Ishant's injury to be assessed, says Dhoni

Wellington (PTI): Indian paceman Ishant Sharma's participation in next week's one-day cricket series against New Zealand will be known only after a thorough assessment of his shoulder injury by the team physio.

The right arm fast bowler sustained the injury when he threw himself at the ball in the second Twenty20 international at the Westpac stadium here. He aggravated it by bowling two overs as India strove to stop the marauding Kiwis in their tracks.

The gravity of the injury has not been assessed as yet, but the team management was hopeful that Ishant should regain fitness ahead of the ODI series, which gets under way at Napier on March 3.

"We don't know the extent of injury. We will issue a statement after the doctor's assessment," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

Australia reach 466 all out against South Africa

Johannesburg (AP): Debutant Marcus North hit a powerful 117 in the first Test against South Africa on Friday to help guide Australia to an imposing 466 all out at tea in their first innings on the second day of the match. Australia, seeking to rebound from a 2-1 series defeat against the Proteas at home in December and January, showed admirable composure after stumbling to 38-3 at one stage on the first day.

North and No 9 batsman Mitchell Johnson, who thrashed 96 not out off 131 balls including 10 fours and five sixes, added 117 for the eighth wicket. The stand demoralised the hosts who had taken two wickets in the first five overs after taking the second new ball.

Flintoff ruled out of fifth Test, to return home

London (PTI): England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who is nursing a hip injury, was on Friday ruled out of the fifth and final cricket Test against the West Indies, starting at Port of Spain on March 6.

Flintoff, who is set to fly back home later today, will now undergo a rehabilitation programme and is scheduled to join the squad again on March 10, if the fitness permits. The England management sat together after the first day's play of the fourth Test at Kensington Oval on Thursday night and discussed the options to get Flintoff fit before the Twenty20 tie and ODI series that follow the ongoing Test series.

The medical staff recommended that the 31-year-old cricketer should temporarily quit tour so that he can receive better and more intensive rehab treatment, the official website of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Friday.

England will play a warm-up game in Trinidad on March 14, a day before the Twenty20 International, while the five-match ODI series begins in Guyana on March 20.

Singles are my priority, says Sania

Mumbai (PTI): Asserting that singles matches were her priority, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza on Friday said that she may miss out some doubles matches in order to prolong her singles career.

"Singles are the priority for me. Since I'm young enough I will try to prolong my singles career till my body holds up," said Sania who was here for a promotional event. "I've been playing quite well in singles, so I'm trying to balance it out between singles and doubles matches. I might as well skip a few doubles' events here and there," she said.

The 22-year-old Hyderabadi, who won the mixed doubles crown at the Australian Open with compatriot Mahesh Bhupathi in January this year and made it to the singles final of the Pattaya Open earlier this month, said she was happy with the way her career was shaping up and has set new goals for herself.

Sania, who had to withdraw from the Fed Cup earlier this month due to a wrist injury, said she was now happy with the fitness after injury woes in 2008. "I have been practising in Hyderabad for the past one week and my wrist has held up very well. We do have a few niggles here and there but overall I'm happy with my fitness," she added.

Imran declines to attend ICC Hall of Fame ceremony

Karachi (PTI): Pakistan's World Cup winning captain will not be attending the ceremony to induct three former stars in the ICC's Hall of Fame due to political commitments, the country's cricket board chief Ejaz Butt said on Friday.

Imran, along with Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad were to be awarded the ICC Hall of Fame caps on the first day of Pakistan's second Test against Sri Lanka in Lahore, but PCB chairman Ejaz Butt said Imran, who heads his won political party Tehreek-e-Insaaf, would not be able to attend the ceremony.

"He has informed us he can't attend the ceremony because he is very busy with his party due to the political issues in the country," Butt said, adding the board would receive the cap in his honour.

Former Test captains Mohammad and Miandad would be in Lahore to attend the ceremony.

Imran, since retirement in 1992, has been busy with his political career.

South Africa reaches 85-3 at close

JOHANNESBURG (AP): Australia batted themselves into a dominant position with a first-innings total of 466 in the first test against South Africa on Friday, and then took two Proteas wickets in four balls to ram home the advantage.

South Africa recovered some composure by reaching 85-3 at the close on the second day of the match, but on 2-2 and with captain Graeme Smith out for a duck, the Proteas had been in dire straits at the start of their innings.

In the first over of South Africa's innings, Mitchell Johnson found the outside edge of Smith's bat and the captain was caught behind. Three balls later Hashim Amla (one) was caught in the slips by Australia captain Ricky Ponting off debutant Ben Hilfenhaus' second ball of the match.

Captain Strauss scores ton, England on top

Bridgetown Andrew Strauss hit his second hundred of the series to lead another formidable England batting performance in the fourth Test against West Indies on Thursday.

Strauss struck 142 - his 16th Test hundred - and shared a record opening stand with his deputy Alastair Cook that allowed England to reach 301 for three in their first innings when stumps were drawn on the opening day.

The England captain reached his hundred, when he struck his 150th ball from Sulieman Benn over mid-wicket for a six onto the roof of the Greenidge and Haynes Stand.

He gained admirable support from Cook in a stand of 229 that established a new England first wicket record against West Indies in Tests.

But Strauss was one of three wickets that West Indies claimed in the final period to help them end the day strongly. Cook also fell for 94 and Owais Shah for seven.

England were fortunate when they won the toss and chose to bat on a typically hard, true Kensington Oval pitch. Strauss and Cook then gave them a memorable start when they reached 108 without loss at lunch.

Strauss reached 50 from 71 balls, when he drove Benn through cover for his eighth boundary, but it appeared to be a nervous period for the England captain.

The ball after he reached the milestone, he edged Benn past a diving Devon Smith at slip for his ninth four, and then on 58, he was dropped by West Indies captain Chris Gayle at first slip off Fidel Edwards.

But Strauss soon settled again, and with Cook unflappable at the other end, and also hitting only his second six in Tests, they continued to give England a solid base.

After lunch, Strauss and Cook continued to pile the pressure on West Indies, when they took England to 221 without loss.

Cook had reached 50 for the third straight innings in the series, when he steered Benn to third man for two in the first half-hour after lunch.

Strauss had brought up his milestone, and the pair set a new England opening record against West Indies when passed the 212 set by Reg Simpson and Cyril Washbrook 59 years ago at Nottingham.

But in the third over after tea, England lost Strauss, when Daren Powell bowled him with the perfect in-swinging yorker. He batted for four hours, 10 minutes, and struck 18 fours and one six from his 210 balls.

Five overs later, England suffered another setback, when Cook was caught at mid-wicket off Jerome Taylor miscuing a hook at his short, rising 187th ball after batting a little more than 4-1/2 hours.

The England vice-captain had also endured an anxious period, when deep mid-wicket fielder Benn missed him on 85 off Powell essaying a hook, and on 86, when he edged Taylor between wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and slip fielder Chris Gayle for the last of his nine fours.

For the next 40 minutes, Shah consolidated things with Kevin Pietersen before he was caught at slip off Benn for seven top-edging a cut to leave England 259 for three.

Paul Collingwood, not out on 11, and Pietersen, not out on 32, batted the rest of the way to ensure England went pass the 300-run mark.

England made three changes to their side from the previous Test with Ravi Bopara, Tim Ambrose, and Ryan Sidebottom replacing Andrew Flintoff, Matt Prior, and Steve Harmison.

West Indies were unchanged, and they lead the five-Test series 1-0, following an innings and 23-run victory in the opening Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica, the abandonment of the second Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in Antigua, and a draw in the third Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

Source: the indian express

Sachin Tendulkar, Karthik to play International Masters game tomorrow

Wellington, Feb 26 (PTI) Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik will play in tomorrow's International Masters Game, the curtain-raiser to the Twenty20 International between India and New Zealand at Westpac Stadium here.
The duo, who are not in India's Twenty20 squad, were drafted into the New Zealand and Australian Masters' teams respectively after discussions with the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA).

Tendulkar will turn out for NZCPA Masters while Karthik will wear opposition team Australian Cricketers' Association Masters' colours in the Twenty20 game which will see retired players of New Zealand and Australia, including Stephen Fleming, Dion Nash, Darren Lehmann and Ian Healy, in action.

"This is a great opportunity for Tendulkar and Karthik to have a few hits in the middle. We are happy to work with the Players Association to bring them into the masters teams," said India coach Gary Kirsten.

There was also a proposal of Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Murali Vijay, Laxmipathy Balaji, Amit Mishra and new fast bowling find Dhawal Kulkarni turning out for provincial teams in New Zealand domestic championship to gain match-practice before the three-match Test series starting on March 18.

The move had got support from New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive Justin Vaughan but the NZCPA had refused changing the rule of inclusion of overseas players in provincial teams halfway in the domestic season. PTI

Younis Khan replaces Chanderpaul as No. 1 Test batsman

Dubai, Feb 26 (PTI) Pakistan captain Younis Khan's triple hundred in the drawn Karachi Test against Sri Lanka catapulted him to the top of the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen which has only one Indian, Gautam Gambhir, in the top 10.
Younis batted for nearly 13 hours in Karachi to become just the third Pakistan player in history to get past the 300-run mark in a single Test innings after Hanif Mohammad (337 v West Indies at Bridgetown in 1958) and Inzamam-ul-Haq (329 v New Zealand at Lahore in 2002).

Younis was the only real mover in the top 20 of the rankings although Mahela Jayawardena's double hundred in the same match means he stays in fourth position as Australia's Michael Clarke drops two places to fifth position.

Having been knocked off his number-one perch, West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul is now in second spot with Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka in third.

Younis will have to continue to score heavily to maintain his stay at the top because he has a very slender one-point lead at the top with almost every player in the top 10.

Gambhir's opportunity to improve his position will come when the Test series against New Zealand gets underway next month. PTI

India seek redemption as they look to level series

Joseph Hoover
Wellington, Feb 26 (PTI) World champions India would seek to restore their pride after being trounced in the first match as they go into the second and final Twenty20 game against New Zealand here tomorrow, fully aware that only an inspired show will help them to level the series.

The seven-wicket defeat at Christchurch in the first match must have taken the reputation of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's young bravehearts as kings of Twenty20 a serious beating which they can only rectify by winning tomorrow.

A victory will also boost their morale ahead of the five-match ODI series starting on March 3 and put a balm after their second successive loss against New Zealand in the shortest format of the game.

However, the visitors will have to do a lot of catching up as the Kiwis have the distinct advantage of having bowling all-rounders in their ranks, in contrast to India who rely on their batsmen to bowl in the middle overs.

The lack of a genuine all-rounder is beginning to prove quite costly. Only Ravindra Jadeja seems to fall in this category, but the youngster from Rajkot may not find the team management's favour yet. PTI

Karachi Test ends in draw

Karachi (AP): Pakistan captain Younis Khan missed his opportunity to challenge Brian Lara's world record score of 400 and Sri Lanka held off an unlikely victory push by the hosts on Wednesday to force a draw in the first Test.

Khan was out for 313 before declaring the first innings at 765-6. Kamran Akmal remained unbeaten on a career-best 158.

On a batsmen-friendly wicket, there appeared little chance of a result, but Pakistan claimed some quick early wickets to raise hopes of a win. At 45-3, Sri Lanka looked vulnerable, but Kumar Sangakkara's 65 held the innings together, and Thilan Samaraweera and Prasanna Jayawardene negotiated the last eight overs to finish at 144-5.

With a draw always looming as the likely result, the main interest on the final day was how many runs Younis could get. Resuming on 306, he was aiming to break the record individual score set by former West Indies great Lara and other records along the way. However, he could add only seven runs before he was bowled by Fernando.

Upon dismissal, Younis was congratulated by all the Sri Lanka players as he walked back to the dressing room after becoming only the third Pakistani to score a triple century. After his dismissal, Akmal and Yasir Arafat (50 not out) added 169 runs for an unfinished seventh-wicket stand and scored at will on a placid National Stadium wicket, which had come under severe criticism for being too beneficial to batsmen.

Akmal hit eight fours and five sixes and faced 184 balls. He surpassed his previous Test best of 154 against England at Lahore in 2005. Arafat hit two fours and two sixes in his 129-ball innings.

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene could have got both batsmen but Dilhara Fernando dropped Akmal at long off on 136 and, just before the declaration, Vaas floored a chance off Arafat in the deep. Muttiah Muralitharan (1-172) bowled 65 overs but could not add a wicket on the final day. Ajantha Mendis (1-57) also bowled 59 overs but could get little assistance from the wicket.

Fernando (2-124) was the most successful Sri Lanka bowler as Jayawardene used nine bowlers in Pakistan's first innings. The second Test will be played at Lahore from March 1-5.

Pakistan expands squad for 2nd Test

Karachi (AP): Pakistan has added five players to an expanded 20-man squad for the second Test against Sri Lanka.

The second Test begins at Lahore from Sunday after the first Test ended in a draw on Wednesday on a flat batting wicket at National Stadium.

All-rounder Shahid Afridi, off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, opening batsman Nasir Jamshed and fast bowlers Sohail Tanvir and Abdul Rauf were added as stand-by players in addition to the 15-man squad named ahead of the first Test.

``The purpose (of naming reserves) is to give captain and coach more choice after looking at the wicket in Lahore,'' chief selector Abdul Qadir told reporters. He said reserve players would not accompany the original squad to Lahore but can be called up if required.

We are prepared to tackle Australia: Smith

Durban (PTI): South Africa may have made Australia bite the dust during their recent tour Down Under but the success have not made them complacent, insists South African coach Mickey Arthur, who feels the world champions will be revved up for the Test series starting in Johannesburg on Thursday.

"There is certainly no complacency in our camp and there never will be. We have learned the hard way. You have to keep on respecting the game and you have to keep on respecting your opponents," Arthur said.

But Arthur insisted that Australia, which has a good fusion of youth and experience deserves enough respect and going to be a tough opponent to overcome.

"In Australia we see opponents who are going to demand a lot of respect. They have some very good senior players and they have some youngsters as well who are trying to make an impression. "They also have the chance to put the record straight after our win in Australia. Normally you have to wait eighteen months to get another crack at the same opponents.

They have a second bite at the cherry straight away and they are going to be really revved up to come here and win. There is absolutely no doubt about that," Arthur said. Meanwhile, skipper Graeme Smith exuded confidence about capitalising on the home advantage.

"We have home ground advantage and will not throw away this. We know the Australians are looking for revenge but we are well prepared and will not allow any slacking whatsover." Besides the Test series, the teams will play two Twenty20 matches and a five-match ODI series over the next two months.

Younis wants to play Tests on 'good' wicket

Karachi (AP): Pakistani fans are not exactly rushing to get a taste of Test match cricket after a year of going without it.

Pakistan captain Younis Khan thinks the preparation of the pitch at the National Stadium is to blame, saying the batting-friendly wickets are hardly conducive to edge-of-the-seat excitement.

Sri Lanka declared its first innings at an imposing 644-7 in the first Test and Pakistan finished day three at 296-3, meandering along at less than three runs an over. The 10 wickets to fall in three days came at 94 runs apiece and at just over one per session.

Khan led from the front on Monday and was unbeaten on 149 off 282 balls, hitting 17 boundaries in six hours 11 minutes. Only a scattering of spectators attended the National Stadium on the first three days, despite it being Pakistan's first Test match in 14 months because teams such as Australia canceled tours due to security concerns.

``If such type of wickets are made, people won't come to the stadiums and the Test cricket will get bored,'' Younis told reporters. ``I don't know who has made this wicket but the main thing is that Test cricket should be played on a good wicket, on which there should be something for both bowlers and batsmen.

``We need wickets, on which there should be a result.'' ``I am not that type of a man who gives excuses if we lose or win, but I didn't want to have such type of wicket,'' he said.

``Sri Lanka has two top spinners but they are not troubling us because the wicket is too flat for the bowler,'' Khan said. ``I think there's some courses on how to make pitches and there's no shame in doing such courses,'' he said.

Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss said an abundance of flat batting tracks would be detrimental to the five-day game. ``It would be bad for Test cricket if you get one of these (wickets) every time,'' Bayliss said. ``Most of the time the wickets around the world are pretty good, but every now and then you get a wicket, which is in favour of batsmen which makes the work hard for the bowlers.''

New Zealand weather keeps India worried

Christchurch (PTI): World champions India will worry more about the fickle Kiwi weather than the composition and strength of Daniel Vettori's team when they meet New Zealand in the first Twenty20 tie at the AMI Park here on Wednesday.

The advent of autumn has seen the temperatures drop and there have been sporadic spells of rain, which have offset India's preparation for the match. More than the Black Caps' resilience and home advantage, it will be this cold-windy factor, which could ruffle Mahendra Singh Dhoni's all-conquering legion.

Given their streak of success in this format and the plethora of talent they have in their ranks, India start as hot favorites in the two-match Twenty20 series. While New Zealand have two potential match-winners in Brendon McCullum and Jacob Oram, who was specifically included in the squad to provide thrust to the not-so-powerful batting, India have an array of explosive batsmen who can turn the match on its head.

India have two explosive openers in Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who will be backed by the king of Twenty20, Yuvraj Singh, who continues to flog the bowlers across the parks as if he were batting in the backyard of his Chandigarh home.

Then there is Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan, who is imminently capable of clearing the grounds in New Zealand. Be it seam or spin, they have the knack and chutzpah to scatter the field and produce boundaries. Besides, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma are batsmen who are capable of winning matches on their own on their day.

If the Kiwis feel that the bounce in the wicket could give them the edge in the bowling aspect, they would have to deal with Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma, who are regarded as the best fast bowling pair in the world cricket. The pair had devastated Australia at home, a trauma from, which Ricky Ponting is struggling to recover.

India's Twenty20 record is encouraging, in that they have lost only two of their 11 matches played so far, losing to New Zealand in the World Cup at Johannesburg and Australia at Melbourne.

But whatever be their might, India would be foolhardy to underestimate the inexperienced New Zealand outfit, which had given a good account of itself in the just-concluded series against Australia, wherein they drew the ODI series 2-2 and lost the T20 match by one run.

Kiwi coach has pinned his hopes on Daniel Vettori, arguably the best left-arm spinner in world cricket, McCullum, Oram, Martin Guptill, Grant Elliot and Neil Broom. But if the weather does not play spoilsport, India certainly have the spice and curry to bury the Kiwi challenge.

Waqar Younis to Kaneria: Stop over experimentation

Karachi (PTI): Former Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis has advised leg-spinner Danish Kaneria to shun too much experimentation and rethink his bowling strategy if he wants to survive in international cricket.

"I am concerned because after a bowler has taken over 200 wickets and played 50 matches you expect him to be more mature and a better bowler. But in Danish's case I think he is trying to experiment too much with his variations and has not settled down. As a result he is not getting wickets," Waqar told Geo Super channel.

While advising Kaneria, the former paceman cited the example of ex-Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed and said: "He tried to do the same thing when we were playing together but we advised him to stop experimenting, stick to his experience and rely on patent deliveries and he was successful."

Waqar said he would also like to advice Danish to rethink his approach to his bowling as he still has a lot to offer to his country. Kaneria, who is currently playing in the Karachi Test match against Sri Lanka -- his first in 14 months, bowled some expensive spells conceding 170 runs for three wickets during the visitor's first innings.

PCB to seek report on flat track

Karachi (PTI): Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt has decided to seek report on the benign track for the first Test against Sri Lanka that has witnessed more than 1,000 runs being scored by lunch on the fourth day for the loss of just 11 wickets.

"I am a bit disappointed. When I get back I will meet relevant people and ask for a report on the preparation of the pitch," said Butt, who is in Dubai to finalise arrangements and dates for the ODI series with Australia in April-May.

He said the Board would try and ensure that lively and sporting tracks are prepared in future for international and domestic matches. Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam and captain Younis Khan too have criticised the pitch and made it clear they had nothing to do with its preparation.

Younis called on authorities to ensure lively and result-oriented tracks for Tests so that people come to the ground and watch matches. The PCB chief, meanwhile, rubbished claims that the track was responsible for the low turnout. Butt claimed turnout for Test matches in Pakistan had always been low.

Normally there has never been a big turnout for Test matches in Pakistan so I don't think the pitch is to blame for this," Butt said. The PCB chairman, meanwhile, said he was happy at the way Pakistan batted and especially Younis after the tall score by Sri Lanka. "I hope he goes on to make a big score," he said.

Fernando compares Younis with Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Karachi (PTI): Sri Lanka fast bowler Dilhara Fernando on Tuesday praised Pakistan skipper Younis Khan and said he emanates positive vibes similar to that of India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Fernando feels Younis' appointment as captain was just what the doctor ordered for the betterment of Pakistan cricket. "I see in Younis the same traits of positive captaincy and leading from the front attitude, which is visible in Dhoni," said Fernando, who has so far played 31 Tests and 132 ODIs.

He said he was impressed the way Younis led his side in the ongoing first Test against the Lankans on a flat track. "Younis has shown he is a very positive and tough person. I think the change that Pakistan cricket needed, they have found in him," he said.

"He batted admirably well under pressure as it was never easy for any team when they have to match a first innings total of 644 for 7 on any sort of pitch," he added.

Fernando said Younis had shown that he was a confident leader and believed he can help Pakistan cricket reach greater heights. Younis replaced Shoaib Malik as captain after Pakistan lost the ODI series against Sri Lanka last month.

India-NZ set for high-voltage clash

Christchurch (PTI): Under him, India has hardly put a foot wrong but skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni refuses to bask in past glory and insists it will be a fresh start against New Zealand in the first cricket Twenty20 match here on Wednesday.

World champion in this slam-bang format, Dhoni's men have an edge over the hosts on paper but the Indian captain believes his teammates would have to start all over again. "I believe every game is a new game," Dhoni said on the eve of the tour opener, adding "You have to start from scratch."

Dhoni put Wednesday's match in perspective saying it would not set the tone for the remainder of the series. "It is not like if you have won the first game it makes a huge difference for the entire tour. It is a 50-day tour and the team that will be victorious will be the one that plays good cricket for a consistent amount of time," Dhoni said.

Dhoni's team does not lack match-winners but the Indian captain said he wanted complete team effort where each and every player would chip in.

Prior to miss fourth Test

BRIDGETOWN (Barbados): England wicket-keeper Matt Prior has flown home after his wife gave birth to their first child on Sunday and Tim Ambrose will take his place in the fourth cricket Test against the West Indies.

Prior had already said he would return home but his wife, Emily, gave birth earlier than the expected date of March 2.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Monday that Prior flew home after hearing news that he had a son and back-up wicket-keeper Ambrose would start against the West Indies. — AP

Ashwin to lead

CHENNAI: R. Ashwin will captain Tamil Nadu in the knock-out phase of the Vijay Hazare Trophy limited-overs tournament to be held at Agartala from February 28 to March 9.

The team:

R. Ashwin (capt.), Abhinav Mukund (vice-capt.), K.B. Arun Karthik, S. Badrinath, S. Vidyut, S. Suresh Kumar, K.H. Gopinath, C. Ganapathy, V. Yomahesh, R. Suthesh, S. Anirudha, K. Shri Vasudeva Das, N. Einstein, P. Sathish, M. Prabhu and U. Sushil.

Source: the hindu.com

ICL talks fail

JOHANNESBURG: Talks to resolve the dispute between Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Indian Cricket League failed to reach an agreement, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Monday.

David Morgan, President, ICC, who brokered the three-hour long talks, said that “sadly no agreement was reached.”

He said the application by the ICL to be recognised by the ICC will be referred to the council’s Board meeting in April in Dubai. — AP

Gooch’s voice of reason

BANGALORE: Amidst the English countryside murmurs of money tainting cricketers, especially in the wake of Adam Stanford’s financial irregularities as well as Kevin Pietersen’s and Andrew Flintoff’s lucrative deals in the Indian Premier League, Graham Gooch offered a voice of reason.

In town as part of an Essex County Council business delegation scouting for investment partners from India, the former England captain said: “Players have short careers and they need to make their money. In England, football, golf and tennis players make a lot of money but no one makes a fuss about that.

“The IPL, besides the money, has also enhanced skill-sets and in England we are planning an English Premier League Twenty20 next year and we hope to rope in Indian sponsors and players.”

As a player, Gooch himself struggled with the ‘Money vs Nation’ argument.

“In 1982, I went to South Africa. I thought there was nothing wrong in going to South Africa as I was just plying my trade as a sportsman and in no way was I supporting apartheid but we were banned for three years.

“I took it in my stride and came back,” Gooch said.

Gooch said that the dilemma over Andrew Flintoff’s injuries and the IPL should be resolved soon. “Flintoff is a key player for England and he has signed up for the Chennai Super Kings. It is up to him and the concerned doctors and physios to decide whether he can fulfil both his IPL as well as England commitments.

“He has had a history of injuries but I don’t think the latest one (hip injury) will pull him back much. I just hope this is sorted out soon amicably,” Gooch said while adding that the Stanford scam came as a shock.

“The ECB authorities did due diligence and the papers were in order. It has come as a shock. In life you never know,” Gooch said.

Gooch expressed surprise over England’s below-par show so far in the West Indies.

“England is a better side and they should be beating West Indies. The team also needs a stable environment after the Pietersen-Peter Moores fallout and it is up to Andrew Strauss to ensure that the team is pulling in the right direction,” Gooch said.

Gooch also effusively praised Indian cricket’s progress.

“M.S. Dhoni has a presence and India is a form team at the moment and I would be surprised if they don’t fancy their chances of becoming the number one,” Gooch said before leaving for the business summit that also hopes to draw in investors to upgrade his home ground at Chelmsford.

Source: hindu.com

India is the best, say Taylor and Moles

Christchurch: In either an honest appraisal of what lies ahead or a classically conceived bit of gamesmanship, New Zealand hailed India as the best cricket team in the world.

Indeed, the home side — which gathered at Lincoln on a chilly Monday afternoon for its first training session ahead of the first of the two Twenty20 Internationals on Wednesday, said it saw as India as a measuring stick.

Ross Taylor, New Zealand’s leading batsman, said: "I can only talk for myself but I think consistently over the last 12-18 months, India would be the best team going around in all forms of the game.

“They have beaten Australia consistently. I think they are the world’s best team at the moment and it is exciting for us to play against them and see where we really are at on our home turf,” he added.

New Zealand coach Andy Moles concurred. “I think in all facets, they are the number one team in the world,” he said. “They have got some very experienced players; they are obviously coached really well. They are coming at a time which will be really good test for us.”

Taylor didn’t think it would take India long to acclimatise to New Zealand conditions.

“A lot of people have made a lot of the wickets the last time they were out here,” he said. “I think the wickets have improved a lot since then. I don’t think the Indians need to worry about green, seaming wickets.”

The bounce factor

“It shows in our domestic form,” Taylor added. “The little dibbly-dobbly bowlers aren’t having as much success as they had five or ten years ago. There will be a little bit of getting used to for the Indians but our wickets aren’t as bouncy as Australia. I am sure after the first two T20 games, they would have got used to the bounce. That won’t be a factor come the first one-dayer.”

Moles agreed in part with Taylor’s assessment, noting India’s improvement as a touring side, but said bounce could play a role.

“We are really proud to play at home,” said Moles. “We like to defend our own ground. I am really looking forward to putting the Indians under pressure whenever we can and hope to expose the weaknesses they have.”

Which were? “If we can get the ball to bounce a little bit,” replied Moles.

“They are coming here from Sri Lanka, the wickets there and in India as well can be a little low. So if the ball bounces a little bit… We need to bowl well with the new ball.”

Source: hindu.com

Jayawardene, Samaraweera put Lanka on top

Karachi, Feb 22: Mahela Jayawardene (240) and Thilan Samaraweera (231) rewrote the record book with a massive 437-run stand that put Sri Lanka in the driver’s seat on day two of their first cricket Test against Pakistan here today. The outgoing Lankan skipper Jayawardene and Samaraweera starred in a fourth-wicket partnership of 437 runs from 634 balls that not only smashed a five-decade-old record but also guided Sri Lanka to a massive 644 for seven before the visitors declared.

The spectre of follow on looms large on Pakistan, who finished the day at 44 for one, having lost opener Salman Butt (23) to Muttiah Muralitharan.

Debutant Khurrum Manzoor (18) and captain Younis Khan (0) were batting at stumps with the hosts needing another 401 to avoid the ignominy of follow on.

With the pitch offering little to the bowlers, Jayawardene, resuming the second day on 136, and Samaraweera, on 130, carried batting fluently and effortlessly taking their team to 505 at lunch.
During their long partnership they surpassed the 52-year old batting record of 411 runs for the fourth wicket by Peter May and Colin Cowdrey of England in 1952 against the West Indies. Sri Lanka's total is also their highest against Pakistan and also the highest by any team at the National Stadium.

Pakistan gained some consolation just before tea when they grabbed three wickets in 10 balls.
Former captain Shoaib Malik broke the partnerhip when he had Jayawardene caught by wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal while trying to sweep a leg side ball.

Jayawardene went after having batted for 423 balls and hit 26 fours.
His partner, Samaraweera, who made his first double century and highest Test score fell seven balls later at the same score of 614 when he was bowled by a flipper from leg-spinner Danish Kaneria.
Samaraweera batted for 318 balls and hit 31 fours.
Pakistan got their third wicket when Tillakaratne Dilshan (0) was caught behind beaten by a doosra by Malik leaving the visitors on 614 for six at tea.

Sri Lanka declared shortly after resumption when Kaneria got his third wicket bowling Prasanna Jayawardene for 18 to leave him with figures of 3 for 170. (PTI)

John Wright pays a visit to the Indian team

Christchurch: The Indian cricket team was about to wind up a four-hour training-cum-net session at the Lincoln University campus when a tall, confident figure sauntered into the practice area. Former India coach John Wright was greeted with warmth and affection by the team management and the cricketers.

Their reverence for the man, who had begun the process of building a potent, match-winning Indian unit, was evident. Yet, Wright wasn’t willing to take the credit for Indian cricket’s profitable turnaround and praised current coach Gary Kirsten.

“There is a lot of potential in this side. I am happy they are doing very well. You have good men in Kirsten and Paddy (Upton). And they are playing under a good captain as well,” said Wright.THE HINDU

C.H. Robinson triumphs

Chennai: C.H. Robinson won the ‘Cricket for Concern’ tournament, conducted by Concern India Foundation, at the YMCA Nandanam ground, here on Sunday.

The event was held to generate funds for those in need.

S. Shivakumar’s hat-trick was the highlight of C.H. Robinson’s 11-run victory over L & T in the final. In a contest reduced to eight overs each due to fading light, C.H. Robinson made 43 for six. L & T replied with 32 for seven.

Shivakumar was adjudged Man of the Final and Man of the Series. The matches were held on Saturday and Sunday.

M.V. Diabetic Hospital, Royapuram, Hexaware, Nokia, Deutsche Bank, Ajuba and Cookieman were the other teams that took part in the competition.

Mr. Mourya, IPS, was the chief guest.

Zeros posts win

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Zeros CC defeated State Bank of Travancore ‘B’ by 21 runs in the Thiruvannathapuram district ‘B’ division cricket league here on Sunday.

The scores: Zeros 230 for nine in 45 overs (V. James 63, Rajesh Nair 42 n.o.) bt SBT ‘B’ 209 in 40 overs (Sanjay Mohan 67, Ashok Issac 44). the hindu

Murugan ‘A’ posts win

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Murugan CC ‘A’ defeated Karamana Recreation Club ‘A’ by 17 runs in the Thiruvananthapuram district ‘A’ division cricket league at the Agriculture College ground, Vellayani here on Sunday.

The scores: Murugan CC ‘A’ 235 in 44.2 overs (Venkatesh 54, Mahesh 45, Girish 44, Ram Kumar four for 78, Subramanian three for 41) bt Karamana Recreation Club ‘A’ 217 for eight in 45 overs (Baiju 39, Radhakrishnan four for 39).THE HINDU

Easy for Nzen

HYDERABAD: Nzen recorded a five-wicket win over Thomson Reuters in the Gen.Next Foundation Twenty20 cricket tournament in Nagole here.

The scores:

Yell Adworks 189 for six in 20 overs (Azhar 48, Rajesh Babu 36) bt Ceredox 113 (Giri three for 21).

Thomson Reuters 119 (Dhanunjay four for five, Sri Narayana three for 19) lost to Nzen 121 for five (Ajay 57 not out). the hindu

We are looking to adapt, says Kirsten

Christchurch: India’s cricket coach Gary Kirsten is not unduly worried about the seaming pitches in New Zealand and said that his team was well prepared to adapt to the situations that it might encounter during the tour.

Kirsten said that India had a plan in place for every challenge which it could face during the 47-day tour and it was just the question of implementing the planning and basics right.

“We are aware of what to expect and are planning for that. Every wicket around the world might well be different. You are not going to find two wickets that are exactly the same.

“So we are not really focusing on the wickets. But we are doing the work we need to do. We are looking to adapt to the situations that we are going to face. The team is well-balanced and our seamers have done particularly well in the last year,” Kirsten told newspersons on Sunday.

“Everyone’s talking a lot about the wickets, but the wickets I saw in the games against the West Indies seemed to play really well. It is not something that will concern us too much,” he added.PTI

Moles banking on newcomers to spring a surprise

Christchurch (PTI): New Zealand coach Andy Moles is banking on the unknown faces in the team and some bounce on the pitch to destabilise India in the forthcoming series that starts on Wednesday with a Twenty20 international.

Moles said New Zealand have a few surprises up their sleeves in the form of newcomers.

"We have got quite a few new faces that the Indians wouldn't have seen. (Martin) Guptill did really well in Australia, as did (Grant) Elliott. (Neil) Broom is coming on as well and improving with each game. We are a developing team and it's really exciting to be involved with the team at this moment," said Moles at a press conference.

The former Warwickshire batsman also hoped the youngsters could catch India off guard with their performance.

"It will be nice if we can catch the Indians out because they don't know too much about some of our younger players coming through. But again, we have to execute our plans and make sure we play good cricket," he said.

The 48-year-old Englishman said they have a strategy in place to counter Indian batsmen.

"They are coming here from Sri Lanka where the wickets, like in India, can be a little low. So if we get the ball to bounce a bit, they could find it hard to play here. So we need to bowl well with the new ball."

West Indies keeps same squad for fourth test

Bridgetown, Barbados (AP): The West Indies cricket selectors chose an unchanged squad of 13 players for the fourth Test against England beginning at Kensington Oval next Thursday.

The home team leads the five-match series 1-0 following victory in the opening test in Jamaica and draws in the second and third tests in Antigua.

The second match was abandoned after 10 balls because of a dangerous outfield, while the hastily-arranged third Test went down to the wire with the West Indies' last pair Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards keeping England's bowlers at bay to earn a thrilling draw.

The two players that did not play in the Antigua matches, batsman Lendl Simmons and fast bowler Lionel Baker, are retained in the party.

The squad: Chris Gayle (captain), Denesh Ramdin (vice-captain), Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Ryan Hinds, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brendan Nash, Jerome Taylor, Sulieman Benn, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards, Lendl Simmons, Lionel Baker.

New Zealand unlikely to send cricket team to Zimbabwe

Auckland (IANS): The New Zealand government is unlikely to send its cricket team to Zimbabwe for the series in July.

Prime Minister John Key said that sending the team to politically unstable Zimbabwe will be a risk.

"We are considering the options available to the government, but in our view, Zimbabwe represents a significant risk for the Black Caps," Key was quoted as saying by The New Zealand Herald.

Key's comments came at a time when Zimbabwe's sports minister David Coltart said that he would lobby hard and if needed will fly down here to persuade the New Zealand government.

"My call to the New Zealanders is clear and unequivocal. People have to give this coalition government a chance, and that applies to all levels, cricket included," Coltart said.

But Key doubted whether Coltart could even come to New Zealand, because of international sanctions against the regime of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.

Key said that he will ask the Black Caps not to tour Zimbabwe on safety and health grounds. The team should also boycott the country on moral grounds.

"We don't support that regime. We don't support what is happening in that country, and we don't want to give a signal that we do."

New Zealand toured Zimbabwe in 2005 despite public comments from then Prime Minister Helen Clark, who stopped short of preventing the team from going to Zimbabwe. In 2007, John Howard banned the Australian cricket side from travelling to Zimbabwe.

Money a handicap for Team India: Karthikeyan

Gauteng, South Africa (PTI): More than the three points he won in Sprint Race, it's returning empty-handed in Feature Race that rankles Narain Karthikeyan who reckons things would have been different for the A1 GP side with more finance.

Karthikeyan ran a spirited race in Sprint, finishing sixth which earned the side three precious points at the Kyalami Circuit.

In the subsequent Feature Race, Karthikeyan started 18th on the grid and moved up to the 11th place before eventually finishing 12th.

"I'm quite disappointed that we were not able to score points in both races despite being on the pace," rued the Indian.

"The disadvantage of starting in 18th place for the Feature Race was very difficult to overcome. Coupled with the fuel pressure problem in the last few laps, it made for a disappointing finish," he said.

On the positive side, Karthikeyan said, "However, we showed that we have the pace to run at the front of the field with our 6th place finish in the Sprint race."

The driving ace said working on a shoe-string budget was a major handicap for the team which has been hit hard after Spice Energy, the previous seat holder, backed out.

"We are at a disadvantage to some of the other teams as our financial position is not as strong as theirs and therefore we are not able to have a selection of things like gear-ratios, spring, etc. which could help us to get an optimum setup for the car/circuit combination," Karthikeyan said.

"We are very fortunate to have some backing from the Tata Group but we are hoping that some more corporates in India get behind us and support the national racing team as we go to the next race in six weeks time in Portugal," he said.

Steve Bucknor to retire next month

Kingston (IANS): West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor will retire from Test cricket after the three-match series between South Africa and Australia next month.

Bucknor, 62, who was in an eye of storm last year during the highly-volatile series between India and Australia, has informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) of his decision.

"I have informed the ICC that the South Africa-Australia series will be my last," Bucknor was quoted as saying in Jamaica Gleaner. "The third Test match in Cape Town will be my last Test match," Bucknor, who has stood in a record 126 Test matches and 179 ODIs, said.

The Cape Town Test (March 19-23) will be his 129th, the most ever by an umpire. His last two ODIs will be in Barbados March 27 and 29 between West Indies and England.

Bucknor, who will turn 63 in May, said physically he could go on for "another two to three years" but an inner feeling tells him to quit.

"Something inside me tells that it is time to go," added Bucknor, who has been an international umpire since 1989. In March 2005, Bucknor became the first umpire to stand in 100 Tests, and only Rudi Koertzen (190) has umpired in more ODIs.

He also stood in a record five successive World Cup finals, 1992, 1996, 1999, 2003 and 2007. The Montego Bay-born Bucknor, who was once a FIFA referee, hopes to work with the young umpires of the region after his retirement.

"I hope I will be accorded the opportunity by the West Indies board to work with young umpires in the region because I still would like to continue making a contribution," said Bucknor.

Bucknor said he would ideally like to continue umpiring locally at the club, parish and schoolboys level to share the vast knowledge and experience gained over the years.

Boucher plans 2011 WC exit

Durban (PTI): South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has a long cherished dream of seeing his team lift the World Cup and says winning the coveted trophy in 2011 will be a perfect way to end his career.

In a career spanning 12 years, Boucher has played 123 Tests, 275 ODIs and is the most successful wicketkeeper with 466 victims to his name. "I increasingly hear people say that I'm getting long in the tooth, but many players only start their international careers at my age," Boucher told the Cape Town Afrikaans newspaper, Rapport.

"To win Test series in England and Australia were always two of my major goals and to do it in one year is incredible. "My last long-term goal would be to win the World Cup in 2011, but I'm also realistic and realise that one should never plan that far ahead.

"I had a career full of highlights, but it will be great to finish it with a World Cup win. Then it also becomes more satisfying to see the young guys achieve success at the top level. I will be happy to expedite the process by giving them advice," he added.

"Just because I have played for South Africa for 12 years does not mean I'm over the hill. I have another two or three years of Test cricket in me. "As long as I stay injury-free, can make a contribution and steer clear of injuries, I will give everything for my country," he said.

We are ready to negotiate every challenge, says Kirsten

Joseph Hoover
Christchurch, Feb 22 (PTI) India's cricket coach Gary Kirsten is not unduly worried about the seeming pitches in New Zealand and said that his team was well prepared to adapt to the situations that they may encounter during the tour.

Kirsten said that India had a plan in place for every challenge which they could face during the 47-day tour and it was just the question of doing the planing and basics right.

"We are aware of what to expect and are planning for that. Every wicket around the world might well be different. You are not going to find two wickets that are exactly the same.

"So we are not really focusing on the wickets. But we are doing the work we need to do. We are looking to adapt to the situations that we are confronted with. The team is well-balanced and our seamers have done particularly well in the last year," Kirsten told reporters today.

"Everyone's talking a lot about the wickets, but the wickets I saw in the games against West Indies seemed to play really well. It is not something that will concern us too much," he added. PTI

John Wright visits Team India's practice session

Joseph Hoover
Christchurch, Feb 22 (PTI) The Indian team was about to wind up a four-hour training-cum-net session at the Lincoln University campus when a tall, confident figure sauntered into the practice area.

Former India coach John Wright barely made his presence aware, he was greeted with warmth and affection by the team management and the cricketers. Their reverence for the man, who had begun the process of building a potent, match-winning Indian unit, was evident.

Yet, Wright wasn't willing to take the credit for Indian cricket's profitable turn around and praised current coach Gary Kirsten.

"There is a lot of potential in this side. I am happy they are doing very well. You have good men in Kirsten and Paddy (Upton). And they are playing under a good captain as well," said Wright.

Indian cricket was at the crossroads when Wright moved from Kent to take over the reins of a team. He laid emphasis on work ethics, which hitherto had been conspicuous in the Indian mindset.

Soon, results began to blossom, the two-wicket victory at Bulwayo against Zimbabwe (2001) marking India breaking their haunted jinx on foreign soil. PTI

Yet another defeat for Assam one-day team

Sports reporter
GUWAHATI, Feb 21 – Assam suffered third consecutive defeat in the East Zone One-day Cricket Championship for the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

At the Jadavpur University ground, Kolkata today Jharkhand humiliate Assam by 38 runs in the 50-over match.

Piling up a mammoth total of 304 for three in the stipulated 50 overs, Jharkhand restricted Assam to 266 for eight.

Ishank Jaggi was the dangerman for Jharkhand as he cracked 159 off 201 balls with 15 fours and four sixes. SS Tiwary and RK Nemal contributed 64 and 31 respectively which provided adequate support in building the Jharkhand innings.

Today Assam bowlers were made minch meat as apart from Dhiraj Goswami, who claimed two wickets, no other bowler could draw any respect from the opponent batsmen.

Chasing the big total the Assam batsmen hardy were on the target at any moment. Dhiraj again came good with 46-ball 61 cameo off his willow. Captain RR Parida added 53 while Deepak Sharma scored 52. Amit Sinha was the other notable contributor with 33.

Kuldeep Sharma was the wrecker in chief with 4 wicket haul while Keshav Kumar took two wickets. SS Tiwary and SK Roy removed one scalps each.

scorecard

Jharkhand innings: S Ghosh c Sharma b Goswami 10, RK Nemat c Arminder Singh b Roy 31, IR Jaggi not out 159, SS Tiwary c Arminder Singh b Goswami 64, SP Gautham not out 28. Extras (lb 3, w 8, nb 1) 12; Total (3 wickets; 50 overs; 214 mins) 304. Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-89, 3-214; Bowling: DS Goswami 10-1-56-2, RL Mali 9-1-45-0, K Das 10-0-78-0, A Konwar 10-0-44-0, SA Roy 2-0-14-1, AS Sinha 4- 0-23-0, G Sharma 5-0-41-0.

Assam innings: SS Roy c Ghosh b Kuldeep Sharma 14, Tarjinder Singh lbw b Kuldeep Sharma 8, RR Parida c Ghosh b Kuldeep Sharma 53, Arminder Singh c Ghosh b Kuldeep Sharma 2, G Sharma b Roy 21, Deepak Sharma c & b Keshav Kumar 52, AS Sinha c & b Keshav Kumar 33, DS Goswami st Ghosh b Tiwary 61, A Konwar not out 11, RL Mali not out 1. Extras (b 1, lb 3, w 5, nb 1) 10; Total (8 wickets; 50 overs; 205 mins) 266. Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-61, 3-63, 4-86, 5-118, 6-178, 7-221, 8-265. Bowling: SS Rao 10-0-44-0, Kuldeep Sharma 9-0-60-4, Santosh Lal 5-0-26-0, Kundan Singh 6-0-38-0, SK Roy 10-1-39-1, Keshav Kumar 9-0-41-2, SS Tiwary 1-0-14-1.

It's not about being favourites: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Joseph Hoover
Christchurch, Feb 20 (PTI) India's recent success against top sides like Australia notwithstanding, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said his team does not start favourite against New Zealand although it is better-prepared to handle the seaming conditions they may face during the tour.

"It's not about what is going around in the media or who is considered favourite. You start from scratch when you go out to the middle. Whatever we have been doing in the past one year we have to do again. It doesn't really change," Dhoni said after the team's arrival.

Dhoni said his team, which plays two Twenty20 matches, a five-ODI series followed by three Tests during the 48-day tour, will have to adapt quickly as it prepares to take on a team that is dangerous as a unit. India has not won a Test series in New Zealand for the past 41 years.

"For me the New Zealand team is more about what they are as a unit, not individuals. That's their asset. They play well as a team. They back each other. They are a competitive side. It will be a good tour if the weather doesn't spoil it," said Dhoni.

The Indians were welcomed by rain after their 27-hour, bone-weary travel from Mumbai to Christchurch, prolonged by two transit layovers at Hong Kong (four hours) and Auckland (three hours). PTI

NZ tour will be litmus test for Dhoni's captaincy: Sourav Ganguly

Mumbai, Feb 20 (PTI) Expressing concern over lack of practice matches for the Indian cricket team on the tour of New Zealand, former skipper Sourav Ganguly today said the visit will test Mahendra Singh Dhoni's leadership ability.
"The series will judge Dhoni as a captain as he has led the squad mostly in the sub-continent. But the side did well under him to beat Australia in the ODI's Down Under," Ganguly told reporters here.

The left handed batsmen, who led India during the last tour to New Zealand in 2002, said lack of match practice for the squad in tough conditions will only add to the challenges.

"The worrying aspect for the side is that there is no warm-up game. It's tough, especially when you are playing in Australia, England and New Zealand," Ganguly said.

Ganguly, who was here for a promotional event of Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders of which he is the captain, said the Black Caps were difficult to beat at home but the Indian side had the necessary quality to perform the job.

"New Zealand is a tough side to beat at home but ours is also a good side," he said pointing out that India had done well in similar conditions in Ireland and England under Rahul Dravid in 2007. PTI

It's not about being favourites: Dhoni

Joseph Hoover
Christchurch, Feb 20 (PTI) India's recent success against top sides like Australia notwithstanding, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni today said his team does not start favourite against New Zealand although it is better-prepared to handle the seaming conditions they may face during the tour.

"It's not about what is going around in the media or who is considered favourite. You start from scratch when you go out to the middle. Whatever we have been doing in the past one year we have to do again. It doesn't really change," Dhoni said after the team's arrival.

Dhoni said his team, which plays two Twenty20 matches, a five-ODI series followed by three Tests during the 48-day tour, will have to adapt quickly as it prepares to take on a team that is dangerous as a unit. India has not won a Test series in New Zealand for the past 41 years.

"For me the New Zealand team is more about what they are as a unit, not individuals. That's their asset. They play well as a team. They back each other. They are a competitive side. It will be a good tour if the weather doesn't spoil it," said Dhoni.

The Indians were welcomed by rain after their 27-hour, bone-weary travel from Mumbai to Christchurch, prolonged by two transit layovers at Hong Kong (four hours) and Auckland (three hours). PTI

Kapil Dev lashes out at BCCI

NEW DELHI: The war between Kapil Dev and BCCI has now taken a new twist, with the BCCI counsel repeatedly poking the former Indian captain on the match fixing allegations..

The Board counsel was cross-questioning Kapil in the affidavit filed by him in the Delhi High Court last year. The World Cup winning captain had filed the case against the BCCI, for stopping the pensions of former cricketers, who joined the ICL.

The BCCI counsel repeatedly questioned Kapil on Friday (February 13), on the match fixing scandal. An irritated Kapil then, lashed out at the BCCI for accusing him of match-fixing and clearly stated, that the charges won't tarnish his image.

According to the cricket prodigy, "I remember, we won the World Cup in 1983. Back then, we had served our country. Now if the BCCI thinks, that one word can change my life, then I'd like to categorically confirm that - 'No', it can't. I know, who I am and what I do."

Responding to ICL's affiliation matter with ICC, Group Head of ICL, Himanshu Mody said, "They are buying time by making vague queries over our motive but we haven't received any official information since April this year. We have given them a final call and asked them to reply in next 15 days. If they do, it's ok but if they don't then we don't need them."

On a virtual ban on the players playing for ICL from playing international cricket, Kapil had stated, "Our motive is only to promote cricket and if some young players are getting benefits from it, then what's the problem? We have never said that, our players can not play for any other team or for their national teams. But why are they (BCCI people) debarring them?"

There are around 70 players now in the ICL, whose dues are still pending on BCCI but BCCI is not looking in a mood to pay them back. Commenting on this, Kapil said, "It is really very unfortunate that BCCI is doing this. It is such a rich organisation that I don't see any reason for doing this. It is their livelihood and BCCI should give them their money as soon as possible."

Kapil indirectly charged BCCI vice-president and Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi for having a vindictive attitude towards ICL players. "They are trying to be vindictive towards us. Only one section of the Board is trying to do that. Moreover, it is just one person, who is being vindictive towards us," cited Kapil.

Kapil criticised the BCCI for neglecting former cricketers and pleaded before the Delhi High Court, that the governing body be asked to release pensions to him and other players - who joined the rival Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Kapil made the submission while appearing before the registrar of the Delhi High Court, Pawan Kumar Jain, for cross-examination by the BCCI. The allegations have been levelled by Kapil against the BCCI on the ground, that the apex body was taking punitive action against him and his ICL colleagues.

The BCCI has blocked pensions to 15 former players including Kapil Dev, Kiran More, Sandeep Patil, Ajit Wadekar and E. Prasanna after they joined the rival ICL.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4126249.cms

Dhoni wanted Patel as second 'keeper

NEW DELHI: The major bone of contention between skipper MS Dhoni and chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth during Friday's selection committee meeting was over who to pick as second wicket-keeper in the 16-member squad for the New Zealand tour: Dinesh Karthik or Parthiv Patel?

The Gujarat wicketkeeper should consider himself unlucky not to have made the cut for at least one of the three teams picked on Friday despite having the backing of the team and skipper MS Dhoni. Sources in the team management confirmed to TOI, however, that the selectors 'insisted' on picking Tamil Nadu's Karthik instead.

"Parthiv was the team's first choice as the second wicketkeeper and he did reasonably well in the last Test match he played in Sri Lanka. But Karthik made the cut because of the insistence of the selectors. Now, Parthiv will have to wait for a while and may come in the reckoning only after the IPL gets over," a team source told TOI on Saturday.

Apart from that one difference, the other new selections were unanimous choices. The team management expressed confidence in Balaji, Murali Vijay and Dhawal Kulkarni as the back-up players in the team.

"Balaji, in particular, has the right attitude and is willing to put a lot of hard work in the nets. Even though he wasn't impressive in the One-day match that he played against Sri Lanka, he showed hunger to succeed," the source added.

Another player whose comeback prospects were discussed was Sree Santh, but there was general agreement that the Kerala pacer, returning after a long injury layoff, would have to show some form before being drafted back into the national team.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4130011.cms

RBS signs Sachin, others for Rs 1600 crore during recession

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has spent Rs 1600 crore on sponsorship deals with top sportsperson including batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar just days before being bailed out by the government, a media report said on Sunday.

According to a report in the Sunday Times, to please its clients, former RBS chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin signed five-year contracts with Tendulkar and other sporting personalities last October, just weeks before his ouster from the company.

"Royal Bank of Scotland, bailed out with billions of pounds of taxpayers money, hired top sports stars on reckless contracts to entertain clients as part of a 200 million pound sponsorship binge," the newspaper reported.

"Sachin Tendulkar, the Indian cricket hero, signed a five-year deal just weeks before Goodwin was ousted," it added.

However, RBS, which announced a loss of 28 billion pound last month, the biggest in British commercial history, said it was obliged to honour the deals.

Reacting to this, a member of the Treasury Select Committee, John Mann said, "They (RBS) have been reckless yet again. This doesn't seem to be a bank that could do anything in moderation. It now needs to realise the golden days are over."

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4133166.cms

Khan and Bopara to join England's Test squad

Andrew Flintoff's participation in next week's fourth Test against West Indies in Barbados is in doubt after England called up Kent fast bowler Amjad Khan and Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara as cover.

The England and Wales Cricket Board said on Thursday that Flintoff had a "niggling hip" injury. The all-rounder was restricted to just three overs on the fourth day of the third Test in Antigua on Wednesday.

Team mate Steve Harmison said Flintoff had been struggling to bowl.

"The big lad is in a bit of pain and it shows the character he has that he even attempted to go out on the field," said Harmison.

England need seven wickets to level the five-match series 1-1 on the final day.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Khan-Bopara-to-join-Eng-Test-squad/articleshow/4156507.cms

Sarwan and Chanderpaul frustrate England

West Indies duo Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul batted through a rain-hit morning session to frustrate England on the final day of the third Test on Thursday.

Sarwan was 73 not out and Chanderpaul unbeaten on 40 as the home team, chasing an unlikely victory target of 503, reached lunch on 196 for three at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

Heavy rain caused a 75-minute delay to the start and when play got underway Chanderpaul and Sarwan survived some lively bowling from pacemen Steve Harmison and James Anderson.

As the pitch settled down the pair grew in confidence, bringing up their 100 partnership in the last over before the break.

West Indies lead the five-match series 1-0.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Sarwan_Chanderpaul_frustrate_Eng/articleshow/4157281.cms

Broad edges England closer to victory

Broad collected the prized scalps of century-maker Ramnaresh Sarwan and the durable Shivnarine Chanderpaul to boost England's bid for victory over the West Indies in the third Test on Thursday.

Broad, armed with the second new ball, removed Sarwan for 106 and Chanderpaul for 55 in quick succession as West Indies, chasing 503 for victory, reached 279 for five at tea on the last day at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

The blonde-haired paceman has been England's most successful bowler with three wickets for 51 runs from 18 overs.

Broad bowled Sarwan with a delivery that moved back and kept low in the second over with the new ball, and then had Chanderpaul caught behind stabbing at a short rising ball outside the off-stump.

Until Broad's intervention, Sarwan and Chanderpaul had batted comfortably to add 148 for the fourth wicket.

In the last over with the first new ball - from off-spinner Graeme Swann - Chanderpaul had reached his 50, when he whipped a full length ball through mid-wicket for the last of his five boundaries.

In the following over, the first one with the second new ball from James Anderson, Sarwan reached his 100 when he steered the second delivery between second slip and gully to third man for the 11th of his 12 fours.

Before lunch, England had endured a fruitless toil in their bid for the series-levelling victory, as Sarwan and Chanderpaul batted defiantly.

England's bowlers found the ARG pitch less than accommodating and they would have been disappointed that it did not misbehave as they'd expected during a morning period cut short by 45 minutes because of rain.

England, with Andrew Flintoff struggling with a hip injury, failed to make a breakthrough in the morning period, as Sarwan and Chanderpaul plodded away, after West Indies continued from their overnight total of 143 for three.

Sarwan passed 50 for the second time in the match, when he drove his 104th ball from Steve Harmison off the back-foot for two through square cover.

England trail 1-0 in the series which now comprises five Tests, following an innings and 23-run defeat in the opening Test at Kingston inside four days.

The other two Tests in the series take place at Kensington Oval in Barbados from February 26 to March 2, and Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad from March 6 to 10.

The second Test at the nearby Sir Vivian Richards Ground was abandoned after just 10 balls last week because of a dangerous outfield.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Broad_edges_England_closer_to_victory/articleshow/4157869.cms

Injured Flintoff facing fourth Test fitness battle

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is a doubt for the fourth Test against the West Indies after suffering a hip injury during the third Test which ended in a draw on Thursday.

England skipper Andrew Strauss said Flintoff will have a scan on his right hip on Friday.

"Today we were trying to bowl him as little as possible and ended up bowling him more than we wanted to. He was bowling on one leg," said Strauss.

"His last spell was incredible. We'll get a scan done in Barbados; he may be fit, he may not."

Flintoff toiled through 15 overs at the Antigua Recreation Ground in West Indies' second innings, finishing with 0-32.

His efforts were in vain as the West Indies' last pair of Daren Powell and Fidel Edwards frustrated the tourists for over 30 minutes before the match was halted for bad light with four overs still to bowl.

The fourth Test starts in Bridgetown on February 26 with England still 1-0 down in the five-match series.

Earlier, England called up Kent pace bowler Amjad Khan and Essex all-rounder Ravi Bopara into their squad as cover.

Both the uncapped Khan and Bopara will travel from New Zealand, where they have been with the England Lions, the national 'A' side, to the Caribbean.

Khan was summoned as injury cover by England late last year when he was called into their squad in India following an injury to Ryan Sidebottom, the Nottinghamshire left-arm quick.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Flintoff-doubtful-for-fourth-Test/articleshow/4158070.cms

Skipper Strauss gets another bitter pill to swallow

ST.JOHN'S: England captain Andrew Strauss, in charge of his first tour, is learning the lessons of captaincy the hard way after suffering two hard-to-take results against West Indies in his opening Tests.

After an innings and 23 run defeat in the first Test in Kingston, when his team collapsed to 51 all out, came a 10-ball abandoned match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, followed by a bitterly disappointing draw in the hastily arranged third Test at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

England had the upper hand for all five days of an enthralling Test match, Strauss's 169 helping them to 566 for nine declared in their first innings. They sat in command after setting West Indies a near impossible target of 503 to win.

But in four-and-a-half sessions of bowling, England could only get nine West Indian wickets as the last pair of Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell hung on for 10 agonising overs.

"Clearly when you get so close in a Test and you don't make it over that final hurdle it is very hard to take," said Strauss.

"In some ways it does feel like a defeat, but once the emotion subsides and we realise there's a lot of positives to come out of the Test.

"The way we batted after Jamaica was the way to respond, the way Graeme Swann bowled was exceptional and Stuart Broad as well bowled very well.

"Hopefully we have shifted the momentum away from West Indies and if we can get better as the tour goes on there's no reason why we can't win the series."

"Test wins don't come easily, especially on a wicket like this even against numbers 10 and 11 it's hard to force the issue.

"I can't fault the bowlers, they did as well as they could in those conditions. It was just one of those things, it wasn't meant to be," he added.

Critics might point to Strauss's decision not to enforce the follow-on or his sending in James Anderson as a night watchman at the end of the third day, which slowed down England on the morning of the next session.

But the England skipper was also restricted by Andrew Flintoff's hip injury and Steve Harmison's stomach upset.

"We had a few problems, Harmison was on his death bed with a towel over his stomach and there was Freddie's injury. Graeme Swann woke up on the fourth day with an elbow he thought might stop him bowling at all.

"Plenty of problems to ponder and it meant the bowlers we did have had as much rest as possible. I certainly have no regrets about not enforcing the follow-on," he said.

"We hoped the wicket would deteriorate on day five but it didn't really, if anything it died a little and got flatter.

"The efforts of the bowlers were exceptional. We did everything we could do. Sometimes a ball goes to hand and sometimes it doesn't, it's those small margins between winning and drawing a Test match".

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/News/News/Another_bitter_pill_for_Strauss/articleshow/4158319.cms

West Indies fight out a draw in fading light

England and the West Indies drew the third Test on Thursday in dramatic circumstances when play was called off due to bad light with the home side on 370-9 and with four overs still to bowl.

West Indies lead the five-match series 1-0.

"I was in my zone. I have worked on my batting for the past few months and now it's bearing fruits," said Daren Powell who finished unbeaten on 22 off 55 balls in a knock spread over 65 minutes at the Antigua Recreation Ground.

Last man Fidel Edwards made five but more importantly stayed at the wicket for 34 minutes.

Adding to England's problems was a worrying hip injury suffered by Andrew Flintoff which could rule him out of the fourth Test in Barbados from February 26. He will undergo a scan on Friday.

Star batsman Kevin Pietersen took a nasty blow to his hand while fielding close in as England crowded the last two West Indies batsmen.

The other two Tests in the series take place at Kensington Oval in Barbados from February 26 to March 2, and Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad from March 6 to 10.

The second Test at the nearby Sir Vivian Richards Ground was abandoned after just 10 balls last week because of a dangerous outfield.

Earlier, pace bowler Stuart Broad collected the prized scalps of century-maker Ramnaresh Sarwan and the durable Shivnarine Chanderpaul to boost England's hopes.

Broad, armed with the second new ball, removed Sarwan for 106 and Chanderpaul for 55 in quick succession as West Indies, who were chasing 503 for victory, reached 279 for five at tea.

Until Broad's intervention, Sarwan and Chanderpaul had batted comfortably to add 148 for the fourth wicket.

"It's pretty tough to take. We had to work exceptionally hard for our wickets today," admitted England skipper Andrew Strauss. "The guys dug deep. Flintoff was bowling on one leg, so to get very close is a great effort."

Strauss said he was proud of his team. "From the time we turned up here through to the end, we've played some exceptional cricket - and if we continue to do that, I believe we'll come out on top," he said.

http://cricket.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/West-Indies-fight-out-a-draw-in-fading-light/articleshow/4158059.cms

Indian team leaves for New Zealand

Mumbai, Feb 19 (PTI) The Indian squad, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, left here early this morning for New Zealand on a 47-day tour comprising two Twenty20 Internationals, five One-Day Internationals and three Test matches.
The squad for the limited overs events departed while the members of the Test team, who are not part of the T20 and ODIs squads, would leave later.

The team: M S Dhoni (Captain), V Sehwag (vice capt), Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan, Ravindra Jadeja, Munaf Patel, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar, Dinesh Karthik and Sachin Tendulkar. PTI

PCB chief accuses ICC CEO of 'twisting' statement on Pakistan

Karachi, Feb 19 (PTI) Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ejaj Butt lambasted ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat for his "habit of twisting statements on Pakistan" and denied being told to be ready to shift 2011 World Cup matches to another country in case of unfavourable security situations.
On his return from a meeting of the 2011 World Cup Organising Committee in Delhi, Butt told reporters at the Lahore airport that no discussion was held among the four host countries and the ICC on shifting matches from Pakistan due to any security reasons.

"I don't know but Mr Haroon Lorgat has this habit of twisting statements on Pakistan," Butt said.

After the Tuesday meeting in Delhi, Lorgat had said that the situation in Pakistan has been a "consideration" for ICC.

"This is not something we discussed today, except to ask the organisers to consider alternate host city venues within the country as well as alternate country venues in the event of something being not favourable in one of the particular host countries," Lorgat said.

Denying that ICC told them to be ready to shift matches to another country if situation demanded so, Butt said, "What was discussed was that Pakistan could shift matches from one city to another internally if the need arise." PTI

Tendulkar uncomfortable with fans touching feet

New Delhi, Feb 19 (PTI) He doesn't receive letters written in blood any more, but Sachin Tendulkar says that he does not feel comfortable when a fan touches his feet and tells him he is God.
Tendulkar, whose achievements with the bat have won him fans worldwide, says the adulation never ceases to surprise him.

"I used to receive letters written in blood...But not any more. It feels strange when a fan comes and touches your feet and says you are God. I don't feel comfortable with it, but it is the way they feel about you...That happened again just a couple of weeks ago actually," he says.

In a light-hearted interview published in celebrity magazine 'OK!', Tendulkar spoke about his love for Ferrari cars, his post-retirement plans and how he handles criticism.

Tendulkar said retirement thoughts were far away from his mind at the moment but he may start a business when he stops playing competitive cricket.

"That's a big question. I don't know...I will definitely be involved with the game. When I retire, that is when the doors to other opportunities will open. As of now, other than just promoting various products, I haven't opened the door to anything else. Maybe I'll start a business," he said. PTI

Collingwood ton puts England in command

ST JOHN’S, Antigua, Feb 17 (AFP): Paul Collingwood became the second century-maker in the England first innings when he hit his eighth Test hundred against West Indies in the third Test here.

But West Indies made a unsteady start to reach 55 for 1, replying to England’s first innings total of 566 for eight declared when stumps were drawn on the second day at the Antigua Recreation Ground yesterday. Collingwood made 113 and shared three half-century stands along the way that helped to beef up the England total. Kevin Pietersen scored 51, Stuart Broad made 44, Matt Prior got 39, and Graeme Swann was not out on 20.

Jerome Taylor collected two wickets for 73 runs from 28 overs, Fidel Edwards snared two for 75 from 26 overs, and Ryan Hinds poached two for 86 from 22.2 overs. England’s new-ball pair of James Anderson and Andrew Flintoff then found out what their opponents had learnt about the ARG pitch over the past two days.

Flintoff got a few balls to jump from a good length and startle Chris Gayle, but the West Indies captain and fellow opener Devon Smith had little about which to worry in between. Steve Harmison replaced Anderson at the northern end for the eighth over of the innings and things started to happen.