Be prepared for a bleak summer

AUSTRALIAN cricket is facing its most deflating summer for decades. Following hard upon the feckless nomination of Chris Gayle as leader of the West Indies, the news that Younus Khan had stepped down as Pakistan captain is a hammer blow.

Pakistan and the West Indies are the summer's main attractions but both will arrive as fractured outfits. Whether the Younus decision or Gayle's reappointment is the bigger calamity is a matter of opinion. It's a close-run thing. All the evidence suggests that it's going to be a long summer and a hard sell.

Nowadays, the West Indies and Pakistan seem to spend an inordinate amount of time backstabbing and striking. And so cricket stumbles from crisis to crisis. The miracle is not that cricket frays at the edges but that it does not disintegrate. All the more reason to recognise the importance of strong and statesmanlike captains. Other sports can talk about coaches and managers. In cricket, the captain sets the tone. Put a turkey in charge and before long all and sundry will be squawking. Put a lion at the helm and soon the pride will be playing with pride. Younus was an impressive leader.

Honourable and intelligent, he tried to hold together a team unable to play matches at home and undermined to no small degree by defections to the Indian Cricket League and by rampant egos. Through it all, his reputation has remained intact. Despite the handicaps, the team continued to play its inimitable version of the game. Along the way, Shoaib Akhtar was dumped and Shahid Afridi turned into a frontline bowler.

And then the gripes began as older hands sought a leader more to their taste. All too soon Younus faced all sorts of allegations. There were suggestions Pakistan threw away the Champions League match against Australia because defeat meant eliminating India. Younus dropped a sitter and stuttered at the crease. Cricketers are not machines. His form has been poor. Not for the first time Pakistan's batting lacked logic. It was an oddly subdued performance. But Younus' team fought to the last and was only denied by tailenders. No one else came remotely as close to beating the Australians.

Source:- http://www.theage.com

Celebrating Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar has been playing top class cricket for 20 years and he’s still playing blistering innings, still looking hungry, still demolishing attacks, still a prized wicket, still a proud competitor. He has not merely been around for two decades. From his first outing to one of his most recent efforts, a stunning 175 against Australia in the Hyderabad ODI, he has been a great batsman.

Longevity counts amongst his strengths. Twenty years! It’s a heck of a long time and it’s gone in the blink of an eye.

When Tendulkar first took guard in his country’s colours, Nelson Mandela was behind bars, Allan Border was captaining Australia, and India was a patronised country. In those days Tendulkar was a tousle-haired cherub prepared to stand his ground against all comers, including Wasim Akram and Merv Hughes, the most menacing of the Australians.

Now he is a tousle-haired elder still standing firm, still driving and cutting, still retaining some of the impudence of youth but nowadays bearing also the sagacity of age.

It has been an incredible journey, a trip that figures alone cannot define.

Not that the statistics lack weight. To the contrary they are astonishing, almost mind boggling. Tendulkar has scored an avalanche of runs, thousands upon thousands of them in every form of the game. He has reached three figures 87 times in the colours of his country and all the while has somehow retained his freshness, somehow avoided the mechanical, the repetitive and the predictable. Perhaps that has been part of it, the ability to retain the precious gift of youth. Alongside Shane Warne, the Indian master has been the most satisfying cricketer of his generation.

Source:- http://www.sportstaronnet.com

Younus under pressure

Pakistan, who have not won a one-day series since beating the West Indies here last year, achieved a thumping 138-run win in the first match on Tuesday before New Zealand hit back with a 64-run win in the second on Friday.

Moreover, Younis is having a lean patch with the bat, scoring nought and 19 in the two matches - but coach Intikhab Alam backed his captain to come good when it matters.

"It can happen to any player," said Alam of Younus's wretched form which saw him scoring only two half-centuries in the last 18 matches. "I am sure that he can come good anytime, maybe in this crucial, must-win game."

Source:-http://www.timeslive.co.za

Sachin Tendulkar's brilliant century in vain as Australia pip India

A remarkable innings of 175 in 140 balls by Sachin Tendulkar proved in vain as Australia took a 3-2 lead in the series with a thrilling three-run win over India in the fifth one-day international in Hyderabad.

Chasing 351 for victory, the home team were bowled out for 347 with two balls left after the brilliant Tendulkar went past 17,000 ODI runs.

He and Suresh Raina (59) put on 137 for the fifth wicket but the debutant Clint McKay struck the all-important blow for Australia when he had Tendulkar caught by Nathan Hauritz.

Earlier, a maiden century by Shaun Marsh (112) and 93 from fellow opener Shane Watson helped the visitors compile an imposing total of 350 for four.

http://www.guardian.co.uk

Cricket Australia eyes a less hectic schedule

Cricket Australia's chairman Jack Clarke has conceded that the game could be better served with a less crowded international calendar when the new Future Tours Programme (FTP) is devised. His comments came as a stiff and sore Peter Siddle arrived home in Melbourne for the first time after more than five months on tour.

Siddle has been one of the hardest-working members of Australia's squad this year, having not been at home since April, when he enjoyed a brief spell following the Test series in South Africa. Since then he has been in England for the World Twenty20, the Ashes, and the one-day series, then went straight to South Africa for the Champions Trophy and from there dashed to India to play for Victoria in the Champions League Twenty20 and stayed on for the ODI series.

"It has been a long tour, I guess," Siddle said in the Age after touching down in Melbourne. "The guys have been away for a long time now and we've probably played a bit too much cricket, but we will see how we go and I'm sure the boys will go well in the next three matches and come home with a [series] win.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com

Mohammad Sami confident of national comeback

Mohammad Sami is confident of staging a comeback to the Pakistan team, following his ICL stint, through his performances for Karachi Blues in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

"I feel there is still cricket left in me and that is why I am playing on the domestic circuit for Karachi Blues - to win back my place in the team," Sami told APP. "Though I bowled really well in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, I managed just 13 wickets. I am really working hard to excel and get the attention of selectors."

The 28-year-old fast bowler joined the unofficial league after 33 Test and 83 ODIs for Pakistan. He has taken 81 Tests wickets at an expensive 51.37, including eight on his debut against New Zealand. He also has 118 ODI wickets at 26.49.

"I will shortly be presenting my NOC to PCB," Sami said. "But I am waiting for my third installment of payments from ICL. Representing Pakistan had always been a great honor for me. I am fully focused on producing my best in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy."

Sami praised his new-ball partner Tanvir Ahmed for his outstanding performance in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy so far. Tanvir leads the bowling charts with 39 wickets from four matches at 13.97, and has been key to Karachi's domination at the top of Group B. "Due to his [Tanvir's] excellent bowling we recorded three victories," Sami said.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/

Badshahs scamper home by 7 runs

Lance Klusener declared man of the match

Mumbai, April 03, 2008: The 2nd semi-final of the Edelweiss 20s Challenge featured the world no-3 side Lahore Badshahs (as per the Barter Card Power Rankings) take on the spirited Kolkata Tigers, at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Sector-3, Panchkula. The big question for everybody was - If the Tigers had it in them to derail the Badshahs juggernaut? However, in the end it turned out to be a classic encounter where the Badshahs won by a narrow margin of 7 runs. Lance Klusener declared man of the match.

Inzamam won the toss and elected to bat on a track that looked flat and full of runs. Nerves were playing a part in the big match & got the better of the inform Imran Farhat, who was sent back to the Badshahs dugout without troubling the scorers. At the end of the 5th over it was the other Imran. Nazir who got into the repair act for the Badshahs, taking the score to 35/1. Humayun & Nazir soon got into the groove playing some wonderful strokes, brining the 50 of the innings in the 6th over.

The partnership was growing in strength and by the 8th over, Badshahs were placed handsomely 70/1. Just when the partnership was taking dangerous proportions Zulu got into the act sending back Humayun in the10th over for a well made 39. At the half way mark of their innings the Badshahs were placed at 86/2. Shiv Sagar got the big break in form of Hasan Raza's wicket brining the Tigers right backing the match in the 11th over. Sagar got into the act again getting Nazir in the 13th over leaving the Badshahs in a bit of a bother at 94/4.

By the end of the 15th over, the match was turning out to be a fascinating contest with the Badshahs placed at 112/4. However, the cool composure of Inzi was what the Badshahs needed and in the company of Latif, he was working up a good partnership of over 50 runs setting the Badshahs for a big onslaught in the final overs. Azhar Mahmood came in with 2overs to spare and a lovely cameo of 24 off only 8 balls helped Badshahs set a formidable target of 183.

In reply, the Tigers came out with positive intent getting 21 for no loss at the end of the first three overs. The openers were gaining in confidence especially Dasgupta, who was taking on the formidable opening bowling attack. At the end of the 4th over, the Tigers were set on the target at 39 for no loss.

The Tigers got their 50 in style at the end of the 5th over scoring at over 10 runs per over. The wonderful opening partnership of 62 was brought to an end by Nazir who castled Dasgupta for a well made 22 in the 7th over. At the half way mark it was turning out to be a fascinating match with the Tigers needing 102 off 60 balls at 10 runs per over with 9 wickets in hand. Shahid Nazir was bowling some tight overs in the middle with the wily Mushtaq building the pressure on the Tigers. Two big hits from the bat of Zulu kept the hopes alive for the Tigers in the 14th over.

With 5 overs to go the match was fascinatingly poised with the Tigers needing 63 off 30balls at 12.6 runs per over with Zulu looking in ominous touch. Klusener was making a match out of it & in company of Gavaskar was taking the daunting target chase right down to the wire. In the last over , the Tigers were posed with the daunting task off scoring 18 runs. In the end Zulu's valiant was not enough and the Badshahs prevailed by 7 runs.

Brief Scores: Lahore Badshahs 182/7in20 overs (Nazir 42, Humayun 39, Sagar 2/19) win by 7 runs Kolkata Tigers 175/4 (Klusener 93, Gavaskar 23, Nazir2/12)

resource:www.indiancricketleague.in