Clarke says does not need ’serious speed’ to defeat Pak in Dubai ODIs

September 29th, 2009 DUBAI - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and US defence authorities held a meeting here to review the arrangements for the upcoming Dubai Airshow Nov 15-19, WAM news agency reported Tuesday. The 11th Dubai Airshow is the foremost aerospace event in the Middle East and is the fastest growing airshow in the world, the report said.

September 22nd, 2009 DUBAI - A record 97,527 passengers used the Dubai Metro on the first day of Eid holidays Sunday, WAM news agency reported Tuesday citing statistics released by the Dubai Road Transport Authority (RTA) Rail Agency. Aysha Al Busmait, director of RTA's Customer Service Centres Department, said the "Musanada Team" (Support) formed by the department was available at the metro stations and has been providing support and guidance to the public in the use of metro services.

July 6th, 2009 DUBAI - The Dubai Airshow 2009 will be held Nov 15-19 this year, WAM news agency reported Monday. The event, organised by the government of Dubai in collaboration with the armed forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is a major aerospace event in the Middle East.

May 10th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australia's captain-in-waiting Michael Clarke expressed his burning ambition to avenge team's Ashes defeat to England in 2005, and added that troubled all rounder Andrew Symonds would be welcomed on the Ashes tour if his form warranted selection. In 2007, Australia swept England aside 5-0, putting the nightmare of the 2005 Ashes tour behind them.

May 10th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australian cricket vice-captain Michael Clarke has laughed off rumours suggesting that his relationship with fiancée Lara Bingle is on the rocks. Asking his response to speculations, Clarke said: "We laughed at it," reports the Daily Telegraph.

May 5th, 2009 LAHORE - The 3-2 series defeat that Pakistan had to face in the recently concluded Dubai one-day international series against Australia has seen several former cricketers of the country criticizing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the team. Many former players and game's top administrators have criticized the players for their inability to challenge a second-string Australian team.

May 4th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australia's 15-man World Cup squad, due to be named on Tuesday, will include the names of most of the players who participated in the one-day series against Pakistan in the UAE, said stand-in captain Michael Clarke. Clarke is confident that the Australians have gained from being together as a unit.

May 4th, 2009 ABU DHABI - Acting Australian captain Michael Clarke has said that his team's defeat in the fifth one-day international against Pakistan has taken away some of the gloss from the series win. Speaking after Pakistan thrashed Australia by seven wickets, Clarke said: "Of course it does, we would have liked to have won." "We thought with 250 runs on the board we had enough, we just had to bowl well and field well.

April 29th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Former Australian batsman Dean Jones believes that there are still questions in the minds of many about whether Michael Clarke is ready to be a full time captain of the national squad. "Clearly he showed us that he has some of the qualities needed to be a great captain.

April 25th, 2009 DUBAI - Australia are still the world's best one-day team in the view of Pakistan captain Younis Khan, despite official rankings and recent form suggesting otherwise. "They're still the best team in the world.

April 23rd, 2009 DUBAI - Stand-in Australian cricket team captain Michael Clarke has refuted suggestions that his players are not good against spin. Reacting to media reports that surfaced after Pakistan won the first of five one-day internationals against Australia here, the Daily Telegraph quoted Clarke as saying: "I certainly don't think we have a weakness against spin but we haven't been performing as well as we would have liked against them." "Whether we like it or not we are going to be facing a lot of it so we have to practice hard against it and probably have to be a little more disciplined, especially on a wicket like that that is spinning," he added.

April 22nd, 2009 DUBAI - Australian cricketers have welcomed Andrew Symonds back into their fold despite his poor form, both on and off the field. Australia's acting skipper Michael Clarke said the way Symonds played in his comeback series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates would be vital to his future prospects.

April 22nd, 2009 DUBAI - Australia's acting captain Michael Clarke has urged fringe team members to use the one-day series against Pakistan as an opportunity to book an Ashes or World Cup berth. The two sides begin their five-match series - which will be followed by a Twenty20 clash - in Dubai on Wednesday night.

April 20th, 2009 DUBAI - Australia's stand-in captain for the UAE one-day international series against Pakistan, Michael Clarke, has said that his team is desperate to take the field against Pakistan, whom they have not played much in the recent past. "We are playing Pakistan after all, after a long time, so we want to make the most of this opportunity on a wonderful ground here," The News quoted Clarke, as saying.

April 20th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australia's captain for the Dubai series, Michael Clarke, has said that his team's main focus will be on improving their batting during the one-day international series against Pakistan. Clarke leads a squad without regular captain Ricky Ponting, strike bowler Mitchell Johnson and middle order batsman Mike Hussey, all being rested ahead of the Twenty20 world championship and Ashes campaign.