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Thursday, February 28, 2013

Cricket News and Cricket Highlights - Crichotline

Cricket News and Cricket Highlights - Crichotline


Pakistan vs South Africa 1st T20 Live Streams – 01 March 2013 #PakvsSA

Posted: 28 Feb 2013 08:51 AM PST

Pakistan vs South Africa 1st T20 live streams online. 1st T20 Pakistan vs South Africa Ten Cricket Live streams online. Watch Pak vs SA 1st T20 Sky Sports live streams online.

Pakistan vs South Africa 1st T20 Live Streams 2013

Pakistan loosing the test series by 3-0 will now be looking to bounce back in the limited over cricket. Pakistan will play a 2 match T20 series followed by 5 match ODI series. South Africa so far have completely dominated the game holding back Pakistan batsman from scoring runs. South Africa have been in top form in test cricket but not so in the limited over cricket where they are still struggling. Only five of South Africa’s current Test players are in the T20 squad. On the other hand Pakistan camp will be joined by experienced duo Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik to give Proteas a tough fight in the limited over game. The Akmal brothers, Kamran and Umar has also joined the squad as well. Another positive for the Pakistan team is Junaid Khan has been declared fit and is expected to play in the limited over series. A lot of questions has been raised on the Pakistan team and this is their opportunity to fight back.

Match Timings: 18:00 local | 16:00 GMT | 21:30 IST

Pakistan vs South Africa 1st T20 will be live streamed online. We will provide the links to watch the matches online. So just bookmark the page for the live streaming links fo the match.

Pakistan vs South Africa Live Streams links:

1. TheCricTV.com –>> http://thecrictv.com

2. TheCricket-TV.info –>> http://thecricket-tv.info

We have to play our absolute best to beat India : Shane Watson #IndvsAus

Posted: 28 Feb 2013 05:13 AM PST

We have to play our absolute best to beat India - Shane WatsonAustralian batsman Shane Watson has said his side would have to play at their absolute best to win the second Test against India starting on Saturday.

He also believes that the team would have to play its aggressive brand of cricket to do well in the series, after losing the first Test at Chennai.

“We need to win this Test match. There is no doubt. We need to be certainly at our absolute best to beat India,” he said after the visitors had a practice session at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

“We really need to play our aggressive brand of cricket where we are best as team. We need to find a way to make sure that we play that brand of cricket. We will be making sure as a team go out there and make sure that we really up for the contest,” he said.

“I think we have learnt a lot from how India played in Chennai. It was a great learning as a team and as an individual,” he added.

About the wicket, Watson said it looked really nice which may also turn at some stage.

“I think the wicket is little bit dry than what it normally is for T20s and One-dayers. I think it might turn a little bit at some stage. There may be pace and bounce for the quicks.”

Watson was confident that selectors would announce the playing eleven on Thursday or Friday after looking. Asked if the team was looking for one more spinner, he said this is something selectors are weighing at the moment.

“India’s game plan in Chennai was significantly different from ours as we saw in the second inning when their quick bowlers hardly bowled four or five overs.”

Watson said he would not change very much the way he batted in the first Test but admitted that he would have to spend little more time in the middle to continue to show his intent. He also said he was working to improve his game especially against spinners.

“There is a pressure to score runs because you are primarily picked up as a batsman. My role in top four or five is to make runs no matter whether I am bowling or not,” he said when asked if there is a pressure to score runs.

Watson said though he enjoy opening the batting, he was happy with the new role at No.4.

The aggressive all-rounder said he missed bowling in Chennai Test especially on the day when Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dohni started taking the game away from them.

Watson, who is not bowling due to fitness problem, said he would continue to focus on fitness for next three months before bowling again.

AB de Villiers excited about Proteas young emerging talent

Posted: 28 Feb 2013 01:45 AM PST

AB de Villiers excited about Proteas young emerging talentSouth Africa batsman AB de Villiers has said he is excited by the new talent coming through the domestic system, as the Proteas squad prepares for the first Twenty20 international against Pakistan at Kingsmead on Friday.

The squad features a solid mixture of youth and experience, with domestic players receiving the rewards for consistent performances, Sport24 reports.

De Villiers said it is a nice way of giving youngsters a chance to perform and to showcase their talent, adding he definitely see why they are doing that.

De Villiers added there is so many youngsters that have come through that have won games for their domestic teams on a regular basis.

Pakistan pose a different threat with the white ball, and will be confident after winning the previous encounter between the two nations at the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka last year.

Knowledge of the conditions and the exuberant talent in the squad will count in South Africa’s favour, at a venue where they recently thrashed New Zealand by eight wickets. (ANI)

Kyle Abbott added to SA ODI squad for Pakistan series #PakvsSA

Posted: 28 Feb 2013 01:03 AM PST

Kyle Abbott added to SA ODI squad for Pakistan seriesSouth African fast bowler Kyle Abbott has been added to the squad for the one-day international series against Pakistan starting from March 10.

According to a Cricket South Africa statement, Abbott, who took nine wickets on his Test debut last week, has been selected for the squad to strengthen Proteas’ fast bowling resources as Morne Morkel is still recovering from his hamstring injury, Sport24 reports.

In the event of Morkel’s injury, and after the withdrawal of Jacques Kallis, Abbott was given a place in the ODI squad against Pakistan.

Abbott’s seven for 29 in the first innings was the second best return on debut by a South African and he helped bowl his side to an innings win over Pakistan to complete a 3-0 series whitewash, the report added. (ANI)

A tiger resides inside ‘slight man’ Sachin Tendulkar, says Mathew Hayden #IndvsAus

Posted: 28 Feb 2013 12:30 AM PST

A tiger resides inside 'slight man' Sachin Tendulkar, says Mathew HaydenA tiger resides inside the “little” frame of Sachin Tendulkar, feels former Australian batsman Matthew Hayden, who saw it when he started playing against the Indian veteran.

“I probably first heard Sachin’s name in the early ’90s. The one thing that always stuck in my mind about Sachin was that his size never ever matched his status,” Hayden wrote in a book ‘Sachin — Cricketer of the Century’ by Vimal Kumar, which will hit the stands in the first week of March.

“He was an incredibly slight man for someone who was such a huge brand within the game. It wasn’t until I really played against him that I understood that there was a tiger that lay within him: he was a very competitive little man,” he said.

Hayden also recalled an interesting incident from the 2008 Test series in India.

“My favourite Sachin moment was at the Mohali Test where he broke the world record for the most number of Test runs. There was so much excitement around the ground that the fireworks actually stopped play for the better part of 20 minutes, whilst the smoke cleared away,” he recalled.

Writing in the same book, former Australian coach John Buchanan compared Tendulkar with Australian great Ricky Ponting, who happened to be a contemporary of the Indian.

“Statistically, Tendulkar has a better record than Ricky Ponting. If Tendulkar is far more orthodox, far more classical and technical, Ricky is a little more unorthodox,” he explained.

Buchanan, however, felt it was difficult to choose between Tendulkar and Ponting.

“Sachin definitely is a better player of spin bowling, more so on the challenging and spin-friendly wickets of the sub-continent,” he said.

“I would have loved to see Ricky’s domination over spinners in the same way as Sachin’s, and vice versa, the Master’s audacity on the front foot like the Tasmanian’s against the best fast bowlers.

“Only if these two qualities were exchanged in their respective games could either of them have bettered Sir Bradman’s Test average,” he added.

Buchanan praised Tendulkar’s mental toughness. “Sachin has an exceptional ability to relax and can switch on and switch off with ease without any fuss. To get away from cricket and can come back recharged year after year for decades has been really marvellous. The Master has been the greatest exponents of doing that.”

Australian seamer Jackson Bird ruled out of India series #IndvsAus

Posted: 27 Feb 2013 11:30 PM PST

Australian seamer Jackson Bird ruled out of India seriesInjured Australian speedster Jackson Bird has been ruled out of the remaining three Test matches against India due to a bone stress injury on his back sustained during the first warm-up game of the ongoing series.

“Initial tests performed in Melbourne have confirmed that Jackson Bird has a bone stress injury of the low back,” team doctor Peter Brukner was quoted as saying.

“He will undergo further tests tomorrow (Thursday). He will not be re-joining the team in India.”

Bird played in the first warm-up game of the tour against Board President’s XI and bowled 10 economic overs giving away only 10 runs.

A likely recovery time will not be known until Bird has further tests but it is a worrying development for Australia in an Ashes year, given how well his accurate seam-bowling style could translate to English conditions.

The loss of Bird leaves Australia with a 16-man squad ahead of the second Test, which starts in Hyderabad on Saturday.

At this stage, the selectors have not decided on whether to send a replacement player to join the group, leaving Mitchell Johnson as the only extra fast bowler in the group besides those who played in the first Test.

Dav Whatmore future depends on ODI and T20 series against South Africa : PCB Sources #PakvsSA

Posted: 27 Feb 2013 10:30 PM PST

Dav Whatmore future depends on ODI and T20 series against South Africa - PCB SourcesThe forthcoming T20 and ODI series in South Africa could well decide the fate of the national team’s Australian coach Dav Whatmore or lead to the axing of some senior players from the squad.

The buzz within the PCB also indicates that already there is talk about the Chairman of the board Zaka Ashraf deciding to take some strong decisions when the team returns home in late March.

To complicate matters for Whatmore and in fact the team management reports about problems in the dressing room have also not helped their cause.

The daily “Jang” reported on Wednesday that immediately after the massive innings defeat in the third Test Whatmore had chosen to take out his anger on Imran Farhat who incidentally was Pakistan’s best player in the match with scores of 30 and 44.

“Instead of taking out his anger on the senior players for their inept performances, Whatmore accused Farhat of working against team’s interest and playing for himself.

“This led to a argument between the two with the latter reminding the coach that at least he had chosen to play positively against the South African bowlers and it had produced good results. Farhat also told Whatmore to not blame him and look at the team’s passive approach in the matches,” the report said.

Another report claimed that the team management had tried to hide the real reason for the fitness problems facing left arm pacer Junaid Khan on the tour.

The report said that Junaid had fallen off a water scooter during a outing and hurt himself which led to his fitness problems and kept him out of the last two Tests.

“The team management has tried to give the impression that Junaid hurt himself on the field,” the report said

“Clearly, there is pressure on the board and the only thing that can save some heads from rolling is if the team makes a strong comeback in the T20 and ODI series,” an insider in the board said.

Greg Chappell excited about team India future, worries about test cricket

Posted: 27 Feb 2013 09:45 PM PST

Greg Chappell excited about team India future, worries about test cricketFormer Team India coach Greg Chappell on Tuesday said he was excited about the future of Indian cricket but worried about the future of Test matches.

“I think the future of Indian cricket is very strong. I am excited to think where Indian cricket can go and can lead the game,” Chappell said while delivering the annual Tiger Pataudi lecture.

However, one thing which worries the former Aussie skipper though is the future of Test cricket in the age of Twenty20′s.

Chappell said it would be a big mistake and detrimental to the future of cricket if the longer version of the game lost its importance.

Remarking that Test matches are the soul of cricket, Chappell said, "If we allow Tests to lose, cricket will lose its soul. Cricket will be poorer.”

“T20 has taken the game to a different level. It is here to stay, no doubt about that. We don’t need to change that,” he said while stressing that Test cricket needs to be protected in such a scenario.

Explaining the importance of Tests, he said the five-day game threw up challenges which test the patience of cricketers and make them learn how to deal with the good and the bad together.

Talking about the future of Indian cricket, he said if Indian players could perform well under different conditions, then nothing could stop the team.

Stating that challenges change not only with different pitches but with the progress of a Test, Chappell said, "That is where you develop players who can play all over the world. I think once your cricket embraces this, there will be no stopping what Indian cricket can achieve.”

The former Aussie skipper said Indian cricket should have the best side in the world as it has the natural advantage of huge population.

“The reason why it has not happened is the plans have not been put in place,” Chappell said.

“It (India) should be the next cricket super-power. It should dominate cricket in the long-term. For that, changes are needed but not ad-hoc strategies,” he said adding that India should win more matches away from home.

Praising MS Dhoni’s batting skills, Chappell said the Indian skipper developed skills because of playing on a variety of surfaces.

“The step which is equally important is to provide facilities for everybody to play cricket. It is the environment rather than the academies that produce good players,” he said.

He also suggested that BCCI’s pitch and grounds committee should not try to make all pitches of the same type.

“Not every pitch needs to be the same. Each region has its own nuances,” he said.

Pakistan vs South Africa 1st T20 Preview – 01 March 2013 #PakvsSA

Posted: 27 Feb 2013 08:41 PM PST

Pakistan vs South Africa 1st T20 PreviewPakistan have a chance to hit back after a trouncing in the Test series when they meet South Africa in the first of two Twenty20 internationals at Kingsmead on Friday.

The tourists were outclassed in the Tests, losing all three matches, but can be reasonably optimistic about their prospects in the shorter forms of the game with the Twenty20 games followed by five one-day internationals.

Only five of South Africa’s current Test players are in the T20 squad — Faf du Plessis, who has been appointed captain in the shortest format, AB de Villiers, Robin Peterson, Rory Kleinveldt and fast bowling discovery Kyle Abbott.

The change of emphasis in South Africa’s approach is underlined by the fact that national coach Gary Kirsten handed the T20 reins to Russell Domingo, his assistant coach, before a three-match series against New Zealand earlier in the season.

South Africa won that series 2-1.

Pakistan will be boosted by the inclusion of the experienced duo of Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik.

Opening batsman Mohammad Hafeez takes over as T20 captain, although Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq will resume the leadership for the one-day internationals, which start in Bloemfontein on March 10.

The Akmal brothers, Kamran and Umar, who were not part of the Test squad, are others who could add impetus to the T20 side.

Whereas South Africa’s greatest strength is in their number one-ranked Test team, Pakistan are likely to be lifted by the infusion of new players after a morale-sapping experience in the Test series.

“It will be good to have some new players for the one-day games… the new players will come with fresh minds and a positive attitude,” Misbah said after the final Test ended in three days on Sunday.

By contrast, Domingo said South Africa faced a “much tougher” challenge in the T20s, describing his team as “a work in progress” with young players being tried out with a view to the next World T20 in Bangladesh next year.

Squads:
South Africa: Faf du Plessis (capt), Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers (wkt), Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Chris Morris, Justin Ontong, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez (capt), Nasir Jamshed, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz, Umar Gul, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Amin, Zulfiqar Babar, Asad Ali, Junaid Khan.

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