ICL presence in NZ cricket worries BCCI

Likely presence of the 'rebel' Indian Cricket League players in their domestic sides could unhinge the plans of New Zealand Cricket in fulfilling its commitment of arranging a warm-up match for Indians before the first Test.


"Some ICL players could turn out for these teams and such a scenario is not acceptable to us," BCCI sources said on Saturday.


The BCCI has barred all its cricketers and officials from having any track with the Essel Group-promoted ICL and the International Cricket Council has convened a meeting in Johannesburg on Monday to resolve the BCCI-ICL conflict.


India had agreed to extend their Test series from two to three matches on the request of NZC and in lieu of that they had demanded some practice for the players, who were not part of the ODI squad.


Six Indian players — Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Amit Mishra, Murali Vijay, Dhawal Kulkarni and Laxmipathi Balaji — are expected to play in New Zealand's domestic circuit before the first Test, beginning March 18.

In these troubled times, cricket needs an Obama

If indeed everything happens for a reason then the recent carnage in Mumbai was a strong reminder of the desperate need for some good old-fashioned, strong, honest leadership.

The world is holding its breath in the hope that US President-elect Barack Obama can be the man to provide the shining example that others will follow.

Eventually, we need to have a world where all mankind has a chance to feel included in society. If Obama can set this miracle in motion then perhaps the world can look forward to a safer future.

The mayhem in Mumbai was also a chilling reminder of cricket’s fragility. Whilst on the scale of importance it is way down the list, there’s a similar need for strong leadership so that cricket’s integrity can eventually match its financial clout. This is going to take a collective effort from the players and officials of all major cricket nations.

If ever Sir Donald Bradman’s words, “We are all custodians of the game,” need to be heeded, it is in the year of his hundredth anniversary. The one big difference between the world situation and that of cricket, which stands out like a beacon, is the lack of any leader with the potential and charisma of an Obama. If India and England can play the planned two Test series, it will provide a wonderful example of what can happen when there is a will to cooperate.

However, this show of comradeship needs to be followed up by strong leadership so that the game’s future is a planned, well thought out affair rather than a runaway train with no one at the levers. The cancellation, following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, of the remaining two games in England’s one-day series, the Champion’s League and the ICL was a wake up call for a game that had become way too dependent on and subservient to India.

The haste with which the rest of the cricket world greedily knelt at India’s wealthy vault without question was never going to have a happy ending. It was like a re-make of the movie Wall Street with Gordon Gecko preaching, “greed is good”.

Then there is the growing disparity between playing standards among even the major nations. Following the India-Australia Test series, which promised much but often provided cynical field placings and slow over-rates, cricket has followed up with two of the most lacklustre contests of all time.

Two one-sided series between Australia and New Zealand and South Africa against Bangladesh has helped highlight the inequity in the Test match arena. Test cricket is shaping up as a mirror image of an Indian society, which is often described as being “the have lots and the have-nots”.

The lop-sided nature of those two Test series was ample proof that there are not enough good cricketers after some good ones have been banned because of their association with the ICL.

If there is to be an all-inclusive approach to cricket’s future following the Mumbai mayhem, then these bans should come under serious discussion.

Then there is the fragile future of Pakistan cricket to consider. Wrecked by political turmoil, threatened by terrorism and lacking India’s wealth, Pakistan cricket has become a pariah. A region that once provided more talented young natural players than most, Pakistan is now in danger of becoming a cricketing backwater.

For a while now Pakistan has felt like they are being discriminated against but in part, they only have themselves to blame for taking a less than honest look at their own approach to the game. However, it is easy to see why they may feel that money speaks all languages but Urdu.

It’s going to require a good deal of compassion and courage to welcome Pakistan back into the fold but every effort must be made. The world desperately watches and hopes Obama can succeed and help make it a safer, more inclusive society. Being played in so many volatile areas of the world, no sport has a greater need for Obama than cricket.

Zaheer Abbas fears for Pakistan cricket

Cricket great Zaheer Abbas fears his country will be left in the international sporting wilderness if India refuses to tour in January for security reasons.

"We will be like orphans in international cricketing community," Abbas told the AP on Monday. "Already most of the test playing countries are not touring Pakistan and if India does not come it will be worst for us."

India is scheduled to play three test matches, five limited-overs internationals and a Twenty20 international during its Jan. 4-Feb. 19 tour to Pakistan.

However, there are doubts over the tour after terrorist attacks killed at least 172 in Mumbai last Wednesday. The Indian government had earlier refused permission to its junior hockey team to play five matches in Pakistan last month due to security concerns.

Australia postponed its tour to Pakistan last March, citing security concerns, and the Champions Trophy in September was also deferred for a year after four more teams — New Zealand, South Africa, England and the West Indies — expressed reservations over traveling to Pakistan.

"I think the Asian countries which are part of the International Cricket Council (ICC) should stand united in this hour of need and should continue playing the bilateral series," Abbas said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board is also considering an option of shifting the January series against India to a neutral venue in case.

"It will set a wrong precedent and moreover it will be a huge financial loss for the PCB," Abbas said.

Pakistan had earlier played test matches against Australia and the West Indies at Colombo and Sharjah in 2002, but PCB chairman Ejaz Butt said last week the home board incurred financial losses at that time.

"How could we inspire youngsters in our country if we play at a neutral venue?" Abbas, who scored 108 first-class centuries, said. "We are placed at No. 6 in the ICC test rankings and the only way to improve is if we play more test matches."

Pakistan is the only one of the nine active test playing nations which did not play a test match in 2008.

Abbas, who scored 12 centuries and 5,062 runs in 78 tests, said it was high time that Pakistan started taking its own decisions.

"Look, we have banned all the players who are competing in the Indian Cricket League and our cricket is almost stuck with this security scenario," he said. Pakistan has suspended all 19 players including present cricketers — Rana Naved, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir and Abdul Razzaq — for joining the unsanctioned, rebel ICL in India.

"We should start taking our own decisions and lift suspension on ICL players," Abbas said. "By doing so we will make our team more strong in international cricket."

The Board of Control for Cricket in India has sought its government clearance over sending its team to neighboring Pakistan and is still waiting for the response.

Shoaib Malik lacks Dhoni-style leadership qualities: Mohammad Yousuf

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's out-of-the-box thinking has earned him another admirer in banned batsman Mohammad Yousuf who feels Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik lacks the leadership qualities of the Indian skipper.

Disappointed with the shabby treatment meted to him by Pakistan Cricket Board and especially by skipper Malik, Yousuf, one of finest middle-order batsman, rejoined the ICL earlier this month.

Although he still nurtures the desire of donningnational colours, Yousuf said he was left with no option but to join the ICL by PCB and Malik.

"There is no point in playing for a team when your captain is not supportive and doesn't want you. A captain has to lead by example with his performance like Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He should have man-management skills while dealing with seniors, but Malik lacks those qualities," Yousuf said.

The 2007 Wisden Cricketer of the Year also held former Chairman Nasim Ashraf-led PCB regime responsible for the slump of the game in Pakistan.

"The earlier PCB regime did little for the development of the game in the country, but the new set up is desperate to bring about a change."

Yousuf, who has made 6,770 Test and 9,242 ODI runs till date, also lambasted the previous selection committee and cried foul over all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and his exclusion from the national side.

"There are few players in the ICL Pakistan team like Imran Nazir, Imran Farhat, Abdul Razzaq and myself who can represent the national side at any time.

"I was shocked by Razzaq's exclusion from the Twenty20 side. He has great potential. To add to that, even after a series of good performance, the selectors dropped me from the team and that was not acceptable to me," he said.

He also lauded the new PCB regime under Ejaz Butt for appointing former skipper Javed Miandad as the Director General of the Board.

"Javedbhai was a great batsman and he is the perfect person for the job. He only can bring back Pakistan team back on track."

The prolific run-machine was in full praise for his present employed, ICL and said, "It is not fair to ban ICL players from playing for their national team. The league is only helping youngsters hone their skills and prepare themselves for the bigger platform."

Leicestershire captain Paul Nixon says England should go home

Leicestershire captain Paul Nixon says the England cricket squad should return home from India following Wednesday's terror attacks in Mumbai.

"There is a very good chance the guys could go home for something like this," the 38-year-old former England wicketkeeper told BBC Radio Leicester.

"I don't think it's worth staying over a game of cricket - it's a far bigger issue than cricket," he added.

Foxes skipper Nixon is in Ahmedabad playing in the Indian Cricket League.

He added: "Pakistan was called off a while ago and I think this will be pretty similar."

Cumbrian-born Nixon, who is playing for the Rest of the World XI and was due to fly to Mumbai on Sunday, said the team would now re-think their plans.

"We're a flight away, it's not around the corner but going home is something you've got to consider.


"All the guys will be having a chat to see what our thoughts are as a unit because we've got a lot of guys from around the world playing in this competition," he said.

Simon Jones, an Ashes hero in 2005, told BBC Sport a collective decision would be made.

He was part of a squad that controversially remained in Zimbabwe in 2004 despite President Robert Mugabe temporarily preventing journalists from entering the country.

Worcerstershire paceman Jones said: "It's obviously very scary with people dying out there, but I'm sure the boys will be advised by the appropriate people in charge of them regarding their security and then they'll make the proper decision.

"It will be a group decision, definitely - when we were in Zimbabwe we talked about what we were going to do when they stopped the Press coming in, so it's a team thing. I'm sure they'll sit down and have lengthy talks about it."

The England squad will remain 850 miles away in Bhubaneswar as the England and Wales Cricket Board continues talks with India officials.

The second Test match is scheduled to be played in Mumbai from 19 December.

Essex vice-captain James Foster told BBC Sport: "I'm assuming [the England players] have got a lot on their plate at the moment, obviously difficult times... horrific scenes that have been going on for the past 24 hours - but I'm pretty sure the ECB have got it all in place and under control."

He conceded it would be "a little tricky" for England to continue with the Test matches in India, adding: "I heard they might try to play the Tests in Dubai or something."

Do-or-die match for ICL Bangladesh

ICL Bangladesh have to perform consistently if they want to give themselves any chance of reaching the final. After a disappointing first match, ICL Bangladesh will have to pull up their socks when they take on ICL India in their second league match of the Indian Cricket League 20s World Series at Sardar Patel Stadium on Tuesday.

It will be a do or die situation for the Habibul Bashar-led-outfit after it went down to ICL World in the opening encounter of the tournament by 12 runs. The pressure will be more on the middle order, especially captain Bashar who hasn’t lived up to his standards.

“Nazimmuddin and Shariar Nafees have provided us good starts but our middle order has failed completely. I, too, haven’t contributed with the bat much,” Bashar admitted before adding, “It will be a big match for us. I hope we won’t repeat the mistake again.”

With ICL India having a formidable batting line-up, Bangladesh bowlers will need to be at their best. Apart from spinner Mohammad Rafique, no one has been able to rattle opposition batsmen.

On the other hand, Team India will expect an explosive start from G Vignesh, who has emerged as the top scorer in this format of the League.

Vignesh is likely to have either Ibrahim Khaleel or Deep Dasgupta as his opening partner. With the likes of Hemang Badani, Stuart Binny, captain R Sathish and Rohan Gavaskar providing a cushion in the middle order, the home team will enter the field as favourites. Rakesh Patel is likely to spearhead the Indian attack along with Jesuraj.

India down Pakistan

When it’s India versus Pakistan, it has to be a thriller. It was no different at the Sardar Patel Stadium here where India raised the bar and pulled off a four-wicket win in their first match of the ICL World Series on Monday night.

In reply to Pakistani XI’s 165 for nine, India XI reached their target with five balls to spare. Ambati Rayudu (65) and Hemang Badani (32 n.o.) were the architects of India’s win.

The atmosphere here was electrifying as people from all over Ahmedabad thronged the Navrangpura Stadium to cheer their respective teams. Pakistan shouldn’t complain as they had the support of almost half of the fans who turned up.

G Vignesh, opening the innings with Ibrahim Khaleel, departed in the first over scoring just one run. But Khaleel justified his selection over Deep Dasgupta with a superb 36 off 27 balls to set the tone for India’s chase. He hit four fours and a six.

But Rayudu looked in prime touch from the very first delivery. Rayudu and Khaleel took the score to 80 and placed the hosts on a solid platform. Stuart Binny and captain R Sathish disappointed the fans departing after scoring eight and three, respectively. At 105 for four, Badani joined Rayudu in the middle.

Rayudu’s brilliant innings came to an end when he tried to nick an Abdul Razzaq delivery over wicket-keeper Humayun Farhat’s head. Farhat took a stunning diving catch and the match looked to be tilting towards the visitors. Rayudu scored 65 off 47, including eight hits to the fences and a six. But Badani and RS Sodhi pulled it off for India.

Earlier, ICL Pakistani XI reached a competitive total of 165 for nine. R Jesuraj and Eklakh Ahmed bowled tight to dangerous Paksiatni openers — Imran Nazir and Imran Farhat.

Jesuraj struck early dismissing Farhat in the very first over. Nazir showed promise smacking 16 off seven balls before he was caught by Vignesh off Jesuraj. When Pakistan were 23-2, Rana Naved, coming in at No 3, stitched together a 50-run partnership with Shahid Yousuf (13). Naved continued his onslaught till the ninth over before he was shown the door by Ali Murtaza. Naved made 44 off 31 balls. Thereafter no Pakistani batsman could do justice to his reputation. For India, Jesuraj got three wickets for 30 while Ali Murtaza bagged three conceding 29 runs. Ahmed, Stuart Binny and Vignesh scalped one apiece.

ICL Pakistan went into the match sans Mohammed Yousuf, a decision Inzamam & Co must have regretted as the he was missed badly in Pakistan’s middle order.

Harris surprised with Badshahs' behaviour, calls for hearing

Expressing astonishment over the fracas created by Lahore Badshahs on Mohammad Sami's catch in the second final of the ICL World 20-20 Championship on Sunday night, Hyderabad Heroes skipper Chris Harris has demanded a hearing into the incident.

The Heroes defeated Badshahs on Saturday night by eight runs to level the best of three finals 1-1. But their celebration was marred by an uncalled incident that took place in the dying stages of the match just after Sami was controversially caught by Justin Kemp in the boundary line.

Tension rose high after Badshahs were not convinced of the catch and called for the decision to be reverted even after both the on-field umpires and third umpire gave Sami out.

"It was one of the best catches that I have seen in the tournament. It was an important catch because it could have easily gone for a six.

"It was a shame to see the catch got into controversy. It was a clear catch and I am really surprised with the way Lahore Badshahs behaved," Harris said.

"The catch clean. The third umpire saw it from four different angles and gave him out. When umpires give you out you just have to walk off. I am surprised that all of a sudden a row kicked off and there was this controversy. I want a hearing into the matter otherwise I would be disappointed," he added.

The catch also led to a rift between the two teams as some of the players got involved in war of words which led to disruption of play for around five minutes. Later, the Badshahs also skipped the post-match press conference.

Interestingly, disappointed with the on-field behaviour of Badshah's, Heroes' skipper Harris even asked his players to get off the field.

Later when asked why he told his players to leave the field, Harris said, "It went a little too far. Everyone had given him (Sami) out and obviously when the batsman refuses to go out, what could anyone do. So I told my players to just have a drink and regroup once again."

Heroes' coach Steve Rixon also expressed disappointment with the ugly way things shaped up in the middle in Saturday night's match.

"A decision was made, they reviewed and the third umpire gave the decision but if they still don't abide by the decision and there is a controversy, then it's a problem with the Lahore, not ours," he said.

Will Heroes rise to the occasion?

How good is this Lahore Badshahs team? Some pundits believe they could give the current Pakistan team a run for its money.

Opener Imran Farhat and Imran Nazir are the cleanest hitters in the game, while Mohammad Yusuf and Mohammad Sami would walk into the Pakistan team. For a big man, Inzamam-ul Haq is still light on his feet and Azhar Mahmood can turn a match on its head even today.

After their four-wicket win over Hyderabad Heroes in the first final of the Indian Cricket League’s 20s tournament the Badshahs have reason to believe that they can win the second final too. The Heroes are no push-overs either and ran the Badshahs close on Friday night. On the eve of the second final both skippers were bullish about their chances.

Chris Harris believes his team will be able to play without any pressure. “We have nothing to lose. From here on we have no pressure and will have to go all out for a win,” Harris said. The Badshahs don’t want to work on Sunday. They want to finish off their business on Saturday evening it self.

“After winning the first game the confidence level among the boys is high. No team would want to take a best-of-three final into the third game,” Inzamam said.

The former Pakistan skipper spoke of the brand of aggressive cricket his team has been playing. “We want to take on the opposition from the word go. Even when the required rate was six-plus we began the chase hoping to finish the game early,” Inzamam said.
Adopting an out-and-out aggressive approach can also backfire. The Heroes almost got back into the game on Friday before the Badshahs eased ahead.

Getting younger

Change is the only constant thing in life. And Rana Naved Ul Hasan knows it the best. From his U/14 playing days to his international career, he has now played for more than 11 teams. But his most creditable performances have come while playing for Lahore Badshahs in ICL 20s championships, that too as a genuine all-rounder.

With 17 wickets, Naved tops the wicket takers column of this edition. However, that’s not his only contribution. He has also scored 171 runs, with two match-winning fifties. “Looks like I have come off better with age,” jokes Naved. The 30-year-old has won two man-of-the-match awards and is now one of the most crucial and permanent elements of the team.

However, it has not been that simple a run for this man who gave up his first love, hockey, for cricket. To find a place in the Pakistan team he was competing with the likes of Azhar Mahmood, Shoaib Malik and Abdul Razzaq. Luck was never by his side because despite impressive performances in the initial part of his career he never was considered as a first choice player.

For someone who has three centuries and over 550 wickets in first class cricket to his credit, there hardly could be any doubt about the talent this man possessed. “I was always considered to be a replacement in case some bowler got injured, therefore my primary job was that of a bowler and not anything more than that,” confesses Rana.
His ability to let his willow do the talking always remained in a closet until he came to ICL. “Our middle order was a weak link and Azhar (Mahmood) bhai who had seen me batting in county, recommended my elevation in the batting order,” says Naved. He seems to have finally found a role perfectly fitting his liking.

With the arrival of Mohammed Yousuf, Lahore Badshahs middle-order has become one of the strongest in the tournament. With just couple of wins away from the title, Naved feels that with Yousuf in the team, he can now freely wield his willow. He says, “Yousuf’s mere presence in the team makes a lot of difference, it gives a lot of stability.”

Heroes are the stars

It will be a repeat final in the ICL. The Heroes registered a thrilling three-wicket victory over Royal Bengal Tigers in the second semifinal of the ICL 20s Indian championship at Sardar Patel Stadium on Tuesday night to set up a title clash with Lahore Badshahs. The two had clashed in the final in March 2008.

The Hyderabad team commenced their chase for 162 reply on a positive note with Jimmy Maher and Ibrahim Khaleel giving back Lance Klusener his own medicine and punishing Andre Adams for loose bowling. The duo took the score to 43 in the fifth over. Just when it looked they were headed for a big partnership Maher (14) fell to Klusener. In same over Khaleel (32) was deceived by slow delivery.

Ambati Rayudu (14) and Abdul Razzaq (24) held the Hyderabad innings together and took the score to 88. But two quick strikes by leggie Upul Chandana made Harris scratch his head. However, leaving up to his reputation of all-rounder, Stuart Binny (45) fashioned the comeback with some delightful sixes off Chandana. When he left the scene, Chris Harris and KS Sahabuddin had to score six runs off last over which the Heroes’ captain did with a boundary off Chandana.

Earlier, Klusener gave glimpse of his batting style and Rohan Gavaskar showed his other side of his batting as the two southpaws took Royal Bengal Tigers to a competitive total of 161 for 4 against Hyderabad Heroes. The South African scored unbeaten 78 while Gavaskar had 74 against his name. Harris’ decision to field first paid dividends when pacer Sahabuddin took a catch off his follow through to send opener Deep Dasgupta (1) back to the dug out in the second over of the match. Klusener, sent up the order, was involved in terrible mix-up with Hamish Marshall (5).

Pakistan ban Yousuf for ICL move

Batsman Mohammad Yousuf has been banned from playing for Pakistan after joining the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Yousuf was amongst those named in the squad to play three one-dayers against West Indies in Abu Dhabi.

"(While) he is contracted to the ICL he can't play for or in Pakistan," said Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) director of operations Zakir Khan.

Yousuf said: "I want to play for Pakistan but it is up to them (PCB)."

The PCB has a strict policy of banning all players who have joined the ICL.

The contest - a Twenty20 league which is bankrolled by India's largest media group, Zee television, is not recognised by world cricket's governing body, the International Cricket Council.

Yousuf had been set to join the ICL when it was set up in 2007 after he was left out of the Pakistan squad for the World Twenty20 tournament.

But after talks with former PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf, he agreed to forego the move and remain eligible for his country.

However, several former Pakistan players, including ex-skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, all-rounders Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood, pacemen Shabbir Ahmed and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, and opener Imran Farhat, are still playing in the ICL and are thus barred from national selection by the PCB.

Yousuf left for New Delhi on Monday from Lahore just hours after he was named in a 15-strong Pakistan squad for the one-day series against the West Indies from 12-16 November.

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam, recently appointed to succeed Geoff Lawson, said the team has enough reserve players to replace Yousuf for the series in Abu Dhabi.

Opener Nasir Jamshed will have a fitness test before leaving for the Middle East as he has just recovered from a bout of malaria.

Pakistan squad to play West Indies: Shoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Nasir Jamshed, Younus Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar, Abdur Rauf, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail Tanvir, Fawad Alam.

Third World Twenty20 set for 2010

The ICC multi-nation tournament scheduled for the West Indies in 2010 has been shortened from a Champions Trophy to be another World Twenty20.

It will be the third such tournament since the very successful first event in South Africa in September 2007.

The decision has been taken because this year's 50-over-a-side Champions Trophy has been postponed by 12 months due to security worries in Pakistan.

The second ICC World Twenty20 takes place in England next June.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: "Although the World Twenty20 is to be held every second year, we decided to hold two on the trot to set the calendar right and ensure a better spread of tournaments."

The event, scheduled to be held from 23 April 23 to 9 May, will be staged at three venues to be chosen by the ICC in January 2009 following nominations from the West Indies Cricket Board.

"With the ICC Champions Trophy being the final major ICC event of 2009, and the ICC Cricket World Cup being the 50-over event in 2011, it makes perfect sense to have a tournament of a different format in between," Lorgat said.

Sachin Tendulkar's career in photos

Sachin Tendulkar's 50th score of 100




Sachin Tendulkar's 200 runs in ODI.. the greatest ODI player


Sachin Tendulkar plays a shot during the final tri-nation cricket series between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on Monday. Tendulkar has dedicated his match-winning 44th ODI ton to Raj Singh Dungarpur, who headed the National Selection Committee, which selected the ace batsman for the tour of Pakistan, twenty years ago.


From the first ball after tea Sachin Tendulkar drives Siddle down to third man to eclipse Brian Lara's record Test runs aggregate


Australia captain Ricky Ponting is one of the first to congratulate an emotional Sachin Tendulkar as fireworks are heard in the ground


Sachin Tendulkar is congratulated by Australia's fielders after breaking Brian Lara's record aggregate of Test runs.


India's selectors gambled on his prodigious success as a schoolboy when handing Sachin Tendulkar his Test debut aged 16



His childhood idol in sport is John McEnroe, and this early photo reveals his interest in tennis



In August 1990, he hits the first of a world record 39 Test centuries, against England at Old Trafford



Less than three years later, he adds a century on home soil against England in Madras, and celebrates in style



Sachin Tendulkar enjoys tremendous success in one-day cricket, here hitting out against Kenya at the 1999 World Cup



As captain on the 1999-2000 tour of Australia, Sachin Tendulkar practises his bowling - but he struggles as a leader






By the time of the 2001 home series against England, his appeal amongst fans has reached boiling point




Before the one-day series decider against England at his home ground in Mumbai, he gives a lift to a six-year-old cancer sufferer



Sachin Tendulkar is named player of the tournament at the 2003 World Cup, where India reach the final but lose to Australia



By the following winter, Tendulkar's most productive years are behind him, but taking his wicket is always a big moment






Injuries also begin to take their toll, with wear-and-tear strains to various joints keeping him out for much of 2006



In June 2006, he returns to fitness with a masterful century for charity side Lashings against Cambridge University at Fenner's



Just another face in the Wimbledon crowd? Sachin Tendulkar often brings his family to England to get away from the spotlight



His 39th Test century, a record in itself, comes in the Adelaide Test in January 2008 as he starts his 20th calendar year of Test action

LEADING TEST RUN-SCORERS

SR Tendulkar (India): 11,955
BC Lara (ICC/W Indies): 11,953
AR Border (Aus): 11,174
SR Waugh (Aus): 10,927
R Dravid (ICC/India): 10,302
RT Ponting (Aus): 10,239
SM Gavaskar (India): 10,122

Diwali dawns early in Hyderabad!

The ICL 'Opening Ceremony' was a sight to behold and an unforgettable experience which will surely be talked about for a long time to come. 'Diwali' is the Indian 'festival of lights and sound' which is celebrated by Indians across the country.

Although this vibrant and vivacious festival is a few weeks away, watching the 'Opening Ceremony' that announced the arrival of the second edition of the Indian Cricket League (ICL) gave one a feeling that Diwali had dawned early in Hyderabad. Gracing the opening ceremony were Shri.K R Suresh Reddy, Assembly Speaker, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, former Chief Minister-Andhra Pradesh, Shri Subhash Chandra-Chairman Zee & Essel Group and Kapil Dev-Chairman, Executive Board, Indian Cricket League (ICL). Actor Rohit Roy was the anchor for the ceremony.

With the first match to be played between ICL's popular teams, Hyderabad Heroes v/s Lahore Badshahs today, the atmosphere in the stadium was pulsating with energy. Over 1000 performers displayed their skills in what was an enthralling event encompassing acrobatics, aerial artistry, Shaolin kung-fu , trampoline daredevilry upon a heliosphere, and our very own brand of dancers and drummers.

The music was vibrant and every beat was perfectly synchronized by trained international and national artists in a choreographed extravaganza which was an amalgamation of lights, sound and a visual spectacle that was nothing short of sheer bliss to the senses.

Trampoline artists were roped in from Ukraine doing somersaults in such perfect harmony that it looked like they were puppets being controlled by unseen strings from above.

Aerialists from the United Stated climbed up to the roof of the stadium using nothing but a thin piece of cloth. These fragile and gifted women displayed the sensuousness of ice-skaters; only they were 20 feet from the ground with nothing but their many years of practice saving them from a deadly, if not fatal fall. Yet gracefully they enthralled as they always do.

Shaolin Monks from monasteries in China brought their brand of kung-fu to India reminiscing the era of Bruce Lee. Their physical endurance and apathy to pain was a sight to behold as they performed a choreographed set with props like swords, sticks and their very own bodies.

'Phoenix Productions', a group trained in 'playing with fire' took their art and craft and converted it into a scary yet visually aesthetic act that sure set the fireworks at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, quite literally.

With all these acts simultaneously vying for camera-time and a chance to enthrall our senses, a trampoline artist set off on a heliosphere which hovered around the stadium. The gifted female artist did flips, somersaults and acrobatics taking the ICL to a 'different height'.

And let's not forget our very own Indian performing artists from the Shiamak Davar Institute of the Performing Arts (SDIPA) – (aged 5 to 21) danced to the beat of Bollywood tunes and not one of them missed a step, count or footing. So professional were they that they single-handedly kept the audiences glued to the TV screens.

The drummers from the south of the country played violently and made the entire stadium come alive with the beat of their drums, announcing the ICL's arrival with fanfare and oomph. Over 100 of them beat their dholaks in an effort to breathe life into the ICL yet again and it was their pulsating rhythm that announced to the entire world that the ICL is here.

In this way, like Diwali, the whole world participated in the Opening Ceremony of the Indian Cricket League with performances and acts that will linger in the recesses of the mind for a long time to come with such and awe and splendor that's both unrivalled and unmatched, just like the brand of cricket it unveiled.

Starting today, October 10th to November 16th, the ICL 20s Indian Championship in Season 2 will see a total of 41 pulsating matches being played at four international standard stadiums in - Hyderabad, Panchkula, Gurgaon & Ahmedabad. A prize money corpus of Rs.13.72crore for 'ICL 20s Indian Championship' was announced recently.

ICL promises to make this Season 2 an unforgettable experience for TV viewers, spectators & cricket lovers across the globe. The 9 teams comprising of the newly added Dhaka Warriors will play against each other once in every city. In India, Zee Sports will telecast all matches live in Hindi, while Ten Sports will do the same in English.

Bengal Tigers Roar away to second straight win at ICL20s Indian Championship

Royal Bengal Tigers win by 35 runs.

Craig McMillan declared man of the match

The 8th match of the ICL 20s Indian Championship featured the revamped Royal Bengal Tigers take on the formidable Delhi Giants at the LB stadium Hyderabad. Both sides came into the match having won their respective tournament openers. In the end it was the in form Royal Bengal Tigers who outplayed their opponents in all departments of the game to register their second straight win of the tournament. Craig McMillan was declared man of the match for his brilliant innings of 69 off 40 balls.

Earlier in the evening McMillan won the toss and elected to bat, wanting to take advantage of the batting friendly wicket & putting up a good total upfront. The Tigers opened with their in-form opening combination of Marshall and Dasgupta. The 4th over stage saw the openers put the Tigers in the drivers' seat at 33 for no loss. Trying to steal a single of a misfiled, found the inform Hamish Marshal short of his crease, packed back to the Tigers dugout cutting short his promising innings of 23 off 13 balls. Superstar Bond struck again in the same over, getting the prodigal Jhunjhunwala for a duck to leave the Tigers in bit of both at 37/2 in the 5th over.

The fall of the 2nd wicket brought the experienced McMillan to the middle, getting into the repair act right away in company of Dasgupta. The 29 run partnership between the two was ended when the wily Ali Murtaza castled Dasgupta in the 9th over, stealing the initiative right back for the Giants. McMillan was not perturbed by the fall of wickets and by the 11th over, took the Tigers on a solid 87/3.

McMillan was playing a skippers knock & in company of the dangerous Klusener, set the Tigers for the perfect onslaught with five overs to go at 114/3. McMillan scored 22 runs of the 16th over from Bali before falling off the fifth ball of the same over, to end his brilliant innings of 69 off 40 balls; including 4 massive sixes and seven fours. A 22 off 23 balls from the great Zulu saw the Tigers fold their innings at a very competitive 171/7 in their allotted 20 overs.

The Giants chase got off to a shaky start with Tarafdar inducing a false stroke from the experienced Benkenstein, to get the Tigers their first break in the 3rd over on the Giants score of 14. Giants skipper Atapattu promoted himself up the order and started his innings on a promising note with three classical fours. After 6 overs the Tigers, still had the upper hand restricting the Giants at 35/1.

With 10 overs to go Giants were placed at 64/2 needing another 108 runs at nearly 11 runs per over and their two major batting mainstays Abbas Ali & Marvan Atapattu battling it out in the middle. A brilliant catch by Diwakar off Adams saw the back of the pedigreed Abbas to leave the Giants in deep trouble at 71/3 in the 11th over. Atapttu’s wicket in form of a stumping by Dasgupta off Upul Chandana had the Tigers sniffing victory at the 12th over stage. Upul was spot on with his leg spinners getting his second dismissal of the match sending back the dangerous Nixon cheaply for five. Some tight bowling & a mounting run rate was making the chase an uphill task for the remaining Giants batsmen, falling well short of the target by35 runs, handing the Tigers their second straight win of the tournament.

Brief Scores: Royal Bengal Tigers 171/7 in 20 overs (McMillan 69, Dasgupta 26, Murtaza2/19) won by 35 runs against Delhi Giants136/8 in 20 overs (Gunawardene25, JP Yadav 24, Tarafdar 2/19)

Royal Bengal Tigers beat Lahore Badshahs

Opener Hamish Marshall's unbeaten knock of 76 and Upul Chandana's four-wicket haul made the Royal Bengal Tigers score a splendid victory over Lahore Badshahs by eight wickets in their Indian Cricket League T20 encounter at the Lal Bahadur Shastri stadium here tonight.

Chasing a target of 140, Marshall played a fine innings from the beginning and went on to score 76 runs, including two sixes and nine boundaries off 53 balls.

Marshall received strong support from his opening partner Deep Dasgupta who scored 20 runs in an equal number of deliveries and Craig McMillan (35) whose knock of a six and three boundaries helped in snubbing the Badshahs.

The Badshahs could not contain the onslaught of the Tigers though they managed to run out Abhishek Jhunjhunwala when he was at 3.

Earlier, Sri Lankan Upul Chandana restricted the Badshahs to 139 for six in 20 overs. He took four wickets, which included skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq, in four overs.

Other Tigers' bowlers Brian McMillan send opener Imran Nazir back to the pavilion for nine runs. and Lance Klusener took the wicket of Naved Latif.

For the Badshahs, Imran Farhat (37) and Shahid Yousuf (32 not out) were the only batsmen to make an impressive score.

Farhat's 37 included four boundaries, while Yousuf knock has two sixes and three fours.

Earlier, Inzamam won the toss and elected to bat. The Tigers pick up two points from the match.