Shoaib's ban reduced to 18 months

The Appellate tribunal, legal counsel of the Pakistan Cricket Board, reduced the ban imposed on controversial paceman Shoaib Akhtar to 18 months and fined him for Rs. 7 lakh.
The tribunal was hearing an appeal from Shoaib against the five-year ban slapped on him by the disciplinary committee of the PCB in March. The verdict was delivered in Lahore on Saturday.
He was allowed to play in the Indian Premier League after the tribunal suspended his ban for one month.

The 'Rawalpindi Express' was earlier banned for five years for violating code of conduct while under probation period.
Last year, Shoaib was banned for 13 international matches and fined Rs. 3.4 million ($120,300) for four breaches of discipline including striking team mate Mohammad Asif with a bat before Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa and put on two-year probation.

Source: www.rediff.com

IPL outshone Sydney Olympics: Gilchrist

Retired Australian stumper Adam Gilchrist is still awestruck by the glitz and glamour of the inaugural Indian Premier League and feels it outshone even the Sydney Olympic Games.
"It was quite overwhelming to see an event capture the attention and mindset and imagination of a country quite like it," Gilchrist said.
IPL: Who did well, and who didn't
"The only thing I can think of that was comparable was maybe the Olympics when they were in Sydney. But the Olympics was about two weeks, this was 45 days every night," he was quoted as saying by The Australian.

Memorable moments from the IPL
"It felt like that at 8pm the whole country would tune in no matter what the game was or who was playing. It was front page of the papers pretty much every day," said Gilchrist, who donned the Deccan Chargers' jersey in the tournament.
"As much as the concept and the tournament was successful, that passion for cricket in India grows more and more. The whole concept will be looked back on as a landmark in the history of cricket," added the star stumper-batsman.
His former skipper, Ricky Ponting , though fears the easy moolah in IPL might just lure next generation cricketers away from national duty.
"I've always been a little bit worried that if money keeps growing and growing and growing in that version of the game then all of a sudden young kids who are 14, 15, 16 now and want to make cricket their career may not even consider playing for their countries," Ponting told the newspaper.
"They might be trying to get a crack at the IPL or a competition somewhere like that and hopefully make a name for themselves and totally turn their back on the international game. That's what I'm worried about," he said.

Source: www. rediff.com

Asif's case to be heard on June 22

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 ,A top Dubai legal officer will begin an inquiry in the Gulf state next week into the drug case against Pakistan paceman Mohammad Asif, an official said Friday.

The attorney general of the emirate, where the 25-year-old paceman was detained June 1 as he was returning home from India after featuring in a cricket event, will conduct the inquiry.

"Our lawyer has confirmed that Asif's case will start on June 22 and no charges have yet been lodged against him," said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi.

Asif has appeared before Dubai prosecutor, Mohammad Ali Rustan, who was quoted in Gulf media as saying opium was found in the cricketer's possession.

PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf last week said his board will initiate its own inquiry once Asif returns home. "We have maintained that Asif is innocent until proven guilty and all speculations on the case are unwarranted," Naghmi said. Asif was banned for one year after testing positive for the steroid nandrolone in October 2006.

Fellow paceman Shoaib Akhtar was banned for two years on the same charge. The bans were lifted on appeal two months later. Akhtar is appealing a lifetime ban imposed on him in April for repeated disciplinary problems. His case resumes Saturday.

Source: www.cricbuzz.com

Yuvraj Singh to be chief guest at Euro match

Fri, 13 Jun 2008, Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh will present the man of the match award at the Euro 2008 match between Switzerland and Portugal in Basel on Sunday, a sponsor said.

Yuvraj faces a late night dash from the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka to reach Basel in the time for the game where his footballing hero Cristiano Ronaldo will be playing for Portugal.

The elegant left-hander, 26, will leave Dhaka soon after the tri-series final between India and Pakistan ends on Saturday night, an official said. Indian cricketers have rarely shared the spotlight at a top-level football meet, but Yuvraj's presence in Basel is part of a global promotion by beer manufacturers Carlsberg, one of Euro's sponsors.

"India is among a few select countries that have been asked to take a celebrity to represent India at Basel," a release from the sponsors said. Yuvraj, the Indian vice-captain, said he was delighted to be asked to be chief guest at the presentation ceremony.

"Obviously it's a huge honour to be invited to give away the man of the match award in a tournament like the Euro," Yuvraj told the Indian media in Dhaka. "I've always supported Manchester United and am a great fan of Ronaldo.

"I try and watch their games even if I can't watch other matches in the Premiership. Even recently, after a match I stayed up at night and watched the Champions League final where Man U beat Chelsea," he said.

Indian one-day captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the original choice for the Basel trip, but declined citing prior commitments.

The only obstacle in Yuvraj's way for a date with Ronaldo will be if the Dhaka final is interrupted by rain on Saturday, since Sunday has been set aside as a reserve day

source: www.cricbuzz.com

Sreesanth doubtful for Bangladesh trip

June 6, 2008, A left side strain leaves Sreesanth, the Indian fast bowler, in doubt for the Kitply Cup in Bangladesh, which starts on June 8. Sreesanth was expected to join the team on Saturday, ahead of their departure for Bangladesh on Sunday, but has instead been told to report to the medical team at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore.

MRI scans confirmed the strain and revealed he was suffering from some effusion in the region. Sreesanth's participation in the series will be decided after he is assessed at the NCA.

Sreesanth had suffered the strain during Kings XI Punjab's final league match

in the Indian Premier League, against Rajasthan Royals in Mohali on May 28. His gave away 44 runs from his three overs in that game, which Punjab won, but bowled only one in the subsequent semi final as Chennai Super Kings chased down an easy target.
Sreesanth featured in all 15 of Punjab's matches in the IPL, and finished with 19 wickets in the tournament, making him joint-second on the leading wicket-takers' chart with Shane Warne, and three behind Sohail Tanvir's 22.
Sreesanth had been at the centre of a controversy during the inaugural edition of the Twenty20 league, having been slapped by his India team-mate Harbhajan Singh after the match between Punjab and the Mumbai Indians in Mohali. Harbhajan was barred from taking further part in the tournament, and the BCCI banned him for five ODIs, while Sreesanth was asked to improve his on-field behaviour.
India play their first match of the tournament, a preparatory event ahead of the Asia Cup later this month, against Pakistan on June 10. No standby had been named in the squad for the tri-series, also involving hosts Bangladesh, and the Asia Cup, but with four other fast bowlers in RP Singh, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar and Irfan Pathan, a replacement might not be necessary.

Source: http://www.circinfo.com/

ICC considers repackaging Tests

June 6, 2008, IS Bindra: "The ICC was looking at ways to increase scoring-rates [in Tests

Plans are afoot to make Test matches more attractive and ensure the Twenty20 format does not destroy the traditional five-day game, according to IS Bindra, who takes charge as the ICC's principal advisor next month.

Bindra said the sport's governing body was concerned at dwindling Test attendance. "We need to learn from our experiences and move forward," Bindra told the Week, an Indian magazine. "We in the ICC have had very serious discussions for the last six to eight months on how to repackage Test cricket, make it more exciting and introduce an element of competition.
"It does not mean tinkering with the form but we are looking to bringing in more audience in Test matches." Bindra, a former president of the BCCI, declined to reveal the measures being considered but said the "the ICC was looking at ways to increase scoring-rates [and] have a world championship of Test cricket."

These plans will be unveiled as early as next month when the ICC holds their annual meeting at its headquarters in Dubai. Bindra sidestepped suggestions that Twenty20 will spell more trouble for the 50-over format than Test cricket. "The future of 50-overs cricket is something that one has to look at in the long term."

"For now, the ICC has laid a stipulation that all Test nations must play a minimum of 30 one-day internationals and 12 Tests each year as part of the existing Future Tours Programme (FTP) that runs till 2012."

Source © Cricinfo

Asif hearing deferred to Sunday

June 5, 2008, No charges have yet been laid against Mohammad Asif.

Mohammad Asif's ordeal in Dubai will continue for at least a few more days, after his hearing today was deferred to Sunday.

Asif has been in detention at Dubai International Airport since Sunday after authorities allegedly found a banned substance in his wallet. He made a statement today in front of the chief prosecutor though still no charges have been laid against him.

"The hearing has been deferred till Sunday," Shafqat Naghmi, PCB's chief operating officer, told Cricinfo. "Friday and Saturday are weekends there, but Asif recorded his statement today. No charges have yet been laid against him."

Sources close to the case confirmed to Cricinfo that the substance found in his wallet was a banned, recreational drug, though the urine tests conducted on Asif have come back negative.

The PCB, it is learnt, is still working through diplomatic channels to have the case resolved as soon as possible, though no Pakistani government official has yet become involved in the matter.

Source: © Cricinfo

Sohail Khan replaces Asif in tri-series squad

June 4, 2008, Sohail Khan has replaced Mohammad Asif in Pakistan's 16-man squad for the upcoming tri-series in Bangladesh, which will involve the hosts and India. The series is due to begin from June 8.

Asif was originally selected in the squad on Sunday, the very day he was detained at Dubai airport for suspected possession of an illegal item. It is unlikely now that Asif will be back in time to play in the tournament. Selectors told Cricinfo that they were not aware of Asif's situation when they picked the squad.

Khan has had an impressive first-class season, picking up a Pakistan record 91 wickets in his debut year and he has impressed many with his pace and stamina. He was rewarded for his efforts with an international call-up against Zimbabwe earlier this year in an ODI series. In three ODIs so far, he has picked up four wickets, with a best of 3 for 30 against Bangladesh.

He wasn't part of the original squad because selectors felt that Wahab Riaz's left-arm provided a more seasoned limited-overs option. Khan spent a week at a fast bowlers' camp in Lahore under the eye of Wasim Akram, where it was widely felt that despite his undoubted promise, there were still areas he needed to work on. Outside of his bowling, his poor fielding is considered a serious concern within the selection committee.
The Pakistan squad leaves for Dhaka on June 5.

Source: Cricinfo staff

Mohammad Asif held in Dubai

June 3, 2008, Mohammad Asif has been held on suspicion of possessing a contraband item.

Mohammad Asif, the Pakistan fast bowler, has been detained by authorities in Dubai on suspicion of possessing drugs. The fast bowler, who tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone nearly two years ago, was held back by airport authorities on Sunday. According to a PCB official already in Dubai, no charges have yet been brought against Asif, though he remains in the detention centre at Dubai International Airport.

Nadeem Akram, a senior board official who is in Dubai handling the case, said officials had not yet identified what the substance is. "It has been sent to a lab for testing but we do not know yet what it is," Akram, in Dubai since Sunday, told Cricinfo.

Akram also stressed that Asif hadn't yet been arrested and that he had been detained. "No charges have been brought yet. We have a lawyer here and he is due to meet the public prosecutor at 12.30pm Dubai time. We will know more about the case after their meeting."

Akram has been in constant touch with Asif, who was understandably "shattered" by the events, but maintained that he did not know what the substance was and had been carrying it in his wallet for several months.

Earlier, a PCB official told Cricinfo that Asif "has been held since the day before yesterday in Dubai. So far the authorities haven't told us much but that it is on suspicion of possessing a contraband item." Dubai's laws on drug possession and use are among the strictest in the region, though the top hierarchy of the PCB has always enjoyed close ties with leaders in the United Arab Emirates.

The Pakistan board was to hold a press conference about the issue in the afternoon but decided to push it back till 4.30pm (PST), presumably to wait and hear developments from the meeting between Asif's lawyer and the public prosecutor.

Asif, along with Shoaib Akhtar, tested positive in an internal dope test conducted by the Pakistan board in October 2006. He was initially banned for one year, though the ban was overturned on appeal a month later. Since then, one of the most promising fast bowlers on the world circuit has been dogged by a long-standing elbow problem. The injury had already taken the sheen away from a prodigious start to his international career and this new development is likely to do so even more.

Source: © Cricinfo Cricinfo staff

Indian cricket bonanza is massive hit

By Soutik Biswas BBC News, Mumbai

The unfancied Rajasthan team won the competition on Sunday night.Photo: Indian Express

The great Indian summer blockbuster has ended with a nail biting climax.
In many ways, Sunday night's final of the Indian Premier League (IPL), cricket's most expensive and hyped carnival, mirrored vintage Bollywood fare.

An unfancied, cut price team (Rajasthan), led by an ageing, semi-retired spin bowling wizard (Shane Warne), beat a pricey, aggressive rival (Chennai), led by one of the highest paid players in the game and Indian cricket's poster boy (MS Dhoni).
It was the triumph of the underdog over the rich and resourceful and it went down to the wire (a last-ball win).
And like in those films, some high-wire entertainment preceded and interspersed the serious business of cricket.

Kinetic kitsch
Starlets gyrated in various costumes to showcase "various cultures of India". Fire dancers, acrobats, contortionists, and guitarists and violinists gave the show a 'global' feel. The pyrotechnics were spectacular.

The entertainment was Indiana Jones meets home-grown kinetic kitsch. The packed stadium clapped and danced when brawny star Salman Khan took the stage and gyrated a little more.
That the match happened on a sticky evening in the western city of Mumbai, home to Bollywood, is no coincidence.
Nor is the fact that that cricket and Bollywood, India's biggest obsessions, fused seamlessly in the competition – two of the teams are owned by Bollywood stars who routinely cheer their players from the dugouts, and Bollywood remixes and dances dominate on-field entertainment.
It's an irresistible combination and a resounding hit, dismaying the pundit and the purist.

Open auction

The democratisation of cricket has taken a great leap forward - entire families have turned up at the grounds all over India on muggy summer evenings to dance to Bollywood remixes, gorge on burgers and pizza, munch corn, guzzle cola and even watch some cricket.

The competition has all the trappings of what Indians call a "tamasha" or an entertainment show, or a "timepass", a way to have good, cheap fun to liven up their stressed lives.
Of course, a lot of cricket has been played as well, and some of it has been very entertaining.
Eight teams, 44 days and 59 matches have yielded nearly 18,000 runs from a group of top international cricketers and promising local cricketers, all bought in an unique open auction.
Nearly 60% of the runs came off fours and sixes, offering value for money to the cricket-mad Indians who faithfully succumbed to the temptations of a daily evening fix of speed cricket on television.

"It's all a blur now. Will people remember any memorable moments as the season ends, the way they remember classic Test matches?," wonders cricket historian Ram Guha.
But can purists afford to ignore this competition?

Banned for slapping
For one, IPL has offered excitement aplenty: there were seven victories where the winners scraped through by a margin of anything between one and nine runs; up to nearly 450 runs were scored between two teams during a single game; and in an early game, a batsman smashed 16 sixes during his stay at the crease.

Although one bowler was hit for 20 sixes through the competition, three others, including a South African, achieved hat tricks or mopping up three wickets in a row.
On the margins and off the field there was abundant action as well.

A senior India international player was banned from the competition midway after he slapped a fellow national mate; and a polite official asked Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, one of the team owners, to stop hanging around the dressing room in alleged violation of code of conduct.
A police officer accused a high profile team owner of abusing him, two black cheerleading girls charged an event manager with racism and banishing them from a game, an inebriated Indian cricketer playing in the competition beat up a man in his hometown.

One team owner, known for his flamboyant ways, sacked his chief operating officer midway through the tournament because of his team's plummeting fortunes.
What more could you want from a tournament?

Great leveller

It also proved that the market - and money - does not always work. This is despite the fact that the only motivation for the competition's existence is money.

How else can you explain an low profile and cheapest ($67m) team like Rajasthan, led and coached by 38-year-old Shane Warne, rising above the hoopla to emerge as the best team of the competition?

How do you explain the law of diminishing returns taking over the most expensive teams, Mumbai ($111.9m, lost half of their 14 games) and Bangalore ($111.6m, lost 10 of 14 games)?
Both teams are owned by India's top businessmen, who have seldom experienced any failure, but the IPL has also been a great leveller.

Even Bollywood got a big jolt.
Otherwise, how do you explain the crashing out of the Calcutta team (lost half of their 14 games) owned by India's biggest brand and superstar Shah Rukh Khan?

Khan partied with his cricketers, sent them inspirational text messages, cheered lustily from the dugouts, bought his film friends to dance in the stands, and tied up neat branding deals with companies.

Despite a growing pan-Indian support - his fans began supporting Calcutta because he owned the team - his players let him down.

Changed game
So has the IPL come to stay?
By all accounts yes, going by the resounding thumbs up it seems to have received from players (because of the money) and fans (because of the entertainment).
Will it be equally successful if replicated in other cricket playing countries?
That is difficult to say, going by the lukewarm response to the competition outside South Asia.
But what is clear is that the competition could change cricket since India is now international cricket's financial capital.

So much so that the usually taciturn and reserved Indian Test captain, Anil Kumble, is also singing hosannas in the competition's praise.

"[This is] an event that is likely to rewrite cricketing history," he says.
"I'm not sure whether the game will ever be the same again after the IPL."
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7430529.stm

Rajasthan win first IPL cricket series

Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals have won the first series of the Indian Premier League Twenty-20 cricket.Pakistani all-rounder Sohail Tanvir hit the winning run off the final ball of the game.Rajasthan's Yusuf Pathan earned the man of the match award for his hard-hitting 56 that laid the foundation for the Royals to overtake the Chennai Super Kings total of 163.

The Indian Premier League Twenty-20 has has hosted the world's leading cricketers in its first year. [AFP]
Source: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/200806/s2261927.htm?tab=sport

Can Chennai halt Rajasthan's juggernaut?

And so it is that the Indian Premier League's finale will feature the team that started off like a express train, and another that has enjoyed the smoothest ride through the six weeks. The wheels threatened to come off for the Chennai Super Kings after that 4-0 start, but they regrouped from the loss of their Australian contingent to stitch together the victories that have taken Mahendra Singh Dhoni to the threshold of another major Twenty20 triumph. The Rajasthan Royals were hammered in their opening game, but have since scripted the sort of fairytale that Eric the Eel and other underdogs could only dream about. Both demolished their semi-final opponents, and there will be no shortage of confidence on either side as two of the most intuitive leaders in the game face off for the sport's richest prize.

After thumping the Delhi Daredevils to take their deserved place in the final, Shane Warne had appeared quite indifferent when he was asked which team he would prefer to face. There was little doubt though that he expected it to be Kings XI Punjab. After all,
of all the teams in the IPL, they had been most adept at absorbing pressure. The chase against Delhi in a game decided by Duckworth/Lewis had been timed to perfection, and they had also enjoyed a thrilling last-ball win against the Mumbai Indians.

But with Chennai reprising their early-season form, there was nothing majestic about the men from Punjab. With the stakes higher than ever, they took the pressure as well as a Coke can would a hobnailed boot. The established internationals like Yuvraj Singh and Mahela Jayawardene were the main culprits, and Dhoni could afford to stick to the tried-and-tested script after initially springing a surprise by throwing the new ball Muttiah Muralitharan's way.

It helped that his pace bowlers were absolutely outstanding. On a pitch that offered plenty of bounce, Makhaya Ntini was always going to be a factor, and so it proved. But it was Manpreet Gony, the son of Punjab in Chennai yellow, that took the vital wickets of Kumar Sangakkara and Yuvraj, bowling a maiden along the way. Throughout the tournament, his accuracy and consistency have been eye-catching, and in favourable conditions, he excelled by not getting carried away.

Gony and Ntini, supported splendidly by the ever-impressive Albie Morkel, will face their sternest test against a Rajasthan team that has already beaten them twice. Graeme Smith's muscular hitting may be missing, but in Kamran Akmal, Warne has a replacement who certainly doesn't lack flair or hitting ability. Shane Watson will be desperate to emphasise his most-valuable-player status in the game that matters most, while Swapnil Asnodkar and Niraj Patel will be encouraged to adapt the no-fear approach that has served them so well thus far.

The key to the contest will be Rajasthan's bowling, the most varied and effective in the competition. Sohail Tanvir has been the best new-ball bowler on view, while the heavy ball that Watson bowls was far too much for Delhi's star-studded batting to cope with. Siddharth Trivedi's changes of pace have been tough to get away, while Munaf Patel has eased back into the national reckoning with the accuracy that first caught the eye.

And then, there's Warne, the piper calling the tune. The rave reviews that his captaincy has earned have slightly obscured the fact that he also has 19 wickets for the tournament. On a helpful pitch, like the one he got in the semi-final, no one can rip a legbreak quite like he does. The straighter one has also fetched him wickets, as has the aura that appears to intimidate some batsmen even before they settle into the stance.

Both teams have got superb performances out of their Indian contingents. Suresh Raina, S Badrinath and the remodelled L Balaji have excelled for Chennai, while Warne has inspired top-drawer efforts from Ravindra Jadeja, Munaf, Trivedi and Asnodkar. Warne was insistent that it was the seven Indian players who were the real key to success. "You expect the four foreign guys to do a job," he said. "But it's the local players that can be the difference between winning and losing."

Dhoni, who has led India to victory at the World Twenty20 and in the CB Series, has had a charmed life as leader so far. But in Warne, he's up against perhaps the greatest big-match player there's ever been. It should be some contest.

Dileep Premachandran is an associate editor at Cricinfo

© Cricinfo

Cut-price Gony outshines pricey stars

Cricinfo staff

May 31, 2008

When Ishant Sharma went for US$950,000 at the IPL auction in February, Manpreet Gony's name would have elicited a blank stare from most Indian cricket aficionados. You couldn't blame them either. In five first-class games, Gony had just 13 wickets, and there were no howls of protest when he was signed by the Chennai Super Kings rather than his home franchise, the Kings XI Punjab.

On Saturday night, with a global audience watching, he returned to silence the thousands that had been given Punjab flags to wave in the stands. He had finished the league stage with 14 wickets, twice what Ishant managed, but he saved his best for the biggest game that he's ever played in.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni had gambled by opening the bowling with Muttiah Muralitharan, but after a relatively tidy over, he sensed that pace was the key to settling the contest. With Makhaya Ntini back to his spring-heeled best at one end, Gony was unleashed from the Garware Pavilion End.

It took Gony just two balls to justify his captain's faith. When he moved one away from Kumar Sangakkara, there was little response from the Chennai fielders and only a half-hearted plea from his side. Astonishingly though, Sangakkara walked, as Adam Gilchrist had in a World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka at Port Elizabeth five years ago.

In his next over, Gony landed the big fish. It was a short delivery and when Yuvraj got into position for the pull, Chennai fans must have feared the worst. Few hit the ball harder, and most eyes had already veered towards the rope by the time Murali stuck his hands out to take a blinder. At 28 for 3, the game was slip-sliding away from the men in red and grey.

When he next stepped up to the bowling crease, Gony came up with what must count as the T20 equivalent of a tiger sighting - the maiden over. And he wasn't bowling to some chump either. Irfan Pathan can wallop the ball a long way, but he couldn't even play it out of the circle as Gony bowled the perfect length at lively pace. And though Mahela Jayawardene finally tapped one behind point for four in his final over, the match had effectively been decidedly two balls earlier, when a catastrophic mix-up sent Pathan on his way.

Gony's delight as he whipped off the bails was palpable, and his spell a true reflection of the manner in which Chennai have revived their season after a really sticky patch. His 16 wickets are the second highest for an Indian fast bowler and it was no surprise that his name came up for consideration when the squad was being chosen for the tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup.

Compared to what he has gone through recently off the field, bowling six dot balls would have been a breeze. He and his wife lost their first child, a boy, 15 days after he was born. For him, the IPL hasn't just been a chance to stake his cricketing claim, but also an opportunity to move on. Jayawardene lost a younger brother to cancer when he was a star in the making, and has often spoken of how that traumatic experience helped him to treat what happened on the field with equanimity. The man who shredded his team's hopes tonight would probably be inclined to agree.

© Cricinfo

Losing the plot when it counts

Cricinfo staff

May 31, 2008

Kings XI Punjab had been the in-form batting unit of the tournament. Slogs and heaves are commonplace in the Twenty20 format, but Punjab's batsmen, especially Shaun Marsh, had used conventional strokes to bisect fields and take apart opposition attacks. However, when it mattered the most, Marsh was the biggest offender among a string of batsmen who chose the rash over the reliable.

Marsh was Man of the Match in five of his ten games, and Punjab sailed into second spot thanks primarily to the strong platform he laid at the top. However, with Marsh accumulating the runs, his more illustrious team-mates in the middle order hadn't faced much of a challenge in the tournament.

Tom Moody, their coach, had brushed aside those fears, confident his batsmen were in good nick. But the likes of Kumar Sangakkara, Yuvraj Singh and Mahela Jayawardene fell apart in the face of some hostile, accurate bowling by Makhaya Ntini and Manpreet Gony.

Pressure, athletes tell us, is something they thrive on. But adrenalin used wrongly can backfire. Just as the Delhi Daredevils batting order had crumbled the previous evening, Punjab lost the momentum early on and kept faltering. Ntini and Gony pitched it short and the Punjab batsmen, instead of trying to survive the early barrage, attempted ill-advised, expansive strokes.

James Hopes flailed unconvincingly at a wide one, handing an easy catch to the wicketkeeper. Marsh had already been surprised by Ntini's pace on the bouncer as a top-edged pull sailed for six, but didn't learn his lesson and played-on another sharp shorter delivery in Ntini's next over. Sangakkara was undone by a good outswinger from Gony but he had committed to go for a flashy drive and in the process offered the faintest of edges. All batsmen of class, but each one failing while trying to force the pace.

Moody later blamed the defeat on his batsmen, who he admitted suffered from nerves, to execute the plans. "It was the first time this has happened, the top order failing so badly," he said. "We faced a critical stumbling block today from which we could never recover."

Yuvraj was disconsolate and left the left the post-match presentation mid-way. For him the match was lost in the first phase. "We didn't do well under pressure. We lost too many wickets too quickly in the first 5-7 overs.

"We lost the main batsmen very quickly in the game, as a result we had no specialist batsmen left in the last 10 overs," Yuvraj said. "This is our worst game in the tournament. It hit us hard as in Twenty20 you don't get time to recover."

© Cricinfo

IPLWatson helps Rajasthan march into final

Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Daredevils, 1st semi-final, IPL, May 30, 2008
Rajasthan Royals 192 for 9 (Watson 52, Yusuf 45, Maharoof 3-34) beat Delhi Daredevils 87 (Dilshan 33, Watson 3-10, Munaf 3-17) by 105
This was Shane Watson's match. Imposing himself on the first semi-final, he boosted Rajasthan Royals with an electric fifty before rattling Delhi Daredevils' top order with an outstanding opening spell. Shane Warne had complained about being deprived of home advantage but his side adjusted perfectly to the conditions at the Wankhede Stadium, putting on a show that illustrated exactly why they have been the stand-out team in the competition.

Delhi were like a side struck with stage fright. Their bowlers were rattled by a brand of unconventional strokeplay - even the peerless Glenn McGrath went wicketless for 38 runs - before their batsmen succumbed against a disciplined attack. Virender Sehwag's decision to field may come under scrutiny but Rajasthan's ruthless efficiency might have steered them to the final either way. The farcical end to the match - when Mohammad Asif took an age to get his bat into the crease - summed it up.

The scorecard may indicate a hopelessly one-sided contest but Rajasthan had their shaky moments. Losing the toss meant facing up to McGrath and Asif on a juicy pitch and three quick wickets for Farveez Maharoof pushed them from 65 for no loss to 76 for 3.

Graeme Smith, who was aided by a runner once his hamstring injury resurfaced, and Swapnil Asnodkar, who broke a window pane at fine leg with an audacious pull, provided the early impetus but the innings could have easily lost its way with Maharoof, utilising the bounce and movement on the surface, luring the top order into loose strokes.

Watson's arrival put the innings back on track. From the moment he took 21 off the 11th over, with two ferocious pulls for six, only one team bossed the contest. With the high, straight back-lift that's been the feature of his batting in the tournament, Watson swung through midwicket and square leg. He targeted specific bowlers and went through with shots even if he wasn't to the pitch of the ball, allowing the timing to take care of the rest.

Amit Mishra, the legspinner, teased with his flight and loop but Watson was intent on spoiling his rhythm - going down on one knee, he slog-swept him over midwicket, a technique that Yusuf Pathan was to pick up later.

Such a commanding total wouldn't have been possible without the final flourish. Yusuf celebrated his recall to the one-day squad with a blistering 21-ball 45, an innings where four mighty sixes dripped off his bat. Without the Watson back-lift, without too much initial movement, he showed what brute force could do, blasting over long-on and midwicket. He spotted slower balls too, smearing McGrath over midwicket for the shot of the evening.

Delhi have their fielders to thank for avoiding further embarrassment but their effort was put in the shade by some acrobatic catching by Rajasthan. Shikhar Dhawan pulled off a diving catch to dismiss Smith but it was Tauwar Kohli's peach of a dive, throwing himself to the right of cover to latch on to a Gautam Gambhir slash, that will stick in the mind.

Watson may have top scored for his side, but his job wasn't done yet. Up against one of the most formidable opening combinations in the IPL, he cranked up his pace. Sehwag was done in by the extra bounce, holing out to deep point, Gambhir was frustrated into slashing in the air and Dhawan pulled straight to square leg. Every wicket was accompanied by an ecstatic expression - one that indicated the triumph of a well-laid plan.

Tillakaratne Dilshan's furious swinging was never going to be enough against a constantly mounting asking-rate and he kept losing partners who misread the bounce in the track. Manoj Tiwary top-edged a bouncer from Munaf Patel and Yo Mahesh struggled against a short one directed at the shoulder. The rest were clueless against Warne's fizzers.

He admitted he would have bowled first if he had won the toss but would have been pleasantly surprised at the amount of turn and bounce the surface offered. He toyed with the tailenders, mixing legbreaks and sliders as if this was a Test, and he could afford to wear an impish smile through the spell, considering the match was in the kitty.
Source: © Cricinfo Siddhartha Vaidyanathan is an assistant editor at Cricinfo

Half-brothers Irfan and Yusuf Pathan are part of the squad for the tri-series and the Asia Cup in June 2008

Yusuf Pathan, a right-hand batsman, and Pragyan Ojha, a left-arm spinner, have been called up to the 15-member squad for the tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan next month. Dinesh Karthik and Munaf Patel, who played in the CB Series, failed to make the cut.

The inclusion of Yusuf, who is the half-brother of Irfan Pathan, was on expected lines after his stand-out performances for the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League. He has scored 334 runs at 27.83 from 13 innings with three fifties, and recorded the fastest half-century of the Twenty20 tournament: off 21 balls against the Deccan Chargers. He also took five wickets at 41.60 with his offspin.

Ojha was one of exceptions in an otherwise lacklustre performance by his team, Deccan, who lost 12 off their 14 matches. He took 11 wickets at 25.81, and his best figures were 2 for 18 in their IPL opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

However Venkatapathy Raju, the former India left-arm spinner who is also one of the national selectors, said IPL performances had not carried much weightage in picking the squad. "Our team did well in Australia and we kept in mind injuries to players in our selection", Raju told Cricinfo. "Murali Kartik was injured and he opted out so we were looking for another left-arm spinner and Ojha's advantage is his height. He was the selectors' choice and not a recommendation from the captain."

Yusuf, meanwhile, was a unanimous choice, Raju said, based on his recent performances. Apart from the selectors, Dav Whatmore, the National Cricket Academy director, Gary Kirtsen, the coach, Niranjan Shah, the board secretary, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni attended the meeting.

Ojha first came in to the limelight last August when he picked up 22 wickets in India A's tour of Kenya, including 9 for 85 in a three-day fixture that India won by an innings and 87 runs.

In four List A games last season, Yusuf scored 92 for Baroda, while Ojha, picked up six wickets for Hyderabad. Their first-class record was better, with Yusuf getting 441 runs at 44.10 from seven Ranji games and Ojha topping Hyderabad's wickets list with 24 at 31.87 from six matches.

Squad Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt & wk), Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, RP Singh, Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha.
© Cricinfo

Reshuffled teams ready to show true credentials

West Indies v Australia, 2nd Test, Antigua, May 29, 2008 Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds will be part of Australia's middle order, which has been strengthened by the inclusion of the vice-captain Michael Clarke

The first Test in Jamaica uncovered more issues than it dealt with and it is unlikely many of them will be solved definitively during the second game in Antigua from Friday. Will West Indies be back as a mid-table force or will their batting inconsistencies prevent them from climbing above No. 8? At what point are Australia in their drop from untouchables to mortals, and when will the performances of the world champions level out?

Was the destruction caused by Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell in the second innings at Sabina Park something that can scare opposition teams regularly? Is Stuart MacGill the two-year answer to the tourists' spin bowling problems? Will Twenty20's Dwayne Bravo ever feel comfortable defending for more than a couple of overs? And what difference will the return of key players make?
Immediate answers are impossible, but the range of questions confirms the new levels of interest in the series. The relatively tight opening contest has given life to an affair that was expected to be one-sided. Matthew Hayden's absence for the rest of the series and the possibility of Chris Gayle and Jerome Taylor regaining fitness could bring the two teams' standards further together over the next two games.

Stuart Clark's fine second-innings bowling on Monday managed to cover up Australia's batting frailties, but the hope that Hayden would provide some cement at the top has gone. Simon Katich will sneak ahead of Brad Hodge, who is squeezed out despite comfortably out-performing Katich in pressure situations during the opening game. However, further twisting to an already unsettled order was considered unnecessary.

Michael Clarke, who is back from compassionate leave, will re-enter at No. 5 and will be vice-captain for the first time in a Test.

"There's no doubt [Clarke] is jumping out of his skin," Ponting told AAP. "He did what he had to do back in Australia and it's been a tough time ... He really loves playing cricket for Australia and with a bit more responsibility now and a leadership role in the group he is blossoming every day."

Strength in Australia's middle order is important because the sight of the fallible opening pairing of Katich and Phil Jaques will provide a lift for Edwards, Powell and Taylor. The West Indies fast men looked like world beaters at Sabina Park and Australia will need to find better ways of coping during the inaugural Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

During the World Cup last year Australia played three games on the new arena, which still had a sandy outfield, and the conditions offer another unpredictable element to the Test. So far both sides have trained at the smaller, older Recreation Ground and the players will get their first look at the North Sound pitch the day before the game.

After their strong comeback on the final day in Jamaica, and with the rust shaken from their break between Test series, Australia's position is comfortable and a draw would retain them the Frank Worrell Trophy. It is hard to gauge whether West Indies are under pressure or happily playing above themselves. While there was disappointment at their final-day collapse, there was pleasure at home and overseas in the way they stood up to Australia for much of the contest.

John Dyson, the West Indies coach, said during the week his players realised at Sabina Park that the Australians were not superhuman. It is an important step for any side that wants to move from also-rans to contenders
People in the Caribbean are talking cricket again and the local players will be expected to continue their harassment of the world champions. If they can cope with the increased demands then there will be opportunities to create further holes in Australia's redeveloping outfit.

Gayle's entrance would provide some much needed stability, especially after Brenton Parchment's unconvincing contributions in Jamaica, and his leadership will also allow Ramnaresh Sarwan to concentrate solely on batting. The side desperately needs to support Shivnarine Chanderpaul and an uncluttered mind would be the best thing for Sarwan, who failed twice last week as the stand-in leader. A groin injury has meant Gayle has not been able to play since the Sri Lanka series, but the problem is improving and the side will be more formidable if Taylor overcomes a back complaint.

John Dyson, the West Indies coach, said during the week his players realised at Sabina Park that the Australians were not superhuman. It is an important step for any side that wants to move from also-rans to contenders, and the view worked for Australia in the 1990s when they were trying to steal the trophy.

In the other camp Tim Nielsen was so impressed by West Indies that he believed they were capable of improving to No. 3 or 4 in the rankings. The evolving Australia were surprised by the initial fight of West Indies and now realise that even if their batting clicks and their bowlers are on song, the series is not likely to be one where the world champions beat up on the easy beats. When they were last in Antigua a year ago that scenario would have been unthinkable.

Source: © Cricinfo Peter English is the Australasia editor of Cricinfo

Tendulkar to miss Bangladesh tri-series and Asia Cup

May 29, 2008, Sachin Tendulkar will miss the upcoming tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup that follows because he hasn't recovered fully from his groin injury.

The injury had forced Tendulkar to miss the second and third Tests against South Africa in April as well as the first half of the Mumbai Indians' campaign in the Indian Premier League.
"Tendulkar is not available for the tri-series as well as the Asia Cup on the advice of Mumbai Indians physiotherapist Nitin Patel," Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary, said. "He has not recovered sufficiently from the groin injury."

Tendulkar was instrumental in India winning the tri-series in Australia earlier this year, scoring an unbeaten 117 and 91 in the best-of-three finals. His IPL form, after missing Mumbai Indians' first seven games, hasn't been as good, with 188 runs at an average of 31.33 and strike-rate of 106.

Besides Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, the fast bowler, is likely to miss out owing to the recurrence of his ankle injury, which ruled him out of the recent Test series against South Africa. Zaheer took part in the IPL, picking up 13 wickets in 11 matches before succumbing to the injury.

India will travel to Bangladesh to compete in a tri-series also involving Pakistan between June 8 and 14. The Asia Cup is scheduled to be held in Pakistan between June 24 and July 6.

Source: © Cricinfo

Rajasthan and Delhi brace for knock-out clash

Rajasthan Royals v Delhi Daredevils, 1st semi-final, Mumbai, Friday, May 30Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

The irony of the Indian Premier League's first semi-final is that Delhi have Rajasthan to thank for their place in the final four. Stuck on 15 points after 14 matches, Delhi needed Rajasthan to beat Mumbai in Jaipur and only after Mumbai's final-ball choke was Delhi's spot secured.

Ironic because Rajasthan have lost to only three teams in the IPL - Punjab, in a dead rubber; Mumbai; and Delhi, their semi-final opponents, in their first match of the tournament. Rajasthan were crushed in that encounter at the Feroz Shah Kotla by nine wickets and 29 balls to spare. They settled scores with Delhi during the home game , but that victory too looked improbable until Shane Watson blitzed 74 off 40 balls.

Past IPL form, though, will count for little during the high stakes of a knock-out match and the contest could be decided by which team keeps its cool. Delhi have Glenn McGrath's tremendous experience to fall back on while Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik were part of the Indian squad that won several close battles during the World Twenty20 in South Africa. Rajasthan, however, will rely on Graeme Smith's experience at the top of the order and the inspirational captaincy of Shane Warne to keep emotions under control and instill self-belief in high-pressure situations.

That they have already played each other twice should leave little room for surprise but, by a quirk of circumstance, Delhi's strong top-order are yet to face Sohail Tanvir, the IPL's best fast bowler. Tanvir was on Pakistan duty in the first encounter and, for the return, was rested to give Dimitri Mascarenhas a chance. Tanvir has been deadly with the new ball and tops both the wickets and economy charts (among those who've bowled at least 10 overs) with 21 scalps while conceding only 5.97 per over.

Tournament position
Rajasthan Royals: P14, W11, L3, NRR +0.632Delhi

Daredevils: P14, W7, L6, N/R1, NRR +0.342

Watch out for ...
Tanvir against Delhi's openers, Sehwag and Gambhir.
Glenn McGrath. Rajasthan were able to score only 33 runs off his eight overs in the league games.
Yusuf Pathan and Shane Watson, who form the mainstay of Rajasthan's power-hitting arsenal.

Team news
Rajasthan toyed with their line-up for their final league game against Punjab, resting Smith, Swapnil Asnodkar, Tanvir, Ravindra Jadeja and Warne. All five are expected to return for the semi-final. Niraj Patel's excellent form against Mumbai and Punjab might see him edge Mohammad Kaif for a spot.

Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Graeme Smith, 2 Swapnil Asnodkar, 3 Yusuf Pathan, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Niraj Patel, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Mahesh Rawat (wk), 8 Shane Warne (capt), 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Munaf Patel.

Delhi are likely to leave out Brett Geeves, who played their final league game against Mumbai, and bring back Mohammad Asif, who missed the last three games because of a hand injury. He was seen bowling at the nets on the eve of the semi-final.
Delhi Daredevils (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Shikhar Dhawan, 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 V Yomahesh, 9 Amit Mishra, 10 Mohammad Asif 11 Glenn McGrath.

© Cricinfo George Binoy is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Chennai Super Kings seal semi-final spot

May 27, 2008; Chennai Super Kings 148 for 3 (Raina 54*, Dhoni 37) beat Deccan Chargers 147 for 8 (Rao 46, Teja 40) by seven wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Suresh Raina's unbeaten 54 sealed the semi-final spot for the Chennai Super Kings (file photo)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni lost the toss but everything else went right for his team, beginning with some tight bowling, as the Chennai Super Kings won the match against the Deccan Chargers and a spot in the semi-finals at the expense of the Mumbai Indians. Chennai will face Kings XI Punjab, whom they have defeated twice in the league games, in one semi-final, while Rajasthan Royals take on Delhi Daredevils in the other.

Chennai had conceded 211 against Rajasthan in their previous game but the bowlers were up to the task this time as Deccan's final attempt to win at home win went awry. Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Shahid Afridi made a combined total of 14 runs, and though Venugopal Rao and Ravi Teja propped them up to 147, it wasn't enough. Chennai had an early wobble, but Suresh Raina, who came in to bat in the fourth over, steered them home with an unbeaten 54.

Chennai's opening bowlers were on the mark from the start: Makhaya Ntini bowled with pace and got good bounce and carry, while Manpreet Gony, the team's leading wicket-taker, stuck to an impeccable length on off stump and bowled through his four overs for 21. And they reaped the rewards soon, as both Gibbs and Gilchrist found the fielder at third man - Gibbs with a slash, and Gilchrist with a thick outside-edge.

Deccan's early runs came mainly in singles and Scott Styris, who has had a terrible tournament, seemed to be getting into rhythm with boundaries in the arc between midwicket and mid-on till he was bowled by Muttiah Muralitharan while trying to hit one across. At 57 for 3 after 10.1 overs, Deccan needed a partnership and Rao and Teja came up with a 76-run stand that lent respectability to the eventual total. Muralitharan was hard to get away but the two went after Balaji in the 14th over, which cost 14.

They managed to up the run-rate with a boundary every over, and Rao, often at the centre of Deccan's rearguard actions, hit one to bring up the 100 in the 16th over. There was a flurry of runs in the 18th as well, as Teja slashed one high into the stands off Ntini in an over which cost 15. That he still ended with figures of 1 for 24 off his four indicated just how frugal he was in his first three overs.

That burst was followed by a flurry of wickets, including three - one of them a run-out - in three balls in the 19th. The crowd had chanted Afridi's name but he lasted two balls as Deccan limped to 147.

Deccan, and Mumbai, needed a wicket early and RP Singh nearly got the breakthrough as Stephen Fleming fended at one that swung away, but both Gilchrist and Styris were late to react. Fleming and his fellow left-hand opener Parthiv Patel cashed in when the bowlers erred: short and wide deliveries were dispatched for fours. P Vijaykumar then decided to go round the wicket, and it worked, as Fleming got a thick outside-edge while trying to force a drive through the covers.

Deccan Chargers were always playing catch-up after an abysmal start. In their first ten overs, they had managed only 57 runs (click here for a larger image) © Cricinfo Ltd

In came Raina and he soon found his rhythm, slapping one riskily in the air through the covers, before punching one through the same region. Afridi was brought into the attack as early as the fifth over, and he put a brake on the scoring. At the other end, Raina got consecutive boundaries in Sarvesh Kumar's first over, but the pressure applied from Afridi worked as Parthiv played straight to cover in Sarvesh's next, Afridi taking the catch.

Raina was joined by Dhoni, and the 55-run stand between the two put Chennai on course for victory. Dhoni started with two streaky boundaries - he hit one straight to Sarvesh first-up, who fluffed a chance, and followed with a thick outside-edge which flew to the third-man boundary. With left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha and Styris managing to curb the runs, Dhoni decided to take a few risks. He stepped out to deposit Ojha over long-on, and after a miscued pull nearly landed in Gibbs' hands at midwicket, he cut Styris for four. Afridi came back with 52 needed off 42 balls, and Dhoni hit one dead-straight for four, before Raina powered a shorter delivery over midwicket for six.

Chennai were cruising towards the target, but had a brief wobble after Dhoni found Gibbs at long-on. That Ojha over, the 16th, went just for three, and when Styris conceded the same in the next, Chennai were left needing 28 off 18. Another tight over and Deccan could have still been in the hunt, but Raina found the gap at midwicket as Ojha bowled a full toss. He was dropped by RP in the 19th over, and hit the winning six - which brought up his fifty - as Chennai reached their target with four balls to spare.

While Dhoni and Co were relieved and celebrated the win, Gilchrist looked ahead after a disastrous first season, in which last-placed Deccan won just two of their 14 games. "I do not have any excuses. It depends which way you look it.," he said. "It's not end of the world. We should settle down, make a self-assessment and think over where we went wrong and plan for the future."


Source: © Cricinfo Mathew Varghese is an editorial assistant at Cricinfo