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Wednesday, August 8, 2012

C r i c H o t L i n e

C r i c H o t L i n e

Kevin Pietersen’s interested in IPL big money : Bob Willis

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 02:00 AM PDT


Hard-hitting batsman Kevin Pietersen is holding England to ransom by threatening to quit test cricket, according to former captain Bob Willis.

The South African-born Pietersen caused a shock at the end of the drawn second test against South Africa on Monday by saying he would announce whether he was standing down after the third and final match against the tourists later this month.

“It’s a mess,” Willis told Sky Sports television. “He’s clearly got his nose severely out of joint by not being included in England’s initial squad of 30 for the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in September.

“But he also wants to play fully in the IPL (Indian Premier League) which clashes directly with England’s home series with New Zealand next May. He wants to earn his $2.5 million and he is holding England to ransom.”

Pietersen announced his retirement from all one-day internationals in May but a month later said he still hoped to play in the Twenty20 World Cup.

He explained that he did not really want to quit Twenty20 internationals but his England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) contract did not allow him to pick and choose between 50 and 20-over cricket.

Pietersen, named man of the match for his exhilarating 149 in the second test against South Africa at Leeds, said on Monday he was in talks with the ECB over his future.

“It’s tough being me, playing for England,” the 32-year-old told reporters.

“It’s absolutely 100 percent not about money … there are clear things that I’m discussing but there are other issues that need to be sorted. You’ll find out soon enough.”

Lucrative Contract

Pietersen said part of his discussions centre on his participation in the IPL where he has a lucrative contract with the Delhi Daredevils.

Asked if the third test at Lord’s could be his last, he said: “Anything’s possible. It would be a huge shame. I love playing test cricket for England but … we’ll see.

“For me the saddest part about all this is that the spectators just love watching me play – and I love playing for England.”

Pietersen, whose century at Leeds was his 21st in test cricket, passed 7,000 test runs on Saturday. Only Wally Hammond, Colin Cowdrey and Geoff Boycott have scored more tons for England.

Mike Gatting, another former England captain, said it would be sad if Pietersen retired from the test scene.

“I’m not sure why he wants to quit test cricket now but that’s up to KP,” Gatting told Sky Sports. “He’s the man that makes the decisions, nobody else.

“It’ll be sad to lose him but it will also give somebody else a chance to come into the England team.

“The fellow he batted with for a little while (at Leeds), James Taylor, I’m sure he might like to play more for England, so when somebody stands down it gives somebody else another opportunity.

“At the end of the day it’s about the team, what goes on in the team, not about any one individual,” added Gatting.

Statistical Highlights : India vs Sri Lanka one-off T20 Pallekele 2012

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 01:40 AM PDT


Statistical highlights of the lone Twenty20 match between India and Sri Lanka at Pallekele on Tuesday.

# Irfan Pathan has been adjudged the Man-of-the-Match for the second time in T20Is – his first award was against Pakistan for claiming 3 for 16 at Johannesburg on September 24, 2007.

# Pathan is the top wicket-taker for India in T20Is – 20 wickets at 23.30 runs apiece in 18 matches.

# Pathan captured the wickets of the top three batsmen for the first time in a T20I.

# Pathan (3 for 27) has recorded his best figures against Sri Lanka – his second best in T20Is, behind the 3 for 16 against Pakistan at Johannesburg on September 24, 2007.

# Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane have shared a partnership of 74 for the second wicket – India’s highest against Sri Lanka in T20Is.

# India (155/3) have posted their lowest total against Sri Lanka in T20Is.

# Sri Lanka (116) have posted the lowest completed innings total in Sri Lanka-India T20Is.

# Ashok Dinda (4/19) has registered his best bowling figures in T20Is.

# Dinda’s above bowling figures are the best against Sri lanka at Pallekele in T20Is. The said figures are the second best overall Pallekele.

# Ajantha Mendis (SL) had taken six for 16 against Australia on August 8, 2011 – the best bowling performance in T20Is.

# Dinda is the first Indian bowler to take four wickets in an innings against Sri Lanka in T20Is.

# Dinda’s aforesaid figures are the joint second best for India in T20Is. Zaheer Khan had taken four wickets for 19 runs against Ireland at Trent Bridge on June 10, 2009.

# Rudra Pratap Singh holds an Indian record. He had bagged 4 for 13 against South Africa at Durban on September 20, 2007, which are the best by an Indian bowler in T20Is.

# Pragyan Ojha is the only other bowler to bag four wickets for India in a T20I – 4 for 21 against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge on June 6, 2009.

# Dilshan has posted his first duck against India – his fourth in T20Is.

# Mahela Jayawardene (26) has recorded his highest score against India in T20Is.

# Suresh Raina took his runs’ tally to 631 at an average of 33,21 in 26 games – the second highest for India in T20Is behind Gautam Gambhir’s aggregate of 752 (ave.31.33) in 27 matches.

# Raina, with 162 runs at an average of 40.50 in five games, is now the top Indian run-getter against Sri Lanka in T20Is, overtaking the 136 (ave.27.20) in five matches by Gautam Gambhir.

# India’s convincing 39-run victory is their biggest by runs’ margin, outstripping the 37-run win against South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban on September 20, 2007.

# Sri Lanka, after winning the first two games against Australia, have lost their first match at Pallekele.

# Shaminda Eranga became the first bowler to take a wicket each in his first over in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

# Kohli has become the first Indian batsman to record a fifty against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka.

# Kohli (68) has recorded his maiden fifty in T20Is.

# Kohli’s above knock is the highest by an Indian player against Sri Lanka in T20Is, surpassing Virender Sehwag’s 64 at Mohali on December 12, 2009.

# Dhoni, with 31 matches as captain, has establshed a record in Twenty20 Internationals, eclipsing Paul Collingwood’s tally of 30. (PTI)

MS Dhoni praises pacers, part-timers for win

Posted: 08 Aug 2012 01:29 AM PDT


India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni credited the fine show by his pacers and presence of part-time bowling option for his side’s clinical 39-run win over Sri Lanka in the one-off Twenty20 International on Tuesday.

Pacer Ashok Dinda produced a career-best effort of four for 19 while Irfan Pathan ably supported him with three for 27.

The part-time bowlers, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, also played a crucial role in slowing down the Lankan run-chase.

They did not let their skipper down as the duo bowled four overs for 22 runs.

“Overall, we were really good. It was a good performance.

We thought of a high scoring game but it was slightly different as the ball was swinging till the 20th over. So it was not really easy to slog. We thought we were 10-15 runs short. Especially the way Sri Lankan team started, we thought that may be the case but our bowlers came back beautifully,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

“They bowled in the right areas. It was important to take wickets and that’s what we did. The combination of Virat and Rohit was a big plus point for us. If you are looking to play with four specialist bowlers and a part-timer, they bowled well as a unit. If in four overs, they concede 30-35 runs, it’s ok with us. Our strength is having that seventh batsman in the side. Quite happy with the performance,” said the skipper.

Riding on Kohli’s well-crafted 68, the Indians managed to put up a respectable 155 for 3. In reply, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 116 in 18 overs at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium.

Asked about India’s dominance over Sri Lanka in their home conditions, Dhoni said, “The wickets have changed here.

When I first came here, the ball used to stop a lot. But now the pitches have been re-laid. I think we mastered our bowling and batting better than them.”

Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene said it’s tough to come back when you commit too many mistakes against a strong team like India.

“We thought 150 was achievable. We’re making a lot of mistakes. We’e still playing good cricket. When you come across a team like India, it is tough to beat them,” he said.

Talking about the upcoming Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), he said, “The SLPL should be a good preparation for the World T20.”

Irfan Pathan continued his strong ODI form with another man-of-the-match performance and the Baroda pacer said he wants to contribute the way he is doing it right now.

“God has been kind to me. I want to continue my good form,” he said.

Pathan’s opening spell helped India to make early inroads into the Lankan batting line-up.

“Wickets at the top of the order help. Mahela was going great guns. The ball was swinging and we knew that if we got wickets, it would be difficult for the Lankan batsmen.” (PTI)
Posted by MohammaD IsmaiL at 1:10 PM

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