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Kevin Pietersen takes a dig at Donald Trump for mispronouncing Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli’s names

2020-02-25T02:31:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli are two of the biggest cricketing names in the history of Indian cricket. While Tendulkar set batting records on fire and was in the league of his own, Kohli is on his way to break most of them. They are role-models and are legends in their own right.

Tendulkar finished the game as the leading run-getter in Tests (15921 runs) and ODIs (18426 runs). He topped the most batting charts in the two formats and smashed 100 centuries in his international career. Kohli is carrying the legacy forward. The current Indian skipper is a class apart and is arguably the best all-format batsman in modern-day cricket. He’s already smoked 70 international tons. He has 7223 Test runs, 11867 ODI runs and 2794 runs in T20Is which is the most in the shortest format by any player.

Hence, these two are icons in Indian cricket and their names were buzzing when US President Donald Trump made a visit to India yesterday (24th February). He was addressing a massive crowd at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad during the Namaste Trump event. In his speech, Trump took the names of Tendulkar and Kohli which were greeted by a huge roar.

Kevin Pietersen asks Donald Trump to do some research

However, the US President did not pronounce their names correctly which led to huge trolls on social media. Trump pronounced Tendulkar’s name as ‘Soo-chin Tendulkar’ while Kohli’s was pronounced as ‘Virot Kolee’. Kevin Pietersen did not like the way Trump took the names of the Indian greats. The former England cricketer is one who is never shy of speaking his mind and heart out. And he did that when he heard Trump’s speech and the US President pronouncing Tendulkar and Kohli’s names.

The South African-born took to Twitter to let it out. He termed the two Indians are ‘legends’ of the game and asked Trump to do some research. In fact, the tweet was directed towards Piers Morgan who Pietersen shares a good bond with and also quoted Trump as Morgan’s friend. The former England skipper tweeted, “FFS, @piersmorgan, pls ask your mate to do some research in pronouncing legends names?!”

https://twitter.com/KP24/status/1231915935814033408

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On this day: Tendulkar became first man on planet to score double century in ODIs

2020-02-23T21:08:00.000-08:00

New Delhi [India], Feb 24 : It was on February 24, 2010, when Sachin Tendulkar became the first man on the planet to score a double century in the 50-over format.

He achieved the feat against South Africa at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium in Gwalior.

In that match, MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first. India lost Virender Sehwag's wicket pretty early.

However, Tendulkar scored runs at a brisk pace and went on to register a double century off just 147 balls. During the course of the innings, he smashed 25 fours and three sixes.

The Master Blaster brought up the feat in the last over of the Indian innings. He chipped South Africa's Charl Langeveldt for a single to send the fans at the stadium into a frenzy.

Ravi Shastri, who was the commentator at the time, famously remarked, "First man on the planet to score a double century in ODIs and it is the 'Superman' from India."

Tendulkar's magnificent innings propelled India to score a mammoth 401/3 in the allotted fifty overs. The Men in Blue went on to win the match by 153 runs.

Tendulkar had made his debut for India at the age of 16 in 1989.

He aggregated 34,357 runs across formats, which is 6,000 runs more than the second-placed former Sri Lanka cricketer Kumar Sangakkara.

Regarded as one of the greatest batsmen ever, Tendulkar holds the record of being the highest run-scorer of all time in international cricket, having notched up 18,426 runs in ODIs and 15,921 runs in Test matches.

Till date, the individual score of 200 has been breached eight times. Rohit Sharma has achieved the feat three times and he also holds the scored for the highest individual score in the format (264 against Sri Lanka in 2014). (ANI)

World's Biggest Cricket Stadium - MOTERA Ahmedabad

2020-02-19T01:21:00.001-08:00

World's Biggest Cricket Stadium - MOTERA Ahmedabad is ready for opening and witnessing the friendship of INDIA & USA !! Namaste Trump

पहले टेस्ट में इन खिलाड़ियों को मिलेगी प्लेइंग 11 में जगह, विराट कोहली ने खुद बताया

2020-02-18T22:32:00.000-08:00

21 फरवरी को टीम इंडिया और न्यूजीलैंड के बीच दो टेस्ट की सीरीज का पहला मुकाबला खेला जाएगा. मैच से दो दिन पहले ही विराट कोहली ने प्लेइंग 11 को लेकर स्थिति साफ कर दी है.

IND Vs NZ: न्यूजीलैंड के खिलाफ 21 फरवरी से शुरू हो रहे पहले टेस्ट में ईशांत शर्मा को टीम में मौका मिल सकता है. इसके साथ ही मयंक अग्रवाल के साथ युवा बल्लेबाज पृथ्वी शॉ ओपनिंग का जिम्मा संभालते हुए नज़र आ सकते हैं. इन दोनों के टीम में चयन के संकेत बुधवार सुबह खुद कप्तान विराट कोहली ने दिए हैं. विराट कोहली ने यह भी साफ किया है कि प्लेइंग 11 में पंत की बजाए साह ही विकेटकीपर के तौर पर उनकी प्राथमिकता होंगे.

विराट कोहली की टीम न्यूजीलैंड के खिलाफ पहले मैच में 6 बल्लेबाजों के साथ मैदान में उतर सकती है. विहारी टीम में छठे बल्लेबाज के साथ ही पार्टटाइम गेंदबाज की भूमिका निभाते हुए भी नज़र आ सकते हैं. टीम में तेज गेंदबाजी की कमान बुमराह के हाथों में होगी, जबकि शमी और ईशांत उनका साथ देंगे. हालांकि स्पिनर की पोजिशन के लिए अश्विन और जडेजा में कांटे की टक्कर है.

ईशांत शर्मा रणजी मुकाबले में चोटिल होने के बाद दो दिन पहले ही फिटनेस टेस्ट पास करने में कामयाब हुए हैं. विराट कोहली ने कहा, ''ईशांत एक दम फिट दिखाई दे रही हैं. गेंदबाजी करते हुए ईशांत को किसी तरह की समस्या नहीं हो रही है. ईशांत का अनुभव न्यूजीलैंड के खिलाफ टेस्ट मैचों में हमारे बहुत काम आएगा.''

विराट कोहली ने यह भी साफ कर दिया है ओपनिंग में मयंक अग्रवाल का साथ पृथ्वी शॉ ही देंगे. शुभमन गिल को पहले टेस्ट में बैंच पर ही बैठना पड़ सकता है. विराट कोहली का मानना है कि जिस तरह से मयंक अग्रवाल ने 2018-19 में ऑस्ट्रेलिया दौरे पर कमाल किया था, वैसा ही प्रदर्शन शॉ न्यूजीलैंड के खिलाफ सीरीज में कर सकते हैं.

प्लेइंड 11 के बारे में विराट कोहली ने सीधे तौर पर कोई बयान नहीं दिया है. लेकिन कोहली ने साफ कर दिया है टीम तीन तेज गेंदबाजों और एक स्पिनर के साथ मैदान में उतरेगी. इसका मतलब साफ हुआ कि प्रैक्टिस मैच में शतक लगाने वाले विहारी को कोहली प्लेइंग 11 में जगह देंगे.

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Will India throw Rishabh Pant in at Basin Reserve?

2020-02-18T00:37:00.000-08:00

It was a familiar, endearing sight. A pogo-stick jump with right arm at full stretch, to yank a wayward bouncer out of the air with the very edge of the glove, and just about prevent four byes. Then that familiar, boyish Rishabh Pant grin as he dusted himself off and flicked the ball to a colleague in the slips.

The ball was new, and it was trampolining off the Seddon Park pitch whenever Umesh Yadav, bowling his first over, the second of the New Zealand XI innings, banged it in. There were two bouncers in the over, the one described above and another that defied Pant's gymnastic exertions to run away for four byes.

Those exertions have provided some of the defining images of the early part of Pant's life as an international wicketkeeper; the dives and salmon leaps are often spectacular, but they sometimes leave you wondering if he's made a routine grab look difficult.

Not being Saha cost Pant his place in India's Test XI during their 2019-20 home season. The potential for Indian pitches to throw up inconsistent pace and bounce, and natural variation, and the prospect of needing to keep to spin for large chunks of time, led India to pick the virtuosity of Saha's glovework over the match-turning potential of Pant's batting.

But New Zealand pitches aren't like Indian pitches, by and large, and India's use of Pant and Saha in their only warm-up game before the Tests suggested they might be thinking differently here. Pant batted above Saha in both innings, scoring an insouciant 65-ball 70 in the second, and kept wickets for longer, taking on the first and third sessions of day two while Saha took the gloves between lunch and tea.

Pant has been in New Zealand ever since India arrived here, but he hadn't featured in any of the five T20Is or the three ODIs that preceded the Hamilton warm-up. That game, in fact, was his first in any format since the Mumbai ODI against Australia on January 14, in which he had suffered the concussion that paved the way for KL Rahul to take the white-ball keeping gloves from him and - for the time being at least - keep them.

India, therefore, may have given Pant an extended workload in the warm-up game merely to keep him match-ready, in case he's needed in Wellington, with Saha remaining their first choice.

And as exciting a batting prospect as Pant is, and as good as his Test record is, with hundreds in England and Australia, Saha has scored his share of match-defining runs too: backs-to-the-wall centuries against West Indies in St Lucia and Australia in Ranchi, most notably, as well as a Player-of-the-Match-winning pair of fifties against New Zealand in Kolkata. When India pick him over Pant, they most certainly weigh in his batting too.

Even in Hamilton, Saha followed Pant to the crease and made an unfussy, unbeaten 30 before the teams agreed to call off the match.

But there's an undeniable extra something to Pant's batting, apparent even when he defends the fast bowlers. The ball is angled across him, and his front foot is out but not fully planted; his weight is still on the back foot. It doesn't look right, but he seems to have all the time in the world to wait for the ball and dab it, with the softest of hands, towards backward point.

The next ball is more or less the same, landing on a similar line and within the spectrum of lengths usually defined as "good", but it's a couple of inches shorter than the previous ball. Those couple of inches are imperceptible to most batsmen, but Pant has that extra split-second, and he can stand tall and slap the ball away to backward point's left.

It's a gift, rare and precious, and if some of his dismissals make it seem as if he is unaware of exactly how good he is and how good he can be, remember that he's only 22, and that very few wicketkeeper-batsmen have achieved as much as he has at a similar stage of their careers.

The rough edges may still be apparent, both behind and in front of the stumps, but few are capable of doing what he can to a bowling attack. It's for this reason that he could still feature in Wellington.

The ball might swing and seam there, but the bounce should be consistent, and much of the wicketkeeper's work will probably be done standing back. And after helping the quicks on the first two days, New Zealand pitches have tended to flatten out considerably in recent years. Pant's batting could prove especially handy in a scenario where India need quick second-innings runs to give themselves more time to bowl the opposition out.

The other factor in Pant's favour is that New Zealand's only spinner, if he plays, will be Ajaz Patel; India would like to have at least one left-hand batsman in their top seven to put some pressure on his left-arm orthodox.

For these reasons, whether or not he's their first choice, India will most certainly be tempted to throw Pant in at the Basin Reserve.

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"સચિને ઈન્સ્ટાગ્રામ પર ફોટો પોસ્ટ કર્યો, ગાંગુલીએ એવી કોમેન્ટ કરી કે ચાહકોને મોજ પડી ગઈ"

2020-02-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

સચિન તેંડુલકર અને સૌરવ ગાંગુલી ફક્ત ભૂતપૂર્વ સાથી ખેલાડી જ નથી પરંતુ બંને વચ્ચે મિત્રતા પણ ઘણી ગાઢ છે. તેઓ અવાર-નવાર એકબીજા સાથે મજાક મસ્તી કરતા રહે છે. તાજેતરમાં જ સચિને પોતાના સોશિયલ મીડિયા એકાઉન્ટ પર પોતાની એક તસવીર પોસ્ટ કરી છે જેના પર ભારતીય ક્રિકેટ કંટ્રોલ બોર્ડના પ્રમુખ સૌરવ ગાંગુલીએ મજાકિયા અદાંજમાં કોમેન્ટ કરી છે. આ બંનેની વાતનો ક્રિકેટ પ્રેમીઓએ પણ આનંદ ઉઠાવ્યો છે.

સચિને ગુરૂવારે પોતાના ઈન્સ્ટાગ્રામ પર સાઉથબેંક મેલબોર્નથી એક તસવીર પોસ્ટ કરી હતી. તેણે તસવીર સાથે લખ્યું હતું કે 'તડકાનો આનંદ માણી રહ્યો છું' સચિનની આ પોસ્ટ પર ભૂતપૂર્વ સુકાનીએ ટિપ્પણી કરી હતી કે, કોઈ કોઈનું નસીબ ઘણું સારૂં છે...રજાઓ માણી શકે છે.

સોશિયલ મીડિયા પર બંને વચ્ચેનો આ સંવાદ ઘણો વાઈરલ થયો છે અને ક્રિકેટ પ્રેમીઓએ પણ તેના પર ટિપ્પણી કરી હતી. હકિકતમાં સચિન ઓસ્ટ્રેલિયામાં એક ઉમદા કામ માટે ગયો છે અને આ દરમિયાન તેણે પોતાની રજાનો પણ આનંદ માણ્યો હતો. સચિન બુશફાયર ક્રિકેટ બેશ માટે 10 મિલિયન ડોલરની રકમ એકઠી કરી છે.

સચિને બુશફાયર ક્રિકેટ બેશમેચ દરમિયાન બ્રેકમાં ઓસ્ટ્રેલિયાની સ્ટાર ઓલ-રાઉન્ડર એલીસે પેરી અને એનાબેલ સધરલેન્ડની એક ઓવરનો સામનો કર્યો હતો. 10-10 ઓવરની આ મેચ ઓસ્ટ્રેલિયાના જંગલોમાં લાગેલી આગથી અસરગ્રસ્ત થયેલા લોકોની મદદ માટે ક્રિકેટ ઓસ્ટ્રેલિયા દ્વારા યોજવામાં આવી હતી. આ મેચમાં બ્રાયન લારા, કર્ટની વોલ્શ, યુવરાજ સિંહ અને વસીમ અકરમ જેવા દિગ્ગજ ખેલાડીઓ પણ હતા. રિકી પોન્ટિંગ ઈલેવન ટીમે આ મેચમાં એડમ ગિલક્રિસ્ટ ઈલેવનને એક રને પરાજય આપ્યો હતો."

Maxwell to miss South Africa tour due to elbow injury

2020-02-12T02:19:00.000-08:00

Glenn Maxwell, originally named in both the T20I and ODI squads, will miss Australia's upcoming limited-overs tour of South Africa due to an elbow injury. He will be replaced by D'Arcy Short, Cricket Australia confirmed on Wednesday (February 12).

Maxwell, who was managing his troubled left elbow through the BBL, reported increased pain over the weekend, following which scans revealed "some loose fragments of bone within his elbow joint". He will now undergo surgery and is expected to be out for six to eight weeks. As a result, he might miss at least the start of the IPL.

This also means a further delay to Maxwell's anticipated international return since his mental health break late last year.

"Representing Australia is the highest honour in cricket and something I cherish," Maxwell said. "I was not confident that I could perform at international level with my elbow in its current state and have decided to undergo surgery straight away to fix the issue.

"I would like to thank Justin Langer, Ben Oliver, Trevor Hohns and the whole Australian squad for their understanding."

Maxwell's absence is a blow to Australia, considering his superb form in the BBL. Although his team Melbourne Stars lost in the final, Maxwell himself enjoyed a good tournament scoring 398 runs at an average of 39.80, including three fifties.

"We are disappointed to lose Glenn this close to the tour as we were looking forward to welcoming him back to the national side in both the 20- and 50-over formats after his break during the summer," national selector Trevor Hohns said. "Unfortunately, the pain he has experienced in the elbow in the latter stages of the BBL increased over the weekend and he will have surgery immediately to rectify the situation.

"An opportunity has now presented itself for D'Arcy and we're confident he'll make the most of whatever opportunities come his way in South Africa. Like Glenn, D'Arcy is an inventive, hard-hitting batsman who offers a handy spin-bowling option. We have no doubt he will make a positive contribution to the squad."

Short was one of the four standby players initially named for the tour of South Africa, where Australia will play three T20Is beginning February 21 followed by three ODIs. Marcus Stoinis, who was also among the standbys and was the top run-scorer at the BBL this season, misses out again.

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Bangladesh brush a side Sri Lanka to enter Asia Cup final

2012-03-20T23:52:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh and India finished on eight points from two games and the hosts went through because they had beaten MS Dhoni's men in the group stage. It was really a proud moment for the Tigers (the Bangladesh team calls itself so) as they beat Sri Lanka by five wickets with 17 balls to spare. The following for the game in this part of the subcontinent is spectacular and now the team has something to show after their consecutive wins against world champions India and runners-up Sri Lanka.

The revised target of 212 off 40 overs (after a two-hour rain delay) was extremely tricky but Bangladesh showed that they have really evolved as a unit.

Their stars Shakib Al Hasan (56 off 46 balls) and Tamim Iqbal (59 off 57 balls) put them on course, but the maturity and the calm that was shown by Mahamadullah and Nasir Hossain in the closing overs was exemplary. They kept their head down as Jayawardene unleashed Lasith Malinga on them, hoping to get the break-through that could turn things around in a jiffy.

But as the duo took it one ball at a time and kept looking for the singles, the excitement kept rising in the stands and the final eruption happened when Bangladesh knocked off the required runs in 37.1 overs.

Shakib and Tamim's roles, though cannot be forgotten. Coming together at 43-3, they never allowed the pressure to get to them. KKR's Shakib was brilliant, playing over the top with effortless ease while Tamim kept finding the gaps almost every over. Jayawardene knew that he could not afford to give away the singles, but the boundaries hit by the duo made things desperate for Lanka. Finally, they had the wickets of both Tamim and Shakib, but Bangladesh were no longer ready to squander the fantastic platform.

Their bowlers, too, did a wonderful job upfront as they had Sri Lanka reeling at 32/3 with Nazmul Hossain, who came in as a replacement for Shafiul Islam, doing the damage. He worked up a decent pace, got the ball to come back off the seam and removed Mahela Tillarakatne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara cheaply. While Jayawardene was beaten by the movement, Sangakkara played one straight into the hands of extra-cover and Dilshan chopped one onto his stumps.

It was left to Chamara Kapugedara (62 off 92 balls) and Lahirru Thiramanne (48 off 73 balls) to do the repair work. They cut down on all the risky shots and grafted along as Bangladesh bowlers looked to tighten the screws. Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, though, allowed a few extra singles to be taken during this phase, which could probably have been avoided.

Bangladesh, in fact, were a little lucky to get the wicket of Thiramanne at a time when he was looking to cut loose. He missed one stepping out to left-arm spinner Abdul Razzak and the ball ricocheted off Mushfiqur's pads to hit the stump, catching the batsman outside the crease. Kapugedara, too, departed trying to play one over the top and giving a catch to Shakib at extra-cover.

It was down to Upul Tharanga to give the Lankan bowlers something to bowl at and the left-hander played a few attacking shots towards the end to keep the scoreboard ticking. The tail wagged as the sky was closing in and the rain started the moment Lanka were all out for 239.

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Dhoni had to work keen on efforts establishment to bring about reforms

2011-08-29T04:47:00.000-07:00

When India won the World Cup back in April, there was a question put to Mahendra Singh Dhoni by the media. He was the leader of the No. 1 Test side in the world, he had just won the one-day World Cup after he had won the T20 World Cup in 2007 and the IPL and Champions League for Chennai Super Kings the previous year. What next? Quite frankly, there was nothing left to win. But after the debacle in England, one gets the feeling, that the most important battles of his career are yet to be fought.

And mind you, as important as the series might be, I’m not talking about the series against Australia later in the year or the rematch with the newly-crowned No. 1 team England next year. I am talking about the battles Dhoni will have to fight in the corridors of power of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) if India have to be a consistently good side in international cricket.

There are many things wrong with the Indian cricket system, and a lot has been written about each of those factors. But most people would agree that given the amount of talent India has, if two of those factors, the team’s schedules and preparation for major tours and tournaments are taken care of, it would solve half of India’s problems. And while good and meticulous preparation can sometimes be an individual pursuit, as Rahul Dravid’s success in England proved, scheduling is the board’s prerogative. And if some sense it to be injected in this aspect of India’s cricket, someone will need to take on the board.

And there is nobody better to do it than the ridiculously over-worked captain. Pull out a list of players who have been on the field for their country and clubs/franchises the most for the last three-four years, and Dhoni would probably be at the top of the list every single year. And this while keeping wickets and captaining all the sides that he plays for. It is a miracle the man hasn’t snapped in half yet, that he can still get back up when he crouches behind the stumps when the bowler starts running in. I can almost imagine him waking up every morning, bleary-eyed, and asking the nearest person, “Who are we playing today? England? Oh, alright then!”

Dhoni is a superstar and, along with Sachin Tendulkar, he can probably take a break whenever he wishes, and walk back into the side whenever he feels good to go again, without really worrying about how well his replacement might do. Not everyone can afford to do so. And even if they could, it is not really the solution, for it goes against the needs of the team, and indeed the wishes of the fans, that the best team should take the field as often as it is possible.

The only reasonable solution is careful scheduling, which treats sportsmen like sportsmen, not mules. It would be naively optimistic to expect the BCCI to realise this themselves, for they are in the business of making money, not running cricket in the country. Duncan Fletcher might be the man to say what needs to be said, but at the end of the day he is an outsider, an employee of the BCCI, and if he tries to dictate terms to them, he would be out of a job quicker than you can say ‘restructuring’. But if the likes of Dhoni and Tendulkar decide to take a stand, even the suits at the BCCI will listen. Using the clout of your position is not always wrong, especially if you use it for the greater good.

The question is: Will Dhoni choose to ruffle those feathers? He could very well say that his job is to do his best on the field with what he has, and that administrative decisions like scheduling are the board’s job, and nobody can fault him for feeling so. But captains sometimes have to do more than toss a coin, place fielders and make bowling changes, especially in the subcontinent. Imran Khan was a cricket board by himself when he led Pakistan. Closer home, Sourav Ganguly took on the board at several junctures, especially when it came to selection matters. He fought tooth and nail for his players, and if not for him, players like Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan would have had considerably longer roads to the top of international cricket.

Dhoni’s place as one of the greatest captains India has ever had is not in doubt. The blip in England was unfortunate, but he will not be remembered by it. Dhoni’s legacy as an on-field leader is secure, but he has a chance to embellish it even more off the field. As I read in a novel once, he has done well for himself, but now he has a chance to do good. He has won matches, won trophies, he has done well. If he stands up to the BCCI and wins that battle too, he will have done something good for Indian cricket. Whether he chooses to do so, is entirely up to him.

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Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer khan in 2011 ICC Test Team of the Year

2011-08-27T01:29:00.000-07:00

Senior Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan earned a place in the ICC Test Team of the Year, chosen by a specially appointed selection panel headed by West Indian legend Clive Lloyd on Friday.

Four countries are represented in the 12-man line-up and Tendulkar made the side for the third year in a row, having appeared in the ICC World Test Team of the Year 2009 and 2010.

South African fast bowler Dale Steyn also featured in the World Test team for the fourth year running. He was a member of the ICC World Test Team of the Year 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Steyn's fellow teammates -- Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis -- along with Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, and England duo of Graeme Swann and James Anderson all appeared in the side for the second year in a row.

Former Sri Lanka skipper Sangakkara is named as captain of the team.

"The selection of this year's Test team was a difficult one with so many worthy candidates available to fill just 12 places," said Chairman of the ICC Awards selection panel, Clive Lloyd in a media conference while announcing the short-lists for the ICC Awards 2011 scheduled to be held in London on September 12.

"The team has a formidable line-up that bats well down the order and has bowlers with the ability and form to dismiss any opposition twice on any surface," he said.

Lloyd said the process of selection was a difficult one and they had to weigh the credentials of all the players before zeroing in on the list.

"The selection was a difficult process with so many outstanding performances available to look back on. All the top performers during the voting period were discussed at length and various combinations were considered.

"While selecting the squad, the selectors didn't rely only on statistics only but took into account all other factors like the opposition, pitch conditions, match situation etc. But when you have only 12 places to fill from a big group of world-class players, there will always be a few who will miss out.

"In the panel's expert opinion, it has selected the best team based on performances over the past 12 months," he said.

Lloyd was joined on the panel by former South Africa spin bowler Paul Adams, former Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas, former New Zealand bowler-turned-commentator Danny Morrison and former England batsman Mike Gatting.

The ICC Test Team of the Year: Alastair Cook (Eng), Hashim Amla (SA), Jonathan Trott (Eng), Sachin Tendulkar (Ind), Kumar Sangakkara (SL - wicketkeeper/captain), AB de Villiers (SA), Jacques Kallis (SA), Stuart Broad (Eng), Graeme Swann (Eng), Dale Steyn (SA), James Anderson (Eng), Zaheer Khan (Ind) (12th man).

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Dhoni and Raina gave India the edge

2011-07-09T02:21:00.000-07:00

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina's century and a century stand between the two with the third and final Test against India in West Indies first innings of the third day with a lead of 104 runs to put the upper hand.

Dhoni (65 not out) and Raina (50) for the sixth wicket partnership of 103 runs, India managed to score 308 for six.
The opener Abhinav Mukund (62) and VVS Laxman (56) 98-run partnership at that time the team had lost two wickets for 18 runs. Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul over the hosts in the absence of pain in the stomach could not bowled during the Indian innings.

Day when the game was playing with Harbhajan Singh Dhoni's 12 runs. Dhoni scored 109 in their innings so far three have the root ball. 80.3 overs because of rain two days before the interruption of the game after 94 overs of the Indian team scored 300 losing six wickets. India's third most successful season in which he added 126 runs losing a wicket in 33 overs. In the first season the team 94 for two wickets in 34 overs in the second season, scored 80 runs for three wickets in 27 overs.

India lost wickets for eight runs without the introduction of further playing bad and he soon landed the opener Murali Vijay (5) and veteran Rahul Dravid (5) lost the wickets. West Indies captain Dravid to come inside to Darren Sammy missed the ball completely passes between the tracks with his bat and went into the pad. Mukund Laxman then embellished with the Indian innings. Place in the Indian team to tour England managed Mukund and Laxman batted carefully and preferred to rotate strike.

Mukund when he hit his first boundary off the 64th ball of Devendra Bishu sent to mid-wicket for four runs. The leg-spinner Laxman hit a four. Mukund left-hander with a single off of the Bishu 132-ball half-completed first test of his career. After lunch Mukund hitting boundaries off Fidel Edwards continued to show his attitude in the next over but Bishu Adrian Barath at short leg to catch the ball sitting on. He hit five fours in 149-ball knock.

As a reliable partner then came Laxman Kohli, with whom she shared 52 runs. Series so far failed Kohli fours off Fidel Edwards and Bishu. Laxman also Bishu fours off 113 balls with half-completed. Kohli, however, failed to make good score again and Sammy tried to play the ball outside the leg side to wicketkeeper caught sitting ba.

Sammy the ball in the second over with a working spinner Thamai Sivanrayan Chanderpaul by stumps on the ba Laxman gave India the fifth blow. Laxman Chanderpaul off the ball but left after he took his last leg stump uprooted by the Ba were standing and alert. Appeal from the stump of Laxman was a surprise but his surprise was only increased when the third umpire gave him out. 129 balls in his innings, hit three fours.

Raina and Dhoni took the innings. Preferred to save both wickets and runs the ball waiting for the weak. Raina Bishu and Chanderpaul hit a four.
Dhoni batted slow and 58 balls after playing the first four innings but did Bishu. Sammy the new ball after 80 overs, the Indians decided to take the easier path. Raina, with a single off of Bishu completed 102-ball half-century. Sammy, however, the 90 th over the next Fidel Edwards took the new ball on his first ball was trapped. He made three fours in 103 balls.

Over the next two runs in India with Sammy also completed his fifty. The next ball with a run of three thousand runs in Test cricket to the Indian batsman became the 18 th.

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Michael’s career shining like Sun

2011-05-05T02:36:00.000-07:00

WHEN Michael Gough hung up his cap playing for Durham County Cricket Club eight years ago he was faced with a difficult decision.

Did he want to take over his dad’s sports shop business in Hartlepool?

Or would he stay involved with the sport he loves?

“I got to the point where I felt I had ground to a halt with my cricket,” said Michael, now 31.

After a couple of years playing at club level for Hartlepool, he decided to get involved in another way.
He said: “I made the decision I would like to get involved in either cricket coaching or umpiring.

“I started umpiring at weekends and really enjoyed it and pretty much made the decision to do it as a career.

“I have always enjoyed watching cricket and it seemed the natural progression to get involved in umpiring.”

He began getting as much experience under his belt as possible and passed the required exams with the English Cricket Board (ECB).

Michael was placed on the board’s reserved umpire list receiving a daily wage for games before being promoted to the ECB’s full list of 25 officials two years ago .

He was just 28 and is the youngest top level working umpire today.

Michael, of Bishop Cuthbert, said: “Either myself or my umpiring coach David Constant was the youngest to umpire at first class level, but I was certainly one of the youngest in the history.

“I was obviously extremely proud to achieve something like that. Since I stopped playing I had worked really hard.”

He added: “Fifteen or 20 years ago everyone who took up umpiring were all getting on life, in their 50s and 60s but as the game changed it has become a lot more professional and you have to be a lot fitter.

“A lot of guys are now in their mid to late 30s.”

Michael enjoyed a successful playing career with six years at Durham and serving as the England under-19 side captain back in 1999.

He followed his dad, Michael senior, who also played for Durham, into the game.

Today he gets to officiate all levels of professional domestic cricket at some of the best grounds in the country, including The Oval and Old Trafford.

“Lords is definitely the pinnacle,” said Michael.

“It is steeped in history and when you walk out it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. There is just a cracking atmosphere.”

He has umpired for county championships, 20-20 games and Clydesdale Bank 40 games.

And in March, Michael was selected to umpire the domestic season’s traditional curtain raiser game which this year took place in Abu Dhabi.

The four-day event featured a match between Nottinghamshire, previous year’s champions, and a Marylebone Cricket Club side.

Michael and the UK squad stayed at Yas Island, home of the plush new Formula 1 race track.

He said: “It was an excellent experience. It was held there as a trial to try to get more people out there watching cricket.”

The games took place under floodlights as they went on into the night to encourage locals to watch after a day’s work.

Michael is now enjoying his third season on the ECB’s full time list and has been enjoying a busy calendar.

He has just returned home from a four-day event in Brighton.

“It’s a great job,” said Michael. “You are watching some of the best players in the world play cricket.

“It’s just a pleasure to be out there especially when the sun is shining.

“There’s a great camaraderie and I enjoy the banter with the players.”

Michael’s next ambition is to officiate international test cricket.

“If things go to plan hopefully it won’t be too far off,” he said.

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Shane Watson questions Tillakaratne Dilshan's captaincy

2011-05-05T01:06:00.000-07:00

Shane Watson has fired an early salvo ahead of the Test series against Sri Lanka in August by questioning Tillakaratne Dilshan's chances of forging a captaincy as successful as that of Kumar Sangakkara, his predecessor. The Australians will have a new captain themselves in the form of Michael Clarke, but his deputy Watson wondered aloud at Dilshan's chances of emulating the results and the universal respect won by Sangakkara during his time as leader.
"Kumar Sangakkara is as impressive a cricketer as there is in the world," Watson told ESPNcricinfo. "He always handles himself so unbelievably well and he's a brilliant cricketer also. So it's going to be very hard for someone like Dilshan to live up to exactly what Kumar is as a person and also how he's been in the captaincy, it's going to be a big challenge for him."

Sangakkara gave up the job following the World Cup in order to prolong his playing career, leaving the captaincy in the hands of Dilshan, an undoubted talent but also a somewhat flighty performer at times during his Test career. He is also handicapped by being, at 34, a year older than the man he is replacing.

Australia were fruitful in their efforts to unsettle Dilshan during the dual series away and at home in 2004, holding him to an average of 30.11, with one century, across five Tests. He was not selected in the Sri Lankan touring party that lost two matches in Australia in November 2007, instead leading the Sri Lanka A team to Zimbabwe. He has been appointed to lead the Sri Lankans on the tour of England that precedes the Australia series.

The Sri Lanka series, Watson acknowledged, will be the first serious test of the new leadership axis after an undemanding first assignment in Bangladesh, where the modest hosts were swept aside 3-0 in as many limited-overs matches. "On our side of things we've got a big challenge as well with a new leadership group and us trying to rebuild and create a really exciting era of Australian cricket within our team."

Doubts will surround the composition of the squad as it is the first since the loss of the Ashes at home, and there are plenty of sound reasons for ushering the further regeneration of a squad that stagnated in Ricky Ponting's final 18 months as captain. Watson, who had said the Ashes defeat would define the careers of several players "on the wrong side", still felt there would be a selection reckoning for a series punctuated by three innings victories for England.

"There's no doubt the Ashes was there to be a defining moment for people's careers in certain ways, and for some people it has been and others not so much," Watson said. "Now there's a new direction Australian cricket is heading in [and] it's going to be interesting to see what happens over the next year or so. I really feel it's going to be an interesting time to be able to start to generate a new era of Australian cricket, and I'm very thankful that I'm now part of the leadership group and want to be a part of creating something very special."

For so long a figure of sympathy and even occasional ridicule due to a seemingly endless string of injuries, Watson is now next in line for the captaincy behind Clarke, and is intent on sharing the hard lessons he learned while struggling over more than six years between his international debut and finally securing a Test spot of his own.

"Looking back on things, I am very lucky to have been through the experiences I've had that turned me into the person and the cricketer I am now," he said. "I suppose I've got a little bit to help younger guys coming through and improve them not only as people but also to help them make the most of playing the cricket they are as well."

Source

COLUMN: Mayday call for Cricket SA hierarchy and the ICC

2011-05-02T01:02:00.000-07:00

No, this is not a call for personal help although it could be for those connected to the hierarchy of Cricket SA and future World Cup policy-makers of the ICC.

It is hoped that clear, lucid sense prevails during May as the battle between Cricket SA, with Gerald Majola at then helm, and Mtutuzeli Nyoka continues.

The maintenance of ethics and service to the entire cricketing community should be at the forefront of their agenda – after all that is why presidents get elected into office, lest they forget.

This past week I received a number of emails pertaining to this Cricket SA saga of the undeclared R68 million.

One elaborate mail from a good friend in high places, informs that in fact it seems that the amount is actually more than R100 million!

If so, it makes the continued presence of certain men in office untenable as lack of integrity and honesty cannot be accepted.

The fact that CSA entertained an internal audit as opposed to an external audit as originally proposed by an authentic independently elected committee by CSA, suggests that certain irregularities regarding staff bonus payments might be the cover-up in the attempted ousting of Nyoka.

Could it be fear of exposure of dishonesty that is driving the majority of ‘The President’s men’ to such extreme measures?

Nyoka is certainly displaying the strength and stubbornness of the bull in his quest for the truth.

Border and the Northern Titans provinces are to be commended in their stance and support of Nyoka’s re-instatement as president of CSA as they were the only two provinces who voted against the initial toppling of Nyoka.

If the High Court indeed proves that Nyoka was unlawfully toppled, surely Border and Northerns would have contributed to good ethics and hopefully stand them in good stead in a newly elected CSA executive later in the year.

The ICC have also appeared to make hasty decisions regarding the format of the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

The ‘loftiness’ of their insight to limit it to only the 10 Test-playing nations is clouded in financial mist, their vision and ‘feel’ for the global game having become blurred.

Thankfully the ‘Associate’ countries, led by Ireland and the support of its government, have forced the ICC to rethink the matter.

Source

Watch Royal Challengers Bangalore v/s Pune Warriors India live

2011-04-30T01:05:00.000-07:00

Best Catch Out From Yuvraj Singh

2011-04-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

Tiwary, Abdullah help KKR beat Daredevils

2011-04-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

Kolkata Knight Riders produced a clinical bowling performance thanks to Iqbal Abdulla, who took three big wickets, to notch up a 17-run victory over Delhi Daredevils in the Indian Premier League (IPL) match here tonight.

Knight Riders defended a total of 148 for seven, built around man-of-the-match Manoj Tiwary's breezy 61 at Feroz Shah Kotla ground.

The visiting bowlers bowled a tight line and length to restrict Delhi to 131 for nine. The win took Kolkata to joint second alongside Chennai Super Kings with eight points from seven games, while Delhi remained at the bottom of the table with four from seven.

Abdulla bowled with expert control in his 4-over spell and conceded just 25 runs.

Laxmipathy Balaji also shined as he took two wickets.

Daredevils' run chase got off to a bad start as David Warner (2) edged a Balaji delivery onto his stumps in the second over.

Captain Virender Sehwag (34) and Australia allrounder James Hopes (25) provided some hope but the home side could not remain in the hunt on a pitch not conducive to strokeplay.

It was young Jaidev Unadkat who got the dangerous Daredevils captain with a short ball that hurried onto him as he went for a pull and Balaji, who was standing at deep fine leg, didn't make any mistake.

Sehwag's dismissal triggered a collapse with Delhi losing their next seven wickets for 87 runs.

Earlier, Tiwary scored 61 off only 47 balls (2x4, 3x6) as the other KKR batsmen failed to provide substantial support to the Bengal captain.

Umesh Yadav took two wickets while Ajit Agarkar, Irfan Pathan, Morne Morkel and James Hopes scalped one wicket each.

Daredevils kept the Knight Riders' batsmen in check after Devils' skipper Virender Sehwag won the toss and decided to bowl first.

Jacques Kallis (11) and Shreevats Goswami (22) shared 42 runs for the opening wicket before falling in quick succession to Delhi fast bowlers Irfan Pathan and Ajit Agarkar.

KKR skipper Gambhir then fell for 18, before Yusuf Pathan (5) and Eoin Morgan (0) departed in consecutive deliveries off Yadav's bowling to leave Kolkata 105 for five with five overs of their innings remaining.

If the usually incisive and economical Morne Morkel was Delhi's most expensive bowler, Kolkata's best performer was not one of their big-money imports but their local boy, Tiwary, who made a combative half-century to stabilise the innings.

Tiwary combining with Dutch international Ryan ten Doeschate in a 35-run stand to push KKR to a mildly competitive total.
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Kolkata Knight Riders DC all charged up to lock horns

2011-04-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

Deccan Chargers is all geared up to give a tough match to Kochi Tuskers in the ensuing match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tourney to be played at Kochi, the port city of India's southern state of Kerala.

A day prior to the match, addressing the mediapersons on Tuesday, after rigorous sessions at the nets, Kumar Sangakkara, skipper of the Deccan Chargers said the Kochi Tuskers is in good form despite having a sloppy start. He said they would try not committing the same mistake that cost them a game against Mumbai Indians and would improve whatever they have achieved.

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Dhoni to be roped in for Incredible India campaign

2011-04-25T23:11:00.000-07:00

Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay Monday said that Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be roped in for the 'Incredible India' campaign.

"We will try to rope in Indian cricket skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to be part of the Incredible India campaign ," Sahay told reporters here. He also congratulated Dhoni for figuring in Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world.
Asked about the tourism ministry's announcement to arrange trips for the World Cup winning team members, he said the ministry has written to all the team members to select a destination of their choice and the ministry will then make the arrangements.

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To get to Century Tendulkar’s Single

2011-04-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

While everyone squabbles over who the inventor of the helicopter shot is, Dhoni or someone else, it needs to be said that one small incident almost went almost unnoticed. Batting on 99, Sachin Tendulkar had the last ball to get to his century but more importantly, he had that one ball to maximise his team’s chances.

Unfortunately, Tendulkar chose to play for his century, took a single, got to his century and did not go for a four or a six, something that he had been doing for the rest of the innings.

Not that the loss can be blamed on this, but the fact is that there is too much of individualistic batting and the woes double up when the crowds also expect this.

Most Mumbai Indians fans are happy that Tendulkar got to his hundred and none will worry that it is attitude like this, playing for self that costs the team a lot.

Time for us to change from concentrating on individual records to cheering for a team as a whole?

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IPL 4 2011 Teams Players List

2011-04-25T06:36:00.000-07:00

IPL 4 - Player List
Player Name	Country	IPL Team	Cost (USD)
Aaron Finch	Australia	Delhi Daredevils	300000
AB de Villiers	South Africa	Royal Challengers Bangalore	1100000
Abhimanyu Mithun	India	Royal Challengers Bangalore	260000
Abhishek Nayar	India	Kings XI Punjab	800000
Adam Gilchrist	Australia	Kings XI Punjab	900000
Aiden Blizzard	Australia	Mumbai Indians	20000
Ajit Agarkar	India	Delhi Daredevils	210000
Albie Morkel (retained)	South Africa	Chennai Super Kings	500000
Alfonso Thomas	South Africa	Pune Warriors	100000
Amit Mishra	India	Deccan Chargers	300000
Andrew McDonald	Australia	Delhi Daredevils	80000
Andrew Symonds	Australia	Mumbai Indians	850000
Angelo Mathews	Sri Lanka	Pune Warriors	950000
Ashish Nehra	India	Pune Warriors	850000
Ashok Dinda	India	Delhi Daredevils	375000
Ben Hilfenhaus	Australia	Chennai Super Kings	100000
Brad Haddin	Australia	Kolkata Knight Riders	325000
Brad Hodge	Australia	Kochi	425000
Brendon McCullum	New Zealand	Kochi	475000
Brett Lee	Australia	Kolkata Knight Riders	400000
Callum Ferguson	Australia	Pune Warriors	300000
Cameron White	Australia	Deccan Chargers	1100000
Charl Langeveldt	South Africa	Royal Challengers Bangalore	140000
Cheteshwar Pujara	India	Royal Challengers Bangalore	700000
Chris Lynn	Australia	Deccan Chargers	20000
Clint McKay	Australia	Mumbai Indians	110000
Colin Ingram	South Africa	Delhi Daredevils	100000
Dale Steyn	South Africa	Deccan Chargers	1200000
Dan Christian	Australia	Deccan Chargers	900000
Daniel Vettori	New Zealand	Royal Challengers Bangalore	550000
David Hussey	Australia	Kings XI Punjab	1400000
David Warner	Australia	Delhi Daredevils	750000
Davy Jacobs	South Africa	Mumbai Indians	190000
Dinesh Karthik	India	Kings XI Punjab	900000
Dirk Nannes	Australia	Royal Challengers Bangalore	650000
Dmitri Mascarenhas	England	Kings XI Punjab	100000
Doug Bollinger	Australia	Chennai Super Kings	700000
Dwayne Bravo	West Indies	Chennai Super Kings	200000
Eoin Morgan	England	Kolkata Knight Riders	350000
Faf du Plessis	South Africa	Chennai Super Kings	120000
Gautam Gambhir	India	Kolkata Knight Riders	2400000
George Bailey	Australia	Chennai Super Kings	50000
Graeme Smith	South Africa	Pune Warriors	500000
Harbhajan Singh (retained)	India	Mumbai Indians	1300000
Irfan Pathan	India	Delhi Daredevils	1900000
Ishant Sharma	India	Deccan Chargers	450000
Jacques Kallis	South Africa	Kolkata Knight Riders	1100000
Jaidev Unadkat	India	Kolkata Knight Riders	250000
James Franklin	New Zealand	Mumbai Indians	100000
James Hopes	Australia	Delhi Daredevils	350000
James Pattinson	Australia	Kolkata Knight Riders	100000
Jerome Taylor	West Indies	Pune Warriors	100000
Jesse Ryder	New Zealand	Pune Warriors	150000
Joginder Sharma	India	Chennai Super Kings	150000
Johan Botha	South Africa	Rajasthan Royals	950000
Johan van der Wath	South Africa	Royal Challengers Bangalore	50000
John Hastings	Australia	Kochi	20000
Jonathan Vandiar	South Africa	Royal Challengers Bangalore	20000
JP Duminy	South Africa	Deccan Chargers	300000
Kevin Pietersen	England	Deccan Chargers	650000
Kieron Pollard (retained)	West Indies	Mumbai Indians	900000
Kumar Sangakkara	Sri Lanka	Deccan Chargers	700000
L Balaji	India	Kolkata Knight Riders	500000
Lasith Malinga (retained)	Sri Lanka	Mumbai Indians	500000
Luke Pomersbasch	Australia	Royal Challengers Bangalore	50000
M Vijay (retained)	India	Chennai Super Kings	900000
Mahela Jayawardene	Sri Lanka	Kochi	1500000
Manoj Tiwary	India	Kolkata Knight Riders	475000
Manpreet Gony	India	Deccan Chargers	290000
Matthew Wade	Australia	Delhi Daredevils	100000
Michael Hussey	Australia	Chennai Super Kings	425000
Michael Klinger	Australia	Kochi	75000
Michael Lumb	England	Deccan Chargers	80000
Mitchell Marsh	Australia	Pune Warriors	290000
Mohammad Kaif	India	Royal Challengers Bangalore	130000
Moises Henriques	Australia	Mumbai Indians	50000
Morne Morkel	South Africa	Delhi Daredevils	475000
MS Dhoni (retained)	India	Chennai Super Kings	1800000
Munaf Patel	India	Mumbai Indians	700000
Murali Kartik	India	Pune Warriors	400000
Muttiah Muralitharan	Sri Lanka	Kochi	1100000
Naman Ojha	India	Delhi Daredevils	270000
Nathan McCullum	New Zealand	Pune Warriors	100000
Nathan Rimmington	Australia	Kings XI Punjab	20000
Nuwan Kulasekara	Sri Lanka	Chennai Super Kings	100000
Nuwan Pradeep	Sri Lanka	Royal Challengers Bangalore	20000
Owais Shah	England	Kochi	200000
Pankaj Singh	India	Rajasthan Royals	95000
Parthiv Patel	India	Kochi	290000
Paul Collingwood	England	Rajasthan Royals	250000
Piyush Chawla	India	Kings XI Punjab	900000
Pragyan Ojha	India	Deccan Chargers	500000
Praveen Kumar	India	Kings XI Punjab	800000
R Ashwin	India	Chennai Super Kings	850000
Rahul Dravid	India	Rajasthan Royals	500000
Ramesh Powar	India	Kochi	180000
Ravindra Jadeja	India	Kochi	950000
Rilee Rossouw	South Africa	Royal Challengers Bangalore	20000
Robert Frylinck	South Africa	Delhi Daredevils	20000
Robin Uthappa	India	Pune Warriors	2100000
Roelof van der Merwe	South Africa	Delhi Daredevils	50000
Rohit Sharma	India	Mumbai Indians	2000000
Ross Taylor	New Zealand	Rajasthan Royals	1000000
RP Singh	India	Kochi	500000
Rusty Theron	South Africa	Deccan Chargers	85000
Ryan Harris	Australia	Kings XI Punjab	325000
Ryan ten Doeschate	Netherlands	Kolkata Knight Riders	150000
S Badrinath	India	Chennai Super Kings	850000
Sachin Tendulkar (retained)	India	Mumbai Indians	1800000
Saurabh Tiwary	India	Royal Challengers Bangalore	1600000
Scott Styris	New Zealand	Chennai Super Kings	200000
Shakib Al Hasan	Bangladesh	Kolkata Knight Riders	425000
Shane Warne (retained)	Australia	Rajasthan Royals	1800000
Shane Watson (retained)	Australia	Rajasthan Royals	1300000
Shaun Marsh	Australia	Kings XI Punjab	400000
Shaun Tait	Australia	Rajasthan Royals	300000
Shikhar Dhawan	India	Deccan Chargers	300000
Sreesanth	India	Kochi	900000
Steve O'Keefe	Australia	Kochi	20000
Steven Smith	Australia	Kochi	200000
Stuart Broad	England	Kings XI Punjab	400000
Sudeep Tyagi	India	Chennai Super Kings	240000
Suraj Randiv	Sri Lanka	Chennai Super Kings	80000
Suresh Raina (retained)	India	Chennai Super Kings	1300000
Thisara Perera	Sri Lanka	Kochi	80000
Tillakaratne Dilshan	Sri Lanka	Royal Challengers Bangalore	650000
Tim Paine	Australia	Pune Warriors	270000
Travis Birt	Australia	Delhi Daredevils	20000
Umesh Yadav	India	Delhi Daredevils	750000
Venugopal Rao	India	Delhi Daredevils	700000
Vinay Kumar	India	Kochi	475000
Virat Kohli (retained)	India	Royal Challengers Bangalore	1800000
Virender Sehwag (retained)	India	Delhi Daredevils	1800000
VVS Laxman	India	Kochi	400000
Wayne Parnell	South Africa	Pune Warriors	160000
Wriddhiman Saha	India	Chennai Super Kings	100000
Yusuf Pathan	India	Kolkata Knight Riders	2100000
Yuvraj Singh	India	Pune Warriors	1800000
Zaheer Khan	India	Royal Challengers Bangalore	900000

IPL 4 2011 Teams Players List With Cost of players.

Source

Sachin Tendulkar Have 1 Million Followers on Twitter

2011-04-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar achieved yet another milestone, as he became the first Indian to get one million followers on micro-blogging social networking site - Twitter.

Tendulkar, who had surpassed former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor to become the most popular Indian on Twitter, achieved the milestone yesterday. Tharoor has 986,349 followers so far, while Sachin has 1,002,386 followers.

Although Sachin Tendulkar is not so aggressive on Twitter and has been very selective about his tweets, his fan following is increasing day by day.

Sachin (@sachin_rt) follows only eight people on Twitter - @atulkasbekar, @ImZaheer, @narainracing, @UberSoc, @SrBachchan, @yuvsingh09, @hormazdsorabjee and @sreesanth36.

Sachin is considered as the God of Cricket. He has scored 14,692 runs in 177 test matches with 51 centuries. He has also scored 18,111 runs in ODI with 48 centuries. None other batsmen is close to him to break his records of runs and centuries. Sachin is also the lone player in the history of ODI to score a double hundred.

Follow Him http://twitter.com/#!/sachin_rt

Now Dhoni More influential Than Obama

2011-04-22T05:58:00.000-07:00

Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who inspired the country to its first World Cup title in 28 years, found himself ranked above global football icon Lionel Messi and US President Barack Obama in the 'Time' magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world for the year 2010.

Dhoni, ranked 52nd in the chart, was the only Indian sportsperson to make the list which also included four of his compatriots in "Titan of Industry" Mukesh Ambani (61), "Brain Mapper" V S Ramachandran (79), "Philanthropist" Azim Premji (88) and "Change Agent" Aruna Roy (89).

Dhoni found himself way above Messi who was just below Obama at the 87th spot in a list topped by Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who became the "Spokesman for a Revolution" in Egypt.

The 29-year-old Dhoni, who has 2925 runs in 54 Tests and 6049 runs in 186 one-dayers, is the most successful Indian cricket captain, under whom the team also won the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship in 2007.

The magazine described Dhoni as "captain fantastic".

"Dhoni is now universally acknowledged as India's best captain ever. He's also its most likable, exuding both cool confidence and down-to-earth humility.

"As astonishing as Dhoni's talent is his background. Indian success stories are usually associated with pedigree, connections and power. Dhoni, from a small-town family of modest means, had none of these, but he's shown India that you can make it with only one thing: excellence," read the accompanying profile penned by author Chetan Bhagat.

"Dhoni doesn't just lead a cricket team; he's also India's captain of hope. And he didn't just win India the World Cup; he also taught India how to win."

Source

From IPL Sri Lanka Changes Decision To Call Back Players

2011-04-22T02:09:00.000-07:00

After negotiations with India's cricket board, Sri Lanka has changed their decision of calling back their cricketers earlier from the continuing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Earlier this month, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had asked their players to return back home by May five, 2011.

BCCI sent a request to SLC for extending the stay of their players in India for IPL, but they did not get any positive response.

On the other hand, the vice-president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) & franchises revealed that SLC had promised to permit their players to stay in the IPL till May 21, 2011.

SLC secretary, Nishantha Ranatunga, said that after discussions with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, both the bodies have reached a consensus that Sri Lankan cricketing authorities would not call back their players if the cricketers manage to participate in the second warm-up match on May 19, because that preparation will be for the tour of England.

The tour includes Tests, Twenty20 & One-Day Internationals (ODIs). The first match of the tour will be played on May 14, while the first Check match is scheduled to be started on May 26.

Sri Lanka's sports Minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, earlier had said that in the future, players will only be allowed to play foreign leagues such as IPL, if it would not affect the national team.

The star players playing in the IPL are, Kumar Sangakkara, Lasith Malinga, Mahela Jayawardene, &, Tillakratne Dilshan.

Sangakkara has recently stepped down from the captaincy of Sri Lanka, following their exit in the final of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2011, at the hands of India.

Following Sangakkara's decision, Jayawardene & selectors including Aravinda de Silva also stood down from their posts. Dilshan is now appointed, as a new captain, who will lead his team in the upcoming series.

However, his excuse raised controversies & the cricket officials of his country are expected to call him back for a rehabilitation programme.

Pacer, Malinga, who has given a significant performance in the recently concluded mega-event, has refused to play in the three-match series, mentioning an injury.

Source

Sri Lanka backtracks on IPL recall

2011-04-22T01:53:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka has backtracked and will not ask national cricketers to return home early from the Indian Premier League to prepare for a tour of England.

Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said that after talks with Indian authorities the board decided that if the players make themselves available for a second warm-up match on the tour on May 19, that will be sufficient preparation for the international games.

Earlier, authorities had asked the players to return home by May 5, saying the national team takes precedence over IPL.

The first tour match in England begins on May 14, and the first test starts on May 26 in Cardiff.

Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage earlier said future permission to play foreign leagues such as the IPL will be conditional on it not affecting the national team.

Captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, batsmen Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Suraj Randiv are among seven member of the Sri Lanka test squad who are playing in the IPL.

Fast bowler Lasith Malinga has said he will not play the three match series, citing an injury, but officials questioned his claim and will ask him to return home immediately for a rehabilitation programme.

Source