A Cricketing Guiness(latest news & information)

greame smith afraid of Afghanistan

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:30:00 +0500

Afghanistan, who have honed their cricket skills in a war zone, may pose more of a threat to South Africa’s hopes of winning the Twenty20 World Cup than the leading nations, captain Graeme Smith said.
“Afghanistan are a potential banana skin because they are unknown but they have a lot of talented cricketers, they’ve overtaken all the others in the minnow division. It’s going to be nerve-wracking playing them,” Smith told reporters on Tuesday.

“I read their opener (Karim Sadiq) said he was not scared of facing Dale Steyn and I wouldn’t be either if I grew up in a war zone. That’s the thing, they have no fear and they have nothing to lose, which makes them dangerous.”

South Africa have been grouped with former champions India and Afghanistan in Group C in the tournament which begins on April 30 in West Indies.

While Smith and his team mates know the strengths and weaknesses of the Indians having played against them for years, Afghanistan will be unknown packages as the competition will be their first major international event.

Smith said fast bowler Steyn could turn out to be his trump card as he has been in impressive form for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which ends this weekend.

“Dale bowling so aggressively in the IPL was a major positive. He showed he can bowl at 150 kph and take wickets, and we can really use that sort of gem,” Smith said.

South Africa are also keen to make amends for their shock semi-final exit last year, when despite being favourites they were beaten by eventual champions Pakistan.

“Some of the guys are frustrated and are really motivated to do well. They’re crying out for opportunity after the IPL,” Smith added.

Indian Police Raided IPL franchises

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:27:00 +0500

Offices of a number of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises were raided by police, Indian media said on Wednesday, amid the growing IPL corruption saga.

Punjab, Kolkata, Chennai and Rajasthan franchises were reportedly raided by police.

It was also reported that India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) will inquire into the ‘unauthorised transfer’ of foreign funds in the IPL, after registering a case against the cash-rich cricket league.

A report in Indian daily The Hindu quotes ED officials as saying that funds from abroad, without the permission of RBI, might have trickled in to the IPL.

Meanwhile, vice president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Ravi Shukla said that the BCCI’s governing council meeting will take decision on the on-going IPL saga while keeping in mind the image and welfare of the board.
Modi wants to postpone the meeting of the governing council.

The meeting is scheduled for April 26 after uproar by politicians and lawmakers prompted the Indian government to initiate an investigation. The investigation will primarily be concentrated into the financing of the IPL after allegations of corruption emerged recently.

PTI quoted unidentified sources as saying that Modi has told the BCCI that he would not be able to attend Monday's meeting as he needed more time to prepare himself to respond to any questions relating to the funding and the ownership pattern of the eight franchises.

Modi is facing a probe into accusations of money laundering but has received support from owners of the IPL teams.

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who is the co-owner of the Rajasthan team said Modi should not be judged guilty until proven.

Shetty said that the media and politicians should refrain from jumping to conclusions about Modi without proof.

Mumbai Indians In the Final Of IPL-3

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 01:25:00 +0500

Everything changed in the last five overs of the Mumbai Indians' innings. The game was in a deadlock at the end of 15 overs with Mumbai on 107 for 4 - some might have even felt that Royal Challengers Bangalore held the edge - but things took a dramatic turn from there on. Saurabh Tiwary hit an enterprising half-century and Kieron Pollard played a delightful cameo to charge Mumbai to 184 for 5 at the DY Patil Stadium. It was a bridge too far even for the batting-heavy Bangalore and they never really threatened to get anywhere close to the target. The 35-run win took Mumbai to the final, and sealed their qualification for the Champions League Twenty20 to be held in September.

It was always going to be a difficult chase and things got really tough for Bangalore in the tenth over with the fall of Robin Uthappa and Rahul Dravid off successive deliveries. Bangalore had reached 80 for 2 from nine overs and had already lost Kevin Pietersen to a smart leg-side stumping by Ambati Rayudu off Harbhajan Singh; they then suffered the twin blows that effectively killed the contest. Uthappa was in hot form, collecting 18 runs from Harbhajan's over with the help of two thumping sixes, but he dragged a slower one straight to deep midwicket.

Before Bangalore could recover from that asphyxiating blow, they lost Dravid, who had played a fluent knock, to a run-out resulting from a misunderstanding with Ross Taylor. And though Taylor hung around for a while, he couldn't produce any miracle tonight. Bangalore were left to rue their ordinary effort in the field in the last five overs where they lost the game.

The game actually changed in character twice during Mumbai's innings: first after the first time-out was taken at the end of seven overs, and second from the 15th over onwards. Mumbai had recovered after the early fall of Sachin Tendulkar, courtesy an impish knock from Rayudu who counter-attacked initially before settling down, to reach 62 for 2 in seven overs, but were gradually choked by the slower bowlers. In the next six overs, before the second time-out was taken, only 31 runs came with the addition of two wickets.

Things looked desperate for Mumbai but Tiwary looted 17 runs from the 16th over bowled by Jacques Kallis to turn things around. The first delivery, a slower one, was swung over the midwicket boundary; the fourth was bludgeoned to midwicket for a four; and the fifth ran away to fine-leg boundary via an inside-edge. Mumbai had broken free and continued to indulge themselves in the end overs.

Anil Kumble, who, before then, had combined well with Pietersen, handed back the initiative as he conceded 17 runs in the 17th over. It was Tiwary, again, who did the damage. He made use of a freehit to collect a boundary to backward square-leg before flat-batting a six to the straight boundary, as Kumble's visage grew angrier. It was the image of the night.

Pollard joined in the fun right in the end, with his big lofted drives, to further boost Mumbai. Pollard pinged the long-off boundary with two sixes against Vinay Kumar and slugged Dale Steyn over long-on for another six as Mumbai finished off in style. And so, after 41 days of non-stop action, Mumbai entered their first final in the three years of IPL.

source(cricinfo)

Tamim May Miss T-20 Worldcup(latest Cricket News)

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:21:00 +0500

Bangladesh batsman Tamim Iqbal may miss the Twenty20 World Cup after aggravating an existing hand injury in a domestic match last week, with an MRI scan revealing the opener had suffered a wrist fracture.

“Tamim has a small fracture line present in his wrist. However, this is an old injury and during his recent fall, he aggravated this area and the surrounding soft tissue,” team

physio Michael Henry told Reuters on Monday.“We are hopeful that he will be fit for the upcoming ICC World Twenty20. However, we need to wait three days to see how well he recovers before confirming his status,” Henry added.

Tamim said he was unable to move the injured hand and was also in a lot of pain.

“The bad news is that I am not gaining strength in my hand but the good news is I didn't suffer a new fracture. It is just an aggravation of my old injury,” Tamim said.

“If I get back my gripping strength maybe I can still play in the World Cup, otherwise I will not,” he added.

Bangladesh are riding a 10-match losing streak in Twenty20 internationals and face defending champions Pakistan and Australia in Group A at the April 30-May 16 tournament in the Caribbean. —Reuters

source(dawn news)

Morkel, Taylor Signed Durham

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:18:00 +0500

South African all-rounder Albie Morkel and New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor have agreed to play for Durham in England's domestic Twenty20 competition this season.

Taylor, 25, who recently hit a record 81-ball century for his country, will join up with the squad ahead of their first fixture, against Lancashire on June 4.

Morkel returns for his second stint with the county after helping the side reach the Twenty20 Cup finals day in 2008.

He said: I was eager to take up the opportunity to come back to the Riverside after my first stint there in 2008.

“It's a great club to be a part of, there is a lot of ambition and team spirit in the dressing room and I'm looking forward to joining back up with the team.”

Both players will be representing their respective countries in the ICC World T20 in the West Indies before joining up with the Durham squad.

Sami, Rehman to replace injured players in T20 squad

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:12:00 +0500

Fast bowler Mohammad Sami and left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman have been included in the World T20 squad in place of the unfit seasoned fast bowler Umar Gul and all-rounder Yasir Arafat as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) overruled the choice of the little-known fast bowler Mohammad Irfan, announced by Coach Waqar Younis and Chief Selector Mohsin Hasan Khan before the media earlier on Sunday.

“The national selection committee headed by Mohsin Khan has recommended the names of Mohammad Sami and Abdul Rehman to replace the injured Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat for the ICC World Twenty20. The names have been approved by PCB chairman,” stated a short press release from the board on Monday.

The PCB, on Sunday, faced much embarrassment when head coach Waqar stunned everyone at a press conference by revealing that Sami and Irfan would be making the squad in place of the two injured fast bowlers.

In fact, both Yasir and Umar were still to appear before the medical panel on April 20 in order to clear their final fitness test, so no one was expecting the sudden announcement, especially about Irfan, who was not even included in the preliminary list of 30 probables.

Waqar’s announcement was endorsed by Mohsin as well. But then came a press release from the PCB, indicating that something was wrong as it stated that the changes would need the PCB chairman’s approval, who is the authority for giving the final nod in such instances.

Commenting on the new development, Coach Waqar told Dawn: “The names of Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Sami were recommended by the captain and myself while keeping our strategy in mind. But what can I do, they opted for Abdul Rehman!”

source(dawn News)

Sehwag out of Twenty20 World Cup

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:11:00 +0500

Explosive India opener Virender Sehwag is out of the Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean that starts next week due to a shoulder problem.

“Sehwag has sustained a shoulder injury and been advised to rest for three to four weeks,” the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) said in a statement on Tuesday.

The batsman, who has been struggling for form in the Indian Premier League, played in Delhi Daredevils's final game in the competition on Sunday.

Sehwag has been replaced by in-form Murali Vijay for the April 30-May 16 Twenty20 World Cup after gaining clearance from tournament organisers.

India, champions in 2007, are in Group C with South Africa and Afghanistan.

source(dawn news )

ICC to start Night Test Matches After a year

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:00:00 +0500

Test cricket in the dark under floodlights is still at least a year away despite optimistic suggestions that next month's Lord's test between England and Bangladesh could be a day-night fixture. “England-Bangladesh has proved a bit premature,” International Cricket Council (ICC) general manager of cricket Dave Richardson told Reuters in a telephone interview.

“Certainly it's not going to happen now. “I think that come the English season next year we will certainly be able to say we have a ball that has the traditional qualities of the old and doesn't lose its colour.”

Last month's English season curtainraiser between the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and champion county Durham was staged in Abu Dhabi under lights with a pink ball.

A pink ball was first used in a match between MCC and Scotland two years ago and there have been similar experiments since in Australia and West Indies.

The traditional red ball is difficult to pick up in artificial light and, although white balls are used successfully in day-night one-day cricket, the players wear coloured clothing and black sightscreens are employed.

Cricket authorities would prefer test matches to be played in white clothing with white sightscreens, which is why different coloured balls that can be seen clearly against white backgrounds are being trialled.

“I think it is fair to say there is some work to do to develop a ball that can retain its colour,” Richardson said. “The only way we can play cricket at night is by having a ball which provides enough contrast between its colour and the background.

“That's also the reason why you also hear so many people say it's difficult to bat in twilight conditions because the contrast isn't big enough between the colour of the ball, no matter what it is, and the background,” added Richardson.

“Anecdotal evidence at the moment is probably if we can find a white form that retains its colour or remains clean for longer that will probably be the best option.”

COLOURED CLOTHING

Richardson said the next step was to hold scientific investigations “to see what is the best colour, what looks best, what presents the best contrast, is it pink on black, is it pink on white or is it the white ball on the black sightscreen?

“That's the trouble with ancedotal evidence, we think we have to back it up with a bit more science. “You could go with a synthetic ball which stays nice and bright and white for longer but behaves totally differently to the traditional cricket ball, particularly in test cricket when you want the ball to age and have reverse swing and for the spinners to have their say later in the game,” said Richardson.

If a white ball is seen as the best option, the debate over coloured clothing in test cricket will be reopened. The ICC is anxious to promote test cricket in the face of the growing popularity of the Twenty20 game and abandoning white clothing might be seen as a necessary sacrifice.

“It is a debate we would love to engage in because I am not totally sure of removing the white clothing in test cricket,” ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat told Reuters on Tuesday.

“There's a part of me that still wants to keep that. We need to apply our minds very carefully if we are going to change some fundamentals. I couldn't venture a guess when but I would say the sooner we could get to a ball that works, the sooner we could get to test cricket on a day-night basis. I am just excited at the concept and we have to be open-minded to new ideas,” added Lorgat. -Reuters

ICC plannng for Contingency planning for Worldcup T-20

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:58:00 +0500

The ICC is making plans to fly up to seven teams from Dubai to the World Twenty20 in West Indies amid concerns that a volcanic ash cloud could otherwise prevent them from reaching the tournament.

The International Cricket Council says the plan calls for Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, South Africa and Bangladesh to transit through Dubai on Sunday or Monday before being flown to West Indies on a charter flight.

Ireland, Zimbabwe and West Indies are already in the Caribbean for the April 30 start of the tournament. New Zealand will fly there via the United States.

England's plans have to be sorted, with nearly half the team possibly coming from India after playing in the India Premier League.

lalit modi Refuses to Quit

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:56:00 +0500

IPL founder and commissioner Lalit Modi has refused to quit, saying that all reports of him stepping down were mere speculation.

Speaking to reporters at the Mumbai airport on Tuesday, Modi stated that there was no need for him to step down. Earlier in the day, former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar asked Shashank Manohar that Lalit Modi has to go after Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister Chidambaram met him at his residence.

Pawar said that a decision on Modi will be taken by the IPL governing council.

Sussex won against surrey

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:22:00 +0500

Sussex 416 and 33 for 0 beat Surrey 205 and 243 by 10 wickets

Sussex needed just 33 minutes to wrap up a 10-wicket victory over Surrey on the final day of their Division Two match at Hove.

Surrey had not added to their overnight score of 243 for 9 when they lost Jade Dernbach to the tenth ball of the day, the number 11 edging to slip to give spinner Monty Panesar his second wicket.

That left Sussex with a token victory target of 33, and openers Mike Yardy and Chris Nash needed just 6.4 overs to knock off the runs. The pair hit two boundaries apiece as Yardy finished 17 not out, with Nash 12 not out from just 14 balls.

Surrey opened the bowling with off-spinner Gareth Batty to make sure they did not incur a points deduction for a slow over rate but that was little compensation after a crushing defeat.

To make matters worse for the visitors, who also lost their opening Championship game against Derbyshire, skipper Rory Hamilton-Brown left the ground on crutches. Hamilton-Brown suffered bad bruising to the top of his left foot when he was hit by Luke Wright's yorker on the third day, although he expects to be fit in time for Surrey's next Championship game against Worcestershire on Wednesday.

Sussex head to Bristol for their next game having won both of their opening matches as they bid to make an immediate return to Division One. But they will face Gloucestershire without skipper Yardy and Wright, who will be preparing with the England squad for the Twenty20 World Cup.

glamorgan beats middlesex

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:21:00 +0500

Glamorgan 315 and 219 beat Middlesex 160 and 296 by 78 runs

Glamorgan secured their first Championship victory at Lord' s in 56 years after mopping up the last six Middlesex wickets in just over two hours to win by 78 runs and with 62 overs to spare.

It was former Middlesex all-rounder turned Glamorgan captain Jamie Dalrymple who proved they key figure in securing his county's first win of the Division Two campaign, leaving the hosts to contemplate their second defeat in as many starts. It was Dalrymple's off-spin that accounted for Middlesex top-scorer Dawid Malan for an excellent 115, a dismissal that ultimately exposed the Middlesex tail to the second new ball and made the result a foregone conclusion.

durham, essex match drawn

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:19:00 +0500

Dual champions Durham needed plenty of backs-to-the-wall defiance, and some help from above, to eke out a draw against promoted Essex at the Riverside.

A record 212-run third-wicket stand between Michael Di Venuto (99) and Dale Benkenstein (98) and half-centuries from Ian Blackwell (52) and Phil Mustard (60no) shored Durham up at 352 for 7.

They had inched 66 runs in front by the time rain and bad light closed in for the second time to take out 34 overs and compromise Essex's bowling options on the final evening.

They therefore did not after all suffer a first home defeat since June 2008, in their opening Division One match of this summer. But four points were nonetheless the sum total of their efforts - hardly a portentous start in pursuit of a third successive title.

Tim Phillips' four wickets helped to keep Durham in trouble, after they had made much of the stuff for themselves by losing nine wickets and stumbling to 4 for 2 following on during a calamitous afternoon yesterday.

The slow left-armer dismissed Di Venuto and Benkenstein in the half hour before lunch today, and again struck in successive overs this afternoon. Di Venuto and Benkenstein had reprised their partnership for another 90 minutes until Phillips (4 for 102) struck for the first time.

Benkenstein, who edged Chris Wright just short of Alastair Cook at first slip on 63, managed only a single in the first eight overs. But he then crunched a pull off Wright for six into the members' stand. The former captain was also hit on the helmet when Graham Napier got a short ball to follow him. Like Di Venuto, though, Benkenstein kept chipping away the arrears - mostly through a packed and unorthodox leg-side field Napier had devised to snare him.

Progress became serene for the two Durham lynchpins, and a century for each seemed close on inevitable until Benkenstein lifted a drive at Phillips to a short mid-off - and two overs later, Di Venuto pushed out at one that did not turn and edged to slip.

At least one more partnership of substance would therefore be needed to keep Essex at bay, and the first to try were Ben Stokes and Blackwell. The latter began with a crunching extra-cover drive for four first ball and another swept boundary in the same Phillips over. But Stokes pulled Ryan ten Doeschate tamely to midwicket to leave his team-mates with a fair bit of hard work still to do.

All went well again for the hosts, though, for most of the afternoon as Blackwell and Mustard's fifties threatened to make the game safe. The second new ball brought 36 runs and no wickets in 10 overs. Blackwell shared a stand of 82 with Mustard until, under increasingly gloomy skies, he found himself trooping off with much self-admonishment after somehow allowing a ball from Phillips to trickle down off his forward defensive bat to hit the bottom of leg-stump and dislodge one bail.

In Phillips' next over, umpire Richard Kettleborough decided Liam Plunkett had to go lbw for a duck - pushing a long way forward to a well-directed delivery. But Mustard was still up for the fight and completed his 79-ball half-century with his ninth boundary.

His strokeplay was a major asset in a situation where runs were as precious as overs ticked off. With forecast rain arriving, the umpires ordered the players off for what became an early tea.

A temporary improvement in the weather allowed Essex back on for just five overs - and they were robbed of their shot at a notable win to follow last week's success at home to Hampshire.

hampshire confirms talks with brett lee

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 22:16:00 +0500

Hampshire confirmed they are in talks with Australian paceman Brett Lee over a possible move to the Rose Bowl.

Lee, 33, has retired from Test cricket following persistent injury problems but still hopes to play a role in limited-overs cricket for Australia.

He is in Australia's squad for the World Twenty20 which begins April 30 but is currently recovering from a broken thumb he picked up playing for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.

A statement from Hampshire read: "Hampshire Cricket can confirm that talks are ongoing with Brett Lee about playing for Hampshire this season. These talks are at an advanced stage, and we will hope to make a further announcement in due course."

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:01:00 +0500

Pakistan’s campaign for their World Twenty20 title defence was dealt a blow on Sunday when Umar Gul was withdrawn from the squad.

Gul, and all-rounder Yasir Arafat had been reeling from injuries for the last two weeks and were replaced by fast bowlers Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Irfan.

“Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat failed to recover from their injuries and have therefore been dropped from the squad,” Pakistan’s coach Waqar Younis was quoted as saying by DawnNews.

Younis said Sami and Irfan will be included in the 15-man squad before their departure for the Caribbean next week.

Gul, Pakistan's most successful bowler in the Twenty20 format and their leading wicket-taker at the last two World Cups, has a shoulder injury and Yasir a calf problem.

“They are very good at this form of the sport and proven performers but we have to manage with the players we have available,” coach Waqar Younis said.

Gul was hopeful of recovering in time but coach Younis and chief selector Mohsin Khan insisted that no player will be part of the squad unless he is fully fit.

“We have recommended the names of fast bowler Mohammad Sami and another young pace bowler Mohammad Irfan to the board Chairman for final approval as replacements,” chief selector Mohsin Khan told reporters on Sunday.

With 43 wickets and best bowling figures of 5/6 (against New Zealand in the 2009 World Twenty20), Gul is a world-record holding bowler in the shortest format of the game.

West Indian fast bowler Tino Best has signed for Yorkshire

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 21:00:00 +0500

West Indian fast bowler Tino Best has signed for Yorkshire until the end of May but his debut could be delayed due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland, the English county cricket club said on Saturday.

Best, who has taken 28 test and 13 one day international wickets, is set to play in the county championship match against Kent starting on Wednesday but is currently unable to fly to Britain.

The 28-year-old played for Yorkshire against Lancashire on the club's pre-season tour of Barbados and impressed with figures of 1-12 from 14 overs.

“I'm looking forward to seeing his bowling cause problems for our opponents and I'm sure he will be a real asset to the Yorkshire side,” director of professional cricket Martyn Moxon said on the club's website

asif and Veena become friends again

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:58:00 +0500

The scuffle between pace bowler Mohammad Asif and actress Veena Malik ended on Saturday when both the stars met during a press conference at Veena’s house.

Asif said that his friend Zahid Saif will deal all the issues with Veena. While answering a question in a press conference Veena said that they have some misunderstandings due to lack of communication

T-20 Worlcup Warmup Matches Shedule

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:57:00 +0500

Pakistan, led by dashing all-rounder Shahid Afridi, will arrive in the Caribbeans next week, with their eyes firmly set on the T20 title.

However, they have not been able to manage tough warm-up games ahead of the World Cup and will end up playing a Windward XI comprising West Indian hopefuls and Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, England both games are in Barbados, on April 28 and 29 respectively, before they start their Group D campaign against hosts West Indies in Guyana on 3 May.

India are the only team to opt against playing any warm-up matches, while Sri Lanka will play just one. Their decisions may have been influenced by many of their players’ involvement in the Indian Premier League, which does not finish until April 25.

Captain Paul Collingwood is one of five England players who will feature in the IPL, along with Kevin Pietersen, Eoin Morgan, Ravi Bopara and Michael Lumb.

Australia are to prepare for the event by taking on Zimbabwe and the Windwards XI in St Lucia, which is also the venue for their opening Group A match against Pakistan on 3 May.

Unlike England, West Indies play their warm-up games - against Afghanistan and New Zealand - in the same location as their Group D fixtures, Guyana.

The upcoming tournament in the Windies was originally scheduled to be a 50-over Champions Trophy, but it was shortened to a World Twenty20 after the 2008 Champions Trophy was postponed by 12 months because of security concerns in Pakistan. It was eventually played in South Africa in September 2009.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said at the time: “Although the World Twenty20 is to be held every second year, we decided to hold two on the trot to set the calendar right and ensure a better spread of tournaments.

Australia Monitoring security situation in India

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:56:00 +0500

New Zealand has no plans to cancel its cricket tour of India and the Australian team is still on track for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi despite a double bomb blast at an Indian Premier League stadium in Bangalore overnight.

Cricket Australia said it was closely monitoring the security situation in India after two small bombs exploded outside Chinnaswamy Stadium just before a match between Bangalore and Mumbai on Saturday, injuring 14 people and panicking fans.

latest Cricket News(IPL semi finals shifted to Mumbai from Banglore)

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:55:00 +0500

The semi-finals of the Indian Premier League were shifted from Bangalore on Sunday, after police defused three bombs outside a stadium.

The semi-final matches, scheduled to be played on April 21 and 22, will now be played in Mumbai’s D.Y. Patil stadium, Indian Premier League (IPL) organisers said.

Indian police defused three bombs in Bangalore and were examining possible terror links, officials said, a day after 14 people were wounded in two small blasts.

Bombs set by timer devices went off outside a packed Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore minutes before a match in the IPL which features many foreign players, was due to begin on Saturday.

latest cricket news(IPL will cooperate in tax issues:modi)

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:08:00 +0500

IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi on Thursday said he will fully cooperate with the income tax officials inquiring into the details of the competing teams.

“There is an inquiry, it is not a raid. The income tax officials are possibly looking for the details of the tender (for Kochi team). We will extend all possible cooperation to them,” IPL commissioner Lalit Modi said.

Immediately after the income tax officials visited the offices of BCCI-IPL at Wankhede stadium, Modi rushed to the headquarters to meet them. There were reports, earlier this week, that income tax and Enforcement Directorate could seek the details of the IPL franchise, particularly Kochi in the face of a major controversy involving some of the promoters.

Modi had divulged names of the Kochi franchise while alleging that Minister of State for External Affairs, Shashi Tharoor had asked him not to reveal the names of the promoters which included Sunanda Pushkar, a close friend of his.

Earlier on Thursday morning, a special team of the Income Tax Department visited the headquarters of the cash-rich T20 Indian Premiere League (IPL) in connection with an inquiry into financial details and share holding patterns of all the IPL franchisees.

Sources maintained that the visit cannot be termed as a “survey or a search” and that it was undertaken under Section 133 (6) of the Income Tax Act which pertains to the power to call for information. The team also sought some documents.

The income tax department has created a special cell in Mumbai to keep a tab on all income generated by the IPL, the sources said. It said the probe has been initiated to find out if there is any illegal flow of funds or whether any black money in being pumped into the sporting extravaganza including from foreign shores.—Agencies

latest cricket news(surrey trying to sign lara)

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:06:00 +0500

English county Surrey are reportedly trying to tempt West Indies great Brian Lara out of retirement in a bid to have the legendary batsman play Twenty20 cricket for the Oval-based side this season.

The former West Indies captain retired from international duty after the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and has not played competitively for two years.
However, the BBC website quoted a Surrey statement as saying: “We have been in discussion with Brian regarding his possible involvement with the club.
“However we have no further comment to make at this stage.”Bringing left-hander Lara, 41 next month, to the Oval would represent a major coup for Surrey, although whether he could be a force in a format that was in its infancy when he retired remains an open question.

His tally of 11,953 Test runs, at an average of just under 53 with 34 hundreds, is second only to that of India star Sachin Tendulkar.But it is Lara who still holds the world record for the highest individual Test score with 400 not out against England in Antigua in 2004.

Lara also averaged 40.48 in 299 one-day internationals.

Immediately recognisable at the crease thanks to a distinctively high back-lift, few batsmen in history have been blessed with the ability to make huge scores as often as Lara at his best.

In the space of two months in 1994, Lara’s 375 and 501 not out (for Warwickshire against Durham in the English County Championship) broke world records for the highest Test and first-class scores respectively.

He also enjoyed a stellar home series against the 1999 Australian tourists, who boasted a formidable bowling unit featuring two greats in Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, with a run of 213, eight, 153 not out and 100.

But it was Lara’s misfortune to play the bulk of his international cricket in a generally weak West Indies team and his spells as captain, although marked by occasional triumphs, were largely unsuccessful.

Surrey have already recruited controversial Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds to play Twenty20.

India’s junior foreign minister accused of recieving hidden stake in IPL

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:03:00 +0500

India’s junior foreign minister has denied wrongdoing in a brewing Indian Premier League cricket scandal.

Shashi Tharoor said in a statement in the Indian Parliament on Friday that he had not benefited from his association with the winning bidders for a new club to be based in the southern city of Kochi in next year’s edition of the lucrative Twenty20 IPL.

Tharoor has been accused of receiving a hidden stake in the team. Meanwhile, IPL chief Lalit Modi has been accused of trying to derail the Kochi group so another group of bidders can take its place.

“I have not benefited, and do not intend to benefit, in any way financial from my association with the team now or at a later stage,” Tharoor said his statement in the Parliament.

Kochi was one of two successful bidders to expand the immensely successful IPL to 10 city-based teams from next year. Kochi’s franchise was the second highest among bid tenders invited by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which sanctions the IPL, last month.

Tharoor was dragged into a public spat when Modi revealed details of the Kochi franchise ownership via his Twitter account, saying a friend of Tharoor had been given equity without paying for it.

“The notion that somebody is some sort of ‘proxy’ for me is frankly insulting to me and to the professionalism and business ethics of the investors and their associates, particularly since I could not have any role in influencing the final outcome of a sealed bidding process,” Tharoor said.
In the background of the public debate, income tax officials on Thursday began probing the accounts of the BCCI and the IPL.
Four income tax investigators visited the cricket board and IPL offices at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
“It is only an inquiry, not a raid,” said Modi, promising cooperation to the tax officials.
The Indian cricket board is the richest cricket organization in the world. It enjoys exemption from paying income tax, like other sports bodies in India. In recent years the tax department has sought to take away the exemption.

latest cricket news(schedule for india tour to zimbabwe)

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 16:00:00 +0500

India will tour Zimbabwe in May-June for a triangular one-day series with Sri Lanka as the third team, the Indian cricket board said Friday.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men will also play two Twenty20 internationals against the home side during the tour, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a press release.

Schedule:

May 28 - India vs Zimbabwe, Bulawayo

May 30 - India vs Sri Lanka, Bulawayo

June 1 - Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, Bulawayo

June 3 - Zimbabwe vs India, Harare

June 5 - India vs Sri Lanka, Harare

June 7 - Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, Harare

June 9 - Final, Harare

June 12 - 1st Twenty20, India vs Zimbabwe, Harare

June 13 - 2nd Twenty20, India vs Zimbabwe, Harare

latest cricket news(mohsin wants fir Umar gul for T-20 WOrldcup)

noreply@blogger.com (M.Adnan) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 15:59:00 +0500

Pakistan cricket chief selector Mohsin Khan has said he loves to have fast bowler Umar Gul in the squad for the World Twenty20, only if he is completely fit.

“I will send Gul to the West Indies only when he is 100 per cent fit,” Mohsin said.

He maintained that Gul was a world-class bowler and they would give him full chance to prove his fitness.

Doctors had advised the PCB to drop the fast bowler but Gul told the media the other day that he was doing his best to recover within time to join the squad on the Caribbean tour.

Final decision about Gul’s inclusion will be taken by Tuesday