Cricket Mania Blog

Sachin's Blistering Knock , But Australia bt India by 3 Runs

2009-11-05T10:41:00.000-08:00

HYDERABAD: Sachin Tendulkar produced a breathtaking 175 to very nearly take India to a sensational win in a nerve-wrecking fifth One-dayer against Australia but the hosts floundered in the dying stages to succumb to a three-run defeat and give the visitors a 3-2 lead in the series. Chasing Australia's mammoth 350 for four, built mainly around Shaun Marsh's 112 and Shane Watson's 93, the Indians rode on Tendulkar's heroic 141 ball knock to come within sniffing distance of a remarkable win but the tailenders faltered under pressure to be all out for 347 with two balls to spare.

t was a remarkable exhibition of strokeplay by Tendulkar, who not only notched up his 45th ODI hundred but also became the first cricketer in the history of the game to cross the 17,000-run mark. It was also the fastest century by an Indian against the Australians as well as the highest individual score against the visitors. The jam-packed Rajiv Gandhi International stadium witnessed an extraordinary contest which saw as many as 697 runs being scored in a game which fortunes fluctuated from one end to the other till the very end. The two teams will now travel to Guwahati for the sixth One-dayer to be held on Sunday.

Tendulkar was at his ominous best from the onset as he clobbered the Australian attack to all parts of the ground, hitting 19 fours and four sixes. Opening the batting, he first shared 66 runs with Virender Sehwag (38 off 30) and then stitched a vital 137 runs with Suresh Raina, who made a run-a-ball 59, for the fifth wicket in exactly 19 overs to power India to the victory. But Tendulkar's dismissal in the first ball of the 48th over, caught when he played the scoop shot at fine leg by a diving Nathan Huaritz, unhinged the Indian innings as the remaining tail-end batsmen proved unequal to the task of scoring 19 runs in 17 balls. Ravindra Jadeja (23) and Praveen Kumar (9) were run out, while Ashish Nehra fell for one as India slid to defeat from 299 for four in the 43rd over.

The Indian innings was floundering at 162 for four when Tendulkar was joined by Raina and their excellent stand for the fifth wicket brought India on the doorsteps of victory, but it was not to be. Except for Sehwag and Tendulkar, the Indian top order failed as Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni departed cheaply to leave Tendulkar with the huge task of guiding India past the finishing line. Tendulkar, who had been outstanding in the field while most of his other teammates fumbled when Australia batted, got the ideal partner in young Raina.

Article source.. Timesofindia.indiatimes

India beat Australia by 6 wickets, lead series 2-1

2009-10-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: Yuvraj Singh and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni produced scintillating knocks a tricky track as India recovered from early jolts to spank Australia by six wickets in the third cricket One-day and take a 2-1 lead in the seven-match series on Saturday. After Australia posted a competitive 229 for five largely built around Michael Hussey's unbeaten 81, Yuvraj (78) and Dhoni (71 not out) played their innings brilliantly to guide the team home with 10 balls to spare in a relatively low-scoring contest. Both the batsmen started cautiously on a difficult Feroze Shah Kotla strip before unleashing a barrage of strokes in a record fourth wicket partnership, which took the game away from the hapless visitors. The capacity crowd at the Kotla burst into celebrations as Suresh Raina hit Mitchell Johnson to the boundary to bring about the winning runs, leaving the world champions in a daze.

Yuvraj and Dhoni stitched a record 148-run partnership against Australia in India, eclipsing the previous best of 119 between Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir in the last game in Nagpur. The dashing left hander perished after putting India within sniffing distance of victory, but Dhoni ensured that there were no further hiccups.

Both the teams will now travel to Mohali for the fourth game to be played on Monday.

Indian openers milked 12 runs off the first over with Sachin Tendulkar hitting Mitchell Johnson for two boundaries - one past cover and the other clipped to the square leg boundary. Playing in front of his home crowd, Virender Sehwag (11), however, looked strangely subdued. Even when he middled the ball, he did not find gaps and to make it worse, the hard-hitting opener was hit on his foot by a Peter Siddle yorker in the eighth over which had him in pains, needing the physio's attention. When play resumed, Sehwag slashed Johnson for his only four but three balls later, he had his middle stump uprooted by a Johnson express that simply crashed through his defence.

Hit on his neck while fielding that prompted him to leave field, Gambhir walked out to hearty applause but he too found boundaries were not easy to come by as the Australians maintained stiffling line and length and did not hesitate to throw themselves around to cut short boundaries.

It took India 13.2 overs to reach 50 and a batting collapse was just round the corner with Johnson again in the thick of things as it was a rude shock for the hosts who slumped from the comfort of 37 for no loss to 53 for three inside 16 overs. Tendulkar, who was content running hard between wicket in absence of easy boundaries, could not beat Johnson's direct throw from mid-off and perished in his quest for a risky single. It was a sad end to his 47-ball knock of 32 and Tendulkar didn't even wait for the third umpire's verdict before starting the long walk back.

Two runs later, Nathan Hauritz's second delivery turned sharply to beat Gambhir's (6) defence and clipped off-stump to silence the entire stadium. The team in dire strait, captain Dhoni joined Yuvraj in the middle with a herculean task ahead of them and both showed willingness to toil for every run as boundaries dried up. Both Yuvraj and Dhoni played cautiously as they went about the job of rebuilding the innings and were quite content to keep the scoreboard moving with gentle pushes and nudges. Yuvraj picked up young Moises Henriques for special treatment by clobbering him for a six and a delectable boundary in the same over. In the very next over, he spanked Adam Voges for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries to notch up his 42nd ODI half century. Earlier, electing to bat, Australia were well served by Hussey who gauged the conditions well to crack an unbeaten 81 while Ponting produced a fighting 59 to steer the visitors to a competitive 229 for five.

While Shane Watson (41) also chipped in with an useful contribution, none of the other batsmen could hang around for long on a pitch which was not conducive for strokeplay. Ponting, opening the innings for only the second time in his career, and Shane Watson provided a solid start to the innings with both the batsmen playing cautiously on the slow track.

Watson, however, began on an aggressive note by square cutting paceman Praveen Kumar to the point boundary in the last ball of the opening over of the day. Both Ponting and Watson curbed their natural strokeplay and took their time to adjust to the low bounce of the pitch which had produced a number of low-scoring matches during the recent Champions League.

The two Aussie openers were showing signs of accelerating the pace of scoring when part-timer Yuvraj provided the breakthrough to the home team. Watson was smartly stumped by Dhoni as he stretched forward to counter the spin which brought an end to the 72-run opening partnership. His knock of 41 was studded with five boundaries. The experienced Hussey then joined his captain in the middle and the two seasoned players went about consolidating the position for the team with a risk-free approach. Ponting, who looked quite comfortable at the middle, soon notched up his 72nd ODI half-century but could not survive long after that as he fell prey to Jadeja.

Ponting was trapped in front of the wicket by a Jadeja delivery which kept a trifle low and umpire Sanjay Hazare had no hesitation in ruling him out. The hosts struck in the very next over when another part-timer Raina evicted Cameron White with Dhoni taking the catch after fumbling for a long time. White was, however, distinctly unlucky as the television replays showed that the ball had hit his pads before going to Dhoni.

From a comfortable 128 for one, the visitors suddenly slumped to 129 for three, bringing some life back into the game. Voges joined the action after white's brief stay at the wicket and took the score to 172 before becoming Harbhajan Singh's first victim with Praveen latching on to a brilliant catch.

2009-10-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2009

Australia Tour of India 2009-10

India vs Australia, 2nd One Day International

Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur (D/N)

NAGPUR: Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed a blistering century as India whipped injury-hit Australia by 99 runs on Wednesday to level their

seven-match One-day series 1-1. Dhoni hit 124 off 107 balls and Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina chipped in with half-centuries as India, sent in to bat, accumulated their highest One-day total against Australia - 354/7 from 50 overs. In reply, the world champions, who won the first match by four runs in Vadodara on Sunday, were bowled out for 255 in the day-night international, with left-hander Michael Hussey top-scoring with 53. Indian seamer Praveen Kumar took two wickets in his first spell before young left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja polished off the middle order with figures of 3-35. Some 40,000 home fans cheered lustily as Dhoni put on 119 for the fourth wicket with Gambhir (76) and a swashbuckling 136 from 93 balls for the fifth with Suresh Raina, who made 62. Enjoying perfect batting conditions at the Vidarbha Cricket Association stadium, the hosts plundered 108 runs in the final 10 overs, overtaking their previous best against Australia of 315 all out in Bangalore in 2001. Dhoni reached his century by smashing Shane Watson for a straight six, and celebrated the landmark with another six off the next ball in the same area. The aggressive Indian captain was one of three batsmen to be dismissed in the 50th over, but not before he had taken nine boundaries and three sixes off the truncated Australian attack. The tourists, already without one-day regulars Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and Nathan Bracken for the series, were further depleted by injuries to paceman Brett Lee and all-rounder James Hopes. However, left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson was declared fit from an ankle sprain and claimed the important wicket of Virender Sehwag in the 11th over, caught at mid-off attempting a big hit. Sehwag smashed a typically robust 40 off 31 balls to give India the momentum after veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar was removed by Peter Siddle in the fourth over. Australia's chase of the mammoth total faltered after India removed the first three batsmen, including skipper Ricky Ponting, by the 11th over to make it 45-3. Wickets fell at regular intervals to hand India an important win ahead of the third match, in New Delhi on Saturday. For the second match in a row, two Indian umpires took charge in the middle after the International Cricket Council-appointed Mark Benson of England failed to recover from a viral infection.

Thanks for Article..Times Of India

2009-10-25T13:01:00.000-07:00

October 25, 2009

Australia Tour of India 2009-10

India vs Australia, 1st One Day International

Reliance Stadium, Vadodara

Australia beat India by 4 runs to go 1-0 up in the series

VADODARA: Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan Singh's batting heroics took India agonisingly close to a sensational win before the hosts slumped to a

four-run defeat against Australia in the first match of the seven-ODI series on Sunday. At 201 for seven in their pursuit of a 293-run victory target, India seemed heading for a comprehensive defeat before Praveen (40 not out) and Harbhajan (49) came up with a defiant 84-run stand off 57 balls for the eighth wicket that nearly took them home. Much to the disappointment of the crowd, India eventually managed 288 for eight, put together by cameos from Gautam Gambhir (68), Virat Kohli (30), MS Dhoni (34), Praveen Kumar and Harbhajan. Earlier, Ricky Ponting (74) led from the front and was amply supported by Mike Hussey (73), Tim Paine (50) and Cameron White (51) as the visitors rattled up 292 for eight after opting to bat first on a featherbed track. Faced with the daunting task of scoring at 5.86 per over, the star-studded Indian line-up came a cropper against some disciplined bowling and tight fielding to be left struggling at 201 for seven with the last 10 overs remaining. Harbhajan and Praveen brought down the target to 30 from the last 15 balls and then nine from the last six.

But once Harbhajan departed off the second ball of the final over from Peter Siddle, India lost the momentum and Australia stopped the hosts four runs short of their total. Earlier in the innings, Gambhir played the sheet-anchor's role after the cheap dismissal of openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar to top-score with 68 off 85 balls with six fours and a six in it.

Dhoni and Kohli, surprisingly promoted to number four in the batting order, made starts before getting out when in their 30s. After being 167 for three in the 35th over, the Indians lost three quick wickets - Gambhir, Suresh Raina (9) and Dhoni - while adding only 19 runs and it became 201 for seven at the fall of Ravindra Jadeja in the 40th over. Harbhajan and Praveen kept the hosts in the hunt with some lusty hits to raise visions of a come-from-behind victory, but in the end it proved of no avail.

With this win, Australia surged to their second successive victory at this venue over the home team, having beaten the hosts by nine wickets in 2007 at this ground. The thrilling victory put the visitors 1-0 up in the series ahead of the second day/night encounter at Nagpur on October 28.
Though India came close, their top-order batting, bowling as well as fielding were thoroughly exposed by the Australian team which is riding on a high after whipping England 6-1 and then retaining the Champions Trophy in South Africa. In the morning, the Australia top-order took a heavy toll of the listless Indian bowling attack and raised a big total.

Australia suffered an early blow, when Watson fell off the eighth ball, before recovering superbly through a near-century stand between Ponting and Paine. The sound beginning was built upon by half-centuries from White and Hussey as the Indian bowling, which has struggled of late, was put to the sword in merciless fashion.

India began their chase in style with Virender Sehwag hitting Lee's first two deliveries for successive boundaries. Lee eventually settled score by getting rid off Sehwag by having the batsman caught for 13 in 11 balls. India lost another big wicket when Sachin Tendulkar drove a wide ball from Watson up into a packed off-side field and Ponting took a blinder at short cover-point. Virat Kohli, playing in company of Delhi teammate Gambhir, steadied the rocking ship with a stand of 58 in 75 balls and the pair raised the 100 in the 19th over when Kohli fell to Adam Voges.

Gambhir and Dhoni then strung a partnership of 64 runs with diligence for the fourth wicket before Mitchell Johnson first removed the left-hander and then caught and bowled Suresh Raina to leave India at 183 for five in the 37th over. It was left to Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja to guide India home but the Indian skipper got out soon, trying to loft Watson and giving a tame catch to Lee at mid on.

For Australia, Johnson led the bowling with two for 59, while Watson secured 2 for 70.

Article Source TimesofIndia.India Times

2009-10-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

Dhoni Hurts Knee During Batting Practice....

VADODARA: Two-days before the start of the One-day series against Australia, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Friday hurt his left knee while batting in a practice session but is hoping the injury is not serious. Dhoni was hit on the backside of the left knee while batting at the nets against paceman Munaf Patel during an extended practice session at the Reliance Stadium and had to leave the session mid-way to take rest.

"I got hit when batting against Munaf. I should be alright tomorrow, but have to wait and see how it feels in the morning," Dhoni, wearing a protective gear on the affected portion said.

Dhoni is the lone regular stumper in the Indian side named for the first two matches of the seven-match rubber, starting on Sunday. The Indian team, which had assembled in Mumbai on October 20 and practiced there for three days, had a three-hour session here this afternoon after arriving in the morning.

Lee Powers to New South Wales To Champions League Title

HYDERABAD: New South Wales were crowned the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 winners after they snapped Trinidad & Tobago's fairytale

campaign with a 41-run victory in a high-voltage summit clash on Friday.

In the title showdown featuring top two teams of the tournament, it was a battle between Caribbean flair and Australian professionalism and in the end, NSW had the last laugh with Brett Lee as their star performer. Put into bat, NSW fumbled and faltered in their innings to slump to 83 for six in the 12th over before finding a messiah in Lee, whose whirlwind 48 off 31 balls, along with Steven Smith's 33, guided them to 159 for nine. Trinidad & Tobago's chase never gathered momentum and Kieron Pollard's (26 off 15 balls) last ditch attempt was not enough as the Caribbeans side folded for 118 in 15.5 overs.

After his batting heroics, Lee (2/10) was in the thick of action again, claiming two quick wickets to reduce T&T to 21 for three in the first eventful 14 balls. Lee's second delivery castled the scoreless Wiliam Perkins and the blond pacer returned to catch Lendl Simmons off his own bowling in the next over.

In between, Adrian Barath hit Steve Smith's first three balls for successive fours followed it with a six before returning caught behind off the last delivery. For T&T, crisis further compounded as Dwayne Bravo (17), and captain Daren Ganga (19) and Denesh Ramdin (16) fell when the team needed them most.

Pollard (26) tried to replicate the form he had shown in the league match against NSW but Nathan Hauritz had other ideas and for T&T, the match was over when Pollard fell in the 15th over.
Earlier, New South Wales discovered a batting hero in Brett Lee whose stunning 48, along with Steven Smith's 33, took the Australians past the 150-mark after they had slumped to 83 for six inside 12 overs. Put into bat, NSW never really got going with Ravi Rampaul (3/20) and Dwayne Bravo (2/27) polishing the top order before some poor shot selections did the middle order in. Down the order, Steven Smith, however, refused to throw in the towel and Lee then came up with a 31-ball blitzkrieg, studded with four fours and five sixes, before falling in the last ball of the innings.

David Warner and Phil Hughes have been key to New South Wales' success in the tournament so far but the left-handed opening pair, for once, proved they too had feet of clay. Rampaul cleaned up Hughes (3) with the first delivery of his second over and then Bravo combined with an airborne Dave Mohammad to cut short Warner's (19) stay just when the stocky left-hander had started looking his ominous self. Both the in-form NSW openers back in the hut inside five overs with the score reading a mere 32, this was clearly not the best of starts for the Australian side.

Simon Katich (16) decided to punish Bravo, hitting him for two sixes -- one miscued shot soared over long-on ropes and another effortless pull cleared fine leg -- in the same over before the pacer returned to settle score. Three balls later, Moises Henriques (4) joined his captain in the hut, holing out in the deep off Kieron Pollard, and NSW were clearly in a hole at 49 for four.

Dave Mohammad removed Ben Rohrer (16) with his first delivery and Rampaul returned to disturb Daniel Smith's timbers in the next over before Lee joined Smith in the middle to steady the ship. Even after Smith returned, there was no containing Lee who swung his bat to good effect to help the side cross the 150-mark that had looked a distant dream at one stage.

Article Source...TimesOfIndia.Indiatimes

Matches Result

2009-10-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

Champions League Final
October 23, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

IP New South Wales vs IP Trinidad and Tobago, Final Match

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Umpires: D Harper (AUS) and R Koertzen (SA) Third Umpire: A Saheba (IND)

Match Referee: S Venkataraghavan (IND)

New South Wales won by 41 runs
Man of the Match: Brett Lee

For Oz players, Punter is the best bet

2009-10-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

MUMBAI: There was a famous picture of little Emmy Charlotte playing in the arms of father Ricky Ponting at Headingley in August this year. The picture is rare because it is the only one that captures the Australian captain in a cheerful mood during an otherwise mind-numbing series. Think about the other ones that usually have Ponting in the frame. An arrogant, gum-chewing, ruthless captain of a highly dominating team, not known to take the slightest of insults (read: lack of performance) lightly. That's the Ponting a cricket fan would usually identify with. Why just the fan, that's the Ponting even his teammates more often than not identify with.

When Shane Watson was asked if the Australian national team is used to seeking advice from some of the game's stalwarts Down Under, he said, "Why would you need anyone when you have one of the all-time greats right there with you. Ricky's someone the whole team looks up to." Ponting's contribution to the game doesn't need a mention. That he's right behind Sachin Tendulkar in the run-scoring department is explanation enough. In fact, he's got more. Something that Tendulkar has perhaps only yearned for in 20 years: three World Cup wins, two as captain; two Champions Trophy wins, both as captain and a cupboard full of awards honouring him as the world's best.

"Oh yes, he's at the forefront, right up there as far as our set-up is concerned," says present national coach Tim Nielsen, explaining at large Ponting's influence in Australian cricket. "Ricky is a decision-maker and his word carries a lot of weight. Whether it concerns selection matters, the line-up, the batting order, he's got a huge say. We contribute, but he's definitely the one out there handling things." Australia's Mr. Cricket, Michael Hussey, is equally in awe of the skipper. "Mr. Cricket? Why just me? Most of these guys can be called that. They're all as dedicated to the game. There's Ricky, he's as good an example there is." To Hussey's knowledge - and there's quite a bit of that to his credit - Ponting's genius is not just one that usually brings him runs. "He is at the core of a lot of things, deciding on strategies, batting order, handing out responsibilities," says the southpaw.

Shane Warne famously nicknamed Ponting as 'Punter' due to his fascination for racing greyhounds and betting on them. He breeds them for racing and bets because he's quite sure of himself. That's what Ponting's been doing with the Aussie team, nurturing them to get the best out of them. Evaluating Ponting's contribution to the game and Australian cricket is as difficult as quantifying the joy and happiness he gets while playing with his daughter.

Matches Result

2009-10-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

2nd Semi Final Champions League
October 22, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

Trinidad and Tobago vs Cobras, 2nd Semi Final Match

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Umpires: D Harper (AUS) and R Koertzen (SA) Third Umpire: A Saheba (IND)

Match Referee: S Venkataraghavan (IND)

Trinidad and Tobago won by 7 wickets
Man of the Match: Dwayne Bravo

Matches Result

2009-10-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

1st Semi Final Champions League
October 21, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

New South Wales vs Victoria, 1st Semi Final Match

Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Umpires: K Dharmasena (SL) and B Doctrove (WI) Third Umpire: S Hazare (IND)

Match Referee: R Mahanama (SL)

New South Wales won by 79 runs
Man of the Match: David Warner

Wallpaper: Sachin Tendulkar

2009-10-20T11:16:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar Wallpaper

Sachin Tendulkar Photo Gallery

Ponting wary of Men in Blue

2009-10-20T10:55:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: Australian captain Ricky Ponting has urged his players to disregard India's unimpressive Champions Trophy form, warning the No.2 ranked One-day outfit will be a vastly different team on home soil. The Australians left Sydney on Monday ahead of their seven match ODI series against India beginning on October 25. The stage is set, the battle lines are drawn and the war of words has already begun. But when Australian skipper Ricky Ponting embarked on his mission India, the aggressive batsman took a cautious approach. Instead of using his favourite mental disintegration tactics, the punter sounded a bit of wary. He said, "They'll be particularly hard to beat in India. They definitely play a lot better at home than they do when they travel. I actually tipped them as one of the strongest sides for the Champions Trophy to tell the truth." A convincing 6-1 victory over England, followed by an emphatic Champions Trophy triumph, the World Champions are surely riding high on their success. But the Tasmanian is not taking Mahendra Singh Dhoni's boys lightly.

He added, "I noticed that they have made a few changes to their squad as well as for the games with us. We will obviously be missing Michael Clarke and Nathan Bracken again, and Callum Ferguson being out as well means that the younger guys will get an opportunity to set up again." Though his skipper is not hoping for his early comeback, Clarke is desperate to return to his happy hunting ground. With the top spot in One-day cricket up for grabs and pride at stake, Ponting remained wary of the Indians. And the right-handed batsman has decided to play safe before launching his much-anticipated campaign at Vadodara this weekend.

Article Source Times Of India.Indiatimes....

Bengal allrounder critically injured in car accident

2009-10-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

Bengal all rounder Avik Chowdhury has been put on a ventilator at an intensive care unit in Kolkata, after being critically injured in a car accident on Sunday evening. The accident happened when the car Chowdhury was travelling in, along with four of his friends, rammed into a median divider on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass near Ruby Hospital.

Chowdhury, 24, who is part of the Bengal squad for the East Zone T20 meet in Dhanbad, was visited by Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya and former India captain Sourav Ganguly. The Bengal team's departure for Dhanbad has now been postponed by a day because of the accident and they will now be leaving on Tuesday.

"His [Chowdhury's] condition is very critical. He has injuries to the abdomen, diaphragm and the spinal cord with fractures in three vertebrae," said SB Purakayastha, CEO of Ruby Hospital. "His entire lower half has been paralysed. Until his condition is stable, we cannot operate upon him."

An employee of the income tax department, Chowdhury took part in the practice match at Eden Gardens in the morning, scoring 15 off eight balls and taking a wicket. He has also led Bengal at the junior level and plays for Kalighat in the local circuit. He made his Ranji debut last season and was also part of the preliminary Kolkata Knight Riders squad.

He has seven first-class matches and 13 List A matches, and most recently turned out for Indian Revenue in the BCCI Corporate Trophy last month, where he scored an unbeaten 110 against ITC in Mohali.

ECB unveil groups for 40-over competition

2009-10-19T12:43:00.000-07:00

The draw for the 2010 ECB 40 League has taken place at Lord's, with 21 teams drawn into three de-regionalised groups. The 18 first-class counties, Scotland, the Netherlands and an ECB Recreational XI will compete for the new domestic one-day competition in 2010.

Following a 12-month review, the ECB decided to replace the 50-over Friends Provident Trophy and the NatWest Pro40, with this new 40-over tournament to be played mainly on Sundays.

The format will be three groups of seven teams, with the sides playing each other home and away. Group winners and the best second-placed team will qualify for the semi-finals, with the final taking place at Lord's on Saturday 18 September. "It's always exciting to participate in any new competition and with one less format being played next season, the ECB 40 League takes on added importance in the club's quest for success," said Lancashire's director of cricket, Mike Watkinson, whose side has been drawn alongside the reigning Pro40 champions, Sussex.

"We have been drawn in a tough group with plenty of travelling involved, but we played some excellent one-day cricket this season and will look to build upon this during the 2010 campaign."

The Netherlands, Scotland and the ECB Recreational XI, which will be selected from players without full county contracts, were pre-allocated to groups A, B and C respectively, with a free draw then determining the final make-up of the groups.

Group A

ECB Recreational XI, Glamorgan, Lancashire, Somerset, Surrey, Sussex, Worcestershire

Group B

Derbyshire, Essex, Gloucestershire, Middlesex, Netherlands, Northamptonshire, Yorkshire

Group C

Durham, Hampshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Scotland, Warwickshire

Matches Result

2009-10-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

October 19, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

Cobras vs Delhi, 8th Match League B

Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Umpires: K Dharmasena (SL) and B Doctrove (WI) Third Umpire: S Hazare (IND)

Match Referee: R Mahanama (SL)

Delhi won by 30 runs
Man of the Match: Owais Shah

Pakistan selectors face dilemma for UAE series

2009-10-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Pakistan selectors will meet on October 22 to finalise Pakistan's squad for next month's limited-overs series against New Zealand in the UAE. However, there are two key issues to be sorted out before the final list is announced for the three ODIs and two Twenty20 games in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to be played between November 3-13. Younus Khan's vailability to lead Pakistan in the three ODIs in Abu Dhabi is under a cloud as is fast bowler Mohammad Asif's comeback, and whether he will be cleared by the UAE authorities to play in the series. "We will have a meeting of the selection committee on October 22 after which we will name the team for the series against New Zealand," Iqbal Qasim, told the News. Qasim was unsure whether Younis will be taking part in the series, and would wait for an announcement by Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, regarding the issue. Younis resigned as captain earlier this week following match-fixing accusations during the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final against New Zealand. Butt though, refused to accept the decision and is expected to make a ruling on the captaincy issue tomorrow after holding talks with Younis. Asif, returned to the national team during the Champions Trophy, after serving a one-year ban for doping. He was also deported from Dubai last June after being detained their over possession of a banned drug.

Qasim said he was yet to receive any instructions from the PCB regarding Asif. "We are expecting a word from the PCB regarding Asif before our meeting next week and will take a decision about him accordingly. Asif a match-winning bowler. He is bowling well in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and is an automatic choice for the Pakistan team."

According to PCB officials, a decision on whether Asif can play in UAE will be made next week. Wasim Bari, the PCB's chief operating officer, said the board was still awaiting a reply from the authorities on its request for clearance for Asif. The PCB in fact, had sought ICC's assistance to get Asif cleared for the series against New Zealand.

Asif was barred from entering the UAE after he was detained in Dubai for 19 days last June for allegedly possessing opium when he was returning home after featuring in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He was later released without being charged but he was deported from Dubai, which means he cannot travel to the desert state.

Asif was handed a Rs 1-million fine by the PCB for his Dubai misadventure after the IPL drugs inquiry tribunal banned him for a year for failing a dope test. However, the one-year ban was back-dated to September last year, thereby making him eligible for the Champions Trophy.

Article Source crickinfo.com

Matches Result

2009-10-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

October 18, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

Trinidad and Tobago vs Eagles, 7th Match League A

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Umpires: R Koertzen (SA) and A Saheba (IND) Third Umpire: D Harper (AUS)

Match Referee: S Venkataraghavan (IND) Trinidad and Tobago won by 24 runs
Man of the Match: Adrian Barath

October 18, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

Somerset vs New South Wales, 6th Match League A

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Umpires: D Harper (AUS) and R Koertzen (SA) Third Umpire: A Saheba (IND)

Match Referee: S Venkataraghavan (IND)

New South Wales won by 6 wickets
Man of the Match: Stuart Clark

Champions League T20 match delayed by one hour due to bomb scare

2009-10-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: The Champions League T20 league match between Victoria Bushrangers and Cape Cobras has been delayed by one hour after an under-22 cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir staying at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore was arrested by the Bangalore police in connection with a suspected presence of explosives at the venue.

There are two matches scheduled to be held on Saturday at the venue but police have said they will be played only after a thorough check of the ground. Police have categorically asked both the teams playing the first game, Cape Cobras and Victoria, to remain at their hotel until the search is over.

Meanwhile, the spectators are being allowed to enter into the venue after stern checks. The first match was due to start at 4.00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) but now it will start at 5 PM. provided everything goes fine as far as the security is concerned.

Matches Result

2009-10-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

October 17, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

Cobras vs Victoria, 4th Match League B

M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Umpires: S Tarapore (IND) and R Tiffin (ZIM) Third Umpire: B Jerling (SA)

Match Referee: J Srinath (IND)

Cobras won by 8 wickets
Man of the Match: Henry Davids

October 17, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

Bangalore vs Delhi, 5th Match League B

M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Umpires: B Jerling (SA) and R Tiffin (ZIM) Third Umpire: S Tarapore (IND)

Match Referee: J Srinath (IND)

Bangalore won by 8 wickets
Man of the Match: Ross Taylor

Zaheer hits back at Australia

2009-10-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

BANGALORE: Indian pacer Zaheer Khan, who is out of action for the last four months due to a shoulderinjury, says Australia should look at what their own team is doing and stop worrying about others. On the upcoming India-Australian ODI series, Zaheer exuded confidence that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team would do well. On Australia team, Zaheer said, "They talk more about the team they are playing against than their own. It is time they look at what their own team is doing and stop worrying about others." Zaheer was hopeful of returning to the national side and going though regular fitness drills to keep himself fit. Zaheer, who had undergone an 'arthroscopic labral repair' on his left shoulder in South Africa mid-July and subsequently a rehabilitation programme, said he was currently working on his fitness.
"I have been bowling for a while and have been regularly practising for the last two weeks. I am trying to gain my bowling fitness. That is why I am playing domestic games, to judge where I stand in a match," the bowler said on the sideline of a promotional event. The left-arm pacer picked up the injury during the second edition of Indian Premier League, where he was playing for the Mumbai Indians.

"I miss playing cricket, and that is for sure that I want to get back to playing cricket," said the 30-year-old, who missed both the Twenty20 World Cup in England and Champions Trophy in South Africa. The cricketer was also of the opinion that injury is the part and parcel of a pace bowler. "Injury is part and parcel of the game. You can delay the process, but cannot escape it. I have a positive mindset and focus on controlling levels. That is what I look at," Zaheer said.

"As far as playing matches goes, I endorse playing a lot of games especially for a bowler to ensure match fitness irrespective of whether it was of club or international standard," he added.

"I am playing domestic game at this time, which is important for me to get back to international cricket."

Article source Times Of India.Indiatimes

Matches Result

2009-10-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

October 16, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

Somerset vs Eagles, 2nd Match League A

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Umpires: R Koertzen (SA) and A Saheba (IND) Third Umpire: D Harper (AUS)

Match Referee: S Venkataraghavan (IND)

Eagles won by 5 wickets
Man Of Match :Cornelius de Villier

October 16, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

IP Trinidad and Tobago vs IP New South Wales, 3rd Match League A

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Umpires: D Harper (AUS) and A Saheba (IND) Third Umpire: R Koertzen (SA)

Match Referee: S Venkataraghavan (IND)

Trinidad and Tobago won by 4 wickets
Man of the Match: Kieron Pollard

Dravid dropped, Sehwag returns for Australia series

2009-10-15T10:49:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: Veteran batsman Rahul Dravid was, on Thursday, dropped while the dashing duo of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh returned to India's 15-member squad for the first two ODIs against Australia starting on October 25.Dravid, who was surprisingly named in India's Champions Trophy squad, found himself out of favour again after just one tournament. Out of form pacer RP Singh, wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik and young all-rounder Abhishek Nayar were also left out of the squad announced by the BCCI. Rookie Uttar Pradesh pacer Sudeep Tyagi was the lone new face in the squad, which also marked the return of Munaf Patel and young all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The BCCI said Yuvraj, who is currently nursing a fractured finger, will be completely fit by October 28 for the second one-dayer in Nagpur and might be available for the first one-dayer as well on October 25 in Vadodara. "Selectors are advised that Yuvraj would definitely be fit to play on October 28. It is possible that he may be able to play the first match as well," BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement.
The squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Munaf Patel, Sudeep Tyagi.

Matches Result

2009-10-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

October 15, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

IP Bangalore vs IP Victoria, 1st Match League B

M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Umpires: B Jerling (SA) and S Tarapore (IND) Third Umpire: R Tiffin (ZIM)

Match Referee: J Srinath (IND)

Victoria won by 7 wickets
Man of the Match: Andrew McDonald

Sehwag set to return, Pathan likely to be axed

2009-10-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

CHENNAI: Opener Virender Sehwag is set to return, while off-colour all-rounder Yusuf Pathan is likely to be axed when the selectors pick the Indian squad for the first two One-dayers against Australia on Thursday. Sehwag has been out of international cricket owing to a shoulder injury that required surgery and the opener missed both the Twenty20 World Cup in England and Champions Trophy in South Africa. The right-hander, however, is set to make a comeback to the national team on Thursday when Krishnamachari Srikkanth and his colleagues in the Senior Selection Committee select the team for the first two of the seven ODIs against Australia. Baroda all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, meanwhile, is almost certain to be dropped, especially with Yuvraj Singh likely to return from a finger injury that kept him out of the Champions Trophy.

The BCCI is yet to receive the details of his fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore but subject to his clearing the procedure, Yuvraj will be back to the squad, according to sources. The selectors will also debate on whether to persist with Rahul Dravid, who made a come back to the 50-overs format after a two-year hibernation. According to sources, selectors may drop Ishant Sharma as well, bringing in Uttar Pradesh pacer Sudeep Tyagi in his place. Another pacer Zaheer Khan, who is recovering from a shoulder surgery, has not proved himself in match situation and hence is said to have been ruled out of contention. Apart from Tyagi, Abhishek Nayar is also expected to get the selectors' nod for the ODIs in Vadodara (October 25) and Nagpur (October 28).

The selection committee would, in all probability, would suggest rotating the bowlers.

"We always go by the observations of the core group of coaches for the national team and we believe we have young, talented players in our three-graded contracted system," said a selector.

"We also believe that we need to rotate players in the bowling department. Accordingly, the seniors are likely to retain their spots, while the second spinner and the medium pacers in the team are to be rotated for the seven matches," he added. In the spin department, Harbhajan Singh would remain the frontline tweaker, while Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha would play in turns in the seven-match series. The Australians commence their campaign on October 25 at Vadodara and play the seventh and final tie at Mumbai on November 11.

Article Source Times Of India.India Times

Matches Result

2009-10-14T13:41:00.000-07:00

October 14, 2009

Champions T20 League 2009-10

IP Hyderabad vs IP Trinidad and Tobago, 12th Match Group A

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Umpires: D Harper (AUS) and R Koertzen (SA) Third Umpire: A Saheba (IND)

Match Referee: S Venkataraghavan (IND)

Trinidad and Tobago won by 3 runs
Man of the Match: Dwayne Bravo

Younis quits captaincy after grilling by MPs

2009-10-13T10:42:00.000-07:00

ISLAMABAD: An annoyed Younis Khan on Tuesday quit captaincy of the Pakistan team after being grilled by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, which wanted him to explain the team's performance in the recent Champions Trophy.The standing committee had asked Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt, Younis, coach Intikhab Alam and manager Yawar Saeed to explain their defeat against Australia and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy and the Pakistan captain was upset at the grilling. It was not immediately known whether the Pakistan Cricket Board has accepted his resignation or were persuading him to re-consider his decision. Television reports said that PCB has rejected his resignation. The hostile parliamentarians raised a number of questions on the team's performance in those two matches in the backdrop of allegations that the cricketers tanked those games.

Younis got so annoyed with the allegations that he tendered his resignation, something he had warned earlier. Other officials, however, were more restrained in their response and tried to convince the parliamentarians that the players could not be blamed for those defeats since it's all part of the game. They said it was just not Pakistan's day when they lost those matches. The standing committee did not look too perturbed with Younis' sudden resignation, which they described as an internal matter of the PCB.

The 31-year-old Younis, who had led Pakistan to Twenty20 World Cup triumph earlier this year, faced harsh criticism after the team crashed out in the semifinal of the Champions Trophy. A provincial Sports Minister, who happens to be a PCB Governing Council member, raised match-fixing allegations, while others sniffed an Indian conspiracy behind Pakistan's early ouster from the tournament in South Africa. Pakistan cricket plunged into fresh crisis on Tuesday with Younis stepping down as captain of the national team in dramatic circumstances and refusing to take back his resignation despite persuasion by the Chairman of the Cricket Board. The high drama took place during the hearing of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports in Islamabad which was being held to discuss the performance of the national team in the recent Champions Trophy. Younis submitted his resignation during the hearing to the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaj Butt, protesting the statement made by the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Sports Jamshed Dasti, who had alleged that the team had deliberately under-performed against Australia and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy.

More drama followed as Butt returned the resignation to Younis and Jamshed Dasti told the angry cricketer that his statement had been misunderstood and he never made any match-fixing allegations against him or his teammates. But when the hearing ended and Butt came out of the hearing and sat in the car, the 31-year-old Younis came running behind him and again handed over his resignation. "Younis told the Chairman he didn't want to be captain and left in his car," an eyewitness said. Butt later told reporters that he had full confidence in the leadership abilities of Younis and had told him to take back his resignation. "But obviously if this matter is not resolved, then it would be discussed at the meeting of the governing council on October 19," Butt said.

Younis, who had led Pakistan to the Twenty20 World Cup triumph earlier this year, was hurt by the match-fixing allegations levelled at him and his teammates after they crashed out in the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. A provincial sports minister, also a PCB Governing Council member, alleged an Indian hand behind Pakistan's semifinal defeat, while others felt Pakistan had tanked their matches against Australia and New Zealand. Younis played the semi-final match with a fractured finger and dropped a crucial catch that proved costly and it only added fuel to the fire at home.

Article Source Times Of India