Cricket Wallah

100th Test victory for India (Statistical highlights)

2009-11-28T21:15:00.002+05:30

The resounding victory against Sri Lanka in the second Test at Green Park stadium here Friday is India's 100th Test win.

In 432 Tests, India have won 100, lost 136 and drawn 195. One Test against Australia ended in a tie.

The victory here by an innings and 144 runs is India's third biggest win against Sri Lanka, bettering the innings and 119-run triumph in 1993-94.

The margin is also India's third biggest in Test cricket - the top two being by an innings and 239 runs against Bangladesh at Mirpur in 2007 and by an innings and 219 runs against Austrlia in the 1997-98 Kolkata Test.

Other statistical highlights of the third Test.

# It is India's second victory in five Tests (the other three being drawn) this year, the only nation not to lose a Test match this year.

# Sri Lanka's defeat to India is their first in ten Tests in 2009 - their tally of five wins is the most recorded by any team this year.

# Sri Lanka have suffered their fifth biggest defeat in Tests.

# Shanthakumaran Sreesanth took his second five wicket haul. The first came against South Africa in Johannesburg.

# Sreesanth received his second Man of the Match award - his first against Sri Lanka.

# Thilan Samaraweera, with his third half-century against India, his 21st overall, has taken his aggregate to 1233 at an average of 82.20, including four hundreds and four fifties in Tests. He is the top run-getter in 2009.

# Samaraweera and Ajantha Mendis were involved in a 73-run stand -- Sri Lanka's best ever for the ninth wicket against India.

# Harbhajan Singh became the third bowler to complete 20 wickets or more at Green Park - the top two bowlers at this venue being Kapil Dev (25 in seven Tests) and Anil Kumble (21 in three Tests)

# India have won six out of nine Tests played in Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy.

The winning per cent 66.66 is the highest by an Indian captain.

# India have now recorded 26 victories by an innings margin - seven against Sri Lanka, four against England, three each against Australia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, two against New Zealand and one against West Indies.

# The Indian triumph at Kanpur is their ninth in 16 Tests against Sri Lanka in India.

# Sri Lanka is yet to post a Test win in India.

# Prasanna Jayawardene became the second Sri Lankan and the fourth batsman in the present series to complete 200 runs or more - 222 at an average of 111.00. The top four batsmen in the series are: Rahul Dravid (359), Mahela Jayawardene (332) and Gautam Gambhir (282).

# Prasanna has completed 200 runs or more in a Test series for the first time.

Dhoni lauds aggressive Sreesanth for controlling emotions

2009-11-28T21:14:00.005+05:30

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni lauded temperamental fast bowler Sreesanth for controlling his aggression and playing a match-winning role in the mammoth victory over Sri Lanka in the second cricket Test here Friday.

Till a couple of months back Sreesanth's return to international cricket was uncertain after both the Indian cricket board and the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) warned him on disciplinary grounds.

But after making a comeback here at the Green Park stadium, Sreesanth has looked a changed man and even Dhoni was surprised.

"He played in a very different way in this Test match. He was aggressive but controlled his emotions and didn't cross the line. I hope he continues in the same way," said Dhoni.

Sreesanth was adjudged the Man of the Match for his six-wicket match haul.

"God has been kind too. I have lots of people to thank. I want to thank Warwickshire and the Indian board for letting me play there. I played quite a bit of domestic cricket too and learnt a lot. There is room for improvement and I want to keep on learning. I'm working on my pace, am trying to get it to the 145 kmph mark, I'm feeling good," said Sreesanth.

Netherlands team arrive to play practice matches

2009-11-28T21:14:00.002+05:30

The Netherlands national cricket team arrived here Friday to play some practice matches against a local club.

The 14-member team will play four 50-over matches and two Twenty20 against Ferozepur-based Blue Star Cricket Club Nov 30-Dec 5.

Chief coach Peter Drinnen said: "We have eight national team players while others play in prestigious leagues back home. We are sure to give a tough fight in the tournament."

"We have come here with a young team in order to give them maximum exposure. We would love to play in Indian conditions and the experience will help us to put up a better show in the 2011 World Cup here."

Blue Star has some of leading players of Punjab Ranji team. The tournament, christened 'Shaheed Udham Singh Memorial Cricket Series', is being organised by leading businessmen and NRIs from Punjab.

"All the matches will be played at Tau Devi Lal cricket stadium in neighbouring Panchkula town and the matches will be telecast live on DD Sports," said Sushil Kapoor, manager of Blue Star team.

Brian Lara awarded Order of Australia

2009-11-28T21:13:00.002+05:30

West Indian batting legend Brian Lara has been appointed an honorary member of the Order of Australia.

The Australian government in a statement Thursday hailed Lara's "service to Australia-Caribbean relations by promoting goodwill, friendship and sportsmanship through the sport of cricket".

"Lara has been pivotal in enabling cricket coaching workshops to be conducted for talented young cricketers," the statement says.

"By facilitating the use of Australian coaching staff locally, he has been the key to furthering a positive image of Australia in the Caribbean."

A prolific left-handed batsman, Lara holds record for the highest Test score of 400 not out. He has two triple centuries and nine double centuries to his name. The former West Indies captain had retired from international cricket in 2007.

Lara has 10,387 runs from 298 ODIs and 11,953 from 131 Tests.

The Order of Australia was instituted in 1975 "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service".

Uttar Pradesh beat Delhi for first win this season (Ranji Roundup)

2009-11-28T21:12:00.002+05:30

Virat Kohli struck 145 but could not save Delhi from an innings and 22 runs defeat against Uttar Pradesh on the fourth and last day of their Ranji Trophy Super League round three match at Luknow Friday.

Delhi were in a shambles at the end of third day's play Thursday after they folded up for 202 in reply to Uttar Pradesh's massive 536/7 first innings total and were then reduced for 104/2 while following-on.

The visitors were dismissed for 312 this day to give former champions Uttar Pradesh their first win this season.

Much depended on the overnight Delhi pair of Kohli and wicket-keeper Puneet Bisht (79). They added 104 more in the morning for their 206-run third wicket partnership before Kohli departed. Kohli's 225-ball innings included 22 fours.

Bisht's knock included nine fours. Rajat Bhatia made an unbeaten 56 but fell short of partners.

At Dharmasala, Chandrasekar Ganapathy (5-61) and Lakshmipathy Balaji (4-29) shone with the ball to give Tami Nadu a 91-run win over Himachal Pradesh.

Trailing by 173 runs in the first innings, Tamil Nadu made 319 in the second innings to give Himachal a 247-run win target and then bundled out the hosts for 155.

Resuming on 199 for five in the morning, Tamil Nadu were boosted by R. Ashwin's (51)fifty. Balaji and Ganapathy then proved lethal with the ball. For Himachal, Vikramjeet Malik was their top scored with 45.

At Delhi, M. Suresh (89 not out) and captain Murali Kartik (44) pulled Railways from the jaws of defeat against defending champions Mumbai and end the match in a draw.

Mumbai were in sight of an outright victory after spinners Harmeet Singh and Iqbal Abdulla left Railways tottering at 174 for seven on the third day.

Railways were lifted by Suresh's unbeaten knock. His overnight partnership with Karan Sharma ended on 81. He then add another 83 with Kartik for the ninth wicket.

With the win target of 213, Mumbai could not do much. Their openers put on an unbeaten stand of 69.

Brief scores:

At Dharmasala: Tamil Nadu 293/8 dec and 319 all out (S. Anirudha 72, S. Badrinath 50, R. Ashwin 51, C. Ganapathy 44 not out; Mukesh Sharma 3-5, Vikramjit Singh Malik 3-80). Himachal Pradesh 366 all out and 155 all out (V.S. Malik 45; C.Ganapathy 5-61, Lakshmipathy Balaji 4-29)

At Mohali: Gujarat 160 all out and 252 all out (Rujul Bhatt 95, Bhavik Thaker 31; M.S. Gony 4-105, Harmeet Singh 3-28), Punjab 444 all out (Taruwar Kohli 118, Rahul Sharma 95, Sunny Sohal 59; Salil Yadav 6-123, Siddharth Trivedi 2-65, Mehul Patel 2-129)

At Delhi: Railways 187 all out and 309 all out (M. Suresh 89 not out, Faiz Fazal 42, Sanjib Sanyal 40, Murli Kartik 44; Iqbal Abdulla 4-80, Harmeet Singh 3-38), Mumbai 284 all out and 69/0 (Ajinkya Rahane 37 not out, Sahil Kukreja 30 not out)

At Hyderabad: Orissa 276 and 243/5 (Rakesh Mohanty 70 not out, Halhadar Das 44; M.A Khader 2-70), Hyderabad 199 and 205/9 (Anirudh Singh 74 not out; Dhiraj Singh 4-46, Basant Mohanty 2-70, AK Sahoo 2-45)

At Poona: Maharshtra 105 and 320 all out (A.R Bawne 136, R.H. Motwani 78 Abhimanyu Mithun 4-66) Karnataka 553/4 declared (K.B. Pawan 152, G. Satish 141, Amit Verma 148, B Akhil 54 not out, S.M Fallah 2-142)

At Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh 536/7 dec, Delhi 202 all out (Mayank Tehlan 34, Sumit Narwal 34 not out, Praveen Kumar 3-37, RP Singh 2-70, Piyush Chawla 3-41) and 312 all out (Virat Kohli 145, Puneet Bisht 79, Rajat Bhatia 56 not out; Suresh Raina 3-31, Piyush Chawla 2-67)

At Kolkata: Saurashtra 650/9 dec, Bengal 456 all out (Arindam Das 144, Manoj Tiwary 107, Rohan Gavaskar 46 not out; Ravindra Jadeja 4-71) and 135/1 (Arindam Das 63 not out, Deep Dasgupta 52 not out; S.M. Maniar 1-16)

Sreesanth dashes home to give thanks at Guruvayur temple

2009-11-28T21:11:00.002+05:30

Indian speedster S. Sreesanth, who made a great comeback to the Indian cricket team after a gap of 18 months, arrived Saturday on a day-long trip to this Kerala town to offer prayers at the Sri Krishna Temple in Guruvayur.

Arriving at the airport here Saturday morning, Sreesanth said he was delighted to have made a good comeback.

"I have come for a day and I will be visiting the Guruvayur temple," Sreesanth told reporters.

Sreesanth was declared Man of the Match at the Kanpur Test against Sri Lanka where India recorded its 100th Test victory.

Saturday is considered an auspicious day for devotees of the Sri Krishna Temple as it is Ekadashi, according to the Hindu calendar.

A temple official told IANS that they were aware that Sreesanth would be coming to the temple.

Sreesanth and his parents are regular visitors to the Krishna temple. He is to rejoin the team Sunday.

Sreesanth has earlier run into trouble with his aggressive behaviour on field. He made a comeback after a long injury lay off.

Before this Test against Sri Lanka, he had last played in a Test against South Africa, also at Kanpur, in April last year.

Afridi to turn out for Dolphins in SA domestic T20

2009-10-08T20:03:00.000+05:30

After finalising a deal with Nashua Dolphins for next year, swashbuckling all-rounder Shahid Afridi is all set to become the first Pakistani to play in South Africa's domestic Twenty20 tournament.

Afridi said the Nashua Dolphins had approached him to play for them in the country's pro T20 cricket league.

The all-rounder stated that he would represent the Dolphins for two to three weeks in February after the conclusion of Pakistan's tour to Australia.

''They will officially announce my signing tomorrow,'' Afridi said yesterday.

''But I am excited at the prospect of being the first Pakistani to play in their domestic T20 league which is of high standards,'' he added.

Champions League T20: Otago Volts

2009-10-08T11:44:00.001+05:30

New Zealand's Twenty20 champions Otago Volts enter the tournament as a strong contender for the title.

Brendon McCullum is a proven match-winner, while all-rounder Dmitri Mascarenhas is capable of making a difference with both bat and ball. Nathan McCullum, Ian Butler and Neil Broom are the other players with some international players and would be expected to play stellar roles for Otago.

Squad: Craig Cumming (captain), Brendon McCullum, Nick Beard, Neil Wagner, Greg Todd, Hamish Rutherford, Aaron Redmond, Dmitri Mascarenhas, Warren McSkimming, James McMillan, Nathan McCullum, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Derek de Boorder, Mathew Harvie.

Champions League T20: Trinidad & Tobago

2009-10-08T11:43:00.005+05:30

The team that the great Brian Lara once played for will be the Caribbean's sole representation in the Champions League .

The Bravo brothers -- Dwayne and Darren -- the best talents to come out of the West Indies for a while will no doubt be the star attractions. Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul and Denesh Ramdin are a few young talents that can make headlines in the tournament.

Squad: Daren Ganga (captain), Dwayne Bravo , Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Ravi Rampaul, Denesh Ramdin, Samuel Badree, Navin Stewart, Kieron Pollard, William Perkins, Sunil Narine, Dave Mohammed, Adrian Barath, Rayad Emrit, Sherwin Ganga

Champions League T20: Wayamba Elevens

2009-10-08T11:43:00.002+05:30

Wayamba qualified for the Champions League following their Inter-Provincial Twenty20 tournament victory over Basnahira South in what could be a big boost for Sri Lankan domestic cricket.

Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene will be Wayamba's main hope with the bat. Mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis may have not enjoyed success in the two editions of the IPL so far, but he definitely poses a threat as was witnessed in the ICC Champions Trophy .

Squad: Jehan Mubarak (captain), Mahela Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis, Farveez Maharoof, Sameera de Zoysa, Ishara Amerasinghe, Chanaka Welegedara, Mahela Udawatte, Isuru Udana, Thissara Perera, Michael Vandort , Rangana Herath, S Karunanayake, J Kulatunga, K Lokuarachchi.

Champions League T20: Delhi Daredevils

2009-10-08T11:42:00.003+05:30

Gautam Gambhir leads one of the star-studded line-ups in the Champions League Twenty20 .

The Delhi Daredevils' line-up boasts of the two most dangerous batsmen in world cricket -- Tillakaratne Dilshan and Virender Sehwag .

Daniel Vettori , Ashish Nehra and Amit Mishra make up a formidable bowling attack that is capable of running through any batting line-up on its day.

Squad: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Virender Sehwag, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Rajat Bhatia, Dinesh Karthik , Mithun Manhas , Dirk Nannes , Amit Mishra, Ashish Nehra, Avishkar Salvi, Pradeep Sangwan, Owais Shah , Manoj Tiwary, Daniel Vettori.

Champions League T20: Deccan Chargers

2009-10-08T11:41:00.001+05:30

Indian Premier League champions Deccan Chargers start as one of the favourites in the 12-team tournament.

Led by Adam Gilchrist , they proved the form book wrong by storming to the IPL title in South Africa . Now their fans are hoping they can complete the double in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament.

The presence of top international stars like Andrew Symonds , Scott Styris , Rohit Sharma , Pragyan Ojha and Chaminda Vaas definitely makes them one of the teams to watch out for.

Squad: Adam Gilchrist (captain), Andrew Symonds, RP Singh , Venugopal Rao , Azhar Bilakhia, Fidel Edwards , Harmeet Singh, Ryan Harris, VVS Laxman , Pragyan Ojha, Rohit Sharma, Shoaib Ahmed, Scott Styris, Tirumalasetti Suman, Chaminda Vaas

Get Champions League scores, highlights on your mobile

2009-10-08T11:39:00.000+05:30

How good it would be if while watching the Cricket Match in the Stadium you can view highlights, detailed score card, statistics and match analysis on your mobile without using GPRS. It will be great isn’t it? And what if I tell you that you can get all these at no cost, I know it will be awesome.

TELiBrahma Convergent Communications, a mobile soulution company will make it happen. Cricket fans at the stadium will receive updates as interactive menu on their mobile upon activating the Bluetooth connectivity on their mobile phones. This menu would be delivered at regular intervals ensuring users having access to real time and updated content.

Using the Interactive Brochure users would be able to
View highlights and detailed scores from the match
Download and view videos of replays, wickets, runs scored and others from the match
View detailed statistics and analysis
All this would be made available to fans visiting the cricket match at absolutely zero cost without the need for GPRS. Ability of viewers to view the video and analysis on demand would not only bridge the gap between watching the match in television and stadium, but would take the experience to an all new height as users control the experience themselves.

Royal Challengers to exploit home conditions against Cape Cobras

2009-10-08T11:38:00.000+05:30

Twelve teams from seven countries will be seen in action in Cricket's greatest extravaganza when the inaugural edition of the USD six million Champions League Twenty20 tournament begins here on Thursday.

Indian Premier League II finalist Royal Challengers and South African Cape Cobras will start the proceedings with a high voltage inaugural match of the Twenty20 event at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here.

Hosts India, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago are the seven countries from which twelve teams will turn out to vie for honours in the 15-day event which was postponed last year after 26/11 terror attack in Mumbai.

Royal Challenger skipper Anil Kumble will be back in the field after a long gap and he would look to stump their authority right from the start.

The Challengers would like to exploit the home conditions with Jacques Kallis already making it clear that knowing the conditions will benefit the home team.

However, with most of players not playing together often, regrouping the team again would be a challenge for Kumble.

In contrast, Cobra will play in an alien conditions as most of the players would be touring India for the first time but they would have the advantage of playing together for the whole year.

For Challengers while stars like Kallis, Mark Boucher and Dale Steyn will be seen in action, it will also an opportunity for 18-year-old Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who replace Jesse Ryder in the squad, to make himself counted.

For Cobra, Herschelle Gibbs and JP Duminy will be the face and the onus will be on the two batsmen to shoulder the burden against a quality spin attack spearheaded by Kumble and South African all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe.

Duminy hit five half-centuries en route his 373 runs in IPL 2 and the Cobras will hope the lefthanded produces the same form once again.

Gibbs, too, was in tremendous form scoring four 50s, including one in the final, to take Deccan Chargers to their maiden IPL win.

It will also be interesting to see, some of South African imports like Kallis padding up against his compatriots and their knowledge about the Proteas will surely come in handy for the home team.

Pakistan cricket team accused of losing to keep India out

2009-10-08T11:35:00.002+05:30

Pakistan's parliamentary committee on sports has accused the cricket team of throwing away its Pool A match against Australia to knock old rivals India out of the eight-nation event.

The accusation came from Jamshed Dasti, the chief of National Assembly's Standing Committee on Sports. Dasti, a member of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has summoned Pakistan captain Younis Khan, coach Intikhab Alam for a meeting at the Parliament House in Islamabad Oct 13. Ijaz Butt, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, has also been asked to attend the meeting.

Dasti said the committee is also suspicious about Pakistan's semifinal loss to New Zealand, saying that the match could also have been fixed.

"We will be meeting them on October 13 as we feel the team appeared to have lost the matches deliberately against Australia and New Zealand," said the outspoken Dasti.

Pakistan lost to Australia on the last ball of a low-scoring encounter-- a result that knocked India out of the Champions Trophy. The Pakistanis went on to suffer a shock defeat against a weakened New Zealand side that was without a number of key players because of injuries.

"Our team lost to Australia just to keep India out of the tournament," Dasti said.

"There are many doubts on the performance of the team and we feel it has to be cleared by the PCB officials and the team management," Dasti said in an interview.

"The way we lost in the semifinal, it has left the whole nation disappointed and the PCB has to give answers."

Pakistan's cricket chiefs and the national team have come under constant criticism from parliamentary committees in the past but so far nothing has happened on the recommendations of those committees.

Earlier this year, Senate's standing committee on sports recommended for the removal of Butt as PCB chief and asked the government to appoint a competent person for the job. However, that advise went unheeded by the Board's chief patron - President Asif Ali Zardari.

However, Dasti made it clear that this time their recommendations will get due consideration. "This time I can assure you that we will make sure that our recommendations be given due considerations," he said.

Meanwhile, Board sources have ruled out any foul play from players in the Champions Trophy.

According to the sources, top PCB officials are instead blaming poor umpiring for the team's defeat against New Zealand. Some crucial decisions did go against Pakistan in the match and the team management and some Board officials believe it was the reason behind Pakistan's defeat in the semifinals.

Sussex Sharks will be at home in India

2009-10-08T11:34:00.002+05:30

Sussex Sharks will not have to worry about lack of supporters in India. The England county team has flown in some 60 odd fans to cheer the players in the Champions League Twenty20, which begins Thursday.

The county will also be screening every Sussex game in the tournament at the home of Sussex cricket, the county ground at Hove. The matches will be shown live on EuroSport2.

Sharks coach Mark Robinson said it is going to be home away from home for them. "It will be nice to have some support for us at the stands. We have done well over a period of time. We are small but a very proud county and people at home are keen followers of cricket," Robinson told IANS.

The pitch for their first two matches at capital's Feroze Shah Kotla is similar to one at Hove, and Robinson said Delhi leg-spinner Piyush Chawla will play a crucial role.

"Piyush is a good bowler and a wonderful person. We know spin plays a big role in this part of the world and Piyush besides being a leg-spinner is a local as well. He will definitely be a huge help," Robinson said.

"The low bounce at Hove I have heard is similar to pitches in Delhi and that should give us a distinct advantage in the tournament."

The Sussex Sharks will play their opening match against New South Wales Blues here Sunday.

Domestic players will play a crucial role, says Gautam Gambhir

2009-10-08T11:33:00.002+05:30

Delhi Daredevils captain Gautam Gambhir feels domestic players will play a major role in the Champions League Twenty20, beginning Thursday.

"It is a good opportunity for the local players to prove themselves. The domestic players are going to prove useful in the Indian conditions," Gambhir said in an open media session of Delhi Daredevils Tuesday.

"Daredevils have been the most consistent team. Reaching semifinals twice in Indian Premier League (IPL) is a big thing. Hope we can improve in the Champions League."

Gambhir strongly defended out-of-form pacer Ishant Sharma, saying the youngster need to be encouraged and not criticised.

"He has been playing cricket from a long time. He is a young kid and in my opinion will be spearheading the Indian attack in the next two-three years. It is not fair to criticise him."

The 28-year-old Delhi player said the format will be beneficial for the national teams.

"We saw after the Indian Premier League (IPL) that quite a few players got the call to play for the country while it helped others to make a comeback. The Champions League format will add to the pool of the players which would be good for the national team. It will also boost the confidence of the domestic players," he said.

Gambhir, who was recently conferred the ICC Test Player of the Year award, feels the competition can be as big as the IPL.

"It is tough to say at this moment. But the amount of excitement the format has generated among the teams and the viewers, it seems it is going to be as big as IPL."

Pakistan favours referral system in One-dayers

2009-10-08T11:32:00.000+05:30

Pakistani cricket officials will push the International Cricket Council (ICC) to implement the umpire referral system in One-day Internationals also in a bid to avoid 'appalling decisions' like the ones that blew the team's chances of reaching its first ever Champions Trophy final in South Africa.

According to a report in The News Wednesday, the Pakistan team management as well as senior Board officials were left fuming after a few bad calls by umpires Simon Taufel and Ian Gould went against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy semifinal against New Zealand.

The report said that Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is now planning to push for the implementation of referrals in One-dayers too. Video referrals have been permanently implemented in Test cricket from this month.

Some local critics have blamed poor umpiring for the shock defeat.

Taufel adjudged promising youngster Umar Akmal lbw though television replays confirmed later that the ball deflected off the batsman's bat before hitting the pads. Umar was batting at 55 and his dismissal ended hopes of a big Pakistani total.

Taufel and Gould also turned down a series of confident appeals when the New Zealanders were chasing the target.

The Pakistan team management wrote a stinging post-match report against the standard of umpiring in the semifinal, describing it as "pathetic".

"We believe that after what happened in the semifinal against New Zealand, the ICC should have the umpire referral system in one-dayers as well," a PCB official, who requested anonymity, was quoted as saying by the paper.

"There were at least half a dozen poor calls that went against us, mostly at critical situations during the match. It was something that could have been avoided if video referrals were allowed in one-dayers," he said.

The ICC approved the use of video referrals to challenge umpire's decisions in Tests earlier this summer. The rule will allow players to challenge decisions, with TV umpires using Hawk-Eye technology to limit blunders by their on-field colleagues.

The ICC has also experimented with video referrals in one-dayers in the past.

It was in the Champions Trophy in 2002 that the ICC experimented with a referral system for lbws and disputed catches. During the tournament which was hosted by Sri Lanka, frequent requests for arbitration did slow the game down, but it was worth it when glaring gaffes were avoided.

None can replicate my carrom ball: Ajantha Mendis

2009-10-08T11:31:00.000+05:30

Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis says no spinner can replicate his unique carrom ball that has bamboozled world's top batsmen including Sachin Tendulkar.

Mendis, who will be turning out for Sri Lankan team Wayamba Elevens in the Champions League Twenty20, seems to have inspired other spinners like Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla to develop their own mystery deliveries.

The 24-year-old Sri Lankan, however, is confident that it would be tough for other bowlers to crack the mystery.

"Some bowlers are trying to develop a similar delivery. But I am confident that

none can replicate my carrom ball. It came naturally to me and I didn't develop it consciously. So I am confident that the carrom ball is unique and it has worked successfully for me," Mendis told IANS in a free-wheeling interview, Sri Lankan all-rounder Jehan Mubaraka acting as interpretor.

Mendis was an instant success in international cricket as batsmen took some time reading him. Batsmen may have found him out, but he is confident that with his accuracy he can still tie them down.

"When I started playing international matches, batsmen especially Indians, who are great players of spin, had some trouble reading me. Now batsmen are getting used to my style. However reading is one thing and playing is another. As long as I bowl accurately, batsmen will have trouble playing me."

The Sri Lankan Armyman feels that since the shorter formats of the game are heavily loaded in favour of batsmen, it is important for spinners to have variety.

"It is always good to have a variety in a spinner's repertoire. At present, I am trying to polish my skills and concentrating on what I know. I have played just nine Test matches and as I progress I will surely try out new things," he said.

Mendis is confident that his msytery ball will trouble batsmen in the Champions League.

"Pitches in the sub-continent favour the spinners and that's why Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan) has tasted enormous success. So I don't find any reason why I can't pick wickets here. I have to just bowl accurately. I have seen that with (Mahendra Singh) Dhoni. Whenever I erred in line, he had hit me, but when I was accurate not only Dhoni but other players, too, had no other option but to defend," he said.

Mendis said bowling to Indian batsmen is always a big challenge and is looking forward to a duel against Virender Sehwag, who will be turning out for Delhi Daredevils. A Mendis-Sehwag face-off will be on the cards Oct 11 at the Feroze Shah Kotla.

"Bowling to Virender Sehwag has been tough. When you are bowling to Sehwag there is no room for any margin of error. I am eager to bowl to him," he said.

Mendis also lamented that he didn't get much opportunity to play in the both the edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

"Sharing the Kolkata Knight Riders dressing room with some great cricketers was an experience. But I feel I should have got to play more in the IPL both in India and in South Africa," he said.

Mendis said that for him Twenty20 is fun but he wants to play serious cricket -- Tests and ODIs.

"I like to play all the three versions of the game. Twenty20 is fun and you have to bowl just four overs, no big deal. In 50 overs and Test cricket you have to outwit the batsman and that's a challenge for any bowler," he said.

India clubbed with South Africa, England in cricket World Cup

2009-10-08T11:29:00.003+05:30

India have been clubbed with South Africa and England among seven countries in Group B for the 2011 cricket World Cup.

West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland and Netherlands are the other teams in the group, it was announced by International Cricket Council (ICC) here Wednesday.

The group A has defending champions Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya.

The groups were confirmed in the ICC Board meeting here.

India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will host the event. Pakistan were stripped of the co-hosting rights because of the security concerns in the country.

India will host 29 of the tournament's 49 matches, including a semi-final and the final. Sri Lanka will stage the other semi-final.

The ICC Board also approved the schedule for the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, which will take place in New Zealand in January 2010.

Champions League T20 starts on Thursday

2009-10-08T11:29:00.000+05:30

Cricket's first ever international club tournament -- Champions League Twenty20 -- will kick off here Thursday with a high voltage match between local favourites Royal Challengers and South African Cape Cobras.

Some of game's big names will turn out in their club jerseys for the twelve teams drawn from hosts India, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago.

The 15-day Twenty20 gala will witness a host of international stars competing for a whopping prize money of $6 million.

Indian Premier League (IPL) finalists Royal Challengers and Delhi Daredevils will be the two teams from India. The twelve teams have been divided into four groups.

The Champions Challenge was postponed last year after the Mumbai terror attacks in November.

The Cobras will have the likes of J.P.Duminy and Herschelle Gibbs, though they will miss their captain Graeme Smith, who has withdrawn from the tournament due to an injury.

The Cobras will also have to quickly adjust to the local conditions and a strong home support. The South African club, however, would be happy with their performance in the two warm-up matches which they won convincingly.

The Challengers spearheaded by Anil Kumble will look to carry forward their impressive performace in the IPL II, where they were the finalists.

The Challengers would also like to cash in on the Cobra batsmen's unease against slower bowlers and skipper Kumble would certainly look to exploit their weakness against spin.

Gibbs and Duminy are the only two batsmen who are at home against spin, and they would have to share much of the batting workload.

Duminy had an excellent IPL playing for Mumbai Indians, notching five half-centuries and scored 373.

Gibbs, too, had a stupendous tournament, where he slammed four 50s, including one in the final, to take Deccan Chargers to their maiden IPL win.

McGrath to replace Collingwood for Delhi Daredevils

2009-10-08T11:27:00.001+05:30

Former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath will replace injured England batsman Paul Collingwood in the Delhi Daredevils squad while Stiaan van Zyl will come in place of Richard Levi in the Caper Cobras squad in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament Oct 8-23.

Both sides had sought the approval of the tournament's technical committee, which confirmed the replacements Wednesday.

Collingwood had strained his buttock during the Champions Trophy in South Africa. Levi, on the other hand, had broken the bone in his hand while training in Bangalore this week.

Champions Trophy: New Zealand set-up a final date with Australia

2009-10-04T19:01:00.000+05:30

New Zealand set-up a final clash with defending champions Australia after defeating Pakistan by five wickets in a thrilling semi-final at the New Wanderers Stadium here Saturday.

New Zealand, who won the title in 2000 when it was known as the ICC Knock Tournament, achieved the target of 234 runs in 47.5 overs by losing just five wickets. Grant Elliot was the top scorer with an unbeaten 75, while skipper and Man of the Match Daniel Vettori scored 41.

Pakistan bastmen failed to covert the good starts they got after captain Younis Khan opted to bat first. Umar Akmal (55) and Mohammad Yousuf (45) played crucial knocks as they put a competitive total on board.

New Zealand made a cautious start but were found struggling at 71 for three by the 17th over. Ross Taylor started the repair act with his patient 38 and Vettori and Elliot played solid innings and with their 104-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

The game looked evenly poised till the 42nd over when New Zealand needed 59 runs from 48 deliveries. But Vettori's decision to opt for the Power Play in the 42nd over paid rich dividends as 55 runs came off in five overs, paving way for New Zealand's second final appearance in the tournament.

Fast bowler Umar Gul and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal were erratic in the dying stages of the game and both Elliot and Vettori came out with some big shots to end Pakistan's hopes.

Earlier in the day, paceman Ian Butler and spinner Vettori shared seven wickets as New Zealand restricted Pakistan to 233 for nine.

Butler had a career-best haul of four for 44, while left-arm spinner Vettori ended with three for 43.

Teenager Umar Akmal hit a solid 55 as Pakistan looked set for a big total. But Vettori and Butler struck in quick succession to reduce them to 198 for nine.

Another teenager Mohammad Aamer (19 not out) and Saeed Ajmal (14 not out) then showed some great fighting spirits adding 35 off 34 deliveries for the last wicket as Pakistan made 233.

Akram to join KKR camp in Gurgaon

2009-09-30T12:38:00.000+05:30

Former Pakistan speedster Wasim Akram will join the Kolkata Knight Riders' camp, which begins in Gurgaon Oct 1.

"He will join the KKR camp at Gurgaon to oversee the proceedings," former KKR skipper Sourav Ganguly said at the Eden Gardens here Tuesday.

However, as Akram will be busy doing commentary for the ongoing Champions trophy, where the final is slated for Oct 5, he will join the KKR camp only in the later stages.

The camp is scheduled to continue till Oct 8. Till Akram joins, Ganguly will be in charge of the camp.

However, leading Bengal players are unlikely to attend the camp as the cricket Association Bengal has organised a Challengers tournament to give some match practice to the players ahead of the gruelling season. Thus, L.R. Shukla, Wriddhiman Saha, Ashok Dinda, Sourav Sarkar, Eklakh Ahmed and Avik Chowdhury will miss the camp.

Cash rewards for Pakistani cricketers if they win Champions Trophy

2009-09-30T12:35:00.000+05:30

Pakistani cricketers will be showered with huge cash rewards if they go on to win the ICC Champions trophy in South Africa, a senior Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said Monday.

According to Wasim Bari, the PCB chief operating officer, the players will be flooded with rewards if they win their second International Cricket Council (ICC) event after having won the World Twenty20 earlier this year.

"Winning the Champions Trophy would be a huge achievement and the board will ensure that the players are duly rewarded," said Bari, a former Pakistan test wicketkeeper.

Pakistani players earned millions after winning the World Twenty20 title in England last June.

Pakistan are one of the only two leading teams along with England yet to win the Champions Trophy.

This time Pakistan are in a good position to aim for its maiden crown after having won its first two Pool A matches against West Indies and neighbours India.