PCB might not release Pak players for BPL

Karachi: Furious after Bangladesh refused to tour Pakistan citing security fears, the PCB has hinted that it will not release its players for the Twenty20 Premier League there.

In a statement issued last night, the Pakistan Cricket Board indicated that Bangladesh`s refusal to send its team to Pakistan has affected relations between the two Boards.

"Now for the 2013 edition of BPL, we have to see the commitments and engagements of our players before releasing them for the tournament. To associate the release the Pakistani players with Bangladesh tour to Pakistan does not hold any merit," the statement said.

PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf earlier reacted strongly to the announcement by BCB President Nazmul Hassan that Bangladesh would not tour Pakistan.

"If they don`t want to come it’s their own decision and we didn`t force them. Now their own reputation is at stake. If they don`t want to respect their bilateral relationship then we will also respond in a same manner," he said.

On the Bangladesh Premier League, Zaka said, "We will take a principled stance on BPL. But one thing is sure our players might not be free as we are making our own arrangements from next year."

In the space of nine months, the Bangladesh board has twice left the PCB fuming after announcing it would be sending its team to Pakistan.


In April, it backed off citing an order from the Dhaka High Court which restrained Bangladesh players from going to Pakistan because of security concerns. And on Monday, the BCB President cited the same reason and said the tour could not take immediately.

The PCB said the statement about security concerns by the BCB chief was "inappropriate".

"The decision to tour Pakistan is the sole prerogative of BCB, however, it is inappropriate to call security situation in Pakistan as the main reason behind this decision.

"The recent cricket activity in Pakistan itself reflects that the atmosphere in Pakistan is congenial for any international team visit to the country," the statement said.

"Moreover, a team of BCB and Bangladesh government jointly visited Pakistan to ascertain the security situation and they left fully satisfied on the subject.

"Now it would only be proper for the new president of BCB to read the report submitted by that team or visit Pakistan before making any such comments on the Pakistan`s current situation," it added.

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Chris Gayle blasts Brad Haddin on Twitter

Sydney: West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has blasted Brad Haddin on Twitter, saying he could bat better than the Australian wicketkeeper even with his non-preferred right hand.

With the dust yet to settle on their heated exchanges during the Sydney Sixers` convincing triumph over the Sydney Thunder in a Big Bash League clash at ANZ Stadium on Thursday, Gayle has told Haddin to stop worrying about his big pay cheque.

It comes after Haddin exaggeratedly blasted the explosive Jamaican for being all talk while failing to deliver on his hype and pay cheque at the Thunder, as per media reports.

In a loud-mouthed rant, Gayle this morning retorted, tweeting: “Haddin dig at him self to get back a test game! ScarFaceLine...“The World is Mine" I`m the world champion/ World Boss!”

“Also tell him stop watch my money and watch himself!! Not my fault he ain`t good as I am even if I bat right hand!!!”

The bad blood was sparked when Haddin was dismissed off Gayle`s bowling midway through the Sixers` comfortable run chase. Already angered by the amount of time Gayle was taking in between deliveries, Haddin ultimately holed out to Simon Keen on 18 runs.

Gayle leaned back in the middle of the ground, beat his chest and then broke into his trademark Gangnam Style dance. Haddin shook his head as he walked off then turned to Gayle to hand out his bat, implying he had done nothing with the willow earlier.

Haddin later said that Gayle has been all about talks so far this tournament and his team, Thunder haven`t won a game so far. Gayle has scored just 70 runs in five matches at an average of 14 as the Thunder head towards the Big Bash elimination.

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South Africa look to strengthen No.1 Test ranking

Dubai: South Africa will begin the New Year by aiming to strengthen their No.1 status in the ICC Test Championship Table, when they play a two-match series against New Zealand from Jan 2 at Cape Town.

South Africa currently lead the rankings with 123 rating points and have a five-point lead over second-placed England. Graeme Smith`s side retained the Test Championship Mace in December 2012 after it defeated Australia 1-0.

For South Africa to retain the No.1 spot, they just need a 0-0 result or better in the two-match series against New Zealand. South Africa could at best gain one rating point for winning the series 2-0 but could lose one point if they win the series 1-0.

In the event of the series ending at 1-1, South Africa would drop down to 119 points, just one ahead of England, currently placed at 118.

But if South Africa were to lose the Test series against New Zealand 0-1, they would also lose the top position to England - dropping seven points in the process to end on 116.

Then, South Africa`s final position on the table will depend on the result in the Australia-Sri Lanka series. Australia currently lead the series 2-0 and they could gain three rating points to end at 117 if they win the third Test starting in Sydney from Jan 3. New Zealand, on the other hand, would remain at No.8 on the table but would gain seven ratings to finish at 86.

In the event of South Africa losing both their Tests against New Zealand, they would lose eight ratings to fall to 115 ratings points to finish third on the table. A 2-0 win for New Zealand would push them up to 88 points but they would remain in eighth place.

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1st ODI: Dhoni’s ton goes in vain as Pakistan defeat India by 6 wickets

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Chennai: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s heroic unbeaten century under pressure went in vain as arch rivals Pakistan held their nerve to clinch the first one day international with a comfortable six-wicket victory in a low-scoring contest here on Sunday.

India posted 227 for six after recovering from a precarious 29 for five one stage but that turned out to be insufficient for the Pakistanis who rode on Nasir Jamshed`s unbeaten century to overhaul the target with 11 balls to spare and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Dhoni played a captain`s knock with an unbeaten 113, his 8th ODI century, to script a brilliant Indian recovery after left-arm pacer Junaid Khan (4/43) exploited the overcast conditions to rip through the top-order and leave the hosts gasping for breath within the first 10 overs.

The Indian captain found an able ally in Suresh Raina (43) first and then Ravichandran Ashwin (31 not out) to take the score beyond the 200-run mark which looked doubtful at one stage following the top-order collapse.

Dhoni and Ashwin put on a record seventh wicket partnership of 121 runs but the Indian captain`s superlative knock off 125 balls lost much of its value as the Pakistani batsmen went about the task of chasing down the target without taking too many risks.

Younis Khan (58) and Shoaib Malik (34 not out) were the other notable performers for Pakistan.

The Pakistani innings started on a disastrous note as ODI debutant Bhuvneshwar Kumar produced a beauty to get rid of Mohammed Hafeez with the very first delivery of the Pakistan innings.

The ball came back sharply after pitching as Hafeez didn`t offer a stroke only to find his off-stump knocked back.

The youngster got rid of Azhar Ali a few overs later to reduce the visitors to 21 for two. But the experienced Younis Khan and Nashir steadied the Pakistan innings with a solid 112-run third wicket partnership.


Both Jamshed and Younis benefitted due to some horrendous decisions given by the Indian umpire S Ravi. Jamshed was lucky to get a reprieve on 24 when an inside edge was caught by Virender Sehwag in first slip off Ashwin but Ravi turned down the appeal.

Ravi also negated a plumb leg before decision against Younis when the right-hander missed a delivery from Ashwin in his bid to play the sweep shot.

Younis returned to the pavilion when Ashwin latched on to a low catch off Ashok Dinda, a decision which was referred to the TV umpire by on-field umpire Billy Bowden. But by that time, the visitors were already in a good position and just needed to bat sensibly to reach the target.

Jamshed, who grew in confidence as the innings wore on, was dropped by Yuvraj Singh when on 68 off Dinda much to the disappointment of a sizeable holiday crowd at the Chepauk.

Just when Pakistan seemed to be cruising along comfortably, Ishant Sharma enlivened the proceedings to some extent by getting rid of captain Misbah-ul Haq (16) with a slower ball which knocked down the off stump.

It was Malik, who hit the winning runs with a pull towards deep mid-wicket boundary off the first ball of the penultimate over.

Earlier, put into bat, India plunged into trouble straightaway with Gautam Gambhir (8), Virender Sehwag (4), Virat Kohli (0), Yuvraj Singh (2) and Rohit Sharma (4) returning to the pavilion in quick succession as Junaid got the ball to swing under overcast conditions.

The Pakistani pacers took advantage of the moisture on the track and troubled the top-order batsmen with the new ball. Once the ball got a little older, Dhoni and Raina applied themselves and started rebuilding the Indian innings.

The two teams will now travel to Kolkata for the second ODI to be held on January 3 while the third and final match will be staged at the Ferozeshah stadium in New Delhi on January 6.

Pacer Junaid had justified his captain Misbah-ul-Haq's decision to bowl first in damp conditions with struggling opener Sehwag becoming Junaid's first victim.

The Delhi batsman, considered a game-changer for his ability to take the attack to the opposition, swung it Pakistan's way after slogging for 11 balls to get four runs.

Sehwag was castled by a Junaid delivery that came in a shade after pitching.

The big four of the Indian batting order were all bowled, three of them by Junaid, who seemed unplayable getting the ball to move appreciably both in the air and off the pitch.

The proverbial promising batsman of the side, Rohit added another one to his growing list of failures, becoming Junaid's fourth victim after scratching around for 14 deliveries for his four runs.

Rohit's last six ODI innings now read a disappointing 4, 4, 4, 0, 0 and 5. In fact, the top five managed to pull off just two fours for the team.

At 29/5 in a little less than 10 overs, India were staring firmly down the barrel before Raina and Dhoni came together to repair the innings slowly and steadily.

The duo cautiously added 73 runs for the sixth wicket and defied Pakistani bowlers for a good 23 overs.

Dhoni got a life on 16 when in the 26th over rival skipper Misbah-ul Haq dropped him at midwicket of Mohammed Hafeez's bowling and the Indian, who smashed seven fours and three sixes, made it count.

Dhoni was suffering from dehydration and also battled cramps towards the end of India innings.

Meanwhile, Raina's patient innings came to an end when he lost his leg stump to Hafeez. But Dhoni was unfazed and, in fact, accelerated from that point, reaching his fifty with a whip over midwicket boundary off Umar Gul.

For a man not exactly known for solid technique, Dhoni was the lone Indian batsman to smash spin ace Saeed Ajmal for a six. A new ball had to be sought to replace the one which went out of the ground.

He also brought up his hundred in style, hoicking Irfan over cover in the 49th over, which produced 21 runs with Dhoni doing most of the scoring. For Pakistan, Junaid was the most successful bowler, grabbing 4/43 in his nine overs.

This was the first match played under the new ICC rules.

Under these rules, one new ball was used at each end, bowlers were allowed two bouncers an over, there was no batting Power Play, the bowling Power Play was completed before the 40th over, and at no stage in the innings more than four fielders were allowed outside the 30-yard circle.

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Former England captain Tony Greig passes away

Sydney: Former England cricket captain and noted commentator Tony Greig has passed away on Saturday. The 66-year former cricket was suffering from lung cancer but he died of a heart attack at his home in Sydney on Saturday morning.

"He was rushed into St. Vincent's hospital. The staff of the emergency department worked on Mr Greig to no avail," St Vincent's spokesman David Faktor told Sydney Morning Herald.

Born in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play
for England due to his Scottish parentage. His father was a Scot.

Greig played 58 Tests for England and scored 3599 runs at an average of 40.43 with 148 being his best. He hit 8 centuries and 20 fifties during his international career.

He was also a capable bowler who had 141 Test wickets and 48 ODI wickets to his name.

The 6 feet 6 inches tall man was a charismatic cricketer who led England successfully in the mid-1970. Greig’s international career ended when he joined hand with Kerry Packer and even became a secret agent of Packer’s World Series Cricket.

After he was sacked as England captain he changed his base and started living in Australia.

Channel Nine, with which Greig had a long-term relation as a commentator, said in a statement: "Tony Greig is a name synonymous with Australian cricket - from his playing days as the English captain we loved to hate, to his senior role in the revolution of World Series Cricket, his infamous car keys in the pitch reports and more than three decades of colourful and expert commentary."

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India clinch a thriller to level T20 series 1-1

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India posted a competitive 192 riding on Yuvraj`s 36-ball-knock that included seven huge sixes, and then restricted the rivals to 181 for seven with the bowlers finding their mojo just in the nick of time.

Paceman Ashok Dinda scalped three for 36 including the important wicket of rival captain Mohammed Hafeez (55) in the penultimate over to turn the tide in India`s favour at the jam-packed Sardar Patel Stadium.

At one stage, Pakistan seemed to be well and truly on course to overhaul India`s challenging target but Dinda and Ishant Sharma kept their cool during the death overs to seal the issue in hosts` favour.

Needing 20 runs off the final over bowled by Ishant, Umar Gul and Shoaib Malik could manage only eight runs much to the delight of the home crowd and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni whose leadership has been under the scanner for some time now.

Apart from Hafeez, who scored his runs off only 26 balls with six fours and three sixes, openers Nasir Jamshed (41) and Ahmed Shehzad (31) were the other notable contributors for the visitors.

Pakistan captain Hafeez came in at the fall of Shehzad`s wicket and took the Indian attack to the cleaners hitting five fours and three sixes. The two shots that stood out was a scoop off Bhuvneshwar Kumar`s bowling once he saw that the fine leg was up. The second was a six over extra cover off Ishant`s bowling.

He also hit a couple of boundaries off Ashok Dinda and the equation suddenly changed. When Umar Akmal was cleaned by Dinda, the pair had added 62 runs in 5.3 overs.


The Pakistan captain completed his back-to-back half century with a smash past the bowler. Hafeez completed the landmark in 23 deliveries with five fours and three sixes.

Shahid Afridi hit a four and six in his customary style before he was caught by Rohit off Bhuvneshwar's bowling. The UP lad learnt a tough lesson as he finished with poor figures of one for 46 in four overs.

As the match looked like slipping away from India's grasp, Dinda dismissed Hafeez and Kamran Akmal with slower deliveries to set up an exciting final over after which Ishant wrapped up the proceedings.

Pakistan started their chase in right earnest as openers Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad added 74 runs for the opening stand.

It was the introduction of Ashwin that slowed down the proceedings. Skipper Dhoni dropped Jamshed on 40 off Ashwin but the opener couldn't capitalise on the miss as he tried to hit the offie over point but was holed out to Virat Kohli for 41. Jamshed hit four fours and a six.

Yuvraj, who could do no wrong today, was greeted with straight six by Umar but he got Shehzad stumped as the batsman was trying to give him the charge. Shehzad scored 31 off 29 balls with three boundaries and a six.

Earlier, a flamboyant Yuvraj muscled his way to a scintillating 72 as India scored a massive 192 for five after being put into bat.

Yuvraj's career-best T20 knock could not have come at a more opportune time as it lifted India to a defendable total after being pegged back by three quick strikes.

Ever since Yuvraj arrived on the wicket, Pakistani bowlers bled runs as the left-hander plundered seven huge sixes and four boundaries in his 36-ball blitzkrieg to entertain a jam-packed house.

With skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (33) he added 97-runs for the fourth wicket as India put on board its highest total against Pakistan in T20 Internationals.

Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal bore the brunt of Yuvraj's fury as the Indian creamed four sixes off him with three coming in a row in the 19th over, which yielded India 22 runs.

Yuvraj was out in the last over off paceman Umar Gul, who was the most succesful bowler for Pakistan with four wickets at the expense of just 37 runs.

Earlier, India openers provided a fiery start, adding 44 runs inside five overs, but neither Gautam Gambhir (21) nor Ajinkya Rahane (28) could build on that.

The two openers were in good touch, driving and cutting elegantly. Rahane found boundries on the off-side despite facing a packed off-side field and also flicked confidently.

Gambhir was in much better form than Bangalore and his drives off Sohail Tanvir was a treat to watch but Gul removed both of them in space of two overs.

Gambhir departed after hitting Gul for three consecutive boundaries as he was foxed by a slower one. Gul returned and effected Rahane's dismissal with a catch in his follow through when the diminutive batsman miscued a pull shot.

Young fast bowler Mohammed Irfan was again impressive as he welcomed Yuvraj with a toe-crushing yorker.

The two quick wickets pegged India back, free-flowing runs stopped and pressure was on Yuvraj and Virat Kohli to wriggle the side out of the tight situation.

Kohli (27) too departed after getting his eye in when a confusion between him and Yuvraj resulted in his run out.

Dhoni arrived and meant business straight away, dispatching one from Shahid Afridi with a lofted drive to the fence. Yuvraj too started the fireworks, hitting a massive six off Afridi over mid-wicket to bring up India's 100 as India reeled off 17 runs in the 13th over.

Ajmal too got the same treatment by Yuvraj as one of his deliveries vanished in the crowd. Dhoni and Yuvraj continued in the same vein till the end and ensured the India have enough runs on the board to defend.

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AUS V/S SRILANKA

Australia defeated Sri Lanka in the Boxing Day Test by an innings and 201 runs to claim the 3-match Test series 2-0 with one Test to go.

After taking a huge first innings lead of 304 runs, Australia wrapped up the Sri Lankan second innings for a meagre 103.

After lunch, Sangakkara looked good for his 27 but he did not bat further as he picked up injury while batting and went to pavilion retired hurt. Once Sangakkara went, Sri Lanka batting again looked fragile and started losing wickets in a heave.

Mathews, who is the top scorer in the Sri Lankan innings, got out on 35. Mitchell Johnson bowled him.

Dhammika Prasad made a quickfire 17 off 17 balls before being removed by Nathan Lyon. Peter Siddle then consumed Eranga for no score. As Prasanna Jayawardene and Chanaka Welegedara were also injured, Sri Lanka had to stop at 103 in their second essay.


Trailing 304, Sri Lanka started disastrously. Opener Dimuth Karunaratne was run out in the very first over for 1.

Johnson then consumed another opener Thilakaratne Dilshan in the next ball for a duck.

Debutant Jackson Bird got skipper Mahela Jayawardene off the last ball of the second over for naught.

Bird again struck as he picked up Thilan Samaraweera in the 6th over for just 1.

Sri Lanka at that stage were tottering at 13/4.

Kumar Sangakkara and Angelo Mathews then tried to steady the Lankan ship as the tourists went to lunch at 43/4. At lunch, Sangakkara and Mathews were unbeaten on 22 and 17, respectively.



Mitchell Johnson, who was unbeaten on 73 yesterday, remained undefeated on 92 as Sri Lanka bowled Australia out for 460 in the morning session on Day 3. A

ngelo Mthews and Suranga Eranga claimed a wicket each as Australia lost remaining two wickets to add 20 more runs to their overnight score of 440/8.

Australia took a huge first innings lead of 304.

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India vs Pakistan, 2nd T20I: Preview

Ahmedabad: India will have to quickly plug their batting shortcomings and pick the right team composition when they go into the second and last Twenty20 cricket international against arch rivals Pakistan on friday, hoping to level the two match series 1-1.

India suffered a five-wicket drubbing in the series opener in Bangalore after a middle-order collapse, which saw the hosts struggle to 130 for nine after being 90 for two at one stage.

The hosts desperately need to win the second game to level the series and the pressure will be on captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men to deliver the goods when it matters the most.

Apart from Gautam Gambhir (43) and Ajinkya Rahane (42), all the other batsmen failed to apply themselves when confronted against a strong bowling attack spearheaded by the experienced Umar Gul.

In fact, all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina were the only ones other than the openers to have reached the double figures.

India would need the likes of Virat Kohli, Dhoni, Yuvraj and Rohit Sharma to regroup and fire in unison against the traditional rivals who are also equally determined to clinch the T20 series.


The bowling also remains a persistent headache for the Indians.

Except for Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who finished with impressive figures of three for nine in his debut game, none of the other bowlers could trouble the Pakistani batsmen.

Ashok Dinda, Ishant Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja all struggled to get wickets or even check the flow of runs.

The decision to leave out Ravichandran Ashwin in the last match was seen as a move that worked in Pakistan's favour and Dhoni might be tempted to play him in the must-win tie.

The Indians had opted to go in with three specialist seamers in the last match and it will be interesting to see whether they go in with the same strategy or include a spinner.


Dhoni's decision to go in with Jadeja ahead of Ashwin also drew criticism.

"Ashwin was not there in this team. So our plan was that if we play out the new ball, then their spinners are not world class; I know Yuvraj is in great form, but when you don't have a world class spinner then we can dominate," Pakistan skipper Mohammed Hafeez had said.

Besides, innumerable chances given to Sharma has also been the talking point and the Indian think-tank may have a lot of work to do before they settle for the playing XI for tomorrow's match.

It will be interesting to see if a chance is given to Ambati Rayudu, considering his past performances in this format of the game.

Pakistan, on the other hand, lived up to their reputation of a strong bowling unit with three specialist pacers Gul, Sohail Tanvir and lanky debutant Mohammad Irfan wrecking havoc on a pace-friendly Chinnaswamy track.

They would look to carry on the momentum tomorrow also though the Sardar Patel track may not give them much assistance.

The visitors' batting, however, has been a cause of concern for them with openers Nasir Jamshed and Ahmed Shehzad struggling to provide a platform during their run chase at Bangalore.

Even the reliable Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal and Shahid Afridi failed to get big scores.

Hafeez and Shoaib Malik were the saving grace and Pakistan would hope that they continue with their exploits along with the others striking form.

Captain Dhoni had blamed the failure of the middle-order batsmen to capitalise on the good start as the reason for his team's defeat in the first match.

"The batsmen got out trying to play big shots. We could have easily scored 200 if we had applied ourselves," Dhoni had said.

It remains to be seen whether the batsmen put up a better display now and not go for wreckless shots in a bid to accelerate the pace of scoring.

Dhoni himself will be under intense pressure with his captaincy coming under the scanner in the aftermath of the recent Test debacle against England

He has always been regarded as a better captain in the shorter formats of the game, but the recent defeats in T20 matches has certainly dented his reputation.

The defeats have come at home, where the team is playing in familiar conditions, and Dhoni has a tough task in lifting the morale of the team.

Teams (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt), Gautam Gambhir,

Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina,

Yuvraj Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Ravichandran Ashwin,

Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Ashoke Dinda,

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma and Parvinder Awana.

Pakistan: Mohammed Hafeez (Capt), Nasir Jamshaid,

Kamran Akmal, Umer Akmal, Umer Amin, Shoaib Malik,

Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammed Irfan, Junaid Khan,

Sohail Tanveer, Umer Gul, Asad Ali, Zulfiqar Baber, Ahmad

Shahzad.

On-field umpires: Sudhir Asnani and Vineet Kulkarni

3rd umpire: C Shamshuddin

Match Referee: Roshan Mahanama

Match starts at 5 pm (IST).

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Teary-eyed Sachin Tendulkar thanks his fans for support

Mumbai: Legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar has said that he is indebted for all the support received during his fairytale One Day International career that came to an end after he announced his retirement on Sunday.

“Words are not enough to express my thanks to each of you for all the love & support I have received over the years.....” Sachin Tendulkar tweeted on Tuesday morning.

The “Little Master” said the overwhelming response to his decision to end his limited over career has made him emotional bringing “a tear to his eye.”

“...& especially now in the last couple of days. Your expressions have brought joy to my heart...& at times a tear to my eye!...” he posted on the micro blogging site.

Tendulkar signed off saying he will remember the “magical moments” of his epic ODI journey for the rest of his life.

“Those magical moments of our ODI journey will stay with me for the rest of my life. Thank you so much :-)” he said.

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Muralitharan says Lyon not ‘good enough’ to hassle Lankan batsmen

Sydney: Legendary spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan has said Australia’s Nathan Lyon doesn’t possess enough skills to hassle Sri Lankan batsmen, and added that had Mahela Jayawardene’s men attacked the off spinner during the Hobart Test the outcome of the match could have been different.

Murali believes Rangana Herath can win Sri Lanka the second Test match in Melbourne considering the fact that Australian batsmen have never been comfortable against slow left arm spinners.



Murali is also confident the tourists will break their duck on Australian soil after nine losses and two draws in 11 matches, News.com.au reports. The spin great said if Sri Lanka bats first and scores big, then Herath could help them win if the wicket starts turning.

Orthodox spinner Herath took 5-95 in the second innings as the Bellerive wicket broke up in Hobart after going wicket less in the first dig.

On the other hand, Muralitharan said Lyon`s finger spin held no such fear for the Lankans. Muralitharan also said Australia would struggle to bowl out Sri Lanka twice in Melbourne, a city where the tourists have always enjoyed great crowd support from a large ex-pat community.

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Sachin Tendulkar: Man who became god

New Delhi: It did not take much for the cricket pundits to spot a genius in Sachin Tendulkar after he made his international debut in a Test match in Karachi Nov 15, 1989. He was 16 then. More than two decades later, he has gone on to become one of the greatest batsman the world will ever see.

Twenty-three years, one month, and eight days from his debut, the five-feet-five-inch cricketing genius has called time on a glittering one-day career. With 18,426 runs from 463 matches at an average of 44.83, Tendulkar has most batting records under his belt in the 50-over format as also in Tests.

He holds the record for the maximum number of appearances and is the highest run-getter and century-maker in both versions. He has turned out in six World Cups at a stretch, playing a key role in winning the title in 2011 and finishing runners-up in 2003.

The `Little Master`, as he is often called, is the only man to hit 100 centuries - 51 in Tests and 49 in ODIs - and also the first man to score a double-century in the 50-over format.

However, it was not all smooth sailing for the champion batsman in his initial ODIs. It took him all of five years and 78 matches to score his maiden hundred.

But experts never lost faith in him. Another Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar commented that once he gets his first one, there will be no stopping him. Finally the big day came Sep 9, 1994, when Tendulkar struck a blazing 110 against Australia in Colombo.

The jinx broken, Tendulkar celebrated with two more three-figure knocks in the next two months. From then on, there was no looking back.

The memories of Tendulkar tearing into one of the greatest spinners of all-time, Shane Warne, at Sharjah, will forever be etched in the minds of cricket fans. In that tournament, he hit two back-to-back centuries (143; 134) against Australia -- the first helped India qualify for the final based on a better Net Run Rate and the second, in the finals -- which was played on Tendulkar`s 25th birthday, helped India beat Australia to win the title.

After the tournament, Warne claimed that he had "nightmares" at the thought of bowling to Tendulkar after being dominated by him.

An abiding image of Tendulkar would be the hundred he scored in the 1999 World Cup match at Bristol. Ramesh Tendulkar, a novelist and professor, who had deeply inculcated in his son the virtues of modesty and humility, died when India were in the midst of the Cup campaign.

Tendulkar flew home to attend his father`s last rites, and returned to the tournament, beating the Kenyan bowlers to pulp scoring 140 off 101 balls, and dedicated his innings to his father. On completing the hundred, Tendulkar looked at the sky, praying for his father, and has done likewise after reaching every milestone of his glittering career since then.

With the left-handed Sourav Ganguly, Tendulkar formed the greatest opening partnership in limited overs cricket, and the pair holds the world record for the most number of runs - 6609 in 136 matches that includes 21 century and 23 half-century stands. In 40 other matches, batting together but not as openers, the duo partnered another 1668 runs, taking their total aggregate partnership to 8277.

"These were the moments of my career I always cherish. My batting with Sachin in one-day internationals at the top was a huge learning experience," Ganguly once said.

But the greatest adulation for the Mumbaikar came from the legendary Don Bradman - considered the greatest batsman of all times. Sir Don once asked his wife to take a look at the Indian as he felt Tendulkar played like him.

It was Tendulkar`s technique, compactness, and shot production that endeared him most to the Aussie, according to Roland Perry, who authored the book `Don`s Best`.

But in a revelation that even the `god of cricket` has his human frailties, it took Tendulkar 370 days to get over an agonising century-less period after the 99th international hundred he got March 12, 2011 facing South Africa in Nagpur during the World Cup.

In recognition for the laurels he brought to the country, Tendulkar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha as an eminent personality by then president Pratibha Patil in April this year - the first sports personality to get the honour.

Mentored in his early cricketing days by his elder brother Ajit, Sachin later honed his skills under celebrated coach Ramakant Achrekar.

Tendulkar`s talent stood out since his school days, and partnered by his friend Vinod Kambli the duo made the cricketing circles sit up and take notice after an unbroken 664-run stand in a Lord Harris Shield international school game in 1988.

The rest as they say is history.

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India vs Pakistan 2012: Bangalore T20I - Preview

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Bangalore: Five years after their bilateral cricket ties snapped due to the Mumbai terror attack, India and Pakistan are set to slug it out in what promises to be a high-voltage limited-over series starting with the first Twenty20 international here on Tuesday.

The two-match T20 and three-match ODI series has been squeezed in between India`s ongoing full series against the England cricket team, which has taken a break to go home for Christmas and New Year holidays.

India and Pakistan, which last played a bilateral series in 2007, squared off in multi-national events several times after 2008 but for the first time, a Pakistani cricket team will be hosted for a series after the attacks.

The Indian team is going through some testing times as they renew rivalry with Pakistan since the side has been struggling for success.

India did well in the T20s against England after being humiliated in Tests but bowling remains a persistent headache for them in all the formats.

The likes of Alex Hales, Michael Lumb and Eoin Morgan put the Indian attack on sword during the short T20 series and the Pakistan batsmen would be looking to exploit this weakness of the hosts.


Except for a spirited show put up by Ashok Dinda, none of the Indian bowlers made an impact on the English batsmen. Parvinder Awana, Ravichandran Ashwin and Piyush Chawla have all struggled to get wickets

This may prompt skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to give a chance to either Abhimanyu Mithun or Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Surprisingly, Yuvraj Singh was the most successful bowler with six wickets and he also batted stupendously for India.

India would want the Chandigarh boy to continue with his good touch against a very tricky opponent.

Flamboyant Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and skipper Dhoni himself have had some runs under their belts and they would like to continue in the same vein against Pakistan.

It will be interesting to see if Dhoni gives a chance to Ambati Rayudu, considering his past performances in this format of the game.

But it will be a tough test for Indian batsmen against Pakistan`s formidable pace attack, led by Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir.


Not only the pacers but Pakistan have an extremely good spin attack in the form of Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and captain Mohammad Hafeez to choke the strong Indian batting.

Afridi`s dwindling form has been a worry for the Pakistani captain which at times muzzles the team`s batting prospects. However, Hafeez has tremendous confidence in his all round abilities.

Pakistan have landed in India after making wholesale changes to their bowling. They have made six changes to the squad that went to Sri Lanka for the T20 World Cup.

Fast bowler Junaid Khan, who was dropped from World T20 squad, has been included for his ability to do well in the death overs.

Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Amin and M Irfan have also made a comeback while Asad Ali and Zulfiqar Babar are the other inclusions.

India and Pakistan met last time in the 2012 T20 World Cup which the former won by eight wickets

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Compliments and surprise as Tendulkar quits ODIsCompliments and surprise as Tendulkar quits ODIs

Mumbai: The cricket fraternity on Sunday paid glowing tributes to Sachin Tendulkar on his retirement from one-day internationals, saying that the record-breaking batsman`s feats cannot be surpassed.

Tributes started pouring in soon after the 39-year-old cricketer announced his decision to quit ODIs on Sunday.

"I felt that he might have played the series against Pakistan. But it is his decision and I think it is the right," said Tendulkar`s long-time opening partner in ODIs, Sourav Ganguly.

"There was a doubt on whether he would play ODI cricket or not. But I am not surprised by his decision. He has done what he thought was right.

"I don`t think there was any pressure of selectors on him. It is his own decision. No one can drop him," Ganguly added.

Former captain Kris Srikkanth said he was surprised by Tendulkar`s decision.

"I am surprised by his move but he is leaving ODI cricket on a high. I am sure he will want to leave on a high in Test cricket also. He will be looking forward to a good Test series against Australia.

"He has always done well against Pakistan. But he always raises his bar on a good wicket against a strong attack. Be it in the 1992 World Cup against Pakistan or 2003, he did well against Pakistan in the 2011 World Cup also," Srikkanth said.

"It is easy for us to say that he could have retired after the 2011 World Cup. He has got 100 centuries so he went to the Asia Cup. It is one thing that only few have achieved. His records cannot be surpassed," he added.

Another former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar said Tendulkar should have continued with ODI cricket.

"Actually I am surprised. If he is continuing with international cricket (Test) then he should have continued with ODI also. We play almost 25 ODIs in a season. It is very important to keep playing international cricket."

"In ODIs, he opens the innings and plays the full innings almost so he gets used to international bowling. I am surprised he opted out of ODIs. He should have continued playing ODI.

"As long as he is playing Test match cricket or international cricket, he should have continued playing in ODIs," Vengsarkar said.

Tendulkar, considered the most complete batsman in modern cricket and one who was considered next only to the legendary Sir Donald Bradman, retires from the ODI format at the top of the run-getters` list with 18,426 runs in 463 matches.

"Masters.463 matches, 23 yrs, 18426 runs !!!! These numbers no body else will be able to come close to. Salute salute salute to Sachin," tweeted teammate Harbhajan Singh.

"Sachin tendulkar a grt batsman.Grt human being.A grt frnd.Grt man 2 look up 2.Proud indian.Real son of india.I salute u nd luv u," Harbhajan wrote on his twitter handle.

According to Kirti Azad, Tendulkar has "obliged" Indian cricket by calling it quits.

"I think he has obliged Indian cricket by retiring. The god has ultimately decided. Everybody is talking that he should retire. I suppose if I am playing cricket whether I am playing good or bad, the call has to be taken by the selectors," Azad said.

"The selectors didn`t take a call. I think he was also tired of the selectors not taking a call on him. I am very happy that he has ultimately taken a decision at the right time," he added.

Another former player Bapu Nadkarni said Tendulkar`s decision should be respected.

"His retirement was expected for some time now and he must be thinking that he is good enough for the five day scene, that is why he hasn`t retired from Tests.

"He is the best man to decide when to retire from other formats because he knows his body well. All this time people were asking when is he retiring? Now that he has announced his retirement from ODIs, people are asking why has he retired? I don`t understand the Indian people," he said.

Tendulkar goes out after amassing 18,426 runs in 463 one-dayers at an average of 44.83. The diminutive right-hander has an astonishing 49 hundreds in the format, including a double hundred -- the first in this form of the game.

Former Pakistan captain and noted commentator Ramiz Raja said he can understand Tendulkar`s decision to call it quits.

"When you have played 23 years of international cricket, a time comes when ODIs don`t excite you anymore as you have achieved everything that you possibly could have. Sachin has also won the World Cup, therefore his decision is understandable."

"However, herein lies the biggest challenge as he has now retired from ODIs. This will mean that he will be at the most playing 30 days of international cricket.

"Earlier he used to play both ODIs and Tests which meant that he played close 70-75 days minimum every year. It will be a very big challenge to come for those 25-30 days and be in good rhythm to perform at his best. But I am delighted to find the manner in which he is trying to work hard to get back into form in Test cricket which shows his hunger and passion to do well in Tests," Raja added.

South African batsman Hashim Amla also paid tribute to Tendulkar.

Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga said Tendulkar has enough cricket left in him to prolong his Test career.

"He has figured greatly with runs in the longer version of cricket. I think he has played a little bit more in the longer version but when he feels that he is good enough to play in the Test side, I know, he feels he is good enough to play in the longer version in order to achieve the milestone of 200 Tests," said Ranatunga.

Ranatunga supported Tendulkar's decision to retire from the ODI cricket and said he has done a lot of good to the world cricket.

"I think he has taken the right decision. He is such a cricketer, who has the expertise to decide as he knows what to do and what not to do. Retiring from one day cricket, I am sure he might have taken the right decision as lot of people will come out and say a lot of things. But, it is left to the individual to decide. I am sure he has done the right thing. Sachin is a great player considering what he has done to the world of cricket," he added.

Former India opener, W V Raman also paid rich tributes to Tendulkar and said an era in cricket has come to an end.

"Obviously an era has come to an end as he has chosen to make a quite exit from one day scene. It is not a surprise in a way because he has minimized his appearances in the last couple of years. Obvious his enjoyment factor would have diminished, in his case.

"Sachin who has played for 23 years in one day matches needs a challenging format to keep him going. One day format is more of fitness and not technical skills. I am sure he will be quite relaxed and take on the challenges in Test format," said Raman.

Raman said the batting maestro will be remembered for his "challenging and superb" innings in limited overs format.

"He will be remembered every day for his challenging and superb knocks in 50-50 matches. I am sure this will enable him to concentrate and do extremely well in Test cricket.I am sure he will go out of his way and will be relaxed and concentrate on his getting in to the runs spree act," he added.


Star England batsman Kevin Pietersen also paid tribute to Tendulkar for an incredible ODI career.

"Statistics NEVER lie! They tell a very true story.. Well done Sachin! What an incredible ODI career..," Pietersen tweeted.

Another England player Ravi Bopara feels that another Tendulkar will not emerge in his lifetime.

"Well done to @sachin_rt on his amazing ODI career. Inspiration to millions if not billions. We will never see another Sachin in our lifetime."

Agriculture Minister and former ICC and BCCI chief, Sharad Pawar hailed Tendulkar as the greatest batsman of all time.

"Greatest batsman of all time & my good friend Sachin Tendulkar retires from One day cricket . Thank you for making India so proud," Pawar tweeted.

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South Africa beats NZ by 8 wickets in opening T20

southafrica

Durban: An experimental South Africa team romped to an eight-wicket win over New Zealand in their opening Twenty20 game after the Black Caps slumped to their third-lowest T20 score in a dismal start to their tour.

South Africa needed just 12.1 overs on Friday to reach 87-2 and overhaul New Zealand`s 86 all out.

Left badly exposed by the absence of experienced players themselves -- including former captain Ross Taylor -- New Zealand needed 23 from debutant Colin Munro to help it past its record low in 20-over games, 80 all out against Pakistan in 2010.

Seamer Rory Kleinvedlt (3-18) and left-arm spinner Robin Peterson (2-8) did the bowling damage for the Proteas while stand-in captain Faf du Plessis led South Africa home in his first game in charge, hitting the winning runs and finishing 38 not out.

Wicketkeeper batsman Quinton de Kock was 28 not out on his international debut.

"No complaints, it was a fantastic game for us. Very happy," Du Plessis said. "It`s the standard we`ve set, but the standard we have to keep for the remainder of the series."

Desperate to perform well under new skipper Brendon McCullum and put aside the controversy over the exit of Taylor as captain, New Zealand`s relatively experienced top order all failed and left the four debutants it fielded in the series-opener with little chance to revive the innings.

McCullum was one of the failures as he fell for six to a relentless South African seam attack. The visitors were 36-6 at one stage before the South African-born Munro and then tailender Doug Bracewell (21 not out) gave them some small respectability.

Rob Nicol (3), Peter Fulton (9), McCullum and James Franklin (0) all went cheaply at the start of the innings as South African seamers Kleinveldt, Dale Steyn (2-13), Chris Morris (2-19) and Ryan McLaren (1-27) cashed in on regular mistimed attacking shots by the Black Caps batsmen.

Peterson then helped mop up the tail with his 2-8 off four overs -- the most economical bowling from a South African in T20 internationals.

"We came here to play some aggressive cricket," New Zealand captain McCullum said, "but first things first we do have to do some fundamentals right to earn the right to be aggressive ... We got a couple of things we didn`t get right."

Munro, who made his New Zealand debut back in the city of his birth, Durban, hit four fours in a brief counterattack. Bracewell struck three boundaries in a 21-run partnership with Ronnie Hira for the ninth wicket -- the highest stand of the innings.

New Zealand was still bowled out with 10 balls remaining of its 20 overs.

Debutant fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan removed Richard Levi for a duck in the first over of South Africa`s reply for a rare high spot for the tourists.

But Henry Davids -- also on debut -- hit a six and three fours in his 20 from 13 balls to kick start the Proteas` chase and new leader Du Plessis continued his belligerent form from the victorious tour of Australia to take South Africa home.

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Selectors meet on Sunday to pick squad for series against Pak

Mumbai: National cricket selectors will meet here on Sunday to pick the Indian squad for the limited-overs series against Pakistan amid speculation that struggling senior batsman Sachin Tendulkar has made himself available for ODI selection.

The panel, headed by Sandeep Patil, will be meeting for the first time after the humiliating Test debacle against England.

The T20 matches against Pakistan are scheduled on December 25 and 28 in Bangalore and Ahmedabad respectively and the squad is unlikely to see many changes from the one playing against England in a T20 rubber that concludes here on Saturday.

It is the ODI squad that would draw more attention as there are unconfirmed reports that veteran batsman Sachin Tendulkar has made himself available for the three-match rubber starting in Chennai on December 30.


The senior cricketer had been part of the last ODI squad during the failed campaign in Bangladesh in the Asia Cup where he completed his unprecedented feat of 100 international hundreds.

Tendulkar, whose retirement has been speculated endlessly in the media and by former cricketers, has been in and out of ODIs in the last few years by choice, but with his form dipping in Tests, the 39-year-old could be eager to rediscover his successful run through the 50-over game for the upcoming four-match Test rubber at home against Australia.

The second and third one-day games against Pakistan are to be held in Kolkata on January 3 followed by the last game on January 6 in the Capital.

This three-match series will be followed by the five-match ODI rubber against England that commences on January 11 at Rajkot. The tourists will return to India after taking a break for Christmas and New Year.

The other four games are to be held at Kochi (January 15), Ranchi (January 19), Mohali (January 23) and Dharamsala (January 27).

The other focus in the selection meeting would be captaincy and as per current indications, Mahendra Singh Dhoni is expected to keep his job though his success record in the ODI format too, like the one in Tests, has taken a steep dip after he piloted the country to the World Cup title last year.

India have had mixed results since that heady April 2, 2011 day in Mumbai with the reversals coming in England, Australia and in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh.

Zaheer Khan is another senior cricketer who is battling fitness concerns and dipping form in international cricket. He is playing for Mumbai in the Ranji game against MP at Indore from today and it remains to be seen whether the selectors will pick him for the ODIs against Pakistan and later England.

The other point of interest in the selection would be Virender Sehwag who opted out of the Twenty20 series against England. It is not known whether he has declared himself available to play in the T20 format against Pakistan that follows in three days` time.

A number of T20 squad members are likely to gain selection for the 50-over series against Pakistan too.

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English county Nottinghamshire bars its players from IPL

English county Nottinghamshire bars its players from IPL

London: English county side Nottinghamshire has decided to not allow its players to participate in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.

"The players asked me to consider releasing them to enable them to take part in the IPL, but they are key members of the squad and I explained that we wouldn`t be able to allow them to take part," the club`s director of cricket, Mick Newell was quoted as saying by a news agency.

Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Samit Patel among other Nottinghamshire players are reportedly on the radars of various IPL teams.

The sixth edition of IPL is slated to begin by April 3 as per the schedule announced on Friday

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India vs England 2012, 2nd T20I: Preview

India vs England 2012, 2nd T20I: Preview

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Mumbai: After rebounding superbly from the Test loss to England with a convincing victory in the Twenty20 series opener, India would be keen to complete a clean sweep of the shortest format by winning the second and final game here tomorrow.

Having gained the winning momentum again, the hosts would be eager not to let it go out of grasp especially with the high-profile series against Pakistan to follow immediately after the conclusion of the T20 stint at the Wankhede Stadium.

India will take on Pakistan in a two-match T20 series from December 25 to be followed by a three-game ODI series.

England, who have suffered their first reversal to India in a bilateral T20 game after having lost two others in the World T20 events, would also look forward to squaring the rubber and returning home for Christmas and New Year on a high note.

Though India cantered home last night, the home team has some issues to solve immediately in both batting and bowling to achieve their aim of a 2-0 whitewash

In bowling, the beginning and end overs are still a worry with debutant Parvinder Awana, who had a poor game, and Ashok Dinda bowling too short yesterday to be punished by the hard-hitting Alex Hales who blitzed his way to 56 with seven fours and two sixes.

Though Dinda came back later to bowl well and take two wickets, Awana`s nervousness cost him 29 runs in two overs at either end of the innings and he is expected to give way to Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Abhimanyu Mithun tomorrow.

Even R Ashwin, who started off well and bowled a maiden over to the left-handed Michael Lumb before taking his wicket too, was carted around later to concede 33 runs. Ravindra Jadeja gave away 22 runs in three and Piyush 24 in the same number of overs.

But for Yuvraj Singh`s brilliant stint in the middle overs, when he got 3 for 19 to halt Hales and Luke Wright from running away with the game, India could have conceded 15-20 more runs, a fact not lost on rival skipper Eoin Morgan.

"We got off to a fantastic start - Alex and Luke really came together as a pair - but from there we didn`t really kick on," said Morgan.

Hales and Wright added 68 runs in quick time, thrashing the Indian bowlers, before Yuvraj turned the match around with a 3-19 spell that included both these batsmen`s wickets as well as Morgan`s.

In batting too, India started off brilliantly before openers Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane threw away their wickets in close succession by trying to hit big.

It was Yuvraj`s experience and his ability to clear the rope at will that helped the home country steady the innings and then surge to a comfortable victory with 13 balls to spare.

The left-handed dasher smashed 38 in 21 balls to help India regain the early advantage. Then useful contributions from Virat Kohli (21), Suresh Raina, who was also needlessly run out for 26 and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (24 not out), saw the home team cross the finish line.


England too have their problems, the prominent among them is to find an effective spinner in the middle overs as Danny Briggs` left-arm spin was taken to the cleaners along with James Tredwell`s off spin.

Stuart Meaker provided the extra pace to trouble the Indian batsmen, including Yuvraj, and Tim Bresnan was also impressive, while Wright was effective with his slow medium bowling.

In batting, Hales, who had flopped in his previous three games against India, came good yesterday with his forthright batting. England would hope the others ? that includes their hard-hitting captain Morgan ? deliver in the last game of the first half of their visit.


The rival teams (from):

India: M.S. Dhoni (Capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Ashok Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and Parvinder Awana

England: Eoin Morgan (Capt.), James Harris, Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Butler, Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Samit Patel, Joe Root, James Tredwell and Luke Wright.

On-field umpires: S Ravi and Vineet Kulkarni

3rd umpire: Sudhir Asnani

Match Referee: Jeff Crowe.

Match starts at 7 pm (IST).

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India vs England 2012: We hope to carry the momentum forward, says Yuvraj

we hope to carry the momemtum forward

Mumbai: Off to a good start in Twenty20s after the "shattering" Test debacle, India batsman Yuvraj Sigh said he was confident that the team would carry the momentum not only into the second and final tie against England here on Saturday but also into the upcoming series against arch-foes Pakistan.

"In Twenty20s and ODIs, we have done well against them hopefully, we can carry the momentum, particularly with the important series against Pakistan coming up," said Yuvraj after India`s five-wicket win over England in Pune last night.

The all-rounder played a key role, taking 3 for 19 to half England`s progress in batting and then smashed 38 in 21 balls with three sixes and two fours to help India overhaul the visitors` score of 157 for 6 with five wickets to spare.

India will take on Pakistan in a two-match T20 series commencing at Bangalore on December 25. The second game of that series is scheduled at Ahmedabad on December 28.


This would be followed by a three-match ODI series against the neighbours from December 30 this year to January 6, 2013 after which India would engage England in a best-of-five ODI series from January 11 to 27.

"Losing 4-0 (in Test series in England last year) and 2-1 (recently in the four-match Test series at home) was quite shattering. England played better cricket but we beat them 5-0 in the one-dayers (last year)," said Yuvraj who was part of the Test squad that got beaten by England.

Yuvraj said the younger lot of players improved the fielding of the team.

"It`s important to win the first game and get a good start. If we lose we are again trying to win back. With youngsters coming in the fielding is much better and this win also gives momentum and more confidence for the rest of the series and Pakistan," he added.

Yuvraj, who has been unable to replicate his superb show in T20s and ODIs at the Test level, said the shortest form of the game offered him a chance to play freely.

"When T20 comes I play a bit openly. I enjoyed my batting and my bowling was effective and contributed to the team."

The left-handed player, who resumed his cricket career after undergoing treatment for cancer, said the spinners, including himself, had applied the brakes in time to halt England`s flying start in the first game in Pune.

"When the openers start hitting it`s always a worry. May be we could have chased 180?190 but our spinners did a good job I also bowled well and the 2-3 wickets broke the momentum," Yuvraj said.

He was as flummoxed as many how his part-time left arm spin is so effective, but gave a clue saying he slowed down the pace of his bowling to reap rich rewards last night.

"Even I am not sure why I take so many wickets. I do my best. I was bowling faster initially and it was easier for the batsmen so I slowed it down a bit."

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We fell 10-15 runs short, concedes England skipper Morgan

10-15 runs short,concedesEngland skipper Morgan

Mumbai: England Twenty20 captain Eoin Morgan conceded that his side fell short by 10-15 runs after getting off to a blistering start in the lost opening Twenty20 International against India in Pune.

"We got off to a fantastic start -- Alex (Hales) and Luke (Wright) really came together as a pair -- but from there we didn`t really kick on," said Morgan.

"We lost wickets continuously which halted our momentum and didn`t do us any favours. The total we did creep up to was probably about 10 or 15 short of par," said Morgan who is standing in for the injured regular skipper Stuart Broad who has returned home.

Morgan praised the whirlwind 56 scored by Hales, off just 30 balls with seven fours and two sixes and his stand of 68 runs in quick time with Wright (34) before India`s Yuvraj Singh, later named the man of the match, halted his side`s progress with a three-wicket haul in 10 balls.


Yuvraj`s victims included the second-wicket pair and Morgan himself as England fell off from 89 for 2 to be contained to 157 for 6.

Later, Yuvraj smashed 38 in 21 balls to give impetus to the successful run-chase following the dismissals of openers Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane in close succession.

"We said at the halfway stage we would have to do things exceptionally well to win this game, because the wicket did play so well, and we just lacked a bit of discipline really," said Morgan.

Morgan rued the mid-innings stutter followed by some poor bowling.

"Losing wickets in Twenty20 cricket doesn`t help -- and batting first, you never know how much is enough because you play on a small ground on a good wicket. We didn`t compensate for the wickets and again didn`t set it up for the finish. We lost wickets at the wrong times," said Morgan.

But he said he would continue to encourage his batsmen to go for their shots on good tracks.

"I`ll continue to encourage the guys to play positively and again build partnerships and continue momentum if the wicket is good," he said.

Morgan also praised Yuvraj for his match-changing all round display.

"He`s a very clean striker of a cricket ball, and again always has that danger factor. He can clear the ropes and he did that tonight - he had one over when he went berserk.

"...All credit to him; he bowled well. He does a great job, and has done for years," added the England captain when asked about how Yuvraj`s part-time spin has been so effective in the limited overs.

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Sehwag, Gambhir's smug overconfidence exposed; Team India needs to wake up and smell the coffee

 When a great team loses through complacency, it will constantly search for new and more intricate explanations to explain away defeat – Pat Riley, respected basketball player and coach and now President of Miami Heat.

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Riley was preaching from his years of experience as a basketball player and coach, but judging by the happenings over the last year or so, more so in the last one month, the Indian cricket fans wouldn’t be wrong if they thought his words above were directed at Team India. The dust from the overseas humiliations in England and Australia had barely settled when senior members of the Indian cricket team were unabashedly belittling the two series losses and proudly boasting of their impressive home record.

“We also won 2-0 (at home against Australia in 2010),” interrupted Virender Sehwag, when a journalist began to question him about the back-to-back whitewashes following India’s defeat at the Adelaide Test, before going on to blame Father Time for their poor performance. “The time is not good for Indian team, for individuals, so maybe that's why we are not scoring runs. The moment the time changes, the next year we will see, or in the coming series, we will see our top order giving starts and middle-order coming in and score big hundreds. It happens.”

Only, it didn’t happen. Neither did the top order provide starts, nor did the middle-order score big hundreds.

Sehwag’s fellow opener, Gautam Gambhir, also toed the same line as his Delhi teammate. “…When we go overseas, every country prepares wickets to their own strengths,” he had said at Adelaide. “So once the other teams come home we need to prepare tracks to our advantage as well…If we can prepare rank turners, that’s where their technique and their temperament will be tested…That’s where we would get to know whether they are mentally strong. That’s where they will be tested, and we’ll see how good they are against spin bowling.”

Only, the visiting England team’s temperament and mental strength against the dreaded Indian spin attack was superb. This, after not being put up against any specialist spinners in two out of their three practice matches.

Captain MS Dhoni wanted to take the toss out of the equation after winning the Ahmedabad Test and demanded a pitch that turned from Day One. In other words, he wanted the pitch to play to what he thought was his team’s trump card and almost got the Eden Gardens curator fired for not heeding to his demands. Bafflingly, this was after his team had taken a 1-0 lead in the series on a not-so-much-of-a-rank-turner at Ahmedabad. That match had been won by performances — from young Cheteshwar Pujara, Sehwag and Pragyan Ojha — and not the turf. But it did seem like Dhoni wanted the easy way out for the rest of the series. He was joined in chorus by his teammate, Virat Kohli, who found nothing wrong in asking for turning pitches and used the tit-for-tat argument.

“Why not (turning pitches)? We were given flattest of tracks during practice matches in England and Australia and then suddenly presented with a green top during the Tests,” Kohli had said. “During practice matches, we would face those 120 kmph bowlers. If they wanted to be fair to us, they could have provided us with same kind of tracks for practice matches, like what were used in Tests.”

Kohli then took the liberty of using England’s 0-3 whitewash by Pakistan in the UAE as an example of their ineptness in playing spin. “That particular series, there wasn’t much turn on offer but England couldn’t negotiate one quality spinner (Saeed Ajmal).They lost the battle in their heads.”

Only this time, it was first in the head that the battle was won by the Englishmen. England dug deep into the reservoirs of mental strength and always had a man for the situation. In Ahmedabad, even in adversity, there was captain Alastair Cook’s composure that kept them from a bigger embarrassment. In Mumbai, it was Cook’s silky strokeplay and extraordinary temperament, and the talismanic Kevin Pietersen’s dazzling flamboyance in the first innings; followed by the magic of Monty Panesar’s fingers in the second innings that exploited the Wankhede pitch like never before. In Kolkata, Cook defied the Indian bowlers even more and never broke a sweat, literally, while in Nagpur, it was James Anderson’s swing on a pitch more suited for a graveyard and a partnership between an out-of-form Jonathan Trott and debutant Joe Root that came to their rescue.

On the other hand, India can at best boast of Kohli and Dhoni’s gutsy partnership in Nagpur that won India the majority of three sessions. What about the rest of the 12 sessions?

 England took their defeat in the first Test in their stride and turned out confidently at the Wankhede — adding a second spinner in Panesar to their bowling attack on Mumbai’s red soil. India, meanwhile, fielded three spinners in what clearly appeared to be intimidation tactics than trying to win the game. The pitch has more twists and turns than a roller coaster; now let’s see you maneuver Ravichandran Ashwin, Ojha and Harbhajan Singh around it.

Only, England did, and how! The host broadcaster’s series advertisement chiding the English team was brought off the air after the defeat in the second Test as the Englishmen rubbed salt into the wound by beating India at their own game — spin.

A humiliating 10-wicket loss wasn’t enough as Dhoni stuck to his guns — and his pitch demands — for the third Test at Kolkata and watched his team lose by seven wickets. Perhaps his logic was right. You don’t want the toss to decide the outcome of the match and would rather both teams have a shot at winning the match, than a high-scoring draw. But the way the Indian team casually approached the games was the worrying factor; the way Dhoni wanted the pitch to win the match for his side was lamentable.

India needs to wake up and smell the coffee. A lot has happened since the day they last held the top spot in the ICC Test rankings: The Occupy Wall Street protest began and ended, tyrannical Libyan president Muammar Gaddafi was captured and killed by his rebel countrymen, the world population crossed the seven billion mark, Queen Elizabeth II marked her diamond jubilee, the “God” particle was discovered, and India experienced the biggest mass revolution since the independence struggle and the largest power outage in world history, to name a few.

India need to realise that they were the best Test team in the world more than 17 months ago; Sachin Tendulkar rescued them from sure defeat against England in Chennai more than four years ago; and the now retired duo of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman did so against Australia at Eden Gardens more than 11 years ago.

It is high time the Indian batsmen, in particular, realised that the team’s ever-reliable middle-order is long gone, save for one veteran soldier who is on the verge of calling it a day and probably incapable of single-handedly digging the team out of the ditch.

One of Dhoni's clichéd go-tos during media interactions after a loss is that the seniors have to start taking the extra bit of responsibility and ease the youngsters in. It is high time that Sehwag and Gambhir realise that they are the seniors Dhoni is talking about. The duo need to back up their talk with performances and stop taking their spot in the eleven for granted. Sehwag, in particular, will be one of the senior most members in the side, even older than Dhoni, when Tendulkar hangs up his boots. He needs to stop relying on divine intervention and riding on previous highs, and start performing like an experienced player.

Dhoni, as captain of the Indian team, must have long realised the boons and banes that come with the job and must stop giving excuses like “We tried our best and that’s what’s important”, “the expectations are too high” and this debacle was not as bad as that one, etc. A poor patch, injuries to your best players, high expectations from fans and other limitations are faced by captains around the world and Dhoni isn’t the only one. It is up to him now how he leads this younger-getting side through the much dreaded transition phase. And if Dhoni is not up for it and wants to concentrate on his own performances, he should set his pride aside and inform the selectors of the same.

Kohli, who knows that everyone expects him to step into Dhoni’s shoes, should stop blaming Lady Luck for losing matches and refrain from relying on external factors to win them. His recent comments and antics (remember the middle-fingered salute to Aussie fans?) spell inexperience, which is a far cry from his performances such as the hundreds at Nagpur and Adelaide under pressure, which make you want to forget his boyish greenness.

Expectations from a team which not so long ago was on the summit of the sport and won the World Cup are definitely high, but what was most disappointing about the latest setback was the lack of intent — physical, not verbal — from most members of the side.

It’s a long, winding road back to the top for India — one that is bound to be filled with numerous internal and external obstacles along the way. The team needs some direction, the right leadership, the proper attitude and most importantly, self-motivation, if they are to reestablish their status as a world beater in the next couple of years.

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India vs England 2012: Pune T20I - Preview

Pune: India need to put behind the humiliation of losing the Test rubber against England and regroup quickly to take on the confident visitors in the first of the two T20 Internationals here from Thursday.

Under-fire for the first Test series loss to England in 28 years and and with his captaincy under the scanner, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will have to put these issues on the back burner and motivate his teammates for the shortest format of the game.

To the home team's advantage, a younger lot of players some of who were not part of the Test series like flamboyant all rounder Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu would give India the much-needed edge and enthusiasm.

All three are very good T20 players and would also bring the extra zip and verve in the fielding department which was absent in the Tests.

They have all been busy playing in the Ranji Trophy for their respective units and will be match fit too.


Incidentally Sharma, who has been in good form with the bat in the Ranji Trophy recently, had top-scored with an unbeaten 55 when the two teams last met in a T20 game, won by India by a whopping margin of 90 runs in Sri Lanka earlier this year during the ICC T20 World Cup.

Yuvraj Singh, who flopped in the Test series barring a fighting 74 in the opener at Ahmedabad, is back to the format in which he has excelled in the past.

Dashing opener Virender Sehwag has opted out of the two-match series, which ends with the last match at Mumbai on December 22, and it has given the chance to Ajinkya Rahane, who warmed the bench right through the Test series, to open the innings with Gautam Gambhir.


Rahane had impressed with a 61 when the two teams met in a T20 game last year in England at Manchester and would be eager to get going after playing Ranji Trophy games for Mumbai.

Dhoni, himself a superb T20 and 50-over batsman, would be the late-order game changer, and with Virat Kohli, who had rediscovered his wonted touch with a patient 103 in the last Test at Nagpur, will give extra impetus in the batting and fielding sections.


The new ball bowling has a fresh look to it in the form of Ashok Dinda, Abhimanyu Mithun , Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Parwinder Awana with veteran Zaheer Khan opting out.

Dinda and Awana had been part of the Test squad in the latter stages but did not get a game while Mithun has been added as a replacement for his injured Karnataka teammate, R Vinay Kumar.

Spin bowling department will be manned by R Ashwin, who would be extra keen to impress after a disappointing show with the ball in the Test rubber, Ravindra Jadeja, who made his Test debut at Nagpur, and Piyush Chawla, who too was part of the team in the drawn final game.

England have made wholesale changes in their squad with triumphant Test skipper Alastair Cook returning home and replaced at the helm by hard-hitting middle order batsman Eoin Morgan who was part of the Test team but did not play a single game.

Morgan is also the stand-in captain for the injured Stuart Broad, replaced by James Harris, who has returned home along with many other members of the team, notably Kevin Pietersen.

The absence of Pietersen, who played a big role in England winning the Test rubber, would be welcomed by India. The star batsman is no longer part of the England Twenty20 team.

England have included T20 specialists like Alex Hales, Jos Butler, Jade Dernbach, James Tredwell, Michael Lumb, Luke Wright and Danny Briggs.

some of who have been part of the development squad which played a few matches in Navi Mumbai when the Test matches were on.

Retained from the Test squad along with captain Morgan are Tim Bresnan, wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel and Joe Root, who made an impressive Test debut in the final match.

Bresnan and Patel also had the opportunity to play in two and three Tests while Morgan and Bairstow did not.

India have lost three T20 games, all in bilateral series, between the two sides. They had lost bilateral matches played at Lord's in June 2009 and the next two held at Manchester and Kolkata in August and October last year.

The game here would be the first T20 International played at the swanky Sahara Stadium on the city's outskirts which hosted IPL matches last year. It has a capacity of 43,000.

Teams:

India: Mahendra Sing Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Ashok Dinda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhimanyu Mithun and Parvinder Awana.

England: Eoin Morgan (capt), James Harris, Jonny Bairstow, Tim Bresnan, Danny Briggs, Jos Butler, Jade Dernbach, Alex Hales, Michael Lumb, Stuart Meaker, Samit Patel, Joe Root, James Tredwell and Luke Wright.

Umpires: C Shamsuddin, Sudhur Asnani

Third Umpire: Vineet Kulkarni

Fourth Umpire: N K Srinath

Match Referee: Jeff Crowe.

Match starts at 7 pm .

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