Cricket Mania

Akram nails two in two

2009-06-03T23:20:00.000-07:00

'Wasim's World Cup ripper of rippers came with a sequel hot on its heels'
Melbourne, 25 March 1992

The first World Cup final to be played under lights, the only one to take place in Australia, and the last one not to feature the Australian team. The two finalists are the team that did best in the group stage - England, astonishingly - and the one that came roaring into form just in time - Pakistan.

The game ebbs and flows nicely. Derek Pringle's tidy outswing puts England on top before two grizzled maestros, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad, fight back with a stand of 139. With a fluent 40 from their latest discovery Inzamam-ul-Haq, and a buccaneering 33 from Wasim Akram, Pakistan set a target of 250.

England stumble to 69 for 4 in the twilight, but then Neil Fairbrother and Allan Lamb drag them back into it. They put on 72 and Imran is forced to turn to his sole spearhead, Wasim (Imran himself is bowling with a bad shoulder, and Waqar Younis has missed the whole tournament). Wasim has to find something special. It helps that his speciality is reverse swing at high pace. He ambles in to Lamb, round the wicket, and fires one in towards his pads. It shapes in, then darts away, beating Lamb's baffled prod and taking out the off stump.

Chris Lewis comes in at No.7. Wasim goes wider on the crease and greets him with what appears to be an off-side wide, but it curls back wickedly late and takes out the off stump again. Wasim went on to play one-day international cricket for longer than any other bowler - 18 years, 356 games, 502 wickets - but he never bettered those two balls.

'The battle is not over' - Greig

2009-06-03T23:11:00.001-07:00

Tony Greig: "I always thought that a compromise would resolve the issues and I am still of the view that the BCCI are missing an opportunity with Zee." © Getty Images

Related Links News: BCCI amnesty for 79 players
News: Gillespie saddened by exodus from ICL
News: Kemp terminates ICL contract
News: The loyal blues
News: We've shortlisted ICL players for Knight Riders - Buchanan
Analysis: Where do we go from here?
Analysis: Will the ICL survive?
In Focus: ICL vs BCCI
Player/Officials: Subhash Chandra | Tony Greig
Series/Tournaments: ICL 20-20 Indian Championship
Teams: England | India

Though the ICL has received a major setback with the mass exodus of 79 of its Indian cricketers, Tony Greig, a senior member of the ICL board, has said though the time is not right for the league to fight the situation, it did not mean that the battle is over for them.

"If the players are seeking reinstatement in order to play first-class cricket in India and are also trying to break into the IPL then it's natural that there will be a view that the ICL is winding down," Greig told Cricinfo. "(But) I don't think Subhash Chandra (who owns the ICL) sees it that way. He is being realistic, the financial crisis has hit the media industry hard and cash is tight. He has obligations to the ICL players which he is working through. This is not the time to be fighting but that does not mean the battle is over."

Greig, who played a key role in setting up the league in 2007, also said that the players' decision to leave was "perfectly understandable" and added that the league will now have to recruit replacements if it plans to hold a "meaningful" event in the near future.

"This all seemed to me to be perfectly understandable but the ICL will now have to face the prospect of recruiting other players or there is no prospect in the short term of a meaningful tournament," he said. "There is however one other important point that needs to be made and that is the issue of the 'restraint of trade' and 'inducement to breach contract' court actions being brought by the ICL against the BCCI and the ICC. These actions need to run their course and until they have its not appropriate to speculate on what will happen to the ICL."

The ICL plans to restart its international schedule in October after cancelling its March tournament due to the global financial crisis that left the players with little cricket, leading to the mass exodus.

"The ICL has encouraged the players to go down this path," he said. "When the financial crises hit it was decided to cancel the planned March tournament and as a result the short term prospect of cricket for many of the ICL players diminished. At this point it became difficult for the ICL to insist that players stayed. This particularly applied to the ICL Indian players. As a result the ICL have encouraged its players to take advantage of the situation and try and get themselves back into the establishment game."

Greig also claimed that the Indian board's amnesty scheme was a bit of a compromise, considering that they had originally banned the ICL players "forever". "The BCCI has been pushed by the ICC to resolve the ICL issue," he said. "There have been meetings between the BCCI, the ICC and the ICL but they didn't resolve the issue. In fact, it got to a point where someone had to do something and so the BCCI set a date. This move was a bit of compromise, as there was a time when they were saying that the ICL players would be banned forever."

He pointed out that the BCCI was missing an opportunity by not arriving at an understanding with Zee, the media group that owns the ICL, and hoped that the situation will change "in the best interests of all cricketers".

"I always thought that a compromise would resolve the issues and I am still of the view that the BCCI are missing an opportunity with Zee," he said. "There is always a chance that there will be a change in attitude because one should always remember that cricket administrators move on far more quickly than those who run big businesses. Who knows what will happen in the next year or two. Hopefully, whatever it is in the best interests of all cricketers."

Kemp terminates ICL contract

2009-06-03T23:09:00.001-07:00

Justin Kemp, the South Africa allrounder, has become eligible to participate in official cricket after terminating his contract with the ICL. Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO, Gerald Majola, said Kemp - who represented Hyderabad Heroes - complied with the amnesty offer by the board, where the players associated with the unauthorised league were given till May 31 to end their contracts.

"Justin Kemp is the first ICL player to meet these conditions and he is now eligible to play South African franchise cricket after the six-month cooling off period," Majola said. "We are very happy to welcome Justin back into the fold, and wish him all the best for the future".

Kemp last played in the ICL in November 2008, and will be available for selection when the South African cricketing season begins in September this year.

Kemp's decision comes after CSA unveiled an amnesty offer for ICL players in May, after the BCCI had started the trend, offering its players a chance to return to the official fold on April 29.

Other South African players who had joined the ICL include Nicky Boje, Dale Benkenstein, Andrew Hall and Johan van der Wath.

Meanwhile, senior England officials have confirmed the vast majority of the nation's ICL-contracted players have severed ties with the unsanctioned league. Sean Morris, the chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, told the Telegraph "pretty much everyone has cut links with the ICL," while Giles Clarke, the ECB's chairman, predicted the demise of the tournament could bolster the county game.

"If ICL is shown to be at an end then this is good news for international cricket," Clarke told the Guardian. "I have been vehemently against unauthorised cricket from the outset. It causes great problems for the game. The collapse of ICL might well increase the number of international players available for English counties"

Gillespie saddened by exodus from ICL

2009-06-03T23:08:00.001-07:00

Jason Gillespie, the former Australia fast bowler, has been saddened by the mass exodus of players from the ICL and believes the unofficial Twenty20 league will continue to struggle for traction in the mainstream cricketing market until it is officially recognised by the ICC. He does not expect the cash-strapped ICL to conduct a tournament in 2009, but remains hopeful that a successful legal challenge to the ICC could pave the way for a return the following year.

"It's incredibly sad but it all comes down to that issue of recognition," Gillespie told Cricinfo. "With my team, the [Ahmedabad] Rockets, we have already lost quite a few young Indian players back to official cricket. I don't begrudge them that. They have to make a living and they don't want to be ostracised anymore.

"What is killing the ICL is that the ICC refuses to give it recognition. They are being squeezed by the BCCI, so the ICC's fall-back position is to label it a domestic tournament. That's their get-out-of-jail-free card. The ICL is going to struggle until it is recognised by the ICC. The players involved in the ICL just want to play cricket. That has been quite hard for some of them, especially the younger guys, when they've had their status taken away."

Gillespie, like many of the ICL's high-profile players, has yet to be paid in full for his two seasons of service to the ICL. But while younger cricketers have rushed to take up the BCCI's amnesty offer, Gillespie, who has retired from first-class cricket, has pledged to remain loyal to the Zee Telefilms-backed league.

"I'm not giving up hope on the ICL," he said. "If I'm to be completely honest, I'm not convinced that there will be a tournament this year, but hopefully they'll get it back together for 2010. There's still a chance. I know the ICL is keen to explore the legal route, the restraint of trade argument. They've been advised that legally they have a pretty strong case. But at the end of the day, until we get recognition it will be an uphill battle.

"It's no secret that they've fallen a bit behind in their payments. The ICL management have been in contact with me and they have reassured me that they will settle their dues as soon as they can. I trust in that correspondence. I have a contract with them, and I would like to see it out."

We've shortlisted ICL players for Knight Riders - Buchanan

2009-06-03T23:04:00.001-07:00

Kolkata Knight Riders have been actively scouting ICL batsmen and John Buchanan, the franchise coach, believes an influx of players from the unsanctioned Twenty20 league could solve many of his team's problems. While it's not yet clear how or when ICL players will be incorporated into the league, Buchanan said KKR were ready to snap up a number of batsmen whom they have been monitoring for several seasons.

"I said right from the outset that we were short of quality Indian top-order batsmen and that is still the case," Buchanan told Cricinfo. "The ICL has released quite a few players in the last little while. There are quite a lot of good, young Indian batsmen among them and I think that is a situation that could work well for KKR.

"We've shortlisted about half a dozen Indian batsmen in the ICL. Now we're just waiting to hear back from the IPL as to how they will approach this issue of letting players in - if there will be a draft or an open market."

Whether Buchanan is around to oversee the purchase of ICL players remains a matter of conjecture, with recent media reports in India suggesting the former Australian coach is facing the sack in the wake of KKR's last-placed finish in 2009. When asked whether he expected to return with Kolkata next season, Buchanan offered a qualified answer - "I do at the moment" - but admitted to uncertainty over his future.

"It's all under review at the moment," he said. "There's lots of conjecture out there at the moment, but it will come down to what the team wants and how the owners feel. Nothing is finalised. Shah Rukh was not over there for the final stages of the tournament. I have spoken with Jai Mehta, but he said he had been finding it difficult to get in touch with Shah Rukh."

van der Wath, Hayward back in South African fold

2009-06-03T23:01:00.001-07:00

South African fast bowlers Nantie Hayward and Johan van der Wath will be available to play under the auspices of CSA again after having terminated their ICL contracts. "Hayward, Van der Wath and Kemp are all high-level products of CSA's system, and we are glad that they have decided to rejoin," Gerald Majola, the South African board's chief executive, said.

Hayward, who played for Chennai Superstars and Royal Bengal Tigers, and Mumbai Champs' van der Wath join Justin Kemp among those who have complied with CSA's newly announced amnesty conditions for players associated with the unofficial league. The amnesty followed a ruling by the ICC that it would accept those players and officials who terminated their ICL contracts back into their fold.

The ICC also proposed a "cooling off" period between the termination of the ICL contracts and the resumption of official cricket, and has left it to the member countries to decide on the appropriate timeline.

Majola said CSA had introduced a six-month period from the time of the player's last appearance in the ICL provided he has terminated his contract, and franchises would be able to contract players under the terms of the current Memorandum of Understanding or on a pay-for-play basis. "Players must terminate their contracts by May 31, 2009 if they wish to be eligible to play in next year's Champions League or IPL," Majola said.

Both Hayward and van der Wath have met the conditions and are now eligible to play under the CSA after the six-month cooling off period.

Wright and Bopara crush West Indies

2009-06-03T22:59:00.001-07:00

England have comfortably had the better of West Indies throughout their early-season exchanges and the theme continued at Lord's. They raced to a nine-wicket win with 32 balls remaining on the back of an electric opening stand of 119 between Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara. Wright finished with 75 from 38 deliveries after giving the stands a peppering, and confirming his position for the tournament opener, against Netherlands, on Friday.

England's opening combination has never been settled in Twenty20s, but after this effort it's difficult to see these two being separated in the next couple of weeks. The team performance against Scotland was far from convincing, but here England hit their stride with the bowlers and fielders also doing their jobs to hold West Indies to 144.

As the openers did against Scotland they played themselves in for a couple of overs, but the difference was this time they kicked on. Wright struggled initially and the pressure was building, but he found his range as he tucked into Lionel Baker, then Bopara opened up as he took four crunching boundaries off Dwayne Bravo's opening over.

West Indies' fielding again let them down when Sulieman Benn dropped a regulation chance at midwicket when Bopara was on 29 and the match was soon out of reach. England are often criticised for not clearing the boundary often enough, but Wright unleashed three consecutive leg-side sixes in Kieron Pollard's first over which cost 22 with a show of brutal strength and moved to fifty off 36 balls. It was the style of batting that he produces at county level but hasn't been consistently able to translate to the next level. He won't always be successful, but the England management appear ready to trust his ability.

Bopara's talent is already clear and some of his boundary-striking was a joy as he played with uninhibited ease. His half century took 31 deliveries and it was looking as though England would cross the winning line without loss until Bopara picked out deep midwicket against Shivnarine Chanderpaul's occasional spinners.

Wright hurried the game to a conclusion in style as he crunched Chanderpaul for another six and showed that he could hit proper pace as well by creaming Fidel Edwards down the ground. It was a highly satisfactory outing throughout by England, who were also sharp in the field and consistent with the ball.

Chris Gayle handed the captaincy to Denesh Ramdin and didn't bother to bat despite being named in the 13 and West Indies struggled for any real momentum. Only Ramnaresh Sarwan's unbeaten 46 from No. 6 lifted them over 140 as England fielded their three main quicks, with Stuart Broad the most economical as he went through his variations, and Adil Rashid conceding just five-an-over during his four overs.

The only blot on England's evening was the opening-over drop by Graeme Swann at second slip that reprieved Xavier Marshall. West Indies' opening partnership was beginning to increase the tempo, with Andre Fletcher launching James Anderson over mid-off for six, before the first horrendous misunderstanding left Fletcher stranded as he tried to come back for a second.

Fletcher's wicket came in an over that encapsulated Twenty20 cricket with 16 runs being traded for two wickets. Two balls later Chanderpaul was brilliantly held at third man by Ryan Sidebottom, who sprinted around to hold the top-edged pull, and showed that his fitness concerns are well behind him. West Indies didn't help themselves with some of their running when Pollard was the second to fall to poor calling as he sprinted up the pitch only to find Marshall hadn't moved an inch.

Rashid was given a bowl ahead of Swann, while Wright was also handed his turn and provided the next breakthrough when Marshall gloved his pull to James Foster. Rashid had looked understandably nervous against Scotland, but after a big first ball wide was more settled in this innings. Helped by the fact West Indies had lost wickets he conceded just a single boundary in his four overs and picked up Bravo who carved down to long-off.

Lendl Simmons should have gone when he had 3 but Asoka de Silva failed to pick up the outside edge off Broad, however he could only add four more before picking out deep-square leg against Swann. Sarwan ran hard towards the end of the innings, but boundaries were difficult to come by throughout the innings. That wasn't a problem England experienced.

Goodwin quits ICL to commit to Sussex

2009-06-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

Former Zimbabwe batsman Murray Goodwin has cut ties with the ICL in order to commit himself solely for county duty with Sussex. Goodwin, who has plied his trade across the world, with his most success coming at Sussex, felt it was time to commit to official cricket.

"It's been a busy year with the benefit year [2009, with Sussex] going on, but a very enjoyable one," said Goodwin. "It's the right move to resign my ICL contract and I want to give Sussex every opportunity of progressing as far as we can in cricket."

Goodwin played eight matches for the Ahmedabad Rockets in the last season of the unofficial ICL. He top-scored with 270 runs at 45.00 with four half-centuries.

Counties with ICL-contracted players have been banned from playing in the Champions League should they qualify by winning their national competition. If Sussex qualify for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament, set to start in October, Goowin will not be allowed to participate. He will be eligible to play in the competition in 2010.

Goodwin played 19 Tests between 1998 and 2000 and was one of the first in the country to turn his back on international cricket.

India sound ominous warning

2009-06-03T22:55:00.001-07:00

The world champions of the Twenty20 format made an emphatic statement against their fellow finalists from 2007, brushing aside Pakistan by nine wickets at The Oval. In an ominous sign for the competition, India were not at their strongest - Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan are still carrying shoulder injuries - yet still produced an imperious performance before a raucous south London crowd.

Rohit Sharma slotted so seamlessly into the opener's role that India might be tempted to continue with him at the top even when Sehwag returns to the side. Rohit had success opening against New Zealand as well, smacking 36 off 20 balls, and on Wednseday he managed one better, staying the distance with a match-winning 53-ball 80.

Rohit has taken to the role of opener with relish, however the captain, MS Dhoni, remained non-committal as to whether he would be retained at the top of the order when Sehwag makes his return.

"Frankly speaking I don't know [whether Sehwag will bat in the middle]," Dhoni said. "I think it's always better to have a problem of plenty than having nobody to fill in the space. It's good to have Rohit Sharma in form. As of now I don't know what will happen when it comes to the batting order."

Rohit was a key member in Deccan Chargers' triumphant IPL campaign, and was one of that tournament's most consistent performers. But unlike in England, where he is being relied upon to lead the Indian innings, Rohit earned the reputation as one of the IPL's better finishers, coming in at No. 5 for Deccan to accelerate scoring rates and polish off a run-chases. His versatility was on show on Wednesday, displaying both poise and power as he pierced gaps in the infield while seldom risking the airborne route.

"We discussed it with him [Rohit] during the practice sessions and he was quite keen," Dhoni said of the decision to elevate Rohit in the batting order. "When you ask a guy, you always watch for his response, how quick it is and whether he has thought twice about it or not. Rohit was very keen on opening and with Viru [Sehwag] injured, he was the best option available. Rohit always has time, even when he plays quickest bowlers he has got the time and talent. Gary also played a part in the decision."

Rohit's innings, and Gambhir's supporting half-century, denied the match of an exciting finish that would have done justice to the feverish atmosphere at The Oval. The ICC wanted everyone to 'Catch the Spirit' and it was impossible not to. Celebrations were adrenalin-filled and every ball - be it dot, six or out - was cheered by an emotionally-charged full house, evenly divided in support between the teams. This was more than a warm-up game.

The players felt the same way, with India shelving all thoughts of experimentation. Dhoni said the bowlers had attempted a back-of-a-length approach in the previous game but merely tried to stick to basics today. "We were not experimenting," Dhoni said. "An India-Pakistan game, even though it's a warm-up, is a tough game to play. We were looking to do the basics, bowl yorkers."

One bowler who wasn't looking to bowl yorkers was Ishant Sharma, and he turned the game India's way. Pakistan had raced to 45 after four overs when Ishant came on and completed a rare double-wicket maiden, which included a run-out, to wrestle back the momentum. Ishant bowled the fifth, 14th and 17th overs and finished with 3 for 11. Dhoni said that he was looking to use Ishant during the middle overs, when he could bowl to his strengths.

"It's about how you want to use him. More often than not he has been used with the new ball while the field restrictions are on and later on in the slog," Dhoni said. "I feel it's important to use him in the middle overs when batsmen are not really looking to go after the bowlers, so he doesn't have to bowl those yorkers. He can then bowl to his strengths; he's the kind of bowler who likes to hit the deck hard."

Twenty20 victory margins are rarely more emphatic than nine wickets and 18 balls to spare and Dhoni said that it would be "tough to replicate the performance". Perhaps it was fitting, though, for he felt that today's crowd at The Oval would also be the best the tournament gets.

More than just a warm-up

2009-06-03T22:53:00.001-07:00

Charity matches are normally about being nice, but if that theory was ever to be tested, it was when India clashed with Pakistan on Wednesday.

History and emotions run deep in contests between the two nations; sentiments that intensified further after India's last-over victory over Pakistan in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 two years ago. Indeed, the tournament director, Steve Elworthy, placed the "warm-up" match into perspective when he told Cricinfo prior to play: "This is the biggest game in the tournament." There is nothing quaint about matches between the Asian neighbours.

Pakistan coach Inthikab Alam suggested as much during the week when, with an inscrutable smile, he responded to a question about whether both teams would treat the contest more seriously than a centre-wicket practice. "Even if it is a practice game both sides will take it seriously," he said, "That has always been the case." Nothing betrayed that sentiment on Wednesday.

With tensions between India and Pakistan still inflamed in the wake of the 26/11 terrorist strikes in Mumbai last year, it seems unlikely the two teams will meet in the near future outside of ICC events. Given the prevailing political climate, this warm-up game was immensely significant.

The crowds came in big numbers, the players displayed their usual aggro, the Oval swayed back and forth as the Indian and Pakistan fans drummed up support for their respective teams. The most important element in any Indo-Pak tussle is the crowd: take them out and the oval becomes an arid zone. And when the fans started to pour into the Kennington complex four hours before the schedule start, another intense affair seemed assured. Not even the unseasonably cold weather could deter them.

MS Dhoni and co. had been asked throughout IPL2 - relocated to South Africa at the eleventh hour - if they had been missing the throbbing crowds which filled stadia across India during the first edition of the tournament. The answer, emphatically, was yes. But for three hours on Wednesday, Kennington's oval resembled Kolkata's gardens, and the match was played with all the passion and fervour of a true local contest. A homecoming of sorts.

Anticipating the enormity of the event, tournament organisers left little to chance. "The people in charge of security had already briefed us that they had beefed up the security ahead of such a big game," Elworthy said. Still, with relations between the cricketing nations deteriorating of late, emotions were always likely to fray, and scuffles and evictions were witnessed in at least three sections of the ground. These, however, did not spoil the over all atmosphere, which some supporters described as being "like a jalsa" (festive).

From the moment Praveen Kumar unleashed his first delivery of the match, The Oval reverberated with the chants of "Indiaaaaa, Indiaaaa". And when the athletic and proactive Suresh Raina ran out the dangerous Kamran Akmal, the decibel levels increased ten-fold, particularly after Raina's extravagant celebration, in which he galloped towards the dugout as if he had won an Olympic medal.

Critics have suggested India and Pakistan matches are scheduled too frequently, and thus have become devalued in the public eye. Not on the evidence of Wednesday. "It always has such an intensity," Dhoni said of his side's rivalry with Pakistan. "This was expected, a big crowd. This will be the best crowd you will get a tournament. We played New Zealand in front of hardly any crowds. It helps us to give your best."

Amidst the party-like atmosphere - the air was full of bubbling excitement - the fans did not neglect to show their appreciation for good cricket: the Indians fans acknowledged the brilliant efforts of Ahmed Shehzad who ran backwards to hold on to a brilliant catch and cut short Rohit Sharma's stunning innings on 80.

"Shrunk format has expanded cricket's boundaries," read a placard, held by an Indian fan in the Jack Hobbs stand. On the evidence of Wednesday, it also crossed borders.

NZC opens door for Bond comeback

2009-06-03T22:50:00.000-07:00

Shane Bond's potential international comeback remains on track following New Zealand Cricket's (NZC) decision that former ICL players will be eligible for national selection. Players including Bond, Daryl Tuffey and Lou Vincent need only prove they have severed all ties with the unofficial ICL and they will be immediately available for New Zealand selection.

The NZC announcement came after a board meeting on Thursday and opens the door for the players to be selected for New Zealand's next international engagement, a tour of Sri Lanka in August. Bond and Tuffey, both of whom performed strongly in the recent New Zealand domestic season, would be the most likely candidates for a recall.

"We understand both of these players wish to return to international cricket, which is great news for cricket in New Zealand," Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive, said. However, he said the board's decision was "about policy rather than any player's particular circumstance".

"Today's decision is by no means a guarantee of selection for any player," Vaughan said. "All former ICL players would need to earn their way back into the national side on merit.

"There's no question that New Zealand suffered heavily from the ICL - our national side lost a significant number of top players. New Zealand wants to have a top-ranked national team and this is very hard when you are unable to select from all your best players."

Tuffey has reportedly already severed ties with the ICL, with Bond and Vincent likely to follow suit. Other New Zealand players who took part in the most recent ICL tournament included Hamish Marshall, Andre Adams, Chris Harris and the retired Craig McMillan and Nathan Astle.

Rohit and Gambhir script emphatic win

2009-06-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Finally India and Pakistan played out a one-sided Twenty20 game. Filling in for Virender Sehwag as opener, Rohit Sharma continued to give India a combination dilemma and made the chase seem like an afternoon walk in a London park. A target of 159, with extra bowlers available by the virtue of this being a 13-a-side game, was by no means an easy one, but Gautam Gambhir and Rohit managed with the ease that belies the tension an India-Pakistan match brings.

Nothing about this encounter suggested it was a warm-up game. The sell-out crowd, and the intensity in the first innings was something even the final of the actual tournament will be proud of. But in the second innings, Pakistan went into the experiment mode. They went in with an interesting strategy, interchanging the usual roles between Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir. Gul, who usually bowls in the last 10 overs, opened the bowling, and Tanvir came on to bowl in the 10th over - none of the moves worked.

Nothing about Rohit's innings suggested that he was a makeshift opener. Although Gambhir kickstarted things with three boundaries in the first three overs, including one off Gul's first ball, it was Rohit who took the match away from Pakistan. He got going with a heave over mid-on in the third over, but the slogs were conspicuous by absence in the rest of his innings.

Yasir Arafat, who bowled three overs at the top of the innings, went for a six in his second and two boundaries in his third. The 17-year-old prodigy Mohammad Aamer produced good pace in his first over, but he too was pulled for four by Rohit. By the end of the seventh over, when Pakistan threw the final roll of the dice - the spinners - India had already reached 65.

The batsmen played out Saeed Ajmal's first over quietly, but in Shahid Afridi's first over Gautam Gambhir joined the party, with a short-arm-pull over midwicket. Tanvir, in his first over, was hit for perhaps the shot of the day, a yorker flicked to fine leg. By the time captain Younis Khan called the spinners back, Rohit was in the mood for some fun, hitting Ajmal inside-out and pulling Afridi over midwicket. When he got out for a 53-ball 80, India needed only 19 runs in four overs.

Lack of discipline and a few big hits from MS Dhoni and Gambhir meant the game ended in the next over. Quite fittingly, Pakistan finished the match with a wide.

It wasn't as facile when the old sparring partners started off for the first time since last year's Asia Cup in Karachi. They wasted little time in going for punches and counter-punches during a frenetically-paced first innings. A wicket in the first over didn't deter Ahmed Shehzad and Kamran Akmal from counterattacking spectacularly with a 25-ball 43-run stand. They stumbled just as sensationally, losing the next three wickets on the same score before the two coolest heads in the team, Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq, rebuilt and took Pakistan to what seemed a fighting total.

Praveen Kumar and Shehzad set the agenda early. Praveen followed two bouncers with an outswinger to clean up Shahzaib Hasan. Akmal then crashed the first ball after the wicket through the covers for four. In the next over, Shehzad hit RP Singh for three boundaries, an over during which he was also dropped by Harbhajan Singh at short midwicket.

Dhoni quickly called on the raw pace of Ishant Sharma and the effect was immediate. First Suresh Raina ran out Akmal through superb work at cover, and Shehzad top-edged a pull in the same over. The panic set in when a promoted Shahid Afridi went boom first ball he faced from Irfan and managed just an outside edge to Dhoni - 45 for 1 had become 45 for 4.

Shoaib Malik counterattacked, but fell soon. Either side of Malik's dismissal, no boundary was hit for 42 balls until Misbah made room and lofted Ojha to wide long-on in the 13th over. By the time Younis fell for a run-a-ball 32, the two had been added 50 in 45 balls. Arafat and Misbah provided the final impetus, scoring 29 in the last two overs, but it proved to be way below-par on the night.

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2009-06-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

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Tait and Krejza earn Australia A call-up

2009-06-01T09:32:00.001-07:00

Shaun Tait's confusing few weeks has continued with his selection in the Australia A side to take on Pakistan A in Queensland in June and July. Less than three weeks after losing his Cricket Australia contract, Tait was chosen for the limited-overs portion of the series in a squad that will be captained by Cameron White.

Bryce McGain's quick slide following his Test debut continued as the selectors turned instead to White and two other slow bowlers. Jason Krejza had fallen off the radar after his two Test appearances but is back in the mix alongside the young Victoria left-arm spinner Jon Holland.

There has also been a shift in the wicketkeeping ranks with Tasmania's Tim Paine chosen ahead of Luke Ronchi. It is less than five months since Ronchi played for Australia, yet he has now disappeared below Paine and the Ashes-bound Graham Manou as the backup glovemen to Brad Haddin.

The series begins with two four-day matches in Townsville before heading to Brisbane's Allan Border Field for a Twenty20 and three one-dayers. Tait, Moises Henriques and David Warner have been included only for the shorter games while Ryan Broad, Michael Klinger and Burt Cockley have been picked as specialists in the longer version.

The pace attack for the four-day matches will be made up of the emerging Cockley and Clint McKay, alongside the established Doug Bollinger and Brett Geeves. The vice-captain Adam Voges, 29, is the oldest member of the group and the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said it was a deliberate decision to choose a youthful squad with the one-day focus already on the 2011 World Cup.

"The National Selection Panel has, with view to the future of Australian cricket, selected a very young squad to play both the four-day and one-day games," Hilditch said. "The selection recognises the performances of these young talented players in the domestic season last year whilst concentrating on those players we have identified as having the ability to play a significant role in the development of Australian cricket in the future."

Australia A squad Cameron White (capt), Adam Voges, George Bailey, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Broad, Burt Cockley, Callum Ferguson, Brett Geeves, Moises Henriques, Jon Holland, Michael Klinger, Jason Krejza, Shaun Marsh, Clint McKay, Tim Paine, Shaun Tait, David Warner.

Why Australia, Sri Lanka and West Indies are in one group

2009-06-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

How the groups were made

The 12 teams competing in this year's World Twenty20 are the nine Full-Member countries and three Associates who made it to England through the qualifying tournament, which was held in Belfast. They have been divided into four groups of three each based on their seeding, which depended on their standings in the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 (for the teams that took part in it). Since India were champions they were seeded first, their opponents in the final, Pakistan, were ranked second, while the losing semi-finalists Australia and New Zealand were seeded third and fourth. The top four seeds were then put in four different groups for this year's tournament.

The best among the rest, South Africa, were seeded fifth and put in the same group, D, as the team seeded fourth -New Zealand - while Sri Lanka and England, the 6th and 7th seed, were placed in groups C and B. Had West Indies at least finished eighth in 2007, there would not have been a 'group of death' this year. But they did not even win a single game, losing to Bangladesh because of an inspired innings from Mohammad Ashraful, and were seeded 11 and placed in Group C. Bangladesh, who qualified for the Super Eights in 2007 but didn't win a game in that round, were eighth and put in India's group.

Group A - India (1), Bangladesh (8), Ireland (9) Group B - Pakistan (2), England (7). Netherlands (10) Group C - Australia (3), Sri Lanka (6) West Indies (11) Group D - New Zealand (4), South Africa (5), Scotland (12)

Each team will play the other in its group during the preliminary round and the top two will qualify for the Super Eights. What this means is that either Bangladesh or Ireland, or both, are assured of a place in the second stage, while one of Australia, Sri Lanka and West Indies will crash out after round one, leading to the possibility of another group of death in the next World Twenty20, in the Caribbean in 2010.

If two teams in a group have equal points at the end of the first round, the one with more wins will be placed higher. If they have equal points and the same number of wins, a likely scenario, then the team with the higher net run-rate will be ranked higher. Should net run-rate also fail to separate the sides, then the one with the higher number of wickets taken per balls bowled in the group stage in which results were achieved, will be preferred. And if the teams remain in a deadlock, then the winner of the group match between the sides will prevail. If all of the aforementioned tie-breakers fail, the teams will be separated by drawing lots.

And should the weather in England wreck all the three matches of a particular group, the top two seeded teams in the group will progress. No points, however, will be carried forward from the group stage into the Super Eights.

The Super Eights

The teams in the Super Eight will be designated as A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 C2, D1, D2 depending on which group they qualified from. If the top two seeds from a group qualify, they will be seeded 1 and 2 respectively for the Super Eight regardless of which team actually finished first and second in a group during the first round. For example, if Bangladesh are first and India are second in Group A, Bangladesh will still be A2 while India will remain A1 for the Super Eight because India were seeded 1 while Bangladesh were 8. However, if the third seeded team in the group knocks out a higher seed, it will take the place of the knocked-out opponent. For example, if Bangladesh and Ireland qualify from Group A, then Ireland will be A1 for the Super Eight stage. If India and Ireland qualify, then Ireland will be A2.

During the Super Eight, the teams will be split into two groups of four - A1, B2, C1 and D2 are in the first group, while A2, B1, C2 and D1 are in the second. Each team will play the others in its pool with the top two from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. If teams are tied on points in a Super Eight group then the same parameters which were used to break a tie in the preliminary stage will be used, the difference being that only the Super Eight matches will be taken into consideration for most wins, net run-rate etc.

If all of the matches of a Super Eight group are ruined by rain, the teams will be ranked on basis of most points, most wins, net run-rate during the group stage and the top two will go through. If the teams still cannot be separated the semi-finalists will be picked based on the original seeding for the tournament.

A one-over eliminator, or Super Over, will be used to break a tie in a semi-final, if one should occur. However, if weather prevents the Super Over from taking place after a tie, the team which progresses to the final will be determined by looking at who has the most wins, better net run-rate, higher number of wickets per balls, the only difference being that this time both group and Super Eight matches will be taken into consideration.

The final, however, has no such provisions. If the final is tied, the match will be decided by a one-over eliminator. If the eliminator cannot take place because of bad weather, then the two finalists will be declared joint winners.

Collingwood calls for 'brave' campaign

2009-06-01T09:29:00.001-07:00

England captains have been two-a-penny in the past few months, but if Paul Collingwood looked a little nervous as he faced the media on the eve of his return to the role, it was not because he has taken over a sinking ship in the manner of his immediate predecessors, Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen. Quite the opposite in fact.

For the first time in a long time, England have rediscovered that winning habit, and as the Ashes begin to loom, so too does the invidious nature of Collingwood's three-week tenancy. On his watch, England's precious momentum could conceivably be boosted by a glorious maiden triumph in a major global event. More likely, however, it stands to be dented by another ignominious failure to match the skills and chutzpah of the more established limited-overs nations.

Collingwood was at the helm in South Africa two years ago, when England's only victory in five attempts came against the underdogs of Zimbabwe. With Andrew Strauss stepping aside to let his harder-hitting colleagues take centre stage, Colly's back in the hot seat, and to judge by these early impressions, he's finding it hard to inject his words with the right measure of confidence.

"We've got to be brave to win a tournament like this," Collingwood told reporters at Lord's. "We have to have the belief that we can win as a team, but we also have to have belief in our own ability in the middle. Twenty20 cricket is not an exact science, so you have to think on your feet in the middle. Sometimes it only takes one person, and we've got a lot of matchwinners, so I really do believe we can surprise a few people. I'm not going to say we are going to win it, but we have to believe we can win it."

Ever since England's near-miss at the 1992 World Cup, their one-day cricket has struggled to cope with the national preference for the five-day version, and in this summer of all summers the disparity seems even more stark than ever - no other national captain, for instance, would have to field questions on the eve of such a prestigious competition about a star player's fitness for a still-distant Test series - as Collingwood did of Andrew Flintoff.

"Freddie is a world-class player, simple as that," said Collingwood. "He'll be coming back into the England side, and he'll be welcomed back because we'll need him 100% come the Ashes. But right now we're concentrating on a major World Cup tournament. If we go all the way and win it, it's certainly going to give us some major confidence, but this is a one-off. The Ashes is something we've been building up to for a long time now. The next three weeks shouldn't affect the way we approach that."

It shouldn't affect anything … but as Collingwood's demeanour suggested, it just might. "A lot of our momentum comes from results, because when you're winning things are very easy," he said. "It's [difficult] when the losses come along, and we will have losses in this kind of tournament, that's the nature of Twenty20 cricket. But what we've got is a strong team ethos, and it's not just me that has to drive that, we'll have to filter that team ethos through to the new guys. They know what is expected of them and the England team."

For the second time in two Twenty20 tournaments, England's clutch of new boys could make the difference between success and failure. In 2007, the selectors took a punt on the likes of Darren Maddy, Jeremy Snape, Chris Schofield and James Kirtley - men who had performed with aplomb in the domestic Twenty20 Cup, but who, to a greater or lesser degree, had been found out at the highest level. Sure enough, the experiment failed.

This time, however, Collingwood has far more faith in the men at his disposal. Of the two uncapped members of the original squad, one - Graham Napier - has just returned from an educational stint with the IPL, while the other - Eoin Morgan - justified his call-up with an exceptionally inventive innings of 161 for Middlesex at Kent in the Friends Provident Trophy earlier this month. Despite the innate fatalism that tends to accompany English one-day campaigns, there are genuine reasons why the story could be different this time.

"You look at Ravi Bopara at the top of the order, he's going to be crucial for us, and Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson have developed as bowlers," said Collingwood. "We have players who are in crucial positions who have gained a lot of international experience since 2007 and I think they're better players now.

"There are obviously concerns when you meet up as a team that the new guys will not be brought into the side as well as they could be," he said. "This time around that isn't a concern, because I think we have a really strong culture in the side, and the guys get on really well. The boys have got the skills and are very confident, and we just want to take that out into the middle."

Whether the brave talk translates into brave deeds, however, remains to be seen. A fear-free Dutch team, bolstered by the IPL star Dirk Nannes and Essex's uncompromising allrounder, Ryan ten Doeschate, await in the tournament opener, and then it's over to Pakistan, beaten finalists in 2007, and a side who are just glad to be back on the international stage after the horrors of Lahore.

"Playing at home could be an added pressure but we're not taking it like that," said Collingwood. "We've got an advantage in many ways, we know what the wickets are all about here, and we're very excited about playing in front of our own crowds. No England cricket team has won an ICC tournament before so we have a three-week period here for us as a team to hopefully put that right."

Our main goal is to reach the Super Eights - Ashraful

2009-06-01T09:28:00.001-07:00

Mohammad Ashraful has said Bangladesh's main objective is to qualify for the Super Eights of the World Twenty20 which begins on June 5. They play their first game on June 6 against India, the current champions, whom they famously beat in the 2007 World Cup.

"In this form of the game any side can beat the other," Ashraful told reporters at Lord's. "We defeated the West Indies in the last World T20 in South Africa and progressed to the Super Eight. Our main goal is to repeat that and if we beat India, who are the world champions, in the first match then we will fancy our chances of doing well against the top sides and making the semi-finals even."

Barring the upset win over West Indies in the last World Twenty20, Bangladesh had a disappointing tournament, losing their other four games by fairly convincing margins. However, Ashraful, who had a poor run himself, averaging 17.40 in five games, was confident of putting up a better show this time. "We have come here one week early, had three games against New Zealand, Holland and Scotland and the boys have done well," he said. "We are confident and there are two tough games against Australia tomorrow and Sri Lanka the day after. So that's a nice build-up to the main tournament."

One of the Bangladesh players who has impressed in the warm-ups has been the seamer, Rubel Hossain. He returned figures of 4 for 19 against Holland, and 5 for 16 against Scotland. "He has taken nine wickets in two matches and is bowling really well. He has an awkward action and has bit of extra pace," Ashraful said of Rubel.

He also backed his deputy Mashrafe Mortaza to come good after a disappointing solitary game in the IPL, where he conceded 58 runs in four overs for Kolkata Knight Riders, including 27 in the decisive final over of the contest. "It was only in the last over that he did badly. Otherwise I thought he was okay. But I know he'll be back. He is that type of a player. He always does well against India."

Ireland is the other team that Bangladesh must face in the group stage, and having lost to them at the 2007 World Cup they might have reason to be cautious. But Ashfraful was confident of averting a repeat. "I think if we play our best cricket then we should not have a problem against Ireland because we have more quality in the side."

We have "moved on" after Lahore - Sangakkara

2009-06-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan captain, believes his team is now mentally prepared to return to international cricket following the Lahore bus attack on March 3, but admitted that some apprehensions still remain, as shown by the recent decision to withdraw - along with Muttiah Muralitharan and manager Brendon Kuruppu - from a speaking engagement in Oxford due to security fears.

"Returning to cricket is the sign of normalcy for us, getting back to our normal lives," Sangakkara told Cricinfo. "The guys have moved on very well from Lahore. It is great to be back playing cricket and hope we can make a challenge in the World Twenty20. The side is really looking forward to doing well."

Sangakkara was one of the seven players injured in the attacks after terrorists fired and hurled grenades at the Sri Lankan team bus as it made its way to the Gadaffi Stadium on the third day of the second Test against Pakistan.

The team had its first practice nets at Lord's on Saturday afternoon and the players seemed happy to be back in action. "We remember the Lahore attack. There is a lot of emotion tied up with it, but we've got to move on," Sangakkara said. "Life moves on, cricket goes on. The guys have realised that and they are prepared mentally now."

Even if Sangakkara was happy with the security arrangements put in place by the ICC for the event, the aftermath of Sri Lanka's victory over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) - which brought to an end to a 26-year-old civil war - has brought with it new concerns.

Sangakkara said they had been alerted to the perceived security risks and players had been asked to keep the management informed of their movements. On Friday, he and Muralitharan were supposed to take part in a debate organised by the Oxford University Union but the visit was cancelled at the last minute as the organisers failed to put the required security arrangements in place.

"Our movements are a bit restricted at the moment but the security people have allowed us to keep our focus on the game," Sangakkara said.

Asked what the mood was like before the team boarded the bus for the first time after Lahore, Sangakkara said it was full of optimism and the usual banter. "Getting back together, going on a bus you know sometimes you look around and you feel how vulnerable you are in the bus if anyone wants to do any harm. At the same time it is great to get back on it as a team and play your first major tournament after Lahore. That feeling of togetherness, being through tough situations, and playing the game we love brings us a lot closer together."

Cricketers love routines and are superstitious when it comes to matters such as sitting on a particular seat. The Sri Lankans are no different. "Everyone just fell into their places. Lots of players have seats they are really fond of: Sanath [Jayasuriya] always sits on the right three to four rows from the front and Mahela [Jayawardene] likes to sit at the back. So the guys are back in their usual positions. Life is back to normal."



	Lots of players have seats they are really fond of: Sanath [Jayasuriya] always sits on the right three to four rows from the front and Mahela [Jayawardene] likes to sit at the back. So the guys are back in their usual positions

Quite a few of the players, including Sangakkara, Muralitharan, Jayawardene, Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lasith Malinga and Farveez Maharoof played during the IPL in South Africa and are expected to carry the momentum into England. "We are trying to play on our unpredictability and our unorthodox make-up and hopefully be able to come up with the unexpected and surprising," Sangakkara said.

Unlike teams like India and Pakistan, who have landed relatively easy groups, Sri Lanka are paired with Australia and West Indies. Sangakkara is aware of the threat but is confident his team can make the second round as long as the batsmen can construct formidable scores for his in-form bowlers to defend.

"We start off in a very tough group so we need to win at least one, if not both of our opening games," he said. "We have got probably one of the best bowling attacks, but we've just got to make sure our batting complements that and gets totals we can defend. Guys like Jayasuriya, Dilshan and Mahela are in good form and can win games on their own, so it is going to be a good experience. It is also a good way to judge how far we need to go before becoming a force in Twenty20 cricket. We've got the depth in both bowling and batting."

Sangakkara has also put the onus on his young allrounders Maharoof and Angelo Mathews to perform and make an impact in the lower-middle order, which Sangakkara feels is the team's Achilles heel. "Angelo Mathews and Farveez Maharoof will have to take that responsibility of making that difference," he said. "We have lot more strengths than weaknesses."

Smith aims to overcome World Cup hurdle

2009-06-01T09:25:00.001-07:00

South African sports fans are spoilt for choice at the moment. No sooner has the IPL finished than the British and Irish Lions have started their tour and now their cricket team is in England preparing for the ICC World Twenty20. Such is South Africa's passion for rugby the progress of Graeme Smith's side over the next three weeks may struggle to grab the attention. But they have the chance to cap off a period where they have caused some significant shifts in the world order.

They are now the No. 1 team in one-day cricket after taking that crown off Australia and also pushed them close for the top spot in Tests. With a host of their players having experienced the IPL first hand, they are primed to challenge in the ICC World Twenty20. But South Africa have a history of stalling on the big stage. Their continued success over the last year has helped loosen the chokers tag, yet it will linger until they conquer their World Cup problems.

"It would be lovely if we could be successful in this tournament or any ICC tournament that is coming up," Smith said. "We have had an incredible period in the last 16 months and the team has achieved so much. The confidence is good and we are excited about playing this tournament with the chance to go out and express ourselves. I think there is a lot more talent, flair and confidence among this team than ever before."

South Africa's preparations didn't get off to the best start when they arrived at Southgate, in north London, only to find they were not expected for a training session and had to relocate to Lord's. Smith said he would raise a few issues with the technical committee, but added that the way the team responded shows how focussed they are. "Even today with the not-so-great training facilities we have had all over the place the guys have still applied themselves. There's a good, mature attitude among the squad."

And Smith hopes the IPL experience will benefit his team, especially as a number of players were senior figures with their franchises. "A lot of our players had prominent roles in a number of the teams, which probably wouldn't have happened if it had been in India, and they had good leadership roles among their teams."

During the first World Twenty20 two years ago, in South Africa, one of the most controversial selections by the hosts was to omit allrounder Jacques Kallis. This year he is part of the squad and comes off the back of a useful spell at the IPL where he made 361 runs at 27.76 for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

"Jacques is the one player who arrives here with a point to prove," Smith said. "He had a decent performance in the IPL so is confidence his high and tactically how we use him is important. He's an allrounder and needs to contribute in all forms."

However, Smith himself didn't enjoy as productive a tournament managing 212 runs at 19.27 in his 12 matches for Rajasthan Royals. But he has masses of Twenty20 experience to fall back on including captaining Somerset to the English Twenty20 Cup title in 2005, winning the Pro20 with the Cape Cobras and last year's success with Rajasthan in the inaugural IPL.

"I have a few really good ideas on how to play the game," he said. "The experience as captain plays a key role and I think I have a good grip on the game."

This tournament is the final point in a marathon spell of cricket for the team which has included last year's trips to India and England, back-to-back series against Australia, plus six weeks at the IPL for many of its players, and Smith has called for one last effort from his squad.

"It's been a lengthy period and mental fatigue is probably our biggest challenge and something we have addressed as a team," he said. "Something that we've been really good on is responsibility and professionalism throughout this period. At different times you feel a little jaded, but I think we can find it within us to pick ourselves up for three more weeks."

Pakistan's pace battery raring to go

2009-06-01T09:24:00.001-07:00

Pakistan's bowling attack for the ICC World Twenty20 could provide some anxious moments to opposition batsmen with the addition of the country's newest fast bowling sensation Mohammad Aamer to its pace battery. The attack already includes Umar Gul, the leading wicket-taker at the last World Twenty20.

Gul said he wanted to do better than last time and would attack the batsmen right from the first ball. "We have a balanced attack and if we bowl to a tight line and length, then we can get teams out or restrict them to gettable totals."

Gul said he preferred bowling first change since more swing could be obtained. "It's the ideal time to not only stop the flow of runs but to take wickets. We came so close to winning the title in 2007 but it was bad luck. This time round we want to finish it without a blemish. The title, nothing less, is the aim."

Aamer, a 17-year old left-arm fast bowler from Rawalpindi, has said he wants to emulate his idol Wasim Akram's success in the 1992 World Cup when he plays in the World Twenty20.

"I want fairytale success, and will do my best for it," Aamer said.

Aamer, a protégé of Akram who had called for his selection to the national side in July last year, was born only two weeks after Akram's feats at the 1992 World Cup but said he had watched videos of his idol and that attracted him to cricket. "I was never interested in joining the army. I was attracted by cricket and by Wasim Akram," he said. In his maiden first-class season, Aamer took 56 wickets in 10 matches for Rawalpindi. He also picked up 15 wickets in List A games and was picked for the Bangladesh tour which was postponed. Along with Mohammad Talha, Aamer is regarded as Pakistan's latest pace sensation.

Shakil Shaikh, the official who spotted Aamer, said his swing and pace was handy. "Aamer's strong point is that he can judge a batsman after a few deliveries and then plan his deliveries," Shaikh said.

Akram has tipped him to be a revelation in the World Twenty20. "I have watched him more than once and he's impressive with over 140kmh speed and can swing the ball both ways."

Success will cheer up Pakistan - Younis

2009-06-01T09:22:00.000-07:00

Pakistan's captain, Younis Khan, is ready to turn England into his team's home away from home, and views success in the World Twenty20 as the best way to make his troubled nation smile again.

Since the atrocities outside the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in March, in which eight security and transport personnel were killed in a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus, Pakistan's cricketers have been forced into exile. They were barred from competing in the IPL, and their only action since the attack was a low-key ODI series against Australia in the UAE.

Now, however, they are on the world stage in a big way, lining up alongside England and Netherlands in the group stage of a competition that, but for a moment's aberration from Misbah-ul-Haq against India in September 2007, they might well have won at the first attempt.

"It is special to be back on the world stage," Younis told reporters at Lord's. "Especially in Twenty20s, and especially in England. We are suffering from not playing regularly, and no-one is coming to Pakistan, but all the time in the last few months I have been talking to the boys, and telling them to do well [in this tournament]. There are a lot of media here, and [if we succeed] we'll be well on our way to our mission, so to speak. It's very important for us."

There has been much talk in recent weeks about overkill of the Twenty20 format, and burn-out of the game's star players, but such issues couldn't be less of a problem for Pakistan, who are desperate to get stuck into some meaningful cricket. "If you don't play regularly, you don't have that match fitness," said Younis. "But the beauty of international cricket is that it is changing all the time in different conditions, so we feel fresh and will do well in England, in'shallah."

Younis admitted his team's security for this tournament had been stepped up from previous visits to England, but added that such a situation had become common-place for Pakistan. Of greater importance was the opportunity that the visit provides his young players, especially with the prospect of a return to England next summer to play a Test series against Australia.

"Playing in England is everyone's dream," said Younis. "I have been over here for county cricket [with Yorkshire], and my first Test at Lord's was fantastic for me. Playing cricket in Pakistan would be better, but we have problems as everyone knows. England is the home of cricket, it will be good for our youngsters to learn to play in any conditions. Sometimes here it rains, sometimes it's hot, sometimes it's cold."

With that in mind, Younis said that his team's tactics would revolve around a more patient game that has sometimes been witnessed in Twenty20 cricket. "I have a couple of plans," he said. "T20 looks short, but it's not - 120 balls is enough. If you bat normally but with energy, especially in the middle order where you need good running between the wickets, [a score of] 180-190 is very easy.

"In English conditions the new ball does seam, so you need someone like Salman Butt who can play for 20 overs. But in the middle order, we have big hitters like Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq, he's a top Twenty20 batsman. So we are not lacking in players."

Afridi's power-hitting game might have been designed with Twenty20 cricket in mind, but Younis was careful not to expect him to shred the opposition every innings. "Afridi was one of best players of the last tournament," he said. "As a captain I have a few good players, but the main thing is everyone respects him. He'll come in and though it's not possible to hit every ball for six, the expectation is there. He's always done a good job for me, and he'll do good for Pakistan."

Reflecting on the near-miss in 2007, Younis admitted that there had been a few players in tears at the end of the final in Johannesburg. When five runs were needed for victory, Misbah mistimed an attempted scoop over fine leg and lobbed a simple chance to Sreesanth on the edge of the circle. But he remained confident that his team could achieve at least a top-four finish this time, and maybe even go one better than two years ago.

"The finishing touches were not there in 2007," said Younis. "But it was fantastic to be a part of that team in the final. Some guys were crying at the end, but in T20 everything can change. My confidence is that I'll take this trophy to Pakistan, but if the plan works ins'hallah it'll be an achievement for us to finish in the top four.

"We have a lot of followers all the time in England, and a lot of cities here have Pakistanis and Indians," he said. "That's the main reason I'm happy to be in England. Our fans are fantastic back home, they are lovers of T20, and now it's dependent on us to prove ourselves. If we play good cricket it will be good for our nation. These days the whole nation is depressed, and only cricket [can lift it]. If we play good and win something, they will cheer. To finish in the top four, my nation will come again and start cheering."

'I've loved every minute of it'

2009-06-01T09:18:00.002-07:00

It's been more than 48 hours since the Mumbai Indians lost to Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals in Durban. Standing on the metal steps that lead up to the press-conference area at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth, Sachin Tendulkar is looking somewhere far away. His team have been all but eliminated from semi-final contention after a loss to the Chennai Super Kings, but it's the one that got away at Kingsmead that continues to haunt Tendulkar. "There's no way you should lose a game when you need just six to win with nine balls to go," he says, voice shot through with disbelief.

"We lost to the Kings XI by two runs as well. I can understand a team being bowled out for 85 when chasing 120, but to bat through the overs and not get the runs... that's inexcusable."

Like most of the greats, Tendulkar hates losing. And as the security guard watches nervously, he talks to me with an earnestness that is almost vehement. There's a perception that many players are on the IPL gravy train for the big-fat pay cheque; players who "shouldn't be here", as Ray Jennings put it in his wonderfully candid way. Tendulkar is not one of them. Some players prefer to walk out to Kylie Minogue's music. In his present mood, you sense that Tendulkar would opt for REM's "Everybody Hurts".

For Tendulkar, like for Glenn McGrath, who spent the entire second season of the IPL on the bench, winning is pretty much everything. This is, after all, the man who once admitted that he found it tough to let his son win when they played with a little bat and ball.

A week after our meeting in windy Port Elizabeth, I see him again. The mood isn't any better. Mumbai have been thrashed by Delhi Daredevils. A campaign that started promisingly with victory in the opening game at Newlands against the fancied Chennai lies in tatters. Five wins and eight defeats, seventh on the table.

At the press conference he bites down on some words, tries hard not to point fingers. But his disappointment is an open wound. Here for the money? You must be joking. As he prepares to leave the stadium and the 40-minute drive from Centurion to the team hotel in Sandton, we arrange to talk. Over the phone. I still have another game to watch, and Manish Pandey, a 19-year-old with a baby face, pounds out a heady century.

I slip unnoticed into the press-conference room and dial the number. It makes sense to ask Tendulkar about the IPL experience. After all, most of the South African contingent has grilled him about the way their nation has embraced the tournament. And when we first chatted, a fortnight into the competition, he had mentioned just how much of a strain the interminable travel was. "It's been very good but it was tough as well, especially to lose so many close games," he says after a small pause. "We should have won them, but we just didn't finish the job.



	"That was a decision I took two years ago, not to play Twenty20 cricket for India. I felt my body was struggling and I wasn't able to give 100%. I didn't want to be a burden on the team. If you have one loose link, it's unfair on the other guys"

"Also, playing away from home has been different. People back home, not just in Mumbai but right across India, had been looking forward to this IPL season. That it didn't happen at home must have been hard on them. It's always different when you can't watch it live. The home games are very big back home. The atmosphere is something else. And you get pretty much everyone backing the home team. But I sort of knew that people would turn up and appreciate good cricket in South Africa. The crowds have been fantastic."

Given how well some of the senior players have done in the IPL, it's hardly surprising that there has been innuendo about how useful their experience would be in English conditions. But Tendulkar himself has no regrets about missing out on the World Twenty20. Sure, he'll be at some of the games, but he'll also be at Wimbledon, enjoying some time away from the spotlight that has been his lot for two decades now.

"That was a decision I took two years ago, not to play Twenty20 cricket for India," he says. "I felt my body was struggling and I wasn't able to give 100%. I didn't want to be a burden on the team. If you have one loose link, it's unfair on the other guys.

"The team did well, more than well, in South Africa [2007]. It's a settled side now. I felt I should not disturb the combination. One-day cricket and Test cricket are different, because I've been part of the team for so long. But if I was to force myself into the Twenty20 team, it would mean a reshuffle that I don't want."

Even after such a gruelling IPL season - each of India's 15-man squad played a part - he remains confident that MS Dhoni's team can retain the trophy they won in improbable circumstances in the Highveld two years ago. "I think we've definitely got a tournament-winning squad," he says. "It looks fantastic, in all respects. The batting, bowling and fielding are equally strong, and the morale is very high."

Along with the seniors' debate, there have been young players catching the eye. Before Pandey's brilliant innings, there was Sudeep Tyagi with his seam bowling, and Pragyan Ojha with his left-arm spin. But when you ask Tendulkar about the young players that he has watched in the tournament, and their long-term potential, he shies away from judgments. "I don't think this is the right format to judge a player," he says. "One-day cricket or Tests reveal far more about a player's ability. With Twenty20 you can sometimes have days when everything you try just comes off."

His own career has revived spectacularly after the struggles with injury. There were two Test centuries in Australia, and though he failed in Sri Lanka, centuries in Chennai and Hamilton played a huge part in series victories over England and New Zealand. There were also two magnificent innings in the CB Series finals against Australia in March 2008, when he rewound the clock to Desert Storm times and single-handedly tilted games India's way.

A few more straight-drives and paddle sweeps and he'll have 30,000 runs in international cricket. Barring Don Bradman's, which acquire a near-mythical status as the years pass, Tendulkar owns practically every batting record in the game. What makes the man tick, what makes him get out of bed every morning and choose the less-than-easy option?

"I enjoy playing cricket," he says with a laugh. "It's the simplest answer and the one people seem to find hardest to believe. I love being out there. I have a lot of fun. There are always various challenges to occupy you, and also the pride that comes with playing for India. That's still a huge thing, because it's all I ever wanted as a child. I don't think my feelings are any less strong now."

Ever since he was a teenager scoring hundreds for fun in Mumbai, it's his sense of calm that has set him apart. Few events have shaken that composure down the years, and none quite like the terror attacks in Mumbai last November. The siege at the Taj Mahal Hotel took place just around the corner from his restaurant, with its cricket-themed walls and personally chosen menu.

"That was a tragic experience," he says after a long pause. "I don't think anyone expected that something of that nature could happen. It was just terrible. I dedicated the victory against England [Chennai] to the victims and their families, because I felt it was the least we could do. Winning a cricket match was not going to make people forget what had happened to them, but if they smiled even for a second, we had been able to do something. It was only about diverting minds, however briefly. It was a huge loss for everyone, and not something that can ever be measured in terms of wins and losses."

In that context, was that century the one he cherishes most? "Definitely," he says. "The mood of the entire nation was so low. And on that last day, we finished so strongly. It was my most important hundred."



	"Right now, things have been going well. I want to focus on the next engagement. Winning the World Cup is the ambition of every cricketer. I'm not alone in that. But it would be special

In his wonderful biography of Sunil Gavaskar, the late Dom Moraes titled one chapter "The Halcyon Years". These are such days for Tendulkar, for whom the finish line is in sight. But even as he approaches it, he's enjoying every moment of being part of a side that appears equipped to take on all-comers, home and away. Having spent much of his career as part of a team that struggled, especially away from home, what does it now feel like to be senior statesman and a member of a side that's challenging for top honours in every form of the game?

"It's terrific," he says, the mood lifting. "I find it a real pleasure to be part of this team. We've got the quality to compete with the best, and it's exciting when you do so well." The emphasis is on enjoying the moment, rather than worrying about which boxes still remain to be ticked. "I don't look to set targets, honestly," he says. "I play as hard as possible, and when things happen it's a great feeling. I don't disclose targets. But for example, it's nice when you go to Australia and do well there."

For most people connected with Indian cricket, though, the World Cup remains a Holy Grail. Tendulkar, who grew up watching the Kapil Dev generation, has mixed memories of both 1996 and 2003, when mountains of runs off his own bat weren't enough to cover for inadequacies elsewhere. And he insists that he won't put pressure on himself by over-egging the World-Cup pudding. "I don't want to look that far ahead," he says. "Right now, things have been going well. I want to focus on the next engagement. Winning the World Cup is the ambition of every cricketer. I'm not alone in that. But it would be special."

His children, Sara and Arjun, are now old enough to nurture ambitions of their own, and the time spent away from them is accepted with something approaching resignation. "I guess you have no choice," he says of the touring life. "When the children grow up, they'll know why their father was away for so long. And hopefully, they'll be proud of me and what I did."

For 20 years now the team has been his surrogate family, and there have been those that have left a deeper impression than others. "There have been many that I've shared the Indian dressing room with, but I'd make special mention of Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri," he says when asked about those who helped shape him. "My coach, Ramakant Achrekar, my brother Ajit, and my father were the others that have given me the most."

On the field, not much has changed. Abdul Qadir once mentioned milk, before he was smashed for sixes in Peshawar, and there was the uncomfortable task of testifying in the Harbhajan Singh "racism inquiry" not so long ago. Banter has been part of the game ever since the good Doctor Grace told a bowler that the crowds had come to watch him bat, and not to see him bowl. Tendulkar wouldn't have it any other way. "I'd like to think that I've been friendly with everyone," he says. "Whatever happens is only on the field and you don't need to get too personal. I don't expect friendship out there. They are competing as hard as you are, and looking to win against you. As long as you bear no grudges, I have no problems."

Jack Fingleton immortalised Victor Trumper with Never Another Like Victor. The Archie Jackson story lives on through the words of David Frith. In Tendulkar's case words aren't even necessary. There are so many thousands of hours of archival footage, and even those born years after Waqar Younis bloodied his nose on debut have watched his finest hours on youtube and commemorative DVDs. But what if it was possible for him to choose how he's remembered after leaving the game? He thinks for a while. "As somebody who enjoyed the game as much as he could," he says. "I've played fair and hard and loved every minute of it. That would be the best way to be remembered. And also as a team man. While you're achieving team goals, your own milestones will pass by."

PCB panel ends work on Asif case

2009-06-01T09:18:00.001-07:00

The PCB committee looking into fast bowler Mohammad Asif's 19-day detention at the Dubai Airport for drug possession has concluded its work and will pass on its recommendations to the board chairman Ijaz Butt.

"We concluded our work into this case today after meeting Asif," Wasim Bari, PCB director HR and head of the three-man committee, told Cricinfo. "In a day or so, our recommendations will be passed on to the board chairman and they will take further action."

Though the committee has remained silent on the possible punishment - unconfirmed reports in recent days suggest he might receive a heavy financial penalty only - it is now clear that Asif was deported from Dubai and might not find it easy to travel there again. As Pakistan are likely to be playing in the UAE regularly in the future, it is a concern for the board.

"Asif didn't provide any document to us as he had said he would about his deportation and future entry into Dubai," Bari said. "We have given him plenty of time to hand it in and given him flexibility but he didn't provide us with anything. He did turn up today and we thanked him for his cooperation." The committee itself has a letter from the Dubai public prosecutor stating that Asif was deported.

Asif turned up for the final hearing today with his lawyer, but the lawyer was not allowed to attend, the committee arguing it was an internal board hearing and not a legal matter as such. Asif did not insist on the lawyer's presence.

Asif was detained in Dubai last June on his way back from the first season of the IPL. In documents in the possession of Cricinfo, prosecutors in Dubai confirmed that he was found with a small quantity of opium; he was let off without a charge ultimately, local authorities arguing that the offence was a 'trivial' one and a case not worth pursuing. But in the documents it clearly states that Asif was deported.

Asif is currently banned from playing any form of cricket till September, after he tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid Nandrolone during the IPL last year. That was already the second time in his brief international career that he has tested positive for the same steroid, having once done so just before the Champions Trophy in 2006.

Gayle must walk the talk

2009-06-01T09:16:00.001-07:00

Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, has made no secret of his enjoyment of Twenty20. In his own words, it "wouldn't be so sad" if Test cricket gave way to the 20-over version and he was considering giving up the longer formats to focus on Twenty20. The way his men played in the Tests and ODIs in England it looked as though he wasn't the only one whose attention span was suited to three-hour games. Expectations will therefore be raised that West Indies can lift for the World Twenty20.

They are in a difficult group along with Australia and Sri Lanka - it's the only group that doesn't feature an Associate side - and therefore they must hit top form from day one. They beat Australia the only time the teams have met in a Twenty20 and they have never faced Sri Lanka.

West Indies have the quite remarkable record of having tied two of their 11 Twenty20 internationals - both against New Zealand - and they have won four and lost five. At the 2007 World Twenty20 they went down to both South Africa and Bangladesh in the group stage and were bundled out in the space of three days.

Strengths

A batting line-up boasting Gayle, Xavier Marshall, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Andre Fletcher, Denesh Ramdin, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard should score its runs quickly. They are all capable of demolishing an attack with clean strikes and opposition bowlers must keep the wickets falling to stop West Indies posting a big score. Throw in Shivnarine Chanderpaul as the man who can anchor one end should wickets tumble and it's a batting order with the potential to scare any bowling group.

Weaknesses

Those who live by the sword die by the sword. West Indies' batsmen can be destructive but they can be just as liable to capitulate dramatically. And it's impossible to predict which version of the side will arrive on any given day. At their best Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor are fine fast bowlers but opposition batsmen's eyes will light up when they see the backup brigade of Lionel Baker, Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy.

X-factor

The X-man is the X-factor. Nobody highlights the disparity between potential and consistent performance in West Indies' squad quite like Xavier Marshall. Never one to back down, he has the ability to dominate even the best attacks, as he proved when Australia visited the Caribbean last year. His 36 off 15 balls in the Twenty20 in Barbados set up West Indies' victory over Ricky Ponting's men. Far too many failures fill the gaps between his triumphs but even one matchwinning effort in this tournament will justify his place.

Key players

Gayle is the only man to have scored a century in a Twenty20 international and it came at the previous World Twenty20. Having shown little interest in the Test series in England, he has no excuse now that his preferred format is taking centre stage. At his best, he can win a game in a handful of overs. The question is, after such a lean patch in England, can he reach his best?

Twenty20 form guide

Over the past 12 months, West Indies have won two Twenty20s, lost one and tied one. Importantly, they beat Australia - who they meet in the group stage - in Barbados last year. But their matches have been infrequent and it's impossible to ignore their failure to win a Test or ODI in England this year - much of the personnel remains the same from those longer formats.

Squad: Chris Gayle (capt), Denesh Ramdin, Lionel Baker, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Xavier Marshall, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Lendl Simmons, Jerome Taylor.

All eyes on New Zealand's new crop

2009-06-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

First, the good news. The shorter the format the more competitive New Zealand become. Despite slumping to eighth on the Test rankings they have been World Cup semi-finalists in two of the past three tournaments and matched that achievement at the inaugural World Twenty20, where they were denied a place in the decider by Pakistan.

Now the bad news. Their leading performers two years ago included Craig McMillan, Shane Bond and Mark Gillespie, none of whom are there this time around. But there is an upside: since 2007 they have added a couple of more than handy names to their team with Jesse Ryder and Martin Guptill proving dangerous at international level.

And the other plus is that New Zealand have found themselves in a group with Scotland, meaning along with South Africa they should have no trouble progressing past the opening stage. Then things become less clear-cut. Will a few powerful hitters and an economical A-grade slow-bowler be enough for them to move past more imposing line-ups? Only time will tell. But it's a fool who writes off New Zealand when the 50- or 20-over tournaments arrive.

Strengths

Crafty, high-quality spin is a major weapon in Twenty20 and slow bowlers don't come any cannier than Daniel Vettori. New Zealand can all but guarantee that he will deliver four thrifty overs each match; he has done that in every one of his 14 Twenty20 internationals and the most he has ever gone for is 6.75 an over. Of men who have played ten Twenty20s for their country, only Umar Gul has a better economy rate than Vettori's 5.35.

Weaknesses

While Vettori contains at one end, the fast men will be required to keep things tight at the other. And that is New Zealand's biggest challenge. Bond, Gillespie and Chris Martin did adequately in 2007 but none is in this squad. A pace attack based around the likes of Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, James Franklin, Ian Butler and Jacob Oram won't strike fear into many Twenty20 batting line-ups. To compensate for a lack of firepower they'll need to bowl smart - changes of pace, yorkers, cutters - or else risk an early exit.

X-factor

According to the online Wiktionary, an x-factor is that which has "unknown or unforeseeable consequences". That's pretty much how New Zealand Cricket would define Jesse Ryder. Despite having had behavioural issues in the past and being one of the big flops of the recent IPL, Ryder hasn't often let his country down with the bat. A Twenty20 strike-rate of 137.61 shows his power and if he and the equally dangerous Brendon McCullum can get their side off to a couple of quick starts, it could be the difference between an early departure and a place in the finals.

Key players

Vettori is the most important with the ball, Ryder and McCullum could destroy attacks and Oram has the ability to finish an innings in style. But it's hard to argue that any of those men are more important to New Zealand's chances than Ross Taylor. No. 4 is a key position in Twenty20. If the openers have failed he must be steady without stalling; if they have thrived he needs to maintain or increase the momentum immediately. Taylor has the game to fill that role. He had a good IPL and his barely believable 81 off 33 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders was a highlight.

Twenty20 form guide

Warm-up wins against Bangladesh and Ireland don't reveal much, although the form of Taylor and Guptill in those games was a pleasing sign. More of a positive was New Zealand winning their two most recent Twenty20s, against the reigning champions India in February. Since then it has been an up-and-down time for their squad members. Taylor thrived at Royal Challengers Bangalore, McCullum played a couple of strong innings as captain of Kolkata Knight Riders but was in the firing line as his team failed, while Ryder, Oram and Scott Styris had largely forgettable tournaments. In the meantime, Franklin has enjoyed a productive stint with Gloucestershire and O'Brien has been acclimatising with Leicestershire.

Squad: Daniel Vettori (capt), Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Brendon Diamanti, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (wk), Nathan McCullum, Peter McGlashan (wk), Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor.

Australia warm up with easy win

2009-06-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

Australia, spurred to a daunting total by a thumping opening partnership, clinched a facile victory over Bangladesh in Nottingham. From the start it was apparent that Australia were going to dominate, what with Bangladesh's medium-pacers leaking runs and Tamim Iqbal reprieving Brad Haddin in the first over. Haddin and Shane Watson - who slammed a 21-ball half-century - made Bangladesh pay and though Mahmuddulah's four wickets ensured Australia didn't post a mammoth total, the favourites clearly had enough runs. Bangladesh's top order chased hard, but following Shakib Al Hasan's dismissal for a sprightly 54 in the 14th over the wheels fell off.

Australia's openers effectively nailed the match in eight overs. When the ball was new, the field in and the wicketkeeper up, both Haddin and Watson boldly chose to go over the top, twice lofting Syed Rasel over the onside for sixes in an over. Then, when the field spread out, the pair chipped and nudged it cleverly into the gaps to keep the board ticking over constantly, but also managed to find the fence whenever the bowlers dropped it short and wide.

The fourth over went for 16, with Haddin and Watson each slamming sixes, and the fifth cost 22. By this time Watson and Haddin both were using their feet and wrists excellently. Watson dumped offspinner Naeem Islam for four and six in consecutive deliveries as Australia reached 86 in seven overs. Watson raised his half-century in just 21 balls with another swipe over midwicket, the most profitable shot on this track.

Mahmudullah struck in a double-wicket over during which both openers picked out fielders in the deep. Enter Andrew Symonds and three sixes over midwicket, but after racing to 27 from 14 balls, he fell to Mahmudullah in the 13th over. Three deliveries later Mahmudullah ended Ricky Ponting's scratchy innings and Australia had a new pair at the crease again. Where his team-mates all suffered, Mahmudullah returned figures of 4 for 37 and his role was instrumental in roping Australia in from what seemed a massive total.

There was the usual flurry of heaves, hoicks and wickets during the final overs as Bangladesh snapped a 52-run stand between Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke and finished with a tidy last three overs.

Bangladesh began their chase frenetically, taking 31 from the first two overs. In the first over Tamim larruped Nathan Bracken for 18, using his feet to launch a beautiful straight six. In the second over Junaid Siddique took Brett Lee for three boundaries, the most audacious being a swat over extra cover with Siddique a third down the track.

Mitchell Johnson sent Siddique's leg stump cartwheeling with a quick and straight delivery and Lee had his man when Tamim drove straight to mid-off in the fourth over. Then came an engrossing period where both sides battled for leverage. Mohammad Ashraful broke the shackles of a nervous start with three successive fours off Johnson, using his crease excellently to clear the infield on both sides. Bracken swung it back with three singles in the sixth over, but Shakib and Ashraful took boundaries off David Hussey; Tamim's sweep was forceful while Ashraful's reverse-paddle was gentle.

In the next over Tamim paddled and drove James Hopes for boundaries and Ashraful sliced to third man. Following Ashraful's dismissal for 26 to the first ball of Johnson's next spell, Shakib clubbed Symonds' first two deliveries for six, survived a stumping, and promptly creamed four through extra cover. His half-century needed just 25 deliveries.

Shakib was the fourth to go and at the time Bangladesh were still in the hunt, but his dismissal was a hammer blow and the innings never recovered as Lee and Bracken strangled the life out of the lower order.

Deccan Chargers have won the IPL-2009 Trophy

2009-05-25T04:50:00.001-07:00

JOHANNESBURG: Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist was over the moon because his side had scripted a major turnaround. The DLF Indian Premier League title triumph on Sunday culminated a wonderful journey for Gilchrist & Co. And he did not hesitate to share the journey with the media.

Excerpts from his interaction with the media:
On Symonds being left out by Australia and coming good for Chargers: Yeah, I was surprised. But it is not my job to pick the team for Australia. And Andrew Symonds is that sort of a player – he has been such a team man and he gets the great spirit in the team. We saw a little glimpse of that in the last season of the IPL where he got just four games and what he added there. The respect he got from the international and Indian players and that is what he got this time too. He became instant favourite when he joined the squad. He is a great personality and a wonderful talent on the cricket field. He can turn matches.

On what was more satisfying – the three World Cup wins or IPL: Yeah, I think one was better than the other. But this is the only cricket I play now – Twenty20. Given what we went through last year. I think a lot of credit goes to the franchise for turning it around but obviously the World Cups are also important for one’s career. I think one of my catch phrase for this tournament to the players was to make sure that every ball – the very next ball – is the most important thing of their lives at the moment. And sounds quite dramatic but there is nothing else going on in the life at that moment so if you can make that thing important – then that’s trying to get them focused and that is what you do – the World Cups when it was required and tonight. It has just been a great experience.

On Rohit Sharma and Pragyan Ojha doing well this season: Both are immensely talented cricketers. I have really enjoyed working with Rohit as vice captain. I am trying to inculcate the leadership role. I hope he learns some leadership skills on the way which I think he will. I think he wants to take on that role. His cricket speaks for itself. He is a talented cricketer. As far as Pragyan is concerned, he has a desire to learn and absorb as much as he can from the people with experience around. They will be wonderful cricketers for India. I have no doubt about that.

On Royal Challengers Bangalore doing well and on Kumble: I think credit goes to them and their franchise for the way they turned it around. It requires a lot of pain and discipline to change the fortunes from last year. I think no one sitting in the press conference here would have thought that the teams which played for wooden spoon last year will play for the title. We have seen in this tournament that a lot of experienced players have adapted well in the conditions and they leveled the teams a little bit and evened up the battle between the bat and the ball. It is no surprise that a guy like Anil Kumble comes up with a standout performer in this tournament. And his leadership is I think from an outside observer looking in both in this competition and when he was leading the national team, he looks to me like a natural leader, a guy that defends everyone, makes them feel comfortable, makes them feel part of the set-up. So no surprise that the team did well under his guidance.
On whether he predicted another victory: (laughs) You all think I am nuts but I woke up this morning at 2.30. I just couldn’t sleep, I was quite excited, bit nervous. My mind was racing…. At 3.16 I decided I am going to make another bold prediction and I wrote down that Pragyan Ojha would be the Man of the Match. And I thought he was close with three for 24 off four overs. I thought he did a wonderful job. It just goes to prove that I am human…I can’t predict everything (laughs). He did really well but Anil’s contribution was a standout performance in this match.

On last year Deccan Chargers not doing well despite having a strong team: I think we had a team which was strong on the papers. We had individual players who played well for their respective countries. But I think Shane Warne’s team which was the least favourite to win the tournament changed that and they won it. May be the same can be said about us. By seeing the record of the last year we came here as one of the least favourites to win. We were happy with not many expectations from us. As we had to start again and rebuild the team. But last year we just didn’t adapt to what we needed to this form of the game as well we should have. It is not because of only one person or one leadership group or we as a collective group just didn’t get down and do what is required. The way we made changes in coaching everyone just poured in thereafter. VVS Laxman who went through a lot obviously emotionally as he had the captaincy taken away from him and he has been here and played just five games. We told him that we did not need him in the end of the tournament. But we wanted him to contribute – his vast knowledge, experience and another thing that is a wonderful example that not only Twenty 20 players but also a senior player like him wants to learn how to play Twenty20 format. He has worked with our fitness trainer, fielding coach and Darren as our head coach. So, that is exciting to see that VVS epitomises what the franchise has been this year.

On the changes he made this year: I guess last year’s just a very hollow feeling. It was a great learning experience for me. Because I have been lucky to play in a lot of successful teams in the Australian set-up. And to go on that sort of losing streak was new to me, and I think…I knew that at the time, I wanted to just embrace it and work out, why and what and that’s what everyone did. Couple of personnel changes. We needed a lit bit more strike power in our bowling and we got that in the form of Fidel Edward and then Ryan Harris when he got his opportunity, and yet we played Chaminda Vaas in couple of games and he had a huge impact in those conditions, when he had his chance. But that was probably the major personnel change, we just needed a little bit more firepower to try and support RP Singh. He did a great job last year, of course did it again this year, winning the Purple Cap. He had that little bit of support around him. And then…that was probably the main thing. But then just trying to create the culture of learning from our mistakes last year and trying to play smarter brand of Twenty20 cricket rather than walking out and trying to literally just fire from ball one all of us and all of a sudden we would be four for 30, yeah we just got to get smarter about it I think.

On whether the players in IPL will have an advantage in ICC World Twenty20: I think so, as long as they get a little bit of time to freshen up. I really do. Obviously India is the only national team, that had every member of their T20 World Cup squad playing in this tournament. As long as....that's an advantage. But as long as they get that chance just to freshen up, whether it be five-six days away from cricket. I know it's hard for them to do when they go back to their home cities in India. They tend to sort of keep high profiles and lower profiles, because of the passion for the game. I can't wait to watch, it's going to be interesting to see, how it goes. Having been in Twenty20 mode, that's going to help a lot of the players.

On Gibbs’ knock in the final: That was the sort of rock that we formed our foundation around, he was very clever. He is such an instinctive sort of natural strokemaker. And takes it on, but yeah brave innings from him, symbolic of where he is at in life at the moment. He has admitted to a lot.... been a very honest about his life in recent times. He has come out of the other side really well, so I am really proud of him. And I think, as you say, shows sort of in a cricketing sense, how he has matured and come to terms with things.

On why this has been a left-handers’ tournament: If you say like that yes (laughs). I haven't sat back to think about it, but yeah I don't know. There seems to be more left-handers around in general whether it is batting or bowling than I can ever remember. As a youngster you were bit of an alien to be a left-hander, now there seems to be..generally half a team is left-handers. I was the only one in our team I think...but oh Ojha bats left-hander. Yeah...it's.....I don't know. I haven't thought about it.

On another Aussie captain winning an IPL trophy: As I said it's not anyone person that's changed it. It's the whole franchise, our owners had to have faith in us and had faith in me when I requested some of the changes. It wasn't wholesale changes, but certainly there were some changes that I had suggested. And they showed faith in me and trust in me that it was the right way to go. Obviously I think, the main one was Darren Lehmann. I think he has just got a wonderful cricket mind. He was the first person I thought of when I sensed an opportunity to bring in some...bit of freshness and some new people. Mike Young, he has just been so successful with the Australian team and Steve Smith, he is a fitness guru that I have done a bit of work with over many years. And he has come in and the boys have just responded so well. So getting that support culture...the support group around to create the culture, that's all we tried to do. The players had to buy in. And as I said, from VVS Laxman down to Harmeet Singh, new young talent, they all bought in... The first thing that I said at the start of our first meeting, I stood up and I said ‘We are all in it together’. That was my first line of my first team meeting, and yeah…’we are going to enjoy this together’.

Delhi Daredevils get a place in Champions League: Modi

2009-05-25T04:48:00.000-07:00

The inaugural edition of Champions League to be held in India from October 8-23 with record prize money of US $6 million at stake. A total number of 12 teams, with three from IPL scheduled to be part of the competition.

Rakesh Ahuja

JOHANNESBURG: If you thought you would take time off to recover from the pressure-packed action of DLF Indian Premier League, think again. For if you were on the edge of the seat with eight teams in competition, then brace yourself for this. Twelve of the best Twenty20 club sides from all over the world taking part in a fortnight's battle for the top prize, the Champions League Twenty20.

A total prize money of US $6 million will be at stake as the best sides in the world will vie for the crown and the right to be called the best Twenty20 side in the world. This would be the highest prize pool in cricket

At a press conference here on Sunday morning, hours before the grand final of DLF IPL, it was announced that 12 teams would be taking part in the in the competition. Announcing the launch of the competition, Chairman and Co-ordinator Lalit Modi informed that the 12 teams would be drawn from India, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England.

“The venues will be finalised shortly. It will be announced with a draw on June 23 in London. There will be an official draw of the teams that are participating. And the final venues will be announced then. The 12 teams will be represented by two teams from Australia, two from South Africa,two from England, one each from West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. And three from India,” said Modi.

We all know that Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers qualify for being the finalists in this edition of DLF-IPL, but a third has been accommodated by the governing council of the Champions League which includes the member boards of India, South Africa and Australia.

So which is the third team? “The way the three teams will qualify from India is two teams that have reached the final. And the team that topped the league, that is Delhi Daredevils. Going forward from year two of Champions League and year three of the IPL, the teams will be determined on the basis of the two finalists and the two other semifinal teams being involved in a play-off,” he added.

The Chairman said that with IPL moving out of India this year, it became important that a top Twenty20 tournament like Champions League was held in India to whet the appetite of the fans back home. The number of teams in Champions League has gone up from the eight scheduled to be part of the tournament in December 2008 before terrorist attacks on Mumbai forced the tournament to be postponed to October 2009.

This format is pretty simple and in some ways could be likened to the World T20 scheduled to be held next month in England. The 12 teams will be divided in four groups of three each. The top two teams from each group then qualify for a knockout stage, from where the top four enter the semifinal stage. A total of 23 games are scheduled to be held in the competition.

Champions League now part of ICC's FTP: Modi

2009-05-25T04:44:00.001-07:00

JOHANNESBURG: The number of teams in the Champions League may have increased from 8 to12 in the very second edition but more teams could be part of the blue chip event in the coming years. According to Chairman Lalit Modi, it could be a case where the competition could be more broadbased and more teams could be part of it in years to come.

“We were always moving to 12 teams in the second year of operation as the first year had already been delayed. And we could not do it, we were always moving to 12, and we hope to increase it to more teams going forward,” he said .

The other added reason for the increase is the fact that the major countries in the world can all participate in the event.“We just want to broaden it for more and more countries, so that the true champion of champions is taking place. You will see more and more countries participating in the future,'' he added.

The biggest possible plus for Champions League this year could be the fact that the tournament has found a slot in ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP) and there will always be a window for the event annually. “I think Champions League has already been slotted in as part of the FTP. IPL and other domestic tournaments around the world have to find their own windows. We haven't asked for an FTP commitment as far as that is concerned. But for an international tournament of this magnitude and this quality, we are working with all the member countries and the ICC and we have together come out with the dates of the Champions League to benefit everybody,” he revealed.

The other addition to the event's feature is that the tournament could move from country to country in the years ahead. “We have always envisaged movement of Champions League from country to country, and to showcase the best of the best playing in different parts of the world, so that fans across the world, can participate and be part of Champions League and also be part of the game. We are going to examine that.

“This year it's in India,” he said. “Once we have the first inaugural season in India, we will take it forward, many countries have invited us already to take the tournament to their country. For example, South Africa has invited us to bring the tournament here next year. But we are going to examine, all these things after the first year.”

Deccan Chargers stay afloat in final

2009-05-25T04:34:00.000-07:00

JOHANNESBURG: Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha claimed two wickets to keep Deccan Chargers afloat in a thrilling final of the DLF Indian Premier League against Royal Challengers Bangalore here on Sunday.

Ojha saw the backs of Manish Pandey (4) and Roelof van der Merwe (32) to keep Royal Challengers down to 69 for three in 10 overs. Deccan Chargers had set a 144-run target. Jacques Kallis (16) was the first man dismissed by RP Singh who now has a record 23 wickets in the tournament. Dravid and Taylor are at the crease.

Earlier skipper Anil Kumble took four wickets, including those of Adam Gilchrist Andrew Symonds and Rohit Sharmat to ensure that Royal Challengers Bangalore kept their nose ahead of Deccan Chargers.

After Kumble decided to bowl first, Deccan Chargers made 143 for six, recovering a bit from 62 for three in 10 overs. Gilchrist was bowled for 0 in the third ball of the matche while Symonds, dropped by Rahul Dravid at slip off Vinay Kumar, played on in the ninth over. T Suman was the other batsman out, caught at covers of a skyer when he tried to hit Vinay out of the ground.

Symonds, dropped at 5, made 33 brisk runs but his fall meant that Herschelle Gibbs (53 not out) and Rohit Sharma (24) shouldered the burden of giving Deccan Chargers at least a fighting total But they may rue falling short of par score by at least 25 runs against a side that is high on confidence when chasing.

IPL II has been phenomenal experience: Gilchrist

2009-05-25T04:31:00.000-07:00

JOHANNESBURG: Fortunes fluctuated but it was Deccan Chargers who held their nerves and defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by six runs to win the DLF Indian Premier League 2009 at the Wanderers on Sunday.

Ecstatic captain Adam Gilchrist said that it was phenomenal on the part of his players as nobody gave them the chance to reach so far after the eighth placed finish last year. “It’s has been a phenomenal experience. Nobody gave us a chance to reach so far but we did it,” he said. “From being at the bottom of the table last year to being at the top is a journey well traversed.

“I am proud of my boys who rallied throughout this tournament to win this title. It has been outstanding for us,” said Gilchrist, adding that the match could have gone either way today but Deccan Chargers came out on top by holding their nerves.

Gilchrist, who won the Player of the Series award said, Royal Challengers were brilliant throughout the tournament. “I guess they also felt the same disappointment last year as we did. That I think propelled us to go for the kill. Today Pragyan Ojha bowled an astonishing spell. His took crucial wickets at the right time and it helped building up the pressure. Gibbs was good and it was nice to see young Harmeet Singh vibrant on the field. He bowled well and he took a fantastic catch. It’s amazing to see these youngsters perform at such level.”

Anil Kumble, disappointed after coming so close to the victory, said that though they lost the match, he was proud of his boys who gave everything on the field. “We came so close but could not get it. Two weeks ago when we lost to Mumbai Indians, nobody gave us a chance to win all the five games. However, we managed to do it and reach so far,” he said.

“Though I am disappointed not to have won the final, I am nevertheless proud of what we have achieved this season. Both, Royal Challengers and Deccan Chargers were at the bottom of the table last year but we are the finalists this time. It’s incredible on part of the players,” said Kumble, adding that loss of Rahul Dravid, Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli took the match away from them.

Kumble, who bagged the man-of-the-match award for his astonishing figures of four for 16, said that he had backed himself up to bowl the first over as restricting Gilchrist was very important. “Getting Gilchrist in the first over itself was great. I backed myself up to bowl the first over and succeeded in my plan. Though my ploy worked against the Decaan Chargers during our bowling, we failed with our bat. It’s disappointing but the team have done exceptionally well and kudos to the players. But everything apart, all the credit to Deccan Chargers,” said Kumble.

It was also a great IPL for RP Singh as he won the Purple Cap for taking the most wickets this season. “I am enjoying the stardom and the award,” he said. “My performance in the IPL has helped me get a place in the Indian T20 squad and I could not have asked for more. I bowled in the right areas and that did the trick for me.

“My captain and my coach had been of great help throughout the tournament,” said RP Singh, adding that he too loved this place as it was here that they had won the inaugural ICC World Twenty20. Today I wanted to bowl as many yorkers but changed my mind later. I am very happy and proud of my Purple Cap as my wickets have helped my team win the title. And today I bowled the crucial overs, so it makes it more special,” he said.

Rohit Sharma was doubly happy as apart from his team winning the trophy, he also bagged the best Under-23 player’s award. “It does feel good. More so when we have won the trophy. When I came to know that IPL has been shifted to South Africa, I was very happy about it because we had done very well here in the T20 World Cup. When the tournament started, the wickets weren’t easy. But with the progress of the event, it became slower and slower and I love batting in these kind of wickets. I just kept my basics right and I got the rewards,” he said.

Deccan Chargers top charts after heart-stopping clash

2009-05-25T04:30:00.001-07:00

NEW DELHI: The heart pounded the chest relentlessly – from the time Anil Kumble bowled Adam Gilchrist to long after the entire Deccan Chargers dug out raced to the middle to celebrate a fairytale victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in DLF Indian Premier League final on Sunday. It was a night when the Deccan Chargers refused to be tamed the Bull Ring.

The heart sought to gloss over Herschelle Gibbs's effort – painstaking and scratchy for the most past – when Deccan Chargers batted first. He finished with 53 not out off 48 balls. But the mind reminded the heart that it was perhaps the single most significant batting effort on a sluggish track in the grand final. Deccan Chargers ended up with 143 for six in 20 overs.

The heart cringed a bit when the vastly experienced Andrew Symonds chatted up Royal Challengers Bangalore young opener Manish Pandey but it also knew that the teenager will have grown up considerably. Pandey, of course, heard more of Symonds and faced the attack less as had got to play but seven deliveries before being dismissed by Pragyan Ojha.

Ojha took a leaf out of Kumble's book, put his hand up for his team and finished with three for 28 to play the lead role in Deccan Chargers' spectacular defence of the low score. Of course there were others who made it work for the team that drew on the twin fuels of hunger and self-belief as they pursued their goal with single-mindedness.

Ryan Harris starting the proceedings with a maiden over to Jacques Kallis; little-known Punjab fast medium bowler Harmeet Singh showing character under pressure and claiming two for 23; Andrew Symonds returning to scalp the dangerous Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli; RP Singh conjuring Kallis' dismissal and finishing with 4-0-16-1.

There was more. A spectacular catch by Harmeet Singh, who sprinted from long leg and lunged forward to get his hands under the skyer to dismiss a defiant Vinay Kumar in the 19th over. Gilchrist himself contributed with two wonderful stumping dismissals to curtain the innings of Roelof van der Merwe and Kohli.

The sum of such wonderful parts was beautiful.

Then again, it was hard for the heart not to reach to the gallant Anil Kumble. It is not often that a man does everything he could possibly do – bowl with the new ball and claim Adam Gilchrist, come back to pick up the wickets of Andrew Symonds and Rohit Sharma at critical junctures – and end up having to watch his team fall short by six runs.

Two teams that had finished eighth and seventh last season fought every inch and one had to run out winner at the end of a stunning game that climaxed a wonderful tournament. Believe me, the heart hasn't stop pounding through the writing of this piece; the words flowed even as a spectacular closing ceremony that followed such a breathtaking match.

That was quick

2009-05-14T01:52:00.000-07:00

For an all-too-brief while, Shane Bond was the world's finest fast bowler, shattering stumps and scaring batsmen. Now at ease with not gracing the main stage anymore, he looks back at his career

Log on to Youtube and you may get to see the ball that changed Shane Bond's career: a searing yorker that knocked out Adam Gilchrist's stumps in a VB series game in 2002.

On the morning of the match Bond threw up at breakfast - a side effect of nervousness that he only managed to get rid of years later. The very good players tend to be nervous wrecks before big games. Sachin Tendulkar can't sleep, George Headley's bowel movements used to change during a Test; for Bond it was throwing up.

"If you are not nervous, I don't think you can get the best out of yourself," Bond says. "You need to be on the edge to perform against the best guys. Even during the warm-ups I used to be tense, but as soon as I got the ball in the game, I would relax. Outwardly you try to show you are calm but I think every one is nervous. You do bluff a bit.

"I remember walking back to the mark after that wicket and telling myself, 'Look, I'm good enough to be here.' That one ball changed my whole thinking. Before that I was still intimidated and thinking, 'Don't get hurt here.' From that point my self-belief went up there. Rather than thinking about don't do this, don't bowl a half-volley, don't get hit, the focus shifted to 'Do this now.' I thought I could be the best bowler in the world and set out to do what was required."

He held that title, for a while at least, and has the records to prove it. Bond's strike-rate of 27.5 is still the best in the history of one-day cricket. He was the fastest bowler to 100 wickets in terms of number of deliveries bowled. In Tests, he has the fourth best strike-rate of all time.

Bond, still boyish-looking, doesn't seem a fast bowler. Nor does he look a cop. He was both.

Shy by nature, he transforms into an animated character while talking about fast bowling. Sitting in his hotel room, watching on the telly as Zaheer Khan harasses the Australians, he brightens up: "Ah that was good. How did he bowl that? … C'mon, the batsman should have seen that coming." Bond is in India playing in the ICL and watches the Test series when he can.

I is for injury
"It's easy to say that you want to be the best but it's difficult to go out and do it," he says. Train hard, work hard when no one is watching you. For me, I had the desire to do it even when no one was watching."

Never was that desire more severely tested than in 2004, Bond's annus horribilis. He had a back operation - the hipbone was grafted into the vertebra and secured with bolts and wire - and things didn't look too good. It was three weeks before he was able just to touch his toes, seven before he could walk for ten minutes at a stretch. The surgeon told him that his fast bowling was a thing of past. The future was a blur. Bond had a young family to support. Somehow he had to find a way. He did.



	You hit them on the thigh or back side, you see them grimace and you go, 'That's good!' I don't like to see them hit on the head and hurt or something. I am the first one to run across. But the times when they are jumping around, you walk back to your mark with a smile

He began to walk, went swimming, and changed his fitness training. He slogged through four sessions a day: ten overs of bowling in the morning, followed by an hour of weights. Then a half-hour of rest before a 40-minute run. He ended the day with a session of boxing training. No one was watching.

Knowing that he did his best to overcome his body is what has allowed Bond to come to terms with thoughts of what could have been. His bid for a spot on the list of the greats will always come with an asterisk: he played only 17 Test matches, the footnote will say.

Bond doesn't think too much about how his career would have shaped if not for all the injuries. "I don't see my cricket career as a 'but' now. I have worked really hard on my game, especially on my fitness," he says. "That was the whole point for me. If I got injured, I got injured, but I did everything possible to take care of myself."

On tours, when team-mates went out to party, Bond would usually stay back at the hotel. He didn't drink a lot, or indulge in anything that could later give cause for regret. "I did everything I could, but I still got injured. For me, it was just not meant to be."

'No mate, you've got to be the best'
Bond first dreamed of playing cricket for New Zealand at the age of five. When he was 12 he met his hero Richard Hadlee.

He was 16 when he decided he had to improve his bowling. "I picked up the phonebook, dialled Dayle Hadlee [New Zealand's bowling coach then] and asked him whether I could come to his house and have a chat, have a look at my video. As I grew a bit older, he was in charge of the academy and we shared a great relationship."

During his time in the police force, "raiding houses and chasing bad men", Bond would save his seven-weeks' holiday to play cricket in the summer. And when he did, he bowled fast and blew teams out in club cricket. After one such annihilation, his first-class coach Gary McDonald said, "That's the quickest going on in New Zealand. I'm going to call up Richard Hadlee."

Bond played for New Zealand A on a tour of India in 2001, during which he picked up a bunch of wickets. Later that year he made his international debut, against Australia.

It was a conversation with Chris Cairns shortly after that gave Bond direction. Cairns asked the debutant about his plans. "I said I want to take wickets and try to stay in the team, and he said, 'No mate, you've got to strive to be the best bowler, the No. 1 bowler in NZ, and soon the best bowler in the world." After I played in the first part of that VB series, I thought he was right: I want to be the best bowler in the world."

Bond didn't have a great start against the Australians, though. He remembers standing in the nets, watching the mighty Aussies go about their task. "All the stars were there. I thought, this is the best team in history and I'm going up against them, but the good thing is that it's never going to get harder.

"I didn't pick up many wickets but I went past the bat a few times and it gave me confidence that I could compete against these guys. Then Bangladesh came along, which was a good thing. I picked up wickets and my confidence grew. Then the VB Series, which was the turning point for me."

There's something about the Australians that brought the best out of Bond. In 11 ODIs against them he has taken 34 wickets at 13.88, with a best of 6 for 23. "They can make you look stupid if you don't bowl well," Bond says. "And I always felt a lot of buzz when going against them. They like to attack and come after you, but it gives you a chance to pick wickets. I used my swing, bowled fast and kept it full outside off. I'm lucky that I swing the ball. I always believed that I could bowl the ball that can get somebody out. Good luck to them if they keep coming hard."

Thinking 'em out
Brain triumphs over brawn for Bond. Talk about his famous yorkers and he'd rather tell you about the thought-out dismissals that he cherishes more.

Brian Lara was a prized victim. When he was new at the crease, Lara would move back and across in an exaggerated manner; but rarely had he been bowled around his legs. Bond stored that movement in his head.

The opportunity came in a Test in Auckland. In the first innings Lara was out cutting Bond to point. In the second innings Bond fired his first ball in full, fast and swinging. Lara walked across and his leg stump was out of the hole. "That felt great," Bond says.

He was never the sledging fast bowler. The odd stare or the occasional wry smile to suggest he had got the better of the batsman was more his style. "I just concentrated on keeping at the batsman. Even if he hit me for a four I would be at him the next ball. He would know that I was not going to give up, that I'd keep knocking till I got him out."

Some good-old quick bowler's meanness does trickle out, though. Bond says with a smile that he loves to see batsmen hop - though he doesn't like to really hurt anyone. "You hit them on the thigh or back side, you see them grimace and you go, 'That's good!' I don't like to see them hit on the head and hurt or something. I am the first one to run across. But the times when they are jumping around, you walk back to your mark with a smile. No one enjoys facing fast bowling."

Who were the good batsmen he liked bowling against, who he felt weren't too comfortable playing him? "Sourav Ganguly." A few at his ribcage and then slip in a yorker? He nods. "And I always thought I had a chance against [Virender] Sehwag. I used to swing the ball back in and he had problems with it. [Herschelle] Gibbs always felt that when he was on song he could play me, but I liked bowling to him. Graeme Smith played me well, but then I got my own back."

Who was difficult to dislodge? "I've got to say [Matthew] Hayden. If you are swinging into him he has problems, but my strength was swinging away from the left-hand batsmen and so I never had a great chance of bowling him or getting him lbw. Similarly [Shivnarine] Chanderpaul. He knows his off stump and doesn't give you much chance."



	Knowing that he did his best to overcome his body is what has allowed Bond to come to terms with thoughts of what could have been

It was in the Auckland game where he got Lara twice that he thinks he produced his best spell of Test bowling. "We were defending 290 they were nearly 150 for none. [Chris] Gayle and [Daren] Ganga were playing well. Ganga got out and I hit [Ramnaresh] Sarwan with a bouncer and bowled Lara around his legs. The ball started to reverse and I got three more wickets. It was my best-controlled spell: I got players out when and in the way I wanted. I remember the previous night telling myself tomorrow is a big day and I am going to go good." Bond's figures read 5 for 69 and West Indies fell 28 runs short.

Like his idol, Hadlee, Bond charged himself up by setting targets of wickets and averages. "When I was playing ODIs, I set two wickets a game. I wanted four runs per over and to keep my average under 20. Similarly in Tests I wanted to keep it under 20. I was driven by trying to just keep it there. Stats are not going to define you as a player but I used it to get the best out of myself. I pushed myself to wanting to be the best and get my ranking higher and higher."

And so he rose before injuries pulled him down and the decision to play in the ICL finally froze his international career. He has no regrets about that choice - "When I joined the ICL I thought I could play both and it was just common sense as far as financial reasons go" - but when he eventually hangs his boots up for good he knows he will miss the big time. "Like winning, especially against Australia at their home in front of huge crowds. They give you tremendous stick and when you do well it gives you great adrenalin. Nothing is going to beat that. Life is going to be a bit boring!"

'I've always felt comfortable in tight situations'

2009-05-14T01:50:00.001-07:00

The master finisher talks about the art of pulling off impossible chases, and his less-than-stellar record in the long form

Interview by Sriram Veera

November 14, 2008

Michael Bevan was the world's best one-day batsman for a decade, orchestrating many close successful chases for Australia. Picking the gaps, running hard and knowing the right moment - and place - to hit a boundary were the hallmarks of his success. In a freewheeling chat with Cricinfo, he talks about the secret of his success in ODIs and dwells on his failures in Test match cricket.

You had a great ODI career. But there was a perception that you had a problem against the short delivery in Test cricket.
A lot of people felt I couldn't play the short ball. Maybe I put too much pressure on myself to play the short ball well. If I had my time again, I would approach it a little bit differently.

I think I didn't learn much at the start of my career. I think I suffered from the same mistakes over and over again. I think I learnt a lot in the latter part of my career, and I was probably good enough to play for Australia, but I just didn't get the opportunity as I was labelled with the short-ball weakness. I don't necessarily see it as a big deal, but I could have made a better fist of it.

How did you put pressure on yourself?
I tried to prove to people that I could play, and I put too much pressure on myself and never allowed myself to make mistakes. All those things made it hard for me to move on and get over it. I tried to change later in my career but it was a bit too late.

You hired a US biomechanical coach and learned how to hook and pull all over again. Did the acknowledgement that you had a problem with the short ball happen then, or did it come earlier, when you were in trouble early in your career?
No, not really. Even when I was dropped originally, in 1994, I went back and practised the short ball a lot. But the practice was a technical thing. I think the problem was more of a mental thing for me. It was not until 1997 that I realised it was a mental thing.

When I hired the biomechanist it was because I had decided that they weren't picking me in the team because I was ducking and weaving from the short deliveries, and they still thought I had the problem. All I wanted to do was to change the defensive into an attacking option.

Later the head of selectors, Trevor Hohns, said your 'contribution to the one-day side had decreased', and you were cut out of the team.
I was pretty disappointed. I felt that I hadn't done much wrong. I had a couple of bad games. But given that I had 230-odd for my country, I thought it was a harsh call. But to be fair, I could see the writing on the wall when they only gave me one year in the last contract meeting. It was pretty obvious that they were looking to move me out. I was very disappointed because the whole decision revolved around the 2007 World Cup, and they didn't think I would be there. I felt that I should have been given a reasonable period where I didn't perform. So I was pretty angry about it.

You have been spoken of as an aloof person. Jamie Cox, your team-mate, said about you: 'I played under-age cricket with Michael and even then he had the aloofness, if you like, that a lot of special players have… There's this zone where they go and you wonder what they're thinking. You look at them and you know they're ready to go.'
No, not really. It's a decision other people make. Some people can also say you are arrogant. I was quite shy and maybe that can be misinterpreted.

Another quote on your 'volatile' temperament, from the Victoria captain Darren Berry: 'Although a mild-mannered man, his often violent temper was a room-clearer whenever he got out. He made a mess of many cricket coffins and on occasions would shove his bat and pads down the toilet, flush the button and walk away as he battled his inner demons.'
I don't necessarily remember that happening but I was always quite an angry person. I tended to get very frustrated after getting out. I did do lots of things that I regret doing at the start of my career and I made a conscious decision that I had to change in the latter half.



	I felt I had lots of scoring options in ODI cricket, which helped me to get pressure off myself. Pressure is the thing that makes people make mistakes and costs matches

What were the things you regretted?
I was getting too angry and aggressive, and getting out was too frustrating for me. That's just part of the game; you are always going to get out.

How would you react now as a coach when you see someone like you - a young Bevan?
I always try to find what their goals are - what they want to achieve. It's about achieving team goals and creating awareness about the things that will help them get there. I tend not to offer suggestions. I try to get a feel for the player. Only then I can help them.

You were known to pull off incredible wins in ODIs from lost situations. How much does that come down to planning?
I felt that was a strength of mine - planning, strategy and making the right decisions. Even when it looks hard to score, it's about being disciplined and carrying out your plans. One of my goals was to be there till the end. I figured that if I was there till the end we would win more matches than we lost. Of course, I didn't score a run a ball every minute, but that was my goal.

What exactly do you mean by planning?
It's a fairly complex process but it's about playing to your strengths. Choosing the right ball to fit into your strengths, understanding the situation - who is bowling, how is the wicket, what is the match condition - and making the right decisions.

Why were you so much better than the rest in those situations?
When I started playing ODIs I felt that I had a good range of scoring options - very similar to an Andrew Symonds or a Michael Clarke. That's what sets them apart. In that era I felt I had lots of scoring options in ODI cricket, which helped me to get pressure off myself. Pressure is the thing that makes people make mistakes and costs matches. I always try to say to myself that we are going to lose some matches. So I never try to put too much pressure on myself.

So in those extreme chase situations the pressure goes off you?
That's right. I had my personal goals - run-a-ball and this is the way I'm going to do it. That used to be my focus. You always feel a bit of pressure. Its okay to be nervous but you just try to focus on the next ball. When the pressure gets so much that you can't handle it, then it becomes a problem.

Ian Chappell wrote about you, 'I have never seen Bevan yorked. He often manages to whack attempted yorkers to boundaries.' Do you get a sense of where the ball is going to be in some situations?
That's right. Based on the experience of playing in ODI cricket, the field settings, the type of bowler, you do get a feel of where it's going to pitch. So it's about having a plan when it pitches there.

Talk us through that game against West Indies in 1996 where you hit a boundary on the last ball off Roger Harper. You were 74 for 7 chasing 173.
You probably think you don't have much of a chance. It's great to be positive and all those sorts of things, but you can't think that far ahead because it feels too big a job. So what you try to say is, 'Just get through the next period. Try to continue to rotate strike, and give yourself a chance.' You tend to bat well in that circumstance as you are relaxed. It's not until you get close to the end of the match and you understand you have a chance of winning or losing that you get nervous again.

Glenn McGrath was with you in the final over of the game. What were you thinking?
The key for Glenn was to get off strike and run quickly. It's very important to be clear how you are going to approach it. He knew what was expected of him and how we were going to do it. As opposed to the situation in the semi-final of 1999, when the South Africans [Lance Klusener and Allan Donald] didn't have a plan in the same situation.

McGrath took a single of the fourth ball. The fifth, you jumped out but drove straight back to Harper. Then there was almost a minute before the next ball. The crowd was screaming and chanting. What was going through your mind there?
I think the second-last ball I had a pretty good idea where I wanted to go: straight. That was my best opportunity, given where I thought he was going to bowl. He bowled a real good ball; if he had bowled another ball like that it wouldn't have happened. I moved slightly leg side, gave myself some room and was just lucky that it landed on the right spot really.

Even early in my career, when a game went down to the wire… I have always felt comfortable and good in those situations.

Can you practise for these situations?
Of course, mate. You can practise anything in cricket. It's about creating good habits, understanding how to make good decisions and taking pressure off yourself.

Which one of those last-gasp victories do you cherish the most?
There was the game against New Zealand in Melbourne. We needed 240 or 250 runs and we were six for something. So it was quite a lot of pressure. I thought that situation made it really tough.

There was another game against South Africa in the late 90s, where it was another big total - 280 or 290-odd - and we needed to win that to win the series. I made 90 or 100 and was really, really happy.

But pound for pound the best innings I have played is for Rest of World against Asia [Dhaka, 2000], for the kind of shots and how I hit them. That was a bit of a buzz. I remember coming out - we needed seven an over and I came in in the third or fourth over. They had lots of spinners, like Murali and Kumble. So there were lots of slog-sweeps and down-the-ground strokes.



	I was always quite an angry person. I tended to get very frustrated after getting out. At the start of my career I did lots of things that I regret doing, and I made a conscious decision that I had to change in the latter half

After you were dropped from the Australia team you had a great year with Tasmania, averaging 97, and you made a domestic-record 1464 runs in the Pura Cup, including eight hundreds.
I just had a number of things that I wanted to achieve. I think I had got a little bit defensive and become a bit too mechanical. I just wanted to relax and see what I was capable of - dominating the bowlers. Those were very good years for me.

What would you say was the difference between the young Bevan and the mature version?
There is no difference. I mean, what I did in 2004, where I averaged 97, I did at the start of my career. I was coming full circle. It was about understanding why I did what I did early in my career. I didn't understand then. When I was young I was confident, positive, and was trying to take the bowlers on. I didn't have any expectations. I didn't realise that at the start of my career, but by 2004 I did. That's the reason I did well.

Earlier, I used to practise in the nets a lot, but I was practising for no reason. I didn't have focus. Towards the back-end of my career I didn't practise as much because I felt I didn't need it as much. When I did practise, I really used it well and had goals. It was about working on your technique, getting your body position right or about the match situation.

I had great times in my career. I used to have good years and poor years. My ODI career was great. I also had good times in Tests. I had great series against Pakistan and West Indies.

With me it was about frustration when I didn't do well. It was about understanding why I didn't do well and putting things in place to change that. I really enjoyed my career lot more after the age of 27.

Atapattu eyes international coach's role

2009-05-14T01:48:00.000-07:00

Marvan Atapattu is aiming to build a new career as international coach if Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) lifts its sanctions on the country's ICL players on the lines of the BCCI's amnesty offer. SLC has said it is yet to discuss the ICL issue, but is keen to welcome the cricketers back into the system.

Atapattu plays for Delhi Giants in the ICL and recently completed a stint as batting coach of Canada, subsequently helping them qualify for the 2011 World Cup. The former Sri Lanka captain, who expects SLC to take a decision on its ICL players that benefits cricket, said it should now look at appointing a Sri Lankan as national coach.

Nishantha Ranatunga, the SLC secretary, indicated the board would take a decision on the ICL issue soon. "We feel that these cricketers should be taken back into the system because they have a wealth of experience and knowledge," Ranatunga told Cricinfo. "They would be very useful to the country in a coaching capacity or even as administrators. We are taking the issue very seriously and will discuss the matter soon before formulating a policy."

Atapattu, who retired from international cricket two years ago, admitted that his playing days are nearly over and any such official move would give him more options to enhance his coaching credentials. "I am 39 years old and not really keen to play competitive cricket, though I'm fit enough," he said. "My priorities are a bit different now; my first priority is my family. I don't think I will play full-time cricket again. But I am looking at a coaching option seriously."

That decision, if Atapattu has his way, will be with the SLC, which appointed Trevor Bayliss as national coach in 2007. "I firmly believe that we should have our own coaches simply because they know the players, the culture and how players come up to play in the national team," he said. "We can get expertise from outside as and when we want. But we have the quality in Sri Lanka to help and guide our own cricketers."

However, Atapattu will take a final decision on his future after consulting the ICL. "I wouldn't like to jump the gun because I haven't heard anything on this officially," he said. "I am still a contracted player with ICL, and I would like to hear from them too before I take any step."

Atapattu was among the five Sri Lankan cricketers associated with the ICL who were controversially allowed to play last year in a domestic competition by the previous SLC administration, under Arjuna Ranatunga. This decision, which went against a BCCI-backed worldwide ban on ICL cricketers, was subsequently overturned after Ranatunga was ousted as SLC chairman.

On Wednesday, the BCCI allowed Indian ICL cricketers to return to the official fold after cutting all ties with the unofficial league before May 31, when stringent ICC laws on unofficial cricket come into force. Atapattu welcomed the move but admitted that India's young ICL cricketers now face a touch choice. "Young cricketers always see themselves on the path to playing for their country. But for the older guys who will be playing short-term, it will not make much of a difference," he said.

But the ICL situation should have been sorted out long ago, he said. "It should never have led to this situation, to start with. It was basically an ego clash between individuals that led to all this. If everybody had worked together for a common cause, which is developing cricket, we wouldn't have been running into such conflicts. But what has happened has happened; hopefully, they will now help youngsters who want exposure and want to perform on the big stage. Hopefully, things will become better for them now.

Yousuf claims he has resigned from ICL

2009-05-14T01:46:00.002-07:00

Mohammad Yousuf has claimed that he has "resigned" from the ICL after he decided last month that his priority was to play for Pakistan. The move potentially paves the way for Yousuf's comeback to the national side, as the PCB recently announced it was willing to talk to players who leave the ICL before the end of May and consider their cases for an international return on an individual basis.

"I spoke to Younis [Khan] about a month and a half ago and I resigned from the ICL after that," Yousuf told Cricinfo. "We both talked about how the country comes first and playing for them is the priority so I decided. I am available whenever the country needs me."

Reports had been swirling around Pakistan since the end of March that Yousuf and a group of other players were considering quitting the ICL after the March-April edition of the league was suspended. ICL players including Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq sought out Younis last month to try and find a way back into the national set-up, after fearing that the ICL - or at least their future participation in it after the deterioration in Indo-Pak ties - might present a tenuous prospect.

It is believed that Younis made no recommendations or promises, only telling the players that the priority should be to play for Pakistan, whatever that involves. "Younis was of the view that as they hadn't come to him before they signed up for the ICL, he doesn't understand why they came to him when they wanted to leave it," a source present at the meetings told Cricinfo. "He also pointed out that he cannot guarantee selection as that is a decision in which other parties, and not just the captain, are also involved." After some consideration and communication with Pir Aftab Shah Jilani, Pakistan's sports minister, Yousuf resigned from the league, though no official public statement had been made, either by any of the players, or the ICL, until now.

There appears, however, to be some confusion over the exact nature of Yousuf's actions. Though Yousuf said his contract with the league was now "finished" the ICL maintains that he is still on contract, though he has been released to play for Pakistan. "Yousuf's ICL contract has not been terminated," Roland Landers, the ICL spokesperson, told Cricinfo. "We have given him a temporary release so that he can play for his country."

Though Yousuf appears to want to do exactly that, it is unclear what the PCB will do now. Yousuf claimed the board was aware of his decision, but officials couldn't confirm it. "If such a communication has been sent, it would've been to the chairman and much of the board has been busy with organising this series [against Australia] based in Dubai. At the moment we cannot say whether Yousuf has sent any such message," one official told Cricinfo. "Our statement is there now, so we will act according to that."

Yousuf's case is particularly convoluted, for he has left the ICL before, after he first joined the league in protest at being overlooked for Pakistan's squad for the 2007 World Twenty20. He was persuaded - with the dangling of an IPL offer - to quit soon after by the PCB, then under Nasim Ashraf's administration. The ICL took him to court for reneging on his contract and he was unable to play in the inaugural IPL season in 2008 because of legal complications.

He played for Pakistan through much of last year before abruptly deciding, in November, to move back to the ICL. The move caught Pakistan's administration off-guard, as he had been picked for the ODI squad for a series in Abu Dhabi against West Indies. This time, he said, he left because of differences with then-captain Shoaib Malik.

"I had a problem with the captain at that time so I left. I had issues with the previous board administration as well," Yousuf said. "But now I have no problems at all with Younis, or this board. The country comes first."

Though 34, if Yousuf is to come back, he could hardly do so at a more opportune time. Pakistan's batting has been engaged in a dire struggle against Australia in the UAE. In four matches so far, they have crossed 200 only once and only one batsman, Salman Butt, has scored a fifty. Most visibly, the absence of a 269-ODI veteran averaging over 40 was felt during the third ODI, when Pakistan collapsed from 95-0 to 171 all out, chasing 199. Since the 2007 World Cup and the retirement of Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf has comfortably been Pakistan's leading batsman, averaging over 60 in 30 ODIs, but he played his last match in July last year

CAB ready to accept ICL players into Bengal fold

2009-05-14T01:46:00.001-07:00

The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has said it is ready to accept all Bengal players who had joined the ICL into its fold. Arun Mitra, the CAB joint-secretary, who met four of the seven ICL players from the Royal Bengal Tigers squad -- Deep Dasgupta, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala,Subhomoy Das and Eklak Ahmid -- in an hour-long meeting on Monday said the players were welcome to return but would need to follow certain procedures to exit the ICL.

In fact, the CAB may also offer Deep Dasgupta the post of captain-coach of Bengal if he severs all ties with the unofficial league. "We had a long chat. Deep has a great cricket brain. It will be great for Bengal if he comes back to the fold. He has served Bengal well in the past and we still need him," Mitra told the Telegraph, the Kolkata-based daily.

"We had a long discussion on various issues. We discussed the coaching issue. All these players are Bengal cricket's assets. Once they get the release from the ICL, they'll be up for selection for the Bengal squad."

Some of the ICL players said they needed to apply for a no-objection certificate from the ICL and once they get it they might make their next move to return to the domestic fold. However, Mitra said the return of those players did not necessarily mean that they would play for Bengal straight away. "All of them will have to perform well in the local league to qualify as probables for the state side," Mitra was quoted by the Hindu.

Dasgupta said he was keen to make a comeback as a Bengal cricketer and termed the talks as very fruitful. "I am honoured to be called for a meeting by the CAB. I believe I still have two to three years of cricket left in me. I'm fit enough to play any format of the game," Dasgupta said.

"We discussed many things. It would be good to play mainstream cricket again. But I'm still undecided. I have four days in hand to make up my mind. I'm also really passionate about coaching. But at this moment, I have to wait and think about my next move."

The three other Bengal players who joined in the ICL -- Rohan Gavaskar, Subhajit Paul and Shibsagar Singh -- were not present at the meeting.

Lahore Badshahs v Pakistan

2009-05-14T01:42:00.001-07:00

A fan dreams of a clash between the two teams that have brought Pakistan much joy over the last week

Memo to Moin Khan, manager of the Lahore Badshahs: "Congratulations. Your team has won the ICL tournament and made us proud. Now your captain has gone one better and challenged the Pakistan national side to a duel." We've just had a few terrific few days: both the Pakistan international team and their alter ego, the Lahore Badshahs, have scored a series of resounding wins. What could be better for the Pakistani game, and for the fans, than watching these two outfits do battle against each other?

Lately it's been so slow around here that you could be excused for forgetting that Pakistan is a full-member ICC nation, which has played over 300 Tests and nearly 700 ODIs, won a World Cup, and added a few names to the pantheon. These days all anyone seems to notice is that Pakistan is an agitated land boiling with a Taliban insurgency, exploding at random, and sitting on the cultural and ideological fault line of conceivably everything.

Pakistan haven't played a Test in nearly a year, and prior to the series in Abu Dhabi hadn't played any ODIs since July. With no sign of wood meeting leather, fans have instead occupied themselves with whatever cricketing scraps they could get their hands on - cricket board politics, firing and hiring the coach, the soap opera of the naughty-boy du jour (Mohammad Asif, Shoaib Akhtar, or Mohammad Yousuf - take your pick).

Then, one recent Abu Dhabi evening, Kamran Akmal hit those two last-over sixes for victory in the first ODI against West Indies. As the balls crashed into the stands behind long-off and point, it felt like the welcome patter of rain after a hard and bitter drought. West Indies had had the upper hand throughout the match until that point. Akmal reversed the momentum with a turnaround so energetic that Pakistan rode to a 3-0 series sweep.

Even the most unforgiving and sceptical followers were awestruck. I heard a female colleague, a trenchant critic who has never offered anything better than grudging praise, admire newcomer Khurram Manzoor as the great answer to Pakistan's incurable opening problem. An octogenarian fan, who has seen it all and loathes hyperbole, opined that Pakistan were turning a historic corner in the evolution of its cricket ethos. A friend who had supposedly given up following cricket altogether sent a text message, all in capital letters, that Sohail Tanvir's wicket-taking in-dipper to Chris Gayle in the second ODI was better than the best of Wasim Akram.

Even if events in Abu Dhabi were not that earth-shattering, you could forgive the fans for feeling that way. After the sadness and disappointments of an extremely lean year, Pakistan came out keenly motivated and driving hard. The on-field body language, the most sensitive gauge to a team's rhythm, was amazing. Batsmen looked opponents in the eye, bowlers snorted and charged, and fielders (most of them, anyway - this is Pakistan we're talking about) flung themselves around. Even Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik, never known to see eye to eye, exhibited a surprising range of male-bonding rituals, including smiling, back-slapping, draping arms over shoulders, and generously patting hips.

The national side was motivated by deprivation and disappointment, the Lahore Badshahs by half a million US dollars, and the loss in the last season's final. It was noticeable that Inzamam-ul-Haq was bending his back in the field with an assiduousness that was perhaps not always seen in his playing days for Pakistan. Whatever works, said the fans, and cheered him and his team on. Lahore didn't receive much coverage in the press, but their games had fans riveted. Some of their players, such as Imran Nazir and Saqlain Mushtaq, are beloved figures. There was also the chance to behold partnerships between Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamamul Haq, an exquisite pleasure we thought we had lost forever.



	As Kamran Akmal's hits crashed into the stands behind long-off and point, it felt like the welcome patter of rain after a hard and bitter drought

Lahore have approached ICL with an arrogance that comes from a non-negotiable belief that you can hold your own against any team in the world. Last season's embarrassment, when they lost one of the finals in a bowl-out, only intensified their hunger. After a shaky start they peaked perfectly and entered the semi-finals at No. 2 on the points table. Sandwiched between the first and secondODIs in Abu Dhabi was the first match of ICL's best-of-three final, in which Lahore comfortably chased 170 against Hyderabad.

They were off-colour in the second match, but a stunning boundary catch from Justin Kemp had the unintended consequence of toughening their resolve immeasurably. Dean Jones called it the most awesome catch he had ever seen - check it out, it's not an exaggeration - but it stung the Badshahs, and from merely motivated they became menacingly murderous. The decider, held the same evening as the third Abu Dhabi ODI, featured a 44-ball detonation from Imran Nazir that fetched him 111 out of the winning total of 160.

Ultimately both Lahore and Pakistan were driven by revenge. The Badshahs wanted to scream in the PCB's face that their players, who are banned from playing for Pakistan, were as good as any. Pakistan wanted revenge against the geo-political winds, and the nameless and faceless terrorists that have led to their cricketing desolation.

How far the revenge motive was achieved, only time will tell. While it's been a good few days, prospects for international cricket in Pakistan are still shaky at best. The fans are slowly retreating to once again hiding their faces and licking their wounds.

So well done, Inzamam and Moin. Geo Super- our local sports channel - will televise it, the PCB will organise it (we'll talk to them very, very nicely), Cricinfo will spread the word, and the fans will cheer and chatter for a long time. Lahore Badshahs versus Pakistan could really kick-start the mood.

Bangalore look to upset the neighbours

2009-05-14T01:37:00.001-07:00

Big Picture

Bangalore Royal Challengers' flagging campaign may have been boosted by the win over Kolkata Knight Riders but their chances of making the semi-finals remain slim. Their remaining three matches are all against tough opposition: Chennai Super Kings, Deccan Chargers and Delhi Daredevils. The main worry for them remains the inconsistent batting, particularly as they cannot expect to continue getting the freebies the generous Kolkata bowlers doled out to them.

Their first challenge is to end the winning streak of the Chennai, who after an indifferent start have strung together five successes in a row. To achieve that, they need to find a way to throttle the marauding Chennai top order: Matthew Hayden, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath and MS Dhoni have combined to ensure totals of at least 160 in each of the seven matches they batted first.

Dhoni, who was critical of his team's bowlers earlier in the season, will have little to complain about now. Albie Morkel has been providing breakthroughs in the first over, Muttiah Muralitharan has proven hard to get away and the Indian contingent of L Balaji, Shadab Jakati and Sudeep Tyagi is also firing. A win against Bangalore will push Chennai to the brink of a final four slot - they will remain in second place but will have at least a two-point cushion over the chasing pack.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore - WLLWW After two demoralising defeats the win against Kolkata was the boost Bangalore needed. Problems persist though. The batting has been let down by the poor showing of the domestic batsmen with Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli being particularly disappointing. The bowling at the death was clueless against a resourceful Brendon McCullum and needs improving, especially against a side like Chennai, where it is standing-room only when it comes to savage hitters.

Chennai Super Kings - WWWWW

With a form guide that couldn't get any better, Chennai are bursting with confidence having toppled dangerous opponents like Delhi , Rajasthan Royals and Deccan in their recent matches. The only area of concern during their four-day break would have been the fielding, with several catches going down in every match.

Watch out for

Ross Taylor: The relentless power-hitting during his onslaught against Kolkata was the breath of fresh air Bangalore needed, given that their line-up is packed with orthodox batsmen not renowned for clearing the boundary. Bangalore's progress in the tournament depends on how well Taylor fares against better attacks in the remaining games.

Albie Morkel: Regarded by some as the leading Twenty20 allrounder in the world, he has been adequate with the ball but hasn't found top gear yet with the bat. He had wowed the Chennai crowd with several hits clearing the roof of the Chepauk stadium last season and a return to form will strengthen an already fearsome line-up.

Team news

The big score continues to elude Jesse Ryder, but his frugal medium-pace bowling and the solid opening stand with Jacques Kallis against Kolkata should provide him another opportunity. B Akhil could make way for Praveen Kumar which will also give the side more batting depth.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable) 1 Jesse Ryder, 2 Jacques Kallis, 3 Robin Uthappa, 4 Rahul Dravid, 5 Ross Taylor, 6 Virat Kohli/Rajesh Bishnoi, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Anil Kumble (capt), 11 KP Appanna/ Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Chennai are unlikely to make changes to a combination that served them well against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday.

Chennai Super Kings (probable) 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 M Vijay, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 S Badrinath, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Albie Morkel, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Sudeep Tyagi, 9 Shadab Jakati, 10 L Balaji, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.

Head-to-head record

Chennai outclassed Bangalore when the two sides met earlier this season in Port Elizabeth, thumping them by 92 runs, the largest margin of victory in the tournament so far. The teams split their two contests last year: Bangalore caving in spectacularly at the Chinnaswamy Stadium to lose by 13 runs, Chennai returning the favour at Chepauk to go down by 14 runs.

Level teams jostle for spot in semis

2009-05-14T01:34:00.000-07:00

Big Picture

The IPL's league stage is in its last leg, but who will make it to the final four is still anybody's guess. Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings appear to have sealed a semi-final berth. But the other two spots are up for grabs in a five-way battle and the results of today's games will provide a better indication of who will progress from the league stages.

Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals have both had an erratic run thus far but their recent results have been contrasting. Mumbai shrugged off three consecutive defeats to win their last two games fairly convincingly while Rajasthan squandered the momentum of three wins in a row to lose their last two games, both by sizable margins. If Mumbai have an edge on recent form, Rajasthan are under the added pressure of winning back a place in the top four. A victory for either team will push them to No.3 while a loss will put them below the safe zone and it will all come down to their last two matches.

Rajasthan have major worries. Two of their main strike bowlers, Kamran Khan and Amit Singh, have been referred for suspect actions, denting their pace attack; their middle order has performed woefully in their last two games; but most importantly, they are likely to be without Shane Warne, who suffered a hamstring injury against Deccan Chargers. Mumbai, on the other hand, have had Sachin Tendulkar return to form in the eight-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab, experimented with changes in the batting order - promoting Dwayne Bravo to open - which proved successful, and have been boosted by the performance of their spinners. No doubt about who start favourites, but that doesn't count for much really.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Mumbai Indians: WWLLL

Sanath Jayasuriya needs to get firing at the top. His form has been patchy, and though he's displayed flashes of his destructive play, he's been lacking in consistency, averaging 19.44 in nine innings. JP Duminy has been their best batsman and Ajinkya Rahane's half-century after a torrid run in the early phase will ease their No.3 worries. The most encouraging factor has been their spin attack, led by Harbhajan Singh, who's been highly economical, conceding just three-an-over at an average of 8 in his last two games.

Rajasthan Royals: LLWWW

Rajasthan's middle order shares a bulk of the blame for their two successive losses. Nos 3 to 10 have averaged just 15.5 in the previous two games, in totals of 140 and 113. Yusuf Pathan has had two failures with the bat and so has Naman Ojha. Especially worrying is the form of Lee Carseldine, who has managed 9, 9 and 8 in his last three innings.

Watch out for

Dwayne Bravo: Left out of the West Indies touring squad to England, Bravo has answered his critics, scoring 168 runs in his last four innings at an average of 84. He adapted well to his promotion to the opening slot, making a 59-ball 70 against Punjab, and that innings has propelled him to second place among Mumbai's highest run-getters this season. It remains to be seen if Mumbai retain him as opener if batting first, or when the target is more imposing than the 120 set by Punjab in the last game. Also, he's only managed three wickets in his last six games, and will want to do more to live up to his role as an allrounder.

Teams

If Warne is absent, Graeme Smith is most likely to step in as captain. Rajasthan may look to Tyron Henderson to fill in as a replacement and boost an ailing middle order. Rob Quiney hasn't done much to win a call-back but Carseldine's poor form means his return cannot be entirely ruled out.

Rajasthan (probable): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Swapnil Asnodkar, 3 Naman Ojha, 4 Lee Carseldine/ Rob Quiney, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Ravindra Jadeja 7 Abhishek Raut, 8 Tyron Henderson, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Munaf Patel.

Given their performance against Punjab, it is unlikely that Mumbai will tinker with their line-up. Rohan Raje, who replaced Chetanya Nanda, bowled just one over and the two players could swap places once again.

Mumbai Indians (probable): 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Sachin Tendulkar/ Dwayne Bravo, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Sachin Tendulkar/Dwayne Bravo, 5JP Duminy, 6 Abhishek Nayar, 7 Harbhajan Singh, 8 Rohan Raje/ Chetanya Nanda, 9 Yogesh Takawale (wk), 10 Dhawal Kulkarni, 11 Lasith Malinga.

Stats and trivia

Mumbai's opening stand has managed just 59 runs in its last seven innings, averaging 8.43.

Jadeja and Yusuf have shared 13 wickets in ten games at 24.2.

Head-to-head record

The previous game between the two teams in Durban was washed out. Last year, the first game between these two was a one-sided affair, with Mumbai easing to a seven-wicket win after bowling out Rajasthan for 103. The second match was a last-ball thriller, one of four for Mumbai, who lost after having limited Rajasthan to 77 for 5 chasing 146. Niraj Patel saw his team through, making 40 off 29 and stealing two off the final delivery

Helmets for umpires

2009-05-14T01:32:00.000-07:00

Matthew Hayden striding down the pitch to smash bowlers during the IPL is an ominous sight from afar and one can empathise with Daryl Harper for wanting to wear a helmet while officiating in Twenty20 games.

“In one of the games Sanath’s [Jayasuriya] shot hit me so hard that I was feeling breathless for a while. And Hayden’s hits have brushed my ears a few times as well,” Harper told Times of India. "I was talking about this to some of the other umpires and they were also of the same opinion. Given the pace with which some of the players hit those shots, it's becoming really dangerous for us. I guess it's just a matter of time before you see us using those [baseball helmets].”

And what do the umpires do during the strategy breaks? "Well, that's a sock for us,” Harper says. “We can discuss where we would dine."

Anatomy of Kolkata's disaster

2009-05-14T01:28:00.000-07:00

How did the most glamorous team in the IPL become a cautionary tale only halfway into the season?

Before the IPL caught fire, before the close finishes and the big hitting, and well before Yuvraj Singh's hat-trick, all the buzz surrounding the tournament was about a blogger called Fake IPL Player. His posts, the first of which went up on day one, dealt largely - and wittily - with "life" inside the Kolkata Knight Riders camp. The jury's out on the blogger's identity and the authenticity of the posts, but this much is clear: his tales of strife, backbiting, politicking and general chaos within the team have shone light on a team that has, by coincidence or otherwise, displayed the symptoms of those diseases within out on the field.

Two weeks into the tournament, the wheels have come off the Knight Riders, arguably the most glamorous team in a glamorous tournament. They lie at the foot of the IPL points table, their season over for all practical purposes barring a Bollywood-style miracle, done in by a mixture of bad management decisions, bad cricket and plain bad luck. And with every incident, however trivial, played up in the saturation coverage of the circus that is the IPL.

When Shah Rukh Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment paid US$75 million for the Kolkata franchise a little over a year ago, it did seem a bit strange at first. The actor has no obvious connection with Kolkata, and the city itself does not have the commercial infrastructure needed to sustain such a high-profile marriage. Once the league started, though, the rationale seemed deceptively simple: Shah Rukh, the consummate entertainer, worked double shifts - as did members of his retinue - to woo and eventually wow the city and its famously passionate fans. The team didn't do that well - ending up sixth in the first season - but no one really seemed to mind. The fans - and, it appears, the players - appreciated the manner in which he threw himself into the role, whether by reading out a poem by Rabindranath Tagore, the city's ultimate hero, at Eden Gardens on the poet's birth anniversary or sending upbeat text messages to the players before and after games.

A year later that relationship lies in tatters. The city is turning against the star and his staff, the players appear confused and disjointed, their body language is negative - and the team's performance on the field is abysmal.

If it can go wrong, it will
The day after the team's 92-run loss to Mumbai Indians, Kolkata's leading newspaper, the hugely influential Bengali-language Ananda Bazar Patrika, delivered a scathing verdict. In an article titled "Don't feel anger, feel pity", their cricket writer Gautam Bhattacharya likened the side to Bollywood strugglers who famously live on the pavements of downtown Mumbai dreaming of success and scrabbling for their shot at it. Only a handful make it. The Knight Riders, Bhattacharya wrote, are as delusional about success in the IPL.

To an outsider, it looks as though the side has been hit by Murphy's Law: Whatever could go wrong has gone wrong. On the field the team has lost six out of seven games, including one by the season's highest margin of defeat in terms of runs and another in terms of balls left (Deccan won with 41 balls to spare). The match against Rajasthan Royals was in their pocket till they had it picked by Yusuf Pathan in the Super Over. Brad Hodge's 73 against Mumbaion Friday was, incredibly, the team's first half-century of the tournament; Brendon McCullum, the captain, who was in fine form just weeks ago against India, now has 31 runs in six innings. Their best bowling in an innings was by an allrounder, Laxmi Ratan Shukla, who didn't get an over in the next game.

That, though, was more by design than accident, a recurring theme for KKR this season. There is no legislating for form on the field, but some decisions seem plain bizarre. Shukla didn't bowl against Bangalore despite his performance in the previous game; neither did Ashok Dinda, a specialist bowler. Instead, Chris Gayle was used for his full quota - including the crucial final over, where the match was lost. If a spinner was to bowl, why was Ajantha Mendis not picked in the playing XI?



	In Kolkata the feeling is that the team owners completely failed to figure out the Ganguly phenomenon and what he means to the city. He could have been kicked upstairs, utilised as an icon in the true sense of the word, placated into playing a more mentorial role instead of what seemed like a public humiliation

Multiple captains and other off-field ailments
It's not just match-day performances, however, that are causing headlines. The Knight Riders have been as much newsmakers off the field, and given the fishbowl that is the IPL, one decision instantly affects another. The season was prefaced by the controversial "multi-captaincy" plan, announced by John Buchanan at a press conference in Kolkata, alongside a visibly upset Sourav Ganguly, last season's captain. Not the most tactful decision, as the city, the fans and the media worked themselves into a lather. Ganguly did little to douse the flames; days after Buchanan's announcement, he said the theories were "opinions". Then added, for good measure: "Tomorrow I can jump out and say we need four batting coaches, four John Buchanans, and Shah Rukh Khan can say we need six Andy Bichels." This precipitated an ugly and public war of words through the media, with lines drawn down the middle, but when the dust had settled one thing was clear: Buchanan had Shah Rukh's backing. The theory was eventually discarded, but when the captain for the season was named - from the safe distance of a training camp in South Africa - it was not Ganguly.

Was the single captain a climbdown or was the "multiple captaincy" plan a smokescreen to ease Ganguly out? In any case it spawned yet another raft of conspiracy theories, and that, as Australians before Buchanan have found out when dealing with Ganguly, can be unsettling for any team he's in. In Kolkata, among Ganguly's peers and former team-mates, the feeling is that the team owners got it horribly wrong - they completely failed to figure out the Ganguly phenomenon and what he means to the city. He could have been kicked upstairs, utilised as an icon in the true sense of the word, placated into playing a more mentorial role instead of what seemed like a public humiliation.

"From the very beginning, there has been no clear demarcation of roles between Ganguly and Buchanan," said a former Ranji team-mate. "Ganguly called the shots in the beginning [of last season], and when the team started losing, Shah Rukh turned to Buchanan." It was also, he pointed out, a clash between Ganguly's instinctive style of captaincy and Buchanan's laboriously prepared homework and planning.

Once the season started, other problems ensued. Trouble, often stirred up by the media, followed the team around and minor issues were exaggerated. The "Fake IPL Player" became more than an irritant when the seemingly innocuous act of sending home two players surplus to requirements - Aakash Chopra and Sanjay Bangar - was initially interpreted as a sign that the blogger had been "outed" and expelled. When that was clarified as being a purely cricketing decision, fingers were pointed at the large coaching staff. The fact, as Buchanan and his assistantMatthew Mott stressed, was that several staff members had been hired as talent scouts and not for the team itself. Five staff members left, as planned, though that was seen as an admission of wrong.

Out in the middle, McCullum's elevation to the captaincy appears to be a step too soon. There have been few inspired decisions, and his own woeful form doesn't help. To be fair, his handing Mendis the ball for the Super Over would probably have been hailed as a stroke of genius had the team won, but such are the margins in the game today.

All of this led to speculation - fuelled, invariably, by the media and the mystery blogger - that the team was turning against itself. Buchanan admits to tension in the ranks. "It isn't skill, ability or character, but for whatever reason - some out of our control, some not - it has been pretty evident that some of the players have been tense. We obviously have a high expectation of ourselves, and when things don't go your way, players can start to play with less freedom."

Mott says the personalities at play haven't been a distraction. "There are big personalities involved in a lot of the franchises. I don't think they're a distraction. When you're not winning, these are the sort of [reports] that tend to surface. We just need a good few games to get rolling."

Sins of selection
Easier said than done, perhaps, given the way the team is playing. For that, critics put much of the blame on last season, even going as far back as the first auction. "The team think-tank failed to get the team combination right in the first place," says a veteran Kolkata cricket administrator. "The selection of India discards like Chopra and Ajit Agarkar defied common cricket wisdom, as did that of [Sanjay] Bangar this year." Shoaib Akhtar, out of practice and clearly overweight, was an emotional pick by Shah Rukh and Ganguly, for reasons other than strict deliverability. The final team selection, he says, reflected the confusion - there was nobody stepping back and looking at the team composition as a whole. Though the team had several top foreign batsmen - McCullum, Ricky Ponting and Gayle - it lacked any big-name Indian batsman familiar with the format. As a result, the team selection, given the restriction on foreign players, has inevitably been handicapped.

They had a chance to redress that balance in the second auction, earlier this year; instead, they shelled out $600,000 for Bangladesh allrounder Mashrafe Mortaza after an absurd bidding war with Kings XI Punjab that seemed, at the time, to be nothing more than an ego battle (or an expensive in-joke) between Shah Rukh and his Bollywood co-star Preity Zinta. Mashrafe is yet to play a game this season.

There's been bad luck too. Ponting and Gayle were not available last year, one for part and the other for the whole, and Ponting pulled out this year too. Ishant Sharma seemed a smart pick, but he's not been up to his high standard in the past few months. McCullum has been out of sorts. Cheteshwar Pujara, among the runs in the warm-up games, has a knee injury that has kept him out of the tournament so far.

What seems down to more bad planning, though, and seems to have hurt the team the most is the absence of young Indian talent - like KP Appanna for Bangalore, Rajasthan's Kamran Khan, or Mumbai's Dhawal Kulkarni. Dinda had a fair season last year but he's off the boil this year, and in any case at 25 he's no spring chicken. The ultimate irony came last Wednesday, when Bangalorebeat Kolkata. Bangalore's highest scorer was Shreevats Goswami, not yet 20, born and bred in Kolkata and a regular in the Bengal Ranji side.

It's just a handful in the squad of 20 who are firing. Take away Gayle - who may play on Sunday but will miss the rest of the season - and you lose the obvious match-winner.

It doesn't help that the IPL schedule - brutal even by contemporary standards - allows no time for a team to play itself back into form. Buchanan, no stranger to punishing schedules, describes the pressure and intensity of coaching in the IPL as greater than anything he has experienced in a Test or one-day series.

The Shah Rukh factor
In all this, Shah Rukh Khan has been the one constant - constantly on the TV screens, or in the headlines, exhorting his boys, praising "Dada", spinning things more than any of his slow bowlers. Last year he was tireless, in the stands for almost every game, even in the searing summer heat, leading his personal pack of celebrity cheerleaders. This year the pack is smaller, the man himself has been hampered by a shoulder injury. Last year his frequent messages invigorated the team; this year the novelty has worn off, the lengthy texts deemed "preachy".

But if his detractors see him as interfering and in-your-face, the team management sees him as a committed owner. After the mauling by Mumbai, says Mott, the team had a get-together - on McCullum's suggestion - as a way of bonding. "Shah Rukh came down and had a really good chat with the boys. He said that he could see that we were all hurting, and that he was still behind us 100%. I think the boys took a lot of heart out of that."

Shah Rukh returned to Mumbai last week to vote in the national elections - saying he would return to South Africa "only when they [his team] play well and win" - and his return was accompanied by media reports that he plans to sell his entire stake in the team. Shah Rukh subsequently denied such plans, but one report in the respected Business Standard quoted an official of the Sahara group, one of the purported buyers, as saying they hadn't been approached but would be happy to buy the team if they were.

So, at this mid-tournament stage, what's the prognosis for Kolkata Knight Riders? The cynics will say things can only get better - there really is nowhere to go but up. Buchanan admits that Gayle - whenever he leaves - will be a loss. Mott, though, sees the positives and takes heart from the team currently top of the league table. "You look at the way Deccan struggled last year, and the way they've been able to turn it around here. That is a bit of inspiration for us. Everything happens so fast and the schedule is so tight in this tournament that one good week can put you right back up there. That's what all the chat is about in our camp. We know we haven't played to our potential yet, but no one has given up."

Extra hours for matches in case of rain

2009-05-14T01:27:00.000-07:00

The IPL's technical committee has decided to add an extra hour, if necessary, to complete the remaining league games in case of rain during the latter stages of the tournament. The semi-finals and final will have two extra hours but will not have reserve days.

The early stages of the tournament were affected by bad weather with two games being washed out and a few others being decided by the Duckworth-Lewis method.

The IPL technical committee also decided that a ball will be considered 'dead' if a batsman happens to hit the fly-camera which travels over the ground on cables suspended overhead.

The Big Bang Theory

2009-05-14T01:26:00.001-07:00

The story of Yusuf Pathan in some ways is the story of Rajasthan Royals. Unknown in the big league prior to the tournament, he was one of Shane Warne's boys who took the IPL route to stardom. The India cap came his way and he was soon out of the shadow of his brother Irfan.

"It happened at the right time," Yusuf says. "I was doing well in domestic cricket and this [the IPL] came along. Big names were playing and it was a great opportunity to take that one step up."

Sitting in the foyer of the team hotel in Durban, back from swimming in the beach with the team, he says: "It's a way to get to know the other players as human beings…find out what is his interest. Shane Warne wants us to be like a family. It helps on the field, you know. When we practice, we do it intelligently and give it everything. And all the players are out of their country, away from family. So we try to hang around together. It's a like a small family we have here."

It's a trait that comes readily to Yusuf. He is extremely grounded; at least trying to stay grounded, amidst the cricketing glamour world that he finds himself in. "I am very religious. You have to be religious. Allah aapko sirf mazay karne ke liye nahi bheja yahan (God has not sent you to just have fun). You need to respect and take care of people around you. You need to take care of people around you, your neighbours, your family and friends. God is the one who gives every thing and does everything…to take out time to do something nice for people is not hard. We human beings just turn to God only in the times of difficulty. But that's not the way to go about it."

Warne knows his man well and has given Yusuf the role to mentor the Indian domestic players. "Warne told me it's my job to make them feel at home and help them. Just like how I was treated in the first year.

"That is our strongest point of our team. Warne is particular on it. If anyone is down or having some personal problem and is interested in talking, we approach it together and try to help."

According to Yusuf, Warne's philosophy revolves action off the field. It's where the work is done and the results translate on the field. The Rajasthan Royals' meetings are typically very short. "Before a game, it's just 5-10 minutes. No video analysis and stuff like that. Just dwell on positivism and get out there with a frame of mind. Even when we lost the first match last season and people wrote us off immediately, we weren't bothered. Then we won a few matches and it kept going on. We knew we could reach the semi-final stage and let's take it from there."

The training sessions are properly planned as well, says Yusuf, similar to what he does in Indian team sessions. His role is the same in both places and he has to make an immediate impact in a very short time. "Both Warne and Dhoni have given me the license to hit. It might come off some times and fail other times but they have said, 'Don't feel shy playing your shots'. I go out in the nets with the same approach. I Tell the bowlers to think as if they are bowling at the death and what are the fielding positions…I am happy the team is benefiting from my style of play and I will like to keep playing my game."



	Both Warne and Dhoni have given me the license to hit. It might come off some times and fail other times but they have said, 'Don't feel shy playing your shots'. I go out in the nets with the same approach

So what's the best Warne trait that Yusuf likes? "Let's say, you are in the boundary and there is a ball hit in the air towards you but it's not there quite there for you," Yusuf says. "You can play either play safe and try to prevent the four or go for the catch. Warne says go for the catch. Sometimes, we cricketers can try to be safe. He would say try to convert the half-chance. Even if you drop and it goes for a four, it's fine as long as you made a 110% effort. It's about taking risks and going for it the full way. Don't let fear and self-doubt hamper you. Forget the results.

"Take me for instance. I was confident before but after IPL it went two or three steps higher. The confidence improved everything on and off the field and after moving with big players, it was natural I guess."

And if you see him on the field, you can see the confidence. He swaggers on to the field, chewing gum and, though with a relatively lesser skill as compared to the legendary big hitters of the game, he tries to impose himself. Where did that chewing gum start? Videos of Viv Richards? The shy Yusuf laughs out aloud.

"No no...I have not even seen him bat. But I have been told. Even Laxman bhai used to say - 'You are Richards or what?!' I don't remember when I started it but I have been chewing gum for years now. Even in domestic cricket."

The gum-chewing, bat swinging marauder from Royals is no doubt, all set to reprise his first year act. And try to play for India for as long as possible.

Night of the screamers

2009-05-14T01:22:00.000-07:00

Why the commentators' desperate hawking of the IPL may have started to work against the tournament

t's working. Two weeks of the second season of the Indian Premier League and it's finally been drummed into me who the damn sponsors are. Thanks. Thanks a lot. Now GO AWAY!

Actually, had I money to invest, I'd be wondering why DLF, presently being squeezed by slumping property values and a share price a quarter of its peak, and Citigroup, insolvent but for Barack Obama's indulgence, were wasting shareholders' funds on staking sixes and endowing so-called "success". As I don't, I'll simply vary that old Bob Hope gag concerning the night he went to a boxing title fight and a game of ice hockey broke out: the IPL is fast degenerating into a series of three-hour advertisements through which are sometimes discernible glimmers of cricket.

Cricket, of course, has much to thank television for. How much richer is our appreciation of a Shane Warne legbreak or a Kevin Pietersen cover-drive for the luxury of studying it, frozen in time; when we can hover over each detail of the harmonious human mechanism. But either Lalit Modi is pumping nitrous oxide into the commentary box, or the IPL is bearing out JK Galbraith's observation that television allows for persuasion with no minimum standard of literacy or intelligence.

One expects a certain degree of phoniness from Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri, who as IPL governing council members are busy getting high on their own supply. But the rest of Modi's fawning courtiers, even super-smooth Mark Nicholas and pawky Jeremy Coney, have been reduced to carnival barkers, whether greeting a full toss slogged for six like the news of VE Day, pretending that the tactical time-out is something other than a sneaky commercial trick, or, above all, hawking the sponsors like Jim Cramer used to ramp shares on Mad Money. Could Citigroup be scattering moments of success for its own morale? Can it be that somewhere in the fine print of DLF's sponsorship contract is prescribed a specified number of long-hops and full-tosses per hour, to guarantee a minimum of "maximums"? The result is that whatever the game looks like, it sounds as forced as the canned laughter in an American sitcom.

Some of the artificiality of season two has simply been made more obvious by the inclement weather, diminishing novelty value, fewer thrills and more spills, which has left the appointed interpreters straining for effect. But that can't explain everything. There was plenty of glitz and hype in the first season of IPL, but the excitement of the fans was stunningly, thrillingly real. Away from India, the IPL lacks that authentication. It is a distant and diluted re-run, with contrivances to redeem its deficiencies.

Even when it's right, they somehow get it wrong, as at the end of Rajasthan Royals v Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday, when the best game of the tournament and the best result in cricket was capped by a climax as fake as Sally's when she met Harry. Are the commentators, then, straining to act as proxies for their main audience back in India? If so, it seems a doomed enterprise.

Because the commentators' clueless desperation now feels as though it is working against the IPL. When something great happens, they have nowhere to go, no upper register left to use. When 20 off 10 balls exhausts your superlatives, how do you describe a hundred off 50 balls? When a young Indian domestic player getting away a couple of beefy blows is so thrilling, what tone do you adopt for Sachin Tendulkar? As Gilbert and Sullivan put it in The Gondoliers, "When everyone is somebodee / Then no one's anybody"



	When something great happens, the commentators have nowhere to go, no upper register left to use. When a young Indian domestic player getting away a couple of beefy blows is so thrilling, what tone do you adopt for Tendulkar?

A further complication is Twenty20's inherent unpredictability, its mixing of the sublime and the ridiculous. When commentators hype a batsman up for consecutive boundaries only to watch him perish to an imbecile smear, or praise a bowler to the skies for four dot-balls, then see him smacked into orbit twice while closing the over out, they subtly erode their own authority - such authority as they had, anyway.

The television commentator has always been sensitively placed. His network has paid good money to broadcast, and thus has an interest in the game being perceived as representing high-quality excitement - even when it is not. Richie Benaud didn't become His Richieness by saying: "This is a boring game between two mediocre teams and represents an ideal opportunity for you to go mow the lawn."

With Twenty20, however, there is the added imperative of promoting a format in which exorbitant sums and giddying hopes have been invested. The consumer has not just to be sold the game he is watching, but the Twenty20 concept in general; persuaded that he is witness not just to a contest of teams, but a contest of genres, with Modi responsible for the most exciting breakthrough since penicillin. It forces the commentator even further from the ideal perspective of disinterested critic, bringing to bear a weight of experience and a talent for observation; it reduces him to sideshow huckster, flogging the game like a patent medicine from the back of his covered wagon.

Nor am I sure it ultimately does the sponsors much good either. There are two sides to brand recognition: one where the sponsor's name conjures up warm and positive associations; another where it stirs irritation and objection, as a result, perhaps, of incessant, cloying, annoying repetition. So, yes, we now know which sponsors to find, and also, if so moved, those to avoid.

Gideon Haigh is a cricket historian and writer

IPL withdraws controversial SMS contest

2009-05-14T01:21:00.000-07:00

The IPL has withdrawn a text-messaging competition in which users predicted the outcome of each ball of an over for cash prizes. The game had come in for strong criticism from India's sports minister MS Gill over its similarity with gambling.

"There was no formal complaint about the game but the minister's views were taken into account and the organisers have withdrawn the game," Rajiv Shukla, a member of the IPL's governing council and a senior BCCI official, told PTI.

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, said he was pleased with the decision. "I had written to the IPL to inquire on that particular game," Lorgat told Cricinfo. "The developers of that game had come to see us some two years back, but we didn't have enough information on how it worked, so I had written to the IPL requesting for some more information. I'm personally pleased that they have recognised that perhaps it's not the right time to introduce something like that. Simply because I didn't know the details of the game, that was the discomfort."

It's understood that the IPL and the game's promoters discontinued the game two days ago and are currently studying the legal aspects surrounding it before a final decision is taken.

Gill had last week denounced the SMS game - though he did not refer to it by name - saying it amounted to gambling. "I see the commercial use of cricket for business gains that is going on. I am concerned at knowledgeable comments from serious followers of cricket about the latest venture of encouraging viewers to make ball by ball predictions of runs scored for economic gain in the shape of cash prizes," he said in a statement. "This is viewed as 'openly encouraging gambling and betting', which official bodies do not resort to, even in countries where betting is legal."

He had reminded the BCCI of its position in the Indian sports spectrum. "The actions of the BCCI are bound to impact the thinking in other sports, some time or the other. We have already had, sometime back, a match-fixing scandal in the game. It seems the ICC had expressed concerns about such possibilities, in the IPL."

Injured Warne likely to miss Mumbai game

2009-05-14T01:20:00.001-07:00

Shane Warne, the captain of Rajasthan Royals, is likely to miss his team's next match, against Mumbai Indians on Thursday, due a hamstring injury he suffered during Monday's game against Deccan Chargers.

Darren Berry, the Rajasthan coach, confirmed the injury but wasn't sure how many games Warne would miss. "He slightly stretched his hamstring in the field yesterday and we are waiting for the diagnosis today," he told Cricinfo. "It is only minor. At this stage we think he may miss one match but we are hoping that's the only game he misses. That's still to be determined and when the physio treats him today we'll have a better indication.

"If he has miraculous treatment in the next three days we will have him for the Mumbai Indians game but we don't know that yet."

A statement from the team management on Tuesday said Warne was currently working with the team doctor and more information would be available in the next 24 hours.

Graeme Smith, who is the senior-most player in the side after Warne and has led South Africa for six years, is likely to replace him as captain. "The logical choice is Graeme Smith, given that he is an international captain," Berry said.

Warne has been Rajasthan's leading wicket-taker with 11 from 10 matches at 26.27. The team is currently placed fourth on the points table, having played one more game than their nearest rivals, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians, who play each other today.

Looking ahead to the rest of the tournament, Berry said the batsmen would have to step up if the team is to repeat the success from last season. "The main concern is we haven't been able to find consistent form with the bat," Berry said. "Our batting has very been spasmodic apart from Smith and [Naman] Ojha's fantastic 100-run partnership which set up the win against Punjab."

"We may have to win three out of three depending on how the other results go. It is in our hands now. One thing I've recognised about this team is that we have done well in pressure matches. We can't have another game like last night's performance against Deccan Chargers. The boys were all disappointed, so we made a commitment after the game that we will focus on game by game again. We are back in Durban where we did well in our last game there. Jeremy Snape, the team psychologist, and myself are working with the boys to get their confidence back and lead them towards the semi-finals."

Berry admitted that the team had been considerably weakened by the absence of Shane Watson, who has a groin injury and has been asked to rest by Cricket Australia before the World Twenty20, and Sohail Tanvir. "We had made our plans involving Watson so it was a significant blow to those plans and team make-up. I wasn't surprised by Cricket Australia's decision as I didn't think for one minute they were going to let him come with the groin injury with the Twenty20 World Cup coming up it. But without him and Sohail Tanvir, the bowler of the IPL last year, we have actually done really well to be still there in the competition even if we have been inconsistent."

The team's problems have been further compounded by the loss of two of their fast bowlers - Kamran Khan and Amit Singh - because of suspect actions. "Actually, Kamran hurt his knee, which has put him out for six weeks," Berry said. "Yes, his action was questioned and we are seeking some assistance on the matter. He was not reported. The technical committee wanted to have a close look at his action.

"With Amit Singh it has been identified that his slower ball is under question. A professional biomechanist and former South African bowling coach Vincent Barnes are working on Amit.

Cricket to be part of 2010 Asian Games

2009-05-14T01:19:00.001-07:00

Cricket has become an Asian Games sport after it was approved by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Wednesday. It will make its debut in Guangzhou in 2010 with India and Pakistan pledging to send their best available teams.

The format of the game will be Twenty20, with both men's and women's competitions. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will qualify automatically, along with host nation China. Other countries will have to play a qualifying round to fill three additional spots.

"India and Pakistan were the drivers," OCA president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Sabah said. "Pakistan and India will come with their best teams because it will be a big competition. Asia's four Test-playing nations have committed to sending their best available teams."

The 2010 Asian Games will take place between November 12 and 27 in Guangzhou. Cricket was last played at a major multi-sport event in 1998 during the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.

Madan Lal applies for ICL release

2009-05-14T01:14:00.000-07:00

Madan Lal, the former India allrounder and coach, has applied for a release from the ICL in what is the first officially known response from the unauthorised league's players and support staff to the BCCI's recent amnesty offer. Lal, who was coach of ICL's Delhi Giants, said he expected more cricketers and some support staff to follow suit and hoped the BCCI would utilise his services appropriately.

"I have applied for a release from the ICL contract," Lal told Cricinfo. "I am thankful to the BCCI for allowing an opportunity for those with the ICL to return to the official fold. I have coached various Indian teams at different levels before and I hope the BCCI will utilise my services and experience in the best manner possible."

Lal's request followed an ICL communication to its players and support staff last week to send in their requests for a release, if needed, before May 15. The ICL will then hold a management meeting, possibly on May 18, to decide on these requests and the future course of action.

Sandeep Patil, Balwinder Sandhu and Karsan Ghavri, three former India players, and Ajit Wadekar, a former India captain, had approached the ICL for a release before the BCCI's offer because of a "lack of adequate cricket".

"Days before the BCCI decision, three of us coaches - Sandeep Patil, Balwinder Singh Sandhu (Dhaka Warriors coach) and myself - had a meeting with Himanshu Mody [ICL business head] and Kiran More [ICL board member]," Ghavri told Cricinfo. "We told them about our issues including no cricket being played from November 2007 and also about the salaries not being paid after that. Keeping in the prevailing conditions, we asked them to release us. We then got a call saying we were free to leave and would get our release letter by May 20. On April 30, Ajit Wadekar and I submitted the application for a release."

Patil, who had coached ICL's Mumbai Champs, had stood down from active duty by the end of the last season due to "personal reasons". "At the meeting with the ICL, they gave the coaches the option to continue or step down," Patil told Cricinfo. "In any case I had resigned even before the BCCI decision to grant amnesty to the ICL players, coaches and backroom staff. I have no complaints and no regrets."

ICL officials, however, refused to confirm whether they had received any official requests from players or support staff for a release. "We remain confident about our future plans, especially the October programme," an official said. The ICL had cancelled its March tournament due to the deepening economic recession and the non-availability of Lahore Badshahs, the Pakistan team, due to cross-border political tensions following the Mumbai attacks.

"I have had an excellent relationship with the ICL over the last two years and I have no complaints at all about that association," Lal, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad, said. "But now I feel it's the right time to move on professionally. There are many other ICL players and support staff who think similarly." Apart from his ICL commitments, Lal runs a coaching academy in Delhi and has a media contract with a television channel.

The BCCI had announced on April 30 that ICL players and support staff who wished to return to the official fold should do so by May 31. These players would be immediately allowed to play domestic cricket, including the IPL, and will become eligible for international cricket after a 'cooling period' of one year. Significantly, the ICC's new rules for official and unofficial cricket, which aims to plug existing loopholes, will come into force from June 1.

BCCI officials were not available for comment but it's understood that the board has written to various state associations to confirm the amnesty offer and stipulate the norms that needed to be followed while readmitting such players. "We have been told that we would either have to produce an NOC from ICL or hand over a copy of the contract termination letter that has been sent by us to ICL," a senior ICL player told Cricinfo. "We might then have to sign an official undertaking with the BCCI, which would bar us from participating in leagues or tournaments not authorised by the Indian board."

Miandad seals it with a six

2009-05-14T01:12:00.000-07:00

The shot that rang out around the world

Sharjah, 18 April 1986

Sharjah had become a hotbed of India-Pakistan rivalry, its stands crammed full of expats and its executive boxes jam-packed with celebrities. Television had begun to cast its mesmeric spell upon the people of South Asia, and the combatants were rising in stature on the world stage, flexing their pulling power.

Pakistan had never really won any tournament of significance, and even the imaginatively titled AustralAsia Cup looked beyond them as Javed Miandad orchestrated a faltering run-chase. Even down to the last over, India were in command, Javed's battling century futile.

A boundary was required off the last ball, with one wicket in hand. Pakistan's premier batsman took what seemed an eternity to survey the outfield, at one point looking as if he was counting the number of fielders.

Chetan Sharma knew what to do: a yorker would seal Pakistan's fate, and another victory over the old enemy. The thinking was perfect but the execution flawed. Sharma's yorker emerged as a low full-toss that Javed propelled with savagery over midwicket. Even before it cleared the boundary, Javed had raised his arms, sprinting off the pitch in celebration.

With one shot he became a national hero. Gifts were lavished upon him. And Pakistan began a run of success against India that was attributed to the psychological power of that six.

Lack of cricket won't harm Pakistan's chances - Afridi

2009-05-14T01:07:00.000-07:00

Shahid Afridi believes Pakistan's recent lack of international cricket will not hamper their chances at the World Twenty20 in England next month. Since January 2007, no team has played as little as Pakistan's ten Tests and 50 ODIs. Even Bangladesh, the weakest Test-playing nation, have played 15 Tests and 55 ODIs and teams such as Australia and India have played nearly three times as much cricket in that time.

The lack of Pakistani participation in the IPL has also not helped, but Afridi, fresh from a successful battle with the Australians, believes Pakistan are strong enough to overcome the dearth. "I don't feel our lack of cricket will make much of a difference because we are still a strong Twenty20 side," Afridi told Cricinfo. "We have a pretty similar team to last time with only a few changes and we have Younis [Khan] as captain now. He has done well and taken the team along with him so far and he will be vital come England."

Afridi himself will be a vital plank in Pakistan's challenge, especially given his fine recent form. He was the leading wicket-taker against Australia, a consistent, nagging threat on slow, low surfaces and pole-axed their batting in Pakistan's crushing Twenty20 win in Dubai. Few will forget either that he was player of the tournament in South Africa two years ago.

England, where he has been effective with the ball in ODIs, offers a different proposition, however. "Wickets in England might be slower, a little less bounce so I'll make slight adjustments to my bowling," he said. "Maybe a bit more flight, but generally, as an ODI leggie, you have to be straight and tight and that works in most conditions."

Until the series against Australia, Afridi's form had been uncertain, especially poor with the bat, over the last year. In 18 matches before the series, his highest score was 28. His bowling, though considerably improved, lacked wicket-taking penetration; in 11 ODIs against established teams last year, he picked up nine wickets.

Pressure was building for his place in the side to be scrutinized. "I don't take or give pressure, no matter what anyone is saying about me. I knew I was backed by the coach, the captain and the team and that is all I needed."

But the form dip did spur him on to a more concentrated fitness and training regime. "It's come about through a lot of individual effort. I've worked really hard on my fitness levels. I used to be tired after bowling six to seven overs previously and then struggle. I've also concentrated in the nets on my lines and lengths because for a legspinner this is vital, especially in ODIs. Abdul Qadir [the chief selector] has helped with tips, though it is easy to listen and harder to actually execute."

Significantly, there were indicators of a revival in his batting fortunes. Though there was still no fifty, a couple of unusually responsible, properly constructed 40s stood out. The fight to curb his instincts, Afridi said, goes on. "I have really fought with myself in the ground, talked to myself a lot during my batting. I've had to control myself because I need to score runs for the team - that is the priority. I want to continue it in England, where I've had some success batting in county games. You need to counter the initial overs there but after that, conditions for lower-order guys like myself, are pretty good.

Ponting expects Vaughan to return

2009-05-14T01:03:00.001-07:00

Australia's captain, Ricky Ponting, believes that England's Ashes veterans, Michael Vaughan and Steve Harmison, will be back to face his team come the start of the series, despite the instant impact that Ravi Bopara and Graham Onions have made since they came into the side for the Lord's Test last week.

Neither Vaughan nor Harmison is in the set-up for the second Test against West Indies, starting at Chester-le-Street on Thursday, and with no more five-day cricket before Australia arrive at Cardiff on July 8, time is running out for them to prove their worth.

But Ponting, speaking to Fox Sports, said: "I've just got a bit of a feeling that they might want to get Vaughan back into the set-up and they might pick Harmison for when we get there. So I think their side might actually shape up closer to the side of 2005 or 2007 than we actually think it might."

Vaughan's No. 3 slot is currently occupied by Bopara, whose 143 in the first Test was the decisive innings of the match. "Bopara made a really good hundred against the West Indies last week, but their batting is fairly similar with Pietersen, Collingwood, Strauss, Cook, those guys," he said. "We've played a lot against those guys over the years, so it's not too dissimilar, both sides have probably got three or four changes from last time we met."

As for Onions, who took 5 for 38 at Lord's, Ponting remained to be convinced of his long-term role. "He's a lively bowler, and he did well in that game but I'm not sure when they get the Sidebottoms and all those guys back if he'll still be in their side, but we'll wait and see."

Asked about Vaughan's prospects of an Ashes recall, England's captain Andrew Strauss responded: "There's a chance, there's definitely a chance. "There's a lot of cricket to be played between now and the Ashes, and we all know what Vaughany brings in terms of runs and experience. But the ball is in the hands of the players who are in the side right at the moment."

A defeat but a respectable one

2009-05-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

Pakistan fans should not be too despondent at their team's defeat to Australia. Playing any international sport occasionally puts you at a disadvantage and that's before we consider the issue of neutral venues.

Most importantly, Pakistan managed to play out a scheduled series without disruption, and a blueprint has been established for the survival of Pakistan cricket until the domestic environment improves.

Had it not been for their traditional batting frailty, Pakistan would have easily won this series against a weakened Australian team. But batting skills probably suffer most from any absence from the international circuit.

As Pakistan showed in two of the matches, it is possible to gloss over frailties and lack of match practice in the shorter forms of cricket. When Pakistan return to Test cricket we will then know the true extent of their plight.

Nonetheless, it is important to take positives from this series. In particular, the spin combination of Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal helped Pakistan remain competitive throughout.

Afridi, now certainly a senior statesman, extracted more turn than he usually has. We will need more evidence before we can decide if it was the environment or Abdul Qadir's influence. Ajmal impressed too, and if he can avoid a damning verdict from ICC's technical committee he will be an important addition to Pakistan's squad.

On the batting front, there was little of genuine cheer other than the final match-winning partnership between Kamran Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq, which helped Pakistan succeed from a position that usually sees them fail.

For many fans, Akmal's presence in the team defies the logic of his performances but he occasionally produces an innings of this nature that makes you wonder how valuable he could be if he could master both his trades at once.

Misbah, too, has flattered to deceive in his own way, often taking Pakistan to the brink of victory but succumbing to stupidity on the threshold of an individual triumph. Here both men held their nerve to finish the series with a respectable result for Pakistan.

The future, provided that it includes regular international cricket and the return of Pakistan's ICL cricketers, can be viewed with a degree of confidence by Pakistan. Indeed, Younis Khan's team should be able to develop into a potent force in limited overs cricket. It is in the Test arena that their lack of opportunities will hurt them.

Whatever happened to the ICL players?

2009-05-14T00:29:00.000-07:00

Pakistan have announced their T20 World Cup squad. Much of the squad picks itself, a couple are new and unexpected, one at least is a surprise omission (Iftikhar Rao, a regular in Pakistan's squad over the last two years), while at least another is lucky to be included on reputation (Shoaib Akhtar). Indeed, a typical Pakistani selection.

I am surprised and disappointed, however, that no escapees from the ICL have been included. Anybody who saw Imran Nazir's brutal innings in last year's ICL final will wonder how he missed selection? Other players, such as Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Yousuf, will have hoped for a recall to national duty.

Now you might well argue that none of these ICL ex-cons has a decent case for selection. You might also argue that they chose to line their pockets instead of lining up for their country. Nonetheless, the PCB had an opportunity to resurrect an international career or two, and it missed it. This failure of nerve is especially unwelcome as the PCB has been threatening defiance on behalf of its ICL cricketers, exciting players who might now never return to international cricket.

PS Well done to all you eagle-eyed readers who spotted that Sohail Tanvir is in the squad. Thanks--and what a relief.

No referrals for Ashes series

2009-05-14T00:16:00.000-07:00

This summer's Ashes series will be one of the last in which the umpire's decision is final, after the ICC confirmed that its controversial Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS) is set to be introduced permanently into the game on the basis of a "phased roll-out" from October 2009.

The ICC chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, confirmed the plans at a press conference at Lord's, following a two-day meeting in which the results of nine months' worth of trials were assessed by the ICC's cricket committee.

A final decision on whether the new system will become a permanent feature of Test cricket will be taken by the ICC's chief executives committee and their main board, whose next meetings are due to take place during their annual conference at Lord's from June 22-26.

"I'm excited that the committee concluded the umpire decision review system had a positive effect on the game," said Lorgat. "It reduced the number of incorrect decisions and also cut down on instances of player dissent.

"We will seek [provided the ICC chief executives and board agree] to roll out the system from October 2009. The time ahead of that date will allow us to firm up the playing conditions, technical specifications and protocols, ensure additional training for match officials and further brief the players so that the process can be successfully implemented."

Though designed to reduce controversy, the new system - which gives players the opportunity to request a review by the third umpire of a decision made by the on-field umpire they believed was wrong - has so far muddied the waters in several instances, not least during the Jamaica Test between England and West Indies in February.

"The protocols were clear, maybe the application was not so good," said Lorgat. "It's the really bad errors we want to eliminate. We had a fair amount of feedback from players and most of it was positive. They accept the fundamental thing that we want to get decisions right."

The cricket committee, chaired by the former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd, said it believed the new system, for all its faults, would reduce instances of bad decisions.

The committee also looked into the possibility of playing day/night Test cricket, and staging a trial five-day game under lights in 2010. But first they said more research was needed on finding a suitable ball, with the standard red one unsuitable for floodlit cricket, while Lloyd pointed out the effect of early evening dew would also have to be considered. Trials with light green and pink balls are currently taking place.

The committee also said there was no need to alter the present format of 50-overs international cricket, amid concerns the format was becoming jaded in the Twenty20 era, and that there was not a need to impose weight restrictions on bats

It also said it had no problems with double-sided bats and confirmed that the switch-hit, as pioneered by Kevin Pietersen, should remain legal.

The committee also called for stricter enforcement of rules on over-rates, and the doubling of fines for slow play, so as to cut down time-wasting by both batting and bowling sides. Lorgat said it was vital Test match over-rates were maintained or improved so the five-day game could continue to "engage" with spectators.

Tait overlooked for Australia contract

2009-05-14T00:14:00.001-07:00

Shaun Tait has missed a spot in Australia's 25-man contract list, but Andrew Symonds has made it along with six players who gained full deals for the first time. In a couple of pointers towards the Ashes, South Australia's Graham Manou is the back-up wicketkeeper behind Brad Haddin and Nathan Hauritz is the only specialist spinner, dramatically increasing his prospects of winning a spot ahead of Bryce McGain.

The squad is full of fresh faces following Australia's season of change in 2008-09, with Manou joined by Callum Ferguson, Phillip Hughes, Marcus North, Andrew McDonald and Peter Siddle. Tait was cut in a surprise decision, particularly after Cricket Australia did not provide a medical clearance for him to play in the IPL.

Andrew Hilditch and his fellow selectors must now see Tait, who has regularly suffered from injury during a hit-and-miss career, as a Twenty20 specialist, which reduces his ranking among the elite group. David Warner, another short-form player, was overlooked despite regular limited-overs outings since January.

Adam Voges missed out two months after choosing to get married instead of appear in the one-day series in South Africa while the exits of Phil Jaques, Ashley Noffke and Beau Casson were predicted following interrupted seasons. However, Dave Gilbert, the Cricket New South Wales chief executive, was upset by the omission of Jaques.

"His last Test innings for Australia was a century and he averages in the high 40s," Gilbert said. "How he is not considered in the top 25 cricketers in the country is hard to comprehend."

Brad Hodge, a perennial reserve, held his place along with Cameron White, who was not chosen for the series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. Symonds, Brett Lee and Stuart Clark, who have also battled injuries, were retained.

Hilditch's next task is to pick the Ashes squad, which will be named on Wednesday, and Manou received a timely boost. "No one can doubt Manou's credentials following his performance in state cricket over the last two seasons, in all forms of the game," Hilditch said. He said the squad was also picked with an eye to the 2011 World Cup.

"It's obviously a very exciting time for players receiving their first contract, such as Phillip Hughes, who has had an outstanding start for Australia and will have an important role in the team's future," Hilditch said. "Siddle has had an outstanding debut season and richly deserves his contract.

"McDonald, North and Hauritz have been rewarded for their performances in South Africa and Nathan had an excellent one-day tournament against Pakistan recently. Ferguson has had an impressive debut in one-day cricket and will be an important part of our future in that form of the game."

Australia are scheduled to play 14 Tests over the next 12 months, with each player receiving A$13,000 per appearance, and up to 34 one-day internationals. ODI match fees are set at $5200 while they get $3900 for a Twenty20.

Last summer the contract list ballooned following the addition of 11 players during the year, which also included the retirements of Matthew Hayden and Stuart MacGill. The top tier of stars had a base deal of more than $1million in 2008-09 and the bottom level began at $180,000.

The final amounts of the new pay packets will be finalised when Cricket Australia's ongoing negotiations with the Australian Cricketers' Association conclude. Those discussions and the timing of the limited-overs series with Pakistan delayed the contract announcement by two weeks.

2009-10 contract holders Doug Bollinger (NSW), Nathan Bracken (NSW), Stuart Clark (NSW), Michael Clarke (NSW), Callum Ferguson (SA), Brad Haddin (NSW), Nathan Hauritz (NSW), Ben Hilfenhaus (Tas), Brad Hodge (Vic), James Hopes (Qld), Phillip Hughes (NSW), David Hussey (Vic), Michael Hussey (WA), Mitchell Johnson (WA), Simon Katich (NSW), Brett Lee (NSW), Graham Manou (SA), Shaun Marsh (WA), Andrew McDonald (Vic), Marcus North (WA), Ricky Ponting (Tas), Peter Siddle (Vic), Andrew Symonds (Qld), Shane Watson (NSW), Cameron White (Vic).

India forced Asia split on 2011 World Cup - Mani

2009-05-14T00:10:00.000-07:00

Ehsan Mani, former ICC president, believes Pakistan was manoeuvred out of its hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup by a split within the Asian bloc, led by India, and an inert ICC approach to examine viable solutions. Pakistan, said Mani, was thus left with no choice but to begin legal proceedings against the decision.

Mani, who served as president from 2003-06, is acting as an advisor to the PCB in the dispute and is widely thought to be man who prompted the move to initiate legal action. He has told the PCB, however, to keep "back-channel communications" with the ICC open throughout the dispute.

"I'm afraid so and I'm very sorry to say it," Mani told Cricinfo, when asked whether India had manipulated the situation to its advantage in order to squeeze Pakistan out of the tournament. "This was a time when India should have come forward, shown leadership and said 'It's all four of us as hosts, or none of us.'

"Asia got worried they would lose the 2011 World Cup altogether and decided to dump Pakistan. It is the first time in my 20 years association that I have seen Asia split this way. It speaks volumes of the PCB's PR perhaps," Mani said.

Mani also took aim at the ICC, saying it had not shown enough initiative in searching for a solution to Pakistan's plight. "The ICC should have looked at the security situation as a whole, they should have at least met with Pakistan beforehand. When I was president, there was a lot of pressure to suspend Zimbabwe. I refused, until I had met them personally. I did and eventually they asked to be suspended themselves.

"There was no pre-meeting dialogue with the PCB here and ICC should have taken the lead in that. Pakistan is a problem, so let's talk to them. I said to the ICC you should have thought of alternative solutions. They said the PCB had not put any such proposal forward but the ICC should have been examining these things.

"Many things were wrong. The ICC should have done an assessment of all four countries and gotten governments involved. Also, if Pakistan gets the Champions Trophy hosting fee even if that event was taken away, why does the same logic not apply for the World Cup?"

Acknowledging that the relationship between the ICC and the PCB are "not good," Mani said Pakistan was left with no other option. "They were between a rock and a hard place. They were marginalised, losing the hosting money - what was their choice? Roll over quietly, or make some noise? Pakistan feel they were misled at the meeting and had no idea this was going to happen. One should have been upfront about it."

Mani has advocated swapping the World Cups of 2011 and 2015, so that the next tournament is switched to Australia and New Zealand and the 2015 edition comes to the subcontinent. He asked the ICC about the swapping option and was told that "Australia and New Zealand were happy to host the 2011 World Cup but also wanted to keep the 2015 tournament."

But Mani urged the PCB to keep the doors of communication open with the ICC. "Ties between the two are not great. What I've advised them is to keep the legal process on but along with a high-level diplomatic process. Keep that channel open. I told the PCB that professional advice was needed but keep talking to them. I tried to speak to the ICC but couldn't get through to them. They kept saying 'you don't know all the facts' which I found disappointing."

Amber lights at the Riverside

2009-05-14T00:07:00.000-07:00

Although ticket sales for the opening day of the second Test have improved since yesterday's figure of 3000, Chester-le-Street won't be bursting at the seams when the action starts on Thursday. The punters are clearly beginning to pick and choose which matches they attend and, if Chris Gayle's comments are anything to go by, some players will soon be following a similar path.

His interview with a UK national newspaper has set another warning light flashing about the future and primacy of Test cricket. Although he attempted to downgrade his view that he "wouldn't be so sad" if Tests vanished in favour of Twenty20s, by saying his comments were meant from his personal point of view, it is another damaging blow for a sport that is battling to maintain a relevance.

The fact that Gayle has had to leave his IPL deal to play in cold, early-season English conditions, in a Test series shoe-horned into the calender, has clearly not gone down well, despite his latest effort to convince otherwise. "I'm happy to be here right now to try and retain the trophy," a rather weary-looking Gayle said as he responded to his comments.

He claimed the interview in The Guardian had been "misquoted and misinterpreted" which is the usual response from a sportsman who wants to back himself out of a corner. However, he didn't try to alter his comments, rather just clarify that he was talking about himself and not Test cricket as a whole.

"I don't see myself playing Tests for any long period of time, but I think Test cricket will always be there. Twenty20 has come on board and it's made a huge impact on the world, it's brilliant, games have been sold out and it has taken the place by storm. I look at Test cricket differently, I don't see it as long term for me, just for me, I'm just speaking about myself."

What should come as a concern for those running the game and trying to cram in endless international fixtures to justify television deals is Gayle's reasoning. "There's a lot of cricket being played and I've started to develop a lot of injuries," he said. "It takes a toll on your body and your mental strength so at some stage you aren't going to go on forever. You have to choose what you are going to do as a person.

"It's something I've discussed before, maybe not in the media, but I've talked to friends and players about it. It's not like I've just thought about it overnight."

However, as one of nine current Test captains in the world game, Gayle needs to remember that his role goes beyond the personal. It shouldn't just be about the here and now for him, but also the bigger picture. Not everyone is going to make it as a millionaire Twenty20 star and Gayle, as one of the most flamboyant batsman of his generation, should be able to play a role in promoting the five-day game.

Andrew Strauss is one such player who is likely to miss the Twenty20 revolution and made comments before the Lord's Test that he wouldn't allow an England player to arrive 48 hours before a match. Gayle hit back in the newspaper interview, but tried to ease any potential tensions by saying no disrespect was meant.



	"There's a lot of cricket being played and I've started to develop a lot of injuries. It takes a toll on your body and your mental strength so at some stage you aren't going to go on forever. You have to choose what you are going to do as a person." Chris Gayle ponders his Test future

"It wasn't his concern," Gayle said. "I respect Strauss, I would never have any conflict with him. I just find it a bit strange that he touched on that sort of point and he should leave it alone. "Maybe he's under a lot of pressure. The Ashes series is huge.

"Maybe he tried to put the pressure on me to try to take a bit of pressure off him. I have respect for Strauss it's not like I'm trying to degrade him, I would never do that. Sometimes you just have to stand up for your rights."

Strauss maintained there were no tensions and suggested that any problems the West Indies captain had were not his problem, but admitted he had concerns about the health of Test cricket. "We haven't been sitting in the bar telling tales of our lives but our relationship has been pretty good. I've had no problems with him up until now. If he is uncomfortable with what's gone on in the last couple of weeks that's an issue for him rather than myself.

"It [Test cricket] is under pressure," he added. "I think it is important we play good Test cricket to make people aware of what a good format it is and how entertaining it can be. It's the only game that really tests out your temperament, your technique, your hunger, your bravery, all those aspects of the game."

That seems an opportune moment to bring this back to the actual game; a Test match, the ultimate format. West Indies' game fell away so rapidly at Lord's that it was difficult to recognise the team that fought so hard in the Caribbean. Now with Gayle's comments ringing in their ears it's hardly the motivational stand they needed from their captain. "The guys know the situation. It won't affect us, we are all big men," he said.

Strauss, however, was hoping the furore will take Gayle's mind off the serious matter in hand. "He is always dangerous. He always plays the same way, hopefully he'll be slightly distracted tomorrow."

Gayle clearly won't be playing Test cricket much longer, although he laughed off the idea that this would be his final game. He said he still had a job to do in rebuilding this West Indies side and now would be a good time to show he really means it. At the moment Gayle's opinions appear the minority view, but the game needs to work out what it wants to be in the future. If players don't want to play, and people don't want to watch, then there really is trouble ahead.

Andrew McGlashan is assistant editor of Cricinfo

Canny Bhatia steals one for Delhi

2009-05-13T23:58:00.001-07:00

Hayden versus the hapless bowlers

2009-05-11T03:31:00.003-07:00

Three weeks into the IPL, and Matthew Hayden continues to hog the IPL limelight. While some of his other Australian mates have been told by their board to rest before tougher challenges later in the season, and others have performed only intermittently, Hayden has notched up scores of 44, 65, 57, 49, 1, 30, 43, 89 and 48 in nine matches so far. To understand how far he has towered over the rest of the batsmen, you only need to look at the stats for highest run-scorers in IPL 2009: Hayden leads with 426, and in second place is Suresh Raina, who has played the same number of innings but has scored 117 fewer runs.

Hayden has handled both pace and spin pretty well in the tournament so far, but clearly he has shown a preference for the ball coming on to the bat: both seamers and spinners have dismissed him four times each (he's been run-out once), but against pace he has scored at a much faster clip - 307 runs in 177 balls at an average of almost 77. Spinners have reined him in far more successfully, going for 119 runs in 104 balls, at an average of less than 30 runs-per-wicket. Clearly, Shane Warne knew what he was doing when he handed Yusuf Pathan the ball to open the attack against Chennai, and it's a ploy other teams will probably employ against him as well.

Hayden against pace and spin in IPL 2009
	Balls	Runs	Dismissals	Average	Runs per over
Pace	177	307	4	76.75	10.40
Spin	104	119	4	29.75	6.86

In the four matches he played in the last IPL, he had a better time against spin, scoring 34 off 26 balls without being dismissed once. That's another indication that conditions have been more favourable for spinners this time in South Africa.

Hayden against pace and spin in IPL 2008
	Balls	Runs	Dismissals	Average	Runs per over
Pace	105	155	2	77.50	8.85
Spin	26	34	0	-	7.84

Among bowlers who've bowled at least ten balls to Hayden in this IPL, Sreesanth has been the most expensive, going at more than ten per over. Clearly, he meant it when he called Sreesanth an over-rated bowler after the match against Punjab.

Yusuf Pathan has done well against him despite bowling with the new ball with fielding restrictions in place: in 17 balls he has only conceded 18 and dismissed Hayden once. Harbhajan Singh, another offspinner, has handled the Hayden challenge well too.

Hayden against each bowler in IPL 2009 (Qual: 10 balls bowled)
Bowler	Balls	Runs	Dismissals	Aveerage	Runs per over
Sreesanth	19	32	1	32.00	10.10
RP Singh	18	29	0	-	9.66
Yusuf Pathan	17	18	1	18.00	6.35
Dirk Nannes	16	27	0	-	10.12
Pradeep Sangwan	12	16	2	8.00	8.00
Harbhajan Singh	11	11	0	-	6.00
Shane Warne	11	16	1	16.00	8.72
Karan Goel	10	9	0	-	5.40
Ravindra Jadeja	10	9	0	-	5.40
Rohit Sharma	10	14	0	-	8.40

Overall check on Australians in IPL 2009

As was indicated last time, the Australian batsmen have continued to fare well, with the average runs-per-wicket and runs-per-over higher than the overall tournament average. Despite only 14 Australians having batted in the tournament so far, they've still managed more than 15% of the total runs scored off the bat.

Australian batting contribution in IPL 2009
Aus runs	Average	Run rate	Total runs	Average	Runs per over	% runs by Aus
1462	34.00	7.67	9420	22.75	7.11	15.52

The bowlers haven't had as much success, though, with 30 wickets at an average and economy rate slightly poorer than the tournament average.

Australian bowling contribution in IPL 2009
Aus wkts	Average	Econ rate	Total wkts	Average	Econ rate	% Aus wkts
30	29.03	7.73	385	25.41	7.41	7.79

Apart from Hayden, Brad Hodge is the other Australian batsman whose performance has improved significantly in the last few games - he has scored 240 in six games and is fast catching up on Gilchrist's tally of 255. Gilchrist's form has in fact fallen away somewhat recently - in the last five innings he has scored 92. Lee Carseldine has done well too in the few opportunities he has got, but the significant late entry into the IPL has been Andrew Symonds - in his first innings of the tournament he scored an unbeaten 60 off 36 balls. If he continues this form, he could be the next big Australian performer.

Top Australian batsmen in IPL 2009
Batsman	Runs	Dismissals	Average	Runs per over
Matthew Hayden	426	9	47.33	9.09
Adam Gilchrist	255	9	28.33	8.45
Brad Hodge	240	6	40.00	6.72
David Warner	108	3	36.00	6.96
Simon Katich	106	4	26.50	7.75
Lee Carseldine	64	2	32.00	7.83
Shane Warne	84	4	21.00	6.07
Andrew Symonds	60	0	-	10.00

Among the bowlers, Warne remains the highest wicket-taker, with Dirk Nannes following him closely. The major late entry here was Brett Lee, who showed good rhythm in his debut game, taking 1 for 24 against Deccan Chargers.

Australian bowlers in IPL 2009
Bowler	Wickets	Average	Runs per over
Shane Warne	10	25.30	7.44
Dirk Nannes	8	28.50	7.47
Brad Hodge	6	17.00	7.84
Shane Harwood	3	24.33	7.30
Brett Lee	1	24.00	6.00
Moises Henriques	1	72.00	8.81
Ryan Harris	0	-	8.45

All stats updated till the 37th match of the IPL, which finished on Saturday, May 9.

Amit Singh reported for second time

2009-05-11T03:29:00.000-07:00

Rajasthan Royals right-arm medium-fast bowler Amit Singh has been reported for a suspect bowling action for the second time in the IPL. On-field umpires Gary Baxter and Kumar Dharmasena reported Amit, citing his suspect bowling action on certain deliveries, during Rajasthan's match against the Chennai Super Kings in Kimberley on Saturday.

The matter has now been referred by the IPL to the Rajasthan team management and the tournament's technical committee as per the Laws of Cricket that govern the game, the organisers said in a statement today.

On completion of the match, footage was obtained and re-examined by all the three match officials, including third umpire Amiesh Saheba, and it was decided that further action was necessary under the Laws of Cricket section 24.3 that governs the game.

Amit had earlier been reported by umpires Daryl Harper and K Hariharan after Rajasthan's match against Royal Challengers Bangalore last Thursday. He is the second bowler, after team-mate Kamran Khan, to be reported for a suspect action in the second season.

Amit, who can continue to play until he is proven guilty of an illegal action, is Rajasthan's third-highest wicket-taker with eight wickets from three matches at 6.62.

Deccan, Rajasthan look to regain momentum

2009-05-11T03:27:00.003-07:00

Big Picture

The race for a spot in the semi-finals heats up with only one team effectively out of contention. Defeats for Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals in their previous games did not push them below the top four, nor - unless Deccan lose by a mammoth margin - should a loss for either team today. But one of them will be left vulnerable at fourth place, and are likely to lose the spot tomorrow if the contest between Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians (currently placed fifth and sixth respectively) yields an outright result. A win for Deccan will take them to No. 3, pushing down Rajasthan, who'll be hoping to preserve their current standing, especially as they will have played at least a game more than the rest.

Deccan were the dominant team in the competition's early stages, but since their run of four consecutive wins they've experienced a serious slide with four defeats in their last five games. They emerged second-best in a thrilling encounter against Punjab in their previous match, letting it slip in the final stages after holding the cards for a good part of the game. Rajasthan were beaten convincingly by Chennai Super Kings, a blow to the three-match winning streak that ended a disappointing start to the tournament. Regaining the lost momentum remains the objective for both teams, who've experienced highly differing win-loss trajectories, as the league stage enters its last leg.

Form guide (completed matches, most recent first)

Deccan - LWLLL
Deccan were again let down by Herschelle Gibbs, taking his tally to just 22 runs in his last five innings. Adam Glichrist's performances too have failed expectations, squandering promising starts and not being at his fluent best. His scores read 8, 39, 0, 25, 20 in his last five appearances.

Rajasthan - LWWWL
Rajasthan failed to build on solid starts in their last game. Three of their top four notched up scores of above 25, but each fell while trying to accelerate. Their middle order, which had helped them recover during problems at the top in the earlier stages, struggled against Chennai with Yusuf Pathan, Lee Carseldine and Abhishek Raut making just 23 runs between them.

Watch out for

Andrew Symonds: A brutal 36-ball 60 marked an excellent debut for Symonds in the IPL's second season, but his services as a part-time spinner lasted just one over where he smacked for 20. He revived his team from a weak position at 73 for 4, and his assuring presence in the middle order is a huge asset, especially given the inconsistency at the top.

Teams

Deccan have a problem with their foreign recruits. Medium pacer Ryan Harris has gone wicketless in his three games, and conceded 8.45 runs an over. With Fidel Edwards gone, Deccan might be tempted to give Chaminda Vaas his first game of the competition. Their patience with Gibbs is being tested with five consecutive failures, and the likelihood of Scott Styris or Dwayne Smith receiving a call remains strong.

Deccan (probable): 1 Adam Gilchrist (capt/wk), 2 T Suman, 3 Rohit Sharma, 4 Andrew Symonds, 5 Y Venugopal Rao, 6 Scott Styris/Dwayne Smith, 7 D Ravi Teja, 8 Pragyan Ojha, 9 Shoaib Ahmed, 10 RP Singh, 11 Chaminda Vaas.

Amit Singh has been reported for a suspect action for the second time this season, but with the law allowing him to continue playing until proven of an illegal action, Rajasthan may just persist with him. If not, Munaf Patel is a possible replacement. Shane Harwood was taken for 25 in two overs against Chennai, and with local boy Tyron Henderson having played just one game, Rajasthan do have the option of giving him a go.

Rajasthan (probable): 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Naman Ojha (wk), 3 Swapnil Asnodkar, 4 Ravindra Jadeja, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Lee Carseldine, 7 Tyron Henderson/ Shane Harwood, 8 Abhishek Raut, 9 Shane Warne (capt), 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Amit Singh/Munaf Patel.

Stats and trivia

None of the Rajasthan batsmen feature in the top ten run-getters in this tournament. Yusuf Pathan, their highest run-scorer with 210 in nine games, is at No.15, but has the second-best strike rate among them of 147.88.

Herschelle Gibbs has made 204 runs this IPL, but only 22 in his last five, including three ducks.

The 95-run stand between Andrew Symonds and Venugopal Rao against Punjab is the highest for the fifth wicket this IPL.

Head-to-head

Rajasthan enjoy a 3-0 advantage. Important contributions from Carseldine, Shane Warne, Abhishek Raut and Yusuf helped Rajasthan scale down a target of 142 against Deccan in Port Elizabeth. Last year, Smith and Yusuf helped Rajasthan overcome a brutal century from Symonds to chase 214 off the penultimate ball in Hyderabad. The second game in Jaipur was a mauling, as the same duo scripted an eight-wicket win.

Ryder incident reports 'grossly exaggerated' - manager

2009-05-11T03:22:00.001-07:00

Jesse Ryder's manager has termed as "grossly exaggerated and inaccurate" reports of the New Zealand batsman being restrained by security guards in South Africa. Aaron Klee admitted that Ryder had broken his vow not to touch alcohol, but said there was no altercation with security guards.

Radio Sport and Newstalk ZB reported earlier today that Ryder, who plays for IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, had to be controlled during an off-field incident. "It's disappointing that these false and unverified rumours are being reported as fact by the media," Klee said in a statement. "Let's be fair to Jesse - this is not a big issue. Jesse rang me and explained what happened several nights ago. He is disappointed that he drank after being off all alcohol for over 100 days.

"But there was no security incident. We have already taken steps to make sure he has additional support during his time in the IPL."

Ryder had sworn off alcohol after an incident resulted in him missing a match for his country. His mentor Murray Deaker released a statement reinforcing the need for the batsman to stay sober. "Jesse's had over a hundred days of sobriety and has made enormous progress during that time, on and off the field," he said. "Now for that to continue he needs support and moves have already been made to assist him to get back on top."

A New Zealand Cricket spokesman said the board would not comment until full details of the supposed incident were available.

In February 2008 Ryder had put his hand through a window while trying to gain access to a toilet area that had been accidentally locked. Ryder was then fined for missing a team meeting and a training session after a late night of drinking and was left out of the XI for an ODI against West Indies in early 2009. He was subsequently reported to have given up alcohol.

Ryder has been a major disappointment in the IPL. In four games he has scored just 34 runs, including two scores of 0. Ryder was purchased for $160,000 at this year's IPL auction.

Gladwell and cricket

2009-05-11T03:20:00.003-07:00

omething I've been hearing from the commentary is the phrase "the turning point". From what I can gather, the turning point is that moment in the match when things have the potential to gain momentum or degenerate fast (depending on which team you're on!). It could be anything from a missed catch, two batsmen settling in for a solid partnership, or a bowler taking a few wickets in quick succession. In some of the matches we've seen this tournament, the turning point comes in the last over of the match, and winning or losing hinges on those six balls. But things can turn at any stage.

In yesterday's match between the Daredevils and the Knight Riders, the turning point came right at the start with Ashish Nehra's dismissal of Brendon McCullum. McCullum looked set to finally prove his match-winning ways, and then unluckily for him, the umpire made a bad lbw call. Who knows what might have happened if the umpire had made the right call? But as things stood, McCullum's shaky start and the Knight Riders' contagious we're-unlucky-as-hell attitude managed to contaminate the rest of the batting order, and the match went kaput. In the previous game between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Mumbai Indians, Rahul Dravid's run-out could be identified as the point at which Bangalore's chance for victory was, well, challenged.

With all this talk of turning points, I couldn't help but think of Malcolm Gladwell's best-selling book, The Tipping Point. The "tipping point" is a phrase that Gladwell coined to describe the point at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable. It's a moment of critical mass, a threshold, a boiling point. Gladwell's aim in writing this book was to present a new way of understanding why change so often happens as quickly and unexpectedly as it does. He believes that ideas, products, people and messages behave a bit like outbreaks of infectious diseases, and that behaviour (including winning and losing) can be transmitted from one person to another as easily as the flu. His book is all about studying these "social epidemics" around us, and presenting us with ways of decoding the world. I'm sure Gladwell never dreamed that his theories could be used to expound the finer points of Twenty20, but here goes:

In Gladwell's universe the key players who act as "agents of change" and can orchestrate social epidemics are Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen. Connectors are people who link us up with the world; they have a huge social network and a special talent of bringing things together. The top Connector of the tournament has got to be Lalit Modi, for believing and propagating his own hype - that the IPL is going to change the game of cricket forever.

Mavens are information specialists - people we rely upon to connect us with new information and who know how to share it with others. In the IPL, the commentators, coaches, and pitch doctors could be placed under this head. However, because it's been a long time since they actually told us anything new, I'm leaning more toward the tournament veterans like Matthew Hayden, Sanath Jayasuriya and Anil Kumble, who, no matter how long they've been around, still present us with new ways of seeing.

And finally, the Salesmen. These are the persuaders: charismatic people with powerful negotiation skills. They tend to have an indefinable trait that goes beyond what they say, which makes others tend to believe them. Top IPL Salesmen would include captains like Shane Warne, MS Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Adam Gilchrist, who lead from the front, and in their own fashion find verbal and non-verbal ways to motivate their team.

The tipping point is a fascinating concept, and can be applied to the world at large and to our own personal lives. It could be a simple thing, like "If I don't consume a few grams of sugar in the next five minutes, I'm going to faint," or more serious, long-term, considerations, like "If I don't get out of this dead-end job/relationship/city/fill in the blank," I'm going to do myself some serious damage. The tricky thing is that in life, just as in the game of cricket, we rarely recognise that exact moment when change is embraced until much later.

Later, of course, there's always the luxury of knowledge and "knowing". Everyone "knew," for instance, that Sachin Tendulkar's decision to drop Sanath Jayasuriya in the match against the Delhi Daredevils (which yielded the Mumbai Indians their lowest score in the tournament) was a bad move. You don't drop a seasoned player like Jayasuriya, was the general consensus, because someone like him can win matches for you. Of course, if Luke Ronchi had had actually come up with the goods, everyone would have been singing a different song. How innovative and daring of Tendulkar to make such a difficult decision in the interest of the team, they would have said.

I guess the one point of truth in all of this, whether tipping or turning, is that it's only in hindsight that our vision is Twenty20.

Tishani Doshi is a writer and dancer based in Chennai

We cannot afford to start looking ahead

2009-05-11T03:16:00.001-07:00

Winning on Saturday night against Rajasthan Royals was an important stepping-stone to the IPL semi-finals, sealing our sixth win and lifting us to the top of the table (at least for one day), but there is no scope for complacency. This tournament is far too tight for that.

After an indifferent start, the Chennai Super Kings are now playing good cricket. Our bowling is balanced and we have a great deal of confidence in our batting, led by Mathew Hayden, a true run machine who has rolled back the years and showed incredible consistency.

However, as MS Dhoni has stressed time and time again in the past week, our fielding remains below par, particularly the catching. We have been fortunate not to pay a heavier price for our butter-fingered lapses and we need to address this in the final two weeks.

It is important now that we focus on each game. We cannot afford to start looking ahead. We must ensure we keep the winning momentum and, more importantly, keep improving. In Twenty20 cricket momentum is precious, you lose it and things can go rapidly downhill - just ask the Knight Riders.

The Rajasthan win was especially pleasing because we reacted so well to chasing. Shane Warne tried some light-hearted 'kidology' at the toss, suggesting we don't like chasing. There was an element in truth in that because our preference is usually to bat first.

However, as MS replied, good batting sides are traditionally good chasers - remember Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup - and we felt the strength of our batting would put them under pressure when it came to setting a target. They started decently, but we dragged them back beautifully.

With the bowlers doing their job, restricting Rajasthan to a score perhaps 10 runs below par on a slow turning surface, the batsmen responded as expected. It was really encouraging to see S Badrinath seize his opportunity at No. 4 and play his best innings of the tournament. He's very talented.

With Hayden, Suresh Raina, Dhoni and now Badrinath all looking good at the top, and with the power hitting of Jacob Oram and Albie Morkel in the middle, things are looking pretty healthy. However, as we all know, it only takes one bad over to change the course of a Twenty20 game so we'll not be taking anyone lightly in our next four games this week.

PCB gives Asif another chance

2009-05-11T03:13:00.000-07:00

The PCB has given fast bowler Mohammad Asif another chance to prove he was not deported from the UAE last year for possession of opium. A PCB statement on Monday said Asif was absent from the latest sitting of the three-man committee inquiring into his reported deportation as he was in the United Kingdom "without informing the board or the inquiry committee". It has set June 1 as the date for its next meeting with Asif.

Asif had earlier verbally informed the committee that he was not deported after being detained for 19 days in Dubai on June 1 last year when 0.24 grams of opium was found in his wallet at the airport, as he made his way back to Pakistan after playing in the IPL. Documents from the Dubai public prosecutor leaked to the press confirmed the identity of the substance Asif was found with and also his admission that he had used a substance, although he denied that it was opium.

If Asif was indeed deported, he would be unable to ever return to the UAE, thereby casting serious doubts over his international future as Pakistan are scheduled to play most of its home matches there owing to security fears after the Lahore terror attack in March.

"We have scheduled our next meeting on June 1... to facilitate your presence in the meeting," Wasim Bari, the PCB inquiry committee head, wrote in a letter to Asif on Monday. "In case you are unable to attend because of various reasons, kindly inform us so that the committee can proceed forward and finalize its recommendations to the (cricket) board to close this inquiry."

Asif was also banned for one year by the IPL last September for testing positive for the banned substance nandrolone during the tournament. In 2006, Asif was suspended for one year by the PCB after testing positive for nandrolone, but the ban was overturned on appeal.

PCB issues legal notice to ICC for World Cup exclusion

2009-05-11T02:59:00.001-07:00

In the first official response to the ICC's decision to exclude Pakistan from hosting the 2011 World Cup, the Pakistan board has issued a legal notice to cricket's governing body, calling the decision to do so discriminatory and "legally flawed."

The ICC decided at a recent board meeting in Dubai to take away Pakistan's share, as one of four co-hosts, of the World Cup matches. The move came after terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team during their February-March tour, which was itself the first major bilateral contest in Pakistan since October 2007. A number of teams since then had refused to visit in the wake of an unsettled and increasingly violent domestic backdrop. The meeting also said that international cricket was unlikely to return to Pakistan till 2011.

Ijaz Butt, chairman of PCB, had hitherto maintained a stony silence on the decision, to the ire of much of the population here. But at a press conference at the board's HQ in Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium, flanked by senior officials and legal advisors, he said that the manner in which the ICC decision was taken was "legally flawed...unfair and discriminatory" and that Pakistan intended to fight for its right as co-host.

The notice has been sent through its legal advisors Mark Gay, of DLA Piper, and Tafazzul Rizvi, the PCB's legal consultant. "We are most concerned about the manner in which the ICC took this decision," Butt said. "There was no notice prior to the meeting that a decision of this nature would be taken. There was no proper security assessment of Pakistan nor of the other Co-Hosts of the 2011 Tournament. We believe that more could and should have been done to review the actual situation to deal with the matter on a non-discriminatory basis. We will push for the matter to be expedited."

In particular, Pakistan's gripe, Butt clarified, was that the status of the 2011 World Cup was not on the original agenda of the ICC Board meeting on April 17 and 18 (when the decision was made). The implication is that Pakistan wasn't given a fair opportunity to defend its case as a co-host.

"This issue was not on the agenda," Butt said. "There was a discussion of the Sri Lankan attacks on the agenda and this topic came up. They never gave us notice and it was not on the agenda. We want to revoke the decision full stop."

Butt repeatedly pointed to what he claimed were also uncertain security environments in the other co-hosts - India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka - and said that provisions are in place for such decisions to be taken as late as 18 months before an ICC event, something that would have given the board time to prepare a security plan and for inspections to be carried out. It is the absence of this process, more than anything else, which has seemingly spurred the PCB's move to send a legal notice.

The legal notice has been sent to the ICC president David Morgan and under the ICC's constitution, the PCB is asking for the matter to be referred to the disputes resolution committee. "The matter has been submitted to the president of the ICC's dispute resolution committee. He can either refer the matter to the dispute resolution committee which is made up of ICC's officials or to the independent arbitration before the court of arbitration sport court. The PCB prefer impartial arbitration in the interest of justice, equity and fairplay."

If the disputes resolution committee fails to come up with a satisfactory solution, the option to take the case further remains. "There are two options with the disputes resolution committee," Salim Altaf, the board's chief operating officer, told Cricinfo. "Normally all disputes are resolved there. But if there is no satisfactory resolution, then the case can be sent to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), in Lausanne, Switzerland."

Ratification of the ICC's decision was expected to take place at the annual board meeting in June, though now that no longer seems a foregone conclusion.

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo

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Abdulla credits IPL for career boost

2009-05-11T02:45:00.001-07:00

Only in the infant stages of his international career, South African left-arm fast bowler Yusuf Abdulla has praised the IPL as a great launch pad. Abdulla, who made his Twenty 20 debut against Australia earlier this year, was rewarded for his outstanding performances in the domestic tournament and for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL with a call-up for the World Twenty20 beginning on June 5 in England.

"I believe in learning wherever I go and the IPL is a good learning curve," he told SuperCricket. "It would have been hard to make a squad of 15 otherwise; the IPL has helped, it has shown I'm capable of performing at a higher level.

"I was very excited when I heard I had been chosen for the Twenty20 World Cup and it's definitely still sinking in. It's a big achievement for me and I can only think the selectors were looking at me in the IPL because I have not played much international cricket, basically just my debut."

Abdulla, 26, is currently the IPL's joint second highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets in nine matches. He was called up after West Indies fast bowler Jerome Taylor was ruled out with injury. Punjab owner Ness Wadia cited Abdulla's knowledge of his home ground Kingsmead - where the team play six games - as "critical" to success in the IPL's second season.

After two average games, Abdulla notched up figures of 4 for 31 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, among them the wickets of Kevin Pietersen and Jacques Kallis. His return of 3 for 21 against the Rajasthan Royals made him one of the top five leading wicket-takers in the tournament.

Abdulla said support from his seniors helped him ease into a team of superstars. "The IPL is a big world event and there are a lot of international stars playing, so the level is very high. There were a bit of nerves before my first game," he said. "I've learnt to back myself and the team has really backed me as well. Yuvraj [Singh] is a heck of a good guy and all the stars have been very welcoming. It's great to have players like that around because it has made it much easier for me. I can rely on their advice and experience.

"It's been a big step and it hasn't been easy because the margin for error at this level is very small."