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Nepal elects Maoist prime minister - Central & South Asia - Al Jazeera English

2011-09-02T03:06:00.000-07:00

Nepal elects Maoist prime minister - Central & South Asia - Al Jazeera English

Sri Lanka name T20 squad for Australia series

2011-07-30T20:11:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka Cricket on Saturday named a 16-man squad for the Twenty20 games of Australia's tour from August 6 to September 20.

The teams will play two Twenty20 games on August 6 and 8 at the newly-built Pallakelle International Stadium in the central town of Kandy which will also host the opening one-dayer and the second Test match.

The itinerary also includes a five one-day game series and three Tests.

Squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (captain), Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (vice captain), Jeevan Mendis, Dilruwan Perera, Thisara Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Suranga Lakmal, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Chamara Silva and Shaminda Eranga

Rana, Malik get one-year bans, Younis and Yousuf axed from teams

2010-03-10T02:43:00.000-08:00

The PCB has struck against its players with a venom unseen in recent memory, carrying out the deepest cull of a senior cricket team in many years and banning and fining seven of its top players after the side's disastrous, winless tour of Australia. It effectively banned Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf from playing for Pakistan in any format, while handing out one-year bans to Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. Shahid Afridi and the Akmal brothers were fined Rs2-3 million [$24,000-35,000] for various misdemeanours and put on six-month probations.

Action had been expected once details of the inquiry committee's report recommendations were leaked in the press on Monday and Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, had followed it up by saying "more than significant action" would be taken against players. While the punishments for Malik, Rana, Afridi and the Akmal brothers were expected, the action against Yousuf and Younis has caught most people off-guard.

"Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, keeping in view their infighting which resulted in bringing down the whole team, their attitude has a trickledown effect which is a bad influence for the whole team should not be part of national team in any format," the board said in its statement issued on Wednesday.

The PCB has stopped short of calling the punishment a life ban. "They will not be part of any Pakistan team in any format from here on," Taffazul Rizvi, the board's legal advisor told Cricinfo. "A life ban means they cannot play domestic cricket or any other similar cricket, but we are not stopping them from that. They can play domestic cricket or county cricket here and abroad."

Rizvi refused to elaborate on the nature of the pair's cases, but it is believed that the board had generally had enough with the two. Younis twice stepped down from the captaincy last year with player unrest against his leadership the underlying cause both times. Yousuf's sins are equally unclear, other than that he led a winless tour to Australia and engaged thereafter in a public battle with Malik.

The cases of indiscipline that have led to one-year bans on Malik and Rana, similarly, have not been expanded upon. "Rana Naved ul Hasan and Shoaib Malik be fined Rupees Two million. They should not be part of national team in any format for a period of one year."

Malik's name has figured persistently at the centre of speculation over the last year in inciting player unrest within the team, though nothing substantial has appeared in public to back that up. "We cannot discuss the specifics of the incident as we are under oath," Rizvi said. "But obviously we have taken action after much consideration and based on solid information."

In contrast, the cases of Akmal brothers and Shahid Afridi are straightforward. The brothers were fined for their behavior in the aftermath of the Sydney Test; Kamran was dropped by the board but insisted publicly he would be selected in the run-up to the third Test. Younger brother Umar was alleged to have feigned an injury to not play the Test in protest, though he did eventually play. Kamran has been fined Rs 3 million, Umar Rs 2 million and the pair are on probation.

Afridi was punished for the ball-biting incident in the Perth ODI, where he was captain. He has already been punished by the ICC, who immediately gave him a two-match ban. "For the shameful act of Shahid Khan Afridi, which has brought the game and country into disrepute, he be fined Rupees 3 million," the board said. "A warning be issued to him by the Chairman PCB and he be put on probation for 06 months, during which his conduct be strictly monitored."

Attention will turn now to how the players will respond. Legal action or appeals will be a consideration though Rizvi insisted the board was on solid ground. "We are on good ground with this," he said. "The PCB has done it thinking it is the right thing to do. It sets an example for the future."

As a whole, the action is almost unparalleled in even Pakistan's troubled history. The 2000 Justice Qayyum report had similar repercussions but that was about the graver concerns of corruption. This cull has been carried out, ostensibly, in a bid to curb indiscipline and player power.

Pakistan omit Shoaib Akhtar from Twenty20 squad

2010-02-26T07:20:00.000-08:00

Fri, Feb

Pakistan have omitted fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar from a 30-man preliminary squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies this year.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ejaz Butt told a news conference on Friday that Akhtar, 34, had not been considered because he had not played any international cricket since last May and had only recently resumed playing domestic cricket.

Pakistan are the defending champions after beating Sri Lanka in the final of last year's World Cup at Lord's.

Butt also told a news conference in Lahore that former fast bowler Waqar Younis had been offered the job of national coach after Pakistan lost all their test and limited overs internationals on their recent tour of Australia.

"We would like to see him take charge, we have made him an offer and we are now waiting for a reply from him," Butt said.

Tendulkar's glory untouched by fame

2010-02-26T07:15:00.000-08:00

Harsha Bhogle
February 26, 201

Sachin Tendulkar sugar-coated the recent reality of India and gave its people something to cheer about. It is not easy to possess the mandate to lift the spirits of such a large nation, but he has done that consistently. The comparison with Sir Donald Bradman is not restricted to his batting alone. Like the great man who brought cheer to post-war Australia, Tendulkar allowed India to momentarily forget fires and bombs and inflation and terrorist threats. It was like that with the century he made after England so graciously agreed to tour after the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. It has been like that for a long time. For better or worse cricket is more than a sport in India; Tendulkar is more than just a cricketer. Where our elected representatives callously fritter away the mandate people give them, Tendulkar has stayed true to it.

And he has never forgotten why he started playing the game in the first place. The best have lofty ambitions when they begin but soon commerce, like a tenacious worm, gnaws into them. Fame surrounds them and prevents the fresh air of reason from breaking through. They acquire sycophants, that great curse of success. Playing the game becomes a means to a seemingly superior, but in reality hollower, end. Tendulkar has kept those demons at bay. He has made more money than anyone else in the game, acquired greater fame than is imaginable, but you could never guess that from the way he plays his cricket. He remains the servant, pursues the game with purity. Through the last decade India have been well-served by like-minded giants.

And he works as hard as anybody has. Lance Armstrong once said that he wins the Tour de France not when he is cycling down the Champs Elysees but when he is out in the mountains facing icy winds while others are cosying in their blankets for an extra hour. Two years ago Tendulkar realised that his future lay in the way his body coped; that eventually his body rather than a bowler would get him. During the first IPL, as he struggled with a groin injury, he admitted that he found continuous rehab very difficult to live with. Once fit, he was like the child again, able to do what he wanted without worrying about whether his body was accomplice or traitor. And so he trained harder and rested well. You could see the effect as he scampered between wickets. Tendulkar's delightful second wind is the result of what you and I have not seen: hours in the gym and in training.



	The best have lofty ambitions when they begin but soon commerce, like a tenacious worm, gnaws into them. Fame surrounds them and prevents the fresh air of reason from breaking through. They acquire sycophants, that great curse of success

As a result, Tendulkar's endgame is nowhere in sight. He is peeling off centuries like he did in his prime. The old air of predictability is still around; he is grinding his way through when needed, clobbering the ball when required. In this extraordinary long-distance race he is running, this looks like a mid-race burst rather than the finishing kick his age suggests it should be.

So why has no one else scored a double-century in limited-overs cricket so far? Well, because it is very difficult for a start. Assuming 300 balls, you should expect to get no more than 150, which means you need to bat at a strike-rate of 133. You need to be mentally alert, because one casual shot, one moment of disrespect, could be your undoing. But, let's admit, the combination of pitches, outfields and boundary ropes has rarely tilted the balance so much in the batsman's favour. In Gwalior the groundsman told one half of the class they were not wanted. The bowlers were the extras in a movie, seeking, at best, a talking part. The stage had been prepared for Tendulkar but he still had to deliver an unforgettable performance.

Inevitably the question will be asked: what next? I know there is only one thing he genuinely covets, and that is not in his hands. In 12 months Tendulkar hopes to play his sixth and last World Cup. So far his relationship with the World Cup has been like that of a child who scurries to the rossogulla shop only to find it shut every time. If he was a golfer seeking a Masters win or a tennis player hoping to win another Grand Slam, he could plan for it but he doesn't hold the key to a win in a team sport. It must happen, he cannot make it happen. But what else? Frankly, I don't care.

Tendulkar's journey is about joy and purity and a landmark is merely a comfort stop.

Harsha Bhogle is a commentator, television presenter and writer

Feeds: Harsha Bhogle

2010-02-16T18:57:00.000-08:00

Tendulkar, Watson, Dilshan in contention

A Sachin Tendulkar special, a century that nearly chased 414, a hundred in the Champions Trophy final, a ton despite pain but in vain, and a match-winning hand against the old enemy. These are the five innings that have made the ESPNcricinfo awards shortlist for ODI innings of 2009.

Leading the list is Tendulkar's 175 against Australia in Hyderabad, an innings that evoked memories of his more explosive years. He single-handedly kept India alive in their pursuit of 351 but his dismissal in the 48th over resulted in defeat. A few months later,Rajkot was witness to another unbelievable century during a chase. Tillakaratne Dilshan clobbered 160 off 124 balls as Sri Lanka got within three runs of India's 414 but no further.

The other three contenders for the awards are innings during the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa: Shane Watson's unbeaten 105 which led Australia to victory in the final against New Zealand, Graeme Smith's desperate and cramp-ridden 141against England in a failed attempt to keep South Africa's campaign alive, and Shoaib Malik's 128 which methodically dismantled the Indian attack.

The top five were drawn on basis of votes from a 14-member jury that includes some of the leading cricket experts in the world and Cricinfo's senior editors.

A departure from the usual year-end awards looking at overall performances, ESPNCricinfo's honours are in two categories: a jury-based award looking at the year's best batting and bowling performances and a stats-based award using numbers from Cricinfo's extensive database.

The winners for all the awards will be announced on February 19.

In idea to make T20 more popular, fan beats Sachin

2009-09-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

A cricket fan in the city has scored over Sachin Tendulkar. But Sachin won't mind at all, because it's all for making the T20 version of cricket more popular.

Both of them have come up with an idea to keep spectator interest in the shorter version of the game alive for a longer time. The fan came up with it earlier.

Sachin had on September 4 suggested that T20 be made a two-innings game to jack up its popularity.

On September 1, Kaustubh Savarkar, a cricket fan from Pune, had submitted a detailed proposal on almost the same lines to the International Cricket Council (ICC). Savarkar, who is finance manager with an MNC, had written to the ICC on September 1 and had got a reply on September 2 saying the proposal would be forwarded to the ICC operational committee.

Savarkar, who has played cricket for his college team in Nanded, had in fact got the brainwave in February. He had prepared a detailed proposal and sent it to BCCI in March.

"I got a reply but the officials told me to forward it through the local cricket association. I forwarded it to the Maharashtra Cricket Association. A senior BCCI official suggested me to send it to ICC instead. I sent it to the ICC on September 1 through e-mail and got reply that my proposal would be forwarded to the operational committee of the ICC and they would get back if required," Savarkar told Newsline.

Savarkar's proposal is based on the idea of giving a "second chance" to the teams, while keeping the audience interest high. He has named the proposed format 2T20. "The logic is simple. Both teams will play 20 overs each in the two innings and whoever scores higher wins. This will be a mix of test, one-day and T20 formats," says Savarkar who has even made a provision of follow-on in this format if the team batting second in the first innings is not able to score more than 80 per cent runs of the first team. Savarkar said spectators would wait to see the complete match since the second innings holds the promise of a swing in fortune of the teams and that too the same day. "In one-day matches, sometimes audiences can predict the result after the first team bats or even after the toss. That won't be the case here," he said.

Savarkar has also appealed to the ICC to have a minimum performance criteria and policy for the cricketers. He said he had been trying to contact Sachin to send the proposal to him too. "I have prepared the proposal purely as a fan and will be most happy to send it to Sachin as he has suggested the same thing," he added.

Other tips for T20* If rain interrupts, the umpire will decide on the number of overs that will be equally divided between the teams.* Strategic time-outs, a maximum 2 per inning will be allowed* There will be a limit of 90 minutes per innings and any team failing to adhere to it will be penalised by reducing their batting overs in the next innings, but there will be no change in runs scored by the other team* In case of bad light, if only one inning is played, then the match will be abandoned. But for the match to yield result at least one innings per team needs to be completed.

SiddharthKelkar

"There is a possibility I may not play again" - Flintoff

2009-08-31T02:30:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff has admitted there is a chance he may never play at the highest level again after his latest knee surgery but is aiming for a comeback in February 2010. Flintoff underwent routine arthroscopy and micro-fracture to two small areas in his right knee a day after England regained the Ashes, and was expected to be on crutches for a minimum of six weeks.

"There is a possibility I may not play again," Flintoff told News of the World. "It's something I'm going to have to be prepared for in case the operation is not as successful as I hope. There will be a question mark in my mind about whether I have played my last game until I know how the operation has turned out. I'd be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind, but the success rate for an operation like this is pretty good. The bottom line is that if it doesn't work, there's nothing I can do about it."

2009-08-30T22:21:00.000-07:00

Australia on top as rain intervenes

Eurosport - Sun, 30 Aug 19:57:00 2009

The first Twenty20 international between England and Australia was abandoned at Old Trafford with the tourists in the ascendency before rain intervened.

Cameron White made England pay for a dropped catch, hitting a dashing half-century to see Australia to 145 for four in the first of two Twenty20 matches in Manchester.

Joe Denly, making his international bow in the shortest format, was the culprit, giving White (55) a second life on just 12.

Home captain Paul Collingwood won the toss and opted to bowl, making the most of murky conditions himself to return two for 20.

Shane Watson was first out for 10, lofting a short, sharp Stuart Broad delivery to Ravi Bopara at mid-wicket.

With 43 off the six-over powerplay, England turned to all-rounders Collingwood and Luke Wright, with a risky single off the latter bringing up the Australia 50.

Collingwood soon removed David Warner for 33, trapping him leg before with a ball that gripped off the surface, before picking up a second wicket in three balls.

This time David Hussey was the batsman, following his century against Scotland with a two-ball duck as Matt Prior stumped him charging down the wicket.

Denly's drop at backward point came next, James Anderson the unlucky bowler.

White brought up the 100 with a mighty six into the stands off Broad and there was six more for White as he hit Graeme Swann high over mid-on followed by a third maximum off Ryan Sidebottom to bring up his 50.

Broad returned to account for White, who lifted to Collingwood at cover, with Wright dropping the simplest of catches off the penultimate delivery to gift Adam Voges (nine not out) a life as it began to rain.

England's reply was further delayed due to the weather before the returning Brett Lee (pictured) dismissed Denly for a golden duck in his first over.

Ravi Bopara departed for one run, edging behind tamely to Watson at first slip off the bowling of Mitchell Johnson.

With Australia buoyant, the rain intervened yet again to leave England languishing on 4-2 as the match was finally abandoned.

Dan Quarrell / PA Sport

Sohail slams Pakistan Cricket Board

2009-08-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

Former Pakistan captain Aamer Sohail has accused the PCB for making an out-of-court settlement with ICC.

Sohail accused Pakistan Crciket Board chairman Ejaz Butt of mishandling the dispute over the 2011 World Cup hosting rights.

"We haven't gained anything special"

"I don't think we have gained anything special in terms of money or prestige in the out-of-court settlement with the ICC," said Sohail, who recently resigned as the director of National Cricket Academy.

"The match hosting fees, profit shares and participation fees are money, which ICC has to pay anyway. So at the end of the day what we have really got just a meager amount against the gate money and hospitality boxes sales for our share of 14 matches," Sohail said.

"If we had pushed and pressurised the ICC by going ahead with our legal action we would have got more from the ICC against the real earning avenues for our share of 14 matches that are now being hosted by other three hosts of the World Cup," Sohail said.

The former opener, who has not spoken to the media since resigning on July 21, feels that Butt did another mistake by pushing Abu Dhabi and Dubai as possible neutral venues for the World Cup matches without even signing any deal with them.

"I think, it would have been appropriate to launch a full scale diplomatic and cricket offensive to convince the ICC to give us more time to put into place a security mechanism for the World Cup acceptable to all teams. After all the security situation in the major cities is already rapidly improving in Pakistan," Sohail said.

Sohail said by floating the idea of neutral venues, PCB chief basically gave out the message to ICC and other so-hosts that security would not improve in Pakistan before the World Cup in 2011.

"If one lawyer was saying Pakistan didn't have a strong case in processing its legal action then we should have consulted other legal experts," Sohail said.

"But I don't think even the ICC and other host countries of the World Cup would have liked the prospect of a legal conflict hanging over the preparations for the World Cup and we should have thought about that," he added

2009-08-30T02:37:00.000-07:00

Beware the referral system

Cricket's reliance on off-field help in the decision-making process is part of the problem. The game needs better umpires, not more technology

Ian Chappell

August 30, 2009

The problem with technology in cricket is, it involves a human hand © Getty Images

With the referral system about to be introduced into Test cricket on a full-time basis, there are no signs that the standard of international umpiring is improving. If anything, it's going the other way. There are some real howlers being made; not mistakes, anybody can make those, but bad umpiring decisions.

Borderline decisions are part of the game, and either way they are accepted by players. However, when a left-arm over the wicket bowler isn't swinging the ball back into a right-hand batsman and an umpire awards an lbw from a length delivery, that's a bad decision. The fact that the umpire is even contemplating a decision in favour of the bowler means he has a tenuous understanding of the lbw law; that's a mistake.

For umpires to make such mistakes I'm wondering if they are being influenced by some of the gimmicks used on television. Hawk-Eye's predictive path has the ball hitting the stumps a high percentage of the time. Anybody who has watched a net session where a bowler is operating with three stumps and no batsman and landing on a good length will tell you the ball rarely disturbs the furniture. This is particularly so on pitches where there's a bit of bounce.

There are some lbw appeals where you know immediately the umpire shouldn't be giving them out, but the ball is shown on television to be clipping the outside edge of the stumps. Does this tend to influence the on-field umpire's decision-making?

The ICC needs to be wary of the referral system. What is sometimes called "technology" actually involves a human hand; it may add to the viewer's entertainment, but it should not be used to decide the fate of a batsman in Test cricket.

It would be ironic if umpires, in the name of fairness, aren't allowed to stand in Tests where their country is playing, but a behind-the-scenes-operator who has a "home side" involved in the match has a say in the decision-making process. Also, will these behind-the-scenes- operators be subject to the same corruption regulations that apply to players and officials? If they're not, they should be.

It's time to concentrate on ways to improve the standard of umpiring rather than harbour the misguided belief that the use of more "technology" is going to enhance the officiating. The reliance on off-field help in the decision-making process is part of the problem rather than being the solution.



	Utilising "technology" that involves a human hand in the umpiring process could have an adverse affect on the balance between bat and ball

One solution could be to ensure the best umpires are standing wherever possible. It's ludicrous that Simon Taufel, who has been judged the best international umpire for the last five years, can't participate in an Ashes series or stand in a Test on his home ground in Sydney.

In the early part of his umpiring career former England allrounder Peter Willey was regarded very highly by the players but he didn't want to be away from home regularly, so he wasn't included on the international panel. He should have at least been umpiring Tests in England.

In my experience, if there's a really good umpire standing it has a positive influence on his partner. As captain in the Caribbean in 1972-73 I perceived there could be trouble looming in the Guyana Test, so I told the officials we would accept any other umpire as long as Douglas Sang Hue was standing. Sang Hue was one of the best umpires I played under and a man of great integrity, and I had no doubt the match would be played in the right spirit while he was on the field.

Utilising "technology" that involves a human hand in the umpiring process could have an adverse affect on the balance between bat and ball. As former West Indies fast bowler Michael Holding commented during the recent Oval Test; "Get ready for two-day Tests if they use the predictive path of Hawk-Eye in the referral system."

Holding is correct. In the last decade there has been a tendency towards flatter Test pitches, supposedly in order to avoid early finishes. With the introduction of the referral system, curators will have their work cut out prolonging matches.

2009-08-30T02:30:00.000-07:00

India shot down Test championship - WICB chief

Ajay S Shankar

Julian Hunte also claimed that some ICC full members remain suspicious of the motives of private promoters in the game

Julian Hunte, the West Indies board president, has said that the Indian cricket board shot down a proposal mooted by the ICC to organise Test cricket around the four-year Test championship cycle.

Hunte's revelation - the first official disclosure by an ICC board member following reports that the Test championship plan had faded - came in his report at the annual general meeting of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) this month.

"Initially, the ICC attempted to change the structure of the FTP beginning from 2012 in which international cricket would have more content and would play more as a Super League with a 4-year structure resulting in a World Cricket Championship [but this] failed when the BCCI rejected that proposal," Hunte said. "This meant a return to the old practice of full members agreeing to a schedule of tours, which in effect places the power in the hands of the four biggest commercially valued members."

Hunte does not mention who those four are, but it is common knowledge that the boards of India, England, Australia and South Africa enjoy a dominating presence in the ICC boardroom. India earns a bulk of its revenue from TV rights and hence is not keen on a championship model that would lead to the setting up of a common broadcast cash pot. It has, consequently, successfully pushed for the existing model, where members arrive at bilateral agreements with the danger of those at the bottom of the table being marginalised.

The post-2012 FTP is currently being finalised by the ICC, and Hunte said that the WICB "will seek to ensure that it is not disadvantaged" in the new schedule.

Hunte also claimed, in a section of the report that deals with IPL, that some ICC full members remain suspicious of the motives of private promoters in the game, and concluded by saying that world cricket is at the crossroads and much depends on decisions that will be taken by the ICC.

Hunte's report deals extensively with the WICB's dispute with its players that forced West Indies to name a second-string squad for the series against Bangladesh and the forthcoming Champions Trophy. But those comments are on expected and previously stated lines and Hunte blames the players for choosing not to represent the team and showing the "highest form of disregard and disdain for West Indies cricket". What is surprising, though, is that the document, which is essentially a report on West Indies cricket, contains significant comments on the FTP and IPL.

He lists a set of concerns related to the rise of Twenty20 cricket while also admitting that players have "embraced" the BCCI's IPL with its auctions and high-profile owners.

"The emergence of private promoters in cricket has been much debated and some Full Member countries retain their inherent suspicion of the real objectives of such promoters. The ICC has drawn the line in relation to other leagues such the as ICL, which are not recognised by their home boards. Conversely, decision-making at the ICC affecting the IPL is often seemingly under the influence of some Full Members. The WICB remains convinced that Full Members should in some way benefit financially from the IPL and expect to see a general tightening up with respect to the issuance of Non-Objection Certificates. With many challenges to be faced and overcome, the future of world cricket is now at the crossroads and much depends on the decisions which will have to be taken by ICC in the near future."

Hunte's concerns about the IPL are not surprising given that one of the roadblocks in the dispute between the West Indies board and players is the question of participation in the IPL. Many of the West Indies players, including Chris Gayle, had wanted to be part of this year's IPL but were forced to fly to England midway to take part in a Test series that they claimed was arranged without obtaining prior consent from their association.

The IPL - which comes under the BCCI - has since clarified that players who have retired and even those not on central contracts with their national boards need to get a two-year NOC from their boards to be eligible for the IPL. The Champions League Twenty20, of which the BCCI is a founding partner, has also invited Trinidad and Tobago, the West Indies' domestic toppers in the format, to participate in the tournament starting October 8 with total prize money of $6 million and a guaranteed fee of $500,000, apart from an unspecified payment for the respective national boards.

Fast bowler Akhtar's career as good as over, says Akram

2009-07-27T19:33:00.001-07:00

Troubled Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar's career is as good as over, bowling great Wasim Akram said on Monday.

"I don't think he has got a chance unless and until some miracles happen," former Pakistan skipper Akram told reporters at a private cricket function in the Indian capital.

Injury-prone Akhtar was left out of the squad for the five-match one-day series in Sri Lanka starting this week as well as the Champions Trophy probables, raising doubts about the future of the former spearhead.

"Even though it depends on the captain and selectors, I think Shoaib has fallen out with the selectors and the cricket board itself," Akram said.

Akhtar, the quickest bowler in world cricket at one time, has taken 178 test wickets and 223 ODI wickets but his career has been plagued by fitness issues, disciplinary problems and controversies.

"This cricket board still supported him and he went to Abu Dhabi and played two of the five games (against Australia) before getting injured again. We all saw that," he said.

Akhtar, 33, was ordered by his cricket board (PCB) to explain himself after he said on a television interview that he had considered suing the PCB for releasing his medical report when he was ruled out of the squad in May for the World Twenty20.

"I think Pakistan's bowling unit is doing well and they have to look ahead and think about the future," said Akram.

"They have to back the youngsters who will do the job for them... I don't know where you can place Shoaib Akhtar in the current picture of Pakistan cricket."

'Bowlers these days are lazy'wasim akram

2009-07-27T19:27:00.000-07:00

Pakistan fast bowling great Wasim Akram, in Delhi on a two-week trip as a bowling variation and strategy coach at a new pace academy, admits that he lacks the patience to work full-time. At the same time, he has a lot of patience while speaking on a subject that is close to his heart. In an interview with The Indian Express on Monday, Akram spoke at length about the nuances of pace bowling, how mastering swing is harder than reverse swing, and on how bowlers, of late, have become lazy. Excerpts:

There's a raging debate on Twenty20 eventually pushing out ODIs, and Test cricket losing spectator appeal. Do you endorse these views?

and#149; I think ODIs will be phased out. The power plays have somewhat stretched the interest levels but even then, the middle overs are a bit boring from the spectator's aspect. Having quit the game, and watching from outside, I realise how boring it can be to watch a one-day match. I get bored even commentating during a one-dayer. However, I can't understand the fuss behind protecting Test cricket. You don't need anyone to save Test cricket. The format is still revered by cricketers, and if you provide good tracks, people will watch it. I watched the Ashes, one match went so close and other was such a fascinating win. Contests like these will take care of Test cricket.

Do you think having different types of balls add to the challenge in Test cricket, or are you in favour of standardising balls?

and#149; I am totally against standardisation of the ball in Test cricket, and the ICC's obsession with the Kookaburra. Using different types of balls is more like utilising home advantage. I remember the time we were playing the West Indies at home and Imran Khan told the curators to roll the wicket only on the two sides and leave the patch in between. The West Indies quicks used to hit that back-of-the-length spot and because the soil was loose in the middle, the ball never took off and our batsmen were protected. Similarly, when we came to India in 1990, we were told they would use only SG Test balls. We were curious to know about the SG ball, so we ordered a pack of balls from India and began practising. We realised it could reverse very well and it was a challenge to learn the nuances of bowling with that ball. I would want India to retain the SG balls, and let Duke and Kookaburra ball survive on their own turf.

Don't you think the use of technology has blunted the bowlers' minds, that they have stopped developing and exploring?

and#149; I think bowlers nowadays are being pure lazy and are happy with whatever they are being given on a platter. They don't want to be called greats, they are happy just being international cricketers. The use of technology is good but it shouldn't stop the bowler from using his own mind. I remember Waqar and I used to hit the nets and try out various deliveries. We used to exchange our ball if one had been successful in getting reverse swing and then try again. We used to bowl with the wind, then switch to bowling against the wind. Bowlers nowadays don't want to experiment and work hard. Over the past few years, I have only seen Zaheer Khan do the hard work. He put in a lot of work at Worcester and learnt some tricks. He's the only guy in the Indian team who can move the ball in and out.

There's a lot of emphasis on a perfect side-on bowling action in India. Does an unorthodox bowling style have a place in today's cricket?

and#149; I agree that there's a lot more emphasis on the perfect action for the fast bowler, the typical side-on action. But in today's cricket, one has to be different from the conventional to stand out and succeed. Malinga succeeded because he was different, batsmen have a hard time picking his deliveries. Similarly, Dilshan played the scoop shot and has scored so many runs. One has to encourage unorthodoxy in these changing times, look more towards effectiveness. I am against changing the basic action (to what's considered correct) just for the sake of looking good.

Why has reverse swing become an obsession with bowlers? Do you feel conventional swing is losing its charm?

and#149; It's probably because reverse swing looks more dramatic. (Allan) Donald has asked to legalise ball-tampering so that the bowlers can get reverse swing. But if any bowler wants to master the art of reverse swing, he will eventually do it if he spends time at the nets. Honestly, one of the reasons why reverse swing is becoming an obsession is because swinging the new ball is more difficult than bowling reverse swing. I learnt to swing the ball only when I was 28-29. I figured out that the wrist plays an important role and used to run in with two different wrist positions to get the ball to swing.

Harmison to retire after Ashes

2009-07-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

London, July 25 (IANS) England fast bowler Steve Harmison will retire from Test cricket after the ongoing Ashes series.

Harmison, 30, is said to be tired of the treadmill and will apparently also quit one-day international cricket and Twenty20 internationals.

Harmison follows best friend all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who has already announced retirement from Test cricket post Ashes and will concentrate on playing for Durham rather than England, Daily Mirror reports.

Though Harmison has 221 Test wickets, which puts him 11th on England's all-time list, he has been selected for only four of the last 20 Tests due to his increasingly indifferent form at the highest level.

He remains in England's Ashes plans, however, and is almost certain to be included in a 13-man squad, to be announced Sunday, for the third Test at Edgbaston.

Top West Indies players to miss Champions Trophy

2009-07-25T08:21:00.001-07:00

Sat, Jul 25 07:35 PM

Bridgetown (Barbados), July 25 (IANS) The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Saturday said they will stick to the original 30-man squad for the Champions Trophy despite the availability of their frontline players following a truce between the board and the players association.

West Indies' top players had refused to play in the just concluded two-Test series against Bangladesh in a dispute with the WICB over pay and contract issues.

Skipper Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith are among the star players who will be missing the action in Champions Trophy.

The bulk of the squad comprises the players who contested the Bangladesh series, and the West Indies selectors have also drafted in several other players with little experience to complete the list.

'The executive committee of the WICB wishes to confirm the initial squad of 30 players announced earlier this month for the ICC's Champions Trophy in South Africa,' a board statement said.

'This squad was chosen from among those players who declared themselves available for selection for the tournament within the deadline date for finalisation of the 30.'

Fast bowler Fidel Edwards, recently axed pacer Daren Powell, and Devon Smith were the only top tier players to be named in the provisional squad.

Edwards was unavailable for the Bangladesh series through injury while Powell was dropped after England's tour of the Caribbean earlier this year.

The Champions Trophy is scheduled for South Africa Sep 22-Oct 5.

Squad: Ryan Austin, Christopher Barnwell, David Bernard, Tino Best, Royston Crandon, Romel Currency, Travis Dowlin, Fidel Edwards, Rayad Emrit, Andre Fletcher, Ryan Hinds, Leon Johnson, Anthony Martin, Kevin McClean, Nikita Miller, Nelon Pascal, Brenton Parchment, Omar Phillips, Daren Powell, Kieran Powell, Floyd Reifer, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Shane Shillingford, Devon Smith, Kevin Stoute, Devon Thomas, Gavin Tonge, Chadwick Walton.

Pietersen experienced pain at IPL

2009-07-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Alex Brown

July 24, 2009

The injury that ruled Kevin Pietersen out of three Ashes Tests was aggravated during the IPL © Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen's participation in the IPL will come under further scrutiny after it emerged his Achilles injury deteriorated while on duty with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. According to Evan Speechly, Bangalore's assistant coach and physiotherapist, Pietersen experienced pain in his right Achilles while jogging along Durban's beachfront during the IPL. He has experienced ongoing problems in ensuing series against West Indies and Australia, and this week underwent surgery that will sideline him from the final three Tests of the Ashes series.

"He woke up one morning and decided to go for a run along the beachfront in Durban," Speechly told Cricinfo. "It was after that he felt the twinge.'

The ECB, who dispatched senior medical officers Simon Timson and Nick Pierce to South Africa to monitor their IPL-contracted players, outlined a revised training plan for Pietersen, the Bangalore captain, which the franchise's medical staff strictly enforced. An ECB spokesperson yesterday described as "blatantly untrue" suggestions Pietersen had been ordered to refrain from running during his stint with Bangalore.

"Pietersen reported to Loughborough before he flew out to South Africa and was passed fit to join up with Bangalore," the spokesman said. "ECB medical staff sent Bangalore a fitness programme and at no stage did Kevin Pietersen do anything to contradict that and at no stage was he told not to go running.

"Kevin Pietersen is the most diligent and responsible of trainers and prides himself on his physical fitness and preparation for playing cricket. The ECB medical staff hold him as one of the best examples of a player who does everything within his power to achieve maximum fitness to play cricket."

Player participation in the IPL has been a sensitive topic in England since Andrew Flintoff damaged his knee playing for Chennai Super Kings; an injury that ruled out of the Test and one-day series against West Indies as well as the ICC World Twenty20. The issue also flared in Australia when Matthew Hayden, another Chennai-contracted player, damaged his Achilles during the inaugural IPL season in 2008, and missed the ensuing tour of the Caribbean.

Hayden's Achilles eventually recovered, but the same could not be said of his international career. The veteran opener averaged just 23.93 in nine Tests after returning from the injury and, despite harbouring ambitions to play through to the end of this Ashes series, announced his retirement in January. Despite the obvious setback, Hayden did not believe the IPL posed an undue health risk to players.

"It was unfortunate," Hayden told Cricinfo during the 2009 IPL. "I picked up that injury doing a running session because I wanted to be spot on for that West Indies tour. I came back [from the IPL] on a real high, not realising how bad the injury was. It didn't feel all that serious, and I wasn't expecting to miss any games let alone an entire Test series, so it wasn't until later that I realised what I was actually dealing with. But I don't look back on [the inaugural IPL] as a negative. If anything I found that really reinvigorated me and revived my enthusiasm, because you could feel you were a part of taking cricket to another level."

Meanwhile, Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, warned the ECB against persecuting nationally-contracted players who sought to pursue opportunities in lucrative domestic Twenty20 leagues. Morris said that the crammed international schedule was already pushing players, including Flintoff, towards early international retirements and into the seductive embrace of tournaments such as the IPL.

"I can see the day of the freelance cricketer with players turning down England contracts," Morris told theTelegraph. "That's the way the market will go and it's very dangerous. Andrew Flintoff has already made the choice to concentrate on one-day cricket and others will make similar decisions earlier and earlier in their careers. That does not bode well for the ECB, the PCA or anybody. We all want the best players to appear in Test cricket.

"I've seen the ICC's Future Tours Programme from 2012-2020. It's unbelievable. The players won't be able to do it. England will need two squads picked on a rotation basis. Fast bowlers in particular are going to be broken. Players will be drained mentally as well as physically."

Sangakkara helps Sri Lanka to a draw

2009-07-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

The Bulletin by Dileep Premachandran

July 24, 2009

Pakistan 299 and 425 for 9 dec drew with Sri Lanka 233 and 391 for 4 (Sangakkara 130*, Mathews 64*)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Pakistan spent much of the afternoon merely going through the motions, toiling all day for just one wicket © AFP

In the end, neither team wanted it badly enough. Sri Lanka couldn't quite summon up the courage for one final dash, and Pakistan spent much of the afternoon merely going through the motions. When play was called off with the 15 mandatory overs to be bowled, Sri Lanka were 101 short of the 492-run target, and Pakistan had toiled all day for just one wicket. Kumar Sangakkara's 19th Test century was the story of the day, but even his performance was overshadowed by an utterly placid pitch. After 21 wickets fell in the opening two days, the bowlers on both sides could manage just 12 in the next nine sessions.

When Angelo Mathews struck a couple of boundaries soon after reaching his half-century after tea, there was the prospect of a Twenty20-like thrash in the final hour, but ultimately Sri Lanka decided to settle for the 2-0 series win.

With Sri Lanka resuming from their overnight 183 for 3, Pakistan would have fancied their chances of pulling off a consolation victory. But with Sangakkara remorselessly grinding the bowling into the SSC dust, and Thilan Samaraweera contributing a classy 73 to a partnership of 122, Younis Khan was left to forlornly shuffle a tiring bowling pack.

As he showed in Hobart not so long ago, Sangakkara is capable of dazzling counter-attacks in pressure situations. This, on a day when survival rather than urgency was the priority, was all rearguard and little flair, with occupation of the crease the main mantra. The odd languid drive through the covers, or the precise sweep to the spinners would occasionally reveal some intent, but by and large, circumspection was the name of the game.

Prime Numbers

391
Sri Lanka's score in the second innings at the SSC, which is their second-highest in the last innings of a Test. They'd scored 410 against Australia in Hobart in 2007.
134
The number of overs Sri Lanka batted in their second innings, which is their second highest. They'd batted 141.4 overs in a losing cause against Australia in Hobart in 1989.
2
The number of centuries Kumar Sangakkara has scored in the fourth innings of a Test, in 21 attempts. He averages 41.88 in these innings.
114
The partnership for the fifth wicket between Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews, which is Sri Lanka's highest for that wicket in the fourth innings of a Test.

With Mathews showing only brief glimpses of his shotmaking potential, the run-rate slowed quite a bit after Samaraweera's dismissal soon after lunch. He had been afflicted with cramp, and was then struck a glancing blow on the helmet by Mohammad Aamer before a doosra from Saeed Ajmal was nicked behind.

Apart from a brain-fade where he nearly handled the ball after digging out a yorker from Younis, Samaraweera had constantly challenged the bowlers, never allowing them to settle into a rhythm. Danish Kaneria, the scourge of Sri Lanka's first innings, was attacked and only Ajmal managed to exercise any real control.

Younis was also badly let down by Umar Gul, who struggled with no-balls and served up dross with the second new-ball. Each mistake was pounced on by Samaraweera, whose classical drives invoked another age. Pakistan still had a slight edge, but with no Flintoff-like talisman to turn to, Younis' brow became increasingly furrowed as the afternoon wore on. Sangakkara's smile only grew wider.

Dileep Premachandran is an associate editor at Cricinfo

Pietersen's Achilles worsened during IPL

2009-07-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Alex Brown

July 24, 2009

The injury that ruled Kevin Pietersen out of three Ashes Tests was aggravated during the IPL © Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen's participation in the IPL will come under further scrutiny after it emerged his Achilles injury deteriorated while on duty with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. According to Evan Speechly, Bangalore's assistant coach and physiotherapist, Pietersen aggravated his right Achilles while jogging along Durban's beachfront and returned to England for the home series against West Indies experiencing increased discomfort.

Pietersen reported for IPL duty with a pre-existing Achilles problem, sustained during England's ill-fated tour of the Caribbean. The ECB, who dispatched senior medical officers Simon Timson and Nick Pierce to South Africa to monitor their IPL-contracted players, outlined a revised training plan for Pietersen, the Bangalore captain, which the franchise's medical staff strictly enforced.

That plan included a restriction on Pietersen running at training, but it emerged that the batsman, enthused at the apparent progress of the injury, opted to go for a jog along the boardwalk of Durban, his hometown, of his own accord. He reported pain upon returning to the hotel, and struggled through ensuing series against West Indies and Australia. He has since undergone surgery to alleviate the effects of chronic tendinopathy, and will miss the last three Tests of the Ashes series.

"We knew there was a problem there and we monitored it very carefully," Speechly told Cricinfo. "I think he was just feeling so good about it that he got a bit carried away and tried to run on it too soon. He woke up one morning and decided to go for a run along the beachfront in Durban. It flared up again after that. He returned slightly the worse for wear because of that.

"He came to us in great shape. The England Cricket Board sent us his whole medical history. We were informed he had a problem with the Achilles. We monitored him throughout and placed him on a special exercise program. It was very strict what he could and could not do. We didn't train all that much, but he was not to run, only play in the nets, when we were. He was doing the eccentric exercise."

England sitting pretty as Australia wilt

2009-07-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

Matt Prior signalled England's determination to learn from their mistakes by leading a ruthless drive towards a match-winning lead in the second Ashes Test.

England's wicketkeeper-batsman hit a superb 61 off only 42 balls and typified the desire to capitalise on their dominance over Australia having failed to do so earlier in the match.

Prior's brilliant innings, which included nine boundaries, helped England progress into a daunting 521-run lead at the end of the third day at Lord's after reaching a commanding 311 for six.

His rapid-fire contribution set the tone for a fast accumulation of runs to make amends from their disappointing first innings display, when they failed to build on a 196-run opening stand and were dismissed for 425.

Already Australia know they must eclipse the world record total for a final innings to win a Test of 418 for seven recorded by West Indies against them in Antigua in 2002-3 if they are to overhaul England's lead in the final two days.

They will also be aware they may need nearly 200 runs more than the highest successful winning final innings total at Lord's of 344 for one set by West Indies against England in 1984 to secure a shock victory.

But a more realistic objective is to bat out the remaining two days of the Test and salvage a draw despite being dominated for the majority of the match - just as England did during the opening Test in Cardiff.

Australia had begun the day looking for damage limitation having slumped to 156 for eight overnight and enjoyed frustrating England's attack for a further 14 overs with Nathan Hauritz and Peter Siddle forging a 44-run stand off 64 balls.

Their resistance was broken by Durham seamer Graham Onions, who was contentiously preferred to county team-mate Steve Harmison, during a spell of two for nine in his three overs to leave Australia with a 210-run deficit.

Given the option of enforcing the follow on, England captain Andrew Strauss chose to bat on in good conditions in an attempt to score quick runs, increase the pressure on Australia and set the tone of intent.

That was certainly demonstrated during a blistering opening stand with Alastair Cook of 61 off only 85 balls which signalled England's intentions to score as many runs as possible in a short space of time.

The vibrant stand was halted after lunch with off-spinner Hauritz continuing a theme for Cook in this series when he was given lbw playing across the line while Strauss fell in his next over when he drove at a delivery which turned out of the footmarks and was caught at slip.

It brought together Ravi Bopara and Kevin Pietersen, two batsmen struggling for different reasons, and neither found their fluency during a 73-run partnership which looked fragile throughout its existence.

Essex batsman Bopara has struggled for runs ever since the opposition changed from a steady diet of the West Indies to the more challenging Australians and never looked comfortable during his innings of 27 spanning more than two hours at the crease.

He was given a reprieve on nine when he edged Siddle straight to Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who put down a regulation chance, and on 19 pulled Mitchell Johnson from outside off-stump to Hauritz at mid-on but survived when third umpire Nigel Llong ruled the catch had not carried.

His determined if not fluent knock ended when he pushed Hauritz to Simon Katich at short leg shortly after tea to end a painful partnership with Pietersen of 73 which included only six boundaries between them.

Pietersen seemed to struggle more on fitness grounds than any question about his talent or temperament and noticeably limped throughout his innings, raising fresh concerns about his ability to last the course of the npower series following his long-standing Achilles problems.

He fell six overs after Bopara with an inside edge off Siddle which flew to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin to set the stage for Prior's thrilling contribution to England's daunting lead.

Aided by the swift and busy running between the wickets of Paul Collingwood, Prior looked at home from the start and dominated their 86-run stand off only 74 balls which threatened to visibly drained Australia's morale.

Prior looked so composed at the crease he seemed certain to emulate his century on his Test debut at Lord's two years ago against West Indies, but called for a quick two after pushing Ben Hilfenhaus past point only to be defeated by a direct throw from the deep by Marcus North.

His ovation as he walked back to the Pavillion merged with that given to Andrew Flintoff as he strode out for his final Test innings at Lord's, who responded to the occasion by hitting a quickfire 30 off 27 balls as England closed in on a declaration.

Perhaps influenced by the deteriorating light, Strauss delayed the decision and had it taken out of his hands when rain halted play after Collingwood had edged Siddle behind with 10.4 overs remaining.

England had added 181 runs in just 30.2 overs in the final session and set out their intent, but having been in similar positions against Sri Lanka (2006) and South Africa (2008) and failed to win they will know they still face a major battle before to secure a priceless Ashes lead.

2009-07-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

Lockerbie outlines plans for US-style IPL

Martin Williamson

July 17, 2009

There was a certain irony that on the day plans for a major Twenty20 tournament in the USA were announced, the USA Cricket Association's chief executive, Don Lockerbie, was at Lord's watching an Ashes Test, a format many seem to think is growing less relevant by the year.

Lockerbie was in town to meet with leading administrators to advance his plan to make the USA a major cricketing destination. While he wants to build the USA into a leading cricketing power, he also believes Twenty20 cricket is a format made for the American audience.

"I'd like to see a successful, world-class, best-players-in-the-game tournament, an invitational franchise league or something like that, in the near future," he said. "That would be the dream. It's too early to say what kind of format that would be, but we're putting out a tender for proposal."

Will that, as has been rumoured, be another IPL? "The IPL as I look at it now is a remarkable, fantastic model to follow. Look at what it's been able to do. Our hat is off to Lalit [Modi] and the people behind this fantastic sports property.

"So, of course, you want to look at it as a model to emulate, or as a model to partner with, or at least to come up with something that has its own fresh appeal.

"The USA is a country that wants to see the superstars, and that's what we have to focus on. We have to invite them to come and play in the USA, and eventually we hope to develop our own superstars."

The USA already has one major venue, in Florida, and Lockerbie said more are planned, either in new areas, such as Indianapolis, or by expanding existing facilities in California and New York.

"The proof will be, is the USA ready to undertake these type of events? When the US was announced back in the late 1980s as the host for the 1994 [football] World Cup, the world laughed and said 'what are they going to do with our game'. And yet we still hold the record for the most tickets sold at a football World Cup.

"Before the world laughs at the US taking on cricket, it's important to say we're going to do it well, we're going to do it smart, we're going to do it best and with the world's experts and put together a programme that will be successful."

And he added that his plans were very much in tune with the ICC and would fit in with the existing international calendar. "We're going to make sure what we do has ICC backing. That's the promise we made when we did a presentation to the ICC in Dubai [in April].

"We made a commitment we will be a significant contributor to the world of cricket and a good partner. I don't see us as a competitor, I see as being a partner in something that will make sense to the game as it continues to evolve."

Unlike many previous comets who have blazed into US cricket with bold ideas only to disappear without trace, Lockerbie has the professionalism and drive to make you think he really can pull off these plans. A highly-regarded sports organiser and event administrator, he was venue director at the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and is well connected in not only the game but also the corporate world, something vital for the backing he seeks.

Martin Williamson is executive editor of Cricinfo and managing editor of ESPN Digital Media in Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Feeds: Martin Williamson

Strauss ton holds England together

2009-07-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

England 364 for 6 (Strauss 161*, Broad 7*) v Australia
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Andrew Strauss's 18th Test century guided England on the opening day and became even more important as the middle order faded © Getty Images

Andrew Strauss launched a stirring riposte to Ricky Ponting's 150 in Cardiff, carrying his bat through the first day to hand England the early ascendancy in the second Test. Strong off his pads, and stronger through the point region, Strauss (161 not out) moved within 16 runs of his highest ever Test score and beyond the 5,000-run career barrier. But the significance of this innings lay not in personal milestones but in its impact on an England team which, after the tea break, looked decided shaky against the enigmatic Mitchell Johnson and the consistent Ben Hilfenhaus.

Profligate in the first session, potent in the last, Johnson personified a day of fluctuating fortunes at Lord's. The foundations built by Strauss and Alastair Cook during an historic 196-run opening stand were eroded by a middle order stumble that drew Australia back into the contest. And, in both cases, Johnson was the pivotal figure.

Through his first 11 overs Johnson conceded 77 runs, including 15 boundaries, to allow England the opportunity to build on the bonhomie of their Cardiff escape. Whether overawed by the occasion of his first Lord's Test, upset by the ground's pronounced slope or just shy of form and confidence, Australia's spearhead appeared decidedly blunt in his exchanges with Strauss and Cook, guilty of straying both sides of the wicket and failing to find a consistent length in the period before tea.

But with a change of session came a change of fortune. The ball, which stubbornly refused to swing while still coated in lacquer, suddenly found its arc, with Johnson its pilot. His reverse swing slowed a scoring rate that had threatened to spiral out of control, and eventually accounted for the wicket of Matt Prior, bowled to a beautiful, tailing delivery.

Were it not for the stoic batting of Strauss, who ground his way to his highest Test score on home soil, Johnson, Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle may well have seized back all the initiative surrendered in the earlier sessions. As it was, England headed to stumps in a position of strength, though perhaps not quite as strong as they might have hoped, after a final session in which four wickets fell for the addition of 109 runs.

Together with Cook, Strauss forged the highest first wicket partnership by an England combination at Lord's (196) in an Ashes Test, bettering by 14 runs the 83-year-old record held by Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe. Though Cook fell just five runs short of his century, becoming Johnson's 100th Test scalp in the process, Strauss thrust forth into the evening, denying the probing offerings of Johnson and Hilfenhaus with both old and new balls

Prime numbers

5

Andrew Strauss became the fifth batsman to score 1000 runs or more at Lord's. All the five players to have achieved the feat are from England, and Strauss's current average of 67.64 is the highest among them.
4

Strauss and Alastair Cook went past the pair of Mike Atherton and Graham Gooch to take fourth place in the list of top opening partnerships for England. The pair now averages 47.07 for 2589 runs with seven century-stands.
22

England struck 22 boundaries in the first session, but the numbers reduced as the game progressed. They managed 18 fours in the post-lunch session, losing two wickets and 13 in the final session where they lost four.
19

Mitchell Johnson was hit for 19 fours today, 13 of which came in his first ten overs. Johnson conceded boundaries in ten out of his first 11 overs, but recovered later to finish the day with an economy rate of under six-an-over.
52

The number of runs Strauss scored of Johnson, and at a brisk pace as well, off just 49 balls. Strauss was the most guarded against Ben Hilfenhaus off whom he scored 32 runs in 75 balls at a strike rate of 42.66.

Prior to the final session, England's cause had been helped no end by an Australian attack that lurched from the lamentable to the horrendous, and one temporarily without the services of Nathan Hauritz. Hauritz, in dropping a powerfully struck return catch by Strauss, dislocated the middle finger on his bowling hand and was immediately taken from the field for treatment. So savage was the force of Strauss's drive that Hauritz, upon viewing his contorted finger, immediately signalled to the dressing room in distress and almost vomited on the pristine playing surface.

Scans cleared Hauritz of a fracture, and the off-spinner resumed his place in the field in the final session. But the Australians will nonetheless harbour significant concerns over Hauritz's effectiveness over the final four days - both for variation, and also the workload of their fast bowlers, who are playing the second of back-to-back Test matches.

Extras, misfields and overthrows all blighted Australia's morning effort, but by far the biggest disappointment was Johnson, who arrived on these shores trumpeted as the best paceman in international cricket. In a portent of what was to come, Johnson began the day with a full, leg-side delivery that Cook duly clipped to the square-leg boundary. His errant ways continued in the first half-hour, at one stage conceding four boundaries in six deliveries to Strauss, prompting Ponting to replace him with Siddle after four expensive (26 runs) overs.

Siddle, too, was awry, failing to contend with the slope of the Lord's pitch and making life difficult for Brad Haddin. Australia's only saving grace was Hilfenhaus, who began the match with three consecutive maidens and was rewarded after lunch with the wicket of Ravi Bopara. He might also have had Strauss earlier in the second session, if not for the small detail of his no-ball and Haddin's turfed catch. Strauss went onto raise his 18th Test century moments before tea. It was that kind of day for the Australians.

The confidence of England's openers visibly lifted over the course of the first session. Cook, the chief aggressor, enthralled the capacity Lord's crowd in the lead-up to lunch by pulling Johnson at every opportunity - not all of them from bad deliveries - en route to a half-century raised from just 73 deliveries. Strauss, save for a bright flurry against Johnson, was happy to steadily accumulate as part of a partnership that rocketed along to 125 by the lunch break.

Eight minutes prior to lunch, Cook and Strauss bettered their highest ever opening partnership against Australia, eclipsing their stand of 116 from the Perth Test two years ago. They advanced that total to 196 - England's highest opening stand in an Ashes Test since 1956 - before Cook fell in the 48th over to a fuller, straighter Johnson delivery that rapped him on the back pad.

England's day tapered thereafter. Bopara's cheap dismissal was compounded by that of Kevin Pietersen, whose aura is dimming with each innings at present. The prodigiously talented batsmen tried mightily to surrender his wicket before the tea break, and succeeded just after by playing inside a shorter Siddle delivery. Paul Collingwood, the rock of Cardiff, then fell to the loosest of strokes off the bowling of Michael Clarke, and was soon followed by Andrew Flintoff, the departing hero, who edged a Hilfenhaus offering to Ponting at second slip.

The onus fell to Strauss to save the day for England, and the captain duly obliged. He saw off both the reverse-swinging old ball, and the harder new one to ensure advantage remained with the hosts heading into the second day.

Alex Brown is deputy editor of Cricinfo

2009-07-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

Flintoff to retire from Test cricket

Andrew Miller at Lord's

July 15, 2009

Listen to the press conference

Andrew Flintoff has announced that he will retire from Test cricket at the end of this Ashes summer, although he still intends to make himself available for Twenty20 and ODI cricket, and is expected to be fit for tomorrow's second Test against Australia.

Flintoff, who has missed 25 of England's last 48 Tests through a variety of injuries, suffered another fitness scare on the eve of the Lord's Test, when he reported soreness and swelling in the same right knee that required surgery back in April, after he tore his meniscus while playing in the IPL.

"It's not something I have just thought of overnight, it's something that's been on my mind for a while regarding this series," said Flintoff. "With the knee flaring up again and getting the injections on Monday, now is a time I felt comfortable with doing it. There's been a lot of speculation over my future for the past few weeks, so I wanted to get it out there, and concentrate on playing cricket.

"I've had four ankle operations and knee surgery, so my body is telling me things, and I'm actually starting to listen. I can't just play games here and there while waiting to be fit. For my own sanity, and for my family's, I've got to draw a line under it. I've been going through two years of rehab in the past four, which is not ideal."

Prior to England's practice session on Wednesday morning, Flintoff gave the team talk in a sombre atmosphere, and afterwards Paul Collingwood immediately came up and shook him by the hand. "Freddie simply said that these four Tests would be his last in Test cricket," a team insider told Cricinfo. Andrew Strauss, the England captain, said the team were saddened, though not surprised, about Flintoff's decision to stand down from Test cricket.

"As players we've had a feeling this would come sooner rather than later," Strauss said. "We feel sad he's had to make this decision at his age, but we're sure it will motivate him even more for this series."

The knee injury that has threatened his participation at Lord's followed a spirited performance in the first Test at Cardiff, in which Flintoff bowled 35 overs but was once again under-rewarded with figures of 1 for 128. Strauss was optimistic on Wednesday that Flintoff will come through a fitness test and make himself available for selection, and he was seen skipping during England's warm-up in the indoor nets, before padding up for batting practice, then sending down a few pacey overs on the outdoor nets.

"The indications are that he's going to be fine," Strauss said. "He had a good bowl today, we just need to see how he reacts to what he did today before we can be 100% sure. At this stage we are hopeful but we can't be sure.

A decade of frustration

1999 Returns early from South Africa with broken foot.
2000 Back injury ends Pakistan tour.
2002 Delays a hernia operation to try and complete India Test series but still misses final Test. Later returns from Ashes tour with groin problem.
2003 Plays in the World up, but misses Zimbabwe Tests back in England with shoulder injury after being hit in the nets by Sajid Mahmood.
2003 Ruled out of the two-Test series in Bangladesh, but returns for the one-dayers.
2005 Returns from South Africa in January and misses one-day series to have ankle surgery. Is fit in time for the home season including the Ashes.
2006 After captaining England against Sri Lanka in Test series he is out for 12 weeks after ankle surgery and misses rest of the summer. Returns in Champions Trophy as a batsman and leads England in the Ashes.
2007 More surgery to his left ankle after the World Cup andmisses most of the home season before returning for the one-day series against India. However, he can't play all seven games due to a recurrence of the problem.
2007 Takes part in the ICC World Twenty20 but barely limps through it. Following the tournament he goes under the knife again and misses rest of the winter.
2008 Was set to return against New Zealand in the home series but strains his side playing for Lancashire. Comeback delayed until second Test against South Africa at Headingley.
2009 Returns from West Indies after the third Test with a hip injury but rejoins the tour for the one-day series.
2009 Returns from South Africa after his IPL stint with Chennai Superkings was cut short by a torn meniscus in his right knee. Subsequently misses the World Twenty20.
2009 Injury scare following the first Ashes Test in Cardiff after Flintoff has soreness and swelling in the knee.

"When you go in with three seamers, you've got to expect all three to bowl a lot of overs. Fred understands that, but this week in all likelihood there will be four seamers and maybe [they] won't have quite as big a workload. We'd never play any bowler in a Test match who we didn't think could contribute as fully as anyone else."

Though he acknowledged that Flintoff's overall statistics do not bear greatness, Strauss lauded Flintoff's effect on the modern game.

"He's had a dramatic impact in English cricket over the past few years, in the style with which he's batted, and for a long period he's been one of the bowlers in world cricket that batters least like facing, although the figures maybe don't show that," Strauss said. "And also as a personality, he's done a huge amount for cricket in the way he's played with a smile on his face. Test cricket will miss him, there's no doubt about that. I'm sure he'll go out in a style that befits his quality, with a bang, with big performances, and with some stories to tell at the end."

Regardless of his immense stature in the England dressing-room, the statistics of Flintoff's recent form and impact on the Test side are not flattering. Since the 2005 Ashes, he has averaged 28.25 with the bat and 34.68 with the ball in 23 Tests (both figures down on his overall Test record of 31.69 and 32.51), and he has not managed a century or five wickets in an innings in any series since then.

Moreover, he has been unable to impose himself on matches in the same way that he did in his 2005 pomp. Although some leeway has to be made for the quality of the opponents he has faced - Flintoff has often been recuperating during low-key series in preparation for the marquee events - the statistics paint a sorry tale. In the 25 matches that Flintoff has missed since 2005, England have won 12, drawn 10 and lost on only three occasions. In the 23 matches in which he has been present, those numbers are almost exactly reversed - won 3, drawn 7, lost 13.

"Being part of an Ashes-winning team was very special, and so was beating everyone in the world for a period of time, and playing a major part in that," said Flintoff. "I'd have liked my career to kick on after that, but being a professional rehabber for two years makes it pretty difficult to do that. It would have been nice if it had carried on a bit longer, but I've no regrets. I'm happy."

Flintoff received a cortisone injection on Monday, and is sure to play through the pain if he has to. "For the next four Test matches I'll do everything I need to do to get on a cricket field and I'm desperate to make my mark," he said. "I want to finish playing for England on a high and if you look at the fixtures going forward, the way my body is suggests I won't be able to get through that."

Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo

2009-07-14T20:23:00.000-07:00

Flower optimistic about Flintoff's fitness

Andrew Miller at Lord's

Andy Flower, England's coach, is optimistic that Andrew Flintoff will be fit to play in the second Test at Lord's, starting on Thursday, despite reporting soreness and swelling in his right knee after falling awkwardly in the field during last week's first Test in Cardiff.

Given his recent injury problems, which have forced Flintoff to miss 25 of England's 48 Test matches since the 2005 Ashes, the news of his latest injury setback had been greeted with concern, especially as the injured knee was the same one that required surgery back in April, after Flintoff tore his meniscus while playing for Chennai Superkings in the IPL.

Flower, however, sought to play down the extent of the latest injury, and told reporters at Lord's that Flintoff's surgeon, Dr Derek Bickerstaff, had suggested "he should be okay to play", having received a cortisone injection on Monday to assist with the recovery.

"He [Bickerstaff] was quite optimistic about him [Flintoff] playing in this game," said Flower. "He won't bowl today, but he'll have a bat and he'll have a bowl tomorrow, and we'll assess it tomorrow. We'll let it settle today."

Despite finishing with disappointing figures of 1 for 128 in 35 overs, Flintoff bowled with pace and hostility in his first Test outing of the summer in Cardiff, and with his batting showing signs of returning consistency, England still retain the hope that he might yet rediscover the form that made him such an irresistible force in the 2005 Ashes.

Nevertheless, Flower was wary of getting too hopeful about his long-term fitness. "I think with Fred and his injury record we're always concerned, to be honest," he said. "His body is in that sort of state, at this time of his career, when he seems vulnerable a lot of the time. We can't get away from that, but he's a hell of a player and we want him in our side if fit."

The statistics of Flintoff's recent form and impact on the Test side, however, are not flattering. Since the 2005 Ashes, he has averaged 28.25 with the bat and 34.68 with the ball in 23 Tests (both figures down on his overall Test record), and he has not managed a century or five wickets in an innings in any series since then.

Most damning of all, however, is his record as a match-winner. Although some leeway has to be made for the quality of the opponents - Flintoff has often been recuperating during low-key series in preparation for the marquee events - the statistics paint a sorry tale. In the 25 matches that Flintoff has missed since 2005, England have won 12, drawn 10 and lost on only three occasions. In the 23 matches in which he has been present, those numbers are almost exactly reversed - won 3, drawn 7, lost 13.

What is more, there is a growing suspicion that the unpredictable nature of Flintoff's fitness record has an adverse impact on the balance of the side, and the role of the less-vaunted players. James Anderson, for instance, who recently admitted it is hard to avoid feeling like a second-fiddle when Flintoff is in the side, averages nearly 10 runs higher when his Lancashire team-mate is also in England's bowling attack.

Flower, however, does not have any time for suggestions that Flintoff's comings and goings unsettle his team-mates. "I don't think that's something that should distract any of our boys, whether or not Fred's playing," he said. "The guys will just get on and prepare, as professional sportsmen do. Frustrating or not, that's how it is, there's no point in getting too het up about it."

In the meantime, Flintoff could either be replaced by, or joined in the same line-up as, Steve Harmison, who was understood to have frustrated the England management with his poor fitness and attitude on their recent tour of the Caribbean. His form this summer brooks no equivocation, with six wickets in a fiery performance for England Lions against Australia at Worcester earlier this month, and a five-wicket haul for Durham in his most recent Championship outing against Yorkshire.

Despite suggestions that Flower had been the most ardent critic of Harmison's attitude, he disputed it on the eve of the second Test. "I never drew any line under Steve, that wasn't the case at all," he said. "If that was the perception elsewhere, there's nothing I can do about it. Steve was always in the frame, because he's a hell of a fast bowler with a very good record for England."

Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo

Aaamer and Younis put Pakistan in sight of win

2009-07-06T07:08:00.001-07:00

Post lunch, though, Aamer made the ball sing - and it wasn't music to the batsmen's ears. In the fourth over after the interval, Paranavitana got one that moved away from him and took the edge. Jayawardene, for the second time, got a good delivery, in Aamer's next over. The ball pitched in front of stumps, and moved away sharply, kissing the hanging bat on the way. In his next over, Sangakkara edged another swinging delivery, and 86 for 2 had become 101 for 5, a lead of just 51 runs.

Thilan Samaraweera counterattacked, so did Tillakaratne Dilshan. A flurry of boundaries, mostly drives down the ground, eased the slip cordon, and brought a mid-off in. In no time the two added 37 runs, but the captain returned to put the lid on. He didn't get as much movement as in the first spell, but went for only two in his two overs. Then he changed ends, and in his second over of the new spell got Dilshan. It was not the best of shots, though, chasing a wide and full delivery and guiding it to second slip.

For good measure Saeed Ajmal, who had Dilshan dropped off his bowling earlier, came back and got Samaraweera with a doosra. The eight-wicket partnership between Angelo Mathews and Nuwan Kulasekara had added by 35, but a slash outside off just after tea ended Mathews' 27. A quick 20-run partnership between Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara carried the target past 150, but Ajmal made sure it didn't go too far.

Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor were conspicuously more watchful than they were in the first innings. Against the new and moving ball, they tried to play as few shots as possible, and kept Sri Lanka at a distance, also adding 36 in that period. At the end of the 11th over, an out-of-shape ball was changed, and the new ball got the breakthrough right away, with Manzoor edging Ajantha Mendis outside off. Younis the batsman failed where Younis the bowler succeeded, and got beaten by a sharp inswinger by Mathews.

From 39 for 2, though, Butt and Mohammad Yousuf played out the nervous period till stumps. Butt, especially, wasn't bogged down, and a late-cut from Yousuf in the last over before bad light stopped play brought the target inside 100.