Aug

31

Sachin Tendulkar confident of handling Murali & Mendis

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Indian batsmen struggled to counter Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan on their last visit to Sri Lanka, but Sachin Tendulkar has revealed that his teammates have a plan to tackle the deadly spin duo during the triangular one-day series next month.

”Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan or Chaminda Vaas are all good bowlers and we as a team respect them. At the same time we have a plan for each one of them,” Tendulkar said.

”On the last trip batsmen like Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir handled Mendis and Murali really well. I think we can build on that. These youngsters bring a fresh approach and mindset which then rubs off on others which helps the team produce good results,” he added.

With Rahul Dravid making a return to the ODI squad after a long hiatus, Tendulkar asserted that the former skipper’s vast experience will prove to be useful for the team.

”It should be help the team. He brings in a lot of experience on the table and also a lot of skill. I think his will be good value addition to the team,” the ‘master blaster’ told espnstar.com’.

Indian teams have traditionally proved to be poor fielding units and are not exactly the best when it comes to running between the wickets.

However, Tendulkar feels that the current lot is a much fitter bunch than their predecessors and can give the Kiwis – known for their dedication to fitness – a run for their money.

”We are an extremely good fielding unit and we turned around games with our fielding. It is a misconception to assume that New Zealand and Sri Lanka have an edge over us,” the 36-year-old right-hander said.

”We run well between the wickets, our run out conversion is good, our catching ability is amongst the best, our bowlers are much more disciplined as they don’t bowl wides and no balls. I think we are three evenly matched teams,” he added.

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Aug

31

Stage set for Corporate Cricket Trophy

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Stylish batsman Yuvraj Singh will lead Air India Blue against BSNL in the inaugural match of the Sahara-BCCI Corporate Trophy at M Chinnaswamy stadium here tomorrow.

The tournament would give ample match practice to the Indian squad ahead of their busy schedule beginning from Sri Lanka tour for a tri-series with New Zealand as the third team, followed by Challenger trophy in South Africa and Australia touring India in October.

Most of the Team India players including Skipper M S Dhoni (Air India-Red), Yuvraj Singh (Air India-Blue), Rahul Dravid (India Cements) and Gautam Gambhir (ONGC), among others, are playing for their respecitve teams.

The first ever National Inter-Corporate Trophy was introduced in an attempt to revive Corporate interest in cricket and to provide job opportunity for the players.

The Sri Lanka Indian squad had a four-day conditioning camp at National Cricket Academy (NCA) from August 27 to 30.

The Teams: Air India – Red: Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Robin Uthappa, Naman Ozha, Sushant Marathe, Pual Valthaty, Suresh Raina, Ankeet Chavan, Siddharth Trivedi, Moondeep Mangela, Dhawal Kulkarni, Rohan Kerkar, Harmeet Singh, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Ajit Chandila, Narendra Hirwani, Pritam Gandhe, Rohit Prakash, and Saurabh Netravalkar.

India Cements: Rahul Dravid, Abhinav Mukund, Arun Karthik, S Badrinath, Hemang Badani, Suresh Kumar, Sreekumar Nair, S Suresh, R Ashwin, Kamlesh, L Balaji, Sudeep Tyagi, R Naresh, R Prasanna, V Arun Kumar and P Amarnath.

BSNL: Joginder Singh, Ankur Kakkar, Arindam Das, Amit Patil, Varun Kumar, Anshul Kapoor, N S Negi, BBCC Mahapatra, Sanjay Bamel, Niranjan Behera, Kamlesh Makwana, Sanjeev Kumar, Jyotiraditya Singh, Sunil Dholpure and Naresh Chander (Manager).

Rahul Dravid, who was recalled for ODIs after a gap of two years is leading India Cements which in its first encounter meet Team India Vice captain Yuvraj Singh led Air India Red on September 3 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium here.

The matches will be played at four venues Bangalore, Vishakapatnam, Mohali and Dharamsala simultaneously. While the first semi final on September 5 would be played in M Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore and the second at Mohali on September six. The final was slated for September 8 in Bangalore.

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Aug

31

Wasim Akram to be Bowling Consultant for KKR

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Legendary pacer Wasim Akram will act as a bowling consultant for the Kolkata Knight Riders during the third edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year.

”Look I am available for a consultant’s position. I told them what I could do for them. I told them that I can help their fast bowlers and chalk out a strategy for them. I can also take a lot of load off the captain’s shoulders,” Akram, who met former India captain Sourav Ganguly and the team’s co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, said.

Talking about the meeting, Akram said the interaction was a fruitful one and he was happy after meeting the duo.

”It was quite a positive meeting. The minute I walked in I sensed the comfort-level. I had met Shah Rukh before. Ganguly, whom I know very well and have played a lot of cricket against, was also there. So it was quite homely,” Akram told ‘Mobile ESPN’.

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Aug

30

ICC Champions Trophy 2002 – look back

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This was the first time the mini-world cup was played in a round robin format.. The previous editions were of knock out type..

This edition was held in Sri-Lanka with 10 test playing nations + Netherlands and Kenya divided into 4 groups of 3 each..

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Aug

29

PCB, ICC end stalemate over 2011 World Cup

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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Thursday agreed to drop its court case against the International Cricket Council (ICC) over a dispute on the hosting rights of the 2011 World Cup after reaching a settlement with the game’s governing body.

The resolution was reached during a meeting between ICC President David Morgan and PCB chairman Ijaz Butt at the ICC office in Dubai.

“In an agreement with the commercial arm of the ICC, the PCB will retain its host fees and also receive an additional payment as reasonable compensation for loss of hosting rights that it would have enjoyed had it hosted the matches on Pakistan soil,” an ICC statement said Thursday.

“It was further agreed that the PCB would be free of its liabilities and obligations associated with hosting matches during the tournament, including the location of the tournament secretariat which had originally been set for Lahore,” it added.

Morgan welcomed the development. “This resolution is good for world cricket and provides an improved platform for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 as we now have a degree of certainty surrounding the event that was not there while the dispute was ongoing,” he said in a statement.

“I am glad we were able to come to an amicable agreement and I believe this is a fair resolution for the PCB and the ICC.”

The ICC Board in April decided that Pakistan could no longer host the 14 matches it was originally allocated because of the country’s volatile internal security situation.

“When the position in Pakistan, from a safety and security point of view, becomes satisfactory to the ICC and its specialist security advisors as well as to visiting teams, then international cricket will return to Pakistan,” added Morgan.

Butt said that he was pleased with the outcome of Thursday’s meeting.

“The PCB is content with the settlement that has been reached. We are able to see this dispute from the other side. We realise also the logistical and administrative difficulties that would be associated with organising our matches in the other three co-host countries.

“Our number-one priority is that cricket in Pakistan must not be allowed to suffer unduly and I believe this agreement is the best possible outcome for the game,” he said.

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Aug

29

Dirk Nannes to play for Delhi Daredevils in Champions League

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Australian Dirk Nannes will appear for Delhi Daredevils in the inaugural Champions League T20 competition to be held in October.

Nannes had been nominated by both the Daredevils and the Victorian Bushrangers on their preliminary lists.

Nannes, who played for Delhi Daredevils in Indian Premier League (IPL) in South Africa this year, preferred to stick with them.

“I’m grateful to Delhi for giving me the opportunity to play on the world stage in the IPL, and the chance to compete against some of the world’s best players. I’ve no doubt my experiences there helped gain me selection for Australia.

“My IPL contract with Delhi included a clause which ties me to them for this competition and my decision is to honour that commitment,” Dirk said in a statement.

Nannes said it was a difficult decision for him.

“I have a great love for the Bushrangers. Victoria is my home and I’m extremely grateful for the time and energy they’ve invested in me to allow me to play cricket at this level and as a professional. We’ve shared a lot of success in recent times and I’ve got a great relationship with the players and coaching staff.

“My Victorian team mates are also aware of my situation. It’s very common for cricketers to play against team mates at one level or another.”

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Aug

29

Akram not interested in full-time coaching stint with KKR

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Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram is not interested in a full-time coaching stint with Kolkata Knight Riders, but is certainly keen to take up as a bowling consultant for the under-performing Indian Premier League (IPL) team.

Sources close to Akram confirmed to IANS Tuesday that the legendary fast bowler is certainly one of the candidates to take John Buchanan’s place in the Knight Riders’ set-up.

“He (Akram) is one of the four people being considered for the job,” said the source. “Akram is obviously excited about it but is more interested in taking up the role of a bowling consultant rather than a full-time coach at this point of time,” added the source.

According to the source, former New Zealand coach John Wright, who has coached India, is most likely to take over as Kolkata’s coach ahead of the next edition of the IPL in 2010.

Akram, 43, is expected to have a meeting with franchise owner Shah Rukh Khan and other members on the Kolkata Knight Riders interview panel including Sourav Ganguly, former India captain. The meeting is expected to take place early next week.

Apart from Wright and Akram, other prominent coaches in the run for the assignment are Richard Pybus and Duncan Fletcher.

Akram, who is regarded as one of the finest left-arm pacers in the history of world cricket, is a busy television commentator. That is why it is difficult for him to take out time for a full-time coaching assignment, said the source.

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Aug

29

Yousuf vows to shine in Champions Trophy

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Pakistan’s premier batsman Mohammad Yousuf Tuesday vowed to silence his critics with a forceful showing in the Champions Trophy in South Africa.

Yousuf, under fire for his below-par showing in the recent one-day series against Sri Lanka, said that he is looking to give his best in the elite tournament starting Sep 22.

Some critics have questioned the selection of Yousuf in the Champions Trophy squad, saying that the seasoned batsman is a poor fielder in limited-overs cricket. Those experts have been calling for Yousuf to limit his international career to Test cricket.

The 34-year-old player, however, said his critics should be aware of the fact that he has been suffering from a shoulder problem for the last few years, adding that the injury has affected his performance as a fielder.

“I always field inside the circle these days because of the shoulder problem. But I’m hoping to get better,” he said.

Yousuf said that he is currently training hard for the Champions Trophy in spite of the holy month of Ramadan. “I do my physical training and also some batting, fielding and running practice,” he said. Yousuf, who has piled up 9292 runs from 272 one-day internationals, has the complete backing of his captain Younis Khan.

Last week, skipper Younis Khan in spite of Yousuf’s below-par showing in the recently-concluded One-day series in Sri Lanka, saying that his top batsman will take his time to adjust to the demands of international cricket.

Younis said that Yousuf has returned after a gap of over a year, and that there is a big difference between playing the Indian Cricket League (ICL) and international cricket.

“He (Yousuf) was out of international cricket for more than a year and will take time to make adjustments,” said Younis. “He played in the ICL during that period but let me tell you that there is a world of a difference in the standard of that league and international cricket. I’m sure in time Yousuf will be giving his best for Pakistan once again.”

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Aug

29

Ishant geared up for Sri Lanka tri-series

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Fast bowler Ishant Sharma is all geared up for the new season beginning with the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka starting Sep 8.

Sharma, however, felt that the team will miss senior players Virender Sehwag and

Zaheer Khan in the upcoming ODI series in Colombo — involving India, Sri Lanka and hosts New Zealand — and in the Champions Trophy.

“Sehwag is our leading batsman and Zaheer is our main strike bowler. Their presence in the team is always encouraging. We will surely miss them,” said Ishant, who was here for a promotional event Tuesday.

“The pressure is always there to perform, and I am confident the team will live up to the expectation.”

About his personal form, Ishant said: “I am working hard for the last few weeks. We have to constantly improve our performance.”

Asked about the controversy surrounding Delhi cricketers and Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), Ishant said: “I do not want to comment on this issue. I can only say that I was a part of Delhi team and I have not left them. I will continue playing for Delhi.”

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Aug

29

Ashes lost

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Australia’s 2-1 Ashes defeat, confirmed with a heavy 197-run loss at The Oval on Sunday, has cost them their No. 1 spot in the ICC Test rankings. They have slipped to fourth, with South Africa now the No. 1 Test team in the world, followed by Sri Lanka and India.
It is the first time the Australians have lost their grip on the top spot since 2003, when the ICC introduced its current ranking system. The defeat has cost them eight points but despite the series result they remain ahead of their arch rivals England, who are in fifth place. England gained six points but are still 11 behind Australia.
Australia were in danger of losing their No. 1 ranking towards the end of last year, when they lost a home Test series to South Africa 2-1. A consolation win in the third Test in Sydney ensured they retained top spot and they also held on thanks to their follow-up series victory in South Africa.

ICC TEST CHAMPIONSHIP RANKINGS

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Aug

29

Champions Trophy 2000 – part 2

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Click here for PART 1

 

PRE QFs - 

  • India vs Kenya, 
  • England vs Bangladesh, 
  • West Indies vs Sri Lanka…

India won the toss and chose to bowl first. Batting first, Kenya were restricted to 208 for nine in 50 overs. The total was never going to be one to pose any problems for the Indians and thanks to skipper Sourav Ganguly’s 66 and Rahul Dravid’s unbeaten 68, they romped home with eight wickets and 7.3 overs to spare.. Kumble received MoM for 2-22 in 10 overs..

Similarly, England faced little opposition from Bangladesh emerging winners by eight wickets with 6.1 overs to spare. Bangladesh did well in getting 232 for eight in 50 overs but against ordinary bowling, Alec Stewart (87 not out) and skipper Nasser Hussain (95) had little difficulty in negotiating some ordinary bowling during their second wicket partnership of 175 runs. 

A stroke-filled 132 by opener Avishka Gunawardene and his third wicket stand of 160 runs with Mahela Jayawardene (72) saw Sri Lanka post 287 for six in 50 overs, a total that proved to be too formidable for the West Indies who were dismissed for 179 in 46.4 overs.

This meant that the Quarter Finals line up stood like-

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