Friday, March 26, 2010

IPL 2010 schedule - Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers live streaming & IPL 2010 Youtube

IPL 2010 schedule: Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers live streaming & IPL 2010 Youtube. Pegged with two consecutive wins after the hat trick of defeats in the IPL3 the Shilpa Shetty owned and the champions of the first IPL Rajsthan Royals face the last edition champions Deccan Chargers on Friday. Rajsthan Royals have registered their wins against the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Kings Eleven Punjab.

For Rajsthan Royals it seems that they are now out of the hangover of loosing their two star batsmen Graeme Smith and Dimitri Mascarenhas due to injury. Yusuf Pathan is always a big hope for the Rajsthan team and the inclusion of Adam Voges gave good confidence to their batting. He has played very solid innings and has been great help for the RR to register victory. Michael Lumb and Faiz Fazal too have started contributing good for the RR.

For Rajsthan Royals Shaun Tait’s return to the form is great bonanza. Siddharth Trivedi too bowled beautifully in the last match. And Yusuf Pathan is always there with his tweakers. It is their captain and once the master of the art now 40 years old Shane Warne who is looking quite average.

Rajsthan Royals bowlers have this task of containing Adam Gilchrist and later Andrew Symonds and Herschelle Gibbs, though the Deccan Chargers seem to have been facing some problem at the second opening slot. Mohnihs Mishra did not come good and VVS Laxman too is not sure due to his injury. Rohit Sharma is due for a big score and the DC would be hoping much from him.

As he is also a probable for India’s t20 world cup squad. Deccan Chargers new ball bowler Chamind Vass is in great form but RP singh is a bit rusty till now. Andrew Symonds and Rohit Sharma may come good against the RR.

The Deccan Chargers have lost their initial match against the Kolkata Knightriders but barring this loss they have made a hat trick of victories and it would not be easy for the RR to stop the juggernaut of DC. The two former champions have one loss and one win in the last edition of the IPL but in the initial IPL the Rajsthan Royals had been the winners at both the occasions they meet.

Afridi and Younus file appeals against punishments

Afridi and Younus file appeals against punishmentsAll-rounder Shahid Afridi and star batsman Younus Khan have challenged their penalties imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently. A six-member committee was constituted by the PCB to probe what were the reasons behind the disastrous tour Down Under where Pakistan lost all three Tests, five one-day matches and the only Twenty20 international.

The committee, instead of highlighting the reasons, recommended bans and fines on seven players and the PCB implemented them. Afridi, found guilty of ball-tampering in the final one-day international in Perth in February, was fined Rs 3 million and placed under probation for six months.

While Younus was axed from all formats of the game for an indefinite period for his ‘bad influence’ and ‘infighting’ with star batsman Mohammad Yousuf who was also handed out the same punishment. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal and his younger brother Umar Akmal were fined Rs 3 million each
for violating players’ code of conduct.

Afridi told reporters Thursday that he had lodged an appeal against the penalty imposed on him. “I have sent a letter to the PCB appealing against the Rs 3 million fine imposed on me by the inquiry committee for my ball-tampering offence in Australia,” Afridi said. The all-rounder’s decision to appeal came just two days after the board appointed him captain for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean. “When I have already served a two-match ban from the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the ball-tampering incident then on what basis is the board punishing me for the same mistake again?” maintained Afridi. “I have taken the plea that when board chairman Ijaz Butt himself has said on record that the PCB would not punish me twice for the same offence how can they fine me now for ball tampering.”

Younus’s lawyer Ahmed Qayyum was quoted as saying he had sent a letter asking the PCB to provide evidence of his client’s offence. “The charge sheet sent to my client does not specify any incident on the basis of which they handed such a harsh punishment,” Qayyum said. “We have asked the board to provide us evidence on the basis of which the inquiry committee decided Younus must be banned.” He said they had basically asked the board to provide them with solid evidence that Younus was involved in infighting with Yousuf and that they disrupted the team’s dressing room atmosphere. “We want this issue to be settled amicably and the ban to be ended but if that does not happen then we will go to the court,” he added. The PCB last week appointed two retired Supreme Court judges — Muneer Sheikh and Jamshed Ali Shah — and a former High Court judge, Irfan Qadir, to deal with the appeals.

PCB chief operating officer Wasim Bari confirmed yesterday that Afridi was the first to lodge his appeal. “Afridi has submitted his appeal against the fine with the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and now one of three independent judges appointed to hear the appeals will take up the matter,” Bari said. Malik and Naved have also hinted lodging appeal early next month.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Sachin Tendulkar may play in ICC World T20 in West Indies?

Sachin Tendulkar may play in ICC World T20 in West IndiesSachin Tendulkar has exhibited a rich vein of form even before the IPL, but it is his performances in the IPL that have given rise to the debate on whether Tendulkar should come out of retirement in this format and try and give it a shot. Tendulkar has already smashed a couple of half centuries in the tournament so far, and has looked impeccable with his stroke-making and strike-rate.

Tendulkar, on his part has made it clear that he will not be a part of the World T20. The other batsman who could make a surprise comeback to the World T20 side is the in-form Robin Uthappa. Uthappa has been almost mesmerising down the order, and has also hit a couple of sizzling half centuries that has turned the games in his team’s favour.

Bwin offers 19/4 for India to win the tournament, whereas Australia and South Africa are the top two favourites for holding the trophy aloft at 4/1 (Totesport) and 9/2 (Bet365) respectively. England and West Indies are both outsiders to win the tournament, and belong to the same group D in the competition. Paddy Power offers 4/5 for England to win the group, while West Indies go into the tournament at 11/10 (Paddy Power) to top their group. Ireland is the third team in their group.

Stars' IPL performance should worry Indian selectors

Stars' IPL performance should worry Indian selectorsIn a day from now, the national selection committee will sit down to name the Indian squad for the World T20. TOI has been bringing you a formbook ahead of each match in the IPL and should we turn that into a formbook for the tournament itself and present it to the selectors, they would be in a spot for sure.

This is so because most of those who have featured as match-winners in the first 10-12 days of the IPL do not figure in the 30-man probables’ list and so cannot be picked. So, let us look at what the selectors will be missing.

If one were to start with the captain, then think no further than Anil Kumble. Not just captaincy, Kumble has the bowling to back him too. Where Harbhajan Singh has got four wickets from as many matches, Kumble has five from five but when you turn to the economy rate, Kumble's is an impressive 5.09, while Harbhajan has been taken for 7.14.

It is not just Kumble who is running away with the honours, take KKR's forgotten left-arm spinner Murali Kartik, whose four wickets have come at an economy rate of 5.57 whereas the man in the probables list, Pragyan Ojha of Deccan Chargers, has the same four but at 7.12.

Among batsmen, leading the run-scorer's list among non-probables' list is none other than Tendulkar (176 from four games with a strike rate of 155.75 and average of 58.66). Of course, Tendulkar has reiterated that he is not interested in World T20.

Mumbai Indians' Saurabh Tiwary has been a revelation this season. Tiwary (169, 146.95, 42.25) follows Tendulkar closely along with RCB's Robin Uthappa who has 162 runs from five matches with a strike rate of 178.02 and a superb average of 54. Even Irfan Pathan has had a good run with the bat.

Compare their showings with some of the certainties. While Virender Sehwag has blasted away to 186 runs from five games, Yuvraj Singh has a mere 60 runs from four games and Suresh Raina a poor 97 from five. Why, someone like Manish Pandey has rattled up 140 runs from five games, perennial hope Rohit Sharma pales with 78 from four matches.

Among the pacemen, Praveen Kumar (7 wickets with an economy rate of 6.75) has done reasonably well, Ishant Sharma has taken six at an expensive 8.65 an over while S Sreesanth has taken a real beating, his two wickets (prior to Wednesday's match) literally bought at 10.63 an over.

Monday, March 22, 2010

IPL Cricket betting – Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders

The Mumbai Indians face the Kolkata Knight Riders today in a match both teams will hope to use to bounce back from defeats on Saturday. The Indians started well against the Royal Challengers but fell apart after losing their third wicket to lose by seven wickets. The Knight Riders went down by 34 runs to the lowly Rajasthan Royals, who are currently bottom of the IPL table.

The Indians are favourites for the game at 8/13 (bet $130 to win $80 profit), leaving the Knight Riders as underdogs at 11/8 with Bet365. Both sides have won two matches but Mumbai are third in the table due to their Net Run Rate of +1.52. Kolkata have played an extra game and their NRR of -0.90 sees them in the bottom half of the table in fifth place.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle has been made favourite to be the top batsman for the Knight Riders, priced at 3/1, followed by Australian Brad Hodge, who is at 7/2 with Paddy Power. Sourav Ganguly is next, at 9/2 with Bet365, ahead of fearless Indian batsman Manoj Tiwary, who is at 5/1.

Mumbai’s opening batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya are the two favourites to top-score for the Indians, with Tendulkar at 11/4, and Jayasuriya at 9/2. South African JP Duminy is at 5/1, and Shikhar Dhawan is a 6/1 shot. Mumbai are the second favourites to win the competition, priced at 4/1 with Coral, while the Knight Riders can be backed at as high as 17/2 to win.

Adam Gilchrist welcomes new IPL teams

Adam Gilchrist welcomes new IPL teamsFormer Australian cricketer and Deccan Chargers captain Adam Gilchrist has favoured the expansion of Indian Premier League (IPL).

As the two teams (Pune and Kochi) have joined the league. ''It is good that IPL is expanding. Good substances will come up by this,'' Gilchrist said, though he refused that money factor was behind expansion of the IPL matches.

Gilchrist rather believes that passion for cricket in India was the major reason behind the IPL expansion. Sahara India Group bought the Pune team for Rs 1702 cr and Rendezvous Sports World bought the Kochi team for Rs 1533 cr in yesterday’s auction. Now, IPL has become a family of 10 teams and will play in IPL 4. The IPL matches were also expanded to 94 for the next edition. IPL Chairman yesterday announced the two new IPL teams in Chennai.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

IPL 2010 Points Table Latest Update

IPL 2010 Points Table Latest UpdateIPL 2010 Points Table Latest Update: In the Indian Premiere League season 3 Mumbai Indians team is leading the Points Table with 4 points.Sachin Tendulkar led team have played 2 games so far and won the both. So, they are leading with 4 points now.

At the same time, the Bangalore Royal Challengers team is on the second position with 4 points. Vijay Mallya’s team have played 3 matches so far, winning 2 only. Chennai Super Kings have played 3 matches, winning 2 and Deccan Chargers have played 3 matches winning 2.

Even Kolkata Knight Riders have played 3 matches and lost one of it. They have got 4 points so far. Gautam Gambhir led Delhi Daredevils have played 4 matches, but lost 2. They have got 4 points. Meanwhile, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals have not got any point. Both the teams have played 3 matches each, losing all.

Poor start cost us the match - Sangakkara

After slumping to their third consecutive defeat in the tournament, Kings XI Punjab skipper Kumar Sangakkara said poor start to their run chase cost his side the Indian Premier League match against Deccan Chargers here on Friday.

Poor start cost us the match - Sangakkara

Chasing a competitive 171 for victory, Kings XI made a disastrous start to their innings, scoring just 27 runs for the loss of three wickets in the first six overs. According to Sangakkara, it made the difference between a victory and a defeat for Kings XI.

“The fielding and bowling was lot better. We executed our plans on the field well but it was the first six overs that cost us the match. But Pathan played a magnificent innings towards the end to keep us in,” Sangakkara said after the match. “Hopefully we can turnaround the results in the next games. The guys are working very hard,” he said.

His Deccan Chargers counterpart Adam Gilchrist said although his side won the match today, they were 15 20 runs short. “We may be 10 15 runs short. We let them make a comeback into the match after the start we had. We lost the momentum after mine and a few other wickets,” he said.

Man-of the-match Andrew Symonds, who scored a 38 ball 53 apart from picking up a wicket and accounting for two crucial catches, agreed with his skipper. “Probably we were 20 runs short of what we wanted. We lost wickets at crucial stages,” he said.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Yousuf receives PCB's green signal for Bangladeshi league

A day after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) clarified that players must seek permission from it to participate in any foreign cricket tournament, former captain Mohammed Yousuf has been allowed to play in a private league in Bangladesh.

"Yousuf had requested the PCB that he wanted to play in Bangladesh and Ijaz (Butt) has given him the permission," The Daily Times quoted a PCB spokesperson, as saying. It may be noted that the PCB had issued a strict warning to the players wanting to participate in domestic tournaments of other countries, saying they must obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the board.

"The PCB firmly conveys to all concerned that no player is allowed to play cricket outside Pakistan without having prior approval from the board in this regard. Any player interested to play cricket in any part of the world should apply to the board to seek permission for the same," a statement issued by the PCB said.

The PCB has prohibited players selected for the upcoming ICC T20 World Championship from taking part in Bangladesh's domestic T20 tournament, which is to be played in Sharjah.

Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Mohammed Hafeez, Abdul Razzaq and Imtan Nazir had signed for the tournament beginning March 26 but insiders said the PCB do not want to risk these players ahead of the coveted T20 World Cup and is unlikely to grant them the NOC's.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Injured Dhoni out of IPL 3 for 10 days

Injured Dhoni out of IPL 3 for 10 daysChennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni has been ruled out of the next few IPL games after an elbow injury.

He may be out of action for the next 10 days. "Dhoni has been diagnosed with an elbow injury and has been advised 10 days rest," team manager Russell Radhakrishnan said.

Suresh Raina will stand in as Chennai captain. Dhoni hurt his elbow while batting against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Tuesday's match at Eden Garden.

A delivery from new KKR buy and pacer Shane Bond hit Dhoni on the right elbow. Later he underwent an x-ray test. "Dhoni will be out of action for the next 10 days and the exact nature of his injury is being examined by the doctors at a private hospitals here," a team management source said.

Despite the injury, Dhoni was Man of the Match for his unbeaten knock of 66. He also took a diving catch to dismiss Owais Shah off Lakshmipathy Balaji's bowling. Later, during the post-match presentations, the Chennai skipper was seen sporting a pack and bandage on his right elbow and shook hands left-handed.

The source, however, said that Dhoni will be travelling with the team to Delhi, where the Chennai side will take on Delhi Daredevils at Feroz Shah Kotla on Friday. But with Delhi in great form, Chennai will be at a disadvantage without their dashing skipper. "He will be travelling with the team to Delhi," the source said.

Apart from the match against the Daredevils, the injury also rules Dhoni out of Chennai Super Kings' matches against Kings XI Punjab (March 21), Royal Challengers Bangalore (March 23) and Mumbai Indians (March 25). Chennai began the tournament badly, losing to the Deccan Chargers and the Dhoni-led win against the Kolkata Knight Riders had come as a shot in the arm to the team.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Indian Premiere League - Rajasthan Royals VS Delhi Dare Devils Live Tonight

IPL Schedule  Indian Premiere League Rajasthan Royals VS Delhi Dare Devils Live TonightGet ready for the cricket acction tonight for the he Indian Premiere League cricket game. IPL will have the match of Rajasthan Royals VS Delhi Dare Devils scheduled tonight at 8:00 PM in Ahmedabad. This will be a great match for this year’s IPL Cricket.

Yesterday, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 7 wickets. Indian Premiere League Criket game of Deccan Chargers VS Chennai Super Kings won by Chargers by 31 runs.

At M A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. Deccan Chargers made 190 for four in the stipulated 20 overs and then restricted Chennai Super Kings to 159 for nine to register their first victory at the ongoing IPL. Catch the game updates in Indian Premiere League official website. News and live scores will be also available.

Friday, March 12, 2010

Delhi Daredevils bookies pick to win IPL-3

Delhi Daredevils bookies pick to win IPL-3Delhi Daredevils have entered the semi-finals of both the editions of IPL i.e., 2008 and 2009, but have failed to go further. This has prompted the Indian and English bookies to pin Gautam Gambhir’s men as favourites to win Season III, which begins on Friday in Mumbai.

Bookies are impressed with a batting line-up that includes Virender Sehwag, Tillakaratne Dilshan, captain Gambhir, David Warner, AB de Villiers and Paul Collingwood as well.

As the in-form Dinesh Karthik Add to that a bowling attack that has proven performers like Dirk Nannes, Ashish Nehra, Daniel Vettori and Amit Mishra being buttressed by the entry of South African Wayne Parnell and the balance does look enviable.

English bookmakers Ladbrokes and William Hill are offering returns of Rs 5 and Rs 4.5 respectively - or earnings of Rs 4 and Rs 3.5 - on every rupee bet on the Daredevils winning the tourney, while Indian bookies are offering Rs 4.1 for every rupee. IPL 2010: Fixture - Teams - Points - Orange-Purple

The bookmakers, however, can’t quite see eye-to-eye on the rest of the teams, although Kolkata Knight Riders are not surprisingly in the bottom half on all their forecasts. Ladbrokes and William Hill both see Chennai Super Kings.

The only team apart from the Daredevils to figure in the semi-finals in both seasons - as a team running Gambhir’s men close. William Hill is offering Rs 5.5 and Ladbrokes Rs 5 for every rupee bet on Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings. The difference is that Ladbrokes has current champions Deccan Chargers sharing second spot with Chennai.

Indian bookies, however, see Chennai as the team fifth most likely to win IPL-3. In their view, the team most likely to challenge Delhi is the Anil Kumble-led Bangalore Royal Challengers, last year’s runners-up. Ladbrokes has Bangalore in fourth spot and William Hill has them sharing the slot with the Deccan Chargers. The spread of the odds also suggests that Ladbrokes sees the tournament as a much closer contest than either Indian bookies or William Hill.

IPL Rockstars to perform in Mohali

IPL Rockstars to perform in MohaliFor the first time ever, India will witness a music competition right in the IPL cricket stadiums. With host Hard Kaur and judges Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher on the house, the show definitely promises to be a great entertaining affair.

Twelve talented singers will be competing in the city of Mohali and will be performing in the stadium live, in front of the audiences. Watch the IPL Rockstars perform in Mohali in the opening episode on March 13, 2010 at 7 pm only on COLORS.

Hayden unveils new bats for T20 cricket

Hayden unveils new bats for T20 cricketChennai Super Kings opener Matthew Hayden on Thursday launched the Mongoose bat, designed specifically to meet the new distilled demands of Twenty20 cricket.

The Mongoose bat is a shorter, more rigid blade is teamed with a longer, more flexible handle to offer increased power, faster bat speed and better manoeuvrability.

The splice is incorporated into the handle to remove any dead spot from the hitting area and the shoulders have been reconfigured to add weight to the back of the blade.

Former Australia opener Hayden is confident that the new bats, with a bigger sweet spot, will help the batsmen hit harder, faster and further.

"The Mongoose has the potential to revolutionise cricket. Without changing your technique, the bat allows you to hit the ball harder and further.

Its power is phenomenal and without a doubt, I am looking forward to playing many successful games with it," Hayden said in Chennai.

The Mongoose is poised to rewrite record books in the same way that titanium-headed drivers and graphite rackets revolutionised golf and tennis. Because it can be lighter in weight while still offering great power, the Mongoose is ideal for players of all abilities and juniors. In spite of its radical design, the MCC has confirmed that the patent-pending Mongoose bat is legal and is allowed to be used throughout India and Indian sub-continent all levels of cricket.

For the IPL, Mongoose Cricket is launching two limited edition models of the Mongoose MMi3. The MMi3 super premium is made of pro-grade English willow, only 40 super premium bats will be launched throughout India, each bat will be uniquely numbered from 1-40 and will be hand signed by Hayden. The MMi3 premium is made of grade one English willow, and a limited range of 60 numbered and hand signed bats by Hayden will be available.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Yousuf contemplating retirement from international cricket

Although the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has clarified that the ban on captain Mohammed Yousuf is 'discretionary' and not for life, the dejected skipper is contemplating retirement. Yousuf's close friends said he was 'distraught' and almost speechless when he came to know about the PCB's decision.

"Yousuf is contemplating retirement with immediate effect, but we are trying to talk him out of it. At the moment, he is very confused with this situation and hopefully things may improve and become clearer soon," PakPassion.net quoted one of Yousuf's close friends, as saying.

According to him, Yousuf was particularly upset over the treatment meted out to him by the PCB, as he came to know about the ban imposed on him only through media. "All he wants to know is what he has done wrong. He has had no official correspondence from the Board or even a telephone call to explain where he has erred and has just heard about the punishment in the media. This is not the way to treat a Pakistani cricketing legend and someone who has served his country with dignity over the years," he said.

Yousuf, who has played 88 Tests and scored 7,431 runs at a very impressive career average of 53, is Pakistan's third-highest Test run-scorer ever. He recently stepped in to lead Pakistan for the troubled tour of New Zealand and Australia was severely criticised for the team's defeat in the second Test at Sydney.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Family matters cause cricket bingle

Family matters cause cricket bingleHis partner has lost control of her current predicament partly by taking dismal advice in his absence. She needs him desperately.

It might have reached such a point that the relationship is on the brink of collapse. In something akin to these circumstances Michael Clarke left the tour of New Zealand to be with fiancee Lara Bingle.

This apparently makes him unfit to captain the Australian cricket team. Should dash his hopes immediately. His priorities are askew. He is in the spell of a notorious temptress.

Excuse me? Which decade are we living in?

Mark Waugh was the first to condemn Clarke: "His personal life has encroached on his cricket. That's not the way you want to be playing your cricket and living your life."

Read that sentence again. Not a lot of perspective here. Move along.

Ian Chappell says it should count against Clarke when the ledger is balanced to choose the next Test captain. "Stability and durability." That's what you need.

Clarke has had two girlfriends in his adult life. He would appear to be dependable and loyal. If he's faithful as well what a trifecta that would be in an elite sportsman.

Peter Roebuck thinks it's time to decide. Lara or Australia? Presumably he still fumes that John chose Yoko ahead of The Beatles.

Clarke has done what any decent husband or boyfriend should but too many of us struggle with. He's put family ahead of work.

Temporarily. Just a little bit of time to tend to what really matters. His life. Rather than his job.

Incidentally, the very same people speaking in grave tones about Clarke's flight believe the one-day series currently being played to be utterly meaningless. The sort of fodder ruining cricket.

All of a sudden the word "crucial" is being attached to the assignment he has left.

The subtext at play is that the 22-year-old model isn't fit to be the wife of the Australian cricket captain. Precisely where the required qualities for such a post are laid out is difficult to pinpoint. There's not even a scant reference in Lady Lupins Guide to Etiquette.

In this case it's Bingle's shortcomings that are being cited to prohibit Clarke from holding office. It's hard to come up with a precedent for such thinking.

The indiscretions of Wayne Carey and John Terry are examples of the circumstances that disqualify a person from captaining a sporting team. No-one will quite say it but it's written between every line: those involved think Australian cricket would be better off without Lara Bingle. But selectors have no power in this matter.

(By-the-by how a photo of a model in the shower taken by a meat-head Aussie Rules footballer four years' earlier delayed the announcement of the Test cricket team is mind-bending.) The only question for Clarke to answer privately is whether he loves his girlfriend for who she is and whether he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. It's the same question young men the world over grapple with.

It's not a matter former captains and cricket commentators should concern themselves with. When it comes time to replace Ricky Ponting Cricket Australia should consider only a man's character and nous. On the issue of character this week Clarke has shown himself to be a man with perspective and values.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Afridi best man to lead Pakistan in all forms of cricket - Ramiz Raja

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja has described all rounder Shahid Afridi as the 'best man to lead' the team in the forthcoming T20 World Championship in the Caribbean, and said the flamboyant cricketer should be appointed skipper for all the three forms of the game. "I'll go with Afridi as captain. In fact, I'll recommend Afridi for all three formats,"Raja said.

Sources inside the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suggested that the board is hesitant to continue with Afridi as captain of the T20 team after he was punished for ball-tampering during the fifth and last one-day international against Australia at Perth . However, Raja backed Afridi, saying he has already been punished for his act.

"If that's the reason to overlook him as captain then I don't agree with it.He has been punished already. In any case, I think ball-tampering is no big deal. It's only that Afridi did it in a silly manner, probably in the pressure of the moment," The News quoted Raja, as saying. The PCB is considering giving the captaincy to Shoaib Malik or Abdul Razzaq but Raja said it won't be a wise move.

"I personally believe that Its Afridi's chance. It's his time. He can handle the pressure. He was the best player of the World Twenty20 final last year. The only thing that he needs is to relax as captain. Once he does that, I'm sure he can get the best out of our team," he said.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Hussey to Johnson - Focus on the cricket

Hussey to Johnson - Focus on the cricketMitchell Johnson has avoided a suspension for his head-butt to the helmet of New Zealand batsman Scott Styris and now he needs to focus purely on cricket, Australia's "Mr Cricket" says.

Mike Hussey says while Johnson is a "passionate guy", the fiery pace bowler should be wary of the danger of getting too fired up to the detriment of the side as Australia face a mighty battle to retain the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.

The Kiwis claimed a two-wicket win in Wednesday's opening one-day international at McLean Park in Napier with Styris hitting a six from the second ball of the 50th over to finish on 49 not out, guiding the home side to 8-281 chasing Australia's 8-275.

Johnson, who appeared to thrust his head into the helmet of Styris when the pair had a mid-pitch confrontation at the end of the 46th over of the Kiwi innings, pleaded guilty late on Wednesday to a level-two breach of the ICC Code of Conduct.

The Australian was fined 60 per cent of his match fee by Sri Lankan match referee Ranjan Madugalle, although he could have been banned for up to two ODI games.

Styris also gave an early plea to a charge of getting involved in a verbal encounter with Johnson that was "contrary to the spirit of cricket or (can) bring the game into disrepute". The aggressive Kiwi was fined 15 per cent of his match fee.

Hussey says he didn't get a good view of the incident from his fielding position on the boundary, but wants to put an end to the whole thing ahead of Saturday's game two of the five-match series at Auckland's Eden Park.

"It seemed like they bumped into each other but it's been dealt with now," Hussey told reporters on Thursday.

"We didn't really speak about it at all after the game. We packed up pretty quickly and went back to the hotel.

"It was just one of those things that happens out on the field and it should stay out there.

"We just get on with our cricket from here."

Asked if cricket needed that type of intensity, Hussey said: "No, not really.

"We're certainly at our best when we're just concentrating on our cricket and looking to execute our skills and our plans.

"We believe that if we concentrate solely on executing our plans then we're a very difficult team to beat.

"(Johnson) plays the game hard and out in the middle there are always going to be emotions. "It has happened throughout the history of the game and I'm sure it won't be the last time it has happened. "I'm sure there's no animosity between the teams."

While Australia were unbeaten in ODI series at home this summer against West Indies and Pakistan, they are on a losing streak of five ODI games in New Zealand dating back to 2005. "Coming to this side of the ditch, we always expect a hard contest and we're getting it," said Hussey.

New Zealand's bowling coach Shane Jurgensen said he was surprised by the Johnson-Styris incident. "But that's just what happens in Australia versus New Zealand. There's four more games yet so we might see a bit more of that," he added.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Waqar appointed Pakistan coach

Waqar appointed Pakistan coachWaqar Younis replaces Intikhab Alam as the new coach of the Pakistan cricket team. He now becomes the 4th coach of Pakistan in the last three years and is expected to be in charge until December 2011.

Waqar, who lives in Sydney these days, is expected to arrive in Pakistan in a week. His first assignment will be to defend the T20 crown in the ICC T20 World Cup at the Carribean.

"I've signed on and agreed to the contract," Waqar told Cricinfo. "I'll be arriving in Lahore next week to begin my work." PCB was considering a number of options for the top job but Waqar Younis emerged as the favorite among them.

"I'm absolutely honoured to take on the role and it is a very exciting challenge," Waqar said. "Hopefully I can deliver on the role. Cricket has given me a lot over the years and I want to give something back to cricket and country now. I've always played my cricket with passion and aggression and I want the team to play like that."

Waqar has worked twice as the bowling coach of Pakistan but has never been the head coach of any side till date.

Waqar believes that the lack of experience would not have any negative impact on him. "I'll probably have more control of various situations and have a say in more decisions. I really enjoyed my time as bowling coach, especially the first one under Bob. The last one was a little more difficult but I'm confident I can deliver. I learnt a lot from Bob during his time and I'm hoping I can put that to good use," he said.

 

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