Inzamam-ul-Haq warned by PCB against joining ICL!

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Naseem Ashraf Tuesday issued a clear warning to former captain Inzamam-ul Haq, saying he will not be considered for national selection if he decides to play for the breakaway Indian Cricket League.
"Since the International Cricket Council does not recognise this private tournament our position is clear -- any Pakistani player who plays in the League will not be considered for national selection again," Ashraf told PTI.
"Our policy is clear we will not give permission to any of our players to play in the Indian league as it is not supported by the officialdom," he said.
Inzamam, who has been ignored by the PCB for a central contract after announcing retirement from the one-day cricket following Pakistan's World Cup debacle, Monday said he would like to play in the League if the terms were right from the ICL organisers.

Shane Warne 'pissed off' with Indian Cricket League!

A 'pissed off' Shane Warne has threatened to pull out from the Indian Cricket League after the organisers wrongly declared that the spin wizard was a certain starter even before the negotiations were over.
ICL`s executive board chairman Kapil Dev confirmed to the Australian media recently that both Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath had confirmed their participation in the million dollar Twenty20 tourney.
Warne is said to have signed a three-year deal worth about USD 2 mn to join the breakaway league but his manager James Erskine has denied the reports and hinted that the bowler is having a major rethink.
"Certainly I am pissed off, and I think Shane is rightly pissed off, that they said he had announced he had signed," Erskine was quoted as saying by the 'Herald Sun'.
"That's not true. That hasn't gone down well. That shows a lack of organising."
Warne claimed last week he was keen to play in the tournament backed by the Essel group.
Erskine also said Warne was wary of not offending cricket Australia and the ICC, which were not expected to approve the tournament.

Shoaib Akhtar angry for being hit by batsmen!

Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar spent a frustrating day during the practice match between the probables for the Twenty20 World Cup and ended up venting his anger on a window pane in the National stadium dressing room. Shoaib was upset at being hit all over by young batsmen like Khurrum Manzoor and Khalid Latif and later by Pakistani openers Salman Butt and Imran Nazir. Worse still, the mercurial bowler also offended the national selectors present at the ground, by playing in shorts. Shoaib came off the field after first bowling three overs in first innings and then four in the second innings. At one stage, Shoaib was so upset with the manner in which the batsmen hit fours and sixes off him that he bowled a beamer at Latif who hooked him nonchalantly for a six after having taken three fours in a previous over. In the second session, Butt and Nazir also showed no mercy and Shoaib chose to walk off complaining of dehydration and exhaustion in the warm weather after conceding 44 runs in four overs. On coming back to the dressing room, he vented his frustration by kicking at a window pane which cracked in the middle. After that the fast bowler, who has played just one Test and four one-dayers in the last 15 months due to fitness problems, sat sulking and refused to speak to the media despite a request from manager Talat Ali. Chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed, clearly upset at Shoaib's attitude, vented his anger at young Khurrum Manzoor who was given a dressing down for showing dissent against an umpire's decision. Shoaib's behaviour and his failure to play on Sunday raised many questions about his fitness but Talat insisted that the pacer was fine and was being rested before a hectic international season. "It was hot, very humid and he got dehydrated. We gave him water and time to recover. He was a little dizzy because of the dehydration but he was fine after a cold shower and lots of water," he explained.

Vaughan says sorry to Zaheer Khan

England captain Michael Vaughan apologised to India's Zaheer Khan for the jelly bean controversy at Trent Bridge but said incident had nothing to with England's defeat. India won the second Test by seven wickets before lunch on the final day to take a 1-0 lead in the series, however the game was littered with incidents that overshadowed the cricket. Zaheer reacted angrily to England putting jelly beans on the pitch while he was batting on Sunday evening. "It's an incident that has been blown out of proportion," Vaughan said. "A few jelly beans were left on the floor by the stumps at a drinks interval as we got a wicket. "If it offended Zaheer in any way we apologise for that. But there were no jelly beans thrown from the slip cordon. "It's not the reason why we've lost a game of cricket, because of some jelly beans. We just didn't apply ourselves as well as we could have done with the bat. We were probably 60 or 70 runs light in the first and second innings."

Indian cricketers grooved to Beedi Jalaile!

Champagne and beer flowed generously in the dressing room after India completed a historic victory over England in the second Test at Trent Bridge yesterday.After swinging England out, the team swung to the beats of the Beedi Jalaile from Omkara. Yuvraj Singh and Sreesanth, the team’s two known dancers ,were the main instigators, while others were seen whistling and shaking a leg.Also heard were songs from Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and the English song Tease Me.Sourav Ganguly, who, along with Rahul Dravid completed the formalities, left early after the celebrations to be with his wife and daughter, who were at the hotel. “I wanted to finish the match with a six, but it did not click. I swung my bat, but the ball swung too much,” Sourav later told MiD DAY.Sachin Tendulkar later threw a party in his room, which was attended by Yuvraj, Zaheer Khan, Sreesanth and Robin Singh, among others. Dinesh Karthik and Ramesh Powar went out with their families later in the night. Stumped!An unusual sight was witnessed at Trent Bridge yesterday. After winning the Test, Dravid and Ganguly, who were at the crease, did not rush to uproot the stump, as is the usual tradition. In fact, reserve player Ishant Sharma ran down afterwards to collect the stump. However, the ground staff had already packed the stumps by then, who, however, did give him a stump.
Courtesy:mid-day

Zaheer Khan spurred by jelly beans on the pitch!

If India do the inevitable and clinch the second cricket Test against England at Trent Bridge today, it will go down as a story of how jelly beans inspired a rare away Test win. That's what Zaheer Khan indicated last night when he said that the on-field aggression and the jelly beans incident spurred him on to a magical five for 75 to put England in demolition zone on the penultimate day of the battle. "At one point, there was a jelly bean on the pitch when I batted and next ball there were some more thrown in by them, so I asked them what was going on," said Zaheer, adding, "This was insulting." Zaheer, like Sourav Ganguly on Sunday, said this was all part of the game, but he was very lucid when it came to the jelly beans incident. "I may have got at the wrong guy (Zaheer was seen in an animated discussion on Sunday with Kevin Pietersen), but at that point of time I was upset," remarked Zaheer. He claimed his fifth five-wicket haul in Tests yesterday — his first against England.
Courtesy:midday

Ricky Ponting hits out at Indian Cricket League!

Ricky Ponting has hit out at the proposed Indian Cricket League (ICL), saying the million-dollar series threatens to tempt ageing cricketers into early retirement while luring youngsters away from national duty.
"It's only a concern if there is huge money involved in it," Ponting said. "If this sort of stuff gets off the ground, these guys won't even be playing with their mates, they'll be thrown into made-up teams. You'll be out there by yourself and trying to win some money," he was quoted as saying by the Herald Sun.
"The other thing being talked about is this [Allen] Stanford guy in the West Indies. The $23 million he's said to be offering is a concern because the way I look at it is people getting towards the end of their international career will think, 'If I'm guaranteed that, this kind of money might be a good thing.'"

Ponting felt such a league suits only the likes of Brian Lara, for whom money can be a motivation to carry on for a bit longer after giving up his international career. "I think it will only be people towards the end of their careers like Lara [who was last week signed by the ICL]. Look, it might work out really well for them -- play a bit more cricket for money on top -- but it's not something I've looked at."
Concerned about the impact that the ICL could have on youngsters, Ponting said it would hardly be of any benefit for young cricketers to play in the series, which was more of a money-making exercise. "I'm not sure what these 18 or 19-year-olds who aren't State-contracted will learn from Twenty20 cricket. I read where Deano [Dean Jones] said it will help these guys out. It won't help them out; it will help Dean out. It will help the people running the event.
"I can't see how these young kids playing Twenty20 cricket will do much in giving them an upbringing in learning much about the game."

Jones had said that the ICL will not poach any contracted players from state or national teams and believed that the series would help young talented players. "We won't be looking at any Australian players or state players because it will clash with their commitments and we don't want guys to break their contracts . . . far from it," Jones said. "We might look at helping some young 18 or 19-year-old players who are not playing for their states.
"Last year in Australia of more than 120 guys to get contracts, only a handful were teenagers. They would be better off mixing with Brian Lara than staying home and playing club cricket.
"People are us calling rebels but we are angels. We might Americanise it and trump it up a bit, and change a few rules, and we will give players a say in what rules deserve to be changed. We are trying to give young players a chance and they could come from places such as Kenya and Ireland. Each of the teams will also have their own academy. The series will run for a month over the next three years."
Former Australian coach John Buchanan, meanwhile, felt that Allen Stanford's proposed Twenty20 bash in West Indies was a bigger revolution waiting to happen than the ICL.
"The ICL is a fantastic concept but from the bigger point of view, I think Stanford is making the real moves. The stumbling block for him is getting the backing of the West Indies Board," he said.
"If that happens, you could have a whole new development in the game with international tournaments. Twenty20 shouldn't take over from 50-overs cricket and Tests will always be the pinnacle, but we'd be silly to get in the road of Twenty20."

Courtesy:cricinfo.org

Dinesh Karthik is sad for missing the century

Young Indian opener Dinesh Karthik is disappointed that he lost a golden chance to score a Test century against England after doing all the hard work in the second Test at Trent Bridge.
"A hundred was there for the asking today. To get out in the first ball after tea was definitely disappointing. If I'd gone on, a hundred was on the cards.The new ball was definitely doing a bit, probably not as much as yesterday, but they had two good swing bowlers as well. (Ryan) Sidebottom bowled well to me. He hit me on the box a couple of times, got me on the hand. But we needed to be positive and it later became like
any other pitch," .

Alan Donald says Sachin is the best!

Praising Sachin Tendulkar, former South African and now England bowling coach Allan Donald said the Sachin is the best batsman of present era and deserves to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket.
Donald said the veteran Indian willower, was the best in the business and could carry on for a few more years.
"In my era, I think he is the best player I have ever had the pleasure of playing against. He is something special, very freakish, and I think that what he has done for the game and his country has been absolutely phenomenal," Donald said while paying tribute to Tendulkar.
Donald said Tendulkar can carry on playing for a few more years and can go past Brian Lara's record of scoring most number of Test runs(11,953).
"There is a lot more cricket in Tendulkar. He still looks so boyish. It's is a bit scary to notice how many hundreds he has notched up in Test cricket and not to mention those one-day hundreds.
"He's just a credit to cricket. I know he has been through a bad trot with injuries over the last couple of years but he looked his old self out there. I hope there is still a lot more cricket in Sachin because it's unbelievable how many years he's stuck it out and achieved what he has. I hope he goes past Brian Lara's record - he deserves it," Donald said.

Inzamam is interested in Indian Cricket League

Now Pakistan's Inzamam-ul-Haq is in news related to ICL. Inzy has been approached by the Indian Cricket League (ICL) to play for one of the participating teams and he is considering the offer.
Inzamam, who retired from One-Day cricket after the World Cup in March, confirmed that ICL had made an offer to him and he was excited.
"I am excited at the prospects of playing alongside other great players and if the terms are right I will certainly play in the league. I am not acting as an agent on behalf of the league organisers and I am not aware if any other Pakistani player had been signed on.
The league will feature an annual tournament featuring foreign players and some current Indian players. Inzamam did not mince any words while voicing support for the ICL.

Monty Panesar is Sport Personality of the Year

England's only Sikh cricketer Monty Panesar has been chosen as Sport Personality of the Year at the Asian Achievers Award 2007.
At a glittering ceremony held at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, on Saturday night, Lord Karan Billimoria, leading NRI entrepreneur presented the award to Panesar.

British Journalists don't want to hear Hindi!

We Indians still worship British language, English just because we respect all the languages. But British journalists, who are supposed to be the most civilised citizens of the World, have no basic manners. After the first day's play at the second cricket Test, VVS Laxman took the mantle of talking to the media. There were British journalists and there were Indian journalists. Minutes later, when Laxman was answering a question from a Indian journalist in Hindi, the British journalists walked up to the table, picked up their voice recorders and walked out. Laxman and Rufus Rockey, the Indian team manager, looked bewildered but stayed on. The Indian team management says that the least the local journalists could have done was to wait till Laxman had finished his answer and then excused themselves.
It is learnt that the Indians have made a verbal complaint to the Indian Cricket Board, and according to a team source, a “strong mail” has been despatched to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The crux of the complaint is that as the hosts, the ECB does not have someone to manage the media at press conferences.
“You simply can’t do this,” said a source in the team. “Even if they have to go off in a hurry, they should have the courtesy to let a man finish his answer.”
The British need to learn a few basic manners in respecting the World. This World is beautiful because it is made of diverse cultures, rich languages. Let's learn to accept and respect that.

Laxman wants to nail the English team

India's stylish batsman VVS Laxman is a relieved man. With England on the backfoot, he with his willow club wants to pile as many runs as possible and defeat any recovery plans of the English side.
"It's an ideal opportunity for us.You have to trust your instincts and abilities and play as late as possible. England side have all good seam bowlers and it will be a good challenge facing them on this wicket.

England opener Cook is all praise for Indian bowlers

England opener Alistair Cook is all praise for Indian bowlers. He is the right person to talk about it, as he stood there at one end and seen them run through England batting lineup.
"When it swung and nipped around like that it was tough, and the Indian bowlers didn't give us too many scoring options.It was one of those days when none of the batters got in, or if they did, kept getting out."

ICC is not threatened by ICL

ICC is not threatened by Subhash Chandra's ICL, yet. The ICC on Friday allayed fears that the proposed Twenty20 series by Indian Cricket League would take some gloss of the inaugural world championships to be staged at Johannesburg in September.
ICC cricket manager Dave Richardson termed ICL as a minor local event "It's a local thing, it's not a threat. It doesn't conflict with what we are trying to do in South Africa. It is not an international tournament"
The ICL, has roped in Brian Lara and has approached New Zealand's Stephen Fleming and Australians Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
With a winner's purse of USD 1 million, the proposed league would feature six teams, with a mix of International and Indian players, which would play Twenty20 matches across India.
Kapil Dev is the Chairman of its Executive Board, where he is joined by Tony Greig, Australian cricketer-turned-commentator Dean Jones and former India stumper Kiran More.
Former players like Sandeep Patil, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, Madan Lal, Rajesh Chauhan and Pranab Roy have also joined the rebel league in some capacity or the other. Most of the India rejects, who have a lot of cricket left in them are expected to join the League, as it promises them secured contract over a long term.

Warne and Mcgrath yet to join ICL!

Few days back Kapildev said Warne and Mcgrath are already on the roll. But Warne's manager contradicts Kapildev statement. Though Warne is keen on joining ICL, the deciding factor could be the pay package. These recently retired veteran cricketers doesn't want to let the golden chance go. They are still in the bargaining stage. Warne in his column says
"Playing cricket in India is always an experience. That is one reason why I am keen to take part in the new Twenty20 League in October and November. The organisers are ambitious and, if the whole package is right, then I'll be out there.
Brian Lara has committed to it and I have been speaking to him and a few other players. I know that I will miss the game during the winter, having retired back home. This is ideal at roughly three weeks long. People the world over are turning to Twenty20 for a quick fix of cricket and they will love the spectacle in India"
Dean Jones who's one of the Directors of ICL contradicts Kapil Dev's statement saying, "Kapil Dev hasn't been briefed properly. He's firing from the hip. Everything's fine. It's just normal Indian press and a few guys not communicating. Discussions are still continuing"
More confusions! But money will surely clear all the confusion soon!

Will Jonty Rhodes join Indian Cricket League?

Zee's Indian Cricket League is making news again and again. With the recruitment campaign gaining momentum, there's question on everyone's lips! Will he join? Will they succeed? And more questions!
The latest buzz is that South Africa's fielding coach Jonty Rhodes will join ICL. Jonty Rhodes, who epitomised fielding and One-Day brilliance is keen on having a go. And what he says...
"I haven't played cricket for a long time, so obviously, it would depend. I have a contract with Cricket South Africa. And Cricket South Africa's CEO, Gerald Majola has said that he doesn't want South African cricket players to be going and playing anywhere.And as far as I am concerned, I haven't played for a long time, so I don't think that the guys are going to be knocking at my door," said Rhodes.
So, every cricketer worth his run/wicket/catch wants to take a calculated step! And rightly so!

How will you win Twenty20 World cup?

With Twenty20 world championship just around two months away, every team is seeing a fair chance. There's no champions in this form of the game yet, like Aussies in one-dayers and Test cricket. Nobody knows what strategy to adopt. Even the host team South Africa captain Graeme Smith has no clue too!
He talks on the game, championship and the strategy(or no strategy)
"It is interesting as it is being played at a time when not many people know too much. Most of the Twenty20 matches take place in the summer and we are just coming out of the winter. It will be interesting to see how the things react. You just have to go there and see how you feel on the day and judge your gut feeling.
Well runs on the board is going to be the key. In 20 overs it is all going to be about four and sixes as you will get all the marketing and advertising. I think also the ability to take wickets is going to be crucial. If you are going to put the other team under pressure quickly and then you get the runs on the board then you go a long way to win the game.
But then that is general cricket. You have to get the basic right. Then you can experiment and then hope to make most of the conditions."
All we can say is that, on any day any champion can emerge. This is the one championship where all teams seem to be equal!

Sehwag and Bhajji to join Indian Cricket League?

Media baron Subhash Chandra's brainchild Indian Cricket League has finally started to distrurb people at BCCI. Suddenly more big names have come up and some big names have confirmed that they are joining ICL. After old horses like Kapil Dev, Sandeep Patil, Kiran More joined the core-committee of ICL, Brian Lara's entry gave the League shot in the arms.
Lara will captain one of the six teams that take part in the Twenty20 tournament which will roll, this November. Each team will have four international players, two senior Indian players and five young Indian cricket prospects. According to the sources, Australian Pace Guru Dennis Lillee is also expected to join the League soon. But the rumour which people find exciting is the prospect of two Indian senior players joining ICL. They were said to be in the World Cup team but dropped from the current Indian team touring England. May be people are talking about Virendra Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh. But I don't see them jeapardising their career by this move. They are going through a rough patch, but being a seasoned cricketer, they know that it's just a matter of few good outings in the field. And they have a long road ahead unlike Brian Lara who's already retired. Some more retired international names are also doing the rounds, Mcgrath and Shane Warne. And they have confirmed that the deal is being finalised. Shane Warne is said to be talking about an amount of 2 Million dollars as a package!
ICL is an interesting development. But retired international cricketers will never be able to add the excitement that an Indian cricketer can bring in. Our current cricketers have too much to lose if they rebel and subscribe to the new idea. ICL is certainly on a shaky ground. Only thing that excited these joinees is money. But money alone will not help them to take on an entity as big as BCCI!

Brian Lara joins ICL

Brian Lara has become the first big-name signing for the Indian Cricket League, which announced today that it has also contracted former Indian allrounder Madan Lal to coach its Delhi team and Balwinder Singh Sandhu as director of academies.
Lara, who retired from international cricket after the World Cup earlier this year, said he looked forward to playing with promising youngsters and to captaining one of the teams. "You can't keep me too far from cricket and hence I return to the game in this exciting new avatar", Lara said in a statement issued by the Essel Group, promoters of the ICL.
Lara's joining the ICL had first been reported in May and at the time the names of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath had also been linked with the league.
Rajesh Chauhan and Pranob Roy, former players who had also served as selectors, were roped in as talent scouts for the league. They joined Kapil Dev, Kiran More and Sandeep Patil on the ICL roster.

Courtesy:cricinfo

Dravid on India's batting heroes

Rahul Dravid on India's batting heroes

We have to reassess our batting, look at some of the shots, shot selection, that we played. Some of their bowlers we have not played before. So we have some food for thought now. We can go and work on the weaker areas. We got out of jail, there were a couple of partnerships but we were truly saved by the weather. I don't think you can blame the tail. Yes there was a chance that the weather could save and we needed the guys to hang in there. And Dhoni did that well. The seamers all through have been exceptional, except perhaps for the first morning. It's a good sign and if we could get out batting firing again, that will be well. It needed an exceptional innings from Kevin Pietersen to take the match away from us. So, Pietersen was the difference between the two sides.

Rahul Dravid feels lucky

Rahul Dravid after the drawn test at the Lord's
"Of course we had a bit of luck but it's nice to get away with one of these rather than lose them. I'm glad that Dhoni, along with the tail, batted through a difficult period for us in tough light and got us there.
There was a sense of relief in the dressing room. You can never have the same feeling as winning the Test match but it will give us confidence going into the second Test level.At the start of the day I felt pretty confident: I knew the first one-and-a-half hours would be critical. If we had a good start I knew it would set us up well for the game. The thought did cross my mind that in previous Tests we were left knowing if we had batted for an extra half-hour we could have saved the match.It's just nice to get away with one of those rather than losing one."

Symonds asks aussies to respect Murali

All-rounder Andrew Symonds has urged Australian crowds to applaud Muttiah Muralitharan if the controversial off-spinner breaks Shane Warne's Test wickets record when Sri Lanka tour Down Under in November.
The 35-year-old Sri Lankan became the second player in history to reach 700 victims in the final Test against Bangladesh in Kandy earlier this month, and lies eight scalps behind leg-spinner Warne's record haul.
Symonds, a former team mate of Muralitharan at English county Lancashire, said he hoped Australian crowds would respect his achievements despite him twice being called for throwing on tours there in the 1990s.
"I just hope the beer drinkers in the sun don't give him a hard time and late one afternoon if he breaks the record they start on him," Symonds told Australian Associated Press.
"I hope that doesn't happen, I hope people can stand up and actually applaud him for what he is, a legend of a game."
Sri Lanka play a two-Test series against Australia starting in Brisbane on Nov 8, but Muralitharan has only played three Tests on Australian soil largely due to the throwing controversies.

Dalmiya is back and talking tough!

Former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya is talking tough after his victory in the Kolkatta High Court. He lashed out at his detractors and rubbished all the allegations levelled against him.
" The day I feel that there is no more compromise with my prestige I have got nothing more (to fight against) and no axe to grind. But I will not be able to leave this world with a black spot on my head or on my children. The CAB is my home ground - it's like home and away. If the CAB needs me, if it needs my advice I will go. The CAB has not played with my prestige - they told me do you want us to fight or to do what but I told them I will resign; they never forced resignation on me. may come back (to the BCCI) but before I come I will ensure that they do not put anybody on ransom or use coercive methods. I will see to this. In short, nobody can treat it (cricket) as their fiefdom"
Time to watch out. Off the field action would be more interesting

Woolmer's benefit game in mess

Seems Bob Woolmer will not get peace for soon. After the stretched death-investigation drama which finally ended in declaring his death as natural, now it's the drama about Bob's benefit match. Bob's widow has been requesting Pakistan Cricket board for a benefit match in the memory of Bob, the proceeds of which will go to a trust in his name. Earlier it was planned as a game between England and Pakistan. But all the cricketers are in such a tight schedule that, though most of them want to pay tribute through a game, the boards seem to have no dates left for this game.
Now, Bog's widow is requesting for an India and Pakistan match. And the BCCI is in a fix as PCB has agreed for the match during Indian team's Pakistan visit. "We fully support the idea of Gill Woolmer to raise funds for the academy. We have confirmed the same to her," said Ehsan Malik, PCB spokesman. But did they consult BCCI before deciding about the match? Ofcourse not! Hear what Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary says "Where's the time. We have such a tight schedule and I don't think it's possible."
Seems like another India-Pakistan war of words in the offing. Now about CRICKET!

Sarwan all praises for Gayle!

Carribean cricket is going through a tough period for a long long time. Even players seem to be drifting away from the main cause and focussing on personal agendas. But contrary to speculations, Ramnaresh Sarwan is all praise for Chris Gayle for his performance in England.

"I think he was really outstanding, and you have to commend Chris for the way he handled the team during the ODI series.Obviously, he was under a little bit of pressure from the West Indies Cricket Board, and the way he came out showed his maturity, and I thought everyone supported him well which is really good to see. When you look at Chris the individual, lots of people have a lot to say about him and his body language on and off the field.But it just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover. I think he has shown his commitment to West Indies cricket and the public should not really judge an individual who has wholeheartedly supported West Indies cricket"

This will surely help West Indian cricket as this is the time for players to stay together and put cricket on the priority

Sourav Dada helped me!

What helped Sreesant to make a dramatic bowling comeback on the second day of Lord's test? Listen to him...

"I was standing at fine leg yesterday after my first spell and I saw Sourav Ganguly bowling, and it really inspired me because he was just hitting the right areas. He got the first wicket and he showed us the way. I am thankful to him, to be really honest.

I think the main thing was that the confidence level was much higher today. I took it very simple. I told myself that I would be myself rather than think too much about the game and trying too hard. I said I would just keep it simple and bowl in the right areas.

Venkybhai [Venkatesh Prasad] always helps us. He is someone who gives us the report as to where you have to bowl and where you are going wrong. He is doing a great job and it really helped me. Even this morning, during the delay.

The conditions were different today. There was more moisture in the air and I think there was a bit of difference. But I think the main thing was that Zaheer and me hit the right areas and that made the difference.

I started bowling like Sreesanth, the moment I bowled the seventh over; that is the first over of my second spell. The only thing I focused was on hitting the right areas, making the ball move and trying to take it away from the batsmen. That is exactly what I followed even today.

I want to thank God for the three wickets. Getting the first wicket at Lord's was very important. Then when I got the first wicket I was happy; then when I took the second I was happier. And finally when I claimed the third wicket, I was the happiest!"

Geoff Lawson is Pakistan's coach

Former Australian speedster Geoff Lawson is Pakistan's new cricket coach. Here's what Lawson thinks of different topics
On the job
"I am excited, nervous, anxious. I'm looking forward to it. It is a significant job and it's a challenge. haven't been in an international dressing room since leaving the game but I have been on the other side of the fence, watching the game, analysing it. So I don't think it's too big a jump to be a coach now. I am involved in a lot of coaching in Australia, I am involved in commentating and I see a great deal of international cricket so all those ingredients should make the transition smooth."
On communication gap
"I am told that the squad are all learning English, so someone is making the effort somewhere. Yes, communication is important and I will be certainly trying to pick up some Urdu. If we need translators the board will surely get this done. We just want this to go as best as possible."

Cricketers on Murali

Cricketers on Murali
Chaminda Vaas
Murali is one of the best bowlers in cricket arena. After 500 he aimed to reach 600 and once he was there he eyed the 700-mark. This guy just wants to continue playing and taking wickets - he loves to take wickets. When he doesn't get wickets, which is rare, he is very frustrated. I have been his bowling partner for more than a decade now and it has been a pleasure to bowl from the other end. He wants you to tie from one side because that makes it easy for him to buy wickets. The other thing about Murali is he never stops from learning: even if batsmen are trying their best to study him he himself has improved in the years to come up with new balls and variations, he never gives up. He is very hungry and at the same time he wants to set a good example for others. Nobody can match him. I would like to see him play for at least three to four more years and help produce young spinners in Sri Lanka.

Barry Richards
It is a wonderful achievement. No one questions his ability, he is a genius. He might be one of the last spinning geniuses in the today's totally-batsman dominated cricket. I must admit I had my doubts about his action in the early stages of his career but everybody now accepts genuine talent.

Harbhajan Singh
He is a great role model for all of us. He has been there for many years and always been a match-winner. He has taken Sri Lankan cricket to big heights, without him they wouldn't be where they are today. He is a champion spinner - his consistency of taking wickets, the way the creates the pressure by bowling good balls is just amazing. He is so hungry for wickets and that despite taking so many wickets and he wants to do it again and again. On the cricket ground he is a such a big presence and he leaves an effect on you. With his variations he can surely reach the 1000-wicket mark if he continues to play for at least a few more years. People feel he buys his wickets easily but he makes it look easy even if it is not so easy. In my intereactions with him he has always asked me keep motivating myself and keep playing and keep enjoying the game. After the retirment of Warne and McGrath we need heroes in the game and guys like Murali and Kumble are players we to look upto.

Muthiah Muralitharan targets 1000 Test wickets

Muthiah Muralitharan speaks after taking 700 test wickets

On his achivement and the upcoming Aussie tour

It is a big achievement taking 700 wickets but I think I can achieve a little bit more. I knew anyway that I would get the 700 wickets. The challenge is whether I can take 1,000 before I retire. I'm thinking about playing till the next World Cup. I want to go to Australia and try and win the series because we have never won one there. Also I have not taken five wickets in an innings in Australia. They are the No. 1 team in the world but we can also be better than them if we play to our strengths

On beating Warne's record

The record will come in the near future, but I'm not sure it will happen in Australia because the wickets there usually help fast bowlers.I don't know how much I will get to bowl in Australia because our fast bowlers could grab most of the wickets.So many years at the top takes a lot out of you but I am still hungry for wickets and that is what matters

On the win over Bangladesh

If you are winning a match in less than 2 ½ days [taking into account disruption by rain] it is special. The way we batted and the way we bowled in the first innings was amazing. We played good cricket and didn't allow Bangladesh to raise their heads. We wanted to knock them off every time we bowled and batted. That's what we have done

England prospect Adil Rashid

Young Yorkshire leggie had a great series against India U-19 last year, but bowling to Tendulkar and Ganguly will be his real test

INDIANS play their second warm-up game, a three-day affair, against England Lions in Chelmsford starting today. Apart from familiar England players like skipper Andrew Strauss, Owais Shah, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, there is one player who the Indians will do well not to take it easy against — 19-year-old Yorkshire leggie Adil Rashid.Rashid, the first Yorkshire-born Asian to make his first-class debut for the county, made a sensational start to his career last season by taking six for 67 in an innings win over Warwickshire. Rashid has been going through a lean patch this season but comes into the India match with a 5-114 against Yorkshire on Wednesday.PotentialThe young turk showed glimpses of his potential against the touring India U-19 team last year. He first smashed 114 and then bowled 43 overs to claim 8-157.Former India bat Lalchand Rajput, who was India U-19 coach when Rashid got stuck into them, believes the Yorkshire teenager is the real deal. “Rashid has got the temperament to be a top-class leg-spinner. He is not scared of getting hit,” Rajput told MiD DAY yesterday.“We had a strategy of attacking him. He did go for runs, but never stopped flighting the ball. He also has another important quality — he can bowl long spells. Against us, he bowled more than 20 overs on the trot.“Because he gives the ball flight, he extracts turn out of the surface. He also bowls a handy googly, ” Rajput said about Rashid, who is a product of the spinners program put in place by Terry Jenner, the former Australia leggie more renowned for shaping Shane Warne’s career.However, Rajput believes bowling against India will be the acid test for him. “County cricketers don’t play the turning ball well. But bowling against the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, all renowned players of spinners, will be his real big test,” Rajput said.UnfazedRashid has already started shooting from the lip, saying that he is unfazed by the prospect of bowling to his hero Sachin Tendulkar. “I’m not daunted. It will be quite a good challenge for me, bowling against the likes of Tendulkar,” Rashid said yesterday. However, many a contender has metamorphosed into a pretender when faced with a rampaging Tendulkar. How will Rashid cope? Today’s game may have some answers.

Courtesy:Midday

India's future cup missing!

Rahul Dravid and his men would not be very pleased to know that the trophy they got for their first away series win over South Africa has been misplaced.The Future Cup, which India won by winning the 3-match ODI series in Belfast, and Sachin Tendulkar’s Man-of-the-Series award were among the 100-odd pieces of luggage that were misplaced on the Glasgow-London-Mumbai British Airways flight on July 5. It has been more than a week since, and no one, including the airline, knows where the trophy is.After the trophy was handed over to the Indian team, PDM Sports — the Percept Group’s sports marketing company, which had ground rights for the series — took charge of the main trophy, the Man of the Series and Man of the Match trophies and 12 souvenir bats (personally autographed by the Indian and South African teams). “All these were part of our baggage,” said Roland Landers, chief operating officer of PDM Sports.Landers said, he along with two colleagues, boarded BA-1475 from Glasgow to London on July 4. They changed flights at Heathrow airport and caught another British Airways flight BA 199 to reach Mumbai on July 5. “Only a dozen bags made their way through the conveyor belt,” said Saurabh Khurana, who was also on the same flight.Terror attackWhen the passengers approached British Airways, they were told over 9,000 bags were lying at Heathrow, and their bags could be among them, said Khurana.BA refused to elaborate when the backlog at Heathrow would be cleared. “The attack at Glasgow airport on June 30 had caused a 4-hour closure, leading to series of disruptions. We have employed 100 extra volunteers to clear the backlog of delayed bags,” British Airways spokesperson Radhika Raikhy said in an e-mailed statement. “This seems to have become a regular feature. Last time too the team had misplaced baggage, but not the trophy itself. BCCI is going to take up the matter with the airline,” said BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah.
Courtesy: Midday

Ian chappell smashes ICC's new rule

Ian Chappell smashes ICC on new rule

"CRICKET’S law makers have traditionally favoured batsmen but their recent changes to the playing conditions suggest that in trying to satisfy both camps this time, they’ve actually achieved very little.Typical of those who tinker with the way the game is run, the latest ICC changes to the playing conditions have opted for the complicated rather than simple solution to any perceived problems. The free hit for a front-foot no-ball is a classic example.Batsmen will receive a free hit following a front-foot no-ball but it doesn’t say whether the fielding captain has the right to alter the field placings for this extra delivery. If they can, as happened for a couple of seasons in Australia, then it makes a mockery of the term free hit."

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My job is tougher says Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar, after becoming the first batsman to score 15,000 one-day international runs, could be forgiven for wanting to scream, “Who says I’m finished?” just as an angry Sebastian Coe did after winning his second straight Olympic 1500 metres title at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.Former Australia captain Ian Chappell was typically blunt when assessing Tendulkar’s future after a wretched World Cup in the Caribbean.Chappelli’s lineThe ‘Little Master’ managed just 64 runs in three matches, including seven and nought in the defeats by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka respectively which sealed India’s shock first round exit in March.“At the moment he looks like a player trying to eke out a career,” Chappell wrote in Mid-Day.“If he really is playing for that reason and not to help win as many matches as he can for India, then he is wasting his time and should retire immediately,” added Chappell, the brother of former India coach Greg Chappell. Super in IrelandTendulkar, who made 93 in India’s six-wicket win over South Africa at Stormont here Friday, having required 50 runs at the start of his innings to reach the 15,000 mark, didn’t follow Coe’s example when invited to respond to his critics. But his message was equally clear. “It is their job to have opinions. When I hold a cricket bat in my hand it’s a far tougher and bigger job.”Few would dispute Tendulkar’s claim to just such an occupation in being persistently landed, however unfairly, with the prime responsibility for the success or failure of the national side in cricket-crazy India, the world’s second most populous nation.Yet, Tendulkar was the first to say that, unlike Coe’s achievement, or Muhammad Ali’s regaining the world heavyweight boxing title at the age of 32, his latest landmark didn’t mean he’d reached a sporting pinnacle.“After playing for 18 years, I feel it’s just one of those things,” said Tendulkar, who has now scored 15,043 runs in 387 one-day international matches at an average of 44.24 with 41 hundreds.SublimeNo one could seriously suggest Tendulkar’s innings on Friday, coming just days after his 99 in South Africa’s four-wicket series-opening win on Tuesday was a selfish affair. It lasted just 106 balls with two sixes and 13 fours, most of them sublime, and ended with the right-handed opener bottom-edging a cut onto his stumps — not the shot of someone with a blinkered desire to score yet another hundred.“It’s obviously a happy feeling —especially when we ended up on a winning note,” Tendulkar said after India levelled the three-match series 1-1 ahead of Sunday’s finale.And yet, this innings was played in a fledgling cricket nation during a minor tournament against a side with little in the way of match practice since the World Cup.Rating gameTendulkar, 34, may hold the record for most Test hundreds with 37.But Chappell and many others name recently retired former West Indies captain Brian Lara as the greatest batsman of the generation.Left-hander Lara’s ability to make match-winning centuries against World No Australia without compromising his attacking game gives him the edge over Tendulkar in the eyes of some observers.

Courtesy:Midday

Bangladesh cricket, where it stands now?

Bangladesh's assistant coach Sarwar Imran feels Bangladesh hasn't made much progress in Test cricket
"Nothing has changed in our approach to Test cricket because we are making the same old mistakes. We have a bunch of talented cricketers but I think we are not mentally tough to sustain at this level.
But former Bangladesk Captain Habibul Basher differs
" I am not frustrated with what happened at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.We have two more Tests to go and this is a chance for us to show that we are not as bad as people are making us out to be. There is no shame in losing to such a strong team like Sri Lanka, but we have to learn from the mistakes and try and bat longer

Collingwood praises Alan Donald

Collingwood on bowling coach Alan donald

AD [Donald] is a very passionate guy and speaks his mind which is fantastic because he has got a hell of a lot of knowledge in that brain of his. He has spoken a lot to all of the bowlers and it shows when they are all going out there with aggression and hitting the bat hard and hitting the late-80s in terms of miles per hour, which is great.

Will Donald continue with England? He has been fantastic. Since he has been here he has given a lot of knowledge and experience to the bowlers. It's not my decision whether he stays or goes but he has given us a lot of help which is great for all the bowlers.

Rahul Dravid talks

Rahul Dravid on Yuvraj

He has been a fantastic finisher for us. It's not an easy job to do under pressure and he does it really well. He's got the power, he's got the skill and he's matching that power and skill with temperament, mental strength and brains. That's a deadly combination. He is up there among the best one-day players in the world without a doubt.

Rahul Dravid on the series win

"It was nice to win this. Away from home, we haven't won a lot. It meant a lot to the team. We've had a few disappointments lately. To win a one-day series, against the No. 2 side in the world, away from home, in conditions that suited them rather than us, in three close games, we acquitted ourselves very well