagh area of Charsadda on early Monday morning, killing a woman and her two children and injuring two others.According to initial reports, roof of the house collapsed in the attack, burying all the family members under the debris. Rescue workers reached the spot and shifted the dead and injured to hospital.

Three LB candidates among 11 killed in Karachi

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KARACHI (Dunya News) – Target killing continues in Karachi as 11 more people, including three candidates of upcoming local bodies elections, lost their lives on Sunday. According to details, three local bodies elections candidates of Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) were returning home in a taxi after filing their nomination papers when some unidentified gunmen opened fire at them, killing Haleem Hazara and Safdar Hussain on the spot while injuring two others. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital where another candidate Arshad also succumbed to his wounds.Earlier, four members of a family were shot dead in Musharraf Colony in Maripur. All the deceased were killed after abduction.In another incident of firing, a police Constable named Saeed was shot dead in Gulshan Iqbal while two people were gunned down in two separate incidents of firing in Korangi and Badia respectively.Police have also recovered a dead body from Mangu Pir area. The identity of the deceased is not yet known.

2014 will be make-or-break year for Pakistan: Altaf

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LONDON (Dunya News) – Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain, in a statement issued from London on Sunday night, has said that 2014 could be a year of make or break for Pakistan.Altaf Hussain also warned the rulers not to repeat the mistakes committed in the past take right decisions and act upon those without any delay to move the country towards safety.He said that delay in implementation of key decisions could prove harmful for the country.

Three senior army officers among 16 killed in Iraq

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BAGHDAD (AFP) - Attacks in Iraq mainly targeting members of the security forces killed at least 16 people on Sunday, among them three senior army officers, security and medical officials said.The attacks come as Iraq suffers its worst violence since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a brutal period of sectarian tit-for-tat killings.In the northern city of Mosul, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle near a military convoy, killing four soldiers, among them a brigadier general, a colonel and a lieutenant colonel.The blast also wounded 10 people, including six soldiers.Earlier on Sunday, a car bomb exploded near an army checkpoint in Mosul, killing four more soldiers, among them an officer, while a roadside bomb in the city killed a child and wounded three people.The attacks on the soldiers come after five senior officers, including a divisional commander, and 10 other soldiers were killed during a December 21 operation against militants in the western province of Anbar.In Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, gunmen killed at least four Sahwa anti-Al-Qaeda militiamen and wounded at least three at a checkpoint on Sunday.The Sahwa are made up of fighters who joined forces with the United States against jihadists from late 2006, helping to bring about a significant reduction in violence.They are frequently targeted by Sunni Muslim militants, who consider them traitors.And in Baghdad, a roadside bomb exploded in the Jihad area, killing at least two people and wounding six, while another roadside bomb near the city of Baquba, north of the capital, killed one person and wounded four.More than 6,750 have been killed in violence since the beginning of 2013, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources.Analysts say widespread discontent among Sunni Arabs, who say they face discrimination at the hands of the Shiite-led government, is a major factor in the heightened violence.On Saturday, security forces raided the home of Sunni Arab MP Ahmed al-Alwani, who backs anti-government protesters, arresting him and sparking clashes that killed his brother and five guards.The raid may further inflame widespread discontent among Sunni Arabs, and could compound the rampant violence plaguing the country.

19 Syria rebels killed in fight for air base: monitor

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BEIRUT (AFP) - At least 19 rebels were killed in eastern Syria on Sunday in clashes for control of Deir Ezzor military air base, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.The toll from the fighting is 19 martyrs, said the Britain-based monitor which relies on a network of activists and medics on the ground for its reports.The watchdog said there has been fierce fighting for the base for three days between rebels and regime troops backed by National Defence Force auxiliaries.Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said the rebels have succeeded in taking control of part of Al-Jafra village, a few hundred metres (yards) from the airport.Residents of the village support the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, he said.

Four killed in Chile plane crash

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SANTIAGO (AFP) - All four people aboard a small airplane were killed when it plunged to the ground at an airport northwest of the Chilean capital, police said Sunday.The plane crashed at the Chacabuco airport, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Santiago. General Richardo Soler, head of the regional police, told the daily La Tercera said that officials will probe the cause of the crash.The victims were two adult men, including the pilot; a younger man and a youth. All died instantly, Solar said.The airplane, belonging to the Universitario aviation club, left the airport late Saturday, but began to smoke soon after and slammed into the ground and burst into flames, witnesses said.

Schumacher in coma, critical after France ski accident

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LYON (AFP) - Michael Schumacher, the seven-time Formula One champion, is in a coma and remains in a critical condition after striking his head in a ski accident in the French Alps on Sunday, the hospital treating him said.The 44-year-old German was suffering a serious brain trauma with coma on his arrival, which required an immediate neurosurgical operation, the hospital in the southeast French city of Grenoble said in a statement.He remains in a critical condition.Schumacher had been skiing off-piste in the upmarket Meribel resort, where he reportedly has a property, when he fell and hit his head on a rock, mountain police who gave him first aid said.He was airlifted to a local hospital, then to the Grenoble facility. A specialist neurosurgeon from Paris was rushed in to oversee his treatment.The director of the Meribel resort, Christophe Gernigon-Lecomte, had said just after the accident that Schumacher had been wearing a helmet and was conscious but a little agitated just after the accident, suggesting he had not received life-threatening injuries.But when Schumacher then fell into coma, doctors realised the damage was worse than initially feared.The two mountain police officers who gave first aid said Schumacher was suffering severe cranial trauma when they got to him and a helicopter was brought in to evacuate him within 10 minutes.A renowned Paris neurosurgeon, doctor Gerard Saillant, was brought to the Grenoble hospital in a police car to take charge of the famous patient.The hospital statement was signed by the facility's neurosurgeon, the professor in charge of its anaesthesia/revival unit, and the hospital's deputy director.Schumacher was on a private stay in Meribel, according to his spokeswoman. He is to have his 45th birthday next Friday.

Tennis: Murray 'emotional' about his comeback

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DOHA (AFP) - Wimbledon champion Andy Murray admitted on Sunday just how much it means to him to make his return to the ATP Tour in Doha after a four-month interval.Murray's back operation raised doubts about his future just a few weeks after the greatest triumph by any Briton in the history of the professional game at Wimbledon - so he has, he volunteers, strong feelings about the comeback.I'm off to work, it's been emotional, he tweeted after arriving from two exhibitions matches in neighbouring Abu Dhabi, and heading off for a centre court practice.Murray's competitive restart will probably happen on Hogmanay, one of the most important of traditional Scottish celebrations, on Tuesday, which may feel like an omen for the man from Dunblane.What is certain is that Murray is much more optimistic than a couple of weeks ago when he admitted: It may never happen again, I might not win another one (Grand Slam) but I just want to give myself the best chance to do that.I just need more matches like this because the intensity's a lot higher than in practice. It's been a perfect start and hopefully I'll get better.If he were seeking other omens, his exhibition victory last week against Stanislas Wawrinka could be one. The world number eight from Switzerland was the last player Murray played on the men's tour, when he lost his US Open title in the quarter-finals in New York.No wonder Murray feels better than then. His mood also suggests he may indeed go on to compete in the Australian Open in two weeks' time, even though there had been hints he might not.It has been five years since Murray played in Doha, previously preferring to warm up in Brisbane, which prompted speculation that - as when the injured Rafael Nadal entered the Qatar Open here last time and subsequently missed Australia - Murray might not be sure he is ready for a Grand Slam.Murray may also be encouraged by having played particularly well after taking his last break.When back problems forced his withdrawal from the French Open in May he came back to win the Queen's Club title in June and Wimbledon in July.He may also be content that he should have a comfortable reintroduction to competition. His opening encounter is against Mousa Zayed, a Qatari wild card ranked 2,099 in the world.That draw is in great contrast to Nadal's. The top-seeded world number one faces a start against Lukas Rosol, the Czech who caused one of the sport's biggest upsets when he beat Nadal in the second round of last year's Wimbledon.

Giroud sends Arsenal back to the top

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LONDON (AFP) - Olivier Giroud ensured Arsenal will finish 2013 on top of the Premier League as his second half goal clinched a 1-0 win against Newcastle on Sunday.Arsene Wenger's side had surrendered first place after Manchester City's win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, but just 24 hours later the Gunners reclaimed pole position with a hard-fought victory at St James' Park.Giroud's first goal since November 23 was enough to give Arsenal their second successive win and move them one point ahead of second placed City heading into the new year.Arsenal, who were without German playmaker Mesut Ozil, were under pressure early on and Wojciech Szczesny had to tip over Moussa Sissoko's effort, while Mathieu Debuchy's header hit the crossbar from the resulting corner.But France forward Giroud bagged his 11th goal of the season with a glancing header from Theo Walcott's free-kick in the 65th minute.Wenger's team then survived a late barrage of Newcastle pressure, with Loic Remy coming closest to an equaliser when Szczesny's clearance cannoned into his head and rebounded just wide.There is a big satisfaction because we surprised many people, Wenger said. We played two away games and got six points against West Ham and Newcastle and as you can see the team is ready for a fight.Ozil has a shoulder problem. I don't think he will be available for Cardiff on Wednesday, maybe after that, we will see.In the day's other early kick-off, Everton climbed into the top four with a 2-1 win over Southampton at Goodison Park.Romelu Lukaku's winner meant Roberto Martinez's side moved above Liverpool into fourth place, although the Reds can reclaim that spot with a draw or win at Chelsea later on Sunday.Southampton are a very good side and we knew we had to be perfect in our performance. The two goals were of outstanding quality, Martinez said.To see the way we got the winning goal was very satisfying and the nature of the victory was also pleasing considering the players we had out.Irish defender Seamus Coleman opened the scoring for Everton with a fine strike in the ninth minute.The Toffees were rocked in the 71st minute when Adam Lallana picked out Gaston Ramirez and the Southampton star advanced before smashing a dipping shot past Everton keeper Joel Robles.But on-loan Chelsea striker Lukaku struck three minutes later to seal Everton's third win in their last four matches.James McCarthy slid the ball to Lukaku just inside the penalty area and the Belgian took one touch before lashing home his ninth club goal of the season.

Football: Battling Chelsea cut Liverpool loose

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LONDON (AFP) - Chelsea demonstrated their Premier League championship credentials by coming from behind to beat title rivals Liverpool 2-1 in an engaging and keenly contested game at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.Martin Skrtel gave Liverpool a third-minute lead, but Chelsea hit back before half-time through Eden Hazard and Samuel Eto'o to give manager Jose Mourinho victory over his former protege Brendan Rodgers.Having led the league on Christmas Day, Liverpool will finish the year in fifth place, six points below leaders Arsenal, with Chelsea two points off the pace in third place behind Manchester City.The players are like monsters -- they fight until the last seconds, Mourinho told Sky Sports.The difference between the winner and loser was tight. We were lucky to win the game because it is very tight.Beaten 2-1 by City on Boxing Day, Liverpool have now lost successive league games for the first time since April 2012, while top scorer Luis Suarez has gone two games without scoring after amassing 10 in his previous four outings.Mourinho felt that Suarez should have been booked after going down in the hosts' box under a challenge from Eto'o late in the game, but Liverpool manager Rodgers said that his side deserved a penalty.You've seen them given and Eto'o was not even looking at the ball, he said.He's been streetwise and cute and was looking to block Luis. If he's intentionally blocking our man, it's a penalty.The game marked the first meeting between Suarez and Branislav Ivanovic since the Liverpool striker was banned for biting the Chelsea defender last season, and the Liverpool man came out on top in their first duel.After Samuel Eto'o caught Jordan Henderson with a high challenge on the Liverpool left, Philippe Coutinho curled in a free-kick and Suarez got in front of Ivanovic to knock the ball down for Skrtel to prod home.Chelsea, for whom John Terry was making his 600th appearance, were quick to respond, with Glen Johnson hacking off the line to prevent Skrtel scoring an own goal and Gary Cahill heading wide from a free-kick.Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet then produced a stunning one-handed save to tip over a shot from Frank Lampard, but in the 17th minute the hosts drew level.A sharp Chelsea counter-attack culminated in Mamadou Sakho inadvertently diverting a pass from Oscar into the path of Hazard, who swept a magisterial first-time shot inside the right-hand post from 20 yards.Chelsea then lost Ivanovic to injury, with Ashley Cole coming on, but it did not disrupt their momentum.They went in front in the 34th minute and Mignolet, culpable for City's winning goal in Liverpool's 2-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, was again partly at fault.Oscar's low cross from the right was toed towards goal by Eto'o and despite getting down quickly, Mignolet could only palm the ball inside his right-hand post.It was an impressive reaction from Mourinho's side, but gradually Liverpool reasserted themselves.Petr Cech produced a smart save to prevent Joe Allen from equalising with a deflected shot shortly before half-time, before Sakho headed against the crossbar early in the second period.Mignolet stood up well to stop Eto'o extending Chelsea's lead at the other end, but Liverpool were soon back on the attack, with Suarez volleying straight at Cech.The teams continued to exchange chances, Oscar drilling wide for Chelsea, Johnson working Cech in reply, but Liverpool's early fire had burnt itself out.And when Suarez went to ground theatrically in the Chelsea box after Eto'o ran across him, he received only a shake of the head from referee Howard Webb and a torrent of jeers from the home fans.Former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres threatened to seal victory at the death after coming on from the bench, but having taken Sakho out of the game, he saw his shot saved by Mignolet.

Football: Anelka will face FA probe over goal celebration

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LONDON (AFP) - West Bromwich Albion striker Nicolas Anelka will face a Football Association probe following his controversial goal celebration during Saturdays 3-3 draw against West Ham.The 34-year-old Frenchman was widely criticised after he celebrated his first goal at Upton Park by performing the quenelle salute made famous by French comedian Dieudonne.The gesture has been linked to anti-Semitism in France, although others claim it is only used to show solidarity with anti-establishment views.The French minister for sport Valerie Fourneyron on Saturday night condemned the gesture, describing it as shocking and disgusting through her official Twitter account.Former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Arsenal star Anelka tried to play down the incident.This gesture was a special dedication to my friend Dieudonne, he said on Twitter.But a Football Association spokesman confirmed to AFP that Anelkas actions will be investigated to determine if he should be charged and punished.Meanwhile, the European Jewish Congress has condemned Anelka and called for him to face the same punishment that would be handed down for a Nazi salute.It is sickening that such a well-known footballer would make such an abusive and hateful gesture in front of tens of thousands of spectators, European Jewish Congress president Dr Moshe Kantor said.There should be no room for such intolerance and racism in sports and we expect that the English Premier League officials as well as the police will give Anelka the appropriate punishment.We know that English football officials have a very low tolerance for racism at football matches and we hope that all concerned will abhor and show zero-tolerance for this hateful Nazi salute.Despite the huge storm over his actions, Anelka remains adamant the gesture had no racial or anti-Semitic connotations and he asked people not to be duped by the media.I do not know what religion has to do with this story, he wrote on Twitter.This gesture is a dedication to Dieudonne. With regard to the ministers who give their own interpretations of my quenelle, they are the ones that create confusion and controversy without knowing what the gesture really means.I ask people not to be duped by the media. And of course I am neither racist nor anti-Semitic.Earlier, this month FIFA handed Croatias Josip Simunic a 10-match international ban for leading fascist chanting following his teams World Cup play-off victory over Iceland.The defender was captured leading songs with associations to Croatias former pro-fascist regime.

Sri Lanka's Herath ready for Pakistan test

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ABU DHABI (AFP) - Ace Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath is hoping lack of Tests will not affect his bowling in the first of three Tests against Pakistan starting in Abu Dhabi from Tuesday.Sri Lanka have not played the five-day format since beating Bangladesh at home in March this year, but Herath claimed Sunday he would be ready come the first Test.As a team we played in March against Bangladesh and if you play regular cricket then your form is much easier to keep but I don't feel any rustiness and am ready for the three Tests, Herath said.The 35-year-old left-armer is seen as Sri Lanka's answer to Pakistan's off-spinner Saeed Ajmal in the Tests but Herath said he was not concerned with the hype.Ajmal is a very nice bowler and his record is very good, even I have done well in the last four five years, so somebody can say that it's a battle but I am not concerned about Ajmal.I am concerned about my team and how I am going to perform, said Herath, who took 12 wickets in Sri Lanka's second Test win against Bangladesh in Colombo.And his record against Pakistan, 51 in 12 matches also speaks volume for his success, but Herath won't take it for granted.Everything is past, I feel you can only take it as confidence but it's past so I need to start from the beginning on Tuesday, said Herath, who has 200 wickets in 47 Tests.Herath rated Pakistan's top order as strong with skipper Misbah-ul Haq and Younis Khan.I think Khurram Manzoor has played well, Shan (Masood) is the only new guy but you have (Mohammad) Hafeez, Misbah, Younis and Asad Shafiq and the top order is much better, said Herath.Herath said he knew what was expected of him, more so after the retirement of world record spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in 2010.As a bowler I know the responsibility I have, not thinking about who has left, Murali or whoever. I miss him very much and even now if I can bowl with Murali it's much easier to bowl. You know what kind of bowler he was, what kind of class Murali had, you can't compare him with anyone, so I don't have words to say about Murali, said Herath of the off-spinner who took 800 wickets -- the most in Test cricket.

Kallis century sets up South Africa assault

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DURBAN (AFP) - Jacques Kallis hit a century in his final Test match and steered South Africa into a strong position on the fourth day of the second and final Test against India at Kingsmead on Sunday.South Africa took a first innings lead of 166, then put India under pressure as the tourists reached 68 for two at the close, still trailing by 98 runs.Kallis made 115, his 45th Test century. A sixth wicket partnership of 86 with nightwatchman Dale Steyn (44) was achieved with largely cautious batting but set the foundation for a batting assault by Faf du Plessis and Robin Peterson after lunch as South Africa reached a total of 500.Du Plessis and Peterson hammered 102 runs in the 14.1 overs of play that was possible between lunch and tea.Peterson was particularly aggressive, hitting 61 off 52 balls, before he was caught going for a big hit.The directive was to try to get 100 runs ahead but Faf and I got away a bit so we decided to try to extend it a little, said Peterson.Rain brought an early tea but the weather cleared in the late afternoon and South Africa bowled 36 overs before bad light finally stopped play.Murali Vijay was caught at first slip off Vernon Philander but Cheteshwar Pujara and Shikhar Dhawan dug in before the latter, after batting for two hours and facing 87 balls while scoring 19, fell to a sensational catch when he tried to hit left-arm spinner Peterson over midwicket.Du Plessis, fielding about 12 metres from the bat, leapt at full stretch to hold a full-blooded shot with his right hand.It was a great catch. It's not my wicket, it's Faf's, said PetersonKallis is second on the all-time list of Test century-makers behind Sachin Tendulkar, who hit 51 hundreds before retiring at the end of India's series against the West Indies last month.He moved into third place on the Test run-scorers list on 13,289, one run ahead of India's Rahul Dravid and behind only Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting of Australia.A prolonged standing ovation greeted his century on the ground where he made his Test debut against England 18 years ago. Among those who applauded him was Indian coach Duncan Fletcher, who was one of his early mentors as coach of the Western Province team when Kallis set out on his first-class career.There were rare signs of emotion from Kallis after he completed the single off Ravindra Jadeja which took him to his hundred. He was hugged by batting partner Dale Steyn and removed his helmet as he acknowledged the applause, seemingly wiping away a tear.It was one of his slower centuries, ground out over 334 minutes and 273 balls, but it was a vital innings on a slow, turning pitch on which a first innings lead could prove crucial.Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni persisted with the tactics he employed on Saturday, declining to take the second new ball and continuing with defensive fields. The bounce was more variable with the old ball and we were relying on reverse swing, said Indian fielding coach Trevor Penney.Left-arm spinner Jadeja bowled unchanged for 21 overs from the start of play. He had figures of six for 138 from 58 overs.Dhoni finally took the new ball after 146 overs but it could not stop the flow of runs, with 66 runs scored off 8.1 overs before the early tea.Kallis needed treatment for cramp during a drinks break shortly after reaching his century and his innings ended when he went for a big hit against Jadeja and top-edged the ball into the air to present an easy catch to Dhoni.The Indian players stood to applaud him back to the dressing room after a 393-minute, 316-ball innings. He hit 13 fours.Kallis is the first batsman to score a century in his final Test before retirement since Nasser Hussain hit 103 not out for England against New Zealand at Lord's in May 2003 and announced his retirement after the match.

Cook calls on seniors to avoid Ashes whitewash

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - Alastair Cook is calling on his seniors to pull out something special for England to avoid the ignominy of an Ashes whitewash against Australia.The rampant Australians strolled to a convincing eight-wicket victory over the beleaguered tourists in Sunday's fourth Melbourne Test to lead the series 4-0 and stand on the brink of a 5-0 series rout in this week's final Sydney Test.Somehow the dispirited tourists, who gave up the Ashes in 14 playing days, have to find a way to stop the Australian juggernaut from repeating the 5-0 clean sweep of the 2006-07 series Down Under.Cook, whose position as captain looks shaky after his team has been comprehensively outplayed by the Australians, has defended his players who crumbled under pressure after holding a 51-run innings lead only to be bowled out for 179 in their second innings.We've some very good players in our dressing room. We've some record-breaking players who will have some fantastic days left in an England shirt, Cook said in the wake of Melbourne trouncing.I know that for sure. And we'll be praising them when they do that.We need that coming out of us now, in Sydney, and I think that is what we need in Sydney now: we need an outstanding 100 or an outstanding five-for (wickets) and then everyone jumping on the back of that.That's what turns around a team that is struggling like we are at the moment to put in a good performance.Cook and fellow senior batsmen Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell have far from imposed themselves in this series: Cook averaging 29, Pietersen 35.62 and Bell 31.00.The English have only scored one century in eight innings with rookie Ben Stokes's 120 in Perth, while the Australians have totted up eight tons.While Stuart Broad has captured 17 wickets, his new-ball partner Jimmy Anderson has only 11 victims compared to Mitchell Johnson's 31, Ryan Harris (14) and Peter Siddle (13).Pietersen said during the Melbourne Test that his teammates were mentally fragile from playing in back-to-back Ashes series, but Cook said England would not use that as an excuse for their poor performances. I think 10 back-to-back Test matches is a big ask, he said.But the bottom line is it's the same for both sides, and one side has handled it a lot better than the other side. They are playing some better cricket now than we are.To use that as an excuse would be wrong.Cook said England would continue to work hard in training and hope the rewards will come in the Sydney Test starting Friday.I know all the guys out there are trying as hard (as they can), he said.Come to any of our training sessions, and you can see the work we're doing.We're not getting the rewards yet. We know that a lot of hard work is the only way you get rewards, so it will turn around eventually.We hope we can do it this coming week.England have some selection issues to work through with the positions of spinner Monty Panesar, wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and seamer Tim Bresnan likely to come under discussion.Kent offspinner James Tredwell, who was added to the England Test squad with leg-spinner Scott Borthwick following the sudden retirement of Graeme Swann, is being linked with a start.Bairstow, who replaced 75-Test veteran Matt Prior in the wake of the Ashes loss, revealed some technical flaws behind the stumps and England may be forced to recall Prior after dropping him.

Australia win 4th Test by 8 wickets to lead series 4-0

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MELBOURNE (AFP) - Australia cruised to an eight-wicket win over demoralised England with more than a day to spare Sunday to claim a 4-0 series lead and stand on the cusp of an Ashes whitewash.Led by a century from opener Chris Rogers and a 136-run stand with Shane Watson, the Australians had few problems getting the required 201 runs on the fourth day to seal England's fate at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.England contributed to their own demise with two confidence-sapping dropped catches by skipper Alastair Cook early in the day to take all the steam out of the dispirited tourists. The two fielding blunders from the team leader were psychological body blows for England and evidence of batsman Kevin Pietersen's comments on Saturday in a television interview that the tourists were mentally fragile.England now face the monumental challenge of fighting off an Australian clean sweep of the series in the fifth and final Test, starting in Sydney on Friday.Playing on his home ground, veteran left-hander Rogers claimed his second Test century after scoring 110 against England in the last series earlier this year at Durham.Rogers, 36, was out caught behind for 116 off 155 balls cutting Monty Panesar, with his team some 31 runs short of victory. At the end, Watson was unbeaten on 83 with skipper Michael Clarke not out six with Australia 231 for two.It was the best fourth innings run chase in 51 years at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since England's 237 for three in 1962-63.While England have been on the end of heavy defeats this Test series, Sunday was a particularly dispiriting loss for England, who were well on top and led the home side by 116 with 10 wickets in hand after lunch on Saturday's third day.Man-of-the-match Mitchell Johnson and spinner Nathan Lyon staged a dramatic turnaround, with England bowled out for 179, leaving Australia with what became a comfortable task of scoring 231 in more than two days for victory.It was Australia's fourth consecutive win over England and comes four months after they lost the last series 3-0 in England.English heads dropped when Cook got his right hand to a snick from Rogers on 19 through slips after wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow failed to respond, and then grassed a straightforward two-handed chance from David Warner (22) off Stuart Broad.Warner scored only three more runs before he was caught behind off Ben Stokes and Australia's first wicket came down at 64.Symbolic of England's malaise, Cook did not bring on his specialist spinner Monty Panesar until 90 minutes into the fourth day and he had little effect on stemming the Australian run flow until he finally removed Rogers.There will be selection questions ahead of the final Ashes Test for an England team in decline with the most pressure on Panesar, Bairstow, whose technique behind the stumps was exposed, and seamer Tim Bresnan.

Posted by IMRAN ALI SOOMRO (DARVESH) at 12/30/2013 08:32:00 AM

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