All posts by csb10.top

Lalchand Rajput is not surprised that he has been appointed cricket manager of the Indian team for the inaugural Twenty20 World Championship to be held in South Africa in September. “My name has been doing the rounds each time a coaching role in any capacity has been discussed in the recent past, but it is an honour to get this opportunity”, Rajput said from Kandy, where he is the coach of the India Under-19s, playing their second Test of the series.Though he was yet to officially receive the news from the BCCI, Rajput said he was looking forward to the challenge. “I’ve been doing very well as a coach,” said Rajput, whose name was doing the rounds when the board was thinking of appointing an understudy to the coach of the national team.With the board’s head-coach hunt yet to take full flight, and Chandu Borde, the current cricket manager in England, considered unsuitable for the fast-paced environment of Twenty20, there was not much competition for Rajput. The highly regarded Chandrakant Pandit is coach of the India A side currently touring Kenya but what might have turned the balance in Rajput’s favour would be his coaching pedigree, especially his success as the coach of the Under-19 team, with whom he is yet to lose a series. In the past year, since his appointment, the team have won in England (Test series 1-0, ODI series 3-0, Pakistan (Tests 2-0, ODIs 4-0), New Zealand (Tests 1-1, ODIs 2-1) and now Sri Lanka (the triangular one-day series featuring Sri Lanka and Bangladesh U-19s; they are leading 1-0 in the Tests).Rajput, a former India and Mumbai opener, has had coaching stints with Mumbai and Assam and is currently also the director of coaching at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. “I have had a good rapport with youngsters in my various coaching roles so that would help me blend in easily with the Indian team.”India are yet to pick up the nuts and bolts of Twenty20 cricket. That’s something Rajput acknowledges. “We have not played enough of Twenty20 but at the same time Indians are quick learners so that gives me the confidence.” Unlike during the World Cup in the Caribbean, where the Indians were among the favourites, Rajput and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was appointed India’s Twenty 20 captain, have to work their way up in South Africa.Though it’s a daunting task, Rajput has a clear vision. “It’s a different ball game; it is really for young legs and you have to be involved always as every ball is important, so the focus and intensity should be good all the time. That will be the most important aspect we need to work on.”Even if India lack Twenty20 specialists, unlike the other teams, Rajput feels it’s a balanced side. “It looks a good all-round team with the right blend of some seniors and juniors. We have good strikers and the right set of youngsters to face the demand of the game.”Rajput has faith in his captain, who, he feels, has the ability to bolster spirits with his own hard work. “Dhoni is honest [and] has a very good work ethic, which will be a factor from the team’s point of view. He is a strong-willed person who doesn’t give up easily and you can see that in his batting, which will help him lead by example.”With little over a month left before the start of the tournament, Rajput has already set his agenda: “Running between the wickets and fielding are two key areas that will form the focus of the training.”

Scorecard

Jason Borgas and Cullen Bailey led an improved batting performance from South Australia, who fought hard to reach 7 for 262 at stumps. Victoria’s fast bowlers took wickets regularly throughout the day after sending South Australia in but could not spark they collapse they craved from a team that only last week were bowled out for 114 and 120.Borgas, the brother of the injured Cameron Borgas, was playing just his second first-class game and stubbornly refused to give in to the Victoria bowling until after four hours he was finally was caught for 66. He was one of four victims for Mick Lewis, who also removed Shane Deitz late in the day for 49. But Bailey, who scored his maiden half-century and finished unbeaten on 52, ensured the visitors would post a competitive total.However, apart from Borgas, the South Australia top order remained a concern. Darren Pattinson, Victoria’s debutant fast bowler, claimed the first breakthrough when he had Tom Plant for 13 and returned later to entice an edge to slip from Ben Cameron (22).Matthew Elliott’s struggle for runs continued as he was caught at second slip for 9 and both Daniel Harris and Mark Cosgrove made starts before falling to Lewis. Both teams were ruthless on their underperforming regulars, with Dan Cullen named 12th man for South Australia and Jon Moss for Victoria.

The Indian team’s arrival in Pune minus Sachin Tendulkar was enough to send the rumour mills into a tizzy. It had been suggested that Tendulkar will not play the fourth one-day international against Sri Lanka, and even that he would not be making the trip from Mumbai to Pune. However well-informed sources told Cricinfo that there was “no truth” in these rumours, and that unless the situation changes drastically between now and Thursday, Tendulkar is very much a part of the scheme of things.Tendulkar, along with five others, left the team at Jaipur on Monday after India sealed an emphatic win and took a 3-0 lead in the series. Soon after the victory, Yuvraj Singh, Murali Kartik, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Ajit Agarkar and Tendulkar left the squad to return to their respective homes. The day was designated as one for rest and travel, with no practice, nets or team meetings, and considering it was the eve of Diwali day, it was only expected that some players returned home.Rajni, Tendulkar’s mother, has been ailing for a while now, and has recently returned home from the hospital. Agarkar’s wife Fatima recently gave birth to a son, and therefore it is quite understandable that the two returned home. They, along with the others, are due to join the team on Wednesday, when a full practice session is planned in the morning.There is no doubt that the team’s think tank has taken into consideration the fact that Tendulkar is returning to the team after a lengthy layoff due to a troublesome tennis-elbow injury and has considered giving him a rest at some point in this seven-match series.”We are aware of that, we have to make sure that we don’t put too much pressure on him,” said Greg Chappell on the eve of the third one-dayer in Jaipur. “If and when the opportunity presents itself, we will look to rest him for a game somewhere down the line.” However it is extremely unlikely that the team will take the foot off the gas pedal until the series is well and truly sealed.

Scorecard

Jamie How and James Marshall helped themselves to some important time in the middle as New Zealand reached 92 for 1 shortly after tea on a rain-interrupted second day against Kent at Canterbury. The prospects of any play at all had seemed bleak at the start of the day, when torrential rain wiped out the first three hours of play, but eventually the clouds lifted as Kent, sitting pretty after Rob Key’s 178 not out, declared on their overnight 324 for 1.New Zealand’s star players are starting to dribble into the country after their stints with the Indian Premier League. Kyle Mills and Jacob Oram arrived this afternoon, ready for this week’s second warm-up against Essex at Chelmsford, while Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori and Ross Taylor will all have landed by Thursday. Until then it’s all about the second-stringers, in particular the battle for batting places ahead of the first Test at Lord’s on May 15.How, the stand-in captain, opened up with Aaron Redmond, the son of the former Kiwi opener, Rodney, who scored a Test century in his solitary appearance against Pakistan at Auckland in 1972-73. Redmond Jr impressed during New Zealand’s one-day curtain-raiser at Arundel on Sunday, scoring 72 in a rain-curtailed encounter with MCC, but he was less effective in this outing.Redmond should have been dismissed on 11, with the score on 23, when he edged an off-stump lifter from Martin Saggers low to Matthew Walker’s right at second slip. But he had added only three runs to his total when he waved his bat limply at Ryan McLaren, and feathered the simplest of chances through to Geraint Jones.How was the most effective of New Zealand’s brittle openers during the recent Test series, and he picked up where he had left off with a comfortable half-century that he completed with a flourish of boundaries in a brief resumption after tea. Kent’s bowlers toiled with limited impact on a pitch that their New Zealand counterparts had also found to be unresponsive, as Marshall eased along to 20 not out.

Scorecard

An inspired spell of left-arm seam bowling from Allan Wise, who snapped up career-best figures of 6 for 89, led Victoria’s fightback against New South Wales on the third day of the Pura Cup clash at Junction Oval. Wise was on a hat-trick as NSW’s last four wickets went for three runs in 26 balls and they were dismissed on lunch for 314.Victoria then produced their best first-innings performance of the season – their previous top score was 271 – when Jason Arnberger, the opener, cracked 67 and Lloyd Mash carried on his fine form with 62. Nick Jewell and David Hussey then consolidated Victoria’s position with an unbeaten stand of 106 from 120 balls as Stuart MacGill and his team-mates could not make much of an impact.The Blues were unable to build on a Phil Jaques-engineered platform after he top-scored with 137 and added 166 for the third wicket with Dominic Thornely, who made 68. Victoria need only 25 runs to seal first-innings points against the competition leader.

The Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI) will cease to exist in its current form in the near future.Shubhangi Kulkarni, honorary secretary of the association, confirmed that the BCCI had asked herself and Ranee Narah, the president of the association, to resign from their posts in the WCAI and join the BCCI’s Women’s Committee. Kulkarni said that an emergency meeting of the WCAI would be held at the earliest to inform members of the WCAI about the latest developments.In a long-anticipated move the BCCI announced earlier that it had decided to organise the activities and matches of women’s cricket in India. In order to do so they have formed committees at the national and state level comprising former women cricketers and BCCI officials.Kulkarni, who has several times met Jagmohan Dalmiya, the former president of the BCCI, in an attempt to effect some sort of a merger between the BCCI and the WCAI, was delighted that this had finally come through.”Women’s cricket and women cricketers in particular will benefit immensely by it,” she said. “We are happy that BCCI has decided to look after women’s cricket. I am sure, in the larger interest of women’s cricket WCAI members will look at this positively. This decision of BCCI will be the turning point for Women’s Cricket in India.”While the Indian men’s team may not be in the best of form in recent times, the women have shown good results. India reached the final of the World Cup for the first time last year, and most recently won their first ever Test series in England.

Polly Umrigar
“Sam Loxton [the Australian fast bowler] was so impressed with Mushtaq that he said if he can bat like this consistently he must be the best opener in the world. He was a fearless hooker of the ball, one of the finest to play the shot, and used to step out and play the shot against the fast bowlers. He was an attacking batsman right from the word go. He was also a thorough gentleman.”
Chandu Borde
“It’s sad that both Vijay Hazare and Mushtaq Ali had to leave us in the last few days. Both were greats and Indian cricketing history will be incomplete without them. My first Ranji Trophy match was against Indore and on the very third ball I bowled, he jumped down the track and hit me off length. His footwork was fantastic and he could read length better than most. He even jumped down the track to Sam Loxton when he was bowling really quick. When I asked him for advice later in the evening he said, ‘You are looking at the batsman and not at the pitch’. That proved to be a crucial lesson for me and I will always remain grateful to him.”
Madhav Mantri
“His entry on the ground used to be greeted with huge applause. Tall and upright, he was an unorthodox opener who felt attack was the best form of defence. Mushtaq was a real crowd-puller whose double century partnership with Vijay Merchant for the first wicket in 1936 at Old Trafford is still remembered. During that century knock when he was in the 90s Walter Hammond walked up to him and told him to be a bit more cautious as centuries don’t come that easily. He was that sort of a batsman. Though we were part of the Commonwealth squad we never played together in the playing eleven as when I was in the reserves he was in the eleven and vice-versa. He was a thorough gentleman and we had excellent rapport even after our playing days.”

Andrew Strauss insisted England would be a “lot better” by the time of next year’s World Cup after they slumped to the eighth limited-overs defeat of his captaincy. Strauss, on his home ground at Lord’s, was powerless to prevent Pakistan’s comfortable seven-wicket win as they went 1-0 up in the five-match one-day series.It was the latest setback in a disappointing run of one-day results for England, who so far this season have lost Twenty20s against both Sri Lanka and Pakistan as well as going down 5-0 to the Lankans in a one-day series. With the World Cup in the West Indies now just six months away, England’s hopes of lifting the trophy for the first time in their history look bleak, even if star allrounder Andrew Flintoff returns in time from an ankle problem.But Strauss insisted there was plenty of time for England’s luck to change. “The World Cup is still a long way away. We’ve got a lot of guys who are early in their one-day careers and they can only get better. And I expect us to get a lot better by the time the World Cup comes.”All you can do is back your technique, back your ability, back the talent in your team. If we do that we have a decent chance of bouncing back in this series,” he added. “The most important thing for us is that we remain positive and go out and play in a positive manner.”Reflecting on England’s innings – they were bowled out for 166 – Strauss added: “It probably wasn’t one of the best tosses to lose. “But all credit to their bowlers – they took advantage of those conditions magnificently. It is very easy when you are bowling in those conditions to try too much to bowl people, but I thought they got it just about bang on.”The one plus point for England was the form of Jon Lewis (2 for 11 off eight overs), playing his first one-day international in over a year. “I’m really pleased for him,” said Strauss. “He showed he can exploit those conditions against the best batsmen in the world. He’s been waiting in the wings and chomping at the bit to get a run. When he did get it he stuck to the basics and they paid off for him.”The series continues with Tuesday’s floodlit fixture at the Rose Bowl.

The Indian cricket board has told the Madras High Court that it had no option but to cancel proceedings for awarding telecasting rights in the interest of cricket.Arguing on behalf of the BCCI on a petition filed by Zee Telefilms, which challenged the arbitrary cancellation of tender proceedings, KK Venugopal, a senior advocate, contended that the board was under pressure, with Cricket Australia threatening to call off the series (which began in October 2004) if the issue of telecasting rights was not resolved quickly. He added that the cancellation of the series would have resulted in the Indian board being blacklisted by the International Cricket Council.He added that matters had got even more uncertain with ESPN-Star Sports’ petition, against the award of rights to Zee, still pending. Also, the issue surrounding the sponsorship and distribution of revenue slots remained unresolved. Venugopal said that the decision was taken keeping in mind the overall interest of cricket.Also, he clarified that this was not a case of a concluded contract being broken, and added that Zee had regularly said that it was an inclusive contract. He claimed that Zee had moved the court with contrary views and asked how a petitioner could seek a mandamus in the case of a “not concluded” contract.

With a number of counties under attack for packing their sides with Kolpak players – last week Geoff Miller, the head selector, was at Edgbaston where Warwickshire and Leicestershire fielded ten South Africans between them – David Smith, the Leicestershire chief executive, has hit back.Smith said that Leicestershire had identified the need to bring on the best young English talent and, as a result, had a policy of including England-qualified under 25s.”The make-up of our core group of senior professionals this season has been the subject of some comment recently in the media,” Smith said. “What has received less comment is the number of young England-qualified cricketers that we have played so far in line with our stated policy. In each of our three Championship games to date, Leicestershire have selected more England qualified cricketers aged 25 and under than each of our respective opponents, averaging over five per game.”In recent seasons, Durham have demonstrated that the tactical use of non-qualified, senior role model professionals, such as Dale Benkenstein, can be highly effective and beneficial and there need not be a contradiction between playing non-qualified senior players and developing cricketers for England. That is the same path we at Leicestershire have chosen to take.”Smith insisted that young players who show promise in the 2nd XI will be given every opportunity. “With four ECB Level 4 coaches we have one of the most highly qualified coaching teams in the country aimed at developing young cricketers and giving them every opportunity of making the grade in first-class cricket. Our core group of senior players will be rotated over the season.”