INDIA WON THE THRILLING FIRST ODI BY 3 RUNS

　
Today a total of 825 runs were scored in 100 overs bowled as the first ODI of the series came down to a pure bat vs bat contest, rather than a bat vs ball one.

It provided for great entertainment and with India winning the match by a mere 3 runs after scoring over 400, it gave the spectators their money's worth.

At the start of the match Sangakkara won the toss and asked the Indians to bat first. After judging the pace and bounce of the wicket for the first few overs, Virender Sehwag cut loose and Sachin Tendulkar also followed.Sehwag was the main aggressor, and he brought up his fifty off just 34 balls. After that, Tendulkar also started to open up and soon he too reached his half-century.Tendulkar reached his half-century off 48 balls, and continued to score at better than a run-a-ball.The openers raised 100 inside the first 15 overs, and 150 in 19 overs. They looked set to score a lot more runs, but Tendulkar was bowled through the gate by a good ball from Dilhara Fernando as the first wicket fell for India with the score at 153 in 19.3 overs.

MS Dhoni then promoted himself to number 3 instead of Gautam Gambhir. Dhoni started matching Sehwag shot for shot and both batsmen seemed to have a contest on in who could belt the cover off the ball first.Sehwag reached his century off just 66 balls as he kept India's run-rate to around 8 runs an over. After scoring just 9 runs off the first 15 balls, Sehwag had scored 92 off the next 51, scoring at more than 10 runs an over. At the other end, Dhoni was progressing nicely too and he reached his half-century in 34 balls with a clean straight strike for six.The Dhoni-Sehwag association realised 156 runs in just 16 overs and while they were going strong, India looked set to break a few records in their innings with the highest total in ODIs being a real possibility. As it was, India raised 300 in just 34.1 overs, but with a real possibility of Sehwag becoming the first individual double-centurion in ODIs, he fell against the run of play to Welegedera. He had made 146 off 102 balls, but looked good for a lot more. His dismissal came during the batting power-play and sparked a revival from the Sri Lankans as India lost Dhoni and then Gambhir in quick succession. Harbhajan Singh was sent in ahead of Kohli and Jadeja, but the experiment backfired, and finally it was Kohli and Jadeja who took India beyond the 400-mark with useful cameos. India ended up with their highest ODI score of 414/7, beating the 413 they had scored against Bermuda. The score was set up with the two 150+ partnerships at the top of the order, in both of which Sehwag played a major role.With this innings, Sehwag had done what people had expected him to for a long time, when his relative lack of success in the ODIs as compared to Test matches had mystified fans and experts alike.

However, Sehwag's exploits were quickly forgotten once Sri Lanka came out to bat. The familiar pairing of Jayasuriya and Dilshan was done away with, as it was Upul Tharanga who joined Dilshan at the top of the order. Facing a mammoth target and with nothing to lose, the batsmen took the best course available to them and played with freedom, smashing the ball when they could (and they could do it often), and not caring too much about run-rates.The Indians might have been subconsciously relaxed with the large total they had gathered, and Dilshan in particular made them pay. The opening partnership moved seamlessly from over to over, and continued gathering runs at great pace, until the first lines of worry started appearing on Dhoni's face. The hundred of the innings was brought up in 12 overs, and Dilshan reached his fifty off 38 balls. As the openers continued to maintain a rate that was above the required one, Dhoni turned to his part-timers, and it was Raina who gave India the first break-through getting Tharanga stumped for a well-made 67 off 60 balls. The openers had put on 188 runs in 24 overs, but if India thought that was the end of their troubles, they were in for a rude shock with Sangakkara's arrival at the crease.Carrying on from his splendid Twenty20 form, Sangakkara smashed everything in site from the first ball, bringing up his fifty off 24 balls - the second fastest by a Sri Lankan - and carrying on plundering runs. Dilshan was relegated to a supporting role, but he held his end up well, reaching his century off 73 balls during the partnership.The Sri Lankans were helped by the butter-fingered fielding of the Indians, but by now they would probably look at it as unfair if the Indians held on to all their catches, since they've been dropping them with clockwork regularity recently. Sangakkara was in a mood to cash in on every opportunity he got, and he had raced to 90 off 42 balls, when he fell to Praveen Kumar when the Indians at last held on to a catch. His partnership with Dilshan had realised 128 runs in 12.3 overs, of which Dilshan had contributed just 35. Just as in India's innings there were no significant partnerships after the first two, the Sri Lankans too started to lose wickets at regular intervals after Sangakkara fell. The Jayasuriya-in-the-middle-order experiment was not successful, as the veteran Sri Lankan didn't cross single digits. Sri Lanka were then dealt a real blow when Dilshan had his stumps re-arranged by Harbhajan Singh. Dilshan had made 160 off 124 balls, and it was his wicket that let the Indians back into the match. It was Harbhajan Singh who accounted for both Dilshan and Jayasuriya, and in a match that saw every bowler concede runs at more than 6 an over, Harbhajan returned with an analysis of 10-58-2. Before Dilshan's wicket,Sri Lanka were 339/3 in 39 overs, but with a manageable 76 runs required in the final 11 overs, their chase unravelled.Sri Lanka kept losing wickets at regular intervals, as India clawed their way back into a match that they thought they had sewn up at the half-way stage. As Sri Lanka's chase reached its climax, there were 15 runs required from the final two overs for a famous victory. Sri Lanka had 5 wickets in hand at that stage, but the occasion suddenly seemed to get to them, and suicidal running and nerves saw them score just 11 runs and lose 3 wickets in the final two overs, to end at 411/8. They had come heart-breakingly close to pulling off a stunning victory,but Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra had bowled outstandingly in the final five overs to concede just 28 runs and choke of the Sri Lankan chase.

With so many performers having their time in the sun, it was Virender Sehwag who was awarded the man-of-the-match.

TENDULKAR @ 20

Sachin Tendulkar will join a list of 15 players whose international careers have spanned more than 20 years when he plays in the first test against Sri Lanka in Ahmedabad on Monday.

Tendulkar has been the face of Indian cricket since his test debut as a chubby, curly-haired 16-year-old against Pakistan in Karachi in November 1989.
He now holds the record for most test runs (12,773), test centuries (42), ODI runs (17,178) and ODI centuries (45).

The 36-year-old cricketer’s passion for cricket has not diminished during his long career and he still has a child-like enthusiasm for the game, said the record-breaking India batsman.

"Cricket lives in my heart and whenever I'm on a cricket field I enjoy it ... somewhere it's still a 16-year-old hidden inside who wants to go out and express himself," Tendulkar told a news conference on Friday.
"I do that and it comes naturally and I don't make any special effort to show enthusiasm. It's been my life and I enjoy every moment.
"I enjoy challenges, it's a package deal, ups and downs, wonderful moments and there are disappointments so all that also makes you a stronger person and you learn to deal with various things in life," said the batting great.

"I think I'm very fortunate to be living that dream and 20 years is a long time so there have been many special moments in my career," Tendulkar said.
"To actually start counting them would be tough but I'd definitely say the first day, walking with the playing XI, playing a test in Pakistan was probably the greatest feeling.
"The journey began there and whatever I did after that was a mere reflection of my contribution towards the nation's cause," he added. 

"I cannot fail to thank the people of India for all the affection and love, the support," he said.
"Whatever I do, whatever level I perform, you need people around you to share your happiness with them and I've got more than a billion people to share that with so that means a lot to me.
"Because of all these things you are inspired to go out and do something special for all the people."
India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni recently said Tendulkar had the fitness and form to play until 2015.
"It would be nice if I can go on that long but I don't want to think that far," said Tendulkar.
"My focus is on the near future. I feel there is cricket left in me and everything is going really well."

INDIA-SRI LANKA SERIES 2009 SCHEDULE

November 16-20: India v Sri Lanka 1st Test Match, Ahmedabad
November 24-28: India v Sri Lanka 2^nd Test Match, Kanpur
December 2-6: India v Sri Lanka 3^rd Test Match, Mumbai
December 9: India v Sri Lanka 1^st T20, Nagpur (D/N)
December 12: India v Sri Lanka 2^nd T20, Mohali (D/N)
December 15: India v Sri Lanka 1^st ODI, Rajkot
December 18: India v Sri Lanka 2^nd ODI, Vizag (D/N)
December 21: India v Sri Lanka 3^rd ODI, Cuttack (D/N)
December 24: India v Sri Lanka 4^th ODI, Kolkata (D/N)
December 27: India v Sri Lanka 5^th ODI, Delhi (D/N)

Ganguly returns as KKR captain

 

 

 

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly returned as the Kolkata Knight Riders' skipper for next year's Indian Premier League, replacing New Zealand's Brendon McCullum.
The controversy-ridden IPL outfit, which finished at the bottom of the table this year, also named Dav Whatmore as its new coach with Delhi Ranji coach Vijay Dahiya as his deputy.
Pakistani pace legend Wasim Akram was appointed the mentor of the side.

Aussies clinched series

 

Doug Bollinger claimed a five-wicket haul and Shane Watson chipped in with a breezy innings as Australia defeated India by six wickets in the sixth one-day international in Guwahati to take an unbeatable 4-2 lead in the seven-match series.

Bollinger (five for 25) and Mitchell Johnson (three for 39) left India at 27 for five  but the home side recovered through half-centuries from Ravindra Jadeja (57) and Praveen Kumar (54 not out) to reach 170 all out.

The target hardly troubled Australia as Watson smashed a run-a-ball 49 and Michael Hussey made a steady unbeaten 35 as they overhauled the target with 8.1 overs to spare.

It marks India's first defeat in a bilateral series since their 4-2 loss to Australia in 2007-08.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and decided to bat first.

Johnson bowled opening batsman Virender Sehwag and removed one-drop batsman Gautam Gambhir with the last ball of his first over.

Bollinger began with a maiden from the other end and he then got in on the act, claiming the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar by holding a sharp return catch.

 

Bollinger rapped Yuvraj on the pad, but the ball looped up over the batsman's right shoulder and Yuvraj knocked it back onto his stumps while attempting to regain the crease.

Johnson then took the wicket of  Suresh Raina, as the batsman chipped straight to Nathan Hauritz at short mid-on, as India lost their top five batsmen inside the first nine overs.

Dhoni (24) and Jadeja revived the innings with a tedious 48-run stand for the sixth wicket, but Bollinger returned and took the wicket of Dhoni, winning a doubtful lbw decision.

India faltered again as Harbhajan Singh fell in the same over, but Praveen joined Jadeja and the two held India together with a 74-run stand for the eight wicket.

Bollinge claimed Jadeja for his fifth victim in the final over of the batting powerplay.

Praveen, who had hit Clint McKay for a six and a four in an over that yielded 14, eased India past the 150 mark and continued to bat with aggression as he reached his maiden half-century in just 48 deliveries.

Australia too suffered an early trouble, losing Shaun Marsh early, but Watson who had begun in a blaze of boundaries, then put Australia on course with a 61-run stand for the second wicket with Ricky Ponting (25).

Harbhajan,  provided another twist by taking wickets of Watson and Ponting in quick succession, but Hussey and Cameron White (25) rebuilt the innings with a 53-run stand for the fourth wicket.

White was trapped in front by Raina, but Australia needed only 28 at that stage and Hussey and Voges (23 not out) easily secured victory.

Sachin’s marathon inning went in vain as India lost thriller against Australia by 3 Runs

 

 

Sachin Tendulkar played one of the best innings of his life of 175 runs of just 141 balls to single handedly guide India home chasing a stiff target of 351 runs in 50 overs but his effort went in vain as last three batters couldn’t manage 19 runs in 17 balls.

Chasing a mammoth 351 runs, India got off to flying start with Virendra Sehwag scoring quick-fire 38 runs of just 30 balls as he and Tendulkar put on 66 runs in just 55 balls for the first wicket. But Indian middle order failed to capitalize on the start as Gambhir, Yuvraj and Dhoni got out in quick succession. Too much pressure was there on the little master Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina.

Suresh Raina (59 runs of 59 balls) after getting life on his very second ball he faced played brilliantly with Sachin (175 runs of 141 balls) and put on 137 runs of just 114 balls for the fifth wicket to put India in the hunt.

But Raina ended his inning while playing a needless stroke of Shane Watson, leaving India to get another 52 runs of 45 balls.

Harbhajan Singh who sent ahead of Ravinder Jadeja failed to rise to the expectation of millions across the country as he out in the same over for second ball duck.

Needing another 52 runs for victory in 42 balls, now all eyes was on Sachin and Jadeja to guide India home. Ravinder Jadeja under the guidance of Master played well and scored 23 runs of 17 balls.But once Sachin got out he lost his composure and ran himself out to leave India in deep trouble.

In the end Indian lower order couldn’t manage 8 runs in the last over and lost the game by 3 runs with 2 balls still remaining for them.

Earlier a belligerent century stand between openers Shaun Marsh (112 runs of 112 balls) and Shane Watson (93 runs of 89 balls) powered an injury-hit Australia to an imposing 350 for four in their 50 overs. Both batsmen put on an impressive 145 runs for the first wicket to help other batsman to follow to make full use of the remaining overs and that what C.White (57 runs of 33 balls), M.Hussey (31 runs of 22 balls) and R.Ponting (45 runs of 45 balls) did.

Now Australia lead the seven match series by 3-2.

Sachin Tendular was declared Player of the match for his magnificent 175 runs of just 141 balls.

Match Summary (Australia won by 3 Runs)

Australia– 350/4 in 50 Overs

S.Marsh- 112 S.Watson– 93

P.Kumar– 9-0-68-2 H.Singh- 10-0-44-1

India– 347/10 in 49.4 Overs

S.Tendulkar- 175 S.Raina– 59

S.Watson– 8.4-0-47-3 C.McKay- 10-0-59-3

SRI LANKA BEATS NEW ZEALAND IN THE OPENING MATCH OF THE TRI-SERIES

 

A maiden century from Thilan Samaraweera and three wickets in an over from Lasith Malinga helped Sri Lanka steamroll New Zealand by 97 runs in the triangular one-day series for the Compaq Cup in Colombo.

Samaraweera cracked a superb 104 and Angelo Mathews chipped in with a knock of 51, the two putting on 127 for the sixth wicket as Sri Lanka recovered from 69 for five at one stage to finish with a respectable 216 for seven.

Sri Lanka's new ball bowlers Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara then chipped in with three wickets each at the start of their reply, Malinga claiming his share in a single over as the visitors slipped to 41 for six.

Malinga then returned to pick up the final wicket as New Zealand were bowled out for 119 in 36.1 overs.

Left-arm fast bowler Thushara produced the early breakthrough, sending back Jesse Ryder for a two-ball duck with the second delivery of his first over.

Kulasekara followed up with the wickets of Martin Guptill (three) and Ross Taylor (two), although he was lucky to win a leg-before decision against the latter.

Brendon McCullum blocked and pushed for singles in uncharacteristic style as he attempted to revive the innings.

But with the required run rate climbing steeply, the wicketkeeper batsman was forced into a wild shot and succumbed.

McCullum, dropped by Kumar Sangakkara two deliveries earlier, attempted a heave across the line to a full-length delivery from Malinga and missed, the ball crashing into the base of middle stump.

At the time McCullum had just 14 from 52 deliveries.

Malinga then picked up the wickets off Jacob Oram (four) and debutant Nathan McCullum - bowled first ball - in the same over to leave the result a foregone conclusion.

Grant Elliott had battled hard en route to a painstaking 41, but his resistance was ended by the left-arm spin of Sanath Jayasuriya, who also scalped Daniel Vettori (10).

Malinga returned to bowl Ian Butler - the second highest scorer with 25 - to finish with four for 28 from 6.1 overs.

Earlier, Kiwi paceman Shane Bond and Daryl Tuffey made a fine start with the new ball.

Tuffey, playing his first match on this tour, claimed the wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan (four) in the very first over, while the returning Bond scalped Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene cheaply from the other end to leave the home team reeling at 22 for three.

Dilshan attempted an aggressive start but perished in the first over, dragging Tuffey's last delivery back onto his stumps.

At the other end, Bond produced a little extra bounce and snared Jayawardene, the batsman attempting to steer to third man and instead presenting Taylor with a simple catch at slip.

Jayasuriya, struggling to retain his place in the side, was then lured into his trade-mark cut shot and was caught at third man.

Butler, bowling first change, removed Sangakkara (18) - caught at deep square leg as he miscued a clip through midwicket - while Vettori sent back Thilina Kandamby (15) as Sri Lanka slid further into trouble at 69 for five.

Samaraweera, however, took charge and in the company of Mathews resurrected the innings with a superbly-paced knock.

Samaraweera started cautiously on a pitch which had kept slow and low, but exerted authority as his innings progressed.

He reached his 50 with a single off Nathan McCullum and accelerated nicely through the batting powerplay, slamming Butler for three boundaries in one over.

Mathews kept step with Samaraweera, reaching his second one-day half-century with a single off Bond, but fell two deliveries later.

A rare misfield which yielded three helped Samaraweera amass a century, but his innings ended when he was bowled by Butler.

Bond finished top of the pile among the bowlers with figures of three for 43.

PONTING RETIRES FROM 20-20 INTERNATIONALS

Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting today announced his retirement from international Twenty20.
Ponting will continue to remain the captain of the Test and ODI sides, stepped away from the international Twenty20 format in an effort to prolong his playing career.
Addressing the media, Ponting said: "After much thought and careful consideration I have advised Cricket Australia of my decision to retire from international Twenty20 cricket."
"I have also spoken to Andrew Hilditch, Tim Nielsen and Michael Clarke and I feel this decision provides me the opportunity to prolong my Australian Test and one-day career, an opportunity I am extremely determined about."
"As I said after the fifth Test in London, I am hoping to continue playing Test cricket for as long as possible and retiring from the Twenty20 format gives me the best chance of doing this."
"I will now have set periods of rest throughout the Australian summer and while touring which I feel will be very beneficial," Ponting said.
"While I will no longer be available for Australian Twenty20 cricket, I look forward to playing with Tasmania's KFC Big Bash team where possible and to fulfilling my contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League," he added.

Dhoni- world's top earning cricketer

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has topped the list of world's 10 top earning cricketers compiled by Forbes.

Raking in USD 10 million, Dhoni is at the top of the chart followed by Tendulkar at the second spot with earnings worth USD 8 million in the list of 'The World's Top-Earning Cricketers'.

While Yuvraj Singh and Dravid are at the third and fourth spot, respectively, Ganguly and Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting share the sixth place.

"Paycheck figures include club and national team salaries and commercial endorsement income over the last 12 months," Forbes said.

According to the magazine, Singh earned USD 5.5 million while Dravid and Ganguly raked in USD 5 million and USD 3.5 million, respectively. Ponting also earned USD 3.5 million.

At the fifth spot is England's Andrew Flintoff with earnings of USD 4 million followed by Australia's Brett Lee and English cricketer Kevin Pietersen -- both at eighth place and Australian Michael Clarke is ranked tenth.

While Lee and Pietersen raked in USD 3 million each, Clarke earned USD 2.5 million.

AUSTRALIA BEATS ENGLAND BY 39 RUNS IN THE 2ND ODI

 

Mitchell Johnson starred with both bat and ball as Australia beat England by 39 runs in the second one-day international at Lord's here on Sunday.
Victory, achieved with 23 balls to spare, saw world champions Australia go 2-0 up in the seven-match series.
England, chasing 250 for victory, were well-placed at 74 without loss.
But a rapid collapse saw them lose four wickets for 23 runs in 33 balls as they slumped to 97 for four.
Despite the best efforts of Paul Collingwood, last man out for 56, they were unable to retrieve the situation and were dismissed for 210.
Earlier, man-of-the-match Johnson's rapid 43 not out helped boost Australia's total to 249 for eight. He faced just 23 balls, including five fours before taking two wickets for 50 runs.
Together with Nathan Hauritz, he shared an unbroken stand of 41 after Australia were in danger of being bowled out inside their alloted 50 overs.
Callum Ferguson top-scored with 55, his second successive fifty after his man-of-the-match winning 71 not out in Australia's four-run win in Friday's series opener at the Oval.

England were in dire straits at 168 for seven in the 37th over.
They were given hope by a stand of 36 between Collingwood and Graeme Swann.
But the game was up for England when Swann was bowled by Nathan Bracken after an ugly heave across the line.
And, two balls later, 204 for eight became 204 for nine when Bracken bowled tailender Ryan Sidebottom for nought.
Brett Lee finished the match by bowling Collingwood, who faced 84 balls with three fours.
Strauss and fellow opener Ravi Bopara got the chase off to a sound start.

But all-rounder Shane Watson, the fifth bowler brought on by Michael Clarke, separated the pair when, with his fifth ball, he had Bopara lbw for 27.
Watson then made it two wickets for no runs in four balls when Matt Prior was caught behind to leave England 76 for two in the 17th over.
Strauss, his concentration perhaps broken by a fly-past by a World War II Lancaster bomber, marking the 65th anniversary of Lord's reverting back to a cricket ground from a Royal Air Force (RAF) recruiting centre, fell next.
His innings of 47, off just 53 balls with six fours, ended in tame fashion when he chipped a gentle return catch to off-spinner Hauritz.
England's decline then continued when Owais Shah was run out after a wretched mix-up with Collingwood.
Luke Wright fought back with 20 at better than a run-a-ball before he was caught behind, off Lee.

After Strauss won the toss, Ferguson's innings helped Australia recover from losing three wickets for 11 runs as they declined from 62 without loss to 73 for three, with the deceptively quick Wright striking twice.
Cameron White, who also made a fifty on Friday, and Ferguson staunched the flow of wickets with a stand of 69.
Their partnership ended when occasional medium-pacer Bopara struck first ball with White, trying to run the ball to third man, caught behind for 42.
And Australia were 155 for five when off-spinner Swann bowled Michael Hussey with a ball that turned past the left-hander's outside edge.
Ferguson's 58-ball innings, featuring five fours, ended when he was bowled hitting across the line by Anderson. That gave the Lancashire quick his first wicket in five international matches.
This series continues with Wednesday's day/night fixture at the Rose Bowl.

Tendulkar in favour of double-innings in Fifty Overs Matches

 

 

 

Sachin Tendulkar has said that the ODIs could be made more interesting by breaking down the innings into two innings of 25 overs each. He has said that by doing this, no teams will have a distinct advantage over the other team by winning the toss, which, according to him happened 75% of the time.
Tendulkar said that the thought first came into his mind in the 2002 Champions Trophy. In the finals, Sri Lanka had batted first and played out the fifty overs, before rain interrupted play when India had just begun batting to push the game into the reserve day. Even on the reserve day, the same thing happened, Sri Lanka played out all the overs but India could barely bat leading to the sharing the trophy.

He said, “Today, we can tell the result of close to 75% of matches after the toss. We know how the conditions will affect the two teams. But it [his idea] is not too dependent on the toss because, for example, in a day-night match both the teams will have to bat under lights. The conditions change very dramatically but this would ensure that it’s same for everyone.”

NEW AEALAND SWEEPS THE TWO-MATCH 20-20 SERIES

New Zealand recorded their second Twenty20 success over Sri Lanka in three days with a 22-run victory on Friday that helped them sweep the two-match series.

The Kiwis, who won the first match on Wednesday by three runs.

Fast bowler Shane Bond led the Black Caps charge with 3-18 in four overs, while seamer Kyle Mills and off-spinner Nathan McCullum claimed two wickets each.
The 2-0 win helped the Kiwis overcome the disappointment of losing both the preceding Test matches and boosted their confidence ahead of a tri-series, also featuring India, that opens here on Tuesday.
New Zealand's innings revolved around an explosive opening stand of 84 in 10.2 overs by Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder .
Left-handed Ryder smashed three sixes and as many fours in his 52 off 37 balls, while McCullum hit a 34-ball 49 with two sixes and four boundaries.
Martin Guptill and Jacob Oram further boosted the total with a 43-run stand for the fourth wicket in 27 balls, before Guptill was bowled by Lasith Malinga off the final ball of the innings.
Sri Lanka, chasing a target of almost nine runs an over, made a disastrous start when they were reduced to 2-2 off the first seven deliveries and slid to 11-3 soon after.
Bond removed the in-form Tillakaratne Dilshan with his fifth ball, caught at deep square leg, before Kyle Mills dismissed Mahela Udawatte and Sanath Jayasuriya in successive overs.
Skipper Kumar Sangakkara and former captain Mahela Jayawardene put on a brisk 67 for the fourth wicket when Nathan McCullum hit back with a wicket in his first over.
The off-spinner, elder brother of Brendon McCullum had Jayawardene caught at backward point by Ryder off his third delivery for 41 off 30 balls.
He then removed new batsman Angelo Mathews with his final delivery of the innings to reduce Sri Lanka to 80-5 in 11 overs.
Sangakkara gave Jacob Oram a return catch after making 69 before Bond sealed New Zealand's win with the wickets of all-rounder Gihan Rupasinghe and tailender Nuwan Kulasekara.
Earlier, McCullum and Ryder bulldozed the Sri Lankan attack for the first 10 overs, racing to 83 runs without being separated.
Jayasuriya broke the stand in the 11th over when he beat McCullum in the air and the batsman offered a simple return catch.
Ryder took over after McCullum's departure, striking two sixes and a boundary in the 12th over sent down by Dilshan which yielded 20 runs.
Jayasuriya finished with 2-22 and Ajantha Mendis took 1-21, while pace spearhead Kulasekara went for 40 runs in four wicketless overs.

NEW ZEALAND BEATS SRI LANKA IN THE T20 THRILLER

Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori shared five wickets as New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by three runs  in a Twenty20 international here on Wednesday after the poor show in the test series which Sri Lanka swept 2-0.
The tourists, restricted to 141-8, hit back to keep the World Twenty20 finalists down to 138-9 in a tense finish at the Premadasa stadium.
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.
Oram, bowling the final over with Sri Lanka needing nine runs with three wickets in hand, dismissed Malinda Bandara and Nuwan Kulasekara off the first two balls and conceded just five runs in the over.
Ian Butler, who did not play in the  Test series which Sri Lanka swept 2-0, took 2-29 including the important wicket of Dilshan.

New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond, returning to official cricket after two years after breaking the links with ICL, was hit for four consecutive boundaries by Dilshan in his first over.

New Zealand's 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, but the Kiwis lost five wickets for 19 runs after they had reached 117-3 in the 17th over.
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 second Twenty20 match will be played at the same venue on Friday before New Zealand join India and Sri Lanka in a limited-overs tri-series starting here on September 8.

ICC Champions Trophy Team Squad of all teams

India Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Abhishek Nayar, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, R.P.Singh, Ishant Sharma, Amith Mishra, Dinesh Karthik.

South Africa Squad: Graeme Smith (Captain), Johan Botha, Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher (WK), AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Albie Morkel, Makhaya Ntini, Wayne Parnell, Robbie Peterson, Dale Steyn, Roelof van der Merwe, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Pakistan Squad: Younis Khan (Captain), Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Imran Nazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (WK), Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Aamer, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Mohammad Asif.

Sri Lanka Squad: Kumar Sangakkara (Captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thilina Kandamby, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dammika Prasad, Lasith Malinga.

Australia Squad: Ricky Ponting (Captain), Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Michael Hussey, James Hopes, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Bracken, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz.

New Zealand Squad: Daniel Vettori (Captain), Neil Broom, Brendon Diamanti Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, Ian Butler.

England Squad: Andrew Strauss (Captain), Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Joe Denly, Andrew Flintoff, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (WK), Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright, James Anderson,.

West Indies Squad: Ryan Austin (Captain), Floyd Reifer (capt), Darren Sammy, David Bernard, Tino Best, Royston Crandon, Travis Dowlin, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Chadwick Walton (WK), Daren Powell, Kieran Powell, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith, Gavin Tonge.

ENGLAND WINS ASHES

 

England has regained the Ashes from Australia by hammering them in the fifth and the final test match at the Oval. England needed to win the game to win the urn, whereas a draw would have sufficed for Australia, but the hosts required only four days to hand over a 197-run drubbing to the Aussies.
The Aussies looked like they were making a match out of it when they reached 80/0 overnight, but two quick wickets in the first one hour put paid to any hopes that existed. Ricky Ponting was then joined by Michael Hussey as the duo added more than hundred runs to bring the Australian hopes back. Ponting scored a half century and Hussey followed up with his, soon after that, but the captain was then run-out from a direct throw by Andrew Flintoff to let the English team back into the reckoning.

Michael Clarke’s amazing run in the series ended with a duck when he was run-out in a manner akin to Jonathon Trott’s dismissal in the first innings, and Marcus North departed soon after to leave the Aussies with nothing much to play with.

Hussey did get to his century and broke his long rut of form that had seen his average plummet like anything in the last one year or so, but the remaining batsmen collapsed under sustained pressure from Graeme Swann and the others to hand the Ashes back to England.

Stuart Broad’s spell had seen the English garner a 160-odd run lead in the first innings and that won him the man-of-the-match award, whereas Strauss and Clarke shared the man-of-the-series.

TOP 10 WIERD DISMISSALS OF CRICKET

India Squad for Triangular series and Champions Trophy

 

As expected by many experts and Indian fans finally Rahul Dravid will again play for India after almost two years gap. On Sunday 16^th August when selector held their meeting in Chennai to pick the squad for Champions Trophy to be held in South Africa and for Triangular series to be played between India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Sri Lanka just before the Champions Trophy .

 

Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina also made come back to the Indian squad after missing the ODI series against West Indies in West Indies.

Virendra Sehwag who is yet to recover from his shoulder injury is not included in both Squads . Zaheer Khan who already ruled himself out of contention was also not included in the squad due to injury.

Surprise inclusion in squad was Delhi lad Virat Kohli .

Rohit Sharma and P.Ojha are the two players who left out from the squad after the poor show in the recent series. Leg-spinner Amit Mishra has been selected ahead of Pragyan Ojha .

India squad for Triangular Series: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Suresh Raina, Abhishek Nayar, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, R.P.Singh, Ishant Sharma, Amith Mishra, Dinesh Karthik, Virat Kohli.

India squad for Champions Trophy: Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Suresh Raina, Abhishek Nayar, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, R.P.Singh, Ishant Sharma, Amith Mishra, Dinesh Karthik.

ICC Champions Trophy Schedule-Fixtures 2009

 

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 will be played in South Africa. The sixth edition of ICC Champions Trophy will be played in Johannesburg and Centurion from September 22^nd to October 5^th.

Last time in Champions trophy there were total 21 matches played but this time it is down to 15 numbers of matches.

 

The following are the two groups:
Group A: Australia, India, Pakistan, West Indies
Group B: South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England

Tournament will be played from September 22^nd to 5^th of October. Centurion and Wanderes will host 15 games.

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Tue 22 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group B – Sri Lanka v South Africa

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Wed 23 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group A – Pakistan v West Indies

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Thu 24 Sep

13:00 PM

Group B – South Africa v New Zealand

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Fri 25 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group B – England v Sri Lanka

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Sat 26 Sep

13:00 PM

Group A – Australia v West Indies

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Sat 26 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group A – India v Pakistan

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Sun 27 Sep

13:00 PM

Group B – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Sun 27 Sep (S/N)

18:00 PM

Group B – England v South Africa

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Mon 28 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group A – India v Australia

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Tue 29 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group B – England v New Zealand

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Wed 30 Sep

13:00 PM

Group A – Pakistan v Australia

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Wed 30 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group A – India v West Indies

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Fri 2 Oct (D/N)

18:00 PM

1^st Semi Final – A1 v B2

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Sat Oct 3 (D/N)

18:00 PM

2^nd Semi Final – A2 v B1

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Mon 5 Oct (D/N)

18:00 PM

Final – 1^st Semi Final winner v 2^nd Semi Final inner

SuperSport Park, Centurion

IPL-2010 :SCHEDULE

The full schedule of the 45-day tournament ending on April 25, 2010, is:
Mar 12: DC v KKR in Hyderabad.
Mar 13: MI v RR in Mumbai/Nagpur; KXIP v DD at Mohali.
Mar 14: CSK v DC in Chennai; KKR v RCB in Kolkata.
Mar 15: RR v DD in Jaipur.
Mar 16: RCB v KXIP in Bangalore; KKR v CSK in Kolkata.
Mar 17: DD v MI in Delhi.
Mar 18: RCB v RR in Bangalore.
Mar 19: DC v KXIP in Vishakapatnam.
Mar 23: RCB v CSK in Bangalore.
Mar 24: KXIP v RR at Mohali.
Mar 25: KKR v DD in Kolkata.
Mar 26: CSK v MI in Chennai; RR v DC in Ahmedabad.
Mar 27: RCB v DD in Bangalore; KXIP v KKR at Mohali.
Mar 28: RR v CSK in Ahmedabad; DC v MI in Vishakapatnam.
Mar 29: DD v KKR in Delhi.
Mar 30: MI v KXIP in Mumbai/Nagpur.
Mar 31: CSK v RCB in Chennai; DD v RR in Delhi.
Apr 1: KKR v DC in Kolkata.
Apr 2: KXIP v RCB in Mohali.
Apr 3: CSK v RR in Chennai; MI v DC in Mumbai/Nagpur.
Apr 4: DD v RCB in Delhi; KKR v KXIP in Kolkata.
Apr 5: DC v RR in Hyderabad.
Apr 6: MI v CSK in Mumbai/Nagpur.
Apr 7: RR v KXIP in Ahmedabad.
Apr 16: DD v CSK in Delhi.
Apr 17: RCB v MI in Bangalore; KKR v RR in Kolkata.
Apr 18: DC v DD in Hyderabad; KXIP v CSK at Dharamsala.
Apr 19: KKR v MI in Kolkata.
Apr 20: Rest day.
Apr 21: 1st Semifinal in Bangalore.
Apr 22: 2nd Semifinal in Bangalore.
Apr 23: Rest day.
Apr 24: Play-off for 3rd place.
The finals is scheduled for the 25th April 2010.

AUS LEVELS THE ASHES SERIES BY CRUSHING ENGLAND IN 4TH TEST

 

 

 

Australia thrashed England by an innings and 80 runs as they won the fourth Test at Headingley here on Sunday inside three days to level the series at 1-1 and revive their bid to retain the Ashes.
The result left the Ashes all square ahead of the fifth and final Test at The Oval starting on August 20.
England, who resumed Sunday in the dire position of 82 for five in their second innings, still 261 runs behind Australia's first innings 445 and facing the prospect of a record-breaking home defeat, were bowled out for 263.
Stuart Broad (61) and Graeme Swann (62) delayed the seemingly inevitable with an eighth-wicket stand of 108 off 79 balls that delighted home fans after the pair had come together with England on 120 for seven,
At lunch, England were 245 for eight, 98 behind, with Swann 56 not out and Stephen Harmison six not out.
But soon after the break Swann on 62, one shy of his Test-best score, was caught behind off left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson, who took five wickets for 69 runs in the innings.
Johnson then wrapped up the match in the sixth over after lunch when he clean bowled last man Graham Onions for nought.

England started the day with nightwatchman James Anderson unbeaten on nought and wicket-keeper Matthew Prior four not out.
Anderson, off Sunday's second ball, extended his world record for most consecutive Test innings without a duck to 54 thanks to a square cut four off Ben Hilfenhaus for four.
But next ball he edged to Ponting at second slip.
Prior offered brief resistance before he too fell to Hilfenhaus, for 22, well caught one-handed by diving wicket-keeper Brad Haddin to leave England 120 for seven.
Pace bowler Broad, who took a Test-best six for 91 on Saturday, was given a life on 18 when Peter Siddle at mid-off dropped a difficult chance, running back, off left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson.
Broad's four off Stuart Clark ensured England would not suffer Sunday a record home Test defeat by Australia to top their innings and 180 run loss at Trent Bridge in 1989.
Driving strongly, left-hand bat Broad struck four fours off one Clark over as he and Swann posted a fifty stand in 51 balls.
Broad then went to his fifth Test fifty in style with an off-drive off Siddle that rocketed through mid-off to the boundary, the 23-year-old reaching landmark in 78 balls with eight fours.

Broad could have gone on 53 when a drive off Siddle saw Johnson, back-pedalling at long-off, drop the difficult chance and knock the ball over the boundary for four and on 57 he was missed at long leg by Simon Katich.
He eventually holed out off Siddle to Shane Watson in the deep having faced 48 balls with 10 fours.
But Swann hooked Siddle for six to bring up his fifty in just 53 balls with 10 fours.
Siddle whose first six overs this innings on Saturday yielded just four runs, conceded 46 in his six overs before lunch on Sunday.
England, without injured stars Andrew Flintoff - the inspiration behind their 115-run second Test win at Lord's - and Kevin Pietersen, were on the backfoot after collapsing to 102 all out on Friday's first day.
Clark took three wickets for 18 runs on his return to international cricket and Siddle a Test-best five for 21.
Australia, in reply, were 151 for four, just 49 runs ahead, before a stand of 152 between Marcus North, whose 110 was his second century of the series, and vice-captain Michael Clarke (93) all but doubled the score.
England slumped for the second time Saturday, in a match where top-order batsmen Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood managed just 16 runs between them, losing five wickets for 20 runs in 44 balls.

Final scoreboard on the third day of the fourth Ashes Test:
England 1st Innings 102 (P Siddle 5-21, S Clark 3-18)
Australia 1st Innings 445 (M North 110, M Clarke 93, R Ponting 78, S Watson 51; S Broad 6-91)
England 2nd Innings (overnight: 82-5)

A. Strauss
lbw b Hilfenhaus
32

A. Cook
c Haddin b Johnson
30

R. Bopara
lbw b Hilfenhaus
0

I. Bell
c Ponting b Johnson
3

P. Collingwood
lbw b Johnson
4

J. Anderson
c Ponting b Hilfenhaus
4

M. Prior
c Haddin b Hilfenhaus
22

S. Broad
c Watson b Siddle
61

G. Swann
c Haddin b Johnson
62

S. Harmison
not out
19

G. Onions
b Johnson
0

Extras
(b5, lb5, w5, nb11)
26

Total
(all out, 61.3 overs, 292 mins)
263

Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Strauss), 2-58 (Bopara), 3-67 (Bell), 4-74 (Collingwood), 5-78 (Cook), 6-86 (Anderson), 7-120 (Prior), 8-228 (Broad), 9-259 (Swann), 10-263 (Onions)
Bowling:

Hilfenhaus
19-2-60-4 (9nb)

Siddle
12-2-50-1 (1nb, 5w)

Clark
11-1-74-0 (1nb)

Johnson
19.3-3-69-5

Result: Australia won by innings and 80 runs

BCCI Supports Indian Players on WADA Anti-Doping Contract

 

 

 

The BCCI has backed the Indian cricketers on their security concerns in the anti-doping signing with the World Anti Doping Association, which has got into a tie-up with the apex cricket body, ICC.
The Indian cricketers had refused to sign the contract earlier, before the deadline of 31st July because of a contentious clause that meant that they had to declare their location for one hour over the next three months. The Indian cricketers had deemed this clause as the one which encroached on their privacy.

The BCCI had a meeting with the ICC officials, along with the presence of some of the Indian cricketers like M.S.Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh but there was no solution found for the deadlock. The BCCI, on their part, agreed that anti-doping measures were very much a need of the hour, but they also said that they would back the players since they agreed with the fact that it would mean that the security of its players would be under threat.

The BCCI then, is said to have come up with a solution of its own, which they would suggest to the ICC. This solution talks about the ICC cutting off ties with WADA and forming their own regulations regarding doping and dope-testing.

Sachin Tendulkar Aims For 15000 Test Runs

 

India’s best ever batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, has said that he is still not satisfied with the number of runs that he has got in the test match format of the game, and that he would like to end with at least 15,000 runs under his belt.
Talking to a cricket magazine, Tendulkar said that he will want to live up to the expectations of former Indian opener and captain, Sunil Gavaskar, who had predicted that Tendulkar will get to 15000 runs. Gavaskar had also said that he would not be happy if Tendulkar got anything less than that, ‘and would come and catch me if he didn’t.’

The other aim that Tendulkar spoke about was the winning of the 2011 edition of the World Cup, the one trophy that has eluded his cupboard so far. Tendulkar has already played in five such tournaments and hasn’t won a world cup for his country yet.

 

Tendulkar then defied John Buchanan’s judgment on the fact that the bowlers world over had sorted Tendulkar out with the short ball. He said, ‘There must be something very wrong with all the bowlers around the world that they have allowed me to score so many runs.

Tnedulkar signed off by saying that retirement was farthest from his thoughts, but it was a scary thought all the same, to be away from the game he loves so much!

Champions trophy’s prize money-$4 million

The prize money of the 2009 edition of the Champions Trophy has been increased to $4 million from the near $1 million it was in the previous version in 2006 when it was hosted by India. The tournament was supposed to be held in Pakistan in 2008, but was postponed due to the security situation there and relocated to South Africa.
Johannesburg and Centurion will host all the 15 games to be played in the tournament, thus reducing the player-travel time, and hence fatigue.

There are eight countries which will feature in the tournament, unlike in the 2006 edition when there had been ten. The earlier format had seen the top six countries get a direct entry into the tournament, where as the remaining four, namely, West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh having to play out a round-robin qualifying. West Indies and Sri Lanka qualified for the main tournament. Australia is the defending champion, having won the final at Brabourne stadium last time by beating West Indies.

This time around, there are only eight countries playing the tournament, and will be divided into two groups of four teams each. Each group will have its own round-robin league and the top two sides from each group will advance to the semi-finals and the winners of the semis will feature in the finale to be played on the 5th of October.

Group A consists of India, Pakistan, West Indies and defending champions, Australia. The other group has Sri Lanka, England and New Zealand along with the hosts, South Africa.

 

Sachin vs Sehwag

 

Sachin, the prodigy of Indian Cricket, is till date ruling the hearts crickets fans all over world.
On the other hand, Sehwag, a raw talent, audacity personified and very much resembling Sachin in stature, for whom Sachin is
the idol.
Looking at sehwag today, one remember how devastating Sachin was in his early 20's.
Today you see a matured, calmed down Sachin, who rather than dictating terms, prefers to mould himself according to the situation.
The Sachin of old, would not worry of his back, elbow or little finger, all of which finds a place in Sachin's mind, while he is
batting today.
Sehwag is a fearless warrior. He goes out there to not struggle, but battle.
He dominates from the word go. He prefers demoralising the opposition to such an extent that even after he departs, the impact
is visible on other batsmen too.
Sehwag is the most experienced among the young brigade of Indian batsmen, but still all of them look upto Sachin, as not only
their idol but a torch bearer.
All of the young guns, including Sehwag respect Sachin, to no limits.
Sachin on the other hand has carved out a different niche for himself into this team of supremely talented cricketers like Sehwag,
Yuvraj, MSD.
Times of changed, now Sachin no more is the one who is responsible for an onslaught on the opposition bowlers.
That is take care by Sehwag, where as an even more important role awaits for Sachin, that of an anchor.
Both Sachin and Sehwag, have their own place in the Indian team, but today Sehwag is more potent a batsmen as compared to Sachin.
Sehwag has more chances of winning a match today for India.
On the other hand, one can rely on Sachin to save a match, or get the team out of a corner when wickets fall in a heap.
Sehwag fears no bowler, no pitch/conditions and plays according to his wish.
At times, he falters and lacks the same consistency but is a match winner to the core.
IF Sehwag stays for a long, its spells dooms day for the opposition.
Sehwag is surprisingly, is very superior test batsmen, as compared to the other young batters.
The likes of Yuvraj Singh still struggle to make it to the final 11 of a test team, but Sehwag has special way to play in tests.
He takes calculated risks, and more often then not, they pay off. The 2 triple tons by him are a testimony to it. None else apart
from him has managed to cross the 300 mark, not even Sachin Tendulkar.
So in today's context Sehwag might be a more potent, valuable batsmen to the team as compared to Sachin.
But the mere weight of more than 30,000 international runs, more than 80 international centuries, more than 2 decades of cricket,
still makes Sachin the best India could ever have, will ever have.
The second best test player the world will ever see batting and by far the best limited overs batsman in the history of the game.
Sachin sits at the top, while Sehwag is fast catching up, and has a long way to go.

Andrew Flintoff’s good bye to test cricket

One of England’s best all-rounders of all times and certainly the best at the current moment, Andrew Flintoff, has decided to hang his boots from international test match cricket. However, he has said that he will continue playing in the other formats of the game; the ODIs and the T20Is. He has announced that the last four games in the Ashes will be his final swansong, and that he will play through pain if necessary.
Flintoff’s decision comes a couple of days after he was diagnosed with another problem with the knee because of which he was deemed to undergo a fitness test for the second Ashes test match at Lord’s. This was in continuation to his previous injuries to his ankle and to the same knee, which had seen him feature in only three games of the Indian Premier League and miss the ICC World T20 competition. He had also been ruled out of the test series against West Indies, but had regained the fitness for the Ashes.

However, even as England battled to save the game, Flintoff felt recurring pain on the same knee and had to take injections for soreness and swelling. In the press conference, he said that he took this (four ankle operations and a knee surgery) as a signal from his body to stop playing the longer format of the game.

His captain, Andrew Strauss was obviously disappointed, but he also said that he expected the move to come in sooner than later. He praised the Lancastrian by saying that Flintoff has had a very positive effect on English cricket as a whole and the statistics do not paint the whole picture.

 

It was true that Flintoff had been going through quite a lot in terms of his fitness and the five-day format. 

Clearly, this is a worrying trend in which there will be an increasing number of cricketers wanting to take the cricket’s VRS and get into the various leagues full time, thus depriving the international cricket of stars; something that the fans look forward to.

Hayden To Open Cricket Academy In Chennai

 

Former Australia opener, and current Chennai Super Kings batsman, Matthew Hayden, has planned to begin work on setting up an academy in Chennai and may enlist the help of Rahul Dravid and Stephen Fleming in doing so. Hayden has had a very good record in the country, while he averages 83.75 in test matches in Chennai including a double century.
Hayden said that it was his intention to try and give back to the city where he first made a comeback and practiced playing spin bowling on tracks that assisted spin bowlers in 2000-01.

He also said that the academy would not focus on cricket alone, but also have education as a part of the exercise too. The reason for this, he said, was that not all aspirants went on to become cricketers, and needed to have something to depend upon.

Hayden added that the reason why he would want to work with Dravid was that he could identify his values and hence the chance of a partnership. He said that he had had a chat with Dravid during the 2009 edition of the IPL and would love to have Dravid with him. He also drew inspiration from former Australian captain, Steve Waugh, who had been involved in charity projects in India and had been an inspiration for him.

Waugh has adopted the charity institute Udayan and has worked for the benefit of the children in the institute. Hayden said that he would like to do something similar for Chennai like what Waugh had done in Kolkata.

USA To Start With Their Own IPL-Like Version

 

The USA Cricket Association (USACA) has announced that it will soon launch an IPL-like professional cricket league and has begun work to outline the that very plan. It has been reported that the USACA will be looking for partners to enable it to launch the tournament.
The USACA has appointed Nigel Rushman, Chairman of Rushmans ,to serve as commercial advisor to USACA, or in other words as the sports management firm to manage the whole thing. Rushmans is a UK-based firm have been associated with some of the major cricketing events as well, like the 2007 World Cup of cricket.

According to a media list on the website of Rushmans, the USACA is looking for partners to get corporate sponsorships, development and management of cricketing events in the USA, implementing an IPL-like professional league, negotiating TV and radio rights, and even developing and managing a cricket website for the tournament and a social networking medium to get the fans going as well.

The USA has been tipped as one of the most viable markets to spread cricket, what with the kind of Asian expat population in that country. Earlier there had been talks of Lalit Modi, the chairman of the IPL to host a parallel and a smaller IPL in the USA, but with the US coming out with their own version of the tournament, it remains to be seen whether any such dreams will work out.

GANGULY BACK AS A CAPTAIN OF KOLKATTA KNIGHT RIDERS

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly is likely to lead the Kolkata Knight Riders in the third edition of the Indian Premier League.
Ganguly led in the inaugural tournament in 2008, but was controversially replaced in 2009 by Brendon McCullum - a decision that the then coach John Buchanan made.
Ganguly met franchise owner Shahrukh Khan in England when he was there to watch the ICC World Twenty20 Championship, and they discussed the captaincy as well as the appointment of a new coach for the team for the next season of the twenty20 tournament.
According to sources, the KKR management would like to announce the decision later, sometime in the middle of August once the new coach is appointed.
Even as an official announcement is awaited, sources said that there could be a major reshuffle with former India coach Wright likely to replace John Buchanan as the Knight Riders coach, while former Australian middle-order batsman Michael Bevan will be on the coaching panel.

The decision has likely come about because the two other best suited candidates for captaincy - Brendon McCullum and Ricky Ponting - will both be on national duty, since New Zealand and Australia are slated to play each other during the IPL.

SANGAKKARA STEERS SRI LANKA TO A DRAW

 

 

Kumar Sangakkara hit an unbeaten century to steer Sri Lanka to a draw in the final Test against Pakistan here on Friday and win his first series as captain.
The left-hander made 130 not out as Sri Lanka, faced with a world record target of 492, defied the Pakistani bowlers to finish with 391-4 on the fifth day at the Sinhalese sports club.
The rock solid Sangakarra's 19th Test century featured a fourth-wicket stand of 122 with Thilan Samaraweera (73) and 114 for the unbroken fifth with Angelo Mathews (64 not out).
Sri Lanka clinched the series 2-0, their first at home against Pakistan after five unsuccessful attempts, and provided Sangakkara with a winning start as captain after he took over from Mahela Jayawardene in April.
Sangakkara hung on for nearly seven hours on a placid pitch to frustrate Pakistan's bid to record a face-saving win ahead of the five-match one-day series starting at Dambulla on July 30.

The two teams went into the last session of the match with Sri Lanka needing 154 runs from a possible 38 overs to record a record-breaking win and Pakistan requiring six wickets.
The hosts gave an indication they would prefer to settle for a draw when they made just 76 runs from 26 overs in the two hours after lunch.
Play was finally called off when 15 overs remained with Sri Lanka needing a further 101 runs.
It was the first time in the series that play went into the fifth day after the tourists lost the first Test in four days and the second in three.
Sangakkara and Samaraweera, who resumed the day at 183-3, batted through the morning session to take Sri Lanka to 262 without further loss by lunch.

The pair made a cautious start in the morning, scoring 50 runs in 21 overs before Pakistan captain Younus Khan took the second new ball as soon as it was due in the 81st over.
Samaraweera welcomed the change by driving the first delivery from Umar Gul to the cover fence and executing another perfect off-drive from the last ball of the over.
Sri Lanka suffered a setback soon after lunch when Samaraweera strained a hamstring while taking a single and called for a runner.
Samaraweera was dismissed  when he failed to read a straight ball from off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and nicked an easy catch to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal.

Scoreboard

Pakistan 1st innings 299
Khurram Manzoor 93, Mohammad Yousuf 90, T. Thushara 5-83

Sri Lanka 1st innings 233
K. Sangakkara 45, M. Jayawardene 79, D. Kaneria 5-62

Pakistan 2nd innings 425-9 decl
Shoaib Malik 134, Kamran Akmal 74, R. Herath 5-157

Sri Lanka 2nd innings

T. Paranavitana c Alam b Malik 73

M. Warnapura c Malik b Kaneria 31

K. Sangakkara not out 130

M. Jayawardene c Akmal b Kaneria 2

T. Samaraweera c Akmal b Ajmal 73

A. Mathews not out 64

Extras
b1, lb7, nb9, w1
18

Total
for 4 wkts
391

Fall of wkts
1-83, 2-139, 3-155, 4-277

Bowling

Gul 12-0-65-0 (nb5), Aamer 21-5-46-0 (nb1), Younus 8-0-25-0 (w1), Ajmal 43-9-95-1, Malik 14-1-38-1 (nb3), Kaneria 36-3-114-2

SAKIB’S CAPTAIN INNING LEADS BANGLADESH TO THEIR FIRST OVERSEAS SERIES WIN

 

 

 

Bangladeshi stand-in captain Shakib Al Hasan led from the front with 96 not out as his side beat the West Indies in the second and final test here on Monday and he declared the 2-0 series win was the biggest thing for the cricket side in nine years.
Shakib hit the winning runs in style with a six to seal a first ever series win away from home - admittedly against a weakened and inexperienced West Indies side after the senior players boycotted the series over a pay dispute - and the first time they have won two successive tests.
Shakib and Raqibul Hasan made 65 - both career bests - to set things up for the Tigers, as they successfully chased 215 for victory to win by four wickets and claim only their second ever series win.

Bangladesh were wobbling on 67 for four about half-hour before the tea break, but Shakib joined Raqibul and they put Bangladesh solidly on course for victory with a stand of 106 for the fifth wicket either side of tea.
Raqibul reached his 50 from 74 balls, when he steered Dave Bernard Jr to third man for his seventh fourth.
About 25 minutes later, Shakib arrived at his landmark, when he drove Kemar Roach for his seventh boundary and the first of three in succession in the fast bowler's 11th over.
But Raqibul became the fourth of five wickets for 55 runs in 16 overs for Darren Sammy, when he gave an easy return catch with Bangladesh still needing 44.
He batted for a shade under three hours, faced 99 balls, and struck eight fours and one six.

Diminutive wicketkeeper/batsman Mushfiqur Rahim joined Shakib and inched Bangladesh closer in the 40 minutes he spent at the crease before he too, drove back a simple return catch to Sammy to leave the Tigers 14 short of the magic number, but they had no last-minute jitters and duly crossed over the threshold.

Before lunch, Bangladesh had made a steady start and reached 17 without loss, after they completed the demolition of the West Indies batting, following a delayed start.
Shakib, who also captured the Man-of-the-Series award, finished with five wickets for 70 runs from 24.5 overs, and fellow left-arm spinner Enamul Haque Jr ended with three for 48 from 17 overs.

FLINTOFF LEADS ENGLAND TO VICTORY

 

 

 

Andrew Flintoff took five wickets as England finally ended their 75-year wait for an Ashes victory at Lord's with a 115-run win over Australia on the final day of the second Test here on Monday.
Victory saw England take a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series having clung on for a draw in Cardiff.
Australia set a mammoth 522 to win - a target that had they achieved it would have surpassed the fourth innings Test world record victory total of 418 for seven made by the West Indies against Australia in Antigua in 2002/03 - were bowled out for 406 shortly before lunch on the fifth day.
Fast bowler Flintoff, who before this match announced he would retire from Test cricket at the end of this series, took five wickets for 92 runs in 27 overs, including three for 43 in 10 overs Monday.
It was only the third time in the 31-year-old all-rounder's 77-Test career he'd taken five wickets in a Test innings.

Off-spinner Graeme Swann provided good support with four for 87.
Michael Clarke did his best to deny England with a superb innings of 136 but ultimately could not prevent the hosts beating Australia in a Test at Lord's for the first time since 1934, when they won by an innings and 38 runs. 

Australia resumed on 313 for five, 209 runs adrift of their target, with Clarke 125 not out and Brad Haddin 80 not out.
But starting again is never easy and they were unable to add to a stand worth 185 with Haddin out for his overnight score.
Haddin edged the 10th ball of the morning, fast bowler Flintoff's fourth, straight to Paul Collingwood who took a good low catch at second slip.
Flintoff was now fired up and hit Clarke on the head with a bouncer, as the batsman took his eye off the ball, before beating him on the outside edge.

New batsman Mitchell Johnson was fortunate on four, after being completely deceived by a Flintoff slower ball that struck him on the pad, that veteran umpire Rudi Koertzen, standing in his 100th Test, had correctly called no-ball.
But it was Swann who, with his second ball Monday, took the wicket England craved when he beat Clarke in the air as the batsman went down the pitch and bowled him off-stump to end the Australia vice-captain's innings of more than five hours.
Flintoff then bowled Nathan Hauritz for one as the batsman shouldered arms and Australia were 363 for eight.
Flintoff, the star of England's 2005 Ashes series win, though then completed only the third five-wicket haul of his Test career when he bowled Peter Siddle, and celebrated by going down on one knee with his arms outstretched after leaving his side on the brink of victory.
Fast bowler Johnson, who'd struggled with the ball, defied England with a 62-ball fifty.
But Swann, who dropped a difficult caught and bowled chance off Johnson, bowled him for 63 to seal England's victory.

ICC Champions Trophy Schedule-Fixtures 2009

 

 

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 will be played in South Africa. The sixth edition of ICC Champions Trophy will be played in Johannesburg and Centurion from September 22^nd to October 5^th.

Last time in Champions trophy there were total 21 matches played but this time it is down to 15 numbers of matches.

All eight teams are divided into two Groups A and B. India, Pakistan, Australia and West IndiesSouth Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England are in group B. Each team will play with one another in their corresponding groups and the top two teams from each group will advance into the semi finals.

The following are the two groups:
Group A: Australia, India, Pakistan, West Indies
Group B: South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England

 

 

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Tue 22 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group B – Sri Lanka v South Africa

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Wed 23 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group A – Pakistan v West Indies

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Thu 24 Sep

13:00 PM

Group B – South Africa v New Zealand

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Fri 25 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group B – England v Sri Lanka

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Sat 26 Sep

13:00 PM

Group A – Australia v West Indies

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Sat 26 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group A – India v Pakistan

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Sun 27 Sep

13:00 PM

Group B – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Sun 27 Sep (S/N)

18:00 PM

Group B – England v South Africa

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Mon 28 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group A – India v Australia

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Tue 29 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group B – England v New Zealand

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Wed 30 Sep

13:00 PM

Group A – Pakistan v Australia

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Wed 30 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

Group A – India v West Indies

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Fri 2 Oct (D/N)

18:00 PM

1^st Semi Final – A1 v B2

SuperSport Park, Centurion

Sat Oct 3 (D/N)

18:00 PM

2^nd Semi Final – A2 v B1

New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

Mon 5 Oct (D/N)

18:00 PM

Final – 1^st Semi Final winner v 2^nd Semi Final inner

SuperSport Park, Centurion

New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka 2009 Schedule

 

Just after the tour of Pakistan is over in Sri Lanka, New Zealand team will arrive in Sri Lanka for their 40 days tour. New Zealand team will play two matches test series with five One Day International and two twenty20 Internationals on their tour to Sri Lanka.

New Zealand team will begin their tour with three day practice game before playing first test match from 18^th August to 22^nd August at P Sara Oval, Colombo. The 2^nd test match of the series will be played from 26^th of August to 30^th of August at SSC, Colombo.

After test match series New Zealand team will shift their gear for five one day internationals and two twenty20 games. First ODI of five match series will be played at Dambulla Stadium 7^th, 11^th, 13^th and 15^th of September. New Zealand tour will conclude with two twenty Internationals will be played on 17^th and 19^th of September at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

New Zealand v Sri Lanka Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Thu 13 Aug - Sat 15 Aug

10:00 AM

Tour Game – New Zealand v TBC

Colts Cricket Club Ground, Colombo

Tue 18 Aug - Sat 22 Aug

10:00 AM

1^st Test – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

P Sara Oval, Colombo

Wed 26 Aug - Sun 30 Aug

10:00 AM

2^nd Test – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

Sinhalese Sports Club Ground, Colombo

Thu 3 Sep

09:30 AM

Tour Game – New Zealand v TBC

Welagedara Stadium, Kurunegala

Sat 5 Sep

09:30 AM

1^st ODI – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium

Mon 7 Sep

09:30 AM

2^nd ODI – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium

Fri 11 Sep (D/N)

14:30 PM

3^rd ODI – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Sun 13 Sep (D/N)

14:30 PM

4^th ODI – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Tue 15 Sep (D/N)

14:30 PM

5^th ODI – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Thu 17 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

1^st T20I – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Sat 19 Sep (D/N)

18:00 PM

2^nd T20I – New Zealand v Sri Lanka

R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Rahul Dravid in list of 30 probable announce for ICC Champions Trophy 2009.

 

After almost two years stylish right handed Rahul Dravid was included in list of 30 probable announce by Indian selectors for ICC Champions Trophy 2009. Rahul Dravid who last played ODI in October 2007 against Australia in Nagpur got selected by the Indian selectors in the 30 player squad.

Sachin Tendulkar, Virendra Sehwag, Suresh Raina and Zaheer Khan who missed the recently concluded ODI series in Caribbean due to injuries also included in the squad. The biggest surprise inclusion was of Rahul Dravid who averages 39.49 scoring more than 10,000 runs in 333 games.

Many experts believe that lack of ability to handle the short pitch stuff by the young Indian players prompted Indian selectors to go with experienced Rahul Dravid. Suresh Raiana, Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan all struggled to handle the short-pitch deliveries in twenty20 world championship as well as in recently concluded ODI series against West Indies.

Irfan Pathan and S.Sreesanth were the two players who missed out to make into the 30 probable squads.

India List of 30 Probables for Champions Trophy 2009: MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Abhishek Nayar, Ishant Sharma, Zaheer Khan, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Munaf Patel, R Ashwin, M Vijay, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Dhawal Kulkarni, S Badrinath, Ashish Nehra, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh, Wriddhiman Saha, Pankaj Singh.

ICC Champions Trophy Schedule-Fixtures 2009

ICC Champions Trophy 2009 will be played in South Africa. The sixth edition of ICC Champions Trophy will be played in Johannesburg and Centurion from September 24^th to October 5^th.

Last time in Champions trophy there were total 21 matches played but this time it is down to 15 numbers of matches.

All eight teams are divided into two Groups A and B. India, Pakistan, Australia and West Indies are in Group A while South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England are in group B. Each team will play with one another in their corresponding groups and the top two teams from each group will advance into the semi finals.

The following are the two groups:
Group A: Australia, India, Pakistan, West Indies
Group B: South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, England

Former winners of ICC Champions trophy
1998 - South Africa
2000 - New Zealand
2002 - India and Sri Lanka (Joint Winners)
2004 - West Indies
2006 - Australia

Bangladesh tour of West Indies 2009 Schedule

 

 

Bangladesh Cricket Team will tour Caribbean in early part of July to play two test match series, three ODI’s and only T20I.

Bangladesh tour will begin from 3^rd of July with the three day tour game. First match of the two match test series will begin from 9^th of July at St. Vincent Stadium. 2^nd Test match will be played at Grenada from 17^th to 21^st of July.

Just after two match test series Bangladesh will play three ODI’s on 26^th, 28^th, and 31^st of July and final their tour will conclude with one of Twenty20 Internationals which will be played on 2^nd of August at St Kitts.

Bangladesh v West Indies Fixtures (All timings are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Fri 3 July - Sun 5 July

19:30 PM

Tour Game – Bangladesh v TBC

Barbados

Thu 9 July - Mon 13 July

19:30 PM

1^st Test – Bangladesh v West Indies

Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St Vincent

Fri 17 July - Tue 21 July

19:30 PM

2^nd Test – Bangladesh v West Indies

National Cricket Stadium, St George's, Grenada

Fri 24 July

19:00 PM

Tour Game – Bangladesh v TBC

Dominica

Sun 26 July

19:00 PM

1^st ODI – Bangladesh v West Indies

Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica

Tue 28 July

19:00 PM

2^nd ODI – Bangladesh v West Indies

Windsor Park, Roseau, Dominica

Fri 31 July

19:00 PM

3^rd ODI – Bangladesh v West Indies

Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts

Sun 2 Aug

23:30 PM

Only T20I – Bangladesh v West Indies

Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts

Australia tour of England – the Ashes, 2009

 

 

Australia will tour England for Ashes series in June 2009 after twenty20 World Cup event. Australia will have a very long tour including five test match, eights one day internationals and two twenty20 internationals.

Australia Vs England Schedule (All timing are mentioned in GMT+05:30)

Wed 24 Jun – Sat 27 Jun

15:30 PM

Australia v Sussex

County Ground, Hove

Wed 1 Jul – Sat 4 Jul

15:30 PM

Australia v England Lions

County Ground, New Road, Worcester

Wed 8 Jul – Sun 12 Jul

15:30 PM

1^st Test - Australia v England

Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Thu 16 Jul - Mon 20 Jul

15:30 PM

2^nd Test - Australia v England

Lord's, London

Fri 24 Jul – Sun 26 Jul

15:30 PM

Australia v Northamptonshire

County Ground, Northampton

Thu 30 Jul – Mon 3 Aug

15:30 PM

3^rd Test - Australia v England

Edgbaston, Birmingham

Fri 7 Aug – Tue 11 Aug

15:30 PM

4^th Test - Australia v England

Headingley, Leeds

Sat 15 Aug – Sun 16 Aug

15:30 PM

Kent v Australia

St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury

Thu 20 Aug – Mon 24 Aug

15:30 PM

5^th Test - Australia v England

Kennington Oval, London

Fri 28 Aug

15:15 PM

Only ODI - Australia v Scotland

Grange Cricket Club Ground, Raeburn Place, Edinburgh

Sun 30 Aug

19:30 PM

1^st T20I – Australia v England

Old Trafford, Manchester

Tue 1 Sep (D/N)

23:30 PM

2^nd T20I – Australia v England

Old Trafford, Manchester

Fri 4 Sep (D/N)

19:00 PM

1^st ODI – Australia v England

Kennington Oval, London

Sun 6 Sep

15:15 PM

2^nd ODI – Australia v England

Lord's, London

Wed 9 Sep (D/N)

19:00 PM

3^rd ODI – Australia v England

The Rose Bowl, Southampton

Sat 12 Sep

15:15 PM

4^th ODI – Australia v England

Lord's, London

Tue 15 Sep (D/N)

19:00 PM

5^th ODI – Australia v England

Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Thu 17 Sep (D/N)

19:00 PM

6^th ODI – Australia v England

Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Sun 20 Sep

15:15 PM

7^th ODI – Australia v England

Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street