IPLINFO FROM BALAJIHANDS

England cricketers threaten to boycott Champions Trophy

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:30:00 +0000

London/Karachi: After Australian cricketers expressed apprehensions over travelling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, English players have joined the chorus, threatening to boycott the biennial event.

The English players are planning to revolt against the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) if they are forced to play in Pakistan, according to a media report.

"The Aussies have already come out and expressed their concerns. I'm not a big fan of going to Pakistan. I hope it is not left with the players to make the decision in the end," a senior English player who spoke on condition of anonymity was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph.

Also read: Ponting airs players' worries in going to Pakistan

But England coach Peter Moores played down the situation and said: "We'll wait and see what is said (by the players) and if that's where we are going, we'll take advice from the ECB."

English Players' Association Chief Executive Sean Morris said: "We are working with the ECB on security reports which we will present to the players. Prior to that, there is bound to be a period of uncertainty.

"I met three of the England players and one of the main issues that came up was security arrangements for Champions Trophy. They asked me why the tournament is starting on September 11. It is difficult to answer that question, to be honest," Morris said.

The newspaper said that security expert Reg Dickason, whom Cricket Australia (CA) was planning to send to Pakistan to assess the security situation there, will also report his findings to ECB.

Even New Zealand cricketers have their reservations over touring Pakistan and New Zealand Cricket's (NZC) chief executive officer Justin Vaughan will revisit the issue.

Captain Daniel Vettori had witnessed a bomb blast outside his team hotel when New Zealand toured Pakistan in 2002. But the cricketer felt that it was safe to tour Pakistan if the level of security was the same as when his side toured Pakistan in 2003.

"I was there when the bomb went off outside our hotel (in 2002). I went back a year later on the tour and the security they put forward was immense, and almost overwhelming. I did feel safe throughout that time," Vettori said.

"So if they could promise that level of security it would appease a lot of guys."

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has already said that his teammates are afraid of touring Pakistan but International Cricket Council (ICC) maintained that it is satisfied with the security situation in Pakistan.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also dismissed security concerns.

"We've been hearing though the media that there are concerns among some of the players about the Champions Trophy, but we are not taking any of it seriously unless there is an official confirmation from the boards of those countries," PCB's director of cricket operations Zakir Khan was quoted as saying by The News.

Source: IANS

Asif to pay legal bills if found guilty in PCB inquiry

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:29:00 +0000

Karachi: Mohammad Asif will have to pay up the money that the Pakistan Cricket Board spent on defending him in the drug possession case in Dubai if he is found guilty in the internal inquiry to be conducted by the PCB.

A three-member fact-finding committee has been instituted by the PCB which will submit its recommendations on the matter to the Board in two weeks' time, PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf said after a governing body meeting in Lahore on Saturday.

Ashraf said Asif would be ineligible to play until the committee completes its inquiry and submits its report. The PCB chief said strict action would be taken against the lanky pacer if he is found guilty, including being asked to reimburse the money spent on him by the Board.

"The governing body today unanimously decided that if Asif is found of having committed any wrong or used drugs in this case severe action would be taken against him and all such players. And all such expenses incurred on his case would be paid by Asif," Ashraf said.

Asif returned from Dubai yesterday after the public prosecutor and attorney general didn't press any charges against him.

He was detained at the Dubai airport on June 1 while returning from India to Pakistan for allegedly carrying contraband drugs.

Asif, later, denied that the substance recovered from him was any drug and claimed it was a medicine prescribed by a Hakeem one month ago in Pakistan.

The pacer also insisted that he never used drugs or banned substances in his life.

ICC wants to popularise Test cricket

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:29:00 +0000

Sydney: To preserve the sanctity and popularity of Test cricket in the face of growing success of Twenty20 format, the International Cricket Council's (ICC) board is considering some options, including a Test Championship or a league.

The options will be discussed at the board meeting in Dubai from June 29, ICC's acting chief executive Dave Richardson said.

"I am certainly in favour of looking at options to make sure that we provide a really good quality context for Test cricket to take place so that it can be preserved as the pinnacle of the game,” Richardson was quoted as saying in The Daily Telegraph here Friday.

"The ICC will be considering a number of options in the upcoming board meetings, one of which is to introduce a Test championship or league. There are so many ways this could be done, a league over one year, two years or four years, the details have yet to be worked out,” he added.

Richardson, a former South African wicket keeper-batsman, while admitting that Twenty20 is the most popular brand of the game these days, said that playing Tests still remains the ultimate dream for any cricketer.

"There is no doubt that domestic Twenty20 leagues, such as those held in India and other competitions like in South Africa, England and Pakistan have been a fantastic success, they have attracted new audience to the game.

"The ICC's policy has always been to encourage such popular formats but... if you ask any player around the world he would say that he likes to play Test cricket for his country,” he said.

Richardson also rubbished claims that the ICC is not doing enough to preserve the sanctity of Test cricket.

"The ICC always gives importance to, and is serious to make sure that a special place is maintained for, Test cricket in the calendar,” he said.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Kapil's Devils hope India wins 2011 World Cup

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:27:00 +0000

London: What they did 25-years back is what now Kapil's Devils want to witness at the next World Cup in 2011 -- watching an Indian captain holding the most coveted cricket World Cup Trophy.

The World Cup winning team members on Wednesday relived their glorious moments at the Lord's -- the mecca of cricket -- as they celebrated the silver jubilee of their historic win in 1983 when they defeated dreaded West Indies in the final.

The cricketers, led by Kapil Dev, visited the Lord's ground and spoke optimistically about India winning the next World Cup.

The winning captain Kapil Dev opened a champaign bottle as he did after the 1983 win and said the Indian team has it to emulate the feat.

"We can definitely win in 2011 and we were very close to winning more than once. Beating west Indies was a glorious moment," he said.

"Why not. Now we have started believing that we have that capacity." The legendary Sunil Gavaskar, for whom the greatest moment in his career was watching Kapil Dev lifting the Prudential Cup, echoed the same sentiments.

"Yes, we have very good chance. We have now plenty of options. In 2011 India will be able to win the trophy and break the jinx of countries not winning the World Cup as hosts," Gavaskar said.

On being asked how he got the idea of this celebration, Gavaskar said when he came across a table plan at the Lord's then he decided that they should have a silver jubilee celebration of the World Cup victory.

BCCI President Sharad Pawar said the win recorded 25-years back was instrumental in changing the cricketing landscape in India. "The 1983 victory changed everything in India cricket. Kapil Dev really changed the game," he said adding "that cricket is now religion in India." Pawar, who is also Union Agriculture minister in the Congress led UPA government, said such is the influence of cricket in India that not only common man but the political circles take keen interest in the game.

"As on today, the silver jubilee celebrations is a major news in my country though there is a political crisis." The Cricket Board president reminded the audience of India's good performance in international cricket and insisted India are the team to watch in the next World Cup, which it will co-host along with continent neighbours.

"This year India won the under-19 world Cup and also Twenty20 World Cup and the women's team lifted the Asia Cup.

"We are quite confident that with the so much of hidden talent that has come up after the IPL tournament India are in a better position to give a good account of itself in the next World Cup," Pawar said

1983 World Cup triumph: A story of grit and determination

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:26:00 +0000

There have been many memorable moments in India's cricketing history over the last 25 years, but as great as some of these occasions may have been they haven't managed to displace Kapil Dev's Devils feat of winning the 1983 World Cup from being the country's greatest-ever cricketing feat.

Kapil's team were hardly considered to be a good one-day team going into the third Cricket World Cup, and it would have taken a strong soul to back this team of all-rounders to pull out the rug from under the world's strongest teams. Remember, this was a team in which the established batting stars were Sunil Gavaskar, Sandeep Patil, Mohinder Amarnath and Kapil, while the bowling attack was led by the captain with able support from a battery of medium-pacers including Roger Binny, Amarnath, Madan Lal and Balwinder Singh Sandhu.

But, this didn't deter Kapil and his band of merry men one bit as they caused a huge upset in the their first match of the tournament as they defeated two-time defending champions West Indies by 34 runs at Old Trafford to get their campaign off to a rousing start. The Indians eased to an expected win over Zimbabwe in their second match, but lost their next two matches to Australia and West Indies respectively to find themselves in a must-win match against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells on June 18, 1983.

And, this was the match in which Kapil led from the front with an unbeaten 175 to help India score 266 for 8 in 60 overs after his team had been reduced to 17 for 5 early in the match with all the top-order batsmen back in the pavilion. Enough and more has been written about Kapil's magnificent innings and words really can't do full justice to what was a great knock played by one of the game's best-ever all-rounders. Kapil's innings not only helped India come back into the tournament as they beat Zimbabwe by 31 runs, but more importantly instilled the self-confidence and determination in the squad's members to do more than their best in the remainder of the tournament. India then went on to thrash Australia by 118 runs in its last league match to finish the round-robin stage with four wins in six matches to book a semi-finals date with England.

The Indians eased to a six-wickets victory over England to set up a title clash against West Indies on June 25, 1983, who would have been favoured to win their third consecutive World Cup after having bowled India out for 183 runs. Only three Indian batsmen -- Kris Srikkanth (38), Amarnath and Patil crossed the 20-runs mark as the rest of the batting collapsed against some hostile Windies bowling.

But, the Windies team and supporters didn't expect a spirited fightback by the Indians with their skipper Kapil again leading the way. Kapil ensured that his team members stayed focussed on the touch and excelled on the field, and if his efforts throughout the tournament weren't enough, he took a fantastic backward running catch to dismiss Viv Richards off Madan Lal's bowling to instill new life into his team as Amarnath and the other bowlers then ran through the West Indian batting line-up for 140 runs to give India its only 50-overs World Cup triumph till date.

Through the group stages itself, it could be felt that the selectors' decision to pack the 1983 World Cup squad with all-rounders was a good move as these were the players who more often than not helped India out of troubled waters, especially taking into account that the openers -- Gavaskar and Srikkanth didn't have the best of tournaments. Gavaskar's contribution was only 59 runs in six matches, while Srikkanth with the top-score of 38 runs in the finals boosted his runs tally to 156 from eight matches. India, though was lucky to have the batsmen like Amarnath and Patil in the top-order who were able to re-build the innings on more than one occasion with Yashpal Sharma too chipping in with valuable runs.

Yashpal with 241 runs was the second-highest scorer for India behind Kapil (304 runs) and these two were well-supported by Amarnath who scored 205 runs and took eight wickets and Patil, who made 216 runs in the tournament. It was the same story with the ball as well as Binny took 18 wickets to finish as the top-wicket taker in the 1983 World Cup, and he received good support from Madan Lal (17 wickets) and Kapil, who took 12 wickets to cap off a wonderful tournament on the individual as well as team front for him. Balwinder Singh Sandhu had only eight wickets to show for his effort, but bowled economically with the new ball to stifle the runs for the opposition.

In one of his interviews after the famous win, Kapil said of the final: "I think that belief was the only thing that was different between the Indian and the West Indies team; and that, somehow, somewhere, we start believing. How it comes into the team, I don't know... I mean, I can't really put a finger." And, this in essence was the key to the success for the 1983 World Cup -- self-confidence, team spirit, belief and the ability to take on challenges heads on and come out triumphant. Kapil's Devils -- thank you for these wonderful memories and here's hoping the team going to the 2011 World Cup can replicate your success to add another memorable chapter in the history of Indian cricket.

I have learnt a lesson from 'slapgate': Harbhajan

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:26:00 +0000

New Delhi: Harbhajan Singh has no hesitation in admitting that he erred in slapping India team-mate S Sreesanth but the off-spinner says that he has learnt his lesson from the entire episode.

Currently serving a five ODI suspension, Harbhajan said to err is human and he was no exception.

"There are lot of things that I would have done differently. But we are all human and make mistakes. And we learn from our mistakes too. But yes, curbing temper would solve most of my problems," the belligerent off-spinner said.

Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth in the April 25 match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, following which he was banned from playing in the IPL, which cost him Rs three crore.

BCCI subsequently appointed Sudhir Nanavati to separately probe into the issue and the spinner was handed down a five-ODI ban.

Harbhajan blamed the entire episode to his passion, while representing India.

"I don't plan to get into troubles. I'm very passionate because I love to play for my country. I just get too involved. I try to win each and every match and I want to be there for my team, for my nation to deliver when it is required the most. In that you are not aware of what you are actually doing. But nobody wants to get into trouble," Harbhajan said.

Wiser after the incident, the Punjab spinner now sees the episode as a lesson for him that would stand him in good stead in the future.

"Whatever happens, happens for good. Had this not happened, I would not have learnt all this thing. I guess it was God's way of teaching me a lesson," Harbhajan said on a philosophical note.

1000 wickets on, Murali hungry for more

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:26:00 +0000

Karachi: One wondered if one had heard it right — Muttiah Muralitharan admitting that cricket was getting tough for him!

“Yes, cricket is actually getting tough. When you are around for such a long time, and players have seen so much of you, it does get tough,” he reaffirmed.

Did the admission indicate that he was set to bid adieu to international cricket?

"Not at all…all I mean is that with the sharp increase in the volume of cricket, players are now under tremendous pressure and it’s become really tough,” he said, asserting he wasn’t done yet.

“I am aiming for 500 wickets in ODIs and touching the 800-wicket mark in Tests would be great. I still have a few landmarks lined up ahead of me.”

Are 1000 Test wickets on the radar? “That would be a bit too much, but it all depends on my fitness and how much I can contribute to the team, for you can’t use your place (for personal milestones),” he said.

The off-spinner believes the advent of T20 has made things even tougher for the bowlers.

“These formats are tough on the bowlers as they are designed in favour of the batsmen, unlike Test cricket where one has the time to create chances,” he said, adding that adaptability was the key to survive.

Murali made light of the furore caused by Kevin Peitersen’s switch-hitting. “Be it switch-hitting or any other unconventional stroke, it's not a problem for the bowlers. If it gives batsmen a chance to score, it also gives us a chance to pick up wickets.” he said.

Survey shows cricketers ready to sacrifice careers for IPL

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:25:00 +0000

Melbourne: The Indian Premier League's (IPL) outstanding success is threatening to rock international cricket. A survey shows that more than half the players from the seven Test playing nations are ready to quit other two forms of the game for the huge money on offer in the Twenty20 format.

The Federation of International Players' Associations (FICA) surveyed seven of the 10 Test nations, with India, Pakistan and Zimbabwe not being members of FICA. Of the 64 players who responded, including a number of Australians, 33 claimed they were willing to sacrifice the end of their international career for IPL money.

The survey also showed that there is a strong call by players for an IPL window, which continues to be resisted by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with 62 of the 64 players polled supporting such a move, reports The Australian

In a major challenge to the Test cricket, two thirds believe the massive rewards of the IPL, which can be upwards of $1million a year for a six-week tournament, will one day make the Twenty20 tournament more important than playing for their country.

The avalanche of money for the Twenty20 format, which includes millions from Texas billionaire Allen Stanford will force the ICC to have a reality check at its next week's annual executive board meeting in Dubai.

Another worrying factor for the ICC, which emerged in the survey, is that out of the 10 Test nations, 86 per cent said they also consider the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) an attractive option, even though ICL players are effectively banned from international cricket.

The grind of international cricket is also seen as a reason which would help hasten their premature retirement.

FICA chief executive Tim May claimed that with the advent of wealthy Twenty20 competitions, players were no longer simply tied to their countries.

"It is evident that today's player is less likely to be loyal to commitments to his home board, as cricket's employment market is freed from the power of governing bodies, who previously enjoyed an inequitable power base by virtue of being the only employer in the market," May said.

"Simply, the freeing up of the market and the lifting of the citizenship barriers has resulted in more market-driven values for players, and the players not surprisingly are gravitating to that market."

"The players and FICA feel very strongly that to preserve a healthy balance between club or franchise cricket (such as IPL and ICL) and international cricket, that the ICC needs to create a window in its international programming, or risk losing players permanently from the international cricket scene."

The survey found that all but one player wanted Test cricket to maintain its elite status, but believed that one-day cricket would suffer significantly in both player and spectator interest as a result of Twenty20.

More than half believe that Twenty20 will make one-day cricket less attractive to play and 70 per cent feel Twenty20 will reduce the popularity of one-day cricket for fans.

To help raise the profile of Test matches in cricket's fast food age, the players have called for a championship of Test nations to be contested by the leading countries on a regular basis.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Kumble confident of winning Test series in Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:24:00 +0000

Bangalore: Anil Kumble expressed confidence on winning the Sri Lanka-India Test series commencing from July 23 here on Monday.

India's Test team players, who are not part of the Asia cup, attended a weeklong fitness camp at National Cricket Academy under the leadership of skipper Kumble in Bangalore, ahead of the 45-day long tour to the island nation.

Kumble while addressing a news conference on the last day of the camp said that the camp was important to work on skills and to get a hit.

“Every Test series is important and we go out there to win the series. So I don't think that any new competition will make us play better or make us more passionate about the game, I don't think so. I think every series, every Test match, we play for India, we go with the same intensity and we ensure that we go out there to win,” Kumble said.

The Indian selectors would be meeting on July 8, to pick the team for the Sri Lanka tour.

The bilateral series of India-Sri Lanka comprises three Test and five one-day matches.

The Indian ODI team is currently in Pakistan for the six-team Asia Cup that began on Tuesday. The other teams participating in Asia Cup are defending champions Sri Lanka, hosts Pakistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates.

Source: ANI

Tendulkar named best Asian batsman

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:22:00 +0000

Karachi: Sachin Tendulkar spoilt what would have been a clean sweep of titles by Sri Lankan cricketers at the inaugural Asian Cricket Council (ACC) awards ceremony here by being named the continent's best one-day batsman.

At a glittering ceremony held at the majestic 19th century Mohatta Palace Saturday night, the Indian players cheered as Tendulkar's name was announced by Rameez Raja. Tendulkar could not attend the function and Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni collected the award on his behalf.

But apart from Tendulkar, the evening belonged to Sri Lankan cricketers as three of them walked away with top awards. Kumar Sangakkara bagged the best Asian Test batsman award while his team-mates Muttiah Muralitharan and Farveez Maharoof were adjudged as the best Asian Test and ODI bowlers, respectively.

Former India and Pakistan captains Sunil Gavaskar and Imran Khan were also honoured with special awards titled "legendary cricketers" of the neighbouring countries.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Ojha confident of excelling in Sri Lanka

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:21:00 +0000

Kolkata: Having toured Sri Lanka two years ago with Hyderabad, spinner Pragyan Ojha says he is not new to the conditions at the emerald island and would try his best to utilise the chance to cement his place in the national team.

"The conditions are very much similar. I've to control on my flight and vary the pace. Now, I hope to do well and cement my place in the side," said Ojha, terming his selection for Test series against Sri Lanka as an achievement of his career.

The 21-year-old promising bowler said he would surely be an evolved bowler at the end of the series, which would expose him to the gruels at the highest level of the game.

Also read: Yuvraj, Pathan dropped; Rohit, Ojha in Test squad

"Bowling to Sachin (Tendulkar) is a challenge. I've bowled to him in the past, it was a great experience. I'm sure, I'll be an improved bowler after the Sri Lanka tour."

Ojha had made Ranji debut for Hyderabad in the 2004-05 semi-final against Railways at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi, where he scalped seven wickets in a lost cause.

Following a bountiful Ranji season (2006-07) - 29 wickets off six matches - Ojha then got his first India A break - in Zimbabwe tour (on debut he got four wickets).

But it was the next tour (Kenya), where the left-arm spinner caught the eyes. With 11 wickets (including a five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka A) in the triangular tournament (also involving Kenya), Ojha was at his best.

It was his good show for the Deccan Chargers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that ensured that he makes the ODI cut for the tri-series in Bangladesh and then the Asia Cup.

His father Pramod Ojha's happiness knew no bounds. "Now, I can't tell you how much happy am I. I'm proud that I'm Pragyan's father," he said.

Sourav hopes to do well in Sri Lanka series

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:21:00 +0000

Kolkata: Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly who celebrated his 36th birthday on Tuesday hoped to do well in the Sri Lanka series.

"There was no special wish for my birthday ... Also, there's no special celebration ... Just that I'm looking forward to the Lanka series," he told reporters here.

With the national selectors retaining him in the 16-member squad for the three-Test series in Sri Lanka starting later this month, Ganguly felt that there was no reason to be excited to see his name on the team roster.

"I was always there in the squad; so there's no need to get excited. I'll look to give my 100 per cent and do well in the Sri Lanka series," he said.

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) presented him a bouquet.

"I had about one-month's rest, it was reinvigorating. I don't have any fitness problem; I'm resuming my practice from today. A few jogs and stretch-outs will help me come into shape," said Ganguly, who could not attend the seven-day conditioning camp from June 24 for Test specialists as he was busy with his father's heart treatment in London.

"He (father Chandidas Ganguly) is still not well...I'm a bit worried about him. However, he's recovering," Ganguly, who returned from London on Sunday, said.

Ganguly welcomed the inclusion of uncapped players Rohit Sharma and Pragyan Ojha for the series against Sri Lanka.

Refusing to comment on the selection, Ganguly said he was yet to see the XVI.

"But I'm happy for the youngsters (Rohit Sharma and Pragyan Ojha). They are doing pretty well... We hope to do well in Sri Lanka."

Dhoni's message: Let's change cricket in India

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:12:00 +0000

"Desh badla, bhesh badlo (The nation's changed, now change your deportment)", says Indian one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni in one of his latest advertisements. And now, he may as well add: "Ab cricket badlo (Now, let's change cricket)".

Instead of resorting to doublespeak, Dhoni has put his mouth where his money is. Within days of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajiv Shukla saying that tired players can inform the board and opt to rest, Dhoni has done just that.

Like parents need to keep a check on kids running amuck in a candy store, the board needs to take care of its players. Instead of asking them to take a decision to opt out of tours, they probably need to cut down on cricket and preserve the charm of the game.

I don't even remember who played whom last week, let alone last month. And the list of injured players is such that it may as well lead the board to even float a tender for an official hospital.

Dhoni has for some time been indicating that there is a lot of cricket with little rest and recently when he chose to articulate it in public, the BCCI - or at least its most vocal Shukla - reacted fairly strongly. Dhoni, in his typical way, has answered back in style.

That's something not many Indian cricketers - barring Sachin Tendulkar - have ever done in the past decade and a half. Many players have confided in private that they are scared of opting out of a series simply because of the danger of players coming in their place doing well and cementing their place in the side. Of course, there's that little matter of a few extra million rupees in the bank.

Sceptics might say players from here on will tend to preserve themselves for the lucrative shorter versions of the game. Remember, Dhoni was not fully fit after the strenuous Australia tour and yet he played in all three Tests against South Africa, leading the side to victory in the last Test to square the series in the absence of an injured skipper Anil Kumble.

Sceptics may also say Dhoni could well have opted out of the Bangladesh tri-series or the Asia Cup. But wouldn't that have looked ridiculous coming on the back of the backbreaking Indian Premier League, where Dhoni earned a whopping $1.5 million? Also remember he is a successful captain in both one-day and Twenty20 cricket.

Dhoni has often indicated that he is building a team for the 2011 World Cup but he also understands the importance and intrinsic value of Test cricket. His decision to skip the Sri Lanka tour is a pragmatic one, keeping in view his long career ahead.

The last year and a half have seen him play no less than 14 Test matches, four times that number - 56 - of one-dayers and about 25-odd Twenty20 matches. That really is an awful lot of cricket - nearly 150 days - and as many days of travelling in about 540 days.

Dhoni's decision may indeed be path breaking - like much else that he has done - and is a clear message to the administrators that they are indeed pushing the players beyond their physical limits. So what if they are professionals - they are human too.

Players are moving around like zombies; they are carrying injuries or are on the verge of breaking down. Look at the fast bowlers - all of them look tired but still want to carry on. And if their injuries are discovered, the media pans them and out they go. Who knows they may not even get back into the team.

Yes, Dhoni has the stature and the guts to take such a decision, but will others be able to do the same? Unlikely.

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Pakistans Mohammad Asif fails IPL dope test

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:11:00 +0000

New Delhi, July 14 (ANI): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) today announced that Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Asif tested positive for a banned substance during random testing at the Indian Premier League.

The Indian Cricket Board has confirmed the player who was under the drug scanner during the IPL, is Mohammad Asif.

Asif, 25, played for the Delhi Daredevils team in the IPL, a lucrative Twenty20 tournament that ran from April 18-June 1 and featured the worlds top players.

The Pakistan Cricket Board had been informed of Asifs positive test and it depended on the player if he wanted his B sample to be tested, the statement said.

If Asif takes up the offer, the case will be referred to the IPLs three-member Drugs Tribunal that includes former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, once the results of the B sample are known.

The lanky seamer faces a ban from future editions of the IPL and possible punishment from the Pakistan board if all tests go against him.

Asif was detained at Dubai airport for three weeks for possessing opium while returning from the IPL in June. But Dubai public prosecutors dropped the case citing “insignificance” and deported him to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has put the onus of taking action against Asif on the BCCI.

The ICC is aware of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) from the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL), ICC said in a statement.

The ICC said it had been informed of the positive dope test, speculated to be of a sub-continental fast bowler, by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory where the randomly collected samples were tested. (ANI)

A IPL player tested positive: Modi

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:10:00 +0000

New Delhi: The IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi on Sunday night confirmed that a player has tested positive in WADA's random dope test, conducted during the inaugural Indian Premier League tournament.

However, Modi insisted that it was too early to say if the player failed the drug test as there are several procedures to follow to get to a conclusion.

A cricket website -- cricketnirvana.Com -- had earlier claimed that a player from sub-continent had failed the random dope test.

"Two days ago the IPL received a letter from a Swiss agency, mandated by WADA, which said one sample had tested positive. The IPL will follow set procedures from now on," Modi said.

Describing the procedure, Modi said, first of all the identity of the player with the sample has to be matched. Then the form, which the player filled before the tournament will be scrutinised for any pre-declared or prescribed drug. And if that matches the drug found in the sample, the matter ends there. In case that does not happen, the player is informed and a 'B' sample is sent for testing. If that, too, is positive the matter will be taken up by the IPL's drugs tribunal.

The tribunal will consist of a leading doctor, a former cricketer and a lawyer. The committee will study the issue and take a decision, for which there will be a separate appeals tribunal.

"This is just the procedure. As of now we are at the first stage where one sample has tested positive. The issue is now with the IPL's medical committee. The identity of the player will matter only after we check on the pre-declared drugs," he said.

IPL player tests positive for dope

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:10:00 +0000

Mumbai: The billion-dollar Indian Premier League (IPL) was hit by another controversy on Sunday with one of the random doping tests tunring out to be positive.

The IPL Chairman and Commissioner Lalit Modi confirmed the development but refused to reveal the player’s name. "We will come to know who the player is probably on Monday," Modi told Hindustan Times over phone.

The dope tests during the inaugural IPL, held from April 18 to June 1, were conducted in accordance with the WADA guidelines and a minimum punishment for first time offenders under the code is two years. However, a second time offender faces a life ban.

"Now we are at the first stage where one sample has tested positive. The issue is now with the IPL’s medical committee. The identity of the player will matter only after we check on the pre-declared drugs," Modi said.

It is believed that the WADA-accredited laboratory, where the samples were analysed, had informed the IPL authorities about the postive dope test two days ago.

It might be recalled that the random dope tests could not take place from the beginning of the IPL following a recommendation of official doctors who felt that the less-informed players from the 'Catchment Areas' had to be briefed on banned substances before being subjected to such tests.

The IPL also witnessed a major controversy when Mumbai team’s stand-in skipper Harbhajan Singh was banned for 11 matches after he slapped Mohali paceman S Sreesanth at the end of a match.

IPL dope case: PCB braces itself for controversy

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:08:00 +0000

Karachi: The Pakistan cricket Board was sent into another vortex of tension on Sunday night as the Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi confirmed that a player has tested positive in WADA's random dope test, conducted during the inaugural Indian Premier League tournament.

With the Indian media indicating that the sample belonged to a fast bowler from the sub-continent, the PCB braced itself for another controversy just days after it got over the Mohammad Asif detention case in Dubai.

"Right now we are not in the picture at all. Because this positive test is purely an internal matter of the IPL and the Indian Cricket Board. And so far we have not been told by anyone that any of our player's might be involved," a source at the PCB said.

But already suspicion is being raised that the player whose sample had tested positive might be from Pakistan with Asif having undergone a test in the IPL while playing for the Delhi Daredevils.

"Umar Gul also had a test but Shoaib Akhtar was not picked for any test," a source close to the Pakistani player who took part in the IPL said.

IPL dope scandal: ICC puts onus on BCCI

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:07:00 +0000

Dubai: Rattled by the dope scandal that has hit the recently-concluded inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has put the onus of taking action against the guilty player on the BCCI.

"The ICC is aware of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) from the recently-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL)," cricket's world governing body said in a statement here.

The ICC said it had been informed of the positive dope test, speculated to be of a sub-continental fast bowler, by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory where the randomly-collected samples were tested.

"When an AAF arises, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory that has tested the sample sends a report to the commissioning body (IPL) and copies in WADA and the International Federation, in this case the ICC." "As with any AAF that arises during a testing programme organised by one of the ICC's Members, it is the responsibility of that Member, in this case the BCCI, to deal with the process in a timely and fair manner," the ICC statement read.

The ICC said it would keep a close eye on the way BCCI handles the matter to ensure that the guilty player is brought to book.

"The ICC is proud of its status as a WADA signatory and will be closely monitoring the situation to ensure the correct action is taken by the BCCI. The ICC retains a right of appeal if any penalty that may be imposed is inconsistent with the WADA Code."

Speculation is rife that the erring player might be Pakistani speedster Mohammad Asif, who was last month embroiled in a drug possession case in Dubai leading to a 19-day detention for him.

The best and worst of the IPL

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:26:00 +0000

What will we remember of this IPL? In a few days, as other cricket matches and Bollywood events take over the spotlight, it is likely that our memories of the IPL will be confined to two or three images. (Different ones for all of us, of course, though I daresay Shane Warne will be the first person to come to mind when we think of this IPL.) So, before my old age kicks in and I forget things, here's my list of highlights and lowlights from this tournament. As plenty of such lists abound on cricket sites and sports pages these days, I've picked some memories from off the field as well.

More Columns:
An IPL XI to outplay Mars
Yes, the IPL really is about accountability
The IPL reveals India's bench strength

I followed the entire IPL on TV, and the biggest lowlight for me was the commentary. Most of the commentators present could easily start a PR firm now, so good were they at pleasing the sponsors. Every time someone hit a six, it was a DLF Maximum. Whenever anything dramatic happened on the field, it was a Citi Moment of Success. As my old friend Rahul Bhattacharya pointed out in the Guardian's sports blog: "A future where a batsman executes a Toyota Front-Foot Drive against an Intel Faster One may not be the stuff of satire."

At times, the commentary seemed like a parody of itself. In an early episode of Extraaa Innings, L Sivaramakrishnan said of cricket: "It's a hard man's game - that's why it's a profession." The anchor nodded wisely. Ravi Shastri spouted cliches like he once hit sixes, with balls staying hit once they were hit, speeding to the boundary like a tracer bullet, though it didn't matter how the runs came as long as they came. At the prize-giving at the end, when the Chennai team was collecting its medals, Shastri uttered the immortal words: "Makhaya Ntini, who's added so much colour to this tournament..." How to make satire out of this?

Rameez Raja took the cake, the souffle, the mousse and the gulab jamun. At one point during the final, while discussing why Albie Morkel was batting at No. 4 for Chennai, Rameez said: "I think it's because Smith is not playing, [and] they needed experience up the order." Graeme Smith, of course, plays for Rajasthan, so why his omission should cause Morkel to come up the order for Chennai remains a mystery. Later, after Yusuf Pathan mishit a shot, Rameez said: " That's a clean strike... Pathan obviously didn't middle it." It was surreal, like he was giving commentary for two parallel universes where different things were happening.

The closing ceremony of the tournament made the commentators look classy, it was that bad. It was a mix of a cheap Bollywood variety show, a circus from hell and a school annual day. Did you see the girls at the end, twirling the flags without any synchronization, no doubt humiliated to be there? Did you see the dances at the start, ostensibly supposed to represent different regions of the country but featuring dancers wearing bizarre costumes that only Film City can call tradition? Worst of all, did you see Lalit Modi's speech, in which he thanked his staff, his family and his dog for their support, as if he was winning an Oscar or a Padma Shree? All of it made the cricket look fantastic in comparison.

For those of us who followed the tournament on television, the commercials were, unfortunately, also a part of the IPL, and thus deserve mention in this list. I loved the Vodafone Chhota Credit commercial, where a young girl runs out of ink during an exam and a boy behind her gives her a chhota credit of ink, but there were plenty of WTF commercials as well. I didn't understand the Coca Cola 'Jashn Mana Le' commercial where a bunch of boys open a bottle of Coke, act demented for 15 seconds, then shut up and sit down guiltily before the girls in the room also flip open their Cokes and act demented. What's the big deal about drinking Coke? Were they implying that it was a guilty pleasure?

And then there was a commercial for Getz Prime featuring two models with a faux-Italian accent, which presented the car's beige interiors as a USP. And that Bharat Nirman ad for the NREGA that featured a Rahul Dravid lookalike as a manual labourer getting make-work employment from the government. Such irony.

And now to the cricket itself. While Brendon McCullum began the tournament with a magical century, the innings I'll remember most was Sourav Ganguly's 86 not out against the Mohali team. As wickets fell around him, Ganguly paced the innings superbly, and the standout moment, for me, came at a time when he was at the non-striker's end. There were seven balls to go, 15 to win. Ishant Sharma was on strike. They could obviously not afford to waste a ball. Sharma tapped the ball into an empty space and set off for a run. Ganguly sent him back, rejecting the run and backing himself to start the next over with a boundary. That self-belief was vindicated. The next over read: 6, 2, 6, 1. Kolkata had made 57 runs from the last four overs, against the quality attack of Irfan Pathan, S Sreesanth, VRV Singh and Piyush Chawla. Ganguly had 45 of them. It was the stuff of nostalgia, happening in the here and now.

The soft-in-the-head moment of the tournament came when Kumar Sangakkara walked in the semi-final. I know he's getting plaudits for his selfless act of sportsmanship, but if I were his team owner, I would kick his ass with my high-heeled pumps. Bowlers, wicketkeepers and fielders frequently appeal even when they know the batsman is not out. Why, then, should batsmen walk when they are out? Sangakkara began to walk off when even the wicketkeeper, Parthiv Patel, wasn't appealing, and Patel looked positively surprised to see Sangakkara leave. Unless Sangakkara had the loosies and an embarrassing outflow was inevitable, he had no business letting his team down by usurping the umpire's role.

The buffoon of the tournament, with due apologies to Harbhajan Singh, was Vijay Mallya. He paid big money for a team he later said he didn't believe in, and spoke out publicly against his captain and his players halfway through the tournament. Rahul Dravid behaved with dignity and batted beautifully, even as his team stumbled its way through the tournament, as happens in sport. Contrast Mallya's ~~juvenile~~ infantile attitude with that of the owners of the Rajasthan Royals. Darren Berry, their director of coaching, told Nagraj Gollapudi of Cricinfo: "Manoj Badale made it clear from the start: 'Warne, Berry and Snape - you sort out the cricket, I'll sort out the business. Our lines will not cross.' It all comes down to trust."

The pitch of the tournament was the Wankhede Stadium pitch for the first semi-final. Its bounce was true and the ball came on to the bat beautifully, aiding quality strokeplay; its pace and bounce offered much reward to the fast bowlers who bowled well; and the ball spun a long way on it, not just for Shane Warne but for Amit Mishra. The match wasn't a contest because one side played so very well, but the pitch was ideal.

There were some players who I wish I'd seen more of. S Badrinath and Manoj Tiwari are both Test prospects I've been following keenly, but they didn't get enough batting opportunities. Badrinath played some good cameos, and looks a classy player with a cool head. Tiwari also looks the role but didn't get enough chances to play the part. I hope they keep pumping up the runs in domestic cricket. I was also surprised that Ramesh Powar got only five games (and one innings) for Kings XI Punjab and I wish I'd seen more of Pradeep Sangwan, our most promising under-19 bowler.

The underperformers of the tournament, for me, were Yuvraj Singh, Sachin Tendulkar and, even though he left after the first few matches, Ricky Ponting. The overperformers were most of the local players in the Rajasthan side, who were inspired by Shane Warne to play out of their skins. They were the only team to remember in this tournament, the only team that deserved to win, because they were more than the sum of their parts, lifted up by that intangible something that makes for greatness. I wonder if we'll see more of it next year.

Lankan, English cricketers risk missing IPL 2009

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 17:20:00 +0000

The next edition of the Indian Premier League might lose some of its sheen with a number of Sri Lankan players, along with a few English IPL probables, skipping the event for international commitments.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced the dates of a home series against Sri Lanka and the two-Test series, starting on May 7, coincides with the IPL, which is scheduled between April 10 and May 29 next year.

Sri Lanka is scheduled to kick off its England tour with a practice game against Leicestershire on April 21.

Among the Sri Lankans, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Sanath Jayasuriya have three-year contracts with different IPL teams.

English cricketers like Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are also reportedly on the IPL radar and in such case it would be a dilemma for the Englishmen as well.

"It's very likely there will be some England players in the IPL next season," Ian Smith, legal director of the Professional Cricketers' Association, was quoted as saying by 'The Daily Telegraph'.

"We've got a lot of offers," he added.

Triple threat for India's batsmen

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:08:00 +0000

Pakistan's inability to cash in on home advantage - India and Sri Lanka have always won the Asia Cup when hosting it - gives the tournament's two most successful teams a chance to add to their tally. India and Sri Lanka have played against each other in five Asia Cup finals - India prevailed on three consecutive occasions, but Sri Lanka have beaten them twice since, including the final of the previous edition in 2004.

Despite losing to India in the Super Four stage, Sri Lanka perhaps hold the edge, having not lost in six previous finals in all competitions between the two teams. The last five were in Colombo: Sri Lanka won three, with the ICC Champions Trophy final and its replay being washed out.

Sri Lanka have batted first in all their matches so far in the tournament, and the previous five decisive finals between the two sides have been won by the team winning the toss and batting first. India's last win in a final against Sri Lanka came in 1998.

Sri Lanka, though, will be wary of an Indian batting line-up that has chased down stiff targets in the tournament, including 309 in the Super Four encounter between the two sides. However, they had rested Chaminda Vaas - and, significantly, Ajantha Mendis, whom the Indians have never played.

Among India's current line-up, only Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh have played more than two finals against Sri Lanka. Neither has done anything spectacular: Sehwag has a best of 48 in five innings, while Yuvraj's four have fetched 59 runs. On the other hand, Sanath Jayasuriya will be one batsman India will want to dismiss early: in 11 finals against India, he has scored 567 runs at 51.54, which pushes up to 86.60 in Sri Lanka's wins.

Both teams will be expecting their top three batsmen to fire. The upper half has dominated the scoring in the tournament. Suresh Raina and Kumar Sangakkara have got over 300 runs, while the opening pairs for both sides have made an impact.

Break-up of runs by position
Position	Runs	Average	Strike-rate	100s/50s
Top order (1-3)	2887	43.74	92.26	8/18
Middle order (4-7)	2388	34.11	87.34	4/12

Vaas didn't play the earlier game against India, and he has tormented them the most when it comes to finals. He has 16 wickets from nine games at 15.06 apiece. Both Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan have also managed to strangle the scoring in previous finals against India.

So far in the tournament, India have had brisk starts, consolidated and kept wickets in hand in the middle, and teed off at the end. Sri Lanka have scored at a healthy clip as well, but a loss of wickets in the final overs has prevented them from scoring briskly.

Batting patterns
Overs	Runs scored by India	Run-rate	Average per wicket	Sri Lanka	Run-rate	Average per wicket
1-20	687	6.87	68.70	676	6.76	75.11
21-40	588	5.88	84.00	570	5.70	43.84
41-50	302	9.34	60.40	343	6.86	18.05

For Sri Lanka, their two veteran bowlers and Mendis have maintained an economy-rate of less than four: the average for the tournament has been 5.54. If they can do so on Sunday, India's free-scoring batsmen - at least so far in the tournament - will be forced to take a few risks. Mendis has managed to strike almost every three overs, and Murali once in four, and India could be under pressure in the middle overs of their innings.

Bowling patterns
Overs	Runs conceded by India	Run-rate	Average per wicket	Sri Lanka	Run-rate	Average per wicket
1-20	496	4.96	49.60	522	5.22	47.45
21-40	529	5.46	44.08	414	4.35	16.56
41-50	292	8.22	36.50	160	5.96	40.00

Dhoni: Just a lucky guy or the coolest captain?

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:03:00 +0000

Just a lucky guy or the coolest captain?

Is he one of those blessed ones who are born with a winning touch? Or is he just another lucky bloke for whom everything miraculously falls into place?

Ask Mahendra Singh Dhoni and he will, probably, just flash a smile in your direction. Deep in his heart, though, he knows how much work has gone into his nascent success and how many sacrifices he has already made.

The tag, however, surfaced last September, when the Twenty20 captaincy unexpectedly landed in his lap. But then, the rare honour had nothing to do with his luck; it had more to do with the selectors’ foresight and willingness to take a risk.

They were probably emboldened as the Indian team was not expected to do well in the World Cup in South Africa: it had no track record in the abridged format and virtually no Twenty20 specialists either. Tendulkar, Ganguly, Dravid and Zaheer too pulled out as they didn’t see any hope for the team.

Dhoni saw all this as providence, as his chance to raise the flag for the lesser cousins of Indian cricket. He marshalled his resources ingeniously, kept everybody’s spirits high with his “we-don’t-give-a-damn-about-anything” attitude and carried his young gladiators forward.

He showed nerves of gold at critical times; he transformed potential into performance across the ranks; more amazingly, he chose not to turn to the tried and tested even when everything was at stake. It was captaincy at its raw best.

In the final, with Misbah-ul Haq just one step away from becoming our greatest villain yet again, he tossed the ball to Joginder Sharma.

Even the most reckless gambler, who normally doesn’t think twice before putting everything on line, would have balked at that stage.

He simply smiled and asked Joginder to go for it. As Misbah played another comical shot, the team converged into his arms from all corners. There were no ugly victorious gestures from Dhoni, no wild celebrations. Just pure grace.

A few months later, just after India unleashed a tsunami in Australia during the Test series, Dhoni was left holding the washed out pieces. Worse, he chose to look beyond the “seniors”, who had been the cornerstone of the team’s amazing performance till then, for the One-dayers.

Australia were already on song and it seemed like Dhoni’s comeuppance had come. He had already struggled for runs and his chosen ones were not delivering either. But almost incredibly, the Indian team found its feet and voice again and actually won the title in a canter. It was India’s first victory in a Tri-series Down Under.

Dhoni had to step into the captain’s shoes again when Anil Kumble pulled out of the third Test in Ahmedabad.
With South Africa in a rampaging mood, and without Sachin Tendulkar, nobody gave him a chance.
But as soon as the match commenced, it became apparent that the designer track that they had been waiting for was hidden here.

South Africa managed to get off to a good start but India are past masters on such pitches. They simply bamboozled them and won inside three days. Dhoni even joined a very exclusive band of captains who had won a Test on debut.

As the caravan moves into the IPL mould, Dhoni faces his toughest challenge. As captain of Chennai, he will have to take on Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman, Dravid, Sehwag and Yuvraj (apart from Warne). He has grown up idolizing almost all of them; can he outwit and outplay them now?

Dhoni, the new Midas of Indian cricket

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 09:01:00 +0000

Call it a co-incidence or sheer luck, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has always been at the right place on the right time.

His inimitable coiffure became a cynosure of world leaders. Every inch of his tresses made front page news. He stood by his selected few and brought world to his feet. He gave the small town cricketers a chance to move forward.

He led with the ebullience of King Leonidas of Sparta. Call him the man in love with mean machines. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is by all means the new cricketing blockbuster.

Everyone knows where cricket in India was headed after the Men in Blue stumbled upon the Caribbean hurdle. Indian cricket had hit its lowest point. The coach refused to prolong his stint.

Rahul Dravid tendered his resignation on personal grounds. Tendulkar was offered the captaincy, but he rejected it. No one was ready to take on the gauntlet. The man of the moment or call it a guinea pig then was to be Dhoni, who by default got his hands on the hot seat as he was elevated to vice-captaincy just before the English and Irish tour.

Apparently, it was Sachin who recommended Dhoni’s name. But none other than Dhoni deserved this post for the way he has come up the ranks. His strong rooting to reality and a humble background pushed his case above the glamorous but out-of-form then Yuvraj Singh.

With no godfather, Dhoni’s throne is purely built on raw talent and his ability to treat the game like a game and not a religion. You can call this a stroke of luck that he got the job of a deputy skipper for ODI’s for the first time and was elevated to leader of the pack in no time at all.

Dhoni admits promoting Raina was a mistake

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:57:00 +0000

Struggling to digest the fact that India finished second best despite dominating the tri-series, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today admitted promoting Suresh Raina ahead of him in the all-important final was a mistake.

Chasing 316, India fumbled and faltered, losing wickets at regular intervals. Dhoni sent Raina (24) at number six and though the left-hander got the start, he could not carry on.

Finally when Dhoni came to bat, he was soon running out of partners and with the run rate skyrocketing, the India captain had no option but to take risks and he was the last man out as India fell 25-run shy of Pakistan’s total.

“In hindsight, promoting Raina was a mistake because I came late and was running out of partners,” Dhoni rued after the match.

“That decision was a mistake but it happens in cricket and you learn from mistakes,” he said.

According to Dhoni, a decent start and some lengthy partnership could have made the difference tonight.

“We did not start well and then did not have enough partnerships either. Losing too many wickets was the killer. We got runs at a decent rate but losing wickets at regular intervals cost us the game,” Dhoni rued

India v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup final, Karachi

noreply@blogger.com (balajihands) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 08:54:00 +0000

Match facts

Sunday, July 6, 2008
Start time 16.00 (local), 10.00 (GMT)

Big Picture

After a frenetic 11-day period that saw 12 matches, Sri Lanka and India have survived the crammed schedule, the heat, and a few wobbles to make their way to yet another Asia Cup final. Historically, these two sides have been the strongest in the tournament, winning seven of the eight editions so far; Sunday's game will be their sixth meeting in Asia Cup finals.

The excellent batting pitches have been a constant throughout the tournament, and the teams to survive have utilised these conditions better than others - India and Sri Lanka have easily been the best batting teams of the competition. Both have settled line-ups, with most of their top order in superb form, which points towards another run-fest on Sunday.

With both teams in such exceptional batting touch, the difference in the final could be a bowling spell or some inspiration in the field. Nine matches have already been played on the same square at the National Stadium, suggesting that spinners might have something to look forward to. Sri Lanka have the clear advantage in that department, with Muttiah Muralitharan and the exciting Ajantha Mendis leading the way.

Sri Lanka also have the edge in the field. India's exceptional batting has masked their generally sloppy fielding throughout the tournament. Catches have been missed, the ground fielding has been erratic and, in a crunch game, these factors could well be critical.

Form guide

(Last five completed ODIs; most recent first)
India WLWWW
Sri Lanka LWWWW

Watch out for ...

Sanath Jayasuriya, who loves the big occasion, and he loves batting against India. If he survives the early overs, the Indian bowlers could be in for more tough times.

Gautam Gambhir. He has been consistency personified in ODIs this year, and his excellence against spin makes him a key batsman for India against an attack featuring Muralitharan and Mendis.

The battle of the openers: Gambhir and Sehwag have added 319 runs for the first wicket in four innings at an average partnership of 79.75 and a rate of 8.14 runs per over; Jayasuriya and Sangakkara have averaged 88.75 per partnership at seven runs per over. The new-ball bowlers from both teams clearly have their work cut out.

Murali v Yuvraj: Yuvraj has often struggled against slow bowlers at the start of his innings, and if he bats at No. 5, there's a good chance that he'll be confronted by Murali as soon as he comes in.

Team news

Sri Lanka had rested Chaminda Vaas and Ajantha Mendis for their last round-robin match, against India, but both are certain to return for the final. Two out of Kaushalya Weeraratne, Thilan Thusahara and Dilhara Fernando will sit out. None of them has had tournaments to remember so far, but Fernando's experience might help him retain his place.

Sri Lanka (probable) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 3 Mahela Jayawardene (capt), 4 Chamara Kapugedera, 5 Chamara Silva, 6 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 7 Chaminda Vaas, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Muttiah Muralitharan, 11 Dilhara Fernando.

India's batting has been spectacular throughout the tournament, but the bowling is a worry. The biggest concern has been Irfan Pathan, who, after missing the first three games due to a side strain, has leaked 148 runs in 20 overs for just a solitary wicket. His place could be taken by Yusuf Pathan. Pragyan Ojha will keep his place after two tidy performances, which means Piyush Chawla misses out.

India (probable) 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Pragyan Ojhan, 10 RP Singh, 11 Ishant Sharma.

Umpires Simon Taufel & Tony Hill. Third umpire Zameer Haider

Stats and trivia

Sri Lanka haven't lost to India in the last six finals between the two teams - they've won four while two were rained out. The last time India won a final against them was ten years ago, in the Singer-Akai Nidahas Trophy.

Sanath Jayasuriya averages 51.54 at a strike rate of 100.17 in finals against India. In 11 innings he has scored one hundred and four fifties, including a 99.

Muttiah Muralitharan has an excellent economy rate of 4.03 in finals against India. In seven innings, he has taken nine wickets at 28.22.

India's top five (Gambhir, Sehwag, Raina, Dhoni and Yuvraj) all average more than fifty in the tournament, with Dhoni the only one with a strike rate - 97.88 - less than 100.

Quotes

"Mendis is a big-game player and he has the ability to play well in big matches and we will be counting on him in the final."
Mahela Jayawardene names his trump card for the final

"Our openers have given us good starts and if they continue to do so it would keep pressure off the middle order and set the foundation."
Mahendra Singh Dhoni looks forward to another strong start by Sehwag and Gambhir