Bangladesh have confirmed they will tour Pakistan next month for a short two-match series, becoming the first team to visit since a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan squad in 2009. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf said the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced the team's intention to tour. "We were in constant touch with the BCB officials and they have conveyed to us that the tour is confirmed," Ashraf said. "They have also got approval from their board members and we are in touch for the schedule." Foreign teams have shunned playing in Pakistan since gunmen opened fire on a convoy in Lahore, killing eight people and leaving seven Sri Lankan players and their assistant coach injured. Last April, a Dhaka court blocked a planned tour over security concerns. AFP
Record-breaking Nicol David extended her haul of World Open titles to seven from eight finals when she overcame Laura Massaro, 29, in a match of long and patient rallies. The Malaysian heroine's 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 triumph over the third-seeded Englishwoman silenced critics who suggested that rivals had closed the gap on the champion, also 29. Massaro forced many long rallies and even led 7-5 in the second game, but David's tremendous ability to contain, retrieve, and change the direction of her movement prevented the third seed from get a strong foothold in the match in the pivotal middle game. AFP