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- Preview: Pakistan vs Australia 2nd ODI Abu Dhabi 2012
- Preview: England vs South Africa 3rd ODI The Oval 2012
- Preview: India vs New Zealand 2nd Test, Bangalore, 2012
- MS Dhoni warns teammates against taking NZ pacers lightly
- ‘Champion Yuvraj has set an example’: Sachin Tendulkar
- India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Live Streaming – 2012
- PCB wants a match in Mohali during India-Pakistan series
- No Indian in ICC Test Team of the Year
| Preview: Pakistan vs Australia 2nd ODI Abu Dhabi 2012 Posted: 30 Aug 2012 11:07 AM PDT
Friday's match will be a battle between Australia’s batsmen and Pakistan’s spinners. Whoever wins stands a good chance of emerging victorious. Barring Michael Clarke, all the Australian batsmen struggled against Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez. Though George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell guided their team to victory, they were lucky on more than one occasion. The Australian batting is too dependent on Clarke, while Pakistan rely completely on their spinners who took all six wickets in the opening match.
Pakistan’s biggest concern is the form of their opener Mohammad Hafeez, whose last five ODIs have produced scores of 14, 0, 0, 6 and 4. Of those five matches, Pakistan lost four and the other was called off. Sufficed to say, failing to get a start has been a big factor. A middle order comprising Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq and Misbah-ul-Haq has been solid rather than spectacular. Umar Akmal is too low at No. 6 and deserves to be promoted up the order; the more he balls he plays, the better it is for Pakistan. Umar and Shafid did well in the first ODI with a partnership that revived Pakistan and set them on par for a big total, but both fell to rash shots. With the lower order imploding, Pakistan collapsed from 160 for 4 to 198 all out. Shahid Afridi has reached double-digits twice in his last nine innings and Kamran Akmal is playing his first series since the 2011 World Cup, leaving the batting with a decidedly flaccid look. Australia's biggest gains from Sharjah were their two young fast bowlers. Mitchell Starc took the Man-of-the-Match overs with five wickets, but James Pattinson was the most impressive with figures of 3 for 19 in 9.1 overs. The other bowlers, in particular Mitchell Johnson, were strictly passable and Australia could bring in Xavier Doherty for Johnson keeping in mind the pitch which is conducive for spinners. For Pakistan, Sohail Tanvir and Aizaz Cheema looked completely off-colour on Tuesday, and there is a good chance that Junaid Khan comes in for one of the two. The Sharjah surface assists spinners in the latter half of the innings as the pitch gets slower, and chasing anything over 225 would be daunting for Australia given the ostensible weakness they showed against Ajmal and Co. The outcome of the first ODI could have been different had Pakistan not dropped a couple of catches, a malaise which has haunted them for years. Probable XIs: Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Matthew Wade (wk), 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 David Hussey, 6 George Bailey, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Daniel Christian, 9 Xavier Doherty, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 James Pattinson  |
| Preview: England vs South Africa 3rd ODI The Oval 2012 Posted: 30 Aug 2012 10:06 AM PDT
South Africa created history at The Rose Bowl earlier in the week when they became the first team to sit on top of the ICC rankings in all forms of cricket – Tests, ODIs and T20s. By winning that match by 80 runs, the South Africans replaced England as the No. 1 ODI team after ending their stint on top of the Test rankings earlier on the tour. Graeme Smith’s men have inflicted one would after another on England this summer. The chain of unsettling events – starting from losing the No. 1 Test rank to Strauss’ retirement – has now reached a stage where the hosts stare at losing the ODI series as well.
England bowlers – who have been pivotal to the team’s success at home – have so far had no answers to the South African batting, especially Hashim Amla who continues to spread his terror in a nonchalant manner. Amla has so far had just one innings in the ODI series, where he sent England into submission mode with his match-winning 124-ball 150 after topping the run-scoring charts in the Test series with 482 runs, including two hundreds – one of which was a triple century (311*). He will come out to bat at The Oval with the added confidence of having been named in the ICC Test XI for the third consecutive year and being nominated for the ‘ICC Cricket of the Year’ and ‘ICC Test Cricketer of the Year’ awards. South Africa captain Graeme Smith – who scored 52 in an 89-run opening partnership with Amla at Southampton – will not be too worried about changing his XI in London despite failure of the middle order to press on after being 165 for 2 in the first ODI. JP Duminy, Dean Elgar and AB de Villiers failed to make any notable contributions, leaving it to Amla to take South Africa close to 300. Perhaps Smith has a case to push de Villiers up the order to not let the momentum drop and then have Duminy lower down to take care should there be a stutter on the way. If any, Dale Steyn could be the only change in the visitors’ line-up, that’s if Smith doesn’t want to keep him in the safe for the next month’s World Twenty20. Steyn wasn’t in the XI for the first two ODIs either and the best excuse on offer is that Smith is preserving his best bowler for the T20 battlefield in Sri Lanka. Morne Morkel, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Wayne Parnell, Ryna McLaren and Robin Peterson restricted England to 207 in the first ODI. That should give Smith enough confidence to go in with the same bowling line-up. England’s problems largely revolve around Amla, who hasn’t looked like getting out to any of the English bowlers – slow or fast. If Tim Bresnan leaked 7.62 runs per over at Southampton, Steven Finn (10-0-59-1) and James Anderson (9-0-53-0) were just shy of six runs per over. Their two spinners Graeme Swann and Samit Patel could bargain only two wickets for 97 runs in 20 overs – with Swann being the wicket-taker on both the occasions. But Swann has been rested for the last three ODIS, which could add to England’s woes. Offspinner James Tredwell has taken Swann’s place and is expected to replace him straight into the XI. However, it will be interesting if Cook takes a call on James Anderson as well, with the bowler looking jaded after the Test series. If Anderson is rested, Jade Dernbach is likely to take his place, but with a must-win match on hands, Cook may need Anderson’s experience for crunch situations. Bell has been pushed up and looked good in the 45 he scored the other day, but captain Cook and No. 3 Jonathan Trott need to complement Bell for a healthy start and give confidence to a strong-looking but under-performing middle order of Ravi Bopara, Eoin Morgan and Craig Kieswetter. But it’s not just about batting well for England, it's about batting well against an in-form bowling attack. That’s where the battle lies for the hosts if they want to live another day in this ODI series. Playing XIs: South Africa: 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Graeme Smith, 3 AB de Villiers (capt/wk), 4 Dean Elgar, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Faf du Plessis, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 Ryan McLaren, 9 Robin Peterson, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe  |
| Preview: India vs New Zealand 2nd Test, Bangalore, 2012 Posted: 30 Aug 2012 07:15 AM PDT
A 2-0 triumph would go a long way in erasing the bitter memories of previous season during which India were routed 4-0 by both England and Australia when they toured there. The Indians have bounced back in style this season by outplaying New Zealand inside four days in a lop-sided opening Test on the turning track of Hyderabad.
Thoroughly outplayed in Hyderabad, the Kiwis will be hoping to find a way to counter the Indian spinners in the match which was expected to be affected by the inclement weather prevailing here for the past few days. Though Chinnaswamy curator Narayan Raju talked about a tinge of grass available on the pitch, the New Zealand think tank doesn’t hope for spin respite. They expect groundsmen to shave the pitch off and make sure it is dry. The inability of the New Zealand batsmen to handle spin was exposed in Hyderabad where 18 of their 20 wickets fell to tweakers. With off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin taking 12 wickets and left-armer Pragyan Ojha grabbing six, India underlined their supremacy on home soil by winning the first Test convincingly. India will once again look towards the spin duo to sweep the short series against the struggling Black Caps. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is aware of the role the spin duo played in India’s victory in the last home Test series against the West Indies in November 2011 during which they shared 42 wickets in three matches. Among the few positives for the Kiwis, Kane Williamson scored 32 and 52 in the first Test, while opener Brendon McCullum managed 42 in an innings of uncharacteristic restraint in the second dig. But more is required from the Black Caps who showed a distinct lack of application and patience in the opening match. Martin Guptill and McCullum will be looking to give a solid platform to the visitors which is crucial for them to make a battle of it against the formidable Indians. Skipper Ross Taylor, who hasn’t had a productive last two series, will also be looking to step up to the task without further ado. While Kiwi batsmen are sweating it out at the nets asking their spinners to bowl at them, their seamers are praying for a blanket of moisture than a dry surface for them to exploit the conditions. Weathermen predict that for the next five days, Bangalore will witness scattered thunderstorms which may affect the match. Temperatures will remain high at 26 degree Celsius and low at 20 degree Celsius each day. With youngsters Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli making headlines in the absence of batting greats VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid, the spotlight will also be on older generation of batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. Tendulkar has been working hard on his defence in the nets, while Sehwag went after strokes to get himself in right frame of mind. Concerns for Tendulkar probably springs from his nature of dismissals. He has been out 22 times either bowled or leg before wicket. Pujara’s form ahead of tougher assignments against England and Australia augurs well for India. The Saurashtrian hit a maiden Test century (159) in Hyderabad to help his side post a big total. The Indians start favourites by quite a few miles but the famous Kiwi resilience to punch above their weight cannot be ignored either. (PTI) Teams: India (Probable): Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c&wk), R Ashwin, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Umesh Yadav. New Zealand (Probable): Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Flynn, Ross Taylor (c), Kane Williamson, James Franklin, Kruger van Wyk (wk), Doug Bracewell, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin, Trent Boult. Time: 09:30 local (04:00 GMT)  |
| MS Dhoni warns teammates against taking NZ pacers lightly Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:40 AM PDT
“New Zealand is a good bowling side and will come up with good bowling plan by exploiting the overcast conditions at Chinnaswamy stadium. The first spell will be really crucial for both sides,” Dhoni said. “Indian batsmen have to negotiate their pace and they have to get as many wickets as possible,” he added.
Kiwi pacers had managed to pick up wickets even on the Hyderabad track, which did not assist the fast bowlers much. Dhoni informed that he has requested the groundsmen here to make a turning track, but said that the batsmen will have to play on whatever pitch is given to them. “The subcontinental speciality should be spin and I think we should stick to it,” he said. Asked if he expected any change in the wicket that still has a tinge of grass on it, Dhoni said it is up to the groundsmen to do the changes. “They are still working on it,” he said. Praising spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha who shared 18 wickets between them in the previous Test, Dhoni said that he would like to get some more assistance from the pitch for his bowlers. “Ravichandran Ashwin bowled brilliantly and Pragyan Ojha had to keep it tight. I personally felt if we get a bit more spin and bounce for our spinners it will be really good.” Asked if he was experimenting when he decided to send Cheteshwar Pujara one down, Dhoni said the Saurashtrian would bat at number three, while Virat Kohli would retain his spot. On Pujara’s injury, Dhoni said, “The good thing is that he has batted and fielded today in the nets. So things are looking good,” he said. Dhoni also said the team is not keen on experimenting during the Bangalore Test and would field the best combination after having a final look at the wicket tomorrow morning, before the start of play. On whether Sachin Tendulkar was enjoying playing with youngsters, Dhoni said that he was happy, but people jump to conclusions even if the veteran batsman scores a 40 or a 50. “He is enjoying his cricket, which is very important. When he turns up on the field he wants to improve,” he said. Dhoni revealed that he was thinking of donning a new role in the team of playing along with tailenders to frustrate the opponents. “If the last three or four batsmen contribute, it is frustrating for the opponents and at the same time you add on to the total,” he said. Dhoni said he was not overconfident after his team’s win over the New Zealanders in the first Test. “Whatever we did right in the first Test we have to repeat it. We will try to stick to our basics, try to keep things simple. We don’t complicate things and try to put pressure on the opposition,” said Dhoni.  |
| ‘Champion Yuvraj has set an example’: Sachin Tendulkar Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:20 AM PDT
“He’s undergone those tough treatments and those tough sessions and he’s back in the Indian cricket team. So he’s set a great example not only for the sportsman to follow but for a common man suffering from cancer. I think he’s set a great example,” Tendulkar said. Calling him a champion, Tendulkar remembered Yuraj’s heroics in the 2011 World Cup.
“To me he’s a champion — once a champion will always be a champion. I was really happy that he got the Man of the Series, Man of the tournament in the World Cup and then yes, he had health problems”, Tendulkar said. “And then again, as I said he’s a champion and he proved it and he’s addressed those issues with the help of the doctors and every possible thing which a cancer patient should do he’s done,” he said. The veteran batsman was impressed with the India colts’ triumph in the Under-19 World Cup recently, and picked captain Unmukt Chand for special praise. “Yeah, I mean to be honest, I haven’t seen much of him (Unmukt). But whatever I have seen I’ve really liked. I got to spend some time with the U-19 team before they left for the World Cup. It was a fantastic experience to share my thoughts with the team and also to watch them play fabulous cricket. “They really played well. They played well as a team. In fact, when the Hyderabad Test was on while getting ready in my room I used to switch on the television to watch the game and that would continue till we reached the dressing room. We saw the finals but brilliant, they really batted well”, he said. “And with the help of some brilliant performances, individual performances, Unmukt has really done well in the finals. It was fantastic moment to watch them celebrate that victory once they got the trophy. The celebration was superb,” Tendulkar said. Talking about his best knock in 2011, a year which saw India winning the World Cup that was followed by the team’s disastrous tour to England,” Tendulkar chose the one he scored against South Africa in Cape Town at the start of the year. “My best knock in 2011, I would say I scored a 100 in Cape Town in the 3rd Test in South Africa. I think I scored a 140 plus so that’s got to be the most challenging knock of 2011. “The wicket had bounce and movement and when I look back I feel that one session I played with Gautam on the 3rd morning (and) for 55 or 57 minutes we didn’t rotate the strike. I mean that was the quality and standard of bowling, It was really high and one of the enjoyable sessions that I find most challenging session that I have been part of.” On the Indian team’s performance in the year gone by, he said it was a “special year”. “2011 was a really special year, especially the first half. The first half we won the World Cup which was the ultimate thing. I waited for 22 long years to lift the trophy. “That evening was really special, you can only dream of such things and when they turn into reality, you’re speechless.” He also spoke about the outings in England and Australia. “England tour wasn’t that great for the team. There were individual good performances but when you look at the team it wasn’t a great tour for us though immediately when England came to India we showed them the other side of the coin. “There were moments where we felt that sort of in the driving seat (in the Melbourne Test), but they slipped away from us. We were not able to grab them.” On records and the 100th hundred, Tendulkar said, “Well, I know that this will only happen once in my entire life. I can’t get another award for that. Records are meant to be broken. I’m happy that it has happened.”  |
| India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Live Streaming – 2012 Posted: 30 Aug 2012 06:08 AM PDT
India vs New Zealand 2nd Test Live Streaming 2012. New Zealand vs India Series 2012 Cricket Live Streaming. Ind vs NZ 2012 Live Streams. Indian team came back strong with a 1-0 lead against the New Zealand. New Zealand batsman failed to live up against Indian spin attack and now India will look for wrapping up series 2-0. For India, spin bowling has been the strength of the team at home. In the last match 18 of the 20 wickets were taken by spinners. New Zealand need to find out a way to tackle spinners. India will most probably will be going out with the same team. New Zealand surely are lacking a lot. Team hasn’t performed on their last tour and same thing continues here in India. New Zealand batsman haven’t been in their form and are not performing at all. The team looks low on confidence and really needs to get back in action before the start of T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. 1. TheCricTV – http://thecrictv.com 2. TheCricket-TV – http://thecricket-tv.info 3. TheCricket-TV – http://thecrickettvvinnffoo.blogspot.com  |
| PCB wants a match in Mohali during India-Pakistan series Posted: 30 Aug 2012 03:40 AM PDT
PCB sources told PTI that the Board was still awaiting a reply from the BCCI on the request to have a match at Mohali. “The Indians had sent us a tentative itinerary for the three ODIs and two T20 matches and we have formally requested them to have atleast one match at Mohali,” one source said.
He said the emphasis on having a match at Mohali had been made keeping in view that it is an easily accessible venue for the visitors from Pakistan. In the past, Pakistani visitors have found it easier to go to Mohali to watch matches due to its close proximity by road to the Wagah border. “Officially we have confirmed our acceptance of the BCCI invitation to tour India for the short series but we are waiting for a response on the Mohali request. The rest of the venues are okay with us.” The BCCI has not scheduled any matches in Mumbai and picked Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata and Delhi among the venues to host the matches. Normally it is the prerogative of the host board to finalise the venues for a series.(PTI)  |
| No Indian in ICC Test Team of the Year Posted: 30 Aug 2012 03:17 AM PDT
India were whitewashed by England and Australia in back-to-back away series last year, a free-fall from the number one position that the side held before that. The list announced on Thursday, along with the nominees for the ICC annual awards scheduled on September 15 here, featured five South Africans (including the 12th man) and three Englishmen.
In fact, South Africa’s pace spearhead Dale Steyn made the side for the fifth year running. The team was chosen by a selection panel chaired by West Indian batting legend Clive Lloyd. “Six countries are represented in the 12-man line-up and South Africa’s Dale Steyn has earned a place in the ICC Test Team of the Year for the fifth successive year,” the ICC said in a statement “It is the third year in a row that South Africa’s Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis and Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara feature in the side, while England’s Alastair Cook and Stuart Broad appear for the second year in a row,” it added. Australia’s current captain, Michael Clarke, was named the skipper of the team. “Those selected can be justifiably proud of their achievements and well deserving of the recognition they receive as great cricketers of their era,” said ICC Chief Executive David Richardson. “The quality of the Test cricket played over the course of the year has been exceptional and I did not envy the selectors in their task of selecting the best. Congratulations to those who have made it. They make a formidable team,” he added. Lloyd said it was difficult line-up to pick given the vast international talent. “It is always tough to decide on the Test team with so many worthy candidates to consider based on performances between 4 August 2011 to 6 August 2012. The team once again has a strong batting line-up, while the bowlers are a tough combination of pace and spin who could dismiss any line-up on any surface. “The process of selection was a difficult one, with a lengthy debate between the panel on all the top performances during the voting period and various combinations were considered,” he said. “The selectors did utilise a vast amount of statistics from the period under observation, but we also took into account all other factors like the opposition, pitch conditions, match situation etc. But when you have only 12 places to fill from a big group of world-class players, there will always be a few who will miss out.” Lloyd was joined on the panel by former Sri Lanka batsman Marvan Attapatu, former England women’s captain Clare Connor, former West Indies all-rounder Carl Hooper and Australia’s World Cup winner Tom Moody. Statistics were available as a guide but were not necessarily the overwhelming factor in the choices made. The ICC Test Team of the Year is one of two teams selected by the ICC selection panel along with the ODI line-up which will be announced a day before the LG ICC Awards. The ICC Test Team of the Year (in batting order): Alastair Cook (Eng), Hashim Amla (SA), Kumar Sangakkara (SL), Jacques Kallis (SA), Michael Clarke (Aus, captain), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI), Matt Prior (Eng – wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad (Eng), Saeed Ajmal (Pak), Vernon Philander (SA), Dale Steyn (SA), 12th Man – AB de Villiers (SA).  |
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