Worldsports

Pointing ambitious to win for australia

2011-11-28T06:20:00.000-08:00

Ricky Ponting has fired a warning shot to New Zealand ahead of next Thursday's first Test in Brisbane, insisting that a big score is just around the corner.
The 36-year-old showed glimpses that his best is not far away in a gritty 62 that helped Australia chase down 310 in the second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg last week.
Although that was his first half-century in 14 Test match innings, Ponting - who has scored 12,557 Test runs - is positive that his hard work will pay off sooner rather than later.
"Someone's going to pay at some stage," said Ponting.
"I'm working too hard for someone not to pay. That's the way I'm looking at it. I honestly believe in my own heart that I have still got what it takes to be one of the best players in world cricket.
"I'm searching high and low to find the answers to get me back to where I want to be. I saw glimpses of some really positive stuff through the South African tour. Obviously to get some runs in the last innings of the last Test was satisfying as well knowing how hard I had worked."
Ponting denied suggestions he would need to be tapped on the shoulder when it was time to retire with the Tasmanian adamant that he still had the drive and desire to play at the highest level for his country.
"I totally understand why I'm being asked the questions I'm being asked (about his future) but, at the same token, I believe I'm good enough to be in the team and that I'm good enough to win games for Australia," he said.
"If I keep doing the work that I'm doing and not getting the results, then maybe it's time but, at the moment, I don't feel that time is here just yet. I feel there's enough there to want to keep working hard.
"Having spoken to a lot of the other guys that have retired in the last few years, I was captain when (Justin) Langer, (Adam) Gilchrist, (Shane) Warne and all those guys stood down, so I know the things that were going through their minds.
"What they said about it was they just didn't have the drive or desire to work as hard as they needed to work to get their games back on track again. With me, there's no doubting that at all."
With Shane Watson, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and teenage sensation Pat Cummins all ruled out of the Gabba Test, talk on Ponting's future has cooled, with the focus turning to just who will be called up for the opening Test of the Australian summer.
Ponting offered a glowing endorsement of Victorian quick James Pattinson and New South Welshman David Warner, with the pair likely to be two of a possible three Test debutants in Brisbane.
"James is a terrific young bloke and a very good bowler. His record for Victoria is getting better and better. He is one that has been around our group for a while. (He was) probably a little bit unlucky not to be in the Test squad on our last trip to South Africa, but he made room for Patty (Cummins) and we know what Patty has done over the last couple of weeks.
"He (Warner) is the sort of guy who is going to be able to step up to the next level.
"His last (Sheffield) Shield games ... he's scored a lot of runs and whenever he has played for Australia in Twenty20s or one-dayers he has generally done a pretty good job. He's been in pretty rare form of late as well. So we are all excited to see him play."

Ind vs WI play a thrilling draw

2011-11-26T06:15:00.000-08:00

India looked firm favourites heading into the final two overs of the match as they needed six runs to reach their victory target of 243, with three wickets in hand and first-innings centurion Ravichandran Ashwin and Ishant Sharma at the crease.
However, West Indies pacemen Ravi Rampaul and Fidel Edwards limited the home side to just five runs to help earn their side a draw as scores finished level.

During those two tension-filled overs Rampaul bowled Sharma for 10 and then, off the final ball of the match, Ashwin was run out for 14 going for a second run that would have won India the match, the hosts finishing on 242 for nine.

A draw looked the most likely outcome at the start of the final day, but few could have predicted the manner in which it came about - with all four results still possible even up until the last over as the match ebbed one way and then the other.

India appeared to have put themselves in control after spinners Pragyan Ojha and Ashwin had ripped through the tourists' batting line-up in the morning session.

Ojha finished with a career-best six for 47 while Ashwin snared the other four as the West Indies, having scored 590 in their first innings, lost eight wickets for 43 in a 60-minute spell before lunch to crash to 134 all out.

That stunning collapse set India a victory target of 243 off 64 overs and opener Virender Sehwag gave his side a flying start with a typically aggressive half-century, although he also rode his luck in the process.

The big-hitting opener survived three dropped catches as he powered his way to 60 at almost a run-a-ball, a knock that included eight boundaries, before he fell just after India had brought up their 100.

Sehwag's dismissal brought Sachin Tendulkar to the wicket but the home favourite, still chasing that elusive 100th international ton, could only make three before he was also sent back.

When West Indies made their third big breakthrough in quick succession as Rahul Dravid was sent back for 33, the match looked to be swinging back towards the tourists as India found themselves 113 for four.

Darren Sammy's men continued to plug away and the dismissals of VVS Laxman (31) and home captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (13) saw India reduced to 189 for six.

Still any result was possible at that stage, but Virat Kohli looked to have put India back in charge as he guided his side to within 19 runs of victory with four wickets remaining.

However, his exit for 63 then put the match back in the balance and although India still looked the likeliest winners in the closing stages, they could not get over the finishing line as the West Indies - particularly Rampaul (three for 56) and Edwards (one for 28) - kept their cool.

Praveen kumar ruled out of ODI series against WI

2011-11-22T06:11:00.000-08:00

Praveen Kumar has been ruled out of the Barabati ODI as India eye domination over West Indies in the five-match ODI series starting on Tuesday.
"Praveen Kumar has a niggle so he is not available for first ODI. We expect him to join the squad tomorrow and be fit for the second match," Sehwag- the stand-in-captain said ahead of the match.

India, who are a dominant force in the 50-over format and the world champions, will be aiming for nothing less than a 5-0 whitewash, a winning margin they recently inflicted on a strong England side

With Mahendra Singh Dhoni getting some much-needed rest ahead of the gruelling tour of Australia, Virender Sehwag will lead the side. Sehwag has not seen any action in this format since the memorable ICC Cricket World Cup win on April 2.

Having missed out on the One-day series in England because of a hearing problem, Sehwag returned in recently concluded Test series against the Windies with his sparkling form intact even though a big score eluded him.

The 33-year-old Delhi player has led the side in seven matches, winning four of them, though he is yet to get a half-century as a captain with 44 as his best score.

When Sehwag last captained India in place of Dhoni, the side had chased down Sri Lanka's 316 in Kolkata in 2009.

Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma will form the three pillars of the Indian middle order and with the trio in fine form; the hosts can be assured of a good show from them.

Raina, who turned 25 on Sunday, scored his personal best of unbeaten 204 against Punjab in a Ranji Trophy match recently.

The stylish southpaw who has centuries in all the three formats will look to make it count with an in-form Kohli.

Fresh from his 175 against Railways and 100 vs Rajasthan in the recent Ranji Trophy matches, Rohit is also back in the one-day fold after missing out on England tour due to injury.

Following a double century and century in two matches, Bengal skipper Manoj Tiwary too retains the place alongside Ajinkya Rahane, even though the duo may not get a chance to figure in the XI till India seal the series.

In the absence of Dhoni, Parthiv Patel will be the man in charge behind the stumps while the middle order will also miss another star player in Yuvraj Singh who is battling a non-malignant tumor in his lung.

But even without the star powers of Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj and Dhoni, the Indian batting will remain India's main strength.

In fact, India have the prowess to bat as deep as number nine with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and off-spinner R Ashwin giving ample show of their talent with the bat.

Fresh from a century and a five-for in the same Test match, Ashwin will add that sting to the exciting batting line-up, while the Indians will not be short on bowling ammunition either.

The just concluded Test series saw the emergence of young Indian bowlers with the spin duo of Pragyan Ojha and Ashwin leading the attack remarkably well, taking 42 of the 60 West Indies wickets.

In the pace line-up, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron too looked hungry for success as they played a perfect fiddle to pace spearhead Ishant Sharma.

With Ojha and Sharma not figuring in the one-day scheme of things, Ashwin will lead the spin front while leg-spinner Rahul Sharma will hope to make his ODI debut.

West Indies in their last one-day appearance were skittled out for a mere 61 against minnows Bangladesh and Indian spinners will once again look to stifle the spin-weary visitors.

Dew being a factor in the second innings, India will hope to win the toss and elect to field to chase a total, something they had done successfully in their last two outings in Cuttack.

"We will take all the precautionary measures like spraying and mopping, but dew cannot be ruled out," curator Pankaj Pattanaik said, predicting a total of around 300.

For West Indies, who lacked experience in the Test series, one-day format presents them a good chance to return home with some pride.

Windies defeated Bangladesh 2-1 in the ODI series before coming to India and barring the last match hiccup in Chittagong where they werer bundled out for 61 they showed fine mettle, something they can take confidence from before taking on heavyweights India.

The return of opener Lendl Simmons, who missed out the last ODI against Bangladesh and then India Test series due to an injury, will bolster the side.

Simmons, who totalled 177 from five ODIs against India in June at an average of 35.40, will look to give Windies a fine start along with Adrian Barath who too is in fine knick.

The middle-order will bank on the brilliance of Darren Bravo who sparkled with two centuries in three matches against India in the Test series, while Marlon Samuels experience will come in handy in the subcontinent conditions.

Presence of allrounders in Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell and skipper Darren Sammy will add susbstance to their side.

Pacers Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach may share the new ball while off-spinner Sunil Narine and leggie Anthony Martin will be the spin options for the Windies.

Narine impressed for Trinidad and Tobago in the Champions League here and thereafter won the Curtly Ambrose Trophy for topping the Super50 bowling as he would look to get a debut.

Unlike the Test series, India will enjoy the home crowd support with all the tickets sold out at the revamped 45,000-capacity Barabati stadium.

Teams (from):

India: Virender Sehwag (c), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Parthiv Patel (wk), R Ashwin, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary and Rahul Sharma.

West Indies: Darren Sammy (c), Lendl Simmons, Adrian Barath, Danza Hyatt, Marlon Samuels, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Anthony Martin, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Kieran Powell, Ravi Rampaul and Kemar Roach.

Field umpires: Tony Hill (NZC), Shavir Tarapore

sachin helps me improve -- OJHA

2011-11-20T06:14:00.000-08:00

India's new spin hero Pragyan Ojha on Sunday revealed that he gained heavily from the tips of Sachin Tendulkar, who helped him out with some finer points.
"Sachin always gives you that energy on the field. He advises me all the finer points like how to deceive a batsman. How to deceive in flight. His tips have helped me in getting at least 10-15 Test wickets," Ojha who is considered as a Test specialist told PTI.

"I remembered one sentence by Sachin Tendulkar who would tell me if you love the game, you don't need anything to motivate you. I always wanted to play and that kept me going," Ojha said.

"It was a very important series and a great comeback for me. The important thing was I could contribute to the team's win and played a major role. I knew it would be a very important series for me in a crucial phase of my career," he said after the hugely successful series against West Indies at home.

Ojha along with senior statemate VVS Laxman will be playing for Hyderabad in a Plate League match starting from November 29 as he is not playing ODIs.

"I did not play international cricket for about one year. But I never had that negative feeling. I always stayed positive which resulted in this performance."

He termed his county stint as something that changed him as a bowler.

"Even when I was not with the team and played county in England, I would practice with the Indian team touring at that point of time. In fact, Anilbhai played a key role in me getting a chance to play for Surrey. They were looking for an Indian spinner and Alec Stewart had got in touch with Anilbhai (Kumble), who had recommended my name. I'm really thankful to him," he recalled how his association with Surrey started.

Ojha credited his performance to hard work and perseverance and support from family.

Playing alongside Ravichandran Ashwin since his U-16 days has helped him a lot and that has reflected in their brilliant performance as they have taken 42 out of the 60 West Indies wickets even in the absence of Harbhajan Singh.

"I know him since my under-16 days. We have played a couple of matches together for the South Zone. So there is this element of understanding between us. We knew what we were supposed to do and just stuck to the plans. I try to keep things very simple.

"But I've to keep performing. My coach (Vijay Paul) has told me that never take your place for granted. You have to keep working hard every single day," the left-arm spinner seemed to be rooted to the reality.

About the tough Australia series beginning on Boxing Day, Ojha said: "Australia series would be a big one. I have never played there and have no idea about the conditions there. I just want to go there and give my 100 percent."

In the final Test, Ojha led the way to force a dramatic Windies collapse taking three wickets (Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels) which made the final day interesting.

"Yesterday morning, My mind was blank but I was positive. We had a feeling that they may attack us, so it was important to stick to our plans. Thankfully, it worked."

Ojha hoped that it will be a 5-0 'whitewash' in favour of Virender Sehwag and his boys in the upcoming ODI series against the West Indies.

"I pray that it will be a 5-0 whitewash. But this West Indies side cannot be taken for granted. They are a good side and we should not underestimate their potential."

Ashwin the magical man with awards

2011-11-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

Virender Sehwag has hoped that Ravichandran Ashwin India's best cricketer in the Test series against the West Indies will continue to perform well and get more awards in future.

The BCCI had announced Aswin's name for Dilip Sardesai Award after his series winning performance against the Windies.

Appreciating the Indian Cricket Board's decision to award Ashwin with Rs 5 lakh prize money, India's stand-in-skipper Sehwag said Ashwin was going in the right direction.

"It's really good for him. I am really happy for Ashwin because he has performed really well. It's good that his performance is appreciated by the BCCI," said Sehwag.

"May he get more awards in future. When you get award from the government that's the biggest achievement. Getting a national award like Arjuna or Padma awards is the biggest achievement for a sportsperson.

"I hope in coming years he performs well. I am sure that Ashwin will get those also," he added.

Ashwin picked 22 wickets in his debut Test series, besides scoring a century in three matches against the West Indies and picked up two man of the match awards en route to being adjudged the player of the series.

Dhoni requires better pitches at india

2011-11-16T06:08:00.000-08:00

An incredible 17 wickets fell on Day Five at the Wankhede track and a baffled MS Dhoni is clueless, saying it offered nothing to spinners till the 4th day.
West Indies lost eight wickets in their second innings to collapse to 134 and India lost nine batsmen in pursuit of a victory target of 243 to eventually fall short by just one run on Saturday.
"Frankly, I don't know what happened. It started to turn in the morning. Till Saturday evening, everything was fine. It was among the flattest wickets. I'm seriously saying, I am not joking, something happened in the morning and it started to turn. Most of us thought it will be a draw, but somehow it turned into a tie. It was a close game, as the scorebook suggests," Dhoni said after winning the series 2-0.
The India captain said it became extremely difficult to play strokes as the ball was not coming on to the bat.
"There was a bit of bounce for the spinners and for the fast bowlers the ball was stopping a bit. Once you look to play a shot, you had to be careful that you are at the pitch of the ball. If you are not, you saw batsmen getting caught at mid-wicket or covers."
Dhoni said their strategy was to run as hard as possible to keep the scoreboard ticking over, as boundaries were hard to come by.
"It was quite easy to stay on the wicket but difficult to score runs. A few of us thought if we can rotate and get singles, it would become a bit easy as the game progresses. No one dismissal was the turning point, but it was a good game of cricket in the end."
Asked about Virat Kohli, who is scoring fifties but not converting those into big knocks, Dhoni said the Delhi youngster would learn with the time. Kohli scored 52 and 63 in the third Test.
"It's a learning phase for everyone, not only him. Next game he is in the same situation, he may bat in a different way. Even the most experienced players tend to make these kinds of mistakes, so nothing to worry."
Dhoni was also effusive in his praise of the spin duo of R Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha, who finished with 22 and 20 wickets in the series respectively.
"The first two wickets he (Ashwin) took on the first day (Adrian Barath and Kraigg Brathwaite) were really good ones. After that he had to work hard. Both spinners did a very good job for us. Not to forget that our over rate in all three games for the first time ever was plus 15, plus 19 and some big number. Hope it carries on."
Dhoni, however, said it was not right to compare them with Anil Kumble or Harbhajan Singh at this stage of their careers.
"Ashwin has played three Tests, Ojha has played more and it's not right to compare them with Anil or Harbhajan. They bowled well and were able to put pressure. When nothing was there, they did not let the opposition to score. Overall, I am very happy with the kind of bowling they did throughout the series."
On Ashwin's maiden Test century, Dhoni said, "Let him take wickets, that's the priority. If he scores runs, that's a bonus for us."
The India captain, who has been rested for the five-match ODI series prior to the long tour of Australia, was also satisfied with the performance of Ishant Sharma.
"I think in this series, Ishant bowled consistently well. He was up in the pace area. And he was bowling in the right areas. Overall, I am very happy with the kind of bowling he did throughout the series," Dhoni said.
Dhoni did not hide his disappointment about the wickets used for the series and suggested that spin-friendly tracks should be prepared for home advantage.
"What we played on the fifth day wicket, I want the wickets to turn like that from the first day, that's when you send a bit of panic to the opposition dressing room. At the same time, you are under pressure to perform, which makes it interesting. I don't know when was the last time we really played on a wicket that was really turning square. The last time we played at the CCI (against Sri Lanka in 2009), maybe it was turning. I am hoping we will stick to our kind of wickets and it will turn from the very first day, so that the toss does not become important."
Asked about the team picked for Australia, Dhoni seemed happy with the players he had got.
"It looks like a very good side. From what we have seen of Umesh (Yadav) and Varun (Aaron) in the last three games, they can bowl quick. They must have learnt a lot from these games. Spinners have done well. Our batting order is at full strength. Looks like a good side and hopefully we will do well."
Dhoni also hoped that Zaheer Khan will be fit to spearhead the pace attack.
"Zak is giving his 100 percent, whenever he had to do some kind of rehab. We are hoping he's 100 percent fit for the Australia series. Once he goes and plays in a first-class game, that will help him judge to some extent how he feels. We had seen in the practice stint that he was quite fit, and I hope nothing happens in the next game he plays."

Let sachin make his 100 in his own way

2011-11-14T06:06:00.000-08:00

Does anyone know how Sachin Tendulkar’s name appeared for the first time in a newspaper? I did not till the master himself told me the story at his Taj Bengal room during the Eden Test match. Here goes what happened:

The first time Sachin Tendulkar’s name appeared in the papers was courtesy the scorer in a local match in Mumbai. The rule was a player’s name will appear provided he scored 30. Tendulkar was not out on 24 but there were many extras in his teams’ innings including wides, leg byes and no balls. The scorer decided to credit six extras to Tendulkar’s personal tally increasing his score to 30 without changing the overall score. His conscience was clear- he hadn’t tampered with the overall score. How does it matter if there were six extras less and six runs credited to Tendulkar’s score? Next morning, Sachin’s name appeared for the first time in a Mumbai paper.

Had those fateful six runs been credited to his score at the Wankhede he would have reached his 100th international ton. India would be celebrating and 117 crore people would have had their dream fulfilled. It wasn’t to be for ‘what do they know of cricket who only cricket know?’
Everton Weekes, the legendary West Indian, once told me, “Had I not got out for 90 in the sixth innings against India in 1948-49 after getting five consecutive hundreds, people would not have romanticised the feat. A sixth hundred would have meant I had six centuries on the trot. A 90 meant people would always say: ‘Weekes couldn’t get 10 more runs!’” The ‘could have been’ stories are as much part of cricket lore as its records, statistics and standout performances. The Wankhede 94 has now been added to this list.
It all seemed to go according to script. A rejuvenated Sachin not out on 67 made known his intent in the first over itself against Ravi Rampaul. A beautiful flick for four and he had reached the 70s. Then came a trademark off drive followed by the shot of the innings, a six over third man of Fidel Edwards. It was better than the six hit of the same bowler on Day 3. He had literally raced to the 90s. Just as it seemed it was going to happen did disaster strike. A flash outside off stump and Darren Sammy doing the rest at second slip. Ravi Rampaul’s exaggerated celebration said it all. The West Indians had spoilt an Indian party, not just of the team or that of the master but of a billion plus waiting to erupt in celebration.
As he began the long walk back to the pavilion in his home ground, so did the applause. The 15,000- present on the day, having taken a few seconds to come to terms with the shock, were on their feet again. It was hard to believe that this was a trudge back to the pavilion in agony. It was a classic case of so near yet so far. Forgotten was the fact that he had failed to get the hundred and that India could still follow on. That heartfelt, yet forlorn, ovation from his home crowd was in fact homage to an extraordinary career, not for an innings that hadn’t granted them a last wish.
The hundred will come. Sooner than later. But what his getting out for 94 tells us is even the greatest ultimately fall prey to the whims of the game. That’s why we love it so much. The unpredictability, the impossibility of trying to predict what will happen next. He got out for 91 at the Oval. Wankhede was 3 better. The game can be really cruel at times and who better than Sachin to tell you so. He has got it all. Yet he missed out on a lot at the Wankhede. His home ground could not become part of history despite him wanting to script it for them.
We have waited for 8 long months for the 100th 100. Perhaps, we have to wait a bit more. When we think what Sachin has done for the game for a long 23 years, the wait isn’t a long one. It is our time to back our icon, the man who has given us more joy than anyone else for over two decades.

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2011-06-12T01:20:00.000-07:00

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2011-03-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

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Dhoni Says We are Ready to face things

2011-02-01T08:08:00.000-08:00

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is confident his team would handle the burden better in the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

"We take pressure as an added responsibility. We will stick to the basics and prepare well. We have the potential to do well in the tournament. For a change we will not be the underdogs," said Dhoni at a promotional event.

The Ranchi-born wicket-keeper batsman, however, refused to predict whether India will go on and regain the coveted crown after a gap of 28 years.

"I never predict what will happen in cricket. We believe in each other and we believe in the process. We will take each game in the right frame of mind," said Dhoni ahead of India's campaign in the February 19-April 2 showpiece event.

Dhoni brushed aside concerns about India's opening match against co-hosts Bangladesh in Dhaka after what had happened in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies when the Rahul Dravid-led side got knocked out following a shock defeat at the hands of their eastern neighbours.

"The past is past. I am more optimistic than you," he said referring to the lung-opener against Bangladesh on February 19. Dhoni refused to agree with England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who criticised the World Cup schedule for long gaps between matches and preferred to look at it as an opportunity to recover from niggles and relax.

"I don't know about other sports but we criticise a lot in cricket. When we have tight schedule we say there's too much cricket and when there are gaps we say there's too little. It's difficult to prepare a perfect schedule," Dhoni said.

"We would utilise these breaks to relax and get over whatever niggles we have," he added.

India will play their second match in Group B, against England at Bangalore, eight days after they kick off the mega-event in Dhaka against Bangladesh.

Later on, Dhoni and his men play three matches in close succession -- against Ireland, the Netherlands and South Africa -- between March 6 and 12 and in different centres, all at home.

Pietersen had criticised the scheduling of the tournament in the British media.

"How can the England team play once and then in six days' time play again, and then in six days' time play again. It's ridiculous but there's nothing we can do about the schedules," the England player was quoted as having said.

Dhoni also did not agree to the view reportedly expressed by 1983 World Cup-winning team member Mohinder Amarnath that the Indian squad should have had a frontline left-arm spin bowler.

"It’s difficult to accommodate everyone. One can say there is no second wicket-keeper too. For me the 15 players selected would have an impact on the World Cup," the Indian captain retorted.

India Are the Favourite To Win the World Cup

2011-01-31T04:36:00.000-08:00

"We have an extremely well-balanced team and the best part is everyone seems to be in form," Kirmani told PTI.

"We are playing in the sub-continent and in our own environment so it would not be too difficult to bring in a replacement wicket-keeper immediately in case of a casualty. So, probably taking this fact into consideration, the selection committee did not go in for a second wicket-keeper," he said.

Stating that the current Indian squad is one of the favourites to lift the ICC Cricket World Cup, the 61-year-old said he has been hoping and praying for the last 28 years for the country to bring back the glory.

"We have a very good chance this time as our side is a very competent one. They are equally competent, if not more, than some of the other teams. We have been hoping and praying for the last 28 years for India to lift the Cup again and it seems that this team has it in them to fulfil the wish," said the former India Test cricketer.

Kirmani admitted that the four-time World champions Australia will be a weaker side compared to India, South Africa and England in the upcoming mega-event but cautioned that the Kangaroos can never be taken for granted.

"You never know, Australia can come back any time. You can never count them out. Obviously, the experienced players, who won the Cup thrice for the country are not there anymore but Aussies are in a process of re-establishing themselves.

"The youngsters will certainly take some time to reach that level. So, as a team they definitely look a little weaker at the moment as compared to some of the stronger sides like India, South Africa, England," he opined.

"But again if you look at the ongoing ODI series between England and Australia, the latter are doing well and the English, who thought it would be a cake-walk for them after their 3-1 Ashes victory, are finding it tough," added Kirmani.

Kirmani, who played 88 Tests, predicted that India, South Africa, England and Sri Lanka would make it to the semi-finals of the mega-event, starting February 19 in Dhaka but warned that there could be a few surprises as well.

"The New Zealanders, Pakistanis and Australians could never be underestimated. Just like Australia, Pakistan also has some talented young players who can spring up surprises," Kirmani said.

Asked to compare the current Indian side with that of the 1983 World Cup winning team, he said, "Unlike ours, which was a weaker unit and were given a tag of the underdogs, this team is very strong."

"We never thought we would lift the Cup. We were the most inexperienced team in the competition. We just aimed at qualifying for the knockout stage. That was the only thing on our minds. In fact, no body even expected us to reach the knock-out round also," recollected Kirmani, who was awarded the best wicket-keeper in the 1983 World Cup.

"But we gained confidence when we won our opening match against then reigning world champions West Indies by 34 runs. After that game, we thought if we could beat the Windies in the very first encounter, why should we look back?"

Attributing Indian team's success in the 1983 Cricket World Cup to their positive approach, consistency and complacency of other teams, he said, "Whosoever we played they thought that we were a very weak side and took us lightly. But they were under a wrong impression. They failed to realise that on a particular day we were the better players."

Looking back at his own most memorable contribution to the team's success in the 83' World Cup, Kirmani said the match where captain Kapil Dev scored unbeaten 175 against Zimbabwe to turn the tide in India's favour, had him as a silent contributor at the other end.

"One of our most important matches of the tournament was against Zimbabwe when India found itself reeling at 17 for five with Kapil Dev trying to pull us out of trouble single-handedly. At 140 for eight, I joined Kapil who was playing at some 50 plus score with another 30-35 overs more to go in a 60-over match.

"I walked in very boldly, as usual, without losing my concentration and before I took the stance I just went to Kapil and told him 'don't worry, you just play your natural game and I will be at my best at the other end, giving you the maximum support and maximum strike. I will just take a single and leave the deliveries for you to face'," narrated Kirmani.

"From there on it was one of the most fabulous knocks of Kapil that I have seen -- perhaps the most devastating one -- and I gave him the strength and we remained not out till 60 overs. He scored 175 and I scored somewhere between 23 to 30."

Kirmani, who remained not out on 24 till the end of 60 overs, shared a crucial unbeaten 126-run stand for the ninth wicket -- a record in itself -- with Kapil, to help India reach 266 for eight and set Zimbabwe a competitive target.

Zimbabwe, in their chase, faltered and were all out for 235 in 57 overs to hand over India a 31-run victory.

"This victory put us in the semi-finals where we beat England comprehensively and then went on to create history by defeating West Indies in the final, which is needless to say, is one of the most memorable moments of my career and life," concluded Kirmani.

We will go beyond 2003 World Cup- Harbajan

2011-01-30T04:38:00.000-08:00

Senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh believes that the team's impressive performance in South Africa will be of little consequence at the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
"From my personal experience, I can tell you that our good show in South Africa may give us a bit of confidence but that's about it. Doing well in bouncy pitches in South Africa and playing in the Cricket World Cup is a different ball game altogether," Harbhajan told PTI in an exclusive interview.

To elaborate his view he gave example of India's tour to New Zealand in 2002 before the 2003 Cricket World Cup in South Africa.

"If you remember, we had a disastrous tour of New Zealand where we lost in both Test and ODI series. But when we played in the Cricket World Cup, it was a different story. In fact, we completely dominated while we beat New Zealand and played in the finals. That's why I feel that a bilateral series can never be an indicator to a team's performance in a big event," the feisty off-spinner said.

Talking about Cricket World Cups and Harbhajan, who will be playing in his third, still fondly recollects the memories of the 2003 edition when the team reached the finals under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy.

"I sincerely hope that we can emulate our 2003 feat and even do one better by winning the Cricket World Cup. It will be a great gift for millions of fans. On our part, we can assure our supporters that we will give more than 100 percent when we get out there," he said.

When asked what was special about that 'Class of 2003', who looked unstoppable till Ricky Ponting singlehandedly took the final away from them, he said, "Have a look at the squad of 2003, you will find guys like myself, Zak (Zaheer Khan), Ashish (Nehra) and Viru (Sehwag) were all young having only played couple of seasons in international cricket.

"We were fearless and never believed that we would cow down under any sort of pressure. If you enjoy playing in pressure situations, you tend to give your best. That's what happened. Also we had seniors like Sachin (Tendulkar), Sourav (Ganguly) guiding us."

A veteran of 93 Tests and 217 ODIs, Harbhajan, who is now second in the list of seniormost cricketers after Sachin Tendulkar, feels like 2003, this time also India's Cricket World Cup campaign will depend a lot on how the likes of Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan handle pressure situations.

"As a senior player, I have loads of expectations from guys like Virat, Yusuf and Raina. Just like we (Sehwag, Nehra, Zaheer, Kaif) were the youngest lot in 2003. These youngsters will be eager to show how well they can manage to hold their nerves on big stage.

"They have had enough exposure in international cricket and I am really hopeful that they would come up trumps."

On personal front, Harbhajan, nicknamed 'Turbunator', is happy that he is in a good frame of mind going into the big event.

"If you are an Indian cricketer, then you become adept at handling pressure. I have played long enough to not let pressure affect my game in crunch situations. It has come with years of experience at the international level," said the spinner from Jalandhar, who has 393 Test and 246 ODI wickets to his name.

His batting has been a revelation of late and one gets a feeling that his perspective towards batting has changed.

"My mantra is simple. If the ball is in my area, I will hit it. Earlier, the approach used to be a slam bang one and I would try to hit any delivery out of sight. Now I try to get my eye in first and then go for attack. Also, if I am batting with the batsman, I try to rotate and give the specialist as much strike as possible," Harbhajan said.

On various captains that he has played under in international cricket, Harbhajan terms Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Ganguly as the two who always back their bowlers.

"Both Sourav and Dhoni have been able to get the best of out of me. The reason being both are good bowlers' captain. It is essential for a captain and his bowlers to strike a good rapport. In case of Sourav, he exactly knew what to expect from a Javagal Srinath, a Zaheer Khan or a Harbhajan Singh.

The same is for Dhoni.

"Another aspect is their faith in bowlers to let them set their own field. Both Sourav and Dhoni would allow me to set my own field which means the skipper has faith on my thought process," he added.

Asked whether figured out any difference between the two, Harbhajan said, "Yes, Dhoni can remain very calm in the most trying circumstances but Sourav was more expressive in his body language."

When the topic of Eden Gardens was broached, he became a touch sad.

"It is sad that we won't be playing in front of a packed Eden Gardens crowd which always behind you. It's one of my favourite grounds but there are things which are not under my control. What I can control is that, whenever I play at the Eden next, I would like to ensure the crowd that they will have smile on their faces," he concluded.

Australia must have descent pace attack to win

2011-01-29T04:40:00.000-08:00

Allan Border advised the selectors to pick an "out and out" pace attack if Australia are to win the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Border does not subscribe to the view that a team will have to rely on spin in the subcontinent and gave the example of the lethal pace attack of the West Indies who did well in the 80's.

"We can win the World Cup, especially if our quick bowling stocks hit their straps. That's what it is about, two, three or four guys peaking at the right time. Everybody says, 'It's India, you need spin', but that's not necessarily the case," Border said.

"I know the West Indies did well in India during the 80's. If you've got good quality fast bowling, you're the side to beat. If you start getting reverse swing and out and out pace, there are not a lot of people who enjoy facing that sort of bowling," he was quoted as saying by 'Sunday Telegraph'.

Border said Australia can triumph in the 50-over tournament if pace spearhead Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson can fire on all cylinders.

"Brett Lee is bowling with good pace and getting back into some good rhythm, and he has the experience alone. I want to see Mitch and Taity, if they're anywhere near their best, that's a formidable attack. Throw in some part-timers and spinners, and that's a good side."

Sehwag and Sangakkara Join Together

2011-01-28T20:42:00.001-08:00

Virender Sehwag and Kumar Sangakkara have joined together to star in a new Think Wise campaign for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
The players feature in a public service announcement, encouraging young people to ‘get the facts, protect yourself’, as part of the ICC’s Think Wise partnership with UNAIDS and UNICEF promoting HIV prevention.

The campaign will encourage young people to be informed, take appropriate action to prevent HIV infection and stand together against the stigma and discrimination often facing people living with HIV. Although UNAIDS announced that new HIV infections had fallen by 20 per cent between 2001 and 2009, more than 7,000 people were infected each day in 2009 and one out of every three of these was a young person aged between 15 and 24 years.
“The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 provides an opportunity to use our profile as cricketers to deliver important social messages to the hundreds of millions of supporters who will be watching the tournament across the world,” said Virender Sehwag.

He added: “I hope this public service announcement can encourage young people to get the facts and protect themselves from HIV. While my main focus for this tournament is on helping India win the World Cup, I hope that a legacy of the event will be that more young people feel comfortable talking about their relationships and understand how to protect themselves against HIV.”

The colourful promos, that are 30 and 45 seconds in duration, are set to a lively theme tune of “let’s talk” and aim to encourage young people across the globe to discuss HIV prevention. As part of the script, Sangakkara encourages fans to “wait, stick to one partner, or use a condom”, before Sehwag calls on young adults to “get the facts, protect yourself against HIV”.

Sehwag and Sangakkara, who are both Think Wise champions, have been active supporters of the partnership since it was formed in 2003, visiting projects at ICC events and promoting global HIV prevention and stigma reduction messages. Other active supporters in the partnership include Graeme Smith (South Africa), Shakib-Al-Hasan (Bangladesh) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies).

“As a Think Wise champion and cricketer, I want to help educate young people on how to protect themselves from HIV. It is important that young people around the world have access to the right information to help them make informed decisions and break down stigma and discrimination. Through this public service announcement, I want to help stop the spread of HIV and encourage young people to get the facts, talk openly, and protect themselves from HIV,” said Sangakkara.

A number of other Think Wise activities are planned during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Players will have a series of interactions with local community groups supported by UNAIDS and UNICEF throughout the three host countries, teams will wear red ribbons on their shirts in key matches during the competition and HIV prevention messages will be promoted at venues on all match days, including during the national anthem ceremonies.
Young adults taking part in the ICC CWC schools programme in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka have already received HIV education sessions as part of the Think Wise programme.

India Are Favorites To Win the World Cup : Smith

2011-01-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

South Africa captain Graeme Smith believes India are the team to beat at the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India are co-hosting the event alongside counterparts from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's star-studded squad are already the bookmakers' pick for the trophy.
Smith guided the Proteas to a 3-2 ODI series win over India in their recent series in South Africa but he accepts that India will be an even tougher proposition on their own turf.
"I think the home teams will be right up there when it comes to the World Cup," Smith told the ICC Cricket World Radio Show.
"I think in the sub-continental conditions they'll be very crafty, knowing how to read conditions while other teams need to find ways to be successful there.
"I think for us we need to be versatile and I think India will come in as favourites."
Despite picking India as the best-placed team prior to the event, which begins on February 19, Smith sees plenty of potential victors.
"Personally I think there are five or six teams that could win this World Cup which is probably going to make it a very exciting one," he added.

Martin Guptill Ready to play at Any Position

2011-01-26T20:37:00.000-08:00

New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill has said that he is ready to bat at any position in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.
Guptill has successfully opened the innings for the Kiwis in all formats of the game..

"It's what I'm comfortable with, so at the moment I'm happy with where I'm batting, but I would also be happy to bat at No 3. I don't find there's too much difference. I'll bat anywhere for New Zealand," Guptill said.

He was not picked for the tour of Bangladesh, where his team was whitewashed in the limited overs series. However, he was included in the team for the Indian tour, where he participated in the second Test match, scoring 85 on his return.

However, his record against Pakistan in the just-concluded Test series is impressive. He amassed 163 runs at an impressive average of 40.

In the first one-dayer against Pakistan, Guptill opened the innings, scoring an unbeaten 40 in the chase of a paltry 125-run total, steering his team to victory by nine wickets.

Currently, the home side is leading the six-match series by 1-0 with four more games to play. Only four overs were possible in the second encounter, as rain washed out the whole day.

West Indies Will reach Semi-Finals Of the WC: Predicts Coach

2011-01-25T20:36:00.000-08:00

West Indies coach Ottis Gibson believes his team can defy the odds and reach the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-finals stage.
The West Indies tackle Sri Lanka in three ODIs from Monday, a crucial opportunity for the Caribbean side to get used to the South Asia conditions ahead of the ICC CWC which takes place from February 19 to April 2.

"I think we have a team that can win the trophy. We'll go there with the expectation of doing very well and putting ourselves in a position that we can reach the semi-finals, which is a very realistic possibility," said Gibson.

"We would love to win and we will try to win. The aim is to reach the semi finals and put ourselves in a position to capitalise from there."

"This is one of the biggest stages in international sport and we want to make sure we feature during the tournament. We are not listed among the favourites and that could work in our favour."

The West Indies haven't reached the semi-finals since 1996 when they lost to Australia by just five runs in an agonising loss.

Gibson was speaking before the squad left for Sri Lanka where the West Indies played to a 0-0 draw in the three-match Test series in December.

The ODI series was to be played in December but was rescheduled due to bad weather.

"It is a good opportunity to put some of the plans in place that we are going to take into the mega event," said the coach.

"When we went for the Test series we did really well as a team and we made progress. We also had a chance to get used to the conditions. Now we are heading back to Sri Lanka for these three ODIs and we will be looking to put in place the plans that we will be taking into the sub-continent for the event.

"The players are fresh out of the Caribbean Twenty20 and all the players are ready for what we have coming up."

The West Indies have been drawn in Group B alongside South Africa, Netherlands, India, Bangladesh, England and Ireland.

Akram Feels it is tough to replace Kristen

2011-01-24T20:29:00.000-08:00

Wasim Akram says the former South Africa batsman has been one of the best coaches in the world.

India have enjoyed great success under coach Gary Kirsten, but it’s time to bid him goodbye. Wasim Akram feels it will be “a big loss” for Indian cricket. Speaking to Mobile ESPN from Karachi on Tuesday, Akram said: "Gary has done wonders for Team India. He is one of the best coaches that I have seen in international cricket. He has a quiet personality and does his job without much fuss.”

Akram added: “He (Kirsten) plays a good part behind the scenes. He has always been a much organised cricketer and we saw that aspect in his coaching as well."

Kirsten’s two-year contract with BCCI expires at the end of the World Cup. During his tenure, Team India won the Border-Gavaskar series 2-0. The former South Africa batsman also coached India to their first ODI series victory in New Zealand after 40 years.

"His qualities as a player and as a person rubbed on Team India as they performed well. MS Dhoni and his men will surely miss him in the dressing room. The management will also have a tough time in trying to find his replacement. But I feel India should concentrate on the World Cup rather than Kirsten. As they say, all good things must come to an end," said Akram.

While India go ga-ga over Yusuf Pathan’s 105 off 70 deliveries in the fifth and final ODI versus South Africa in Centurion on Sunday, Akram had a few words of caution.

"I hope that India do not start relying too much on Yusuf as it can be suicidal. He certainly has stood out with his fantastic showing in the last game. He is a clean hitter and has the temperament of a big-match player," said Akram.

Akram pointed out that apart from Yusuf, Virat Kohli was also a consistent performer in South Africa. Yusuf, who scored 166 in three matches, was definitely a standout, according to the former Pakistan star.

"Yusuf was the only consistent performer. The team surely missed the services of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar but Pathan tried hard to propel India despite their absence. The key was to stay on the wicket in South Africa and Yusuf did just that," said Akram.

Even though India lost the ODI series 2-3, Akram feels it will not have any impact on the World Cup. "I think India will do well once the seniors are back. And it’s always a different feeling to play in your home ground with home fans shouting for you. It definitely gives you a high," concluded Akram.

Yusuf Pathan : Feels India Is under Pressure

2011-01-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

Yusuf Pathan said that India would be under pressure in the ICC Cricket World Cup but they will need to avoid thinking about it.
"You don't go into a tournament thinking about the pressure involved with it. We will be playing the ICC CWC at home and it's natural that people will expect us to do well", he said.

"We have prepared well and played some good cricket in the past few months and we are hopeful of carrying the good form in the event (starting February 19)," Pathan told PTI in an interview from Vadodara.

The 28-year-old player has been in red-hot form and has clobbered the best in the business with minimum fuss.

"I am happy that I have been able to contribute to the team's cause. I have been assigned a specific role and I try to perform that to the best of my abilities," he answered.

Talk about outgoing coach Gary Kirsten and Yusuf's voice is filled with admiration for the former South African opener - perhaps the most popular among the three foreigners (John Wright, Greg Chappell being the other two) who have coached India.

"I have been fortunate to have received guidance from someone like Kirsten. He is a coach who will always have time for having one-on-one sessions after regular training. Even after my regular net session, Kirsten would be ready to give me extra practice.

"His (Kirsten) process of coaching and the manner in which he is able to iron out the flaws is amazing. I have improved a lot as a player due to him," he said.

Asked if he will miss Kirsten as he won't be coaching India after World Cup, Yusuf replied, "He is with us right now. That is important. Don't want to think about what will happen later."

He may surprise one and all with his ability to play risky shots like reverse sweeping a spinner for six but off it he wouldn't like to get into comparisons about his on-field efforts.

Asked which one of his two centuries (123 not out (96 balls) against New Zealand or 105 (70 balls) against South Africa at Centurion) is a better effort according to him, Yusuf said he would not pick between knocks which proved important for his team in different circumstances.

Sreesanth is Confident to make it up to Next World Cup

2011-01-22T20:33:00.000-08:00

Left out of the current edition, India's Sreesanth is confident of playing in the next two ICC Cricket World Cup tournaments.
"I'm only 27 and have ten good years ahead of me. I have a good chance of playing in the next two ICC CWC and I will come back," the Kerala bowler said at a promotional event on Friday.
Sreesanth said he was happy about the backing he received from former Test skipper Sourav Ganguly after he was left out of the Cup squad.
"I respect Dada's praise for me. I am still at the learning curve and there is a lot to learn," he said.
He added that the best thing for him now was to leave the past behind and move ahead by performing well.

"I will be playing soon in April (in IPL for Kochi) and am looking forward to the next two editions." he added

Yusuf Pathan Rocked The Final ODI Match

2011-01-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

South Africa clinched a thrilling 33-run win against India at the Centurion to win the five-match series 3-2.

Yusuf Pathan bludgeoned a whirlwind century for India but it was not enough as they slumped to a 33-run Duckworth/Lewis defeat and a 3-2 one-day series loss to South Africa in Pretoria.
The big-hitting all-rounder smashed 105 from 70 balls after his side had slumped to 119 for eight in pursuit of a revised 268 victory target.
They looked out of the game when he walked to the crease thanks to some ruthless bowling from Morne Morkel, who picked up four wickets for 52, and Dale Steyn (two for 32) aided by some poor shot-making from the tourists.
But a century stand with Zaheer Khan (24) raised hope, before the wicket of Pathan killed off the tourists.
Earlier, Hashim Amla carried his bat in an unbeaten 116 to see the hosts reach 250 for nine in 46 overs.
With rain still in the air when India's chase got under way, the openers came out in attacking mode, but were jolted when Lonwabo Tsotsobe bowled Rohit Sharma (five) via an inside edge onto the stumps.
Virat Kohli (two), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (five), Parthiv Patel (38), Yuvraj Singh (eight) and Suresh Raina (11) all fell quickly, leaving India on 74 for six inside 14 overs.
Harbhajan Singh (13) stopped the freefall by lasting more than five overs before he fell to Johan Botha.
But Pathan then found some good support in Zaheer, who could have been out when he had just come in and his partner was still on 41 after Morkel had him caught off a no-ball.
They came together at 119 for eight, and after Pathan reached 50 in 47 balls, it took him only 21 more deliveries to reach his ton.
His innings, which included eight fours and eight sixes, was eventually ended with a top-edge off Morkel that was caught by Faf du Plessis inside the circle.
Fifty runs were still required from 64 balls, but by then too many wickets had fallen and Zaheer was last man out, handing the hosts the series.
At the start, India decided to go into the game with an extra spinner - Piyush Chawla included ahead of Ashish Nehra - while the South Africans were unchanged.
The tourists made a bold move after winning the toss with Dhoni electing to field under the cloud cover hovering around Centurion.
His decision looked a good one first up with Zaheer sending Graeme Smith (seven) on his way in the third over when the left-hander hung his bat out and edged behind to Pathan at first slip.
But Morne van Wyk, one of the form players from the domestic season, and Amla got together and shared in a 97-run partnership to put their side back on top.
The former passed his 50 from 53 balls along the way, but was then excellently caught one-handed by Yuvraj (two for 45) off his own bowling with the score on 113.
The part-timer accounted for AB de Villiers (11) four overs later - the wicketkeeper stumped for a second successive game - before Amla was handed a lifeline on 70 after substitute Ravichandran Ashwin, fielding at square leg, seemed to spot a pull shot late and fluffed a chance off Sharma.
Amla reached his century from 113 balls, but rain then halted play for more than an hour with South Africa in the ascendancy after 42 overs played.
With the revised playing conditions in effect after the resumption, JP Duminy (35), who shared a 101-run stand with Amla, fell quickly.
Munaf Patel grabbed three for 50 in a late-order collapse when just 24 were added for the loss of six wickets as the home sided ended on 250 for nine

England Players Disappointed About The Change In Venue

2011-01-20T20:26:00.001-08:00

England players said they are unhappy that their ICC Cricket World Cup match against India has been moved from Eden Gardens.
The ICC announced on Thursday that the iconic 100,000-capacity stadium would not be ready to host the Group B match, due to be played on February 27, because of concerns over "cricket operations, media, broadcast and sponsorship facilities".
England's match against India had set to be the flagship match at the ground during the group stage, with the new venue yet to be confirmed.
Fast bowler Stuart Broad admitted his disappointment on his Twitter page on Friday, writing: "Shame Eden Gardens not ready for the game, our game vs India there would have been special with 100,000-plus crowd".
Fellow quick Chris Tremlett said the venue switch was not an ideal situation, and while he did not expect it would unduly affect the team's preparations he felt sympathy for those fans who have already paid to fly out and attend the match.
"Obviously it's not ideal," said Tremlett, who is not part of England's squad.
"I think in a few big tournaments there seems to be things that are left to the last minute.
"I'm sure that they'll find ways around it, but it is a shame because I'm sure a lot of people have booked plane tickets and supporters have paid a lot of money to go out there.
"I hope they can sort it out and hopefully it won't affect the team as well.
"Hopefully they can sort that out."
England are currently preparing for Sunday's fifth one-day international against Australia in Brisbane, a match that itself was under threat due to the floods that decimated south Queensland two weeks ago.
A change of venue had been mooted then and Tremlett said with a month to go until the India fixture he expected England would be able to rearrange their plans without disturbing preparations.
"If you expected to be in certain places then possibly it could distract you in some way, but unexpected things happen. Look at the floods that have happened here - this game might not have happened," he added.
"As an international player, surprises come along and you just have to deal with it. There are certain distractions but it is just one of those things.
"Whatever is thrown at us we'll take it and wherever we play we'll be there."
Whether the 29-year-old makes the trip to the sub-continent relies most likely on Bresnan's fitness after the Yorkshire all-rounder returned home this week due to a calf complaint.

BCCI Pleads ICC to reconsider its Decision

2011-01-19T20:25:00.000-08:00

BCCI have asked the ICC to reconsider their decision to strip the Eden Gardens of their match between India and England.
"We have written a letter to the ICC to reconsider its decision. Now it is up to the ICC to decide, but we are confident that the stadium can host the crucial India-England match," Ratnakar Shetty, tournament director and chief administrative officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said.

Former ICC boss and Cricket Association of Bengal President, Jagmohan Dalmiya, had appealed to the BCCI to ask the ICC to reconsider their decision.

Dalimiya had based his argument on Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium and three other venues getting an extension of 14 days- the former BCCI president suggested CAB will be able to get the Eden Gardens ready in the next 10 days and hand over a finished ground on February 7.

An ICC inspection team determined the Eden Gardens, which had hosted an ICC Cricket World Cup final and semi-final would not be ready to host the fixture on February 27.

The Group B match - England's second of the tournament - against the co-hosts in the 100,000-capacity stadium in Kolkata was set to be one of the highlights of the campaign for Andy Flower's side, who must now wait to hear where the February 27 fixture will be moved to.

Besides the India-England encounter, Eden Gardens is scheduled to host three other games -- South Africa vs Ireland (March 15), the Netherlands vs Ireland (March 18), and Zimbabwe vs Kenya (March 20).

Eden Garden Dropped From World Cup Venue

2011-01-18T20:23:00.000-08:00

ICC's decision to drop Eden Gardens as the venue for the India-England game has been greeted with utter dismay in India.
Eden Gardens could not deliver on time, failing to meet the deadlines for renovations to the stadium. It hardly went down well with the ICC inspectors, who declared a venue change for the February 27 match between India and England.

"We were all looking forward to this match. We were dying to see a renovated Eden Gardens which was already looking so beautiful," former India batsman Arun Lal, now a commentator, said.

"Every cricket fan, every Kolkatan will be devastated by this."

Nearly 100,000 people screaming at the top of their voices make Eden Gardens one of the most atmospheric cricket grounds in the world.

"Is there no chance of this decision being reversed? I am just hoping that they can reconcile," Lal said.

Former India opening batsman Chetan Chauhan shared the view.

"I would suggest to the ICC and the Indian board that the Eden Gardens should be given another opportunity," Chauhan said.

"They should be given about 7-10 days. The game is on Feb 27 and there is still a lot of time.

"If they don't give them one more chance, I think they will deny a great centre and cricket-loving people the opportunity of watching a high-profile ICC Cricket World Cup match."

Eden Gardens, which hosted the 1987 World Cup final, will stage three other matches on March 15, 18 and 20, none of which feature the home side.

A furious Madan Lal, a member of India's 1983 World Cup-winning team, said the organisers should be taken to task.

"One question is why was the stadium not ready?," he said.

"Once a deadline was given, they should have completed the work before that deadline.

"It's not about the venue but about the people who have lost everything now."

Former ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya heads the Cricket Association of Bengal, which is based at Eden Gardens.

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2010-08-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

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Muralidharan gets his 800 Wicket Mark in Test

2010-07-21T06:55:00.000-07:00

Spin genius Muttiah Muralitharan brought down the curtains on his Test career in a blaze of glory by becoming the first cricketer to scalp 800 wickets as Sri Lanka spanked India by ten wickets in the first Test on Thursday.

The hosts had to sweat a bit to wrap up the remaining five wickets and dismiss the world's number one team for 338 in their second innings, a total largely built around gritty contributions from tailenders.

With rain clouds hovering over the stadium, the Sri Lankan openers Tillakaratne Dilshan (68 not out) and Tharanga Paranavitana (23 not out) showed great urgency to rattle up the required runs on the final day to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Dilshan brought about the victory in style by clobbering Harbhajan Singh for a mighty six as the Lankans raced to 96 no loss in just 14.1 overs to record their seventh 10-wicket win overall and the second against India.

Resuming at a precarious 181 for five, India lost captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (4) and Harbhajan Singh (8) in quick succesion but VVS Laxman (69) and a dogged resistance by tailenders Ahimanyu Mithun (25), Ishant Sharma (31 not out) and Pragyan Ojha (13) delayed the inevitable.

The late order fightback not only frustrated the hosts but helped India to avoid the ignominy of an innings defeat and take a slender lead to stretch the game beyond the tea break at the Galle International stadium.

Muralitharan hiumself played a key role in his swansong Test by scalping five wickets in the first innings and three in the second to take his overall tally to 800, thus becoming the first cricketer to achieve the remarkable feat.

India's capitulation was all the more shocking considering an entire day's play was washed out because of rain. While nothing great was expected from the depleted bowling attack, the failure of the star-studded batting line up hurt the team badly.

The two teams will now travel to Colombo for the second Test starting July 26 and another defeat could dislodge India from the number one position.

If Sri Lanka win the series 2-0, India would lose four rating points and come down to the third position behind South Africa. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will gain six points and become the number one team.

All eyes were on Muralitharan as the crowd and his teammates expected him to reach the 800-wicket mark quickly but the off-spinner could add just one more scalp to take his tally to 799 till the lunch break.

It was paceman Lasith Malinga who took two of the three wickets that fell in the opening session by removing India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Mithun.

Dhoni and Laxman resumed at overnight score of 181 for five and India's fate hinged much on their efforts with the bat. Malinga though shattered India's hopes by bowling out Dhoni with a beautiful yorker.

Muralitharan then trapped Harbhajan Singh (8) to trigger celebrations but the spirited resistance by the tailenders from then on raised hopes of an Indian escape.

Laxman, who was on nine overnight, on the other end was unruffled and frustrated the hosts with his fighting half-century.

His 49-run partnership with Mithun (25) for the eighth wicket and unfinished 68-run stand for the ninth wicket was crucial in saving India from the innings defeat.

After supporting Laxman for an hour, Mithun became the fifth victim of Malinga. Confronted with a screamer of a delivery, Mithun was no where in line and was adjudged plumb leg before.

After Mithun, Ishant showed the stomach for a fight and battled hard for India's cause.

Ishant (31 not out) became only the fourth batsman to face 100 or more balls in a Test innings while batting at number 10 position.

VVS Laxman (69) and Ishant resumed the post lunch session and raised a 68 run stand for the ninth wicket, the best at Galle International stadium. It bettered the previous 60-run stand between Rahul Dravid and Venkatesh Prasad.

Laxman's run out brought relief for the hosts but it left Muralitharan in a situation where only one wicket was on offer and he had to get that to complete his 800-wicket tally.

Laxman's fighting fifty had five fours and and ended in an unfortunate manner as he and Ishant went for a risky run.

Ojha joined the action after Laxman's dismissal and with Ishant he frustrated the hosts for another 15 overs.

Ishant survived two furious appeals off Muralitharan and a stump chance off Dilshan in his brave unbeaten innings.

The not out decision by third umpire on that stump chance was cheered by the crowd as it could have left Muralitharan stranded on 799 in his farewell Test.

Sehwag Fires still Indians on lower hand

2010-07-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

Virender Sehwag (85), who payed with his usual flamboyance, and VVS Laxman (18) ensured that there were no more setbacks as they took the score to 140 for three at close on the third day with the hosts still trailing by 380 runs.

With two days left in the match and the pitch at the Galle International stadium expected to deteriorate, the Indians need to bat out of their skin to ensure that Muttiah Muralitharan's swansong Test ends in a draw.

The day clearly belonged to the hosts as they not only consolidated their position by amassing a huge score but also scalped three prized wickets.

While Gambhir perished in Malinga's first over, Dravid was run out trying to go for a cheeky single. But the biggest blow for the visitors came when Tendulkar was trapped leg before by Muralitharan.

Earlier, the Indians managed to claw back into the game to some extent in the pre-lunch session as they evicted Tharanga Paranavitana (111), Thilan Samaraweera (0), Mahela Jayawardene (48) and Angelo Mathews (41).

But the late order belligerence of Herath and Malinga took the game completely away from the Indians.

After the second day was completely washed out, play resumed on Tuesday after an hour's delay with Sri Lanka at 256 for two and the Indians managed to get a few quick wickets in the opening session.

Ishant, who has been struggling for quite some time, tasted his first success when he induced a nick from centurion Paranavitana which went straight to wicketkeeper Dhoni.

Paranavitana (111) poked at the moving delivery off the backfoot and the diving Indian skipper made no mistake. Debutant Abhimanyu Mithun then struck another blow to the Lankan line-up when he had new batsman Thilan Samaraweera (0) trapped leg before.

The ball that slanted in late caught Samaraweera unawares and the Hawkeye showed the it may have just kissed the top of the middle stump.

Samaraweera had earlier got a reprieve when Rahul Dravid dropped a sitter off the bowling of Mithun at first slip. The outside edge looped up and carried straight into Dravid's lap but failed to stick.

However, former Lankan skipper Jayawardene took a measure of the Indian fast bowlers as he cut a Mithun bouncer over the slip cordon for a boundary.

Jayawardene later got the benefit of the doubt when his attempted sweep popped into Gautam Gambhir's hand at short leg. The third umpire ruled that the ball had bounced before carrying to Gambhir.

Dhoni decided to bring back the fast bowlers in pursuit of further wickets as both Mathews and Jayawardene showed little difficulty in playing the spinners.

Ishant was unlucky not to get early breakthroughs as he troubled the batsmen but finally got Jayawardene (48) who missed an attempted flick and was trapped leg before wicket.

Ishant then got Mathews as he nipped an away going delivery to be neatly taken by Laxman at second slip.

The hosts tightened their grip on the match in the post lunch session with Herath and Malinga proving quite a handful for the tired Indian bowlers.

Malinga, who hit Pragyan Ojha for two sixes, celebrated his maiden half century in Test cricket.

The gritty batsman finally fell when he scooped an Abhimanyu Mithun delivery into the waiting hands of Harbhajan at fine leg.

Earlier, in an apparent attempt to accelerate, newcomer Prasanna Jayawardene hammered Harbajan Singh to the midwicket for the first six of the match.

Making it an expensive over for Harbhajan, Prasanna swept a flighted delivery on middle stump to the midwicket boundary. It was left to Mithun to bring to an end the dangerous looking batsman's innings.

Prasanna, who was looking to play it to the leg side after moving across the stump, missed the ball and got hit on his pads in the middle stump and the umpire had no hesitation in declaring him LBW.

It was then Herath and Malinga who took centre stage with a some blistering shots which entertained the sparse crowd at the Galle International stadium.

After Malinga's dismissal, Muttiah Muralitharan walked in for his last Test appearance and was accorded a grand welcome with fireworks bursting all around.

In a touching gesture, the Indian players also greeted Muralitharan with a guard of honour as he stepped out to bat.

Tendulkar does it for charity

2010-07-19T06:57:00.000-07:00

It seemed bizzare at first but former players are now lauding Sachin Tendulkar for allowing his blood to be used on the signature page of an autobiography since it's all for charity.

The London-based publishers of the autobiography 'Tendulkar Opus' will come out with a "blood edition" of the book, which will have never-seen-before pictures of the iconic batsman's family, in February next year to coincide with the World Cup in the sub-continent.

The 852-page book edged in gold leaf, will be sold at a whopping USD 75,000. Only 10 copies of the book, which will weigh 37kg and measure half a metre square, will come out.

The thought of Tendulkar's blood on a book's page was wierd to start with but as it trickled out that the proceeds will go to a charity, there was only praise for the batsman.

"There is a good cause behind it. The money earned through it will be used for charity. Sachin wants to build a school for the children from his charitable organisation. It's a good cause. I don't think it's being done for commercial reasons or for publicity," former batsman and Tendulkar's close pal Vinod Kambli said.

"I was shocked initially (after hearing that Sachin's blood and DNA would be used in the book). An autobiography is generally about yourself. It must be a family decision. Hats off to Sachin for taking this decision," he said.

Kambli said he is curious about what the book has to offer in terms of insight into Tendulkar's life.

"Sachin is a very private person (to do this sort of a thing). This will be a rare opportunity for his fans to know more about him. The book will be priceless for them.

"The fans will be very curious to know what the book has to offer. I'm myself curious to know about the book. I would like to ask Sachin about it when he returns from Sri Lanka. The book is likely to contain mention of many incidents about Sachin's life which are unknown to me," he said.

Former captain Ajit Wadekar said Tendulkar has set an example for others by giving his blood for a good cause.

"(It was for charity) otherwise Sachin wouldn't have agreed to it. He has been helping people otherwise too without letting others know. He is giving his blood for a good cause, others should emulate him," he said.

"Generally, we hear about paintings fetching Rs two crore. This book will fetch more and more money as it will become antique. The book will be something very rare (because of the use of Sachin's blood)," he added.

Former Team India manager Lalchand Rajput refused to react on the use of blood but said the book would be a rare piece of work.

"Sachin's autobiography will be like an encyclopedia to read. Whatever Tendulkar writes will be a treat to read. Such rare books should be kept in public libraries for public viewing," he said.

Forner wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani said he would react only if Tendulkar himself confirms that his blood has been used in the book.

"If Sachin's blood is used, he should come out and say it in open to prove it is genuine. Only then I will comment," he said.

The publishers, Kraken Media, are themseleves tightlipped on the matter.

"We don't want to say anything at the moment. Please be in touch with us, we will come out with a statement in February," a spokesman from Kraken Media told PTI from London.

Apart from his blood, Tendulkar has also given a sample of his saliva which would be used to create his DNA profile and would be printed on a two-metre gatefold in the book.

All proceeds from the sale of the 10 copies will go to Tendulkar's charitable foundation to help build a school in Mumbai.

Kraken will also publish around 1,000 copies of a cheaper edition of the autobiography at USD 2,000-3,000.

Signed by Tendulkar, this edition will also be half-metre square in size and will contain around 75 per cent previously unpublished material about the cricketing star, as well as his DNA profile - but not his blood.

Kraken Media will also release a USD 200-300 smaller edition of the book

Kambli Amazed By Sachin's act

2010-07-18T06:59:00.000-07:00

Vinod Kambli is surprised by childhood pal and batting star Sachin Tendulkar's decision to have his blood used on a page of his autobiography to be released in February next year.

Sachin Tendulkar's childhood friend Vinod Kambli was surprised that the batting maestro agreed to have his blood used on a page of a special, limited edition of his biography to be released in February, 2011.

"I am taken aback," said Kambli, after he was informed about Tendulkar's blood being used in the book.

"This is something you could have expected from a Vinod Kambli and not Sachin Tendulkar," he said.

The Guardian newspaper quoted publisher Kraken Media's chief executive Karl Fowler as saying, "The signature page will be mixed with Sachin's blood - mixed into the paper pulp so it's a red resin. It is what it is - you will have Sachin's blood on the page."

However, the London-based publishers did not elaborate on the blood aspect when contacted.

According to a report, only 10 copies of the Blood Edition will be printed and they are already sold. The proceeds will go to Tendulkar's charity foundation for a school to be built. "I am touched by Sachin's gesture. It is a very noble one for a great cause and I would like to help in any way possible," said Kambli.

"Talking about blood, you know, I have never seen Sachin shed blood," said Kambli, who was known to be one part of a mischievous pair. "I only watched on television how he got injured on his debut tour of Pakistan in 1989-90."

The 852-page special book reportedly weighs 37 kilos and measures half a metre square. It costs 49,000.

The publishers will print around 1,000 copies of another edition priced between 1,300 and 1,900. The height will be the same as the Blood Edition but will have 75% of previously unpublished material as well as his DNA profile. A smaller edition is being planned too and will cost between 130 and 190.

"From speeding balls to incessant travel, movement has been the only constant in my professional life," Tendulkar says in a press release.

"Seeing that captured in static images at such large scale and high quality is a real treat and makes this unique project all the more special. I can't think of a better way of displaying my life and career than in an Opus."

Tendulkar, who is Galle for the opening Test against Sri Lanka, was unavailable for comment.

CL T-20 squad announced

2010-07-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Indian Premier League's costliest buy Kieron Pollard is among the six players who will have two or more teams jostling to have them on board for the Champions League Twenty20, the preliminary squads for which were announced here on Wednesday .

Bought for USD 2.2 million by Mumbai Indians, Pollard is also eligible to play for South Australian Redbacks.

Others who have qualified for more than one team are Jacques Kallis (home team Warriors and Royal Challengers Bangalore), Mark Boucher (Warriors and Royal Challengers Bangalore), Ross Taylor (home team Central Stags, Victorian Bushrangers and Royal Challengers Bangalore), Dwayne Bravo (Victorian Bushrangers and Mumbai Indians) and Cameron White (home team Victorian Bushrangers, Royal Challengers Bangalore).

Meanwhile, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is one step closer to a return to top-flight cricket after being named in the Chennai Super Kings' preliminary squad.

The 32-year-old, who has not played first-class cricket since the Ashes series in England last year, has been named in a 20-player CSK squad for the second edition of the 10-team tournament which will be played in South Africa from September 10 to 26.

With eight of the nine confirmed teams for the tournament having named their preliminary squads with the exception of Wayamba just three weeks remain before the final squads of 15 are selected on August 9.

"As was the case last year, if a player is selected to play for an 'away' team rather than his 'home' team, the 'away' team must pay USD 200,000 compensation to the 'home' team," CLT20 said in a statement.

Other international stars to be named in the preliminary squads, include Sachin Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings), Mahela Jayawardene (Wayamba Elevens), Dale Steyn (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Rahul Dravid (RCB), JP Duminy (MI), Matthew Hayden (CSK), Muttiah Muralidaran (CSK), Harbhajan Singh (MI) and Mike Hussey (CSK).

The 10th and final team to compete at this year's Champions League will be decided when the West Indies' domestic Twenty20 tournament finishes on July 31

Afridi to Quit Playing Test Matches

2010-07-16T21:23:00.001-07:00

Surprised with Shahid Afridi's decision to quit Test cricket after the second match against Australia, former Pakistan captains questioned the move saying it has come at a "wrong time".
Former captain Moin Khan said Afridi should have decided before going on the tour whether Test cricket was suited to his temperament.

"I don't understand what he has done. If he was not prepared for Test cricket then he should have thought about this before accepting the captaincy," Moin told PTI.

"His decision has come at a wrong time for Pakistan cricket and will complicate issues in the team," Moin added.

Another former captain Zaheer Abbas, however, didn't rule out the possibility of politics or team issues.

"I don't know what is going on behind the doors but you get a definite feeling that they are still problems within the team in England this led to this sudden decision by Afridi to announce his retirement," Zaheer said.

"It makes no sense that Afridi should decide now he is not ready to play Test matches. He is himself totally confused as to what he wants do. To make him the Test captain was a wrong decision," he added.

The crisis developed after Afridi decided to retire from Test cricket immediately after his team suffered a humiliating 150-run defeat at the hand of Australia in the first Test at Lord's.

Reports from England have indicated that the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt and his close friend and the team manager Yawar Saeed have been calling the shots which left the senior players unhappy.

Zaheer said if the Board didn't start taking good decisions the team would continue to struggle badly in international cricket.

Former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said that it was the PCB's fault that it appointed Afridi as Test captain in the first place.

"How could they appoint someone who himself had avoided playing Test matches and not played a Test since 2006. It was a wrong decision and it has backfired badly now," he said.

Inzamam, who is Pakistan's most capped player, said that he didn't support the way Afridi decided to retire.

"Playing two leg spinners in the first Test on a seaming track at Lord's was one of the issues that came out of appointing Afridi as captain," he said.

Inzamam, however, felt that all was not lost and the Board should discuss the situation with senior players and in the first move call back Younis Khan and Muhammad Yousuf to the team in England.

"The team needs these two players and the decision to drop them in the first place was not correct. They must be brought back, I don't know how much practice Yousuf has been doing but he is an experienced and proven performer and he can deliver in difficult conditions," he said.

Former captain Rashid Latif didn't agree with Afridi's assumption that he was not cut out for Test matches.

"I think, he has taken a hasty decision. He can play Test cricket because he is a far improved and mature player now."

Latif said that PCB would take another wrong decision if it decides to appoint Salman Butt as captain.

"I say this because right now he is your inform player and making him captain would put added pressure on him that could affect his batting. I don't think he is ready for the captaincy as yet," Latif said.

The former wicketkeeper-batsman also suggested that the Board should recall Muhammad Yousuf out of retirement as he was the best choice to captain the Test side in England.

Australia Tour Starts from October

2010-07-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

The Indian Cricket Board has revised the schedule of the upcoming home tour of Australia but the re-jigged dates continue to clash with October's Commonwealth Games.

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had sought Sports Ministry's intervention in pursuing the BCCI to change the dates of the tour to avoid a clash with the Games.

However, the Board had said that they have not been approached by anyone for any change.

According to the revised itinerary, the two Test matches against Australia have been advanced by one day each.

The first Test will now be held from October 1 in Mohali and second from October 9 in Bangalore.

The dates of the One-day series have also been changed.

The first ODI will be played on October 17 in Kochi and second on October 20 in Vizag.

The third ODI will be played on October 24 in Goa.

The BCCI also released the schedule of the New Zealand home tour, which will begin with the first Test from November 4 in Ahmedabad.

The second Test will be played from November 12-16 in Kanpur while the third and final Test is scheduled for Nagpur from November 20-24.

A five-match ODI series will be played after the three-match Test series.

Modi Raises Certain Issues Again

2010-07-14T21:27:00.000-07:00

A day after his petition to reconstitute the Cricket Board's Disciplinary Committee set up to hear charges against him was rejected by the Bombay High Court, suspended Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi raised the issue with the panel members here on Friday.

Modi, represented at the first meeting of the BCCI's three-member committee by his legal counsel Mehmood Abdi as he is abroad, raised the issue of recusal with the committee members.

"We had a cordial meeting and the issue of recusal was put forth. The members said it would be considered," Abdi told reporters after the meeting.

Abdi also said that the next hearing by the committee would be held on July 27 at Delhi but refused to divulge any more details of what transpired on Friday.

"We have come to a mutual understanding not to divulge details of the disciplinary commitee meetings with the media. The BCCI would put up the minutes of the meeting on their website," he said.

BCCI has agreed to Modi's request that his lawyers be allowed to represent him at Disciplinary Committee hearings. This is an exception as according to the Board's rules the person facing an enquiry must be present at hearing.

It has been further known that the BCCI will also have it's lawyers involved in the hearing against Modi.

BCCI will also consider Modi's request on the recusal of memebers of the Disciplinary Committee.

Modi has demanded removal of two members of the committee - IPL's interim chairman Chirayu Amin and Arun Jaitley - as he fears they would be biased against him during the disciplinary proceedings. The third member is Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Abdi, accompanied by three other lawyers, said before going into the meeting that his camp would raise the issue of recusal of Amin and Jaitley from the Committee.

"We are here to discuss the recusal issue as per the Bombay High Court order yesterday. We have not received a copy of the order yet. After receiving the copy we will take a decision about asking for a new date of hearing from the BCCI," Abdi told reporters prior to the meeting.

On Friday, the Bombay High Court refused to grant any relief to Modi and left the issue of reconstituting the disciplinary panel.

The division bench of Justices B H Marlapalle and Roshan Dalvi dismissed Modi's plea seeking reconstitution of the panel and cleared the deck for the disciplinary proceedings against him to commence.

However, the court also indicated that the final finding can be challenged by Modi and he can even raise the issue of constitution of the committee at that point.

Modi's objection to the committee was that it would be biased against him and he had sought that the panel be made up of independent persons, preferably retired supreme court judges.

But the division bench said that as per the BCCI rules, "Disciplinary committee has limited powers....it is only required to enquire into charges and submit the final report to the board. The board is the final decision-making body." Modi's lawyer Virag Tulzhapurkar said during the hearing of the petition that Amin had a "personal bias" against the suspended IPL chairman, whereas Jaitley was on the IPL governing council which "ratified" formation of committee.

"So the decision of the committee is a foregone conclusion," he had argued.

But the court said that it was leaving the decision to these two persons whether they should withdraw from the panel on "moral grounds" and "it would not be proper for the court to interfere" now.

In his petition, Modi had sought suspension of the whole disciplinary proceedings.

But in view of his July 6 letter to the BCCI seeking reformation of the panel, court said that it would not consider other issues raised by him.

Pointing Gone and the day comes to an end

2010-07-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

At the end of the day Aussies were at 161 for 2 . Bad light had stopped play after lunch between Pakistan and Australia in the first Test at Lord's after damp conditions delayed the toss.
Pakistan capitalised on the overcast conditions to make an early breakthrough with the wicket of Australian opener Shane Watson in the first Test at Lord's.
Watson was bowled off his pads when playing no shot to Mohammad Aamer, the 18-year-old Pakistan left-arm speedster who also had a close lbw appeal turned down against Simon Katich.
Australia reached lunch on 36 for one after captain Ricky Ponting survived a tricky period to reach the interval unbeaten on 14 with Katich 11 not out.
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi had won the toss and put Australia into bat under murky skies at Lord's after questionable light had forced a 90-minute delay.
The floodlights were not employed because second Test venue Headingley does not have them and Pakistan - the designated home team - wanted to ensure consistency across the series.
Aamer made the most of the conditions, moving the ball dangerously both ways to engineer the early breakthrough.
After beating Katich's outside edge, Aamer cut one back into the Australian left-hander and almost squeezed it between bat and pad onto the stumps.
Two balls later, Katich was fortunate to survive a strong lbw shout from Aamer after umpire Rudi Koertzen indicated - incorrectly according to television replays - - ruled that the ball had clipped an inside edge before thudding into his pad.
Watson had got off the mark with a glorious extra cover drive off Mohammad Asif but he was in all sorts of trouble against Aamer's vicious swing.
Aamer, bowling left-arm over, angled three deliveries across Watson before swinging one sharply back in to strike the pad as the Australian played no shot.
Watson survived that appeal because the ball was travelling over the stumps - but he made the same mistake on the very next delivery and was bowled for four.
Watson again shouldered arms and the ball nipped back to thud into his back pad for what would have been a certain lbw decision - umpire Koertzen's finger was already on the rise - had it not then gone on to hit the stumps.
Aamer had another lbw appeal turned down against Ponting before being replaced at the Pavilion End after his five-over spell yielded one for 13.
The two-match series is being played in England because of the security situation in Pakistan, and Lord's is hosting its first neutral Test since 1912.
The umpires were to undertake a further inspection at 11.15am.
The umpires confirmed that the toss was due to take place at 11.30am with play scheduled to begin at 12pm, weather permitting.
Teams
Australia: SR Watson, SM Katich, RT Ponting (Captain), MJ Clarke, MEK Hussey, MJ North, TD Paine(WK), SPD Smith, MG Johnson, BW Hilfenhaus, DE Bollinger

Pakistan: Imran Farhat, Salman Butt, Umar Amin, Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi (Captain), Kamran Akmal (WK), Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Asif

Hatrick on wait for Spain

2010-07-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

Former Liverpool playmaker Xabi Alonso believes Spain have what it takes to make history in two years' time.
The European champions collected their first World Cup thanks to an extra-time triumph over Netherlands at Soccer City on Sunday.
It was only the third occasion a European country had followed up one major tournament triumph with another, an achievement also completed by West Germany and France.
However, on neither of the other occasions did the triumphant team go on to complete a hat-trick.
The bookmakers feel the odds are better for Spain, who have already been installed as favourites to win Euro 2012, which will be co-hosted by Poland and the Ukraine.
And while Alonso accepts there is plenty of work ahead of his team-mates before then, the 28-year-old believes the raw talent is certainly there.
"Right now is not the time to think about the future, but of course the basics are there with this team," he said.
"The style is there, the mentality is there and the team spirit is there.
"If we keep working in this way many more big things may come."
Whether Cesc Fabregas is still at Arsenal by then is to be seen.
Throughout his time in South Africa, Fabregas has been at the centre of speculation regarding a potential move to Barcelona.
After finally making an impact at the World Cup following a frustrating tournament when he struggled for form and fitness after breaking a shin on club duty at the end of last season, Fabregas appeared to offer a clue, before quickly correcting himself when the meaning of his words was pointed out.
"I am really proud to have been an Arsenal player," he said, clearly using the past tense.
As welded as he is to Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, Fabregas is known to be frustrated at the lack of progress that has been made in five trophy-less years.
He has just spent the last five weeks sharing a dressing room with Barcelona's Gerard Pique, who has now won both the Champions League and the World Cup since quitting Manchester United and returning to the club he first joined as a junior.
With Arsenal starting pre-season training today, Wenger will be looking for some clarity, although for the moment Fabregas is happy to praise the London club's contribution to the most glorious day of his career.
"This is for the Arsenal players, the Arsenal fans, for the manager and all his staff," said Fabregas.
"I have had lots of texts and Blackberry messages. My phone is full.
"I had a text message of congratulations from Arsene Wenger. He said I deserve it. I just think this is for everyone at Arsenal who helped me get to where I am now."

Pietersen Not worried About His current form

2010-07-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

Star batsman Kevin Pietersen insists he is not worried about his recent poor form for England.
Pietersen, who burst onto the international scene with a flurry of big scores in 2005, has failed to pass 50 in his last 17 one-day international innings for England, the last being back in November 2008 when he scored 111 not out as captain against India in Cuttack.
That has prompted some within in the game, including former England batsman Graham Thorpe, to question the long-term future of the South-African born star's place in the side.
Pietersen, who was upstaged by man of the series Eoin Morgan in England's 3-2 win over Australia, was left out of the squad which beat Bangladesh 2-1 recently in order to rest and recover from a minor thigh injury.
The 30-year-old, who recently became a father for the first time, has enjoyed spending time with his family over the last 10 days, and has shrugged off suggestions that he will not be able to bounce back from his recent poor performances for his country.
He said: "I'm not worried about my form. It happens to every single player. It's difficult when you play all three forms of the game to just keep on going and going and going.
"I don't know if there's a big score for me around the corner. If it happens it happens. I'm not too fussed. I'm not losing any sleep over it .
"This rest has come at a really good time to try and get myself sorted
"I have absolutely loved the time off. I have a brand new child at home and spending time with him has been priceless. The injury is fine. There's no problem with that whatsoever. I will be fit and raring to go for the Pakistan series."
England's Ashes win last summer, their ODI series victory, and May's ICC World Twenty20 triumph over the Australians have led to increased hope that Andrew Strauss' team will be able to retain the famous urn with victory Down Under this winter.
Australia legend Shane Warne has suggested that Strauss' team could have the edge over their old enemy in the series but Pietersen reckons England's recent triumphs will count for nothing when the two sides resume hostilities in Brisbane in November.
"I don't think that the one-day series win and the Twenty20 win will have any effect at all on the Ashes," said the Hampshire batsman.
"The only thing we can take out of those two series is that we know a bit more about their batsmen and bowlers and their fielding positions.
"The Australians are fantastic cricketers. They are tough human beings that will never ever give up so it doesn't matter what the team is like. The warm-up games going in to the first match will be tough because the state cricketers will want to beat England."
Pietersen will now spend another week resting before resuming training ahead of England's four-Test series against Pakistan, which begins at Trent Bridge on July 29.
The Pietermaritzburg-born batsman could return to his current county Hampshire in a bid to get some match practice before the first Test.
"If Hampshire have a couple of games then I could turn out for them," he added. "I'll have to have a look at the fixtures first but I'd love to. I love playing for Hampshire. It's a great day out and they are a great bunch of guys down there."
Pietersen is expected to join either Surrey or Middlesex when his contract expires at Hampshire at the end of the season.
Middlesex director of cricket Angus Fraser is hopeful of luring Pietersen to Lord's but he is not concerned about where he will be playing county cricket next season.
"I actually haven't got a clue where I'll be next season. I don't deal with that kind of thing, my agent does," Pietersen said.
"It's nice of Angus to say he's interested in signing me. Middlesex is close to home. I'm definitely looking at a London club because I live in London, I do all my training in London. I do all my rehab in London, but it's the last thing I'm worried about at the moment."
:: Kevin Pietersen is the Brylcreem Boy and face of their new range, which includes new Cream, Clay and Extreme Gel.

Indian Bowling Exposed At Warm Up Game

2010-07-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

A blunt Indian bowling attack stood exposed as Sri Lanka Board President's XI scored a mammoth 432 for five on the opening day of the three-day warm up game here on Tuesday.

Sri Lankan top order crushed the Indian attack disdainfully as opener Upul Tharanga (116), Thilina Kandambi (101) and Thilan Samaraweera (102) smashed quick-fire centuries to have the number one Test side on the mat.

Dinesh Chandimal (5) and Kuashjal Silva (6) were at the crease for Sri Lanka when stumps were drawn for the day at the Colts Cricket Club Ground.

The hosts scored at a furious pace, with a run-rate close to five, as more than half of the runs came through boundaries.

India badly missed injured pace duo of Zaheer Khan and S Sreesanth as none of the six bowlers used by skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni could bowl economically let alone trouble the rival batsmen.

Spin spearhead Harbhajan Singh's absence from the line-up due to viral fever just compounded the fitness problems for India as the other tweakers failed to make an impression.

Although Pragyan Ojha (3/133) and Amit Mishra (2/120) shared five wickets between them but together they gave away 253 runs in 50 overs they bowled.

Pacers Ishant Sharma and Abhimnayu Mithun went wicket-less and it was not before the 35th over of the innings that India got its first success.

Ojha dismissed left-handed Tharanga but by that time he had raised a solid opening partnership of 188 runs with Lahiru Thirimanne (66) as Sri Lanka made a bright start after winning the toss.

The Hyderabadi left-armer struck for the second time after four overs when he scalped Thirimanne but there was hardly a moment to rejoice after that for the Indians.

The next two batsmen Kandambi and Samaraweera frustrated the Indian bowlers by raising a huge 180-run stand for the third wicket.

India struck thrice towards the end with Mishra removing Kandambi and Ojha sending back Samaraweera but by that time Sri Lanka had completely overwhelmed the hapless Indians.

Dhoni - World's richest Cricketer

2010-07-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has topped the list of world's 10 top earning cricketers compiled by Forbes, which also features four other players from the sub-continent - Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

Raking in USD 10 million, Dhoni is at the top of the chart followed by Tendulkar at the second spot with earnings worth USD 8 million in the list of 'The World's Top-Earning Cricketers'.

While Singh and Dravid are at the third and fourth spot, respectively, Ganguly and Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting share the sixth place.

"Paycheck figures include club and national team salaries and commercial endorsement income over the last 12 months," Forbes said.

According to the magazine, Singh earned USD 5.5 million while Dravid and Ganguly raked in USD 5 million and USD 3.5 million, respectively. Ponting also earned USD 3.5 million.

"With its deep-pocketed owners and global appeal, nine of the 10 highest-paid cricket players call the Indian Premier League (IPL) home, the publication added.

At the fifth spot is England's Andrew Flintoff with earnings of USD 4 million followed by Australia's Brett Lee and English cricketer Kevin Pietersen - both at eighth place - and Australian Michael Clarke is ranked tenth.

While Lee and Pietersen raked in USD 3 million each, Clarke earned USD 2.5 million.

"Take Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who plays for the Chennai Super Kings and tops our list as cricket's first USD 10 million-a-year man (that's USD 5,426 for each run scored).

"His USD 8 million in endorsements, from the likes of Reebok, General Electric and Pepsi, is 45 per cent more than any other player.

"Among all Indian athletes and entertainers, Dhoni's 17 corporate sponsors is second to only Bollywood star and co- owner of the Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan," Forbes said.

About Tendulkar, the magazine said the holder of numerous offensive records, is considered among the greatest batsman in cricket history.

"... he's one of five IPL players who have been bestowed 'icon' status, meaning he automatically receives a paycheck 15 per cent larger than his highest paid teammate.

"Tendulkar's USD 1.1 million salary from the Mumbai Indians helped push his total earnings to USD 8 million over the last 12 months," it added.

Here is a list of the annual earnings:

MS Dhoni 48 crores

Sachin Tendulkar 38.5 crore

Yuvraj Singh 26 crore

Rahul Dravid 24 crore

Sourav Ganguly 16. 8 crore

Ricky Ponting 16.5 crore

Dhoni - 200 crore Deal

2010-07-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has signed a whopping Rs 200 crore endorsement deal with a talent management company, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar in the corporate contract sweepstakes.

Dhoni has entered into a three-year deal with Rhiti Sports Management and Mindscapes, which will manage the Indian skipper's long list of endorsements and brand associations, corporate profile, patents and digital rights, images, visibility on social networking sites and merchandise through a joint venture.

Tendulkar's three-year deal with sports management firm Iconix, signed in 2006, was worth Rs 180 crore.

Confirming the development, Rhiti Sports General Manager (Operations) Sanjay Pandey said as per the agreement, the company will be looking after Dhoni's entire spectrum of endorsements.

"Yes, we have entered into a two-year contract with Dhoni for Rs 200 crore. We have signed the contract a week back. From now onwards we will be handling Dhoni's endorsements," Pandey told PTI.

Apart from Dhoni, Rhiti Sports also manages his teammates RP Singh and Harbhajan Singh.

Currently, Dhoni is the country's most expensive sportsperson and is associated with 22 brands such as PepsiCo, Reebok, Aircel, Godrej and Hersheys.

The man who made the difference - FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL

2010-07-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Spain World Cup hero Andres Iniesta believes Fernando Torres will make a decision on his future very soon.
Torres, who endured a disastrous World Cup at a personal level, has been strongly linked with a move to Chelsea or Manchester City.
While the Liverpool star is revealing precious little over his next move, his Spanish team-mate expects him to make his mind up shortly after a holiday with his family.
"Fernando was fully focused on Spain and we didn't even talk about his future until last night," said Iniesta, according to The Daily Express.

"He is going to take a break with his wife and daughter [after attending his sister's wedding this week], speak to Liverpool and take things from there.

"Any club that has him is lucky to have him. David Villa says Torres is the most complete striker in the world and his future will be decided in the next two weeks."
Meanwhile, Torres will undergo a scan on the groin injury picked up during the final against Netherlands, which is expected to rule him out for around two months.
When probed about his own future, Iniesta ruled out a possibility of moving to the Premier League despite revealing his dream of playing at Old Trafford.
"It's a league I love to watch, but I never have any intention of leaving Barcelona," he said.

"It's a dream of mine to play at Old Trafford - but as a Barcelona player and nothing else. I hope I stay for my whole career."

Hunting with my Son

2010-07-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hunting with my Son

As a kid growing up in Oregon, my father used to take me hunting every season. Sometimes we would wake up really early and head out for a day of hunting in the mountains. We would dress from head to toe in camouflage and we even used scent patches with skunk smell or another masking scent so that we could get close to our prey. It was exhilarating to carry my Bear Archery compound bow and hunt our deer in true sportsman fashion.

Other trips included duck and pheasant hunting into the fields and ponds of the valley near where I grew up. These trips were similar in that we donned the usual camouflage from head to toe, but we also were accompanied by our two golden retrievers that were our hunting companions on these trips. I was especially fond of these outings because my father had given me his Remington Wingmaster 12 gauge shotgun when he bought a new one. It was a beautiful shotgun that I had shot many times practicing while trap shooting.

I really got a lot out of these hunting excursions, they taught me many lessons about life and also helped to form a great bond that I still have with my father. Unfortunately, work and my family had taken me in a different direction and I found myself going hunting less often. So when my son recently showed an interest in hunting, I jumped at the opportunity to take my son out and pass on what my father had taught me.

I soon found out that things have not changed much since the days I was sitting in my father’s double bull blinds waiting for theMontana decoys we had set up to attract some whitetail deer or some turkeys that our Moultrie Game Cameras had taken pictures of the day before and I luckily had inherited from my father many of the same hunting gear that I had used as a kid. It made our planning quite easy since all we needed to do was to choose a spot to take our first hunting trip.

We are now counting down the days until we leave for our big hunting trip, both of us eagerly await the events that are about to unfold. I am very excited that I get the chance to do something with my son that is, some might say, a rite of passage into manhood. I just hope that the trip builds the same bonds that I experienced with my father.

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2010-07-06T18:26:00.000-07:00

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Maradona Still to his Normalcy

2010-07-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

Diego Maradona is still fuming over his side's World Cup exit but could be given a breath of fresh air by Napoli.
Maradona's doctor Alfredo Cahe was initially worried about the legend's health after Argentina's 4-0 thumping by Germany but has revealed that the defeat has no serious implications on his health.
"He is well, but angry with the elimination from the World Cup in South Africa. He is reflecting, but has not fallen into depression," Cahe told Tuttosport.
"He is well, better than I thought he would be. The game against Germany was strange, I thought he would have been in a worse condition.

"I have not seen him as giving up. He is just angry and sad, but he is reflecting."
There have been talks of Maradona quitting his role as Argentina coach and he has been linked with a return to Napoli as coach.
The Vesuviani however, have avoided confirming their interest in the controversial coach.
But Walter Mazzarri, who is the current manager of the club, is looking forward to seeing Maradona at the club as he invites him for a friendly visit.

Brazil's Loss

2010-07-04T03:12:00.000-07:00

The Brazilian players didn't have any doubts entering the World Cup, thanks to a team that had won nearly every competition it had played and had added poise and efficiency to its ''Beautiful Game.''

But a bad half against the Netherlands was all it took to derail Brazil's hopes for a record sixth world title. For the second World Cup in a row, Brazil failed to get past the quarterfinals, losing 2-1 to the Dutch despite taking an early lead on Friday in Port Elizabeth.

Four years ago, it was a disappointing loss to France that kept the Brazilians from advancing. But now the players say it feels much worse.

''The loss really hurts this time, much more than in 2006,'' said Kaka, a starter for Brazil in both tournaments. ''This one really got to us, there is a lot of pain, because of all that we had done so far, because of where we thought we could get.''

Brazil arrived as one of the World Cup favorites despite a revamped squad after the tournament in Germany. Dunga had little experience as a coach, but he gave Brazil a new style that quickly produced significant results.

Under the command of the former defensive midfielder, Brazil won the 2007 Copa America and the 2009 Confederations Cup, and beat Argentina, Italy, England and Portugal in friendlies. The country also won the bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished first in South American World Cup qualifying.

Brazil also had a solid start in South Africa, beating North Korea 2-1 and Ivory Coast 3-1 before being held 0-0 by Portugal. It played its best match in the 3-0 win over Chile in the second round to setup the clash with the Dutch.

The expectations were high back home and among the players.

''It was a shock to everyone,'' Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar said of the loss. ''We knew the fans had a lot of hope that we would win this time.''

Robinho gave Brazil an early lead at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, but Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder scored twice in the second half to eliminate the Brazilians.

Midfielder Felipe Melo is leaving South Africa taking much of the blame for the loss. After a remarkable pass to contribute to Robinho's goal, Melo was involved in both plays that led to the Dutch's goals, then was red carded for an unnecessary foul that left Brazil needing to rally with a man down.

''I have to apologize to the Brazilian fans,'' he said.

The Brazilian defense, which arrived as one of the best in the world with Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio and Juan, also unexpectedly fell apart against the Netherlands, at a terrible time for the five-time champions.

''We know the Brazilian fans are very sad now because of our elimination,'' Kaka said. ''But it's worse for the players, no one is hurting more than we are.''

Dunga made very few changes to the Brazilian squad after taking over following the 2006 World Cup, and players have said all along that the group was much more united than four years ago. Julio Cesar said Dunga was able to put together a ''group of friends, of brothers.''

Every Brazilian player cried in the locker room after the loss, the goalkeeper said.

''Without a doubt everyone was sad, we didn't expect it to end like this,'' Dunga said. ''You could see it in the players' faces. But I'm very proud to have worked with this group.''

Eight players from this year's team were with Brazil when it lost 1-0 to France in 2006, including starters Lucio, Juan, Kaka and Gilberto Silva.

Brazil will likely need another revamping of its squad for the 2014 World Cup at home. It arrived in South Africa with the tournament's oldest squad, and many players will not be returning. Defender Lucio and Juan are probably done, as is midfielder Gilberto Silva after playing in his third World Cup.

But this time it likely won't be Dunga who is responsible for the renovation, as he hinted after the loss to the Netherlands that he will not continue ahead of the national team. He had a four-year contract and will likely not try to extend it.

Finding a new coach might be the first step for Brazil to get over the disappointment in South Africa, but players know it won't be easy.

''Now it's time to go home, hug our relatives and hope time will help us forget what happened,'' Julio Cesar said. ''Only time can do that.''

Maradona's reaction to the loss

2010-07-03T03:10:00.000-07:00

''I may leave tomorrow, but I'd like that these boys continue showing who they are and keep playing real Argentina football,'' said Maradona, looking exhausted and heartbroken.

Asked to clarify his plans, he said ''I'll have to think carefully about it ... and talk with my family, and the players. There are many issues here.''

Maradona, widely considered Argentina's all-time greatest player, was derided back home before the tournament for leading the team by instinct and emotion rather than tactics. He attacked at his critics with a stream of profanities when Argentina qualified for the World Cup at the last minute.

© AP
After three group stage victories and a convincing 3-1 win over Mexico in the round of 16, even his detractors began questioning whether they had underestimated his coaching abilities.

Maradona's affectionate hugs and go-get-'em pep talks seemed to yield better results than the tactical advice handed out by more serious coaches like England's Fabio Capello.

Then Germany came along.

Argentina and Maradona didn't know how to respond when Thomas Mueller's early goal left the South Americans trailing for the first time in the tournament.

Maradona made no changes at halftime, even though his team had struggled throughout the first half, losing possession as soon as it crossed into the German area. He sent on midfielder Javier Pastore for defender Nicolas Otamendi after Germany went up 2-0 and was getting ready to further boost the attack with striker Sergio Aguero when Arne Friedrich made it 3-0.

With the game virtually over, Maradona hugged Aguero - his son-in-law - and clung to him as the Germans celebrated.

''This is the most difficult experience of my life, because to (lose) in front of so many good players, such good people, such good professionals is like getting punched by Muhammad Ali,'' he said. ''I don't have any energy left.''

He said he'd only felt similar emotions in life on the day he retired from soccer.

Still, Maradona didn't accept any blame for the crushing defeat, and lashed out at a reporter who questioned whether his critics in Argentina might be satisfied with the loss.

''Are you joking,'' he said. ''This is a country where you live and breathe football. I don't think that anyone will be happy when the team loses 4-0.''

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Dhoni Ready to tie Knot

2010-07-02T03:09:00.000-07:00

Mahendra Singh Dhoni will tie the knot with childhood friend Sakshi Singh Rawat in a hush-hush ceremony on Sunday night at a farmhouse about 40km from Dehradun.
The 28-year-old wicket-keeper batsman got engaged to Sakshi, a 23-year-old hotel management student, at a private ceremony last night.

The wedding is also expected to be a private affair with only very close family members and friends, including Dhoni's teammates Harbhajan Singh and Ashish Nehra, among those attending.

BCCI bigwigs including President Shashank Manohar are also expected to attend the wedding.

Although family sources had indicated after the engagement that the marriage will take place in October, India's tight schedule in the next few months might have prompted the preponement.

Despite being a private ceremony, the wedding will have its share of glamour as Dhoni's Bollywood friend John Abraham is reportedly here to attend the marriage.

The couple is expected to host a reception in Mumbai on July 7, which also happens to be Dhoni's 29th birthday.

Dhoni and Sakshi, who hails from Aurangabad, had been school friends at DAV, Shamily in Ranchi.

"Their fathers worked together in MECON, and the Rawats moved to Dehradun after retirement," a family friend said.

The Indian captain is currently enjoying a rare break from international cricket and will be next seen in action during a three-Test series against Sri Lanka scheduled to begin from July 18 at Galle.

Dhoni, who made his international debut against Bangladesh in December 2004, has so far played 43 Tests, 166 ODIs and 25 T20s.

Under his captaincy, India won the 2007 ICC World Cup Twenty20, CB Series of 2007-08, and the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2008 beating Australia 2-0.

He also captained Chennai Super Kings to victory in this year's Indian Premier League. He is now captain of India in all three forms of the game, leading the team to its first ever bilateral ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

Under his leadership, India attained the number one status in Test cricket and became number two this year in ODI rankings.

Dhoni has also been the recipient of ICC ODI Player of the Year award in 2008 and 2009 (the first Indian to achieve this feat). He was bestowed the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award and the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour in 2009.

Lalit Modi's DownFall - A lesson for others

2010-07-01T05:06:00.001-07:00

Suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi is paying the price for his "autocratic" style of functioning and his potential downfall is a lesson for administrators in similar position, according to former South African cricket boss Dr Ali Bacher.

Bacher said Modi had no doubt played a part in making the Indian Premier League an extraordinary success but his tendency to take unilateral decisions ultimately paved his downfall.

"There is no doubt that the IPL is an extra-ordinary success but his style of functioning created a lot of resentment among the other Board members. You cannot ignore the others for too long. You cannot vest all the powers on one person", Bacher told a group of visiting Indian journalists here.

"He (Modi) was an opportunist and his potential downfall is a lesson for persons in similar position. He is paying the price for all that now", he said.

Bacher, whose company was involved in installing floodlights in some of the IPL venues, said his payments were delayed for over 15 months as the organisers and the host association kept dilly-dallying on the payment issue.

"I met Modi and he assured me that the payment will be done. Though the payment was delayed, he kept his word with me," Bacher, who was the Managing Director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa from 1991 to 2000, said.

Bacher also criticised Modi for trying to take credit for innovating the Twenty20 format of the game, saying the shortest format of the game started in England and had become quite popular there.

The former administrator said that while T20 cricket had become popular, it was imperative to strike the right balance among all the three formats when the calendars are drawn.

"There is too much cricket being played these days. The top teams play too much and that is certainly a concern.

Everything has to be balanced. T20 is popular, but if we play too much it will be a problem", he said.

Bacher, who was largely responsible for bringing South Africa back into international cricket following the apartheid era, is concerned that the South African system is no longer producing quality black cricketers.

"After the retirement of (Makhaya) Ntini, not many black cricketers are making it to the national squad on merit. If this trend continues for some more years, it could pose a lot of problems", he reckoned.

"May be the development programmes have lost its impetus.

More needs to be done to bring the desired results. Eighty percent of the population are black Africans and it is important that we have more black cricketers", he said.

Bacher singled out batting great Sachin Tendulkar for special praise among contemporary cricketers, saying he was one of the greatest cricketers of all time and a "big asset" for Indian cricket.

"Sachin has never changed, he is truly great...He is a great asset to Indian cricket and world cricket. The ICC should make him the game's ambassador after his retirement. He is always going to be special", he said.

No PD data from Opticians

2010-06-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

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2010-06-30T06:08:00.000-07:00

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Dravid Says that Indians can tackle Mendis

2010-06-28T07:55:00.000-07:00

Ajantha Mendis wrecked havoc when India toured Sri Lanka in 2008 but senior batsman Rahul Dravid hoped this time around he and his colleagues are better equipped to tackle the 'mystery' spinner in the forthcoming Test series beginning in Galle next month.

Mendis demolished the famed Indian batting line up in his debut series two years back by capturing 26 wickets to help Sri Lanka beat India 2-1 in the three-Test encounter.

But Dravid said since then the Indians have mastered the mystery spinner and hoped for a better showing from his teammates in the forthcoming series.

"He (Mendis) is still a good bowler. He was completely new to us when we toured Sri Lanka last time (in 2008). He got the measure our team last time, there is no doubt about it. He played a major role in the series. But hopefully, we have learnt our lesson," the former captain told reporters at the launch of the 2010 Limca Book of Records.

"I think we played him pretty well when he came to India. We learnt how to tackle him. Having said that international bowlers keep on improving, international bowlers come up with new tricks everytime. But hopefully we will have the answers whatever Mendis throws at us this time," Dravid said.

Dravid also predicted a challenging three-match series against the islanders which begins with the first Test in Galle on July 18.

"Sri Lanka is a very formidable team and they play tough cricket at home. In the last two times we travelled there, we won a Test match but did not win the series. It is a positive sign to win a Test there but it is now important for us to keep that performance going right throughout the upcoming series," he said.

"It is going to be a challenge but we have got a good team. We have got bowlers who are capable of taking 20 wickets, which is important to win a Test. If we can put runs on the board, hopefully we will have a good series," the right-hand batsman added.

Asked about his own preparation for the series, Dravid said, "I would not need to make any particular adjustments in my batting for the series. I have been training and preparing for the last six weeks keeping in mind the series.

"I got a good gap after IPL and it has given me time to be with my family and do a bit of physical training. It was a good break for me but now it's time to get back to cricket."

He, however, agreed that it would be a challenge for him to return to Test cricket after such a long gap.

"Sometimes, it is little bit of challenge to return to Test cricket after a long break but there is preparation time in Sri Lanka. I am looking forward to some match practice before the series," Dravid said.

Dravid also said that Yuvraj Singh, who makes a return to the national team, will answer his detractors in the series. "Yuvraj would be keen to do well and prove a point. I think we will see the best of him in the series," Dravid said.

The former skipper disagreed with the notion that his shoes would be difficult to fill in once he quits international cricket.

"Without naming anyone, I would like to say that there are plenty of players ready to take my place. Abundance of young talent is coming through," Dravid said.

Meanwhile, Dravid congratulated ace shuttler Saina Nehwal, who won three consecutive international titles in a span of three weeks to jump to the third position in the world rankings.

"It is phenomenal achievement by Saina. She is a great inspiration for a lot of Indians. It is incredible to win three competitions in three weeks in a sport like badminton which is physically very tiring. She has set benchmark for a lot of youngsters," he said.

Dravid had also some thought regarding the poor standard of refereeing in the ongoing football World Cup in South Africa and said it is high time that FIFA take the help of technology to make the game better.

"It is a world class event and such a big event. When so much riding is on each of these games, I think there is room for technology. The world body (FIFA) should think about it," Dravid, a die-hard Brazil fan, said.

Aussies to Play for Pride

2010-06-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Australia captain Ricky Ponting fell on the crutch used by many a beaten England captain when he urged his team to play for "pride" as the one-day series against their old rivals was lost.

The world champions top-order, for the third time in a row, failed to fire as Australia were bowled out for a mere 212 in the third one-day international at Old Trafford on Sunday.

An attack led by left-arm quick Doug Bollinger and featuring recalled fast bowler Shaun Tait, who between them shared six wickets, then reduced England, cruising at 185 for three, to 203 for nine.

But Tim Bresnan`s 14 not out saw England to a one-wicket win with five balls to spare and gave the hosts an unsurpassable 3-0 lead in the five match campaign as Australia suffered their first one-day series and tournament loss in eight contests.

"What we have to do now is show a bit of pride in our performances in the last two games and try and salvage whatever we can," Ponting told reporters ahead of Wednesday`s match at the Oval.
"It`s a bit of the same old, same old from the first two games, we just didn`t get enough runs again," the star batsman, stumped for just three in four wickets for England off-spinner Graeme Swann, the man-of-the-match, said.

Openers Shane Watson (61) and Tim Paine (44) got Australia off a fine start before the innings fell away and a blunt Ponting added: "Nought for 75 and all out 212 is not good enough - you`re not going to win many games doing that.

"If there`s a positive to be taken out of the first three games, it`s that we`ve stuck to out task pretty well with the ball."

While the bowling attack may be depleted, Australia`s top order, with the exception of wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, is at full strength and Paine, the gloveman`s deputy, was the second top-scorer yesterday.

"We`ve played five games on tour now, so you`d like to think that we`d be making runs on a more consistent basis than we are," Ponting said.

"You`ve got to give England some credit for the way they`ve bowled through the series so far. They`ve executed really well.

"Their spinners today did a terrific job on a wicket that suited the slower bowlers. I thought (Michael) Yardy and Swann were both very good for them. That built pressure on our batters and we got out."

One consolation for Australia was the form of Tait, playing his first one-day international since February last year.

The 27-year-old quit first-class and Test cricket to protect a suspect shoulder injury not helped by his slingshot bowling action and so concentrate on Twenty20, where he is limited to four overs an innings, and plays in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals.

But with only his fourth ball he bowled Craig Kieswetter for nought with a ferocious 85mph yorker that uprooted the opener`s middle stump.

Ponting, sensibly, used Tait in short spells and was so nearly rewarded with a stunning victory.

"That was pretty much how we used him in the (2007) World Cup as well," Ponting recalled.

"A couple of overs with the new ball, bring him back in the middle or bring him back to new batters, because he`s so dangerous for new batters when they first come to the crease.

"He`s only been playing Twenty20 cricket for a long time, so I was mindful of not bowling him in too many overs in one spell."

Ponting added: "Having someone like that, who`s got that firepower and that bit of unpredictability in your team, is always nice to have.

"It tends to lift the rest of the group as well. It`s no fluke that we had a bit more energy in the field.
"I thought that with the exception of a couple of wides, everything else was very, very good. It was a welcome return for Shaun."

Lampard wants to be there till next World Cup

2010-06-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

Frank Lampard wants to carry on playing for England despite their 2010 FIFA World Cup exit at the hands of Germany.

Lampard will be 36 by the time of the next World Cup in Brazil and the likes of Steven Gerrard, John Terry and Emile Heskey are already over 30.

But the Chelsea midfielder, denied a goal when his shot had clearly crossed the line, has no intention of quitting international football.

He said: "I want to carry on with England. I think there will be a lot of talking, not just about me.

"It's important players go away and don't listen to it and concentrate on our jobs now.

"The talk is great for the people who are involved in that sort of thing but it doesn't actually make any difference.

"We'll try and carry on, that's what we have to do.

"Only one team wins the World Cup and the rest go home at some stage and don't win it so the talking is by the by.

"We'll have to come back and try and perform."

But when asked if there should be major changes, Lampard said: "You know what, I don't really want to talk about it at the moment.

"We will worry about that when we start again."

Lampard has suffered his fair share of setbacks at international level and admits England's last 16 reversal is on a par with any of them.

He said: "There is bitter disappointment. It's right up there with other disappointments.

"You are at a World Cup and we felt we could have got a bit of momentum after the Slovenia game."

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2010-06-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

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Team India Win's Asia Cup After 15 Years

2010-06-25T01:30:00.000-07:00

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hailed victory over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final at Dambulla as an "ideal reflection" of his side's efforts in the tournament.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni hailed victory over Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final at Dambulla as an "ideal reflection" of his side's efforts in the tournament.

India's bowlers capitalised on an impressive batting performance - that saw them post a total of 268 for six - to record an emphatic 81-run win and secure the nation's first Asia Cup trophy in 15 years.

"Its an ideal reflection," Dhoni said. "The guys were putting in a lot of effort, not only in terms of fitness but skills as well and its good that we've won the Asia Cup after a long time. I'm really happy with the performance over here.

"I think we got the start that was needed. The batsmen got the start, but couldn't really convert that into big innings, but still we were happy to get 268."

And their batting was just a prelude to a scintillating show in the field, with the Indian pacemen Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan shredding the Sri Lankan top order within the first 16 overs as they eventually fell to 187 all out.

"I know my bowlers very well," Dhoni added. "The fast bowlers really bowled well. I knew if we could get a few early wickets then we could put pressure on the Sri Lankan batting.

"We wanted to get (Tillakaratne) Dilshan out early because even if he stays for two or three overs he can just take 30-40 runs off you, so it was really good that we got him in the first over. The kind of bowling shown by Zaheer and Ashish was one of the best spells I have seen in these conditions."

Despite a disappointing loss in the dead-rubber tie two days ago against Sri Lanka, Dhoni insisted the final was all that mattered to his side.

He said: "It is a big game, and whatever you have done to get to the final, it doesn't make a difference anymore. Because if you don't win that final you're always talked about as the team that did not really do well, so it was an important win for us."

Sri Lankan skipper Kumar Sangakkara admitted the difference lay in kind of openings both sides had to their respective innings.

He said: "The difference was in the first 15 overs, the way we bowled and the way they did, and also the helpful conditions. I think losing four wickets in the top order was not a great way to start."

The Sri Lankan keeper also underlined the lack of aggression during their run chase, saying : "I think 269 was probably a chaseable total. I think a bit more application and being a bit more tight in our batting and having a little more of an attacking mindset would have seen us through."

He added: "The Indian bowlers hit the areas pretty well with some good lines and lengths and they let the ball do the rest. We weren't really up to the mark from the start and unfortunately succumbed."

Indian Team Raises to No.2 and Dhoni retains No.1 Spot

2010-06-24T08:57:00.001-07:00

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Monday regained the number-one batting position while his team returned to the second spot in the ICC ODI Championship after back-to-back victories in the ongoing Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.

Dhoni, who had started the tournament in third place trailing number-one ranked Michael Hussey of Australia by eight ratings points, scored 38 not out against Bangladesh and 56 against Pakistan.

These match-winning efforts, combined with Hussey's batting failure with the bat against Ireland in Dublin last week, has helped the India captain to jump two places to regain top spot while the Australian left-hander has been pushed down two places to third.

India's successive victories in the Asia Cup also ensured that it returns to number-two position in the ICC ODI Championship.

With India to face Sri Lanka in its last group stage match tomorrow before meeting again in the final on Thursday, Dhoni's side can afford to lose one match without conceding its second place.

However, if India loses both those matches, it will drop to 118 ratings points which will give South Africa possession of number-two spot. Sri Lanka, in that scenario, would rise to 111 ratings points.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan leapfrogged India's iconic batsman Sachin Tendulkar into fourth spot while India opener Gautam Gambhir has rocketed seven places to 17th spot after scores of 82 and 83.

In the ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Pakistan off-spinner Saeed Ajmal has lifted four places to 14th spot while India's pace and spin combination of Praveen Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja have also made upward movements.

Praveen has jumped seven places to occupy 20th position while Jadeja has vaulted 12 places to sit in 21st position.

Sachin Tendulkar to become Air Force Group Captain

2010-06-23T08:55:00.000-07:00

Not really new to awards and honours, Sachin Tendulkar will be conferred Indian Air Force's honorary rank of Group Captain and the star cricketer said he is proud to be associated with the "dynamic" IAF.

"Under the provision of grant of honorary rank by Armed Forces to eminent personalities acknowledging their contribution towards the nation, the President and the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of India is pleased to confer Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar the honorary rank of Group Captain of the Indian Air Force," the IAF said in a statement.

"In recognition of Sachin's glorious achievements as a cricketer and sports icon par excellence, IAF had mooted a proposal to confer the honorary rank of Group Captain.

Also Read: Air Force on Sachin

"Besides the recognition, his association with the IAF will motivate the younger generation to join the Air Force to serve the country," the statement added.

Elated with the honour, Tendulkar said he was proud to be part of IAF family.

"It is indeed a great honour that I have been considered for honorary Group Captain in the IAF. As an Indian I am proud to be associated with the dynamic force and I shall do my very best to be brand ambassador for the force," Tendulkar said in a statement from London.

"Modalities for the event are being worked out. I'm looking forward to familiarising myself with the IAF and I once again salute IAF for the great honour bestowed on me," added the cricketer.

In 2008, India's World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev had received the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Territorial Army.

Till now 21 eminent persons have been granted honorary ranks by the IAF. The first person was Raja of Jawhar, Raja Yashwant Rao who was conferred Flight Lieutenant rank in 1944.

JRD Tata was made an honorary Air Vice Marshal in 1974 and the last one to get such an honour was another industrialist-cum-aviator Vijaypat Singhania who was made an honorary Air Commodore in 1990.

Tendulkar is the first sportsperson to be conferred this honour. He is also the first person with no aviation background to have got this honour.

Tendulkar is arguably the best batsman in the history of cricket, having amassed some 31,000-plus runs in Test and ODI cricket with a staggering 93 international centuries under his belt.

The 37-year-old is hailed as perhaps the most complete batsman in the history of the game with no real chink in his armour. He is not only the highest run-getter in both Test and ODI versions of the game but also the only player to have scored a double century in 50-over format.

One of India's most decorated sportspersons, Tendulkar has won the country's highest sports honour - the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna - and the Padma Vibhushan award.

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2010-06-22T23:19:00.000-07:00

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Australia To Play Tests In Mohali and Banglore

2010-06-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

BCCI on Thursday announced the venues for the bilateral series against Australia and New Zealand, who are scheduled to visit India in October and November respectively.

Australia will play a three-day practice match and two Tests in Mohali and Bangalore, while the three ODIs will be played in Kochi, Goa and Vizag.

The two Tests coincides with the Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi from October 3-14. The first Test starts from October 2-6, while the second Test will be played from October 10-14.

The ODIs will be played on October 19, 22 and 24 respectively in Kochi, Goa and Vizag.

New Zealand will play 3 Tests in Ahmedabad, Kanpur and Mumbai. The first Test will be played from November 4-8, second Test from November 12-16 and third from November 20-24.

The Black Caps will also play five One-Day Internationals in Hyderbad, Chennai, Guwahati, Mohali and Bangalore, dates of which are not yet finalised.

Clijsters Is Focused

2010-06-20T08:49:00.000-07:00

Clijsters refuses to contemplate a reunion with Justine Henin after the Belgian pair moved one step away from a fourth-round clash.

Kim Clijsters is first focused on overcoming Russian 27th seed Maria Kirilenko following her convincing second-round triumph over Karolina Sprem yesterday.

The eighth seed has beaten Henin twice in 2010 after a four-year gap since their final meeting before both temporarily retired - which came when Henin triumphed in the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Clijsters, who eased to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Croatian Sprem, said: "Obviously I'm not there yet. So until I'm in that position, I will think about and focus on what's ahead.

"I have mixed doubles and then singles against Kirilenko. That will be my first mental focus. And then, if I get through that, I'll think about Justine."

Wimbledon remains the only grand slam Henin has not won but she is refusing to put much pressure on herself as she relishes her first visit to SW19 for three years.

"I see this differently than in the past," the 28-year-old said. "It's like I really open my eyes now.

"In the past, after the French (Open), usually I've played well at the French, and emotionally I was coming here with a lot of pressure. I was number one also at that time.

"Now I see really things differently. A lot of things have changed but the atmosphere is just fantastic. You really feel the passion of the game."

Second seed Venus Williams and fourth seed Jelena Jankovic both advanced yesterday with the American more impressive.

The five-time winner beat Eastbourne champion Ekaterina Makarova 6-0 6-4 on Centre Court before Serbian Jankovic won 4-6 6-2 6-4 against Canada's Aleksandra Wozniak.

Three seeded players exited at the second-round stage yesterday with Israel's Shahar Peer, ranked number 13 in the draw, losing to Angelique Kerber 3-6 6-3 6-4.

Number 30 seed Yaroslava Shvedova also crashed out, losing 6-3 6-4 to Russia's Regina Kulikova, while 33rd seed Melanie Oudin went down 6-4 6-3 to Australian Jarmila Groth.

Fall of Records at Wimbledon

2010-06-19T08:48:00.000-07:00

The power and precision of Isner and Mahut combined to produce a marathon Wimbledon encounter which emphatically rewrote the record books.

A transfixed crowd on Court 18 watched on as John Isner and Nicolas Mahut's tussle extended to a record 10 hours and 163 games without producing a winner as bad light ensured the first-round match will go into a third day.

Resuming just after 2pm after also being called off for bad light yesterday, neither player gave an inch on serve in a final set that ran to 118 games and also saw both players break the record for aces in a match - with Isner hitting 98 and Mahut 95.

With the score in the decider locked at 59-59 when play was suspended just after 9pm, the players will try for a result tomorrow.

In second-round action, Roger Federer again lived dangerously against an unfancied opponent before remaining on course to defend his title.

Ilija Bozoljac, a qualifier from Serbia ranked 152nd in the world, pushed the Swiss ace all the way in an absorbing match on Court One.

Federer, relegated from Centre Court for the first time for three years, triumphed 6-3 6-7 (4/7) 6-4 7-6 (7/5) and his serve was not broken throughout but it was his plucky opponent who earned most of the plaudits.

Third seed Novak Djokovic overcame the brutal serve of Taylor Dent to ensure a welcome early conclusion to the second match of his Wimbledon campaign.

The Serbian, whose first-round match on Monday broke the record for the tournament's latest finish, edged a tight first set that saw Dent's power amaze the Centre Court crowd before striding clear to secure a 7-6 6-1 6-4 triumph. He delivered one 148mph serve - another Wimbledon record.

Andy Roddick overcame an impressive start from Frenchman Michael Llodra to canter into the third round.
Roddick recovered from losing the first set in convincing fashion to triumph 4-6 6-4 6-1 7-6 (7/2) on Centre Court.

Nikolay Davydenko became the highest seed to crash out of the men's singles when he was beaten in four sets by Daniel Brands.

The seventh seed looked set for an easy ride against his 22-year-old German opponent when he won the opening set but Brands hit back to triumph 1-6 7-6 (7/5) 7-6 (10/8) 6-1.

Lleyton Hewitt enjoyed a straightforward passage into the third round as opponent Evgeny Korolev of Kazakhstan withdrew in the third set of their meeting on Court One.

The 2002 Wimbledon champion was leading 6-4 6-4 3-0 when Korolev called a halt to the encounter with an upper arm injury.

Gael Monfils, the 21st seed from France, will be Hewitt's next opponent after he defeated Slovakia's Karol Beck 6-4 6-4 6-7 (4/7) 6-4.

Spain's Feliciano Lopez, the 22nd seed, defeated Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania 7-5 4-6 6-3 6-4, while Yen-Hsun Lu of Chinese Taipei beat Poland's Michal Przysiezny 6-4 7-6 (9/7) 6-3.

There were also second-round wins for 12th seed Tomas Berdych, Jurgen Melzer, the 16th seed, 28th seed Albert Montanes, Victor Hanescu, Florian Mayer, Denis Istomin, Arnaud Clement and Philipp Kohlschreiber

Afridi Shines as a Leader in Asia Cup

2010-06-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

Shahid Afridi is looking more responsible and Pakistan badly needs a true leader now, feels Wasim Akram.
As former players, we have more often than not criticized Pakistan cricket. But come the Asia Cup, and after a long time, I can see a few positives. Skipper Shahid Afridi’s 76-ball 109 run against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup opener probably hints at good things to come.

After a long time, I saw Afridi playing a responsible innings. Even if it came in a losing cause, the knock was full of character. This innings would have put a lot confidence in Afridi as a leader. It is important for Pakistan to have a man who can lead from the front.

Making an international return after a year, Shoaib Akhtar also made an impressive comeback. There were many questions over his return. Many felt that the controversial speedster won’t mend his undisciplined ways, but I am happy that Akhtar has proved the critics wrong.

Akhtar bowled intelligently to complete his quota of 10 overs, bagging three wickets. The 35-year-old pacer not only justified the trust laid on him by the captain but also won the hearts of many of his fans. But as (coach) Waqar (Younis) pointed out, this is not the best we have seen of him. Akhtar has to be fit and consistent and that will help the team

With the positives, came a few lapses as well. The team looked out of practice and that reflected in the running between the wickets. Afridi was involved in two run outs with the Akmal brothers. This surely was a factor between winning and losing. But, I am sure the running between wickets will surely improve once the team plays a few matches.

Talking about the two youngsters who made their debut on Tuesday, I must admit that opener Shahzaib Hasan did not impress me. I saw him in the 2009 T20 World Cup and felt the 20-year-old needed a little more time. But I had a chat with Afridi before the team left for Lanka and he told me that he had a lot of faith in Shahzaib. So I guess it’s the captains’ confidence on a particular player that should matter.

If Pakistan lost a close match against the Lankans, it was because of Lasith Malinga. The guy is exceptional and I have been saying for the last two years that he is the best bowler in all forms of the game. Malinga is quick, swings the ball and has an action which is extremely difficult to pick. The 26-year-old is at times unplayable and will only get better.

Another player who made the difference was Angelo Mathews. His unbeaten 55 runs were responsible for Lanka managing a respectable 242 for 9 in 50 overs. I have worked with Mathews during my stint with IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders. He needs to improve on the bowling front but is certainly a bright prospect for the island nation. The 23-year-old player has age on his side and will certainly improve.

Asia Cup is not a very long tournament and hence it becomes very important for teams to get their act together from the start. India will certainly miss their match-winner, Yuvraj Singh, but it is always wise to rest an unfit player. With the big guns back, India have enough firepower and Bangladesh got a taste of this. I am looking forward to Saturday’s Indo-Pak clash. May the better team win!

Dhoni Bat For UNICEF Project

2010-06-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Indian captain MS Dhoni and his Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Bangladesh counterparts batted for the United Nation Children's Fund's healthy hat-trick scheme.
Gathered here for the ongoing Asia Cup cricket tournament, Dhoni, Kumar Sangakkara, Shahid Afridi and Shakib Al Hasan expressed their views on the grim situation and wanted everyone to rally around the project.

In his remarks, Dhoni thanked his parents for administering polio drops to him when he was a child.

"My parents took good care of me, administered polio drops and I am here. Children are the future and we need to ensure that they and their mothers remain healthy," he said.

"More than being just cricketers, we are husbands, sons and brothers and we have an obligation towards our community.

It is important that governments ensure that there is proper access to toilets, wider administration of polio drops and that the girl child goes to school," Sangakkara said.

Talking about the situation in Pakistan, Afridi said, "In Pakistan, we need to ensure that girls to go to school and polio too is a big problem."

Shakib lamented the slow progress in Bangladesh.

"We have come a long way from the 1970s when children used to die because of water contamination but more needs to be done," said Shakib said.

According to UNICEF, 45 per cent of the population in South Asia lack access to sanitation and 41 per cent of children suffer from malnutrition leading to three million infant deaths.

India Won the Match Against Bangladesh

2010-06-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni praised opening batsman Gautam Gambhir but said it were the spinners who actually scripted the six-wicket win over Bangladesh on a low and slow Dambulla.
"Spinners won it for us. It is 200 per cent difficult to bat under lights here. Gautam provided a decent start. When he gets a start he normally goes on to get a big one. It is always good to get a bonus point if we can," Dhoni said after the match.

Gambhir was adjudged man of the match for his 82 that came off 101 balls, riding on which India achieved the 168-run target.

However, it was a magic spell of four for six by part-time off-spinner Virender Sehwag that helped India bundle out Bangladesh for a meagre 167.

Dhoni also expressed satisfaction about the overall performance of the team.

"(It's) well of course, if you see most of the senior players they did well, most of them bowled really well. As the game progressed it became really difficult. Good that we batted for half an hour before the break," he said.

Meanwhile, his Bangladesh counterpart Shakib Al Hasan admitted that losing some quick wickets at the end of the innings ultimately did them in.

"Losing all those wickets in the end was the turning point. Batting was not that difficult on this pitch. After a long time the fast bowlers did well, and that's good for them.

We are up for the remaining games," he said.

Gambhir, who went through a bad patch during the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies, was happy to recapture his touch.

"It was only at the T20 World Cup that I did not do well, there has been a lot of talk about my form. This was a perfect pitch for me to come back on. It was a wicket where you had to graft," he said.

"If Bangladesh had got 240-260 it would have been difficult. After the start they got we did not think we could keep them down to 160. All the bowlers did well," Gambhir added.

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Sachin Tendulkar Wants To Play At World Cup Final's

2010-06-15T03:35:00.001-07:00

Arguably the most accomplished batsman of contemporary times, Sachin Tendulkar still has unfulfilled dreams, one of them being to win the World Cup next year.

Tendulkar, the highest run-getter in the Test and one-day format of the game, hopes to play in the final of the World Cup when it is jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh early next year.

"As far as the World Cup is concerned it is a process. We don't want to jump to the 50th floor straight away, we must start on the ground floor," he said.

"We must take it step-by-step but to get there would be a fascinating journey. It is our dream, not just mine but the entire nation, to get there. To play the final in Mumbai is something you can only dream of and everything has to come together," he added.

Tendulkar said if India played to their potential, there was a good chance of being in the finals of the event.
"I think we can do something we have been longing to do for quite some time," he said.

Part of the Test side which is currently the world number one in ICC rankings, Tendulkar said the tough part was not to get there but would be to maintain it.

"To be number one is special, it was our dream and our target to get to the number one spot in Test cricket," he said.

"We have had a good run in the last 20 months. Everyone wants to be number one and we cannot relax because there are other countries who want to be number one. It means a lot to us," he added.

The 37-year-old once again parried queries on his future maintaining that he would quit the moment he felt that he had stopped enjoying his game.

"I want to play for as long as possible and as long as I have the desire and the hunger I will carry on," he was quoted as saying by 'Cricinfo'.

"The day I do not want to get out of bed and do anything then I know it will be time to go in another direction," he added.

India Won The Second T20 Against Zimbabwe

2010-06-14T06:40:00.001-07:00

Suresh Raina led from the front with a blistering 72 as India signed off their Zimbabwe tour with a comprehensive seven-wicket win over the hosts in the second and final T20 at Harare.
Chasing 141, India made 144 for three in 18 overs at the Harare Sports Club ground with Raina dispatching Chris Mpofu to boundary for the winning runs.

Tatenda Taibu earlier top-scored with 45 and shared a 43-run stand for the fourth wicket with Charles Coventry (28 off 13) to steer Zimbabwe to 140 for five.

Raina stepped on to the field after the fall of Naman Ojha (10) in fifth over and stayed till the job was done.

Along with Murali Vijay (46), Raina shared a 79-run stand for the second wicket, which set up the second comfortable Indian win in as many days.

Raina's 44-ball knock had six fours and two sixes in it.

After an ordinary show in the three-week tour, Vijay finally got some runs under his belt and the Chennai batsman would be relived after playing a good hand in the Indian win.

Vijay and skipper Suresh Raina batted with ease and were hardly troubled by the host bowlers.

Vijay missed out on his half-century when he attempted a big shot but off Chamu Chibhabha and his checked shot landed in the hands of Graeme Cremer in the 15th over.

Raina continued the good work and carried the team home just after losing another partner in Yusuf Pathan (4).

India's consecutive win, after a lacklustre show in the ODI tri-series, would do a world of good to the confidence of its youngsters just ahead of the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.

Earlier, confident of chasing down whatever the hosts would put on board, Raina yet again invited the hosts to bat but despite having them in clutches they leaked too many runs in the second half to allow them a come back in the match.

While in the first 10 overs India conceded just 47 runs including a mere five boundaries, spinners struggled to keep the run flow in check and the last over cost India 93 runs.

The slow bowlers could not weave the same magic they had created in the first Twenty20 and leaked 95 runs in the 12 overs shared by Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra and R Ashwin.

Ashwin bled most runs as he ended up giving away 48 runs in his four overs.

Taibu, whose 45 came off 40 balls with just two fours, shaped the hosts innings well and along with Charles Coventry (28 off 13) rescued the side with a defiant 43-run stand for the fourth wicket.

Before that stand opener Brendan Taylor played a patient 33-ball 27 to help the side overcome the early jolts of losing Hamilton Masakadza (2) and Chamu Chibhabha (7).

Indian pacers, especially Ashok Dinda, were exceptional and did a tremendous job. The Bengal medium fast bowler gave away just 15 runs in his four-over quota and took two wickets.

Things were set beautifully for India but gritty batting by Taibu and Coventry made it a contest for the visitors.

India: Murali Vijay, Naman Ojha(w), Suresh Raina(c), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Yusuf Pathan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Vinay Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda
Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Chamu Chibhabha, Tatenda Taibu(w), Charles Coventry, Elton Chigumbura(c), Graeme Cremer, Gregory Lamb, Ray Price, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu

India Won The First T20 Against Zimbabwe

2010-06-13T06:36:00.000-07:00

India overcame a shaky start to register their first win over Zimbabwe on the current tour as they beat the hosts by six wickets in the first Twenty20 International cricket match here on Saturday.

Chasing a modest 112 to win, India overhauled the target with five overs to spare with Yusuf Pathan (36) and Virat Kohli (27) finishing off the game for the visitors, who were shocked by the African minnows twice in the one-day tri-series.

Earlier, shaking off the tri-series rust, Indian bowlers showed discipline and restricted Zimbabwe to a meagre 111 for nine at Harare Sports Club here on Saturday.

Paceman R Vinay Kumar (3/24) was the most successful bowler with three wickets while Ashok Dinda (2/27) and Pragyan Ojha (2/11) accounted for two victims apiece.

During India's chase, big-hitting Pathan and youngster Kohli shared an unbeaten 64-run stand for the fifth wicket to rescue India from a precarious 48 for 4.

Pathan's 23-ball knock contained two fours and three sixes while Kohli faced 22 balls with three fours and a six.

India, like their opponents, began poorly as they lost openers -- Murali Vijay (5) and Naman Ojha (2) to paceman Chris Mpofu by the third over.

Skipper Suresh Raina (28) played a good hand in the middle order to re-build the innings with Rohit Sharma (10).

However, both of them returned to the dug out in the eighth over with spinner Ray Price (2/24) getting rid of them in the eighth over.

It became jittery for India but Pathan and Kohli ensured that their side do not end up facing more humiliation.

Earlier, Chamu Chibhabha (40) and Craig Ervine (30) stood tall amid ruins for the hosts, as their middle and lower order collapsed after a sound start.

Opting to field, Vinay Kumar gave India a perfect start and landed the first blow to the hosts as early as in the fourth ball of the match when he got rid of Hamilton Masakadza (1), caught by skipper Suresh Raina at extra cover.

Vinay was hit for a four and two sixes in his next over by Chibhabha and Brendan Taylor (15) but the paceman got his revenge when he caught the latter plumb in front of the wicket in the last ball of the same over.

Despite two setbacks, the hosts were off to a flier with Dinda and Vinay Kumar leaking 41 runs off the first four overs.

With runs flowing freely from the pacers, Raina introduced R Ashwin into the attack and the off-spinner responded instantly with the wicket of Tatenda Taibu (4), who found Rohit Sharma at mid-on while attempting a big shot.

After the early onslaught, runs were difficult to come by with Raina pressing into service another spinner -- Pragyan Ojha, but Chibhabha, somehow, managed to find the odd boundary.

With spinners ruling the roost in the low and slow Harare Sports Ground pitch, Raina got tempted to use more of slow bowlers and the decision paid off well with Piyush Chawla trapping dangerous-looking Chibhabha, who entertained with five fours and a six during his 30-ball stay.

Ojha then dismissed rival skipper Elton Chigumbura (3) and Greg Lamb (0) in space of three deliveries to leave the hosts gasping at 81 for six.

Dinda then did an Ojha by scalping Ervine and Raymond Price in the penultimate over of the innings.

India Team To break the jinx

2010-06-12T06:34:00.000-07:00

India get a chance to make amends for recent debacles, climb up the ODI rankings and break a 15-year jinx in the Asia Cup which takes off on Tuesday with home favourites Sri Lanka facing the ever-so-unpredictable Pakistan in the opening match.

Four-time champions India, who come here after twin debacles in the Twenty20 World Cup and the recent tri-series in Zimbabwe, last won the title 15 years ago in the United Arab Emirates and will open their campaign on June 16 against Bangladesh.

Before that, with a hat-trick of titles in sight, Sri Lanka would look to exploit the home conditions against Pakistan at the Rangiri Dambulla ground on Tuesday.

Considering the fact that Sri Lanka won the title in the previous two editions, the hosts are slight favourites over the others in the four-nation tournament.

The tournament opener between Sri Lanka and Pakistan holds promise as on paper both the teams are equally matched in terms of potential, though the buoyant hosts have the more experienced players, who have a reputation of being devastating in their own backyard.

The inclusion of wily off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who recovered from an injury sustained during the Twenty20 World Cup, has strengthened the Kumar Sangakkara-led Sri Lankan side.

Even though both Sri Lanka and Pakistan made it to the semifinals of the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies, the hosts will draw confidence from their recent tri-series victory in Zimbabwe.

Like India, Sri Lanka too had fielded a second string team in Zimbabwe, but the Lankan young guns rose to the occasion to come out triumphant in the tri-series.

What would be a morale-booster for Sri Lanka is dashing Tillakratne Dilshan's return to form.

Leading a young side in the tri-series, Dilshan made a rollicking return to form with a delectable century in the title clash against hosts Zimbabwe.

To add to it, Sri Lanka would be bolstered by the return of regular skipper Sangakkara and senior batsman Mahela Jayawardene, who has been in sublime form this season.

If Dilshan and Jayawardene combine well at the top of the order, it could spell trouble for Pakistan who had last won the title in 2000 in Bangladesh.

The 21-year-old Angelo Mathews will be another Sri Lankan to watch out for over the next two weeks as the quality all-rounder seeks to prove his supremacy in the biennial event.

Mathews has the ability to turn the match on its head with either bat or ball, which reflected in his performances over the last eight months.

However, the likes of Thilina Kandamby and Thilan Samaraweera will be under little pressure to perform, especially after their below-par performance in Zimbabwe.

What might work wonders for the Lankans in the tournament is the presence of a three-pronged varied spin attack in Muralitharan, Suraj Randiv and Rangana Herath in the bowler-friendly Dambulla wicket.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have this uncanny knack of coming back stronger from everycontroversy they stumble upon.

However, what remains to be seen is the chemistry between newly-appointed captain Shahid Afridi and coach Waqar Younis.

It will be a test of character for Afridi to unite the team which has a history of dressing room problems and the return of former captain Shoaib Malik, seen as a trouble maker, will only make his job difficult.

The tournament is also seen as a last-gasp chance for veteran Shoaib Akhtar to revive his chequered career after the maverick fast bowler was included in the squad along with controversial pace colleague Mohammad Asif.

The talismanic Akhtar, who can hurl the ball at speeds over 150 kmph when in his elements, returns to international cricket after a long hiatus, forced by injuries and disciplinary issues.

But the Afridi-led Pakistan can never be written off as they have the potential to bounce back like wounded tigers when they are pushed to the wall.

Though Afridi lamented that he was not given the right team for the Twenty20 World Cup, Pakistan came up with stunning performances to make it to the last four stage in the Caribbean.

The Pakistan team have exciting batsmen in Akmal brothers -- Kamran and Umar, Salman Butt, Imran Farhat and Malik, who recently tied the know with Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza.

Even though Pakistan have two senior pacers in Akhtar and Asif in the team, the bowling attack will be lead by young left-arm pacer Mohammad Aamer.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (Captain), Salman Butt, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Asad Shafiq, Imran Farhat, Kamran Akmal, Mahammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Saaed Ajmal, Shahzaib Hassan, Shoaib Akthar, Shoaib Mallik, Umar Akmal, Umar Amin.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakarra (Captain), Muttiah Muralitharan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rangana Herath, Mahela Jayawardene, Suraj Ranjiv, Thilina Kamdamby, Chamara Kapugedara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Parvez Maroof, Lasith Mallinga, Angelo Mathews, Thilan Samaweera, Upul Tharanga, Chanaka Welegedara.

Tight Schedule For South African Team

2010-06-11T06:32:00.000-07:00

Cricket South Africa have announced a bumper international programme of matches in all three formats of the game against Zimbabwe, Pakistan and India ahead of the 2011 WC.

The season consists of three Tests against India, five home one-day internationals against India and a further three against Zimbabwe plus a five-match ODI series against Pakistan at the neutral venue of the United Arab Emirates.

There will also be three home Twenty20 matches against Zimbabwe and India plus an away match against Pakistan.

Captain Graeme Smith is hoping the encounters will stand the Proteas in good stead for the World Cup, to be held on the Asian sub-continent in February and March.

He said: "We only have 13 ODIs left to prepare for the ICC World Cup and we must make the maximum use of all of them.

"The number-one Test match ranking is also a massive honour in our great game. We have had a very good run in this format over the past two years with away series wins in England and Australia and two drawn series in India.

"We can reward all the hard work put in by the playing and support staff by winning the Castle Test series. This is one of our priority targets for the summer.

"We also owe our supporters some good Standard Bank Pro20 results after the disappointment of the ICC World Twenty20."

Sachin Supports England For Ashes

2010-06-10T05:58:00.000-07:00

Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar believes England have every chance of retaining the Ashes on Australian soil this winter.

Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in the history of the game, believes England's chances will largely depend on the form of Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann down under, while he also expects Test rookie Eoin Morgan to feature prominently.

Tendulkar was speaking in London at a NatWest celebration to mark its 30th season supporting English cricket.

Tendulkar, in his capacity as global ambassador for the RBS Group, kicked-off the start of the 2010 NatWest series which will see England play Australia, Bangladesh and Pakistan in 13 one-day internationals and two T20 events from June to September this year.

But with the focus clearly on England's bid to retain the Ashes in Australia this winter, Tendulkar was adamant that they had every chance against an Australia side still in the process of rebuilding.

Tendulkar, 37, believes England will be high in confidence following their ICC World Twenty20 success in the West Indies in April.

"I think England have a good chance of retaining the Ashes," said Tendulkar.

"The key members for England will be Pietersen, Morgan, and in the bowling department - Swann.

"For me they will be the key members of the team. Then after that you have the experience of Andrew Strauss, so they can do something special in Australia.

"Swann will play a big role so I think England definitely have a good chance.

"Also, from what I have seen of Morgan, he looks a solid player. He can control the pace of the game quite nicely - certainly in T20 and one-day matches.

"The winning of a major tournament gives you confidence and this is what winning the ICC T20 World Cup has done for England.

"I am sure at this moment England feel as though they can pull off any situation. It's all about confidence and positive energy and once you have this, then anything is possible.

"I would not use the word vulnerable to describe Australia. But they have lost some match-winners.

"They are going to miss those players and it takes time to replace them."

Tendulkar is currently taking a break from the game to spend time with his family but will return to play for India against Sri Lanka in a Test series which starts in July.

After that, he has set his sights on lifting the 2011 World Cup with India in Mumbai.

The country are currently the Test game's world number one and Tendulkar is extremely proud of that achievement.

But to secure World Cup victory on home soil would be the pinnacle of his outstanding career.

"I want to play for as long as possible and as long as I have the desire and the hunger I will carry on," he added. "The day I do not want to get out of bed and do anything then I know it will be time to go in another direction.

"To be number one is special, it was our dream and our target to get to the number one spot in Test cricket.

"We have had a good run in the last 20 months. Everyone wants to be number one and we cannot relax because there are other countries who want to be number one. It means a lot to us.

"As far as the World Cup is concerned it is a process. We don't want to jump to the 50th floor, we must start on the ground floor.

"We must take it step-by-step but to get there would be a fascinating journey. It is our dream, not just mine but the entire nation, to get there. To play the final in Mumbai is something you can only dream of and everything has to come together.

"But if we can play to the best of our potential then I think we can do something we have been longing to do for quite some time."

Srilanka wins the Tri-Series

2010-06-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a commanding century to help his side win the Tri-Nation series final against Zimbabwe in Harare.

Dilshan (108 not out) shared a 160-run opening stand with Upul Tharanga (72) as the hosts lost just one wicket to overcome Zimbabwe's below-par total of 199, which largely came on the back of former captain Tatenda Taibu's 71.

Dilhara Fernando took three wickets, while spin duo Ajantha and Jeevan Mendis snared two apiece to bowl out the hosts and justify their skipper's decision of fielding first.

In reply, Dilshan and Tharanga gave their side a flying start.

Dilshan was more aggressive and blasted two fours off Chris Mpofu in the fifth over as the visitors posted 34 for no loss.

The duo continued to play attacking strokes and looked in complete control in the following overs.

Dilshan raced to his half century with a square cut in the 16th over and Tharanga hit a towering six in the next to bring 100 runs up for his side.

Tharanga too reached 50 soon after with a four off Graeme Cremer in the 18th over.

He along with Dilshan took the score to 155 at the end of the 25th over, but became a victim of bad running between the wickets in the next.

Dinesh Chandimal (16no) joined his captain in the middle and made sure Sri Lanka were home without any further damage.

Earlier, Sri Lanka's bowlers kept a tight leash on Zimbabwe's batsmen right from the start, and their efforts were rewarded in the fifth over when Hamilton Masakadza (four) nicked a Nuwan Kulasekara outswinger to wicketkeeper Chandimal.

Brendan Taylor (19) tried to break the shackles and smashed a boundary off Kulasekara in the ninth over and added another off Fernando in the next.

But the bowler had the last laugh when he sent Taylor packing in the same over, thanks to a brilliant diving catch by Thilan Samaraweera at slips.

Craig Ervine (nine) too ran himself out in the 17th over after struggling against a good old-fashioned spin bowling by Ajantha Mendis.

Taibu and Greg Lamb played patiently in the middle overs to help the hosts recover from the early jolts.
Taibu blasted two fours off Suraj Randiv in the 24th over and completed his well-paced half-century four overs later.

He celebrated the achievement with a stylish reverse sweep off Dilshan in the 30th over as Zimbabwe reached 107 for three.

But the batsman fell to Fernando in the 36th over after adding 21 more runs to his account.
Skipper Elton Chigumbura (10) too lost his wicket soon after when he failed to read a Jeevan Mendis flipper and hit it straight to Dilshan at covers.

Lamb (37) followed his skipper back to the pavilion as well when Jeevan Mendis clean bowled him in the 42nd over and Charles Coventry (18) lost his wicket to Jeevan Mendis in the next.
Cremer, Ray Price and Chris Mpofu did not last long either and followed the procession as the hosts were bowled out with an over to spare.

Teams
Zimbabwe: Hamilton Masakadza, Brendan Taylor, Charles Coventry, Elton Chigumbura (C), Tatenda Taibu (W), Craig Ervine, Greg Lamb, Chris Mpofu, Graeme Cremer, Prosper Utseya, Ray Price

Sri Lanka: Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan (C), Dinesh Chandimal (W), Chamara Kapugedara, Angelo Mathews, Thilan Samaraweera, Jeewan Mendis, Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando

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Indian Team for Asia Cup : Sachin rested and Yuvi Dropped

2010-06-08T05:02:00.000-07:00

Cracking the whip on non-performers, national selectors on Monday axed the struggling duo of Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan and rested veteran Sachin Tendulkar from India's 15-member squad for this month's Asia Cup cricket tournament in Sri Lanka.

Tendulkar had sought a break to spend time with his children, while Yuvraj and Yusuf's ouster was on the cards after a series of disappointing performances in recent times as the selectors laid stress on form and fitness.

Flamboyant opener Virender Sehwag, who was laid low with a shoulder injury and missed the Twenty20 World Cup, returned to the squad while wicket-keeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik and leg-spinner Amit Mishra were axed.

"Sachin Tendulkar requested the Board not to consider him for the Asia Cup, as he wanted to spend time with his children, in view of the hectic cricket season ahead," BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement after the selection meeting which lasted close to two hours.

20-year-old Jharkhand batsman Saurabh Tiwary, who was quite impressive in the third edition of the Indian Premier League, was rewarded with a berth in the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led squad along with Bengal pacer Ashok Dinda.

"A lot of stress was given on the fitness of the players. Fitness and fielding are very important. We have gone through the record of last one year and put lot of stress on it. In recent past, we lost some matches or struggled in some matches because of poor fielding," chairman of selectors Kris Srikkanth told reporters.

"We also put stress on consistent performance. Lot of players have done consistently well and apart from the seniors, we have blooded some youngsters as well so that they know what international cricket is all about," he explained.

Srikkanth said skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who attended the meeting, also gave his inputs.

"It was a happy meeting with captain (MS Dhoni) and secretary (N Srinivasan) and I think the captain is also convinced. This is the best possible side. I'm not going to speak about any individual player," Srikkanth said.

The selectors, who had opted to rest most of the seniors for the tri-series in Zimbabwe, chose a full-strength team which included seniors like pacer Zaheer Khan, opener Gautam Gambhir and spin spearhead Harbhajan Singh.

Tamil Nadu off-spinner R Ashwin, who is also a decent batsman, has been retained in the squad. Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha returned to the team at the expense of leg-spinner Amit Mishra, who failed to make much of an impact in the disastrous tour of Zimbabwe.

The team in Zimbabwe, which was led by Suresh Raina, couldn't make the finals of and suffered consecutive humiliating losses to the African minnows.

Although Raina has retained his place, other flops like Yusuf and Mishra have been shown the door.

The pace duo of Abhishek Nayar and Sudeep Tyagi who had featured in India's squad during the home series against South Africa in February have not found favour this time around.

The squad, a fine blend of youth and experience, has six specialist batsmen, four pacers, three spinners and an all-rounder in Ravindra Jadeja.

Captain Dhoni is the lone specialist wicket-keeper in the squad.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Virender Sehwag (Vice-Captain), Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda, R Ashwin, Saurabh Tiwary.

Sehwag Retains No .1 Test batsman Spot

2010-06-07T04:58:00.000-07:00

Flamboyant Virender Sehwag maintained his number one position in the ICC rankings for Test batsmen and India also held on to its top spot in the latest chart.

Sehwag is leading the list with 863 points and is followed by South Africa's Hashim Amla (842) and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene (836).

Left-handed opener Gautam Gambhir (824) and batting great Sachin Tendulkar (805) are the other two Indian batsmen in top-10 at number six and seven positions respectively.

VVS Laxman (14) and Rahul Dravid (16) also had their rankings unchanged.

In the bowlers list, India have two players in the top-10 with paceman Zaheer Khan placed at number six followed by spinner Harbhajan Singh.

In the teams' list, India are at the top with 124 points followed by South Africa (120) and Australia (119).

Zimbabwe Again shocked Lankans

2010-06-06T04:56:00.000-07:00

Continuing their giant-killing spree, hosts Zimbabwe rode on Brendan Taylor's second ODI ton to pull off a spectacular eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in an inconsequential match of the tri-series here on Monday.

With both the teams having already made it to the summit clash, Monday's match was of merely academic interest but Zimbabwe proved that their back-to-back wins against India was no fluke as they upstaged Sri Lanka in the dress-rehearsal for Wednesday's final.

Put into bat, Sri Lanka got off to a flier, courtesy the 122-run stand between captain Tillakaratne Dilshan (78) and Upul Tharanga (69) but the Zimbabwe bowlers showed tremendous resilience to eventually bowl out the visitors for a modest 236 in 47.5 overs at the Harare Sports Club.

And with Taylor (119 not out) extending his sensational form in the tournament, Zimbabwe cruised to 240 for two in 47.5 overs to clinch the match.

Taylor's sterling unbeaten 137-ball knock was studded with nine fours and a six.

Taylor got good support from Chamu Chibhaba (58) with whom he shared 134 runs for the second wicket and then completed the chase in Tatenda Taibu's (42 not out) company with the duo putting on an unbeaten 92-run stand.

Earlier, Sri Lanka could not make the most of a flying start and folded for 236 inside 48 overs.

Sri Lanka were off to a brilliant start with Dilshan (78 off 66 balls) and Tharanga (69 off 97 balls) adding 122 runs for the opening stand at a run-a-ball rate.

The Zimbabwean bowlers, however, made a spirited comeback after the initial thrashing and ran through the middle and lower order to bowl out the Lankans in 47.5 overs.

For the hosts, Chris Mpofu, Prosper Utseya and Graeme Cremer scalped two wickets apiece.

Apart from the openers, only three other Lankan batsman reached double digit scores.

Dilshan wasted no time in asserting himself and thrived in Tharanga's company as the duo took the Zimbabwean attack by the scruff of its neck.

Zimbabwe looked in for a leather-hunt as the Lankan openers took the score past the 100-mark without showing any signs of a let-up.

Finally, Utseya not only broke the stand but also triggered a mid-innings collapse when he removed Dilshan and last match's centurion Dinesh Chandimal in quick successions to bring some relief to the Zimbabwean camp.

Sri Lanka suddenly started losing wickets at regular intervals, courtesy some tidy work by the Zimbabwean bowlers as they brought down the Lankan innings with 2.1 overs to spare.

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2010-06-05T09:55:00.000-07:00

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2010-06-05T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hello mates it gives me immense pleasure to introduce the best things to best people.Recently i had come across this interesting website and a blog which is for Angels & Dodgers fan .One of the primary reasons why Los Angeles was awarded an American League expansion franchise for the 1961 season was because actor/singer turned broadcast mogul Gene Autry wanted to secure radio broadcast rights for the newly planned Los Angeles American League franchise. His KMPC (710 AM, now KSPN) was the radio home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, from the time they arrived from Brooklyn, New York in time for the 1958 baseball season, and actually came away from the 1960 Winter Meetings with his own team.Angels baseball is one of the famous among the baseball fans.

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England thrashes Bangladesh

2010-06-05T04:55:00.000-07:00

Steven Finn took five wickets as England thrashed Bangladesh by an innings and 80 runs inside three days in the second Test to wrap up a 2-0 series victory at Old Trafford here on Sunday.

Bangladesh, following-on, were dismissed for 123 in 34.1 overs with fast bowler Finn taking five wickets for 42 runs in 10 overs.

James Anderson took three for 16 in 10 on his Lancashire home ground.

Defeat meant Bangladesh have now lost 34 of their 68 Tests by an innings.

Anderson and Finn combined to reduce Bangladesh, who'd suffered a dramatic collapse in yesterday's final session, to 37 for five in the 13th over. Only Mohammad Mahmudullah, with 38, offered much resistance.

England, after rain meant no play was possible before lunch, saw captain Andrew Strauss enforce the follow-on. Bangladesh, dismissed for 216 after losing all 10 first innings wickets after tea on Saturday, were still 203 runs behind England's 419.

In overcast conditions, their top order struggled against England's new ball pair on Sunday.

England captured the prize wicket of Tamim Iqbal, who'd made hundreds in his last two knocks, including 108 in the first innings of this match, when the left-hander was caught behind second ball for just two fending at a rising Anderson delivery.

It was the first time in six innings against England that Tamim had failed to pass fifty.

Imrul Kayes, the Tigers' other left-handed opener, then fell hooking Finn for the second time in the match, with Test debutant Ajmal Shahzad once more taking a catch at long leg.

Junaid Siddique was then caught by Kevin Pietersen in the gully off Anderson and when Finn had Jahurul Islam edging through to wicketkeeper Matt Prior for naught, after trying to cut a lifting ball that was too close to him, Bangladesh were 21 for four off eight overs.

The 6ft 8in quick had taken two wickets for 12 runs in four overs, including two for three in seven balls. Mohammad Ashraful off-drove Finn for four in textbook fashion.

However, his innings of 14 ended when he couldn't keep down an Anderson delivery that moved off the pitch and edged to Jonathan Trott at first slip.

Bangladesh were now 37 for five, with Anderson having taken three wickets for 10 runs in 6.2 overs.

And the Tigers were 39 for six when Yorkshire quick Shahzad bowled Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan between bat and pad.

But four byes, conceded by Prior -- nursing a finger injury -- off the bowling of off-spinner Graeme Swann gave Bangladesh the consolation of surpassing their record lowest Test innings score of 62 against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2007.

Mahmudullah several times hooked Finn to the boundary but, trying to repeat the stroke, he edged and was well caught by a leaping Prior to end a 52-ball innings featuring five fours.

Bangladesh were now 97 for eight and that became 119 for nine when Shafiul Islam was caught at first slip by Strauss off Finn.

And the match ended when Abdur Razzak holed out off Swann.

England's total saw Ian Bell make 128. Bell's third hundred in five Tests against Bangladesh took his average against the Tigers to 158.25.

Swann, with five wickets for 76 runs -- his first five-wicket Test haul in England -- did the bulk of the damage in Bangladesh's first innings, after they had been 153 for one.

Symonds Feels Happy to be out of International Cricket

2010-06-04T04:54:00.000-07:00

The grind of international cricket made Andrew Symonds feel "caged" and the temperamental Australian all-rounder says his only regret is signing a contract that had a 'keep off drinking' clause in it.

Looking back at his tumultuous career, Symonds said he had stopped enjoying the game and was in fact relieved when Cricket Australia tore up his contract.

"Losing my contract didn't hurt me, because of what playing for Australia had become. I wasn't having fun anymore. I wasn't enjoying it. I felt like I was in a cage. Always under the microscope. Once I had got home from England, and everything had settled down, it was a relief," he said.

Here to play for Surrey, the burly all-rounder with a recurring alcohol problem said he doesn't regret anything other than signing a contract that barred him from drinking.

"If I had my time again I would have said, 'You know what? There is no way I'm signing that.' No one else had to do it. And let's be honest, under that sort of scrutiny I was always going to bust at some stage," he said.

It was around this time last year that Symonds was sent back midway through the Twenty20 World Cup after going out for a drink. On landing back home, Symonds found himself without a contract but instead of being upset, he felt relieved.

"I was diagnosed as a binge-drinker. With all the things that went with international cricket there was never enough time for myself. So when I got my day off, I would just guzzle it, guzzle it like they weren't making it anymore, just binge. It was not smart," he said.

"I'm passionate about cricket, but it is not the be all and end all of my life. To me life is about fun. You have got to make a living, but not every day is about work. My life became difficult to lead.

"With the amount of things I had on my plate - cricket, sponsors, media - I just ended up having no time for myself. And that's what wore me down. When I got my chance to have a drink I would let nothing get in the way of it," he added.

Symonds also claimed he was not to be blamed for the bar brawls he often featured in.

"People knew they could target me. Whatever I did and wherever I went I felt there was a chance that someone was going to try and push my buttons. In the end I just couldn't go to the pub," he recalled.

Symonds, who turned freelancer after that and plays in the Indian Premier League, said he is a happier person now.

"Mate, my life right now is just A1. Just great. My mates back home ask me what I'm doing now, and I'm like: 'Well, I'm just going to London to play cricket for a few weeks.' They say: 'What will you do when you come back?' 'I'll probably go fishing for a couple of months.' They can't believe it," he says

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2010-06-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

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IPL is free from bribe says SHAH

2010-06-03T04:52:00.000-07:00

Rubbishing Adam Gilchrist's claim that the Indian Premier League (IPL) was an "easy target" for match-fixers, IPL Vice Chairman Niranjan Shah on Monday said that the third edition of the cash-awash Twenty20 League was played in a fair and transparent manner.

"All the IPL matches were played under fair and transparent manner. There was no evidence of match fixing and even the anti-corruption team of ICC has given a clean chit to IPL-3," Shah told reporters here.

"Besides, BCCI and IPL officials are keen and committed to keep IPL matches clean and corruption free. I don't know why Gilchrist has given such a statement," he added.

Talking to an English daily, the Deccan Chargers skipper had said IPL was an easy target for match-fixers as players are accessible during the event.

"It's been discussed among players in the IPL - more wondering whether it goes on. There's a strong thought that we'd be naive to think it's not happening, because it's a pretty easy target. There's a lot of accessibility to players and it's early in its governance," Gilchrist had said.

Team India Waiting to take revenge

2010-06-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

Back in their elements after the opening match debacle, India will have a score to settle when they take on hosts Zimbabwe in the ongoing Tri-Series on Thursday.

Zimbabwe had spoiled Suresh Raina's captaincy debut when they inflicted a stunning six-wicket defeat on India in the tournament opener in Bulawayo but the visitors were quick to recover as they thumped Sri Lanka in their second outing to bounce back.

At the halfway stage, all three teams have one win and a defeat against their names and India will go all out for a win at the Harare Sports Club to put one foot in the June 9 final of the tournament.

For India, their batting has been the biggest strength so far as they posted 285 in the first match and chased down 242 with consummate ease in the second tie with 6.3 overs to spare.

Batting mainstay Rohit Sharma has been in the form of his life as he slammed consecutive centuries to anchor the Indian innings in both the matches. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and vice-captain Virat Kohli have also sizzled with the bat.

The team, however, has not been served well by its openers. Both Dinesh Karthik and Murali Vijay could not give starts that India is so used to when Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir open the innings.

Raina, on his part, looked in good nick in both the matches but the team is yet to get a big knock from the skipper.

The last time they met Zimbabwe, it was India's inexperienced pacers which let them down. But in the match against Sri Lanka, the young guns put up a better bowling performance with Ashok Dinda and Umesh Yadav looking better bowlers.

The spinners, however, have done a decent job with Amit Mishra and Ojha doing well and Ravindra Jadeja chipping in.

Zimbabwe, meanwhile, will require something extraordinary on thursday to pull off a repeat performance against the mighty Indians.

Their high-flying campaign has already been brought down to earth by Sri Lanka last night when the hosts were skittled out for a paltry 118 in 24.5 overs in a rain-curtained match.

The Lankans led by skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan produced a blistering batting performance to chase down the target in just 15.2 over to inflict a massive nine-wicket defeat on the hosts.

Zimbabwe's batting scorecard wore contrasting looks in the last two matches. While against India, everybody chipped in with meaningful contributions, against Sri Lanka only three could reach double figures.

Sania Mirza On a Winning Streak

2010-06-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Sania Mirza was off to a winning start in women's doubles event as the Indian and her Dane partner Caroline Wozniacki notched up a straight-set win to enter the second round of the Wimbledon.
Sania, who lost in the first round of the singles event, and Wozniacki beat local favourites Anne Keothavong and Melanie South 6-4, 6-1.
The Indo-Dane pair will now be up against the winners of the match between the Russian-Czech team of Maria Kondratieva and Vladimira Uhlirova and the 11th seeded Zimbabwean-Slovak combination of Cara Black and Daniela Hantuchova.
There was more good news for India in the men's doubles event with old warhorse Leander Paes and his Czech partner Lukas Dlouhy winning their opening round match.
Third seeds Paes and Dlouhy shrugged off a one-set deficit to beat South African Rik De Voest and German Mischa Zverev 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-3 in a hard-fought contest.
Paes and Dlouhy will next face winners of the match between Colombians Alejandro Falla and Santiago Giraldo and the Slovak-Ukrainian pairing of Lukas Lacko and Sergiy Stakhovsky.

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2010-06-01T20:25:00.000-07:00

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2010-06-01T17:16:00.000-07:00

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Liverpool Are Still Massive

2010-05-31T22:22:00.001-07:00

Anfield legend Alan Hansen has declared that reports of Liverpool's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Reports of Anfield in crisis have been emanating since last year, when the Reds' season started to implode and news of financial problems made its way into the public sphere.

Former greats of the club seem to be split down the middle about the Merseysiders' prospects in the near future. Hansen is firmly in the bullish camp.

Speaking to Radio City he said: "Liverpool are still Liverpool - they're still massive and they still have the greatest support in the world.

"Liverpool have got to forget what's gone before and concentrate on what's ahead of them.

"It's going to be difficult but I'd look at 1986-87 when Everton won the league and we came second. I knew we were a long way short. Kenny Dalglish knew that too and he brought in Barnes, Beardsley, Aldridge, Spackman and Houghton.

"That turned it around like you'd never believe. We went from not being nearly good enough to being a great side.

"Hopefully that can happen to this Liverpool side because they've got some great players. If they can just get two or three more in who can do a job."

England Beats Bangladesh

2010-05-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

England clinched an eight-wicket win over Bangladesh on the fifth day of the first test at Lord's on Monday.

Set a victory target of 160 after Bangladesh was dismissed for 382 in its second innings at the end of the morning session, England comfortably made it to 163-2, with captain Andrew Strauss hitting 82.

Bangladesh began the day on 328-5 _ with a lead of 105 _ but Steven Finn (5-87) and Tim Bresnan (3-93) combined to dismiss the tail. Junaid Siddique, who batted for more than four hours, impressed for the visitor with 74.

England lost Alastair Cook (23) and Strauss during the run chase but Jonathan Trott (36 not out) and Kevin Pietersen (10 not out) saw the team home.

England took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The second test begins at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Friday.

Given the hostility generated by James Anderson during the last five overs on Sunday, it was perhaps surprising to see England hand the new ball to Finn and Bresnan as it looked to wrap up Bangladesh's second innings.

After just two overs, Bresnan was replaced by Anderson at the Nursery end but it took 40 minutes for England to make a breakthrough. Finn in particular was struggling to keep his footing at the Pavilion end, where he repeatedly fell over.

Yet with the first ball of the 10th over, Shakib Al Hasan (16) tried to cut a ball from the Middlesex paceman and was caught by Eoin Morgan at point.

In his next over, Finn bowled a slower ball to Siddique, who was easily caught in the covers by Bresnan.

Finn claimed his third wicket in 15 balls an over later, when Mushfiqur Rahim (0) was caught behind by Matt Prior.

Mahmudullah was on 14 when he was dropped at third slip by Bresnan after edging a delivery from Anderson.

Bresnan atoned by claiming the final two wickets of the innings. He had Rubel Hossain (4) caught at second slip by Strauss and ended the morning session with a chest-high delivery that Mahmudullah (19) nudged to Prior.

England made a quick start to the run chase, with Strauss hitting four fours from his first nine balls.

Strauss had a narrow escape on 28 when he edged a Mahmudullah delivery through Siddique's legs, but England's progress was temporarily slowed when Cook was out lbw for 23 to the same bowler, bringing Trott to the crease.

Strauss reached his 50 off 50 balls in the 20th over but was caught by Mushfiqur Rahim off Shakib three overs before tea was due to be taken.

Successive boundaries by Pietersen took England to the brink of victory and Trott sealed it with a four to square leg.

Third Notice to Modi given By BCCI

2010-05-29T20:23:00.000-07:00

There is simply no respite for suspended IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi as the BCCI today served a third showcause notice on him over grant of theatrical rights and on the issue of advertisements in between deliveries during the telecast of IPL matches this season.

"A third notice has been served on Mr Modi over theatrical rights in IPL," BCCI sources said today.

The sources added that the 150-second airtime slot when the ball was not in play that the IPL had sold did not bring in the promised financial benefits to the Board and it was on Modi's suggestion that the 150 seconds was commercially exploited.

Modi has already been served two notices. The first notice was sent soon after the conclusion of IPL 3 after he was suspended from his post by the BCCI and the second one was served on May 6 based on an e-mail sent to the Board by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chairman Giles Clarke.

In his e-mail, Clarke levelled serious charges against Modi that the Board found "detrimental to Indian cricket, English cricket and World cricket at large."

On November 12, 2009, IPL had announced that Entertainment & Sports Direct (ESD) has made the highest bid of Rs 330 crore for its theatrical rights to matches in the league to be played in seasons 2010 through to 2019.

The deal would give ESD the exclusive exhibition rights for audiences in cinema halls, stadia, water borne vessels, buses, trains, armed service establishments, hospitals, bars, hotels, restaurants, airports, railway stations, shopping malls, offices, construction sites, oil rigs, clubs, auditoriums, spas, salons and other similar public venues, as per the announcement.

"Two bids were received for the theatrical rights tender from Triplecom Media and ESD. The theatrical rights bid by ESD was of Rs 330 crore which was the highest," the media release issued by IPL had said.

The reserve price for the bid has been set at USD two million per year, the only restriction being that a Multiplex cannot screen a match being played in that city on the day.

Modi had expressed his delight at the deal and said that "after a fair and transparent process, we have what we believe to be the best theatrical telecast deal for the Indian Premier League and its fans across India."

ESD, promoted by DAR Capital Group, an investment advisory and private equity firm, is a company focused on sports and entertainment related content acquisition for which it has signed up with UFO Moviez and Valuable Media for theatrical and public exhibition in India and key-global markets, a media release had said.

India Makes A Comeback Win Against Lankans

2010-05-28T20:21:00.000-07:00

Rohit Sharma hammered his second successive ODI century as India crushed Sri Lanka by seven wickets in their second match to put their campaign back on track in the cricket tri-series here on Sunday.

Chasing 243, India made a rather slow start and lost both their openers inside 10 overs before one-down Virat Kohli (82) and Rohit (101 not out) resurrected the innings to help India romp home with 6.3 overs to spare at the Queens Sports Club.

Earlier, the tidy Indian bowlers produced a disciplined effort to bundle out Sri Lanka for 242 after captain Suresh Raina had opted to field.

Today's win also marked Raina's first victory as captain.

Coming together in the 10th over, Kohli and Rohit added 154 runs from 168 balls for the third wicket to take the game away from Sri Lanka.

Rohit, who hit 114 against Zimbabwe in India's first match though for a lost cause, hit six fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 100-ball, his second ODI century in his 44th match.

He got a superb support from Kohli whose 82 came from 92 balls with the help of four boundaries.

After opening bowler Nuwan Kulasekara and Ajantha Mendis achieved early success by removing Murali Vijay (14) and Dinesh Karthik (18) respectively, the Sri Lankan bowlers were left high and dry with Kohli and Rohit stamping authority.

The duo initially dealt mostly in singles with occasional boundaries before opening up later on. They also did not allow the asking rate to jump over five.

Rohit took 60 balls to reach his fifty which came of a single off Ajantha Mendis in the 28th over and Kohli reached his seventh half-century an over later with a single off Dilhara Fernando.

Kohli, however, perished in the 38th over while trying to finish the game early. He came down the track to play a lofted shot off a Suraj Randiv delivery only to hole out to long-on fielder Dilhara Fernando.

When Kohli fell, India needed just 42 runs from more than 12 overs and Rohit ensured that they wrapped up the match without any hiccup.

Rohit took a four off Mendis in the 43rd over to reach his second successive ODI century while Raina hit the winning runs in the next over.

India, who lost their opening match against Zimbabwe on Friday, play the hosts again in their next match on Thursday at Harare Sports Club.

Earlier, save for Angelo Mathews (75) and captain Tillakaratne Dilshan (61), the Lankan batsmen struggled for runs under tight Indian bowling after they were put into bat.

The Lankan innings eventually folded for 242 in 49.5 overs with three of their batsmen running themselves out.

Except for rookie Umesh Yadav (1/61), all the Indian bowlers bowled tight spells with Ashok Dinda (2/44), Pragyan Ojha (2/44) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/49) taking two wickets apiece.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra was also economical, conceding 40 runs from his 10 overs though without taking a wicket.

The Lankans were dealt an early blow when Upul Tharanga (1) became the first to get run out.

After hitting an Ashok Dinda delivery to the covers, Tharanga was left stranded when Virat Kohli, who initially fumbled in collecting the ball, threw it accurately at the Lankan's end while he was attempting a third run.

Thilan Samaraweera (19) didn't last long either and was stumped by Dinesh Karthik while trying to charge at a Pragyan Ojha delivery.

Dilshan and Mathews then steadied the ship and put on 58 runs for the third wicket before the Sri Lankan skipper became the second Lankan batsmen to be run out.

Dilshan, whose 81-ball knock comprised four boundaries and a six, took off for a single after hitting Mishra to the square leg but rushed back after a couple of strides only to find himself short of ground as the bowler had dislodged the bails by then.

But Mathews held one end together with a gritty knock that included a couple of sixes and an equal number of fours. His prized wicket ultimately went to Umesh Yadav, who bowled him.

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja bagged two late wickets in Chamara Kapugedera (20) and Chamara Silva (5) to make sure that the Lankan innings never took off.

Thissara Perera's late 32-run cameo down the order did, however, help the Lankan to go past the 200 mark.

Zimbabwe Storms India to Defeat

2010-05-27T20:19:00.000-07:00

Rohit Sharma's maiden ODI century went in vain as a slipshod India slumped to an embarrassing six-wicket defeat against Zimbabwe in the first match of the cricket tri-series here on Friday.

Rohit's well-paced 114 and Ravindra Jadeja's unbeaten run-a-ball 61 had guided India to a decent 285 for five but the lack of sting and firepower in their bowling attack allowed Zimbabwe to romp home with 10 balls to spare.

Chasing the formidable target, Brendan Taylor (81) and Hasan Masakadza (46) gave Zimbabwe a rollicking start and down the order debutant Craig Ervine (67 not out) dazzled as the hosts cruised to 289 for four in 48.2 overs.

India play Sri Lanka in their next match on Sunday.

Zimbabwe's chase got off to a strong start with Taylor and Masakadza showing scant respect for their opponents and adding 88 runs in 13 overs.

Three Indians made their ODI debut today but neither Ashok Dinda, nor R Vinay Kumar or Umesh Yadav could make their presence felt as Taylor and Masakadza exposed the frailties of the Indian attack.

Taylor hit Vinay Kumar for two sixes and a four in the 10th over and the partnership was blooming with a 100-mark in sight when Amit Mishra's googly castled Masakadza.

Indian bowlers toiled for another 16 overs without any success before Jadeja trapped Graeme Lamb (27).

Taylor was looking good for a century but he fell to Vinay Kumar in the 35th over after a 103-ball knock that had four fours and two sixes in it.

Charles Coventry (32 off 25 balls) played like his wont, hitting Yusuf Pathan, Mishra and Vinay Kumar out of the ground before losing his stumps to the pacer.

Ervine, however, showed tremendous maturity in his debut match as he and skipper Elton Chigumbura (24 not out) completed the formality without any fuss.

Earlier electing to bat first, India were off to a smooth start with Murali Vijay (11) and Dinesh Karthik (22) forging a 56-run opening stand against the wayward Zimbabwean bowlers.

It was smooth sailing for the Indians till the ninth over when Vijay was run out which was a combination of Zimbabwe wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor's brilliance and the opener's laziness.

Vijay was ambling towards the batting crease when Taylor collected a Prosper Utseya throw in front of the wicket and flicked it back-handed onto the stumps.

Next man in Virat Kohli's was a scoreless stay as the vice captain, without facing a ball, was beaten by an Elton Chigumbura direct-throw.

Another four runs on the board and Karthik too was back in the hut, falling to Utseya and leaving India in a spot of bother at 61 for three.

Rohit stitched together a 67-run stand with skipper Suresh Raina (37) to steady the ship but it was his 132-run partnership with Jadeja (61 not out) for the fifth wicket that turned out to be the cornerstone of the Indian innings.

Rohit's 119-ball knock was studded with six fours and four sixes, while Jadeja's run-a-ball innings had five fours in it.

Even when Rohit and Raina forged a steady partnership that took India past the 100-run mark, Zimbabwe's slow-ball attack ensured boundaries were not easy to come by.

Paceman Chris Mpofu broke the partnership by removing Raina in the 30th over as the India captain rushed down the track only to guide a rising delivery to the wicketkeeper.

Rohit, however, continued the good work in Jadeja's company as the duo stepped on gas, asserting themselves on the hosts.

Rohit's century came in the 47th over when he hit Ray Price out of the ground for a massive six.

In the next over, Mpofu removed Rohit but Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan (11 off 5 balls) provided the late charge to take the score to 285.

For the hosts, Mpofu scalped two wickets for 63 while Utseya bagged one.

Afridi Ready for England Tour

2010-05-24T04:33:00.000-07:00

Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has made himself available for the Test tour of England after ending his self-imposed exile from the format.

Afridi, who captains his country in Twenty20 cricket, has not played a Test since 2006 and has spoken in the past of his unsuitability for the longer form of the game.

But he now looks set to put himself back in the frame in time to face England later this summer.

Afridi's decision will be a huge boost to a side who are currently without Mohammad Yousuf, Younus Khan, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, following a spate of suspensions by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Afridi said: "It was a very hard decision for me because I have wanted to devote more time to my family and playing all forms of the sport all the year round has not been my cup of tea.

"That is why I avoided Test matches, but after speaking to my family I have decided to resume playing Test matches because it is the need of the time."

The 30-year-old is currently appealing against a fine imposed by the PCB for his bizarre attempts to bite a ball in a one-day match against Australia, an act that also earned him a two-match ban from the International Cricket Council.

Butt on Fire

2010-05-23T08:18:00.001-07:00

Miffed at his dictatorial style of functioning, Pakistani senators today launched a verbal attack on PCB Chairman Ejaz Butt, saying that he must go.

"He is the cause of all problems and we would urge President Asif Zardari to spare Pakistan cricket from this man," Senator Humayun Akhtar said after a meeting with Butt here today.

During the meeting, Butt refused to honour a commitment from Wasim Bari, the PCB chief operating officer, that the Board would uphold its contractual terms with a construction company, involved in the construction of a new pavilion building at the Gaddafi stadium.

The PCB had refused to pay the amount demanded by the company which then took the case to the Senate Standing Committee on Sports for a resolution.

"On May 20, the PCB chief operating officer gave us in writing, commitments that they would resolve the issue with the company and pay them their dues. Butt didn't attend that meeting as he was not in the country
.
"Today when we called him he simply refused to accept the agreement and said the Board would not pay (the sum) to company. We don't understand what sort of institution is he running, it is a joke," Senator Tariq Azeem said.

Azeem said Butt was running a one-man show and this must stop as it was creating all the problems in Pakistan cricket.

"We want to know what steps the Board has taken to pursue suspicions and allegations about some of our players being involved in match-fixing. Why should the ICC be looking into this issue why is the board not conducting its own inquiry," Azeem said.

Senator Akhtar said that the Board should form its own judicial body to probe into the match-fixing allegations.

"We said it before that the Board must act on this issue but they have done nothing," he said.
Akhtar said that the Senators would be taking up the issue of match-fixing allegations with the chief patron soon and would ask him to order an independent probe.

In the leaked recordings of the PCB enquiry committee, former coaches Intikhab Alam and Aaqib Javed have reportedly talked about suspicions over the performance of Kamran Akmal and Rana Naved in some matches of the Australian tour early this year.

Meanwhile, the PCB appeals judge today asked Younis Khan to approach high court if the cricketer was not satisfied with the working of the appellate tribunal.

Justice (retd) Irfan Qadir, who is hearing the appeals of six cricketers against their bans and fines, adjourned hearing of Shoaib Malik appeal until May 29 and that of Rana Naved-ul Hasan to June 12.

The next hearing of Younis Khan's appeal is due to be heard on May 29.

Qadir had rejected Younis's appeal to conduct an open hearing and had also dismissed his request of suspension of his ban.

"If Younis is not satisfied with the way the appeal hearing is being held he has the right to go to the High Court," Justice Qadir told the media.

He said other players were not in favour of open hearing.

"The other players say that if the hearings are made open to the media it will result in more controversies and scandals and they are not comfortable with open hearings," Qadir said.

He further stated that he was keen to quickly dispose of the appeals of the players but the due process of law had to be followed.

The appeals judge also made it clear that he would not be summoning the members of the PCB inquiry committee for cross examination during the hearings.

"When the PCB is being represented by a lawyer there is no need to call committee members now. The lawyer is there to present the viewpoint of the board," he said.

He also pointed out that all available evidence material had been given to the players and their lawyers.

The PCB in March on the recommendations of its inquiry committee banned and fined seven players on various charges.

Exception for Muhammad Yousuf, who has announced his retirement from international cricket, all the other players have lodged appeals against the penalties.

New zealand wins comfortably

2010-05-22T22:44:00.000-07:00

Scott Styris finished with figures of three for 10 as New Zealand cruised to a 28-run victory over Sri Lanka in the first of two Twenty20 Internationals in Florida.
The Pearls Cup Series, which is taking place at Central Broward Park in Lauderhill about 30 miles from Miami, is the first time two full International Cricket Council members have played a series in the United States.
And it was New Zealand who took a 1-0 lead in the series after Sri Lanka lost six wickets for just 30 runs thanks to the efforts of Styris as well as Kyle Mills (two for 17) and Andy McKay (two for 20).
Neither side particularly impressed with the bat, Ross Taylor and Angelo Mathews top scoring for New Zealand and Sri Lanka respectively as both reached 27 with Kumar Sangakkara the only other player from the latter to reach double figures.
The Black Caps made 120 for seven from their 20 overs to set their opponents what appeared to be an attainable target.
Brendon McCullum and Aaron Redmond shared an opening stand of 25 before the former was caught by Mathews off Nuwan Kulasekara for 18, his 13-ball innings including two fours and a six.
New Zealand lost a second wicket with just two more runs on the board when Redmond was caught by Lasith Malinga off the bowling off Mathews.
Rob Nicol and Ross Taylor shared a stand of 24 before the former was bowled by Suraj Randiv for 10.
Ajantha Mendis claimed the first of his two wickets when he bowled Scott Styris (10), Taylor was run out after making 27 off 30 balls and when Martin Guptill became Mendis' second victim (10) New Zealand found themselves at 94 for six.
Nathan McCullum fell for nine but Daniel Vettori eked out an unbeaten 21 and Mills two as New Zealand completed their innings with Mendis finishing with figures of two for 18 off four overs.
Such a target did not appear out of reach for Sri Lanka but they made a dreadful start when opener Mahela Jayawardene was out without any runs on the board, caught by McCullum off Mills.
Tillakaratne Dilshan became Mills' second victim for six with the score on 20.
Kumar Sangakarra made 17 before Styris struck for the first time when he removed Mathews (27) as Sri Lanka reached 62 for four.
However, this heralded a collapse as Sri Lanka lost their remaining six wickets for just 30 runs with two deliveries left in their innings.
The team's contribution with the bat was especially disappointing with just Mathews and Sangakarra reaching double figures.

Players busy with girls - Afridi

2010-05-21T04:47:00.000-07:00

Pak T20 captain Shahid Afridi has alleged that some of his teammates were busy ogling girls and loafing around the boundary line, not giving their 100 per cent in the team's tour of Australia earlier this year.
The leaked video footage of Pakistan Cricket Board's investigations showed Afridi questioning the commitment of some of his teammates, even though he said all the talks about match-fixing is something he too has heard but never found any evidence of.
"Some of the players, once they have made some decent runs with the bat, would think their job is done and would go to field in the deep," Afridi was shown as speaking.
"There they would be busy chatting with the crowd, ogling girls and giving autographs. I have identified some players doing that. They just play for themselves," said Afridi, who was part of the team that lost five ODIs in Australia.
He was also critical of the then coach Intikhab Alam. "Coach told me to lead the team in the fifth ODI just 40 minutes before the match and put unnecessary pressure to win the toss.
"He said it would be all gloom and doom if we lose the toss. I interrupted him and asked why he was demoralising players even before the toss? Why it would be all gloom and doom even if we just lose the toss?" Afridi asked.
On whether some of his teammates were involved in match-fixing, Afridi said, "I can say that more than being beaten, we gave away those matches.
"About match-fixing, I too have heard but have no evidence," said the all-rounder.