Team India get new jersey ahead of Oz series
Showing posts with label cricket mania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cricket mania. Show all posts
Chappel says Sehwag, Zaheer hold key to India's Test series win against Australia
Former Australia cricketer Ian Chappell reckons that Indian opening batsman Virender Sehwag holds the key to M.S. Dhoni's team winning the two-Test series against Australia.
"If Sehwag successfully launches a couple of his blitz attacks against the new ball, not only will it be difficult for Australia to recover, it'll also be an enormous boost to the batsmen who follow," Chappell wrote in an article for the Daily Times.
"Any planned Australian bumper barrage will be short-lived if Sehwag is splattering balls against the advertising hoardings," he added.
Sehwag had given confident starts to India in the 2008 Test series against the Australians, blasting 351 runs at a strike rate of 82.39.
He also believes that the Indian batting line-up is not a "greenhorn batting line-up", as they have the capability to handle whatever the opposing fast bowlers deliver.
"This promises to be a fascinating series, not just because it pits two intense rivals against one another, but because there's also the heightened anticipation caused by uncertainty," Chappell said.
The former Australian captain further said that India's chances of winning the series would also hinge on fast bowler Zaheer Khan.
"If Zaheer can regularly break through with the new ball, then it makes the rest of the attack so much more effective. If, on the other hand, he struggles, and Katich and Watson give Australia strong starts, it will put a huge strain on the rest of the Indian bowlers," Chappell said.
"It will also increase the likelihood of Australia's middle order firing, and if they post big totals, this in turn will make their bowling line-up more potent," he added.
Australia's tour of India includes two Test matches, and three ODIs.
The first Test will be played Mohali form October 1-5, while the second Test will be played in Bangalore from October 9-13.
ACL Twenty20 Finals Chennai Super Kings v Warriors photo galary
ACL Twenty20 Finals Chennai Super Kings v Warriors photo galary
Strauss warning after wining Pakistan series
Andrew Strauss finished the NatWest Series with a word of warning that lessons must be learned from the crises of the past three weeks.
Strauss was indebted to Eoin Morgan's unbeaten 107 - at the Rose Bowl, where the Irishman made a match-winning 103 not out against Australia three months ago - as England beat Pakistan by 121 runs to close out a 3-2 win.
"It's been a very tough series at the end of a long summer," said Strauss.
"We've been to some pretty unpleasant places as a team over the last few days, and we've had to show a lot of unity and togetherness.
"We came out today determined to finish the series on a high, and you could see how much it meant to us when the final wicket went down."
"This summer has clearly demonstrated that when there's a sniff of something in the air, it devalues the game - and no-one wants to play cricket in those circumstances," he added.
"Players from both sides have been put under a lot of stress and pressure.
"We don't want to be doing that, and we shouldn't be doing that."
"The ICC have to take a firm lead, leave no stone unturned - and they need to make sure that every game of cricket from now on is not tarnished.
"That's a big challenge for them, no doubt.
"But it's easy to say 'the series is over, let's let this calm down and cricket will return to normal'.
"If that happens then we'll be having to contend with this at some stage in the future."
"It's been a crazy series and one that we hope will never be repeated again," said Strauss.
"We're delighted to have come out and won it.
"I think we've had to dig pretty deep at times (this summer), never more so than this series - which is one of the hardest I've ever had to play in."
Strauss, who was named Player of the Series after scoring 317 runs, believes the controversy could steel his side for this winter's Ashes.
"We can't wait. This summer has prepared us well for that," he said.
"We've had to deal with a lot - and we'll have to do that in Australia."
Strauss' opposite number Shahid Afridi was naturally disappointed with tonight's landslide defeat, but admitted he is relieved too his team's three-month tour is over at last.
"I was thinking about some happy ending - but it's not happened," he said.
"Every day there has been some controversies on this tour, but I'm very happy in this situation that the team was very united and we played as a team.
"Maybe it will give us a good result in the future. Our unity is the one positive thing I am taking from the UK."
"We are clean - the people who are not clean and who are guilty and take the pressures.
"Our team today was very united and played positive and hard cricket."
Strauss was indebted to Eoin Morgan's unbeaten 107 - at the Rose Bowl, where the Irishman made a match-winning 103 not out against Australia three months ago - as England beat Pakistan by 121 runs to close out a 3-2 win.
"It's been a very tough series at the end of a long summer," said Strauss.
"We've been to some pretty unpleasant places as a team over the last few days, and we've had to show a lot of unity and togetherness.
"We came out today determined to finish the series on a high, and you could see how much it meant to us when the final wicket went down."
"This summer has clearly demonstrated that when there's a sniff of something in the air, it devalues the game - and no-one wants to play cricket in those circumstances," he added.
"Players from both sides have been put under a lot of stress and pressure.
"We don't want to be doing that, and we shouldn't be doing that."
"The ICC have to take a firm lead, leave no stone unturned - and they need to make sure that every game of cricket from now on is not tarnished.
"That's a big challenge for them, no doubt.
"But it's easy to say 'the series is over, let's let this calm down and cricket will return to normal'.
"If that happens then we'll be having to contend with this at some stage in the future."
"It's been a crazy series and one that we hope will never be repeated again," said Strauss.
"We're delighted to have come out and won it.
"I think we've had to dig pretty deep at times (this summer), never more so than this series - which is one of the hardest I've ever had to play in."
Strauss, who was named Player of the Series after scoring 317 runs, believes the controversy could steel his side for this winter's Ashes.
"We can't wait. This summer has prepared us well for that," he said.
"We've had to deal with a lot - and we'll have to do that in Australia."
Strauss' opposite number Shahid Afridi was naturally disappointed with tonight's landslide defeat, but admitted he is relieved too his team's three-month tour is over at last.
"I was thinking about some happy ending - but it's not happened," he said.
"Every day there has been some controversies on this tour, but I'm very happy in this situation that the team was very united and we played as a team.
"Maybe it will give us a good result in the future. Our unity is the one positive thing I am taking from the UK."
"We are clean - the people who are not clean and who are guilty and take the pressures.
"Our team today was very united and played positive and hard cricket."
'Chennai kings conform berth to be in semis'
CSK captain MS Dhoni on Wednesday said being the IPL Champions, his side was expected to qualify for the semifinals of the ACLT20. "It is an important tournament and being the IPL champions, we are expected to do well. I am glad that we have done decently well in the last four games we have played," Dhoni said after Chennai defeated Warriors by 10 runs in the last Group-A match and qualified for the semifinals.
Chennai will now take on fellow IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first semifinal in Durban on Saturday and Dhoni said his side will have to tighten up some loose ends before the crucial encounter.
"There have been ups and downs. We have got quite a few weak links but at the end of the day, we have done well."
"We did not want them to get off to a great start and the important point was the middle overs. The next game will be in Durban and our fast bowlers will have to pull their socks up because I don't think the spinners will get much turn or purchase there," he said.
"But there is plenty to improve before the next game but as far as this game is concerned, the combination really worked for us," Dhoni added.
Dhoni's counterpart Davey Jacobs said batting did them in Wednesday's match but he was happy to have qualified for the last-four stage in spite of the defeat.
"I think we bowled great tonight and did a good job in the field too but our batting was not up to the mark. But we are happy to qualify for the semis. Now we have to prepare hard for the semis," he said.
Man-of-the-match Mike Hussey, who scored a match-winning 50 apart from taking two crucial catches on Wednesday, credited Chennai bowlers for the victory.
"It was a great game. Both teams fought really hard. We were exactly not sure what a good score would be. Initially I was thinking about 160-170 but as it turned out, 136 was enough in the end.
"Our bowlers did a great job, particularly the spinners," Hussey said.
Shoaib Akhtar declared fit for the final at Rose Bowl
In what could be termed good news for the controversy ridden Pakistani side, Shoaib Akhtar has been declared fit for the last match of the NatWest Series against England. Shoaib Akhtar rose to the occasion on Pakistan’s last match against England, as the team squared the series, 2-2 following what could be termed as a breathtaking match.Pakistan, have therefore fought 2-0 down to force a winner takes all clash under the floodlights in Southampton for the last ODI of the series. Shoaib Akhtar has been bowling excellent line and length and even though the 35 year old might have gained a few pounds and lost some of his pace, he did take some very important wickets in the last ODI to ensure a thrilling win for Pakistan.
Despite injury scares, Akhtar completed his bowling spell and did not look his best especially during the last over’s of his bowling spell, yet he still managed to curtail the English side with some excellent bowling. The experienced bowler has been involved in many controversies during his multiple stints playing for Pakistan however, he seems to have matured over the years and his experience is now evident in the way he has been bowling.
Mondays match at Lords however was overshadowed by the controversial statements made by the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, who alleged that the English team had taken large amount of money to give away the match at oval casting doubts over his team’s performance. Senior officials in Pakistan and the ICC have distanced themselves from the statement of the chairman of the PCB.
The ECB has decided that it will pay for the English players to file charges for defamation against Ijaz Butt following his statement and have threatened to take legal action against the chairman if he does not make a public apology for alleging that English players accepted a bribe to lose the match at Oval.
Meanwhile Pakistan would be seeking to win the final match in order to win the series and end the tour of England on a positive note and the news of Shoaib Akhtar’s fitness is good news for all the fans of Pakistan cricket. Shoaib needs to find the same rhythm that he has shown throughout the series and it could most certainly mark the difference for a win or a loss for Pakistan. An in form Shoaib would surely mean trouble for the English side.
CLT20:Royal challengers banglore v/s Highveld lions galary
royal clash the lions and ener into the semi finals in clt20
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