Latest Cricket News: Updated Daily

Losses against Chennai count for nothing

2008-12-23T20:19:00.000+05:30

We can't wait for Saturday's semi-final. We may have lost twice to the Chennai Super Kings in the group stages but that counts for nothing now. We have grown in confidence right throughout the tournament and we have the talent and experience to deliver in a big game. In the end, the side that handles the pressure of the tight match-turning moments will probably win.

We have actually seen this throughout the tournament. There have been lots of close games during the last six weeks and a large number of last over finishes. It is therefore no surprise that the four qualifying teams for the semi-finals have all reacted well to the pressure situations they have faced along the way.

We are approaching the game in exactly the same way as our other matches. We don't need to put on any extra pressure on ourselves because this is a semi-final. The key will be staying relaxed and going out there to enjoy ourselves. It is very important to have fun playing cricket and we need to keep doing that.

We have done well thus far because we have the little things right when it matters most. We all know our specific roles within the team and I think we have handled ourselves well during key match situations. We have prepared thoroughly and worked really hard to be consistent in implementing our gameplans.

Our final group game win against the Rajasthan Royals should stand us in good stead. We did not mind who we played in the semi-finals but we wanted to go into the final weekend with the best preparation possible. We wanted to win and we won convincingly. It was the perfect way to end the round-robin stage.

The return of Kumar Sangakkara from injury has balanced up the team nicely and it's been great to see him click immediately back into his best form. With Shaun Marsh continuing his brilliantly consistent form at the top, plus James Hopes and Yuvi in excellent touch, our top order has a solid feel.

The last time we played in Mumbai against the Mumbai Indians the pitch was pretty flat, good for batting with a little bit of spin. Hopefully, we'll get a similar surface. But whatever the conditions are, the key is how you adapt. We must assess the conditions and react accordingly. Again, this is something that we have done well thus far.
all courtesy: cricketnext

Srikkanth knows what Indian cricket needs

2008-12-22T20:19:00.000+05:30

A new set of office-bearers and selectors have assumed office in the Board of Control for Cricket in India and I hope things change, and improve. This is a critical time for Indian cricket.

Under the stewardship of Sharad Pawar, the BCCI moved forward and took some momentous decisions. There was a touch of professionalism and there was a distinct shift towards being transparent in crucial fields. There were a few shortcomings but overall the game prospered.

For a long time, there has been talk of being consistent. As far as the players are concerned, the emphasis is always on consistency but then the same yardstick should apply to the office-bearers and to the policies that the administrators adopt.

Take the example of the selectors. When Kiran More's term ended, Sourav Ganguly was out. When Dilp Vengsarkar's term began, Ganguly was in. Just before Vengsarkar's term ended, Ganguly was again out. Is there a pattern that the selectors follow when it comes to making the final choice, especially when dealing with the seniors?

Now K Srikkanth has taken over the mantle from Vengsarkar. Having known Srikkanth from the time he played his first match, I can vouch for his honesty and desire to give his best. He is known to be transparent and that is what is needed in these times when Indian cricket is going through a transition period.

Srikkanth and his committee have the task to pick the team for the 2011 World Cup and I know he will bring the same approach to his selection as he did to his batting.

all courtesy: cricketnext

Fragile Bangladesh need to be careful now

2008-12-21T20:17:00.000+05:30

The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) 10-year ban on players who signed up with the Indian Cricket League (ICL) is likely to have little bearing on how things move from here, unless the national cricket body is able to work out a compromise formula with the 13 players, seven of whom have national contracts.

The players would obviously have seen this coming after the way ICL players the world over were treated by their respective countries. It was a politically right step from the BCB that was followed by a politically right statement by former skipper Habibul Bashar, who termed it as ‘harsh’.

Bangladesh’s entry to the Test fold has been unexciting to say the least and eight years in the international arena have been most unimpressive. The Test status might have been bestowed upon them due to the largesse of Jagmohan Dalmiya during his heyday, partly in the zest to bring more power to the sub-continent by way of an extra vote in the International Cricket Council, but the minnows have just remained minnows.

A solitary win against struggling Zimbabwe and a few draws are hardly bright spots in a run that has seen them lose most matches inside three days. Yes, Bangladesh have scored the occasional ODI wins over Test playing countries, but they have been few and far between and proved no harbinger for better times.

all courtesy:cricketnext

When Dada waved the shirt of defiance

2008-12-20T20:17:00.001+05:30

Captains it is said are supposed to set the standards: discipline, decorum and adhere to protocol. They are meant as well to honour the laws and spirit of the game.

Well, that was the creed we were taught. Not that there is much difference about a captain's responsibilities in the laws between the 1947 and 1980 codes and the improved and revised version of 2000 designed to deal with the 21st century.

Yet, of all the defining moments in Sourav Ganguly's career it might be suggested, is the one that took place at a venue noted for discipline, decorum and places a high price as well on protocol. Lord's, in leafy north-west London, and where a walk along St John's Wood Road takes you past the Grace Gates, and a peek inside suggests fusty tradition and establishment.

Yet, when you think about it, that balcony scene at the NatWest final of July 13, 2002, where he stripped off his sky blue Indian team shirt is not all about West Bengal daring. It was bringing that extra touch of passion to the game as well as a moment of honesty.

There we sat in the Edrich Stand, five goras among an army of Indians, and when Dada bared his torso, flashed as it was on one of the giant screens, the expressions of our friends was one of giggles from the women and cheers from the guys. By then about half of our group had slipped away. The term 'a bunch of chokers' being offered as an excuse as the reason for leaving, and how they should have known better to support such losers and a dud as a captain.

Sachin Tendulkar had been bowled for fourteen last ball if the 24th over by Ashley Giles and the scoreboard was a sorry 146-5. Mostly they went off to nearby pubs and didn't get to see the drama unfold. It was fun.

There we watched two youngsters, Yuvraj and Kaif, treating a sunny Saturday afternoon crowd to style and character. It was great to watch.

What happened after the game was also an experience, helping parade a giant Indian tricolour behind the grandstand and later into St John's Wood Road. The party that followed went on until well into the next morning; moving from a nearby pub to a large Bayswater apartment. All the time there were men in the Indian shirt pulling it off and waving at neighbours.

Being in London at the time was a matter a visit to England for extra research relating to the planned second edition of South Africa's Cricket Captains. Initially co-authored with the late Jackie McGlew in 1994, this revised version was being published to coincide with the World Cup in South Africa the following year.

The visit to Lord's was by generous courtesy of Indians met during the 1999 World Cup in England and with whom looked after me during that month stay. It was a good opportunity as well, having been on the trail of the Indian side on three successive tours in 2001: Zimbabwe, onto Sri Lanka and later to South Africa.

Such touring rituals gives you a chance to exchange views with Indian journalists covering tours and forming opinions of the players, their characters and how they played the game. This was for a website no longer with us and occasionally for the Indian Express.

India on tour is a far different experience to India in India. Throughout, and despite the sniping of the critics, Ganguly was affable and not one to shy from questions. He would give them some thought though and answer by looking you in the eye; so unlike Hansie Cronje who would answer a question by looking at anyone but whoever it was asking the question.

It suggested he had something to hide, yet with Dada, he would front up. He appreciated honest criticism, when he addressed you by your name it was an indication he knew who you were and what you wrote and for whom.

What first drew me to Ganguly was his debut century at Lord's in June 1996. Having arrived in London a week or so early for the South African A tour of England and Wales, an old colleague in Sussex and an MCC member, suggested we go to the Lord's Test. For this he managed to get media tickets.

Having badly lost the first Test in Birmingham, India decided to give Ganguly and Rahul Dravid a chance and made their debuts in the second Test at Lord's. On the Saturday afternoon, Dada celebrated his arrival with an innings of 131 batting at three. Yet here was elegance and style and it annoyed me when one English writer suggested he looked like a clumsy fish out of the Hooghly River.

Whether there is fish in the Hooghly is not the point, such hyperbole was out of place as it was the way he took on the Poms, led by Mike Atherton, and gave India needed backbone to the batting. That century also earned his name inscribed on the honours board alongside any number of others who have scored centuries and taken five wickets at England's home of the game.

It was that century which drew attention to a batsman who would lead by performance as well as passion. An example was his inning of 60 at The Wanderers on the 1996/97 tour and where but for rain that last day, India could have so easily won that third match of the series. The way Ganguly stood up to Allan Donald was a model of good batsmanship.

Yet when he took over as captain, you could see the difference. He made it different.

As he explained, and the coach John Write corroborated, there were mitigating reasons for tugging off the shirt. Andy (Freddie the Eagle) Flintoff in Mumbai earlier in the year had tried to show off an England victory. Now it was Dada's turn.

Harbhajan had wanted others to follow Ganguly's act, but Dravid quickly acted against such a wilful act of indiscipline.

Ganguly will be rightly remembered as the captain who created a new Indian team culture and one which brought aggressiveness to their game plan. To win, you had to play hard and adopt the Australian approach. There is nothing wrong with that. Dada's attitude rubbed off on the others and that famed Lord's balcony scene showed just how different it would be under his brand of leadership.

all courtesy:cricketnext

Catch it if you can

2008-12-20T19:59:00.001+05:30

Top ten weirdos......

2008-12-20T19:55:00.002+05:30

Johnson has a ball in his new home

2008-12-19T20:26:00.000+05:30

Mitchell Johnson is like a wind-up toy. He'll tear in at the same speed all day but he has to be pointing in the right direction when the string is pulled. If he's slightly off line he might go flying off the table. If he's on the right path he could run through any obstacle in his way. With help from Dennis Lillee, Johnson set himself on the straightest course possible at the WACA and demolished South Africa's batting line-up and their spirits with a brilliant late spell of 5 for 2 from 21 balls.

It was one of the most devastating Test spells in recent memory and it brought back memories of some of the finest WACA fast-bowling efforts. Curtly Ambrose crashed through Australia at the same venue in 1992-93 with a spell of 7 for 1 that set up Australia's most recent series loss at home and Glenn McGrath mauled Pakistan in Perth in 2004-05 with 8 for 24. But the fast man most associated with the venue is the local bowler Lillee, who is now the president of the state's cricket association.

Lillee also happens to be the man who discovered Johnson as a 17-year-old and called him a once-in-a-generation bowler. Fittingly, when Johnson left his trail of destruction on the second day he did it while running in from the end of the WACA dominated by the Lillee-Marsh Stand. Johnson sought Lillee's counsel in the lead-up to the game and the advice was short and to the point. "He said at the WACA you probably want to be a little bit straighter," Johnson said, "try and get the guys to play a lot more."

It took a little while for the technique to kick in after Johnson began the day with a few of his familiar sprays well wide of the batsmen. He readjusted his radar and picked up Neil McKenzie and Graeme Smith, and late in the day he displayed the precision of a master craftsman. The aim was to use the Fremantle Doctor, the afternoon sea breeze in Perth, to help bring the ball back into the right-handers and then slip in one of his more standard deliveries angled across the bat.

It worked. AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis, both of whom had scored 63 and appeared to be guiding South Africa into an advantageous position, succumbed to the trap and edged behind to fall to sharp catches from Brad Haddin. The collapse that followed left South Africa at 8 for 243 at stumps and handed Australia the momentum they had been missing all day.

The other factor that worked in Johnson's favour was aggression. Once the two established men were gone, he made the debutant JP Duminy uncomfortable with a bouncer that popped up off his gloves and then Morne Morkel succumbed to the bouncer/slower-ball combination. The fire is a relatively new part of Johnson's psyche - in his younger days he seemed too nice to be a fast bowler - and he said he had made a conscious effort to become more hostile.



	In an attack missing Stuart Clark, still trying to find its way in the post-McGrath and Warne era and fighting off a challenge from the world's No. 2 team, Johnson's form spike is superbly timed

"[I'm trying to] bowl that bouncer, bowl the ones up into their ribs and then try and get that ball to cross the right-handers or other way round for the left-handers," Johnson said. "I'm trying to be a little bit more aggressive, be a bit more in their face, be a bit more confident."

It's easier when you're pumped up after a couple of wickets. Johnson's rampage lasted 33 minutes and if Australia's first half hour on the opening day, when they lost 3 for 15, harmed their plans then South Africa's finish to the second day almost killed theirs. Johnson's demolition ended with the penultimate over of the afternoon and while South Africa were pleased to have a night's rest that might quell Australia's spark, Johnson had pushed himself as far as he could and suffered cramps when he bowled his final ball.

He finished the day with a career-best 7 for 42 and he provided an irresistible period for the spectators who had stuck around on a day of South African grit. Johnson moved to Western Australia from Brisbane during the off-season because of the lure of his Perth-based girlfriend. He has not yet played for his new state but by the end of the day the fans were claiming him as their new "local" hero.

"I was copping a bit of flak earlier, they were still calling me a Queenslander," Johnson said. "I just let that run off my back and I started getting a few wickets and the crowd were right into it. It's a crazy feeling when the crowd's standing up and applauding you and you almost don't know what to do. But you just appreciate it and take it all in."

It was his first game at his new home ground since making the switch. He ended up with his second five-wicket haul in Tests after collecting his first at his real home venue, the Gabba, less than a month ago. Since he completed a disappointing tour of the West Indies, Johnson has picked up 34 Test wickets at 21.08. It is a period that has thrilled his mentor Lillee, who said: "It's very pleasing to see the coming of age of any fast bowler, and Mitchell on his new home ground stepped up to the mark today to show that he has definitely come of age as a Test bowler."

In an attack missing Stuart Clark, still trying to find its way in the post-McGrath and Warne era and fighting off a challenge from the world's No. 2 team, Johnson's form spike is superbly timed. If he keeps pointing in the right direction whenever that string is pulled, his master Ricky Ponting will have a big smile on his face. And it's not even Christmas yet.

ALL THE RECENT RESULT

2008-12-18T20:30:00.001+05:30

Last 7 Days

Australia v South Africa

2008-12-18T20:28:00.001+05:30

A brief history

Australia v South Africa

Will Luke and Martin Williamson

December 1, 2008

All-time statistics

Hugh Tayfield in action during 1949 © Getty Images

1902-03 in South Africa
Cricket was largely limited to the English population, and in 1902, shortly after the end of the Boer War, the South African cricket authorities issued an invitation to Joe Darling's Australian side, then touring England, to return home by way of South Africa. The invitation was accepted, South African cricket surged forward from that time, and though well beaten in two of the three Test matches, the home side had their moments. Australia, transplanted to matting from the turf pitches of England, where they had won the series, found themselves fielding while South Africa made 454 in the first Test in Johannesburg. L. J. Tancred made 97 and Charles Llewellyn followed up an innings of 90 by taking 6 for 92. Australia, amazingly, had to follow on, but they had no trouble in saving the three-day match, and twice in the other two Tests bowled South Africa out for 85. South Africa's defeat in the last Test was delayed by a spectacular innings of 104 in 80 minutes by Jimmy Sinclair, which included six sixes, but Australia won by 10 wickets and Darling took his side home having made a lasting contribution to South African cricket.
South Africa 0 Australia 2 Drawn 1

1910-11 in Australia
When P. W. Sherwell took the first South African side to Australia in 1910, they enjoyed some years of success founded largely on the googly bowling of Ernest Vogler, Reginald Schwarz, and Aubrey Faulkner. But they proved less effective on Australian turf than they had at home on matting and in England. Additionally, there was no genuine fast bowler, and the others could not stop Australia making hundreds of runs. In the first Test Warren Bardsley made 132 and Clem Hill 191. In the second Victor Trumper made 159, in the third 214 not out. Hill (100) and Warwick Armstrong (132) made hundreds in the fourth Test, and Macartney 137 in the fifth. Faulkner hit 204 in defeat in the second Test and they actually won the third in Adelaide. J Zulch (105) and S Snooke (103) made hundreds in the first innings, Faulkner made 115 in the second and on a deteriorating pitch on the sixth day Australia went down by 38 runs. It was the last time for nearly 42 years that South Africa were to win a Test match against Australia.
Australia 4 South Africa 1

1912 in England
The ill-fated Triangular Tournament was dogged by appalling weather and South Africa were weak whereas Australia were a virtual shambles as a result of the long-running row between board and players. South Africa lost all three Tests against England and the first two against Australia. At Old Trafford, Kelleway (114) and Bardsley (121) made hundreds, and though Faulkner scored 122 not out for South Africa, Matthews took a hat-trick in each innings - he took no other wickets in the match. At Lord's, Kelleway (102) and Bardsley (164) again made hundreds and South Africa lost by 10 wickets.
Australia 2 South Africa 0 Drawn 1

1921-22 in South Africa
Although the Australian Imperial Forces side led by Herbie Collins visited in 1919, it was not until 1921-22 that Test cricket resumed in South Africa, and Collins again led in the absence of the injured Warwick Armstrong. The first two matches were drawn in Australia's favour, though Frank made 152 and Dave Nourse 111 after South Africa had followed on in the second. Australia won the third in Cape Town by 10 wickets, Arthur Mailey taking 4 for 40 in the first innings and Charlie Macartney 5 for 44 in the second. Previously much of the damage had been done by Jack Gregory and Ted McDonald.
South Africa 0 Australia 1 Drawn 2

1931-32 in Australia
The South Africans struggled between the wars, largely because they struggled to adapt to the changeover from matting to grass pitches. Under wicketkeeper-batsman Jock Cameron, they were in no state to resist the genius of Don Bradman in his prime, and lost all five Tests by big margins - three by an innings, one by 10 wickets, and one by 169 runs. Having begun by being caught on a bad pitch at Brisbane, a fate wont to befall weak sides, they finished on the worst of Melbourne sticky pitches. On the first day, South Africa were bowled out for 36 in less than 90 minutes, Bert Ironmonger taking 5 for 6. Ten batsmen contributed 17 between them, with Cameron making 11 and extras 8. Australia made only 153, but it was easily enough to give them victory by an innings as Ironmonger (6 for 18) and Bill O'Reilly (3 for 9) bowled South Africa out again in less than 90 minutes for 45. The whole match was over in 109 overs. Bradman, injured in the field, did not bat in this match, but his previous scores--226, 112, 2 and 167, and 299 not out--gave him an average of 201.50.
Australia 5 South Africa 0

1935-36 in South Africa
It was much the same story when Vic Richardson led the next Australian tour, even though South Africa had just beaten England away from home. But the sudden death of Jock Cameron and this seemed to set the tone for what followed. Had it not rained during the second Test in Johannesburg, South Africa would have lost all five Tests. As it was, they lost three by an innings and one by nine wickets. Australia's spinners wreaked havoc - Clarrie Grimmett took 44 wickets at 14 and O'Reilly 27 at 17 - while with the bat Stan McCabe averaged 84 and Jack Fingleton 79. Dudley Nourse played a fine innings of 231 in the second innings of the drawn Test, but that was a rare moment of cheer for South Africans.
South Africa 0 Australia 4 Drawn 1

1949-50 in South Africa
Even though Bradman had gone, Lindsay Hassett's Australian team had almost as easy a passage as its predecessor. South African's bowling was woefully thin, and Arthur Morris, Neil Harvey, Hassett, and others made hundreds of easy runs. In the drawn Test in Johannesburg Moroney made a hundred in each innings. The only hiccup for the tourists came in the third Test when they were bowled out for 75 (thanks to Hugh Tayfield's 7 for 23) but did not enforce the follow on despite leading by 236. The plan backfired as they were skittled for 99 and Australia successfully chased 336 on a poor surface winning with 25 minutes and five wickets in hand thanks to 151 not out from Harvey.
South Africa 0 Australia 4 Drawn 1

1952-53 in Australia
Against the odds, South Africa drew the series thanks to inspired captaincy from Jack Cheetham and consistently outstanding fielding. They caught everything, and Hugh Tayfield emerged as a great offspinner in Australian conditions. The first Test went to Australia, though the Springboks, who had not won a state match and had lost to New South Wales, did better than most people expected, and lost by only 96 runs. They then staggered the cricket world by winning the second Test, in Melbourne, their first victory over Australia for 42 years. They were slightly behind on the first innings, but Endean made 162 not out in the second innings and Tayfield (7 for 81) completed the triumph. Within a fortnight Australia had won the third Test by an innings, Neil Harvey (190) making the third of his four hundreds in the series, and when Australia had much the better of a draw in Adelaide, there was inevitably a tendency to write off South Africa's second-Test success as a flash in the pan. But back at Melbourne they won one of the most glorious victories in Test history, for it was achieved after Australia, batting first, had made 520 in their first innings, Harvey 205. The Springboks scored consistently to reach 435, and then the fast bowler Eddie Fuller, with help from Tayfield and Mansell, dismissed Australia for 209. The Springboks still had to score 295 to win, and at 191 for 4 the match was in the balance. Then Roy McLean came in to make 76 out of 106 in 80 minutes, the match was won, and the rubber halved.
Australia 2 South Africa 2 Drawn 1

1957-58 in South Africa
Under the captaincy of the 22-year-old Ian Craig, Australia's spinners again played a crucial role in winning the series. Richie Benaud took 30 wickets and Lindsey Kline 15, and with Alan Davidson's 25 this was quite enough to defeat a negative South African side. Mackay, who averaged 125, and Benaud easily covered up the moderate form of Craig and Neil Harvey. South Africa started the series promisingly making 470 for 9, they lost the second, could not press home a promising position in the third, when Neil Adcock and Peter Heine bowled Australia out in the first innings for 163, and easily lost the last two.
South Africa. 0 Australia 3 Drawn 2

1963-64 in Australia
For the second tour running, South Africa turned the form book on its head and shared the series, this time thanks to the fast bowling of Peter Pollock, the swing bowling of Partridge, and the exciting batting of their young guns, Eddie Barlow, Graeme Pollock, and Colin Bland. The series began with a draw at Brisbane, a match made memorable by the calling of Ian Meckiff for throwing, ending his Test career. Though Barlow made 109 and 54 in the second Test, Bill Lawry's 157 helped Australia win it comfortably by eight wickets. After a drawn third Test, South Africa followed with a magnificent 10-wicket victory built on an historic third-wicket stand of 341 in 283 minutes between Barlow (201) and Graeme Pollock (175). The final Test was drawn.
Australia 1 South Africa 1 Drawn 3

1966-67 in South Africa
South Africa finally won a series against Australia, and under Peter van der Merwe their young batsmen destroyed the Australian spin, while former captain Trevor Goddard led the way for the home side with 26 wickets. The tour started with the Australians losing to Transvaal's, the first ever defeat for Australian side in South Africa, and a gripping series captivated the public. South Africa won a sensational first-Test victory in Johannesburg after Australia had passed their first-innings total of 199 with only one wicket down. In the second innings. South Africa's wicketkeeper Denis Lindsay played the first of three swashbuckling hundreds that tipped the scales at vital times - he finished the series with 606 runs and 24 catches. Australia won the second Test at Cape Town with 25 minutes and seven wickets to spare, despite of Graeme Pollock's second innings 209. Of the last three Tests, South Africa won two and would have won the other by the biggest margin of all but for rain. The tide had finally turned.
South Africa 3 Australia 1 Drawn 1

1969-70 in South Africa
A watershed series. It marked the emergence of a brilliantly balanced South Africa side, but one that never again took to the field in a Test as sanctions took hold. Although Bill Lawry's team arrived after a grueling tour of India, they were still expected to be too good for a South Africans side that had not played Test cricket for three years. But South Africa's batting line-up was awesome with Barry Richards and Mike Procter added to Eddie Barlow and Graeme Pollock. Australia fought hard in the series opener at Newlands, where the pitches that season had been taking spin. But Ali Bacher won the toss, Eddie Barlow made 127, and South Africa won by 170 runs. After that there seemed little hope for Australia on the other pitches, and their defeats were even more conclusive. At Durban, Richards hammered 140, almost scoringa ton before lunch, and Pollock made 274. Australia were utterly routed on the field and a mess off it.

1993-94 in Australia
The success of South Africa's first tour of Australia for 30 years was assured at Sydney, when a young side - temporarily under the direction of Hansie Cronje, after an injury to the captain Kepler Wessels - pulled off a remarkable victory, dismissing Australia for 111 to win the Second Test by the slender margin of five runs. The euphoria of the historic Sydney victory outweighed an anticlimactic end to the tour, defeat in the one-day World Series finals being followed by a comprehensive reverse in the Adelaide Test. Despite this, the Test series was shared, mirroring the performance of South Africa's last two touring team in Australia, in 1952-53 and 1963-64; the First Test had been ruined by unseasonal weather, which allowed little more than four hours' play over the first three days at Melbourne.
Tests: Australia 1 South Africa 1 Drawn 1
ODIs: Australia 4 South Africa 3

1993-94 in South Africa
Australia's tour of South Africa in early 1994 was a big success on and off the field, and honour was mutually satisfied when they split the three-Test series 1-1 and the one-day international series 4-4. The results of the Tests matched those in the series played just beforehand in Australia, though they were an utter contrast to Australia's previous visit 24 years earlier when South Africa won 4-0. In this case, the greater pride was with the South Africans since the same Australian players had slaughtered England a few months before. The three five-day Tests drew 170,000 spectators; the eight limited-overs games were all set-outs, and were watched by 157,000. The first two Tests produced one-sided results after fluctuating matches containing the best elements of five-day cricket. After South Africa had been 126 for six on the first day in Johannesburg, only a supremely resilient innings from Jonty Rhodes kept his side in the match and enabled Hansie Cronje to score a century and set up the victory. At Newlands, the match seemed a certain draw until, in the final half-hour on the fourth day, South Africa lost four wickets for three runs, beginning with a hairline run-out of Kepler Wessels, settled by the third umpire.The much-anticipated decider at Kingsmead never caught fire, which was a shame as it was the final Test in Allan Border's remarkable career.
Tests: South Africa 1 Australia 1 Drawn 1
ODIs: South Africa 4 Australia 4

1996-97 in South Africa
Mark Taylor became the first visiting captain to win a Test series in South Africa since they returned to official international cricket in 1991. But although it was Australia's sixth successive series win (excluding a one-off defeat by India), Taylor ended the tour with his position in doubt. His form was such that, after averaging 16 over the three Tests and scoring seven and 17 in the first two one-day internationals, he dropped himself for the remaining five games. Australia also won the seven-match one-day international series - South Africa's first defeat in a limited-overs series or tournament on home soil since early 1993. It was a surprise result, as Australia had won only five limited-overs games out of 18 following their defeat in the 1996 World Cup final. South Africa had suffered only two defeats in 24 matches in that time, but paid for their tactical error at Centurion Park, where they opted to risk bowling with a wet ball.
Tests: South Africa 1 Australia 2
ODIs: South Africa 3 Australia 4

Shaun Pollock appeals for a wicket during the 1997-98 series © Getty Images

1997-98 in Australia
The South Africans arrived with high hopes of recording their first Test series victory over Australia in four attempts since returning to the international fold. In the end, two factors counted against them. A familiar foe, Shane Warne, overcame unseasonal damp weather in the Sydney Test with some wristy magic, which included his 300th Test wicket. And in the Third Test at Adelaide, as the visitors looked set to square the series, uncharacteristically ragged fielding cost them dear. Ten catches went down as Australia just managed to stave off defeat and take the series 1-0.
Tests: Australia 1 South Africa 0 Drawn 2
ODIs: Australia 2 South Africa 5

2001-02 in Australia
Though the ICC tabulations said South Africa would replace Australia as Championship leaders by winning or drawing this three-Test rubber, they never looked like contenders. The tourists were thrice disposed of by big margins, with ample time to spare, and in some disarray. For Australia, the encounter put further flesh on an already far-from-bony case to be considered the outstanding cricket team of the last decade. The latest weapon in their line-up was the left-handed opening combination of Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer; a faute de mieux arrangement in England had flowered on home soil. The hulking Hayden was overpowering, scoring his 429 runs at a strike-rate of around 60 per hundred balls. Always busy, always acquisitive, Langer was less eye-catching but little less effective, having turned his recall at The Oval into a new lease on life. By the end of the series, their average partnership was a hearty 117.90, including four double-century stands in 11 innings.
Tests: Australia 3 South Africa 0
ODIs: Australia 3 South Africa 1

2001-02 in South Africa
Australians were deeply offended by the fact that a draw in either of their back-to-back series against South Africa would be enough to dislodge them from the top of the ICC Test Championship. Steve Waugh's team had seen off the first half of the challenge at home, giving South Africa such a hammering that the return series might have been a foregone conclusion. But they arrived in February, the tail end of the African summer, when rain is always a threat, and the possibility that they could be dethroned without a ball being bowled meant there was no shortage of motivation for Australia. But Shaun Pollock missed all three Tests with a knee injury, fatally weakening the attack, which became even thinner when Allan Donald broke down on the first day of the series and then announced his retirement from Test cricket. The captaincy passed to Pollock's deputy, the wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, who lost his first Test in charge, at Johannesburg, by an innings and 360 runs. It was the second-heaviest defeat in Test history. "I don't care about the margin of defeat or records," Boucher responded. "Every loss hurts just the same." They held out for five days in Cape Town before losing a close-fought encounter, and finally registered a victory at Durban a week later. No amount of praise would flatter Australia, and especially Adam Gilchrist. Even those who had seen 100 or more Tests were astonished by Gilchrist's performance - 473 runs at 157, including what was then the fastest double-hundred in Test cricket.
Tests: South Africa 1 Australia 2
ODIs: South Africa 1 Australia 5 Tied 1

2005-06 in Australia
A back-to-the-wall hundred from Jacques Rudolph saved South Africa from defeat in the first Test, after Brad Hodge had set Australia up with a fine double hundred. South Africa had complained that some of their players were subjected to racial abuse, a row which escalated into a war of words between the two sides long after the series had finished. Despite exceptional hundreds from Mike Hussey and Ricky Ponting, Australia's first innings of the second Test faltered to Andre Nel and Shaun Pollock. In reply, South Africa fell to a 44-run first-innings deficit, with Herschelle Gibbs failing by four runs to reach a hundred. After Matthew Hayden's hundred, and an innings of sheer violence from Andrew Symonds in Australia's second innings, South Africa, set 366 to win, crumbled to 82 for 6. Pollock revived hopes of a draw with a patient and unbeaten innings of 67, but it was too little, too late. Hundreds from Ashwell Prince and Jacques Kallis led South Africa to a confident 451 for 9 in the third Test and despite a hundred from Ponting, Australia made 359 with Nel picking up another four wickets. Brisk fifties from Gibbs and Kallis on the final day set Australia a challenging 287, a target which Ponting (143) practically achieved on his own; he became the only player to hit a century in both innings of his hundredth Test, leading Australia to a comprehensive eight-wicket win. However, the series was marred by the debate surrounding the treatment of South Africa's players; the furore led Mark Boucher to say 'I have lost respect for one or two of their players'.
Tests: Australia 2 South Africa 0 Drawn 1
ODIs: Australia 6 South Africa 3

2005-06 in South Africa
A three-nil whipping as Australia began to show ominous form following the scars of losing the 2005 Ashes. Stuart Clark, an anonymous-looking seamer from New South Wales, made his debut in the first Test in Cape Town and was quickly into his stride as a ready replacement for Glenn McGrath. His nine wickets were the third-best figures for someone playing his inaugural Test, and any hope of a McGrath-less Australia being walkovers was depressingly short-lived. They were too strong for South Africa in the second match in Durban, too. Mike Hussey's remarkable skill to nurture runs from the tail extended Australia's first innings to 369, while Brett Lee's five-fer handed them a 102-run lead. Ponting's second hundred in the match set South Africa 410 and they were never in the contest, though the match ended in controversy when Steve Bucknor allowed play to continue under floodlights on the final day. The light had been offered on previous days, and it was one of many contentious decisions Bucknor would make over the next 12 months. Australia very nearly slipped up in the third and final Test, but fought tooth and nail to secure their first-ever whitewash in South Africa. The hosts had slipped in the second innings, but Mark Boucher's gutsy 63 ensured South Africa's bowlers at least set Australia something challenging. And it was. Damien Martyn, contentious picked ahead of Brad Hodge for the tour, showed immense character in his 101, and although Australia continued to lose wickets, Lee's second important knock of the game ensured a 3-0 scoreline.
Tests: South Africa 0 Australia 3
ODIs South Africa 3 Australia 2

All COURTESY: CRICKINFO

Decisions, decisions

2008-12-18T20:23:00.001+05:30

Trusting one umpire …
Jason Krejza must have wished the referral system was being used in this series when he struck Graeme Smith on the pad in his first over. Krejza was coming around the wicket to the left-hander and Smith missed a ball that went straight on with the arm. Despite a loud shout from the Australians, Aleem Dar turned the decision down and it was a fair call as there was enough doubt, even though replays suggested it may have hit the top of the stumps. But it had a distinctly familiar look to the first decision that was overturned in the current New Zealand-West Indies series, when Chris Gayle rapped Daniel Flynn on the pads and referred the not-out call to the third umpire, who advised the standing official that it was out.

… and correcting another
Critics of the referral system have argued that it leaves the on-field umpires with little to do but count the balls and if that is the case, Dar and Asoka De Silva might want to brush up on their maths. On the first day Dar called a five-ball over from Dale Steyn before correcting his error and making Steyn bowl the last delivery. Today it was De Silva's turn. Peter Siddle had sent down five balls when De Silva called over and immediately the phone in the scorers' box rang. It was the TV official Paul Reiffel confirming the count. He relayed the information to De Silva, by then at square leg for the next over, who asked Siddle to send down a sixth ball. It was an exhausting delivery - most of the players were in position for the next over when the decision was rectified.

Pen mightier than the needle
Graeme Smith has had problems with his right elbow since August, when he cut short his tour of England to rest the troublesome joint. There were therefore a few nerves from South African fans at the WACA when the same elbow required treatment from the physio Shane Jabaar during Smith's innings of 48. Jabaar appeared to be pumping some sort of device into Smith's elbow and there was confusion as to whether it was a pain-killing injection. But the apparatus is known as the pain-gone pen and sends an electronic impulse into the bloodstream that wakes up the body's own pain-relieving properties. A South African team spokesman said Smith felt a jarring in the joint after a Peter Siddle delivery hit the splice of the bat. No further treatment was required and Smith went on to add 28 to his score after the incident.

Clarke gets the thumbs up
A cracked thumb forced Ashwell Prince out of the Test and Australia had a similar concern over one of their key batsmen when Michael Clarke headed off to hospital at lunch to have an x-ray on his right thumb. Clarke had suffered the problem when he was fielding in the cordon and dived to stop a low edge from Neil McKenzie. The 12th man Shane Watson occupied Clarke's spot at third slip for much of the second session but the news was good for Australia - Clarke's x-rays revealed no fracture and he was back in a catching position before tea.

VVS flashbacks
Australia have been tormented by VVS Laxman over the years and they were given a vision of a similar batsman who could well trouble them in the future. Hashim Amla is arguably the most improved Test batsman over the past year and he looked set for a big score with his wristy work at the WACA. One flick over midwicket for four off Peter Siddle was particularly impressive and the Australians were slightly concerned when he raced to an attractive 47 from 67 balls. Fortunately for Ricky Ponting's men, Krejza made the breakthrough when he drifted a superb offspinner through the gate. Still, it was a promising start in Amla's first international of any sort against Australia.

AB online
Iain O'Brien raised his profile during the Australia-New Zealand series by writing a daily blog and now it's AB de Villiers' turn, whose own website abdevilliers.com features a tour diary that is updated every day. He's even so intent on drawing in readers that he has the address printed on his bat. The early entries don't quite go into as much detail as O'Brien's musings but it's an interesting continuation in the trend of Test players recording their thoughts for all to see.

Fastest of the fast
The match was hyped for its quick bowling potential and the South African attack was the centre of much attention in the lead-up, with Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel identified as two super-fast men who could thrive on the WACA pitch. But in the end, neither breached the 150kph mark on the opening day and it was Mitchell Johnson who won the initial battle for the quickest delivery. In Johnson's second over he became the first man for the match to nudge past 150kph although he did have the advantage of bowling on the second day - the WACA pitch generally quickens up as the match wears on.

all courtesy: crickinfo

'We don't see the game as down and out' - Kallis

2008-12-18T20:23:00.000+05:30

The most severe scars do not heal quickly and Australia's dominance of South Africa's batsmen over the past decade gave Ricky Ponting hope leading into this series that the old wounds could be reopened. For much of the second day in Perth it looked like the damage was being mended but Mitchell Johnson's brutal late spell of 5 for 2 will add to the hurt.

His efforts meant South Africa crashed from a strong position at 3 for 234 to a severely weakened one of 8 for 243 at stumps. They trail by 132 with two wickets in hand and Johnson's 33 minutes of mayhem undid much of the good work done by Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers, all of whom entered the match with significantly lower Test averages against Australia than their overall marks.

"It was frustrating," Kallis said. "At 230 for 3 we were in a commanding position but that's what happens when you play against the best side in the world. You've got to be on top of your game all the time. We've got some hard work ahead of us. We've been in positions like this before and come out of it.

"It was a world-class spell and these things do happen. Hopefully we can have a couple of those throughout the series as well. We certainly don't see the game as down and out. We'll come back from it."

Smith looked impressively determined until he played on to Johnson for 48, de Villiers was generally fluent in his 63 and Kallis fought off a form slump to post 63. The 47 from Hashim Amla, a man unencumbered by any past meetings with Australia at international level, was the most attractive innings of the lot. None of the men went on to hurt Australia badly but Kallis said there was no hangover of past struggles against the world's No. 1 team.

"We're a different side now, a lot of experience and a couple of young guys," Kallis said. "You lose games of cricket throughout your career and you move on. You certainly don't think about them all the time. We've moved on."

Still, the collapse was particularly annoying for a team that has chased Australia for so long. If they could pull of a 3-0 victory in Australia, South Africa would jump past their hosts to become the No. 1 Test team in the world. Johnson's heroics have not made that task impossible but they have left the visitors with an uphill battle.

On a day that finished on such a downer for South Africa it would be easy to overlook the fact that they could draw several positives from their efforts earlier in the day. Perhaps the most pleasing thing was the innings of Kallis, who made his second half-century since the tour of India in April.

He survived a close call early when he inside-edged a dangerous Jason Krejza offspinner that flew past the stumps. It was Kallis' fifth ball and after he saw off the threat of Krejza, who was pumped after turning one between Amla's bat and pad, he settled into the accumulation mode that has been so typically Kallis over the past decade but has deserted him this year.

"I've worked hard with Duncan Fletcher and our coach Mickey Arthur over the last couple of months and felt really good over the last month or two," Kallis said. "It's nice to start with a few runs up front on the tour, it makes life a little bit easier. But there's a lot of work left ahead, 60s don't win you games. All those batters know we've got to get some big hundreds."

The initial task is to bat for as long as possible on the third day and reduce Australia's lead. To do that they will need to forget about the destruction caused by Johnson, who has a rare chance to finish with nine wickets in a Test innings. Johnson is banking on the late collapse weighing on the minds of the South Africans even after a good night's sleep.

"Hopefully mentally that gets into their head a bit and they start thinking about it a bit more," Johnson said. "Obviously there's been a lot of talk up about their pace attack and how strong their batsmen are and hopefully we've taken them down a notch."

all courtesy: crickinfo

Home » News Click! Click! Government makes it official: No Pakistan tour

2008-12-18T20:08:00.000+05:30

New Delhi: India's tour of Pakistan was on Thursday officially called off with the government refusing permission to the team to travel across the border in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, putting an end to the prolonged uncertainty on the fate of the series.

The government's decision was conveyed to the BCCI President Shashank Manohar on Thursday through a letter which cited "recent developments as well as the overall circumstances prevailing at present" as the reasons for calling off the high-profile tour.

"The final decision has been taken. We have got the letter from the Sports Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs not to proceed with the tour", senior BCCI official Rajeev Shukla told PTI.

"The government has declined permission to go ahead with the tour taking into account the recent developments in Mumbai as well as the overall circumstances prevailing at present," Shukla said.

He said the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Sports Minister MS Gill had also personally called up Monohar to convey the decision.

India were scheduled to play three Tests, five one-dayers and a Twenty20 match during their tour of Pakistan from January 4 to February 28 but the tour had been thrown into jeopardy in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.

The BCCI had all along maintained that it was upto the government to decide on the fate of the tour.

"Now that we have received the letter, we will intimate it to the Pakistan Cricket Board," Shukla said.

Newly-elected PCB chairman Ejaz Butt, who even visited India to convince officials here, said he didn't blame the BCCI for the cancellation.

"We don't blame the Indian board for no show, it's all politicised. This will not hamper relations between PCB and BCCI. The board has received a formal letter from BCCI that the tour is cancelled," he said.

Captain Dhoni hints change in batting order

2008-12-18T19:58:00.001+05:30

Mohali: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday revealed that the team think-tank was toying with the idea of dropping off-colour Rahul Dravid in the batting order but said it was in two minds fearing the ploy may boomerang in the second and final Test against England.

Dhoni said promoting VVS Laxman at number three was one of the options before the Indian team in the match starting tomorrow but felt it was not a foolproof idea of helping Dravid wriggle out of his bad patch.

"We are thinking about that but as of now, it's not confirmed," Dhoni told reporters.

"Shifting Rahul to number five and asking VVS to bat at number three seems ok at times. VVS has scored runs at number three and it would be easy for Rahul too. But it can also boomerang," he said.

"If VVS gets a good ball and gets out, there is already pressure on Rahul and once you lose three wickets, the pressure is always on the number five batsman. It's really tough to tackle that," Dhoni explained.

"At least batting at number three gives you the freedom to play your natural game," he said.

Since the home series against South African, Dravid has been a pale shadow of his former self and continuous failure has reduced the Mr Dependable to the weakling of the side.

all courtesy: cricketnext

'It had to have been preordained'

2008-12-18T19:53:00.002+05:30

"My dream has come true. I have won a Test for India with Tendulkar."

Yuvraj Singh has played 222 ODIs, scored 10 centuries, won 17 Man-of-the-Match awards, but came of age in this Test

"I've scored a hundred in the second innings, but to actually win a match, play the winning shot, that was something I wanted to do. This makes it really, really special."
Sachin Tendulkaron how much it meant to him

"The toughest win [as captain]. We were not present for the first three days of this Test, did not take wickets and bat the way we should have batted. But we won this match over the last two days."
MS Dhoni kept his 100% record intact, but only just

"When the chase began, I didn't give Dhoni and Co. more than a 10% chance. [Virender] Sehwag, however, changed everything. It's almost unreal that somebody can change the course of a match within 68 balls. What an innings of 83. Our chance of winning, in my opinion, straightaway jumped to 60%. Yes, there have been greater batsmen than Sehwag, but few better match-winners."
Kapil Dev lists the percentages

"Remember the ball was jumping, turning and behaving unpredictably. England will be going over and over how they managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. The big danger is, it could eat away at some of the players."
Geoffey Boycott talks cricket while all others seem to be discussing the healing

"Virender Sehwag started off, and Sachin Tendulkar played a super, super knock. The script couldn't have been better - a man from Mumbai scoring a hundred to conjure an amazing win for them. In fact, both the sides can feel proud to have played a superb Test, and bring back Tests to where it should be."
Kevin Pietersen takes comfort in the fact that there is no shame in such a loss

"In making his declaration, Pietersen underestimated India's talent and audacity every bit as much as Andrew Flintoff did Australia's in Adelaide two winters ago."
Simon Wilde in the Times lays the blame at the captain's door

"Make no mistake, this will be a bitter pill to swallow."
Mike Atherton points out that England will not emerge scar-free from the experience

"At this stage, when the whole country was demoralised after what happened in Mumbai, India needed something symbolic to lift their spirits, and this wonderful victory will make everybody feel a little better, although the wounds of Mumbai won't heal completely."
Sunil Gavaskar, another Mumbaikar, on what the victory means to India

"Ravi Shastri interviewed Tendulkar and Yuvraj after the match was over, and Shastri said Tendulkar's hair was standing when he said he did this for Mumbai … Cricket has been a terrific healer - ask the 35,000 people who were in the ground today."
David Lloyd is wide-eyed with wonder

"Yuvraj played his perfect part, but the day, the match and the country demanded it belong to Tendulkar. It could not have been scripted more perfectly: a boundary to win the match and complete a century. It had to have been preordained. Had to be."
Some things are just meant to be, Mike Selvey says

"This Test was a great advertisement for Test cricket. It is probably the best possible time that we could have had a Test like this. As you can see, a Test win is somehow more memorable than a Twenty20 or one-day international win."
Sanjay Manjrekar on the boost this win gives the premier form of the game

"The humdinger of a match […] embodied the essence of cricket, maybe of all sport."
Stephen Brenkley pulls out the stops in the Independent

All Courtesy: Crickinfo

Win-win situation

2008-12-18T19:53:00.001+05:30

If ever cricket needed to rise to the occasion it was over the last few days in Chennai.

Emotion plays an enormous part in sport. Try as we might with computers and figures and replays and analysis, sport is still concerned with the spirit and the split-second. Sometimes it sends the spirit soaring, and in that moment all the fuss and attention seems justified. At other times it sinks into the tawdry and mundane and hardly appears worth the bother. But sport is most missed when it is denied, when matches cannot be staged, competitions are cancelled, stadiums closed. It was the removal of the tribute to WG Grace from the Long Room that alerted MCC members that war was coming and long, dark nights lay ahead.

As far as previous generations were concerned, sport was most appreciated after the two World Wars. Nowadays we argue about trivialities, work ourselves into a lather about slow over-rates and no-ball rules and sightscreens that will not shift. In 1919, though, and again in 1946, crowds flocked to cricket grounds and players dusted off old trousers and oiled bats just so that the game could be played. Somerset fielded almost the same team in 1947 as in 1937, yet it was almost good enough to win the championship. Hardly any new players had emerged, a decade had been lost. But the fact that standards had dropped did not matter; cricket was being played, a world had been preserved. It was a life-reaffirming experience

Don Bradman had to be persuaded to play again after the second war, and the strongest argument put to him was the need to raise morale. People were suffering from lost friends and family members, and rations, and bombed-out buildings. All the more reason for sportsmen to get back onto the field and provide entertainment and enrichment. Everyone knew it was going to be hard, everyone wanted to laugh and love, and sport could help in that healing process. After all it is an expression of mateship and youth, and it had tradition and history and health and hope.

Matches between India and Pakistan have likewise often been moving occasions, as the enmity of nations was put aside and everyone remembered they came from the same place, spoke the same language, wore the same clothes, were the same colour, ate the same food, had the same yearnings, and ought to be pals. During the 1996 World Cup, Indian and Pakistani cricketers played in the same side after the Australians and West Indians had refused to go to Colombo, and that, too, was a fine occasion. Pakistan won a close match in Chennai years ago, whereupon Wasim Akram took his players on a victory lap and the crowds cheered. Here is sport's truest self. Often betrayed, often exploited, but somehow intact.

Sceptics might argue that England returned to India after the Mumbai blasts because they wanted to take their share of plums from the IPL pie. Perhaps it was a consideration. Mixed motives are commonplace. It is rare for any act to be entirely pure. But it is dull and dreary to dress every act in the clothes of cynicism, for then a man can never laugh except at his own cleverness. The fact remains that Kevin Pietersen did bring his boys back, all of them and the vast entourage that accompanies England teams through thick and thin. The fact remains that England agreed to play two Test matches in a country still shocked by outrages intended to spread terror and division.

India, too, met the challenge. By all accounts the security was tight but not oppressive, and towards the end the crowds flocked to the stadium to support the teams. By all accounts, too, the visitors were as popular as the hosts, which has not always been the case. Happily, the sides produced a wonderful match. Often it happens that way. Every now and then sportsmen sense that they are part of something much bigger than themselves, an event that reaches into hearts and minds, and a contest that goes beyond mere cricket. And then they reach outside themselves and the petty interests that dominate all our lives. That the match was an epic lasting five days before ending on its highest note with its greatest player surpassing himself added to the effect.



	Every now and then sportsmen sense that they are part of something much bigger than themselves, an event that reaches into hearts and minds, and a contest that goes beyond mere cricket. And then they reach outside themselves and the petty interests that dominate all our lives

Of course the Test was closely followed in Australia. Nothing else was happening locally, and anyhow the Aussies had recently suffered at the hands of the Indians and wondered how the Poms might fare. For three days it appeared that a resolute England outfit might prevail. Andrew Strauss batted with skill and gumption, while Paul Collingwood surpassed himself. Collingwood and Ashwell Prince can be listed among batsmen with records that defy the talent apparently at their disposal. Between their mighty innings, Graeme Swann struck yet another blow for finger-spinners by breaking through the Indian top order. Remember when orthodox spin was a thing of the past? Now it is making an unexpected comeback, with all sorts of supposedly humdrum operators troubling batsmen. Jason Krezja, Nathan Hauritz, Swann and Paul Harris have contrived to take wickets.

As the fourth innings began, India needed to score 387 to win. Of course everyone knows the story, but that has never mattered in books or movies. Probably England had already lost the initiative with a timid batting display on the fourth afternoon. Far from imposing themselves they seemed scared of defeat. It never takes long for sentiments of that sort to be sensed by an alert opponent. By the time the home openers marched to the crease the Indians had a spring in their step. Sport is a state of mind

Judging from their responses to his vivid innings, England had not previously seen Virender Sehwag at his most audacious. Bear in mind that 12 months ago he had lost his place in the side. Australians, on the other hand, are well aware of his powers. Now he caused such disarray in the opposing ranks that in a trice fieldsmen were running hither and thither, most of them ever further from the bat. Yet Sehwag is no mere thrasher. Rather, he is an intelligent and consistent batsman who has managed to remain instinctive and creative. It is a most unusual combination. He is not remotely as barmy as he seems. Although he was removed before stumps, he had given the Indian innings its momentum and caused a furrowing of brows in the England camp.

Happily, the last day lived up to expectations. Of course, the match might have gone the other way, but India was not to be denied. No less significantly, the home side was sustained by two exceptional cricketers playing highly significant innings. Until a month or so ago Yuvraj Singh was cast as a lasher of bad bowling suited to slow pitches and lacking the footwork needed for five-day cricket. True, he had belted hundreds against a Pakistani attack lacking the services of its fastest bowler, but the track had been as dead as pacifism. He seemed to be destined for a brilliant but brittle career, to become a glamorous millionaire with a shallow record.

Accordingly it came as a surprise to discover that respected domestic players and Yuvraj's supposed rivals held him in high regard. One explained that he had stood at the bowler's end while the lofty lefty played some of the most stunning shots he had seen - blocks that went to the boundary, and effortless clips that cleared the ground.

Next came a sturdy showing against England in the ODIs. Yuvraj constructed match-winning performances, indicated in a weight of mind as well as stroke. Still he needed to back it up at a critical moment in a Test match.

No losers here: England were beaten, but not disgraced © Getty Images

For his part Tendulkar had managed to become the highest scorer the game has known without quite convincing local thinkers that he was a match for Brian Lara. Although his qualities were acknowledged, the harsher observers felt he had let India down at vital moments on the fifth days of Test matches. In short, he had won matches from the front but not the back. They questioned his temperament, pointed towards the quixotic Trindadian's mighty efforts in run-chases. Nor were these sages persuaded by arguments that no man has ever been without fault, or that taken as a whole, Tendulkar outstripped any contemporary and almost all predecessors . As always in these cases, there was just enough merit in the argument to demand a response as opposed to a scornful dismissal.

And there was only one man capable of making that reply. Time was running out. Tendulkar had shown signs of his best form against the Australians, but had also displayed growing vulnerability, suffering from several bizarre lapses of concentration. All the more reason to take the opportunity presented on the fifth day in Chennai. No champion likes to leave anything on the table. And Tendulkar did seize his moment, did play the conclusive innings, did win a Test against the odds, did keep his head for five intense hours.

It was not merely a superb innings. It was a veritable masterpiece. And so the match ended with Yuvraj and Tendulkar supreme and England beaten but not disgraced. Over the years I have sung Tendulkar's praises many times, pondered upon Yuvraj's merits, and condemned English softness and lack of self-awareness. Now I am happy to salute everyone taking part in this stirring contest, especially India's triumphant fifth-wicket pair, and an opponent that lost a match but made a lot of friends.

India spinning into a crisis?

2008-12-18T19:51:00.001+05:30

How much do India miss Anil Kumble? At the risk of inviting irate reactions from the old romantics, more than they've ever missed any other bowler. In home conditions, Kumble was in a class of his own. Bishan Bedi, Bhagwat Chandrasekhar and Erapalli Prasanna don't even come close, and Harbhajan Singh must reinvent himself drastically if he's to have anything like the same impact in the second half of his career.

So much has been written about Monty Panesar's travails in India that the performances of Harbhajan and Amit Mishra in Chennai have slipped under the radar. Michael Atherton pointed them out in a typically astute column in the Times, and it's worth remembering just how comfortably Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood played Harbhajan from deep inside the crease. It's far too early to make an assessment of Mishra's qualities, but Harbhajan is bound to come under the scanner now that he's the senior spin bowler in the side.

To analyse his career, it's necessary to break it into two significant portions. Having made his debut in 1998, he only established himself in the side after the 32-wicket heroics against Steve Waugh's team in 2001. Kumble was recuperating from shoulder surgery at the time, but from that point on, it was Harbhajan that was the frontline spinner until he faced finger surgery of his own after the Gabba Test of 2003.

Kumble, who got his chance in the next game in Adelaide, didn't waste it, and Harbhajan was once again back to support-spinner status when he returned against Australia in October 2004. Though he enjoyed a fine series with 21 wickets, it was Kumble who grabbed the headlines, especially on the opening day in Chennai where he took 7 for 48.

Before that finger injury in 2003, Harbhajan's home record was superior even to Kumble, though it's not necessarily fair to compare 18 Tests with 63. Over the 63 games he played in India, Kumble took a staggering 350 wickets at 24.88 and a strike-rate of 59.4. Of the golden oldies, Bedi had the best average [23.99, albeit at a strike-rate of 75.8], while Chandrasekhar had the best strike-rate [64.6]. Kumble's own figures were inflated during the course of a wretched final year, when a succession of injuries restricted him to just seven wickets at considerable cost from four Tests.

Prior to his injury, Harbhajan had taken 96 wickets at 23.33 from 18 Tests. The strike-rate [56.2] too was in the Kumble category. Since returning though, he hasn't been anything like as effective. The 23 Tests since October 2004 have seen him take 114 wickets at 29.78, and a strike-rate of 64.5. The only ten-wicket hauls were against Australia [2004, in a match India lost heavily in Bangalore] and Sri Lanka [Ahmedabad 2005]. Too often, the five-wicket hauls have been meaningless ones, with teams throwing the bat around after raising huge totals.

So, what has changed? The pitches, undoubtedly. The rank turners that Kumble had so much success on in the mid-1990s are largely a thing of the past, and when they do make an appearance [Mumbai 2004 and Kanpur 2008], visiting teams invariably run off crying to the ICC. But blaming the pitches alone would be a cop-out, a failure to admit that Indian spin is in crisis.



	Murali Kartik is highly rated on the county circuit, but that opinion doesn't seem to be shared by India's selectors, despite 22 wickets at 25.77 in his six home Tests

Atherton summed up Harbhajan's predicament perfectly in his column. "I am not entirely sure that Harbhajan is the bowler he used to be, now that an overextended use of the doosra - the ball that spins to the off - has affected his ability to drift and spin his stock ball, the offspinner," he wrote. It's something other commentators have been saying for years, and was best illustrated in Sri Lanka a few months ago, when Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan made India's spinners look second-rate.

Both Harbhajan and Mishra will undoubtedly play in Mohali. Just two months ago, they took 12 wickets between them as Australia were routed. It's worth pointing out though that whenever Mahendra Singh Dhoni wants to keep the runs down or take a crucial wicket, it's the pace bowlers and reverse-swing that he turns to. Even in Chennai, it was mainly Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan that reduced England to a fourth-day crawl, with Ishant summoning a superb spell to dismiss Andrew Flintoff.

So, what are India's options when it comes to spin? Not very many. Piyush Chawla did nothing in his two Tests, and Pragyan Ojha is just as unproven. Murali Kartik is highly rated on the county circuit, but that opinion doesn't seem to be shared by India's selectors, despite 22 wickets at 25.77 in his six home Tests.

With quite a few pace options waiting in the wings - Munaf Patel and a fit-again Sreesanth would definitely add value to the side - it's not unthinkable India will soon go the Australian way. For the best part of 15 years, they played mainly three fast bowlers alongside Shane Warne. Sadly for India, there's no Warne on the horizon, and it's up to Harbhajan and Mishra to prove that they can at least partially fill the breach left by Kumble's retirement.

India must be wary of backlash

2008-12-18T19:51:00.000+05:30

The last time India played in Mohali, Australia were thrashed by 320 runs. The last time England played here, the same lack of ruthlessness that undermined their challenge in Chennai allowed India to romp to a nine-wicket victory on the final afternoon. In 2001, a Mohali Test had effectively been lost on the opening day, with Harbhajan Singh taking five wickets as England went from 200 for 3 to 238 all out.

That game was played in the first week of December and conditions for this game shouldn't be too dissimilar. Back then, India's spinners took 15 of the 20 wickets, with Anil Kumble taking six in the second innings. For England, Richard Dawson took four wickets on debut, but ended up conceding 134 runs as well. Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, assuming both play, will need to do considerably better if England are to avoid the sort of hammering that Australia got in October.

Kevin Pietersen admitted that the state of the pitch had made him delay selecting a team until the eleventh hour. There was a smattering of grass on the surface, but it was also dry enough to seem extremely spin-friendly. Against Australia, Amit Mishra took 7 for 106 and Harbhajan 5 for 96. Given the abrasive nature of the pitch though, reverse-swing was likely to be as big a factor. There were dry patches on the main square, and every likelihood of the ball getting scuffed up pretty early. Against Australia, Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan were getting it to reverse within the first 15 overs, and Pietersen accepted his bowlers would need to use the old ball much better than they had in Chennai.

India had no selection issues to ponder. The Rahul Dravid question continues to vex the media, but as Sachin Tendulkar suggested after the Chennai win, the team isn't unduly concerned. "Rahul isn't a good player, he's a great player" was Tendulkar's assessment, and the only question heading into this match was whether he would bat at his customary No. 3 slot, or move down two places to No. 5.

England would have been encouraged by Matt Prior's performance in Chennai after replacing Tim Ambrose, but have issues to resolve regarding the key No. 3 slot. Ian Bell was anonymous in the first Test, and Owais Shah, who made a superb 88 when England won in Mumbai to level the series on their last tour, must surely come into contention. With Stuart Broad, so impressive in the one-day series, also fit to play, the bowling line-up will also be tweaked.

Only Andrew Flintoff and Swann, in patches, impressed in Chennai, and Steve Harmison, James Anderson and Panesar are all under threat of losing their place. Given that Mohali pitches tend to have a bit more bounce than other Indian ones, Harmison should survive the cull, and with two spinners a necessity rather than a luxury, it should be Anderson who sits out.

India's victory against Australia was set up primarily by the openers, who added 252 over the two innings. England got both early in the first innings in Chennai, but failure to do so at the second time of asking cost them the game. Getting Sehwag early is no guarantee of success, but it certainly goes a long way.

As admirably as Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood battled in the first Test, what England need is someone that can provide the same sort of X-factor that Sehwag does. If he can emulate his feats of 2006, when he scored 70 and 51, Flintoff could be that man, but the more likely candidate is Pietersen. A broken rib is undoubtedly a hindrance, but as he likes to stress, Pietersen is nothing if not a winner. After not contributing in Chennai, India should be wary of a backlash.

All courtesy: crickinfo

ICC shouldn't revoke Oval Test decision: Underwood

2008-11-28T18:51:00.000+05:30

From concerns about the decline in spin bowling standards across the world to urging the ICC to revoke its decision on the 2006 Oval Test, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) who are the custodians of the game have a lot on their agenda now. CNN-IBN's Sanjeeb Mukherjea caught up with the MCC President, the former England spinner Derek Underwood.

Derek Underwood: What has led the ICC to un-round the decision that we had given. By the rules of the game, we said that the game was won by England. The result was that the ICC quoted that and made it a draw. But strictly looking at the laws and the rules of cricket, it was fairly clear to us that we have done everything we possibly could and that the rule could not be revoked and shouldn't be revoked, if we are in a position as custodians of the game. So, we are now looking for a reaction from the ICC.

CNN-IBN: One of the thoughts shared by a lot of cricket administrators and people interested in following cricket is that there has been perhaps a very rapid decline in the 'art of spin bowling' around the world. What could have led to this?

Derek Underwood: It is a very very good question and I think perhaps the dominance of One-Day cricket hasn't helped. And I think in fact, even at the club level, state level and at the village-league level, it is all about spinners keeping the runs down rather than you are playing a forty over game. You need to keep your runs down as much as you can.

But perhaps the young spinners -- they might be tempted to bowl a full toss or so. And the captains will pull their hair out and bring on a quicker bowler who is likely to keep the runs down. As it is, in India you have a lot more seamers playing in limited over cricket these days. Whereas in the years when I toured India, spinner were much more in numbers. So, the game as changed quite a great deal in India as it has in England.

all courtesy: cricketnext

India's butter fingers spill chance to seal series

2008-11-26T18:51:00.000+05:30

India's woeful catching left a gaping hole in their attempt at winning the third Test at the Kotla as the hosts helped Australia on to 577 in their first innings before losing two early wickets to be 43-2 at stumps on day four here, with an overall lead of 79 runs.

Virender Sehwag, who led India's bowling attack with a maiden five-wicket haul, failed to replicate his stellar effort with the bat as Brett Lee had him inside-edging onto his stumps for 16, before night-watchman Ishant Sharma was sent back in the next over by Stuart Clark, leaving Rahul Dravid (5) and Gautam Gambhir (21) to negotiate the remaining overs.

India, who had been pushing for a win to wrap up the series at the Kotla itself, now have to be content with shoring the game with the wicket not having deteriorated as much. With only a 36-run lead to boot, repeating their pyrotechnics of Mohali does not look like a possibility.

Michael Clarke took full advantage of India's misses with his eighth Test century, setting up an admirable fightback for Australia to compile a composed 112, marshalling their lower order which included a 106-run eighth wicket stand with Cameron White (44).

Clarke, along with Cameron White – whose primary role that of a leg-spinner has been under scrutiny – took Australia out of harm's way, before Sehwag – each of his wickets have broken a prospering partnership – had Cameron White out for 44 for his maiden five-for.

Sehwag finished with career-best figures of 5-104 after sending down 40 overs on a wicket which started taking prodigious turn from day three, while Anil Kumble, who was criticised for his wicketless showing in Bangalore, had 3-112 against his name.

all courtesy: cricketnext

I've a chance to take 550 wickets: Bhajji

2008-11-25T18:51:00.000+05:30

Harbhajan Singh is missing out the Kotla Test due to a toe injury but the off-spinner is desperate to get back into action as he is just one wicket away from becoming only the third Indian bowler to take 300 Test wickets. Harbhajan reflected on the journey.

“It feels great. 300 wickets is a big thing for any cricketer and I am happy about whatever I have achieved and hopefully I will get my 300 wickets very soon by the grace of god.

“You cannot take 300 wickets by bowling bad balls. I have been playing for a long time. I have won games and bowled well. I have done little bit of whatever I could but I have a great chance to take 550 wickets.

“My name can be with two great cricketers. Kapil Dev, one of my big role models; everybody wanted to be like Kapil Dev or Sachin Tendulkar and when I see myself next to his name, I feel great. I have a great chance to be somebody like them.

“When I started playing, I never thought I will play for this long and I never thought i will reach upto 300 wickets but I will say that god has been really kind and I have been god's son,” said Harbhajan.

all courtesy: cricketnext

ICL welcomes Bangladesh players

2008-11-20T18:51:00.000+05:30

Six cricketers from Bangladesh have joined our growing family and I think there is a message in it for the cricketing world. The Indian Cricket League (ICL) is a platform for cricketers who are looking for opportunities and more and more are welcome.

At the ICL we have always maintained that the intention has been to help needy cricketers, those cricketers who have not been given a proper stage for them to showcase their talent. We have never tried to prove any point to the International Cricket Council or the Board of Control for Cricket in India but have only extended a helping hand to cricketers in need.

Now, six cricketers from Bangladesh have decided to support our efforts. They are most welcome. I was also glad to read that the ICL managed an impressive viewership on television worldwide which means that the cricket fans do not discriminate as do the administrators.

The growing popularity of the ICL proves that it is not just a one-off thing. Doubts had been expressed when we launched the ICL that it would not last and would struggle to make a mark. We struggled only to find playing fields but the spirits always soared. And the packed house at the finals at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium in Hyderabad went a long way in boosting the image of the ICL.

We lauded the Indian Premier League when it did well in its inaugural edition. After all, the IPL was also cricket but we have never sought any reactions from the IPL or the BCCI or the ICC. History, however, will document the fact that the IPL was born out of the immensely successful ICL. The initiative of launching this form of entertainment in cricket will always be credited to the ICL.

all courtesy: cricketnext

Sourav Ganguly: Victim of a revenge cult

2008-11-18T18:51:00.000+05:30

Unjustified criticism is a popular media pastime in most parts of the world. Knock over the hero image and belittle his or her achievements by humiliating their performances.

The more public it is the better for those would-be assassins who, for the sake of stirring controversy have the comfort of their offices or studios in which to sit and fire sniper-like vitriol at the intended victim.

It was in early December 2004 during the Kanpur Test that involved South Africa when NDTV asked me to become involved in a discussion on Sourav Ganguly, his perceived lack of form as well as leadership skills.

The way questions were posed brought the realisation that on the other side was a hit squad with an obvious grudge against Ganguly. It also made me wonder why I had been asked to take part in this show and in the firing line of Raj Singh Dungarpur, who came across as someone who didn't enjoy the Ganguly style at all.

Maybe because articles I had written much earlier, as well as those during the 2003-04 Australia tour for the Indian Express, had praised Dada and the way he had not backed off from a challenge against the Australians on that tour.

It has rarely ceased to surprise me that in the past fifty years or more, how players who have performed well for their country have been ridiculed by those who have not played a club game let alone a Ranji Trophy match or in a Test. Yet they sit and pontificate as though they have scored over 6,000 Test runs and taken more than 100 wickets.

There was also an awful feeling earlier this year in Sri Lanka that there were those media types who wanted Ganguly to fail. Want to point fingers and loudly say, "We told you... We told you... He is finished. Good... Good. Get rid of him now; forever."

Yet this was in a three-match Test series where most batsmen, not only Ganguly, fudged their lines against mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan.

In Port Elizabeth, before the start of the fractious second Test of India's 2001 tour of South Africa, and following the defeat in Bloemfontein after centuries by Sachin Tendulkar and that on debut by Virender Sehwag, I asked Ganguly about the enraged reaction in India to that particular defeat.

He was precise in his comments by saying he did not worry what his critics felt, or would say, or likely to say as they would not change their criticism even if India had won that first Test.

As with the NDTV episode with Dungapur, you felt they want him to fail, so that they could get out their rusty sabres and use his back as their personal dart board.

Forgotten is how months earlier he had defied a rampant Australian attack by scoring 144 in the first Test in Brisbane: walking out to bat with the top-order a mess at 62-3, Tendulkar lbw to Jason Gillespie for a duck, and later 127-4. But India still managed a first innings lead because of his century.

Also forgotten is how he led India to a World Cup final in South Africa when there are those on the subcontinent who wanted India to win but Ganguly to fail. The poison from that defeat in the final, it seems, still flows as swiftly as the Hooghly River.

What has been amusing in this latest Ganguly episode is how newspapers run interviews on half-baked supposed comments and offer them as being genuine. Anyone who stooped to this level to sell papers should be asked to account for his honesty. In another country, his job might be on the line.

all courtesy: cricketnext

Srikkanth knows what Indian cricket needs

2008-11-16T18:48:00.000+05:30

A new set of office-bearers and selectors have assumed office in the Board of Control for Cricket in India and I hope things change, and improve. This is a critical time for Indian cricket.

Srikkanth and his committee have the task to pick the team for the 2011 World Cup and I know he will bring the same approach to his selection as he did to his batting.

all courtesy: cricketnext

Zaheer let off lightly over Hayden 'send-off'

2008-11-14T18:48:00.000+05:30

No one needs an old quote from Sir Leonard Hutton, one of England's great captains, to tell us that the Australians have no inhibitions.

Just as Zaheer Khan had no need to act like Bollywood celluloid bully, or an Australian for that matter, to give Matthew Hayden a "send off" that he is going to remember. It is an incident that will probably become part of a chapter in his autobiography when it is written.

This view of course is not going to be a popular one, especially after his three-wicket burst in four balls yielding only two runs at the start of the day and which kicked aside the support struts that had hinged the innings together the previous afternoon.

He will be seen as a hero. And there is nothing wrong with that either. Any demolition job that is swift in its execution, as will be noticed from Sri Lanka's second innings at Galle earlier this year, is always an adrenaline pumping exercise.

While it is one thing to be competitive, it is quite another matter to be boorishly arrogant with it as respect for the game also means respect for the opposition. And no matter how often the Australians may have turned up the volume of their verbals before the game and even during it, there is a matter of player respect.

New Zealanders know all too well the feeling of what retribution means in the face of tough and smirking Australian attrition. Our cousins from across the lake are tough as granite and there are times when there is the feeling that the Anzac spirit is a myth.

But the Zaheer incident with Hayden is one that was totally unnecessary, whether or not there had been provocation. It is the old story of don't get involved if you can't give it back in kind. He did that last year at Trent Bridge when clowning fools in the England team tossed jellybeans on to the pitch in a bid to upset or distract him.

An irate Zaheer gave it back in kind and made the Poms suffer for their show of foolish, misguided arrogance. They were the ones who misbehaved and Zaheer ended with five wickets and helped India clinch the series.

There was quite a lot said on that occasion: much of justified criticism as well of England's idiotic behaviour. Schoolboy pranks are one thing, but it was behaviour unbecoming of Test players and Zaheer reacted as you would expect he would on that occasion.

all courtesy: cricketnext

Dravid one innings away from regaining form' - Srikkanth

2008-11-12T19:43:00.001+05:30

Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of the national selection panel, has backed Rahul Dravid to come out of his prolonged form slump. Dravid has only two half-centuries in his previous 17 knocks but Srikkanth said Dravid was "just one innings away from regaining form".

"If you look at this series (the Tests against Australia), he made a match-saving half-century in the first innings in Bangalore and looked good during his 39 in Mohali," Srikkanth told the Hindu. "It's unfortunate that he could not build on starts."

With the retirements of the experienced Sourav Ganguly and Anil Kumble, India are going through a transitional phase and Srikkanth was pleased with the performances of Amit Mishra and M Vijay, the two players handed their Test debuts during the series.

Mishra finished with 14 wickets in three Tests, and his seven wickets in Mohali was instrumental in India's win. "Mishra is a genuine legspinner who is not afraid to flight the ball," he said. "As he gains in experience, he will develop greater variety."

Vijay, who was drafted in as an opener after Gautam Gambhir was banned for the final Test in Nagpur, played a couple of confident knocks to provide India solid starts. "Vijay is a correct batsman who can adapt to both forms of the game. He adds value with his fielding."

India have moved into the second spot after the success against Australia and Srikkanth said the next target was to take over the No. 1 ranking.

all courtesy: crickinfo