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.

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.

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

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.

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Chastened England head for nets

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