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Brett Lee announces retirement from Test cricket

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:45:03 +0000

Ferocity is a word you could often ascribe to Lee. At his best only the freak of nature that is Shoaib Akhtar could match the blond bombshell for pace and though he was almost inevitably overshadowed by McGrath, Gillespie and Warne in the great Australian teams of the turn of the century, there is little shame in that.

Indeed, with arguably the most metronomic duo in the history of the game hogging the overs for most of his career, the very fact that Lee managed to take 310 wickets in his 76 appearances speaks volumes for his destructive abilities.

As with most skiddy, attacking fast bowlers Lee could often be a tad expensive but it was more than compensated for by his relentless, boundless energy and above all, speed. As a sport, cricket has a surprising dearth of natural athletes but Lee truly bucked the trend.

The sight of the New South Welshman at his best was simply awesome. With a bouncing, fluid run up and high, open-chested action the ball would be propelled towards a cowing at a seemingly supersonic pace. When he was at his best it was the added ingredient of late swing which baffled batsmen the world over but even without it his speed could be too much.

For us English fans, Lee will of course be remembered for one series. Whilst McGrath busied himself falling over stray balls in practice and Gillespie had a very public crisis of confidence, Lee shed his image of a preening, Bondi showboat and proved himself both a gentleman and a bowler capable of leading a besieged attack.

Whilst the likes of Ponting and Katich were clearly affected by the torment of the English crowds, Lee revelled in it, effortlessly living up to the pantomime villain status he was given. And his villainy almost stretched beyond pantomime status. As England limped towards their target of 129 it was Lee, who along with Warne threatened to spoil England party taking 3-51 in a ferocious spell which claimed the wickets of Pietersen and Flintoff, the latter clean bowled with by a simply unplayable delivery.

And then there was Edgbaston; the greatest test and the games most iconic image of a distraught Lee, crouched down at the non-striker’s end as Andrew Flintoff bends down to offer him a consoling arm. Whatever Lee goes on to achieve in the remainder of his limited-overs career — and we can only hope that his body allows him to take advantage of the T20 boom for a few more years yet — his image is forever etched into cricketing infamy.

Irfan Pathan to be match-fit for most of IPL

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:42:17 +0000

Irfan Pathan, who missed the Vijay Hazare Trophy due to a back strain, expects to be fit in around 20 days. He will recover in time to play for the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL, though he may miss a few of the initial matches.

“I should be match-fit in two to two-and-a-half weeks,” Pathan told 22yardscricket. “I have a back strain that first troubled me after the Duleep Trophy final.”

The IPL begins on March 12 and Kings XI Punjab play their first two games on March 13 and 16. Despite being on course to recover full fitness in time for the World Twenty20, Pathan was not included in the 30-member preliminary squad for the tournament that begins in late April. Pathan, who last played for India in the 2009 World Twenty20, was disappointed with his exclusion, but ruled out any miscommunication over his fitness.

DLF IPL cricket schedule 2010

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:40:10 +0000

The DLF IPL cricket schedule 2010 is as follows :

March 12, 2000 hours: Deccan Chargers (DC) vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Navi Mumbai.

March 13, 1500: Mumbai Indians (MI) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR), Mumbai.

March 13, 2000: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) vs Delhi Daredevils (DD), Mohali.

March 14, 1600: KKR vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Kolkata.

March 14, 2000: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Deccan Chargers (DC), Chennai.

March 15, 2000: RR vs DD, Ahmedabad

March 16, 1600: RCB vs KXIP, Bangalore

March 16, 2000: KKR vs CSK, Kolkata

March 17, 2000: DD vs MI, Delhi

March 18, 2000: RCB vs RR, Bangalore

March 19, 1600: DD vs CSK, Delhi

March 19, 2000: DC vs KXIP, Nagpur

March 20, 1600: RR vs KKR, Ahmedabad

March 20, 2000: MI vs RCB, Mumbai

March 21, 1600: DC vs DD, Nagpur

March 21, 2000: CSK vs KXIP, Chennai

March 22, 2000: MI vs KKR, Mumbai

March 23, 2000: RCB vs CSK, Bangalore

March 24, 2000: KXIP vs RR, Mohali

March 25, 2000: MI vs CSK, Mumbai

March 26, 2000: RR vs DC, Ahmedabad

March 27, 1600: KXIP vs KKR, Mohali

March 27, 2000: RCB vs DD, Bangalore

March 28, 1600: RR vs CSK, Ahmedabad

March 28, 2000: DC vs MI, Nagpur

March 29, 2000: DD vs KKR, Delhi

March 30, 2000: MI vs KXIP, Mumbai

March 31, 1600: CSK vs RCB, Chennai

March 31, 2000: DD vs RR, Delhi

April 1, 2000: KKR vs DC, Kolkata

April 2, 2000: KXIP vs RCB, Mohali

April 3, 1600: CSK vs RR, Chennai

April 3, 2000: MI vs DC, Mumbai

April 4, 1600: KKR vs KXIP, Kolkata

April 4, 2000: DD vs RCB, Delhi

April 5, 2000: DC vs RR, Navi Mumbai

April 6, 2000: CSK vs MI, Chennai

April 7, 1600: RR vs KXIP, Jaipur

April 7, 2000: KKR vs DD, Kolkata

April 8, 2000: RCB vs DC, Bangalore

April 9, 2000: KXIP vs MI, Mohali

April 10, 1600: DC vs CSK, Navi Mumbai

April 10, 2000: RCB vs KKR, Bangalore

April 11, 1600: DD vs KXIP, Delhi

April 11, 2000: RR vs MI, Jaipur

April 12, 2000: DC vs RCB, Navi Mumbai

April 13, 1600: MI vs DD, Mumbai

April 13, 2000: CSK vs KKR, Chennai

April 14, 2000: RR vs RCB, Jaipur

April 15, 2000: CSK vs DD, Chennai

April 16, 2000: KXIP vs DC, Dharamsala

April 17, 1600: RCB vs MI, Bangalore

April 17, 2000: KKR vs RR, Kolkata

April 18, 1600: KXIP vs CSK, Dharamsala

April 18, 2000: DD vs DC, Delhi

April 19, 2000: KKR vs MI, Kolkata

April 21, 2000: Semi-final 1, Bangalore

April 22, 2000: Semi-final 2, Bangalore

April 24, 2000: 3rd Place match, Navi Mumbai

April 25, 2000: Final, Navi Mumbai.

Flawless Tendulkar 200 gives India series

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:36:10 +0000

It took nearly 40 years of waiting and it was well worth it. Sachin Tendulkar chose one of the better bowling attacks doing the rounds, to eclipse the record for the highest score, before bringing up the first double-hundred in ODI history. The spectators at the Captain Roop Singh Stadium became the envy of cricket fans as they witnessed one of the country’s favourite sporting heroes play a breathtaking innings which not only set up a 153-run annihilation but also the series victory. He may have been run-out cheaply in the previous match, but nothing could deny him today – be it bowlers, fielders, mix-ups or cramps.Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan and MS Dhoni stood by and admired as the master unfurled all the shots in his repertoire.

At 36, Tendulkar hasn’t shown signs of ageing, and his sparkling touch in both forms of the game has ruled out all possibilities of him checking out anytime soon. Fatigue, cramps and paucity of time have stood in the way of batsmen going that extra mile to get to the 200-mark. Tendulkar did cramp up after crossing 150, but he didn’t opt for a runner. His experience of 20 years at the international level came into play in this historic innings, staying at the crease from the first ball to the last, never once losing focus. There were no chances offered, no dropped catches, making his innings absolutely flawless.

A swirl of emotions must have run through his mind as he approached one record after another but he ensured he was never lost in the moment. His running between the wickets remained just as swift as it had been at the start of the innings. The humidity in Gwalior was bound to test him but he stood above it all and played like he owned the game, toying with the bowling with a mix of nonchalance and brute power.

In the 46th over, with a flick for two past short fine-leg, Tendulkar broke the record for the highest ODI score, going past the 194 made by Zimbabwe’s Charles Coventry and Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar, and to say that he acknowledged his feat modestly would be an understatement. His muted celebration on going past 194, true to style, made his innings all the more endearing. He didn’t raise his bat, merely shook hands with Mark Boucher and simply carried on batting amid the din. Coming from a man who is not known to showing too much emotion with the bat in hand, it wasn’t surprising. He reserved his celebrations for the magic figure of 200, which he reached in the final over with a squirt off Charl Langeveldt past backward point. He raised his bat, took off his helmet and looked up at the skies and it was only fitting that one-day cricket’s highest run-getter reached the landmark.

Tendulkar’s innings featured strokes of the highest quality, but his true genius was exemplified by one particular shot which rendered even the best bowler in the world helpless. In the first over of the batting Powerplay – taken in the 35th over – Dale Steyn fired it in the block-hole for three deliveries outside off to keep him quiet. Tendulkar, feeling the need to improvise, walked right across his stumps and nonchalantly flicked him across the line, hopping in his crease on one leg to bisect the gap at midwicket. A helpless Steyn watched the ball speed away and merely shrugged his shoulders. There was no use searching for excuses or venting frustrations at the temerity of that shot. It was just that kind of afternoon for the bowlers.

It wasn’t all just about the cheekiness of his shots. His timing and placement were the hallmarks at the start of his innings. On a road of a pitch which offered no margin of error for the bowlers, he squeezed out full deliveries past the covers and off his pads. With no seam movement on offer, Jacques Kallis took the slips off and placed them in catching positions within the 15-yard circle, hoping to induce a mistake. But Tendulkar outplayed all of them, making room to manoeuver it past a number of green shirts. There were a minimum of two runs on offer each time the ball was placed wide of them and the quick outfield did the rest.

Once he got his eye in, the short boundaries and the flat pitch were too inviting. Virender Sehwag’s dismissal for 11, caught at third man, was just an aberration as Karthik, Pathan and Dhoni traded cricket bats for golf clubs. Driving and lofting through the line had never been this easy. Tendulkar could have driven them inside out in his sleep.

The two century stands, with Karthik and then with Dhoni, may well get lost in the scorecard but they were vital building blocks. Karthik rotated the strike well in their stand of 194, struck three clean sixes and helped himself to his career-best performance. That partnership sent out ominous signs to the South Africans that they were in for something massive. Add Dhoni’s bludgeoning hits and scoops and you had a score in excess of 400.

Tendulkar reached his fifty off 37 balls and his century off 90. Ironically, he struck his first six – over long-on – when on 111. Pathan bashed it around at the other end, clubbing full tosses and short deliveries in his 23-ball 36, as India amassed 63 runs in the batting Powerplay. The South African seamers made the mistake of trying to bowl too fast and as a result, sent down too many full tosses and full deliveries. The unplayable yorkers remained elusive and Tendulkar, who was seeing it like a beach ball, picked the gaps, made room and improvised.

He reached his 150 by making room to Parnell and chipping him over midwicket with a simple bat twirl at the point of contact. The heartbreak of Hyderabad, when his scintillating 175 all but won India the match against Australia last year, must have lingered in his mind as he approached that score again. A towering six over long-on later, he not only eclipsed Kapil Dev’s 175 but also looked set to wipe out his own record. He started clutching his thighs, indicating that cramps had set in, but even that could not stop him today.

He equalled his highest score of 186 by pulling a lollipop of a full toss off Kallis and broke his own and India’s record with a single to square leg. Fortunately, he didn’t have to do much running and played the spectator’s role for a change as Dhoni bulldozed his way to a 35-ball 68, muscling four sixes. The Dhoni bottom-hand is the strongest in the business these days and the exhausted spectators had enough energy left in their vocal chords to cheer him on as well.

The record of 200, however, was yet to be attained and the crowd were desperate for Tendulkar to get the strike. Dhoni tore into Steyn for 17 off the 49th over and retained the strike for the 50th. After hammering the first ball of the 50th for six, he shoveled a full toss to deep midwicket where Hashim Amla made a brilliant save. Tendulkar settled for a single and the crowd were on their feet as they watched him make history. It was all the more fitting for another reason because it was on this very day, back in 1988, that he and Vinod Kambli added a mammoth 664 – then a world record – in a school match.

There was to be no repeat of the 434-chase at the Wanderers, when South Africa took guard, perhaps mentally and physically shaken after the assault, and with a partisan crowd to contend with. AB de Villiers‘ attacking ton got completely lost in the chase as South Africa merely went through the motions. It was all a question of how quickly India could wrap it up.

Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, Roelof van der Merwe and Jacques Kallis all got out cheaply within the first 15 overs. de Villiers motored along at more than a run-a-ball, and collected 13 fours and two sixes. South Africa had to rely on the services of nine men to muster 200 – for India one man sufficed.

Tendulkar’s knock drew parallels with Brendon McCullum’s frenetic 158 in the IPL opener in Bangalore two years ago. The match was all about individual brilliance but not a contest. While such games are good in small doses, for one-day cricket to survive on the whole, it needs more contests between bat and ball.

I should be good for the first game – Yuvraj

admin — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:32:43 +0000

Yubraj singh

One of the major concerns for Kings XI Punjab ahead of the third season of the IPL is a long injury list, but they will be relieved that Yuvraj Singh, one of their most important players, is likely to be fit in time for the first game against Delhi Daredevils.

Yuvraj tore a ligament in his left wrist in late January and missed the second Test against Bangladesh and the entire series against South Africa that ended two days ago. He had been to Australia last week for treatment and is now looking forward to resuming batting. “I will start batting in three days,” he told 22yardscricket. “It’s been five weeks (since the injury), so yes, I should be good for the first game.”

Punjab were one of the best teams in the inaugural IPL, cruising into the semi-finals, but had a tough time in the second season, affected by the injuries to fast bowlers Sreesanth and Jerome Taylor, and the unavailability of Australian players for much of the competition.

Yuvraj has targeted at least a semi-final spot this year, and believes one of the keys to a strong performance will be having the entire squad fit and available for the tournament. “We had a good first year, made the semi-finals easily when we had our full bench of players,” he said. “So if we have our full bench of players not injured, we have a good chance of going through to the semi-finals.”

They have several important players struggling for fitness, though. Australian batsman Shaun Marsh, their standout performer in the first IPL season, became the latest worry after he was ruled out of the upcoming one-day internationals against New Zealand due to a back problem.

Their most expensive overseas player, fast bowler Brett Lee, is also beset with fitness problems. (However, IPL chairman Lalit Modi said in his Twitter page that Lee is arriving in India tomorrow). Lee is recovering from a painful elbow surgery that ruled him out of the entire Australian home summer campaign, and said a couple of weeks ago that he might never bowl again. He has only played two matches since spearheading New South Wales’ march to the Champions League title last October.

“We have a few injuries but we still have a bit of time to get fit for the first game,” Yuvraj said. Besides fitness issues, the lack of quality Indian batting back-up for Yuvraj is another of Punjab’s drawbacks, which makes it vital that allrounder Irfan Pathan recovers from the back injury that has kept him out of the preliminary squad of the ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

Laxman fit for second Test – Srikkanth

admin — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:38:12 +0000

Kris Srikkanth, the chairman of India’s selection committee, has said VVS Laxman will definitely play in the second Test against South Africa in Kolkata starting Sunday. He also said he was willing to take the blame for the mess involving the selection of India’s middle-order but it was the result of a “freakish” incident.

“Laxman is going to be back in the Kolkata Test match,” Srikkanth told CNN-IBN. “He has said he is 100% fit. [His] capability will bolster the Indian batting.” Laxman was one of the three first-choice middle-order batsmen who missed the first Test, which India lost by an innings and six runs.

Srikkanth and his panel are under fire for not picking a reserve batsman in the original squad for the first Test, defeat in which has left India needing a win at the Eden Gardens to retain their No. 1 ranking. Rohit Sharma, who was part of a Board President’s XI team that played a warm-up match against South Africa, was included in the national squad a day before the first Test but he too injured himself minutes before the start, forcing India to hand reserve wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha a debut as a specialist batsman.

The chief selector said he was willing to take the blame for picking a player who was not fully fit (VVS Laxman) but insisted there would have been no controversy had it not been for the unanticipated last-minute injury to Rohit. “Whatever happened on the morning of the Test match was absolutely unfortunate and freakish,” he said. “That’s what they have in this contract called ‘force majeure situations’. Imagine if a player is unfit just 15 minutes before the toss and that too a standby player – Rohit Sharma wasn’t even in the original 15 – just before the toss, I don’t think anybody can be blamed for it.”

Saha was dismissed for a duck in the first innings and made a dogged 36 the second time round, but has been left out of the squad for the second Test, with Dinesh Karthik returning after two big hundreds in the Duleep Trophy final. “They all [critics] feel that Wriddhiman Saha is not a genuine batsman but a wicketkeeper who can bat. But in all fairness, Saha proved that he can bat pretty decently.”

The original pool for the first Test had included four fast bowlers, though India rarely pick more than two quicks in home matches. “Generally we have an opener, a middle order batsman, a spinner and a seamer in the reserves,” Srikkanth said. “But in this Test match alone we thought we would encourage two more fast bowlers. But to our bad luck, you had one batsman walking out.”

Happy New Year 2010

admin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 08:16:00 +0000

The Indian skipper said his team is ready to switch to the T20 mode.

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:26:46 +0000

Indian bowlers would find it more difficult than the batsmen to make the switch from the longest to the shortest format of the game, according to Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

“It’s (switch) difficult. But if you see we had been scoring at five-an-over in the last Test we played (at Mumbai). I don’t think it would be too difficult for some of the batsmen, especially Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir,” Dhoni said ahead of the first Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka.

“They actually bat in the same way. Just that they are a bit over-aggressive in T20 format, you can say,” he said

Though the bowlers need to roll their arm for only four overs, an enormous effort is involved to do so in the T20 format as the batsmen would go after them from ball one, especially on Indian pitches, he said.

“Most of our players are positive players, looking for strokes and runs. I don’t think you need to change your game too much. Of course a few others need to change according to the requirements.”

“Considering we are playing in India, it would be a bit different for the bowlers, as the batsmen would go after them from the very first ball. It looks to be a small game, just four overs, but the amount of effort that’s needed, that’s what it is all about” he explained.

Dhoni said his team will look to win both the T20 matches.

“We will try our best, it’s a very different format. We have to be up to the mark in everything. It’s important to be right on target. We will try and win both the two T20 games (against Lanka),” he said.

The second match is at Mohali on December 12.

Dhoni hoped to keep it a 100 per cent win record for India at this new venue after having won the Test against Australia last year and again the ODI against the same opponents two months ago.

“We hope to have a 100 per cent strike rate at Nagpur. It will be good for Nagpur and India,” he quipped.

Dhoni felt the wicket looked to be good for stroke playing but also cautioned the quick manner in which things fall apart for a batting side when they are on the look-out for quick runs in T20 games.

“Looks like a good track. It’s a late evening start. We may see dew come into effect. But by the time dew comes in the game may be over. It won’t be that big a factor.”

“Overall it will be good for batting, but in T20 its very tough to predict. All of a sudden you look to go aggressive and lose quite a few wickets at quick intervals and you are not able to get big runs”, he pointed out.

Dhoni said that the two newcomers in the Indian team, Ashok Dinda of Bengal and R Ashwin of Tamil Nadu are bound to benefit by having a close look at what an international game is about by sharing the dressing room.

India vs Sri lanka Match Schedule T20, ODI Matchs December 2009

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:24:40 +0000

Date Time Teams Match Venue
December 9
7:00 AM
India vs Sri lanka
1st Twenty/20
Nagpur

December 12
7:00 AM
India vs Sri lanka
2nd Twenty/20
Chandigarh

December 14
10:30 PM
India vs Sri lanka
1st ODI
Rajkot

December 18
4:00 AM
India vs Sri lanka
2nd ODI
Visakhapatnam

December 21
4:00 AM
India vs Sri lanka
3rd ODI
Cuttack

December 24
4:00 AM
India vs Sri lanka
4th ODI
Kolkata

December 27
4:00 AM
India vs Sri lanka
5th ODI
Delhi

Gayle century swings game West Indies’ way

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:34:33 +0000

Chris Gayle has more than his share of critics, often due to an impassive appearance that is sometimes taken for apathy, but he proved how much he cares about his team’s results with a patient century in Adelaide. Gayle’s first Test hundred against Australia gave West Indies a 296-run lead with a day to play and on a turning pitch Australia will have their work cut out against the spin and bounce of Sulieman Benn.

In the past century, no team has made more than 239 in the fourth innings to win an Adelaide Test and if Gayle doesn’t declare overnight, Australia might need to beat the all-time record of 315. West Indies finished at 8 for 284 with Gayle, who batted throughout the day, on 155 and Ravi Rampaul yet to score after Benn skied a catch in the final over off Mitchell Johnson.

A draw remains the most likely result, especially with the possibility of some final-day showers, but Gayle at least significantly slashed the odds of West Indies going 2-0 down with one match to play. Following Australia’s innings victory inside three days in Brisbane, Gayle and the team management kept their players in the dressing rooms for a long discussion, during which they resolved that the same result could not be allowed to happen again.

Dwayne Bravo, Brendan Nash, Benn and Kemar Roach have all stood up in Adelaide and on the fourth day it was the captain’s turn to lead from the front. A late challenge from Johnson, who snared Bravo and Denesh Ramdin in one over on the way to 4 for 85, couldn’t mask the fact that for most of the day Australia’s bowling lacked bite. West Indies could have accelerated quicker in the final session to increase the pressure on the hosts but they remain in a strong position thanks to their captain.

It was an innings of uncharacteristic restraint from Gayle, who for most of the day resisted his urges to hit over the top, and instead scored most of his boundaries along the ground with well-timed straight drives or clips through the leg-side. Australia tried to tempt him early in the day with Marcus North and Nathan Hauritz bowling an outside off-stump line but he was happy to leave, and apart from trying to force a couple of shots into the turf and back past Hauritz, his patience held up.

His century came from 179 deliveries and it prompted a display of clear emotion from the usually poker-faced Gayle, who beamed towards the dressing rooms and swung his bat in joy, having never before passed 71 against Australia. Late in the day he began to suffer cramps but was still willing to sprint for singles and keep his team moving, and it wasn’t until his 257th delivery that he registered a six, with a pull over midwicket off North.

Wickets gradually fell around him but nowhere near regularly enough for Australia’s liking. They thought they had Gayle on 26 when they asked for a review of a leg-side take by Brad Haddin off Johnson but replays showed the ball had come off Gayle’s leg. Australia had already burned a review on a caught-behind appeal against Adrian Barath and were left to rue their poor judgment when Nash later padded up to Doug Bollinger, who kicked the turf in disgust when Asad Rauf turned down a strong appeal. The action led to Bollinger being reported by the match referee Chris Broad.

It was that sort of day for Australia, frustration upon frustration, as they felt decisions went against them and their spinners failed to have the same impact Benn had enjoyed on the third day. There was turn and bounce for both slow men and one Hauritz delivery that ripped back viciously to Bravo suggested that Benn will be a handful on Tuesday.

Peter Siddle was clearly not at full fitness due to hamstring tightness and bowled only eight overs, while Bollinger, Johnson and Shane Watson battled hard with little success for most of the day. Watson delivered a searing, swinging yorker that clipped the leg stump of Nash (24), after Bollinger trapped Shivnarine Chanderpaul directly in front for 27.

Ramnaresh Sarwan fell for 7 when he sent a leg-side catch to Haddin off Johnson and Barath (17) was unfortunate to be run out at the non-striker’s end when Gayle’s straight drive was adjudged to have touched the bowler Hauritz before crashing into the stumps. It was the only thing Gayle did wrong all day