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Who will shoulder Indias pace burden now that spearhead Zaheer Khans surgery has ruled him out for at least five months The onus falls on two Delhi pacers the young Ishant Sharma and the veteran Ashish Nehra to step up and deliver during the long and gruelling season ahead.
Both Nehra and Ishant seemed optimistic about the teams chances when 22yards caught up with them on Friday. Comeback-man Nehra, for one, is upbeat about his prospects and hopes he will stay fit throughout . Ishant admitted Zaheer would be missed but the lanky pacer is keen on seeing India continue their winning momentum in One-dayers .
Zaheer has been quite a sensation for India lately and the team is going to miss him. But since I am the senior-most bowler in the lineup, I am ready to shoulder the responsibility in Zaheers absence. I have been bowling well in recent months and I have the confidence to do well for the country again, Nehra told 22yards on Friday, adding: I only hope to be fit throughout the season and am keeping my fingers crossed.
The left-arm seamer also pointed out, India will be playing only three Tests in the next nine months. We have a lot of One-dayers , and our fast bowling department is good enough to handle pressure situations. I have missed more than two-anda-half years due to injuries but I happy with my form now. I had a decent outing in the West Indies and even this years IPL was good for me.
Ishant, meanwhile, is enjoying a much-needed break at home. But in the late afternoons he is a regular at the Ramjas Sports Complex nets in Patel Nagar . I am working on strengthening exercises these days, he told 22yards, This is the off-season and I am doing all the drills which a fast bowler needs to do to maintain fitness levels.
We are certainly going to miss Zaheer but we have to make the best use of our resources . Zaheer has been of great help to me ever since I started playing for India. I am certainly going to miss him. Injuries are part of the game. But there are seniors in the team who can help me out, he said.

This is a crucial season for us. We want to keep our winning momentum in One-dayers intact . One cant be in top form throughout but it is important to contribute to the teams win, he added. Nehra also felt India had good resources to fall back on in Zaheers absence. Apart from Ishant, Praveen Kumar and RP Singh have also been impressive in recent months. They have a good future ahead of them, he said

Vinod Kambli Tuesday denied making any statements against Sachin Tendulkar after a media report asserted the former cricketer had, in a reality show, indicted his childhood friend of letting him down when he was going through a bumpy patch in his career.

Kambli also said he did not say anything against the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

‘I have not said anything against Sachin or BCCI. When you watch the show you will see what I have said,’ Kambli told reporters here.

‘Sachin is a very close friend and he knows that Vinod can never say such things. My family is splintered and so is his. I can understand what Sachin must have gone through if he has come to know of it. I can never say anything like this against him,’ Kambli said.

Asked whether he has spoken to Tendulkar to clear all doubts, Kambli said: ‘I have not got a chance to speak to Tendulkar. He is in London.’

‘I have played cricket for 18 years and I have represented my country. Why would I say anything against BCCI. I have not said anything against the board,’ he clarified. ‘I do not need any publicity that I will do all this.’

A media report said that on a TV show that goes on air this week Kambli said that ‘Tendulkar did not lend a helping hand during my downward spiral.’ It also quoted the left-hander as reportedly saying: ‘I always felt discriminated against by the cricket board because of my caste and colour.’

July 12, 2009
Pakistan Tour of Sri Lanka 2009
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 2nd Test Match
P Sara Oval, Colombo
Umpires: D Harper (AUS) and S Taufel (AUS) Third Umpire: K Dharmasena (SL)
Match Referee: A Hurst (AUS)
Toss: Pakistan (Elected to Bat)
Result: Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets Man of the Match: Fawad Alam, Nuwan Kulasekara
Match Summary: Match Over
Pakistan Ist innings
Runs Balls Fours Sixes SR FoW
Khurram Manzoor c T Dilshan b Kulasekara 3 9 0 0 33.33 1-4 ( 2.2 ov. )
Fawad Alam lbw b Mathews 16 33 1 0 48.48 5-51 ( 14.6 ov. )
Younis Khan (c) b Thushara 0 3 0 0 0.00 2-6 ( 3.1 ov. )
Mohammad Yousuf c R Herath b Kulasekara 10 6 2 0 166.67 3-17 ( 4.4 ov. )
Misbah-ul Haq c T Dilshan b Kulasekara 0 11 0 0 0.00 4-19 ( 6.4 ov. )
Shoaib Malik not out 39 88 5 0 44.32
Kamran Akmal (wk) c T Dilshan b Thushara 9 10 2 0 90.00 6-67 ( 18.2 ov. )
Abdur Rauf lbw b Kulasekara 0 34 0 0 0.00 7-74 ( 27.4 ov. )
Umar Gul c T Samaraweera b Mendis 1 14 0 0 7.14 8-80 ( 31.4 ov. )
Mohammad Aamer lbw b Mendis 2 9 0 0 22.22 9-90 ( 35.5 ov. )
Saeed Ajmal lbw b Mendis 0 1 0 0 0.00 10-90 ( 35.6 ov. )
Extras: ( 2 wd, 2 lb, 4 b, 2 nb, 0 p) Total: 90 / 10 in 36.0 overs (Run Rate: 2.50)
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets NoBall Wide Eco
Nuwan Kulasekara 9.0 3 21 4 0 2 2.33
Thilan Thushara 8.0 3 23 2 2 0 2.88
Ajantha Mendis 10.0 3 20 3 0 0 2.00
Angelo Mathews 3.0 0 15 1 0 0 5.00
Rangana Herath 6.0 3 5 0 0 0 0.83
Sri Lanka Ist innings
Runs Balls Fours Sixes SR FoW
Malinda Warnapura lbw b Gul 11 17 1 0 64.71 1-28 ( 6.5 ov. )
Tharanga Paranavitan c K Akmal b Ajmal 26 68 2 0 38.24 2-82 ( 21.5 ov. )
K Sangakkara (c) b Gul 87 150 9 0 58.00 5-188 ( 56.2 ov. )
M Jayawardene c K Manzoor b Ajmal 19 53 3 0 35.85 3-133 ( 39.4 ov. )
Thilan Samaraweera run out (M Aamer) 21 46 3 0 45.65 4-177 ( 53.5 ov. )
Tillakaratne Dilshan (wk) c K Akmal b Ajmal 20 34 3 0 58.82 6-203 ( 63.5 ov. )
Angelo Mathews c M Yousuf b Ajmal 27 70 2 0 38.57 10-240 ( 79.6 ov. )
Nuwan Kulasekara c M Haq b Gul 11 26 2 0 42.31 7-220 ( 70.4 ov. )
Rangana Herath c and b Gul 0 1 0 0 0.00 8-220 ( 70.5 ov. )
Thilan Thushara lbw b Rauf 1 16 0 0 6.25 9-227 ( 74.6 ov. )
Ajantha Mendis not out 0 7 0 0 0.00
Extras: ( 0 wd, 1 lb, 8 b, 8 nb, 0 p) Total: 240 / 10 in 80.0 overs (Run Rate: 3.00)
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets NoBall Wide Eco
Umar Gul 18.0 1 43 4 4 0 2.39
Mohammad Aamer 13.0 2 36 0 0 0 2.77
Abdur Rauf 11.0 1 38 1 3 0 3.45
Saeed Ajmal 31.0 5 87 4 0 0 2.81
Younis Khan (c) 7.0 1 27 0 1 0 3.86
Pakistan IInd innings
Runs Balls Fours Sixes SR FoW
Khurram Manzoor c T Dilshan b Herath 38 85 3 0 44.71 1-85 ( 24.4 ov. )
Fawad Alam c M Warnapura b Herath 168 259 15 1 64.86 5-303 ( 87.2 ov. )
Younis Khan (c) c T Dilshan b Paranavitan 82 152 7 0 53.95 2-285 ( 78.1 ov. )
Mohammad Yousuf lbw b Herath 6 12 0 0 50.00 3-294 ( 81.2 ov. )
Misbah-ul Haq lbw b Kulasekara 3 16 0 0 18.75 4-303 ( 86.5 ov. )
Shoaib Malik b Herath 6 6 0 1 100.00 7-312 ( 89.2 ov. )
Kamran Akmal (wk) lbw b Kulasekara 3 4 0 0 75.00 6-306 ( 88.3 ov. )
Abdur Rauf lbw b Kulasekara 0 5 0 0 0.00 8-316 ( 90.2 ov. )
Umar Gul lbw b Herath 2 26 0 0 7.69 9-319 ( 95.4 ov. )
Mohammad Aamer not out 1 13 0 0 7.69
Saeed Ajmal lbw b Kulasekara 0 3 0 0 0.00 10-320 ( 96.4 ov. )
Extras: ( 1 wd, 1 lb, 8 b, 1 nb, 0 p) Total: 320 / 10 in 96.4 overs (Run Rate: 3.31)
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets NoBall Wide Eco
Nuwan Kulasekara 19.4 6 37 4 0 1 1.88
Thilan Thushara 13.0 0 48 0 0 0 3.69
Angelo Mathews 6.0 0 20 0 0 0 3.33
Ajantha Mendis 17.0 0 81 0 1 0 4.76
Rangana Herath 35.0 5 99 5 0 0 2.83
Tharanga Paranavitan 6.0 0 26 1 0 0 4.33
Sri Lanka IInd innings
Runs Balls Fours Sixes SR FoW
Malinda Warnapura c K Akmal b Rauf 54 56 7 1 96.43 2-100 ( 20.1 ov. )
Tharanga Paranavitan b Ajmal 17 34 2 0 50.00 1-60 ( 9.6 ov. )
K Sangakkara (c) c M Haq b Malik 46 64 3 1 71.88 3-160 ( 29.4 ov. )
M Jayawardene not out 37 35 5 0 105.71
Thilan Samaraweera not out 6 6 1 0 100.00
Tillakaratne Dilshan (wk)
Angelo Mathews
Nuwan Kulasekara
Thilan Thushara
Rangana Herath
Ajantha Mendis
Extras: ( 0 wd, 7 lb, 0 b, 4 nb, 0 p) Total: 171 / 3 in 31.5 overs (Run Rate: 5.37)
Bowler Overs Maidens Runs Wickets NoBall Wide Eco
Umar Gul 6.0 0 38 0 4 0 6.33
Mohammad Aamer 6.0 0 33 0 0 0 5.50
Saeed Ajmal 12.0 1 56 1 0 0 4.67
Abdur Rauf 4.0 1 13 1 0 0 3.25
Younis Khan (c) 2.0 0 11 0 0 0 5.50
Shoaib Malik 1.5 0 13 1 0 0 7.09

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will have to wait to realize his dream of becoming a graduate. The prominent St Xavier’s College here denied him promotion following his failure to appear in the BCom Part I examination.
  Last year, Ranchi University had bent its attendance rules to enable Dhoni to join the college. Following this, the cricketer continued his education after a nine year gap.
   Head of examinations (St Xavier’s College) AK Sinha said his institution had relaxed certain rules for the celebrity but would under no conditions promote him since he did not appear in the final examination.
   The college’s decision was welcomed by some students. Manish Kumar, Dhoni’s senior, said he is proud to be a student of a college that fastens to the rule book. On the other hand, Meenakshi, another classmate of Dhoni, was unhappy because she would not be able to attend college with the cricketing idol.

Induced that Sourav Ganguly was ailing for T20 cricket, former Kolkata Knight Riders coach John Buchanan had asked the left-hander to leave after the first edition of the IPL.

In his latest book The Future of Cricket: The rise of Twenty20, Buchanan revealed advising Ganguly to quit Twenty20 even though the then Knight Riders captain refused to oblige.

“At the end of the initial IPL tournament I told something he did not want to hear. ‘I really think your game was off the pace and the more you play T20, the more impairment you will do yourself,’ I told him.

“Sourav responded to my honest consideration by claiming he had at least one more year of 20-over cricket in him. He told me his main aim was to get into the Test side against Australia, an aim he did achieve before announcing his Test retirement,” Buchanan observed.

“He basically said to me: ‘Thank you for your apprehensions, but I don’t agree with what you are saying’.”

Buchanan felt the initiation of T20 was a bit late for players like him and that it would have harmed the brand that Ganguly himself was.

“…Ganguly had created an inconceivable brand for himself in India. It might seem strange, but this is why I question his appropriateness for and need to play T20. I am concerned that he will erode his brand, his stature, by playing in the IPL,” Buchanan said.

Ashes 2009 Test Series

1st Test: Wednesday 8 July – Sunday 12 July (Cardiff)

2nd Test: Thursday 16 July – Monday 20 July (Lords)

3rd Test: Thursday 30 July – Monday 3 August (Edgbaston)

4th Test: Friday 7 August – Tuesday 11 August (Headingley)

5th Test: Thursday 20 August – Monday 24 August (The Oval)

There will also be a one-day series between the sides and details of the dates are expected to be announced at the end of April.

India beat west Indies by 20 runs in an opening one day match played at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica. India batted first and posted a huge total of 339 runs. Yuvraj Singh was the hero of the match who scored 131 runs followed by Karthik 67. West Indies tried its best and cxame closer to Indian score but before they reach the target the wickets finished and match goes to Indian way.

Yubraj sungh

After the match Gayle said It was a good innings from Yuvraj but having said that it was a good game. Looking to square up the series on Sunday. It was a good effort from the batsmen. Majority of us got starts. I thought Darren Bravo played well.

Dhoni expressed his views as Most of the guys thought we had won the game once we had 7 wickets down. That’s the mistake we should not commit. The difference might be 20 runs but it was lot closer than that. Yuvraj played very well. I depend on him a lot. He bats at No 4 and is consistent. He has proved himself time and again. We are happy to win game.

Man of the match went to Yuvraj Singh for his fine knock.

Ahead of the ODI series against West Indies beginning on Friday, the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave his team members a dressing down. Dhoni reportedly told his team members that everyone needs to be truthful about injuries or any other personal issues that could affect team’s performance.

The other issue Dhoni is said to have dealt with was related to players’ fatigue. He said that in case anyone felt tired and not 100 per cent fit, they should take rest in order to get better.

Dhoni has been forced to address these issues after the severe criticism that the Men in Blue faced after their performance in England. Also it came to light that several players went to England despite carrying injuries.

Melbourne, June 24 (ANI): West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo will be unveiled today as Victoria’s first international cricket signing, contracted for next summer’s domestic Twenty20 competition.

Dwayne Bravo

Bravo will join the Bushrangers in between international commitments, and will help Victoria in its quest to avenge last season’s loss to NSW in the Twenty20 final through his lusty hitting and clever medium pace.

Although he won’t be in Melbourne for the announcement, Bravo has been signed under Cricket Australia’s new provisional rules, which encourage states to lure more international players to take part in the domestic Twenty20 competition, The Age reports.

But he won’t be able to qualify for Victoria’s participation in the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League, which is scheduled to be played in India in October.

Bravo, 25, has played 31 Tests, 95 one-dayers and 15 Twenty20 internationals for the West Indies. (ANI)

MS Dhoni’s salary will be delayed next month. Ditto VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, S. Sreesanth and R.P. Singh. Reason: These India cricketers are among the 200-odd sportspersons employed by Air India. Also on the list are India hockey captain Sandeep Singh and Jhulan Goswami who captains the national women’s cricket team.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

“Frankly, we are still not clear on the status but yes, the salary has been deferred by a fortnight,” said Shekhar Guha, head of Air India Sports Promotion Board. An Air India hockey coach, who didn’t want to be named, also said: “By the 20th of every month we get PLI (Performance Linked Incentive), but we have not got it till now and there are rumours that we won’t be paid at all.”

Some of the big names mentioned above may not be affected by this but for sportspersons, present and former, surviving only on salaries this is a big blow. Neither Raina nor Sandeep, a deputy manager, said they knew about this. “I have been hearing about it in the news, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen. I will have to speak to my coach,” Raina, assistant manager, Commercial, said. Sandeep, however, felt if they did not get the salary on time would be a big problem.

Former India wicketkeeper and Delhi coach Vijay Dahiya said he would be hit by this but added that since “Air India takes care of its employees and this is a crisis, I urge all my colleagues to stand by it.”

In Mumbai, Bimal Ghosh, coach of the Air India football team which plays in the I-League, said training hasn’t stopped despite the announcement.

Company spokesman Jitender Bhargava said sportspersons, if hired as permanent staff, are usually recruited as assistant-managers. Their educational qualification too matters, he said. “We don’t employ sportspersons as brand ambassadors, but spot them young and groom them. So, their salaries are not higher than that of the top level managers,” he said.

As of now, the loss-making airline has formed a four-member committee comprising members from finance and personnel departments to look into its salary structure. Air India employs 31,000 people and has an annual wage bill of about Rs 3,000 crore. Its cumulative loss is about Rs 5,300 crore.

Air India has an annual sports budget of approximately Rs 4 crore and officials said, as of now there are no plans to curtail that.