WC 2011: Reserve day from knock out stage

Mumbai, Feb 10 (PTI): A reserve day has been factored in from the knock out stage in the World Cup which will commence with the Group B preliminary league clash between India and Bangladesh at Mirpur on February 19.

Play would be continued from where it stopped on the scheduled day of the quarterfinals, semifinals and final if it spills over into the reserve day, as per the playing conditions of the tournament.

"There shall be one reserve day allocated to the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final on which an incomplete match shall be continued from the scheduled day."

"Every effort will be made to complete the match on the scheduled day with any necessary reduction in overs taking place and only if the minimum number of overs necessary to constitute a match cannot be bowled on the scheduled day will the match be completed on the reserve day," the playing conditions state.

There would be no reserve day for the group matches.

The quarterfinals are scheduled on March 23 (Mirpur), March 24 (Ahmedabad), March 25 (Mirpur) and March 26 (Colombo) and the semi finals are to be held on March 29 (Colombo) and March 30 (Mohali).

The final is at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2.

SA look to asses fitness in warm-up tie against Zimbabwe

Chennai, Feb 11 (PTI): One of the title favourites, South Africa start their World Cup sojourn with a warm-up match against Zimbabwe here on Saturday, a match which is expected to help both teams assess their fitness and acclimatise to the conditions ahead of the big one.

High on confidence after their ODI series win over India last month, South Africa will look to gain vital match practice in the day-night encounter at the refurbished M A Chidambaram Stadium here.

The Graeme Smith-led Proteas, after a hard-fought Test and ODI series against India at home, have had two days of nets since their arrival here on Wednesday.

Smith had already indicated that the team's sole aim this time around, is to bag the coveted trophy that has not only eluded them so far but also earned them the tag of chokers.

Having lost three semifinals and a quarterfinal despite being the title contenders in their past five World Cup appearances, South Africans would like to make it a memorable event for the 30-year-old Smith, on his last ODI assignment as the skipper.

South Africa are in Group B with Bangladesh, England, India, West Indies, Ireland and the Netherlands. They are slated to play another warm-up tie against Australia on February 15, nine days before opening their World Cup campaign against the West Indies on February 24.

Despite leading a team bulk of which consists of World Cup first-timers, Smith sounded confident and said his wards are best prepared. A major worry, of course, will be the fitness of veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis, who is recovering from a rib injury he suffered during the series against India. Smith has indicated that Kallis would not bowl tomorrow.

Besides Smith and Kallis, AB de Villiers and Robin Petersen are the other two survivors from the last edition of the tournament in the West Indies.

Realising the importance of slow bowlers on sub-continental wickets, South Africa have plenty of options in their spin attack, described by Smith as the most varied.

Pakistan-born uncapped leg-spinner Imran Tahir is tipped to be the secret weapon for the Proteas who also have two other frontline spinners Johan Botha and Peterson besides part-timers. The pace attack would be spearheaded by Dale Steyn.

Morne van Wyk, with his experience, would bring more strength to the batting line-up that boasts of the likes of the in-form Hashim Amla, who has consistently done well against India, AB de Villiers and JP Duminy.

On the other hand, Zimbabwe, currently in a rebuilding phase, have nothing to lose and would look to cause an upset or two, like they did against Australia in a warm-up tie during the T-20 World Cup in April last year.

Chasing Zimbabwe's 173 for seven, Australians fell short by one run.

Coached by former England batsman Alan Butcher, Zimbabwe have won just eight of 46 matches in seven appearances.

The team's last notable performance in the tournament was in 1999 when it beat India and South Africa to storm into the Super Six stage.

Skippered by all-rounder Elton Chigumbura, Zimbabwe are hoping their tour of Bangladesh last December and inputs from West Indian legend and consultant Brain Lara would stand them in good stead during the tournament.

The team has three seamers, as many specialist slow bowlers, and it would rely on them to make for the lack of firepower in fast bowling.

Pollock believes SA will reach World Cup final

JOHANNESBURG: Former South African skipper Shaun Pollock believes that the Proteas will reach the final of the World Cup, starting on February 19.

Pollock, who played four World Cups, including the one in which he was the captain of South African team in 2003, said this time round there would not be any fear factor for the Proteans.

"There is no other team to be afraid of," the Afrikaans weekly Beeld quoted Pollock as saying at a function.

"In previous tournaments Australia instilled fear in its opponents because of their domination. This time that is not the case. That is why South Africa have a good chance of returning as world champions," he added.

Pollock said South Africa should just survive the group phase, "after that it just needs three big performances to become world champions."

He said India will face tremendous pressure as a host nation, while Australia have many problems and will particularly miss the experience of Michael Hussey.

"I also favoured the chances of the English, but there is something missing in them. New Zealand is also not a threat and the West Indies are now so weak that they are just making up the numbers. Pakistan is like the French rugby team -- you never know what mood they will show up," said Pollock.

Pollock said he believed that the core team that was in action against the visiting Indian team in the recent tour would be seen in action in the sub-continent."

"(New cap) Imran Tahir (former Pakistan player) will probably play against the smaller sides to see how he performs," said Pollock.

TOI

Sehwag returns to captain Delhi Daredevils in IPL 4

NEW DELHI: Just one season after giving up captaincy to focus on his batting, swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag will return to lead the Delhi Daredevils in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.

The 32-year-old opener had captained the team in the first two seasons, leading them to the semifinals. He stepped down from the post before the 2009 Champions League.

Gautam Gambhir took over the reins of the team at that stage but he would now be playing for Kolkata Knight Riders after being released by the Daredevils ahead of last month's players' auction.

"For us Virender Sehwag stands for the Delhi Daredevils credo of Khelo Front Foot Pe," Srinivas Bommidala, chairman of Daredevils owner GMR Sports, said in a statement.

Sehwag said he was excited about taking over captaincy again.

"For me there cannot be any other team than Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. As someone who grew up playing cricket in Delhi I am very proud to be playing for the Delhi Daredevils. I am delighted to be part of the Delhi Daredevils and lead the team," said Sehwag.

"I am looking forward to taking the Daredevils to new heights in IPL 4," he added.

Under his leadership, Delhi Daredevils topped the league stage in the 2009 season.


TOI

Vijender asked to show proof he won medals

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government which awarded its meritorious athletes with the highest state award - Bhim Award - with much fanfare on Thursday cast aspersions on Olympic bronze medallist Vijender Singh's claim to the cash award meant for Asian Championships and World Championships medals.

The sports department asked Vijender to produce certificates proving that he indeed had won medals in the mega events. Vijender had won a silver in the Asian Championships in Guangzhou (2010) and a bronze - the first ever by an Indian - in the 2009 World Amateur Championships.

Haryana sports director OP Singh said, "Shukr manaye ki unko itne paise mile hai Commonwealth Games me kharab pradarshan karne ke bavjood. Ye jo paisa hai public money hai, main inhe aise nahi de sakta. There are set government procedures I've to follow like proper documentation. Bring the certificates and I'll give the money."

Vijender said, "For past sometime they have been asking about the certificates. For World Championships we do not get certificates, so how can I prove it. I have the medal which they do not accept. I lost the Asian Championships certificate during transit. Though I have given a letter from the federation confirming that I have indeed won the medal, but that does not satisfies them."

The cash prize does not amount to more than Rs one lakh each for both events. Vijender's father said, "My son deserves the cash prize but do we need to run after them."

TOI

Sachin is the greatest role model: Kirsten

BANGALORE: Indian coach Gary Kirsten on Thursday termed batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar as the "...greatest sporting role model" he has ever met.

"I have played fair amount of cricket with Sachin and it has been a humble privilege to have worked with him and the rest of the Indian team," Kirsten said.

Kirsten, by far the most popular among the foreign coaches is on the last leg of his tenure as India coach admitted that he was apprehensive in the beginning when offered the role of coaching India.

"When I got the offer of coaching the Indian team. I was little bit nervous and apprehensive as to how I will start the proceedings.

"I still remember in Adelaide (tour of Australia 2007-08), Sachin came up to me and said "Can you throw a few balls at me? I said to myself, I need to impress him. I threw from 16-17 yards and he missed a few balls. Next moment, he came to me and said, "Gary do you mind going a few yards back?" Kirsten recollected during the release of journalist Gautam Bhattacharya's book 'Sach'.

"After that, lovely cover drives flowed from Sachin's bat. It was a good learning experience for me. I am fortunate to have had many net sessions with him and played alongside him," one could gauge the admiration in the former South African opener's voice.

Kirsten feels that it's his humility towards the game that makes Sachin the true champion that he is.

"Whenever Sachin comes out to bat, he treats his batting with absolute humility."

While the legend himself was present on the occasion of the release of his biography, also present were current Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, along with former India captains Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble.

"I have never really got tired of watching Sachin bat. He inspired so many generation of kids," Dravid said.

For Kumble, Sachin is someone whom is not just followed by Indians but also by the entire sub-continent.

"He has touched the lives of more people than anyone in the world. It's been a privilege that I have been a witness to Sachin's achievements. World Cup is one tournament which requires team effort. I wish Sachin, MS (Dhoni) and the rest of the boys in their endeavour to win the Cup," Kumble said.


TOI

Dropped Tanvir says he is fit to play in World Cup

KARACHI: He has been dropped from Pakistan's World Cup squad due to injury but pacer Sohail Tanvir insists he is fit to play and should have been retained in the side for the quadrennial event starting February 19 in the sub-continent.

The Pakistan cricket Board on Wednesday dropped the unorthodox bowler from the 15-member squad on the recommendations of the national team management, a medical panel and the selection committee and replaced him with rookie left arm pacer Junaid Khan.

Tanvir, who has so far claimed 48 wickets in 36 ODIs, said, "I don't know why they dropped me and the selectors should tell me the reason because I was fit and getting better in bowling and fielding.

"It is hugely disappointing to be dropped from a major event like the World Cup at the last moment," Tanvir told The Express.

Tanvir was dropped after playing in five of the six one-day internationals in New Zealand.

Justifying its decision to omit Tanvir, the PCB said the medical panel had examined the 26-year-old bowler and decided he was not 100 percent fit to play at the top level.

"He still requires time to make a complete recovery from his knee problem for which he had an operation sometime back," PCB said in a statement.

Chief selector, Mohsin Khan said that it was on the recommendations of the team management that the pacer was dropped from the squad.

"The team management spoke to the board Chairman expressing its concerns over Tanvir's fitness. Subsequently the medical panel examined him and declared he was not fully fit.

"The team management felt that Tanvir was struggling while fielding because of his knee problem.

"Junaid Khan was called up because of his fine performances in domestic cricket," Mohsin revealed.

Meanwhile former test batsman, Basit Ali cautioned that Junaid was too raw and not ready for the international cricket.

"It would have been better if they had included Muhammad Yousuf in place of Tanvir. They already have too many pacers in the side and on the pitches in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh you don't need so many pacers," Basit said.

TOI

Kirsten pays special attention to Pathan on second day of WC camp

BANGALORE: On his last assignment with the Indian team, coach Gary Kirsten focussed on all-rounder Yusuf Pathan and pacer Ashish Nehra on the second day of the four-day preparatory camp for the World Cup at the National Cricket Academy on Thursday.

Kirsten was one of the first members of the team to take the field and left the ground last along with colleagues Eric Simmons (bowling consultant) and Paddy Upton (mental conditioning coach).

Kirsten supervised the net sessions of not only the batsmen but even attended to left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra and threw a few balls at him at the fag end of the three-hour long practice session.

Realising Pathan's weakness against short-pitched stuff, Kirsten threw some bouncy balls at him and was also seen giving tips to him on how to counter the fast bowlers.

After Wednesday's optional practice session, it was more serious business on Thursday. Soon after arriving at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the entire Indian team went through fielding drills for nearly 45 minutes before shifting base to the NCA nets.

The trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, who returned to the squad after a short injury lay-off, were the first to hit the nets and batted for about 40 minutes during which middled the ball from the word go.

Young Virat Kohli also spent a considerable amount of time at the nets and looked at ease but Yuvraj looked little out of sort with his timing.

After completing his session at the net, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined Harbhajan Singh at the other end of the NCA ground and the duo smacked Karnataka Cricket Academy bowlers to all parts of the park.

All the bowlers, meanwhile, rolled their arms in turns with Munaf Patel extracting considerable amount of pace and bounce from the pitch.

After the camp, India will be put to their first test when they play Australia in their first warm-up match on Sunday and then round off their preparation with a practice game against New Zealand in Chennai on February 16.

TOI

Muralitharan to join Gloucestershire

Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan has been signed by English county side Gloucestershire as their overseas player for two Friends Provident Twenty20 Cup seasons.

The 38-year-old will join the domestic side after representing Sri Lanka in the upcoming World Cup and Kochi team in the Indian Premier League, the Skysports reported.

Murali will retire from all forms of international cricket after the World Cup.

"I am really looking forward to playing for Gloucestershire. It is a young and exciting team and I hope I can add some experience to the mix. The last time I played at Bristol I took five wickets and I look forward to an exciting T20 competition with the Gladiators," Murali told the county's official site.

Muralitharan retired from Test cricket last summer, signing off by becoming the first bowler to take 800 wickets in this format, in his 133rd match.

He had earlier played as an overseas player for Lancashire between 1999 and 2007, besides spending a summer with Kent in 2003.

Gloucestershire director of cricket John Bracewell, hailed the signing of Murali as a huge boost for the club.

"This is an exciting and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work and play with one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the game. Whenever I have watched and observed Murali he has always had and shown an infectious love for the game of cricket. This is something that I personally am looking forward to working with." Bracewell said.
© PTI

World Cup warm-ups shifted from Pallekele

Heavy monsoon rains have forced the International Cricket Council to move World Cup warm-up matches from Sri Lanka's Pallekele stadium, tournament organisers said.

Sri Lanka has been hit by monsoon downpours since December hampering preparation of the pitches at the newly-built Pallekele venue in the island's central district.

Pallekele was to host practice matches between Sri Lanka and the Netherlands on Saturday and Kenya and the Netherlands on Tuesday. A new venue for the two matches will be announced shortly, the organisers said in a statement.

"The ground staff at Pallekele have had to contend with an extremely high volume of rainfall over a number of weeks, far in excess of what is normal for this time of year," tournament director Ratnakar Shetty said.

"This has proved to be a significant handicap in their efforts to produce pitches for the forthcoming warm-up matches," he said.

Shetty said the decision to move the warm-up matches would give ground staff time to prepare "excellent pitches" for the tournament.

The decision to shift the games will not affect World Cup matches, the ICC said.

Pallekele will be the venue for three World Cup matches, the first between New Zealand and Pakistan is scheduled for March 8.

The showpiece event, being co-hosted by Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh, starts on February 19.

Heavy monsoon floods across Sri Lanka's central, northern and eastern regions have claimed at least 21 lives and affected over 1.2 million people.
© AFP

We will miss Praveen Kumar: Dhoni

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday said they will badly miss "street-smart" Praveen Kumar in the upcoming World Cup as the pacer has been ruled out of cricket's showpiece event due to an elbow injury.

Praveen, who has been a vital cog in India's ODI scheme of things for a little over three years and was certain in India's seam attack in the World Cup, was ruled out on Monday after failing to recover from an elbow injury which he sustained during the South Africa tour.

"It is very unfortunate that Praveen had to miss the World Cup. He featured consistently in the ODIs for us. He is a street-smart cricketer and we will miss him a lot," Dhoni said during a pre-tournament press conference here.

"But you can't really restrict injuries from happening to players," he added.

Without mentioning the names, he also indicated that Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar all have recovered from their injuries and will be totally fit by the time India play their tournament-opener against Bangladesh in Dhaka on February 19.

"A few players are suffering from slight niggles, which is always there but nothing serious. Hopefully, nothing major happens to any player," the skipper said.

The World Cup has come in for its share of criticism from some quarters for its length which spans around 45 days, but Dhoni reiterated that a perfect scheduling is always difficult to churn out and the rest period between matches will help the players to recover from their niggles.

"As I have said earlier, it is very difficult to form a perfect schedule and format. A tournament schedule will be either too long or too short but I am quite happy with the schedule. It will give us time to recover from small niggles," he insisted.
© PTI

Sreesanth replaces injured Praveen Kumar

Praveen Kumar has been ruled out of the 2011 World Cup after failing to recover from an elbow injury.

Santhakumaran Sreesanth, who underwent a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy, was named as the replacement for the UP seamer.

"The International Cricket Council has confirmed that Praveen Kumar can be replaced in the squad by Sreesanth," BCCI secretary N. Srinivasan said in a statement.

Praveen Kumar, who returned early from the ODI series in South Africa to recover in time for the World Cup, went to England for further treatment but doctors took a final call on his fitness and ruled him out after the medical check-ups.

The Uttar Pradesh bowler underwent a fitness test at the NCA but it seems the injury had not healed as fast as was expected, a BCCI source said.

Praveen went to England to consult Dr Andrew Wallace, a London-based surgeon who has treated many Indian players including Sachin Tendulkar, on his injured right elbow.

The pacer was under a rehabilitation programme at the NCA and had said that the injury was healing well.

© Cricbuzz

Junaid wants wicket to dismiss Tendulkar during World Cup

KARACHI: After earning a surprise call to the World Cup squad, rookie Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan cannot stop thinking about bowling to Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and getting him out.

The 21-year old left-arm pacer was drafted into the squad after fitness issues ruled talented Sohail Tanvir out of the tournament.
"Just getting a chance to play in the World Cup is a dream come true for me. But if we get to play against India in the World Cup it would be a blast to bowl at Tendulkar and get him out. It is an ambition for me," Junaid said.

Junaid, who has represented the national team at the under-19 and A levels, said he has always admired Tendulkar for his batting exploits.

"For any young bowler I think Tendulkar's wicket is a big prize," he told Geo Super channel.

The youngster said he had recently toured Sri Lanka with the Pakistan A team and was familiar with the conditions which will help him if gets to play some matches there.

"I am very fit having played lot of domestic cricket this season and the confidence is high so getting a chance to play in the World Cup is a big bonus for me," he said.

Junaid, who has taken 167 wickets in 35 first class games for Abbotabad, said he was thankful to the cricket board and national selectors for posing confidence in him.

"God has been kind to me and I know this is a big opportunity. I don't know if I will get a chance to play but I will do my best to impress the team management that I should be given a chance and I will not let them down."

The southpaw is one of the finest fast bowling prospects in Pakistan and has impressed everyone with his pace and fire.

He joins left arm pacers, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz in the Pakistan bowling line up for the World Cup.

Pakistan lost two of their top pace bowlers -- Muhammad Aamer and Mohammed Asif -- to bans from the International Cricket Council anti-corruption tribunal.

TOI

World Cup ad rate can touch Rs 24 lakh per 10 secs if Team India does well

NEW DELHI: It could be a windfall for cricket World Cup broadcaster ESPN Star Sports if Team India reaches the knockout stages, as the spot rate for advertisements could then touch up to Rs 24 lakh per ten seconds.

The broadcaster, which has reserved ad inventory of nearly 5-6 per cent for the last few matches, is keeping its fingers crossed and hoping India plays in the title round.

"If India does well and reaches the knockout stages, ad spot rates could jump up significantly, as high as five to six times of the existing rate," ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd executive vice-president - Ad Sales & New Media Sanjay Kailash said.

While he declined to comment on the existing ad spot rate, as per industry sources, the broadcaster is charging around Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh per ten seconds spot.

If India, counted as one of the favourites to win the title this time by many cricket experts, features in the quarterfinals and beyond, then the ad rates could be as high as Rs 24 lakh per ten seconds.

"If India makes it to the semis then increased demand will be seen from new advertisers who have not bought already. Rates will be more driven by the demand and ESPN will want to maximise given that they are already the last two or three matches," ZenithOptimedia, senior vice-president Naveen Khemka said.

Cost efficiency can be overlooked if brand objectives are met, he added.

The company is also responsible for selling the ad spots for Doordarshan which will broadcast all the matches to be played by India plus the two semi finals and the final.

"The inventory for DD is sold out. We have got a very good response," Kailash said, adding ad rates on DD is much lower compared to its ESPN Software India's channels (ESPN, Star Sports and Star Cricket) but did not specify details.

Companies like Hero Honda, Parle Products, ITC, Jaypee Cement, Reliance Mobile, Pepsi, Tata Motors and Pidilite Industries have signed up as sponsors on DD.

Industry sources said ESPN is estimated to have garnered about Rs 75 crore from ad spots on DD, while it is targeting Rs 750 crore from the World Cup on its own.

TOI

India start the World Cup as favourites

For a team that was knocked out in the first round itself in 2007, India have done amazingly well to be counted among the favourites at this World Cup. They have been highly consistent over the last two years which means they can last the distance in a long drawn-out tournament.

Impact Index (II) too shows that India's two greatest ODI batsmen are currently opening the batting (Tendulkar, Sehwag). They also boast of their greatest finisher in the middle order (Dhoni), as also their best match winning talent after Tendulkar (Yuvraj). Add their finest wicketkeeper and finest ODI captain (Dhoni), their best-ever ODI bowler (Harbhajan Singh) and their second-best pace ODI bowler (Zaheer Khan) and you have a formidable line-up. A man-by-man analysis:

1) VIRENDER SEHWAG (1999 - ) Matches 214 | Batting Average 35 | Strike Rate 103 | Bowling Average 40 | Economy Rate 5.3 | Impact Index 2.86

Despite just-about decent conventional statistics, Sehwag's strike rate makes him the most dangerous batsman in the world. This is reflected in his Strike Rate II, which is second only to Afridi among the current World Cuppers. His Bowling II of 0.73 suggests a very useful part-time bowler too.

2) SACHIN TENDULKAR (1989 - ) Matches 420 | Batting Average 45 | Strike Rate 86 | Bowling Average 44 | Economy Rate 5.1 | Impact Index 3.42

The world's greatest ODI batsman of this era (Batting II 2.16) opens the batting. It is his last World Cup and he is really hungry for it. Talent like his needs no better focus but the weight of expectation in front of home crowds might be a huge factor.

3) GAUTAM GAMBHIR (2004 - ) Matches 97 | Batting Average 40 | Strike Rate 87 | Impact Index 1.93

Gambhir is, in his quiet way, a formidable force already (7th best Indian ODI batsman of all-time) - very good at absorbing pressure too, as per II. He is even better at anchoring the side during a chase (has the fourth-highest Chasing II in Indian ODI history) so should enable the openers to play with abandon.

4) VIRAT KOHLI (2008 - ) Matches 43 | Batting Average 46 | Strike Rate 82 | Impact Index 2.25

If the minimum qualification of 75 matches could be relaxed, Kohli would be the third-best ODI Indian batsman of all time (after Tendulkar and Sehwag). Not only this, he is just behind Dravid and Yuvraj at absorbing pressure too, as II reveals. Kohli is also one of the best fielders in the current squad along with Yuvraj and Raina.

5) YUVRAJ SINGH (2000 - ) Matches 253 | Batting Average 37 | Strike Rate 88 | Bowling Average 39 | Economy Rate 5 | Impact Index 2.77

He is India's greatest match-winning ODI batsman after Tendulkar (four series-defining performances, the most after Tendulkar), almost a genuine bowler (with a Bowling II of almost 1) and India's best fielder. If injury problems and fitness issues don't catch up, he could be India's most important player in this World Cup.

6) MS DHONI (2004 - ) Matches 167 | Batting Average 49 | Strike Rate 89 | Impact Index 3.56

India's most successful captain, its best wicket-keeper and its sixth-best ODI batsman of all time. And perhaps more pertinently, the best chaser and finisher amongst Indian batsmen. His fundamentally detached temperament might be the key factor in front of impassioned home crowds.

7) YUSUF PATHAN (2008 - ) Matches 43 | Batting Average 33 | Strike Rate 115 | Bowling Average 35 | Economy Rate 5.6 | Impact Index 2.25

Given what he has built his reputation on, it's surprising that his Bowling II of 1.01 is actually higher than his Batting II (0.92). But he handles pressure superbly, and is second only to Sehwag when it comes to Strike Rate. An all-or-nothing player, he could be the match-winner.

8) HARBHAJAN SINGH (1998 - ) Matches 202 | Bowling Average 33 | Economy Rate 4.3 | Impact Index 2.80

India's best ODI bowler of all-time. Has the second highest Economy Rate II in world cricket today (after Muralitharan). Bears the mantle of India's best bowler and could play the most important role for the team. Can be a dangerous lower order bat too, though he seems to prefer the Test format.

9) ZAHEER KHAN (2000 - ) Matches 172 | Bowling Average 30 | Economy Rate 4.9 | Impact Index 2.49

India's second-best pace bowler ever (after Srinath) - and crucial to India's chances, especially with the loss through injury of Praveen Kumar. Has been in good form lately, and he could also be one of the most significant forces for India.

10) MUNAF PATEL (2006 - ) Matches 50 | Bowling Average 30 | Economy Rate 4.8 | Impact Index 2.24

He has an excellent Economy II and a good Partnership-Breaking II - and is a genuine match winner on his day (gets an II 5 every ten matches, which is very good - though he is yet to cross 75 games). Praveen's exit paves the way for him.

11) ASHISH NEHRA (2001 - ) Matches 111 | Bowling Average 32 | Economy Rate 5.2 | Impact Index 2.13

Nehra's fragile body has never quite lived up to his promise. This is a great chance for him to be counted. He is amongst India's highest wicket takers (on a match-by-match basis, which II measures, not aggregates) and could be the team's most important support act, especially in death overs.

ON THE BENCH

SURESH RAINA (2005 - ) Matches 107 | Batting Average 35 | Strike Rate 90 | Impact Index 1.72

Amongst India's best batsmen when it comes to handling pressure and second only to Yuvraj when it comes to fielding. Has lost his place due to poor form (after a fabulous run) but Pathan's unreliability could bring him back in the reckoning soon.

RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN (2010 - ) Matches 7 | Bowling Average 23 | Economy Rate 4.9 | Impact Index 3.46

The most exciting young player in India today - has the best Bowling II amongst any Indian bowler (2.81) but has played only 6 matches to arrive at any conclusive decision. He has an excellent Economy II and can bat a bit too. Could well be India's surprise weapon in the big matches (and might have been held back by Dhoni lately for that reason).

S SREESANTH (2010 - ) Matches 47 | Bowling Average 32 | Economy Rate 6.0 | Impact Index 1.80

Praveen Kumar's injury is a huge body blow and Sreesanth is not really an adequate replacement in Indian conditions. He is not quite as impressive in ODIs as in Tests, but given his exploits in South Africa a logical replacement choice (his Bowling II of 1.44 is not bad at all). Indian conditions won't help him much though.

PIYUSH CHAWLA (2007 - ) Matches 22 | Bowling Average 34 | Economy Rate 4.9 | Impact Index 1.78

A solid and useful bowler (with a good Economy II) but somewhat perplexing to see him in the side. When even Ashwin is not assured of getting a place in the first eleven, Chawla is certain to be a passenger in this World Cup. He will probably be a quality net bowler during practice sessions.

About Impact Index

Impact Index is a newly-developed statistical system in cricket that measures the impact of a player in a match relative to the other performances in the same match, on a scale of 0 to 5. On a match and career level, this is perhaps the most meaningful measure of a cricketer till date. By adding context to its measurement, it avoids the skews of time-honoured systems like averages. By making all its calculations holistically from each match, it avoids the rampant subjectivity of rating systems. The Times Of India has the exclusive use of Impact Index right through World Cup 2011.

India's batting might is the strongest in the tournament

Team II

Assuming the Indians select the eleven marked here, the Team II is 2.61 (down from 2.66 after Praveen Kumar's injury), which as it transpires, is clustered along with South Africa and Australia. Home conditions give India an advantage though. To break it down further, India have the strongest batting in the tournament - an II of 1.66 if only the top 7 batsmen are considered. If all 11 players are considered, they are second-best after Australia with 1.12 II. Encouragingly, they have the most dynamic batting side (first on Strike Rate II amongst all teams) and the side with the third highest Pressure II amongst the major teams too. Their bowling II is 1.26 which is amongst the lowest (now even more weakened with Praveen out). But their Economy II in a team context is the second highest which might be useful. Ashwin's inclusion would increase India's Bowling II but would that upset the balance, given that there is no part-time medium pacer (like Ganguly or Amarnath)? Overall, India has 5 players over 2.5 II, which compares well with all the strong teams. There are 15 series/tournament-defining performances amongst its players (the next highest is 12) too and this could be crucial. It means India are carrying more match-winning talent than any team in World Cup 2011.

Conclusion

It is clear from the II readings that this is India's strongest pre-World Cup team in its history (in fact, based on overall career figures, this is more or less on par with India's 1983 World Cup-winning team, even without the Bonus IIs of winning a World Cup). Given its bench-strength, it is difficult to see this team falter...on paper. But the bowling has a soft spot or two, and the part-timers may well have a role to play there. Relative to the other teams too, India has an advantage. As far as II goes, they are on paper the favourites in this World Cup...and it would be the biggest upset of this year if they do not at least reach the final.

Somdev jumps to career best 80 in ATP ranking

BANGALORE: India No. 1 Somdev Devvarman may have fallen short in Johannesburg on Sunday, failing to claim his maiden ATP Tour title. Nevertheless, the soon-to-be 26-year-old managed to seal a top-80 ranking for the first time in his career. The super-fit US-based pro is aiming to climb further, but more importantly, he is first looking to fix the shortcomings in his own game.

"Last week was great for me," Somdev told TOI. "A few areas of my game that need work became apparent to me and we will work on that. This is just the beginning for me. I've been on the Tour for two-and-a-half years now and every week is a learning process. I got broken some 4-5 times in the final and that shouldn't happen in a match. I'm also working on coming onto the net more often."

The South African sojourn saw him net 150 ranking points which saw him take a leap of 30 spots. He had broken into top-100 in August last year but kept floating inside and outside that bracket in the following months.

Somdev, who was gunning to become the first Indian to win a Tour title since Leander Paes in 1998, was playing his second Tour final on Sunday. His first was in Chennai two years ago.

"This week was very different from my final at the Chennai Open in 2009," he said. "There I was playing at home in front of a crowd that was cheering for me. This time I was on the other side, but it was a great experience."

Somdev's American coach Scott McCain said the top-70 would be the Indian's next target as it would make it easier for him to get into Tour events. McCain was all praise for his ward after the Johannesburg run. "Som is playing good," he opined. "He is moving well as always. He is also using his sliced backhand at times and stepping into the court to return serves, especially the second serves. His percentage of points won at net has been really high this week." The American, however, added: "He has yet to play his best match in my eyes though."

Somdev will likely take a break of a couple of weeks before he targets Dubai, after which he'll be in action in India's Davis Cup World Group first-round tie against defending champions Serbia in Novi Sad from March 4 to 6. After the Davis Cup, the Indian will most likely hit the American circuit playing at Indian Wells, Miami and Houston.

Karan Rastogi is the next best Indian singles player ranked at number 328. Meanwhile, reunited partners Mahesh Bhupathi (5) and Leander Paes (6) kept their rankings intact in the doubles chart. Sania Mirza's ranking too was unchanged in both singles (135) and doubles (66). Poojashree Venkatesha is the second-best ranked Indian at number 514, a gain of 20 positions, in the singles chart.


TOI

Australia's Mike Hussey, Hauritz out of World Cup

SYDNEY: Australia batsman Mike Hussey and spinner Nathan Hauritz have been ruled out of the World Cup through injury and will be replaced by Callum Ferguson and Jason Krejza, Cricket Australia said on Tuesday.

Captain Ricky Ponting, wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and all rounder Steve Smith, however, have recovered sufficiently from injury to depart for India with the 15-man squad on Wednesday.

"Based on the medical advice an application is being made to the ICC to replace both players in the World Cup squad," chief selector Andrew Hilditch said in a statement.

"(We have) determined that the best strategy to ensure a successful campaign is for Australia to enter the tournament with a fully fit squad of 15 from the first game."

Australia's best batsman in the recent Ashes series, Hussey had surgery on the hamstring he ruptured in the first one-dayer against England and was only able to jog for the first time last week.

Hauritz had a miserable summer after being dropped for the Ashes then recalled for the one-dayers only to dislocate his shoulder while fielding.

Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris had better news about the other three players on the injury list, including Ponting who fractured a finger in the Melbourne test against England.

"Ricky Ponting is going well in his rehabilitation following his finger fracture," he said. "He is batting regularly and is expected to transition into unrestricted training soon after the team arrives in India.

"Brad Haddin was struck on the knee whilst batting during the seventh ODI against England. During the batting innings the knee became swollen. We expect this to resolve soon after we arrive in India.

"Steve Smith is making very good progress from the groin injury he sustained in the sixth ODI against England."

Xavier Doherty and batsman Shaun Marsh were not considered as replacements for Hussey and Hauritz because of injury, Hilditch added.

Doherty's back injury made way for Krejza to make an unlikely one-day international debut in the final match against England in Perth on Sunday, where he took 2-53.

The 28-year-old off-spinner did, however, take 8-215 on his test debut against India in Nagpur in November 2008.

"Jason toured India with the Australian test team in 2008 and understands those conditions," added Hilditch. "We're certain he'll be a key member of our squad."

Ferguson has more experience of one-dayers but was also handed his chance when Marsh injured his hamstring.

"Callum has an excellent record in one-day international cricket and played well in the one-day game against England in Sydney recently," said Hilditch of the 26-year-old, who has averaged 44 runs over 28 one-dayers.

"We think he'll play well in sub-continental conditions." Australia, who have won the last three World Cups and four in total, will play warm-up matches against India and South Africa in Bangalore before the tournament starts on Feb. 19.

Revised Australia squad - Ricky Ponting (captain), Shane Watson, Brad Haddin, Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, David Hussey, Cameron White, Tim Paine, Steven Smith, John Hastings, Mitchell Johnson, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Tait, Doug Bollinger.

Eden Gardens awaits World Cup verdict

NEW DELHI: Under-fire officials at India's Eden Gardens in Kolkata expressed confidence about hosting their share of World Cup matches ahead of a final inspection of the famous ground on Monday.

The stadium was stripped of the high-profile match between India and England on February 27 because of concerns about unfinished renovation work, echoing the shambolic buildup to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last year.

The match has since been shifted to Bangalore.

A decision on whether Kolkata will host the remaining three World Cup matches -- none of these involving India -- would be taken after an International Cricket Council inspection on Monday.

A Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) official said all the concrete and structural steel work had been completed and workers were busy dismantling their set-ups.

"We will be working till everything is complete," CAB joint-secretary Biswarup Dey was quoted as saying by the Kolkata-based Telegraph newspaper. "We are confident of being 100 percent ready."

In a letter to the Indian board, the ICC had outlined a schedule of works that needed to be carried out at the Edens before the other World Cup matches at the ground.

The stadium is due to host South Africa v Ireland on March 15, Ireland v the Netherlands on March 18 and Zimbabwe v Kenya on March 20.

The World Cup, being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, begins on February 19.

TOI

Ryder delivers as New Zealand post 311/7 against Pakistan

AUCKLAND: Jesse Ryder hit form with a century as New Zealand posted 311, their highest score of the one-day series against Pakistan, batting first in the dead rubber at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday.


Ryder cracked six sixes and seven fours on his way to 107 off 93 balls for his second one-day century, while down the order Nathan McCullum with 65 and an unbeaten 58 from Scott Styris helped bolster the New Zealand total.

After being put in to bat, New Zealand produced their most impressive innings of the six-match series, and Ryder's performance was the best individual score, although too late to make a difference to the series outcome.

Pakistan took an unbeatable 3-1 lead when they trounced New Zealand by 41 runs in the fifth game in Hamilton on Thursday. The second game was washed out.

With nothing at stake but pride, New Zealand ditched the experiment of batting Brendon McCullum down the order, which had not paid off in the earlier matches, and restored the swashbuckling batter to his opener's role.

But he only made 12 before being outsmarted by Sohail Tanvir, who fired down a ball slightly wider than usual. McCullum's attempt to pull it over mid off resulted in him getting an edge off the toe of the bat to wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.

Enter Ryder to join Martin Guptill and New Zealand took charge bringing up their 100 with a Ryder six in the 15th over and putting on 123 for the second wicket.

Guptill, as he has done throughout the series, made a sound start before throwing his wicket away with a rash shot.

He reached 44 when he tried to hit Abdul Razzaq out of the ground and was caught by Umar Gul at long on to start a New Zealand slide that saw them slump from 141-1 to 190-5 in 11 overs.

Ryder, who required a runner in the latter part of his innings, saw his innings come to an end when he skied part-time spinner Mohammad Hafeez and was caught at deep midwicket by Tanvir.

Styris and Nathan McCullum picked up the pace for New Zealand in the closing overs as they produced a 120-run stand for the sixth wicket in 14 overs.

Abdul Razzaq was the pick of the Pakistan bowlers with 2-23 off seven overs, while Hafeez, who was surprisingly called upon to bowl at the end, took 2-57 off nine overs.

TOI

Ganguly's IPL dream over, Pandey banned for four matches

MUMBAI: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly will not be part of IPL 4 starting on April 8 and Karnataka batsman Manish Pandey cannot play the first four matches for his new franchise Sahara Pune Warriors for breaching player guidelines, the league's Governing Council said on Friday.

IPL's Governing Council stalled what could have been a back-door entry for Ganguly after he was left unsold at the players' auction in Bangalore at a base price of $400,000.

"Based on the views from Franchisees, IPL Governing Council decided not to make available the unsold Indian Players from the auction," said a release from Cricket Board's secretary N Srinivasan who is a member of the GC as an office bearer of the Board.

That effectively dashed the hopes of not only Ganguly, who went unsold at the two-day auction on January 8 and 9, but also those of two other capped players - Wasim Jaffer and V R V Singh - who will not feature in the April 8-May 28 tournament.

Speaking to reporters after a marathon meeting of the Governing Council, chairman Chirayu Amin said Ganguly would not be part of IPL 4 following the objection raised by a few franchises to a request from one franchise which was interested in buying the Bengal stalwart outside the auction.

"We had received a request from one franchise (Kochi) that Ganguly should be allowed to be purchased outside the auction and rejected it after objections were raised by some other franchises," Amin said.

IPL rules state that no capped player can be bought outside the players' auction after he has been part of the process.

About the reason for cracking the whip and imposing the ban on Pandey, Srinivasan stated that based on the complaints from franchisees and after meeting with the player, the GC had imposed a four-match ban on the player.

"He cannot play the first four matches of IPL Season 4. As desired by him, he is permitted to play for the Pune Franchise," Srinivasan said in his release.

Amin told reporters that Pandey, through his agent, had haggled with several franchises.

"Pandey's agent was negotiating with a number of franchises," was how Amin put it.

Pandey played for the Bangalore Royal Challengers in the first three seasons of IPL.

The IPL also saw no merit in the letter from Mumbai Indians franchise alleging complaints of irregularities in the conduct of January 8-9 players' auction and declared that the auction was held in a fair and transparent manner.

"As regards the letter from M/s. India Win Sports Private Limited (Mumbai Indians) regarding the recent IPL auction, the Governing Council was briefed by the operational team including IMG on all aspects of the letter. The procedure followed in this year's auction is exactly the same as was done in all the previous IPL auctions," Srinivasan said.

"Representatives of all Franchisees had read the auction briefing note prepared by the IMG which included the changes referred to and signed the same in acceptance before the auction including the India Win Sports Private Limited (Mumbai Indians). The Governing Council reiterates that the auction was transparent and fair," he added.

Five new IPL Committees were also appointed in the meeting.

Code of Behaviour Committee: Shashank Manohar, Arun Jaitley, Chirayu Amin, Ravi Shastri, Ajay Shirke

Technical Committee: Chirayu Amin, Mohinder Amarnath, Ravi Shastri, M P Pandove, Sanjay Jagdale, Ranjib Biswal

Entertainment Committee: Chirayu Amin, Rajeev Shukla, Anurag Thakur, Ranjib Biswal

Therapeutic Usage Exemption (TUE) Committee: Independent physicians arranged through IDTM

Suspect Bowling Action Committee: S Venkatraghavan, A V Jayaprakash, Javagal Srinath, Mohinder Amarnath.

TOI