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Smaller Cricket Nations Are Feeling The Financial Pain During The Coronavirus Crisis

2020-05-09T04:54:00.001-07:00

International cricket has a rather archaic hierarchical system. Only 12 countries are allowed to play Test cricket – the sport’s longest and most prestigious format.

These teams – deemed the best cricket countries – are categorized as Full Members, according to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) rather elitist structure.

It is tough to gain full membership. Only three countries - Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ireland - have been granted the coveted status in more than 25 years. Teams below the top tier are Associate member nations – they get less funding than the elite 12 and fewer opportunities to play against the best.

Only 20 teams currently hold One-Day International status and a mere 10 teams featured in last year’s World Cup. Those not qualifying missed out on a windfall – a prime example being Scotland losing out on the $1 million qualifying fee and potential sponsorship funds of $200,000-300,000.

Associates cricket is cut-throat. Magnified during the tumult of the coronavirus pandemic, which has thrown the sport into chaos and exposed the grim finances of supposedly wealthy cricket nations.

For 12th ODI ranked Netherlands, a leading Associates nation and the best cricket country on mainland Europe, it has been a bitter pill to swallow. This year promised so much marked by being part of the 16-team T20 World Cup starting in October in Australia, which is now under a cloud.

India tour of Australia likely to go ahead as scheduled

2020-05-09T04:28:00.000-07:00

BCCI sources confirmed that India's tour of Australia is most likely to happen in 2020 and the board is considering various prospects for resumption of cricket post coronavirus pandemic.

HIGHLIGHTS

India are scheduled to play four Tests and three ODIs in December-January
BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal has already said India is ready to quarantine for 14 days
BCCI feels that cricket should resume in September and October

Cricket Australia (CA) has received a major reprieve as India's upcoming tour of Australia is likely to go ahead according to BCCI sources. If India tour doesn't take place, Cricket Australia could lose as much as 300 million Australian dollars.

While BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal has already said the team is ready to quarantine for 14 days, BCCI sources told Boria Majumdar, India Today Consulting Editor Sports that the tour will most likely happen as scheduled.

India are scheduled to play four Tests and three ODIs in December-January, a tour that should give a massive fillip to Cricket Australia’s (CA) dwindling finances.

As per the rules amid Covid-19 pandemic, those travelling to Australia have to go into isolation for a couple of weeks. The quarantine rules could have seen BCCI postponing the tour but the Indian cricket board is willing to play the scheduled four-match Test series.

BCCI sources also confirmed that if the T20 World Cup doesn't happen the tour will not be broken up into parts but will continue with Test and T20I as a continuous series.

The Indian cricket board also feels that cricket should resume in September and October but is unlikely to say anything in public till the lockdown ends and the things open up.

BCCI is also taking into consideration the prospect of bio friendly stadiums and different formats for resumption of cricket.

BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal had said on downplaying the logistical issues likely to arise because of the Covid-19 pandemic, stating that India’s tour of Australia later this year is likely to go ahead.

South Africa Thrashed Sri Lanka in T20 Worldcup 2012

2012-09-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

South Africa topped Group C after skipper A B de Villiers led them to a 32-run victory over Sri Lanka in a rain-curtailed match of the ICC World Twenty20 here today.

South Africa rode on De Villiers' 13-ball 30 to post 78 for four after the match was reduced to a seven-over-a-side affair. In reply, the Sri Lankans were restricted to 46 for five as the Protea bowlers took centrestage at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.

The loss meant Sri Lanka will enter the Super Eight stage as the second best team from the group.

Besides de Villiers, Hashim Amla (16), Faf du Plessis (13) and JP Duminy (12) chipped in with important runs to lay the foundation for a comfortable win, after being put in to bat.

In what was the first international T20 match between the two sides, the hosts always had a tough task at hands after the Proteas set a stiff target. It became even more difficult after the Lankans lost openers -- captain Mahela Jayawardene (4) and Tillakaratner Dilshan (0) -- cheaply.

The Sri Lankan batsmen simply failed to find their ground, even as Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Jacques Kallis came up with tremendous bowling efforts to restrict the opponents.

The bowlers managed to tightened the noose further and the likes of Dilshan Munaweera, Kumar Sangakara (13) and Thisara Perera (1) could never get the momentum going.

Steyn finished with impressive figures of two for 10 from as many overs.

Earlier, South Africa also did not have an ideal start as Nuwan Kulasekara dismissed opener Richard Levi (4) in the very first over, when Dilshan Munaweera took a brilliant diving catch going back from mid on.

Pune clash with rejuvenated Chennai

2012-04-14T03:05:00.002-07:00

Pulled up by skipper Sourav Ganguly following a lackluster showing in their previous outing, the Pune batsmen would look to put up a much better display when they take on the formidable Chennai team in the Indian T20 League match played at Pune.

Pune started the tournament on a positive note, notching up wins in their first two matches, till Punjab disturbed the momentum. Chennai, on the other hand, have not been their usual self at the start, but the thrilling win over Bangalore on Thursday when they chased down 206, should come as a shot in the arm for the visitors.

The Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium is expected to be packed to the brim by Pune fans, but going by Chennai's depth and variety, the visitors are not likely to be too worried about that. As far as captaincy is concerned, Ganguly led the side well, but is yet to fire with the willow. Considering that they are not a side packed with experienced international stars, it is important that Ganguly takes the lead himself and inspires the rest who follow him in the batting line-up.

The top-order hasn't fired yet. They would be expecting the likes of Jesse Ryder, Robin Uthappa,Manish Pandey and Angelo Mathews get into the groove quickly as it will benefit the team immensely. Their batting may not seem that formidable but Pune surely have a pretty good bowling attack in Ashok Dinda, Ashish Nehra and leg-spinner Rahul Sharma. Nehra attributed their seven-wicket loss on Thursday to fielding lapses and the failure to play the full quota of 20 overs, and Pune would do well to avoid repeating the same mistakes. In the match against Punjab, Pune were bundled out for 115 in 19 overs. In stark contrast, the Super Kings batted with aplomb as they successfully chased a mammoth target at the Chepauk stadium.

While Murali Vijay hasn't really done anything of note till now, his opening partner Faf du Plessis has been in a rich vein of form. He cracked 71 off just 46 deliveries while skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni contributed 41 off 24 that also marked his return to form after a quite start to the tournament. Albie Morkel and Dwayne Bravo, too, were in full flow as they tore into the Bangalore bowlers. The defending champions would be hoping to continue the momentum against Pune, who are placed third on the points table with two wins from three matches, while the Super Kings are on fifth position with as many wins as the hosts from four games.

Nehra blames fielding lapses for the loss

2012-04-13T11:38:00.002-07:00

Pune Warriors pacer Ashish Nehra has blamed the fielding lapses and not playing the full quota of 20 overs for his team's seven-wicket loss to Kings XI Punjab in their IPL match at the PCA stadium.

"The kind of chances we got...(Robin) Uthappa missed one caught behind chance of Shaun Marsh. Jessy Ryder missed one run out and there was a drop chance off my bowling," Nehra said at a post-match press conference last night.

Pune were dismissed for a modest 115 in just 19 overs after Punjab won the toss and invited the visitors to bat. The hosts then returned to overhaul the target with 14 balls to spare.

Stating that losing opener Jesse Ryder (7) with the ball doing a bit early on, did not help their cause, Nehra said: "The first half was a bit slow, with ball doing a bit, but we didn't even play full 20 overs. Had we batted through and got 130-135 with the kind of bowling we have and supported with the fielding, things could have gone in our favour."

Nehra also felt that given the conditions on the ground with a hint of movement, it was a bad toss to lose. "Bad toss to lose, I would say. The ball was doing a bit," he said.

With the Warriors having won their first two games and losing one so far, Nehra said it was still early days.

"T20 is that kind of a format, there will be ups and downs. I am sure in future we will learn from our mistakes."

Nehra, who remained wicketless from three overs he bowled last night giving away 22 runs, was satisfied with his performance after missing the earlier games because of a muscle pull.

"The muscle pull is okay now and hopefully as the tournament progresses, I will keep bowling well," said Nehra, who also missed the last edition of IPL due to a hand surgery.

"Last year's IPL, I didn't play because of hand surgery. I am fine now and hopefully will have a good IPL (this season)."

Asia Cup final: Bowlers may decide the outcome

2012-03-21T23:56:00.003-07:00

Once again, fans in both India and Pakistan show that they value a victory over their arch-rival more than they do the tournament. If the 2007 World Cup taught us anything, it is that in the agony and disgrace of first-round exits, fans found ecstasy in seeing the same fate dealt to their neighbour. It may sound cruel, but India is eliminated from the Asia Cup on the back of wins over Pakistan and Sri Lanka and a loss to Bangladesh. The Indian fan will see the greater prize in a lifetime of memories from the team’s triumph over Pakistan.

Sri Lanka would do well to forget this tournament altogether. Upul Tharanga has demonstrated in the last handful matches that he is at home at No. 6. Chamara Kapugedera showed great fight and maturity when the top order collapsed to Nazmul Hossain. In every sense, the recent CB Series in Australia was a much better showing in a harder tournament, given the conditions. Sri Lanka would do well to not lose too much sleep over their three losses, and shift focus to their first Test against England which begins in less than a week.

Bangladesh will go into the final with a focused confidence. Since losing the curtain-raiser to Pakistan, they were forced to play with their backs to the wall, and won gritty contests. The only change Bangladesh made to the playing XI was to bring in Nazmul Hossain for Shafiul Islam after their win against India for the Sri Lanka match. Nazmul rewarded the coaching staff with three early breakthroughs and was the second-best player on either team after the ever-consistent Shakib Al Hasan. If there was a criticism to be made of Mushfiqur Rahim’s captaincy in the field, it was his late bowling changes that kept a wayward Shahadat Hossain running in while Nazmul languished on 3 for 22 with two overs to spare.

The team management has shown their willingness to tinker with a winning line-up, and they will surely consider sitting Shahadat, whose expensive figures belie his scattershot line. With an economy rate of 7.12, Shahadat has consistently been the most expensive bowler in an attack that prides itself on manufacturing dot balls and restricting single to apply pressure. Shahadat’s best match came against Pakistan where he took 3 for 53 from 8, and if he is kept for the final it will be on the hope that he can repeat that effort.

Looking for a change, Shafiul Islam could be brought back to strengthen the attack. Conversely, Bangladesh might look to strengthen the batting depth which was bowled out by Pakistan when they last met 21 runs short with two overs to go. In that case, they would do well to field a left-hander near the top with Imrul Kayes or Elias Sunny.

Where Bangladesh go into the final riding two victories, Pakistan does so on their only loss. Even though Pakistan won when the two sides met in their league match, the final will offer them a chance at redemption as they hope to improve on what was their worst performance of the tournament.

Pakistan will certainly make changes. Wahab Riaz will be the first to go after conceding a half-century with the ball in four overs. Sarfraz Ahmed must return to take the gloves after Umar Akmal played stand-in. That experiment cost Pakistan at least 20 runs in the field compounded by the loss of Umar Akmal marshalling the offside field from point and gully.

Those are the quick and easy fixes. George Bernard Shaw famously said, ‘Youth is wasted on the young.’ If there is any truth to the other side of the saying, then Misbah-ul Haq is proof that, ‘Experience is a burden to the old’. Misbah must make full use of his resources and trust Hammad Azam with the ball. His decision to not continue with Mohammad Hafeez’s offspin after taking Gambhir’s wicket in the first over against India showed too much reliance on the pre-match strategy. Hafeez had established himself as a threat with this second delivery and Misbah kept him out of the attack until the 12th over, by which point Tendulkar and Kohli had added 63 easy runs. Fortunately for Pakistan, Younis Khan found some form against India, and it was only an audacious blinder from the cat-like Raina that kept the batting side from posting a score north of 350.

One man who should find himself in a position similar to that of Shahadat Hossain is Shahid Afridi. It should have happened by now, but soon everyone will realize that Afridi is not doing enough to earn his place in the side. He positions himself as an allrounder, but his best days with either tool are behind him. Afridi is a liability with the bat and his bowling has been wayward. Like Shahadat, Afridi has the worst economy in his squad among those who sent down more than 4 overs. Like Shahadat, his reputation and the fact that his best (read: least worst) performance came against the other finalist will probably be enough to keep him on the field.

If Afridi is being played as a specialist bowler, the conditions point to Abdur Rehman, though that change is unlikely given the left-arm man has not played in the tournament. Bangladesh took more Pakistani wickets than any other opponent, so if Afridi makes room for a batsman, Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali are waiting in the wings, each of whom can sneak in a few overs of part-time legspin.

Bangladesh will prefer to chase their target, while Pakistan will prefer to defend theirs. This strategy will make the coin toss a formality and begin the chess match from the opening delivery. The final looks a contest to be won with the ball, and both teams will fancy their chances. As often happens when bowling is the focus of a match, it is the fielders who ultimately decide the contest, and Bangladesh hold a strong advantage in that department.

The Pakistan team has always had a second home in Bangladesh. The fans treat them as well as their own. This will be a moment of great pride for Bangladesh, possibly 100 overs away from being crowned the champions of Asia, and Pakistan will have to weather as hostile crowds as the friendly smiles in Dhaka can muster.

All-round Bangladesh trump Sri Lanka, enter Asia Cup final

2012-03-21T23:52:00.002-07:00

An all-round effort with the bat, ball and in the field helped Bangladesh continue their giant-killing run and defeat Sri Lanka by five wickets in a rain-affected match at Dhaka today to seal their spot in the final of the Asia Cup.

In a must-win match for them, Bangladesh bowled Sri Lanka out for 232 and then chased down the revised target of 212 in 40 overs with five wickets and 17 balls to spare. A lengthy rain delay after Sri Lanka's innings resulted in the truncated match, but Bangladesh held their nerve despite stumbling in the chase to earn a well-deserved win.

Bangladesh had a disastrous start to the run chase when they were slipped to 40 for 3 in 7.1 overs with Nuwan Kulasekara accounting for Nazimudding and captain Mushfiqur Rahim; and Suranga Lakmal had Jahurul Islam caught by Chamara Kapugedera at midwicket.

The in-form duo of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan got Bangladesh's chase back on course with their 76-run partnership in 12.1 overs for the fourth wicket to put the pressure back on Sri Lanka as the pair kept the scoreboard ticking over by rotating the strike and also hitting boundaries at regular intervals. None of the Sri Lankan bowlers made any impact on Tamim and Shakib as they adopted a low-risk but effective approach in their partnership.

Tamim, who was surprisingly left out of Bangladesh's original squad for the tournament before being reinstated, got to his half-century from only 46 balls; with Shakib continuing his brilliant form with the bat scoring his 50 from 43 deliveries. Tamim, who scored a 57-ball 59 had 28 dots, 19 singles, a couple of twos and nine boundaries in his innings; while Man-of-the-Match Shakib (56 from 46 deliveries) had 19 dots, 14 singles, four twos, two threes and seven boundaries to his name - this is as close as it gets to a
perfect partnership in ODIs.

Off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake dismissed both the set batsmen in quick succession to put the pressure back on Bangladesh with the hosts 135 for 5 in the 24th over. Senanayake dropped Tamim off his own bowling when the Bangladeshi opening batsman was on 51, but made amends soon after when he had the southpaw caught by Lahiru Thirimanne at point; before finally winning the battle against Shakib by trapping him plumb in front.

But, Nasir Hossain (36*) and Mahmudullah, who remained not out on 32 from 33 deliveries shared an unbroken partnership of 77 runs in 83 deliveries to ensure Bangladesh wouldn't be denied their just rewards.

Afghanistan and Namibia contest World T20 place

2012-03-21T23:47:00.002-07:00

Afghanistan and Namibia, unbeaten in the group stages of the qualifying tournament for this year's World Twenty20 Cup, meet on Thursday in a match which will secure the victors a tr i p to Sri Lanka.

The losers of Thursday's match will have a second chance to play in the World Cup this September although they will have to ba ttle with C anada, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scotland.

Afghanistan are favourites for Thursday's match after winning the qualifying tournament two years ago which secured them a place in the last World Cup. Namibia played in the 2003 World Cup where they lost each of their six matches.

Between them, the two teams can boast the top two run-scorers, with Namibian opening batsman Raymond van Schoor (323 runs) ahead of Afghanistan's Mohammad Shahzad (261). Shahzad is the man who reverse-swept Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal for six in a one-day international in Sharjah last month.

With the chance of a return to the big time, the Namibians could be forgiven for feeling nervous, especially now they are potentially one game away from achieving their goal.

However, captain Sarel Burger was emphatic about whether or not his side was under pressure.

"No," he told the ICC website (http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net)broadcast interview. "When the tournament started it was a long road to go (but) with the hard work we have already done it is now for the team to stick together and pull it off for the final game."

Afghanistan have welcomed back former coach Kabir Khan for this tournament after he spent a period coaching the UAE national team and captain Nawroz Mangal credited him with the team's unbeaten form leading into the final stages.

"This event has been great and we couldn't have done it without Kabir Khan our coach who has helped us get this far," Nawroz said in an ICC media release.

"Namibia are a good side whom we have faced before both in 2009 at the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier and also we played a warmup fixture against them ahead of this tournament but we are confident we will qualify for Sri Lanka later this year."

Afghanistan will be without several key players for the latter stages of the tournament with opening bowlers Hamid Hassan and Shapoor Zadran and opening batsman Noor Ali all absent with injuries

India vs Pak: Who will win this time?

2012-03-17T09:21:00.002-07:00

It's time for India vs Pakistan! The last time these two teams met was at the World Cup semi-final at Mohali, where the hosts and eventual champions India outplayed the visitors. A lot of things have happened in the year after that, and the situation is very different from how it was back then. Pakistan have become a much more consistent team, and India have been jolted by losses abroad.

The Asia Cup encounter is more important for India than it is for Pakistan, as the latter have already qualified for the final. India, coming after a shock-loss to Bangladesh, will have to play out of their skins against their arch rivals in a high-pressure game.

India and Pakistan have faced each other nine times in the Asia Cup, each winning four games. They will meet on Sunday again. India's attacking batsmen and Pakistan's spin wizardry promise to make this an exciting contest. Let's take a look at the previous nine games.

- 5th Match scheduled to begin at 13:30 IST, Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka

India squad

MS Dhoni(c & wk), Virat Kohli, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Gautam Gambhir, Ravindra Jadeja, Praveen Kumar, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Sachin Tendulkar, Manoj Tiwary, Vinay Kumar, Rohit Sharma, Rahul Sharma

Pakistan squad

Misbah-ul-Haq(c), Sarfraz Ahmed(wk), Aizaz Cheema, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, Younis Khan, Abdur Rehman, Asad Shafiq, Hammad Azam, Nasir Jamshed, Wahab Riaz, Umar Akmal

Tendulkar Hits Hundreth 100

2012-03-17T02:26:00.002-07:00

DHAKA - Sachin Tendulkar finally ended his year-long wait to score a record 100th international century but that failed to stop India stumbling to a shock five-wicket defeat by Bangladesh which threw the Asia Cup tournament wide open on Friday.

Tendulkar, who had gone 33 innings without scoring an international ton since chalking up 111 against South Africa last March, stroked a single off left-arm spinner Shakib Al Hasan to square leg in the 44th over to reach the landmark.

While the Little Master's achievement sparked celebrations among his team mates in the Shere Bangla National Stadium and brought the roaring crowd to their feet, Tendulkar simply raised his head skywards before kissing the Indian logo on his helmet.

"I am not God. After scoring 99 centuries, I needed a year to score another. It shows scoring a hundred from 99 is tough," a hugely relieved Tendulkar told reporters.

"It has been a test of my character and patience. Somebody who has not gone through this will not understand this. It has been really challenging.

"It was a tough journey. Now that it is out of the way things can come back to normal."

Tendulkar's determination to get the milestone out of the way may in the end have cost India the match as uncharacteristically he got bogged down in the 80s and it took him almost 15 overs to get the final 20 runs needed to cross three figures.

After a jittery innings featuring 12 fours and a six, he eventually perished for 114 after edging Mashrafe Mortaza's delivery to the wicketkeeper.

With the Indians still buzzing at Tendulkar's feat, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib gatecrashed the visitors' party with their quickfire knocks and overhauled the 290 victory target with four balls to spare.

Tamim Iqbal (70), Jahurul Islam (53) and Nasir Hossain (54) laid the foundations for the win by notching up fifties before Shakib scored 49 off 31 balls and Mushfiqur added an unbeaten 46 off 25 to help Bangladesh cruise past India's 289-5.

CLOSE DECISION

After Hossain and Shakib added 68 off 48 balls for the fourth wicket, India appeared to have snatched back the momentum when they dismissed Shakib in a close stumping decision.

However, skipper Mushfiqur tore apart the Indian attack, belting two huge sixes off seamer Irfan Pathan in the 48th over.

With Bangladesh needing 16 off 12 balls, Mushfiqur hit a four and a six in the first two balls of Praveen Kumar's next over to wrest control of the match.

Although Kumar went on to dismiss Nasir soon after, it was too late for India to salvage the contest and their defeat revived Bangladesh hopes of reaching next Thursday's final.

Pakistan top the standings with nine points while India and Bangladesh have four. Sri Lanka, who play the hosts in the final round robin match on Tuesday, have yet to win a match.

Sent in to bat first, India lost opener Gautam Gambhir (11) early on before Tendulkar added 148 runs with Virat Kohli for the second wicket.

Kohli missed out on a third consecutive one-day hundred when he was bowled by left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak for 66.

Tendulkar, however, could not be denied and scored his first ever ODI century against Bangladesh to complete his set against test playing nations.

India face arch-rivals Pakistan in their final round robin game on Sunday.

Asia Cup Match 2 - India vs Srilanka; Will India fire in familiar territory?

2012-03-13T00:18:00.002-07:00

Another ODI between India and Sri Lanka. Before you cringe in disgust, the mitigating factor in favour of the latest match is that it is not part of another hastily arranged bilateral series. The teams have no option but to meet once, at the least, in the Asia Cup.

One silver lining, if it can be called that, for India on the disaster that was their recent tour of Australia was their performance against Sri Lanka in the Commonwealth Bank series, which culminated in that record chase led by Virat Kohli in Hobart. Out of four meetings between the two sides, India won two and tied another.

India know that will count for little; Hobart and Mirpur are two different worlds as far as conditions are concerned. For the record, they are the defending champions in this tournament. India go into this series with several questions to answer. Among them is the role and future of Sachin Tendulkar in the ODI side. At least the rotation policy at the top of the order that was employed in Australia has become dormant for the moment with no Virender Sehwag in the squad.

The middle order comes with its list of young batsmen with much to prove. Are Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma the men who will perform for India in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand? Their presence in the squad shows that the selectors believe they will; the Asia Cup in Bangladesh, unfortunately, is not the place for them to prove they can.

In a way, India are in a cannot-win situation. If they do well in this tournament, it will be said that they are back to doing what they are best at - making merry on flat subcontinent pitches. If they do not, the talk will be that if they cannot do well even in these conditions …

Sri Lanka are in a much better position. This was not a statement you could have made before the CB series. What a difference the change of captain has made. Under Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka looked rudderless and stagnant. Under Mahela Jayawardene, they seem to have found their way again. What's more, Dilshan has rediscovered himself as a batsman too.

Jayawardene has said that his appointment is short-term and his immediate goal is to make Sri Lanka win again. He started well in the CB series with Sri Lanka narrowly losing out in the finals to Australia. Back in familiar conditions, and considering how rusty Pakistan and India have looked in ODIs recently, Sri Lanka will go in to the tournament as favourites.

Jayawardene succeeds where Dhoni fails

2012-03-11T23:17:00.001-07:00

The value of good captaincy may be debatable but there can be no disputing that strong leadership improves a cricket team's performance. Sri Lanka'sMahela Jayawardene is a good example.

His vibrant leadership during the CB Series inspired and took his team to the brink of a tournament victory. From the moment Jayawardene elevated himself to the top of the Sri Lankan order, his team became a threat. He also led the way with some brilliant fielding, but just as important as his individual contributions, it was his faith in his players and the respect he has earned that have elevated the level of Sri Lanka's play.

Good captaincy can be seen in the moves a skipper makes on the field but strong leadership is harder to quantify. It mostly involves work done behind closed doors but the rewards are reaped on the field.

Jayawardene showed enormous faith in Lasith Malinga following a horror night in Hobart. And his lead bowler continued to contribute despite a niggling injury. The rapport between the two was obvious when Jayawardene hugged Malinga after his outstanding finishing effort in the must-win match against Australia at the MCG.

In the end Sri Lanka fell just short of winning the trophy, but without Jayawardene's strong leadership and shrewd captaincy, it's doubtful they would have even reached the finals.

Compare Sri Lanka's playing-above-themselves competitiveness with India's under-performance throughout the Australian tour. There's no doubt India had a more talented line-up than Sri Lanka, but other than Virat Kohli's electrifying night at Bellerive, the Indian team was unable to live up to its reputation.

MS Dhoni is a good captain, better in the short forms of the game than Test cricket but a solid skipper nonetheless. However, he has been unable to inspire his team on two lacklustre tours and consequently eight overseas Tests have been lost on the trot. There may have been extenuating circumstances in England, where injuries took their toll, but the Australian tour was an unmitigated disaster

Good Start for Pakistan in Asian cup 2012

2012-03-11T22:58:00.002-07:00

Pakistan built, nearly self-destructed and counterattacked with the bat. Bangladesh built, nearly self-destructed and counterattacked with the bat. Pakistan's base was strong enough to weather the near-self-destruction. Their counterattack proved sharper in the end as they stopped hosts Bangladesh short of what would have been their highest successful chase at home.

Bangladesh produced most of the unexpected passages in the game. They reduced Pakistan to 198 for 7 from 135 for 0. They recovered from 135 for 5 to become the favourites towards the closing stages of the game. But when it came to the critical moments which decided the match, Pakistan proved superior.

Umar Gul smashed his highest ODI score of 39 from 25 deliveries to convert 198 for 7 into 262 for 8. With Bangladesh requiring 39 off 40 with five wickets in hand, Gul and Saeed Ajmal took 5 for 17 between them to ensure that Shakib Al Hasan's heroic innings ended in frustration and disappointment.

Shakib had induced the Pakistan batting collapse, along with Shahadat Hossain. Like a fighter who has resolutely accepted the fact that he will always have to battle more than his fellow soldiers, he brought his side back into contention after they threatened to implode in the chase.

Young Nasir Hossain matched his former captain stroke for stroke in an 89-run sixth-wicket partnership at a run a ball. Shakib drove, Nasir pulled, Shakib slashed, Nasir pulled harder, and Bangladesh hoped.

When Nasir took consecutive fours off Gul in the 44th over, Bangladesh seemed to have moved decisively in front. Gul is made of sterner stuff, though. He found nip off the pitch and movement in the air with a 21-over old ball and bowled Nasir for 47. Ajmal, who had gone for 11 in the previous over, stepped in now.

With the asking-rate under six, Abdur Razzak decided to slog at a full delivery only to get bowled. Mashrafe Mortaza saw the flight but did not read the doosra. Bowled again. Shafiul Islam had two deliveries to keep out in the next over, the 46th. Gul hurled in the inswinging yorker first up. Gone leg-before.

Australia lifted CB Series in low-scoring grand final

2012-03-08T04:45:00.002-08:00

In a Thrilling Final match Australia beat Sri Lanka by 16 runs to win the best-of-three match one-day international tri series at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

Australia scored 231 off 49.3 overs and held off a determined fightback to dismiss the World Cup finalists for 215 with seven balls to spare in the third ODI final.

Paceman Clint McKay proved Australia's match-winner taking five for 28 off 9.5 overs, including the big wickets of captain Mahela Jayawardene for 15 and Dinesh Chandimal for just five.

Veteran Brett Lee chipped in with three wickets for a more expensive 59 runs.

Upul Tharanga topscored for Sri Lanka with 71 off 122 balls, but once he was caught behind off Shane Watson, Sri Lanka dropped behind the required run-rate and needed 22 for victory off the last two overs.

Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade topscored with 49 off 74 balls in Australia's innings, with fellow opening batsman David Warner hitting 48 off 45

India beat Australia in 4th ODI at Oval

2012-02-12T04:03:00.001-08:00

India weren’t perfect today. But they beat Australia the hard way. And nothing satisfies a team more than a hard-fought win when it is going through a rut.

A pale-looking MS Dhoni got off to an agonisingly slow start of three runs in 17 balls. But he caught up with the pace at the end, capping off a tight chase for 270 by getting India the 13 needed in the final over from Clint McKay.

It helped India burst past some glass ceilings – they had never beaten Australia in an ODI in Adelaide, and had never chased more than 242 against the hosts in their country. More importantly, the win would take the attention away from the howls of protest after Sachin Tendulkar was rested today.

Gambhir Shines

The chase was set up by Gautam Gambhir’s 92 and a couple of thirties from Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina. But each time they seemed at ease, Indian batsmen got out to rash shots to complicate matters.

Virender Sehwag (after adding 52 with Gambhir) got out to McKay trying to flick a loose ball on the leg. Virat Kohli was caught at the cover boundary trying to hit a six. And Rohit, having looked in total ease, played a ridiculous chip shot to be caught at long-off.

The win was in sight before India nearly botched it the chase by playing out two quiet overs from left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty in which Raina yorked himself, and Ravindra Jadeja holed out to midwicket, leaving the game precariously balanced.

Monster Six

Dhoni biffed McKay’s second ball into the banks behind long-on, one of the biggest boundaries in international cricket. The hit may have easily been about 120 metres long. Dhoni swung the next ball, a waist-high full-toss to midwicket, where it was caught by David Warner. The no-ball was called, leaving India three runs to get from three balls.

He swung it to midwicket again, taking three runs, coolly collecting a souvenir stump and walking off the park. At the award ceremony, Dhoni said he had hit a longer six in his pre-India days. It put in the shade a pull shot by Rohit for six – probably the most authoritative shot an Indian batsman had done on this tour of Australia.

India Raise Fielding Standards

India did two things well today. They fielded well, and bowled tightly in the last 10 overs (conceding 57-4), displaying a real urgency to keep Australia’s score down. India scored four run-outs in the second T20 in Melbourne. Today they had three, plus a sharp catch by Virender Sehwag to dismiss Hussey.

Sehwag’s catch was crucial. Australia looked set for a score close to 300. Sehwag’s tumbling effort at square leg cut short Hussey’s stay at 72. But the run-outs of David Warner and Daniel Christian were also crucial in keeping Australia under check.

Forrest Shines On Debut

The merits of the rotation system is another topic. The fact is that Australia have come out of their worst slump in years on the basis on really good selections. Today, the right-handed Peter Forrest came in for Mike Hussey, who has been given a week’s rest.

Forrest in only 26 and has played just 37 First Class games. This is in sharp contrast with Hussey, who was 30 and nearly 15,000 First Class runs down before he wore the Baggy Green. But like Hussey when he appeared on the scene, Forrest looked ready for the big league.

On his international debut, Forrest looked at ease – off the front-foot, off the back-foot, against pace or spin. You’d expect an Australian batsman coming out of Brisbane to be really good against pace bowling. But Forrest impressed with his footwork against Indian spinners too.

Twice he walked down to Jadeja and Rohit – that walk is rarely seen in the stand-and-deliver era – and lofted them over the straight field for six. If you could find one blemish in the innings, it was that Dhoni didn’t consider exposing Forrest to Zaheer Khan, and gave a long run to his spinners, none of whom were particularly impressive today.

Give Sachin Tendulkar a break in Sydney test

2012-01-03T01:07:00.000-08:00

Predictably, the lead up to the Sydney Test centered around Sachin's much awaited hundredth international century (babies have arrived sooner). This time even the Aussie media went berserk, eulogising on how wonderful it would be for Tendulkar to reach the landmark in Sydney Cricket Ground's 100th Test.

What was most disappointing was to see former cricketers and experts give so much importance to the landmark. An otherwise level-headed Mark Nicholas, went to the extent of quizzing Dhoni at the toss, not on who made India's XI or their strategy for the game, but on how he would like it if Sachin scored his ton of tons in Sydney.

When Sachin walked in to the middle with India already reeling on 30 for 2, Ravi Shastri (not one to be outdone) spoke of how the master blaster would be nervous. Not because of the precarious position his side were in or due to the menacing bowling he was about to encounter, but because as Shastri claimed "he is approaching such a big milestone." Facepalm moment anyone?

With India's first innings wrapping for 191, India most definitely have more important things that merit their attention.

Brilliant Australia blow India away in Melbourne

2011-12-29T01:59:00.000-08:00

The most gripping day of the Melbourne Test ended in an anti-climax with Australia crushing India by 122 runs.

Australia had their backs to the wall at the start of Day 4, but their positive intent and perfect execution of bowling plans laid low their opponents. India were bizarrely defensive with the ball and showed no stomach for a fight with the bat chasing a stiff 292.

One of Australia’s finds of the season, James Pattinson, and Peter Siddle made the most of India’s trigger-happiness with the bat. They bowled in the right areas — Pattinson’s high pace in particular troubled every batsman — and India obliged them with outside edges.

This was the sort of wicket were the home team also made the same mistakes with the bat. But the key to winning this game was building partnerships. Australia had several; India, none.

India let momentum slip

In the morning session, Mike Hussey, Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus thrived with MS Dhoni’s conservative field settings that allowed them to pick easy singles and score the occasional boundary.

India, 230 runs behind at the start of the day, let the momentum drift. No team has chased more than 250 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground since 1961.

Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir fell cheaply. The contest practically ended when Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli fell within a few overs of each other in the noon session. What came to hurt India bad was their conservative tactics against the Australia lower order.

Their last four wickets added 119 runs in the first innings and 92 in the second. In a low-scoring game such as this, 211 runs were a lot to give away to the tail-end. To Australia’s credit, they fought tooth and nail and the 60 runs they added this morning caused a seismic momentum shift.

Pattinson took seven wickets in the game, and batting at No. 10, was unbeaten in both innings in making 18 and 37. But this wouldn’t have been possible had Dhoni applied greater pressure on him his partners.

Former Australia captain and commentator Ian Chappell in particular was critical of Dhoni’s methods. Today, he described them as “... ridiculous... an absolute blue print on how to lose a Test match.” India proved him right.

India takes place against Australia - Test cricket

2011-12-28T08:57:00.000-08:00

Indifferent batting from India and an abject response by the Australian top order left the first Test tantalisingly poised after a helter skelter third day on which 15 wickets fell at the MCG.

The visitors and the hosts traded collapses on a track still offering a modicum of help to the bowlers, India slipping from 2 for 214 to 282 all out before Australia slumped to 4 for 27 thanks to Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma. It was a hole plugged only partially by the staunch efforts of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, who was undefeated on 79 when the close arrived at 8 for 179, the lead standing at 230.

Rahul Dravid, bowled off second ball of the morning by the recalled and renewed Ben Hilfenhaus, completed his unhappy day by shelling the sort of slips catch he would expect to claim when Hussey advanced to R Ashwin on 69. Though Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon departed thereafter, it may yet prove a crucial drop.

Hussey and Ponting were both under enormous pressure for runs coming into this match, given their poor recent returns, but younger team-mates were grateful for their calming presence in a partnership of 115 after the tumult that marked the start of the second innings. Hussey's innings was particularly strong, counter-punching from the start to build some sort of lead.

India had earlier surrendered 8 for 68 to be halted 51 runs short of Australia's 333. Hilfenhaus followed up Dravid's defeat with the wickets of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and the dogged nightwatchman Ishant Sharma, while Siddle neutralised the threat of VVS Laxman and rounded things off by disposing of Ashwin for a useful 31.

The continuing flood of wickets was attributable to smart, full bowling but also poor batting, with David Warner, Ed Cowan and Shaun Marsh all guilty of vast misjudgements. Michael Clarke was less culpable, out to a corking delivery from Ishant. Ponting's dismissal was followed by another flighty innings from keeper Brad Haddin, who must be under severe scrutiny for his spot despite claiming five catches.

Starting out with a 51-run advantage, Warner and Cowan were unable to get themselves going in the manner of the first innings. Warner looked uncomfortable, tugging at the ball rather than timing it, and it was no great surprise when he dragged Yadav onto the stumps with an angled bat. Cowan had left the ball with great skill on Boxing Day, but two balls after Warner he would die by the sheathed sword, padding up to a Yadav delivery that straightened and as such having scant cause to complain about the lbw verdict.

Sachin disappointment but India ahead

2011-12-28T08:47:00.000-08:00

The 50,000 odd fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, many of them Indians, were hoping on Tuesday that the Master Blaster will finally end the wait to get his 100th international ton.

Sachin Tendulkar was in sublime touch but the landmark was not to be as he fell to Peter Siddle for 73, three deliveries before stumps on the second day.

The wicket sent groans around the MCG but the Indians weren't complaining.

Tendulkar's century partnership with Rahul Dravid(68 not out) laid the platform for the visitors to seize the advantage on Day 3.

"It's going to eventually happen," team-mate R Ashwin said afterwards.

point in bothering about it. We're very happy to be in this position."

"Probably one wicket less would have been nice. Tendulkar played well but eventually he got a good ball," he said

But it was Sehwag who set the tone for India. The Nawab of Najafgarh produced an aggressive innings as the visitors started their response to Australia's 333 before he was removed just before the tea interval.

The opener raced to 67 from 83 balls - passing 8,000 Test runs in the process and surviving two lives - before James Pattinson knocked over his middle stump.

Australia's pent up frustration showed after Pattinson and Sehwag clashed briefly but the hosts will have much to worry as India look to turn the screws with a third good day on the trot.

Sixteen teams from World for ICC World T20 Qualifiers

2011-12-21T23:12:00.000-08:00

Sixteen teams from across the world, including United States and Uganda, will compete in March next year to claim the last two available spots for the ICC World Twenty20, to be held in Sri Lanka. The ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers will be held in the UAE from March 13 to 24.

The 12-day qualifying tournament will be played at five venues -- Dubai International Cricket Stadium and ICC Global Cricket Academy grounds number one and number two in Dubai, Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Stadium and Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The 16 teams have been divided into two groups with Afghanistan, Netherlands, Canada, Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Bermuda, Denmark and Nepal forming Group A. Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, Namibia, Uganda, Oman, Italy and the USA form Group B.

The tournament winner will join Australia and the West Indies in Group B of the ICC World Twenty20 in September 2012 while the losing finalist will complete Group A which also includes defending champion England and 2007 winner India.

"This final qualifier is the last step of a pathway that comprised 13 ICC regional tournaments during 2010 and 2011 and saw the involvement of over 90 ICC Associate and Affiliate members. The 72-match format has been designed to give the best sides every chance of making the final," ICC Global Development Manager Tim Anderson said.

According to the tournament format, the sides that top the two groups will feature in the 1st Qualifying Final at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 22 with the winner sealing a place in the ICC World Twenty20, to be staged from September 18 to October 7.

Meanwhile, the sides that finish second and third in the two groups will play cross-over matches. The two winners of those matches will progress to the Preliminary Final to be played on March 23 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The 2nd Qualifying Final -- for the second spot in the ICC World Twenty20 -- will take place on March 24 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium between the loser of the 1st Qualifying Final and the winner of the Preliminary Final.

The winners of the two Qualifying Finals will play in the tournament final on March 24 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Sportsperson of the Year: Sachin Tendulkar from India

2011-12-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

Is there any surprise here? Sachin might well be the sportsperson of the decade, if not the last two decades and indeed, for a better part of this millennium for India. As compatriot and starry-eyed fellow player Virat Kohli put it, for the better part of 20 years, Sachin has carried the burden of a nation's expectation on his shoulders alone.

For having inspired a nation to put aside its religious, linguistic and other like divides aside every time he picks up the willow and takes centrestage on the cricket ground, Sachin Tendulkar, teen prodigy turned the player who defines the 'gentleman' part of the gentleman's game, is this year's sportsperson of the year, his elusive 100th ton aside.

Dravid bats for Test Championship and day-night Tests

2011-12-15T04:28:00.000-08:00

Rahul Dravid delivered an astounding speech at the the annual Sir Donald Bradman Oration for 2011 at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The Indian batting star covered a range of topics and made a strong point about why cricket needs to find a way to accommodate all three formats.

The 2nd highest run-getter in Tests also spoke about the effect Sir Donald Bradman had on him, and in fact, every Indian cricket fan while also saying that "the Indian cricket team is in fact, India itself, in microcosm." "The Indian cricket team is in fact, India itself, in microcosm.

A sport that was played first by princes, then their subordinates, then the urban elite, is now a sport played by all of India," the former Indian captain said.

Dravid who became the first foreigner to deliver a speech at the event added the Indian cricket teams presents a view of the country itself with myriad languages and cultures. "In this last decade, the Indian team represents more than ever before, the country we come from - of people from vastly different cultures, who speak different languages, follow different religions, belong to all classes of society," he said. "I went around our dressing room to work out how many languages could be spoken in there and the number I have arrived at is: 15 including Shona and Akrikaans." He however said that, in spite of the variety he thoroughly enjoyed his stint as the national skipper: "Most foreign captains, I think, would baulk at the idea. But, when I led India, I enjoyed it, I marvelled at the range of difference and the ability of people from so many different backgrounds to share a dressing room, to accept, accommodate and respect that difference.

In a world growing more insular, that is a precious quality to acquire, because it stays for life and helps you understand people better, understand the significance of the other," he said. Dravid said that while it was tough to allocate an equal number of games to all formats, a 'middle path' should be found to reduce 'the merry-go-round that the players find themselves in' "Cricket must find a middle path," Dravid said. "It must scale down this mad merry-go-round that teams and players find themselves in: heading off for two-Test tours and seven-match ODI series with a few Twenty20s thrown in." The newly appointed Rajastan Royals skipper said it will be a challenge for the administration to draw crowds for Test cricket and that day-night Tests could be the answer. "Test cricket deserves to be protected, it is what the world's best know they will be judged by. Where I come from, nation versus nation is what got people interested in cricket in the first place. When I hear the news that a country is playing without some of its best players, I always wonder, what do their fans think? "People may not be able to turn up to watch Test cricket but everyone follows the scores.

We may not fill 65,000 capacity stadiums for Test matches, but we must actively fight to get as many as we can in, to create a Test match environment that the players and the fans feed off. Anything but the sight of Tests played on empty grounds," he added. "For that, we have got to play Test cricket that people can watch. I don't think day-night Tests or a Test championship should be dismissed. In March of last year I played a day-night first-class game in Abu Dhabi for the MCC - and my experience from that was that day-night Tests is an idea seriously worth exploring. There may be some challenges in places where there is dew but the visibility and durability of the pink cricket ball was not an issue," he said. The quintessential batsman also supported the idea of a Test Championship saying it would drive players and teams to be more competitive.

"Similarly, a Test championship, with every team and player driving themselves to be winners of a sought after title, seems like it would have a context to every game. Keeping Tests alive may mean different innovations in different countries - maybe taking it to smaller cities, playing it in grounds with smaller capacities like New Zealand has thought of doing, maybe reviving some old venues in the West Indies, like the old Recreation Ground in Antigua," the 38 year old said.

Zaheer khan back for Australian batsmen

2011-12-15T04:23:00.000-08:00

With a gruelling four-Test series against Australia ahead, India pace spearhead Zaheer Khan on Thursday said he is prepared for the challenge and determined to get in the "best state of mind". "I am all prepared for it. I am feeling confident, I have done every bit possible to get my fitness up and just looking forward to playing some matches now," said Zaheer. The left-arm pacer reiterated that he wanted to focus on his strengths rather than pondering over the conditions and the quality of batsman in the opposite camp. "Just want to focus on my strengths rather than worrying who am I going to bowl, what is going to happen, what kind of wickets I am going to bowl on. It's all about me thinking about my bowling and fitness and get in the best state of mind to perform well for team India," Zaheer said. "I have played few first class games back home which went well, I have enough bowling under my belt so just want to focus on my cricket now," he added. Zaheer stressed on the importance of hitting the right areas to keep the batsmen under check and said the practice games ahead of the all-important series will help the bowlers to explore the right length. "As a bowler its all about getting in the right areas, if you are hitting the right length, if you are able to get the ball moving, then you are going to trouble any batsman in the world," he said. "It is about increasing the percentage of getting the ball in the right areas which is going to cause trouble to the batsman. For bowlers it is important to try and work out which length to bowl on this track," Zaheer stressed. Zaheer also said it will be important for the batsman to get accustomed to the conditions. "For batters also it is important to get used to the conditions. I am sure from batting point of view also it is going to be an important match," he said. The 32-year-old, who skipped India's two-day warm-up match against CA Chairman today, heaped praise on the young Umesh Yadav for his three-wicket haul at the Manuka Oval. "Its good to see him bowl 140 plus which is really important and I am sure that wickets here are definitely going to suit his style of bowling because wickets are going to produce that extra bit of bounce," Zaheer said. "Its still early days for him, the more he plays the more he will learn. So its all about exposure at this level. I am sure with time to come he will learn more things as well," he added.

The Best chance to beat Australia Down Under: Dhoni

2011-12-13T01:45:00.000-08:00

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni reckons that the upcoming four-Test series is his team's "best chance" of upsetting Australia in their own backyard but will not take them lightly despite their recent slump. India and Australia will square off from December 26 in a highly-anticipated series in which the visitors seem to have a good chance given the struggle through transition that Michael Clarke's men are enduring. On a day the Indian players head Down Under, Australia were upstaged in a Test at home by New Zealand for the first time in 26 years. "Even last time we had a very good chance and we did perform well. It is not like that the opposition is not doing well (but) it will be the best chance for us," Dhoni told reporters in a pre-departure press conference here in Chennai. "We have to play to the kind of talent that we have got and not worry about such things. We need to work on our strengths and weaknesses. We are more concerned about where we need to work on and not worry about what kind of opposition we are playing," the skipper stated. India's two first-choice pacers, Praveen Kumar and Varun Aaron, were ousted due to injuries even before the tour started but Dhoni insisted that led by the experienced Zaheer Khan, bowling will click Down Under. "Our bowlers are talented. Of course, when you do not have your main bowlers you need a bit of time. Once the youngsters play more and more games, that is how they get experienced at the top level. I think talent wise we are there. We have a good exposure for the youngsters who are part of the side now touring Australia," he said. Dhoni took a break from cricket by opting out of the just-concluded ODI series against the West Indies at home and he said he is back a rejuvenated man. "I needed the break and I am happy that I got it. The team also did really well. I am looking forward to the Australian tour," he said. "We have enough time for some preparation also before the start of the first test match that we play. Looking good as of now. Hopefully we do not have too many injuries before the start of the Test series," he added. Asked which aspect of the game the Indian team needs to improve on, Dhoni said, "You want to improve in all three departments (bowling, batting and fielding) always. You have seen cricketers who have been part of international cricket for more than 10 years still believe in improving and they keep improving. It is a constant process and everyone is part of it." He stressed on how important the catches would be and hoped that Indian fielders, certainly not the best in circuit by his own admission, would latch on to catches that come their way in Australia. "We would like to improve in all the three departments. Catching will be very crucial. Last series that we played in India we did not have so many catching fielders. We need to have a bit more catching fielders. They say catches win matches, which is true. So that will be one of the areas where we have to work on. On big grounds, running between wickets and trying to keep the batsman on strike are also necessary. All these small things help you put pressure on the opposition," he explained. Despite the couple of injury setbacks before the tour, Dhoni hoped that players would remain fit through the gruelling tour, which also features a tri-nation ODI series in February-March. "If you see the injury list, it is quite blank as of now. More often than not, the 15 or 16 who are in the team will be ready for selection to play. That takes a bit of the pressure off and you need not worry about the playing eleven that much and most of players get their berths on merit. Apart from that, if you see, the batting lineup is quite the same. Bowling wise we have got Umesh Yadav who can bowl over 140 kmph. I think it looks like a good pack. We need to do well on the field rather than looking at it as to how we look on paper." he said. Tours to Australia almost always include a bit of controversy, the ugliest of which was perhaps the 2008 'monkeygate scandal'. The two protagonists of the drama, Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds, are not part of the series this time and Dhoni hoped that there wouldn't be any face-offs of that kind. "We will try to keep the fireworks off. Someone like Virender Sehwag starts playing their game, then there will be fireworks on the field. Not on the verbal side but with the bat and if the bowlers are going the ball will do the talking. Hopefully, we will keep the controversy away," Dhoni said. Indian coach Duncan Fletcher, who was also present at the media interaction, said having around half a dozen players including Sachin Tendulkar early in Australia will work to India's advantage. "We have sent some of the players early to Australia. By putting up two warm-up games you hope that they adapt during that period of time. Probably it is not easy enough. Perhaps at the nets if they give us the same set of quality and from that they will be able to adapt enough. We will see when we go in to the first Test." he said. On Zaheer's fitness status, given his history of breaking down on long tours, Fletcher said, "From the reports that I get, Zaheer had come to Mumbai and bowled at the nets there and he looked impressive. I think it is very important that he looked to be in very good condition from what we saw in him even when he came to England. Secondly, he has got these two games. It will be preparation for him. We do not want to rush him too quickly. The one three day game there, will be important for him before the first Test." he added.

Sehwag's record-breaking 219

2011-12-09T04:02:00.000-08:00

Quite naturally, the only memory that will remain of the India vs West Indies 4th ODI is that of Virender Sehwag smashing his way into the record books with 219 bludgeoned runs, but along the way Sehwag also crossed the significant landmark of 8000 ODI runs. Sehwag is on the cusp of 8000 Test runs too and it's a safe bet that he will end his career with 10,000 runs in both forms of the game. Another facet that completely escaped notice during Sehwag's innings was that in terms of balls faced, the 149 that he lasted today was the longest Sehwag has ever batted in ODIs. His previous best was during the opening match of the 2011 World Cup where he batted for 140 balls while bludgeoning 175 runs against Bangladesh. Given that Sehwag had stated before the World Cup that he would aim to stay for the full 50 overs at the crease - and given the devastating results when he does stay for long - this is a welcome sign for the Indian team. It also means that if Sehwag continues to have innings where he aims to last the full quota of overs, he could have another mammoth score soon to join in the list of best ever scores in ODI cricket.