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P K Kothari wants to keep up with you on Twitter

2009-06-20T06:22:00.001-07:00

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P K Kothari wants to keep up with you on Twitter

2009-06-20T06:20:00.001-07:00

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P K Kothari wants to keep up with you on Twitter

2009-06-20T06:05:00.001-07:00

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About Tendulkar

2008-09-27T10:01:00.001-07:00

This is what we hear from most of SACHIN'S CRITICS

1.Selfish

2.Scoring Against weaker Oppostions

3.Failing in pressure situation

Little Info about this

1.Selfish

Well Records are meant to be broken and if Sachin is breaking them critics[haters more rightly] can't digest them..
One of the incidents people mention is regarding his 194 knock against pakistan..some said it was slow knock..agreed it was a slow knock by Sachin's stature,but if it is compared wid one of the knock wid Dravid...this will not look as bad it seems..
Tendulkar- 194 runs in multan with a strike rate of around 54
Dravid- 217 runs in oval with a strike rate of around 46

I m just taking one example to tell that Dravid's natural game is to hold the one end and let the others to dominate..in multan Sachin changed his gears and holded one end and he let sehwag to dominate..played Rahul's role in that innings. Now this is called team game.. but people call it slow batting and selfish... Sachin always said Team's win is more important than personal landmark..He proved this statement in that very test by taking Moin Khan's wicket off the last ball of the 3rd day..That Ball was beauty!!Wasn' t he happy at that moment??? Since Sachin is the most senior player of the team so he can't throw his wicket just to prove critics that he is still a master blaster...[he is still scoring at brisk rate in onedays]..People forget his fast scroing Centuries against world class bowling

169 [201 balls] against South Africa in 1997 at Capetown
92 [120 balls] against West Indies in 1997 at Bridgetown
155 [191 balls] against Australia in 1998 at Chennai
79 [ 85 balls] against Australia in 1998 at Kolkata
100 in 123 balls against NewZealand in 1999 at Wellington[he scored 113 runs in that inning]
155 [183 balls] against South Africa in 2001 in Bloemfontein

There are many other breath taking innings in tests from 10dulkar.

But everyone please note this down..Sachin is the Only Batsman in Test Cricket who scored 3 Centuries wid a SIX
179 - 6 off Walsh[I remember it was a hook shot] against WestIndies in 1994 at Nagpur
124 - 6 off Min Patel[off spinner,straight down the ground] against England in 1996 at Birmingham
113 - 6 off Wiseman[off spinner,straight down the ground] against Newzealnad in 1999 at Wellington

Critics says he plays for his records and centuries..Now just look to this..

One Day
Centuries- 40 [out of 40 centuries India Won 28 times and lost 11 times,1 century in a rain affected match ]
11 centuries gone in Vain..
Half Centuries- 73

now here is that intresting part

out of these 73 half centuries Sachin got 28 scores of 80 and above
in these 28 scores if we take out the innings in which he was not out [coz of over completed or target chased ]
he was 5 times not out in such innings
so now lets talk about remaining 23 innings
Can u believe he has 10 scores of 90's??? If these 90's were converted in 100's the stats looks likes this
Centuries-50 ODI centuries... and look he holds another record for those who have so much fuss about playing for records..
getting out highest numbers of times in 90's in ODI's ..just coz he wanted to score for the team and not for the his personal records he got out 10times in 90's

Test
Centuries- 35 [12 in which India won,15 in dead tests,8 in lost tests] lone warrior in tests which India lost
Half Centuries- 41

Intresting Part
12 scores of 80+
6 scores of 90's convert them in 100s..he will pass 40 centuries in Test Cricket..sad for critics he played for team and thats why couldn't converted these 90's into 100's

2.Scoring Against weaker Oppostions

This can happen in India only..
People remembers 152 against Namibia and forgets 98 against Pakistan in WorldCup
People remembers 248 against Bangladesh and forgets his 7 centuries against World Champions Australia [4 in their own den]..
Only one century against Bangladesh and share the honour of scoring test century against each test playing nation wid Dravid,Ponting and Garry Kristen...No one talk about other 3 batsman scored centuries against Bangladesh.. then why the fuss for Sachin??

Test
Australia - 7 Centuries [4 in Australia], 2 of them at the age of 18 in 1992
Bangladesh- 1 Century [Unfortunately his highest score in Test Cricket]
England- 6 Centuries [4 in England],
NewZealand- 3 Centuries [1 in NewZealand]
Pakistan- 2 Centuries [1 in Pakistan]
SouthAfrica- 3 Centuries [all three in South Africa]
Srilanka- 7 Centuries [4 in Srilanka]
WestIndies- 3 Centuries [ 1 in WestIndies]
Zimbabwe- 3 Centuries [ none in Zimbabwe]

90+
96 against Srilanka at Banglore in 1994
92 against West Indies at Bridgetown in 1997
97 against South Africa at Mumbai in 2000
90 against England at Banglore in 2001
92 against England at Nottingham in 2002
94 against Pakistan at Mohali in 2005

Intresting Part
He scored runs in all parts of world..There are three types of wickets u generally found in Cricket..Fast and bouncy Pitches like in Australia,South- Africa,NewZealan d,WestIndies, Spin tracks in India,Srilanka, Pakistan, and seeming tracks like in England. Today people talk about Ricky Ponting...now check this out

Sachin's and Ponting's average at their own home soil is above 55 so nothing to discuss this here,but the real part starts now
Sachin's average in Australia 54.15 , 4 centuries
Ponting's average in India,12.28 , no centuries

Sachin's average in England 71.60 , 4 centuries
Ponting's average in England 42.63 , 3 centuries

I am taking records for these countries only bcoz.. rightnow,best fast bowlers are from Australia,best spinners are from India,Best Seamers from england[as there is no choice bcoz only england have such pitches]
Anyone can take easily tell who played gud cricket against best attack on all kind of pitches...

One Day
Australia - 7 Centuries + 1 score of 90's
Bangladesh- 0 Century
England- 1 Centuries + 1 score of 90's
Kenya- 4 Centuries
Namibia- 1 Century
NewZealand 4 Centuries
Pakistan- 5 Centuries + 4 scores of 90's
SouthAfrica- 3 Centuries + 1 score of 90's
Srilanka- 7 Centuries + 3 score of 90's
WestIndies- 3 Centuries
Zimbabwe- 5 Centuries

90+
90 against Australia in 1996 at Mumbai
91 against England in 1997 at Sharjah
95 against Pakistan in 1998 at Dhaka
93 against Pakistan in 2000 at Hobart
93 against SouthAfrica in 2000 at Nagpur
93 against Srilanka in 2000 at Dhaka
98 against Pakistan in 2003 at Centurion
97 against Srilanka in 2003 at Johannesburg
93 against Srilanka in 2005 at Nagpur
95 against Pakistan in 2006 at Lahore

Intresting Part
Only 5 Centuries against minnows like Kenya ,Namibia[non test playing nation]...and Kenya was the semi-finalist of the world cup'03 10 scores of above 90 against only test playing nations...now can anyone tell me how is he selfish?? 34 times he scored more than 80 and couldn't reached 100..If he played for his records..he could easily scored 100's all of those scores above 80's ...

3.Failing in pressure situation 19/07/2006 08:51
ODI

Won Chasing Target

      M         R      H        AVG     100s 50s
Sachin- 101 4397   134    58.62   13      23
Dravid- 72    2124   109* 49.39     2      19
Ponting- 77   2670 124* 53.40   4      17

In Quater Finals
Sachin- 3   210   141   70.00 1    0
Dravid-   2    57     48    28.50 0    0
Ponting- 3   118    46    39.33   0    0

In Semi Finals
Sachin-   7    232    83    33.14   0   2
Dravid-   4      28     58   42.66   0   1
Ponting- 5       71     37 14.20   0   0

In Finals
Sachin - 36 1487 134   47.96 4   9
Dravid-    23 690   103* 34.50 1 3
Ponting- 33 1217 140* 45.07 2   6

All Finals
Sachin- 47 1954 141   46.52 5 11
Dravid- 30 943    103* 37.72 1   5
Ponting- 41 1406 140* 40.17 2   6

In Series Won
Sachin- 127 5548 186* 51.37 19 26
Dravid- 76    2645 153    42.66   2   22
Ponting- 177 7245 145    47.98 18   45


In Test
100's in Tests India Won - 12
100's in Tests India Lost - 8
100's in Test Drawn - 15

Holds the record of maxium number of 100's for loosing team...That means a lone warrior..Thats why once Indian Cricket Team was called as ONE MAN ARMY!!!!

More Intresting Part!!!!!!!!
Often said Sachin gets fail at crunch situation... Well 1st we must admit that when Sachin on the crease Win is sure...As soon Sachin gets out..the situation becomes crunchy!!! Sachin is out,now who will win match for us?? Dravid ?? or Sehwag?? or Yuvraj?? Or Ganguly?? No one sure who will win match for them...
So bcoz of this thing Teams targets Sachin as the most precious wicket...
Nasser Hussain introduced Negative lines for Sachin Tendulkar to stop the flow of runs when he is on wicket!!!
Local umpires also involved some times to help their team against Sachin Tendulkar,espeicall y Australians!
Some incidents striking in my mind...I think Sachin is the player who got out maximum numbers of times bcoz of bad or wrong decision by Umpires..I m producing those incidents only which I remember,there may be many other too

1. 92 - out of a NO ball from Frankline Rose against West Indies in 1997 at Bridgetown.. Remember India lost the test just by 38 runs..U can just imagine how much that bad decision effected the result of the match!!!

2. 83 - Out of a NO ball again..[don' t remember the bowler] last test in WestIndies in 1997.Draw Test.

3. 67- LBW off Crains..last test against NewZealand in 1999, was not out coz the ball pitched outside the legstump.Match Drawn

4. 61 - caught at forward shortleg,bowler Shane Warne.against Australia at Adelaide in 1999.. the ball touched the thigh pads and Umpire Darel Harper gave him out.. India were 107 for 4 when Ganguly joined Sachin and they put on 108 runs for the 5th wicket..

5. 0 - LBW bowler Macgrath..against Australia at Adelaide in 1999,same test, nothing more to say..Everyone remember that FOOLISH decision

6. 52 - LBW bowler Shane Warne,Umpire David Shepherd,against Australia at Melbourne in 1999, were chasing 356 as a target on the fourth day.

7. 45 - LBW bowler Macgrath,UmpireIan Robinson,against Australia at Sydney in 2000, the ball seemed to hit him too high and was going on leg stump, In that very over,Tendulkar had pulled a short one from Macgrath for two,and hooked the next two for boundaries,and a ball later punched the fast bowler back past him for the 3rd four of the over

8. 16 - caught behind off Waqar Younis,against Pakistan at Perth in 2000, it was must win situation for India to qualify in the final , scored 16 runs of 9 balls,hitted 3 fours in one over of Waqar Younis and 1 off Wasim Akram on the fastest pitch of the world,India were chasing 260 odd runs...

9. 0 - LBW bowler Gillespie,Umpire Bucknor,against Australia at Brisbane in 2003 funny thing is that the bowler not applead for the LBW... MR.Bucknor gave the decision of his own

10. 0 - caught behind off Lee,against Australia at Melbourne in 2003,ball touched the thigh pads and umpire given him out.

11. 54 - caught behind,Umpire Bucknor,against Pakistan at Kolkata in 2005, I think we all seen that decison, theball was not near to his pad,gloves,helmet, arm.. no where...

There may be so many other incident like this...Teams like Australia taking help from the umpires to stop Tendulkar... the 1999-2000 tour of Australia proves it..

And the last thing is that Sachin played 11 years [1989-2000] in the era where his own team mates involved in match fixing.. So despite of his brilliant knocks we failed to win the match just bcoz others not contirbuting. .Yuo can win ODI's just wid ur own batting but u can't win test matches wid one innings bcoz test played for 5 days its a 4 inning game..Still Tendulkar's record in that era is Awesome.. and remember The awe of opponents was as great as that of crowds. But the finest compliment must be that bookmakers would not fix the odds - or a game - until Tendulkar was out.

Indian tailenders steal unlikely victory

2008-07-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

Cheer Girls

2008-05-11T18:29:00.001-07:00

I have a question to ask our politicians: don't you have better things to do than work yourselves into a froth about cheer girls? After all, you're not 18 year olds measuring your lives with coffee spoons — and if you don't know what that means ask TS Eliot! You're adults. More importantly, you've been chosen to run this country. I would have thought inflation, farmers' suicides, urban crime, the BRT crisis in Delhi, the vanishing nuclear deal and the shifting political equations in Nepal — to name just a handful of the pressing problems India faces — would have kept you fully preoccupied. But I'm wrong. You've found time for the silliest of causes, something no one else had noticed till you chanced upon it and forced it on the nation. If this was satire, I'd say well done! Alas, this is reality.

And what is it about cheer girls that has you so excited? Unfortunately, it's a mixture of prejudice, ignorance and balderdash. Some of you say they're vulgar. Perhaps, but does it occur to you that, like beauty, vulgarity lies in the eyes of the beholder? Many of us find your taste, behaviour and style vulgar but we put up with it. Is it too much to expect the same of you? That apart, do you know what vulgar means? The Oxford Dictionary defines it as something that is patronised or practiced by ordinary common people. Did you mean to be elitist or have you picked the wrong adjective?

Your second justification for banning cheer girls is they're un-Indian. Well, in a very literal sense, you're right. Until they were imported they were not known of by the vast majority of our countrymen. But that's also true of cricket. (Incidentally, I hope you don't think the game was handed down by the Vedas?) Yet the fact that cheer girls attract attention by baring their mid-riffs and dancing suggestively is something we're very used to. Every woman in a sari has as much to show and reveal. Whilst Bharatnatyam and Odissi dancers — and let's not even mention Khajuraho and Konark sculptures or some of our delightful miniatures and the Kama Sutra — are far more sensual.

Those of you who pretend to be moralists have claimed cheer girls are demeaning of women. But if you think about it you'll realize how silly that statement is. To begin with, the cheer girls are women and they're doing it willingly, even happily. Second, they're proud of the figures they're showing off. Third, the vast majority of the audience is enjoying their performance. This is not titillation. And though I don't deny there's a small perverted minority that's deriving pornographic pleasure, are the rest of us to be treated like school children because of this half per cent? Even you wouldn't say yes!

The most pertinent criticism is that cheer girls distract from the cricket. I have to admit there's probably some truth in that. Except what it overlooks is that's precisely why they're there. T20 is not a Test match, not even a one day game. To be successful, a T20 tournament requires all the extras it can acquire. So, if you're a purist it's not the cheer girls you should object to, but the game itself. Don't expect the sobriety of Lord's when you're watching the thwack and shove of Yusuf Pathan and Brendon McCullum. Unless, of course, you're a hypocrite.

Actually, I'm afraid that's what it is: hypocrisy. Bollywood indulges in crude and lascivious behaviour but you rarely, if ever, threaten to rip out those scenes. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, you court Bollywood stars and your ultimate goal is to get your kids to join them. Yet if the rest of us have a bit of innocent fun your moral hackles rise and you start cracking the whip.

Well, it's time you got off our backs. At last there's something on television the country seems to like and you have no right to ruin it. I suggest you grab a beer and enjoy the girls yourselves!

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2008-03-05T18:50:00.001-08:00

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Collection of famous quotes by Navjot Singh Sidhu

2008-01-12T09:46:00.001-08:00

1. That ball went so high it could have got an air hostess down with it.

2. There is light at the end of the tunnel for India, but it's that of an incoming train which will run them over.

3. Experience is like a comb that life gives you when you are bald.

4. This quote was made after Ganguly called Dravid for a run and midway sent him back and Dravid was run out in the third test against the West Indies at Barbados."Ganguly has thrown a drowning man both ends of the rope."

5. Sri Lankan score is running like an Indian taximeter.

6. Statistics are like miniskirts, they reveal more than what they hide.

7. Wickets are like wives - you never know which way they will turn!

8. He is like Indian three-wheeler, which will suck a lot of diesel but cannot go beyond 30!

9. The Indians are going to beat the Kiwis! Let me tell you, my friend that the Kiwi is the only bird in the whole world, which does not have wings!

10. As uncomfortable as a bum on a porcupine.

11. The ball whizzes past like a bumble -bee and the Indians are in the sea.

12. The Indians are finding the gaps like a pin a haystack.

13. The pitch is as dead as a dodo.

14. Deep Dasgupta is as confused as a child is in a topless bar!

15. The way Indian wickets are falling reminds of the cycle stand at Rajendra Talkies in Patiala one falls and everything else falls!

16. Indian team without Sachin is like giving Kiss without a Squeeze.

17. You cannot make Omelets without breaking the eggs.

18. Deep Dasgupta is not a Wicket Keeper, he is a goalkeeper. He must be given a free transfer to Manchester United.

19. He will fight a rattlesnake and give it the first two bites too.

20. One, who doesn't throw the dice, can never expect to score a six.

21. This quote was made after Eddie Nichols, the third umpire, ruled Shivnarine Chanderpaul 'NOT OUT' in the second test at Port of Spain T&T "Eddie ichols is a man who cannot find his own buttocks with his two hands."

22. Anybody can pilot a ship when the sea is calm.

23. Nobody travels on the road to success without a puncture or two.

24. You got to choose between tightening your belt or losing your pants.

25. The cat with gloves catches no mice.

26. Age has been perfect fire extinguisher for flaming youth.

27. You may have a heart of gold, but so does a hard-boiled egg.

28. He is like a one-legged man in a bum kicking competition.

29. The third umpires should be changed as often as nappies and for the same reason.

30. Kumble's bowling at the moment is flat as a Dosa.

FW: HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2008 TO YOU

2007-12-30T21:53:00.000-08:00

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2008 TO YOU .

LET YOUR CHERISHED DREAMS AND GOALS BE ACHIEVED IN THIS YEAR WITH GRACE OF ALMIGHTY AND YOUR INTELLIGENT EFFORTS.

P K Kothari

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A history of radio commentary

2007-10-24T09:53:00.001-07:00

Narottam Puri, writing in his column in cricketnext.com, provides a historical overview of the evolution of cricket commentary on radio, and on the subsequent decline of the same.

History tells us that Test cricket began in Australia in the late 19th century when Australia played England. Few know that it was also in Australia that radio commentary originated.
This occurred in 1922 in a Testimonial match for Charles Bannerman [Test cricket’s first centurion] at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the first commentator being a gentleman named Lionell Watt. BBC introduced sport commentary in its repertoire only in 1927 when Teddy Wakelam did the commentary of an England Vs. Wales Rugby match. Wakelam was soon to be drafted to do first Football, and then Tennis at Wimbledon.

The same year, i.e. 1927, the first cricket commentary was broadcast on BBC in the Essex Vs. New Zealand match at Leyton. Plum Warner, ex England player became the first to do cricket commentary. He wasn’t a success and was replaced by F.H.Gillingham who as John Arlott wrote "had the ill luck to be announced for his first quarter hour when rain prevented start of play. He struggled on to fill his time out of nothing, proceeded to read out the advertisements on the hoarding."

Ponting sheds light on Martyn mystery

2007-10-24T09:52:00.001-07:00

In the Age an extract from Ricky Ponting’s new book, Captain’s Diary 2007, reveals how Ponting was told of Damien Martyn’s shock retirement while playing golf with Stuart Clark.

"After nine holes I decided to check my phone, which is where it all got a bit bizarre. I saw I had a missed call from Michael Brown, Cricket Australia's general manager, cricket operations, and immediately turned to 'Sarf' and said, 'I reckon Marto's retired.' I have no idea why I reacted to the message in that way, but sure enough that's what I was told when I returned Michael's call.”

Ponting says Martyn’s strange disappearing act left him in an awkward position.

"It's not for me to say whether Marto's decision to retire was right or wrong. I was disappointed because we had lost an excellent player, someone who'd bailed us out of difficult situations many times in the past," said Ponting. "I was frustrated because I was left answering questions about something I knew nothing about, when one media appearance by him would have cleared the air.”

Clarke grabs a stump and copies Bradman

2007-10-24T09:51:00.001-07:00

Michael Clarke uses the stump-and-golf-ball technique employed by Don Bradman as a child to prepare for Australia’s home summer. In another clip of Cricket Australia’s “Hungry For It” campaign Nathan Bracken aims for a coin while fine-tuning his bowling.

Andrew Stevenson, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, tells of his fear as he faces Stuart Clark in the nets.

India's cash cow waits to be milked

2007-10-24T09:50:00.002-07:00

The nascent Indian Cricket League, and the opportunities presented by the Twenty20 format, have attracted the attentions of the authoritative international affairs magazine, The Economist, which explores how the game could be changed for good by the shortest version yet played.

The short format is more spectacular. It encourages batsmen to hit the ball out of the ground for a six, which spectators love. At the halfway mark, the Twenty20 tournament in South Africa averaged eight sixes per three-hour game. By comparison, a series of five test-matches between England and Australia in 2005, rated the most exciting in a 130-year rivalry, averaged less than two sixes a day.

One more insult

2007-10-24T09:50:00.001-07:00

The West Indies Cricket Board has named a new coach for the West Indies team and, as good or as brilliant as John Dyson may be, I do not agree with it, writes Tony Becca in the Jamaica Gleaner.

The employment of a foreigner, an Australian, to coach the West Indies team, suggests, at least it does to me, that despite the achievements of West Indians with bat and ball and as captain, and even though a West Indian has been the president of the ICC, the Board has no faith in its own people, not to do a heart transplant, not to rid the world of a plague, but to coach a cricket team - their own cricket team.

Symonds won't tell Aussie crowds to behave

2007-10-24T09:49:00.000-07:00

In the Australian, Malcolm Conn speaks to Cricket Australia’s public affairs manager Peter Young about the decision to drop plans to use Andrew Symonds as the face of its campaign for better crowd behaviour this summer.

"There are a lot of elements to this [campaign]," Young said. "During the first one-day match in Melbourne last summer we had something like 100 people treated in casualty for wounds and injuries they received during the Mexican wave. That sort of thing is diabolical." Young also confirmed that a woman broke her jaw when a spectator went to punch a beach ball being thrown among the crowd and hit her by mistake. A seven-year-old child was also "squashed" when a spectator leapt to punch a beach ball and landed in the seat in front of him.

I wouldn’t condemn what happened with Andrew Symonds as ‘racism’, writes Ayaz Memon in the Daily News and Analysis.

Meanwhile, in an interview to NDTV, an Indian news channel, Symonds tries to play down the monkey chants controversy and feels the media has blown the issue out of proportion.

Omitted from the England Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, Andrew Strauss, in his column for the Telegraph, feels it's time for introsepction. How

2007-10-24T09:48:00.003-07:00

The post-Ashes concerns that Australia would need to find replacements for three Test stars have died down, with plenty of contenders pushing their cases. Peter Roebuck writes in the Sydney Morning Herald that the batting and fast-bowling vacancies are easy to fill but the spin position will be a tougher decision.

In the absence of compelling reasons to the contrary, Australia should continue to play with variety. Certainly a spinner must be included in the party. Mention has been made of the younger fellows but they are far behind the proven performers. Stuart MacGill has the track record but not recent form or fitness. Brad Hogg has been superb in India. Unable to read his spin, the batsmen have found it hard to line him up. If anything, Hogg relies too much on baffling the batsmen and does not take enough wickets with his main delivery. It is to his advantage that the game has been taken over by lefties. Often his stock ball is leaving the bat.

Being dropped hurts

2007-10-24T09:48:00.001-07:00

Omitted from the England Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka, Andrew Strauss, in his column for the Telegraph, feels it's time for introsepction. However, at the age of 30, Strauss believes his best years are still ahead of him.

It isn't that I have been completely out of form, unable to contend with the rigours of Test cricket, but rather that I have been caught in a limbo, where every decent innings seemed to be followed by a low score. Without nailing a couple of really substantial contributions to silence the doubters, the pressure has grown.

Bowlers who can move the ball at good pace

2007-10-24T09:47:00.001-07:00

India’s bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad unveils his blueprint for the hectic season ahead. And yes, he says, there is scope for a lot of improvement. Read his interview with Sandeep Dwivedi in the Indian Express.

"We have been trying various variations at the nets. There is the slower bowl and the bouncer besides the stock ball of every bowler. Various bowlers are trying different variations. Like RP Singh is developing a off-spinner and a leg-spinner. Zaheer has a great off-spinner. Irfan has shown great variety as he alters the line and length and uses the slower ball to great effect. Sreesanth has two kinds of slower balls: one is a leg-spinner and the other is released from back of the hand.

Symonds calls for good crowd behaviour at home

2007-10-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Andrew Symonds has used his column in the Sunday Herald Sun to say he doesn’t want to see any ugly chanting at India's players during Australia’s summer. Symonds was targeted during the one-day series but he received only boos during the Twenty20, according to AAP.

“Personally, I'm doing fine,” Symonds wrote. “What started off really as a bit of fun has become relentless. The media picked up on it over here and hasn't stopped. While it's certainly been a challenging chapter in my cricket career, it hasn't left me hurt or scarred. But I have been slightly embarrassed by it all."

The same paper reports the MCG will not separate supporters for the Boxing Day Test while Cricket Australia is planing a "Don't Go Ape" campaign.

In the Sun-Herald Will Swanton talks to Stuart MacGill about age, replacing Shane Warne and his fine series in Pakistan.

$6.5m gallery for Bradman museum

2007-10-24T09:45:00.002-07:00

The Australian government are to invest $6.5m in a "cricket hall of fame" - two galleries showcasing cricket from 1970 onwards - to be built in Sir Donald Bradman's home town of Bowral. The Australian has the full story.

Work on the galleries at the Bradman Museum of Cricket would start almost immediately and should be finished by February 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary the cricketing legend's last game.
“My government support will ensure that the Bradman museum remains one of the best museums in the world,” New Ltd quoted Mr Howard as saying. Bowral is in the safe Liberal seat of Hume.

When sport is reduced to triviality

2007-10-24T09:45:00.001-07:00

When it’s life and death you’re talking about, runs and wickets don’t carry quite the same allure, writes Neil Manthorp in the Supersport website.

Meanwhile in News24.com Kass Naidoo believes a perfect opportunity exists for sponsors to help revive the flagging fortunes of domestic cricket in South Africa.

There is a huge opportunity for a sponsor (or an inspired group of them) willing to look further than 2010, personal gain or corporate strategy, to bring a version of a well-loved game back into our lounges, to create a buzz big enough to guarantee the interest of the national broadcasters.

Captain Bradman ‘resented’ by team-mates

2007-10-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

Don Bradman’s leadership qualities were not universally admired by his team-mates. The new book Inside Story: Unlocking Australian Cricket's Archives, which has an extract in the Herald Sun, reveals complaints about Bradman’s rise to the captaincy after he took over from Vic Richardson.

Bradman said that Richardson "resented that like nobody's business", and also that a clique in the Australian team based around its "strong Catholic element" resented his appointment as Australian captain on November 30, 1936, favouring their co-religionist Stan McCabe.
Bradman disavowed any sectarian biases, saying that he "didn't care two hoots whether a man was a Catholic or a Mason", and denied being behind the complaint that led to Catholics McCabe, O'Reilly, Leo O'Brien and Chuck Fleetwood-Smith being arraigned before the board on vague charges of undermining their captain and being unfit.

He did, however, concede: "I don't think there is any doubt at all that there was a group of people, O'Reilly was one and Fingleton would have been one for certain, who wanted Stan McCabe to be captain instead of me.

From one Australian leader to another, Ricky Ponting writes in his column in the Australian about the team’s novel situation of playing against world champions. “I can't remember being in it since Sri Lanka won the one-day international crown in 1996.”

Cricket, crowds and racism

2007-10-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

Peter Roebuck writes about the treatment of Andrew Symonds in the Sydney Morning Herald, offering insight into India and examining racism in cricket.

It has in some quarters been argued that Symonds and company are being precious and that, weary of accusation and bemused by their unpopularity, Australians are trying to show they are also sometimes victims. Darrell Hair's collapsed case against wrongful dismissal depended on racial prejudice. But is not the law open to all-comers? If Symonds, Hair or anyone else feels they have been mistreated owing to the colour of their skin then let the matter be investigated. Symonds has not railed against every provocation. Just this one.

In the same paper Andrew Webster writes a moving piece about the Western Suburbs club in Sydney and Soumya Bhattacharya says lunatic fringes should not define countries.

The Australian’s Peter Lalor, who has been criticised in India for his reporting of the monkey chants, takes an in-depth look at the past week.

Pity Andrew Symonds. Not that he wants your pity. Or, for that matter, attention. He is a man who has never courted publicity or plaudits. Yet here he sits, blinking and bewildered, in the middle of a storm that is not of his making or his liking. Symonds loves a scrap and can go as hard in a obscenity-laden exchange as anyone in cricket, but this sort of fight and this sort of debate sits as comfortably with him as a necktie.

In the reality show that is India today, there is every danger that the new, aggressive, young "superior" India could end up as a farcical entity, doing no good to itself and to those who wish it well, writes Pradeep Magazine in the Hindustan Times.

Antara Dev Sen, writing in the sify website, explores the inherent rasicm in Indian society.

We disrespect dark skin, of course, even though we are primarily dark-skinned ourselves. Our attempts at whitening our faces have continued for centuries – through grandma’s remedies to today’s fairness creams. We even have fairness creams for men, a new trend in men’s style. But a lighter skin colour does not always protect you from taunts. We are downright racist and rude to the people we call ‘chinks’ – even if they are rich or powerful like the Japanese or Chinese. And it doesn’t stop with foreigners.

Also read Siddharth Saxena in the Times of India and Srinivasan Ramani in the Post.

Meanwhile Kaushik Sunder Rajan reviews the series on his DailyCric blog where he says India's solution lies not in youth, but in depth.

Ponting’s plea for no Symonds repeat

2007-10-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ricky Ponting hopes there isn't a repeat of the chants directed at Andrew Symonds in Mumbai during the Twenty20 match in the same city on Saturday, reports AAP’s Tom Wald.

“I just hope it does not happen again in another cricket venue I play in because it leaves a bad taste in everybody's mouth,” he said. “I am sure there will be a lot of embarrassed people around this country, as well, to know this stuff has happened again at one of their cricket venues. It is done now. Hopefully in the Twenty20 match on Saturday it does not happen.”

In the Sydney Morning Herald Alex Brown writes about how the ICC has vowed to take action over the incidents in India. The Hindu's Nirmal Shekar urges the BCCI to take tough steps to combat the problem and says that India should stop pretending racism is something that happens in 'other' countries.

Back in Australia the game's administrators say there will be no place for any racist taunts at Indian or Sri Lankan players when the teams tour later this year. John Coomber, writing for AAP, reports security operations will be so good offenders are bound to be caught. A former homicide detective will be Cricket Australia’s match-day security officer, according to a story in the Courier-Mail.

'Decision to drop Dravid shocking'

2007-10-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

Was Rahul Dravid dropped or rested? Either way it was a decision that shocked some former Indian cricketers.

Sandeep Dwivedi has the inside story in Indian Express.

Kadambari Murali disagrees with the decision in Hindustan Times.

When India are struggling, he is pushed up the order; when India are doing well he is pushed down the order. He is replaced now with Karthik, who was not played when Ganguly was rested. What is the message being sent out?

In the same paper, Pradeep Magazine writes on the enigmatic side to Dravid, and how a person known for his impressive communication skills failed to control the disparate egos of his own team and the Ganguly-Chappell spat.

He had worked hard to cultivate the image of "Nice Man" in a world dominated by intrigue, skulduggery, backstabbing and all the negatives that can be ascribed to an establishment where cricket is seen as a ticket to fame and money. He had to take decisions. He had to deal with a coach whose brusque methods were making his players insecure & frustrated & he had to do what he liked doing, batting and making runs.

The Mac Attack

2007-10-24T09:39:00.000-07:00

Geoff Longley of New Zealand's The Press looks back at the rollercoaster career of the big-hitting Craig McMillan and highlights the problems McMillan faced as a diabetes patient.

Having diabetes since 15 meant he constantly had to be conscious of his blood-sugar ratio in the middle.
Hence McMillan often had a supply of jellybeans with him out in the middle to lift his levels if he felt himself going low which was sometimes difficult to determine with the adrenalin pumping.

Playing big innings often took its toll and on occasion McMillan arrived at press conferences with his speech slurred and desperately in need of a glucose injection but unaware of his plight.

Meanwhile, in the Marlborough Express, John Alexander writes of former New Zealand offspinner Dipak Patel's search for spinning talent.

The ageless Kim Barnett

2007-10-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Kim Barnett might be 47 but that's not stopping him from playing regular club cricket. He has, however, decided to leave Leek but revealed he wants to continue and try to break the league record for the number of runs in a season.

"I have been working hard at my own fitness levels," he said. "My intention is to get back to the standards I set myself. It was not my aim to finish with 400 runs in a wet summer. It has been a difficult season for all batsmen, but in the five years I have been back playing locally I have scored 4,000 runs.

"I want to try to break the league batting record wherever I play next year. I want to continue playing for a further three years - I enjoy playing cricket.

"In an ideal world I will be playing as an amateur locally. I am still involved with Staffordshire and that is something I love.

"It is great to try to help younger players go on and make their mark."

Australia thinks the rules should be defined by them!!!!

2007-10-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

Ricky Ponting has urged the ICC to reconsider the new rule that forces a ball change after the 34th over in ODIs. Ponting believes the early change gives the batsmen too much assistance and replacing the ball later in the innings would be more sensible.

"It's a very big advantage for the batting team to get a new, harder ball that early in the innings," Ponting told AFP. "They should try this rule somewhere else before trying at the international level because some day something like this is going to cost a team a game and that could well be the difference in a series.

"It's unfair on a team that does everything right. I think the commonsense [solution] would be to change the ball after the 41st over." Earlier this series Ponting called the mandatory change "fine" but criticised the umpires' decision to switch balls in the 28th over of India's run chase at Hyderabad and again at the pre-determined point seven overs later.

Brett Lee believes the new rule makes the already difficult task for bowlers in ODIs even tougher. "The newer balls we've been using have been pretty shiny and still have the Kookaburra writing on them," Lee said. "It makes it harder for the bowlers because you're trying to work with a ball that is as old as possible and you come on at the 34th over and you're bowling with a new ball again."

Tim Nielsen, the Australia coach, said run-rates were escalating after the balls were switched. "We've been going on at four or five an over and it's got up to seven or eight a couple of times," Nielsen said. "The different ball is harder and comes on to the bat better."

IF THE RULE IS HELPING THEM, THEY WANT THE RULE BUT IF IT AGAINST THEM, THEY WANT TO SCRAP IT!!!!
THEY SIMPLY CAN'T ACCEPT DEFEAT ANT ANY COST!!!

Monkey chants controversy in Mumbai too

2007-10-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

The topic of Andrew Symonds being subjected to racial abuse was once again at the forefront in the last one-day international of the series at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

An Australian photographer captured on camera certain spectators in the North Stand enacting monkey chants, a complaint that had been first made during the fifth one-dayer at Vadodara last week. The matter was brought to the notice of Chris Broad, the ICC match referee, by the Australian team management, and Broad later confirmed to Cricinfo that action had been taken against the miscreants.

"I saw the photograph and have sent an official report to the ICC," stated Broad. A top security official said that the matter was reported to to the police inside the ground who immediately took action, but failed to confirm if the alleged miscreants were actually evicted from the ground.

Interestingly the incident happened just hours after Sharad Pawar and Creagh O' Connor, respective presidents of BCCI and Cricket Australia issued a joint statement saying there was no place for racism in cricket.

Symonds lasted just one ball in this match, falling to Murali Kartik, but was booed vociferously both during his walks to and from the pitch.

Speaking to the media after the game, Ricky Ponting, the Australian captain, said the team was disappointed that the same behaviour had been repeated at various grounds. "Andrew is hurt at the crowd behaviour but we've been told action has been taken. But some of the stuff that happens is totally unacceptable and leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth. I'm sure there are a lot of people in India that would be embarrassed by the incident."

The tail that realy waged!!!!

2007-10-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

Robin Uthappa, aided by the tail, broke India's unwanted record of going ten years without successfully chasing a target in an ODI against Australia. His 47 was the meat of the Indian innings, but the tail chipped in admirably to end the streak of defeats while chasing. Since May 1998, India have failed to chase on 18 occasions, losing 15 times, with three games being washed out.

Murali Kartik, who stopped the Aussies dead in their tracks with 6 for 27, had to bring all his brains with him when he came in to bat at 143 for 8, with 51 still needed. And with a slice of luck, he ensured that his bowling success was not at the wrong end of the result and that Sachin Tendulkar, who has most likely played his last international game at the Wankhede Stadium, could walk away in victory.

All through this series, India have had Australia in some trouble early on. In the first game Australia went from 90 for 4 to 307. In the second they turned 66 for 3 into 306 and, in the third, 135 for 3 became 290. The fourth India won, batting first, and in the fifth Australia won by nine wickets chasing a small total. In the sixth game, Australia went from 129 for 4 to 317.

So even when India had Australia at 117 for 4, they would not have thought the game was wrapped up. What happened, though, was that Kartik pressed on, ensuring that Australia only managed 193. Harsh critics will suggest that Mitchell Johnson should not have been allowed to score 24 at No. 10, but that's missing the point.

Unless the wicket is a green seamer, like you sometimes get in New Zealand where neither team is able to score too many and batsmen don't feel set even after spending an hour at the crease, 194 is a target that should be chased down. The target was so gettable that it's not even worth discussing whether India had done the right thing by leaving out Rahul Dravid.

However, the manner in which the Australians bowled was a template on how to defend totals. When they came out under lights, their body language suggested they were defending 294 rather than 194. The opening bowlers, Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson, as they have done all series, steamed in and got all the basics of fast bowling dead right. They attacked the stumps while swinging the ball at pace, and aside from a few wides, which probably resulted from being unable to control swing, hit an excellent line and length.

India's batsmen, and they should not take this as too harsh a criticism, floundered when there was a bit of movement. It's one thing to bully bowlers on flat tracks, making 300-plus regularly, but quality batsmen score when there's something in the pitch for the bowlers. And this pitch was not substandard by any means. It had bounce and turn, and the ball came onto the bat nicely, giving good value for shots once a batsman was in.

India's batsmen, in the face of strong bowling - Lee and Johnson were well backed up by Nathan Bracken and James Hopes - outdid Australia's in the collapsing stakes. Eight for 2 became 49 for 4 before slipping to 64 for 6. Uthappa then showed that it was possible to score on this pitch, adding 64 for the seventh wicket With Harbhajan Singh, and while it took India away from humiliation, it still appeared that defeat was imminent.

It was left to Zaheer Khan and Kartik to steer - literally, as all three of Kartik's boundaries were steered behind the stumps with the bat face open, and figuratively - India to victory. Zaheer, batting with uncharacteristic discipline, only chanced his arm once, hitting Lee over long-on for six. The bowlers, who had set things up in the first half of the day, were left to finish things off at the business end as well. It was great for the packed house that they managed to do so, but it should not gloss over the mistakes that almost ruined it all.

The tail stands tall

2007-10-17T12:05:00.000-07:00

Racism? wot d hell is this?

2007-10-17T11:36:00.000-07:00

The Indian board president, Sharad Pawar, and the chairman of Cricket Australia, Creagh O'Connor, have issued a joint statement condemning racism, saying that there was "no place for it in cricket - either on or off the field".

Andrew Symonds said that he was the target of monkey chants during the fifth ODI against India at Vadodara and an Australian cameraman in Nagpur reported more monkey chants directed at the allrounder. The local authorities in Vadodara, however, denied that the crowd had made racist taunts.

"Cricket crowds in all cricket nations are often noisy and boisterous, which is part of the fun of cricket," said Pawar and O'Connor in the statement. "But all cricket nations have to be on guard to ensure that the fun does not cross the boundary into unacceptable behaviour. If it does, it is our expectation that the specifics of the ICC Anti Racism Code be enforced without fear or favour.

"Players of all countries have a right to expect they will be treated with respect wherever they play in the world. Spectators, team officials or players who are concerned about inappropriate behaviour of other people at venues should draw that behaviour to the attention of venue authorities immediately so that it can be assessed on the spot and, if appropriate, addressed immediately rather than being reviewed via media reports published well after the crowd has gone home."

NOW IF YOU DONT KNOW HOW TO BEHAVE IN A COUNTRY THEN U DESERVE TO BE ABUSED. U CANT GO TO ANYONES HOUSE AND ABUSE THEM OR WARN THEM. IF U DO THIS U R HEADING FOR PROBLEM FOR SURE!!!!!

India's som rises when it was too late!!! Already lost the series.....

2007-10-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

Robin Singh, India's fielding coach, almost put India's hero in Mumbai out of action on Tuesday. After he had finished bowling in the nets, Murali Kartik wandered across to the far end of the ground for his session with the fielding coach. The first ball Robin hit at Kartik bobbled a bit, and hit Kartik on the tip of his right thumb.

All night Kartik woke up in starts, each time his thumb slid off the improvised perch he had built for it with pillows. Anti-inflammatory pills helped, but there was little that could be done about the throbbing pain. Even three hours before play began on Wednesday, Kartik was not sure if he'd take the field or not, his right hand submerged in a bucket of ice. It didn't help that this was a thumb that had been fractured twice, first by Tanveer Jabbar in a domestic match, and later when he was playing international cricket.

A bit of the nail had chipped off and the swelling was obvious. Before play began John Gloster, the team physio, strapped the thumb up, and though pain and discomfort remained, Kartik was ready for action. After all, this was Australia, in Mumbai, with the series already decided. The deja vu from the 2004 Test was too much to ignore. Inside of three days, on a rank turner, Kartik picked up 7 for 76 to bowl India to a consolatory win in a series they lost 1-2.

But the pitch the seventh ODI was played on was in no way as diabolical as the one India won their Test on. Sure, there was turn, and there was bounce, but it was not the akhada (wrestling pit) the Test was played on. For the first time in the series Kartik got to bowl his ten overs in one spell - always ideal for spinners, and especially so for left-arm orthodox spinners - and he picked up 6 for 27, stopping the Australian batting juggernaut dead in its tracks.

Kartik's success, though, had less to do with the pitch and more to do with what he did through the air. He tossed the ball up, giving it a rip, getting it to dip, and batsmen were beaten by the flight before the turn delivered the fatal blow. And mind, he was not throwing every ball up in the air in hope. In each over, he mixed his pace up, varying the trajectory, just tossing the ball up often enough to remind batsmen that he could do that.

Indian tailenders steal unlikely victory

2007-10-17T11:24:00.001-07:00

The stage was set for India's most loved cricketing son to bid adieu to his home crowd with the sort of innings that he often played to illuminate this venue for almost two decades. Instead, it was Murali Kartik, forever condemned to Indian cricket's fringes, who basked in the late-afternoon sunshine with a mesmeric spell of left-arm spin bowling, before taking part in the unlikeliest of rearguard actions to script a famous victory.

Australia's pace bowlers had bullied and toyed with India's top order, before a defiant 65-run partnership between Robin Uthappa and Harbhajan Singh gave India fleeting hope. However, it was a stunning 52-run stand for the ninth wicket between Kartik and Zaheer Khan that gave India a consolation win in a series otherwise dominated by the world champions.

The undoubted star of the day though was Kartik. Four years ago, he was India's best bowler in the TVS Cup that Australia won, but was never trusted enough to kick on to greater heights. On Wednesday, he showed just why he's India's most potent one-day spinner with a wonderful combination of teasing flight, guile and sharp turn.

The key moments came in the passage of play when Brad Hodge and Andrew Symonds were dismissed off successive deliveries. Symonds, the outstanding player of the series, came to the crease accompanied by a chorus of boos, and many more jeers and whistles followed him back after he cut a delivery to Tendulkar at short cover. The previous ball had seen Hodge's Indian nightmare continue, with Kartik angling one across to take the edge to slip.

It was respite that India needed after they had squandered the perfect start. Clarke was plumb first ball, but though Zaheer did little wrong, RP Singh started woefully at the other end, conceding four wides in his opening over. Adam Gilchrist struggled as the ball moved around, but Ponting was ruthless on the slightest bowling transgressions, driving, flicking off the pads and cutting with precision.

It was back to terra firma with a thud as the three-time world champions illustrated their hatred of defeat. Fortunately for India, Kartik was intent on ensuring that his dream day didn't become a nightmare.

Seniors Vs Juniors.!!! We have a match on hands

2007-10-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Its really rubbish to even think of dropping Sachin from the team for the next couple of Series. Everyone knows he is still superb batsman.
And just to give chance to youngsters Sachin should not be dropped or think of retiring him. There should be a balance betwween the juniors and the seniors.

But it is the performance that has to be given top priority than the age. What I mean is Rahul Dravid should be given a break. He is not able to get a solid position of batting in the team. He is out of form. It is different with Sachin and Saurav because they are the opening pair and should always be until something disastrous happen.

To Chase 318......some brilliant batting was required at the top order.

2007-10-14T06:10:00.000-07:00

If India wanted to win this match to keep the series alive by not giving away the series to Australia they wanted their top 3 batsman to fire. Sachin and saurav gave a tremendous start. Tendulkar and Ganguly reeled off a 26th century stand, giving India hope of a first successful run-chase against Australia in nearly a decade. The turning point was undoubtedly Tendulkar's dismissal after a magnificent 72, smartly stumped by Gilchrist off Hopes. This was a major turning point in the sense that after Sachin they sent Irfan up the order to utilize the 3rd powerplay. He played his role quite well but it was this move that backfired. With Ganguly alone they needed another batsman to support him well. But with the net run rate required creeping up and with Irfan back in the hut iut was left to Ganguly to launch the attack. Thus giving away his priced wicket.

Everything was going good. With Rahul dravid and yuvraj playing and still Dhoni and Robin left it was anybodies guess to put their money on Indians. But with too new batsman at the crease and with Rahul clearly out of form slowed down the run rate.

Just think from 140 in 100 bowls thay needed to 100 of 5 balls. That was affect of not sending a inform batsman at one down. Dhoni and specially Robin did play superbly at the death. But it was the pressure that did them more than anything.
Ponting really made some good decisions and with his bowlers bowling briliantly it was becoming very hard for dhoni and robin. And thus both Dhoni and robin going in the last penultimate over.

But what really delights me is the way the Indians went with their planning. They even gave a fight to the champoins which surely was missing at baroda. A superb opening partnership. But it was the lack of taking singles during the period when two new batsman were at the crease. And losing too many batsman did them lose hope.

Australia 4-1 up in the series!!!

2007-10-14T05:41:00.000-07:00

So whom according to u was the person who lost it in this match. Kiski galti se India ko bhugatna pada? Initially Zaheer took clarks wicket. But I think then Zaheer and Sreesanth let the Aussie batsman play freely. They gave away too many loose deliveries which were put away for boundaries. The bowlers never looked like attacking or bowling wicket taking deliveries. They simply waited for the batsman to do a mistake. Ponting and Adam were able to put up a good platform for the middle order batsman specially with symonds in such a good nick.

This is has been a consistent problem with the Indian bowlers of not being able to put pressure on the Aussie batsman in the middle overs between 20 and 35. Austraila did not loose any wicket during that duration which surely was a big thing. And then the late down batsman with Symonds played brilliantly during the death overs to put 317 runs on the board. The fielding was below par at any sense with Rahul to lead. He along with sreesanth left some silly catches. Symonds drop was the most important turning point. Had he been taken India would have been enjoying a glass of champagne in the dressing room. But that was never to be.
This score was always an uphill task for the Indians. But with the best batting team on paper to come anything could have happened.