World Cup coaches have different goals

NEW DELHI: They don't win matches by smashing sixes or grabbing wickets but prefer plotting their teams' success behind the scene.

Fourteen coaches go into the World Cup with different goals, some eyeing the trophy while others seek improvement. The only thing unacceptable to all of them is under-performance.

Seven of the nine Test-playing nations named new coaches after the 2007 event in the Caribbean for different reasons, highlighting the significance of their role.

India coach Gary Kirsten, England's Andy Flower, Australian Tim Nielsen, Sri Lanka's Trevor Bayliss, South African Corrie Van Zyl and Pakistan's Waqar Younis believe they have the team to hit the jackpot.

Coaches of the remaining three Test nations - Jamie Siddons (Bangladesh), John Wright (New Zealand) and Ottis Gibson (West Indies) - are also hungry for success and expect their teams to improve upon their 2007 performances.

With Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain and former South Africa batsman Kirsten as coach, India have done remarkably well in recent years to eventually become number one in Test and two in one-day rankings.

Kirsten is likely to step down after the tournament.

Expectations grew with each success and millions of fans now want India to bury bitter memories of the 2007 edition that saw them crash out in the first round.

England are the in-form team, having recently won the Ashes in Australia for the first time in 24 years. Flower's biggest challenge is to make England believe they are as formidable a side in one-dayers as in Tests.

"Andy Flower is a guy we all respect for what he's achieved and how he holds himself in the dressing room. He's been incredible," England captain Andrew Strauss said.

Bayliss played a major role in helping Sri Lanka improve their Test and one-day rankings and expects his team to repeat the 1996 feat in his last assignment.

Sri Lanka have also set lofty standards as they were the champions in 1996, semi-finalists in 2003 and runners-up four years later.

"The World Cup success is a very big thing here in Sri Lanka. Everyone involved in cricket would like to copy what happened in 1996," said Bayliss.

Nielsen will feel the heat when Australia make a bid to win a fourth successive Cup without key players -- Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds.

Australia, who did not lose a match in the last two editions with John Buchanan as coach, may not find it easy this time as they have shed much of their strength in recent years.

They, however, remain a team to beat in one-dayers.

Waqar, looking for consistency from his team, has said restoring faith among the players will be his top priority.

"My first task will be to mix with the players and raise their morale," Waqar said after being named coach last year.

Pakistan will be determined to put in a solid all-round performance this time after their first-round exit in the last edition.

South Africa had to be content with semi-final finishes in 1999 and 2007 as they faltered at crucial moments.

Van Zyl hopes his side handles the pressure better this time as they have the talent to beat the best.

Bangladesh, who made history by advancing to the second round in 2007 with Dav Whatmore as coach, have been steadily improving in recent years and the credit also goes to Siddons.

Their best came last year when they blanked New Zealand and Zimbabwe in home one-day series.

Wright, India's coach when the team reached the 2003 final in South Africa, is expected to revive New Zealand's fortunes after the team's recent poor performances, including 11 successive defeats in the sub-continent.

TOI

Smith raises doubts over MAC pitch

CHENNAI: When India played their last international match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in December, the pitch wasn't at its best with the spinners calling the shots right from the start.

Two months have passed, the stadium looks swankier than ever, but there are still a few question marks that are being raised about the pitch. The practice match that was played on Saturday between South Africa and Zimbabwe didn't see a deluge or runs and the winning skipper Graeme Smith raised doubts about the quality of the pitch.

Though he didn't mean to be "too harsh on the curators", Smith said that he was a little disappointed with the pitch that was on offer. "The pitch looked a little underprepared. The subcontinent pitches are much better than this," Smith said at the end of the match.

That was precisely the reason why he didn't even go gaga over the performances of his spinners Imran Tahir, Robin Peterson and Johan Botha. "They were OK, but I think the pitch suited them more," Smith said.

The TNCA curator K Parthasarathy, though, vehemently opposed that the pitch was underprepared. "We had left a little bit of grass and that's why the pitch was keeping a little low. You cannot term a wicket underprepared because of that," Parthasarathy told TOI.

South Africa are supposed to play one of their key matches — against England — on March 6 on the same track and that is probably the reason why Smith is a little worried. Though Smith didn't say that in as many words, he felt that there will be wear and tear on the pitch over the next one month. "As more games are played, the pitch is bound to take a beating. Let's see how it shapes up over the next few days," Smith said.

However, the TNCA authorities informed that the World Cup games won't be played on the pitch where Saturday's practice match was played. "It was just a practice match and we cannot allow our best pitch for such a game. Moreover, there was no television coverage either," a senior TNCA official said. It was also told that India's practice game against New Zealand will be played on a different pitch.

On Saturday, Zimbabwe had managed only 152 runs on the track and South Africa ran away with the game in 24 overs. It was evident from Smith's words that he was looking for a better contest than that.

"The wicket was pretty slow and dead. I hope it's better prepared for the World Cup proper as coming to those games the wickets will get a lot more attention," the South African skipper added.

The TNCA officials countered smith by saying that "the pitches have been made with a lot of care and unless there's an official complaint either from the teams or from the match referee, they are just not bothered".

TOI

Pietersen dismisses ODI retirement talks

LONDON: Top England batsman Kevin Pietersen has dismissed reports that he will be retiring from one-day cricket after the Cricket World Cup in the sub-continent to prolong his Test and Twenty20 career.

"Just to set the record straight. I have no intention of retiring from ODI's after the World Cup!!" Pietersen wrote on his Twitter account before boarding the flight to Bangladesh for the World Cup.

Reports had Saturday claimed that the England batsman was to stop playing in the 50-over format and instead focus on Test, Twenty20 cricket and the Indian Premier League, giving him more time to spend with his family.

"Kevin would like to make it clear he will continue to play ODIs for England as long as he is selected," his agent Adam Wheatley was quoted as saying by Sunday Telegraph.

Like many of the England squad, Pietersen has of late spent months away from his family, including son Dylan who was born in May last, over the course of a long winter which has included an Ashes tour of Australia and now the World Cup.

The 30-year-old will extend his time abroad by playing in the IPL after the World Cup, having earned a $650,000 contract with the Deccan Chargers.

England open their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on February 22.

The IPL season four runs from April 8 to May 22, after which Pietersen will return to his new county Surrey for the English domestic season, which will already be in full swing by that stage.

TOI

WC warm-up tie: Spinners give India 38-run win over Australia

BANGALORE: Sticking to one's strengths is the best possible policy. Both India and Australia put that theory into practice and each came away with results that would have left them satisfied. This though applies to the respective bowling strategies only, with the batting on either side, considered strong on paper, not really coming to the party during the World Cup warm-up game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. For the record, albeit it doesn't count, the result went India's way, by as many as 38 runs in a low-scoring game.

Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson had brazenly announced his team's game plan against the Indians on Saturday itself. He had stated that despite the World Cup being played in the sub-continent, the strategy would still be to test the Indians out with short-pitched stuff. And in front of a packed stadium, after Mahendra Singh Dhoni had won a rare toss and decided to bat, Johnson and Co. were true to their word. Hardly a ball landed in the batsman's half and the Aussie pacers didn't bother either that they were conceding many a wide with the ball sailing over the head.

This was all a bit too much for the Sachin Tendulkar-less side (the master and Zaheer Khan were left out, while the other 13 took part) who didn't have a counter strategy and crumbled for a poor 214 inside the 45th over. That total in itself was owed to a restrained (by his standards) half-century from Virender Sehwag (54, 56b, 8x4, 1x6) and an even quieter 38-ball 32 from Yusuf Pathan, who had no fours in his innings but had two massive sixes to show.

The Australian reply was typically strong, Shane Watson and Tim Paine getting the side off the blocks quickly. The Indians for their part, reacted by turning to their spinners as early as the ninth over. With the fresh pitch surprisingly affording ample turn, the test was on for the Aussies, skipper Ricky Ponting in particular. Ponting (57, 85b, 4x4), who had stayed away from the slips when his side bowled to protect his finger, batted through the period with typical grit to at least ensure he got some useful time in the middle if not a winning start to the World Cup defense.

For the Indians, all the three spinners, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin and Piyush Chawla, who was even on a hat-trick once, were impressive as was skipper Dhoni, who had three stumpings to show for his first donning of the wicketkeeping gloves since the tour of South Africa.

Will all the pitches to be used in the tournament turn thus, will the ones in Bangalore at least do so, is the question now. If it does, it will certainly be advantage the hosts.

Scorecard

India:
G Gambhir c White b Bollinger 6,
V Sehwag b Krejza 54,
V Kohli c Hussey b Hastings 21,
Yuvraj Singh c Paine b Johnson 1,
MS Dhoni b Hastings 11,
S Raina c Paine b Lee 12,
Y Pathan c Krejza b Hussey 32,
Harbhajan Singh b Lee 4,
P Chawla b Lee 0,
R. Ashwin not out 25,
A. Nehra c Krejza b Hussey 19.

Extras: (lb3, nb1, w25) 29
Total: (for all out; 44.3 overs) 214
Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-54, 3-63, 4-101, 5-113, 6-132, 7-136, 8-138, 9-187

Bowling:
B Lee 10-1-35-3 (nb1, w4),
D Bollinger 6-0-29-1 (w2),
M Johnson 9-0-42-1 (w10),
J Hastings 6-0-24-2 (w4),
J Krejza 10-0-56-1 (w2),
M Hussey 3.3-0-25-2 (w3).

Australia:
S Watson c Chawla b Sreesanth 33,
T Paine c Patel b Yuvraj Singh 37,
R Ponting st Dhoni b Harbhajan 57,
M Clarke b Chawla 0,
C White c Ashwin b Chawla 4,
D Hussey st Dhoni b Chawla 0,
C Ferguson c Kohli b Chawla 8,
M Johnson st Dhoni b Harbhajan 15,
J Hastings n.o. 1,
J Krejza lbw Harbhajan 0,
B Lee b Ashwin 1

Extras: (b3, lb6, w11) 20
Total: (all out; 37.5 overs) 176
Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-118, 3-120, 4-138, 5-138, 6-148, 7-166, 8-175, 9-175.

Bowling:
A Nehra 2-0-12-0,
S Sreesanth 5-0-21-1,
M Patel 2-0-22-0,
R Ashwin 9.5-0-47-1,
P Chawla 9-0-31-4 (2w),
Yuvraj Singh 5-0-19-1,
Harbhajan 5-0-15-3 (1w).

Result: India won by 38 runs

India's next warm-up match: vs New Zealand at Chennai on March 16.

TOI

ICC clears Eden Gardens for three World Cup matches

KOLKATA: Eden Gardens is on course to host the remaining three World Cup matches after being stripped of the high-profile game between India and England due to unfinished renovation work, the International Cricket Council indicated on Tuesday.

"We are pleased with the progress made since January 25 and if that pace of work is maintained, we believe that the stadium will be ready for the games scheduled in March," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.

A three-member ICC team, which inspected the Eden Gardens on Monday, reported that outstanding work can be completed in time to host the three matches, the statement added.

Buoyed by ICC's statement, CAB officials said they are hopeful of getting back one India match. According to CAB joint secretary Biswarup Dey, the association will appeal to the ICC through the BCCI to reallocate an India match at the Eden Gardens.

The CAB is eyeing the India-Ireland match scheduled to be played at Bangalore on March 6, but the ICC is unlikely to entertain any further change in the schedule as it could throw the entire itinerary out of gear

Four World Cup matches were to be played at the Eden Gardens, but doubts over the fate of the last three games arose after the February 27 match between India and England was shifted to Bangalore.

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

TOI

BCCI's agenda against Dalmiya behind Eden fiasco: Kapil

KOLKATA: Captain of Indian World Cup winning team Kapil Dev on Sunday criticised the BCCI for Eden Gardens not being able to host World Cup matches involving India.

"It is also responsibility of BCCI to see that CAB completes the renovation work of the stadium in time," Dev said while participating in a cricket chat show here.

"I am not supporting CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya nor BCCI. Everybody should have come together to host a match at Eden," he said.

Stating that adding "personal agenda" should not have come in arranging such matches, he asked: "Why for Mr Jagmohan Dalmiya, people of West Bengal will be deprived to see India in action at Eden Gardens in this World Cup?"

A stadium in Mumbai, where no match has been played earlier, has been allotted a match this time, but the match scheduled to be held in Kolkata, known for its love for cricket, has been taken away, Dev lamented.

"I also feel sorry for the people here," he said at a chat show in which three other former captains of World Cup -- Vivian Richards, Steve Waugh, and Sourav Ganguly -- were present.

Former Aussie skipper Steve Waugh said the Australians have a very good memory of Eden where they won the World Cup beating England in 1987.

About pressure to be faced by the Indian team for playing before the home crowd, Dev said, "Pressure will be there. But you have to take it in your stride as you have the crowd and the pitch in your favour."

On the dependence of the Indian team on Sachin Tendulkar, he said, "I don't like to depend on one player. Cricket is a team game."

Praising Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, he said Dhoni was able keep his cool under pressure.

Former West Indies great Richards said fielding would be going the deciding factor this time.

He said Indian batting has been improved quite a lot under coach Gary Kirsten.

According to the present format, all the rated teams should reach the quarterfinals, said Sourav Ganguly.

TOI

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