Is the stage being set for Pakistan or Australia to claim Champions Trophy?

After watching the farcical results during the past few days everybody is left wondering if the stage is being set for Pakistan to run away with the Champions Trophy.

It’s quite extraordinary that South Africa and Sri Lanka, the two strongest outfits in Group B, have crashed and the semifinal sports have been secured by England and New Zealand, neither of them stood any chance of doing it at the start of the tournament.

The qualification of England and New Zealand into the semifinals, at the expense of hosts South Africa and Sri Lanka, means a soft target for Pakistan in the knockout stage of the competition having lost its charm considerably due to the unexpected results.

England had given a very good account of themselves in their first couple of games, against the fancied duo of Sri Lanka and South Africa, but their pathetic performance against New Zealand in their last league game suggested them of being incapable and unsuited for the big contests.


Pakistan are on a roll here. The washout game between Australia and India let them proceed to the semifinals without worrying for the outcome of their final league fixture. Such kind of luxury is hardly ever available in a tournament as keenly contested as the Champions Trophy where the teams are generally evenly matched.

Now Pakistan can afford to experiment and do whatever they desire in their last league outing against Australia. They should be in a very relaxed frame of mind and it might not be easy for Ricky Ponting and his men to call the shots despite looking stronger on paper.

Pakistan’s chances of winning the trophy have further been boosted by the ouster of South Africa and Sri Lanka. There’s likelihood of another potentially champion team, India, following suit.

With the trio of South Africa, India and Sri Lanka out of their way, Pakistan have every reason to feel more comfortable as far as their future in this particular tournament is concerned.

Neither England nor New Zealand appear to be having the depth or the character to come to terms with a Pakistan side playing as freely as now. New Zealand, in particular, has had horrible record against Pakistan over the years and they should consider themselves dead and buried if they are pitted against them in the semifinals or the final.

England might present a stronger challenge to Pakistan because, unlike New Zealand, they don’t have anything like mental block. The New Zealanders have passed the impressed of being scared of the ‘word’ Pakistan because they have come up with below-par performance against them more often than not.

It could help Pakistan’s cause immensely if they are defeated by Australia in their last league encounter because this would enable them to book a date with New Zealand in the semifinals. In other words Pakistan’s place in the final will be guaranteed the moment they finish runners-up in Group A, behind Australia.

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6:22 AM

Washout hurts India, takes Pakistan into semifinals

Just the other day one of the most respected names in the banking circles, in a one-to-one chat, shared his gut feeling that Pakistan might win the ongoing Champions Trophy in South Africa.

When enquired about the reason of this thought coming to his mind he very candidly pointed out that the way things were falling in place for them there’s a great possibility of the trophy coming their way.

That discussion had taken place earlier in the day in Karachi on September 28, quite a few hours before the start of the Australia-India tie at the Super Sport Park in Centurion.

Little did I know, at least, that Pakistan would be progressing to the semifinals of the event without worrying for the outcome of their last league fixture against Australia! How could have anyone predicted a washout game when none of the previous matches had been affected by rain.

It was a do-or-die situation for India and the composition of their team suggested that they were not taking any chances. They had packed their side with five specialist bowlers, having dropped the struggling Yousuf Pathan.

The spin bowling department was reinforced with the induction of ‘leggie’ Amit Mishra who was right on the money from the first ball he bowled. He could have been even more lethal if a catch was not dropped off his bowling in the slips quite early in his spell. Harbhajan Singh was retained on past reputation because he deserved to be axed or rested after his below-par performance against Pakistan which cost India the game.

The tale of horror continued for the Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni because his fastest bowler, Ishant Sharma, looked completely out of sorts in the crunch game. Just as you can’t set a field for bad bowling obviously you can’t be prepared for your premier speedster to lose his way so dramatically.


Dhoni must have been a concerned man as nearly every Australian batsman was occupying the crease and doing the business fearlessly. India could have pulled it back in the final overs but still they would have been chasing something close to 300 if not more, had the rains not disrupted the game.

On the other hand if the rains had stopped after a couple of hours, India could have been set a target on DL method in which the asking rate would have been higher but the number of overs would have been considerably reduced.

I can never recall the rains having come to India’s rescue and as it had happened in the past on numerous occasions the match could not resume much to the dismay of their supporters.

The only beneficiary of the washout game between Australia and India was Pakistan who acquired complete peace of mind by going into the semifinals. The situation could have been tense for Pakistan if India defeated Australia in which case they would have been required to perform well in their last league outing against Australia.

India are not out of the tournament yet theoretically but the chances of them moving ahead in the prevailing circumstances are remote.

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3:03 AM

India take Australia in a must-win game

India brace up for a colossal challenge as they take on defending champions Australia in their second Group A match of the Champions Trophy.

The 54-run loss to Pakistan on Saturday night has not just exposed the frailties of India's bowling and batting but has also put them in danger of crashing out of the event in case they lose today.

The injury-hit team is up against an opponent which came into the event after mauling England 6-1 in an ODI series.

But the world champions looked a bit rusty, surviving quite a few nervous moments against a rag-tag West Indies in their opening 50-run win Saturday.

That, however, can hardly be of any comfort for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men.

Ripped apart by Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik, the Indian bowling is in for a overhaul and serious consideration is being given to the idea of going in with two frontline spinners.

Despite the mauling against Pakistan, Harbhajan Singh is expected to retain his spot but leg-spinner Amit Mishra might just get a look-in in the must-win clash against Australia.

Indian seam bowlers were a liability at the Centurion with the trio of Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma and RP Singh conceding 153 runs from their 27 overs. .

By the evidence so far, good spinners are a must on the slowish track at Centurion. Sri Lankan Ajantha Mendis did a star turn against South Africa in the tour opener and Saeed Ajmal was similarly impressive last night.

"Dhoni`s boys face a masdsive challenge when they take on Australia in Group A match of ICC Champions Trophy.

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2:37 AM

India missing Yuvraj, Sehwag

India’s 54-run defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Pakistan at the Super Sport Park in Centurion on September 26 brought to the fore the big hole in their team caused by the injuries to Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.

Sehwag and Yuvraj are not only the master blasters who blow away the opposition in the blink of an eye but they bring in the balance that enriches the side to the extent of being unbeatable.

Both Sehwag and Yuvraj are two wonderfully gifted all-rounder cricketers whose mere presence in the park makes a world of difference. Without them India are not the team that could be expected to do wonders or even live to their big reputation now.

Under the circumstances it seems highly unlikely that India would be able to lift their game and make it to the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. Their fate, in the present scenario, might not be much different to the one in the ICC Twenty20 in England earlier this year.

India, on paper, are still a better side than Australia and the West Indies, whom they have to combat in the remaining two league matches. It remains to be seen how Mahendra Singh Dhoni meets the challenge.

Life is already getting tough for Dhoni. Often found as cool as a cucumber he was certainly in a spot of bother not only in the field but also off it. He must have realized, although he might not admit it, that a game against Pakistan takes its toll and there are moments when you run short of ideas.

It was not Dhoni’s cup of tea to have remarked: "At times I felt I was three bowlers short. There were times I didn't know whom to go to or what fields to set. Wherever I put a fielder, the ball went elsewhere." It was not his usual answer to a simple query if he missed a fifth bowler.

Dhoni must be wondering how things went horribly wrong when he had the match in control by picking up three wickets inside the first 15 overs. How can he be blamed for pressing the part-timers into service at a stage when Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf were not prepared to take on the bowlers?

It was the failure of the premier spinner, Harbhajan Singh, to have severely hurt the plans. The vastly experienced off-spinner didn’t oblige his skipper with a wicket or two and in fact compounded problems by spraying the ball in various directions.

Shoaib and Yousuf played risk-free cricket with complete peace of mind. They knew that they were actually stealing the game by piling up the runs. Their double century fourth wicket stand ensured a mammoth total for Pakistan.

When India batted, chasing 303 in 50 overs, they kept the contest alive by maintaining healthy run-rate from the outset. Strangely though, some suicidal instincts saw them lose wickets against the run of play. They were bowled out inside 45 overs. In fact 31 deliveries were still to be bowled when their last wicket fell.

Although 54 runs separated the two sides in the end, the contest was much closer and India were guilty of giving it away after being in the driving seat which was of course not an unusual sight in their games against Pakistan in particular.

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2:46 AM

South Africa get a much needed lifeline

Much to the relief of the organizers and the thousands of their die-hard supporters, the South African team has got a lifeline in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2009 by overpowering New Zealand by five wickets in their clash at the Super Sport Park in Centurion on September 24.

There were moments during the game when one felt that South Africa would be falling apart once more as they had done in the previous ICC tournaments at home. One was getting reminded of the match between the same two opponents in the 2003 World Cup when a combination of factors had helped New Zealand stun the hosts.

New Zealand once more needed to bring about an upset to prevail over South Africa because there was hardly any comparison between the two teams. The South Africans stood head and shoulders above the Black Caps in every department of the game but they had to prove it in the park to stay in the reckoning after the humiliating loss at the hands of Sri Lanka the other night.

As somebody quite rightly pointed out, both South Africa as well as New Zealand have had the tendency of being engaged in shocking results. South Africa have usually been at the receiving end while New Zealand have generally been the beneficiaries in the tales of unexpected.

No matter how superior the South Africans were on paper, they must have been under immense pressure when they took the field in Centurion. They had to prevent the New Zealanders from posting a kind of total that would have kept the contest open.

The brilliant bowling by Wayne Parnell and Roelof van der Merwe allowed the hosts in accomplishing their task of limiting the Black Caps who were threatening to put runs on the board. Dale Steyn also chipped in with useful wickets much to the delight of skipper Graeme Smith who was obviously not in a mood to give anything away in a do-or-die game for his team.

New Zealand lacked quality batsmen who could go the distance in a 50-over game. Their inexperienced batters may be getting away with it in the Twenty20 games but it was a different ball game lasting full 50 overs, an area where they were found wanting once more.

There were times when New Zealand looked in a position to amass a total in the region of 250 after Ross Taylor had done the hard work. But not unexpectedly their last seven wickets tumbled for 51 runs and they were bowled out for 214. Parnell was their wrecker-in-chief with a five-wicket haul.

The target of 215 was unlikely to test the South Africans even though New Zealand had some quality as well as variety in their bowling. It could have been an interesting battle, had the target been over 250.

Daniel Vettori, as he always does, refused to give up and the fall of wickets at regular intervals allowed him to keep his boys motivated. Jacques Kallis batted imperiously before edging Shane Bond while Hashim Amla played the anchor role admirably.

The innings of the day, however, was played by AB de Villiers whose glorious unbeaten half century helped the hosts in reaching the target quite comfortably in the end.

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3:58 AM

‘Makeshift’ West Indies show more fighting grit than predecessors

In the final count it didn’t really matter which West Indian team was taking on Pakistan in the first Group B match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on September 23.

I don’t think the outcome would have been much different even if Chris Gayle and company were there in place of the ‘depleted’ West Indian side that took the field. We have seen on numerous occasions in the recent past when the West Indies had squandered the opportunity of beating Pakistan after being in the driving seat for the better part of the match.

The individual brilliance of Gayles, Sarwans, Chanderpauls and Bravos could turn the tide against any other opposition with Pakistan being the sole exception. In fact even the great West Indian sides of the 1970s as well as the 1980s had encountered untold problems while coming to terms with Pakistan.

The inexperienced West Indian side showed more fighting grit than their predecessors and they might have even won the game on some other day with the same kind of performance, had the rub of the green gone their way.

The West Indians did a wonderful job by posting a total of 133 after the top-order had self-destructed while facing some accurate and hostile bowling on a track where the ball was bouncing much more than on any ground in the Caribbean these days.

The resilience and self-belief of the lower-order was exemplary. The manner in which the likes of Nikita Miller, Darren Sammy and Tino Best applied themselves should have been an object lesson to not only their colleagues in the dressing room but also to their more illustrious contemporaries watching the action from the comfort of their homes in the various islands of the Caribbean.

Pakistan were always expected to struggle even while chasing the target of 134 in 50 because their batsmen are more comfortable compiling runs on easy-paced tracks offering little or no assistance to the fast bowlers.

It was going to be a different ball game at the Wanderers and Gavin Tonge’s superb spell with the new ball showed once more how vulnerable was Pakistan’s batting in difficult conditions. It was anybody’s game when Pakistan’s top half was back in the hut with 76 runs on the board and as many as 58 still needed.

Pakistan are also known for producing new heroes in every other game. Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi, least expected to come off in the pressure-cooker situation, did the job by adding 58 for the sixth wicket. In the context of the game it looked quite extraordinary but they somehow put the runs on the board and there was no close finish as was being anticipated.

One thing that looked the most perplexing was the decision of the West Indian captain, Floyd Reifer, to bat after winning the toss. Not sure what exactly was in his mind or that of his team management but he allowed Pakistan a lifeline by not exposing their batsmen to the tougher conditions earlier in the day.

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11:39 PM

Champions Trophy will revive ODIs: Smith, Sangakkara

Centurion: Champions Trophy will play a crucial role in determining if ODI cricket sustains itself in the days to come, so feel Kumar Sangakkara and Graeme Smith, the two captains who will play the opening encounter of the tournament.

Both, Sangakkara and Smith, feel that the tournament will surely revive the glory of ODI cricket, which, in the past few months, has been through a lot of criticism for being too lengthy and having too many weak teams on the scene.

The debate whether one-dayers would survive even till the 2011 World Cup had taken a toll over the credibility of the format, especially in the wake of T20 getting immense popularity in such a short a period of time.


However, both the skippers seem positive about ODIs sustaining the pressure, all thanks to the Champions Trophy.

“The ICC put a lot of effort into this tournament,” Smith said. “Ultimately it will be the cricket, how it is played, that will define whether this is a success or not. The good point is that it is short, to the point and can capture the imagination of fans around the world.”

“That’s the challenge ODIs have, with all the talk about moving domestic formats to 40 overs and all. This is a crucial period for the ODI game and how this competition is a success on the field is more important than anything else,” he added.

The Champions Trophy is the first 50-over major tournament in over two years and the ICC believes that it would be a huge success, given the fact that it is short with just eight teams participating in 15 matches at two venues.

“It’s an important step,” said Sangakkara. “In the 2007 World Cup the cricket was great, but lots of people thought it was way too long, had too many teams and days between games.”

“The true test of ODI is in big tournaments like this, the appeal to fans and players and how much money TV networks make from it. South Africa is a wonderful place to play and I think it will be a good tournament,” he added.

Sangakkara further said that the need of the hour is to create just the right king of balance between all the three forms of the game, something which ICC should work upon immediately while planning its Future Tour Programs (FTP).

“Everything should exist in harmony and balance,” he said. “We’ve got to find a solution, players, administrators and the public, where attention and import should be given to each format. Cricket started with Tests so we’ve got to maintain and protect its primacy but also ensure that the cash flows in and the fans have something to look at and enjoy.”

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1:47 AM

Pakistan’s wake-up call for favourites

Just the other day I had pointed out that Pakistan can never ever be written off irrespective of their weakness or the strength of their rivals on paper. They have been the most unpredictable side all along in every team sport, generally having shown disrespect to conventional thinking.

Pakistan’s performance in the warm-up games leading to the ICC World Twenty20 in England earlier this year never really suggested that they would go on to collect the trophy a fortnight later.

Now Pakistan have got off to a flying start in South Africa, having trounced Sri Lanka in the warm-up tie at the Willowmoore Park in Benoni on September 18. They whacked their opponents by a staggering margin of 108 runs in the day-nighter.

Not many people would have expected Pakistan going on the rampage against a strong Sri Lankan outfit. But again it was a case of history repeating itself. Sri Lanka, more often than not, have come up with their worst performances while playing against Pakistan.

Makeshift opener Kamran Akmal came good hitting 82 off 78 balls with his brother Umar also had fun with the Sri Lankan bowlers while blasting 67 off 51 balls. Shahid Afridi came down the order but caused enough damage to take the Pakistan total past 300.

Sri Lanka certainly had the batting resources to challenge the big score but they were laid low by a man called Rana Naved-ul-Hasan took five wickets. All the big guns of their batting flopped like their champion bowlers.

Be at home or even at a neutral venue the Sri Lankans have crashed in similar fashion against Pakistan. Not only that but Sri Lanka have also helped Pakistan’s cause immensely on numerous occasions by blasting other teams heavily in the same group.

Well Pakistan and Sri Lanka have not been grouped together this time round. Pakistan’s massive win over Sri Lanka in the warm-up game, however, could serve warning bells to Australia and India, two of the three pre-tournament favourites, who have been drawn in their group.

In the event of Pakistan making it to the last four either Australia or India will have to miss out. The West Indies, with their depleted outfit, could not be expected to spring surprises a la Pakistan.

Talking about the West Indies they had to face the music at the hands of South Africa in their warm-up encounter. There was absolutely no element of surprise in watching the home batsmen dominate the inexperienced bowlers. South Africa posted a total of 388 for four with skipper Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and J P Duminy having enthralled the audience.

The only cause of concern for the hosts was an abdominal strain to Herschelle Gibbs when he took evasive action to avoid a straight drive from Smith. Gibbs had to retire hurt and he will be needed to have a scan to determine the extent of the injury.

I don’t think New Zealand’s defeat at the hands of the Warriors in Pretoria can be classified as a shocker. The Black Caps possess an inexperienced batting that’s unlikely to score heavily. They have a potent bowling attack but in one-day cricket you need to put runs on the board too.

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4:09 AM

South Africa, India start as favourites

The ICC Champions Trophy 2009 is round the corner. There have been plenty of One-day Internationals (ODIs) leading to the second most prestigious event in the sport after the World Cup that’s held after every four years.

With so much action on the eve of the tournament it’s not at all a tall order to assess which teams are more likely to lay their hands on the trophy. If the recent form in ODIs is the sole criterion then Australia and India appear to be the firm favourites for the crown.

But if all the factors are taken into account then South Africa have to be regarded as the front runners. The top ranked ODI side in world cricket as of today, they will obviously gain huge advantage of playing at home.

The Champions Trophy 2009 is being played under a new format and only the top eight teams of the world are contesting it. They have been divided equally in two groups. Defending champions Australia are drawn with India, Pakistan and the West Indies in Group A while the hosts South Africa, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England constitute Group B.

The weakened West Indian team is unlikely to come good in the challenging environment of South Africa where the ball would seam and bounce. Unless their authorities work out some formula to reinforce their squad with the seasoned campaigners at the eleventh hour, the West Indies could be the punching bag with every rival fancying their chances of improving their run-rate.

Even if the West Indies were playing to their full strength they would have been least expected to qualify for the semifinals from the group of death. They would have struggled even against Pakistan.


Talking of Pakistan they can never be written off even if they are being represented by second or third strings. They would remain a threat to any fancied team. They are not ranked all that highly at the moment but they can screw anyone on their day. They have every chance of causing an upset or two and displace Australia or India from the semifinal line-up.

The contest is much more open in Group B where South Africa are the standout team but there’s very little to choose between the trio of Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand. None of these three outfits is expected to bag the trophy.

In the prevailing scenario the Champions Trophy 2009 is more likely to be a three-horse race between South Africa, Australia and India. One of these three teams should win the tournament if the miracles don’t happen.

Besides the rankings and ratings these are the three teams who have the firepower and depth to dominate others. South Africa and India, in my opinion, possess stronger ODI outfits compared to Australia, who have proved simply too much for the struggling England side. The Australians have been experimenting continuously after losing their legendary cricketers and it remains to be seen if they will be able to cope with the pressures.

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10:16 PM

Team India left to SA for Champions Trophy

Mumbai: Team India today departed for South Africa to play the ICC Champions Trophy that starts from September 22.

The team left by the Dubai-bound flight from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport, Mumbai, and from Dubai, they will be taking a connecting flight to Johannesburg.

The ‘Men in Blue’ returned from Sri Lanka on September 15 after lifting the Compaq Cup in the tri-series that also included New Zealand.


The victory has made them the favourites for the Champions Trophy, which will see the participation of eight teams; India, Australia, England, West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, South Africa.

The team will play a warm-up match against New Zealand on September 20. Placed in Group A along with Australia, Pakistan and the West Indies, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men will open their league engagements on September 26 against Pakistan.

Gautam Gambhir, who was forced to quit the tri-series mid-way due to a groin strain, has been given a clean chit for the Champions Trophy, which will indeed prove to be a big boost for the team.

India will miss the services of opener Virender Sehwag due to his shoulder injury.

The Squad: MS Dhoni (c/wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Harbhajan Singh, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma, RP Singh.

Coach: Gary Kirsten

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10:57 PM

Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shahzad banned for bringing game to disrepute

What a pity that the quartet of Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shahzad, Javed Qadir and Nadeem Shaikh had to be banned indefinitely from playing in the cricket tournaments at the Karachi Gymkhana for having brought the game to disrepute.

The technical committee of the 24th PPL Trophy Karachi Gymkhana Ramazan Festival Twenty20 Cricket Tournament 2009, headed by Iqbal Umar, found them guilty of having violated the code of conduct while playing the quarter-final tie for A O Clinic Cricket Club against Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) on September 13.

“The umpires, Riazuddin and Junaid Ghafoor, had complained in writing to the technical committee that Sohail Tanvir, Ahmed Shahzad, Javed Qadir and Nadeem Shaikh were engaged in verbal abuse, suspected ball tampering and defying decisions. The technical committee, in view of the umpiring report, has banned all the four cricketers from future tournaments at Karachi Gymkhana,” a statement issued by the organizing committee read.

It’s very sad indeed that Sohail Tanvir and Ahmed Shahzad, who have played international cricket for the country in the recent past and they are still in contention for a place in the national squad, displayed so much immaturity while appearing in a local tournament of Karachi.

Sohail Tanvir and Ahmed Shahzad, who had come from Lahore, didn’t make any friends by behaving so rudely and unprofessionally in the cricket field. They showed disrespect to two international umpires, contending their decisions like schoolboys.

I am not if they were aware of the fact that the Karachi Gymkhana happens to be one of oldest institutions of the country and its members have been known for going by the book.

Sohail Tanvir and Ahmed Shahzad, in particular, were being blamed for the chaos with the others like Nadeem Shaikh and Javed Qadeer getting the cue from them. It was very unfortunate that the incidents of indiscipline took place in the presence of Dr Syed Mohammad Ali Shah, whose A O Clinic Cricket Club has played in all the 24 editions of the tournament so far.

Dr Shah, who is also a member of the Governing Body of the Pakistan Cricket Baird (PCB), besides being the President of the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA), should take a note of the ugly behaviour of players of his own team.

The technical committee of the Karachi Gymkhana obviously can impose a ban on the cricketers found guilty in their own tournaments. Now the ball is in the court of the PCB to conduct an enquiry and take appropriate action to prevent such incidents in future.

Dr Shah, who was present at the ground for the better part of the ill-tempered match, can set an example by having those cricketers punished who challenged the authority of the umpires and tried to influence them.

Both Sohail Tanvir and Ahmed Shahzad are young cricketers. They are expected to make a comeback in the national squad in not too distant future. But they need to be more stable mentally and they must learn to accept the decisions of the umpires.

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6:43 AM

Dravid does make the difference

Although it was Sachin Tendulkar who stole the limelight by scoring heaps of runs the contribution of Rahul Dravid in India annexing the recently concluded Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka was no less insignificant.

Already short of both the world-class openers, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, India desperately needed depth and resilience in their batting to dominate their rivals. The young guns had been found wanting when exposed to challenging conditions and the selectors had made the right move of going back to the basics.

While Tendulkar’s presence ensured unmatched class on top of the order, the comeback of Dravid provided the much needed strength and character to an otherwise enterprising batting line-up.

When you have the master blasters like Yuvraj Singh, Manhedra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Yousuf Pathan to follow there is greater need for a solid platform to let them fire to their heart’s content.

This is exactly what happened in Colombo recently. Dravid didn’t score many in the outing against New Zealand but he spent a lot of time at crease to blunt the Black Caps attack. Dhoni and Raina did the rest with their characteristic positive stroke-play. It could have been a different story to relate if India lost early wickets even though the target wasn’t all that big.

India had already cruised into the final, having become the top ranked ODI side in the world in the process, when they came out to take on hosts Sri Lanka in their league match. Set a daunting task, the Indians were in the game until Dravid was at the crease. With his departure the Indian hopes were dashed.

With the makeshift opener Dinesh Karthik having looked out of sorts in the league matches, Dhoni made the bold move of sending Dravid in as the opening partner with Tendulkar. It turned out to be a master stroke as both the seasoned campaigners provided a perfect start that eventually won them the game as well as the trophy.

Dravid is a team man to the core and he is one man who is always more than willing to meet the challenge. He could not have desired a better comeback gift than the Compaq Trophy that was gleefully collected by skipper Dhoni.
Talking of Dhoni let us give him the credit for having laid the red carpet for Dravid, who was returning to the ODI side after quite sometime.

“Dravid is the most stable and technically sound. He is a kind of batsman who would look to take his innings till the end. He will support the middle-order and help the flashy players play their game.” Dhoni was quoted as saying before going to toss in the opening game.

"Dravid is the ideal No. 3, especially in such conditions and during the evening when the ball swings and seams, so definitely he we will bat at that position," Dhoni complimented.

Dravid has made the captain proud once more. India would need him at his best in the upcoming Champions Trophy in South Africa where his ability to come good in conditions difficult for batting could again lay the platform for the stroke-makers to make hay in the death overs.

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6:36 AM

India regroup, survive anxious moments to claim trophy

India, more than any country, have had to earn their win. It’s very uncommon to watch them register a triumph without hiccups. Irrespective of their own strength and the weakness of their opponents they have had to struggle many times against the run of play.

Who would have expected Sri Lanka to frighten India in the final of the Compaq Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on September 14 after the latter had posted a massive total of 319?

No matter how big target they are defending and how difficult the conditions for batting are, the Indians can never be expected to take things for granted. The unlikeliest of events take place against them. They very nearly got rolled over by an inexperienced Sri Lankan middle-order.

Sri Lanka did hold the psychological advantage entering the final, after having blown away India in the league meeting less than 48 hours ago, but there was only team that looked like to dominate once the target of 320 was set under floodlights.

The Sri Lankans not only embarrassed the Indians but at times forced them on to the defensive. All credit to Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his team for battling all odds to finally conjure up a win that should have been theirs without so much of drama.

Isn’t it quite extraordinary that the Sri Lankan batsmen, who have remained generally inconsistent against other teams, get pumped up while taking on the Indians? Probably they fancy their chances of getting away with it while confronting India.

No matter how strong, balanced and potent the Indians may me they look vulnerable when least expected. With a little bit of more luck they could have also lost the final despite being so well placed for most of the time.

Sachin Tendulkar played one of his greatest innings in international career. Harbhajan Singh delivered one of the finest spells under pressure. Yet India were not assured of a victory until the last Sri Lankan wicket fell.

India did the basics right and were rewarded for their endurance. The move to elevate Rahul Dravid as opener instead of the out of form Dinesh Karthik paid dividends. It was such a wonderful sight watching Dravid and Tendulkar bat together. They laid the strong foundation that was so vital for posting an imposing total.

Dhoni took the responsibility of milking the bowling in the company of Tendulkar and the run rate was not allowed to dip. The Indians could have eyed a total in the region of 350 after being so well placed at the end of 30 overs.

Dhoni, however, was not prepared to take the risk of giving it away after the great start. He didn’t open up until the batting powerplay was taken when the ball was changed. Unfortunately he was snapped before he could blast the bowlers. Yuvraj Singh took his time while Tendulkar also remained cautious even after his hundred. They exploded far too late and the Indians were happy to get to 319 in the end.

The Indians might have thought that anything in the excess of 300 was safe, given the history of the ground. But what they had ignored that the majority of the miracles come about at their expense. They barely survived another one that night.

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5:21 AM

Tendulkar raises the bar with 44th Hundred

Colombo: Cometh the hour, cometh Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. On a glorious sunny after noon at Colombo when entire world questioned India’s one night stand at the top, Tendulkar scripted a fairytale century to give men in blue a foundation from where they looked like creating history in emerald islands after a drought of eleven years.

India managed to score 180/1 at the end of 32nd over, a foundation which puts India in great position to lift the tri-series in Lanka.

India strolled past the 150 runs mark in the 27th over as they tightened their grip firmly on the final.

MS Dhoni, who came in at the fall of Rahul Dravid’s wicket continued the good work along with Sachin Tendulkar as India pulverized the Sri Lankan bowlers.

Sanath Jayasuriya provided Sri Lanka with the all important breakthrough as he removed Rahul Dravid after India got off to a brilliant start.

Dravid was caught by Dilshan at short extra cover as he tried to hit a slow paced delivery from the veteran Sri Lankan. Dravid made 39 including 2 fours and a six.


Helped by Sachin Tendulkar’s brilliant half-ton, India took control of the Compaq Cup final being played here on Monday. The Tendulkar-Dravid opening duo ensured that the visitors kept the scoreboard ticking with some brilliant display of aggressive and sensible batting.

Tendulkar’s 92nd ODI fifty came in just 47 balls and included 6 sparkling shots past the boundary ropes.

The experienced pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid took the Indians off to a good start after the visitors elected to bat first in the final of the tri-series.

Both Tendulkar and Dravid were looking solid as they took India past the 50 run mark in just the 7 over.

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first in the final of the Compaq Cup 2009 here on Monday.

The Indians have brought in Virat Kohli in place of Dinesh Karthik while Sri Lanka are playing the same eleven that thrashed the Indians on Saturday.

The Indians will be opening with Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar.

Teams:

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara(w/c), Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Kapugedera, Thilina Kandamby, Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga

India: Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni(w/c), Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Rudra Pratap Singh, Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma.

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3:48 AM

Toss will be crucial in finals: Dhoni

Colombo: After slumping to a humiliating defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said toss will play a vital role in Monday`s final of the tri-nation series against the hosts here.

India lost to Sri Lanka by 139 runs last night in their second match of the tournament, thereby ending their brief stay at the number one position in the ICC ODI rankings.

But Dhoni said it was just an off-day for the team in the office and feels whoever comes out lucky with the toss of coin at the R Premadasa wicket tomorrow will have an edge in the title clash.


"In venues like this, toss plays a crucial role. If you win the toss then 60 per cent of the game is in your favour," Dhoni said.

The Indian skipper said his side`s bowling department needs to pull up its socks and avoid giving away a good start to the Sri Lankans, a mistake which proved costly for them yesterday.

"If you are bowling first, then the bowlers must ensure that the opposition don`t get off to a big start.”

"I think we are not bowling in the right areas. We are either too short or too full. Hopefully yesterday`s match would be a learning experience for us," Dhoni said.

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6:04 AM

India on top of the tree

The manner in which India played against New Zealand in their opening match of the tri series for the Compaq Cup at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on September 11 there was hardly any element of doubt in them being the number one ODI team of the world at the moment.

I do agree with the Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni that the rankings and ratings are bound to improve when you are on the winning spree. He deserves the credit for having extracted something close to their best from his teammates during the past couple of seasons and India have finally moved on top of the tree as far as the ICC rankings for the One-day Internationals are concerned.

The emphatic victory over New Zealand under floodlights in conditions that were not typical of what one finds in the sub-continent was a near-perfect start for Dhoni and his boys after two months layoff from international cricket.

It would have only been perfect if India had cruised to victory without hiccups while chasing a modest target of 156. They did romp home quite leisurely in the end after being guilty of opening up in the game by losing three wickets in quick succession.

New Zealand must have fancied their chances of claiming an unlikely victory when the trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh was sent back in the dressing room within flash of an eye. Mind you they are three of the top batsmen in the game and it’s not often that they follow each other so quickly.

India certainly were in a spot of bother when their fourth wicket fell with more than 70 still needed for victory. Daniel Vettori was living up to the reputation of India-killer and the match had become wide open against the run of play.

Dhoni, as he has done frequently, kept his cool and curbed his attacking natural instincts to construct his innings. Suresh Raina, demoted in the batting order following his failures earlier this year, survived a few anxious moments before opening up.

Dhoni and Raina were happy to see Vettori off. It’s incredible that the Indian batsmen are supposed to be the most proficient in tackling the spinners but time and again they also prove to be the most vulnerable against slow bowling.

Dhoni did concede in the post match presentation ceremony that things could have been more difficult if New Zealand had another quality spinner in their ranks.

Vettori probably didn’t know exactly how much the Indians could suffer at the hands of the spinners, irrespective of their class and guile. He would have been better off accommodating another spinner in place of one of the fast bowlers.

Talking of the fast bowlers, the Indian trio of Ashish Nehra, Ishant Sharma and Rudra Pratap Singh was right on money and there were no escape routes for the Black Caps. The pressure was sustained by the spin duo of Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh who sent New Zealand crashing to 155 all out.

The target of 156 was unlikely to test the supremely confident Indian batters. Sachin Tendulkar’s stroke-play delighted the spectators while Rahul Dravid got the opportunity of spending some time in the middle.

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11:06 AM

ICC considering Tendulkar’s 4-innings ODI formula

In a bid to salvage the fate of one-dayers in face of rapidly increasing popularity of Twenty20 cricket, the ICC is considering Sachin Tendulkar’s suggestion of splitting of one-day matches into two innings of 25 overs each.

The Indian batting maestro had made the suggestion last week on the sidelines of a public function as he felt that contests were becoming too predictable because results of “close to 75% of matches” could be predicted after the toss.

ICC’s cricket manager Dave Richardson confirmed that the suggestion was being considered very seriously by the Apex cricketing body.


“I quite like that idea, I believe South Africa may trial something along those lines,” Richardson said. “This might work in day-night cricket where one team has to bat in day and the other at night. It provides something different and reduces the effects on the team who loses the toss and has to bat first on a damp wicket, for example.”

The concept was apparently discussed during the ICC’s cricket committee annual meeting at Lord’s in May and Richardson believed that it could breathe life into the 50-over format.

Though two innings of 25 overs could lead to new strategies and even reduce the influence of winning the toss in favourable conditions, Richardson was eager to prevent results becoming predictable. His concern was that splitting the innings could take away scoring opportunities from the batsmen.

“I don’t necessarily like the idea of playing two matches of 25 overs each with the openers batting again,” he said. “The charm of one-day cricket is seeing someone batting at four and scoring a good hundred. If you bat in the middle order of a Twenty20 or a new 25-over innings, you’re not to get much of an opportunity to hit three figures, one downside of the Twenty20 game.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board had recently agreed to scrap the domestic Friends Provident Trophy, the only 50-over domestic cricket tournament, in favour of an expanded Twenty20 competition along with a 40-over format. Cricket South Africa are also likely to join the bandwagon as it considers changes to its 45-over competition.

However, Richardson said the experiment would have to be successful at the domestic level before changes could be made to the international game. “The bottomline is if we can come up with a product that is better than the existing one, then everyone would like to look at it,” he said. “If it has been trialled successfully at domestic level, it may give the trial to give it the go-ahead at international level.”

The ICC’s cricket committee is set to meet again in 2010 when the results of the experiment will be discussed.

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9:50 AM

Adil Rashid’s shocking exclusion costing England dearly

Adil Rashid must be wondering what else he had to do in order to retain a place in the playing eleven. He had turned out to be England’s best player in the first One-day International against Australia at The Oval but he was dropped in the very next game and was not selected in the third tie either.

Adil was the pick of the England bowlers in the opening game, having conceded only 37 runs in 10 overs as Australia piled up a score of 260. In fact he was the only home bowler to have completed his quota of overs.

Then going in at number eight, he clobbered an unbeaten 31 off 23 deliveries to take England within a stroke to victory. It was the kind of all-round performance that must have done his confidence a world of good.

He was chiefly responsible for having taken England so close to victory after the top-order batsmen had failed to do the job. He was the man who brought the home side back in the reckoning when they had looked dead and buried.

The England skipper, Andrew Strauss, had reposed great confidence in the 21-year-old Adil and the young leg-spinner rose to the occasion against an Australian side looking to settle scores after conceding the Ashes.

It remained unclear however what prompted a change of mind on part of the England team management, particularly Strauss. How could have they even thought of dropping Adil from the line-up for the very next game remains a mystery.

Two wrongs don’t make one right. If they had erred by not playing Adil in the second game, which they lost by a bigger margin than the first one, they should have recalled him for the third game which they didn’t. There was further humiliation in store for the home side now facing the prospect of losing the seven-match series in the very next game.

In fact people have already started talking in terms of a possible whitewash in the ODI series. It would be a shame for England if they lose it so heavily against an Australian side that’s not the best in the business either.

"We haven't played well enough, clearly, but I don't think it's for lack of trying. We have had three poor batting performances, and the first two were very winnable at the halfway mark, but as a batting unit we just haven't fired. We have got to be honest with ourselves and have a look at it, in terms of how we can improve. In one-day cricket, you can't go into your shell and grind it out, you've got to play with enough confidence to put a competitive score on the board, but at the same time make good decisions," the England captain said after losing the third game.

Strauss admitted that his inability to finish off things was creating problems for his side. "When you're batting well, you have to make hay but I haven't done that, and that's frustrating. Every time you pull on an England shirt you've got a chance to go on and achieve something, and I am as culpable as anyone," he conceded.

England, handicapped by the absence of Kevin Pietersen, need Strauss to fire if they have to stage a comeback in the series. Strauss also has to ensure that England do have sufficient attacking bowlers in their line-up and Adil Rashid is someone he cannot afford to ignore anymore.

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7:01 AM

IPL forces New Zealand to shorten Australian series?

It’s becoming increasingly clear now that the Indian Premier League (IPL) has attained the highest priority for the administrators of the game world over. Every cricket board seems to have made a point of late not to schedule many international games at a time when the IPL is planned to be held.

Although New Zealand Cricket have given another excuse but there’s little doubt in anyone’s mind that it’s the IPL that actually prompted them to shorten Australia’s tour to their country in the coming season.

Australia's tour to New Zealand in 2009-10 features two Twenty20 Internationals in late February to be followed by a five-match ODI series for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy and two Tests.

Originally three Tests were scheduled to be held during the tour but the itinerary released by the New Zealand authorities the other one mentioned only two Tests to be held in Wellington and Hamilton starting on March 19 and 27 respectively.

It was quite a shocker because it will be the first time in 20 years that New Zealand would be hosting Australia for a series of less than three Tests. It would keep the top guns of Australia and New Zealand players engaged until March 31 and they would then be free for the IPL.

The IPL 3 will be getting underway in India on March 12 and will continue till April 25. The decision to scrap the third and final Test between New Zealand and Australia would allow the players of both teams around 10 more days in the IPL.

"Playing Test cricket in New Zealand after the cessation of daylight saving and deep into the second week of April is not realistic. Therefore our only option has been to limit the series to two Tests," Justin Vaughan, the Chief Executive of New Zealand Cricket, explained.

Isn’t it a strange argument because New Zealand had played host to a Test match against India during the month of April only this year. In fact a Test match was added to tour upon the request of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), who denied more action for their team following the cancellation of the tour of Pakistan.

Well the New Zealand Cricket need to find some other reason to justify their decision to cut short the Test series against Australia.

Obviously the New Zealand Cricket is not the only board in the world that has made a move to accommodate the IPL. They could not have done this without the blessings of the more powerful Cricket Australia. Both the boards must have been in agreement to have two Tests instead of the planned three.

Anyways there is plenty of cricketing activities to be held in New Zealand in the coming season as they would now be hosting Pakistan instead of touring the country. Pakistan would now be playing their three ‘home’ Tests against New Zealand in New Zealand. Between the tours of Pakistan and Australia, New Zealand would also be playing host to Bangladesh.

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3:52 AM

Australia double lead without ever looking convincing

What a pity that Australia have been allowed to run into a 2-0 lead in the seven-match series of One-day Internationals by England, who appear the more balanced as well as versatile side in comparison to their traditional rivals.

The present Australian outfit is a mere shadow of the great one-day sides they used to field until the recent past. There are more bits and pieces cricketers in their eleven now than the specialists.

England have themselves to blame for having squandered the opportunity in both the games. They had the Australians on the mat for quite sometime but their own batting fared pathetically and the advantage was surrendered.

In both the matches the Aussies barely managed par score, batting first. With the hosts having packed their side with one-day all-rounders, they were the ones who appeared the favourites to seal the fate of the match at the start of their chase on both the occasions. Surprisingly, however, they lost their way in both the games and even the depth in their batting could not cover for the follies of their top batters.

The Australians also had their share of problems in the batting department but they somehow made up by the late flourish in both the encounters. Callum Ferguson was chiefly responsible for keeping them afloat after the unconvincing performance of their established batsmen.


Australia faced the danger of being bowled out for a low total, even after Ferguson’s half-century in the second match at Lord’s. They had barely crossed 200 when their eighth wicket fell and England had all cards in their pocket with James Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom bowling splendidly in the death overs.

It was Mitchell Johnson, of all people, who rescued Australia with a flurry of big hits that yielded runs at brisk pace and all of a sudden England had to chase down a target of 250 instead of 210 or 215.

Left-handed Johnson's late assault actually revived Australia. He swung his bat at everything to score an unbeaten 43 off 23 balls. He was helped by some ordinary fielding as well, adding 41 off the last four overs and a bit with Nathan Hauritz. England’s wicketkeeper Matt Prior was guilty of letting go two boundaries that should have been stopped.

England, however, regained control with a solid opening partnership between skipper Andrew Strauss and the enigmatic Ravi Bopara. The Australians, at that stage, were running out of options as a cakewalk victory for the hosts looked more likely than anything else.

But England collapsed in the unlikeliest of circumstances. They were on top of the game when the self-destruction began. Michael Clarke must have heaved a sigh of relief watching the England batsman commit the kind of mistakes that would have embarrassed even the schoolboys.

Paul Collingwood fought a lone battle in the end but he was let down by his partners at the other end. The asking rate was very much manageable and the powerplay overs were at their disposal. But England didn’t have wickets to cash in and they eventually lost the match by 39 runs.

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4:03 AM

Pakistan players are involved in match fixing

In another sensational claim, former Pakistan batsman Qasim Umar has accused two senior cricketers of the national team of being involved in match fixing and using drugs.

Umar, who has now turned to religion for solace, told a newspaper today that he would disclose the names of the players at an appropriate time.

"Right now I don`t want to take any names because both these players are influential persons and they can have me killed. I fear for my life," Umar claimed.


"I am silent now for some reasons but when the time comes I will unmask their faces," he said.

Incidentally, Umar was banned for life in the late 80s for accusing former captain Imran Khan and some other players of smuggling drugs in their kit bags to England.

"I know one of these players has been involved in fixing matches while the other has used drugs," Umar added.

Umar had recently, on a television show, alleged that former West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards used recreational drugs on regular basis for relaxation and stamina enhancement.

"I appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to call me and hear me out because I know that when I speak the truth and reveal the names what will happen to me," he said.

"In the past also my career was destroyed because I dared to speak the truth. The Pakistan Cricket Board just to appease Imran destroyed my career and banned me without hearing my story," he added.

Umar had also appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to help him get his job with a bank, which had sacked him after the PCB imposed life ban on him.

"I feel cricketers who do things that are against the nation should be brought to justice and when the time comes I will play my role in this," he said.

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3:16 AM

Dhoni is world's top earning cricketer

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has topped the list of world`s 10 top earning cricketers compiled by Forbes, which also features four other players from the sub-continent, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

Raking in USD 10 million, Dhoni is at the top of the chart followed by Tendulkar at the second spot with earnings worth USD 8 million in the list of `The World`s Top-Earning Cricketers`.

While Singh and Dravid are at the third and fourth spot, respectively, Ganguly and Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting share the sixth place. "Paycheck figures include club and national team salaries and commercial endorsement income over the last 12 months," Forbes said.


According to the magazine, Singh earned USD 5.5 million while Dravid and Ganguly raked in USD 5 million and USD 3.5 million, respectively. Ponting also earned USD 3.5 million. "With its deep-pocketed owners and global appeal, nine of the 10 highest-paid cricket players call the Indian Premier League (IPL) home, the publication added.

At the fifth spot is England`s Andrew Flintoff with earnings of USD 4 million followed by Australia`s Brett Lee and English cricketer Kevin Pietersen, both at eighth place, and Australian Michael Clarke is ranked tenth.

While Lee and Pietersen raked in USD 3 million each, Clarke earned USD 2.5 million. "Take Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who plays for the Chennai Super Kings and tops our list as cricket`s first USD 10 million-a-year man (that`s USD 5,426 for each run scored).

"His USD 8 million in endorsements, from the likes of Reebok, General Electric and Pepsi, is 45 per cent more than any other player. Among all Indian athletes and entertainers, Dhoni`s 17 corporate sponsors is second to only Bollywood star and co- owner of the Knight Riders, Shah Rukh Khan," Forbes said.

About Tendulkar, the magazine said the holder of numerous offensive records, is considered among the greatest batsman in cricket history. "... he`s one of five IPL players who have been bestowed `icon` status, meaning he automatically receives a paycheck 15 per cent larger than his highest paid teammate.

"Tendulkar`s USD 1.1 million salary from the Mumbai Indians helped push his total earnings to USD 8 million over the last 12 months," it added.

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2:30 AM

Rahul Dravid raising fund for poor

Cricketer Rahul Dravid graced a weeklong fund raising campaign called `Joy of Giving Week` for the poor and downtrodden in Bangalore.

The scheme has been conceptualised by `Give India` an organization, which works with voluntary groups all over the country.

The stars and celebrities from all walks of life including Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, former badminton player Prakash Padukone and corporate bigwigs have extended support to the cause.

"It is a great concept to get so many people together. It is not necessarily just about celebrities and the well known figures. It is really about each one of us, every one of us, in our own small way contributing during that week and just getting a movement together which is something that can grow into something really big in the years to come," said Dravid.


The weeklong scheme would include giving clothes to the needy, helping orphanages, providing school bags, health aid and educational support to the downtrodden.

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6:43 AM

Sehwag will miss team India due to injury

Chennai: Cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Friday said that swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag, who is sidelined due to injury, will be desperately missed by the team during the tour of Sri Lanka as well as the Champions Trophy.

"Any team will miss Sehwag (Virender Sehwag) because he was in such a form, that would have been a great advantage for any team," Gambhir said.

Gambhir said this on the sidelines of ceremony held in Chennai, where he was appointed the brand ambassador of MRF.


India has announced the squad for the Sri Lanka tri-series followed by the Champions Trophy, in which they have recalled Rahul Dravid and left out Sehwag due to his shoulder surgery.

Gambhir further sad that international cricket was all about handling pressure, and you have to continuously deliver for the team.

"When you are playing international cricket it`s all about the pressure. You should know how to handle it and you should be able take that responsibility, which is very important and the responsibility only comes when the team starts expecting that you can deliver," he said.

The series in Sri Lanka, which also involves New Zealand, will be held from September 8 to 14.

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5:59 AM

Return of Shane Bond propels New Zealand

Three wickets for 18 runs off four overs. These are the figures that would surely make every bowler proud in any form of the game. The analysis will be considered even better if it’s achieved in a limited overs contest. These would obviously be recognized as exceptional figures in the shortest version of the sport.

In that context the bowling performance of New Zealand’s spearhead Shane Bond, making a return to international cricket, was better than the best as he powered his team to a magnificent 22-run win over Sri Lanka in the second Twenty20 International at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on September 4.

Although Jesse Ryder ran away with the Man of the Match award, for his half century as well as outstanding fielding, it was the superlative spell of fast bowling from Bond that sealed the fate of the game as well as the series.

New Zealand, having sneaked a narrow victory in the previous game, had done well to reach a total of 171 but the target could never have been considered out of reach of the Sri Lankans on a pitch where slower bowlers were more likely to do the business.

With Bond back to take the new ball the bowling attack of New Zealand gained more potency and purpose. It’s always a huge advantage to have a quality fast bowler attack with the shining ball rather than having an ordinary mortal spraying in different directions with the intent on containment.

There is no better way of controlling the rate of scoring than take wickets. That is exactly what New Zealand are more likely to do when they have someone like Bond having the ball in his hand.

I think it was Bond more than anyone else who made the difference. He dismissed the dangerous Tillekaratne Dilshan in the very first over to open the floodgates. Kyle Mills, who shared the new ball with him, was also lifted and he responded with two quick wickets to deny the hosts the kind of flying start they needed to be ahead to chase down a target of 172.

Mahela Jaywardene and Kumar Sangakkara revived Sri Lanka with an enterprising fourth wicket partnership but the New Zealanders knew they always had a chance when they broke through.



Daniel Vettori looked a more confident leader, after the nightmarish two-Test series in which his team was blanked. He deserved the credit for having kept the motivated after the debacle and his inspirational captaincy was instrumental in bringing about the turnaround.

New Zealand, who lost the Test series 0-2, have won the Twenty20 series 2-0. They have lifted their game considerably and their rejuvenated outfit would be a threat to both Sri Lanka as well as India in the upcoming series of One-day Internationals.

New Zealand, who looked pedestrian in the Test matches due to the lack of firepower in their bowling attack, have come to life of late. Bond has helped their cause immensely, providing Vettori a much-needed attacking option.

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5:54 AM

I have doubled the challenge thrown at me by Kapil: Tendulkar

Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar on Friday said he has more than lived up to the challenge thrown at him by legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev in 1989 by continuing to play international cricket for two decades.

"It was a dream to play for India. On my first tour to Pakistan, Kapil said if you play for 10 years in international cricket you would have achieved something. I took it as a challenge and have nearly doubled it," Tendulkar said after launching Adidas cricket gear, including custom-made bats.

"It`s a great feeling (to be in international cricket for two decades)," he added.

Tendulkar made his Test debut in Karachi on November 15, 1989 under the captaincy of Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the current chief selector. The last man to be in international cricket this long was former England opener and ex-captain Graham Gooch who played between 1975 and 1995.

The batting stalwart and former India skipper, however, denied having said in a recent interview to Wisden Cricketer magazine that he wanted to score 15,000 runs before retiring.

"A lot of things are attributed to me that I had never said. I never said I wanted to score 15,000 runs (in Tests) before I retire," Tendulkar said.

"Sunil Gavaskar told me 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," he has been quoted as saying by a magazine.


The magazine also quoted Tendulkar as having said that "to win the World Cup in 2011" is his another ambition.

He also conceded he would not know what to do when he quits the game.

"It`s hard to imagine life without cricket," said Tendulkar, currently top run-getter in both Tests (12,773 runs with 42 hundreds in 159 matches) and ODIs (16,684 runs with 43 tons in 425 matches).

The champion batsman, gearing up for a new international season with the triangular series in Sri Lanka later this month, said when he chose a bat he always looked out for its shape, balance, pick-up and weight.

"The bat speaks to me. For me the curve is quite important but the most important is the bat stroke. I look for the right shape, balance, pick-up and weight. Otherwise I`m not comfortable," said Tendulkar.

The 36-year-old batting maestro said he preferred heavier bats and has not changed this aspect right through his career even when he battled through injuries.

"There was a lot of talk and advice to me about using lighter bats (when he suffered the tennis elbow injury some years ago). I talked to specialists and they said the heavier the bats the less the impact (on the elbow). As long as the bat is to my liking, I`m comfortable," he said.

Tendulkar, who is to give his invaluable inputs to the 80-year-old multinational sports gear firm, said he wanted to associate himself with a firm that had all cricket equipment under one umbrella.

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10:32 AM

Dhoni, Gambhir, Harbhajan in running to match Dravid's feat

Mumbai: Former captain Rahul Dravid is the lone Indian player to have thus far won the ICC Cricketer of the Year award and three of his compatriots are in the running to emulate him this year.

Dravid`s splendid display with the bat fetched him the Cricketer and Test Player of the Year honours in 2004 – the inaugural year of the International Cricket Council`s annual awards.

None from India was able to match the middle order stalwart`s feat between 2005 and 2008.

This year captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, opener Gautam Gambhir and off spinner Harbhajan Singh have been named in the long list of nominees for various awards.

Dhoni, Gambhir and Harbhajan are also in the running to get the Test Player of the Year award along with wristy batsman V V S Laxman, besides 15 others.

Dhoni has also been named in the list of nominees for the ODI Player of the Year award along with compatriots Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag.


Leg spinner Amit Mishra has got the chance to become the Emerging Player of the Year four years after out-of-favour left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan won it.

Australian Simon Taufel is in the running to make it six-in-a-row as the top umpire of the year at the awards ceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa, on October 1.

The following are the past award winners:

Cricketer of the Year: Rahul Dravid (Ind) - 2004; Jaques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (Eng) -2005; Ricky Ponting (Aus) - 2006; Ponting - 2007; Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI) - 2008.

Test Player of the Year: Dravid - 2004; Kallis - 2005; Ponting - 2006; Mohd Yusuf (Pak) - 2007; Dale Steyn (SA) - 2008.

ODI Player of the Year: Flintoff - 2004; Kevin Pietersen (Eng) - 2005; Michael Hussey (Aus) - 2006; Mathew Hayden (Aus) - 2007; M S Dhoni (Ind) - 2008.

Emerging Player of the Year: Irfan Pathan (Ind) - 2004; Pietersen - 2005; Ian Bell (Eng) - 2006; Shaun Tait (Aus) - 2007; Ajantha Mendis (SL) - 2008.

T20 Player of the Year: Yuvraj Singh - 2008. Woman Cricketer of the Year: Karen Rolton (Aus) - 2006; Jhulan Goswami (Ind) - 2007; Charlotte Edwards (Eng) - 2008.

Umpire of the Year: Simon Taufel (Aus) - 2004 to 2008.

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5:48 AM

IPL season 3 matches will push our bid for ODIs, says HPCA

Dharamshala: Situated in the middle of green, sky-touching Himalayan ranges with state-of-art facilities in place, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium would host the Indian Premier League matches next year with high hope of staging its debutant one-day international soon.

The stadium has almost everything what it takes to be a world class venue and the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association feels next year`s IPL matches will only strengthen their bid for ICC recognition to host one-dayers.

"We have hosted practice matches with international teams in the past but our ultimate dream is to see the stadium being granted one-day international recognition by the ICC," HPCA President Anurag Thakur.


The serene HPCA stadium was scheduled to host four IPL matches last season but lost out on the opportunity after the Twenty20 league was relocated to South Africa as it clashed with the dates of general election.

However, the association`s dream will finally materialize when it will host two matches of IPL-III between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings next year.

"Last year we missed out on the opportunity to host IPL matches. But this time (in 2010) we will host two IPL matches and we hope it will pave the way towards hosting ODI matches in the stadium in near future," Thakur said.

ICC match referee, Zimbabwean Allan Hurst paid a visit to the stadium two years back and expressed his satisfaction over the playing conditions.

However, there were some concerns on his part but those has been taken care of to make the stadium a quality venue, which is currently hosting the inaugural edition of Sahara BCCI Corporate Trophy.

"ICC match referee inspected the stadium in 2007 and seemed satisfied with the playing facilities in place. But during his visit he had raised a few concerns like scarcity of good hotels here, quality of the approach road to the stadium, wi-fi internet connections and rooms for the match officials.

"We have taken his suggestions seriously and have already upgraded the wifi connection in the stadium, renovated the umpires` room and widened the roads to the stadium," Thakur said.

"Even five hotels have come up in Dharmashala and in the adjacent Mcloedganj. We have compiled a report on these upgradations and have already submitted it to the BCCI. We are now expecting ICC to inspect the stadium again and told the BCCI that we are ready for the inspection whenever ICC wants," Thakur said.

The stadium is all set to get a indoor practice facility soon, the association said.

"Construction work for an indoor practice centre is going on in full swing and we are expecting it to be operational by January next year. The entire project will cost around Rs eight crore," said Thakur, who is also an MP from Hamairpur and son of Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal.

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4:58 AM

Opening ceremony of the 2011 Cricket World Cup will be held on February 17 in Bangladesh

The opening ceremony of 2011 WC on Feb 17 in B'desh and the first match would take place on February 19 in the same country, the ICC announced Wednesday.

The ICC had earlier said both the opening ceremony and the opening game would be held on February 19 in Bangladesh.

But the full match schedule with venues would be announced on November 9, it was decided by the Central Organising Committee (COC) of the mega event that met here today to continue preparations for the tournament.

The venues where the matches would be held in the three host nations – India, Bangladesh and Sri Laka - would be inspected in October/November, the COC decided.

Tournament director Ratnakar Shetty said the meeting was a productive one and the organisers were operating at a brisk pace to make it a great success.


"This was another productive meeting and we have continued to make real progress. We are operating at full steam ahead for what should be a great event in 2011 and there is a great spirit of cooperation among the hosts and the ICC," he said.

The COC also approved the operational plan and event budget.

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4:14 AM

Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh, has been nominated for the prestigious ICC Cricketer of the Year award

Dubai: Indian cricketers finally seem to be reaping fruits of their hard work over the past 12 months, which, in turn, translated into some fantastic results for Team India.

Though there have been many catalysts to India’s stupendous recent performances, none has been more significant than captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

And deservedly, Dhoni, along with his team mates Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh, has been nominated for the prestigious ICC Cricketer of the Year award.


The above mentioned trio, along with the evergreen VVS Laxman, also features amongst those, nominated for ICC Test Player of the Year award.

Not surprisingly, Dhoni has been nominated for ICC ODI Player of the Year award as well. He gets company from dashing duo Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag in this segment.

In the 2008-09 season, Dhoni led India to Test victories over Australia (home), England (home) and New Zealand (away), besides registering bilateral ODI series triumphs over Sri Lanka twice (both away), England (home), New Zealand (away) and recently West Indies (away).

During the 9 Tests he played in this period, Dhoni contributed 918 runs to the Indian cause at an average of 54.40, while the in 15 ODIs (excluding the West Indies series) he played, his 592 runs came at an astonishing average of 65.77!

His most potent weapon during his conquests, especially the Tests, was Gautam Gambhir.

The Delhi southpaw, currently ranked second in the ICC Test rankings, amassed a whopping 2612 runs from just 8 Tests last season at a ‘Bradmanisque’ average of 84.60, striking as many as 5 hundreds.

His one-day form was more mortal but staggering nonetheless. He scored 606 runs at an average of around 45 from the 15 one-dayers he played, scoring a solitary 100.

Following Anil Kumble’s retirement, off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was faced with the mountainous task of stepping into the former’s shoes. And, as statistics reveal, Harbhajan has lived up to the challenge quite efficiently.

With 39 wickets from 8 Test matches, at an average of 27.05, Harbhajan has played a perfect foil to team India’s pace attack.

Most noticeable aspect of Harbhajan though has been the rapid strides he has taken to improve his batting prowess.

He has scored 3 crucial half-centuries and averages a healthy 32 in the 2008-09 season.

He added 12 wickets to his kitty from the 10 ODIs he played last season.

Laxman, whose contributions to Indian cricket have been restricted just to Tests lately, scored 1531 runs from 9 Tests, at an average of 61.75. His 2 centuries include a double hundred against his bunnies- The Australians.

Yuvraj undoubtedly has been India’s most powerful performer in the shorter versions of the game, setting victories for India single-handedly.

In the 15 one-dayers he played, he scored 643 runs at an average of 59.08 and a mind-boggling strike-rate of 110. He also scored 3 centuries.

During the same period, Sehwag played 14 one-dayers, butchering 782 runs at a strike-rate of 127! He averaged 60, scoring 2 centuries.

Courtesy these efforts, India have moved up the second rank in ODIs and the third rank in Tests.


Dhoni has already been the ODI Player of the Year in 2008 besides being named in the ODI Team of the Year.

Zaheer Khan was nominated for Twenty20 Performer of the Year award while Amit Mishra will be vying for the honour in the Emerging Player of the year category as Indians led the overall nominations for the award.

Mithali Raj and Priyanka Roy were nominated for the Women`s Cricketer of the year award.

The ICC Awards nominations were announced by dashing Indian opener Virender Sehwag and former captain Ravi Shastri in the presence of International Cricket Council Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.

The awards will be presented on October 1 in Johannesburg, South Africa during the Champions Trophy.

The nominations were based on performances from August 13, 2008 to August 24, 2009 and were selected by a five-member selection panel, headed by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd,

The panel also included former India Test captain Anil Kumble, Mudassar Nazar of Pakistan, Bob Taylor of England and New Zealand`s Stephen Fleming.

The awards include eight individual prizes and also features the selection of the Test and ODI Teams of the Year.

There will also be an award to the side that has adhered most to the Spirit of Cricket.

Besides Dhoni, Tillakaratne Dilshan has also been nominated in three different categories, while 18 players make appearance in two distinct categories in the sixth edition of the awards.

The individual player awards will be selected by an academy of 25 highly credentialed cricket personalities from around the world.

The academy includes a host of former players and respected members of the media, representatives of the Emirates Elite Panels of ICC Umpires and ICC Match Referees.

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4:09 AM