ICC to inspect Eden on Feb 7 for three other matches

Kolkata, Jan 30 (IANS): After ruling Eden Gardens unsuitable for the February 27 India-England World Cup game, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will make an inspection February 7 to gauge the venue's progress for hosting the remaining three scheduled matches in March.

Apart from the India-England encounter, the Eden Gardens is slated to host South Africa vs. Ireland (March 15), the Netherlands vs. Ireland (March 18), and Zimbabwe vs. Kenya (March 20).

"There will be an inspection on February 7 to gauge progress of Eden Gardens as the venue for the other three World Cup matches scheduled," an ICC spokesman told IANS.

Responding to Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya's allegation that the ICC has not given any specific reason for taking away the Feb 27 match, the spokesman said the reasons had been explained in detail in a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

"In the letter to the BCCI, the ICC has explained in detail what the venue needs to do to meet ICC venue requirements to an acceptable standard," he said.

ICC rules out World Cup match at Eden

NEW DELHI: The ICC has formally conveyed to the BCCI about its inability to hold the India vs England World Cup match at the Eden Gardens on February 27.

The BCCI issued a release of ICC conveying its inability to hold the match at Eden Gardens on February 27.

The Cricket Board said it has recommended Bangalore as the alternate venue for the match.

"The ICC has conveyed to the BCCI that it will not be able to hold the India Vs England match of the ICC CWC 2011 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on 27 February 2011.

"The BCCI has recommended Bengaluru as the alternate venue," BCCI Secretary & President-Elect N Srinivasan said in the release.

The hectic political lobbying that was on for the past 48 hours since it was announced that Eden's marquee match will be shifted went in vain with the BCCI announcing ICC's verdict.

The last ditch effort by West Bengal Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee didn't yield any results. Since morning, there were rumours in the CAB corridors that ICC might just consider the plea to extend the deadline of completion of work till February 7.

Even former BCCI president and Cricket Association of Bengal supremo Jagmohan Dalmiya who had a telephonic conversation with ICC president Sharad Pawar expressed a glimmer of hope as he was assured that ICC would send an e-mail intimating them about the list of dos.

"I have spoken to Pawar, N Srinivasan, Arun Jaitley, Ratnakar Shetty not less than five to six times.

"Pawar is updating me about his whereabouts and in the afternoon -- around 2.30pm -- said the letter would come in half an hour. But we are yet to receive anything," an upset Dalmiya told reporters before he received the killer blow in the form of a final rejection from the ICC. said.

It's been a terrible setback for CAB that even someone as important as Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's intervention couldn't tilt the scales in CAB's favour.

So devastated was Dalmiya after hearing the news that he confined himself in his chamber at the DR B.C.Roy Club House at Eden Gardens and refused to come out.

"I have lot of things to sort out and I can't talk to the media today," he literally ran for cover as the waiting mediapersons hounded him.

The joint secretary of the state association Biswarup Dey conceded that it's all over for Eden Gardens as of now.

"We all thought that we have got a lifeline but now it seems that all hopes of having the match are over. I am speechless. If the best efforts from chief minister aren't enough, what can we say? But I would definitely raise this question at the BCCI meeting that how Bangalore can get two matches when it was decided all centres will get a match each," was his feeble argument.

Dalmiya said he had waited for a letter by the ICC specifying the reasons why Eden Gardens was dropped.

"It's no hidden treasure. But by seeing this at least we will have the satisfaction why we were not given an opportunity... This is just a reasonable request," Dalmiya said.

He said that after the inspection (on January 25), they were told about three-four points about the venue's unpreparedness in cricket operation, broadcast, sponsorship and ticketing issue.

"We need a little more explanation on this. We want to know what the ICC's expectation, concerns etc are," he said.

"What is our fault...? We all are peeved, but with all humbleness we are making a polite request. We are not here to create an acrimony," Dalmiya said with state PWD minister Kshiti Goswami sitting beside him.

"I met (Union Finance Minister) Pranab Mukherjee yesterday because I wanted them to be apprised of the situation. I just want to know whether we are to be blamed? I don't know whether it's any political pressure..." he said.

PWD minister Kshiti Goswami threw his support behind beleaguered Dalmiya and asserted that they can even host the match tomorrow.

"I don't know why ICC has dropped the venue, which is 95 per cent ready...only the finishing touches need to be given," Goswami said.

"We are still waiting for the ICC mail. We are in the dark why they dropped the venue," he said.

Goswami further saw a possible conspiracy theory behind the move.

"If even after getting the venue ready they take away the match then we will feel there is some vested interest. We are a sport-loving people. Nowhere in India or world, you would get such huge support like in the Eden Gardens. We have never been business minded. Maybe the lack of commercial aspect of the city is a reason for the match to be taken away," he said.

TOI

Djokovic wins Australian Open title, beats Murray

STAFF WRITER 17:8 HRS IST

Melbourne, Jan 30 (AP) Novak Djokovic won his second Australian Open title, breezing past Andy Murray 6-4 6-2 6-3 today to extend Britain's near 75-year drought in men's singles Grand Slams.

Murray has now been runner-up in three Grand Slam finals - losing to Roger Federer at both the 2008 U S Open and the 2010 Australian Open before his third disappointment today which enabled Djokovic to add to his 2008 Australian title.

The Scotsman has not won a set in a Grand Slam final.

Last year, Murray had tears after his loss to Federer. They weren't immediately visible this year, but the hurt may have been just has bad after he lost seven straight games through the end of the first set and into the second and never appeared to be in the match.

Dalmiya seeks ten-day grace, urges board to persuade ICC

Kolkata, Jan 27 (IANS) Expressing shock over the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision to take away the Feb 27 India-England World Cup match from Eden Gardens here, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya Thursday appealed to the Indian cricket board to advise the international body to reconsider its decision.

Refering to the 14-day extension given by the ICC to four other venues, including Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium to complete the finishing work, Dalmiya asked for an extension of 10 days from Thursday up to Feb 7 to hand over a complete Eden Gardens to the game's apex body.

'We, at the CAB, feel that we are already in a position to host the match. Despite this, we will take congnizance of all ICC concerns pertaining to 'cricketing, broadcast, media, sponsor, hospitality and ticket requirements' which are reasonable, if we are allowed the extended deadline of ten days,' Dalmiya said in a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India chief Shashank Manohar.

Dalmiya's missive came hours after the ICC ruled out Eden Gardens as a venue for the match, saying it was unprepared.

The ICC took the decision following an adverse report from its venue inspection team that visited Kolkata and four other venues earlier this week to review their readiness for the big event being hosted jointly by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka February-March.

Quoting report of the inspection team, the ICC statement said: 'Eden Gardens in Kolkata would not be ready within an acceptable time frame to host the India vs England ICC Cricket World Cup match on Feb 27.'

'We at the CAB, were shocked, to say the least... it comes as a shock because when the ICC inspection team was here, we were given to understand that they were happy with the progress of the work and had suggested only a few minor modifications,' Dalmiya said.

Dalmiya argued that while the ICC decision to take away the Feb 27 match came exactly 30 days before it was scheduled to be held, 'the ICC is willing to take over the venue 20 days before the (three other) matches in March'.

Apart from the India-England encounter, Eden Gardens is supposed to host three other games-South Africa vs. Ireland (March 15), the Netherlands vs. Ireland (March 18), and Zimbabwe vs. Kenya (March 20).

'We are at a loss to understand why the ICC is taking away the India-England match 30 days prior to it being held. It is also pertinent to note that three Sri Lanka venues - Colombo, Hanbantola and Pallekele, as well as Wankhede have been given time extension for 14 days,' the letter said.

'Logically, the CAB should also have been given at least till February 7 for handing over of the venue prior to the Feb 27 match. It is an extension of ten days and not the 14 days given to Wankhede and the three Sri Lankan venues,' he said. 'We hereby confirm that we will hand over a completed Eden Gardens to the ICC on Feb 7, provided we are given the aforesaid extension,' the letter said.

Dalmiya also sought to know the specific requirements of the ICC immediately.'We would ensure that all of these requirements are met by Feb 7,' he said.

Later, he told media persons that game could still 'probably' be held at Eden, and the final situation would be known in a couple of days. Asked whether it was a loss of face for the CAB, the seasoned cricket administrator shot back: 'Loss of face, for what?'

ICC refuses to review decision of shifting WC match at Eden

New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) The International Cricket Council has rejected the BCCI''s plea to reconsider its decision of shifting the February 27 World Cup match between India and England out of the historic Eden Gardens.

According to reliable sources in the board, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat informed BCCI president Shashank Manohar about the parent body''s decision of not considering the Indian board''s request sent at the behest of the Cricket Association of Bengal.

It has been learnt that the ICC has stuck to its stand and is not ready to consider CAB''s appeal that it will hand over the stadium to the ICC on February 7.

"Yes, the BCCI has forwarded the ICC''s e-mail which states that they have rejected our plea. As far as we are concerned we are ready to host matches. But if the parent body has already made up its mind, there is little we can do about it," a senior CAB official said.

The state association officials are now in desperate damage control mode and want to ensure the remaining three non-India matches are not taken away which will then leave them in shambles.

The historic 100,000 capacity stadium lost the right to host the crucial India-England tie after failing to meet the completion deadline for renovation work.

Tendulkar named Indian Cricketer of the Year

MUMBAI: Sachin Tendulkar's genius made way for another evening of celebrations as the cricketing fraternity got together to honour him with the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year award.

A suburban five-star hotel in Mumbai got decked up on Friday evening as Tendulkar, accompanied by wife Anjali, made a dash to the event that began with the highlights of the year 2009 - when India achieved the status of the World's No. 1 Test team.

"When we reached the No. 1 rank, there were those who thought we'd lose the crown after 30 or 40 days. It's more than a year now and we're still at the top and that's been a great effort on part of the whole team," he said.

While he spoke, teammates Rahul Dravid - special award for 200 Test catches and Virender Sehwag - pocketing the Batsman of the Year award, watched from the audience. Memories of the 2008 Test series win over Australia, the 2009 series wins over England, New Zealand and South Africa and the rising phenomenon of cricket's new world order in the game's oldest format - the recordings of which were shown on giant screens - made the evening.

Tendulkar, the Cricketer of the Year, also walked away with the Test Cricketer of the Year award - an honour that highlighted his extraordinary contribution to the game in the last three years.

He spoke of injuries, the comeback, coach Gary Kirsten's contribution, what it felt like to achieve 50 Test centuries and left the stage with a promise of a 16-year-old that there is still a lot more of Sachin coming our way. "It is the only thing I've known in my life (cricket). So, it feels great to have achieved whatever I have through the game," he said, the humility in his tone intact.

He received a special award for his 50th Test hundred - a record of such magnitude that it still continues to leave the cricketing world spellbound.

Sachin gave a lot of credit to India coach Gary Kirsten for India's batting in the last couple of years even as he spelt out a lot of other names who had contributed at various stages of his career.

India captain MS Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh - both couldn't make it to the event - walked away with the ODI Cricketer of the Year award and Bowler of the Year award respectively. Young India bowler Jaidev Unadkat, meanwhile, took home the Junior Cricketer of the Year award, received on his behalf by his father.

Lifetime Award for Jimmy

Former India all-rounder and man-of-the-match in the 1983 World Cup semifinal and final, Mohinder Amarnath, was felicitated with the Castrol Lifetime Achievement award.

Amarnath received the award at the hands of former teammate Sunil Gavaskar and both the former greats spent their share of time on the stage reminiscing their years in the '60s, '70s and '80s during which they played with and against each other in school tournaments, first-class cricket and finally the Indian team.

Amarnath remembered his father, Lala Amarnath, and his tutoring that helped instill in him the cricketing discipline. "Whatever I achieved as a cricketer is because of him," he said.

Later, both Gavaskar and Amarnath felt that the present Indian team is one of the best ever and had all the chances to bring the 2011 World Cup home.

Other award winners

ODI Cricketer of Year: MS Dhoni
Bowler of Year: Harbhajan Singh
Special achievement award for highest no. of catches in Tests: Rahul Dravid
Impact cricketer: Yusuf Pathan
Lifetime achievement in cricket award: Mohinder Amarnath
Junior Cricketer of the year award: Jaydev Unadkat.

Read more: Tendulkar named Indian Cricketer of the Year - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Tendulkar-named-Indian-Cricketer-of-the-Year/articleshow/7382054.cms#ixzz1COYhQd3W

Sachin Tendulkar strikes Rs 40 cr, two villas in new endorsement deals

PUNE/BANGALORE: It must be the greatest start Sachin Tendulkar ever had: earning Rs 1.5 crore a day! In the first 27 days of 2011, the Little Master has won Rs 40 crore and two villas in new endorsement deals. If only he could match the strike rate on the pitch during this World Cup!

Indian cricket's little big man has signed deals with Pune-based real estate company Amit Enterprises for Rs 9 crore and apparel maker S Kumars Nationwide (SKNL) for Rs 12-13 crore, within days of Coca-Cola announcing a Rs 20-crore, three-year contract with the top batsman.

Tendulkar's deal with the Rs 250-crore developer includes two villas, priced at Rs 2.5 crore each, in Amit Enterprises' upscale housing project.

"We have taken Sachin as our brand ambassador because we are not known outside Pune, and his association with us should help when we start projects in Mumbai and Nashik," Amit Enterprises chairman and managing director Kishor Pate (Wani) said. The company plans to enter Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, he added.

SKNL , which already has high-velocity brand ambassadors such as Shah Rukh Khan for Belmonte and Amitabh Bachchan for luxury suitings brand Reid and Taylor, believes Tendulkar can help its economy brand, World Player, break into the value segment for men and become a pan-Indian brand.

"The timing of the World Cup is purely coincidental to the endorsement," SKNL's apparel and retail director Ashesh Amin said.

Tendulkar's association with the brand will extend to incorporating his personal tastes with respect to colours as well as the look & feel of the brand. "Tendulkar is a go-getter. His dedication and attitude fits into World Player's brand values," Amin said.

Last week, Coca Cola signed Tendulkar as its 'happiness ambassador', laying the pitch for a Tendulkar-M S Dhoni face-off in the cola battlefield this season. "Sachin Tendulkar will play his part in the company's various strategic communication initiatives including its corporate, CSR and brand campaigns," Coca-Cola said in a statement.

PepsiCo has already released a high-visibility campaign featuring the Indian cricket captain Dhoni. Sachin had endorsed PepsiCo for close to a decade before being dropped two years ago as they felt he did not fit their 'youngistaan' campaign theme.

Tendulkar endorses 17 brands, including Adidas , luxury Swiss watch maker Audemars Piguet, Canon, ITC, Aviva Life Insurance , RBS and appliances major Toshiba. He charges about $1 million per year per deal. His endorsements are managed by sports management firm World Sport Group.

Other cricketers like Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli are also learnt to be on a signing spree, and are on the verge of signing two-three deals each. Details of the same were not available.

Read more: Sachin Tendulkar strikes Rs 40 cr, two villas in new endorsement deals - The Times of India http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-company/corporate-trends/sachin-tendulkar-strikes-rs-40-cr-two-villas-in-new-endorsement-deals/articleshow/7375190.cms#ixzz1CJYklgDe

Tremlett gets contract boost after Ashes heroics

London, Jan 25 (AFP): England pace bowler Chris Tremlett has been given an incremental contract for the 2010-11 season after his fine performances against Australia helped retain the Ashes.

After being cast into the international wilderness for several years, Tremlett took his chance following Stuart Broad's injury in Australia.

The 29-year-old Surrey star took 17 wickets in the final three Tests as England completed a 3-1 Ashes victory over their old rivals.

Incremental contracts are awarded on a points basis. Five points are awarded for a Test cap and two for a one-day international or Twenty20 appearance. Any player who accrues 20 points automatically earns a contract.

And Tremlett's appearances in the three one-day internationals in the current series against Australia, allied to his Ashes outings, put him beyond that threshold.

ECB national selector Geoff Miller said: "The selectors are delighted with the contribution Chris has made in both forms of the game."

"His return of 17 wickets from three Test Matches in Australia was an outstanding effort and he can be very proud of the role he played in helping the team retain the Ashes."

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