ALL ABOUT CRICKET IN ACTION

Dhoni joins the party, cracks ton; Lanka cornered

2009-12-08T08:28:00.000-08:00

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni cracked an unbeaten century as India tightened the noose around a hapless Sri Lanka by taking an imposing 333-run first innings lead and set the platform to push for victory in the third and final cricket Test IN Mumbai on Friday.

Although Virender Sehwag (293) narrowly missed becoming the first cricketer to score three triple hundreds in Test history, there was no respite for the visitors as the Indians rattled up their highest-ever total before declaring at 726 for nine at the fag end of the third day.
After Sehwag's carnage on the second day, the runs came at a much slower pace but Dhoni (100 not out) stole the thunder with some lusty hits to notch up his third Test ton and put India firmly in the driver's seat.
Rahul Dravid (74), VVS Laxman (62) and Sachin Tendulkar (53) chipped in with useful contributions for the Indians who need to win this match to climb to the number one spot in the ICC Test rankings.
Required to face three overs, the Sri Lankans reached 11 for no loss with the two openers Tillakaratne Dilshan (3) and Tharanga Paranavitana (8) remaining unseparated at stumps on the third day which again belonged to the home team. The islanders trailed India by 322 runs.
The Indians posted their highest ever Test total of 726 for nine declared, ecliping the previous best of 705 for seven declared against Australia at Sydney in 2004.
With two more days left in the Test, India will fancy their chances of pulling off a victory with the Brabourne track expected to deteriorate and assist the spinners.
The focus was on Sehwag when play began this morning but the swashbuckling opener fell just seven runs short of his third triple century.
Sehwag, who resumed the day at 284 in a team total of 443 for one last evening, checked a drive off Muttiah Muralitharan at the last moment and was caught and bowled by the wily off-spinner for 293.
It was a big disappointment for the Delhi dasher and the crowd gathered at the Brabourne stadium as Sehwag was gradually moving towards becoming the first batsman in the history of the game to score three triple centuries.

Batting legends Don Bradman of Australia and Brian Lara of the West Indies are the only other players to have scored two triple centuries in Test history.

Sehwag did not add any boundary to his last evening tally of 40 fours and seven sixes and faced 254 balls and shared a 237 runs for the second wicket with Rahul Dravid in 264 balls.
The Lankans also got rid off Dravid (74) before Sachin Tendulkar and V V S Laxman carried the hosts to lunch without further damage.
Murali who had wilted under the brutal assault by Sehwag on Thursday finally had his revenge and his first wicket of the match in his 22nd over after the home team added only 15 runs to their overnight score.
Sehwag, who bludgeoned the Lanka bowlers the previous day, was cautious on Friday and took his runs in singles and twos.
He added nine runs before Muralitharan, bowling round the wicket, turned the ball a bit as Sehwag attempted to loft it initially before changing his mind.
The double-mindedness resulted in the ball taking the thick inside edge and popping back to the bowler who juggled with the catch before completing it to the delight of his teammates.

An over earlier Dravid, unbeaten 62 last evening, survived a very confident caught behind the wicket appeal while attempting to cut left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.
But Dravid, who lofted Herath for a six two balls later, chased a ball angled across by Welegedara and was caught behind by Prasanna Jayawardene.
The in-form middle-order stalwart struck five fours and a six in his 147-ball essay. Tendulkar, playing in a Test in Mumbai for the first time since being booed off the field at the nearby Wankhede Stadium three years ago against England, was given a rousing reception and started confidently by paddle-sweeping, on-driving and pulling the two Lanka spinners for fours.
Apart from Sehwag and Rahul Dravid (62), who both were dismissed in the pre-lunch period, the home team lost the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar (53), VVS Laxman (62), Yuvraj Singh (23) and Harbhajan Singh (1) in the post-lunch session.

Lanka should have got rid off Dhoni when he edged one off left-arm spinner Rangana Herath but Mahela Jayawardene reacted late at the first slip and the ball raced to the fence. Dhoni was on six at that time.
The hosts added 93 runs in 27 overs in the afternoon session, a far cry from yesterday when they went at more than five an over with Sehwag leading the assault on the hapless Lankan attack.

Post-lunch, Tendulkar reached his 54th half-century in 88 balls and helped himself with six fours before dragging one from Nuwan Kulasekara on to his stumps.
The dismissal also ended the 71-run fifth wicket stand between Tendulkar and Laxman. Laxman then square cut Welegedera for two boundaries to reach his 42nd half-century in 129 balls with six fours in it.
Laxman lost his patience and threw his wicket, bringing cheers for the Lankans. The well-tossed up ball invited Laxman to have a go and the leading edge was taken behind the bowler by Kulasekara to give Murali his second wicket.
Herath got rid off an uncomfortable-looking Yuvraj by luring him out to be caught at mid off when he miscued an aggressive shot and soon Harbhajan Singh was bowled trying to reverse-sweep Murali.

History of cricket

2009-11-30T03:26:00.000-08:00

The game of cricket has a known history spanning from the 16th century to the present day, with international matches played since 1844, although the official history of international Test cricket began in 1877. During this time, the game developed from its origins in England into a game which is now played professionally in most of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Early cricket:---

Origin:

No one knows when or where cricket began but there is a body of evidence, much of it circumstantial, that strongly suggests the game was devised during Saxon or Norman times by children living in the Weald, an area of dense woodlands and clearings in south-east England that lies across Kent and Sussex. In medieval times, the Weald was populated by small farming and metal-working communities. It is generally believed that cricket survived as a children's game for many centuries before it was increasingly taken up by adults around the beginning of the 17th century.

It is quite likely that cricket was devised by children and survived for many generations as essentially a children’s game. Adult participation is unknown before the early 17th century. Possibly cricket was derived from bowls, assuming bowls is the older sport, by the intervention of a batsman trying to stop the ball from reaching its target by hitting it away. Playing on sheep-grazed land or in clearings, the original implements may have been a matted lump of sheep’s wool (or even a stone or a small lump of wood) as the ball; a stick or a crook or another farm tool as the bat; and a stool or a tree stump or a gate (e.g., a wicket gate) as the wicket.

Derivation of the name of "cricket"

A number of words are thought to be possible sources for the term "cricket". In the earliest known reference to the sport in 1598 (see below), it is called creckett. The name may have been derived from the Middle Dutch krick(-e), meaning a stick; or the Old English cricc or cryce meaning a crutch or staff [2]. Another possible source is the Middle Dutch word krickstoel, meaning a long low stool used for kneeling in church and which resembled the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket.

According to Heiner Gillmeister, a European language expert of Bonn University, "cricket" derives from the Middle Dutch met de (krik ket)sen (i.e., "with the stick chase"), which also suggests a Dutch connection in the game's origin. It is more likely that the terminology of cricket was based on words in use in south east England at the time and, given trade connections with the County of Flanders, especially in the 15th century when it belonged to the Duchy of Burgundy, many Middle Dutch[3] words found their way into southern English dialects.

First definite reference:

Despite many prior suggested references, the first definite reference to the game is found in a 1598 court case concerning dispute over a school's ownership of a plot of land. A 59-year old coroner, John Derrick, testified that he and his school friends had played creckett on the site fifty years earlier. The school was the Royal Grammar School, Guildford, and Mr Derrick's account proves beyond reasonable doubt that the game was being played in Surrey c.1550.The first reference to it being played as an adult sport was in 1611, when two men in Sussex were prosecuted for playing cricket on Sunday instead of going to church. In the same year, a dictionary defines cricket as a boys' game and this suggests that adult participation was a recent development.

Early seventeenth century:

A number of references occur up to the English Civil War and these indicate that cricket had become an adult game contested by parish teams, but there is no evidence of county strength teams at this time. Equally, there is little evidence of the rampant gambling that characterised the game throughout the 18th century. It is generally believed, therefore, that village cricket had developed by the middle of the 17th century but that county cricket had not and that investment in the game had not begun.

The Commonwealth.

After the Civil War ended in 1648, the new Puritan government clamped down on "unlawful assemblies", in particular the more raucous sports such as football. Their laws also demanded a stricter observance of the Sabbath than there had been previously. As the Sabbath was the only free time available to the lower classes, cricket's popularity may have waned during the Commonwealth. Having said that, it did flourish in public fee-paying schools such as Winchester and St Paul's. There is no actual evidence that Oliver Cromwell's regime banned cricket specifically and there are references to it during the interregnum that suggest it was acceptable to the authorities providing it did not cause any "breach of the Sabbath.

Continued growth in England:-

The game continued to spread throughout England and, in 1751, Yorkshire is first mentioned as a venue. The original form of bowling (i.e., rolling the ball along the ground as in bowls) was superseded sometime after 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball and study variations in line, length and pace. Scorecards began to be kept on a regular basis from 1772 and since then an increasingly clear picture has emerged of the sport's development.

An artwork depicting the history of the cricket bat.The first famous clubs were London and Dartford in the early 18th century. London played its matches on the Artillery Ground, which still exists. Others followed, particularly Slindon in Sussex which was backed by the Duke of Richmond and featured the star player Richard Newland. There were other prominent clubs at Maidenhead, Hornchurch, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Bromley, Addington, Hadlow and Chertsey.

But far and away the most famous of the early clubs was Hambledon in Hampshire. It started as a parish organisation that first achieved prominence in 1756. The club itself was founded in the 1760s and was well patronised to the extent that it was the focal point of the game for about thirty years until the formation of MCC and the opening of Lord's Cricket Ground in 1787. Hambledon produced several outstanding players including the master batsman John Small and the first great fast bowler Thomas Brett. Their most notable opponent was the Chertsey and Surrey bowler Edward "Lumpy" Stevens, who is believed to have been the main proponent of the flighted delivery.

It was in answer to the flighted, or pitched, delivery that the straight bat was introduced. The old "hockey stick" style of bat was only really effective against the ball being trundled or skimmed along the ground.

Cricket and crisis.:-

Cricket faced its first real crisis during the 18th century when major matches virtually ceased during the Seven Years War. This was largely due to shortage of players and lack of investment. But the game survived and the "Hambledon Era" proper began in the mid-1760s.

Cricket faced another major crisis at the beginning of the 19th century when a cessation of major matches occurred during the culminating period of the Napoleonic Wars. Again, the causes were shortage of players and lack of investment. But, as in the 1760s, the game survived and a slow recovery began in 1815.
MCC was itself the centre of controversy in the Regency period, largely on account of the enmity between Lord Frederick Beauclerk and George Osbaldeston. In 1817, their intrigues and jealousies exploded into a match-fixing scandal with the top player William Lambert being banned from playing at Lord's Cricket Ground for life. Gambling scandals in cricket have been going on since the 17th century.
In the 1820s, cricket faced a major crisis of its own making as the campaign to allow roundarm bowling gathered pace.
Balls per over:-

In 1889 the immemorial four ball over was replaced by a five ball over and then this was changed to the current six balls an over in 1900. Subsequently, some countries experimented with eight balls an over. In 1922, the number of balls per over was changed from six to eight in Australia only. In 1924 the eight ball over was extended to New Zealand and in 1937 to South Africa. In England, the eight ball over was adopted experimentally for the 1939 season; the intention was to continue the experiment in 1940, but first-class cricket was suspended for the Second World War and when it resumed, English cricket reverted to the six ball over. The 1947 Laws of Cricket allowed six or eight balls depending on the conditions of play. Since the 1979/80 Australian and New Zealand seasons, the six ball over has been used worldwide and the most recent version of the Laws in 2000 only permits six ball overs.

World Series Cricket

In the 1960s, English county teams began playing a version of cricket with games of only one innings each and a maximum number of overs per innings. Starting in 1963 as a knockout competition only, limited overs grew in popularity and in 1969 a national league was created which consequently caused a reduction in the number of matches in the County Championship.

Although many "traditional" cricket fans objected to the shorter form of the game, limited overs cricket did have the advantage of delivering a result to spectators within a single day; it did improve cricket's appeal to younger or busier people; and it did prove commercially successful.

The first limited overs international match took place at Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1971 as a time-filler after a Test match had been abandoned because of heavy rain on the opening days. It was tried simply as an experiment and to give the players some exercise, but turned out to be immensely popular. Limited overs internationals (LOIs or ODIs, after One-day Internationals) have since grown to become a massively popular form of the game, especially for busy people who want to be able to see a whole match. The International Cricket Council reacted to this development by organising the first Cricket World Cup in England in 1975, with all the Test playing nations taking part.

Increasing use of technology:-

Limited overs cricket increased television ratings for cricket coverage. Innovative techniques that were originally introduced for coverage of LOI matches was soon adopted for Test coverage. The innovations included presentation of in-depth statistics and graphical analysis, placing miniature cameras in the stumps, multiple usage of cameras to provide shots from several locations around the ground, high speed photography and computer graphics technology enabling television viewers to study the course of a delivery and help them understand an umpire's decision.

In 1992, the use of a third umpire to adjudicate runout appeals with television replays was introduced in the Test series between South Africa and India. The third umpire's duties have subsequently expanded to include decisions on other aspects of play such as stumpings, catches and boundaries. As yet, the third umpire is not called upon to adjudicate lbw appeals, although there is a virtual reality tracking technology (i.e., Hawk-Eye) that is approaching perfection in predicting the course of a delivery.

South Africa Vs England 3rd ODI 27 Nov Live

2009-11-29T22:36:00.000-08:00

The third ODI between South Africa and England will be played at Cape Town on Friday. The first game at Wanderers in Johannesburg had been rained off, whereas England won the second game at Centurion - rather easily at that.

England had surprised everyone in the second game by first restricting the South Africans to a lowly total of 250 on a pitch that should have seen many more runs. Then, batting against the Proteas bowlers, the English batsmen, Jonathin Trott and Paul Collingwood made a mockery of the attack despite having lost a couple of early wickets.

The South Africans will come back all guns blazing. However, they have multiple problems and hence, how they overcome those problems will be an interesting watch. One had already seen how the Aussies overcame issues with the injuries in the series against India and went on to win the series; a hallmark of a true champion. South Africa has already lost Jacques Kallis for the series. Apart from that, the hosts are also struggling with the bowling line-up. Albie Morkel continues to leak away runs, whereas the bigger issue comes from their premiem pace bowler Dale Steyn, someone who has bowled moderately well. However, he has conceded the big runs at crucial junctures in the game.

Johan Botha was dropped from the previous game, but one doesn't see him remain out of the side for long. He should be back into the third ODI at Cape Town.

The batting line-up now will depend heavily on the captain Graeme Smith for the functioning. Despite half centuries from Hashim Amla and Alviro Petersen in the previous game, it needs the runs from the captain who bats much more aggressively than anyone else and hence takes the games away. Herschelle Gibbs has been drafted into the side and could be an option for the side.

For England, one does not see a lot of changes to the side. The opening combination was changed around to get in Jonathon Trott at the top and it worked wonders. Trott has been known to be an aggressive batsman in the county level, and shown his maturity to convert his first class form into international form. This has given Strauss options, and allowed his all-rounders in Collingwood and Luke Wright to come down the order with the ability to smash around in the batting powerplay.

all in all, the English side looks more settled than their South African counterparts, but the hosts have the tenacity in them to bounce back.

Cricket-PCB chief wants Younus to return for Australia tour

2009-11-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ejaz Butt wants to see troubled former captain Younus Khan return to international cricket for the next month's tour of Australia.

Batsman Younis was replaced as captain for the test tour to New Zealand early this month when he pulled out of the trip following a one-day series loss to the same opponents in Abu Dhabi.

With media reports suggesting Younus had lost the confidence of his players, he told the board he wanted to take a break from international cricket as he was struggling for form.

"Personally I want to see Younus playing in Australia as a Pakistan player. I don't think his career is over by any stretch of imagination, He is still a top test batsman," Butt told reporters on Sunday.

Butt added that Younus's form would be assessed by the national selectors with a view at playing in the full tour of Australia.

The PCB has appointed senior batsman Muhammad Yousuf as skipper for the three-test series in New Zealand and has said it would decide on the captain for the Australian leg in the near future.

Butt said he was confident Younus would resume playing in domestic cricket soon so that was easier for the selectors to reach a decision when they finalised the squad for Australia.

"I believe he still has number of years of cricket left in him and can contribute a lot more runs to the Pakistan team," Butt added.

Younis, who turns 32 later this month, has a batting average of 50.09 in 63 tests but just 33.12 in 197 one-day internationals.

Contrasting views from Butt and Afridi about Younis Khan

2009-11-23T03:13:00.000-08:00

So while the decision of Younis Khan to step down as the captain of the Pakistani side and take a break from the international cricket for some time gets debated in the international circles, the PCB chief, Ejaz Butt has already come out with a statement saying that Younis Khan will continue to remain the captain on his return from the break, if he remains fit and has the form.

Younis Khan had been appointed as the captain of the side till the 2011 World Cup, before he lost the series to New Zealand and promptly resigned from the post citing differences with his team. However, Butt said that the PCB had a long term plan in place and the same will be reviewed in a few days time.

Butt also refuted claims that there was something not too right within the team. He said that every time Pakistan lost a game or a series, such allegations had been laid in the past as well. He had been responding to queries whether the resignation from Younis Khan had anything to do with the rift between the players. Younis Khan had alleged that he had resigned because he could not get the team together and hence needed a break. Pakistan had played some real rash shots to get out in the final game against New Zealand which led to speculations that they had done so to undermine the captaincy of Younis Khan.

In the meantime, Shahid Afridi, who is the captain of the side in the T20I format, and who is tipped to take over from Younis Khan in the ODIs as well, has said that Younis should not have taken a break from his batting. According to Afridi, Younis Khan should have toured

as his batting was a necessity.

Afridi said, "He was having problems but I don't think he should have taken the decision to skip the tour. He should have played on because the captain is the central figure in a team."

Amidst all the problems related to the captain and team selections, the Pakistanis registered a win over New Zealand in the first T20I under the captaincy of Afridi. The second game will be played in Dubai on Friday. New Zealand have their own set of problems as they have lost most of their cricketers on tour and are left with only 11 fit players to take field for the game on Friday!

Sri Lankans arrive in India and hope to change appalling test record

2009-11-23T03:10:00.000-08:00

The Sri Lankan cricket captain, Kumar Sangakkara, realises that their record in test matches in India is as poor as it could get and hence would like to change that in the forthcoming series that his team plays against hosts India. In the last 27 years, the Lankans have played 14 test matches so far, but have yet to win a single game. Their best series result came in the 1997-98 series when they managed to snatch a 0-0 draw against the Sachin Tendulkar-led India.

Last time around, the Lankans had begun well in a rain-hit test match between the two teams, but then had gone on to lose the remaining two games to lose the series 2-0. To add to their misery, the losses were 188 runs and 259 runs large, which meant that the Sri Lankans had been thoroughly outplayed in the series.

Sri Lanka will play three test matches, two T20Is and five ODIs in a tour that lasts for more than a month and a half. They open their campaign with a tour game against the Board President's XI at Mumbai and will follow that up with three test matches at Ahmedabad, Kanpur and Mumbai. The Mumbai game will be played at the Brabourne stadium as the Wankhede stadium is currently under renovation.

Sri Lanka has yet to win a single game in Australia and South Africa, apart from India, and Sangakkara has said that he understands that and will look to change the record. He also added, "We are here to relax, enjoy and not worry about history, and try and put as much pressure on the Indians as possible."

Sangakkara made a pertinent point when he said that the Indians do not like to be pressurised and their loss against the Aussies in the ongoing ODI series will mean that they will be under a lot of pressure to defend their record. This will be the one place that the Sri Lanka will be able to take advantage. The Lankans have also brought an inexperienced bowling attack, but Sangakkara brushed off those suggestions by saying, "Inexperience is sometimes a good thing as the Indian batsmen have not played our fast bowlers regularly in the longer form of the game which can work to our advantage."

Unfortunately, even the great Muralitharan averages more than 40 in India and that will be the one thing that the off-spinner would love to change about his record. Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath will be the other two spinners in the side.

Tendulkar completes 20 years in international cricket

2009-11-23T03:07:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar has completed twenty years in international cricket on 15th November, 2009. He had begun his career in Pakistan as a 15 year old boy in 1989 on the same date, and has gone on to become one of the best batsman in the world in the following twenty years.

Some of the tributes that the players gave him included the likes of Virender Sehwag who said that it was Tendulkar who motivated him into playing longer innings. He also said that it was Tendulkar who taught him the mental aspects of the game, and how to face a particular bowler. He also said that Tendulkar's biggest strength that he read the situation well and could adapt himself to that.Sachin Tendulkar himself has said that there is a 16-year old inside him who is still waiting to play.

Harsha Bhogale has said that it was his focus in the game that stood out. Even as a child cricketer, it stood out, and there have been various instances of that happening through the rest of his career. There was this one instance of Tendulkar scoring a century in the game against Kenya in the 1999 World Cup after having just lost his father. It was his focus and steely resolve that had helped him do that.

For Tendulkar himself, the biggest and the best moment in his career came when he got the chance to wear the Indian cap. He has also attributed the manner in which he has managed to keep his feet on the ground to his parents and his brother to begin with, and then to his wife, who he says has been his anchor.

Tendulkar has almost 13000 runs in test match cricket, and only recently completed his 17000 runs on the ODI. Tendulkar has 42 centuries in the test matches, and 45 in the ODI version of the game. He also has 95 scores of a half century and above, including the centuries, in the test matches, whereas he has scored 136 fifty plus scores in the one day internationals.

Tendulkar also has 60 man of the match awards to his name in the ODIs, as against the 14 man of the series awards. He has also been involved in one 300 run stand in the ODIs, which is incidentally the highest ever partnership in that format. The two innings that will probably be the best of his would be the one at Sharjah against Australia in 1998, and the one in Chennai against Pakistan in 1999.

Wither, Cricket?

2009-11-23T03:02:00.000-08:00

You don’t need to believe in karma to observe that some good will come of a thing if it’s done for the right reasons. Back in 1970-1, when that first international limited-overs cricket match was organised on the scheduled final day of the rain-ruined Melbourne Test, it was done to please TV viewers and the live crowd, who’d paid good money to be entertained. That was revolutionary; a fiddling with the rigid codes (many unwritten) of a game that had mostly been played one way.

That dalliance with the truth about why sport actually exists spawned a little hybrid that would grow to take over the game, mostly because of its novelty. It was a complete deviation from the belief that you simply weren’t a worthy audience unless you were able to show your appreciation for unapologetic boringness with polite ripples of applause. Such beliefs were bound to be given scant regard by a new, questioning generation of Australians. I recall my outrage, as a kid, at an eminent English commentator. At lunch on day one, he became positively smug at the possibility of England batting for a draw against the touring Australians. I nearly smashed my radio.

Limited-overs cricket was an accident waiting to happen. To young, aspiring fans in the colonies, cricket watching had been a mysterious pastime. It had to be endured before you could gain enough clues to find the iron door of cricket’s inner sanctum, which was protected by riddles that were unfathomable unless some plummy tweed-clad Pommy commentator saw it as his duty to enlighten you – which he didn’t. To teach yourself seemed impossible, even when you wanted to know more because you were excited by the new breed of Aussie cricketer. Cricket, with its googlies, boseys, chinamen, silly legs, byes, sundries - the whole argot - was incomprehensible without deep explanation.

And you suspected an odd British sado-masochism about it all, hinting at strange sorts of rituals for the Indeed Very Privileged, perhaps involving a goat and requiring one to bang one’s genitals in a door whilst shouting out the names of British monarchs. Eventually you got it: you enjoyed Test cricket only when you understood first that you weren’t supposed to enjoy it.

Until that 1970-1 tour, which was also, thankfully, the genesis of the “Chappell era” team (which led to the innovations of World Series Cricket), cricket’s world was predominantly middle-to-upper class and Masonic. And white. And it was expected to remain that hue, even in places like the cricket-mad sub-Continent. Test cricket was not so much a colonial curtsy to the Mother Country as a cringe. The Empire’s proprietary attitude was best summed up in the motto of our own Sydney University: sidere mens eadem mutato, loosely translated as “the same mind under different skies.”

Five years later the limited-overs game had its first world cup. It was an uneven affair, the great disparity between the best and the rest symbolised by the sight of disbelieving Sri Lankan batsmen having their toes crushed by Thommo’s yorkers or running from the field to meet the stretcher and lay down on it before they were actually hurt, believing injury to pride infinitely preferable to its physical counterpart.

But it was a success. The pulsating 1975 final had all the ingredients we’d like to believe make one-day cricket an exciting spectacle. Its most compelling feature was unique to its time: Australia were the heavyweight champions of Test cricket, and the West Indies were the talented number one contender. A nation’s Test-match standing mattered more than it does today, and the World Cup’s glory was therefore somewhat reflected glory.

Today, the limited-overs World Cup stands alone as the game’s undisputed showpiece, with the appeal of instant heroism. Gary Gilmour’s bowling in 1975 (11 wickets in two matches) is still the greatest the tournament has seen. In the second World Cup (1979) Viv Richards swaggered through the competition with that born-to-rule air, culminating his tournament in a majestic 138 in the final.

1983 saw the Indians express themselves with teamwork and spin, and on the back of Herculean batting and bowling from Kapil Dev, they thieved the Calypso Kings’ crown. In 1987, the Australians began their resurgence, with Border and one S. Waugh getting the late wickets to give the Aussies a slender seven-run win. 1992 witnessed the rise of the South Africans and the eccentric brilliance of the Pakistanis, especially Akram and Miandad. 1996 was Sri Lanka’s, as two unpronounceable openers took the game by the scruff of the neck and showed that even the greatest teams could be brought to their knees in the first 15 overs. In 1999, Steve Waugh stamped his immense will on the entire tournament and turned around his own fortunes and those of his team.

While some traditionalists resent the rude bursting of this corporate blight upon cricket’s pastoral serenity, the general consensus seems to be that limited-overs cricket saved the game from that morbid condition of self-indulgence that precedes self-consumption and decay.

The real triumph of the truncated game, especially the World Cup, has not been to supplant the traditional form, but to open up new ways of thinking and playing. Fielding and running between wickets are sharper than ever. Batting’s more aggressive, even if technique has sometimes gone the way of caution. The old Industrial Revolution mindsets of capital (run) accumulation, honest, uncomplaining toilers (bowlers) and fatalistic acceptance of the obstructionist whims of distant, unsympathetic bureaucracies no longer go unchallenged. One-day cricket has forced administrators’ hands in such matters as the mandatory use of lights where they are available.

But the short game needs reformation. After 30 years, the one-dimensional idea of one team batting and the other chasing has become threadbare. The game has tightened bowling, but is ludicrously biased toward batting, and, in its present form, can only ever be so. Because wickets are nowhere near as important as runs, one of the two pillars upon which cricket is built (the ability to bowl a side out) is temporarily removed for the one-day game, then reinstalled like a drop-in pitch for Test matches. This drives a wedge between the two forms of the game..

The way the first-class game is structured cannot take sole blame for the low standard of bowling in England. The proliferation of limited-overs cricket, with its approach to bowling that has little to do with getting a side out, is also responsible. It’s not just England’s problem. There are too many meaningless limited-overs events to name, and it’s a shame to see crack cricketers in gimcrack tournaments.

After the first 15 overs of a game, when the field spreads outside the 25-yard circle, and accumulation via the old tip-and-run technique becomes the mode, one-day cricket settles into predictable patterns. While close finishes are frequent, this prospect alone doesn’t generate excitement.

Still, limited-overs cricket, or more specifically, the World Cup, has allowed fledgling sides to come of age by providing them a rite de passage that Test cricket never could. The addition of Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and other nations will continue to enhance cricket’s flavour, as happened when Sri Lanka’s Jayasuriya and Kalawitharana, at the urging of their captain, the rotund red rag waver, Ranatunga, became first-round kayo artists, and then the current Australians took this tactic to a new level.
If the survival of cricket is now highly dependent on revenue raised from the World Cup, cricket is at the brink. The Test match must be instated as the meat of the game, or at least enjoy an equal share of power with international limited-overs cricket. But it requires imagination, diplomacy and commitment from the ICC and home boards around the world; new ways of thinking, and the right reasons.

Paceman Lee targets Test comeback

2009-11-17T05:41:00.000-08:00

Australia fast bowler Brett Lee says he is far from finished as a Test cricketer following his latest injury.

The 32-year-old returned home from India with an elbow injury which forced him out of Australia's one-day series.

Having also missed out on the Ashes, he is bidding to recover in time for the opening Test against the West Indies, starting in Brisbane on 26 November.

"The most important thing that I want to achieve is to get back in and play Test match cricket," Lee said.

"The only thing I can do is play the type of cricket I can when it is on offer.

"It is unfortunate I have picked up this elbow injury, but I do not see it as a long-term injury."

He will consult a specialist this week about his elbow complaint and is hopeful of being fit to play for New South Wales in their first-class match against Tasmania starting on 17 November.

Suryastra

The elbow injury continues a run of misfortune for Lee over the past 12 months.

He spent the early part of this year recovering from foot and ankle surgery before suffering a side strain early in the Ashes tour.

He then performed strongly in Australia's Champions Trophy triumph in South Africa before being named man-of-the-series as NSW captured the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 title in India.

But the latest setback raises doubts about Lee's future in the longest form of the game and whether his body is able to withstand the rigours of Test cricket.

Meanwhile, Australia's injury-ravaged squad in India has called up 26-year-old Victorian bowler Clinton McKay, uncapped at senior international level, as a direct replacement for Lee.

All-rounder James Hopes (hamstring) is the latest player to return home from India, with the Aussies now down to third-choice wicketkeeper, Graham Manou, after Tim Paine broke a finger.

Moises Henriques is to remain with the squad for the rest of the series, with India 2-1 up ahead of Monday's match in Mohali, the fourth of seven.

Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, Nathan Bracken and Brad Haddin were already on the injured list before Australia named their squad, leaving their current resources threadbare.

Meanwhile, India showed they were not immune from injuries, with opening batsmen Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag picking up minor problems. Dinesh Karthik has been hauled into the squad as cover.

Laxman - Very Very Special Indeed

2009-11-17T05:36:00.000-08:00

What a joy it has been following the career of VVS Laxman over the years. To me he is the most stylish batsman of the present generation. There is no better sight in cricket than to watch him bat.

He is one man who has all the time in the world to play his strokes. He has been blessed with the gift of timing that adequately covers the deficiencies in footwork. He may not be technically the most correct batsman but he is the one batter who can bring the crowd to its feet with his artistic stroke-play.

The fastest of the bowlers pitching the ball on or outside his off-stump have never been sure in which direction they would be hit when Laxman has been at the crease. While every other great batsman in the world would be content in cover driving those balls but you don't know which route Laxman would take.

He may put the ball in the gap between cover and extra cover with precision and there is an equal chance of him rolling his wrist and on-driving it past mid-wicket. He has that knack of playing his stroke late that allows him to pierce the field at will.

Laxman has perfected the art of keeping the bowlers as well as the fielders guessing. The captains have often been found wanting in setting field for him. One can only sympathize with the fielding captains because it's certainly not possible to have a 'safe' field for someone who has the rare ability of flicking the balls pitched well outside the off stump.

If you understand cricket you have to admire Laxman for doing justice with his initials VVS. He is certainly a very very special talent who is a born artist.

More than the runs and the centuries that he has scored for India, it's his grace and poise that has distinguished him. He is the one and only batsman in the world at the moment whose graceful stroke-play passes the impression of being poetry in motion.

Laxman has scored prolifically against the toughest of oppositions. Not surprisingly his greatest knocks have come against Australia that has undoubtedly been the leading side in world cricket for the last many years.

Who would ever forget his epic knock at 281 against the Australians at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in 2001. The Indians were looking down the barrel and a series defeat looked round the corner. They had been defeated in the first Test and were forced to follow on in the second Test.

India needed something out of extraordinary to change the course of the proceedings. The follow-on fightback was led by none other than the Hyderabad touch artist who stood against the Australians with courage and purpose. His stroke-filled innings turned it around for India and the series was squared against all odds. By clinching the third and final Test the hosts managed to win the series they were most likely to surrender in the previous game.

More than seven years later Laxman scored another magnificent double century against the Aussies in his 99th Test at Feroz Shah Kotla Ground, Delhi. His defiant knock in the second outing saved the day for his team and earned the Man of the Match award for him.

He may not be a swift mover in the field, that has cost him his place in the one-dayers, but he still has fair amount of cricket left to him to delight the lovers of the game all over the globe.

He has played his 100th Test match at VCA Stadium, Nagpur. He would certainly regret his soft dismissal when in sight of another hundred that would have been a perfect gift for his fans in the landmark Test for him.

The Next Big Thing - Monde Zondeki

2009-11-16T05:10:00.000-08:00

Monde Zondeki recently made an impact with his first ball as a Protea in the South African team. Zondeki bowled wide of off stump, and the delivery nipped away a fraction as Sri Lankan opener Marvan Atapattu attempted a flat-footed steer through the slips. South African wicket-keeper Mark Boucher fumbled a regulation caught behind chance, but Andrew Hall was alert enough to grasp the rebound one-handed. In a spectacular moment, Zondeki captured his first International wicket with his first delivery in International cricket.

The twenty-year old paceman plays domestic cricket for Border, together with fellow Xhosa Makhaya Ntini, and was included in the national squad facing off against Sri Lanka to learn more about the National set up and to work extensively with the National coach Eric Simons and assistant Corrie van Zyl. Zondeki made his limited overs International debut in Bloemfontein after South Africa wrapped up the five match series 3-1 in Kimberley.

Considered a novelty to his new teammates and a virtual unknown. South African captain Shaun Pollock and bowling coach Corrie van Zyl, both admitted when Zondeki joined the national squad recently, it was the first time they had seen him “in real life.”

Zondeki’s selection for National honors contains a special significance; Monde is the nephew of former South African anti-Apartheid leader and Minister of Sport, Steve Tshwete. Zondeki’s mother and Tshwete’s wife were sisters. Zondeki lived with the Tshwete family from the age of seven, an experience that included spending a year in exile in Zambia. Sadly, Tshwete passed away earlier this year, before Zondeki emerged as an International player.

On being selected for the National team, Zondeki dedicated his selection to his Uncle Steve, stating “I know he [Steve Tshwete] will be with me when I bowl that first ball.” The rest, as they say, is history, as the ball dedicated to Zondeki’s mentor moved just a touch and dismissed Atapattu, who was batting Sri Lanka into a strong position with 53 runs from 63 deliveries.

Cricket began for Zondeki at age 10, when he arrived at Dale College junior school, the same school attended earlier by a young Makhaya Ntini. At that stage, the schoolboy was more interested in fun than fast bowling, beginning his career as a leg-spinner and a bit of a batsman. The same man responsible for Ntini’s emergence , Greg Hayes, first spoke to Zondeki about bowling quickly after spotting him at Border. When he was still an under-15 player, Zondeki torched an England schools side on a bouncy, concrete pitch in the Masingata Township, outside King Williams Town. He terrorised the opposition, causing four batsmen to retire hurt after they had been hit on the elbow.

Zondeki is quick to credit Ntini as a role model. “He started playing for South Africa while I was at school. At that stage, there were no other black cricketers coming through. He also went to the same school as me, so I got to know him quite well before he made it big. That was a help to me.”

Vasbert Drakes was another influence and another of Zondeki’s role models now sits beside him as a teammate. “Allan Donald has always been a hero of mine. On the way back from Benoni he had a chat with me about bowling and told me how big a chance I now have to make it. I was honoured to get a bit of advice from someone so great and now I will be playing in the same team as him. It's unbelievable really,” said the exciting speedster.

Eric Simons was also positive: “He's done very well thus far and I am impressed with his attitude. He has the ability to put into practice the advice we've given him and he looks a good prospect. I'm aware there has been concern that he's a little wayward,” added Simons. “But in the nets he has been quite good. Of course it's a completely different matter when it comes to a match situation.”

After being told he would debut at Bloemfontein, Zondeki was nervous at the nets. After an injury-plagued season last year and deciding not to attend the National Academy, he worked on strength conditioning with Border fitness trainer Greg King, to increase his pace and prevent further injuries. This season, his pace has improved, with his deliveries consistently around the 140km/h mark. He bowled extremely quickly and maintained an impeccably tight line against the Sri Lankans for South Africa A, capturing 1/8 from 7 overs and then captured 2 more wickets against Pakistan in their tour opener. The result is a leap up to international cricket less than two seasons after his provincial debut.

Zondeki has worked hard to develop the ability to swing the ball and has concentrated on bowling a fuller length to get the ball to swing in domestic cricket, something that some international bowlers, like Javagal Srinath, Nantie Hayward, and Brett Lee, are at pains to discover. It is this desire to adapt and grow that perfectly complements his speed.

Although he has demonstrated raw pace and flashes of outstanding control, Zondeki has shown a propensity to spray the ball, as most young fast bowlers do. At times against Sri Lanka he looked a little wayward, but Pollock and Simons’ efforts to protect him by keeping him away from the new ball contributed to a successful debut and demonstrated good planning and implementation in blooding a young prospect.

Zondeki is also no bunny with the bat, recently cracking a beautiful straight six off the bowling of Nixon McLean at Kingsmead. At school he batted at 8 or 9 and his batting has improved with age. “I don't think I am the worst number 11 the game will ever see,” Zondeki states wryly.

One criticism of the young fast bowler is, he is not particularly aggressive, the traditional hallmark of pacemen; he confesses he has never sledged an opponent on the field. He displays sound maturity about the game, admitting the coaches will probably work on his on-field aggression and refusing to rule out the possibility of confrontations.

“Everybody loses patience now and then, I guess,” he states. “But I am not very aggressive. I just don’t have that sort of attitude.”

If there was any downside to Zondeki’s debut, it was he didn't have the opportunity to bowl with his Border teammate Makhaya Ntini, who sat out the game so that Zondeki and Allan Donald, on his home ground, could play. No doubt, the day when Ntini and Zondeki bowl in tandem for South Africa is not far off, perhaps as early as next week against Pakistan.

And what thoughts of a South African Test bowling attack including Ntini, Ngam and Zondeki? The young debutante answers: “It would be a big thing just to play for South Africa, but to play with Makhaya and Gummy would make it just that little bit more special.” Indeed!

Australia’s Shame - Eddie Gilbert

2009-11-16T05:06:00.000-08:00

He was the cricketer who could have brought the English tourists to their knees during the Bodyline tests over the summer of 1932-33. A viciously fast bowler, who many considered the only man capable of dishing the medicine up to the English batsman when the crowds cried for revenge for their despicable display of Bodyline bowling. There is no doubt had he been given the opportunity, he would have written himself into Australian cricket folklore.

A man, many considered to be the fastest bowler in Australia and possibly the world during the 1930's was not only denied the opportunity of playing against the English tourists, but was also, never chosen to represent his Nation. Why? I hear you ask, it's astoundingly simple to answer, because he was a "black man", an Indigenous Australian descended from the traditional owners of the place we all call Australia.

I am referring to none other than Eddie Gilbert, an exceptionally gifted fast bowler who was never given the accolades by his peers, which he not only earnt through his cricket achievements, but downright deserved due to his talent with a cricket ball. Eddie Gilbert, one of the only bowlers in history who ever dismissed the great Donald Bradman for a duck. He was so fast with the ball, he is also the only bowler to ever knock the bat from the hands of Bradman, who later said of Eddie, "he sent down the fastest bowling I can remember of that time, he was much faster than Larwood or anyone else".

It may be difficult to imagine a bowler who only took 3 to 4 steps, prior to bowling the ball was able to generate such ferocious pace, however, Eddie's deliveries were so fast, he once even injured his own team's wicketkeeper who doubled up in pain after being hit in the stomach by a ball delivered at a blistering pace. In 1931, during the Queensland v West Indies match he returned the excellent figures of 5 for 65, but still he was not considered for selection to the Australian team. Any hope Eddie had of ever representing his country were just that, hopes.

I guess it will never be known if Eddie ever knew that his chances of representing Australia were nil. He was a "black man" who dared to be successful and excel at a sport that was considered to be a "gentlemans" game. It would never be accepted by the Cricket Establishment that an Indigenous Australian could be worthy of representing his country, they were going to make sure of that.

It remains unknown, exactly who engineered the downfall of Eddie Gilbert, but will long live in the memory of many Australians how it occurred. During a match between Victoria and Queensland at the MCG in 1931, the umpire A.N Barlow, no-balled Eddie, a total of 13 times for what was described as a suspect action. In today’s terms this would be called chucking. From this moment on it was obvious the fate of Eddie was sealed, he was doomed to go the way of every talented indigenous player before him, and there had been plenty.

The record books don't actually tell us if Eddie continued to play cricket after this time, but it is very doubtful he did. The only reference available after this match, shows a large gap in the playing career of Eddie Gilbert. He in fact, played no games between 1931 and 1935. His last game is recorded as being played in 1936.

On 11 November 1936, Eddie Gilbert was given his final marching orders from the game. In a communication to the authority responsible for the management of Indigenous Australians at the time, the Secretary of the Queensland Cricket Association wrote "The matter of Eddie Gilbert has been fully discussed by the committee and it is decided, with your concurrence, to arrange for his return to the settlement". During this depressing time in Australia's history, all Indigenous persons, were required to live in a controlled area not unlike the Russian Gulags, called a settlement. Better known by many people, as a reservation.

Every aspect of their lives was dictated to by the authority known as the Aboriginal Protectorate, subsequently these Indigenous Australians were nothing more than prisoners in their own land. Such was the oppression suffered by these people, Eddie Gilbert was required to obtain written permission every time he wished to travel for the sake of playing a cricket match. The final nail in Eddies coffin was also delivered by the QCA who demanded "the return of his cricket clothes to their office". Not only were the QCA prepared to push one of Australia's finest cricketers out of the game, they also wanted the clothes of his back.

Needless to say, Eddie Gilbert disappeared into obscurity. It was not until 1972 that he was heard of again. Eddie was discovered in a mental institution totally incapable of any speach, he had been a resident there for 23 years. On January 9 1978, Eddie Gilbert passed away without even the slightest acknowledgment he had even existed.

A shameful fact that should be redressed by cricket authorities and historians alike

Evolution Not Revolution - Pakistan

2009-11-16T05:02:00.000-08:00

In typical Pakistan Cricket Board style, an early exit from the World Cup saw the face of the national team completely change. The PCB doesn’t do things by halves and they certainly didn’t this time.

First to go was Richard Pybus – The English born Pakistan coach, did not seek a contract renewal and he was not offered one, resulting in former Pakistan batting legend Javed Miandad, being re-appointed as coach of the national squad. Miandad’s previous stint ended after a falling out with senior players.

Shortly after the departure of Pybus, Captain Waqar Younis was sacked and promptly replaced by wicket -keeper Rashid Latif. Latif, who planned to retire after the World Cup was asked to take over, many believe, as a stop-gap captain for a younger man to take the reigns in the long term.

Pybus has tipped Younis Khan to take over as captain, once Latif makes way. Another player potentially being groomed for captaincy is Yousef Youhana. Youhana replaces Inzamam as vice captain, who stepped down on his own accord.

The PCB did not stop there; they promptly dismissed the entire selection committee bar one – Shafiq Ahmed. The new chief Selector is Aamir Sohail, another former Pakistan batsman and member of the 1992 World cup squad.

The first job for the outspoken left hander was to select the squad for the forthcoming Sharjah tournament and in typical Sohail fashion, he left many eyebrows raised.

Sohail, opted to leave out several ‘big guns’ for the tournament and although some of these players were officially ‘rested’, Sohail sent a clear message to the Pakistan old guard, that he will not be selecting teams based on personalities nor reputations. Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Saqlian Mushtaq, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi and Saaed Anwar were a few of those to be axed.

Despite what can only be described as a minor revolution of the national set-up, the same underlying problems exist in Pakistani cricket, which the PCB have failed to address.

First-class cricket in Pakistan is non-existent. For the most part, the games will be played in empty grounds and will attract little or next to no media coverage. Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, claims that one of the major reasons for the lack of interest is that the teams do not represent cities or towns – something the local fans could relate to, but instead represent national corporations like Pakistan International Airlines and Habib Bank.

Not surprisingly first-class teams in Pakistan have not yielded many international players.

Players are more often than not spotted playing for schools and local clubs and brought straight into the National squad. Waqar Younis, Shahid Afridi and Wasim Akram are a few of the players who barely played first-class cricket and became full internationals.

Without a long-term structure in place to develop the game at domestic level, Pakistan will have to continue relying on ‘talent-spotting’ at schools and at local club competitions – a very ‘hit and miss’ strategy.

Greater investment at grass roots level (i.e. youth academies, first-class teams and first-class coaches) may not reap rewards initially, but it will ensure that future players are given the best possible environment in which to nurture their talents.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that the issue of domestic development will take centre stage on the proverbial PCB round table as post World Cup assessments are made. They are well aware that short term sacrifices for long term success will not be acceptable to the impatient public of Pakistan.

Younis could still return as captain - Ijaz Butt

2009-11-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

The door has not been shut on Younis Khan returning to the Pakistan captaincy after he takes some time out from the game to, in his own words, "get himself together." Younis walked away from the post on Wednesday, wanting to take a rest and skip the New Zealand series after saying he had "lost command" over his team.

Though his future plans are currently unclear, Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman who just weeks ago said Younis will remain captain - provided he is selected and fit - till the 2011 World Cup, insists that he remains an option to lead Pakistan, possibly on the tour to Australia, once he has returned.

"We have put a long-term plan in place," Butt told Cricinfo, "and we will review that once we get together over the next few days to discuss this. Younis wanted a rest and we have given him that. But when he comes back we will most definitely consider him as an option for captaincy."

As the situation currently stands, Younis is unlikely to come back as captain. Implicit in his comments over the decision was the acknowledgement that he had not been able to overcome differences with a group of senior players in the team unhappy with his leadership. Sources close to Younis say that he does not want to continue leading in the current environment where players are actively trying to undermine him.

Butt, however, played down the matter, denying that Younis had, in effect, stepped down in the face of a players' revolt. "I don't believe in that at all. Every time we lose a match or a series, this kind of speculation comes out and there is nothing like that in it. Younis wanted a rest and we have given that to him."

Pakistan will now travel to New Zealand for a three-Test series with Mohammad Yousuf in charge - their third captain of the year and fourth if you count Shahid Afridi as the Twenty20 captain - and Kamran Akmal as his deputy. Yousuf has captained Pakistan in three Tests previously, though each time was as stand-in for Inzamam-ul-Haq. Yousuf was in the running for the captaincy after Inzamam's retirement in 2007, though he was overlooked as Shoaib Malik took over.

Reportedly unhappy over the move, Yousuf had a public falling out with Malik, joining the ICL in 2008 - after turning his back on them in 2007 - in protest and singling out Malik and the selection committee as the sole reasons for doing so. Incidentally, Malik is widely believed to be one of the main men unhappy with Younis' leadership and the speculation in Pakistan is that he is making a move for the post himself. But there was apparently little disagreement among the Pakistan think-tank over the choice of Yousuf as an alternative to Younis.

"We consulted the options among ourselves and we came to the conclusion that Yousuf is the ideal alternative," Butt said. "There were no disagreements over the choice and we are confident he can do the job."

Mohammad Yousuf Replaces Younus khan as Pakistan Team captain

2009-11-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

IN DUBAI: Pakistan on Wednesday appointed Mohammad Yousuf as captain for the Test tour of New Zealand after Younis Khan asked for a rest following the one-day series defeat against the same country.

‘Yes, Younis has asked for a rest so we have appointed Yousuf as captain for the three-Test tour,’ Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt told AFP, adding,’ it has nothing to do with the defeat against New Zealand.’

Pakistan lost the three-match series 2-1 after a narrow seven-run defeat in the final match on Monday.

Following the one-day series defeat, Pakistani media reported that Younis had lost the confidence of his fellow players, who wanted him to be replaced.

Pakistan will fly from here on Sunday to play three Tests in New Zealand.

Ex-cricketers, media slam Younis Khan for loss

Pakistan lost the series decider by seven runs in Abu Dhabi on Monday despite young Mohammad Aamer scoring 73 runs – the highest ever individual score by a No. 10 batsman in the history of one-day internationals.

The Pakistani batsmen had earlier struggled to chase down a modest target of 212 runs on a placid wicket at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. They were reeling at 101-9 before Aamer and Saeed Ajmal brought them within sight of a sensational victory with a 103-run last wicket stand.

Younis, whose resignation letter was rejected by the Pakistan Cricket Board last month, was out of form with the bat in all three matches against New Zealand, managing 0, 19 and 3. But Pakistan preferred to rotate its three other inform batsmen Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal and Mohammad Yousuf in the series.

‘Other batsmen lose heart when they see their captain not scoring and it was unbelievable that those who were performing with the bat were given undue rest,’ Nawaz said. ‘No matter how big a team is, if you start resting your key players there’s no way you can win matches.

‘If Younis was sincere with Pakistan team, he should have not played in the last match and given Yousuf an opportunity.’

Former chief selector Abdul Qadir said it was hard to believe the way Pakistan batsmen threw their wickets on a pitch where young Aamer scored a magnificent half century.

Younis tried to quit as captain but was reinstated by the PCB until the 2011 World Cup as long as he stays fit and the selectors picked him in the squad.

Aamir eager to help Pakistan record wins

2009-11-09T22:48:00.000-08:00

ABU DHABI: Mohammad Aamir is just 17 years old, but the passionate player is well on his way to become Pakistan’s premier left-arm pace bowler.

His whippy pace and swing bowling has troubled many world-class batsmen. Media have touted him as the next Wasim Akram in the making.

Still, Aamir believes Dilshan is the only batsmen who troubled him so far in his short career. ‘His [Dilshan’s] performance in the World Twenty20 was too good. I think he is the only batsman who has troubled me so far,’ Aamir told Khaleej Times here.

He is enjoying good run in the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium here. In the first ODI, Aamir bowled excellently taking 1-15 from seven overs. He began the second ODI in good fashion, taking the wicket of Aaron Redmond.

His main inspiration is pace bowling legend Wasim, the former Pakistan captain.

‘My role model has always been Wasim bhai. He has always been my inspiration. Wasim picked out Aamir as a special talent at a fast bowlers’ camp held in Lahore two years ago.’

‘There is pressure to perform when you see such comparisons. It increases my responsibility when you have been compared.’—Agencies

Akhtar may not play all five ODIs

2009-11-09T22:44:00.000-08:00

ISLAMABAD: Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar may not be fit enough to play all the five one-day internationals against Australia in his latest return to international cricket, local media reported Thursday.

‘The fast bowler had shown signs of fatigue and exhaustion even after training for three days at the national camp,’ The News daily said.

Akhtar, 33, passed a strenuous fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore before he was named in the 15-man squad for the series against Australia, starting in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates from April 22.

The News cited an unnamed member of the national squad as saying it was a risk to select Akhtar because there are questions over the paceman's fitness and readiness to make an impact on the Australians.

Akhtar has played just two one-day internationals since November 2007 due to disciplinary and fitness problems.

Last week he told reporters in Lahore that he wanted to bowl his full quota of 10 overs and enjoy fielding, adding there was no guarantee of a player's fitness in international cricket.

‘Nobody can give a guarantee of fitness in international matches, but I have come into the side after passing a fitness test,’ he said.

Akhtar was selected for the three one-dayers against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi, the UAE last year, but was injured during a practice session ahead of the first match and sat out the series.

In January, Akhtar made an another return to international cricket but he was dropped after taking just one wicket for 88 runs in two limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka at home. He failed to complete his full quota of 10 overs in either game and was later ruled out of the test series against Sri Lanka due to a knee injury.

The Pakistan Cricket Board shifted April's limited-overs series to neutral venue after Australia had declined to tour Pakistan on security grounds, even before the terror attack on the Sri Lanka team last month in Lahore that injured seven members of the touring party and left six police men and a driver dead.

Dubai will host the first two games before the series moves to Abu Dhabi for the remaining three matches. Both teams return to Dubai for the only Twenty20 game on May 7.

Manjrekar, Wasim warn against splitting one-dayers

2009-11-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram and India’s ex-batsman Sanjay Manjrekar on Thursday warned the International Cricket Council (ICC) against rushing with Sachin Tendulkar’s idea of splitting the 50-over format, saying such a far-reaching decision should not be taken in haste.

Amid debate that post-Twenty20, the one-day cricket is on its deathbed and Tendulkar’s idea of splitting it into two innings of 25 overs each could be the answer to the crisis, both Wasim and Manjrekar said the ICC should not rush with it.

R C Venkateish, managing director of ESPN Software India Private Limited, chipped in with data to prove that ODI popularity has not really dipped as feared.

‘This is just another idea, which was actually suggested in the past as well. So it’s surely not a bolt from the blue. But ODI has been hugely successful concept and to change it, the ICC has to give it a lot of thought. When you plan to alter such a successful product, you have to be careful,’ Manjrekar said.

Wasim said he vaguely remembered playing one such two-innings 50-over match and said it was not much fun. ‘I played one in 2000-01 and it was a different experience. I think the ICC should try it at the club or domestic level and see how it goes before trying to implement it at the international level,’ said the former Pakistan all-rounder.

Venkateish said despite the Twenty20’s growing popularity, ODIs continued to enjoy corporate backing. ‘The proof of pudding is in rating and all ODIs over the last six months have seen impressive ratings. There has been no dip at all, as was feared. I would say this talk of ODI dying is more in the media realm and speculation,’ Venkateish said.

Wasim said for him the ODIs had not lost its charm. ‘For me, there are three formats of the game and each has its charm and you need different set of skills to succeed. As a player, the 50-over format is tougher than Twenty20,’ he said.

They were speaking at a programme in which ESPN STAR announced selling syndicate rights of the ICC Champions Trophy to 183 territories, hoping to make it one of the widely viewed sports extravaganzas. The ICC general manager Campbell Jamieson said the Champions Trophy was being marketed aggressively and the event would clear the doubts.

‘Cricket has not been marketed historically but Twenty20 was and we are marketing the Champions Trophy now, hoping it would be a grand success,’ the ICC official said.

Venkateish said the Champions Trophy would prove a visual treat for the viewers. ‘This is the biggest ODI festival of the year and the race for the number one spot is intense. We have a panel of 13 eminent commentators and it would be a visual treat for the viewers,’ he said.

Both Manjrekar and Wasim were asked about the implication of Andrew Flintoff rejecting a contract from his board and turning freelancer and both agreed more cricketers would follow him.

‘This is sign of things to come. Everything evolves and cricket too is evolving. You have to acknowledge that this is interesting time for cricket. Suddenly so many branches coming out of the trunk and first you have Chris Gayle saying Test cricket may die and now you have Flintoff rejecting his contract,’ Manjrekar said.

Wasim, however, felt Flintoff’s choice would allow him to rest whenever he needed. ‘Not signing contract doesn’t mean he would not play for England. It only means he can have rest whenever he wants,’ he said. —Agencies

New Zealand clinch series despite Aamir, Ajmal heroics

2009-11-09T22:35:00.000-08:00

ABU DHABI: New Zealand survived Mohammad Aamir's explosive half-century to clinch the series against Pakistan with a narrow seven-run victory in the third one-day international here on Monday.

Aamir, 17, hit an unbeaten 73 for his maiden half-century —the highest score by a number ten batsman in a one-day international —to bring Pakistan, chasing 212, close to an unexpected victory after they were 101-9.

Pakistan were bowled out for 204, giving New Zealand a sensational 2-1 victory in the three-match series. Pakistan won the first match by 138 runs on Tuesday before New Zealand levelled the series with a 64-run win on Friday.

Aamir and Ajmal added a Pakistan record of 103 for tenth wicket but, needing eight off the last over bowled by Jacob Oram, Ajmal holed out for a career-best 33 to end a sensational match.

The previous highest one-day score for a number ten batsman was 56 not out, made by Zimbabwe's Douglas Marillier against India at New Delhi in 2002.

When Ajmal joined Aamir Pakistan needed a mammoth-looking 112 runs in 16.5 overs, but Aamir set the tempo for an unexpected win by hitting Daniel Vettori for three sixes in one over.

Slowly and gradually, he and Ajmal approached the target, beating the previous tenth wicket partnership record by Pakistan in all one-day of 72 by Abdul Razzaq and Waqar Younis against South Africa at Durban in 1998.

Aamir, who hit seven boundaries and three sixes during his 81-ball knock, improved on his previous highest score of 24 made against Sri Lanka earlier this year.

In the end New Zealand kept their nerves and did not spoil the early good work by bowlers which saw Pakistan slump from 47- to 101-9.

Earlier, off-spinner Ajmal took a career-best 4-33 to raise hopes of a Pakistan win but Salman Butt (25), Khalid Latif (19), Umer Akmal (12) and Shoaib Malik (11) threw away wickets.

Pakistan got off to a solid 47-run start before Vettori triggered a slump, trapping Latif leg-before in the ninth over. That started the slump.

Captain Younus Khan continued his wretched form, edging Shane Bond to slips after making just three. In the previous over, Younus misjudged a single which resulted in Butt's run out.

Umer Akmal (12), Malik (11), Afridi (five) and Akmal (four) played reckless shots as Pakistan slumped badly.

Earlier Brendon McCullum, who scored a brilliant hundred on Friday, stood out once again with an aggressive 78-ball 76 which included three sixes and six boundaries.

New Zealand were well on course for a big score but once McCullum got out, caught and bowled by Shoaib Malik, Pakistani spinners led by Ajmal sparked a middle-order collapse to take last seven wickets for 47 runs.

New Zealand had raced to 72 by the 12th over, with McCullum reaching his fifty off just 47 balls.

It was paceman Umar Gul who provided the breakthrough, removing opener Aaron Redmond caught off Aamir for 21. This was Gul's 100th wicket in 67 one-day internationals.

Ajmal then came into his own, removing Martin Guptill (eight), Ross Taylor (44), Daniel Vettori (15) and Jacob Oram (two) to improve on his best one-day figures of 2-16 against the West Indies at Johannesburg in September this year.

Ross Taylor, who failed to score in the first two matches, helped McCullum add 50 for the third wicket before Ajmal trapped him leg-before.

Both teams now move to Dubai where they play two Twenty20 matches on November 12 and 13.—AFP

Austrialia Vs India 2009 ODI Series.

2009-11-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

India is going to take on Australia in a 7-match ODI series at home starting from 25 October 2009. Australia is confident after winning the Champions Trophy 2009, while India would look to bounce back strongly against Australia in their attempt to compensate for their poor show in Champions Trophy. Australia can take inspiration from their previous ODI series in India as they clinched the 7-match ODI series 4-2.

India’s limited over performance in the recent past does not look pretty impressive. First of all, India was crushed out of ICC World Twenty20 2009 and then last month India failed to reach the last four of Champions Trophy 2009. Naturally, Indian cricket fans are annoyed and now expecting a strong performance from team India.

Interestingly, India’s recent performance in the bi-lateral ODI series is not bad at all. In fact, India did not lose any of their bi-lateral ODI series since their defeat to Australia at home in September-October 2007. That means India won all the ODI series in the past 2 years including a 3-2 win over Pakistan at home, 3-2 win in Sri Lanka, a clean sweep against England at home, a comprehensive 4-1 win in Sri Lanka earlier this year, a historic 3-1 win in New Zealand and a 2-1 win over West Indies in the Caribbean. Overall, India won 12 out of their 20 ODI matches this year, lost 5 and 3 other matches were ended without any result. Still, it is true that Indian team is now under huge pressure after their poor display in the world twenty20 and Champions Trophy. Naturally, Indian team would like to give their best against Australia in the upcoming series. Here, I am giving you the full schedule of the ODI series between India and Australia:

Series Time table:

Oct 25 2009 Sun 1st ODI India- vs- Australia Local 09:00,03:30 GMT Reliance Stadium, Vadodara

Australia win by 4 runs.

Oct 28 2009 Sun 2nd ODI India - vs -Australia Local 14:30 GMT 09:00 Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur.

India won by 99 Runs.

Oct 31 2009 Sat 3rd ODI India - vs -Australia Local 14:30 GMT 09:00 Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

India won the Match by 6 Wickets.

Nov 2 2009 Mon 4th ODI India - vs-Australia Local 14:30 GMT 09:00 Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh.

Australia has won the match by 24 runs

Nov 5 2009 Thu 5th ODI India-vs-Australia Local 14:30 GMT 09:00 Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad.

Australia won the match by 3 runs. Now, Australia is leading the 7-match ODI series 3-2.

Nov 8 2009 Sun 6th ODI India-vs-Australia Local 09:00 GMT 03:30 Nehru Stadium, Guwahati .

Australia won the match by 6 wickets. and the Series also won by 4-2.

Nov 11 2009 Wed 7th ODI India-vs-Australia Local 14:30 GMT 09:00 Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai .

I already mentioned that Australia will be full of confident mainly because of their successful title defense in the recently held Champions Trophy. However, Ricky Ponting and his men know it very well that they would have to give their best in India where the condition would not be in their favor. The only good thing is that Australia would not have to think a lot about intense heat and humidity because winter is coming in India.

Australia may have won the last ODI series in India, but the Aussies also know it very well that last year they lost to India 2-0 in the test series. The most important thing is that Australian team looked helpless against India last year and that is what would be in the mind of Indian players this time. Australia may have won the ODI series against Pakistan and Scotland, but earlier this year, they lost to South Africa both at home and away. So, I think, it would be a huge test for Australia in India and they would not find it easy to break Dhoni and his men, given India’s home advantage and return of Virender Sehwag in the team.

Pakistan's Afridi accepts a captain's challenge

2009-11-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

All-rounder Shahid Afridi, buoyed by a run of good form, said on Friday he hoped his new attitude to batting and bowling would help Pakistan to defend its World Twenty20 title and win the World Cup in 2011.

what Afridi had said is below. responsibelity is more important in the cricket game because they play the game for there country which belongs to the people of pakistan.

("I am becoming more and more responsible with my batting," Afridi told AFP.)

**"I want to help my team win the World Twenty20 again next year and then the bigger prize of the World Cup in two years' time."***

The 29-year-old hit a punishing 51-ball 70 -- his first one-day half-century in 33 matches -- and took two for 46 to help Pakistan beat New Zealand in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday in the first match of their current one-day series.

Often criticised for not using his explosive potential, Afridi is fast disproving that notion by taking a more responsible approach to his batting.

He hit back-to-back half-centuries in the semi-final and final of the World Twenty20 held in England in June, when Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in the final.

He was then rewarded with the captaincy of Pakistan's Twenty20 side after Younus Khan decided to quit the shortest form of the game.

Tendulkar the legend

2009-11-06T05:52:00.000-08:00

It's probably been the shortest two decades in Indian cricket because now we know that no matter what, the biggest cricketer ever in the history of the game (yes I won't mince words this time in saying that he is the best cricketer of all times) would call it a day say four or five years from now.

I hoped I could turn back time, but then some things are inevitable and can't be changed. What can and should be is our behaviour towards the acceptance of his greatness.

The criticism that has been directed towards him since the very beginning of his career has been that he has not been a man of finals; he has not played well in the second innings of Test matches and has not been a match winner for the team.

And during all this the man has been compared with two great West Indian batsmen, Sir Viv Richards and Brian Lara. Comparisons with either are absurd.

Coming back to India's 50% of wins with all the limitations and Sachin's contribution, the bigger thing would be that he can perform even after feeling the burden of 125 crore people on his shoulders. Doesn't this sound outstanding and shouldn't this be considered consistency of the highest level?

Consistency especially at a time when you know that if you had one bad knock some fans would start questioning your place in the side?

I will not talk much about the century Sachin scored against Sri Lanka this week that won India a game and a tournament. Yes, he looked solid and totally in control but then if someone remembers the other two knocks he played in the Emerald Isle, those were equally good looking.

Yes, the West Indian team for which Richards played did win many tournaments, but then he was not the only match winner in that side. The team was studded with four fast bowlers who were a nightmare for opposing batsmen.

Cricket is the love of his life. Today Tendulkar does not need to play for money. It's only the great childlike enthusiasm in him which is making him play like this.

And the batting of the great West Indian side of that era was studded with names like Desmond Haynes and Clive Lloyd, to name but two.

We can say the same with regard to Sachin Tendulkar's ability to bat. His articulate style often leaves cricket fans amused if not bewildered. But the best part is, he still has critics and in my country, where even God is not spared, there's no point caring about them.

Pakistan at the centre of cricket match-fixing allegations - again

2009-11-06T05:44:00.000-08:00

Who can forget that catch dropped by the Captain of pakistan team?

It was too good to be true. The Champions Trophy had been run and won in an efficient and no-fuss manner - and it finally seemed like the International Cricket Council had figured out how to do something right.

There were even good-news stories dominating headlines, like the sportsmanship shown by Daniel Vettori to the thoroughly undeserving Paul Collingwood and similarly with Andrew Strauss doing the right thing by Angelo Mathews.

But it couldn’t last and now the tournament has been tarnished by claims of match-fixing.

In a game dominated by mind-boggling sums of money and the focus of gambling on a global scale, it is perhaps surprising that these allegations don’t come up more often. Sadly, however, when issues of this nature arise, the focus invariably turns to Pakistan.

To suggest that Pakistan’s cricket side is enigmatic is to do them an injustice. On their day, they are capable of exquisite cricket, full of flair and excitement. On their off-days, however, they are woeful, seemingly incapable of the simplest acts and besieged by bickering and disunity.

And they are never too far away from the latest controversy.

And who can forget the bout of ‘roid rage that saw Akhtar use Asif as a dressing-room piñata.

As if these aren’t enough, we have the dreadful Keystone Kops efforts surrounding Bob Woolmer’s death at the last World Cup. His untimely death set in progress one of the most shameful episodes in cricket's history.

Hindsight tells us that Woolmer was the victim of nothing worse than bad timing, but it speaks volumes for the low regard in which Pakistani cricket is held that, after the initial stunned disbelief, we were all willing to accept that Woolmer had been murdered and that the team’s performance at that tournament was somehow responsible.

Now we have the allegations coming out of the Champions Trophy that Pakistan deliberately threw a game to stop India reaching the finals and that they tanked again in the semi-final. While the latter is hard to believe, the catch Younis Khan dropped against New Zealand showed spectacular ineptitude

Battle of Pathan Brothers, Bollywood Queens

2009-11-05T21:50:00.000-08:00

By Syed Khalid Mahmood

The 15th match of the DLF Indian Premier League 2009 at the Newlands, Cape Town, featuring Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab had a couple of additional flavours besides offering the usual glamour and entertainment.

It brought head-to-head in the field two of the most talented all-round cricketers of the world who were brothers. Irfan Khan Pathan was playing for Kings XI Punjab while Yousuf Khan Pathan was doing duties for Rajasthan Royals.

Off the field it was a one-to-one contest between the two Bollywood queens, Preity Zinta and Shilpa Shetty, the owners of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals respectively. The third Bollywood personality owning a team in the IPL is the legendary Shah Rukh Khan, who is right there in South Africa to support his Kolkata Knight Riders.

There was an early disappointment for the Bollywood idols as their teams had crashed in opening matches but things have improved as the tournament has progresses. Preity's Kings XI Punjab, in fact, has now moved to the third position in the points table while Shah Rukh's Kolkata Knight Riders and Shilpa's Rajasthan Royals, the defending champions, are currently placed in the bottom half.

Preity has had more reasons to smile during the tournament and she must have felt on top of the world when her boys downed Shilpa's team while defending a modest total on another noisy and fun-filled evening at the Newlands.

If Preity came out trumps in the duel of the Bollywood queens against Shilpa it was Irfan who overshadowed Yousuf in the battle of brothers on April 26.

Irfan displayed great maturity with bat and ball and he was very rightly adjudged Man of the Match for having made the most significant contribution to his team's success. He proved once again that he's an immensely gifted all-rounder who doesn't lack in temperament.

It was his partnership with the vastly experienced Sri Lankan, Kumar Sangakkara, which rescued his team from a precarious 48 for four in the ninth over. The two left-handers batted very sensibly that allowed Kings XI Punjab to post a fighting total of 139 for six in the allotted 20 overs.

While Sangakarra helped himself to yet another half-century, Irfan chipped in with a superb 39 off 33 balls laced with a couple of sixes and as many fours. He didn't allow the fancied spin duo of Shane Warne and Yousuf Pathan to get on top.

It was Irfan back in limelight when skipper Yuvraj Singh handed him over the new ball. He responded straight away by picking up a couple of wickets in his opening over. It was a cracking delivery that totally caught Graeme Smith by surprise as he had moved forward to defend. It was a big wicket and opened the floodgates for Kings XI Punjab.

With Yousuf Abdulla, another devastating left-arm fast-bowler, also doing the damage from the other end there was not much the Rajasthan Royals batsmen could have done to change the course of the proceedings.

Even Yousuf Pathan, enjoying a purple patch, was unable to dominate the two left-arm quickies before being scalped by leg-spinner Piyush Chawla. With his dismissal vanished hopes of Rajasthan Royals for it was going to be the day of his brother Irfan whose team Kings XI Punjab were the deserved winners.

http://www.skmsports.com/

Pakistan appoint new manager for Kiwi series

2009-11-03T22:29:00.000-08:00

Pakistan on Friday replaced Yawar Saeed with former player Abdul Raqeeb as cricket team manager for next month's limited-over series against New Zealand.

The 74-year-old Saeed reportedly fell out with captain Younus Khan during the recent Champions Trophy in South Africa, but Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt denied any rift was behind the decision.

"Saeed excused himself as he already told us that the Champions Trophy in South Africa would be his last tour as manager. We wanted him to continue for the New Zealand series but he has other commitments," Butt told AFP.

Assistant manager Shafqat Rana was also removed, with former paceman Aaqib Javed reinstated as assistant after being dropped following defeats in Tests and a one-day series in Sri Lanka two months ago.

Local media reported last week that Younus conditioned him remaining captain on the removal of two officials, one of them Rana.

Younus last week submitted his resignation over allegations of match-fixing against the team. The allegations were levelled over Pakistan's defeats against Australia and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy.

The 61-year-old Raqeeb, a former left-arm spinner who toured India without playing a Test in 1979, has previously managed junior and Pakistan "A" teams.

"My work is basically on the administration side and keeping discipline within the team will be my top priority," Raqeeb said.

Pakistan will play three one-day internationals on November 3, 6 and 9 in Abu Dhabi, and two Twenty20 internationals in Dubai on November 12 and 13 in a series which was relocated to United Arab Emirates over security fears.