Ganguly game for cricket's power politics?

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday indicated his willingness to begin a new innings as a cricket administrator, saying he wants to stay in touch with the game post-retirement.

Ganguly, who turned 37 on Wednesday, said he may have quit international cricket but wants to stay in touch with the game as an administrator.

"I have stopped playing cricket six months ago. I would be connected to cricket. Bengal has a lot of talent and I want to take care of it," the country's most successful captain told reportetrs here.

Already the opposition camp in Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) is planning to pit the former captain against CAB President Jagmohan Dalmiya and it could be the stepping stone before Ganguly goes on to head the BCCI, which, according to the rotation policy it follows, is scheduled to have its 2014 President from the East Zone.

To attain the BCCI top post, Ganguly, however, would require to attend at least two annual general body meetings of the board.

Ganguly, meanwhile, kept the cards close to his chest and said, "I want to be a part of cricket in Bengal. I will take one step at a time, don't know what lies ahead."

Dalmiya, on the other hand, played down the development and doubted the veracity of the reports.

"I've got nothing to say on this. This has been done to create a controversy and I'm not getting into it," the former BCCI President said.

Ganguly quit international cricket last year, having accumulated 7212 runs from 113 Tests with an average of 42.17. In one-dayers, his record is even more impressive, amassing 11363 runs from 311 ODIs averaging 41.02.

Ganguly, however, remains part of the Kolkata Knight Riders, which he led in the first edition of the Indian Premier League before Brendon McCullum replaced him.

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10:29 AM

Cricket without India means big financial loss for PCB

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board could suffer big financial loss if it fails to resume

cricket ties with arch-rivals India
soon.

As per PCB's television rights contract with the Dubai based TV Channel Ten Sports, Pakistan are bound to play at least two bilateral series against India, who are reluctant to resume cricket ties due to strained relations between the two countries.

"The network which has signed a USD 140.5 million dollars contract with the PCB expects to earn a major chunk of its revenues from broadcasting the bilateral series with India," one official said.

He said that already Board and the network had lost revenues worth USD 40 million due to the cancellation of the India's Test tour to Pakistan earlier this year.

To make matters worse for the PCB, it could face rising production costs from its television rights holders if they are forced to play their home series at neutral venues.

"Suppose if we are to play our home series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and then the Tests in New Zealand, it will affect our net income eventually. This is because playing Tests in New Zealand would mean the production costs will go up for the network," he said.

The Indian Cricket Board has not scheduled any bilateral series with Pakistan in the new Future Tour Program effective from April, 2012, saying that they can find slots for Pakistan when the relations between the two countries improve at the government level.

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10:23 AM

Andrew Flintoff v Phillip Hughes: the first great duel of the 2009 Ashes

An alarm call may not rouse him, but the first opportunity to intimidate an Australian opener is a siren in Flintoff's brain
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Australia's Philip Hughes smiles after ducking a bouncer from England's Andrew Flintoff. Photograph: Gareth Copley/PA

To say Andrew Flintoff is playing for his place in this England side would sound grotesque to the young Australian opener, Phillip Hughes, whose priority in the face of big Fred's bouncers after lunch was merely to keep his head attached to his shoulders. But there is a sense around the camp that Flintoff owes the team one for his Rip Van Winkle act when he was meant to be boarding a bus to visit first world war graves in Ypres.

An alarm call may not rouse him, but the first opportunity to intimidate an Australian opener is a siren in Flintoff's brain. The first great duel of this 2009 series pitted a rampaging Lancastrian giant against a jump jockey-sized 20-year-old who had been softened up at Worcester by Flintoff's mate and fellow darts enthusiast, Steve Harmison. The many sides of Harmison may return at Lord's to double the heat on Hughes.

The sages say Flintoff is experiencing a new rush of freedom as he enters the autumn of his career. Shorn of the captaincy he made such a shambles of in Australia in 2006-07 he now has only his art to declare. All that flannel about him "working harder than ever" to overcome his latest injury sounded like another PR handout until his first over of the match brought the day's action to scintillating life.

This first Test shifted up a gear as Flintoff thundered into Hughes and put him down on his haunches. Matthew Hayden's successor had learned from his peppering by Harmison not to defend the rising ball throat-high. So Hughes trampolined under Flintoff's assault until his habit of cutting outside the off-stump brought an inside edge that travelled to Matt Prior's gloves.

Hughes, on his Ashes debut, had gone for 36, and Flintoff tried out his new wicket-taking pose: still, with both arms fully erect, like a man being pulled into the sky. No one had dared predict that he would return to front-line bowling with such ferocious intent. Whatever is holding his body together could be put to good military use.

But England, they say, no longer regard Flintoff's absences as dead-time that has to be filled until the superstar returns. The dynamic has altered with each abuse of discipline, and now every Flintoff over is an instalment on his debt from Ypres and all his previous indiscretions. Australia must be wishing he had made that bus.

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10:21 AM

Yajurvindra Singh

Born: 1 August 1952, Rajkot
Major Teams: Maharashtra, Saurashtra, India.
Known As: Yajurvindra Singh
Batting Style: Right Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Right Arm Medium


Profile:
It is not very often that a cricketer who has played only four Tests can lay claim to being the joint holder of two world records. And yet this remarkable feat stands against the name of Yajurvindra Singh. Moreover, his feat was even more creditable as it was achieved on his Test debut. And it is not a batting or bowling record but an even more rare fielding record. Brought into the side against England at Bangalore in 1976-77 to strengthen the middle order batting, following some outstanding performances around the domestic circuit, he failed with the bat but in the first innings took five catches to equal the record held by Australia's Vic Richardson against South Africa in 1935-36. In the second he held two more and this saw him equal the the record held by Richardson's grandson Greg Chappell who took seven catches against England in 1974-75.

A right hand batsman who could defend dourly or play strokes, as the situation warranted, an occasional medium pace bowler and a brilliant close in field, Yajurvindra Singh toured England in 1979 but played only in the last Test when he notched up his highest score of 43 not out. His best season in the Ranji Trophy was in 1975-76 when he scored 583 runs at 97.17. In the national competition, his tally was 2657 runs (49.20) with a highest score of 214 for Saurashtra against his old state Maharashtra in 1979-80

Test Debut: India v England at Bangalore, 4th Test, 1976/77
Last Test: India v Australia at Madras, 1st Test, 1979/80

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9:47 AM

Hemang Kamal Badani

Born: 14 November 1976, Madras (now Chennai)
Major Teams: Tamil Nadu, India.
Known As: Hemang Badani
Batting Style: Left Hand Bat
Bowling Style: Slow Left Arm Orthodox


Profile:
His international career may be less than ten matches old but Hemang Badani has already made a remarkable impression. An ice-cool temperament under pressure separates him from several of his age peers as he unmistakably revealed in the one-day series against Zimbabwe. Badani's unbeaten 58 at Cuttack and bustling 77 at Rajkot were both crafted in the face of precarious circumstances, the former knock winning him a Man of the Match award in just his fourth game. Each time there was not an iota of extravagance as he stealthily accumulated his runs. Badani carves the ball around with a touch of elan, discriminating in favour of the gaps, and his front foot drive played on the rise through cover is especially pleasing.

Badani made his first class debut against Kerala in the 1996-97 season following a fine showing for India Under-19 against South Africa at home. Before long he was stepping up a gear, playing for India A in the SAARC one-day tournament in Dhaka in 1998. His selection for the Asia Cup last May was not surprising, coming just after two elegant knocks of 162 & 63 in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Mumbai. Badani looks ready to cut his teeth in the Test arena but a surfeit of quality operators in the middle order renders the likelihood slightly distant. His occasional orthodox slow left armers and fleet-footedness in the field do no harm at all to his prospects.


ODI Debut: India v Bangladesh at Dhaka, Asia Cup, 1999/00
Latest ODI: India v Australia at Margao, 5th ODI, 2000/01


Played for India U-19 against South Africa with scores of 85 n.o, 87, 59, 59, 57 & 39.
Played for India 'A' in the SAARC tournament at Dhaka

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9:05 AM