India should have included left-arm spinner Ojha to counter Aussies: Ganguly

Former captain Sourav Ganguly feels India's poor form in the series against Australia is continuing, and believes that both Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Michael Clarke read the WACA pitch wrongly. 

"I feel both the captains read the pitch wrongly. There is still a lot of grass cover and they expected the ball to do a lot more than it did. That both captains picked four fast bowlers was a perfect example of what they felt about the pitch," said Ganguly.

"I was surprised with India's decision to field four quicks and I honestly felt Pragyan Ojha would have been a good choice. The Australians have not played left-arm spin well over the years and India should have had the variation in its attack," he adds.

Ganguly is of the view that India's senior batters, including Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid who have tons of runs against their names, are struggling despite the WACA pitch being an ideal batting surface.

"It is a terrific batting surface here - probably the best in the series. For the Indian batting, the worries continue. It's really hard for me to find a reason why such a talented batting line-up keeps getting bowled out cheaply. It's been another soft performance against pace and if the knives are out now, well they have to blame themselves," said Ganguly.

"They have looked completely out of sorts and it's hard to fathom what needs to be done to get that confidence back," he concludes.

 

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ICC considers T20 for Olympics

The strong emergence of the Twenty20 format has the ICC considering a bid to have cricket return to the Olympics after more than a century, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said on Saturday.

 

Cricket has been played only once at the Olympics, in 1900, although it was not officially recognised as an Olympic sport until 12 years later.

The International Cricket Council (ICC), the sport's world governing body, was officially recognised as a federation by the International Olympic Committee in 2010, meaning the ICC can bid to join the 2020 Games.

Speaking on radio at the third Test between Australia and India in Perth, Lorgat said Twenty20 was the first international cricket format suitable for the Olympics.

"We have never had a format that would lend itself to playing in the Olympics until Twenty20 came to the fore," he said. "We are starting to have a look at that."

"In the strategic plan the board approved in 2011, we will evaluate properly what the benefits are for Olympic participation. There are pros and cons to that decision."

"We would need to see what the implications would be on the Cricket World Cup."

Lorgat said the biggest hurdle facing cricket's return to the Olympics was the already packed playing schedule.

"If we were to introduce cricket into the Olympics, that is another extended period of time taken out of the calendar," he said.

Lorgat added that the ICC was keen to limit the amount of Twenty20 cricket played at international level.

 

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Yuvraj ruled out of ODI tri-series in Australia

Yuvraj Singh's much-awaited return to international cricket has been delayed.

The senior pro, who turned 30 last month, has still not recovered from his illness — the presence of a non-malignant tumour over his left lung.

In an SMS to The Telegraph, late on Friday, Yuvraj (Player of the Tournament in the 2011 World Cup), said: “Am fit physically, but not medically… Am ruled out for selection.”

Yuvraj, therefore, won’t feature either in the two T20 Internationals against Australia or in the tri-series Down Under immediately after those two matches. His last India appearance was during the Eden Test against the West Indies, in mid-November last year.

The national selectors will be picking the India squad, on Sunday, for the limited overs segment of the Australia tour.

 

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Swann says having Panesar as Test partner would benefit England

Off-spinner Graeme Swann has said that having left-arm spinner Monty Panesar as a partner in the Test squad would benefit England tremendously.

"In fact, I hope England pick two spinners. I would love to have Monty Panesar wheeling away at the other end when the First Test begins on Tuesday," Swann writes in an article for The Sun.

"It would great if Monty played. He is certainly in form, after taking eight wickets in our win over the Pakistan Cricket Board XI. I love playing with another spinner at the other end. I like the rhythms of the game with men round the bat and a lot of banter with the batsmen," added Swann. 

"We can bowl in tandem or give each other a break from bowling. First, though, we will need to look at the pitch. If it plays similarly to the one for the warm-ups, I think two spinners might be a real possibility," Swann says. 

How we fit Monty in - drop a batsman or a seam bowler - is another matter. And these are the sorts of problem I do not have to wrangle with.

 

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Cricket Australia confident Oz players not involved in fixing

Cricket Australia has made it clear that anti- corruption is a "deeply ingrained" part of Australia's cricket culture, as the game in England was embroiled in more match-fixing controversy after a county player admitted to corruption. 

Former Essex paceman Mervyn Westfield faces a potential jail sentence after pleading guilty in a London court to accepting 6000 pounds to concede a pre-arranged number of runs in a domestic one-day match against Durham in September 2009. 

Several of Westfield's Essex teammates were suspicious of the bowler's performance after he conceded 60 runs from seven overs. 

Westfield and another Essex player Danish Kaneria, a Pakistan leg-spinner, were arrested last May but Kaneria was never charged, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Westfield's guilty plea comes three months after Pakistan trio Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were handed jail terms for spot-fixing in a Test against England at Lord's in 2009. 

CA said yesterday that it would not follow the England and Wales Cricket Board's decision to offer a three-month amnesty for players and officials with evidence of approaches from suspected fixers. 

"What we are aware of is the very, very strong culture within the Australian team and throughout international and national Australian cricket, male and female," a CA spokesman said.

 

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Another day, same story for India

Umesh Yadav’s first Test fiver briefly raised hopes of an Indian comeback in the Perth Test before their batsmen succumbed to their usual problems against Australia’s quality pace bowling.

On Day 2, India were 88-4, still trailing by 120 runs. Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli showed temperance against Australia’s incisive attack in adding 37 runs for the fifth wicket.

Earlier in the day, David Warner made 180 (159b) after being dropped on 126 by Kohli at first slip. Warner, batting with Friday’s aggression, played and missed a lot (particularly against Zaheer Khan), and added 214 for the opening wicket with Ed Cowan (74).

UMESH TRIGGERS COLLAPSE

Umesh, who had watched Australia cruise past 200 in the first hour today, triggered Australia’s collapse after the drinks break.

Both Australian openers got off to a relatively slow start in the morning. Vinay Kumar delivered a nasty blow to Warner's elbow but the strong fellow carried on. He had received a painful one on his helmet yesterday form Umesh too.

His figures read 50-0 in seven overs yesterday; today he had 5-43 in 10. In his first spell, he dismissed Cowan, Shaun Marsh and Ricky Ponting. He bowled Cowan in his first over, bowling around the wicket. It was India’s first wicket having conceded 548 runs since Ponting’s dismissal in Sydney.

He dismissed Marsh with a beautiful delivery angled across the left-hander. Marsh, with scores of 0, 3 and 0 in the series so far, never looked comfortable and it was no surprise when he edged one to VVS Laxman at the second slip. In his next over, he bowled Ponting with a full, fast, in-swinging ball.

The ever-smiling rookie pacer from Vidarbha has operated with the cunning of a veteran on the tour of Australia, impressing even hard-nosed analysts of the game such as Ian Chappell and Tom Moody.

Zaheer had some luck in the noon session when Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin finally edged his probing deliveries to MS Dhoni. Australia, 214-0 after the first hour, lost their last 10 wickets for 155 just before tea.

Amidst all this, Warner tormented India with his power hitting. His 150 came up off just 128 balls. After 20 fours, he fell going for his sixth six against Ishant Sharma, getting caught by Umesh running back from mid-on.

BATSMEN FAIL INDIA AGAIN

The same old clichéd script played itself out yet again as India batted in the evening. Mitchell Starc and Peter Siddle removed the openers in consecutive overs. Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman soon followed.

Starc, one of the two changes in the Australian side, struck in his first over. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag had binned the glamour shots and airy wafts for a hard-earned partnership of 24 in 10 overs.

Starc removed Gambhir with a sharp, fast bouncer. In shooting parlance, it would have been a headshot. Gambhir knocked an easy catch to gully off his bat’s handle.

Sehwag, displaying atypical caution in scoring 10 off 28 balls, was finally put out of his misery by another rising delivery from Siddle, gloving it to Haddin.

Tendulkar fell LBW for the second time in the game playing across the line to an in-swinging ball, this time from Starc. As umpire Kumar Dharmasena gave him out, Tendulkar displayed a great deal of annoyance as he walked off. Replays showed it was a marginal decision.

Laxman’s Test career moved a step closer to its end as the hero of many famous fight-backs edged Ben Hilfenhaus to the slips on zero. India have lost six Tests abroad on the trot. The seventh is a few hours away.

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Haddin under spotlight for his dismal performance

Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin is under the spotlight for his dismal performance after Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey have hit back at their critics with powerful displays against India.

The 34-year-old has been struggling with the bat for a while, averaging just 21.35 over the past 12 months at Test level with two 50s and a highest score of 80 - the saving grace being his near career-best form with the gloves during that period.

But at the SCG, some keeping errors are likely to start the voices of discontent calling for Haddin's expulsion.
A simple catch at chest height offered by Indian opener Gautam Gambhir eluded him late on day three, infuriating young fast bowler James Pattinson, The Age reports.

Captain Michael Clarke said: "Brad just dropped a catch, unfortunately. That happens in cricket."

Disturbingly for Clarke and Haddin, though, the keeper's day-four efforts were also marked with several fumbles in the morning session.

Haddin will keep his position for the third Test in Perth, but his barren run will have to end if he wants to make his place permanent.

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Clarke considering to field all-pace attack for Perth Test

Skipper Michael Clarke has said that he is strongly considering an all-pace attack for next week's third Test at the WACA Ground.

Ryan Harris, who was the 12th man in Sydney and has been retained in the squad for Perth, will replace injured James Pattinson in the squad on the ground on which he starred during the Ashes last summer.

Clarke said last night that playing four quicks at a venue well known for its advantages for pacers was an option, although he is reticent to leave out spinner Nathan Lyon.

"Like I said after Melbourne before we played this match, I needed to assess conditions and see what the wicket was like but it is an option. I'd imagine there will certainly be at least four fast bowlers in our squad for Perth and we'll assess conditions when we get over there," he said.

"I'm hoping that wicket is similar to what we played on against England last summer, that it's got a lot of pace and bounce and some sideways movement. If that's the case, there's an option there but like I've said before I always love having a spinner in our team and I continue to say I think Nathan Lyon is doing a really good job for this team."

Australia played four pacemen - Harris, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus - in Perth in December 2010, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

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Ryan Harris poised for Test comeback

Fit-again Ryan Harris is ready to take the place of injured fast bowler James Pattinson in the Australian team for next week's third Test against India in Perth, coach Mickey Arthur said on Saturday.

Rising pace star Pattinson will miss the rest of the four-Test series with a stress injury to his left foot after playing a leading role in Australia's 2-0 lead over India.

Pattinson, 21, has taken 21 wickets in his first four Tests as Australia inflicted heavy defeats on the tourists in Melbourne and then in Sydney on Friday.

The Border-Gavaskar Trophy series switches to the bouncy WACA wicket in Perth, where Australia lost to the tourists on India's last tour, in 2007-08.

Paceman Harris is nearing full fitness after a hip injury in November's Cape Town Test against South Africa.

"We have a proven Test bowler waiting in the wings, ready to go. We've put a lot of work into Ryan over the last two weeks, he was close to getting a game in Sydney, but we felt that he hadn't had enough work," Arthur said.

"We've put that work into him and we're satisfied that if selected he's ready to go come Perth."

Arthur, the former South Africa Test coach who came initially to Australia to coach Western Australia, is familiar with the normally pacy WACA wicket.

"While the Sydney wicket and Adelaide most resembles the sub-continent (wickets), the WACA pitch is going to be totally different," he said.

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Pakistani captain eyes more wins in 2012

Pakistan's cricket captain Misbah-ul Haq was full of confidence his fast-rising team will have more success in 2012 after overcoming a spot-fixing scandal and remaining unbeaten last year.

"Through hard work of all the players we had a good 2011 and I hope that this team will have more success in the new year," Misbah said while addressing a reception in honour of his team in Lahore on Thursday night.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hosted the function to honour their team, which kept an unbeaten record though all Tests and one-day series in 2011 -- a difficult period for the side in the wake of a spot-fixing scandal.

The scandal, unearthed by the now defunct News of the World in the UK in 2010, ended in jail terms for Test captain Salman Butt and pacemen Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer.

Misbah took over as Test captain in September 2010 and led Pakistan to draws in the series against South Africa and the West Indies, and notched wins over New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

"I think this success was due to the fact that all 15 players in the squad fulfilled their responsibilities and I am sure they will carry on the good work in the new year," said Misbah.

Pakistan now face a tough opponent in England, who rose to world number one in Test rankings last year. They will play three Tests, four one-day internationals and three Twenty20s in United Arab Emirates. The first Test starts in Dubai from January 17.

"I am sure the boys will do the same hard work, show responsibility and play to their potential against England who are the best Test team at the moment," said Misbah. "We know how tough it is going to be, so we are ready for that."

PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf praised the team and announced a cash award of 300,000 rupees ($3300) for each of the 15 players and 100,000 rupees ($1100) for the support staff.

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Quitting T20 made me a better player: Clarke

Australia captain Michael Clarke says his decision to retire from T20 cricket at the start of 2011 has made him a better player in the longer formats of the game.

Clarke had a dream Sydney Test, scoring a monumental 329 not out, taking the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar and captaining Australia to an emphatic win over India to go 2-0 up in the series.

Since becoming captain and retiring from T20, Clarke has amassed 819 Test runs at an average of 68.25 and hit four hundreds.

'The greatest thing about the Twenty20 competitions is it is very individual, each individual player has the opportunity to make his own decision, and I think the T20 in Australia has been outstanding,' Clarke said.

'I think I made the right decision to stand down from T20 cricket internationally and to focus on my one-day and Test cricket. I really thought I had to improve my game, to try to become the player I want to be, to become the best player I can possibly be.'

'I don't know what my results say or my statistics over the last 12 months, but I feel my game is better now than it was 12 months ago, that is for sure.'

Clarke took the captaincy from Ricky Ponting for the Sri Lanka tour in August. He led the team to a 1-0 win in the island nation followed by the drawn series against South Africa and New Zealand.

Clarke feels the added responsibility has not come in the way of his batting.

'Captaincy has probably put a bit of extra responsibility on me, but I don't feel like I have changed my game,' Clarke said.

'I guess what I have worked on over the last 12 months is really trying hard to improve my game, facing our bowlers in the nets with brand new balls to improve my technique. Facing a lot of spin on unprepared wickets to improve my game against spin when we travel to the subcontinent,' he explained.

Australia are on course to win the series against India and Clarke sees the once 'invincible' unit is heading in the right direction.

'This whole team in my opinion is heading in the right direction. We have a lot of work to do, but we are heading in the right direction and I am just enjoying the opportunity to lead so many good young players.'

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Bresnan to miss England tour opener

England will be without all-rounder Tim Bresnan for Saturday's opening match of their tour of the United Arab Emirates.

The 26-year-old is still recovering from surgery to remove bone fragments from his right elbow just over a month ago.

Captain Andrew Strauss said Bresnan, who has not bowled in practice since arriving in Dubai with the squad on Tuesday, would not be risked in the three-day match against a team made up of players from cricket's second-tier countries.

"He's got some swelling following his operation," said Strauss. "It's making it a bit uncomfortable for him.

"With operations you can never be 100 percent sure how the recuperation is going to go but there are no long-term worries about it. Hopefully the recovery will continue and he will be ready for the second warm-up game."

Fellow paceman Chris Tremlett is also a doubt for Saturday's game because of a sore eye.

Strauss said England would approach the match, the first of two games they play ahead of the first test against Pakistan in Dubai starting on January 17, with high intensity.

"Like always we will be looking to use it to create some momentum early on the tour," he said. "We are not looking to ease into this fixture.

"I think that would be the wrong way to go. We are looking to hit the ground running and hopefully that will allow us to get out of this first game with a win."

Opposition captain William Porterfield of Ireland said his players were relishing the prospect of playing against the world's number one test team.

"It is going to be a great occasion and a chance for the lads to show what they can do," he said. "There are lads here who are looking to prove a point that they belong at this level."

The tour is taking place in the United Arab Emirates because of security concerns in Pakistan.

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Australia celebrates Clarke's spin

Captain Michael Clarke was Saturday praised as the force behind Australia's second Test victory over India, in which he scored a triple century and took the crucial wicket of Sachin Tendulkar.

Australia won the second Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground by an innings and 68 runs on Friday, helped by Clarke's unbeaten first innings total of 329 runs, which allowed the skipper to declare at a massive 659.

Not content with his efforts with the bat, Clarke then gave himself the ball on Friday, claiming Tendulkar with one of his left-arm spin deliveries when the master batsman was on 80.

The ball, which enticed Tendulkar forward to get a thin edge and was caught by Mike Hussey at first slip, one again robbed the "Little Master" of claiming his 100th international century.

 

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Samaraweera fails to prevent South Africa win

South Africa beat Sri Lanka by ten wickets to clinch the series 2-1 on the fourth day of the third and final Test at Newlands on Friday, despite a fighting century by Thilan Samaraweera.

Samaraweera's 115 not out and some bold hitting by the tailenders enabled Sri Lanka to avoid an innings defeat. They were bowled out for 342, leaving South Africa needing only two runs to win the match and the series.

He also equalled two South African Test records by taking four catches in the innings and six in the match after making a career-best 224 in South Africa's first innings. Samaraweera and vice-captain Angelo Mathews put on 142 for the fifth wicket and prevented South Africa from taking a wicket before lunch.

But the introduction of the second new ball, which was taken one over before lunch, brought a breakthrough when Vernon Philander trapped Mathews leg before wicket for 63 in the fourth over after the interval with a ball which kept low.

Philander followed up by having Dinesh Chandimal caught at second slip by Jacques Kallis.

Samaraweera went to his second century of the series after batting for 283 minutes, facing 201 balls and hitting 13 fours. He reached his hundred during a seventh wicket stand of 56 with Thisara Perera which was marked by some big hitting by Perera before the left-hander was caught in the deep by Morne Morkel off leg-spinner Imran Tahir for 30.

Kallis caught and bowled Rangana Herath before the last two batsmen, Dhammika Prasad and Chanaka Welegedera, both hit out effectively enough for Sri Lanka to avoid an innings defeat.

Welegedera hit Kallis for four and six off successive balls to take Sri Lanka one run ahead before he was comprehensively bowled by Kallis attempting another big hit.

It was South Africa's first series win at home since they beat Bangladesh in 2008/09. Since they had lost and drawn series against Australia and shared series with England and India.

South Africa won the first Test at Centurion by an innings and 81 runs but Sri Lanka hit back by winning the second Test by 208 runs.

 

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Reaping what he sowed

There are several aspects to India’s performance in Melbourne and Sydney. MS Dhoni’s captaincy is just one. But the defeats have brought his tactics under the scanner. The pundits are unanimous: he’s too defensive.

However, only one former captain – Steve Waugh – has acknowledged that this was Dhoni’s style to begin with. You can trace it back to his first game as India’s full-time Test captain.

In the Nagpur Test against Australia in 2008, Dhoni put eight fielders on the off-side and told his bowlers to bowl wide outside the off-stump all day. It paid off. The Australians were thrown off gear, managed just 166 runs in the day, went on to lose the game and the series — one of the very few they had lost that decade.

While that instance had a touch of Dhoni’s genius, the subsequent ones did not.

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