CRICKET NEWS: 2008

Monday, March 10, 2008

Moores hints at team change

Peter Moores, the England coach, has said a change in the team is likely for the second Test in Wellington starting on Thursday. England lost the first Test in Hamilton by 189 runs after being bowled out for 110 chasing 300 on the fifth day.

"Not everyone has had the game they wanted to, and we have to look at putting out the best XI to win the game and level the series," Moores said. "You would be stupid not to go away and evaluate it."

Steve Harmison has been targeted by critics for his poor performance - he took one wicket in the entire Test. In the second innings he bowled only four overs and went for 24 runs. Moores said he would discuss his performance with Harmison, who has taken 25 wickets at 39.08 from eight Tests since the beginning of 2007. "Steve has had a tough 12 months and has not performed to the level he would like to. A lot of things with elite sport is about confidence.

"If you feel someone is not working hard enough and trying hard enough you are going to speak to them. If someone is putting themselves under too much pressure you try to take the pressure off them. We do it individually with different players. Everyone has to work hard to help each other under pressure situations."

Moores added the team was bitterly disappointed at not salvaging a draw in Hamilton. "But I feel very strongly that we can win the second Test. We have to start playing the cricket we know we can. We have to get ourselves sorted."

Stuart Broad is the favourite to replace Harmison if the change is made and he would also add some depth to the lower order, a crucial difference between the two teams in Hamilton. Daniel Vettori produced vital runs in both innings while England's tail offered little to the cause.

James Anderson, England's other option, got through 38 overs for Auckland in his State Championship appearance and picked up two wickets. However, he is another swing bowler in the mould of Matthew Hoggard and Ryan Sidebottom so Broad's extra height would provide different challenge.

James Whitaker, one of England's two part-time selectors, has been asked to stay on the tour for a few extra days as the possible changes are discussed. He was due to fly home on Monday but has now travelled with the squad to Wellington.

"I think it just makes sense for James to stay out here," Moores said. "He's got no pressing commitments when he gets back - so for him to change his flight and come to Wellington for a couple of days until the start of the Test match made sense.

"When the dust settles over the next couple of days we'll be having conversations, and it makes sense for the selector to be around and be involved in those conversations until we finalise that team for the next Test."

Rajasthan best placed for second auction

The second IPL auction takes place in Mumbai on Tuesday, with the Rajasthan Royals best placed to make the most of the situation. Eighteen players are up for grabs, with 16 Under-19 players being decided by draft pick.

Jaipur have US$2.05 million of unspent money, the most among the franchises, and are looking to sign up a couple of Australians, including Shane Watson and James Hopes. Most of the other franchises are focussing on picking up U-19 players on the auction date.

"We approached the first auction in a very careful manner. We know the players we want and now we will pick them," Fraser Castellino, the Royals' CEO, told Cricinfo. Shane Warne's presence, as captain-cum-coach, could prompt them to sign his Hampshire team-mate Watson.

However, fellow Australian Brad Hodge is not expected to be included in the auction despite his name appearing on the list on Sunday. Lancashire, where he is due to spend the coming county season as an overseas player, expect to have his services from the start of the new campaign in April.

"We spoke to Brad last night [Sunday] and he confirmed he has no intention of being part of the IPL this year," a Lancashire spokesman told Cricinfo.

The approximate amounts remaining with the other franchises are: Bangalore $374,000; Chennai $23,750; Delhi $71,250; Hyderabad $262,500; Kolkata $107,500; Mohali $292,250; and Mumbai $53,750. It was reported that Jaipur were fined for under-bidding in the first auction - they were required to spend US$3.3 million but spent only $2.9 million and were reportedly asked to pay the difference as penalty - but Fraser said that they have not paid any penalty so far.

Bangalore will focus on boosting their batting strength and will be looking to pick up at least one batsman during the auction.

The Hyderabad franchise, which recently signed up former Indian allrounder Sanjay Bangar, are not seriously looking to pick up anyone here. "We will be present in the auction but as of now it's unlikely we will pick anybody," a source said.

The Chennai and Mumbai outfits do not have much money with them and are looking to focus on the U-19 players in this auction. "We don't have any money left to buy any big player," a representative of the Chennai franchise said. "And we have quite a few foreign players already in our squad and only four can play can anyway. So we'll go after the U-19 players."

The Kolkata franchise's interest - or lack of it - in the auction can be gauged from the fact that they are unveiling their team in Kolkata around the same time the auction will be held in Mumbai.

The Mohali coach Tom Moody was cautious ahead of the auction. "There are only a few [franchises] that have got a few pennies left in the bank so we will see what happens," Moody told AFP.

Some of the franchises have made signings since the auction on February 20; these are largely junior players and those from the catchment areas.

The interim signings:

Delhi have drafted in Yo Mahesh, Shikhar Dhawan, Mithun Manhas, Rajat Bhatia and Mayank Tehlan.

Bangalore have enlisted the services of Sunil Joshi, Balachandra Akhil, R Vinay Kumar, Bharat Chipli, J Arun Kumar, KP Appanna, Devraj Patil.

Chennai have signed up Goa's Shadab Jakati, Uttar Pradesh's Sudeep Tyagi, R Ashwin, Srikkanth Anirudha and S Badrinath.

Mumbai have taken on the Baroda wicket-keeper, Pinal Shah, along with Mumbai Ranji players Abhishek Nayar and Ajinkya Rahane and Maharashtra's Yogesh Takawale.

Hyderabad have roped in Sanjay Bangar, Venugopal Rao, N Arjun Yadav, D Ravi Teja, Pragyan Ojha, D Kalyankrishna, P Vijay Kumar, M Sarveesh and Orissa's Halahar Das.

Mohali have signed up VRV Singh and two U-22 players in Karan Goel and Uday Kaul.

Jaipur have brought in Pankaj Singh, Mumbai's U-22 player Anup Revandkar and a reality cricket show winner Dinesh Salunkhe, a legspinning allrounder.

Rotation comes round again

Australia have lost another CB Series final and their captain is talking of player exhaustion. Somewhere, Steve Waugh is chuckling. About eight years ago, when player workload was not quite the hot topic it is today, Waugh copped flak for his "rotation policy" under which those who were part of Australia's Test side didn't play all ODIs. The middle order comprised specialists such as Andrew Symonds, Ian Harvey and Shane Lee.

Just when it seemed like yet another of Waugh's revolutionary ideas, South Africa and New Zealand arrived for a tri-series in early 2002. The more Australia rotated players, the more they lost to New Zealand. For the first time in six years, Australia didn't make the final. It marked the end of Waugh's ODI career, and since then, Australia under Ricky Ponting have preferred to be more circumspect about rotation as well. Apart from Nathan Bracken and James Hopes, the nine other Australians who played in the second CB Series final this year were part of the Test team as well. Brad Haddin, a pure ODI player till now, is set for a dual role in the wake of Adam Gilchrist's retirement.

The trend is probably related to Test cricket's heightened pace, which allows one-day batsmen to thrive at the Test level. Pitches have veered towards batsmen, run-rates have soared, and even those with susceptible techniques have found a way to dominate Test attacks.

Australia aren't alone. Daniel Vettori now captains New Zealand in both forms and the core of his side doesn't change much between the two. South Africa drafted in a few specialists for the one-dayers against Bangladesh, but come the big games, Graeme Smith still has to depend on AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Dale Steyn, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini and himself to do well in both forms.

Mahela Jayawardene and Shoaib Malik face similar predicaments, Chris Gayle doesn't have too many options rotation-wise, and Bangladesh's core remains the same for both formats. Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood split the captaincy in England, but there again the core doesn't change: Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Collingwood are integral members, while Alastair Cook and Ryan Sidebottom have cemented their spots as well. In fact, in the recent Hamilton Test, Sidebottom outdid England's Test specialists, Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Monty Panesar.

It's a curious situation. With Twenty20 spreading its wings, the time is ripe for rotation. Bits-and-pieces players have a chance to create a niche for themselves, while the more gritty, stodgy variety can concentrate on Tests. While there's a place for Michael Vandort and Ashwell Prince, there's also opportunity for Dimitri Mascarenhas and Dwayne Smith.

It's even more mystifying considering how serious a factor burnout is today. Since the start of 2007, Michael Clarke, Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden (all regulars in Australia's Test line-up) have played 124 ODIs between them. In fact, seven of the top ten players who've played the most ODIs in this period have been integral members of their sides' Test teams as well.

India buck the trend
Which brings us to India. The three-month-long tour of Australia has taken its toll - four of their players could miss the Tests against South Africa - but the bench is currently in rude health. Not only do they have separate captains but, either by accident or design, each side has a totally different nucleus.

In the top seven, only Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni play both forms. The meat of the Test batting line-up includes Wasim Jaffer, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, and Rahul Dravid (apart from Tendulkar). Anil Kumble, the captain and spearhead, gets a good rest between Test series too.

India's CB Series win might have marked the end of three one-day careers (Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman) but it could also have extended their Test ambitions by a good year. The fact that Virender Sehwag isn't a permanent part of the ODI squad, or Yuvraj of the Test side, could be a blessing in disguise, allowing them more time to recoup.

There is a bit of overlap in the pace-bowling department but India are currently well placed to rotate even there. At full strength India's one-day options read: Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth, RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, Praveen Kumar. All except Praveen have shown they can step it up in Tests. The two Singhs, VRV and Pankaj, wait in the wings, while Pradeep Sangwan, the Under-19 World Cup-winning left-armer, and Sudeep Tyagi, a tall medium-pacer from Uttar Pradesh, have had impressive debut seasons. Amid such riches is L Balaji set to return.

India even have wicketkeeping bench-strength, unlike in the past. Dhoni, who has been on the road since May last year, will no doubt need a break at some point and Dinesh Karthik and Parthiv Patel are stand-in options for him.

India now have about 25 players to choose from, a rare luxury. The team's schedule continues to be a hectic one - the Test series against South Africa is followed by the IPL, a tri-series in Bangladesh, the Asia Cup, and a tour of Sri Lanka. That both the Test and ODI sides have achieved some impressive successes lately should only prompt a more serious push towards a formalised rotation policy.

With the kind of money the IPL is dishing out, one could soon reach a dangerous situation where players are tempted to choose franchise over country. India, in particular, need to beware of such a situation, considering the gruelling schedules the players have to put up with. Since January last year, Dhoni has gone 11 Tests, 47 ODIs and a World Twenty20 Championship without a break. Few cricketers will have passed through so many airports without picking up a serious injury; now that he's still standing, it's time for a rest.

Cricket India: Dabur to sponsor ICL's Mumbai team

Dabur, India’s leading FMCG company announced on Sunday that it would like to be associated with the Indian Cricket League. The company would sponsor the Mumbai Team and would also be the 'Energy Partner' for the T20 tournament, which started on Sunday.

Executive Director-Consumer Care Division, Dabur India Ltd, V S Sitaram said: ''We are delighted to join hands with ICL as both the Energy Partner for the tournament and the sponsor for the Mumbai Team.''

''Glucose is a ready source of energy to fight tiredness, and so, a perfect partner for a high-paced, pulsating tournament as the ICL Championship, and an energetic team like Mumbai Champs. We feel this association would help us build a better connection with the cricket-loving population across India, and further strengthen Dabur Glucose’s association with sports and sport events,'' Sitaram added.

As part of the arrangement with ICL, Dabur Glucose will also felicitate players with the titles of 'Dabur Glucose Most Energetic Player of the Match' and 'Dabur Glucose Most Energetic Player of the tournament' awards.

''Cricket is a national obsession in India. The passion with which the sport is played and the new-age 20-20 format that has caught the imagination of Indians, is very compelling. We believe that Dabur Glucose's partnership with energetic players like Brian Lara and a team like Mumbai Champs would take cricket's popularity to a new high,'' Sitaram added.

Cricket India: ICL not competing with IPL, says Kapil

Kapil Dev speaks out to the media.

Chairman of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) Kapil Dev said the ICL tournament is not being held to compete against anyone, in a clear reference to BCCI's Indian Premier League (IPL).

The former Indian cricket captain said: ''The ICL is being staged to create opportunities for hundreds of cricketers who want to play this game and make it a career.”

“It is not being held to compete against anyone,'' said Kapil, who ardently believes that the younger cricketers will gain immensely from this tournament and playing with international stars will help them improve their game.

The ICL, to be christened Edelweiss 20's challenge, began at the Tau Devi Lal Cricket Stadium in Panchkula on Sunday.

The World Cup winning captain also opines that ''the competition between the two events will be good for the game.'' The matches will be played in Hyderabad, Panchkula and Gurgaon.

The ICL is offering 3.8 million dollars in prize money. The winning team will take home 650,000 dollars while the second and third best teams will pocket 300,000 dollars and 130,000 dollars respectively.

IPL: Misbah, Watson up for grabs in second auction

Close on the heels of the first IPL auctions in Mumbai last month, a second one will be held in the same city on Tuesday.

Seven New Zealanders, four Australians, three Pakistanis, two Bangladeshis, one Sri Lankan and South African each will be up for grabs.

The players who will be auctioned are Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez from Pakistan, Ross Taylor, Peter Fulton, Jamie How, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin, Kyle Mills, James Franklin from New Zealand, Prasanna Jayawardene from Sri Lanka, Brad Hodge, Shane Watson, James Hopes, Luke Pomersbach from Australia, Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Mortaza from Bangladesh, Ashwell Prince from South Africa.

Nine players from Australia, and one each from South Africa, Pakistan and West Indies are reported to be also keen for the auction.

However there will be no English cricketers in the fray for the new auctions as well.

The second auction is being held because the eight IPL franchise owners still have unspent money, ranging from just under $24,000 for Chennai to Jaipur's mammoth $1.7 million.

Amongst the players in the radar for the second auction, Pakistan's batting mainstay Misbah-ul-Haq will be a huge draw given his impressive show at the T20 World Cup.

"There are 13 other foreign players who have shown keen interest to play in the first season," a top BCCI official told the media. These include Shaun Tait, on a self-imposed break from cricket, Brad Hogg, who recently retired, West Indies' Dwayne Smith, and Yasir Hameed from Pakistan.Seven other Australians have also reportedly expressed keen interest.

This auction will be be comparatively smaller than the first, which was worth $42 million dollars.The amounts are: 374,000 dollars (Bangalore), $23,750 (Chennai), $71,250 (Delhi), $262,500 (Hyderabad), $1,700,000 (Jaipur), $107,500 (Kolkata), $292,250 (Mohali) and $53,750 (Mumbai).

"If a team exceeds $5 million on players who were initially not available but become available later, the excess expenditure will be ignored," said the official.

"Also, player fees for Indian players who were not in the auction do not count against the $5m purse. There will be no more auctions this season," the official added.

Ishant relying on pace

Ishant Sharma's stock is going anywhere but down.

The 19-year-old was impressive in the Tests against Australia and was influential in the recent Commonwealth Bank Series, where he took 14 wickets from nine matches.

The Delhi-born paceman dominated the Australia batsmen, particularly skipper Ricky Ponting, with his pace, bounce and movement, and of those attributes, Ishant ranks pace as the most important.

"I want to become a complete fast bowler. I always concentrate on line and length and variations without compromising on pace. I know speed is my strength," he said.

Ishant was happy with his performances and admits he tried to steer clear of the "distractions" Down Under.

"I was told it would be very tough but I made a promise to myself that I would make the most of it," he told the Hindu.

"I had to learn on and off the field and there was no place for any distractions. I was not going to allow my cricket to be dominated."

The three-month long tour has taken its toll though and Ishant has been advised to rest for two to three weeks by India physio John Gloster.

But Ishant will certainly be in contention when selectors pick the squad for the three-match home Test series against South Africa on March 17.

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Smith ton seals nine-wicket win

Subcontinental conditions and the presence of three left-arm spinners did nothing to scare off the South Africans as their openers, Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs, added a century opening stand to help them go 1-0 up in the three-match series with a comprehensive nine-wicket win in Chittagong. Smith led the way emphatically, sealing the victory - with more than 13 overs to spare - and his seventh ODI hundred with the last scoring stroke of the match.

The only player to show any sign of resistance for Bangladesh was Tamim Iqbal, who top scored with a measured 82. That the second-highest contribution was a mere 15 - shared among three batsmen - only highlighted the bridge between him and the rest. The target of 179 was perhaps 100 short of challenging a team which has its sights set on displacing Australia as the best ODI team in the world.

After a disappointing Test series, Bangladesh would have fancied their chances against a new-look South African one-day line-up, which is missing Jacques Kallis, Mahkaya Ntini and Mark Boucher. Andre Nel and Paul Harris, though, gave little away and shared five wickets between them to bundle out Bangladesh for a paltry total after losing the toss.

The South African opening bowlers exploited whatever little juice there was on a pitch which was expected to play slow and low. Nel and Charl Langeveldt bent their backs and got several deliveries to fizz past the left-handers.

Bangladesh's batting worries started in the eighth over, when a circumspect Junaid fell to a miscued pull off Langeveldt. Nel joined in the act soon after, getting his 100th ODI wicket with the dismissal of Shahriar Nafees, caught behind after attempting one poke too many. Mohammad Ashraful and Shakib Al Hasan fell tamely, and by the halfway stage of the innings, it was an all-too-familiar top-order wobble for Bangladesh.

They were fortunate to have Tamim hold one end up and keep the South Africans at bay. Tamim was fluent with his off-side strokes and began his innings with a punch through extra cover off the second ball of the day. He was particularly strong against the short deliveries, which sat up nicely for him to cut or pull.

He looked set for a century but the going got tougher once the spinners, Harris and Johan Botha, operated in tandem. Harris got appreciable turn from the rough outside off, which Tamim managed to fend off. He finally broke the shackles by punching one through the covers to end a boundary drought which had lasted eight overs.

A bowling change in the 35th over gave the muted crowd something to cheer, as Tamim bludgeoned a JP Duminy full toss past extra cover, followed by a slog sweep for six over deep midwicket. Tamim chanced his arm the next over against Harris but failed to get the desired elevation over long-on, giving Morkel a sitter. He walked back for an impressive 82, though his dismissal went against the run of play. The lower order failed to push on after Tamim's departure, and it was hard to expect an inexperienced lower order - there were three debutants in the line-up - to repair the damage.

The one-dimensional bowling attack proved Bangladesh's biggest weakness. The intention of packing the side with spinners seemed a good one given the slow nature of the surface, but the bowlers failed to extract the sort of turn that South Africa's left-arm spinner, Harris, had managed earlier.

Ashraful, the Bangladesh captain, curiously decided against giving the new ball to Shahadat Hossain, and instead handed it to Abdur Razzak, the senior-most of the left-arm spinners. Smith and Gibbs used the pace of Razzak's skiddy deliveries to nudge boundaries to third man, while anything full outside off was pierced through the infield on the off. Mosharraf Hossain, the debutant left-arm spinner, hardly got any turn, while Shahadat's introduction in the 20th over too failed to break the monotony as Smith greeted him with a fierce pull, before Gibbs caressed one wide of mid-on.

Smith brought up his half-century with a streaky edge past the keeper. Gibbs changed gear after a patient start and regularly waltzed down the track to the spinners, bringing up his fifty with a loft over extra cover off Mosharraf. At 66, Smith got the benefit of the doubt over a contentious catch by Shahadat at short third man, which was referred to the third umpire. Shakib broke through soon after, trapping Gibbs in front with one that kept a little low, but that was Bangladesh's only success in the field.

Hashim Amla, playing his first ODI, joined Smith after an opening stand of 143 and the pair completed the formalities. Smith jumped down the track to Shakib and a loft over mid-on brought up his ton, a big smile, and revenge after Bangladesh had surprised them in the World Cup less than a year ago.

Cricket Australia upset by Harbhajan's remarks

Cricket Australia has taken objection to Harbhajan Singh's recent outburst, when he labelled the Australian team "arrogant", called Matthew Hayden a "big liar" and said Adam Gilchrist was "not a saint" and has written to the Indian board on the issue. There are also reports in the Australian media that the ICC has taken cognisance of Harbhajan's remarks, which he later denied saying.

The Sun-Herald reported that James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, wrote a letter to Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, indicating his displeasure over Harbhajan's conduct. "Enough is enough," Sutherland wrote. "Despite assurances that you have instructed him not to fuel this issue any more, Harbhajan continues to say whatever he wants. When will it ever end? Could you please deal with your player in regard to these comments?"

Hayden had created a furore by calling Harbhajan a "little obnoxious weed" on a radio show during the CB Series, for which he was quickly reprimanded. Cricket Australia now believes the same standards should be applied by the BCCI with regard to its players.

"We were disappointed because there has been a significant discussion, managed with great diplomacy behind the scenes," Cricket Australia spokesman Peter Young told the Australian. "We were disappointed that as soon as he [Harbhajan] got off the plane [in India] and, despite the assurances we've had, just launched off again.

"James's [Sutherland's] expectation is that the BCCI do something about this and James, in his last email, said enough was enough after the extended discussion we've had," Young said. "We've been assured by the BCCI that they were going to counsel Harbhajan about his public comment.

"James has got a strong view that inappropriate comment from both sides has not resulted in the game being held in the esteem he would like it to be held in. He was frustrated to pick the paper up and see that we've done all the right things, but [Harbhajan] seems to still be getting it wrong."

Harbhajan was at the centre of controversy during the tour to Australia, with Andrew Symonds alleging the offspinner made racial remarks against him during the Sydney Test, charges that were later dismissed due to lack of sufficient evidence. The Australian also revealed the ICC is investigating Harbhajan's latest outburst.

"We are aware of Harbhajan Singh's comments and are in dialogue with the two boards [Australia and India]," an ICC spokesman told the newspaper. The report also said the Indian team management was warned by match referees Jeff Crowe and Mike Procter over Harbhajan's behaviour with crowds, as it could have incited conflict.

"We've been told by ICC match referees that they briefed the Indian team management to counsel Harbhajan around appropriate on-field behaviour," Young said. "No one has a problem with interaction with crowds but inappropriate behaviour can provoke them into going too far."

Harbhajan was largely booed by the crowds after the Symonds episode and during the first final of the CB Series in Sydney, a few spectators alleged Harbhajan gestured and spat at them. Crowe viewed the evidence and felt there was no need to take action against him.

Vettori revels in proudest performance

Daniel Vettori was a proud and content captain after leading from the front with bat, ball and in the field, as New Zealand routed England by 189 runs on the final day in Hamilton to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.

After an early declaration, England were left needing a nominal target of 300 in 81 overs, but they never came close thanks to a sensational new-ball burst from Kyle Mills, who claimed four prime wickets in his first six overs, as England collapsed to 110 all out.

"This is probably my most satisfying Test win over the long time that I have played," said Vettori, who made his debut against England during the 1996-97 series. "This was a very flat wicket and it didn't offer a lot, but what we did was bowl well and set up a good total in the first innings. That's the way you go about winning Test cricket. It's something we haven't done that well and to step up and do it against a very good England team and win ...

"I would like to reflect on how well we bowled," said Vettori. "It was a tough wicket to score on and the five of us got together and put in a pretty consistent performance. In 170 overs of Test cricket you don't see that often, you normally have a little spell where it gets away from you, but I thought we produced 170 overs of continually good bowling."

It was Mills and his new-ball partner, Chris Martin (3 for 33), who were the stars of the final day. "It's a pretty fantastic atmosphere in the changing-room," said Mills, who finished with career-best figures of 4 for 16 from 13 overs. "To go one-up on the Poms is just fantastic. We'll definitely enjoy the moment."

At the start of the fifth day, the general assumption was that New Zealand's chief threat would come from their spinners, Vettori and Jeetan Patel, but thanks to Mills' early onslaught and a mid-innings burst from Chris Martin, they ended up taking only two wickets between them

"Our plan for the day was maybe to get one or, at the most, two wickets with the new ball, then bowl the spinners in the middle session before having another spell with the older ball," said Mills. "But this exceeded all expectations. We got on top of them early and took the game right away from them."

"The performances of Chris and Kyle probably set up the victory," said Vettori. "They bowled superbly, especially Kyle with the new ball - any time you get a team four for 30 and take probably the best four batsmen out of play it makes a huge difference. That set up a real belief in the side, and then there was the second spell from Chris coming back with the ball starting to reverse. The ball that bowled [Tim] Ambrose is one of those balls that you only get once every four or five years."

"Kyle felt confident," said Vettori. "He didn't bowl too much yesterday, he only bowled the one ball. He just wanted to take a chance with it. The whole way, we have stressed that we just have to put the ball in the right spot. It's easy to say but to get a group of bowlers to do it is nice. At the end of his spell, I think Kyle was beginning to reverse it. He knew what wanted to do with it, and he did it consistently."

Nevertheless, New Zealand's stand-out performer was Vettori himself, who produced crucial innings of 88 and 35 from the pivotal No. 8 position, and bowled with skill, stamina and control in both innings to prevent England's nervous batsmen from taking control at any stage of the match.

"I think the best way you can captain a team is with your performance," said Vettori. "I was surprised to get Man of the Match, but when you put some runs on the board and do a job it helps the side. At least you've got one person going in the right direction and the rest will follow from there. A lot of them don't need leadership, they know what they need to do every time they step on the park, but it does set a nice tone when your captain is out there performing."

Vettori's biggest task of the fifth day was in the timing of his declaration, which came at 177 for 9 - a target of exactly 300 - after the addition of 30 runs in the first half-hour's play.

"It felt right," said Vettori. "It was the situation we wanted to be in last night. While we were still confident with a lead of 270-280, the declaration gave us a little bit of momentum and we took that into the field."

Confidence was something that New Zealand displayed throughout the game, even while Ryan Sidebottom was ripping through their middle-order during their dramatic collapse on the fourth afternoon. Sidebottom finished with career-best figures of 6 for 49, including a hat-trick, as New Zealand lost six wickets for 20 to slip from 99 for 1 to 119 for 7, but Vettori refused to panic.

"We were a bit shellshocked at the time," he admitted. "We went out there aggressively and I think the way Stephen [Fleming] batted was outstanding. He took a lot of the initiative away from England but then we lost that clump of wickets. Once again, the way Sidebottom bowled was fantastic but we came back into the shed last night knowing that 270-280 would be enough. There were only going to be two results - a win or a draw."

After Mills' final-morning onslaught and Martin's mid-innings efforts, New Zealand were made to wait for victory as Ian Bell and Monty Panesar dug in defiantly during a 33-run stand for the tenth wicket. But Vettori already knew that the match was in the bag.

"We probably knew after [Paul] Collingwood's wicket," he said. "I think we were pretty comfortable. Their top six are proven and we wanted to get into Ambrose and their longish tail so once we got Collingwood there was a good feel in the camp."

ODI omission hurts Ganguly

Still unable to come to terms with his omission from the Indian one-day side, Sourav Ganguly has said he doesn't know "what more" he must do to regain his spot.

Left out of the side prior to the CB Series in Australia, Ganguly felt he was dropped "despite being in good form" and is unclear whether a good showing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) would help his case for a recall.

"I was left out despite scoring close to 1300 runs (sic. 1240) in a year," Ganguly told Cricinfo. "I really don't know what more there is to do. The best bit was I was in good form. So if I was left out then..."

Did he think a fine showing in the Twenty20 matches in the IPL would strengthen his case? "I'm not really sure if there's a link between Twenty20 and one-day cricket. It's a completely different format. I've not really thought about it that way also."

Ganguly is set to play the Deodhar Trophy zonal one-day tournament, starting on March 14, but he didn't want to read too much into those performances too.

"I am looking at it as practice for the Tests against South Africa," he said. "I'm not viewing it in any other way. It's an important series and I'm gearing up for that. We've played some good Test cricket recently and it will be nice to do well against a good side like South Africa."

Ganguly returned to the one-day side in January last year, marking the end of 15 months in the wilderness. He enjoyed a fine year with the bat, scoring 1240 runs in 32 matches at an average of 44.28, including ten half-centuries. However, his performances in the last ten matches saw the average dipping to 25.66. The team management in Australia had reasoned that Ganguly was overlooked for the sake of blooding youth, with the added emphasis on fielding abilities.

He was excited about leading the Kolkata franchise, a power-packed line-up that includes star names like Ricky Ponting, Shoaib Akhtar, Brendon McCullum and Chris Gayle.

"It's a new format, a new tournament, new concept, in fact. I'm looking forward to it. It's a great opportunity for young players to play alongside the greats. They can learn a lot from them."

Ganguly spent half a day at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore to undergo routine tests prior to the selection for the South Africa series. He went through a medical examination, bleep test, body strengthening and fielding practice and was passed fit at the end of it.

Friday, March 7, 2008

IND vs SA: Selection for 1st Test postponed

The national selection committee meeting, to pick the Indian squad for the first Test against South Africa, will be held in Bangalore on March 17 instead of March 9 in Mumbai.

A press release by the Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Thursday that the schedule of the meeting was changed at the behest of chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar. Vengsarkar wanted to watch some Deodhar Trophy matches with his colleagues before finalising the team.

The first Test against South Africa will played in Chennai's M.A. Chidambaram Stadium March 26-30. The other two Tests will be in Ahmedabad (April 3-7) and Kanpur (April 11-15).

The South Africans will land in Chennai on March 21.

All the players who returned home from Australia after the Test series will be put through fitness tests at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore Friday. Test skipper Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman and Wasim Jaffer, who had returned after the Tests in January, will undergo fitness assessments as well.

Injured fast bowlers Zaheer Khan and R.P. Singh will be checked for their fitness levels before the selectors meet. While Zaheer is getting his ankle treated in South Africa, Singh returned home from Australia with a stretched hamstring.

NZ vs ENG 1st Test, Day 4: Ryan bags hat-trick

Ryan Sidebottom claimed a stunning hat-trick to spearhead an unlikely England comeback and keep them in contention for a shock victory over New Zealand in the opening Test.

Having been dominated by New Zealand for the majority of the Test at Seddon Park and conceded a 122-runs first innings deficit, few in the ground expected England to still have a chance of victory by the end of the fourth day.

But left-arm seamer Sidebottom claimed England's first hat-trick since Matthew Hoggard achieved the feat four years ago against the West Indies in Barbados to leave New Zealand on 147 for eight by the close, leading by 269 runs with a day remaining.

Sidebottom struck in late afternoon just as New Zealand appeared to be heading for a declaration which would have put England under severe pressure on the final day.

He removed Stephen Fleming with the final ball of his ninth over and then claimed the scalps of Matthew Sinclair and Jacob Oram with the the first two balls of his next over to become only the fourth England player to achieve the feat in the last 50 years.

His efforts sparked a collapse of four wickets for six runs in nine balls and ensured New Zealand slipped from a comfortable 109 for two, leading by 231 with 18 overs of the day remaining, to 115 for six in just two overs.

It brought the momentum firmly back in England's direction after they had been dismissed for 348 shortly after lunch following another defensive batting display in the morning session.

England had resumed the fourth morning still trailing by 184 on 286 for six knowing early wickets would give New Zealand a stranglehold on the match and delivered another determined performance by adding only 61 off 33 overs in the morning session.

But their defensive policy paid off with England only losing Paul Collingwood, who had battled for four hours for his 66 before being given lbw to Oram shortly before lunch.

Wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose, who was playing his maiden Test innings, battled to reach 55, but fell just three balls after lunch when he drove at off-spinner Jeetan Patel and edged low to Stephen Fleming at slip for 55.

Steve Harmison followed to the next delivery when he attempted a pre-determined sweep shot which flicked off his shoulder into Fleming's safe hands.

Last man Monty Panesar lasted for 21 minutes but with the second over with the new ball - and the first of the day from seamer Kyle Mills - he ended the innings by hitting him low on the pad in front of the stumps.

England responded immediately with Ryan Sidebottom inducing opener Matthew Bell into edging behind off the third ball of their replay to immediately lift the tourists' spirits.

But How and Fleming forged a 99-run stand which appeared to have put New Zealand back on course for a declaration that would have left the tourists needing to bat for the remainder of the match to prevent an opening Test defeat.

Just as the pair began to open out as New Zealand set their sights on quick runs, Sidebottom broke the partnership thanks to a stunning catch at deep mid-wicket from Matthew Hoggard which prevented How claiming a six.

Former New Zealand captain Fleming, who had played superbly to reach 66, fell off the final ball of Sidebottom's next over when he was caught at backward point for the second time in the match by Alastair Cook.

Hard-hitting wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum had been sent out to try and score quick runs, but top-edged an attempted slog-sweep off Monty Panesar in the next over and was superbly caught by Andrew Strauss running back to mid-wicket.

That set the stage for Sidebottom's next over and Mathew Sinclair became Cook's second smart catch of the innings when he dived to his left to take the chance at gully.

It brought all-rounder Jacob Oram out to face the hat-trick ball and Sidebottom pitched the ball up and won an lbw decision to spark frenzied celebrations among England's players.

Panesar maintained England's momentum was grabbing a simple return catch to dismiss birthday boy Ross Taylor, who is 24 today, and then claimed Mills lbw as he tried to sweep to leave all results still possible on the final day.

NZ vs ENG 1st Test, Day 3: Pietersen makes case for defence

Kevin Pietersen insisted England "batted brilliantly" after going on the defensive throughout the third day to prevent New Zealand taking control of the first Test.

The tourists, who had resumed 383 runs behind on 87 for two, lost only four wickets all day and progressed to 286 for six by the close, still 184 runs adrift of New Zealand's first-innings total of 470.

They scored only 199 runs in 93 overs and allowed New Zealand to bowl 34 maidens just a day after England's attack had been flogged for 188 in 49 overs.

But Pietersen, who hit only three boundaries in his 42 compiled in over three hours at the crease, believes England performed superbly on a pitch which he insists has now changed to make batting difficult.

"Our guys batted brilliantly, I think we put in a great performance here," said the Hampshire batsman, who hit 22 singles and three twos in his innings.

"If a few of us had tried to play our normal games and got out for 10 or 15 we could have been in a whole lot of trouble tonight - we were asked to bat the whole day, we were asked to scrap and we certainly scrapped as much as we can.

"To lose only four wickets in the day is a fantastic effort. Yes, we haven't scored as many runs as everybody would have liked, but it's not that kind of wicket."

Pietersen became so circumspect in his approach that after hitting off-spinner Jeetan Patel for six from the third ball he faced, he did not record another boundary until he clipped seamer Chris Martin through mid-wicket for four 91 balls later.

But he stressed: "I needed to be a different Kevin Pietersen today. The conditions didn't allow you to be a free-flowing batsman and I think their bowlers bowled particularly well.

"(Daniel) Vettori is a world-class spinner, Patel bowled well and their seamers made it difficult as well. It was really, really hard batting conditions out there and the wicket didn't help to score freely.

"To be honest, I think today was one of my better knocks I think I've played for England even though I blocked the ball.

"I didn't try anything stupid in my whole innings, I've developed into a player who can adjust and, if needs be, play like that."

Patel, who claimed one for 90 from his 35 overs, agreed that New Zealand had bowled well but they were equally happy that England had been so defensive on such a flat batting wicket.

"I think we bowled really well and that made it hard for them to score," he explained.

"I thought they'd come at us a little bit harder but it just shows how well we did bowl, how straight we bowled it and how much we did with the ball.

"They're a pretty strong side and they're a positive side and they've got some really good players.

"I just thought we bowled really well today and fielded extremely well and that's shown by the fact we were really close to bowling them out today on a really flat wicket."

NZ vs ENG 1st Test, Day 2: Strife of Ryan for tourists

Ryan Sidebottom admitted England allowed New Zealand to reach a bigger total than they expected after they piled up a major first-innings score in the opening Test.

The tourists had hoped to finish off New Zealand early on the second day at Seddon Park when they resumed on 282 for six with the new ball only 10 overs old.

But instead Ross Taylor hit his maiden Test century and shared a record 148-run seventh-wicket stand with captain Daniel Vettori for New Zealand against England to help their side reach 470 and by the close the tourists had reached 87 for two in reply.

It was a disappointing display from England's attack, although Sidebottom responded to having parents Arnie and Gillian in the crowd to claim four for 90.

"We were fired up to try and get the four wickets and an early wicket would have been key, but it wasn't to be so we just kept plugging away and they've probably scored a hundred more than we expected," admitted the Nottinghamshire left-arm seamer.

"It's a pretty good wicket to bat on. Monty (Panesar) is renowned for spinning the ball and he probably only spun three balls in his whole spell.

"It looks a decent wicket and I thought we did well as a team, plugged away and they probably got 100 runs more than we'd have liked, but if we bat well there's no reason why we can't bat past them."

Sidebottom's display was all the more satisfying because it was done in front his father Arnie, the former Yorkshire and England seamer, who was watching him bowl live in international cricket for the first time.

"The last two or three times he's been to watch we've been batting so he's not really seen me bowl for England live," revealed Sidebottom. "It's nice to have a bit of encouragement in the crowd and try and take a few wickets for him.

"I suppose anyone having their father to watch is encouraging and you try and put in that extra one per cent when he's watching and you want to do well in front of him."

But Sidebottom senior may also reprimand his son after he failed to appeal for an lbw against Vettori, who went on to score 88, just nine overs into the day when television replays suggested it was out.

"I just had a bit of a mental block," he admitted. "I thought it was going down and didn't appeal and the guys behind the stumps went up and I made a half-hearted appeal - I was disappointed because when I looked on the screen afterwards it looked pretty plum."

New Zealand believe that claiming two wickets in the final five overs of the day to dismiss opener Alastair Cook and nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard may have given them the edge.

Centurion Taylor, who hit 18 boundaries in his five-hour innings, stressed: "I think we can win the game. If they were none or one down overnight then I think it would have been an even game but it's good to have them two down.

"It's starting to slow up and take a little bit of turn and I'm sure the first session tomorrow will be a big session for the game to see where it goes. If we can pick up a few early wickets and put pressure back on England you never know."

Cricket India: ICL unveils title sponsor

The Indian Cricket League on Wednesday announced Edelweiss Capital Limited as the title sponsor for its upcoming T20 tournament.

"We welcome Edelweiss on board and are happy with the overwhelming response we have received from the market," ICL Executive Board Chairman Kapil Dev said.

"Edelweiss's association with the ICL is a support to young domestic Indian players who have been provided with an international standard platform, to display their cricketing talent. This support will be a sure step in strengthening domestic cricket in the country," added the former Indian captain.

The tournament to be played from March 9 to April 7, will be held in Hyderabad, Chandigarh (Panchkula) and Gurgaon.

Two new teams - Ahmedabad Rockets and Lahore Badshahs have also been added to the existing six teams.

Australia: Gilchrist wary of BCCI

Adam Gilchrist has warned against allowing the Indian cricket authorities to become too powerful in the world game.

The wicketkeeper ended his international career in disappointing fashion as Australia were beaten 2-0 in the Commonwealth Bank Series finals by India.

That brought to an end a stormy summer of cricket between the two countries, which has been dogged by controversy - most notably the race row between India's Harbhajan Singh and Australia's Andrew Symonds.

Spinner Harbhajan was originally found guilty of racially abusing Symonds, but was ultimately acquitted on appeal and given a fine for a lesser offence.

Many in Australia were unhappy with the way the process was handled and specifically the role of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) who threatened to withdraw from the tour if the appeal did not go their way.

Gilchrist believes there is a possibility the Indian authorities could become too powerful.

He told the BBC's Test Match Special: "We all know the power that they are and the way they're happy to flex their muscles and we must pay attention to that.

"Hopefully that's controlled and we can make sure the game's healthy throughout the world."

He added: "I think both teams were very, very relieved that the series finished.

"It was tough work. It wasn't the most enjoyable summer we've been involved with - all the issues on and off the field.

"There was politics played out by the administrators, there were players that were put in a difficult situation and I don't think anyone will want to go back down the path we've been on this summer.

"I do think players and administrators will reflect on this series and learn a lot.

"Our guys will look at things and perhaps do things differently but also hope that administrators and opponents will do things differently.

"It was a great learning experience for everyone involved. We've got to entrust the administrators, whether they be at ICC level or BCCI or Cricket Australia, that they're going to learn from this and the players will too.

"There's all this talk about India becoming the power of the world and dominating world cricket.

"I have faith in that group that, yes, they have rushed at great speed over the last 10, 15, 20 years to the top of the tree in the administrative and financial stakes.

"There'll be a lag time to catch up and lets hope that everyone can combine together to realise that, for the good of the game, it can't be a monopoly.

"We've got to administrate well and I believe that will happen and I think the BCCI will acknowledge that and tie that with the Twenty20 and where world game of cricket is."

Twenty20 will feature prominently in Gilchrist's cricketing life as he prepares to take part in the inaugural Indian Premier League.

Gilchrist was bought by the Hyderabad franchise at last month's auction in Mumbai for US dollars 700,000, although he is not convinced he will receive the full amount.

"If that comes to fruition and everyone gets paid these dollars that's wonderful," he said.

"That's a real bonus at the end of your career to get that sort of money. I'm not going to be naive about that - that's great.

"But we'll see whether it all actually happens and also we'll see what actually happens with the competition."

And with such amounts being paid to players, Gilchrist knows there could be club versus country battles on the horizon.

He said: "At this point in time people are still very much aligned to their country - at this point in time.

"We've got to get through this initial tournament and see how it goes from there.

"There's definitely a possibility it may head like the EPL in football, no doubt about that.

"It's the first time private ownership has come into cricket in a true sense.

"That could lead it that way but at the moment I think players will feel allegiance to their country.

"I can't predict where it will go but I'm thrilled to be a part of it."

He added: "It was really extraordinary, believe me, to be involved in that auction. You feel like a cow rolling up to the auction, being branded.

"I got told I got a price of US dollars 700,000 but I had no idea who'd bought me or what town I was going to or who I was playing with.

"It was the blind leading the blind - extraordinary times and I look forward to being involved and trying to direct it in the right way."

Ishant the standout player, says Ponting

Ishant Sharma gets the thumbs up from Aussies skipper Ricky Ponting.

"Ishant has been the standout young player in the Indian set up though the tour. Everybody has spoken about him. At different times he has bowled very good spells. The spell he bowled to me in Perth on the last day was some of the better bowling I have faced in Test cricket," Ponting told television channel NDTV.

Ponting said he would keep a watch on how this tall and lanky pacer would develop in the future. "He's someone who's going to be around for a while and play a lot of cricket. It's something I have always said about the Indian team: they always seem to produce good young players. Let's see how they develop over the next few years."

Ponting said he was sad that the on and off-field controversies had shown him and his team in poor light. He also admitted that Harbhajan Singh had a difficult tour and would be relieved at the end of it.

"I think a few Australian players and me too (were shown in bad light). I think a lot of it from me was really unavoidable. I was not involved in any of those stuff that happened. I was supposed to do captaining my side but with the Harbhajan incident somehow it came out looking badly," he said.

"It's been a hard summer for him (Harbhajan). As to say how many wickets he has ended up taking on this tour, I imagine he had a magnificent tour. He had a good tour and he has got wickets at the end... He got two big wickets in Sydney of Symonds and Hayden.

"He had a fair share of his dues ever since he has been in Australia as he was among quite a few of those players. I think he must be relieved going back home and getting out of Australia and when you win a match, it becomes easier," he added.

Ponting, however, denied that his team's performance was affected due to the off-field incidents or that Harbhajan Singh was spurred to do better.

"I don't think so it happened. If things get tough, you genuinely play a lot more better cricket and I think he tried to play exactly the same way," he said.

Ponting for emulating India's youth policy

Australian captain Ricky Ponting has said he was impressed by India's youth policy and would like to copy it for development of his side as well.

"They went with a youth policy and brought some of the younger players in. I said at the time I was surprised that (Sourav) Ganguly was left out but the younger players that have arrived have added some energy to their group," Ponting was quoted as saying by the Australian media.

"And that's what you need playing one-day cricket. What they've done probably gives us something to look at down the track," he added.

Ponting said youngsters brought more life to a group and also allowed for players to get some much needed rest through the hectic schedule.

"It gave a bit more life to the group. Not having much of a changeover now means the guys have been playing international cricket for a long time and haven't had much of an opportunity or ability to be able to get away from the rigours of international cricket."

The Aussie captain said his team was exhausted after the Test series against India and the fact that almost the same set of players had to play the CB Series added to their woes.

"We've only got a changeover of one or two players now between Test teams and one-day teams. That's really unusual for us. The last couple of years we've had up to five or six players changing over form Test cricket to one-day cricket," he added.

Sachin Tendulkar: "I am not retiring"

Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who silenced his critics with a vintage display in the two CB series finals, has said he is not contemplating retirement at this stage of his career.

"No, I am not even contemplating retirment. There are many rumours. If you know I am retiring, please let me know. I am not retiring," Tendulkar told television channel NDTV before boarding the plane back home in Melbourne.

The mild-mannered Tendulkar was also scathing in his attack on critics who had written him off.

"It (the criticism) doesn't hurt. People have their own ways of judging things. I basically don't read articles. I don't think it helps me in any way. Someone who writes has to have the credibility. I have been around long enough to know what is right and what is wrong," he said.

"I am in touch with the guys who help me. If they see something wrong, they pick up the phone and speak to me," he added.

Tendulkar, who has gone to become the seniormost player in the team after having started as a baby in the side, said it "has been a fantastic journey".

"I have enjoyed every moment of it. It was my dream to play for India and I am still living the dream. After my debut, every day has been special," he said.

Tendulkar said he was also enjoying the new youthful atmosphere in the dressing room.

"The dressing room atmosphere is lively, everyone is cracking jokes. It's wonderful to be alongside such fantastic players. It's a nice blend of seniors and juniors," he said.

Windies choose Gayle as captain

Chris Gayle has been named as West Indies captain for the forthcoming Test and one-day series against Sri Lanka.

The Jamaican opener assumed the Test captaincy from the injured Ramnaresh Sarwan for the recent Test series in South Africa, which the tourists lost 2-1, securing their first away Test win over major opposition since 2000.

Gayle, 28, picked up thumb and hamstring injuries himself before the third Test and flew home, missing that game and the subsequent one-day series.

Gayle has since recovered and retains the captaincy ahead of Sarwan.

Dhoni savours special feeling

ndian captain MS Dhoni said it was a very special feeling to beat Australia and he would not compare this ODI series win with any other.

"I don't believe in comparisons. It was very special beating Australia in Australia, especially in two consecutive finals," he told television channel NDTV.

"A lot was said about the Australians and how they come back strongly, but we did very well to deny them that opportunity," he said before boarding the flight back home in Melbourne.

"The credit (for this win) goes to the team, the support staff and even the boys on the bench, who did not get to play in the series," he added.

Dhoni praised Ishant Sharma and Praveen Kumar for their fantastic showing Down Under.

"Ishant is a very different bowler. Not only does he bowl in the right areas, he's a good thinker as well. He has picked up from the experiences of the seniors. He was our best bowler in the series," he said.

About Praveen, Dhoni said: "He's not an express bowler but he is consistent. He's a good asset for the team and if he works a little more on his batting, he will be another good all-rounder."

Asked to describe himself, the Indian skipper said he is "funny, sarcastic with a sense of humour, bit aggressive, not very vocal but gets vocal when he gets angry, loves his team and looks for character."

Gillespie defends under-fire Aussies

Gillespie still has confidence in the Australian team.

Recently-retired fast bowler Jason Gillespie believes Australia's loss in the Commonwealth Bank Series finals is not the "end of the world" for the side.

India defeated the hosts in the opening two games of the best-of-three finals to win the tournament.

Since that loss, the Australia team - under captain Ricky Ponting and coach Tim Nielsen - have been accused of failing to maintain their dominant position in world cricket following the retirements of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.

Yet Gillespie, who is in India to represent the Ahmedabad Rockets in the Indian Cricket League, insists Australia attach more importance to Test cricket and not the one-day format.

The Australian told the Telegraph: "It is not the end of the world for us. In any case, rightly or wrongly, we tend to put more emphasis on Test cricket and we did win that series against India."

The 32-year-old former South Australia star also had a word of advice for India's rising star Ishant Sharma, who exploited conditions to the fullest in Australia and emerged at the spearhead of the Indian pace attack.

He said: "I hope too many people are not trying to offer him confusing advice. He should be allowed to grow as a fast bowler but he has definitely got to build strength.

"That way, a heavy workload will not be an issue."

BCCI demand explanation from ICC

The Board of Control for Cricket in India will ask the ICC to investigate the actions of match referee Jeff Crowe, who pursued unauthenticated media reports against Harbhajan Singh.

Many newspaper reports in Australia accused off-spinner Harbhajan of making monkey gestures at sections of the crowd during the first Commonwealth Bank Series final between Australia and India in Sydney.

Following the reports, referee Crowe proceeded with an investigation into the alleged incident, but decided to take no action against Harbhajan after inspecting all the available evidence.

However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India is not happy with Crowe's conduct.

"It's atrocious. How could the match referee decide on intervening in the matter on the basis of media reports," India team manager Bimal Soni told the Times of India.

"There was no word to the Indian team management and the next day the match referee said he found nothing wrong and that he had cleared Harbhajan. This is totally baseless.

"We have asked the BCCI to look into the matter and secretary Niranjan Shah has written to the ICC seeking an explanation."

Even Harbhajan was surprised by the media reports in Australia.

"If the media had its way, they would have not allowed me to even move my hands except when bowling. That the media back home also bought the story is what baffles me more," he said.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Ishant doubtful

India paceman Ishant Sharma's fitness will be assessed immediately prior to Tuesday's second match of the Commonwealth Bank Series final against Australia.

Ishant failed to complete his 10-over quota during India's six-wicket victory in the opening game of the best-of-three final in Sydney on Sunday.

The 19-year-old had to leave the field after eight overs due to a finger injury and is a major doubt for game two at the Gabba.

Ishant would be a useful weapon for India on a Brisbane pitch that historically favours seam movement and bounce, and team manager Bimal Soni revealed the player will be given until the last possible minute to prove his fitness.

Soni told The Hindu newspaper: "He has a fluid collection on the middle finger of his bowling hand.

"X-rays have not revealed anything serious but there is a swelling. His condition will be assessed on the morning of the match."

Harbhajan cleared

Harbhajan Singh will not face any action over claims he allegedly made racist taunts to sections of the crowd in Sydney during the first match of the CB Series finals against Australia on Sunday.

Match referee Jeff Crowe investigated the allegations but decided not to take any action against Harbhajan.

There were claims the off-spinner had made monkey gestures and spat at sections of the crowd, but today Crowe released the following statement: "I have investigated the alleged incident with Cricket Australia's ground security officials after reading newspaper reports and viewing related photographs that have been published.

"After reviewing all available information, I conclude that there is no need to take any action against Harbhajan Singh."

India were adamant Harbhajan had not done anything wrong.

"He did nothing," India manager Bimal Soni told BBC Sport.

"These stories, I do not believe them and strongly condemn them. I think it is wrong.

"Nothing has been done like that, they are making a mountain out of a molehill."

Former Australia skipper Allan Border came out in defence of Harbhajan and said: "I am not too sure how serious it is.

"I mean I was at the ground yesterday and I was on that side of the ground and Harbhajan was copping a fair bit of stick from the crowd.

"I didn't notice any gestures at all and I thought he handled himself quite well to be quite honest."

Harbhajan was banned for three matches after he was found guilty of racially abusing Andrew Symonds but the suspension was subsequently overturned on appeal.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Sachin wanted to change SCG statistic

Sachin Tendulkar said India had never won a game against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground and he wanted to change that statistic in the first final of the CB Series on Sunday.

Sachin's 117 not out helped India beat Australia by six wickets in the first final and also earned him the Man of the Match award. At the end of the match, a poster read: "Sachin Cricket Ground".

"It is wonderful to end up on a winning note. I just saw that we had never won a game at the SCG and we wated to change that," he said.

Sachin also praised Rohit Sharma for a "terriffic effort".

"Rohit batted well and the partnership was crucial. Today, I batted with him for such a long time. He has a terriffic future," he added.

About his first ODI hundred in Australia, Tendulkar said: "I have been wanting to get an ODI hundred in Australia but in the last series I missed a few. Considering that this was the first final and we restricted them to 239, it was important to get the second half correct as well."

Harbhajan could be in the dock again

Harbhajan Singh could find himself in the dock yet again. According to reports in the Australian media, the bowler apparently made monkey gestures towards the crowd in Sydney, which, if proven true, could get him into trouble with the ICC.

The paper mentions Harbhajan apparently motioned as if to scratch his armpits with both hands in the same manner fans did to tease Andrew Symonds in India last year.

The media also reported that the bowler repeated the gesture with one hand later and was photographed the second time.

Adding fuel to the fire was a spectator who said the off spinner also spat towards the Sydney Cricket Ground crowd after they called him "a wanker".

"He definitely made the monkey gestures and he spat towards us. It was a bit disgraceful really, especially after what happened here in the Test match,” Craig Woodbury, a spectator in the Bill O'Reilly stand, told the press.

"There are a lot of young people sitting here and it was inappropriate. He is a role model to a lot of people. If he wants respect he has to treat others with respect. He is always going to cop it from the crowd but he is a professional sportsman and he has got to expect that."

Sunday’s alleged incident occurred about 10 minutes after Harbhajan dismissed opener Matthew Hayden, who called him an "obnoxious little weed" on radio.

ICC U19 Cricket World Cup: India wins title

Virat Kohli celebrates India's fine win.

India were crowned champions of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia after beating South Africa in a thrilling final.

Set a revised target of 116 to win from 25 overs after the second innings was reduced because of rain, South Africa needed 26 runs from the remaining two overs but despite the best efforts of captain Wayne Parnell and wicketkeeper Bradley Barnes, the junior Proteas fell just 12 runs short.

In truth, India bowled and fielded very well in the closing stages and really starved the South Africa batsmen to the point where they had to take undue risks with shots and running. It was a mature performance by coach Dav Whatmore’s boys.

This is India’s second U/19 CWC title and the large crowd that packed into Kinrara Oval was overwhelmingly shouting for the winning side, getting more and more vociferous as the evening progressed. Dozens of India flags fluttered around the ground in support of the team with the 6,000 or so fans enjoying the festive atmosphere.

In the end they nearly descended into delirium as a smiling Virat Kohli accepted the cup from ICC President Ray Mali and lifted it above his head as the confetti fell from the stormy KL sky. His side was probably the most consistent during this tournament and with its talent, application and team spirit there can be no doubt the title was fully deserved.

But the runner-up must not be forgotten – South Africa contributed hugely to the success of the tournament and helped to make the final so enthralling.

One of the abiding memories of this U/19 CWC will be the fielding of the South Africa team. SA Englebrecht, Rilee Rossouw, Jon-Jon Smuts, ’keeper Barnes and others could easily hold their own in the South Africa senior side from a fielding perspective and between them they must have saved at least 40 or 50 runs in the final.

And the brightest star in that particular galaxy is Englebrecht. Coach Ray Jennings reckons he is the best fielder of his age in the world and based on his performances in the U/19 CWC, it would be difficult to construct a counter-argument.

At cover-point, he is this side’s version of Jonty Rhodes, stopping anything that comes within about a mile of him and on Sunday he clung on to two more spectacular catches to add to his collection and, more importantly, to dismiss top scorer Tanmay Srivastava and captain Virat Kohli, not to mention the running out of Iqbal Abdullah.

From behind the stumps Barnes took three smart grabs and also effected the run out of Saurabh Tiwary as South Africa managed to reduce India to 159 all out in the 46th over. Only Srivastava (46) looked comfortable against the SA attack with Parnell (2-21), Matthew Arnold (2-30), Mohammad Vallie (2-33) and Roy Adams (2-38) all making an impact.

But things did not go South Africa’s way when it was its turn to bat. Man of the match Ajitesh Argal bowled beautifully first up for India and removed Pieter Malan and Rilee Rossouw with just six runs on the board.

Man of the match from the semi-final Jon-Jon Smuts was then run out and SA found itself at 17-3 when the rain came.

When they resumed, things did not improve for South Africa as it lost wickets at crucial moments during the chase. That said, Reeza Hendricks (35), Barnes (19) and the impressive Parnell (29) almost got the junior Proteas home but ultimately it was to be India’s day.

Akki hits back at Shahrukh's nasty jokes

Sometimes a harmless joke can take a deadly turn. And that's exactly what happened at the Filmfare awards on Saturday night, which had a few tense moments courtesy the Razzy awards that Shahrukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan were handing out to to their colleagues. The two Khans gave out the desi version The Nariyal Awards in various categories.

The show script had many funny moments with the guests in splits until they announced the Wedding Dancer of the year award to Akshay Kumar for dancing at most weddings in 2007. Then Shahrukh went on to say, "I am free for a few months now, I might just do the same.

"To which Saif added, "I was even thinking of doing birthday parties." At this point, King Khan warned him, "Don't say that aloud, Akki will start doing that too." While everyone in the audience was enjoying the joke, Akshay wasn't particularly amused.

In fact, when Akshay got hold of the mike, he decided to get his own back and said, "Shahrukh, your wife had called me yesterday." There was stunned silence in the auditorium thinking Akki was going to make a nasty jibe at SRK. But the actor added, "She told me to come to your house and perform for Aryan's next birthday bash as he prefers my dancing to yours.

" If one remembers SRK and Akshay have been pitted against each other at the BO with Akshay giving four hits last year compared to Shahrukh's two. Akki wasn't going to let his rival make digs and not retaliate.

The source says, "Akshay felt he had taken enough ribbing from the duo. And he gave them a fitting reply. Everyone thought Akki had cracked a joke and smartly and pointedly made his point too. "Akki is an extremely popular dancer and is called to perform at weddings at astronomical sums of money.

Akki's wit at first left SRK looking stumped but then he simply smiled and took it sportingly. The cracks on Akki stopped after that." An industrywalla adds, "I would not be surprised if this entire tu-tu main-main was not part of the act. If you remember, Akki did something similar at the Filmfare awards in Om Shanti Om."

Oscar Statuette

It's been called "the Academy statuette," "the golden trophy" and "the statue of merit." The entertainment trade paper, Weekly Variety, even attempted to popularize "the iron man." Thankfully, the term never stuck. Born in 1928, the Academy Award of Merit — which we know as simply "the Oscar" — depicts a knight holding a crusader's sword, standing on a reel of film with five spokes, signifying the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and Technicians.

Weighing 8.5 pounds and standing 13.5 inches tall, the statuette was designed by MGM's chief art director Cedric Gibbons. Frederic Hope, Gibbons' assistant, created the original Belgian black marble base; artist George Stanley sculpted the design; and the California Bronze Foundry hand cast the first statuette in bronze plated with 24-karat gold.

The Origin of the Oscar Name
A popular but unsubstantiated story has been that the moniker caught on after Academy librarian and eventual executive director Margaret Herrick said that the statuette resembled her Uncle Oscar. Its first documented mention came after the sixth Awards Presentation in 1934 when Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used it in reference to Katharine Hepburn's first Best Actress win. The Academy itself didn't use the nickname officially until 1939.

Oscar has changed his look on occasion. From the 1930s through the 50's, juvenile players received miniature replicas of the statuette; ventriloquist Edgar Bergen was presented with a wooden statuette with a movable mouth; and Walt Disney was honored with one full-size and seven miniature statuettes on behalf of his animated feature SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. In support of the World War II effort between 1942 and 1944, Oscars were made of plaster, to be traded in for golden statuettes after the war. Additionally, the base was raised and changed from marble to metal in 1945. And in 1949, Academy Award statuettes began to be numbered, starting with No. 501.