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Shahid Afridi Jolts and back in This Summer
Harbhajan Singh set to play 100th Test
Harbhajan Singh now is the 10th Indian player to play 100th test match.
Harbhajan Singh
has said he is a bit nervous but he will be all right before he steps
out to play against Australia on Friday, which will make him the 10th
Indian to have played 100 Tests. India don't usually divulge team news
before the toss, but made an exception this time. It would not have
needed such confirmation in the usual course, but Harbhajan has mostly
been out of the side and has played only one Test in more than 18
months, and is making a comeback into the squad.
The landmark Test will come against Harbhajan's favourite opposition,
Australia, and at a venue where 12 years ago he applied the finishing
touches to one of the greatest turnarounds
in Test history, finishing off as joint Man of the Series against
Australia. Harbhajan has taken 408 wickets from 99 Tests at an average
of 32.27 and a strike-rate of 68.1.
"It's a big game," Harbhajan said. "[The previous] 99 are gone.
Obviously a bit nervous but I am sure I will be fine. I have faced these
situations before.
"I have gone through times when I was not doing well or when I was doing
well and got too excited. These things happen. Bit nervous to start
with, but I will be fine. Once I get away with 100, we will see what
needs to be done to play another 50-odd. Probably I will have to work
even harder."
Harbhajan said he was aware of the gap between the last few Tests, but
he said he wanted to look ahead and make sure there was no such gap
between the upcoming appearances. He remembered when he made his debut
as a 17-year-old, in Bangalore against Australia, as just a wide-eyed
kid.
"Had no clue about what was going to happen," Harbhajan said. "To be
honest I was a little kid on the park. I was starstruck at looking at
players. 'Wow I am playing alongside [Sachin] Tendulkar, [Javagal]
Srinath, Anil Kumble. These are all my heroes. I am playing today with
them.' Of course I have come a long way. At that moment I never thought I
would play for India this long a time."
Harbhajan thanked his seniors profusely. "God has been very kind," he
said. "Big thanks to all my team-mates and great seniors like Tendulkar,
Anil Kumble, Srinath, Rahul Dravid, Laxman. They have been fantastic. I
don't think I would have achieved this without their support, and would
like to thank each and every one who supported me and stood by me. Just
want to go out and enjoy this big match."
Harbhajan might have forgotten to mention the name of Sourav Ganguly on
that list, but he came back to it and thanked him too. "I am just
repeating names, but I couldn't have achieved this without their
support."
Harbhajan said the seniors helped him learn to never give up. "Of course
it's been a journey with a lot of ups and downs. No one can always be
on the top. No one can always be down. You will have ups and downs. Not
just as a cricket, but as a normal guy too.
"What I have learned from my seniors is to never give up. I have seen
all these guys have done so well for India. And made themselves great
cricketers, great ambassadors for the game. One thing in common was they
never give up. That's what made this team successful. They showed us
how to work hard. They made us believe we can win anywhere and from any
situation. I am very proud I have played with these cricketers."
Harbhajan said growing as a person mattered as much as doing well as a
cricket. "I have definitely grown up," he said. "I have made a few
mistakes early in my career due to my extra aggression. Sometimes that
works, sometimes it doesn't. Of course with time I have learned a lot
and am looking forward to doing even better as a person. You might play
this game for 15 years or so, but what sort of person you are matters
the most. Everybody wants to be a better person than he was yesterday."
The last few years haven't been easy for Harbhajan. He has had to face a
lot of criticism for his ineffectiveness of late, especially after Anil
Kumble's retirement. He was asked how he deals with being possibly the
most criticised man among those who have taken 400 Test wickets. The
reply was belligerent.
"How do I handle? I just keep quiet," Harbhajan said. "Everybody has got
their opinion. Unfortunately or fortunately, people have not played up
to that level. Those kind of guys, if they say I am not good enough to
play for India or if I have not done enough, it doesn't matter. Who
cares? What matters is what my team thinks of me, what my team-mates
think of me. End of the day those guys are going to be there for you. As
I have said everybody has got their opinion. Even I have got my opinion
for others, it doesn't mean I am always right."
Yet there was time, and the mood, for candour. Asked what he has been
working on when outside the side, Harbhajan made a mockery of all
mystery-ball announcements spinners make nowadays. "Small adjustments
from point to point," he said. "I have not developed any mystery ball. Chautha, paanchva kuch nahi hai. Pehla hi agar theek ho jata hai toh usme hi wicket mil jayenge
[There is no fourth one or fifth one - taking on from the doosra, which
literally translates to the second one. If the first one comes out all
right, it will be enough to get the wickets.
World Cricket News(WCN) Pvt Ltd.
ICC names ICC Women's World Cup India 2013 Team of the Tournament
Finalists Australia and West Indies contribute a total of six players to the ICC Women's World Cup India 2013 team of the tournament, which was announced today in Mumbai, with Player of the Tournament, New Zealand's Suzie Bates named as captain.
Chosen by a select group of experts* the team was aimed at being suited for India conditions on the basis of performances in the tournament only. Statistics were used but were not the sole basis for selections.
The side features not only players from Australia and West Indies, but also sees four England players, one New Zealander and one Sri Lankan in the side.
The panel struggled with deciding the final 12 for the women's team and players who were considered included Arran Brindle and Sarah Taylor of England, Amy Satterthwaite and Sian Ruck of New Zealand, Shashikala Siriwardena of Sri Lanka, Erin Osborne of Australia and South Africa's Shabnim Ismail.
On being named captain of the team, Bates said: "It's obviously a great honour that the panel not only thought to bestow title of Player of the Tournament on me but also the captaincy of the Team of the Tournament.
"It's been a great event here in India and I, of course, would have loved to have led my team to the final but it wasn't to be for us this year. The team selected by the panel shows the real strength and depth in women's cricket and it's great to see five different nations represented."
ICC Women's World Cup India 2013 Team of the Tournament (in batting order):
Suzie Bates (New Zealand - captain)
Charlotte Edwards (England)
Rachael Haynes (Australia)
Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)
Deandra Dottin (West Indies)
Eshani Kaushalya (Sri Lanka)
Jodie Fields (wicketkeeper - Australia)
Katherine Brunt (England)
Holly Colvin (England)
Anya Shrubsole (England)
Megan Schutt (Australia)
12th Player: Holly Ferling (Australia)
*The selection panel that chose the ICC Women's World Cup India 2013 of the tournament consisted of:
Selection Panel
Geoff Allardice (ICC General Manager - Cricket)
Ebony Rainford-Brent (Former England international cricketer and radio commentator)
Vineet Kulkarni (Member of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires)
David Jukes (ICC Regional Match Referee and ICC Women's World Cup 2013 Tournament Referee)
Sanjay Manjreker (Former India cricketer and Star Sports commentator).
Australia crowned champions after thumping win
Australia's win was set up by a good batting effort led up by Jess Cameron's belligerent 75 (76 balls) that took the team to 259 for 7 after Jode Fields, the captain, had won the toss and opted to bat on Sunday (February 17) at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
West Indies gifted wickets away on a platter, to be dismissed for 145 in 43.1 overs, with Ellye Perry's early strikes setting the tone when Australia bowled. Perry, who had missed the previous three matches with an ankle injury, took 3 for 19 from ten overs, to go with an unbeaten 25 (22 balls) that propped Australia up in the final overs.
Perry came into the attack in the ninth over after Megan Shutt and Julie Hunter, the new-ball pair, had kept things under control. She bowled a miserly first spell of six overs, picking up three wickets and yielding only eight runs. Kycia Knight was her first victim, trapped leg before wicket in a wicket-maiden, and soon after had Stafanie Taylor edging the ball to Meg Lanning in the slips. However, Taylor was ruled not out since it wasn't clear if the ball had carried. The Australians didn't take long to strike though, with Taylor popping an easy return catch to Perry three balls later.
West Indies never really looked in the chase taking 106 balls to bring up fifty runs, which was in stark contrast to Australia's innings with the first 50 runs raised in just 40 balls. West Indies briefly looked like mounting a comeback when Merissa Aguilleira, the captain, and Deandra Dottin added 31 runs off 27 balls for the fourth wicket. With her big hitting prowess Dottin, who came in to bat after Kyshona Knight retired hurt, entertained the crowd with some brilliant shots, but couldn't stay for long, perishing to Lisa Sthalekar's guile.
There was no further resistance from West Indies, with wickets tumbling in quick succession as the match headed Australia's way. Schutt, ended with figures of 2 for 38, to become the leading wicket-taker of the tournament, with 15 scalps.
Australia's total was built around useful contributions at the top of the order by Meg Lenning and Rachael Haynes and late fireworks by Fields and Perry in addition to Cameron's sterling knock.
Australia got off to a flying start as Lanning (31) and Haynes (52) exploited the flat deck that was being used for the first time in the tournament. Along the way Lanning got a slice of luck when she was dropped by Anisa Mohammed on 21.
Australia was pulled back from what looked likely to be a score in excess of 280 thanks to Shaquana Quintyne's strikes in the middle-overs, that saw Australia's middle-order stutter.
Lanning brought up Australia's 50 in the ninth over with a lofted drive over extra cover but perished to Stafanie Taylor off the next delivery when she attempted a repeat of the shot.
Post Lanning's exit, Cameron led the assault, with runs against spinners and seamers alike. Untroubled for most part of their stand, Cameron and Haynes added 64 runs in 90 balls with Haynes bringing up her sixth One-Day International fifty. Soon thereafter, Quintyne elicited a top edge from Haynes that was smartly taken by Kyshona Knight at midwicket. Two overs later, a bowling change saw Tremayne Smartt dismiss Alex Blackwell, who was playing her 100th ODI.
Unfazed by the fall of wickets at the other end, Cameron continued to attack as she launched the first six of the Australian innings off Smartt in the 29th over. Three deliveries later, Cameron struck again making the most of Smartt's full length delivery and sending it across the fence.
However, the West Indies' bowlers pulled things back, making up for a sloppy fielding display early on, as Australia lost Sarah Coyte, Lisa Sthalekar and Erin Osborne within six overs. With West Indies gaining momentum, Fields and Perry wrested the advantage back with an unbroken, quickfire partnership, adding 50 runs in 40 balls for the eighth wicket.
In the end, the combined might of Australia's batters and the efficiency of its bowlers ensured a thumping victory.
McCullum looks to strengthen top T20I batting rank
McCullum currently has 794 ratings points and leads second-ranked Chris Gayle of West Indies by just two ratings points.
Gayle will be part of the West Indies squad that plays Australia in a one-off T20I match at Brisbane on Wednesday, 13 February. But despite the narrow gap between the two, McCullum will have the edge to retain the number-one rank as he will have two more matches than Gayle.
The other batsmen in the top 20 likely to be in action during the two series are Shane Watson in fourth place, David Warner in fifth, Eoin Morgan in ninth and Alex Hales in 14th.
The bowlers' table is headed by Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal, followed by Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis and Graeme Swann of England.
Swann will be missing in action during the series against New Zealand.
New Zealand’s Nathan McCullum (fifth), Shane Watson of Australia (eighth), West Indies’ Sunil Narine (ninth) and England captain Stuart Broad (20th) are the other bowlers likely to feature in the forthcoming T20Is and will be hoping to improve upon their rankings.
Shane Watson will start as the number-one ranked all-rounder, with Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez in second place and Yuvraj Singh of India in third.
Reliance ICC Test Championship Table
Sri Lanka is the clear leader on the Reliance ICC T20I Championship Table with 131 ratings points, nine ratings points ahead of second-placed ICC World Twenty20 2012 champion West Indies.
Sri Lanka will continue to head the table irrespective of how the forthcoming matches will pan out, but a lot of reshuffle is expected in the middle of the table.
At best, West Indies can hope to reduce the gap with Sri Lanka to seven ratings points if it beats Australia in the one-off match. But if West Indies was to lose the match, it would drop as many five ratings points to end at 117 ratings points, same as South Africa. But West Indies will be ranked higher than fourth-ranked South Africa by fraction of a point.
If England wins all three matches against New Zealand it will gain five ratings points to end at 123 ratings points, which could potentially give it second place if West Indies loses to Australia in the one-off match.
On the other hand, if New Zealand was to win all three matches against England, then it could gain as many 10 ratings points to end at 108 ratings points.
The final position for all four teams - Australia, England, New Zealand and West Indies - will be determined by the results in the two series.
To find out exactly how the forthcoming series will affect the T20I Championship Table, please click here. The T20I and ODI Championship tables are updated after every match, unlike the Test Championship table, which is updated after every series.
Upcoming Fixtures
New Zealand v England
9 Feb-1st T20I, Auckland (D/N)
12 Feb-2nd T20I, Hamilton (D/N)
15 Feb-3rd T20I, Wellington (D/N)
Australia v West Indies
13 Feb-One-off T20I, Brisbane (D/N)
Wright, Broad star in England win
All-rounder Wright's 20-ball innings of 42 included three fours and four sixes as England's power-packed batting line-up scored 214 for seven, their highest total in a T20 international.
The 27-year-old Wright then created immense pressure on New Zealand's batsmen as he bowled several dot balls that forced the hosts to take risks, one of which resulted in Martin Guptill blasting the ball straight to Broad at mid-off for 44.
Guptill's wicket in the 13th over was a body blow for New Zealand as the right hander had looked well set to be the batsmen the hosts could build their late-innings assault around.
Broad then chipped in with two wickets in the 15th over, removing James Franklin (eight) and Colin Munro (28) to ensure England's total was well out of reach.
Broad finished with 4-24, his best T20 international figures, while Wright took 2-29 and added a catch as New Zealand made 174-9 off their 20 overs.
The short boundaries straight down the ground, which is primarily configured for rugby, were peppered with a total of 23 sixes dispatched into the stands.
The highest total for sixes in a Twenty20 international was the 24 hit by New Zealand and India in Christchurch 2009, a feat duplicated by Australia and India in Bridgetown a year later.
Eoin Morgan top-scored for England with 46 from 26 balls and combined with Jonny Bairstow (38) in a 81-run partnership off 7.1 overs as England appeared set for a total in excess of 230 on the bouncy drop-in pitch until the stand was broken.
New Zealand did not help their cause in the field by dropping five catches.
Big Reasons to Postponed the PSL T20 League
The Pakistan Super League Twenty20 tournament has been postponed, presumably indefinitely. We are told the reason for this is that more time is needed to secure all that was needed for the tournament to run smoothly. A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) press release told us that there were concerns over receiving permission from home boards to appear and for those interesting in investing getting their bids together before the tournament was due to begin on 25th March.
Perhaps more telling than these issues of administration is the admission that there are serious fixture clashes with the dates planned for the tournament. During the lead up to and planned dates for the tournament there is a Test series between England and New Zealand, Pakistan are playing in ODIs in South Africa, the West Indies are hosting Zimbabwe and Australia travel to India. This is without mention the fact that IPL was due to start just days after its conclusion and the English County season would be under way. The question of how English Counties or IPL Franchises feel about their player’s vital preparation time being spent in the Pakistani tournament is writ large.
Of course this is assuming that there is significant interest from bankable stars to attend the PCB’s “extravaganza”. With the international players association, FICA, strongly advising against any overseas players travelling to Pakistan due to fears for their security, it is not known which cricketers would be willing to visit. Publicly a few players have expressed an interest. South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs announced on Twitter that he was going to continue his T20 globetrotting in Pakistan.
To further ease the security concerns of players and coaches the PCB offered the them an optional $2million life insurance policy with PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf telling ESPNcricinfo that those players from overseas that arrived for the tournament would be “special guests” and afforded every possible security consideration. Quite how offering a life insurance policy would ease concerns of wives and partners is not discussed.
Cricket being absent from Pakistan is tragic for the millions of fans of the sport in the country. The PCB wanting to carve a slice of the lucrative T20 pie for themselves is completely understandable. Whether these two problems can be solved by the creation of yet another IPL style pop up T20 league is a subject for debate. As we have seen with the continuing issues of player payments at the BPL, tapping into the T20 filthy lucre is not as simple as going about it like Kevin Costner in “Field of Dreams”. If you build it, they may well come, but will you have the dollars to foot the bill?
Even the IPL, the ultimate T20 cash machine, is dogged by allegations of non payment of players and financial irregularities. The continual creation of more and more meaningless leagues will eventually tarnish the T20 product to the point where the public are no longer interested. The question is whether greedy and self interested national boards will figure this out before it is too late.
