Cricket World Cup organisers ask government to reduce security fees

The home department is considering International Cricket Council’s (ICC) demand for concession in charges levied for security provided by the state police for the upcoming World Cup cricket matches. The government has assured the organisers that it will not treat these matches on a par with IPL games.

In a meeting held at Mantralaya on Wednesday to discuss security measures during the World Cup matches scheduled to be played in Mumbai and Nagpur, ICC officials requested home minister RR Patil to reduce the fees for security provided inside the stadium. They requested the department to not charge for bandobast along the approach roads.

Mumbai Police had billed Rs11 lakh to Mumbai Cricket Association for a one-day match held at Wankhede stadium two years ago, before it was closed for a makeover. With revised rates, the charges are expected to go up for security provided within the stadium, prompting ICC to make the request. “World Cup matches cannot be treated on a par with the other one-day matches played with commercial interests in mind. We have requested the government for concessions,” said Ratnakar Shetty, tournament director, ICC.

The other major issue discussed at the meeting was the shortage of parking space near Wankhede.

The home department has suggested making an alternative arrangement at Azad Maidan or of using the parking lots at Inox theatre and other places in Nariman Point. Since parking is banned on the main road parallel to Queen’s Necklace after beautification of the coastal promenade, the other option being thought of is parking on the service roads attached to the gymkhanas on Marine Drive. More than 5,000 vehicles are expected to be driven to the stadium by spectators.

Three matches are scheduled to be played at Wankhede, including the final match on April 2, while Vidarbha Cricket Association is hosting four matches at its stadium in Nagpur.

Minister of state for home Satej Patil said, “International matches are a matter of pride for the state. We can provide adequate security, and there will be no need of deputing central forces.”

Cricket lovers support Afridi as captain for the WC

The die-heart cricket lovers of Rawalpindi, Islamabad have also joined the debate of who will be Pakistan cricket team captain for the World Cup supporting Shahid Afridi as there all time favourite as the best contender for the mega event.

Pakistan squad for the mega event includes Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Muhammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umer Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umer Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir and Ahmad Shehzad.

In a causal talk with APP, a local taxi driver, Jahan Sher said, “I just cannot understand why the Pakistan Cricket Board has delayed to announce the captain on February 4. By not announcing the captain, the board has split the players into Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul Haq groups. In such circumstances I believe Afridi is the best possible choice to lead the team for the world cup.”

A local traveler at the bus stop, Rahim Khan said that “If PCB chairman Ijaz Butt is waiting till February 4 to see how Afridi performs as captain in the one-day series in New Zealand then I don’t think that it is a wise move because this is not the time to change the captain. For the World Cup they should continue with Afridi.
A government employee, Mir Shah said, “The team selected is good but I am stunned to understand the reason naming a captain has been delayed so much. No team in the world of cricket is named without a captain.”

A private telecom company employee, Yasir Ali Khan said that I don’t know about who will be the captain but Pakistan will surely miss Muhammad Yousuf. He said that our team’s chances of reaching even the quarter-finals are dull.

A government employee, Faisal Shah said, “I am happy they did not include Muhammad Yousuf this time. We need young blood. You can’t bet on the same horse to win your races for 20 years.” “Wishing good luck to Pakistani team, he said, “even if they lose, I hope they will put a fight till the end because you cannot win every match but you can put up a fight and at least try to win. I think the team is quite capable to give a tough time to any opponent.”

An optics shopkeeper at Aabpara, Salman Hadyat, said Pakistan cricket’s team is over confident and they lack respect towards the opponents’ abilities. I just wish that a miracle happens and Muhammed Aamir get clears on February 5 from the International Cricket Council and gets included in the squad.

An employee in a marketing company, Khurram Qasim told APP, “I think Afridi should be kept as team captain for this event. This is a mega event and we all know that he the best possible choice for the event.”

A commuter at the zero point bus stop, Ali Zahid said, “I support the squad, as it is the best possible we can have in the given circumstances. No doubt Misbah’s recent form makes him contender for the captainship.”

India hopes Sachin Tendulkar can cap phenomenal career with World Cup win

As Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar heads into his record sixth cricket World Cup, a nation of 1.2 billion are hoping he can cap a phenomenal career with a win for host India.

Tendulkar is the holder of virtually every major batting record in test and one-day cricket, including most runs and most centuries in either form, and most believe a World Cup win will complete his career of achievements.

Former West Indian batsman Vivian Richards said during a World Cup promotional event here last month that "the World Cup would be the icing on the cake for Sachin Tendulkar."

Just as Tendulkar's consistency has been credited with India's superb recent form, runs from the Mumbai player's bat have had a direct bearing on the team's fortunes in the World Cup.

Cricket tourney in Israel to mark India R'Day

A cricket tournament for people of Indian origin was launched in Israel to mark India's 62nd Republic Day.

The Republic Day was celebrated at the India House in Herzliya Pituah Jan 26.

After unfurling the national flag and singing of the national anthem, Ambassador Navtej Sarna read out excerpts from Indian President Pratibha Patil's address that was delivered on the eve of the Republic Day.

This was followed by a short cultural programme.

Sarna felicitated Indian Hospice director Sheikh Mohammed Munir Ansari, who was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award in 2011 for his contribution in maintaining the hospice as a symbol of India's heritage in Jerusalem.

The embassy also launched the 'India Trophy', a cricket tournament for the Indian-origin community in Israel.

A large number of Indians and friends of India attended the event.

There are approximately 70,000 Jews of Indian origin in Israel, most of who are Israeli nationals. The main waves of immigration into Israel from India took place in the fifties and sixties. The majority are from Maharashtra and smaller numbers are from Kerala and Kolkata.

Test cricket is here to stay

Gentleman dressed in white wielding their willows or shining the red cherries always earned the respect of cricket enthusiasts. Test cricket has been trying to hold its own, with tough competition from ODI cricket and the even shorter format, Twenty20 cricket in its recent years.

Twenty20, introduced by England initially, began to extract large revenues from ticket sales and endorsements. It was started in order to attract the crowds towards the stadiums and was successful in doing so. People found this format entertaining, as the result was decided in a short span of 3 hours.

With the rise of Twenty20; test cricket took a back seat. Test cricket played during the calendar year began to decrease as twenty20 matches became a permanent fixture in any tour. The world began to witness how the Gentlemen's game fell into the nexus of the commercialized version of the game. Then the Indian Premier League and the Stanford League came into existence to capitalize on the growing popularity.

Test cricket began to lose its luster as crowds began to find the 5 day game longer and boring. Due to this fact, the International Cricket Council has come up with plans to make Test cricket exciting-there are even talks of staging a test cricket world cup! Test cricket still remains to be a top priority among international renowned cricketers.

Test cricket gets the best out of a player-it's an ultimate test for any cricketer. Playing for 5 days in a row demands immaculate concentration, determination, and temperament. So the hard-fought earned victory of over 5 days is much sweeter than any other victory.

One of the most thrilling aspects of test cricket is the 22 yards pitch where cricket is to be played over 5 days. These days the pitches are tailor made according to the wishes of the home team. The best cricket is played on those sporting wickets which have something for batsmen, faster bowlers and spinners too. Test cricket does not give batsmen the chance to score free and easy runs with strong fielding arrangements.

The vanishing art of Reverse swing bowling can be seen only in test cricket, where the same ball is used for a minimum of 80 overs. Its master exponent was Wasim Akram. Only good batsmen can handle these deliveries with perfection, else they will look totally helpless and lost. Three players who immediately spring in our minds are Malinga, Anderson and Zaheer Khan from the current list of players who are near to mastering it.

Test cricket is here to stay. Twenty20 cricket is like a baby, who will be loved by everyone initially. The 50 over game has to be nurtured and monitored regularly. Why do players first get a chance to represent their countries in the shorter format of the game, and then later the longest format of the game? It is because the players need to pass the "Test" of a Twenty and a Fifty over game before being declared fit to play the purest form of cricket-Test cricket.

Four arrested for betting on cricket match

The crime branch made a swoop on a hideout at Malad and arrested four bookies who were allegedly accepting bets on the one-day cricket match between Australia and England on Saturday.

Sources in the Unit 8 crime branch, which conducted the raid, told Hindustan Times that they had received a tip-off about bets being accepted on the third one-day match between Australia and England.

The police raided a flat in Bhagran Nagar in Malad (W) from where they arrested the four men. A laptop, an internet modem, 16 cellphones and Rs3.65 lakh in cash were seized from the flat by the police.

The police are investigating the case and the records of the four arrested accused to check if they are linked to notorious bookie Junior Bandra in any way.

Muttiah Muralitharan plans to retire after World Cup

Legendary Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has confirmed that he will retire from international cricket after the forthcoming World Cup in Asia.

The 38-year-old quit Test cricket last July after taking a record 800 wickets.

But he has remained in his country's limited-overs side and will bow out after the World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka, which begins on 19 February.

However, he will continue to play in the lucrative Indian Premier League after signing for new franchise Kochi.

Muralitharan, who helped Sri Lanka win the 1996 World Cup and was a losing finalist in 2007, has taken 517 wickets in 339 one-day internationals in a career which has spanned nearly two decades at the top level and left him as the world's leading wicket-taker in both the major formats of the game.

"I'm going to retire from international cricket, totally, after this World Cup," he told BBC Radio 5 live.

Sri Lanka host West Indies in three one-day internationals before the World Cup, when they will face Canada, Pakistan, Kenya, Australia, Zimbabwe and New Zealand in Group A.

"Our preparation has been good, but I think we have a good chance because we're playing in Sri Lanka," said Muralitharan.

"There won't be a huge [home] advantage, but it will have a little bit of impact

"It's very difficult to compare the 1996 team to this team, as it's two different generations.

"We have experienced players and young players, and our side has done very well for the last two years in one-day cricket.

"England are a very good side, but it depends on how they play in sub-continent conditions, which are very different to Australia or England as it favours spin bowling.

"Graeme Swann has done really well for England, I think he's one of the best spinners in the world."

Meanwhile, he told reporters at a training session in Colombo that as well as signing to play in the IPL for the next two years, he was "also looking at similar work in New Zealand and perhaps England."

But he ruled out an immediate move into coaching, adding: "There are plenty of coaches and lots of talented people out there.

"I will take things as they come. For the moment, no coaching stints."

Born in Kandy, Muralitharan's unique bent-arm bowling action, caused by a deformity from birth, has meant that he has courted controversy at times during his career.

Some umpires and former players have questioned his action's legality - notably in Australia, where umpires Darrell Hair and Ross Emerson no-balled him for throwing.

The mechanics of his bowling action have been investigated and cleared on more than one occasion by the International Cricket Council, although in 2005 the ICC amended its rules to allow bowlers to straighten their arms by up to 15 degrees.

Throughout much of his career, he battled with Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne for the title of the world's leading wicket-taker, but Warne retired from internationals in 2007 with 708 wickets from 145 Tests, and 293 victims from 194 ODIs - although he, too, continues to play in the IPL.

World Cup victory in 1983 and all that

The contrast between the India of 2011 and the 1983 side is stark. Yet they won it 28 years ago. So they can do it again. But the deal is that I shall not be eating any unsavoury paper and ink.

It’s time to check out old memories, for another cricket World Cup is approaching. This inevitably brings back some electrifying thoughts of the 1983 event, which will forever stand very high in India’s collective memory.

And not just that. On a personal note, I was vilified for something I wrote about India’s prospects before that tournament, and then subsequently thanked for spurring them to victory.What a conflict of opinion.

So let me state the precise facts. Most people know that in the first two World Cups (1975 and 1979) the approach and the performance by India were dire.

It seemed clear that most of their players objected to the principle of having to hurry things along, in contrast to the measured pace of Test cricket, where time is often of less concern.

This was what actually made batsmen such as Sunil Gavaskar so very difficult to dislodge, and India so difficult to beat over five days.

In the lead-up period to the 1983 World Cup, my preview in Wisden Cricket Monthly included these words: “India can only hope to redeem their dismal record of past World Cup performances. They plodded against England in the most bloody-minded fashion in 1975 and managed to lose to the then-humble Sri Lanka in 1979.

If their pride is not important enough to spur them to whole-hearted effort this time, they might as well give way to other would-be participants in 1987.”

Reel forward three months. India have won the World Cup, to the surprise and delight of much of the cricket world.

The might of West Indies was tossed aside by Kapil Dev’s boys. Today’s chairman of selectors Srikkanth top-scored with a bold 38, “Jimmy” Amarnath (spinal innings of 26 off 81 balls and 3 for 12 off seven overs) received the Man-of-the-Match award.

Kapil’s outfield catch to dismiss Viv Richards (33 top score) was seen as the decisive moment, and that night the hotel across from Lord’s trembled from the rhythm of the dancing in the foyer as Indian fans mobbed their heroes.

The captain did a sinuous bhangra, and I stood in the corner, smiling and tingling with pleasure. What happened next?I received a letter from a mildly irate fandemanding that I now eat my words.

It was alleged that I was “one-sided” in my preview.(Of course, I preferred to see it as an impartial judgment which, if anything, had served as a spur to push the boys to greater effort.)

My correspondent very reasonably pointed out that “this one-day cricket, an English invention, took time to take root in India”. He therefore relished India’s “demolishing” of England in the 1983 semifinal.

But now he demanded that I “be a good sport and swallow the lousy paragraph you wrote”.

Being (I hope) a gentleman (Canterbury Boys’ High School, MCC member and all that), I set about meeting this man’s requirement.In the press-box at Lord’s, having carefully acquired some good wine to wash it down, I duly chewed up and swallowed that paragraph. It was a satisfying experience, though not without a lingering fear of the consequences of downing so much inked paper.

There is no longer any need to goad India into applying themselves to the task ahead.MS Dhoni’s team have won their share of limited-over matches in recent years and now approach the 2011 World Cup among the favourites.

To have beaten South Africa in South Africa is no mean feat, and must push India upwards in the forecasts. The impression given to one so far away is that India now have so many estimable players — for Test and for one-day demands — that they will hold their own against any opposition. And if spin bowling plays a big part in their success, cricket is the winner.

Cricket’s charm is based not only upon its visual appeal and its rhythms. It is one of the most unpredictable of sports.One recent surprise has been the batsmanship of Harbhajan Singh.India’s tail now seems fortified, always important in the shorter game.

Piyush Chawla’s leg-spin is a delight to behold.The fast attack seems in good order, with Zaheer Khan doubtless determined to make amends for India’s defeat in the World Cup final before last, when Australia beat India as well as the rain in the Johannesburg final.

I wrote only a few years back that India’s top six in the batting order was probably as good as any in cricket history.Now Virender Sehwag has added his powers to it. Captain Dhoni has drive and flair, and the contrast between the India of 2011 and the 1983 side is stark.

Yet they won it 28 years ago.So they can do it again. But the deal is that if my prediction (so very different to the 1983 version) fails to materialise, I shall not be eating any unsavoury paper and ink.

Tendulkar is a genius, says Lara

A “rusty” Brian Lara gifted the sprightly youngster the moment of his life. The ball sneaked past the bat and grazed the pads before disturbing the stumps. Lara was bowled!

Many bowlers have treasured such moments on the cricket field in international cricket. But this was a non-descript under-19 seamer, part of the group of youngsters attending the hour-long cricket clinic organised at the Ferozeshah Kotla by the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) in conjunction with the Trinidad Tourism here on Tuesday.

Lara, who is the Ambassador of Sport for Trinidad and Tobago, remained a cricketer to the hilt. “I enjoyed batting but I was a little rusty. I must say I saw quite a few good players today and was very impressed.”

Better pitches needed

And then he spoke of India's weakness when faced with quality fast bowling. “I wish the practice pitches could be a little more enterprising, conducive to pace.” Bounce was the reason, he said, why the Indian batsmen failed in the Test at the Centurion recently against South Africa.

Even as former Test opener Chetan Chauhan, as part of the organisers, requested “no questions on IPL (Indian Premier League)”, Lara was forthcoming. “I was not overly disappointed,” he said on being unsold at the auction.

“It (auction) is not the greatest situation any player would like himself to find in. I can understand the reservations the owners and the managers must have had but they missed the broader picture.

“I would have made a difference with my knowledge. Private ownership is a good idea like club football. It would have given me an opportunity to continue my love with India but maybe some other time.”

Comforting message

Lara, 11953 runs in 131 Tests and 10405 in 299 ODIs, had a comforting message for Sourav Ganguly, who also remained unsold at the IPL auction.

“It didn't tarnish his message. He has been a great leader (of Indian cricket) and a good friend of mine.”

On Sachin Tendulkar's longevity in the game and the benchmarks set by his “dear friend”, Lara was generous in his praise. “It would be almost impossible for anyone to break his records. I feel great to referred to in the same breath but he is a genius and outstanding in all parts of the world. I didn't see Sir Don Bradman but I respect his averages.”

Hailing the great run by the West Indies in the 1970s and 80s and Australia thereafter, Lara observed that the trend of invincibility was not possible to return. “Can't really tell which team is the number one in the world! Each team has its time.”

Picks India, S.Africa

Lara rated India and South Africa as favourites to win the forthcoming World Cup. “India would counter home pressure but will be hard to beat. In the sub-continent, it is important to build a momentum.”

About South Africa, he said, “they have a bogey as far as World Cup was concerned.”

He picked Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Michael Clarke, Chris Gayle and Kevin Pietersen as the batsmen to watch.

He also picked Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gayle to overhaul his Test record of 400 not out. He also noted that the score of 200 was more likely to be scaled because, “T20 has changed the shape of the game.”

Looking ahead, Lara, 41, smiled, “I am still travelling, involved with the Zimbabwe team, coaching and mentoring, playing more golf, still being busy. The shine is not off the ball yet.”

Tendulkar named as World Cup squad

Injured Tendulkar named in India's cricket World Cup squad.

Indian cricket star Sachin Tendulkar has been included in his country's 15-man World Cup squad, despite doubts over the opener's fitness ahead of next month's competition.

Tendulkar was forced to withdraw from India's ongoing tour of South Africa on Saturday after straining his right hamstring.

The 37-year-old has scored a record 17,629 runs in 444 one-day internationals, but has played just four over the last 12 months in order to focus on Test cricket.

However, the world's leading one-day and Test batsman was named in the squad for the February 19 to April 2 tournament, which is to be jointly hosted by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Cook not hopeful of England World Cup place

The south east Asian nation's one-day side -- currently level with South Africa at one game a piece in the best-of-five match series -- have also been missing batsmen Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir as well as fast bowler Praveen Kumar through injury.

"I am not worried at all about the injuries, these are part of the game," Krishnamachari Srikkanth, India's chairman of selectors told reporters in Chennai following the team announcement on Monday.

"I am confident the team will be fully fit when the World Cup starts," he added.

India hold second place behind Australia in the official one-day rankings, ahead of co-hosts Sri Lanka, England and South Africa.

Led by captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India have been drawn with England, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, the Netherlands and South Africa in group B of cricket's 10th World Cup.

Defending champions Australia head group A with Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada and Kenya completing the line up for the tournament.

Following the round-robin stages, four teams from each group will qualify for the quarterfinals.

Cricket is more than just a game in India

Guess who's taken their shirts off to wear their passion on their bodies!

Led by their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, leading Indian superstars, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli will sport a never-seen-before painted body look for Pepsi's path-breaking World Cup 2011 campaign to be launched soon.

Pepsi is one of the global sponsors for the World Cup and the body paint campaign is an attempt to bring alive the passion that these cricketers have for their game, says Sandeep Singh Arora, executive vice-president (Marketing), Cola, PepsiCo India.

"Cricket is more than just a game in India, it is like a faith and its followers include millions of passionate Youngistaanis. With our innovative Cricket World Cup campaign we wanted to reflect the same fervor and energy that the fans and the players have and what can be more passionate than wearing it on your body," he said in a media release.

The new body painted look is youthful, fresh and symbolic of the individual player's passion for the game. Covered only with a layer of colourful body paint, the cricketers' images reflect their energetic and unique persona on the field. Each design and choice of colour palette has a story behind it which mirrors the athlete's character.

The creator of these looks, Santosh Padhi, Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder, Taproot India, comments on the individual designs:

Cricket bosses back cricket Fridays

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday gave Lead SA’s Cricket Friday initiative the thumbs up, urging all South Africans to back the Proteas and wear their cricket shirts on Fridays.

It comes ahead of the Cricket World Cup which begins on the February 19.

“We support the initiative taken by Lead SA and we hope that all South Africans support it. I will also be wearing my Proteas shirt every Friday,” said Cricket SA’s CEO Gerald Majola.

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula and SuperSport have also endorsed cricket Fridays.

ICC Cricket Hall of Fame

The ICC Cricket Hall of Fame "recognises the achievements of the legends of the game from cricket's long and illustrious history". A hall of fame, it was launched by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on 2 January 2009, in association with the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA), as part of the ICC's centenary celebrations. The initial inductees were the 55 players included in the FICA Hall of Fame which ran from 1999 to 2003, but further members are added each year during the ICC Awards ceremony. The inaugural inductees ranged from W. G. Grace, who retired from cricket in 1899, to Graham Gooch, who played his last Test match in 1995. Living inductees receive a commemorative cap; Australian Rodney Marsh was the first member of the initial inductees to receive his. Members of the Hall of Fame assist in the selection of future inductees.

There are more English players in the Hall of Fame than players from other countries. Only ten of the 64 inductees played for nations outside England, Australia and the West Indies. South African Barry Richards played the fewest Test matches during his career with four, before South Africa were excluded from participating in international cricket in 1970. Australian Steve Waugh, inducted in October 2009, played the most Tests with 168 in an international career spanning 20 years. In 2010, Rachael Heyhoe-Flint, former England women's cricket team captain who led the team to victory in the inaugural Women's World Cup in 1973, became the first and only woman to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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Aussies will absorb defeat

So another of this country's great sporting cathedrals has been turned into something resembling a mausoleum. I was at the Sydney Cricket Ground this morning, having been given the task of finding crestfallen Aussie fans. Yet on the road outside, which on test match days is normally crammed with Aussies wearing green and gold, with zinc cream smeared across their faces like tribal decorations, brandishing inflatable marsupials and waving boxing kangaroo flags, there was hardly a local in site.

This, for us Poms, is cause for double celebration. The taste of cricketing victory is always sweet, and never more so than when laced with Australian suffering.

Of course, we, as Brits, are almost pre-programmed to gloat. We have also come to expect that Australia experiences great national convulsions whenever it loses to the English. Ideally, we would like to see news anchors breaking down, Walter Cronkite-like, on air, flags at half-mast atop the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House not only enveloped in darkness but hosting concerts funereal in tone. In Austerity Britain, perhaps we not only like to think that is how Australian reacts but almost need to think it.

Alas, we are dealing here with Assumed Australia rather than the real thing: a kingdom of the mind where the historical arithmetic is always being recalculated on some imaginary tally board, where ledgers perpetually need to be balanced, and where wrongs always need to be righted.

True, Aussies never enjoy losing to the English. For some, it hurts bad. But the truth is that the country will absorb this defeat without sinking into a nationwide funk. Its self-esteem, buoyed by an almost recession-proof economy, simply isn't that fragile. And then there is the beach.

So in the absence of streets filled with weeping women and newspapers edged in black, what should we be telling London about Australia's response to England's lop-sided Ashes victory?

For a start, it is worth pointing out that the present side has not got a particularly enthusiastic home following. This is partly because when Australia lost its best players, like Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist, it also lost its most likeable stars. After Shane and his technicolour dreamcoat, the present crop are vanilla in comparison.

Ricky Ponting is not hugely popular, though I have long thought he gets an unfair press. He is much better than his headlines would suggest - although, as with his outburst in Melbourne, he sometimes brings them on himself. Certainly, he does not have the standing of Allan Border, Mark Taylor or Steve Waugh, his three predecessors. Nor does his temporary and perhaps long-term replacement Michael Clarke. In a country that has always respected workhorses, I suspect many think the New South Welshman is a bit of a show pony.

Sports fans here are also realists rather than sentimentalists or fantasists. After the retirement of Warne and McGrath, they knew cricket would no longer be a unipolar world with Australia as its sole superpower. Even if the sharp gradient of its downward trajectory has taken many by surprise, the national team was never going to withstand such a heavy depletion of resources.

My hunch is that Aussie spectators are more sporting than we give them credit for - although the mass evacuation of the MCG last week when England started to get on top adds weight to the counter-veiling view. "Well earned" reads the headline on the ABC News website this afternoon, and I do not think that there is a single serious-minded cricket follower in this land that thinks that Australia deserved to win. Other than a couple of days in Brisbane and the test match in Perth, England were by far the better and more balanced side.

Aussie sports fans can spot mediocrity a mile off, and have witnessed it for years in its now highly fallible cricket team. After losing to South Africa two years ago, last summer they struggled even against the West Indies and Pakistan.

To put the Ashes into some kind of wider sporting and cultural context, perhaps it would be worth pointing out that Australian sports administrators are increasingly looking to establish a bridgehead in Asia. Aussie Rules has just held an exhibition game in China. The Bledisloe Cup is now contested in Hong Kong and Tokyo. The Australian World Cup bid also tried to turn the old tyranny of distance argument on its head by trying to persuade Fifa that Sydney and Melbourne were gateways to Asia.

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India will not accept UDRS, says BCCI

The Indian cricket board has ruled out using the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) and also rejected an offer to travel to Australia and watch its Ashes application.

The clamour to use the technology aimed at reducing umpiring errors has been growing but India have opposed UDRS as they are adamant the ball-tracking tool is not accurate enough.

UDRS was not used in India's recent series against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary N Srinivasan said there was no real chance of the world's richest cricket body changing its stance.

"We don't accept this technology. We are not going to use it in any bilateral series," Srinivasan told Reuters over the phone.

Cricket South Africa could not convince BCCI to use UDRS in the ongoing series and an annoyed Proteas captain Graeme Smith said the International Cricket Council (ICC) should make it mandatory.

"The ICC needs to take responsibility and lead the way when it comes to the review system," Smith said after losing the Durban test against India where a couple of dubious decisions hurt his team.

"They can't just let the boards decide and negotiate it. Using the UDRS once every seven series is not going to help anybody."

Australia's stand-in captain Michael Clarke shared Smith's view on uniformity.

IND VS SA 3rd Test Cricket Live Score

Newlands Ground in Cape Town is witnessing one of the finest test matches. Its India v South Africa and we are now in the 4th day’s play but still the two teams are even. We still do not know which team will win.

The game is currently poised on the razor’s edge and how South Africa bat in the first session on the fourth day will go a long way in deciding which way the game turns. There was nothing between the two teams in the first innings and with the South Africans getting to 52/2, it could still be anybody’s game.

On the fourth day of the India v South Africa third Test, there are many possibilities. One, India can look to run through the South African batting, in much like the same manner as they had done to India at the same venue four years ago. A score of 200 all out will mean that the Indians will have enough time to get to the target with Dale Steyn being the one man between them and the 2-1 series win.

While the possibility of a draw cannot be ruled out, India have an edge over South Africa in this final test match. The match will start at 1330 hrs IST and you all can watch the live cricket match on TEN Cricket. We believe that Harbhajan will turn around this match for India. He is bowling well and I am sure Harbhajan will remove the South African top order.

Yesterday was a mix day for India. Tendulkar and Gambhir started off well but then Gambhir missed his century. He got out on 92. Spinner Harris must be very happy to take his prized wicket. Laxman was very unlucky to get run out when he looked good with the bat. However, man of day 3 was Sachin Tendulkar.

He scored his 51st century at Cape Town. He made sure that India at least make the same score as South Africa. He played great cricket shots and his partner Harbhajan Singh gave him a good company. Harbhajan too batted well and scored 40 runs for his team. He always scores when it is required the most. If you missed Tendulkar’s century do watch the highlights of India v South Africa on TEN Cricket sports channel.

If South Africa can get to 250, then the Indians will find it difficult to chase down the target on a fifth day track against the likes of Steyn and Harris.

The other option for South Africa is to bat the day and score 325 and ask India to bat 90 overs on the last day. If one were to look at the run-rates in the game, it sure will be difficult for the Indians to chase down that total but they can look to bat out the fifth day for the game to end in a draw.

The question is who will blink first tomorrow.

Its bright a sunny in Cape Town and the temperature is roughly 25 degree Celsius. Just the right conditions to play full day of cricket. South Africa have already lost their captain and night watchman Harris.

Amla is batting on 0 and Petersen is not out on 22. The live cricket score of India v SA is 52/2. They have already taken a lead of 50 runs and India will be looking to wrap up this SA side at a score of not more than 250. Lets all watch TEN Cricket Live and see how the match progresses.

Sreesanth, the fastest mouth in South Africa

Theatrics and S Sreesanth have always gone hand-in-hand. He is capable of somehow always turning the spotlight on himself. Sreesanth went wicketless in the first Test in South African but managed to hog the attention in the second by annoying none other than the host captain, Graeme Smith.

The South African batsman waved his bat at Sreesanth in anger as the latter appeared to make some personal comment. Smith soon lost focus and hit Sreesanth only to get caught, triggering a batting collapse that gave India a series-levelling win.

The heat generated by Sreesanth’s remark forced India skipper MS Dhoni and Smith to step aside during an ICC function to sort out the controversy. Smith made it clear Sreesanth the only unwanted element in the Indian team. Dhoni also made his frustration plain before the third Test began at Cape Town, saying Sreesanth was difficult and needed to be restrained.

But Sreesanth never seems to learn. He taunted Smith again on Sunday, the first day of the third Test, saying Smith’s comments had woken him up.

He sure was sharp on Monday. Bowling with the second new ball, he ran through the South African batting to grab five wickets.

The hosts still reached 362, thanks to a magnificent 161 by Jacques Kallis. At the end of play, India were 142 for 2 with Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar in an unbroken 114-run stand.

3rd Test: India win toss but lose initiative

The setting was surreal for a Test match. Almost an entire day's cricket was played under lights as dark, grey clouds hung lazily over Newlands Stadium, and the Table Mountain which stands in the west.

It was only during the final hour of play that the colour blue, along with the sun, made an appearance on the horizon. Those who want ICC to introduce day-night Test matches would have been happy.

Conditions were not easy but the players from both sides stood up to contrive an intense, engaging day's play. With the series at stake, did they have any option? It was cricket at its attritional best, sometimes a bit staid but fascinating nevertheless as the two teams tried to pull away on the first day of the third Test on Sunday.

It was a stop-start day and play was interrupted twice due to light drizzle. Thankfully, play resumed quickly on both occasions. When the umpires finally called stumps, at 7.04 pm local time, South Africa were 232/4 off 74 overs. The peerless Jacques Kallis is providing leadership once again as the hosts look to bounce back from the stunning loss in Durban.

Once Kallis makes up his mind that he is going to stay at the wicket, he is almost impossible to dislodge. He seemed to be in that zone on Sunday, having played 169 balls for his industrious 81. He now has 1783 runs at this ground (in his 18th Test) and looks set for many more.

It does not take rocket science to understand that India need to somehow get rid of this man first thing on Day Two. Dhoni had said on Saturday that the toss would be important as it would give the seamers a chance to utilize helpful conditions.

Well, he won the toss, for a change. Surprisingly, though, the ball did not appear to do much despite the overcast conditions, though it later emerged the players thought otherwise. The Indian pace trio had to work hard to extract purchase from the wicket.

Probably, the ball getting wet due to a soggy ground negated attempts to swing it, a repeat of what happened to South African bowlers on the first day of the second Test at Durban.

Harbhajan Singh, who was pressed into service in the 34th over, struggled to get any spin from the pitch. He was more a stock bowler on the day than a shock one.

Zaheer Khan gave India a headstart by consuming Graeme Smith again - the regularity with which he does that is becoming ridiculous - with a beauty which came in just a bit. Ishant Sharma complemented the effort by snaring Alviro Peterson with another superb delivery which swung away.

With the openers gone for 34, India had landed some hard opening blows. But Kallis and Hashim Amla weathered the storm and brought back balance into proceedings.

It was a delicate phase of play as another wicket and India would have been on top. What the Kallis-Amla duo also did was to soon start looking out for runs.

It was Amla who took the lead and played some wristy drives and flicks, even hitting Zaheer for three fours in an over. He undid the good work by trying one hook too many, this time off Sreesanth while on the front foot, and top-edged to Pujara.

Sreesanth gave India another fillip by producing one of his vicious outswingers to get rid of AB de Villiers. At 164/4, it was nicely poised before Kallis and Prince gave the hosts some hope.


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Hameed says sorry over cricket-fixing 'interview'

Former Pakistan opener Yasir Hameed said on Friday he had apologised to cricket authorities over an interview with a British tabloid in which he accused fellow players of fixing matches.

"I was trapped into it but I should not have said all that before a stranger and I apologise to all the players who were hurt because of that," Hameed told AFP.

Hameed was secretly filmed telling undercover reporters from the News of the World in September that his fellow players fix matches with impunity.

"They were doing it (fixing) in almost every match," Yasir said. "God knows what they were up to.

"Scotland Yard was after them for ages. It makes me angry because I'm playing my best and they are trying to lose."

The conversation was broadcast two days after three Pakistani players -- Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer -- were suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on charges of spot-fixing during the team's Lord's Test against England in August.

The trio will find out at the ICC's anti-corruption tribunal in Doha, Qatar, from January 6-11 whether the suspensions are to be turned into bans or they are absolved.

Hameed initially denied he had given any interview but admitted he was trapped by an undercover reporter who was in the guise of an airline representative who wanted him and other players to sign up to a commercial.

Hameed, 32, has not been picked since the scandal erupted.

"I have been doing well in the domestic matches and still hope that I will be selected in the team for the future series," he said.

Ind Vs SA: Sehwag ruled out of ODI series

In a big blow to Team India's preparations for the 2011 Cricket world Cup, Virender Sehwag was on Thursday ruled out of the forthcoming one-day series against South Africa due to his nagging shoulder injury.

According to a statement issued by the BCCI, Rohit Sharma will replace the opener, while Murali Vijay will stay back in South Africa for the ODI series as the 17th playing member of the squad. It is still unclear if Sehwag's injury is serious enough for him to be withdrawn for the third Test scheduled to be played from January 2 at Cape Town.

This is the third time in the calendar year that Sehwag has had to pull out of a tournament becuase of his shoulder injury. Earlier in the year, he missed out on the World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies and was rested for the subsequent tour of Zimbabwe as well. Also, during the Asia Cup he was ruled out of the final with a strained hamstring.

Even in 2009, Sehwag missed out on a place in India's squad for the World Twenty20 event in England after injuring his shoulder during the second season of the Indian Premier League that was played in South Africa.

The India-South Africa Test series is even as 1-1 with the deciding Test to be played in Cape Town from January 2. The two sides will then play a T20 game on January 9. The five-match ODI series starts on January 12.

Saheba, Tarapore to officiate in cricket World Cup

Indian umpires Amiesh Saheba and Shavir Tarapore were on Saunday named among the umpires who would officiate in the upcoming cricket World Cup scheduled to begin in Dhaka on February 19. Apart from Saheba and Tarapore, umpires Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka), Bruce Oxenford (Australia), Richard. Kettleborough and Nigel Llong (both from England) have been named to stand alongside umpires of ICC's Elite Panel during the quadrennial event.

While Saheba has officiated in 44 One Day Internationals, three Twenty20s and two Test Matches, Tarapore has stood in 16 ODIs and three T20s.

These six have been identified as emerging and talented match officials, who have already officiated at international level with experience of conditions in the Asian sub-continent and are now ready to umpire at cricket's flagship event, ICC said in a statement.

The reserve umpire for the tournament has been named as Enamul Hoque-Moni, also from the international panel. He will officiate during the warm-up phase of the tournament and be available, if required, during the event proper.

The match referees for the event will be: Chris Broad, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Roshan Mahanama and Andy Pycroft (all from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees).

The umpire selection panel consists of David Richardson (ICC General Manager – Cricket), Ranjan Madugalle (ICC Chief Match Referee), David Lloyd (former player, coach, umpire and now television commentator) and Srinivas Venkataraghavan (former elite panel umpire).

The full list of umpires is: Billy Bowden, Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Billy Doctrove, Marais Erasmus, Ian Gould, Daryl Harper, Tony Hill, Asad Rauf, Asoka de Silva, Simon Taufel, Rod Tucker (all from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires), Kumar Dharmasena, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Amish Saheba and Shahvir Tarapore (all from the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires).

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Sri Lanka-West Indies ODI series postponed

Sri Lanka and the West Indies have postponed their five-match limited-overs cricket series and a Twenty20 match citing bad weather.

Sri Lanka Cricket announced on Thursday that the one-day series has been rescheduled for next year but the dates have not been decided yet.

Most of an earlier three-Test series was disrupted by rain and ended in a 0-0 draw.

Indian team leave for South Africa

Nine members of the Indian cricket team, including skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar, left for South Africa in the wee hours here on Wednesday.

Apart from Dhoni and Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, S. Sreesanth, Wriddhiman Saha, Suresh Raina, Ishant Sharma and Team manager Ranjib Biswal also departed for Cape Town via Dubai for the three-match Test series beginning December 16.

Sehwag was supposed to leave with the first batch of the touring party members on December 6 but changed his plans as he was indisposed.

The first batch comprised of players Cheteshwar Pujara, Jaydev Unadkat and Umesh Yadav and coach Gary Kirsten.

V.V.S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid left for South Africa on Tuesday.

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India vs New Zealand live cricket score, 4th ODI, Ind favorite to win against NZ

India vs New Zealand live cricket score, 4th ODI, Ind favorite to win against NZ as they have failed to inspire confidence by repeated bad performances

Bangalore: India and New Zealand are going to meet in the fourth match of the one day international series and the only thing that people want to know is whether New Zealand is capable of winning a single match against a capable opponent like India.

I am bemused by the way New Zealand players have completely failed to deliver during their Indian tour.

If they came up with some good performances during the test series when some of the players performed well, in the one day series, they have completely given up without any fight at all.

They have lost three matches of the series and if we include the one day series disaster in Bangladesh they have already lost seven matches in a row.

Vettori has failed to inspire his team. Individual players too have failed to take their team forward and lift the morale. So far no player of the team has come up with any exceptional or match winning knock.

On the other hand the Indian bowlers have come up with terrific performances in match after match amazing both admirers and detractors. The best performers during the series is captain Gautam Gambhir and the emerging powerhouse of Indian batting Virat Kohli. Both have played well constantly and given a head start to their team in all the three matches.

Indian bowlers particularly Sreesanth, Zaheer and spinner Ashwin have amazed many in the cricket world with their dazzling performance.

Indian Team

G Gambhir, R Ashwin, RA Jadeja, Z Khan, V Kohli, P Kumar, A Nehra, MM Patel, PA Patel, YK Pathan, RG Sharma, SS Tiwary, M Vijay, Yuvraj Singh

New Zealand Team

DL Vettori, GD Elliott, JEC Franklin, MJ Guptill, GJ Hopkins, JM How, BB McCullum†, NL McCullum, AJ McKay, KD Mills, TG Southee, SB Styris, LRPL Taylor, KS Williamson

Kochi To Play In IPL 2011

The IPL Governing Council confirms that the Kochi franchisee has satisfactorily responded to the notice issued to them by the BCCI | By Yentha

Trivandrum: The Board of Cricket Control of India has finally given the green signal for the team to play in the fourth edition of IPL, scheduled to begin in April 2011. Kochi IPL team will play in the 2011 edition of the much popular T20 tournament.

After investigating the documents and confirmation from all the owners over the issue of ownership and holdings, N Sreenivsan, Secretary, BCCI, said in a statement that the Kochi franchisee had satisfactorily responded to the notice issued to them by the BCCI and decided that the franchisee, Kochi Cricket Private Limited, would play in the Indian Premier League from 2011 onwards.

Earlier, in November, the BCCI had issued a termination notice to the Kochi team. The Board of Cricket Control also asked the Rendezvous consortium to sort out all the disparities among the stakeholders.

Cricket News: Tendulkar in fray for Laureus award

Come February and master blaster Sachin Tendulkar could join a very select and privileged group of sportsmen, which includes Roger Federer, Usain Bolt and Michael Schumacher, who have been honoured with the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award.

But first he has to beat the likes of Muttiah Muralidharan, one of the world’s greatest spinners, tennis star Rafael Nadal, Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel, star footballers Diego Forlan, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi, and boxer Manny Pacquiao. Six nominees will be chosen from this elite list before the Laureus Media Selection Panel votes to chose the 2011 Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award.

The other sportsmen in the nomination ring are golfer Graeme McDowell, MotoGP racer Jorge Lorenzo, swimmer Camille Lacourt and jockey AP McCoy. The names of the final six nominees will be announced in early January.

Tendulkar along with Vettel, Nadal are the favourites to get nominated. Tendulkar has had an amazing year. In February, he became the first man to score a double century in a one-day international, hitting an unbeaten 200 for India against South Africa. Then in October he became the first man to score 14,000 runs in Test cricket during the second Test against Australia in Bangalore. It was in this match that he scored his 49th Test century.

Unsurprisingly, he was named International Cricket Council Player of the Year. Muralidharan, on the other hand, is unarguably one of the greatest spinners of all time. The Sri Lankan took his world record 800th Test wicket on the final day of his career in Galle in July 2010. It left him 92 wickets ahead of his nearest rival, Australian's Shane Warne, now also retired.

Star footballers Forlan, Iniesta and Messi will also hope to become the first ever team sport players to win this individual award.

The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognise sporting achievement during 2010, are the premier honours on the international sporting calendar.

The eventual winner will then be chosen from the final list of nominees by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 46 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time, and will be unveiled during a televised Awards Ceremony in Abu Dhabi on February 7.

Cricket-Australia 159-5 v England - second Ashes test - tea

Australia had made 159 for five wickets in their first innings at tea on the first day of the second Ashes test against England on Friday.

Score: Australia 159-5 (S. Watson 51, M. Hussey 71 not out; J. Anderson 3-31) v England.

Live updates: India make early breakthrough

New Zealand made a disastrous start against India in the second One-Day International at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur, on Wednesday.

After four overs, the visitors had made 15 for one.

Sreesanth had opener Jamie How (5) caught behind in the fourth over. For How, who had survived a loud leg before appeal off Nehra in the previous over, it was a second successive failure.

Earlier, India captain Gautam Gambhir won the toss and elected to field. Gambhir said he was worried about dew affecting the bowlers in the second half and therefore had elected to bowl first.

India, who won the opening match by 40 runs, opted the retain the same side.

Daniel Vettori was back to lead New Zealand, replacing all-rounder Grant Elliott, while Tim Southee came in for the injured Daryl Tuffey.

However, the groundstaff are hoping to reduce the impact of dew by using the ropes and super sopers at regular intervals during the second innings.

Teams:

India: Gautam Gambhir (captain), Murali Vijay , Virat Kohli , Yuvraj Singh , Suresh Raina , Yusuf Pathan , Wridhimann Saha, R Ashwin, Ashish Nehra , S Sreesanth, Munaf Patel.

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori, (captain), Jamie How, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Kane Williamson , Gareth Hopkins, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Andy McKay, Tim Southee.

Cricket-England all out for 260 as Siddle shines

Australian paceman Peter Siddle destroyed England's first innings as he took a stunning hat-trick and ended with six for 54 as England were dismissed for 260 on the first day of the first Ashes test on Thursday.

Celebrating his 26th birthday, Siddle took the key wickets of Kevin Pietersen (43) and Alastair Cook (67) in two brilliant spells that pegged the tourists back just when they looked like taking control.

Ian Bell, who made a gutsy 76, was the last recognised batsman to fall as Xavier Doherty took his first test wicket on his debut and the left-arm spinner added his second to end the innings when he bowled James Anderson for 11.

Australia will face 11 overs before the close of play, anxious to avoid the early drama England suffered when, having won the toss, skipper Andrew Strauss was caught for a duck on the third ball of the match.

Sri Lanka join Afghanistan in semifinals

Mighty Sri Lanka, the world's third-best Test team, looked distinctly second-rate on Wednesday when minnows Nepal came agonisingly close to pulling off a stunning Asian Games upset.

Despite boasting 11 players in their squad who have played international one-day cricket, Sri Lanka only squeezed past Nepal's amateurs by two wickets to set-up a semi-final clash with Bangladesh.

Thursday's other last-four showdown will feature Pakistan against Afghanistan who comfortably saw off Hong Kong by eight wickets in their quarter-final.

After Nepal had been restricted to 72 all out, with former Test player Jehan Mubarak claiming three wickets, Sri Lanka reached 31-1 before suffering a worrying middle order collapse, losing six wickets for just 11 runs.

Captain Paras Khadra, Basant Regmi and Amrit Bhattarai took two wickets each for Nepal, who play in the World Cricket League Division Four.

But Sri Lanka steadied themselves and Sajeewa Weerakoon hit the winning runs with seven balls to spare.

Earlier, Afghanistan restricted Hong Kong to just 63 in a one-sided contest.

Hong Kong had no answer to Afghan opening pair Shahpur Zadran and Merwais Ashraf, slumping to 15-6 in the eighth over.

Zadran grabbed 2-9 and Ashraf took 3-8 in their allotted four-over spells as the Hong Kong batsmen looked out of their depth on a pitch offering some encouragement to the bowlers.

Hong Kong's opening bowlers Aizaz Khan and Irfan Ahmed looked lively but failed to make the early breakthroughs required and Afghanistan reached their target in the 14th over for the loss of just two wickets.

Mohammad Shahzad and Nawroz Mangal both finished unbeaten on 20.

"We are a good bowling side. We have two fast bowlers and it's difficult to bat on this wicket as it's a seaming wicket," said skipper Mohammad Nabi.

"It's not going to be easy to play Pakistan. They are a good team, but we've played very well in the past three or four years and we have played together as a team."

Coach Rashid Latif, a former Pakistan Test player, said he was confident Afghanistan could beat Pakistan, predicting a low-scoring contest on the bowler-friendly pitch.

"On paper Afghanistan are stronger than Pakistan and I'm very hopeful because my players are mentally and physically tough.

"We have a good fast bowling and spinning attack and are agile in the field," he said.

Last year Afghanistan rose to the International Cricket Council's (ICC) Division One, narrowly missing out on a place in the World Cup to be held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh next year.

They qualified for the World Twenty20 held in the West Indies earlier this year by winning qualifying rounds in Dubai.

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India crushed New Zealand & win Test series

Finally the correct script reached the actors. The groundsman was the first person to get the revised lines: the ball turned and bounced, kicked and spat angrily, not from day one but the third evening onwards. With a big lead in the bag, the Indian bowlers got into character without wasting time. They were all over the New Zealand batsmen, who were surrounded by all kinds of close-in fieldsmen.

The arm balls arrived too to trap the unsure batsmen, who crumbled under the pressure, as almost everybody thought they were supposed to do right through the series. The umpires felt the heat too, which is expected with the ball dancing all over and a gang of fielders around the bat.

As the three spinners shared the wickets - Suresh Raina being the third - and Ishant cleared up the tail, the Test win that India had to wait for longer than expected arrived remarkably quickly, half an hour after lunch on the fourth day. This was also India's third-biggest win ever.

Pragyan Ojha has spent most of his young career bowling on slow and low tracks, and has duly come across as a restrictive and a robotic bowler. It might still be too early to call - given the buffer of runs and the assistance from the pitch - but Ojha showed today he can attack too. He started off by outsmarting Brendon McCullum who tried the old bullying tactic of hitting early boundaries and trying to get the fielders out of his face. Ojha kept pitching the ball up, flighting it, giving it the best chance to turn and bounce. McCullum played back, and Ojha did the thing to do on a turner, slip in the straighter one. Dead plumb.

However, because the pitch was offering so much turn, the decision to give Martin Guptill lbw was ordinary. Being Ojha's regulation offbreak, it could either have pitched within the stumps or hit the stumps. As the replays showed, it was hitting the stumps all right, but after having pitched outside leg.

Harbhajan, who set the template of mixing in the straighter ones yesterday, came to get nightwatchman Gareth Hopkins with a flighted, dipping offbreak. Gautam Gambhir, who showed signs of return to form with the bat during this match, made the lunging bat-pad catch to his right, two balls after he was hit a by a full-blooded sweep from Ross Taylor.

Taylor, who was troubled by the outswing from Sreesanth in the morning, decided there was no point in hanging around and waiting for the one that jumps at him and takes the edge. So he started moving across and throwing his bat around, along the way surviving one plumb lbw when he missed a sweep right in front of the stumps. As it turned out, he didn't have to wait for the one that jumps and takes the edge: he was given caught bat-pad off the pad.

Taylor was so bemused he laughed all the way back to the pavilion, and Guptill, Jesse Ryder's runner, was so stunned he found it tough to close his gaping mouth. Ryder was the only batsman who looked at ease against the turning ball, but he got out trying to dominate the part-time spin of Suresh Raina, the second time he has fallen to the bowler.

Raina was not done yet. In his second over, he bowled the straighter one too, trapping Daniel Vettori in front, the third time he has taken the New Zealand captain.

Tim Southee swung the bat a little bit, hitting three sixes, but he only delayed the inevitable. This game will also be remembered for Chris Martin's first duck against India in six Tests.

With the breaking of New Zealand's resistance complete, India have not lost any of their last nine series. However, given the big difference in the two teams' rankings, the 1-0 result earned India a one-rating-point penalty in the ICC Test rankings.


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Pakistan wins first cricket gold at Asian Games

Nida Rashid's brilliant allround performance has helped Pakistan win the first cricket gold medal ever awarded at the Asian Games with a 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the women's Twenty20 final.

After being sent into bat, Bangladesh was bowled out for 92 in 20 overs, with offspinner Rashid taking four wickets for 16 runs.

Rashid then scored a superb unbeaten 51 to guide her team to 93-0 in 15.4 overs. Javeria Wadood hit the winning boundary and was not out 39.

It was Pakistan's first gold at Guangzhou, after collecting silver in wushu and a bronze in snooker.

Earlier, Japan defeated China by seven wickets to clinch bronze. The men's competition starts on the weekend.

Sri Lanka forced to follow-on by West Indies

Spinner Shane Shillingford and pacer Kemar Roach shared seven wickets as the West Indies bowled out Sri Lanka for 378 in its first innings, forcing a follow-on in the first Test.

Scorecard

Prasanna Jayawardene and tailender Dammika Prasad shared a 72-run stand in 73 balls for the eighth wicket on Thursday and brought the host team close to avoiding the follow-on.

But after Prasad was dismissed for 47, Sri Lanka's remaining wickets fell with the hosts three runs short of the target. Jayawardene was last out for 58.

Shillingford took 4-123 while Roach returned 3-75. Captain Kumar Sangakkara top scored for Sri Lanka with 73.

Earlier, Sri Lanka resumed on 165 for three in response to the tourists' first innings total of 580-9 declared.

The hosts need a further 117 runs to avoid having to bat again.

On a bright and sunny morning, West Indies broke through in the sixth over when paceman Kemar Roach had Mahela Jayawardene caught behind by wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh for 59, ending a 61-run fourth wicket partnership with Thilan Samaraweera.

In the previous over, Jayawardene was dropped by Dwayne Bravo at leg slip off Shane Shillingford, who bowled a tidy but luckless spell.

The off-spinner also rapped the batsmen several times on the pads but West Indies were reluctant to make use of their last available referral.

Samaraweera completed his half-century off 69 balls but was unfortunate to be run out when backing up at the non-striker's end.

Dwayne Bravo stuck out his boot to block an Angelo Mathews drive and the ball went straight on to hit the stumps with Samaraweera (52) slightly out of the crease.

Mathews and Prasanna Jayawardene appeared to be taking Sri Lanka to lunch without any further loss but West Indies captain Darren Sammy made a crucial change in the last over before the break.

The skipper brought Shillingford back on and the spinner duly obliged by dismissing Mathews for 27 when he edged a catch to Sammy at first slip.

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India missing spinning tracks against New Zealand

Placid wickets dished out for the first two cricket Tests against New Zealand have put the spotlight back on India's waning home advantage.

Spin has been India's traditional strength while playing at home but both Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha have struggled for breakthroughs in the three-Test series so far.

Harbhajan, India's most successful off-spinner, has taken just six wickets while giving away 305 runs at an average of more than 50 and left-arm spinner Ojha has fared no better, managing seven wickets at the cost of 324 runs.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was scathing in his assessment of the wickets prepared for the first Test in Ahmedabad and the second in Hyderabad, both of which ended in draws.

"We might have to play 10 days instead of five to get a result on wickets like these," he said at the end of the Hyderabad Test on Tuesday.

"That's what I frankly believe. The wickets have been on the flatter side. Other than the one hour in the Ahmedabad Test when (Chris) Martin bowled that five-wicket spell, there has been nothing in the wickets for the bowlers.

"There has not been any turn for the spinners on even the fourth and fifth days. In fact, of the Test matches we have played lately, very few have been on turners.

"I can remember Ahmedabad against Sri Lanka (2005). After that, Kanpur (2008, against South Africa) to some extent. The wicket in Mumbai against Sri Lanka in 2009 also gave a bit of assistance in the morning."

India beat Sri Lanka in the Ahmedabad match by 259 runs with Harbhajan bagging 10 wickets and the now-retired leg-spinner Anil Kumble taking seven.

At Kanpur, India wrapped an eight-wicket win inside three days with Harbhajan again leading the way with a seven-wicket match haul.

The Mumbai match saw Harbhajan and Ojha share 11 wickets to help India win by an innings and 24 runs.

"As a foreign team coming to India, you think of how you are going to play the fourth and fifth days," Dhoni said. "But when there is no assistance for the bowlers, things change.

"I don't think visiting teams are under the same pressure that they were in the past when handling spinners. You used to see them practise throw-downs on scuffed surfaces with rough areas.

"I don't think it is like that any more."

Dhoni was praying the script would be different when the teams square up for the third and series-deciding final Test starting in Nagpur on Saturday.

"The wicket at Nagpur is known to assist bowlers and specially spinners. So, I am hoping for a result in the last match."

Harbhajan was at pains to answer why India have been so reluctant to cash in on their spin strength.

"I think you should ask those people who make the wickets because I don't know," said the bowler whose strike-rate with the ball this year is an embarrassing 97.4.

"In every country the conditions are different. In Australia, there is bounce. In India, I don't know when I last played on a turner. On the fourth and fifth days, if there is turn and bounce, what's wrong with it?"

Perhaps, it is the nature of the wickets that has turned Harbhajan into a batsman of sorts in this series. Batting at number eight, Harbhajan has aggregated 295 runs from three innings, including two centuries.

Hyderabad Test ends in a draw

The second Test match between India and New Zealand ended in a draw after both captains agreed that the tie could not garner any other result. With the series tied 0-0 after two matches, all would be decided in the final rubber in Nagpur on November 20.

India had started the run-chase with the feisty opening duo of Delhi lads Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir. Sehwag in his typical style, spanked fours all over the park and raced to his 25th Test fifty in lesser balls.

New Zealand scoreboard had read 448/8 at tea time and the visitors subsequently declared their innings with a target of 327 runs and just a session to go for the home team.

In a Test where Harbhajan (111*, 5 wickets), Gautam Gambhir (54, 14*), Brendon McCullum (225), Tim McIntosh (102, 49), Virender Sehwag (96 and 54*) and Martin Guptill (85) had a good run, the real credit would go to the pitch that offered most to the batsmen while giving a bit of a chance to pacers only in the initial one hour of the day.

From the time when Daniel Vettori won the toss and decided to make India play the last innings and perhaps crumble under pressure to the time when Harbhajan’s innings almost took the game away from them to the final double centurion song of McCullum, the balance of either sides tilted to and fro.

Cricket-India v New Zealand - second test scoreboard

Scoreboard at the close of the opening day of the second test between India and New Zealand at
Hyderabad on Friday.

New Zealand first innings
T. McIntosh b Khan 102
B. McCullum c Dhoni b Sreesanth 4
M. Guptill lbw b Ojha 85
R. Taylor c Dhoni b Khan 24
J. Ryder not out 22
G. Hopkins not out 0
Extras (b-1, lb-15, w-1, nb-4) 21
Total (four wickets; 90 overs) 258

To bat: K. Williamson, D. Vettori, T. Southee, C. Martin, B.
Arnel
Fall of wicket: 1-4 2-151 3-206 4-253

Bowling (to date): Khan 18-7-41-2, Sreesanth 15-1-60-1 (4nb,
1w), Harbhajan 27-6-66-0, Ojha 23-4-60-1, Raina 7-2-15-0.

India: V. Sehwag, G. Gambhir, R. Dravid, S. Tendulkar, VVS
Laxman, S. Raina, MS Dhoni (captain), H. Singh, Z. Khan, P.
Ojha, S. Sreesanth.

South African cricket's flag was at half-mast

South African cricket's flag was at half-mast on Wednesday as it mourned sporting great Herbert Roy "Tiger" Lance, who died at the age of 70 of complications following a car crash.

"He was both a powerful cricketer and a powerful personality and was a legend in his own lifetime," said Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Gerald Majola.

Lance dislocated his right hip, sustained internal bleeding of the lung, and possibly a perforated diaphragm in a head-on collision near Leeuwkop Prison, in Sunninghill, on October 15.

At the time, police said Lance's car was hit by a woman driving on the wrong side of the road. She was critically injured in the crash.

"South African cricket mourns the loss of Tiger Lance in such tragic circumstances," said Majola.

Born on June 6 1940 in Pretoria, Lance played 13 Test matches for South Africa between 1962 and 1970, scoring 591 runs at an average of 28,14 and taking 12 wickets at 39,91.

He played 103 first-class games for North-eastern Transvaal, Northern Transvaal and Transvaal. He scored 5 336 first-class runs at an average of 34,87 and claimed 167 wickets at average of 25,65.

"Tiger was always a most-valued VIP guest in the CSA's Presidential Suite at the Wanderers during international matches in recent times, and we are shocked and dismayed at his passing in these tragic circumstances," said Majola.

"CSA extends its condolences to his family and friends at this sad time and South African cricket's flag is now at half-mast in tribute to him."

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Indian cricket team to get a Toss Coach

Mumbai: Under the helm of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India may be the number one ranked Test team in the world. But the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) seems to see a big chink in his captaincy armour —- his continued lack of form with the all-important toss. And with a view to addressing this lacuna, the BCCI today announced the most radical plan of appointing a Toss Coach for the Indian team.

'This is the first of its kind in the history of sports. As a cricketing administrative body with a modern outlook, we have shown the way for others,' a BCCI spokesperson crowed.

Explaining the rationale behind the appointment of the Toss Coach, the BCCI spokesperson, who was not Rajiv Shukla because he was able to speak in full sentences, said: 'The most important thing in a cricketing contest is, of course, the advertising revenue. But after that the toss is the most vital aspect. India may have been winning matches but we cannot overlook the fact that we have been also losing tosses with alarming regularity.'

'What's the point in winning the war and still losing the battle', the BCCI spokesperson said, not minding the fact that he had completely mixed and messed up a popular idiom.

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Cricket World Cup on display as countdown begins

The cricket World Cup trophy was displayed by South African players Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn in the Dubai aquarium as the 100-day countdown to the event began here Tuesday.

Morkel and Steyn, who were later joined by members of the South African and Pakistani teams, dived into the aquarium to start the ceremony which was also attended by officials of International Cricket Council (ICC).

The opening ceremony of the World Cup will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh on February 17. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka jointly host the 10th World Cup from February 19 to April 2.

"It was spectacular to watch the 100-day countdown ceremony and the ICC and the three host countries are gearing up for the World Cup," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat told reporters.

Pakistan were also due to co-host the 2011 party, but were stripped of their rights due to security concerns in the volatile nation in the aftermath of the terror attack on the Sri Lankan team in March last year.

Lorgat said he feels for Pakistan's fans.

"Due to unavoidable circumstances we had to shift the matches from Pakistan and I welcome all the fans there to come to Sri Lanka and support their team as they always do," said Lorgat.

Pakistan will play all its group matches in Sri Lanka.

The 43-day, 49-match tournament will be played under a new format with India hosting a majority of matches (29), including the final at the new-look Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on April 2.

Lorgat said the ICC had learnt lessons from the past World Cup, especially the problem of low turn outs due to the high prices of tickets in the last event held in the West Indies three years ago.

"I hope lessons learnt from the 2007 event will help us and we have done everything to make this event in the sub-continent a special one," said Lorgat, who also hails from South Africa.

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis hoped Pakistan do well in the World Cup.

"It was nice to begin the 100-day countdown here," said Waqar, who was Pakistan captain in the 2003 World Cup. "We still have one series to play in New Zealand and hope that we remain focused to win the mega event."

South African captain Graeme Smith said he hoped the World Cup will be a success.

"The World Cup is a prestigious event and being held in the sub-continent, where cricket is a passion, makes it a special event," said Smith whose country has never won the mega event since re-admitted to international fold in 1992 after a lengthy ban due to aparthied.

"Every team wants to win the World Cup and we will also make extra effort to win it," said Smith."

Read more>>

Kumble, Srinath to lead Karnataka cricket

At a time when the BCCI is in direct confrontation with one of India's greatest players Sunil Gavaskar over IPL payments, there is a change being ushered in here at the Karnataka State Cricket Association with former greats Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad all set to make the transformation from the pitch to the boardroom.

Just a day after KSCA secretary and former Test player Brajesh Patel said in a statement that he will do everything to facilitate the election of Kumble and Srinath as new chief office-bearers for the 2010-13 term, the three at a joint press conference on Wednesday said it was "important for cricketers to be a part of the association and the KSCA has led the way".

"Cricketers of our generation must get involved in governing cricket. Our motive is to improve Karnataka cricket and hope to make more international cricketers," said Kumble.

"We will give our hundred per cent for Karnataka Cricket. Our attempt will be to make Kartnataka Association the number one in India," he added.

Former pacer Srinath, who is now an ICC match referee, said: "Under the leadership of Kumble, we are ready to serve Karnataka cricket."

Patel said he had served the KSCA as secretary for 12 years and "contributed to the growth of the association with all my might putting my heart and soul. I have now decided not contest the election.

"With the changing times I firmly believe that fresh energy, new ideas and young feet are good for any institution," Patel said.

The KSCA election is slated to be held on November 21.

Cricket: Indian team arrives in Ahmedabad for Test against NZ

The Indian team arrived here on Monday for their first match of the three-Test series against visitors New Zealand, starting November 4 at the Sardar Patel stadium, Motera.

The players including Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, coach Gary Kirsten, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, spinner Pragyan Ojha and others arrived at the Ahmedabad airport on Monday morning.

The Indian team is likely to practice at the stadium later in the afternoon, officials of the Gujarat Cricket Association said.

For Tendulkar this venue has always been a happy hunting ground. He had scored his career's first double century at Motera stadium against New Zealand in 1999.

He also celebrated his 20 years in Test cricket at the same stadium by scoring a century against Sri Lanka in November 2009.

The batting maestro, who is just one ton short of scoring his 50th Test century, would be looking forward to setting up one more record during the Test match here.

Tendulkar has 49 Test and 58 half centuries, and has the highest number of runs 14,240, in the longer format of the game.


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Bad cricket match bets turned them into thieves

Four youths, who allegedly turned to burglary after losing money in cricket betting, were arrested in south Delhi, police said on Friday.

The arrested have been identified as Anil Verma (25), the gang leader, Vikas Jain (22), Danish Ahmad (24) and Sumit Sharma (23). Jain holds a degree in computer applications.

With their arrest, five incidents of burglaries and thefts have been solved and 100 grams of gold ornaments, two laptops and Rs. 55,000 cash have been recovered.

The youths were arrested from Chirag Dilli on Wednesday, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) HGS Dhaliwal said.

Verma, the leader of the gang, had been hospitalised with a leg injury which he had sustained while jumping from the rooftop after a burglary.

"Rest of the accused persons shared the booty and after giving share to Verma were planning to flee when they were caught," Dhaliwal said.

All the arrested were neighbours and childhood friends. Since their families had limited means, they took to other ways to pay for their needs. Subsequently they started betting on cricket matches and lost a huge amount.

"They borrowed money from the local money lender at 10 per cent per month. But soon they were under huge debt. In order to come out of their debt they hatched the plan of committing thefts in the neighbourhood," Dhaliwal said.

The gang used to target flats on top floors. Jain and Sharma used to stay on the roadside while Ahmad and Verma used to enter the house through terrace after breaking open the window or door of the house from the terrace, he said.

Kochi IPL team gets termination notice

The Kochi team has been given one last chance at survival with the Indian Premier League (IPL) governing council unanimously deciding to issue a termination notice to it and giving it 30 days to explain why the franchise should not be terminated.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Shashank Manohar said after the council meeting in Nagpur today, that the Kochi franchise's breach was a remedial one and not like that of the other two teams that had been disqualified - the Rajasthan Royals and the Kings XI Punjab. So, he said, it had been given a month to respond.

Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals were ousted earlier this month due to several violations of their contract with the BCCI.

The Kochi IPL team is owned by the Gaikwad family's Rendezvous Sports World Private Limited. Speaking to NDTV after the decision, Satyajit Gaikwad said, "We are thankful that they have given us enough time to tie up our differences. We had asked for a grace period of 10 days but we got 30, so I am sure we will do it at the earliest."

Tendulkar Admires His Selection in All Time World XI

Recently the ESPNcricinfo has released the all time World XI team comprising of current and past legends of cricket. In fact two teams have been released by them as World XI first team and World XI second team.

The selection was purely on the basis of voting by 12 member jury. Sachin Tendulkar was the only cricketer who got a place in the World XI team among all cricketers of India.

That is really marvelous and a prestige symbol for Tendulkar and for whole India.

Tendulkar reportedly is quite amazed on his selection in the team and is still trying to come out of this sweet surprise.

He said that being a part of the team comprising of all extraordinary cricketers from around the globe is really fascinating for him.

The all time World XI declared by ESPN-cricinfo four players from Australia, three from West Indies, two from England and one from Pakistan besides Sachin Tendulkar. No players from other cricket playing countries like Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa or Bangladesh could get a place in the all time World XI team.

For Sachin Tendulkar getting selected in a team having Don Bradman is something like a ‘dream come true’ for him. Sir Don Bradman once told in a press conference that when he sees Tendulkar playing cricket, it reminded him as if he himself was playing.

Such is the similarity Sir Don Bradman finds in the playing style of Sachin Tendulkar. That statement itself is a precious and priceless award from Sir Don Bradman.

Tendulkar said he would have loved to play in real with all the players of all time World XI specifically Sir Don Bradman with whom he would have loved to bat on field, discuss the game, walk with him and have lunch together during the break.

He also would have liked to play a memorable partnership innings with Sir Vivian Richards. He further added that the great bowlers like Hobbs and Hutton would be the best company on a ground to discuss about playing on an uncovered wicket or similar ideas.

He finds it very good that during his tenure of more than two decades in cricket career, he has played in one form or the other (or has watched them playing) with around 60% of the players of all time World XI team.

Remembering his golden time with most of these players is a collection of great moments for Tendulkar. He remembers his playing county with Malcolm Marshall, playing against Viv Richards in an exhibition match, playing Lillee’s bowling in a net practice at the MRF Pace Academy and so on.

Afridi wanted Shoaib Malik, not Younis Khan

Pakistan's cricket selectors ignored suggestions from the national team's captain Shahid Afridi and coach Waqar Younis by recalling former captain Younis Khan for the one-day International series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates.

The captain and coach wanted all-rounder Shoaib Malik in the team as a replacement for injured Mohammad Yousuf, but the selectors instead picked up Younis Khan on Wednesday.

Yousuf was ruled out of the limited-overs series against South Africa after he ruptured a muscle in his right leg.

A report in The News said Thursday that Afridi and Waqar had instead asked for the inclusion of discarded all-rounder Shoaib Malik in the squad for the two Twenty20 and five One-day Internationals against South Africa to be played in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

" Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the national selectors did not agree with the suggestions coming from the captain and the coach, and opted to go for Younis Khan's inclusion in the team," the report said.

Interestingly, Younis, who is a Test specialist, will now have to prove his form and fitness in one-day games to be considered for next month's two-Test series against the Proteas.

According to Mohsin Khan, Pakistan's chief selector, Younis Khan has only been selected for the one-day series (he has already retired from Twenty20 internationals) and might play in the Tests if he proves his form before the series.

The report said that Afridi and Waqar were of the view that Malik could have been useful for Pakistan in the Twenty20 and one-day games because of his utility as an all-rounder.

However, the PCB decided against recalling Malik in the national team and have given him the command of a team that will represent the country in Hong Kong Sixes tournament to be played next month.

Younis Khan cleared to play for Pakistan

Pakistan's former captain Younis Khan was cleared to play for his country on Wednesday after resolving a long-running battle with the cricket board.

"Younis has given a written undertaking which was required to clear him and he will be soon be back in the team," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) legal adviser Taffazul Rizvi said.

"Younis has got a letter of clearance," confirmed close friend, Basit Ali.

The 32-year-old batsman had been banned indefinitely on charges of violating a players' code of conduct after Pakistan's disastrous tour of Australia, which ended in February.

Six other players, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal, were also banned and fined.

Except for Yousuf, who retired, they all appealed against the sanctions.

A tribunal run by retired judge Irfan Qadir overturned the bans and halved the fines against six players. Yousuf was allowed to play on Pakistan's recent tour of England, which was mired in a separate spot-fixing scandal.

The PCB ordered Younis to apologise for statements made to the media criticising the cricket board for having taken strict steps, but the former captain refused.

Chief selector Mohsin Khan told reporters that Younis would be part of the limited over squad against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates.

After monitoring his progress, he may also be included for a Test series against South Africa, Khan said.

Experienced batsman Mohammad Yousuf has been ruled out of the limited overs due to injury.

Pakistan plays the first Twenty20 match in Abu Dhabi on October 27.

Younis last played a one-day for Pakistan in January during the tour of Australia. He played the last of his 63 Tests in Sri Lanka last year.

He led Pakistan to its World Twenty20 title in England last year. He relinquished the captaincy after falling out with teammates in November.

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Clarke to play every Test, ODI and Twenty20 in next five months

Australia Test vice-captain Michael Clarke, who has put cricket first, is planning to play every single Test, ODI and Twenty20 match on Australia's agenda for the next five months.

That includes two ODIs in India, a Twenty20 against Sri Lanka in Perth on October 31, three ODIs against Sri Lanka, five Ashes Tests after a possible two Sheffield Shield games for NSW, seven ODIs and two Twenty20s against England and then a return to the subcontinent for a maximum of nine matches at the World Cup.

Clarke may be cricket's most eligible bachelor but he only has room in his life for one thing at the moment.

"I don't let anything get in the way of my cricket these days. Media commitments, sponsorship commitments, my personal life, my family, my friends, that all has to wait. If I've got training at a certain time, I've got training," FOX Sports quoted him, as saying.

Cricket Australian has rested Ricky Ponting, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson ahead of a gruelling summer, but Clarke is yet to receive any instructions from the board about having a break.

"I'm lucky that I've got so much support from family, friends, sponsors, everyone. It's like doing an interview. I'm happy to talk but it's last on the list. Once training is done, I'm fine. But preparing for our next match, every day, is what comes first," he said. (ANI)

Indian Premier League cancels two franchises

India's cricket board has cancelled two Indian Premier League franchises partly owned by leading Bollywood actresses, deepening the turmoil in the country's highest profile sports league.

The league has attracted the world's best players and leading multinational advertisers, including Citigroup C and Vodafone but has been in tumult since the auction of two new franchises early this year led to accusations of interference in the sale by Lalit Modi, the founder and then head of the league, against a government minister.

Both men were subsequently forced to leave their jobs and last month Mr Modi was banished from all posts at the Board of Control for Cricket in India amid allegations of financial irregularities during his tenure at the league when more than USD 4bn in sponsorship, advertising, team franchise and other commercial deals were signed.

The cricket board, a non-profit trust, late Sunday announced it would cancel the franchises of the Rajasthan Royals and the Kings XI Punjab, partly controlled by actresses Shipla Shetty and Preity Zinta respectively, over ambiguities in their ownership. The Royals won the league's first tournament in 2008.

"In both these cases, the initial bid was made by one company, but the agreement with the IPL was entered into with another company," said Shashank Manohar, the board's president.

The board did not indicate why the discrepancy had become of such import since the two 10-year franchises were sold almost three years ago, but local media tied the expulsion to Mr Modi's own ouster. The board declined comment.

The board though also warned the investors who won the franchise for Kochi - whose sale in March set off the league's tumult - that they would need quickly to resolve internal disagreements over the ownership structure for the new team. The Kochi and Pune franchises sold for a combined $703m, more than the combined price paid for the original eight teams.

The latest controversy, after a string of others involving politicians, players and cricket barons, could lead some big sponsors to reconsider their affiliation with the six-week annual league tournament.

Shane Warne, the Royals' Australian skipper and a three-year veteran of the squad, expressed shock at the expulsion of his team.

"Just woke up to news that Royals and Kings out of IPL4, don't know anything yet,'' he wrote on his Twitter feed. "It's a big shock for Royals, will hopefully get to the bottom of it all. I hope the BCCI come to their senses, fingers crossed."

Based on the abbreviated made-for-TV Twenty20 format of the game, the Indian Premier League is counted as one of the proudest symbols of a modern India.

Vijay Mallya, the flamboyant industrialist and owner of the Bangalore Royal Challengers team, came out in support of the ejected teams. "This is downright ridiculous and raises serious questions on the attitude of the BCCI towards IPL franchisees," he said in a Twitter message.