by prasad on September 4, 2009
Sachin Tendulkar’s bat will no long bear the MRF logo, signalling the end of a 13-year association. The Mumbai maestro is now excited to sport a whole range of cricketing apparel manufactured by Adidas, the sports company brand he endorses.
“I am very particular about my cricketing gear, to a certain extent even fussy. I have a particular shape of bat that I use with a particular weight,” he said, about creating a new range of cricket gear with inputs from stalwarts Ricky Ponting and Virendar Sehwag.
Tendulkar feels that his bat “speaks” to him. Recollecting an incident while playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, he said, “My teammate Dwayne Bravo tried to fool me with an array of bats. But I had no problem identifying my bat.”
Tendulkar used heavier bats early in his career and gradually the weight of his bats lightened. “If I compare the weight of the first bat that I used to the current one, which is around 2.12lb, is much lighter. There was a lot of talk and advice to me about using lighter bats (when he suffered a tennis elbow injury some years ago). I talked to specialists and they said the heavier the bat is the less the impact (on the elbow). As long as the bat is to my liking, I’m comfortable,” the Mumbai maestro said.
Tendulkar added that he had more than lived up to a challenge thrown at him by legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev in 1989.
“It was a dream to play for India. On my first tour to Pakistan, Kapil said if you play for 10 years in international cricket you would have achieved something. I took it as a challenge and have nearly doubled it,” the little champion said. “It’s a great feeling (to be in international cricket for two decades),” he added. On a parting note, he proudly said that he still had every bat with which he has a scored a century.
We only wish that this batting legend continues to entertain us for many more years to come……Amen!
by prasad on September 4, 2009
Pakistan’s former Test captain Aamir Sohail on Friday hit out at the Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt, saying he was unfit for his job as he had absolutely no grasp of the game’s affairs and accused him of “hoodwinking” people.
In a statement issued to the media, Sohail said Butt was misleading the Pakistan President, who is also the PCB chief patron on the 2011 World Cup settlement issue.
Sohail, who resigned as Director of the National Cricket Academy in July after differences with Butt, said he was shocked at the audacity of Butt to call those naive who had criticised him for selling off Pakistan cricket’s interests in the World Cup settlement deal.
“Let me assure the PCB Chairman that we are not naive and the people of Pakistan love their cricket. They are knowledgeable and fully aware of what is going on in the cricket world,” Sohail said.
“Instead, Mr Butt is the one who is wearing blinkers and does not have a clue as how to handle the affairs of cricket domestically and internationally,” said Sohail.
He said it was obvious that Butt was ill-prepared for the ICC Executive Board meeting in Dubai in April where the 14 World Cup matches from Pakistan were shifted due to security conditions in the country.
“It appears Butt has no worthwhile advisors who can help him in evolving any strategy at all,” Sohail added.
He said Butt had sent a letter to the ICC President accusing the ICC Chief Executive of influencing the full members of the Board to support the decision to move the matches from Pakistan.
Sohail said this letter didn’t serve any purpose for Pakistan and also damaged its position with the ICC and other cricket nations. “One has to handle things diplomatically when dealing with international cricket affairs,” he said.
He also said that when Butt himself admitted that nothing could be done once the IDI board of the ICC took the decision to relocate the World Cup matches, what was the haste in getting into a costly legal wrangle with the ICC when the result was a foregone conclusion.
Sohail said infact the ICC had threatened the PCB with loss of hosting fees and to slap them with legal fees if they didn’t take back their case.
“There was no settlement as such it was a ICC decision to which Butt could do nothing,” Sohail said.
He also slammed the Chairman for the clumsy manner in which he handled the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March. “The co-hosts were not contacted after the incident despite strong advise from some of his staff,” Sohail said.
“Instead, he castigated match referee Chris Broad which did not go down well with the ICC and member countries after such a big incident,” he noted.
Sohail said the PCB never carried out any in-house discussion to fix responsibility for the security lapse that led to the attack. He said it was the height of incompetency of the PCB officials that instead of accepting their responsibility for the attack they tried to pass the blame onto the government.
Sohail also criticised the Chairman for installing an expensive lift at the Gaddafi stadium when there was no chance of any foreign teams visiting Pakistan in near future.
“I would rather have used the money to give bonuses to lower staff so that they could enjoy Ramazan an Eid with their families,” Sohail said
by prasad on September 3, 2009
With just a month left for the Champions League Twenty20 to be unleashed, the CLT20 sources seem to have approached Australian captain Ricky Ponting and retired England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.
Both the star players have been approached by the Champions League organisers to be expert commentators during the tournament to be held at three different venues in India from October 8-23.
“We have approached Flintoff and Ponting to be commentators during the tournament. As great cricketers themselves, they will certainly add a lot of value,” a Champions League source said.
“We are looking at a mix of new and old commentators. Since the Champions League is a new tournament which is eagerly awaited by the fans, we are looking to bring some new faces in the commentary team,” the source said.
The sources are surely leaving no stone unturned in making this tournament a spectacle much likes its cousin —the Indian Premier League.
by prasad on September 3, 2009
It wasn’t good news for Australian wicket-keeper Brad Haddin who on Thursday was ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa as he continues to recover from a finger surgery he underwent last week, reports news agencies.
Accordingly, Cricket Australia (CA) has requested the International Cricket Council to allow Tasmanian wicket-keeper Tim Paine to replace Haddin in the 15-man Champions Trophy squad.
Haddin had successful surgery on the ring finger of his left hand on his return from England Thursday after breaking the finger prior to the third Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
“After discussion with Brad’s surgeon and the Cricket Australia medical staff, it is clear Brad will not have recovered sufficiently for him to be considered for any part of the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa,” CA doctor Trefor James said.
“While the surgery was a success and there have been no complications, the time-frame for recovery is not sufficient and therefore he can not be considered for selection,” he explained.
Upset at missing Champions Trophy, Haddin is hoping to be back before Australia tours India for a one-day series later this year.
“While it is extremely disappointing to miss the ICC Champions Trophy, the good news is that the surgery was successful and my finger will be 100 per cent (okay) when the recovery period is finalised.
Australia will surely be missing the services of this keeper who had to live in Adam Gilchrist’s shadow for long and now is being troubled by a series of injuries but it does give an opportunity for Paine to make a mark.
by prasad on September 3, 2009
Discipline as they say bears fruit always. That is exactly what happened when New Zealanders defended a modest total 141 in front of an all-conquering Sri Lanka that literally were humbled on a day when the World Twenty20 finalists were restricted to 138-9 in a tense finish at the Premadasa stadium.
Oram finished with an interesting hat-trick, only the second instance after Brett Lee’s against Bangladesh in the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in 2007 in South Africa.
The lanky Kiwi dismissed Mathews off the last ball of the 17th over, before taking wickets off the first two balls of the final over. Oram finished with 3-33 and skipper Vettori took 2-11 as Sri Lanka lost seven wickets for 71 runs after Tillakaratne Dilshan’s brilliant 57 off 28 had lifted them to 67-2 in the seventh over.
Earlier in the day, the Kiwi innings revolved around Ross Taylor’s 60 off 45 balls after Vettori won the toss and elected to bat on the slow wicket.
Taylor hit five fours and a six in his third Twenty20 half-century. Taylor brought up New Zealand’s 100 in the 15th over with a boundary off Sanath Jayasuriya, and celebrated the landmark by pulling the next delivery over mid-wicket for six.
The discipline showcased by the Black Caps goes to show that Twenty20 is as unpredictable as the weather in Old Trafford, Manchester.
by prasad on September 2, 2009
A clean-sweep in the upcoming tri-series in Sri Lanka should catapult the all-conquering Men in Blue to numero uno spot in the ICC ODI rankings for the very first time since its inception in 2002.
The Men in Blue would need to win all the three matches in Sri Lanka. England who beat Australia in the Ashes 2009
Meanwhile, England, who knocked off Australia from the top in Tests, will have another opportunity to leapfrog their arch-rivals in the ODI ranking during the seven match ODI series which begins at The Oval this Friday.
Andrew Strauss’s men can surpass the visitors if they win 5-2 or better in the series, while for Ricky Ponting’s side it will also be an opportunity to reclaim the number-one position. Australia currently occupies the third place with 119 ratings points, one place ahead of England, who have eight points.
South Africa head the ladder with 127 ratings points followed by India on 126. However, England can move ahead of Australia if it wins the series 7-0, 6-1 or 5-2.
For Australia to regain the number-one spot not only they will have to win all the matches against England but will also require either New Zealand or Sri Lanka to beat India at least once in Colombo.
by prasad on September 2, 2009
First it used to be players who were rested for matches, now it is time for the coaches too to take a breather. First it was Ponting who faced the wrath after returning to Australia following the Ashes defeat and now a ‘tired’ Tim Nielsen will return home after Australia’s first four ODIs, leaving his deputy Troy Cooley to coach the side in the final three one dayers against England.
Cricket Australia said in a statement that Nielsen would return home after the fourth one-day international against England as Australia prepares for a full 12-month calendar of international cricket.
Cooley would take over the coaching reins from September 13 for the final three ODIs, allowing Nielsen to spend time at home with his family in Adelaide.
Nielsen will rejoin the squad in South Africa on September 22 as Australia prepares to defend its ICC Champions Trophy Title.
“The Australian team has played back-to-back international cricket since September 2008 and looking at the busy schedule over the next 12 months, we believe it is the right time for Tim to take a break,” CA general manager of cricket Michael Brown said.
“This will also provide an excellent opportunity for Tim’s assistant, Troy Cooley, to continue his professional development by stepping up as Acting Coach for the remainder of the tour,” he added.
Well, one can only say that we don’t get to see others too getting rested before the Champions Trophy starts in South Africa this month.
by prasad on September 2, 2009
The Delhi dasher Virender Sehwag might be known for being a super-fast player with big shots but his heart lies in Test cricket. He prefers to play Tests and ODIs more than the shortest form of the game that has taken the cricket world by storm.
“Personally I would like to play more Tests and ODIs than T20 games which I know have become extremely popular. I would like to play at least eight to 10 Tests in a year,” Sehwag said in Mumbai to announce the list of nominees for this year’s LG-ICC annual awards.
“The 20-20 game is big and in future may be everything but I would like to play more Tests and ODIs. The message I would like to give to the ICC is to introduce a World Championship of Tests. Every cricketer would like to play Tests against every other country and perform well. Test cricket is the true test (of a cricketers’ calibre),” he said.
Sehwag, one of the nominees for the ODI Player of the year award, welcomed the idea of the ICC awards, which he felt give the cricketers an added incentive to do well and described them as the “Oscars of cricket”. “I am hopeful this year also I can win an award. It’s an added incentive to every cricketer to be recognised for his performances and be a part of the World XI like I was last year,” Sehwag said.
Sehwag, who is recovering from a shoulder injury sustained during the May-June IPL in South Africa, expressed the hope he would be fit for the Champions T20 Challenge where he would represent Delhi Daredevils if fit. “I’m hoping to be fit for the Champions League,” said Sehwag who is to miss the short tour to Sri Lanka for the tri-series starting on September 10 as well as the ICC Champions Trophy.
Sehwag also said he was not against the ICC’s WADA-compliant drug-testing programme but was only apprehensive about the “Whereabouts” clause of the Anti-Doping Code.
“We don’t want to disclose our programme (in advance), but we are ready to be tested anywhere and any time,” he said.
The International Cricket Council Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, who shared the dias with Sehwag, said the issue over the controversial clause would be sorted out amicably with the Cricket Board.
“We are in touch with the BCCI and all other cricketers and I’m confident we will find a practical solution. All of us want a clean and drug-free sport,” Lorgat said.
Some top Indian cricketers, including captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar, have raised objections to the specific clause that makes it mandatory for them to inform their daily programme three months in advance to the drug-testing authorities.
Lorgat also backed the 50-over game and said it would remain the format at the international level even though England and Wales Board has scrapped it and changed it to a 40-over-a-side game for its domestic cricket.
It is quite interesting to note that more and more cricketers back Test cricket even at the cost of ODIs being given a step-motherly treatment. Long live Test cricket!
by prasad on August 31, 2009
One of the hallmarks of Sri Lanka’s victory over New Zealand in the recently concluded Test series is the precision with which the Island nation has gone about their business on the field and with a precision that is matched by the best in the world. This precision has seen their Test ranking skyrocket to give them the number two spot in the ICC rankings.
However, before Sangakkara and his boys bask on their glory, they ought to remember that a world-class team not only wins on their home turf but also ensures that the victory march is continued on all parts of the world.
One has to clearly mention that Sri Lankan attack has always been found wanting in each of its tours Down Under, a place where teams such as India and South Africa have put up commendable performances in the last 5-6 years.
Also, Sri Lanka has not perfected the art of winning consistently in places such as Australia and South Africa — two nations that pose the maximum to the techniques of any batsmen
The presence of Samaraweera, Dilshan, Mahela in the middle-order lends a lot of solidity to the team but their techniques will be questioned on pitches that offer bounce and lateral movement, especially in Australia and in South Africa.
Despite the presence of Ajantha Mendis for the last two seasons, one can sense the tension in the opposition team’s face when they see Muttiah Muralitharan’s name in the team list. Murali still spins the ball big and manages to get a four or five wickets purchase in every Test.
But the biggest change in this Sri Lankan team has been their performance as a team, a lesson which Australia seems to have forgotten and hence lost the urn to the Englishmen in the recently concluded Ashes.
Sri Lanka and England are two sides to watch out for in the next couple of years as they have performed exceedingly well as a team and that quality has seen them notch wins.
One of the big reasons for Australia’s loss is the juniors not showcasing enough maturity when it was required. Even as Jonathan Trott from England notched up a debut hundred at Brit Oval, Australia’s Phil Hughes was seen unable to cope up with the pressure and is now wanting to meet Sachin Tendulkar to rectify the error.
While Mitchell Johnson, Marcus North, Nathan Hauritz performed well in patches, Stuart Broad, Graham Onions and not to mention Trott made themselves counted and that has led to Ponting becoming just the second Australian captain to have lost the Ashes two times in a row in England — a record which will haunt till his grave.
Both Sri Lanka and England have a tough job to do to keep the momentum going because to reach the top of the table — winning needs to be a habit and there definitely cannot be a choice in this matter.
by prasad on August 31, 2009
‘Master Blaster’ Sachin Tendulkar in an interview to www.espnstar.com has said that ‘The Wall’ aka Rahul Dravid’s inclusion into the team after close to two years in the wilderness has added “value” to the ODI team and his experience would come in handy during the tri-series in Sri Lanka and the subsequent Champions Trophy in South Africa.
“It should help the team. He brings in a lot of experience on the table and also a lot of skill. I think his will be good value addition to the team,” Tendulkar said. The champion batsman also mentioned that the Men in Blue is hungrier for success after the four-day camp concluded in Bengaluru.
“The camp has ended on a positive note and the team looks pretty solid and hungry. Sri Lanka is one place which is not very free scoring,” he said. “It will be a challenge for some of the strokeplayers in our team. As boundaries can be difficult to come by, there will be a lot of running between the wickets involved,” he added.
Speaking on the team’s strengths, Sachin said —”We are an extremely good fielding unit and we turned around games with our fielding. It is a misconception to assume that New Zealand and Sri Lanka have an edge over us. We run well between the wickets, our run out conversion is good, our catching ability is amongst the best, our bowlers are much more disciplined as they don’t bowl wides and no balls. I think we are three evenly matched teams.”
With an eclectic mix of senior players and juniors in the Indian team, it will be interesting to see at what number Rahul gets to bat in the tri-series that commences in September in Colombo.