England Tour Of India 2008

England abandon one-day series

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:21:00 +0000

England have cut short the ongoing one-day series against India following Wednesday's terrorist strikes in Mumbai but the Indian board remained hopeful that two-Test series, scheduled to begin on December 11, can yet be salvaged.

The decision to abandon the remaining two ODIs of the seven-match series was taken during a meeting between BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, England's managing director Hugh Morris, and the Indian team management in Bhubaneshwar. England will not travel to Guwahati this afternoon as scheduled and will remain in Bhubaneshwar overnight, while further discussions with the BCCI take place. "The safety and security of the England team is of the utmost importance to ECB," Morris said. "We have reviewed all our security arrangements in the light of these attacks and will be taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of the team."

The Indian team, which had a meeting mid-day, was informed by the BCCI about England's position. "We have been told England are going back home. So we are going to our homes," Venkatesh Prasad, India's bowling coach, told Cricinfo. As of now, the Indian team has been asked to assemble in Ahmedabad on December 8, three days before the scheduled start of the first Test start against England.

Morris briefed the England team and management after the meeting with Srinivasan. "We are urgently seeking information from expert sources regarding last night's attacks and will continue to hold further discussions with our colleagues from the BCCI over the next 24 hours." Morris said. He added that the ECB will wait on their own security report before deciding on their next move regarding the Test series.

The ICC said they had "no role to play in the current situation" regarding the England tour of India. "The arrangements for the tour itself is strictly a bilateral matter," an ICC spokesperson said. "The only time we would play a part is if there is a disagreement between the boards about whether the tour would proceed or not. In that case there would be a security assessment binding with the two boards."

Meanwhile, England's High Performance squad's tour has been called off and the players, currently training in Bangalore, will travel home immediately. The squad, which includes Michael Vaughan, Monty Panesar and Andrew Strauss, was scheduled to reach Mumbai on December 3 to play a practice game and train with the England Test side.

The strikes, including blasts and shooting incidents, were spread out across the city but the majority of them were in south Mumbai, the main tourist hub. In the early hours of Thursday morning, a major blaze was sweeping through the Taj Mahal hotel, a city landmark and the scene of one such attack, which was to host the two Test teams and was where the England side stayed during their warm-up period in Mumbai.

It is also where Middlesex were set to check-in on Thursday for their Champions League fixtures. Middlesex were due to leave London for Mumbai at 10am on Thursday to prepare for the Champions League but postponed their departure by 24 hours after being told that matches scheduled for Mumbai would be switched to Bangalore.

The Brabourne Stadium, venue of the second Test and scheduled to host three Champions League games, is in the middle of the area where most attacks have taken place. It is also the vicinity where most foreign tourists are likely to stay.

India power past Pietersen's ton

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:19:00 +0000

India 273 for 4 (Sehwag 91, Raina 54*, Dhoni 50, Tendulkar 50) beat England 270 for 4 (Pietersen 111*, Shah 66*) by six wickets
Whatever challenge is put in front of this Indian team they conquer it with skill and flair. In Cuttack, England managed their best batting performance of the series, led by Kevin Pietersen's unbeaten 111, but it was made to look a long way short as they cantered home by six wickets with more than six overs to spare. The hard work was done by an electric opening stand of 136 between Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar, meaning the others barely had to break sweat.

As has been the case with each match of the series there were signs of improvement from the visitors, this time with the bat, as Pietersen and Owais Shah added 112 for the fifth wicket. Pietersen's seventh ODI ton was the first by an England captain outside of London and only the third by an England batsman in the last 30 one-dayers. However, any momentum gained during the final few overs evaporated as Sehwag sped out of the blocks with another display of fearless clean striking.

At times the bowlers could only shrug their shoulders as the ball raced to the boundary. When Tendulkar on-drove Andrew Flintoff, the bowler spun on his heals and headed back to his mark. It was batting in its purest form. Sehwag was set for a thrilling hundred before receiving a rough lbw decision, but the required rate was comfortable, leaving Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Suresh Raina to stroke steady half-centuries and keep India on course for a whitewash. It's hard to see how they'll be stopped, especially as Stuart Broad hobbled off with a hamstring injury.

Steve Harmison's second over, to Tendulkar, was a maiden but it provided false hope - 13 came off Harmison's next over as Sehwag cut loose. One shot, a front-foot pull over midwicket, was as dismissive as they come. In the blink of an eye, and a flash of Sehwag's bat, England were losing control. Flintoff was summoned into the attack, but even when the bat was beaten, or the inside edge found, there was no breakthrough.

Pietersen tried to make things happen. He experimented for one over of Samit Patel before calling the Powerplay, then threw the ball to Graeme Swann inside the fielding restrictions. To say the move backfired is an understatement: Sehwag proceeded to take 21 off the over. Swann was slammed through the covers three times and swung miles into the stands for a huge six before being given a rather hollow pat on the back from his captain.

Tendulkar's fifty was a quieter affair, but still took just 54 balls, played with textbook skill after a slightly sticky start. The moment he tried something a little more agricultural, heaving across the line, he lost his off stump to Harmison. England's celebrations were muted, partly because the damage had already been done and also because walking in at No. 3 was Yuvraj Singh - series average 160. But, Ravi Bopara, bowling just his 13th over in ODIs and for the first time this series, did what no else has threatened to do and removed Yuvraj cheaply with a gentle caught and bowled.

Sehwag was dispatched the next ball, Broad's first delivery of a new spell, and momentarily England's frowns turned to smiles. However, they couldn't build on the breakthroughs and Pietersen had to gamble on bowling out his strike options, while Broad couldn't finish his ninth over. Dhoni survived a close stumping appeal on 22, with 73 still needed, but it would have been unlikely to alter the result.

As is the modern way, England will no doubt "search for the positives" and Pietersen's hundred was a tick in the right column. He has led the call for the top order to score more centuries and showed how it should be done with a well-constructed innings.

Where Pietersen should bat has provided much debate inside and outside the England team. He has moved up and down during the previous two matches, rising to three in Kanpur then oddly back to No. 4 in the 22-over chase in Bangalore. Despite Shah's success in that match, hitting 72 off 48 balls, he was back at No. 6 and the captain returned to first drop. Still, though, making the most of the Powerplays was an issue as the two five-over blocks produced 45 runs.

It's all symptomatic of the muddled thinking in the England camp, but Pietersen's innings showed that No. 3 should be his long-term position, while Shah again demonstrated his flexibility with a 57-ball 66. With Paul Collingwood's continuing to struggle for form - he laboured 40 from 64 - Shah could well be on the move again to No. 4. One day, he might find a settled home.

On the theme of being unsettled, Alastair Cook and Bopara formed England's eighth one-day opening pair since Peter Moores took charge as coach in 2007. Both gave their starts away with loose strokes and the innings wobbled again when Flintoff fell for third-ball duck. Dhoni pulled off another impressive piece of captaincy, throwing the ball to Ishant Sharma when it would have been easy to maintain an all-spin attack against Flintoff. Dhoni can do no wrong for India, and his team continue to ride on the crest of a wave.

'You will see a few changes' - Dhoni

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:16:00 +0000

With his side sealing the seven-match series 4-0, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the Indian captain, has said the team will look to field the unused players in the squad for the upcoming games against England.

"You will see a few changes in the side in the next three matches. Some of the people who have not played in the series so far will play but we still look to win games," he said. "Three more matches to come and we want to win those games."

The game in Bangalore was reduced to a 22-over contest, and Dhoni felt his fast bowlers stood up on a day when the spinners found it tough in wet conditions. "Because of the wet outfield, the ball became soggy and it was not easy to grip the ball," he said. "We have one specialist spinner [Harbhajan Singh] and part-time spinners, it was really difficult for them. But then Zaheer [Khan] bowled very well, along with Ishant [Sharma] and Munaf [Patel]. Overall it was a very good team effort."

Dhoni marshalled his bowlers well during the chase, and praised Zaheer for guiding the other bowlers. "I was not giving much advice. First I like them to bowl to their own plans and if that does not work I ask them to bowl according to my plans.

"But Zaheer has been of great help throughout the series and has taken the extra initiative to help others. It has worked for us and we should be thankful to him."

A 4-0 win over South Africa last summer gave the impression that England were improving as a one-day set-up under Kevin Pietersen, but he admitted his side had been outplayed so far in India. "We have been done in by an Indian side which is playing fantastic cricket at the moment," he said. "We came here on a high after the 4-0 win against South Africa back home and I guess we have to adjust to this series defeat now."

Pietersen, though, was hoping to get back to winning ways soon. "We have to make sure that this competition stays competitive. We have to win a few games. We came here to win the series but we have not won the series. So we have to make sure we win a few game at least."

Sehwag and Zaheer seal India's series

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:14:00 +0000

India 166 for 4 (Sehwag 69, Gambhir 40) beat England 178 for 8 (Shah 72, Flintoff 41) by 19 runs (D/L method)

Whether it's a contest over 50 overs, 20 overs, or - as it turned out today - 22, India's one-day cricketers are simply streets ahead of England's. They duly claimed an unassailable 4-0 lead in the seven-game series thanks to a 19-run victory in a match that was rescued from a soggy grave by some valiant work from the Bangalore groundstaff.

After nearly five hours of rain delays, the contest was minutes away from an abandonment when the umpires decreed that the conditions were fit for play, and as things turned out, their decision proved to be worthwhile. For eight hard-hitting overs, while Owais Shah and Andrew Flintoff were together at the crease, adding 82 for the fourth wicket, England put up the best fight they have shown all series. But in the final analysis, the unbridled flamboyance of India's batsmen, coupled with the nerveless short-form skills that India's bowlers have learnt from their time in the IPL, proved decisive.

In every respect, India's approach to the game was superior to that of their opponents. Virender Sehwag epitomised the difference in mindset - the bulk of his 69 from 57 balls came when he was batting with a view to lasting for 50 overs, but in the final analysis you would hardly be able to tell the difference. He started the match by belting James Anderson's first ball over the covers for four, as India cruised a healthy 106 for 1 after 17 overs. Then, nearly seven hours later, he clobbered Samit Patel's first ball of the resumption for six, as India reappeared to help themselves to 60 more runs in the remaining five overs of their reduced allocation.

India's ability to switch tempo at will was astonishing and, to England's rigid mentality, unthinkable. Yuvraj Singh belted three more sixes to continue his extraordinary run of form with 25 not out from 11 balls, while both Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan - from the final ball of the innings - also launched the first balls they faced into the stands. Their final total of 166 for 4 was rightly adjusted under the Duckworth-Lewis method to an imposing target of 198, a prospect that looked stillborn when England began their chase.

The contrast between Sehwag's onslaught and the cautious dirge chosen by England's openers was stark. Only 21 runs came from England's first six Powerplay overs, and though Zaheer Khan, who finished with 2 for 20 from five overs, was exceptional - both for his own bowling and the way in which he guided his younger team-mates - England's stifling orthodoxy was bewildering and self-defeating. Playing with a pendulum-straight bat, Ravi Bopara played out four dot balls in the first over, before being caught by a flying Ishant Sharma in the second, while Ian Bell managed a gravity defying seven runs in seven overs.

With every straight-batted push that England produced, the run-rate leapt another notch or ten. Bell was eventually bowled for 12 while attempting a sweep against Harbhajan Singh, and though Kevin Pietersen clipped his first ball effortlessly through midwicket for four, he had arrived at the crease approximately eight overs too late. In his haste to make up for lost time, he inside-edged a massive swipe across the line, and was bowled for 5 by a gleeful Sharma.

India's dominance at this stage was so total that Yuvraj was able to burst out laughing after a blunder from Suresh Raina on the square leg rope gifted Shah an extra boundary. Slowly but surely, however, England found their feet. Shah brought up his half-century in flamboyant style - and from an unexpectedly brisk 35 deliveries - with a pull through midwicket off Sharma, then creamed a huge six into the stands with a fetched slog-sweep off Yuvraj. Flintoff, meanwhile, ran a clever four off an open-faced bat after noticing that third man was up in the circle, and then made Harbhajan pay for one full-toss too many by swiping him fiercely through cow corner.

That single blow gave Flintoff the confidence he needed, because he followed up with arguably the biggest blow of the series so far, a gargantuan swipe that might have ended up in Chennai had it not rebounded off the top of the stadium roof. It meant that England had added 61 in five overs, at the required rate of two a ball, and for the first time in four matches they were matching India's strokeplay shot for shot.

Shah continued in the same vein, greeting Munaf Patel's return with another flick into the midwicket stands to bring the requirement down to 73 runs from 43 balls. But back came Zaheer for the final Powerplay, and after conceding three runs from his first four balls, he beat Shah with a low full toss that flew off the leading edge to Sachin Tendulkar at point to end a fantastic innings of 72 from 48 balls. In the very next over, Flintoff drove a slower ball from Sharma to extra cover, and England's two big guns had gone in the space of five balls.

That was effectively that. Samit Patel drove his first ball through long-on for four as he and Collingwood kept England in contention until the penultimate over. But Zaheer, kept bowling full and fast, removed Patel via a butterfingered catch in the covers from Gambhir, and Munaf was given the honour of sealing the contest as he successfully defended the 27 runs England still needed in the final over. For the fourth match in a row, England had shown an improvement on their earlier efforts in the series, and yet the gulf between the sides appeared as wide as ever before. The prospect of a 7-0 clean sweep looms ever larger.

Selection-meeting leaks 'disgusting' - Dhoni

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:19:00 +0000

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has described as "disgusting and disrespectful" that matters which are discussed in selection meetings are leaked and reported in the media. India's selectors chose Irfan Pathan over RP Singh for the next two ODIs against England and reports of a serious disagreement over the choice cast a cloud over India's preparations for the fourth ODI against England in Bangalore.

"I don't know where the report came from. What happens inside a meeting where the selectors, the captain and the coaches are there, when it comes out it is disgusting and disrespectful," said Dhoni after India's training session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. "Things like this should not be happening. I'm not saying something happened at the meeting, but over the years we have seen things being leaked from meetings and things getting out.

The Kolkata-based Anandabazar Patrika reported on Saturday that Dhoni favoured the inclusion of RP in the squad for the next two ODIs and offered to step down when the selectors insisted on replacing him with Pathan. The report said the board president, Shashank Manohar, had been informed of the argument.

BCCI officials have denied the report. "I don't talk about selection meetings. In any case it is all rubbish," N Srinivisan, the board secretary, told Cricinfo.

"This is the pinnacle of the sport. We are selecting 15 guys for the Indian team," said Dhoni. "There will be debates inside and that information should not be put out in the media. If it is meant to come out, then I can say we might as well have the whole meeting telecast live on television. Nobody knows what was discussed except the eight guys in the meeting. And only they know whether its the truth or not."

Dhoni said he did not speak to the BCCI because he felt it was not important. In his view, matters of selection should be revealed by the BCCI, the chairman of selectors, one on of the individuals on the selection panel. "We have an important match coming up and we chose instead to focus on that match," he said. "This is a selection thing and personally I don't discuss anything outside. To some extent it does distract us. The good part is that we trust each other - every player in the team trusts each other."

Dhoni pledged his support to both concerned players, RP and Pathan, who he also said had faith in his abilities. "There might be a scenario where all of a sudden we might want to get in touch with RP Singh and Irfan Pathan. It should not be a case where RP feels he is not wanted and left out. I will stand and defend both these players.

"We do not have players in this team with outstanding talent which can win every game. But as a team we are outstanding. So for us the mantra is being a team and these things will not break the trust we have in each other. It's important for us to be a team."

India win by 16 runs in fading light

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:17:00 +0000

40 overs India 198 for 5 (Sehwag 68, Flintoff 3-31) beat England 240 (Bopara 60, Bell 46, Harbhajan 3-31) by 16 runs (D/L method)

India made heavy work of an under-par England total in the first evenly-contested match between the two sides, but edged ahead thanks to a superior run-rate under the Duckworth/Lewis method when bad light curtailed their chase after 40 overs.

Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh produced some fireworks during India's chase, and that ultimately proved crucial as the umpires were forced to stop play in murky conditions, with India ahead by 16 runs. The toss, scheduled at 8:30 am local, had been put back 45 minutes because of the thick haze and overcast conditions in smoggy Kanpur, but only one over was docked from each innings, and to top it off, the lunch interval was not shortened.

The win could not have been possible without India's spinners, who had made the most of the pitch with 22 tidy overs that derailed England after a strong start. Harbhajan Singh picked up 3 for 31, his best returns since April 2006, which incidentally also came against England at home.

Perhaps confident of chasing a relatively low target, India threw their bats at the bowling but lost two quick wickets. After consecutive half-centuries, Gautam Gambhir fell for 14, slashing Andrew Flintoff's fifth delivery to third man. Suresh Raina went next, inside-edging a leaden-footed, ambitious drive against Stuart Broad (40 for 2). Sehwag decided that spin would be attacked - Samit Patel put down a hard caught-and-bowled when he was on 47 - and raised his half-century with a six off Graeme Swann. A stand of 68 with Rohit Sharma thrust the initiative back India's way, only for the latter to throw it back with a loose cut against Graeme Swann in the 23rd over.

Flintoff's return in the 26th over ended Sehwag's resistance on 68, thanks to a brilliant reaction catch from Paul Collingwood at backward point. Sehwag absolutely smashed the ball and Collingwood intercepted it with a leap in the air, before shrugging his shoulders in bewilderment. Attempting to edge ahead of the D/L requirement, India took their batting Powerplay after 34 overs, and Yuvraj welcomed it with a six. Attempting to hit another, he pulled Flintoff to deep square leg, holing out to Broad this time to leave the crowd stunned.

India were ten runs ahead at this point in fading light. Dhoni scampered singles and Yusuf Pathan found the gaps as well, taking Flintoff for consecutive boundaries. Matt Prior fluffed a leg-side stumping off his captain to reprieve Yusuf in the 39th over, but by then it was game over for England.

This win was set up in the field. Having lost the toss Dhoni looked on as England's openers added 79, but he pulled India back into the ascendancy through intelligent use of his spinners. Slowing the pace for the batsmen led to a steady flow of wickets, and not only did India restrict England in the middle overs, they also reduced the threat of a late-innings attack, with the otherwise wayward Ishant Sharma narrowly missing a hat-trick in the penultimate over. No boundaries were scored by England in the last three overs.

The visitors earlier got off to an assured start despite the hazy conditions. Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara struck a partnership of 79 for the first wicket, scoring at over five-and-a-half an over. At this stage, Pietersen probably wouldn't have envisioned how the innings would unravel. Bell was dismissed by Munaf Patel four short of his half-century and that triggered a collapse, with the run rate also dipping.

Dhoni turned to spin after the first drinks break, operating with the Singhs, Yuvraj and Harbhajan. Pietersen - back at No. 3 - took on Yuvraj with a driven six over long-on but couldn't dominate Harbhajan, spooning a catch to long-off on 13.

Collingwood's dismissal was a gem, set up craftily by Harbhajan. Having tossed up a few offbreaks, Harbhajan slipped in the doosra to sucker Collingwood further. The ball crept past his bat and Dhoni completed a smart stumping (106 for 3). That ball would have done for far better batsmen and Harbhajan continued to bowl admirably, tossing the ball up and landing it on all the right areas.

Having brought up his fourth ODI half-century with a blazing boundary through cover, Bopara was stumped off Yuvraj for 60. The rebuilding was now left to Flintoff, who was joined by Owais Shah at 133 for 4, but his struggles against spin continued. Moving across to Yusuf, he was struck plumb in front below the knee roll for 26. Dhoni's decision to give the ball to Yusuf immediately after the second drinks break had paid dividends.

England took the batting Powerplay after 38 overs, but managed 21 in the four overs. Shah hit some breezy strokes before becoming Harbhajan's 200th ODI wicket, chipping to long-off for 40 from 42 balls.

England played better in this game, but instead of questioning the laws of cricket, they should rue their batting collapse for the 0-3 deficit.

Pietersen refuses to panic

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:17:00 +0000

As Kevin Pietersen was skipping through his early matches as England captain, spreading the love wherever he went, there was a gentle warning - wait until you get to India. After a 158-run defeat in the opening one-day international, as England conceded their highest total, he has been left in no doubt about the task ahead for his team.
The only part of the day that went England's way was the toss, but Pietersen's hope that there would be early movement for the quick bowlers vanished as quickly as the ball to the boundary. He was soon on the retreat, but was helpless against Yuvraj Singh's breathtaking assault during the fastest century England have conceded in ODIs.
"If you stand and watch an innings like Yuvraj played and Sehwag you have just got to take your hat off to the way they played," Pietersen said. "It was an amazing batting pitch. You just need to touch it and it goes for four... and a bit harder and it goes for six. You've got to say well done, they played super cricket today."
Pietersen refused to switch into panic mode after one match, but with just three days until the next game in Indore there is little time to turn the performance around. "We'll sit down and see where we made a few mistakes," he said. "You've got to try to make sure you go over what you've done not so well and regroup. There's six games left in the series and we want to bring some real good cricket to Indore."
England opted for a single frontline spinner, Samit Patel, and planned to target India with their fast-bowling quartet. It was a format that worked impressively against South Africa, but conditions in Rajkot were a world away from late-season England and the extra pace of Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison played into India's hands.
However, Peter Moores said he thought the attack could have hit the visitors harder. "Our bowlers didn't bowl consistently all the way through. They could have been more aggressive with the ball," he said. "We have got some quick bowlers who are tall and generate enough bounce. We thought the wicket would do a little bit early on but actually you never know it for sure."

1st ODI Smart Stats

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:16:00 +0000

Yuvraj Singh reached his 100 off 64 balls. It was the second-fastest century by an Indian and the fastest by anyone against England.
India's total of 387 for 5 was the highest total in India . It was also their second-best total anywhere, and the highest by any team against England
India hit 13 sixes and England hit nine - the total of 22 was the second highest in a one-day match
India hit 51 boundaries in their innings - 13 sixes and 38 fours - beating their previous record of 48, against Bermuda during the 2007 World Cup
With the exception of Kevin Pietersen, Yuvraj Singh scored at more than a run-a-ball off all the other bowlers. He hit Andrew Flintoff for 34 off 13, Steve Harmison for 48 off 26, and Stuart Broad for 26 off 15

Yuvraj century sets up crushing win

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:13:00 +0000

India 387 for 5 (Yuvraj 138*, Sehwag 85, Gambhir 51) beat England 229 (Pietersen 63, Bopara 54*) by 158 runs

First days for an opposition captain in India don't get much worse. Kevin Pietersen's decision to field because of an early morning start in Rajkot backfired spectacularly as India galloped out of the blocks and never looked back. What seemed a brave decision turned into an utter disaster with India posting 387 for 5 in 50 overs of ballistic strokeplay. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag added 127 for the first wicket, after which Yuvraj Singh overcame a stiff back to slam an unbeaten 138 from only 78 balls.
It was the fastest ODI hundred against England, while India's total beat the previous best against this team - Pakistan's 353 in Karachi in 2005. It was also India's best total at home and second highest anywhere. England could only reply with 229, and suffered their third heaviest ODI defeat ever.
The last time Yuvraj scored a hundred in a limited-overs game was on October 5 2007 against Australia. He began in the 24th over, after Sehwag had been brilliantly caught by Ian Bell at midwicket for a 73-ball 85. Shortly into his innings, Yuvraj had problems with his back and needed a brace. Steve Harmison decided to test him with some short balls and, though Yuvraj took his eyes off them, he pulled consecutive boundaries and rounded off the over with a steer past slip for four more. Those three strokes set the tone.
India took the third Powerplay after the 34th over, a move which prompted Pietersen to bring back Andrew Flintoff. Yuvraj, who had Gambhir running for him, took the opportunity to break free by hitting sixes off Flintoff and Harmison before raising his fifty with a classy off-drive. Yuvraj's partnership with Suresh Raina for the third wicket had added 89 off 78 balls before his partner scooped Flintoff to backward point for 43.
Yusuf Pathan came and went for 0, but Yuvraj, not disturbed by the double blow, stood his ground and swatted a wayward Stuart Broad for six and four. He brought up the 300 - and the fifty partnership with Mahendra Singh Dhoni - by smashing Samit Patel out of the ground in the 44th over.
A 20-year-old Indian record for the fastest century (Mohammad Azharuddin's 62-ball ton against New Zealand) was under threat but Yuvraj was probably unaware and turned the ball off his pads for a single when he was on 94 off 61 balls. He reached his ninth hundred off his 64th ball and lofted Flintoff for two sixes in the 47th over and took another 18 off him in the 49th. Yuvraj's 138 was one shy of his career best.
The platform for Yuvraj's blitz, however, had been by India's openers early in the day. Sehwag and Gambhir tucked into some generous offerings from James Anderson and Broad and added 127 in good time. Paul Collingwood took the ball after the drinks break and Sehwag slammed his first two balls for six. The second shot, a disdainful sweep into the stands at midwicket, raised his fifty, from 44 balls, and India's 200. Gambhir - who had crossed 2000 ODI runs - followed Sehwag to fifty, from 59 balls, but became the first casualty. Dancing down to Patel, he holed out to Owais Shah at long-off. Sehwag smashed Patel for 15 runs off four balls in the 24th over before he was splendidly caught by Bell. England needed something extraordinary to stop Sehwag, but failed to keep Yuvraj quiet.
Spin had been expected to play a key role, but by the time the first spinner appeared England were already four down thanks to the discipline of Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel. Both started well, bowling short of a length outside the off stump. Matt Prior fell for 4, edging Munaf to Sehwag at slip, and Shah was caught by the same fielder in the next over, giving Zaheer, who was playing his 150th ODI, his first wicket.
Maintaining a steady line and moving the ball both ways, Zaheer took two wickets in the 11th over. Bell nibbled a wide one to Dhoni but the prize scalp was Flintoff, unfortunate to be adjudged lbw to a delivery that pitched just outside leg stump. Paul Collingwood's 150th ODI appearance was one to forget: he wafted at a wide delivery from RP Singh and feathered a catch to Dhoni.
Pietersen had few qualms and settled quickly into his stride, collecting three boundaries off RP Singh. He kept things simple and rotated the strike without fuss, adding 71 with Patel. Just after the 25-over mark, Patel swung at Harbhajan Singh, missed, and was stumped for a run-a-ball 28. Rohit Sharma nailed a smart throw from cover to send Pietersen (63) on his way and the rest flittered away by the 38th over. Ravi Bopara's lusty hitting took the six tally for this match to 22, and his rapid fifty helped England avert their heaviest defeat.

Smart स्ताट्स ऑफ़ इंडिया ऑस्ट्रेलिया Series

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:07:00 +0000

The last time Australia failed to win a Test in a series was against New Zealand in 2001-02, when all three Tests were drawn.
Australia lost by a difference of two Tests for the first time since their 3-1 defeat against West Indies in the Frank Worrell Trophy in 1988-89.
Sachin Tendulkar became the 27th player (apart from wicketkeepers) to take 100 catches in Tests.
Ishant Sharma, who took 15 wickets in the series, became the first Indian fast bowler to top the wickets tally for India in a Test series at home since Javagal Srinath's tally of 12 in the two-Test series against Zimbabwe in 2000-01.
Australia's aggressive intent today marked a turnaround from their performance on the third day, when they managed 166 runs. Their batsmen were constantly on the look out for runs leaving alone only 35 deliveries in over 48.5 overs, as opposed to 65 in a single session on the third day.
The Australians scored 27 runs off 20 balls with the sweep shot, and 27 off 25 with the cut.. With the leg glance, they scored 47 off 41.

India reclaim the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:05:00 +0000

India 441 (Tendulkar 109, Ganguly 85, Sehwag 66, Laxman 64, Dhoni 56, Krejza 8-215) and 295 (Sehwag 92, Dhoni 55, Harbhajan 52, Watson 4-42, Krejza 4-143) beat Australia 355 (Katich 102, Hussey 90) and 209 (Hayden 77, Harbhajan 4-64, Mishra 3-27 ) by 172 रून्स

That it happened in the same city where Australia famously conquered the final frontier four years ago was poignant. India regained the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy, their first series win over Australia in eight years, after they bowled Australia out for 209 to win by 172 runs. It was a dramatic day, with an energetic India following up three early wickets with dropped catches to allow Matthew Hayden score a pugnacious 77 and give Australia a whiff of victory. India's spinners held their nerve, however, and relentlessly plugged away with precision and hostility to snuff out the seven wickets required to regain the trophy squandered in 2004. India confidently stepped into a new era with their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, winning his third Test in a row.
India began the day well. Simon Katich had played the horizontal shot a couple times, once connecting with a swing to the deep square-leg boundary, but trying to work a short ball across to the on side once too often, he skied Ishant Sharma into orbit. Dhoni didn't for a second take his eyes off the swirling ball - 29 for 1.
Zaheer Khan produced an edge from the first delivery bowled to Ponting, squared up on the back foot, but the ball didn't carry to Rahul Dravid at first slip. One classy on-drive later, Ponting was wastefully run out for 4. He dabbed and set off for an extremely ambitious single and Amit Mishra, screaming in from mid-off, threw down the stumps with a brilliant underarm pick-up and fling - 37 for 2.
Ishant couldn't believe Michael Clarke wasn't given lbw by the umpire Billy Bowden in the next over when the ball incriminatingly thudded into his left pad - replays showed it would have clipped leg stump - and Zaheer had to grit his teeth when the batsman twice edged wide of second slip in three balls। Hayden also chopped through the slips, looking to score off almost every delivery against the new ball. India missed a big opportunity when he was on 30. Harbhajan Singh came in after 12 overs and cursed under his breath when Dhoni dropped a regulation edge as Hayden tried to cut the second ball for four.
The dismissal of Clarke for 22, nibbling at a lovely delivery as Ishant plugged away on an exemplary length, seemed to have nailed it decisively India's way at 82 for 3. Then Dravid, at slip, dropped Hayden on 36 when the batsman went for another powerful reverse-sweep. To add to the mess, needless overthrows and misfields in the circle allowed Australia easy runs as they set about chasing a big score.
It was evident that Hayden had victory on his mind. Swatting away almost everything the spinners tossed him, Hayden rediscovered the rhythm that had eluded him for much of this series. He continued to pick his spots with powerful sweeps - the shot with which he made his name in 2001 - and some deft reverse-sweeps. Harbhajan was swept for consecutive boundaries, both shots bisecting two men in the deep, and a six off Virender Sehwag over mid-on set the pulses racing. The run-rate had now gone well past five an over.
Then Mishra struck with a superb piece of wrist spin to dismiss Michael Hussey. Mishra fizzed up a topspinner on nearly a perfect length and extracted bounce, which drew an edge to Dravid at slip. This time he held it cleanly and Mishra erupted.
The worst came four deliveries later for Australia. Harbhajan floated down an airy, turning delivery and Hayden, having just smashed a four through midwicket, shuffled across and was struck beneath the knee roll, plumb in front. A flatfooted Brad Haddin then scooped Mishra to mid-off, feeding Sachin Tendulkar his 100th catch in Test cricket, and the end was nigh. Shane Watson nibbled a cut off Harbhajan into Dhoni's gloves for 9, Jason Krejza was stumped when two-thirds down the track to Mishra, and Brett Lee edged Harbhajan to short leg.
In a touching tribute to Sourav Ganguly, who signed off in this Test, Dhoni let him captain the side as the final rites were being administered. When the last wicket fell just before tea, Mitchell Johnson trapped lbw by a Harbhajan doosra, Ganguly and Dhoni embraced at the centre of India's raucous celebrations. Ganguly had played a key role in shaping cricket's most enthralling current rivalry back in 2001, and he can leave the game knowing that it has been passed on into worthy hands. Dhoni led his team off in style, while people made room for Ganguly to say his final goodbyes. There was no overly emotional reaction from Ganguly; bar one fling at Lord's, his touch had always been too nuanced for that.
For Indian fans this win may not be as emotional or emphatic as Rawalpindi in 2004 or Jamaica in in 2006 - where India broke elusive and painstaking barriers - but there's no denying the significance of this Indian autumn

Hussey and Chawla star on tense day : Indian Board President's XI v Australians, Hyderabad, 3rd day

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:32:00 +0000

Board President's XI 110 for 2 (Jaffer 46*, Yuvraj 37*) and 455 lead Australians 314 (Hussey 126*, Chawla 5-76) by 251 runs

It was a day of contrasting halves. The Australians lost five wickets for 27 runs in the morning session before Michael Hussey and Stuart Clark defied the Board President's XI for more than 40 overs and added 96 runs for the final wicket to save the follow-on. Piyush Chawla and Pragyan Ojha threatened to trample them but the last-wicket partnership allowed the tourists to reduce the first-innings deficit to 141. Brett Lee and Clark bowled probing spells to pick up two quick wickets before Wasim Jaffer and Yuvraj Singh began the repair work with an unbroken 75-run partnership.
Hussey and Clark ensured another valuable match-day's practice was not wasted. Hussey's ability to read the variations allowed him to play the ball late and he got into comfortable positions with precise footwork to execute the sweep and the cut. He scored 95 of his 126 runs square of the pitch.
Clark, the batsman, was a surprise. He used his height to lean forward and smother the spin on a slowing pitch. After growing in confidence, he even struck Chawla and Ojha for straight sixes. His resistance prompted Yuvraj to take the new ball but the fast bowlers couldn't separate the pair either. Yuvraj brought himself on and Clark was eventually caught at midwicket.
The application with which Hussey and Clark batted was lacking earlier in the day when the Australians' struggle against spin continued. It took Ojha four balls to remove Brad Haddin, who used his feet effectively against the spinners last evening. Haddin had attempted to charge Ojha's third ball but changed his mind. Sensing he might try it again, Ojha shortened the length and turned the ball away from the right-hander, leaving Haddin stranded outside his crease. In his next over Ojha skidded one through to Jason Krejza and induced an edge to first slip.
Irfan Pathan, who opened the bowling, was taken out of the attack as Yuvraj deployed spinners at both ends. Chawla beat Lee's attempted sweep with a full ball in his first over and later broke Mitchell Johnson's resistance with a googly delivered from round the stumps. He completed his five-for with another googly, which won him an lbw verdict even though the ball struck Peter Siddle outside the line of off stump. The Australians were struggling at 218 for 9 but Hussey and Clark slowly took them out of trouble.
The Indians too got off to a shaky start. Aakash Chopra couldn't escape a shooter from Clark and S Badrinath edged an attempted upper cut. The pitch too had begun to change character in the last session. Clark welcomed Badrinath with a nasty lifter from short of a length after Chopra was done in by the lack of bounce from the same spot. Badrinath, who was guilty of going into a shell in his recent failures, started promisingly today. He was tested with bouncers and full deliveries but he coped well and even hit a pleasing square drive and a straight drive for fours. However, he fell trying to guide a Lee lifter over slips.
Jaffer and Yuvraj too were beaten a few times but they managed to get over that phase by playing as close to the body as possible. Both resisted their natural urge to drive and accumulated a majority of their runs behind square. Though both helped themselves to couple of boundaries against Michael Clarke they were patient against Krejza. It was, after all, the mantra that allowed the Australians to get out of jail in the morning.

Cameron White named as McGain's replacement

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 13:30:00 +0000

Victoria allrounder Cameron White has been named as the replacement for the injured Bryce McGain in the Australian Test squad in India. He will join the squad on October 6 in Bangalore.
"We feel that Cameron's right-arm legspin and experience in Indian conditions, where he has just returned after captaining the Australia A one-day team to a tournament victory, is the correct option and will provide a good balance to our slow bowling attack," Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. "Cameron's bowling has continued to improve over the past year at inter-state level and his powerful batting adds extra depth and versatility to the squad.
"Cameron has performed well in Australian colours since his return to the one-day international squad earlier this year and he has now been rewarded with inclusion in the Test squad."
Incidentally, White was part of the Australian squad for the tour of India in 2004. He also played for the Bangalore Royal Challengers during the IPL in April this year.
White hasn't played a Test for Australia yet although he has played 21 one-day internationals, the last of which wasagainst Bangladesh in Darwin in September. His opportunities were limited in that series: he scored 31 runs in two innings and bowled only 8.4 overs in three matches. Later in the month he captained Australia A to a tri-series win against India A and New Zealand A. He scored 144 runs at an average of 48 and took eight wickets in five games.
White's inclusion meant that chinaman bowler Beau Casson, who made his debut against West Indies in Barbados in June, was overlooked once again. Casson was part of Australia A's Test tour of India in September but injured his hamstring after bowling only one over in Bangalore. McGain and offspinner Jason Krejza were chosen ahead of Casson in the original Test squad to India.

India SL 1st ODI

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:01:00 +0000

Ind-SL 2nd ODI

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:59:00 +0000

Sri Lanka Batting

India Batting

Ind-SL 3rd ODI

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:57:00 +0000

India Batting

Sri Lankan Chase

Ind-SL 5th ODI

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:55:00 +0000

Sri Lanka Batting

India Batting + Presentation

Ind-SL 4th ODI

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:52:00 +0000

India's Batting

Sri Lanka's Batting

Tri-nation Twenty20 series in 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 09:19:00 +0000

Twenty20 cricket is poised to take its next big step in 2009 with India, Australia and South Africa planning to play in the first-ever "super series", which is proposed to be held in two of those countries.
As the first non-ICC multilateral tournament involving national teams, this event will mark a paradigm shift for the sport's newest format but it faces several hurdles such as finding a window in an already crowded calendar, and negotiating the ICC ruling that allows a maximum of seven Twenty20 matches a year per country.
"It will be somewhat similar to the Tri-Nations rugby series," Gerald Majola, chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), told Cricinfo. "It will be happening next year, and the matches will be held in South Africa and Australia."
However, organisers are yet to finalise a window for the tournament next year, he said.
The Tri-Nations rugby Cup is an annual tournament featuring South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, which was first contested in 1996. The competition is organised by a consortium formed by rugby's governing bodies in the three countries. The 2008 event involved nine matches with each country getting three home games.
Majola said the proposed Twenty20 series - which was finalised during discussions in Dubai recently on the sidelines of the ICC meeting of chief executives - will have a distinct identity of its own. "At this point of time, we are confident that it will take place but we haven't finalized venues, details of the prize money or sponsorship," he said.
The international calendar for next year is already packed with the Ashes and the World Twenty20 in England. These will be followed by the Champions Twenty20 League, and a one-day series between India and Australia. Space is yet to be found for the postponed Champions Trophy as well.
The Twenty20 format took off with the World Twenty20 in South Africa last year that was won by India, home of the largest television market for the game. It soon led to the franchise-based IPL, which offered a prize money of US$1.2million, and was held across eight venues in India earlier this year.
Subsequently, the Indian board took the lead in organizing the US$6million Champions Twenty20 League - to be held in India from December 3-10 - that will involve the domestic Twenty20 champions of India, Australia, South Africa, England and Pakistan.
However, concerns have been raised by the ICC over the need to have more control of such leagues, and Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, even sought one annual tournament to avoid the game being taken over by its shortest format.

Indian camp hits high intensity

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:28:00 +0000

Even as much of the attention seemed to be on who would make the Test squad, India's pre-series camp reached its highest intensity during the open-wicket session today that went on for more than four hours. Captain Anil Kumble and coach Gary Kirsten were absent, though, for they were attending the selection meeting in Mumbai.
"The players have worked a lot on their fitness and this whole camp was all about intensity in training and in our skill work," Venkatesh Prasad, India's bowling coach, said. "We have been busy the whole day till about 4 pm. In the morning we had a training session and immediately the players had to come here for a long session. So there is a lot of intensity going on in the last four days after a pretty good Irani Cup."
On the third day of the camp, the claustrophobia that nets may induce for some batsmen was gone; the campers took a pitch adjacent to the one that will be used for the first Test. The batsmen could hit to any area they wanted, save the main pitch, which was segregated by a net.
The batsmen batted in pairs, but from one end only, rotating the strike every six balls or so. The open-wicket practice gave them the freedom of batting in whichever way they wanted. Virender Sehwag, after getting his eye in, tried to hit the bowlers all over the ground, smashing sixes regularly. Harbhajan Singh suffered the most at the hands of Sehwag.
Rahul Dravid, on the other hand, looked to perfect his defence, testing his judgement of when to leave outside the off stump. Ishant Sharma and Sachin Tendulkar had a good little session, too, walking up to each other after almost every delivery and discussing what was right and what was wrong.
The bowlers got an intense workout as well: Ishant Sharma bowled for an hour and 10 minutes in two spells, Zaheer Khan bowled his two for an hour, and Munaf Patel bowled for an hour without a break. Besides the normal stumps, the bowlers had a fifth stump as a guide so that they could get used to bowling the just-outside-the-off-stump line.
Prasad was pleased with the rhythm his pace bowlers have hit leading up to the series. "A couple of them have come back, like Ishant who returned home after the Test series in Sri Lanka," Prasad said. "He has come back pretty well and he is working on his rhythm basically. As far as the pace, bounce and carry is concerned there is no problem whatsoever for most of the bowlers whether it is Zaheer, Munaf, RP [Singh] or Ishant. It is just a matter of time before they are consistent in bowling in those right areas, which we are discussing."
The day ended with speculation over whether they would get a new colleague tomorrow in Sourav Ganguly, who has been selected for the first two Tests. Nobody seemed to know, though.

ICC announces officials for India-Australia Tests

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:27:00 +0000

The ICC has announced its umpires and referees for the upcoming Test and ODI series in India and Bangladesh.
Rudi Koertzen and Asad Rauf, both elite panel umpires, will stand in the first two India-Australia Tests in Bangalore and Mohali while Billy Bowden and Aleem Dar will be in charge in New Delhi and Nagpur. All four Tests will be overseen by Chris Broad, an elite panel match referee.
Javagal Srinath, the former Indian fast bowler, will referee a three-ODI and two-Test series between Bangladesh and New Zealand. Daryl Harper, an elite panel umpire, will stand in all three ODIs along with local Bangladesh Cricket Board appointments. The on-field umpires for the Tests, in Chittagong and Mirpur, will be Harper and Asoka de Silva.

You can't judge performance on one series - Kumble

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:25:00 +0000

Anil Kumble has backed the Indian middle order to come good against the Australians in the upcoming Test series. He also said much of the criticism of the seniors was due to traditional mindsets surrounding age.
"I think everyone needs to perform, as it is a team game. You can't take your place for granted and I can assure you that is not the case with any of the players," he told the Indian news channel CNN IBN. "People may call us seniors but the amount of work we put in is the same as anyone else."
Sourav Ganguly's omission from the Rest of India squad that faced Delhi in the Irani Trophy recently had cast doubts over the future of the rest of the 'Fab Four' - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman. However, Kumble said the criticism was fuelled by conventional notions of age.
"In India, it really doesn't matter whether you are 31 or 32. As soon as you cross 30, I think people start talking. It is not fair to judge someone by just one performance or just one series, especially when someone has performed for 10 years.
"I understand when he is a newcomer, though that is unfair as well. You cannot judge a player by just one series. But when you have played for 10-15 years and contributed to all the victories that India have had in the last 15 years, it is not fair to pass judgement."
He underlined the importance of getting runs in the series against Australia, which would help set the platform for the bowlers, especially the spinners. "I think the first Test match is going to be important. The batting will have to click and I am confident about that.
"If we put runs on the board, we have got the bowling to pick up 20 wickets. The key will be to maintain our intensity throughout the Test. Australia will keep fighting and we will do the same. And if we fight till the last ball is bowled and not give up, I think we have a great chance."
Kumble, who will complete a year as Test captain in November, said the team could have done better during his reign in terms of results. "We could have at least had a series win in Sri Lanka, which would have been great. That would have been a really good year."

The hype is justified - Dhoni

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:24:00 +0000

The forthcoming India-Australia Test series is a refreshing antithesis to the recent trends in world cricket. There is a gradually increasing sense of anticipation around it that the shorter, and the more popular, forms of the game lose out on.
The week leading up to the series, which can lay claims to have displaced the Ashes and India v Pakistan as the prime rivalry in Test cricket, has seen the anticipation gain more pace. Not for nothing is this series hyped, according to MS Dhoni. "The hype has a lot to do with what happened when they came to India [in 2004-05]: they did well here in the Test matches," Dhoni said. "And again the hype was created when we went there and we played well.
"There was a good game of cricket, and people expect that [again] and that's why all the hype is created. Both are top-ranked teams and we are a side that play really well. We have really done well at home, people expect good, competitive cricket as well as some aggression on the field. That's why there are so many expectations about an India-Australia series."
Dhoni said, though, that this was more than just a grudge series, notwithstanding what might have happened in the past. "Rather than getting desperate and wanting to settle scores out there, it is better to take it match by match, do our goals day by day and session by session, play consistent cricket over the five days," he said. "It's not about settling things because in that case you get desperate and that can affect your game."
That Australia have no established spinner in their side, and none of their bowlers have been involved in a Test in India before, should make the hosts the more favoured side going into the series, but Dhoni said they were not underestimating the Australians. "People are saying that [about the lack of experience in the Australian side], but the main thing is to play good cricket over a period of time," he said. "It has nothing to do with either having experienced players in the side or not. Yes experience counts, but at the end of the day it's all about being there on the field, putting your hand up and performing well. They have players who are talented."
On a personal front, Dhoni will be making a comeback to the Test team after he had opted out of the Sri Lanka series. And playing in Tests is a different feeling in many ways: for one, he doesn't have to worry about captaining the side. "You don't lose hair, there is less pressure, but as a wicketkeeper you have to assist the captain as you can give inputs," he said at the end of the second day of the pre-series camp at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
At the camp today, the focus shifted from fitness and fielding to nets. The 13 players were divided into groups of seven and six, each comprising two pace bowlers and a spinner. The first ball of the session was bowled by Munaf Patel to Virender Sehwag; the two had an altercation in the recent Irani Cup match. They were opponents then, and team-mates now.
The batsman went in twos: one faced the India bowlers, the other the nets bowlers on the adjoining strip, and then interchanged. Sehwag-Rahul Dravid, and VVS Laxman-Mohammad Kaif were the two batting pairs in the first session.
After facing the bowlers, the pairs moved to the other set of nets where one of them faced the bowling machine, while the other, in the most interesting exercise of the day, had to pit their skills against tennis serves from the coach Gary Kirsten, after which they would interchange. Kirsten would literally serve a ball that looked like a tennis ball but was harder, the ball would either bounce awkwardly into the ribs or - if there was some slice put to it - swing away prodigiously.

Ponting still open to pact on catches

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:22:00 +0000

Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain, has said that he was still open to a captains' agreement on taking the fielder's word on disputed catches despite the controversy that marred the Sydney Test between India and Australia earlier this year.
"I will have a think about it over the next couple of days," Ponting said, "and see if I think it is the right idea to bring it up again." However, he felt Anil Kumble, India's captain, would not be ready for a pre-series pact, and said he was disappointed with the hesitance of fellow international leaders.
"Anil [Kumble] was the one who didn't want that [a pact on trusting the fielder's word] after the Sydney Test for one reason or the other," Ponting said. "To me it's like flogging the dead horse, to tell the truth. I go to every referee meeting before a series wanting to play the game like that, but almost every other captain in the world is not interested."
Ponting himself had earned flak for appealing for a bat-pad catch off Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the final day of the Test, when replays indicated he clearly grounded the ball. Relations between the two teams were far from ideal during the series in Australia, especially after the heated Sydney Test, but Ponting said his team would aim to put their best foot forward.
"We will have a chat here and it's important to us, Australians, to ensure the play the game in the right spirit and embrace the culture." Ponting said the media perhaps hyped up the on-field tension during the previous Tests, and said he would be keen to talk to Kumble when the captains meet the referee.
"Anyway, we did meet during the middle of the last series before Perth Test [the one after Sydney] and spoke a lot about the way we should play in the remaining Test matches there. We know lots will be made in the media about the apparent tension between the wickets. But even in the last summer, the tension was not as high as it was made out to be."
He said the umpire review system, recently trialled in the India-Sri Lanka series, would not be in place for the upcoming four-Test contest. "I have heard very good things about it but I believe it won't be used till later this year and likely in our series against South Africa."
Recent bomb attacks in Delhi, the venue of the third Test, prompted fast bowler Stuart Clark told an Australian radio station he was apprehensive about visiting the city but Ponting said Clark's fears didn't reflect the mood of the team. "We have not sat together and discussed the [security] situation in Delhi," he said. "We are keeping in touch daily with the Australian security agency and they are comfortable with it and I think most players are fine with it."

With the retirement of several key players such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn and most recently Adam Gilchrist, former Australian captains such as Ian Chappell have labelled the current Test side as the "most vulnerable team" Australia have fielded since they defeated West Indies in 1995-96. Ponting, however, was still confident about his team's prospects.
"Even in the last 12 or 18 months, when we were missing senior players, we have shown that our cricket is good enough to beat everybody," he said. "We know the Indians will play well here and at the moment, they are the more experienced side than us, but if you look at the last series, where we were rebuilding, we were still able to play a brand of cricket that was good enough to win that series."
Only four members of Australia's current squad have played a Test in India but Ponting doesn't see the new players like Phil Jaques, Doug Bollinger, Bryce McGain, Peter Siddle and Jason Krejza as inexperienced. "They might be inexperienced in Indian conditions but, they have actually played lots of first-class cricket which always holds them at a good stead."
Ponting admitted his Indian record has left a void in his international career but hopes to rectify it and carry on his team's success in the subcontinent. "Even on the last tour, I was injured for the first three Tests, came back for the last one and we managed to lose it. I have worked really hard this time and would continue to do so over the next week and be good as I can be, come the first Test. I know it's all in my hands. I know my mistakes that I have made in the past and hopefully I can rectify it and the team can continue on its success in the subcontinent."
Ponting's average in India is a miserable 12.28 from eight Tests. He has been unable to cope against India's spinners - he has fallen to them in 13 of his 14 innings in India. Ponting said he has been working very hard on his game during the team's one-week stay at the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) Academy in Jaipur. Greg Chappell, who is working as an assistant to coach Tim Nielsen for the tour, said Ponting could prove a worry for India this time around.
There had been concerns, among both the BCCI and the Indian media, over the extensive arrangements provided by the RCA for the visitors in Jaipur, and Ponting said their practice had been ideal. "It was perfect for us; I know there were lots of speculation in the media whether we should have been allowed to do what we did but as far as the preparation goes it was absolutely perfect for us. We played on different types of wickets and against lots of bowlers."

Even on the last tour, I was injured for the first three Tests, came back for the last one and we managed to lose it. I have worked really hard this time and would continue to do so over the next week and be good as I can be, come the first Test. I know it's all in my hands

ICC allows batting team to choose one Powerplay

noreply@blogger.com (Sudhir Jain) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:29:00 +0000

The batting team will decide when to introduce either the second or the third Powerplay during their innings, starting with the one-day series between New Zealand and Bangladesh in October. The change from the earlier scenario, in which the fielding side decided when Powerplays would be taken, is part of the ICC's new playing conditions which takes effect from October 1.
The ICC Chief Executives' Committee had met in June and unanimously approved certain changes. The amendment to the Powerplay rule also allows the captain three fielders outside the 30-yard circle during the second and third Powerplay. The previous rule allowed the captain to have two fielders in the outfield during the first Powerplay, and three in the others.
The committee also aimed to curb players from taking comfort breaks during a match by stating that substitute fielders will be only permitted in cases of injury, illness or other wholly acceptable reasons, which should be limited to extreme circumstances.
The ICC also decided to retain the free-hit rule as well as the mandatory changing of the ball at the start of the 35th over of an innings.
The interval rule, implemented in June, which allowed the umpires to reduce the length of time between innings in an ODI, if the innings of the side batting first is delayed or interrupted, was also retained.
"In the event of time being lost [playing time lost less any extra time provided] up to and including 60 minutes in aggregate, the length of the interval shall be reduced from 45 to 30 minutes. In the event of more than 60 minutes being lost in aggregate, the duration of the interval shall be agreed mutually by the umpires and both captains subject to no interval being of more than 30 minutes' duration or less than 10 minutes' duration. In the event of disagreement, the length of the interval shall be determined by the match referee."
Umpires can now consult the third umpire on whether or not a catch was taken cleanly. "Following such consultation, the final decision will be made and given by the bowler's-end umpire. Should the bowler's-end umpire still not be able to decide, a not-out decision shall be given."