ICL players to play for KKR in practice matches

Deep Dasgupta, Rohan Gavaskar
In a bid to earn a contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders, former Indian Cricket League players Deep Dasgupta, Rohan Gavaskar and G Vignesh will play for the IPL side in their practice matches against visiting Champions League Twenty20 teams in Gurgaon from October 1-7.

Former Bengal captain Dasgupta said he would turn out for the Kolkata IPL side in the three practice games, provided he gets the Cricket Association of Bengal permission.

"My availability for the matches will depend on CAB. I am in talks with Knight Riders and it's still in early stage. I am yet to sign a contract," Dasgupta told PTI.

The wicketkeeper-batsman said he was looking forward to playing under Ganguly, who is likely to return as KKR captain.

"It will be a good exposure in Knight Riders and I am looking forward to play under 'Dada' (Ganguly) once again. I hope to contribute for the team," Dasgupta said.

KKR, which is expected to announce its coach's name soon after John Buchanan's ouster, will play Sussex, New South Wales and Orange Free States in the practice matches.

Apart from the trio, who are among the ICL players to return to the official fold after BCCI's amnesty offer, it is learnt that the Kolkata franchise is in talks with Bengal pacer Eklakh Ahmed.

Former India captain Ganguly had earlier said the ICL players were on the team's radar.

KKR has already signed up Tamil Nadu pacer Vignesh, who represented Chennai Superstars in the ICL.

© PTI

Younus ready to bear pain to play India

Pakistan skipper Younus Khan
Pakistan skipper Younus Khan is prepared to play with a fractured finger and acute pain in order to inflict a rare defeat on India in an ICC event here tomorrow.

Younus has a fracture in his right little finger which would take at least a month to heal but the right-handed batsman said he doesn't want to let go the opportunity of taking on arch-rivals India.

"May be if it was another game, I would have sat on the bench. But you don't get to play India everyday. Who knows the next time you play against India would be two years from now," said a remarkably composed Younus.

Younus last played against India in July 2008 during the Asia Cup where he had smashed an unbeaten 123 at National Stadium, Karachi and he is looking for an encore tomorrow.

"Sure there are chances that I would feel the pain while batting or if a ball comes my way in the field.

"It is also easy for me to run away from the encounter, after all I have a genuine injury. But I look at the bigger picture. If I score big tomorrow, hit a hundred and am a man of match, then people would remember that knock forever. Much like they do when they talk of Sachin (Tendulkar) at Centurion in 2003 World Cup at this venue," he said.

Younus injured his finger during a warm-up game before the start of the Champions Trophy and missed his team's opener against West Indies on Wednesday.

Asked if Pakistan suffered from a fear psychosis against Tendulkar, whose name was repeatedly cropping up in the press conference, Younus said, "More than us, Sachin would be under enormous pressure since now so much rests on him to deliver the goods."

"He is no ghost or super-natural entity. He is a great player and I feel happy when I play against him. There is so much to learn when you watch him or (Brian) Lara bat.

"I watched his innings against Sri Lanka in the finals recently and it was a great knock. You watch that and learn a lot.

"In that respect, we would also miss Yuvraj and Sehwag's presence. They have been great performers for their nation and you want to play against them," he said.

However, Younus said Yuvraj's absence won't bring any good luck for Pakistan.

"It's not good luck for us. It may be bad luck for India.

"What matters is your performance on the day. May be an Umar Akmal can win a game while somebody like Tendulkar fails."

Younus also lavished praise on his Indian counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"When I first saw him in 2006 he looked a man with tremendous energy and not quite in control of his reactions. But now he has improved a great deal and looks a gentleman. His conduct and captaincy is both good. His performance is also improving every day," he said.

Pakistan is blessed with the arrival of two young players in Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal, one a fast bowler and the other a promising young bat. Akmal drew a great deal of praise from his skipper.

"The thing is these youngsters know no pressure. When you are young you don't have any pressure. I didn't have any myself at the start. But now I know I have just 4-5 years left and I want to make them count.

"Akmal is very mature for his age. Against West Indies initially, he made only 2-3 runs from his first 15 deliveries. He then changed gears and won us the match.

"The good things he quickly adapts to any given situation and conditions."

Pakistan skipper wasn't quite sure if he would bat first on winning the toss in Centurion on Sunday.

"When I saw the wicket today, it was very soft. You don't play first on such wickets. But then there is more than a day left and who knows a bit of sunshine would firm up the wicket," said Younus, mentioning that it's the same track on which Sri Lanka took on hosts South Africa in the trophy opener on Tuesday.

© PTI

England elect to field against Sri Lanka

England captain Andrew Strauss
England captain Andrew Strauss elected to field after winning the toss against Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy here on Friday.

Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 55 runs in their opening match of the four-team group, while England are playing their first game. New Zealand are the other side in the group.

The top two sides advance to the semi-finals.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Thilina Kandamby

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Joe Denly, Eoin Morgan, Graham Onions, Matt Prior, Owais Shah, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright

Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Billy Bowden (NZL)

TV umpire: Tony Hill (NZL)

Match referee: Javagal Srinath (IND)

© AFP

Weary Federer withdraws from Japan, Shanghai events

LONDON: World number one Roger Federer has withdrawn from next month's Japan Open and Shanghai Masters in order to get some rest, the Swiss

confirmed on Friday.

"I am disappointed that I have to withdraw from Tokyo and Shanghai as they are two of my favourite cities in the world and the fans have been great to me over the years," Federer said.

"After consultation with my team and doctors, I decided to take the difficult decision to withdraw from both tournaments so that I can give my body a chance to rest, rehabilitate and fully recover from a physically challenging year."

Federer reclaimed his world number one spot from Rafael Nadal this year, winning the French Open for the first time and Wimbledon, but failed to win a sixth consecutive US Open title when he lost to Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro in the final at Flushing Meadows earlier this month.

Nadal is also struggling ahead of the Asian stop on the ATP Tour, pulling out of next week's Thailand Open with an abdominal injury. Both Federer and Nadal have already qualified for the end-of-season Masters Cup in London.

TOI

England face Mendis riddle in opening match

OHANNESBURG: Andrew Strauss's England face a stiff spin test when they take on a confident Sri Lanka in their opening match of the Champions

Trophy on Friday.

Sri Lanka have two excellent spinners in Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, capable of making life difficult for batsmen with their subtle variations.

Unorthodox spinner Mendis played a key role in his team's stunning 55-run victory over South Africa in a rain-hit match at Centurion on Tuesday, grabbing three wickets for 30 runs.

"We have not played Mendis and some of their seam bowlers before," said Strauss, whose team were beaten 6-1 in a recent home One-day series against defending champions Australia.

"Everyone will have his own game-plan against him (Mendis). You can look at a lot of footage of him, but it is only in the middle that you can be really sure of how he bowls and what his variations are.

"It requires us to think pretty quick on our feet. There are some fundamentals you have to keep in mind against someone like him, but it is a new challenge."

Off-spinner Muralitharan, the world's leading wicket-taker in both Tests and One-dayers, and paceman Lasith Malinga, with his slinging action, are the other bowlers who could keep pressure on England.

"They ask different questions of you. It's only by facing them you can be sure of your game-plan. We have played against Murali and Malinga, but Mendis is new.

"The way he (Mendis) bowls makes life difficult for batsmen, but to an extent the pace he bowls at provides opportunities for batsmen as well once you get used to his variations.

"Sri Lanka are a good side with a lot of confidence. It will be quite exciting to play against them."

Strauss conceded that England's One-day form had been a cause of concern for many years.

"The One-dayers have been an ongoing concern for a number of years. The players are really excited about moving forward as a group. It will take a bit of time to happen," said Strauss.

"In the meantime, I maintain we are capable of beating anyone but we haven't had the consistency over the years. A change in environment can make a big difference. We have to start looking forward.

"There is something quite exciting about world events. It's quite exciting to know if you play well in three games you're in the semi-final."

England are without match-winners Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, who are recovering from injuries.

"Freddie and KP are two of our best One-day cricketers. But Freddie has been out quite a lot recently and we are used to that and we've got to move on," said Strauss.

"It's also a chance for other guys to step up and make a name for themselves."

South Africa and New Zealand are the other teams in Group B, with the top two sides advancing to the semi-finals.

Squads:

England: Andrew Strauss (captain), James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Joe Denly, Eoin Morgan, Graham Onions, Matt Prior, Adil Rashid, Owais Shah, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Luke Wright.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedara, Angelo Mathews, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad, Lasith Malinga, Thilina Kandamby.

Umpires: Aleem Dar and Billy Bowden
Match Name: ICC Champions Trophy
Teams: England vs Sri Lanka
Venue: New Wanderers, Johannesburg
Time: 1800 IST
Channel: Star Cricket

South Africa back in Champions Trophy contention

Scorecard

CENTURION: South Africa bounced back into contention for 2009 ICC Champions Trophy glory with a five-wicket triumph over New Zealand at SuperSport Park on Thursday.

Upset by Sri Lanka in the opening match of the ODI tournament two days ago, the Proteas had to win and did so with relative ease before a large, holiday crowd.

New Zealand were all out for 214 in 47.5 overs and South Africa cruised to 217/5 in 41.1 overs and another win Sunday over England would virtually assure the hosts of a place in the knockout phase.

The 'Black Caps', who may have erred in excluding Jeetan Patel for a match on a spin-friendly pitch, face Sri Lanka and England at the Wanderers stadium and a couple of victories would bring them back into the frame.

AB de Villiers was a fitting match winner, sealing success with a four having top scored for the Proteas with an unbeaten 70 in 76 balls, including nine boundaries.

"This was a big day for us and we stood up to deliver a much improved performance. Our bowlers set the tone in the first 15 overs with good intensity and they hit the right areas hard," said South Africa skipper Graeme Smith.

"It was a clinical job well started and well finished and the result will improve our run rate. Now we are going to prepare well for our match against England."

Kiwi skipper Daniel Vettori said: "Our batsmen got bogged down as we sought a competitive score of about 250 runs. Ross (Taylor) and Grant (Elliott) handled the spinners well but the partnership did not last long enough."

Once again Smith won the toss and once again he opted to field on a dry, slow, uneven early season track that gave the spinners assistance in warm, partly cloudy conditions.

Vettori stressed the need to build partnerships, but his plea fell largely on deaf ears with the 71-run stand between Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott a notable exception.

The stubborn 95-ball stand ended when South Africa-born Elliott chose the wrong line and his middle stump was pushed back by a deceptive delivery from spinner Roelof van der Merwe.

Taylor was the top Kiwi scorer with 72 off 106 balls before missing a low full toss and being trapped leg before by revitalised Wayne Parnell, who was voted man of the match.

Opener Brendon McCullum was the only other New Zealand batsman to make an impact, scoring 44 before trying a sweep off Johan Botha and getting a top edge to JP Duminy at short fine leg.

Parnell, rebounding from a nightmare outing against Sri Lanka, finished with five wickets, impressive Van der Merwe and speedster Dale Steyn claimed two apiece and Botha one.

Set a 4.30-runs-an-over target, Smith managed just seven before departing because he played a Daryl Tuffey too early and Vettori took a simple catch at mid-on.

Jacques Kallis was next to go, adding 52 runs for the second wicket with Hisham Amla before an attempted drive off Shane Bond was snapped up by wicketkeeper McCullum.

Although ahead on run rate, South Africa were also struggling to build big partnerships and much-improved Amla returned to the pavilion having made 38 after being trapped leg before by Vettori.

Duminy did not last long, scoring just 11 off 13 balls before becoming the victim of a spectacular McCullum catch after trying a cut that took a bottom edge.

TOI