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Robin Hood was a Yorkshireman, claims Russell Crowe

May 18, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, May 18 (ANI): According to Russell Crowe, Robin Hood was a Yorkshireman.

While talking about his role in the new epic Robin Hood, the New Zealand born Oscar winner said he based the character on a Yorkshire outlaw from the village of Barnsdale which nestles on the border between Doncaster and West Yorkshire, reports The Telegraph.

Crowe even admitted he based his accent on South Yorkshire television personality Michael Parkinson.

“This is one of the first times that Robin has an accent that is close to his place of origin which I believe was Barnsdale,” he said.

“I believe he was associated with Nottingham but he wasn”t born anywhere near Sherwood -I think it was Barnsdale. The facts, if you can call them that, all point to that.” (ANI)

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Paintings by Saddam’s doctor to go on display in London

May 13, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

An exhibition of paintings by Ala Bashir, a former personal physician of Saddam Hussein, will begin here on May 15 and is expected to provide a chilling insight into Iraq’s recent history.

On till July 4, “Recent Work: Memories of Keys” at Embrace Arts at the RA centre will bring together Bashir’s paintings of keys and also a number of his single-line drawings.

“The meaning of home was my concern for many years, and became the prominent subject after I left Iraq,” says Bashir.

“The search for a universal symbol or metaphor for home took me through lots of sideways – biological, social, ethnic, economic, historical and psychological aspects of human life. I found that the key might be used as a metaphor, rather than symbol, for home with all its controversies,” he says.

Bashir escaped from Iraq in 2003 and now lives with his wife near Nottingham.

He is now championing for the cause of healing power of art in overcoming the horrors of war.

“Ala Bashir is a remarkable artist who has worked under difficult circumstances and conditions; his paintings and drawings are now are a reminder of his past and show his emotional journey and struggle to come to terms with the life he escaped from,” says Stella Couloutbanis, acting visual art manager at Embrace Arts.

“His work is beautifully composed and executed; his paintings are vibrant in subject matter, expressing his feelings for home and safety, and his line drawings are simplistic but are beautifully composed,” says Stella.

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British author Alan Sillitoe dies at 82

April 26, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

London, April 26 (ANI): British author Alan Sillitoe has died at the age of 82.

The Nottingham-born novelist emerged in the 1950s as one of the “Angry Young Men” of British literature.

His son David hopes his father, who passed away at Charing Cross Hospital in London, would be remembered for his contribution towards literature, reports the Daily Express.

Alan was born on 4 March 1928 – the second son of an illiterate tannery labourer.

His novels included Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, both were made into films.

The two books are regarded as classic examples of kitchen sink dramas reflecting life in the mid 20th century Britain. (ANI)

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Ponting warns England that there is more to come from his blade

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Nottingham (UK), Sep.17 (ANI): Having retired from Twenty20 cricket and opting to concentrate his energy and skills on the longer versions of the game, Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has warned England and other international sides that he can expect telling scores from his long blade.

Speaking on the eve of the sixth one-day international against England to be played here, Ponting said: “My decision to retire from international Twenty20 was to give me the best chance of playing both 50-over cricket and Test match cricket a little bit better, just to free up a couple of extra weeks in the calendar, to get that break, to come back and feel fresh and play better.”

“So I guess looking back at it it’s worked quite well so far, although the proof will be in the pudding in the next couple of years. Looking at the next 12 months there’s a chance that when I don’t play Twenty20 internationals that I’ll probably get another four weeks off. Some of the guys in our change room right now would like to have four weeks off in the calendar, trust me,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying. (ANI)

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Ponting’s 27th ton helps Australia beat England in fifth ODI

September 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Nottingham (UK), Sep.16 (ANI): Ricky Ponting scored a brilliant 126 of 109 balls to keep Australia in the hunt for a 7-0 whitewash of their one-day series against England, leading his side to a four-wicket victory in the fifth one-day international at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.

Ponting’s 27th ton in ODIs included three sixes and 14 fours, as Australia raced to 302 for six wickets with 10 balls to spare in reply to England’s total of 299 from their 50 overs.

He was well supported by deputy Michael Clarke, who reached 52 off 64.

Irishman Eoin Morgan’s maiden half-century steered England to their best score of the series in a dead rubber after Australia clinched the series 4-0 at Lord’s on Saturday.

Mitchell Johnson brought up the winning runs with a six off Ryan Sidebottom to remain unbeaten on 18, while Cameron White was not out 24.

Poor fielding frustrated England captain Andrew Struass, who demanded improvement from his batsmen after the first four matches.

“Our batters went out and played with a much more bold approach and that paid dividends today. The fielding was poor and that’s something that there should be no excuse for, we do a lot of work on the fielding and we should be better than that,” Fox Sports quoted Strauss, as saying.

The tourists rested Brett Lee, who claimed five wickets in the previous match, replacing him with fellow pacer Peter Siddle.

England brought in Mascarenhas for Luke Wright, who was hit on the toe on Monday while batting against a bowling machine set to mimic Lee’s inswinging yorkers which proved so effective last weekend.(ANI)

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How people lose muscles as they get older

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 12 (ANI): Even the most well-built people tend to loose their muscles and develop thinner arms and legs as they get older, and researchers in Nottingham have now explained why this happens.

As age catches up, it becomes harder to keep our muscles healthy-they get smaller, which decreases strength and increases the likelihood of falls and fractures.

The researchers have already shown that when older people eat, they cannot make muscle as fast as the young, and now they have found that the suppression of muscle breakdown, which also happens during feeding, is blunted with age.

Led by Michael Rennie, the scientists and doctors at The University of Nottingham Schools of Graduate Entry Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, believe that a ‘double whammy’ affects people aged over 65.

But the team think that weight training may “rejuvenate” muscle blood flow, and help retain muscle for older people.

The study’s results may explain the ongoing loss of muscle in older people- when they eat they do not build enough muscle with the protein in food and also, the insulin (a hormone released during a meal) fails to shut down the muscle breakdown that rises between meals and overnight.

Normally, in young people, insulin acts to slow muscle breakdown.

These problems could be a result of a failure to deliver nutrients and hormones to muscle because of a poorer blood supply.

In the study, the researchers compared one group of people in their late 60s to a group of 25-year-olds, with equal numbers of men and women.

Professor Rennie said: “The results were clear. The younger people’s muscles were able to use insulin we gave to stop the muscle breakdown, which had increased during the night. The muscles in the older people could not.”

“In the course of our tests, we also noticed that the blood flow in the leg was greater in the younger people than the older ones. This set us thinking: maybe the rate of supply of nutrients and hormones is lower in the older people? This could explain the wasting we see,” he added.

Later, Beth Phillips, a PhD student working with Rennie, confirmed the blunting effect of age on leg blood flow after feeding, with and without exercise.

The team predicted that weight training would reduce this blunting.

“Indeed, she found that three sessions a week over 20 weeks ‘rejuvenated’ the leg blood flow responses of the older people. They became identical to those in the young,” said Rennie.

The study has been published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (ANI)

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World’s most advanced CT scanner to see through solids

September 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, September 11 (ANI): Researchers at The University of Nottingham, UK, have created the most advanced 3D X-ray micro Computed Tomography (CT) scanner in the world, which will help scientists from a wide variety of departments across the University literally see through solid materials, including soil.

Known as the ‘Nanotom’, the machine will make previously difficult and laborious research much easier as it allows researchers to probe inside objects without having to break into them.

The Nanotom will produce high-resolution 3D and slice images of solids with a pixel resolution of up to half micron or 500 nanometres.

It will be based at the School of Biosciences as the centrepiece of research into efforts to understand the microscopic interactions between plant root growth and soil structure.

The first project to use it will examine the sensing ability of roots to grow in the best direction for the health of the plant through the soil.

It aims to provide evidence of how the root reacts and adapts to soil stresses like drought and compaction by adjusting the genetic information in the tips of the root as it grows.

The Nanotom will allow researchers to follow the progress of the root growth and soil structural development for the first time without disturbing the sample of the plant growing in the soil.

The eventual aim of research like this is to contribute to worldwide efforts for food security and sustainable food production by preserving and improving the vital but finite soil resources of the planet.

It will enable scientists to come up with a recipe for the best soil composition and level of compaction as well as informing plant breeding programmes.

Accurate soil structure measurement will be also be essential in changing farming practices to cut CO2 which is released into the atmosphere during traditional ploughing of agricultural soil.

According to Dr Sacha Mooney from the University’s Division of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, “This new kit will completely revolutionize our work in trying to understand the key factors that control some of the many functions that soils perform.”

“Of course it’s not just soils we’ll be scanning, I think I am just as excited about the opportunity to look inside newly created environmental building materials, eco-friendly crops developed to improve yield and even chocolate bars for the food industry,” Mooney added. (ANI)

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Loch Ness Monster ‘spotted’ on Google Earth?

August 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 26 (ANI): A Brit man claims that he spotted the Loch Ness Monster on Google Earth.

The Loch Ness Monster is a creature believed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland.

Jason Cooke spotted “Nessie” while browsing the website’s satellite photos.

The image on the surface of the 22-mile Scottish loch is 65ft long and appears to have an oval body, a tail and four legs or flippers.

Some experts believe Nessie may be a Plesiosaur, an extinct marine reptile with a shape like the Google image.

“I couldn’t believe it. It’s just like the descriptions of Nessie,” the Sun quoted security guard Jason, 25, of Nottingham as saying.

“This is really intriguing. It needs further study,” added researcher Adrian Shine, of the Loch Ness Project. (ANI)

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Daylight could help fight obesity

August 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 22 (ANI): A new study, conducted by researchers at The University of Nottingham, has suggested that daylight could help control weight.

Previous studies have revealed that the activity of calorie-burning ‘brown fat’, also known as brown adipose tissue (BAT), is reduced with obesity. Therefore, promoting BAT function could prevent or reduce obesity in some people.

Now, the new study has shown – for the first time – that daylight is a major factor in controlling BAT activity.

“Our research has suggested a previously unknown mechanism for controlling BAT function in humans and this could potentially lead to new treatments for the prevention or reversal of obesity,” said study’s lead author Michael Symonds, Professor of Developmental Physiology in the School of Clincal Sciences at the university.

Winter was traditionally a time of the year that was accompanied with increased thermal demands and thus energy expenditure, but the body’s requirements for BAT has been reduced in recent times by central heating plus global warming.

BAT is capable of producing up to 300 times more heat per unit mass compared with all other tissues.

The researchers studied well over 3500 patients. The presence of BAT was documented and correlated with monthly changes in daylight and ambient temperature.

Their results showed that BAT was more common in females and that changes in BAT activity were more closely associated with day light than ambient temperature.

BAT is activated by the cold and is unique in being able to produce very large amounts of heat – but little is known about the main factors that regulate the amount of BAT in our bodies.

“Our research demonstrates a very strong seasonal variation in the presence of BAT. The study focused on the impact of daylight and ambient temperature, as these are two key factors in determining BAT function in small mammals. Our exciting new findings may help us find novel interventions aimed at promoting BAT activity particularly in the winter,” Symonds said.

The study has been published in the journal Diabetes. (ANI)

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Kangaroos set for never-ending road trip following the Ashes

August 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, Aug 21(ANI): If the Australian team manages to claim the Ashes in the series decider at The Oval, they will celebrate with a train trip to Edinburgh the next day.

However, it won’t be a victory holiday, but to play a one-day game against Scotland just three days after the fifth Test.

“I’m not sure what we’re going to do there, but even when we’ve won World Cups and things we’ve maybe had a small reception somewhere and then get back onto playing cricket. It’s an incredibly busy international schedule. I guess if we happen to win I’m sure we’ll celebrate accordingly,” The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Australian captain Ricky Ponting, as saying.

“But, we are jumping on a train and going to Scotland for a one-day game up there. With those World Cup wins we’ve had we haven’t had a great amount of time to celebrate. We know the reason why, it’s because that much international cricket is being piled on top of each other. We’ll have our chance to celebrate if we win this week,” he added.

Meanwhile, former Australian cricketer Doug Walters was considerate enough with the Australian team and said that Cricket Australia and the England and Wales Cricket Board must have marked the Scotland match at the start or end of the England tour, to spare the team from such horrendous travelling.

“Do I feel sorry for them? No. They have a duty to play against Scotland, perhaps they should have scheduled it for the start of the tour. The officials have got themselves to blame. Hopefully they do get to celebrate and do it on the train on the way up,” Walters said.

After Australia’s trip to Edinburgh, they travel to Manchester, then far south to Southampton, back to London, before jetting north again to Nottingham and finishing at the top end of the country in Durham for the final match. The team must then make its way south to London again to fly out for the Champions Trophy tournament in South Africa. (ANI)

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Scary metaphors can affect public health

August 9, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 8 (ANI): Using scary metaphors for any kind of natural disaster or health scare can not only make people notice it, but it can also spread panic or cynicism among populations, according to a study.

“Such terms can make people sit up and listen, but they can also lead to panic or cynicism,” said Professor Brigitte Nerlich, who led the research.

She added: “Recent advice on swine flu has centred on basic hygiene, which makes people feel they can do something practical, instead of being mere victims of so-called “superbugs” or “killer viruses”. But obviously this is easier to do when a disease is relatively benign.”

She pointed out that easier Internet access might also help people to feel in control-an issue that emerged from a previous ESRC project on foot and mouth disease carried out in Nottingham.

These days, especially in the context of swine flu, “email, Twitter, and public health sites all give information and advice which can be useful to worried individuals and may dampen down panic. ‘But more research needs to be done in this area,” she said.

The research focused on MRSA along with avian flu and was conducted by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in nursing, the social study of health and illness, environmental studies and linguistics.

The study compared the language of biosecurity, hygiene and cleanliness used in policy documents and media coverage with the language used by hospital matrons and poultry farmers dealing with the realities of MRSA and avian flu.

“We found that the way people communicate about a threat largely determines how they understand it and behave towards it. Additional findings established that media coverage of hygiene and cleanliness in hospitals tended to portray doctors and nurses engaged in a heroic “battle” against “intelligent super bugs.This was personified by the modern matron wielding the weapon of “cleanliness,” said Nerlich.

After conducting interviews with hospital matrons, the researchers found that a gap between the media portrayal and the reality on the wards.

Matrons said that the limitations in their authority over contractors, and time constraints made it impossible for them to spend even half their time as a “visible presence” on the wards.

“This was another example of the control issue. Modern matrons have limited powers to limit the spread of infection or improve hygiene. For instance, they can’t hire extra nursing staff for barrier nursing or deal with problems with cleaning contractors. Our findings highlight the need for policy messages to be translated more accurately into practice,” said Nerlich. (ANI)

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What makes good teachers even better

July 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, July 8 (ANI): The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in the UK has made some findings as to what makes good teachers even better.

Professor Christopher Day, Professor Pam Sammons and Dr Alison Kington at the School of Education University of Nottingham carried out the two-year Effective Classroom Practice (ECP) at the School of Education University of Nottingham from 2006-2008.

Lead researcher Prof. Day believes that the research provides a unique picture of the more effective teacher.

“More effective teachers create a positive climate for learning by challenging pupils’ ideas, inspiring them, being more innovative in their practice and differentiating amongst pupils according to their abilities and interests where appropriate,” says Prof. Day.

That, according to the researcher, means: “Pupils have more control over and engagement in their learning and more opportunities for success.”

Based on their findings, the researchers have come to the conclusion that the best teachers are not necessarily those with the most experience.

They say that the best teachers are the ones with enthusiasm for their work, high aspirations for the success of every pupil, positive relations, high motivation, commitment and resilience.

They further say that combining good knowledge of their subject and teaching practice and providing support tailored to the individual needs of each child, these teachers focus on building self esteem, engendering trust and maintaining respect.

The two-year study involved 81 teachers (45 primary and 36 secondary), 38 head teachers and 3,000 pupils and included a series of teacher and pupil questionnaires, observations of classroom practice and post-observation tools to allow in-depth probing of issues relating to data strands, such as teacher effectiveness, leadership issues, teacher identity, professional life phase and teacher efficacy.

“By including the collection and analysis of different kinds of observational data it was possible to get below the surface to reveal the interactions between classroom practice, teacher characteristics, professional life phase, school contexts and effectiveness as defined by pupils’ context value added scores which take account of prior learning and a range of socio economic factors, together with teacher and pupil perceptions of effectiveness,” Prof. Day explained.

The main impact relating to teaching practice has been for training and development purposes. The research points to the importance of providing teachers in service with structured, regular opportunities to reflect on their roles and classroom practices and learn from examples of best practice in a variety of school and classroom settings.

It points to the value of classroom observation and feedback as part of this process. (ANI)

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How a plant hormone is crucial in controlling root growth

July 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, July 8 (ANI): An international group of scientists, led by the Centre for Plant Integrative Biology at The University of Nottingham, UK, has shed light on how a plant hormone is crucial in controlling the growth of plant roots.

Plant growth is driven by an increase in two factors: the number of cells, and their size.

It is already known that the plant hormone gibberellin controls how root cells elongate as the root grows in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Now, a new research has described for the first time how this hormone also regulates the number of cells in the root in order to control root growth.

Gibberellin normally acts by signaling the removal of proteins which repress growth, and so promotes root cell production.

The new research shows that mutant plants that do not produce gibberellin are unable to increase their cell production rate and the size of the root meristem, the zone of cell proliferation.

Plants in which the cells in the meristem were made to express a mutant version of the growth-repressing protein GAI not degraded by gibberellin showed disrupted cell proliferation.

Expressing this mutant form, gai, in only one tissue, the endodermis (the innermost layer of the root cortex of a plant), was sufficient to stop the meristem enlarging.

In effect, the rate of expansion of dividing endodermal cells dictates the equivalent rate in other tissues.

According to Professor Malcolm Bennett, Biology Director for the Centre for Plant Integrative Biology and Professor of Plant Sciences in the Division of Plant and Crop Sciences, “We have shown that gibberellin plays a crucial role in controlling the size of the root meristem, and that it is the endodermis which sets the pace for expansion rates in the other tissues.”

“Understanding precisely how hormones regulate plant growth is one of the key areas of fundamental plant biology which will underpin crop improvements in the future,” he said. (ANI)

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Russell Crowe leaves 600 pounds tip

June 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, June 29 (ANI): Russell Crowe showed off his generous side when he left behind a 600 pounds tip during a recent trip to a small bar in South Wales.

He also gave a pleasant surprise to the people present by playing several songs on his guitar with his friends.

The ‘Gladiator star’ had gone with co-stars to Carew Inn near Tenby for a toast from his side.

The actor is currently shooting in Wales for his new Robinhood film ‘Nottingham,’ which also stars Cate Blanchett.

Few days back, the Hollywood biggie said that Blanchett and he shared a great chemistry on the sets of the film. (ANI)

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Amino acid deficiency behind side effects of anti-malarial drug quinine

June 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, June 27 (ANI): University of Nottingham researchers say that the anti-malarial drug quinine has the potential to block a cell’s ability to take up the essential amino acid tryptophan, and this could explain many of the adverse side-effects associated with the drug.

The findings could mean that dietary tryptophan supplements could be a simple and inexpensive way to improve the performance of this important drug.

Quinine is a very commonly used anti-malarial drug, but, to date, the principal mode of quinine action against the malaria parasite has remained largely unclear.

The researchers don’t even have the idea of why the drug causes adverse reactions like nausea, headaches, and blurred vision.

Thus, Simon Avery and colleagues at the university took advantage of yeast genetics, and examined the effects of quinine on a collection of 6000 yeast mutants, each one lacking exactly one of the yeast’s 6000 genes.

It was found that yeast strains unable to make tryptophan were extremely susceptible to quinine poisoning, which led them to identify a tryptophan transporter as a key quinine target.

The above discovery supports the evidence that quinine reactions are more severe in malnourished individuals.

If quinine severely reduces tryptophan uptake, then it means that people with preexisting tryptophan deficiencies would be especially at risk to this drug.

The authors also noted that tryptophan is important as a precursor for the brain chemical serotonin, so the enhanced tryptophan deficiency induced by quinine could explain why many of quinine’s side effects are localized to the head region.

They also found that simply taking dietary tryptophan supplements in conjunction with quinine treatments could avert the side effects. (ANI)

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Rhys Ifans to star in Sir Ridley Scott’s Nottingham

June 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

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London, Jun 22 (ANI): Welsh actor Rhys Ifans has signed on to star in Brit film director Sir Ridley Scott’s forthcoming movie ‘Nottingham’.
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Ifans, 40, who will be playing the part of King Richard, was added to the cast six months after his ex-girlfriend Sienna Miller was booted from the new Robin Hood movie./pp
The actor is said to have agreed to the role after Scott personally invited him to join them. /pp
Ridley thought Rhys was a recognisable face fans would love to see and would be perfect for the part, the Daily Express quoted a source as telling Britain’s Sunday Mirror. /pp
He made the call himself because he knew Rhys would be more likely to say yes to him in person. /pp
Luckily, Rhys had space in his schedule and jumped at the chance. But I’m not sure he would have joined up quite so easily if Sienna had still been one of the stars of the film, the source added. (ANI)/p

Filed Under: Entertainment News Tagged With: daily express, ex-girlfriend, face fans, film director, London, love, nottingham, rhys ifans, Ridley Scott, Robin Hood, Sienna Miller, six months, sunday mirror, welsh actor

Susan Boyle back in form at Britain’s Got Talent London gig

June 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, June 22 (ANI): Susan Boyle has apparently regained her form, for she recently gave a stunning performance in London, as part of the ongoing Britain’s Got Talent tour.

The show’s runner-up previously pulled out of concerts in Manchester, Liverpool and two in Nottingham citing exhaustion.

But the singing sensation returned to claim her place in the hearts of the crowd at Wembley Arena, reports the Daily Star.

Susan has been under the careful eye of show bosses since her four-day stint in a rehab clinic after facing defeat in the finals of the talent competition.

The 48-year-old returned on stage, and has been wooing fans with her live performances. (ANI)

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Exhausted Susan Boyle pulls out of another Britain’s Got Talent gig

June 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

London, June 20 (ANI): Susan Boyle was asked to remain at bay from another Britain’s Got Talent concert after the singing sensation suffered exhaustion once again.

The show runner-up remained at her rented London flat while the rest of the finalists took to the stage in Cardiff.

The 48-year-old missed the fourth gig and appeared set to abandon another concert in Nottingham.

Susan has been under the careful eye of show bosses since her four-day stint in a rehab clinic when she suffered exhaustion after facing defeat in the finals of the talent competition.

A spokeswoman cast a shadow of doubt over the songbird’s appearance in the rest of the week’s dates.

“Susan would love to perform every night but is aware of what she can and can’t do. I feel sorry for her because she doesn’t want to let people down, but she needs a rest,” The Sun quoted her as saying.

The Scottish singer had pulled out of Liverpool’s concert just hours before she was due to perform.

Susan was said to have launched a hysterical rant about her cat, leaving producers to allegedly drop her from the lineup.

Her spokeswoman later denied the allegations, insisting she needed to rest. (ANI)

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Younus Khan wants to win ICC T20 trophy to make troubled “people back home happy”

June 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Nottingham, June 19 (ANI): Exuberant over rolling over South Africa in the semi-finals of the ICC Twenty20 World Championship at Trent Bridge here, Pakistan captain Younus Khan has expressed hope that his team would be lucky second time around and win the tournament.

Khan said he wanted to win the trophy for the people back home, who have been facing plenty of problems in recent times.

“We want to make people back home happy. Winning the title will mean a lot to them and that will inspire us in the final. One more game and the World Cup will be ours,”The News quoted Khan, as saying.

Pakistan has reached the final of the T20 World Championship for the second consecutive time. However, it crashed to a five run defeat against India in the inaugural T20 World tournament in South Africa in 2007.

Pakistan will now face either Sri Lanka or the West Indies in the final at Lord’s on Sunday.

Khan said he is not bothered over which team he would be playing against in the final, but admitted that both the teams would be tough to beat, as Sri Lanka have been undefeated in the tournament, and the West Indies has lost only one match on their road to the semi-finals.

“We will keep track of both Sri Lanka and the West Indies. They are tough sides but we are not worried who we play. We will just go out and put our best effort, like we did against South Africa,” Khan said.

Earlier, a brilliant all-round performance by Shahid Afridi helped Pakistan defeat South Africa by seven runs to knock them out of the Championship.

Afridi banged the Proteas bowlers all around the park during his stupendous innings of 51 of just 34 balls.

Later, he grabbed 2-16 with his patent fast leg-spin to help defend a modest target of 149.

South Africa could manage only 142 runs in their quota of 20 overs with five wickets remaining, and thus were unable to strip the ‘chokers’ tag from themselves. (ANI)

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Shahid Afridi – Afridi – Afridi in T20 World CUp 2009 – Afridi guides Pakistan to Twenty20 final

June 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Shahid Afridi – Afridi – Afridi in T20 World CUp 2009 – Afridi guides Pakistan to Twenty20 final

(CNN) — A fine all-round performance from Shahid Afridi has steered Pakistan into Sunday’s World Twenty20 final, after they beat tournament favorites South Africa by seven runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Thursday.

Pakistan captain Younus Khan won the toss and elected to bat and it was Afridi who gave their innings real impetus with a 32-ball half-century containing eight boundaries.

Afridi shared a third-wicket stand of 67 in 10 overs with Shoaib Malik (34) but the final five overs only realised 29 runs in a beatable total of 149 for four.

Then Afridi shone with the ball, dismissing Herschelle Gibbs and AB De Villiers and conceding only 16 runs in his four overs, as South Africa crashed out of the tournament after their first defeat, following five successive victories.

Jacques Kallis made a half-century off 46 deliveries with seven fours for South Africa but they gradually fell behind the required run-rate and his dismissal for 64 in the 18th over ended their already fading hopes.

South Africa eventually finished their innings on 142 for five to continue their miserable recent record of failing to deliver at the crucial stages in major tournaments. It is the fourth time they have gone out at the semifinal stage of a major competition.

Pakistan will now play the winners of the second semifinal between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Sunday’s final at Lord’s and will be looking to go one better than in 2007 when they lost the final to neighbors and rivals India in South Africa.

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