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Watson destroys Bangladesh Bangladesh v Australia, 2nd ODI, Mirpur

2011-04-11T16:34:00.002+05:30

If the Bangladeshi batsmen had scored 20 more runs, Shane Watson would have on Monday become only the second player after Sachin Tendulkar to score a double hundred in one-day internationals.

The Aussie opener hit a world record 15 sixes to take Australia to a nine-wicket win over Bangladesh in the second ODI in Mirpur. Chasing 230 to win, Watson's 185 not out of just 96 balls ensured that the visitors got to the total in 26 overs.

Watson's 185 is now also the highest score by an Australian in one-day internationals, going past former opener Mathew Hayden's score of 181 against New Zealand in 2007. And his 15 sixes are three better than the previous record of 12 sixes held by West Indies batsman Xavier Marshall when he scored 157 not out from 118 balls against Canada in 2008.

Watson, promoted as vice captain, took more than a leaf out of his captain Michael Clarke's book. Clarke had hit a century in the opening game. Watson went into demolition mode from the first over as he smacked 14 runs from it. He, in fact, raced to 27 runs before his partner Brad Haddin had even faced a delivery. The first wicket partnership yielded 62 runs with Haddin contributing eight.

At one down, Ricky Ponting was happy to be a spectator as Watson stamped his class and intent over the proceedings. Watson's best hits came in the 22nd over when he dispatched left-arm spinner Suhrawadi Shuvo for four sixes on the legside.

Watson took 26 balls to reach his 50, 43 balls to reach his next set of 50 runs, and only 14 to get his third set of 50. He took another 13 balls to score the remaining 35 runs and was involved in an unbroken 170-run stand with Ponting that came off just 17.3 overs.

Amongst all this mahyem, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan bowled seven overs for 35 runs, while Shuvo went for 15 per over from three overs and Shafiul Islam went for 27 runs from his two overs.

Knew Malinga would be tough to handle - Sehwag

2011-04-10T23:53:00.000+05:30

The Delhi Daredevils batsmen crumbled against Lasith Malinga's fiery yorkers and clever variations in pace, something their captain Virender Sehwag had tried to prevent. His plan during the Delhi innings was to take the bulk of the strike against Malinga, a ploy that failed despite him playing out a maiden over against him. Sehwag was run out, and Malinga cashed in to finish with a five-for to bowl Delhi out for 95.

"This is the first time in the last ten years that I've played a maiden over," Sehwag said after the game. "I knew the other batsmen would not be able to pick Malinga. I thought I'd bat against him and let the rest take on the other bowlers."

Delhi have several new players in their squad, with Sehwag among the few who's stayed with the franchise following the auction. "I think I'm the only player in the team who's played the last three IPLs for Delhi, and there are ten debutants with me. So it will take time for us to gel and perform as a team."

Mumbai Indians captain Sachin Tendulkar, who made an unbeaten 46 in the chase, admitted the pitch was one of the more difficult surfaces to bat on. "I thought 135-140 was going to be a fighting total because the ball was keeping low," he said. "Adjusting to the pace of the pitch was going to be extremely important."

Apart from Malinga, whose performance he described as "spectacular", Tendulkar also praised Rohit Sharma, who looked good during his unbeaten 27. "He is a terrific and gifted player, and on a difficult track he played some brilliant shots. This season we'll have to wait and watch what he is capable of."

Pune Warriors flatten listless Punjab

2011-04-10T23:50:00.002+05:30

Subroto Roy, owner of the tournament's most expensive franchise Pune Warriors, watched his team's debut seated amid a group of models, who had plenty to cheer as Pune outclassed Kings XI Punjab at the DY Patil Stadium. Punjab were the cellar-dwellers of the previous season, and despite completely overhauling the squad, they turned in a performance that would have been expected from the deadbeats of 2010.

Even triple digits looked a long way away from Punjab, after the top six had failed on a track with plenty of bounce, before South African allrounder Ryan McLaren pulled off some big hits towards the end of the innings to ensure it wasn't entirely one-way traffic. That target, though, proved too tiny to trouble Pune's line-up of heavy-hitters.

Pune made an outstanding start to their IPL journey, taking wickets in each of the first four overs to leave Punjab gasping at 9 for 4. South African fast bowler Alfonso Thomas will be little known to Pune fans, but he removed the biggest name in the Punjab line-up in the first over - Adam Gilchrist walking after edging a short ball to the keeper. Thomas' new-ball partner Shrikant Wagh, a similarly low-profile bowler, also delivered, removing the second most dangerous Punjab batsman - Shaun Marsh whipping the ball to short fine leg.

After Dinesh Karthik holed out to third man, Punjab started a slow recovery before some amateurish cricket ended the stand between Sunny Singh and Abhishek Nayar. Both batsmen were ball-watching after Sunny punched the ball to wide mid-on, and he was more than halfway down the track before having to turn back. Instead of attempting to make his ground, he decided to berate Nayar instead, and though the fielder's throw was way off target, Pune still had plenty of time to run out Sunny.

Punjab were soon 45 for 6 before McLaren intervened. He was cautious early on as he re-built the innings with Piyush Chawla, with only 25 runs coming in a nine-over spell, and even at the end of the 18th over, the run-rate wasn't even five. It was only in the last two overs that McLaren showed his hard-hitting abilities, clubbing the ball over midwicket and glancing to fine leg as he plundered 22 to reach his half-century and slightly dent the party mood among Pune fans.

The first-ball dismissal of Graeme Smith also perked up Punjab. Mithun Manhas and Jesse Ryder, though, made sure there was going to be any dramatic turnaround. They put on 60 rapid runs, crashing at least one boundary in each over that they were together. Both fell in the space of five balls, but even that didn't throw Punjab off course as their most expensive batsmen, Yuvraj Singh and Robin Uthappa, came together. Some schoolboy fielding gave both Yuvraj and Uthappa a life each, and they clubbed three sixes in five deliveries to hasten the finish.

Allow Pakistan players back into IPL - Afridi

2011-04-08T22:13:00.000+05:30

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, has said called on the IPL to include Pakistan players with relations between the two countries steadily improving. Pakistan played India in the World Cup semi-final in Mohali, a game watched by Pakistan Prime Minister Yusuf Gilani on the invitation of his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh, who was also present. "It is high time the Pakistani cricketers also get a place in the IPL. For three seasons, including the current one, we haven't been a part of the IPL. We have no problems playing in India as we have just played a World Cup semi-final there," Afridi told PTI. Players from Pakistan featured in the inaugural version of the IPL but, following the Mumbai terrorist attack in November 2008 and its diplomatic fallout, they weren't picked by any of the franchises for the subsequent two editions, and will also not be part of the tournament that starts on Friday. "I am not saying I want to play the IPL but it could be a great platform for youngsters. They could make a mark for themselves," Afridi said. Afridi added the inclusion of Pakistan players in the IPL was an opportunity for both countries to improve relations. "Our PM responded positively to that invitation. Now IPL can be a platform to further ease the tension," he said. "We should play more against each other. This will not only ease the pressure but will also reduce the unwanted media hype surrounded with Indo-Pak matches."

Anirudha fifty takes Chennai to 153

2011-04-08T22:11:00.001+05:30

The focus finally shifted to the cricket in the IPL, after a year of legal battles and a Bollywood-filled opening ceremony. A partying crowd filled the MA Chidambaram Stadium, but the Chennai Super Kings batting didn't quite give them enough to cheer. Chennai's strong batting didn't make the most of a generous Kolkata Knight Riders' fielding performance and an innocuous bowling line-up, finishing on a just-about-adequate 153. Despite losing M Vijay in the first over, Chennai made rapid progress as Suresh Raina and S Anirudha toyed with the Kolkata attack, which didn't have a single world-class bowler. To add to Kolkata's worries, three catches were put down - two by Yusuf Pathan and a simple one by Eoin Morgan at deep midwicket. Anirudha greeted Jacques Kallis with three boundaries in an over, and Raina continued to be in the fluent touch he was in during the World Cup. The pair took Chennai to a strong 78 for 1 after 10 overs, before Raina fell attempting a slog sweep. That slowed the pace down, and despite a six each from MS Dhoni and Anirudha off an over from legspinner Sarajbit Ladda, only 43 came between the 11th and 16th overs.

Chennai needed some big hits towards the end, but a series of slower bouncers from L Balaji and Kallis kept the runs in check. Albie Morkel showed off his strength hitting down the ground, slamming a four and a six off the final two deliveries to lift the score past 150.

Dhoni the greatest Indian captain - Ganguly

2011-04-06T17:08:00.000+05:30

Sourav Ganguly, who led India to the final of the 2003 World Cup, has called MS Dhoni the greatest Indian captain. Dhoni led India to victory in the 2011 World Cup, with a crucial unbeaten 91 in the final against Sri Lanka and Ganguly said Dhoni's leadership record in each of the game's three formats spoke for itself.

"There can't be any doubt about it," Ganguly told Mid-Day. "Dhoni is the greatest captain of our country. His record is proof of that. Under Dhoni, India have won the Twenty20 World Cup and the Asia Cup. Under him, India have become the No. 1 ranked side in Test cricket. And now, we have won the World Cup. Obviously, he is the greatest ever captain to lead India."

Ganguly's pronouncement came a day after Sachin Tendulkar rated Dhoni as the best captain he had played under. Dhoni made his international debut under Ganguly, before becoming a key player under Rahul Dravid's captaincy. Eventually, Dhoni took over the reins of the side and Ganguly even played under him in the closing stages of his international career.

Ganguly said he was sure India would win the tournament once they got past their 2003 nemesis, Australia. "When they beat Australia in the quarter-finals, I knew India would win the World Cup," Ganguly said. "A lot of people thought Sri Lanka would win, but I was confident."

Vettori to lead Bangalore in IPL 2011

2011-04-05T23:19:00.002+05:30

Daniel Vettori who led New Zealand in the 2011 World Cup, has been named the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2011. Vettori, who was in the Delhi Daredevils line-up for the first three seasons, takes over from Anil Kumble, who has retired from the game, but will mentor the Bangalore team this year. Ray Jennings will continue to be the side's coach.

"Vettori is a hugely respected professional not only within his team but among his international peers as well," Kumble was quoted in the team's website. "His unique ability to get players to perform as a unit and deliver more than just the sum of their parts, as he has done time and again with New Zealand, will be a big asset to any team."

Jennings echoed Kumble's views on Vettori's leadership, and also touched upon his bowling abilities. "Vettori is probably the best spinner in the world at the moment and brings in tremendous skills that will be extremely useful on the Indian pitches," Jennings said. "We hope that he will inspire the young Royal Challengers as much with his performance as with his leadership skills in the upcoming season."

Bangalore had a disastrous 2008 season, when they finished seventh in a field of eight teams, but fared much better in the next two editions of the IPL. They were losing finalists in 2009, and finished third in the 2010 edition. They also qualified for the first two editions of the Champions League, but failed to win the event on either occasion.

"We are very excited for the upcoming season," Vijay Mallya, the owner of the Bangalore franchise, said. "Vettori is a highly experienced and respected leader and we hope to ride to the pinnacle of success this IPL under his leadership."

Meanwhile, Deccan Chargers have announced that Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara will lead their side in the IPL. Sangakkara swaps the leadership role with former Australia wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist who has taken over as the Kings XI Punjab captain. Australia batsman Cameron White will be Sangakkara's deputy, while Darren Lehman will continue to coach the Hyderabad-based franchise

Source: www.cricinfo.com

World Cup trophy lifted by Team India is a fake

2011-04-04T13:06:00.001+05:30

It was a moment cherished by a billion Indians on Saturday. The moment India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni lifted the glittering ICC WORLD CUP, ending a 28-year drought of World one-day championship wins for a cricket mad nation. But that moment may be irreparably tarnished, not just for Team India, but all Indian fans.

Because the trophy that captain Dhoni and his teammates so passionately kissed, hugged and adored - and millions of fans worldwide cheered - was a fake.

A mere replica, not the original. This has never happened in the 36-year history of the cricket World Cup.

Did the Indian players know that the cup that Sharad Pawar, president of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and India's agriculture minister, presented to them, the gold-and-silver trophy that President Pratibha Patil lovingly touched at a reception on Sunday, was not the real one?

Interestingly, a day before the final, Dhoni and his Sri Lankan counterpart Kumar Sangakkara had customarily posed with the same replica. And whether their teammates were aware of that? Chances are they were not.

The real trophy, valued at about $130,000 in money terms, but priceless for any cricket lover, was not at the Wankhede stadium, as the world had been led to believe.

It was rotting at a secure government godown, having been seized by the Mumbai Customs on its arrival from Colombo after the Sri Lanka-New Zealand semifinals on March 29.

The reason: The trophy, according to India's Byzantine customs rules, was not eligible for exemption from import duty! And a combination of bumbling babudom, and the ICC's bungling, ensured that it stayed under lock and key at the airport. Now, it will be flying back to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Dubai headquarters on Monday - without having once being actually touched by the team which had fought so hard to win it.

A top official of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and an ICC official confirmed that the trophy was going back to the ICC headquarters. "The trophy is being taken back to Dubai," said Suru Naik, World Cup tournament director (India). An ICC official confirmed: "The trophy is returning to Dubai on Monday."

The ICC, meanwhile, is getting in a tangle of mis-statements as it tries to desperately cover up its bungling. The ICC spokesperson insisted that the real trophy is never presented to the winning team, and that only the replica is presented to the winners.

But photographs of Australia captains Steve Waugh (1999) and Ricky Ponting (2003, 2007) receiving the original trophy, which was instituted in 1999, prove otherwise.

The base of the original trophy has names of all the winners since 1975 engraved on it while the one presented to Dhoni at the Wankhede Stadium had a blank black base.

A customs official at Mumbai's Chhatrapati International Airport confirmed the shocking development, and added a fresh twist to the sorry tale. "The ICC has been insisting that the trophy which came on the flight from Colombo (after the Sri Lanka-New Zealand semi-finals on March 29) is a replica of the original World Cup trophy that is already at the Wankhede Stadium," he said on Sunday.

So, if the original trophy was indeed at the Wankhede Stadium, then why were ICC officials desperate to have the 'replica' released from the customs. What would they have done with it by taking it inside the city? And if the real trophy was at the Wankhede, why wasn't it presented to Dhoni? These questions remain unanswered.

"ICC officials told us that that this trophy has no commercial value as it is used for promotions only. However, when examined by a valuer, the trophy was estimated to be worth Rs 60 lakh or so, made of pure silver and gold. The payable customs duty is about Rs15 lakh. If it is a replica, then does it have to be exactly of the same value as the supposed trophy?

Moreover, the ICC letter that the official was carrying said that it was the World Cup trophy. Nowhere did the letter say that it was a replica and it should be let out," the official said.

Interestingly, the department of revenue of the finance ministry had issued, "in the public interest", a notification (No. 7/2011-Customs) on February 9, 2011, to allow certain items to be imported. It listed five broad categories with specific conditions, but there is no mention of the 'World Cup trophy' in the list. It includes "sport equipments; medical instruments; photographic and audio-visual equipment and supplies; broadcast equipment and supplies; computer and other office equipment".

While BCCI and ICC officials are trying to play down the issue, government officials blame the BCCI for all the confusion. "It is clearly a lapse on the part of the ICC or BCCI. They should have added the words 'World Cup trophy' while applying to the government for customs exemption," a senior tax official said. "Moreover," he added, "why couldn't ICC and BCCI, which are extremely rich, pay the customs duty? The duty would be peanuts for them."

The Prudential Cup was the trophy that was presented in the first editions, from 1975 to 1983, when the Kapil Dev-led Indian team won it.

In 1987, it was called the Reliance Cup after the sponsors, as the tournament moved out of Britain for the first time .

In 1992, a crystal trophy was presented to Pakistan captain Imran Khan. In 1996, it became the Wills Trophy and in 1999, the ICC instituted a permanent trophy.

Cricket World Cup: Angelo Mathews ruled out of final

2011-04-01T18:45:00.001+05:30

ICC Cricket World Cup final: India v Sri Lanka
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Date: Saturday, 2 April Start: 1000 BST Coverage: Live Test Match Special commentary on BBC 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 LW and BBC Sport website from 0930 BST; highlights on BBC Two (2325), Red Button/website (2200), Freeview (2230); text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobiles; live on Sky Sports

Mathews helped Sri Lanka beat New Zealand in the semi-final
Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews has been ruled out of the World Cup final with a thigh injury, while India seamer Ashish Nehra is a major doubt.

Mathews has been replaced in the squad by off-spinner Suraj Randiv.

Nehra is likely to miss Saturday's Mumbai showpiece after injuring the middle finger of his right hand in the semi-final win over Pakistan.

Spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is set to defy injury in the hope of a fairytale ending to his Sri Lanka career.

The 38-year-old, who has a record 1,331 international wickets, has been struggling throughout the tournament with hamstring, knee and groin problems.

But there seems little chance of him missing out on the opportunity to bring the curtain down on his international career by helping his country win the World Cup for the first time since 1996, when Sri Lanka stunned the cricket world by beating Australia in the final in Lahore.

Highlights - Sri Lanka through to final (UK users only)
"Chances are good that Murali will play," said Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss. "He completed 10 overs in the semi-final, and such is the character of the man that he will play even with discomfort."

Muralitharan, who claimed a wicket with his last international delivery on home soil in the semi-final victory over New Zealand in Colombo, needs three more to equal former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath's World Cup record of 71 wickets.

Mathews, 23, suffered a right thigh injury while fielding during Tuesday's semi-final.

Batting with a runner, he helped Sri Lanka clinch a five-wicket victory with an aggressive 14 not out.

"Angelo is one of our very important players," Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said on Friday before Mathews was ruled out.
"But if he's not there he's not there. The player who replaces him will consider it a big opportunity to do well for his country on this magnificent occasion."

Randiv, who has been cleared to replace Mathews in the squad by the International Cricket Council, has 22 wickets in 21 one-day internationals and could provide spin-bowling cover for Muralitharan.

But Mathews' absence leaves paceman Lasith Malinga as the only seam bowler remaining from the semi-final - so back-up seamers Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara and Dilhara Fernando will be in contention, although without Mathews to bat at number seven, the length of the Sri Lankan tail will be a concern.

Meanwhile, India captain Mahendra Dhoni said no decision had been made whether Nehra would be replaced in the team by an additional seamer in Sreesanth or a second spinner in Ravichandran Ashwin.

"The Mumbai wicket usually has a bit of bounce and a third seamer gives me the option to manoeuvre the attack," he said.

"But if we feel there could be turn in the wicket as the game progresses, Ashwin will come into the picture. It helps to have such good options."

Dhoni said left-handed batsman Gautam Gambhir was fit to play after recovering from a minor hamstring strain he developed while fielding against Pakistan.

In the first all-Asian final, all eyes will be on India batsman Sachin Tendulkar who is targeting his 100th international century in his home city.
The 37-year-old is playing in his sixth World Cup, and will be desperate to help his team land the trophy it has only captured on one occasion, in 1983.

The "Little Master" scored two hundreds in the group stage and looked on course to reach the 100 century landmark in the semi-final before he was dismissed for 85 following an uncharacteristically scratchy knock in which he was dropped four times.

"Going back to Mumbai, especially for this event, is a wonderful occasion," said Tendulkar. "All I want to say is, we want to be calm, focus on our job and get the job done."

In the build-up to the final, Dhoni paid tribute to Tendulkar, who made his India debut as a 16-year-old in 1989.

"God has made Sachin to play cricket," said Dhoni. "He has been doing it for 21 years and a few more years to come."

With India the marginal favourites to win the trophy, Sangakkara is hoping the weight of expectation could tell on their players.

"Everyone in the world expects India to turn up tomorrow and win this game," he said.

"We have to understand the fact that India for the last year or two years have been tagged as the favorites by almost everyone to win the World Cup.
Dhoni is playing down the pressure on his team.

"We are not thinking about tomorrow's game as a final, for us every match is a challenge and just as important," he said.

"These matches are called by different names like quarters, semis and final. In the end you have to play the same way and do the right things to succeed.

"Of course we realise this is a World Cup final. It can't get bigger than this, but our preparations have to be the same."

Saturday's match will be umpired by Australia's Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar of Pakistan.

Taufel has been named international umpire of the year five times the presence of Australia in the last three World Cup finals has prevented him from officiating in the sport's biggest single match.

A massive security operation has been mounted for the highest-profile sporting event to take place in Mumbai since gunmen attacked the city in November 2008, leaving 174 people dead.

"We will be overdoing it a bit," said Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik. "But it's better to be on the safe side. The stakes are high."

India (from): Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Dhoni (capt & wk), Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sreesanth, Yusuf Pathan, Piyush Chawla.

Sri Lanka (from): Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Chamara Kapugedera, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando, Suraj Randiv.

Umpires: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) & Simon Taufel (Australia)

Model committed to strip if India wins final

2011-04-01T12:06:00.002+05:30

MUMBAI: She is all of 20 and ready to strip for Team India. Mumbai-based model Poonam Pandey wants to keep her commitment to bare all if India wins the World Cup. Pandey told TOI on Thursday: ''Of course, I am going to do it. But where? I can bare all wherever they want. It can be inside the players' dressing room or even in the stadium.'' Pandey insisted she has got overwhelming support from the people of India. ''They are encouraging me. Even my parents are proud of me because I am doing something for Team India. They have no issues with my going nude.'' When told that nudity is considered an offence and that she may get into trouble, the model said: ''I am going to take permission from BCCI. I really don't want to do anything that is against the law.'' Her friends and colleagues on Facebook, though, requested that she must strip with or without BCCI's permission. Fellow model Shweta Sharma posted: "Poonam has to bare all even if BCCI says no. Please don't give an excuse saying I will go nude only if they agree". Pandey said daring to bare is the best way to cheer team India after their win. Her Facebook status says: "I am a New Generation Girl!!! Anything for my country to get home the World Cup. So INDIA cheer with me that we need 1983 World Cup BACK." Pandey has been one of the most searched persons on the internet in the past two days.

India v Pakistan, 2nd semi-final, World Cup 2011, Mohali

2011-03-29T23:05:00.002+05:30

Beyond the hype this contest can perhaps be best viewed through the prism of the two captains. Shahid Afridi is the passionate, exhibitionist leader who doesn't mind showing his emotions on the field. He will shout, cajole, plead, laugh, roar and feel every pulsating moment of the contest. It's exactly what this Pakistan team needs after all those controversies, someone who can remind them of the school-boyish joy that this game can provide.

MS Dhoni is the uber-cool captain and, while he can be vocal while dealing with the press, he is almost invisible on the field. Silent nods of appreciation, a quiet word in the ear, calm instructions, a shrug of the shoulder is all you will get from him. And again, it's what this star-heavy team needs. Someone who can be calm and remind them of the basics of the game.

Pakistan - who told their players they could be here in the semi-finals? - almost renews itself with each crisis. That's how it has been always: Controversies. Paralysis. Rebirth. Success. And more controversies. This was a big tournament for the survival of Misbah-ul-Haq, in the middle of a great comeback. In a sense, the spot-fixing saga and its sordid aftermath was actually a blessing in disguise since it paved the way for his return. For Younis Khan, too, survival instinct, as a batsman facing a dip in form before the tournament, would have helped in dealing with that crisis. Playing his last tournament, Shoaib Akhtar knew this was the time to let his game do the talking. And for that man Afridi, mentally almost perennially young, this was the best chance to dazzle on the biggest stage. He has taken that chance and led the team with great passion. Kamran Akmal lives and breathes in amnesia. Bad memories don't haunt him - who else could have recovered so well after that nightmarish effort against New Zealand?

And yet nothing much has changed with the way they play cricket on the field. It's still the bowlers who win the games for them. For all that is mercurial about them, Pakistan have lost just one game in this tournament.

India have occasionally limped, at times choked, sometimes dazzled, before beating Australia to reach to the semi-finals. The progress card has the bowlers in the red, the batsmen guilty of not finishing the job, and the fielding has always been almost beyond redemption. Their mode of progress should actually have freed them up in some ways. The batsmen must have realised that they can't try too hard to cover up for their bowlers' weakness, by trying to pile on too much, with the batting Powerplay pulling the rug from under their feet a few times. The bowlers showed they are learning from the serial hiding by putting up a pretty disciplined effort against Australia. In some ways, the pressure must be off them, as not many would be surprised if they leak 300 runs.

It's the batting India depend on. Is there any chink in it barring those Powerplay debacles? Gautam Gambhir hasn't been at his personal best - were he playing at his optimum, he would have rendered Virat Kohli superfluous at No. 4. Yet Gambhir's slightly iffy form has made Kohli vital in that middle order. Prior to the tournament, it was felt that Kohli would be a misfit in the lower order, where Suresh Raina and Yusuf Pathan would be more dangerous, and that he might be wasted even further up. But Gambhir hasn't been at his fluent best and India have turned to Kohli to take them through the middle overs. Gambhir has always raised his game against Pakistan and his form will be crucial on Wednesday as it would then give the middle order the licence to attack.

Watch out for...

Virender Sehwag In the past few games Sehwag has - curiously, for a batsman so wonderfully innovative as him - tried to hit every spinner through the off side. He would back away and try to drive, slice or cut and has fallen a few times in the process. Pakistan might well have a spinner bowling at him early and it will be fascinating to see whether Sehwag will retain that off-side bias or be more inclusive, and open, in his approach.

Umar Gul's yorkers: After Lasith Malinga, Gul has probably the best control over the yorker in world cricket today. There have of course been days when the radar has been awry but more often than not he has got them right. The Indian lower middle order will be fully tested by the yorkers, slower ones and the bouncers that he loves to bowl.

Sachin Tendulkar v Abdul Razzaq: Bowlers like Hansie Cronje and Razzaq, more than the Umar Guls and the Shoaib Akhtars, have been reasonably successful against Tendulkar. Cronje used to tease Tendulkar with deliveries shaping away from a length outside off while Razzaq specialises in the opposite: he slides the ball back in, looking for that lbw. He hasn't always had success, but it will be a mini-battle worth watching. Will Tendulkar opt for all-out attack or will he bat with relative care against Razzaq?

Zaheer Khan v Kamran Akmal: Kamran loves to square drive and Zaheer has been able to bend the ball back in to the right-hand batsmen this tournament with the new ball. This contest should be fun.

Umar Akmal v spin: India will rely a lot on the slow bowlers during the middle overs, and Umar is the middle-order batsman who loves to attack spin. He has laid into the likes of Daniel Vettori on the tour of New Zealand and is always itching to cut and slog-sweep.

Team news

The signs are that Ashish Nehra is likely to replace Munaf Patel. Even Yusuf Pathan has been sweating it out in the nets raising speculations that he might push R Ashwin hard for a spot in the team. Ashwin has been really good in the games he has played and has added some teeth to the attack while the nature of the pattatrack has made India think about bringing in Yusuf.

India (probable): 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Suresh Raina, 8 Yusuf Pathan / R Ashwin, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Ashish Nehra

Pakistan are thinking of playing three seamers. The choice of the third seamer is between Shoaib and Wahab Riaz. Afridi said Shoaib wasn't 100% fit today but a decision will be taken on the evening preceding the match.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Saeed Ajmal / Abdur Rehman, 10 Umar Gul, 11 Wahab Riaz / Shoaib Akhtar.

Pitch and conditions

It's a batting pitch but what's eating up everyone is the dew factor. Read here for a report on the pitch.

Heavy storms, lightning and rain lashed Chandigarh late on Tuesday evening, immediately adding a light shroud of doubt over the game. For the whole day there were no signs, not even a hint of rain playing a spoil-sport but around 9PM, there were rumbling sounds of thunder accompanied by high-speed winds. The velocity of the winds were so strong that the heavy iron barricades manning the team hotel were blown away.

The weather forecast for Wednesday suggests sunshine during the day with minimal chance of heavy rain. Punjab Cricket Association officials said that they had studied the forecasts for the period ending March 31 and there was "zero precipitation" expected. In simple terms, there were no strong rains expected on the day of the match.

Stats and trivia

Afridi is the first bowler in World Cup history to take four wickets in a match on four different occasions in a tournament.

MS Dhoni is the only wicket-keeper captain who has played in 100 ODIs.

Zaheer Khan is the second Indian bowler after Javagal Srinath (44 wickets) to take more than 40 wickets in World Cups.

Quotes

"I feel I have been batting really well. It is just that in some situation I could not bat flamboyantly. If you bat at 5, 6 or 7, and if the top order does really well, it does not give opportunity to lower-order batsmen. The last game was an ideal game where I could have got a bit more runs which were needed at that point of time. So form has been a worry it is just that sometimes there were not many opportunities and when there was an opportunity and there were times I was not able to score in a particular game".

MS Dhoni on his own batting form

source : www.espncricinfo.com

Sri Lanka beat New Zealand to reach in finals of ICC World Cup 2011

2011-03-29T22:32:00.003+05:30

Sri Lanka Beat New Zealand & Reach in Finals of ICC WORLD CUP 2011

WILL MACH AGAINS INDIA / PAKISTAN IN FINALS AT MUMBAI

New Zealand innings (50 overs maximum)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	MJ Guptill	b Malinga	39	65	3	0	60.00
	BB McCullum†	b Herath	13	21	1	1	61.90
	JD Ryder	c †Sangakkara b Muralitharan	19	34	2	0	55.88
	LRPL Taylor	c Tharanga b Mendis	36	55	1	0	65.45
	SB Styris	lbw b Muralitharan	57	77	5	0	74.02
	KS Williamson	lbw b Malinga	22	16	3	0	137.50
	NL McCullum	c †Sangakkara b Malinga	9	9	0	1	100.00
	JDP Oram	c Jayawardene b Dilshan	7	9	1	0	77.77
	DL Vettori*	not out	3	3	0	0	100.00
	TG Southee	c †Sangakkara b Mendis	0	3	0	0	0.00
	AJ McKay	b Mendis	0	2	0	0	0.00
	Extras	(lb 5, w 6, nb 1)	12

	Total	(all out; 48.5 overs)	217	(4.44 runs per over)

Sri Lanka innings (target: 218 runs from 50 overs)		R	B	4s	6s	SR
	WU Tharanga	c Ryder b Southee	30	31	4	1	96.77
	TM Dilshan	c Ryder b Southee	73	93	10	1	78.49
	KC Sangakkara*†	c Styris b McKay	54	79	7	1	68.35
	DPMD Jayawardene	lbw b Vettori	1	3	0	0	33.33
	TT Samaraweera	not out	23	38	2	0	60.52
	LPC Silva	b Southee	13	25	2	0	52.00
	AD Mathews	not out	14	18	1	1	77.77
	Extras	(lb 2, w 10)	12

	Total	(5 wickets; 47.5 overs)	220	(4.59 runs per over)

Live on Willow TV World Cup semi-finals: Sri Lanka vs New Zealand,

2011-03-29T13:23:00.003+05:30

Sri Lanka and New Zealand will go in search of a semi-final slot when the pair tackle each other in the ICC Cricket World Cup in Colombo.

New Zealand created a massive upset when they beat South Africa in the quarter-finals, while former champions Sri Lanka thrashed England by ten-wickets to book their slot.

The Kiwis captain Daniel Vettori says the team is proud of their achievement against South African, but warned his side it must quickly put that game behind them and focus on the dangerous Sri Lanka.

“We need to move on pretty quickly from the South Africa game,” the versatile spinner said.

“We are proud of our achievement but we have to concentrate on this game now.”

Following their win over England, where the batsmen dominated, skipper Kumar Sangakkara says Sri Lanka is ready for the next challenge.

“The expectations are always there, that’s not something that we can control,” he said.

“What we really want to do is to make sure that when we go out, we stay in the moment and we concentrate on what we have to do and make sure our focus is 100%.”

Sangakkara also praised the performance of openers Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan who hit an undefeated partnership of 229 on Saturday in the win over England, but admits those performances don’t come around too often.

“There’s no room for complacency at all and there’s no chance of that happening in anyone’s minds.

“The main reason it seemed an easier match than we expected (against England) was because our openers put on a magnificent performance – those kind of partnerships don’t come round too often.

“Tomorrow is the only day that counts at this moment. It’s a new game – it’s nothing to do with England, we are starting from square one.”

Likely Sri Lanka team: Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath, Ajantha Mendis, Murali Muralidaran.

Likely New Zealand team: Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Scott Styris, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori, Jacob Oram, Tim Southee, Daryl Tuffey.

Ricky Ponting quites captaincy for ODIs, and Test matches

2011-03-29T11:12:00.004+05:30

Ponting steps down as captain
Teams: Australia

Ricky Ponting has stepped down as Australia's captain in Tests and ODIs following their quarter-final exit from the World Cup but will be available for selection as a batsman in both formats. Ponting made the announcement at the SCG on Tuesday, and backed Michael Clarke to take over the leadership of the team.

Ponting said the World Cup exit had prompted his decision and that "no one has tapped me on the shoulder asking me to go."

"I have resigned as captain of both the Test and one-day Australian teams. I will continue to play and am available for selection in both the one day and Test teams," Ponting said. "I have thought long and hard about what Australian cricket needs. Now is the right time for the next captain to assume the responsibility for both the Test and one-day teams. We have to be doing everything we can to win back the Ashes in 2013-14 and the World Cup in 2015. It is highly unlikely that I will be still playing so it is the right decision for Australian cricket that the next captain now be appointed. This will give him the opportunity to create his own direction and legacy.

"Today is a new start for me and I am very excited about the future. I will give my complete support to our new captain and continue to do my best to set the best possible example for my team-mates and emerging cricketers alike."

Ponting expressed his desire to travel to Bangladesh for three limited-overs matches next month. The team for the tour will not be named until Wednesday, but Ponting's announcement should allow Clarke to assume the captaincy on the tour, before difficult assignments against Sri Lanka and South Africa later in the year.

On his arrival home from an unsuccessful World Cup defence, Ponting had said he was prepared to give up the captaincy and also move down the batting order if it was in the interests of the Australian team. With the benefit of a day's reflection, he decided that now was the best time to go. At 36, Ponting believed he can still enjoy the type of renaissance that has sustained Sachin Tendulkar in recent times.

Ponting held the Australian Test and one-day captaincy since he took over from Steve Waugh. He led Australia in 77 Tests of which 48 were wins, the most for any captain. He also captained Australia in a record 228 ODIs and won 164, including two World Cups in 2003 and 2007. Ponting's fortunes as captain, however, waned along with those of the team as a series of retirements weakened its resources. His Test captaincy culminated in the 3-1 home Ashes defeat in 2010-11 and his one-day reign ended after the elimination from the World Cup.

Sri Lanka V England, World Cup 2011 Won By 10 Wickets

2011-03-27T11:55:00.004+05:30

R Premadasa Stadium became only the fourth ground to have hosted 100 ODIs. Yet it is a much-maligned venue, and not without reason either. It was actually a surprise that they kept playing ODIs under lights here, with the side batting first at an obvious and a significant advantage, what with the evening moisture and the ordinary floodlights deciding most of the games between evenly matched sides at the toss. The last time 230 was chased here was six-and-a-half years ago, a statistic that speaks for itself.

However, for the year and a half running into the World Cup, they stopped playing here. As they renovated the stands, they also tried to figure out what they could do to address that imbalance. They realised that because the ground is in a low-lying area, the moisture comes up in the evenings and assists seam movement. So they raised the square by three-and-a-half feet, and also installed new, improved floodlights. Hosting a World Cup is a matter of prestige, and nobody would have wanted two unfair knockout matches in Sri Lanka.

It was natural that the statistics were thrown around in the lead-up to the match. "Toss crucial," ran the headlines around the world. Meanwhile Sri Lankan players told anybody who would listen that things had changed, a glimpse of which was shown in how they had looked comfortable chasing 278 against Pakistan before losing their way. It was fitting then that on the big day the home side lost the toss, and put in a supreme performance to not only chase and win, but chase and win comfortably at that.

Of course they didn't win because batting second was easy. Batting was still a bit difficult; 230 was still a good target on a low and slow pitch, in a high-pressure World Cup knockout game. And they didn't win because they just batted well; their bowling was superb for the conditions, never mind the three dropped catches. More importantly, for all of England's tenacity - and they were tenacious even today for 70 overs - Sri Lanka had enough class to fall back upon and pull the opposition back. Don't forget that Muttiah Muralitharan was one of the most expensive bowlers on either side, and yet - except during the partnership between Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan - Sri Lanka never really looked in trouble.

Shrewdly they opened the bowling with Tillakaratne Dilshan, knowing England would be circumspect with their third different opening combination of the tournament. Dilshan, a smart cricketer, gave the openers little pace to work with, and by the time he was taken off, England had the uninviting prospect of facing 30 overs of specialist spin out of the 42 remaining. England played Muralitharan well, getting to the pitch of the balls and dabbing, paddling, reverse-paddling him for ones and twos. Then came a period when the game seemed to be running out of Sri Lanka's butter fingers. Three catches went down, a chance to challenge a not-out lbw call was missed, and England looked good to get even 260, which would have seriously challenged Sri Lanka, evening or no evening.

England called for the batting Powerplay at 182 for 3 after 42 overs, with set batsmen in the middle who had added 87 in 15 overs. Kumar Sangakkara called for Lasith Malinga. Malinga needed one loosener before firing in three yorkers followed by a slower ball that accounted for Morgan. The fielders woke up again, with Dilshan and Chamara Silva not allowing twos in the outfield and Malinga and Ajantha Mendis not allowing boundaries. Andrew Strauss admitted later that they were not allowed to play well by "a very good side".

Putting Dilshan and Upul Tharanga together at the top of the order has been Sri Lanka's biggest ODI investment over the last two years. Dilshan had been a middle-order batsman, and to persist with Tharanga, the team management has had to fight undue outside pressures to bring Sanath Jayasuriya back. Both were bold moves, and both have paid off: in 32 attempts the two have added 2023 at an average of 65.25, incidentally surpassing tonight the Jayasuriya-Tharanga combine to become the third-most prolific opening combination for Sri Lanka.

It was evident why they work so well together. When Dilshan struggled for timing in the first half hour, it was Tharanga who took the initiative and cut Tim Bresnan and lofted Graeme Swann. There was a clear understanding that Dilshan could throw things away if the runs didn't come fast enough, and that's where Tharanga came in. Once Dilshan got in, he took charge of the scoring, and in synchronicity they moved towards their centuries.

The freedom with which they batted proved two things. The Sri Lankan bowlers were much higher in quality, and the conditions weren't as tough as it seemed when England batted. There was the aggressive intent that is necessary to score runs on these pitches, something neither England's technique nor their loss of wickets allowed them to do.

Not long into the Sri Lankan innings, the stands turned into a party. The steel bands blared in every stand, the people danced, exaggerated defensive shots from Dilshan ensured there were enough runs left for Tharanga to get to his century too. Amid all that, a ground was possibly sent on redemption path too.

New Zealand Defeated South Africa in World Cup 2011

2011-03-25T23:06:00.003+05:30

Oh South Africa, what have you done? Earlier this month Graeme Smith tweeted an article titled 'Time to ban the 'C' word'. Hold on to that thought Smith, for clearly that time hasn't come yet. South Africa were cruising at 108 for 2 in the 25th over when Jacques Kallis fell and they crash-landed spectacularly to be shot out for 172. The self-destructive streak was demonically masochistic in nature and it will perhaps require shrinks to understand this dramatic denouement. Once they realised their opponents were cracking under pressure, New Zealand went in for the kill, with close-in fielders and disciplined bowling, led by Jacob Oram who took four wickets and a great catch.

Even when Kallis fell, to a blinder of a catch from Jacob Oram, rushing to his left at deep midwicket, there wasn't much to suggest that this could turn into another contender for all-time greatest choke in World Cup history. The pitch was slow but there was no sharp turn; the bowlers were disciplined but there was no sensational game-breaking spell; none of the three spinners got much purchase from the wicket; and the total was below par; but for some reason South Africa were feeling extremely claustrophobic.

Their nerves were best represented by the dismissal of JP Duminy, who played an awful shot to open the choke gates. Nathan McCullum slowed up the pace on a delivery that landed on a length, outside off, and Duminy went so hard into an ugly cut that he ended up dragging the ball on to his stumps. With Duminy's fall, South Africa were in a spot of bother at 121 for 4, in the 28th over, and the first signs of something special loomed over Mirpur.

There was more heartbreak for South African fans in the next over. Faf du Plessis hit straight to midwicket and ran like a headless chicken. AB de Villiers should have perhaps refused that call, but he responded, only to find himself well short of the crease. It was at this moment that New Zealand really sensed that this could be their night. And they moved in for the kill.

The moment was so ripe that even Daniel Vettori, not known for sledging, gave some lip to du Plessis. Even Kyle Mills, who had carried drinks on to the field at the fall of de Villiers, got into the act. A visibly agitated du Plessis shoved Mills, the departing de Villiers returned to support his partner, and eventually the umpires had to get involved. New Zealand's players swooped in to the crime scene and it was a classic Youtube moment. You could almost feel the pressure-cooker situation out there.

New Zealand crowded the bat with close-in men, ready to sledge and eager to pile on the pressure, and Johan Botha cracked in the 33rd over. It was a lovely legcutter from Oram and Botha played down the wrong line to lose his off stump. Oram, who was the man who started it all with that Kallis catch, wasn't done yet. In the 35th over, he lured Robin Peterson into edging an attempted cut to the keeper and South Africa were swaying away like drunken men at 132 for 7. South Africa's nerves were frayed further when Dale Steyn square drove Nathan McCullum in the air to backward point, where who else but Oram accepted the offering.

If Oram was the man in the forefront of New Zealand's resurgence, du Plessis was the man seeking redemption for making that wrong call that led to the run out of de Villiers. In his brief international career, he has already shown that he has the tenacity to remain relatively calm under pressure. And he wasn't ready to throw in the towel. He was on 14 when Steyn fell, and he took ownership of the chase. He rushed down the track to slam Tim Southee to the straight boundary in the 40th over, on drove Vettori to collect another four in the 41st, and even lifted Oram for a thrilling six over long-off in the 43rd over.

It was in the same over that the game turned for one last time, and it was also an over that captured the entire madness of the evening. du Plessis had crashed the first delivery of the over back at Oram who couldn't hold on to a very difficult chance, and once the six was hit, one had to ask the question: was the night turning for Oram? Was it swinging towards du Plessis? But du Plessis sliced the fifth ball straight to extra cover and South Africa had well and truly sunk into oblivion.

The end was a far cry from the way South Africa started the day. They attacked with spin and seam, shuffled their bowlers regularly like a pack of cards, and hustled on the field to keep a tight leash on New Zealand. Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor were at the forefront of a revival from the depths of 16 for 2; carefully, almost mindful of a potential lower-order collapse on this pitch, Ryder and Taylor battled through. The odd boundary signalled growing comfort, but they never broke away decisively. A nervy equilibrium had been reached by the end of the 30th over with New Zealand reaching 112 for 2 and the game was waiting to be seized. However, both Ryder and Taylor departed in quick succession but Kane Williamson made a vital 38 to push New Zealand to 221.

It shouldn't have been enough, it didn't feel like enough, but it proved enough. It was a crazy crazy night in Mirpur. Ironically, Allan Donald, the man who was involved in the other famous South African choke, was in the other camp tonight.

Ricky Ponting says Australia were not good enough to finish India off

2011-03-25T17:58:00.003+05:30

It was an epic victory in front of an ecstatic crowd, which allows the Indian dream to live on. Even the ICC chairman, Haroon Lorgat, defended the choice of Mumbai for the final by saying it allowed Sachin Tendulkar the appropriate final. So much for Olympian objectivity.

There will be some dramas of Bollywood proportions in the days to come. But on Thursday night the attention dallied on the proud Australian captain. Even he was prepared to acknowledge that this was "probably" his last World Cup match — the next tournament will not be for another four years.

But inevitably Ricky Ponting was asked that question again. What of his future as a player and as a captain? "I've just got a hundred. I've led the side pretty well. We'll see what happens." Neither the defeat nor the hundred changes the position he held 24 hours before. Like Tendulkar, the astonishing thing about Ponting over the years has been his hunger for the game.

Unlike many professionals, he really likes playing cricket. It may well be that he is prepared to do an unAustralian thing and play under his successor. It may be that he expresses an eagerness to focus solely on Test cricket. It is unlikely that he will resign or retire. That is not his way. They can sack him if they want to.

After hitting a hundred in the sapping 40-degree heat of the afternoon Ponting was electric for another three and a half hours in the field. Only after the match was over did his shoulders sag a little as he began to look his 36 years.

"We gave it a good crack," he said. "But we came up a bit short. Whenever we got a partnership going we lost a wicket. And we weren't able to go as hard as we would have liked at the end. We would have liked 280.

"We were in with a chance at halfway but we were not good enough to finish it off. We didn't bowl as well as we could in the middle overs."

Ponting had promised that he would play in the "Australian way" in this match. In the field he had no other option such is the nature of his attack.

"It was important that we kept attacking when [Suresh] Raina came in. We needed to get a wicket."

Instead the runs flowed from the left-hander's bat and the match ran away from the Australians. Yuvraj Singh, who allied with Raina in the critical 74-run partnership that saw India home, admitted: "The pressure was something else especially when playing against Australia. It is so special to beat the three-times world champions."

A relieved MS Dhoni, the India captain, also spoke how well this pair mastered the pressure. He explained that the selection of Raina ahead of Yusuf Pathan was to ensure that India batted for 50 overs for a change.

"Raina is technically more sound than Pathan," Dhoni said. He was also candid about his side's fielding. It may not have been as good as Australia's but he said: "We can't field better than that. We must have saved about 15 runs."

By Indian standards that is a real bonus.

I am playing this tournament for a special person

2011-03-25T16:19:00.002+05:30

"For the first time in my life there have been claps in a press conference. I am sure this is a special moment for me, guys." Yuvraj Singh made a telling opening statement. The whole media room was in splits. For the next 17 minutes Yuvraj played the role of entertainer effortlessly, his answers laced with wit and charm.

It was difficult to imagine the man sitting there as the same one who had fought doubts, conditions and the formidable Australian fast bowlers and stood tall and strong for one-and-a-half hours to eventually take India into the semi-finals. Still, it was not entirely a surprise; Yuvraj has now been named man of the match in four of India's seven matches so far this World Cup, so he must be getting used to it.

"I've been batting really well since the England game," Yuvraj said. "The plans are working for me: trying to work till the end, trying to hit the ball down the ground into the gaps. I just kept telling myself to bat till the end, stay till the end."

With 12.3 overs left, 74 runs required and just one specialist batsman in Suresh Raina for support, Yuvraj was left to hold the Indian innings together and take it past the finish line. The Aussies were steadily closing in, having picked up the wickets of Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni in quick succession.

Yuvraj had come up with an all-round performance in India's 80-run victory against West Indies last Sunday. His 113 in that match was his first century since June 2009. It was a knock of determination, as he fought hard to stay on his feet in the Chennai heat while suffering from dehydration; he even threw up a few times while batting. Later in the evening he returned to pick up two wickets to expedite the Indian victory.

Even in the earlier matches in the tournament, he had restrained his attacking instincts admirably to stay put, and brave India through tense moments in victories against Ireland and Netherlands after the main batsmen had lost their way easily. Coming into the quarter-finals, Yuvraj had run the whole gamut of experiences, which only helped him survive the high-pressure situation at Motera, which he said had drained the players both mentally and physically.

On Thursday, he turned up match-fit and was one of India's best bowlers with two top-order wickets and followed it with an unbeaten 57, an innings he described as one he had built in his dreams exactly a year ago. "The emotions, I really can't explain them, because it was tough out there. From last year I have been dreaming of playing Australia in a crucial game. I don't know why Australia; probably because they are three times world champions. I'd been thinking about this moment for the last 365 days and it actually came true. I just believed in myself, I envisioned that moment from time to time: me staying there till the end and hitting the winning runs for India. So it is a very emotional moment for me."

There were a few jitters, especially the child-like indecisiveness between him and Gambhir while going for tight singles. Gambhir fell victim to one such moment of confusion and was run out. Yuvraj accepted his role in the mix-up. "It was a bit of a mishap with Gautam. We haven't batted too much together and the running between the wickets was just out of order. And I think it was my mistake and I apologise."

It was not an isolated incident, as there was immense pressure on both teams. Experienced hands like Brett Lee failed to come through when Yuvraj and Raina began turning the screw on the Australians, at the start of the final eleven overs of the match. Lee had taken the wicket of Dhoni in his previous over, but in the 40th, the pair took him to the cleaners, with Yuvraj hitting two scorching boundaries.

In the next over, Shaun Tait was wayward and gave away 13 runs. Those two overs proved to be one of the catalysts of India's win, but Yuvraj said it was not a planned counterattack. "It was very difficult to control the emotions because the heartbeat was racing in the pressure situation. If we made one mistake in a situation like today we would be out of the World Cup. Various thoughts run through your mind, but I decided that I would only watch the ball, keep it simple and as far as possible not hit in the air. Unless the asking rate peaked to seven-and-a-half, only then I would go for the big hits; till then I would hold back."

Yuvraj revealed that there was a driving force behind his recent success, a person he will unveil if India make the final on April 2. "I am playing this tournament for a special person. That special person always comes into my mind whenever I am in a pressure situation. Hopefully it will work out in the end."

Not only was he a bit secretive, he even turned philosophical about his good work against Australia. "You have a lot of thoughts [in the mind while batting] but whenever you want to desperately do it for your country and your team it somehow works out. It is great it is working at the right moment in the World Cup. It is a great victory for us."

Yuvraj had planned for every eventuality. On the eve of the match, he was the last batsman to face throwdowns from coach Gary Kirsten. Yuvraj knew the Australians would fire a lot of short-pitched stuff at him to unsettle him. "I just wanted to concentrate on hitting everything down the ground while leaving out the short balls."

That planning came to fruition on Thursday. He checked his shots and emotions till the victory stroke was unleashed. Once the job was done, he came crashing and sliding down on his knees, the way football players rush to the flag after scoring a goal. Then he let out a victory roar. A little later, he trotted out the jokes.

Kallis and Boucher boost South Africa

2011-01-05T21:45:00.001+05:30

The threat posed by India's bowlers on a pitch with cracks that were widening, rough areas that were worsening and bounce that was becoming increasingly variable, was severe during the first session. Jacques Kallis, however, was simply immense, for the second time in this deciding Test. Batting with a strained side that restricted his movement and caused pain, Kallis led South Africa forward, run by determined run. He lost four partners, but eventually found support in Mark Boucher, who was in desperate form, and led South Africa from danger to a competitive total that's still growing.

South Africa had lost 2 for 2 last evening, 2 more for 12 early this morning and were struggling at 64 for 4. They toiled for 69 runs during the first session for the loss of three wickets as Harbhajan Singh threatened, while Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan contained with disciplined lines. Kallis, having begun his vigil in the second over, fought through it all. He lost Ashwell Prince too after lunch but Boucher, after taking advantage of the most wayward bowling of the day from Ishant Sharma, settled down to play an innings of immeasurable importance. As India's intensity, and Zaheer's in particular, faded remarkably, Kallis and Boucher added 82 runs to stretch South Africa's lead past 200 and will resume the job after tea.

Harbhajan's two strikes in three overs late on the third day had indicated that the fourth would be his stage. He entered in the second over and had immediate impact. He looped the ball into the rough, located on a good length just outside the right-handers off stump, and the bounce and turn was of a degree Harbhajan had not managed in recent memory. He struck Alviro Petersen, who played back, on the pad with a sharp offbreak and had broken through with his fifth ball. In his next over, Harbhajan spun one into Amla and the ball beat the attempted sweep and deflected off the arm on to the stumps.

Enter Kallis. Harbhajan was bowling with a short leg, leg gully, midwicket, square leg and a man in the deep. The off-side field was sparsely populated so Kallis, using incredible skill, began to reverse-sweep. He was playing against the turn, against the bounce but used the stroke effectively, collecting boundaries through point and third man. He then countered Harbhajan by staying back, moving across, playing extremely late and taking the bottom hand off the bat while fending the ball down on the leg side.

Harbhajan had support from Sreesanth and Zaheer initially. Sreesanth went through a phase when he tried to bounce Kallis and suffered but it was brief. He quickly reverted to the tight line outside off stump with seam movement away from the right-hander.

AB de Villiers struggled to score against this line from Sreesanth. Zaheer too kept him quiet, with balls that angled in from round the wicket before seaming away off the pitch. It was the one that came back in that got the wicket. de Villiers was late in pulling his bat out of the way and the ball cannoned off the bottom edge to uproot off and middle stump.

Kallis continued to battle, the bowling and his injured side. When he pressed forward to one delivery from Harbhajan that spat up at him, he had to jerk to fend it down. He did so successfully, but was clutching his side in pain and laid down on the ground. He needed considerable attention before he was able to resume.

After lunch, Kallis came back with unshaken resolve. The same couldn't be said for India. Ishant Sharma was lucky to get Prince with a short and wide delivery that was slashed to point but his lines against Boucher marked the beginning of the momentum switch. Boucher glanced two deliveries down leg side to the boundary and slapped one wide ball through covers. Ishant's lines and lengths were so erratic that MS Dhoni had no choice but to take him off.

Harbhajan continued to turn the ball and the odd one jumped but his attack became predictable and Boucher soon got used to it. Kallis had got used to it long ago. India's biggest concern, though, was Zaheer, who returned for a two over spell an hour after lunch and bowled at speeds between 115 and 120 kph. He moved the ball but at harmless speeds.

South Africa's lead passed 150, Kallis became his country's highest run-scorer for a three-Test series, and when he straight drove Ishant to the boundary to reach his half-century, the Newlands crowd loved it. They could have more reason to cheer soon, for Boucher was unbeaten on 46 at tea.

source: Cricinfo

The IPL Mess : BCCI lose appeal

2010-12-27T20:12:00.003+05:30

BCCI lose appeal against disciplinary committee stay

A division bench of the Bombay High Court has rejected the BCCI's appeal challenging the order staying the board's disciplinary proceedings against former IPL chairman Lalit Modi until January 10, 2011. The board's lawyers argued that the next round of hearings scheduled for December 27 and 28 should be allowed to continue, but the bench comprising Justice Abhay Oka and Justice UD Salvi disagreed, according to a statement sent to ESPNcricinfo by Modi's attorney, Mehmood Abdi.

Modi had filed a case claiming that the committee, which is made up of BCCI vice-president Arun Jaitley, current IPL chairman Chirayu Amin and Jyotiraditya Scindia, was improperly appointed, and asked for the Court to stay the hearings. On December 25, Justice Kathawala held that prima facie there was an argument for halting the proceedings, and issued the stay order.

Modi has repeatedly challenged the composition of the committee, particularly objecting to the presence of Amin and Jaitley on the grounds of bias against him. His case was rejected by the Bombay High Court but the Supreme Court told the board and Modi in October to come to a compromise on the issue. However, the two sides have failed to do so and the case is still pending.

North dropped, Michael Beer in Test squad: Australia

2010-12-10T10:49:00.000+05:30

Australia v England, 3rd Test, Perth

Marcus North, Doug Bollinger and Xavier Doherty have been axed, and Australia's selectors have sprung a major surprise by naming the little-known spinner Michael Beer in their 12-man squad for the Perth Test. Phillip Hughes has been picked to replace the injured Simon Katich, while Steven Smith is a strong chance to play after no other specialist batsman was named to replace North.

Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus are also likely to come back in to the side in what could be a four-man pace attack with Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle, who the selectors considered the best of the bowlers in the Adelaide loss. But it's the inclusion of Beer that will raise eyebrows, especially with Nathan Hauritz fresh from a first-class century and five-wicket haul for New South Wales.

"Michael Beer replaces Xavier Doherty in the squad," Australia's chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch, said. "Michael is a left-arm orthodox spinner who has been very impressive at domestic level this year. He took wickets against England in the tour match earlier this summer and we expect he will bowl very well against the English on his home ground."

But Hilditch's comments seemingly ignore the fact that the WACA has been Beer's home ground for only a few months, after he moved from Victoria during the off-season. He has played only three first-class matches at the ground and in his five first-class appearances, all of which have taken place this summer, he has 16 wickets at 39.93 with a best of 3 for 39.

Beer, 26, is a left-arm orthodox bowler who plied his trade in Melbourne club cricket until the end of last season, when he moved to Western Australia in an attempt to launch his domestic career. Against the touring England side last month he 3 for 108 and 2 for 99, and the chances of him winning a place in the starting XI for the third Test must be slim.

One man who will definitely play at the WACA is Hughes, who is not in his best form but was still considered the most likely replacement for Katich, who will miss the rest of the series with an Achilles tendon injury. The pressure on Hughes will be increased after Australia altered the balance of their squad by leaving out the specialist batsman North.

North has had a disappointing start to the Ashes campaign and the strong batting form of Brad Haddin makes it likely that the wicketkeeper will move up to No. 6 with Smith at No. 7. Smith has played two Tests, against Pakistan in England in July, when he was chosen as a legspinner in the absence of the injured Hauritz, and if Beer doesn't play he will be the lead slow bowler in Perth.

"Steve Smith replaces Marcus North in the 12-man squad," Hilditch said. "This is obviously disappointing for Marcus who has played some outstanding Test innings for Australia but it was felt to be the right time to bring the exciting prospect Steve Smith into the Test team. Steve has already had success at international level and will also add to the bowling depth with his leg-spin bowling and dynamic fielding.

"Doug Bollinger has been omitted from the squad. Both Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus did not play in Adelaide but will be strongly considered for selection in the Perth Test match where conditions will suit them. Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle were the pick of our quicks at Adelaide Oval and these four make up the pace attack for the Perth Test match.

Squad Shane Watson, Phillip Hughes, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Michael Beer, Ben Hilfenhaus.

Six Lankan cricket players injured in Lahore attack

2009-03-03T11:44:00.000+05:30

Six Sri Lankan cricket players have been injured in a firing in area around Liberty Market near Gaddafi stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. Among those who have been injured are Ajantha Mendis, Tharanga Paranavitana, Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

They have been taken to hospital in the citya.

According to the team manager, the shooting took place when the team was heading for the third day's play in the second Test against Pakistan.

Meanwhile, five policemen have been killed in firing between police and unidentified gunmen.

The entire area around Liberty market has been cordoned off.

"We are assessing the situation," Pakistan cricket board chief Ejaz Butt said.

In Sri Lanka, Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge said two players, Tharanga Paranavitana and Thilan Samaraweera, had been taken to hospital in the city.

Rajasthan win a last ball thriller

2008-05-27T13:53:00.000+05:30

The semi-final hopes of the Mumbai Indians suffered a jolt with the table-toppers Rajasthan Royals scoring a spectacular last ball win in their Indian Premier League match in Jaipur on Monday.

The home team, needing 15 to win in the final over, got two off the final delivery to cruise home by five wickets and also preserved their unbeaten record at home.

The win was Rajasthan 11th in 13 matches and moved their points tally to 22 while it was Mumbai’s seventh defeat in 13 matches, their third straight.

Chasing 146 for a win, the Rajasthan Royals were in dire straits at 77 for five after the 12th over.

Kamran Akmal (18), Swapnil Asnodkar (17), Shane Watson (18) and Mohammad Kaif (12) all failed to convert their starts as Mumbai looked on course to score yet another win over the Rajasthan team (Mumbai had beaten Rajasthan earlier).

But Ravindra Jadeja (23 not out) and Niraj Patel (40 not out) not only put on 69 runs in an unbeaten sixth wicket partnership but ensured their perfect home record was intact in a tense finish. It was Mumbai’s third straight defeat in a close match.

Earlier, Sohail Tanvir (4 for 14) and Sidddharth Trivedi (2 for 31) led a disciplined Rajasthan Royals bowling attack and shared the spoils to restrict Mumbai Indians to a modest 145 for 7.

Trivedi accounted for Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya to put the brakes on Mumbai Indians while Tanvir rocked the visiting middle and lower orders to deny their opponents, who badly need a win to stay afloat, a big total.

Electing to field first, the Rajasthan bowlers tied down the Mumbai openers Tendulkar and Jayasuriya on a slow Sawai Mansingh stadium pitch which was not easy for batsmen to play shots and odd balls keeping low.

It was an unusual sight of two of the best contemporary cricketers having against their names more number of balls than runs and failing to impose themselves on the bowlers in the format considered to be batsman-friendly.

The duo scored just 28 from the first five overs bowled by Sohail Tanvir, Shane Watson and Yusuf Pathan, and 60 at the end of 10th over.

However, thanks to wicketkeeper Yogesh Takawale, who came at number eight and scored an unbeaten eight-ball 24 runs, which included four 4s and a huge six, that the visitors added some more runs to the paltry total.

Jayasuriya opened up in the seventh over off Pankaj Singh by taking 13 runs from it which prompted Shane Warne [Images] to introduce himself in the 10th over to the eager anticipation of the huge crowd of a spin champion taking on his old nemesis Tendulkar.

Warne did not have much impact in his first over but the run glut forced the Mumbai opening duo to look for big shots and from one such effort in the 11th over Jayasuriya could not time properly a Siddharth Trivedi delivery to hole out to Pankaj Singh for 38 which the Sri Lankan made off 37 balls with the help of four fours.

Trivedi struck two overs later with Tendulkar offering a return catch to the young bowler and with that Mumbai were dealt a body blow.

The Mumbai captain struck only two fours in his 34-ball 30 and when he departed in the 13th over his side was scoring at a rate of just over six an over.

Two down Robin Uthappa perished for three while trying to accelerate the innings and missed completely a Warne turning ball while charging down and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal did the rest to give his captain his only wicket of the match for 30 runs.

Miserly Sohail Tanvir then added salt to Mumbai injury by taking two wickets in consecutive balls when he trapped Abhishek Nayar LBW for 25 and dismissed Shaun Pollock for a duck in the 17th over.

Manish Pandey, however, denied Tanvir success from the Pakistani pacers hat-trick ball, his second in the tournament but the damage had already been done with Mumbai reduced to 107 for 5 at the end of 17th over.

A pumped up Tanvir, who has world best Twenty20 figures of 4-0-16-6 in his name in an IPL match at the same ground, had the satisfaction of cleaning up Pandey for 3 and then sending Dwayne Smith to the hut for eight in the penultimate over to restrict the vistors to less than 150.

IPL: Star wars in the dressing room

2008-05-27T13:50:00.000+05:30

IPL NEWS: When big money and big names are associated with something, egos are bound to clash. Same is the case with IPL. After the slapgate incident and Mallya voicing his displeasure, there is an apparent rift in the dressing room of the Knight Riders..

WITH THE Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 tournament steaming full speed ahead, towards its final, it can be safely said that it has, so far, succeeded beyond everyone’s expectations. In terms of organisation, barring the lights going out at Eden Gardens, it has been mostly glitch free. The crowds have dutifully come in huge numbers for most of the matches and everyone is having an extended cricket party.

We have had lots of exciting (the purists may not agree) cricket, some spectacular failures (Royal Challengers) and generous amounts of eye candy in the form of the imported cheerleaders and the Bollywood celebrities. Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta have been in constant attendance and with them have come a host of other Bollywood stars, political stars (Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi) and the big names from the world of business. Thus, we have seen Nita Ambani whole heartedly cheering her team on and the cherubic Mukesh Junior waving the team flag.

IPL has also succeeded in providing international exposure to the new players. It has been a pleasure to watch the players from various nationalities bonding well and playing together towards the victory of their teams. The Aussies, who had such strained relationship with the Indian team just a few months ago, have emerged as the super achievers of the tournament, playing like complete professionals. Glenn McGrath has been an exemplary role model. The camera has caught every smile and every frown on his face as he rejoices when he plays well and chides himself when he doesn’t.

As with any tournament of such breadth, the controversies also have come thick and fast. Some have been serious in nature (Sreesanth-Bhajji Slapgate) and the others just political posturing (Thackeray’s rant against the inclusion of Pakistani players). Vijay Mallya famously sacked his team’s CEO, Charu Sharma, and aired his grievances very publicly. Mukesh Ambani, like a consummate businessman (with very very deep pockets), has left the team affairs to its managers and confined himself to occasional appearances at the matches. Preity has been a great cheerleader who has cheered her team along with her beau Ness Wadia but without making a great fuss about her star status. Her team has probably benefited from this non interference and after a disastrous start, has gone from strength to strength. And then there is King Khan.

From day one he has been at the forefront, cheering his team along and making stadium full of spectators swoon with his star charisma. He has danced, done the Mexican wave, blown kisses and punched the air with his fist at every victory of his team. He has been there for them even in their defeats and has sweated over each lost opportunity.

As the series has progressed, Khan has moved from the stadium bleachers to the edge of the field, to the dugout and then on to the field to hug all the players. Predictably, his increasing and very public involvement with his team’s affairs has brought controversies in its wake. First, the authorities saw red when they found Shahrukh snuggled cozily next to his team’s players in the team’s dugout. They objected to his continued presence in the team’s dressing room and in the dugout saying it was prohibited under the International Cricket Council (ICC) rules. It helps to have the chairman of the IPL, Lalit Modi, as your partner in the team’s ownership and after Shahrukh famously fumed on television he was granted permission to ‘dance’ all around his team anywhere he chooses to.

Khan though a genuine lover of sports and an incredibly energetic star has, perhaps, erred on the side of excess. It is undeniable that he brings great energy and an infectious enthusiasm to the IPL matches that he attends but he needs to be a tad careful about how much he lets his star presence loom over his cricket team. Already there has been news in The Times of India about not all being well between him and Sourav Dada. Though unconfirmed, there is news of his undue interference in team affairs. Dada is not happy about Khan declaring that the coach will take all the decisions for the team in the next season. Dada has always had difficulties with the team coaches (remember Greg Chappell) and he is unlikely to take this new Khan diktat lying down. Though Dada has denied all news of strained relations with Khan, the media is reading a lot into his non attendance at a press conference to announce Knight Riders’ tie-up with a website.

More serious, however, are the reports that Khan wanted the team to field first in the last Knight Riders match against Chennai but Dada went ahead with his plans to bat first. Eventually, the Knight Riders lost by three runs on Duckworth-Lewis rule following a rain interruption. Khan is reported to have been extremely upset about the whole thing. If there is truth in these reports then it is a serious thing. Khan trying to tell a team captain what to do in a cricket match is like Dada coming on a film set and telling Khan how to emote and how to sing and dance in a film role. Team ownership should not be seen as a carte blanche for interference in cricketing decisions. Imagine what it would do a team’s camaraderie and morale if they learn that their captain himself has to dance to a team owner’s tune. Shahrukh, perhaps, needs to introspect and step back a bit so that the respect and position of the team captain is not eroded.

His love for the game notwithstanding, IPL is a business venture for Khan and the other team owners and they all would want good returns on their investments,

but surely this is not the way to go. Khan may have doggedly won his way into the team dugout, but is it really a victory? To me it smacks more of a display of his power. After all, what is it that he needs to say to his team players that can only be said by sitting in the dugout? These are mostly professional players who know what to do to win a match. Khan would have us believe that if he were not there in the dressing room, hugging the players (and hogging all the limelight) then his player’s morale would collapse like a house of cards. This is utter nonsense. Shahrukh would do better to dance and sing for the spectators benefit and leave the cricketing decisions to the captain and the coach.

Ishant and Irfan have Australia reeling

2008-02-17T10:58:00.000+05:30

Yet another sterling new-ball performance from Ishant Sharma, and some good support acts from the rest of the seamers, rattled Australia's top order on a belter of a pitch in scorching Adelaide.

Choosing to bat first on a featherbed of a pitch, Australia were struggling at 79 for 5 at the halfway mark with Ishant and Irfan Pathan snaring two wickets apiece. Like in Melbourne, Australia lost half their side with less than 75 on the board and the sight of Gilchrist hammering his bat against the dressing-room walls summed up the frustration.

Ishant dismissed two dangerous batsman - the in-form Adam Gilchrist, who inside-edged onto his stumps, and the explosive Andrew Symonds, chopping straight to gully. He clocked up a serious pace, going beyond the 152kph mark on one occasion, and extracted good bounce from what was essentially a batsman's paradise. He sussed up the conditions early and struck a perfect length, one that didn't allow the batsmen to get onto their front foot.

He could have had Matthew Hayden early on as well, beating him on four occasions without striking the edge. Unlike Sreesanth, who offered the left-hand openers plenty of room, he cramped them for space and troubled with bounce. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bring him back for a second spell at the start of the third Powerplay paid dividends: he struck with the wicket of Symonds to solidify India's position even further.

The support cast did a fine job. Munaf Patel, playing his first game since August last year, managed good bounce from the surface while Pathan moved the ball enough to deliver the sucker punch. Munaf ensured that Ponting's poor run continued - forcing him to chip straight to Rohit Sharma at point - while Pathan lured Hayden and Hussey into indiscreet drives, watching the ball bob up to an elated Dhoni.

Michael Clarke, doubtful for this game, was now under pressure to lead them to a position of respectability. Australia are yet to beat India in the CB Series and it will be up to Clarke and the rest of the lower order to ensure the trend doesn't continue.

Australia 1 Adam Gilchrist, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 James Hopes, 8 Brad Hogg, 9 Stuart Clark, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Nathan Bracken

India 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Gautam Gambhir, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 6 Yuvraj Singh, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Sreesanth, 10 Munaf Patel, 11 Ishant Sharma

It is just not cricket

2008-01-18T12:01:00.000+05:30

When we played cricket as boys, there was one unspoken rule — never mess with the guy who owned the bat. If an umpire declared him out and he said he was not out, you took his word. Every once in a while tempers did boil over and the boy with the bat would threaten to walk away (with the bat). And then in the larger interests of the game a compromise would be reached and the game would go on.

The sequence of events post the infamous Sydney Test have a very strong parallel to those bygone days. There is no doubt that the umpiring was sub-par and for years Indians will believe that we were done in. Bucknor already had the boy with the bat, the world’s richest and arguably most powerful cricketing body, BCCI, seething with anger.

Then just when we thought the match was heading for a draw a part-time bowler took three wickets in four balls and sent India cascading to defeat. And when Harbhajan Singh receiving a three-match ban for using a racial slur, Mr Bat-owner, said enough is enough. He grabbed his bat and threatened to walk right back home.

The threat was nothing more than calculated bluster for Mr Bat-owner to dictate the terms of the game to the governing body of the game, the ICC. The demands were simple enough: No more Steve Bucknor; suspend the ban on Bhajji till the series is over; and appointment of an additional match referee in Ranjan Madugalle. The demands have been met and Mr Bat-owner has agreed for the cricket to continue. The ICC, Incompetent Cricket Council, as always is patting itself on the back, for the part it has played in ensuring the tour goes on.

However, lost in all this posturing and ugliness are the larger issues that this entire incident has thrown up. For starters where does this leave umpires? Sure, Steve Bucknor has had a history of dubious decisions against India, but this was known before the series began. If the BCCI and Anil Kumble had no faith in him as an umpire, the ICC should have been told before the series began that Bucknor was unacceptable. Removing him now is akin to casting aspersions on his integrity. It is tantamount to saying that Bucknor does not meet the standards set by the ICC after having umpired over 120 tests. Had the West Indies still been a force to reckon with, there is a good chance that they might have strongly protested against such a blatant attack on the integrity of their countryman.

If Harbhajan Singh’s mother argues that her son is not a racist, one can be sure that Bucknor’s mum would say that her son is not biased either. Worse still, it means that the experiment with neutral umpires is all but over. For if teams can and will dictate who the men in white should be while they are playing, there is no question of neutrality.

This is likely to give rise to a dangerous trend of umpires being made the scapegoat for a few bad decisions rather than teams accepting that an umpire could have a bad day as well. And if that is the future then it is best that the ICC, instead of subjecting umpires to such humiliation, does away with the field umpire and leave it all to a TV umpire, who can can have the same luxury as fans and commentators of replays, snicko and hawkeye to make decisions. Sure, it will make the game longer than ever before but poor umpires will be spared humiliation from rich superstar cricketers and couch potato fans.

Robin Uthappa to get Rs 3 lakhs

2007-10-26T15:52:00.000+05:30

The Kerala government today decided to award Rs 3 lakh to Robin Uthappa, member of the Indian Cricket team that won the ICC Twenty/20 World Cup, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said today.

Talking to reporters after a cabinet briefing, Achuthanandan said Rs. 5 lakhs had already been announced for S Sreesanth, who hails from Kerala.

Though Uthappa's family was settled in Bangalore, his mother hails from Kozhikode in Kerala.

Kerala govt to award Robin Uthappa Rs three lakh

2007-10-26T15:44:00.000+05:30

Kerala government on Wednesday decided to award Rs three lakh to Robin Uthappa, member of the Indian Cricket team that won the ICC Twenty/20 World Cup, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan said on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters after a cabinet briefing, Achuthanandan Rs Five lakh had already been announced for S Sreesanth, who hails from Kerala.

Though Uthappa's family was settled in Bangalore, his mother hails from Kozhikode in Kerala

Damien Martyn joins Indian Cricket League

2007-09-01T16:39:00.000+05:30

SYDNEY, September 1: Former Australian middle-order batsman Damien Martyn has become the first Australian to sign up with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). According to the Sydney Morning Herald , an official announcement on Martyn's new venture is expected to come as soon as Sunday. Sources close to ICL confirmed that Martyn had signed up for a month-long Twenty20 tournament, proposed for India in October. It is believed he will earn about 305,000 dollars if he commits to the tournament for the next three years. Martyn had originally rejected advances from ICL when it was nothing but a concept being mooted by disgruntled Indian media giant Zee TV, which recently missed out on India's billion-dollar television rights. The 35-year-old shocked the cricket world by retiring abruptly after the second Test against England late last year, walking away from the game completely and becoming a cricketing recluse. He played 67 Tests, with his average falling from a high of 51 following the New Zealand tour in early 2005 to 46 when he retired. Martyn and a number of other Australians, including Justin Langer, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were vigorously pursued by former Test batsman Dean Jones, who has been appointed ICL's operations manager. Langer, who has retired from international cricket, but will continue to play with Western Australia, rejected the offer outright. However, Warne and McGrath are still understood to be considering offers worth about 610,000 dollars a year, although Warne has become cool on the idea following a backlash from India's cricket board, the BCCI, and the International Cricket Council. Brian Lara became the first big name signing and more recently ICL announced that it had 60 cricketers on its books, although most are Indian domestic players. The biggest name still playing is Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf, who is rated the second best Test batsman in the world at the moment behind Ricky Ponting. Three other Pakistan internationals - Abdul Razzaq, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Imran Farhat - have also signed up with the ICL, although the board has not made any approaches to them.

Flintoff tells the world he is back with a wicket and a scream

2007-08-22T23:36:00.000+05:30

Andrew Flintoff threw back his head and screamed at the night sky like a werewolf. In his comeback match and his first home one-day international for two years he had already bowled heroically fast. But now, with the third ball of his sixth over, he had a wicket and he wanted to shout it to the world.

The first man to congratulate him, inevitably, was Kevin Pietersen. But Flintoff, his reverie unbroken, screamed on and was heard even above the din of a packed Rose Bowl. He did not bat yesterday and took only one wicket, that of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, yet his impact on this England team was immeasurable. He conceded only 12 runs from his seven fiery overs and in one over every delivery was measured at above 90mph. He was not exactly feeling himself back into cricket.

Until then Jimmy Anderson had appeared England's best bowler, achieving little swing in the chilly dampness but bowling fast enough to trouble India's batsmen. He took four wickets, including his 100th in ODIs, but afterwards it was Flintoff who won special praise from the captain, Paul Collingwood. "Freddie was fantastic," he said. "He's a world-class player and I'm glad to have someone like that back. You could tell by the way he was running in . . . The areas Freddie bowls in and with that kind of pace makes it very difficult to score. The opening bowlers did such a good job and then we had Freddie to come on straight after. That put them under a lot of pressure."

Collingwood described it as "one of England's best performances for some time. The way the batters went about it, being positive all the way through the innings, building a good base, the way the bowlers went out there, the plans that we had, the catching, the fielding . . . it was just a very good performance. India are a very good one-day side but it can be a hard game if you're put under pressure and that's what we did tonight."

This was only the ninth ODI at the Rose Bowl and Ian Bell admitted: "We weren't too sure what a good score was. We just wanted to get as many and as quickly as possible. I came in with a bit of confidence after The Oval. The key for me today was my shot selection and deciding where I was going to hit the ball."

India's captain, Rahul Dravid, said: "England played the perfect one-day game. They batted well, with a couple of the guys going on to make big scores. And then they bowled well and got some good bounce off the wicket."

Now Oz Have Reason To Worry

2007-02-25T13:04:00.000+05:30

February 24 2007

Lee - out of World Cup.

Until the announcement that Brett Lee will miss the World Cup in the West Indies, reports of an Australian crisis had been grossly exaggerated.

The Aussies are victims of their own success. The reason there has been so much hysteria in recent days is because of the high standards Ricky Ponting and his men have set and the way they have remorselessly dominated the game over the years.

It is only natural that an opportunity to take a pop at the monstrous, cricketing behemoth would find no shortage of takers. Australian dominance of cricket was beginning to resemble the iron grip of a fiendish dictator.

The chuckles and cacophony of cheers from those who had started to view such dominance is similar light to tyranny are understandable. From where they are sitting, the 'tyrant' is wobbling and the end to his rule is nigh.

Of course, losing five out of six matches is a worrying sequence but one that critics have culpably and consciously failed to contextualize. Oh what a love affair we have with hyperbole!

The defeat by England in the three-match final would have shocked Australia more than the 3-0 whitewash by New Zealand.

It would appear that we have a typical case of some people wailing louder than the bereaved. Critics have made more of the slide than the Aussies themselves. The so-called Aussie slump is as artificial a decline as they get, in my opinion.

Look at it this way: if Australia's priority after the defeat by England was to return to winning ways at the earliest available opportunity and at all costs then they would have sent a full strength side to New Zealand.

Instead, they showed what they thought of the tournament by deploying a side shorn of considerable aggregate experience and talent.

The assertion that any team Australia put out is going to be just as competitive is both true and false and evidence to support this is to be found in the debacle that unfolded in New Zealand.

The assertion is true because you don't post two successive totals in excess of 300 runs against a solid and full strength New Zealand side unless you are a competitive unit.

The assertion is false because there is no doubt that the Australian squad would have been considerably stronger for the inclusion of Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds. The trio's availability would have significantly changed the complexion of the Australian side and quite possibly the outcome of the series.

The Aussies' failure to defend two decent totals of over 300 confirms two things: 1) an ordinary bowling attack.

2) A weakened batting line-up. Nobody has dared to suggest that the totals the Aussies posted in their last two matches were not enough. With big-hitters Ponting, Gilchrist and Symonds, all capable of gargantuan efforts, the Black Caps could easily have found themselves chasing totals in excess of 400 instead of 300.

It doesn't matter what Stephen Fleming says publicly, in his hearts of hearts he knows he would rather have beaten an Australian side with Ponting in it than one without.

For Australia the outcome in New Zealand was secondary to the objective of giving fringe players some game time. Lee's misfortune vindicates that decision. One fringe player will now move up the pecking order in the bowling hierarchy.

However, perception of an Aussie crisis, a perception now tilting towards reality after the withdrawal of Brett Lee, coupled with the fact that the Aussies are sweating over the fitness of Matthew Hayden, is good for the World Cup.

We no longer enter the tournament thinking that the trophy is the Aussies' to lose. It is very much an open World Cup even India could win it.

Lashias Ncube

Source:http://www.cricket365.com

England announces World Cup team

2007-02-16T23:24:00.000+05:30

High after their tri-series win in Australia, England named their squad for the world cup.

Michael Vaughan will captain the English side even though he has played just three of his team's last 35 one-day internationals.

Vaughan is currently recovering from a hamstring injury.

The other players on the sick list are James Anderson and Jon Lewis. Kevin Pietersen who missed out on virtually the entire tri-aeries in Australia because of injury has passed a fitness test.

The only surprise has been the exclusion of Mal Loye, who has been replaced by Essex's Rohan Bopara

England squad:
Michael Vaughan (Captain)
James Anderson
Ian Bell
Ravi Bopara
Paul Collingwood
Jamie Dalrymple
Andrew Flintoff
Ed Joyce
Jon Lewis
Sajid Mahmood
Paul Nixon
Monty Panesar
Kevin Pietersen
Liam Plunkett
Andrew Strauss

West Indies World Cup Team Announced

2007-02-16T23:21:00.000+05:30

The West Indies have announced their 15-man squad for the forthcoming ICC World Cup, and allrounder Kieron Pollard has found a place for himself.

The 19-year-old Pollard got his first international call-up after impressive performances for Trinidad & Tobago in regional tournament play over the last two months.

His debut first-class season included two quick centuries in the Carib Beer Cup tournament.

West Indies captain Brian Lara, 37, will play his fifth World Cup - this one in front of a home crowd in the Caribbean where the tournament is being held for the first time.

Batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 32, is back for his fourth World Cup. He and Lara lead a seasoned batting lineup alongside Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

West Indies World Cup Team

Brian Lara (captain)
Ramnaresh Sarwan
Chris Gayle
Shivnarine Chanderpaul
Marlon Samuels
Lendl Simmons
Devon Smith
Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Smith
Kieron Pollard
Denesh Ramdin
Ian Bradshaw
Corey Collymore
Jerome Taylor
Daren Powell

Rest of teams

South Africa names World Cup team

2007-02-16T22:59:00.000+05:30

Associated Press
Friday, February 16, 2007 (Johannesburg)

There were no surprises on Thursday when South Africa announced their 15-man squad for next month's Cricket World Cup in the West Indies.

The selectors have stuck with the same side that completed a 3-1 victory over Pakistan in the one-day series that ended on Wednesday.

The selectors duly delivered on that pledge by naming batsmen Loots Bosman, Herschelle Gibbs and Ashwell Prince, spinner Robin Peterson and pace bowlers Charl Langeveldt, Makhaya Ntini and Roger Telemachus.

It's a strong squad. But there are still concerns though, that the newly-laid wickets in the West Indies may not suit the South African attack - and highlight their lack of world class slow bowlers.

The World Cup team includes:

Graeme Smith (captain)
Jacques Kallis
Loots Bosman
Mark Boucher (wicketkeeper)
AB de Villiers
Herschelle Gibbs
Andrew Hall
Justin Kemp
Charl Langeveldt
Andre Nel
Makhaya Ntini
Robin Peterson
Shaun Pollock
Ashwell Prince
Roger Telemachus

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Azhar Mahmood recalled by Pakistan

2007-02-06T01:17:00.000+05:30

Osman Samiuddin
February 5, 2007

Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan's virtually forgotten all-rounder, has been called up as a replacement to Pakistan's injury-ravaged ODI squad in South Africa after Shabbir Ahmed became the latest casualty on tour, returning to Pakistan with a groin injury that is likely to keep him out for at least three weeks.

Mahmood will join a beleaguered Pakistan side, fresh from thumpings in the Twenty20 international and the first ODI, and already depleted by the absence of key bowlers Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar.

Ahsan Malik, PCB spokesman, told Cricinfo, "Azhar has been in good domestic form and the team management in South Africa felt they needed to have him in the squad. He is essentially a replacement for Shabbir Ahmed,"

The selection is a u-turn of sorts, for only last month, on announcement of a provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup, Wasim Bari, Pakistan's chief selector, had said of Mahmood's exclusion, "Mahmood has not been a regular in domestic cricket. He went to the last World Cup [in 2003] and did not play. We want to move forward." It was thought that Rao Iftikhar Anjum would be called up, especially as he, not Mahmood, is part of Pakistan's provisional squad and would offer a like-for-like replacement for Shabbir.

Mahmood played the last of his 139 ODIs exactly two years ago, against Australia in the 2004-05 VB series final. It wasn't a useful experience; he bowled only one ball and batted number nine.

But he has continued to perform in domestic cricket in England and Pakistan since then. For Surrey in 2006, Mahmood scored 600 runs at 37.50 and took 31 wickets from 13 Championship games while his form for Islamabad in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy this season has helped his side to the top of the Silver League and a possible promotion to the Gold League for next season. In four matches so far he has scored 391 runs with two hundreds and two fifties, averaging nearly 80. He has also taken 26 cheap wickets.

Although Pakistan pushed South Africa harder in the Test series than many thought they would and there are still four ODIs remaining to salvage some pride and form, they have made, once again, for a shambolic touring rabble.

Players such as Shoaib Malik and Gul were allegedly injured before they even got to South Africa. Gul returned having participated briefly in a warm-up game and nothing else while Malik missed the Test series. Shoaib Akhtar, originally omitted, was called up, played one day of Test cricket and returned with a hamstring strain.

It was time enough for a televised spat with Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach. To add to their woes, Shahid Afridi appeared to strike out at a fan after being dismissed in the first ODI at Centurion Park and could possibly face disciplinary action.

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo

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Indian selectors to pick side for Sri Lanka series

2007-02-03T00:55:00.000+05:30

Anand Vasu

February 2, 2007

immediately precedes the one where the World Cup squad will be picked but, for once, there is no shroud of mystery. The issues before the national selection committee are fairly simple and the performance of various individuals in the four-match series against West Indies went a long way in answering the questions that were beginning to give the team management a real headache. Firstly, it seems almost a done deal that Virender Sehwag will be back. Secondly Munaf Patel seems to have done enough in the nets and in a practice match to put himself up for selection.

The dropping of Sehwag for the West Indies series was always a temporary measure. With no domestic cricket around, there wasn't a realistic chance of him fighting his way back into the side. The break was merely a chance for Sehwag to go back to Delhi and sort out a few glitches. Whether he has done that or not remains to be seen, but he's too big a player to be left out longer than this.

With only four matches to go before the World Cup, Sehwag must get a look back in if he's part of the team's plans for the big event. Strange and unpredictable things have happened in Indian cricket, but this time around the selectors will have to go the conventional route. This will mean that Gautam Gambhir's time in the Indian team will come to an end, as Robin Uthappa has done more than enough, both with bat and on the field, to keep his place.

Munaf's case is not nearly as straightforward but with only Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan being certainties, among the medium-pacers, in the starting XI, he might well get a go. The selectors are naturally wary of picking Munaf, after the misadventures of South Africa - where he was fit one day, unfit the next, fit again, only to play in the last Test when he was clearly undercooked. They will not want to take such a chance again; yet will know that if Munaf is in contention for a World Cup spot then he must be played now. The team think-tank clearly believes that Munaf has a role to play - thanks mostly to his ability to put the ball in good areas - and this will go in his favour. And that's where Rudra Pratap Singh may lose out.

So, with Sehwag and Munaf likely to add to the twelve who figured in the last match against West Indies, there's really only one spot up for grabs. Interestingly, it is not quite a straight shoot-out for that place between players of similar disciplines. There is Ramesh Powar, the feisty offspinner who bats down the order, Sreesanth, the even more feisty fast bowler who tends to go for a bit too many runs in ODIs, and Suresh Raina, the electric fielder who has shown much potential with the bat without actually coming good.

These three must be frontrunners for the fifteenth slot, but that's not to say the selectors won't look elsewhere. The final spot, perhaps even the final two, will be decided by the balance the team is looking for. This direction will come from Rahul Dravid, the captain, and Greg Chappell, the coach, and it remains to be seen how the selectors, led by Dilip Vengsarkar, who holds strong views on many of these subjects and players, react.

India win 4th ODI by 160 runs

2007-02-01T00:54:00.000+05:30

Posted at Wednesday, 31 January 2007 18:01 IST

Vadodara, Jan 31:

India bowled out the West Indies for 181 to win the fourth and final cricket one-dayer by 160 runs and clinch the series 3-1 here today.

The Indians rode on Tendulkar's unbeaten ton to amass an imposing 341 for three and then bundled out the Caribbeans for 181 with more than eight overs to spare in what turned out to be a lopsided contest at the IPCL Ground here.

It was Tendulkar's 41st one-day hundred in his 378th ODI.

He smashed his ton in 76 balls with the help of ten boundaries and a massive six. The Mumbai batsman completed his hundred with a single off the last ball of the innings, as he moved from 89 to the three-figure landmark from the last five balls of the Indian innings.

The master blaster was declared ‘man of the match’ and ‘man of the series’. It is Tendulkar’s 53rd man of the match award.

Skipper Rahul Dravid (78) and his predecessor Sourav Ganguly (68) also came good to make it a sublime top order performance that was backed by Mahendra Singh Dhoni with his trademark pyrotechnics, a 20-ball 40 not out that came as icing on the cake.

The West Indian chase was never on as Chris Gayle (6) became Ajit Agarkar's victim, for the third time in the series, in the third over of the innings.

Zaheer Khan accounted for the in-form Shivnarine Chanderpaul (14) before Irfan Pathan marked his return to the team with the wicket of Devon Smith (24).

The West Indies captain Brain Lara was felicitated by the Vadodara Cricket Association as it was his last one-day in India.
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Cricket: Fletcher will stay - Morgan

2007-01-31T00:27:00.000+05:30

Jan 30 2007
Western Mail

ENGLAND and Wales Cricket Board chairman David Morgan has reiterated his belief coach Duncan Fletcher will remain in charge despite England's disastrous tour of Australia.

Following the Ashes series whitewash England have been further embarrassed in the ongoing Commonwealth Bank one-day competition, winning only once so far against New Zealand in Hobart.

Pressure is growing on coach Fletcher but ahead of this morning's meeting with New Zealand in Perth, Morgan told BBC Radio Five Live, "What we decided to do is not have any final decisions about what his (Fletcher's) aspirations are until the end of this tour.

"I don't anticipate him going. That is my assessment of the position."

Meanwhile, fast bowler Shaun Tait has been added to Australia's Commonwealth Bank Series squad for their final two group matches. South Australian Tait, 23, has played twice before for his country, both in the 2005 Ashes series.

Team India in Nagpur for Conditioning camp

2007-01-18T13:45:00.000+05:30

Nagpur, Jan 17

The India cricket team arrived here Tuesday night for the four-day warming up session beginning Wednesday at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) ground.

The practice session ahead of the first one-day international against West Indies to be played at the VCA ground Jan 21 was insisted upon by chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar.

The players arrived in batches from different places, the first among them being former India captain Sourav Ganguly who has recently staged a comeback in the team after being left out in the cold for about a year.

Sourav flew in from Kolkata whereas Suresh Raina, Joginder Sharma, R.P. Singh and Gautam Gambhir took a flight from New Delhi.

The next batch to arrive, by an Indian airlines flight from Mumbai, comprised Sachin Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar, Romesh Powar, Dinesh Kartik and Harbhajan Singh, followed by captain Rahul Dravid, coach Greg Chappell, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Zaheer Khan, who took a Jet Airways flight.

The team, which is putting up at Hotel Pride here, will have their first session of the informal conditioning camp Wednesday afternoon at the VCA nets.

India Cricket Team profile

Schedule For ICC Cricket World Cup 2007

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Sanath Jayasuriya leads Sri Lanka to seven-wicket win in first one-dayer

2007-01-03T23:11:00.000+05:30

NAPIER, New Zealand (AP) -

Sanath Jayasuriya smashed a century from 78 balls to lead Sri Lanka to a seven-wicket win over New Zealand on Thursday in the first of five limited-overs cricket internationals.
Jayasuriya hit 12 fours and five sixes - 78 runs from boundaries - in an innings of 111, reaching his 23rd ODI century as Sri Lanka overtook New Zealand's 50-over total of 285 for eight with 10 overs to spare.
The left-handed opener shared a 201-run first wicket partnership in 24.1 overs with Upul Tharanga, who made 68, guiding Sri Lanka to the highest winning limited-overs total at McLean Park.
Sri Lanka finished 289 for three with captain Mahela Jayawardene making an unbeaten 34 and Kumar Sangakkara 36.

Jayasuriya took full advantage of McLean Park's short boundaries and one of New Zealand's weakest international bowling attacks, achieving a strike rate of more than 135. He hurled sixes over the short, square boundaries on the leg and off sides and onto the roof of the ground's lofty grandstands.

"I've been in a few run chases like that," Jayawardene said. "When Sanath's in that mood he can massacre attack. When he's going it's really tough for the bowlers and he's a genuine match-winner."

New Zealand's depleted attack could not contain the Sri Lankan openers. In the absence of Shane Bond and Kyle Mills, Michael Mason gave up 60 runs from six overs and Mark Gillespie 64 from nine.
James Franklin conceded 69 runs from 10 overs but claimed the wickets of Jayasuriya and Tharanga with successive balls in the 24th over.

New Zealand started positively, with Ross Taylor scoring his maiden ODI century as the keystone of the innings. Taylor came to the wicket when New Zealand was 18 for one after five overs and carried his bat for the remainder of the innings, reaching 128 and sharing a crucial 152-run second-wicket partnership with Nathan Astle, who made 83.

He batted almost three hours, faced 133 balls and hit 12 fours and four sixes.
Astle hit eight fours and two sixes in an innings which gave New Zealand early momentum but that subsided when he was run out by a deflection at the non-striker's end in the 29th over.

New Zealand quickly slumped from 169 for one to 229 for five and only Taylor kept the innings on course. His lack of support meant New Zealand fell well short of 300, which was necessary on an outstanding batting wicket.

"In the end 280 didn't justify how good the wicket was," New Zealand's stand-in captain Daniel Vettori said.
"Our bowling performance lacked experience. Sanath and Upul put them in charge right away and they never looked back."

Srilanka Blossoming again...

2007-01-01T23:37:00.000+05:30

Charlie Austin

January 1, 2007

Inflation may be spiralling upwards, the Sri Lankan rupee might plunging in value, war clouds are clinging to the horizon, but at least there is something to cheer as the New Year dawns: the Sri Lankan cricket team's return to good health. After an inconsistent 2005, the senior team has rebounded with fresh purpose and growing confidence. It has not been an unblemished year by any means, but the prospects for the future are looking far brighter than they did 12 months ago.

In terms of bare statistics, it was Sri Lanka's busiest ever year in terms of international commitments: 36 ODIs, 11 Tests and three Twenty20 slogfests. The win ratio for the one-day team was a decent 56%, while in Tests their record was second only to Australia with six victories and just three defeats in 11 matches. However, the real bonus is the fighting spirit shown in tough situations, the flair with which the side has played and the flourishing of young talent.

It all started where it ended: in New Zealand. It was not an auspicious start either, as Sri Lanka limped into the VB Series with Australia and South Africa after a 4-1 defeat. The team bounced back from their opening defeat against Australia in Melbourne with back-to-back victories at Brisbane and Sydney.

At the centre of this turnaround was Sanath Jayasuriya, whose woeful Test record during the year - 211 runs at 17.58 with just one fifty in 12 innings - was offset by his ODI form: 1153 runs at 48.04, his best ever year. There were five centuries in all, including an astonishing 152 in 99 balls at Headingley.

The other members of Sri Lanka's top four - Upul Tharanga (1062 runs at 44.25), Kumar Sangakkara (1333 runs at 44.43) and Mahela Jayawardene (1185 runs at 40.86) - were also prolific and this solidity and consistency at the top of the order was the highlight of the ODI team.

And the first signs of this emerged during that hard-fought VB Series campaign. Australia eventually won but Sri Lanka pushed them hard in the three-match finals, shocking the hosts with victory in the first game.

However, more inconsistency followed against Bangladesh, who stole a maiden victory, and Pakistan, who clinched a home ODI series 2-0 and the Test series 1-0. Behind the scenes, though, important changes were slowly taking place, including the acceptance of a new training culture, the fast development of playing and mental skills, improved fitness and, importantly, a shake-up of the team's leadership following the deterioration of Marvan Atapattu's chronic back condition.

While there were rumours that Atapattu would be retiring from Test cricket after the England tour, he had been expected to lead the team until the World Cup. But Atapattu first pulled out of the Bangladesh tour and then realised he needed surgery after a failed comeback bid for the Pakistan tour. There was much debate over who his successor would be, with Sangakkara, Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas all potential interim options, but the selectors eventually plumped for Jayawardene, the man they'd sacked as vice-captain just three months before.

It proved to be one of the most significant events of the year for two reasons: It galvanised Jayawardene as a top-order batsman, lifting his performances in both forms of the game to a higher plane, and helped usher in a more aggressive approach. After six years of steady, reactive, often defensive leadership since the departure of Arjuna Ranatunga, Jayawardene and Moody opened the door to a more attacking brand of cricket.

The impact of Jayawardene was more overt - innovative field placements, bold selections, naked emotion on the field - but it also became increasingly clear that Moody was providing strong leadership with assistance from a top-class management team. Moody's success has been built upon fundamental management basics: hard work, crystal-clear communication, the introduction of strong structures, the hiring of quality support staff and the successful adoption of a new team culture that fights against complacency.

The fruits of their dual impact first became evident during Sri Lanka's tour of England. On paper, without Atapattu and Jayasuriya (before he reversed his decision to retire from Test cricket) as openers, Sri Lanka were ill-equipped to deal with England's pace attack on early-summer pitches. Their inexperience, especially in the batting department, left them clear underdogs. The pre-series practice matches did nothing to dispel this theory either and their prospects at Lord's looked bleak.

It looked even bleaker two-and-a-half days into the game as England enforced the follow-on with Sri Lanka still 359 runs in arrears. Remarkably, though, Sri Lanka escaped. Not due to wet weather, as one might have assumed, but because of one the most spirited second-innings rearguards in the game's history. Jayawardene was the star, following his first-innings 61 with a six-hour 119, but not the solo performer. No less than six other players passed fifty, first frustrating and then ridiculing a complacent English attack. By batting 199 overs for their 537 for 9, the team's collective self-belief soared.

The rest of the year all followed from their defiance at Lord's. The second Test at Edgbaston was lost but Sri Lanka remained in the contest until the final day. Then at Trent Bridge, on a pitch tailored for his wiles, Muttiah Muralitharan produced his most memorable performance of the year. England were set a 325-run target after more resilience from Sri Lanka's tail and Muralitharan unleashed a mesmerizing spell, slowly but surely picking his way through the top, middle and lower order. He claimed the first seven wickets to fall and finished with 8 for 70, as Sri Lanka won by 134 runs.

Sri Lankan Test victories outside of Asia are such a rare thing that it was rightly considered a brilliant achievement to level the three-match series 1-1. But their 5-0 whitewash in the five-match ODI series that followed was perhaps an even greater achievement. Again, they started as underdogs, expected to wilt in the conditions. Far from wilting, they exploded, ruthlessly attacking the weaklinks in England's bowling attack with a ferocity that allowed them to build-up an unstoppable momentum.

It all started in the lead-up to the series when the team management, senior players and the chairman of selectors agreed that the time had come for a change. There was concern that Sri Lanka's one-day cricket had become increasingly predictable and one-dimensional. The most common approach was to sit back and wait for their opponents to slip up, a reactive style that brought mixed success. Now it was agreed that Sri Lanka must be more flexible and aggressive. Crucially, they returned to their attacking roots, backing their natural flair to make maximum use of PowerPlays.

This new strategy worked with calculated risk-taking reaping huge dividends. Those risks included a free licence to attack for the top three - Jayasuriya, Tharanga and Jayawardene, who was pushed up from the middle order. The bowling also developed with Lasith Malinga, previously considered a Test specialist, drafted into a five-man attack. It added an extra dimension to the team, especially at the tailend of the innings when his yorkers were lethal.

Sri Lanka's confidence sky-rocketed after the England tour and they carried this into their two-Test series against South Africa, winning both matches. The first was a glorious run-fest at the Sinhalese Sports Club with Jayawardene scoring 375 and sharing a world record stand of 624, the highest-ever partnership in Test and first-class cricket. In the second Test Sri Lanka, marshalled again by Jayawardene who score a superb 123, chased a record 352 for victory. The batsman claimed most of the headlines but Muralitharan (who claimed 90 wickets in 11 Test matches during the year) was also continuing to play a hugely influential role as he equalled his own world record for four consecutive ten-wicket hauls.

The return of terrorism to Colombo ruined the tri-series with South Africa and India that was to follow and the team's next assignment was the Champions Trophy, a tournament they had to pre-qualify for. However, despite playing some quality cricket, they failed to qualify for the semi-finals after surprise defeats to Pakistan and South Africa.

The New Zealand tour provided a good opportunity to pick up the pieces and see just how far the team had improved during the year. The first Test proved a bitter disappointment as only Sangakkara - playing now as only a specialist batsman in Test cricket - provided substantial resistance. However, like they did in England, there were able to show great character with a series-levelling win in Wellington, the highlight of which was the Aravinda-like batting of Chamara Silva, who followed a pair on debut with 61 and 152 not out at the Basin Reserve that propelled Sri Lanka into a winning position.

Silva, now 27, was the discovery of the year, a player who had languished in the wilderness for too long after making his one-day international debut way back in 1999. Spotted by Moody, who had by now developed a decent working relationship with Ashantha de Mel's selection committee, he looks a fine prospect. The other youngsters to really shine were Upul Tharanga (five ODI hundreds in the year) and Malinga, who added an extra yard of pace, greater control and variation to his unique armoury.

New man on the block

Undoubtedly Chamara Silva. A real Christmas present for Sri Lanka. Showed no gns of nerves against New Zealand at the end of the year, refusing to change his naturally aggressive approach after a pair in the first Test. Helped Sangakkara rebuild the first innings in Wellington and then took centre stage in the second innings with a magnificent 152. Sri Lanka's one major area of concern in the year was the inconsistency of the middle order and Silva looks like a perfect solution.

Fading star

Thilan Samaraweera, a regular in the Test team in 2004 and 2005, drifted out of the Test squad and back into the A team following a disappointing England tour. Now aged 29, his future is uncertain following the emergence of Chamara Silva and Chamara Kapugedera. He still has a decent Test average after 39 games, but the large disparity between his home and away record (he averages 56 at home and 26 overseas) counted against him.

High point

The Lord's rearguard was the turning point but the final match of the ODI series against England was a special day. Having set a stiff 322 run target, England finally thought their one-day drought was over. But Jayasuriya and Tharanga responded with a glorious opening partnership, scoring 286 in just 31.5 overs. Jayasuriya flayed 152 from 99 balls and Tharanga109 from 104. Sri Lanka sealed an historic 5-0 whitewash with an incredible 12.3 overs to spare.

Low point

Sri Lanka's 78 run defeat to South Africa in the Champions Trophy. Sri Lanka were one of the tournament favourites and had been expected to qualify for the semi-finals based on their recent form. But under lights in Ahmedabad their top order was blown away by high quality fast bowling from Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini and Andrew Nel.

What does 2007 hold?

Continued success. With a good blend of youth and experience, a well-balanced team, a strong management team and a harmonious dressing room, Sri Lanka should be one of the main challengers in the World Cup. The biggest concern will be whether they will be able to retain the services of Tom Moody who is likely to be on the shopping list of several richer nations immediately after the World Cup.

Charlie Austin is Cricinfo's Sri Lankan correspondent

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Shane Warne first to reach 700 : Australia Cricket

2006-12-28T00:51:00.001+05:30

Shane Warne never imagined his farewell would be so successful after he captured five wickets and became the first player to claim 700 Test scalps on the opening day of the fourth Ashes Test against England yesterday.

The leg spinner was always going to be the star attraction after announcing he was retiring at the end of the series with the Ashes safely back in Australia's hands, but the 37-year-old said he could not believe just how well things had gone.

Playing in front of a massive home-city crowd of nearly 90 000 at his beloved Melbourne Cricket Ground, Warne produced one of the finest days of his amazing career as Australia skittled out England for 159.

Warne clean bowled Andrew Strauss in his fourth over to reach 700 Test wickets, then added the scalps of Kevin Pietersen, Chris Read, Steve Harmison and Monty Panesar to finish with 5-39.

"Whoever writes my scripts is doing an unbelievable job," he said.

"I can't stop shaking my head just believing it actually happened... it was a pretty amazing day."

Warne's five-wicket haul was his 37th in Tests and while it was well short of his career-best figures of 8/71, the leg spinner said it was still an unforgettable day.

"There's some special things that happen in your life and some special days in your life and this is definitely one of them," he said.

"There's the birth of your children, getting married, playing your first Test, they're all pretty special.

"But from an individual point of view that's got to be one of the best days I've ever had."

Warne celebrated his 700th wicket by raising the ball aloft and almost set off on a lap of honour after collecting his fifth of the day to end the innings when he suddenly had a change of heart. I got tired so I stopped," he said.

"But seriously, I thought all the bowlers did really well.

"I think they all deserve a lot of credit for bowling extremely well, rather than England capitulating."

Warne said he was surprised to finish with so many wickets because of the state of the wicket and the overcast conditions, which kept the moisture in the pitch and suited the seamers.

"I said before the Test match that I thought I'd been bowling well without any rewards but to get five-for on a first day pitch. I didn't expect that," he said.

"But England, especially in recent times, have tried to be a lot more aggressive against me and when they do that I think I'm in the game all the time.

"When they just sit on you it's hard work but when they play their shots I feel like I have a chance."

But Warne believes his record-breaking feats will be surpassed by Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan.

The Sri Lankan already has 674 Test scalps but has a superior strike rate and, at three years younger than Warne, Muralitharan still has plenty of time left.

"I've always said that Murali will get 1 000 wickets," said Warne.

"If he plays another 30 or 35 Tests he's going to pretty close to be 1 000 which is probably only going to be another couple of years.

"Fifteen or 20 years ago, who would have thought who would have got 400 or 500, so maybe in the future lots of people will be getting 800, 900, 1 000 and I'll be way down the order."

This article was originally published on page 20 of Pretoria News on December 27, 2006
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Shane Warne first to reach 700 : Australia Cricket

2006-12-28T00:51:00.000+05:30

WI waiting for next Richards: Lara

2006-12-20T16:09:00.000+05:30

Gaurav Kalra: Hello and welcome to a very special programme on CNN-IBN with the man who is undoubtedly among the greatest to have ever played the game.

The highest run scorer in the game of cricket, the only one to have made a 400 in a single test innings and the only man to make 500 runs in a first class innings. Brian Lara a very warm welcome to CNN-IBN.

Brian Lara: Thank you very much.

Gaurav Kalra: What brings you to India?

Brian Lara: Well, I have got a commitment to MRF with whom I have been associated for the past two-three years. Whenever we have a break, I head out to Chennai and I am in Delhi today. It is good to be here.

Gaurav Kalra: Right now you ar coming off after a 2-0 series loss against New Zealand. A little disappointing but it has been a period where there has been a bit of a slump in West Indian cricket. A lot of young guys have come in but for the last eight-nine years there has been a decline in the standard of West Indian cricket. What reasons come to your mind for this decline?

Brian Lara: First of all I must say that the natural talent is still there. We have still got the young players who are going to be the future. I just feel that at present we have got guys who are learning the game of cricket.

You don't really want that unless you have a genius that can cope with it. So it is going to take some time but these young players are going to play for us for in the times to come. But as you said it's been nine-ten years. I remember being a part of the team when we lost our first series in a long time in the Caribbeans since I don't know when. It was back in 1995 that we lost.

Gaurav Kalra: Against Australia.

Brian Lara: Yeah. Since then it has been a steady slide downhill but I am still here and very optimistic that at some point of time, hopefully before I an finished, we can turn the corner and start heading back in the right direction.

Gaurav Kalra: That is the people in India want, may be second only to India winning. There is an admiration for West Indian cricket, there is a legacy -- the Marshalls, the Garners, the Viv Richards, the Laras. Is it that legacy that is weighing down the younger players? The fact that they are following on the names that are legendary in the game.

Brian Lara: Sometimes. I suppose there is a situation where people would always compare the present team with those of the past. They want to see this team achieve what that team achieved. I think that is impossible and sometimes, maybe, unfair also.

You are talking about a group of young players. Clive Lloyd took a group of young players and moulded them and it took some time as there was the Kerry Packer factor. Then back in early 80s he got a team that was able to focus and be invincible.

Gaurav Kalra: Do you sense that when you are in the dressing room there are 18-19 years old boys also. They may think Oh my God, I am playing with Brian Lara, who has got more runs than anyone else in Test cricket. You brought in Fidel Edwards by watching aqnets session in Barbados. Guys like him are 18-19 and sitting with you. It is intimidating for me. Imagine how it must be for a 18-19 year old boy.

Brian Lara: Yes, you sense that and you try to make them as comfortable as possible because that is why I am here for. I am like a father figure. You don't want anybody to be uneasy and think that you are unapproachable. So I make myself accessible and try to get them to speak about cricket. I play a very big part in that and to get them to know the history of the game. A lot of them come with no experience at all and no understanding about the legacy of West Indian cricket. So I suppose that's my role at present.

Gaurav Kalra: Let me ask you something now, you have led this team twice - with a reasonable amount of success with the bat as well as the captain. These include the memorable wins in the West Indies and everyone remembers those cover drives and getting those runs off Gillespie and winning that match. Wonderful moments, of course.

The point being that as a captain, you lead by example and watched this team do some wonderful things. The Champions Trophy, that was another wonderful moment of your captaincy. However, as a captain, did you notice there were areas where you thought that these boys needed to start focusing on for that revival to begin, which maybe hasn't happened over that period.

Brian Lara: We were capable of an occasional performance. I mean if we talk about a big Test match in Antigua - 418, which is a world record - couple of other outstanding wins - the ICC tournament - we actually had the consistency, which was lacking. And not necessary just on the make-up, I had before myself Richie and Courtney Walsh.

After me, it was Carl Hooper, Jimmy Adams and for a long period of time we were just not able to perform consistently. But yet, on occasions, we performed better than anybody had performed. I think that it is a bit strange, but it comes with the experience of the team and this belief to play the game at the highest level consistently over a long period of time.

As I said that we can only sit and hope that now that at some stage - with the experience that we have gained now - even though we may be developing a losing habit, which I am very wary of. I still feel that there is an opportunity for them at the end of the road to become something special.

Gaurav Kalra: There is one other area about the West Indian game that gets talked about a lot. In fact, a lot of former players and experts mention about the structure of the game in the Caribbean. It needs to be understood that they are all different countries and they are not one country like Australia or India or England. However, what is your take on this? Did West Indies always have this ability to produce this enormous talent and then suddenly, when it dried up a little bit, the structure was not there to support the rest of the development?

Brian Lara: Exactly, I think that the structure is important. I think that is the reason that Australia, England and India is harnessing the natural ability of the young cricketers and getting it to a level where they can perform consistently and be a good cricketer.

I think in the West Indies, we just sit back on our rocking chairs and think that we are going to churn out the next Vivian Richards or Gary Sobers. But we do not have to do anything. That is not the case anymore. We are a lot more disciplined, there is a lot more technology in sport and a natural talented player is now coming back to the field. This is the area I think that we'll have to look at.

Gaurav Kalra: Let us look at you personally a little bit. You will be 37 in a month that is starting to get to the age when people start to ask or write - Is it time now? How much time is left in the game for Brian Lara? Personally, I fell that you are playing as well as you have. Your record over the past two years is phenomenal. You had a good innings in New Zealand as well before coming here, what are the sort of goals that you set for yourself?

Brian Lara: I have cut back a bit in the One-Day game, even though I would like to play in the World Cup. Uppermost in my mind is that if I remain an asset to the West Indian cricket, I will continue. The moment I become a liability, I know I have to make way for somebody else. I still see myself as a father figure and somebody who still has something to offer to the younger players before I leave. I am looking to lend my experience to them.

Gaurav Kalra: Let me ask you one thing that has staggered everyone in world cricket - reclaiming that world record when you got to that 400. They are memorable pictures for whoever has seen them.

Not just the sheer quality of innings which we have a lot from you over the years, but the sheer number of runs - 400 runs in a Test match - that is not what normal batsmen do. You are not normal, that was just an outstanding performance. When you sometimes look back, do you sometimes wonder - Gosh! Was that just a dream?

Brian Lara: No, it was not a dream. It was a situation where I remember I had about a 100 runs in the three Test matches, leading up to the final Test match. It was a situation where we also lost the previous Test matches. So, we were looking first of all to save ourselves from a wipe out.

We won the toss on a pretty easy batting track. And we set ourselves a target of 750. If we can get that, then we know for sure that we can apply the pressure on England for the match. Who got the runs didn't matter. Fortunately, I got 400 of them. I was a situation where I was really struggling and I will always remember, one of my first coach in the West Indies team, Rohan Kanhai, had said whenever things are going good, you have got to set your stalls out and get as much as possible because you don't know when the lean period is.

It was good to get such a total, but then, in the whole run of what took place, we lost our series 3-0, and the when we went to England a few months later, we lost the other series. So, it was not the greatest year in terms of Test cricket as a team.

Lara should lead by example instead of blowing his top

2006-12-20T16:05:00.000+05:30

THERE is little doubt that this was a below standard pitch laid out at the centre of Sabina Park for the fourth and final Test. It conducted a serious examination of batsmen's technique. Yet the highest total of the match was made in the fourth innings so probably it was not as bad as it was made out to be. The lower order, through their application, also showed what was possible.

But I was disappointed with the attitude of Brian Lara. He raised a stink about the pitch and conditions when he should have shown composure and the attitude to try and overcome it. He should have led by example, shown the application needed to overcome the surface. Instead he blew his top and I am not sure if it helped his men.

He is said to be a genius and probably only a genius can affirm the fact. I certainly cannot recognise his captaincy as being very good. At times it does appear that he is trying to reinvent the game.

These days batsmen too often score easy runs so when a real test comes along, they decide pretty early that it is hard work and probably not worth the effort.

In the first three Tests, they were not really stretched. But things were different here. It needed discipline which they did not exhibit.

I am still inclined to believe that this West Indian unit has shown improvement. Young cricketers appeared more willing to fight and that is a good sign. Unlike the times when Shivnarine Chanderpaul was at the helm, this one is looking more like a unit. West Indies need to build on this basic ingredient for progress.

India has reasons to feel happy at how they have performed in the series. They deserved to win not by one but two Tests only if the rain had not intervened. This West Indies team, despite their poor record, is not an easy one to beat at home. But they did not deserve to win after making just 103 runs in the first knock of the final Test. India should take a lot of positives from this series.

I guess India did not opt for five bowlers in the series because they were not sure if put together they could raise enough runs. It did not hurt them in the end.

Also, there must be a bit of disappointment back home over the form of Yuvraj Singh. But he is young and certainly a talented lad. To me it appears that he does not bat in Tests too differently from the way he does in one-dayers. There is certainly talent in him and coach Greg Chappell is competent enough to suggest the areas where he can improve.

This Indian side has many young cricketers who believe in themselves. On a tough tour such as Caribbeans, they also showed they had the mental resolve and physical resilience. If they can keep learning from the examples set by their admirable seniors, they would have a rewarding career ahead of them.

I must mention Rahul Dravid and two of his knocks which served his side so well. He is a dedicated team man and it was only fitting that his contribution in his team's win was substantial. He had the will and the technique at his command to prevail over the circumstances. He was a clear choice for individual honours by a long margin.

India is beginning to show that they can be on road for long period of times and still come good. They certainly were the dominant force in the series. This side is beginning to show that they can take setbacks in stride and come good in the end. In Pakistan, they lost the Test series, came second in the first one-dayer and yet were comprehensive winners in the end. Here too, they had a disappointing and unexpected loss in one-day series, had hard couple of days in the Antigua Test but thereafter never took the foot off the gas pedal.

They have now got a few medium-pacers who certainly seem to have the mental make-up to serve them long. The spinners are also proving reliable in foreign conditions and both Kumble and Harbhajan Singh had an outstanding series. They did not allow West Indies batsmen to get on top of them, except for once in St Kitts.

That says a lot about which one was the better team in the series.

Source:www.sknvibes.com

Cricket: it’s only a game

2006-12-16T13:57:00.000+05:30

Saturday, December 16, 2006

But it is no longer just a game. It is anything but a sport. And to associate this sport in any manner with the nation would be wrong. Among other things, it has become a grand medium for gambling

Shame, shame – they cried out. There was a furore – in parliament. Recall them, they are not heroes, they are zeros. They cannot represent India. Something is gravely wrong somewhere. There must be a discussion on the subject in the House. They have dealt a blow to national prestige. They have let us down.
Parliament discussing our cricket team’s recent defeat? Parliament is primary meant to make laws, collect taxes and take measure for the welfare of people and for their survival. It was quite surprised to see eminent parliamentarian reacting to the defeat as if it was a personal as well as a national defeat.

Cricket is only a game.

It was so until a few years ago. It was a game for the leisurely class, a gentleman’s game. A five-day test – a quiet sport event for five long days – meant mainly for those who did not have nothing much to do in life. It was an interesting game. There was keen competition, excitement – for the players and the spectators.

The country was not so much in the picture. Nowadays, people react as if the defeat is a grave national loss. All is lost, the nation will go to dogs, one cannot recover from the shame and slur following defeat.

The one-day cricket decidedly has become more interesting.

What is weird, undesirable, unacceptable is the association of the cricket team with the nation. There is something to be worried about when in Parliament is heard desperate anguished screams like “Shame, shame”.

One begins to feel that the future of the nation, the very survival of the nation depends on the success of our cricket team.

If cries of “shame shame” came from other quarters, one could perhaps appreciate it.
Cricket is no longer a game. Apart from those who regard the defeat or win as their own or national loss, there is another class which has its own special interests. Lakhs of people bet on cricket today. That big roar which comes when a player hits a six or when he is out clean-bowled, it may be because of quite a different interest. In all countries of the cricketing world, huge wagering takes place. Match-fixing occurs and quite often the players involved get away with it. Huge amount of money is temptingly offered as bribes.

In countries like India, cricket betting is illegal. Once in a blue moon, the police arrest the bookies in some suburban room and seize mobiles, telephones, money etc. They can never stop illegal betting. It looks like for most people is not just a game.

It is a sport, which has enabled lakhs of people to make it an excellent medium of gambling. The sport keeps changing into new avatars.

Even as parliamentarians cried “shame, shame”, there must have been lakhs who must have gleefully, gainfully hailed the defeat and celebrated.

Source:cybernoon.com

Cricket legend Geoff Boycott: a man of his word

2006-12-15T13:53:00.000+05:30

When it comes to assertiveness, humour and knowledge in the commentary box, the former England opener is still No.1

Geoff Boycott in action against Gloucstershire - archive (gettyimages.com)
Geoffrey Boycott: insight and knowledge (gettyimages.com)There is nothing more satisfying then taking Geoff Boycott to bed with you. Don't get me wrong, I mean through the medium of radio and the all-night duty of the BBC's Test Match Special team, where the former England opener is one of the expert summarisers.

Boycott is as ungenerous of the field as he was as a batsman on it. In his prime, he never gave the bowlers a sniff (some would say he never gave much of a chance to his fellow batsmen, the number of times he ran them out). And in the commentary box, he pulls no punches as he puts his brusque Yorkshire accent into gear: "My granny would've caught that in 'er pinny."

But behind the uncomplicated WYSIWYG lies a deep-thinking soul whose whole life revolves around the game of cricket. There is not another person in the world who can read the game like Boycott - and his insight and breadth of knowledge as he pontificates is worth the BBC license fee money alone. Whether it is how much a bowler's arm should be pointing at right angles as he delivers the ball, or how far forward a batsman should get to a spinner, Boycott's delivery is succinct and to the point.

I am biased, I 'grew up' with Boycott. As a Yorkshire fan in the 1960s and 1970s, he was my ultimate hero and I remember his milestone innings with relish. That extraordinary 140-odd for Yorkshire against Surrey in the old Gillette Cup final at Lord's in 1965. The one-day game was very much in its infancy, and anything over 2.5 an over was enough to get the perpetrator slung in the Tower. Boycott was simply inspired that day, the Mr Hyde of the defensive prod morphing into a Dr Jekyll the slogger as he ploughed the ball to all parts of the ground. Then there was Headingley 1977 against Australia and his 100th century. When he reached the milestone with that now-famous on-drive off Greg Chappell, the ground was awash with the unwashed, as thousands of Yorkshire urchins invaded to salute their hero.

There have, of course, been no shortage of controversial incidents involving Boycott; running out Derek Randall on his home Trent Bridge turf in 1977; his refusal to go on the 1974-5 Ashes tour citing the weakness of skipper Mike Denness (cynics at the time pointed to not wanting Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson hurling a ball at circa 100mph at him); and of course the court case involving the alleged physical abuse of his former partner Margaret Moore. More recently, Boycott has undergone surgery for throat cancer, but is now well enough to make a comeback to the commentary box.

Granted, cricket commentators are a more intelligent breed than their footballing counterparts, and it is always a pleasure to hear the views of former Test greats like Ian Botham, Ian Chappell and Michael Holding. But for clarity of thought, assertiveness, humour and a pure cricketing brain, there is no-one who comes near to Geoffrey Boycott, the coal miner’s son from Fitzwilliam.

Source: Mark Rivlin

Mumbai to host 2011 cricket World Cup final

2006-12-12T12:23:00.000+05:30

New Delhi, Dec. 11 (PTI): India's commercial capital Mumbai was today chosen as the venue for the 2011 cricket World Cup final while Lahore and Colombo will stage the semifinals of the cricketing extravaganza.

Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, would host the two semifinals, while Bangladesh's Sher-E Bangla National Stadium will host the opening ceremony and the first match, it was announced here today after a meeting of the representatives of the joint hosts of the tournament.

The meeting, held at the residence of the Indian Cricket Board President Sharad Pawar, was attended by Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf, CEO of Sri Lanka Cricket Duleep Mendis, and CEO of Bangladesh Cricket Board Mehboob Rehman.

"It was a collective decision. Most of the decisions were taken unanimously," Pawar told reporters after the meeting.

"We have hosted the World Cup before and we are happy that Bangladesh is also there this time. There would be practically no challenge in organising it and it will happen smoothly," Pawar said.

Ashraf exuded confidence that together they would make it the best cricket World Cup ever.

"All the member countries are acting like a family and every decision was taken amicably and unanimously. The world will see the best World Cup ever," said the PCB chief.

ESPN Star wins International Cricket Council rights

2006-12-11T15:20:00.000+05:30

New Delhi, Dec. 11(AP): Sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports has won the International Cricket Council telecast rights for an eight-year period starting in 2007, a news report said.

``The rights will start from September next year with the Twenty-20 World Cup,'' R.C. Venkateish, ESPN Star India managing director, was quoted as saying Sunday by the Press Trust of India news agency.

Venkateish declined to comment on the value of the bid, the report said. ESPN officials weren't immediately available for comment Monday.

Industry sources said ESPN will pay US$1.1 billion (euro917 million) after outbidding Nimbus Communications, which offered US$900 million (euro750 million), the report said.

Other bidders included Zee Telefilms Ltd. and Ten Sports.

Besides the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, the rights will cover the ICC's major tournaments such as the next four Champion's Trophy matches, Women's World Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, PTI said.

Indian Top-order collapse Again (Potchefstroom (South Africa))

2006-12-09T13:57:00.000+05:30

Cricketers Profile & Biography

A timid surrender once again by India's top order batsmen took the joy out of the good work on the field on the second day of the warm up cricket match against Rest of South Africa in Potchefstroom.

Openers Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer and Sachin Tendulkar in particular did little to ease the creases on the forehead of the team management as the Indians tumbled to 93 for seven in the second essay at the Sedgars Park.

The abject surrender by the batsmen came after the bowlers had shot out the hosts for 138 in the first innings and given the visitors a 178-run advantage.

Sehwag (10), Jaffer (0) and Tendulkar (12) continued with their sorry ways on the tour and even though the lead had swelled to 271 by close, the scoreboard at close had the heads downcast in the dressing room.

Top-order collapse

The unending saga is best reflected in the figures: Sehwag now has 39 runs from four innings; Tendulkar 98 from five and Jaffer 15 from three knocks as the free fall of the Indian top order shows no signs of stopping.

Their dismissals reflected the form they are in: Jaffer and Sehwag showed no movement of feet as they came a cropper against the new ball.

And Tendulkar, keen to grind out a long stay at the crease, fell as he had done so many times in the past - leg before wicket to a delivery which swung in and hit him in front of stumps.

First innings hero Sourav Ganguly lasted a mere two balls, both bouncers, but the second more lethal as it climbed on to him and looped off his bat to wicketkeeper Van Jaarsveld for a simple catch.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni was no different to what has been his dismal show of the tour, making 16 sketchy runs before edging Alfonso Thomas to second slip.

Harbhajan Singh became Thomas' fifth victim before bad light brought a premature end to the day's proceedings.

Sreesanth shines

Earlier Sreesanth scalped four and was well-supported by Zaheer Khan and VRV Singh as the tourists bundled out the hosts for 138 in 34-odd overs.

But as the rest of the day unfolded, the joy was short-lived.

Jaffer was the first one to leave when he fell leg before wicket to Thomas and Sehwag departed in similar fashion to the same bowler two overs later.

India now have a real concern at hand since Sehwag and Jaffer have been a regular pair in the last year or so but both are yet to hit their straps on this tour.

India would now have to decide on whether to pick one of them and bring in Gautam Gambhir for the first game at the Wanderers starting next Friday.

Earlier, Rest of South Africa's tail wagged a bit to stretch the team's score to 138 after being 106 for 9 at one stage.

S Sreesanth was the most successful bowler with four for 53 while VRV Singh picked three for 35. (PTI)

Cricketers Profile & Biography

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Sourav Ganguly is back with a bang

2006-12-08T12:30:00.000+05:30

Nikhil Naz, Gauri Prasad
Friday, December 8, 2006 (Potchefstroom)

Sourav Ganguly is back with a bang. He announced his arrival back into the Indian team with a knock of 83 on Thursday vs a Rest of South Africa team.

The former captain along with under fire Irfan Pathan put on a 139 run stand that helped the Indian team recover from 69 for 5.

It seems that his working hard at the nets in Potchefstroom on Wednesday paid off.

Ganguly came up with the gritty knock in his first outing for Team India in 10 months to help India recover.

But the media are yet to recover from the fact that Sourav failed to turn up for the post match press conference.

"It's very plain and simple. Irfan and Sourav were both pretty exhausted, Sourav had got a hit on his head, he has had an ice pack right through the day. He was still feeling the after effect of that. It is the very frank opinion of the team management, and the team management thought it ideal for Bhajji to attend the press conference," Rajan Nair, Media Manager, Indian Cricket Team.

Saving knocks

Ganguly, who had 13 boundaries in his 141 ball knock, would no doubt be a pleased man. But probably more pleased would be the Indian team who has been in pathetic form in South Africa.

But on Thursday another man who stole the limelight was Irfan Pathan. The all rounder, who has been under fire after his poor bowling performances of late, more than made up for that with an unbeaten 111.

This in fact was the Baroda player's first first class century. But more importantly, it came at a time the Indian team really needed it.

"It was a very very great inning by Irfan and Sourav, the way they batted on this wicket and it was very special. I think Irfan batted superbly to get his first 100 and so is Sourav, making his comeback and scoring 83 runs and which was very good for the team and we came back very strongly. If you look at the scoreboard we are in a good position," said Harbhajan Singh, Member, Indian Cricket Team.

On Day 1, India were at 316 for 7 at stumps. Pathan and Ganguly the main scorers, with a useful 47 from Harbhajan Singh as well.

The Indian top order struggled once again with Sachin Tendulkar only managing 10

News Source: NDTV

Doping agency seeks review of Pakistan cricket decision

2006-12-08T01:47:00.000+05:30

ELEANOR HALL: When two of Pakistan's star cricketers, Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif, tested positive for steroids, the Pakistani Cricket Board was praised for its rapid response.

Last month the board imposed a two-year ban on Shoaib Akhtar and a one-year ban on Mohammad Asif.

But now both players have had their sentences overturned on appeal and are free to return to cricket, raising the prospect that both could feature in next year's World Cup.

The World Anti Doping Agency Chief, Dick Pound, wants the decision reviewed.

But ABC cricket commentator Peter Roebuck has told The World Today's Conor Duffy that there may not be a chance to stop them.

PETER ROEBUCK: No reason to stop them, according to the law. What the selectors and the board will think about it is another matter.

As far as the board's concerned, the tests were legitimate, because they were instituted by that board. Whether some legal loophole was found around them, boards and selectors don't always worry about those things, they have to think about the overall well-being of their side.

CONOR DUFFY: Should there be an obligation on the Pakistani Cricket Board then not to select these players?

PETER ROEBUCK: Well, they'll certainly have a look at it. I don't know about an obligation.

I mean, they're the ones who took the tests in the first place. So they've made a big effort there to clean up the air of suspicion that might've surrounded their team, and other teams for that matter.

So I think that it's right to congratulate them on the initiative, and it's not their fault that it's gone a bit haywire.

What needs to happen, clearly, is that the process itself is improved.

CONOR DUFFY: How beneficial would steroids be for a fast-bowler?

PETER ROEBUCK: Highly beneficial, for the same reason it can be for swimmers and for spin bowlers and for weightlifters. It helps to build muscle strength and to overcome injury.

So they need to be drummed out of the game, and once they are detected, then the punishment must apply strongly. They should both have been banned for two years.

CONOR DUFFY: Dick Pound says there may be other options for imposing a ban on the players, and he's asking the International Cricket Council to have a look at it. Do you think other countries would have concerns about these two bowlers, say, taking part in next year's World Cup?

PETER ROEBUCK: I would've thought so, yes. They have been found guilty as charged. But at law they've been overturned. Obviously everything is nowadays susceptible to judicial review, and if the process does not satisfy the lawyers, as opposed to the sporting rulers, then it will be overturned, as there's no amount of decisions that can be taken that can be reviewed by law.

But other teams will be unhappy about it, because there we have two bowlers who, on the surface, have been detected cheating. I mean, other people weren't detected. They were found with these things in their blood. Perhaps the testing system was imperfect, but it was also localised, and I don't think there's a suggestion that I know about that they weren't guilty, except in the eyes of the law.

CONOR DUFFY: So basically these two bowlers are not free to be back on the field, and there's basically nothing that can be done?

PETER ROEBUCK: It's a Pakistani matter. But, as I say, they're the ones who tested them, and they won't be happy to have their results overturned. So I await the response of the Pakistani board and the Pakistani selectors.

Having said that, there's great passion for the game in these nations, and there'll be a public uprising if certain people aren't chosen for reasons that the public doesn't accept.

ELEANOR HALL: Cricket commentator Peter Roebuck speaking to Conor Duffy

Ganguly recalled for test series in South Africa :Dada is Back

2006-12-01T02:08:00.000+05:30

NEW DELHI, India, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Indian selectors have recalled former captain Saurav Ganguly for next month's three-test series in South Africa.

India's poor batting form in one-day cricket and uncertainty over skipper Rahul Dravid's availability for the opening test in Johannesburg (Dec. 15-19) due to a finger injury prompted Ganguly's recall on Thursday to bolster the brittle middle-order.

Ganguly's experience is expected to help in the absence of middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh, who has been ruled out of the tour with a knee injury.

Veteran batsman Vangipurrapu Laxman has been named vice-captain of the 16-man squad.

Ganguly was sacked as test skipper and one-day player last October and dropped from the test squad altogether in February after a long batting slump and a row with coach Greg Chappell.

India have already lost the five-match one-day series in South Africa 3-0 with one game remaining in Centurion on Sunday. The opening game was washed out.

Team:

Rahul Dravid (captain), Vangipurrapu Laxman,

Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly,

Wasim Jaffer, Gautam Gambhir,

Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Dhoni,

Dinesh Karthik, Munaf Patel,

Zaheer Khan, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth,

Vikram Rajvir Singh, Irfan Pathan,

Anil Kumble, Harbhajan Singh.

South Africa A beat India

2006-11-17T11:33:00.000+05:30

India's worst fears came true in the tour opener against South Africa 'A' as its bowling and batting came apart.

The tourists went down without a whimper by 37 runs on Thursday against an opposition from whom only a couple of players have a realistic chance of representing them in the next World Cup.

Fast bowler Dale Steyn though did his chance no harm with a five-wicket haul, 5 for 22, his blistering pace and hostility proving too hot for the Indians.

Since he bowled 10 extras, he actually conceded only 12 runs to Indians' bats.

The final margin might appear closer but it was because South Africa pressed in service some irregular bowlers.

Weak performance

The visitors first leaked 68 runs from the final five overs - and 96 from the final 10 - to allow the hosts to recover to 255 and then themselves pulled the plank from under their feet to be 82 for 6 by the 23rd over.

With openers Wasim Jaffer and Sachin Tendulkar falling for only five runs each and the middle order of Suresh Raina and Dinesh Mongia departing for blobs, Indians were never in the contest despite captain Rahul Dravid being non-displaceable at the other end.

Dravid kept one end going for 79 runs for 99 balls but most of these runs came against the lesser bowlers in the attack.

The only cricketers who seemed to stay put with the Indian captain were Mohammad Kaif (30) and Irfan Pathan (34), the latter backing it up with a good performance up front with the ball and figures of one for 38 from his nine overs.

Fiery Steyn

Dale Steyn was the bowling hero for the hosts as he accounted for Tendulkar and Jaffer in the space of three deliveries and then took the scalps of Mahinder Singh Dhoni (7) and Suresh Raina in his second spell.

Tendulkar essayed a hard cut straight to point while Jaffer edged one into the hands of second slip.

Dhoni was frozen and pinned on his backfoot by a straight, sharp delivery and Raina was bounced out, the first delivery aimed at his rib cage, which the left-hander duly popped up in the hands of forward short leg.

The local bowlers were clearly intent to let the Indians gain no sort of confidence.

Earlier, South Africa A progressed to 255 on the strength of its lower order batsmen, specifically Jacques Rudolph (72 not out) and Albie Morkel (63).

Munaf Patel and Sreesanth gave runs in excess of 60 from their 10 overs though it was redeemed a bit by good show from comeback seniors Anil Kumble (2 for 31) and Zaheer Khan (3 for 43) and of course Pathan. (PTI)

Source :http://www.ndtv.com

Cricket Australia vows to crack down on racial taunts

2006-11-14T16:34:00.000+05:30

Reporter: Lisa Millar
ELEANOR HALL: Cricket Australia is vowing to crack down on racist taunts from crowds this summer.

South Africa's Captain, Graeme Smith, has sparked controversy with his comments that he's worried that visiting English Sikh player Monty Panesar might become a target for abuse.

England's team management is refusing to comment, but Cricket Australia has promised to "detect and eject" anyone who goes too far in their treatment of the visitors.

Lisa Millar reports.

(sound of applause and person whistling)

LISA MILLAR: It's Monty Panesar's first tour of Australia, and with the first test still more than a week away, he's already attaining cult status.

CROWD MEMBER 1: Hey, Monty.

CROWD MEMBER 2: (singing) Seven sons of Monty Panesar and he never…

LISA MILLAR: Panesar is a Sikh, the first to ever play for the English side. He sports a full beard and wears a patka, a cloth covering his head.

South Africa's captain, Graeme Smith, says the 24-year-old spinner is bound to attract racist taunts. He was quoted on the weekend as saying:

GRAEME SMITH (voiceover): I was chatting to some of our team just the other day, and we all shivered at the prospect of what he could be in for.

I dread to think of him fielding on the boundary. He's going to cop an unbelievable amount of abuse.

I sincerely hope, for everyone's sake, but especially his, that it isn't of a racist nature, but our own experience obviously leaves us with doubts.

LISA MILLAR: But ABC cricket commentator, Peter Roebuck, doubts that.

PETER ROEBUCK: It's not shallow of Smith, it's stupid of Smith.

I think those comments should just be treated with disdain and everyone should get right behind Panesar.

And even if 99 per cent are behind him, people mustn't just focus on the one per cent, if there is that, that is rude to him.

LISA MILLAR: Sunday's crowd, though, at the Sydney Cricket Ground may offer a hint of what's ahead for this long, hot summer. Newspapers are reporting that fans were heard calling Panesar a "stupid Indian who can't speak English".

AUSTRALIAN FAN 1: They're saying nothing bad about the English, but they're not getting non-English people playing, and Australians might take more offence to non English people playing for England, so they might just give it to them, give it to them because of that, because of that.

AUSTRALIAN FAN 2: Every sporting code's becoming like it. Every sporting code's becoming like it.

LISA MILLAR: Cricket Australia is promising to get tough, trialling a new system for the first test at the Gabba, where the crowd can anonymously text complaints about the behaviour of others.

PETER YOUNG: There is no place for racism in cricket, either on or off the field.

LISA MILLAR: Peter Young is the anti-racism officer.

PETER YOUNG: We're very keen to detect and eject anybody who even thinks about making a racist comment.

The number of personnel at venues has been upgraded. The training of those personnel has been upgraded. The processes that we use have been upgraded, and we are asking the public to help us by alerting the new staff, should they be aware of anybody behaving inappropriately.

LISA MILLAR: But he admits there have been lapses, even within the Australian team.

And in August, former test cricketer Dean Jones was sacked from his commentary job after calling a South African Muslim player a "terrorist" on air.

And a year ago in Perth the South Africa team complained about the crowd behaviour.

But Peter Roebuck says you can't blame the Australian fans for that.

PETER ROEBUCK: The main form of abuse that occurred in Smith's tour was by people in Perth using the phrase kaffir-boetie, which is a South African phrase used by expatriate South Africans, all of whom should be sent back to Johannesburg.

LISA MILLAR: Cricket Australia's Peter Young is confident Monty Panesar will only hear cheers, not jeers.

PETER YOUNG: He is a sensational player, and we are totally confident that the vast majority of Australian fans will enjoy watching him play.

He is an interesting personality and character, he's a significantly talented cricket player, and there is the potential for him to go home at the end of the season as a new cult figure.

You know, last year's cult figure was David Boon, through the Boonie dolls. Australians love a character, they love talent, and the vast majority of them are going to welcome Monty, and he could be the new cult figure for this summer.

ELEANOR HALL: Cricket Australia's anti-racism officer, Peter Young, ending that report from Lisa Millar.

China want to become cricket giants

2006-06-26T16:46:00.000+05:30

The first recorded game of cricket in China was played in 1858 in Shanghai. Nearly 150 years since those seeds were planted, a tiny sapling is only now beginning to sprout.

If, however, the Chinese Cricket Association's (CCA) development plans are even half successful, it is only a matter of decades before the cricket world could be looking at the new giants of the game.

The CCA, which formed in 2004, has spent the past year developing a core base of players, umpires and coaches, with help from the best cricket establishment in the world, Cricket Australia.

Ross Turner, Cricket Australia's general manager for global development, has had a close-up view of how the game is starting to take root in the world's most populous nation.

"The greatest pleasure of my life in a professional context was visiting China for the first time and working with a group of dedicated officials in breaking incredibly new ground," said Turner at a recent Asian Cricket Council seminar on the future of Asian cricket.

"The baby in some ways has not been born yet. But there is an opportunity in a global sense that we need to grasp. The CCA have drafted a long-term strategy and I recommend (the world) to look at this project, which will help bring a new face to cricket that we cannot fully comprehend at the moment."

The most famous cricketing event in China over the past few years has been the Beijing Cricket Sixes, involving mostly expatriate teams.

CCA director Calvin Leong said that since September, China had produced 68 qualified coaches and umpires while the association had introduced the game to 19 primary schools, 20 secondary schools and 25 universities.

"When the CCA was established in 2004, cricket was an expatriate game. Only a handful of Chinese had ever put their hands on a cricket ball," said Leong.

"In the past, cricket was zero, nil and nothing in China. At the moment it is a young baby, or a tiny seed."

Leong said the CCA is choosing only the top schools and universities in which to introduce the game and are currently focusing their efforts on Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Liaoning.

"Beijing and Shanghai are the two biggest cities in China and are more readily acceptable of new ideas and cultures. If we are successful here, it can influence other cities.

"Guangzhou also has a strong economy while we chose Liaoning because many of China's top athletes come from this area."

The CCA said it is trying to have cricket included as a medal sport at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.

"We are trying to convince the organisers to include cricket," said CCA vice chairman Cui Zhiqiang.

"That's why development in Guangzhou area is important. If we can get youngsters there to play, it will help in obtaining Asian Games status."

Leong added that the CCA is even trying to convince a baseball academy in Shandong to convert to a cricketing institution.

"It doesn't sound that surprising when you consider that baseball does not have a good future in the Olympics and it has been dropped from the 2012 London Games," said Leong.

"A Shandong cricket school stands a good chance and that is one of our targets in 2007."

Leong said the CCA is hoping that by the end of 2007 China would have 30,000 players, 600 coaches and 600 umpires. Their target is for 150,000 players by 2020.

Richest ever cricket match planned :Richest Cricket Match

2006-06-02T10:35:00.000+05:30

By Telford Vice in Durban
June 1, 2006

A TEXAN-born billionaire was financing a world record $US5 million ($6.66 million) Twenty20 international between West Indies and South Africa in Antigua this November, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said today.

"Everything has been agreed and we expect to sign the contracts next week," CSA commercial manager Steve Elworthy said, adding that the winners would pocket the $5 million and both teams would receive $US100,000 ($133,100) in appearance fees.

Scheduled to take place on November 12, the lucrative one-off match is the brainchild of Allan Stanford, a Texan who is now an Antiguan citizen, making the contest the richest prize in any form of cricket.

Australia picked up $US2 million ($2.66 million) for capturing the World Cup in 2003 as well as smaller purses accumulated for winning earlier matches.

Stanford has spent $US28 million ($37.27 million) sponsoring the domestic West Indian Twenty20 competition and has also financed the building of a new hospital in Antigua.

"If everyone's keen to do it, then why not?" South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher said.

"Obviously he (Stanford) is determined to get West Indian cricket back up and running and I take my hat off to him because that's a lot of money to fork out for one 20-over game.

"Maybe it's a sign of things to come for cricket."

Boucher admitted that the amount of money at stake would add to the pressure the players felt on the field.
"If you never play for that amount of money then you're not used to it," Boucher said.

"So the guys were joking that you don't want to be bowling the last ball of the match and the opposition needs six to win."

"If you get knocked for that six you just might be unpopular in the changing room."

England face blind cricket test

2006-05-25T18:06:00.000+05:30

The Pakistan blind cricket team have arrived in England ready for the start of a four-match series against England in Worcestershire this weekend.

The matches will also be a gauge of England's recent improvement in form and should give the squad indications of what to expect at the World Cup.

England team manager Peter Sugg said: "We'll have the privilege of pitting our wits against the world champions over a four-match series which will hopefully prepare the squad for the ultimate challenge of the World Cup.

"We'll be looking for a strong performance from England's star players as well as looking for the junior players in the squad to improve their skills and stake a claim for a starting place at the World Cup."

The series runs from Saturday, continuing in Reddich on Sunday and finishing with two games at Worcestershire's county ground New Road on 30-31 May.

England squad: Heindrich Swanepoel (London Metro)(Captain), Andy Dalby-Welsh (Sussex), Matt Dean (London Metro), Dan Field (Sussex), Rory Field (London Metro), Nathan Foy (Warwickshire), Howard Greenhill (South Wales), Joe Harrison (Sussex), Hassan Kahn (London Metro), Sam Murray (Worcestershire), Miles Northwood (Sussex), Mark Pickup (Warwickshire), Andy Powers (Warwickshire), Bryn Reynolds (London Metro), Keryn Seal (South Wales), Luke Sugg (Warwickshire), David Townley (London Metro)

Sachin practises with cricket ball : Sachine will back

2006-05-10T22:59:00.000+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar, currently undergoing a rehabilation programme following a shoulder surgery, had his first net session with a cricket ball in the presence of the Indian team support staff on Wednesday.

The support staff has expressed satisfaction with his recovery.

Tendulkar batted at the nets for 25 minutes with a cricket ball at the Bandra Kurla Complex ground of Mumbai Cricket Association in the presence of biomechanist Ian Fraser and trainer Gregory King.

The master batsman, who underwent a shoulder surgery in London in March this year and opted out of the ODI series in West Indies, first batted for five minutes and then after a break continued for another 20 minutes with the ball thrown at him.

This was Tendulkar's second successive day of practice session after he started light workout on Tuesday with tennis balls at the same ground under the watchful eyes of coach Greg Chappell and physiotherapist John Gloster.

"Sachin underwent his first batting session yesterday since his shoulder operation in late march. Both Sachin and John Gloster were very happy with the outcome of his first outing, bat in hand," BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah, said.

Will challenging umpires undermine spirit of cricket?

2006-05-10T22:56:00.000+05:30

Dickie Bird and Bob Woolmer

Yes
Dickie Bird, MBE International umpire for 23 years, 66 Tests, 92 ODIs

It is a sad day for cricket when players are allowed to appeal against the decision of an umpire. His decision was supposed to be final; that is at the heart of the game. But, if these rules come in [allowing each team three appeals to the third umpire in an innings], then that will go out of the window.

You already have the electronic aids that have come into the game and taken away the umpire's responsibilities. Now this new playing condition will take away all their authority. With the increasing influence of the electronic age, umpires have only three decisions to make anyway: they determine caught behind, lbw and bat-pad. Every other decision is made by technology and now even those meagre three responsibilities will be open to review.
It is coming to the point, and I can see it arriving soon, when you will ask why the umpires are out in the middle at all. All they will do is count whether six balls have been bowled in an over and before long there will be something to do that for them too. Umpires will just turn into robots; it's sad for the game.

In the past, if an umpire made a mistake people talked about it. That was part of the game. The central role of the umpire has been essential to the game's fabric throughout its history and not allowing them to make decisions is a loss to cricket.

What starts at the top will no doubt trickle down and before long players in the county championship will feel the need to challenge decisions. This is the only area of the professional game where umpires are still allowed to make them, because they don't at Test match level any more.

The umpire I was brought up with, the central authority figure, the one who made the decisions on which the game hinged, is already finished. I know people argue it is important to eliminate human error when so much is at stake in today's Tests and one-day internationals, with players' careers at stake and so much money in the game. But I'm still a great believer that bad and good decisions even themselves out over the course of a Test.

If you get the best umpires, men who can handle Test matches, they will not make many mistakes. Of course there will be the odd one but, if you get the best umpires it doesn't happen too often. Cricket is like any walk of life - the best will always rise to the top and it's the same for umpires. They should be allowed to do the job.

People often ask me who I believe to be the world's leading umpire but I can't give them an answer. Is it Simon Taufel, Billy Bowden, Aleem Dar, Steve Bucknor? I haven't got a clue, and the reason is that I don't see any of them having to make the big calls any more. Those have been taken away with the advent of the third umpire and the increase in the use of technology and it will only get worse if these new rules come in.

People pay a lot of money to go to watch Test matches and the human element in big decisions is part of the entertainment. If you ask the crowds, they will say it should be left to the umpires to make the decisions because it's part of the game and they don't want it any other way. If you keep going back to the third umpire to make every decision, it holds the game up. Many would also say that if players do get a bad decision they just have to get on with it. As I said, it evens itself out.

No

Bob Woolmer Pakistan coach and former England Test batsman

The late Lord Hawke in his famous soliloquy suggested that cricket is a game that should be played in the correct spirit. "To play it keenly, generously, self-sacrificingly is a moral lesson in itself," said the England cricketer turned administrator early in the last century. The game, though, has moved on.

In 1957 Eric Bickmore, the headmaster of Yardley Court school, drummed into his charges that the umpire's decision was final. Being one of them, I have upheld this statement and will always preach the same to any youngster I coach. However, if the ICC allows the players the right to question a decision, I believe it will be a step forward not backwards. The move should help the umpire in his quest to be absolutely fair and it will give the batsman a chance to stay at the crease when he knows he was not out.

The game of cricket is unique when it comes to decision making. Football, rugby, tennis, you name it, there is no right of appeal. In cricket an umpire is asked to adjudicate if a batsman is out lbw and incongruously he is also asked to adjudicate on caught behind decisions and caught at bat-pad decisions. In my opinion being caught by the wicket-keeper is the same as being caught at mid-off. You know you have hit it, so off you go.

The planned new rules will put pressure on the batsman to be truthful because, if he is actually out, then the team loses one of its three "wild card appeals". I know what my reaction would be if a player used up a challenge needlessly. As far as the fielding side is concerned, questioning a not-out decision, it will put an added burden on the captain, who alone may challenge.

The umpire at the highest level of the game today is under the greatest pressure. On his decision rests the livelihood of captains, players and coaches. On one decision can a match change for good or bad. Captains, players and coaches are given the boot because of one bad decision. The most recent example was Damien Martyn in the last Ashes series in England.

The money attached to the highest level of the game is greater than ever before and therefore the pressure is increased. The money is provided by the television rights and television is making the game available to the public and providing insight, controversy and above all entertainment.

We have technology that is advancing by the minute. For the first time in the history of the game the umpire's decision is being questioned. Not by the players but by visual and audio evidence. There is a school of thought that players should accept good decisions with the bad. Increasingly they are not. It is bad for the game that players question decisions when they are not allowed to.

The bottom line is that the players realise that the umpires have a tough job. They make it tough by appealing too much and by trying to crook the umpire on caught behinds. This experiment is merely another opportunity to make the game as fair as possible. There may well be a knock-on effect in the amateur game but in some countries there are already infamous examples of bias and blatant cheating. There have been many hundreds scored on the back of a bad decision and that may now change.

Mudassar Nazar appointed chief of Pakistan cricket: Pakistan Cricket

2006-05-09T13:30:00.000+05:30

Lahore: Fiormer Pakistan opener Mudassar Nazar has been appointed as the new director of the relaunched National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

According to a Pakistan Cricket Board release, Mudassar was chosen for the post ahead of former national team captains Mushtaq Mohammed and Intikhab Alam.

Fifty-year-old Mudassar has played 76 Tests and 122 one-day internationals for Pakistan.

The PCB has also announced plans to pick four five specialist coaches to work with him.

ICC Cricket Committee gives guarded endorsement of technology trial : ICC

2006-05-07T11:54:00.000+05:30

Bad light, playing conditions and bats also discussed
Brian Murgatroyd

The ICC Cricket Committee gave a guarded endorsement to a trial of the extended use of technology during its two-day meeting in Dubai, which ended on Saturday.

The Committee recommended that players be allowed a limited number of appeals to the third umpire if they feel a decision made by the on-field umpire is incorrect during this year's ICC Champions Trophy in India.

But they expressed reservations about the implications such a process would have on the Spirit of Cricket, the fabric of the game and the authority of the on-field umpires.

The Committee also recommended that the equipping of umpires with earpieces connected to the stump microphones be mandatory in all international matches.

It agreed playing conditions for the ICC Champions Trophy, next year's ICC Cricket World Cup and for international Twenty20 matches, sought to establish new standardized criteria for the measurement of bad light, and a sub-committee appointed last year reported back on the Laws governing what constitutes a cricket bat.

All the recommendations made by the ICC Cricket Committee have to be approved by the Chief Executives' Committee and if that approval is forthcoming then the decisions can be ratified at the ICC Board meeting, with both meetings set for London in July.

Technology

The Committee agreed to recommend players be allowed three appeals per innings to the third umpire if they feel a decision made by the on-field umpire is incorrect.

The recommendation was for the measure to be trialed at this year's ICC Champions Trophy in India and then be reviewed after that tournament.

The recommendation was, however, made by the narrowest possible margin (six votes to five) with reservations expressed over what it will mean for The Spirit of Cricket, the fabric of the game and the role and authority of the on-field umpire.

The appeals system has been used in American Football for several years and, earlier this year, was trialed in an event on the professional tennis circuit.

Explaining the decision, ICC Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed said: "Ever since the ICC Champions Trophy of 2002, the ICC has been keen to explore the possibilities offered by technology.

"What we have consistently sought to do is to increase the already-high numbers of correct decisions made by umpires while, at the same time, not diminishing their on-field role and authority.

"This measure has the potential to do that but, at the same time, the Committee was mindful of the possible downside with its implications to the Spirit of Cricket, the fabric of the game and the authority of the on-field umpires.

"However, if the recommendation is approved it will offer the chance to see how the concept works in practice and leave us better able to make a decision on its longer term merits."

Explaining how the new appeals system might work, ICC General Manager - Cricket, David Richardson said: "Each team will be allowed three appeals to the third umpire per innings. If the appeal is successful they will retain the right to three appeals but if not, then it is lost.

"Only the captain from the fielding side will be entitled to make the appeal by approaching the on-field umpire making the sign of a TV with his hands. For the batting side, only the batsman involved in the decision would be able to make the appeal, which he would do in the same way."

The trial would not include the use of technology such as Hawkeye or the Snickometer but would include the LBW mat, the solid line super-imposed on the screen between the two sets of stumps and used by broadcasters to determine where the ball pitches and the point of impact on the batsman's pads.

"The main point of the trial would be to see how much this use of technology may impact on the Spirit of Cricket," said Mr. Richardson.

"What we hope the trial will do, if approved, is to help eradicate the very few obvious errors that may be made by umpires, who already get between 94 and 96 per cent of decisions right at international level," he added.

The Committee recommended umpires should be equipped with earpieces in all international matches to allow them to listen to the stump microphones, something that will help them hear edges much more easily.

That has already been trialed during the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004 and the Pakistan - India Test series in 2005 and ICC management will now assess the financial implications ahead of a decision by the Chief Executives' Committee.

Bad light

The Committee heard evidence that artificial lights are of limited use in improving conditions on dull days and that they are only truly effective when a contrast exists between the ball and the sky, as is the case at night with a white ball.

On that basis it was decided to recommend that the use of artificial lights during Test matches be discontinued.

At the same time, the Committee agreed umpires should be issued with a directive that play should be maximized wherever possible.

It was also agreed that light meters should be utilized to a greater degree to establish a bench mark of what constitutes unacceptable light.

By doing that, it would remove the possibility of umpires being unduly influenced in the decision to offer the light as, over time, an accepted norm for bad light would be created.

Playing conditions

The playing conditions for this year's ICC Champions Trophy and ICC Cricket World (CWC) in the Caribbean were discussed and recommended for approval.

The Committee also recommended that the current field restrictions that apply to ODI cricket ("Powerplays") should remain in place up to and including the ICC CWC and be reviewed after that event.

Reflecting on the fielding restrictions, which have been in place since July 2005, former Australia captain Allan Border, a member of the ICC Cricket Committee, said: "When it comes to promoting alternative tactics in the one-day game, I think we are on the right track with these restrictions.

"It is still early days for the captains as they get used to them but our hope is that, as time goes on, those captains start to show more initiative and innovation in the way they use them."

The issue of the finish time in a so-called "dead" Test match, where a result was not possible was discussed. It was recommended that in such matches, stumps could be drawn after 75 overs on the final day or at the commencement of the final hour, whichever was the later. Currently matches can only be called off after 30 minutes of the final hour.

Standardized playing conditions for international Twenty20 matches were discussed and the Committee recommended the following:

* Boundaries should not be reduced below the minimum requirements for ODI matches - 140 yards square of the wicket from boundary to boundary with each straight boundary measuring 60 yards from the centre of the pitch.
* The maximum time available to bowl 20 overs should be set at 80 minutes, not 75 as in domestic Twenty20 competitions.
* Failure to bowl the required overs in the allotted time should be punished by fines rather than the docking of runs, as in domestic Twenty20 competitions.
* Players should not be wired up to communicate with commentators and commentators should not be allowed in the player dug-outs.

Bats

Last year's ICC Cricket Committee appointed a sub-committee, made up of Sunil Gavaskar, Arjuna Ranatunga, Angus Fraser, Tim May and David Richardson to work with the MCC Laws Working Party to produce a series of recommendations on the Law governing the bat.

Those recommendations, which will be submitted to the MCC, the custodians of the Laws of Cricket, are:

* The balance that exists between a wooden bat and a leather ball should be retained.
* The Law governing the bat should be the same at all levels of the game.
* The current dimensions should remain the same although the area from the top of the handle to the end of the splice should not make up more than 50 per cent of the length of the bat.
* The handle can be made of any material.
* There is no need to define what a conventional shape of bat is.
* It should be made of a single piece of wood.
* The issues of "corking" and bat covers should be investigated further by the sub-committee.
* Toe caps for bats should be covered in the Laws.
* Bats should be the colour of wood except for permitted logos.

Five members of the Cricket Committee are nominated by all the players from Full Member teams, five are nominated by all the Full Member boards, one member is nominated by the players from the Associate Members and one is nominated by the boards of the Associate Members.

The player representatives must have represented their country as a player at full international level. The board representatives shall have either represented their country as a full international player or have been an international umpire within the last ten years.

The Chairman of the Cricket Committee must be a former international cricketer who has played a minimum of 30 Test matches or has captained his country and must have a current link with the game. The chairman has a casting vote only.

This Cricket Committee meeting included six former international captains, four players with ICC Cricket World Cup winners' medals and two members - Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border - among only five players in the history of the game to have topped 10,000 Test runs.

The ICC Cricket Committee is made up of the following personnel:

1. Chairman - Sunil Gavaskar
2. Tim May
3. Faruque Ahmed
4. Mansoor Ali Khan ("Tiger") Pataudi
5. Angus Fraser
6. Allan Border
7. Majid Khan
8. Errol Stewart
9. Arjuna Ranatunga
10. Roland Holder
11. Kevan Barbour
12. Roland Lefebvre

One of the Associate representatives, Scotland's Craig Wright, was unable to attend the meeting due to playing commitments.

The meeting was also attended by ICC officials Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed, General Manager - Cricket David Richardson, Cricket Operations Manager Clive Hitchcock and Umpires and Referees Manager Doug Cowie.

© ICC

Cricket Reaches out to Hispanic Consumers

2006-05-07T11:53:00.000+05:30

Boise, Idaho ~ may 6, 2006 - It's no secret more and more businesses are marketing their products towards Spanish-speaking customers, and Cricket Communications is no different.

The nation-wide cell service provider set up a booth at the Cinco De Mayo celebration in Caldwell, Saturday, in an effort to reach out to its growing Hispanic customer base. Potential customers got the chance to test the phones out by making free phone calls to anywhere in the U.S. or Mexico.

Currently, the wireless company is getting ready to launch a plan that awill offer unlimited calls to Mexico.

"Here in Boise even with the influx of people coming here, the need for long-distance phone calls and international phone calls is growing," said Christie Wasnea, of Cricket Communications.

That calling plan should come out later this year.

Wright urges cricket fans to lend support to Scots : Scotland Cricket

2006-05-07T11:51:00.000+05:30

SCOTTISH Saltires captain Craig Wright believes supporters will see his side play to their full potential tomorrow at the Citylets Grange as they take on Worcestershire in the C&G Trophy in their first home match of 2006.

Wright's side have made a poor start to their campaign with losses to Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire being recorded on consecutive days during the bank holiday weekend but the former Carlton all-rounder is urging Capital cricket fans to turn up in their droves to Raeburn Place tomorrow morning.

The 32-year-old said: "We have had a tough start with the two defeats but Scottish cricket is all about moving forward and we have seen in past years how county teams can beat each other easily on any given day.

"We know that we didn't play anywhere near as good as what we are capable of and I don't want fans who saw the results to think that just because we haven't won a game yet this season. We are all working hard - and have been working especially hard to put things right this week - so that we can compete on a regular basis.

Last Sunday the Saltires' bowling attack was taken apart by what can best be described as a pinch-hitter in Warwickshire's South African born Neil Carter. He had a field day opening the batting blasting 135 to eventually lead his side to a 114 run win at Edgbaston in the Saltires' opening fixture.

Nottinghamshire then cruised to a nine-wicket win at Trent Bridge on Monday leaving Wright's optimism seem somewhat out of place with his side sitting bottom of the northern division with seven games to play. However, if there is one thing his side do not lack it is team spirit.

The squad in the main have been together for a few months having taken in the pre-season tour to Barbados and then last week's painful journey to England together and Wright stated: "The good thing about last week's defeat were that they showed us how tough it is going to be to beat county sides once more but the guys never shirked from the challenge. We know we need to up our game a level but we are not scared of hard work and I have faith in the guys around me to get it right."

As honest a skipper as you are likely to meet, Wright is delighted with the way overseas stars Corey Richards and Ian Moran have fitted into new coach Peter Drinnen's set-up and he was also pleased to see the Scotland A side defeat a Durham XI well on Wednesday. "That result shows that there are a lot of guys knocking at the international door and the guys who are in possession of the places will have to work hard to keep them as myself and the coach will not be frightened to make changes if results don't improve," the Greenock man said.

He went out his way to give Grange batsman Neil McCallum special praise after the former Watsonians player hit 97 against the side from Durham to throw his hat well and truly back into the international ring after a spell in the wilderness.

Wright stated: "Neil had a superb season last year with Grange despite a couple of injuries and it is great to see him in such good form so early in the season."

For tomorrow's match against Vikram Solanki's side, who the Saltires ran close twice last season and beat famously in 1998, Gavin Hamilton is likely to return while former Carlton batsman Fraser Watts could open the innings.

All cricket cancelled in Barbados :WI Cricket

2006-05-07T11:44:00.001+05:30

Ezra Stuart

There will be no cricket in Barbados this weekend under the auspices of theBarbados Cricket Association (BCA).

The embattled association was hit with an injunctionyesterday, which prohibits the governing body for cricket from starting the 2006domestic season until it receives an order from the High Court to do so.

Following an afternoon hearing in the No.5 Supreme Court, Justice William Chandler granted an injunction sought by attorney Ralph Thorne, on behalf of Bristol Cricket Club and its president, John Greaves.

Consequently, cricketers who were getting ready to take the field in the58 scheduled matches ranging from the Banks Division 1 competition, to the Premier League, Intermediate, Second Division and Schools League, will now have to remain indoors today.

The case has been adjourned until next Friday and in the interim, the BCA, through Queen's Counsel Peter Symmonds, will file an affidavit in response to Bristol's claim.

The Old Coleridge, St Peter-based Oran/Carib Bristol team, who won the Premier League in 2004 and were second last year, are contending they should be promoted to the Division 1 competition.

Greaves, also a long-serving player, has made it clear he believes his club has been given a raw deal after the BCA this year promoted the University of the West Indies (UWI) and a second Barbados Youth team to the Division 1 competition.

Angered by their omission from the highest division, Bristol, arguably the most successful Premier League team in the past decade, sought a hearing and met with three high-ranking BCA board members on Wednesday when the matter was discussed for the first time.

After there was no resolution, the matter was referred to the BCA's board of management, which held a meeting yesterday morning.

However, Bristol's request for promotion was apparently turned down, and by mid-afternoon Thorne headed a team of lawyers, including Gregory Nicholls and Larry Smith, in seeking an injunction from the Supreme Court. BCA president Tony Marshall, general secretary Vernon Williams and business manager Rollins Howard attended yesterday's proceedings which were held in chambers.

Over the last few weeks cricketers were busy practising for the start of the season with nets and training sessions. By Thursday night, the majority of the clubs had already chosen their teams to play in the first series of matches, but they will now have to wait a while before they can get on the field of play.

English Cricket: England seconds humble tourists

2006-05-07T11:44:00.000+05:30

Simon Wilde at New Road

England A (259 & 41-0) beat Sri Lanka (179 & 118) by 10 wickets

ENGLAND’S tyros teed things up nicely for their seniors at Lord’s on Thursday by dispatching the Sri Lankan touring team to defeat inside three days at New Road yesterday. More disciplined bowling from Jon Lewis and Liam Plunkett, both of whom are expected to be named in the first Test squad today, and Stuart Broad, who may not wait long for the launch of his own international career, quashed any chance of a Sri Lankan fightback.

All out for 118 after resuming on 68 for five, Sri Lanka left England A just 39 for victory, a task openers Rob Key, the captain, and Alastair Cook, who is also in the mix for the Test party, achieved inside nine overs. Lewis finished with a match return of nine wickets for 90 to leave his season’s haul from two appearances at 19, at a cost of 8.7 apiece, and the selectors with almost no choice but to take him to Lord’s, even if they do have concerns about his lack of pace.

It will be the double failure of the batting that will concern Sri Lanka most. At Derby last week opener Michael Vandort was the only Sri Lankan batsman to pass fifty; here, in team scores of 179 and 118, nobody did. Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored both innings with a pair of accomplished forties.

Of the 50 runs his side added yesterday, Dilshan contributed 30 in 21 overs and confirmed himself as a patient player with a penchant for the leg side. Unlike many of his teammates, he restricted his backlift and his ambition, and it took a good ball from Broad to dismiss him: Broad, who is 6ft 6in, found extra bounce to take the bat’s shoulder and the edge flew high to Cook at second slip.

Broad is probably too young and too inexperienced to be plunged into Test cricket just yet but fast bowlers are the fastest-rising type of cricketer and England must be sorely tempted to keep him on the fast track to the top. He looks certain to be included in England’s development squad of 25 that will be announced today alongside the Test party.

Tom Moody, the Sri Lanka coach, admitted that the tour had not started smoothly. “It would have been great to have scored a few hundreds but that wasn’t to be. At least we’ve been given a clear indication of what the 2006 Duke ball is going to do this summer. There have been changes to the ball, the seam is a bit more elevated, and this was the first time we’d used it. At Derby we used balls from earlier years. Not that it’s a problem for us.

We have a couple of bowlers who can exploit it and a spinner who can wrap his fingers around the seam.”

With Sanath Jayasuriya retired from Tests and Marvan Atapattu injured, Moody’s biggest headache is the lack of an opening pair who can see off the new ball and protect a middle order that has lost its aura of invincibility even on the low, slow pitches of home. Sri Lanka have failed to top 280 in the first innings of their last eight Tests against all-comers except Bangladesh. Moody conceded that the batting order was not yet fixed and that Vandort and Upul Tharanga might not be retained as openers at Lord’s.

Lacking a Test class allrounder, Sri Lanka have yet to decide whether to play a fourth seamer or an extra batsman. The pace attack, led by the crafty Chaminda Vaas, is not without potential and could cause England problems. Vaas is likely to be supported by two talented young swing bowlers, the slingy, hard-to-pick-up Lasith Malinga, whom England have never faced, and the open-chested Farveez Maharoof, although there are other options. Nuwan Kulasekara bowled well against England A and they also have in reserve the experienced Nuwan Zoysa — rumoured to have a Lewis-like problem with pace.

Interestingly, Rikki Clarke was given the first over of the day but if there were hopes he might promote his credentials as a Test allrounder they were dashed. Dilshan swung him twice through mid-wicket and Key immediately reverted to Lewis, who did not let him down with seven overs off the reel that yielded just 11 runs and the wicket of Maharoof.

Moody confirmed that Muttiah Muralitharan, who had returned to Sri Lanka for a family funeral, would be rejoining the tour today.

Not Bristol's intention to stop cricket

2006-05-07T11:41:00.000+05:30

it was never Oran Bristol's intention to stop local cricket from being played in Barbados.

But the premier league club seeking promotion to division one cricket consider their battle with the Barbados Cricket Association a case of the powerless versus the powerful.

So says their attorney Ralph Thorne, who told CBC Sports that it is hoped that BCA cricket will begin within two weeks.

Meanwhile, president ofthe BCA Tony Marshall says his association will not comment on the matter because it is sub judice.

Indian cricketers demand less cricket : Indian Cricket

2006-05-07T11:39:00.000+05:30

Fearing burnout from too much cricket, India's top cricketers have told the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), to reduce the number of matches they play.

Indian vice-captain Virender Sehwag has revealed that skipper Rahul Dravid and some other senior players including himself have approached the BCCI, and suggested a break of 20 to 25 days after every major series.

The 27-year-old believes that the players need about three months off in a year, in order to keep performing to the best of their ability.

The BCCI, however, has told them that it is unable to address this issue immediately, since it has already signed the ICC's Future Tours Programme.

IDCA cricket : Cricket Mews

2006-05-07T11:32:00.000+05:30

The Imphal Free Press

IMPHAL, May 6: WCA won their league match in the ongoing 13th IDCA district league cum knockout cricket tournament 2006 organised by Imphal District Cricket Association at THAU ground Thangmeiband today.

IBSA won the toss and elected to bat first and scored 97 all out in 23 overs. In reply, WCA of Sagolband Tera scored 98 runs for the loss of only two wickets in 15 overs. Anil produced a scintillating battting display scoring 58 runs off just 45 balls.

Score card

IBSA of Yumnam Leikai Batting: Boynao b Pakpa 10(13), Bronson run out Bikom 1(8), Romen b Bikom 20(40), Gugu b Nanao 16(22), Chiru b Robindro 20(20), Naoba b Sisson 5(14), Diten run out Anil 0(4), Gulson c Robindro 6(9), Tolentomba lbw Robindro 6(9), Gopal not out 0(1) and Ramesh 0(5).

Fall of Wickets: 1/21, 2/27, 3/53, 4/80, 5/82, 6/90, 7/96, 8/96, 9/96 and 10/97.

Extras: Byes 4, leg byre 4 and wides 11 Total Runs: 97

WCA of Tera Bowlling: Sission 5-1-7-2, Pakpa 4-1-13-1, Bikom 6-0-21-1, Nanao 3-0-23-0, Robindro 4-1-9-3 and Anil 1-0-5-0.

WCA of Sagolband Tera Batting: Anil b Naoba 58(45), Dijen not out 7(37), Bikom c Chiru b Romesh 6(5) and Ingeljao not out 8(2).

Fall of Wickets: 1/81, 2/91.

Extra Runs: Byes 4, leg byes 8 and wide 9 Total Runs 98.

IBSA Bowlling: Romesh 4-0-26-1, Gopal 3-0-14-0, Chiru 3-0-11-0, Gugu 3-0-27-0, Naoba 2-1-1-1.

Man of the Match: Anil of WCA scored big half century 58 runs of 45 balls.

Umpires: E Ramananda and U Jasobanta.

Tomorrow Match: Blue Hawk of Khurai will clash with Pakhangba Cricket Club of Mayaikoibi.

Every third cup in subcontinent bad for cricket: Gray

2006-05-04T23:07:00.000+05:30

MELBOUNRE — Former president of the International Cricket Council, Malcolm Gray has flayed the decision to allot every third World Cup to the subcontinent and accused India of using undue clout to influence the decision of the ICC's Executive Board.

Former ICC Chief Malcolm Gray said allotting the 2011 World Cup to Asia had broken the ICC's rotational policy and called for a return to the system according to which regions took turns to host the mega event.

After Australasia hosted the 1992 event, it was decided that the staging rights would be rotated between the five cricketing regions, Gray said.

"This (allotting the 2011 World Cup to South Asia) unfortunately has broken that and for the sake of the game I think it would be better if it did go around in order," the Australian said.

"In the past, India has used the power of programming to get the votes of the lesser countries. I'm well away from it now, so whether that's still the case I don't know, but you have to suspect that."

Gray was chairman of the World Cup when it was held in Australia and New Zealand in 1992, but he said the Australasian bid, however worthy, would always struggle against India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"Particularly when it's a joint bid from four Asian countries, politically it's going to be hard to toss," Gray was quoted as saying in The Age.

The winning bid missed the original deadline, and when it was extended, Cricket Australia knew the numbers were in the Asian bloc's favour, the paper said.

Cricket management goes online

2006-05-04T23:01:00.000+05:30

UK online developer TCG is hoping to build on Ashes fever with an online cricket management game.

TCG has announced that it is developing an online cricket management game that is planned to launch at the end of 2006. The game will allow users to run a virtual cricket club and compete in a massive world league. This will involve the day-to-day running of the club, the buying and selling of players, and competing in live games that can be altered while playing.

Release: Q4 2006 TheCricketGame will offer variables such as weather, form, and morale, which can all alter team performance. The game also places an emphasis on batting and bowling strategies, which, when combined with the captain's leadership abilities, will have an effect on the outcome of the game.

The game promises role-playing elements that will allow you to focus your skills on areas such as coaching, tactics, and management. Successful managers will also be able to develop the club's cricket grounds or develop the youth academy.

Users can register now at www.thecricketgame.com to receive updates on the game's developments and to be considered for the upcoming beta-testing phases.

By Guy Cocker -- GameSpot
05/04/06 02:05 AM

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Cosgrove to make one-day cricket debut

2006-04-27T22:32:00.000+05:30

Young batsman Mark Cosgrove is a certainty to make his one-day debut on Friday as the exhausted Australian cricket side completes its taxing schedule in a dead rubber in Bangladesh.

The 21-year-old's elevation will mark a speedy return to grace for the chunky batsman who was suspended from the South Australian side for being too fat.

The Australian team was yet to be named for the third and final match of the one-day series against Bangladesh at Fatullah Stadium after the tourists wrapped up the series with a 67-run win.

However Australian captain Ricky Ponting strongly suggested the trio of Cosgrove and fellow World Cup aspirants Brett Dorey and James Hopes would play in the final clash.

They are the only members of the 14-man limited-overs squad not to have played in Bangladesh after the world No.1 side opted for the same lineup in both Chittagong and Dhaka.

"It has been well spoken about that we have been up for a long time now and played a lot of cricket," said Ponting.

"I actually said to the guys coming into this series that we would try and give all the players if we could at least one game, and hopefully two.

"But that has not been the way it has worked out.

"We kept the same side for the first two games but now we do have the opportunity to look at Brett Dorey and Cosgrove and Hopes.

It is a key opportunity for all three players to press for a berth in next year's World Cup squad.

Cosgrove was named ING Cup player of the season for his exploits last summer after responding to his month-long suspension by scoring 736 runs at 66.9 in the Pura Cup and 591 at 73.9 in the ING Cup.

With Damien Martyn to return from an elbow injury, any runs will aid Cosgrove's case to tour the Windies as Australia chases an unprecedented third straight World Cup.

Dorey had an ordinary start to his one-day career in three matches during the home tri-series following some strong form for Western Australia at domestic level.

He has only claimed one wicket at 134 at an economy rate of 5.82 and must grab the opportunity to keep his name in the queue.

It is a similar situation for Hopes who only came into the squad because of an injury to fellow Queensland all-rounder Shane Watson.

The 27-year-old has not managed to make much of an impression in his first eight one-day internationals having not scored a half century or claimed more than one wicket in an innings.

Mike Hussey said the players were knackered but trying to lift for one last effort to finish off a testing tour of Bangladesh with a clean sweep in both forms of the game.

"It has been a great summer considering how hard the boys did it in England and so I think it would be great for us to just go out and give one last effort for Australia and finish on a high," he said.

The Bangladesh side was yet to be named.

Team:

Australia (likely): Adam Gilchrist, Simon Katich, Ricky Ponting (c), Michael Clarke, Mark Cosgrove, Michael Hussey, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson, Dan Cullen, Brett Dorey.

Too much cricket? A matter of perspective

2006-04-27T22:29:00.000+05:30

Ricky Ponting says cricketers today are playing too many games, Sunil Gavaskar believes today’s cricketers should have no complaints about playing any number of matches for their country. Both have a point. The divide is a bit generational, a bit ideological, but largely one of perception.

Looked at it linearly, obviously too much cricket is being played. In Gavaskar’s heydays — in the 70s and 80s — there was very little one-day cricket. Even if the teams played say 15 Tests, the workload does not match the 10-12 Tests and 45-50 ODIs that most sides play nowadays.

Add to this, domestic commitments plus a sprinkling of exhibition and benefit matches that are now such an integral part of the cricket circus, and players are left with virtually no time for a vacation.

International sport demands intensity and focus. The mind and the body both must be in fine fettle to compete consistently at this level, which makes rest as vital as form and fitness.

A jaded mind and/or a fatigued body means a player will perform below par. This implies risking not only the fate of a match, but also the players’ future.

That said, Gavaskar’s contention that there is no scope for griping when wearing the country’s cap has to be seen in the context of what players are actually up to. For instance, how many cricketers — including those most vehement in their complaints — spurn the offer to play the county circuit, where the money is good? Or sundry unofficial matches anywhere in the world where a quick buck can be made?

If fatigue really was the issue, then these assignments must be discarded first to make the complaints about too many international fixtures legitimate. In that sense, Gavaskar is on the ball — there is no greater honour for a cricketer than to represent his country, and he has no business to moan about too much work when he has no compunctions about playing other, ‘non-essential’ matches.

At a more objective level, the big fear for contemporary cricketers is about longevity of career, which is understandable. Because the money has become big, every player wants to play as long as possible. There is also the fame which comes along with the money, not to forget an occupation to fill up time.

But my take is that, in the future, cricketers will have shorter life spans in any case. Part of this will be because of the competition from within. Younger, hungrier, fitter players will be thrown out more consistently by the system which will put enormous pressure on places in the team.

The other important factor will be the increased number of matches, and the higher intensity levels of play. This will lead to quicker burn-outs.

But there will be no diminishment in earnings. Indeed, with match fees and other income rising dramatically, there will be more money in the kitty for playing a lesser number of years, which is not such a bleak scenario all said and done.

Cricket Champions Trophy 2006 launched :Champion Trophy

2006-04-27T22:27:00.000+05:30

New Delhi: The 2006 cricket Champions Trophy was launched here Thursday, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Indian cricket board signing the host nation agreement.

India and England will play the opening match of the tournament Oct 15 at Jaipur.

ICC president Ehsan Mani and Sharad Pawar, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), signed the agreement for the eight-nation tournament to be held in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Mohali and Jaipur between Oct 7-Nov 5.

Mani said: "India's love for cricket is enormous and the supporters here deserve a world class tournament."

Pawar said: "BCCI is very excited to be hosting this prestigious event that will bring all the major cricket playing sides together in India for the first time in 10 years."

India had hosted the 1996 world cup along with Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

Six countries have been identified for the biennial tournament. Two more will join them after a qualifying competition that will precede the main tournament, also to be held in India.

Group A comprises Australia, India, England and the second-placed qualifying team, while Group B has South Africa, Pakistan, New Zealand and the top team from the qualifying tournament.

The groups were determined on the basis of the teams' standings on the ICC One-day Championship Table as April 1.

According to this table, 2003 World Cup winners Australia were on top and they were followed by South Africa (2nd), 2002 joint winners India (3rd), Pakistan (4th), former champions New Zealand (5th) and England (6th).

The qualifying tournament will feature Sri Lanka, defending champions West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, who were placed from seventh to 10th positions on the ICC ODI table April 1. It will take place between Oct 7 and 14.

According to the tournament format, the top two teams from the two groups will progress to the semi-finals with the winners of the two semi-finals will contest the final at Mumbai's Cricket Club of India Nov 5.

'I want to clear my name of fixing' : Indian Cricketer

2006-04-24T15:49:00.003+05:30

Mohammad Azharuddin has said he has given up hopes of playing for India but was fighting his case in the court of law to get his name cleared of match-fixing allegations.

"I have no hopes of playing for India. But I want to get my name cleared. I am expecting that the final hearing of my case to be held in May before the judgement is announced," Azharuddin said.

Azhar was slapped with a life ban while Manoj Prabhakar, also involved in the scandal, was banned for five years in 2000. The court has already exonerated Ajay Jadeja who was banned for 5 years by the Indian Cricket Board.

The former India captain, however, refused to comment on whether he was made a scapegoat by the BCCI.

"The matter is sub-judice and I cannot comment on that but I firmly believe that the whole issue was blown out of proportion," Azhar, who is here to play the Veterans’ Cup, said.

"I was destined to play 99 Tests, that’s the way I look at it. If I can play 99 Tests, I could have played one more," he said when asked if he was deliberately prevented by the BCCI from achieving a personal milestone. However, Azharuddin, also a veteran of 334 one-day internationals, said he could not be banned from all cricketing activities "I don’t need any permission from anyone to play charity or veterans’ cricket. I cannot play in BCCI or ICC approved or sanctioned tournaments. Veterans’ cricket is a different body that is neither controlled nor governed by the BCCI or ICC," Azharuddin said.

"No constitution in the world can stop me from my earning my livelihood and cricket is my livelihood."

Azhar said coaching option remained open for him but at the moment he was concentrating on his business. "I can remain associated with cricket in whichever capacity I want."

BCCI will launch its own webportal :Cricpro News

2006-04-24T15:49:00.002+05:30

The Board of Control fro Cricket in India’s much-hyped web-portal would be launched soon and is expected to be fully functional during the ICC Champions Trophy later this year.

The announcement came after the BCCI tied up with The Cricket Network (TCN) to design, build and operate its web-portal.

When fully functional, the web-portal will enable cricket internet users around the world to access various news, highlights, archival footage, statistics, streaming video, merchandising and mobile phone content.

"Our vision is to embrace the entire Indian community worldwide," Lalit Modi, vice-president of the BCCI, said in a press release on Sunday.

"And over time, we will make available the web-portal to all Indian cricket associations with multi-lingual capabilities.

"The BCCI will promote this portal on all TV channels that are broadcast to the Indian home games through branding, which will be prominent on BCCI’s live TV feeds around the world.

"This will help it become one of the most prominent portals in the world," added Modi.

TCN has selected Sun Microsystems, Inc. to provide IT infrastructure solutions and support for the implementation of the company’s digital asset management system that will power the BCCI’s web-portal.

This approach will facilitate multi-distribution by way of cable and satellite, audio, hand-held and future devices of the web-portal’s cricket and lifestyle content.

Minnows make Aussies sweat for win :Bangladesh Vs.Australia

2006-04-24T15:49:00.001+05:30

Adam Gilchrist slammed a whirlwind 76 to help Australia defeat Bangladesh by four wickets in the first one-day international here on Sunday.

Gilchrist struck nine fours and five huge sixes off just 46 balls but the world champions were still made to work hard in chasing a target of 196 before going 1-0 up in the three-match series.

The hard-hitting left-hander dominated a 96-run opening stand with Simon Katich (18) in just 10.5 overs but Bangladesh, who had shocked the Aussies in a tri-series match in Cardiff last year, offered stiff resistance. Gilchrist raced to his 45th half-century in just 27 balls to put Australia in control before a triple-strike by left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak made things difficult for them.

Gilchrist, who survived a chance on 39 when Syed Rasel failed to hold on to a catch in the deep off paceman Mashrafe Mortaza, was Razzak’s first victim.

Razzak dismissed Gilchrist leg-before as the batsman shaped for a sweep and then trapped Andrew Symonds (0) and captain Ricky Ponting (14) plumb with faster deliveries to finish with 3/36.

With Katich falling to Mortaza, Australia slipped from 96/0 to 133/4 and Bangladesh suddenly had them under pressure with the experienced Mohammad Rafique bowling a miserly spell from one end.

Michael Clarke (16) and Brad Hogg (7) could not do much and in the end it took a watchful knock of 36 from Michael Hussey to anchor the team in the company of Brett Lee (12) with six overs to spare."I thought their spinners bowled very well to put us back a little. The ball expectedly turned a lot as the match progressed and that made things difficult for us," Ponting said.

Earlier, Aussie spinner Hogg bagged three wickets as Bangladesh were bowled out for 195. Hogg finished with 3/37 as the home side were dismissed in 47 overs after electing to bat. Left-arm wrist-spinner Hogg’s scalps included the important one of captain Habibul Bashar, who struck a determined 52 and added 54 runs with Khaled Mashud (27) to rescue the struggling side.

Bashar struck three fours and a six over mid-wicket off debutante spinner Dan Cullen during his 11th half-century in 80 matches before he was stumped by Gilchrist.

Scores: Bangladesh 195 (Bashar 52, Hogg 3/37, Bracken 2/30) lost to Australia 196/6 (Gilchrist 76, Hussy 36 n.o., Razzak 3/36) Bangladesh lost by four wickets.

Dhoni to bat for school dropouts : Dhone on top

2006-04-24T15:49:00.000+05:30

After stamping his authority as the world’s top batsman, Indian cricket’s new star Mahendra Singh Dhoni would now bat for a cause — to motivate school drop-outs back to studies in his home town.

"Dhoni will join the campaign, ‘School chhalen hum’ (Let’s go to school) between April 24 and 29 in Ranchi," deputy commissioner Pradeep Kumar said.

The administration believes that the charishma of the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman could drive slum children to schools. "We would like to get regular feedback on the children’s response to our novel campaign," he said.

As per a recent survey, the drop-out rate in Ranchi is as high as 43 per cent in the past three years.

"Now we are committed to stem the drop-out rate and determined to spread awareness by involving administrative officials, NGOs, media and celebrities," Kumar added.

Film-star Farooq Sheikh is also joining the state government’s campaign.

"While Dhoni’s services will be utilised in slum areas, Farooq Sheikh will be taken to remote villages during the enrollment week starting tomorrow," Kumar said.

An estimated 3.88 lakh children do not go to schools in Jharkhand and Chief Minister Arjun Munda has directed the officials to enroll them under the ‘School challen hum’ campaign across the state. The focus of the campaign is to target boys and girls in the age group between six and 14 and make a concerted effort to bring them to school through different methods.

"First, we will teach them between nine and 12 months, both in residential and non-residential camps before moving them to middle schools," Kumar said.

An amount of Rs 6,800 would be spent per child in residential and Rs 845 for non-residential camp and the funds would be given to village education committees, he said.

Kiwi cricket top order reshuffle likely :New zeland Cricket

2006-04-24T15:32:00.000+05:30

Hamish Marshall's breathing difficulties could force yet another change in the New Zealand cricket team's malfunctioning top order.

The makeshift opener is in doubt for the second Test against South Africa starting at Sahara Park on Thursday, after suffering rib damage inflicted by Proteas' speedster Makhaya Ntini during his brave second innings effort at Centurion last week.

Marshall has been under pressure to keep his place since a less than impressive transition to opener in the West Indies series, but it is injury that appears to leave the door ajar for either Michael Papps or Jamie How.

The specialist openers were overlooked for the first Test, as coach John Bracewell opted for Marshall and rookie No.3 Peter Fulton.

But wickets again fell early as Ntini and Dale Steyn gave the Black Caps a swift working over at SuperSport Park.

While Bracewell was impressed with Fulton's technique and character in the first innings when he scored 14 the coach admitted Marshall was in doubt despite a resolute knock which saw him eighth out for 25 as the Black Caps lost by 128 runs.

"Hamish was fighting for his life in the second innings and showed some real character," Bracewell said, before sounding a note of caution.

"We still need to finalise that decision (on who will open). It may be based on the fact that Hamish has got cracked ribs and he may not have recovered in time.

"Until see how Hamish is breathing once he starts pumping it, we won't be able to make a decision on selection.

"He's feeling a lot better but he's still resting to heal. As soon as he starts running we'll know the extent of the damage."

The Black Caps will get a gauge on the progress of Marshall and a trio of players with knee problems - Shane Bond, James Franklin and Nathan Astle - at training though atrocious weather looks likely to keep the team holed up in their hotel or the nearby gym.

A swollen right knee kept Bond out of the first Test, while knee niggles for left arm seamer Franklin and change bowler Astle are not considered serious.

India level Fund raising Series

2006-04-21T10:34:00.000+05:30

India atoned for their defeat in the first game when they beat Pakistan by 51 runs in the second of two one-day charity matches played in the Middle East.

Pakistan, chasing 270 for victory, were bowled out for 218 in 45.2 overs with left-arm paceman Irfan Pathan taking three for 35 and off-spinner Romesh Powar claiming three for 61.

Captain Inzamam ul-Haq made 79 before he was run out.

Earlier, skipper Rahul Dravid (92), Virender Sehwag (73) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (59) led India to 269 for five.

"We learnt a few things after playing Tuesday's game on a slow pitch," man of the match Dravid told reporters.

"The conditions were tough for batting but we all stuck to the task and our bowlers did a great job."

Dravid and Sehwag shared an opening stand of 138 as India, after winning the toss, worked hard to make up for their six-wicket defeat in the first game.

Sehwag shrugged off a poor run of form which had threatened his place in the team, blasting the Pakistan attack to all parts as he struck 10 fours and one six.

After Sehwag was bowled by spinner Shahid Afridi, Dhoni joined forces with his captain to put on 90 for the second wicket.

TIDY BOWLING

A score in excess of 300 looked well within India's reach before Pakistan kept them in check with tidy bowling towards the end of the innings.

With heat and humidity taking his toll, Dravid fell in the 45th over, his 117-ball innings containing 10 fours.

Yuvraj Singh came in at number four and plundered three fours and one six in a brisk 24 off 10 balls.

Paceman Rana Naved was the pick of the attack, taking two for 45 in 10 overs.

Pathan struck two quick blows when Pakistan replied, removing Imran Farhat for eight and Afridi for a duck.

Inzamam and Shoaib Malik put on 46 for the fourth wicket but could not keep pace with a mounting run rate.

Yuvraj took a diving catch off Powar to get rid of Malik before Inzamam survived two confident lbw appeals.

It was all over for Pakistan though when Inzamam's dismissal left them on 209 for nine in the 43rd over.

Inzamam said: "India batted well, fielded well and bowled well to take the match away from us.

"I think it was the opening stand between Dravid and Sehwag that made all the difference."

The two matches, the first to be played in the United Arab Emirates in six years, marked the opening of international cricket's newest venue, the $2.5 million Zayed Stadium which can accommodate 16,000 spectators.

The series is expected to raise $10 million for earthquake relief and also marks the beginning of a new plan by the two teams to play regularly in neutral venues.

Dhoni on top of ICC ranking

2006-04-20T14:45:00.000+05:30

Thursday, April 20, 2006 (London):

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's half century against Pakistan in the second ODI in Abu Dhabi has propelled him to the top spot in the latest ICC ODI rankings.

The wicket-keeper has displaced Australian Captain Ricky Ponting by just a single point after his knock of 52 in the match.

The Jharkhand-born player is currently averaging 76.33 in the year from
12 matches, having scored 458 runs with five half centuries and a top score of 96.

Dhoni is the second Indian player after Sachin Tendulkar to take the top spot in the one-day rankings.

Gillespie Sets Nightwatchman Record

2006-04-20T12:33:00.000+05:30

Australia's Jason Gillespie became the highest run-scoring nightwatchman on Wednesday when he eased past the previous record of 105 on the fourth morning of the second test against Bangladesh.

Resuming on 102, Gillespie drove a delivery off spinner Abdur Razzak to the long off boundary to overhaul the mark set by compatriot Tony Mann in December 1977 against India.

Pakistan nightwatchman Nasimul Ghani scored 101 against England at Lord's in 1962.

Rain Ends Play Early After Jaques Fifty

2006-04-18T08:16:00.000+05:30

Philip Jaques scored his maiden test fifty to push Australia to 151 for two before persistent rain ruled out play for the remainder of the second day of the second test against Bangladesh.

Lunch was called early after rain halted the action 27 minutes ahead of the scheduled break and further downpours in the afternoon left the wicket drenched, giving the umpires little choice other than to call off play after a 0900 GMT inspection. Nightwatchman Jason Gillespie and skipper Ricky Ponting were not out on 28 and 19 runs respectively when the teams went off.

Australia resumed the day on 76-1 after they had bundled out Bangladesh for 197 on Sunday.

Jaques, who made his test debut against South Africa in Melbourne last year, hit 66 before being caught by Shahriar Nafees at mid-wicket off spinner Mohammad Rafique.

Rafique had also removed opener Matthew Hayden for 29 on Sunday.

Jaques hit a huge six and eight splendid fours, while Gillespie's 28 had six boundaries. Ponting faced 29 balls and hit two boundaries.

Australia lead the two-test series 1-0 after a three-wicket victory in Fatullah last week