Sean Ervine leaves Zimbabwe World Cup squad

Harare, Jan 26 (AP): All-rounder Sean Ervine pulled out of Zimbabwe's squad for personal reasons on Wednesday, dealing the team's World Cup hopes a major blow.

Ervine quit English County side Hampshire two weeks ago to play for Zimbabwe for the first time in seven years but he intended to return to Britain. His younger brother Craig remained in the World Cup squad.

Sean Ervine was replaced by Tinotenda Mawoyo, an opening batsman and wicketkeeper who received two one-day international caps against Bangladesh in 2006.

Zimbabwe head selector Alistair Campbell said he was saddened by Ervine's withdrawal.

"Zimbabwe Cricket was very excited about Sean coming back into the setup. However, he may not have realised that international cricket is a lot harder than he remembers," Campbell said in a statement.

"He has lived a very comfortable life in county cricket for the last six years and obviously decided at the last minute he might not be up to the challenges of international cricket after all."

The 28-year-old Ervine played five Tests and 42 one-dayers from 2001-04, until he was involved in a players' dispute with national cricket administrators and left the country.

Mawoyo, 25, captained Zimbabwe Under-19s at the 2003 Youth World Cup in Bangladesh and was stripped of the Zimbabwe 'A' captaincy for disciplinary reasons in 2007.

He has been enjoying good first-class form of late and was named as a non-travelling reserve for the World Cup.

Zimbabwe opens against defending champion Australia on February 21 at Ahmedabad and was in Group A beside New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Canada and Kenya.

Eden Gardens loses India-England World Cup match for lack of preparations

MUMBAI: It was paradise lost for the City of Joy as the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday declared the Eden Gardens unfit to host India's World Cup group league match against England slated for February 27. With the renovation work progressing at snail's pace, the ICC team which carried out a final inspection of the Eden Gardens on Tuesday, gave the historic stadium a thumbs down in its report.

The ICC has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to suggest an alternative venue so that the match can be shifted there. But late in the evening Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) who should cop much of the blame for the sordid mess, came up with two suggestions to keep the World Cup matches at Eden.

The first is a swap deal with another association that will allow Eden to host a different match at a later date in exchange for the England match. In another move, he has offered to hand over a 'match-ready' Eden Gardens on February 7 to the ICC. Dalmiya, who has maintained that the Eden would be ready in time to host the February 27 match, said that the extra few days gained would help the CAB to have everything in place to play the perfect host.

The BCCI, on its part, has asked the CAB president to make a written submission in this respect which will be duly forwarded to the ICC, the tournament hosts. All this, however, may not cut much ice with the world body. From all available indication, the swap deal which may upset the entire World Cup schedule, is a non-starter as far as the ICC is concerned. And regarding Dalmiya's offer to hand over Eden by February 7, the ICC will strictly go by the report of its venue-inspection team, which will visit Kolkata again on January 31 to ascertain Eden's preparedness to host the other three non-India matches, scheduled there in March.

If the ICC team finds the pace of renovation work unsatisfactory, it is likely to move the Ireland vs South Africa (March 15), Ireland vs Holland (March 18) and Kenya vs Zimbabwe (March 20) matches out of Kolkata and it would be up to the BCCI to reallocate them.

The ICC, which surprised many by provisionally clearing the newly-renovated Wankhede Stadium despite concerns about the pending work, now wants Mumbai to host the India vs England match.

This compounds the problems for BCCI which faces a logistics nightmare. If the ICC takes all the matches away from Kolkata, the BCCI will have to find four suitable slots without disturbing the World Cup schedule and four willing centres to host these matches. Finding a venue is no big deal for the BCCI, especially as many of its affiliated units are keen to host the India-England game. Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Nagpur - which are all scheduled to host India matches - want to host an additional one. So does Ahmedabad, which will be hosting a quarterfinal. Mohali, which has been allotted a semifinal, has also made a strong pitch to host the England game.

The BCCI office-bearers are likely to meet on Monday to finalize the relocation of the Eden match.

Earlier in the day, the ICC pulled the plug on Eden Gardens. "Regrettably, Eden Gardens has not made sufficient progress to justify the level of confidence required to confirm that the venue would be ready in good time," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement. "All venues had ample time in which to prepare for World Cup matches," said Lorgat.

"We had been understanding and had provided extensions to the deadline dates but unfortunately we are now at a point where we must carefully manage our risks," he added.

The ICC decision is bound to cause intense disappointment among the cricket-crazy fans of Kolkata, 66,000 of whom were expected to fill the new-look Eden during the India-England game. The ICC move clearly took CAB bosses, who were confident of getting the stadium ready in time - CWG style - for the February 27 match, by surprise.

The ICC said concerns are mainly over "cricket operations, media, broadcast and sponsorship facilities" that were not finalized or confirmed by the CAB as hundreds of labourers have been toiling day and night to finish building two new blocks of stands which are still covered in scaffolding.

Until Thursday's ICC ruling, the CAB had been dismissive about Eden's lack of preparedness for the big occasion, with Dalmiya himself going on record on Tuesday, saying, "It appears that ICC team is happy after the inspection of the venue. The match is on 27th (Feb), we have to finish the work before the match."

On Thursday, a rattled Dalmiya lashed out at the ICC and the BCCI. Maintaining that the ground is match fit, Dalmiya termed the decision to shift the match as a "conspiracy" against Bengal cricket.

Read more: Eden Gardens loses India-England World Cup match for lack of preparations - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/world-cup-2011/news/Eden-Gardens-loses-India-England-World-Cup-match-for-lack-of-preparations/articleshow/7375066.cms#ixzz1CId39BEy

Was IPL auction fair? Mumbai Indians raise questions

MUMBAI: Until now, there were just rumours. Now, it seems that the IPL players' auction on January 8 and 9 could well have been rigged. Or so it would seem if you look at the angry letter that Mumbai Indians have shot off to every member of the IPL's governing council, demanding an explanation for the last-minute changes to the auction process. They have categorically stated that the changes were not only unjustified but also unacceptable.

The three-page letter, a copy of which is with TOI, points out that most franchises were taken by surprise when they were told about a change in the rules in the January 6 briefings, a day before the auction.

In the first briefing on December 17, the franchises were told that the players would be arranged in pre-defined sets. The plan, they were informed, would be to start with the marquee players and then move to sets of same specialization (meaning: batsmen, bowlers, allrounders etc).

Critically, they were told that "the order of all these sets will be determined by (a) random draw that will take place in the auction room."

At 5 pm on the eve of the auctions, though, the franchises received another email - just two hours before the GC was to take them through another briefing. It said: "An updated version of the auction briefing (has been sent). The only changes are in paragraphs 37 and 38. Please read as paragraph 38 will impact your strategy."

The MI letter says "the so called updated version of the auction briefing reads as follows: The final sentence of paragraph 18 is to be deleted. The sets will be presented to the Auction in order of the auction list (which need not have same speciality players in the same set)".

MI claim that the 'amended' rule resulted in a fundamental change to the auction process as "selection of sets at random" was substituted by a 'pre-decided order of the auction list'."

The primary purpose of deciding the order of auction (whether for subsequent sets or players within sets) through a random draw in the auction room in presence of bidders was to ensure transparency and a level-playing field. In the changed scenario, certain individuals or franchises could have been privy to the exact sequence of the auction which would have allowed them to plan better. More significantly, if they got this information earlier, they could have waited for the right moment to bid for the right player.

Therefore, MI says "Any last-minute change can have justification if, and only if, strong justifiable and emergent reasons can be demonstrated to be present" and adds further "we see a complete absence of such reason or justification. Kindly let us know how and whose instance these changes were introduced."

It should be mentioned here that Chennai Super Kings owner N Srinivasan sat as a member of the GC at the auctions even as his team bid for players and, as TOI had reported on January 10, franchises had already started murmuring that they were unhappy about last-minute changes.

Srinivasan's family owns the franchise even as he happens to be a GC member, BCCI secretary, its president-elect and president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). Interestingly, CSK successfully managed to bid for all premier Tamil Nadu cricketers.

TOI had also questioned GC chairman Chirayu Amin about the same on January 10, to which the answer was a meek one: "We always ensure complete transparency. If any franchise feels otherwise, they are free to mention it."

The agenda of the meetings were approved, the quorum and minutes were recorded, the basis - if any - on which order of sets in auction list was determined. Then, MI's question to the GC is "Who authorized to amend these rules and what was the source of such authority?"

If Amin says there was complete transparency, then why are these questions coming out of the closet now?

TOI

Paes-Bhupathi enter Australian Open final

MELBOURNE: Reliving their old magic, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi earned a chance to complete their Grand Slam cabinet by reaching the men's doubles final of the Australian Open on Thursday.

The third seed Indian Express, as they are known, pipped the second seed pair of Belarusian Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor of Canada 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 in the semifinal at Melbourne Park.

They will play against top seed American twins and double defending champions Mike and Bob Bryan in the summit clash.

The Bryan brothers eased past unseeded duo of Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-3, 6-2 in 54 minutes in their semifinal.

Paes and Bhupathi decided to rejoin the forces after nine years to win that elusive Australian Open trophy, at the start of the season.

They came into Australian Open in a good nick as they clinched the Chennai Open at home.

Paes has won 12 Grand Slam titles and Bhupathi 11 in their respective careers but they have never won Australian Open men's doubles trophy.

Interestingly, Bhupathi has not won a men's doubles Grand Slam title since 2002 US Open with max Mirnyi.

Paes and Bhupathi last played together at a Grand Slam at Australian Open in 2002 when they reached the second round.

Paes and Bhupathi had to sweat a lot against Mirnyi and Nestor as both the pairs fought tooth and nail before the Indians prevailed.

There was hardly anything to separate the two teams as they broke each other twice in the opening set, which was decided through a tie-break in the favour of the Indians.

Paes and Bhupathi had their chances to clinch the issue in straight sets but squandered two breakpoints and dropped their own serve once to allow their rivals to take the match to the third set.

They did not repeat the mistake in the deciding set and converted the first available chance to open up lead and end on the right side of the result after two hours and 20 minutes.

Read more: Paes-Bhupathi enter Australian Open final - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/india-challenges/Paes-Bhupathi-enter-Australian-Open-final/articleshow/7369903.cms#ixzz1CF2v0svG

Djokovic knocks Federer out of Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic once again mastered defending champion Roger Federer to reach the final of the Australian Open on Thursday.

The resurgent Serbian third seed wore down Federer 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 6-4 in three hours to repeat his semifinal win over the Swiss great in the 2008 Australian Open on the way to winning his lone Grand Slam title.

Djokovic will now play the winner of Friday's semifinal between British fifth seed Andy Murray and Spain's seventh seed David Ferrer in Sunday's title match.

It will be the first Grand Slam without Rafael Nadal or Federer since the 2008 Australian final.

With world number one Nadal out of the tournament amid doubts over his fitness and now Federer beaten, Djokovic's triumph may have signalled a changing of the guard at the top of men's tennis.

"He puts a lot of pressure on you, so I tried to stay to the last moment and really it was one of the best matches I've played in a while," Djokovic said.

"I had to take my chances, in the second set I was a break up and in 20 minutes I was 5-2 down, so if I had lost that set God knows which direction the match would go.

"But I am just happy to overcome the tough moments to play my best tennis."

It was Djokovic's third win over Federer in a Grand Slam semifinal, and he now leads the Swiss great 3-2 in their encounters at the majors.

The world number three repeated his classic straight-sets win over Federer in the semifinals in Melbourne three years ago, when he went on to beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final for his maiden Grand Slam title.

He also defeated Federer in the semifinals of last year's US Open after saving two match points. Federer still leads 13-7 in their overall meetings.

Federer was playing in his eighth straight Australian semi-final and his 27th Slam semifinal.

Djokovic continued his terrific form at the tournament and has dropped just one set leading into Sunday's final.

Djokovic opened shakily with two double faults before holding, as Federer looked looked stronger on serve as the first set went into a tiebreaker.

But Federer played a poor tiebreak with a couple of backhand misses and Djokovic took the set on the first of his four set points in 57 minutes.

The Serb was fired up by his early advantage and broke Federer in the third game of the second set when a Federer backhand was long.

That stung the world number two and he claimed a double service break to go up 5-2, but Djokovic hit back winning the next five games to go two sets up after Federer began missing his forehand.

Djokovic fought for 13 minutes and five deuces to cling to his service at the start of the third set as Federer desperately looked for a way back into the contest.

Federer became more flustered under the continual assault from Djokovic and was broken in the third game to give the third seed control of the deciding set, as he wore down the Swiss champion.

Fighting Federer broke back to 4-4, but the Swiss again gave up serve with more volley errors to leave Djokovic to serve out for the match on his third match point.

Read more: Djokovic knocks Federer out of Australian Open - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Djokovic-knocks-Federer-out-of-Australian-Open/articleshow/7372750.cms#ixzz1CF2hm99Z

Pakistani cricketers must learn from Sachin: Miandad

KARACHI: Former captain and director-general of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Javed Miandad has urged Pakistani cricketers to learn from the achievements of Indian batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar.

Rather than letting their on-field performance speak for them, Miandad feels that the players are happy to brag about their performance in media.

"We keep on reading and hearing about some of the players making claims about how they will deliver, but on field that is not happening and it is a big let down for the nation."

"I would advise them to just focus on their game and go for improvement and take every match seriously. The players need to realise cricket is played on the field.

"They should learn from Sachin who has had a wonderful career and scored century after century but one never hear him making tall claims about his performances or achievements. He is a proper professional and someone our players can learn from," the veteran of 124 Tests insisted.

Miandad also called on captain, Shahid Afridi to take more responsibility as a player and lift the team by example and said that the all-rounder has got enough amount of talent and he should channelise it properly.

"He shouldn't be playing the way he is. Imran Khan is a great example of how a captain should perform.

"Imran lifted the team in the 1992 World Cup. Afridi needs to start doing that himself. He did it during the World T20 Championship so he is perfectly capable of delivering," Miandad said.

He emphasised, "He (Afridi) has immense talent which he does not utilise properly at times."

Urging the players to take the current one-day series against New Zealand seriously Miandad said, "Unfortunately what I noticed was that the players didn't appear serious about their business in the first match in Wellington they took things lightly. In international cricket this is not acceptable."

Pakistan who are currently engaged in an ODI series against Kiwis failed to replicate their performance in Tests against the hosts and lost the series opener by nine wickets after being bowled out for just 124 runs in 37.4 overs.

Adding greater significance to ongoing series in view of the upcoming World Cup, Miandiad reiterated that losing it could have a big impact on their performances in the mega event.

"It is important for the players to realise that once they get into a losing streak it will be difficult for them to come out of it in a high pressure event like the World Cup," the former batsman cautioned.

"The players must realise they are fortunate to get such a series just before the World Cup," Miandad said while expressing his surprise at the relaxed attitude of the players in the first match.

"They need to realise the significance of the World Cup when every Pakistani is praying for their success. The tournament comes once in four years and everyone expects the team to fire in the World Cup."

"No excuses can be accepted and the players must also realise that if they perform well in the World Cup how much of a boost it would be for Pakistan cricket which is facing so many problems," he added.

"The players just need to get more serious about their performances. I believe they have the capability of winning the series in New Zealand and also doing well in the World Cup but for that they need to focus on their short comings and strengths and use them properly," Miandad said while pinning hope on the present ODI outfit.

Read more: Pakistani cricketers must learn from Sachin: Miandad - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/Pakistani-cricketers-must-learn-from-Sachin-Miandad/articleshow/7352698.cms#ixzz1Bx3x1n00

Asian Cup good World Cup test, says AFC chief

STAFF WRITER 15:7 HRS IST

Doha, Jan 24 (AFP) Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam has praised Qatar's hosting of the Asian Cup, calling it the perfect rehearsal for the World Cup in 2022.

Bin Hammam, himself a Qatari, who was instrumental in helping bring the World Cup to his homeland, also hailed the quality of football on show at the continental showpiece.

"It's been an extremely well organised event by Qatar," said the Asian Football Confederation president, who has not ruled out running against FIFA boss Sepp Blatter when he stands for re-election in May.

"Although it is 12 years (sic) between now and 2022, it was a very good rehearsal for that competition."

The tiny but wealthy country has thrown plenty of money at the Asian Cup -- the stadiums are shiny and modern, the organisation is excellent, facilities are top-notch and communications work flawlessly.

Paes-Bhupathi enter Australian Open quarterfinals

MELBOURNE: Indian tennis pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi entered the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with a fighting three-set win over Spanish combination of Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo in the third round of the men's doubles event on Monday.

Paes and Bhupathi, who teamed up together after nine years in a bid to add the only Grand Slam title - the Australian Open - missing in their cupboard, had to play out of the skin to get the better of 13th seeds Granollers and Robredo 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in an engrossing one hour and 52 minutes encounter.

In the quarterfinals, the third seeded Indian pair will play the winners of the match between Indo-Pak pair of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi and French-Serbian combination of Micheal Lodra and Nenad Zimonjic.

Paes and Bhupathi started the match positively as they pocketed the first set in just 33 minutes.

But Granollers and Robredo made a strong comeback in the second to take the encounter into the decider which the Indians won after a 42 minute battle.

The highlight of Paes and Bhupathi's game was their cent percent break point conversion. The Indian pair made use of the two opportunities that came their way while their opponents could only manage two out of four chances.

Paes and Bhupathi, however, will have to get their acts together in the last eight round and avoid committing unforced errors, which they did 18 times today as against their rival's eight.

Read more: Paes-Bhupathi enter Australian Open quarterfinals - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/india-challenges/Paes-Bhupathi-enter-Australian-Open-quarterfinals/articleshow/7352284.cms#ixzz1Bx16HGv1

5th ODI: Yusuf Pathan ton goes in vain as South Africa beat India by 33 runs, win series 3-2

CENTURION: Yusuf Pathan hit a blistering 68-ball century but could not stop South Africa from winning the series-deciding fifth and final one-day international against India at SuperSport Park on Sunday.

South Africa won by 33 runs according to the Duckworth-Lewis method, clinching a come-from-behind 3-2 series win thanks mainly to a century by Hashim Amla and four wickets by fast bowler Morne Morkel.

Opening batsman Amla made 116 not out as South Africa reached 250 for nine in a rain-interrupted innings.

Set to make 268 to win, India were headed for a heavy defeat when they slumped to 119 for eight with fast bowlers Morkel and Dale Steyn inflicting most of the damage.

But Pathan unleashed a ferocious assault on the South African bowlers during a ninth wicket stand of 100 with Zaheer Khan.

Pathan slammed eight sixes and eight fours as he made 105 before he top-edged another attempted big hit against Morkel and sent a catch spiraling to cover.

Khan got a reprieve when the stand was worth 20 when he top-edged a short ball from Morkel and was caught by wicketkeeper AB de Villiers.

But umpire Simon Taufel asked television umpire Shaun George to check whether Morkel had bowled a no-ball. George ruled that Morkel had overstepped by millimetres and Khan batted on.

As the ball flew to all parts of the ground, South African captain Graeme Smith called on Morkel and the fast bowler finally induced a false stroke.

Morkel finished with four for 52 as India were all out for 234.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that South Africa deserved to win.

"It has been a disappointing series for the batsmen. We have not really performed as a batting unit. To say we wanted to win the final game just because Yusuf scored a hundred was asking too much," said Dhoni.

Looking ahead to next month's World Cup, Dhoni said the big lesson for India was that if they were able to keep wickets in hand they could chase down almost any target with a powerful hitter like Pathan in the side.

Smith said South Africa had finished the series strongly.

"We were 2-1 down and we played two good games."

He said South Africa had paced their innings well, despite a late collapse after a rain break, and had bowled "really aggressively".

South Africa's innings was interrupted when the hosts were strongly placed at 226 for three after 42 overs.

The rain caused a delay of more than an hour and the match was reduced to 46 overs a side.

South Africa lost six wickets for 24 runs in the remaining four overs of their innings, with a succession of batsmen falling to ill-judged strokes and two run-outs in a chase for quick runs.

Dhoni sent South Africa in, hoping to take advantage of expected early morning life in the pitch - and also to have the option of revising his team's strategy in the event of predicted rain interruptions.

Smith fell once again to left-arm opening bowler Khan - for the 11th time in international cricket - edging a catch to second slip in the third over.

But Amla played a calm innings, content to play the supporting role in a second wicket stand of 97 with Morne van Wyk, who made 56 off 63 balls, then picking up the pace in a fourth wicket stand of 102 off 98 balls with JP Duminy (35).

There were only four boundaries as Amla reached fifty off 72 balls, but he added another five fours as he needed just 41 more deliveries to reach the first century by a batsman of either side in the series.

India opted to play only two seam bowlers, bringing in leg-spinner Piyush Chawla in place of Ashish Nehra.

For the second match in a row, Dhoni used eight bowlers, mainly in short spells.

As in the fourth match in Port Elizabeth, left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh was the most effective of the slow bowlers, taking two for 45 in eight overs - the longest unbroken spell by any of the players.

But when Yuvraj conceded nine runs off his eighth over Dhoni immediately took him out of the attack.

Read more: 5th ODI: Yusuf Pathan ton goes in vain as South Africa beat India by 33 runs, win series 3-2 - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-south-africa/top-stories/5th-ODI-Yusuf-Pathan-ton-goes-in-vain-as-South-Africa-beat-India-by-33-runs-win-series-3-2/articleshow/7348810.cms#ixzz1Bvmx9pLL

Sachin at No. 18 in list of greatest ODI cricketers

NEW DELHI: The latest innovation to measure the impact and performance of cricketers, to be found on www.impactindexcricket.com, has two active Indian players in the top 20 of the ODI Impact Index: Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 13 and Sachin Tendulkar at No. 18. The only other active cricketers in that category are South African Jacques Kallis at No. 8, Australia's Shane Watson at 16 and West Indian Chris Gayle at 19. Dhoni and Sachin apart, Kapil Dev is the only Indian in the top 25, ranked at No. 9.

If you're surprised at Sachin's relatively low ranking, remember the new system does not rate cricketers by aggregates, but by how much of an impact the player has had in his team winning matches. Also, when you're talking about the 20 best of all time, there clearly isn't all that much to choose between the one on top and the one at the bottom of that exclusive club.

Everybody in the top 25 of the list has more or less multiple skills, maybe useful even as a part-timer with the ball or a handy batsman. The only one who makes it almost entirely on the strength of a single skill is West Indian Joel Garner, universally acknowledged as one of the most effective ODI bowlers ever and the master of the yorker in the death overs.

The system has been applied to all forms of the game, but with the ODI World Cup just round the corner, its creators have understandably decided to start by revealing their findings for the 50-over version.

Read more: Sachin at No. 18 in list of greatest ODI cricketers - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/Sachin-at-No-18-in-list-of-greatest-ODI-cricketers/articleshow/7350526.cms#ixzz1Bvmj39O5

King Viv greatest ODI player ever

NEW DELHI: Five of the 20 greatest ODI cricketers of all time will be in action during the World Cup starting next month and India will be the only team to have two of them. That's the heartening news from a new and innovative system of measuring the performance of cricketers.

Dubbed the Impact Index, the new system values performance based on the match context in which they happen rather than against an absolute yardstick. Thus, a 50 in a match where both teams score, say, 300-plus, will count for a lot less than one in a low-scoring match.

The best ODI cricketer of all time, in a soon to be announced list, is Vivian Richards followed by Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Adam Gilchrist and Ian Botham.

The Impact Index has been developed by a team led by Jaideep Varma and Jatin Thakkar; www.impactindexcricket.com launches on January 25.

What is striking is that every one of them brought more than one skill to the table. Given the fact that ODIs have long been acknowledged to be the all-rounder's version of the game, as opposed to Test cricket where specialists come into their own, that's not surprising.

The Indians in the top 20 of the ODI Impact Index who are still playing are Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 13 and Sachin Tendulkar at No. 18. The only other active cricketers in that category are South African Jacques Kallis at 8, Australia's Shane Watson at No. 16 and West Indian Chris Gayle at No. 19. Dhoni and Sachin apart, Kapil Dev is the only Indian in the top 25, ranked at No. 9.

If you're surprised at Sachin's relatively low ranking, remember the new system does not rate cricketers by aggregates, but by how much of an impact the player has had in his team winning matches. Also, when you're talking about the 20 best of all time, there clearly isn't all that much to choose between the one on top and the one at the bottom of that exclusive club.

The basic philosophy behind the new performance measurement system is that in a team game how well you have done has to be seen in the context of how much it helped your team win, which after all is the ultimate objective of whatever you do as a cricketer.

Hence, it measures performance in a match on a 0 to 5 scale, which roughly translates into saying that someone who gets a score of 3 on this scale contributed the equivalent of what three people did in that particular game and so on.

With the exception of Gilchrist, a wicketkeeper, everybody in the top 25 of the list is either a batsman who was more than just an occasional bowler or a bowler who was more than just a useful batsman. The only one who makes it almost entirely on the strength of a single skill is the West Indian Joel Garner, universally acknowledged as one of the most effective ODI bowlers ever and the master of the yorker in the death overs.

The system has been applied to all forms of the game, but with the ODI World Cup just round the corner, its creators have understandably decided to start by revealing their findings for the 50-over version.

Read more: King Viv greatest ODI player ever - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/King-Viv-greatest-ODI-player-ever/articleshow/7350208.cms#ixzz1BvmJq0CU

Kuznetsova shocks Henin at Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova upset former champion and ex-world number one Justine Henin 6-4, 7-6 (10/8) in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday.

The 11th-seeded Henin was one of the tournament favourites but she was never in front against two-time Grand Slam winner Kuznetsova, despite some late stumbles from the Russian in a thrilling second-set tiebreak.

Henin had reached at least the fourth round of all Grand Slams she has contested since her return to tennis in January 2010, following an aborted retirement.

She last failed to reach the last 16 of a major at Wimbledon in 2005 and this is only the second time she has failed to reach the last 16 at the Australian Open in her nine appearances since 2000.

Kuznetsova had looked on track for a comfortable win when took the first set and broke the Belgian early in the second, until she had an attack of nerves when serving for the match.

The Russian was broken when serving at 5-4, then broke Henin straight back only to crack once again serving at 6-5.

The tiebreak swung back and forth, first Henin getting the advantage and then Kuznetsova. The Russian brought up two match points at 6-4 but Henin saved them a powerful forehand and then a swinging serve.

Kuznetsova had another chance at 8-7 but Henin blasted another big serve to save it, only to then serve a double-fault to hand the Russian her fourth chance.

This time Kuznetsova made no mistake as she hit a ball deep in the court and watched as Henin's forehand reply sailed wide.

"I got tight on my serve at 5-4 and 6-5," she explained.

"There was so much tension and nerves -- I wanted to win so much."

Kuznetsova, winner of the US Open in 2004 and at Roland Garros in 2009, is making her 10th straight appearance at the Australian Open and has now reached the fourth round or better in six of the last seven years.

Read more: Kuznetsova shocks Henin at Australian Open - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Kuznetsova-shocks-Henin-at-Australian-Open/articleshow/7331765.cms#ixzz1BeujhQ74

Federer storms into Australian Open fourth round

MELBOURNE: Defending champion and second seed Roger Federer cruised into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over Belgian's Xavier Malisse on Friday.

The Swiss great in the process broke Swede Stefan Edberg's record for the most Open Era wins at the Australian Open with 57 since his 2000 tournament debut.

"It's very nice to take the record but Edberg still stays my idol," Federer told the crowd on Rod Laver Arena.

Federer is bidding to become the second man to win five Australian titles behind Roy Emerson's six.

It was Federer's eighth win in nine encounters with the 45th-ranked Malisse and pitched him into a round of 16 encounter with unseeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo on Sunday.

Federer broke Malisse's serve seven times and hit 36 winners with the same number of unforced errors.

"I am happy to get past a tough match with Xav, who I played a long time ago in the juniors, he played great for the first couple of sets today," he said.

Federer won his record 16th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last year when he downed Britain's Andy Murray in straight sets.

He is chasing his fifth Australian title after also winning in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

Federer has only failed to get past the third round twice in 12 Australian Opens, both in his first two visits to Melbourne.

Read more: Federer storms into Australian Open fourth round - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Federer-storms-into-Australian-Open-fourth-round/articleshow/7332836.cms#ixzz1BeuZFBOR

Dhoni injured but likely to play crucial match

PORT ELIZABETH: Under MS Dhoni and Gary Kirsten, the Indian cricket team has achieved many firsts, in all forms of the game. It is now on the cusp of another - first-ever ODI series win in South Africa. While Dhoni underplayed the history angle for Friday's clash, it will be a sterling achievement should India pull it off. That will also be the icing on the tour cake after a stirring show in the Test series.

But for all that to happen, the weather has to be at its best behaviour, which it has not been since Thursday morning. A light drizzle was on for the better part of the day and more rain is predicted for Friday. Hopefully, the forecast will remain just that, like in Johannesburg. The met men had predicted a 72 per cent chance of rain on the day the third ODI was to be played. Not a single drop came our way.

For a change, India hold the edge going into this big test of skill and temperament, having clinched two successive nail-biting finishes. These wins must have given their self-belief further boost while creating doubts in the minds of the South Africans. As the series has shown, there is not much to choose between the two sides, especially in conditions here. Thus, nerves become crucial. India have shown they can hold theirs. The Proteas have to play ball.

The worrying bit for India is that captain Dhoni took a blow on his left knee while batting in the nets on match eve and was seen icing it for quite some time. Manager Ranjib Biswal allayed fears. "It's nothing serious. He'll play the match," he said. But one would like to keep fingers crossed as Dhoni's absence could further weaken India's batting.

A look at the past tells us Port Elizabeth has never seen India in full bloom. The Men in Blue have lost all the four ODIs they have played at St. George's Park by big margins, once even to Kenya. But Dhoni's boys are adept at rewriting the past. So, stats and figures can wait. One thing which is common between the two teams is that both are looking to correct batting maladies. It has been a low-scoring series barring the first innings of the first game. While conditions have not been the best for strokeplay at all venues, the two captains expect better dividends from their line-ups. To achieve that end, India will have a new opener in Parthiv Patel who joined the squad on Tuesday as Sachin Tendulkar's replacement.

Port Elizabeth is known to be quite like Indian pitches - low and slow where scoring is not easy. India have just the right attack for this kind of wicket with part-time spinners complementing Harbhajan Singh, the standout Indian bowler in the series.

One change in the bowling department could be Ashish Nehra. He has not found his range here at all. Whether India chose to continue with Nehra or replace him with either a paceman, Sreesanth, or a specialist spinner, Piyush Chawla/ Ashwin, will be interesting to see.

TOI

Will Kolkata's Prince be Kochi king?

KOLKATA: Eleven days after the auctioneer brought down his hammer for the last time at IPL players' auction in Bangalore, a ray of hope has emerged for Sourav Ganguly, who was ignored by all the 10 franchises.

Team Kochi, which will be making its IPL debut in the ensuing T20 event, have belatedly realised their folly and are keen to take Ganguly on board. The Kochi management, who clearly showed no aptitude for team composition and failed to net a single capped Indian batsman other than VVS Laxman, have approached the Governing Council to allow them to sign the former India captain. However, they can do so only if the other nine franchises raise no objection to this out-of-auction deal.

The BCCI, on its part, has no objection. "If the franchises have no objection, why should we stand in any player's way to play in the IPL? However, there is no question of bending the rule or making an exception," said a Governing Council member.

IPL rules state that capped players put up for auction, can only be bought through an open bidding process. Ganguly, along with Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer and Punjab pacer VRV Singh were the only three Indian players to remain unsold at the end of the two-day auction.

The onus is clearly now on Kochi bosses to convince the other franchises to let them take Ganguly on board. Having rejected the southpaw outright at the auction, it is hard to fathom why the other franchises would object to Kochi hiring Ganguly - unless, of course, they are bent upon keeping Dada away from IPL.

If the Kochi deal works out, Sourav can look forward to joining forces with his old KKR mates Brendon McCullum, Brad Hodge and Owais Shah and one-time Sri Lankan foes of Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan.

For the moment, though, Ganguly is keeping his fingers crossed.

Nadal breezes into 3rd round at Australian Open

STAFF WRITER 9:49 HRS IST

Melbourne, Jan 20 (AP) Rafael Nadal extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 23 matches, continuing his pursuit of a "Rafa Slam" with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 win over American qualifier Ryan Sweeting to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

The top-ranked Nadal is aiming to be the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.

He's conceded only four games en route to the third round, sealing his win over Sweeting today with another of his rifling forehands.

After retiring with an injury in the quarterfinals at the last Australian Open, Nadal rebounded to win the French, Wimbledon and U S Open.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 India Match Scheduled

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 India Match Scheduled
Group B

India V Bangladesh Saturday, 19 Feb, 11 14.00 IST (D/N) Dhaka
India V England Sunday, 27 Feb, 11 14.30 IST (D/N) Kolkata
India V Ireland Sunday, 6 March, 11 14.30 IST (D/N) Bangalore
India V Netherlands Wednesday, 9 March, 11 14.30 IST (D/N) New Delhi
India V South Africa Saturday, 12 March, 11 14.30 IST (D/N) Nagpur
India V West Indies Sunday, 20 March, 11 14.30 IST (D/N) Chennai

Mar 23 - Wed First quarter-final 08:30 Dhaka
Mar 24 - Thu Second quarter-final 09:00 Ahmedabad
Mar 25 - Fri Third quarter-final 08:30 Dhaka
Mar 26 – Sat Fourth quarter-final 09:00 Colombo
Mar 29 - Tue First semi-final 09:00 Colombo
Mar 30 - Wed Second semi-final 09:00 Chandigarh
Apr 02 - Sat Final 09:00 Mumbai

Shrieking Sharapova roars past Razzano

MELBOURNE: Former Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova dug herself out of trouble to reach the Australian Open's third round with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over France's Virginie Razzano on Wednesday.

Sharapova, the 2008 winner and the 14th seed, was 0-3 and three break points down in the first set against 100th-ranked Razzano before holding serve and breaking back, and prevailing in the eventual tie-break.

Two early breaks put her in control in the second set and although Razzano pulled one back, another break in the eighth game gave the Russian a 5-3 lead.

Sharapova had to stave off six break points in the ninth game of the set before finally closing out the win on her third match point.

The glamorous Russian blonde, on the comeback trail after long-term injury problems, will face Germany's 32nd-ranked Julia Goerges in the third round.

Read more: Shrieking Sharapova roars past Razzano - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Shrieking-Sharapova-roars-past-Razzano/articleshow/7318433.cms#ixzz1BTOZfoj5

3rd ODI: India beat South Africa by 2 wickets

CAPE TOWN: A burst of powerful hitting by Yusuf Pathan spurred India to a thrilling two-wicket win in the third one-day international against South Africa at Newlands on Tuesday.


Chasing a target of 221, India were struggling at 93 for five before Pathan launched a savage assault against South African off-spinners Johan Botha and JP Duminy.

On a pitch where most batsmen found it difficult to play positive strokes, Pathan, making his first appearance in the series, struck 59 off 50 balls as India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Pathan and Suresh Raina (37) put on 75 for the sixth wicket but both were out in quick succession to set up a tense finish.

Fast bowler Morne Morkel took three for 26 and fellow paceman Dale Steyn claimed two for 31 but could not stop India from getting home with ten balls to spare. Harbhajan Singh made a crucial 23 not out, including two sixes.

"If I get the ball in my area, I go for it," said Pathan.

Indian captain Mahendra Songh Dhoni said he encouraged the young players in his team to play their natural game.

"We want Yusuf to play the game he plays," said Dhoni.

"As he gets more experience he will turn into a match-finishing batsman."

Proteas captain Graeme Smith said the quality of the pitch had not helped either side's batting.

"We were 20 runs short," said Smith.

"Yusuf Pathan's knock was the difference. The pitch was very two-paced and also up and down. It was not the best one-day wicket I have ever played on but it made for an exciting game."

The match changed dramatically in the 28th over of the Indian innings when Pathan, on six, edged Botha for a four between wicketkeeper AB de Villiers and Smith at slip.

Pathan swept the next delivery and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, running in from the boundary to try to take a catch, misjudged the ball and it went for another four.

In the next over from Duminy, Pathan again swept in the air and Morkel also misjudged the ball in contemplating a catch and another boundary was the result.

Then Pathan struck three sixes off four balls from Botha, all sailing over a fielder at deep mid-wicket.

On an untypical Newlands pitch, South Africa struggled to 220 all out with newcomer Francois 'Faf' du Plessis and JP Duminy putting on 110 as they rescued a floundering innings.

Du Plessis made 60 and Duminy 52 on a pitch of inconsistent pace and bounce.

The pair came together with their side in trouble at 90 for four in the 24th over.

They put on 110 off 129 balls before Du Plessis slipped as he went down the wicket to attack Munaf Patel and sliced a catch to cover.

Du Plessis, 26, a former schoolboy team-mate of de Villiers who has been signed to play for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, made his runs off 78 balls.

He showed composure at the crease and the only sign of nerves came when he needed treatment for cramps in his forearm.

Du Plessis was out in the first over of the batting powerplay, which was taken in the 45th over, and as in the second international in Johannesburg, the lifting of fielding restrictions heralded a flurry of wickets.

Duminy was bowled in the next over and the innings folded rapidly, the last six wickets falling for 20 runs.

Zaheer Khan, with three for 43, and Singh led a superb Indian bowling performance, which was backed up by good fielding.

Khan repeatedly beat South African captain Graeme Smith with swing and movement off the pitch, although Smith survived to make a laboured 43 off 79 balls before falling to Harbhajan's off-spin.

Khan also took a spectacular diving catch in the outfield to dismiss De Villiers.

Harbhajan mesmerised the batsmen, taking two for 23 in nine overs, helped by two diving slip catches by Virat Kohli.

Read more: 3rd ODI: India beat South Africa by 2 wickets - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-south-africa/top-stories/3rd-ODI-India-beat-South-Africa-by-2-wickets/articleshow/7315660.cms#ixzz1BTOFi2ay

South Africa pick injured Kallis, Tahir for World Cup

CAPE TOWN: South Africa put faith in Jacques Kallis returning from injury to boost its World Cup hopes after the key allrounder was included in the Proteas' 15-man squad on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old Kallis was ruled out of the ongoing one-day series against India with a right side muscle injury, but South Africa's team management said at the squad announcement in Cape Town it was confident its leading player would be fully fit for the Feb. 19-April 2 tournament.

Kallis was part of the South Africa squad named by selection convener Andrew Hudson following the Proteas' two-wicket loss to India in the third one-dayer at Newlands.

Also included for next month's World Cup in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka was Pakistan-born legspinner Imran Tahir and batting allrounder Faf du Plessis - who made a half-century on debut in Tuesday's defeat to World Cup co-host India.

Graeme Smith will captain the squad for the final time in a one-day competition after announcing he would step down from the ODI captaincy after the World Cup.

Regular batsmen Hashim Amla, A.B. de Villiers and J.P. Duminy and fast bowlers Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe were all picked as were spinners Johan Botha and Robin Peterson - giving the No. 4 ranked Proteas three specialist spinning options - along with Tahir - on the spin-friendly pitches in the subcontinent.

South Africa chose seven specialist batsmen, four specialist seam bowlers, three spinners, and one replacement wicketkeeper. Smith, Kallis, Peterson and De Villiers are the only surviving members of South Africa's 2007 World Cup campaign.

Kallis' fitness was the biggest concern for South Africa ahead of the announcement.

"Jacques is undergoing rehabilitation at the moment, but we are confident with four weeks to go until the World Cup we can get him ready to partake," Team Manager Mohammed Moosajee said. "However, it's a week by week process and he is being guided by the medical team."

Hudson added: "His (Kallis') absence takes away a lot from our side in terms of stability. In terms of batting he is the anchor at No. 3 and the overs he gives us as a fifth bowler is something we miss as well. But, him being fit will add enormously to the team."

Veteran wicketkeeper Mark Boucher missed out on the final squad, as did young middle order batsman David Miller.

Morne van Wyk will be the backup wicketkeeper to De Villiers, meaning Boucher's 13-year, 292-match one-day international career is likely over. Miller was dropped for Du Plessis for Tuesday's game against India and lost his place at the World Cup to the debutant.

Tahir was the only uncapped player in the squad, and was cleared to be included after qualifying to play for South Africa on the last day of 2010.

The former Pakistan A legspinner is married to a South African and plays for the Duban-based Dolphins team, although he is yet to make his debut for his adopted country despite his impressive wicket-taking exploits for his provincial team.

"We think he's a unique talent," Hudson said of Tahir. "The selection of three specialist spin bowlers is essential for the conditions we expect to encounter at the World Cup and it's not a worry that Tahir has not played an ODI yet. His record in domestic cricket speaks for itself. We know exactly what he offers us."

South Africa has never won the World Cup and has often underperformed at the tournament after entering as one of the favorites. The Proteas have also never reached a final, losing semifinals in 1992, 1999 and 2007.

The 2011 edition is likely to be the last chance for Kallis and Smith, two of South Africa's most successful cricketers, to win the top ODI prize.

South Africa is in Group B with Bangladesh, England, India, West Indies, Ireland and the Netherlands. It opens its tournament on Feb. 24 against West Indies.

Squad : Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, A.B. de Villiers, J.P. Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk.

Read more: South Africa pick injured Kallis, Tahir for World Cup - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/South-Africa-pick-injured-Kallis-Tahir-for-World-Cup/articleshow/7316329.cms#ixzz1BTNiU9hI