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Saturday, March 21, 2009
India Won the Opening Test against Kiwis by 10 wickets...
It had been 33 years since India won a Test match in New Zealand but the statistic was rendered obsolete after a six-wicket haul from Harbhajan Singh inspired a comprehensive 10-wicket victory at Seddon Park. Daniel Flynn led the defiance with 67 and Brendon McCullum hustled 84 as India eased off after tea. But though the innings defeat was avoided after a 76-run partnership with Iain O'Brien, India needed just 32 balls to knock off the 39 runs needed.
McCullum was decidedly fortunate to survive a leg-before shout from Munaf Patel when he was on three, and Simon Taufel missed a bat-pad catch when he had 67. But those apart, he played his strokes freely, with MS Dhoni not employing too many close-in fielders and more than content to give him singles. With the field spread, he cut the ball with immense power and played a couple of pulls too as the innings defeat was avoided.
O'Brien defended stoutly and hit a couple of boundaries himself as the partnership assumed frustrating proportions. Almost inevitably, it was Harbhajan that provided succour, though there was more than an element of doubt about the bat-pad decision that ended O'Brien's resistance. He could have few complaints though after the third umpire had given him the benefit of a run-out call.
It had taken India almost an hour to break through in the morning but once they did, wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Harbhajan was at the forefront, bowling round the wicket and flighting the ball into the few rough patches. He varied his pace cleverly and the bounce in the pitch made tackling him a most arduous proposition.
Flynn started the day in positive fashion, cutting and pulling Zaheer Khan for fours, but Ross Taylor struggled terribly against Ishant Sharma, who had bowled him in the first innings. It was left to Flynn to keep the scoreboard ticking and he did that with two guided fours behind point when Munaf was introduced into the attack.
It took New Zealand 42 overs to bring up 100 and Flynn then cut Ishant beautifully through cover to bring up his half-century from 118 balls. The applause had barely died down though when Taylor, who had eked out just four from 29 balls, slashed a Munaf delivery straight to Virender Sehwag at gully.
Jesse Ryder was fortunate that the uppish drive with which he got off the mark just evaded Harbhajan at cover, but there was nothing lucky about two ferocious pull strokes that went for four and six off Zaheer. But thoughts of a sensational counterattack, as in the first innings, vanished soon before lunch as Harbhajan came round the wicket to trap him plumb in front.
New Zealand's plight would have been much worse if MS Dhoni had not put down a catch off Flynn when he had made 55. Harbhajan turned away in disappointment as the chance went down, but it was only a matter of time before India made further inroads.
James Franklin, selected on the basis of robust batting form as well as his bowling, never looked at ease, and a scoop to point was safely taken by Munaf. When Flynn was caught at short leg off bat and pad, it brought Daniel Vettori to the crease, but though he played two magnificent off-drives, there was no repeat of the heroics that had saved face in the first innings. Harbhajan arrowed one in at the body and Vettori could only get a thin inside-edge that Dhoni did very well to hold on to after it brushed the thigh.
That gave Harbhajan his 23rd five-wicket haul and it was something of a surprise when Dhoni decided to take the new ball 10 minutes before tea. Though McCullum and O'Brien kept then kept India at bay for an hour, it wasn't a costly gamble, and Sehwag wasn't even required to open as Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid finished things off with a flurry off fours. One more jinx ended by an Indian team that has now won four of its last six Tests.
Friday, March 20, 2009
David Morgan Laying Red Carpet for Pakistan Cricket
David Morgan: "It's important that other Full Members recognise the significance of playing against Pakistan"
David Morgan, the ICC president, has said Pakistan would receive great support if they used England and Wales for "home" matches following the fallout from the Lahore terrorist attack. Bangladesh cancelled their hosting of Pakistan due to security concerns and the team's first international engagement will be in Dubai and Abu Dhabi next month for limited-overs matches against Australia.
"They seem to want to play in England, and there will be a great deal of support should they want to play in England or Wales, with the Pakistani population in those two nations," Morgan told the Sydney Morning Herald. "The important thing is not to reduce the volume of international cricket, and I believe the other nations are very keen to give them every support."
He said that as long as Pakistan's matches were broadcast on television, the people in the country would still be able to see their side perform. "In Pakistan, Test match cricket is not being followed by large numbers of people in stadiums," he said. "Obviously, home advantage is a very important thing, and they will clearly miss that."
Morgan did not want Pakistan to become isolated after the events of March 3, when the Sri Lanka team bus and ICC officials were targets of the raid. Eight people were killed and seven members of the Sri Lanka squad suffered injuries.
"It's produced some of the world's most attractive cricketers for 30 years, household names, perhaps disproportionately to any other country," Morgan said. "It's important that other Full Members recognise the significance of playing against Pakistan.
David Morgan, the ICC president, has said Pakistan would receive great support if they used England and Wales for "home" matches following the fallout from the Lahore terrorist attack. Bangladesh cancelled their hosting of Pakistan due to security concerns and the team's first international engagement will be in Dubai and Abu Dhabi next month for limited-overs matches against Australia.
"They seem to want to play in England, and there will be a great deal of support should they want to play in England or Wales, with the Pakistani population in those two nations," Morgan told the Sydney Morning Herald. "The important thing is not to reduce the volume of international cricket, and I believe the other nations are very keen to give them every support."
He said that as long as Pakistan's matches were broadcast on television, the people in the country would still be able to see their side perform. "In Pakistan, Test match cricket is not being followed by large numbers of people in stadiums," he said. "Obviously, home advantage is a very important thing, and they will clearly miss that."
Morgan did not want Pakistan to become isolated after the events of March 3, when the Sri Lanka team bus and ICC officials were targets of the raid. Eight people were killed and seven members of the Sri Lanka squad suffered injuries.
"It's produced some of the world's most attractive cricketers for 30 years, household names, perhaps disproportionately to any other country," Morgan said. "It's important that other Full Members recognise the significance of playing against Pakistan.
Game, set, match: IPL gets go ahead from states
Looks like the Indian Premier League is all set to unfold. The letters of clearance that were required for the Season 2 of the popular Twenty20 cricket series to kick off are out.
CNN-IBN is in possession of the copies of the letters that show most states giving their go ahead to the series, even offering state security for the matches – an issue of contention between IPL and Government given the General Elections schedule.
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The only exception is Maharashtra which has given the series a conditional go-ahead.
Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafoor says the city police are ready to provide security as long as matches do not coincide with polling days.
He has also requested the cricketers stay at the Cricket Club of India instead of five-star hotels .
However, the state seems divided on the issue with Director-General of Police (Elections) Suprakash Chakravarty saying that the IPL should be held only after elections are over.
Chakravarty said the security forces would be severely constrained in view of the Lok Sabha elections during the period the IPL is proposed to be held.
The DGP has sought postponement of the IPL to sometime in May, or after the three-phased elections in the state are completed.
"There is no point in putting any extra strain on the police and security forces, which shall be fully occupied with the election duties," Chakravarty said.
Justifying the proposal to postpone the league, Chakravarty said even if there were no elections in cities of Maharashtra where IPL matches are scheduled, the security forces would be on protection duties, which is very strenuous
CNN-IBN is in possession of the copies of the letters that show most states giving their go ahead to the series, even offering state security for the matches – an issue of contention between IPL and Government given the General Elections schedule.
.
The only exception is Maharashtra which has given the series a conditional go-ahead.
Mumbai police commissioner Hasan Gafoor says the city police are ready to provide security as long as matches do not coincide with polling days.
He has also requested the cricketers stay at the Cricket Club of India instead of five-star hotels .
However, the state seems divided on the issue with Director-General of Police (Elections) Suprakash Chakravarty saying that the IPL should be held only after elections are over.
Chakravarty said the security forces would be severely constrained in view of the Lok Sabha elections during the period the IPL is proposed to be held.
The DGP has sought postponement of the IPL to sometime in May, or after the three-phased elections in the state are completed.
"There is no point in putting any extra strain on the police and security forces, which shall be fully occupied with the election duties," Chakravarty said.
Justifying the proposal to postpone the league, Chakravarty said even if there were no elections in cities of Maharashtra where IPL matches are scheduled, the security forces would be on protection duties, which is very strenuous
Thursday, March 19, 2009
McGregor catches Weekes
All sportspersons, as indeed all lovers of sport, live for special moments on the field, moments during which all the action, all the drama, all the sweat and toil, find release. Moments that embody a burst of genius, or ones that capture the significance of a landmark moment. Cricinfo celebrates 50 such moments from the last half-century in this new series (first published in the print version of Cricinfo Magazine) featuring selections by a panel of cricket writers including Mike Coward, Rajan Bala, Tim de Lisle, Suresh Menon, Fazeer Mohammed, Rob Steen, Peter Roebuck, Christian Ryan, Mike Selvey, BC Pires and R Mohan.
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Auckland, March 13, 1956
For what seemed an age, but was perhaps five or six seconds, the hearts of 9000 Eden Park faithful stopped beating - and many, many thousands of steam-radio listeners held their breaths - as the ball went steeple-high and then dropped down toward Noel McGregor on the midwicket boundary fence.
In the three previous Tests of the series, Everton de Courcey Weekes and his fellow West Indians hadn't really toured; they had simply taken the lead in a regal procession. The great man had centuries against Auckland, Canterbury and Wellington, and one in each of the three Tests - two of which West Indies won by an innings, and one by 10 wickets.
Weekes had different work to do at Eden Park. New Zealand fought so splendidly that on the last afternoon West Indies needed 268 in four hours - just the sort of challenge Weekes relished. However, by the time the maestro had his baton, his orchestra had lost wickets at 4, 16, 16, 16, 18 and 22.
West Indies were 68, Weekes 31, when the young legspinner Jack Alabaster, trying for extra turn, dragged the ball down short. As soon as he sensed the length, Weekes decided the ball would go over the midwicket fence.
"It turned a little more than I expected, I got it maybe three-four inches too high up the bat," said Weekes afterward.
And wee McGregor: "…when I saw the shot, I knew it was coming to me; then I realised it could be a catch. The thought flashed through my head that if I dropped it, I would hop back over the fence, and disappear in the crowd. Oh, the joy when I held the ball in my hands."
Normal heartbeats ensued until West Indies were out for 77, and New Zealand had their first Test cricket win.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sehwag rockets into top 10 of ODI rankings
India master blaster Virender Sehwag and champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar are the biggest movers in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings after splendid performances in the recent series against New Zealand.
Sehwag, who scored 299 runs against the Black Caps, has jumped nine places to sixth position in the latest ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, which is still headed by India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
It is the first time in nearly six years that the New Delhi-born batsman has occupied a place in the top 10. During this period Sehwag, whose series aggregate included a whirlwind 125 not out from just 74 balls in the fourth ODI at Hamilton, dropped as low as 30th place, a mark he stood at in June 2008.
Tendulkar has also made a movement in the right direction as his series scores of 20, 61 and 163 not out have helped him vault eight places to 13th spot. Tendulkar held the top spot in the listing as recently as March 2008.
However, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir have both headed in the wrong direction in the rankings, dropping one and four places respectively. Singh now sits in fourth place while Gambhir shares 16th spot with South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs.
In the ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has fallen off top spot and now sits in fifth place. Vettori managed just two wickets in the series which was dominated by India batsmen.
Vettori's drop has benefitted Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara who, for the first time in his career, has surged to the top of bowlers' rankings. Australia fast bowler Nathan Bracken is in second place while Kyle Mills of New Zealand is third.
In the ICC Player Rankings for all-rounders, India's Yuvraj Singh has entered the top five for the first time in his career. He has leapfrogged West Indies captain Chris Gayle and Jacob Oram of New Zealand to share third place with Pakistan's Shoaib Malik. Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan leads the field with Andrew Flintoff in second place.
In the ICC ODI Championship, India has gained two ratings points for its 3-1 series win. It has lifted it to 122 rating points and puts it just two ratings points behind second-placed Australia and three behind leader South Africa.
In contrast, New Zealand has conceded two ratings points for the series loss and is now only one rating point ahead of Pakistan which goes head-to-head with Australia in Dubai and Abu Dhabi next month.
ICC ODI Championship
eam Matches Points Rating South Africa 34 4245 125 Australia 37 4573 124 India 50 6088 122 New Zealand 35 3918 112 Pakistan 31 3446 111 England 32 3469 108 Sri Lanka 43 4508 105 West Indies 27 2463 91 Bangladesh 38 1731 46 Zimbabwe 32 736 23 Ireland 10 190 19 Kenya 12 0 0
ODI Batsmen
Name Country Rating Name Country RatingICC Player RankingsRank 1 M.S. Dhoni 2 M.E.K. Hussey 3 C.H. Gayle 4 Yuvraj Singh 4 S. Chanderpaul 6 V. Sehwag 7 G.C. Smith 8 K.P. Pietersen 9 Mohammad Yousuf 10 A.B. de Villiers ODI AllroundersICC Player RankingsRank 1 Shakib Al Hasan 2 A. Flintoff 3 Yuvraj Singh 3 Shoaib Malik 5 C.H. Gayle 6 J.D.P. Oram 7 J.H. Kallis 8 Shahid Afridi 9 S.T. Jayasuriya 10 M.J. Clarke
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