Cricket 360

Plays of the day

2009-01-03T05:08:00.000-08:00

Plays of the day
A newbie in a happy daze, and SCG in the pink
Peter English at the SCG
January 3, 2009
Pink is in at the SCG © Getty Images

The cap fits, but not the helmetNot even a bouncer that removed Andrew McDonald's helmet was enough to stop him from smiling. The allrounder McDonald was a surprise selection and over the past two days has been in a happy daze. Even Morne Morkel's short ball, which McDonald turned his head on before it struck the base of his lid, could not ruffle him. By the time the helmet had hit the ground - and missed the stumps - he was looking at the bowler and grinning, while thinking about tightening his chin strap.
Are you Ishant in disguise?The nightmares Ricky Ponting has involving Ishant Sharma reappeared at the SCG, with Morkel sparking the cold sweats. Tall right-arm fast bowlers who can bring the ball back into Ponting provide him with so much trouble and Morkel welcomed the captain with a nasty offcutter. Ponting pushed forward to the lifting delivery with an angled bat and the inside edge went to Mark Boucher. The big cheer the under-siege Ponting received when he walked out had stopped and Ponting left with his second golden duck of the series.
In the pinkThe SCG took on a psychedelic feel with pink splashed throughout the stands and on the ground to raise awareness of breast cancer. The colour was everywhere: on stumps, signs, advertising boards, caps, shirts and bandanas. Glenn McGrath's charity foundation was the beneficiary of more than A$50,000 and he was on the square at the time of the toss.. He didn't agree to the crowd's comeback calls.
New stand not for standingThe Victor Trumper stand was gleaming on its first international day and the bronze statue of the late and famous barracker 'Yabba' was in position in the front row. But the new area provided a first-over problem for Matthew Hayden, who stopped play because of the people walking through an entry way just next to the sightscreen. Like the building of the stand, the problem was fixed over a couple of stages.
Clarke on his kneesJacques Kallis was uncomfortable to face late in the day and earned some plays-and-misses as well as delivering a ball that hit Michael Clarke in the groin. Clarke went down immediately and after a few breaths started to crawl along the pitch in an effort to deal with the pain. Kallis stared at Clarke like he was a drama queen, Brad Haddin smiled as he went to offer help and the crowd groaned and laughed at the same time. Clarke eventually regained his feet and showed no problems with the next ball, which was driven down the ground.
Oh my, AmlaHashim Amla did some amazing things in the field, particularly when diving to stop Matthew Hayden's drives, so his drop of Clarke 12 minutes before stumps was a huge surprise. Clarke was on 69 when he pulled to midwicket and the ball seemed to dip as it reached Amla, but it was a chance that should have been taken, and one of the few missed by both teams in the series.
Peter English is the Australasia editor of Cricinfo

Australia v South Africa, 3rd Test, Sydney, 1st day

2009-01-03T04:59:00.000-08:00

South Africa finished a strong first day with six Australian wickets but already their thoughts are turning to producing a significant total to limit the difficulties in the fourth innings. Australia's Simon Katich expects the pitch to become lower and slower as the match goes on and there are already cracks that are being noticed by hopeful bowlers and wary batsmen.
After Australia ended the day at 6 for 267 the, visitors were intent on limiting them to 350 at the worst. "It's very, very important to get a big, big total in the first innings to take a bit of pressure off the second innings," the assistant coach Vinnie Barnes said. "The wicket does get a bit slow and lower, and the spinners come into play."
Barnes said his side was slightly ahead but felt it could have been a "fantastic day" if Hashim Amla had held on to a relatively easy catch when Michael Clarke was 69. Clarke ended the day on 73 as he lifted the side from another uncomfortable start from the misfiring order.
Katich began strongly by racing to 47 off 52 balls, but Australia were struggling at 5 for 162 before Clarke and Brad Haddin put on 75. "We fought back really well in the last session," Katich said. "South Africa had their noses in front and then with that partnership between Clarke and Haddin we got ourselves in a position where we could get to 350 and put some pressure on them."
Katich, the New South Wales captain, has plenty of experience on the ground and said it looked like a dry wicket and "runs on the board are always vital". "This one will deteriorate differently to the Melbourne wicket," he said, "so hopefully this gives us a bit of an advantage over the next few days."
Clarke has not scored a Test century on his home ground and Katich said the signs were good. "You can tell he's keen for a big one here," Katich said. "The way he played today was very, very good and hopefully he can carry on that in the morning with Mitchell Johnson. If we get one or two really good partnerships we'll get ourselves in a reasonably good position."

Aussies are lily-livered cowards: PCB

2008-09-17T03:28:00.000-07:00

Pakistan's anger over Australia's decision to proceed with its Indian tour despite the serial blasts in New Delhi were so seething that a PCB official called the Aussies "lily-livered cowards", according to a report.

"To talk simply of double-standards would be to understate what we feel. My personal view is that your people are a bunch of lily-livered cowards," a senior PCB official was quoted as saying by ‘The Australian’.

"You use one set of rules when it comes to poor Pakistan and another when it comes to India and the rich pickings to be made from the Board of Control for Cricket in India and playing in the Indian Premier League," he fumed.

PCB Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi had also accused Cricket Australia of "double standards" by deciding to proceed with the India tour while cancelling their Test tour to Pakistan early this year and objecting to Champions Trophy due to security reasons in Pakistan.

"I think if Australia tour India it will only highlight their double standards on security issues," Naghmi had said. But Cricket Australia and Australian Cricketers' Association rubbished such accusations, saying the security situation in India and Pakistan were different.

"We rely on the independent people to give us the advice and it is nothing about India or Pakistan over this, it is about the situation in any given country. The threat assessment for India has been considerably lower than that of Pakistan," he said.

"I've been in touch with a couple of players and they just wanted to know what the process was. There's no panic within the group. There's just some general concern," he added.

A CA spokesman said security had already been upgraded for the current Australia A tour and would remain in place for the senior team.

He said the decision not to tour Pakistan and to go to India was based on the available security information. "Dispassionately we have received different information on those different countries," the spokesman said.

There were also conflicting reports in Australian media over PCB's threat to take legal recourse on this matter. ‘The Australian' said PCB was contemplating suing CA if it goes ahead with next month's tour of India while ‘Sydney Morning Herald’ reported the denial of such a move.

India-Aus series no less compelling than Ashes: Gilchrist

2008-09-17T03:26:00.000-07:00

It may not have the aura of an Ashes but an India-Australia cricket series is no less compelling, feels retired Aussie wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. Gilchrist said if the Ashes has the long history of a famous rivalry, the competition between Australia and India has evolved into its own special status.

"It has been a fantastic series in the past 10 to 12 years whenever the two teams have locked horns. It has lived up to the tag of an iconic series. As far as history goes the Ashes are important but this (India vs Australia) has its own status," he said in Mumbai.

Gilchrist predicted the upcoming India-Australia Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy would be a hard fought one though the visiting side is "relatively inexperienced."

"The (Australian) team this time is relatively inexperienced but it does not mean they don't know the conditions here. They should do well," said Gilchrist who was in Mumbai as a brand ambassador for the Australian Wollongong University.

"Cricket Australia has been sending A teams and other teams to India over the years purely to allow cricketers gain experience about conditions here. India though would be a tough opponent since they are one of the most experienced teams in world cricket with an exciting fast bowling attack and an experienced batting line-up," said Gilchrist who retired early this year after playing 96 Tests.

When asked about the alleged racism incident during the Sydney Test in India's tour of Australia affecting the upcoming series, Gilchrist said, "I don't think relations between India and Australia were damaged permanently due to the incident. I think the IPL came at the right time to ensure that relationships were mended," he said.

Speaking about Australian players to watch out for in the upcoming series, Gilchrist said captain Ricky Ponting was one of them since he had not performed to his potential in India.

"Shane Watson is also brimming with confidence after his stint in the IPL and fast bowlers Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson are also expected to do well," he said.

"Despite personal problems, Lee is a committed player and would do a good job. Johnson if he gets some reverse swing could also play a major role.

"New face Bryce McGain was also a good choice for the series. But don't compare him with Shane Warne. I have played once against him (McGain) and he got me out in both innings. I was very impressed with his control and discipline," Gilchrist said.

BCB rejects resignation by 'rebels', hints at possible ban

2008-09-17T03:23:00.000-07:00

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has hinted at a possible ban of the 13 cricketers who have aligned with Indian Cricket League (ICL), saying that it would act according to ICC's decision about unauthorised competitions while dealing with them.

"Everything will be decided in line with the ICC's decision taken in last March about unauthorised competition," BCB's cricket operations committee chairman Gazi Ashraf Hossain said.

The ICC does not recognise ICL and most countries do not permit their contracted players to join the unofficial league. The BCB has also rejected the resignation by its contracted players who have joined ICL, on the ground that they violated terms of contract with the Board.

"We are not accepting their retirement letters. They didn't give us any prior notice before submitting the letters which is a clear violation of contract.

"Also they didn't mention when their retirements would be effective from. It was also totally unacceptable the way they talked with the media and hence they breached the code of conduct," Ashraf was quoted as saying by 'Daily Star'.

He said a final decision on the 'rebel' players will be taken after an emergency Board meeting on Wednesday.

"The cricket operations committee will table their recommendations to the emergency meeting and they will ultimately take the decision," he said.

Ashraf said there was still time for the players to return to BCB fold and they would the Board would welcome them if they do so.

"Still our door is open for them and we have extended our hands to welcome them back, but they must come to us before we have taken the final decision. It's true we will miss their international experience but we have players in the pipeline," said the former skipper.

Asked about a former BCB official's claim that current captain Mohammad Ashraful was the brain behind the exodus, Ashraf refused to add more fuel to the fire on the issue.

"I know there is lot of talking about his involvement but we should talk with him first. We don't know about his link with the whole thing. He (Ashraful) however informed about the offer he got from ICL. And you know he is the player who will definitely get the highest offer and it's no joke to refuse 15 crore taka," said Ashraf.

Ten Bangladesh players to join ICL

2008-09-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

Former skipper Habibul Bashar is among at least 10 leading Bangladesh players who will join the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL), a league official said on Tuesday.

"There will be more than 10 players, that includes Bashar," the official, who did not wish to be identified, said.

The ICL were due to make an announcement at a news conference on Tuesday after at least seven Bangladesh players surprised their national board by seeking early retirements.

Pay fine or forget T20 Championship, PCB tells Shoaib

2008-09-17T03:17:00.000-07:00

The Pakistan Cricket Board has told Shoaib Akhtar to forget about playing in next month's National Twenty20 Championship unless he pays the Rs seven million fine imposed on him for indiscipline or gets a favourable ruling from the court.

Confusion prevailed at the launching ceremony of the prestigious tournament when Shoaib's name was missing from the list of players from his region, Islamabad.

Later a PCB spokesman confirmed that Shoaib's name was submitted by the regional team as the 16th player of the side.

"They gave us a list of 16 players but in the slides only the names of 15 players were shown. That is why there was some confusion about whether Shoaib was part of the Islamabad side or not," Raza Rashid, the spokesman, said.

But he said as per the board's policy, Shoaib was required to first pay the fine of seven million rupees or get a ruling from the court against the fine before he can play in Pakistan's premier domestic event.

"The board's policy is very clear on this," he said.

Shoaib had a five-year ban imposed on him by PCB's disciplinary committee, which was subsequently reduced to 18 months by an appellate tribunal in June which heard his appeal against the ban for disciplinary violations.

But the tribunal, while reducing the ban, also asked him to pay the fine of seven million rupees.

Shoaib has filed a writ petition in the Lahore high court against the ban and fine but the court, while suspending the ban, have given no order on the payment of fine.

Ponting has lot to prove in India

2008-09-17T03:06:00.000-07:00

For a man who has scored over 10,000 runs in Test cricket, Ricky Ponting's meagre tally of 172 in that glut of runs on Indian soil is a baffling fact.

Australia's skipper, who has recovered following wrist surgery, will be keen to set right his poor record when he leads the team to India later this month in a best-of-four Test series for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Ponting, by and far, has had an outstanding international career, having led Australia to two World Cup triumphs, in 2003 and 2007, and been part of the triumphant 1999 squad, led by Steve Waugh.

He appears as the only current batsman capable of overtaking Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar in the number of Test hundreds when both finish their careers.

The Tasmanian stroke-maker has 35 hundreds in 119 Tests compared to Tendulkar's 39 in 150, and the former, who is also two years younger, currently holds a superb average of 58-plus, nearly four points more than that of the Indian champion.

But all these records may count for little for Indian fans if the Aussie fails to deliver with the bat in the Test rubber unlike on previous visits to this country.

Ponting, who has struck two double hundreds against India in home conditions, has not crossed 60 in eight previous Tests played in India, his best knock having come at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on the 1998 tour.

Somehow, an Indian visit has seen him unable to stamp his authority on the bowlers, his abysmal average of 12.28 being ample proof of his past struggles.

In contrast to his poor display in India, the 33-year-old Ponting has amassed 1349 runs in 11 Tests at home against the Indian attack, a feat that has helped him average close to 80 per innings in Australia.

So what has prevented the predominantly front-footed batsman from replicating his success on Indian soil against the same set of bowlers?

Former India captain Chandu Borde says Ponting, who has made four visits to India for Tests, hasnt shown the requisite patience to do well in the country.

'He's a player who prefers to play on the rise and on the front foot. In Australia the bounce is truer than on Indian wickets, where the ball keeps low and also turns a bit more. He has not shown enough patience, but on good wickets can still perform well,' the former Test middle-order batsman said

Borde also believes that the Australians are generally more susceptible to off-spin, as indicated by the success enjoyed Erapalli Prasanna (57 wickets in 13 Tests), Shivlal Yadav (55 wickets in 13 Tests) and Harbhajan Singh (64 wickets in 11 Tests, the break-up being 55 in seven Tests in India and the rest on Australian soil).

'Our off-spinners have generally done well against the Australian batsmen and I'm particularly happy with the way Harbhajan bowled in Sri Lanka. He seems to have recaptured his former self,' the ex-chief selector said.

To make matters interesting in the build-up to the Australian team's visit is the fact that Harbhajan has dismissed Ponting eight times in his career while Anil Kumble has done it on seven occasions.

The Aussie skipper definitely has a big battle on his hands to set right his dismal past record in India.

Ojha confident of dream Test debut

2008-09-17T03:02:00.000-07:00

He may have been benched during the Test series against Sri Lanka, but Indian left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha is not disappointed and remains confident of getting a dream debut against Australia next month despite his inexperience.

Ojha said the Australian batsmen, despite their known vulnerability against spin, will be a challenge for him if he is selected for the four-Test series starting October 9.

"It's a dream for anybody to play Tests and a debut against Australia will be just perfect. I have no experience against Australians but I know their weakness against spin bowling, I'll hope to do well if given a chance. It will be surely a big moment for me," Ojha told PTI from Hyderabad.

Gillespie and Patel bowl New Zealand A to victory

2008-09-17T02:57:00.000-07:00

A polished 75 from Peter Fulton and accurate bowling by Mark Gillespie and Jeetan Patel helped New Zealand A to a 129-run win over Australia A in game one of the Triangular Series in Hyderabad. A target of 236 seemed very achievable at the beginning of Australia’s chase, given how they had curbed New Zealand’s middle order after Fulton’s dismissal, but the bowling and some reckless hitting led to their downfall.

Having opted to bat first, New Zealand’s first ten overs yielded just 34 for the loss of Aaron Redmond, but Fulton and Mark Guptill accelerated thereafter. Fulton hit Peter Siddle for three consecutive boundaries in the 11th over. Guptill collected two sixes as well - New Zealand scored 43 runs in the second Powerplay - and took a liking to Shaun Tait. This was Tait’s first competitive outing since his Ford Ranger Cup match against Victoria eight months ago but he was erratic and served up eight wides. Guptill fell to Xavier Doherty for 33 and, by this time, Fulton had eased to 60 from 68 balls, repeatedly piercing the gaps in the field.

It took a spectacular catch on the long-on boundary by Phil Hughes - catching the ball, then flipping it back in to the field as he lost balance over the rope and finally diving forward to hold on again - to cut short the dangerous James Marshall, and that cued a collapse. Doug Bollinger returned to dismiss Fulton for 75 and the runs dried up. Doherty struck twice in two overs to chip away at the lower order to finish with 4 for 34, and New Zealand had thrown away the platform provided by Fulton and Guptill.

However, a total of 235 for 9 proved way out of a poor Australia’s reach. Mark Gillespie, the medium-pacer, removed Hughes in the opening over and added David Hussey - caught behind for 0 - in his second, though replays proved inconclusive. Luke Ronchi looked to have the measure of the new-ball attack, playing some confident shots, but fell lbw to Gillespie for 27.

Australia never recovered from those three strikes. Grant Elliott’s spell from the 11th over yielded the crucial wickets of Marcus North and Adam Voges and thereon it was all downhill. Jeetan Patel, another bowler with international experience, didn’t have do to much against the lower order and finished with 4 for 16.

Shane Warne flays Andrew Symonds

2008-09-17T02:53:00.000-07:00

MELBOURNE: Legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne has lambasted temperamental all-rounder Andrew Symonds for showing disrespect to the national team and urged him not to throw away his international career and return as a better person.

Warne was critical about Symonds "gone fishing" episode and said the volatile all-rounder has let his team down by not attending the important team meeting in Darwin.

Symonds was sent packing from Darwin during the Bangladesh ODI series and was also dropped from the 15-member squad that tours India next month.

Warne said Symonds should have lent support to his one-time best friend Michael Clarke especially in the absence of senior members like Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden.

"I would have thought that if Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke were good friends, then Symo would have more respect for Clarke than that," Warne was quoted as saying in 'Herald Sun'.

"I think it's disappointing that he put a young captain like Clarke in that position.

"It was disappointing from Symo, especially with the Australian team not having senior players like Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden there.

"It's not a one-off thing, and I just think Symo has showed lack of respect," Warne said.

Warne, who retired from international cricket two years back and is now the coach and captain of the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, urged Symonds not to quit the game and to regain his lost respect.

"I would be disappointed if he took the easy option and just threw it away," he said.

"He could do that and just take his cash from the IPL, but to me that would be the easy option.

"The hard option and the option that will satisfy him and earn him some respect is to come back a better person and show how important playing for Australia is to him," he said.

Australia on track for India tour

2008-09-17T02:49:00.000-07:00

Australia’s Test squad still plans to depart for India on Sunday despite increased fears over security following deadly bomb attacks in New Delhi on Saturday. Cricket Australia officials were due to meet with representatives from the Australian government’s department of foreign affairs on Monday afternoon to receive an update on the safety situation in India.

Michael Brown, Cricket Australia’s general manager of cricket, will also receive a report on Tuesday from Reg Dickason, the team’s security advisor, but a spokesman said there had been no change to the schedule for the four-Test series. “Our position is that the tour is going ahead unless we are otherwise persuaded,” Peter Young, Cricket Australia’s general manager of public affairs, told Cricinfo. “Our advice is there are some concerns and to exercise caution, but currently they do not compromise the tour. Our plan is to depart on September 21 subject to our advice.”

Stephen Smith, Australia’s foreign minister, said the final decision on the tour, as in the past, would be taken by Cricket Australia. “We’ll provide them with all of our up-to-date travel and assessment advisories. They are also, as I understand it, getting their own independent security advice which is what they do on a regular basis.”

Australia have scheduled warm-up games in Jaipur and Hyderabad, where bombs have gone off over the past year, before heading to Bangalore, where one person was killed in attacks in July, for the opening Test on October 9. While Cricket Australia will continue to discuss the issue with their security advisers, the government and the Indian board, more information on the situation in the country is available from members of the Australia A squad.

The outfit is currently in Hyderabad, 1500km south of New Delhi, for a one-day tri-series and the first match will be against New Zealand A on Monday. Young said the team wanted to stay and play.

“In consultation with the BCCI, we have upgraded security in and around the dressing rooms and they will have an escort to the ground,” Young said. “They have also been told not to leave the hotel without good reason. It’s just a matter of prudence.” The squad is travelling with a security advisor who is part of Dickason’s team.

The Australian Cricketers’ Association does not believe the danger in India is as bad as in neighbouring Pakistan, but Paul Marsh, the chief executive, said he expected “heat” if Australia toured. “If the team stays in India, there might be some who criticise us for double standards,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “But people need to understand our starting point is that we always want to tour.

“We go to extreme lengths to obtain the best advice on the situation of each country we visit. In Pakistan’s case this year, people we rely on told us not to tour. If they say not to tour again, we’ll listen. Bombs going off anywhere are a concern.”

More than 20 people were killed in the explosions in New Delhi, which will host the third Test from October 29. “The threat assessment for India has been considerably lower than that of Pakistan,” Marsh said in the Australian. “We want to find out if the latest bombings will change that in any way and what our independent experts think about our Australia A players being over there at the moment. As always we’ll rely on the advice of the experts.”

'I'm more than just a Twenty20 player'

2008-09-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

These days, Baroda's big-hitting middle-order batsman Yusuf Pathan can't figure out what he needs to do to remove the 'Twenty20 batsman' tag he's got himself labelled with. The lesser-known Pathan's earlier success in the Indian Premier League had raised his profile.

However after his failure with the bat in the Bangladesh ODI series and the Asia Cup, the selectors seem to be looking at Yusuf as a batsman only fit for the T20 version. "My Twenty20 stint has just started, but I've been scoring runs in Ranji Trophy, Deodhar Trophy, Duleep Trophy, almost everywhere. I'm not a player only for T20. I'll show you soon what I'm capable of," he says, talking to The Indian Express.

Yusuf had never thought he would be out of reckoning so soon, especially after scoring 435 runs at a strike rate of 179 in the IPL.

Pushing too hard

He explains that he hasn't had too many chances to bat or even opportunities to display his bowling skills. "I know I will get another opportunity, but when, it's hard to say. In the seven matches that I played, I've got the chance to bat only thrice," he points out.

But things didn't really go according to plans. "I tried to push myself hard and everything was going fine after the IPL. In the final match against Pakistan in Dhaka, I think I rushed things a bit in trying to score quick runs."

Now with Yusuf being picked for the India A squad for the tri-series starting from September 15, the attacking all-rounder is hoping to make an impression and his way back into the Indian side.

Bomb blasts put Australian tour in jeopardy

2008-09-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: The bomb blasts here on Saturday, which claimed lives of more than 20 people so far and injured more than 100, have put Australia's tour to India in severe danger. Australia are scheduled to play four Tests in India, beginning early next month.
Cricket Australia confirmed to CNN-IBN that they will review security after the serial blasts last evening and consult with the Australian government. They will also speak with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Peter Young, the spokesperson for Cricket Australia told CNN-IBN that there will be no changes in the schedule of Australia's tour to India as long as the security of their team is taken care of.
"Our basic principle is safety of the team. We will be talking to security experts, Australian High Commission and the BCCI. We will evaluate the reports they give. Well, so far the tour is on unless we get any reports, we are progressing with our plans to go ahead," Young said.
According to reports, Australia's team security manager Reg Dickason will be asked to compile an urgent report on the security situation in India.
Dickason will work with the Australian Cricketers' Association and CA General Manager of Cricket Michael Brown who has been assigned the job to speak to the Indian Cricket Board, the Australian High Commission in New Delhi and security agencies to gain information on travelling to India.
"Based on this report and other inputs, we will take a decision on the tour next week or so
"The fundamental principle that always comes first is the safety of the team and the team officials," Young said.
Meanwhile, the latest Australian government's travel advice for India is "to exercise a high degree of caution because of high risk of terrorist activity by militant groups."
Australia is scheduled to leave for India on September 21 for the four-Test series.
The first Test is to begin from October 9 in Bangalore and the third Test of the series is due to be played in Delhi at the Feroz Shah Kotla on October 29. The Australian team is also scheduled to have a week-long camp in Jaipur. All the three cities have been hit by terror attacks recently.
Niranjan Shah, secretary of the BCCI, was hopeful that Cricket Australia would fulfill its commitments and play the series in India.
"We are definitely concerned with today's explosions in Delhi. But I don't think it will have any impact on the coming Australia series," Shah told the Hindustan Times.
However, Australia have cancelled their tours before due to security concerns. They refused to travel to Pakistan for a series and were severely apprehensive about the Champions Trophy before it was postponed.
(With inputs from CNN-IBN and PTI)

Leading Bangladesh players to join ICL

2008-09-14T00:10:00.000-07:00

Dhaka: At least 14 leading Bangladesh cricketers, including former captain Habibul Bashar, are set to join the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), according to a local media report on Sunday.

Bashar, Mohammad Rafique, Alok Kapali, Shahriar Nafees, Aftab Ahmed, Nazim Uddin, Farhad Reza and Dhiman Ghosh are among the players who will sign a contact with the ICL this week, reported the Dhaka-based Bengali national daily Prothom Alo.

Kapali, Reza and Dhiman were in the Bangladesh squad that played a three-match one-day series against Australia earlier this month.

Players participating in the league, which is not sanctioned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), have been banned from playing international cricket by their respective national cricket boards.

Ganguly axing will be interesting: Ponting

2008-09-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

Dubai: The Aussie captain Ricky Ponting has an acid test coming up with the tour to India, leading a new-look side. And as he chatted with CNN-IBN's Roma Khanna, Punter expressed surprise at Sourav Ganguly's omission from India's lead-up to the series, besides putting the onus on both teams to maintain the Spirit of the Game during the upcoming series.

Ricky Ponting: I am doing okay. I had some six weeks off for after the wrist injury and from last week I have started batting again. So, it is coming along pretty well.

CNN-IBN: Are you ready for the Indian challenge?

Ricky Ponting: Yes, we are all looking forward to it. It is obviously a great place to play cricket and Australia have really enjoyed touring India. We know that we are going to get a great contest. India are a very good cricket team and whatever we saw in Australia during last summer, it pretty much guarantees that the upcoming series is going to be a good series.

CNN-IBN: A lot of people have been saying that the Indian middle-order who haven’t performed well in the Tests series against Sri Lanka, are probably be low on confidence. Do you agree with that assessment?

Ricky Ponting: Series to series is a different thing. You can go through one series not doing very well but in the start of the next series, you can start off and make a big score and suddenly you are back on track again. That is what cricket is all about. Things can change so quickly in the game.

But one thing that I have noticed is that Sourav hasn't been named in the initial squad and that I think is going to be interesting for me and during the tour.

But some of the Indian team over the next 12 months are probably going to be going through a sort of a re-building. It will be interesting to see how they stand up with no Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman not being around. But they are there for this series and we are going to make sure that we get better of them under their condition.

CNN-IBN: Do you think that this time around the Test series is going to be a little less acrimonious?

Ricky Ponting: I know that there is going to be huge build up to this Australia-India Test series, especially after the last summer in Australia. Media will be all out there and the things will be all over the place. But it is up to us players to make sure that we do the right things about the game and hopefully put up a good spirited performance before the fans.

'Batsmen will have fun facing Oz spinners'

2008-09-14T00:05:00.000-07:00

New Delhi: Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has predicted a tough time for rookie Australian spinners on their maiden tour.

Talking to Australian newspaper The Age, Harbhajan said after Shane Warne's retirement, Australia were bound to face this problem.

Speaking about the quality of Aussie spin bowlers, Harbhajan said Warne and Stuart MacGill were in a different league but the two youngsters selected are very inexperienced and the Indian batsmen should have fun facing them.

Australian spin bowling resources look very thin as the two spinners selected — Jason Krejza and Bryce McGain — are still to make their debut, as compared to the Indian spin duo of captain Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh who have 907 wickets together in Test cricket.

Warne refuses to rule out comeback

2008-09-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

Melbourne: Legendary spinner Shane Warne has refused to rule out a shock international comeback to a depleted India-bound team even though he tipped an aeging Bryce McGain as new number one Australian Test spinner.

"In my life I've learnt never to say never," Warne was quoted as saying by the Courier Mail.

"But at the moment I'm very happily retired and I'm very happy with my life," he said.

Warne said the 36-year-old McGain was the top spinner in the country and added he had experience at his side.

"If you look at the spinners at the moment in Australia he is the best," Warne said. "He has slowed his pace down and is spinning it beautifully. Being 36 is an advantage for him experience wise and he has basically played club cricket once a week for most of his career so his body isn't a worry.

"I don't see it as a backwards step that Beau Casson is gone. This is a tour of India and they have really good players of spin and we don't want to ruin anyone," he added.

McGain, who has played only 19 first-class matches and taken 57 wickets at 33, was on Saturday named as Australia's frontline spinner for the arduous four-Test tour of India and will partner rookie Tasmanian off-spinner Jason Krejza in a 15-man squad.

He is set to become Australia's oldest Test debutant in 24 years.

Casson was overlooked because selectors did not feel his wrist spin would suit Indian conditions.

India's objection understandable: PCB

2008-09-13T23:58:00.000-07:00

Karachi: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday said the BCCI's objection to the October 2009 dates of the Champions Trophy was understandable as India will have to honour international commitments.

India had objected to the proposed Champions Trophy date as they are hosting Australia for a seven match one-day series at that time.

"The series against Australia is important for Indians from financial and cricketing point of view. They are quite flexible on new Champions Trophy dates and had not said no to anything," PCB Chief Operating Officer Shafqat Naghmi told PTI.

Naghmi admitted difficulty in finding a window in the international calendar once a tournament was postponed but hopeful of hosting the Champions Trophy in September-October 2009.

"All boards have agreed in Dubai the new window should ideally be September-October next year and it is a matter of settling things with other boards. Pakistan has no worries about the new dates," he said.

Describing the next year's January Test tour by India as the "mother of all series" for Pakistan cricket, Naghmi said it would shore up the financial resources of the board.

"The coming India series is the mother of all series as the kind of revenue from one India series is probably equal to all the series put together. Hopefully 2009 would be a better year and we will make our financial position healthy starting with Indian series," he said.

Naghmi asserted that the current administration should not be blamed for the current crisis in Pakistan cricket.

"FTP was finalised four years ago and nobody from current dispensation attended the meeting and we got a raw deal as far as scheduling of Tests is concerned."

Pakistan invite West Indies for Tests in November

2008-09-13T05:40:00.002-07:00

Pakistan have “formally invited” West Indies to play two Tests in November in another attempt to fill the gap created by the postponement of the Champions Trophy.

“We have formally invited the West Indies board to send their team to play two Tests in Pakistan immediately after the three-match one-day series ends in Abu Dhabi,” Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, told PTI. “We are hopeful West Indies will respond positively or else this year we just have the one-day series in Abu Dhabi and a Twenty20 four-nation event in Toronto in October.”

The Pakistan board had initially proposed a tri-series in South Africa but the plan fell through after Cricket South Africa said their players were fatigued following a long tour of England. They then tried to set up an ODI series against Sri Lanka but had received “ridiculously low figures” for the television rights.

Pakistan have been deprived of Test cricket in 2008 after Australia postponed their tour of the country for Test and ODI series, scheduled for March, because of security concerns. They hosted the Asia Cup in June-July, but the Champions Trophy, which was supposed to begin on September 12, was also postponed after five countries said they wouldn’t participate in the tournament due to security fears.

Pakistan’s last Test was in India in December 2007 and their next Test series is in January 2009 when they host India. “Unfortunately, we don’t have much cricket in coming months,” Naghmi said, “but 2009 is going to be a packed season for us and our team will not have enough breathing space.”

Their next international assignment is a four-day Twenty20 quadrangular in Toronto next month with Sri Lanka, West Indies and hosts Canada.

Siddle sidles into Test reckoning

2008-09-13T05:40:00.001-07:00

Two months after Peter Siddle’s Victoria fast-bowling colleague Darren Pattinson made a surprise Test debut for England, Siddle is hoping for a similar bolt-from-the-blue moment for Australia. Pattinson had 11 first-class games under his belt when his shock call-up arrived; Siddle has also played 11.

He knows a Test debut is unlikely as Doug Bollinger will probably be the first reserve in India but simply being named in the squad is a win for Siddle. He is light on experience but would certainly have played more matches had he had more co-operation from his troublesome right shoulder, which has been reconstructed.

The selectors have for several years viewed him as a long-term prospect; he has been given three separate stints at the Centre of Excellence. He has youth on his side and at 23 he was preferred to Ashley Noffke, 31, who accompanied Bollinger in the back-up duties in the West Indies this year.

Siddle is already in India, where he is preparing for Australia A’s upcoming one-day games. The rain in their three-day matches against India A meant he had little chance to bowl, although his 15 overs in Bangalore brought him 1 for 27 and he is confident the experience has helped him adjust from Australian conditions.

“We haven’t played a lot of cricket over here but the wickets are totally different from back home,” Siddle told Cricinfo. “The important thing is to adjust your line and length. I did that quickly in Bangalore, in the first Test against India A, and did well.

“I normally run in and hit the wicket hard and get good bounce but over here that doesn’t work. Here I need to be bit more fuller and make use of swing and be spot on with the line and length.”

Siddle is deceptively quick and persistently attacking, which has helped him collect 41 first-class wickets at 21.65. He has also won praise from his Victoria coach Greg Shipperd for being a capable “stump-to-stump” bowler who makes the batsmen play and can also use reverse swing.

Siddle does not mind if a baggy green fails to eventuate on this trip but for Bollinger the journey will bring him within touching distance of international cricket. He has been a relentless accumulator of wickets on the domestic scene in the past couple of seasons and 4 for 59 against India A last week proved he is adaptable.

“The conditions are different to back home, which are bit harder,” Bollinger said. “It’s a good challenge. I just bowled a lot straighter and attacked the batsmen a bit more. It’s a learning process still.”

A tall left-armer who usually gains impressive bounce, he was the leading wicket taker in the Pura Cup last season with 45 at 15.44. Bollinger, 27, also has time on his side and having sat in the dressing rooms in the Caribbean, he is simply looking forward to more experience with the Test squad.

“I wouldn’t say I smell an opening now,” Bollinger said. “But being around I should remain positive and try and do everything right so that if the opportunity does happen I can just slip in easily.”

McGain is our best spinner - Warne

2008-09-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

Shane Warne has backed Bryce McGain as the best spinner in Australia and Stuart MacGill says McGain should also have toured the West Indies this year. But the champion legspinners disagreed on whether Beau Casson should have joined him in the squad to visit India and Warne said a potential mauling by India’s batsmen could have wrecked Casson’s future prospects.

McGain, 36, is almost certain to become Australia’s oldest Test debutant in 24 years after being named with the Tasmanian offspinner Jason Krejza in the 15-man squad for the four Tests in India. McGain was the leading spinner in the Pura Cup last season but was overlooked for the Caribbean trip, where Casson debuted after MacGill’s unexpected retirement.

“I don’t see it as a backwards step that Beau Casson is gone,” Warne told the Daily Telegraph. “This is a tour of India and they have really good players of spin and we don’t want to ruin anyone.”

Warne spent time with McGain at the MCG indoor nets about a month ago and McGain picked Warne’s brain about tactics in India. He put those plans into place in last week’s Australia A game in Bangalore and is keen for another chat to Warne, who has full confidence in McGain as a Test player.

“If you look at the spinners at the moment in Australia, he [McGain] is the best,” Warne said. “He has slowed his pace down and is spinning it beautifully. Being 36 is an advantage for him experience-wise, and he has basically played club cricket once a week for most of his career so his body isn’t a worry.”

MacGill agreed that McGain was a fitting candidate for the India tour. It was the mid-series departure of MacGill in the Caribbean that created Australia’s latest spin conundrum and he said McGain was unlucky not to already be an international player.

“I’m very pleased for Bryce, because this should have been his second tour,” MacGill told the Sydney Morning Herald. “If I had known that by the middle of the [West Indies] tour I would be impeded by injuries and have to pull out mid-series, I would never have gone. He’s worked his arse off for this.”

However, MacGill said he felt for his New South Wales team-mate Casson, who was overlooked as the selectors wanted one wrist-spinner and one finger-spinner. It was a familiar story for MacGill, who never played a Test in India and missed out on the 2004-05 trip when the offspinner Nathan Hauritz made his debut.

“I probably suffered in a very similar way,” MacGill said. “I am uncomfortable with the general assumption that offies are better suited than leggies in India. It was frustrating for me, because I never found out how I would go, and I assume it’s the same for Beau now. Everybody hates being put in a box.”

Mumbai players relive 'unique experience'

2008-09-13T00:21:00.000-07:00

Mumbai: The Mumbai players, who participated in the inaugural Mohammad Nissar Trophy, a four-day match between former Ranji Trophy champions and Pakistan domestic champions (Quaid-e-Azam Trophy winners) Karachi Urbans at the National Stadium in Karachi last year, feel it was a big learning curve for them.

With the Mumbai stars like Sachin Tendulkar and Ajit Agarkar busy with international commitments, it was left to their opener Wasim Jaffer, who had fallen out of favour with the selectors after a very lean trot against the Aussies, to lead a young side, which did exceptionally well during their first ever outing in Pakistan.

In fact four of their young turks crossed three figure marks to help their team put up a huge 623 for six off 158 overs as the hosts also missed a few of their stars due to national duty. In reply the Mumbai bowlers, spearheaded by spinner Vikrant Yelligatti (three for 56), restricted the home side to 389 all out in 131.5 overs, securing a first innings lead of 234 runs.

However, the tourists ran out of time to force an outright win as the Karachi team scored 172 for four off 53 overs on the final day despite following-on.

Mumbai opener Sahil Kukreja, who slammed 110 off 196 balls, said "it was a very good experience for all the youngsters to have played on Pakistan soil. It was like a learning curve for all of us."

"Though the conditions over there were similar to the one back home, we were a little skeptical in the beginning as we were playing their bowlers for the first time. But once we got a good look at them we started playing our shots freely and it was good to see the crowd appreciate good cricket," he added.

Kukreja and his opening partner Ajinkya Rahane, who scored 143 off 207 balls, gave their team a perfect start putting on 247 runs for the opening wicket off 65.2 overs and took to the conditions like ducks take to water.

"I remember we were quite apprehensive initially but once we realised that the ball was coming on to the bat quite nicely and the Karachi Urban bowlers were not getting any movement in the air, we started playing our shots freely. Personally it was a fine experience for me and it helped us to became better cricketers," Rahane said.

Abhishek Nayar, who almost scored a run-a-ball century (152 off 162 balls) for Mumbai, said playing in front of the Pakistan crowd was a fine experience as they appreciated good cricket.

"When I went in to bat, Prashant (Naik) was well settled. We needed quick runs as we wanted to declare the innings on the second day so that we gave enough time for our bowlers to bowl out the opposition twice. There was nothing much in the wicket and we managed to add 235 runs for the fifth wicket in pretty quick time," Nair said.

Prashant Naik, who got a patient 118 off 227 balls, said he was pleasantly surprised with the support Mumbai team got during the match.

"It was a superb experience to play at the National Stadium and every run we scored was applauded by the small crowd that witnessed the match on all the four days," Naik said.

Despite a magnificent 200 off 427 balls by Karachi Urbane opener Khurram Manzoor and a fighting 92 off 145 balls by Saeed Bin Nasir, Mumbai bowlers – Yellgati, former Indian new ball bowler Avishkar Salvi (two for 88), Nayar (two for 82) and Iqbal Abdulla (two for 86) – managed to restrict the opposition to 389 all out.

Even though the match ended in a draw, it was a worth while experience for the Mumbai youngsters, who not only gained valuable experience of playing in Pakistan conditions but have gone on to represent junior India teams in various age groups.

Pak get matches with Canada T20 tourney

2008-09-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

Karachi: Pakistan's cricket-starved side finally got some good news on Saturday when organisers confirmed a four-nation Twenty20 tournament to be played in Canada next month.

The tournament, scheduled to run from October 10-13, will feature Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and hosts Canada, giving Pakistan desperately needed matches after the eight-nation Champions Trophy was postponed over security fears.

"We have confirmation... for the tournament to be played at Maple Leaf ground, Toronto," Nauman Nabi, chairman of the event's organisers Sports International Marketing, said.

Pakistan was facing no immediate matches after the postponement of the Champions Trophy -- scheduled between September 12-28 -- and after efforts to arrange replacement fixtures failed.

The tournament in Canada was originally scheduled for August, but was put off because a West Indies team was not available.

The Caribbean side will also miss out this time after they demanded a two-week delay in the event, which Nabi said was not possible.

"West Indies have some problems adjusting to the new dates so they wanted the event to be further delayed, which considering the cold weather of Canada was not possible, so we replaced them with Zimbabwe," he said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), meanwhile, has invited the West Indies to play two Tests here in November.

The planned home series will follow a bilateral One-Day series against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi, scheduled for earlier in November.

"I met the West Indies Board officials in Dubai and have invited them to play two Tests against us in November and we hope they give us a positive response," PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said.

Pakistan has been left without Test cricket in 2008 after Australia postponed a scheduled tour over security fears in March this year.

Champions League rights sell for $900 million

2008-09-11T05:37:00.004-07:00

The Champions League Twenty20 has become the highest valued cricket tournament on a per-game basis after EPSN-Star Sports secured the ten-year commercial rights for US$900 million. The deal gives the network the global commercial rights for every Champions League match from this year’s inaugural event in December until 2017.

The ICC confirmed the deal when it opened all the bids in Dubai on Wednesday. ESPN-Star Sports was preferred ahead of DIC, who offered $751.3 million, and the Abu Dhabi Sports Club, whose bid was disqualified for being conditional.

Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said the bidding process had been “fair and transparent”. “We have what we believe to be the best commercial deal for the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 season and for cricket fans across the world,” Modi said. “All the bids received were of a very high standard.”

No venues have yet been named for the 2008 series, which will take place from December 3 to 10. The tournament will feature eight sides from India, South Africa, Australia, England and Pakistan, before expanding to a 12-team competition next year.

ESPN-Star Sports was already the ICC’s television rights holder until 2015. In 2006, the network paid $1.1 billion for the nine-year deal that would include two World Cups.