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Sri Lanka Wary Of Afridi Threat

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:09:00 +0100

sri Lanka have pinpointed the all-round talents of Shahid Afridi as the main threat to their hopes of securing World Twenty20 glory at Lord's on Sunday.

The 29-year-old all-rounder has already underlined his value to Pakistan during this tournament, claiming the man-of-the-match award for a brilliant display to help shock favourites South Africa and secure a seven-run semi-final triumph.

Afridi hammered 51 off 34 balls and then claimed two for 16 in his four overs, removing South African dangermen Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers, to serve notice of his potential danger to Sri Lanka's hopes of lifting the trophy.

His performance has made Sri Lanka wary enough to concentrate their planning for the final around Afridi's talents, although they are more than aware of the threat posed by other members of Pakistan's line-up.

"We've faced some of the players we're going to play against and Afridi is a player who can take the game away from you in a few overs," conceded Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara.

"We can't get caught up in one player, although we'll probably discuss a few plans for him about how we can try and get him out early or if he stays for a while how to minimise the damage.

"We will be thinking about Afridi, but we will also be thinking about all the other Pakistan players and most of all we need to focus on what we will be doing on Sunday and making sure we have a lot of self-belief walking out."

Sri Lanka successfully limited Afridi's influence during their Super Eights encounter at Lord's earlier in the tournament when he dismissed both their openers but fell for a duck to Muttiah Muralitharan as Pakistan lost by 15 runs.

Since then, though, Pakistan have regrouped and completed victories over New Zealand, Ireland and South Africa to reach their second successive World Twenty20 final with both seamer Umar Gul and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal enjoying successful tournaments with 12 victims apiece.

They are in a group of four players leading the list of top wicket-takers alongside Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis and strike bowler Lasith Malinga to set up an intriguing separate battle during Sunday's final.

"We have played them many times before, but in T20 every single game is taken in isolation," said Sangakkara. "The game can change very quickly and different players come into their own so we have to prepare ourselves to meet any challenge that comes our way and maybe walk away with the trophy."

Should they do so it will represent a remarkable triumph just three months after their team bus was attacked by terrorists in Lahore as they made their way to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third day of the second Test against Pakistan.

Several players suffered minor injuries, including Sangakkara, while the war against the Tamil Tiger rebels was also recently concluded to cause more unrest in Sri Lanka, which would make any final success all the more emotional.

"Hopefully there will not be much emotion," said Sangakkara. "I think we have to control that part if we want to be mentally strong enough to do what we need to do tomorrow.

"I think the guys have moved on very well from where we were just after Lahore. We are going to make sure that whatever emotions come our way we're going to control them and use them as a positive to try and win a game."

Sri Lanka are again expected to name an unchanged side, which will again exclude top-rated one-day bowler Nuwan Kulasekara, as they chase their first global trophy since winning the 1996 World Cup with Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan in their line-up.

"I've been in a final and a semi-final before. Now there is a chance to win a final," added Sangakkara. "We have guys in the team who have already tasted that victory and they have always told us that there's no feeling like that."

Teams:

Pakistan (from): Younus Khan (captain), Shahzaib Hasan, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Fawad Alam, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamir, Ahmed Shahzad, Iftikhar Anjum, Salman Butt, Sohail Tanvir.

Sri Lanka (from): KC Sangakkara (captain, wkt), TM Dilshan, ST Jayasuriya, DPMD Jayawardene, LPC Silva, J Mubarak, AD Mathews, BAW Mendis, M Muralitharan, SL Malinga, I Udana, KMDN Kulasekara, MF Maharoof.

akistan v Sri Lanka, ICC World Twenty20 final, Lord's

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:01:00 +0100

akistan v Sri Lanka, ICC World Twenty20 final, Lord's

Top-order batting gives Sri Lanka an edge

Cricinfo looks at the important numbers ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 final

S Rajesh

June 20, 2009

Text size: A | A

The path to the final has been quite a contrast for the two teams, with Sri Lanka winning six in a row and Pakistan losing two along the way, but none of that will matter when the two teams clash for the title in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 final at Lord's on Sunday. Cricinfo looks at the important numbers ahead of that final.

The overall numbers

Sri Lanka have been consistency personified in the tournament so far, winning all six games, and are only another victory away from equalling South Africa's record of seven wins in a row. Standing in their way, though, is a resurgent Pakistan outfit, who have shrugged off two defeats early in the tournament, and were particularly impressive in their semi-final win against South Africa.

The form book still favours Sri Lanka, but not by much. They have been the better team with the bat so far, with a higher average and run rate, while there's little to choose between the bowling efforts of the two teams. Sri Lanka have taken 50 wickets so far - the highest by any team in the tournament - while Pakistan are second-best with 46, but there's hardly any difference between the bowling averages and the economy rates of the two teams.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the tournament so far
Team	Bat average	Run rate	Bowl average	Econ rate	Diff in ave	Diff in R rate
Pakistan	25.02	7.51	17.15	6.80	7.87	0.71
Sri Lanka	27.48	8.08	16.26	7.09	11.22	0.99

The first six overs

Thanks largely to Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka are clearly the better batting team at the start of the innings, scoring plenty of runs, and doing so without losing too many wickets. Dilshan has scored 317 runs so far - thehighest in the tournament - of which 156 have come in the first six overs. He has only been dismissed once during this period, which gives him a fantastic average of 156, at a strike rate of 9.73 runs per over during the Powerplay overs. In comparison, Sanath Jayasuriya has a strike rate of 6.70 in the first six. Dilshan has hammered 25 fours in the 90 balls he has faced in the Powerplays, and how Pakistan control him early in the innings could have a huge bearing on Sunday's result.

Pakistan, on the other hand, have been sluggish at the start, averaging only 7.38 runs per over in the first six, which is less than the rate at which they have conceded runs during this period. As the table below indicates, Sri Lanka have generally taken the initiative at the start, while Pakistan have relied on fightbacks in the later overs to make up for lost ground in the early part of the innings.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the first six overs
Team	Bat average	Run rate	Bowl average	Econ rate	Diff in ave	Diff in r rate
Pakistan	24.18	7.38	34.87	7.75	-10.69	-0.37
Sri Lanka	63.20	8.77	23.72	7.25	39.48	1.52

The middle eight overs (7-14)

This is where Pakistan have generally begun their fightback. The batting has been solid, while the bowlers have taken 18 wickets, the highest by any team during the middle overs. Sri Lanka's bowlers have been effective too, with 15 wickets at an excellent economy rate, but their batsmen have tended to lose the momentum of the early overs, averaging less than seven runs per over.

Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the middle eight overs
Team	Bat average	Run rate	Bowl average	Econ rate	Diff in ave	Diff in r rate
Pakistan	38.44	7.33	16.33	6.12	22.11	1.21
Sri Lanka	27.75	6.93	19.26	6.02	8.49	0.91

The last six overs

Pakistan have been outstanding with the ball during this period, taking 20 wickets at an exceptional economy rate of less than seven runs per over. Sri Lanka have taken more wickets during this period - 24 - but they've also gone at more than eight-and-a-half per over. Both teams have had exceptional bowlers to handle the final overs: Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal and Lasith Malinga have all taken eight wickets at sub-ten averages and excellent economy rates (5.25 for Ajmal, 5.55 for Gul, and 7.44 for Malinga).

Sri Lanka have been the better team, though, averaging almost one run more per over (8.94 to 7.96).

Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the last six overs
Team	Bat average	Run rate	Bowl average	Econ rate	Diff in ave	Diff in r rate
Pakistan	17.07	7.96	10.80	6.75	6.27	1.21
Sri Lanka	17.38	8.94	10.95	8.57	6.43	0.37

Partnership stats

The table below again illustrates how important the opening partnership has been for Sri Lanka: they've scored 300 runs at an average of 50 and a rate of 8.57 per over, which is far superior to Pakistan's effort at the top of the order. Pakistan's best efforts have been for the second and fourth wickets, while Sri Lanka have slipped up slightly during these periods. Overall, though, Sri Lanka have had far more meaningful partnerships than Pakistan - seven half-century and one century stand for the Lankans, compared to just three fifty partnerships for Pakistan.

Wicket-wise partnerships for Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Wicket	Pak - ave stand	Run rate	100s/ 50s	SL - ave stand	Run rate	100s/ 50s
First	22.16	7.18	0/ 0	50.00	8.57	1/ 2
Second	31.66	8.44	0/ 0	21.50	7.16	0/ 1
Third	18.33	6.60	0/ 1	32.00	7.43	0/ 2
Fourth	39.16	7.87	0/ 2	27.83	8.35	0/ 2
Fifth	24.00	7.02	0/ 0	20.00	8.45	0/ 0
Sixth	22.00	7.54	0/ 0	28.00	9.33	0/ 0

Run-scoring patterns

Contrary to what one might expect, Pakistan have played out fewer dot balls, taken more singles, twos and threes, and hit fewer boundaries. Sri Lanka have struck 107 fours to 69 for Pakistan, though Pakistan are slightly ahead in the sixes tally (17 to 14). Dilshan alone has smashed 46 fours, the highest in the tournament - Jacques Kallis, in second place, has 28.

How Pakistan and Sri Lanka have scored their runs
Team	Dot balls	Percentage	1s, 2s, 3s	Percentage	4s & 6s	Percentage
Pakistan	241	35.49	351	51.69	86	12.66
Sri Lanka	272	38.09	321	44.96	121	16.95

Sri Lanka have also bowled more dot balls at their opponents, though Pakistan have been more stingy in terms of conceding boundaries.

How Pakistan and Sri Lanka have conceded their runs
Team	Dot balls	Percentage	1s, 2s, 3s	Percentage	4s & 6s	Percentage
Pakistan	294	42.24	326	46.84	76	10.92
Sri Lanka	305	44.33	291	42.30	91	13.23

The extras factor

Pakistan have bowled eight no-balls to just three by Sri Lanka, with Gul and Sohail Tanvir each contributing three. Sri Lanka have been guilty of conceding more wides, though - 28, to 24 by Pakistan. Malinga leads the tally with 12, while Isuru Udana and Gul have bowled seven each.

Bat first or field first?

Both teams have shown a clear preference for batting first and then putting the pressure on the opposition with their incisive bowling attacks. Five out of Sri Lanka's six wins have come when batting first (the only exception was against Australia, when they chased down 160), while Pakistan have won every time they have batted first. Of the three occasions when they have batted second, they have lost twice, with the only win coming against New Zealand. Given that it'll be a high-pressure game on Sunday, it's almost certain the team winning the toss will choose to bat first.

Head-to-head

Pakistan and Sri Lanka have played each other four times in Twenty20 internationals, and each team has won twice. This includes a meeting in a final, of a four-nation tournament in Canada, which Sri Lanka won by five wickets.

PCB's quest for stability not easy

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Tue, 7 Oct 2008 04:54:00 +0100

Five former Test cricketers, four of them captains, are trying their best to protect the PCB from the clutches of politicians.

By Soumitra Bose and Shreyas Sharma

Cricket and politics have always gone hand-in-hand in Pakistan, but this time, if Wasim Akram is to be believed, the winds of change are blowing.

The PCB was left without a chairman after Naseem Ashraf resigned following the fall of the Pervez Musharraf government. After the sports ministry took over the affairs of the cricket Board, matters seemed to be getting out of control until Pakistan's Big Five decided to act in Lahore on Sunday. A team comprising Akram, Waqar Younis, Rameeez Raja, Saeed Anwar and Mushtaq Ahmed met law minister Farooq Naek to take stock of PCB affairs.

"The meeting went off well and we are sure, PCB will get back its autonomy," Akram told Mobile ESPN on Monday. The legendary quickie added the minister assured that the current scenario was a "temporary phase" and President Asif Zardari "will name a chairman in the next 10-20 days".

Akram said the appointment of the new chairman will be key to Pakistan's future. "Not only will it bring back autonomy but will indicate who leads the national side. There is a lot of question mark on Shoaib Malik's captaincy and there is a lot of pressure on the fellow," Akram said.

The Big Five has requested the law minister to review the PCB consitiution. "We have suggested the constitution should allow for a cricket committee that will comprise five players with each more than 50 Tests' experience. This committee will have the final say on all decisions pertaining to the game and free from diktats by the chairman or CEO," Akram said.

Even as cricket attempts to turn a new leaf in Pakistan, the formation of the cricket committee will surely ruffle a few feathers, especially those who have been enjoying power for so long. The PCB's current general manager (cricket operations), Zakir Khan, will be the first to face the boot if the 50-Test rule applies. Khan has just played two Test matches and according to Akram, "not ideal" to run cricket.

Politics has always played an active role in cricket administration in the sub-continent. India is relatively better of than Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Zardari, already under pressure to establish himself as the President of his trouble-torn nation in world politics, may not have much time for cricket. The formation of the Cricket Committee may be the answer, but given Pakistan's history of anarchy and mistrust among senior players and administrators, the search for stability will be a dream come true.

'It's my turn now to stand up' - Ponting

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Tue, 7 Oct 2008 04:47:00 +0100

It has been ten years since Ricky Ponting first landed in India to play a Test. Three visits, eight Tests and an average of 12.28. Ponting failed in 1998 against Anil Kumble and Venkatapathy Raju but the ambush by Harbhajan Singh in 2001 is what really haunts him.

"That first dismissal in the first Test was where it all started for me," Ponting said in Hyderabad. Tellingly, it was Harbhajan's first delivery to Ponting in Test cricket. The ball looped, gripped, and turned in viciously. Ponting, on 0, lunged to defend but the ball lobbed off the bat and pad to short leg.

It was the beginning of the end for him. "I was always trying to find a different way to play, fearing that one delivery I guess," he said. In the second Test, he fell playing off the back foot in the first innings and attempting to sweep in the second. In the final Test he returned to those signature fatal lunges. Ponting's humiliation was total; Harbhajan had taken him out five times in five innings in the series.

It was time for introspection. "The reason for my poor performance was that I didn't trust myself; I didn't trust my technique," Ponting said. "I ended up getting stumped, caught at bat-pad sweeping. I tried almost everything and nothing worked. Every time I tried something, I got out pretty soon after. They are the lessons to be learnt I guess from coming here." In 2004 his failure in the only game he played can be discounted as it came on a devilish spin track in Mumbai.

Having burnt his fingers trying various options, Ponting said he was going to stick to one game plan this time. "I have spoken to a lot of guys this week about working out a style of playing you think is going to work for you ... and when you have worked it out, making sure you stick to it. Even if you do get out a couple of times early, you know that if you stick to those things that have worked for you in the past, some will go your way and you will end up scoring some runs. I have to be strong and stick to what I know is going to work."

The Hyderabad tour game, in specific Ponting's practice routine in the nets, offered some clues to his thought process. He was seen getting outside the line of the turning ball by taking an off-stump guard against the offspinners as a possible preparation for Harbhajan. His record against Harbhajan is awful: eight dismissals from nine games at 9.50. The worst bit about that stat is it includes games in Australia. Harbhajan knows he owns Ponting. When asked about the secret of his stranglehold, Harbhajan recently said, "He hasn't batted for long enough against me, so I don't know."Ponting searches for his own repartee. "Sri Lanka is probably the hardest spinning condition to play in. I have got a record there, as good as anybody, and against a set of bowlers a whole lot more skilled than Harbhajan might be."

He maintains his travails against Harbhajan were not "much of a mental thing". The problem, according to him, is the first 10-15 minutes against spin. "That's the challenging period. When you look at it, whenever I have got out to spin, it has been very early on. He has obviously had a very good run against me. He did that in the 2001 series and even back in Australia in the last series, he got me out three times in the Test series."

What gives him confidence that he can succeed this time? Ponting is drawing self-belief from his improved technique after his duels with Muttiah Muralitharan and sessions with India's former coach Greg Chappell. "It's about getting through that initial period. I feel like I have got the technique now to get through that," he said. "My record everywhere else is great. I have enjoyed having Greg Chappell around. He's obviously a great player in his own right and a very good coach.

"I discussed a few different things with him, as most of our batters probably have. They are the little things that you need here. Sometimes, it's just the real fine-tuning sort of thing that you might need with your technique to do well. One of our strengths is that a lot of our batsmen, in particular, talk amongst themselves about little things they might do, techniques they might use in different conditions. I am in good shape."

Ponting is desperate to remove the Indian spin asterisk from his career record. "It means a lot to me to do well here. I haven't done well here in the past. So I guess it's my turn now, my time now to stand up and make sure I am scoring some runs. I have had pretty much six weeks without any batting at all, trying to get over this wrist injury and it has come along pretty well. I just have to keep working hard and push myself and everything will then look after itself." Ponting's greatest test of character begins this Thursday and will run through this month. It is the battle of the series.

Sriram Veera is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Bangladesh include three uncapped players

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Tue, 7 Oct 2008 04:43:00 +0100

Bangladesh have included three uncapped youngsters in their squad for three ODIs against New Zealand. Theexodus of players to the unofficial ICL has prompted the selectors to call up three players from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Academy - Imrul Kayes, Naeem Islam, and Mahbubul Alam.

Kayes, a 21-year-old left-hand opener, scored 299 runs at 37.37 during the Academy's recent tour of Sri Lanka. Naeem, a middle-order batsman and part-time offspinner, captained the team, which won the one-dayers 2-1. Alam, a medium-pacer, was the leading wicket-taker on the tour, with 16 wickets in six games at 21.12 apiece.

"Kayes and Naeem are talented young batsmen while Robin [Alam] has proved his worth as a medium-fast bowler," chief selector Rafiqul Alam told AFP. "We hope we can win at least one match in the series."

Mohammad Ashrafal leads the 14-man squad, which includes six batsmen, two allrounders, a wicketkeeper, and five bowlers. Mushfiqur Rahim returns to the team with Dhiman Ghosh, the kepper on the tour of Australia, having joined the ICL. Raqibul Hasan, who fractured his right thumb in Australia last month, has not been selected. Left-arm medium-pacer Syed Rasel, who has been plagued by injuries in the past year, has been included.

The series starts on October 9 at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Junaid Siddique, Kayes, Mehrab Hossain jnr and Rasel have been named in the BCB XI squad to face the New Zealanders in a warm-up game on Tuesday.

Bangladesh's pool of talent was severely depleted when 14 players joined the ICL's latest franchise, the Dhaka Warriors. They include recent internationals Aftab Ahmed, Alok Kapali, Shahriar Nafees, Farhad Reza, Ghosh, Mosharraf Hossain and Nazimuddin.

Cameron White named as McGain's replacement

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Sun, 5 Oct 2008 03:27:00 +0100

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.

Oz plan IPL-like tourney

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 03:32:00 +0100

Oz plan IPL-like tourney

India have agreed to clear their biggest superstars as Australia plan a tournament like the Indian Premier League in 2009-10.

Cricket Australia has plans of starting a high-profile Twenty20 League of its own and has approached the BCCI to allow its players for the event.

IPL Commissioner and BCCI Vice-President Lalit Modi, who is closely watching the developments on this front, said he had already cleared top Indian cricketers to play for Australian state teams if they wanted to.

"We are keenly watching that and are most supportive of that. The Australian cricket board has been most supportive of the Indian cricket board," Modi was quoted as saying by the 'Herald Sun' today.

"They have asked us already if we would release our players for that and we said, yes, we would release our players for that. They have been gracious enough to release their players for us," he added.

Modi said the revamped Australian competition could feature teams in a traditional state format or see them owned privately, but salary caps are unlikely to compare to the IPL.

"It may not be on the same scale as the IPL. It may not be eight, 10 or 12 teams, but it may be six teams in Australia... We understand they are looking at a franchise model, developing other models, too," he said.

Modi scoffed at suggestions that the BCCI was a superpower just because it generates about 80 per cent of the game's revenue.

"Just because our market is dictating we get a higher price, it doesn't mean we rule the world. You have to keep in mind we have a billion people, you have 16-18 million," he said.

ICC president agrees to meet ICL officials

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:40:00 +0100

The ICC has granted ICL the opportunity to present its case for official sanction, and Subhash Chandra, the Indian businessman who owns the league, will meet ICC president David Morgan in London. The meeting is expected to take place in the first week of October after which Morgan will report back to the ICC's board of directors. The ICL will start its second season of domestic and international twenty20 tournaments on October 10.

"The ICL had previously written to the ICC requesting its approval and now it has asked for this meeting, to which we have agreed," Morgan said. "All members of the ICC board have been informed of this meeting and I will report back to those directors at the board's next meeting, in Dubai on October 14 and 15."

Himanshu Mody, the ICL's business head, said that they were still awaiting an official communiqué from the ICC on the meeting. "But we welcome the step they have taken in agreeing to meet us," Mody told Cricinfo.

It is learnt that Chandra, the owner of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited, which also owns the ICL, will be accompanied by members of the ICL management for the meeting during which the league will seek official sanction under Rule 32 of the ICC operations manual that pertains to authorised unofficial cricket.

Currently, the Stanford venture in the West Indies and the Hong Kong Sixes tournament operate under this rule, but the ICL's case is different as it has not been endorsed by the home board, the BCCI. The Indian board has, in fact, banned ICL players from all forms of official cricket and barred them from using any of its facilities.

Yet, the ICL has managed to remain in the news by unveiling its ninth team last week, the Dhaka Warriors, comprising 13 players from Bangladesh, including six with central contracts. It has also received unexpected support from Sri Lanka where the board last week lifted its domestic ban on six ICL players, including Marvan Atapattu, the former Sri Lanka captain, and allowed them to play in the Premier League tournament this season.

The ICL has been pressing the ICC unsuccessfully for official recognition of their unsanctioned venture for several months. Subsequently they requested the ICC for a meeting, and hinted at legal action if they ICC didn't accede to the request. The ICC, meanwhile, has held several meetings of a working group it set up early this year to study the legal aspects of unofficial cricket.

"All that has happened now is that the ICC has decided to hear Mr Chandra's point of view," a member of this working group told Cricinfo. "Everyone has the right to be heard. It doesn't mean that the ICC has to agree to that point of view, or agree to any proposal. Any further discussions on this will happen after Mr Morgan reports back to the board on this meeting."

An ICC press release said that it will be making no further comment on this matter at this time.

Tendulkar fit for Australia Tests

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:37:00 +0100

Sachin Tendulkar has been declared fit for the Test series against Australia next month. He will be part of the preparatory camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) starting on September 30.

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said Paul Close, India's physio, submitted a report to the board stating Tendulkar had fully recovered from the elbow injury he sustained in Sri Lanka last month.

Tendulkar had twisted his elbow while fielding during the third Test in Sri Lanka and was forced out of the one-dayers that followed. He was named in the Rest of India squad for the Irani Cup but pulled out at the last minute because of a stiff elbow.

Players picked for the four-Test series against Australia will report to the NCA in Bangalore on Monday for the camp that goes on till October 7, two days before the start of the first Test in Bangalore.

Ian Botham

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:24:00 +0100

Ian Botham

Ian Terence Botham OBE, (born November 24, 1955 in Heswall, Cheshire) (nicknamed "Beefy") was one of England's best-ever cricketers and one of the best all-round cricketers of all time. In a Test career spanning 15 years from 1977, he scored 5,200 runs at 33.54, and took 383 wickets at an average of 28.40. Similarly successful at one-day cricket, he was a Wisden cricketer of the year in 1978.

Whilst his averages suggest he was an average batsman and bowler, they belie his reputation as one of the greatest match winners of the game. He tended to play to extremes, so if Botham played well, he often seemed to win the match on his own.

He was renowned as a big-hitting batsman but with a surprisingly classical technique, and as a fast-medium paced swing bowler. In his later career after a back injury, his pace diminished to no more than a gentle medium, but he seemed to retain the knack of taking wickets regardless.

In 1980, Botham was the pre-eminent all-rounder in world cricket and was appointed captain of the England team. However, his captaincy was not a happy one; he lost form and the team did not do well (see above). There was also an incident in the 1980 centenary Test against Australia at Lord's where several frustrated Lord's pavilion members threw punches at him, after what they saw as his alliance with the umpires to unnecessarily delay play on a dry, sunny, Saturday (it had rained heavily the previous night).

He resigned the captaincy after a loss and a draw in the first two Tests of the 1981 Ashes series; he was dismissed for a "pair" in the Second Test at Lord's. He returned to an embarrassed silence in the pavilion and after the previous year's events at the centenary Test, this possibly was the final straw. For the rest of his cricketing career, Botham always refused to acknowledge the pavilion members when he played at Lord's. The Australian team was rated as second only to the great West Indies team of the time containing a formidable pace attack in the form of Dennis Lillee, Geoff Lawson and Terry Alderman.

Mike Brearley, the captain Botham had replaced, took over the reins for the Third Test scheduled for 16 to 21 July, at Headingley. Australia won the toss and elected to bat. They batted all day Thursday and most of Friday, declaring after tea at 401 for 9, John Dyson having made 102 and Botham having taken 6 for 96. The England openers Graham Gooch and Geoff Boycott survived the remaining few overs, and England finished the day on 7 for no wicket.

The next day, Saturday, was a disaster for England: Gooch was out in the first over of the day, and although Boycott and Brearley then attempted to dig in, they were both out before lunch. None of the other batsmen got going at all with the exception of Botham who top scored with 50 — his first half century since his first Test as captain 13 matches earlier. England were all out in the third session for 174. Australia enforced the follow on and piled on the pressure, Gooch was out for 0 on the third ball of the first over caught by Terry Alderman off the bowling of Dennis Lillee. By the close, England had struggled to just 6 for 1, still 221 behind Australia.

Sunday 19 July was a rest day and the papers roasted the lamentable England team. Morale was not improved by the news that Ladbrokes were offering 500-1 against England winning the match. (Controversially, the Australian wicket keeper Rod Marsh and opening bowler Dennis Lillee both placed bets on England to win, claiming that 500-1 were silly odds on any two-horse race.)

On Monday morning the odds began to look generous, as first Brearley, then David Gower and Mike Gatting all fell cheaply to reduce England to 41 for 4. Boycott was still anchored at the other end however and he and Peter Willey added 50 runs before lunch. In the afternoon however, Willey was out for 33 and England were in deep trouble at 105 for 5 as Botham walked out to bat. Matters did not improve as first Geoff Boycott and then Bob Taylor were soon dismissed. At 135 for 7 an innings defeat looked almost certain.

By all accounts, both teams' players thought Australia would win the match. When Graham Dilley joined him at the crease, Botham reportedly said, "Right then, let's have a bit of fun...". With able support from Dilley (56) and Chris Old (29), Botham hit out and by the close of play was 145 not out with Bob Willis hanging on at the other end on 1 not out. England's lead was just 124 but there was hope. On the final day's play there was time for just four more runs from Botham before Willis was out and Botham was left on 149 not out.

Willis's real contribution was with the ball however, after Botham took the first wicket Willis skittled Australia out for just 111, finishing with figures of 8 for 43. England had won by just 18 runs, it was only the second time in history that a team following on had won a Test match.

The next Test match, at Edgbaston, looked almost as hopeless for England. In a low scoring match (no-one made a score over 48), Australia needed 151 to win. At 5-105, things looked a little worrying for them, but an Australian win was still the most likely result. Botham then took 5 wickets for 1 run in 28 balls to give England the win by 29 runs. (Later, Brearley said that Botham hadn't wanted to bowl and had to be persuaded.)

The Old Trafford Test was less of a turnaround and more of a team performance than the previous two Tests, but Botham again was England's hero, scoring 118 in what Lillee claimed was a better innings than his Headingley heroics. His sixes in this innings have themselves become a part of cricketing folklore; three of the five were from Lillee's bowling, two of them in the same over.

Remarkably, even though he seemed to take his eye off the ball while hooking some fearsome Lillee bouncers, his sheer power and strength carried the ball over the boundary ropes. England won the match, then drew the last match at The Oval (Botham took 6 wickets in the first innings) to take the series 3-1.

Unsurprisingly, Botham was named man of the series, scoring 399 runs and taking 34 wickets. He was made BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1981. He is one of only four cricketers to receive the honour, the others being Jim Laker in 1956, David Steele in 1975 and Andrew Flintoff in 2005.

The turnaround at Headingley was ranked 5th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments in 2002.

Shane Warne- Great Australian cricketer of all time

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:21:00 +0100

Shane Warne

Warne made his first-class cricket debut in 1990-91, taking 0/61 and 1/41 for Victoria against Western Australia at the Junction Oval in Melbourne.

With Australia searching for a leg spin bowler for its Test team, Warne was selected in the Australia B team which toured Zimbabwe in September 1991. His best performance was 7/52 in a four-day match.

Back home, he took 3/14 and 4/42 for Australia A against the West Indies in December 1991, and was rushed into the team for the Third Test against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground a week later.

He had an undistinguished debut, taking 1/150 (Ravi Shastri caught by Dean Jones for 206) off 45 overs, and recording figures of 1/228 in his first Test series.

His poor return continued in the first innings against Sri Lanka at Colombo in the next year, in which he recorded 0/107. However, a spell of 3 for 11 in the second innings contributed to a remarkable Australian win and arguably saved his Test career.

Despite the inauspicious start to his Test career, he has since revolutionised cricket thinking with his mastery of leg spin, which many cricket fans had regarded as a dying art. He has combined the ability to turn the ball prodigiously, even on unhelpful pitches, with unerring accuracy and a wide variation of deliveries (notably including the flipper).

Many of his most spectacular performances have occurred in Ashes series against England, whose players' inexperience against leg spin bowling made them particularly vulnerable.

However, with feats like the famous "Gatting Ball" or "Ball of the Century" which spun sharply and bowled a bemused Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes series, most of the credit is Warne's. Conversely, he has struggled against India: his bowling average against them is a poor 47.18, compared with less than 31 against every other country.

Warne has been highly effective bowling in one-day cricket, something few other leg spin bowlers have managed. He also captained Australia on several occasions in one-day internationals, winning ten matches and losing only one. Warne had intended to retire from ODI cricket at the end of the 2003 World Cup, as it transpired, his last game for Australia was in January 2003. However he did appear for the ICC World XI for the Tsumani benefit match in 2005.

In March 2004, he became the second cricketer, after Courtney Walsh of the West Indies, to take 500 Test wickets. He broke the record for most career wickets in Test cricket on October 15, 2004 during the Second Test against India at Chennai, overtaking his great spin bowling rival, Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka. (As both Warne and Muralitharan are still playing, the record may change hands again).

On 11 August 2005 at Old Trafford, in the Third Ashes Test, he became the first bowler in history to take 600 Test wickets. In 2005, he also broke the record for the number of wickets in a calendar year, with 96 wickets.

He is also noted for his exuberant (and sometimes effective) lower-order batting, once famously being dismissed for 99 with a reckless shot when a Test century beckoned, on what was later shown to be a no ball. In fact, Warne has scored the most Test runs without having scored a century, with another score in the 90s.

Test Match Cricket in India

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:15:00 +0100

Test Match Cricket in India

The steaming cauldrons of the sub continent were home of perhaps the greatest test series of all time.

In 2001, Australia led the 3 test series one nil and having just enforced the follow-on in the 2nd test, it appeared that they were set for their 1st series victory over Indians on foreign soil. What no one counted on was a 400 run partnership between Dravid & VVS Laxman that turned the game and the series on its head.

This historic stand ensured India won the 2nd test and changed the impetus of the series. They went on to win the thrilling 3rd test and in doing so created an enthralling rivalry between 2 of cricketï¿½s heavyweights.

The rematch took place in the much vaunted 2004-05 series. This certainly lived up to expectation. This time round the Australians held their nerve and secured a historic series win.

In late 2008 the Aussies head back to the spinning wickets of India to defend the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that they have held for the last 5 years. If the last 2 series in India are anything to go by, this tour is one not to be missed

Upwards, kicking and screaming KEVIN PIETERSEN

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:10:00 +0100

Kevin Pietersen has not lost his Midas touch. Of course it is sheer folly to assess a captain's worth after a few matches played on home terrain against a waning opponent whose most accurate leather-flinger is sitting in a nearby commentary box. Still, Pietersen has grabbed the reins in the same way he has seized every opportunity. Far from shrinking under the weight of responsibility, the settler from Pietermaritzburg has put into practice the attitude that carried him from the second XI at Maritzburg College to the leading role in the country where bat and ball first fell into combat. Responsibility has not stopped him in his tracks. Instead he has kept powering along, aggressive in thought and deed, conveying conviction, confronting opponents, taking the game forwards. They say a man rises to the level of his incompetence. In that case Pietersen has a little further to go.
Pietersen's first act as captain boded well. Given the task of choosing a team for the Oval Test, he plumped for an extra bowler, a strategy that left his batting looking as short as a bulldog's tail. Already he knew that captains must not cower, must not try to cover weaknesses, but ought rather to identify strengths and play to them. As Donald Sutherland pointed out in Kelly's Heroes, positive thoughts have a power of their own. Pietersen has always known that, has trained himself to eliminate half thoughts and hesitations. Mind you, the bridge was blown up all the same, and Sutherland had to take his tanks on an even more hazardous route.
If anything, Pietersen's next moves were more telling. His elevation to the captaincy has had a marked effect on the performances of England's other crucial players, Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff. It cannot be coincidental. Both cricketers have in recent campaigns caused frustration and provoked criticism, most of it deserved. But a new broom must sweep clean. Pietersen did not allow past perceptions to affect his judgment. After all, pace bowlers and allrounders of this calibre are thin on the ground. Far from turning his back, he decided to challenge them. Doubtless he knows that few things inspire a man as much as a sense of importance.
Now Harmison is back playing both forms of the game, taking wickets, talking sense, and looking cheerful. Along the way he has been able to reduce his game to its bare essentials. People talk glibly about keeping things simple, but that requires an understanding of how things work. A sportsman sets out with natural ability, learns the hard way about limitations, and hopefully emerges wiser and better informed and therefore able to correct faults and avoid panic. It's not so much that Harmison was weak or sulky. He did not know enough, and was poorly placed to handle setbacks. It is not so long ago that he was sending them into the side netting off two paces. Actually it was just before the start of the last Ashes series.
Besides reassuring Harmison, the new captain has also shown faith in Flintoff by pushing him up the batting order. Flintoff is a fine cricketer who has never quite worked out how he takes wickets or score runs. Torn between hitting and playing, pounding and probing, he has performed below his highest capabilities. Pietersen has used him as an attacking middle-order batsman, giving him the license he needs to bat with gusto without making him think his wicket does not matter. Captains tread a fine line. Knowing that match-winners are precious, they want them to attack, but on the other hand they must not play like fools. It is a matter of driving at full pelt and wearing a seat belt; a question of backing them when they make a hash of it but not when they let themselves down.
Evidently Pietersen has understood his men. Both Flintoff and Harmison rise when England rise. Both respond to atmosphere. It seems that they lead the way, but it is an illusion. They need someone to let them loose. Both have responded well. Part of the reason Pietersen was the right choice was because he could coax the best from these patchy performers. And he is also ruthless enough to dump them and not look back.

Repeatedly the world told him that he was humdrum, and always he felt he was exceptional. England had the fortune to be his proving ground, the place where the upstart made his name. English cricket has been a beneficiary, not a prophet

And so it is a case of "so far so good" for the new man. England made the correct choice. Not that they had all that much choice in the aftermath of Michael Vaughan's timely withdrawal. Pietersen's appointment was the culmination of a long, bold and hazardous journey. Naturally he was delighted by his promotion. It had been a rough ride. In his early days in county cricket he was regularly forced to stand in a corner and sing "God Save the Queen". Anything to put the loud intruder in his place. He did not baulk at it, understood that he had to pay his dues. Later his kit was thrown over the balcony by his captain, and this time he retaliated. He has had his revenge on all who crossed him.
Recognition and a desire to be accepted have counted amongst Pietersen's driving forces. Throughout his time in England, he has done everything he can to demonstrate his commitment: scoring runs, tearing attacks apart, awakening the national team, helping to win back the Ashes. He knew it was not enough and so went further, adding patriotic tattoos to his body and displaying them to all-comers. It was an attempt to display permanence, to convince sceptics that he was not flying a flag of convenience, did not yearn for veldt and beach and braais and wors (though everyone knows he does). And he went even further, burning bridges with his former country, picking a fight with Graeme Smith, portraying himself as a victim (not an easy task for a well raised boy from a comfortable family, who attended a prestigious school). In his mind his country had let him down. Of course it was an oversimplification, but it has been a powerful motivating force.
His promotion to the captaincy was important because it meant he mattered. He needed England and they needed him. Throughout he has been forced to fight for the recognition he thought he deserved. Repeatedly the world told him that he was humdrum, and always he felt he was exceptional. England had the fortune to be his proving ground, the place where the upstart made his name. English cricket has been a beneficiary, not a prophet. And now it has had the sense to give him his head.
Throughout these first matches in charge, Pietersen has retained his aggression. Naturally he has batted in the same forthright, apparently extravagant and yet calculated, manner. There is nothing half-baked about him. Sometimes it gets him into trouble.
His dismissals tend to attract excessive censure. Pietersen tries to dictate the course of events, and that requires risk. Even his worst dismissals in the recently completed series can be defended. He was trying to impose himself. Another ten minutes and it might have worked. Meanwhile team-mates nibbled like aged hamsters. And anyhow there is a little groundwater between a breathtaking counter-attack at the critical moment in an Ashes decider and an assault on a seamer that might have changed the game. Not everything can be judged by its outcome.
'His elevation to the captaincy has had a marked effect on the performances of England's other crucial players, Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff. It cannot be coincidental' © Getty Images

Typically, too, Pietersen ended up on the winning side. That has always been his aim and his expectation. Apparently he lost only two matches in an undistinguished school career. College, as his seat of learning is generally called, much as Gandhi is Gandhi and Dylan is Dylan, does not like to lose and makes no apologies for the fact. Hard work, high standards and a rugged culture are the cornerstones of the school's ethic. Not long ago the entire student body gathered on the main field to protest about a demotion imposed upon a head boy for robustly punishing recalcitrant first formers. They were complaining about the oncoming softness. College is a tough place for tough people, and Pietersen thrived within its walls.
Yet his elevation to the England job was not universally acclaimed. Observers could remember Ian Botham's disastrous stint as captain, and worried that his equally brash successor might make the same mistakes. But Botham was young and reckless and self-indulgent. He convinced himself that he could take everyone along with him on his adventure. It was a fantasy that became a nightmare. Pietersen is more ruthless, experienced and individualistic. He is prepared to make unpopular decisions. Indeed his career tells of little else.
Considering his extraordinary feats it must seem that South African cricket blundered horribly when it allowed Pietersen to slip through its grasp. By no means is it as simple as that. Despite all the nonsense he has talked over the years, as a boy Pietersen was just another hot-headed hopeful. To his subsequent regret, his experienced school coach did not pick him to play for the first X1 till his final term. Previously Mike Bechet had preferred Matthew Cairns, a little legspinner who immigrated to New Zealand. Eventually Pietersen was chosen as a hard-hitting lower-order batsman and a useful offspinner. He was big and upright and gave the ball a thump. That did not set him apart; so did almost all of his team-mates. It is the College way. His bowling was tidy, but undemanding. In short, Pietersen seemed no more likely to make his mark than 50 others. But already he was a legend in his own mind.
After school Pietersen fought for his place in the KwaZulu-Natal side, but his performances were modest and his progress slow. Overall he played ten matches for various provincial teams, collecting 253 runs in 13 innings at an average of 25.3, and taking 23 wickets at an average of 33.13. He only scored two fifties, and one of them for the B side. It was hardly the stuff of legends. Yet belief did not wither. Next he represented KZN on a pre-season tour to Western Australia, and took five wickets in a warm-up match. Aggrieved that his performance had been ignored in the newspapers, he confronted the reporter and was duly told that he had bowled tripe and was lucky the batsmen were hitting out. Already he was impatient, confident and headstrong. In the words of Muhammad Ali, he was not "conceited so much as convinced". And yet there was one innings that might have rung bells. Playing against England in a four-day match in 1999-2000, Pietersen struck four sixes as he charged to 61 not out in 57 balls.
And so Pietersen went off in search of an opening. Already he had printed business cards introducing himself as "Kevin Pietersen - Professional Cricketer". In his mind his destiny was not in doubt, merely his location. It was a bold outlook. Men like him must rise or face ridicule.
Now comes the part of his career that has been rewritten more times than Russian history. Following in the footsteps of hundreds of young South African and Australian cricketers, he went to England to spend a winter playing club cricket. Clive Rice had seen him play at a school's festival, and invited him to sign for Nottinghamshire. Pietersen leapt at the chance to play competitive cricket for good money under a coach he respected. At this stage he was not thinking about changing allegiance, did not understand a choice had to be made.

Botham was young and reckless and self-indulgent.

He convinced himself that he could take everyone about him on his adventure. It was a fantasy that became anightmare. Pietersen is more ruthless, experienced and individualistic. He is prepared to make unpopular decisions. Indeed his career tells of little else

Soon Pietersen's hand was forced. He consulted past players, talked to KZN officials and flew to Johannesburg to meet Ali Bacher, always seeking reassurances. None were forthcoming. It could hardly have been otherwise. Although a junior contract was offered, no promises were provided. And so Pietersen packed his bag for England. Nor did he go quietly, attacking South African cricket officials as he departed.
His remarks did not go down well. Nor were they justified. He was not rejected, he walked out. Other promising white cricketers stayed and proved their worth. Even so South Africa have been too harsh on him. He does not deserve to be singled out merely because he made it. Pietersen is not the only College boy, let alone KZN cricketer, to try his luck overseas. Ant Botha has been playing county cricket for years.
Pietersen joined Rice in Nottinghamshire, scored heavily in his first season, and stayed for three years. It was his first move in pursuit of the greatness he felt within, an extraordinarily willful and audacious step towards his destiny. Before anyone knew his name, he was shouting it from the rooftops. Back home he delighted in driving around in a car with "Kevin Pietersen - Nottingham professional" blazed on its bonnet. At least he brightened up a city described by novelist Tom Sharpe, once an inhabitant, as "half the size of a New York cemetery and twice as dead".
Seeking greatness, Pietersen continued to surround himself with it, pursued it in every arena. He worked hard and took no prisoners. When Nottinghamshire did not meet his standards, Rice having departed, Pietersen walked out with a year left on his contract. Eager to rub shoulders with Shane Warne, he joined Hampshire. From a distance it might seem that he was craving money and attention. Certainly he took every opportunity that arose. But it was not about glory or glitter. He wanted to be exceptional. It did not always make him easy company.
And now the boy from Pietermaritzburg has become captain of all England. Finally the radical has been made welcome. England's new captain has dared to explore, even to expand, his horizons. It is one of the most hazardous undertakings known to man. He went in search of the supreme. It is exactly the journey England have been so reluctant to undertake. Captain and country may not always like each other, but they will rise together.
Peter Roebuck is a former captain of Somerset and the author, most recently, of In It to Win It

India Test Series 2008

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 07:00:00 +0100

The 2008 Test match dates are:

1st Test: Bangalore - 9 to 13 October
2nd Test: Mohali - 17 to 21 October
3rd Test: Delhi - 29 October to 2 November
4th Test: Nagpur - 6 to 10 November

Upwards, kicking and screaming

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Thu, 4 Sep 2008 03:56:00 +0100

Kevin Pietersen has always pursued greatness; England have been reluctant to. Now the two must rise together

Kevin Pietersen has not lost his Midas touch. Of course it is sheer folly to assess a captain's worth after a few matches played on home terrain against a waning opponent whose most accurate leather-flinger is sitting in a nearby commentary box. Still, Pietersen has grabbed the reins in the same way he has seized every opportunity. Far from shrinking under the weight of responsibility, the settler from Pietermaritzburg has put into practice the attitude that carried him from the second XI at Maritzburg College to the leading role in the country where bat and ball first fell into combat. Responsibility has not stopped him in his tracks. Instead he has kept powering along, aggressive in thought and deed, conveying conviction, confronting opponents, taking the game forwards. They say a man rises to the level of his incompetence. In that case Pietersen has a little further to go.
Pietersen's first act as captain boded well. Given the task of choosing a team for the Oval Test, he plumped for an extra bowler, a strategy that left his batting looking as short as a bulldog's tail. Already he knew that captains must not cower, must not try to cover weaknesses, but ought rather to identify strengths and play to them. As Donald Sutherland pointed out in Kelly's Heroes, positive thoughts have a power of their own. Pietersen has always known that, has trained himself to eliminate half thoughts and hesitations. Mind you, the bridge was blown up all the same, and Sutherland had to take his tanks on an even more hazardous route.
If anything, Pietersen's next moves were more telling. His elevation to the captaincy has had a marked effect on the performances of England's other crucial players, Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff. It cannot be coincidental. Both cricketers have in recent campaigns caused frustration and provoked criticism, most of it deserved. But a new broom must sweep clean. Pietersen did not allow past perceptions to affect his judgment. After all, pace bowlers and allrounders of this calibre are thin on the ground. Far from turning his back, he decided to challenge them. Doubtless he knows that few things inspire a man as much as a sense of importance.
Now Harmison is back playing both forms of the game, taking wickets, talking sense, and looking cheerful. Along the way he has been able to reduce his game to its bare essentials. People talk glibly about keeping things simple, but that requires an understanding of how things work. A sportsman sets out with natural ability, learns the hard way about limitations, and hopefully emerges wiser and better informed and therefore able to correct faults and avoid panic. It's not so much that Harmison was weak or sulky. He did not know enough, and was poorly placed to handle setbacks. It is not so long ago that he was sending them into the side netting off two paces. Actually it was just before the start of the last Ashes series.
Besides reassuring Harmison, the new captain has also shown faith in Flintoff by pushing him up the batting order. Flintoff is a fine cricketer who has never quite worked out how he takes wickets or score runs. Torn between hitting and playing, pounding and probing, he has performed below his highest capabilities. Pietersen has used him as an attacking middle-order batsman, giving him the license he needs to bat with gusto without making him think his wicket does not matter. Captains tread a fine line. Knowing that match-winners are precious, they want them to attack, but on the other hand they must not play like fools. It is a matter of driving at full pelt and wearing a seat belt; a question of backing them when they make a hash of it but not when they let themselves down.
Evidently Pietersen has understood his men. Both Flintoff and Harmison rise when England rise. Both respond to atmosphere. It seems that they lead the way, but it is an illusion. They need someone to let them loose. Both have responded well. Part of the reason Pietersen was the right choice was because he could coax the best from these patchy performers. And he is also ruthless enough to dump them and not look back.

Repeatedly the world told him that he was humdrum, and always he felt he was exceptional. England had the fortune to be his proving ground, the place where the upstart made his name. English cricket has been a beneficiary, not a prophet

And so it is a case of "so far so good" for the new man. England made the correct choice. Not that they had all that much choice in the aftermath of Michael Vaughan's timely withdrawal. Pietersen's appointment was the culmination of a long, bold and hazardous journey. Naturally he was delighted by his promotion. It had been a rough ride. In his early days in county cricket he was regularly forced to stand in a corner and sing "God Save the Queen". Anything to put the loud intruder in his place. He did not baulk at it, understood that he had to pay his dues. Later his kit was thrown over the balcony by his captain, and this time he retaliated. He has had his revenge on all who crossed him.
Recognition and a desire to be accepted have counted amongst Pietersen's driving forces. Throughout his time in England, he has done everything he can to demonstrate his commitment: scoring runs, tearing attacks apart, awakening the national team, helping to win back the Ashes. He knew it was not enough and so went further, adding patriotic tattoos to his body and displaying them to all-comers. It was an attempt to display permanence, to convince sceptics that he was not flying a flag of convenience, did not yearn for veldt and beach and braais and wors (though everyone knows he does). And he went even further, burning bridges with his former country, picking a fight with Graeme Smith, portraying himself as a victim (not an easy task for a well raised boy from a comfortable family, who attended a prestigious school). In his mind his country had let him down. Of course it was an oversimplification, but it has been a powerful motivating force.
His promotion to the captaincy was important because it meant he mattered. He needed England and they needed him. Throughout he has been forced to fight for the recognition he thought he deserved. Repeatedly the world told him that he was humdrum, and always he felt he was exceptional. England had the fortune to be his proving ground, the place where the upstart made his name. English cricket has been a beneficiary, not a prophet. And now it has had the sense to give him his head.
Throughout these first matches in charge, Pietersen has retained his aggression. Naturally he has batted in the same forthright, apparently extravagant and yet calculated, manner. There is nothing half-baked about him. Sometimes it gets him into trouble.
His dismissals tend to attract excessive censure. Pietersen tries to dictate the course of events, and that requires risk. Even his worst dismissals in the recently completed series can be defended. He was trying to impose himself. Another ten minutes and it might have worked. Meanwhile team-mates nibbled like aged hamsters. And anyhow there is a little groundwater between a breathtaking counter-attack at the critical moment in an Ashes decider and an assault on a seamer that might have changed the game. Not everything can be judged by its outcome.
'His elevation to the captaincy has had a marked effect on the performances of England's other crucial players, Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff. It cannot be coincidental' © Getty Images

Typically, too, Pietersen ended up on the winning side. That has always been his aim and his expectation. Apparently he lost only two matches in an undistinguished school career. College, as his seat of learning is generally called, much as Gandhi is Gandhi and Dylan is Dylan, does not like to lose and makes no apologies for the fact. Hard work, high standards and a rugged culture are the cornerstones of the school's ethic. Not long ago the entire student body gathered on the main field to protest about a demotion imposed upon a head boy for robustly punishing recalcitrant first formers. They were complaining about the oncoming softness. College is a tough place for tough people, and Pietersen thrived within its walls.
Yet his elevation to the England job was not universally acclaimed. Observers could remember Ian Botham's disastrous stint as captain, and worried that his equally brash successor might make the same mistakes. But Botham was young and reckless and self-indulgent. He convinced himself that he could take everyone along with him on his adventure. It was a fantasy that became a nightmare. Pietersen is more ruthless, experienced and individualistic. He is prepared to make unpopular decisions. Indeed his career tells of little else.
Considering his extraordinary feats it must seem that South African cricket blundered horribly when it allowed Pietersen to slip through its grasp. By no means is it as simple as that. Despite all the nonsense he has talked over the years, as a boy Pietersen was just another hot-headed hopeful. To his subsequent regret, his experienced school coach did not pick him to play for the first X1 till his final term. Previously Mike Bechet had preferred Matthew Cairns, a little legspinner who immigrated to New Zealand. Eventually Pietersen was chosen as a hard-hitting lower-order batsman and a useful offspinner. He was big and upright and gave the ball a thump. That did not set him apart; so did almost all of his team-mates. It is the College way. His bowling was tidy, but undemanding. In short, Pietersen seemed no more likely to make his mark than 50 others. But already he was a legend in his own mind.
After school Pietersen fought for his place in the KwaZulu-Natal side, but his performances were modest and his progress slow. Overall he played ten matches for various provincial teams, collecting 253 runs in 13 innings at an average of 25.3, and taking 23 wickets at an average of 33.13. He only scored two fifties, and one of them for the B side. It was hardly the stuff of legends. Yet belief did not wither. Next he represented KZN on a pre-season tour to Western Australia, and took five wickets in a warm-up match. Aggrieved that his performance had been ignored in the newspapers, he confronted the reporter and was duly told that he had bowled tripe and was lucky the batsmen were hitting out. Already he was impatient, confident and headstrong. In the words of Muhammad Ali, he was not "conceited so much as convinced". And yet there was one innings that might have rung bells. Playing against England in a four-day match in 1999-2000, Pietersen struck four sixes as he charged to 61 not out in 57 balls.
And so Pietersen went off in search of an opening. Already he had printed business cards introducing himself as "Kevin Pietersen - Professional Cricketer". In his mind his destiny was not in doubt, merely his location. It was a bold outlook. Men like him must rise or face ridicule.
Now comes the part of his career that has been rewritten more times than Russian history. Following in the footsteps of hundreds of young South African and Australian cricketers, he went to England to spend a winter playing club cricket. Clive Rice had seen him play at a school's festival, and invited him to sign for Nottinghamshire. Pietersen leapt at the chance to play competitive cricket for good money under a coach he respected. At this stage he was not thinking about changing allegiance, did not understand a choice had to be made.

Botham was young and reckless and self-indulgent.

He convinced himself that he could take everyone about him on his adventure. It was a fantasy that became anightmare. Pietersen is more ruthless, experienced and individualistic. He is prepared to make unpopular decisions. Indeed his career tells of little else

Soon Pietersen's hand was forced. He consulted past players, talked to KZN officials and flew to Johannesburg to meet Ali Bacher, always seeking reassurances. None were forthcoming. It could hardly have been otherwise. Although a junior contract was offered, no promises were provided. And so Pietersen packed his bag for England. Nor did he go quietly, attacking South African cricket officials as he departed.
His remarks did not go down well. Nor were they justified. He was not rejected, he walked out. Other promising white cricketers stayed and proved their worth. Even so South Africa have been too harsh on him. He does not deserve to be singled out merely because he made it. Pietersen is not the only College boy, let alone KZN cricketer, to try his luck overseas. Ant Botha has been playing county cricket for years.
Pietersen joined Rice in Nottinghamshire, scored heavily in his first season, and stayed for three years. It was his first move in pursuit of the greatness he felt within, an extraordinarily willful and audacious step towards his destiny. Before anyone knew his name, he was shouting it from the rooftops. Back home he delighted in driving around in a car with "Kevin Pietersen - Nottingham professional" blazed on its bonnet. At least he brightened up a city described by novelist Tom Sharpe, once an inhabitant, as "half the size of a New York cemetery and twice as dead".
Seeking greatness, Pietersen continued to surround himself with it, pursued it in every arena. He worked hard and took no prisoners. When Nottinghamshire did not meet his standards, Rice having departed, Pietersen walked out with a year left on his contract. Eager to rub shoulders with Shane Warne, he joined Hampshire. From a distance it might seem that he was craving money and attention. Certainly he took every opportunity that arose. But it was not about glory or glitter. He wanted to be exceptional. It did not always make him easy company.
And now the boy from Pietermaritzburg has become captain of all England. Finally the radical has been made welcome. England's new captain has dared to explore, even to expand, his horizons. It is one of the most hazardous undertakings known to man. He went in search of the supreme. It is exactly the journey England have been so reluctant to undertake. Captain and country may not always like each other, but they will rise together.
Peter Roebuck is a former captain of Somerset and the author, most recently, of In It to Win It

Akram: Time for Kumble to go

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Wed, 3 Sep 2008 11:14:00 +0100

Wasim Akram opines it is time for Anil Kumble to retire, paving the way for MS Dhoni to be appointed India’s Test captain.
By Shreyas Sharma
Wasim Akram opines it is time for Anil Kumble to retire, paving the way for MS Dhoni to be appointed India's Test captain.
Speaking to Mobile ESPN on Tuesday night in Delhi, Akram said Kumble had had his day in the sun, but needed to know when to say goodbye.
"I respect Anil for what he has achieved. He has done enough for India and I think it's time for him to take a bow at a time when he is still counted as one of the best," Akram said.
The Bangalorean has so far featured in 130 Tests for the country, taking 616 wickets at an average of 29.33, the third-highest tally in history, behind fellow spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne. Add to that his tally of 337 wickets from 271 ODIs, and it takes him just about 50 shy of 1000 international wickets.
After taking over the reins of the Indian Test side from Rahul Dravid, though, Kumble has taken 50 wickets in 12 Tests, at an average of 36.14, much higher than his overall figures. Kumble's stint has also seen India lose more matches (5) than they have won (3).
The stats, then, point towards Dhoni taking over. He has already led India to major titles in his time as limited-overs skipper - the inaugural ICC World Twenty20, the CB Series in Australia and the Idea Cup in Sri Lanka, which was India's first win in the island nation in 25 years. Dhoni has also changed the nature of his own game, from the hard-hitting batsman to the middle-order mainstay, as evidenced by his Man of the Series-winning performance in the recently-concluded ODI series. Batting for the Ranchi boy, Akram said he had set an example of leading from the front, which even under-fire Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik should try and follow.
So, will Kumble walk into the sunset anytime soon? Akram seems to think so. And in his words, "Dhoni is the man" to replace him.

Afridi lashes out at Malik

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Wed, 3 Sep 2008 11:11:00 +0100

Shahid Afridi has hit out at Shoaib Malik and said that the present Pakistan dressing room culture was far from perfect.
Afridi denied senior players were forming groups against the captain but said there was a number of problems in the dressing room.
"I don't want to say much because I am a centrally contracted player with the Board but I think there is a need to have a culture in the team where more respect is shown to the few senior players in the side," Afridi said.
"I think they are only two or three match-winners in the side and there is a need for the captain to give them encouragement and respect and consult them in team decisions on and off the field, because they are the ones who can win you matches," Afridi told Geo channel.
Citing his own example, Afridi said he is consulted whenever he is in form but is conveniently forgotten at other times. "This should not happen. Even if a player is not performing, he must be backed and involved in everything," Afridi said.
Asserting that he has nothing against Malik and his only concern was the team's well being, Afridi said the skipper should take the seniors into confidence.
"He has done this in the past and he can do it again," he said.
Afridi has not been among the runs of late but the hard-hitting all-rounder exuded confidence that he would regain his form soon.
"The thing is that I am also not getting a chance to bat at the position I want I go to bat. At six or seven, when few overs are left, I just have to push for runs. But hopefully I can play one good innings and get the confidence back and not let down my fans again," he said.

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Whitewash looms as England target second spot

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Wed, 3 Sep 2008 11:04:00 +0100

Big PictureAre England really the second-best one-day team in the world? It's a preposterous notion, and yet, by the time Kevin Pietersen's men go to bed in the early hours of Thursday morning, it could well be an officially-recognised fact. Having begun the series in sixth place in the ICC rankings, England have already climbed to No. 3, and one more win will enable them to displace South Africa at No. 2 - and their unbridled dominance in the first four matches of the NatWest Series means that that prospect is very much on the cards. South Africa's ageing one-day outfit has been no match for a resurgent England, for whom the pace, aggression and enthusiasm of Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff has been the key factors. If the weather holds, it's hard to envisage anything other than another England win.
Form guideEngland WWWWLSouth Africa LLLLW
Watch out for...
Owais Shah It was on Pietersen's insistence that Shah was promoted from No. 6 to No. 3, and he justified that faith with a cultured 44 from 40 balls to guide England to victory in their 20-over thrash at Lord's on Sunday. That innings, however, needs to be the start of even greater things for Shah, who turns 30 at the end of the season, and must be tiring of the fringe status that has dogged his international career ever since he was earmarked as one of England's most promising cricketers at the end of the 1990s. A tough tour of India awaits, and a big sign-off in Cardiff would be the ideal confidence boost ahead of what promises to be a seminal winter.
Hashim Amla Graeme Smith's tennis elbow has given Amla an opportunity to show that his talents need not be confined to the Test arena, and so far he has done his best to stake a long-term claim as a one-day opener. A solid 46 at The Oval was followed by a coruscating 34 from 31 balls at Lord's that ended with an untimely run-out but nonetheless featured eight sumptuous boundaries, including four in an over from Harmison. His fielding is a cut above that of many of his colleagues, and another good performance at Cardiff will put further pressure on the established batsmen, in particular the ageing Herschelle Gibbs.
Team newsAssuming there are no injuries, it's hard to imagine that England will seek to make any alterations to their line-up. Ian Bell and Matt Prior are settled as an opening partnership; Shah, Pietersen and Flintoff have shown their worth in the middle-order, and while Paul Collingwood and Luke Wright have had quiet series so far, that is largely because of the excellence of their colleagues. Samit Patel's sparky showings as the spinning allrounder have perfectly complemented the four-prong pace attack, and everything - for now - is rosy.
England (probable) 1 Ian Bell, 2 Matt Prior (wk), 3 Owais Shah, 4 Kevin Pietersen (capt), 5 Andrew Flintoff, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Samit Patel, 8 Luke Wright, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steve Harmison.
South Africa's team is not so easy to second-guess. Injuries have blighted their best-laid plans, with Smith sidelined until December and Albie Morkel still struggling with a shoulder problem. Makhaya Ntini was dropped for Lord's in favour of Andre Nel, so it is hard to imagine he'll be seen again this summer, while Jacques Kallis's batting form is reaching crisis point. An unchanged side is probable, but South Africa could hardly be less stable at present.
South Africa (possible) 1 Herschelle Gibbs, 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Jacques Kallis (capt), 4 AB de Villiers, 5 Jean-Paul Duminy, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Vernon Philander, 8 Johan Botha, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Andre Nel.
Pitch and conditionsBritain's weather has been at its obnoxious worst in the past 24 hours, with England's pre-match net session cancelled due to the adverse conditions. Quite what effect all this rain will have on the pitch remains to be seen, but it's safe to assume there will be plenty assistance for the bowlers, as and when the covers are peeled off on Wednesday afternoon.
Stats and Trivia
Only once, against Zimbabwe in a hastily-arranged series in October 2001, have England wrapped up a 5-0 victory in an ODI series. They were, however, beaten 5-0 by Sri Lanka in 2006.
Andrew Flintoff's return to top form is backed up by his statistics. After four matches of the series, he is averaging 187 with the bat and 12.90 with the ball.
Quotes" We'll try our hardest to win the series 5-0 because there would be no greater satisfaction than to finish at 10.30pm and know we are second in the world. That's the most important thing, not Stanford."Though the million-dollar match in Antigua is looming large, Kevin Pietersen insists that his team is focussed on victory, not money.
"We pride ourselves on our results - and even though there were positive signs here, we don't accept losses very well."Jacques Kallis admits that South Africa's morale isn't tip-top at the moment.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo
© Cricinfo

Marsh guides Australia to easy win

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Wed, 3 Sep 2008 11:00:00 +0100

Bangladesh improved marginally but still lost by eight wickets in Darwin, where Australia's bowlers set up an unassailable 2-0 series lead. Once again weighed down by batting lapses, Bangladesh struggled to 117 against an unforgiving attack and then found Shaun Marsh and his top-order colleagues equally merciless as they completed the chase within 23 overs.
They wrapped up the result by 2.45pm, a time when most one-day internationals in Australia have barely started. Marsh finished unbeaten on 69 and firmed as a permanent opener in the limited-overs outfit. His second half-century of the series featured powerful cuts and clips through leg and highlighted why his partner Shane Watson described him as the hardest hitter of "normal cricket shots" that Watson had witnessed.
The result was never in doubt after poor shot selection was again a problem for Bangladesh. Their bowlers were put in a no-win situation, although Shakib Al Hasan tried to make the most of it. He had Watson trapped lbw trying an expansive sweep on 29 and Michael Clarke stumped for 1 when his eyes lit up prematurely. As they did on Saturday, Marsh and Michael Hussey batted with calm assurance and the victory was complete.
It was all but confirmed before midday after Bangladesh tried to avoid another thrashing by batting first. Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson did the important damage in the top order and Australia's bowlers were spared a full day in the sun as Bangladesh sputtered out in the 37th over.
A late fight from Dhiman Ghosh helped them improve on their efforts of four days ago, when they capitulated for their lowest ODI total of 74 in 27.4 overs. But they were the sort of trivial steps forward that will do little to please the coach Jamie Siddons, who must again be lamenting the decision-making from several players.
Too many men lacked concentration and apart from a 38-run stand between Junaid Siddique and Shakib, they rarely looked like posting a challenging score. Dhiman showed some spark with his 36-ball 30 that featured consecutive sweeps for six and four over midwicket off Cameron White, but his departure in the next over was one of several unnecessary blunders from Bangladesh. Dhiman had nearly 20 overs up his sleeve when he tried to hammer Stuart Clark down the ground but lobbed it clumsily to mid off. From there the tail tried to resist but the outcome was inevitable and Johnson returned to finish the task, ending up with 3 for 17.
Dhiman was far from the only batsman who would regret the way he got out. Alok Kapali spooned a weak aerial drive to mid on when he was far from settled, and the captain Mohammad Ashraful again failed to lead by example. Ashraful's loose drive at a fullish, wide Clark delivery resulted in a thick edge to first slip when he was on 3. It left Bangladesh at 3 for 15 and in danger of setting another record low score.
The Australia fast men did not make things easy, using the early 9.30am start to extract some impressive swing. Bracken picked up both openers, including Tamim Iqbal from the first ball of the game. Tamim received a pearler that angled in and then swung away, catching the edge of his bat and flying to David Hussey at second slip.
Bracken combined with the other Hussey brother, Michael, four overs later when Mehrab Hossain jnr prodded another outswinger to third slip and left his series tally at one run from 18 balls. The hordes of schoolchildren who gradually filtered in were in danger of missing the action until Shakib and Siddique threatened a fightback of sorts.
Shakib brought up the first boundary of the innings with a well-timed cover-drive off Bracken that finally gave Bangladesh reason to cheer. The pair attacked Johnson, whose speed troubled the batsmen on Saturday, and his first delivery was dispatched confidently through cover for four by Shakib, who also cut him high over point.
Siddique looked quietly confident and advanced calmly to drive James Hopes over mid on for four, and their partnership was growing impressively. But the familiar scenes returned when Johnson picked them both up within two overs, Siddique for 21 and Shakib for 19.
White got his wish of a lengthy spell and sent down seven overs, the most he has ever bowled in an ODI. Although he battled to pitch the ball on line at times, he collected two wickets and will again be searching for a decent stint in the final game.
There is not much else Australia can aim to improve. For Bangladesh, the most relevant goal is to somehow bat out their overs.
© Cricinfo

Highest run makers in test...

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Tue, 2 Sep 2008 05:04:00 +0100

These are the greatest player ever in test cricket history

Top run makers in ODIs

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Tue, 2 Sep 2008 04:34:00 +0100

South Africa overpowered in 20-over thrash

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Mon, 1 Sep 2008 04:19:00 +0100

Kevin Pietersen produced a bruising innings of 40 from 34 balls, before Owais Shah and Andrew Flintoff carried their side to victory in a fourth-wicket stand of 44, as England chased down a revised target of 137 in 20 overs to move a step closer to their coveted 5-0 whitewash. On a piecemeal day's cricket that was delayed for more than two hours then suffered two further lengthy interruptions, Shah and Pietersen roused England from a sluggish start with a third-wicket stand of 74 in 9.1 overs, before Flintoff scorched them to victory with 14 balls remaining.
In the end the result was emphatic, but this performance was not quite the waltz that England had produced in their previous two matches at Trent Bridge and The Oval. In part that could be attributed to the frequent weather interruptions (the match began as a 39-over affair, was reduced to 33, then finished as a 20-over thrash) but nevertheless, there were two clear occasions when South Africa held the whip hand, only for England to prise their fingers off with an efficiency rarely witnessed in the country's one-day cricket.
For the best part of a decade, South Africa have been a formidable one-day outfit, but this was a performance that revealed just how far they have slipped from the standards they were setting at the end of the 1990s. After being asked to bat first in juicy conditions, Herschelle Gibbs produced a glimpse of his former glories with a typically no-nonsense 74 from 75 balls, and Hashim Amla produced one of the most cultured 34s you could ever hope to witness, but a rollicking opening stand of 66 in nine overs was squandered as the soft underbelly of their batting order was exposed once again.
The man who exposed the frailties, unsurprisingly, was Flintoff, whose figures of 3 for 21 in seven overs transformed the dynamics of the match. He was thrown the ball moments after Steve Harmison had been clobbered by Amla for four wonderful boundaries in a single over, and his mere presence was enough to unsettle South Africa.
Off Flintoff's first ball, Gibbs pushed a good length delivery down the ground and charged through for a single. Amla at first hovered in his crease then belatedly set off, by which time Shah at mid-off had gathered with his left hand, pirouetted while transferring to his right, and unleashed a flat and deadly accurate shy at the stumps at the far end. It was a sad end to a fine innings, but Amla's reticence in the end cost him dear.
Two overs later, and Flintoff was in the action again - albeit in marginally controversial circumstances. Jacques Kallis, whose form has collapsed on this tour, swished loosely outside off to a ball that nipped off the seam, and appeared to beat the bat. Matt Prior behind the stump went up for a loud appeal, and Simon Taufel - after a consultation with his colleague - decided to refer the decision to the third umpire, Ian Gould. Under the current regulations, Gould can only adjudicate on whether the ball carried, not whether there was an edge or not. And so, a furious Kallis was sent on his way. Although belated replays did eventually suggest there had been a nick, it nonetheless seemed to be another muddled use of technology.
Gibbs brought up his fifty from 46 balls with a single into the covers off Samit Patel, but the momentum had been sucked clean out of South Africa's innings, and England's bowlers recognised as much. AB de Villiers never got going in a fitful 34-ball stay, JP Duminy slogged gamely before driving Flintoff to Ian Bell in the covers, and when Gibbs stepped across his stumps to be bowled off the thigh pad by Stuart Broad, South Africa were 158 for 5 and struggling. Vernon Philander - standing in for the injured Albie Morkel - became Flintoff's third victim as he scooped an over-ambitious drive to long-off, and the gut feeling as the end of the innings approached was that rain would be South Africa's only saviour.
For a while it appeared that would be the case. With five balls remaining, the heavens opened and the outfield was drenched, but such is the sophistication of the Lord's drainage system that a restart was inevitable if the weather cleared up. Sure enough, at 5.38pm they were back on the field, with England handed an unexpected opportunity to test their Twenty20 techniques before the Stanford clash in November.
Chris Gayle and his colleagues would not have been quivering in fear as they watched the early exchanges of England's chase. Prior and Bell had added almost 200 runs at a run a ball in the previous two matches, but all of a sudden neither man could get the ball off the square as South Africa's bowlers produced a wholehearted defence of their inadequate total. It took until the fifth over for Bell to score the first boundary, whereupon he fell to the very next delivery, as Morne Morkel found the edge of a wild swipe with a full-length delivery. By this stage Prior had fallen to Dale Steyn for a fourth-ball duck, and after eight overs of Powerplays, England had yet to reduce their requirement to double-figures.
But then, all of a sudden, Pietersen found his range. His first real shot in anger richoceted off Shah's leg at the non-striker's end, but there was no mistake with his follow-up, a bruising pull through midwicket off Vernon Philander. Kallis decided the time was nigh to bring himself into the attack, but the move backfired spectacularly. Pietersen battered him for three withering fours in a row, before Shah launched the sixth - and final - ball of his spell into the Tavern Stand for six.
The result was never in doubt after that. Pietersen swatted another six through midwicket, and though he holed out to Amla at midwicket (it looked for a moment as though he was about to unfurl the switch-hit), Flintoff's second scoring shot was a late cut of such sumptuous timing that you knew he was in the mood to see it through to the end. A fusillade of boundaries followed as the light faded along with South Africa's hopes, and he was unbeaten on 31 from just 12 balls when the winning boundary whistled through deep backward square.
Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo
© Cricinfo

Only the best good enough for KP

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:19:00 +0100

Kevin Pietersen has set England the challenge of surpassing Ashes rivals Australia as the best one-day team on the planet.
Pietersen's appointment as England captain has coincided with their most authoritative displays in recent memory and, having sealed NatWest Series success over South Africa, they can now go second in the official limited-overs rankings.
Victories in the final two matches of the campaign, starting at Lord's tomorrow, will see South Africa displaced as Australia's nearest rivals.
England, as low as seventh earlier this year, rose to fourth place with their latest commanding win over the Proteas, by 126 runs at The Brit Oval.
"It's something we want to strive for," said Pietersen.
"We always said we wanted to be the best team in the world.
"Our goal now is to make sure the guys don't talk about their talent but they deliver their talent."
Pietersen, 28, has used his own hard-work ethic - he is a net addict - as the model for team success.
And it is certainly bearing fruit in his maiden series since succeeding joint leaders Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood at the helm.
"I just want the guys to do as much as they can and to deliver, deliver, deliver," Pietersen said.
"There is a lot of mediocrity that people settle for in this country, in terms of county cricket.
"I am not one for settling for mediocrity.
"I want to get better and better and better every single time I practise. "Then you can entertain when you go out because you know you have done the hard yards before."
Pietersen appears a natural winner - his record of four out of four successes captaining against the country of his birth backs that up - and he is now trying to infect the rest of the team with his attitude.
"It's just built in me," he said.
"As a kid I always wanted to be the best, to win everything at school. "Driving my car, I don't like losing at the lights - I have a pretty good wagon as well, so that helps.
"I don't like coming second, so I will do anything to win if it's fair and it's legal."
It was South Africa who went into the NatWest engagement with upwardly-mobile thoughts and would have moved top with a 4-1 triumph.
But two of their biggest defeats this decade - they lost by 10 wickets at Trent Bridge on Tuesday - has altered the respective moods in the two camps.
"It would be brilliant," Pietersen said, of the potential whitewash.
"The effect it has had on the team right now is amazing. A score of 3-0 is an absolute thrashing.
"The way we have done it is so convincing, we haven't looked like losing, that's the best thing about it.
"Whether it is 3-2, 4-1 or 5-0, the guys in that dressing room know we have cleaned South Africa up, which is remarkable.
"A series win is a series win and the guys will take a lot of encouragement from this to wherever we go from here.
"The bowling unit is 100% the strongest I've played with for England. "The batting department - if we had Marcus Trescothick at the top of the order that could strengthen our side - but as far as I see it, to beat South Africa 3-0, the second-ranked side in the world, it's a pretty special team we've got going."
Having managed to work his magic on one retired player in Steve Harmison, however, Pietersen does not expect to be able to encourage the end of Trescothick's self-imposed exile.
"To get Tres back in the team would be massive," Pietersen said.
"It would be great - I just feel sorry for the county bowlers who he is smashing at the moment - but he is a man on his own and he's got his reasons.
"He's made his decision and that's it."
Off the field Pietersen is trying to encourage Harmison to play in November's cash-rich Stanford contest in Antigua after initially being told it was a condition of his return that he would not be considered.
"He came back 100% for cricketing reasons, I can promise that, because I begged him and begged him," said Pietersen.
"We have talked about it but why shouldn't he have a right to play in it?"
Durham paceman Harmison is undoubtedly one factor in England's improvement at the start of the permanent reign.
Pietersen himself has also altered his outlook following his one match in temporary charge against New Zealand.
"I took it a bit too seriously," said Pietersen, of his Lord's loss.
"I let it affect me as a person.
"I ran around the field and I was really unsure about certain things and how to handle it.
"Because I thought 'I've got 24 hours in the job, I have got to deliver here' I put so much pressure on myself.
"Since I took the job over, I have thought 'just do your best, trust your gut'.
"My gut instinct has been pretty good over the years that I've played the game."

Symonds determined to fight back

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 12:12:00 +0100

Andrew Symonds is committed to forcing his way back into the Australia team but whether that is possible for October's tour of India is uncertain, according to his agent Matt Fearon. Symonds was thrown out of the squad in Darwin after missing a team meeting because he went fishing.
It was only a misdemeanour but it was the last straw for a team leadership group that was already concerned about Symonds' dedication and frame of mind following several other incidents. Symonds flew home to Brisbane while his colleagues took on Bangladesh on Saturday and he said in a statement on Sunday that he had taken on board his team-mates' concerns.
"I have had some time to reflect on the events that took place in Darwin," Symonds said. "I would like to say thanks for the many messages of support that I have received over the past day or so. I appreciate your best wishes. I've been asked to think about what is important to me and I will take this time to do that."
Fearon told Cricinfo the allrounder was pondering his attitude and his future. "Andrew's going to take some time to reflect on what's happened," Fearon said. "He's still committed to playing cricket at the highest level. How he goes about doing that and how it plays out I don't know. Whether it means India I don't know."
It has been an eventful year for Symonds, who among other things was at the centre of a racism row with India's Harbhajan Singh in January. Although his Australia team-mates would love to have him on board for the upcoming Test tour, they know his value to the team is diminished if he is not focused.
"He's had success there and is a very good player of spin and that is important," Michael Hussey told AAP. "He's not going to be built up with pressure with the spinners where it's dot ball after dot ball, which is going to be important when we get to India.
"[On Saturday] I thought, gee it would be great to have Symo here to come in and smack a few to put the pressure back on the Bangladeshi bowlers a bit. But it's the way it is. Maybe if Andrew Symonds was playing and he's not 100% committed he's not going to be able to give his best, so we want someone to come in and give their best."
Paul Marsh, the chief executive of the Australian Cricketers' Association, said the latest incident was unexpected but the ACA would do everything it could to get him back into the Australia team. "It was a surprise," Marsh said, "but there were issues last summer that have been well documented.
"Our role is obviously we're here to support Andrew. We've been in discussion with his manager and look to put in place the best possible support for him."
Australia maintain that a break from the game is in Symonds' best interests as well as for the good of the team, although nobody knows how long his lay-off will be. His attitude over the past few months has troubled the squad's senior figures and the coach Tim Nielsen said the fishing expedition was simply a trigger point.
"They [usually] don't miss a thing and they are always early and presented as well as they possibly can," Nielsen said. "When somebody hasn't got the information that they need or hasn't turned up on time it's usually due to the fact they're away from us and the group a little bit, mentally. That always raises concerns."
While Cricket Australia said it would do whatever it could to help Symonds, the unusual situation means it is not clear what he must do to prove his commitment. "There's no prescribed, exact process for these sorts of things," Marsh said. "We just need to get to the bottom of things and work out what's the best way to move forward."
Brydon Coverdale is a staff writer at Cricinfo
© Cricinfo

India down to fifth, England fourth rank

noreply@blogger.com (anup) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:50:00 +0100

India has dropped to fifth place in the ICC ODI Championship table but England has jumped to fourth place.Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side had started in fourth place on 112 ratings points and finished the series in fifth place at 113. In contrast, Sri Lanka gained one ratings point after starting on 105.
India's defeat by 112 runs by the Duckworth-Lewis Method in the fifth and final ODI against Sri Lanka did not cost it any place in the championship table after England comfortably won its third match of the five-match series by 126 runs at The Oval.
But the defeat cost India two ratings points while it earned Sri Lanka one ratings point. Had India won the series 4-1, it would have risen to 115 ratings points as compared to Sri Lanka's 104.
However, all eyes are now set on Kevin Pietersen's side which is on course to complete a series sweep against South Africa. And if England manages to achieve that result, it would jump to second place on 118 ratings points while South Africa would be on equal points with New Zealand but behind the Black Caps when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point.
However, if England wins the series 4-1 it will sit just behind India by a fraction of a point. In that case, South Africa will retain second place on the table but will have slipped to 119 points after starting the series on 128.
If South Africa manages to win the last two ODIs, it will retain its second place in the table but the three defeats already suffered will drop it to 123 ratings points while England will jump to 111 points and fifth place.
Meanwhile, Australia and Bangladesh go head to head in the three-match ODI series in Darwin from Saturday.
Australia is 84 rating points ahead of ninth-placed Bangladesh and that gap means it is expected to win the series comfortably. If it fails to do so then its rating will suffer and it will lose three points even if it secures a 2-1 success. That result would mean a three-point gain for Bangladesh.
However, if Australia wins the series 3-0, it will gain one ratings point while Bangladesh will also drop one ratings point.