'The battle is not over' - Greig

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

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

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

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

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.

Goodwin quits ICL to commit to Sussex

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.

That was quick

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'

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

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

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

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

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.