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cricket India
becoming a force to be reckoned with Adam
Gilchrist says goodbye on a sad note cricket Mark
Boucher: Neat, nimble and spectacular Sachin
Tendulkar, Matthew Hayden great batsmen
cricket Other teams, too, need to learn from India and adopt their policy of shifting focus on youth rather than star players. India have proved that matches are won through performances and not big names By Imran Farooqi India"s tri-series triumph has cut a massive hole in Australia"s confidence, putting the latter"s reputation as the undisputed world champions of one-day cricket in doubt. To put it simply the Aussies did not deserve to win, at least the two finals. The 2-0 outcome of the
best-of-three affair in favour of India should be enough to tell the
story. Australia qualified for the finals quite easily, but faltered
when it mattered India had worked very hard following their 2-1 loss in the Test rubber that preceded the ODI leg of the trip. The win in the Perth Test had set the tone for the remainder of the series and after drawing the fourth and last game in Adelaide, the reinvigorated Indian side worked relentlessly in pursuit of triumph and has now shown the world that Australia, too, can be vulnerable even on their home turf. But a lot of thought and actions must go into it before it becomes a reality. Anyway, it"s good to see a side getting the better of Australia on a consistent basis. The Aussies have dominated the game for too long now, and a change had become inevitable. People love to see a contest, but Australia"s decade-long supremacy had turned many a battle into utter 'no contest". One hopes this is no longer the case. India have won fair and square, and other teams will be encouraged by the fact that the Aussies have lost some of their charisma. Though Ricky Ponting"s men are still a highly-skilled and professional bunch of cricketers no matter what age, the fact is that India have broken the jinx and other nations, too, must start thinking of following suit and take advantage of the Aussies" weak areas. The previous week was indeed a lucky one for India: first they clinched the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia and then threw up a terrific title-winning performance at the Gabba. Add this to their Twenty20 World Cup win, and it completes a fabulous six months for Indian cricket. Ironically, the Aussies, who used to win the tri-series without too much fuss, failed to win the last edition as Cricket Australia have scrapped the signature event which remained an integral part of their cricket calendar for about 30 years and was considered the most demanding triangular meet of the year. The change of guard has worked wonders for India. They have a young skipper in Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is not afraid of playing things around and leads from the front, leaving his wards without any excuses. A lot of eyebrows were raised when India had snubbed seasoned campaigners like Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly for the limited-over series with Australia and Sri Lanka. As captain Dhoni must have a lot of input into that decision. And no doubt it was a pretty tough call. Leaving players like Ganguly and Dravid, who are revered as Gods all over their country, can"t be easy for any team or captain because if the side lose the consequences might be fatal for both. The move did trigger controversies in India, but Dhoni and the selectors stuck to their policy of injecting fresh blood into the team, and the trick has paid off. The young brigade comprising Gautam Gambhir, Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma and Praveen Kumar have vindicated their captain"s faith in their talents and showed that the change of personnel at the right juncture does make a difference. India now have a very potent and versatile pace attack. With Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel to choose from India should not face any problem for a long period. Another thing that makes interesting reading is that India are playing without a full-time coach for a while now and have done exceptionally well during this period. That proves that a coach is important but not indispensable and something a team can"t do well without. A good captain can also look after the coaching job with the help of a little bit of hindsight. Dhoni played his part beautifully and looks set to embrace the Test captaincy as well in near future. He is a very cool character and keeps his emotions under control. By the look of things he certainly commands respect of his team-mates, who rally around him when going gets tough. Dhoni"s biggest asset is his ability to pull his team through crisis and see them home. There were instances during the tri-series where the Indian skipper curbed his natural style of play and dug in to ensure his players did not panic. That"s the quality that stands out whenever Dhoni is on the crease. He always looks busy in ensuring the good work put in by his top and middle-order does not go to waste. While Dhoni basked in absolute glory, his wicketkeeping counterpart Adam Gilchrist had to bow out of international cricket on a sad note. The tri-series served as a swansong for Gilchrist and Brad Hogg, the leg-spinner who missed the last game of the series as Australia opted playing with four pacers. The Aussies have not quite plugged the void created by the exit of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn. The retirement of Gilchrist specially may therefore create further problems for Ponting. Gilchist"s dynamic and immensely productive association with Matthew Hayden at the top of the order benefitted Australia a great deal in one-dayers, and this is one area where Australia will be most vulnerable in future. Australia are highly unlikely to visit Pakistan, and should that happen they will have enough time to assess what went wrong and where against India. They have two months to do so some soul-searching before they travel to the Caribbean. Other teams, too, need to learn from India and adopt their policy of shifting focus on youth rather than star players. India have proved that matches are won through performances and not big names.
With the next edition of Asian Games to be staged in New Delhi and the cricket World Cup to be co-hosted by them, India look like strong contenders to get the Olympics nod sooner than later By Muhammad Shahbaz Zahid Although acknowledging your arch-rival"s accomplishments, especially in sports, and praising them is tough on the heart but one has to be generous sometimes. It"s true that our country, Pakistan, is one of the sporting powers at least in the subcontinent but our neighbours are taking over the world by storm. Pundits feel they have got what it takes to become a superpower in sports. India were a sleeping
giant who have now been stirred up. Be it any sport, the Indians Cricket has been one sport where India, after a long gap, have finally made inroads and are challenging for the top spot. The world champions in the one-day format of the game way back in 1983, the Indian cricket team has now started threatening the Australian supremacy in all forms of cricket. Australia, who hold the coveted World Cup trophy alongside the Champions Trophy crown and are the number-1 ranked Test team in the world, have finally seen an opposition who have given them a run for their money. The major part of the Indian success story started last year when their young team, led by new skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, won the inaugural World Twenty20 title in South Africa. Indian fans had high hopes from their team, who didn"t disappoint the cricket-crazy nation. Although luck favoured them in the nail-biting final against Pakistan, after batsman Misbah-ul-Haq failed to take Pakistan home to an impressive victory, they still did enough to get the entire appraisal. Glowing tributes flew from all corners of the globe and Dhoni"s men were welcomed back home like heroes. Big money was awarded to the team in recognition of their triumph. It was the first major cricketing honour India had won after their World Cup triumph against West Indies in England. Though things fell apart when the Aussies toured India and won the One-day International (ODI) series there but India made a brilliant comeback afterwards overpowering the visiting Pakistan side in both the Test and ODI series at the end of last year. If that wasn"t enough, India were the one who stopped Australia"s Test winning streak Down Under. Although the Aussies won the first two Tests of the four-match series earlier this year, the Indians finally stopped them from winning a seventeenth consecutive five-day match. Australia did equal their own record of sixteen straight Test match wins but failed once again to get past that sixteen-match mark. It has to be said that India once again proved to be their nemesis. They were the ones who stopped Australia the last time around as well. A few days back, another famous win was celebrated by the Indian fans. This time, it was their juniors who brought jubilation after winning the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. Pakistan were the two-time defending champions of the tournament but were left to rue their opportunities after failing to get past South Africa in the semifinals. India took advantage and won the final against the Proteas in a rain-hit final. To cap that feat, the Indian senior team did what was unexpected of them. Featuring in an ODI tri-series against the hosts and Sri Lanka Down Under, the Indians first made the finals after beating SL in their last group match and then stunned the world champions in their own backyard. India convincingly won the first two finals to seal a memorable triumph over Australia. It was the second year in a row that Australia had lost the tri-series finals. It was a bitter-sweet success for India after what they had gone through during the tour. They lost the Test series and blamed poor umpiring for their defeat. Then, a series of controversies was brought into the equation which also saw a threat posed by the Indian cricket board of walking off from their tour. The Harbhajan Singh-Andrew Symonds saga, the Ishant Sharma-Symonds incident and a streaker running on the field during the second tri-series final were a few of many events that occurred on that tour. But India stood firm and achieved something that they would cherish for a while. Elsewhere in India, the battle to organise cricket events and attract star players has already reached its climax. The second edition of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) is about to begin while the official Indian Premier League (IPL) is slated to begin in April. The ICL, also known as the rebel league, has faced hard times and hasn"t got the backing of International Cricket Council (ICC) nor the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Though it was staged as planned last year, all the players participating in the ICL have been banned from playing further international or domestic cricket from their respective national boards. The IPL, the money-splashing league, has all the backing and star players in its kitty. It would be telecasted on more channels than the ICL and is expected to give cricket a new look. Though the war between the two leagues has intensified, the beneficiary because of all these events has been India itself. All the big names from Test playing nations have lined up themselves to play in India -- be it the ICL or the IPL. And as both the leagues are played in the Twenty20 format of the game, it is supposed to attract more audiences and sponsors. All this is boosting up the cricketing revenue and interest that is being generated in India. The BCCI, the strongest cricketing board in the world, is getting richer by the day. And it is also making all-out efforts to ensure that its players get all the facilities and become the best in the world. The results coming up are showing that now. India have truly become a cricketing hub now. The five major sponsors of the ICC, out of six, are Indian companies. The BCCI impact on world cricket is so dominating that people feel the ICC is afraid of taking decisions against them even if the Indian board is supporting a wrong cause. But it"s not only cricket that is making the headlines in India these days. Formula One is one sport that could make a huge impact in this second-most populated country of the world. Recently, a new team was launched in the F1 circuit, bankrolled by India tycoon Vijay Maliya, known as Force India. This repackaged version of the Ferrari-powered former Spyker team though isn"t expected to have much success in its debut season but it won"t lack in support by any means. India already have a taste of F1 racing. Home-grown Narain Karthikeyan raced for Jordan in 2005 and test drove with Williams over the past two years. Compatriot Karun Chandhok test drove with Red Bull. And with India"s ever-growing advertising revenues and strong monetary future ahead, the F1 administration says F1"s financial future lies in India along side China. India have also been provisionally granted a race in 2010 provided the promoters meet the statuary requirements like building an expensive race track. Golf is another sport the Indians are taking up at a rapid pace. With the growth of golf experienced like never before in Asia, India have been the ones who are pencilled in to give the game a bigger boost. With almost six to seven Asian and European tour-sanctioned events to be staged in India this year, the game of golf has been termed as the second most popular sport in the country after cricket. Indian tennis has also been on a rise. Star players like Sania Mirza, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi have worked extremely hard to put their country"s name on the tennis map. More international tennis events -- both WTA and ATP approved -- are now being organised in India these days and further more events have been promised by the ITF to them if they increase and improve playing facilities. Furthermore, India have also been touted to stage the Olympic Games one day. With the next edition of Asian Games to be staged in New Delhi and tenth edition of the Cricket World Cup to be co-hosted by them, India look like strong contenders to get the Olympic nod sooner than later. Though neighbouring China will host the Olympics this year, India still have a bright chance in near future to host the most coveted event of all. All this shows how much progress India have made in recent times. Though they still lack a bit in other global sports such as football, field hockey and athletics, one feels it is just a matter of time when they"ll start ruling the world of sports. The
writer is a staff member at 'The News" Karachi shehnu@gmail.com
His batting often gave the team a perfect platform in the first 15 overs. Gilchrist brought a limited overs approach to Tests, becoming the first man to launch 100 sixes in Test cricket By Khurram Mahmood Australian
wicket-keeper batsman and vice-captain Adam Gilchrist ended his
international career on a disappointing note when world champions
Australia lost the Adam Gilchrist, 36, announced his retirement from international cricket during the fourth Test against India at Adelaide unexpectedly. Gilchrist has admitted that dropping the catch off Laxman on the first day of the fourth Test against India prompted his decision to retire as he felt he probably didn"t have enough "desperation" left in him to succeed Adam Craig Gilchrist is normally known for his explosive batting more than his wicket-keeping but he has now secured a special place for his keeping ability. He has the world record of most dismissals (472) in 287 One-day Internationals. He is also on the second position with 416 victims in 96 Test matches after South Africa"s Mark Boucher"s record of 425 in 111 Tests. Gilchrist was an outstanding, aggressive left-handed batsman and effective wicket-keeper, combining the two roles for the Australian national team. He was considered to be one of the best wicket-keeper/batsmen in the history of the game. He was equally good against fast and spin bowling. Gilchrist"s ability to destroy the opposition in a very short period of time led him to be known as "The Demolition Man". His batting often gave the team a perfect platform in the first 15 overs. Gilchrist brought a limited overs approach to Tests, becoming the first man to launch 100 sixes in Test cricket. A few years back the Australian skipper Ricky Ponting had appreciated Gilchrist"s consistent performance and said that "Gilchrist has really changed wicket-keeping. I think most other Test-playing nations now, for the last few years, have been looking for someone who can bat the way Adam has batted for us. A few other countries have also got entertaining batsmen like Mark Boucher (South Africa), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India), Brendon McCullum (New Zealand) and I think that"s a result of what Adam has done for Australia." Gilchrist originally belonged to New South Wales, but moved to Western Australia to collect a first-class opportunity. Before joining the national side Gilchrist had played 46 matches for Western Australia and scored 4,173 runs at an average of just above 40 with a high score of 203 not out. He had made 10 centuries and 16 fifties and also taken 347 catches and made 16 stumpings. He had been vice-captain since 1996 and was part of the 1997-98 and 1998-99 Sheffield Shield winning teams. In 1996, Gilchrist was called upon to cover for the injured Ian Healy in a One-day International tri-series tournament on the sub-continent for Australia. He had already played for Australia at the Under-19 level and earlier in 1996 appeared for Australia. Gilchrist, like the others, expressed surprise at his selection for Australia, as there were others with more experience that the selectors overlooked. In 1997, the Australian selectors restructured the one-day team to model it with versatile all-rounders and big-hitters. Healy was dropped from the limited overs side and Gilchrist selected for his big hitting ability. Gilchrist made his ODI debut against South Africa in December 1997 for the 1997-98 World Series in Sydney. In his first match batting at number seven he scored 18 runs in 22 balls and took two catches. Batting down the order he was not very successful though. Then skipper Steve Waugh tried to make use of his hard-hitting ability and put Gilchrist in to open the batting for the first final against South Africa. He just scored 20. But the skipper showed his confidence in him and gave another chance to him in the second final. Now Gilchrist didn"t miss the opportunity and scored 100 off just 104 deliveries. Since then, he has opened the batting with various other openers, and he has been regarded as one of the most explosive opening batsmen in world cricket. In Febrary 1999, Adam Gilchrist scored 154 runs off 129 balls with the help of 14 fours and four sixes against Sri Lanka at the MCG. It was the highest score ever by an Australian player and wicket-keeper in One-day Internationals. He was part of the Australian World Cup 1999 winning side in England. He was also part of the team that made a record for playing the most number of games unbeaten in One-day International cricket. His strike rate is 96.32 in ODIs and 81.59 in Test matches. He was declared Australian Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004. Gilchrist was selected in the ICC World XI for the charity series against the ACC Asian XI in 2004 and 2005. He was also voted as the "World"s Scariest Batsman" in an exclusive poll of international bowlers. Gilchrist made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1999 at Brisbane in which he scored 81 runs in just 88 balls including 10 fours. Behind the stumps he has taken four catches and one stumping. In his second Test against Pakistan at Hobart scored an unbeaten 149 when at one stage Australia were 126-5 while chasing a target of 369, Australia won that match by four wickets. Gilchrist with Justin Langer (127) shared a 238 runs winning partnership for the sixth wicket. Gilchrist has led the Australian side in six Test matches and won the Test series in India in 2004 by 2-0 after 35 years. The
writer works in the art department at 'The News on Sunday" in
Karachi. khurrams87@yahoo.com Akhtar not only responded to PCB"s show cause notice but also stated that it was not his intent to be critical of PCB and that he regrets any inconvenience caused By Dr Nauman Niaz There have been a handful of stories about Shoaib Akhtar over the years and they haven"t lost their relevance. Although it is hard to determine if any of them were absolutely true, they sound credible. Shoaib, though mostly self-destructive have also been made a hash of. When it comes to
handling, we all have known that those bright sparks which pocket In any event, decision-making or selection, the elite PCB directors are doing everything they can, including a long list of things they can"t, so that we can all go about our lives and they can go on administering the sport as they like without someo0ne telling the lines are drawn. People are being coerced to carry on with more dumb charades. With reference to Akhtar, the Shahrayar-run PCB should have been condemned to let things go out of hands. And regrettably, Dr Nasim Ashraf, Shahrayar"s successor also seemed thoroughly confused to start with, though at present he may well have taken a bold step forward to decide upon Akhtar"s presence and the risks associated with it. It"s a matter of survival -- let"s see who lasts longer, Ashraf or Akhtar? But these are jaded times and mercifully, Akhtar may well see his career ending abruptly. As a gangly, awkward and unsure celebrity, he now stands trembling, clutching for life, without the reassuring hand of the Chairman PCB, whom he in his rejoinder to board"s show cause notice has referred to as "I have every respect for you as one good for an elder brother more so because you have been quite a helping hand throughout your tenure". Akhtar"s complete turnaround (a brazen U-turn) isn"t going to help him much, as it looks from reports coming in from the PCB. Akhtar not only responded to PCB"s show cause notice but also stated that it was not his intent to be critical of PCB and that he regrets any inconvenience caused. His reply points out tricky submission. Nevertheless, allegedly the cricket board authorities have prepared a paper for the Disciplinary committee suggesting that "Shoaib Akhtar has a record of breaching the terms of his Central Contract signed with PCB. Shoaib has remained in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Be it his bowling action which has been questioned on multiple occasions or his off-the-field activities that do no more than tarnish the image of the country and cricket." Further it is written "his outbursts in the media, brawls with his colleagues and team officials, disinclination to accept PCB policies (on sponsorships and others), snubbing established procedures on fitness, paint him as a lawbreaker in cricket. PCB has in the past on many occasions faced the brunt of ignoring his acts. PCB has been labelled as being helpless when it comes to taking action against Shoaib." In an exclusive document, the PCB informs the disciplinary committee that "based on his recent past performance and behaviour, the Governing Board of PCB accepted the recommendations of International Cricket Committee to downgrade Shoaib"s Central Contract from Category 'A" to Special Retainership." It is further pointed out that "Shoaib criticised PCB in the press and PCB issued him a show cause notice to explain his position". Furthermore, it is mentioned "The purpose is to up date the Disciplinary Committee on all the past issues which are connected with discipline and fitness of Shoaib Akhtar." From Pakistan"s tour to Australia in 2004-05, Akhtar was sent back because of injuries and his presence at a night club which was widely reported in Australia. Bob Woolmer in his tour report opined: "he was not fit enough to give us a second innings spell and found a number of niggles to explain why he could not bowl properly. Medical opinion in Australia struggled to find anything wrong with him! This is a trait with Shoaib that he looks for excuses to pull out when things are not going well. In Sydney he bowled only 15 overs in the game. At no time did he avail himself of our trainer and made the physiotherapists life hell by his constant calls for treatment at the arranged times. His attitude to the team was reflected by statement in various magazines and interviews that he did where he suggested that Pakistan could not win without him. "I disagree and have told him so. I thought his attitude had changed but in view of his continued remarks through the media, I have to say that he does not belong in the Pakistan team. He has delusions of grandeur and a hopelessly misplaced ego. Unless he changes then I do not believe that he should be selected for any future tours or for Pakistan he is an energy sapper for all of the back up staff and thinks the world revolves around him. I have spoken to him with exactly the same comments so I have no hesitations in printing them in this report." Akhtar withdrew from Pakistan"s tour to India in 2005. Bob Woolmer was again nasty in his tour report: "Our bowling will be enhanced by the availability of Shabbir Ahmad and Umar Gul whether Shoaib Akhtar is prepared to become a team member remains entirely in his hands..." Akhtar was dropped from the tour to West Indies in 2005. Back home, he performed creditably against England in 2005. He was rested from the side that played in the fifth One-day International of the series. Ironically, he didn"t accompany the team to Sri Lanka in 2006 due to a sequence of injuries. Because he was unfit, Akhtar was not chosen on the Pakistan side to England in 2006. He was in fact sent for a month to Birmingham for treatment. He did not play any of the four Tests but appeared in the five One-day Internationals. Woolmer was again found registering his perceptions in the report: "He is slowly getting match fit for Test cricket and showed what he could do in the shorter format of the game. However, after three games he was exhausted he trained hard and did all that was asked of him but his penchant for late nights, smoking and boozing until 2.30 in the morning remains and he still needs to be monitored closely. We all know the affect he has on the team when he bowls well and conversely the effect he has on the team when he bowls badly." In October 2006, Akhtar didn"t participate in the ICC Champions Trophy testing positive for a contraband drug Nandrolone. He was absent from the series against the West Indies in November 2006. Prior to the World Cup, Pakistan toured South Africa in January 2007. Akhtar went as reinforcement after Dr Nasim, the Chairman of the PCB, saw him briefly in a domestic match in Islamabad and deemed him fit to join the team. Akhtar played the second and the only Test at Port Elizabeth picking up 4-32 in 11 overs. On the second day, he had a hamstring injury. Darryn Lifson (physiotherapist) could not find any clinical signs of an injury. Bob Woolmer confronted Akhtar questioning his commitment to the team. His response was to create a scene and swearing at Woolmer which was captured on television. Akhtar returned home without taking further part in the series. He had to skip the World Cup 2007 because of doping and injury issues. It is worth mentioning that at that juncture the same PCB were determined to protect their fast bowler challenging the WADA and its intervention with reference to the doping issues. In September 2007, Akhtar again returned unceremoniously from South Africa missing the T20 World Championship after being involved in a brawl with teammate Mohammad Asif. In India in 2007, he remained unfit in between the Test matches. According to Geoff Lawson, the team"s coach: "If Akhtar stays on the field, or at least returned to bowl on the second day we may have won the game" and "his future may lie in just being a ODI bowler as his lack of reliability is not good for Test match cricket." In August 2007 team manager Talat Ali Malik found Akhtar guilty of failing to report to the training camp at Karachi and recommended a fine of Rs 100,000 and deduction of penalty points 0.5. This sentence was suspended for six weeks. Later on, PCB absolved Akhtar. In October 2007, the PCB"s Disciplinary Committee found Akhtar guilty of violating multiple clauses of his Central Contract and fined him monetary as well as penalty points. He was charged of breach of clauses 6, 7, 10, 16, 17, 34, 28, 27 and 29 resulting in a total fine of 5.5 points and a stiff Rs 3.4 million. Between 2005 and 2007 Pakistan played 32 Tests and Akhtar was only part of 40% of the matches picking 45 wickets (3.4 wickets per match in 13 Tests). In the last two years, Pakistan were part of 51 One-day Internationals and Akhtar was present in 27% of these games taking only 14 wickets. So far, Pakistan has played seven T20 international matches and all without Akhtar. Often, people refer to a story when a Pakistan minister called upon to address guests at a state banquet in Istanbul opened his speech with the immortal lines, "My dear Turks and Turkeys" -- in Akhtar and PCB"s deadlock, who is the Turk and who is the Turkey?
He remains a key component to the South African side in all forms of the game, his consistent batting allowing them another all-round option with plenty more challenges ahead as the team chase Australia at the top of the rankings By M Shoaib Ahmed South Africa"s Mark Boucher reclaimed the world record for most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper during the first Test against Bangladesh. He caught Mushfiqur Rahim for two off Jacques Kallis for his 417th victim, which eclipsed the short-lived record of 416 held by Australian Adam Gilchrist. Boucher had lost the
record in January when Gilchrist overtook him in the fourth and final
Test against India in Adelaide. Boucher had broken Australian Ian
Healy"s With Gilchrist having retired from Test cricket, Boucher is now pretty sure to hold on to the record for some time to come. Boucher said it would be a tough record to break because no one among current players appears to be in a position to threaten him. The South African was the first to break the long-standing record of Australian Ian Healy against Pakistan. He is also the fastest South African wicket-keeper to reach 50 and 100 Test dismissals. Mark Verdon Boucher was born on December 3, 1976 in East London, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. He was educated at Selborne College. He has been a regular feature of the South African side since the 1997-98 tour to Australia. Boucher is widely regarded as one of the greatest wicket-keepers South Africa has ever had. He is also second on the all-time list in One-day Internationals, also behind Adam Gilchrist. He once held the record for the highest score by a nightwatchman in Test cricket with 125 for South Africa against Zimbabwe at Harare in 1999-00. On March 12, 2006 he hit the winning runs for South Africa against Australia in what some have argued is the greatest One-day International ever played. Later in 2006, on September 20, he made his maiden ODI century, hitting an unbeaten 147 against Zimbabwe from a mere 68 balls. His hundred came up off just 44 balls, the second-fastest ODI century ever. Boucher did benefit, however, from some very poor Zimbabwean fielding, being dropped no fewer than six times during his innings. He has played over one hundred consecutive ODIs for his country and is one of only eleven players, including Hansie CronjČ and Shaun Pollock, to achieve this. Boucher showed his leadership qualities when he talked to Herschelle Gibbs and got him to tell the truth about match-fixing. In the period while the team was under Shaun Pollock"s leadership, Boucher was the regular vice-captain of the team and led the team in Tests four times. These matches include a victory over Australia, an achievement which neither Pollock nor current captain Graeme Smith can boast of. Boucher started his 2007 World Cup campaign in good form with a 21-ball half century, the then fastest in World Cup history (before being beaten by Brendon McCullum"s 20-ball effort six days later) -- scoring 75 not out against the Netherlands as South Africa scored 353 for four wickets in a rain-shortened World Cup match. However, this was overshadowed by Herschelle Gibbs"s six sixes in an over, the third time ever in world cricket and first time in a One-day International match, and thus in the World Cup. He became the first wicket-keeper in the history of Test cricket to reach the milestone of 400 dismissals when he caught Danish Kaneria off the bowling of Makhaya Ntini on October 10, 2007 in the second Test of the Bank Alfalah Test Series against Pakistan at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. It is a measure of the rapidity of Mark Boucher"s rise that no-one is quite sure exactly how many cricketing records he currently holds. Fastest man to a 100 dismissals here, most innings without a bye over the road -- they"ve tumbled out so quickly that it has been difficult to keep up. He also held the record for the highest score by a nightwatchman. Probably his most significant achievement, however, came in only his second Test match, his first on home soil, against Pakistan at the Wanderers in February 1998 when he and Pat Symcox put on 195 to set a new Test ninth-wicket partnership record. The real relevance of this feat lay not so much in its numbers, but in the fact that it was built with South Africa in desperate trouble at 166 for eight. Boucher had made his Test debut still short of his 21st birthday a few months previously when he was rushed to Sheikhupura to stand in for the injured Dave Richardson. He served his apprenticeship on South Africa"s 1997-98 tour of Australia, and took over as the first-choice keeper when Richardson retired at the end of that series. He found conditions in England difficult, both on the 1998 tour and during the 1999 World Cup, but he demonstrated courage, determination what became a run of 75 consecutive Tests before he was left out for the tour of India late in 2004. Those qualities brought him three Test hundreds in his first 25 Tests, and earmarked him as a possible future No. 5 or No. 6 batsman. He was also awarded the South African vice-captaincy when Shaun Pollock took over from Hansie Cronje, recognition of his willingness to get down and scrap when his team needs it -- and he promised a scrap to regain the wicket-keeping gloves when a form dip eventually did cost him his place. A brilliant, unbeaten 50 in the most thrilling one-day match ever -- against Australia at Johannesburg on March 12 -- saw South Africa chase down a record 434 with one wicket to go. In the ensuing three-Test series, he displayed fine work behind the stumps and showed his love of a contest against Australia with two fantastic half-centuries and 175 runs at 35. Boucher kept decently in the two-Test series against Sri Lanka and played two gritty fifty-plus knocks even as South Africa fell 2-0. He was appointed captain for the ensuing tri-series also featuring India but played no part as South Africa withdrew after a bomb explosion in Colombo. Boucher was replaced as captain for a short home series against Zimbabwe but was his side"s highest run-scorer at the Champions Trophy in India. He remains a key component to the South African side in all forms of the game, his consistent batting allowing them another all-round option with plenty more challenges ahead as the team chase Australia at the top of the rankings.
Sachin Tendulkar, Matthew Hayden great batsmen Though Sachin is perhaps one of the greatest batsmen ever, Hayden is impressive in many ways By Waris Ali They are both great
batsmen; one a legendary batsman and other in the process of becoming a
legend. One of them is a top century scorer and the other is going to
become the top century scorer; one is in the 19th year of his career and
the other is in the 15th year of his cricket life. One is Indian and the
other is Australian; they are Sachin has been in for nearly 19 years since 1989, when he was just in the 17th year of his life and awarded a Test cap in a match against India"s archrivals Pakistan in Karachi but could score only 15 runs in his maiden innings; then the world of cricket could not notice that a cricket infant had started a journey towards an almost unbeatable cricket greatness. It was Sachin Tendulkar who, unlike Pakistani batting legend Javed Miandad, could not make a debut with a century but proved unsurpassed with his long career comprising record 146 Test matches, as of Adelaide Test in last January, featured by 39 centuries and 49 fifties which make up more than 50 percent of the mountainous 11,782 runs he scored at an enviable average of 56 runs per innings. The 407 ODI innings he played, as of the second final of the Commonwealth Bank triangular series on March 4 against Australia, during his 417 ODIs career resulted in his 16,361 runs, at an average of 44 runs, comprising a record 42 centuries and 89 fifties, which become more than 50 percent of his total runs, will also remain unreachable for long. The biggest record-breaking batsman after Sir Donald Bradman, but the greatest one-day international batsman, holds several highly regarded batting records and is the top century scorer in both versions of the game. Further, he is one of the three batsmen to surpass 11,000 runs in Test cricket, and the first Indian to do so. He is the most prolific run scorer in the ODIs by a margin of over 4000 runs and has scored the most runs in international cricket as a whole. Sachin crossed a record 16,000 runs in ODIs on February 5, 2008, during a CB triangular series match against Sri Lanka in Brisbane. Australia"s top leg-spinner Shane Warne published his list of 50 greatest cricketers ever in September 2007 putting Sachin Tendulkar on the top, while British Prime Minister Gordon Brown last January suggested that Sachin should be conferred with an honorary knighthood. It is just his this character which was glimpsed throughout the Border-Gavaskar Trophy comprising four Test matches in Australia; he stood out as top-scorer among all the players of the two teams, with his 493 runs at the wonderful average of 70 runs per innings which is far higher than his career average of 55 runs per innings. In the tournament, the little master showed exceptional form but interestingly failed to score in the second innings of each of the four Test matches, a visible sign of growing age showing signs of tiredness and fitness problems. Sachin scored 62 runs in the first innings of the first Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne, but couldn"t prevent a heavy 337-run win for Australia. In the controversial New Year Test in Sydney, the legendary Indian cricketer scored an unbeaten 154, but India, regardless, lost the Test to Australia. This was his third century at the Sydney Cricket Ground, earning him an average of 221.33 at the ground. In the third Test at WACA in Perth, he was instrumental in India"s first innings score of 330, scoring a well-compiled 71, only to be dismissed by what was later confirmed to be a questionable lbw decision. India went on to record a historic triumph at the WACA. In the fourth Test in Adelaide, which ended in a draw, he scored 153 in the first innings, involved in a crucial 126-run stand with VVS Laxman for the fifth wicket to lead India to a score of 282 for 5 from 156 for 4, the convincing reason of why he was declared player of the match award. By playing all the eight innings of the four-Test match series, he also heaped up two centuries and two fifties. Among his own compatriots, Sachin proved himself so superior with his matchless batting qualities that he was far above the second Indian top-scorer in the series, VVS Laxman, whose 366 runs in all eight innings at an average of 45 runs comprised one century and two fifties. However, it has always been stunning to me to find how a prolific batsman, such as Tendulkar, badly fails in the very next match after scoring a marvelous century. The recent Commonwealth Bank Triangular Series, following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, narrates a miserable picture of the batting magician; in the six one-day matches, as of February 19 match against Sri Lanka, Sachin failed to score a single fifty with 44 his highest score and three innings of abysmal performance with just zero, 5 and 10 runs innings. However, the rival team"s Matthew Hayden followed Sachin with his 410 runs comprising three centuries only in five innings at a higher average of 82 runs, much higher than his 54 runs average in Test cricket in 94 matches during his 14 years cricket career. An equally prolific batsman, Hayden enjoys an ever-rising batting career and seems to be Tendulkar of future, not in terms of his batting style but in view of his grip over his job of batting. Hayden currently holds the records for the highest scores made by an Australian batsman in both the Test (380) and One-day International (181 not out) arenas. He formed one of the most prolific opening partnerships in world Test cricket for Australia with Justin Langer. It is just another coincidence that Matthew Hayden also performed just at an average according to his batting status in the Commonwealth Bank Triangular Series and could score only 298 runs in eight one-day internationals with 82 as the highest score. His 30 Test centuries and 27 fifties in 94 matches are just nine behind Tendulkar"s 39 centuries and 49 fifties in 146 Test matches, though the 10 centuries and 35 fifties of Hayden in just 157 One-day Internationals are much behind Tendulkar"s 42 centuries and 89 fifties in a record 413 ODIs. In fact, Matthew Hayden has every quality to become as great as Sachin is now; it is just time which will unfold this fact.
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the most. Surprisingly enough, Australia had only one candidate each
among the top five batsmen and bowlers. Winners India got the
lion"s share with three each in both categories.
are taking long strides towards success and are climbing up the ladder
very quickly. And undoubtedly their performances on the field have shown
their commitment and eagerness to become the world"s best.
tri-nation series second final against India at Brisbane. His Test
farewell went fine with Australia clinching the series against India
2-1, but the one-day retirement turned out to be disappointing as India
won the best-of-three tri-series by a straight 2-0 margin. Australia
also lost the first final at Sydney. It was also the last annual
tri-nation ODI series that began around 29 years back.
top cricket jobs are pretty wobbly in the upstairs department of the
PCB. How they rise to positions of such eminence remains a bit of a
mystery. Experts believe that a mixture of flattery, sycophancy,
intriguing and sliminess are great virtues in Pakistan cricket and can
catapult the most unwarranted bags to the top. Everyone rises to the
level of his own incompetence.
long-standing world record of 395 Test dismissals against Pakistan in
October at Karachi.
Sachin Tendulkar and Matthew Hayden. Focusing on the recent Border-Gavaskar
Trophy, a cricket fan can conclude that they both played impressive
cricket in the highly aggressive series.