crazy cric

NSW are T20 champions of Champions!!!!!!

2009-10-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

New South Wales 159 for 9 (Lee 48, Rampaul 3-20) beat Trinidad & Tobago 118 (Clark 3-21, Lee 2-10) by 41 runs. MoM, MoS: Brett Lee

Brett Lee starred with a stunning all-round performance as New South Wales beat Trinidad & Tobago to win the inaugural Champions League Twenty20, and with it a jackpot of US$ 2.5 million, in Hyderabad. The 41-run margin of victory, however, didn't mean it was a one-sided contest: T&T dominated initially, reducing NSW to 83 for 6, before Lee's fighting innings lifted his side to a competitive total. He then returned for a fiery spell with the new ball, jolting T&T's chase with two early wickets.

The match was won and lost in ten overs - the last five of the NSW innings and the first five of T&T's - and it was Lee who imposed himself on the game-breaking moments. The game had several subplots - the nervy collapse of both top orders, Ravi Rampaul's canny seam bowling, Steven Smith's sensible support act and the threat posed by Kieron Pollard - but the one that had the biggest impact was Lee's all-round contribution.

He walked in with NSW tottering and proceeded to slowly pull them out of the hole before shifting gears to propel them to a competitive score. It was almost the perfect counter punch. Lee's first priority was safety - he scored just 7 off 13 deliveries - but, knowing that meandering to a below-par total would be futile against an aggressive T&T team, he upped the ante with precise and powerful blows in the final overs.

aussies 2nd CT trophy.........

2009-10-06T07:08:00.000-07:00

Australia 206 for 4 (Watson 105*, White 62, Mills 3-27) beat New Zealand 200 for 9 (Guptill 40, Hauritz 3-37, Lee 2-45) by six wickets. MoM: S Watson. MoS: R Ponting

Ricky Ponting has attributed Australia's Champions Trophy success to the efforts of youngsters in his team, especially their performance in an occasionally tense final.

"We have gone through some ups and downs in the last 18 months. A number of great players have left and we brought in a lot of young, fresh players. It was great to see some of them stand up and deliver," Ponting said after Australia's six-wicket win over New Zealand that gave them their second Champions Trophy title.

Australia's bowling performance in the final was led by Nathan Hauritz, who grabbed 3 for 37, including the well-set Martin Guptill for 40. Later, in their chase of 201, Australia were in trouble at 6 for 2 but Shane Watson and Cameron White added 128 to put them in control. "Two young guys at the crease at 6 for 2, it doesn't get any tougher and they did a great job," Ponting said.

Australia came in to the tournament as favourites along with South Africa, fresh from the success of a 6-1 ODI humiliation of England. They beat West Indies in a tough contest in Johannesburg, were dominant against India in a washed-out game and edged Pakistan in a two-wicket win in Centurion. They were comprehensive winners in the semi-final against England, Ponting and Shane Watson hammering centuries in a nine-wicket win.

ICC Awards 2009........

2009-10-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Mitchell Johnson capped a tumultuous year by becoming the sixth winner of the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy, after being named as the ICC World Player of the Year at cricket's annual awards ceremony in Johannesburg. Johnson, who shot to prominence during Australia's memorable series win in South Africa in February and March, claimed the title ahead of his fellow nominees, Gautam Gambhir, Andrew Strauss and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Johnson was a surprise choice for the title, not least because of the massive and very public crisis of confidence he suffered during Australia's Ashes defeat in England, particularly in the pivotal second Test at Lord's which England went on to win after Johnson's first-day figures of 2 for 107 in 19 overs. But when he got his game right he was nigh on unplayable, as his sensational performances against South Africa demonstrated. With 80 wickets in 17 matches, he was the most prolific strike bowler of the year, and he also recorded his maiden Test century and an unbeaten 96 against South Africa.

"I'm really blown away," said Johnson. "I am just surprised to be up here. It has been a great 12 months for our side. We have lost some wonderful players in recent years and we have been rebuilding with some young guys in the team and we have played together well."

India's star opener, Gambhir, was named as Test Player of the Year, after an impressive haul of 1269 runs at 84.60 in the eight Tests during the qualification period. "It's been a dream run for me. I never thought it could be like this but life has changed for me and I am very happy," said Gambhir. "As a unit we have played very well and I am just glad to contribute to the overall success of the team."

Mahendra Singh Dhoni retained his title of ODI Player of the Year, seeing off competition from his team-mates, Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag, as well as West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Dhoni played 24 ODIs during the voting period, scoring 967 runs at an average of 60.43 and strike-rate of 86.63, and also claimed 26 dismissals as he led India to 17 victories including a 5-0 demolition of England.

Tillakaratne Dilshan was a worthy winner of the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year award, after capping a sensational World Twenty20 tournament in England in June with a show-stealing 96 off 57 balls against West Indies in the semi-final. His performance at The Oval, in which no other Sri Lanka batsman managed more than 24, included two sixes and 12 fours, and though Sri Lanka went on to lose the final to Pakistan, Dilshan was nevertheless named as the Man of the Tournament, with a total of 317 runs at 52.83.

Dilshan is perhaps most notable for his signature "Dilscoop" shot - a flick-shot over his, and the keeper's, heads - and as he accepted his award he was equally proud to have coined a new term in cricket's lexicon. "I'm really proud of myself for having a new shot named after me," he said. "That shot has given me confidence. If I am under pressure I can play that shot and put the pressure back on the bowlers."

Australia's fast bowler, Peter Siddle, was named as the Emerging Player of the Year, after claiming 49 wickets at 28.93 in the 12 matches since his debut at Mohali in October 2008, including five-wicket hauls against South Africa at Sydney and England at Headingley, both of which led to memorable victories. Siddle beat his fellow Australia seamer, Ben Hilfenhaus, to the award, as well as England's Graham Onions and New Zealand's Jesse Ryder.

New Zealand's cricketers were considered to have conducted themselves better on the field than any other nation in 2008-09, as they claimed the Spirit of Cricket award for the second time, having also won during the inaugural Awards ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London in 2004. The judgement was made by the ICC's umpires and match referees, in conjunction with the ten full-member captains, and Daniel Vettori accepted the accolade on behalf of his colleagues, only 48 hours after reversing a run-out appeal against Paul Collingwood in their must-win group match against England.

"I think most teams within world cricket aspire to the intangible notion of the Spirit of Cricket," said Vettori. "It's not easy to define but I think when you get out on the field of play most guys know where that line is and most play the game in the right way. If we can couple the Spirit of Cricket award with the ICC Champions Trophy then we will be very happy indeed." Pakistan's Aleem Dar ended Simon Taufel's monopoly to claim the Umpire of the Year award. It was the first time that anyone other than Taufel had picked up the accolade in the six years that the ceremony has taken place.

South Africa's spearhead, Dale Steyn, is the only player to retain his place in the World Test Team of the Year, with last year's captain, Graeme Smith, missing the cut to accommodate World Player of the Year nominees Gambhir and Strauss at the top of the order. Dhoni takes over as captain; AB de Villiers, Sachin Tendulkar and Thilan Samaraweera make up the middle-order, while Bangladesh's impressive allrounder, Shakib al Hasan, is chosen as the spin option alongside three quicks in Johnson, Steyn and Stuart Broad.

Six countries were also represented in the World ODI team, and just as with the Test side, there's only one survivor from the XI named 12 months ago. Dhoni was last year's wicketkeeper, and now he is captain as well, having been picked alongside his team-mates Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.

Three Sri Lankans - Dilshan, Ajantha Mendis and Nuwan Kulasekara - also feature, as well as two Englishmen, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, neither of whom have played a part in the side's remarkable revival during the Champions Trophy. West Indies' Chris Gayle, Pakistan's death-overs specialist Umar Gul, and New Zealand's surprise package, Martin Guptill, make up the numbers.

England's women - World Champions in 50-over and 20-over cricket this year, were rewarded for their dominance when their star player, Clare Taylor, was named as the Women's Player of the Year. Taylor, 33, scored 565 runs in 18 ODIs an average of 70.62, and 230 runs at a lofty 115.00 in England's six-match World Twenty20 campaign.

Ireland's captain, Will Porterfield, was named as the Associate Player of the Year, after leading his side to nine ODI victories in 11 fixtures in a memorable season that also included qualification for the Super Eights stage of the World Twenty20.

World Test Team of the Year: Gautam Gambhir (India), Andrew Strauss (England), AB de Villiers (South Africa), Sachin Tendulkar (India), Thilan Samaraweera (Sri Lanka), Michael Clarke (Australia), MS Dhoni (India, capt & wk), Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh), Mitchell Johnson (Australia), Stuart Broad (England), Dale Steyn (South Africa), Harbhajan Singh (India, 12th man)

World ODI team of the year: Virender Sehwag (Ind), Chris Gayle (WI), Kevin Pietersen (Eng), Tillakaratne Dilshan (SL), Yuvraj Singh (Ind), Martin Guptill (NZ), MS Dhoni (Ind, captain, WK), Andrew Flintoff (Eng), Nuwan Kulasekara (SL), Ajantha Mendis (SL), Umar Gul (Pak), 12th man: Thilan Thushara (SL)

PAK wins a low scoring game against WI...

2009-09-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

Pakistan 134 for 5 (Umar Akmal 41*, Tonge 4-25) beat West Indies 133 (Miller 51, Aamer 3-24, Gul 3-28) by five wickets.MoM: Umar Akmal

Pakistan tripped and stumbled and chased with the assurance of sleepwalkers, but ultimately a superior fast-bowling attack and depth in batting sealed them a low-scoring showdown. A fine bowling performance where wickets were shared all around ensured a woefully inexperienced West Indies were bowled out for an unthreatening 133 after they opted to bat. Pakistan's batting has floundered repeatedly this year and today they nearly lost it, bewildered by Gavin Tonge's four-wicket haul, before Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi added 58 to finish the deal.

This match as a contest ended well before Pakistan could come out to bat. Floyd Reifer had spoken of the importance of this tournament for fans in the Caribbean, and vowed at the toss that his team would play "the best cricket possible". What followed was anything but, as a combination of accurate fast bowling and not-so-clever batting decided the direction of this match.

SL trashes SA in CT opener......

2009-09-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka 319 for 8 (Dilshan 106, Jayawardene 77, Sangakkara 54) beat South Africa 206 for 7 (Smith 58, Mendis 3-30) by 55 runs (D/L). MoM: T M Dilshan

Led by a blazing century from Tillakaratne Dilshan and a brace of cameos, the world's No. 5 team started their Champions Trophy campaign in fine style by beating the top-ranked side. Graeme Smith's decision to field was based on the lack of dew in the afternoon but none of the bowlers, barring Dale Steyn, made an impression. Dilshan's 92-ball 106, coupled with significant inputs from captains past and present, lifted them to a daunting total that was well beyond South Africa.

Sri Lanka carried the energy from their powerful batting display into the field and Ajantha Mendis, unlike the home side's spinners, extracted bounce and turn under lights. Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis showed signs of dominance with an 81-run stand in quick time but once Smith was bowled off Mendis' first delivery, and Kallis and JP Duminy fell in successive balls, Sri Lanka could apply the chokehold.

yuvi misses CT.........;(

2009-09-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

India's Champions Trophy campaign has suffered a major setback even before it has started with Yuvraj Singh fracturing his finger during a practice session in Johannesburg. The injury will sideline him for six weeks and Virat Kohli will fly to South Africa as a replacement as soon as the formalities are completed.

Yuvraj injured his finger while fielding and did not take part in the net sessions that followed. He was attended to by the physio Nitin Patel before heading for a medical examination, which the fracture.

India were plagued with injuries going into the tournament. Virender Sehwag did not travel to South Africa due to a shoulder injury, while Gautam Gambhir, who did not feature in the team's only practice match against New Zealand, is nursing a groin strain.

India's tournament opener is against Pakistan on Saturday after which they will take on Australia and West Indies next week.

Sehwag no more DD captain!!!!!

2009-09-21T00:07:00.001-07:00

Virender Sehwag has stepped down as captain of Delhi Daredevils, the franchise said on Monday. Sehwag is coming out of a shoulder injury and said he wanted to focus on his batting. Gautam Gambhir will lead Delhi in next month's Champions League Twenty20, and is expected to remain captain in next year's IPL, with wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik as his deputy.

"I would like to thank GMR for their understanding in accepting my request to step down," Sehwag said. "Personally, I would like to concentrate on my own batting and contribute to the team."

Sehwag, 30, said he had full faith in Gambhir, who had captained the side during the second edition of the IPL and had also been a Ranji Trophy-winning captain for Delhi. "Gautam did a great job of captaining Delhi and also during IPL 2 in South Africa this year," Sehwag said. "He has shown very good leadership skills and will bring fresh energy into the Delhi Daredevils."

Gambhir, on his part, said he would draw from his experience of leading Delhi on the domestic circuit. "I am delighted at my selection as captain of Delhi Daredevils and I am committed to deliver my best," Gambhir said. "I have led Delhi in the past and it was an enriching experience. Hopefully, I can put into practice all that I have learnt.

"I have always looked up to Viru . He has been a guide and friend for me. It is always difficult to fit into the shoes of someone as illustrious as him. I can always turn to him for any advice, as also to the other seniors in the team. We have had great camaraderie in the side and this will help us reach greater heights."

SACHIN'S NEW RECORD......

2009-09-19T02:52:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar scored a sublime 138 to help India clinch the final of the tri-series against Sri Lanka on Monday. The maestro averages a staggering 56 in finals of tournaments. In 2009, he averages close to 60 runs per innings. Take a look:-

Sachin Tendulkar... ODIs Runs HS Ave 100

In Finals 32 1627 138 56.10 6

Vs Sri Lanka 74 2749 138 44.33 8

In Sri Lanka 29 1023 138 40.92 4

When India win 215 10324 186* 57.35 32

In 2009 9 473 163* 59.12 2

Overall 428 16895 186* 44.57 44

Aussies grab no:1 spot again!!!

2009-09-19T02:45:00.000-07:00

Australia regained the top position in the ICC one-day rankings owing to its 6-0 lead in the ongoing seven-match series against England.

The rankings as on 18/9/09: 1. Australia (127), 2. South Africa (127), 3. India (126), 4. Pakistan (109), 5. Sri Lanka (108), 6. New Zealand (105), 7. England (102), 8. West Indies (78), 9. Bangladesh (55), 10. Zimbabwe (26). — PTI

FLINTOFF ---- UAE's temporary coach??????

2009-09-19T02:43:00.000-07:00

Freelance England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff will coach the United Arab Emirates national team while he recovers in Dubai from a knee surgery, his agent told a newspaper here.

Andrew Chandler told The Times that Flintoff, who has quit Test cricket and recently rejected an incremental contract from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), has chosen Dubai for his rehabilitation from a knee surgery.

Unofficial coach

Flintoff has struck a deal with the Dubai Sports City authorities and would work as the unofficial coach, Chandler said.

INDIA LEAVES FOR SA .........

2009-09-19T02:41:00.000-07:00

The Indian cricket team on Friday left to participate in the ICC Champions Trophy to be held in South Africa from September 22.

The team left by the Dubai-bound flight from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport here and will take a connecting flight from Dubai to Johannesburg. The tournament is scheduled to take place from September 22 to October 5. India was the joint winner along with host Sri Lanka in 2002. The team will play a warm-up match against New Zealand on Septeber 20.

Placed in Group A along with Australia, Pakistan and the West Indies, India will open its league engagements on September 26 against Pakistan.

The squad: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Abhishek Nayar, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, R.P.Singh, Ishant Sharma, Amith Mishra, Dinesh Karthik. Coach: Gary Kirsten. — PTI

Tendulkar for two innings each in ODIs

2009-09-04T22:17:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar is in favour of one-day cricket but believes the 50-over format can be tinkered with in order to reduce the advantage gained by the team winning the toss. He said that the total of 100 overs could be split into four innings of 25 each, which would mean that no side would have the best of the conditions for the entire match.

Tendulkar said he first thought of the format during the Champions Trophy final in 2002 where India played Sri Lanka in Colombo. In that match,SL batted 50 overs before rain washed out the game shortly after India began their chase. On the reserve day, rain once again forced an abandonment after Sri Lanka had completed their innings.

"I am for 50-over cricket. I think we should have 25 overs a side to start with. I thought of this during the 2002 Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka," Tendulkar toldTimes Now, an Indian news channel. "In the finals, we ended up playing 110 overs against Sri Lanka. First they played 50 overs and we played 10 overs before the rain interruption. The next day, Sri Lanka again played 50 overs and in the end we were declared joint winners. I thought, 110 overs and still no result.

"That is when I thought, we should have 25 overs first for one side and then the other, and then once again 25 overs for one side and then the other. Today, we can tell the result of close to 75% of matches after the toss. We know how the conditions will affect the two teams. But it [his idea] is not too dependent on the toss because, for example, in a day-night match both the teams will have to bat under lights. The conditions change very dramatically but this would ensure that it's same for everyone."

Tendulkar's comments come at a time when the future of the one-day game is being questioned. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has scrapped its domestic 50-over tournament while Cricket South Africa is considered changing to its domestic 45-over competition. The ECB is also likely to propose that the ICC conduct a formal review of the future of the 50-over format after the 2011 World Cup to protect the ODI structure amid the rise of Twenty20 cricket.

New Zealand seal T20 series 2-0..........!!!!

2009-09-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

New Zealand 170 for 4 (Ryder 52, McCullum 49) beat Sri Lanka (Sangakkara 69, Jayawardene 41, Bond 3-18, Nathan McCullum 2-18 ) by 22 runs.MoM,MoS:Jesse Ryder.

Having been beaten soundly in the Test series, New Zealand now head into the tri-series brimming with confidence after a second consecutive 20-over victory over Sri Lanka, this time by 22 runs. Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder's clinical hitting and Nathan McCullum's teasing offspin were responsible for driving New Zealand to victory and handing Sri Lanka their fourth Twenty20 loss in a row.

Brendon McCullum and Ryder were badly out of form during the Test campaign, but showed both courage and muscle during an 84-run opening stand in 62 deliveries, while Nathan McCullum gave further proof that New Zealand's limited-overs recruits have helped shape a change in fortunes. When Sri Lanka quickly slumped to 11 for 3 this game looked almost over as a contest, but Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara still had a sting to inflict, adding 67 in 43 balls. Then came the fatal blow in the 11th over, bowled by Nathan McCullum, as Jayawardene and Angelo Mathews departed to clever changes of pace. Thereafter, Sri Lanka were never in the hunt.

There were to be no fireworks this evening from Tillakaratne Dilshan, who flicked straight to deep square leg in the first over, giving Shane Bond his first international wicket since 2007. In walked Mahela Udawatte at No. 3, the one change Sri Lanka made, and back out he went after he checked his first ball from Kyle Mills and gave point a dolly. Sri Lanka's chances dimmed when Mills got Sanath Jayasuriya to miscue to midwicket in the fourth over.

Mills' third over wasn't as productive, as Jayawardene put away two full tosses and a half-volley on the pads. After the Powerplay overs Sri Lanka were 37 for 3, compared to 64 for 2 on Wednesday. Then Jayawardene and Sangakkara stepped on the gas, rattling up a 50-run stand in 6 overs. Where Jayawardene improvised to dab the ball past Brendon McCullum behind the stumps, walk across and paddle, and pull six over fine leg, all off Ian Butler, Sangakkara used his feet to come out and bisect midwicket and square leg.

By now the crowd had roared back to life and New Zealand appeared worried, but in one over the mood changed dramatically. Daniel Vettori called on Nathan McCullum, who came in for this game in place of Peter McGlashan, and within four balls he snapped Sri Lanka's spine. Jayawardene's top edge was well held by Ryder at short fine leg, and then Angelo Mathews chipped softly to midwicket. Vettori knew taking the pace off would work, and that was a sensational over from Nathan McCullum.

Nathan McCullum put down a very tough caught-and-bowled chance off Sangakkara, who reached his half-century off 40 balls. Sangakkara kept flaying but his luck ran out on 69 when he top-edged back to Oram. Bond completed the dénouement with 3 for 18.

It was only a matter of time before Brendon McCullum and Ryder found their groove in coloured clothing. Brendon McCullum got off the mark with a cramped chop to third man, but there was nothing restrained about strokes that raced to the boundaries at backward point, square leg and midwicket. Against Nuwan Kulasekara he began by pulling off his own version of the scoop trademarked by Dilshan, with some help from his helmet, getting way across and scooping the ball from outside off stump, on to Sangakkara's helmet, for four.

Lasith Malinga's second over cost 19. First Brendon McCullum steered a couple to third man by getting outside leg stump, then backed away and carved six over backward point, put a no-ball away for four with power past two off-side fielders, and finished off by slapping three through cover.

Ryder had been content allowing his partner take charge, ticking along to 10 by the time Brendon McCullum was 35. Ajantha Mendis came on for one over, the sixth, and allowed just three but Malinga Bandara was given a rude welcome by Ryder, who got down and swatted six over midwicket. He nonchalantly paddled Jayasuriya for four and Brendon McCullum slammed Dilshan for a six, his 100th boundary shot in this format.

With New Zealand's run rate 8.30, Jayasuriya struck when Brendon McCullum knocked back a return catch for 49. Ryder accelerated his game efficiently, repeating the slogged six twice off Dilshan in a 20-run 12th over in which he raised his fifty off 31 balls. Then Mendis returned to bowl the next over and immediately had Ryder beaten in the flight and popping an easy catch to extra cover.

Jayasuriya, after a break and a change of ends, came back to dismiss Ross Taylor playing across the line for 16. Martin Guptill, demoted to No. 4, jacked the run-rate back with six and a four in Kulasekara's comeback over, the 17th, which cost 17. Malinga bowled a seven-run final over in which he yorked Guptill for 32, but by getting 87 in the last ten overs New Zealand had done well.

Opening ceremony to be held at Dhaka

2009-09-02T20:59:00.001-07:00

The Opening ceremony of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be held at Dhaka on February 17, 2011 and the opening match on February 19.

This was decided at the Central Organising Committee (COC) of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 here on Wednesday.

The COC also approved the operational plan and event budget and fixed the venue inspection schedule.

The full match schedule of the World Cup would be announced on November 9.

ICC Awards 2009 nominees.........

2009-09-02T05:42:00.000-07:00

"The LG ICC Awards are an opportunity for the ICC and FICA to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable performances of the world's top players," said ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat while announcing the list of nominations in Mumbai.

"It is also a chance for followers of our great sport to reflect on some of the great cricketing feats they have witnessed over the past year. This will be the sixth time the awards have been handed out and yet again there are so many great performances to recall. Selecting the winners will no doubt test our selectors and voting academy."

The lists were compiled by a five-man ICC selection panel chaired by former West Indies captain and current chairman of the ICC cricket committee, Clive Lloyd. The panel also includes former players such as India's Anil Kumble, Mudassar Nazar of Pakistan, Bob Taylor of England and New Zealand's Stephen Fleming.

The ceremony will take place in Johannesburg on October 1, to coincide with the ICC Champions Trophy 2009. The previous editions were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007) and Dubai (2008).

The nominations

Cricketer of the Year
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Tillakaratne Dilshan, MS Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Shakib Al Hasan, Mitchell Johnson, Graham Onions, Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara, Harbhajan Singh, Graeme Smith, Andrew Strauss, Daniel Vettori, AB de Villiers
Test Player of the Year
Stuart Broad, Michael Clarke, MS Dhoni, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Gautam Gambhir, Shakib Al Hasan, Mitchell Johnson, VVS Laxman, Jesse Ryder, Thilan Samaraweera, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Peter Siddle, Harbhajan Singh, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Andrew Strauss, Graeme Swann, Daniel Vettori, AB de Villiers
ODI Player of the Year
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, MS Dhoni, Andrew Flintoff, Chris Gayle, Umar Gul, Martin Guptill, Michael Hussey, Nuwan Kulasekara, Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Thilan Thushara
Emerging Player of the Year
Martin Guptill, Ben Hilfenhaus, Philip Hughes, Amit Mishra, Graham Onions, Kemar Roach, Jesse Ryder, Peter Siddle
Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year
Rizwan Cheema (Canada), Khurram Chohan (Canada), Ryan ten Doeschate (Netherlands), Trent Johnston (Ireland), Alex Cusack (Ireland), Neil McCallum (Scotland), Kevin O'Brien (Ireland), Niall O'Brien (Ireland), William Porterfield (Ireland), Boyd Rankin (Ireland), Edgar Schiferli (Netherlands), Steve Tikolo (Kenya), Regan West (Ireland), Bas Zuiderent (Netherlands)
Twenty20 International Performance of the Year
Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Dwayne Bravo, Alex Cusack, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle, Umar Gul, David Hussey, Sanath Jayasuriya, Zaheer Khan, Ajantha Mendis, Wayne Parnell, Abdur Razzak, David Warner
Women's Cricketer of the Year
Suzie Bates (New Zealand), Holly Colvin (England), Charlotte Edwards (England), Laura Marsh (England), Sana Mir (Pakistan), Shelley Nitschke (Australia), Mithali Raj (India), Karen Rolton (Australia), Priyanka Roy (India), Lisa Sthalekar (Australia), Claire Taylor (England), Sarah Taylor (England), Stefanie Taylor (West Indies), Haidee Tiffin (New Zealand), Aimee Watkins (New Zealand)
Umpire of the Year
Billy Bowden (New Zealand), Aleem Dar (Pakistan), Steve Davis (Australia), Ian Gould (England), Tony Hill (New Zealand), Daryl Harper (Australia), Asad Rauf (Pakistan), Simon Taufel (Australia)

Gambhir loses top status to Sangakkara

2009-09-01T20:38:00.001-07:00

Indian opener Gautam Gambhir on Monday lost the No. 1 Test batsman’s tag to Kumar Sangakkara who reclaimed the spot for the fourth time in his career after brilliant knocks against New Zealand.

The Sri Lanka captain followed up his half-century in the first innings of the second Test against New Zealand with an exquisite 109, his 20th Test century, to reclaim the top position from Gambhir.

Mahela Jayawardene and middle-order batsmen Thilan Samaraweera have both achieved career-best rankings. While Jayawardena has jumped four places to third position Samaraweera’s 11th century in what was his 54th Test has put him just outside the top 10 in 12th position.

BCCI Corporate Trophy kicks off today!!!

2009-09-01T01:40:00.000-07:00

Fresh from a much-needed break of nearly two months, India's leading cricketers will begin another packed season with the Corporate Trophy, the BCCI's new showpiece domestic one-day tournament - with Rs 1 crore (US$204,272) for the winners - starting on Tuesday.

The Indian board has invited 12 corporate teams to take part in the eight-day tournament, which will see most of the Indian team - with Sachin Tendulkar a prominent exception - play for their employers across four venues. There are two teams from Air India, which has seven members of the Indian team on its rolls including MS Dhoni, the captain.

On the face of it, the corporate trophy is a high-profile season starter that will help ease top cricketers back into 50-over mode ahead of the one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka -which starts for the Indians on September 11 - and the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa later in the month. The BCCI has staked big money on this - the runners-up get Rs 50 lakh (US$102,109) - claiming that the tournament's prime objective is to promote employment opportunities for domestic cricketers in India's corporate houses.

But the real significance of the tournament possibly lies elsewhere - in its design to kill off another tournament. It was conceived in January, just four months before the Indian board announced its amnesty offer for ICL cricketers. ICL players have since admitted privately that after the corporate tournament was announced they received calls from their employers asking them to wind up their association with the unofficial league. "And then, as we were wondering how we could possibly return to the official fold, came the BCCI's amnesty offers," a leading Indian ICL player said.

As it turned out, the corporate trophy was, in fact, the first nail in the ICL's coffin; the unofficial Twenty20 league cancelled its March programme and that finally led to an exodus of players back into official cricket. At the same time, the BCCI has ensured that the corporate trophy, despite a glittering launch last week, will not cut into the IPL's glamour either in format or content; no foreign players here, and no high-octane promotional campaigns, just the prize money and two major venues in Bangalore and Mohali with Visakhapatnam and Dharamsala hosting the other matches.

Besides, the preliminary rounds don't make for close contests, if the stronger teams play to full strength. Air India (Blue) and ONGC are the clear favourites in Groups A and B. ONGC, led by Gautam Gambhir, have a bowling attack that could represent India on a lean day: Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Munaf Patel and Amit Mishra. Air India (Blue) feature Harbhajan Singh, Dhoni, RP Singh, VVS Laxman and Mohammad Kaif.

Groups C and D are more evenly placed. In Group C, Indian Oil, with Wasim Jaffer and Rohit Sharma being their big draws, could be challenged by Tata Sports Club, who have Rohan Gavaskar, Ajit Agarkar and Ramesh Powar in their ranks. But it's Group D where the real competition is at, with Air India (Red) holding a slight edge over India Cements, who have Rahul Dravid, S Badrinath, L Balaji and Sudeep Tyagi in their line-up.

SriLanka spoils NZ party ... wins series2-0....!!!

2009-09-01T01:12:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka 416 (Samaraweera 143, Jayawardene 92, Patel 4-78) and 311 for 5 dec (Sangakkara 109, Jayawardene 96) beat New Zealand 234 (Taylor 81, Herath 3-70, Muralitharan 3-71) and 397 (Vettori 140, Oram 56, Herath 5-139) by 96 runs.

MoM:M.Jayawardene.

MoM:Samaraweera.

Sri Lanka were expected to wrap up victory early on the final day, but had to wait until the 68th over of the day to seal a 2-0 sweep and cement their place at No. 2 in the ICC Test rankings. They had New Zealand six wickets down for 182 at stumps on day four, but were thoroughly frustrated by a century stand between Vettori and Oram in a cracking morning session. When Tillakaratne Dilshan snapped an excellent 124-run partnership by dismissing Oram two minutes before lunch, it seemed likely that victory was around the corner, but Vettori found an able ally in Iain O'Brien and the pair added 69 in 78 gut-wrenching minutes.

Like in the morning, Sri Lanka struck shortly before the interval and tea was pushed back by half an hour. The last wicket to fall was Vettori, excellently held at deep square leg by a tumbling Rangana Herath - who took five wickets - and New Zealand had finally been dismissed for 397, the highest fourth-innings total at the SSC. They were owned for the better part of four days, but fought back credibly on the fifth. It was not enough, for the damage was irreparable, and Sri Lanka finished deserved winners.

Champions League T20

2009-08-20T08:12:00.001-07:00

The 12 teams that have qualified for the inaugural $6 million prize money Airtel Champions League Twenty20 will receive a participation fee of $5,00,000 each.

Sussex Sharks and Somerset Sabres were the last two teams to qualify from England. The winner of the competition to be played from October 8 to 23 in India will receive $3 million.

Since Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings – finalists of the DLF-IPL season I in 2008 — had qualified for the Champions League T20 that was cancelled because of the terror attack in Mumbai, they will receive a compensation of around Rs. 22 crore each.

The CLT20 Governing Council has said that nine players have qualified for their home and away (IPL) team. The council has clarified that if a player decides to play for an ‘away’ team rather than his ‘home’ team’ — the team from the country he is eligible to represent in international cricket — the ‘away’ team shall pay $2,00,000 compensation to the ‘home’ team’.

Herschelle Gibbs (Deccan Chargers) has decided to play for Cape Cobras and Ferveez Maharoof (Delhi Daredevils) for Wayamba.

Nathan Bracken (NSW Blues, RC Bangalore), Brendon McCullum (Otago Bolts, NSW Blues), Dirk Nannes (Victorian Bushrangers, Delhi Daredevils), David Warner (NSW Blues, Delhi Daredevils), Cameron White (Victorian Bushrangers, RC Bangalore), Andrew McDonald (Victorian Bushrangers, Delhi Daredevils), Dwayne Smith (Deccan Chargers, Sussex Sharks) have yet to take a decision on which team they would be playing for.

Otago Bolts has selected McCullum in its squad though.

The Governing Council has also said that members of each team’s initial squad must have either played for or must have been contracted to play for his nominating team in the most recent qualifying Twenty20 competition played by that team. “Once a team names its initial squad, CLT20 will assess which players have been listed for two or more teams.

“Players who have been nominated by multiple teams will then be contacted by CLT20 to nominate their chosen team.

“Players will then be given 24 hours to determine which team they wish to represent,” said Dean Kino, CLT20 Governing Council Member and Director of Legal and Business Affairs.

Mendis to join Hampshire

2009-08-17T03:53:00.000-07:00

Ajantha Mendis, the Sri Lankan spinner, has been signed by Hampshire to play in the 2010 season. He will take over from Imran Tahir, who is due to return to The Rose Bowl in 2011, depending on his international commitments.

"Ajantha Mendis is the most exciting new bowler to explode onto the world stage since Shane Warne," said Rod Bransgrove, Hampshire chairman. "We are particularly excited that he has decided to join Hampshire having been courted by a number of counties over the past few months."

Mendis, 24, has played eight Test Matches for Sri Lanka, taking 39 wickets with career-best figures of 6 for 117 against India. He also won the ICC Emerging Player of the Year in 2008.

Sussex claim Twenty20 Cup

2009-08-16T09:03:00.000-07:00

Sussex 172 for 7 (Smith 59) beat Somerset 109 (Kirtley 3-9, Beer 2-29) by 63 runs. MoM:Dwayne Smith...

Sussex secured the Twenty20 Cup for the first time as their spinners followed up a hard-hitting display from Dwayne Smith, who clubbed 59 off 26 balls, to complete a 63-run thrashing of Somerset. When Marcus Trescothick launched Somerset's pursuit of 173 the chase looked easy, but he fell for 33 and scoring became increasingly tough on a wearing surface.

The victory compensates handsomely for Sussex's Friends Provident Final defeat at the hands of Hampshire last month and they have also turned the tables on the curse of the first semi-finalists on Finals Day. Only on one previous occasion, in 2006, had the team winning the first semi gone on to claim the title. Sides have often found it difficult to lift themselves again after the downtime, but Sussex had no such problem.

On a day when overseas and senior talent played leading roles, the performance of Will Beer, the 20-year-old legspinner, was worthy of many plaudits as he claimed two key middle-order scalps in a nerveless display. If it hadn't been for Peter Trego, Beer's figures would have been exemplary.

Sussex's bowlers were supported by confident catching - not always easy under the less-powerful floodlights - with Rory-Hamilton Brown steadying himself under three, including the crucial one of Trescothick. However, the pick of the catches came from the captain, Michael Yardy, who plucked out Zander de Bruyn's drive at extra cover. With that went any faint hopes of a Somerset fightback. "It was a team performance," Yardy said, "I don't think anyone had a bad game."

Dravid returns to one-day squad

2009-08-16T09:02:00.001-07:00

Rahul Dravid has, as expected, made a return to India's ODI plans with his inclusion in the squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy next month. Dravid replaces Rohit Sharma, who managed 15 runs in three ODI innings in the West Indies and 43 runs in three innings against major opposition in the World Twenty20. The selectors didn't risk taking Virender Sehwag, who is yet to fully recover from his shoulder injury, to the Champions Trophy. He was not expected to make it to the Sri Lanka tri-series anyway.

Dravid last played an ODI for India in October 2007, but his form in the second IPL season in South Africa - where the Champions Trophy will be held - and the vulnerability of India's younger middle-order batsmen in the recent World Twenty20 prompted the selectors to fall back on his experience and technique.

Sachin Tendulkar, who had opted out of the West Indies ODIs, makes a comeback. Suresh Raina, who was out because of a hairline fracture of the thumb, also returns. Amit Mishra breaks into the ODI squad, replacing Pragyan Ojha as the back-up spinner to Harbhajan Singh, on the back of his impressive showings in the IPL and the Emerging Players Tournament in Australia.

Terming Dravid as "one of the best players India has produced", Harbhajan Singh welcomed his and Tendulkar's return. "We have some senior players like Tendulkar and Dravid back in the side, so we have the required experience," he said. "It is important to do well as after the tri-series, we have important tournament like Champions Trophy coming up. Responsibility will be there on all the players."

Dinesh Karthik, who came in for the West Indies ODIs as replacement for Sehwag, and Abhishek Nayar, who edged out Ravindra Jadeja, have retained their places.

Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of selectors, said it was the "best possible Indian team". "It's a very balanced team and we are confident they would go on to win the Champions Trophy in South Africa," Srikkanth said.

India one-day squad: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, RP Singh, Amit Mishra, Dinesh Karthik, and Abhishek Nayar

Charles Coventry equals ODI highest Individual Score!!!!

2009-08-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh 313 for 6 (Tamim 154, Price 3-60) beat Zimbabwe 312 for 8 (Coventry 194*) by four wickets.
Charles Coventry made the joint highest individual score in an ODI but his effort was outweighed by a sparkling, cool-headed century from Tamim Iqbal, who broke the record for the most runs made in an innings by a Bangladesh batsman. Coventry's blockbuster innings pushed Zimbabwe beyond 300, far more than Bangladesh have chased before, but the visitors were rarely troubled as they hunted down the target to take their third consecutive series.Charles Coventry made the joint highest individual score in an ODI but his effort was outweighed by a sparkling, cool-headed century from Tamim Iqbal, who broke the record for the most runs made in an innings by a Bangladesh batsman. Coventry's blockbuster innings pushed Zimbabwe beyond 300, far more than Bangladesh have chased before, but the visitors were rarely troubled as they hunted down the target to take their third consecutive series.

A prickly situation for champions league T20....

2009-08-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Northamptonshire will face Sussex in one of the semi-finals of the ECB’s Twenty20 championship on August 15 and should it enter the final to be played at Birmingham on the same day, the English county will be disqualified from the Champions League Twenty20 be played in India from October 8 to 23.

“Should Northants qualify for the final, it will be not allowed to take part in the CLT20 in India. In that event only one team from England will be allowed to play in the CLT20,” said Lalit Modi, Chairman, CLT20 league.

Nicky Boje is the captain of the Northants team and other members of the team are South Africans Andrew Hall and J J van der Wath.

Michael Owen-Smith, Media Officer of the Cricket South Africa told The Hindu that he understands that the three have cut links with ICL, but Cricket South Africa has set a six month cool off period.

Meanwhile, according to Tony Irish, CEO of the South Africa Cricketers Association, Van der Wath, Boje and Kemp have applied for reinstatement with CSA and have been cleared subject to the cooling off period of 6 months which will happen by the start of the CSA season. “The Champions League also have to clear them. No ICL player including the cleared ones will be allowed to play in the Champions League this year for England qualifiers as it would prejudice teams from other countries who have not been able to use them.

“In other words the earliest Van der Wath, Boje and Kemp can qualify for the Champions League is in 2010,” said Irish.

Mr. Modi hinted that a fourth IPL team may be accommodated in the event of Northants’ disqualification, but things would become clear after August 15 once the results of the ECB Twenty20 semifinals are known.

“We would not like to dilute the CLT20 with a fourth Indian team,” said a BCCI official.

But the circumstances may create an opportunity for Chennai Super Kings — finalist in IPL season I and semifinalist in IPL season II — to claim for an entry into the CLT20 league.

IPL-III to start in Hyderabad

2009-08-11T20:48:00.000-07:00

Title holder Deccan Chargers will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at Hyderabad in the opening match of the 60-match IPL season 3 to be played from March 12 to April 25, 2010. This was announced by Lalit Modi, Chairman of the IPL Governing Council here on Monday.

The additional match will be a play–off for the third and fourth position between the losing semifinalists.

It was also announced that Mumbai Indians will play a few matches at Nagpur, Deccan Chargers at Visakhapatnam, Kings XI Punjab at Dharamsala and Rajasthan Royals at Ahmedabad.

Modi also announced that in 2011 two more franchise teams would be added to make for 10 teams and playing 94 matches in 12 centres.

The governing council has also in principle decided to provide an opportunity for former ICL players to feature from the 2009 event.

“The BCCI had taken a decision that the former rebel players, who accepted the amnesty offer by May 31, will not be allowed entry into the IPL for 12 months.

“But the Working Committee here on Thursday is likely to allow them and issue guidelines.

It’s been proposed that they should not be paid lower than Rs. 8 lakh and in excess of Rs. 20 lakh. It’s up to the BCCI to draft the guidelines and identify players in the two categories.

“If a franchise had signed in a player from the former ICL group, it will be treated as null and void,” said Modi.

Revealing that the expenses for season II held in South Africa were much higher, Mr. Modi said the modalities of making up the shortfall of the eight franchises will be addressed at a meeting next week with the team owners.

“The prices of tickets were much lower than it was in India in 2008 and the capacity at each ground in South Africa was lower than the venues in India. Taking all this into account we will work out ways to meet the shortfall of the team owners. The IPL will try to understand all factors and cover the shortfall.”

A significant change has also been made to the strategic time out (seven and half minutes after the first 10 overs in South Africa) for the season III next year. The fielding captain will have the option to take a two and half minute STO between the 6th and 10th overs and the batsman will have the option to take a two and half minute STO between the 11th and 16th overs.

Among other decisions taken were: IPL will use the services of ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit; Transfer window from December 15 to January 5, 2010; All capped international players will have to go through an auction that will be decided in consultation with the franchises; IPL to maintain $ 7 million cap at the auction; Players to obtain NOC from member countries of ICC every year.

This is to maintain the paramount nature of the ICC’s Future Tour Programme (FTP); Icon player status to be abolished.

Eight players undergo fitness tests

2009-08-10T21:29:00.001-07:00

Eight cricketers, including skipper M.S. Dhoni, went through a fitness test under the supervision of coach Gary Kirsten at the Ferozeshah Kotla here on Monday.

The tests were basically a platform for Kirsten to interact with the players who have had a rare lay-off for more than a month.

Apart from Dhoni, the others who attended the fitness drill were Harbhajan Singh, Ashish Nehra, R.P. Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Praveen Kumar, Suresh Raina and Ishant Sharma.

The three-hour tests were for players from North, Central and East Zones. Yuvraj Singh will attend the session in Mumbai on Tuesday with players from West and South. Virender Sehwag, recovering from a shoulder injury, was not present.

The focus was on sprint repeat, a drill that involves assessment of strong strides. The weather was not really amiable for such a fitness drill and the players too were hardly excited. Most of them have been training regularly during the one-month lay-off with concentration on gym work.

As Kirsten noted at the end of the session, the idea was to assess their physical condition.

He said the results of this test would be compared with the results of tests to be taken at the National Cricket Academy during the four-day preparatory camp from August 27 for the three-nation tournament in Sri Lanka to be held from Sept. 8.

This is the beginning of our preparations for the coming season,” said Kirsten, expressing satisfaction with the way the players responded.

Australia level with crushing win

2009-08-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

Australia 445 (North 110, Clarke 93, Ponting 78, Broad 6-91) beat England 102 and 263 (Swann 62, Broad 61, Johnson 5-69, Hilfenhaus 4-60) by an innings and 80 runs. MoM: Marcus North.

Australia required a session and six overs on the third day at Headingley to wrap up a thumping innings-and-80-run victory against England, and so draw level at 1-1 in the Ashes with just the fifth Test at The Oval to come in a fortnight's time. Mitchell Johnson had the honour of sewing up the contest with his fifth wicket of a resurgent performance, when he bowled Graham Onions for a duck to confirm his return to his best and most hostile form, and underline the fact that Australia have suddenly emerged as firm favourites to complete their 10th Ashes victory in their last 11 contests.

It was not, however, a day that went entirely to plan for Australia, who were frustrated - not for the first time in the series - by England's tail, not least Stuart Broad, who added a boundary-laden 61 from 49 balls to his earlier six-wicket haul, as he became the first England cricketer to achieve such an Ashes double since Darren Gough at Sydney in 1994-95.

Saqlain appointed New Zealand's spin consultant

2009-08-09T02:18:00.001-07:00

Saqlain Musthaq, the former Pakistan and Surrey offspinner, has been appointed as spin consultant by New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for the next 12 months. Saqlain's first assignment will be New Zealand's six-week tour of Sri Lanka.

"New Zealand Cricket has an agreement with Saqlain Mushtaq who will work with the Blackcaps over the next 12 months," Stephen Hill, the NZC spokesperson said. "His experience as a spin bowler is considered to be of significant assistance."

In addition to working with the spinners, Saqlain will divulge his vast knowledge of playing in the subcontinent to the New Zealand batsmen, many of whom have never played in this part of the world. "He will be working with both our bowlers and batsmen, usually for a few days at a time during the team's international series over that period," Hill said.

Saqlain initially worked with the team at a training session in Derby, during the ICC World Twenty20, helping the team in preparation for its league game against Sri Lanka.

Saqlain said he was invited by New Zealand coach Andy Moles to join the team during the tournament. "He wanted me to help the batsmen play spinners like Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] and [Ajantha] Mendis," Saqlain told Cricinfo in London, before taking off to Sri Lanka. He also had a chat with Daniel Vettori and the other spinners on spin bowling, and discussed the thought process and preparation a spinner goes through. After that NZC got in touch with his agent Eddie Tolchard to broker a long-term relationship.

Saqlain, once a prolific offspinner with 496 victims in both Test and ODI versions, played his last Test for Pakistan in 2004, and was pushed out of contention once the selectors favoured the allround skills of Shoaib Malik. Recently his decision to join the ICL forced him to quit Surrey and brought an end to his 11-year stint in the English domestic circuit.

Saqlain's foremost advice to New Zealand bowlers before the Sri Lanka tour is that bowling in the subcontinent is a "mental battle". To be on top of the opponent, Saqlain said the bowlers would need to "understand" and "control" their skills. He said the main reason he was brought on board was to help New Zealand neuter the danger posed by Murali and Mendis.

During his June visit to the team Saqlain had already pointed out the flaw most batsmen commit when facing the doosra. "I watched the [New Zealand] batsmen in the nets and told them where exactly they committed the mistake. They were not picking the ball at the point of release," Saqlain said. He told them they could still pick it in the air even if it was a bit late. If they couldn't do that, too, then they could read it off the pitch after the ball landed but that, according to Saqlain, is playing too late and makes the batsman vulnerable.

"So I bowled them some doosras and asked to watch my hand while I bowled with tennis balls to make them understand how the ball would behave if someone like Mendis bowled it."

Saqlain plans to bolster the New Zealand spin attack since he believes slow bowlers will be a dominant force on the slower and flatter pitches in Sri Lanka. "Spinners would play a prominent role … they would have a say in nearly 80% of a game," he said, adding that offering tips to the team's main spinners Vettori and Jeetan Patel regarding the doosra would not be a priority.

"My role would be to speak about how to attack the batsmen in different situations. We have to be careful as to what needs to be learned and taught."

Zaheer ruled out of CT !!!!

2009-08-07T20:47:00.001-07:00

Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy starting late September, after undergoing a major shoulder surgery in South Africa last month. It is feared that he could miss the seven-match home ODI series against Australia in November-December as well if the recovery doesn't go according to plan. But a BCCI media release on Friday said Zaheer was responding well to the surgery and was expected to return to international cricket towards the end of the year, suggesting he could be in contention for the Australia series.

"Zaheer Khan had an arthroscopic labral repair in his left shoulder on 13th July 2009 done by the Johannesburg-based Dr Mark Ferguson," the release said. "Zaheer is undergoing rehabilitation in South Africa and is recovering very well. He is expected to return to international cricket by the end of this year."

Zaheer will return to India from South Africa on August 9. After 10 days, he will head back to South Africa for further rehabilitation on his shoulder, the release said.

He picked up the injury to his bowling shoulder during the second edition of the IPL while playing for the Mumbai Indians. Zaheer fell on his shoulder while fielding and was subsequently advised rest. Zaheer aggravated the injury during the World Twenty20 and had to undergo surgery in South Africa in July, causing him to miss the four-match ODI series in West Indies.

The 30-year-old has been advised a minimum of three months' rest. Ferguson, who carried out the surgery, has successfully treated Sachin Tendulkar and former India players Javagal Srinath and Anil Kumble in the past.

The team for the ICC event has to be selected by August 23. The national selectors will be meeting on August 16 to pick the squad for the tri-series in Sri Lanka starting September 8 and the Champions Trophy, beginning on September 25. Zaheer had been named in a list of 30 probables for the Champions Trophy.

India will be thankful that the injury is not likely to cost Zaheer any Test matches, if the recovery goes to plan. Although a big loss, it should be relatively easier to replace Zaheer in the shorter formats. It gives both RP Singh and Munaf Patel an opportunity to present better claims for their inclusion in the side, and Praveen Kumar a chance to cement his place as third seamer. Ashish Nehra has also sprung up as an option after he had a fairly successful return to international cricket in the ODIs in West Indies.

top 10 leading run getters for australia in tests..

2009-08-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

Ricky Ponting on Friday(31/7/09) became the leading run-scorer in the history of Australian Test cricket. He surpassed the long standing record of former captain Allan Border. Overall, Ponting stands behind only Tendulkar (12,773) and Lara (11,953).

Player	Mat	Inns	Runs	HS	Ave	100
RT Ponting	134*	225	11188	257	56.22	38
AR Border	156	265	11174	205	50.56	27
SR Waugh	168	260	10927	200	51.06	32
ML Hayden	103	184	8625	380	50.73	30
ME Waugh	128	209	8029	153*	41.81	20
JL Langer	105	182	7696	250	45.27	23
MA Taylor	104	186	7525	334*	43.49	19
DC Boon	107	190	7422	200	43.65	21
GS Chappell	87	151	7110	247*	53.86	24
DG Bradman	52	80	6996	334	99.94	29

Tendulkar targets 15,000 Test runs

2009-08-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Sachin Tendulkar has said he is not satisfied with his achievements and hopes to accumulate 15,000 runs and win the World Cup in 2011.

"I am not pleased yet with what I have done," Tendulkar, who has scored a record 12773 Test runs at an average of 54.58 from 159 matches, said in an interview with the Wisden Cricketer. "Sunil Gavaskar has told me that I have to get to 15,000 runs. He said he would be angry with me and would come and catch me if I didn't. I admire him so much and to score that many would be a terrific achievement, but that is not the only aim." His other big cricketing ambition is to "win the World Cup in 2011".

Tendulkar, 36, also spoke about how he has been consistently playing with pain. "I always play in pain, all the time. I played with a broken finger for the last three months, but you know when pain is manageable or not, and most of the time I can do it," he said. "I can still do what I did when I was 25 but the body is changing, so your thought process has to change too. I have had to change how I think, which is about taking less risk."

Tendulkar also disagreed with John Buchanan, former Australia coach, who felt Tendulkar had become susceptible to the short ball early in his innings because of a lack of footwork. "It is only his opinion; John Buchanan doesn't have to be right all the time. If I couldn't handle short deliveries, then I wouldn't still be scoring runs," he said. "Maybe he needs to change his opinion. There must be something very wrong with all the bowlers around the world that they have allowed me to score so many runs."

Tendulkar said he was not thinking about retirement yet but he would know when to quit cricket. "I will know when it is the right time, I won't have to be dragged away. I am the person who will make the decision and I will know whether I still belong."

He admitted life after cricket wouldn't be easy. "It's a scary thought. It has been there for my whole adult life, it will be difficult, I have been around for a long time, I can imagine when I finish I will long to face just 10 more balls but you have to move."

ICC board will hold on to WADA

2009-08-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Senior officials on the ICC's decision-making executive board are unlikely to support any radical suggestion from the BCCI to shun the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) and opt instead for a cricket-specific code without off-season testing. However, they will endorse the Indian board's objection to the contentious 'whereabouts' clause in the anti-doping code and ask the ICC to try and work out a practical solution with WADA during a year-end review.

The ICC board is likely to discuss the issue soon over teleconference, rather than wait for their next scheduled meeting in early October. And officials from a majority of the ICC board constituents, including Australia and South Africa, have confided that they would support India fully on the 'whereabouts' issue, but would like to remain WADA-compliant for important reasons, not the least of which is the question of government support.

For instance, government funding for grassroots cricket programmes in England requires the English board to be WADA-compliant and Australian legislation requires the same of its national sporting organisations. The BCCI, which will need the backing of these three major boards to make any headway on the issue at the ICC level, is an autonomous organisation that operates independently from India's sports ministry.

The consensus which has emerged is that the ICC board would ask the governing body to raise India's concerns with WADA and hopefully, try to work out a cricket-specific solution when it meets officials of the anti-doping watchdog for a year-end review. Cricket Australia, for one, wants a "practical solution" but what remains to be sorted out, though, is whether India's players should continue to be exempt from complying with the norms till then.

No whereabouts

Player associations share BCCI's concerns about WADA's whereabouts clause:

The level of information required to be provided to comply with the whereabouts requirements was our main issue and we found that impractical -- Paul Marsh, Australian Cricketers' Association

The issue is the whereabouts clause and England players are concerned about security and privacy -- Sean Morris, Professional Cricketers' Association

Practical and privacy concerns persist for our players and we want the ICC to address them -- Tony Irish, South Africa Cricketers' Association

The whereabouts clause administration is cumbersome and very difficult for those in team sports to manage -- Heath Mills, New Zealand Cricket Players' Association.

Our concerns are similar with regards to the whereabouts clause -- Graeme Labrooy, Sri Lanka Cricketers' Association.

India will ask ICC to shun WADA

2009-08-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

The Indian board (BCCI) will suggest to the ICC that it should walk out of the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) umbrella and opt for its own cricket-specific anti-doping code. The BCCI feels that this is the only possible solution to the deadlock over this issue after its players refused to abide by a clause in the WADA code that requires them to reveal information about their whereabouts three months in advance.

Cricinfo has learnt that the BCCI will propose this solution, which was formulated after a series of discussions among senior Indian board officials over the last week, possibly as soon as the next meeting of the ICC's executive board in early October. The Indian board is confident of getting the support of other major national boards on the issue at the ICC level and expects its suggestion to be ratified.

On Sunday, the BCCI's decision-making working committee resolved to back its players and reject the 'whereabouts' clause in the amended WADA code, which was implemented by the ICC from January 1. This contentious clause requires cricketers in the ICC's international testing pool to reveal before every quarter details of their location for an hour every day for the next three months to facilitate out-of-competition testing. The 11 Indian players in the pool have expressed security concerns in this regard, especially because some of them such as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni face threats from terrorist organisations. The BCCI has said that this clause, which prescribes severe penalties for defaulters including a ban for up to two years, also violates privacy guarantees provided in the Indian constitution.

Other international cricketers in the testing pool from other countries had also expressed privacy and practicality concerns about the clause but agreed to abide by it within the July 31 deadline.

Clarke and North put Australia safe

2009-08-03T20:36:00.000-07:00

Australia 263 (Watson 62, Anderson 5-80, Onions 4-58) and 375 for 5 (Watson 53, Hussey 64, Clarke 103*, North 96) drew with England 376 (Strauss 69, Bell 53, Flintoff 74, Broad 55, Hilfenhaus 4-109)

After a rain-affected draw at Edgbaston, in which England's push for victory fell as flat as the fifth day pitch, the question now stands: who takes the momentum into Headingley? The temptation is to give the nod to England given their 1-0 series advantage and flashes of brilliance between the spells of drizzle in Birmingham. But, on closer inspection, the matter may not be so clear-cut.

Australia will take tremendous confidence from their second-innings batting performance, in which three batsmen passed 50 and one, Michael Clarke, a stoic century in his 50th Test to limit England to just five wickets from 112 overs. Shane Watson's returns of 62 and 53 in his first Test as opener will prove particularly encouraging as will the final-day efforts of Michael Hussey (64) and Marcus North (96), both of whom were in need of a confidence boost.

The Australians will also be buoyed at the possibility that Mitchell Johnson's nightmare might just have been confined to the month of July. Johnson is clearly not back to his wrecking-ball ways from South Africa, but he did manage to make the necessary adjustments to his wrist position to allow him to rediscover the at-the-body line and subtley swing that has made him so effective in past series.

England clearly have grounds for optimism, too. Were it not for the five-and-a-half sessions lost to rain, bad light and the water-logged outfield, they might have better capitalised on their 113-run first-innings advantage. That lead was established after James Anderson and Graham Onions befuddled Australia's batsmen with prodigious aerial movement on Friday, and with Headingley considered among the better swinging grounds in the country, England will hope to probe Australia's barely-healed wounds from Friday.

Bangladesh's first overseas series win....

2009-07-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh 232 (Rahim 48, Raqibul 44, Roach 6-48) and 217 for 6 (Shakib 96*, Raqibul 65, Sammy 5-55) beat West Indies 237 (Dowlin 95, Richards 69) and 209 (Bernard 69, Shakib 5-70) by four wickets.MoM,MoS: Shakib Al Hasan.

History was calling and Bangladesh showed they were all ears in Grenada. Raqibul Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan shared a thrilling 106-run partnership to charge Bangladesh to their first overseas series win. On an enthralling afternoon's play, Darren Sammy threatened to do the improbable but Raqibul lifted Bangladesh with a plucky innings before the equally aggressive Shakib joined him to clinch a euphoric win.

Set a target of 215, a counterattacking Raqibul, who had walked in at 29 for 2, was joined by Shakib at 67 for 4 and the pair batted bravely to seize back the initiative. Though Sammy took out Raqibul and Mushfiqur Rahim, 14 runs away from the win, Shakib held his nerve to steer the team home. The winning moment came at 5.38 pm and in some style, with Shakib lofting Kemar Roach over long-on.

England leads 1-0 in ashes!!!

2009-07-20T21:33:00.001-07:00

England 425 and 311 for 6 dec (Prior 61, Collingwood 54) beat Australia 215 and 406 (Clarke 136, Haddin 80, Johnson 63, Flintoff 5-92, Swann 4-87) by 115 runs.MoM: Flintoff

In his final act at the home of cricket, Flintoff broke England's 75-year Lord's curse with his first five-wicket haul since the Ashes-clinching Oval Test of 2005. It was, unquestionably, a performance that will enhance his already mythical status within English cricket, but more pertinently for now, delivered England to a 1-0 series lead heading into Edgbaston.

Lord's Test is Koertzen's 100th appearence...

2009-07-17T01:17:00.000-07:00

Rudi Koertzen, who on Thursday became the second umpire to officiate in 100 Tests, said Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the two cricketers he has highest regard for.

He became the only person after Steve Bucknor to officiate in 100 Tests by taking the field in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

Looking back on his career, the 60-year-old South African said he was fortunate to have seen Tendulkar and Lara bat from close quarters.

“I have been fortunate and privileged to have seen some of the greatest modern day cricketers very closely. It would be unfair to pin-point one or two players but I have to name Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar for whom I have the greatest respect and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing them bat,” he said. “

“They had amazing reflexes and used to pick up the ball as soon as it left the bowler’s hand which helped them make batting look very graceful and elegant due to their superb timing, excellent footwork, ability to hit the gaps and score runs off good balls, ” Koertzen said.

As regards bowlers, Koertzen said: “I have always admired fast bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Allan Donald but the bowler who stands out is Shane Warne.

“He used to get the best out of the umpires by putting a lot of pressure on them.”

courtesy-Agencies

Another feather in Ganguly’s cap

2009-07-17T01:06:00.000-07:00

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly added another feather to his cap when he was awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of Central Lancashire.

Ganguly, who retired from international cricket late last year after playing 113 Tests and 311 ODIs, was conferred the fellowship for his “unparalleled determination coupled with grit and talent.”

“It is a huge honour,” Ganguly said after receiving the fellowship at Lancashire on Wednesday.

courtesy-PTI

Gambhir climbs to top of ICC Test rankings

2009-07-15T23:24:00.000-07:00

Gautam Gambhir became the number one batsman, replacing Pakistani run-machine Mohammad Yousuf in the latest ICC Test Player rankings issued on Wednesday.

Incidentally, Gambhir reached the top when the ODI batting chart is also led by an Indian, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Yousuf, who had returned to the batting table last week in number one position after his century in the first Test at Galle, flopped in the second Test to drop to fifth position. Accordingly, Gambhir became the sixth India batsman to lead the batting table in this version of the game.

The 27-year-old left-handed opener is the first Indian batsman after former captain Rahul Dravid to top the batting chart. Dravid had briefly become the number-one batsman after hitting centuries in each innings (110 and 135) of the Kolkata Test against Pakistan in March 2005. Dravid had first achieved the top batting ranking in January 1999 and has been number-one for 36 Tests between 1999 and 2005.

Sachin Tendulkar is the other India batsman in the last 15 years who has topped the batting chart. He first led the table in November 1994 while last time he occupied the number-one position was in August 2002 after the Leeds Test against England. Overall, Tendulkar has been the number-one batsman for 125 Tests between 1994 and 2002.

The other India batsmen to have achieved number-one positions in their careers are Gundappa Viswanath (seven matches in 1975), Sunil Gavaskar (46 matches between 1978-80) and Dilip Vengsarkar (17 matches between 1987-88).

Pakistan captain Younis Khan was able to retain his second position in the Test batting rankings but fell nine points behind Gambhir who, without hitting a ball, has gone ahead of both the Pakistan batsmen for the first time in his 25-Test career in which he has scored 2,271 runs at an average of over 54.

Gambhir's 847 points is relatively low for a number-one position in modern times as usually a batsman nearer to the 900-point mark goes to the top, which reflects that he has benefited from some of the other top batsman being off their peaks.

With only 10 points separating Gambhir from third-placed Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka, the top order is expected to change again, of course depending how the Pakistan and Sri Lanka captains perform in the third and final Test which starts in Colombo from July 20.

The only big movers in the latest rankings are Pakistan opener Fawad Alam, who has entered the table in 52nd position after his 168 on his Test debut, and Bangladesh's Tamim Iqbal whose century in the second innings has helped him rocket 22 places to 62nd spot.

There is also a change at the top of the bowlers' chart for the first time in more than three years with Muttiah Muralitharan handing over the baton to South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn.

Steyn had briefly joined Muralidaran in number-one position after the second Test against India in Ahmedabad in April 2008. However, Steyn had failed to go top of the table on his own after a disappointing third Test in Kanpur.

For Muralidaran, it is the first time that he has dropped to second position since February 2006. This is because he missed both the Tests of the ongoing series due to injury and a player loses one per cent of his ratings for every match he misses.

Freddie to retire from Test cricket.... ... ..!!!

2009-07-15T07:27:00.000-07:00

Andrew Flintoff has announced that he will retire from Test cricket at the end of this Ashes summer, although he still intends to make himself available for Twenty20 and ODI cricket, and is expected to be fit for tomorrow's second Test against Australia.

Flintoff, who has missed 25 of England's last 48 Tests through a variety of injuries, suffered another fitness scare on the eve of the Lord's Test, when he reported soreness and swelling in the same right knee that required surgery back in April, after he tore his meniscus while playing in the IPL.

"It's not something I have just thought of overnight, it's something that's been on my mind for a while regarding this series," said Flintoff. "With the knee flaring up again and getting the injections on Monday, now is a time I felt comfortable with doing it. There's been a lot of speculation over my future for the past few weeks, so I wanted to get it out there, and concentrate on playing cricket.

"I've had four ankle operations and knee surgery, so my body is telling me things, and I'm actually starting to listen. I can't just play games here and there while waiting to be fit. For my own sanity, and for my family's, I've got to draw a line under it. I've been going through two years of rehab in the past four, which is not ideal."

A decade of frustration

1999 Returns early from South Africa with broken foot.
2000 Back injury ends Pakistan tour.
2002 Delays a hernia operation to try and complete India Test series but still misses final Test. Later returns from Ashes tour with groin problem.
2003 Plays in the World up, but misses Zimbabwe Tests back in England with shoulder injury after being hit in the nets by Sajid Mahmood.
2003 Ruled out of the two-Test series in Bangladesh, but returns for the one-dayers.
2005 Returns from South Africa in January and misses one-day series to have ankle surgery. Is fit in time for the home season including the Ashes.
2006 After captaining England against Sri Lanka in Test series he is out for 12 weeks after ankle surgery and misses rest of the summer. Returns in Champions Trophy as a batsman and leads England in the Ashes.
2007 More surgery to his left ankle after the World Cup and misses most of home season before returning for the one-day series against India. However, he can't play all seven games due to a recurrence of the problem.
2007 Takes part in the ICC World Twenty20 but barely limps through it. Following the tournament he goes under the knife again and misses rest of winter.
2008 Was set to return against New Zealand in the home series but strains his side playing for Lancashire. Comeback delayed until second Test against South Africa at Headingley.
2009 Returns from WI after the third Test with a hip injury but rejoins the tour for the one-day series.
2009 Returns from SA after his IPL stint with Chennai Superkings was cut short by a torn meniscus in his right knee. Subsequently misses the World Twenty20.
2009 Injury Scare following the first Ashes Test in Cardiff after Flintoff has soreness and swelling in the knee.

Sri Lanka wins series!!!!!

2009-07-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka 240 (Sangakkara 87, Gul 4-43, Ajmal 4-87) and 171 for 3 (Warnapura 54) beat Pakistan 90 (Kulasekara 4-21) and 320 (Fawad 168, Younis 82, Herath 5-99, Kulasekara 4-37) by seven wickets.. MoM:Fawad & Kulasekara

A match in which fortunes swung wildly finally ended in an emphatic seven-wicket win for Sri Lanka, as they sealed their first home series win against Pakistan with a convincing performance at the P Sara Oval. Pakistan were left to rue another batting collapse of monumental proportions, one in which they lost nine wickets for 35 to go from a commanding 285 for 1 to 320 all out. That left Sri Lanka with a target of just 171, which they knocked off in a mere 32 overs to ensure a three-day result.

Bangladesh sealed a historic second test victory...

2009-07-14T00:40:00.000-07:00

Four years and six months after their first Test win, Bangladesh sealed a historic second victory when they beat West Indies by 95 runs in St Vincent. Bangladesh's spin twins Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah weaved a tantalising web to consign a weakened West Indies to defeat. The only resistance came from David Bernand, who defied everything thrown at him for 134 balls to remain unbeaten on 52.

The champagne moment arrived at 4.40 pm local time when Shakib, the stand-in captain, nailed last man Tino Best in front with a dipping full toss with only ten overs left in the day. Best put up his bat as if to suggest he had edged it but the finger was up and the Bangladeshi fielders converged in a huddle of joy, soon joined by a limping Mashrafe Mortaza.

It was an enthralling last couple of sessions in a beautiful setting, the Kingstown stadium ringed by the sea. The cricket was almost sub-continental in its elements. Spinners operated with several close-in men prowling near the batsmen waiting for a mistake, and an over-excited chirpy wicketkeeper, Mushfiqur Rahim, applying immense pressure on the batsmen and the umpires with his appeals exclamations. And when the seamers came on, it wasn't seam but reverse swing on view with the slinging Rubel Hossain and the grunting Shahadat Hossain trying their best to break through.

The plot thickened in the last session, as Bernard found a willing partner in Nikita Miller, suggesting a replay of Cardiff, where England pulled off a great escape on Sunday. But Mohammad Ashraful, who failed in both innings with the bat, stamped his presence on the game by removing Miller, who'd stayed on his back foot to defend stoutly for 54 balls, with one that straightened to get the edge. Mahmudullah returned to trap Ryan Austin and take out Kemar Roach before Shakib sealed the finish.

Anderson and Panesar thwart Australia’s push for victory

2009-07-12T20:58:00.001-07:00

CARDIFF: The last wicket pair of Monty Panesar and James Anderson played 69 balls without being separated to enable England to cling to a dramatic draw against Australia today in the face of defeat in the opening Test of the five-match Ashes series.

England having conceded a first innigns lead of 239 runs was in deep trouble when Panesar joined Anderson at the wicket in the final session of the fifth and final day.

The two tailenders kept the Australian bowlers at bay till the scheduled end of the match in the opening Test at Sophia Gardens.

The last wicket stand of 19 in 69 balls between Anderson (21 not out in 53 balls) and Panesar (seven not out off 35 balls) helped the hosts to a draw as they finished on 252 for nine.

Earlier, Paul Collingwood scored a painstaking 74 in nearly six hours to set the stage for the heroics by the last wicket pair.

England, who had made 435 runs in the first innings, reached 252 for nine at the close of play. Australia had scored 674 in the first innings.

The second Test of this five-match series starts at Lord's where Ashes-holders Australia have not lost a Test since 1934 on Thursday.

big mouth John Buchanan

2009-07-09T20:42:00.000-07:00

John Buchanan, the former Australia coach, has said India's 'Fab Four" batsmen - Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman - are not suited to Twenty20 cricket. Buchanan, who worked closely with several Indian players during his stint with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, made these and other observations in his new book, The Future of Cricket: The Rise of Twenty20.

Buchanan was otherwise in praise of Tendulkar - who has opted out of Twenty20 internationals but not the IPL. "Tendulkar has been lauded, and rightly so, as one of the very top batsmen in the history of cricket," he wrote. "But is he an effective T20 player at this stage of his career?

"In the position he plays - as an opener or No. 3 - the T20 game requires not only the finesse and skills he has, but also the power and domination, an ability to take the bowlers on while being creative. You have to be inventive and fearless. And I don't see those qualities as part of Sachin's makeup at this stage of his career. Sachin Tendulkar is still a great player but not in this arena of T20."

Buchanan had similar views on Tendulkar's contemporaries, none of whom featured in the ICC World Twenty20 in England.

"Homegrown heroes such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh and VVS Laxman, were expected to influence, and on some occasions single-handedly win IPL matches," Buchanan said. "Yet their subdued performances highlight that Test match temperament does not necessarily ensure prolonged success in the T20 game.

"The same could be said about Rahul Dravid. Dravid is a great representative of Indian cricket, a team man, humble, a well-spoken gentleman. But unfortunately he could not score a single run in the early rounds of the IPL, and in my opinion, is not suited to this form of the game. I am certain Dravid's performances were also affected by the off-field drama created by his franchise owner Vijay Mallya."

His opinions weren't restricted to India's ageing stars. He went on to question Yuvraj Singh's attitude, though he later clarified that there was no malice involved in his comments.

"Yuvraj Singh in a sense tries to be a modern-day Sourav Ganguly, but I don't think he has the charisma or the dignity with which Ganguly carries himself," he said.

However, Buchanan was full of praise for Ganguly, though the pair didn't have the best of times with Kolkata during the IPL. Buchanan's multiple-captain theory didn't go down well with the team at the start of the tournament and a host of off-field and selection issues saw the team finish at the bottom. It also cost Buchanan his job as coach.

"Ganguly was the model for the new breed of confident and combative Indian cricketers. Ganguly showed that Indian cricket could stand up for itself. He is similar in that way to Ian Chappell who stood up for what he believed and was not afraid to take on the administration."

2009-07-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka 292 (Paranavitana 72, Aamer 3-74, Younis 2-23) and 217 (Ajmal 3-34, Aamer 3-38, Younis 2-27) beat Pakistan 342 (Yousuf 112, Misbah 56, Kulasekara 4-71) and 117 (Herath 4-15, Thushara 2-21, Mendis 2-27) by 50 runs. MoM : Rangana Herath

A collapse of Pakistani proportions led to a complete U-turn in the fate of the incredible Galle Test, the match eventually decisively going Sri Lanka's way. Pakistan started the day needing 97 with eight wickets in hand, and Salman Butt and first-innings centurion Mohammad Yousuf resuming after comfortably negotiating the last half hour yesterday. But Thilan Thushara and Rangana Herath bowled exceptional spells of varied left-arm bowling to help Sri Lanka take the last eight wickets for just 46.

Dravid among Champions Trophy probables!!!

2009-07-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Rahul Dravid is the surprise inclusion among India's probables for the ICC Champions Trophy in September this year. The selectors picked a longlist of 30 players for the tournament, to be held in South Africa, including Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan.

Dravid played his last ODI in October 2007 against Australia in Nagpur, where he managed seven runs. He averages 39.49 from 333 games with a strike-rate of 71.22 and is the third Indian to accumulate more than 10,000 runs in ODIs.

His inclusion follows the recent struggles of Indian batsmen against short-pitched bowling, brutally shown up in the ICC World Twenty20 where Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan were troubled by bouncers from the West Indian and England fast bowlers. The problem continued in the subsequent ODI series in the West Indies.

Dravid played a key role in the success of Royal Challengers Bangalore during the IPL's second season, scoring 271 runs at a strike-rate of 115.81 as the team finished runners-up in the tournament held in South Africa.

Probables: MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Nayar, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Munaf Patel, R Ashwin, M Vijay, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni, S Badrinath, Ashish Nehra, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Pankaj Singh.

INDIA WINS DIGICEL SERIES 2-1.....

2009-07-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

India won the series 2-1 after torrential downpour terminated the fourth ODI. With this victory, India have won their fifth straight ODI series.

The game got off to a delayed start and Dhoni made the obvious decision to bowl on a damp pitch that offered some help to the seamers. Ishant Sharma, bowling a fuller length here, removed Chris Gayle and along with Ashish Nehra, didn't allow West Indies to get off to a breezy start. Ishant hit the good length and pinged the off-stump line and Nehra got some seam movement into the right-handed batsmen. Sarwan hit a gorgeous on-the-up square drive against Ishant in the sixth over to break free but just as he started to find his rhythm, the rains came down again to kill the contest.

India Wins A Thriller @ Gros Islet

2009-07-03T19:55:00.000-07:00

IND 159 for 4 (Karthik 47, Dhoni 46*, Gambhir 44) beat WI 185 for 7 (Sarwan 62, Nehra 3-21) by six wickets (D/L method). MoM:M S Dhoni

M S Dhoni and India kept their nerve on a frustrating day of rain delays to take a 2-1 series lead in St Lucia. It was still anybody's game when India needed 11 off the final over, but Dhoni slammed the second ball over deep midwicket to put the visitors on course for victory.

India threatened to lose their way in the chase after a solid start provided by Dinesh Karthik before Dhoni hauled them past the line. The rain-breaks initially readjusted their target to 195 in 27 overs before a further shower reduced it to 159 in 22 overs.

When Karthik fell after a fine 47 India needed a relatively comfortable 111 from 89 balls, and at the next rain-break they needed 64 from 51 balls with nine wickets in hand, but a succession of wickets left India requiring 34 in four overs. It came down to the last over. Curiously, Chris Gayle turned to Jerome Taylor, who had a poor game, instead of Ravi Rampaul, who had bowled a pretty decent 20th over. Dhoni killed the contest in the second ball with a six over deep midwicket. He picked the slower one and used his bottom-hand to swipe it with the wind over midwicket boundary. Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan got the remaining four runs with a ball to spare.

DO U KNOW "Ball-tampering" ? ! ?

2009-07-02T00:37:00.000-07:00

Players are barred, by Law 42.3, from rubbing the ball on the ground, interfering with its seam or surface, or using any implement that can alter the condition of the ball to thereby gain unfair advantage. There have been plenty of ugly incidents centring on accusations of ball-tampering through cricket's history: the John Lever "Vaseline" affair in 1976-77; the times England and New Zealand accused Pakistan of it in the early 1990s; Michael Atherton's admission that he used dirt to treat the ball against South Africa in 1994; and perhaps most infamously, the Oval Test of 2006 when Pakistan forfeited the match because they were accused of having tampered with the ball.

Gayle gonna play for Western Australia.....

2009-07-02T00:30:00.000-07:00

Chris Gayle has signed with Western Australia and Tasmania is close to securing the services ofLasith Malinga for next season's domestic Twenty20 tournament. The high-profile moves come as Cricket Australia announced plans to expand the Big Bash competition - including the possible adoption of a city-based franchise model - after talks with South Africa and New Zealand on the proposed Southern Premier League stalled.

Gayle will join West Indies teammate Dwayne Bravo, who has already signed with Victoria, in next season's Big Bash. The domestic tournament falls between West Indies' Test and one-day series in Australia, and has been made possible by CA's move to provide states with an additional $50,000 for the sole purpose of luring overseas stars for the Twenty20 tournament

ICL player in IPL team!!!!!

2009-07-02T00:27:00.000-07:00

Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, the Bengal batsman who recently cut ties with the ICL, could become the first player from the rebel league to take up an IPL contract. Cricinfo has learnt that Jhunjhunwala has been asked by Rajasthan Royals to represent them in the exhibition match against Middlesex at Lord's on Monday which could be followed by a permanent deal with the franchise.

Jhunjhunwala was among the 79 ICL players who accepted the BCCI's amnesty offer which allowed them to return to the domestic fold. After the November ICL tournament was scrapped due to the non availability of Pakistan players in the league, Jhunjhunwala headed to England to play for the Essex leagues. He was called by Rajasthan to attend a training camp in Jaipur which began on Sunday for the benefit of the England-bound players for the exhibition match. The camp was conducted under the supervision of Darren Berry, the team's coach, and former Indian team physio John Gloster.

Jhunjhunwala will stay back in England to finish his league stint and then return to India to attend the Ranji camp for Bengal, his former state team. He joined the ICL during its inception in 2007 and represented the Royal Bengal Tigers.

The best bowling figures in Twenty20 internationals

2009-07-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

The best bowling analysis in a Twenty20 international is 5 for 6, by Pakistan's Umar Gul in last week's World Twenty20 match against New Zealand at The Oval. That broke the New Zealander Mark Gillespie's previous record, 4 for 7 against Kenya in Durban during the inaugural World Twenty20.

the oldest and youngest players in the 2009 World Twenty20 championship

2009-07-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

The oldest was Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya, who was born in June , 1969 . And the youngest was Pakistan's left-arm fast bowler Mohammed Aamer, who was born in April 1992 (more than two years after Jayasuriya played his first one-day international).

West Indies don't have a national anthem. So what tune was played at the beginning of their games in the World Twenty20 championship?

2009-07-01T18:59:00.001-07:00

The song played for the West Indies before their matches is called "Rally Round the West Indies". It was written and originally performed by the Trinidadian calypso artist David Rudder.

Yuvraj beats de Silva's record

2009-07-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

Sri Lanka's Aravinda De Silva hit 10 of his 11 one-day international centuries from No. 4 in the batting order, while the Pakistan pair of Javed Miandad and Mohammed Yusuf made seven each. de Silva also made more runs (6870) at No. 4 than anyone else (Miandad is second with 5678). The most hundreds scored from No. 5 is seven, by Yuvraj Singh of India, while Australia's Andrew Symonds is second with five. The most runs from No. 5 in ODIs is 4675 (including two centuries), by Sri Lanka's Arjuna Ranatunga, while Steve Waugh of Australia is second with 4117. Putting Nos 4 and 5 together, Yuvraj overtook de Silva's record of 10 centuries with his 131 against West Indies in Kingston last week. Yousuf follows them with nine.

2009 SA Cricket Awards

2009-07-01T01:42:00.000-07:00

Full list of awards

South Africa team

SA Cricketer of the Year: Graeme Smith
SA Newcomer of the Year: Roelof van der Merwe
Standard Bank One-Day International Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers
Standard Bank International Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: JP Duminy
Castle Test Cricketer of the Year: Graeme Smith
KFC Taste the Action Performance: JP Duminy
SA Players' Player of the Year: JP Duminy
SuperSport Fans' Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers

Domestic

MTN Domestic Championship Cricketer of the Year: Roelof van der Merwe
Standard Bank Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: Charl Langeveldt
SuperSport Series Cricketer of the Year: Imraan Khan
Domestic Newcomer of the Year: Dane Vilas
SACA Most Valuable Player: Claude Henderson
Domestic Players' Player of the Year: Claude Henderson

Operations

Coach of the Year: Richard Pybus
Groundsman of the Year: Louis Kruger
Scorers' Association of the Year: Gauteng
Umpire of the Year: Marais Erasmus

ASHES SCHEDULE

2009-06-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

Wed Jun 24 - Sat Jun 27
11:00 local | 10:00 GMT Sussex v Australians
County Ground, Hove

Wed Jul 1 - Sat Jul 4
11:00 local | 10:00 GMT England Lions v Australians
County Ground, New Road, Worcester

Wed Jul 8 - Sun Jul 12
11:00 local | 10:00 GMT 1st Test - England v Australia
Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Thu Jul 16 - Mon Jul 20
11:00 local | 10:00 GMT 2nd Test - England v Australia
Lord's, London

Fri Jul 24 - Sun Jul 26
11:00 local | 10:00 GMT Northamptonshire v Australians
County Ground, Northampton

Thu Jul 30 - Mon Aug 3
11:00 local | 10:00 GMT 3rd Test - England v Australia
Edgbaston, Birmingham

Fri Aug 7 - Tue Aug 11
11:00 local | 10:00 GMT 4th Test - England v Australia
Headingley, Leeds

Sat Aug 15 - Sun Aug 16
11:00 local | 10:00 GMT Kent v Australians
St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury

Thu Aug 20 - Mon Aug 24
11:00 local | 10:00 GMT 5th Test - England v Australia
Kennington Oval, London

Fri Aug 28
10:45 local | 09:45 GMT Only ODI - Scotland v Australia
Grange Cricket Club Ground, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh

Sun Aug 30
14:30 local | 13:30 GMT 1st Twenty20 International - England v Australia
Old Trafford, Manchester

Tue Sep 1
19:00 local | 18:00 GMT 2nd Twenty20 International - England v Australia
Old Trafford, Manchester

Fri Sep 4
13:00 local | 12:00 GMT 1st ODI - England v Australia
Kennington Oval, London

Sun Sep 6
10:15 local | 09:15 GMT 2nd ODI - England v Australia
Lord's, London

Wed Sep 9
14:30 local | 13:30 GMT 3rd ODI - England v Australia
The Rose Bowl, Southampton

Sat Sep 12
10:15 local | 09:15 GMT 4th ODI - England v Australia
Lord's, London

Tue Sep 15
14:30 local | 13:30 GMT 5th ODI - England v Australia
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Thu Sep 17
14:30 local | 13:30 GMT 6th ODI - England v Australia
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Sun Sep 20
10:15 local | 09:15 GMT 7th ODI - England v Australia
Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street

Vaughan retirement

2009-06-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Vaughan's feat

December 1999 - Makes England debut in Johannesburg, and impresses with an unflappable 33, despite a scoreline of 2 for 4
January 2000 - Named Man of the Match after scoring 69 to seal a consolation win for England at Centurion, in a match later discredited after Hansie Cronje revelations
May 2001 - First Test century, 120 against Pakistan at Old Trafford
Aug-Sept 2002 - Makes a Test-best 197 against India at Trent Bridge, closely followed by 195 at The Oval, in a remarkable tally of 615 runs in four Tests
January 2003 - Climbs to the top of the world rankings after his third century in five Tests against Australia, a brilliant 183 that secures a consolation win in Sydney
July 2003 - Named England captain for the second Test against South Africa at Lord's after Nasser Hussain steps down
August 2003 - Secures first Test win as captain, by 70 runs at Trent Bridge
August 2003 - England level the series against South Africa with a nine-wicket win at The Oval
March 2004 - Leads England to their first series win in West Indies since 1967-68
May-August 2004 - England win all seven Tests in the summer against New Zealand and West Indies
January 2005 - A draw at Centurion Park gives England a series victory in South Africa for the first time since 1965
September 2005 - England regain the Ashes after 16 years with a draw at The Oval
February 2006 - Breaks down with a knee injury at the start of tour of India. Doesn't play again for nearly a year
May 2007 - Makes Test comeback with a century at Headingley against West Indies
June 2007 - Resigns one-day captaincy
August 2007 - Loses his first home series as captain, going down 1-0 to India
August 2008 - Resigns as Test captain following five-wicket loss against South Africa at Edgbaston
September 2008 - Retains central contract, but is omitted from winter tours to India and West Indies
June 2009 - Overlooked for 16-man preliminary squad for Ashes series
June 2009 - Confirms retirement from all forms of professional cricket