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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.”

England has moved up a place while South Africa has dropped a position in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship table at the end of their series on Friday.
England’s 2-1 series win with washed out matches in Johannesburg and Durban, has earned it three ratings points which has helped it go ahead of Pakistan in fifth position while the series loss has pushed South Africa behind India into third spot.
World champion Australia continues to enjoy a comfortable eight-point advantage over second-placed India but the middle of the table is quite congested with only 13 ratings points separating third-placed South Africa with seventh-placed Sri Lanka.
And with India to go head to head with Sri Lanka in the five-ODI series in Rajkot from 15 December, there could be more reshuffle depending how the series pans out.
A 5-0 clean sweep will take India to 126 ratings points, four behind Australia, while Sri Lanka’s 5-0 series win will put both the sides on 115 ratings points. Sri Lanka’s 3-2 series win will lift it to 110 ratings points and will drop India to 119 ratings points but ahead of South Africa.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, South Africa’s AB de Villiers and Paul Collingwood of England have achieved career-best rankings to date.
De Villiers, who scored 145 runs in the three ODIs, has climbed two places to third position while Collingwood, who won the player of the series award for his 193 runs, has rocketed six places to 12th position in the latest rankings which were released on Friday.
However, the news is not so good for South Africa captain Graeme Smith and former England captain Kevin Pietersen. Smith, after scoring just 68 runs in the series, has dropped five places to eighth spot while Pietersen has fallen four places and out of the top 20 in 21st position after managing just 52 runs.
The batting list is still headed by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni while Mike Hussey of Australia is in second position.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, England fast bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson have stormed up the order.
Broad, who took six wickets in two matches, has leaped eight places to seventh position while Anderson, who was the most successful bowler of the series with eight wickets, has rocketed 13 places to share ninth spot with Dale Steyn of South Africa who has slipped two places.
South Africa off-spinner Johan Botha has returned to the top 10 after climbing three places to 10th position.
The bowlers’ list is still headed by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori with Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan in second spot and Ray Price of Zimbabwe in third place.
In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, Collingwood has climbed three places and now sits just outside the top five in seventh position.
Shakib Al Hasan leads the field with Shane Watson of Australia second, India’s Yuvraj Singh third and a three-way tie for fourth spot between Jacques Kallis of South Africa, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi and New Zealand’s Jacob Oram.

Rank Team Rating
1 Australia 130
2 India 122
3 South Africa 119
4 New Zealand 112
5 England 109
6 Pakistan 108
7 Sri Lanka 106
8 West Indies 76
9 Bangladesh 55
10 Zimbabwe 26
11 Ireland 25
12 Kenya 2

Incongruously, India have risen to the top in a format some would accuse them of neglecting – and their low frequency of Tests could cause them to lose their crown sooner rather than later. They are only the third team, after Australia and South Africa, to reach the summit of the ICC’s Test rankings since they were introduced in 2001 but their time there could be brief because of a schedule that contains only two Tests in the next 11 months.
Which means the duration of their reign will be determined by how their closest rivals, South Africa and Australia, fare in the next few months. “It is a bit of a concern, as we play only two Test matches in the next six months, so it will be tough for us to maintain the position,” MS Dhoni said after India’s victory in Mumbai. “I can’t do anything about the schedule. It is good to play Test cricket, at the same time we are here to play whatever cricket we are asked to play.”
Before their 2-0 victory, India were ranked third with 119 points after Sri Lanka and chart-toppers South Africa (122). The two consecutive innings victories in Kanpur and Mumbai earned India five points, taking them two clear of South Africa, while Sri Lanka slipped below Australia to fourth place.
During the period in which India have only two Tests – against Bangladesh – to maintain a hold on their No. 1 position, South Africa play at least four and Australia eight. A 2-0 win against Bangladesh isn’t likely to give India too many ratings points either, so they could be overtaken depending on how South Africa do against England, and how Australia go against West Indies and Pakistan at home, and in the away series in New Zealand and against Pakistan in England.
What is certain is that India will end 2009 as the No. 1 Test side because even a 3-0 victory for Australia in the ongoing series against eighth-ranked West Indies will give them only one point, taking their tally to 117, and no improvement in position.
India’s immediate threat is South Africa, but they will have to beat England by a 2-0 margin or better to reclaim the No. 1 spot. A 2-0 or 3-1 victory for South Africa will take them marginally ahead of India, 3-0 will given them 126 points, and 4-0 will extend their lead over India by three. However, if England win 1-0 or 2-1, South Africa’s tally will reduce to 117, increasing India’s lead by seven points.
If South Africa fail to recapture the top spot against England, India’s reign will receive an extension because even if Australia blank Pakistan 3-0 at home, following a 3-0 win against West Indies, their ratings points will increase only by three to 119. They will then need to win in New Zealand and beat Pakistan in England – an away series for Australia – to move up the ladder.

South Africa bounced back into contention for 2009 ICC Champions Trophy glory with a five-wicket triumph over New Zealand at SuperSport Park on Thursday.
Upset by Sri Lanka in the tournament opener two days ago, the Proteas had to win and did so with relative ease before a large, holiday crowd.
New Zealand were all out for 214 in 47.5 overs and South Africa cruised to 217-5 in 41.1 overs and another win Sunday over England would virtually assure the hosts of a place in the knockout phase.
AB de Villiers was a fitting matchwinner, sealing success with a four having top scored for the Proteas with an unbeaten 70 in 76 balls, including nine boundaries.
Ross Taylor was the top Kiwi scorer with 72 off 106 balls before missing a low full toss and being trapped leg before by revitalised Wayne Parnell , who was voted man of the match. Parnell finished with five wickets.

India Will Miss Explosive Batsmans Spinning Skills Too

Another subdued practice session, another day of eerie silence. Team India is still coping with the unexpected loss of Yuvraj Singh and rejigging the middle order is on top of their list of priorities. However, with the Pakistan clash looming, the absence of Yuvrajs big-hitting talents could prove easier to tide over than his recently-developed skills as a part-time slow bowler.

yuvraj singh

Kevin Pietersens pie-chucker took two hat-tricks during the second edition of the Indian Premier League on South African soil and has bowled 194 overs in 56 games in the last two years. It is in the past year, though, that his bowling skills have gone up a notch as he bagged 12 wickets at 30.91. In the past 17 ODIs, he has even bowled his full quota of 10 overs twice, both away from home, at Christchurch and at Colombo, where he finished with a three-wicket haul against New Zealand at 3.10.
In Hamilton this year, he bowled nine overs in the fourth ODI at an economy rate of 4.44, picking up one wicket. Yuvrajs loopy tweakers have enabled MS Dhoni to play one specialist spinner in Harbhajan Singh more often than not and that luxury would have come in handy on a dry surface like at the Supersport Park in Centurion , where India play two crucial league games against Pakistan and Australia.
Now, either Yusuf Pathan or Suresh Raina will have to step up, with the only other part-time option being replacement Virat Kohli, who is expected to arrive only on Friday morning.
While Dhoni finds his hands tied on this fifth-bowler dilemma, there will be discussions aplenty on how to plug the yawning gap in the middle order. Dhoni might have to step up to the plate and return to his aggressive ways, but then who will play finisher as skillfully as the skipper has in the recent past Sachin Tendulkar too might have to attempt to play steadfastly throughout. Gambhir is back as opener but with Yuvrajs match-winning presence unavailable in the latter stages, will Dravid be under more pressure to up the ante
In the context of the upcoming Pakistan game, too, Yuvrajs absence acquires relevance. He was man of the series in Indias last full series against Pakistan. Besides , during the memorable 2003 World Cup game at Centurion, in a match made memorable by Sachin Tendulkars 98, Yuvraj had scored a crucial, unbeaten 50 as India successfully chased 273. The ground will miss his presence in this reprise of that big clash.
Incidentally, the batsmen is expected to stay back in South Africa for a while and has been advised rest.

Blow for India as injury rules Yuvraj Singh out of Champions Trophy

• Vice-captain breaks finger in fielding practice
• Joins Sehwag and Gambhir on India’s casulty list

India have been dealt a blow after it was confirmed that their vice-captain Yuvraj Singh has had to withdraw from the Champions Trophy after breaking a finger during fielding practice on Wednesday.

He will be out for six weeks because of the injury to his right hand, and will be replaced in the squad by Virat Kohli.

Yuvraj is the third Indian players to have sustained an injury in the run-up to India’s participation in the Champions Trophy – which begins against Pakistan on Saturday – following the withdrawal of Virender Sehwag [shoulder] and fellow opener Gautam Gambhir [groin].

Gambhir did not play in the practice match against New Zealand, while Sehwag did not make the trip to South Africa.

ICC TEST TEAM RANKING

ICC ODI TEAM RANKING

Lanka Post 319 On Board To Put South Africa On Backfoot

The word is taboo in South African cricket. The cricketers take great pains to shelve the persistent queries, the fans live in denial, and for days now, the local media here has been steadily building up the Champions Trophy steam by portraying Graeme Smiths men as the favourites. Cover stories in magazines have harped on how this generation of South African cricketers are used to success when it matters most. On how the knack of faltering at crucial stages in the biggest events is no more an issue. The repeated emphasis is a pointer. Choke is never far away from South African cricketing minds.
On Tuesday, Graeme Smith and his men carved another opportunity for the naysayers to sharpen their knives as they found themselves having to chase down a mammoth 320 under lights as Tillekeratne Dilshan (106 off 92 balls; 16×4, 1×6), Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara dutifully refused to look the gift horse in the mouth and helped Sri Lanka pile on a massive total in the opener, after Graeme Smith opted to bowl first on a dryish wicket. At the time of going to press, SA were 34 for one in 8.2 overs, with Kallis and Smith holding fort.

Tilakratne dilshan

Even the pleasing turnout, which would have calmed organizers wary about the drawing power of One-day cricket, could not propel South Africa to shed the rust as they bowled badly and made their skippers decision seem farcical. It all began when the promising Wayne Parnell was carted around and even though Jayasuriya fell early, the first 10 overs had yielded 70 and South Africas best were running out of answers . Sangakkara and Jayawardene accumulated with ease as Dilshan took control , capitalizing on the wayward lengths and width offered to exhibit his full array of innovative strokeplay.
Morkel went for 16 in one over, Parnell ended as badly as he had begun, gifting away 15 in the batting Powerplay with six overs remaining and even spearhead Dale Steyn, who ended with 3/47 off his 10, will be looking to raise his game a notch as he gets into the groove. SA went in with two spinners but with Muralitharan and Mendis both playing, an extraordinary batting effort needed to be made by the hosts.
AB De Villiers had recently harped on how important it was for the South African team to finish well in big ICC events rather than just start off with a bang, and the team now has ample opportunity. Can they chase down the total and keep skeptics away for a while

Led by a blazing century from Tillakaratne Dilshan and a brace of cameos, the world’s No. 5 team started their Champions Trophy campaign in fine style by beating the top-ranked side. Graeme Smith’s decision to field was based on the lack of dew in the afternoon but none of the bowlers, barring Dale Steyn, made an impression. Dilshan’s 92-ball 106, coupled with significant inputs from captains past and present, lifted them to a daunting total that was well beyond South Africa.

Sri Lanka carried the energy from their powerful batting display into the field and Ajantha Mendis, unlike the home side’s spinners, extracted bounce and turn under lights. Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis showed signs of dominance with an 81-run stand in quick time but once Smith was bowled off Mendis’ first delivery, and Kallis and JP Duminy fell in successive balls, Sri Lanka could apply the chokehold.

Tilkaratane Dilshan

Smith had a smile on his face when the toss went his way and Steyn nipped out Sanath Jayasuriya, but it was soon replaced by a frown. In a 158-run partnership with Kumar Sangakkara, who provided solid support with 54 from 74 balls, Dilshan played anchor and aggressor in equal measure. The first to feel Dilshan’s force was Wayne Parnell, preferred to Makhaya Ntini; he struggled to hit a consistent length and went for 39 in five overs. It was a recurring trend in those early overs, Parnell dragging the ball down and Dilshan finding the deep point and midwicket boundaries. Albie Morkel was thrashed for 22 in two overs as Sri Lanka reached 100 in the 13th over.

The onslaught forced Smith, who refused to delay the Powerplay, to turn to his spin pair to try and stop the destruction. The pair stemmed the flow of boundaries but lacked bite and Sri Lanka ticked along at over six an over. Dabs, drives, flicks, shots off angled bats, and punches all evaded fielders and Sangakkara brought up his first half-century since February. He fell to an innocuous delivery from Duminy, after which Dilshan’s boundary blasting – he hit 16 fours and a six – ended when he slashed the first ball of Steyn’s return over to third man.

Sri Lanka used the platform extremely well and crossed 300 thanks largely to Mahela Jayawardene’s 77 off 61. He was his usual deft self: cutting, nudging and pushing into the gaps with excellent timing. His feet constantly moved as he made room to create singles and, with Thilan Samaraweera playing in a similar vein, Sri Lanka pressed ahead. Before South Africa knew it Jayawardene was on 41 off 40 balls – the majority of those runs coming from controlled paddles and sweeps – and the stage was set for a late surge; the final ten overs cost 85. Parnell gave some respectability to his figures by dismissing Jayawardene and Samaraweera in successive deliveries though by then Sri Lanka were 297 for 5 in the 47th over.

Prime Numbers 5The number of times Sri Lanka have beaten South Africa in South Africa. In 18 ODIs, they have lost 12 and tied one. 54.90Tillakaratne Dilshan’s ODI average in 2009. In 12 innings he has scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 98.53, with two centuries and two fifties. 158The partnership for the second wicket between Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara, which is Sri Lanka’s third-highest in the Champions Trophy. It fell only seven short of equalling the record, of 165, between Upul Tharanga and Sangakkara against Zimbabwe in 2006. 24The number of times Sri Lanka have scored 300 or more in the first innings of an ODI. Out of those 24 instances, they’ve lost only once, against India in the 2008 Asia Cup. 79The number of runs conceded by Wayne Parnell, which is among the most by a South African in a home game. Only six times has a bowler conceded more.

Chasing more than a run a ball from the start, South Africa needed a strong platform. They were in early trouble when Hashim Amla was cleaned up by Angelo Mathews off an inside edge in the third over. Kallis joined Smith, looking leaner having shed a few kilos, and the pair milked the wayward Nuwan Kulasekara, who seemed to have contracted Parnell’s problem of bowling short. Kallis was quick to punish him and Kulasekara’s fifth over went for 14, with Smith particularly strong through the off side.

While Smith danced down the track at will and shuffled about to unsettle the fast bowlers, Kallis chose to clip the ball sweetly from the crease. Smith looked increasingly confident at the crease, but playing for a Mendis offbreak he missed one that skidded and hurried on and had his leg stump pegged back.

Mendis had again proved a valuable go-to man for his captain by ending the flourishing partnership. Smith’s bullish start hinted at the possibility of a Dilshan-style ambush, but inside four overs Mendis ripped the heart out of the batting order. Kallis showed glimpses of his class in compiling a brisk 41 before he was excellently caught at mid-off by a tumbling Mathews. Next ball, Duminy was castled by a flipper.

The required run-rate was already above seven at 113 for 4 in the 21st over, placing too much pressure on the rest of the order. Lasith Malinga, having bowled just one over at the start, returned to dismiss AB de Villiers and later snapped a gung-ho stand between Morkel and Johan Botha before rain interrupted the chase. At that stage Sri Lanka were well in command, and were later adjudged deserved winners.

Sri Lanka had previously lost only once after posting a 300-plus total in one-day internationals and, led by Mendis, the masters of asphyxiation struck. Adapting to early-season South African conditions superbly, Sri Lanka have taken the lead in showing that Asian teams are a force to be reckoned with in this tournament. South Africa, frustratingly, have shown again why their ability in multi-team tournaments has long been questioned.