West Indies beat New Zealand by 56 runs in T20

Gayle smashed seven fours and five sixes off 52 balls to anchor a record-breaking West Indian total of 209-2 off 20 overs ysterday.

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.

Champions League T20 scheduled to begin from September 23

The Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) cricket is scheduled to begin in India from September 23 and go till October 9.

The tournament returns to India this year with matches in Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata, as well as a qualifying event in Hyderabad from September 19-21.

The tournament will have 10 teams competing. Seven teams have already qualified for the event. A six-team qualifying event will be held for the first time to determine the final three participants.

The teams will be divided into two pools and the top team from each pool qualifies for the group stage, and the third would be the next highest ranked team based on points and then net run rate.

In the group stage, 10 teams have been divided into two groups for a round robin phase. The top two teams from each group would progress to the semifinals.

The group stage matches will be held in Eden Gardens, Kolkata, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore, and MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

Bangalore will host the first semifinal (October 7) while the other semifinal (October 8), and the final (Octover 9) will be held in Chennai.

Chennai Super Kings, the defending CLT20 Champions, have been drawn in Group A along with Cape Cobras (South Africa's Pro20 Series Champions), 2009 Champions NSW Blues and Mumbai Indians. The fifth team from the group will be the team that finishes top of Pool B in the qualifier.

Group B contains Royal Challengers Bangalore (IPL runners-up), Warriors of South Africa (2010 CLT20 runner-up), and South Australian Redbacks (Australia's Twenty20 Big Bash Champions). The remaining two places will come from the Qualifiers (the top of pool A and the next highest qualifier).

The tournament starts in Bangalore with a group B clash between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Warriors at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Bangalore beat Delhi by 8 wickets, both sides out of CL T20

Bangalore Royal Challengers and Delhi Daredevils crashed out of the Champions League Twenty20 after the formers' eight-wicket victory over their Indian Premier League opponents here.

In a dramatic League B Super Eight match played last night at the packed Chainnaswamy Stadium, Ross Taylor smashed a blistering 65 off just 38 balls to help Bangalore surpass the target of 139 with nearly five overs to spare.

Earlier, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Anil Kumble led from the front by grabbing three wickets to restrict Delhi Daredevils to a modest 138 for six.

Bangalore were only playing for pride as they were already out of contention for a semifinal berth after Cape Cobras' victory over Victoria Bushrangers in another League B match yesterday.

The eventful day saw the first match being delayed by one hour and 40 minutes and reduced it to 17-over-a-side affair due to bomb scare.

The result of the second match between the two Indian Premier League sides meant none of them will play in the semifinals of the USD six-million tournament.

South African side Cape Cobras and Australia's Victoria Bushrangers made it to the semifinals from League B as both have collected four points each.

Delhi's last match at home against Cape Cobras tomorrow thus will be rendered inconsequential. Bangalore made a subdued start not wanting to take risk against Delhi opening bowlers Aashish Nehra and Dirk Nannes, who bowled consistently above 150 km per hour.

They also suffered a jolt in the second over as Manish Pandey retired hurt after a desperate lunge forward to reach the crease.

But, New Zealander Ross Taylor was in a punishing mood. He showed his intentions clear by hitting three fours off Glenn McGrath in the fifth over.

The actual run riot, however, began from towards the midway mark as he hit boundaries almost at will before he was out off Nannes for 65 in the 14th over. He hit six fours and our sixes in his 38-ball stay at the crease.

Taylor was though given life twice when he was on 18 and 32 -- the first by Nehra and then by Rajat Bhatia off his own bowling and Delhi had to pay a price for their mistakes.

The Kiwi hit two consecutive sixes off Amit Mishra in the 12th over and raised his 50 from just 29 balls from one such hit over the rope.

Bangalore were 68 for one after the 10th over but the run riot by Taylor and later by Dravid, who made unbeaten 32 off 26 balls (3X4; 1X6) and Virat Kohli, whose unbeaten 24 from 10 balls included five fours, ensured that Bangalore reach 139 in 15.1 overs.

Dravid ended the match in style hitting Nehra for a six.

For Delhi, Nannes took two wickets for 19 from his four overs. Amit Mishra was the most expensive, conceding 59 runs without wicket from his four overs.Earlier, Kumble, who celebrated his 39th birthday yesterday, was instrumental in puttingbrakes on Delhi Daredevils who were on to a rollicking start after he put the opposition in after winning the toss.

For Delhi, Virender Sehwag top-scored with an explosive 47 which he made from 29 balls with the help of four fours and
a six. Dilshan contributed 20.

Delhi openers Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir were intent to make Kumble pay for his decision by hitting a torrent of boundaries in the innings' initial overs.

The Delhi duo struck seven fours in the first five overs to take the score to 47 for no loss with Sehwag, who hit three consecutive boundaries off Praveen Kumar, contributing 31.

Sehwag struck two more fours off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the fourth over but lost his opening partner Gambhir two overs later, edging a Dale Steyn delivery to Mark Boucher for 11.

Delhi lost way after the midway mark and once Sehwag was out in the 10th over, they failed to put up any worthwhile partnership.

Sehwag was going strong when he was out, holing out to Manish Pandey off Roelof van der Merwe at 77 for two.

Two wickets fell quickly, both claimed by birthday boy Kumble, which reduced Delhi to 91 for four in the 13th over.

Kumble introduced himself in 11th over and on his third ball dismissed Dinesh Karthik (2). Two overs later, he caught Dilshan off his own bowling to reduce Delhi to 91 for 4.

Owais Shah (17) and Manoj Tiwary (11) failed to contribute much.

I don't want to get into any trouble: Sreesanth

Shanthakumaran Sreesanth is back home in Kerala but the news that the Kerala Cricket Association has received a letter from the BCCI about his Level II offence left him shaken. Sreesanth was involved in a verbal tiff with Mumbai bowler Dhawal Kulkarni and was fined 60 per cent of his match fees during the Irani Trophy.

"I haven't seen this letter yet. I have tried my best to stay calm and cool on the field and that incident involving Kulkarni was an exception. I want to play as many games as I can and really don't want to get involved in such incidents," Sreesanth told

The fast bowler admitted that his performance in the past has been overshadowed by other things."I want people to talk about my bowling and my performance. I don't want to get into any trouble. I have been working hard and trying my best. I have paid the price for my Level-II offence and I won't do anything that earns me a Level-III offence," Sreesanth said.

Talking about what happened between him and Kulkarni, Sreesanth said that he did not "abuse" the Mumbai bowler.

IPL teams blown away

For the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Saturday's match against Delhi Daredevils was a dead rubber. However, Anil Kumble & Co. lit up the Diwali evening with a superb eight-wicket victory against Gautam Gambhir's boys. What this means is there will be no IPL team in the semifinals of the Champions League Twenty20.

Defending IPL champs Deccan Chargers were knocked out earlier in the tournament. The other two teams of League B -- Victoria Bushrangers and Cape Cobras -- are through to the last-four stage.

Taylor played a spectacular innings of 65 runs consuming just 38 balls including six boundaries and four sixes to pave the way for an RCB victory. But it was birthday boy Kumble who laid the foundation for his team with a phenomenal spell of 3 for 20 to restrict Delhi to 138 for six.

Chasing 139, RCB began slowly but steadily. Though openers Robin Uthappa and Manish Pandey -- who retired hurt with the scoreboard reading 7 for no loss -- failed to make a mark, the evergreen Rahul Dravid and Taylor stitched together a crucial match-winning 93-run stand.

Taylor was dismissed with 31 still required but Dravid ensured there were no more hiccups. The veteran remained unbeaten on 32 finished off the game with a huge six over long-off. Virat Kohli, who replaced Taylor, starred with a 10-ball 24 studded with five spanking boundaries. Asked to bat, the Daredevils looked like they would breach the 180-run mark with ease. Openers Virender Sehwag and Gambhir got off to a flier.

Sehwag, in particular, was in devastating form as he sent the fielders on a leather-hunt during his knock of 47. However, Dale Steyn put the brakes on the flow of runs when he had Gambhir caught behind for 11. Sehwag continued his onslaught and looked good for his CL T20 second half-century. His stay at the wicket, was however, cut short when he holed out to Pandey at long-off. Viru's blistering knock came off just 29 balls including six boundaries and a six.

With both the openers gone and Kumble getting into action, things were about to turn from bad to worse for the Daredevils. In his very first over, Kumble got rid of Dinesh Karthik. In his next over, he had Tillakaratne Dilshan caught and bowled. The veteran leggie then dismissed Owais Shah, but more importantly, Van der Merwe and he put the brakes on the scoring rate. The two gave away just 40 runs in eight overs. A late burst by Manoj Tiwary and Rajat Bhatia helped Delhi post a total of 138 for six.

Cricket set for Champions Trophy

Cricket's second biggest 50-over event, the biennial Champions Trophy, begins in South Africa on Tuesday, as the sport's top eight teams vie for glory.

The tournament was to have been held in Pakistan last year but was postponed and moved because of security concerns.

Two teams from two groups of four will form the semi-finals, with the final to be staged in Centurion on 5 October.

England face South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka but are without star men Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen.

Group A consists of holders Australia, India, Pakistan and the West Indies.

The England team were thrashed in the recent 50-over series against Australia, with only a narrow victory in the final match preventing them from becoming the first team to lose a series 7-0.

Without Flintoff and Pietersen their chances appear remote, and they begin with a daunting day/night contest against the talented Sri Lankans in Johannesburg on Friday.

Kumar Sangakkara's highly-regarded Sri Lanka side begin the competition against the hosts in Centurion (1330 BST start).

South Africa, the world's number one side, have not been in competitive action since the ICC World Twenty20 in England in June but skipper Graeme Smith said his side were ready to make an impact.

He said: "One of our major challenges as a team going into this tournament is our lack of games, but we have really focused hard in the last three weeks to train as well as we can by making it as competitive as possible.

"We have created a lot of scenarios and challenges which will best enhance our abilities.

"The guys are motivated and excited and I think we can use the freshness to our advantage by getting in and playing good cricket up front."

Counterpart Sangakkara was in optimistic mood as his team look to win the trophy for the first time outright, having shared the title in 2002 when the final and the reserve day against India was washed out.

In the last two months they have won a five-match series against Pakistan and won triangular series games with New Zealand and India, before losing in the final to Mahendra Dhoni's side.

"Everyone here is a professional unit and whether they have played recently or not won't matter because you are always in training and up to the challenge of playing," Sangakkara said.

"It is nice to have had a bit of cricket, but the only advantage of that is that we have been competing under pressure.

"Everyone in our team is confident, but our recent wins are not going to count for anything."

The popularity of the 50-over format of the game has waned since the introduction of Twenty20 and speculation about its future is rife, with a general air of apathy surrounding a second world tournament in the space of three months, following the ICC World Twenty20 won by Pakistan.

Lessons have been learned from the torturous 2007 World Cup, which comprised 16 teams and took more than six weeks to complete its 51 matches, with only 15 games over a far more sensible two-week period in this competition.

The loss of crowd-pullers such as Flintoff and Pietersen, plus India's cavalier opening batsman Virender Sehwag, is unfortunate, however, and some big-hitting, action-packed close contests are urgently needed if the event is to continue in the long term.

ECB backs world Test championship

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) says it supports the idea of introducing a world Test championship.

Haroon Lorgat, chief executive of the International Cricket Council (ICC), had claimed that England and India were blocking the initiative.

But the ECB's only reservations are believed to be over the event's format.

"We are fully engaged with the ICC over proposals for a world Test championship and are supportive in principle," an ECB spokesman said.

Cricket's governing body has been looking into ways of increasing the popularity of Test cricket, whose future is threatened by the rise of the Twenty20 game.

In July, the MCC's world cricket committee recommended the introduction of a world Test championship, involving teams playing each other over a four-year cycle, culminating in semi-finals and a final.

The ECB are believed to be concerned about spreading the tournament over such a long period, during which the strength of the teams would vary enormously.

The plans could also lead to lucrative series against the likes of Australia, India and South Africa being shortened to accommodate matches against lesser Test nations like Bangladesh and New Zealand.

The proposed starting date of 2012 could clash with the London Olympics.

But the ICC is determined to push the plan through in order to give greater importance to every Test series.

"I would like to convince people that the way to ensure Test cricket survives is through a championship model," Lorgat told the Guardian.

"The only two countries who do not see the argument are India and England, but debate is growing all the time.

"The MCC seem to have come out in favour but when I met the ECB recently it was the wrong time to tackle them in detail. They were too high on the Ashes."

While Test matches in England regularly attract full houses, attendances in most other Test-playing nations have been falling.

There is also concern about the increasing ambivalence towards Test cricket among players from certain nations.

An MCC survey among professional cricketers around the world revealed players coveted a lucrative Twenty20 deal with an Indian Premier League team above any other achievement.

All-rounder Andrew Flintoff recently retired from Test cricket, and rejected an England central contract in a bid to maximise his earnings from limited-overs cricket around the world.

"There's no doubt a Test championship would be of great benefit," added Lorgat.

"Let's say you and your mate are South African and Australian - and India are about to play Sri Lanka. If the result impacts on your team's championship standing you are bound to be more interested."

ICC mulling on Tendulkar's ODI-splitting idea

When Sachin Tendulkar speaks, the world listens and International Cricket Council is now planning to split one-day matches into two innings of 25 overs each, an idea mooted by the Indian batting great earlier this month.

In order to spice up the one-day format, Tendulkar had proposed that every team should play two innings of 25 overs each and ICC Cricket Manager Dave Richardson said the governing body might soon conduct a trial.

"I quite like that idea. I believe South Africa may try something along those lines," Richardson told BBC Sport.

"This might work in day/night cricket where one team has to bat in the day and the other at night. It provides something different and reduces the effects on the team who loses the toss and has to bat first on a damp wicket, for example," he said.

Even though Tendulkar aired his views earlier this month, Richardson said the idea had popped up in the past as well and came up for discussion at the annual ICC Cricket Committee meeting in May.

One-day cricket is already facing a tough challenge from Twenty20 and the England and Wales Cricket Board scrapped Friends Provident trophy, the only 50-over domestic tournament, in favour of a Twenty20 event.

Richardson, however, is concerned that splitting a match into two innings would mean less centuries, as batsmen would have less overs to bat.

"I don't necessarily like the idea of playing two matches of 25 overs each with the openers batting again. The charm of one-day cricket is seeing someone batting at four and scoring a good hundred," Richardson said.

"If you bat in the middle order of a Twenty20 or a new 25-over innings, you're not going to get much of an opportunity to hit three figures, one downside of the Twenty20 game," he said.

He, however, made it clear that such an experiment should be conducted at the domestic level before pushing it into international cricket.

"If it has been tried successfully at domestic level, it may be possible to give it a go-ahead at international level," he said.

"The ICC has been proactive with ideas and innovations, like the powerplays. The idea of the 'super-sub' wasn't as successful and got rid of quite quickly. One of the criticisms was that we trialled things at international as opposed to domestic level.

"Our tactics going forward are member countries trial changes first domestically and if they are successful, then we can take them on board at the international level," Richardson said.

The ICC Cricket Committee will discuss the result of the experiment when it meets next year.

Fantastic cricket - Radiant Info USA Twenty20 2009 finishes with a flourish

The Radiant Info USA Twenty20 2009 ended amidst great fanfare. Three days of exciting T20 cricket played by some of the best cricketers in the USA culminated with the New York Destroyers emerging the champions.

The closing ceremony, which included entertainment by DJ Dynamix, had the entire assembled crowd and players tapping their feet, if not dancing all out, none more so than the Destroyers themselves. There were speeches by Kranthi Bayya, the CEO of DreamCricket.com thanking the sponsors as well as the assembled fans for their support of this premium tournament. Ms. Bayya, whose pioneering efforts as a woman in a predominantly man's world that is cricket, took it upon herself to recognize the women behind the success of the Radiant Info USA Twenty20 2009, led by Sangeetha Subramanian, the Marketing/Communications manager of the tournament and including Bhagyashree Bohra, Jyoti Myneni, Soundari Shiv Kumar.

The Chief Guest, Mr. Balwinder Singh Sandhu was as candid as ever as he provided the winning team with pointers on what they could do to avoid the needless tense moments that surrounded the New York Destroyers' batting camp as they were chasing down a small total of 94.

Mr. Venu Myneni, CEO of Radiant Info, congratulated the teams for reaching the Finals and thanked them for a wonderfully entertaining match. He also shared his excitement at the smooth execution of the tournament and said he thoroughly enjoyed his visits to the ground during the three days of the tournament.

The Radiant Info USA Twenty20 2009 had one of the highest purses within the USA - the winners, Bedessee New York Destroyers led by Barrington Bartley took home USD 5,000 along with the elegant championship trophy while the runners up, Neil McGarrell's Global Challengers received a Runners-up trophy and a check for $2,000.

There were a whole host of other awards for outstanding performances in all departments of the sport. The presentation party included executives/ proprieters from the various sponsors that have supported DreamCricket.com in their endeavor to catapult cricket in the USA in various aspects such as professionalism, entertainment value, and most importantly the quality of the cricket itself by attracting some of the best talent in the land and making the Radiant Info USA Twenty20 the huge success it is.

North sees changes to one-day cricket

West Australian skipper and Ashes star Marcus North says changes to 50-over international cricket are almost inevitable - while suggesting free admission to domestic matches could be the way to attract fans back to the WACA.

As North prepares to start the season in charge of the Warriors, Australia is preparing to take on England in the third of seven ODIs being played in an extended Ashes summer.

But with Twenty20 cricket attracting more interest, and corporate dollars, the future of the original limited-over format is coming under increasing scrutiny.

North has now become the latest big name cricketer to question the long-term viability of the 50-over format.

"I think Test cricket will always be Test cricket. I am (a) purist, it is my favourite game and I feel if it looked after well enough by the ICC and the governing bodies that will still be quite strong," North said.

"And T20 is here to stay and an exciting format, and has brought a new audience to cricket because it can only be good to bring families and kids to get involved in the game

"But 50 over cricket - the jury is still out.

"Just watching it the other night, going from playing and watching Test match cricket at such a high level, and the excitement of T20 cricket, 50-over cricket does seem to drag on.

"There is lot of talk about it at the moment, in England the domestic scene the ECB have binned the 50-over competition for the following few years and brought in a 40-over competition.

"There are a number of changes and I think you will see that coming into the international level once the ICC has trialled a few different formants to see what works best.

"Anything we can do to enhance and improve this game, to make it more attractive to people."

Despite WA pulling off a marketing coup in attracting Chris Gayle for their T20 team, attracting decent crowds to Ford Ranger and particularly Sheffield Shield matches this season will again be a major challenge.

Modi for Test cricket under lights

Is Test cricket boring? The verdict might differ from person to person but a discussion on the matter was very lively when some top cricketing brains of the country converged here on Tuesday.

If only the International Cricket Council was listening to what the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sanjay Manjrekar, Lalit Modi, Harsha Bhogle and Rajdeep Sardesai had to say on the matter, it would have got a few clues as to how to save the oldest form of the game from the onslaught of the newest form - Twenty20.

Joining the panel discussion on Cricket in Changing Times on the occasion of Bhogle's book (Out of the Box - Watching the game we love) launch, Tendulkar said there was a need to instill passion among youngsters. "When I was 10, I had gone to see West Indies play India. I think the BCCI should do something to develop the passion in youngsters. They can tell schools to get their best students in academics or sports and watch the Test matches which will be an incentive for them and also instill some passion in them. I am sure every youngster is eager to wear an Indian cap," the Little Master said.

IPL chairman Lalit Modi, typically,came out with a formula that will attract more eyeballs. "Test cricket has to be marketed well. Today people have many options but little time. You can do that by making Test cricket a day-night affair. We also have to get a Test match schedule right in place."

Manjrekar felt Test and ODI formats have to be made action packed just as T20 cricket. "There is a sporting excellence needed in every form of the game. T20 provides you cricketing excellence. I think one-day cricket need to be tweaked a bit. Test cricket is different and exciting. A spectator expects it to be more action packed," observed Manjrekar.

Noted journalist Sardesai said cricketers want an IPL cap. "People don't want an Indian cap. They want to play in IPL."

Billiards legend Michael Fereira came up with the issue of other sports not getting their due. Modi said it was because other events have to be marketed well. "We need to get the results at the top and it should be taken to the consumers that's how they will get sponsors and TRPs. Media should also give good coverage to other sports too," Modi said.

Bhogle felt T20 has opened up new cricketing skills but Test cricket will continue to exist irrespective of T20's soaring popularity. His book was a compilation of his columns in a national daily.

Anil Kumble to lead Pietersen

Anil Kumble will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Champions League T20. The RCB have decided not to change their skipper even in the event of Kevin Pietersen's availability for the October 8-23 tournament.

On Tuesday, reports from England suggested that Pietersen will be facing a stand-off with England and Wales Cricket Board over his participation in the CL T20 but a couple of RCB officials told this paper that Pietersen's availability will not have any impact on the captaincy issue. Pietersen, one may recall, was the designated captain of the side.

"We don't know about Kevin but Anil will be our skipper," a top official of the RCB told DNA. Added another official, "We are not sure of the fitness of Kevin. It will be known in a couple of days. But his availability will not change our skipper." RCB are expected to announce the squad on Friday after speaking to team owner Vijay Mallya.
Kumble took over from Pietersen and then led RCB's incredible surge in the IPL II. The team ended up runners-up.

Meanwhile, there are conflicting signals from England over Pietersen's participation. The England batsman, having undergone surgery for Achilles heel four weeks back, should be fit for the tournament which is over 50 days away. One needs six weeks to two months to recover fitness from surgeries on heel and Pietersen would have rested for nearly three months by the time of Champions League.

Sources in England say Pietersen was keen to play in the Champions Trophy from September 22 but the ECB selectors have left him out of the one-day tournament. An ECB official told this paper that it is not known if Pietersen will be fit by October 8.

Meanwhile, the governing council of CL T20 came out with rules for the players qualified to play for two teams in the tournament.

"Under CL T20 rules, provided a player qualifies for more than one team, all those qualifying teams can nominate that player. If the player then decides to play for an 'away' team rather than his 'home' team (the team from the country he is eligible to represent in international cricket), the 'away' team must pay $200,000 compensation to the 'home' team. 'Away' teams are not eligible for compensation if a player chooses to play for his 'home' team," a release said.

Sachin Tendulkar wants fans to react with responsibility

Sachin Tendulkar shares an average fan's disappointment after Team India's early exit from the Twenty20 World Cup but he strongly disapproves of the backlash it has generated back home.

Tendulkar said he was disappointed with India's failed title defence but at the same time felt the fans back home needed to show more "responsibility and balance" in their reaction.

"I feel there are very high emotions among the people when they react. But do these reactions help us to play better? not really. These actually put more pressure on the players. We have got to be mature and be with the team," Tendulkar said.

"No one can change the past but always can learn from it and do better in future. I think, We should react to the success and failures with lot of responsibility and balance. If we do that it becomes easier for everyone," he told news channel Times Now.

Tendulkar was here, along with his family, to cheer the Indian team. But the side under Mahendra Singh Dhoni could not win a single Super Eight match and crashed out of the tournament, which triggered a backlash in India with fans questioning Dhoni's leadership and team selection.

Even Dhoni's apology to the nation after crashing out of the event could not placate the agitated fans who burnt his effigy in his home town Ranchi.

Tendulkar said he could understand the nation's feelings but could not fault the team, for they had tried their best.

"I am also disappointed along with the nation. I am sure that the guys planned and tried well, but things sometimes don't click," Tendulkar said.

"Disappointment will be there. But I am sure the team will put the best step forward to get the rhythm again. If everyone back home stands behind them, the team may become a formidable one," he added.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni booed by Indian fans

Criticised by former cricketers for his tactical blunders against England, Mahendra Singh Dhoni faced the wrath of angry fans as he was booed after India's 12-run defeat to South Africa in their final Twenty20 World Cup Super Eight match here.

Dhoni was booed at the presentation ceremony after the match but the beleaguered Indian captain said it didn't affect him.

"I was told by a senior a few years ago. He said if somebody is appreciating you, don't hit seventh heaven. If you fall on floor, it wouldn't be good for you. So adopt a central path. I try to do so," Dhoni added.

India are favourites for T20 World Championships: Kumble

Anil Kumble on Thursday tipped defending champions India to retain the title at the World T20 Championships, starting in England on June 5, saying they have the most balanced side and the potential to emerge winners again.

"In my opinion India have the best balanced side. If they play to their potential they will lift the Cup again. It's a fantastic side and all the players in the team showed good form in the IPL. Playing at home England are strong while New Zealand and Australia also look good. It will be a most competitive tournament", the former India skipper said here.

Kumble, who launched the new Castrol Index as part of its cricket website, dismissed fears that the Indian players would be jaded after the tour of New Zealand followed immediately by the 35-day IPL in South Africa in the run-up to the World T20.

"It was known beforehand that there was just a week's gap between the two events. As an international player it's up to you to maintain your fitness," the retired leg spin ace said when queried whether the fatigue factor, touched upon by team coach Gary Kirsten during the IPL, could be a concern.

Kumble rated the Indian bowling attack as well rounded, strong in the pace department and well supported by spinners Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha.

"In all formats having various options is good. It's specially true about the shorter format of the game," he said.

Kumble, who took over the reins of the struggling Bangalore Royal Challengers in the IPL from Kevin Pietersen of England and brought about a dramatic turn-around in the team's fortunes by leading it to the final against Deccan Chargers, said he expected wicket conditions to be similar in England.

"The wickets in South Africa were on the slower side and I expect the wickets in England too to be similar, though perhaps helping the seamers a bit more," said India's highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.

He also brushed aside concerns over the indifferent form of Delhi Daredevils and India's opening duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in the IPL ahead of the T20 event in England.

"Viru was back in form in the semi final with a fifty and I expect Gautam Gambhir always to do well in England," he said.

Admitting that it was perhaps a bit difficult for the International Cricket Council currently to carve out a window for the IPL, Kumble was optimistic this can be done once the ongoing Future Tours Programme of the world body runs out in 2012.

"IPL is a month and a half long and it may be difficult now. May be the ICC can look into it after the FTP ends in 2012 and work out an opening," he said.

How Gilly's gang did it

captain
Gilchrist energy, batting prowess and cricketing acumen fuelled his team's charge. He was a friend first and then a leader. He ensured that veteran VVS Laxman and the upcoming star Rohit Sharma were both at ease. Being appointed captain for the full season gave Gilchrist a sense of ownership unlike probably in the first year when he took over from Laxman. After rarely tasting defeat while playing for Australia, Gilly, smarting after finishing last in Season One was determined than ever before to inculcate a winning culture in the team.

Indians shining
The Chargers benefited as their young Indian players clicked. RP Singh was coming off an injury but bowled beautifully and took 23 wickets and won the Purple Cap. Pragyan Ojha, the 22-year-old left-arm spinner, bowled with precision to end up with 18 wickets. Rohit Sharma, the vice-captain of the side, made it count with both the bat and the ball. He took a hat-trick and also won matches off his own bat. Sharma made 362 runs, a good number of them in the death when the team was chasing an unlikely victory.

Smart buys
Ryan Harris signed a contract with the team in late 2008. A Redbacks teammate of Darren Lehman, Harris was picked following the coach's recommendation. Harris bowled with a lot of heart and added to the batting depth of the side. Also the team management made two smart buys during the second auction. They acquired two West Indian players, Fidel Edwards and Dwayne Smith, for $150,000 and $100,000 respectively. While Smith pulled his weight it was Edwards, with the new ball, who struck telling blows in the early part of the tournament.

Super Symo
Andrew Symonds is that kind of a player whose mere presence in the line-up can deflate the confidence of the opposition. After flying in after the one-day series against Pakistan, Symonds made 60 off 36 balls against Kings XI Punjab to announce his arrival. He didn't perform consistently with the bat but added value by bowling smartly and fielding brilliantly. He was also constantly seen having a go at the opposition, especially the younger players, and getting under their skin. After missing out on a place in the Ashes squad, Symo was more determined to enjoy the game and prove a point.

New staff, fresh ideas
A lot of the camaraderie that Rajasthan Royals displayed in the first season of the IPL was attributed to the team-building exercises set in motion by Darren Lehman. As Chargers coach, he combined well with Gilly. He wore a smile on his face no matter how the match was poised and wore his happy-go-lucky attitude lightly. Cash incentives were used to get the best out of players and it worked. The Chargers also got Steve Smith, known to be a good fitness guru, into the picture. In the end the combination worked as the team excelled on the field and enjoyed themselves off it.

At Kingsmead, all the kings' men prevail

Yusuf Abdulla held his nerves and Piyush Chawla bowled a superb penultimate over as Kings XI Punjab beat favourites Mumbai Indians by three runs. The two bowlers conceded eight and seven runs respectively in the last two overs as the IPL has been thrown wide open by the Wednesday night's results.

Mumbai Indians were cruising towards victory when JP Duminy was in the middle but Abdulla got the better of his compatriot to pave the way for Kings' win after Chawla removed dangerous Harbhajan Singh in the 19th over.Irfan Pathan gave away only 20 runs in his four overs as the Mohali side successfully defended a modest total of 119.

For Mumbai, the first 19 balls yielded only 12 runs while costing them the wickets of Sanath Jayasuriya (0), Sachin Tendulkar (1) and Shikhar Dhawan (3). Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara's unbeaten 45 saved Kings the blushes as the side fumbled and faltered their way to 119 for eight. The Lankan waged a grim battle with a 44-ball 45 on a day when only three of his teammates returned double digit scores.

Yuvraj Singh's decision to bat first backfired and by the first strategy break, the Punjab side crawled to 50 for 3.

Openers Karan Goel (12) and Ravi Bopara (6) just could not get going and the first three overs yielded only 10 runs. The subdued start would have pleased any rival captain but not Sachin Tendulkar who tossed the ball to Harbhajan Singh in the fourth over and the offie struck with his third delivery.

Scorecard
Kings XI Punjab: RS Bopara c Tendulkar b Bravo 6, K Goel st Shah b Harbhajan Singh 12 (1x6), KC Sangakkara not out 45 (2x4, 1x6), Yuvraj Singh c Khan b Duminy 10 (1x4), M Jayawardene c Dhawan b Jayasuriya 7, IK Pathan c Bravo b Khan 7, WA Mota b Malinga 5, PP Chawla b Malinga 0, RR Powar run out (Shah) 10 (1x4); Extras (B4 LB2 W11) 17; Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 119 (5.95 runs per over); FoW: 1-18, 2-18, 3-41, 4-52, 5-84, 6-97, 7-97, 8-119; Bowling: Zaheer 4-0-19-1, SL Malinga 4-0-12-2, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-23-1, DJ Bravo 3-0-24-1, JP Duminy 3-0-23-1, S Tendulkar 1-0-7-0, ST Jayasuriya 1-0-5-1

Mumbai Indians: ST Jayasuriya c Yuvraj Singh b Pathan 0, STendulkar c Jayawardene b Malik 1, S Dhawan lbw b Abdulla 3, JP Duminy c sub (T Kohli) b Abdulla 59 (4x4), DJ Bravo c Mota b Powar 15 (1x4, 1x6),AM Nayar b Pathan 15 (1x4),Harbhajan Singh c Goel b Chawla 6 (1x4), SS Tiwary not out 6, Z Khan not out 0; Extras (B1 LB1 W8 NB1) 11; Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 116 (5.80 runs per over); FoW: 1-1, 2-4, 3-12, 4-45,5-94,6-101, 7-113; Bowling: IPathan 4-0-20-2, VMalik 2-0-12-1, R Powar 4-0-23-1, YAbdulla 4-0-19-2, P Chawla 3-0-26-1, K Goel 2-0-11-0, WA Mota 1-0-3-0

Dhoni and his men may play T20 in Tihar jail next week

After entertaining crowds in every part of the cricket globe, India's cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and some of his teammates may turn up in Tihar jail next week for a Twenty20 tournament involving the inmates.

According to a Tihar jail source, the jail authorities have approached Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh and Ajay Jadeja to turn up for the Twenty20 Tihar Winter Olympics Cricket Tournament's final next week.

Among them, Dhoni and Gambhir have expressed their interest to be part of the event, though they have still not confirmed their participation.

"We have approached these players and are now waiting for their confirmation. We can only tell you the details only after we get their approval", the source said.

The participating teams are made of Tihar prisoners and the cricketers would only play a few overs to encourage them, the source said. If the jail authorities manage to rope in the star players, each of the four participating teams will have at least one professional cricketer in its ranks.

Back in 1994, Sachin Tendulkar played cricket in Tihar while World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev has also played there on a few occasions.

Sri Lanka agree to tour Pakistan

Sri Lanka will tour Pakistan next year following the withdrawal of India, the Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed.

India pulled out on Thursday after receiving government advice in the wake of November's attacks in Mumbai.

Sri Lanka, currently in Bangladesh for two Tests and a one-day series, will play three Tests, three one-dayers and a Twenty20 game in Pakistan.

"Sri Lanka have agreed to tour Pakistan," PCB chief operating officer Saleem Altaf confirmed.

"We are working on the dates and other details. Sri Lanka will travel to Pakistan straight from Bangladesh where their tour ends in the third week of January."

Sri Lanka are due to arrive in Karachi on 19 January and play the Twenty20 game and the first one-day match there.

The proposed schedule would then see the tourists travel to Lahore for back-to-back one-day games and the first Test.

Multan would host the second Test and Sri Lanka would return to Karachi for the final Test before returning home.

The PCB will also hold a meeting to review the participation of Pakistani players in the two Twenty20 competitions in India.