Warne Wishes Many More Cricketing Years for Tendulkar!

"He is a great player. We may have to wait for many-many years to have another player like him. He should be allowed continue till he wants to," said Warne while his stay in the city for a recent Indian Premier League match.

Warne, who is captaining and coaching the Rajasthan Royals team in the Indian Premier League, said Tendulkar was "the best" batsman in the recent times.

"I feel West Indian Brian Lara and Sachin are the best batsmen of the recent times but I rate Sachin "the best" not only because of his amazing cricketing ability but also because of the exemplary manner in which he conducts himself on and off the field.

"He is a wonderful guy. Naturally and exceptionally talented, affectionate and always smiling. There may be other good batsmen in the world but I feel that the word 'great' has been used most often for him. I feel Sachin is truly 'great' because of the manner in which he conducts himself. He is disciplined, co-operative, naturally talented and dedicated player," he said.

Of course, who is the master batsman in this era? He is a role model for so many of us not only in Cricket, but also in the way he conducts himself on and off the field. He is a real good ambassador of Cricket and also India!

Sachin's Birthday Today! He turns 35!

Sachin said he has no plans yet on his 35th birthday celebrations on April 24, 2008. He is yet to get his hands in the IPL, getting treated for his groin injury.


Asked if there would be a birthday bash on Thursday, Tendulkar said, "I have not decided anything yet. There is one programme on Thursday for sure and that is our travel programme. Celebration programme, well I don't know any."

"But the team has some surprise plan for me but they have not told me much about it," he said.

He said, he is eager to come back to the field as soon as possible, but following the physio's advice. Though he is eager, he does not want to rush it and would go through the rehabilitation program in full.

Everyone is awaiting eagerly for his return to both IPL and international cricket! Come back soon SACHIN!

Happy Birthday Sachin! Tendulkar turns 35 today!

Sachin Tendulkar turns 35 today (April 24, 2008)! His contribution to the sporting world and also to the country cannot be easily measured! There are so many people who treat Sachin as their God and the entire country look up for him whenever the country is playing the cricket.

He is not only a good cricketer, but also a humble and honest human being. Except on an occasion where he was accused of tampering the ball and later withdrawn the charges, he has never involved in any controversies.

He has always been a role model to so many people in and around the world whether in cricket or in persona life. He has never lost his temperament in the field and has always followed the rules of the games.

Let us wish him on his birthday for as much cricketing years as he likes! I think he should play cricket for India as long as he can and God should help him with the blessing that he retires with the world cup victory.

Happy Birthday Sachin! Long live! Let your cricket continue for India for many more years!

Australia's Tour to India - Schedule

Australia will play four test matches in India between September and November 2008. They start with the four day match starting October 2. They arrive to India on Septemebr 29 and the two months will be a good fight between the teams for Border Gavaskar trophy.

The trophy is with Australia now who won the series at home 2-1. The tour had lot of controversies with Harbhajan charged with racial abuse. He was banned and latter let off with a fine. Later Hayden called Harbhajan "Little abnoxious weed" and apologized. Harbhajan was found to be gesturing monkey postures towards the crowd by a local media and later found no evidence.

The Australia's visit to India will be interesting and we have to see how the teams are going to play the sport!

The schedule:

October 2-5 - Four day match
October 9-13 - First Test in Bangalore
October 17-21 - Second Test in Mohali
October 28-November 1 - Third Test in Delhi
November 5-9 - Fourth Test in Nagpur

Australia to tour Pakistan Twice!

To compensate the cancelled Australia tour to Pakistan in 2008, both the cricketing bodies--the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) and CA (Cricket Australia) have agreed that Australia will tour Pakistan twice in the next two years.

Following the cancellation of Australian tour to Pakistan because of the security reasons, the tour of Pakistan to Australia also came under question and there was a threat that PCB may not travel to Australia.

So, to compensate, it was agreed that Australia will tour Pakistan once in 2009 and then in 2010.

Pakistan Demolishes Bangladesh! Takes 5-0 Series Win!

With Australia withdrawing the tour to Pakistan citing security concerns as the reason, PCB requested Bangladesh to tour Pakistan. It was agreed by both the cricket boards that Bangladesh will play 5 ODIs during this summer.

All the five matches played in this April, in no match Bangladesh was able to come close to Pakistan except the 3rd ODI in which Pakistan won by 23 runs. Rest of the games were one sided game.



Man of the series was given to Salman Butt of Pakistan for scoring 451 runs in 5 matches at an average of 90.2. His successful series consisted of 2 hundres and 2 fifties.

Short Scores of all five matches:

Match 1: April 8, 2008
Venue: Lahore
Toss: Pakistan and decided to bat
Result: Pakistan won by 152 runs in D/L method
Man of the Match: Mohammad Yousuf (Pakistan)Score:
Pakistan 322 for 5 in 50 overs (Salman Butt 33, Mohammad Yousuf 108 not out, Shoaib Malik 85, Misbah-ul-Haq 38, Shaid Afridi 27 not out, Mashrafe Mortaza 2 for 52, Farhad Reza 2 for 41) beat Bangladesh (revised target due to rain under D/L method 282 from 39 overs) 129 all out in 29.5 overs (Mashrafe Mortaza 25, Sohail Tanvir 3 for 29, Iftikhar Anjum 2 for 16, Shahid Afridi 3 for 41)

Match 2: April 11, 2008
Venue: Faisalabad
Toss: Bangladesh and decided to bat
Result: Pakistan won by 7 wickets with 10 balls remaining in D/L method
Man of the Match: Salman Butt (Pakistan)
Score:
Bangladesh 225 for 8 in 48.2 overs (rain stopped play) (Tamim Iqbal 60, Mahmudullah 58 not out, Farhad Reza 26, Dhiman Ghosh 27, Sohail Tanvir 2 for 36, Iftikhar Anjum 2 for 34, Shahid Afridi 3 for 33) lost to Pakistan (revised target due to rain under D/L method 158 from 25 overs) 160 for 3 in 23.2 overs (Salman Butt 76, Mohammad Yousuf 32 not out)

Match 3: April 13, 2008
Venue: Lahore
Toss: Pakistan and decided to bat
Result: Pakistan won by 23 runs
Man of the Match: Salman Butt (Pakistan)
Score:
Pakistan 308 for 8 in 50 overs (Salman Butt 132, Kamran Akmal 100, Shoaib Malik 33, Mashrafe Mortaza 2 for 47, Shakib Al Hasan 2 for 50) beat Bangladesh 285 for 7 in 50 overs (Tamim Iqbal 63, Aftab Ahmed 42, Shakib Al Hasan 75, Shahid Afridi 2 for 48)

Match 4: April 16, 2008
Venue: Multan
Toss: Bangladesh and decided to bat
Result: Pakistan won by 7 wickets with 33 balls remaining
Man of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
Score:
Bangladesh 210 all out in 49.1 overs (Shakib Al Hasan 108, Mashrafe Mortaza 38, Mohammad Asif 2 for 35, Umar Gul 3 for 48, Sohail Khan 3 for 30) lost to Pakistan 212 for 3 in 44.3 overs (Salman Butt 74, Kamran Akmal 36, Bazid Khan 51, Mohammad Yousuf 37 not out)

Match 5: April 19, 2008
Venue: Karachi
Toss: Pakistan and decided to bat
Result: Pakistan won by 150 runs
Man of the Match: Mohammad Asif (Pakistan)
Score:
Pakistan 329 for 9 in 50 overs (Salman Butt 136, Younis Khan 69, Shoaib Malik 27, Misbah-ul-Haq 35, Mashrafe Mortaza 4 for 65, Shahadat Hossain 3 for 76, Abdur Razzak 2 for 56) beat Bangladesh 179 all out in 40.5 overs (Mohammad Ashraful 30, Mahmudullah 37, Dhiman Ghosh 29, Abdur Razzak 33, Mohammad Asif 3 for 35, Umar Gul 2 for 41, Shahid Afridi 3 for 40, Wahab Riaz 2 for 23)

IPL Kicked Off in Style!

The much awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) was kicked off yesterday. The first match was played between Kolkata Knight Riders and Bangalore Royal Challengers. The first match was played in Bangalore and the ex-captains of India were leading each side--Ganguly was leading Kolkata and Dravid leading Bangalore.

For complete schedule, click here!

The eight teams that are competing for the championship are:


Bangalore Royal Challengers
Chennai Super Kings
Deccan Chargers
Delhi Daredevils
Kolkata Knight Riders
Mumbai Indians
Punjab Kings
Rajasthan Royals

Azharuddin Injured!

Former India cricket captain Mohammed Azharuddin sustained minor injures when his car collided with a state transport bus in Navi Mumbai on the outskirts of the metropolis on Sunday.

The driver of the Honda City car was also injured, police said.

The accident occurred when Azharuddin, with his two children, was going via Palm Beach Road towards Uran Phata.

A case has been registered.

West Indies v. Sri Lanka 3rd ODI abandoned due to Rain

The third and final ODI between West Indies and Sri Lanka was called off due to heavy rain. Rain stopped play during the West Indies chase of 258.

West Indies have already won the series 2-0 and have drawn the test series 1-1.

Short Score:
Match: 3rd ODI
Venue: Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Date: April 15, 2008
Toss: West Indies and decided to field
Match Result: Abandoned; no result
Series Result: West Indies won the series 2-0

Score:
Sri Lanka 257 for 8 in 50 overs (Udawatte 73, Kapugedera 40, Dilshan 64, Weeraratne 41, Powell 2 for 50, Bravo 2 for 67, Gayle 2 for 41)
West Indies 81 for 2 in 18.2 overs (rain stopped play and match was called off) (Chattergoon 46)

Kumble and Harbhajan thank Curator!

The Kanpur curator Kumar said regular Test skipper Anil Kumble, who missed the decider due to a groin injury, also came down to meet and thank him for preparing the "spinner-friendly" pitch after the match.

Off spinner Harbhajan Singh, who won the man of the series award for scalping 19 wickets, also met Kumar to praise and thank him.
However, Kumar maintained that the Green Park wicket was a sporting one and it was unfair to say that it only aided the slower bowlers.

"The South African batsmen just couldn't get used to it (the pitch) and were unsure of how the ball would behave," he said.

Earlier, the stand-in captain Dhoni sent him a personal thank you card and a cash award of Rs.10,000/-. Kumar said it was a pleasant surprise to receive appreciation from the leading cricketers!

Kanpur Curator Thanked by Dhoni with Cash!

A grateful Mahendra Singh Dhoni sent a note of thanks and Rs 10,000 to Green Park stadium's pitch curator for preparing the turning track that helped the hosts clinch the series-levelling win over South Africa in the third Test here.

Curator Shiv Kumar said he was pleasantly surprised to receive a personal note of thanks and the cash reward from the stand-in Test skipper after the hosts beat the Proteas inside three days on a crumbling pitch to level the series 1-1.

He also mentioned that though he received appreciation and cash award, the pitch was not prepared for spinners. It was a competitive wicket and it did help pace bowlers as well.

Tendulkar to Carry Olympic Torch!

The Indian leg of the Olympic torch relay received a shot in the arm today with champion cricketer Sachin Tendulkar volunteering to join the April 17 run in the capital.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Suresh Kalmadi confirmed Tendulkar's participation in the relay, which has witnessed protest by pro-Tibetan supporters worldwide.

"It's a matter of great pride that the torch would pass through India. There is a big rush among the sportspersons to be part of it. Sachin Tendulkar called up this morning and asked if we would like him to carry the torch," Kalmadi said.

Incidentally, Indian football captain Bhaichung Bhutia has pulled out of the run with the flame, expressing his solidarity with the pro-Tibetan activists.

"The torch relay is a matter of pride and we would ensure that no untoward incident takes place. Everything has been planned and there would be adequate security measures," he said.

Asked if fool-proof security would make it difficult for the common people to get a glimpse of the torch, the IOA chief dispelled such fear and said, "We are making adequate provision so that the common public and school students can watch it."

West Indies win rain affected match! Wins Series!

In a rain curtailed match, West Indies posed an easy win to clinch the series 2-0 with one more match to go.

After winning the toss and deciding to field first, West Indies restricted Sri Lanka with a over all run rate of less than 4 per over. Knowing the conditions very well that it might rain, Gayle won the crucial toss and rightly chose to bowl.

Sri Lanka lost wickets in successive intervals and no big partnership was built in the innings. From 78 for 2, the Sri Lankan batting collapsed to 112 for 5.

Only Tharanga was able to manage the bowling attack. He scored 40 in 82 balls. Rain stopped the play during the 3rd ball of the 31st over. Since it was raining heavily and considering the time lost, Sri Lankan innings was considered completed. West Indies were given a target of 125 in 25 overs.

Though Gayle, Bravo, and Sarwan were cheaply dismissed, once again Chandrapaul came to the rescue for West Indies. From 18 for 3, he along with Samuels played sensibly and took West Indies past the winning runs. Chandrapaul was not out 52 off 42 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes and Samuel was not out on 54 off 49 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes.

Match Details:
Match: 2nd ODI of 3 match series
Venue: Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad
Date: April 12, 2008
Toss: West Indies won and decided to field
Result: West Indies won by 8 wickets with 4.3 overs remaining (D/L method)
Man of the Match: Chandrapaul (West Indies)
Score:
Sri Lanka 112 for 5 in 30.3 overs (Tharanga 40, Sangakkara 28, Gayle 2 for 6) lost to West Indies (Target 125 in 25 overs D/L method) 125 for 3 in 20.3 overs (Chandrapaul 52 not out, Samuels 54 not out, Kulasekara 3 for 28)
Toss:

India wins 3rd Test! Equals Series!

India win the 3rd and final test against the touring South African team and equalled the series 1-1. Trailing the series 0-1, the Kanpur wicket, which was termed as spinner frienly, actually proved it.

Though the pitch helped spinners, the pacers also got some help from the wicket, with uneven bounce.

India started the day 3 with a lead of 23 runs and the last pair batting, Sreesanth and Ishanth Sharma survivied the first 10 overs and helped India gain an overall lead of 60 crucial runs. They both added 46 runs for the last wicket, which really put India on the driver seat. Everyone knew that the 2nd innings of India is going to be much tougher because of the heavy crack and footmark of the bowlers.

As expected, the crack in the pitch produced uneven bounce--especially the wicket of Rahul Dravind in the Indian first innings was expected. The ball bounced and hit him in the wrist and flew to gully. It was really an unplayable delivery.

The last Indian wicket fell in the 100th over the innings. Sreesanth scored 29 valueable runs and Ishanth Sharama was not out on 14. Harris took the last wicket.

South Africa trailing by 60 runs, had to score more than 250, so that they can set a target of 190+ runs which would very difficult to chase in the uneven wicket.

The first wicket was taken by Sreesanth when McKenzie tried to pull the short ball and was judged leg before.

Next to go was Amla, the inform batsman, but he was dismissed just before lunch. He was caught at short leg for a duck. Then, Kallis was caught at short leg again by Jaffer for 15. The break-through was given by Shewag this time, when Smith and Kallis were building the innings and provided 5 runs lead.

Smith was bowled behind his leg. That was a beautiful delivery by Shewag pitched outside the leg stump of Smith and hit the leg stump. Smith was not able to do anything except look at what has happened and return to pavilion.

de Villiers, also didn't last long. He was caught by Laxman off Harbhajan for 7 leaving SA struggle at 90 for 5.

The last dangerous batsman was Boucher. He was caught by Dhoni off Ishanth Sharma. The ball kicked and kissed the glove on the way to Dhoni. After this, everyone knew that it is just a matter of time to dismiss the rest of the batsmen.

From 90 for 5, to 101, SA lost 3 quick wickets including Boucher, Morkel for 0, and Harris for 0. Morkel was bowled by a beauty from Ishanth and Harris was caught by Dravid in slips off Harbhajan.

Styen and Nitni were dismissed for 7 and 0. Steyn was bowled when he tried slog Harbhajan and Nitni was caught by Ganguly off Shewag. South Africa were dismissed for 121, the third lowest score.

Dhoni's surpise of having Harbhajan open the bowling, though didn't pay fruits immediately, he surprised and sent SA backfoot.

Harbhajan finished with 4 wickets, Ishanth with 2 and Shewag with 3.

Chasing an easy target of 62, Shewag hit two sixes of Harris. When he tried to make one more, the ball took the edge and flew to point. In the next over, Jaffer was trapped leg before for 10. With 30 more runs to win, Ganguly and Dravid finished the formalities.

Man of the Match was given to Ganguly for his wonderful 87 in the first innings, which helped India to gain a lead. He mentioned that this is one of the best knock which helped India to win.

Man of the Series was given to Harabhan for picking 19 wickets in 5 innings.

Full score:

Match: 3rd Test
Venue: Green Park, Kanpur
Date: April 11 to 15, 2008
Toss: South Africa and decided to bat
Match Result: India won by 8 wickets
Series Result: India and South Africa won 1 each; 1 test drawn
Captain: Dhoni (India) and Smith (South Africa)
Score:
South Africa 1st Innings 265 all out in 87.3 overs (McKenzie 36, Smith 69, Amla 51, de Villiers 25, Boucher 29, Ishanth 3 for 55, Harbhajan 3 for 52, Chawla 2 for 66)
India 1st Innings 325 all out in 99.4 overs (Dravid 29, Laxman 50, Ganguly 87, Yuvaraj 32, Dhoni 32, Sreesanth 29, Steyn 3 for 71, Morkel 3 for 63, Harris 3 for 101)
South Africa 2nd Innings (trail by 60 runs) 121 all out 55.5 overs (Smith 35, Harbhajan 4 for 44, Ishanth 2 for 18, Shewag 3 for 12)
India 2nd Innings (62 to win) 62 for 2 in 13.1 overs (Shewag 22)

Chandrapaul's Six of Last Ball Helps West Indies Win the Thriller!

The last ball six by Chandrapaul of the last ball of the 50th over gave a unbelievable win to West Indies.

Requiring 13 of the last over and with one wicket in hand, Vaas was bowling to Edwards and had a good chance winning the match:

Ball 1--6 balls, 13 runs, 1 wicket: Vaas to Edwards, low full toss, played to short cover, no run
Ball 2--5 balls, 13 runs, 1 wicket: Vaas to Edwards, full outside off, played between point and cover, 1 run
Ball 3--4 balls, 12 runs, 1 wicket: Vaas to Chandrapaul, low full toss, played to long on, 1 run
Ball 4--3 balls, 11 runs, 1 wicket: Vaas to Edwards, low full toss, played to midwicket, 1 run
Ball 5--2 balls, 10 runs, 1 wicket: Vaas to Chandrapaul, overpitched on the off, driver past long off, 4 runs
Ball 6--1 ball, 6 runs, 1 wicket: Vaas to Chandrapaul, full toss, hit it over midwicket fielder Jayawardane's head for a SIX!

Match went to West Indies.

Score:
Match: 1 of 3 match series
Toss: West Indies and decided to field
Venue: Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad
Date: April 10, 2008
Result: West Indies won by 1 wicket
Man of the Match: Bravo (West Indies)
Score:
Sri Lanka 235 for 7 in 50 overs (LPC Silva 67, CK Kapugedera 95, Edwards 2 for 57, Bravo 4 for 32) lost to West Indies 236 for 9 in 50 overs (Gayle 52, Sarwan 35, Chandrapaul 62 not out, Bravo 36, KMDN Kulasekara 3 for 43, BAW Mendis 3 for 39)

Kumble Not Playing; Dhoni to Captain!

As a last minute surprise, Kumble did not play in the eleven due to fitness issues. With everyone expecting the pitch to favor the spinners, skipper not leading from the front has definitely put a break in the Indian camp.

Trailing the series 0-1, Sachin not fit, Kumble's omission will be a big worry for the Indian team.

Dhoni has been asked to lead the country one more time. He has already proved his skills in short version of the game--the one-day and the 20-20. If he accepts the challenge and proves himself, it is good for India.

He is the first wicket keeper to captain India, which means, this is his first test as captain. We have to wait and see whether his captainship form continues in Kanpur!

Day 1 Belongs to India!

What looked like a good toss to win like the previous test, it ended up sort of nightmare for South African captain Smith. His team still has a chance to come back, nothing is lost, but at the current moment, end of day 1, India are in top of the game.

South Africa was dismissed for 265 at the end of day 1. What looked like a promising start after winning the toss, the combination of spin and pace attack created a chaos in South African batting line up.

McKenzie was playing well and threw his wicket unnecessarily. He hit Piyush Chawla for a straight four and with the same confidence, he came down the track, got beaten by the flighted leg spin and was well short of his crease. McKenzie and Smith added 4th consecutive 50 run partnership for the first wicket in this series.

As I mentioned in my column yesterday, Yuvaraj was used in the bowling attack. he broke the partnership between Smith and Amla, both are in good form. The quick flat delivery, bounced a little bit than anticipated by Smith, touched the glove and went to short leg fielder Jaffer.

Good bowling change by Dhoni gave the break through one more time. Amla was bowled by Ishanth Sharma of a beautiful delivery that came back and hit the back pad of Amla before dislodging the bail. One run later, Kallis, the centurian in the previous test, was bowled by Harbhajan. While trying to play back-foot and defend the ball, Kallis, misjudged it, and the ball pitched around off stump and turned nicely to hit the thigh, bounced and hit the back of the glove before hitting the stump. He was shocked and did not know what was happening. South Africa was struggling at 161 for 4.

Prince and de Villiers, the double century maker added 38 runs for the 5th wicket. The rash short by de Villiers against the leg spin of Piyush Chawla sent him back to the pavilion. The ball took the bottom of the bat and went to midwicket where Ganguly took it with thanks. One more time, Piyush has given the break-through.

Prince, who was alreday struggling in this series, was trapped leg before off Shewag. Though Shewag bowled round-the-wicket, the ball would have hit the off stump. Prince trying to play back-foot, was trapped in front of the wicket. He was out for 16, with South Africa at 215 for 6.

Next to go was Morkel. He tried to cut the ball from Harbhajan, but the turn and bounce took the edge and went straight to Dravid in slips. With this catch, he has equalled the record of Fleming, who is in 2nd position as far as catching in test cricket is concerned. He has to take 10 more to become the highest catch taker in test cricket history.

Boucher who has to manage with the tail enders, could not do much. He was bowled by Ishanth Sharma for 29. The ball kept low, but he could have played it. The pace and the swing did the magic for Ishanth. South Africa were 264 for 8.

Harbhajan dismissed Steyn for a duck. He tried to play reverse sweep, but it took the edge and went to substitute fielder Kaif in slip.

Last man to go was Harris. He tried to give huge slog over long on, but the ball uprooted his leg stump and ended the first innings of South Africa.

India has a very good chance of equalling the series if they put on a good score on the board. The first session tomorrow will be crucial for India. At one stage, South Africa were 151 for 2 and they lost 8 wickets for 104 runs. So, if India can put on around 400 plus, it will be able to see a winning chance and retain it's 2nd position in the test ranking.

The entire innings witnessed two sixes from Smith--one off Piyush Chawla and the other one off Yuvaraj.

Short Score:

South Africa 265 all out in 87.3 overs (McKenzie 36, Smith 69, Amla 51, de Villiers 25, Boucher 29, Ishanth Sharma 3 for 55, Harbhajan Singh 3 for 52, Piyush Chawla 2 for 66)

Pitch Grabbing Attention ahead of Kanput Test!

With the big flop in the 2nd test, several people complained about the pitch in Ahemedabad. With the recent rumour about the pitch being preparing favoring the home team, everyone's eye is on it.

South Africa is ready to go and demolish India one more time and clinch the series. Though the coach has praised the Indian captain Kumble's for his commendable job in Australia, he said, he is facing defeat for the first time in the home.

If India lose this series, they would also lose the opportunity to become the 2nd best Test team in the ICC ranking.

The curator has said that the pitch will help both the pace bowlers and the spinners. It will not be like Chepauk in Chennai or Ahemedabad. The Kanpur pitch will help pace bowlers for first two days and then the spinners.

With Sachin is not fit and the batting already failed and trailing the series 0-1, India should have the balanced side with enough batting and bowling.

I expect Harbhajan and Kumble to continue in the side, RP Singh to out and replaced by Ishanth Sharma. Sreesanth should be shown the gate and bring Yuvaraj into the team. This will ensure that we have Yuravaj and Pathan as two all rounders. Yuvaraj can rotate his arm for break through.

Sachin Wishes to play next Worldcup!

Saching, during an interview, said that winning the world cup is an unfulfilled dream in his career and he wishes to play in the next world cup which would be played in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

He said, he is focusing series by series and not worried about the next world cup yet. The next world cup has more than 3 years and hence it is not good to think about it now.

He is enjoying the every game that he plays and has not thought about the retirement.

He owns the following world records:

1. Highest run getter in the ODI by any player
2. Highest matches play in the ODI by any player
3. Highest number of hundreds in ODI by any player--42 hundreds
4. Highest number of hundreds in Test Matches by any player--39 hundreds
5. Second highest run getter in Test Matches by any player; first is Lara
6. Highest number of man of the matches in ODI by any player
7. He has 81 international hundreds, which is again the highest by any player

If he plays till 2011 world cup, he would have scored more than 100 hundreds in international cricket and cross 50 in each form of cricket. He would have crossed 20000 runs in ODI and 15000 runs in Test.

If he does it, it will be good for Indian cricket. Only player is, his health should permit him to play till then.

Good luck and prayers to Tendulkar!

Tendulkar is out of 3rd Test Too!

Sad news for India! Tendulkar is not yet fully fit to play the 3rd and final test in Kanpur. He is still suffering from groin injury.

The Indian board confirmed this in a release and added that he would continue with his rehabilitation program. "This decision has been taken to give Sachin the opportunity to make a full recovery from this injury," the release said. "Sachin has a rehabilitation program to continue with and will be monitored closely."

Tendulkar didn't appear fully fit during the first Test in Chennai and missed part of the action on the first, second, fourth days. He didn't take the field on the fifth day and was rested for the next Test.

There was an injury concern over Tendulkar even before the start of the series. Tendulkar was advised two-weeks rest after the Australia tour and the then physio, John Gloster, in his fitness report, warned against the injury entering a chronic phase.

We have to wait and see whether he will be fit before the IPL which starts on April 18, 2008.

He has another 172 runs to get to go past Lara who has scored 11953 runs and become the highest run getter in test cricket history. Everyone thought that he would create it during the South Africa series, but his injury has prevented it. Has to wait one more series to create this record!

Sarwan helps West Indies Win 2nd Test and Equal Series!

Sarwan's 10th century helped West Indies to equal the 2 test match series 1-1. With a target of 253 to win the test, Sri Lanka gained upper hand until Sarwan and Chandrapaul built an 157 run partnershp for the 4th wicket.

Gayle was dismissed for 10, followed by Chattergoon for 11. The much expected Samuels dismissed for 11 leaving West Indies struggle at 73 for 3. Requiring another 180 runs for West Indies and Sri Lanka requiring another 2 or 3 wickets to gain complete control before the tail-enders start to play.

Sarwan and Chandrapaul had to play one more match winning knock to see West Indian cricket lovers smile, especially when the cricket in West Indies is not in its glory as it used to be.

After losing the first test, for Gayle, it was an important game for himself and the team.

Sarwan scored 100 off 151 balls with 15 fours and Chandrapaul crossed his 50 in 99 balls with 2 boundaries. Both of them took the innings away from Sri Lanka and they both added 157 runs in 42.3 overs. Muralitharan's spell this time did not bother the West Indies and they handled him ver well.

Finally Sarwan was caught by Dilshan to give the first wicket for Muralitharan in the 2nd innings. With 23 runs more to win, Smith and Chandrapaul finished the formalities in the next 6 overs without much trouble.

For his wonderful match winning innings, Ramesh Sarwan won the man of the match and for the way he played in the series, he won the man of the series too.

Earlier, trailing 16 runs in the 2nd innings, Sri Lanka were struggling 99 for 6. Taylor's good spell rattled the top order and looked like they will surrender meekly. But, Samaraweera's century helped Sri Lanka to come back in the game and gave a good chance of winning the series. Samaraweera scored his 100 off 173 balls with 15 fours. Vaas who scored 45 accompanied Samaraweera and they both added 138 runs for the 7th wicket. The remaining 3 wickets fell for 31 runs.

West Indian players went through the ground and thanked them for full support. The presentation ceremony started:

Mahela: We gave ourselves a chance but Ronnie and Shiv batted really well. We had few half chances but couldn't capitalise. But West Indies played some very good cricket and deserved to win. It has been a tough series but we have thoroughly enjoyed it. Both teams should take credit for the way we performed. I am looking forward to the ODI series."

Gayle Well done to the guys. It was a shaky start but they came out on the top in the end. The bowlers did a tremendous job, Taylor, Fidel. It was a terrific effort from Sarwan. Credit to Mahela and his team. It was a good series, We enjoyed every minute of it. This win does lots of good for the morale of the team. We have come from behind to equal the series."

Man of the Match and Man of the Series : Sarwan : It was an important innings. It was important to get the partnership with Shiv. I have been positive, picking the right balls to hit. I have continue in this way. It has been hard work back, it has taken ten months to come back. Chris has been doing a wonderful job, every one has been around him and supporting him.

Score:

Match: 2nd Test
Venue: Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad
Date: April 3-7, 2008
Toss: West Indies and decided to field first
Captain: Gayle (West Indies) and Jayawardane (Sri Lanka)
Umpires: Bowden (New Zealand) and Taufel (Austraia)
Match Result: West Indies won by 6 wickets
Series Result: West Indies and Sri Lanka win 1 match each; Series equal 1-1
Man of the Match: Ramesh Sarwan (West Indies)
Man of the Series: Ramesh Sarwan (West Indies)

Score:

Sri Lanka 1st Innings 278 all out 64.5 overs (Vandort 30, Warnapura 35, Jayawardane 26, Dilshan 62, Silva 76, Powell 2 for 59, Taylor 74, Edwards 4 for 84)
West Indies 1st Innings 294 all out in 76.2 overs (Gayle 45, Chattergoon 46, Sarwan 57, Smith 47, Bravo 26, Vaas 2 for 76, Mirando 2 for 72, Muralitharan 5 for 79)
Sri Lanka 2nd Innings (trail by 16 runs) 268 all out in 75.1 overs (Samaraweera 125, Dilshan 25, Vaas 45, Taylor 4 for 52)
West Indies 2nd Innings (253 to win) 254 for 4 in 68.3 overs (Sarwan 102, Chandrapaul 86 not out, Vaas 2 for 52)

South Africa won by an Innings and 90 Runs!

South Africa beat India in the 2nd test of the three match series by an innings and 90 runs. The match was completed in just less than 3 days of play. India meekly surrendered in the first innings for mere 76 and in the 2nd innings were all out for 328 runs.

In the South African 1st innings, de Villiers scored a beautiful double century and Kallis a wonderful 132 which gave South Afrian a very big lead.

It's also India's first innings defeat since the 2001 Colombo (SSC) Test against Sri Lanka.

de Villiers wasd declared man of the match for his unbeaten 217.

South Africa delcared their innings at the end of the second day, but they announced it in the morning at 494 for 7. The overnight rain should have given Smith a thought that it may rain in future and would have triggered the decison to declare.

Started the 2nd innings with a deficit of 418, either had to play out the 3 days with 270 overs or score 418 at least to make South African bat again. The chances of India recovering one more time like they did with Australia. But, that required few top guns to play a marathon innings like Dravid and Laxman.

How did we depend on Shewaga? He is not a consistent player in test cricket though he is a dashing player. But, does not play any sensible cricket and play according to the situation.

Shewag was the first to go, leg before wicket for 17 off Nitni. Dravid was trying to push the ball which was in the chest height went straight to slips off Morkel. He was out for 17.

It was crucial for Jaffer to prove his credibility, but not able to play an important innings. He had all the time in the world to play his innings, but trying to drive the ball pitched up to him, edged it to slips.

Though Laxman and Ganguly tried to build the innings with first 50 runs partnership in this test for India, Laxman played at the ball pitched away from the off stump, which edged to wicket keeper. The key batsman was out for 35.

It was left to Ganguly and Dhoni to bring back the pride to India, the last recognized pair of batsmen. Gaungly crossed his fifty, focussing every ball and had a tough time in the crease.

He crossed his 50 in 86 balls with 5 fours. He was declared caught behind though the decision was not a good one. The partnership between Dhoni and Ganguly was the first 100 run partership of the Indian innings. He was out for 87 off 149 balls with 8 fours.

Dhoni, who also scored fifty, which had no value in this innings because it did not help India save the game. He scored his 50 off 122 balls with 5 fours. I think he has some attitude issue in playing the test matches, especially in other's captaincy. His attitude during keeping the wickets, collecting balls from the fielders, the way he batted in Chennai, all leading to the doubt whether he is capable of playing test match cricket.

Pathan, as usual, an upcoming all rounder was alone in the crease fighting the losing battle. He was not out on 43 when the remaining batsman fell cheaply--Kumble bowled by Harris for 5, Harbhajan, once again leg before for Steyn, RP Singh caught at slips of Steyn and Sreesanth bowled by Nitni for 17. RP Singh was hit on the helmet by Steyn and the next ball went at shoulder level which he edged to slips.

Sreesanth hit a six of Steyn, stepping out and hitting a baseball shot over mid wicket, but that didn't have any value as far as saving the match is concerned.

For South Africa, Steyn and Nitni picked 3 wickets each, Morkel 2, Kallis and Harris one each.

During the post match presentation, Kumble said: "It was difficult to come back after getting bowled out for 76. They took the game away from us. We have been in this situation before. I thought the effort from our bowlers was 100%. We will bounce back."

Graeme Smith: "This was the perfect Test match for us. We dominated from the start. It was hard work for the bowlers today on a heavy outfield. It's been fantastic for AB and Kallis. The guys know we've got one more game to go. They've been focussed throughout the series."

de villiers is the Man of the Match: "I'm just over the moon. Having Kallis around was a good calming effect, especially when I was in the 90s. I enjoyed playing here, and the Ahmedabad fans have been great. Just the perfect Test for us."

Complete Score:

Match: 2nd Test, India v. South Africa
Venue: Ahmedabad (India)
Captains: Kumble (India), Smith (South Africa)
Toss: India and decided to bat
Result: South Africa won by an innings and 90 runs
Man of the Match: de Villiers

Score:
India 1st Innings 76 all out in 20 overs (Steyn 5 for 23, Nitni 3 for 18, Morkel 2 for 20)
South Africa 1st Innings 494 for 7 declared in 141.2 overs (Smith 34, McKenzie 42, Kallis 132, de Villiers 217 not out, Sreesanth 2 for 87, Harbhajan Singh 4 for 135)
India 2nd Innings 328 all out in 94.2 overs (VVS Laxman 35, Ganguly 87, Dhoni 52, Pathan 43 not out, Steyn 3 for 91, Nitni 3 for 44, Morkel 2 for 87)

India bundled for 76! Kalis gives lead!

What is happening to the Indian team? Is it a complecency that is set in or is it because of Sachin's absence? I don't think it is the latter.

With a good wicket and just to play out the first session would have given the Indian a huge advantage. Smith would have been by now for losing the toss.

India were bundled out for 76, the 2nd lowest total for India in Indian soil. The previous low total was 75 against West Indies in Ferozha Kotla Ground, Delhi on November 25, 1987. The lowest total by India in an innings was against England on June 20, 1974 in Lords when they were bowled out for 42.

The beautiful bowling by Steyn and Nitni rattled the Indian batsman. Excpet Dhoni and Pathan, no one crossed double figure except the extras, which in fact was the second highest in the Indian innings--19.

Jaffer was the first batsman to go, when he edged the well pitched ball to slips for 6. The in form batsman Shewag--triple centurian, dragged the ball to the stumps in the next over for 9. Laxman didn't read the in swinger. He left the ball to the wicket keeper, but it kissed the outer edge of the off stump.

Two balls later, Ganguly, was half-minded on whether to leave or play, dragged the ball to the stumps for 0. Nitni struck twice in the same over. India was struggling at 30 for 4. Out of this 4, three were picked by Nitni.

Dhoni and Dravid were expected to restore the reputation of India, but Dravid was bowled by a blinder from Steyn. The ball pitched on the middle and swung away, Dravid, playing forward missed it completely and it knocked the off stump. Beautiful piece of bowling by Steyn.

Rash shot by Dhoni sent him to pavilion. When he tried to hit ball which was pitched well away from the off stump, the ball took the egde and Boucher accepted hit with ease. He was out for 14 leaving India struggle at 55 for 6 in the 15th over of the match.

Though Pathan was styaing in the crease, none of the tail enders provided him support. Kumble was bowled for 0 by Morkel, Harbhajan leg before for 1 off Steyn, RP Singh was caught at slips for a duck off Steyn and in the same over Sreesanth was bowled for a duck.

Four players were out for duck and three players did not even cross 5 run mark. It is not the first time the tail enders were dismissed for cheap runs, it happened in Chennai also.

Pathan was not out on 21 and only 6 players were able to play more than 9 balls off which only 2 were able to go beyond 20 balls. The highest number of ball was played by Dravid--26, followed by Dhoni--22.

The Indian team batting was tormented well before the first half of the day. Their batting was completed in 20 overs and in 109 minutes--less than 2 hours.

Steyn ended with 5 for 23, his best against India. Nitni picked 3 wickets and Morkel 2.

With a good opportunity to post as many runs as lead, South Africa started the innings well with an one more 50 run partnership. When they cross the Indian score and got 2 runs lead, Smith was judged leg before, a doubtful decision though off Sreesanth. He was bowling over the wicket and the ball pitched on the leg stump. He was out for 34.

McKenzie was the next to go, caught at slips off a doosra by Harbhajan. He played for the turn, but it went straight. Dravid took a good catch.

Amla, the centurian in Chennai was caught at short leg off Harbhajan for 16. Prince was plumb in front of the wicktet for 2. At this stage, India could have put more pressure, but Kallis and de Villiers studied the innings well and played sensible cricket. At the end of the day, South Africa were 223 for 4 with Kallis on 60 and de Villiers on 59. Harbhajan picked 3 off the 4 wickets.

With alrady 147 runs ahead, every run counts for both the teams. India has very minor chance of winning this test. It would be 99.99: 00.01 ratio.

South Africa Fined!

South Africa captain Graeme Smith was fined 20 per cent while his teammates were docked 10 per cent match fees after the visitors were found guilty of slow over-rate in their first Test match against India.

ICC Match Referee Roshan Mahanama imposed the fines after Smith's side was ruled to be two overs short of its target when time allowances were taken into consideration, according to an ICC release.

In accordance with the ICC Code of Conduct regulations governing over-rate penalties, players are fined five per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time, with the captain fined double that amount.

Danish Kaneria Let Off!

The Pakistan leg spinner Danish Kaneria has been let off with a severe warning and also barred from giving press statements. He was charged with violating players' code and conduct and also found guilty.

Though Shoaib Akhtar was banned for five years for the same charges, Kaneria was warned and has been let off.

He was spaking against Pakistan Cricket Board for demoting him from Category B player to Category C.

Shoaib Akhtar Banned for 5 years!

The Rawalpindi Express, the premium fast bowler of Pakistan Cricket Team has been found guilty of violating the code and conduct. He has been banned for five years by the disciplinary committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Shoaib had appeared before a disciplinary committee in February after being charged with publicly criticising the Pakistan board for offering him a retainership instead of a contract. The board had offered contracts to 15 players, based on a formula that took into account their performance, but Shoaib was demoted to a retainership from the Category A contract he held last year.

"The board has lost confidence in Shoaib Akhtar and therefore felt his presence in the field was damaging to the Pakistan team, for Pakistan players and for the image of Pakistan cricket," the PCB chairman, Nasim Ashraf, told AFP. "The committee has recommended a five-year ban for Shoaib Akhtar. He will be ineligible to play in Pakistan or to play for Pakistan anywhere else in the world. [It is] a sad day for me and for Shoaib Akhtar. He is such a talented player."

Reacting to the verdict, Shoaib said, "he will go to court and fight against the ban."

He also negated Ashraf's claims that he was a negative influence on the team and vowed to make a comeback. "Ask the captain (Shoaib Malik), ask coach Geoff Lawson and they would vouch for me. I had played with high fever on the India tour (last year), which proved my commitment," he said. "I bowl fast so I am prone to injuries, but I have given my heart, soul and body to this team. I know some vested interest did not want me to be the part of the team, but I will be back."

Of course, Shoaib can appeal this verdict and has promised to do that.

He is already on probation for two years for hitting Mohammad Asif with the bat before the start of the T20 world cup in South Africa in 2007. He also paid the penalty of $52,000, which is approximately 34 lack rupees.

Danish Kanera was also charged with the same offense, but let off with a severe warning. He said, he was barred from issuing any press statments.