Barely hours after his statement that the Pakistan cricket team threw away their Champions Trophy match against Australia, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports MNA Jamshed Dasti did a complete volte-face and said he never accused the side of involving in match-fixing.

It’s a bit unfair on the Aussies, but the regularity with which they win big tournaments meant few were wildly surprised when they put it past New Zealand in the final of the Champions Trophy. On the day Ponting did not have much to do as Shane Watson and Cameron White took the game away, reports HT Correspondent.

Shane Watson, who has suffered more through injury and been in and out of the team since his debut seven years ago, emphatically credited the IPL as the turning point in his career, reports HT Correspondent.

It’s one thing to become the No 1 ranked team in the world through a series of wins in bilateral series and mini tournaments, but it's another thing altogether to come to a big tournament and beat all the opposition that come your way, reports Anand Vasu.

When South Africa were knocked out of their own party, and India followed suit, there was palpable fear over how the public would take to the remainder of the tournament, reports Anand Vasu.

Had he wanted to, Grant Elliott could have given Younis Khan the Steve Waugh treatment, and told him, “you just dropped the Champions Trophy, mate”, reports Anand Vasu.

New Zealand will adopt a familiar role of underdogs when they confront title holders and hot favourites Australia on Monday in the ICC Champions Trophy final, reports Anand Vasu. See special

While the recent tsunami that struck Samoa has not sent major shockwaves through the cricketing world, at least one player had reasons to worry. Ross Taylor, the pillar of New Zealand’s batting, hails from the Pacific Island and still has family back home, reports Anand Vasu.

Grant Elliott struck an unbeaten half-century as New Zealand beat Pakistan by five wickets in their Champions Trophy semi-final at the Wanderers on Saturday, reports Anand Vasu. See special | Listen to podcast

It’s slipped largely unnoticed that Shane Watson is Australia’s leading wicket-taker in the tournament and only second in their batting charts. What has been impossible to miss, though, is the manner in which Watson has turned his form around this tournament.

Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting hit unbeaten centuries as Australia overwhelmed England to reach the ICC Champions Trophy final at SuperSport Park on Friday, reports Anand Vasu. See special | Listen to podcast

New Zealand eye a rare finals appearance but will meet their nemesis Pakistan in Saturday’s semifinal at the Wanderers. The Pakistanis, led by Younis Khan, have played imaginative cricket, and but for their well-known tendency to implode, would be outright favourites, reports Anand Vasu. See special | Listen to podcast

Batsman Sachin Tendulkar returned home after India's doomed Champions Trophy campaign in South Africa with a cut mark on his cheek, sustained after he collapsed in a Johannesburg hotel.

A team that simply refuses to lose comes up against one that has devised novel ways of courting failure in big tournaments, in the first semifinal of the Champions Trophy when Australia take on England at SuperSport Park on Friday, reports Anand Vasu. FULL COVERAGE | Listen to podcast 

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named ODI player of the year while his teammate Gautam Gambhir was adjudged as the Test player of the year at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Awards in Johannesburg on Thursday night, reports Anand Vasu.