Younis Khan, standing in as captain for the injured Shoaib Malik, has dissociated himself from the decision to include Shoaib Akhtar in the playing XI for the second Test, saying such questions should be put to decision-makers and not to him.”I am not captain here, nor the coach,” Younis wrote in his column in the on Sunday. “I’ve been asked about the decision to to play Shoaib who is obviously not well. I am not responsible for certain decisions that have been taken. I was informed on the morning of the match that I would lead the team and I’m doing my best in leading a team that has been given to me.”Shoaib Akhtar, who took six wickets in the first Test, was laid low by a chest infection ahead of the second match in Kolkata and was taken to hospital for treatment. Mohammad Sami was also suffering from a chest infection but both were included in the XI.Younis also wrote that, had he been part of the decision-making process, he would have done things differently. But he admitted the coach and the manager were in an uncomfortable position at the start of the Test as Pakistan faced several injury problems. “[They had] to count bodies and see whether we could field a full team or not.”Younis has twice turned down the captaincy offer – in October 2006 just before the Champions Trophy and in April this year following Pakistan’s exit from the World Cup. But he accepted the vice-captaincy for the tour of India, replacing Salman Butt in a role that he had played for nearly two years under Inzamam-ul-Haq.
We did really well to get to 249, especially after losing wickets at regular intervals in the first innings. And then to bowl South Africa out for 84 was the turning point – you don’t bowl Test teams inside 30 overs. Despite the pitch fiasco at the beginning of the game our bowlers still had to go out there and bowl in the right areas, which they duly did. Both Sree and Zaheer got swing early on; that’s what the Kookaburra ball does when it’s new, it generally swings early on. But once the ball becomes older and the seam flattens out it becomes difficult unless the wicket has something in it.The seam is key on wickets like these even if you slow down on the pace. For Sree to take five-for was just magnificent. He normally bowls at a good pace and is able to swing it. What he did in Jo’burg was he bowled at the right lengths, something the South African bowlers failed to do. When you pick up five or six wickets with the new ball the opposition is always going to be in trouble unless someone plays a mighty rearguard. Even in the South African second innings our bowlers, with the old ball, stuck to their lengths. With the unevenness of the wicket it was always going to be difficult for the batsman to face up against the moving ball. And a pitch like this, from which you can extract so much, is exciting because you don’t get too many of them around the world these days.The problem is, coming from Indian wickets and conditions it is difficult to get the ball in the right areas; our bowlers did well to do that. To top it all our fielding was top class and we didn’t give the South Africans any room. Forget winning, I don’t think anyone gave us the chance even to draw except those 15 in the dressing room and I would’ve loved to be there with the team now.
Strategy and Teamwork: Ajit Wadekar (England v India, The Oval, 1971) – ‘The seniors inspired the juniors’Rahul’s decision to bat showed we were not afraid of the bouncy track or their much quicker bowlers. That must have given confidence to all the players and they might have thought, “Ok, our captain is bold enough to have that much faith in the team.” Rahul did the right thing to help us forget what happened in the one-day series. The result was there in the body language.Normally Rahul picks India out of batting collapses but he is going through a rare lean patch with the bat; this time, the others like Sourav, VVS Laxman and Sachin pitched in to carry us to safety. The team now is a balanced composition of experience and youth. And the youngsters will learn a lot lessons from the seniors not only verbally but through their actions. A fine example was that of Sourav. After South Africa had put the Indian top order to the sword, it was experience that told Sourav to stay at the wicket. Despite being a strokeplayer, he curtailed his shots and even copped a few blows. He did an extremely good job and showed the youngsters that every ball can’t be – needn’t be – hit for a four but instead you’ve got to stay there and see that a good enough score can be reached. I am sure a youngster like VRV Singh got the confidence from Sourav being there at the end and we got some valuable runs in the end. The bowlers walked in confidently, bowled a good line and length and what I liked most about someone like Sreesanth was his aggression. His statement is “Hum bhi kuch kam nahin (We aren’t inferior to anyone).” Not only does it play on the opposition, it also gives your teammates that extra confidence. That was shown by VVS Laxman in the second innings as he knew he would be giving his bowlers a lot of confidence by increasing the lead. This is the nucleus we should concentrate on and we should stop experimenting.
The Batting: Anshuman Gaekwad (West Indies v India, Port-of-Spain, 1976) – ‘Determination and concentration’Batting on wickets of this kind you need tremendous determination and concentration besides the adjustment you need to do especially if you are not used to such wickets. Obviously, you also need the will to score the runs. Once you are determined you are willing to adjust to the pace and bounce and then only you can survive. That is exactly what Sourav did against all the odds and not once did he look tentative in the first innings. That laid down the base. By deciding to leave as many balls as possible and play only those he could score against he looked very much in control and it never appeared he was making a comeback. The South Africans did all that they could by bowling from both sides of the wicket, pitching it short thinking the Indians are susceptible, but it didn’t work. Both Sourav and VVS made use of their experience and applied themselves very well.
A triple strike by Ashish Winston Zaidi left Mumbai reeling at 48 for 4 before a 119-run partnership between Amol Muzumdar and Ramesh Powar and a plucky breezy effort from Vinayak Samant pulled them out of the crisis to leave the game intriguingly poised by the end of the third day at Wankhade Stadium. It was a super Sunday at cricket today; a veteran bowler rocked the hosts early, two proud mumbaikars then fought back before a young allrounder pulled things back for the visitors. Praveen Kumar, the 20-year old allrounder, prised out Powar enroute to a three-wicket haul to restrict the target, leaving UP with a slight advantage.But the first stab at Mumbai came from a 34-year old journey man cricketer, Zaidi. Dubbed as the Amar Akbar Anthony of Indian cricket due to the uncommon name, Zaidi threatened to repeat his famous demolishing act of 1997-98 against the same opponents at the same venue. That was a semi-final encounter as well and Zaidi ripped apart Mumbai to shot them out for 98 on the first day. At the end of opening day in the current encounter he was quoted in as saying, “I just got one wicket today… Vinita [his wife] will seek an explanation tonight”. Vinita will be a happier woman tonight as Zaidi threatened to win it for UP with his opening burst. Mumbai, overnight on 21 for 0, lost Khanvilkar, edging behind off Shalabh Srivastava. Just one run later, Zaidi removed Sahil Kukreja, the other opener, in the same fashion before trapping Vineet Indulkar off the next ball to put UP on top. It was then UP ran into Amol Muzumdar, the wall of Mumbai cricket.Muzumdar continued with his good run this season – a run-tally of 569 at 71.12 with two hundreds and three fifties- and went to lunch at a personal score of 37 and team’s at 87 for 4. Powar joined Muzumdar and the duo brought up the Mumbai 100 in the 47th over. The hard-hitting Powar, who had sparkled with both bat and ball this season, proved an able ally to the finesse of Muzumdar. Kaif rotated his bowlers, throwing spin and seam at the pair but the two applied themselves and brought up the 150 in the 58th over and soon the 100-run partnership was up – in 120 minutes and of 174 balls. Just when Mumbai threatened to bat on to a big target, the UP youngsters struck.Kumar, who hit Mumbai hard in the first essay with a four-wicket haul, induced Powar to edge behind to Amir Khan before Chawla engineered the exit of Muzumdar for a well-made 86 to push Mumbai to 177 for 6. But the 36-times champions fought back through Vinayak Samant, the wicketkeeper batsman, who propelled them past the 200-run mark. Samant, who opened the batting in the first innings and batting at No 7 in the second, came up with a plucky unbeaten effort, guiding the tail, to steer Mumbai to a fighting total. Of the 94 runs that came after he arrived at the crease, his contribution was a breezy 64 of 79 balls.In the nine overs they were left to face UP showed a positive intent and with Kaif even making a signal of bravado. Kumar, the opener, attacked from the word go- three fours in a 13 ball knock -before falling to Aavishkar Salvi in the third over. Enter Kaif, a meek option of a deploying a night-watchman was available but the captain decided to set an example to his team and send a message to the opposite camp and at close UP still needed 175 to win and enter the finals. It happened in 1997-98, would history repeat itself? Day four will provide us with the answer.
ScorecardAjit Agarkar spurred West Zone to their second successive win in the Deodhar Trophy as they romped to a massive 180-run win against South Zone at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After winning the toss and choosing to bat, West began steadily but unspectacularly. Half-centuries from Satyajit Parab and Niraj Patel gave the innings backbone, but it was Agarkar’s assault at No. 7 that turned the tide in West’s favour. Agarkar slammed an unbeaten 70 off a mere 44 balls, hitting seven fours and 3 sixes. His innings pushed West Zone to a healthy 287 for 7 from 50 overs. When South Zone replied, the wheels came off. None of the batsmen could top 31, and a slew of single-digit scores saw them slump to 107 all out. Siddharth Trivedi, the medium pacer, picked up 4 for 40. ScorecardNorth Zone thrashed East Zone by seven wickets at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara to further their chances of glory in the latest edition of the Deodhar Trophy. After winning the toss and putting the opposition in North’s bowlers did the job, hustling East Zone to 146 all out. Only Rohan Gavaskar (48) and Sanjib Sanyal (64) made it to double figures as Amit Bhandari (4 for 35) led the bowlers. The target was never going to pose a threat to a strong batting line-up, and North Zone cantered to victory in less than 37 overs.
The Electrolux International Cricketer of the Year award was for the player who, in the eyes of the jury, was the most consistent performer during the period in question (September 2002 to August 2003). The results are:The winner Ricky Ponting Ponting’s season saw him make a profusion of runs in a variety of conditions, at a rate that, more often than not, exceeded the expectations of the world-beating team of which he is a part, and which he captains in the shorter version of the game. His seven Test centuries in the year came in clusters of red-hot form: two in a three-Test series against Pakistan, first in the sticky heat of Colombo and then in the inferno of Sharjah. Another two came in the first two Tests of the Ashes series to help Australia surge to an early lead. Then there were three in a row against West Indies in April and May, including his first double-century in Test cricket.The most spectacular of his knocks came on the greatest stage of them all when he battered India’s bowling in the World Cup final to make 140 not out, and made the game a virtual no-contest. He averaged over 75 in Test cricket and nearly 48 in one-day cricket, and made a staggering two-and-a-half thousand international runs in the year. Bowlers the world over can only hope that, when he does take over the Test match captaincy from Steve Waugh, it does something bad to his form.The other nominees Ramnaresh Sarwan Sarwan made only three centuries in the period under consideration – two of them against Bangladesh – but his influence on his team’s fortunes, particularly in the shorter version of the game, was remarkable, and he made a number of sterling contributions in both Tests and one-dayers, the worth of which cannot be measured by numbers alone. His third hundred, an innings of 105 against Australia, was one that will long be remembered, for it came when West Indies needed to make 418, a run-chase without precedent in Test history, to prevent their opponents from sweeping the series 4-0.Sarwan’s class as a Test player was never in doubt, but it was in a seven-match series of one-day internationals against India that he demonstrated that he had also come of age as a one-day batsman. He made four scores of over 80, and was instrumental in taking his side to a 4-3 victory. His commitment to the cause of West Indies cricket was never more evident than when, after being hit on the head by Sri Lanka’s Dilhara Fernando in a crucial World Cup game, he returned when his team’s run-chase began to fall apart, and took them to within six runs of victory. He revealed a talent, like Michael Bevan, for forcing the pace at the end of an innings without risking his wicket, and his ODI average for the year was a Bevan-like 60. One of the best young batsmen in the game – he is only 23 – he was rewarded towards the end of the year with the West Indies vice-captaincy.Michael Vaughan Of all cricketers, Vaughan did the most to enhance his reputation in the period under consideration; indeed, he is so well-set now as one of the premier Test batsmen of his era that it is difficult to believe that only 18 months ago he averaged a little over 31 in Test cricket, and was being compared to Michael Atherton for his tenacity and grafting style.Early in 2002, Vaughan opened the innings for England for the first time, a move that was accompanied by a personal decision to bat with more freedom. It paid off immediately, as he made a hundred against Sri Lanka and then three more against India.But these countries possessed modest bowling attacks, and it was said everywhere that Vaughan’s real test would come against Australia in the Ashes. And how he responded! His 177 at Adelaide, 145 at Melbourne, and 183 at Sydney stand among the masterpieces of the age: he not only staged a lone battle against Australia’s marauding attack, but dominated it, with batting based on an impeccable technique given expression by attacking purpose and great elegance in execution. Another big hundred against South Africa this July provided further confirmation of his remarkable talents. His position at the forefront of English cricket was confirmed by his appointment, in quick succession, to the captaincy of England’s one-day and Test teams.
At the County Ground this morning, Somerset Chief Executive Peter Anderson talked about his two England players Andy Caddick and Marcus Trescothick, who are currently both out in New Zealand.Mr Anderson told me: “I’m worried about Andy Caddick’s morale, as it seems that once again he is in and out of the England side. We all know that the trigger for Andy’s confidence level is to feel wanted.”I was surprised to read Duncan Fletcher comment that Andy missed “a bit of oomph” in his bowling because he hadn’t really played for six months.”That is true and reflects two things. Andy could easily have played in the last two Championship matches, and had there been any meaningful liaison between the England manager, Kevin Shine and the player, we could have put in a structured practice programme for him in November and December.”Andy is at the age now where even though he doesn’t like practice, to continue at the high level he has achieved he has to practice. Cricket history shows us that all the great bowlers of the past started to lose it in their mid thirties.”By practicing, Andy can probably extend his career beyond that if he wants to.Regarding Marcus Trescothick, the Somerset Chief said: “Everyone at the club is pleased to note Marcus’s continuing impressive performances for England, and looks forward to the day when he is the England captain.”It is ironic though that following on from all the hoo-hah over Alec Stewart opening the batting and keeping wicket that suddenly Marcus finds himself in the same position.”The only saving grace for the team is that by keeping wicket he doesn’t have to run around the field (slowly!), but if this is a defect in his athleticism it is more than made up with his multi-talents of batting, bowling and keeping wicket.”On a vote of Somerset players, Marcus is the worst five-a-side soccer player currently in the county squad, if not on the whole of the circuit, and he can’t even keep goal!”
Ajit Agarkar should never ever be given the new ball again. The feistyMumbai mediumpacer displayed such maturity bowling with the old balltoday that he should be asked to do just that at all times. Althoughhe has come in for a lot of flak for his recent bowling form, Agarkarregained some lost pride after his performance today. On a pitch whereno fast bowler got any assistance, Agarkar managed to extract reverseswing even when the ball was just forty odd overs old. Using reverseswing to superb effect, Agarkar scalped two good wickets, that ofStuart Carlisle and the all important one of Andy Flower. Aided byAgarkar, India picked six Zimbabwe first innings wickets while thevisitors amassed a healthy 359 runs, 50 less than what they need toavoid being asked to follow on.If Agarkar impressed then Sharandeep Singh certainly announced hisarrival on the international scene with a bang. The twenty-one yearold off spinner from Punjab scalped two wickets in the space of tenballs and set Zimbabwe firmly on the back foot at 166/4. Brought intothe attack for just two overs before the luncheon interval, Sharandeepcame good after lunch. Whatever the Sardar ate for lunch, it certainlydid wonders for his bowling. Extracting good turn from the wicket,Sharandeep made the ball jump on the batsmen, and this was thesingular reason for the dismissal of both Guy Whittall and AlistairCampbell. The first to go was the southpaw, presenting SadagopanRamesh at silly mid off with a sharp chance. Having floored a similarchance earlier when Campbell was yet to get off the mark, Ramesh madeno mistake the second time around. Diving to his right, Ramesh scoopedup the ball centimetres from the ground and Campell (4) made the longwalk back to the pavilion.Given the context of the game and the stubborn manner in whichWhittall had resisted the Indian bowlers, his wicket might very wellhave been even more crucial than Campbell’s. Trying to turn a ballfrom Sharandeep behind square, Whittall only managed to glove the ballto Rahul Dravid at leg slip. Whittall’s effective, if not entirelychanceless innings of 84 (12 fours, 164 balls) had come to an end.The period of play soon after lunch when Sharandeep Singh and AjitAgarkar were bowling was the only time that the Indians bowled withany real intensity. It was a serious case of blow-hot blow-coldotherwise and the Zimbabweans capitalised on this. No one more so thanGrant Flower. Having bagged a pair in the Delhi Test, Grant Flower wasdemoted to number six. At the end of the day, this has to be viewed asa wise decision. Hitting the ball crisply around the park, GrantFlower remained unbeaten on 91 when stumps was called. In the courseof his 220 minute essay, Grant Flower used his feet well to thespinners. Sharandeep Singh who met with early success was at thereceiving end of this ploy on more than one occasion. Against themediumpacers, Grant Flower took more chances than would have appealedto the purists. Then again, none of the balls that flew off the edgeof his bat went to hand.The same can’t be said of Andy Flower or Dirk Viljoen. When AndyFlower (55) went after a widish ball from Agarkar he looked back indismay as Vijay Dahiya dived to his left and picked up a good lowcatch. There were murmurs that India’s wicketkeeper problems werefinally solved. If any further proof was needed, it came soon afterwhen Viljoen slashed hard at a quick delivery from Zaheer Khan. Justwhen it looked like the ball would fly over the head of first slipDahiya leapt across and plucked the ball out of the air. Thesensational catch left Dahiya winded but a little medical attentiongot him back on his feet in a hurry.Zimbabwean skipper Heath Streak joined Grant Flower in the middle andsaw Zimbabwe safely through to stumps. The pair will return tomorrowwith the score on 359/6 to continue the quest to save this match.Although the visitors did better than expected on the third day, thereis still a lot of hard work to be done if they want to save this Test.
The news that dominated football today was rather staggering as Chelsea supporters received the blow they’d all been dreading; Roman Abramovich’s assets have been frozen.
What’s the word?
The Russian oligarch was looking to sell Chelsea following tensions in Russia and Ukraine but his chances of doing so have now been put in major doubt.
That’s because his assets have been frozen by the British government, leaving the London club in turmoil.
They are unable to put tickets on sale, cannot renew player contracts and won’t be able to sign any new players until a new owner arrives.
However, in order for that to happen, a special license will need to be given to Chelsea.
There has been a number of parties interested in acquiring the club and one broker sent a text message to journalist Matt Slater this morning, issuing their response.
They simply said: “So. It’s toast.”
Chelsea in ruins
This statement aptly sums up the current situation that the Blues have found themselves in.
The worst-case scenario right now is Chelsea finding themselves in administration, an eventuality that could also see them docked nine points in the Premier League.
That would have a huge bearing on their ability to finish in the top four but it would also put the future of the club in increased doubt.
At the moment, it is difficult to see a way out of this scenario for Chelsea but things can change very quickly in the world of football.
Abramovich arrived at Chelsea and saved them from a financial viewpoint so the very fact he leaves them behind in uncertain terms is rather ironic.
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He has done so much for the west Londoners, taking them to multiple domestic and European titles, as well as luring some of the game’s best players and managers to Stamford Bridge.
Yet, as the broker alludes to, it could be ‘toast’ for any party now wanting to buy the club. If it does happen, Abramovich won’t get a single penny and Chelsea can get back to being the superclub we know they are.
For now, however, they are on the verge of crumbling apart. Supporters will be sweating over every decision the British government decides to take on this saga.
Baroda wiped out Hyderabad with the new ball, restricting them to 261, before reaching a comfortable 191 for 2 at the end of the second day’s play in Hyderabad. Irfan Pathan and Sumit Singh grabbed three wickets apiece with the new ball in nine overs to terminate Hyderabad’s first innings, while Connor Williams pressed home the advantage with a gritty unbeaten 91.There were no devils in the wicket but Hyderabad’s inexperienced lower middle order collapsed against the seamers. While Irfan used the angle from round the stumps to bend the ball into the right-handers, Sunit Singh kept it straight and on the stumps.Irfan was the first to strike, just four deliveries after the new ball was taken. He landed it on a length just outside off stump and shaped it in. Amol Shinde stabbed at it, bat away from the body, and the ball moved in through the gate. Encouraged by the wicket, Irfan repeated that line of attack and collected two more wickets – Habeeb Ahmed, the wicketkeeper, was cleaned up and Ashwin Yadav was trapped in front.Sumit induced Anoop Pai, who had made a dogged 62, to chase a full delivery, while SM Shoaib scooped a catch to mid-on and Lalith Mohan was bowled, giving Sumit figures of 3 for 39. By folding up in 66 minutes for the addition of just 41 runs this morning, Hyderabad’s middle and lower order undid all the good work of the top three, and handed over the initiative to Baroda.Williams then led the reply with a composed knock. The highlight of the day was an absorbing post-lunch session when Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner, asked a few uncomfortable questions of the batsmen. While the left-handed Williams countered him by stretching well forward and playing with the turn, the right-hand batsmen had more trouble.Satyajit Parab had problems in reading the delivery from the bowler’s hand and was a touch uncertain. Ojha kept teasing him with variations in flight and pace and it was just a matter of time before Parab drove one to short cover, where Shinde dived to his right to take a fine catch.Azharuddin Bilakhia, the stocky No.3 batsman, had fewer problems than Parab but had his own share of play and misses. He was beaten by the turn while lunging forward but took care never to push away from the body. Williams, meanwhile, top-edged Ojha short of fine leg on a couple of occasions and slowly but surely the duo survived that period.Soon Bilakhia got into his stride, got his feet moving and struck a few confident boundaries. He brought up the team’s hundred with a sweep off Mohan, the other left-arm spinner in the Hyderabad team, before drilling another drive through cover. He then produced the shot of the day when he skipped down the track and caressed Ojha inside-out through covers before Ojha got his man, caught at silly point.Ashwin, the nippy mediumpacer who had impressed Irfan earlier, cut the old ball well to produce two nicks late in the day from Williams, but both went through the slip cordon. Soon Williams deposited Ojha over long-on and the game had begun to slip away from Hyderabad. Barring a stunning collapse, Baroda are on track to earn a healthy first-innings lead and press on for an outright win.
ScorecardNetherlands made short work chasing 178 as they cantered to an eight-wicket victory over Bermuda at Potchefstroom. Ryan ten Doeschate and Bas Zuiderent both scored half centuries as Netherlands recovered from the early loss of Tom de Grooth to win with 12.1 overs to spare.Earlier veteran medium-pacer Tim de Leede’s 3 for 26 helped to dismiss Bermuda for 177, with only Saleem Makuddem and David Hemp occupying the crease for any length of team. Bermuda could only bat for 46 overs and their total never looked likely to be enough.ten Doeschate continued the fine run of form that brought him two hundreds in the ICC Intercontinental cup game between the same teams last week. But while Bermuda’s batting had shown significant signs of improvement in that game as they posted 620, here they could not deal with the extra quality of the Dutch attack. Much rested on the shoulders of Hemp and once he had gone the slump was inevitable, despite Mukuddem’s best efforts.The Netherlands have won both their games at the half-way point of the competition, while Bermuda have yet to get off the mark.