A Chance for South Africa to dethrone Australia at the top of LG ICC ODI Championship Table

South Africa has the opportunity to dethrone Australia and secure the top spot in the LG ICC ODI Championship Table at the 1 April cut-off if it sweeps the three-match series against Bangladesh starting in Chittagong on Sunday. Australia and South Africa are currently both sitting on 127 ratings points but Graeme Smith’s side is behind Ricky Ponting’s side by just 0.529 of a point when the ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point. If the Proteas wins the series 3-0, they will stay on 127 ratings points but will finish ahead of Australia by 0.191 at the cut-off. This date is significant because the sides that lead the Test and ODI ladders on 1 April, pocket US$175,000 each for its achievements, while the sides that lie second collect US$75,000 each. Last year, South Africa snatched the title just before the 1 April cut-off date, relegating Australia to second, and no doubt Smith and his men will be using the possibility of repeating that feat as a motivational tool for the series. If Bangladesh manages to win just one game, Australia will retain its top position opening up a two-point gap with South Africa dropping to 125 ratings points. In the longer version of the game, Australia is sure of collecting the cheque for US$175,000 and of retaining the mace by finishing on top of the LG ICC Test Championship Table at the cut-off date. Australia leads the field by 30 clear ratings points. As far as the runner-up to Australia is concerned, India is currently placed second and can only slip to third place if England makes a clean sweep of its three-Test series. Although Sri Lanka will have completed its first Test against the West Indies (starting in Guyana from 22 March) and India will have played its first Test against South Africa (starting in Chennai from 26 March) before the cut-off date, the LG ICC Test Championship table is only updated after the conclusion of a series

Bangladesh turn to spin for South Africa in One-dayers

Bangladesh will rely on their young spin attack to topple South Africa in the three-match One-day series starting on Sunday, according to captain Mohammad Ashraful. The hosts have included three spinners in their 14-man squad, expecting a new wicket at the Chittagong Divisional stadium to offer turn to the tweakers. Spin has been the traditional strength of teams in the subcontinent and Bangladesh is no exception. Recently retired left-arm spinner Mohammad Rafique finished his career with the most wickets for Bangladesh in Tests and One-day matches. Rafique appears to have passed the baton to 23-year-old spinner Musharraf Hossain, who impressed during the tied warm-up game between a Bangladesh XI and a strong South African side on Friday. He picked up three wickets, including those of top-scorer Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers, while giving away just 19 runs off eight economical overs. Thanks to his performance, Hossain looks set to earn his international cap and bowl alongside Abdur Razzaq and Shakib Al Hasan. Skipper Ashraful said the success of the team in the One-dayers would depend on how his slow bowlers exploit the conditions and restrict the hard-hitting South African batsmen. "Playing three spinners in the One-dayers is certainly an option for us. Our spinners have often troubled batsmen not used to the spinning ball," Ashraful told reporters on Saturday. "We have a very young team since we are looking to build a team for the future, especially with the 2011 World Cup in mind, which will be played on the subcontinent, where spinners will play a key role," he said. South Africa are likely to include left-arm spinners Paul Harris and Johan Botha in their team, with an eye to the upcoming tour of India, where wickets could be slow turners. Harris picked up two wickets in the warm-up game, his first outing on the tour, while Botha took one wicket in his nine overs. The second and third One-dayers are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday in Dhaka. Squads: Bangladesh (from): Mohammad Ashraful (captain), Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Nazim Uddin, Shahriar Nafees, Shakib Al Hasan, Dhiman Ghosh, Abdur Razzak, Shahadat Hossain, Mosharraf Hossain Rubel, Syed Rasel, Farhad Reza, Roqibul Hassan.

Cricket Australia says good bye to Pakistan Tour

Cricket Australia has virtually decided not to tour Pakistan after getting a briefing from their High Commission in Islamabad, but will not announce a decision until next week. Well informed sources said that although the PCB is still making efforts through the government to salvage the tour, the Australian High Commissioner in Pakistan Zorica McCarthy had advised the Aussies against touring the country because of the prevailing security situation. "Cricket Australia and Australian Cricketers Association have virtually decided not to undertake the tour after the briefing they got from the High Commissioner and independent external security advisors. But they will announce this next week," a source said. He said the Australians wanted the Pakistan Cricket Board to consider shifting the series to neutral venues in a bid to avoid a total cancellation. But PCB insisted it will not play at neutral venues which it terms as a dangerous option beneficial neither to both the boards or cricket in general. "The feedback CA and ACA have got is negative about the security situation in Pakistan and the travel advice is 'don't go to Pakistan'. So it would be impossible for them to now play in Pakistan against this sort of advice," the source said. Australia had also cancelled their tour to Pakistan in 2002 and it was later shifted to neutral venues. Sources said CA was keen to ensure Pakistan did not suffer big financial losses because of the series being cancelled and wanted to make amends. "Pakistan stands to lose around eight million dollars if the Australians don't come," one source said. He pointed out that the PCB had been spending a lot of money in recent months on domestic cricket, players and administrative expenses and if Ricky Ponting's team does not come, they will sooner or later face a financial crunch. Sources said the PCB was now trying to salvage the tour through the government and it was in this regard that Chairman Nasim Ashraf met with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad this week.

Harbhajan denies remarks against Aussie players

India's ace spinner Harbhajan Singh on Friday denied having called Australian opener Matthew Hayden a 'big liar' and wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist 'no saint'. Harbhajan, who was at the centre of most of the controversies during the acrimonious tour of Australia, was quoted by a daily as saying "Don't talk about Hayden's credibility, he is a big liar". The spinner, however, made it clear that he had not made such comments. "I did not make these comments. A lot has been written in the last few days, but I have not said such things", Harbhajan said. In that interview, Harbhajan was also quoted as saying that "He (Gilchrist) is also not a saint. He, of course, pretends to be a saint -- someone who does not say an offensive word on the field." "But this is completely wrong. There are times when he does not let an opportunity go waste".

Sachin, Ishant, Bhajji could miss First Test Against Proteas

Sachin Tendulkar wowed the country with his super show during the best of three finals in the recent tri-series in Australia. But in doing so, Tendulkar has put himself through a lot of physical pain, putting in doubt his participation in the upcoming Test series against South Africa starting on March 26 in Chennai. Not only Tendulkar, speedster Ishant Sharma (toe & finger), spinner Harbhajan Singh (hamstring) and Yuvraj Singh (knee) are also suffering from injuries which requires them to rest for a minimum of two or three weeks, which puts in doubt their participation in the Test series. Of the four, Yuvraj and Harbhajan could even have to undergo surgeries to correct their condition. All the players have been referred to Melbourne-based surgeon David Young, who has also treated Muttiah Muralitharan. In a season when India has played a total of 22 ODIs, two T20s and seven Tests since September 2007, the growing injury list is a reflection of the workload that the team has endured since the start of the England tour in July 2007. In his last fitness report submitted to the BCCI on Thursday, outgoing Indian team physio John Gloster writes that Tendulkar suffers from tendonitis in the right hip region. According to Gloster's report, a copy of which is available with the TOI , Tendulkar ‘will require a minimum of two weeks rest post tour' from aggravating the condition. "He must not allow this condition to settle into a chronic phase otherwise it may take a further two weeks to control. It is only when the pain settles that he can start deep release massage. Once he is pain free, he can commence basic training but initially only in water," Gloster writes in the post-tour rehab advice to seven players. Adelaide-based Gloster has sent the report to coach Gary Kirsten, board secretary Niranjan Shah, CAO Ratnakar Shetty, chairman of selectors Dilip Vengsarkar, ODI and T20 captain MS Dhoni, fielding coach Robin Singh, bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad and fitness trainer Greg King. If Tendulkar's condition is a cause for worry, Yuvraj Singh's left knee continues to be under the miscroscope. He is still not in the clear as Gloster advises a strict routine which is needed to strengthen and stabilise his knee. "He must ideally have three weeks break from cricket and excessive activities. He must try to do a lot of swimming, cycling and water running," advises Gloster. But his advice comes with a warning that if the pain persists and there is swelling, it is a dangerous sign. "He must have a straighter approach when attacking the ball. He must take care while turning on the ball or else it could lead to instability which might need surgery." Speed demon Ishant Sharma's left great toe has endured a lot of stress, for which Gloster advises the tall bowler complete rest for three weeks. "No bowling and running post tour. There should be no compromise on this instruction. Allow the pain to subside and full healing to complete. As for his right forefinger, he can continue to use anti-inflammatory techniques." The central character of the tour, Harbhajan, also gets a mention for his strained left hamstring.

Rameez Raja blames IPL for clouds over Aussies tour of Pak

Former Pakistan captain and ex-Cricket Board Chief Executive Rameez Raja blamed the Indian Premier League for Australian cricket team's reluctance to tour the country. Rameez said this was the first real example of how much damage the IPL could do to Test and international cricket in the long run. "I think there is also reluctance on part of some Australian players to avoid touring Pakistan because of the Indian Premier League. It is a situation to which the administrators have to wake up to," Rameez said in an interview. Australia have been apprehensive of touring Pakistan due to political turmoil and series of bomb blasts in the country since the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. "I know there is a negative perception about Pakistan internationally but it is not all true and cricket matches have never been targeted ever before in the country. Other teams have come and played here and gone home on a high note. The Australians must take that into consideration," he added. The Indian Cricket Board-backed IPL and starts from April 18 with several Australian and Pakistani players signed up to play in it. Rameez, who was chief executive of the Board between 2002 and 2004 and is now a well known television commentator and an expert, felt Pakistan needed to launch a big PR exercise to ensure they did not face a similar situation from other teams in future. "I think the Pakistan Board needs to drum up support within the International Cricket Council and the Asian Cricket Council. It needs to build up a support lobby of the Asian bloc. Because if they don't make a hue and cry about it now they will face more such problems in the future and cricket could be at a big risk in the country," Rameez said. He also warned that Australians pulling out of their scheduled tour this month would have serious consequences. "I hope the Australians come because no sportsperson or cricket match has ever been hit by militants or violence in Pakistan ever. That is a strong point in favour of having the series in Pakistan," he said. The former batsman said if Australia did not come it'd have devastating effect on Pakistan cricket in many ways. "For me a cancellation could have a ripple effect. For one it is a big blow to our efforts to portray a soft image of Pakistan. It is going to scare away other teams and sponsors", he said. "It will also discourage youngsters from taking to the sport like they do today and most importantly it will greatly reduce Pakistan's value when the television cricket rights go up for sale in April. The long-term effects will be huge", he added.

Gilchrist worried over Indian monopoly

ADAM GILCHRIST has warned against allowing the Indian cricket authorities to become too powerful in the world game.
The wicket-keeper ended his international career in disappointing fashion as Australia were beaten 2-0 in the Commonwealth Bank Series finals by India.
That brought to an end a stormy summer of cricket between the two countries, which has been dogged by controversy – most notably the race row between India’s Harbhajan Singh and Australia’s Andrew Symonds.
Spinner Harbhajan was originally found guilty of racially abusing Symonds, but was ultimately acquitted on appeal and given a fine for a lesser offence.
Many in Australia were unhappy with the way the process was handled and specifically the role of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), who threatened to withdraw from the tour if the appeal did not go their way.
Gilchrist believes there is a possibility the Indian authorities could become too powerful.
He said, “We know the power they are and the way they’re happy to flex their muscles and we must pay attention to that.
“Hopefully that’s controlled and we can make sure the game’s healthy throughout the world.”
He added, “I think both teams were very, very relieved that the series finished.
“It was tough work. It wasn’t the most enjoyable summer we’ve been involved with – all the issues on and off the field.
“There’s all this talk about India becoming the power of the world and dominating world cricket.
“I have faith in that group that, yes, they have rushed at great speed over the last 10, 15, 20 years to the top of the tree in the administrative and financial stakes.
“There’ll be a lag time to catch up and lets hope that everyone can combine together to realise that, for the good of the game, it can’t be a monopoly.
“We’ve got to administrate well and I believe that will happen and I think the BCCI will acknowledge that and tie that with the Twenty20 and where world game of cricket is.”
Twenty20 will feature prominently for Gilchrist as he prepares to take part in the inaugural Indian Premier League.

A WARM RECEPTION TO INDIAN TEAM AFTER THEIR TOUR DOWN UNDER

FIRST TEST MATCH BETWEEN NEWZEALAND AND ENGLAND EQUALLY POISED AFTER SIDEBOTTOM'S HATRICK

A match which had been notable for slow scoring and a paucity of wickets turned on its head on the fourth afternoon when New Zealand, pressing for quick runs, lost six wickets for 20 in 11 breathtaking overs. Their chief tormentor was Ryan Sidebottom, whose 5 for 37 included a hat-trick. New Zealand are still in a decent position, leading by 269, and if they can nudge and nurdle that past 300 tomorrow, then they will be the favourites given how hard it is for any batsman to force the pace on this pitch.
But they are not as impregnable as they were when Stephen Fleming and Jamie How were cruising on 99 for 1 before the maelstrom. New Zealand had bowled England out shortly after lunch to take a first-innings lead of 122, and despite losing Matthew Bell to Sidebottom in the first over, had the match completely in their hands. After a solid start, they began to put pressure on England as the lead passed 200.
The whole situation was changed by a quite brilliant catch in the deep by Matthew Hoggard just as the tempo of the innings was rising. How hit hard and true towards deep midwicket but somehow Hoggard, hurtling to his right five yards inside the rope, threw himself high and wide to cling on to the catch as he fell to earth. How's shake of the head said it all.
A hiccup rapidly became a fully-fledged collapse as four wickets crashed in nine balls, including a Ryan Sidebottom hat-trick either side of Monty Panesar's dismissal of Brendon McCullum. Sidebottom, whose feat went almost unnoticed amid the coming and going of batsmen, was aided by some brilliant catching from Alastair Cook. Rarely can one man, let alone one side, have held so many outstanding catches in one match
Fleming, who had looked in imperious form, started the slide when a loose drive was well held by Cook in the gully, and then Cook somehow clung on to one rocketing towards him as Matt Sinclair threw the kitchen sink at a wide ball and got a thick edge. Jacob Oram completed the 1-2-3 when he was again undone by minimal footwork, trapped in front for a duck. As Sidebottom tired Panesar took charge, holding a simple return catch to remove first-innings century-maker Ross Taylor and then enticing Kyle Mills to heave across the line. A good crowd, basking in the sunshine and with little to cheer in the previous day and a half, were in raptures.
It was hard to believe this was the same England side that looked out of sorts in the field only an hour before. Vaughan had even brought on Collingwood ahead of the out-of-sorts Steve Harmison and left Panesar kicking his heels, even though for more than a day Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel had shown than spin was king on this surface.
Nor had the first session given any indication of what was to follow, even though England's pedestrian innings finally ended soon after lunch in a rush of wickets. They had resumed at the same crawl that had been the hallmark of their third-day performance and through the morning scored a mere 61 runs, including 28 in the first hour.
Vettori and Patel whirled away and posed a few problems. Ambrose played with excellent composure for a man in his first Test and brought up his fifty shortly before the break. By then he had lost Collingwood , who had provided the session's highlight with an out-of-character lofted six over long-off, lbw to Oram. Given that the previous four sessions had produced five wickets, the end came surprisingly quickly, New Zealand requiring just 7.1 overs after lunch to wrap things up, during which time one run was scored. England lost two wickets in two balls to Patel in the first over after the resumption, before Panesar fell to Mills' first delivery with the new ball.
After 11 sessions of torpor the match is intriguingly poised, and with the weather superb and the pitch holding together well, a thrilling climax is in store tomorrow.

Tendulkar advised two weeks rest

India are feeling the effects of the three-month long tour to Australia with four of their players, including Sachin Tendulkar, advised rest ahead of the Test series against South Africa, starting in Chennai on March 26.
Tendulkar, Ishant Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, and Yuvraj Singh are required to rest for a minimum of two to three weeks, according to John Gloster, the outgoing Indian team physio.
Sources in the Indian board confirmed the same but added that these injuries didn't necessarily translate into the players being ruled out of the Tests.
According to the report, Tendulkar is suffering from tendonitis in the right hip region and will require a minimum of two weeks rest. Ishant is troubled by injuries to his toe and finger, Harbhajan has pulled a left hamstring, and Yuvraj's knee continues to be a problem. Yuvraj and Harbhajan could even have to undergo surgeries.
Ishant has been advised three weeks rest while Harbhajan could be out of action for a minimum of two weeks. All the players have been referred to Melbourne-based surgeon David Young. All the four injured players were part of both the Test and one-day squads and went through a gruelling tour that was not short of controversy.
Gloster, who recently signed up with Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals in IPL, had been facing criticism at the end of his tenure for the increasing number of injuries in the team. He mentions a few other worries as well: Irfan Pathan requires two weeks rest for his lower back, Sreesanth has an instability in the left ankle, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni has sprained his ring finger of his right hand.
India's kick off their first Test against South Africa in Chennai on March 26. The squad will be selected on March 17 in Bangalore.

Cash registers keep ringing for IPL stars

MS Dhoni’s top billing was hardly surprising, but the figure at which he was sold — Rs 6 crore — certainly caused some murmurs. On a frenzied, dramatic day of cricket’s first-ever auction, something Shah Rukh Khan called “addictive”, the cash registers just kept ringing for the players.
Even computer glitches at the start could not prevent this from becoming, what Vijay Mallya dubbed, “the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket”.
Andrew Symonds, subjected to monkey chants on his last tour to India, and involved in a protracted episode over allegations that Harbhajan Singh racially abused him, found that India’s IPL franchisees had no problems whatsoever with him. Hyderabad doled out $1.35 million (Rs 5.4 crore) to buy him. And Sanath Jayasuriya, dismissed by many as over-the-hill at 38, rang in at third place with Mumbai’s Reliance Industries giving $975,000 (Rs 3.9 crore) for him.
While the quantum of some of these numbers might startle you, the real surprise came in not how costly some players were, but how others turned out to be a steal at the end of the day.
There were 10 players who remained unsold through the eight regular rounds of auctioning, of who, two, Loots Bosman and Michael Hussey, went for higher than their base price in the re-auction. Mohammad Yousuf (for legal reasons) and Ashwell Prince (for a lack of demand) were withdrawn.
The IPL announced that the remaining six, Glenn McGrath, Simon Katich, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Justin Langer and Tatenda Taibu were sold for their reserve prices, in a final round of re-auctioning.
However, the Hindustan Times has learnt that these players went at bargain prices, with franchisees having to pay well below their reserve prices for them. The players, who were promised minimum guarantees, will be paid the difference by the IPL.
McGrath, who started at a reserve price of $350,000 (Rs 1.4 crore) went to Delhi for $225,000 (90 lakh). Chanderpaul, who started at Rs 80 lakh, cost Bangalore just Rs 32 lakh while Mohali got itself two steals: Katich at Rs 30 lakh and Sarwan at Rs 28 lakh (original prices Rs 80 and Rs 90 lakh respectively).
On a day when the biggest celebrations were saved for those who walked away with the big names they wanted, there were some others who were quietly laughing all the way to the bank.

IS DHONI THE NEW GANGULY OF INDIAN CRICKET?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not all beef and neither he is all pulp. His strength does not come only from a physical frame that would do a boxer proud. Beneath a hardened exterior that conveys the impression of a man not given to too much thinking, is someone who knows his mind better than those who interpret him.
The stubborn streak in him, as evident in his taking unpopular and, at times, even illogical decisions, is not because he thinks less and acts more. As more events unfold and he grows into the job, it should become obvious to most of us that there could be a well thought out method to what many think is just madness.
No fear of failure Compared to someone like the urbane Rahul Dravid, who would appear to think first and act later, Dhoni somehow appears to combine the two acts without burdening himself with the fear of failure.
He does not seem to care what people think of his actions nor does he cow down to the 'rantings' of experts who must always appear better qualified to pass judgement on events that have already taken place. Dhoni does not care if a Sunil Gavaskar finds harsh words like 'senseless and useless' for a player and questions his selection in the team. He wanted five bowlers in the team, had faith in Munaf Patel and played him again. It may be just his way of saying: thanks for your advice but I am the man in charge and I know better. You do your job, and I will do mine.
After winning against Australia in the T-20 World Cup, he told Ravi Shastri on camera that he and his team had proved his reading of the game wrong. The words had enough stress in them to convey his displeasure, but the smiling face accompanying those words had done more than enough to soften that barb.
Now in Australia where he is handling two fronts -- the game and the delinquent sledging -- his team has not been a great success so far. Despite India making it to the finals, Australia still look unbeatable and his backing of the young turks has not shown great results.
A new Ganguly?He did not want seniors in the team and stuck to his guns, much to the chagrin of many. For many, former captain Sourav Ganguly is his mentor. Yet when it came to what he thought was the future of his team, he shunted him out. Today, after the openers' failures, is he missing the presence of Ganguly? Going by what one can read of the man, certainly not. He would rather lose, backing his gameplan than compromise on what he believes is the way ahead.
In many ways, he is the new Ganguly of Indian cricket. May be much calmer from the outside, but someone who is going to be there for those on whom he has faith. Ganguly, through his steadfast support to those who were talented and his aggressive approach, transformed the Indian team.
Backing YuvrajDhoni ticked off Yuvraj-baiters with the line 'he will play all matches' backed his vice captain and won him over. He has also assuaged any resentment Yuvraj may have had for having been overlooked for captaincy.
Does Dhoni have it in him to take this team one step ahead? Does he have the same eye as Ganguly to spot matchwinners?
He sure has the mental strength to transform his approach to his batting and so far in Australia he has reined himself in so much that boundaries and sixes from his blade have been a rarity. Yet he has not failed with the bat and has given his team solidity in the middle overs without which India would have embarrassed themselves.
He is going to be confronted with many severe tests, one of them being his relative failure as a batsman in Tests. But for the moment, Dhoni is in the saddle and all seems well with the team.
PS: Can we all move ahead and not make so much of a fuss about what Hayden has to say about Harbhajan and vice-versa. Can we in the press too show greater maturity and not make Hayden finding Harbhajan an 'obnoxious little weed' the most important story emanating from Australia. Let Harbhajan retaliate and call Hayden the most 'obnoxious ox' to some radio station and let us get on with the game.

ICC needs to address ICL issue soon - Cairns

Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand allrounder, says the ICC needs to step in soon before players from countries like New Zealand and West Indies opt en masse for the lucrative contracts in the the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL) over the contracts with their home boards.
New Zealand are already reeling from the impact of the exodus, with players like Craig McMillan, Shane Bond and Lou Vincent joining Cairns, who had already retired from international cricket, in the ICL. Presently, a player joining the ICL is potentially banned from playing for his country, and also first-class cricket.
"New Zealand is going to be susceptible to that because of our pay structure," Cairns told Bigstarcricket.com. "If there was a 10% discrepancy or even 20% discrepancy between what you could earn playing over in India against your yearly wage [in New Zealand] then players would consider staying," he said. "But when you are talking a 200% difference, no person in their right mind could turn that down - that's the reality."
Cairns has called upon the ICC to create a window for the ICL and the IPL, besides revoking the bans on players joining the ICL. "The ICC are going to have to fix this - it is not a New Zealand Cricket issue, it's an ICC issue. I just hope that they create a window for players to be able to do it [play ICL and not be banned] - ICL and IPL," Cairns said. "West Indies will have this problem too, any country in fact where players are not that well remunerated.
"You have Australia, India and England earning well but even then how long can someone like Kevin Pietersen turn down £600,000 for 40 days' work? These are the dilemmas that are going to start to happen, though we might not see it for a year's time until everybody comes off contract with their national boards."
New Zealand Cricket had recently announced a pay rise for its contracted players in a bid to prevent more players from being lured by the hefty sums waiting to be earned in India.

Bond accuses boards of bowing to BCCI

Shane Bond, the former New Zealand fast bowler currently signed up with the Indian Cricket League (ICL), has accused international boards of succumbing to pressure from the Indian board to ban players believes players who join the unofficial Twenty20 league.
"I'm just disappointed that players are getting banned. I just don't think that is fair," Bond, 32, said. "All boards want to make money and they have been quick to jump in with the BCCI, basically doing what they told them.
"They [boards] are really the ones who are breaching contracts and probably aren't acting ethically very well."
The BCCI has refused to recognise the ICL and later launched a multi-million dollar official version, the Indian Premier League (IPL). International Cricket Council regulations prevent contracted players from taking part in any league or tournament not sanctioned by the home board where they are based. The popular belief is that the financially-powerful BCCI has pushed various boards to ban players who play in the ICL from appearing in international or domestic competition.
Bond believes these boards could have made a joint demand that the ICL pay a fee in return for each player, with the money going into facilities and grassroots development projects. "We're professional cricketers and we should be able to play anywhere and for anyone," Bond said, criticising NCZ for retracting their permission to allow him play in the ICL.
Bond, who took 79 wickets in 17 Tests and 125 wickets from 65 ODIs, will debut for Delhi in the ICL's new tournament starting on Sunday. "It is a job and we are trying to provide and look after families," he said. "We are forced into a situation where we are getting banned from a job we want to do."
Bond also warned that legal action could be taken if more players were prevented from competing in the ICL. "I think we are going to see it get a ruling in the high court or supreme court. Something like that will happen one day because it will get over the top ... people would have had enough."

Zaheer doubtful for first South Africa Test

Zaheer Khan, India's left-arm seamer who is currently recovering from injury, is unlikely to be fit for India's first Test against South Africa, starting on March 26 in Chennai.
India's Test specialists are set to undergo routine fitness tests over the next few days but Zaheer isn't part of the list, it's learnt. Sources have indicated that it's not clear yet if he would be available for any part of the series.
"He is currently in South Africa," board secretary Niranjan Shah told Cricinfo. "And we will know the status of the injury in a day or two." Zaheer is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Centre for Sports Medicine in Johannesburg.
Zaheer injured his left heel on the eve of the Sydney Test in early January. It was the same injury that sustained during the third Test against Pakistan in Bangalore a month earlier.
Meanwhile RP Singh, the other injured left-arm seamer, will undergo a fitness test at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore on Friday and Saturday. He had injured his hamstring during the final Test in Adelaide and missed the entire CB Series. RP played a couple of Ranji one-day matches for Uttar Pradesh recently - taking two wickets in each and making good contributions with the bat too.
Rahul Dravid was the other injury concern - having damaged his finger during the Adelaide Test - but is expected to be fit for selection. He skipped the South zone Ranji ODI tournament (because he was still in pain) but began training a couple of days ago. He is expected to play a couple of Deodhar Trophy matches for South Zone before the first Test against South Africa in Chennai.
Meanwhile India's Test specialists are set to undergo routine tests at the NCA over the next three days. This follows a BCCI policy to have periodic check-ups prior to all selections for players who have been out of action. VVS Laxman, Wasim Jaffer, Sourav Ganguly, Dravid, VRV Singh, Pankaj Singh and Anil Kumble haven't been part of the side since the Adelaide Test and will need to go through the paces before their names are cleared for selection.
They will undergo tests under Paul Chapman, the trainer at the NCA, Paul Close, the physiotherapist, and Dav Whatmore. The NCA will in turn forward the reports to the board on Saturday.
The squad for the first Test will be picked on Sunday in Mumbai.

India team return to grand welcome

The Indian team, returning after winning the CB Series 2-0 in Australia, were given a rousing welcome with hundreds of fans greeting them at the Delhi airport. They were also received by officials of the Indian board and the Delhi and District Cricket Association.
After a fractious tour, the team reached Mumbai in the morning and took a chartered flight to Delhi, where a felicitation ceremony was held in the evening. Virat Kohli and Pradeep Sangwan, who play for Delhi and were part of the Under-19 side which clinched the World Cup, were also present at the ceremony.
Speaking at the function at a packed Feroz Shah Kotla, Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni praised his side which won the best-of-three finals for the first time ever. "I congratulate my team and the Under-19 boys as well," he said. "The conduct of my team on and off the field is responsible for our victory."
Sachin Tendulkar, who played match-winning knocks in both the finals, told news channel CNN-IBN that the team hadn't been distracted by the controversies during the tour. "Plenty of things happened on the field, but we were focussed on the cricket."
Rohit Sharma, who made a vital 66 in the first final, echoed Tendulkar's sentiments. "We tried to enjoy our cricket as much as possible," he said. "All the controversies motivated us."
The BCCI had initially planned an open-top bus parade from the airport, similar to the welcome the team had received after winning the World Twenty20, but decided against it later. "The players have been in Australia for more than two-and-a-half months and will also be tired after the two flights," BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla told PTI. "That's why we have not made any elaborate arrangements as the players will be eager to go home."
A reward of Rs 10 crore (US$2.5 million) had already been announced for the team.

Australia need to learn from India-Ian Chappel

Ian Chappell: India have scripted a famous series victory at the 'Gabba and this translates into four losses in a row to Australia in finals in their own tournament. They lost two in a row to England last year and now they have lost two in a row to a vibrant, young Indian side.
Where do Australia go from here? Well, their hand is going to be forced a little bit; they are going to have a few players leaving in Brad Hogg and Adam Gilchrist. Matthew Hayden is still playing well but he is getting on a bit and perhaps where Australia need to look is just across the bench - at India.
India have gone for a youth-look after having a very poor World Cup in 2007 and boy, hasn't it paid off for them. They won the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa last year and now they have had a magnificent win in Australia under difficult conditions on a tough tour. They have beaten Australia 2-0, by looking for youth and perhaps that is what Australia have got to start doing - get a bit younger. This is an old one-day side though it has been a very successful one-day side, but I think it's probably time to start giving youth a chance. You are now probably looking at guys like Cameron White and David Hussey to come in to the line-up to bring in a bit of youth and enthusiasm. The fielding is very good even for an older side - they are brilliant in the field - but I think that [in the direction of youth] is where Australia have got to head.
The tournament? Well that is the last of the triangular series in Australia. It has just become too unwieldy having to play reciprocal matches with the same team in the triangular series. It has just gone out of hand for Australia and they can't keep up that number of matches. So the tournament is finished as a triangular and in the future Australia will be playing the two touring teams separately in one-day matches. So, that is the last we will see of the triangular.
For India, well, it has been a triumph for their selectors. It has been an absolute triumph for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has been brilliant as a captain. Even at the end when India had won - and what a great victory it is, their first ever win in a triangular in Australia - and everybody in the Indian side was going berserk and leaping around the place, there was Dhoni - cool as you like. There wasn't even a smile on his face. He's a very cool captain, he stayed cool right to the end and he has led this side absolutely brilliantly. He asked for young players, he was given young players and he backed them to the hilt and he has been rewarded by those young players performing, probably, over and above themselves. There are a lot of positives to come out of this tour for India.
If you look at the two Sharmas - Ishant and Rohit - I think they are two very good, young cricketers. India suddenly found Praveen Kumar at the end and he was very good in the one-day series swinging the ball; he got it to swing both ways tonight and he has been very good. Gautam Gambhir has shown that he has a terrific temperament and he has made a couple of hundreds in Australia and that will do him the world of good. Robin Uthappa got better and better as the series went along. So India have got a lot of positives coming out of this series and I should also mention Piyush Chawla. He has bowled very steadily. He hasn't taken any wickets but he has bowled very steadily and showed a good temperament. So India can take a lot of positive things home from the tournament. India is a side on the rise and Australia, now, have to do some rebuilding.
For the third team in this tournament, Sri Lanka, where India have had big success with their young players, Sri Lanka have not. Their young players have stagnated; they haven't come on and consequently they really struggled in this tournament for a good part of the way. They have some older players moving on, a bit like Australia, and it will be time to give some more youth a chance. The problem is, India have picked youth and they have played well. Sri Lanka have been picking some young players but they haven't really come on. So Sri Lanka have really got some thinking to do now to decide where they are going in the future

The privileged and the damned

Now that the money has been spent and the hype has diminished to a dull roar, it's time for a few observations and questions about the IPL concept.
The most obvious question: why didn't the ICC strike a deal in return for sanctioning the IPL contests? Is this further proof that the ICC is an offshoot of the BCCI? The IPL concept is an enormous boost to Indian cricket, but what about Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the West Indies? They all need major assistance to boost a game whose progress is being hampered by political unrest in the case of the first two, and financial problems for the latter pair. There should have been a levy imposed on IPL to compensate other countries for the players they developed who then signed for a franchise. This should have been a priority in the negotiations between the ICC and the BCCI.
In the case of New Zealand, a country where the depth of cricket talent is about as much as that of an above-ground pool, their playing strength is being further evaporated by defections to the rebel Indian Cricket League competition. New Zealand cricket is religiously banning players who sign with the ICL, in accordance with directions from the ICC, and yet it is apparently getting no financial compensation for backing the IPL.
Did the IPL franchise owners seek advice on players' personality and work habits before signing them to lucrative contracts? The skill of the players is there for all to see, but the intangibles are something only a shrewd cricket person can judge. If that advice hasn't been sought then some of the owners are going to get burned: lazy or mentally weak players will become a huge financial burden.
Will the Indian public barrack for Brett Lee to dismiss Sachin Tendulkar? The new-generation Indian cricket fan will, according to former captain and now commentator Ravi Shastri. If that is the case they are more magnanimous than their Australian counterparts, who will have difficulty cheering Ishant Sharma on to knock over Adam Gilchrist.
That leads me to the decision Australia's Channel 10 made to splurge about $15 million for the rights to five years coverage of IPL. Will this turn out to be a coup or a cock-up? Australia is a delineated society when it comes to sport. There are very distinct cricket and football seasons and the IPL will be encroaching on the winter game. Australians will stay up late to watch an Ashes series in the middle of winter but the IPL tournament will be a serious test of whether the country has fully embraced the idea of being part of a global sporting village.

Players taunting and abusing each other has been big news during the current Australia-India series. With the IPL featuring players from both countries - along with those those from other major nations - will an unwanted disease spread even faster? The IPL's organisers would do the game a huge favour if they stamped out a cancer that the ICC has either been unable or unwilling to eradicate. The IPL could start by getting the captains to publicly state they'll put an end to all unnecessary on-field chatter.
The award for the smartest move so far goes to the Jaipur franchise for appointing Shane Warne captain/coach. This has the potential to be an ongoing involvement and Jaipur is smart to tap into Warne's vast knowledge and highly active cricket brain. If his talents are used wisely, it will be a huge boost for young cricketers in the region.
Twenty20 is currently flavour of the month but what about the future? For cricket to thrive on a global basis the longer versions of the game need to survive in order for young players to hone a wide range of skills. However, Test cricket is struggling in many countries and even the 50-over game is considered a tired format in some regions. In addition, the star players are now in such demand that there's a danger they'll eventually be drained of all their enthusiasm and flair.
The ideal programme for the future could well consist of Test matches played purely between the major cricket countries, and those sides plus the appropriate developing nations then competing in hybrid 30-over tournaments. With strong administration, thoughtful scheduling and reasonable financial arrangements in place, cricket could flourish worldwide with that format.

IPL-SCHEDULE 2008

APRIL-2008

Fri 18 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL KolkataM Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Sat 19 15:00 local, 09:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL ChennaiPunjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh

Sat 19 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL JaipurFeroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Sun 20 09:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL BangaloreVenue TBCMumbai

Sun 20 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL HyderabadEden Gardens, Kolkata

Mon 21 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL MohaliSawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Tue 22 13:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL DelhiVenue TBCHyderabad

Wed 23 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL MumbaiMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Thu 24 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL JaipurRajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Fri 25 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL MumbaiPunjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh

Sat 26 15:00 local, 09:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL JaipurM Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Sat 26 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL KolkataMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Sun 27 09:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL HyderabadVenue TBCMumbai

Sun 27 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL DelhiPunjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh

Mon 28 13:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL ChennaiVenue TBCBangalore

Tue 29 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL MumbaiEden Gardens, Kolkata

Wed 30 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL BangaloreFeroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

MAY 2008

Thu 1 09:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL MohaliVenue TBCHyderabad

Thu 1 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL KolkataSawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Fri 2 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL DelhiMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Sat 3 09:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL BangaloreVenue TBCHyderabad

Sat 3 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL KolkataPunjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh

Sun 4 09:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL DelhiVenue TBCMumbai

Sun 4 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL ChennaiSawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Mon 5 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL MohaliM Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Tue 6 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL HyderabadMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Wed 7 13:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL JaipurVenue TBCMumbai

Thu 8 15:00 local, 09:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL ChennaiFeroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Thu 8 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL BangaloreEden Gardens, Kolkata

Fri 9 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL HyderabadSawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Sat 10 15:00 local, 09:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL MumbaiM Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Sat 10 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL MohaliMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Sun 11 09:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL KolkataVenue TBCHyderabad

Sun 11 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL DelhiSawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Mon 12 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL BangalorePunjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh

Tue 13 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL DelhiEden Gardens, Kolkata

Wed 14 09:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL ChennaiVenue TBCMumbai

Wed 14 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL JaipurPunjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh

Thu 15 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL HyderabadFeroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Fri 16 13:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL KolkataVenue TBCMumbai

Sat 17 15:00 local, 09:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL MohaliFeroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Sat 17 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL BangaloreSawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Sun 18 09:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL MumbaiVenue TBCHyderabad

Sun 18 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL ChennaiEden Gardens, Kolkata

Mon 19 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL DelhiM Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Tue 20 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL JaipurEden Gardens, Kolkata

Wed 21 09:30 GMT
IPL Mumbai v IPL MohaliVenue TBCMumbai

Wed 21 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL BangaloreMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Thu 22 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL KolkataFeroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Fri 23 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Mohali v IPL HyderabadPunjab Cricket Assocation Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh

Sat 24 15:00 local, 09:30 GMT
IPL Delhi v IPL MumbaiFeroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

Sat 24 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Chennai v IPL JaipurMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Sun 25 15:00 local, 09:30 GMT
IPL Bangalore v IPL HyderabadM Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore

Sun 25 20:00 local, 14:30 GMT
IPL Kolkata v IPL MohaliEden Gardens, Kolkata

Mon 26 19:00 local, 13:30 GMT
IPL Jaipur v IPL MumbaiSawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Tue 27 13:30 GMT
IPL Hyderabad v IPL ChennaiVenue TBCHyderabad

Fri 30
1st Semi-Final - TBC v TBCBrabourne Stadium, Mumbai

Sat 31
2nd Semi-Final - TBC v TBCBrabourne Stadium, Mumbai

JUNE 2008
Sun 1
Final - TBC v TBCBrabourne Stadium, Mumbai

Second IPL auction on March 11

The Indian Premier League will hold a second players' auction in Mumbai on March 11, when players who were not part of the first auction will be offered to the eight franchises. There is a chance some English players not centrally contracted to the ECB will be involved, though a franchise representative said the teams were yet to get a list of players up for auction.
There have been reports suggesting a keen interest in the IPL among English players, who have so far been excluded from the tournament because the seasons overlap. Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, said last week though the league would stand by its informal arrangement with the ECB this season, it could become more difficult to do so in future.
The auction is within the scope of the IPL's rules, which specify that "if more than one franchise is interested in a particular player, the DLF IPL may hold a further auction to determine which franchise will sign that player."
However, the kind of money to be put up this time is unlikely to be anywhere near the first auction, on February 20, which raked in US$42 million. Lalit Modi, the IPL commissioner, confirmed to Cricinfo that franchises will have to follow the original purchase cap of US$5 million.
While most teams crossed that cap on paper in the first auction, the amount of money they actually spent was much less. The IPL rules say that if a player is expected to be either completely unavailable or available for less than four of the IPL matches in 2008, 25% of the player fee bid for that player in the auction will count against the $5m purse. So for a player who cost $400,000 and who is unavailable under the conditions above, there will be a deduction of $300,000 from the franchise's overall $5m purse. This is especially relevant to teams that have bought Australian players, who are unlikely to be available for all or part of the first season.
"Still, this will leave most of us with very little room for an additional purchase," said a franchise representative.
One team that would benefit most from the second option is Jaipur Royals, which spent under the minimum cap of $3.5 million in the first auction in Mumbai. "We always had an aggressive plan. It's just that no one else saw it coming. We were clear that the minimum cap was for the whole process and not just for the primary auction," said Fraser Castellino, the CEO of Jaipur Royals.

LATEST ICC ODI RATINGS

1 Australia
2 South Africa
3 New Zealand
4 India
5 Pakistan
6 Sri Lanka
7 England
8 West Indies
9 Bangladesh
10 Ireland
11 Zimbabwe
12 Kenya

LATEST ICC ODI BATSMEN RATINGS

1Sachin Tendulkar
2Ricky Ponting
3Graeme Smith
4Mohammad Yousuf
5Matthew Hayden
6Adam Gilchrist
7Michael Hussey
8Kevin Pietersen
9Herschelle Gibbs
10Mahendra Singh Dhoni

LATEST ICC ODI BOWLER RATINGS

1 DL Vettori
2 SE Bond
3 NW Bracken
4 WPUJC Vaas
5 B Lee
5 M Muralidaran
7 DB Powell
8 KD Mills
9 JE Taylor
10 GB Hogg

LATEST ICC ODI ALLROUNDER RATINGS

1 JDP Oram
2 Shoaib Malik
3 A Flintoff
3 JH Kallis
5 ST Jayasuria
6 CH Gayle
7 Shahid Afridi
8 SB Styris
9 PD Collingwood
10 DL Vettori

LATEST ICC TEST TEAMS RATINGS

1 Australia
2 India
3 Sri Lanka
4 South Africa
5 England
6 Pakistan
7 New Zealand
8 West Indies
9 Bangladesh

LATEST ICC TEST BATSMEN RATINGS

1 KC Sangakkara
2 JH Kallis
3 MEK Hussey
4 RT Ponting
5 Mohammad Yousuf
6 ML Hayden
7 DPM Jayawardene
8 S Chanderpaul
9 KP Pietersen
10 Younis Khan

LATEST ICC TEST BOWLER RATINGS

1 M Muralitharan
2 DW Steyn
3 SR Clark
4 Brett Lee
5 M Ntini
6 A Kumble
7 SE Bond
8 MJ Hoggard
9 Shoiab Akthar
10 WPUJC Vaas MJ Hoggard

LATEST ICC ALLROUNDER RATINGS

1 JH Kallis
2 A Flintoff
3 DL Vettori
4 WPUJC Vaas
5 IK Pathan
6 Anil Kumble
7 CH Gayle
8 B Lee
9 DJJ Bravo
10 JDP Oram

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South Africa wrap up 2-0 series win

South Africa has dominated the whole series in all the feilds. Smith and Mckenze has put the new record for opening partnership of 415 surpassing the record set by two Indian openers way back in 1952.

Deryl Styen was Man of the Series for taking 14 wickets in the two match series.

Australia in danger of sad farewells

India want to wrap up the series

The repercussions of a second finals defeat go further than Australia losing a tri-series that has been so important to the country over the past 29 years. Another slip on Tuesday would lead to two of the team's long-term players bowing out a couple of days early without a satisfactory send-off.

At the moment the timing of the Adam Gilchrist and Brad Hogg retirements depends on the result at the Gabba and in the side's current form an early and empty-handed exit would not be unexpected. Gilchrist will have a say in the outcome, but the spot of Hogg is not as secure and Australia will consider Stuart Clark as they try to smother India on a bouncy surface.
In the other dressing room a much happier scenario applies to Sachin Tendulkar, who capped his last series in Australia with a composed century to seal the six-wicket win in Sydney. There has been no public decision on his future, but another trip to Australia is as unlikely as Harbhajan Singh seeking residency here. When Tendulkar spoke about his 117 on Sunday night he was content, which is a worrying sign for Australia.

"It was extremely good to go one-up in the series, the first blow is what matters," Tendulkar said. "We don't have much time before the second final, but we have to get up and put up a good show. We are up for it and we want to continue this winning performance."

The tourists are desperate to go home and the prospect of staying in Australia for another couple of days is not attractive. Controversy is raised with almost every gesture, word or gloop of saliva and the tour has worn down everyone. Another performance like the one India gave on Sunday would end the season of theatrics, which has been combined with gripping contests.

Over the past decade it has been rare to see Australia controlled and their five games against India have resulted in two successes each and one washout. The home team is concerned and after the SCG defeat Ponting had to remind his players that they pride themselves on their output in big games. When the most important tussle of the limited-overs season arrived they were overrun.

"You would be un-human not to have a little bit of a hit to the confidence when you're not getting the results that you're looking for," Australia's coach Tim Nielsen said. "That's the challenge of elite sport. Our challenge at the moment is to keep these blokes up and get them in a state of mind that gives them every opportunity."

The assignment has become much harder as they prepare for their third match in five days. Only three times have Australia lost the opening game of the home finals and come back to take a three-match series - twice against South Africa in the 1990s and once in 2005-06 against Sri Lanka. On three occasions when they have lost the opening encounter the contest has been concluded in two affairs, including last year's 2-0 defeat by England. That result embarrassed the hosts and as the tri-series concept prepares to depart the same emotion is being felt.
While Australia are low, India are on a massive high. The young team accepted many handshakes from local and Indian well wishers during their travel from Sydney to Brisbane on Monday and they were relaxed by their success.

Ishant Sharma (finger) and Tendulkar (groin) have nagging concerns - the batsman's injury has been troubling him for a while - but both are confident of playing. Two spinners will not be used at the Gabba, which is bad news for Piyush Chawla, who bowled well in Sydney, and Irfan Pathan's treatment from Matthew Hayden may create some discussion.

With each team leaning towards an extra fast bowler a summer of high energy may end in a battle of speed. The swing-friendly conditions mean Sreesanth should come in for Chawla and he is more likely to move the ball through the humid Brisbane air than the seamer Munaf Patel.
Although a couple of light showers are predicted for Tuesday, there should be no repeat of the heavy rain that forced the abandonment of the opening match of the series. On that occasion India's bowlers had the best of the conditions and the home side was reduced to 3 for 51. Since then things have got only slightly easier for Ponting's men.

Australia's major worry is their batting form and more meetings were held on Monday in an effort to fix the problem. The tension continues to increase and with one more slip they will be out of their own competition forever. If that happens Hogg and Gilchrist will never return.

Australia (likely): 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Andrew Symonds, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 James Hopes, 8 Brett Lee, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Nathan Bracken, 11 Stuart Clark.

India (likely): 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Robin Uthappa, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt, wk), 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Sreesanth, 11 Ishant Sharma.

IPL GROUNDS

Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai


Estd 1937


Capacity 20,000







Eden Gardens, Kolkata


Estd 1864


Capacity 90,000




Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi


Estd 1883


Capacity 40,000




M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore


Estd 1969


Capacity 55,000






MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai


Estd 1970


Capacity 50,000





Punjab C.A. Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh


Estd 1993


Capacity 45,000






Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad


Estd 2004


Capacity 48,000







Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur


Estd 1989


Capacity 55,000

Next IPL season could see England players - Modi

IPL commissioner Lalit Modi will stand by an "informal understanding" with the ECB that keeps England players out of the IPL for the first season as it clashes with the county season. However, he has warned things could be different in the future.
"I know a lot of our owners are in touch with the English players," he told the Daily Telegraph. "I know that the players' agents have been in touch with me, and I've been telling them we cannot do anything for the moment. After this season, it will be more difficult to do that."
Modi had earlier suggested that the dates for future IPL events could be altered to ensure that it doesn't overlap with the English county season to allow England players to be accommodated.
In exchange for ensuring England players are out-of-bounds to franchise owners in the first season, Modi wants the counties to keep out any player connected with the unofficial Indian Cricket League.
"We accept that people are committed to certain pre-existing contracts, but it's not acceptable for any county to knowingly sign an ICL player," he said. "They need to keep to that understanding, otherwise the trickle-down effect is that none of the English counties could end up being invited to the Champions Twenty20 Trophy in the autumn."
Modi's comments come a day after England batsman Kevin Pietersen insisted that no amount of money will tempt him into joining the IPL and said he preferred to focus on his England career.

Gilchrist hopes IPL will improve relations

Adam Gilchrist believes the relationships between Australia and India cricketers will be boosted by the Indian Premier League after a season filled with controversy fuelled by both camps. The teams meet for two or three CB Series finals over the next week and the games will be Gilchrist's farewell from international cricket.
He says the situation during India's tour has "got out of hand somewhat" but he hopes the IPL will help heal some of the rifts, as players from both nations are thrust into teams together. "That's where I see something like the IPL is going to be ground-breaking territory," Gilchrist told the Sunday Telegraph.
"That's going to be an opportunity for players around the world to get to meet, know and understand opposition cultures and customs. I think that's going to be a very positive off-shoot of the IPL. Any world XI team I've ever played in there's always been a great camaraderie in the rooms."
It would have been an interesting scenario had Harbhajan Singh ended up in the same squad as Andrew Symonds or Matthew Hayden, but Harbhajan is at Mumbai and no Australians were drafted by that franchise. Hayden went to Chennai, alongside Mahendra Singh Dhoni, while Symonds and Gilchrist are both going to Hyderabad, where the Indian contingent includes RP Singh and VVS Laxman. Ricky Ponting's new team-mates at Kolkata include Ishant Sharma and Sourav Ganguly.
If Australia's players are available for the IPL this season - their involvement depends on whether the tour of Pakistan goes ahead - they will have six weeks to cool off between the end of the CB Series and the start of the tournament. Gilchrist conceded the home summer had been a difficult one for some of his colleagues.
"There's been evidence that the players probably haven't been able to totally represent exactly how they've felt," he said. "It's grown beyond just the cricket, it's a business now and I think people are mindful of that.
"I don't think the players can totally complain too much, though, because it's a professional world and we're the beneficiaries of that professionalism, financially and by way of support off field. The support structure around players is as good as ever and we need to bear all that in mind.
"The situation this summer has got out of hand somewhat. Hopefully over the next week we see some great cricket, the series will finish and we'll all just move on and forget the almost tit-for-tat reactions that have been going on. Both teams are going to be extremely keen to get on and win this one and take a good memory out of what's been an exhausting summer."

IPL-CHENNAI SQUAD

MS Dhoni
Age 26 years 240 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm medium

Srikkanth Anirudha
Age 20 years 324 days
Batting Right-hand bat

R Ashwin
Age 21 years 168 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak

Subramaniam Badrinath
Age 27 years 186 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak

Stephen Fleming
Age 34 years 337 days
Playing role Higher middle order batsmanBatting Left-hand bat

Matthew Hayden
Age 36 years 126 days
Playing role Opening batsmanBatting Left-hand batBowling Right-arm medium

Michael Hussey
Age 32 years 281 days
Playing role Opening batsmanBatting Left-hand batBowling Right-arm medium

Joginder Sharma
Age 24 years 132 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm fast-medium

Muttiah Muralitharan
Age 35 years 321 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak

Jacob Oram
Age 29 years 219 days
Playing role All-rounderBatting Left-hand batBowling Right-arm fast-medium

Albie Morkel
Age 26 years 267 days
Batting Left-hand batBowling Right-arm medium-fast

Makhaya Ntini
Age 30 years 241 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm fast

Jacob Oram
Age 29 years 219 days
Playing role All-rounderBatting Left-hand batBowling Right-arm fast-medium

Parthiv PatelWicketkeeper
Age 22 years 360 days
Batting Left-hand bat

Suresh Raina
Age 21 years 97 days
Batting Left-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak

Kepler WesselsCoach
Age 50 years 171 days
Batting Left-hand bat

IPL-MOHALI SQUAD

Yuvraj Singh
Age 26 years 80 days
Batting Left-hand batBowling Slow left-arm orthodox

Sreesanth
Age 25 years 24 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm fast-medium

Mahela Jayawardene
Age 30 years 279 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm medium

Simon Katich
Age 32 years 193 days
Playing role BatsmanBatting Left-hand batBowling Slow left-arm chinaman

Brett Lee
Age 31 years 114 days
Playing role BowlerBatting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm fast

Irfan Pathan
Age 23 years 126 days
Batting Left-hand batBowling Left-arm medium-fast

Piyush Chawla
Age 19 years 68 days
Playing role All-rounderBatting Left-hand batBowling Legbreak

Ramesh Powar
Age 29 years 286 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak

Kumar Sangakkara
Age 30 years 126 days
Batting Left-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak

Ramnaresh Sarwan
Age 27 years 252 days
Playing role BatsmanBatting Right-hand batBowling Legbreak

Vikram Singh
Age 23 years 166 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm medium-fast

Sreesanth
Age 25 years 24 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm fast-medium

Karan Goel
Age 21 years 68 days
Batting Left-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak
Uday Kaul
Age 20 years 90 days
Playing role WicketkeeperBatting Left-hand bat

Tom MoodyCoach
Age 42 years 151 days
Playing role Higher middle order batsmanBatting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm medium

IPL-JAIPUR SQUAD

Shane Warne
Age 38 years 172 days
Playing role BowlerBatting Right-hand batBowling Legbreak googly
(also Coach)

Younis Khan
Age 30 years 95 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm medium, Legbreak

Graeme Smith
Age 27 years 31 days
Batting Left-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak

Yusuf Pathan
Age 25 years 107 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak

Munaf Patel
Age 24 years 235 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm medium-fast

Pankaj Singh
Age 22 years 302 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm medium-fast
Justin Langer
Age 37 years 103 days
Playing role Opening batsmanBatting Left-hand batBowling Right-arm medium

Mohammad Kaif
Age 27 years 93 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak

Kamran Akmal
Age 26 years 50 days
Batting Right-hand bat

IPL-MUMBAI SQUAD

Sachin Tendulkar
Age 34 years 302 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak, Legbreak googly

Robin Uthappa
Age 22 years 101 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm medium

Shaun Pollock
Age 34 years 219 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm fast-medium

Lasith Malinga
Age 24 years 176 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm fast

Sanath Jayasuriya
Age 38 years 235 days
Batting Left-hand batBowling Slow left-arm orthodox

Harbhajan Singh
Age 27 years 232 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm offbreak

Dilhara Fernando
Age 28 years 216 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm fast-medium

Loots Bosman
Age 30 years 312 days
Batting Right-hand batBowling Right-arm medium