We got Kallis dismissal wrong, say Test officials

The playing control team in charge of the second Test between South Africa and Pakistan admitted on Friday that a mistake had been made when star home batsman Jacques Kallis was given out.

Kallis was given out caught at short leg off spinner Saeed Ajmal by umpire Steve Davis but the batsman immediately sought a review, which went to television umpire Billy Bowden.

Replays showed the ball had not touched Kallis' bat before looping to Azhar Ali.

The sequence of events after that was not clear but after numerous replays Kallis was given out leg before wicket.

That was because the pitch map replay indicated the ball would have brushed the outside of his leg stump, which is within the area known as "umpire's call" where the benefit of the doubt goes according to the decision made by the on-field umpire.
Kallis made two as South Africa struggled to 139 for five in reply to Pakistan's 338.

The International Cricket Council issued a statement from Dubai acknowledging that "an honest error" had been made.

South Africa fightback puts Test on knife edge

 

Robin Peterson and Dale Steyn led a South African fightback which left the second Test against Pakistan evenly poised at the end of the third day at Newlands on Saturday. Pakistan were 100 for three at the close, a lead of 112.

Peterson hit 84 to enable South Africa to get within 12 runs of Pakistan's first innings total of 338 and Steyn bowled at blistering pace to take two wickets as Pakistan lost their first three second innings wickets for 45 runs.

At that stage South Africa were slightly on top but Azhar Ali and captain Misbah-ul-Haq shared a largely cautious unbeaten partnership of 55 to see Pakistan through to the close without further loss.

South Africa were hampered by a recurrence of a hamstring injury to Morne Morkel, who left the field after bowling one ball in his second spell. He had to stop bowling because of the same injury in the first innings as well and seems unlikely to take the ball again in the match.

Charles helps West Indies to consolation win

BRISBANE: The West Indies ended their disappointing tour of Australia with a morale-boosting 27-run win over Australia in a one-off T20 international on Wednesday.

After losing all five one-day internationals and a warm-up game against the Prime Minister's XI, the T20 world champions cruised to an easy win against a below-strength home side.

The West Indies romped to 191 for six in their 20 overs, then restricted Australia to 164 for eight on a perfect batting strip.

Australia, whose five-man pace attack was badly exposed by the West Indies batsmen, started brilliantly.

Sourav supports selectors decision to drop Gambhir

Calcutta: Sourav Ganguly has never minced words. Neither as a player, nor now when he dons the commentator’s hat.

So it wasn’t a surprise when the former India captain said that dropping Gautam Gambhir from the squad for the first two Tests against Australia was a correct decision.

He in fact backed the selectors’ choice, the in-form Shikhar Dhawan, as one of the three openers in the squad.

“Gambhir wasn’t scoring runs… That’s why he has been dropped. Dhawan, on the other hand, has been amongst runs. So if you score, you will be in the team… And if you can’t, you won’t be considered.

“Now, Gambhir should try and get back among runs if he wants to return to the Indian team,” Sourav said on Monday, on the sidelines of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) working committee meeting.

McCullum helps New Zealand draw level

 

HAMILTON - Captain Brendon McCullum led the way with the bat while his bowlers produced a disciplined display to beat England by 55 runs in the second Twenty20 international at Seddon Park on Tuesday and level the three-match series.

McCullum had anchored New Zealand's innings to power them to 192 for six with 74 runs from 38 balls as he plundered England's attack for six boundaries and five sixes.

Mitchell McClenaghan, who took two wickets in successive balls in the second over, Trent Boult and Ian Butler then put the power-packed England batting line-up under constant pressure with aggressive pace bowling.

India hoping for a spin ambush

 

Mumbai: Despite the home Test series loss against England, India are expected to welcome the young Australia batsmen with turning tracks. The Australia team, arriving in batches for the series starting in Chennai on February 22, must brace themselves for a spin-oriented bowling attack. After the victory over England in the first Test at Ahmedabad, India skipper MS Dhoni had demanded rank turners. The captain's wish was fulfilled but the plan backfired as the visitors won the four-match series 2-1. 

However, what is apparent is the wickets will not be fresh, and with an entire Ranji season having been played out, they are bound to afford turn. "Indian wickets always offer turn. After so many domestic games, there is obviously going to be turn," Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Sanjay Jagdale told HT when asked if tracks similar to the ones given to England will be prepared for Australia. "We will play on the wickets the curators give us."
Calculated Move

Matches have never been won on paper, says Gooch

 

'India have the advantage over Australia in spin'

Former captain Graham Gooch who, as England’s batting coach, has decided to exclusively focus on Test cricket, spoke to The Telegraph from the UK on Saturday afternoon.

Now 59, Gooch had an outstanding Test career, finishing with 8,900 runs with 20 centuries. He totalled 4,290 in ODIs (8x100). Overall, Gooch scored 128 first-class centuries.

The following are excerpts

Was it actually too much being the batting coach in all formats?

I believe that Test cricket must not lose its primacy and I’d wanted to exclusively work with the present band and the next generation of Test batsmen. Given the amount of cricket being played, teams need multiple choices.

Srinivasan cements ties with Dhoni

 

The lines had blurred long back. The appointment of Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni as vice- president of Indian Cements, which is owned by cricket Board president N Srinivasan, has only brought out the worst kept secret of Indian cricket.

All along, the relationship between Dhoni and Srinivasan has been too cozy for comfort, much to the dismay of many in the cricketing fraternity. The new development means that the relationship is now deeply embedded in the cricketing establishment.

Dhoni, the captain of the Indian team and the Chennai Super Kings, owned by India Cements, has now got a top position in the company as well.

Pataudi had no regrets

Sharmila Tagore with Sourav Ganguly at the book launch in Kolkata.

Veteran actress Sharmila Tagore feels her late husband and former Indian cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi did not have any regrets in life as he was used to losses from an early age.

"I think he didn't have any regrets. He lost a lot of things very early in life - his father at the age of 11, his eye when he was 20. So I think he was used to losses. He didn't dwell on these things at all and moved on with his life," said Tagore while releasing a book on Pataudi titled Pataudi: Nawab of Cricket at the Kolkata Literary Meet here Saturday.

Big boots to fill

The tall frame of Ishant Sharma could not be missed as the Indian team engaged in a game of football at the HPCA Stadium here. Also in the limelight were the athletic Ashoke Dinda, and the tireless Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed.

Change is the only constant in the Indian cricket team. Ishant would know that as he suddenly finds himself a part of a new pace pack.

There is no Zaheer Khan to mentor him as the left- arm pacer is on his last legs. As someone who has been groomed to take over the mantle from Zaheer, Ishant still has some way to go before he can be truly called the leader the attack.

Though he has made impressive strides towards that in the ODI series against Pakistan and England, consistency is one area where he would want focus.

Sri Lanka down Australia in opening T20 clash

Sri Lanka downed Australia by five wickets to win the opening T20 international at the Sydney Olympic Stadium on Saturday.Two towering sixes on consecutive balls from Sri Lanka's Thisara Perera sealed a comfortable win for the visitors, who have now beaten Australia in their last four T20s.

The win was set up by some superb bowling from Sri Lankan pair Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Kulasekara, who earlier restricted the Australians to 137-3 from their 20 overs.

The Sri Lankans reached the target with seven balls to spare and are now guaranteed of retaining their number one ranking regardless of what happens in the second and final match in Melbourne on Monday.

Australia earlier won the toss and chose to bat, but apart from big-hitting opener David Warner they found scoring difficult.

Rohit, Raina clinch series for India

MOHALI: With one innings, the feelings that Rohit Sharma invokes among Indian cricket fans shifted from one extreme to another. On one extreme are the annoyances he causes: how poorly he had handled his early fame and success, and the bad habit of wasting the many chances given to him. Then, there are the bright sparks we saw today: the gift of sublime timing, the late dabs and glides square off the wicket, drives down the ground that makes your jaw drop, and the ability to absorb pressure in a big game. That last one you associate only with the best in the game. 

Mumbai will miss Zaheer in Ranji final

Ranji Trophy heavyweights Mumbai might have won the championship a record 39 times, but this season they looked so woefully out of form that at one point they didn’t even seem to make it to the knockout stages.

But one man changed it all — Zaheer Khan. India’s pace bowling spearhead for a major part of the last decade produced a ferocious spell against Madhya Pradesh picking up five wickets for 79 runs in 19 overs. He once again showed what a fit Zaheer can do to opposition batsmen.

But that was followed by what has been Zaheer’s story over the last couple of years. After a terrific performance, he injured his calf and didn’t play the two knockout matches.

Despite his absence, Mumbai have made it to the title clash. But they would have wanted to have Zaheer in the line- up for the final.

When the final of the Ranji Trophy will be on at the Wankhede Stadium with Mumbai taking on Saurashtra, the man himself would be at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore.

Zaheer made it clear that he would take some time to recover completely. “Training and injury rehabilitation is going well at the NCA, but it will be a while before I get back to bowling,” he said.

New Zealand regain their pride in series win

 Kimberley (South Africa): New Zealand beat South Africa in the second one day international here on Tuesday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three match series.

New Zealand batsman Kane Williamson's superb unbeaten career best 145 saw the tourists to a total of 279-8 while the hosts were all out for 252 in their reply to lose by 27 runs.

New Zealands victory goes some way towards putting behind them their 2-0 test series defeat by the South Africans.

Williamson's knock was only the second century for New Zealand on their tour of South Africa and saw him bounce back from a disappointing Test series with a confident, stroke-filled innings.

Despite Williamson's heroics, South Africa were on course for victory until two run-outs in successive overs derailed their run chase.

Kumble joins Mumbai Indians as chief mentor

Anil Kumble has ended his stint as the chief mentor of Royal Challengers Bangalore. He will be joining Mumbai Indians, replacing the team's mentor Shaun Pollock whose contract has come to an end. 

The veteran leg-spinner who had led RCB to the IPL final in 2009 said he parts with the Challengers on good terms. 

Kumble, who holds the record of being the highest wicket-taker for India in Tests, said in a media statement issued by the Reliance Group-owned Mumbai Indians: “In my discussion with Reliance Group Management, I find that they have a great and compelling vision for sports in this country, which aligns with my venture Tenvic Sports' aspirations in making sports as the main catalyst of youth development.”

”Mumbai Indians is a very competitive team in the IPL with high-profile players and committed owners. It’s my honour to join the Mumbai Indians as chief mentor and to align our joint interest in making sports as an important agenda in youth development. I look forward to the new assignment,” Kumble added.

Alarm bells ringing, but conditions offer hope

Mohali : The cool climes of Mohali will be a welcome relief for the weary England team who, after suffering two consecutive crushing defeats at the hands of India, are now in a must-win situation to keep the series alive. A part of the problem for England has been their poor batting display.

Ian Bell and Alastair Cook did give their side a solid platform in the first ODI at Rajkot by stitching 158 runs that eventually helped them put 325 on the board. But, in the next two matches, the duo came a cropper – they managed a stand of four runs in Kochi and 24 at Ranchi.

Ideal conditions
Bell, delighted by the conditions which he described as 'very much English', said his side needs to challenge India. "We have been a little bit disappointed by the way we have played. We haven't put up performances that can challenge India. We will review our games and, hopefully, in the next couple of days, we will have got the opportunity to put in performances equal to the first ODI, and stretch the series to the fifth match," said Bell.

The visitors failed to chase 285 in the second one-dayer while in the third the target of 155 was never going to be enough to defend. Bell said, though the team had enough batting strength to deal with early loss of wicket, it was important that the openers set the tempo.

We must get runs on the board by Tredwell

Mohali: England off-spinner James Tredwell on Tuesday said it is important for the visitors to put runs on the board to carry out their plans with the ball in the fourth One-Day International against India at the PCA Stadium.

“We have bowled quite nicely actually over the last few games. We know how dangerous the Indian batting line-up can be and I think we have actually shaped up quite nicely with the ball. Obviously, a few more runs on the board would have been nice. Hopefully, we can go out and get runs on the board and then carry out our plans with the ball,” said Tredwell, who was Man of the Match in the first One-Day International (ODI) at Rajkot.

With the visitors trailing 1-2, this is a must-win match for them to keep the five-match series alive.

“We go in to every game trying to win it, regardless of how the series is standing. And certainly it is at the back of your mind, but you have to focus on the next ball and then hopefully things take care of themselves, in terms of results,” Tredwell said.

Sachin to play for Mumbai in Ranji quarters

Mumbai: Some of his recent troubles on the pitch have been blamed on a lack of match practice. And after Sachin Tendulkar recently called time on his oneday career, it was clear he had to play first-class cricket to stay sharp for Tests.

Tendulkar, who scored a Ranji ton first up this season on returning to the Mumbai fold, will be back in action for the quarterfinal tie at home against Baroda, from January 6 to 10.

“Sachin will be playing against Baroda. He has confirmed his availability for the match,” Mumbai Cricket Association joint secretary, Nitin Dalal said on Tuesday. Dalal, the selection committee convenor, said the team will be picked on Thursday.

Although Tendulkar could have played in the last league tie against Gujarat, which ended in a draw on Tuesday, he was definitely expected to come in once Mumbai sealed the knockout berth.

South Africa seek to build on top spot

South Africa will seek to consolidate their top place on the world Test rankings when they play New Zealand in a two-match series starting at Newlands on Wednesday.

The series shapes up as a mismatch, with eighth-ranked New Zealand hit by injuries and the withdrawal of former captain and star batsman Ross Taylor, but coach Gary Kirsten said the South Africans would not take victory for granted.
Kirsten said South Africa wanted to start a busy year of Test cricket on a strong note after capturing and then retaining the number one spot with successive away series wins against England and Australia.
"We had a good meeting around the year ahead," said Kirsten. "We're likely to have ten Test matches in 2013, and what we do as a team is set our goals about what we want to achieve for the year. The New Zealand series will be an important stepping stone to that.

Virat Kohli Indias performer of the year

 

Virat Kohli had proven his talent long ago. As the previous year’s highest scorer in ODIs, he had also demonstrated his capability to shine on the international stage. So just how did 2012 become the year of Virat Kohli?

For one, Kohli showed that he had the ability to focus on his game.  Till recently the brash batsman from Delhi was more in the news for his angry young man attitude and lavish lifestyle. Reacting to abusive crowds with the middle finger and to his own dismissals with a selection of expletives didn’t exactly earn him brownie points.

Things changed when India’s new star decided to let his bat do all the talking instead. He was the architect of famous wins in the CB series triangular and in the Asia Cup, bringing India back from the brink of nowhere. He conquered bouncy tracks and hostile bowlers in Australia while all the other established batting legends were struggling to get bat to ball. His performance Down Under cemented his place in the Test side and he was India’s lone positive from the tour.

What further marked Virat’s coming of age, was his ability to master all three formats of the sport. In an era of specialisation, Kohli alone stands out from the new brigade as someone who has seamlessly blended into Tests, ODIs and T20 cricket without having to alter his game.  He has a sound technique against the quicks and spinners alike, but never misses out on the opportunity to play his shots.

With consistency as his watchword and a brief stint as vice-captain under his belt, Kohli is now being touted as the natural successor to both Sachin Tendulkar (as batsman) and MS Dhoni (as captain). Big boots, indeed.