Yeh hai Cricketistan

Sachin, we'll miss you..

2013-10-12T07:04:00.002-07:00

Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar will retire from all forms of cricket after playing his 200th Test next month.

The 40-year-old former India captain, who retired from one-day internationals in December 2012, will end his career with two matches against West Indies.

He played his final Twenty20 match last weekend in the Champions League T20 final between his Mumbai Indians team and a Rajasthan Royals side led by another former India skipper, his long-standing team-mate Rahul Dravid.

We have covered some of the quotes for Sachin Tendulkar -

- I want my son to became Sachin Tendulkar - Brian Lara

- We did not lose to a team called India, we lost to a man called Sachin - Mark Taylor

- Nothing bad can happen to us if we were on a plane in India with Sachin on it - Hashim Amla

- He can play that leg glance with a walking stick also - Waqar Younis

- There are 2 kind of batsman in the world:1) Sachin Tendulkar 2) all the others. - Andy Flower

- I have seen god. He bats at no.4 for India in tests. - Matthew Hayden

- I see myself when i see Sachin batting. - Don Bradman

- Do your crime when Sachin is batting, bcoz even god is busy watching his batting. - Australian fan

- Best one from Barack Obama - I don't know about cricket but still I watch cricket to see Sachin play.. Not bcoz I love his play its bcoz I want to know the reason why my country production goes down by 5 percent when he's batting.

Yuvraj Singh - Back with a bang!

2013-10-02T00:25:00.001-07:00

Yuvraj Singh has made a comeback to India's limited-overs squad for the Twenty20 and first three ODIs of the home series against Australia.

Other than this there were four changes made to India's last first-choice ODI squad, the one that won the Champions Trophy in England. Yuvraj replaced opener M Vijay, Dinesh Karthik lost out to his Mumbai Indians team-mate Ambati Rayudu, the injured Irfan Pathan made way for Mohammed Shami, and Jaydev Unadkat's left-arm seam was preferred to Umesh Yadav. Don't know why Umesh was dropped.

Yuvraj's last ODI was against England in Dharamsala in January 2013. He was dropped from the squad for the Champions Trophy and did not feature in the Zimbabwe series either, when India had rested several first-choice players. However, following a fitness programme in France, he has shown a return to top form in List A cricket. He was the leading run-getter for India A in the limited-overs series against the touring West Indies A, with 224 runs from three matches, including one hundred and a fifty at an average of 74.66. He also scored a half-century for India Blue in the Challenger Trophy, a domestic 50-overs tournament.

Batsmen Karthik, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane, seamer Mohit and spinner Parvez Rasool missed out from the team that played Zimbabwe.

Fixtures and Squad: Australia tour of South Africa 2011

2011-10-12T00:15:00.000-07:00

The much awaited competition is about to start. Both teams have included some young force to strengthen their strategies. Brett Lee, the Australia fast bowler, has been ruled out of the South Africa tour due to appendicitis. He will undergo surgery in Cape Town.

Tour will start on 13th October and will end in the last week of November. They will face 2 T-20s, 3 ODIs and 2 Test Matches.

Hashim Amla has been confirmed as stand-in captain for the injured AB de Villiers, while Mark Boucher has been recalled as wicket-keeper for the one-day internationals. David Miller is also recalled to the ODI squad, while Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn have been rested from the Twenty20 matches.

Big-hitting Cape Cobras batsman Richard Levi is the only new face in either squad, having been named in T20 party. The 23 year-old has scored 593 runs in the shortest form of the game at an average of 28 and a strike rate of over 135.

South Africa's Twenty20 Squad:

Hashim Amla (captain), Graeme Smith, JP Duminy, Colin Ingram, Richard Levi, David Miller, Albie Morkel, Robin Peterson, Johan Botha, Heino Kuhn, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Rusty Theron, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

South Africa's ODI Squad:

Hashim Amla (captain), Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Johan Botha, Imran Tahir, Robin Peterson, Mark Boucher, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

On the other hand, Experienced Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has been left out of the national T20 squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, while Victorian batsman David Hussey loses his spot in the One-day lineup.

Young fast bowlers Patrick Cummins and James Pattinson have won selection in both squads, while rising all-rounder Mitchell Marsh claimed a berth in the T20 lineup.

Australian Twenty20 Squad:

Cameron White (c), Shane Watson (vc), Doug Bollinger, Patrick Cummins, Aaron Finch, David Hussey, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Stephen O’Keefe, James Pattinson, Steven Smith, Matthew Wade, David Warner

Australia's ODI Squad:

Michael Clarke (c), Shane Watson (vc), Doug Bollinger, Patrick Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Brad Haddin, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Steven Smith, David Warner

Tour Schedule

13th October: 1st T20I, Cape Town

16th October: 2nd T20I, Johannesburg

19th October: 1st ODI, Centurion Park

23rd October: 2nd ODI, Port Elizabeth

28th October: 3rd ODI, Durban

9th-13th November: 1st Test, Cape Town

17th-21st November: 2nd Test, Johannesburg

India Red enter final with 2nd win in a row

2011-10-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

India Red enter NKP Salve Trophy final with 2nd win in a row. Putting up a dominating all-round show, India Red stormed into the final of the NKP Salve Challenger Series after thrashing India Green by eight wickets in the rain-hit second match of the tournament here today.

It was second win for India Red in as many days as they had defeated India Blue in the series-opener yesterday.

The Gautam Gambhir-led India Red side dismissed India Green for a paltry 170 in only 37.5 overs after opting to field and then easily overhauled the revised target of 152 with 78 balls to spare.

India Red were given 42 overs to achieve the target. Part timer Yusuf Pathan was the pick of the bowlers for India Red, grabbing four for 25 in only 7.5 overs.

While chasing, Gambhir led from front with a 53-ball 57 as he laid the platform for easy win by putting on 100 runs for the first wicket along with Abhinav Mukund (61).

Gambhir was dropped by Mohammed Kaif off paceman Abhimanyu Mithun when he was on just 14 and India Green had to pay for the mistake.

Kaif, who is a reliable fielder, knew what blunder he had committed as Gambir smashed Harbhajan for a six and a four in the next over and continued to find boundaries during his stay at the wicket.

India Red were 45 for no loss in eight overs when skies opend up and stopped play. On resumption, Mithun finally got Gambhir when he lofted one straight to Ishwar Chaudhary at mid-off.

Gambhir's knock was studded with six fours and a six and Mukund also hit as many boundaries and took 70 balls for his innings before being caught and bowled by Chaudhary. Ambati Rayudu (16) and Yusuf Pathan (7) steered the side home without any hiccup.

India Red will take on the winner of tomorrow's match between India-Green and India-Blue in Thursday's final.

Sachin, Sehwag, Gavaskar, Kumble and Bedi nominated for ICC's all-time greatest Test team

2011-07-11T10:43:00.000-07:00

Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and opener Virender Sehwag are among the list of players nominated for an online poll to select the greatest team of all-time on the occasion of Test cricket's 2,000th match.

The historic match will take place between India and England at Lord's from July 21 to 25, and the ICC has called on supporters from across the globe to select the greatest team of all-time.

While Sehwag has found a place in the list of openers, which also has the likes of former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar, Tendulkar has been short-listed for the middle-order batsman's slot.

However, no Indian player has found a place in the shortlist for the slot of wicketkeepers and fast bowlers, while the 1983 World Cup winning Indian team captain Kapil Dev is in the reckoning as an all-rounder.

Legendary Bishan Singh Bedi and Anil Kumble have been shortlisted for the spinner's role in the dream team.

Sir Donald Bradman and West Indian great Viv Richards are in the fray for the middle-order's slot, while attacking wicketkeeper batsman Adam Gilchrist is pitted against South Africa's Mark Boucher for the stumper's position.

Legendary West Indian pacers Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding and Pakistani great Wasim Akram have been shortlisted in the bowler's category along side champion spinner Shane Warne.

The ICC's website is seeking votes from the fans and cricket lovers across the world to pick the dream Test team from a shortlist of 60 players split into five categories.

The fans will be asked to pick two opening batsmen, three middle-order batsmen, a wicketkeeper, three fast bowlers and one spinner.

The public vote on ICC's website closes in two days' time with results set to be announced the week before the 2,000th Test.

The shortlist for Dream Team:

Opening batsmen: Geoffrey Boycott, Sunil Gavaskar, Gordon Greenidge, Desmond Haynes, Jack Hobbs, Len Hutton, Hanif Mohammad, Virender Sehwag, Herbert Sutcliffe, Victor Trumper.

Middle-order batsmen: Don Bradman, Greg Chappell, Wally Hammond, George Headley, Brian Lara, Javed Miandad, Graeme Pollock, Ricky Ponting, Viv Richards, Sachin Tendulkar.

All-rounder: Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Aubrey Faulkner, Richard Hadlee, Jacques Kallis, Imran Khan, Keith Miller, Wilfred Rhodes, Gary Sobers, Frank Worrell.

Wicketkeepers: Les Ames, Mark Boucher, Jeff Dujon, Godfrey Evans, Andy Flower, Adam Gilchrist, Alan Knott, Rod Marsh, Clyde Walcott, Wasim Bari.

Fast bowlers: Curtley Ambrose, Sydney Barnes, Michael Holding, Dennis Lillee, Ray Lindwall, Malcolm Marshall, Glenn McGrath, Fred Trueman, Courtney Walsh, Wasim Akram.

Spinners: Bishen Bedi, Richie Benaud, Lance Gibbs, Clarrie Grimmett, Jim Laker, Anil Kumble, Muttiah Muralitharan, Bill O'Reilly, Derek Underwood, Shane Warne.

Sachin meets Federer at Wimbledon

2011-06-25T23:56:00.000-07:00

India’s Icon Sachin Tendulkar and world number 3 tennis player Roger Federer came face to face on Saturday.

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Sachin, along with wife Anjali, was present in the Wimbledon Royal Box to watch Federer’s third round match against David Nalbandian.

They both met each other after the match and shared a few light moments. The meeting lasted for an hour.

Sachin, a regular visitor at the Wimbledon Championships every year, tweeted after the meeting:

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Fixtures for Domestic Tournaments 2011-12 season

2011-06-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

The Tour, Programmes and Fixtures Committee of the BCCI finalized the dates of the various domestic tournaments for the 2011-12 season, in a meeting at the Cricket Centre on Saturday, 18 June 2011.

The BCCI Corporate Tournament for the Raj Singh Dungarpur Trophy will be played from 1 September to 8 September, in Vishakhapatnam, Chennai and Bengaluru.

Jaipur will host the Irani Cup game between Rajasthan, Ranji Trophy winners in the previous season, and the Rest Of India, from 1 October to 5 October.

The NKP Salve Challenger Trophy will be played at Nagpur from 10 October to 13 October.

The league stage of the Ranji Trophy (Elite) will be played from 3 November to 24 December. The groupings are as follows:

Elite A (eight teams) – Rajasthan, KSCA, Mumbai, Railways, UPCA, Punjab, Saurashtra, Orissa.

Elite B (seven teams) – Baroda, TNCA, Haryana, Delhi, Gujarat, Bengal, MPCA.

The knockout matches will be played from 2 January 2012 to 23 January 2012.

The Ranji Trophy Plate group matches will be played from 3 November to 9 December. The semi-finals will be played from 21 December to 24 December. The winners of the semi-finals will qualify for the knockout stage of the Ranji Trophy.

Groups – Ranji Trophy Plate:

Plate A – Andhra, Services, Kerala, Vidarbha, HPCA, Tripura.

Plate B – Maharashtra, Goa, Hyderabad, Jharkhand, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir.

The Duleep Trophy will be played from 27 January 2012 to 16 February 2012.

The inter-state one-day league will be played from 20 February 2012 to 28 February 2012.

The All-India inter-state knockout tournament for the Vijay Hazare Trophy will be played from 5 March 2012 to 12 March 2012.

The Deodhar Trophy will be played from 16 March 2012 to 19 March 2012.

The inter-state T20 zonal league will be played in September-October 2011. The All-India inter-state T20 knockout tournament for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, will be played from 23 March 2012 to 27 March 2012.

The exact dates and venues of all the tournaments will be announced next month, after each association / zone confirms its venues.

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NatWest Women's T20 Quadrangular Series in England: Australia beat India by 8 wickets

2011-06-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

Australia registered a thumping eight-wicket victory over India in the first match of the NatWest Women's T20 Quadrangular Series at Toby Howe Cricket Ground, Billericay to begin the series on a winning note.

The tournament that also involves England and New Zealand pits the four nations together in a T20, followed by an ODI, series in a bid to earn the No. 1 position in women’s cricket.

Opting to field first in the series opener, Australia bowled India for 62 in 18.2 overs.

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Pacer Clea Smith set the ball rolling, sending back openers Poonam Raut and Anagha Deshpande early. Sarah Coyte then followed with the key wicket of Mithali Raj. It was all downhill from there for India. Batting at No. 4, Harmanpreet Kaur tried to salvage the innings with 41 runs off 49 balls with three boundaries and two sixes. The rest of the batting line-up failed to even make five runs each. The second highest score, six runs, came in the form of extras. As many as four batsmen were out for zero.

Giving away only five runs in four overs and claiming four wickets, Coyte was the pick of the bowlers for Australia.

Chasing 63 runs to win, Australia reached their target comfortably for the loss of two wickets. Australian opener Leah Poultan remained unbeaten on 31 runs and along with Meg Lanning (23 runs) helped Australia reach their target in just 10.2 overs.

Brief scores: India 62 all out in 18.2 overs (Harmanpreet Kaur 41, Sarah Coyte 4/5, S Nitschke 2/10, C Smith 2/ 16) lost to Australia 63/2 in 10.2 overs (Leah Poultan 31*, Meg Lanning 23) by 8 wickets

On the other hand, England Women made it two one-sided matches on the opening day of the quadrangular series with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over New Zealand Women at Chelmsford.

England's spinners proved a key weapon, as Holly Colvin and Laura Marsh shared five wickets, while Aaron Brindle marked her return to international cricket with 3 for 11. Needing barely four-an-over for victory England had few problems during their chase as captain Charlotte Edwards led the way with an unbeaten 40.

Brief scores: England Women 86 for 2 (Edwards 40*) beat New Zealand 83 (Colvin 3-17) by eight wickets

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Tendulkar makes history in India win

2011-03-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

India batsman Sachin Tendulkar became the first player in history to score 2,000 runs at the Cricket World Cup, as the hosts eased to a five-wicket win over the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Chasing a target of 189 runs to win, India booked their place in the quarterfinals of the tournament with 13 overs to spare in Delhi.

Tendulkar, 37, was playing in his 40th World Cup match and reached a score of 27 before he was caught by Bradley Kruger off the bowling of Pieter Seelaar.

Nicknamed "the little master", Tendulkar made his World Cup debut in 1992 and has hit five centuries and 13 fifties in cricket's premier 50-over competition.

Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave 100 50 40 39 4 2009 152 57.40 5 13

India first team to seal quarter-final place

2011-03-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

India became the first team to qualify for the quarter-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup with a five-wicket win over the Netherlands in New Delhi.

Chasing 190 to win, the home side were wobbling at 139 for five - thanks largely to Pieter Seelaar's three for 53 - and it needed a patient knock of 51 from Yuvraj Singh to see them through.

Earlier, Netherlands were thankful to a face-saving 38 off 36 balls from Peter Borren after two wickets apiece from Yuvraj and Piyush Chawla and figures of three for 20 from Zaheer Khan had threatened a collapse.

Having won the toss, Holland got off to a positive start and reached 50 in the 14th over, but spin came to the hosts' rescue as Chawla bowled Eric Szwarczynski (28) and Yuvraj had Wesley Barresi (26) given out lbw.

Borren, who smashed three boundaries and two sixes during his late cameo, and Mudassar Bukhari (21) together put on 38 for the eighth wicket as Holland managed to scrounge out 55 runs in their last seven overs.

In reply, openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag were boisterous from the word go, as the former hit three successive boundaries off ten Doeschate to become the first batsman to record 2,000 ICC Cricket World Cup runs.

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The duo raced to 69 inside eight overs, but Seelaar's inroads brought Holland right back into the game.

First Sehwag's hasty cut had him caught at point for 39, before Tendulkar (27) and Yusuf Pathan (11) fell in the 10th over to leave India on 82 for three.

Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj steadied the ship after Virat Kohli's (12) dismissal and comfortably notched a 40-run stand before Gambhir was stumped out after a run-a-ball 28.

However, India seemed well in sight of the win at that point and Yuvraj, partnered by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (19 not out) fittingly hit the winning boundary that brought up his 50 as well.

ESPNcricinfo Awards: Sachin, Laxman, Steyn and Gul grab Major

2011-02-14T22:37:00.000-08:00

Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Dale Steyn have won the top awards in the fourth annual ESPNcricinfo Awards, announced in Bangalore.

The other winners were Umar Gul, Michael Hussey and Tim Southee.

Awards are for the following categories -

Best Test Batting Performance: VVS Laxman (India) - 96 v South Africa, 2nd Test, Durban
Best Test Bowling Performance: Dale Steyn (SA) - 7 for 51 v India, 1st Test, Nagpur
Best ODI Batting Performance: Sachin Tendulkar (India) - 200 not out v South Africa, 2nd ODI, Gwalior
Best ODI Bowling Performance: Umar Gul (Pakistan) - 6 for 42 v England, 3rd ODI, The Oval
Best T20 Batting Performance: Mike Hussey (Australia) - 60 not out v Pakistan World Twenty20 semi-final, St Lucia
Best T20 Bowling Performance: Tim Southee (New Zealand) - 5 for 18 v Pakistan, first Twenty20, Auckland

Laxman won the Test batting award for his 96 on a seaming pitch in Durban, while Steyn took the bowling prize for his 7 for 51 against India in Nagpur on a flat batting track. That both players overcame unfavourable conditions and led their teams to historic wins was important in their beating some impressive competition.

The one-day batting award also went to a performance from an India-South Africa game: Sachin Tendulkar's remarkable unbeaten double-hundred in Gwalior, the first in the 40-odd years of the existence of the format.

It brought Tendulkar his second consecutive win in the category. He won last year for his monumental 175 in a lost cause against Australia.

Tendulkar's and Gul's performances were ranked No. 1 by 10 jury members, Steyn's by eight and Laxman's 96 by five.

This contest reflects that the rivalry of India-SAwas the key contest of the year.

India begin World Cup-2011 campaign with a bang, beat Australia by 38 runs

2011-02-14T02:53:00.000-08:00

Piyush Chawla and Harbhajan Singh spun India to a thumping 38-run win over Australia in their first warm-up game of the Cricket World Cup in Bangalore on Sunday.

Chawla (4/31) and Harbhajan (3/15) exploited the conditions to perfection and troubled all the Australian batsmen on a turning track at Chinnaswamy Stadium to earn a morale boosting victory for India.

Earlier, Indian batsmen failed to live up to expectations as they were bowled out for 214 in 44.3 overs after electing to bat. Virender Sehwag top-scored with a 56-ball 54 while Yusuf Pathan made a 39-ball 32. None of the other top-order batsmen could make substantial contribute.

Chasing a modest 215 for a win, Australia were cruising at one stage on 118 for two before Chawla and Harbhajan cast a web around Australians to bowl them out for 176 in 37.5 overs in front of a packed crowd.

Surprise inclusion in the World Cup squad, Chawla proved his critics wrong and brought India back into the match with a double strike in consecutive deliveries in the 29th over and took two wickets later to play a huge role in India's victory.

The leg-spinner was a revelation as he extracted big turn from the track and varied his deliveries to unsettle the Australians.

Secrets

Ponting, who returned to competitive cricket after a finger injury lay-off, top-scored for Australia with a hard-earned 57 that came off 85 balls after opening duo of Shane Watson (33) and Tim Paine (37) had given them a flying start.

Sourav Ganguly retires from cricket

2011-02-07T11:29:00.001-08:00

India’s most successful captain — the man who single-handedly galvanised a bunch of talented players into a winning side — won’t play again. The God on the off-side has announced his retirement from competitive cricket.

Breaking his silence on the IPL controversy, he said, he was playing Ranji only to stay fit for the league. And he doesn’t see any possibility of playing IPL again. So he’s hanging up his boots.

But he expressed disappointment at not finding a place in 10 IPL teams in which 70 Indians were selected. “I had the runs. Players of my age, Gilchrist, Dravid and Laxman are still actively involved. I haven’t been able to put the finger on why I was left out.
Cricketing logic and past form suggests I should have been picked. There are several reasons I could have been dropped, but not for cricket.”

So there will be no resurrection for the man, who like a phoenix has sprung surprises every time people thought his innings was over.

But Ganguly doesn’t feel betrayed by Shah Rukh Khan.
“SRK spoke to me about a possible role as KKR mentor. I don’t think KKR needs a mentor. I see no role there. The team already has enough expertise in Whatmore and Akram. I wanted to play and not mentor the team. I didn’t see myself in the sort of a role Kumble has chosen.”

But such is his love for the Kolkata outfit that he was disappointed over how the team has been handled, especially over the past two seasons.

His passion for the game won’t die. His IPL dream flickered when Kochi wanted him after the auctions. But the franchises put a spanner in the works. And Ganguly was left in the cold again.

Ganguly, the man who along with Sachin was part of one of the most destructive opening pairs in history won’t swing the willow again. Rather, he will still be part of the game, but not on the field. “I am mentally preparing myself for an administrator’s role at some stage. I would love to be part of the Cricket Association of Bengal at some point of my life. I also would love to coach the Indian cricket team as well.”

Cricket Association of Bengal is home turf. But the Bengal Tiger could also eye the chair of the Indian Cricket Board. Nothing is impossible for the unputdownable Dada.

Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar

2011-01-27T01:42:00.000-08:00

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's name has been recommended for Bharat Ratna by the Prime Minister's Office.

However, sources also add that there is some reservation on conferring Bharat Ratna on Tendulkar as he is considered too young for the highest civilian award of the country.

Those opposing his name also say that as the maestro received Padma Vibhushan just two years back and it may be too early for a Bharat Ratna.

At a function in Mumbai the batting maestro stayed away from the issue, saying Bharat Ratna is the dream of every Indian.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni backed the chorus for awarding Bharat Ratna to Tendulkar.

VVS Laxman may awarded the Padma Shree.

South Africa Seal series after Pathan's Heroic

2011-01-23T11:47:00.000-08:00

Yusuf Pathan's blistering century proved in vain for India as South Africa won the fifth and decisive one-day international by 33 runs on Sunday to take the series 3-2.

Morne Morkel bagged four wickets and Dale Steyn and Lonwabo Tsotsobe took two apiece for the hosts who dismissed India for 234. India had been set a Duckworth/Lewis revised target of 268 to win in 46 overs following a rain delay.

Yusuf, who came out in the 14th over when India were tottering at 74 for six, hit eight stunning sixes and as many fours to raise visions of a historic series-clinching win for India only to fail short at the end.

With the loss, India failed to realise their dreams of recording a first ever ODI series win on South African soil besides ending the nearly one-and-a-half month tour on a losing note. The three-match Test series before the one-dayers had ended in a 1-1 draw.

Put into bat, South Africa scored 250 for nine in 46 overs with in-form Hashim Amla contributing a brilliant unbeaten 116 but India had to chase 268 after adjustments were made under the D/L method.

Indian top order batsmen were on self-destruct mode as they fell like a pack of cards, with most of them being dismissed while playing rash shots when put under pressure by a disciplined South African bowlers.

IPL-4: 350 players to be auctioned

2010-12-29T23:26:00.001-08:00

350 best cricketers of the world will go under the hammer Jan 8-9 in Bangalore during the auction for the fourth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The Indian cricket board said Wednesday that top Indian players like Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra and Yuvraj Singh will be up for grabs for the 10 franchises. But the participation of Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals in the auction is subject to court orders.

The auction will be conducted by Richard Madley, a professional auctioneer from England who has conducted each of the previous IPL player auctions. The proceedings will be broadcast live by Sony Set Max.

Out of 421 cricketers, who had expressed an interest to participate in the auction, a short list of 350 cricketers has been produced by the various IPL franchises.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Gift
Inception (Two-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray]
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India beat SA to level series 1-1

2010-12-29T20:46:00.000-08:00

India underlined their status as the world's top Test team by outclassing South Africa by 87 runs to win the second Test and level the three-match series 1-1, on Day 4 at Kingsmead, Durban.

South Africa were dismissed for 215 in 72.3 overs in their second innings, pacers Zaheer Khan (3 for 57) and S Sreesanth (3 for 54) claiming three wickets each.

Ashwell Prince was left stranded on 39 from 108 balls after Lonwabo Tsotsobe (0) was the final wicket to fall; he was run-out by a sharp piece of fielding from Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg.

VVS Laxman also played a decisive role in India's victory, scoring a fluent 96 from 171 balls, the only half-century of the match to guide India to a respectable 228 in their second innings, on a pitch offering a lot of help to the pacers.

South Africa were dismissed for a paltry 131 in 37.2 overs in their first innings, after India had folded for 205 in 65.1 overs, as 18 wickets fell on day two of the Test.

Kallis wicket was the turning point of the end result. The Kerela speedster came up with a blinder of a delivery that bounced sharply on to Kallis from just short of length and the big man had no other option but to fend at it, only to glove it to Virender Sehwag at gully. Kallis made 17 off 52 deliveries and hit two boundaries in the process.

The Gift

It turned out to be an extraordinary Test with fortune fluctuating from one team to the other but the Indians eventually tilted the balance in their favour on a bouncy Kingsmead track which saw 40 wickets fall in three and half days.

The Indians, who had lost the first Test at Centurion by an innings and 25 runs, showed great character and resilience to demolish the Proteas in their own den and in conditions tailor-made to suit the home team.

It was India's second Test triumph in South Africa. The 123-run victory in the first Test at Johannesburg in 2006 was their first Test victory on South African soil.

The two teams will now travel to Cape Town for the third and final Test starting on Sunday.

Laxman was adjusted Man of the Match in the end. He again rise as a saviour for India.

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Eng slug Australia at MCG to retain the Ashes

2010-12-29T20:33:00.000-08:00

England retained the Ashes on Australian soil for the first time in 24 years by completing an emphatic innings and 157-run win over Australia before lunch on Wednesday's fourth day of the fourth Test.

England's victory at the Melbourne Cricket Ground means it travels to the final Test in Sydney starting on Sunday with a 2-1 series lead, but as the Ashes-holder, England needed to only draw the series to keep the urn.

The England team completed a lap of honour to the cheers of a vocal MCG crowd dominated by England's 'Barmy Army' fans.

After the match England cricket team break out the "sprinkler dance".

The Gift

Australia's loss looked inevitable from day one when it was dismissed for a paltry 98 in two rain-shortened sessions on the first day. A capitulation became inevitable early on the third day when England replied with a first-innings total of 513 for a massive 415-run lead.

Bresnan claimed the vital wickets of Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey after tea on Tuesday to become the architect of yet another poor Australian batting performance.

Bresnan, who replaced Steven Finn in England's bowling attack for the fourth Test, ended the innings with figures of 4-50. Tremlett had 1-71, Anderson had 1-71 and Swan finished with 2-59.

Shane Watson provided Australia's second highest score of the match with 54, while the England lineup featured knocks of 168 from man of the match Jonathan Trott, 85 from Matt Prior and 82 by Alastair Cook, proving that the MCG wicket had plenty to offer the batsmen.

Pride and Prejudice

Siddle's bowling provided the only highlight for the Australians, taking 6-75. Johnson, who took 9 wickets in Australia's 267-run win at Perth in the third Test, was far less effective in Melbourne, conceding 134 runs for his two wickets.

Australia captain Ponting's future has come under intense scrutiny in the light of the series loss, his failure with the bat, a finger injury and his unseemly remonstrations with the on-field umpires on Monday after having a reviewed decision ruled not out.

After making just 10 runs in Australia's disastrous first innings, Ponting was unable to make amends and managed 20 in the second.

Tendulkar´s historic ton - Smashed 50th test century

2010-12-19T22:42:00.000-08:00

Cricket history was created at SuperSport Park on Sunday when Sachin Tendulkar posted a century against South Africa -- his 50th in Test Cricket.

Tendulkar thus became the first batsman in the 133-year history of Test cricket to complete a half-century of centuries.

The Gift

Test players showered lot of praise on Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar. Some of there statements links are below..have a look..

Tendulkar showed why he is great: Harris

Former Pak players salute the maestro

the 'professor of batting': Kirsten

'Sachin's records are insurmountable': Dilip Vengsarkar

Sanjay Manjrekar: "He has got it finally! and judging from his reaction..meant a lot to him...the 50th test ton..this is one record that is there to stay."

Harsha Bhogle: "All great players redefine their profession.50 Test hundreds was considered unthinkable. Sachin has done it."

Yuvraj Singh: "Greatest achievement by a bats man ever! His name is sachinnnnnnn tendulkarrrrrrrrrr!! Wooohooooooooo."

Iain O'Brien: "Congrats you little massive legend!"

Shane Warne may return for Sydney test

2010-12-09T23:58:00.000-08:00

A superb Cricket drama is running on Australia pitch.

As Australian cricket is in desperate times. After crashing to their first innings defeat on home soil against England in 23 years, the Australian board is rumoured to be approaching spin legend Shane Warne to rush out of retirement and help the Aussies redeem themselves in the spin legend’s favourite cricketing destination, Syndey Cricket Ground.

When former Australian batsman Damien Martyn, who is a good friend of the king of spin Shane Warne, tweeted about the talks between Cricket Australia and Channel 9 on the leg spinner's availability, it took the whole world by surprise.

Even Australian coach Tim Nielsen revealed that selectors could today discuss a Warne comeback for the Sydney Test. Nielsen said Warne must quickly decide whether to make a sensational comeback.

After coach disclosure the desperation for Shane Warne to become Australia's Ashes saviour has reached fever pitch with a group of Queensland businessmen reportedly offering the King of Spin $1 million to make himself available for selection.

MI retain Tendulkar, Harbhajan, Pollard, Malinga

2010-12-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

Mumbai Indians have informed the BCCI-owned Indian Premier League that they were retaining four players Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh,
West Indian Kieron Pollard and Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga for the next two seasons.

The MI official also claimed that the franchisees have the option of retaining more than one foreigner in their squad as per the decision of the IPL governing council on retention of players.

A media release issued by the BCCI over player retention after the meeting of the IPL GC on September 5 stated: "Up to including four players per franchise may be signed for retention of which only up to three shall be Indian players. The Player must have been included in the franchise's registered squad for the 2010 season.

As a result of MI's decision to retain all four players as permitted, the franchise will have only $4.5 million at their disposal for buying the remaining members for 2011 and 2012 at next month's player auction as its salary cap has been halved.

The player contract will be for a period of two years plus one year right of extension by franchise, as per the decision of the IPL's governing council.

England win by an innings and 71 runs

2010-12-06T20:02:00.000-08:00

England take a priceless 1-0 lead in ASHES. Swann had been identified as the man to spearhead England's push on the fifth day and he's done just that, finishing with 5 for 91to bowl England to their 100th Test win over Australia.

The hosts suffer the ignominy of their first innings defeat at home since their capitulation to the West Indies at Perth in 1993 and, to be brutally honest, it's hard to see them bouncing back to win two of the next three games to reclaim the urn. Stranger things have happened, of course, but Australia will need something truly inspirational.

Toy Story 3

Andrew Strauss's decision to bat on on the fourth morning is vindicated by the eventual result - the 69 runs added tallying nicely with the victory by an innings and 71. England will be slighted dented by the loss of Broad, but they've got the likes of Chris Tremlett, Ajmal Shahzad and Tim Bresnan as back-up. Tremlett, in particular, could be a real handful at the WACA, while Shahzad has the ability to reverse the old ball.

Man of the match - KP Pietersen (England)

Captain's take after match -
Ricky Ponting - "We got off to a shambolic start to the Test match, and it was always going to be hard to fight back from there,". "We needed to make a big score in the first innings and 245 was never going to be enough. We also put down a few crucial catches in the field. It's just those little things which are literally slipping through our hands at the moment, you can't give good players second and third chances. We've got to go away and do some soul-searching. England have kept us under real pressure, and we've got to find a way to cope with that."

Andrew Strauss - "You're always thinking back to what happened here four years ago and asking 'could Australia find a way to get back into this game?' but we were pretty clinical out there. A lot of boxes ticked in this game,". "When you're confident things start happening for you as a matter of course, you don't have to push it," he says of England's dramatic start to this Test with the ball.

Australia needs 137 runs to avoid innings defeat

2010-12-06T04:21:00.000-08:00

England's Kevin Pietersen took the key wicket of Michael Clarke with the last ball of the fourth day of the second Ashes test Monday to reduce Australia to 238-4, still trailing the tourists by 137 runs.

The Gift

Clarke, who made 80, and Mike Hussey (44 not out) had fought a desperate rearguard action after England declared on 620-5 with a first-innings lead of 375 in the morning.

England took three Australian wickets after lunch and the Adelaide rain provided only an hour of respite for the hosts as they looked to the skies to help them avoid an innings defeat.

Pietersen, who had completed his career-best innings of 227 in the morning, was giving the specialist bowlers some rest as the day drew to a close when he made another crucial intervention.

Clarke initially walked when Alastair Cook took the catch but returned to his crease as the decision was reviewed by TV pictures. He was walking again when they clearly showed the ball hit the face of his bat.

Importantly, all the Australian batsmen played positively, refusing to simply bat for time and allow England to dictate the flow. Clarke struck 11 boundaries and Hussey, who continued his excellent series, slammed Swann over midwicket for six late in the day, ensuring that any bad balls were put away, as they would be in happier circumstances.

The only batsman who really struggled was Ponting, who was mesmerised by Swann and couldn't get off the mark until his 13th delivery. Despite punishing Swann with a vicious cut for four and a powerful sweep to the boundary, Ponting was eliminated by Swann on 9 when he played for the offspinner and edged a straighter ball low to Paul Collingwood at first slip.

The visitors would be sorely disappointed if that effort doesn't turn into a win. They'll want a lift from James Anderson, who didn't bowl at his best, while a stomach strain could keep Stuart Broad from playing much of a part on the final day. England can only hope the weather doesn't play any role either.

Tendulkar "Bradman of this era": Brain Lara

2010-12-01T03:28:00.000-08:00

More extolment for Sachin Tendulkar. This time once again former West Indies captain and Tendulkar's good friend Brian Lara has called Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar the Don Bradman of this era.

Lara, himself a great batsman who broke the world records for highest Test score with an unbeaten 400 and an unconquered 501 in first class cricket, said he admires Tendulkar's longevity in the game and is looking forward to his 50th Test hundred.

1st December - Cricket surroundings all over

2010-11-30T09:45:00.000-08:00

1th December is the day on which 6 teams will test their competitor on different locations. Interestingly 3 teams are from Asia only and they are not facing each other, this battle of three Asian team will be on their respective grounds only. To start with India, they will face New Zealand on their 2nd one dayer of five match series. This match will bulge out in the morning of Jaipur on Sawai Mansingh Stadium. India is leading the series with 1-0.

In the second encounter Bangladesh will face Zimbabwe on the beginner one day match of 5 match series at Dhaka. With the World Cup round the corner, the cricketing world has its collective eye trained on Bangladesh. By thumping New Zealand 4-0 at home, they have announced themselves as a real threat to the teams in Group B, who will all have to find a way past their spinners in slow and low conditions.

Another match on 1st December is between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Pallekele. It is the last test of this series, both the starting one turn into draw. It will be the debut test in Pallekele. The Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, the venue for the decider, and one being groomed for the World Cup, is untested at the highest level, though it has staged a fair share of domestic games earlier this year, sporting a pitch that has shown a tendency to favour batting.