F1: The Brawn Supremacy : It's P1, P2 for Brawn GP in the debut Grand Prix

29 March 2009, Australia: Jenson Button led Brawn GP to an astonishing one-two at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday in Formula One’s most successful team debut for 55 years. The 29-year-old Briton, written off by some as overpaid and overrated after two dismal seasons with Honda, cemented a fairy-tale comeback that left team owner Ross Brawn lost for words.



Brazilian teammate Rubens Barrichello started and finished second, but only after Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel and BMW-Sauber’s Robert Kubica drove each other off the track while fighting for the runner-up position with three laps to go.

The safety car came out and led the field until the final corner of the race. McLaren’s world champion Lewis Hamilton, starting last on the grid after a catastrophic gearbox failure in qualifying, showed his fighting spirit by clawing his way back to third place while the Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen failed to finish. “It wasn’t my best race, but I still won,” said Button, whose teammate got off to a terrible start after he hit the anti-stall button and dropped to seventh.

“This win is for me and the team. That’s what I care about. I don’t need to poke anyone in the eye about what was said in the past.” No Formula One team had won on their debut since Wolf in 1977 while the last to secure the top two places first time out was Mercedes, Brawn’s current engine suppliers, in 1954. Fifty five years on, Button and Barrichello followed in the footsteps of the great Argentine champion Juan Manuel Fangio and Germany’s Karl Kling.

Button led from pole to chequered flag, despite two safety car periods, to take his first victory since Hungary in 2006 and score more points in a single afternoon than he had in two years with Honda.SSUTIL 9TH, FISI 11TH Force India came tantalisingly close to scoring their maiden point with Adrian Sutil and Giancarlo Fisichella benefiting a rung each from Jarno Trulli’s safety car infringement to finish ninth and 11th respectively.





Sutil initially finished 10th and Fisichella 12th in the roller-coaster season opener but Toyota’s Jarno Trulli, who had finished third, subsequently lost his podium place after the stewards slapped a 25-second penalty on him for passing under the safety car in the closing laps. — Agencies race classifications 1. Jenson Button (GBR) Brawn 1h 34m 15.784s 2. Rubens Barrichello (BRA) Brawn +0.807s 3. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) McLaren +2.914s 4. Timo Glock (GER) Toyota +4.435s 5. Fernando Alonso (ESP) Renault +4.879s 6. Nico Rosberg (GER) Williams +5.722s 7. Sebastien Buemi (SUI) Toro Rosso +6.004s 8. Sebastien Bourdais (FRA) Toro Rosso +6.298s 9. Adrian Sutil (GER) Force India +6.335s 10. Nick Heidfeld (GER) BMW Sauber +7.085s

Make yourself available to see the next race at Kuala Lumpur 0n April 4 2009..Have a look at the complete Race Calendar.

Do join me for more action. Read the official Race Analysis on the Official Website:Formula 1 (Australian Grand Prix)

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu

Ad: Blog Listings,Sports Blog Directory
Read the Full Story...

IPL 2: Tournament kicks off April 18 in Cape Town, South Africa

Finally, The schedule of the IPL Season 2 is out and for everyone to see. All eight IPL franchises will play at least half their matches in Durban, Cape Town and Centurion, where they hope to have significant crowd support from the sizeable Indian-origin population, according to the official tournament schedule that was released on Friday night. The opening double-header in Cape Town on April 18 - Mumbai Indians v Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals v Bangalore Royal Challengers - will feature at least nine South African players, including Graeme Smith, the South Africa captain, in a calculated attempt to spark local interest in what is essentially an Indian domestic event.



According to the schedule, Cape Town hosts a chunk of the matches in the beginning of the tournament till April 26 when the action shifts to the Supersport Park and other venues. The matches in Durban, the main venue, run through the whole tournament from April 21 to May 20. The final is being held on May 24 in Johannesburg, which also hosts one of the semi-finals the day before

Kingsmead in Durban, which has a sizeable Indian-origin population, was allocated 16 matches, the highest among the eight venues, while Supersport Park in Centurion will host 12 games. The Wanderers and Newlands will stage eight matches each, while St George's Park in Port Elizabeth and Buffalo Park in East London were given seven and three matches respectively. Two matches each were handed to the Outsurance Oval in Bloemfontein and three to the De Beers Oval in Kimberley.

Schedule, Courtesy CricInfo:







Kings XI Punjab play 10 of their 14 matches, the maximum among the eight franchises, at the three venues in demand, followed by Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Bangalore Royal Challengers and Chennai Super Kings (9), Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians (8), and Delhi Daredevils (7).

The matches will be held at 12.30 pm and 4.30 pm local time (4.00pm and 8.00pm IST; 10.30am and 2.30pm GMT ).

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu
Read the Full Story...

India in NewZealand: 2nd Test Review : Gambhir, Laxman score tons as India bat out a draw

30 March 2009: India maintain the lead of 1-0 in the three match test series against New Zealand after they drew the second test match at Napier today. Gautam Gambhir played a match saving inning of137 off 436 balls after a dismall batting performance by the Indian batsman in their first innigs. Daniel vettori would be proud of his men for taking the match so far, at one point looking favourites to win the match.



Gambhir along with Dravid batted out almost 4 sessions in their effort to save the napier test, which the home team looked favourites after the score of 619/9 dec courtesy a double ton from the man in form, Jesse Ryder. New Zealand won the toss and immediately elected to bat. Standing Captain Virender Sehwag replaced the injured Mahinder Singh Dhoni for this test would have been a happy man as the Indian bowlers picked 3 early wickets dismissing Guptill, McIntosh and Jamie How. Yuvraj Singh's curse with luck started when he dropped Ross Taylor at third slip when he was on 8, who went on to make 151 off 204 balls in partnership with Jesse Ryder who took the match away from India.

Jesse Ryder hardly broke any sweat as he continued on his way to his maiden 200 run score contributing majorly in two big partnerships with Taylor and Franklin to traumatize the Indian Bowling attack. . Some easy takers. Indian bowlers bowled their heart out and would have been frustrated to see so many deliveries take the edge off the bat and fly past the slips to boundaries towards third man. India never looked in any sort of form in the field as a number of catches went down begging, Yuvraj dropping 3 in the match.

Bendon McCullum celebrated his maiden test hundred with tears in his eyes as he in partnership with captain Dan Vettori who scored another 50 took New zealand past the elusive 600 mark. Indian Spinners struggled to build pressure as New zealand declared the innings for a monstrous 619 for 9, leaving India with a session and 3 days to bat themselves out off the hole they had dug into.

ScoreCard Courtesy: Sify Sports

India started off in blistering fashing as Virender Sehwag scored a majority of his runs in boundaries before he lost his wicket caught behind by McCullum trying to squirt a outside off ball for six. He had smacked the earlier ball for a six. Gambhir also lost his wicket playing a needless shot with the day drawng towards an end. ishant walked in as a night watchman and only survived as many as 13 balls in company of Rahul Dravid out lbw to Dan vettori. Sachin faced the Reminder of the balls to end Day 2.

Day 3 brought more drama as the Indians constantly lost their wickets in an effort to score runs. The wall, Dravid scored 83 and he in partnership with Sachin(49) and Laxman(76) restored some respectability in the inning. India lost their way after the dismissal of Dravid out caught by McCullum trying to sqauare drive a wide delivery from Jesse Ryder. They were bundled out for 305, 314 runs behind, India was asked to follow-on.

Sehwag and Gambhir played cautiously, but as soon as Jeetan patel was introduced into the attack Sehwag lost his mind. He edged his first ball to the fine leg boundary and was out lbw, plumb in front trying to smack the second ball over the Mid-wicket boundary. "DUMB" as the commentators called the shot, It's just how Sehwag plays. Dravid and Gambhir steadied the ship and saw India past day 3. Day 4 belonged to India and Gautam Gambhir as he brought on his 100. He played some good aggressive shots in his inning of 137. Dravid helped himself to another test 50 before he was out for 62. Sachin also scored another 50 to help India regain control as the match moved into Day 5. In an Inning that was dominated more by the bat than the ball, VVS Laxman brought about his hundred in partnership with Yuvraj Singh who raced his way to a 50.





India batted superbly in the second inning as both catains shaked their hand to confirm the match drawn. Jesse Ryder was given the Man Of the Match for his double ton with the bat and few wickets with the ball. Special efforts from Rahul Dravid and Gambhir. Dravid has silenced all his critics by springing back to form and hasn't he celebrated it well so far. Both his innings in this Test match have looked very convincing and authoritative. Gambhir especially looked total opposite to what he did in the first innings. Who would have imagined that he would play such a matured knock after having thrown his wicket away in the first innings. He curbed down his natural instincts and batted out of his skin to rescue his side. Laxman was truly special as well for his magnificent ton.

This is a moral victory for the Indians, defeat loomed large over them after they were bundled out cheaply in the first innings. But then the batting stalwarts got into the act and put up a show for which they're known for across the globe. Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and Laxman, all put their heads down and batted for time unknown to seal a draw for their side. This is indeed no less than a win for the visitors. India still lead the series 1-0.

And Now we move to wellington April 3rd, can the NewZealand team pull a series draw? Join me for more action and updates, till then it's a good bye from me.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu
Read the Full Story...

England In West Indies: 4th ODI Review: England level the series 2-2

29 March 2009: England's captain, Andrew Strauss, seized on an unexpected opportunity to haul his side level in their ODI series against West Indies, with the decider still to come in St Lucia next week,as he defied his unglamorous reputation to crack 79 from just 61 balls in a rain-readjusted run-chase in Barbados. Strauss's scintillating display included nine fours, four of which came in consecutive deliveries from Lionel Baker, and their second six of the series off Darren Sammy, as England easily hunted down their 20-over target of 135, after West Indies had earlier posted a competitive 50-over total of 239 for 9.



For large tracts of the afternoon, it seemed as though the match was destined to finish as a soggy washout. Heavy clouds rolled over Bridgetown to delay England's run-chase and leave West Indies with an apparently unassailable 2-1 lead in the series. But then the sun broke through at 4.30pm - the last possible moment of the match - and Strauss emerged from the pavilion to take personal responsibility for this one-off shot at redemption. By the end of the fourth over, England were 41 for 0 and the captain had made 32 of them from 17 balls. It may not have been as emphatic as Chris Gayle's assault in Friday's third ODI, but the effect on the match was identical.

The game-changing moment came from the final ball of the second over, as Fidel Edwards offered too much width and was slapped violently past point. That shot gave Strauss all the confidence he required, and before the next over was complete Baker had been carved over the covers, past backward point, through midwicket and over the slips, all for four. Baker's five maidens in Friday's fixture had been instrumental in stifling England's ambitions, but this time he limped from the attack having conceded 24 runs in two overs.

Strauss survived one significant let-off when, on 39, he edged Kieron Pollard low to Denesh Ramdin behind the stumps but was reprieved, perhaps fortuitously, by the third umpire. Undeterred, he brought up his fifty from 41 balls, before climbing into Darren Sammy with a four over the covers and a flat driven six over wide long-on. Ravi Bopara, hitherto an unnoticed sidekick, then added England's third maximum of the series - a monstrous heave over midwicket that resulted in a lost ball - before holing out to Nikita Miller for 35 from 39 balls one delivery later.

Fittingly, it was left to Strauss to wrap up the match with a dab for four through third man with nine balls to spare. His effort was all the more impressive, as his team's two most potent 20-overs cricketers, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, were both nursing injuries after incidents in the field. Pietersen succumbed to a mysterious back spasm after bowling five deliveries at Shivnarine Chanderpaul and would not have been able to bat any higher than No. 7, while Flintoff required heavy strapping on his left thumb after spilling a low return chance from Dwayne Bravo, and would only have batted if required.

It was a stinging shot from Bravo that caused the damage, a full-blooded drive from a wholehearted cricketer who produced arguably his most authoritative innings since returning from ankle surgery. His spanking innings of 69 from 72 balls hoisted West Indies from an uneasy 145 for 6 in the 35th over, after Dimitri Mascarenhas had banished the memory of Friday's 24-run over with the superb figures of 3 for 26 from 10. Flinging the bat with abandon, quite literally on one occasion as he top-edged a Stuart Broad beamer for six and lost his grip in the process, Bravo cracked 50 runs in the final five-over Powerplay to lift his team back towards the ascendancy.

With Steve Harmison recalled (for the sixth time since September) in place of Gareth Batty, England relied on an all-seam attack, and found good pace and carry from another lively surface. For the first 12 overs of the innings, however, the only carry that mattered was the distance by which Gayle was clearing the boundary. On Friday he clubbed eight sixes in 43 balls, and today he carried on clearing the ropes with gusto, adding five more maximums in a 39-ball 46. After a relatively measured start, Gayle launched the second ball of Broad's second over into the stands at midwicket, and though he was desperately fortunate to survive a loud appeal for lbw next ball, the shackles had been broken.

Flintoff, England's go-to man in times of crisis, was flogged first-ball over long-on, just as he was in the Jamaica Test at the start of the tour, and Gayle repeated the dose in Flintoff's third over, this time over third man. Harmison also felt the full wrath of his blade, as Gayle dispatched another length ball over long-on, before Broad finally ended the fun, but not before he'd been belted for another six, this time over the covers. One ball later, Broad pulled his length back a fraction, and Matt Prior pouched a steepling top-edge as he jogged around to point.

Gayle's opening partner, Lendl Simmons, also got in on the act, in particular with a lofted pull off James Anderson, and by the end of the innings, West Indies' sixes tally for the series had clicked along to 23 in four games. But Simmons was badly run out for 29 when Ramnaresh Sarwan sold him a dummy while sizing up a second run to square leg, before Sarwan himself played on to Flintoff, who found extra bounce from a good length to dislodge the bails via an angled block into the crease.

Chanderpaul and Ramdin re-established West Indies' position in an unfussy partnership of 43 in 10.3 overs, a stand that was most notable for Pietersen's bizarre injury. Earlier in the week, he had made some uncomplimentary remarks about Chanderpaul's "selfish" play, in particular his regular absences from the field between batting stints. Chanderpaul had the last laugh in that regard, when Pietersen pulled up with a back twinge, and sloped ignominiously to the dressing room in search of treatment. It was his last sighting of the match.

ScoreCard and Post Courtesy: CRICINFO






Three balls after that incident, however, England climbed into the ascendancy, courtesy Mascarenhas. Ramdin ran out of patience and holed out to a back-pedalling Flintoff at mid-on; Chanderpaul, after a rain-break, feathered an attempted steer to third man into Prior's gloves, then it was back to Flintoff's bucket-like hands, as he reached spectacularly over the boundary's edge at deep midwicket to collect a top-edged pull from Pollard. There was some suspicion that Flintoff's left boot had brushed the rope as he completed the catch, but the replays were inconclusive, and Pollard departed for a seven-ball duck.

Though Bravo ensured against a total collapse, even his late-innings fireworks paled compared to the top-order heroics that Strauss conjured up for England. Somehow, England are not merely surviving in this series, on this evidence they are thriving. Gayle might want to think again about his planned boycott of the fifth ODI. All of a sudden there is a series at stake. Wonders never cease.

Do Join me for more action.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu
PS: This post is courtesy CricInfo and nothing has been modified. I din't get to watch the match to review this. Hopefully, there will not be days when i'll have to post some more copies.
Read the Full Story...

Australia in South Africa: 2nd T20I Review : South Africa power to another T20 win

29 March 2009: Young, Dynamic and Determined SouthAfrican side continued to domiante teh shorter format after theyThe South Africans continue to dominate the limited-overs format after they beat the Autralian side for yet another T20I victory.. Having usurped Australia for top place in the 50-over rankings last year, South Africa now head to the World Twenty20 brimming with confidence after a second consecutive 20-over victory over Ricky Ponting's men, this time by 17 runs.



SouthAfrica were put into bat after Autralia won the toss and elected to field. As expected Gibbs was off in full speed as he smacked 20 off the initial 22 runs that SA scored. He played one too many shots to get himself out bowled to a slower delivery of Bracken. Bracken was flown in for the T20 and the five match one day series against SA strating April 3,2009. DeVellliers continued to show poor form in the format when he was out for 0 caught by White at Short Extra cover off the bowling of the debutant Laughlin. Peterson opened the innings with Gibbs and took the attack to the Australian bowlers as soon as Gibbs was dismissed. He scored 34 off 27 balls before he was out bowled by Hopes, but not before he got over 15 runs of his over. Duminy scored a very cautious 23 off 28 balls before he was out bowled by Harwood playing his 2nd international match for Australia.

Edges off the bat carried over the boundaries for six. RE Van der Merwe, a mighty South African hit 48 off 28, Played some convincing shots and some not so convincing shots.He played some blind shots in his inning of 48 off 30 balls before he lost his wicket to Harwood caught behind by Haddin. He at one point smashed Hoped over the Point Boundary for six trying to hoik that over Midwicket. Morkel scored 14 off 10 and Boucher scored 9 off 8 as he samashed the last ball off the inning for six over midwicket to finish the inning at 156 for 5 in 20 overs.

ScoreCard Courtesy: CRICINFO

The Australians seldom appeared comfortable in pursuit of South Africa's 156 for 5 on a pitch that troubled batsmen from both sides of the Indian Ocean. Michael Clarke (27 runs from 33 balls) struggled to combat South Africa's disciplined lines, while Ricky Ponting was dismissed for a solitary run for the second time in three days; this time to a well-angled delivery from debutant paceman Yusuf Abdulla. Hardly an ideal start. But the fatal sequence for Australia was saved for the eleventh over, delivered by the ever-effective Johan Botha, who must surely rank among the world's finest Twenty20 bowlers at present. Clarke was bowled attempting to sweep the first ball of the South African captain's second over, and Callum Ferguson - following a dreadful mix-up with David Hussey - was run out the next delivery, in a carbon copy of Michael Hussey's dismissal on Friday.

Thereafter, the tourists were never in the hunt. Roelef van der Merwe, who previously blasted 48 from 30 deliveries to provide impetus to the South African innings, claimed the vital wicket of Hussey to end the Australian charge. And when Johann Louw removed James Hopes and Nathan Bracken in the final over of the innings, the Australians found themselves marooned at 139 for 8 and facing a comprehensive tactical and selection overhaul ahead of the World Twenty20 in June.





SA will like to carry the same form and momentum into the five match one day series starting on April 3,2009. Graeme smith has been named in the squad and looked a fit man as he cheered his team from the dug-out during the T20 matches. SA will be looking to regain their 1st spot from the Australians before they head to England for the world T20.

Do Join me later for more action.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu
Read the Full Story...

England In West Indies: 3rd ODI Review : WI win after Humiliating innings from England

March 27,2009:Dwayne Bravo, A man whose return to the WestIndies team has already sparked the members of the team took 4 wickets to dismiss England for a humiliating 117 all out in 41.3 overs. Fidel Edwards took 3 While Pollard and baker chipped in with 2 and 1 wicket respectively. Mascarenhas scored 36 in what was a below par batting performance from the touring side. Earlier, West Indies won the toss and elected to filed after a delayed start due to rain.



The match was reduced to a 44 overs per side affair as England kept losing wickets at the start of play. First it was Strauss who handed a catch to Gayle in slips off Edwards, then it was Bopara who handed a catch to Sarwan off Edwards. England at 17-2 off 6.4 overs never really took off. They lost Pietersen soon to bravo who handed a catch to Pollard. Owais shah soon followed as he lost his wicket in the very next over to baked out caught by darren Sammy. Flintoff returned after a long time but was out for a duck and survived only 6 balls before he was out caught by Edwards off the bowling off Bravo.

Wickets kept tumbling as Collingwood was out lbw to bravo leaving England at 54 for 6 off 19 overs. Mascarenhas joined Prior who could only add 14 to the partnership after Prior went to Pollard scoring only 7. Broad followed Prior 2 balls later out caught behind to Pollard. Batty and Mascarehas restored some pride taking england past the respectable 100 run mark. But the Duo could only last as long as 116 when Batty was out caught by Sammy off Bravo. He scored 17 off 47 before he lost his wicket. Mascarenhas tried hard, but lost his wicket and England's 10th to edwards caught by Bravo in the deep. England all out for 117.

WestIndies started in blistering fashion as Chris Gayle scored some fantastic runs to take WI past 50 in the 6 over off the match. Gayle would have wanted to long till the end, but lost his wicket when he was on 88 bowled to a straight Anderson delivery. With WI at 98 for 1 and most of the job already done, Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Simmons did the mop p job and took Wi to victory in the 15th over. WI Lead the 5 match ODI series 2-1.

Score Card Courtesy: CRICINFO






Andrew Strauss , the England captain, has said his team's defeat in the third ODI against West Indies in Barbados was "pretty humiliating and fundamentally pretty embarrassing". West Indies dismissed England for 117 and then routed them by eight wickets after chasing down the target with 176 balls to spare."There are 11 guys in that dressing room right now feeling pretty down on themselves," Strauss said. "It wasn't a contest, we didn't play well. There wasn't enough thought in the way we batted, but we have to take it on the chin."We didn't react well to the wicket. We all made the same mistakes. The crucial thing is you learn from your mistakes but, if we're honest with ourselves, we have done that kind of thing batting wise too often."

Do Join me later for more action.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu

Read the Full Story...

Australia in South Africa: 1st T20I Review: Boucher and Morkel aid SA win

27 March 2009: A young South African side, under their new T20 captain Johan Botha won the first T20 match against the Australians chasing a target of 167. Thanks to the contribution of Albie Morkel and Mark Boucher SA sealed the victory after losing way middle of the innings as wickets fell in succession.



Earlier SA won the toss and put the Australians into bat with a batting line up that consisted od the best T20 players in Australia. Clarke lost his stumps in the seconfd over to Parnell trying to hit the ball over the covers. Australia lost their captain Ricky ponting for 1 when he tried to play one too many shots off Albie Morkel who maintained a good line. Australia at this point were 16 for 2 in 3.2 overs.

Score Card Courtesy: CRICINFO


A good partnership between Warner and David Hussey of 54 put Australians back in the match before Warner played a ball straight back to the slow left arm bowler Robin Peterson who took a very good catch. Warner out C&b to Peterson for 3. the score suddenly turned 70 for 4 after Micheal Hussey was run out to a direct hit from Botha fielding at short Midwicket. Australia lost their way when Haddin was out caught by Morkel at the long on boundary trying to break the shackles only putting his team in a deeper hole. Australia were 71-5 in 10 overs. Cameron White supported David hussey for quite a while and the duo took Australia past the 100 mark in the 15th over. Trying to Up the anti, White was caught at the deep mid wicket boundary by Duminy off the bowling of Peterson after he hit the previous ball for six in the same direction. Mitchell Johnson played a supportive role to Hussey who was going big time against the inexperienced attack of SA. He finished 88 not out off 63 balls to take Australia to a par score of 166 for 7.

Gibbs and Amla tooke the field and the attack against the Austrlian bowlers strating the innings off in blistering fashion. Gibbs had scored 19 off the 25 runs, Sa were 25/0 at the end of the third over. Gibbs innings came to an end when he was caught in the covers trying to smash the first ball of Geeves first over. DeVelliers continued to show poor form in the T20 format of the game when he was out bowled to a full delivery from Geeves leaving South Africa at 46 for 2 in 5.1 overs. Duminy and Amla stictched together a good partnership, but Amla who played the ball all along the ground was out bowled to a yorker from David Hussey. Duminy soon foollowed when he was out bowled for 21 bowled to hopes. VB Jaarsveld didn't impress Botha as much when he lost his stumps to David Hussey who was having a ball of time in the middle.

With South Africa at 83-5, It was a Mark Boucher and Albie Morkel show from then on. Balls flying over the fielders for six and boundaries. The duo scored a partnership off 58 before Morkel(37 off 19 balls) was out caught by David Husssey at the boundary off Mithchel Johnson. SA needed 26 off 23 balls. Johnson finished a good over with South Africa still needing about 20 runs to win the match. Boucher smashed the next over and 20th over of the match to lead SA to a 1-0 lead in the 2 match T20 series. Boucher scored 36 off 22 balls.





Johan Botha, the South Africa captain, praised the performances of Mark Boucher and Albie Morkel after they showed why they get paid "the big bucks" in the tight four-wicket Twenty20 win over Australia. Boucher and Morkel concluded the hosts' recovery from 83 for 5 to reach 168 for 6 with four balls remaining.

Ricky Ponting was also impressed by the effort of Morkel, who took 1 for 36 before his 37 off 19 deliveries. "He probably won a couple of games single-handedly with his batting in Australia," Ponting said. "His power hitting tonight probably got them over the line again.

"So he is a very, very dangerous hitter. They use him very well. They hold him off as late as they possibly can and let him go in for the final onslaught really." Ponting said Australia got into a position where they should have won. "That's the disappointing thing about it," he said. "If we had got blown off the park then I would not have been as disappointed.

Do join for more cricket action.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu

Read the Full Story...

India in NewZealand: 2nd test, Day 2 review : Ryder gets a double ton

Indian chances of claiming their 100th test win, and re-writing the history by winning the series in New zealand look slim as the second day of the second test at Napier was completely dominated by the home team. The Indian bowlers looked all over the place on their pitch map to right hand and left hand batsman. Harbhajan Singh who got six wickets in the 2nd inning of the first test match was seen helpless without turn. Daniel vettori and the New zealand batsman capitalized on the opportunity as they set a massive score of 619/9 declared.



The Indian team never looked organized in the field, The day however didn't present many opportunities India's way. It was all a New Zealand and more so a Ryder show. Ryder brought up another 100 run partnership with James Franklin scoring majority of runs in boundaries. Franklin was soon run-out. Ryder played the ball into the covers and out they went, Yuvraj singh with a clean pick up and throw, with Dinesh karthick taking off the bails dismissed Franklin run out to a good 55 off 122 balls. It was the only way Indian's looked like picking wickets.

Ryder and McCullum stitched together another quick 50 run partnership to take the score past what looked like an improbable 450 mark. Ryder hardly broke any sweat as he brought on his 200 but soon got careless as he was out bowled to a full Zaheer Khan delivery. The ball was bowled outside off , Ryder tried to smash it covers ended up played on much to the delight of Zaheer khan who got his important third wicket. A classic knock from Ryder came to an end with NZ at 477/6.

Vettori joined MCCullum at the crease, India should have capitalized on the opportunity with 2 relatively new batsmen at crease. However it was a day where the bat dominated the ball, Both MCCullum and Vettori brought up their fifties at relatively fast speed to bring up another 100 run partnership. The duo added 138 runs in total to take New zealand past 600 but Vettori lost his stumps to Ishant Sharma who bowled a full length in swinger which took the inside edge of the bat played back on to the stumps. McCullum brought up his hundred and lost his wicket soon trying to up the anti. he was out caught by Sachin Tendulkar at deep point trying to play a short pitched deliver over the 66m boundary on the offside for six. Ishant taking his third of the inning.

Jeetan patel and Ian OBrein could add only one run when patel was out caught in the deep by Ishant Sharma off a Harbhajan Singh delivery. A consolation wicket for Bhajji who looked out of form throughout the inning. Newzealand declared the inning just before tea at 619/9 with a session and three days to play.

India's only hope at this time was to start well and hope one of their openers got a big hundred. Sehwag started off in blistering fashion smacking a six and 5 fours before he was out trying under edging the ball to the hands of wicket keeper McCullum off Vettori for a quickfire 34 off 25. Rahul Dravid joined Gambhir at the crease with India at 48/1. The duo batted out 8 more overs before Gambhir tried to smash Jeetan patel over the boundary six only ending up in the hands of Daniel Vettori at mid-on. He was out for 16.

To everybody's surprise, in-walked Ishant Sharma as night watchman with well over 10 overs remaining in the day. He could only lst 5 overs with Dravid taking majority off the strike. Ishant lost his wicket out lbw to a arm ball from Captain dan Vettori forcing Sachin to come out to the middle to face the last few overs. India played out the remaining overs to end the say at 79/3 with sachin on 0 and Dravid on 21.

It was yet another superb day at the office for the Kiwis as they extended their total to a massive one thanks to the double ton by Ryder and a handsome hundred by McCullum with good contribution from the skipper Dan himself. India continued to disappoint with the ball and when put in to bat, they simply didn't know what to do. Their approach would raise a few eyebrows, ofcourse you can't bend Virender Sehwag's style but Gautam Gambhir kicked his wicket away to push his side into deeper trouble. The night-watchman trick didn't work good and now India are three down staring at a cliffy task. New Zealand are in a strong position and are dictating terms to the visitors at the moment. Third day's play should be another interesting affair. Even drawing this contest would take a lot of doing. There's still quite a few big names in the batting line-up of the Indians but the task ahead is no smaller. The Indians will really have to bat out of their skins to ensure a draw.





Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu
Read the Full Story...

Australia in South Africa: Smith returns to ODI Squad

South Africa won their final test match against the touring Australian side to restore some pride and momentum back with them. With a big loss of Smith to Injury, Jaques Kallis took over captaincy as South Africa convincingly beat the Australian's by an innings, the Australian's however had won the earlier matches to take the series 2-1. That brought an end to the Test, but the real test begins now, Can South Africa restore the same pride as the host Australia for 2 T20 matches and 5 ODI matches? The real test begins now as the South African Cricket season draws to the end...



It's hard to carry momentum with you for nine months but that's the task South Africa have ahead of them after winning the third Test against Australia in Cape Town. Their next Test assignment is not until December 16, when they host England in Centurion for the first of a four-Test series. The only international action they have between the upcoming ODI series against Australia and the visit of England will be the World Twenty20 in England in June and the Champions Trophy in September. However, Jacques Kallis, the stand-in captain who oversaw their victory by an innings and 20 runs at Newlands, said the Test players would still take heart from the dead-rubber win.

Despite good performance in his debut test, Imraan khan has been left out of the ODI squad for South Africa. Albie Morkel impressed with his all round performance in the last test to retain his well established spot in the side. The rest of the squad is contained with players who have impressed not only with their current form but with performances in the past helping South Africa to a number of wins. These names include, Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher,Morne Morkel, Johan Botha, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini.

The big doubt however lied over inclusion of Greame smith who was injured during the second test when he preffered to stay in the dressing room as SA lost the second test. The man showed no courageous efforts as against the last time in Australia where he walked out with a fractured rib to face the final few overs to save the test. He didn't manage to save the wicket for long but South Africa took the series 2-0. Refer here for more. All doubts were cleared as the ODI squad was announced. Smith will be in the team, playing as a captain.

Wayne Pannel, the tall left arm bowler who proved his skills with the game in the one day series that SA won in Australia against Australia. He also finds his spot in the team. The 14-man squad announced for the first 2 one dayers is as follows: Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, JP Duminy, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Mark Boucher (wk), Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Johan Botha, Dale Steyn, Wayne Parnell, Makhaya Ntini.





Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu
Read the Full Story...

England In West Indies: 3rd ODI Preview: Flintoff to return

With the five match one day series tied at 1-1, England would be wanting to thrust their authority on West Indies in an effort to take lead in the series. Good news came their way, when Andrew Flintoff was declared fit for the third ODI to be played today in Barbados, West Indies. Flintoff returns after recovering from the hip injury that forced him to miss the final two Tests of last month's 1-0 series defeat.



With the series squared at 1-1, Flintoff's return will be a boost for England after they were comfortably outplayed during their 21-run loss in the second match in Guyana. He had been close to selection for that game, having undergone intensive treatment since flying home for a week after the third Test in Antigua.

"I've bowled as near to 100% as I probably can do in a net because playing in a match brings a bit more out of you," Flintoff told reporters in Barbados. "I've been bowling for the last week, bowled 10 overs over the previous two days and done my training and work. I was close to playing on Sunday but we erred on the side of caution and I'll definitely be fit for Friday."

Flintoff will probably return in place of either Steve Harmison or James Anderson, even though both men showed impressive form during the second match. Another alternative would be to rest Gareth Batty, the specialist spinner.

England Captain Andrew Strauss would want his team to put up a better bowling and batting performance in this match after they lost by 21 runs in the previous match. The top 6 need to score a lot of runs and given the flat batting tracks in West Indies, A score of 300 is a below par score. Flintoff's presence will affect the way the team plays on the ground, but the man may not be in full power as he is just returning from injury. Flintoff will be wanting to get some bat on the ball and score some runs as the rest of the team will have to take winning responsibilities.

Uncapped Barbados batsman Dale Richards and Trinidad fast bowler Ravi Rampaul have been included in the West Indies squad for the third and fourth one-day internationals against England. Richards, an opening batsman, replaced Devon Smith who did not play in either of the first two ODIs. He was also in the squad for the first Test against England but had to withdraw because of a foot injury. Rampaul replaced the Daren Powell who has been out of form during the contests against England. Powell took only six wickets in the five-Test series at nearly 70 apiece and took 1 for 27 in five overs in the first ODI. Rampaul, who had played 30 ODIs, last appeared for West Indies on the tour of South Africa in early 2008.

Expect a close finish this time around as the teams meet each other in Barbados tonight. Match starts 7.30PM IST. Do come back for more news, reviews and previews.





Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu
Read the Full Story...

India in NewZealand: Ryder and Taylor put NZ in strong position : 2nd Test, Day 1, Review

Napier: Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder combined for a record 271-run partnership to help New Zealand recover from a disastrous start and reach 351 for four at the end of the first day of the second Test against India. Taylor (151) and Ryder (137 not out) had come together at 23-3 within the first hour when Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma destroyed New Zealand's top order after the hosts had won the toss and opted to bat on a good wicket at McLean Park.



The weather looked good and sun was already shining, Daniel vettori didn't hesitate one bit in winning the toss and electing to bat first. Sehwag standing captian for MS Dhoni who had to sit out because of a back strain announced the only change, Dinesh karthick replacing MS Dhoni. Newzealand on the othr hand made a couple of changes, Jamie how replacing the injured Daniel Flynn and Jeetan patel played as the second spinner to replace the out-of-form Kyle mills.

Newzealand opening pair of Martin Guptill and McIntosh started the inning steadily attacking the loose balls and leaving the good ones outside off. The first runs came off Zaheer Khan's second ball to Tim McIntosh, who caressed a square-drive to the boundary. McIntosh edged a few balls into the vacant slip areas in the first few overs, martin guptill too survived some of India's initial swing bowling. McIntosh was living dangerously and soon came the downfall, he edged one through to the wicket keeper who claimed the catch cleanly leaving NZ at 21 fro 1 in the 8ht over of the match. Television replays clearly showed the ball missing the bat by a good margin. Umpire Billy Doctrove went by the movement and sound to turn it in India's favor.

Trying to drive when defense was the better option, Jamie How - in at No. 3 for an injured Daniel Flynn - had no clue about a full and swinging Zaheer special and had his stumps splayed. New Zealand were 22 for 2 in nine overs and this was a critical stage as Ross Taylor joined Martin Guptill. There wasn't much movement and all the batsmen needed to do was get themselves in, runs would come. Guptill looked far from comfortable as he gloved a surprise bouncer from Zaheer khan handing a simple catch to sehwag at gully. NZ at 23 for 2 in the 11th over looked like repeating the 60/6 performance in the first test match. In walked Jesse Ryder, Man who restored some respect into the below par performance of NZ in the first test. Both Taylor and Ryder survived a few edges that went flying past the vacant slip corden.

The Turning Point: Who knew the turning point in NZ inning would come so early. Taylor edged a rising Munaf Patel delivery to Yuvraj at third slip, though not at comfortable height the ball carried to Yuvraj's left who only managed to get his fingertips. Taylor survived the over edging 3 genuine delivery over the slips scoring 16 off Munaf's second over.

Taylor continued playing shots but always kept the bowlers hopeful that he would over-reach himself. He edged a lot of deliveries through the slip corden earning NZ team useful runs. Jesse Ryder on the other end continued where he left off scoring boundaries in the most elegant manner reminding of Saurav ganguly. He stood tall and waited till the last moment for the ball to arrive, Width was smacked to the boundary while good legitimate deliveries bowled at the stumps earned respect from his bat. Minutes before lunch he got a thick edge off Harbhajan Singh evaded Karthik and slip and it was the only blemish in an innings that helped get NewZealand back toward steady ground. The Taylor-Ryder stand has so far added 75 and both batsmen appear to have settled.

Post lunch it was all NZ domination, The duo scored runs at a brisk pace with India looking for options to stop the runs and pick some wickets. taylor produced some exciting moments when he wa on 99. He however brought up his 100 from 151 balls to help the hosts to 233-3 at tea. After the break, the pair set the partnership record before Ryder brought up his second Test century, when he guided a Zaheer delivery past backward point for his 14th boundary. taylor got another oppurtunity when he edged a arm blall from Yuvraj singh between the wicket keeper and slip. Dravid was late to react as another catch went down begging. Taylor finally departed trying to whack a harbhajan singh delivery that was bowled well outside the off stump over midwicket ending up skying the ball. Yuvraj singh took a good running catch to dismiss Taylor for 151.

Yuvraj dropped another sitter just before close of play when franklin edged a length ball that was moving away from his body. It went Straight in and came Straight out, A tough day for India on the field more so for Yuvraj who now will have to practice hard fielding in the slips. Jesse Ryder brought up another 100 in partnership with James Franklin to take NZ to 51/4 at stumps. India need to forget whatever happened during the day and clean up the rest of the batting from Newzealand which includes McCullum and Vettori. NZ would on the other hand be feeling happy of what fared out and will hope that the form and momentum stays with the them for the rest of the match.

Join me for more reviews.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal Janu







Read the Full Story...

IPL 2: Pietersen and Flintoff to lose millions by IPL's delayed start

Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff are set to lose over a million dollars after the IPl was announced to start week later. Both players are now busy playin against the WestIndes with the series tied at 1-1. Andrew flintoff is said to return in the next match starting tomorrow. He was earlier sidelined on the bench following a back strain. Kevin Pietersen was sold to Royal Challengers in bidding carried out to add new players to the already available pool of international players. Pietersen was bought for about 8 million dollars roughly about Rs.7.25 Crores ranked as the costliest player of the tournament. Flintoff cam running second when he was sold for just a million rupees less to the Chennai Super Kings.




Rule changes came about for the second season of the IPL to make things more interesting. Each franchise is now allowed to have 10 international players as against 8 in the last season. lalit Modi announced this considering the fact that most Pakistani players refused to play in the IPL which led to a setback to teams like Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkatta Knight Riders who banked on these players. This rule change was of course announced well before the bidding process.

Amonsgst the other popular players selected are Tyron Henderson and Mashrafee Mortaza who went to the Rajasthan Royals and Kolkatta Knight Riders respectively. More drama was seen when Priety Zinta, owner Kings Punjab XI and Juhi Chawla, associate owner for the Kolkatta Knight Riders went about the proceedings raising stakes in million dollars for Mashrafe Mortaza. he was finally sold to the KKR for a whooping Rs.2.5 Crores. Hopefully Mortaza will provide as much entertainment during the matches as he provided during the bidding.

What makes IPL an interesting affair is the kind of rules it has. Player Transfers is a onfusing yet interesting rule where in a Team management can either suspend or terminate the contract with the player for the next season. A player suspended by a team continues to belong to the team until his three years with the team are complete as per the contract. A player if terminated from the team is put up as a potential player to be bought or transferred to another team at a certan cost. No player transfers have been seen so far, it will be interesting to know who gets transferred at what price:) For now IPL2 is set to start on April 18th in South Africa and hopefully it will provide the same entertainment as the first season.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal
Read the Full Story...

IPL 2: Telecast Rights sold for Rs.8200 Cr

Sony has won the telecast rights courtesy,Multi Screen Media and World Sport Group, who have signed a deal for 9 years upto 2017 making them the exclusive and official broadcasters of the IPL. The nine-year deal, is worth Rs 8,200 crore which is much higher than what was signed earler between the two parties. The new agreement, which is more than double the earlier deal signed last year for 10 years with the same two parties, gives Multi Screen Media the exclusive audio visual rights (in India) to all the 59 matches of the second edition of the IPL. The decision came after the Bombay High Court rejected a plea filed by Sony TV which had challenged the BCCI's Decision to terminate the five year deal.



Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, was "absolutely delighted" with the new deal. "We have what we believe to be the best deal for the DLF Indian Premier League and Indian cricket fans alike," Modi said. "I am certain that Multi Screen Media will pull out all the stops in ensuring that the best technology is utilized to deliver excellent content that is creative, innovative and enriching for the cricket fans in India and indeed across the globe." This comes courtesy statements made to the media and CricInfo.

With the tournament moving away from India, there is likely to be a significant international audience now. All matches will be telecast at 4 pm IST and at 8 pm IST in the evening to coincide with prime time for television audiences in India from which a lot of revenue is sid to be generated given that more audiences will be watching the television the same time. We as spectators can only hope for more entertainment in the form of cricket than advertisements which are sure to be on the TV screens every single minute. The IPL governing body has to force the channel not to place annoying ad's that disturb the audiences. There have sometimes been 5 ball overs in season one which BCCI should not overlook. It's now upto Sony to decide on the quality of content they want to provide to make sure it's a happy and a memorable experience to the audience.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal

PS: I hate ad's that come up after every boundary or six with annoying sounds that dominate the commentary. Ad's that shrink the screen to 3/4th are also a big no-no to the audience. Get Mandira Bedi back, I miss her :P
Read the Full Story...

IPL2: Saurav Ganguly - Part Time Captain - Kolkatta Knight Riders

Earlier in his carrer, Sourav had been sidelined by ex Indian coach, Greg Chappell which led to a contraversy that still itches painfully in Saurav's mind. Ganguly made a tremendous comeback after being left out of the Indian side for over 12 months. Both Greg chappel and Sourav moved on and soon the contraversy faded into the past as Greg Chappel was removed as the Indian Coach. If that was not enough, Another Australian now in the form of John Buchanan has decided to sideline Ganguly of the responsibilities of a captian. Ganguly is the base player for the Kolkatta Knight Riders and by default was given the captincy role in Season one.




In a press conference by Kolkatta Knight Riders, Coach John Buchanan annouced to the media that come season 2 the captain's responsibilities will be shared between his other team mates . Some of the populist choices are Chris Gayle, Brendon McCullum who will also be the decision makers on the field. He said there could be four or five captains through the tournament. Buchanan called this a formula that will help the side perform better this season. Buchanan also clarified that this as not because of any personal issue with Ganguly but in aid of the teams future.

A grim-looking Ganguly, sitting beside Buchanan at the press conference, refused to elaborate on the decision and simply said the concept was new and needed to be assessed as it went on. Asked if he was upset by it, Ganguly did not answer directly and Buchanan interjected: "Of course he will be upset. He is the Prince of Kolkata." Ganguly laughed and put his hands up and said "I am not upset". Pherhaps speaking more with his body language than words. A look of disappointment and disgrace was seen through out the press conference in every action of Saurav Ganguly.

Buchanan was at pains to explain that the multiple-captains theory was not prompted by a lack of confidence in Ganguly's leadership skills. "In fact it could actually be of benefit to someone like him because it could free him up for his batting, when he just needs to his batting or for his fielding when he just needs to do his fielding or when he needs to just do his bowling without the burden of the twenty-over format on his shoulders. At the same stage we might be asking him to make some key decisions for us. It has nothing to do with Sourav Ganguly whatsoever. It has everything to do with how I perceive the 20-over game and what the demands are running that game should be." Ganguly remained mum to making any comments on what Buchanan had to say not wanting to spark any controversy.

Ganguly said the plan was Buchanan's. "He is the coach of the team and he has got the right to make decisions. We'll see as it goes along. At the end of the day we all have to deliver." Off the record Ganguly to various Indian News Channels has said that he was disappointed and by not have one captain through out will only lead to de-motivating the players. It's a team's decision and we'll see how it goes said Ganguly. He felt disappointed with the way he learnt everything only from the media instead what should have been communication from the management.

Buchanan also informed the media that the concept was new and would not be well accepted by the Indian people or people across the world but if it works, we would have a positive change in approach to the game. "This is more like how Ric Charles worth runs the Australian women's hockey team. Everyone takes a leadership role." He added.

Personally, What he says might work. The T20 game is so fast that decisions have to be taken quickly, A late decision might cost the game. By having seperate batting, Fielding and Bowling captains the game will be a little more organized and plans will start working as they should. This will however work only when all captains work together without conflicting or contradicting others decision. Who do the local players look up to? A Chris Gayle or a Brendon mcCullum who will be only available for a short period given their commitments with the National side? Who do they go and discuss their problems with? A Ricky Ponting, with a communication gap? The only person who they can look up to is Saurav Ganguly. He may not be the fittest on the field but he is a inspiring captain, something that a team should always get. By making divisions of roles and responsibilities all Buchanan is going to get is a split team.

People of Kolkatta are already feeling disappointed on Ganguly's removal. Some even going on to say that they will from now on will never watch any Shah Rukh Khan (Team Owner and a bollywood star) movies. Buchanan will have to face criticisms if his formula fails. He is probably the next one to get the Indian flavor of hatred hitting the streets. He should be happy that this year the tournament is in SouthAfrica and not Kolkatta otherwise he would have been disappointed seeing a a hundred thousand people holding banners against him.

With Saurav Ganguly removed as a part-time captain, Shane Warne leading the Rajasthan Royals, Pietersen chosen over Dravid and Gilchrist over Laxman it's now safe to call this years IPL as the International Premier Leaugue.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.
Kunal

PS: I won't be surprised to see 'Toss' specialist walk out for Kolkatta Knight Riders during the toss. Ganguly has been confirmed captain for the first 3 matches of KKR.
Read the Full Story...

India in NewZealand: 2nd Test Preview

India lead the three match Test Series 1-0, and would be looking to seal-the-deal in the second test match to help give the big stars some rest and give chances to players like Rohit Sharma and Praveen Kumar. India should retain the same winning combination while Newzealand will have to make some changes to their squad to give India a fight.Injured players Daniel Flynn and Iain O'Brien have been retained in the New Zealand squad for the second Test against India starting on March 26 in Napier.


However Jamie How has been called up as cover for Flynn who bruised his hand in the first Test. There was no fracture, but the hand was swollen, affecting Flynn's ability to bat.

Off spinner Jeetan Patel returned to the squad after being released to play for Wellington in the State Championship match against Otago where he took 6 for 137. Coach Andy Moles had indicated on Sunday that Patel would play in Napier. Double spin attack should make some difference as Indian batsman in the recent past have gone after slow off spinners and lost wickets. Newzealand will be hoping that this change pays off as the chances of a win look very slim.

Glenn Turner, the head of the selection panel, said Oram was excluded because he was yet to regain full match fitness. "He's only had a couple of days in the domestic competition, and after talking with him we agree he'd benefit from more game time to get up to the fitness level needed for the Test side," Turner said. The only omission from the first Test squad is uncapped bowler Brent Arnel, who was not considered after picking up a side strain during a State Championship match. O'Brien also suffered a side strain during the Test but was hopeful of recovering in the next couple of days.

A lot will depend on the shoulder of Jesse Ryder and Daniel Vettori who scored centuries in the first inning to bail their team out of 60 for 6 to finish at 279 all out. If other batsman play cautiously and around tehm a score of 350-400 can be scored which is defendable and good enough to win a match.

India's downfall could come if they lose some early wickets. The Indian team makes huge scores only when the openers give a good start, Sehwag will be expected to play a fast but long inning. With Sehwag present no score is impossible and given a good batting track, Sehwag will not miss out. Gambhir needs to find some form before the IPL begins on April 18th 2009. Dravid looks to back in his own class specially after he played some of his signature shots including the back foot swipe towards square leg on a full length delivery. Sachin is at the peak of his form and will capitalize on every single opportunity thrown his way. The plight of the NZ bowlers is quite evident when Zaheer Khan brought up his 50 in the first test match.

It looks like a one sided affair unless the NewZealand picks up their game and tries matching up to the quality of Cricket Indians are showcasing. India on the other hands need to stick their feet on the ground and not get carried away like the South African who went on to lose the home series against Australia after beating the world champions on home soil. Match starts 3AM IST tomorrow.

More News updates, Previews and reviews follow. Keep visiting the Blog for more.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.

Kunal

Read the Full Story...

IPL2: The Big Question: Why South Africa Over England?

Lalit Modi in a press conference hosted by IPL and CSA said that the South African economy would benefit enormously staging the tournament. "At any given point of time, we have 10,000 people working on this tournament" He said. "South Africa will be benefited a lot. We will be consuming 30,000 rooms in hotels and 10,000 airline tickets for the purpose of this tournament. Irrespective of the cost, we are happy to go forward in incurring the cost because cricket is very important for us, and all our club owners are with us" He added.




CSA cheif,Geranld Majola, agreed to the fact that the benefits played a significant role in teh decision to play host to the IPL. "Our economy will be benefitted, we will get a lot of money." said Geranld Majola, CEO of the South African Cricket board. "More than the money, it was that our friends, the BCCI, who we share good relations with were in trouble. They asked us to bail them out of the situation and we decided to help. We have a good relationship and the motivating factor was the friendship we share" added Geranld Majola.

Modi thanked the ECB for their supportive hand, and also informed that it was more to do with the wether in England suring April-May that played a pert in the decision making. "It's cold and wet in England during this season, South Africa has a pleasant climate" said Modi. "Logistically both parties are of the highest quality, The wether is the key" added Modi.


Was it only the weather that took it away? Here are some key points that could have played against England..

First the Weather, Yes the Weather is cold and wet out in England at this time. Statistically 60 percent of the matches would have been washed out if hosted in England. But if you go by the weathermen in England, it's not going to rain, of course it will be cold and a little difficult for the players and the spectators.

The presence of the Indian audience in England is much higher than South Africa, A statistic goes, 2.25 people out of 10 people in England are Indians as against a mere 1.75 in South Africa. So this one goes into England's favor.

Logistically both countries cannot be compared. All the needs of IPL could have been met by both parties without doubt. In comparison, The hotels and travel in England would have costed more than what it would in South Africa. We already know that IPL has suggested shelling out most of the extra expenses from their pocket, therefore in an effort tot save more money, SA should have been a preferred venue. If player concern was an issue, England could have come out in front given the less traveling around the country. Security is of the highest quality in both countries, SA leads 2-1.

Support from the South African Government makes it 3-1 to South Africa. The Government of South Africa has announced presenting visa's to people around the world who wish to travel to the country for the IPL. The government has also lended full support to the BCCI for anything and everything to play it in their favor. Not that England has not tried in this department, but this one went to SA when the Airlines in SA confirmed offering the flights of highest quality for travel between cities in the country to the players, officials and the spectators.

A lot of county matches are already scheduled in England and the non availability of grounds as aginst setting aside 6 venues from SA hands this one to SA too. Making it 4-1 for SA. The final issue that handed the ball to the South Africans was the television rights issue. ECB currently has sold the rights to Sky TV for matches played in England and outside of England for england. If IPL was to be held in England, BCCI would have had issues with Sony which has exclusive telecast rights for DLF IPL around the world. SA has no such problems with any telecast rights.

SA emerged clear winners in this regard when Mr.Modi said,"We would like to thank Cricket South Africa very much for the support they have given us over the past few days, which has helped us to come to this decision. The South African public loves T20 cricket and CSA successfully hosted the inaugural ICC World T20. Both these factors weighed heavily in South Africa's favor, and we look forward to a successful and exciting tournament being held at venues throughout South Africa." . Having successfully hosted the Inaugural edition of ICC T20 world cup in 2007, SA have now announced their presence to the world. England will now avail their chance as they host the second edition of the T20 world cup in June this year.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.

Kunal

Read the Full Story...

IPL2: Player Reactions - IPL2 Moves to South Africa

Ex captain of South Africa, Shaun Pollock is a very happy man after hearing the news about SA being confirmed as the host for the second edition of the IPL. Shaun Pollock plays for Mumbai Indians team and most of his team members are already preparing for the tournament in South Africa.

Sachin Tendulkar, captain of the Mumbai Indian team feels that the it will not be the same as playing in India. "It is disappointing that the IPL has been moved out of India," he said. "We will certainly miss playing in front of our supporters. It won't be the same. It was a good concept to play home and away matches. This is something that the teams will miss this time around. Wherever we play, we hope to have the same fervour that we had had last season." said Sachin.

Steyn and Smith of South Africa who are currently busy playing host to the South Africans are happy to learn that the IPL governing body decided to hand them an opportunity. They promised good cricket and a bigger support from the crowds. More player reactions inside..


Yuvraj Singh, the Kings XI Punjab captain, also said that this season was going to be different from last year. He also hoped that the Indian players would be allowed to take their families to the IPL because they would have just returned from a long tour of New Zealand. "It is sad that the IPL won't be held in India. But we have to go ahead with it as it is the decision of the board," Yuvraj said. "As we would be returning home from New Zealand after a long tour, we hope we are allowed to take our families along.



Mutaih Muralitharan is happy that the matches are still on as he recovers from the attack on the team bus during their tour to Pakistan. The SriLankan players are int he recharge mode as they prepare getting back to the nets as they get ready to participate in the IPL. "I'm glad that the matches are still being played even when there were number of problems in front of the IPL working committee", Cricket had taken a back seat after the terrorist attacks on the SriLankan player in Pakistan. " We have to move on and Cricket should never stop" added Murali.

Jayawardene and Sangakaara along with other Srilankan players have confirmed their availability. Amongst other News, Lalit Modi confirmed that the Pakistani players will not be participating in the tournament following their board's disapproval of the IPL. Players who played in the ICl, a rebel league to the IPL have also been taken back into the national side and have been named in the squad for a one-day seris against Australia in Abudhabi this year.

The Indian Players should be happy with the announcement of delay in the start which allows them to have a breather in already busy schedule ahead of them. Many other young cricketers who will be a part of the IPL will use this as a opportunity to play and perform in a foreign country, A chance that they would have only gotten playing for the National side. The shifting of venue to outside of India could prove as a blessing in disguise for most of these youngsters and the BCCI as this gives them opportunity to enhance their local talent.

So hows does a fan base build when city based teams from India play in South Africa? The only hope for BCCI and the IPL will be that South African Spectators turn up to see a Greame Smith play for the the Rajasthan Royals and Shaun Pollock celebrate a wicket with Sachin Tendulkar for Mumbai Indians. It will be a dilemma for most of these spectators too, hopes BCCI. Everybody loves cricket, be it in India or South Africa, Cricket emerges winner.


The players will be missing out on the local support, but were also excited about the fact of feeling different on a different soil playing amongst a neutral crowd. The organisers of the IPL were forced to shift the tournament out of India after the government said it could not guarantee adequate security for the matches because the tournament would clash with general elections in the country in April-May. The decision to shift was taken after the IPL schedule was reworked several times and finally it was confirmed to be hosted in Sauth Africa a week later starting April 18th as against what was decided as April 10th.


Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.

Kunal

Read the Full Story...

IPL2: And the Award Goes to...

The 30 day game came to an end after Mr. Lalit Modi, commissioner IPL announced South Africa as the venue to host the second edition of the world popular Indian Premier League. Elections in India forced moving the IPL out of India. South Africa edged past England to be named the host of 2009 IPL, the decision came after meeting between the IPL Committee and CSA. In a press conference hosted by the two parties in Johannesburg on Tuesday, CSA chief Gerald Majola said that he was happy that the Indian board and the organizers of IPL gave South Africa an opportunity to host the honorable tournament. The IPL also announced that the final schedule of 59 matched and the host venues will be chalked out shortly. The Tournament however will start a week later beginning from April 18 as planned against April 10 2009. More news follows...


The tournament will commence on April 18, a week later than initially scheduled, and a day after the one-day series between South Africa and Australia ends. Sources said Johannesburg, Durban, Centurion, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town would be the host venues. Most news paper reports suggest Durban may play host to the opening and closing ceremonies given the presence of a larger Indian population. Logistically Jo'berg should be a great venue to start the tournament, Official news are yet to arrive and all these reports are just speculations.

Modi also thanked the ECB for lending their support in times when they needed and informed the Media that the only reason SA was chosen as the venue was because of the pleasant and predictable weather. April- May is the cold and wet season in England and if you had to go by some past history, 60 percent of the IPL matches would have been washed out if played in England, Good decision Mr. Modi.

Franchisees however presented mixed reactions, Mumbai Indians are already practicing in SA under the watchful eyes of Shaun Pollock who is more than happy for his team. "Who knows the conditions better than me?" asked pollock in a television interview when asked about what his reactions were about IPL in SA. Mumbai Indians now posses what can be call the home advantage in teh experience of Pollock. Royal Challenger owner Mr. Vijay mallaya said that he was disappointed to learn about IPL in SA,"I was hoping that we go to england than SA" said Mallay in a television interview. Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Priety Zinta are happy as long as the tournament is on. Rajasthan Royals team owners, Emerging media, are still hopeful of the IPL being hosted in India. If not the complete tournament at least the finals.

Muttiah Muralitharan, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, said it was the right decision for the league because "the game must go on, else cricket would die". Team India would be disappointed as it had already suggested moving IPL to England given that they are to play the T20 world cup following the IPL in England. The players now have build fitness for traveling as the team will now go to SA for the IPL, England for the T20 world cup in June and then back to the West Indies for a test and one-day series with no break in between.


With the decision now made, the real work begins. Security arrangements - which forced the tournament out of India - will need to be arranged, and an estimated 400 players and officials will require visas and accommodation. In all, 59 matches will be held over a five-week period ending on May 24. "It is very important for world cricket that this tournament is staged, but ultimately it is a matter for the BCCI where it is staged,"

Mr. Modi also informed the media about the 2 reasons why the delay in the start was made. One, They have to now put together the logistics for hosting a event of world class quality, the security arrangements for over 100 + players traveling to the country for the tournament, Movement of players from one location to the other in between matches, The fact that now more Indian fans will travel to SA for the tournament is itself a big security issues for the SA government. Two, "The players need to rest", By players he meant the national cricket team which is currently in NZ getting ready for the next test match, The 1 week delay will allow the team members to recharge for the tournament and the series ahead of them.

Do comeback for more News, Previews and Reviews.

Like the Blog post? Subscribe to the RSS Feed by Email.
Rate this Blog? Click here!.

Kunal


Read the Full Story...