Tuesday, March 31, 2009

ENGLAND VS WESTINDIES 5th ODI:Pietersen, Flintoff cleared for final ODI


Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen have been cleared to rejoin England's One-day squad ahead of the final One-day international against West Indies.Both players stayed behind in Barbados Monday to have further scans on injuries sustained during Sunday's nine-wicket triumph at Kensington Oval, which set up Friday's series decider, The Guardian reports.But the tests, which were sent back to London for further examination, revealed no significant damage. They will now meet up with their teammates at their St Lucia base.Pietersen was only able to deliver five balls in Sunday's match before limping off the field with a back spasm which England feared could have ruled him out of the match.All-rounder Flintoff suffered a left thumb injury in the field and although an ultra-sound scan confirmed there was no fracture, he was sent for a further examination as a precaution.England and West Indies are locked 2-2 in the series.Meanwhile, Hampshire all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas hopes victory in the fifth ODI will allow England to take some positives from their winter."It hasn't been the best of winters for the England cricket team as yet, but we've got a really huge chance Friday to turn that right around and come away with a series win in the West Indies which would be a great effort," he said.

Controversy and confusion surrounds Knight Riders


The first game of the Indian Premier League is less than three weeks away but the Kolkata Knight Riders camp is buzzing with controversy and confusion more than cricket. The IPL team is still unsure about who will be their captain for the tournament.Sourav Ganguly was in Mumbai on Tuesday for a meeting with team owner Shah Rukh Khan and coach John Buchanan. The meeting was held at Shah Rukh Khan's home.Last week, Buchanan threw the cat among the pigeons when he announced an ambitious plan to experiment with multiple captains during the course of a game.There was further confusion brewing in the Kolkata camp after Shah Rukh Khan tried to play down the controversy over the captaincy issue.Shah Rukh walked the ramp in the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai and told the media that it was a matter of miscommunication that had caused the captaincy issue to spiral up into a matter of greater proportions."I think there is a lot of over-reaction and rumors about he's been removed from captaincy.But that is completely untrue," said Khan.Clearly a lot can happen when you get India's biggest movie star, India's most celebrated captain and a maverick coach together!

Monday, March 30, 2009

GANGULY MAY STEP DOWN FROM CAPTAIN OF KKR


A change of guard is in the offing in the Kolkata Knight Riders camp. Sources say Sourav Ganguly is unwilling to carry on as captain of the team and could step down.The man who is tipped to replace him is New Zealand's wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon MCCullum.The Knight Riders management has spoken to McCullum about taking over from Ganguly who retired from international cricket last year.McCullum had started the first season of the IPL with a bang, clobbering an unbeaten 158 of just 73 balls in the first match of the tournament against Bangalore Royal Challengers.And unlike Ricky Ponting, who has already opted out of the tournament, and Chris Gayle, McCullum is available for the entire tournament. But he has no previous leadership credentials.Kolkata's head coach John Buchanan had earlier suggested a radical theory for this season's IPL, indicating that the team could have different captains at various stages of the game.He had indicated the names of McCullum, Gayle and David Hussey, who, along with Ganguly, could lead the side according to his new approach to captaincy.Buchanan's intentions, however, has drawn criticism from various quarters although a reaction from the management is yet to come.

ENGLAND VS WESTINDIES 4th ODI:STRAUSS BRILLIANCY MADE ENGLAND TO LEVEL THE SERIES


Andrew Strauss hit an unbeaten 79 on Sunday to guide England to a nine-wicket victory over the West Indies on Duckworth/Lewis in a rain-shortened fourth one-day international at Kensington Oval.England's win levels the five-match series at 2-2 with the final showdown in St. Lucia next Friday.Strauss hit nine fours and one six off 61 balls as England, set a revised target of 135 off 20 overs, romped home at 136-1 off 18.3 overs.Earlier, the West Indies were limited to 239-9 off 50 overs.All-rounder Dwayne Bravo top-scored with 69 off 72 balls. The right-hander lashed seven fours and two sixes to guide the home side from 145-6 to a respectable total.Dimitri Mascarenhas led the England attack with 3-26 off 10 overs while Stuart Broad (3-62) also claimed crucial scalps."It went pretty well today. As cricketers, the only way we can do our talking in on the pitch and I've got to keep doing that," Strauss said. "I'm delighted with the way I played today and even more delighted we were able to win the game."Captain Chris Gayle gave the West Indies a flying start with a boundary-studded 46 off 39 deliveries. The powerful left-hander continued from where he left off on Friday when he hit eight sixes in 80. On Sunday, he slapped five sixes and three fours.He and Lendl Simmons added 72 for the first wicket in 12.4 overs. But once Gayle top-edged a pull at Broad and was caught by wicketkeeper Matt Prior, the home team slipped away.Simmons (29) was run out after a mix-up with Ramnaresh Sarwan, who went cheaply as he dragged on from Andrew Flintoff as England took control at 83-3.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin added 43 for the fourth wicket to revive the West Indies' fortunes.


Mascarenhas then claimed three quick wickets to further derail the innings.Ramdin (26) holed out to mid-off, Chanderpaul feathered an edge to Prior and Kieron Pollard (0) picked out deep square leg.Bravo dominated the latter part of the innings, playing some thrilling strokes during his half century.Heavy and persistent rain during the interval kept the players off the field for two and half hours and reduced England's pursuit to 135 off 20 overs.The visitors, handicapped by injuries to key batsmen Kevin Pietersen (back spasms) and Andrew Flintoff (bruised thumb) when they were in the field, were given a rousing start by Strauss and Ravi Bopara.Strauss lashed Lionel Baker's third over of the innings for 18 runs, including four successive fours, to set the tone. The 32-year-old left-hander reached his half-century off 41 balls and shared an opening stand of 108 with Bopara.Bopara lashed one huge six in 35 off 39 balls but fell with victory in sight. He holed out to deep fine leg off Kieron Pollard.Matt Prior hit an unbeaten 14 toward the end but his captain Strauss hit the winning runs.Umpire Steve Bucknor, standing in his final international after a 20-year career that spanned a world record 128 Tests and 181 one-dayers, made the final signal of the match as Strauss steered a boundary to third man to seal England's victory.

INDIA VS NEWZELAND 2nd TEST:DAY 5:TEST ENDED IN A DRAW AFTER A WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE BY THE INDIAN BATSMAN IN THE 2nd INNINGS


Gautam Gambhir batted nearly 11 hours for 137 and VVS Laxman made a stylish 124 not out as India reached 476 for four on Monday to draw the second Test against New Zealand, consolidating a 1-0 series lead.Gambhir's innings secured the draw for India, sharing partnerships of 133 for the second wicket with Rahul Dravid (62), 97 with Sachin Tendulkar (64) and 96 with Laxman.He was out in the 160th over of the innings, at 356 for four, having made the match safe for the Indian line-up which was forced to follow on 314 runs behind New Zealand on the first innings.Laxman's 14th Test century and his unbroken 120-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Yuvraj Singh (54 not out) allowed India to build a 162-run lead before their declaration ended the match an hour before scheduled stumps.Virender Sehwag, captaining India in place of Mahendra Singh Dhoni who missed the match with a back injury, praised Gambhir's stoic contribution."I think he's developing his game really well," Sehwag said. "He's playing some good cricket and he's contributing well in all forms of the game. I think he did fantastically well."India were out for 305 in their first innings, replying to New Zealand's 619-9 declared, allowing New Zealand to enforce the follow on with more than two days of the match remaining.

Gambhir's marathon stay at the crease allowed India to erase the deficit shortly after tea on Monday while Laxman and Yuvraj guided India to complete safety, a declaration and a draw.Laxman reached his 14th Test century, to go with his 76 in the first innings, in 238 minutes from 187 balls with 20 fours. Yuvraj then found form with a half-century from 52 balls, punctuated by nine fours.India had started the day at 252-2, still trailing New Zealand by 62 runs.New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin captured the vital wicket of Sachin Tendulkar, who resumed at 58, for 64 in only the fifth over of the day but Gambhir, then Laxman batted India steadily, even painstakingly toward safety.
Gambhir was finally out, trapped lbw by off spinner Jeetan Patel, late in the second session and, though India only led by 42 runs at that point, the match had effectively been saved.India led by 83 runs at tea, when Laxman was 77 not out, and was steered towards their declaration by Laxman's century and the substantial partnership of the final session.

"It was a bit tough," New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said. "We didn't expect to spend three whole days in the field. We were in with a chance to win it but, as it turned out, we couldn't finish it off in the last day and a half."Still, everything I asked of the team before the match came to fruition so I'm happy with most aspects of the match."India take their 1-0 lead into the third and final Test starting in Wellington on Friday. Their 10-wicket win in the first Test at Hamilton was the first in New Zealand since 1976, leaving them on course for a first series win on New Zealand soil since 1968."Whatever conditions we come up against in Wellington, this performance has given us confidence and we'll take a lot of heart from it," Vettori said.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

AUSTRALIA VS SOUTHAFRICA 2nd T20 :SA WIN BY 17 runs

SA BATTING

AUS VS SA 2nd T20 highlights  AUS batting will be uploaded later

New cap Roelof van der Merwe and captain Johan Botha took South Africa to a series-clinching 17-run win in the second Twenty20 international against Australia at Centurion Park on Sunday.Van der Merwe hit 48 off 30 balls as South Africa struggled to 156 for five after being sent in. Then Botha produced a miserly spell of off-spin bowling, taking two for 16 in four overs, as Australia were restricted to 139 for eight.Van der Merwe, selected mainly as a slow left-arm bowler, was surprisingly sent in at number five and initially he struggled to find his timing.But he chanced his arm and slammed four sixes and two fours, with two sixes and both fours coming in one over from Nathan Bracken, usually one of the world's most economical bowlers in limited overs cricket.The Australian bowlers varied their pace and lengths skillfully and the South African batsmen were unable to maintain a consistently quick scoring rate.Australia made a good start, with Michael Clarke and David Warner putting on 37 for the first wicket.But Warner was bowled by Albie Morkel and one run later Australian captain Ricky Ponting was caught behind off left-arm pace bowler Yusuf Abdulla, a second new player in the South African line-up.Clarke and David Hussey put on 25 for the third wicket before the game changed dramatically when Clarke was bowled by Botha and Callum Ferguson was run out first ball.Botha's teasing spin prevented the Australians from recovering their momentum and wickets fell as the batsmen went for big shots.David Hussey followed up his 88 not out in the first match with 27 and threatened to swing the game Australia's way when he hit Van der Merwe for six and four off successive balls in the 15th over, only to be caught at mid-off off the next delivery.South Africa made four changes from the side that won the first match in Johannesburg by four wickets on Friday. "The new players have shown they can play at international level and have given the selectors a nice headache," said Botha about the challenge of selecting a side for the World Twenty20 in England in June."Our bowling was pretty good," said Ponting. "But you need batting partnerships and that's where we fell short."

INDIA VS NEWZELAND 2nd TEST:DAY 4: DRAVID,GAMBHIR & TENDULKAR RESCUE INDIA

Gautam Gambhir made a painstaking century in lengthy partnerships with Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar as India, following on, batted themselves away from danger on Sunday on the fourth day of the second Test against New Zealand.Gambhir was 102 not out, Tendulkar was 58 not out and India was 252 for two at stumps, still 62 runs behind New Zealand after trailing by 314 on the first innings. India have eight wickets in hand with three sessions remaining.Dravid scored 62, his 56th half-century in Tests, after contributing 83 to India's first innings of 305 to mark the 10th occasion he has scored half-centuries in each innings of a Test match.Tendulkar made up for his dismissal for 49 in the first innings by reaching his 52nd Test half-century in a third-wicket partnership with Gambhir which had accrued 89 runs by stumps.India's progress through the fourth day was slow, even grueling at times, but as they negotiated the day with the loss of only Dravid's wicket it allayed the imminent threat of defeat and strengthened their position in the three-match series which they lead 1-0.After resuming at 47 for one, trailing New Zealand by 267 runs, India added 205 runs in 90 overs in the day, placing a higher premium on survival than accumulation.The tourists scored only 72 runs in 33 overs before lunch, 61 runs in 30 overs between lunch and tea and 72 runs in 27 overs in the final session.

But the approach successfully frustrated New Zealand and, though captain Daniel Vettori carefully rotated his bowlers, he was unable to make vital inroads into the Indian innings."There's been some honest toil out there today," said all-rounder James Franklin, who bowled 11 overs in India's innings at a cost of 23 runs. "We've seen how good a wicket it is. Gambhir played a great innings, batting all day with good support from Dravid and Tendulkar.

Final IPL schedule out with slight changes


The second edition of the Indian Premier League will be held in eight cities in South Africa, including Cape Town and Johannesburg which are to host the opening tie and the final respectively, as per the official fixtures list released on Saturday.The schedule of the high-profile Twenty20 League, to be held in South Africa from April 18-May 24, has been released after the organisers fine-tuned the earlier programme sent to the franchises.Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians would clash with last year's runners-up Chennai Super Kings, led by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to kick off the cash-rich tournament.Durban, with its high population of people of South Asian origin, will host the maximum number of 16 matches, including five double headers (April 21, 29, May 5, 14 and 20) while Cape Town will have double headers on the first two days of the competition.Matches will be held at 12.30 pm and 4.30 pm local time.
The schedule (All times IST): 


April 18: Mumbai Indians (MI) v Chennai Super Kings (CSK) (4 pm) at Cape Town; Rajasthan Royals (RR) v Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 19: Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab (4 pm) at Cape Town; Kolkata Knight Riders v Deccan Chargers (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 20: RCB V CSK (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth.

April 21: KKR v KXIP (4 pm); RR v MI (8 pm) at Durban

April 22: RCB v DC (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 23: DD v CSK (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v RR (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 24: KXIP v RCB (8 pm) at Durban

April 25: DC v MI (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v CSK (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 26: RCB v DD (4 pm) Port Elizabeth; RR v KXIP (8 pm) at Cape Town

April 27: CSK v DC (4 pm) at Durban; KKR v MI (8 pm) at Port Elizabeth

April 28: DD v RR (8 pm) at Pretoria

April 29: KKR v RCB (4 pm) at Durban; MI v KXIP (8 pm) at Durban

April 30: DD v DC (4 pm) at Pretoria; RR v CSK (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 1: MI v KKR (4 pm) at East London; RCB v KXIP (8 pm) at Durban

May 2: RR v DC (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth; CSK v DD (8 pm) at Johannesburg

May 3: KXIP v KKR (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth; MI v RCB (8 pm) at Johannesburg

May 4: DC v CSK (8 pm) at East London

May 5: KXIP v RR (4 pm) at Durban; DD v KKR (8 pm) at Durban

May 6: MI v DC (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 7: RCB v RR (4 pm) at Pretoria; KXIP v CSK (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 8: DD v MI (8 pm) at East London

May 9: DC v KXIP (4 pm) at Kimberley; CSK v RR (8 pm) at Kimberley

May 10: RCB v MI (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth; KKR v DD (8 pm) at Johannesburg

May 11: DC v RR (8 pm) at Kimberley 

May 12: RCB v KKR (4 pm) at Pretoria; KXIP v MI (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 13: DC v DD (8 pm) at Durban

May 14: CSK v RCB (4 pm) at Durban; MI v RR (8 pm) at Durban

May 15: KXIP v DD (8 pm) at Bloemfontein

May 16: CSK v MI (4 pm) at Port Elizabeth; DC v KKR (8 pm) at Johannesburg

May 17: KXIP v DC (4 pm) at Johannesburg; RR v DD (8 pm) at Bloemfontein

May 18: CSK v KKR (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 19: DD v RCB (8 pm) at Johannesburg

May 20: RR v KKR (4 pm) at Durban; CSK v KXIP (8 pm) at Durban

May 21: MI v DD (4 pm) at Pretoria; DC v RCB (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 22: Semi Final 1 (8 pm) at Pretoria

May 23: Semi Final 2 (8 pm) at Johannesburg

May 24: Final (8 p m) at Johannesburg.


Buchanan's captaincy theory is absurd: Wadekar


Hitting out at Kolkata Knight Riders coach John Buchanan’s multiple captains’ theory as ‘another case of over-experimentation’, former India captain and coach Ajit Wadekar said that this theory will never work in cricket.


The southpaw also lambasted Buchanan for his comments on Indian senior batsmen like Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and V V S Laxman, questioning their fitness to play in the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa. 


"Buchanan is just making a mockery of Twenty20 in particular and cricket in general. I don’t think this theory will work even in football, where a captain’s role on the field is limited as all the moves are done by the coach or the manager of the team sitting in the players’ box. 


"It really sounds very funny to me as a single captain takes all the decisions on the field in cricket for a full season. I can understand if the captain fails to deliver for a long time, then there is a need for the change otherwise it will only add to more confusion," Wadekar told Cricketnext.com on Sunday.


"I was shocked to read somewhere that Sri Lankan skipper Kumara Sangakkara, who is definitely one of the most intelligent cricketers of modern times, saying he welcomed this theory. My question to him is will he be able to deliver the goods as captain if there are constant interferences from others during a tour? Leave alone in cricket, this theory may not work in any sport," he added.


"if Bachanan gets his way and implements this theory in South Africa, it will be a real disaster for the team. Because the players will be so confused with four different theories from four different captains, that they will be caught in two minds while attempting even basic things and in cricket if you are in two minds nothing will work for sure," Wadekar observed.


"You can take the present England team as an example, they have a very decent team but the players are totally confused to do even simple things on the field because the captaincy has changed hands as many as five times in the past one year or so. You just can’t have too many cooks as it is bound spoil the broth," he added.


"The best thing for Kolkata team is to allow Sourav Ganguly to continue as captain for the first ten or twelve matches and if he fails to deliver, then think about a change for the rest of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season. 


"I also don’t agree with Buchanan’s observation that Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and V V S Laxman are too old to play in the IPL as age has got nothing to do with playing any form of cricket as long as they are fit mentally and physically," Wadekar pointed out.


"Moreover, when you are playing any form of domestic cricket, the pressure is less and I don’t see any harm in the three seniors playing as they still have lot of cricket left in them and are quite fit," he added.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

SANGAKKARA NODES HEAD FOR BUCHANAN STRATEGY

Newly appointed Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara gave a thumbs up to John Buchanan's concept of multiple captains and feels it opens up endless possibilities for the game.Former Australia coach Buchanan, who is in charge of the Kolkata Knight Riders team in the Indian Premier League, proposed more than one captain for the side which has sparked a furious debate in India with Sourav Ganguly fans claiming this was a move to sideline the former India skipper.Sangakkara though found the concept pretty interesting and said it can be tried out in Twenty20 cricket.However, he also said communication between the coach and players would be vital for this experiment to be successful."If it's a way to go forward and it shows results, why not? Everyone is looking for the edge to win. If this is going to provide them that in the future, then it's well and good,"said Sangakkara, who will lead Sri Lanka for the first time in the Twenty20 World Cup in England this June.Sangakkara said he understands Buchanan's concept because he believes that leadership is always situational.

"I believe that leadership is always situational. It's a very interesting concept, and I think it's all about using the best man for a specific situation," he told a cricket website."It will be tried and tested, and then you'll find that some people are better at ensuring that bowlers are changed correctly, and someone might be good for field settings," said Sangakkara, who represents Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.The wicketkeeper-batsman, though, claimed Buchanan's concept was not new in international sport."Cricket is evolving. In American football, you have an offence and defence, a defensive coach and an offensive coach. And cricket, going forward, might have to look at itself differently. Things like fielding captains and bowling captains are experimental tactics where teams are trying to find the best way forward in Twenty20," said the 31-year-old.He also claimed that Sri Lanka have been employing the basic thought for some time now."The traditional idea of one captain doing all the work is never really true.

"In Sri Lankan cricket, at different times and difficult times, different people step up to lead the side. Also, we've always encouraged a team of leaders who are independent thinkers and who are not afraid to contribute ideas and information on and off the field."That feeding of information, as long as the captain has a clear idea of what to choose and what not to, has been the way we've been trying to nurture our cricketers. So the concept of having many leaders, many thinkers and so-called many captains has already been working in our side for a long time," he said.But Sangakkara has also warned against a clash of egos and players getting confused over whom to turn to."If you have two or three captains operating at the same time on the field with the same players, you can have temperaments clashing, ideas clashing, and there could be an overload of information," Sangakkara said.

"The players themselves may not know who to turn to or listen to for guidance in the end. So you see a potential for confusion."The wicketkeeper-batsman feels this could be a PR xercise on the part of Kolkata Knight Riders."Hopefully, it is not a marketing gimmick. Something to create more interest towards that one franchise, and to get the public to say, 'Well, we'll follow the Kolkata Knight Riders from here on'," said the skipper whose team Kings XI will take on Knight Riders on April 21 in Durban and May 3 in Port Elizabeth.He also said the multiple captain concept should be given a try out before passing judgment."Ideas like this which seem radical and progressive should be given a good run, and we should see how they come off," he said."If it comes off well, it'll be a great innovation. If it doesn't, it might look a bit stupid. Either way, it'll be an interesting time for cricket," said Sangakkara.

YOUNIS , ALAM WANT NEW TEAM FOR AUSSIE SERIES


Pakistan captain Younis Khan and coach Intikhab Alam have asked for a new look squad for the forthcoming one-day series against Australia in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from April 22.Both of them rejected chief selector Abdul Qadir's suggestion that the 16-member squad selected for the postponed tour of Bangladesh earlier this month would play against Australia.Qadir had surprised everyone by announcing that except for omitting the reserve wicket-keeper in the Bangladesh bound squad, the same set of players would be retained for the Australia series.Khan told reporters at the Gaddafi stadium that playing against Australia was a different ball game."You tell me does it sound right that the same squad that was picked for Bangladesh should be retained for the Australia series?," Khan asked."I have asked for a few changes to be made in the squad as Australia is one of the top sides in the world and we need experience in our line-up. The players know that performing well against Australia would put them in the higher grade," he said.
The selectors had picked three uncapped youngsters -- batsman Ahmed Shahzad, pacer Mohammad Aamer and leg-spinner Yasir Shah -- for the tour of Bangladesh that was due to start from March 7 but postponed after the Bangladesh government did not clear the series for security reasons. 

Younis said he wanted the best side to be picked for the Australia series as Pakistan would be playing a tough series after a long time.Alam also echoed the same sentiments."The pitches would be different so we need to pick the team according to the requirements of the coming series," Alam contended.He also informed that special clay from the Nadipur town in Pakistan had been sent to Emirates to be used for preparation of pitches at the match venues in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.The series against Australia was shifted to the Emirate states after Australia refused to tour Pakistan because of security concerns for their players.The series includes five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match.Alam said Pakistan team, to be selected on April 1, would have a short conditioning camp at home before leaving for Abu Dhabi on the April 13 to get acclimatized to the conditions.The Australian team will reach Dubai directly after completing their series in South Africa.

INDIA VS NEWZELAND 2nd TEST:DAY 3:KIWIS ON A STRONG HOLD


Chris Martin scythed through the Indian middle order with the second new ball on Saturday as New Zealand secured a 314-run first innings lead and enforced the follow-on in the second Test.Martin dismissed Yuvraj Singh (0), Dinesh Karthik (6) and VVS Laxman for 76 as India were all out for 305 on Saturday replying to New Zealand's first innings of 619 for 9 declared.At stumps India were 47 for one in the second innings, still 267 runs behind with Virender Sehwag out for 22. Gautam Gambhir (14) and Rahul Dravid (11) were the not out batsmen.Jesse Ryder, whose innings of 201 inflated New Zealand's first-innings total, took catches from Martin and Iain O'Brien's bowling and claimed the vital wicket of Dravid for 83 in a three-over cameo to speed India towards dismissal.

O'Brien claimed the last two Indian wickets to fall — Harbhajan Singh for 18 and Zaheer Khan for 8 — with successive deliveries as the tourists lost their last six wickets for 59 runs in perfect batting conditions.India resumed on Saturday at 79 for three and slipped toward the follow on despite brief patches of resistance from Sachin Tendulkar (49), Dravid and Laxman (76).Of the seven wickets that fell, six went to catches behind the wicket and one to a catch on the fine leg fence as the Indian batsman showed a lack of discipline under the weight and pressure of New Zealand's total.The deterioration of the Indian innings was systematic. Tendulkar was out before lunch, one run short of his 52nd half-century in Tests, when he edged a delivery from off-spinner Jeetan Patel to Ross Taylor at first slip.

Dravid reached his 55th Test half-century in 144 minutes off 111 balls and attempted to stall the decline of the innings in a slow second session and in a critical partnership with Laxman.India added only 64 runs in 30 overs between lunch and tea but, importantly, lost the wickets of Dravid and Yuvraj Singh immediately before the interval to slip closer to capitulation.
Dravid was out for 83, caught by wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum off Ryder's first over as the burly New Zealand batsman continued to have an influence over the match.Singh fell without scoring in the last over before tea, leaving the tourists 253-6 and giving New Zealand control of every session of the match, except the first in which they slumped to 23 for three after winning the toss.New Zealand quickly wrapped up the Indian innings in the final session and with precise use of the second new ball. Martin dismissed Karthik, caught by Ryder at third slip, and Laxman, who provided the second catch at second slip for Tim McIntosh.


Patel, who already had the prized wicket of Tendulkar, dismissed Sehwag for 22 before stumps to imperil India's second innings. Sehwag played a rash shot, sweeping across the line, and was trapped lbw when India was 30.Gambhir and Dravid saw the tourists to stumps but India face a battle to save the match with two days remaining.New Zealand took charge of the match with a disciplined bowling performance in good batting conditions."I think the guys bowled really well, really consistently," Patel said. "Dan (Vettori) asked for consistent areas and I think we delivered."We grafted in the second session, bowled a lot of overs to a particular plan and that paid off in third session. If you stack up the overs, as we did, the wickets often come in last session. We stayed strong with our plans and knocked them off really quickly."India lead the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first Test at Hamilton by 10 wickets.

ENGLAND VS WESTINDIES 3rd ODI:GAYLE LIGHTENED WI VICTORY


West Indies captain Chris Gayle smashed an impressive 80 runs from 43 balls on their way to an eight-wicket win in the third one-day international against England here on Friday.West Indies now lead the five-match series 2-1.England were humiliatingly bowled out for just 117 off 41.3 overs with Dimitri Mascarenhas top scoring for England with 36.An audacious and skilfull innings by Gayle, including eight sixes, completely devastated England, who only bowled 14.4 of their 44 allotted overs, calculated on the Duckworth-Lewis system.Gayle told Sky Sports afterwards: "It was a brilliant knock but to give the groundsman credit it was a good wicket to bat on. It was a good innings and I'm very happy. It was just one of those innings.

"I was happy to get the win and I just want to say each and everyone played well today. I do not want to single out players. We all played a good game of cricket today."England skipper Andrew Strauss said afterwards: "I think all the guys sitting in the dressing room were embarrassed by the way they played today. There were very few positives to come out of it. But I'm not going to make any excuses. It was not good enough."We feel pretty down but we'll just have to take it on the chin. We'll have to come back on Sunday to prove a point."

AUSTRALIA VS SOUTHAFRICA 1st T20 :SA WIN A THRILLER

Albie Morkel and Mark Boucher trumped a virtuoso performance by David Hussey as South Africa scrambled to a four-wicket win over Australia in the first Twenty20 international at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday.Hussey cracked an unbeaten 88 off only 44 balls and took two for 21 with his off-spinners to earn the man of the match award. But it was not enough to secure a win for his team in the opening encounter of a two-match series.Hussey, younger brother of Test batsman Mike, dominated an Australian innings of 166 for seven and it looked as though it would be enough when South Africa slumped to 83 for five in the 13th over.But Morkel and Boucher added 58 off 33 balls to swing the momentum in South Africa's favour.The big-hitting Morkel slammed 36 off 22 balls before he mis-hit Mitchell Johnson high to mid-off where David Hussey held a good catch.South Africa still needed 26 off 17 balls but Boucher saw them home, finishing with 36 not out off 22 balls. Seven were needed off the final over, bowled by Brett Geeves, and Boucher hit the first two balls to the midwicket boundary to clinch victory with four balls to spare."In this game you never really know," said Australian captain Ricky Ponting. "There was some very good hitting by the South Africans at the end. David Hussey was magnificent but we came up a bit short with the ball."

While Hussey enabled Australia to post a reasonably competitive total, his team-mates assisted him in only two partnerships of any significance.Hussey and opener David Warner (38) put on 54 for the third wicket and Hussey added 45 with Cameron White (16) for the sixth wicket.Australia suffered a severe jolt when three wickets fell for one run in the tenth over.Warner fell to a sharp return catch by left-arm spinner Robin Peterson and Mike Hussey was run out by a direct hit from South African captain Johan Botha after turning the first ball he faced behind square leg.After David Hussey scored a single, Brad Haddin was caught at long-off for a duck. Peterson finished with three for 30.Hussey timed the ball superbly in hitting five fours and six sixes.Herschelle Gibbs got South Africa off to a fast start, hitting 19 off 12 balls, but drove Geeves' first ball in a Twenty20 international to Ponting at cover.Wickets fell steadily and the scoring rate slowed until Morkel and Boucher came together.A key over was the 17th of the innings, in which James Hopes conceded 21 runs, with the left-handed Morkel hitting the first three balls for 4, 6, 4.

Friday, March 27, 2009

ENGLAND VS WESTINDIES 3rd ODI:Rain delays start after Eng choose to bat


 England chose to bat against the West Indies in the third ODI at Bridgetown on Friday after the visitors were boosted by the return of star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.


Flintoff was passed fit to return in the third ODI after missing the last month of the tour with a hip injury sustained during the third Test in Antigua.

AUSTRALIA VS SOUTHAFRICA T20 :BOTHA TO CAPTAIN SA

South Africa has named Johan Botha to lead their side for opening Twenty20 International against Australia at the Wanderers ground.Skipper Graeme Smith and acting skipper from last week’s third Test Jacques Kallis are both injured, while opening batsman Neil McKenzie has been dropped.Botha led South Africa to a series win in the One-Dayers in Australia against Ricky Ponting’s side in January to claim the world No.1 ranking."Wins are always important. But there is going to be a bit of experimenting. We need to try to get our team for the (T20) World Cup sorted out. There’s only these two games and then in June it’s the World Cup (in England)," Botha said on Thursday.Botha is keen to avenge South Africa''s two Twenty20 defeats against Australia in January, the Daily Telegraph reported."We know we have to start better tomorrow. We can’t let Australia get ahead. We want to start really well here. We are looking forward to playing in front of a massive crowd," he said.The second and final T20 match is at Centurion on Sunday followed by a five-game series of one-day internationals

INDIA VS NEWZELAND 2nd TEST:KIWIS HAVE AN UPPER HAND OVER INDIANS


Jesse Ryder reached 201 before New Zealand's declaration at 619 for nine wickets on Friday on the second day of the second Test against India.India were in trouble at stumps in reply, with New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori claiming two wickets to reduce India to 79-3 after 23 overs. Vettori declared New Zealand's first innings with 90 minutes remaining in the second day's play at McLean Park.Brendon McCullum scored 115, Vettori 55 and James Franklin 52, following Ross Taylor's 151 on the first day, as New Zealand, trailing 1-0 in the three-match series, compiled their third-highest test total.Vettori joined the New Zealand attack after only nine overs and removed Virender Sehwag for 34 and night-watchman Ishant Sharma for 0, then took a catch from off-spinner Jeetan Patel to dismiss Gautam Gambhir for 16.Ryder was the star of the day, however, resuming his innings at 137 not out and batting for just over eight hours to raise the third double century and third-highest score by a New Zealander against India.

The stocky left-hander, whose only other Test century (102) came two innings previously in the first innings of the first Test at Hamilton, was then out to the next ball, bowled off an inside edge by Zaheer Khan. His innings market the 15th Test double century by a New Zealand player.Ryder was also out one ball after achieving his century in the Hamilton Test — won by India by 10 wickets — but in combination, across three innings in the series so far, has batted more than 13 hours for 324 runs.He has now scored 50 or more in four of his last five Test innings — including two centuries — and has averaged 132 over a prolific period which began with his 89 in the first innings of the first Test against the West Indies in December.At the end of his innings on Friday, he was averaging 64 with two centuries and four half-centuries in a Test career of only eight matches and 14 innings.

"I'm pretty much speechless," Ryder said. "I wasn't expecting to go out and score a double century. I just knuckled down and played my game and it came off. The last two days just showed we're capable of getting big totals."
Ryder began his marathon vigil when New Zealand was 23-3 in the 11th over Thursday, after winning the toss and batting.He shared partnerships of 271 for the fourth wicket with Taylor, 121 for the fifth wicket with Franklin, run out for 52 before lunch, and finally 62 for the sixth wicket with McCullum.McCullum reached his third century in Tests three balls before tea and went on to make 115 in a 128-run partnership with Vettori for the seventh wicket. His century came from 131 balls in 141 minutes and contained 11 fours.Vettori reached a half-century, after McCullum's dismissal, in 94 minutes with five fours while Franklin had earlier raised his half century in 164 minutes with seven fours, batting through the vital late stages of the first day and early stages of the second.Ryder's concentration never wavered throughout the 488 minutes of his innings until, immediately after his double century was raised, he played a loose shot and was bowled by Zaheer. He left the field displaying considerable anger and frustration at the lapse.

"I was greedy and wanted to score more runs," he said. "I was disappointed with myself to get out in that fashion."Ryder hit 24 fours and a six in a disciplined innings, taking his boundaries from his favorite scoring shots and through optimum scoring areas between backward point and extra cover.Ryder has battled issues off the field throughout his career, losing his place in the New Zealand team last year when he injured his hand punching a window in a Christchurch bar. He was dropped again during a limited-overs series against the West Indies in December when he missed a team meeting and training session after a late-night drinking session.

IPL 2 VENUES


The IPL schedule allows very little breathing space to the teams with 59 matches in five weeks across 8 venues in South Africa, starting from April 18. But now that the scheduling is out of the way and preparations are on in full swing, the excitement is sure to build up.Durban was the place where Yuvraj Singh slammed Stuart Broad for six sixes in one over in the Twenty20 World Championship in 2007. According to the IPL schedule, Durban will host 16 of the 59 matches, it's sizeable Indian population and coastal weather possibly being the clinching factors.Centurion Park in Pretoria will host 12 games. Johannesburg and Cape Town will stage eight matches each. Port Elizabeth will have seven games. East London will host four and two matches each have been given to Bloemfontein and Kimberley.

"It's a fantastic thing for South Africa. Not only South African cricket, I think it's going to provide us with new opportunities and a massive opportunity to showcase another event just before 2010 (when the football World Cup will take place)," said South African skipper Graeme Smith.Smith will be an even more important member of the Rajasthan Royals now, with his knowledge of the local conditions coming in handy as they seek to defend their title.Other teams such as Bangalore Royal Challengers, who had a dismal run last year think the move may actually work in their favour. They have five South African players in their squad and their new captain Kevin Pietersen is also of South African origin.And even as preparations kick into full throttle, there is the small matter of a T20 and one-day series between Australia and South Africa to complete. Some fear that contest may be overshadowed, although the players involved aren't worried."Moving the event here I think has been a really positive move for the whole tournament. And I think it will actually have a great impact maybe even on just what happened with our two games on Friday and Sunday and the one-day series after that"So now we know the dates and the venues. All we await now is for the games to begin.

GANGULY KNEW OF CAPTAINCY PLAN SAYS BUCHANAN


The Kolkata Knight Riders coach John Buchanan said he was given free hand by the IPL franchise owner Shahrukh Khan to decide on the cricketing matters of the team.Buchanan says all the senior players like Australia's Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist and India's Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid have reached their twilihgt. So also Sourav Ganguly."Shah Rukh Khan gave me a freehand to decide over cricketing matters of Kolkata Knight Riders. Ponting, Gilchrist, Sachin, Dravid, Laxman like Ganguly have reached their twilight.Buchanan also said he had informed the former Indian skipper about the move to have multiple captains for the KKR.He dismissed criticism that he is pursuing his own agenda for the IPL team and said he was committed to the IPL team's success and would do whatever required for that."I informed him last season about captaincy options. I don't want to remove Ganguly. Rather, I want Kolkata knight riders to win the tournament," said Buchanan on Friday.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Buchanan is not Chappell: Shah Rukh Khan


Kolkata Knight Riders owner Shah Rukh Khan came out in the defence of his team's coach John Buchanan on Thursday, revealing that Sourav Ganguly won't be treated in the way Greg Chappell did that led to Ganguly's axing from the Indian team."John Buchanan is not Greg Chappell," Shah Rukh Khan told the Telegraph.The Bollywood superstar has also urged fans not to overreact after it was announced that Sourav Ganguly will not be the permanent captain in the second season of the Indian Premier League, to be played in South Africa from April 18. There was a huge uproar in Kolkata when coach John Buchanan told a press conference: "There won't be a permanent captain."Shah Rukh Khan said that there were no plans to sideline Ganguly and he was still integral part of the Kolkata team."Sourav is our main man. No idea or decision will be taken without Dada's consent and agreement. And the whole KKR respects and loves him no end. So, there is no reason to overreact by any of us right now," stated Shah Rukh Khan.

John Buchanan's theory of multiple captains which has hit the headlines in the last 24 hours is a new theory which Shah Rukh Khan seems to be keen about."Last year also, we had contemplated having matches with multiple captains and inputs from them. Twenty20 is a new format and new ideas should be tried," added Shah Rukh Khan.

Gayle & Co. threaten to skip England tour for IPL


Five senior West Indies players, including captain Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, have threatened to pull out of their country's tour of England in May and play in the IPL instead after their discussion with the board over pay dispute failed yet again.The meeting between the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players' aAssociation (WIPA) ended on Tuesday after two days without reaching any agreement over pay dispute and in protest the players are now considering standing down from national duty, according to a cricket website.The players, who were represented by WIPA President Dinanath Ramnarine, would be needing 'No Objection Certificates' from the WICB first before taking part in the April 18-May 24 IPL to be held in South Africa.

West Indies' tour to England starts from April 21 and the first Test begins at Lord's from May 6.
Players said they didn't get their full payments for the tour to New Zealand this winter and are awaiting payments for the England series.They also want to know the length of time they can play in the IPL before joining the team in England, according to a cricket website.The players also raised voices against the central contracts which are due to expire at the end of the England tour but new agreements are still not in place. The latest incident has hit domestic cricket.

Last Friday the players refused to take part in three domestic one-day matches, while the national team blanked out Digicel branding on their kit with masking tape during the ODI against England.Ramnarine also resigned from the WICB executive committee last week in protest against the payment related dispute

INDIA VS NEWZELAND 2nd TEST:Taylor, Ryder tons settles NZ


Ross Taylor scored his third Test century and Jesse Ryder his second in a record 271-run fourth-wicket partnership which lifted New Zealand out of trouble and to 351 for four at stumps on the first day of the second Test against India.Taylor and Ryder were thrown together in only the 11th over on Thursday, with New Zealand's innings in collapse at 23 for three. They pursued their partnership for the next 58.2 overs to lift the home side to 294-4 before Taylor was out for 151.The partnership was the highest by a New Zealand pair for all wickets against India, beating 231, and the highest for New Zealand's fourth wicket against all nations, beating the previous mark of 241.Ryder was unbeaten on 137 at stumps, having batted more than seven hours for his second century in consecutive Tests after his 102 at Hamilton, where India won by 10 wickets.Taylor's century was his first in five Tests, since his 115 against Australia at Brisbane in November.

Taylor struggled to curb his aggressive nature and offered chances throughout his innings before finally lofting an attempted sweep to Yuvraj Singh on the square leg boundary off Harbhajan Singh in the final session.Ryder, in contrast, played a composed and technically expert innings, limiting his scoring shots to precise and predetermined areas and offering few opportunities to the fielding side.India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was ruled out of the match on Thursday with a back injury, handing the captaincy to Virender Sehwag who led India for only the second time in a Test.Taylor's innings of 262 minutes and 204 balls was still the foundation of New Zealand's strong position at stumps on day one. He had come to the crease when New Zealand were in the throes of an early collapse and was the first batsman to offer resistance to India's attack."I think I was a bit more nervous than normal," Taylor said. "I haven't had a score for a while in the Test arena so I was happy to get one today.

"I put a lot of pressure on myself with goals and high standards and the way I've played over the last few months hasn't lived up to those standards. This wasn't the best hundred I've got but it was good to get there."

Taylor praised Ryder's contribution. "A lot credit has to go to Jesse," he said. "I think he played outstandingly well and to still be there, after over six hours, he's been great."He played a big part in my innings today. He kept me going and I have to thank him."Ryder and Taylor batted for more than two full sessions to change the course of the opening day and to answer captain Daniel Vettori's call on batsmen to occupy the crease for long periods.It was a message lost on New Zealand's top order as Tim McIntosh was out, unluckily, for 12, Jamie How for 1 and Martin Guptill for 8.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Test mace and ODI shield to be presented to Ponting and Smith in Johannesburg


Media conference set for Wanderers Club on Wednesday as Australia and South Africa captains will also pick up cheques for US$175,000 as their teams will be top of the Test and ODI tables at 1 April cut-off 

The presentation of the Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship mace and the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship shield plus prize money cheques will be made to the captains of the Australia and South Africa teams in Johannesburg on Wednesday 25 March. 

The ceremony will take place at the Wanderers Club, 21 North Road, Illovo, Johannesburg (NOT Wanderers Stadium), at 1230 (South Africa time) on Wednesday and the presentations will be made by David Richardson, ICC General Manager – Cricket. 

Captain Ricky Ponting will accept the mace and a cheque for US175,000 on behalf of Cricket Australia for leading the team that finishes top of the Test Championship table on the annual cut-off date of 1 April. He will also pick up a cheque for US$75,000 for coming second in the ODI Championship on the same date. 

Meanwhile, Graeme Smith will accept the shield and a cheque for US$175,000 on behalf of Cricket South Africa in recognition of his team finishing top of the ODI Championship table. He will also accept a cheque for US$75,000 for being second in the Test Championship on the 1 April cut-off. 

There will be a photo opportunity and an opportunity for a brief question-and-answer session with both captains and Mr Richardson. All bona fide members of the media are invited to attend. Please be in place to begin the presentation ceremony no later than 1215 on Wednesday. 

WHO: Ricky Ponting, Graeme Smith, David Richardson 

WHAT: Presentation of Reliance Mobile ICC Test Championship mace and ODI Championship shield along with winners’ and runners-up’s cheques 
WHERE: Wanderers Club, 21 North Road, Illovo, Johannesburg (NOT Wanderers Stadium) 

WHEN: Wednesday 25 March at 1230 (SA time) 

Before the Test series that finished in Cape Town on Sunday, Australia’s lead in the Test Championship had been cut to five ratings points and a series win of any kind would have been enough for South Africa to go top. But after its disappointment of losing 2-1 at home to the Proteas, Australia emerged stronger and more determined than ever to stay on top of the world and managed to secure a 2-1 series win of its own

No fixed captain for Kolkata Knight Riders: Buchanan


The Kolkata Knight Riders Wednesday said they will not have one permanent captain for the second edition of the Indian Premier League."There won't necessarily be a fixed captain," Knight Riders' coach John Buchanan told reporters at a press conference here.

He denied there was any controversy over Sourav Ganguly's captaincy and said, "My decisions have nothing to do with Ganguly. It's how I perceive the game of T20. There is no controversy at all. I am open to look at running the side in a new way."We will choose the captain depending on the game. There can be multiple team captains in the series," he added.

Buchanan, who was repeatedly asked about the captaincy issue, retorted that the "media was creating controversies. There's nothing between me and Sourav or me and some other player."Ganguly, who had a half-hour chat with Buchanan on Tuesday after the initial reports emerged about his captaincy, said: "John's concept is new, we have to accept what he decides since he's the coach.

"My goal is to score runs and pick wickets, rest is upto John since he's the coach," Ganguly added.

FLINTOFF RETURNS TO BOOST ENGLAND


All-rounder Andrew Flintoff has been passed fit to play against the West Indies in the third one-day international in Barbados on Friday.Flintoff has recovered from a hip injury, the England and Wales Cricket Board said on its website (www.ecb.co.uk) on Tuesday.Flintoff has not played since picking up the injury in the third Test between the teams last month.The ODI series is evenly poised at 1-1 with England clinching the first ODI and losing in the next

INDIA VS NEWZELAND 2nd TEST:KIWIS AIM TO FIGHT BACK,INDIANS DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE KIWIS


 History beckons India as it prepares to take on an inexperienced and demoralised New Zealand on Thursday in the second cricket Test, a victory in which would give the visitors their first series triumph here in 41 years.Leading 1-0 in the three-match series, the Indian team has been in decimating form and is high on confidence as it seeks to wrap up the three-match series with a win.In contrast to India's three-seamer, one-spinner combination, New Zealand have packed their attack with two spinners and three seamers for the contest at the McLean Park.The hosts are hoping that off-spinner Jeetan Patel would give them the edge if the wicket assists spin.Patel is expected to replace medium pacer Kyle Mills, who had a poor outing in the first Test at Hamilton.But Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni doesn't see the need to add an extra spinner."We have been quite comfortable with 3-1 combination. When it comes to three seamers and one spinner, we have part timers who have proved that they can get wickets in Test cricket also. You have Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, and Sachin Tendulkar who can bowl if it is turning," said Dhoni.

But strengthening their bowling is unlikely to serve New Zealand much as it is their inexperienced batting which let them down at Hamilton.And if Daniel Flynn, who made a fighting half-century in the second innings in the first Test, fails the fitness test tomorrow, the Kiwis would be desperately short of batters who can spend long hours at the crease, something which Vettori has demanded of his beleaguered men.In the eventuality of Flynn, who had bruised his bottom hand while playing Ishant Sharma, being ruled out, New Zealand would be forced to play Jamie How, the cover for the diminutive left-hander.India will be unchanged from the first Test, which they won convincingly by 10 wickets.In recent times, India have trounced the West Indies (Trinidad, 2002), beaten Pakistan in their backyard (2004-05), humbled the Australians in their outback (Adelaide 2003-04 and Perth 2007-08), bearded the English lion in its own den (2007) and tamed the South Africans (2007).

And if the current bunch can't achieve what Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's men did in 1967-68, India will certainly find it tough to conquer the Kiwis in their own den when the Sachin Tendulkars, the Rahul Dravids, the VVS Laxmans and the Zaheer Khans are gone.Dhoni said his job of planning has been made easier by an on-a-roll batting line-up and an effective bowling attack."The stress is on execution of plans rather than making too many plans. It is important that the batsmen and bowlers do their job. It gets very easy when each and everyone is performing at his best. "We have done that throughout the series and if continue to do so in the next couple of games it will be good for us," said Dhoni.The Indian skipper was not hassled by the condition of the wicket, a part of which was infected by fungus.


"I have not had a look at it. But have read a few headlines and fungus affecting the wicket. It won't make a difference," said Dhoni, who said he was focussed on completing the series win here itself before the team heads to Wellington for the third Test early next month.

IPL SHIFTED TO SOUTHAFRICA-BEGINS ON APRIL 18


After months of speculation, it has been confirmed that South Africa will be hosting the second season of the Indian Premier League to begin from April 18.The deal was sealed after IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi met Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola on Tuesday afternoon and South Africa agreed to offer full support to the IPL.South Africa have also assured top security during the mega event."I am delighted to announce that we have reached a decision to host the 2009 season of the Indian Premier League in South Africa. To move the event out of India has been one of the hardest decisions the Board of Control for Cricket in India has had to take."But I am confident that staging the IPL in South Africa will be a massive success for us," said lalit Modi at a press conference in Johannesburg.

Durban, Cape Town, Bloemfontein, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth will be the venues for the second season of the IPL in South Africa. The opening ceremony will be held in Cape Town.The 59 matches will be played in the six stadiums across the country at prime time of 4 pm and 8 pm IST.According to the original schedule, the IPL was to kick off from April 10 but it is being reported that the reason for postponing the tournament is to give the Indian players a breather. India will be finishing their current tour of New Zealand on April 7.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Pietersen to lead Bangalore Royal Challengers




England batsman Kevin Pietersen will lead Bangalore Royal Challengers during the second edition of the Indian Premier League, team owner Vijay Mallya announced. Pietersen replaces Rahul Dravid as the Royal Challengers captain for the second season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team will be led by Pietersen for the first phase of the second edition of IPL until he leaves at the end of April following which South African Jacques Kallis will assume captaincy. “Kevin Pietersen will lead Royal Challengers in the IPL and it was a decision that we took after a lot of discussions and when he leaves to fulfill his England commitments, Jacques Kallis will lead the team,” said Vijay Mallya, owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore at a press conference late on Saturday. Mallya said that the leadership-change was done in consultation with Rahul Dravid, who led the team last year. “We were in consultation with Dravid and he had personal issues.” “He and his wife are expecting their child and no one knows when a baby is born and Rahul hinted at his likely unavailability.” “Hence there was also the need for Kallis to step in as Pietersen’s replacement in the second half of the IPL season,” Mallya said. Mallya said that his team which was weak in the batting department last year has gained with the inclusion of Jesse Ryder, Robin Uthappa and other explosive batsmen. “I believe we are championship contenders and I hope to get the cup to Bangalore,” Mallya added

Monday, March 23, 2009

ENGLAND VS WESTINDIES 2nd ODI:England lose to WI despite Strauss' ton


Andrew Strauss hit his third one-day international hundred, but England still went down to a 21-run defeat at the hands of the West Indies at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday.
The captain made 105 from 129 balls as England, chasing 265 for victory, were dismissed for 243 in 48.2 overs to allow West Indies to draw level at 1-1 in the five-match series.The third and fourth matches will be contested at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Friday and Sunday, with the final game set for St. Lucia on April 6.England had won the opener here on Friday when West Indies coach John Dyson embarrassingly miscalculated the Duckworth-Lewis method and handed his opponents a one-run win."We lost too many wickets too early and we were always behind the eight ball," admitted Strauss."We needed things to go our way in the last powerplay but with the medium pacers bowling, it wasn't easy to get the ball away. It was getting lower and slower, so we had to take risks to get runs."It would have been nice to have gone 2-0 in the series, but we have a good chance of winning in Barbados where the wicket might suit us better."
West Indies skipper Chris Gayle said his team had a point to prove."We were really down after what happened on Friday," said Gayle. "We wanted to give the crowd something to cheer about and I want to commend the guys for the way they played."
Man-of-the-match Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored his 10th one-day hundred of 112 not out from 134 balls to lead West Indies to 264 for eight from their 50 overs.
Strauss reached his hundred from 126 balls with a drive through cover for two off Kieron Pollard, but England lost wickets steadily.Their best stands were 50 between Strauss and Owais Shah for the third wicket, and 59 between the England captain and Dmitri Mascarenhas for the sixth.Mascarenhas made 29 and Shah made 22 and were the only other batsmen that passed 20. Dwayne Bravo and Pollard both collected two wickets for West Indies.Earlier, England, particularly Paul Collingwood and Mascarenhas, bowling their modest medium-pace, restricted West Indies to 57 runs in the last 10 overs and collected four cheap wickets to scupper the home team's hunt for quick late runs.The tourists had been under pressure from Chanderpaul and compatriot Ramnaresh Sarwan when they put on 133 from 177 balls for the third wicket, after West Indies elected to bat and lost Lendl Simmons for a duck and fellow opener Gayle, for 20, inside the first six overs.Urged on by the largest crowd for an international match in Guyana, Chanderpaul and Sarwan hit 74 from 89 balls. But James Anderson had Sarwan caught at deep mid-off in the 35th over, and Collingwood and Mascarenhas prevailed in the closing overs to limit the damage of the West Indies batsmen.Anderson captured three for 37 from nine overs, Collingwood took three for 49 from 10 overs, and Dimitri Mascarenhas bagged two for 53 from 10 overs.

Modi rushes abroad to finalise IPL venue


Chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Lalit Modi will travel to England and South Africa over the next 24 hours in an effort to finalise an overseas venue for this year's edition of the Twenty20 competition.The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Sunday that it would stage next month's event abroad after failing to get government clearance for security cover because the tournament dates clashed with the country's general elections."I'll be visiting both England and South Africa in the next 24 hours," IPL chief Lalit Modi told Reuters. "I'm booked both ways and I'm yet to decide where to go first."The Indian board said the second edition would have to be played on its original dates between April 10 and May 24 due to the cramped international calendar and that that they were in discussions with interested boards willing to host the event.England and South Africa have emerged as the main contenders. A decision on the overseas venue is expected to be announced in the next two days, another board official told Reuters.Indian media speculated that England was the preferred venue. "We have had discussions in the last 36 hours. We shall be meeting representatives of the IPL and the BCCI and shall be reporting back to the Board at the back end of the week," England Cricket Board's chief executive David Collier was quoted in British media. England is to host the Twenty20 World Cup in June. India are the defending champions. "It would make sense in having the event in England as it would help our cricketers prepare for the Twenty20 World Cup," India's bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad told Indian media.
National Shame
Meanwhile, the decision to move the event overseas for lack of security has been the subject of a national debate in the cricket-crazy country, with some calling it politically motivated.
The country's two biggest political parties have traded barbs over IPL's decision, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calling it a "national shame".India's home minister hit back on Monday, saying: "It appears that IPL is more than a game. It is a shrewd combination of sport and business. There is no reason to add politics to this combination."But Indian fans and cricketers were disheartened by the shift. "It is disappointing that the IPL has been moved out of India. We will certainly miss playing in front of our supporters. It won't be the same," Sachin Tendulkar was quoted by Indian media.But owners of the eight franchises supported the move. "It's disappointing, given the huge excitement that exists for the IPL in India. However, if the choice is no tournament or the tournament in another country, then we clearly prefer the latter," Manoj Badale of the Rajasthan Royals said in a statement.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

AUSTRALIA VS SOUTHAFRICA 3rd TEST:Australia loses by an innings


South Africa left-arm spinner Paul Harris took six wickets as the Proteas beat Australia by an innings and 20 runs to win the third Test but lose the series 2-1. Harris claimed 6-127 off 42.5 overs as Australia was dismissed for 422 after tea on the fourth day at Newlands despite Mitchell Johnson hitting 11 fours and five sixes to score 123 not out off 103 balls and added 163 with Andrew McDonald (68). Harris won the Man-of-the-Match award after becoming the first South African spinner in 44 years to claim five or more wickets in an innings in a home Test. "I've dreamed about a day like this at Newlands. It's my favorite ground in the world, and to play in front of my folks and wife made it a great day," Harris said. "The last three months I feel I've been bowling the best in my career. (Titans and former Pakistan coach) Richard Pybus must take a lot of credit for that. He's helped me a lot, as have (Proteas coaching staff) Vinnie Barnes and Jeremy Snape." Johnson, who was selected as the player of the series after taking 16 wickets and scoring 255 runs, scored his maiden Test ton with a six off Dale Steyn. He had missed out on a century in the first Test when Australia's first innings ended with him on 96 not out. Johnson admitted he had been a little nervous when wickets started to fall when he was in the 90s. "I was thinking I would try to hit Harris for six straight over his head, but I had to have some faith in the guys. We've got a good tail," he said. The series matched the 2-1 score that South Africa won by in Australia earlier this year. Australian captain Ricky Ponting said the fact that his team were probably not mentally tuned in at the start of the Newlands Test, having already clinched the series, had been part of their downfall. "If you are not quite there mentally, results will start to go against you very quickly," he said. "The other thing is that once their batsmen got starts, they went on to make big scores. "It always hurts when you lose. This was a really poor game by us, and the way South Africa bounced back says a lot about the character in their team." South Africa had amassed 651 in reply to Australia's 209 to lead by 442 runs after the completion of the first innings. Australia was hoping to take the Test into the fifth day, but Harris dismissed McDonald and then had Peter Siddle caught by A.B. de Villiers at silly mid-off in successive balls in the 116th over to make the key breakthroughs. McDonald hit eight fours in 99 balls. Bryce McGain was then run out for a duck seven runs later to make it 388-9, and only a last-wicket stand of 34 between Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus (12) delayed South Africa's victory. Harris got Hilfenhaus out to finish with match figures of 9-161. Australia had resumed the day on 102-2, and Simon Katich and Michael Hussey progressed at a snail's pace in the first session with Katich adding only one run to his overnight score of 44 in the first hour of play. It took 26 balls for Katich to get that run, which came off a dropped catch in the gully by Harris, and then it was 18 more balls before he scored again. Twenty minutes before lunch, Katich drove a ball from Harris to J.P. Duminy at mid-off to be out after scoring 54 in more than four hours and bring an end to his 62-run stand with Hussey. Katich hit four fours and a six. In the final over before the break, Michael Clarke on 3 was given out caught behind off Jacques Kallis by umpire Steve Bucknor, but the decision was reversed after being referred and Australia went to lunch on 142-3. After lunch, Steyn removed Hussey for 39 and Clarke for 47, while Brad Haddin fell on 18 to Harris for a second time in the Test. Hussey was out on his lunchtime score when he got one high on the bat which looped to Duminy in the gully. The gritty Australian left-hander hit five fours in 197 minutes at the crease. Duminy then took his third catch of the innings, backpedalling at deep mid-on to hold onto a drive from Haddin off Harris and leave Australia on 191-5. Steyn bowled Clarke shortly before tea after the Australian vice-captain played a ball onto his leg and it trickled back to hit the stumps. Clarke batted for two hours and hit seven fours.

IPL abroad threatens Indians' homecoming


The shifting of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to either England or South Africa will hardly give 24 hours to the players of the Indian team to pack and leave after arriving home from their successful tour of New Zealand.The third and final Test will conclude in Wellington on April 7. The team is scheduled to fly out of Auckland next day and return home in the wee hours of April 9, en route Hong Kong.The players are concerned that if the 45-day event is to be held in either South Africa or England, they would be hard-pressed to even catch a nap before catching a flight to the African nation or England.Some players, whose teams are involved in the inaugural match, could probably be asked by their respective franchisees to fly out to the chosen destination right out of Auckland.The IPL had to be relocated from India as its itinerary clashes with the forthcoming general elections in India and there were concerns over security, with some state government reluctant to provide security for the players and the fans.Though Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) both have expressed interest in staging the tournament, the BCCI is yet to decide where the event would be moved to.

Hamilton thrashing has little impact on Kiwis


Despite suffering a humiliating ten-wicket defeat, New Zealand reposed faith in the players who had done duty in the first Test at Hamilton. The only change in the squad for the second Test at Napier, starting on March 26, is the omission of Brent Arnel.The fast-medium bowler, who was released to play in the domestic competition, has been laid low by a side strain. Iain O'Brien and Daniel Flynn, who picked up minor injuries in the Hamilton Test, would be monitored over the next two or three days. "But there were currently no plans to bring in additional players as cover," said selection committee chairman Glenn Turner.Turner said Jacob Oram's progress was being followed closely but he was not yet at full match fitness."He is only had a couple of days in the domestic competition. After talking with him we agree he would benefit from more game time to get up to the fitness level needed for the Test side," Turner said.
Squad of 12: Daniel Vettori (captain), Daniel Flynn, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Tim McIntosh, Brendon McCullum,Chris Martin, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

IPL IS BEING TORTURED


Even as India celebrates a great win over New Zealand in the Hamilton Test on Saturday, cheers for the IPL seem to be fading.The fate of the Indian Premier League should be decided in the next 24 hours. An emergency meeting of the BCCI will be held on Sunday and sources say they will take a make or break decision.Top bosses of the BCCI met on Saturday to discuss the vexed issue, and sources have told CNN-IBN that it is up to Sharad Pawar's political clout to get the government to agree to the IPL's final dates.IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, ICC vice president Sharad Pawar, BCCI president Shashank Manohar and BCCI secretary N Srinivasan attended the meeting."An emergency meeting of the Working Committee will be held tomorrow and we will discuss the IPL issue," a top BCCI official said.After the working committee meeting, the IPL commissioner will meet the various franchise owners and apprise them of the situation.
There have been security concerns surrounding the IPL for the last three weeks. Top police officials have expressed reservations over providing security to the high-profile league, which is clashing with the general elections.
The Working Committee is the most powerful arm of the BCCI and comprises the entire set of BCCI office bearers, various vice-presidents, all permanent Test centres and other affiliated units selected on a rotation basis.The IPL calendar has been changed thrice to take into account the concerns over security. April 10-May 24 has been fixed as the window for the cash-rich tournament.During the day, Modi held discussions with former BCCI president Sharad Pawar and briefed him on the matter.Modi put up a brave face by reiterating that the IPL organisers have multiple schedules kept ready to deal with the various security apprehensions.
"Let's not speculate on what is happening. As I told you yesterday, we have 42 different schedules prepared for different types of situations. There is no issue in any way. We have a back-up for a back-up," Modi told reporters.One of the options left with the organisers is to truncate the tournament and have it in May when most of the election work would be over. However, Modi promised the second season of the IPL would not be truncated.

AUSTRALIA VS SOUTHAFRICA 3rd TEST:PROTEAS POST A HUGE TOTAL

AB de Villiers advanced to 90 not out as South Africa stretched their lead on the third morning of the third Test against Australia at Newlands on Saturday.South Africa were 508 for six at lunch, a first innings lead of 299.South Africa lost three wickets during the morning and struggled against tight Australian bowling until a flurry of scoring shortly before the lunch break took the total beyond 500.Jacques Kallis failed to add to his overnight score of 102 before a lifting delivery looped off the splice of his bat to provide an easy return catch for Ben Hilfenhaus.Mitchell Johnson then produced his best spell of the match to dismiss JP Duminy and Mark Boucher cheaply. Johnson had figures of three for 129.But new cap Albie Morkel cracked an unbeaten 27 off 31 balls as he and De Villiers added 41 in quick time.De Villiers scored his 90 runs off 142 balls with nine fours and a six.

INDIA VS NEWZELAND 1st TEST:INDIA CREATES HISTORY

Harbhajan Singh took six wickets for 63 runs as India beat New Zealand by 10 wickets in the first Test on Saturday, posting its first Test win in New Zealand in 33 years to lead the three-match series 1-0.India led by 241 runs after its first innings when it reached 520 in reply to New Zealand's 279, then dismissed the hosts for for 279 in its second innings to leave itself needing just 39 runs for victory on the fourth day.Gautam Gambhir scored 30 and Rahul Dravid made 8 as India reached its winning target in just 5.2 overs. Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 160 in India's first innings, was named man of the match.New Zealand resumed its second innings Saturday at 75-3, trailing India by 161 runs and slumped in the face of Harbhajan's 23rd five-wicket Test haul to 199-8.A 76-run, 10th-wicket partnership between Brendon McCullum, who top-scored with 84, and Iain O'Brien, who reached his best Tests score of 14, allowed New Zealand to avoid an innings defeat.McCullum was the last man out and India was untroubled in reaching its winning target minutes ahead of the scheduled stumps time.Harbhajan hastened New Zealand's decline, taking five of the seven wickets to fall Saturday, including those of Daniel Flynn for 67, Jesse Ryder for 21 and Daniel Vettori for 21, eliminating the main obstacles to India's victory.
Flynn's posted his third Test half-century and was the only New Zealand batsman early in the day to show the discipline and application necessary to save the match. When he was dismissed in the second session with New Zealand at 161-7, the match was lost.
McCullum produced some pugnacious late resistance and found a stoic partner in O'Brien, who stuck at the crease for an hour and 40 minutes, slowing India's bid for victory. He helped New Zealand erase India's first-innings lead and made it necessary for the tourists to bat again to seal their win.McCullum batted for almost three hours and hit 11 fours in an innings which partly relieved New Zealand's embarrassment at a comprehensive defeat.
"It's pretty disappointing," McCullum said. "Playing at home you set high standards for yourself and we didn't play to those standards."We pride ourselves on our fight and scrapping and I don't think we fought and scrapped hard enough in this Test."India held a vice-like grip on the Test from the first day when, after winning the toss and making the unexpected decision to bowl first, it reduced New Zealand to 60-6 before lunch.
New Zealand captain Vettori (118) made his third test century and Ryder (102) his first in a small comeback, but New Zealand's first-innings total of 279 was never enough to pressure India.Tendulkar's magnificent innings — his 42nd Test century and his 18th Test innings in excess of 150 — gave India a commanding first-innings lead. Gambhir, who made 72, Rahul Dravid, who made 66, and Zaheer Khan, who added 51, contributed to that advantage.Harbhajan was seen as the greatest threat to New Zealand's batsman on what had become a good batting pitch and his outstanding effort on Saturday clinched a comprehensive win.The second Test starts in Napier on Thursday.

Friday, March 20, 2009

ENGLAND VS WESTINDIES 1st ODI:Powell draws first blood for West Indies


England lost their captain Andrew Strauss after electing to bat in the five-match ODI series opener against West Indies at the Guyana National Stadium here on Friday.Strauss got a toe end on a horribly short and wide ball from Powell that he could barely reach. The ball looped to Bravo at backward point who took a simple catch.Captain Andrew Strauss has returned to the team after recovering from a hamstring problem he sustained during the Twenty20 International on Sunday in Trinidad. The visitors were desperate to get Strauss back in the team to add greater substance to their batting.Strauss himself is also eager to mark his return to this form of the game for the first time in two years. Ironically, his last ODI was against West Indies at Kensington Oval in the World Cup staged in the Caribbean.

AUSTRALIA VS SOUTHAFRICA 3rd TEST:Prince, Kallis put South Africa in control


South Africa ground their way to a strong position at lunch on the second day of the third Test on Friday, reaching 148 for one wicket in reply to Australia's 209 in their first innings.Ashwell Prince, in his new role as opening batsman, was watchful in the first hour, adding just eight runs to his overnight score of 37, but later in the day's first session he picked up a few boundaries. Fast bowler Mitchell Johnson came in for some punishment as the left-handed batsman drove, pulled and hooked him to the fence.At lunch Prince was on 70, off 114 balls, and had added 83 for the second wicket with Hashim Amla, who scored 44 off 76 balls. The boundary tally for Prince was eight fours and a six, while Amla hit eight fours.The only wicket to fall in the morning session was that of debutant opener Imraan Khan, going to a one-handed return catch to Peter Siddle. Khan's 20 runs took him 71 minutes, a stretch that included one four.

Siddle was the best of the Australian bowlers, going for 15 runs in 12 overs.Although it is still early in the Proteas' innings, South Africa have already managed to group significant partnerships together, rather than follow Australia's example in losing wickets in quick succession

Mumbai okays IPL after initial confusion


Mumbai police ended the confusion surrounding season two of the Indian Premier League when the city's police commissioner Hasan Gafoor saying they are ready to provide security for matches if matches do not coincide with polling days."The dates of the IPL matches are not in proximity with the election dates and we presently have no problems with the dates suggested by the BCCI for the matches," Gafoor said on Friday.The BCCI has also been informed about the same, he said.Gafoor further said the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and other forces will take care of security during the matches. "We do not require central para-military forces to provide security for the matches," he said.He, however, wants the cricketers to stay at the Cricket Club of India instead of hotels.

The state police seemed to be divided on the issue with the director-general of police Suprakash Chakravarty saying earlier that the IPL should be held only after elections are over.At present, 11 matches are scheduled to be held in the state at two venues, Mumbai and Nagpur, before April 30, the day elections get over in Maharashtra.