Cricket India

Paskitan v/s England Test match 2012 Photos

2012-01-18T20:52:00.000-08:00

Ajmal threatens to take Swann's place as the No 1 spinner in the world

2012-01-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

This may seem a strange thing for an England supporter to write the day after a bowler has just taken seven for 55 against our country, but it just confirmed that we're big fans of Saeed Ajmal here at The Reverse Sweep.

Ajmal adds a splash of colour to an otherwise obdurate and unusually attritional Pakistan side led by the calm and composed Misbah-ul-Haq.

Off the pitch, the ebullient Ajmal understands theatre - one only needs to view his post-match interviews to see that.

He also knows that he has got into the heads of the England batsmen, who simply cannot pick him. As such his pre-series assertion that he had developed a new delivery - the ‘Teesra’ - in part led to the confusion that unfolded in the middle in the England first innings. Shane Warne, who has invented more deliveries than the Royal Mail, would be proud.

Ajmal is a late-developer - he only made his Test debut at the age of 31. But he has proved a quick learner on the biggest stage - perhaps that understanding of theatre - and already has 90 wickets in seventeen and a half Tests at a decent average of 28.

Those figures are impressive enough, but since Misbah took over the captaincy in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal in October 2010 and he finally became a first-choice pick, Ajmal has got even better with 60 wickets in nine and a half Tests at 24, with an economy rate of 2.5 and strike rate of a wicket every 57 balls.

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He was the leading wicket-taker both in Tests and international cricket in 2010, and if he continues to bamboozle the No 1 side is likely to usurp Graeme Swann as the best spinner on the planet come the end of the series.

Suggestions that his action is suspect seem like sour grapes to us and thankfully have not been backed up - in public at least - from the England camp. Ajmal is just a damn good bowler who for the England batsmen at least seems impossible to read - an anomaly in this digital ageLet's hope that Ajmal continues to add an unpredictable splash of colour in the spectacle of Test cricket. With Misbah, Younis Khan and now Ajmal all having been bestowed with hero status here at The Reverse Sweep, Pakistan are rapidly infiltrating our minds. That's mastery of vulcan mind tricks that we can also add to Ajmal's arsenal.

India v/s West indies: India need 270 runs to win

2011-12-02T05:51:00.000-08:00

India v/s West indies Third Test Match Playing At Mumbai

2011-11-25T23:41:00.000-08:00

India batting on 376 for 6 wickets

2011-11-24T23:17:00.000-08:00

India were 376/6 in their first innings at lunch on the fourth day of the third and final cricket Test against the West Indies here on Friday.

Earlier master bastman, Sachin Tendulkar missed his long-awaited 100th international century by a mere six runs, but India placed themselves in a good position to avoid the follow on against the West Indies on the fourth morning of the third and final cricket Test here on Friday.

At lunch, Virat Kohli (32) and Ravichandran Ashwin (26) were the unbeaten batsmen and the home side were 376 for 6, only 15 runs short of avoiding the follow on and 214 runs behind the rivals’ score of 590.

Tendulkar was racing imperiously to his landmark after resuming at his overnight 67 in a team score of 281 for 3 when his dream was shattered, albeit temporarily, by Ravi Rampaul bowling with the second new ball.

The veteran right—hander, who had mixed caution with aggression in a judicious mixture till then, reached out for a slightly wide ball and the attempted drive to the off ended safely in rival captain Darren Sammy’s big hands at second slip to send the 15,000 strong crowd at the Wankhede Stadium into a stunned silence.

The 38—year—old iconic cricketer could scarcely believe how he had missed out again when so close to the target and departed dolefully as the West Indians celebrated wildly.

The visitors had earlier drawn early blood by packing off the other overnight batsman V V S Laxman (32) off the first ball he played this morning, through a catch at gully off Fidel Edwards.

The Caribbean team struck another major blow after Tendulkar’s dismissal by packing off India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 8. With only five sessions left, the match appears to be heading for a tame draw.

When play commenced this morning, all eyes were on Tendulkar who was approaching the landmark for which the nation had been waiting for more than eight months.

Tendulkar had slammed his 99th international hundred (111) against South Africa in a World Cup league match at Nagpur in March.

Brief Scores:

West Indies 1st Innings: 590.

India 1st Innings: 376/6 in 105 overs (Sachin Tendulkar 94, Rahul DRavid 82, Darren Sammy 2/90, Ravi Rampaul 2/68).

for more plz visit http://www.thehindu.com/sport/article2659039.ece

Indian Team announced for Kolkata Test, Harbhajan still not selected

2011-11-12T20:52:00.000-08:00

According to the fresh news there will be no change in the Indian cricket team squad for the second test against West Indies series starts on November 14 in Kolkota. In this test leg-spinner Rahul Sharma will again replace the offspiner Harbhajan Singh.

Though India won the first test in Delhi with the margin of 5 wickets, but West Indies gave a tough task as they took a 95- run lead in first-innings .The batsman that just returned from their injury like Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar made vital hand-outs to the victory. Three other players like Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma and Yuvraj Singh showed their out-come of the fitness problem through-out the test.

The new bowling attack with untested left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha fared well taking six wickets and Man of the Match R Ashwin grabs six wickets in the second innings on his introduction match. Their extraordinary presentation ensured that Harbhajan, a confident chooses in Indian team will have to wait for the chance to make his comeback.

The shining spots of dreadful tour of England's medium- pacer Praveen Kumar is also in the list of overlooked by the selectors. The reason behind is not his fitness as he played the Ranji Trophy Match for Uttar Pradesh against Saurashtra, begin on Thursday.

However, India may be want to try out with the fast option of Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron sooner than the big tour of Australia later this year.

Squad: MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Sharma, Varun Aaron.

Harbhajan Singh Dropped for 1st Two-ODI matches against England

2011-09-29T22:04:00.000-07:00

According to the fresh reports released by the BCCI saying that it has issued the list of all the 15-man squad for the first two games of their one-day international series against England, which starts on 14 October.

Further. The fresh list includes seven players, including star names Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh who are missing with injuries sustained on the recent tour of England.

However, the good news is that opening batsman Gautam Gambhir returns after missing the ODIs in England with concussion.

But there is no place for fit-again spinner Harbhajan Singh.

THE SQUAD:

MS Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja , R Ashwin, Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, S Arvind, Rahul Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Praveen Kumar

Challenger Trophy Teams

Harbhajan will lead India Greens, while India Blue and India Red will be led by S Badrinath and Gautam Gambhir respectively. However, if India Red make the final on Oct 13, Gambhir won't be available, as he is in the Indian team as well which plays its first match on Oct 14.

INDIA BLUE: S Badrinath (capt), M Vijay, Paul Valthaty, Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, Mandeep Singh, Saurabh Tiwary, Irfan Pathan, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, YV Krishanarty, Prashant Parameshwaran, Pradeep Sangwan, Tanmay Srivastava.

INDIA GREEN: Harbhajan Singh (capt), Robin Uthappa, Anirudha Srikkanth, Tirumalasetti Suman, Mohnish Mishra, Ishank Jaggi, Md Kaif, CM Gautham, S Ladda , Iqbal Abdullah, Abhimanyu Mithun, Samad Fallah, Ishwar Choudhary, S Narwal.

INDIA RED: Gautam Gambhir (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Abhinav Mukund, Ambati Rayudu, Ashok Menaria, Wriddhiman Saha, Jalaj Saxena, Piyush Chawla, Bhargava Bhatt, Pankaj Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, T Sudhendra, Yusuf Pathan, RP Singh.

Kolkata Knight Rider beat Royal Challenger Bangalore

2011-09-29T22:01:00.000-07:00

The Kolkata Knight Riders came into Thursday's match looking to win big. In the end, they won with lots to spare despite chasing 170 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore here. The nine-wicket win, following two straight losses, keeps the KKR alive in Champions League T20. The RCB were left on the brink, yet to win a game.

Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, included in the side for the first time in this tournament, gave the early ballast needed to chase down a big total, scoring 42 off 27 with five fours and two sixes. Jacques Kallis (64 not out - 47 balls, 4x4, 1x6) anchored the innings again and Gautam Gambhir (55 not out - 32 balls, 3x4, 4x6) played his first significant innings since his injury comeback.

The scores:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: C. Gayle b Kallis 25 (16b, 3x6), T. Dilshan st. Haddin b Bhatia 18 (21b, 2x4), V. Kohli c Gambhir b Lee 0 (4b), S. Tiwary c ten Doeschate b Yusuf 19 (18b, 1x4, 1x6), M. Agarwal c Yusuf b Abdulla 13 (7b, 2x6), Md. Kaif lbw b Abdulla 5 (9b), D. Vettori c Ahmed b Unadkat 44 (23b, 5x4, 2x6), R. Bhatkal c Yusuf b Lee 25 (18b, 2x4, 1x6), Syed Mohammad c Yusuf b Unadkat 8 (4b, 2x4), S. Arvind (not out) 0 (0b); Extras (lb-7, w-5): 12; Total (for nine wkts. in 20 overs): 169.

Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-29, 3-62, 4-71, 5-81, 6-91, 7-152, 8-163, 9-169.

Kolkata Knight Riders bowling: Lee 4-1-34-2, Kallis 4-0-28-1, Ahmed 1-0-10-0, Yusuf 2-0-10-1, Bhatia 3-0-25-1, Abdulla 3-0-20-2, Unadkat 3-0-35-2.

Kolkata Knight Riders: J. Kallis (not out) 64 (47b, 4x4, 1x6), B. Haddin c Kohli b Vettori 42 (27b, 5x4, 2x6), G. Gambhir (not out) 55 (31b, 3x4, 4x6); Extras (b-2, w-8): 10; Total (for one wkt., in 17.3 overs): 171.

Fall of wicket: 1-62.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Nannes 3-0-40-0, Arvind 3-0-37-0, Syed Mohammad 3-0-26-0, Vettori 4-0-27-1, Bhatkal 2-0-20-0, Gayle 1-0-6-0, Kohli 1.3-0-13-0.

Misbah eyes top four Test spot for Pakistan

2011-09-29T21:59:00.000-07:00

Pakistan skipper Misbah-ul Haq on Thursday said he has targeted a top four Test spot for his side with an eye on qualification for the inaugural World Test Championship in 2013.

The four top teams in the ICC (International Cricket Council) standings in mid-January 2013 will progress to the first World Test Championships scheduled to be played in England later that year.

"We can come in the top four to feature in the Test championship and that's one of the aims in our next three important series," said Misbah, appointed captain for all three formats of the game last month.

Misbah led Pakistan to a clean-sweep over Zimbabwe earlier this month, winning the one-off Test, all three one-days and both the Twenty20 internationals.

His team now plays Sri Lanka over three Tests, five one-days and a Twenty20, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next month because of security fears in Pakistan.

Pakistan currently lie sixth in the ICC Test rankings and need to win against fifth-placed Sri Lanka and their next two series -- against world number one England and Bangladesh, who are ranked ninth.

They tour Bangladesh in December for a two-Test series and play England in three Tests, four one-day and three Twenty20 in UAE in January-February next year.

Misbah said the confidence gained on the Zimbabwe tour will help his team.

"We have done well in our two tough series before the Zimbabwe tour and did well against South Africa and New Zealand, so the confidence level is high and this morale will help us in future series," said Misbah.

Misbah said using new bowlers on the Zimbabwe tour had paid-off providing the team with greater attacking depth and back-up in case of injury.

But he said outgoing coach Waqar Younis will be missed.

"As captain you develop an understanding with the coach and Waqar was very supportive to me and to the team, so we now have to rebuild that understanding with the new coach," Misbah added.

Pakistan is searching for a new coach after Waqar left the post at the end of the Zimbabwe tour, citing health problems.

A three-member committee will meet in Karachi later Thursday to discuss around 40 applicants for the post from around the world, and will also talk with other prominent foreign coaches.

The process to agree a final candidate will take about a month and Pakistan is likely to play the Sri Lanka series under a temporary coach.

Kapil Dev replaces Imran Khan as Speaker at Sardesai Memorial Lecture

2011-09-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

Former India skipper and all-rounder Kapil Dev would deliver the annual Dilip Sardesai Memorial Lecture at the Cricket Club of India on Thursday, in place of the original speaker, former Pakistan captain Imran Khan.

"Imran is stuck with the political situation in Pakistan. Kapil Dev is now going to deliver the lecture on the Future of Indian Cricket," said sources connected with the function on Wednesday.

Imran, the 1992 World Cup-winning skipper, who is heading a political party in his country, was to speak on how India-Pakistan cricket can be used to bridge the gap between the two neighbouring sub-continent countries.

The sources insisted that the change of speakers at the annual lecture in memory of former Test cricket Sardesai, who died on July 2, 2007, had nothing to do with the earlier controversy, in which, another function at the CCI relating to a former Pakistan cricketer, the book release of Shoaib Akhtar's autobiography 'Controversially Yours', was cancelled.

Akhtar had made controversial remarks about two icons of the Indian squad, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, to kick up a storm in the country and the function was cancelled due to "unforeseen circumstances".

Nokia Champions League 2011, Latest Photos

2011-09-28T01:39:00.000-07:00

Tamil Super star Suriya: 7am Arivu

2011-09-26T07:35:00.000-07:00

The Tamil super hero Suriya (born 23 July 1975 as Saravanan Sivakumar) is an Indian film actor. The actor starred in Tamil films, such as Nandha (2001), Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Pithamagan (2003), Perazhagan (2004), Ghajini (2005), Vel (2007), Vaaranam Aayiram (2008), Ayan (2009) and Singam (2010).

Suriya made his Bollywood appearance in Ram Gopal Varma's Rakht Charitra (2010). As of 2010, he has won three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards. He established himself as one of the leading contemporary actors in the Tamil film industry.

Suriya the also performed in the 1997 film Nerrukku Ner directed by Vasanth and produced by Mani Ratnam.[6] In 2001, he starred in Siddique's comedy film Friends.

His major break came in the form of Nandha, which was directed by Bala. Playing the role of an ex-convict who is very attached to his mother, he received a Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor.[7] His next venture was Vikraman's Unnai Ninaithu, which was followed by Mounam Pesiyadhe directed by Ameer Sultan.

7Tamil star Surya Sivakumar, who is known to show greater variety in his films, is coming up with a science fiction thriller ‘7th Sense’ this time. For this, he had teamed up with highly acclaimed director AR Murugadoss, who earlier made the blockbuster ‘Ghajini’ with him.

In ‘Seventh Sense’, Surya has reportedly played three characters - a circus artist, a scientist and a Buddhist monk.

CSK win gives Mumbai favourites tag against T&T

2011-09-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

The presence of Trinidad & Tobago is what makes the Champions League T20 a most unusual tournament.

For unlike the Mumbai Indians, their opponents on Monday, they are not a franchise. Nor are they a provincial side such as the Warriors or the South Australian Redbacks. They aren't a county team like Somerset.

T&T is a full-blown national side that happens to have won over other Caribbean nations such as Barbados and Jamaica to qualify for the CLT20.

In that sense, T&T have that much more to play for but as they showed in the inaugural edition of the tournament held in India in 2009, that fact doesn't play much on their mind. They simply go out there and enjoy themselves.

They will know that MI, who are sadly without enough Mumbai or Indian players, are tough opponents to draw in the first game. But then, DarrenGanga's men will also be aware that there are indeed no free lunches in this tournament, not after the qualifiers were introduced. Of course, meals will be that much easier to come by if you win the $6 million tournament.

T&T's chief strength is their uncomplicated approach to the game. In Adrian Barath and Darren Bravo they have two of the most talented batsmen in the Caribbean while pacer Ravi Rampaul has time and again showed that he should have played more often than he has at the highest levels.

Ironically, their biggest threat could come from one of their own, a man they unleashed in the same tournament in 2009.

In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, the role of Kieron Pollard becomes even more crucial for MI, even if in the words of the great Sunil Gavaskar, he flattered to deceive in Chennai on Saturday night.

Shoaib book opens a fraught Tendulkar debate

2011-09-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

Shoaib Akhtar's straight, naïve, controversial, and at times, funny autobiography has triggered a mini-storm in India. The controversial ex-Pakistan speedster has grabbed attention by questioning Sachin Tendulkar's abilities.

The book has rubbed people the wrong way but taking pot shots at Tendulkar has elicited maximum attention. Shoaib's controversial career may have dented his credibility but it does provide the insight of arguably the fastest bowler in the game.

“I think players like Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid weren't exactly match-winners, nor did they know the art of finishing a game. Things changed when younger players like Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh arrived on the scene. These guys played to win,” Shoaib says in his book.

The biggest problem discussing Tendulkar's game is that one can lose perspective. He made his debut as a 16-year-old and is among the rare sporting talent to fulfill the promises he showed when he started out. Apart from his achievements for over two decades, Tendulkar has remained the face of Indian cricket, infusing faith in the game from time to time.

His technique, preparation and piling of runs and centuries have been discussed threadbare. Still, as he moves towards the end of a glorious career, two questions do come up.

The first is whether Tendulkar is the best ever in the game and whether he has been a consistent match-winner. Among contemporaries, he has had to compete with the artistic Brian Lara, the aggressive Ricky Ponting, and Inzamam-ul Haq.

Tendulkar's shots were compared with his own by Sir Don Bradman, which added momentum to the debate whether Tendulkar is the best ever.

However, Shoaib raises the question about the batsman's winning impact. “With the coming of the younger players…And Sachin has started scoring quickly, and playing the role of a match-winner for his team. I can't recall a series from his earlier playing days when he helped win matches.”

He adds: “To me, however, winning is everything. Viv Richards, Ponting, Lara are great batsmen who dominated with the bat and were truly match-winners. Initially, when I bowled against Sachin, I found these qualities missing. He might have had more runs and records but he lacked the ability to finish a game. Apne run liye aur out ho gaye. (He got his runs and got out). But in the last three years, he has changed his game.”

It is true that Tendulkar has slowed down at times nearing milestones, cutting out risks. Lara, Gilchrist, Sehwag and Ponting rather look to stamp their authority on the bowlers at that stage. But Tendulkar’s dismissals have often led to batting collapses, in the 1990s and in early 2000s. And on most occasions, his approach has worked for the team.

Statistics show one-third of Tendulkar’s 181 Tests have ended in victories. In those 61 matches, he has scored 20 of his 51 centuries. In ODIs, 33 of his 48 hundreds have led to wins, in 230 matches out of the overall 453

West Indies beat England; levels series 1-1

2011-09-25T22:12:00.000-07:00

West Indies' Andre Russell celebrates after claiming the wicket of England's Tim Bresnan during their T20 match at Oval, London on Sunday.

AP West Indies' Andre Russell celebrates after claiming the wicket of England's Tim Bresnan during their T20 match at Oval, London on Sunday.

West Indies bowled England out for 88 to win the second Twenty20 match by 25 runs at The Oval on Sunday, levelling the two-match series at 1-1.

Chasing a modest target of 114, England collapsed to 60-7 thanks to Garey Mathurin’s 3-9 before the final three wickets fell for just five runs in the space of 12 balls.

Ben Stokes offered England’s only resistance, hitting 31 off 23 balls, with only three other players making double figures.

Marlon Samuels top-scored for West Indies with a run-a-ball knock of 35 not out as the tourists’s young side made 113-5. Samit Patel had

England’s best bowling figures of 2-22 off his four overs.

England won the first match by 10 wickets at the same venue on Friday.

M. Kaif quits UP captaincy

2011-09-22T23:23:00.000-07:00

Some fresh news from the cricket world states that Mohammed Kaif has recently said in a press release that he is going to quit the captaincy of the Uttar Pradesh Ranji cricket team, but he will keep on playing in the team as a batsman.

Meanwhile, the player had nicely led the state team for more than six years. Now, there are reports, that medium-fast bowler R P Singh will takeover the seat of Kaif for the state Ranji Cricket team.

While talking to media, kaif said, “I am happy with my decision as captain of the UP side. In the past six years of the period, we reached the finals four times, and once we won the title. But I want to play just as a batsman in the team.”

Youngsters need to take charge, says Rahul Dravid

2011-09-22T23:17:00.000-07:00

The great wall of the Indian cricket team has recently said in an interview that he would have liked to end his ODI career on a winning note. The ex-Indian captain, who played the last of his 344 ODIs in Cardiff on Friday, has no complaints. But he said, “To be able to finish off like this in some ways was nice but obviously the result was a bit disappointing.”

The player further said that there were lots of things that went wrong for Indian in England tour. He said, “Credit must be given to England for the way they played. For us, it’s a combination of things that went wrong. It’s not easy to pinpoint. You should not take the credit away from the England team. You can always find faults. But we must give credit to the opposition for the way they played.”

The wall then told media that there are important lessons that the team could learn from the recent debacle. “We need to be better prepared. Obviously there were a lot of injuries that didn’t help our cause. It’s not easy when you have some of your top bowlers injured, especially for a big tour like England, because you need experience there,” he said.

Dravid doesn’t regret quitting ODIs. “I had a long ODI career and I just felt that the time was right (to call it a day),” he said. He believes the time is ripe for the youngsters to assume bigger responsibilities.

“There are so many talented youngsters like Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. You do realise that they are the future of Indian team. It’s time they took charge,” he said.

End of an era : ‘Tiger’ Pataudi dies at 70

2011-09-22T23:13:00.000-07:00

Friends, fans and family members of late Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi paid homage to the legend at his residence in the national capital on Friday. Tiger Pataudi's burial will take place later in the day in this ancestral village.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of New Delhi Shiela Dixit among other political leaders was present and other Bollywood stars are also expected to pay their last respects.

Earlier on Thursday, Pataudi passed away after battling a severe lung infection. Investigations revealed that he had been suffering from an interstitial lung disease, a condition in which the passage of oxygen to the two lungs is less than normal.

He was being treated by a by a team of pulmonologists and critical care specialists.

Pataudi was admitted to hospital on 3rd September and his condition had been steadily detiriorating since then.

Pataudi played in 46 Test matches for India between 1961 and 1975. Soon after starting his career, at the age of 20, a car accident permanently damaged vision in his right eye. He ended up scoring 2793 runs at an average of 34.91 with an unbeaten 203 being his highest score.

Gautam is as good a captain as Dhoni: Balaji

2011-09-20T06:58:00.000-07:00

Kolkata Knight Riders' Laxmipathy Balaji says skipper Gautam Gambhir is as good as Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni when it comes to leading the side.

That KKR moved beyond the league stages of the IPL for the first time, in the fourth edition of the tournament, was due to Gambhir's captaincy, Balaji felt.

"I think our new skipper Gautam Gambhir played a pivotal role in the turnaround of the fortunes of the team. He always used to set an example for the rest of the team-members. He always led from the front and I have no doubt whatsoever that leadership skill wise, Gautam is on-par with MS Dhoni at the moment," Balaji said.

"The way he backed his players to the hilt and stood behind the team was absolutely brilliant. He handled the pressure very well and inspired us all to perform at our best. His attacking field placements helped us apply more pressure on the opponents," the pacer from Chennai added.

The unassuming cricketer, who shot into limelight during India's twin tours of Australia and Pakistan in 2003-04 by playing a crucial role in the team's success, was also full of praise for the legendary Wasim Akram who is the bowling coach at KKR.

"All of us at KKR consider ourselves extremely fortunate to have someone like 'Wasim bhai' around us. The most endearing quality about him is that he always makes everyone feel like he is just another guy. He makes you feel very comfortable and that is absolutely crucial. He is always approachable," the bowler was quoted as saying by ESPNSTAR.com.

Balaji, who suffered a career-threatening back injury that kept him out of action for almost two years, signalled his comeback by taking a hat-trick for Chennai Super Kings, his previous IPL side, in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008.

I hope some other franchise will take me: Muralithar

2011-09-20T06:54:00.000-07:00

Some recent report states that ex-Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan is confident of being picked by a franchise after the BCCI terminated his present IPL side, Kochi Tuskers Kerala's contract.

After reports have come in media saying that the board has issued a statement terminating Kochi's contract, a move which prompted the controversial Kerala team to threaten legal action against the Cricket Board.

New BCCI president N. Srinivasan even went to the extent of ruling out the possibility of reconsidering the decision but Muralitharan, despite an indifferent outing in the last IPL, is optimistic.

"I am hopeful that if they (Kochi) are not playing, some other franchise will take me as I am fit and playing this format continuously. I want to play two more years in IPL," Muralitharan said.

Australia win series 1-0, Third Test ends with no result

2011-09-20T05:16:00.000-07:00

Scoreboard at the end of the third and final test between Sri Lanka and Australia on Tuesday.

Australia first innings 316

Sri Lanka first innings 473

Australia second innings (overnight 209-3)
S. Watson lbw b Herath                   21
P. Hughes c Thirimanne b Herath         126
S. Marsh c Thirimanne b Herath           18
R. Ponting c M. Jayawardene b Herath     28
M. Clarke c Paranavitana b Herath       112
M. Hussey c Welegedara b Dilshan         93
B. Haddin c Lakmal b Herath              30
M. Johnson c Eranga b Welegedara          4
P. Siddle lbw b Herath                   26
T. Copeland c Paranavitana b Eranga       3
N. Lyon not out                           1
Extras: (b 5 lb 11 w 6 nb 4)             26
Total: (all out; 138.5 overs)           488

Fall of wickets: 1-62 2-122 3-188 4-220 5-396 6-448 7-452
8-471 9-486

Bowling: Eranga 18.5-2-62-1 (1nb, 1w), Lakmal 22-2-86-0
(3nb, 1w), Welegedara 24-3-88-1, Herath 52-11-157-7, Dilshan
19-0-62-1, Thirimanne 1-0-7-0, Paranavitana 2-0-10-0.



Sri Lanka second innings
T. Paranavitana not out        2
L. Thirimanne not out          4
Extras (w 1)                   1
Total (for 0 wickets; 2 overs) 7

Did not bat: Dilshan, Sangakkara, M. Jayawardene, P.
Jayawardene, Mathews, Eranga, Herath, Lakmal, Welegedara

Bowling: Copeland 1-0-3-0 (1w), Lyon 1-0-4-0

Result: Match drawn

Australia win the three match series 1-0

Austriala v/s Sri Lanka Third test Match photos

2011-09-20T05:14:00.000-07:00

England requires 275 runs to beat India

2011-09-03T07:32:00.000-07:00

According to fresh reports from the cricket world, India failed to take advantage in the last few overs losing 3 wickets in the last 2 overs, but managed to set a descent total of 275 for the English team to chase.

India lost Ashwin, Dhoni and Raina's wicket in quick succesion in the end of their innings closing at 274/7 at the end of 50

Anderson's success, in the form of Patel's wicket, was his 200th wicket in 148 ODIs. England removed Virat Kohli in the 40th over when the right-hander rocked back on his heels to cut the left-arm spin of Samit Patel and was clean bowled.

Kohli made 55 off 73 balls with four fours and India were 207 for four at the end of the 40th over.

The batting poweplay yielded 38 runs for the loss of Raina's wicket.

Teams:

India: Ajinkaya Rahane, Parthiv Patel, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain & WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Praveen Kumar, R Vinay Kumar, Munaf Patel.

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Craig Kieswetter(WK), Jonathon Trott, Eoin Morgan, Ian Bell, Ben Stokes, Samit Patel, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Jade Dernbach.

Umpires: Billy Doctrove (West Indies) and Richard Illingworth (Eng).

Third umpire: Marais Erasmus (South Africa)

Match referee: Jeff Crowe (New Zealand)

England beat India in T20 match at Old Trafford

2011-09-01T04:02:00.000-07:00

England beat India in T20 match at Old Trafford

2011-09-01T03:57:00.000-07:00

England has heaped more misery on India by beating them in a Twenty-20 international at Old Trafford.

Earlier, Indian captain has won the toss and elected to bat first and Indian off to a good start in fact.

Opener Ajinkya Rahane batted nicely and made fine 61 runs while Rahul Dravid, making his international T20 debut, smashed three sixes off consecutive balls.

But Indians were not able to keep going, at one stage India was at 102-1 and then bowled out 165 after England's bowlers regained their form Jake Dernbach starred with 4-22.

England's reply initially stuttered when opener Alex Hales was out second ball on his debut.

England were in trouble on 61-3 when Eion Morgan and Ravi Bopara came to the crease.

The pair hit 49 and 32 not out to steady the ship and give England a chance of victory.

The home side needed 10 off the final over and they reached their target with 3 balls to spare. Samit Patel hit the winning runs.

The result extends England's dominance over India this summer after winning the Test series 4-0.

The two sides sqaure off again in a one-day series which starts in Durham on Saturday.