Dawood Ibrahim threatens future of Pak cricket

Sydney/Karachi: The alleged presence of Dawood Ibrahim, the man who masterminded the 1993 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and is said to have also played a role in last month’s attacks on the same city, is threatening the future of cricket in Pakistan.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Ibrahim is being dubbed as "India''s Osama", and threatens to destroy any remaining hope Pakistan cricket has of re-emerging by dismantling the crucial relationship between the boards of Pakistan and India.

Ibrahim, a notorious gangster who reputedly funds his terrorist activities through a billion-dollar drug trade in Afghan opium.

He is associated with Pakistan cricket''s director general, Javed Miandad, through the marriage of his daughter Mahrukh to Junaid, son of the batting legend.

The Indian Government is demanding that Pakistan hand over Ibrahim, who is believed to have hidden himself in luxurious palaces for 15 years in the world''s second-largest Muslim nation.

India suggests that Pakistan is actively involved in shrouding Ibrahim and - retaliatory or not - cricket has become a pawn in the game.

Once Pakistan''s most powerful and important supporter, India is threatening to pull out of a tour starting later this month.

"If India doesn''t tour, it will be a total disaster for Pakistan cricket," said former PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi.

"It''s very important for cricket, not just in Pakistan but in the world, for India to come. If they don''t, it would relegate Pakistan further into isolation. If India doesn''t come, I can''t see New Zealand coming even though their tour is at the end of next year. Australia is supposed to tour in April but I can''t see that happening. Unfortunately, this Mumbai thing has triggered a political dimension," he added.

India''s sports minister, MS Gill, asked: "Is it possible for one team [the terrorists] to arrive in Mumbai and indulge in mass murder, and have another team go and play cricket in the winter afternoon sun at Lahore, immediately after?"

Having been ousted by the recently appointed regime, Naghmi - now working for the Pakistan government - also sees worrying trends from the new board, including the ravaging of domestic programs designed to improve the skills of youngsters.

Another source said PCB chairman Ijaz Butt lacks the skills to handle the crisis.

Pakistan, as a cricket destination, has already lost the faith of the west. To lose that of India would be paralyzing.

Source: ANI

Tendulkar played brilliantly in Chennai: Prior

Mohali: Still in awe of Sachin Tendulkar's sublime century in the Chennai Test, England stumper Matt Prior said opposition can do precious little when the Indian gets going.

"He is an awesome player and it was a fantastic knock," an awe-struck Prior said.

"He is one of the best cricketers ever and when he fires like this, there is little you can do," said the England stumper after the team's nets at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here today.

Tendulkar's magnificent ton, coming in the backdrop of the recent terror attacks in the city he hails from, has already led to an eulogy in the British press and "Little Lord" and "Mother Teresa of Cricket" were some of the sobriquets he earned from the English journalists.

More or less of the same view, Prior said keeping the wicket allows him to witness many a great knocks and Tendulkar's unbeaten 103 in Chennai would rank among the best.

Prior said the Chennai tie saw Test cricket at its best but it was "deflating" to lose the match after playing with so much of intensity.

"The defeat was hard. After five days of intense cricket, ending up on the losing side is really deflating," he said.

"But we have got huge positives from the match and coming so close (to a win) was a huge plus for us," added the stumper.

Prior despite the defeat, his teammates were high on confidence and also played down the rib injury of captain Kevin Pietersen.

"We have come here full of confidence and KP is absolutely fine. I mean I have not seen him squirm a lot. I'm not the doctor but for me, he seems fine and in top form, as always," he added.

Prior admitted Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma troubled them in Chennai with their grasp of reverse swing but felt England would blunt the threat in the second Test starting here on Friday.

"We knew reverse swing would play a crucial role here in India. We did as much we could have. We practised playing reverse swing in Abu Dhabi. Of course they (Zaheer, Ishant) are fantastic bowlers but I think we can really improve on and take huge amount of experience from the previous match," he said.

Only time the otherwise chirpy Prior looked embarrassed when asked about the Stanford Super Series match during which his pregnant wife Emile was seen sitting on the lap of Texan billionaire Allen Stanford.

"See lot of stuff are hugely blown out of proportion. I mean I know this is modern day cricket where every move you make and everything you do is under scrutiny. I think you have to get on with it and ultimately you need to play cricket," he said.

© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.

Bhajji too dependent on 'doosra': Atherton

London: Former England captain Mike Atherton feels Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has become a lesser force due to over-dependence on his 'doosra' which is affecting his ability to drift and spin the ball.

India won the first Test against England in Chennai, but Harbhajan was largely ineffective on a crumbling wicket and Atherton feels the reason is his over-use of 'doosra'.

"Even though Harbhajan was in form, bowling at a ground he knows well and at batsmen short of match practice, he made little impression," Atherton wrote in his column for 'The Times'.

"I am not entirely sure that Harbhajan is the bowler he used to be, now that an overextended use of the doosra -- the ball that spins to the off -- has affected his ability to drift and spin his stock ball, the off spinner," he added.

Atherton, however, took a sympathetic view of England left-arm spinner Monty Panesar and said his below-par show was a result of lack of match practice and the pressure of too much expectations.

"Although Panesar failed abjectly to do his bit on the final day, bowling 27 wicketless overs, comparing match figures does not show him in the poor light one may imagine. Amit Mishra, the leg spinner, bowled 51 overs, taking four for 165; Harbhajan bowled 68 overs, taking four for 187; Panesar bowled 46 overs, taking three for 170. The difference is not so marked," he pointed out.

Atherton said England should stop expecting Panesar to be a Shane Warne and let him focus on his strengths.

"He is no Shane Warne, never has been, never will be. He is, however, a bloody good finger spinner and still the best England have by a distance. One bad game does not change that," he explained.

© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.

ECB sweats over finding a new sponsor

London: With Vodafone deciding not to renew a four-million-pound-a-year sponsorship deal with it, the England and Wales Cricket Board fears a new financial backer would be hard to find in the middle of worsening economic crisis and reduced state funding.

The four-year agreement with the telecom giant ends after England's tour to South Africa next winter and the ECB is already losing sleep over finding a new sponsor.

"This is the first downturn in the period. It is going to be more difficult than the past, but cricket audience and media exposure are excellent and it will be down to the way we handle the market place. Renewals and extensions are easier to secure than new partners," admitted ECB commercial director John Perera.

Chairman of Sports Impact John Taylor, who negotiated sponsorship deals between the ECB and Tetley's and npower, said the ECB will find a sponsor nonetheless but the "question is at what price?" "The market is difficult at the moment. The top deals are still being done and smaller deals are still there, but the middle is being squeezed," he said.

© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved

Kirsten reveals secret of Yuvi's return to Test form

Mohali (Punjab): India's cricket coach Gary Kirsten has revealed that Yuvraj Singh rediscovered his form in the Chennai Test against England after being asked to "pretend" that he was playing a one-day knock.

Comeback man Yuvraj, who flopped in the first innings with 14 runs, more than made up for it with a quick-fire 85 in the second essay as India clinched a memorable six-wicket victory.

"Yuvraj has felt the heat but you need just one innings to turn it around. We told him to pretend he was playing a one-day innings, and to play positively," Kirsten told 'Neo Cricket'.

Kirsten said even when England were on top, he was confident of an Indian win.

"England were on top but we still felt that we could win. Then it was up to England to make a plan. We went into the fifth day saying that we could do it," he said.

"We were sure that we could make it. I had seen Sehwag play and knew what he was capable of and Sachin was of course equally good," he added.

India chased down a record 387 target in the match riding on Sachin Tendulkar's magnificent 41st hundred. Kirsten said even when not in best of forms, Tendulkar is a confidence-booster in the dressing room. "The players were nervous but when you have Tendulkar at the crease, playing as he did, the nervousness seems to disappear," said Kirsten.

Kirsten said the reason why India had been putting up one dominating display after another is the fine current form of all the team members.

"Our batting line-up is getting decent scores and there is great balance in the bowling line-up," said Kirsten. "It's been amazing being part of this setup and it's been really big for me," he added.

© Copyright 2008 PTI. All rights reserved.

Sponsors snub Sri Lanka cricket team

Colombo: Marketing and financial prospects of the Sri Lanka cricket team are said to have hit rock-bottom as the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) failed to attract a single bidder to sponsor the team when bids for the fresh year closed, a media report here said.

This is despite that fact that the Sri Lanka team is performing well internationally and are ranked fourth in the ICC Test rating and seventh in the one-day rankings presently. But the financial managers of the cricket governing body have fully attributed the failure to the terror attack in Mumbai and the developments in the aftermath.

"The team's financial potential hit an unprecedented low on Monday when it came to light that SLC had failed to attract a single bidder either as the Sri Lanka team sponsor or the clothing sponsor, when bids for the fresh year were closed," Colombo-based Daily Mirror reported on Wednesday.

At least three bids were required for the each of the two sponsorships.

"Marketability of the Sri Lanka Cricket team has suffered irreparable damage at the hands of continuing political meddling which has now reached comical proportions," it said, adding that even the existing team sponsor Dilmah or clothing sponsor MAS had not sent in their bids.

Citing the ongoing controversy over the Ten Sports television rights deal and several insurance deals, the media report said that the "unending interference in the sport by various elements keen to make fast buck through commissions" have shunned away interested sponsors "from investing money in the game".

However, the financial and marketing managers of the SLC have a different story to tell.

"Several overseas companies informed us that they were keen to make sponsorship bids. But they couldn't send in their documents in time because of the situation that was created after the Mumbai attacks," the Daily Mirror has quoted head of marketing for SLC, Charith Senanayake, as saying.

He has said that it would be recommended to the SLC interim committee headed by Arjuna Ranatunga to extend the deadline further in order to attract fresh bids as there was time till May-June next year to find sponsors.

"Our team doesn't have any international cricket games till May-June next year. We cannot rush these deals because this is our bread and butter. We have to make sure that we get the best deal," Senanayake has said.

The sponsorships usually end on Decenber 31, but since the team's Bangladesh tour which begins in December would run into mid-January, SLC had offered an extension of contracts to the existing team sponsor Dilmah and clothing sponsor MAS till January 31.

According to the media report, current team sponsor Dilmah had signed the deal in August 2005 for $2 million, while clothing sponsor MAS Holdings has signed the deal for Rs. 42 million.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

'One for Mumbai,' say English; 'Thank you England,' say Indians

London: Cricket commentators in England praised the historic Chennai Test match that ended Monday as one of the finest hours in English cricket.

In turn, Indian fans praised English cricketers for having the courage to return after the Mumbai terror attacks.

"Shall we rant and rave at the inadequacies of an England side that allowed India to post the highest winning total in the subcontinent? Shall we grill the captain and call for a few heads to roll? Of course, we won't," wrote Vic Marks in The Guardian.

"Before any analysis of a match that, in some small way, must have enabled a nation to recover from the shocks and horrors of Mumbai, we should acknowledge the extraordinary context in which this game was played," Marks wrote.

"It very nearly did not take place," he added.

Marks, a former Test player, said Sachin Tendulkar was on a mission Monday.

"He seemed to be playing his innings specifically for the inhabitants of his home city of Mumbai, such was his iron discipline. This was not a day for any extravagant Tendulkar strokeplay; it was a day to win the game for his country."

Former England captain Nasser Hussein, writing in the Daily Mail, said the Test match has "proved beyond doubt that England were right to go back to India and resume this tour after the horrors of Mumbai."

Writing before India's epic win, Hussein said: "Even if India were to chase down 387 runs...England would know that they had taken part in one of the great Tests; had brought joy to the Indian people in their hour of need by being there and played some outstanding cricket."

Fans posting messages on the website of the Independent were full of praise for England's decision to resume the cricket series against India in spite of worries about security.

"Hats off to the England team for coming to India after the Mumbai attack. They have not just played cricket but they have shown the terrorists that you can not win," said a message in the name of Tushar.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Experience comes to the fore! : Cricketer of the Week-Sachin Tendulkar

By Akshay Iyer

England's opening batsman Andrew Strauss, who hit centuries in both innings of the first Test match against India in Chennai, did everything humanly possible a cricketer could to win the match for his country. But, such is the unpredictable nature of cricket, that despite dominating the match for three-and-a-half days, England still lost the match as India went on to complete the fourth highest successful run chase in Test matches.

However, I shall come to the Indian win and in particular Sachin Tendulkar's unbeaten century knock in just a bit. Rarely have I felt as bad for a player from a losing team (be it India or any other team) as I did for Strauss on the afternoon of December 15, 2008. Strauss came in to the series in India knowing that this is a make-or-break outing for him in light of his not so successful 2007. He had started re-discovering his form earlier this year, but Strauss had reason to be concerned before coming to India as he hadn't played international cricket in a while.

But, that didn't stop him from top-scoring for England in both the innings, and he also finished as the highest individual scorer in the first Test with an aggregate of 231 runs -- 123 and 108 -- at an average of 115.50. While Strauss' century in the first innings helped England post a competitive total, his ton and crucial partnership with Paul Collingwood helped England set a competitive target for India. Apart from the number of runs he scored, Strauss for the most part looked like the only English batsman to have mastered Indian conditions and bowlers alike. In any other contest, Strauss's performances would have been match-winning ones, but in Chennai he ended up being a part of the losing team thanks to a terrific run-chase by India's batsmen led by Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar.

India needed a strong and positive start as they chased a total of 387 to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series and Sehwag with a blazing half-century stunned Kevin Pietersen's team as he shifted the momentum of the match towards India. While Sehwag was at the crease, it looked like a T20 match and not a Test match was in progress. Though Sehwag was unlucky to miss out on a well-deserved century, he had laid the perfect foundation for India.

The home team started the fifth day's play needing 256 runs to win with nine wickets in hand. Rahul Dravid was out early in the day's play and Sachin Tendulkar strode out to the middle at fall of the former's wicket. And, though Tendulkar saw Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman return to the hut, with 163 runs left to win the match, he was unfazed as he set about consolidating India's innings with Yuvraj Singh. Tendulkar played the role of the elder statesman in the partnership to perfection as he spoke to Yuvraj at the end of every over and at times during overs to ensure the southpaw keeps his focus and doesn't let a rush of adrenalin get the better of him.

Tendulkar knew that as long as he's in the middle, a win is ensured for India, and though he played second fiddle to Yuvraj initially, he started going on the attack only when victory was in sight. Pietersen changed his bowlers at frequent intervals and tinkered around with his field placements as he tried everything to get rid of Tendulkar as the England skipper realised that dismissing the master batsman would bring his team right back in the game. However, Tendulkar maintained his concentration and though he didn't score his century at a fast clip, his presence in the middle meant runs would not be hard to come by.

There has often been a complaint against Tendulkar that his centuries haven't contributed to match-winning causes. Tendulkar ensured that this wouldn't be repeated again in Chennai as he and Yuvraj got India home without the loss of further wickets. And, fittingly, it was Tendulkar who hit the boundary that not only won the match for India, but also brought up his 41st century in Test matches.

Sehwag and Strauss both contributed significantly to a magnificent Test match in Chennai, but for his calmness under pressure and winning the match for India as well as his 41st Test ton, Tendulkar is our Cricketer of the Week.

Source: India Syndicate

I don't think Pakistan tour is on: Ganguly

New Delhi: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly feels that the cricket team will not tour strife torn Pakistan for the next month's series.

"It is not right for me to say but I feel the tour is not on. Things are not right now for India to tour Pakistan," Ganguly said on the sidelines of Bengal team's practice session for the Ranji Trophy Plate semi-final against Goa at the Karnail Singh Stadium here on Wednesday.

Ganguly, who led India to a historic series win in Pakistan 2003-04, is playing his last first class match at a crucial juncture for the Bengal team. A win against Goa will ensure that Bengal are back in the Super Division League.

Asked whether the Indian team should show a similar gesture by going to Pakistan as England did by returning to India, Ganguly said: "England will not face similar security situation in India as we would face when we go to Pakistan. So it will be really tough for India to tour Pakistan."

India are scheduled to play three Tests, five one-days and one Twenty20 International during the series.

The 36-year-old left handed batsman also said he was happy to see India win the Chennai Test. "I saw the match, they played really well. I don't miss cricket now. We have the capability to be the No.1 team. We have defeated South Africa, Australia and England at home. But our real test lies when we go out," he said.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Gambhir, Mendis top ODI charts in 2008

The year that was

There were a total of 125 one-day internationals played in 2008. While 116 of these matches ended in results, one was tied and the remaining eight were No Results. The total number of runs scored in the 125 ODIs was 51,240 in 62,186 balls with 1,766 wickets falling at an average of 29.01 and the run rate per over being 4.94.

The run-machines

India's opening batsman Gautam Gambhir with 1,119 runs in 27 matches at an average of 46.62 and strike rate of 90.53 was the leading run-scorer in ODIs in 2008. Gambhir, who hit three 100s and seven 50s had a highest score of 113. In fact, India had four batsmen in the top-five leading run scorers -- Gambhir (1st), captain MS Dhoni (2nd), Virender Sehwag (4th) and Yuvraj Singh (5th). Gambhir and Dhoni were the only batsmen to have scored more than 1,000 runs in 2008. Dhoni scored 1,097 runs with a highest score of 109* and one century and eight half-centuries in 29 matches at an average of 57.73 and strike rate of 82.29.

Sri Lanka's vice-captain Kumar Sangakkara with 942 runs in 27 matches at an average of 39.25 and strike rate of 75.29 occupies the third spot, followed by Sehwag who scored 893 runs in 18 matches at an average of 49.61 and strike rate of 120.02, and Yuvraj with 893 runs in 27 matches at an average of 38.82 and strike rate of 100.22. Suresh Raina at No 10 is the fifth Indian batsman in the list with 680 runs in 19 ODIs at an average of 45.33 and strike rate of 94.83.

Interestingly, there are only three non-Asians in the list of the top-15 ODI run-scorers in 2008: England captain Kevin Pietersen (12th), Australian middle-order mainstay Michael Hussey (14th) and New Zealand's wicket-keeper batsman Brendon McCullum (15th). Pakistan has four players in the list -- Younis Khan (6th), opening batsman Salman Butt (7th), captain Shoaib Malik (9th) and Misbah-ul-Haq (13th). The surprises in this list are Bangladesh's opening batsman Tamim Iqbal in the eighth position and his captain Mohammad Ashraful who finished 2008 as the 11th highest run-scorer in ODIs.

Sri Lankan's new weapon

The Sri Lankan trio of Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan and Nuwan Kulasekara are the three leading wicket-takers in ODIs in 2008. Mendis, who has had a terrific first international season, was the best bowler in the 50-overs format scalping 48 wickets in 18 ODIs at an economy rate of 3.58 and average of 10.12. His best effort in a match was 6/13, and he took four and more wickets on six occasions. Muralitharan took 33 wickets in 21 matches at an economy rate of 4.24 and average of 22.08, while Kulasekara took 33 wickets in as many matches at an average of 20.87 and economy rate of 4.32.

England's Stuart Broad is in the fourth position with 32 wickets in 21 matches at an economy rate of 4.85 and average of 25.03 and Pakistani pace bowler Sohail Tanvir, who took 32 wickets in 19 ODIs at an average of 23.87 and economy rate of 4.74 rounds off the top-five.

India doesn't have a lot to cheer about on the bowling front as pace bowler Ishant Sharma (10th) with 27 wickets in 19 matches is the country's only representative in the list of the top-15 wicket-takers in one-day internationals in 2008.

Pakistan, which had four batsmen in the list of top-15 run-scorers in 2008, also has as many representatives in the bowling department with Tanvir (5th), Shahid Afridi (7th), Iftikhar Anjum (12th) and Umar Gul (13th). Australia and Bangladesh have three bowlers each in the top 15 ODI wicket-takers in 2008. Nathan Bracken (6th), Mitchell Johnson (11th) and Brett Lee (14th) form the Aussie trio, while Abdur Razzak (8th), Mashrafe Mortaza (9th) and Shakib Al Hasan (15th) are the three Bangladeshi bowlers in the list.

Harbhajan Singh (17th), Praveen Kumar (18th) and Irfan Pathan (19th) are the other three Indian bowlers in the top-20 wicket-takers of 2008. Harbhajan (19 matches), Praveen (14 matches) and Irfan (20 matches) all took 21 wickets this year. Harbhajan took his wickets at an average of 28.66 and had an economy rate of 4.39, while Praveen's average per wicket was 28.19 and he had an economy rate of 4.83. Irfan, however had a high average per wicket of 42.95 as well as a high economy rate of 5.80.

Safe hands

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jaywardene with 22 catches in 27 matches emerged as the leading fielder in ODIs in 2008. South Africa's AB De Villiers with 14 catches in 17 ODIs slips occupies the second place, while Australia's Michael Hussey and the Pakistani duo of Misbah-ul-Haq with 12 catches round off the list of the top five fielders in ODIs in 2008.

Men with the gloves

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni with 49 dismissals (38 catches + 11 stumpings) in 29 matches was world cricket's leading glovesman in ODIs in 2008. Sri Lanka's vice-captain Kumar Sangakkar with 30 dismissals (22 catches + 8 stumpings) in 27 ODIs occupies the second spot.

Pakistan's Kamran Akmal (24 catches + 3 stumpings), South African wicket-keeper Mark Boucher (20 catches) and former Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist with 18 dismissals (16 catches + 2 stumpings) round off the list of the top wicket-keepers in 2008.

Top partnerships

Indian opening batsmen Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were the leading pair in terms of runs in ODIs in 2008. The pair added 898 runs with a highest partnership of 155 and average of 64.14 in 14 ODIs. However, the pair with the highest average per partnership is the duo of Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina, whose 573 runs in six innings came at an astounding average of 95.50. Dhoni features again in the list with Yuvraj Singh as this pair added 502 runs in 12 matches with a highest partnership of 105 at an average partnership of 41.83.

Kumar Sangakkara also features twice in the list of the top-10 partnerships in one-dayers in 2008. The Sangakkara-Sanath Jayasuriya combination occupies the fourth position with 495 runs in 12 innings, while Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who added 482 runs in 13 ODIs finished 2008 as the sixth leading partnership of 2008.

Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik may have had their differences off the field, but they formed a potent partnership as they added 408 runs with a highest partnership of 145 and average of 51 to round off the list of top-10 partnerships in 2008.

Win/loss records

India, who played the most number of ODIs in 2008 -- 29 -- won 19 and lost eight matches with two matches being no-results. Pakistan won 18 of their 21 matches, while Sri Lanka won 14 and lost 11 of their 27 ODIs. Australia won 13 and lost four of their 18 matches, while South Africa won 12, lost four and had a no-result match. New Zealand played 15 ODIs in 2008 winning 10, losing three, with one match ending in a tie while the other was a no-result.

England won only 6 of their 21 ODIs, but they lost 11 matches, with one ending in a tie and the remaining being no-results.

Bangladesh won only five of their 26 matches, while West Indies also won only five and lost 13 of their 19 ODIs with the other being a no-result. Ireland played 11 ODIs in 2008 -- winning four, losing six and one no-result, while Zimbabwe won only one of the 12 matches they played in 2008.

Source: India Syndicate