IPL auction cap raised to $7 mn

Indian Premier League on Tuesday said that each team would now be allowed to keep a purse of USD seven million (about Rs 35 crore) to bid for players, up from the prevailing level of USD five million.
"This would mean USD 70 million for the 10 teams every year and USD 210 million (about Rs 1,000 crore) in three years... this will be the single largest auction in sporting world... you see even in art auctions the bids are for a few millions and that too for total ownership.
"In IPL, the amount that the teams would spend on players would be huge for having the contract for just three years," IPL Commissioner and Chairman Lalit Modi said.
After winning team Pune with a staggering bid of over Rs 1,700 crore, Sahara Group chief Subroto Roy had suggested that IPL should increase the ceiling on the cap for each team to participate in the auction.

Roy's acquisition comes in the midst of the third season of IPL, where eight teams are vying for honour in the over month-long tournament. Rendezvous World Sports bagged the Kochi team, taking the total number to 10, which Modi said would remain intact for at least seven years.
Modi said Roy has a long association with cricket India, "he understands the game and his bid, though slightly higher than what he anticipated, proved that IPL has the value."
The enhanced cap for auctioning would be for three years from IPL season-IV beginning next year, he said, adding that details of the increased ceiling as also the auction programme would be announced shortly after the ongoing tournament.

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Dhoni lookalike Tiwary finds his own identity

Until 15 days ago, visiting a movie theatre for Saurabh Tiwary often entailed facing a number of wisecracks about him being a wannabe Mahendra Singh Dhoni. It is no secret that the Jamshedpur-based 20-year-old left-hander — whose straightened hair may seem passe for many Dhoni fans — has idolised Dhoni from the start of his career. But, as Tiwary himself admits, maybe he lost his own style along the way.

He scored 593 runs in the Ranji Trophy Plate Division at an average of 98.83, but it’s his 20-run cameos for the Mumbai Indians that are putting the left-hander in the spotlight — a fact the former under-19 World Cup winner is well aware of.

“You cannot compare IPL to domestic cricket because even if you score 20 runs in this tournament, it gets coverage,” said a nervous Tiwary as he faced up to scrutiny from the local media. Armed with three cell phones, Tiwary stuck to monosyllabic answers, except when he spoke about his captain — Sachin Tendulkar.

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Uthappa blast inspires Bangalore to huge win

Chasing a stiff 172 for victory, Chennai finished on 135 for seven in their 20 overs with all-rounder Vinay Kumar taking four for 40 in four overs.

Uthappa, who was dropped on five and 19, changed the script dramatically in the last two overs as he smashed 68 from a mere 38 balls, having three boundaries and six sixes.

Muttiah Muralitharan [ Images ] took three for 25 in four overs before Uthappa's blast in the final overs took Royal Challengers Bangalore to a competitive 171 for five in their 20 overs.

Uthappa's innings proved to be the turning point as Bangalore scored 41 runs from the last two overs, hitting five sixes and a boundary from 12 deliveries to set Chennai a stiff target on a lively pitch.

This was Bangalore's fourth successive victory as they moved to the top of IPL with eight points, while Chennai have now lost two matches in a row.

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Unlike in their previous matches, Bangalore's opening duo, Jacques Kallis [ Images ] and Manish Pandey [ Images ], had a rather subdued shot with some streaky shot as the ball hit the edges more than the middle of the bat. The wicket seemed to offer some assistance to the fast bowlers as both batsmen were beaten by the bounce and movement a few times against the new ball.

Albie Morkel [ Images ] had a huge appeal for caught behind against the in-form Kallis turned down and replays showed that umpire Russel Tiffin had made the right decision.

Kallis made room and tried to hit Morkel through the off-side but his thick edge went to Lakshmipathy Balaji at the thirdman boundary who inexplicably lost the ball in the crowd as it went for a boundary. The very next ball he was beaten all ends up but his thick edge flew wide of the first slip for yet another boundary, in the third over.

Sudeep Tyagi [ Images ] bowled a tight fourth over, his second of the innings, giving away just two runs and Kallis looked to make up for it by trying to attack Balaji in the next over.

He hit Balaji for two boundaries off his first three deliveries but fell off the next delivery. Kallis shuffled across his stumps and tried to hit one over the leg side but missed and was bowled for 19 from 17 balls. It was the first time that Kallis was dismissed in IPL 3, after having scored 283 runs in five matches.

But Balaji suffered in his next over when he was hit for three boundaries. Dravid hit one over the mid-off fielder and then guided the next delivery wide of Matthew Hayden [ Images ] at first slip for back to back boundaries. Pandey then played the last delivery fine on the leg side for yet another boundary to take the total to 52 for one after seven overs.

Muttiah Muralitharan's introduction saw Chennai take control as he took two wickets in two overs. He struck in his very first over when he bowled Dravid for 14 as the batsman made room and tried to cut it through point.

Pandey fell in Muralitharan's next over after a sedate knock of 20 from 28 balls when he tried to slog sweep but was taken by Suresh Raina [ Images ] at mid-on as Bangalore were reduced to 67 for three after ten overs.

Muralitharan should have picked the wicket of Robin Uthappa (5) in his next over as the batsman attempted the switch hit but R Ashwin on the cover boundary dropped the easy catch. The Sri Lankan off-spinner then saw another opportunity going waste off his bowling when wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel [ Images ] missed an easy stumping as Kohli (18) charged down the wicket.

The very next delivery Muralitharan was further infuriated when Kohli slammed him over the mid-on fielder for a six. But two deliveries later Muralitharan had his revenge, when Kohli (24 from 16 balls) once again danced down the wicket but this time Patel collected the ball cleanly and whipped off the bails.

Muralitharan had once again made an important contribution with the ball, taking three for 25 in four overs, as Bangalore were reduced to 110 for four after 16 overs.

Chennai's sloppy fielding didn't help their bowlers at all as catches. Uthappa was dropped for the second time on 25, as the right-hander hit a full toss from Morkel straight to Vijay at long-on who grassed it.

But Morkel ensured Chennai kept chipping away at the wickets as he bowled Eoin Morgan [ Images ] for 1 with a full straight delivery to reduce the hosts to 119 for five after 17 overs.

Uthappa tried to attack every ball he faced, but even he was struggling to make an impact as boundaries were few and far in between.

But once he found his range, there was no stopping Uthappa as it rained sixes in Bangalore.

He walked down the wicket to Ashwin and despatched a full toss over midwicket for a six, in the 18th over to start Bangalore's comeback.

Uthappa then took Balaji to the cleaners as he hit the pacer for a boundary and three sixes in a row to give the innings a huge lift in the penultimate over.

The Bangalore youngster crashed a full delivery through covers for a boundary and then slammed one over midwicket for a huge six followed by a straight six down the ground to bring up his half-century from 32 deliveries. Balaji erred with his length yet again and Uthappa hit him straight down the ground for a huge six down the ground for 24 runs in the over.

In the last over bowled by Ashwin, it was Boucher's turn to make merry as he sent one over the long-on fence for his first six. Uthappa continued the fireworks when he hit Ashwin straight down the ground for yet another six as Bangalore finished on 171 for five in 20 overs.

Uthappa finished unbeaten on an amazing innings of 68 from just 38 balls, that was laced with six sixes and three boundaries, while Boucher was not out on 11.

Uthappa had single-handedly changed the game as he hit 39 runs from the ten deliveries he faced, hitting five sixes and a boundary during that period.

Chennai have only themselves to blame after dropping as many as three simple catches that eventually took a heavy toll in the closing stages.

Chennai Super Kings:

Bangalore got off to a dream start as Praveen Kumar [ Images ] struck in the first over of the innings. Chennai Super Kings opener Parthiv Patel edged behind an outgoing delivery that moved quite a bit to be caught behind for 1.

With the ball bouncing and moving around, even Matthew Hayden was finding it difficult to play his strokes. He got the first boundary of the innings when he walked down the wicket to Dale Steyn [ Images ] and smashed a full delivery through covers for a boundary and then got one in Kumar's next over.

Anil Kumble [ Images ] conceded just one run in his first over as Chennai struggled to 22 for one after five overs, having hit just two boundaries.

George Bailey took time to get going and got his first boundary off the 13th ball he faced when he cut a short delivery from Kallis through the point region, in the sixth over.

Kumble continued bowling miserly as he gave away just four runs in his second over as Hayden realised that it was time to go on the attack and he called for the Mini Mongoose bat. It was Kallis, who suffered at the hands of the Mongoose bat, as Hayden slammed him for three boundaries in a row to get the innings going as Chennai reached 46 for one after eight overs.

Rahul Dravid [ Images ] doused any hopes Chennai had of winning the match when he ran out Hayden with a direct hit from the cover region. Hayden, who made 32 from 28 balls, was Chennai's last hope of overhauling the huge target after their disastrous start but he was caught short after being sent back by Bailey.

Bailey's struggle also ended in the same over when he was caught behind off Vinay Kumar for a painstaking innings of 18 from 27 balls as Chennai were reduced to 61 for three at the halfway stage.

Captain Suresh Raina showed some intent when he pulled Kumar for a big six over square leg. However, it was the bowler, who had the last laugh when he had Raina caught at the thirdman boundary off a thick edge for nine, in the 12th over.

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Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar

By popular vote, the greatest batsman in the world today, Sachin Tendulkar has the cricketing world at his feet. The adulation he commands world over is unsurpassed, perhaps since the days of Don Bradman, to whom of course he has been compared, by no less than the great man himself. While he may not end with a Test career average of 99.94, there is little doubt that based on his vigorous style of batsmanship and his insatiable appetite for runs and big scores, he is the most complete batsman since Vivian Richards. In many ways though he has surpassed even that outstanding West Indian batsman.

When Tendulkar is on song, there is no more majestic sight in the cricketing world. The spectators at the stadium are on their feet cheering while all over the world, TV audiences are glued to the screen. He has scored heavily on all kinds of wickets the world over, in conditions which lesser mortals have not been able to master and against bowlers whom other batsmen have found it difficult to score off. Immensely gifted and blessed with an impeccable technique, Tendulkar's batting is a dream, combining timing, elegance and power. Mentally very strong, Tendulkar is best when confronted by a challenge - as he showed when mowing down Shane Warne in India in 1998. Captain during two short stints, Tendulkar has made it clear that he would prefer to concentrate on his batting and indeed, he seems to be getting better with every passing year. Scoring two double centuries in successive seasons and being the first to cross the 10,000 run barrier in ODIs is clear proof of this. The best thing from the fans' point of view - if not the bowler's - is that the entertainment, courtesy Tendulkar, is still at the intermission stage. Long may
`The King' continue to regale his willing subjects!

While his batting ranks him among the best in the world, he is also a part-time bowler and has played a crucial role as a leg spinner or a medium pace bowler who tends to break partnerships. He has more than a hundred wickets in ODIs and 35 in tests, though his bowling averages are above 40. He continues to perform well under the massive weight of expectation of hundreds of millions of cricket followers, in India and around the world, and most recently was named Player Of The Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.Incidentally, Sachin is the first batsman to be declared run out by third umpire in 1992 in South Africa.

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IPL Season 2

Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistan offspinner, has been reported for a suspect bowling action. Asad Rauf and Asoka de Silva, the umpires for the second ODI between Pakistan and Australia in Dubai on Friday, said they had concerns over Ajmal's action and hence requested the ICC to review his action.

The third and fourth umpires Zameer Haider and Nadeem Ghauri were also part of a report submitted to the ICC in which it was stated that, having monitored Ajmal's action over two ODIs, there was reason it be scrutinised further under the relevant ICC process. The ICC will obtain three copies of the relevant footage, one of which will be kept by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

"Ajmal has played against four countries and nobody raised any finger on his action and suddenly this decision comes," Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam told AFP. "I think they [ICC] are lacking consistency in this process. He bowled exceptionally well and suddenly they decided that he has a problem with his action."

Alam said that Ajmal was "all right, not disappointed". "His morale is high and we will play him. No pressure on him as he is a gutsy young man and I hope he will take it lightly."

Ajmal's doosra is under scrutiny but Alam was confident of him being cleared. "Murali bowls such a delivery and he was cleared, Harbhajan was cleared, and there is no difference between these two and Ajmal. I don't agree that Ajmal bowls a different doosra, there is only one kind of doosra. Ajmal has hyper-mobility in his arm and I hope everything goes well for him."

Ajmal will undergo an independent analysis of his action by a member of the ICC panel of human movement specialists, appointed in consultation with the PCB. If his action remains suspect during the analysis, he faces a ban and will have to remedy his action.

If the analysis confirms the umpires' suspicions of only a specific delivery, Ajmal can continue to bowl in international cricket but faces a ban if reported again.

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IPL franchises will recover their money: Modi

IPL franchises will recover their money: Modi
New Delhi: Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi did not expect Sunday's bidding to generate an amount so staggering but he assured the franchise owners that there is no reason why they cannot make a profit.

Sahara ($370 million) and Rendezvous ($333.33 million) paid a total of $703 million — nearly Rs. 3,235 crore — to bag the Pune and Kochi franchises respectively and the amount is bigger than the collective worth of Rs. 2,840 crore of the original eight franchises.

‘Surprised'

“I was indeed a little bit surprised by the amount. Honestly speaking, I thought the winning bid would be $300-320 million. So it was $40-50 million higher than my expectation. The bidders must have done their numbers well,” Modi said.

He, however, assured that the franchisees can make enough money out of the league.

“We are just two years old and every team that has been run well must be making profit. If not, they are probably marginally short of making profit,” he told the CNN-IBN channel.

Buttressing his case, Modi said, “Sports is one of the leading businesses of the world today. English Premier League, NFL, NBA, Spanish League, Bundesliga — these capture the imagination of the youth and the people. Build a strong base and your future is defined.

“We already have some pluses. Across the world, the major cost is of infrastructure and players' salary. Here you get the stadium pretty much free and there is a cap on players' salary as well,” Modi said.

“Merchandising and ticketing are two other revenue sources. The ticketing revenue of all teams have gone up six-seven fold. With YouTube and Google in the picture, fan base is increasing across the world,” Modi added.

With 10 teams in the fray, IPL, from its fourth season, will feature 94 matches and Modi felt the players can handle this much workload.

“See, you have 300 matches in IPL every season. I don't see any fatigue factor. Currently every team plays 14 matches, they will play 18 from next year. We are cutting down on the travelling. It's travelling which is the biggest issue, not playing matches,” Modi justified.

The IPL mastermind said time is not far when the Twenty20 league would be seen at par with NBA or NFL.
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Sachin Tenduulkar breaks world record

Sachin Tenduulkar breaks world record ...


India’s Little Master, Sachin Tendulkar was in full form and made the bowlers scratch their heads when he knocked a double century in the ODI.

He broke the record of 194 runs in the 46th over itself, but millions of fans were waiting to see Sachin strike 200 and surely he did not disappoint them.

In the final over he made 200 and set a world record of double century in ODI. Some years ago, Sachin struggled with injury and was not to the best of his performance, but he did make a comeback and proved himself to the world.

Sachin made India proud !!

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Sachin Tendulkar: Living legend of cricket!

Sachin Tendulkar: Living legend of cricket!

Living legend of cricket! Sachin Tendulkar, the one of the most successful batsman in the world of cricket with lots of world records in his kitty has recently made the new record of making highest run in an ODI.

He broke the record of Pakistani batsman Saeed Anwaw (194) by hitting two centuries and remained unbeaten in the second ODI against SA.

Anwar in his reaction over Sachin’s achievement said,”If any person deserved to do better than me it was Tendulkar. I am happy for him, there are no real regrets.”

“Come on Sachin my friend get your 200. World record to please! You deserve it… Nervous for my good friend Sachin everything crossed for you mate… Glad I’m not bowling to him today ha ha ha,” Shane Warne tweets as he nears the double-century.

“Better than Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, the other two great players of my era. Better than Sir Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border. And I would even say better than Sir Don Bradman himself,” reacted Nasser Hussain.

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Sachin Tendulkar, Indian Cricket fans

Sachin Tendulkar, Indian Cricket fans

It was always something that bothered me. The highest score of Sachin Tendulkar in test matches came against Bangladesh and the master does not have a triple hundred in his resume. It pained even more to remember that the highest score in one dayers belonged to Saeed Anwar who made 194 against India in the Independence Cup.
So when Tendulkar became the first person to score 200 in one dayers in the ongoing series between India and South Africa, I like millions of Indian cricket fans felt redeemed. That it came against one of the stronger teams made this latest feat of Sachin even more special.It is hard to imagine any other batsman going that far, but even when the feat is repeated or exceeded, the record books shall always show the name of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar as the first man to climb to this mark. Sometime back, Sachin made a 150 plus score against Australia and still India finished on the losing side. That innings, in my humble opinion should be rated as one of the best of the master. Probably, an Indian win would have kept that innings in our memories. Let us not forget the back to back hundreds made in Sharjah. There is another innings that can match this latest knock of Sachin-the 175 not out of Kapil Dev in the Prudential World Cup of 1983. When half of the side was back in the pavilion and the days when 100s were not common in the one dayers, Kapil showed the way.Of course, there was no one to record that innings for posterity, unlike the 200 of Sachin that surely will be viewed many times even in future. Just as Sachin was being written off as a matchwinner, he managed to set a benchmark that may become one of the most long standing records in the history of cricket.

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Clarke and Lee passed fit for NSW

Clarke and Lee passed fit for NSW

Michael Clarke and Brett Lee have been given the all-clear to return for New South Wales in Sunday's FR Cup match against Tasmania as they attempt to prove they are fit enough for Test selection. Clarke's back injury, which ruled him out of tours to South Africa and India, has continued to improve while Lee has overcome an elbow problem that forced him home early from India.

It will be Lee's first one-day game for his state since 2007 while Clarke last appeared in the format three years ago. The pair's selection means New South Wales have eight internationals to pick from for the game at North Sydney Oval.

Josh Hazlewood, the young fast bowler, and Burt Cockley, who was a replacement in India without playing a game, are also in the squad. Mitchell Starc, Ben Rohrer and Dominic Thornely have been dropped.

Victoria take on Western Australia in Melbourne on Saturday and have been hit by the withdrawal of the fast bowler Shane Harwood, who injured his right shoulder at training on Thursday. Harwood had surgery on the arm before the season and will be replaced by Steve Gilmour, who made his first-class debut last season.

New South Wales squad Phillip Hughes, David Warner, Phil Jaques, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich (capt), Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Brett Lee, Stephen O'Keefe, Stuart Clark, Burt Cockley, Josh Hazlewood.

Victoria squad Rob Quiney, Chris Rogers, Brad Hodge, David Hussey (capt), Aaron Finch, Michael Hill, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Glenn Maxwell, Darren Pattinson, Steve Gilmour, Bryce McGain.

Western Australia squad Wes Robinson, Marcus Stoinis, Marcus North (capt), David Bandy, Theo Doropoulos, Mitchell Marsh, Luke Ronchi (wk), Ashley Noffke, Aaron Heal, Brad Knowles, Brett Dorey, Michael Hogan.

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Lee faces uphill battle for Test spot

Lee faces uphill battle for Test spot

The push of Brett Lee and Stuart Clark to regain their Test spots at the Gabba could be in vain after Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, indicated Australia's three younger bowlers would remain the panel's preferred option. Australia's decision makers are already looking ahead to next year's Ashes series and will use the Tests against West Indies and Pakistan to groom the side for the attempt at regaining the urn.

That means Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus will have the inside running, leaving Lee and Clark to hope for the next berth whenever the side goes with a four-man pace attack. There is always a chance of that formation being used at the Gabba, which hosts the first match against the West Indies from November 26, but Hilditch does not see any changes to the pecking order.

"It's going to take something pretty special for Brett Lee or Stuart Clark to force their way in for a variety of reasons," he told the Australian. "The situation has pretty much remained as is. Those three bowlers were the leading wicket-takers in the Ashes. One [Johnson] has just been named international cricketer of the year, Hilfenhaus was the bowler of the Ashes and Peter Siddle was the young cricketer of the year."

Despite their success they were unable to prevent Australia from losing the series and Johnson's performances in the two defeats at Lord's and The Oval were particularly costly. Hilditch said Lee and Clark remained "very good" bowlers".

"Brett has been one of our very best," he said. "It's up to him to get back to four-day cricket and demonstrate a case to get back in." Lee has suffered in 2009 with a recovery from ankle surgery, a side strain and now an elbow problem that means he must prove his fitness for New South Wales.

While the attack appears settled, with Siddle expected to start bowling next week after a minor side strain, the batting order is less predictable. There has been a big push for the opener Phillip Hughes to return to the team, but Michael Hussey's strong performances in India have almost certainly secured his spot at the Gabba.

Shane Watson replaced Hughes during the Ashes and has been told by Hilditch to remain flexible as the selectors try to find a way back in for the 20-year-old. ''As far as Phil Hughes is concerned, I've made it very clear that he is a long-term player," Hilditch told the Sydney Morning Herald. "He is certainly in the running, we've been watching how he's been going in the Sheffield Shield … He is going to be strongly considered for the first Test.''

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Adrian Barath calm ahead of maiden tour

Adrian Barath calm ahead of maiden tour

Adrian Barath: "It will be challenging for me playing against Australia, but as a player you will have to face them and this will be the first time for me."

Adrian Barath had reason to feel hard done by at not being selected for the tour of England this year, but was not putting too much thought to his impending Test debut. Barath, the promising Trinidad & Tobago batsman from whom much is expected, has had an outstanding regional first-class season (845 runs at an average of 44.47) and looks primed for a Test debut in the upcoming tour of Australia.

There were few nerves as far as the shift from Twenty20 to Test cricket was concerned. "Over the next couple of days I will be doing some batting in the nets and practicing and I will be practising even more when I get to Australia to make sure I am ready for the challenge,' he said.

The contract row that rumbled on for the past few months denied him a possible Test debut against Bangladesh, but Barath was keen to look ahead. "I got selected against Bangladesh this year and I did not play because of the unfortunate situation, but I am glad to see things back to normal, back to the full-strength West Indies team again," he said.

"I think everyone was waiting on that and it is a wonderful feeling for me to have this opportunity again to represent the region. It will be challenging for me playing against Australia, but as a player you will have to face them and this will be the first time for me but, hopefully, I can rise to the challenge and play each ball on its merit."

West Indies will play three Tests in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth before returning for a one-day series in February.

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Tillakaratne Dilshan suffers ankle injury

Tillakaratne Dilshan suffers ankle injury

Sri Lanka allrounder Tillakaratne Dilshan has suffered an ankle sprain but it is unlikely to keep him from the first Test against India, beginning on November 16 in Ahmedabad. He picked up the injury at the indoor nets in Mumbai, where for the seond day running no play was possible at the practice match against the Board President's XI.

"It's a minor ankle sprain," Brendon Kuruppu, the Sri Lankan team manger, said. "He [Dilshan] batted today [in the indoor nets] for some time. He should be okay in a couple of days. As of now the reports are very positive. He has to see how it feels while practicing on the field. Hopefully he should be fit for the first Test.

"He's okay and there's no need to panic. We will assess the injury at the ground. He suffered the injury while playing a warm-up game [yesterday] at the MCA's indoor stadium."

Rain ruled out play on Thursday for the second straight day in the three-day practice game between the visiting Sri Lankans and the Indian Board's President's XI in Mumbai. Kuruppu, however, was not in favour of playing a limited-overs contest on the final day.

"We are going into a Test series," said Kuruppu. "The frame of mind is different for the two forms. One-dayers are not ideal preparation before Tests. We have got something out of two days in keeping fit and get the team spirit going. But we have missed out on getting a feel of the pitch and other natural conditions."

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Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan recalled for Tests

Sreesanth and Zaheer Khan recalled for Tests

Temperamental fast bowler Sreesanth has been given another chance to resurrect his stop-start career, after being selected in India's 15-man squad for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka. Weeks after being given a "final warning" for his poor on-field behaviour, Sreesanth is now a candidate to share the new ball with Zaheer Khan, who has recovered from his shoulder injury.

Sreesanth last played for India in 2008, and had his share of injuries and criticism over attitude in equal measure. During the time he spent out of the Indian team, Sreesanth played 10 first-class games for 28 wickets, including one five-wicket haul for Warwickshire, and 23 overs for no wickets against Andhra in his latest Ranji Trophy match. Clearly his selection is a gamble on promise over form. It is a big - bordering on generous - decision made by the selectors, and an equally big chance for Sreesanth to wash away all the criticism against him.

The decision to pick 15 players, and that too an extra batsman, raised questions about the selection. Usually for a home series, only 14 players are picked. And with the middle order set in stone, neither Vijay nor Badrinath has a realistic chance of starting in Ahmedabad. Now both of them will miss important Ranji Trophy matches, when only one was needed as injury cover, unless someone is sent back to domestic cricket on the morning of the Ahmedabad Test.

The selection also left the bowling unbalanced. MS Dhoni is not a fan of playing only two pace bowlers unless the pitch is extremely spin-friendly, and the selectors have given him only three fast bowlers to choose from. Zaheer Khan is coming back from injury, Ishant Sharma is in poor form, and Sreesanth is a completely unpredictable character. One bowling back-up would have been of more value than two batting back-ups. And what about Munaf? He has lost his Test place on the basis of 13 overs bowled in two ODIs against Australia, one of them on a flat Hyderabad pitch.

India squad: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, M Vijay, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Sreesanth, Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra.

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Jayasuriya's future under scrutiny

Jayasuriya's future under scrutiny

Sanath Jayasuriya's cricketing future has been put in the balance with Sri Lanka's selectors saying today that his days as an opener are effectively over and that following the upcoming tour of India he will be picked on performance alone. Jayasuriya, 40, has been picked in the one-day squad as an allrounder who can bat down the order and bowl left-arm spin.

"What we expect from Sanath is that he should win one in three games for Sri Lanka, which he was doing in the past," Ashantha de Mel, Sri Lanka's chairman of selectors, said in Colombo. "But now that has reduced and we are a little concerned about it. In the Champions Trophy in South Africa his performance was below par .That's the reason why we have gone in with the option of playing him as an allrounder."
Fielding was one of the key areas where Sri Lanka suffered during the Champions Trophy and to address the poor standards and improve them Sri Lanka Cricket acquired the services of Gavin Fingleson, a former Olympic baseball player.

"He didn't come and change but showed us how do things right. He showed us little points that will make us better and quick fielders, at the same time we also realized to be quicker on the field you've got to be fitter as a side," Sangakkara said. "We started doing a lot of work on fitness running. Gavin showed us a lot of drills and how you can gain that extra second advantage when going for a catch or trying to stop the ball. At the same time the most important point was to make sure at practice you do everything as perfectly, those are the habits we have to build on."

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Chance to score early points

Chance to score early points

England's two-and-a-half-month tour of South Africa begins in earnest on Friday with the first of two Twenty20 internationals at the Wanderers as both sides look to make an opening statement. Having the one-day leg of the tour first means it won't be buried after the main event of the Tests and should retain importance.

The winners will say Twenty20 allows them to build momentum, while the losers will quickly brush off the significance of the matches ahead of the one-day series next week. However, there is still a sense, outside of the World Twenty20, that internationally this format is still the third priority.

England's preparations were going well until their defeat against South Africa A when the batting subsided for 89 all out, while injuries haven't helped the planning. Paul Collingwood takes the reins for the Twenty20s before Andrew Strauss returns for the one-dayers which also creates a slightly disjointed feeling about the tourists' line-up.

Team news
Loots Bosman returns at the top order to partner Graeme Smith with Jacques Kallis rested. Dale Steyn is also back after missing the second one-dayer against Zimbabwe, while both frontline spinners are selected. Albie Morkel will provide the power in the middle order.

South Africa 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Loots Bosman, 3 AB de Villiers, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Albie Morkel, 6 Mark Boucher (wk), 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Roelof van der Merwe, 9 Johan Botha, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Charl Langeveldt.


England's fast-bowling department has been stretched so far and Stuart Broad will miss this match and probably the second one as well. However, James Anderson is available after resting a sore knee, but the lack of action for Graham Onions could count against his selection despite his back problem clearing up. Alastair Cook is an unconvincing option as opener, but with Kevin Pietersen not yet quite ready to return and Strauss opting out of Twenty20 he is there by default, although a throat infection could keep him out.

England (possible) 1 Joe Denly, 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Paul Collingwood (capt), 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Luke Wright, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Sajid Mahmood, 11 James Anderson ...

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England humbled in Twenty20 warm-up

England humbled in Twenty20 warm-up

It wouldn't be an England tour without a warm-up embarrassment and on cue, after two impressive 50-over displays, the tourists capitulated for a paltry 89 on a slow pitch at Bloemfontein to a strong South Africa A side. A four-wicket defeat is hardly ideal preparation four days before the opening international of the trip, but reinforces the notion that England's 20-over game is still some way off the pace.

Andrew Strauss had hoped the good work of recent days wouldn't unravel after passing over the captaincy to Paul Collingwood for the Twenty20 matches. After batting with freedom and confidence in their first two warm-up matches, England couldn't find any momentum on a stodgy surface and weren't helped by three comical run outs. They failed to use 15 of their allocated deliveries as the last six wickets fell in 26 balls.

Having assessed the surface the new ball was thrown to Graeme Swann and he responded with another impressive spell of 2 for 9 as South Africa A were made to work. Adil Rashid also collected a couple in an encouraging display, but Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Rory Kleinveldt ended any doubts over the result with some powerful hitting.

England won't read too much into the result - they have a history of recovering from such setbacks - and conditions in the highveld will be much different. However, if they cared to flick through the TV channels they would have come across pictures of South Africa wiping the floor with Zimbabwe at Centurion Park. This was a day where they were reminded how tough this tour will be.

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Strauss hundred eases England home

Strauss hundred eases England home

Andrew Strauss continued England's confident build-up in South Africa with an unbeaten 117 as the tourists comfortably chased down the Warriors' competitive 254 for an eight-wicket victory in Kimberley. The bowlers were given a much tougher workout than against the Eagles two days ago, but Strauss and Joe Denly made the target appear simple with an opening stand of 175 in 28 overs as the win came with more than nine overs to spare.

Denly's innings was timely after his failure in the first warm-up game and the corresponding success for Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan. The expectation is one of that trio will miss out when Kevin Pietersen returns, but with them all showing promising form the selectors will be faced with a tough decision. There has rarely been any concern over Strauss's form in recent times, but it is always good for a touring side to have their captain in the runs and his hundred followed a confident 72 against the Eagles.

The opening pair wasn't particularly tested by the Warriors attack and increased the tempo steadily throughout their partnership. Denly managed two sixes and Strauss also cleared the ropes with a strong blow over long off in another display of how his limited-overs game continues to develop. One area Andy Flower is targeting for improvement during this one-day series is England's boundary-hitting and the early signs have been encouraging, although clubbing Dale Steyn and Co. will be a different matter.

Denly picked out long on with a century for the taking, but Strauss didn't miss out and reached three figures from 109 balls. Alastair Cook was given an outing in place of Trott and collected 34 off 36 balls, adding 53 in nine overs with Strauss, before picking out square leg with the target nearing. Paul Collingwood helped finish off the chase.

Swann took a simple return catch to remove Jeggels and Matt Prior collected his second stumping when Colin Ingram was beaten outside off. The two Jacobs set about rebuilding the innings and took advantage of some loose deliveries from Rashid and also tucked into Collingwood's medium pace which was unusually expense.

Arno Jacobs went to his fifty from 59 balls and Davey Jacobs joined him with a boundary off Sajid Mahmood but fell next ball as he tried to go over the top. Swann returned to claim his third and England did well during the closing stages of the innings, with the final five overs yielding just 26 runs as Jacobs lost the strike and with it the chance of a hundred.

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Feeble New Zealand sink to 49-run defeat

Feeble New Zealand sink to 49-run defeat

A clinical Pakistan maintained their perfect Twenty20 record against an injury-ravaged New Zealand by strolling to a 49-run victory. Imran Nazir smashed his first half-century in limited-overs since returning from the ICL and some swinging from the lower order pushed the target to a tough 162. The spin pair of Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal had confounded New Zealand's batsmen in the one-dayers, but the match was settled even before they came into the attack today.

Against the Twenty20 world champions, New Zealand's chances were slim, given the long list of unfit players. The biggest blow was the loss of captain Daniel Vettori to a head injury picked up during the one-dayers; the list also included James Franklin and fast bowler Kyle Mills. Key allrounder Jacob Oram had also rushed back home, on paternity leave. New Zealand were actually forced to bring on a half-fit Franklin as a substitute when Aaron Redmond (who didn't come out to bat) picked up a groin strain while bowling.

Pakistan had lost some of the impetus, but Razzaq showed some of the big-hitting he was famous for several years ago to muscle Pakistan past 160, which proved more than sufficient.

New Zealand have less than a day to regroup and find XI fit players before the second Twenty20 on Friday

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Vettori back on top of rankings

Vettori back on top of rankings

Daniel Vettori took seven wickets his side's 2-1 series victory

Daniel Vettori has regained the No.1 spot in the ODI bowling rankings after leading New Zealand to a 2-1 series win against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. Vettori jumps back to the top-spot he lost in March this year by replacing team-mate Kyle Mills, who slips four places.

There are three spinners in an unlikely top-five that includes Shakib Al Hasan, the Bangladesh captain, second and Ray Price, the Zimbabwe spinner, jumping three places to third. Both have enjoyed recent success with Price taking six wickets in the recently concluded 2-0 defeat in South Africa.

MS Dhoni retains his No.1 batting ranking with Michael Hussey strengthening his second spot after both enjoyed a successful ODI series. Dhoni contributed 285 runs in his team's 4-2 loss, while Hussey was the most successful batsman with 313 runs.

Brendon McCullum, the explosive New Zealand opener, enters the top 20 batsmen for the first time, climbing 16 places to claim the 16th spot.

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