Cricket Live

Photo

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Yuvraj Singh, winner T20 batting 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Lasith Malinga, winner ODI bowling 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kumar Sangakkara, winner Test batting 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Irfan Pathan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Team India after their historic Test win 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Harbhajan Singh 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Andrew Symonds 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Mahela Jayawardene 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	MG Vandort 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Anil Kumble 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	AB de Villiers 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Jacques Kallis 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Wasim Jaffer 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kamran Akmal 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	VVS Laxman 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

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Shivnarine Chanderpaul 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Virender Sehwag 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Hashim Amla 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Victorious England team with the Trophy 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Stephen Fleming 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Stephen Fleming 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Andrew Strauss 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Indian Team with the CB series trophy 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ajitesh Argal and Virat Kohli 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Victorious Indian Under-19 Team 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kumar Sangakkara 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Shaun Pollock retires from international cricket 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



RP Singh, winner T20 bowling 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Adam Gilchrist, winner ODI batting 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Zaheer Khan, winner Test bowling 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

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	Sachin Tendulkar 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sourav Ganguly 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Sourav Ganguly 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Suresh Raina 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kevin Pietersen 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Zaheer Khan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ajantha Mendis 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sir Don Bradman 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Shahid Afridi 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Shaun Marsh 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Suresh Raina 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Sohail Tanvir 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sanath Jayasuriya 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kumar Sangakkara 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

History

2012-07-01T06:16:00.001-07:00

Early cricket was at some time or another described as "a club striking a ball (like) the ancient games of club-ball, stool-ball, trap-ball, stob-ball". Cricket can definitely be traced back to Tudor times in early 16th-century England. Written evidence exists of a game known as creag being played by Prince Edward, the son of Edward I (Longshanks), at Newenden, Kent in 1301 and there has been speculation, but no evidence, that this was a form of cricket.
A number of other words have been suggested as sources for the term "cricket". In the earliest definite reference to the sport in 1598, it is called creckett. Given the strong medieval trade connections between south-east England and the County of Flanders when the latter belonged to the Duchy of Burgundy, the name may have been derived from the Middle Dutch krick(-e), meaning a stick (crook); or the Old English cricc or cryce meaning a crutch or staff. In Old French, the word criquet seems to have meant a kind of club or stick. In Samuel Johnson's Dictionary, he derived cricket from "cryce, Saxon, a stick". Another possible source is the Middle Dutch word krickstoel, meaning a long low stool used for kneeling in church and which resembled the long low wicket with two stumps used in early cricket. According to Heiner Gillmeister, a European language expert of Bonn University, "cricket" derives from the Middle Dutch phrase for hockey, met de (krik ket)sen (i.e., "with the stick chase"). Dr Gillmeister believes that not only the name but the sport itself is of Flemish origin.

The first English touring team on board ship at Liverpool in 1859

The earliest definite reference to cricket being played in England (and hence anywhere) is in evidence given at a 1598 court case which mentions that "creckett" was played on common land in Guildford, Surrey, around 1550. The court in Guildford heard on Monday, 17 January 1597 (Julian date, equating to the year 1598 in the Gregorian calendar) from a 59 year-old coroner, John Derrick, who gave witness that when he was a scholar at the "Free School at Guildford", fifty years earlier, "hee and diverse of his fellows did runne and play [on the common land] at creckett and other plaies." It is believed that it was originally a children's game but references around 1610 indicate that adults had started playing it and the earliest reference to inter-parish or village cricket occurs soon afterwards. In 1624, a player called Jasper Vinall was killed when he was struck on the head during a match between two parish teams in Sussex.
During the 17th century, numerous references indicate the growth of cricket in the south-east of England. By the end of the century, it had become an organised activity being played for high stakes and it is believed that the first professionals appeared in the years following the Restoration in 1660. A newspaper report survives of "a great cricket match" with eleven players a side that was played for high stakes in Sussex in 1697 and this is the earliest known reference to a cricket match of such importance.
The game underwent major development in the 18th century and became the national sport of England. Betting played a major part in that development with rich patrons forming their own "select XIs". Cricket was prominent in London as early as 1707 and large crowds flocked to matches on the Artillery Ground in Finsbury. The single wicket form of the sport attracted huge crowds and wagers to match. Bowling evolved around 1760 when bowlers began to pitch the ball instead of rolling or skimming it towards the batsman. This caused a revolution in bat design because, to deal with the bouncing ball, it was necessary to introduce the modern straight bat in place of the old "hockey stick" shape. The Hambledon Club was founded in the 1760s and, for the next 20 years until the formation of MCC and the opening of Lord's Old Ground in 1787, Hambledon was both the game's greatest club and its focal point. MCC quickly became the sport's premier club and the custodian of the Laws of Cricket. New Laws introduced in the latter part of the 18th century included the three stump wicket and leg before wicket (lbw).

Don Bradman had a Test average of 99.94 and an overall first-class average of 95.14, records unmatched by any other player.

The 19th century saw underarm bowling replaced by first roundarm and then overarm bowling. Both developments were controversial. Organisation of the game at county level led to the creation of the county clubs, starting with Sussex CCC in 1839, which ultimately formed the official County Championship in 1890. Meanwhile, the British Empire had been instrumental in spreading the game overseas and by the middle of the 19th century it had become well established in India, North America, the Caribbean, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In 1844, the first international cricket match took place between the United States and Canada (although neither has ever been ranked as a Test-playing nation).
In 1859, a team of England players went on the first overseas tour (to North America). The first Australian team to tour overseas was a team of Aboriginal stockmen who travelled to England in 1868 to play matches against county teams. In 1862, an English team made the first tour of Australia and in 1876–77, an England team took part in the first-ever Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Australia.
W.G. Grace started his long career in 1865; his career is often said to have revolutionised the sport. The rivalry between England and Australia gave birth to The Ashes in 1882 and this has remained Test cricket's most famous contest. Test cricket began to expand in 1888–89 when South Africa played England. The last two decades before the First World War have been called the "Golden Age of cricket". It is a nostalgic name prompted by the collective sense of loss resulting from the war, but the period did produce some great players and memorable matches, especially as organised competition at county and Test level developed.
The inter-war years were dominated by one player: Australia's Don Bradman, statistically the greatest batsman of all time. It was the determination of the England team to overcome his skill that brought about the infamous Bodyline series in 1932–33, particularly from the accurate short-pitched bowling of Harold Larwood. Test cricket continued to expand during the 20th century with the addition of the West Indies, India, and New Zealand before the Second World War and then Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh in the post-war period. However, South Africa was banned from international cricket from 1970 to 1992 because of its government's apartheid policy.
Cricket entered a new era in 1963 when English counties introduced the limited overs variant. As it was sure to produce a result, limited overs cricket was lucrative and the number of matches increased. The first Limited Overs International was played in 1971. The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) saw its potential and staged the first limited overs Cricket World Cup in 1975. In the 21st century, a new limited overs form, Twenty20, has made an immediate impact.

India's all-time low

2012-07-01T06:09:00.000-07:00

At Lord's in 1974, India were bowled out in a little over an hour for 42, in a series which started full of promise but soon fell apart

When England and India start their four-match series next week, the clash between two of the leading sides in Test cricket is eagerly anticipated. A genuinely appealing contest is ahead of us, and not one artificially pumped up by media hype, which surrounds even the most mundane of tours there days.

Back in 1974, the English media adopted a low-key, almost comatose, approach to anything other than Ashes summers, but despite that India were an intriguing proposition and many predicted a close series.

India arrived in a bitterly cold England in April as the leading side in the world. In the previous three years they had won series in the Caribbean and England, and then defeated England at home. Their superb quartet of spinners (Bishan Bedi, Chandrasekhar, Prasanna and Venkat) backed by some top batsmen (Sunil Gavaskar, Ajit Wadekar, Gundappa Viswanath) made them a formidable team, albeit one lacking any real seam prowess. West Indies and Australia were rebuilding, while England, on the back of a drawn series in the West Indies the previous winter, were considered by many to be running India a close second.

Ten of India's 12 three-day warm-up matches were drawn, largely because of what Wisden described as "outrageously unkind" cold, wet weather, which was a hallmark of the summer. Only in the last two games, against Essex and Surrey, did the tourists win, and unexpectedly it was seam bowler Abid Ali who did much of the damage on both occasions.

In the first Test, at a damp and chilly Old Trafford, India lost by 113 runs. The total attendance of 19,700 over the five days was the lowest recorded in England for a five-day Test. India's performance was lacklustre, and their spinners failed to cope with alien conditions.

They won the two tour matches ahead of the second Test at Lord's, although Imran Khan caused them more than a few problems by making 160 for Cambridge and Oxford Universities.

Geoff Arnold and Chris Old celebrate India's rout © Getty Images

All the talk in the build-up to the game centred on the England selectors' decision to drop an out-of-form Geoff Boycott in favour of David Lloyd. It was the start of three years of largely self-imposed international exile for Boycott.

At Lord's, finally the sun came out, but on the plumbest of pitches England made hay after winning the toss and piled up 629 with hundreds from Dennis Amiss, Tony Greig and captain Mike Denness. It could have been worse for India - at one stage on the second afternoon England had been 571 for 4.

India's three-pronged spin attack - Venkat was the one to miss out - was mauled. Bedi became only the third bowler to concede 200 runs in an innings in a Test in England, finishing with 6 for 226, while the overall figures for the trio were 8 for 425. Bhagwat Chandrasekhar only bowled 10 overs after damaging a finger. Wadekar was questioned in the press for his reluctance to use Abid Ali, and for almost blanking Eknath Solkar, who bowled six overs with the new ball on the first morning and was not called upon again.

When India replied, they cruised to 131 for 0 - Gavaskar and Farokh Engineer batting without a care in the world in front of a sun-drenched crowd on the Saturday morning. The small Ladbrokes tent at the Nursery End offered 6-4 for the draw, and few believed there would be any other result.

Although Gavaskar fell shortly before lunch, there was no cause for alarm in the Indian camp. And yet, from then on wickets fell regularly, largely because of poor shot selection and a strategy of playing shots rather than settling down to play for the draw. "There was something reckless about the way several got out," wrote John Woodcock in the Cricketer. "I am all for adventure by that has to be tempered by judgement." India were bowled out minutes before the close for 302 - a deficit of 327 - and asked to follow on, ended on 2 for 0.

With the pitch remaining true, the fourth day, which was after a rest day on Sunday, was expected to be another one that favoured the batsmen. However, the Monday morning was overcast and humid, offering markedly different conditions to those on the first three days, and in front of a small crowd England's seam pairing of Chris Old and Geoff Arnold wreaked havoc, skittling India for 42.

Indian fans take over the temporarily roofless Mound Stand on the hot Saturday afternoon of the Lord's Test © PA Photos

"The ball didn't do as much in the air as everybody thought, but it certainly went off the pitch," said Arnold, who started the rout with 4 for 8 in his first four overs. "Obviously what happened was that it had sweated under the covers overnight and greened up just enough to give the ball the sort of purchase I needed. It was amazing really. Just one of those days." He was not even in the original starting XI, only coming in when Bob Willis pulled out on the eve of the game with a strained back.

In the second over Engineer, who had top-scored with 86 in the first innings, perished leg-before to a straight one from Arnold, who had put doubt in his mind with an awayswinger followed by an inswinger before the ball that held its line.

An over later India were 5 for 2 when Wadekar was completely cleaned up by Old, and soon after, Arnold dismissed Viswanath courtesy of a low catch in front of first slip by Alan Knott.

While several batsmen perished to poor strokes, Brijesh Patel, in superb form in the county matches but cruelly exposed against the moving ball in the Tests, was undone by a snorter from Arnold that moved away and lifted; Knott took his second catch to leave India 14 for 4.

While Gavaskar remained, the previously noisy Indian contingent in the Mound Stand had hope, but he was trapped back in his crease by an Arnold inswinger to leave India 25 for 5, and after that it was a procession.

Old, operating from the Nursery End with a slight breeze behind him, polished off the innings by bowling Prasanna and Bedi with successive deliveries, but was deprived of a hat-trick opportunity when Chandrasekhar, still nursing an injured thumb, opted not to bat. In 65 minutes and 15 overs, India had lost nine wickets for 40. Old, who finished with a Test-best 5 for 21, ended with a burst of 4 for 6 in 17 balls.

Solkar was left marooned on 18 not out, his innings including a bouncer on the head from Old and then a hooked six the next delivery, when the bowler dug in another one.

As Arnold and Old posed on the pavilion balcony for press photos, Wadekar did not even allow his players time to sit down and change, forcing them back to the Nursery End for a long net session. When he finally faced the journalists, he admitted, "we have fallen a long way today before some fine seam bowling".

"On Sunday I thought we were only halfway through this fight," admitted Denness. "I certainly never expected anything like this."

Brijesh Patel is caught by Alan Knott off Arnold for 1 as India's innings falls apart © PA Photos

Gavaskar said it was simply that "Arnold and Old bowled five good balls which got our five top batsman out... after that there was no resistance from the tailenders."

Jack Bailey, the MCC secretary, was left facing angry spectators, who had paid for a full day. "We are always sorry when a match finishes early," he told the Daily Express, but he dismissed suggestions the teams should have played a beer match. "We tried it some years ago and it was found the cricket was so anti-climactic that neither the crowd or spectators found it entertaining."

"To Indians in India this might seem like the end of the golden age," Woodcock wrote in the Times. "Having become accustomed to success, they will not have cared to hear India had been bowled out for the lowest score they had ever made and the lowest ever to be made in a Lord's Test."

In the Cricketer, former England captain Tony Lewis said India's problems "might have been technical in conditions which favoured movement off the pitch, but the psychological test of replying to a total of 629 surely underlay their difficulties. In that case everything must go right. All the clichés of a dressing room must be realised - or else the trough is deep and pitch dark. India fell headlong down the familiar slope of despondency."

But Wisden pulled few punches. "Basically, [India's] batting was not much weaker than in 1971… but collectively [it] was too weak and brittle to be able to hold its own at international level. As captain, Wadekar had obviously used up all his luck in building up his hitherto unbeaten record."

What happened next?

England routed India in the final Test, at Edgbaston, scoring 459 for 2 and bowling India for 165 and 216 to win the match by an innings and 67 runs, and in so doing completing a 3-0 series whitewash
England, buoyed by this and a hard-fought drawn series against Pakistan, headed to Australia with media expectations they would be able to defend the Ashes. They were crushed 4-1 and blown away by the pace of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson
Wadekar was sacked as captain and retired soon after, while Denness was fired after losing the first Test of the following summer to Australia

Is there an incident from the past you would like to know more about? Email us with your comments and suggestions.

Photo

2012-07-01T06:07:00.000-07:00

800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Waqar Younis 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sourav Ganguly 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Younis Khan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Shoaib Malik 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sohail Tanvir 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Team Australia with the Future Cup 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Murali Kartik 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Graeme Swann 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Owais Shah 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ryan Sidebottom 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Alastair Cook 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Dilhara Fernando 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Farveez Maharoof, Man-of-the-match, 1st ODI 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Inzamam-ul-Haq 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

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2012-01-21T12:52:00.001-08:00

800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Waqar Younis 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sourav Ganguly 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Younis Khan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Shoaib Malik 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sohail Tanvir 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Team Australia with the Future Cup 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Murali Kartik 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Graeme Swann 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Owais Shah 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ryan Sidebottom 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Alastair Cook 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Dilhara Fernando 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Farveez Maharoof, Man-of-the-match, 1st ODI 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Inzamam-ul-Haq 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

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2012-01-21T12:51:00.001-08:00

Yuvraj Singh, winner T20 batting 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Lasith Malinga, winner ODI bowling 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kumar Sangakkara, winner Test batting 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Irfan Pathan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Team India after their historic Test win 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Harbhajan Singh 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Andrew Symonds 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Mahela Jayawardene 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	MG Vandort 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Anil Kumble 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	AB de Villiers 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Jacques Kallis 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Wasim Jaffer 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kamran Akmal 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	VVS Laxman 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

Wallpaper

2012-01-21T12:49:00.001-08:00

Shivnarine Chanderpaul 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Virender Sehwag 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Hashim Amla 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Victorious England team with the Trophy 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Stephen Fleming 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Stephen Fleming 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Andrew Strauss 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Indian Team with the CB series trophy 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ajitesh Argal and Virat Kohli 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Victorious Indian Under-19 Team 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kumar Sangakkara 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Shaun Pollock retires from international cricket 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



RP Singh, winner T20 bowling 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Adam Gilchrist, winner ODI batting 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Zaheer Khan, winner Test bowling 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

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2012-01-21T12:48:00.001-08:00

800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sachin Tendulkar 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sourav Ganguly 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Sourav Ganguly 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Suresh Raina 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kevin Pietersen 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Zaheer Khan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ajantha Mendis 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sir Don Bradman 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Shahid Afridi 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Shaun Marsh 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Suresh Raina 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Sohail Tanvir 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sanath Jayasuriya 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kumar Sangakkara 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

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2012-01-21T12:47:00.001-08:00

Simon Katich 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ricky Ponting 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Victorious Pakistan team with the Trophy 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Shahid Afridi 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Tillakaratne Dilshan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	AB de Villiers 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Team South Africa 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Team Pakistan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Team West Indies 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Team Sri Lanka 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Virender Sehwag 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ishant Sharma 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Jason Krejza 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	VVS Laxman 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Anil Kumble 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

TOUR FIXTURE OF INDIA

2012-01-21T12:05:00.000-08:00

4th Test: Australia v India at Adelaide
Jan 24-28, 2012 (10:30 local | 00:00 GMT | 05:30 IST)

1st T20I: Australia v India at Sydney
Feb 1, 2012 (19:35 local | 08:35 GMT | 14:05 IST)

2nd T20I: Australia v India at Melbourne
Feb 3, 2012 (19:35 local | 08:35 GMT | 14:05 IST)

Australia v India at Melbourne
Feb 5, 2012 (14:20 local | 03:20 GMT | 08:50 IST)

India v Sri Lanka at Perth
Feb 8, 2012 (12:20 local | 04:20 GMT | 09:50 IST)

Yadav stands tall amid the rubble

2012-01-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

If the Indian batsmen can finally deliver in Adelaide, Yadav might, for a change, have some cushion to work

Umesh Yadav does not speak English. However, he can bowl fast - for an Indian - and move the ball too. His first press conference in Australia was on the day Michael Hussey had been given out caught behind without having touched the ball. The Australian press was annoyed at the absence of DRS, and wanted answers from anybody who represented India. There was rage in the press box and commentary booths.

Yadav had bowled to Ricky Ponting in front of a 70,000-plus Boxing Day crowd with more poise than he fronted up to the press. It didn't help that he has no media training or translators. One of the Indian journalists was asked to translate what he said. Yadav was asked why his side didn't want the DRS. "I don't know," he said. What he meant was he didn't know what to say, but he had frozen. It is credit to the newspapers here that it didn't get reported out of context.

The next time Yadav attended a press conference he had taken five wickets at the WACA. But on the same day, India lost four second-innings wickets, which had sealed the fate of the match and the series. Yadav was asked that day was if it felt bad that his maiden five-for was coming in a big defeat, about Sachin Tendulkar's unusual reaction at being given out lbw and other angry questions.

On a disastrous tour, Yadav's good days have been overshadowed by other bigger events. Under the shadow of the bigger picture is India's rare positive from this tour. If this whole series was played at Lord's, Yadav would be the only Indian on the honours board. Clearly, he is more at home doing what he does than talking of what he does.

Yadav is fit, strong, quick, and gets the ball to swing late. More importantly, he attacks the stumps, and doesn't wait for edges. Eleven of his 21 Test wickets have been bowled. Another has been lbw. Five matches is a short career for a bigger statistical analysis, but it is worth mentioning that he takes a wicket every 39.2 balls. It is not at large odds with his overall first-class strike-rate of 46.8. Attacking the stumps also leaves less control on the run flow, which shows in his economy rate of 4.24 in Tests.

This kind of bowling doesn't usually sit well with MS Dhoni, but thankfully, Yadav has been given the licence to bowl quick, and because of his good flowing action he looks the likeliest man to buck the Indian trend of bowlers losing their pace after a good, quick start.

Zaheer Khan said of Yadav: "The way he is bowling I am very happy. The way he is taking the responsibility. I think that freedom is important for him. At this age, especially four-five Test matches in, you are allowed to make mistakes. What is important is how you are approaching the game. What attitude you bring to the ground. I am very happy with his attitude. He is a wicket-taker, so that is what his job will be."

In other attacks, the mistakes Zaheer spoke about can remain inconspicuous. Yadav, though, is part of an Indian attack that doesn't always complement him with control from the other end. He has also been part of a unit whose plans were dated: they tried to bounce Ponting out at the MCG, which is a throwback to 2009-10.

Yadav is hardly a finished article. He can get carried away with the short ball, he was ineffective in Sydney, but already he has shown the best grasp among Indians of what length needs to be bowled on pitches that have helped seam movement and swing.

As India look to salvage something in the series, Adelaide promises to be the biggest test in Yadav's short career. The pitch will be flatter, the opposition is on a high, but if the Indian batsmen can finally deliver, Yadav might, for a change, have some cushion to work with.

Long odds for injury-hit India

2011-07-31T04:50:00.000-07:00

Big Picture

England's comprehensive victory at Lord's, with a performance hailed by their captain as "outstanding", has put them one step closer to the much-desired No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings. Some are already proclaiming them the best team in the world, irrespective of what the rankings say. Others suggest they aren't yet, and that judgment should be withheld until later in the series, given India's remarkable knack of bouncing back after defeats in series-openers.

An injury-hit India presents England with a great opportunity to settle the debate. MS Dhoni's side is crippled by the loss of arguably their most influential player, Zaheer Khan, due to a hamstring problem.

What will make it worse is if Gautam Gambhir, who is still recovering from a blow to the elbow he took in the first Test, joins the injury list. While India at least have a couple of back-up quick bowlers to choose from to replace Zaheer, Gambhir's absence could end up upsetting the batting configuration. One of three makeshift openers will have to be employed - Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid or Wriddhiman Saha - and the experienced middle order, India's biggest strength, could be exposed early to the swinging ball.

England start as favourites in Trent Bridge, but as India have repeatedly shown, they are a surprisingly resilient side, regularly managing to circumvent problems caused by their relatively weak bowling line-up. Can they do it once again?

Harbhajan Singh's place in the XI has rarely come under the scanner, especially after his ascension to the lead spinner's role after the retirement of Anil Kumble nearly three years ago. Now, though, questions are being asked after a run-of-the-mill performance in the Caribbean was followed up with a 1 for 218 at Lord's. While the track for the first Test didn't offer much for the spinners, Harbhajan's inability to keep the runs down hurt a Zaheer-less India. He needs three more caps to complete 100 Tests, a milestone he may not reach in this series unless he turns his form around.

At Trent Bridge four years ago, Matt Prior's career hit one of its lows when he faced a barrage of criticism for the infamous jelly bean saga. Now he returns to the venue acclaimed by some as the best Test wicketkeeper-batsman in the world. With four centuries in the past year and an average that has soared to the mid-forties, Prior has made quite a convincing case.

Team news

The most settled side in world cricket, England's only concern is the hamstring problem that is troubling their tall fast bowler Chris Tremlett. Andrew Strauss is confident Tremlett will be fit to play but even if he isn't, there's a ready replacement in Tim Bresnan. The rest of the XI are certain picks.

England 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Andrew Strauss (capt), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Chris Tremlett/Tim Bresnan, 11 James Anderson

India have more to ponder. The good news for Indian fans is Sachin Tendulkar has recovered from the viral fever that troubled him in the first Test. The bad news is that Zaheer is out and Gambhir could join him on the sidelines. Sreesanth is likely to get his first Test since Cape Town six months ago, and Yuvraj Singh could get yet another shot at reviving his Test career.

India 1 Abhinav Mukund, 2 Gautam Gambhir/Yuvraj Singh, 3 Rahul Dravid, 4 Sachin Tendulkar, 5 VVS Laxman, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Praveen Kumar, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Sreesanth

Pitch and conditions

This is a ground that is famous for its swing, and teams have struggled to score big in recent years. India's phalanx of experienced batsmen can expect a thorough workout against an on-song England pace attack.

The clouds are expected to stay away this week, with warm and dry weather forecast.

Stats and trivia

Trent Bridge has been one of the most challenging Test venues for batsmen since 2005, with only Sabina Park having a lower runs-per-wicket ratio.
James Anderson has an outstanding record at Trent Bridge, bagging 28 wickets at 15.89 in four Tests
In this match, Tendulkar will become the first man to play 100 away Tests. The next person on the list is Rahul Dravid with 87 overseas Tests.

For a full stats analysis, click here.

Quotes

"We don't want to look at the negatives, we want to look at the positives, this will give a chance for someone to become a hero."
MS Dhoni makes light of the injuries to key India players
"If we can make it 2-0 here this week we are in a brilliant position to win the series. We aren't looking at Edgbaston or The Oval."
Andrew Strauss is focusing on the here and now

A Dravid day at Trent Bridge

2011-07-31T04:48:00.000-07:00

In the toughest conditions of the series so far, he has come through as the toughest batsman on both sides

The grey skies at the start of the Nottingham Test had slotted first day into what English cricket folk call a "bowling day"; as the clouds parted on Saturday and sunlight flowed over Trent Bridge, naturally it was the advent of that other phenomenon: "batting day."

For this Test match, surely, they needn't have bothered with the descriptives. In terms of batsmanship, the first two days of the Trent Bridge Test have both just been, quite simply, Dravid Days.

The wicket at Trent Bridge is known for its propensity to swing. The theories behind that phenomenon include the Duke's ball, the new stands built at the ground, the airflow around them, the neighbouring river Trent, the sky, the clouds, the weather, everything and nothing. Wherever the swing came from, Rahul Dravid's response to it, and his second Test century of the tour, came from skill, memory and cussedness.

In the toughest conditions of the series so far, Dravid has come through as the toughest batsman in either side. In passages of play when the bowling has been unrelenting and spells in which the ball has darted, jagged, leapt and thrown flying kisses at the bat's edge, Dravid has been instinct and calculation in perfect sync.

With this 34th century, he has now drawn level with Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara, to go with his No. 2 spot on the list of all-time Test run-scorers. If there ever was a poll conducted to identify the most hardy and considerate of international batsmen of this age, Dravid has a very good chance of topping it. In this series already, he has done whatever he is capable of: opened, batted at No. 3, kept wickets, fielded at slips - and he will say with his droll humour, also dropped a few. Asked a question about his ability to bowl after his century, he laughed and said, "If I bowl, my shoulder will come out off my back."

Rahul Dravid was dismissed after century No. 34, which draws him level with Sunil Gavaskar and Brian Lara

On this tour of England, it is a shoulder his team has leaned heavily upon. Of all the India batsmen, he has adjusted the quickest in England, looked the most composed and scored the most heavily. India still find themselves gasping because he has had very little company. He was out in an outrageously flashy manner, a wild, short-game cut off Tim Bresnan, as out of place in his innings as pink hot pants would be at an awards presentation. Given that his partners had been unpredictable in the last 10 minutes, and four wickets had fallen for six runs, it was hard to blame him for going for broke.

It is worth remembering that his first-innings century at Lord's had been rendered paltry because of a similar effort from the rest. So maybe, if Dravid is seen attempting reverse hits or Dilscoops at The Oval, we'll know how the Indian batting has gone in the rest of the Test matches. After Harbhajan Singh was out, he said he wanted to go for the runs, the extra 20-25 runs that could all add up at the end. Essentially, Dravid wanted to borrow from Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann's ninth-wicket approach on Friday. "I thought let me do what they did and the first one I tried went into third man's hands ... that's just Test cricket, it happens."

Dravid's second century of the tour had begun with a bruising hour of play on Friday evening. He was hit on his wrist, jammed in the fingers, worked out, worked over. He had kept batting through two more sessions, sometimes hobbling, sometimes cramping but always pushing forward. He was hit in the wrist again this morning, and after the initial spasm, his hand lost sensation for a few overs. What Dravid never lost was the purpose of what he had to do: bat one ball at a time.

In his epic innings - and he's one of the few who has produced regular epics as against memorable stanzas - Dravid can often bat like a clock that ticks over reliably. Tap. Single. Back again. Forward. Defend. Dot ball. Beaten. Dot ball. Forget. Off stump. Leave. Dot ball. Late. Nudge. Two. Soft hands. Kill. Dot ball. Width. Cut. Four. Ball after ball, over after over. The craftsmanship does not lie on the surface. Dravid's batting is not the stylish face of the clock, it's the moving parts inside. He called Nottingham one of his better hundreds because of the "hard-working, fighting" aspects of it that he said he "really enjoyed". He said the conditions in Headingley back in 2002, when India batted first on a green track to put up a total that set up victory, were tougher, but the bowling in 2011 was far more demanding and precise.

He emerged with VVS Laxman on a bright morning and within three overs they cracked four consecutive boundaries. Two each, off rare lapses from Anderson and Broad, that erased the dread that had built up last evening among the small but vociferous Indian fans at the ground.

Dravid called the hundred one of his better ones, terming it a "hard-working, fighting" knock

The partnership hummed along like it always has, at varying paces. The two men farmed the attack cleverly, Dravid facing Broad and Laxman against Anderson, with few singles, several twos and the quick boundary at a juicy sighter. Laxman melted the conditions - driving, pulling and cutting savagely to score his second half-century of the series. At the other end, Dravid was in his own bubble of concentration, found often at the non-striker's end shadow-practising the leave as much as he did the forward defence. Andrew Strauss's team believes it's all the leaving from Dravid that the England line-up should take a cue from when they bat on Sunday.

Broad later said Dravid's wicket, off Bresnan, had been his favourite in a day when they fell in a clatter and had included his stunning hat-trick. "He [Dravid] has been so hard to bowl at in this series." Dravid's game is based on technical classicism and attached to it is the awareness of how valuable a wicket can be. Unlike items on the English retail market right now, Dravid's wicket in this series is not going to be on discount sale.

In Nottingham, there was measured driving, his runs earned by tucking balls away off the pads, countering the swing by playing the ball late and easing them through to third man. Closer to his century, the new ball nearing, Dravid saw the slower bowlers and the sun come on, and decided to show off the rest of his repertoire of shots: a back-foot cover drive, a glide through slips, and Swann, in particular, was taken apart, going for 42 in 37 balls to Dravid.

After more than six hours of batting against the swinging, darting ball, Dravid put all the acclaim in perspective. "I played and missed a lot in this game. I could have nicked the first one and people would have said he's not leaving well. When you get beaten you have to fight back. You have to say, 'As long as I'm here, I'm going to make it count,' and not try to do something silly."

If Dravid's batting this series was to be set to music, it could possibly be to Elgar, in both its pomp and circumstance. This is his last tour of England, a country where he has always enjoyed playing his cricket; he has scored five centuries (average 73.18) here and soaked in its best traditions. His grim, beautiful fights in these two Tests for India have also carried with them gratitude for the grounds he is playing on.

In Nottingham as he tried to push his team ahead in the contest run by run, inch by inch, he was also giving the crowd his farewell masterpiece. Dismissed in an unDravid-esque manner, he walked back through stretching shadows and the golden light of a dipping sun. Having shaken off his own annoyance at his dismissal, he raised his bat to all sections of Trent Bridge as he neared the gate. Then he disappeared up the steps into a pavilion that is 125 years old, with an honours board that will have his name up a second time. When Rahul Dravid leaves Nottingham, he will leave a part of his best self here.

How have India remained No. 1 this long?

2011-07-31T04:45:00.000-07:00

The credit goes to MS Dhoni, who has shrewdly managed with a thin attack, but leaving England with their top billing intact is the team's biggest challenge

For Dhoni, winning the series in England, with Sehwag and Zaheer not available at crucial times, will be a bigger achievement than the World Cup success

The surprise is not that India could lose their No. 1 Test ranking but rather how they managed to retain it so long.

At the time when India reached the No. 1 spot they didn't have the look of a long-term resident. Unlike the two previous teams that held the top ranking for lengthy periods, India do not have a strong bowling attack. West Indies and Australia not only had four top-class bowlers in their sides, but also a couple of replacements who would have been frontline bowlers in most other Test teams.

India have mostly only fielded three good Test bowlers. Zaheer Khan is undoubtedly the leader of the attack, and Ishant Sharma and Harbhajan Singh have provided occasional glimpses of class, but both are inconsistent. Sreesanth, as he was at Trent Bridge, can be both devastating and disappointing on the same day.

Despite an exceptionally strong batting line-up, India, because their attack has never been dominant, have always given the appearance of being a squatter rather than an owner.

So how have India survived so long at No. 1? The attacking threat of Virender Sehwag has helped enormously. However, a large chunk of India's success can be put down to the shrewd manoeuvring of the captain MS Dhoni.

Dhoni has managed to get the best out of his bowlers. When Zaheer has been out with injury, Dhoni has still found a way to mix and match well enough to beat the opposition. It has helped that Zaheer was available for the toughest challenges against Australia and South Africa. So it's no surprise that with him missing from most of the action at Lord's, India struggled against a strong England side.

Lord's provided India with a double-whammy because Sehwag was also missing. The fact that Dhoni inserted the opposition at Lord's is an indication of how much Sehwag means to India. It was also probably the first sign that even the strong-minded Dhoni was starting to doubt India's bowling. He must have felt that India's underdone attack, especially Zaheer, who was returning from injury, would need all the help they could get, and consequently bowled first under cloudy skies.

Any doubts a captain might have, no matter how hard he tries to disguise them, will show up somewhere in his actions. His own team will most likely suspect he has doubts, and the opposition, if they're any good, will be sure of it.



	Dhoni is nothing if not a fighter but the odds are mounting. In the field, his ageing side has bigger cracks than a slip zone; his own keeping has regressed enormously and his bowlers are susceptible to attack

England were quickly aware of Dhoni's doubts. After proceeding cautiously, they pounced when the time was right. A hungry cheetah couldn't have done a better job of plotting and executing the kill.

In keeping India at the top for so long, Dhoni has well and truly fulfilled the most important role of a captain. He has made his team better and got the best out of the players.

However, with Zaheer injured, Sehwag missing, Harbhajan waning and an ageing fielding side gifting runs, Dhoni is currently like the boy at the dyke; every time he plugs a leak another appears.

He managed to plug another hole by giving his bowlers first opportunity on a favourable surface at Trent Bridge. However, the doubts crept in near the end of England's innings, and once again India are fighting to cling to their No. 1 ranking.

Dhoni is nothing if not a fighter but the odds are mounting. In the field, his ageing side has bigger cracks than a slip zone; his own keeping has regressed enormously and his bowlers are susceptible to attack.

England are aware of the bowlers' weaknesses, and will take every opportunity to exploit it. If Dhoni can keep this series level until the cavalry arrives, i.e. Sehwag and Zaheer, he will have performed a captaincy miracle.

To date Dhoni's greatest achievement as Indian captain has been to guide the team to a magnificent World Cup victory. If his team is still at the top of the Test rankings after this series with England, he will have surpassed that monumental achievement.

Source: Espncricinfo

England question Hot Spot accuracy

2011-07-31T04:43:00.000-07:00

England were unimpressed when a review against VVS Laxman was turned down

In a series where a half-baked DRS is being used after Hawk-Eye was made optional, England are unconvinced by the Hot Spot technology after they were sure VVS Laxman had edged a delivery but the third umpire couldn't overturn the decision.

England were trying to force any early wicket on the second morning when James Anderson and the slips were convinced Laxman had got a thin edge which led to Andrew Strauss calling for a review. However, the Hot Spot camera didn't show any white mark on the bat and despite the third umpire, Billy Bowden, saying he could hear a sound there wasn't enough evidence for him to suggest to Asad Rauf that he should change his call.

It led to a small confrontation between Laxman and Kevin Pietersen, but while that was soon nipped in the bud Broad admitted the players are beginning to have reservations about the part of DRS that is now the mandatory requirement.

"All of our players thought that was quite a clear edge and Hot Spot hasn't really shown up the faint edges which is a bit of a flaw I think," he said. "There was a question of what it hit and the answer wasn't what KP thought it was."

There is a suggestion that using Vaseline on the edge of a bat makes it difficult for the Hot Spot cameras to detect an edge, but Broad confirmed for himself that Laxman had used nothing on his equipment. "I actually had a cheeky feel of his edge when the ball went past, but there's no Vaseline or anything on there," he admitted. "I think it's just Hot Spot, we've found the really faint edges don't show up. It's just one of those things."

The DRS can only be used for catches in this series after an agreement between the teams that it wouldn't be implemented for any element of lbws following the ruling at the ICC meetings in Hong Kong last month to make ball-tracking optional. India are very sceptical of the accuracy of the Hawk-Eye technology, but England have always said they would prefer the full system to be used.

They have experienced both sides of the current set-up during this Test. In the first innings Alastair Cook was lbw to a delivery passing over the stumps but on the second day they benefited from the lack of reviews when Harbhajan Singh, the middle victim of Broad's hat-trick, was given leg before despite a big inside edge. In the previous Test at Lord's, Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina survived lbw shouts that would have been overturned with the full DRS. Overall, though, the standard of on-field umpiring in the two Tests has been outstanding.

Although the potential flashpoint at Laxman's survival didn't escalate there was an England player who found himself in trouble. Graeme Swann was reprimanded by the ICC after kicking off the bails in frustrating at the end of his 12th and final over during a tough day with the ball where he conceded 76 runs.

Swann is the second player to be pulled up by the ICC on the opening two days of this match after Praveen Kumar was fined 20% of his match fee on Friday, following an outburst at Marais Erasmus, when an lbw appeal against Pietersen which was turned down.

Source: Espncricinfo

England hopeful of Trott's fitness

2011-07-31T04:42:00.000-07:00

England are waiting on Jonathan Trott's fitness after he injured his shoulder while fielding

England are hopeful that Jonathan Trott will be able to play a part in their second innings at Trent Bridge even though the batsman left the ground in a sling following a nasty injury at mid-off.

Trott dived to stop a drive from Rahul Dravid in the 48th over of the innings and it was immediately clear he was in trouble as he stayed on the ground and team-mates called for the physio. Initially it appeared it may have been a dislocation, but he made his own way off.

Subsequent scans at hospital showed no bone damage and a decision will be taken in the morning whether he bats although it's unlikely to be in the top order.

"It was quite an awkward one," Stuart Broad said. "He dived for the ball and his shoulder got caught in the turf and the momentum of his body went over on it. He was in quite a bit of pain, he's been for a scan and I don't think it's shown any major structural damage it's just very sore.

"Hopefully he'll sleep well and pull up okay, but I can't imagine him batting in the top six he'll probably need a bit of time. Hopefully he can play a part tomorrow or the next day."

In Trott's absence Ian Bell came in at No. 3 on the second evening after Alastair Cook fell cheaply and survived to the close alongside Andrew Strauss. However, England will need all their batting resources as they aim to overhaul India's lead of 67 and set a testing fourth-innings target. Graeme Swann is also carrying an injury on his left hand after being struck on the opening day by Praveen Kumar and didn't field in his normal position at slip.

"We are fighting hard in this Test and it will be a massive day tomorrow," Broad said. "We need to bat big and one guy needs to get a big hundred then we are right in the game because bowling last on that wicket could be an advantage for us."

Source: Espncricinfo

Cricket schedule for West Indies

2011-07-31T04:08:00.001-07:00

Date	Against	Match	Series	Location

Cricket schedule for Sri Lanka

2011-07-31T04:05:00.000-07:00

Date	Against	Match	Series	Location
06 Aug, 11 Saturday 10:00 AM	Australia	T20(1/2)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Pallekele,Sri Lanka
08 Aug, 11 Monday 10:00 AM	Australia	T20(2/2)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Pallekele,Sri Lanka
10 Aug, 11 Wednesday 10:00 AM	Australia	ODI(1/5)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Pallekele,Sri Lanka
14 Aug, 11 Sunday 02:30 PM	Australia	ODI(2/5)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Hambantota,Sri Lanka
16 Aug, 11 Tuesday 02:30 PM	Australia	ODI(3/5)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Hambantota,Sri Lanka
20 Aug, 11 Saturday 10:00 AM	Australia	ODI(4/5)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Colombo,Sri Lanka
22 Aug, 11 Monday 10:00 AM	Australia	ODI(5/5)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Colombo,Sri Lanka
31 Aug, 11 Wednesday 10:00 AM	Australia	Test(1/3)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Galle,Sri Lanka
08 Sep, 11 Thursday 10:00 AM	Australia	Test(2/3)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Pallekele,Sri Lanka
16 Sep, 11 Friday 10:00 AM	Australia	Test(3/3)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Colombo,Sri Lanka
15 Dec, 11 Thursday 02:00 PM	South Africa	Test(1/3)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Centurion,South Africa
26 Dec, 11 Monday 01:30 PM	South Africa	Test(2/3)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Durban,South Africa
03 Jan, 12 Tuesday 02:00 PM	South Africa	Test(3/3)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Cape Town,South Africa
11 Jan, 12 Wednesday 06:00 PM	South Africa	ODI(1/5)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Paarl,South Africa
14 Jan, 12 Saturday 01:30 PM	South Africa	ODI(2/5)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	East London,South Africa
17 Jan, 12 Tuesday 06:00 PM	South Africa	ODI(3/5)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Bloemfontein,South Africa
20 Jan, 12 Friday 06:00 PM	South Africa	ODI(4/5)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Kimberley,South Africa
22 Jan, 12 Sunday 01:30 PM	South Africa	ODI(5/5)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Johannesburg,South Africa
08 Feb, 12 Wednesday 08:50 AM	India	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Perth,Australia
10 Feb, 12 Friday 08:50 AM	Australia	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Perth,Australia
14 Feb, 12 Tuesday 08:50 AM	India	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Adelaide,Australia
17 Feb, 12 Friday 08:50 AM	Australia	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Sydney,Australia
21 Feb, 12 Tuesday 08:50 AM	India	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Brisbane,Australia
24 Feb, 12 Friday 08:50 AM	Australia	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Hobart,Australia
28 Feb, 12 Tuesday 08:50 AM	India	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Hobart,Australia
02 Mar, 12 Friday 08:50 AM	Australia	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Melbourne,Australia

Cricket schedule for South Africa

2011-07-31T03:59:00.000-07:00

Date	Against	Match	Series	Location
13 Oct, 11 Thursday 09:30 PM	Australia	T20(1/2)	S Africa vs Australia	Cape Town,South Africa
16 Oct, 11 Sunday 06:00 PM	Australia	T20(2/2)	S Africa vs Australia	Johannesburg,South Africa
19 Oct, 11 Wednesday 06:00 PM	Australia	ODI(1/3)	S Africa vs Australia	Centurion,South Africa
23 Oct, 11 Sunday 01:30 PM	Australia	ODI(2/3)	S Africa vs Australia	Port Elizabeth,South Africa
28 Oct, 11 Friday 06:00 PM	Australia	ODI(3/3)	S Africa vs Australia	Durban,South Africa
09 Nov, 11 Wednesday 02:00 PM	Australia	Test(1/2)	S Africa vs Australia	Cape Town,South Africa
17 Nov, 11 Thursday 01:30 PM	Australia	Test(2/2)	S Africa vs Australia	Johannesburg,South Africa
15 Dec, 11 Thursday 02:00 PM	Sri Lanka	Test(1/3)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Centurion,South Africa
26 Dec, 11 Monday 01:30 PM	Sri Lanka	Test(2/3)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Durban,South Africa
03 Jan, 12 Tuesday 02:00 PM	Sri Lanka	Test(3/3)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Cape Town,South Africa
11 Jan, 12 Wednesday 06:00 PM	Sri Lanka	ODI(1/5)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Paarl,South Africa
14 Jan, 12 Saturday 01:30 PM	Sri Lanka	ODI(2/5)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	East London,South Africa
17 Jan, 12 Tuesday 06:00 PM	Sri Lanka	ODI(3/5)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Bloemfontein,South Africa
20 Jan, 12 Friday 06:00 PM	Sri Lanka	ODI(4/5)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Kimberley,South Africa
22 Jan, 12 Sunday 01:30 PM	Sri Lanka	ODI(5/5)	S Africa vs Sri Lanka	Johannesburg,South Africa
17 Feb, 12 Friday 05:30 AM	New Zealand	T20(1/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Wellington,New Zealand
19 Feb, 12 Sunday 05:30 AM	New Zealand	T20(2/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Auckland,New Zealand
22 Feb, 12 Wednesday 05:30 AM	New Zealand	T20(3/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Hamilton,New Zealand
25 Feb, 12 Saturday 05:30 AM	New Zealand	ODI(1/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Wellington,New Zealand
29 Feb, 12 Wednesday 05:30 AM	New Zealand	ODI(2/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Napier,New Zealand
03 Mar, 12 Saturday 05:30 AM	New Zealand	ODI(3/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Auckland,New Zealand
07 Mar, 12 Wednesday 05:30 AM	New Zealand	Test(1/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Dunedin,New Zealand
15 Mar, 12 Thursday 05:30 AM	New Zealand	Test(2/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Hamilton,New Zealand
23 Mar, 12 Friday 05:30 AM	New Zealand	Test(3/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Wellington,New Zealand

Cricket schedule for Pakistan

2011-07-31T03:54:00.001-07:00

Date	Against	Match	Series	Location

Cricket schedule for New Zealand

2011-07-31T03:52:00.000-07:00

Date	Against	Match	Series	Location
01 Dec, 11 Thursday 05:30 AM	Australia	Test(1/2)	Australia vs New Zealand	Johannesburg,South Africa
10 Dec, 11 Saturday 05:00 AM	Australia	Test(2/2)	Australia vs New Zealand	Johannesburg,South Africa
03 Feb, 12 Friday 05:30 AM	Zimbabwe	ODI(1/3)	New Zealand vs Zimbabwe	Dunedin,New Zealand
06 Feb, 12 Monday 05:30 AM	Zimbabwe	ODI(2/3)	New Zealand vs Zimbabwe	Whangarei,New Zealand
09 Feb, 12 Thursday 05:30 AM	Zimbabwe	ODI(3/3)	New Zealand vs Zimbabwe	Napier,New Zealand
12 Feb, 12 Sunday 05:30 AM	Zimbabwe	T20(1/2)	New Zealand vs Zimbabwe	Auckland,New Zealand
14 Feb, 12 Tuesday 05:30 AM	Zimbabwe	T20(2/2)	New Zealand vs Zimbabwe	Hamilton,New Zealand
17 Feb, 12 Friday 05:30 AM	South Africa	T20(1/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Wellington,New Zealand
19 Feb, 12 Sunday 05:30 AM	South Africa	T20(2/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Auckland,New Zealand
22 Feb, 12 Wednesday 05:30 AM	South Africa	T20(3/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Hamilton,New Zealand
25 Feb, 12 Saturday 05:30 AM	South Africa	ODI(1/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Wellington,New Zealand
29 Feb, 12 Wednesday 05:30 AM	South Africa	ODI(2/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Napier,New Zealand
03 Mar, 12 Saturday 05:30 AM	South Africa	ODI(3/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Auckland,New Zealand
07 Mar, 12 Wednesday 05:30 AM	South Africa	Test(1/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Dunedin,New Zealand
15 Mar, 12 Thursday 05:30 AM	South Africa	Test(2/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Hamilton,New Zealand
23 Mar, 12 Friday 05:30 AM	South Africa	Test(3/3)	New Zealand vs South Africa	Wellington,New Zealand

Cricket schedule for England

2011-07-31T03:48:00.000-07:00

Date	Against	Match	Series	Location
01 Aug, 11 Monday 03:30 PM	India	Test(2/4) Day 4	England vs India	Trent Bridge,England
10 Aug, 11 Wednesday 03:30 PM	India	Test(3/4)	England vs India	Edgbaston,England
18 Aug, 11 Thursday 03:30 PM	India	Test(4/4)	England vs India	Kennington Oval,England
01 Sep, 11 Thursday 12:30 AM	India	T20(1/1)	England vs India	Manchester,England
03 Sep, 11 Saturday 02:45 PM	India	ODI(1/5)	England vs India	Chester-le-Street,England
06 Sep, 11 Tuesday 06:30 PM	India	ODI(2/5)	England vs India	Southampton,England
09 Sep, 11 Friday 06:30 PM	India	ODI(3/5)	England vs India	Kennington Oval,England
11 Sep, 11 Sunday 02:45 PM	India	ODI(4/5)	England vs India	Lords,England
16 Sep, 11 Friday 06:30 PM	India	ODI(5/5)	England vs India	Cardiff,England

Cricket schedule for Australia

2011-07-31T03:37:00.000-07:00

Date	Against	Match	Series	Location
06 Aug, 11 Saturday 10:00 AM	Sri Lanka	T20(1/2)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Pallekele,Sri Lanka
08 Aug, 11 Monday 10:00 AM	Sri Lanka	T20(2/2)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Pallekele,Sri Lanka
10 Aug, 11 Wednesday 10:00 AM	Sri Lanka	ODI(1/5)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Pallekele,Sri Lanka
14 Aug, 11 Sunday 02:30 PM	Sri Lanka	ODI(2/5)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Hambantota,Sri Lanka
16 Aug, 11 Tuesday 02:30 PM	Sri Lanka	ODI(3/5)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Hambantota,Sri Lanka
20 Aug, 11 Saturday 10:00 AM	Sri Lanka	ODI(4/5)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Colombo,Sri Lanka
22 Aug, 11 Monday 10:00 AM	Sri Lanka	ODI(5/5)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Colombo,Sri Lanka
31 Aug, 11 Wednesday 10:00 AM	Sri Lanka	Test(1/3)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Galle,Sri Lanka
08 Sep, 11 Thursday 10:00 AM	Sri Lanka	Test(2/3)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Pallekele,Sri Lanka
16 Sep, 11 Friday 10:00 AM	Sri Lanka	Test(3/3)	Sri Lanka vs Australia	Colombo,Sri Lanka
13 Oct, 11 Thursday 09:30 PM	South Africa	T20(1/2)	S Africa vs Australia	Cape Town,South Africa
16 Oct, 11 Sunday 06:00 PM	South Africa	T20(2/2)	S Africa vs Australia	Johannesburg,South Africa
19 Oct, 11 Wednesday 06:00 PM	South Africa	ODI(1/3)	S Africa vs Australia	Centurion,South Africa
23 Oct, 11 Sunday 01:30 PM	South Africa	ODI(2/3)	S Africa vs Australia	Port Elizabeth,South Africa
28 Oct, 11 Friday 06:00 PM	South Africa	ODI(3/3)	S Africa vs Australia	Durban,South Africa
09 Nov, 11 Wednesday 02:00 PM	South Africa	Test(1/2)	S Africa vs Australia	Cape Town,South Africa
17 Nov, 11 Thursday 01:30 PM	South Africa	Test(2/2)	S Africa vs Australia	Johannesburg,South Africa
01 Dec, 11 Thursday 05:30 AM	New Zealand	Test(1/2)	Australia vs New Zealand	Johannesburg,South Africa
10 Dec, 11 Saturday 05:00 AM	New Zealand	Test(2/2)	Australia vs New Zealand	Johannesburg,South Africa
27 Dec, 11 Tuesday 05:00 AM	India	Test(1/4)	Australia vs India	Melbourne,Australia
04 Jan, 12 Wednesday 05:00 AM	India	Test(2/4)	Australia vs India	Sydney,Australia
13 Jan, 12 Friday 08:00 AM	India	Test(3/4)	Australia vs India	Perth,Australia
24 Jan, 12 Tuesday 05:30 AM	India	Test(4/4)	Australia vs India	Adelaide,Australia
02 Feb, 12 Thursday 01:00 PM	India	T20(1/2)	Australia vs India	Sydney,Australia
05 Feb, 12 Sunday 08:50 AM	India	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Melbourne,Australia
10 Feb, 12 Friday 08:50 AM	Sri Lanka	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Perth,Australia
12 Feb, 12 Sunday 08:50 AM	India	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Adelaide,Australia
17 Feb, 12 Friday 08:50 AM	Sri Lanka	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Sydney,Australia
19 Feb, 12 Sunday 08:50 AM	India	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Brisbane,Australia
24 Feb, 12 Friday 08:50 AM	Sri Lanka	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Hobart,Australia
26 Feb, 12 Sunday 08:50 AM	India	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Sydney,Australia
02 Mar, 12 Friday 08:50 AM	Sri Lanka	ODI	Commonwealth Bank Series	Melbourne,Australia

Yuvraj Singh, winner T20 batting 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Lasith Malinga, winner ODI bowling 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kumar Sangakkara, winner Test batting 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Irfan Pathan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Team India after their historic Test win 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Harbhajan Singh 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Andrew Symonds 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Mahela Jayawardene 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	MG Vandort 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Anil Kumble 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	AB de Villiers 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Jacques Kallis 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Wasim Jaffer 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kamran Akmal 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	VVS Laxman 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

Shivnarine Chanderpaul 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Virender Sehwag 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Hashim Amla 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Victorious England team with the Trophy 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Stephen Fleming 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Stephen Fleming 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Andrew Strauss 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Indian Team with the CB series trophy 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ajitesh Argal and Virat Kohli 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Victorious Indian Under-19 Team 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kumar Sangakkara 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Shaun Pollock retires from international cricket 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



RP Singh, winner T20 bowling 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Adam Gilchrist, winner ODI batting 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Zaheer Khan, winner Test bowling 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

	Sachin Tendulkar 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sourav Ganguly 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Sourav Ganguly 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Suresh Raina 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kevin Pietersen 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Zaheer Khan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ajantha Mendis 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sir Don Bradman 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Shahid Afridi 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Shaun Marsh 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Suresh Raina 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Sohail Tanvir 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sanath Jayasuriya 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Kumar Sangakkara 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Waqar Younis 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sourav Ganguly 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Younis Khan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Shoaib Malik 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sohail Tanvir 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Team Australia with the Future Cup 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Murali Kartik 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Graeme Swann 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Owais Shah 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ryan Sidebottom 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Alastair Cook 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Dilhara Fernando 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Farveez Maharoof, Man-of-the-match, 1st ODI 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Inzamam-ul-Haq 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200

800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Waqar Younis 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sourav Ganguly 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Younis Khan 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Shoaib Malik 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Sohail Tanvir 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Team Australia with the Future Cup 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Murali Kartik 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Graeme Swann 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Owais Shah 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Ryan Sidebottom 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Alastair Cook 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200



Dilhara Fernando 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Farveez Maharoof, Man-of-the-match, 1st ODI 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200	Inzamam-ul-Haq 800x600 \| 1024x768 \| 1600x1200