Sachin Tendulkar retirement: Shane Warne pays rich tribute to batting legend

Legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne has paid rich tribute to Sachin Tendulkar terming him the "best batsman" of his generation and said that there won't be another player like the retiring Indian great in years to come.

"Sachin Tendulkar was the best batsman of my generation and it will be a privilege to be in Mumbai this week to commentate on the first two days of his final Test," Warne, who is expected to be present in Mumbai for the iconic batsman's 200th and final Test match, said,

Warne, the second highest wicket-taker in the history of Test cricket, had many interesting duels with the Indian legend and feels that Tendulkar was the "best in all conditions against all types of bowling" and also possessed a wonderful temperament.

"The pressure he was under from the India public was immense but he handled himself on and off the field in a way that was respected by all," Warne wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph.

Tendulkar, who is all set to become the first man to play 200 Test matches, has almost all the records in his kitty, including highest number of runs in both Tests and ODIs as well as 100 international centuries. But for Warne, Tendulkar's feats can't merely be measured by a few numbers.

"There will not be another Sachin Tendulkar. I always teach young players that cricket is not about averages even if it is a stats-based game. It is about how and when you score runs or take wickets. The great players deliver when the team is up against it and statistics do not tell you the truth about such things. Sachin is far more than a man with great numbers to boast about," Warne wrote.

Warne termed the phase between 1994 and 2000 as the best years of Tendulkar in international cricket.

"His best years were between 1994 and 2000 when he was just brilliant. He is still a very good player but it is hard to compare the Sachin of today to the man of 15 years ago."

"In the mid-1990s, he was phenomenal against the quicks and spin. He judged the length of a ball so quickly, which enabled him to have a lot more time to play the right shot or let it go."

According to Warne, Tendulkar kept the basics of batting pretty simple.

"Sachin also kept it very simple. He was still at the crease so, if it was pitched, up he drove it, if it was short, he pulled it. It was his judgment of length and clarity in his head with shot selection that made him so dominant against all opposition bowlers in all sorts of conditions." Warne wrote.

As per Warne's assessment, next to Tendulkar would be West Indian Brian Lara, who according to the leggie was "more destructive than Sachin".

"Second on my list would be Brian Lara. We all used to love watching Lara bat except when you had a ball in your hand and he was probably more destructive than Sachin. A third pool of players would include Jacques Kallis, Graham Gooch, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh and Kevin Pietersen but there is a fair distance between those guys and Lara and Tendulkar."

For Warne, the two stand-out Tendulkar innings were his 155 on a difficult Chennai track in 1998 and 241 in Sydney in 2003-04 when he didn't hit a single cover drive for almost 10 hours.

"I saw Sachin play some great innings but two stand out. In the 1998 Test in Chennai I dismissed him fifth ball in the first innings. In the second, he hit me for six second or third ball and went on to make 155 in tough conditions to set up India to win the Test.

"Six years later at the Sydney Cricket Ground he made 241, his first Test double-century. I was injured at the time so was commentating but I had a great view of his innings from the box. He had been dismissed a few times in that series by Australia bowling full and wide. He nicked off to slip and the keeper and went into the Sydney Test on the back of scores of 0, 1, 37, 0 and 44."

Warne recalled how Tendulkar curbed his natural instinct to play a cover drive.

"He [Tendulkar] decided he would respond by not playing a cover drive. Now the cover drive is a fairly large part of a batsman?s armoury. When bowlers are pitching it up and trying to swing it you tend to play a lot of cover drives, but he did not play a single one in more than 10 hours at the crease. It summed up his mental strength."

Warne, who has 708 wickets from 145 Tests, said that it was quite flattering he alongwith Tendulkar was considered as the best batsman and bowler of that generation.

"A lot of people have said, quite flatteringly, that we are the best batter and bowler of our generation. It is nice to be in that company but it is even more special that away from it all we have got to know each other and his friendship is important to me and something I respect."

Enjoying Mark Knopfler's guitar tunes with earphones plugged at Tendulkar's residence was a "fascinating experience" for him.

Warne was sporting in admitting that most of their duels was won by Tendulkar.

"We had a lot of battles on the field and generally he won. I got him out three times in 12 Tests and most of the time it felt like his testimonial whenever he played against Australia because he would just make another hundred.

"One of my favourite dismissals was getting him out with a straight one that he failed to pick in the Boxing Day Test at Melbourne in 1999. He padded up and I had him lbw which was very satisfying, but generally he was on top."

One of the most cherished moments for Warne was being invited along with Tendulkar to Sir Don's 90th birthday.

"Sir Donald Bradman paid him the ultimate compliment. On his 90th birthday, he asked to meet two cricketers, Sachin and myself. We went to his house in Adelaide together and shared a special day. We were both a bit shy and quiet when we met Sir Don but treasure the few hours we had with the great man talking about the modern game and how he used to prepare."

"He [Sir Don] told us the biggest improvement in the modern game was fielding and he said his preparation was going to the office for a few hours before walking down to the Adelaide Oval for a few throw downs. It is a bit different to hydration tests and three hours of warm-ups before the game these days."

"Before we left, I remember he said to Sachin that he loved the way he batted and of all modern players he reminded him the most of himself. You can?t get a greater accolade than that," Warne concluded.

HowZat - Real-action cricket game

HowZat is the world’s first free real-action cricket game, that’s multiplayer, and combines managerial features with real-cricketing ability. As a batsman, you have access to over 19 cricketing shots, and when bowling, you get to use our innovative swing/spin meter to trick the batsman out! Seriously, we should patent that thing.

HowZat fuses real cricket action with manager functionality, enabling players to set up, evolve and play with their own team right within your browser, with no installation required. Batting teams enjoy 20 shots for a realistic simulation of the game, while the bowling side can chose from a variety of deliveries. Players improve their teams over time by earning ‘Points’. Users are even offered the option to customize their player names, team uniforms to any color they wish.

Batting
Timing & Shot Selection is everything!

You may use every little cricketing trick in the book to outplay your opponent. When batting, Timing and Shot selection are the most important factors determining how your batsman will perform.

Choose your shot before the ball is delivered

Keep the arrow keys pressed down to choose your shot. For example, holding down the Down and Right key will select the Cover drive.

Play along the ground or take a risk and loft it!

Screenshot

Use Z or X to time your shot. Using Z will execute a normal grounded shot. X will attempt a riskier lofted shot.

Don’t forget to run between the wickets!

Make runs by scoring boundaries, or run with Space bar. Look at the batting meter to see your batsmen run.

Plan out your batting order

When a batsman you control gets out, the popup window gives you a chance to change your batting order.

Let your batsmen improve by winning points!

Once you’ve accumulated Points through your wins, or by inviting friends to play, head over to the Manage team page to make your batsmen better. Their shots will now be hit harder and go further!

Bowling

Bowl to your field!

The most important thing you need to know about bowling is that you should always bowl to your field. You can choose your field setting at the beginning of each over.
Set the pointer, and then choose the delivery

Set the pointer where you want to deliver the bowl with the Up Down Left Right keys. Lock it in place with the Z key.
Trick the batsman by mixing it up

Use the Bowling meter to your advantage. Our innovative meter melds Speed with Swing/Spin into one package, remember to mix it up.
Try new bowling strategies

In the 5 over game, each player can only bowl one over. Change your default bowlers at the end of the over and develop new strategies. In the shorter game, anything is possible – try an off spinner to open your bowling!

Management

No points = Bad team! Use points wisely.

You can only go so far playing the game and not upgrading your players. Each time you win a match (and sometimes even when you lose!), you’re awarded some Points. You can use these Points to upgrade individuals in your team to become better players.

Adjust skill sets strategically

Each player (except the Wicketkeeper) has two separate skill sets, based on their role in the team, specifically, Batting and Bowling.

Try new bowling strategies

Each Team is composed of a mixture of Batsmen, Bowlers, All Rounders (Max 2) and a Wicketkeeper. Restrictions are set on how good a bowler your batsman can become – to keep things realistic!

Customize players to add depth to your team

On the Manage team page, you can click on individual players to add points to them, or just change other attributes like their name or playing style.

Establish your team’s identity

Click the Team Settings tab to customize the look and feel of your team. Change your logo, colors or name – you’re Player, Captain, Coach and Manager!

Try new bowling strategies

Who is the fastest bowler India has ever produced?

Who is the fastest bowler India has ever produced? You dont beleive. but its True..

It is the one and only Javagal Srinath..

Srinath's success against the Proteas had continued with a successful return tour of South Africa, where he took another 18 wickets in just 3 games - and to the shock of the South African press topped Allan Donald and a young Lance Klusener consistently on the speed guns averaging in the low 150 kmph range. In fact he made headlines at home by having one particular ball clock 156 kmph, i.e. just a notch or so below the magical figure of 100 miles per hour. It wasn't the only time Srinath outdid the bigger names on the speed radars - in 1998, he was clocking 148 kmh in comparison to the Aussie pace spearhead of the time, Glenn McGrath, who didn't top 141 kmh.

"Sir" Tendulkar

1. First Cricketer who score first 200* in ODI
2 Highest Run scorer in the ODI 17598*
3 Most runs in a calendar year 1894
4 Highest Run scorer in the test 13447
5 Most number of hundreds in the ODI 46
6 Most hundreds in a calendar year 9
7 Most number of nineties in the ODI 18
8 Most number Dismissed for 99 3
9 Most number of man of the matches(60) in the ODI’s
10 Most number of 100’s in test’s 47
11 Most number of man of the series(14) in ODI’s
12 Most number of Fifties and fifty+ in ODI’s 93 & 139
13 Most hundreds against one team Aus 9 Sri 8
14 Best average for man of the matches in ODI’s
15 First Cricketer to pass 10000 run in the ODI
16 First Cricketer to pass 15000 run in the ODI
17 He is the highest run scorer in the world cup (1,796 at an average of 59.87 as on 20 March 2007)
18 Most number of the man of the matches in the world cup
19 Most number of runs 1996 world cup 523 runs in the 1996 Cricket World Cup at an average of 87.16
20 Most number of runs in the 2003 world cup 673 runs in 2003 Cricket World Cup, highest by any player in a single Cricket World Cup
21 He was Player of the World Cup Tournament in the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
22. Most fours in ODI 1927
23 He is the only player to be in top 10 ICC ranking for 10 years.
24 He is one of the three batsmen to surpass 11,000 runs in Test cricket, and the first Indian to do so
25 He is thus far the only cricketer to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India’s highest sporting honor
26 In 2003, Wisden rated Tendulkar as d No. 1 and Richards at No. 2 in all time Greatest ODI player
27. In 2002, Wisden rated him as the second greatest Test batsman after Sir Donald Bradman.
28 he was involved in unbroken 664-run partnership in a Harris Shield game in 1988 with friend and team mate Vinod Kambli,
29. Tendulkar is the only player to score a century in all three of his Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy and Irani Trophy debuts
30 In 1992, at the age of 19, Tendulkar became the first overseas born player to represent Yorkshire
31 Tendulkar has been granted the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, Arjuna Award and Padma Shri by Indian government. He is the only Indian cricketer to get all of them.
32. Tendulkar has scored over 1000 runs in a calendar year in ODI’s 7 times
33. Tendulkar has scored 1894 runs in calendar year in ODI’s most by any batsman
34. He is the highest earning cricketer in the world
35 He has the least percentage of the man of the matches awards won when team looses a match. Out of his 56 man of the match awards only 5 times India has lost.
36 Tendulkar most number man of match awards(10) against Australia
37. In November 2006, Time magazine named Tendulkar as one of the Asian Heroes.
38. In December 2006, he was named “Sports person of the Year
39. The current India Poised campaign run by The Times of India has nominated him as the Face of New India next to the likes of Amartya Sen and Mahatma Gandhi
among others.
40. Tendulkar was the first batsman in history to score over 50 centuries in international cricket
41. Tendulkar was the first batsman in history to score over 75 centuries in international cricket:79 centuries
42. Has the most overall runs in cricket, (ODIs+Tests+Twenty20s), as of 30 June 2007 he had accumulated almost 26,000 runs overall.
43. Sachin Tendulkar with Sourav Ganguly hold the world record for the maximum number of runs scored by the opening partnership. They have put together 8227 runs
44. The 20 century partnerships for opening pair with Sourav Ganguly is a world record
45. Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid hold the world record for the highest partnership in ODI matches when they scored 331 runs against New Zealand in 1999
46. Sachin Tendulkar has been involved in six 200 run partnerships in ODI matches – a record that he shares with Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid
47. Most Centuries in a calendar year: 9 ODI centuries in 1998
48. Only player to have over 100 innings of 50+ runs (46 Centuries and 93 Fifties)(as of 18th Nov, 2007)
49. The only player ever to cross the 13,000-14,000 and 15,000 run marks IN ODI.
50. Highest individual score among Indian batsmen (200* against SA at Gwaliyor in 2010).
51. Tendulkar has scored over 1000 ODI runs against all major Cricketing nations.
52. Sachin was the fastest to reach 10,000 runs taking 259 innings and has the highest batting average among batsmen with over 10,000 ODI runs
53. Most number of Stadium Appearances: 90 different Grounds
54. Consecutive ODI Appearances: 185
55. On his debut, Sachin Tendulkar was the second youngest debutant in the world
56. When Tendulkar scored his maiden century in 1990, he was the second youngest to score a century
57. Tendulkar’s record of five test centuries before he turned 20 is a current world record
58. Tendulkar holds the current record (217 against NZ in 1999/00 Season) for the highest score in Test cricket by an Indian when captaining the side
59. Tendulkar has scored centuries against all test playing nations.[7] He was the third batman to achieve the distinction after Steve Waugh and Gary Kirsten
60. Tendulkar has 4 seasons in test cricket with 1000 or more runs – 2002 (1392 runs), 1999 (1088 runs), 2001 (1003 runs) and 1997 (1000 runs).[6] Gavaskar is the only
other Indian with four seasons of 1000+ runs
61. He is second most number of seasons with over 1000 runs in world.
62. On 3 January 2007 Sachin Tendulkar (5751) edged past Brian Lara’s (5736) world record of runs scored in Tests away from home
63. Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the fastest to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket history. Both of them achieved this in 195 innings
64. Second Indian after Sunil Gavaskar to make over 10,000 runs in Test matches
65. Became the first Indian to surpass the 11,000 Test run mark and the third International player behind Allan Border and Brian Lara.
66. Tendulkar is fourth on the list of players with most Test caps. Steve Waugh (168 Tests), Allan Border (158 Tests), Shane Warne (145 Tests) have appeared in more
games than Tendulkar
67. Tendulkar has played the most number of Test Matches(144) for India (Kapil Dev is second with 131 Test appearances).
68. First to 25,000 international runs
69. Tendulkar’s 25,016 runs in international cricket include 14,537 runs in ODI’s, 10,469 Tests runs and 10 runs in the lone Twenty20 that India has played.
70. On December 10, 2005, Tendulkar made his 35th century in Tests at Delhi against Sri Lanka. He surpassed Sunil Gavaskar’s record of 34 centuries to become the man
with the most number of hundreds in Test cricket.
71. Tendulkar is the only player who has 150 wkts and more than 15000 runs in ODI
72. Tendulkar is the only player who has 40 wkts and more than 11000 runs in Tests
73. Only batsman to have 100 hundreds in the first class cricket
74. In August of 2003, Sachin Tendulkar was voted as the “Greatest Sportsman” of the country in the sport personalities category in the Best of India poll conducted by Zee News.

Sehwag storms to fifth spot in ICC rankings

Virender Sehwag on Wednesday squalled into the top five of the ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen by virtue of his superlative double-century against Sri Lanka in the third Test in Mumbai.

Sehwag's 293, which turned out to be the cornerstone of his side's victory that ultimately gave India the number-one position in the ICC Test Championship table for the first time, has rocketed him 14 places to the fifth position which he shares with Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf.

Sehwag's Delhi teammate Gautam Gambhir leads the batting table with Sri Lanka duo of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara placed at second and third spot respectively.

It is the first time since October 2006 that Sehwag has returned to the top five.

From the Mumbai Test alone, the 31-year-old Delhi dasher has gained 91 points which makes him one of the six batsmen above the 800-point mark.

It has been an outstanding and memorable series for Sehwag who not only scored 491 runs in four innings but also gained 16 places in the batting table after starting the series on the 21st position.

Also moving in the right direction are the Indian pair of Rahul Dravid (16th) - up by two places - and VVS Laxman (19th), who improved his position by a rung.

Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke, who scored 71 and 61 not out against West Indies has also climbed one position to fourth spot but captain Ricky Ponting has dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since October 2002.

India maestro Sachin Tendulkar has also conceded two spots and now sits at 18th position after scoring 53 in the Mumbai Test.

India fast bowler Zaheer Khan, who took match figures of 6-142 in the Mumbai Test, has also gained a valuable place which has now put him inside the top 10 bowlers' chart.

The list is still headed by South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn with Australia's Mitchell Johnson second and Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka third.

Meanwhile, Australia needs to beat the West Indies in the third and final Test starting in Perth from 16 December if they want to end 2009 in third position.

The franchise recalled Sourav Ganguly as captain. (No way other than this)

Dav Whatmore has been confirmed as the new coach of Kolkata Knight Riders, filling in the vacancy left by the sacking of John Buchanan after IPL 2009. His appointment was part of a team management overhaul: the franchise also recalled Sourav Ganguly as captain, named Wasim Akram as their mentor, signed on Vijay Dahiya, the former India wicketkeeper and Delhi coach, to assist Whatmore, while retaining Andrew Leipus as physiotherapist and Adrian Le Roux as physical trainer.

Ganguly said in a press release issued by the team management today that he was keen to bring a turnaround in Kolkata's fortune after a nightmarish 2009 season, in which they finished last. "I am excited at the prospect of working with Dav and the entire team closely in addition to playing at our home ground once again," he said. Ganguly would be responsible for all cricket-related decisions for the next season.

Speaking to Cricinfo, Whatmore said his main objective as coach would be to ensure that his players gel as a unit and start thinking positively after two bad IPL seasons - in which Kolkata finished sixth and eighth - and, to that end, he would bank on Ganguly's wealth of knowledge and Akram's exceptional game-reading skills to turn the team around.

He also said he was confident his experience in the region - he coached the 1996 World Cup-winning Sri Lankan team and later, Bangladesh - would help him develop a "decent relationship" with Ganguly, who has had a controversial history with foreign coaches including Greg Chappell for the Indian team and Buchanan. "I have a fair idea and a fair understanding of the importance of Sourav in Kolkata and it's about getting the best out of him as it is with everyone else."

Significantly, Whatmore said he would not employ the multi-captaincy theory that was mooted by Buchanan and sparked a debate in world cricket before Ganguly was replaced by Brendon McCullum as team captain for the previous season.

Whatmore, however, declined to elaborate on what he felt had been going wrong with the team over the last two years - apart from poor batting, there were reports of a rift between players and the team management - but said he would bank on his experience with the National Cricket Academy, of which he was director for the last two years, to spot new talent and act as a bridge between them and the team's top international players.

Asked where Kolkata would reach in the next IPL starting in March, he said: "Sometimes, I think it's good to have a goal like that, but other times I feel you don't want to limit yourself too much either. But as you saw, in IPL-2, the two teams that finished last and second-last respectively in the first edition ended up being the finalists (Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore). So perhaps, hope is the right word to use now. But I would like to know that hope will become a different word as we go along. That can happen."

Kolkata zeroed in on Whatmore after meeting a number of candidates, including John Wright, Richard Pybus, Dermot Reeve, Duncan Fletcher, Lalchand Rajput, WV Raman and Ashok Malhotra. The team management had informally sounded out Whatmore in June and followed it up with an interview in August at the Mumbai residence of the actor Shah Rukh Khan, who co-owns the Kolkata franchise with businessman Jay Mehta.

Whatmore's presentation to the Kolkata management was titled 'Let's Turn It Around'. "I just want to be the one that helps them turn their fortunes around. It will be a genuine effort." Whatmore will begin his three-yearstint with the team by attending the IPL workshop in Bangkok next week.

Whatmore, 55, played seven Tests for Australia and brings to the IPL an impressive record. Apart from the 1996 World Cup title for Sri Lanka, he guided Bangladesh to two historic wins in the 2007 World Cup against India and South Africa, and also coached Lancashire to title wins in the NatWest and Sunday League in 1998. Last year, he was coach of the India Under-19 team that won the junior World Cup in Malaysia.

Courtesy: Cricinfo

7th ODI. Is it Dead Rubber or Fight for honour?

India don't really have a choice, India have to go all out for the win! Australia on the other hand will probably make changes to the side (Again! anyone know that last time Australia played an unchanged 11 in an ODI? lol), Holland, McDonald and Cockley to get games, probably replacing Johnson, Watson and either Hauritz or McKay (depending on if they wanna play 2 spinners or not)

Its a dead rubber because its result wont change the outcome of the series. Australia will probably try a few new players. India should also try a few new players like Tyagi and others.

But when you are playing for your country every match has some meaning. Of course some matches are more important some are less important but there is no such thing as a meaningless game, trying new players itself is very important for any team.

Master Blaster Sachin : GOD of Cricket

Blistering innings from Sachin proved that still he is the GOD of Cricket. No Substitute for him.

There is a Banner at SCG (Sydney Cricket Ground) says:

"Commit all your crimes when Sachin is batting. They will go unnoticed for even the Lord is busy watching him."



Once again, he said via his batting that we can continue to do the crime when he is on the middle! :-)

Hats Off Little Master! You have been fantastic throughout your career!

Thank you sachin for making us proud! You have made the whole Nation proud. Don't ever think of retirement because we know that you are still young.

Congratulations Sachin for your 17000 runs. Wish you to cross 20000 runs. You are not only genius but you are a legend where no one can reach.

India playing against Week Australians??

Till now 4 Australian players have been sent star player Bret Lee. Johnson not in form, his bowling seems to be cake walk for the Indians.

Now India playing with their full strength. Even then series is at level.

Tomorrow is going to be a game that will a test for the Australians. Ponting needs to ponder. Henriques would be out from 5th ODI.

Will the Australians prove that they are still on top? Or they going to give way for the Indians to be at the TOP.

Will see..

Champions League

All the three Indian teams came out from the champions League.. In this tournament onething making me to laugh is Tournament is going in India.

So are we not capable to play against the other County team.. Even we have a best opening pairs like Sehwag and Gambir..


Shame.. Better luck next time..

Boom Boom Afridi - One of my Favourite

First time he is gonna lead his team today!

Just when did Shahid Afridi grow up? It's tempting to narrow the answer down to a few days in mid-June, when Pakistan's Super Eight campaign at the ICC World Twenty20 reached the edge of the precipice. After defeat against Sri Lanka, the situation was simple enough. The next loss would be their last, the signal for the players to pack their bags and head home for the summer.

Afridi's lack of form with the bat was symptomatic of the team's woes. In the warm-up game against India, watched by a full house at The Oval, Afridi walked out with Pakistan in big trouble at 45 for 3. A bit of circumspection would have helped but as soon as you saw the ball in Irfan Pathan's hand you could almost sense what would transpire next. The two men have a history, to put it mildly, and when Irfan bowled one full and a touch wide, Afridi reacted with a wild flail. Had the bat connected cleanly, the ball would have cleared the rope by a distance but instead it flew off the edge to MS Dhoni's right behind the stumps. The latest installment of the Pathan v Pathan clash of egos had gone the way of the younger one from Vadodara.

Afridi's dismal run with the bat continued right through to the Sri Lanka game in the Super Eights, and when he chipped in with perky cameos against New Zealand and Ireland it was convenient to disregard them given that neither team really gave Pakistan a game. South Africa were up next, in the semi-final at Trent Bridge, and on the walk to the ground it was noticeable just how many wore Pakistan jerseys with his name on it. Perform or perish, Afridi has thrilled fans' hearts like few others.

Even then, there was more than a mild buzz of surprise when he walked out after just eight balls, at No. 3. Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn had come into the game with rave reviews, and many regarded it as an unnecessarily foolhardy risk. And so we waited, for the impetuous hoick or the wild heave that would lead to sage nods and raised eyebrows. This was Afridi after all.

The wait was a long one. Afridi batted 46 minutes and faced 34 balls for his 51 before JP Duminy's part-time spin did for South Africa what Afridi had so often done for Pakistan. Someone who hadn't watched the game would have been entitled to ask: So, how many sixes did he whack? The answer was none. There were eight fours, but not one swipe out of the ground. This was controlled aggression, calculated menace, the sort of innings Inzamam-ul-Haq might have played.

Now, three months on, Afridi leads the side, with Younis Khan nursing a hairline fracture on the little finger of his right hand. How had he changed, he was asked, from the teenager who spanked a 37-ball century to this senior-statesman version entrusted with shepherding a young and exciting side? "I have a beard now," he said with a laugh. "I also have a wife and children. Responsibility has matured me. I still enjoy cricket but I try and avoid the reckless strokeplay now.

"There's been good and bad, wins and losses, smiles and cries, more the latter for me. It's a struggle, similar to what life is like. I'm enjoying it and I will as long as I play. It's an honour to be playing for Pakistan. To captain the team is a dream come true."

He remained quietly confident too that the Twenty20 heroics could be translated to the 50-over arena. "We all know our strengths," he said. "Not only are we strong in batting, but bowling as well. It's a balanced team. But I never take any team lightly any time, especially when it's the first match of the tournament. We're 11 playing against 11. We're equal in that sense. We can't think that we will win easily."

The self-belief and motivation that he spoke of will be most tested on Saturday, when they renew acquaintance with India. "I enjoy playing India the most," he said, another smile flashing across his face. Having tormented India in both Tests and one-dayers [Chennai 1999 and Kanpur 2005 readily come to mind], he certainly won't hold back no matter how high the stakes. "They've just been lucky to win in the ICC events," he said. "Winning and losing is part of the game. All I ask from the team is for everyone to give their 100%. I'll be content even if we lose. If you lose after fighting, even the followers don't mind that."

By then, Mohammad Asif will also be available for selection after serving a one-year ban. "It's good for Pakistan, his comeback," Intikhab Alam, the coach, said. "The type of bowler he is, it'll be a challenge for him. He's a matchwinner and has that kind of ability. We're all looking forward to having him back."

Regardless of whether Asif plays against West Indies, most eyes will be on the man the supporters would happily follow as though he was the Pied Piper of Hamelin. From enfant terrible to experienced hand and now leader of the pack, it's been quite a journey, with huge crests and equally scary troughs. "I hope to come up to expectations," he said. "I already captained in Sri Lanka [in the Twenty20], with success and I've been backed by the players. It's a really important match and I'll try and instill the winning mentality into the players."

Those who adore him call him Boom Boom. The explosions seem a little more calculated these days, and there's a look in the eye which suggests that he may not go bust as casually as he once did. That 51 in the Twenty20 semi was followed by an equally responsible half-century in the final. Having taken his own sweet time to mature, Afridi seems to be loving this adult lark.

Do you know this?? - Trivia

Marvan Atapattu of Sri Lanka, who later went on to captain the side, scored 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0 in his first six Test innings.

Former Pakistan pacer Aaqib Javed is the youngest player to take a ODI hat-trick. He achieved the feat against India at the age of 19 in 1991.

Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting who played their last Test in February 1995, played 197 Tests between them and scored over 13,000 runs.

Of the 17 ODI hundreds scored by legendary WI opener Desmond Haynes, 11 were unbeaten and 16 came in winning causes.

Richie Benaud, who retired in 1964, holds the proud record of having never captained Australia to a series defeat.

India and England had an impromptu rest day on day two of the Madras Test in 1952, following the death of King George VI.

Don Bradman played his last innings in Australia against India and retired hurt for 57 after he tore a muscle under his left ribs.

Albert Trott is the only man in the history of the game to have cleared the pavilion at Lord's. He hit Monty Noble out of the ground.

In the third Test at Kingsmead in 1957, Hugh Tayfield bowled 137 balls without conceding a run during England's first innings vs South Africa.

In 1980, Sunil Gavaskar (166) and Kapil Dev (84 and match figures of 11 for 136) gave India their first series victory over Pakistan in 27 years.

Australia's Joe Darling hit the ball out of the Adelaide Oval to reach his century in the first Test against England in 1898.

If Kapil Dev had not been dropped for one Test against England in 1984-85, his Test career would have consisted of 132 consecutive matches.

England captain Mike Denness dropped himself for the fourth Test of the Ashes series in 1975 after making just 65 runs in the last six innings.

England captain Mike Denness dropped himself for the fourth Test of the Ashes series in 1975 after making just 65 runs in the last six innings.

In 1979, Gavaskar scored 182 in the 2nd innings of the 3rd Test against WI to become the only batsman to hit a century in each innings of a Test three times.

England cricketer Jack Hobbs, who scored 83 in his first Test knock, went on to become the first batsman to score 5000 Test runs.

VVS Laxman hit 44 boundaries in his knock of 281 against Australia in the Kolkata Test at the Eden Gardens in 2001.

Only one Indian test cricketer - Rusi Surti - played Sheffield Shield cricket in Australia. He played for Queensland.

B Chandrashekhar is the only cricketer to have scored fewer runs in his test career than the number of wickets he took - 242 wickets and 177 runs.

M.L. Jaisimha and Ravi Shastri have both batted on all five days of a Test Match.

The only bowler to have got the great Aussie Sir Donald Bradman out hit wicket was India's Lala Amarnath.

Southpaw Vinod Kambli, who scored two consecutive double hundreds in Test cricket, hit the first Ranji Trophy ball he faced for a six.

Indian spinner Maninder Singh was the last man to be dismissed in the famous tied Test against Australia in Chennai in 1986.

India played its first one-day international match against England at Headingley in 1974, under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar.

We gonna see Dada in action again!!

Close to a year after retiring from international cricket, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has said he may play for Bengal in the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. The 37-year-old pointed out that he was open to the idea of playing "a few of the four-day Ranji Trophy matches" if the Bengal selectors were keen on including him in the team.

"At the moment I haven't spoken to anybody, but I'll definitely be speaking to the selectors, and if I'm required, then I won't mind playing a few matches," Ganguly told the Telegraph, the Kolkata-based daily. "The 2009-10 season is again a very crucial one for Bengal and we're in a tough group. So, if I'm required, I'll be there."

It was reported earlier that Ganguly would be playing for Bengal only in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to gain some match practice before turning out for Kolkata Knight Riders in the third edition of the IPL in March-April next year. However, he said he was keen on playing the home games during the Ranji season and the knock-out matches later, if Bengal qualified.

"I cannot sit out 11 months in a year and hope to fire in the IPL," Ganguly told the Times of India. "It may be Twenty20 cricket, but let's not forget that it's a top-class international tournament and the standard of cricket is very high. I need to get into the groove before IPL 3 starts in March 2010."

Ganguly played 113 Tests and 311 ODIs and scored 7212 and 11363 runs respectively at an average of 40-plus. He also featured in 242 first-class matches, and is 67 short of reaching 15000 runs.

With Bengal taking on heavyweights like Uttar Pradesh, Saurashtra, Karnakata, Maharashtra, Baroda and Delhi in Group B of the Ranji Trophy Super League this season, Ganguly's experience is expected to bolster Bengal's fragile middle order. Bengal are also set to welcome back ICL players like Deep Dasgupta, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala and Rohan Gavaskar.

Bengal captain Laxmi Ratan Shukla and selector Devang Gandhi were both delighted with Ganguly's decision. "Dadi making a comeback is big news. It will be great for Bengal and a huge plus for Bengal cricket. It will be of great advantage if he turns out this season," Shukla told the Telegraph.

"With the world of experience Sourav's presence brings to the team, it will definitely help Bengal cricket," Gandhi said.

However, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) said it was not yet aware of the development. "He hasn't told us anything," said CAB joint-secretary Biswarup Dey. "It won't be fair to make a comment based on media statements."

Fresh Controversy for Harbajan

Harbhajan Singh today found himself in a fresh controversy after jabbing at a photographer at the Bangalore International Airport before leaving for the tri-series in Sri Lanka.

The feisty off-spinner, who very often finds himself in the news for all the wrong reasons, jabbed at a cameraman after the camera had hit him on the head while he was taking his luggage out from a car before entering the airport.

Harbhajan gave an angry stare at the cameraman even as a security personnel tried to push back the hordes of lensmen who had virtually mobbed the cricketer.

The 29-year-old Punjab spinner has a rather dubious disciplinary record, having been penalised for various offences during his career.

Harbhajan was accused of racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds in Sydney and the 2007 'monkey-gate' incident snowballed into a major crisis, threatening to tear apart the cricketing world.

In the same year, Harbhajan was banned for the remaining Indian Premier League matches after the infamous 'slap-gate', which saw him slapping his India teammate S Sreesanth in Mohali.

After the 'slap-gate' incident, Harbhajan had promised to mend his way and keep a check on his temper.

'I DON'T WANT TO BE CAPTAIN' - Sehwag

Dashing opener Virender Sehwag said he doesn't want to be the captain of the Indian cricket team and suggested that a new face should be given the responsibility of vice-captaincy so that he can be groomed to take the reins after skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"I don't want to be a captain, I have already told selectors about it. I have said that a new player should be made vice-captain and be groomed to be a captain," Sehwag said.

"I want that I should continue to score runs and keep winning matches for the team," he added.

The Delhi-batsman said he would regain his fitness completely before the Champions League which starts from October 10.

Sehwag, who has played under many skippers in his career, considers former skipper Saurav Ganguly as the best ever captains for Team India.

"Sourav Ganguly has been the best ever captain India ever had," he said.

"Saurav took over as captain of the India cricket team when it was going through a very bad patch. Indian team was struggling to put come out of the match fixing scandal. He had a responsibility to put together a new team and he did a splendid job," Sehwag told News24 channel.

Ponting retires from T20 Internationals

Australia captain Ricky Ponting quit Twenty20 Internationals on Monday, hoping the decision would prolong his career in other formats of the game.

Ponting said he would no more feature in Twenty20 Internationals but would complete his contracts with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League.

"After much thought and careful consideration I have advised Cricket Australia of my decision to retire from international Twenty20 cricket," Ponting said.

"I have also spoken to (chief selector) Andrew Hilditch, (coach) Tim Nielsen and (vice captain) Michael Clarke and I feel this decision provides me the opportunity to prolong my Australian Test and one-day career, an opportunity I am extremely determined about," he said.

"As I said after the fifth Test in London, I am hoping to continue playing Test cricket for as long as possible and retiring from the Twenty20 format gives me the best chance of doing this.

"I will now have set periods of rest throughout the Australian summer and while touring which I feel will be very beneficial," said Ponting, who returned home after losing the Ashes to England.

Earlier this year, Pakistan captain Younus Khan had also quit Twenty20 Internationals after guiding his team to the World Cup glory.

"While I will no longer be available for Australian Twenty20 cricket, I look forward to playing with Tasmania's KFC Big Bash team where possible and to fulfilling my contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League," Ponting said.

Ponting has played 17 Twenty20 Internationals, scoring 401 runs at an average of 28.64 and with a healthy strike rate of 132.78.

The 34-year-old Australian, regarded one of the best batsmen of his era, has amassed more than 11,000 runs both in Test and ODIs.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland said Ponting's absence would leave a void in the Twenty20 squad but the board supported the player.

"We are very supportive of the decision Ricky has made and understanding of the reasons behind it. Needless to say he will be a huge loss to the Twenty20 side but it does present opportunities for the other players and leaders within Australian cricket to gain further experience," Sutherland

said.

"While we have not seen much of Ricky in Australia's Twenty20 matches in recent times, his innings in the first ever Twenty20 International against New Zealand at Auckland was probably the best innings I have ever seen in the Twenty20 form of the game," the CA official said.

A formal decision regarding Ponting's replacement as captain of the Twenty20 side will be made later in the year, the board said.

Dhoni world's top earning cricketer: Forbes

New York: Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has topped the list of world's 10 top earning cricketers compiled by Forbes, which also features four other players from the sub-continent — Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

Raking in USD 10 million, Dhoni is at the top of the chart followed by Tendulkar at the second spot with earnings worth USD 8 million in the list of 'The World's Top-Earning Cricketers.

While Singh and Dravid are at the third and fourth spot, respectively, Ganguly and Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting share the sixth place.

"Paycheck figures include club and national team salaries and commercial endorsement income over the last 12 months," Forbes said.

According to the magazine, Singh earned USD 5.5 million while Dravid and Ganguly raked in USD 5 million and USD 3.5 million, respectively. Ponting also earned USD 3.5 million.

"With its deep-pocketed owners and global appeal, nine of the 10 highest-paid cricket players call the Indian Premier League (IPL) home, the publication added.

At the fifth spot is England's Andrew Flintoff with earnings of USD 4 million followed by Australia's Brett Lee and English cricketer Kevin Pietersen — both at eighth place — and Australian Michael Clarke is ranked tenth.

While Lee and Pietersen raked in USD 3 million each, Clarke earned USD 2.5 million.

Dravid adds value to the team: Tendulkar

Senior Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar feels Rahul Dravid's inclusion after close to two years has added "value" to the ODI team and his experience would come in handy during the tri-series in Sri Lanka and the subsequent Champions Trophy in South Africa.



"It should help the team. He brings in a lot of experience on the table and also a lot of skill. I think his will be good value addition to the team," Tendulkar said.

Tendulkar said the team is fitter and hungrier after wrapping up a four-day training camp in Bangalore to prepare for the tri-series in Sri Lanka, where New Zealand is the third team.

"The camp has ended on a positive note and the team looks pretty solid and hungry. Sri Lanka is one place which is not very free scoring," he said.

"It will be a challenge for some of the stroke players in our team. As boundaries can be difficult to come by, there will be a lot of running between the wickets involved," he added.

Tendulkar said all the three participating teams were evenly matched and it is difficult to say which one of them would eventually win the short series.

"We are an extremely good fielding unit and we turned around games with our fielding. It is a misconception to assume that New Zealand and Sri Lanka have an edge over us.

"We run well between the wickets, our run out conversion is good, our catching ability is amongst the best, our bowlers are much more disciplined as they don't bowl wides and no balls. I think we are three evenly matched teams," Tendulkar told espnstar.com.

Asked whether the Indians had decoded mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis, who has tormented them in the past, Tendulkar said, "These are the contests created by the media. Ajantha Mendis, Muthiah Muralitharan or Chaminda Vaas are all good bowlers and we as a team respect them. At the same time we have a plan for each one of them."

"On the last trip batsmen like Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir handled Mendis and Murali really well. I think we can build on that. These youngsters bring a fresh approach and mindset which then rubs off on others which helps the team produce good results," he added.

Sorry for the break!!!

Its very hectic life.. Not even getting time to manage my blog! Well Its time for us to pick a world best cricket team... Post your comments..

1) Sachin Tendulkar

“Hes called the little "MASTER" He’s a real master man.”

2) Don Bradman

“the best man! RUN MAKING MACHINE”

3) Vivian Richards

“A man on fire! Absolute genius”

4) Gary Sobers

“Dont forget, he’s the first man to hit 6 6s in 1 over.”

5) Shane Warne

“Genius of a bowler”

6) Liam Hutton

“Best All Rounder”

7) Mutthiah Muralitharan

“Superb Bowler”

8) Sunil Gavaskar

“C’mon. Dont place him here. He has broken Bradman’s record”

9) Jhonty Rhodes

“The no 1 fielder. No 30 Batsmen. No 1 cricketer HE ROCKS OO!

10) William Grace

“The best cricketer of the the 19th century”

PONTING TALKING ABOUT SPIRIT - A JOKE

Ricky Ponting's rant about England's alleged lack of respect for the spirit of the game rings hollow because Australia is the team which violates it most, said Ashes winning coach Duncan Fletcher. Writing in The Guardian, the Zimbabwe-born Fletcher, who guided England to the 2005 Ashes victory, said Ponting's homily on spirit of the game was a manifestation of his frustration after Australia failed to separate the last English pair in the first Ashes Test and settled for a draw. "England will be delighted they left Cardiff with a draw and no doubt amused that they head for Lord's with a lecture about the spirit of the game from Ricky Ponting, of all people, still ringing in their ears," Fletcher wrote. "If any side in the world doesn't play within the spirit of the game it's Ponting's Australians, yet here he is sitting in judgement on England because he's frustrated that his bowlers failed to complete the job," he said. James Anderson and Monty Panesar batted out the last 40 minutes, during which England twice sent in physio Stev McCaig and 12th man Bilal Shafayat in an obvious attempt to waste time, much to Ponting's exasperation. Fletcher said he did not condone what England did even if it's not really illegal. "But let's not get carried away. What England did ate up maybe an over at most. If the batsmen had wasted the same amount of time talking between overs, no one would have batted an eyelid. Instead we're left with the ridiculous situation of being told off by an Australian captain for transgressing cricket's spirit, a notion he seems to only vaguely understand himself," Fletcher said. Fletcher counter-attacked, saying Ponting set even a worse example for the "schoolboys watching at home." "...Can the Australians really argue that England's tactics are worse than the way Ponting places pressure on the umpires and makes them look bad in front of a huge crowd and TV audience? And we haven't even mentioned Australia's sledging. "The way he objected after Aleem Dar rightly turned down a catch at silly point off Paul Collingwood was typical. Back in 2005 Ponting and his team were over-aggressive towards the umpires on a regular basis, and he was at it again here," Fletcher said. "Ponting has to be careful. Someone needs to sit down and ask him what he understands by the spirit of the game. The way he plays is definitely not in the spirit. And if the Australians would have you think that they'd have done things differently on Sunday evening, then pigs might soon be spotted in the skies above St John's Wood," he quipped.