World Cricket News & Features

Ashes, Ashes and Ashes

2010-11-24T13:54:00.000-08:00

Ashes, Ashes and Ashes it is every where in UK media and people discussion. Your are in a office kitchen, in a meeting or on phone only buzz you can hear is Ashes and this one is more highlighted as England team have a genuine chance of wining Ashes down under after 23 long years.

If you look at team recent performance you think it is an easy walk for English Men but this want be that easy as it look. Australian will fight till last ball or run and that is built in their nature.

Couple of point which make me feel nervous as an English supporter are:

England team as been in very good nick in last 18 month or so and they are playing flawless cricket in this pride. Which make me feel that there is a failure in corner and I don’t want that failure in The Ashes.
Australian have been poor in recent time and will be itching to do best and this Ashes can provide them that spark they are missing in recent time.

Any time to stop talking and let the 11 guy to battle it out in middle for next couple month.

So Its Pakistan Again...

2010-08-21T09:14:00.000-07:00

What you can say about Pakistani Cricket team, donot dare to predict any result for them as they themselves do not know what lies in front of them. Once again they prove to the world that they are more colurful and unpreditcable cricket team in world. As most of us right them off after first two test defeats, but they bounce back courtisy of Amir and Ajmal magic, at one stage it look certain that England will post of big score for Pakistan to chase in last innings. But due to both these individauls they fold them to mere 222, though at 194/3 it look certain that england will post some thing in range of 300 for pakistan to chase and this test will go in fifth day.

Pakistan batting was strength by the arival of their best batsman Yousaf, who look in good touch and guide youngster as well during his stay at crease in both innings. In first innings especially he look certain for three figure after early strugle.

Now Lords is waiting for Pakistan to show world that they can play good sensible cricket in consuctive games. I hope they bat well and catch well.

England cruise as Trott banishes winter blues

2010-05-28T04:42:00.000-07:00

JONATHAN TROTT blew away the cobwebs of a miserable winter with a career-best, unbeaten 175 on day one of the first Test against Bangladesh at Lord’s. The man who made the No.3 spot in England’s batting line-up his own with an imperious debut century in the Ashes clinching Test at the Brit Oval last August struggled to live up to that performance in South Africa and Bangladesh.

But Trott set the record straight in his 270-ball stay as he helped England to a dominant 362 for four at the close. The South African-born batsman, who with the emergence of Eoin Morgan would have felt his place was under real threat, said: ‘You’re under pressure whenever you play for England. ‘There’s always pressure from outside.

The last couple of weeks I’ve just accepted that and got on with the job. ‘It comes with the territory, so you just get on with it as well as you can. I was not doing as well as I’d have liked but I was pleased to do well today.’ Trott shared an unbroken stand of 104 with debutant Morgan and 181 with Andrew Strauss (83), the captain who was rested for the tour of Bangladesh.

Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell all missed out. But Trott and Strauss cashed in after the early loss of Cook for a questionable lbw decision to Shahadat Hossain on a cloudy morning which saw the tourists ask England to bat first. Strauss eventually bottom-edged offspinner Mahmudullah onto his stumps. But while Trott was demonstrating his good form, Pietersen was removed after a wild swipe at Shakib Al Hasan.

Bell, so prolific against Bangladesh on many occasions, was next in and was unfortunate to receive a very good ball from Rubel Hossain which nipped back down the hill to beat his defence and knock back off-stump. At 258 for four, England were hardly cruising but Trott and Morgan then took the game out of Bangladesh’s reach. By Chris Stocks

ECB in match-fix warning

2010-05-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

ENGLAND cricket chiefs last night warned any player found guilty of illegal contact with bookmakers will face severe penalties as the threat of match-fixing rocked the game. On the eve of today’s first Test with Bangladesh at Lord’s, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed two players had been approached by bookies. The revelations follow yesterday’s claims by an unnamed county professional he had been asked to fix the outcome of a game.

‘ECB can confirm two players have formally reported approaches from bookmakers,’ said the statement. ‘ECB has reported this information to the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit and to the police. ECB’s Board has reinforced the need to all players and officials to be vigilant concerning illegal approaches by bookmakers.

‘ECB believes unlawful activities such as those attempted here and reported by players must be eliminated. ‘The Board takes this opportunity to remind cricketers and others falling under its jurisdiction any unlawful activity of this kind will result in disciplinary action, and will inevitably be dealt with severely, constituting as it would, a grave slur on the integrity of the game.’

England captain Andrew Strauss backed the hardline stance, saying: ‘If it is happening, it needs to be stamped out straight away.’ And his Bangladesh counterpart, Shakib Al Hasan, revealed he was once approached, saying: ‘I immediately told a member of the board and the ICC guy. They took action. After that he never called again.’

Steve uses his strengths to get up to speed

2010-05-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

New line-up: From left, Andrew Strauss, Andrew Strauss Eoin Morgan and Jonathan Trott yesterday ENGLAND’S newest fast bowler Steve Finn is determined to become the country’s answer to Australian great Brett Lee. The 6ft 7in seamer made his Test debut in Bangladesh this year, taking four wickets in two Tests. And the Middlesex player could retain his place against the same opposition at his home ground of Lord’s tomorrow.

Finn admits his boyhood cricketing idol was Glenn McGrath. However, it is another Australian he could end up emulating given he is already regularly hitting the 90 miles per hour mark. Lee consistently reached the mid-90s when he bowled and, with his physical development far from over, Finn may offer England similar express pace in the years to come. ‘I’m bowling quicker now than I ever have because when I have opportunities to work on my strength I’ve used them,’ said the 21-yearold. ‘We had a speedgun out in Dubai when I was with the Lions [earlier this year] and I was consistently bowling 90mph in my opening spell.

‘It’s important for me that it’s not just one spell I can bowl 90mph but that I maintain that throughout the day. Being tall helps me. From the age of 15 I shot up but I was a genuine beanpole then. Now I’m like Arnold p compared to what I was.’
By Chris Stocks

No DRS for Test series & Shahid Afridi is Pakistan Captain

2010-05-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

THE International Cricket Council’s decision review system will be unavailable for England’s Test series against Bangladesh. Cost issues appear to be the stumbling block behind the failure to provide video, audio and graphics for third-umpire review.

The announcement comes less than a week after the ICC pledged to seek to provide blanket DRS coverage for all future Test matches and next year’sWorld Cup. An ICC spokesman said: ‘We may revisit the question of DRS for the rest of the summer.’ SHAHID AFRIDI has been named captain of Pakistan in all forms of the game, just three days after ending his self-imposed exile from Test cricket. Pakistan tour England later this summer.

Ambitious Morgan is here for the long haul

2010-05-26T07:57:00.000-07:00

EOIN MORGAN has vowed not to change his attacking approach if he makes his Test debut against Bangladesh at Lord’s tomorrow.

After impressing in one-day cricket over the past year, the Irishman is set to make his first Test start as a replacement for the rested Paul Collingwood. Morgan’s innovative shots and attacking intent, coupled with a cool head, have been a vital part of England’s recent success in limited-overs cricket, including the World Twenty20 triumph in the Caribbean earlier this month.

However, there are fears the Middlesex batsman’s modest first-class form – he averaged less than 25 last summer – is a sign he is not yet ready for Test cricket.

‘Last year I was a bit ill-disciplined in my game and wasn’t in the right place,’ he conceded.‘We had a lot of consecutive games and I couldn’t seem to get a score under my belt. But a lot has changed since then, I’ve a lot of runs under my belt and I feel quite confident about my game.’

And Morgan is certain he can make the adjustment to the longer form of the game despite not playing a championship innings since last August. ‘Test cricket is not necessarily about batting in a different way,’ he added. ‘Like one-day cricket, it’s about how you bat with the situation of the game. ‘I think it will be a lot more spanned out and again if the game does dictate a certain shot and the percentages are in my favour I’ll play it – there’s no doubt about that. ‘If the wicket dictates it and I feel in good nick I’m going to play normally.’

The 23-year-old Dubliner, who quali- fied for England last year, admitted: ‘Test cricket is my biggest aspiration and my biggest dream and it has been since I was a kid. I grew up watching England play Test cricket, I wanted to be like some of my heroes so it’s where I want to be – testing myself against the best.’ ‘If I do play it will be huge because the coverage for Irish cricket will be great.’

Swann reaps rewards of a year to remember

2010-05-25T02:17:00.000-07:00

ENGLAND’S new player of the year Graeme Swann is still pinching himself after an extraordinary 12 months. Swann’s remarkable rise was rewarded when he was named England’s Cricketer of the Year at an awards ceremony in the Long Room at Lord’s last night.

The 31-year-old off-spinner completed a hectic and high-profile list of engagements, which included a Downing Street reception for Paul Collingwood’s World Twenty20- winning squad.

Swann recalled the past 12 months of achievement – including last summer’s Ashes victory – for England and himself, and said: ‘I know I’ve had a decent year in all three forms of the game. ‘But when you look at the list of players we’ve got and how well some of them have done, you actually take a step back and realise how good a year it’s been for me.’

Swann, who will take on Bangladesh in the first Test on Thursday, won the award ahead of Andrew Strauss, Collingwood, Stuart Broad and James Anderson. He added: ‘If you’d told me this three years ago, I’d have laughed at you and said “there’s no chance”. It’s a nice bit of cherry on the cake. ‘I’m just enjoying every game, going in and thinking “this is going to be brilliant fun” – doing the job I always dreamed of but that almost never happened.’

Wasim Akram: A stunning match winner

2010-04-26T05:27:00.000-07:00

There are several outstanding aspects to Wasim Akram's international career, right from its sheer longevity - almost 19 years - to the amount of success he had in Tests and ODIs, with new ball and with old, with the red variety and the white. He was pretty handy with the bat - you'd have to be if your highest Test score is 257 not out - but it's as a bowler of splendid and varied skills that Akram will be remembered.

Making his Test debut against New Zealand in the beginning of 1985, Akram needed just one match to make his mark: in his second Test, in Dunedin, he returned match figures of 10 for 128 and was named Man of the Match even though New Zealand won the thriller by two wickets.

That set a glorious Test career on its way, but the early years were, as you'd expect for an 18-year-old, somewhat erratic. Even so, there were enough promising performances to prove that Akram was the real deal. In Barbados three years later, Akram took seven wickets in heartbreaker that Pakistan lost, yet again, by two wickets. In his first five years, though, Akram only managed 94 wickets in 29 Tests - a modest average of 3.24 per match.

Akram's best years were about to come. In his first Test of 1990, against Australia in Melbourne, Akram took 11 for 160, and that haul triggered a sensational run that lasted through most of the next eight years. In 48 Tests from 1990 to the end of 1997, Akram averaged five wickets per match, and his average dropped to an outstanding 20.05, before his form finally tapered off in his last four years.

Wasim Akram's Test career with the ball
Period	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Till Dec 1989	29	94	28.18	65.9	5/ 1
Jan 1990 to Dec 1997	48	240	20.05	46.4	16/ 3
Jan 1998 onwards	27	80	28.96	66.0	4/ 1
Career	104	414	23.62	54.6	25/ 5

During that eight-year period from 1990 to 1997, Akram had the best figures in Test cricket, barring none. There were several legendary bowlers who were at the height of their craft during an era which we now look back on as a golden one for bowlers, especially the fast ones - Curtly Ambrose, Allan Donald, Waqar Younis and Glenn McGrath were all around, but Akram's stats stood out even among them. His average of 20.05 was better than anyone else's during this period (with a cut-off of 150 wickets); in terms of strike rate, only Waqar was ahead.

During these eight years, Akram was Man of the Match in 12 of the 48 Tests he played, an incredible average of one every four games. Eight of these were in overseas Tests, including the game in Melbourne and the next one in Adelaide, when he turned in an outstanding all-round performance, taking six wickets and scoring 52 and 123. At the time it was only the 12th instance of a player scoring 150 or more and taking six or more wickets in a Test.

Best Test bowlers between Jan 1990 and Dec 1997 (Qual: 150 wickets)
Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Wasim Akram	48	240	20.05	46.4	16/ 3
Curtly Ambrose	57	247	20.50	52.8	17/ 3
Waqar Younis	46	232	21.23	40.1	19/ 4
Allan Donald	36	171	23.27	48.8	9/ 2
Glenn McGrath	36	164	23.42	53.0	9/ 0
Shane Warne	62	289	24.08	62.9	12/ 3

Overall, he won 17 Man-of-the-Match and seven Man-of-the-Series awards, both of which are among the highest. Even better, his rate of winning these awards, one every six Tests, is the best among those who've won at least ten such prizes.

Highest frequency of MoM awards in Tests (Qual: 10 awards)
Player	Tests	MoM awards	Tests per award
Wasim Akram	104	17	6.12
Jacques Kallis	137	20	6.85
Muttiah Muralitharan	132	19	6.95
Curtly Ambrose	98	14	7.00
Imran Khan	88	11	8.00
Malcolm Marshall	81	10	8.10

Not surprisingly, Akram remains one of the most potent matchwinners in Tests for Pakistan. In the 41 wins that he was a part of, he took 211 wickets at an average which compares well with the best in the business.

Best bowling averages in Test wins (Qual: 200 wickets)
Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Muttiah Muralitharan	53	430	16.03	42.6	40/ 18
Malcolm Marshall	43	254	16.78	38.1	17/ 4
Curtly Ambrose	44	229	16.86	44.4	13/ 3
Waqar Younis	39	222	18.20	35.0	14/ 4
Dennis Lillee	31	203	18.27	39.0	17/ 6
Shaun Pollock	49	223	18.30	47.5	9/ 1
Wasim Akram	41	211	18.48	42.3	13/ 2
Anil Kumble	43	288	18.75	44.4	20/ 5

Like most fast bowlers from Pakistan, Akram too mastered the art of bowling grassless pitches, where reverse swing becomes a most potent weapon. He is one of only four bowlers to take more than 150 wickets in Pakistan, while in the three major subcontinent countries, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, his average was marginally better than his overall career average.

Best Test fast bowlers in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (Qual: 100 wkts)
Bowler	Tests	Wkts	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Imran Khan	51	205	20.28	48.8	12/ 3
Waqar Younis	41	191	21.07	39.2	13/ 4
Wasim Akram	57	211	22.67	52.9	11/ 1
Shoaib Akhtar	26	108	24.87	45.2	6/ 1
Javagal Srinath	35	116	26.43	55.0	6/ 1
Chaminda Vaas	71	230	27.54	62.4	6/ 1
Kapil Dev	86	279	29.01	59.8	14/ 2
Zaheer Khan	38	107	38.12	69.2	2/ 0

Through most of his career, Akram formed a destructive fast-bowling combination with Waqar: in the 61 Tests they played together, Akram averaged 21.33, with 20 five-fors and four ten-wicket hauls; in the 43 Tests he played without Waqar, his averaged fell to 28.50, and he only managed five five-fors. His wickets per Tests too dropped to 3.07 per match, from 4.62 when the bowled with Waqar. Some of that was also because the periods he bowled without Waqar were also during the first and last parts of his career, when he wasn't at his most potent.

Akram in Tests, with and without Waqar Younis
	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
With Waqar	61	282	21.33	49.2	20/ 4
Without Waqar	43	132	28.50	66.2	5/ 1

Akram's ODI career was more even, and his stats stayed within a narrow band almost throughout. He announced himself in his third game, taking 5 for 21 against Australia in Melbourne - a haul that included Allan Border, Dean Jones and Kepler Wessels - during the World Championship of Cricket.

His best period, though, was between 1992 and 1997, when he had an economy rate of 3.76 and took 14 of his 23 hauls of four or more wickets. At the beginning of that period was the 1992 World Cup, in which Akram was an absolute star, taking 18 wickets at 18.77. The highlight was his 3 for 49 in the final, when he derailed England's run-chase with the wickets of Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis in successive balls. Even towards the end of his career he remained a significant threat with the ball, and became the first bowler to go past the 500-wicket mark.

Akram played five World Cups over his 19-year career, and finished as the second-highest wicket-taker with 55, next only to McGrath's haul of 71.

Akram's ODI career
Period	Matches	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	4+ wkts
Till Dec 1991	107	143	23.97	3.84	5
Jan 1992 - Dec 1997	131	198	21.86	3.76	14
Jan 1998 onwards	118	161	25.17	4.09	4
Career	356	502	23.52	3.89	23

With 326 ODI wickets in wins, Akram is next only to Muralitharan in this regard. He's clearly one of the greatest matchwinners in ODIs, averaging less than 19 at a run rate of 3.70. Among bowlers with at least 150 wickets in wins, only four bowlers have a better average.

Best bowling averages in wins in ODIs (Qual: 150 wickets)
Bowler	ODIs	Wickets	Average	Econ rate	4+ wkts
Saqlain Mushtaq	93	188	15.84	3.78	11
Glenn McGrath	171	301	17.94	3.65	15
Muttiah Muralitharan	191	347	18.08	3.63	21
Waqar Younis	149	278	18.76	4.33	21
Wasim Akram	199	326	18.86	3.70	18
Allan Donald	108	195	19.05	3.96	10

Akram's genius and his ability to burst through batting line-ups is obvious from the fact that he has taken two hat-tricks in Tests and ODIs, the only bowler to do so. He finished with 22 Man-of-the-Match awards in ODIs, which isn't anywhere near Sachin Tendulkar's 61, but it's a significant number considering the fact that ODIs are usually dominated by batsmen. In fact, Akram and Shaun Pollock (who also has 22) have the highest number of awards among players whose major suit isn't batting.

And then there's the small matter of Akram the captain. In the 25 Tests in which he led Pakistan, they won 12 and lost eight, and his reign included a series win in England, and clinching the Asian Test Championship. His ODI record was impressive too: a win-loss ratio of 1.6, which is the joint-highest for any Pakistan captain who led in more than 50 games.

Highest ODI win % for Pakistan captains (Qual: 50 matches as captain)
Captain	Matches	Won	W/L ratio
Wasim Akram	109	66	1.60
Waqar Younis	62	37	1.60
Inzamam-ul-Haq	87	51	1.54
Imran Khan	139	75	1.27
Javed Miandad	62	26	0.78

Article Originally Published at http://www.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/457149.html

Escape for England Cricket Team

2010-01-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

Hosts left in a pickle by defiant No.11 By Ryan Daniels

ANDREW STRAUSS admits he should never have doubted Graham Onions could pull off a second amazing escape as England saved the third Test in CapeTown in dramatic fashion yesterday.

It was No.11 Onions who kept out the last over at Centurion as the tourists began their four-Test series against South Africa with a nerve-jangling draw – and he was at it again at Newlands.

Morne Morkel made things even tougher for the Durham tailender than Makhaya Ntini had last time. But the 27-year-old came through just as well for a precious nought not out which kept England 1-0 up with one match to play and in an unbeatable position in the series.

Ian Bell (78) and Paul Collingwood (40) had shut out the Proteas for 57 overs in a 112-run stand and it seemed sure, after beginning the last day on 132 for three, they would not end up facing another precarious situation. But they did, leaving Strauss fearing the worst when Onions and Graeme Swann had to keep South Africa at bay for the final 17 balls.

‘I was thinking, “We’re in this situation again and it’s not often the end of the story is the same”,’ said the England captain. ‘I was feeling pretty comfortable until Graham went in there. But he did a great job again.’ Strauss admitted the tourists should never have put Onions – and Swann – in such a position on the final day of such a crucial Test match.

But he admired the way the pair showed such battling spirit to escape defeat. ‘I always feel as batsmen we should apologise to him [Onions] for having put him in that situation – although I thought it was an unbelievable partnership between Collingwood and Bell,’ he added. Onions claimed he too was hoping Bell and Collingwood would save him from an arduous spell in the middle all over again.

‘Ian and Paul got us into a fantastic position – and with ten overs to go I was thinking, “I’m quite happy with my trainers on and nothing to worry about”,’ he explained. ‘All of a sudden a few wickets fell and I was next into bat. ‘It was a lot worse waiting to go into bat than actually being out there.

CRASH, BANG, WALLOP TWENTY20 CUP FINALS DAY - EDGBASTON 2009

2009-08-14T11:41:00.000-07:00

It may have started as recently as 2003, but in its short life cricket’s twenty cup has become as much as part of the English summer as big brother and extensive cloud coverage. Thankfully, of course it has retained its popularity for more successfully than the former and despite repeated exposure to the latter – and Final day, which this year takes place this very Saturday, is always something of a carnival for players and fans alike.

So, while the England selectors sit around looking for phone numbers of Mark Ramprakash, Robin Smith, Denis Compton and WG ‘Bloody’ Grace, the four remaining county side in this year’s renewal will head to Edgbaston for the day of, well, thwacking it as hard as they possible can.

Who are the runners and riders, then? Well, the first semi final see Northanst take on Sussex in the tie between two sides not that well versed in Twenty20 success. Sussex may have won three County Championships in the past six season, but this in only their second appearance at a Twenty20 Finals Day (the first, in 2007, saw them go out to Kent in Semi Finals), while Northants will be considered the outsiders of the bunch – they have never been in the last four of this competition and currently find themselves in the lower division of both the County Championship and the limited-overs Pro40 competition.

The second semi is a different matter entirely, however, for both Kent and Somerset are previous tournament winners looking to join Leicestershire as two-times victors.

Kent, champions in 2007 and runners-up to Middlesex 12 months ago, are narrow favorites with bookies- led by England hopeful Rob Key, the spitfires will e buoyed by the news that the 20-year-old South African fast bowler Wayne Parnell will be available after playing a key role in his side’s quarter-final victory over Durham last month.

Somerset won’t go down without a fight, thought- the 2005 winners have been in grand form all summer and, with Australian legend Justin Langer leading a side that also contains Marcus Trescothick and the tournament’s leading remaining wicket-tacker in Alfonso Thomas, the Sabres have plenty of ammunition with which to go to battle.

Twenty20 being what it is, however, mean that any prediction or current form will almost certainly go out the window in blaze of boundaries and wickets; but, for what it’s worth, we are backing Somerset to go all the way and thee off Sussex in a thrilling final, Get the cider on ice, and all that.

Shane Watson: Makeshift Opener did well in its first outing

2009-07-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Shane Watson did well in its first outing as a Makeshift Opener. Australia should stick with Phillip Hughes, who is fantastic young player. A real raw talent, he need some time to get used to of Test Cricket. But despite all his failure in this Ashes series, he still average 52.44 in his 5 test career so far, and most of his dismissal were unlucky, in first test he got out on a wide leg stump delivery, which i believe 99 time out hundred he will deposit for a boundary.

He is a fearless openers, who just play his shots and believe in his ability to score on any bad delivery. He will come back soon stronger and harder as a player and i hope he will not stop his style which is attacking, people want to see good cricket, which is a combination of Good batting, good fielding and good bowling . I wish him good luck in his future.

Shane Watson is a wonderful cricketer, who can bat anywhere in a test or onday side, but i still believe in test he should bat at number six or seven.

SHANE WATSON: Sledge ban has harmed us

2009-07-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

SHANE WATSON fears Australia’s competitive edge has been blunted since they were told to cut the sledging. Cricket Australia wrote to each member of the touring party ahead of the Ashes series ordering them to tone down the chat because as role models they had to set the right example.

But with England now 1-0 up in the series, fit-again all-rounder Watson warned Australia would pull out all the stops to retain the Ashes. he said: ‘One thing Cricket Australia have said to us is to make sure we know where the line is and don’t cross it. It is a sticky one because of course the general public in Australia want us to be perfect role models and the hardest thing when you play is to be extremely competitive and not cross the line.

‘It is a fine line between being perfect role models and being competitive. As a group we don’t want to lose the edge. That is the reason we have been so good in the past because of how competitive we are and we don’t take a backward step. We have got to make sure we do everything we can to win, in the end, because that is what Cricket Australia and the Australian public do want.’

Watson is set to play against Northamptonshire in a three-day tour match, starting tomorrow, and could be recalled to the side for the third Test at edgbaston in place of out-of-form opener Phil hughes. Watson said: ‘I have tightened up my technique a little bit more. I always believe I have the game and the mental game to bat anywhere in the top order.’

Hussey: Kevin Pietersen loss can swing series

2009-07-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

MIKE HUSSEY believes the loss of Kevin Pietersen is a major blow to England’s Ashes chances. Hussey, who leads his country in a three-day match against his old county Northamptonshire today, thinks the absence of key batsman Pietersen with an Achiles injury for the rest of the series is a major boost for Australia after going 1-0 down in the series at Lord’s.

Three Tests remain for the tourists to turn the series around and Hussey said: ‘It’s going to be a big loss to England – Pietersen has obviously been a quality batsman for a long period of time. ‘They’re definitely going to miss him. It is a boost for us. He’s played well for a long time, and done it against Australia, and is probably the lynchpin of that batting order.’ The anticipated return of Ian Bell to fill the Pietersen role is an underwhelming prospect to some – but not Hussey.

‘They’ve got some pretty good replacements,’ he added. ‘Bell is a quality player, who has played very well for England before. We’re going to give him the same respect we give all the England batsmen.’ Australia themselves have form as well as fitness concerns to address before Edgbaston.

Fast bowler Brett Lee is unlikely to return from a side strain in time while seamer Stuart Clark and all-rounder Shane Watson hope to come in for out-of-form paceman Mitchell Johnson.

We can give Fred a perfect send-off

2009-07-16T04:13:00.000-07:00

We all know how much of a difference a fully fit Andrew Flintoff makes to the side so yesterday’s announcement this ashes series will be his last in Test cricket is extremely disappointing. But all of us in the England dressing room are determined to make sure we can give Fred the send-off he deserves by winning back The Ashes.

That would be great not just for him but all of us. Fred’s had a tough career with injuries, he’s a

great person to have in the dressing room and we’re all hoping he can stay fit for the rest of the summer.

Looking at what happened in Cardiff, it was obvious for all to see we did not play well, there’s no hiding behind that. But we also have to take a lot of credit for saving the game. Many of us, myself included, didn’t contribute enough but, even though we failed individually, we stuck together as a team and Team spirit will be key if we are to reclaim the Ashes displayed the spirit which is within this group of players.

You can’t quantify team spirit, it’s that magical thing which can make average teams good and good teams great. Many teams would have had their spirit broken in Cardiff given what we went through and the situation we found ourselves in on the final day. We weren’t broken and for that, we head into today’s second Test full of confidence. Yes, we need to up our game and our skills but we’ve got the chance to start afresh with a clean slate at lord’s and we intend to make the most of it.

May be part of the problem in Cardiff was nerves, there was such a big build-up to this series and that can sometimes affect you. But with that first game out of the way, we’re relishing this second chance.

Harmy has the X-factor but we love it at Lord’s

2009-07-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

Alot has been said after the dramatic conclusion to the first test at Cardiff. We were obviously disappointed not to win the game but we were extremely happy with our performance as a team and go into the second test at lord’s full of confidence.

England look like they will make some changes to their bowling attack, depending of course on the fitness of Andrew Flintoff. And while losing him would be a big blow for England, it was interesting to see they have brought in Steve Harmison as cover. We don’t know whether Harmison could play even if Flintoff is passed fit, as Graham Onions has bowled well and justifiably gets his place in the squad.

But, as I said last week, we were surprised Harmison was left out at Cardiff. He bowled really well for the lions in our final warm-up game and at six-foot whatever-he-is, can generate bounce – which batsmen find difficult. that’s why I don’t think selecting him would be a negative step for England, as some people have suggested. Indeed, he is a bowler with that X-factor which every side needs. saying that, I don’t think conditions were great for England’s bowlers and looking at the wicket, maybe their batsmen should have got 500 after winning that toss.

But we were absolutely delighted with our bowlers. they put in an outstanding performance and while some of England’s batsmen will be disappointed with the way they got out, credit has to go to our guys for the way they went about their jobs. Looking at lord’s, we know England don’t have a great record there and also that Australia haven’t lost an ashes test at the ground since 1934. But that doesn’t really affect us. But there’s no doubt as an overseas player lord’s brings the very best out of you. speaking personally the history of the place inspires me and there is something about lord’s which brings out that extra two or three per cent in you.

You look at the names on the honors board and there’s no doubt it inspires you to go and put your own name alongside the legends. I have played one test there – in 2005 – and didn’t manage a century. this time, especially after getting to three figures in Cardiff, it would be great

to achieve that.

Finally, when we arrived in London on Monday we were greeted at our hotel by the Barmy army trumpeter playing the Great escape. I thought that was great and just shows how much the fans love their cricket. this an ashes series, it’s special and it’s great for Cricket.

Bopara: I’m not Superman

2009-07-15T09:03:00.000-07:00

RAVI BOPARA has laughed off claims he is under pressure after a disappointing start to the Ashes, insisting it would be boring if he hit a century every time he plays. The Essex batsman scored a ton in three successive Test innings against the West Indies earlier this year but that run came to an end in the first Test against Australia last week when he was dismissed for 35 in England’s first innings.

He then made just one in the second, out to a questionable lbw decision, as Andrew Strauss’ men teetered on the brink of defeat before staging a heroic rearguard effort to save the game. Asked if he was under any extra pressure going into Lord’s, Bopara – written off by Shane Warne before the series – replied: ‘No, I just go out there and enjoy it. I am not Superman, I’m not a machine.

‘I can’t score runs every time. There’s going to be days I don’t. If I got a century every day it’d be boring.’ Bopara is looking forward to returning to Lord’s this week, where he scored 143 against the Windies earlier this summer in his first Test innings at No.3. That helped him make the position his own ahead of Ian Bell, Owais Shah and Michael Vaughan, who has since retired. Bopara added: ‘I have happy memories there from the beginning of the summer. It’s also a great feeling knowing we go there with this series still level. We were relieved we got away with a draw in Cardiff. It gives us confidence that we showed great fighting character. ‘We know we have to pick things up for the next game, it’s massive. We didn’t play our best at Cardiff but we’ll come back stronger at Lord’s.’

And Bopara claims the recalled Steve Harmison has lost none of his pace, saying: ‘He’s a dangerous bowler, even for guys on top form like Ricky Ponting. It’s never pleasant facing someone like Harmy.’

Cooky won’t crumble and Jimmy can swing it England’s way, says Vaughan

2009-07-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

MICHAEL VAUGHAN believes Alastair Cook and James Anderson are the men who can inspireEngland to regain the Ashes. While most pundits focus on Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff as England’s main men, Vaughan is convinced opening batsman Cook and quick bowler Anderson are set to play starring roles this summer.

Going into the first Test in Cardiff, which starts this morning, England’s former opener and triumphant 2005 captain said: ‘I fancy Alastair Cook to hit the most 50s for England in the series.

‘In 2005, when we won the Ashes, there were 18 England 50s, so hopefully Cooky and the boys will wrack them up this summer. ‘Cook and Anderson are both ready to move on to the next level after establishing themselves in the Test arena. ‘Jimmy has had a wonderful 12 months developing his swing while Cooky has been quietly getting on with his business. ‘A lot will depend on how he [Cook] faces Mitchell Johnson and Stuart Clark with that new ball. Clark troubled him in 06-07 but Cooky’s a very quick learner, he works things out and I think he’ll rise to the challenge and play his own brand of consistent cricket.’ Many say Cook is a future England captain but Vaughan does not believe the label is fair. ‘The England captain is Andrew Strauss and he has just started to roll with that position,’ he added.

‘When he finally decides it is time to step down Alastair Cook may very well be one of the candidates but it will go to the best person at the time. You don’t need to tag any young player like that, they just need to carry on with their job of scoring runs or taking wickets.’ Vaughan feels it will be a close series and warns it will be a mistake to write off the tourists because they have lost so many players to retirement.

‘They haven’t got a [Shane] Warne or [Glenn] McGrath in their ranks but they are a good team unit,’ he added. ‘They’ve changed the way they play and are very competitive so England need to get off to a good start.’ And he warned: ‘In 1989 Allan Border brought a young team here and everyone wrote them off, so dismiss Australia at your peril.’ As for the end result, Vaughan thinks Strauss’ men will edge it and said: ‘I can see it being close but England can win 2-0 or 2-1 as long as they take the chances.’

Hauritz out to escape the shadow of Shane

2009-07-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

NATHAN HAURITZ insists he can establish himself on the world stage and play a major role in helping Australia retain the Ashes. The series gets under way this morning with the first npower Test in Cardiff and Hauritz has already encountered criticism as the Aussies’ sole frontline slow bowler.

The 28-year-old off-spinner may only have played four Tests for his country so far but he has already been condemned as a pale imitation of Australia legend Shane Warne. However, the New South Wales bowler claims it is unfair to compare any of the current side to their recently retired predecessors, such as Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath and, of course, Warne.

He said: ‘Even when I’m 35 and playing my last game people will still talk about Shane Warne – after all he is the best-ever leg spinner. ‘It’s great Australia have had that but there are more guys coming through. ‘For me it’s a great vote of confidence to be the only spinner on tour. Ricky Ponting is a fantastic captain and has always shown faith in my ability.’ And Hauritz, who is expected to make his Ashes debut at Sophia Gardens today, laughed off claims the tourists’ lack of quality spinners will prove to be their Achilles heel. He added: ‘It doesn’t bother me if people think we’re not strong in terms of spin.

When I’m out there it’s just me against the batter, that’s all I’m interested in. I have to just concentrate on what I can do.’

Ian Bell senses relief for Australians

2009-07-06T08:35:00.000-07:00

Ian Bell thinks Australia will be relieved Steve Harmison has not been picked for the first Test. Bell skippered England lions when Harmison produced an impressive performance against the tourists, removing Phillip Hughes twice with some hostile and short-pitched bowling and picking up six wickets overall.

But it is his Durham team-mate Graham Onions – plus Bell – who have been added to the 11 on duty against Warwickshire for the opening Test at Cardiff. Bell said: ‘Will the Australians be happy Harmison is not playing? With the new ball he can be pretty lethal with that extra bounce he gets. I am sure they will be relieved in a way. ‘When he is in top form he is one of the best in the world. ‘For me, if he stays in that sort of form there will be some sort of cricket for him this summer with england.’

Bell is happy to be back with the Test squad after being dropped during the winter tour of the West Indies. He added: ‘I’ve had to put the ashes to the back of my mind. ‘I had to get the runs in county cricket to give myself a chance to be part of the ashes – and I’ve done that.’

Onions in Harm’s way as England keep faith

2009-07-06T08:31:00.000-07:00

England are poised to follow Steve Harmison’s blueprint for success against Australia despite overlooking the Durham fast bowler for the opening Npower Ashes Test. Harmison claimed six wickets for England lions last week, causing the Australians real problems in their warm-up match at Worcester.

That display was not enough to persuade the selectors to include him in their 13-man squad for Cardiff, although the short-pitched bowling he used to remove 20-year-old opener Phil Hughes in both innings will be utilised by those who do make the line-up. ‘Steve did come into the discussion but we’ve also got other bowlers who can do that as well,’ said national selector Geoff Miller. ‘It wasn’t just a fact it was Steve who did it, it showed us an area maybe Hughes has a problem with.’

England have picked Durham’s graham Onions and batsman Ian Bell alongside the team who drew with Warwickshire last week. ‘Steve bowled really well at Worcester but the thinking was graham Onions has got possession of the position and we are consistent with our selection policy so he got the nod,’ Miller added. Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar is included after taking three wickets against Warwickshire. Miller said: ‘It’s a strange thing, spin, because you can bowl well and not get wickets, then from nowhere you can just get a five-for and Monty’s that sort of performer.’

Hauritz must play waiting game for first Test

2009-07-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIAN coach Tim Nielsen has praised spinner Nathan Hauritz – but will not decide whether to play him in the first ashes Test until seeing the Cardiff wicket.

Hauritz is the only specialist spinner in the Australian squad and has returned combined figures of two for 260 from two warm-up games. But Nielsen said: ‘We won’t know until we get to Cardiff what side to select and the conditions will be critical. But Nathan has got better and better as we have gone on and there is no point in taking 12 wickets in two games now and not being right for the Test.’

Nielsen also expects opener Phil Hughes to overcome his problems with the short ball after twice being dismissed by Steve Harmison bouncers during the final warm-up game against England lions. He added: ‘South Africa bowled like that to him in the winter and he had great success. ‘Steyn, Morkel and Ntini all went hard at him. You have to be pretty precise if you are going to bowl that length to him.’

Anderson so fired up to face Aussies

2009-07-04T05:36:00.000-07:00

James Anderson cannot wait for the ashes to start after claiming a five-wicket haul in England’s final practice match against Warwickshire. The Lancashire seamer took five for 34 as the home side were dismissed for 102 on the second day of their three-day warm-up game at Edgbaston and england will resume today 373 runs ahead on 185 for two.

Anderson’s display will have delighted captain Andrew Strauss as he draws up his plans for next week’s opening Test at Cardiff as the excitement among the players grows. ‘I think we just want to get started really,’ admitted Anderson. ‘The hype has been going on for so long now and we just want to get started.’

Playing in Cardiff will be a particularly special moment for Anderson, 26, who has played just three Ashes Tests. But after becoming England’s main strike bowler over the past 18 months there is a sense his moment has come. ‘I hope it is my time,’ he admitted. ‘I’m concentrating on my job, which is to swing the ball and take early wickets. I’m not thinking about how many Ashes matches I have played.’ Anderson shared top billing with Andrew Flintoff, who claimed two for 16, while Monty Panesar grabbed three wickets to put himself back in contention for the first Test.

Flintoff’s presence, particularly after his man-of-the-series performances from 2005, will be particularly welcome. ‘He brings something different,’ added Anderson. ‘We were guessing in the field he must have been pushing 90mph, so it’s fantastic to get him back and bowling aggressively.’ The only bad news for Strauss was Kevin Pietersen’s dismissal for six during england’s second innings, his second failure of the game with the bat after his first-innings score of one.

Shane warns England not to dismiss Hauritz

2009-07-04T05:29:00.000-07:00

SHANE WARNE has stepped up his pre-Ashes war of words by claiming Australia’s much-maligned spinner Nathan Hauritz is a better bowler than England’s Graeme Swann. Hauritz is the latest in a long line of spinners Australia have called on since Warne’s international retirement in 2007 and is the only frontline slow bowler in their touring party.

But the 27-year-old has had a torrid time since his arrival in England, being written off by commentators and returning figures of one for 158 on a spin-friendly pitch during Australia’s first warm-up game against Sussex last week. He is also wicketless during his side’s current match against England Lions at Worcester.

Indeed, Hauritz’s form has been so woeful, Australia are considering leaving him out altogether for the first Ashes Test next week despite the fact the wicket in Cardiff is expected to offer considerable turn. That is why England are weighing up whether to play two spinners in that match with either Monty Panesar or Adil Rashid lining up alongside Swann, who has established himself as England’s No.1 slow bowler over the past year. Swann’s form has been so good the Nottinghamshire off-spinner is the leading Test wicket taker in the world this year with 26 victims in five matches.

But Warne argues his compatriot Hauritz is a better bowler, saying: ‘In the last year or so Nathan Hauritz has improved. He has developed flight and spin and I think he’ll play a huge part in the Ashes. I think he’s a better bowler than Swann so I don’t think England should underestimate him.’ Warne also likes the look of left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, who is expected to lead Australia’s seam attack against England this summer. He added: ‘Johnson bowls a heavy ball at nearly 95 miles per hour and has got all the attributes. He’s really improved. He’s getting better and better, and I think he’ll enjoy the conditions in England.’ The leg-spinner, who took 708 Test wickets during a stellar career, will be commentating on the Ashes for Sky Sports.

However, before that, he will take part in a charity Twenty20 match at Lord’s between his Rajasthan Royals Indian Premier League side and Middlesex on Monday. The game is raising money for the British Asian Trust and Warne said: ‘It’ll be me playing at Lord’s for the last time and I will be able to bowl a few rippers. It’s going tobe great.’

I’ll walk away with no regrets, says Vaughan

2009-07-01T06:41:00.000-07:00

MICHAEL VAUGHAN joked being bowled by his three-year-old son was enough to tell him it as the right time to retire from cricket. The former England captain, 34, yesterday at Edgbaston called time – as expected – on a glittering career that stretched back almost 17 years.

Vaughan pointed to his stewardship of the 2005 Ashes triumph against Australia as the highlight of his time in the sport. But having been overlooked for this summer’s series against Australia he feels the time is right to walk away. Vaughan said: ‘It’s been a hard decision.

‘My decision came two weeks ago at Worcester. I just started to realise there are younger players around that need to be given the chance to move the game forward. I’ve given it my best shot. I wanted to give it one last,hard effort to try to get into the Ashes squad. But I haven’t been playing well enough. ‘And I guess two weeks ago when in the garden with my little lad Archie,he bowled a ball, it hit a weed and it knocked my off stump out of the ground. I think that was the time; if a three-year-old is bowling me out, then it’s time to move over.’

Headded: ‘I’d like to be remembered as someone who gave my all. I don’t think I’ve left anything out there, I have no regrets.’ Current England captain Andrew Strauss said: ‘His achievements can’t be underestimated, the way he took the team forward, the relaxed way he was able to get us playing cricket.’

Flintoff warned there is a time and place to party

2009-07-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

ANDREW STRAUSS admits Andrew Flintoff must learn when it is appropriate to hit the booze. But the England captain insists poortime-keeping, rather than alcohol,was to blame for the all-roundermissing Saturday’s team bus to anouting in Belgium.

Flintoff failed to make the start of the organised trip to the graves near Ypres to pay respect to servicemen who fought in World War One, instead getting a taxi to catch up with the rest of the squad. The 31-year-old has since been disciplined by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) but it is not the first time his off-field behaviour has come under the spotlight.

Flintoff lost the vice-captaincy of England’s one-day team after the infamous pedalo incident in St Lucia during the 2007 World Cup. And Strauss said: ‘It’s a punctuality issue. He missed the bus but played a full part in the rest of the day’s activities and seemed fine. ‘We had a team dinner [the previous night] and alcohol wasn’t banned but there’s no reason to suspect anything untoward happening.’

Strauss believes Flintoff is aware of his responsibilities and added: ‘I think it’s something he’s been working very hard on, he generally recognises when the times are to drink and when not to drink. ‘It’s important, career-wise, he stays on the right side of that. ‘The vast majority of the time he has done and as he’s got older he has become more and more aware of when the right times are. ‘Of course there have been incidents with Fred before but for us to start looking back on that would be completely wrong at this stage.

‘Freddie accepts he made a mistake and the appropriate action has been taken and we move forward. ‘Punctuality has been an issue recently with a few players and it’s something we’re trying to iron out.’

Struggling Monty is out of touch and must be axed for Ashes, insists Udal

2009-06-30T14:16:00.000-07:00

FORMER England spinner Shaun Udal has warned against selecting Monty Panesar for the first Ashes Test in Cardiff next week, writes Chris Stocks. Off-spinner Panesar will take part in England’s final warm-up match against Warwickshire, which starts tomorrow, despite the fact he has taken just six wickets for Northamptonshire this season at more than 90 runs each. But Middlesex captain Udal, who played four Tests during the winter of 2005-06, said: ‘I don’t think Monty has a role this summer. He isn’t taking wickets and you can’t pick a man who is out of form.

I’m surprised by his lack of development since he broke into the England side. Whoever he was listening to when he was younger was doing a very good job. But I think he has too many people talking to him now. ‘Everyone is trying to change him. It’s time for him to get back to basics.’ Udal was also full of praise for young Australia opener Phil Hughes, who he captained at Middlesex during the early partof this season.

The 20-year-oldleft-hander plundered 574 runs in three championship matches,and Udal said: ‘He has a touchof genius about him. The way heplays, conducts himself. There’s no doubt he will score runsduring the Ashes.’

Don’t write me off, warns Lee

2009-06-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

BRETT LEE insists he is far from washed up as he bids to lead Australia’s attack in the forthcoming Ashes series. The 32-year-old paceman is hoping to spearhead the tourists’ bowling against Andrew Strauss’ England when the series gets under way in Cardiff a week tomorrow.

Lee has bounced back after suffering from a spate of injuries, having recently undergone surgery

on foot and ankle problems. But now that Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne have retired, the Aussie selectors may chose to go with their most experienced bowler, who knows all about the pressures of playing in the Ashes.

Nathan Hauritz has been chosen as the only spinner for Ricky Ponting’s team, putting more emphasis than ever on their main strike bowler Mitchell Johnson, and Lee – if he is picked. Critics say his best years are behind him and have pointed to his form during Australia’s ill-fated World Twenty20 campaign as evidence. But Lee, with 310 wickets from 76 Tests, believes he is as deadly as ever.

‘I don’t think the make-up of a fast bowler and a sprinter is that different,’ he said. ‘Of course there will be a time when your pace drops off. ‘Yes I’m 32, but I’ve missed a fair bit of cricket through surgery and I hope the day when my pace drops off is a long way away. The work I’ve been doing is all about bowling fast with good line and length. While I can do that I will do it and I’m certainly not looking at hanging up my boots now.’ Lee claims he has England skipper Strauss in his sights ahead of the first Test next week. Lee has dismissed the Middlesex opener five times over the course of the last two Ashes series and said: ‘I’m happy with the record I have against Straussy.

‘He’s a class act and it doesn’t matter how many times you get him out, on the day all you can do

is prepare well and bowl well. He is a hard batsman to bowl to.’ Lee does admit Australia will have to handle the conditions better than they did during England’s 2005 Ashes triumph if they are to turn the tables this time around. He added: ‘We were caught out a bit in 2005 by the way the ball was swinging back in and we didn’t use that as effectively as England did.’

Paul Collingwood: Sledging won’t bother us

2009-06-29T04:05:00.000-07:00

Paul Collingwood has warned australia’s attempts to expose any chinks in England’s sychological armour during the ashes series will prove futile.

The aussies have for years been masters of the art of ‘mental disintegration’ as their former skipper Steve Waugh once described it. Collingwood himself famously came off second-best in a clash with Shane Warne at Sydney in 2007 after deciding to target the spinner during his final Test.

The move backfired spectacularly, though, as Warne helped Australia complete a 5-0 ashes series white wash. officially, the Australians have been ordered by their own board to cut out the sledging during the forthcoming series. But Collingwood is expecting more of the same and insists England’s players will not succumb to their opponents’ famed verbals. ‘Sometimes they can really come hard at you as a team – usually when they sniff a moment where we have to By Ryan Daniels get right on top,’ he said. ‘As a team England can stand up to sledging. If the opportunity comes around, if something needs to be said, then we’ll back each other up. ‘We won’t go looking for it, we just want to perform well.

‘Australia are very good at it. I played a lot of cricket out there as a youngster and they come hard at you. ‘It’s in their culture from a very early age. The youngsters do it. You feel that as a player, as an individual going out to bat in their country. ‘It’s very much a part of their culture but we have some strong characters who can deal with it should it come along.’

Brett Lee is still battling to be part of Australia attack

2009-06-29T03:57:00.000-07:00

BRETT LEE remains hopeful he will be selected by Australia for the first Test after a solid showing in the tourists’ opening warm-up match against Sussex.

The 32-year-old paceman has been a key figure in the Aussies’ success over the past decade but his place in the team ahead of the Ashes opener in Cardiff on July 8 is by no means assured. Injuries have seen Lee struggle to recapture his best form during the past 12 months with Mitchell Johnson having taken his mantle as the spearhead of the side’s attack. And with the likes of Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus also making their mark during the successful tour of South Africa earlier this year, Lee admits he could find himself on the sidelines.

However, the right-armer went some way to pressing his claims with four wickets in the drawn tour opener against Sussex. ‘I will be out there playing thehardest and competing the best I can,’ said Lee. ‘If I am doing that, I expect to be playing in that first Test match.’ Despite his good form in Hove, Lee knows he will again have to impress in the final warm-up game against the england Lions at New road, worcester, this week when Johnson is expected to return to the team. ‘I’ve been on both sides of the fence,’ he added. ‘In 2004 in India, I was 12th man for four matches straight. It’s going to be hard work, and I will be trying my hardest to make the team'.

Aussie coach defends the attack

2009-06-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Australian coach Tim Nielsen moved to defend his bowling attack after they struggled to bowl out a weakened Hove (Sussex) on day two of their Ashes tour opener in Hove. The tourists needed more than 80 overs to dismiss the host county and secure a paltry 38- run first-innings lead as Hove (Sussex) posted a dogged 311 all out.

Although Brett Lee and Stuart Clark both grabbed three wickets apiece, young bowler Peter Siddle was their most effective bowler extracting pace and bounce out of a placid pitch on his way to two for 33.

But Ricky Ponting and his perspiring bowlers added to their own workload by conceding 40 extras, including 22 no-balls. More worrying for Nielsen was frontline off-spinner NathanHauritz failing to take a wicket in his 18 overs and leaking 98 runs on a pitch conducive to spin. But Nielsen said: ‘some days if you’re not quite on your game then you’re certainly going to get hurt, our challenge is to work out why it didn’t go quite so well for us today.’

Karachi kid Afridi gets hero’s welcome

2009-06-25T02:34:00.000-07:00

Shahid Afridi flew home to a hero’s welcome in Pakistan and promptly dedicated their World Twenty20 triumph to victims of terror in his troubled nation. ‘Throughout the tournament i only thought about winning this for those people who’ve been affected by terrorism in our country,’ said the all-rounder after arriving in Karachi yesterday. ‘The troubled conditions, the way Pakistan is being isolated as a cricket nation, all this spurred the team to win the cup.’ Afridi was man of the match in Pakistan’s semi-final and final wins and was lifted onto the shoulders of fans in recognition of his exploits in the eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka on Sunday at Lord’s.

Rashid’s got all the toys, it’s time to play’

2009-06-25T02:18:00.000-07:00

Shane Warne has urged england to be bold and select young leg-spinner Adil Rashid for the opening ashes Test in Cardiff next month. Rashid, 21, has been included in England’s 16-man pre-ashes training squad, alongside fellow spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, and is also in the England Lions team to face Australia in a four-day game at Worcester starting next Wednesday.

After touring with England in the winter the Yorkshire youngster finally made his international debut in the World Twenty20, impressing in the second spinner’s role alongside Swann, and leg-spin legend Warne, who took 708 Test wickets during a glittering career for Australia, says Rashid has done enough to see off an out-of-form Panesar and take on the same role in the first ashes Test.

He said: ‘England have done well with Rashid. They’ve not rushed him and he is ready now to make that step up. ‘he’s done well in Twenty20 cricket and I believe he is ready to play in the first Test. He’s got all the toys, a good temperament and it’s time for him to play Test cricket.’

Warne, who retired from international duty after Australia’s 5-0 ashes whitewash in 2006-07, will be watching this summer’s series from the commentary box and Australia will be far poorer for his absence with a dearth of fresh spin talent meaning Nathan Hauritz is their only frontline slow bowler on tour. So do England have the advantage when it comes to spin? ‘I’m not sure about that,’ Warne added. ‘The weird thing for me is England could play two spinners in the opening Test and Australia might not play a spinner. That makes me feel pretty strange.’ While Warne praised Rashid he has been less impressed with Ravi Bopara. He laid into the essex batsman last week, claiming he was not Test class even though he scored back-to-back hundreds earlier this summer.

And Warne has renewed his attack, saying: ‘I think Bopara lacks temperament. There will be a lot of banter flying round and I think that will put him off his game. We did that when I was at Hampshire and found him easily distracted. I think he’ll struggle, he won’t get many runs.’

Australia were in transition after the likes of Warne, Glenn McGrath, adam Gilchrist, Matthew hayden and Justin Langer decided to retire but the Victorian senses a recovery. ‘The team has not performed as they would have liked, they lost to India and South Africa. But winning in South Africa was a real confidence booster,’ he added. ‘There’s no doubt there’s been a transition period over the last 18 months. But that period is now over. ‘The team might not have the names in it but they are a good side.’

Tourists optimistic Watson can still make Cardiff date

2009-06-25T02:14:00.000-07:00

ALL-ROUNDER Shane Watson has been cleared to stay with Australia after being diagnosed with a minor thigh injury. Scans confirmed a low-grade strain to the 28-year-old’s left quadricep muscle which has forced him out of the tourists’ current game against Sussex at Hove.

With just two weeks to go before the opening Ashes Test in Cardiff, Watson is facing a fight to be fit for the start of the series. But Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said: ‘We expect this injury should resolve itself fairly quickly.

Shane’s return to play will be guided by progress made in the next few days.’ Watson missed training on Monday and Tuesday after complaining of general stiffness, prompting Australian team officials to contemplate calling up a replacement. While Watson will now stay on, his hopes of making the first Test are shrinking – with Marcus North taking his place against Sussex.

Captain Ricky Ponting said: ‘For him it’s obviously a setback. I don’t know if it harmshis chances but there’s an opportunity that’s slipped out of his grasp [not playing at Hove]. ‘Hopefully within a couple of days he’s right to start working on his bowling again.’

Gilchrist gives Aussies Ashes Wagwarning

2009-06-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

ADAM GILCHRIST has warned Australia’s cricketers the biggest threat to them retaining the Ashes this summer could be the presence of their wives and girlfriends on tour, writes Chris Stocks. The wicketkeeper, who retired from international cricket last year, was part of the Aussie side which lost a memorable Ashes series 2-1 in England four years ago. And he revealed it was not just some superb performances from the likes of Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen which contributed to Australia’s downfall in 2005 but also disputes among the squad’s families.

Ricky Ponting’s men, who start a four-day warm-up match against Sussex today ahead of the first Ashes Test in a fortnight, have been forced to defend the presence of their partners on this current tour. Indeed, Cricket Australia is so concerned about the issue it invited the players’ families to be part of a pre-Ashes training camp in Queensland last month, where they were given relationship advice.

Now Gilchrist, in London to give an MCC Spirit of Cricket lecture at Lord’s tonight, has warned: ‘I just don’t think we got the balance right in ’05. I don’t think my wife was involved in any of the disputes but I was an offender of not getting the balance right myself. ‘I ended up trying to be too many things on that tour and I wasn’t very good at any of them, be it a cricketer, a husband or a father. It’s a challenge for the players and their families with the scheduling these days. It is a difficult balance and we didn’t get it right in ’05.’

England’s women are determined to build on their success

2009-06-23T04:28:00.000-07:00

England’s women are determined to build on their double global success in 2009 and ensure they build a golden era of international domination. Sunday’s six-wicket victory against New Zealand in the World Twenty20 final at Lord’s followed on from their win over the same opponents in the 50-over World Cup in Sydney.

And skipper Charlotte Edwards said: ‘The 50-over format was the ultimate prize but to win the Twenty20 now could mean the whole profile goes from strength to strength. ‘Hopefully we can take the game to the next level.’

Pakistan captain Younus Khan announced his retirement from international Twenty20 cricket

2009-06-23T04:25:00.000-07:00

Pakistan captain Younus Khan announced his retirement from international Twenty20 cricket after leading his country to world glory on Sunday. The 31-year-old followed in the footsteps of Imran Khan, who led the triumphant Pakistan team in the 1992 World Cup in Australia, when he oversaw an eight-wicket defeat of Sri Lanka at Lord’s.

Younus said: ‘I’ve been thinking the whole tournament I could be remembered just like Imran was when his team won the World Cup. The dream has come true and this is a gift to our whole nation.’

Lee shocked over Vaughan

2009-06-23T04:22:00.001-07:00

AUSTRALIA paceman Brett Lee has admitted his surprise at Michael Vaughan’s England snub. The former skipper was yesterday left out of the training squad for the first Ashes Test and Lee said: ‘I was a bit shocked, more so for what he’s done against us before.

He has the utmost respect from all of us in the Australia squad, it’s a shame we won’t play against him.’ But Australia captain Ricky Ponting was less stunned by the absence of both Vaughan and fast bowler Steve Harmison, adding: ‘I’m not surprised, I think the squad almost picks itself.’

Lee shocked over Vaughan

2009-06-23T04:22:00.000-07:00

Shahid Afridi on top of the world

2009-06-22T01:32:00.000-07:00

SHAHID AFRIDI struck an unbeaten 54 to propel Pakistan to an eight-wicket victory against Sri lanka in the final of the World Twenty20 at lord’s. afridi, the man at the heart of Pakistan’s revival after they lost their opening game to England, stood and saluted the thousands of elated Pakistani fans after he hit the winning run with eight balls to spare.

It was the second global one-day title for Pakistan after Imran Khan’s side rallied in similar fashion to win the 1992 50-over World Cup. They had also lost the inaugural World Twenty20 final in 2007 to India.

Pakistan captainYounus Khan, whose country is undergoing political turmoil and an uncertain cricketing future after the terror attacks on the Sri lankan team in lahore in March, said: ‘For a nation like us, it is the right time. ‘It’s fantastic. We were the underdogs and nobody picked us. That’s why there was less pressure and certainly we turned it on in the big games.’ afridi added: ‘The last two and a half, three years I have bowled really well but I was struggling with my batting.

‘Younus gave me good confidence. I told him I wanted to bat at no.3 in the side and he said okay, if you’re confident just go and play”.’ Sri lanka were up against it after Mohammad aamer, 17, removed the tournament’s top scorer Tillakaratne dilshan for a duck in the first over. abdul razzaq then claimed a wicket in each of his first three overs as Sri lanka limped to 70 for six. But captain Kumar Sangakkara (64 not out) helped post a total of 138 for six after a 68-run stand with angelo Mathews (35 not out). Sangakkara, looking to continue that momentum, switched his bowlers continually but Pakistan never looked in trouble and eased to their target.

Fidel’swaiting game

2009-06-19T02:59:00.000-07:00

THE WEST Indies will wait until the last minute before deciding whether or not to risk injured strike bowler Fidel Edwards in today’s World Twenty20 semi-final against Sri Lanka at the Brit Oval.

Team spokesman Philip Spooner said Edwards was suffering from an irritation of a nerve root in his lower back. ‘He won’t bowl today but we are very optimistic he will be available for tomorrow’s match,’ he said. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara, whose unbeaten team will play at the venue for the first time this tournament, feels more pace and bounce could assist his spinners and batsmen. ‘It seems a pretty even track with good bounce and will stay consistent throughout,’ he added.

Afridi stars as Pakistan reach final

2009-06-19T02:48:00.000-07:00

SHAHID AFRIDI was the hero as Pakistan reached a second successive World Twenty20 final at the expense of South Africa at Trent Bridge.

Pakistan skipper Younus Khan had elected to bat and it was Afridi who gave their innings impetus with a 32-ball half-century as they posted 149 for four. Afridi then shone with the ball, dismissing herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers as the Proteas were beaten by seven runs.

Pakistan, who lost in the final to India in 2007, will now face the winners of today’s second semi-final between Sri Lanka and the West Indies. Younus said: ‘We know it will give a big lift to everyone back home if we can win this competition. If we lift the cup it will provide great cheer for the people [of Pakistan].’

Chawla not first port of call for Mark

2009-06-18T04:33:00.000-07:00

SUSSEX coach Mark Robinson admits Piyush Chawla was the club’s third-choice as an overseas signing. The spinner, who has played two Tests and 21 one-dayers for India, took eight wickets on his county debut as Sussex beat Worcestershire on Sunday, adding an unbeaten 102 with the bat. And he took five wickets against Somerset on Tuesday. But Robinson was first turned down by New Zealand paceman Shane Bond and Australia seamer Shaun Tait, and said: ‘There was a lot of heartache over this decision because we have three young spinners we are trying to promote.

It was definitely Plan B because we wanted a strike bowler but knew the importance of having an impact player. It might not be as easy for him from this point but successive five-fors and a hundred is not a bad start.’

Shaun starts fightback

2009-06-18T04:27:00.000-07:00

AYEAR ago Shaun Udal was busy rebuilding his first-class career with Middlesex after many had presumed he was finished. At the end of the 2007 season, having been released by Hampshire, he agreed to become Berkshire’s professional in the Minor Counties Championship.

But he was offered a surprise lifeline back into top-flight cricket by Middlesex and, in December 2007, signed a two-year contract which would take him past his 40th birthday.

Even then, Udal could hardly have envisaged the year would end with him taking the captaincy and winning the Twenty20 Cup with his new county. But now the former England offspinner faces the first major test of his leadership as he tries to salvage Middlesex’s season following a nightmare defence of their Twenty20 crown – which has seen them lose all six of their games so far and crash out of the competition – while failing to win any of their four County Championship Division Two matches.

The Panthers did get through their group in the Friends Provident Trophy but went on to lose to Udal’s old club Hampshire in the quarter-finals and have last season’s danger man Dawid Malan consigned to the second XI after a disastrous run of form.

Today’s match at Bristol against Gloucestershire offers a chance to win a four-day game for the first time this summer as Udal can count on the England trio of Andrew Strauss, Owais Shah and

Eoin Morgan among his squad. The former Hampshire spinner said: ‘Since coming to Lord’s it has been the most amazing 18 months of my life and you always hope that will continue.

‘Obviously we want to get promoted in the Championship and win every game. ‘Winning a trophy last year was motivation enough for us to try to do well again. ‘My plan here was always to steady the ship.

‘You have to start well really, if you want to win anything but it’s nice we have had Straussy available for a few games.’ Source {Metro}

All chokes aside, Arthur’s men aren’t afraid to lose

2009-06-18T04:22:00.000-07:00

South Africa go into their World twenty20 semi-final against Pakistan confident they have ditched their reputation as chokers. the Proteas have regularly failed to close out big games from winning positions. But coach Mickey Arthur, whose side are tournament favourites after winning all five of their games so far, said: ‘We could get beaten and then again the chokers tag might surface. But for us, that’s not an issue.

‘As long as we are playing the game to the best of our ability and we are not panicking in the crucial situations we’re not scared of losing. the guys have been put in these situations over the last 18 months and have come through with flying colours.’

But opposite number Intikhab Alam believes any potential frailty could give Pakistan an edge.‘they’re very talented but they will have the pressure and we won’t,’ he added. ‘We have that advantage.’ Source {Metro}

Now Flower turns to the Ashes after T20 failure

2009-06-17T01:37:00.000-07:00

ENGLAND are aiming to take advantage of their early exit from the World Twenty20 by naming an extended squad to take part in the build-up programme for the Ashes.

Coach Andy Flower remains upbeat about England’s future after their rollercoaster Twenty20 campaign. He has already begun preparations for his team’s assault on the Ashes and is set for a series of meetings with his fellow selectors to decide on a training squad.

The panel were set to announce that list of names on Saturday but have delayed until the following Monday to give them a chance to assess the form of fringe players such as Ian Bell and Michael Vaughan.

That squad is expected to meet for two get-togethers in Loughborough before moving on to a training camp in Birmingham ahead of a three-day warm-up game against Warwickshire.‘We’re picking a squad and we will be getting together for a couple of team-building sessions,’ said Flower.

‘The squad we’ll initially announce will be larger than the 12 or 13 for the first Test.’ That initial squad is expected to include both leg-spinner Adil Rashid, who has impressed during the Twenty20 tournament, and senior spinners Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann. Andrew Flintoff will join up with England again for the first time since having knee surgery at the start of the summer.

‘It was very good news to see him back for Lancashire and bowling well,’ said Flower. ‘If he’s fit, he’s a shoo-in.’ The selectors will then trim down that squad to 13 names, who will travel to Cardiff ready for the opening Ashes Test starting on July 8.

And Flower believes it is not all doom and gloom, despite hosts England’s World Twenty20 exit at the Super Eights stage. ‘Our Twenty20 cricket has got better in this tournament. To beat Pakistan under pressure when we had to and then India when we had to were good performances, so we’ve learned a lot,’ he insisted ‘We’re ranked fifth in Tests because that is where we deserve to be at the moment. But it doesn’t mean we can’t beat any side at any time.’ Source {Metro}

I am no Gilchrist, insists Haddin

2009-06-17T01:28:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIA wicketkeeper Brad Haddin claims any comparisons between himself and Adam Gilchrist would be an insult to his predecessor, writes Chris Stocks. Haddin made his Test debut last May after Gilchrist’s retirement, bringing an end to a glorious career which will see him go down as one of the game’s all-time greats. And Haddin, 31, knows many observers will be looking to compare him to Gilchrist.

He insisted: ‘Adam can be argued as one of the best players to have played the game so I think the comparisons are a little bit disrespectful to him because I’ve only just started.’ Gilchrist’s explosive batting, which saw him finish his career with a Test average of 47.60 after a decade in the Australia side, redefined the role of the keeper.

Yet Haddin says England’s fans, with the first Ashes Test in Cardiff just 19 days away, should not expect the same pyrotechnics when he comes to the crease this summer. ‘Adam is one of the greats who played the game,’ he said. ‘With the bat he can take the game away from you inside a session so I don’t think you’ll see any of that flamboyance from me.’ The New South Wales keeper spent seven years as Gilchrist’s understudy and when he did play, his work behind the stumps was found wanting in India.

But his form improved after a first Test century against New Zealand. He added: ‘It was a shaky start, you obviously get tested a lot more in this environment. I think in the last six months I’ve begun to understand what international cricket is like and I’m starting to feel a lot more comfortable.’
Source {Metro}

England turn on style to knock out holders

2009-06-15T05:44:00.000-07:00

ENGLAND face a shoot-out with the West Indies today for a place in the World Twenty20 semi-finals after eliminating holders India at Lord’s. Defending a decent total of 153 last night, the hosts played aggressive cricket to seal victory by three runs. And if they beat the Windies at the Brit Oval, they will make the last four of a campaign which started with a disastrous defeat against Holland.

India, who put England into bat after winning the toss, saw their reply stifled early on by Ryan Sidebottom. He bowled Rohit Sharma for nine and had Suresh Raina caught by Luke Wright for two with just 24 runs on the board.

Stuart Broad then made two superb catches to dismiss Gautam Gambhir off Dimi Mascarenhas and Ravindra Jadeja off Graeme Swann to leave India in trouble on 85 for four. That brought in the dangerous Yuvraj Singh, who whacked a six off Swann with his first delivery. But although he smashed another massive shot off the spinner, Swann won their personal duel when Yuvraj was

stumped by James Foster for just 17.

It was a tense affair as India tried to claw their way back into the game. But despite a 63-run stand between Dhoni (30) and Yuvraj Pathan (33), they fell short on 150 for five. Earlier, England made a poor start with Wright falling in the second over. But Ravi Bopara and Kevin Pietersen, who top scored with 46 off 27 balls – including five fours and a six – put on 71 runs in nine overs.

Pietersen’s huge hit was England’s only boundary between the tenth and 15th overs as Harbhajan Singh pinned down the hosts. But ultimately their total proved enough as India were unable to find the gaps in a tight field, marshalled superbly by skipper Paul Collingwood.
{Source: Metro} & Image from Cricinfo

Colly: Jeering fans fired us up

2009-06-15T05:41:00.000-07:00

Paul Collingwood last night revealed boos from India supporters provided the motivation for England’s victory at lord’s. ‘obviously there were a lot of indian fans here today and we got booed by them when we came off the nursery ground after training earlier,’ said the England captain.

‘it’s a bit strange on your home ground. and it gave everyone the motivation to go out and put a party piece on. ‘There are areas i thought we could improve on. i thought maybe we could have got 160-plus, 170 at one stage. But it was a fantastic performance. The bowlers came out and put them

under a lot of pressure.’

England outclassed by ruthless Proteas

2009-06-12T03:14:00.000-07:00

ENGLAND’S World Twenty20 hopes were dealt a huge blow after a top-order batting collapse handed South Africa a seven-wicket victory at Trent Bridge last night.

Skipper Paul Collingwood won the toss and decided England should bat first in their opening Super Eight clash. However, after the hosts were dismissed for a paltry 111, an unbeaten half-century by Jacques Kallis helped the Proteas cruise to victory.

It leaves England needing to beat defending champions India at Lord’s on Sunday and the West Indies at The Brit Oval the following day if they are to have any realistic chance of making the semi-finals. But they will have to bat much better than they did in Nottingham if they are to do that.

Openers Luke Wright and Ravi Bopara have struck up a profitable opening partnership in this tournament but both perished in the first two overs to leave England four for two. Bopara was the first to go, bowled by Dale Steyn and Wright followed when he edged Wayne Parnell behind to Mark Boucher. Kevin Pietersen hit 19 before he was brilliantly caught by Roelof Van Der Merwe. Collingwood (19), James Foster (1), Dimitri Mascarenhas (1) and Owais Shah (38) fell as England collapsed from 78 for three to 88 for seven. And 19-year-old fast bowler Parnell rapped up the innings to take figures of three for 14.

South Africa were never in trouble in their reply, despite the early loss of captain Graeme Smith to Stuart Broad, and Kallis’ unbeaten 57 saw the Proteas home with ten balls to spare.

Source {Metro}

I’m ready for the Ashes, says Flintoff

2009-06-12T03:08:00.000-07:00

ANDREW FLINTOFF says he is fit and raring to go for the Ashes after he marked his comeback for Lancashire with two wickets.

The England all-rounder made an early return from knee surgery for the County Championship match at Durham. And he had Michael Di Venuto caught behind off his second ball before dismissing Mitchell Claydon en route to figures of two for 30 in 12 overs. Flintoff, who also took two catches, said: ‘I was a little bit rusty, but besides that it was all right. If I had any worries I wouldn’t be playing – I’ve come through with flying colours so far but I need to come back in the morning and do it all again.

I’ll have to sit down with the ECB medical staff but I want to play as much as possible building up

to the first Test at Cardiff.’ As for the Ashes, the 31-year-old added: ‘We need to move on from

2005 and create some new history. I’m not expecting any mishaps at this stage.’
Source {Metro}

Jayasuriya sets up Sri Lanka win

2009-06-11T02:36:00.000-07:00

SANATH JAYASURIYA and Tillekeratne Dilshan’s century opening stand powered Sri Lanka to a 15-run win against the West Indies in the World Twenty20 at Trent Bridge.

In the absence of injured captain Chris Gayle, the Windies were unable to match the tempo of Sri Lanka’s 192 for five – despite a swift half-century from Dwayne Bravo. As a result, Sri Lanka ended their Group C campaign with two wins from two, while the West Indies must bounce back to face India in the Super Eights on Friday. Jayasuriya (81) enjoyed most of the strike but even so made his fellow Indian Premier League star Dilshan (74) look almost pedestrian as he hit ten fours and three sixes from 47 balls, after Sri Lanka were put in.

In the day’s other game, India beat Ireland by eight wickets. Ireland still join the defending champions in the Super Eights after their shock win against Bangladesh earlier in the week. But they were unable to cope with India’s bowlers as they made 112 for eight in a match reduced to 18 overs a side because of rain. In reply, Rohit Sharma hit an unbeaten 52 as India reached their

target with 15 balls left.

Colly hits back at Warne’s T20 jibes

2009-06-11T02:23:00.000-07:00

Paul Collingwood has laughed off criticism of his captaincy from Shane warne and admits he expects more sniping during the course of this ashes summer. australia spin legend warne, who famously questioned why Collingwood received an MBE for playing in only one ashes Test in 2005, said: ‘Tactically, i haven’t been too impressed with Paul Collingwood...i don’t see him as a captain.

‘You need to get funky at times, throw a bit of caution to the wind and show a bit of flair and imagination. i don’t think Collingwood has that. His fielding positions always seem a little basic to me.’

But Collingwood, whose England side face South africa at Trent Bridge in their first Super Eight game today, hit back, saying: ‘i am going to get a lot of stick off him this summer – i know that for a fact. ‘i haven’t got any comeback against him now because he’s in the media so i can’t actually sledge him back. ‘we had a ding dong out in the middle of the last ashes series and i’m the kind of person who wants to compete with him. i want to win and whether he likes that, i don’t know.’

England look set to remain unchanged for today’s match against South africa. Kevin Pietersen is expected to again play through the pain from his achilles injury, as he did during last Sunday’s win against Pakistan.

England know victory tonight would give them a real chance of reaching the semi-finals of the world Twenty20, as it would mean a win in either of their final two games against india and the west indies should see them through. Meanwhile, former australia coach John Buchanan will help
andy Flower’s men with their ashes preparations in the week before the first Test in Cardiff on July 8.

The 56-year-old, architect of australia’s 5-0 ashes whitewash in 2006/07, will act as a consultant for England and has already had one meeting with Flower and his backroom staff.
{Source: Metro}

Broad: Early exit could help Aussie Ashes plans

2009-06-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

STUART BROAD is wary of Australia’s reaction to their shock exit from the World Twenty20 and the time it gives Ricky Ponting’s side to prepare for the Ashes.The opening npower Test starts in Cardiff on July 8 and Australia’s departure from the World Twenty20 leaves them with no competitive fixtures until their four-day match against Sussex, which begins on June 24.

But Broad believes Australia’s early exit from the event, which was sealed by Monday night’s six-wicket defeat to Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge, will only give them more time to focus on the Ashes.

‘It looks like the Aussies have got a couple of extra weeks to prepare for the Ashes and I’m sure they’ll try to fit in an extra game or two if they can and try to turn a negative into a positive,’ said Broad.

‘They’ll be disappointed to go out the way they did because they love playing competition cricket, but it didn’t work for them this time and their focus will probably have already switched to the Ashes.’

Australia are now planning to spend the rest of this week at Grace Road, Leicester before heading to Canterbury next week.

They also have a four-day fixture against England Lions at Worcester starting on July 1 before they move on to Cardiff.

Australia’s inquest continued yesterday, with skipper Ponting making it clear tough questions must be asked. Cricket Australia has already launched a wide-ranging review into how their team have managed to lose their last five Twenty20 internationals.

CA chief executive James Sutherland said: ‘Over the next few days, we will have a real good hard look at what might have gone wrong in this championship. It’s disappointing for us to go out and we will want to understand exactly why that is.’
Source{Metro}

Ruthless Pakistan end Dutch dream

2009-06-10T06:20:00.000-07:00

HOLLAND’S World Twenty20 dream was cruelly shattered as Pakistan thrashed them by 82 runs at Lord’s to progress to the Super Eights. Set 176 to win the match, the Dutch began their chase knowing 151 would be enough to send them into the second stage due to their superior net run rate. But the outsiders, who beat England on the same ground last Friday, were blown away by the Pakistan’s spinners –led by Shahid Afridi’s haul of four wickets for just 11 runs and Saeed Ajmal’s three for 20.

In the day’s other game, South Africa beat New Zealand by one run after they defended a total of 128, despite Brendon McCullum’s 57.
Source {Metro}

Pakistan Cricket: Butt and Miandad square off

2009-02-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

The ongoing matter of Javed Miandad's resignation as director-general of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took an ugly turn at a senate hearing as the board chairman and Miandad traded allegations over the fiasco. Ijaz Butt admitted to the senate standing committee on sports that he had made a mistake in not settling terms and conditions with Miandad when he joined, but refused to apologise to the former captain, who was also present at the session.

Instead Butt levelled a number of allegations at Miandad, claiming he wanted more money, that he interfered with selectorial matters and that he wasn't a capable administrator.

Miandad, visibly upset, denied the charges, claiming he would work on an honorary basis for the board if others did likewise. The issue of Miandad's resignation had been brewing steadily in recent weeks and last week, senators decided to to get to the bottom of the matter, issuing summons to Miandad to appear.

In a heated discussion, senators grilled the PCB chief over every little detail of Miandad's hiring and eventual refusal of a contract. Miandad joined the board in November as director-general, though there was ambiguity over the nature of his role even then. He quit last month, after finally being offered a contract, the terms of which he wasn't happy with.

In particular, Miandad claimed that the nature of his role in the contract letter was significantly reduced from what he had initially discussed with the chairman. That, and not the salary, was what made him change his mind.

Butt did admit there were 'procedural flaws' in the appointment of Miandad, leaving senators aghast that such an established figure was working at such a senior post without any letter of appointment or contract or indeed terms of reference for the post. "I admit it was our mistake as we didn't sign a contract with Miandad when he was appointed as DG in December," Butt said. Butt also claimed that Miandad was interfering in selecting the national team and had asked for a salary of 1.6 million rupees ($20,000) as opposed to the 500,000 rupees ($6,300) offered in the contract. "Miandad asked for a salary which we could not give to him," Butt said. "I regard Miandad highly as a great cricketer but we can't pay him more than what we had offered him."

But what must have irked Miandad the most - particularly given how close he always said he was to Butt - was Butt's belief that he wasn't a capable administrator. "I have the utmost respect for him as a cricketer and his achievements but he's not capable of handling either financial of administrative matters of the PCB," Butt said. Miandad's claims that it was the role and not the money which was a problem were lent solid credibility when he produced an internal board memo circulated on December 4 last year.

The memo, with Butt's consent on it, makes various board directors, of game development, international cricket operations, domestic cricket operations, the national team coach, manager and chairmen of national junior and senior selection committees all answerable to Miandad.

The message, at that point, seemed clear: Miandad was to be in charge of almost all cricket affairs. But when the contract was offered to him, Miandad was made head of domestic cricket operations and the department of game development only. "This job could be done by anyone and I feel it was not what I was actually promised by Mr. Butt," Miandad said. Miandad also said he didn't take any money from the board in his two-and-a-half month stint and was now even willing to work on an honorary basis - provided other PCB officials did likewise. The senators, mostly bewildered that such a situation could even arise, initially pressured Butt to apologise for the humiliation they perceived to have been heaped upon Miandad.

Butt stood his ground and refused to do so, thus leading the chairman of the committee to suggest they both sit down together privately and sort out the matter. "We believe that if you both could work together for the betterment of the game it will be good for Pakistan, so it's better you should sit together and resolve this issue privately," committee chairman Zafar Iqbal said. Before the meeting, rumour had it that Miandad may well find his way back into the board at a post he was happier with. After today's mudslinging, that scenario has become less likely.
© Cricinfo

Isolation ward for Pakistan

2009-01-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

2008 year of Isolation for Cricket in Pakistan

If ever proof were needed of just how hand-in-hand with life cricket is in Pakistan, 2008 provided it। Increasingly isolated from the rest of the world, tangled in a web of militant violence, severe economic upheaval and political and administrative ineptitude - it was difficult to differentiate the ills of cricket from those of the country।

There wasn't quite the quickfire succession of controversies, or the suicidal lust for scandal of 2006 and 2007, though there was still Mohammad Asif's continuing descent into a fate reserved for rock stars. Instead, a much deeper, more rooted gloom took hold, one infinitely more depressing than any doping inquiry, any ball-tampering row, even perhaps the death of a coach.

Nobody knew how to react, for example, to Pakistan not playing a single Test in the entire year, the first time since 1970. Mostly there was disbelief that such a thing could still happen in cricket's bloated modern age. It wasn't planned that way, of course, but it wasn't planned much better: Officially Pakistan had just one Test series, against Australia, scheduled this year.

It said all that was needed about the ineptness of not one PCB administration - for there have been so many - but the PCB generically. This FTP was arranged years ago, so why were there no foreign tours at all in 2008? Why was nothing arranged last year, or before?

Even more depressing, of course, was the belief that had even 15 Tests been arranged at home, the situation in the country was such that no one would have visited anyway. Along with Australia's tour, the Champions Trophy was postponed, and before the year was out, India had also bailed out. This much at least wasn't in any board administration's hands. Until the country can claw its way out from the many ills grasping it, from under this siege, there will be little any board can do. Save, of course, adopting a Middle-East neutral venue.

It wasn't just the lack of action। Paralleling the appalling administration of much of the country was Nasim Ashraf's chairmanship of the country's cricket. In a tenure pockmarked with u-turns, the feeling that no one really had a clue what was going on was never far.

Time and money were wasted in legal wrangles against players and employees. The board workforce mushroomed (but 700 of them still didn't remember to put up India's flag in the National Stadium during the Asia Cup); they lied publicly about potential series and insurance deals - according to the new administration they bled the board dry financially, though the spate of cancellations didn't help. In short, the administration was the anvil that broke the camel's back. Fittingly, when the president of the country resigned, so too did Ashraf.

On the field there was little to evaluate. Never have 18 ODI wins and three losses felt so shallow. Twelve wins were against the might of Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong. Paris Hilton serves greater purpose than these contests did.

The Kitply Cup win, and three Abu Dhabi victories against West Indies were rare silver linings, but the Asia Cup wasn't. And that was it really; nothing significant on which you could really judge anything, anyone - not the captain, not new openers or wicketkeepers, not the fitness of bowlers. Nothing apart from, apparently, Geoff Lawson.

After the administration change, Lawson was sacked, a year into his contract - a year of little cricket. In appointing Intikhab Alam as a replacement, Pakistan went back to go forward. But neither the change in coach, nor the administration, was depressing in itself. More was the numbing inevitability of it: Isn't this what always happens? Will it ever change? How?

At the end of 2007 it wasn't possible for Pakistan to sink further। As they faded away off the field and on it into virtual isolation, sadly, 2008 proved that impossible is nothing.

New kid on the block
Like throwing spaghetti against a wall and waiting for something to stick, Pakistan tried many new faces early in the year. Many slid away but Nasir Jamshed stuck. Four boisterous fifties through the year were impressive, none more so than the one against India in the Asia Cup. He likes coming down the pitch - apparently a prerequisite for modern leftie openers - and may just be the solution to Pakistan's opening problems in limited-overs cricket.

Fading star
Of all the talent that has slipped through Pakistan's hands, Asif is the one they can least afford to squander. The world's most promising fast bowler suddenly became its most scandal-ridden. Barely recovered from testing positive for steroids in 2006, Asif was caught with a contraband item at Dubai airport, and detained for 19 days. Soon after, it emerged he had tested positive again for steroids, this time at the IPL. He ended the year breaking down on TV, in need of serious help.

High point
The Kitply Cup win over India, for shock value, though the clean sweep against West Indies later in the year also had a good feel about it. Many may prompt for the Lahore Badshahs' win in the ICL. The slim pickings indicate the poverty of Pakistan's year.

What 2009 holds
Ajantha Mendis and Sri Lanka come knocking early, in a potentially tasty battle before Pakistan go to Sri Lanka in the summer। The World Twenty20 may provide some joy before a trip to Australia at year's end. It is another lean year, but at least there is cricket. And any competitive cricket will be appreciated, never mind the result.

Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo

Can't wait to hear final thought of Adam Gilchrist

2008-01-27T12:25:00.000-08:00

A true fighter is about to leave the cricket field for ever, one wonder how can that happen so quickly but that is true Gilly is leaving us from cricketing field. Cricket Fan will miss a honest and very beautiful personality from cricket. even you are a opposition you wold love to watch this guy playing a fighter.
People say that Warne was big miss to Australian cricket but to me you can not have any one near to Gilly but may you can have another Warne some where some time.
this series is going to end in very high node, i do not know yet where but certainly one of the most entertaining from quite some time. we saw Tendulkar playing at his best, Laxman with its timing, Dravid with fighting for place and for India once again, we saw Bret bowling at very best, Hayden like always serving Australia with best of his ability, pointing struggling with journalist and a mix of non cricketing issue such as ban for bagi etc. but one thing is true we will remember this for long. one thing i will feel regret of not seeing gilly playing live even i could but due to some reason i can not.

Typical Australian Tour

2008-01-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

Cheat or not cheating this is a debate of current days as people start arguing about the behavior of the one of the most dominating force of world cricket, but one thing is sure as always Australian tour is always tough for touring party in one way or other but in this series especially in last test match they are no more team fair play look at ricky claiming a catch which wasn't and then he helped an umpiring decision i wonder whether they will consider Bangladeshi captain decision i not asking that ban is small team here.
one of my friend explain this like they always cheat in very efficient way...

PCB tells its players to behave

2007-03-12T01:31:00.000-07:00

PCB tells its players to behave

Pakistani cricketers have been told to improve their behaviour following an incident in the series against Sri Lanka.

Warm Up matches are Over

2007-03-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

Warm Up matches for world cup 2007 is over and now it is time for some seriouse action. though result does not mater a lot as you donot take them that serious and play just for some good precitce to pake sure that your ready for real time...i hope we will see some good cricket and good sportman ship from all of the team. though we cannot expect wuality pitches may be we have to compromise on some stages as these contenent are not as well managed as other country like australia, new zeland, sa, england but you will enjoyee their crowed more than nay other place if you are a true crickter lover then you would love to enjoy some matches there of course if you could afford them
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Imran Khan on Pakistan Domestic Cricket structure

2007-03-06T01:14:00.000-08:00

Pak domestic cricket set for overhaul

PCB is considering ending the decades old structure of commercial departments and banks participating in domestic cricket.

World Cup With Out Quality Bowlers

2007-03-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

Here you go...
world cup is about to go and we came up with very disappointed new regarding three stars bowlers of new era.
Start with Bret Lee: now days it is hard to imagin australian fast bowling attak with Lee. he is a star performer in both form of the game and he proved it on many occasion for australia.. he has performed very well through auses and then VB series which eventually England win(?). i am putting question mark here only cuz people are wrting that england could only win in the end when the asutralian player were tired and they showed this in new zealand that they donot want any cricket for a while...
come to point lee is out of mega event due to injury which is very disappointed for spectator and ofcourse good for the bater.
Case of shoaib and asif is totally different we donot know the truth why they are not in cup but reason we come across is that they are injured but who knows....
any way people will miss both of these bowling star in orld cup
tahir
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Inzamam About Pakistan Concerns in 2007 cup

2007-02-25T04:36:00.000-08:00

Inzamam-ul-Haq mulled over a state of affairs turbulent enough to rattle even the most implacable souls, and admitted that Pakistan are in considerable bother just days before the side departs for the Caribbean.

At a press briefing at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore during Pakistan's training camp, Inzamam told reporters of his worries over the make-up of the final 15-man squad. "We are yet to give a final shape to our squad for the World Cup and that makes it evident that we are facing a very difficult situation."

At the root of the strife lie Mohammad Asif and Shoaib Akhtar, who are both in the squad but still uncertain of participating due to concerns over their injuries and a dope test they have yet to undergo.

"It is very important for us that Shoaib and Asif play for us in the World Cup because they are our main wicket-taking bowlers. They add balance to our line-up," Inzamam recognised. "We will be in the race for the title if all our players are fit and available for the World Cup," he added.

Inzamam added that Pakistan's fielding would also have to tighten up were they to be considered as one of the favourites in what he says is the most open World Cup. "With better fielding, a team can save 30 to 40 runs and that makes a big difference in most matches.

"If we are to have any real chance of doing well in the tournament, we have to show tremendous improvement in both our fitness and fielding."