Showing posts with label Twenty20. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twenty20. Show all posts

England register eighth win in T20 Internationals

England got the better of Australia by one wicket off the last ball of the first Twenty20 international at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.

The win, England's eighth, set a new record for consecutive victories in Twenty20 internationals.

The match had its share of ebbs and flows as England chased down Australia's target of 157 for four with just one wicket to spare. Debutant Chris Woakes hit the winning run off all-rounder Shane Watson to seal the victory.

Watson's career-best figures of 4-15 triggered a middle-order collapse for England, but the tail, specially Woakes held his nerves.

Earlier England restricted Australia after Watson (59) and his partner David Warner (30) got off to an impressive start scoring 83 from 52 balls.

For the visitors left-arm spinner Michael Yardy was the best bowler on view with his spell of 2-27.

England's chase stuttered after left-handed Eoin Morgan fell for 43.

England needed four runs off the final over. Graeme Swann was out clean bowled trying to pull by Watson. Shahzad played out the next two balls without a run. Off the fourth he got a single giving Woakes the strike. The debutant just calmly cut the next ball for two to level scores.

Finally Woakes lofted the last ball to seal England's 1-0 lead in the two-match series. The final game of the series will be played in Melbourne on Friday.

Source: http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net
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Nehra, Pathan bowl India to win in Twenty20

India won the one-off Krish Macherduj Trophy Twenty20 International match, played to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in South Africa.

The star of the show for India was batsman Rohit Sharma (53), new-ball bowler Ashish Nehra (2-22) and spinner Yusuf Pathan (2-22).

Batting first India made 168 for six and in reply South Africa was restricted to 147 for nine as the visitors won by 21 runs.

This was also the first match to be played at the FIFA World Cup venue, Moses Mabhida Stadium, at Durban.

South Africa's chase was powered by replacement opener Morne van Wyk who blasted a 39-ball 67 which was laced with five boundaries and five sixes. A 57-run second wicket stand between van Wyk and AB de Villiers put South Africa on course in the chase. But the hosts slipped from 88 for two to 108 for six in three overs to lose the initiative.

For India the spinners Yuvraj Singh (1-20) and R Ashwin (1-33) pulled things back with tight spells.

Earlier opting to bat first India made 168 for 6 in its quota of 20 overs. Number three batsman Rohit Sharma held the India innings together with a brisk 53 off 34 balls with five boundaries and two sixes. Suresh Raina then provided a late flourish with a 23-ball 41 (2x4, 3x6). For South Africa new ball bowler Juan Theron bowled a spell of 2-39. Wayne Parnell (1-25), skipper Johan Botha (1-25) and JP Duminy (1-12) were the other wicket-takers.

For the hosts, Makhaya Ntini, playing his final international match was the most expensive with a spell of 0-46 in his quota of four overs.

Source: http://icc-cricket.yahoo.net
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Watson, Hussey set up emphatic win

Australia v Pakistan, Group A, St Lucia

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin
May 2, 2010

Australia began to right previous wrongs in this format with an emphatic dismantling of the defending champions at St Lucia, a 34-run win serving serious notice to one and all of their intentions in this tournament. They wear a fresh look about them in this tournament, under a new captain in Michael Clarke at a global event for the first time since 1999 and with some very handy specialists in the squad.

They went about their opening game in merciless fashion, echoing their dominance over Pakistan months earlier. Brutal half-centuries from Shane Watson and David Hussey set them up, before equally brutal pace shoved aside Pakistan's batsmen. That the loss was Pakistan's tenth international in a row to Australia is neither here nor there; more relevant, Australia were very hot and Pakistan very cold.

It was that way from the start. Watson feasted hungrily in the summer at Pakistan's expense and his love affair continued in more romantic surroundings. A little luck initially helped him, two tough chances put down. More help came from the bulldozing ways of David Warner, the pair giving Australia a brisk start.

Pakistan very rarely open the bowling with a spinner and very quickly, Shahid Afridi's experiment with Mohammad Hafeez looked an unquestioned failure. Warner lofted him for an effortless six over long-off to end the second over and in his next, the game was blown open as the pair took 17.

Warner fell soon after, as did Michael Clarke, but like a right-handed Matthew Hayden, Watson simply bullied his way forth. The brutality of his batting has grown but so has, slyly, his handling of spin. Hafeez was heaved for three sixes, the last of which brought up his fifty in the 10th over.

He was intelligent against Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, not always picking them, but picking away each bad ball. A couple of full tosses were driven and pulled and one cut was a cross-format shot. Then, Hussey interrupted.

Pakistan's fielding was slowly unraveling and Salman Butt's drop when Hussey was 18 was particularly unnecessary; the reprieve unleashed a violent celebration. To rub it in, he took it out on Mohammad Sami, the unlucky bowler. He had bowled well until the 16th over, when his length and head went, allowing Hussey to loft and pull his way to four sixes and a 28-run over. Amid the mess, Watson's innings briefly forgotten, Hussey's own fifty came up.

Pakistan were schizophrenic with the ball; Afridi was again poor and the decision to bowl Hafeez even poorer. Hafeez and Sami went for 101 runs between them. But Mohammad Aamer and Ajmal were exemplary, pulling back some respect at the very end as seven wickets fell in the last four overs, including a remarkable five-wicket maiden last over.

That was to matter little as Australia's intent carried on through in their bowling. Spin, spin, spin has been the chatter, but Australia believe in pace and with some justification. Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson will trouble all but the very best on any surface. Tait and Nannes were too much for Pakistan's top order and the trio picked up a wicket each in their first spells; Tait in particular was sharp.

Any time the pacemen weren't on, in fact, Pakistan's batsmen looked good. Fourteen came off a Michael Clarke over, 17 off a Steve Smith one. Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq - a little more 2007 than 2009 - kept hope with a 47-run stand but the return of pace extinguished it. Afridi was bowled by Tait, Misbah and Abdul Razzaq slogged out to Nannes and the pace trio ended with eight wickets between them.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/458189.html
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Raina century seals one-sided win

India v South Africa, Group C, World Twenty20, St Lucia

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga
May 2, 2010

Suresh Raina struggled at first, then he sizzled. He overcame a jittery period of mis-hits and short-pitched bowling, scoring 82 off the last 38 balls he faced, en route to only the third century in Twenty20 internationals. Yuvraj Singh came back to form, Graeme Smith's reluctance to attack with Dale Steyn confounded, and India's 186 was always going to be too much on a difficult pitch and a slow and big outfield.

South Africa's reply, in the face of a four-spinner Indian attack - without using Yuvraj - was even more confounding. Jacques Kallis and Smith struggled to flow, and hesitated to take risks. Their run-rate crossed six an over for the first time in the 11th over, and it was too late by then, despite some late hitting from Kallis.

India had got off to a similar start, albeit against seamers, but unlike South Africa they threw away the caution at a more appropriate time. With two early wickets gone and both Raina and Yuvraj struggling to present the middle of the bat, India were 43 after eight overs. There was no mucking around after that. Although the odd mis-hit remained a feature of the partnership, the sweet shots grew in frequency and India got 143 in the next 12 overs. It worked for them that the mis-hits kept bouncing in front of deep fielders, and the sweet ones cleared them easily.

From the time he came to bat in the first over, Raina was given a fair share of back-of-a-length deliveries. By the time India's both irregular openers, in absence of Gautam Gambhir (down with diarrhoea), ended their struggle, Raina had survived a catch off a Morne Morkel no-ball. He would go on to survive run-out attempts from Smith and AB de Villiers, when on 37 and 47.

The introduction of spin, when Raina was 19 off 22 and Yuvraj 5 off 9, was what turned it around. In the ninth over, Roelof van der Merwe's first and only, Raina played two lovely inside-out drives to get six off two deliveries, and Yuvraj slog-swept to get six off one. That was trigger enough to shed away inhibitions. The first ball of the next over, Raina guessed a back-of-a-length delivery, backed away and slogged Kallis for six. His best shot was when he made room against a near yorker from Albie Morkel in the next over and squeezed it wide of point for four.

Yuvraj, meanwhile, had found his timing back, and took the lead in scoring, playing the effortless pick-ups, short-arm pulls, and the inside-out shots. By the time he skied one to hand, Raina, having put in the struggle, the ugly moments, was there in a position to cash in. Steyn, underused in the first half of the innings, came back well, but he was now limiting damage as opposed to causing it.

Rory Kleinveldt, who got M Vijay in the first over and Yuvraj later, was the one who suffered the most. And he was asking for it too, bowling either length or full tosses in the 18th over, and was hit to such varied areas as midwicket, cow corner, extra cover, straight over his head, and over long-off. Twenty-five came off that over, during which Raina moved from 75 to 93. He reached his century with a slogged six in the final over, which went for 19.

Raina will cherish this knock all the more because the pitch interested a variety of bowlers. South Africa had managed to assume a strong position with their hit-the-deck bowlers, India were about to do so with the spinners. Harbhajan Singh bowled the first over, Yusuf Pathan was introduced inside the Powerplay, and Loots Bosman was out of his depth on the slow pitch.

With both Kallis and Smith struggling, by the time the first piece of enterprise came, a slog-swept six from Smith in the 11th over, the required run-rate had reached 13. By the time Kallis reached his fifty, off 45 balls, they were needing 15.5 in each of the six overs to come.

Suddenly Kallis exploded, hitting three sixes in the next two overs. It seemed for the second time in 40 overs a batsman was about to put behind him the struggles and play a decisive knock. Yet, there were just too many risks required, and one of them claimed Kallis, leaving 59 to get off 21. The requirement was comfortable enough for India to be able to experiment: Praveen Kumar bowled just one over, for three runs. With two straight wins, India stormed to the second round as the table leaders.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/458142.html
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Pakistan overcome Ashraful assault for 21-run win

Bangladesh v Pakistan, Group A, St Lucia

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin
May 1, 2010

Pakistan survived a Mohammad Ashraful scare to begin the defence of their world title at St Lucia with a 21-run win over Bangladesh. Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt had laid the foundations with a 142-run stand that should've put the game beyond Bangladesh. But Ashraful, with Shakib Al Hasan for company, took a real pop at an imposing 173-run target, before Mohammad Sami swung a slow-burning game decisively Pakistan's way.

Bangladesh had been poor for vast chunks of the game, first with the ball, and then in starting the chase. But Ashraful's forceful 91-run stand with Shakib brought them close enough to get Pakistan jittery with five overs to go. Sami, on his T20I debut, ensured it wasn't to be with a fine two-wicket over to effectively end the game.

Mohammad Aamer had throttled Bangladesh's start and Ashraful arrived with trouble brewing. Having typically tried all manner of unnecessary improvisation initially, Ashraful settled down to playing normal strokes. It's asked often why he doesn't play those more, and let this be another time. He quickly deposited Abdul Razzaq for a wonderful six over midwicket, but really cranked up the heat when he took on Pakistan's captain next.

The first ball of Shahid Afridi's spell, the 11th over, was driven exquisitely over extra cover but it was in his next over that he really shook Pakistan up. Again he lofted Afridi, but with such grace and timing that the ball fairly sailed over long-off. A couple of balls later, he went squarer and soon after brought up his fifty.

Shakib meanwhile was showing the world once again why he is such a special young man. He never panicked, which can't often be said of Ashraful, and went about choosing his spots almost at will. Saeed Ajmal was heaved for one and Mohammad Hafeez was slog-swept for two maximums and suddenly Bangladesh had recovered from 36 for 2 to 115 for two after 14.

As so often, however, it wasn't to be and the surprise was that it was Shakib who perished first. Afridi took a gamble in bringing back an uncertain Sami, but it paid off as Shakib fell and Mahmudullah followed a few balls later. Ashraful still went on, dishing out some serious stick to Afridi, before falling, inevitably, to an improvised paddle, signaling a brave end.

Pakistan's big bonus, alongside Sami's effort, was Butt's earlier contribution. He has appeared ill-suited to the format, unable to work gaps and not blessed with the power that gets poorer batsmen more runs. But he has a good ODI record and the intent was there from the start with a first-ball boundary. From thereon, at regular intervals he would dance down, move away, find gaps or go aerial and went about as quietly as you can in reaching fifty off 29 balls. There was no violence, just clear-headed intent and faith in his regular strokes.

His improved leg-side game was on display as well; in three successive overs after the 10th, he swept Shakib, slog-swept Abdur Razzak and slapped debutant Suhrawadi Shuvo over long-on for sixes.

Akmal gave him predictable company, almost immediately trying to set the agenda. A bold statement was made against left-arm spin - Bangladesh's most potent weapon - straight away, as he twice swept away Abdur Razzak in the second over.

He was the one who took risks, almost paying for it when a miscued pull was fluffed by Ashraful. They were to pay for it as Akmal did what he does best. Out came the cuts, the scything cover drives, the pulls and the occasional mind-boggling slap over extra cover. All the while singles and doubles flowed on the large ground, giving Akmal a comfortable 73.

Bangladesh were unable to string together an over of good balls. It wasn't until the 16th over, when they claimed Akmal finally, that they bowled an over without conceding at least one boundary. They recovered, not allowing any more in the final overs but the damage had been done.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/458074.html
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Spirited Afghanistan succumb to bouncers

Afghanistan v India, World Twenty20, Gros Islet

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga
May 1, 2010

Afghanistan certainly weren't overawed, but struggled against short-pitched deliveries, losing five out of their eight wickets to bouncers. As promised India played as they would against a top team, setting up an easy chase and finishing it solidly - without flair and major hiccups. Noor Ali, compact against the quicks and happy to use his feet against spinners, was Afghanistan's best batsman by a fair distance, helping them recover from 29 for 3 with a near run-a-ball fifty. As a fielding unit, they looked like they belonged: tall left-armer Shapoor Zadran's pace impressed, as did the spin of Mohammabi Nabi and Samiullah Shenwari.

The Afghans have learnt most of their cricket in Pakistan, and Noor and Asghar Stanikzai, who scored 80 of the 115 runs, may well have been rescuing a Pakistan innings after a collapse. On the either end of their 68-run partnership, though, the Indian quicks used the bouncers well enough to secure two easy points.

Karim Sadiq, the other opener, showed early signs of nerves, playing and missing thrice before gloving Ashish Nehra down the leg side. Mohammad Shahzad, the bulky wicketkeeper-batsman, too tried big unwieldy shots and was caught down the leg side while the replays suggested that the ball might have gone off the helmet grille. The decision notwithstanding, it was clear the short ball was troubling them.

MS Dhoni, though, decided to give his spinners a healthy bowl - with immediate effect. Nowroz Mangal, Afghanistan's captain, didn't get a flowing start and ended up hitting Ravindra Jadeja's fourth delivery straight down mid-off's lap. A wicket-maiden, followed by three more tight overs, was a good way to come back to high-profile cricket for Jadeja, who was dubiously banned from the IPL.

Upon Mangal's dismissal, Noor and Stanikzai played sensibly. There were no needless fancy shots, no panic-stricken running as the two went about rebuilding. Noor, who started with a couple of leg-glances against Praveen Kumar, was more comfortable against spin, hitting Jadeja over extra cover for four, and maintaining a strike-rate of over 100 throughout. Stanikzai, though he seemed stuck against spin, pulled out the big shots over wide long-on to collect three sixes. All three Indian spinners got the treatment.

By then Dhoni had had enough with the spin and brought back the quicker bowlers. Zaheer Khan, who seemed to be lacking a bit on pace, was hit over extra cover by Noor, but Praveen and Nehra pulled Afghanistan back. Within four deliveries, Noor, Stanikzai and offspinning allrounder, Mohammad Nabi, were caught unawares on the front foot by bumpers. The backbone of the line-up gone, Afghanistan could manage only 18 in the remaining 2.4 overs.

Despite being put to the sword by M Vijay, Afghanistan didn't come apart in the field. They were energetic enough to save four certain runs off a Gautam Gambhir square-cut. A frustrated Gambhir jumped down the track next ball and found the fielder at cover-point on the full. They were brave enough to try spin inside the Powerplay: Shenwari trapped Suresh Raina with a straighter, quicker one in his first over.

By then, though, Vijay had got into his stride, having moved to 21 off 16. With Yuvraj Singh, struggling a bit before hitting a few sweetly, Vijay went about ruling out any chances of an embarrassment. Once close enough, thanks to an ill-disciplined over from Sadiq, Vijay tried the big hits. With 16 coming off that Sadiq over and two sixes two overs later, India moved from 67 in 10 overs to 101 in 13. Vijay missed a half-century on debut, but a satisfactory win had been ensured.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/458048.html
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An opportunity in upheaval

ICC World Twenty20 2010

Andrew McGlashan
April 29, 2010

Love it or hate it you can't get away from it. No sooner has a six-week IPL concluded in Mumbai - amid huge controversy - that another Twenty20 tournament begins on the other side of world in the Caribbean. The events of the last few weeks in India have swept cricket to the sidelines. The game needs a sparkling tournament in West Indies and, most importantly, a clean and controversy-free event.

Although the two tournaments are very different, it is hardly ideal to have so much cricket of one format in the same period, let alone another World Twenty20 less than a year after the last one in England which Pakistan memorably won at Lord's. However, ICC are trying to get their events schedule back on track, so the trophy is up for grabs again less than a year after it was collected by the now-retired (and suspended) Younis Khan. A lot has happened in nine months.

One advantage of Twenty20 rolling into Twenty20 is that many of the players will be attuned to the format. The preparation factor, though, needs to be balanced against the fatigue factor and possible injuries. Already the tournament is missing Virender Sehwag, Wayne Parnell and Brett Lee through injury. The latter's withdrawal is not a huge surprise, but the absence of Sehwag and Parnell robs the event of two matchwinners. They could have been injured without the IPL, but the timing doesn't help.

And not all the players at the IPL who are now here in the West Indies have been active over the last two months. Eoin Morgan and AB de Villiers were two of the notable stars to be benched by their franchises which just goes to show how pre-tournament status can quickly count for nothing. Morgan's situation in particular shows the problems that can occur: he went to the IPL in the form of his life, but hasn't picked up a bat since March 25. Then there are the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Dwayne Bravo; players who had a forgettable IPL but will be crucial to their team's chances in this tournament

The IPL also highlights another dilemma for Twenty20 cricket. It is played so extensively at domestic level, but sparsely on the international scene. New Zealand's seven matches are the most played by a team since the end of last year's World Twenty20. The Associate teams play it as frequently as anyone with both Afghanistan and Ireland having had six matches apiece. At the other, India and South Africa have played just two since June 2009.

It makes it hard to formulate plans and work out tactics when matches are played so infrequently. Some commentators believe Twenty20 should be purely a domestic event, but ICC have committed to spreading it internationally and there is much merit in doing so. The obvious solution would be to trim the number of ODIs to accommodate more T20s (how about three of each on most tours?) but this would need a global commitment and ODI cricket is still favoured by boards.

Despite the imbalance, in the short history of international Twenty20 the two events, in South Africa and England, have been a resounding success both from a point of view of the cricket on display and the response from the public. The inaugural tournament in 2007 was the tonic the game needed after an awful 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean which managed to completely forget the roots of the game in the region. Instead of a vibrant, colourful, joyous event we had a sanitised, dull and, ultimately, farcical seven weeks.

For that reason alone this World Twenty20 is vitally important and everyone has their fingers crossed that ICC have learnt from their mistakes of three years ago. The pre-tournament hype has sounded promising - fewer restrictions on what can be brought into grounds and fair pricing top of the list - but as ever the real test will be when the action begins.

The notorious unpredictability of Twenty20 makes it almost futile to suggest a favourite (who would ever have imagined Zimbabwe beating Australia or Netherlands embarrassing England) and that is one of the factors that makes for a compelling event. Coupled with it being played over an 17-day period and it is a perfect formula. It's no surprise that the recent events to come out with most praise have been the World Twenty20 and last year's Champions Trophy in South Africa. Quality not quantity.

There should be some fascinating tales to emerge over the next couple of weeks. Afghanistan's fairytale success has already become the stuff of legend and although it's safe to say this is a tournament they won't win, their passion and pride alone means millions of eyes will be on them against South Africa and India.

There's also Bangladesh, for who Twenty20 is perfectly suited to develop on the international stage, and Zimbabwe who can show that they are on the way back up (in cricket terms, at least) having hit rock bottom. Australia have yet to dominate the shortest format as they have all others, but signs are that could change with the emergence of David Warner and maturity of Cameron White.

Don't forget the hosts, either, because any team that includes Chris Gayle, Bravo and Kieron Pollard can be a fearsome Twenty20 outfit. How brilliant it would be for them to perform in front of a home audience.

And then there are the defending champions. What is to be made of Pakistan in the current state? If it was any other team such a chaotic build-up would virtually rule out success, but with Pakistan the case is never so cut and dried. Crucially their bowling resources have remained largely intact which means Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi can have a major influence on the tournament.

Any of the top eight nations can win the tournament - even perennial nearly-men New Zealand or regular under-achievers England if things go their way - but what has been shown in Twenty20 is that there is nothing gained from taking a backward step. A moment of indecision or negativity can prove costly. Whoever comes out on top on May 16, let's hope that it's on the field exploits that have dominated and that the Caribbean has staged a true carnival.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/457760.html
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Hectic schedule will not affect us - Dhoni

ICC World Twenty20 2010

Cricinfo staff
April 27, 2010

Indian captain MS Dhoni has expressed confidence that his team will be fresh and ready to compete in the ICC World Twenty20 despite the tournament starting just days after the conclusion of the IPL. The close proximity of the two major Twenty20 tournaments followed a similar pattern last year, when the then defending champions India failed to qualify for the semi-finals, but Dhoni said his players were experienced enough to manage the traveling and workload.

"It's not that we have not played games. Sometimes you have to just take the schedule, there's no point complaining about it," Dhoni said in Mumbai before the team's departure for the West Indies.

"The IPL was supposed to finish on the 25th. We had one and a half days' rest after that, then one whole day of flying and after reaching we have 2-3 days which is more than enough. We play throughout the year. We are together for almost 250 to 300 days so I don't think that should be a concern at all."

The coach Gary Kirsten backed Dhoni's comments and said he was confident his team could go all the way. "We have got the schedule and can't do anything about it now," Kirsten said. "The Indian players may feel the heat of it more because all of them played in the IPL but our responsibility is to go out there and ensure that we are well prepared. We will do what we can in these circumstances."

It wasn't the best of IPLs for Yuvraj Singh, who managed 255 runs in 14 games for Kings XI Punjab at 21.25. Yuvraj had just returned from injury and didn't have enough time to work his way back to form once the tournament started, but his performance didn't worry Dhoni, who backed him to bounce back in the West Indies.

"Yuvraj is a great player, one of the best in T20 format, one of the biggest hitters of the ball and he can contribute with the ball at the same time," Dhoni said. "He has not scored too many runs in the IPL but at the same time it's not a big worrying factor.

"In the T20 format you need just 5 to 10 deliveries to strike form. He is still hitting the ball well. So we aren't too worried about it."

The only injury blow for India is opener Virender Sehwag, who was ruled out towards the end of the IPL due to a shoulder injury. M Vijay, the Tamil Nadu batsman who had a rewarding IPL, was named his replacement.

Looking ahead to the tournament, Dhoni said the wickets would be on the slower side and he expected his spinners, including allrounders like Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina, to play a big role.

"Both Yusuf and Harbhajan Singh did very well for their teams opening the bowling in the IPL. We also have very good part-timers in the team. Yusuf, Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan have done well in all formats of the game over the years to be called as specialist spinners," Dhoni said. "I don't think bowling should be a problem."

India's problem of facing short deliveries - which was exposed last year in England - was also addressed but Kirsten said the players were prepared to face any challenge.

"Every player is aware of what he plans to do and how he wants to set up his game plan. I'm sure the players themselves would know the bowlers they will be facing and would try to exploit the potential weaknesses of those individuals.

"We will do as much work as we can in the limited time available to make sure we are as well prepared."

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/457556.html
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Brett Lee out of World Twenty20 with arm injury

ICC World Twenty20 2010

Cricinfo staff
April 28, 2010

Brett Lee's hopes of making an international comeback have been dashed by a muscle strain in his right forearm that will force him out of the ICC World Twenty20. Lee suffered the problem during Australia's one-run warm-up loss to Zimbabwe and the team has requested a replacement player, likely to be either Doug Bollinger or Ryan Harris.

The injury is a major blow for Lee, who has not played for his country since October and was making his return from elbow surgery. Lee felt pain after taking 1 for 13 in four overs and later had MRI scans, and a team spokesman said the strain was unrelated to his elbow trouble.

"It's a muscle strain," the team spokesman told AAP. "We have gone to the ICC Technical Committee to ask for a replacement player."

The latest problem will raise further questions over the future of Lee, 33, who retired from Tests in February but wanted to remain a key Twenty20 and one-day player. A broken thumb curtailed his IPL season and although he retained his Cricket Australia contract, his ongoing injury worries must be a concern for the team management.

Australia play their second warm-up game against the Windward Islands on Thursday before their opening match of the tournament proper against Pakistan on Sunday. Bollinger and Harris are the front-runners to replace Lee, having both had strong summers in the shorter formats

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/world-twenty20-2010/content/current/story/457618.html
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Chirayu Amin named IPL interim chairman

The IPL mess

Cricinfo staff
April 26, 2010

The first phase of the battle within the BCCI seems to have ended with the IPL governing council appointing Chirayu Amin, an industrialist and head of the Baroda Cricket Association, as the league's interim chairman on Monday following the suspension of Lalit Modi late on Sunday night. After a day of silence, Modi surfaced late on Monday evening by saying he was still IPL chairman, though suspended, and announcing, ominously, "Wait - we have just begun."

Amin's appointment was announced by BCCI president Shashank Manohar following a meeting in Mumbai; he also said that the board's chief administrative officer, Ratnakar Shetty, would look into the records and documents of the IPL. The former cricketers on the governing council - Sunil Gavaskar, MAK Pataudi and Ravi Shastri - have been entrusted with working out modalities of the 2011 auction, including a plan to for franchises to withhold three foreign and four local players, after consultations with the players, coaches and franchise officials.

At an unusually lengthy press conference by his standards, Manohar fielded questions on the allegations against Modi and the accountability of the governing council and offered a glimpse of the way ahead. While he was fairly detailed in explaining the charges against Modi and the other shortcomings of the IPL, his defence of the inability of other members of the council to prevent this situation from developing was less convincing.

"In the last 15 days, there were lot of allegations and counter allegations made through media, as a result of which, the board looked into the allegations levelled and took a decision to issue a show cause notice to Lalit Modi, and pending inquiry, decided to suspend him," Manohar said. "The board will hold, after receiving a reply from Mr. Modi, an inquiry if necessary. If the reply or Mr Modi convinces the members, the proceedings will be dropped …

"Shetty has been asked to look into the the records because many of the documents are missing. Every day the income-tax department is asking for records and we don't have them in our custody."

Manohar said it was necessary to suspend Modi in order to hold a "free and fair enquiry". "Suspension is not a punishment - he [Modi] is kept away from the functioning of the board to ensure free and fair enquiry," he said.

He said the governing council would need a month to complete all its tasks, since most of its members were unaware of what was happening until now.

Modi's temporary successor, Amin, is a highly successful Vadodara-based industrialist, whose Alembic pharmaceuticals company lends its name to one of the city's three first-class cricket grounds. Currently a BCCI vice-president, he has been on the board for the past few years and has served on its marketing committee.

"The immediate task is to clean-up the IPL. The game has just been concluded and so we will start planning for the next year. That is the priority right now," Amin was quoted as telling PTI. ""Modi has been given an opportunity to reply to all these things and we will wait till the reply comes. Once he replies then the Council will look at it and will decide on further action."

The IPL governing council, minus its suspended chairman, met at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai to discuss the issue of Modi, who was sent a charge sheet after the tournament's final, and the possibility of an IPL without him.

Absent from the meeting were Modi and Farooq Abdullah, the president of the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association. Those present included Manohar, vice-president Arun Jaitley, secretary N Srinivasan, media and finance committee chairman Rajiv Shukla and IPL vice-chairman Niranjan Shah.

The meeting started at 10 am, just a few hours after the BCCI sent Modi a show-cause notice, and a charge-sheet specifying the allegations, that capped two weeks of raging controversy over financial wrong-doings in IPL. Modi was asked by the BCCI to reply to the show-cause notice within 15 days.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/ipl2010/content/current/story/457338.html
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Raina, Dhoni star in Chennai triumph

Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians, IPL 2010 final, Mumbai

The Bulletin by Sidharth Monga
April 25, 2010

MS Dhoni has added another feather to his captaincy hat. It was he who started the turnaround against a formidable Mumbai Indians attack, his deputy Suresh Raina capitalised on two dropped catches to score a crucial fifty, and Chennai Super Kings defended with aggression, smartness and flair to win the third IPL. Chennai were struggling at 68 for 3 after 12 overs when Dhoni got into the act: 100 runs were added in the last eight, and Raina scored 44 at a strike-rate of 200 after the first drop. The win concluded a fourth consecutive one-sided knockout in the tournament.

Ever since R Ashwin started the defence with a maiden over, Mumbai never really threatened Chennai. Sachin Tendulkar, playing with a split webbing, played his least fluent innings of the tournament, scoring a laboured 48 off 45. Mumbai tried some strange moves: promotions for Abhishek Nayar and Harbhajan Singh bombed, and even at the fall of the fifth wicket, with 69 required off 31, Kieron Pollard was not the man making his way out of the dugout.

There were no problems with tactics for Chennai: they went with the old-fashioned approach of keeping wickets in hand, never mind the slow start, and with M Vijay breaking free, had reached a perfectly acceptable 40 for no loss at the end of Powerplay. Dilhara Fernando brought Mumbai back, removing Vijay with his split-finger slower ball in the eighth over. Pollard ended Matthew Hayden's 31-ball 17-run misery, and S Badrinath holed out in the 12th over.

Dhoni left alone the first ball he faced, was beaten by a legcutter after that, was almost bowled the next ball, and worked a single to end that testing Fernando over. Mumbai can file for lack of sufficient warning for what was to come next. The first ball Dhoni faced from Pollard he charged down and hit him into the second tier - with one hand. The next ball Pollard ran in and didn't let go, stares were exchanged, and Tendulkar rushed in to apologise to the batsman: it was the second time Pollard had done this in his 2.1 overs. Dhoni's bat spoke emphatically, though, with a punch for four to end the over.

Tendulkar was warned sufficiently by now: he had to bring Lasith Malinga, whose yorkers have been near perfect, back before he would have ideally liked to. Dhoni charged at him, converted one into a low full toss, and hit a boundary to extra cover.

Zaheer Khan was brought back in the next over. He produced a top edge that neither Fernando (running in from third man) nor Abhishek Nayar (running back from point) claimed. Salt was in ready supply for Zaheer's wound: out of nowhere Raina produced timing and a four and a six to take Chennai to 108 after 15 overs. In the over that followed, Pollard eked out a skier from Raina, which Zaheer dropped. The next ball Raina made room and lofted over extra cover for six. The ball after was hit to Tendulkar, and cannily they exposed his injured hand by stealing a second. And the next was slogged over midwicket for six. Mumbai needed a time-out to figure out what had hit them.

Fernando, three overs for 12 until then, bowled a poor last over to nearly double the tally. Malinga started the last over superbly: bat couldn't meet ball for the first four deliveries, and Albie Morkel was run out in panic. Then it came apart: five wides, followed by a length ball driven over extra cover, and some manic running, and they were chasing the biggest total in an IPL final.

A maiden over was not the best way to start for Mumbai, but losing Shikhar Dhawan in the second was even worse. The next 10 overs featured smart spin bowling, hustling fielders, run-out opportunities created, signs of desperation of Tendulkar, and eventually the wickets of Nayar and Harbhajan in the 12th over. With the required rate going past 12 an over, Tendulkar holed out to long-off, and Raina pulled off a blinder, running in from deep midwicket, to send back Saurabh Tiwary. To everybody's surprise, JP Duminy walked out, and by the time he walked back, he had left Mumbai 55 to get in three overs.

Pollard made a match out of this too: taking 22 runs off Bollinger's 18th over. Morkel bowled a tight 19th over, with a long-off, and a mid-off up in the circle and so straight it was almost behind him. Pollard hit a catch to him: it just highlighted which captain had got it right on the night.

Source: http://www.cricinfo.com/ipl2010/content/current/story/457227.html
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Give Afridi a break

Ball-tampering is not the heinous crime it is being made out to be; it's time it had official sanction

Ramiz Raja
February 6, 2010

Cricket is a great leveller. Nothing better exemplifies this truism than Shahid Afrid's shocking fall from grace. It took a fleeting moment of madness for him to become the villain of the game. Our hero's stocks are trading at zero today.

The wrath directed at him is understandable. The hardliners can certainly take him anywhere with this - to the cleaners or the gallows. They can push for his ouster from the team. Afridi's act may well have undone years of work towards dispelling the dark shadows of ball-tampering that seem to have hounded Pakistan cricket forever.

But it is also time to remind ourselves that this madness stems from a certain mindset and a background. Afridi comes from an era, a cricketing culture, where ball-tampering is considered a normal cricket activity, the done thing on flat Pakistani pitches - an art form and not a sin. It's been a part of the Pakistan team's standard operating procedure.

All teams have one. The Aussies have been brought up on sledging, and while the rest may see it as uncouth, offensive behaviour that is against the principles of this game, it is appreciated by them as a legitimate weapon to be used against oppositions. England moan when they make a tour of the subcontinent, and maybe this is part of their operating procedure.

Pakistan under the tutelage of Imran Khan learned the value of ''ball keeping''. It was a wonderful science. The instructions were to keep the ball dry; to parent the shiny side and ignore the other, so that the elements, like a dry pitch and bristly outfield, could naturally rough it up. Spinners were constantly asked not to dampen the ball with sweaty palms. The scratching was left to the elder statesmen of the team, but it was a last resort - an act of desperation that its perpetrators did not boast about. Only their sheepish behaviour gave away the story; that the ''hand of God'' had played its part.

Reverse-swinging the ball is certainly an art. And the condition of the ball is only one aspect of it. At times even a well-looked-after ball can behave against its masters' wishes and not bend. Factors like breeze and cloud are needed to aid the process. Most important in the process of reverse swing is the bowler's craft: the speed of the ball, the angle of the arm, the wrist position, the length of the delivery - these are what produce the magic.

Calling ball-tampering unlawful and an offence is regrettable. If ball-tampering is being openly admitted by the players, and given that it is difficult to assign reasons for why reverse swing happens (since even tampering is often ineffective in generating reverse swing), shouldn't the authorities stop looking at the practice with suspicion and instead look to bring it into the cricket syllabus so that we can all move on? It will challenge a batsman's technique and will improve the standard of competition. Test cricket in the subcontinent on dead pitches will perhaps not be boring to watch anymore.

As long as there is imbalance between bat and ball, there exists a possibility, a risk, of someone playing God and attempting to bridge the gap between the two. Bowlers have been dealt a rough hand by the administrators. Flat pitches, thick bats, short boundaries, limits on bouncers, free hit and Powerplays are just a few things that have neutralised bowlers. Is it not wrong that a game that preaches equality and fair play has confined bowlers to the status of inferiors in a master-servant relationship with the batsmen?

Offspinners were forced to revolt against the unjust system, and they created the doosra, which has managed to bring a semblance of balance to a skewed relationship and also reinvented a dying art. Some would say bowling the doosra is tantamount to chicking; others view it as a justified mutiny against the lop-sided rules bowlers operate under. The managers of the game need to understand that a six may bring momentary pleasure, but the fall of a wicket is, and will always be, the ultimate high in cricket.

So give Afridi a break. He may not have played this one by the book but he certainly did read from the book of his predecessors. And he was forced to play God.

Source & Picture: http://www.cricinfo.com
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Banned Afridi invites more trouble


After being banned for two Twenty20 Internationals for biting the seam off the ball, Pakistan's Shahid Afridi might land himself in more trouble for claiming that every team in world cricket tampered with the ball.

Sources told IANS Monday that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has taken note of Afridi's comments that all international teams are involved in ball-tampering and might decide to grill the experienced allrounder about it.

'There is no team in the world that doesn't tamper with the ball. My methods were wrong. I am embarrassed, I shouldn't have done it. I just wanted to win us a game but this was the wrong way to do it,' Afridi said after TV cameras caught him biting the ball during Pakistan's fifth and final One-day International against Australia in Perth Sunday night.

Under ICC rules, any attempt to change the condition of the ball through illegal means is a violation of the players' code of conduct and the offender is liable to be punished.

Afridi, who was leading Pakistan in that match because of the absence of regular captain Mohammad Yousuf, later said he was sorry for his bizzare action.

'I apologise to all and everyone involved in the match and to the fans around the world. This will never happen again,' he said.

'Being the captain, I should have been a role-model for my players which I was not, but I hope I will be forgiven.'

Afridi, 29, may have apologised but his brain snap could seriously dent his hopes of taking over as Pakistan's long-term captain.

Afridi was tipped to replace Yousuf as the new Pakistan skipper within the next few weeks but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) might now have second thoughts about picking the allrounder for the challenging job.

Source & Picture: http://cricket.yahoo.com
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IPL has changed cricket's economics


It was once famously said that the selection of the India team aroused more interest than a cabinet reshuffle. That opinion is not valid anymore because the team gets picked every two weeks nowadays, and selection decisions cause only a minor stir.

There was no controversy when S Badrinath was chosen ahead of Cheteshwar Pujara/Virat Kohli/Rohit Sharma/ Mohd Kaif because he has been on the fringe for years and made huge runs in domestic cricket at every opportunity.

Nobody is complaining about the spectacular rise of pacer Abhimanyu Mithun either - just three months ago this youngster was playing club cricket in Mysore. His dramatic journey shows how talent, hard work and a slice of luck can change life.

Of course, it helps when you play cricket, because it has the power and ability to fast track success. Such power comes from popularity and mass support, it is an offshoot of what marketing wizards call consumer connect.

Nowhere is this more visible than in the IPL. Surely, the commercial side of the event is staggering as the numbers keep going up. The dynamics of team building in a free market situation is such that a rookie Kieron Pollard commands a stunning price. While a healthy annual county contract in England is worth about 100,000 pounds, the figure in Australia is far less. Compare this to value of Pollard's IPL contract - his cost, for six weeks' work is perhaps more than the annual expense on the West Indies cricket team! This might shock many but in the long run this seems the only way forward because professionals will seek to maximise commercial value and secure their future.

Source & Picture: http://cricket.yahoo.com
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The only Pakistani in the IPL


First 11 Pakistani players, including star all-rounder Shahid Afridi, went unsold in the January 19 auction in Mumbai, prompting angry reactions in Pakistan. Now Indian Home minister Chidambaram has said the decision to exclude Pakistan players was a "disservice" to the game. This is a turn round from the previous position- according to IPL sources-of the Indian government.

Approached in mid-December about the inclusion of Pakistani players by the BCCI who were liasing for the IPL, the Indian government is said to have been unable to give guarantees.

Thus the IPL teams ignored Pakistan players on auction as there was no certainty that the players would get visas and other clearances. But Home Minister Chidambaram has said "to suggest that there was a hint or nudge from the government is completely untrue."

Since then auction fiasco has snowballed into a diplomatic row between the two countries.

Retaliating to the snub at the IPL auction, the Pakistan Cricket Board PCB revoked all the No Objection Certificates issued to its players for participation in the third edition of the Twenty20 event.

Where the truth lies in all of this is hard to discern but Pakistan's ire is centred on one man for now: Lalit Modi. Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, has said he blames Modi for the problems "because he gave me promises and assurances and then ditched us".

On the back foot, Modi declared a few Pakistanis could still play in IPL-3 if some players in the teams pull out. There's a possibility that Razzaq may play for a team in IPL-3.

Abdul Razzaq claims "a one-year contract with KKR is ready, I have been told, but the IPL's clearance is needed first."

In an interview to NDTV the former Indian captain said "We have spoken to Razzaq for a very long time, we wanted him in the team but will wait for the IPL rules. The issue of Pakistani players is between the IPL and government. We shall have to wait for the rules."

The Pakistani Cricket Board has softened and says Razzaq's can take part. PCB chairman Ijaz Butt said "we never had objections." This statement is in complete contrast with all Butt has said before. It will be interesting to see if Razzaq makes it to Kolkata Knight Riders this season. Will Abdul Razzaq be the only Pakistani in the IPL?

Source & Picture: http://www.cricket.co.uk
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Ijaz Butt 'highly disappointed' by IPL cold shoulder

Indian Premier League 2010

Cricinfo staff
January 20, 2010

The PCB has hit out at the IPL's organisers after none of the Pakistan players were sold in the auction held in Mumbai on Tuesday. There were 11 players, including proven Twenty20 performers like Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul, up for grabs but the eight franchises stayed clear of any bids.

Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, said, "We are highly disappointed because we were hoping they (Pakistan's players) would play."

Having figured prominently in the inaugural edition, the Pakistan players were absent from the second season in in South Africa, after their government did not allow them to travel to India - where the tournament was originally to be held - for security reasons. Though the players got the go-ahead from their government and the board for the third season of the IPL, franchises were said to be wary over whether the strained relations with India would affect their ability to get visas.

However, the inclusion of Pakistani players in the IPL's final auction list, released on January 6, was on the basis of specific requests received from the franchises - every player on that list had to be officially sought by at least one franchise.

"The IPL had given us the mandate to get permission from our foreign office, to obtain other clearances and to finalise visas," Butt said. "We did all this, but it is a surprise that none of them have been taken at the auction.

"We have been trying to get in touch with the concerned authorities but with no avail. I have asked the sports minister to speak to his counterpart in India about this."

The snub has drawn criticism in Pakistan and Butt said he was aggrieved by the manner in which the players were treated. "I agree this is a private event, but to be excluded without giving any reason and without looking at the background is unfair. If they had told us we would have told the boys not to apply at all."

Butt's comments were a stark contrast to his relatively unfazed stance on Tuesday soon after the auction. "It really does not bother us; what difference does it make to us if our players don't play in the IPL this season? They didn't play in the last season as well," he had said. (www.cricinfo.com)
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Kieron Pollard, Shane Bond attract maximum bids

IPL 2010

Cricinfo staff
January 19, 2010

Kieron Pollard and Shane Bond were the biggest buys at the third IPL auction in Mumbai, each fetching the maximum possible bid of $750,000 before the bids went into tie-breaker, but the biggest surprise was the fact that not a single Pakistan player was signed up by any of the franchises.

Most of Pakistan's World Twenty20-winning team was up for auction - including Shahid Afridi, the captain, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul and Umar Akmal - but they failed to fetch bids. The blackout was strange given that the names had been placed on the auction list by franchises expressing an interest in the players.
Kemar Roach

"The franchises had the option to pick any player. If you look, they [Pakistan players] were not the only ones not picked," Lalit Modi said. "There were other players, too, who were not picked in the auction."

Bond, the New Zealand fast bowler who recently quit Test cricket to focus on the shorter forms of the game, saw his value rise the most, from a base price of $100,000 to the cap of $750,000 before Kolkata Knight Riders - who entered the bidding at $640,000 - and Deccan Chargers submitted their secret bids. Kolkata won, bidding an undisclosed amount.

"From what we have understood he [Bond] wouldn't be playing Test matches anymore and will play only ODIs and Twenty20 games," Jai Mehta, co-owner of Kolkata, said. "Yes, he has been prone to injuries but his coach said he is in pretty good shape. We wanted a fast bowler with experience and he provides us that."

IPL Auction

* Sold players: Kieron Pollard (Mumbai, USD750,000+), Shane Bond (Kolkata, 750,000+), Kemar Roach (Deccan, 720,000), Wayne Parnell (Delhi, 610,000), Mohammad Kaif (Punjab, 250,000), Eoin Morgan (Bangalore, 220,000), Damien Martyn (Rajasthan, 100,000), Justin Kemp (Chennai, 100,000), Thissara Perera (Chennai, 50,000), Adam Voges (Rajasthan, 50,000), Yusuf Abdulla (Punjab, 50,000)

Bond's sale was the auction's second tie-breaker; the first was among four franchises for Pollard, the explosive West Indies allrounder with a base price of $200,000. He was eventually signed up by Mumbai Indians, who beat off Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata. "The team strategy, discussed between Sachin Tendulkar, TA Sekar and Robin Singh was that we wanted a batting allrounder and we are happy to have him," Nita Ambani, who represented Mumbai at the auction, said.

Pollard and Bond's final price was not disclosed and Modi said only he and the successful bidders would be privy to that information.

The two other notable signings were Kemar Roach, the West Indies fast bowler, who was bought by Deccan for $720,000, and South Africa's Wayne Parnell, bought by Delhi Daredevils for $610,000. "It is great for the player and he has a big future ahead of him," Modi said of Roach's price. "He is 100% available and that could have been a big factor [in his sale]. They [Deccan] needed a fast bowler and he met their requirement.

Eoin Morgan, the England batsman, was picked up by Bangalore for $220,000. Offspinner Graeme Swann was one of the players in the first auction pool but he did not get any bids at his base price of $250,000. Modi said that player availability was an important factor in the team's strategies.

"Yes, availability is a serious issue with all teams without doubt, based on that the teams have formed strategies," Modi said. "Eoin Morgan was not available 100 % of the time earlier but, before the auction, he was released for the full time by the ECB and hence he was bought."

Mohammad Kaif, the only Indian up for auction, went unsold in the first round of bidding but was later signed up by Punjab for $250,000.

Only three of India's Under-19 players, priced at Rs. 800,000 each, were eligible to play in the IPL and they were chosen by a draft system. Bangalore picked U-19 captain Ashok Menaria, Deccan went for Harmeet Singh and Mumbai opted for Harshal Patel. (www.cricinfo.com)
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Twenty20 will 'finish' Pakistan cricket - Mohammad Yousuf

Pakistan in Australia 2009-10

Osman Samiuddin in Melbourne
December 31, 2009

Mohammad Yousuf has issued a stark warning of the impending dangers of too much Twenty20 cricket, insisting that it is "necessary" that Pakistan plays as little of the format as possible. Otherwise, the Pakistan captain told Cricinfo, he believes the format will "finish Pakistan's cricket."

Yousuf's counsel comes in the wake of Pakistan's defeat to Australia in the first Test in Melbourne, where their batsmen struggled on a placid pitch in a 170-run loss. Australia declared twice in the Test, but Pakistan were bowled out for 258 and 251 - the second after being 170-3. But his words come in a broader context: those totals continued a long run of sub-par performances by the batsmen in the Test arena; in 14 Test innings now, they have crossed 350 only twice.
Mohammad Yousuf

They have struggled with their openers and their No.3 batsmen, and have been caught in a number of Test collapses through the year in Sri Lanka, New Zealand and now Australia. As in Melbourne, a number of batsmen have settled in, before getting themselves out. The failure, Yousuf believes, comes from Twenty20 cricket.

"It [batting failures] used to happen before but now because of Twenty20 cricket no player knows how to stay at the wicket anymore," Yousuf told Cricinfo. "Batsmen are finding it very difficult. I know the format has money, players get it and boards do but if Pakistan hypes up Twenty20 too much, Test and ODI cricket will really go down."

Pakistan are the reigning world champions in the format, having won the World Twenty20 in a stirring display in June in England. They reached the final of the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 and have the best win-loss ratio of all nations in the format. In Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq they have, arguably, the format's sharpest game-changers.

They were also one of the first countries to adopt the format domestically, holding wildly successful events in Lahore and Karachi in 2005 and 2006, and the first three years of the tournament attracted what many believed to be the largest domestic crowds ever in Pakistan. Additionally, a number of their players had successful first seasons with the IPL; they weren't allowed to participate in tournament's second edition, but a number of them are very keen to be involved next season and over 12 players have applied for a place in the auction. Afridi, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Gul and Sohail Tanvir have all played, or are playing Twenty20 cricket, for Australian state sides as well.

Most Pakistanis are brought up on a diet of 20-over cricket at club and street level. That, Yousuf believes, has left much of the current crop unsuited to the longer, unique demands of Test cricket and even ODI cricket. "Both in Tests and ODIs we have problems," Yousuf said. "We struggle to bat 50 overs. Against New Zealand [in Abu Dhabi] we couldn't make 212 in 50 overs. Everyone played shots and got out.

"Twenty20 is easy for Pakistanis because they know how to hit, nobody knows how to defend. Until players do not play with discipline and play ball to ball and leave balls they are supposed to we will struggle in ODIs, let alone Tests. If you see a ball, hit it because you have to score. But if you are going to slog all the time what is the point? I could have hit jumping out but unless you get a ball to hit what is the point? That is the point of Test cricket. It is necessary that Pakistanis, the media, the board, the fans realise that we play as little Twenty20 as possible.

"One domestic tournament is enough and a World Cup apart from that, but my belief is that you have to reduce Twenty20 heavily. They shouldn't play it in club cricket - even there you play 20 overs, not 40-over matches. I only have 2-3 years left in my career but I worry Twenty20 will finish Pakistan's cricket."

Yousuf himself has a strained relationship with the format. He was incensed at being dropped from Pakistan's squad for the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007 in South Africa. Having criticized the selectors for not picking him, he aligned himself with the ICL, before being lured back into the Pakistan fold by the board. But once he was overlooked for another multi-nation Twenty20 tournament in Toronto in August 2008, he signed up with the ICL again, playing a few unsuccessful games for the Lahore Badshahs, before finally quitting and coming back to the Pakistan side earlier this year.

Alongside Younis Khan, Yousuf has been Pakistan's most reliable and successful Test batsman during and after the Inzamam-ul-Haq era. And with Younis and Javed Miandad, he is the only Pakistan batsman with a 50-plus Test average. His worries are the pre-eminent factor behind his request for Younis on this tour, though authorities in Pakistan have yet to accede to that.

"You look at England, South Africa and Australia. They give Test cricket and ODIs the attention they deserve," Yousuf said. "Until we do the same, we will not progress. They also play Twenty20 but they do it in a controlled way. In our country we only want to play Twenty20 and no Tests. I think we have given up on Test cricket: either we look for the money or we look to revive Pakistan cricket." (www.cricinfo.com)
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Twenty20 freelancers are game's biggest issue

Australian Cricketers' Association survey

Alex Brown
December 23, 2009

An overwhelming majority of Australian cricketers believe players will turn down central contracts in order to position themselves as Twenty20 "freelancers" in the coming seasons, prompting the Australian Cricketers' Association chief Paul Marsh to describe the issue as "one of the biggest cricket has faced." The findings, published in the ACA's annual survey of national and state cricketers, also revealed almost a quarter of Cricket Australia's 25-man contract list would consider declining future offers from the national board to expand their playing options.

Asked whether they envisaged Australian players following the freelance path taken by Andrew Flintoff earlier this year, 67% of surveyed cricketers responded in the affirmative. Of those, 22% of CA contracted players said they would consider making such a move now, with another 39% stating they were unsure. No players had considered the move previously.


A reduction in touring commitments, greater earning potential, fewer physical demands and the avoidance of scheduling conflicts with the IPL were among the factors players said would be taken into consideration when deciding whether to pursue freelance careers. Almost half the cricketers surveyed said they were open to the idea of early retirement to pursue careers in the IPL, with another 30% listed as unsure.

But not all was doom and gloom for national boards. In a promising development for the game's traditional employers, the prestige of representing Australia was rated by both state and national players as the factor that would most weigh on their minds when deciding whether to play as a freelancer, indicating that the lure of IPL riches has not entirely replaced that of the baggy green cap in the hearts, minds and pockets of Australia's cricketers.

"The reality is that the boards no longer have a monopoly over the players' services," Marsh told Cricinfo. "There are new and lucrative options available to players and not surprisingly many around the world are giving serious consideration to their futures. Our players are well paid, but a competition such as the IPL in many cases provides more money for less work. That's a proposition most people would accept in a heartbeat.

"As such I think the issue of freelancing will be one of the biggest that cricket has faced. I hope, for the game's sake, we can find a solution that doesn't see players choosing IPL over international cricket. The survey reinforces that our players still have a desire to play international cricket so in order to retain them, those running the game must firstly ensure that the scheduling of international cricket doesn't conflict with events such as the IPL. Secondly, a period of player leave must be factored into the schedule so that players can play international cricket and IPL as well as having an annual break to allow their bodies to recover and so they can spend time with their families."

Saturation scheduling was highlighted as the greatest concern held by players in the poll. Only 18 % of CA contracted players said they supported the Future Tours Programme in its current format, with 78% voting for a world championship Test model. Entering the final stages of a 2009 campaign in which Australia were scheduled to play 13 Tests, 39 one-day internationals and nine Twenty20 matches across seven countries, only 29% of CA contracted players felt the current scheduling mix was appropriate - down from 43% last year.

Almost 80% of Australia's elite players felt too many ODIs were being scheduled - more than double the figure from 2008 - and most felt bi-lateral 50-over series should be restricted to five games. The management of players' workloads by resting them from selected 50- and 20-over matches proved most unpopular - 86 % were against the ploy.

To alleviate the issues of over-scheduling and IPL conflicts, Marsh called upon administrators to include nine-week annual windows in the new FTP, which will run from 2012 to 2020. He also implored boards to grant players an additional annual leave period to reduce the risk of player burn-out.

"We believe these windows must be provided if the international game is to retain its elite players," he said. "The ICC and its member boards need to accept that less international cricket will need to be scheduled moving forward. The opportunity for these boards is to make each game of international cricket more valuable and we strongly believe greater context is the answer. In our view international cricket desperately needs context in the form of global Test, ODI and T20 championships so that every game has meaning amongst players and fans." (www.cricinfo.com)
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