Brett Lee: Australia fast bowler retires from international cricket

Australia fast bowler Brett Lee has retired from international cricket.

The 35-year-old returned home early from the recent one-day tour of England with a calf strain, the latest in a long line of injuries.

Lee quit Test cricket in February 2010 and exits the one-day arena with 380 wickets - one short of Glenn McGrath's record for an Australian - at an average of 23.36 from 221 matches.

"You get to the point in life where you say enough is enough," Lee said.
"The last two or three nights I thought about it a lot. I woke up this morning and just felt like I was ready."

He told Australia's Channel 9: "I think in a team environment you have to have 100% commitment, mentally and physically.

"I guess, looking at the next few months, I just didn't have that desire any more. It wouldn't be fair on me or my team if I went with that attitude."

At his peak, Lee was arguably the finest quick bowler in the world, and bowled the second-fastest recorded delivery of all time at 99.9mph in Napier, New Zealand, in 2005.

Born in New South Wales, Lee made his Test debut against India in 1999 and his one-day
bow the following year.

Only six players have bettered Lee's tally of 380 ODI wickets. He also took 310 wickets at an average of 30.81 in 76 Tests, and 28 wickets at 25.50 apiece in 25 Twenty20
internationals.

Source : BBC

England v Australia: Steven Finn stars in record ninth straight win

Steven Finn took four wickets as a rampant England strolled to an eight-wicket victory over Australia to win the one-day series with a match to spare.

Finn (4-37) twice took two wickets in consecutive balls as Australia could manage only 200-9 in seam-friendly conditions in Durham. David Hussey top-scored for the tourists
with 70.

England openers Ian Bell (69) and Alastair Cook put on 70 to cement England's advantage, before Jonathan Trott (64 not out) and Ravi Bopara (33no) finished the job with 13 balls to spare.

It was a record ninth consecutive one-day victory for England, beating their previous best of eight, achieved on three occasions.

Spain's Fernando Alonso wins British GP for Ferrari

Spain's Fernando Alonso won the British Grand Prix on Sunday for Ferrari's first victory of the season on the 60th anniversary of their first success in Formula One.

The win, gifted to him by Red Bull after world champion Sebastian Vettel was slowed by a wheelnut problem at his second pitstop, was the 27th of Alonso's career and lifted him level with the great Jackie Stewart in fifth position in the all-time lists.

Australian Mark Webber, who had started on pole position, finished third for Red Bull after trying to pass his team mate on the penultimate lap and then being told to maintain his position.

"I had two laps today with that (1951) car before the parade," said Alonso of Argentine Jose Froilan Gonzalez's historic Ferrari.

"Now 60 years later in the same circuit, with the same atmosphere and the same passion, winning again. I'm very proud...it made a special day."

Vettel had hoped to chalk up a seventh win in nine races but still extended his overall lead over Webber, last year's winner at Silverstone who has yet to lead a lap this season, to 80 points from a previous 77.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton entertained the fans by roaring from 10th on the grid to fourth, banging bodywork in a furious battle with Ferrari's Felipe Massa -- who was forced wide -- at the final corner.

Alonso took the lead on the 28th of the 52 laps when he pitted right behind Vettel, who had grabbed the lead off the grid. As the German's crew battled with the wheelgun, the Spaniard slipped past and was gone.

"It's hard to say how much we lost but surely we lost the lead. I think we had quite a cushion at that stage," said Vettel, who has still dropped only 21 points out of a possible 225, of the pitstop drama.

"I think you have to accept fair and square that Ferrari beat us today...I think it shows us that we have to keep working and pushing very hard."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner recognised afterwards that "obviously Mark disagreed" with the order not to pass Vettel.

McLaren's Jenson Button's home-race jinx continued with the 31-year-old's hopes also wrecked by a wheelgun when he was waved away before the right front nut had been secured 12 laps from the end.

With the wheel wobbling wildly, he parked up at the pit lane exit and walked back to the garages without speaking to reporters.

The Briton has never yet stood on the F1 podium at Silverstone in 12 attempts.

Paul Collingwood joins Perth Stormers in new T20 league

All-rounder Paul Collingwood has become the first English player signed by Australia's expanded Twenty20 Big Bash League after joining Perth Scorchers.

The Durham man, 35, led England to the World Twenty20 title in 2010.

He retired from Tests after England's Ashes success in January, remaining available for limited-overs games, but was dropped during the World Cup and has not played for England since March.

He also recently lost the England Twenty20 captaincy to Stuart Broad.

Collingwood, a right-handed batsman, right-arm medium pace bowler and an outstanding fielder, is England's most-capped player in one-day internationals (197) and Twenty20 internationals (35).

He had knee surgery after returning from the World Cup, but was overlooked for the current one-day series against Sri Lanka.

"Paul is a brilliant leader of men who helped mould his country's T20 side into an exciting and ruthless combination, which culminated in their triumph in the final of last year's World T20," said Stormers coach Mickey Arthur, who has also coached South Africa.

"Being the first skipper to lead England to victory at an ICC men's event was a massive feather in his cap. He is a gutsy and determined batsman, a proven wicket-taker and is first class in the field."

The Big Bash League, which will begin in the 2011/12 Australian summer, will be contested by eight city-based franchises - including two each from Melbourne and Sydney.

It succeeds Australia's previous Twenty20 Big Bash which ran from 2005, featured the traditional six state teams - New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia - with occasional participation from overseas players, such as Hampshire's Michael Lumb and Lancashire's Sajid Mahmood in 2010/11.

However, the new franchises are able to sign players from any state, and field two international players per team.

Along with Collingwood, the other foreign players signed up so far include big-hitting West Indian opener Chris Gayle (Sydney Thunder) and former Pakistan all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (Hobart Hurricanes), while veteran South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs will be a team-mate of Collingwood's at Perth.

Michael Nobbs named India hockey coach

The Indian hockey team got a new coach on Wednesday with Australian Olympian Michael Jack Nobbs bagging the coveted post after the exit of coach Jose Brasa. He has been appointed the coach for the national team till 2016, giving him ample time to revive the national sport and bring it to its glory days.

The other front runners for the post were twice Olympic and world champion Jacques Brinkman of Netherlands and Dutchman Roelant Oltmans.

SAI Director General Desh Deepak Verma said, “The new coach will be given a contract till 2016 Olympics because we now have to think about long-term associations."

Although the new coach will be provided a long-term contact, his performance will be evaluated after every international outing.


"But after every international tournament we will assess his performance," the SAI DG said.

Asked about the remuneration of the new foreign coach, Verma said, "It would be slightly expensive than the last foreign coach but I guess we can afford that for Indian hockey.

"In addition his contract will also have provision for incentives if we qualify for the (2012 London) Olympics," he said.


Apart from the SAI DG, the meeting was also attended by HI secretary general Narinder Batra, former skipper and HI Developmenet Committee chairman Pargat Singh, who shortlisted the candidates, HI Executive Director Anupam Ghulati among others.

Steve Rixon appointed Australia's fielding coach

Former wicket-keeper Steve Rixon was Tuesday appointed as the Australian cricket team’s fielding coach

Rixon, who played Test and one-day cricket for Australia during the late 1970s and early 1980s, will join the team on the coming tours of Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Cricket Australia (CA) acting chief executive officer Michael Brown said: "We are very excited Steve is joining our staff as a fielding coach. His experience as a player and successful coach at both domestic and international level will be invaluable for our group as we prepare for tough tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa in the next six months.

“The group of coaches we now have in place has a great blend of coaching expertise and cricket experience to benefit this developing Australian side and Steve has an important role to play as we move forward,” Brown added

Rixon said he was thrilled with the appointment and is looking forward to work with the Australian team over the next two tours.

"Fielding skills play such an important role in the modern game and often proves the difference between winning and losing. I feel my experience firstly as a player and more importantly a successful coach across the world can help many of these young Australian players, together with the outstanding group of assistants Tim Nielsen has at his disposal," he said.

“The Australian team has long been known as one of the best fielding sides in world cricket and my job will not only be to maintain the good work done before but about setting the benchmark for opposition sides,” Rixon added.

Albury-born Rixon made his Test debut against India at the Gabba in 1977 and played 13 Tests and six One-day internationals for Australia as a wicket-keeper and lower-order batsman.

He played over 150-first class games, 107 of which were for New South Wales (NSW), taking 395 catches and effecting 65 stumpings. When he retired in 1988 he had donned the baggy blue more than anyone before him

In an illustrious coaching career beginning in 1989, Rixon led NSW for five seasons making the Sheffield Shield final on each occasion, winning three times and completing the Sheffield Shield and one-day competition double in 1992-93 and 1993-94.

From late 1996 to 1999 he was head coach of New Zealand taking the Black Caps to third place in one-day and Test cricket rankings. He then returned as NSW coach in 2000. For the past two seasons, Rixon has assisted Stephen Fleming with two-time champions Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, also enjoying success with victory in the 2010 Champions League Twenty20.

Australian Open: Kim Clijsters beats Li Na in final

Kim Clijsters beat Li Na in a pulsating final to win her first Australian Open and fourth Grand Slam title.

Li had made history by becoming China's first Grand Slam singles finalist and made a strong start, but Clijsters powered back to win 3-6 6-3 6-3.

It is the first time that three-time US Open champion Clijsters has won a major title outside of New York.

The 27-year-old has now won back-to-back Grand Slam titles and will rise to second in the world rankings.

She made a typically fast start to Sunday's final, reeling off the opening nine points in a row to grab an early break of serve as Li looked nervous in her first major final.

But the Chinese ninth seed had repeatedly shown her fighting qualities over the past fortnight and headed into the final with an 11-0 record in 2011, and having beaten Clijsters to win the Sydney title on the eve of the tournament.

She quickly settled into the rhythm of heavy hitting off both sides that had seen off world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-finals and began to dominate again.

Three games in a row gave Li the first set, which she sealed with a rasping forehand winner past a stranded Clijsters, and the Belgian looked momentarily lost for answers.

A double fault from Li gave Clijsters a much-needed break at the start of the second set and it prompted a run of four successive breaks as the momentum swung from side to side, with both women under huge pressure on serve.

This time it was Clijsters who took the initiative with a run of five straight games as Li struggled to keep the error count down, but the Chinese player stopped the rot by breaking back with a blistering return to trail 2-1 in the decider.

A nail-biting final set appeared to be unfolding but it was Li who buckled under the pressure, giving up another break of serve with a double fault and a wayward backhand in game four, and Clijsters pumped her fist as she closed in on victory.

When it was required, the former world number one showed her mettle with two quickfire holds of serve to stand on the brink of the title, before closing it out to love and dissolving into tears as the achievement began to sink in.

"I'm a little shaky still," said Clijsters, a beaten Melbourne finalist in 2004. "Li Na was definitely a very tough competitor. She really brought it to me at the start of the rallies. I was on the back foot and leaning back - I don't like that.

"The first set, I thought 'Wow! This is going to fast for me!' It was tough. I felt in the second set she was getting a bit nervous. I was just happy I was able to pull it off in the end."

Australian Open: Clijsters needed rethink to beat Li Na

A mid-match rethink helped Kim Clijsters battle back to victory in the Australian Open final against Li Na.

The 27-year-old Belgian struggled to find her rhythm for more than a set at the Rod Laver Arena on Saturday.

But a change in tack saw Clijsters claim the second set before running through the decider to complete a 3-6 6-3 6-3 win over 28-year-old Li.

"I tried to do things differently to break her rhythm a little bit and make her think a little bit more," she said.

"I mixed it up a little bit, put some slices in, also hit a few higher shots and it made her make some unforced errors.

"And then she got a little bit aggravated and I just tried to hang in there."

Li, who was aiming to become the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles crown, sealed the first set with a fine forehand winner.

"She did everything better than me in that first set," said Clijsters.

"Her ground strokes were heavier, deeper, she served better and she returned better.

"She was playing really well, probably the best she has ever played against me."

But Li was upset by her own supporters midway through the second set, when she claimed they were trying to tell her what to do mid-point, and the switch in momentum began to turn Clijsters' way.

Afterwards, Li said: "I don't know why after I got to the final I had so many Chinese coaches on the court.

"Of course they want me to win the match but they were trying to coach me how to play tennis."

Clijsters broke for 4-3 and again to level the match and at the change-over, Li complained for the third time to the umpire about crowd interference.

It continued to bother Li as she was broken to go 3-1 down in the third before Clijsters held twice to get to 5-2 and then take the set 6-3.

After the match, three-times US Open champion Clijsters admitted she was overwhelmed when Li put the ball wide on match point.

"What gets you is that it's so intense until that last shot and then all of a sudden it's finished, then it's just a big relief," she added.

"The disbelief too that it's over and the fact I was able to turn it around is what makes it so special."


Clijsters, a beaten finalist in Melbourne in 2004, added that she was delighted to finally win the Australian title having come close to clinching it before.

"I will enjoy this win, especially here in Australia," she said. "It's a country which I have always loved coming to and where I have always been well-received.

"I have been close to doing it for a few years so it's nice to finally get it this year."

Li also took the positives from a tournament in which she made history by becoming China's first Grand Slam singles finalist.

"I thought I played some great tennis tonight," she said. "But she played better than me.

"I am still happy with what I did today and proud of myself.

"But she had more experience than me because she has played in more finals.

Hopefully if I can play in another final I will do better."

Australian Open: Andy Murray to face Djokovic in final

Andy Murray says the burden of Britain's 75-year wait for a male Grand Slam champion will not affect him in Sunday's Australian Open final.

The British number one takes on 2008 champion Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the Melbourne final at 0830 GMT.

It will be the Scot's third Grand Slam final and another chance to follow in the footsteps of Fred Perry's US Open victory back in 1936.

"It's more of a personal goal and personal dream of mine," said Murray.

"So that's what you need to keep in check and not get ahead of yourself. The historical thing, it's not something I have thought about that much but it's something that for me personally I want to try to win.

"I don't want to get myself so amped up that I play a stinker of a match. If you go in thinking 'no-one has won one for 60-odd years and I might never get another chance'...

"I am going to make the most of the opportunity and give 110% but I also need to make sure I am relaxed and calm on the court. I don't want to get myself too worked up."

Fifth seed Murray lost to Roger Federer in the 2008 US Open and 2010 Australian Open finals but will face a far more familiar rival this time in long-time friend Djokovic.

The finalists, born a week apart, have known each other since they were children and have trained together regularly over recent weeks as both prepared for the Australian Open at the warm-up Hopman Cup event in Perth.

They have met seven times as professionals, with Djokovic leading 4-3 overall but Murray having won the last three in straight sets, all on hard courts.

Speaking to BBC Sport on the eve of the final, Murray said: "I think when we both came on the tour, because we weren't necessarily competing for the biggest tournaments we got on well, then he started to improve a lot and I was trying to catch up.

"I lost to him quite easily a few times and it wasn't necessarily a jealousy thing but I wanted to learn from him a little, but also not wanting him to feel I was looking up to him.

"It took a little while for me to catch up to him but I think the last year-and-a-half, two years, we started to get on very well."

Djokovic, the world number three, told BBC Sport that he and Murray had dreamed in their early years about facing each other in a Grand Slam final.

"I don't think we disconnected, it's just that we had different paths," he said.

"He went to Barcelona to try and develop into a top player and I had my practice and development days in some other countries. We were growing up and we didn't catch up that often.

606: DEBATE
i think murrays the better player but its going to be very tight

berbatovs_biggest_fan
"Then, the last years we started to hang out more, to see each other more often, and it's nice because we have grown up together and known each other since we were 12 or 13 years old, played many times.

"To be able to face your good friend in a Grand Slam final is interesting, it's nice, because we were dreaming of that when we were kids."

Djokovic won his only Grand Slam title to date in Melbourne three years ago when, after beating Federer in the semi-final, he faced Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.

Sunday's final will be the first at a Grand Slam since that day not to feature either world number one Rafael Nadal or number two Federer.

"I have won here three years ago," said Djokovic.

"Maybe in some ways I'm going to have a little mental advantage over my opponent because I have won the title.

"But still he is going to be very much motivated to win his first title and he's not going to have Roger of Rafa across the net, which I'm sure is going to be a big relief for him."

The last time the two played each other competitively was in the Miami Masters final two years ago, with Murray running out a 6-2 7-5 winner, which continued a reversal of fortune after he lost their first four encounters, including a brutal 6-1 6-0 defeat at the same venue in 2007.

Both men have been in fine form in Melbourne and Murray has made it through to the final for the loss of just two sets, while Djokovic has dropped only one and defeated title holder and 16-time Grand Slam champion Federer in the semi-finals.

"In the final it's very important to serve well and take my chances when I get them," said Murray. "He's struggled a bit on his serve in the last couple of years and that's something that I'll look to try and exploit."

Since Perry's win at Flushing Meadow in 1936, Bunny Austin, John Lloyd, Greg Rusedski and Murray himself are the only others to have made a Grand Slam final.

Courtesy : http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/9380511.stm

Dulko & Pennetta win Australian Open doubles title

Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta survived match points to beat Victoria Azarenka and Maria Kirilenko to win the Australian Open women's doubles title.

The top ranked pair, 2010 Wimbledon semi-finalists, struggled in the first set and trailed 5-4 in the second.

But Argentine Dulko and her Italian partner powered back, and after a break at 3-1 in the decider, came through 2-6 7-5 6-1 in 131 minutes.

The duo won seven titles last year but this was their first Grand Slam crown.

"Last year was a great year, this year we are starting really good," said Pennetta, who lost to the Czech Republic's Petra Kvitova in the fourth round of the singles.

Dulko and Pennetta were blown away in the opening set against Russia's Kirilenko and Azarenka of Belarus and then had to face match points at 5-4 in the second set.

With Azaranka wasting chances for glory when serving for the match, the top seeds broke back and then won three games in a row to level the match at one set each.

Dulko and Pennetta broke early in the decider and swiftly wrapped up the victory when Azarenka, a fourth-round loser to China's Na Li in the singles, hit a backhand into the net.

The win means Dulko remains the world's top-ranked doubles player while Pennetta stays second.

Shane Warne puts up a brave front despite the absence of Smith and Mascarenhas

Rajasthan Royals will be without opening batsman Graeme Smith (broken finger) and all- rounder Dmitri Mascarenhas (twisted ankle) going into their game against hosts Royal Challengers Bangalore at theMChinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.
It leaves Shane Warne with the headache of picking right replacements. “They (Smith and Mascarenhas) are two important players. Their leadership in the team will be missed,” Warne said on the eve of the encounter.

However, as always the Rajasthan Royals skipper preferred to look at the positive side of the predicament he finds himself in. “There are 10 international players in our team to choose from. We have Adam Voges, Johan Botha and Damien Martyn joining us. We look at conditions and study the opposition before choosing our players,” Warne said.

The obvious lack of firepower will put the onus of scoring big runs on the carefree Yusuf Pathan. Warne, wisely, didn’t want to add pressure on his batting powerhouse. When asked if too much hinges on Pathan’s form, Warne said, “We have Paras Dogra, Abhishek Jhunjhunwala among others coming up with a good show. We have a very strong middle order. Dogra has played well in two tough situations. But Yusuf is one guy I would love to have in my team rather than in the opposition.”

Warne also played down his own lack of form in the early part of the tournament. “Even if you bowl not-a-bad ball you can still get whacked. That’s the nature of this game.”

Bowlers have a lot of room for innovation, Warne added. “From a captain’s point of view we have come up with different field settings. Other teams have copied us. We are looking
to attack.”

No-show in Australia may bring sweeping chanNo-show in Australia may bring sweeping changes in Pak team and management

In the wake of Pakistan’s second test defeat against Australia in Sydney, some drastic changes in the team and its management may be on the cards.

“Pakistan Cricket Board shows it utmost concern over the poor performance of Pakistan cricket team in the second Test played in Sydney Australia. Chairman Selection Committee was invited today for a meeting with Chairman of PCB to evaluate the situation,” The News quoted a PCB statement, as saying.

“An overall review of performance of the team shall be carried out by the board after completion of the Australian tour,” it added.

According to sources, the ‘review’ could result in some sweeping changes within the team management.

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam may face the biggest blow.

Alam has been under intense criticism and he might lose his job if the team fails to come out with an improved performance in the Hobart Test and the One-day series.

Also placed under the scrutiny is Mohammad Yousuf, the 35-year-old senior batsman who was given the captaincy after Younis Khan opted out of the twin tours of New Zealand and Australia last November.

Yousuf’s defensive tactics on the fourth day of the second Test in Sydney have put a question mark over his future as Pakistan captain.

FIFA's got it right this time

Have you heard that Ruud van Nistelrooy wants to leave Real Madrid in the January transfer window? The bigger news is that the Dutchman wants to snub Arsenal who have shown an interest in the striker to join Rafael Benitez's Liverpool.

If true, it could be a great move for Ruud. He excels in the English league as we saw during his time at Manchester United. His familiarity with the conditions and style of play will help him adapt pretty easily. Besides, since the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Kaka, Ruud hasn't featured in the starting line-up in Madrid and made brief appearance as a substitute.

Of course, after a knee surgery, Nistelrooy was out of the game for over six months last year and has been in and out since then.

Whether it will be a smart signing by Rafa, I am not too sure. Ruud will come in as a replacement for injured Spanish striker Fernando Torres. Ruud is 33 years old and nowhere near his best. His knee and ankle - both have been operated on - don't look strong enough to meet the demands of the physically challenging English game.

But that two top clubs -- Arsenal and Liverpool -- are interested in the player despite his trouble with injuries speaks volumes of the respect the Dutchman enjoys as a top striker. Yet, I don't think he is the answer for either clubs.

Another topic of discussion that has left me terribly amused is whether France should play a rematch of the World Cup 2010 qualifier against Ireland or not. Thierry Henry, the cheat, and Arsene Wenger, France's conscience-keeper, want the rematch.

To recap, the Irish were cheated out of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa by Thierry Henry's handball in the build-up to France's extra-time equaliser in the qualifier that ended 1-1. After the handball, unnoticed by the referee, Henry set up William Gallas who scored the decisive goal for France ensuring their passage to South Africa.

Of course it wasn't right. Henry cheated. Ireland deserved that berth in South Africa having outplayed France throughout the game. But does that call for a rematch? I don't think so. FIFA has ruled that the draw at the Stade de France cannot be changed and I am with the game's top body on this one.

There have been hundreds of instances where a team has won unfairly while the deserving has gotten cheated out. If one were to replay every match, there would be no end to it.
Handball is cheating, as is diving and may such offences. Sometimes the players get punished, sometimes such things go unnoticed. That's the nature of the game and part of what makes the sport so watchable. Else, Argentina shouldn't have been champions in 1986 nor Italy in 2006, who cheated out Australia in Germany.

Football is full of wonders, beauty, magic, skill, grit and flaws, cheats, pain, tragedy. It's all of it. Just like life. Ok, so Henry cheated. Just like 95 per cent other footballers, who have also cheated at some point or the other. End of story. No rematch please. Let's move on.

Confident Stuart Broad: We will make our rusty rivals pay

Stuart Broad believes South Africa's lack of Test cricket this year gives England a golden chance to take the first match of the series.

Just 48 hours before the teams meet in the opening Test at Centurion, the all-rounder urged his team to go for the throat against a side, whose last taste of the five-day game was back in March.

Although South Africa beat Australia, it was a hollow victory as the Proteas lost the series 3-1. By contrast, England enjoyed a golden summer, comfortably seeing off the West Indies before reclaiming the Ashes in a 2-1 triumph.

After practice here today, Broad said: "This is a big opportunity for us. South Africa are a bit rusty, they haven't played Test cricket for a while and we are feeling good as a team. We have to make sure we go into the first day at Centurion and hit them hard. We're pretty confident we can."

England are still deliberating over whether to go on the attack and play just four bowlers but Broad believes the squad are versatile enough to cope with anything.

"The beauty of this England side is that we have that option," he said. "Obviously if we go in with six batters it will put pressure on the bowlers, but Jimmy Anderson and I have been opening the bowling for quite a while and we are ready to step up and take responsibility.

"What's good about this England team is that there are players ready to step up in all situations. We just have to make sure we get off to a good start on Wednesday. That's so important in a four-match series."

Broad also explained why he has decided to opt out of the Indian Premier League for another season.

Struggling with a shoulder injury earlier in the tour, he said: "It's been a tough schedule. We've got four Tests over the next five weeks and then there's the Bangladesh tour.

"You have to listen to your body. I'm not ruling out the IPL in the future but for now England comes first. It was always my boyhood dream to play for my country and that is my priority. I've done a lot of thinking and a lot of talking. I have to think about my body."

Anderson will also miss the IPL, citing his desire to be fresh for next winter's Ashes defence.

He said: "Taking on Australia will be a huge challenge and one that I am fully committed to.

“I want to be an integral part of the first England cricket team to retain the Ashes since 1972 and I'll be giving myself the best possible chance of doing that by not playing in the IPL
“The England cricket team have a busy schedule in 2010 and I'd like to be playing for England as much as possible.”

Wicketkeeper Matt Prior says that England should adopt a squad‑rotation policy so players avoid burn-out.

Prior, whose own position has been called into question, accepts changing the team gives a rival player a chance to impress but says England should learn from Australia.

Prior told the January issue of The Wisden Cricketer magazine: “Ultimately players are going to have to be rested. They have to be told — not asked. No one will say they want a break but there is nothing wrong in the England management saying: You are our No1 but we want you to rest to be fit for an important series.

“You don't want to give a rival half a chance to take your job but Australia think nothing of resting their players without placing the dropped player's future at risk. Ricky Ponting was in the form of his life when returning from a rest period after the Ashes.”

A wicket with character . . . about time

FOR almost all my international career, Perth had been a fortress for Australia.

I made my Test debut there in December 1995, when we comfortably beat Sri Lanka, was dropped when the West Indies won there the following season, and went the next 10 years never experiencing defeat at the WACA Ground.

The pace and bounce of Perth was usually too much for the opposition. Six of our victories there in my time were by more than an innings, one by seven wickets, another by almost 500 runs and another by more than 200 runs.

With very rare exceptions, Perth and Brisbane were the two places we felt most confident of victory because of the extra bounce in the pitch.

Yet as batsmen we loved playing there. The pitches played with great consistency and the ball came on to the bat so you had the confidence to play your shots, making for entertaining cricket.

I am looking forward to playing on that type of Perth pitch again in the third Test against the West Indies, beginning tomorrow. .

It had become lower and slower in recent seasons, continuing the trend of pitches around the world that are losing, or have lost, their character.

This season there have been good reports coming out of Perth, with NSW beating Western Australia inside three days thanks to an excellent bowling performance from Doug Bollinger on a lively pitch. If the Test pitch is something similar that is great news for players, and great news for the fans, who will see plenty of lively cricket.

The pitch being prepared for this Test does have a good cover of grass but we'll wait until today before having a close look at it.

Certainly all the signs are encouraging because for most of my career Perth has been one of the great places to play cricket.

Cricket needs more pitches like the WACA Ground of old, a wonderful contrast to the type of slow, low wickets you find in so many places now.

This reduces one of the great joys of Test cricket, to be challenged on unique surfaces, something which Australia could once boast about. Each of its major cricket grounds had a distinctly different surface.

If you could learn to cope with a variety of difference surfaces around the country and around the world, whether you were a batsman or a bowler, you were considered the complete Test cricketer.

That challenge is now going out of Test cricket as pitches around the globe develop a sameness. Low, slow pitches can make for bland, one-sided cricket where bat dominates ball and results can be difficult to achieve.

This is my concern for Test cricket on the subcontinent in particular, where there can be some real batathons.

It was no surprise to us that the West Indies batted well in Adelaide. The slow, low pitch was always going to suit their style of play. However, if the WACA Ground pitch is anything like the Perth of my younger days, I think they'll struggle like they struggled in Brisbane during the first Test.

There has been talk that their impressive young fast bowler Kemar Roach could be a handful for us in Perth.

He can certainly be quick but we played him well on the helpful Brisbane pitch and I believe we can do the same again during this Test. Likewise, we've got some impressive young quicks of our own who will enjoy any assistance at least as much as the West Indian fast bowlers.

Statistics suggest that off-spinners struggle in Perth but I don't believe they tell the full story.

Left-arm finger spinners Daniel Vettori from New Zealand and South Africa's Paul Harris have had success against us at the WACA Ground in recent seasons.

And many touring sides chose not to play their off-spinners in Perth, with India leaving out Harbhajan Singh just two years ago.

Off-spinners have had success at state level drifting the ball away from the right-handed batsmen in the breeze. I had a chat to Nathan Hauritz after the Adelaide Test and he admitted he didn't bowl as well as he would have liked, but I believe that with the prevailing Fremantle Doctor aiding his drift and a bit of extra bounce, he could bowl well.

One thing we have talked about since we arrived in Perth is our batting.

We have played consistently well, making 8(dec)-480 in Brisbane and 439 during the first innings in Adelaide.

During that time nine players have made 50 or more, and two have made it to the 90s, but no one has scored a century.

This contrasts with the West Indies, who have made three hundreds and yet are 1-0 down in the series. Those sorts of statistics are starting to have an Ashes feel about them.

It's important that players who get starts do press on and get big scores, but by the same token you don't want to make a big deal about it.

The more you talk about it, the harder it can become.

Last summer we talked about losing wickets around the breaks and it kept happening. It was like a self-fulfilling prophecy.


by Ricky Ponting

Courtesy : http://www.theaustralian.com.au

Cricket: Taylor irritated by test ton misses

It's an affliction Tim McIntosh and Daniel Flynn would happily accept in the test cricket series against Pakistan, but New Zealand's leading batsman Ross Taylor admits to be irritated by a new tendency to get out when a century beckons.

Taylor has twice been denied a third test ton of the year against the Pakistanis, with his powers of concentration wavering at University Oval and the Basin Reserve.

The only New Zealand batsman to score consistently against the tourists, Taylor played a loose drive on 94 in Dunedin and was caught at slip off the bowling Saeed Ajmal, the offspinner who tempted him into a similar shot in his previous over.

Then, in Wellington, Taylor was motoring along, taking toll of the Pakistan attack until he buttoned off in the 90s and tried to glide a ball that ended up in Misbah-ul-Haq's hands at first slip.

Taylor exited for 97, taking any hope of New Zealand mounting a successful run chase with him.

Until this year Taylor has had little difficulty converting substantial starts into three figures. Until his brain fade in the first test the 25-year-old had never fallen in the nervous 90s in his 21-test career.

Against India at the start of the year he compiled 151 and 107 in back-to-back tests at Napier and Wellington to carry his tally to four test tons - a number he seemed certain to expand.

But a flaw in his powers of concentration emerged during August's tour of Sri Lanka.

"It actually started back in Sri Lanka, I got a 90 in the first innings of the first warm-up game and I haven't been able to break three figures since then," he said.

He made 81 in the second test in Colombo, but was caught at the wicket via another edge from a slow bowler -- Ragana Herath.

Taylor has discussed how to clear this mental obstacle with his batting mentor of the past 2-1/2 years, Martin Crowe.

"It is disappointing and the next time I get it that situation I'd like to put it to rest and get to three figures."

Crowe has at least successfully addressed some minor technical deficiencies in Taylor's set-up, given his protege has amassed 280 runs in the series at 70, dwarfing the input of the other specialist batsmen.

"I've been working on a few things with Hogan (Crowe) and it's been working for me," he said, explaining the key was not get trapped crease bound but to get forward and look to be aggressive.

Cricket: History counting against Black Caps

Shane Bond being invalided out of a series is not the only recurring nightmare preying on the minds of New Zealand's cricketers as they approach today's second test against Pakistan at the Basin Reserve.

An injured Bond's unavailability represents a potentially serious setback to a team that has a worrying history when leading a three-match series 1-0.

On three occasions New Zealand has let an advantage slip - on the cannabis-gate tour of South Africa in 1994, in Sri Lanka four years later and most recently when hosting England in March/April last year.

Captain Daniel Vettori hardly needed reminding of the English series when ruling out complacency as a potential pitfall when Pakistan attempts to become the fourth team to regroup and prosper after dropping the first test.

New Zealand dominated the first match of the English series in Hamilton, winning by 189 runs before being soundly beaten at the Basin Reserve (126 runs) and Napier (121 runs).

Despite being justifiably pleased after securing a tense 32-run triumph in Dunedin last weekend, Vettori has warned his teammates a series victory - what would be only the third in 19 attempts against Pakistan - was far from certain.

"I think the guys are feeling good about themselves but there's a need not to get caught up in that, and a need for improvement," he said.

"It was a good test performance but there's a series that needs to be won.

"We've done it in the past against England where we've gone 1-0 up and in a lot of ways rested on our laurels. We lost the next two test matches.

"There was a real desire within the team to have celebrated in Dunedin - and also to make sure it's not the end of the summer."

New Zealand's batting unit will likely have a significant influence on whether the year ends on a high note considering a traditionally bouncy wicket should be spiced up by spending the best part of four days under cover as rain lashed the capital.

The home side's batting frailties are well documented and with Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul all in the zone at University Oval, the trio can expect to cause more angst among a fragile top and middle order.

Of the specialists, only Ross Taylor produced a notable double last week with 94 and 59.

Brian Lara says West Indies have not much to fear about Australia

West Indies great Brian Lara says his young prodigy, Adrian Barath, proved to the team's veterans there is not much to fear about the Australia cricket team.
Lara, who retired from cricket in 2007, said it will be difficult for West Indies to bounce back after their embarrassing defeat in the first Test at the Gabba despite Barath showing some chinks in the Australia attack.

The 18-year-old became the youngest West Indies player to score a Test century.

"I think it will be difficult," Lara told reporters when asked if he thought West Indies could recover from the defeat.

"Obviously a defeat within three days, it's going to be hard.

"But, there are some positives.

"The likes of Adrian Barath scoring runs, a debutant, should tell the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan if he is back and Dwayne Bravo that there is not much to be feared in the Australia cricket team."

Lara, 40, was honoured at a ceremony in his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd .

Rudd appointed him an Honorary Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia for his work with young West Indies and Australian cricketers.

Rudd was in the Caribbean to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) Felicitates the Stalwarts of International Cricket

CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) Felicitates the Stalwarts of International Cricket
E Prasanna Conferred with CEAT International Lifetime Achievement Award



-- CEAT International Team of the Year award - Australia
-- CEAT International Cricketer of the Year - Gautam Gambhir (India)
-- CEAT International Test Batsman of the year - Gautam Gambhir (India)
-- CEAT International ODI Batsman of the Year - Virender Sehwag (India)
-- CEAT International Test Bowler of the year - Mitchell Johnson (Australia)
-- CEAT International ODI Bowler of the year - Ajantha Mendis (Sri Lanka)
-- CEAT International Spirit of Cricket Award - Thilan Samaraweera (Sri Lanka)
-- CEAT International 300 Wickets Felicitation Award - Harbhajan Singh (India)

Tyre major CEAT Limited celebrated the success and glory of International cricket with ‘CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) International awards 2009’ at a glittering ceremony here today. The awards honored the best of the International cricketers based on their performances as rated by the CEAT Cricket ratings (CCR) for the year 2008 – 2009.

CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) is the first cricket rating to officially recognize and reward cricketers for their performances in the international cricket arena. This year CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) awards touched a new high with awards in 9 different categories.

Mr. Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Group said, ‘The CCR International Award function is a reiteration of the close association CEAT has with cricket and our endeavor to recognize the individual brilliances on the international cricket scene.” He added “In India, where cricket is not just a sport, CCR awards plays a pivotal role in paying tribute to not just the cricketing brilliance but also the millions of cricketing fans as well”.

Australia, India and Sri Lanka dazzled at the event by sweeping away all the CEAT Cricket Rating (CCR) awards between them. The awards honor the best of the International cricketers based on their performances in international cricketing both test and ODI as rated by the CEAT Cricket ratings (CCR) for the year 2008 – 2009.

While Australia won the award of CEAT International Cricket Team – cash prize of Rs 10 Lakh. India’s Gautam Gambhir was the winner of the CEAT International Cricketer and CEAT International Test Batsman awards. India’s Virendra Sehwag was the CEAT International ODI Batsman of the Year. Australia’s and Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis – was conferred with the CEAT International Test Bowler and CEAT International ODI Bowler of the year award respectively.

This year CEAT Introduced the CEAT International Spirit of Cricket Award to celebrate the sportsman spirit shown by the cricketers. The CEAT International Spirit of Cricket Award was conferred on Sri Lanka’s Thilan Samaraweera, India’s Harbhajan Singh was given a special award the CEAT International 300 Wickets Felicitation Award.

It was also a day to honour the stalwarts of the yesteryears who have carved a name for themselves as legends of Cricket. Cricketing legend E. Prasanna was awarded the ‘CCR International Lifetime Achievement Award’ The Lifetime Achievement award recipients have been selected on the basis of the Retro-CEAT cricket ratings, and have taken into consideration the performances of the cricketers since 1947. Mr Prasanna received a cash prize of Rs 5 Lakh from CEAT

CEAT has CCR Rating and Awards for both for domestic and international cricketers. CEAT Cricket Ratings has been a pioneer in identifying and honoring the potential cricketing talent of the country. CEAT has also initiated the Under-19 and T-20 cricketing awards taking another step to emphasize its commitment to cricket.

Speaking on the occasion cricket legend Mr.Sunil Gavaskar said, “CEAT International Cricket Rating Awards is one of the most important events on Cricketing calendar as it recognizes the achievements of the players from grassroots to the international arena“. He also added, “CEAT Cricket Rating is a unique rating in that recognized and rewarded Indian and International cricketers for their outstanding performances at the end of the year. CEAT Cricket Rating thrives to focus on identifying the right talent..The ratings are pretty much accurate as you can see some of the modern greats like Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ricky Ponting etc winning the CEAT International Cricketer of the Year in the past.”

ABOUT CEAT

CEAT Limited, the flagship company of RPG Enterprises, with an annual turnover of Rs. 2,600 crore, was established in 1958. Today, CEAT is one of India’s leading tyre manufacturers and has a strong presence in both domestic & international markets. The company manufactures over 10 million tyres every year and enjoys a major market share in the light truck & truck tyre market. CEAT tyres, tubes and flaps are renowned for their superior quality and durability. CEAT offers the widest range of tyres to all user segments and manufacture world-class radials for all Indian vehicles including: Heavy-duty Trucks and Buses, Light Commercial Vehicles, Earthmovers, Forklifts, Tractors, Trailers, Cars, Motorcycles and Scooters, Auto-rickshaws.

CEAT has three manufacturing plants - Mumbai (Bhandup), Nasik & Sri Lanka. The company currently exports tyres to nearly 110 countries across USA, Europe, Africa & other parts of Asia. CEAT has a robust network consisting of over 3,500 dealers, 33 regional offices and more that 100 C & F agents. CEAT also has a branded franchisee network ‘CEAT Shoppe’. These Shoppes are retail tyre outlets, providing comprehensive expertise in tyres and tyre services -- all under one roof. The company has a dedicated Customer Service department, comprising Customer Service Managers in all the four divisional offices, assisted by 50 Service Engineers. The board of the company is headed by Mr. R P Goenka, Chairman Emeritus and Mr. Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Enterprises. Mr. Paras K Chowdhary is the Managing Director of CEAT Ltd and Mr. Arnab Banerjee heads the Sales & Marketing division.

About CEAT CRICKET RATING (CCR)

The CEAT Cricket Rating was the first rating system in international cricket to recognize and reward outstanding performers in cricket on an annual basis. Conceived in 1995 by CEAT, the CEAT CRICKET RATINGS attempted to answer every cricket-lover’s persistent and perennial query – “Who is the best of the best?”

The CEAT Cricket Rating stands out by virtue of its simplicity. It comprises an objective points system that awards points to cricketers for their batting, bowling and fielding performances. There is a separate CEAT Team Rating (initiated in 1996-97) that assigns points to teams on the basis of their performances in Tests and one-day internationals.

The CEAT Cricket Year commences on 1st May and ends on 30th April of the following calendar year. The cricketer and team that accumulate the highest number of points in their respective categories at the end of this twelve-month period are declared the CEAT Cricket Rating International Cricketer and Team of the Year respectively.

Argentina book last hockey World Cup berth

Argentina earned the last spot available for next year's Hero Honda FIH Hockey World Cup to be staged here from February 28 to March 13, when they beat Belgium 4-3 in the final of the last qualifying tournament in Quilmes.

The hosts put up an attacking brand of game and rallied from behind to edge past Belgium in the keenly-contested summit clash of BDO Hockey World Cup Qualifier yesterday.

With the victory of the Latin American country, all the 12 participating nations of the megaevent are now confirmed.

Besides host India and Argentina, other countries to have qualified for the World Cup are Canada, Korea, South Africa, Australia, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Pakistan, and New Zealand.