Pakistan cricket team captain Younus Khan has confidently predicted victory for his resurgent team after they defeated favourites South Africa by seven runs in a nail-biting semi-final. All-rounder Shahid Afridi played a crucial role in the Pakistan’s victory by scoring 56 runs and taking 2-16 with his leg-spinners.
Jubliant Younus Khan said:
One more game and this World Cup is ours. In the big games we do well and now I think we will win this. We can take our chances and we can win the World Cup.
We are slow starters, we arrived late, didn’t have a lot of practice sessions so there was no pressure on us. Suddenly we are in a good position. Afridi is always a match-winner for us. Today he was batting three and he turned it on for Pakistan, it’s all about his commitment but also about our teamwork.
The last time time we went to Zimbabwe - in 2005 - there was almost fury over us going. The Green Party were signing petitions and bringing Henry Olongo over here to speak about how wrong touring would be, and a lot of people just didn't want us to go. Our chief executive, Martin Snedden, was effectively forced to take a pro-tour stance because of the financial penalties that New Zealand Cricket would have suffered if we didn't tour.
We were trying to work through that while also being mindful of being consistent - because there were other countries that we play cricket against that didn't have fantastic human rights records, either. I think it was important to take that into account - the need for even-handedness. The ICC rules insisted we couldn't renege on our touring commitments on any grounds other than safety and security.
You can see the logic in this. There's a decent argument that if you start drifting away from that position, you'll end up with a very dysfunctional playing programme and make sides vulnerable to every sort of political movement possible. Teams would be pulling out of tours regularly, depending on international relationships at the time. There'd be tit-for-tat reprisals. Chaos.
Having said that, Zimbabwe is in a terrible state, and I'm not sure what the right answer is in terms of our sporting contacts. You can argue that we should be isolating them in order to show our disapproval of Robert Mugabe's regime, and that to continue sporting contact is, by implication, endorsing and condoning the current administration. You could, but from where I stand that's an exceptionally political and theoretical point of view.
On the other hand, there's a claim that we should continue to have sporting contacts with Zimbabwe, because to do so would effectively help to keep their national cricket team in existence and afford some opportunity for the local people, as well as keeping at least one channel of communication open with the free world.
NEW DELHI - Former Australia cricket coach, John Buchanan has accused the Indian media of taking his comments on former and current Indian cricketers out of context.
He also said that he bore no malice towards anyone.
In his just released book ‘The Future of Cricket: The Rise of Twenty20′, Buchanan has taken a swipe at Sunil Gavaskar, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Mark Ramprakash, Shoaib Akhtar, Kevin Pietersen and Vijay Mallya.
“People would have to read the entire book to understand its meaning,” he said.
While talking of the IPL franchisee meet in Goa before the second season of the T-20 league, Buchanan refers to an incident where his suggestion of allowing more international players to play in the IPL was referred to the IPL technical committee, which is headed by Gavaskar.
To this, Buchanan writes, “What this means is that any ideas that affect the way T20 might be played are referred to a committee chaired by a person who is blinkered by bias and tradition.”(ANI)
Brian, I hesitate to ask this,' I said, 'and I do so with all due respect. But, Brian, ask it I must. Brian, taking into account your run of low scores against England in this series and form of late that is possibly below the standards you expect of yourself… [by this time I was choking back the tears]... Brian, are you at all concerned that your great talent may be... on the wane?'
Three days later, West Indies declared their first innings closed at 751 for five. Lara was not out 400, the highest Test score ever made. He had batted for 778 minutes, faced 582 balls, hit 43 fours and four sixes and it was all my fault.
More memories? I won’t mention the first time I met Brian, when we were team-mates in a charity match as Castle Ashby, Northamptonshire in the early Nineties, when he got a duck and I scored 50, because that would be showing off. Get in.
And I certainly won't mention the time a Scottish colleague of mine, himself an occasional left-hander, attempted to demonstrate a flaw he had spotted in Lara's technique by moving back and across and promptly passing out blind drunk at The Pelican Bar, Port-of-Spain.
When discussing the claims of batsmen such as WG Grace, Don Bradman, George Headley and Jack Hobbs, Graeme Pollock, Viv Richards, Javed Miandad and others to the title of the greatest batsman of all time, the rivalry between Lara and Sachin Tendulkar for the best of recent times always crops up.
At the obvious risk of upsetting about a billion Indians, my own view, for what it is worth, is that while Tendulkar is and has been, indisputably, a truly great batsman, Lara played more truly great innings, when they really mattered, and I was privileged to watch my idea of the best of them all, in the third Test of the 1999 series against Australia at Kensington Oval, Barbados.
When West Indies were bowled out for 51 in the first innings of the first Test in Trinidad, Lara took most of the blame and when, the night before the start of the second Test in Jamaica, he was spotted in Kingston’s loudest nightclub, many commentators took great delight in pointing out it was called The Asylum.
Even after his double-hundred there had helped win the match and draw the four-match series 1-1, a proportion of the Barbados crowd booed when, on the penultimate evening of the third Test, Lara failed to appear as scheduled and a nightwatchman walked out instead.
Twenty-four hours later however, they were all cheering and cheering a match-winning innings kissed by genius, 153 not out.
That day Lara was too good for Australia and possibly too good for words. And to me, despite that early-morning phone call, that just about sums him up
Australian cricket team captain Ricky Ponting looks on the fourth day of the fourth and final test cricket match between India and Australia in Nagpur. (AP Photo/Gautam Singh)
Australia's batting is all that stands between India and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after a farcical fourth day of the final cricket test in Nagpur.
The Australians are 0-13 chasing a highly unlikely 382 for victory today.
The target might have been far smaller had captain Ricky Ponting risked a ban for slow over rates by persisting with his pace bowlers after tea yesterday to support debutant spinner Jason Krejza.
Seemingly more worried about a ban than the second most prestigious trophy available to Australia in tests after the Ashes, Ponting used Cameron White, Mike Hussey and Michael Clarke for 12 overs that gave up 47 easy runs to Mahendra Dhoni (55) and Harbhajan Singh (52).
"I don't think for one second that Ricky hasn't pressed for the win," coach Tim Nielsen said in the captain's defence.
"It's easy to sit up in the commentary box or anywhere in the ground and poke fire at the captain because of the decisions he's making out there.
"At the end of the day he's got the responsibility to bowl the overs he has to bowl, there's no way India can come here tomorrow and bowl 20 overs because they feel we're going well - there's a responsibility for both teams, all teams to make sure they bowl the 90 overs required in the spirit of the game."
Krejza, in particular, deserved a better fate after conjuring two wonderful deliveries to claim his ninth and 10th wickets of a memorable match.
His match haul of 12-358 stands as the equal third best test debut of alltime, but also the second most runs conceded by a bowler in a test.
With the high profile Indian Premier League taking place in India right now, interest in local cricket matches opposite weak sides like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have been of little interest. It is certainly disheartening. But our team never gave up. In the past few weeks, Pakistan has played on home-ground with Bangladesh and before that Zimbabwe and our young players like Salman Butt, Umar Gul, as well as veterans Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan as well as cappy Shoaib Malik have won every single game.
In other words, we won 11 straight one-day international games in a row and in the process, the young guns of Pakistani cricket set a record.
We followed up this triumph by playing a Twenty20 game with Bangladesh and again thrashed them.
With major players like Abdul Razzaq, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shabbir Ahmed among countless others out of the team - they now form Lahore Badshahs under the wing of Indian Cricket League - it must've been difficult for our players
to win every single match and that too at a time when most people are tuned to IPL matches that have Bollywood stars and international players pitched together.
ZFor having the heart to play their best and not giving in to pressure, we at Instep salute these young stars. And here's why the Pakistan cricket team are Instep's hotsteppers of the week!
With the high profile Indian Premier League taking place in India right now, interest in local cricket matches opposite weak sides like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have been of little interest. It is certainly disheartening. But our team never gave up. In the past few weeks, Pakistan has played on home-ground with Bangladesh and before that Zimbabwe and our young players like Salman Butt, Umar Gul, as well as veterans Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan as well as cappy Shoaib Malik have won every single game.
In other words, we won 11 straight one-day international games in a row and in the process, the young guns of Pakistani cricket set a record.
We followed up this triumph by playing a Twenty20 game with Bangladesh and again thrashed them.
With major players like Abdul Razzaq, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shabbir Ahmed among countless others out of the team - they now form Lahore Badshahs under the wing of Indian Cricket League - it must've been difficult for our players to win every single match and that too at a time when most people are tuned to IPL matches that have Bollywood stars and international players pitched together.
For having the heart to play their best and not giving in to pressure, we at Instep salute these young stars. And here's why the Pakistan cricket team are Instep's hotsteppers of the week!
In a brilliant display of teamwork, commitment, and maturity, the Indian cricket team beat Australia 2-0 in the best of three finals to lift the Commonwealth Bank triseries in Australia. The second final in particular was an absolute humdinger and the manner in which youngsters responded in the pressure cooker situation was nothing short of remarkable. This is definitely the Indian team’s most notable achievement in the 50 over format in years and should prove to be a fantastic springboard for more success over the next couple of years.
All round performance gives India vital victory:
It is true that the Indian victory at the SCG and at the Gabba was set up by the little champion Sachin Tendulkar, but it is heartening to see that several individuals contributed over the two matches. From Rohit Sharma’s patient 50 that helped India chase down 240 in the final to Harbhajan’s crucial blows in the middle overs to Praveen Kumar’s spectacular 4 for 46 in the second final, both the finals had enough instances of Indian players stepping up during crucial moments. What was so remarkable about the matches is the fact that not one Australian player barring James Hopes was able to lift their game in either of the games. Vindication of selection policy:
India’s success in the triseries is not just a vindication of MS Dhoni’s captaincy skills but is also a shot in the arm for the selection committee that has been trumpeting the need to promote rookies at the expense of experienced warhorses. There has been a lot of criticism of the policy that has led to the introduction of several youngsters at one time rather than in phases. But, to the credit of the selection committee it has to be said that they gave the captain the team he wanted.
Fantastic climax to a long tour:
With this victory, an eventful Australian tour that will go down in history not for the runs scored but for the insults traded finally come to an end in a moment of triumph for Indian cricket. This victory will also hopefully give the Indian and Australian medias enough things to write about without having to resort to articles about the childish behaviour of the two sides. But mostly, I am hoping that this is not another false dawn for Indian cricket, and that this team can start putting together good performances consistently and is more than just a mere collection of several stars as has been the case for many years.
MORE SPOILS: Captain Daniel Vettori is confident he has the New Zealand cricket team to be serious Champions Trophy contenders in September - assuming they're not ravaged by player boycotts.
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Captain Daniel Vettori is confident he has the New Zealand cricket team to be serious Champions Trophy contenders in September - assuming they're not ravaged by player boycotts.
Fresh from their 3-1 one-day series win over England, the tourists head home on Friday after a two-match cricketing public relations trip to Aberdeen to play Scotland and Ireland, with Pakistan looming as their next serious challenge.
That's assuming they get there, with security fears over the volatile nation set to dominate cricketing discussions in coming weeks, and Sri Lanka and South Africa on standby as backup venues.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Justin Vaughan admitted last week that "a fair number" of players had expressed concerns to him about visiting Pakistan for three one-dayers in August and the subsequent Champions Trophy.
New Zealand Cricket Players' Association head Heath Mills went a step further yesterday.
"I have no doubt that if the tournament takes place in Pakistan a number of players will pull out. That includes New Zealanders," Mills told the Herald on Sunday.
Vaughan and the players are awaiting security reports on Pakistan from the International Cricket Council (ICC), being tabled at the current executive meeting in Dubai.
He urged New Zealand players not to make hasty decisions on their availability until the reports were seen.
Safety concerns aside, Vettori felt after his side's 51-run win victory over England at Lord's marked them as worthy No 3 side in the world on official ICC rankings.
With big-hitting opener Jesse Ryder and allrounder James Franklin still to return from injury, and Chris Martin still seen as an ODI option, Vettori felt they could make a splash at full strength.
"It's a good one-day team, we cover most of the bases with what you need in a one-day set-up; we've got some good hitters, good bowlers and we're a good fielding side on our day," Vettori said.
"We've got the makings of a team that can compete at the Champions Trophy. Now it's about time we go away trying to win these tournaments as opposed to just maintaining that third ranking."
New Zealand have their names on the Champions Trophy, their only major tournament victory when Stephen Fleming's side won it in Nairobi in 2000.
Vettori said world champions Australia were always the obvious favourites but the retirements of Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and key spinner Brad Hogg had helped their opponents.
"Hopefully they come back to the pack but Australia always seem to have a knack of lifting for those big tournaments.
Durban: Cricket South Africa today lauded the national team for their win against Australia in the fourth ODI at Port Elizabeth, which have them an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
CSA CEO Gerald Majola said in a statement the victory confirmed the Proteas status as the world's best ODI team.
"Although it is now a dead rubber, the Proteas will be going all-out to stretch their lead in the world log even further with victory in the final match on Friday at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg," he said.
"The win is a personal milestone for century-maker Herschelle Gibbs, who has overcome several recent set-backs to reach the top again and to justify CSA s faith in him. It is also wonderful to welcome newcomers Wayne Parnell and Roelof van der Merwe into the Proteas ranks".
CSA would also like to thank and congratulate Graeme Smith and Johan Botha for their leadership and performances which have seen the Proteas beat Australia both at home and away to take top world ODI honours.
They were backed by a committed management team under Mickey Arthur, who has grown extraod inarily in stature as national coach. "The Proteas supporters, sponsors and suppliers have also been superb and the players have responded with unprecedented performances that have enhanced both their sport and their nation," said Majola. PTI
Johannesburg, March 23 India’s World Cup dreams were shattered by a savage batting assault from holders Australia who reaffirmed their status as the best one-day side with a comprehensive victory in the final here today for a record third title.
Ricky Ponting led his side to a 125-run victory with a blazing captain’s knock of 140 not out that propelled Australia to its biggest-ever one-day score, a virtually unassailable total of 359 for two, also the highest in any World Cup final.
The 1983 champions India, handicapped with the first-over dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar, fought hard till the 40th over but managed only 234 runs. Virender Sehwag kept India in the hunt for some time with a sparkling innings of 82 but the target proved too much.
The Indian pace attack, which had been highly impressive in this tournament, let the team down in the most important match after Saurav Ganguly had elected to field on a pitch that offered substantial help to the seamers.
The trio of Javagal Srinath, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra, who have a combined tally of 49 wickets in this tournament, were together plundered for 211 runs from 27 overs without any success.
Apart from Ponting, who smashed eight sixes and four fours in his 121-ball knock, Damien Martyn and Adam Gilchrist also helped themselves to fine half-centuries. Martyn, who was associated in a record 234-run unbeaten partnership with Ponting, made 88 not out while Gilchrist scored 57 from just 48 balls.
Matthew Hayden, who made 37, was the only batsman not to have registered a half-century in Australia’s run-feast which saw the team emulating the West Indies in winning back-to-back World Cup titles.
Australia remained unbeaten in this tournament, an unprecedented achievement, and extended their one-day winning streak to 17. Faced with a target that has never been chased before, the Indians were under pressure right from the start. Their biggest shock came in the fifth ball of the first over when Tendulkar, who had amassed 669 runs in this tournament from 10 previous innings, was dismissed by Glenn McGrath for just four runs.
Tendulkar, who struck a boundary in the fourth ball of the over, miscued a pull shot in the next delivery to give a simple return catch to McGrath, who finished with three wickets for 52 runs.
Sehwag and Saurav Ganguly lived on the edges in a 54-run partnership for the second wicket with India, who had successfully chased two 320-plus totals last year, looking totally helpless by the enormity of the task.
Both of them survived some close calls, with Sehwag even being caught off a no-ball, but continued with their policy of attacking the opening bowlers, McGrath and Brett Lee. Ganguly hit three fours and a six in his 25-ball 24 before skying a Brett Lee delivery to Darren Lehmann at mid-on. A third-ball dismissal of NatWest final hero Mohammad Kaif, who failed to score, reduced India to 59 for three in the 11th over.
Sehwag, who struck 10 fours and three sixes in his 81-ball innings, kept India’s slim hopes alive with some big hitting when the Australians, sensing rain, introduced Bradd Hogg and Darren Lehmann in a bid to quickly complete 25 overs, the minimum required for a valid match.
Rain did interrupt the proceedings with India placed on 103 for three in 17 overs but only for 23 minutes as sun came out again much to the disappointment of the partisan Indian crowd at the stadium which was frantically hoping that rains would wash out today’s play forcing the match to be played all over again on the reserve day tomorrow.
But that was not to be and play resumed without any reduction in the number of overs. Sehwag and Rahul Dravid, who made 47, put together a 88-run partnership for the fifth wicket in 13 overs before Sehwag was run out while going for a quick single.
The dismissal of Sehwag also dashed India’s hopes as a defeat became inevitable. PTI
Pakistan cricket team captain Younus Khan has confidently predicted victory for his resurgent team after they defeated favourites South Africa by seven runs in a nail-biting semi-final. All-rounder Shahid Afridi played a crucial role in the Pakistan’s victory by scoring 56 runs and taking 2-16 with his leg-spinners.
Durban: Cricket South Africa today lauded the national team for their win against Australia in the fourth ODI at Port Elizabeth, which have them an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.
