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Posts Tagged ‘Cricket’
Sat, August 30, 2008 5:17 pm By James Coolridge  Printer friendly version
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 JOHANNESBURG – The South African cricket coach Mickey Arthur on Friday said a proposed limited-overs series with Pakistan will not take place offered a welcome break for his exhausted players.
“A lot of the senior players have played a helluva lot of cricket this year, and break is the need of the hour,” Arthur told a news conference.
“I’m sure the tri-series is not going to take place and, in retrospect, it’s a relief that the Champions Trophy was called off because we would have been back on a plane flying out on Sunday,” added Arthur here at the press conference.
Arthur and his squad had just returned from England after their two-month tour, where they claimed their first test series win in 43 years but lost the limited-overs series 4-0.
The coach said his players would be in no shape to take part in another limited-overs series.
“I can’t think of one player who was involved in both the test and one-day series in England who has not picked up a niggle.
Captain Graeme Smith’s is suffering with an elbow injury, Mark Boucher has a fractured finger, Morne Morkel a side strain and Dale Steyn is yet to recover from a niggling shoulder injury, Arthur said. All this make a break essential for the boys.
The Pakistan board have been in negotiations with Cricket South Africa to stage a one-day series in South Africa. Sri Lanka proposed was planned to be the other team. This month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan got postponed due to security concerns.
Although England, under new captain Kevin Pietersen, ripped South Africa apart in the one-day series, Arthur was delighted with his side’s overall performance.
“I’m still immensely proud of the team,” he added. “It was a huge positive to win the test series that was really the be-all and end-all of our tour.
“We knew the one-dayers would be tough and I don’t think a really good England has got the credit they deserve.”
He said he noticed a change in the mood of the team ahead of the final test at the Oval, with South Africa already 2-0 up and assured of the series win.
Tags : Cricket, Champions Trophy, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Graeme Smith, one dayers
Fri, August 29, 2008 11:46 am By James Coolridge
 Melbourne, Sep 7: Two weeks before Australia depart for what they call as the toughest challenge in world cricket, the tour to India; Michael Hussey said the team is yet to getting settled after injuries to key players and the controversy brooding over Andrew Symonds.
Hussey is hoping that senior players like Captain Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden, will regain form after recovery from injuries. He feels that they would be fit in time for the challenge. He also added that they have also not given up hope on Andrew Symonds joining the Kangaroo squad.
Australia’s preparation for the tour has not been ideal with important members of the team nursing injuries. Skipper Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden missed the ODI series against Bangladesh as they recover from wrist and Achilles problem. Lee took a break to deal with his marriage break-up while Symonds’ banishment has raised serious doubts over his availability for the Indian tour.
‘We are pretty much up in the air at the moment,’ Hussey said in Cricinfo Saturday.
‘We’re certainly not settled on anything. We hope that the experienced players will be back in the team, such as Ponting, Hayden, Symonds, Lee. They know their games very well,’
‘They have got a lot of experience, they’ve played well in India before and so I don’t think it’ll take them too long.’
Hussey was able to be a part of the Australia’s historic Test triumph in India in 2004-05. He plans to look forward for his first experience in India.
‘I’ve never played a Test in India but I think the Australian team that won in ‘04, they said that was probably the Everest and I don’t think that’s changing. India stands among one in the best three in the world and I think it’s going to be a wonderful series. Probably it is the hardest place to win in international cricket.’
Hussey also said that Symonds’ return is a big matter for the team.
‘I just hope from Andrew’s point of view he can get his head right. He’s a very important member of our side. He will be helpful in Indian soil and I am hoping he’s going to be part of that trip.’
Tags : Cricket, India, Australia, Ricky Ponting, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden, Bangladesh
Fri, August 22, 2008 10:41 am By James Coolridge
 Colombo, Sep 6: Sri Lanka cricket’s crisis over the timing of the England tour is clashing with the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) next year. This has deepened Saturday with the interim administration and several key players in the team refusing to budge an inch from their positions.
Despite reports that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wanted to go ahead with the England tour with the best players, several key players in the team have stood their grounds on their commitments to play the IPL tournament. This has led to the intervention from sports minister Gamini Lokuge.
According to a top SLC official, the initiatives by the minister to hold “compromise talks” with the administrators and the players “are yet to provide a breakthrough”.
“Efforts are being made to this crisis over the past two months. The players have completed two series after the crisis (Asia Cup tournament and the tour by India). But a solution is yet to be brought out,” the SLC official cleared on Friday.
The sports minister has appointed SLC CEO Duleep Mendis to solve out the crisis. .
When contacted, Mendis expressed his confidence and said he was hoping to meet the players next week to find a compromise. He also stressed that there was no way that Sri Lanka could send a second-level team for the proposed England tour.
“We have to send the best team for the England tour. I will have to come out with suggestions on how best we could solve this problem,” said Mendis.
Sri Lanka is due to play two Tests and three one-dayers in England next May. The time table is clashing with the 2009 IPL tournament.
The players argue that the IPL contracts had been signed long before the idea of a tour to England was mooted and want to go ahead with their initial commitments.
Skipper Mahela Jayawardane, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Pervez Mahroof, Thilakaratne Dishan and Dilhara Fernando are some among the key players who have signed three-year contracts with the IPL. The 38-year-old left-handed Sanath Jayasuriya is the third highest paid player of the IPL.
Sri Lanka’s new 23-year old spin sensation, Ajantha Mendis, also has signed up with the Kolkata Knight Riders for a period of three years.
Tags : Cricket, IPL, England, Sri Lanka, Duleep Mendis, SLC, Sanath Jayasuriya
Wed, August 20, 2008 10:10 am By James Coolridge
 Hyderabad, Sep 6: Deccan Chargers will be looking into the media remarks made by Shahid Afridi and V.V.S. Laxman’s response over the captaincy of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team.
Afridi had recently blamed Laxman’s leadership abilities for the team’s poor performance during IPL league in June. He had even suggested that former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist should take over the reins of the side in the next IPL series.
Laxman had taken exception to Afridi’s outburst saying it was a collective failure and not the captain’s alone. The Test star from Hyderabad accused Afridi of violating team ethics by speaking out to media.
‘It is probably time someone told Afridi that a captain can only be as good as the team. Afridi is an experienced cricketer and should not be questioning the way the team functions. Speaking negatively about the team, let alone the captain, is just not on,’ had reacted Laxman.
Stung by Laxman’s reaction, Afridi had said that he was misunderstood, though he maintained that the Hyderabadi was not aggressive enough.
‘Perhaps, what I said about the Chargers on a television show may have come out a bit strong, but my only point was that Laxman needs to be more aggressive on the field.’
‘It was not my intention to demean Laxman’s stature or contribution as a player and captain. I was asked a simple question and I answered it honestly,’ the dashing Pakistani player said.
After the war of words between the two cricket stars, the Chargers team management has decided to hold an enquiry to establish the facts.
A spokesman for the Chargers added in a statement: ‘In the interest of fairness and of thoroughness, both players have been asked to appear before the probe panel.
‘When we have established the facts we will take take the required action that we feel is necessary and appropriate in accordance with the provisions of the IPL contracts between the players and the Chargers.’
Tags : Cricket, IPL, Deccan Chargers, VVS Laxman, Hyderabad, Shahid Afridi, Adam Gilchrist
Sun, August 17, 2008 7:20 am By James Coolridge
 Former India cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly will soon be seen in action in front of the camera in a one-hour twenty minute-long docu-feature that will showcase the ace cricketer’s journey from childhood.
Christened as The Warrior Prince, the docu-feature is being produced and directed by Mitali Ghosal, a sports journalist-turned-filmmaker. Ghosal got struck upon the idea of making the docu-feature on Ganguly after seeing his first century at the Eden Gardens in this year’s Pakistan’s tour of India.
“It will be a documentary-cum-feature… In the sense, it will not only feature Ganguly’s cricketing highs and lows with the facts and figures, but it will also include his personal life, with inputs from his wife (Dona), brother (Snehashish), father (Chandidas) and also friends,” says Ghosal when asked about the project. .
“Many things in Ganguly’s life are still unknown… How he became a cricketer… and a left-hander…” The docu-feature will show such small but interesting things. Like an incident in that famous England tour in 1996 when Ganguly made debut Test century. Ganguly was very upset over the statement by then skipper Mohammed Azharuddin who asked the left hander: ‘Have you done your shopping in England?” said Ghosal.
To be released in English and Bengali, the film will have small interviews of Azharuddin, Rahul Dravid, Harbhajan Singh and Arjuna Ranatunga, among others, sharing their experiences with Ganguly.
“Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh have already given their consent for the small interviews. The suitable timings of these legends are getting fixed fr the documentary. We are also thinking of approaching Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee during their tour beginning October.
“We have already shot a few during the Sri Lanka tour. Now we are looking for some old footages of Ganguly…may be the Ranji days,” Ghosal added. The film is expected to get released in December this year
Tags : Cricket, England, India, Pakistan, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Dona Ganguly, Lords, camera, Eden Gardens
Sat, August 16, 2008 7:09 am By James Coolridge
 The veteran Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar along with son Arjun took part in a promotional campaign in Mumbai where he played a fun-filled cricket matches with 15 parent-kid teams.
Tendulkar had to opt out of the ODI series against Sri Lanka lastst month after being ruled due to an injury in his left elbow.
Sachin has assured his fans that his injury woes are behind him and he is ready to wear pad for the Rest of India squad against Ranji Trophy champions Delhi in Vadodara, starting on September 24.
The Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India has already indicated that all Test probable would have to play in the Irani Trophy game, the squad for which will be selected on Sunday.
“The selectors will be picking a virtual Test side, barring those belonging to Delhi, when selecting the Rest team,” says BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah.
The season-opening domestic fixture has assumed importance following a poor showing of some senior batsmen on the just-concluded tour of Sri Lanka, which saw Indians giving up the Test series 1-2.
Tendulkar also has clarified that he would not be featuring in a Bollywood movie as was reported few months ago.
There was news that the ace Indian batsman would play himself in Vighnaharta Shri Siddhivinayak film about God Ganesha, who is sometimes referred to as Siddhivinayak.
“There was a misunderstanding about the film,” Tendulkar clarified. “I was told there was a documentary being made on Ganpati and I was told a few are sharing their views on the same.
“I was also told to do the same and I agreed to do it and reveal how much peace I get by visiting Siddhi Vinayak Temple. There was no more discussion on the same. If they want my views on Siddhi Vinayak, I am ready to do it.”
The master blaster took the opportunity to congratulate Beijing Olympic medal winners Abhinav Bhindra, Vijender Kumar and Sushil Kumar, saying it was a proud moment for our country.
“It is a proud thing for all Indians that we won medals. It was not only the medal winners but the entire team who spent years preparing for the Games, so I congratulate the entire Olympics team.
“The athletes are remembered only if they are successful, but everyone works hard in which some win and some lose. So we must congratulate everyone because I believe it was team work that did the trick.”
Sachin also advised the authorities to provide more facilities to other sportspersons so they could prepare well for the future Games.
“I am sure we will win more medals in the future but for that we need infrastructure. We heard from all sportspersons that we do not have proper facilities, so the associations must step in and give the required facilities. We must help them and give them proper conditions to prepare for the Games so they can perform at their best,” said the demi god of Indian cricket here.
Tendulkar also revealed how he ends up playing wresting with his son and not cricket.
“We watch WWE and we end up practicing those moves. I must say I cannot underestimate his strengths.”
Tags : Cricket, Sri Lanka, Sachin Tendulkar, Ranji trophy, Irani cup, BCCI, ODI series, Siddhi Vinayak
Fri, August 15, 2008 1:08 pm By James Coolridge
 New Delhi: India’s master batsman Sachin Tendulkar has been fallen to the 23rd position as per the latest ICC rankings. Sachin, who began the Sri Lankan series with 13th position, was dropped to his lowest ranking in 15 years after the disappointing performance against Sri Lanka which concluded in Colombo on Monday.
Tendulkar ended up the series scoring 95 runs at 15.83. He drops six places after scores of six and 14 in the third and final Test which Sri Lanka won by eight wickets to clinch the series 2-1.
This is the lowest ranking of master blaster since late 1992 after spending over 15 years in the top 20 apart from a very brief spell at the end of 2006.
Sachin is just 76 runs short of Brian Lara, the Carribean striker, who enjoys the position of leading run taker in test cricket. Tendulkar’s drop is the only bad news for India batting as others have made good upward progress.
Virender Sehwag has become the highest-ranked Indian batsman after his come back to the top 10 for the first time since March 2006. Sehwag, who knocked an impressive 344 runs in the series, has lifted one place to 10th with Pakistan’s Younus Khan firmly within his sights.
VVS Laxman, with 25 and 61 not out in the series decider, has jumped up three places to 15th position while Rahul Dravid shares 16th place with England’s Alastair Cook. Dravid improves his position by two places after scores of 10 and 68 while Cook made a jump of four places following his contribution of 39 and 67 in The Oval Test.
Saurav Ganguly has shown a hike in ranking by one place and now sits in 25th position while opener Gautam Gambhir, who was the second leading run-getter for his side with 310 runs, is in 37th place after jumping 12 places.
Among Sri Lankan’s, Kumar Sangakkara has just missed out on reclaiming the top slot from the West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The 30-year-old from Matale, who was pushed down to fifth after the second Test in Galle, has jumped to second position after hitting a superlative 144 in Sri Lanka’s first innings score of 396. But a knock of just four in the second innings, when Sri Lanka were chasing 123 for victory, derided him the top slot.
Tags : Cricket, ICC, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Virendar Sehwag, Brian Lara
Fri, July 18, 2008 9:11 am By James Coolridge
 CHENNAI: The Indian skipper Anil Kumble is quietly confident of his side’s chances in Sri Lanka. He was quiet clear of India’s victory in the three-Test cricket series. “As a Test team we have done exceptionally well in the last year or so,” said the Indian captain in Chennai. “Like always, this time too we will put up a good show and ensure a series win.”
Even though several members of the team had participated in a week-long camp in Bangalore, Monday marked the first time the 16-man squad came togther for training. After two sessions of stretching, parted by a game of competitive touch rugby, the players were later divided into three groups and got engaged in fielding drills. The squad worked on close catching and ground fielding for nearly 30 minutes before shifting to the ‘open’ nets. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were the first pair to bat, which was followed by Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, and V.V.S. Laxman and Sourav Ganguly.
Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel tried hands behind the wicket in the nets. Both keepers also spent time with fielding coach Robin Singh. India coach Gary Kirsten was also present at the moment closely monitored the training, clipboard in hand, when not throwing down spiteful bouncers from 16 yards. “We have had some criticism for not practising enough, but this team actually practises a huge amount,” says Kirsten.
Kirsten was excited about the seam-bowling talent India has while facing Sri Lanka. “It’s nice to have Zaheer back,” said Kirsten troubled Sehwag with in-duckers on Monday. Kumble was conscious of the importance of the bowling attack working in partnerships. “It is about team work, not just the spinners handling the load alone,” says the ace spinner. Kumble feels that as generally the team knows the wicket well, it becomes the responsibility of four or five bowlers to ensure a winning series in Sri Lanka.
Tags : Cricket, India, Sri Lanka, Anil Kumble, test, wicket, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman
Thu, July 17, 2008 8:41 am By James Coolridge
 Dilip Vengsarkar, India’s chairman of selectors feels the need to cut short the number of one- day games. He feels it to be important in order to tackle the issue of player burnout. Instead of cutting down on Tests per tour, Vengsarkar feels it is the high number of ODI matches that has to be targeted.
“We play around five to seven ODI games on every tour,” says Vengsarkar . “This takes away 14 to 20 days. Personally, these two-Test series do not make much sense to me. It should either be three or five.” The upcoming England’s tour of India in November includes seven ODIs and two Tests.
Vengsarkar wants the international schedule to be eased making it possible for the national players to participate in domestic cricket. He feels this will attract crowds to stadium. Otherwise it would become very hard to judge quality and temperament for Test cricket. But packed calendar makes things hard for international stars.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently decided to pull out of the Test series in Sri Lanka as he needed a break. The packed schedule is affecting test cricket which should be avoided, says Vengsarkar. Test cricket should not be suffered at any cost.
Vengsarkar also dismissed the idea that the Indian Premier League had thrown up fresh talent to pick from. “Twenty20 is an exciting and popular format but tell me five cricketers from the IPL who can play for India? A lot of players got exposure but are they good enough to play for India. Only Manpreet Gony, you could say to a certain extent, was a find from the IPL. Players including Yusuf Pathan were in the frame even before the IPL. He feels that test cricket will produce players for Twenty20, and is not the other way rounded.
Tags : Cricket, England, Sri Lanka, tests, ODI, Dilip Vengsarkar, MS Dhoni, Yusuf Pathan
Wed, July 16, 2008 8:35 am By James Coolridge
 The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked Mohammad Asif to defend for himself over the fallout of his testing positive for a banned substance. The incident happened during the Indian Premier League (IPL).
This is Asif’s second drug offence and the board has warned of a life ban if he is found guilty. Asif has pleaded innocence. He claims that he had been extra careful in avoiding usage of any banned substance.
However, after completing his stint with the Delhi Daredevils, he was detained in Dubai for possession of contraband drugs in June for 19 days and he is already the subject of a board inquiry into those events.
As per Shafqat Naghmi,the PCB’s chief operating officer, “Our policy on dope offenders is very clear. The board will not provide any kind of help to Asif and he will have to fight his case himself.
Asif is now in deep trouble as a second drug offence means a life ban. If he is left to fight for himself this time, it simply means a | | | | |
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