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.”

add add * ICC needs to inject new life in Tests: Shane Warne

Australia spin legend Shane Warne feels Test cricket will soon be history if the ICC and major cricketing boards fail to take proactive steps to promote the five-day game and save it from extinction.

The former leg-spinner said for any player Test cricket would always be the first priority but to save the longer version of the game the ICC needs to take responsibility and inject new life in it.

"Test cricket to me and to a lot of other ex-players and public is a great form of the game, the best. It has to remain the ultimate, we need to promote it, push it and play an attacking style of cricket. It's where you're judged, earn your respect and get to show what makes you tick," Warne wrote in his column in Daily Telegraph.

Shane Warne, Rajasthan Royals stand by terror-hit Mumbai

Spin legend Shane Warne and the Rajasthan Royals team today expressed shock at the Mumbai terror attacks and said they stand by the city in its hour of crisis.

"We are disappointed to not be playing (in Champions League) but right now our thoughts are with the people affected by this tragedy," Warne, captain-coach of Rajasthan Royals, said in a statement.

Warne was on his way to Mumbai for the now-postponed Champions Twenty20 League but once he heard about the attacks, he stayed put in Singapore before deciding to return home.

Royals chairman Manoj Badale also expressed shock at the attacks and said, "We are deeply saddened by the tragic incidents that took place in Mumbai on Wednesday. We think of Mumbai as a second home for the Royals, and we all feel terrible right now for the wonderful people of Mumbai who make it such a vibrant city."

Brian Lara's career in Photos

Brian Lara's career in Photos


After making his Test debut against India in 1990, Brian Lara did not have to wait long for the world to sit up and take notice, scoring a magnificent 277 in Sydney 1993 to turn the series in the West Indies favour.




Against England the following year, Brian Lara surpasses Sir Garfield Sobers' long standing individual Test record, making 375 against Mike Atherton's England.




Two months later, Brian Lara clocks the highest ever first class score, smashing an amazing 501 against the hapless Durham.




A third century in as many Tests earns Brian Lara the man-of-the-series award against England in 1995.




Brian Lara enjoys a purple patch of form on home soil against Australia later in the year.




Brian Lara's crowning moment came back in Antigua in 2004 as he scored 400 against England to re-claim the record of the highest individual Test knock.




Brian Lara's team-mates give the little maestro a cricketing 'guard of honour' as he leaves the field.




Brian Lara also captained the West Indies to the ICC Champions Trophy at the Oval in 2004.




Shane Warne acknowledges a fellow great after Brian Lara surpasses Allan Border's record of 11,174 Test runs in Adelaide.




Brian Lara approached the 2007 World Cup with high hopes of success on home soil but the West Indies slumped to defeats against New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka and South Africa.





After leading the West Indies to victory against Bangladesh, Brian Lara announces that his final international match will be against England in the final Super 8 game.





Brian Lara walks back after being run out by Kevin Pietersen in his final innings.





Brian Lara salutes the crowd after his final international innings.




Brian Lara walks a lap of honour.


Sachin Tendulkar's Career in Photos