|
|
|
|
|
Cricket Special
Mumbai February 9:
Indian Premier League's (IPL) return to India after being held in South Africa in its previous edition will be a huge advantage to Rajasthan Royals, feels skipper Shane Warne.
"Going back to India, it suits our players. India suits our style of play we saw in IPL-I. The way we played is why we captured public imagination in India and abroad. "For us everyone involved with the Royals, its exciting to go back to India,," Warne told reporters here over phone from London today.
Former legendary Australian spinner, who is also the coach of Royals, said that changes have been made to the squad for the third edition of the Twenty20 tournament and induction of new players would enthuse new energy in the side. "IPL-3 is a big year. Everybody's contract will be over and everybody will be looking to perform well.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 9
|
|
Nagpur February 8:
Virender Sehwag slammed his 18th century before throwing his wicket away as India reached 221 for four in reply to South Africa's mammoth first innings total of 558 for six at lunch on the third day of the first cricket Test between the two sides here today.
Sehwag cracked a fluent 109 off 139 balls to lead the home team's fight-back along with S Badrinath, who hit half century in his maiden innings, before slashing a wide Wayne Parnell delivery to give a straight-forward catch to JP Duminy at the deep.
The irrepressible Sehwag was quite clearly the dominant partner in the fourth wicket partnership with Badrinath, who negotiated a fiery post-lunch spell from Dale Steyn, that yielded 136 runs in 197 balls and lifted India from a sorry-looking 56 for three to 192 for four.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 8
|
|
Nagpur February 8:
South Africa struck three blows before Virender Sehwag's defiant half century helped India reach 119 for three in reply to the visitors' mammoth first innings score of 558 at lunch on the third day of the first Test here today.
The pace duo of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel dished out fiery spells to dismiss in-form opener Gautam Gambhir, Murali Vijay and ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar cheaply before the home team recovered through the enterprise shown by Sehwag.
Sehwag's typically aggressive knock of 63 included eight fours in 90 balls. In his company was debutant Subramaniam Badrinath (21), who faced 54 balls. The fourth wicket duo came together when the hosts were in deep rut at 56 for three at the fall of Tendulkar's wicket in the 15th over. Sehwag and Badrinath stemmed the rot with an unbroken half century stand worth 63 runs by the end of the session.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 8
|
|
Lahore February 8:
Former captain Imran Khan called for an end to ad-hocism and government interference in Pakistan cricket which he said have been damaging the game in the country.
"Ad-hocism, the influence of departmental teams and the practice of the President being chief patron of the cricket board are the three major causes for our cricket problems," Imran said at a show 'Cricket Ka Muqadma' (cricket's trial) on 'Geo News' channel.
"Our domestic structure is still weak and one of the main reasons for our team's inconsistent performances. Unless we have only regional cricket and unless we end this ad-hocism in cricket nothing will improve," he added.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 8
|
|
Washington February 7:
Backing Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan on the Pakistani players' participation in the Indian Premier League, cricketer-turned-politician Mohammad Azharuddin said the Twenty20 event should feature the world's best players irrespective of their nationality.
"I feel all the good players from different countries should participate in such a big tournament," Azharuddin told reporters. "Politics and sports are two different things. Players should be left alone.
All the good players should be taken in the IPL, not just the Pakistan players," added the former Indian captain, who was stuck in his hotel for an entire day due to the snow storm here. The former batsman said having the best players would only enhance the popularity of the tournament.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 7
|
|
Nagpur February 7:
The great man's 34th Test century, an innings of concentration, heft, opportunism, impenetrable defence, classical stroke-play, and considerable imagination, helped South Africa finish the first day of the first Test on 291 for two from 91 overs.
Hashim Amla's unbeaten 115 was overshadowed by Kallis's unconquered 159, but it was no less vital to South Africa's cause. The unbroken third-wicket partnership of 285 was a marvellous example of give and take, both batsmen participating unselfishly in the act of pressing the advantage. Kallis and Amla were brought together by Zaheer Khan's two-wicket burst in the morning.
India's series began wretchedly - Rohit Sharma, brought in for V.V.S. Laxman, twisting his left ankle 15 minutes before the toss, which M.S. Dhoni lost - before Zaheer provided cheer. Asked to bowl after starting the match a specialist batsman short (India was forced to debut reserve wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha), the home side needed to make the new ball count.
Zaheer did just that from left-arm over. Having bothered Ashwell Prince with movement from a good length, Zaheer lifted the batsman off his feet with a nasty, cramping bouncer. The left-handed opener was unfortunate to be adjudged caught-behind, for replays suggested the ball had looped to Dhoni off the arm-guard, but if ever a delivery deserved a wicket it was this. Graeme Smith has had trouble with his alignment against Zaheer's angle.
For some reason Smith's method breaks down against the left-armer. On Saturday he played outside the line of a delivery that was slanted in. The ball also shaded in off the seam to pass unobstructed between bat and pad on its way to the stumps. But the gains of the first hour thanks to Zaheer's spell of 6-4-2-2 evaporated. Amla scored South Africa's first boundary with a square cut off Ishant Sharma; it was Kallis however who subsequently dictated terms. Kallis's first two fours came off Amit Mishra long-hops, the batsman putting them away with emphatic pulls.
After steering Zaheer past gully, Kallis turned his attention to Harbhajan. Two bullying slog-sweeps - the first for six, the second for four - forced Harbhajan to take a backward step. Kallis's method thereafter was to move to the off-stump and turn deliveries from there to the on-side. This drew the ball on the pads, for the exposed leg-stump was a temptation that couldn't be resisted. Harbhajan even tried having Kallis caught at backward short-leg, but he might have profited from asking the batsmen to drive through cover.
Mishra ripped leg-breaks across both batsmen, deliveries that drifted to leg and broke to off. None of them found the edge however. A marvellous top-spinner nearly had Kallis in front of his stumps, but the batsman was struck just outside the line of the off-stump. Mishra wasn't as consistent as he would have liked, and as a result, both batsmen knew they had but to wait for a scoring opportunity.
It was a pity more didn't turn up at the VCA Stadium, for there was much to savour in Kallis's batting. A cover drive off Ishant between lunch and tea was beautiful: the timing and the placement couldn't have been bettered, but it was the physical shape of the stroke that was most alluring. Kallis also used his wrists exquisitely in his on-side stroke-play.
Amla deserves great credit for his patience - he scored only five in the hour after lunch, but didn't let that get to him. He deserves even greater credit for his situational awareness: seeing his partner ease after tea, Amla assumed the responsibility of advancing the game.
Scoreboard:
South Africa 1st innings: Graeme Smith b Khan 6, Ashwell Prince c Dhoni b Khan 0, Hashim Amla batting 115, Jacques Kallis batting 159, Extras: (B-4, LB-2, NB-5) 11, Total (for 2 wkts in 91 overs) 291
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-6.
Bowling Zaheer Khan 20-5-67-2, Ishant Sharma 17-2-44-0, Harbhajan Singh 21-0-81-0, Amit Mishra 26-2-71-0, Virender Sehwag 7-1-22-0
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 7
|
|
Nagpur February 5:
Rahul Dravid is as important for India as Jacques Kallis is for South Africa, said visiting middle-order batsman A B de Villiers, insisting that the experienced right-hander's absence will hurt the hosts in the Test series starting here on Saturday.
"The number three spot is the biggest one according to me. People don't realise how big a spot that is. A guy like Dravid has stood like a rock under pressure for the Indian side and to lose that is like us losing Kallis. You can't replace a guy like that," said de Villiers at a media meet here. His younger teammate and rookie left-arm pacer Wayne Parnell too echoed similar views on the absence of Dravid from the Indian line-up for the series opener.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 5
|
|
Melbourne February 4:
Former Australian umpire Darrell Hair has labelled Shahid Afridi as a "cheat" after his ball-tampering act and is sure that the Pakistan all-rounder will be up to it again in future.
"Cheat is the only word for him," Hair said of Afridi, who was banned for two Twenty20 games for biting the ball during fifth ODI against Australia in Perth on Sunday.
"He has cheated before, he has cheated in this instance - he pleaded guilty - and I'm sure he will again. He is no angel. I remember that incident when he deliberately scratched the pitch when he thought everyone was looking the other way," Hair was quoted as saying by 'Daily Telegraph'.
Hair also said the after his sensational debut century Afridi has not achieved much success and was just an overrated player. "He thought he would get away with it.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 4
|
|
New Delhi February 4:
The third edition of the Indian Premier League is all set to make its debut in theatres in around 1000 screens across the country, where the matches will be telecast live.
UFO Moviez, a digital satellite cinema network, has entered into a strategic alliance with multiplex chains like Cinemax, INOX, Fame and many single screen theatres across the country to show the Twenty20 matches. In collaboration with Crown Infotainment, which holds the distribution rights for introducing IPL-III matches to theatres, UFO has signed over 550 screens so far, out of which about 200 are multiplexes.
“IPL is one of the most popular events in the world, but only few people can be a part of it as it is hosted in only nine cities in India. So our aim is to take it to a wide range of audience, giving them a stadium-like experience,” Kapil Aggarwal, Joint managing Director, UFO Moviez India Ltd said. “To provide the audience a carnival like experience, each of these theatres will have gifts, multi-cuisine food stalls, cricket-related merchandise etc.
“The matches will be screened in high definition format, which will provide 33 per cent extra than what is screened on television and without any commercial breaks. “During the IPL, the theatres incurs loses as no movie is released at that time. So this will serve a profitable revenue generating content for the exhibitors too,” he said.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 4
|
|
Dubai February 4:
A series triumph over South Africa will not just consolidate India’s number one status in the ICC rankings, but will also win the team USD 175,000 as prize money and the coveted Test Championship mace.
“Whoever finishes top will win the annual USD 175,000 prize while Australia could yet finish second by the annual cut-off date (April 1) and pocket USD 75,000,” the ICC said in a statement. Apart from this, Indian opener Gautam Gambhir and South Africa captain Graeme Smith will battle out for the number one batting position.
India lead South Africa by four ratings points and the home side will drop to second if the Proteas win the series by 1-0 or better margin. India though need to draw the series to retain the number one position and the mace, which it had snatched from South Africa on December 6 after defeating Sri Lanka 2-0.
Although Bangladesh will host England and Australia will travel to New Zealand for two Tests series before the April 1 cut-off date, the result of these two series will have no impact on the number one position. If South Africa beats India 1-0, it will go to 123 ratings points and India will drop to 122 ratings points. In case of a 2-0 win, the Proteas will rise to 125 ratings points and India will drop to 120 ratings points.
On the other hand, if India wins the series 1-0 or better, it will not only finish on top of the table but also bring Australia in contention for a cash award of USD 75,000 which will be presented to side that finishes second on the table. While a 1-0 win will lift India to 127 ratings points and push South Africa to 118 ratings points, the Proteas will drop to 116 ratings points if they lose both Tests.
As such, South Africa’s series loss by whatever margin will give Australia a sniff of the number two position. Ricky Ponting’s side currently sits on 116 ratings points and will rise to 117 ratings points if it beats the Blackcaps 1-0, but will jump to 119 ratings points if it wins both matches. While India and South Africa will be fighting hard for top spot, there are a few very interesting individual battles on the cards as well.
In the player rankings for batsman, if Gambhir struggles for runs and Smith manages to shine with the bat, there is a strong possibility that there’ll be a change at the top. However, if Gambhir succeeds in showing glimpses of his 2009 form which won him the ICC Test Player of the Year award in Johannesburg last year, he could well become the 25th batsman overall to reach the 900-point mark which, in ranking terms, is the benchmark for top batsmen.
Sachin Tendulkar is the other batsmen who will be keeping an eye on a place in the top five. He currently occupies the ninth position but there are just 33 points separating him from fifth-placed Michael Clarke of Australia.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 4
|
|
Nagpur February 4:
Like a true blue professional, Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has chosen to turn a blind eye to what he calls 'needless criticism' of his art at the bowling crease.
Instead, with less than 72 hours to go for the series against South Africa, the mercurial bowler is focused on the job at hand. "To be honest, as a professional I have learnt to deal with criticism. In this case, it is needless criticism," Bhajji said, probably referring to former Indian captain and spinner Bishan Singh Bedi's comments in media criticising his bowling action.
"I take great pride in wearing the India cap and I enjoy playing for the country. I have done well for the country and will continue to do well. I am better off focusing on my game and, right now, my priority is to win lots of games for my country," Harbhajan Singh told reporters after a gruelling practice session on Tuesday.
Endorsing his senior colleague VVS Laxman's views that, India lacks quality spinners among the reserves, Harbhajan said, "I haven't played much domestic cricket of late but since the remark has come from a man of Laxman's stature, it must be right."
Looking ahead to the series against South Africa, Bhajji said, "With the World No. 1 team clashing with the World No. 2, this will be a gripping series. South Africa is a good side and they have done well in India. However, I am confident that, if we play to our potential, we will emerge winners."
Having taken 345 wickets from 81 Tests, with a strike rate of 25 at home, Harbhajan is keen to breach the 500-wicket mark in the long term and also notch up 100 Test matches. "That is my goal right now, but I want to take one game at a time and not get ahead of myself," he said.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 4
|
|
Melbourne February 4:
Doing his bit to bring together two bitter nations, speedster Brett Lee said India is safe for the Australians and it was the same other way round.
Lee's assurance comes at a time when the Australian cricketers are little apprehensive about playing in the Indian Premier League, fearing a backlash of the spate of attacks on the Indians in Victoria. Things became gloomier after Shiv Sena threatened not to allow the Australian cricketers play in Mumbai unless the attack on the Indians ceased here.
Lee, just back from yet another India trip, did his best to assure his compatriots. "I've just pretty much got off a plane back from India and I certainly haven't had any problems," said the affable pacer. He also took the occasion to condemn attacks on the Indians but insisted Australia was a safe place for them.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 4
|
|
Melbourne February 3:
Australian cricketers have been advised as a security measure not to venture out of their hotels alone or wear national uniforms and other clothing identifying their nationality during this year's Indian Premier League (IPL).
The same advice has been given to the Australian hockey team for the World Cup starting on February 28. India's right-wing Shiv Sena party had threatened to prevent the Australian players from playing in Mumbai and Nagpur, both IPL venues, in retaliation for the attacks on Indians Down Under.
The chief of security for the IPL, Bob Nicholls, was quoted as saying in The Age: "The security situation in India is not what we would like it to be, there are concerns, the threat level does remain high." "There are concerns generally outside of the Shiv Sena thing. Shiv Sena is obviously a particular area of concern for the Aussies, but from our perspective, we look at the team as a whole.
"And what I can say is that the level of protection we are providing for the general threat is greater than if we were implementing security strategy purely for the Shiv Sena threat, therefore we believe the players will be safe. "At the moment there doesn't seem to be any acts of violence happening against Australians in India. "The times that we would be most concerned about is when they are out and about on their own, we will be giving them a list of dos and don'ts.
"It is pretty straightforward, the greater risk is if people are going out on their own rather than in a team environment, and not to go out advertising that they are Aussies, wearing Aussie shirts. "The same advice has been given to the Australian hockey team (for the World Cup)." Security experts have warned of a possible terrorist attack during the IPL and the level of threat has been described as similar to that around the time of the Mumbai terror attack in 2008.
Twenty-one Australian players are listed to play in next month's IPL, including Shane Watson, Cameron White, David Hussey, David Warner, Shaun Marsh, Ryan Harris, Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait. Nicholls' company, Nicholls Steyn and Associates, is in charge of player security for the tournament. It has previously arranged security for cricket's World Cup and Champions Trophy - and will have a ''representative'' with each franchise.
"If those representatives are not comfortable with the security arrangements in place at the destination where players are travelling, such as grounds, then they will order the players to remain in the hotels until those security issues are rectified," Nicholls said. "The plan we put in place for the Champions League in India in October, this plan will be very similar to what we did there. That worked very well, so we're using very much a similar template."
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 3
|
|
London February 3:
After senior Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar turned down its offer, English county club Middlesex is now trying to sign his explosive teammate Yuvraj Singh for the domestic Twenty20 Cup later this year.
"We have been in talks with Yuvraj about the possibility of him playing Twenty20 cricket this summer," Angus Fraser, Middlesex's director of cricket, told 'Cricinfo'. "The contract is not in place at this moment in time, but we're in communication, and it seems to be going quite positively," he added.
Tendulkar had refused the club's offer to prolong his international career. The Twenty20 Cup group stages are scheduled from June 1 to July 18 and the final of the event will be played in August. Middlesex won the 2008 Twenty20 Cup.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 3
|
|
Mumbai February 3:
The Indian Cricket board on Wednesday announced that it will extend the contract of the current team coach Gary Kirsten till the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent.
Former South Africa opening batsman Kirsten signed a two-year contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in March 2008 and media reports suggested that he would return to his homeland at the end of his term in March this year. Reports suggested Kirsten was the front-runner to take over the South Africa team following Mickey Arthur’s departure.
Arthur resigned and the entire selection panel were sacked last week following the drawn series with England, while Kirsten’s current two-year contract comes up for extension in March. “He will continue his stint with the Indian team,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Shashank Manohar told DNA broadsheet on Wednesday. “We’ll renew his contract.”
The extension would take Kirsten’s tenure up until next year’s World Cup which India will co-host with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the paper said. Former fast bowler Corrie van Zyl has replaced Arthur on an interim basis for the current test and one-day tour of India. “I have not been contacted by (Cricket South Africa),” Kirsten told the paper.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 3
|
|
New Delhi February 3:
Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh, who is out of the team for the South African Test series due to a cartilage tear on his left wrist, is going to miss another three to four weeks of international cricket.
That means his availability for the three-match One-day series against South Africa is touch and go. "It's too early to say whether I will be fit or not for the ODI series. But I'm expected to be fit in the next three to four weeks. My wrist is responding well to treatment and I hope to hit the cricket field soon," Yuvraj told reporters.
Yuvraj expressed his disappointment on missing the India-South Africa Test series. His feelings are understandable because it's only recently that he has become a regular in the Test side. "It's quite frustrating to miss these Test matches. But I can't do anything about it. It's part of the game," he added.
When asked about India's chances against South Africa, Yuvraj opined that the visitors were a tough side. "But we are also number one team in the ICC Test rankings. In the recent series, our batsmen have been doing exceedingly well. Gautam Gambhir has been outstanding while Viru (Virender Sehwag) is in great form. Sachin Tendulkar has been scoring heavily. Even VVS Laxman is timing the ball to perfection. So, we have enough depth in our batting."
Talking about the bowling department, Yuvraj said, "In the sub-continental conditions, two of our bowlers have always done well. Both Zaheer Khan and Bhajji (Harbhajan Singh) are match-winners. Even Ishant (Sharma) has got back his rhythm and looked good in Bangladesh. In all, it will be an interesting battle." On Rahul Dravid's absence, Yuvraj said that the hosts will miss the veteran batsman.
|
|
Source :
Punjab Mail Online
|
|
News Date :
February 3
|
|
|
|
|
|