Tendulkar most reliable batsman: Former Kiwi cricketers

CHRISTCHURCH: When it comes to batting for life, Sachin Tendulkar is the choice for most of the Kiwi cricketers, who rate the Indian batting maestro as the most accomplished player of his generation.

New Zealand's 'Herald on Sunday' newspaper asked a few former cricketers who was the best batsman in the world and whom they would like to bat for their life? Replying to the questions, former Kiwi Test players John Morrison and Dipak Patel picked the Indian batting ace and were all admiration for his exploits all around the world in different conditions and various match situations.

"I'd go with Tendulkar. He is still the most capable batsman in the world. He has the full array of shots too, though he might not play them as freely as he once did," Morrison said. "I like Tendulkar because there are guys out there brilliant on certain types of surfaces but he is adept at playing on anything."

"Slow, bouncy, turning, whatever - he covers the field on all of them. "I'd still back him ahead of everybody, even at the age of 36," Morrison, who played 17 Tests between 1974 and 1982, said.

Dipak Patel echoed the same sentiment. "I like Gautam Gambhir and Graeme Smith at the moment but in the end, if they were batting for my life, I couldn't go past Tendulkar. He's got the experience, the sheer weight of runs and best all-round game."

"He can bat for survival and can bat to force wins. He's got a big-match temperament and he has scored runs all around the world," Patel, who played 37 Tests between 1987 and 1997, said.

"Gambhir is the new kid on the block but I would put Smith in just behind Tendulkar. He has a wonderful track record of getting through the new ball. Every game he is out there facing the music and is just a terrific competitor," he added.

Tendulkar's team-mate and another Indian great, Rahul Dravid also has his own admirers for his sound technique, one among them is former Test player Gavin Larsen.

"There'd be a few on my shortlist. Shiv Chanderpaul would make it, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey. Graeme Smith would be there, as would Mohammad Yousuf and Sachin Tendulkar but the name I keep coming back to is Rahul Dravid," Larsen said.

"He (Dravid) is technically correct, perhaps the best technician in the game, he has scored runs in all conditions, he's dogged and he's incredibly mentally strong. He can bat for long periods of time without scoring and it never seems to get him down."

Dravid was also the second choice for Craig McMillan whose first pick is Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara.

"I'd struggle to go past guys like Rahul Dravid and Kumar Sangakkara. In the end, I'd take Sangakkara. With Dravid, you know what you're going to get but Sangakkara is probably the most adaptable batsman playing cricket at the moment."

source: http://www.cricketworld4u.com

Flintoff doubtful for second test, Harmison in squad

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff is doubtful for the second Ashes test against Australia at Lord's starting on Thursday after suffering pain in his right knee during the drawn first Test in Cardiff.

Flintoff was included in a 14-man squad named on Monday -- with pace bowler Steve Harmison the only addition -- but the England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement the all-rounder's place would depend on the results of a scan.

"We have a like-for-like selection with Steve Harmison coming into the squad from a bowling point of view," England selector Geoff Miller told Sky Sports News.

"But we will need to consider all our options carefully when we come to determine the make-up of our bowling attack at Lord's and the final decision will depend on our assessment of the pitch and the likely overhead conditions," Miller added in the ECB statement.

Harmison won his recall following a series of good performances for Durham.

Flintoff scored 37 in the first innings in Cardiff and made a big contribution to England saving the match with 26 in the second. He took one wicket at a cost of 128 runs.

He had surgery on the knee earlier this year after injuring it playing in the Indian Premier League.

Seamer Graham Onions and batsman Ian Bell, who were named in the squad for Cardiff but did not play, retain their places.


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Sri Lanka race to series win against Pakistan

Sri Lanka romped to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan to win the series after the visitors suffered a dramatic batting collapse on the third day of the second test on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka raced to their 171-run victory target in 31.5 overs during the afternoon with opener Malinda Warnapura scoring a brisk 54, Kumar Sangakkara an aggressive 46 and Mahela Jayawardene finishing off the game with an undefeated 37.

Having won the first test in Galle by 50 runs, Sri Lanka now have an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-test series and can celebrate their first series win against Pakistan on home soil.

The run chase had been set up by bowlers Rangana Herath and Nuwan Kulasekara, the pair ripping through the Pakistan order after lunch as nine wickets fell for just 35 runs.

Spinner Herath claimed career-best figures of 5-99 and seamer Kulasekara finished with 4-37 as Pakistan were dismissed for 320.

A few hours earlier, Pakistan had seized control of the match when makeshift opener Fawad Alam (168) and skipper Younus Khan (82) compiled a 200-run partnership to put the tourists in a strong position on 285-1 shortly before lunch.

Pakistan's good position at that stage was remarkable considering their woeful batting on day one when they were bowled out for just 90, a record low against Sri Lanka.

However, a rash reverse sweep from Younus gave Sri Lanka's dispirited fielders a much-needed lift just before the break and ended a record second-wicket stand at the P. Sara Oval.

Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara took the new ball straight after lunch and handed it to his slow bowlers, an unusual ploy that worked beautifully.

Mohammad Yousuf (6) was the first to go as he lost his balance and was trapped lbw on his back leg -- the third time in four innings he has been dismissed by Herath this series.

With Yousuf gone, Sangakkara changed tactics and introduced Kulasekara, his premier fast bowler, who went on to compile match figures of 8-58 from his 28.4 overs.

Kulasekara swung the ball sharply into the right-handers and picked up four lbw decisions, the first of which was the dangerous Misbah-ul-Haq for three.

Sri Lanka were soon back in command when Alam was caught at short leg, ending a 384-minute debut vigil that spanned 259 balls and included 15 boundaries and one six.

The 23-year-old is the first batsmen from his country to score a century on his debut in an overseas test and also owns the highest score by a Pakistan batsman in Sri Lanka, overtaking the 155 made by Salim Malik in 1997.

The innings then descended into freefall with Shoaib Malik (6) bowled by an arm ball, Kamran Akmal (3) trapped lbw by a Kulasekara inswinger and the rest of the tail folding with barely a fight.

Sri Lanka's openers seized early momentum with Tharanga Paranavitana (17) and Warnapura adding 60 in just 10 overs.

Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal eventually bowled Paranavitana and Warnapura was caught behind off seamer Abdur Rauf, but Sangakkara and Jayawardene ensured Sri Lanka a clinical victory.

source: http://www.cricketworld4u.com

Ashes rivals will be happy to drink with Flintoff

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has found one place where he can still sneak a pint ahead of the Ashes series.

The new found place is Australian dressing room, where he is welcomed by Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke, among several others.

“In Australia I spent a bit of time in the changing-room with him. There are going to be some tough times on the pitch and I think it would be silly for us not to catch up and congratulate each other and grab a beer or whatever,” the News of the World quoted, Clarke, as saying.

According to reports, Freddie is close to several of the baggy green players and when England were thrashed 5-0 Down Under in 2007, former coach Duncan Fletcher claimed the all-rounder was in the Australia dressing-room and drank until midnight after the Second Test in Adelaide.

Flintoff has also had a scandalous life, which has been full of controversies.

Earlier, Strauss read Flintoff’s riot act over his drinking escapades last week and fined him 1,000 after a boozy night in Belgium left him unable to catch the team bus the next morning

Harmison and Panesar await their fate

The speed with which England vacated the field at Edgbaston on Friday afternoon revealed plenty about their mindset in the lead-in to next week's first Test in Cardiff. The time was 5pm on a perfect summer's afternoon, and the opportunity was there for at least another hour and a half of fine-tuning. However, it was not deemed necessary by England's think tank, who have seen enough already, and just want to get the proper action underway now.

On Sunday, that action will come one step closer to fruition when the national selector, Geoff Miller, unveils England's trimmed-down squad for Wednesday's massively anticipated Ashes opener. That Miller has spent the week in the stands at Worcester, watching the Lions - and more pertinently, Steve Harmison - rather than fussing about the form of, say, Monty Panesar, suggests that 11 of the expected 13 names on his list will be fairly easy to second-guess.

All the permutations, therefore, come down to the selection of two men: the squad's spare batsman, and of course, the extra seamer, a man who remains highly likely to complement the chosen triumvirate of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Andrew Flintoff, given that Cardiff's reputation as a raging turner has resulted in a mere 17 wickets for spinners, out of a possible 60, in three Championship matches this season. Regardless of his three morale-boosting wickets at Edgbaston on Thursday, Panesar's own figures for Northamptonshire last month were 2 for 149.

The fact that England have yet to finalise their squad was telegraphed by the sight of Miller's fellow selectors, James Whitaker and Ashley Giles, joining him on the balcony at Worcester for the final day of the Lions match. As fate would have it, the England captain, Andrew Strauss, arrived at the ground just as Harmison and Graham Onions were about to take the new ball in Australia's second innings. That pair, plus the injury-prone but highly rated Ryan Sidebottom, are the front-runners for that final berth, and their fates will be revealed in an announcement at Old Trafford at 10am on Sunday.

If the heart says Harmison, after the fury of his performance against the Australians this week, the head suggests that Onions will be permitted to continue in the role in which he excelled, in albeit subdued circumstances, against West Indies earlier in the year. Having claimed five wickets on debut at Lord's, including four in seven balls, Onions impressed with his versatility in the second Test at Chester-le-Street, where at various stages of the match he found swing, bounce and aggression to meet his team's requirements.

Continuity calls for Onions' inclusion, even if Harmison is the last man that the Aussies would wish to line up against right now. Besides, the impression gleaned from the winter campaign in the Caribbean is that Harmison still has a lot of ground to make up with the management - not least the hard-bitten new coach, Andy Flower - after a lacklustre series of performances. His inclusion would be expedient in the circumstances, but having gone to such lengths to arrange that squad bonding exercise in Flanders last week, it would be peculiar if England went fishing outside their initial squad of 16 at this crucial stage of the series.

BCCI to review Deodhar decision

Following protests against the scrapping of the Deodhar Trophy tournament, the BCCI has decided to review their decision.

The BCCI had this past week cancelled the Deodhar Trophy for the 2009-10 season due to the tight domestic schedule, but that has not gone down well with irate protesters of the Shiv Sena, a right-wing political party in Mumbai. Sena activists shouted slogans outside the Wankhede Stadium, where the BCCI has its headquarters, claiming the board had insulted the late DB Deodhar, after whom the limited-overs tournament was named.

"The Board has insulted Marathi pride by cancelling the tournament," Sena leader Subhash Desai was quoted as saying by the Times of India on Friday. "If the decision is not reversed, Shiv Sena will not allow a single IPL match in the state."

According to a press release from the BCCI, the schedule of the Deodhar Trophy will be finalised at the board's working committee meeting in August.

The inaugural Deodhar Trophy took place in 1973-74, with an intention to groom Indian cricketers for the then relatively new limited-overs game.

Pakistan v Sri Lanka 1st Test, 1st Day

Pakistan 15 for 2 (Thushara 1-2, Kulasekara 1-7) trail Sri Lanka 292 (Paranavitana 72, Aamer 3-74, Rauf 2-59) by 277 runs

Pakistan had a day of typical Pakistani cricket. Two of their debutants got them off to a great start, but sloppy fielding and a failure to keep a lid on the scoring meant they hadn't run away with the game. The Sri Lankan batsmen, although never entirely comfortable in the middle, kept counterattacking, getting quick runs, making sure they got themselves a fighting total on a pitch that offered movement to bowlers of both variety.

If Pakistan were slightly ahead at the end of the innings, the last half hour, when Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara took a wicket each, made sure the match was as balanced as it was when it started.

Rain gave India the advantage - Kirsten

Gary Kirsten, India's coach, has credited India's innings not being affected as much as by inclement weather as crucial to taking a series lead. West Indies innings began two hours late and was interrupted thrice due to rain, and further intervals initially readjusted India's target to 195 in 27 overs before a further shower reduced it to 159 in 22 overs. In the end, thanks to MS Dhoni's unbeaten hand, India won in the final over with six wickets in hand.

"It definitely helps a team batting second in this type of set up," said Kirsten. "It did suit us to be batting second because you can dictate the game a little better when the overs are shortening in terms of what you need."

India went into the final over needing 11 and Dhoni hit the second ball from Jerome Taylor over midwicket to leave India on course for victory. "Someone like MS Dhoni can hit the ball out the ground at any time so it was comforting knowing that we had him at the crease controlling the game," said Kirsten. "He's had a magnificent series and he's played some really good one-day cricket for us. When it comes down to the wire it can go either way, the most important thing is that you have game breakers and match-winners in at that situation.

"It became a Twenty20 game and you know that when you are chasing more than a run a ball and [the required run rate] is up at eight and nine and you have one bad over, you're behind a little bit. [Dwayne] Bravo bowled a magnificent second to last over when he went for five. But we had quality batsmen in so we always felt that one good over [would make the difference'," Kirsten said.

The electronic scorecard at the ground blanked out toward the end of the game, forcing Kirsten to relay required scores to the batsmen at the crease. "It was mind-blowing to be honest, but the umpires were giving them notice every over so they knew what was going on," he said. "They were fully aware from us what the Duckworth-Lewis totals were so we were pretty much in control of that."

India lead 2-1 with one to play on Sunday.

India vs West Indies 3rd ODI Highlights

The Indian skipper hit an unbeaten 46 as India won by six wickets in the last over to take a 2-1 lead.
India beat West Indies by six wickets via Duckworth Lewis method in the rain-curtailed third ODI to take a 2-1 lead in the four-match ODI series at St. Lucia.

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Ashes 2009 - Ponting plots his final act of revenge

There is very little that Australia [Images] captain Ricky Ponting [Images] has failed to achieve in his distinguished career, either as an individual player or as a leader.

There is, however, one major achievement that has eluded him -- captaining his country to an Ashes series win in England [Images].

Ponting will get the chance to rectify that over the next few months and he cannot hide his excitement.

"It's something very dear to my heart," he recently told reporters in Australia.

Ponting is undoubtedly one of the greatest batsmen to have played the game and could well finish up as the leading run-scorer of all time when he finally retires.

Only Sachin Tendulkar [Images], Brian Lara [Images] and Allan Border [Images] have scored more Test runs than Ponting but the Tasmanian boasts a higher batting average than them all and, at 34 years of age, he still has time to overtake them.

Ponting's success with the bat has not gone unrecognized. He twice been chosen as the International Cricket Council's [Images] (ICC [Images]) Player of the Year and has won the award for Test player of the year three times and the one-day player of the year once.

A prolific batsman, with every shot in the book, Ponting also has an impressive record as captain, though that rarely gets the same recognition.

He led Australia to victory at the last two World Cups and has won a staggering 17 of the 20 Test series in which he has been in charge.

His winning strike rate of 85 percent is the highest by any Test skipper who has led their team in at least five series.

Yet, for all his wins, it is one of the three series losses -- the 2005 Ashes defeat in England -- that still hangs over him.

Ponting bore the brunt of criticism after the Australians lost in 2005 with former international players and sections of the media lining up to attack his leadership credentials.

Ponting was deeply hurt by the criticism but dedicated himself to regaining the Ashes and proving his critics wrong, a feat he achieved when a ruthless Australia hammered England 5-0 at home in 2006-07 to complete their first Ashes clean sweep in 86 years.

It was a sweet moment for Ponting when he was named player of the series after scoring 576 runs, including two centuries, at an average of 82, but his payback was only half-complete.

In 2005, Ponting made a point of absorbing the full pain of defeat and the personal taunts he endured, vowing to win on English soil in 2009.

He took special note of England's wild celebrations with their players traveling around London [Images] in an open-top bus, drinking champagne and meeting Queen Elizabeth.

Four years later, Ponting is back in England, dismissing revenge as the sole motivating force but failing to hide his determination to complete his retaliation for the loss in 2005.

"There's one thing on my cricketing resume that hasn't been achieved yet, and that's being captain of a winning Ashes series in England," he said before leaving Australia.

"It's something I'll certainly be speaking to the players about -- making sure we get over that hurdle."

While the disappointment of 2005 continues to haunt Ponting, it is not a feeling shared by the bulk of his team mates. Only four members of the current squad were part of the last tour group.

Although Ponting has never been able to erase all the bitter memories from 2005, he said he still took satisfaction from knowing his team's below-par performance had contributed to one of the best series ever played.

"We all realized last time what mistakes we made and we also realized how great a test series that was to be a part of," Ponting said.

"Even though we lost, it was probably the greatest test series I've played in."

source : http://www.cricketworld4u.com