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Needed to be a bit more attacking: Gayle

2009-07-06T11:56:00.000+05:30

West Indies skipper Chris Gayle praised the captain's innings played by Mahendra Singh Dhoni but felt a bit more aggressiveness on the part of his bowlers could have helped the team win the third one-dayer at the Beausejour Stadium, in Gros Islet.

Frequent rain interruptions affected the West Indies momentum but Ramnaresh Sarwan ensured they registered a competitive 185 for seven from 27 overs.

However, thanks to a strong opening partnership between Dinesh Karthik and Gautam Gambhir and Dhoni's heroics towards the end, India defeated the West Indies by six wickets via Duckworth-Lewis method and take an unassailable 2-1 lead in the four-match series.

"We felt we had our chance after scoring 185. But we needed to be a bit more attacking at the start of the Indian innings," said Gayle at the post-match ceremony.

The skipper lamented the frequent stoppages due to rain. "Weather made it difficult, but we can't do anything about it. In the end we tried to pull it off but credit to Dhoni, he saw the team home," Gayle added.

Dhoni, meanwhile, said the frequent rain interruptions put them on backfoot as it brought D/L method into play.

"Everytime we thought we were in the game the Duckworth-Lewis got us onto the backfoot. We couldn't use our second Power Play due to that," said Dhoni.

Fourth ODI washed out, India clinch series 2-1

2009-07-06T11:52:00.001+05:30

India made amends for their Twenty20 World Cup debacle, winning the one-day international series against West Indies 2-1 after torrential rains washed out the fourth and final ODI at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia on Sunday.

The match started an hour late following heavy rains just after India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to field, forcing the umpires to reduce it to a 49-over-a-side affair.

West Indies were 27 for one when rain interrupted play for the second time after they had lost the crucial wicket of skipper Chris Gayle for a duck.

Runako Morton (12 not out) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (12 not out) were at the crease when play was called off.

With this victory, India registered only their second bilateral series triumph in the Caribbean. Last time they won a series in West Indies was in 2002 under Sourav Ganguly's captaincy.

India had earlier won the first match of the series by 20 runs, while West Indies cameback strongly in the second, hammering the Dhoni-led side by eight wickets.

However riding on Dhoni's brilliance, India took the unassailable 2-1 lead, winning the third ODI by six wickets with a ball to spare.

Electing to field, Ishant Sharma gave India the dream start, picking up the vital wicket of Gayle in the second ball of the innings, caught behind by Dhoni with the hosts failing to open their account.

From there on, the West Indian batsmen found runs hard to come by against the accurate bowling of Ishant and Ashish Nehra. The hosts' struggle can be gauged from the fact they failed to struck a single boundary in the 7.3 overs theyfaced.

India, South Africa clubbed in same group in World T20

2009-07-06T11:51:00.000+05:30

2007 champions India, South Africa and a qualifier have been clubbed together in Group C for the third edition of the World Twenty20 to be played in the West Indies next year, it was announced by the International Cricket Council in Dubai on Sunday.

Defending champions Pakistan, Australia and Bangladesh are in Group A in the tournament that will start from April 30.

Sri Lanka, who finished runners-up in England, are in Group B with Zimbabwe and New Zealand while the hosts West Indies, England and a qualifier are in Group D.

The opening match of the tournament will be played between the West Indies and a qualifier while India also will start their campaign against a qualifier on May 1.

The 17-day tournament is being held in 2010 just to avoid its clash with the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent. The semi-finals will be played on May 13 and 14 while the final is slated for May 16.

A total of 27 matches will be played at four venues - Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts and St Lucia, and the Kensington Oval will host the final.

In the women's tournament, which will also be hosted simultaneously, teams have been divided in two groups, A and B.

Champions England, Australia, the West Indies and South Africa are in group A, while India, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are in Group B.

Akram slams BCCI for not playing with Pakistan

2009-07-06T11:46:00.000+05:30

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has criticised the Indian cricket board for showing reluctance to schedule a bilateral series.

The Future Tours Programme draft does not include a single bilateral series between the archrivals, even though the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had promised earlier that the two nations would meet at least once a year.

"The BCCI has been very harsh on Pakistan in not inviting them to play a single match in the future. They do not realise that it is very important for Asia and world cricket that India and Pakistan play together," Akram was quoted as saying by ESPN Mobile.

"India should have been sensitive towards Pakistan cricket and its upliftment in the subcontinent. An India-Pakistan series is even bigger than the Ashes, hence the two nations should actually be playing more often not only to generate revenue but heal whatever political bitterness exists," he said.

Akram however hopes the situation will improve. "India may not have time in 2010 but hopefully they will find space to play Pakistan in the coming years. Sports has a great healing touch and cricket will prove to be a great leveller."

Dhoni remains atop ICC ODI batsmen table

2008-11-04T11:10:00.000+05:30

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was on Sunday appointed as India Test team captain following the retirement of Anil Kumble, continued to top the One-Day International batsmen chart in the ICC players ranking issued on Monday.

Dhoni with 793 points is way ahead of his nearest rival Australian Mike Hussey (776) with South African skipper Greame Smith(757) occupying the third spot.

Apart from Dhoni, no other Indian features in the top 10 batsmen ranking with Yuvraj Singh languishing at the 17th spot.

Also, Indian bowlers cut a sorry figure in the bowling ranking as none could make it to the top 20 ODI bowlers chart, which is being headed by left-arm Australian pacer Nathan Bracken. New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori and Australian Mitchell Johnson are in the second and third spot respectively.

Kiwi Jacob Oram leads the all-rounder pack, followed by Andrew Flintoff of England and Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik.

Meanwhile, India, with 113 points, find themselves in the fifth position in the ICC ODI Championship table. Australia is at the top with 131 points, followed by South Africa (118) and England (116).

Yousuf all set to join rebel league?

2008-11-04T11:09:00.000+05:30

There was a new twist in Pakistan’s ace batsman Mohammad Yousuf's unending saga with the Indian Cricket League, on Monday. Interestingly, Yousuf left for New Delhi even as the Pakistan Cricket Board selectors decided to name him in the squad for the ODI series against the West Indies scheduled in Abu Dhabi next week.

Though PCB has termed it as a private visit, rumours about him joining the league have gained momentum. Speaking on the development, ICL executive board member Bharat Reddy said, "You will come to know about the league's official stand tomorrow."

But when pressed further, he nodded and said, "It's very likely."

Yousuf has had a bittersweet relationship with the league, with him being involved in a legal wrangle for breach of contract.

The middle-order batsman, who had signed up for the league in August 2007, failed to abide by his contractual obligations and decided to return his advance payment only to join the rival Indian Premier League. As a result, the ICL filed a case against him in Mumbai, which is still pending.

IPL threatens

PTI adds from Karachi: Indian Premier League official and former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah has threatened to take legal course against Yousuf if the Pakistani batsman returned to the ICL fold.

IPL not to blame for Test clashes, says Modi

2008-10-30T12:21:00.000+05:30

Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi said his organisation could not be held responsible if Sri Lanka cancelled their tour of England in April and May next year.

Sri Lanka, themselves a substitute side for Zimbabwe, could pull out of the scheduled two Tests and three one-day internationals, which precede the Ashes, because stars such as Kumar Sangakkara and Muttiah Muralitharan are contracted to the IPL.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan board, who are in no position to offer their players anything like the money they might earn in the Twenty20 jamboree, are concluding a 40-million dollars deal with the IPL.

That would lead to the full participation of Sri Lankan players in the IPL and the Twenty20 Champions League for the next decade.

Modi, speaking at the Global Sport Summit in London, said: "The ICC's (International Cricket Council's) tours programme is fixed seven years in advance. Everybody commits to that and players commit to their countries on that basis.

"There are gaps in the scheduling. Based on those gaps players and countries make other programmes to fill them. The Indian Premier League took into account the ICC's fixed programme and signed players on three-year contracts.

"The Sri Lanka board gave their players a no-objection certificate for three years to play in the Indian Premier League.

"Unfortunately the Zimbabwe tour to England was cancelled. The ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) had an obligation to Sky television to bring another team in.

"It is always portrayed that the Indian Premier League is stopping the Test matches being played. There was never a scheduled Test in the first place.

"The Sri Lankan tour would breach the contract with the Indian Premier League."

England is unusual among major cricket nations in that good crowds regularly attend Test matches. Many believe the growth of Twenty20 tournament such as the IPL poses a threat to what traditionalists sill regard as the ultimate form of the game.

But Modi said there was room in the calendar for both brands of cricket. "Test cricket is here to stay. It has its own hard core following and we will continue to see that go forward," said Modi.

The England and Wales Cricket Board had said centrally contracted players could not play IPL cricket in 2009. But Modi said it might be possible for the likes of England captain Kevin Pietersen to get his hands on an IPL contract.

"We would love to have the English players play for the IPL. We have the top 100 players in the world in the IPL and they are the only players missing.

"The ECB has approached the BCCI and the IPL with the objective of saying they are ready to provide non-objection certificates to the English players to play in the IPL.

"But there is a big catch to it.

"The ECB are set to launch the English Premier League and the quid pro quo is that if the ECB was to release their players, then the IPL must release a minimum of 20 players for the English Premier League.

"It has to go to a governing council and the BCCI board for approval. In the absence of that approval we will continue the way we are.

"I hope the English players can participate but I cannot guarantee that."

Laxman slams another ton against Australia

2008-10-30T12:02:00.000+05:30

Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman continued to score freely as both the batsmen piled on the runs for the hosts. Both batsmen continued to play aggressive cricket as they played some attacking shots to India past the 300 mark. India were 337/3.

The Australians on the other hand also intoduced the new ball in the attack to put pressure on the Indian batsmen, but were still to get any success from it.

VVS Laxman again got the better of his favourite opponents Australia as he scored another century against them. Beautifully stroking the ball through the covers for a boundary, Laxman raised his bat in delight for yet another Test century for the Hyderabadi batsman. India were 389/3.

Aggressive Gambhir rattles Aussies

2008-10-30T11:47:00.000+05:30

Three days of intense preparation brought three moments of respite for Australia as India dominated the opening day of the Kotla Test after a shaky start. Gautam Gambhir led the way with his highest Test score, an unbeaten 149 that riled the Australians no end as India ended on 296 for 3.

One of Australia's biggest concerns all tour has been the non-performance of Brett Lee and the pacer sent his first ball spearing down leg, followed it up with a near wide outside off. When he did manage to hit the target, Virender Sehwag’s pad came in the way of a delivery that would have uprooted the middle stump. Aleem Dar had to make a simple lbw decision.

Rahul Dravid came out looking to play his shots, wasting no time in cover driving for three and glancing for a boundary. But he was guilty once again — third time this series — of chasing a wide delivery, and only managed a thick edge off Mitchell Johnson that Matthew Hayden caught inches from the ground at first slip. At 27 for 2 India were perfectly poised to squander the advantage of having won a good toss.

Thankfully for the home side, home boy Gambhir was in no mood to squander a golden opportunity to bat long. Sachin Tendulkar constantly spoke to Gambhir, presumably urging him to keep his concentration going, and it paid dividends. Even as Tendulkar batted freely, showing the balance and timing that has brought him more runs than any other batsman in history, Gambhir tightened his game and settled in for the long haul.

This was not to say that Gambhir looked to block everything. Rather, he cut out the risks, offering the full face of the bat to repeatedly drive the ball back down the ground through the on side as the bowlers tried to force the mistake of bowling around the stumps to the left-hander.

Tendulkar's stroke-filled stay came to an end against the run of play when he played a bit inside the line to Johnson on 68 and feathered an edge to the keeper.

Just as he had done earlier, Gambhir switched gears once more, this time speeding up as V.V.S. Laxman bedded down with some luscious strokes.

Gambhir trotted down the pitch to all the bowlers, shuffling and meeting the ball with an unhurried bat. When Shane Watson tried to keep things tight with Gambhir on 99, the fighter in Gambhir came to the fore as he gave the bowler the charge and carted an emphatic six over wide mid-on.

All through the day, Australia's bowlers had tried to get under Gambhir's skin, exchanging sharp words more than once. But more than the words Gambhir replied with strokes.

What really hurt Australia's bowlers — and once again they were guilty of bowling so short that that they gave the ball no chance to swing, conventional of reverse — were the 149 runs Gambhir piled up from 390 minutes of batting. Laxman got to 54 almost unnoticed, in good time, setting the stage perfectly for the second day.

Ambani Denies Interest in Bidding for IPL Cricket Franchise

2008-10-30T11:41:00.000+05:30

India's second-richest man, Anil Ambani, denied a claim from Indian Premier League Chairman Lalit Modi that he may bid for a franchise in the Twenty20 cricket competition.

``We categorically deny any interest as claimed by Mr. Lalit Modi,'' an Ambani spokesman said in an e-mailed statement today.

Modi said in an interview in London on Oct. 24. that Ambani ``is very interested and we will add one more team next year.''

The IPL, a six-week tournament which completed its inaugural competition in June, has drawn some of the best players in the world, including South African Jacques Kallis and Australian Andrew Symonds, and generated revenue of about $200 million, an all-time high for a single season in the sport.

Modi said the first season had been a ``fantastic success,'' and anticipated that the franchise sale for the league's ninth team may bring in as much as $200 million. Media reports in India said there could be as many as four new teams by 2011. Modi declined to say when the new franchise would be chosen or where it would be located.

In January 2008, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which runs the IPL, sold its broadcast rights to Sony Corp. and World Sport Group, a Singapore-based marketer, for $1 billion over 10 years. ESPN Inc. and News Corp.'s Star Sports network, which have a joint venture in India, followed in September with a deal worth almost $1 billion to broadcast the Champions League -- a new tournament featuring the best Twenty20 teams.

Auctioned Off

Modi, 44, auctioned off the IPL's eight city teams in 2008 to investors including Ambani's brother and India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd. Bollywood film star Shah Rukh Khan, and News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch's son Lachlan Murdoch took part in the bidding, which raised about $724 million.

The IPL has lured some of cricket's best players by paying the highest salaries the game has seen. In February, Kallis signed a $2.7 million contract for three seasons with the Bangalore Royal Challengers, and Symonds fetched $4 million for three seasons from the Deccan Chargers.

Twenty20 is the newest form of the game. The big-hitting shorter format has led to a spike in sponsorships and public interest in cricket since the first match in England in 2003.

Forbes magazine estimates that 49-year-old Ambani, owner of some of India's biggest businesses, is worth $42 billion, while his brother Mukesh is worth $43 billion. They don't speak.

Champions League to begin on December 3

2008-08-14T23:39:00.000+05:30

The inaugural Champions League Twenty20 will be played between December 3 and 10, instead of October, the organisers - the boards of India, Australia and South Africa - have announced. To accommodate the change, the first Test between Australia and South Africa in Perth has been pushed back from December 12 to December 17.

The eight-team tournament was initially scheduled to begin on September 29, the reserve day of the Champions Trophy, but the ICC was unhappy with its timing, given its close proximity to the Champions Trophy. It asked the three founding members of the Champions League to rethink, and they said they would revert in seven days.

It was expected last week that the dates would be postponed to early December, between England's two-Test and seven-ODI tour of India.

No other international fixtures have been scheduled on those dates, allowing all players to participate. The tournament has been sandwiched between the India's seventh one-dayer against England and the first Test in Ahmedabad, which start a day before and after the tournament respectively.

"We are happy that we were able to find a window during the first week of December for the inaugural edition of the Champions League Twenty20," Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said. "There was a gap in between the one-day internationals and Tests [in India] against the touring England squad, which will enable both the Rajasthan Royals and the Chennai Super Kings (the IPL finalists) to regroup and focus on the inaugural edition of the Champions League Twenty20."

Gerald Majola and James Sutherland, the chief executives of the South African and Australian boards respectively, said they had consulted the players, players' associations and the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) - the hosts of the Perth Test - before deciding the dates.

"We were pleased with the WACA reaction that the new playing dates offer local fans, including corporate groups wanting to entertain at the cricket, good dates for pre-Christmas Test match enjoyment, and we also took feedback from players that the changes could be accommodated without compromising what will be a defacto World Test Cricket Championship bout between Australian and South Africa during December and January," Sutherland said.

Majola told Cricinfo that the organisers have "conveyed the new dates to the ICC and they are fine with it." The venues and commercial partnership details will be finalised in the coming weeks.

The Champions Twenty 20 League comprises the Twenty20 domestic finalists from India , Australia and South Africa, Pakistan's winner Sialkot and England's champion Middlesex. The competition was announced on July 30, with a total prize money of US$ 6 million which will be shared between all teams.

Handling Mendis is up to the individual - Dhoni

2008-08-14T23:20:00.000+05:30

Hardly 15 minutes after Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived at the team hotel in Colombo with his fellow one-day recruits, had he faced a barrage of questions. No surprise that most of them focused around the man who snatched almost half of the Indian wickets in the Test series, Ajantha Mendis.

"I'll just ask Mahela [Jayawardene] if he will lend Mendis for a couple of practice sessions. If not, then...," Dhoni said with a laugh when asked how India could tackle Mendis. "But seriously, we will have to deal with it in a personal way. We can watch 1000 videos of what he does, but it is up to the individual to play him on the turf. It depends on your frame of mind."

India's ODI squad includes two uncapped players, Tamil Nadu's S Badrinath and Delhi's Virat Kohli, the victorious Under-19 captain. Sachin Tendulkar will not play the five-ODIs after sustaining an injury to his left elbow during the third Test in Colombo. Dhoni admitted that was a major blow, but put faith in the younger players. "It's not just his contribution with bat and the ball, but he comes up with brilliant suggestions and advice on the field. The impact he has in the dressing room is great.

"But cricket goes on. The youngsters will have to prove they are good enough. Whenever this scenario has happened in Indian cricket, somebody has accepted responsibility. Sri Lanka is one of the toughest places to play cricket. You don't often get loads of runs when batting. It can be crucial."

In the Tests India's batsmen failed to put up good scores, failing to cross 330, and that cost them the series. Dhoni, however, said it was important for the batsmen to back themselves to score briskly, despite the setbacks.

"There are a few things that we need to assess," said Dhoni. "I've always been saying that confidence shouldn't go up and down with the performance. You have to stay positive always."

India's recent record in the subcontinent includes losses in the finals of the Kitply and Asia Cup, which Dhoni termed as "crucial games", and he hoped to rectify that trend. The ODI specialists had two days of practice at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore, which Dhoni said was "up to the mark", and he noted a lot of energy in the side.

Jayawardene, Dhoni's counterpart, was understandably optimistic about the ODIs, having defeated India in the Asia Cup and the Test series. "It is always a different game and we have different game plans [for handling India]," he said. "It's a young side, and we are grooming a young group of guys to take over. We are looking to the little things well as individuals - that's been our emphasis and I think that's what has contributed to our improvement over that period."

Picking up 26 wickets is no mean achievement for a bowler, but when Mendis and Murali operate in tandem is when they're so difficult. After a long time, Murali has a genuine match-winning spinning partner, and Jayawardene felt it was quite a relief for a captain to have such an option. "We now have good attacking options," he said. "Murali has got the support he requires and also there is support for [Chaminda] Vaas. We have the likes of Lasith Malinga and Dilhara Fernando. For us it's always a team and it does not matter what Ajantha Mendis does."

Sri Lanka will welcome back their prolific one-day opener, Sanath Jayasuriya, but Jayawardene was not sure about who would partner him. Sri Lanka's 15-man squad includes eight batsmen, so they have choices between Malinda Warnapura, Mahela Udawatte, and Kumar Sangakkara to open. Jayawardene said Warnapura's success in the Tests - he scored 243 runs at 60.75, with a hundred in the first Test at the SSC, and two fifties - gave Sri Lanka a viable option, but Sangakkara's success in the Asia Cup could see him opening with Jayasuriya.

"The way everyone's talking about Ajantha," Jayawardene said, "he might take ten wickets even before going on." The venue for the first two ODIs is Dambulla, a notoriously low-scoring venue which favours spin, so India will need to be on their best guard against Sri Lanka's two spinners.

Pakistan win by 155 runs against Hong Kong

2008-06-24T23:59:00.000+05:30

KARACHI: Pakistan made Hong Kong realise the gruels of top-level international cricket, handing them a crushing 155-run defeat in a Group B match of the Asia Cup at National stadium here on Tuesday night.

Electing to bat, Pakistan overcame early hiccups to post an imposing 288 for nine and then stopped Hong Kong at 133 for nine in 37.2 overs to make an easy winning start.

Hong Kong innings folded without losing all ten wickets as Zain Abbas did not complete his innings after retiring at individual score of 26, which was also highest for them.

Hong Kong, led by Tabarak Dar, did well in the first part stopping Pakistan from reaching 300 but scoring against experienced attack was the real test of their batting line up.

Sohail Tanvir put up a brilliant all round show in Pakistan's victory as he first played a crucial 59-run knock and then picked up two wickets to pile up agony for Hong Kong.

The pace trio of Tanvir (2/20), Umar Gul and Iftikhar Anjum (2/18) intimidated, bruised and then devastated the opponent batting.

Tanvir, Anjum and spinning all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who once again failed with the bat, shared six wickets among them.

It was a brave start by Hong Kong as skipper Tabarak Dar and Skhawat Ali put on 27 without loss but Dar had to leave the crease after receiving a nasty blow by Umar Gul.

A bouncer hit the grill of the helmet, leaving Dar stunned and forced to put a break on his innings though fortunately he was not injured seriously.

The side never recovered from the blow dealt to their captain and kept losing wickets. From none for 27 they were reduced to 3 for 32 as Tanvir and Iftikhar rocked the top-order.

It was a lost battle for Hong Kong as they found the going tough against formidable Pakistan attack. Batsmen walked back to Pavilion one after another and it was easy for Pakistan.

After pacers did their job well, Pakistan spinners in Afridi and Fawad Alam and even skipper Shoaib Malik carried forward the good work. They kept a tight line, giving no chance to opponents free their arms.

Earlier, Fawad Alam (63 not out) and Tanvir (59) shared a crucial eight-wicket 100-run stand to propel Pakistan to 288 for nine.

Pakistan, electing to bat, were struggling at 161 for seven against minnows before the spin-pace combo of Alam and Tanvir joined hands to lift the hosts from what appeared to be an embarrassing situation.

Their top-order failed to build on to good starts and surprisingly struggled to negotiate a nascent attack, which did exceptionally well to put their fancied opponents under pressure.

Nadeem Ahmed ripped apart the Pakistan middle order to return brilliant figures of four for 51 after Afzal Ahmed and Irfan Ahmed removed openers.

Paceman Irfan (2/59) chipped in with two wickets.

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik (35) opened the batting with Salman Butt (0).

Malik sizzled for a while, hitting seven boundaries in his short stay, before becoming the victim of Irfan.

The hosts batsmen did not build up partnerships and only Younis Khan, who struck a superb 67 showed will to stay at the crease.

Younis played crucial knock, adorned with eight fours and one six, up the order to save his team from blushes.

After big hitter Shahid Afridi (4) and Misbah-ul Haq (2) failed to wield the magic of their batting prowess, Alam and Tanvir ensured they put enough runs on the board for themselves.

While Alam played patiently, building his innings ball after ball, Tanvir's knock was mixture of aggression and calm.

Alam consumed 77 balls for his unbeaten 63 and helped himself with three boundaries.

Tanvir contributed a useful 59, aided by six boundaries, to give his team relief.

We have learnt from our mistakes: Dhoni

2008-06-24T23:46:00.000+05:30

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday sounded a warning to his rivals saying his team has learnt from past mistakes and are ready to conquer the Asia Cup tournament, starting in Pakistan later this week.

"If we play to our potential and our capabilities on an average day we will win more matches than we will lose. I agree with Murali's comments," Dhoni said in Mumbai on Sunday before the team's departure to Karachi.

Muttiah Muralitharan had recently tipped India as the favourites at the Asia Cup.

India coach Gary Kirsten echoed Dhoni's views and said the Asia Cup was one of their immediate goals.

"We have set ourselves some goals for the next few months. We have set some very high standards and the Asia Cup is very much a part of that. Our goal is to win the tournament," Kirsten said.

Dhoni revealed that he would battting a higher in the order to pep lend experience to the middle order, which crumbed during the final of the tri-series against Pakistan in Bangladesh.

"I will stick it to an over mark, but definitely you will see me batting up in the Asia Cup," he said.

The dashing wicketkeeper also refused to dwell too much on India's recent record in Pakistan, saying "past doesn't matter."

"We have played well in Pakistan if you see the past 3-4 tours but that is the past and what you have done in the past does not matter. You have start fresh from the scratch because conditions are different, scenarios are different, so you have to start fresh."

He said that the team is looking to boost the confidence of new comers like Yusuf Pathan by giving them proper exposure. Dhoni rebuffed criticism that Yusuf's was under bowled during the tri-series in Bangladesh, saying that the bowlers were used according to the conditions.

"You use bowlers, whom you think will be more appropriate for the conditions.

"Virender Sehwag was purchasing more turn compared to any other bowler in that sort of wicket.

"It all depends on the strength of different bowlers and the same time you want to give them exposure in a proper way and give them confidence.

"Even if Yusuf bowled just four overs in the tournament we all know he has bowled well in domestic cricket and done well. Definitely we will give him more opportunities and we have confidence not only in his bowling, but his batting as well. So we will back him."

Dhoni said the loss in the final of the tri-series against Pakistan will not affect the team when they face the arch-rivals during the Asia Cup.

"Well it has nothing do to with one game. If you look at the final we had a brilliant game against Pakistan in the league stage. So a win or a loss goes on in cricket and as I said if we play to our potential we will win. It is not about which side you are playing [against] and what has happened in the past.

"If you playing to your potential and performing to your best, then you have more chances to win the game and that is what we will look to do," said the India captain.

Dhoni added that the team is working on utilising the middle overs to the maximum.

"The middle overs are important especially in the 50-overs game. There comes a span in the middle overs when you not only have to ensure that you do not lose wickets but also score at around 5 or 5.50 per over.

"If you have wickets in hand, then after the 38th or 40th over you can around around 70 to 80 runs or nowadays if you have seen you can see 100 runs being scores in the last 10 overs. The middle overs periods are extremely important."

Irfan to miss Asia Cup opener

2008-06-24T23:23:00.000+05:30

India launch their campaign in the Asia Cup cricket tournament against minnows Hong Kong in Karachi on Wednesday, hoping to get into top form ahead of their crucial match against arch-rivals Pakistan on Thursday.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men should not face much resistance from Hong Kong, but the Indians are in no mood to take their opponents lightly in what is likely to be a one-sided floodlit contest at the National Stadium.

The Indians will go into the game without the services of paceman Irfan Pathan, who will be rested because of a side strain. But they have enough bowling resources at their disposal to counter Hong Kong.

India's coach Gary Kirsten warned his players against getting complacent.

"I am looking for some big contributions from my players in the match. We will take every opposition seriously as this is the Asia Cup and we will play proper cricket and will do the things we need to do," Kirsten said.

The Indians, seeking to make amends after their defeat to Pakistan in the tri-series final in Bangladesh, have a track record in Pakistan in recent times. But captain Dhoni is not banking on statistics and willing to start from a scratch.

"We will start our script from scratch in this tournament. We are not going to take any team lightly," Dhoni said.

"I am happy with the team combination. I feel it is a good opportunity for the aspiring youngsters in such a big tournament. It is also a challenge for seasoned players to perform in it," he said.

In the batting department, India has a strong line-up, with the two left-handers, Yuvraj Singh [Images] and Gautam Gambhir, in fine nick, having played some brilliant innings during the tri-series in Bangladesh.

Dhoni, however, indicated that he would come up in the batting order to keep the momentum during the middle overs of the innings.

"I will definitely try to bat up the order depending on what kind of start we get. We float our batsmen depending on the number of overs left in the game," he said.

Hong Kong coach Aftab Habib, however, insisted his team, which has a combination of seniors and juniors, will not go down without a fight.

"We have this advantage that most of the guys are from Pakistan and have cricket in their blood. We know the Indians are a very strong outfit but we will go out there and just do our best," Habib, a former England cricketer, said.

"India has some world class batsmen but we have some good senior players and spinners in the side and if the pitch does do a little bit it would be interesting," he added.

Batsmen like Ashish Gadhia and James Atkinson can well change the calculation of the Indians if taken lightly.

In the absence of Pathan, Ishant Sharma will have to take the bulk of the pace bowling responsibility, along with R P Singh. Spinner Piyush Chawla will also have an important role considering the fact that pitches in the sub-continent generally assist the slow bowlers.

Teams (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Piyush Chawla, Manpreet Gony, Ishant Sharma, R P Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Praveen Kumar.

Hong Kong: Tabarak Dar (capt), Afzaal Haider, Ashish Gadhia, James Atkinson, Toby Brown, Hussain Butt, Irfan Ahmed, Courtney Kruger, Roy Lamsam, Munir Dar, Nadeem Ahmed, Najeeb Amar, Skhawat Ali, Waqas Barkat (wk), Zain Abbas.

Sreesanth in row with Bangalore hotel staff

2008-06-16T13:18:00.000+05:30

Team India cricketer S Sreesanth finds himself hitting headlines yet again. This time it is reports of the fiery pacer reportedly involved in an altercation with the staff of the Grand Ashoka hotel in Bangalore on Sunday.

TIMES NOW learnt that Sreesanth who was staying at the hotel with a friend, got into a heated argument with the hotel management in the middle of the night reportedly over a noisy air-conditioner.

It is believed that a major row broke out between the hotel staff, Sreesanth and his friend as they insisted on shifting to another room. However, Sreesanth's manager insisted that the issue has now been resolved and there was no such 'heated argument' between both the parties.

Sree's manager, Kunal Trehan, claims it was a minor problem.

"There was no heated argument. It was just a case of miscommunication between people. Sree was a bit disturbed by a persistent noise in his room and he asked me to resolve it. For which, I got him shifted in another room. There was no argument by Sree in any format," said Trehan adding that initially Sreesanth had left the hotel in a huff but returned when he was moved to another room.

Underplaying the incident, Trehan went on to add that Sreesanth took everything in good humour.

"Sree was laughing at the situation and was not at all miffed in any form. He has been at the Grand Ashoka several times over the past five years and this is like home to him," Trehan asserted.

"During his training at the National Academy as a teenager he lived here, so he is very well acquainted with the hotel staff and considers them as his family."

Clarke strikes as Marshall chases

2008-06-16T01:53:00.000+05:30

Stuart Clark made a much-needed breakthrough for Australia as Xavier Marshall led West Indies' mammoth chase of 475 but a string of dropped catches threatened to dampen the visitors' spirits as they searched for a 2-0 series win. At tea on the fourth day West Indies were 99 for 1 with Xavier Marshall on 42 and Ramnaresh Sarwan on 18, and they needed another 376 to complete a highly unlikely victory.

Marshall was his usual lively self, cover-driving against the fast men and taking quick singles to keep the fielders on their toes. He took yet another blow to the helmet - his third for the match - when he tried to hook Stuart Clark but Australia were frustrated by his confidence after he was dropped twice earlier in his innings.

Australia's fielding was unusually substandard and nothing went right for them until Brett Lee snared a chance at mid-on off Clark to remove Chris Gayle for 26. The Lee-Clark combination was a fitting one as both men had suffered from missed opportunities in their opening spells.

Gayle had a life on 8 when he drove a Lee half-volley on the up to mid off, where Beau Casson, who had taken a goalkeeper-style catch in the same spot in the first innings, put down a much simpler opportunity. Gayle could also have been run out on 20 when Lee ran in from mid-on and his throw at the bowler's end missed, while Gayle was loitering halfway down the pitch after a mix-up with Marshall.

Marshall was also a recipient of some good fortune, dropped on 1 and 22. The early miss came when Simon Katich's horror run in the cordon continued - he put down two at first slip in the first innings - and he grassed a straightforward chance at third slip off Lee. Brad Haddin then gave Clark a headache by dropping a gettable one-hander diving to his right after Marshall edged a cracking Clark legcutter.

It was hardly what Australia needed having given themselves five sessions to dismiss West Indies on a pitch that, while still offering some bounce, was becoming easier to bat on. Michael Clarke and Haddin guided Australia through a subdued morning as they gradually built up the total with West Indies, by the end of the session, making no attempt at dismissing them and simply waiting for Ponting's declaration.

His decision came at lunch with the score on 439 for 5, denying both men the chance to score half-centuries with Clarke unbeaten on 48 and Haddin on 45. The first session went largely as expected, although a pair of wickets for Sulieman Benn was just reward after he bowled a marathon spell that had started midway through the third afternoon.

Benn went for some boundaries off both batsmen - Haddin clobbered him down the ground for six after taking three fours off his previous over - but he always looked dangerous. Coming around the wicket to the right-handers he curved the ball beautifully and pitched several in line with off stump, jagging them away sharply to beat the bat.

Benn finished with 3 for 154 from 47 after Katich was caught driving on the up to cover for 157 and Andrew Symonds went in similar fashion for 2. But by that stage the lead was already approaching 400 and the only bowling that was really going to matter in terms of the match result was that of Australia.

Pietersen helps England to huge win

2008-06-16T01:50:00.000+05:30

Kevin Pietersen's magnificent 110 led England to a convincing 114-run-win over New Zealand in the first ODI at Chester-le-Street. With a disciplined allround display in the field, they never let New Zealand have a sniff of reaching 308 - a target made all the more challenging for the visitors after the early wicket of Brendon McCullum for 36. If this wasn't a complete one-day performance by England, it was something close to it. For New Zealand, it was sadly much of the same.

Led by Stuart Broad, England's bowlers were tight, disciplined and indebted to Pietersen's remarkable hundred from 112 balls. For too long Pietersen has been in hibernation; this was his first one-day hundred since the 2007 World Cup, and once he passed fifty, he appeared to regress back into that creative, dominant batsman who had all of England purring two years ago. England had lost Luke Wright for a stodgy 11, while Bell struggled to replicate his silky timing of two days ago, falling for 46. When Ravi Bopara departed, rather timidly handing Scott Styris a caught-and-bowled, England limped to 95 for 3 with the halfway point fast approaching.

That they reached the lofty heights of 307 was largely Pietersen's doing, but Collingwood returned to form brilliantly with a run-a-ball 64, as the pair put on 136 for the fourth wicket. Pietersen initially struggled, pottering - as much he ever potters - to 30 but unfurled thrillingly, like a caterpillar escaping its chrysalis. Styris, who was later to be dumbfounded by Pietersen's touch of genius, was clattered through the covers; Daniel Vettori, who mostly outbowled all his colleagues, was flat-driven over the top for six and after reaching a run-a-ball fifty, he took on Michael Mason with fours over midwicket. How desperately New Zealand miss Jacob Oram and the balance he offers the side.

For all Collingwood's impressive personal recovery, bulldozing his way into form through sheer bloody mindedness, all eyes were firmly fixed on Pietersen who, by now, was shifting through the gears in style. Each of his trademark shots were ticked off: the blazing cover drive, fierce pull in front of square, but the reverse-switch six hasn't been on view since he took on Muttiah Muralitharan in 2006. Here, he succeeded twice in four overs off an understandably perplexed Styris. Changing his grip and stance to that of a left-hander, Pietersen crashed him over cover (or midwicket, depending on your view) for one of the day's longest sixes. Four overs later he bettered it with another, straighter and crisper blow which sailed into the stand at long-on. This wasn't just audacious batting, but creative entertainment by a peerless showman. Surprising, then, that this was his first one-day hundred on home soil.

Collingwood was bowled by a frustrated Vettori, but England continued to pile on the pressure, with Owais Shah taking over the mantle of entertainer from Pietersen. In 25 balls, he carved, cracked and crashed 49. He went inside out to Mason over extra cover; Mills was hoisted over deep midwicket for another six, while Southee's debut went from bad to worse when Shah cracked him straight back over his head. It was breathless hitting.

Whereas England were consistently good, New Zealand were quite the opposite - though they were given hope of reaching their target through McCullum. Ryan Sidebottom, recalled after being rested for Friday's Twenty20 at Old Trafford, was fast but inaccurate, while James Anderson was back to his mercurial mediocre. McCullum capitalised, picking up Sidebottom for a huge six over midwicket, followed by a firm cut off Anderson two balls later.

With Anderson and Sidebottom leaking runs, it was to the youngster that Collingwood turned. Broad may look 14, but for someone still so inexperienced he showed remarkable control - helped, no doubt, by removing the biggest wicket of them all with his first ball. It wasn't the greatest of deliveries, truth be told: a short long-hop outside off which McCullum wellied straight to cover.

James Marshall's forgettable tour continued when he set off for a single to Collingwood in the gully, whose dead-eye throw knocked out the stumps to leave New Zealand stumbling on 61 for 2 after 14 overs. After McCullum, only Ross Taylor had the audacity to take on such a daunting total, and once he fell for 20 New Zealand had little hope. With the wickets came a resurgent England fielding display, Anderson excelling in the deep with two excellent saves, and only the most gnarly of nitpickers could fault them in the field.

Collingwood capped off a fine allround day with four wickets, drowning New Zealand's resolve. There may be no dollars or gold pots to chase in this form of the game at the moment, but England's eyes were firmly fixed on winning from the outset.

Shoaib's five-year ban reduced to 18 months

2008-06-14T22:55:00.001+05:30

Shoaib Akhtar's five-year ban has been reduced to 18 months by the PCB-appointed appellate tribunal, but he will have to pay a fine of Rs 7 million (approx US$105,000). The Pakistan board had, on April 1, banned him on various disciplinary grounds.

"The tribunal has taken the decision [to reduce Shoaib's ban] with a clear conscience and under no pressure from either the board or anyone else," Justice (retd) Aftab Farrukh, the head of the three-man tribunal, said in Karachi, adding that it was an unanimous decision.

Explaining the tribunal's verdict, Farrukh said: "We also took into consideration the past record of Shoaib and that he had publicly apologised for his behaviour and past deeds. He has promised to reform himself and we have also recommended to the board that he should be given proper counselling."

Another member of the tribunal, Naveed Chaudhry, was pushing for the complete removal of the ban, with the provision of higher fine, but was overruled. "I wanted him [Shoaib] to play but pay a hefty fine of 20 million, but the other two members thought otherwise." The third member, former Test cricketer Haseeb Ashan, did not attend the meeting, but gave his consent over telephone.

Meanwhile, Shoaib's lawyer, Abid Hasan Minto, said that he may pursue a further appeal against the reduced ban. "We will take a decision after going through the long and detailed order of the tribunal."

The Pakistan board issued the ban after Shoaib, who was not being offered a contract by the PCB, lashed out at domestic tournaments, pitches and the administration in general. He made the comments while on a two-year probation after hitting team-mate Mohammad Asif with a bat before the World Twenty20 last year.

Complacency, not Pakistan, India's main threat

2008-06-13T22:55:00.000+05:30

Rampaging form and beleaguered opponents tilt the scale pretty much in India's favour but complacency, and not Pakistan, pose the most serious threat to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team in the final of the tri-series in Dhaka on Saturday.

With runs flowing from the blades of India's top order batsmen and the bowling attack mowing down rival line-ups with regularity, Dhoni hardly had a reason to worry as his team bulldozed Bangladesh and pounded Pakistan with characteristic ruthlessness in two lop-sided league contests to storm into the final.

In contrast, a depleted Pakistan reached the summit showdown not before India had inflicted on them their worst defeat against the arch-rivals.

The 140-run thumping in fact had a ripple effect with a livid Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Nasim Ashraf shooting off a stinging e-mail to team manager Talat Ali seeking immediate explanation and questioning the team's ability, along with that of coach Geoff Lawson and the captain Shoaib Malik.

And with Ashraf set to attend tomorrow's final, Malik and his teammates would surely feel the heat.

In contrast, Dhoni's team has hardly put a foot wrong since their arrival here and the India captain said he was expecting the openers and new ball bowlers to deliver the goods.

"I am really happy about the team performance. We have played two matches and in both ties, we had good starts both in batting and bowling. I wish the same kind of performance continues in the final against Pakistan also," Dhoni said.

Openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir have been firing on all cylinders, continuing exactly from where they had left it in the Indian Premier League.

They put on 155 runs for the opening stand against Pakistan and added 85 last night against the hosts to provide the perfect start and the brisk rate.

New ball bowlers, especially Praveen Kumar, have shown a penchant to draw the first blood and peg the opponents to the back foot.

Dhoni, meanwhile, is taking nothing for granted and is insisting on focussing on the process, rather than guessing the outcome.

"Let's not think about the result but we should win the game as we have been doing so often. Every game is a fresh game and we need to carry on the momentum to some, even though you always start afresh. We have to repeat all the good work that we have done in the last two matches," he said.

"Of course we will be carrying our confidence but you have to start from the scratch again in the final. It is all about playing the game to your potential and to your strength. That is what is important rather thinking about beating the rivals."

He also seemed oblivious of the hype that generally surrounds an Indo-Pak tie.

"The final against Pakistan is just another game. We are going to play them for the second time. The team wants to play a good game of cricket and we would like to give our best tomorrow."

Squads (From):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, R P Singh, Piyush Chawla, Pragyan Ojha and MS Gony.

Pakistan: Shoaib Malik (C), Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Yonus Khan, Muhammad Yousaf, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Umer Gul, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Nasir Jamshed, Sohail Khan, Rao Iftikar, Bazid Khan and Naumanullah.

Gambhir century takes India to easy win

2008-06-12T22:53:00.000+05:30

A fifth ODI century for Gautam Gambhir and another quickfire fifty from Virender Sehwag extended India's domination in the Kitply Cup as they thumped Bangladesh in Mirpur by seven wickets, with 14.5 overs to spare, and set up a final with Pakistan. Bangladesh needed to win by a bonus point to book their place in the final but, despite Raqibul Hasan's 89, they always going to fall short of a fighting total after a miserly opening burst from Praveen Kumar.

Chasing 223, India were off to a flier with Sehwag in imperious touch. He offered a few chances early in his innings but soon took the attack to Reza in the sixth over, smacking one over midwicket for a boundary and then another through point. Fortunately for him, an outside edge eluded a diving Mushfiqur Rahim. Gambhir repeated the dose in Reza's next over, taking three fours as the bowler erred in his line.

Ashraful brought on Dolar Mahmud, playing his second game, but Sehwag showed him no mercy and disdainfully dispatched twice him over the extra-cover boundary for six. To Bangladesh's relief, he then smashed a short ball straight into the hands of Tamim Iqbal at square leg at the end of an over in which he plundered 24 to rush to 59 off just 32 balls.

The platform had been set for the other batsmen to consolidate, and Gambhir took the cue from his Delhi team-mate. Rohit Sharma was lucky to survive an outside edge off Dolar and then pulled one superbly for six, but it was Gambhir who stole the show once the spinners come into play.

Gambhir, reputedly the best player of spin in this Indian XI, justified that tag; he didn't hesitate to come down the track - giving himself a bit of room as well - and launched boundaries with ease in the arc between wide long-off and extra cover. Forty-four of his runs came in the region and, when the Bangladesh bowlers pitched it short on middle and leg, pulled or slog-swept them to the leg side. Abdur Razzak's entry into the attack was greeted with a inside-out shot over extra cover for four, and he was then launched over long-off for six.

Gambhir was much slower than Sehwag to his fifty - it took 57 balls - but he stayed till the end to get a well-deserved hundred. Some innocuous spin from Mahmudullah and Alok Kapali was hardly a problem for a man who'd handled Muttiah Muralitharan with aplomb in the CB Series. Rohit and Yuvraj Singh fell at the other end, but that didn't matter as Gambhir's unbeaten 107 saw India home.

Mohammad Ashraful, the Bangladesh captain, was left hapless as Sehwag and Gambhir plundered runs, but it was his batsmen who'd let the team down with an inadequate 222, which owed much to Raqibul's 89.

Along with Ashraful, Raqibul rebuilt a tottering innings - Bangladesh's openers had fallen for just 17 - with a 76-run stand in 19.4 overs. Ashraful's 67-ball 36 ended in a tame manner, one driven back to Yusuf Pathan handing him his first ODI wicket. Although the more experienced Ashraful failed to capitalise, Raqibul didn't disappoint. In his eighth innings, he came up with his highest score - his 89 also being the best for a Bangladesh batsman against India - surely one of the few positives for coach Jamie Siddons from this tournament.

Bangladesh crawled in the early half of their innings. Praveen's opening spell of 7-2-8-1, backed by a disciplined effort from the other Indian bowlers, ensured runs came at a premium. It was Alok Kapali's entry - with Bangladesh at 106 for 4 in the 30th over - that gave the innings a much-needed momentum. Both he and Raqibul found the gaps and ran hard for the singles. There were only four boundaries, shared equally by the two, and just when Bangladesh looked set for a late-over surge, Kapali was cleaned up by Irfan as he walked across the stumps. The fifth-wicket partnership added 46 in just 8.4 overs.

Raqibul brought up his fifty off 78 balls, and he upped the pace in the latter half of his innings as India's bowlers failed to make inroads in the middle overs. Praveen's returns in his last three overs fetched three times the runs off his first seven, but with Raqibul cramping up, Bangladesh failed to make full use of the final few overs. Mahmudullah chipped in with 24, but Bangladesh lost their last four wickets for 26 as they were bowled out in 49.5 overs.

Symonds fined for missing team bus

2008-06-12T15:55:00.000+05:30

Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds has been fined after sleeping in and missing the team bus to a training session in Barbados.

Symonds was 10 minutes late for the bus but did not miss any part of practice after finding his own way to Kensington Oval, the Australian Associated Press reported.

He was fined an undisclosed amount by the team’s leadership group consisting of skipper Ricky Ponting, vice-captain Michael Clarke, coach Tim Nielsen and manager Steve Bernard.

Symonds is the second Australian player to be fined on their tour of West Indies after sleeping in. Spinner Stuart MacGill was also fined for turning up late on day two of the second Test in Antigua.

Symonds was also fined and suspended for two one-day games after arriving drunk on the morning of a one-day match against Bangladesh on the 2005 Ashes tour.

Symonds fined for missing team bus

2008-06-12T15:29:00.000+05:30

Australia all-rounder Andrew Symonds has been fined after sleeping in and missing the team bus to a training session in Barbados.

Symonds was 10 minutes late for the bus but did not miss any part of practice after finding his own way to Kensington Oval, the Australian Associated Press reported.

He was fined an undisclosed amount by the team's leadership group consisting of skipper Ricky Ponting, vice-captain Michael Clarke, coach Tim Nielsen and manager Steve Bernard.

Symonds is the second Australian player to be fined on their tour of West Indies after sleeping in. Spinner Stuart MacGill was also fined for turning up late on day two of the second Test in Antigua.

Symonds was also fined and suspended for two one-day games after arriving drunk on the morning of a one-day match against Bangladesh on the 2005 Ashes tour.

IPL salary cap to stay, says Modi

2008-06-10T22:39:00.000+05:30

Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi on Tuesday ruled out lifting the salary cap on the franchisees from the second edition of the Twenty20 extravaganza.

Modi said in a statement that the players are legally bound by their three-year contract with their respective franchisees and they have to abide by that.

"The three-year contractual clause was made public to both the franchisees and players prior to the auction and the player's participation.

"All the parties will abide by the terms and conditions laid down by the governing council and it is only up to the franchisee to trade a player/players as and when the trading window opens next year," Modi said.

Presently, each of the eight franchisees can spend a maximum of USD five million for its squad, and players like Ricky Ponting has already opposed such moved, fearing it would lead to uneven contests.

The release said the players are bound by the contractual agreements signed with franchisees for a period of three years and new guidelines would be out soon before the transfer window opens early next year.

"...the DLF Indian Premier League will issue a fresh set of guidelines on the player transfer protocols for the next season keeping in mind the transfer window," the release said.

"It would however, be the prerogative of the franchisee alone to take a decision to trade a player/players, when the trading window opens in the early part of 2009 just prior to the second season of the DLF Indian Premier League," it added.

India beat Pakistan by 140 runs

2008-06-10T22:26:00.001+05:30

India showed how the hectic pace of Twenty20 cricket could be replicated in the one-day game, pounding 330 on a sluggish pitch and rounding off a thumping win in their opening match of the Kitply Cup. Pakistan, coming off 12 successive wins against weak opposition, crashed to their worst defeat against India and their coach Geoff Lawson, who had hoped for a 150-run win, would have been embarrassed to see the shoe on the other foot.

India's domination was complete. Their mammoth total was made possible not by one but three batsmen: Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir made the most of some sloppy catching, getting within four runs of India's highest opening stand against Pakistan, before Yuvraj Singh raised visions of a 375-plus total. They settled for 330 but it didn't really matter in the final analysis. Once Pakistan crumbled to 26 for 3, it was only a case of picking up the pieces.

A run-rate of 6.6 is impressive in all conditions but the fact that India kept it up on a sluggish pitch that offered some assistance to the medium-pacers added more gloss to the effort. Their fifty came up as early as the seventh over but Pakistan's four-pronged pace didn't start as badly as what the run-rate suggested. They troubled the batsmen with swing and cut and even managed the edge on a few occasions but they were let down by poor fielding. Younis Khan allowed Gambhir two lives - on 4 and 29 - with identical edges flying past his at second slip and Kamran Akmal let off Sehwag on 43 when he lost control of the ball after appearing to have snared an edge to his right.

Sehwag, who walked all the way back towards the ropes before returning, made the most of his good fortune, racing to his first fifty in a year. He was dropped for the final stages of India's CB Series but an injury to Sachin Tendulkar allowed him another chance. He wasn't his customary buccaneering self, and that was probably because of the nature of the surface, but he continuously peppered the region behind square. Preferring to use the pace of the bowlers, he walked across and whipped a few off his pads while settling for the judicious glide on other occasions.

The area behind square was productive for Gambhir as well but it was the occasional skip down the ground that unsettled the bowlers. He didn't hesitate charging the quicker men and actually cut one over the infield, off left-armer Wahab Riaz, with both his feet in mid-air.

Riaz dismissed both openers in a space of a couple of overs but went on to have a forgettable day. It was the first time he was up against top-class opposition and the wheels began to come off once Yuvraj went after him. He even let slip two beamers - the second was probably because of the slippery ball - and wasn't allowed to complete his final over. It meant he earned the dubious distinction of bowling the most expensive spell against India, conceding one more than what Ata-ur-Rahman did in Sharjah back in 1996.

Incidentally it was in that game where India passed 300 for the first time in an ODI. Here, more than 12 years later, even 375 appeared a possibility when Yuvraj was striking them clean. He gauged the slow nature of the track and ensured he played late. A couple of half-trackers were swatted away over midwicket and his neat clips towards square leg suggested a batsman preparing to explode.

It was always going to be an uphill task for Pakistan and the contest was all but over once Praveen Kumar struck four big blows, including two in two. Swinging the new ball either way, he showed how dangerous he could be in congenial conditions. Kumar had Rohit Sharma to thank for the opening breakthrough: a sensational reflex catch at short cover got rid of Salman Butt.

A slightly wide ball was lashed hard but Rohit, throwing himself to the left and ensuring his hands got around a low chance, hung on superbly. There was no need of any such acrobatics for the next one: Younis Khan snicked to the wicketkeeper and walked back for his second successive duck. It capped off a miserable day where he had also dropped a couple of catches.

Akmal and Misbah ensured Kumar didn't have a perfect day - taking 17 off his fifth over, including four cracking fours - but Akmal was livid after falling to a full toss, lobbing a leading edge to mid-on. Misbah too couldn't carry on, falling to an injudicious waft, and it was left to Shoaib Malik to pick up the pieces. He soldiered on to a fifty but his meaty blows were largely inconsequential in the face of a step mountain. Chawla finished with four wickets, tormenting the tail and rounding off a near-perfect day.