USA plans for Premier League of Cricket

The United States wants to commence a privileged Twenty20 cricket competition within two years along the lines of the money-spinning Indian Premier League featuring big-name players like England batsman Kevin Pietersen.

The USA Cricket Association hopes "top-class international cricket" will finally take root in the country by beginning the first skilled competition, the USA Premier League.

The first steps were taken on Thursday by fascinating suggestions from potential coordinator, sponsors and broadcasters in a country where American football and baseball are the main sports casted there.

The USACA wants to unlock the sport's prospective in a "massive market" and use the revenues from the new league to help stretch cricket across the U.S. and form a competitive international team.

"With the propagation of Twenty20 cricket to international level we feel an American spectators is more proficient at accepting that format rather than the longer more standard version of the game," USACA management secretary John Aaron told The Associated Press by telephone. "There is positively a solid fan base there for those who want to see world-class cricket without leaving the US on exclusive trips.

"We are trying to make the US a cricket intention for teams and players."
Aaron said the league will start "no later than 2011." Planning has already begun with leading sports broadcaster ESPN, which has channels in the U.S. and throughout the world.

It is owned by The Walt Disney Co. and the USACA expectation from Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, will help to catch the attention of cricket fans to the country's only international standard ground, which is in the state.

"We want to make it a family thing," Aaron said.The IPL has taken cricket-mad India by storm and engrossed top players from around the world, although the second edition of the six-week competition was moved to South Africa in April after organizers failed to obtain security approval.

The IPL's city franchises offer big paychecks to attract big-name Indian and foreign stars, paying England duo Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff record salaries of US$1.55 million each at the last player mart.

They are the same sort of players coveted by the USAPL.
"With the commercialization of the game there would be enough funds to attract some of the best players in the world," Aaron said.

Rushmans, an international sports event management company based in England, has been prearranged as commercial consultant.

"This course will enable us to consider all the proposals on the table and select the ideas and form the partnerships which are most advantageous to USACA, to the enlargement of cricket in the USA and to the partners themselves," commercial adviser Nigel Rushman said.

Organizers hope to build on the open ardor for cricket in expatriate communities from the Caribbean, the Asian subcontinent and other traditional cricket playing nations like England.

Rushman said the United States is the world's second biggest Internet cricket market, with the 2007 World Cup attracting 1.15 billion hits, just behind India.

"With the right associates, the USA can host a world-class Premier League which will fill grounds and attract massive television and online spectators," Rushman said.

"That is good news for the future of the sport in the USA and the growth of cricket worldwide."

Prospective partners, corporate sponsors, stratagem experts, broadcasters and merchandise retailers must make formal proposals by Aug. 7.

Strauss Ton Smashed Aussies

Skipper Andrew Strauss made his fabulous 18th Test ton to show England's progress in the second npower Ashes challenge at Lord's.

Strauss fêted his century from the one before the last ball in pre tea session but for the loss of four wickets in the two hours either side of the second interval undermined a striking start.

England created their highest opening stand in opposition to Australia for 18 years to take indict of the first half of the day but they were fastened back at 302 for four when Paul Collingwood lamely picked out mid-on off infrequent left-arm spinner Michael Clarke.

Star batsman Kevin Pietersen corroded at the start of the evening session when a thin notch off Peter Siddle carried all the way through to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.

Just as in Cardiff, where England snuck out of the back door with a draw, their failure to convert starts snowed under them as Ravi Bopara was outfoxed by Australia's bowler Ben Hilfenhaus.

But Strauss at least completed the century count in the series 1-4 with his unbeaten 119, after Cook fell five short.

The 196-run opening stand was eventually concluded by erratic left-armer Johnson with a full length delivery won a straightforward leg before appeal.

Bu the first-wicket coalition stand for the best start to a Lord's Test against the Australians and was the highest anywhere against them from the time when Michael Atherton and Graham Gooch's 203 in Adelaide in 1990-91.

To multifarious Australia's anguish, they lost spinner Nathan Hauritz from their attack after a return opportunity from Strauss made a confusion of his bowling hand, in addition to carrying a miscarrying Mitchell Johnson.

The entire momentum rally from escaping out of Cardiff with a draw appeared to have been carried down the M4 as Strauss' team conquered the morning after winning the toss.

Buoyed by key all-rounder Andrew Flintoff passing a fitness test on his wearisome right knee, England went through the morning session safe and sound.

Pakistan Venue Problems

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has unused to prohibiting Tuesday's conference in Mumbai that inveterate that India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will host the 2011 World Cup matches that were at first allocated to Pakistan. He also called for additional talks expected at bringing back some of the World Cup games to Pakistan.

Pakistan had been provoked to the meeting of the World Cup Central Organising Committee but the PCB skipped it, though it deputed Zakir Khan, its director, to concentrate the ICC event's logo instigate ceremony.

"No, we did not prohibit the meeting," Butt told AFP. "Since it is a legal matter we do not want to make remark on that, but I can tell you that we are still trying to solve the matter through talks."

Butt strained that the PCB was still trying to resolve the problem without proceedings, though the board had commenced legal measures after Pakistan had been stripped of the World Cup matches following the terrorist strike on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March. "We are absolutely trying to solve the affair out of court and I am going to meet the ICC president soon," Butt said.

The ICC has sustained that Pakistan cannot host matches in the 2011 tournament because of security anxiety but the PCB would be recognized as hosts and retain fees from its original allocation of 14 matches.

At the meeting on Tuesday, it was also reaffirmed that the World Cup secretariat would stay in Mumbai and not been shifted back to Lahore. A civil court in Lahore has given a stay order until July 30 against the relocation after the PCB issued a legal notice on the matter. "I would not like to remark on the value of the decisions made Tuesday because it's a legal issue," PCB legal consultant Taffazul Rizvi said, "but keeping the central office in Mumbai is tantamount to contempt of court and will be brought to the knowledge of the court."

Historic Win For Bangladesh

The Bangladesh team lead by an terrific five-wicket winning performance from the off spinner Mahmudullah, Bangladesh recorded its first Test victory in a foreign country with a 95-run win over the West Indies side which warped to 181 all out in its second innings of the first Test at Arnos Vale.

Set of a target of 277 to win for the West Indies. The run chase was never sensibly on as Bangladeshi spinners pressured it into surrender and clutch out a significant defeat.

Mahmudullah pulled out up a bowling performance of 5-51 from 15 overs as Bangladesh got its only second Test victory. The previous victory was being against the Zimbabwe at their home ground. That the team it beat was a quickly planned bunch of cricketers gathered the night before the Test did not matter to the Bangladeshis. That the initially selected squad of regular players took industrial action was of little concern to the young and motivated team.

In spite of a flexible half century from the caribeeian all rounder, David Bernard Jr, the home side folded in 70.1 overs with no other batsman being able to get past 19 runs mark.

Bangladesh commenced the final day on 321-5 and was quickly discharged with its last five wickets falling for only 18 runs and the innings ended on 345. Darren Sammy (30.1-6-70-5) picked up his second career five-wicket haul to allow the Windies a possibility to chase victory.

They had the limit of 80 overs to achieve 277 but lost both openers Dale Richards and Omar Phillips for 14 each in post lunch session, which was taken to 66-2.

In pre lunch session, Mahmudullah struck three significant blows to leave the home side stagger at 82-5. First the debutant spinner trapped captain Floyd Reifer leg before for 19, and then had Travis Dowlin caught by Imrul Kayes also for 19 and wicketkeeper, Chadwick Walton, like Reifer, went leg before for 10.

There was a interlude of fight between Bernard, who made an impressive unbeaten 52 and Darren Sammy who was the third batsman to pass on 19. At 119, left arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan struck as Sammy essayed an uncontrolled gashed stroke and was caught by Shahadat Hossain at point.

Bernard, who perilously faced 134 deliveries and hit five insignificant fours, then found an ally in Nikita Miller (5) who resisted for 17.2 overs but Mohammad Ashraful broke the 32-run joint venture when Miller edged to wicketkeeper, Mushfiqur Rahim. The enduring three wickets were floored in the next 12.3 overs and the Bangladeshis went berserk in celebration even ripping out the stump cameras as they romped, embraced and screeched in understandable gladness at their historic success.

Mahmudullah returned to secure his third lbw victim and Kemar Roach made three from six balls before he nicked to Mushfiqur. The ninth wicket fell in the 66th over and Shakib formalized the victory when he found stranded Tino Best (9) plumb in front.

Shakib, who captained the side in place of the injured Mashrafe Mortaza, proved an able and shrewdness leader and supported with 3-39 from 28.1 overs.

The series now moves to Grenada for the final Test before the three-match ODI Series and a one-off Twenty20 International in Dominica and St Kitts.

Pakistan's All round show of Cricket

Fawad Alam, Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal twisted an unexpected spin on the second day at the P Sara Oval, with Pakistan dominating as entirely as they had been dominated on the day one. Led by outstanding spells from Gul and an outstanding century on first appearance from Fawad, Pakistan healthier from a catastrophic first innings, restricted their shortfall to 150, and, by the conclusion of the day two, had wiped off the outstanding runs and moved to the lead, losing only one wicket in the course of the match.

When the day began, Sri Lanka was so far in front it seemed almost expected that they would set right their record of never having won a home series against Pakistan. However, so meticulously did Pakistan be in charge of all three sessions that Sri Lanka will have scratchy thoughts about chasing a firm fourth-innings target on a tiresome pitch? So far Pakistan had set all the wrong records in this series, but they did the right thing here: Fawad's stubborn yet confident effort made him the 10th Pakistan batsman to achieve a century on debut, but the first to do so in a foreign country. Thanks to that endeavor and the remarkable bowling display, Pakistan can dream about chasing another record: only once have they won a Test after surrendering a larger first-innings deficit - against New Zealand in Wellington in 2003, when they stalked by 170 but ultimately won by seven wickets.

There were question marks being raised about Pakistan's dedication after there surrender in the series so far, but as is their wont, they hit back just when their likelihood had been written off. The pitch stayed as a pretty good one for batting, although the bounce had moderated, but Pakistan relied on dangerous spells of reverse swing, supported by steady spin and an encouraging bit of fielding, to initiate an astounding recovery, and then continued it with an absolutely close controlled and decisive batting effort.

The morning session has been dominated by Gul. He was completely monotonous in Galle, but here he was back, reverting to his original action instead of trying to hide the ball with both hands. He generated late swing, bowled at a rapid tempo, and maintained tremendous control over line and length of the deliveries. He also bowled the ball that says the Pakistan's comeback, slipping in a quick delivery from round the wicket that crashed through Kumar Sangakkara's resistance. Sangakkara had progressed with composure to 87 and looked good for many more, but that delivery was an vigorous affirmation of the fact that Pakistan were back in the game. That's accurately how it turned out, as Sri Lanka lost five wickets after that for just 52 runs.

Gul got plenty of prop up from Ajmal, who bowled steadily through the day and finished with worthy bowling figures of 4 for 87. The pitch didn't help him much, but Ajmal maintained brilliant control, rarely giving the batsmen easy scoring opportunities. He also had some help from umpire Daryl Harper, who adjudged Tillakaratne Dilshan caught behind wicket though ball made no contact with bat, it’s a mistake which helps Pakistan very much.

It was a day when almost everything went in favor for Pakistan, with even the fielding has been better. The day started with a superb direct throw from Mohammad Aamer that found Thilan Samaraweera short of his crease for the run out. And when Gul came back for a second spell before lunch break, Sri Lanka's depression aggravated, as he struck twice in consecutive balls. Nuwan Kulasekara drove hard to slip, while Rangana Herath was caught-and-bowled as he tried to play a drive, thus humanizing Gul's post lunch figures of 3 for 15 from eight overs.

Angelo Mathews presented some fight after being grant a stay of execution in the slips on 4, but that was hardly enough to stop the rampaging Pakistanis. With the shortage controlled to handy scope, their batsmen then set about making further in a row into Sri Lanka's clutch on the game.

Khurram Manzoor and Fawad did that by adding 85 for the first wicket, looking unruffled at most times on a pitch that had lost most of its pace. Kulasekara, the first-innings demolisher, didn't get much dangle, while the short of pace meant both batsmen had adequate time to regulate their strokes.

Fawad's inclination to shuffle had been his downfall in the first innings, and while he sustained to use that practice in the second innings, he was fast enough to work the ball on the leg side every time the bowlers embattled on his pads. The most imposing feature of his batting, though, was his outlook. He was secure in defense, never looked disturbed down by the huge deficit, and worked the ball away extraordinarily against both fast and spin. Nothing confirmed his nature better than the way he tackled the 90s - on 92, he stepped back and hauled Rangana Herath high over midwicket for the maximum; then he stepped back and hit the ball behind point for a couple of runs to get to his first century.

It contained only six fours and a six, but yet came off just 151 balls, representing just how well he worked the ball around the wicket. His fastener run-scoring was the arc between backward point and mid-off, as he drove the ball confidently off both front and back foot, selecting the gaps and ensuring that there were never long defense sessions in the bating.

Younis had a close shave for leg before wicket when he is on 4 - replays showed the ball had strike pad before hitting the bat - but he slowly got into his channel, timing the ball sweetly down the ground and giving the bowlers a tension.

Sunil Gavaskar 60 Not Out

Four Day Test Cricket?

International Cricket Council Head David Morgan has coded that four-day Test matches could turn out to be a reality as the principal organization looks for ways of maintaining test cricket's esteem.

David Morgan said that "The panel of the ICC is determined to ensure that Test match cricket is seen as the altitude of our great game of Cricket.

"We require better over-rates, better pitches that give a good sense of balance between bat and ball and we need to reflect on day-night Test match cricket.The concern is the color of the ball and the eminence of the ball. It would be a pity if day-night Test match cricket had to be played with a white ball and, for that reason, coloured clothing in the ball.

"Another thinking that many people have, that we are examining, is whether Test match cricket can be played over four days instead of five days."

The ICC panel met last month and accepted harsher penalties on slow over-rates and penalties for poor pitches and they have also been examining the possibility of special coloured balls and day/night Test cricket.

"I would be very astounded if within a year you haven't seen some noteworthy changes in test cricket," He additionally said. "Over rates, pitches, day-night Tests.By the time you will see for yourself changes that have occurred in Test cricket."

Supposed to be for four-day Tests be agreed to go-ahead, ways of escalating the overs bowled for each day would have to be looked at even though it would at least bring international cricket back into procession with the cricket played at first-class all around the world.

West Indies players stay away from Bangladesh

West Indies' home series in opposition to Bangladesh, to be commence on Thursday with the first Test has been unnerved into turmoil following a prohibit declaration by the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA). A statement from WIPA head Dinanath Ramnarine said the players would stay away from the series "with abrupt effect" for the reason that of a long-running contract based disagreement with the home board.

Ramnarine said the verdict to stay away from the series came after the most recent discussion with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) botched to determine several issues, counting the payment indenture. "The players have performed their last four competitions without a contract," Ramnarine said. "They are now being asked to play their fifth successive series without a contract, which is highly objectionable."

"When a player ringed me last week and asked what was the situation with regards to his hurt while playing cricket for the West Indies in the just finished Twenty20 World Cup, my reply was that was there was no on paper contract in place and consequently any action that would have to be taken would have to be taken in that circumstance. Professional sportsmen should not be allowed to play any sport that has such a high hazard without the essential fortification."

Promising information from the West Indies say that a second-string West Indian squad has landed in St Vincent, where the first Test is scheduled to start tomorrow. When contacted, Ramnarine said he hadn't heard the acknowledgement from the WICB and could not remark at this stage. Tony Howard, the WICB's cricket operations officer, also told “I had not heard of such any progress, but that a announcement would be released on the position of the series.

WICB president Julian Hunte, conversely, was positive the series would go in front as premeditated. "As far as we are concerned the game will be on Thursday," he told Reuters.

Rabeed Imam, the Bangladesh Cricket Board's media manager, told that as far as they were concerned this was a domestic problem of the WICB and their players and that Bangladesh were paying attention on the match tomorrow and had been preparaing in view of that.

This is not the first time in recent memory that the players and WICB have been involved in a stand-off. Earlier this year West Indies' bounce tour of England was almost severely undermined after it emerged five superior players had exposed to withdraw from the series to play in the IPL. That calamity was averted, only for more talk of a embargo of the fifth and final ODI between West Indies and England after Chris Gayle designated his team may not take the field if unsolved issues with the WICB remained unresolved. That too was averted.

A related heated discussion arose in 2008 previous to the Australia's tour of the West Indies. Several higher West Indian players considered moving back from the first two Tests of the series to play in the IPL games, but returned after the WICB permitted them to skip a pre-series preparation camp.

The last time West Indies players in reality took action, ten players - including the captain Brian Lara - stay away from the 2005 tour of Sri Lanka against a backdrop of unparalleled debate and uncertainty. A harsh, lengthened problem between the WICB and the players' association over sponsorship led to the tardy withdrawal of ten of the original squad of 13, including Lara, Chris Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan. Replacement players were called up for the Test matches, which West Indies finished up losing the series to Lankans to a loss of 2-0.

Venue problems for ICC

The International Cricket Council has acknowledged its decision to take 2011 World Cup cricket battles out of Pakistan for the reason of security problems regarding the terrorist activities like bomb blasting and many others.

The 2011 World Cup was a major conversation issue throughout the second day of its Board meeting at Lord's.

They also took the verdict to shift the 2010 Under-19 World Cup from Kenya on the road to New Zealand.

“The IDI Board confirmed in its advance conclusion that matches in the contest will not be played in Pakistan and asked the four host countries to come in concert to determine where the matches originally set to take place in Pakistan should now take place," ICC President David Morgan said.

“The Central Organizing Committee has been asked to come back to the Board as soon as probable with an approval, and once the Board has that then it will conclude the locations for those games.

“The Board remains loyal to resolve this problem as soon as possible as there is a vital need to press on with preparations for the ICC’s flagship event, now less than two years to go.”

On the pronouncement to move the Under-19 World Cup from Kenya to New Zealand, ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat added:

“We have been effective with Kenya to check their advancement towards enactment the ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup for some time, with visits to the locations allocated for matches and standard reports to the ICC Board.

“Inopportunely, the conclusion reached was that the quantity of work still to be done to get lots of the venues ready was such that retaining Kenya as a host represented too great a risk to the successful dramatization of the event.

“It is a difficult conclusion to have reached and an unfortunate one from the perspectives of both the ICC and Cricket Kenya, but with only just eight months to go before the scheduled start, we could not progress on the basis of on tenterhooks that the whole thing would be complete next February.

“The ICC U/19 Cricket World Cup is the chief contour event in the ICC’s development calendar. Coverage of the matches is broadcast all around the world and it would be a recognized stepping stone for the young players to accommodate to the full international standard level.

“By way of examples, seeing as the latest edition of the tournament, in Malaysia in February/March 2008, India’s Virat Kohli, Wayne Parnell of South Africa and New Zealand’s Tim Southee have all moved out on to play for their countries.

“We expect Kenya will be able to host the ICC events in the future and we are gratifying to New Zealand Cricket for its put forward to stage the tournament. It did so effectively in 2002 and we look forward to it doing so again in 2010.”

Probable Men In Blues For ICC Champions Trophy 2009

The BCCI has chosen thirty players as probable men in blues intended for the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 at a gathering held at M A Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai on Monday.

Experienced players including Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, and Virender Sehwag were integrated in the squad along with the 16-man squad currently touring the West Indies for the competition to be made in South Africa in September later this year.

The List of probable Men In Blues:

• M S Dhoni
  
  
  

• Virender Sehwag
  
  
  

• Gautam Gambhir
  
  
  

• Yuvraj Singh
  
  
  

• Rohit Sharma
  
  
  

• Sachin Tendulkar
  
  
  

• Rahul Dravid
  
  
  

• Suresh Raina
  
  
  

• Yusuf Pathan
  
  
  

• Abhishek Nayar
  
  
  

• Ishant Sharma
  
  
  

• Zaheer Khan
  
  
  

• R P 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
  
  
  

• Wridhiman Saha
  
  
  

• Pankaj Singh

South Africa make a place for ICC Champions Trophy

South Africa will mass the 2009 Champions Trophy in Johannesburg and Centurion commencing from September 24 and concluding on October 5, Cricket South Africa has established this. The conclusion was taken after a teleconference during which the CSA board agreed the ICC's monetary terms to host the contest.

"The CSA Board's assessment to agree to the financial model from the ICC to host the ICC Champions Trophy means that South Africa has yet an additional gem in its crown of hosting a most important international sports event," CSA chief Gerald Majola said. "The authentication of Supersport Park and Liberty Life Wanderers as the two venues of this contest is just reward for the terrific cricket events that they have hosted over the past decade."

The Champions Trophy was at first planned to be held in Pakistan in 2008 but it was tardy to 2009 because of troubles concerning the security. In February 2009, the ICC removed the tournament from Pakistan because of security concerns and said that Sri Lanka, which was the preserve venue, would be the host. However, in March, the ICC's head executive’s board suggested that the Champions Trophy be shifted to South Africa following concerns over weather conditions in Sri Lanka in September.

The New Cricket Ranks

Gautam Gambhir is country's uppermost ranked Test batsman at number three position and off spinner Harbhajan Singh, at sixth, is the highest placed Indian bowler in the hottest ICC rankings issued on Thursday.

Gambhir, the Delhi Left-hander with 847 rating points is the only Indian to number in the top 10 batsmen's chart, followed by the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar in 13th position, VVS Laxman in 15th position and the Master Blaster Virender Sehwag in 20th position.

In the bowlers' table, Harbhajan is the distinct Indian in top 10, followed by The Pacer Zaheer Khan in 11th position and Ishant Sharma in 20th position.

In the team ranking, India with 117 points is placed in third behind top ranked Australia with 128 points and South Africa with 119 points.

In the meantime Pakistan, currently in sixth position, will go into their three-Test series in opposition to Sri Lanka preparatory at Galle on Saturday targeting the fourth position, replacing the Lankans.

A 1-0 or 2-1 series win for Younus Khan's team will be adequate to position it on 105 ratings points alongside Sri Lanka but in front of Kumar Sangakkara's team when the ratings are considered beyond the decimal point.

Currently, Younus is the number one batsman in this format, will be aiming to become the 25th batsman in record to achieve the 900-point mark.

The 31-year-old right-handed batsman is just 20 points petite of becoming the second Pakistan batsman following Mohammad Yousuf to achieve the extraordinary distinction.

Chance for Afridi

Ostentatious all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who made Pakistan to the Twenty20 World Cup title in yesterday's final spoken motivation to lead the team at least once before calling it quit, may soon get the chance.

The trance of Afridi, who cracked an unbeaten 40-ball 54 to help out Pakistan to beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets victory at the Lord's, may come true after Younis Khan stepped down as the T20 skipper.

Having regained his magnificent touch with the bat and his bowling already being a strong weapon, Afridi is now most likely to succeed Younis as the T20 skipper.

"For the time being Shoaib Malik is ruled out of controversy for captaincy at any level and the way Afridi has performed and handled new found responsibilities as a superior player, he is certain to become the Pakistan captain for T20 cricket," one Pakistan Cricket Board official told PTI.

If Afridi comes at the controller of country's T20 squad, his first mission will be the one-off match against Sri Lanka on August 12 during their tour to the Sri Lanka.

And indications are that Afridi will also be captivating over as Pakistan's ODI captain if Younis decides to play the Test matches solitarily.

While asked about his aspiration to captain the team, Afridi earlier told a leading Urdu daily, "That is my ambition because it is an honor to lead your country."

Afridi also admitted that at one stage when he was not scoring runs during the last two years, was so irritated that had seriously thought about ending his career.

"But it was my bowling that kept me going because my bowling had enhanced and was a big bonus for the team that is why I hung on. I am happy that I have finally found my batting form in this tournament," he said.

"I told Younis I wanted to bat privileged up because I was not getting adequate time to settle down and play stretched innings.

There was too much stress on me to go and just start striking out. He said if I had confidence I should bat higher up,"

Caribbean on the way to go through assessment for T20 World Cup

A worldwide contingent will shell out a six-day appointment to the Caribbean from Monday to examine venues and measure arrangements being made for the next year's Twenty20 World Cup.

Venue inspections begin in Barbados and will move to Guyana the following day where the team will stay for two days before course to St. Kitts on Wednesday.

They take off to St.Lucia on Friday where part of the examination takes place at Beausejour Cricket Ground during the One-Day International between the West Indies
and India.

The venue inspection tour ends on July 4. The team includes councils of the West Indies Cricket Board, the WT20 2010 project team, the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) and ESPN STAR Sports.

"This is the first venue check for ICC WT20 West Indies 2010 and I consider the region is recognizable with this process, particularly building on the experience of 2007 World Cup.

"This time around, we don't have the job of constructing new stadia and that's a major plus. However, there are still several essentials which have to be put in place to host an event of this level and we need to assess what must be done in the four host nations," said Tournament Director Ernest Hilaire.

"We have less than a year prior to the cricketing world comes to the West Indies again and we plan to speed ourselves well in planning and executing cricket' newest showpiece," he added.

Catch This

The Brand New Pitch Vision

T20 Game Rules

Powerplay: The 'powerplay' is six overs in a full match, during which a highest of two fielders can stay outside the 30-yard circle, with two fielders besides the wicketkeeper in catching positions, which is in the close-in fielding positions like slips, silly point, short cover.

After 'powerplay, no fielders are necessary in 'catching positions' but only a maximum of five can be outside the 30-yard circle.

Also, 'powerplay' Changes from just one over to five in rain-affected games.

No ball: This is a most important change from the usual game, with two runs being given for front-foot no-balls with an extra 'free hit'. The 'free hit' is the ball following the no ball, on which the batsman can be out only in the number of ways on a no ball, i.e., run out, hitting the ball twice, obstructing the field or handling the ball.

Bowling limit: Like in ODIs, players can bowl a limit of one-fifth of the total overs, i.e., four in a complete match of 20 overs per side.

Timed out: A batsman have to be in a position to take guard within 90 seconds of the drop of a wicket or he will be timed out. This is two minutes in one day match and in test cricket.

Tied matches: A tie will be busted with a super over method. In this rule each team will be given with one over and 3 wickets i.e. three batsmen can play the team can loose 1 wicket. The opposite bowling team will get one over they can use only one bowler to bowl the particular over. The team gets the maximum runs in that particular over announced as the winner.

Rain: A minimum of five overs each are sufficient to make a decision about that particular match under the Duckworth and Lewis system.

Welcome to Pakistan in Hotel after winning

Next T20 Battle in West Indies

The West Indies will mass the World Twenty20 battle in 2010, the International Cricket Council announced this news.

The event will be apprehended in place of the Champions Trophy that was to be hosted by West Indies in 2010, ICC head executive Haroon Lorgat said at a press meeting.

"With the Champions Trophy set to be hosted by Pakistan in 2009 after its abandonment this year, we determined to have a Twenty20 World Championship instead in April-May 2010 in West Indies," he said.

"Even though World Twenty20 is to be held every second year, we decided to hold it on the trot to set the schedule right and ensure a better stretch of tournaments."

The event, slated to be held from April 23 to May 9, will be staged at three venues to be selected by the ICC in January 2009 following nominations from the West Indies Cricket Board.

"With the ICC Champions Trophy being the closing major ICC event of 2009, and the ICC Cricket World Cup being the 50 over occasion in 2011, it makes just right judgment to have a competition of a dissimilar format in between," Lorgat said.

"It means we will avoid staging the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Cricket World Cup close together, as happened in 2002-03 and 2006-07.

Younus Khan announced his retirement from T20 internationals

Pakistan skipper Younus Khan announced his departure from T20 internationals subsequent to leading his side to a success in the 2009 Twenty20 final in opposition to Sri Lanka at Lord’s on Sunday.

Captain’s Talk after the Match :

‘This is my very last Twenty20 game for Pakistan, so I am retiring from T20 internationals.
‘I am now 34, I am aged for this kind of cricket. The good thing is we have a pair of good youngsters like Shahzaib Hasan and Ahmad Shahzad.’

However, talented batsman Younus who has played in 60 Tests and 186 one-day internationals.

So he is set to continue his international career in the longer formats of the game.

Second battle in T2o World Cup 2009

Second Semi Final of World Twenty20 will be played at Oval between Sri Lanka and West Indies. The team get through of this game will join Pakistan for the Final cricket battle to be played on 21st June at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

We previously saw some shocking results in the competition so far with India, Australia and last night competition solid favourites South Africa Pakistan by 7 runs, so no body can tell who is going to succeed this World Cup. One bad day of good team can cost them badly and one brilliant performance from individuals can lift their team.

So far West Indies adore the Oval wicket on which second semi final will take place. They have played two games in this tournament at same venue and on both matches debatably created their two best results, defeating Australia by seven wickets in the group stage and defeating England by five wickets.

Sri Lanka reached the semifinal with the unbeaten tag and now they are the favourites to lift the twenty20 title after South African exit from twenty20 world cup. Sri Lanka will be eager to continue their winning form.

Sri Lanka who played some gleaming cricket in the tournament won their most of their matches’ because of their bowling performance. From Malinga to Mendis all came good when it matter most. South Africa's unbeaten record is the one that has caught the eye for its efficiency but Sri Lanka are also unbeaten in five games out of five, with their only minor scare coming in a spirited display from the Irish.

Battle Between South Africa and Pakistan

Pakistan and South Africa are going to crash each other in the first semi final of twenty20 world cup 2009 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham 18 June. Cricket fans are now ahead to watch a highly-competitive match between two cricket giants. South Africa is the only semi finalists who have not lost any game so far in the tournament, while Pakistan has gone through many ups and downs over the last five games they have played so far in the tournament. It is going to be a great feast for cricket fans all over the world. Indian cricket fans also keen to watch the cricket battle between these teams because of Pakistan’s participant in the match. So it is going to be a nice match.

Business for theaters after exit of India in T20 World Cup 2009

India thrashes out of the Twenty20 World Cup, movie theater complex operators are expecting a boost in footfalls over the coming few weeks.

“The T20 matches starts after 10 p.m., and concerning India in particular, affected late evening and night shows. A Senior Vice-President of a theater told However, he was hopeful that from Monday onwards, night shows would pick energy.

Most multiplex chains generated an unexcited response for the first weekend after the argument between producers and multiplexes was resolved. The Big Pictures-promoted Kal Kissne Dekha, which on the rampage in 510 screens worldwide, did not have a remarkable box office opening. However, Big hopes that the movie would pick up and may even add additional prints from Friday.

“Over the weekend we had occupancies of 30-40 per cent. Now, we think business will pick up over the week,” said Mr Alok Tandon, COO, Inox Leisure.

Few multiplexes even screened the T20 matches to keep the cash catalog ticking. Mr Vishal Kapur, COO, Fun Cinemas, which screened the tourney said, “We clocked over 50 per cent tenancy for both matches – India vs England and India vs West Indies — in almost all six properties we screened.”

Depending on India’s play, Fun Cinemas had kept the options open to show remaining matches. “Now with the Indian team crashing out and a few big-ticket releases in the pipeline, we expect things to be better,” Mr Kapur added.

In the meantime, Hollywood movies such as Bride Wars, 17 Again and Angels and Demons have fared much better than Indian releases. “English movies are doing well as they are released across limited screens. Angels and Demons is doing extremely well in Tier-II cities,”

Pakistan gets through to Semi Finals

Pakistan rubbed the harsh reminiscences of the 2007 World Cup beating Ireland contentedly by 39 runs to make sure passage into the semi-finals of the ICC World T20 Cup at The Oval on Monday. Two year ago in the West Indies, the Pakistanis were knocked out of the quadrennial global event by the unfancied Irish, a devastating happening that led to the death of their coach Bob Woolmer.

However, this afternoon, Pakistani cricketers ensured no repeat of that disaster and batting first on winning the toss piled up a decent total of 159 for 9 in which the major man was wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal with 59 runs with shots of five fours and a six.

Then off-spinner Saeed Ajmal spun his web of trick and controlled Ireland to 120 for 9 claiming his tournament’s first four wickets drag for 39 with only captain William Porterfield providing fight with top score of 40.

Requiring a win to move into the semi-finals, Pakistan accomplished just that with an competent performance. The margin was also sufficient to lift their net run-rate to 1.19, ensuring there’s no way both New Zealand and Sri Lanka can finish with as many points and a higher rate.

Apart from Akmal, none of the other Pakistan batsmen got huge scores, but there were sensible partnerships for almost every wicket, ensuring there was no repeat of the collapse which had knocked Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup.

Akmal held the innings jointly with a measured knock. The self-confidence of having scored runs in the earlier games was clearly on display, and he was decisive with his footwork and generally sound with his shot selection.

Shahzaib Hasan (23) and Shahid Afridi ( 24) promoted up the order to No.3, did not get big scores but they provided the early impetus. Shahzaib kept lofting the pitched-up deliveries over the infield, hitting three fours and six while Afridi had three hits to the ropes as he thrashed Cusack and West through the off side before Kyle McCallan removed him with an off break.

Misbahul Haq made 20 while Razzaq was unbeaten on 15 as Pakistan reached a challenging total.

New ball bowler Trent Johnston had a nightmare game, conceding 20 in his second over and 12 in his third, as the Pakistani batsmen picked him off their legs quite effortlessly. However, he managed to dismiss Akmal with an excellent fourth over, picking up the batsman with a yorker and conceding only four runs.

Target of 160 was always beyond Ireland though Porterfield fought gustily for his 36-ball 40, but hit his first four in the tenth over of the innings, by which time the asking rate had already climbed to nine and a half.

Pakistan struck 13 fours and four sixes; Ireland only managed six fours.
Pakistan’s bowlers were all disciplined, with Mohammad Aamer getting rid of the dangerous Niall O’Brien early. Afridi and Saeed Ajmal offered few scoring opportunities, while Umar Gul continued from where he had left off against New Zealand, claiming two for 19 and took his tally of wickets to 12 .

India Ruled out off

The India captains, Mahendra Singh Dhoni worn out the force of fan and media rage back home after the defending champions were rudely neglected out of the World Twenty20 on Sunday.

Security was increased around Dhoni's home in the eastern city of Ranchi on Monday after scores of fans burnt his model, shouted slogans and accused the captain of underestimating England in a must-win situation.

India, winners two years ago, were installed as one of the favourites this time but a three-run loss to England consigned them to a second straight Super Eights defeat, leaving them with no possibility of reaching the semi-finals.

"Dhoni took the match carelessly, he adopted a casual attitude," Arun Kumar, a young protester in Ranchi, said. "He is captivated by the glamour world more than cricket."

The Indian media also singled out Dhoni who captained the team to victory in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. Dhoni was liable for shuffling the order and failing to shake off his own subdued batting form when a captain's innings was badly needed.

His promotion of young all-rounder Ravinder Jadeja to No 4 in the batting line-up in the place of the explosive Yuvraj Singh was also seen as a strategic disaster after the 20-year-old failed to force the pace and left his team-mates with too much to do in the final overs.

"Why did Dhoni throw Jadeja to the lions," asked one TV channel, while another said: "Dhoni could not hit the ball, got it all wrong with his strategy. Nasty captaining by Dhoni cost us dear."

Dhoni has enjoyed a smooth ride as Test captain since the 2007 triumph but has come under scrutiny at this tournament after parading the entire team in an attempt to quash media reports of disharmony between him and Virender Sehwag.

His relationship with the media worsened after Sehwag was ruled out due to a shoulder injury and Dhoni and his team management were attacked for being less than forthcoming over the nature of the explosive batsman's problem.

Cricket-mad Indian fans are well known for displaying extreme emotions. Angry fans threw stones the homes of some players after the team suffered a shock first round exit in the one-day World Cup two years ago.

However, thousands lined up on both sides of the road from Mumbai airport to the stadium when the victorious Twenty20 team took out a victory parade months later.

Gayle attacks to Australian bowlers

Chris Gayle played a blinder of an innings, a kind of innings that most teams will fret about now, an innings that eluded him in the IPL. His innings of 88 (50b 6×4 6×6) preserved the match for West Indies, leaving Australia in a must win situation against Sri Lanka.

The most special instant of the innings came in Lee’s 3rd over, the 5th over of the West Indies innings. The over read 6,0,6,0,4+nb,4,6. That made it 27 runs from the over, Lee’s figures at this time were not appealing, 3-0-51-0, 17 runs an over is not something you would expect from a leading fast bowler.

Latest Super 8 Match Schedule of T20 World Cup 2009

The Date and Time details of the Super 8 matches:

Date	Lord's	Trent Bridge	The Oval
Thu, 11 June		Ireland v New Zealand (18:00 IST) England v South Africa (22:00 IST)
Fri, 12 June	Pakistan v Sri Lanka (18:00 IST) India v West Indies (22:00 IST)
Sat, 13 June			South Africa v West Indies (18:00 IST) New Zealand v Pakistan (22:00 IST)
Sun, 14 June	Ireland v Sri Lanka (18:00 IST) England v India (22:00 IST)
Mon, 15 June			England v West Indies (18:00 IST) Ireland v Pakistan (22:00 IST)
Tues, 16 June		New Zealand v Sri Lanka (18:00 IST) India v South Africa (22:00 IST)

Collingwood Talks

Playing with a apparent head and without fear helped England to beat Pakistan and enter the super eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup, believes the team’s captain, Paul Collingwood.

In an article for The Sun, Collingwood said: “In the space of 48 hours, we went from the depths of losing to Holland to the thrill and total relief of beating Pakistan. The key was playing with a clear head and without fear. We vowed to enjoy ourselves and not think about the consequences of losing and going out of the World Twenty20. Then there was the small matter of gettin Kevin Pietersen back into the team and a meal of burger and chips on Saturday evening!”

He additionally goes on to say that while playing for England, there can be both highs and lows, and that he had plenty of time to reflect on what in his view was an unbelievable weekend.”The game against Holland on Friday was outrageous. By ridiculous, I mean I still can’t get my head round how they knocked off the runs. But the way we bounced back on Sunday was fantastic. It proved we can play under huge pressure and that should hold us in good stead later in the tournament,”

Shoaib Akhtar's struggle for T20 World cup 2009 England

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar could be skipped from Pakistan's team for the World Twenty20 Championships if he failed to appear for the practice games in Lahore later this week.

A resource in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told IANS that Shoaib will have to play in the three practice games to be played between Patron's XI and Chairman's XI May 20-22. The matches are being set in preparation for the June 5-21 World Twenty20 Championships in England.

Shoaib, 33, is part of Pakistan's 15-man squad for the England but there is a question mark about his chances of featuring in the biennial spectacle as he skipped a five-day conditioning camp held in the hill resort of Bhurban due to a skin problem.

Shoaib has been named in the Patrons XI to be led by Younus Khan but it remains to be seen whether he will feature in the matches.

A source close to Shoaib said that the fast bowler has improved from his skin problem and has resumed his training for the World Twenty20 Championship.

But the bowler could face corrective action from the PCB after opting to get his skin disease treated by a private doctor rather than going to a specialist suggested by the Board.

According to a statement in the Jang newspaper senior PCB officials including the Board chairman Ijaz Butt are miserable with Shoaib's conclusion to consult a private doctor before taking permission from the PCB's medical commission.

According to the central contract that Shoaib has signed with the board, he has to take permission from the PCB before consulting a doctor for any kind of medical condition.

Sri Lankan Team for T20 World Cup 2009

Sri Lanka named uncapped all-rounder Isuru Udana in a 15-man squad for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup in England.

The competition will be the first tour since the team came under a terrorist attack in Pakistan while playing in a test series in March.

Seven cricketers and one coach were injured when their bus was ambushed by gunmen as the team traveled to a match against Pakistan at Lahore. Six police officers and the driver of a van taking match officials were killed in the attack.

Kumar Sangakkara will go in front the Sri Lanka team for the first time as captain in England, which is hosting the Twenty20 World Cup from June 5 2009 to June 21 2009.

Sri Lanka team: Kumar Sangakkara (Captain ), Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Silva, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Thilan Thushara, Lasith Malinga, Isuru Udana, Farveez Maharoof, Jehan Mubarak, Indika de Seram.

Spinner's Role In T20 World Cup 2009 England

Spinners will play a vital role in the forthcoming World T20 in England as they did in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where they were inventive and did not allow freebies to batsmen, feels former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram, He said Twenty20 requires a different set of skills and is a big test of a cricketer’s capability.

“In a short span of time, T20 cricket has become a different ball game. Now batsmen have realized that they cannot play big shots right through the innings. They have to plan their innings. They need to have different skills to make it in T20. Both the batsmen and the bowlers have to be inventive,” Akram said on the sidelines of an ESPN Sports event related to the T20 World Cup starting June 5.

“Spinners are going to play an important role as we saw in IPL, where they have been successful. Batsmen will find them difficult to handle,” said the former Pakistan captain.

Sanjay Manjerekar, who was also present on the occasion, seconded Akram’s view.

The former India player said that the skills required in Twenty20 format were closer to Test cricket.

“IPL in South Africa has tested the skills of a player like Test cricket. The opening edition was played in India where the pitches change only after 50 overs, so it made little difference. In South Africa it was different. With little bit of help from the surface, the spinners were unbeaten. Also you need certain amount of skills to slog a spinner. Good footwork and perception is necessary to attack spinners,” he said.

“When the Twenty20 World Cup was held last time, it was not as big as the 50 over World Cup. India were a hesitant participant. But two years later it has completely changed. Suddenly the importance of T20 has leapfrogged. It is the pinnacle of the game now.

“The unpredictability of T20 makes it exciting. Captains are still learning how to play. They are still working out their strategies,” said Manjerekar.

Manjerekar also said that the tournament will be more aggressive than IPL.

“There will be 11 international players and nation challenging against nation.”

Twenty-20 World Cup 2009 groups and its teams

There are Four Groups in the T20 World Cup 2009 England .Each group contains three teams. The teams shown below:

Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D
India	Pakistan	Australia	New Zealand
Bangladesh	England	Sri Lanka	South Africa
Ireland	Netherlands	West Indies	Scotland

The second level groups are Group E and Group F these groups contains the teama which clears the first level of league matches played with in their groupmets.The qulification for this second level is that a team should be in 1st or 2nd position in their group points tabel.

Group E	Group F
A1	B1
B2	A2
C1	C2
D2	D1

ICC T20 World Cup 2009 Schedule

The first level of league matches's Date and Time details:

Date	Lord's	Trent Bridge	The Oval
Fri, 5 June	Opening ceremony England v Netherlands 22:00 IST
Sat, 6 June		India v Bangladesh 22:00 IST	New Zealand v Scotland 14:30 IST Australia v West Indies 18:00 IST
Sun, 7 June			South Africa v Scotland 18:00 IST England v Pakistan 22:00 IST
Mon, 8 June		Ireland v Bangladesh 18:00 IST Australia v Sri Lanka 22:00 IST
Tues, 9 June	Pakistan v Netherlands 18:00 IST New Zealand v South Africa 22:00 IST
Wed, 10 June		Sri Lanka v West Indies 18:00 IST India v Ireland 22:00 IST

The Date and Time details of the Super 8 matches:

Date	Lord's	Trent Bridge	The Oval
Thu, 11 June		D1 v A2 (18:00 IST) B2 v D2 (22:00 IST)
Fri, 12 June	B1 v C2 (18:00 IST) A1 v C1 (22:00 IST)
Sat, 13 June			C1 v D2 (18:00 IST) D1 v B1 (22:00 IST)
Sun, 14 June	A2 v C2 (18:00 IST) A1 v B2 (22:00 IST)
Mon, 15 June			B1 v A2 (18:00 IST) B2 v C1 (22:00 IST)
Tues, 16 June		D1 v C2 (18:00 IST) D2 v A1 (22:00 IST)

The Date and Time details of Semi-Final and Final matches:

Date	Lord's	Trent Bridge	The Oval
Thu, 18 June		Semi-final 1 E1 v F2 (22:00 IST)
Fri, 19 June			Semi-final 2 F1 v E2 (22:00 IST)
Sun, 21 June	Final Match 19:30 IST Closing ceremony

Indian Cricket Squade for Twenty-20 World cup 2009

Batsmen in Indian T20 World Cup squad:

• MS Dhoni (Captain)


• Virender Sehwag (Vice Captain)


• Gautam Gambhir


• Suresh Raina


• Yuvraj Singh


• Yusuf Pathan


• Rohit Sharma


• Ravindra Jadeja

Bowlers in Indian T20 World Cup squad:

• Harbhajan Singh


• Zaheer Khan


• Ishant Sharma


• Praveen Kumar


• Rudhara Pradap Singh


• Pragyan Ojha


• Irfan Pathan

History of India

The people of India have had a continuous civilization since 2500 B.C., when the inhabitants of the Indus River valley developed an urban culture based on commerce and sustained by agricultural trade. This civilization declined around 1500 B.C., probably due to ecological changes.

During the second millennium B.C., pastoral, Aryan-speaking tribes migrated from the northwest into the subcontinent. As they settled in the middle Ganges River valley, they adapted to antecedent cultures.

The political map of ancient and medieval India was made up of myriad kingdoms with fluctuating boundaries. In the 4th and 5th centuries A.D., northern India was unified under the Gupta Dynasty. During this period, known as India's Golden Age, Hindu culture and political administration reached new heights.

Islam spread across the Indian subcontinent over a period of 500 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established sultanates in Delhi. In the early 16th century, descendants of Genghis Khan swept across the Khyber Pass and established the Mughal (Mogul) Dynasty, which lasted for 200 years. From the 11th to the 15th centuries, southern India was dominated by Hindu Chola and Vijayanagar Dynasties. During this time, the two systems--the prevailing Hindu and Muslim--mingled, leaving lasting cultural influences on each other.

The first British outpost in South Asia was established in 1619 at Surat on the northwestern coast. Later in the century, the East India Company opened permanent trading stations at Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta, each under the protection of native rulers.

Is India poor, who says? Ask Swiss banks:

DISHONEST INDUSTRIALISTS, scandalous politicians and corrupt IAS, IRS, IPS officers have deposited in foreign banks in their illegal personal accounts a sum of about $ 1500 billion, which have been misappropriated by them. This amount is about 13 times larger than the country’s foreign debt. With this amount 45 crore poor people can get Rs 1,00,000 each. This huge amount has been appropriated from the people of India by exploiting and betraying them.

Once this huge amount of black money and property comes back to India, the entire foreign debt can be repaid in 24 hours. After paying the entire foreign debt, we will have surplus amount, almost 12 times larger than the foreign debt. If this surplus amount is invested in earning interest, the amount of interest will be more than the annual budget of the Central government. So even if all the taxes are abolished, then also the Central government will be able to maintain the country very comfortably.

Some 80,000 people travel to Switzerland every year, of whom 25,000 travel very frequently. “Obviously, these people won’t be tourists. They must be travelling there for some other reason,” believes an official involved in tracking illegal money. And, clearly, he isn’t referring to the commerce ministry bureaucrats who’ve been flitting in and out of Geneva ever since the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations went into a tailspin!

Just read the following details and note how these dishonest industrialists, scandalous politicians, corrupt officers, cricketers, film actors, illegal sex trade and protected wildlife operators, to name just a few, sucked this country’s wealth and prosperity. This may be the picture of deposits in Swiss banks only. What about other international banks?

Black money in Swiss banks -- Swiss Banking Association report, 2006 details bank deposits in the territory of Switzerland by nationals of following countries:

Top five

India---- $1456 billion
Russia---$ 470 billion
UK-------$390 billion
Ukraine- $100 billion
China-----$ 96 billion

Drugs-Amphetamines:

The term amphetamines covers several similar substances including amphetamine sulphate, dexamphetamine and methamphetamine.

Amphetamines are produced from an oil base but may be found in a number of forms. The most common is for the oil to be converted into a powder. The powder may be made into capsules or tablets. Methamphetamine may appear as rock-like crystals or as a liquid. Methamphetamine, although structurally similar to amphetamine, is more pure and longer lasting. Occasionally a very high purity gel or putty like substance can be produced. Amphetamine is often "cut" with adulterants such as sugar, glucose or ephedrine.

Effects:

Amphetamines are psychostimulant drugs and their primary effect is to speed up the activity of the brain and nervous system. The user's heart and breathing rate increase and they may experience increased energy, alertness and confidence. Appetite may be suppressed and they may become talkative and excited.

The less sought after effects include heart palpitations, anxiety and irritability. At higher doses, amphetamine can cause irregular heartbeat, headaches, dizziness and panic attacks.

Long term, heavy amphetamine use can lead to insomnia and malnutrition. Psychological and emotional problems such as depression, paranoia and extreme aggressiveness can develop. In some cases, users may experience amphetamine psychosis - a psychological state, similar to schizophrenia - characterised by paranoid delusions. Amphetamine overdose can cause stroke, heart attack, seizure, coma or death.

Method of use:

Amphetamines can be injected, snorted, smoked or taken orally.

Nasa

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA, pronounced /ˈnæsə/) is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program. NASA was established on July 29, 1958, by the National Aeronautics and Space Act.

In addition to the space program, it is also responsible for long-term civilian and military aerospace research. Since February 2006 NASA's self-described mission statement is to "pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery, and aeronautics research."

NASA's motto is "For the benefit of all". The motto of NASA's Office of Education is: Shaping the Future: Launching New Endeavors to Inspire the Next Generation of Explorers.

Indian Elections 2009

RJD and Congress headed for a Divorce

RJD and Congress have ended their understanding for the Lok Sabha elections. RJD has left the UPA coalition. The split occurred following Congress’ displeasure over seat sharing arrangement between RJD and Ram Vilas Paswan’s party, LJP. The Congress was left with a mere 4 seats by the new political parties.

• RJD signals break with Cong as Lalu sticks to his stand, Indian Express, Mar 22 2009

The UPA coalition has lost one of it’s key member with this split. The election results could change all this if RJD-LJP is also not able to win many seats and still wants to be part of the ruling coalition. Rest assured, they will be welcome back with open arms.

BSNL Customers get IPTV with VCAS

Verimatrix has said that its Verimatrix Video Content Authority System (VCAS) for Internet Protocol on Television (IPTV) has been deployed to protect IPTV services to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) customers.

IPTV is a system that delivers digital content services to subscribers using the Internet protocol over a broadband connection through closed network infrastructure.


The state-owned telecommunications operator has embarked on a nationwide launch in conjunction with Smart Digivision, and is planning to serve more than three million IPTV subscribers in 93 cities over the next three years.

Also read: After DTH, Bharti Airtel Launches IPTV Services

The subscribers will have access to over 140 television channels and an on-demand movie library at no extra cost.

However, for those who indulge in content re-broadcasting and content copying, Verimatrix's 'VideoMark' will help the operator to trace it.

BSNL had marked the beginning of this year by announcing the launch of its IPTV in three cities of Haryana. Late last month, ACT Television rolled out its first IPTV in Bangalore.

source : http://www.techtree.com/India/News/BSNL_Customers_get_IPTV_with_VCAS/551-100087-643.html

CHRISTMAS Festival

Christmas celebrated to honour the glory of the nativity of Jesus on 25th December is the most significant and spectacular of Christian festivals. No other celebration is so enriched with so many customs and ceremonies. There is an array of spectacles like Christmas Star, Christmas tree, the Crib, Christmas cake, Christmas presents and the Christmas Father. The last named is quite a fascinating personage, who claims above all to be the very embodiment of the most vibrant and quintessence of the gayest of all the festivals. Children allowed to occupy the central stage, in the enchanted company of Christmas Father, Christmas takes on the look of a festival of children. The mood is set with the advent of the season by the twinkling of Christmas stars and there is no home or shop without the Christmas star, the beautiful pointer to the Babe of Bethlehem.


The Christmas tree is a new feature in Kerala, perhaps less than sixty or seventy years old. The crib is a miniature production of the stable where Jesus was born. It developed from the old practice of giving dramatic expression to the events and the surroundings of the birth of Christ. Carols and songs developed from earlier nativity plays have become one of the most cheerful spectacles of the festivities.Priests hold mass in churches three times starting with the first at midnight. Just before the midnight mass, an image of the Child is brought by the priest, preceded by rows of Children holding lighted candles that are placed in the crib. The hymn 'Gloria in exelcis Deo' is intoned admidst the explosion of crackers. A sumptous lunch with rate delicacies is a significant feature of the celebration. Meat forms part of the feast even in rural homes where meat is rarely eaten. Cake has also become common in the villages where women have learnt to make it. In Kerala, Xmas retains its homeliness and expresses itself in the cultural forms of the country without losing what is native to itself.

Cost of funding stimulus package worries Moody's

The S&P had lowered its rating outlook on India to negative from stable citing worsening fiscal situation. Add to this the enormous pressure seen on the fiscal balance post the excise cuts announcement yesterday. Sherman Chan, Economist, Moody's Economy.com said that India’s fiscal position is the biggest concern to the Indian economy and is hurting investor sentiment as well as affecting the fundamentals of the Indian economy. She added that there were concerns about how the Indian government can manage to raise all the funds, to implement all the fiscal measures.

Chan expects the funding cost to rise further in the coming months and the rupee to experience a little pressure. So, she concluded the government needs to improve the fiscal position in order to improve their overall economic outlook.”

Here is a verbatim transcript of the exclusive interview with Sherman Chan on CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video.

Q: The measures that you heard from the Indian government yesterday, do they only add to your concerns that you have already had on the fiscal deficit picture?

A: The fiscal deficit picture in India is quite concerning, given the large percentage figure of GDP and on the sectors they have decided to cut taxes- means that there will be even more pressure on the fiscal budget. There are concerns and questions about how the Indian government can manage to raise all the funds, to implement all the fiscal measures and right now they are announcing further expenditure. So, I think this is quite problematic from investor’s perspective and on this is why we are seeing some unfavourable response to this.

Q: We heard from S&P yesterday that they were reviewing India’s rating, is that something that you are going to do as well. Just on the other point you made about the fiscal deficit probably being much higher than the official estimate, are you working with any numbers right now that you think it might get to because of these duty cuts announced?

A: I am afraid, I cannot comment on the rating side of things because I am not a rating analyst, I am an economist. So, my analysis is based on what the macro economic picture looks like to me. One of the things the market watches right now is that the fiscal position is the biggest concern to the Indian economy and it is in a way hurting investor sentiment and also affecting the fundamentals of the Indian economy as well. The funding cost is likely to rise further in the coming months and also the rupee is experiencing a little pressure. So, the government needs to improve the fiscal position in order to improve their overall economic outlook.

source:http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/economy/costfunding-stimulus-package-worries-moodys/386765

Parliament

A parliament is a legislature, particularly in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled following that of the United Kingdom. The name is resulting from the French parlement, the action of parler (to speak): a parlement is a conversation. The term came to mean a meeting at which such a conversation took place. It acquired its modern meaning as it came to be used for the body of people (in an institutional sense) who would meet to talk about matters of state.

Explain components of computer architecture?

The computer architecture is the conceptual design and basic operational structure of a computer system. It is a blueprint and practical description of requirements (particularly speeds and interconnections) and design implementations for the a variety of parts of a computer — focusing for the most part on the way by which the central processing unit (CPU) performs within and accesses addresses in memory.

It may as well be defined as the science and art of selecting and interconnecting hardware components to make computers that meet functional, performance and cost goals.