Anand finishes second in Tata Chess, Nakamura champion

WIJK AAN ZEE (THE NETHERLANDS): Five times winner Viswanathan Anand had to be content with a second place finish following a draw with Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia in the 13th and final round of 73rd Tata Steel Chess tournament on Monday.

The World Champion could draw a big consolation from the fact that he would be the number one ranked player all over again as the results here proved that he will be overtaking world number one Magnus Carlsen of Norway in the next rating list.

Hikaru Nakamura of United States own the title after drawing his final round game with Wang hao of China.

For the records, Nakamura tallied 9 points in all, a half point more than Anand in this category-20 super tournament between 14-players.

The American not only performed way beyond his rating of 2751 but also finished ahead of the world's top four ranked players.

Anand got the better position with his black pieces but could not find a breakthrough AS Nepomniachtchi simply got an impregnable position in the endgame arising out of a Sicilian defense game.

The Indian ace settled for a draw in 37 moves. "Disappointing," Anand said after the final results were out.

"When I reached a plus-four score (Four wins and rest draws), I felt I was well on my way to a final victory but Hikaru just kept winning, picking up six points in a row, which was quite amazing.

"But I'm not unhappy; it's difficult to be unhappy with a plus-four score. It's a pity I didn't manage to win the tournament but I think I performed above my rating, which isn't bad at all," the World Champion said.

The third place was shared by Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian of Armenia who both scored 8 points apiece. The last round of the tournament turned out to be a damp with all the games ending in draws for the first time in the event this year.

In Group 'B' Surya Shekhar Ganguly finished with 5.5 points after drawing quickly with with Vietnam's Le Quang Liem. England's Luke McShane and Czech Republic's David Navara tied for the title at 8.5 points and the former won the title on better tiebreak qualifying for the 'A' group of 2012.

Tania Sachdev started out as the lowest ranked player in the 'C' group but her performance was way above expectation. The Indian finished with 6.5 points in all to finish joint sixth after losing to Germany's Sebastian Siebrecht in her final round game. Italy's Daniele Vocaturo won the title and a promotion to the next year's 'B' group with 9 points after drawing with main rival Illya Nyzhnyk of Ukraine.

Final standings: Group 'A': Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 9 points), 2. Viswanathan Anand (8.5), 3-4. Magnus Carlsen (Nor), Levon Aronian (Arm) (8 each), 5-6. Vladimir Kramnik (Rus), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra) (7.5 each), 7-8. Anish Giri (Ned), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukr) (6.5 each), 9-10. Ian Nepomniachtchi (Rus), Wang Hao (Chn) (6 each), 11-13. Alexander Grischuk (Rus), Erwin L'Ami (Ned), Jan Smeets (4.5 each), 14. Alexei Shirov (Esp, 4) .

Group 'B': Jon Ludvig Hammer(Nor, 4) lost to Laurent Fressinet (Fra, 6); Zahar Efimenko (Ukr, 8) drew with Gabriel Sargissian (Arm, 7.5); S S Ganguly (Ind, 5.5) drew with Le Quang Liem Liem (Vie, 7.5); Wesley So (Phi, 7.5) drew with Radoslav Wojtaszek (Pol, 6.5); David Navara (Cae, 8.5) drew with Luke McShane (Eng, 8.5); Wouter Spoelman (Ned, 5) beat Friso Nijboer (Ned, 3.5); Li Chao (Chn, 6) beat Vladislav Tkachiev (Fra, 7).

Group 'C': Robin Van Kampen (Ned, 4.5) drew with Benjamin Bok (Ned, 6.5); Daniele Vocaturo (Ita, 9) drew with Illya Nyzhnyk (Ukr, 8.5); Murtas Kazhgaleyev (Kaz, 7) drew with Dariusz Swiercz (Pol, 7.5); J.W. de Jong (Ned, 4) lost to Kateryna Lahno (Ukr, 8); Mark Bluvshtein (Can, 7.5) beat Ivan Ivanisevic (Srb, 7.5); Tania Sachdev (Ind, 6.5) lost to Sebastian Siebrecht (Ger, 5.5); Roeland Pruijssers (Ned, 4) lost to Mark van der Werf (Ned, 5).

TOI

India hope Tendulkar can cap career with World Cup win

NEW DELHI: As Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar heads into his record sixth cricket World Cup, a nation of 1.2 billion are hoping he can cap a phenomenal career with a win for host India.

Tendulkar is the holder of virtually every major batting record in Test and one-day cricket, including most runs and most centuries in either form, and most believe a World Cup win will complete his career of achievements.

Former West Indian batsman Vivian Richards said during a World Cup promotional event last month that "the World Cup would be the icing on the cake for Sachin Tendulkar."

Just as Tendulkar's consistency has been credited with India's superb recent form, runs from the Mumbai player's bat have had a direct bearing on the team's fortunes in the World Cup.

This time around, home conditions are expected to help India, which boasts of an prolific batting lineup.

The likes of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan may be capable of turning any match on its head with big-hitting, but Tendulkar remains the bulwark.

Tendulkar, 37, played for India in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and the semifinals in 1996. He played a major role in both those campaigns. establishing the record for most runs in any single World Cup by accumulating 673 in 2003, and was the highest scorer in 1996 with 523.

Tendulkar's absence from a match against Zimbabwe in the 1999 World Cup, when he returned home briefly after his father's death, resulted in India losing the match and spoiling its finals chances despite consistent performances from others like Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

Tendulkar, who also leads the aggregate table for most runs in World Cups at 1,796 in 36 matches and shares the record of four World Cup centuries, will now be tied with Pakistan's Javed Miandad in terms of Cups participated in.

Brian Lara, the only modern-day batsman who has been consistently compared with Tendulkar, says the Indian's records will not be easily broken.

"I believe that the entire world appreciates Tendulkar still playing cricket," Lara said on a recent visit to New Delhi. "His records will not be surpassed, especially with more Twenty20 cricket being played."

Lara said he was honoured to have his name being spoken in the same breath as the Mumbai batsman.

"Winning the World Cup or not, Tendulkar's achievements are enormous," he said.

Tendulkar avoided one-day cricket for almost a year after hitting 200 not out against South Africa at Gwalior in 2010.

He then returned home midway through the one-day series in South Africa this month because of a hamstring injury, but that was more of a precaution with the World Cup round the corner.

Tendulkar has learnt the art of remaining fresh by taking timely breaks, and while he, along with Australia captain Ricky Ponting, South Africa's Jacques Kallis and Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka, is among the top players expected to have a last stint at the World Cup, not everyone feels that is the case.

Kapil Dev, the 1983 World Cup winning captain, says Tendulkar is capable of playing in a seventh World Cup.

"People say it is his last World Cup, but I don't believe this. We might see him play the next World Cup also as I feel he will not quit till he wins the trophy."

Tarun Mehndiratta, a 40-year old finance professional from New Delhi's satellite town of Gurgaon and an avid Tendulkar fan, feels it will be a golden moment if his hero lifts the World Cup on home ground in Mumbai on April 2.

"What more can one ask for than Tendulkar winning the coveted trophy for us at the Wankhede Stadium?" said Mehndiratta. "I am sure all Indian fans are hoping that comes true."

TOI

ICC to inspect Eden on Feb 7 for three other matches

Kolkata, Jan 30 (IANS): After ruling Eden Gardens unsuitable for the February 27 India-England World Cup game, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will make an inspection February 7 to gauge the venue's progress for hosting the remaining three scheduled matches in March.

Apart from the India-England encounter, the Eden Gardens is slated to host South Africa vs. Ireland (March 15), the Netherlands vs. Ireland (March 18), and Zimbabwe vs. Kenya (March 20).

"There will be an inspection on February 7 to gauge progress of Eden Gardens as the venue for the other three World Cup matches scheduled," an ICC spokesman told IANS.

Responding to Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya's allegation that the ICC has not given any specific reason for taking away the Feb 27 match, the spokesman said the reasons had been explained in detail in a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

"In the letter to the BCCI, the ICC has explained in detail what the venue needs to do to meet ICC venue requirements to an acceptable standard," he said.

ICC rules out World Cup match at Eden

NEW DELHI: The ICC has formally conveyed to the BCCI about its inability to hold the India vs England World Cup match at the Eden Gardens on February 27.

The BCCI issued a release of ICC conveying its inability to hold the match at Eden Gardens on February 27.

The Cricket Board said it has recommended Bangalore as the alternate venue for the match.

"The ICC has conveyed to the BCCI that it will not be able to hold the India Vs England match of the ICC CWC 2011 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on 27 February 2011.

"The BCCI has recommended Bengaluru as the alternate venue," BCCI Secretary & President-Elect N Srinivasan said in the release.

The hectic political lobbying that was on for the past 48 hours since it was announced that Eden's marquee match will be shifted went in vain with the BCCI announcing ICC's verdict.

The last ditch effort by West Bengal Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee didn't yield any results. Since morning, there were rumours in the CAB corridors that ICC might just consider the plea to extend the deadline of completion of work till February 7.

Even former BCCI president and Cricket Association of Bengal supremo Jagmohan Dalmiya who had a telephonic conversation with ICC president Sharad Pawar expressed a glimmer of hope as he was assured that ICC would send an e-mail intimating them about the list of dos.

"I have spoken to Pawar, N Srinivasan, Arun Jaitley, Ratnakar Shetty not less than five to six times.

"Pawar is updating me about his whereabouts and in the afternoon -- around 2.30pm -- said the letter would come in half an hour. But we are yet to receive anything," an upset Dalmiya told reporters before he received the killer blow in the form of a final rejection from the ICC. said.

It's been a terrible setback for CAB that even someone as important as Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's intervention couldn't tilt the scales in CAB's favour.

So devastated was Dalmiya after hearing the news that he confined himself in his chamber at the DR B.C.Roy Club House at Eden Gardens and refused to come out.

"I have lot of things to sort out and I can't talk to the media today," he literally ran for cover as the waiting mediapersons hounded him.

The joint secretary of the state association Biswarup Dey conceded that it's all over for Eden Gardens as of now.

"We all thought that we have got a lifeline but now it seems that all hopes of having the match are over. I am speechless. If the best efforts from chief minister aren't enough, what can we say? But I would definitely raise this question at the BCCI meeting that how Bangalore can get two matches when it was decided all centres will get a match each," was his feeble argument.

Dalmiya said he had waited for a letter by the ICC specifying the reasons why Eden Gardens was dropped.

"It's no hidden treasure. But by seeing this at least we will have the satisfaction why we were not given an opportunity... This is just a reasonable request," Dalmiya said.

He said that after the inspection (on January 25), they were told about three-four points about the venue's unpreparedness in cricket operation, broadcast, sponsorship and ticketing issue.

"We need a little more explanation on this. We want to know what the ICC's expectation, concerns etc are," he said.

"What is our fault...? We all are peeved, but with all humbleness we are making a polite request. We are not here to create an acrimony," Dalmiya said with state PWD minister Kshiti Goswami sitting beside him.

"I met (Union Finance Minister) Pranab Mukherjee yesterday because I wanted them to be apprised of the situation. I just want to know whether we are to be blamed? I don't know whether it's any political pressure..." he said.

PWD minister Kshiti Goswami threw his support behind beleaguered Dalmiya and asserted that they can even host the match tomorrow.

"I don't know why ICC has dropped the venue, which is 95 per cent ready...only the finishing touches need to be given," Goswami said.

"We are still waiting for the ICC mail. We are in the dark why they dropped the venue," he said.

Goswami further saw a possible conspiracy theory behind the move.

"If even after getting the venue ready they take away the match then we will feel there is some vested interest. We are a sport-loving people. Nowhere in India or world, you would get such huge support like in the Eden Gardens. We have never been business minded. Maybe the lack of commercial aspect of the city is a reason for the match to be taken away," he said.

TOI

Djokovic wins Australian Open title, beats Murray

STAFF WRITER 17:8 HRS IST

Melbourne, Jan 30 (AP) Novak Djokovic won his second Australian Open title, breezing past Andy Murray 6-4 6-2 6-3 today to extend Britain's near 75-year drought in men's singles Grand Slams.

Murray has now been runner-up in three Grand Slam finals - losing to Roger Federer at both the 2008 U S Open and the 2010 Australian Open before his third disappointment today which enabled Djokovic to add to his 2008 Australian title.

The Scotsman has not won a set in a Grand Slam final.

Last year, Murray had tears after his loss to Federer. They weren't immediately visible this year, but the hurt may have been just has bad after he lost seven straight games through the end of the first set and into the second and never appeared to be in the match.

Dalmiya seeks ten-day grace, urges board to persuade ICC

Kolkata, Jan 27 (IANS) Expressing shock over the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision to take away the Feb 27 India-England World Cup match from Eden Gardens here, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya Thursday appealed to the Indian cricket board to advise the international body to reconsider its decision.

Refering to the 14-day extension given by the ICC to four other venues, including Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium to complete the finishing work, Dalmiya asked for an extension of 10 days from Thursday up to Feb 7 to hand over a complete Eden Gardens to the game's apex body.

'We, at the CAB, feel that we are already in a position to host the match. Despite this, we will take congnizance of all ICC concerns pertaining to 'cricketing, broadcast, media, sponsor, hospitality and ticket requirements' which are reasonable, if we are allowed the extended deadline of ten days,' Dalmiya said in a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India chief Shashank Manohar.

Dalmiya's missive came hours after the ICC ruled out Eden Gardens as a venue for the match, saying it was unprepared.

The ICC took the decision following an adverse report from its venue inspection team that visited Kolkata and four other venues earlier this week to review their readiness for the big event being hosted jointly by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka February-March.

Quoting report of the inspection team, the ICC statement said: 'Eden Gardens in Kolkata would not be ready within an acceptable time frame to host the India vs England ICC Cricket World Cup match on Feb 27.'

'We at the CAB, were shocked, to say the least... it comes as a shock because when the ICC inspection team was here, we were given to understand that they were happy with the progress of the work and had suggested only a few minor modifications,' Dalmiya said.

Dalmiya argued that while the ICC decision to take away the Feb 27 match came exactly 30 days before it was scheduled to be held, 'the ICC is willing to take over the venue 20 days before the (three other) matches in March'.

Apart from the India-England encounter, Eden Gardens is supposed to host three other games-South Africa vs. Ireland (March 15), the Netherlands vs. Ireland (March 18), and Zimbabwe vs. Kenya (March 20).

'We are at a loss to understand why the ICC is taking away the India-England match 30 days prior to it being held. It is also pertinent to note that three Sri Lanka venues - Colombo, Hanbantola and Pallekele, as well as Wankhede have been given time extension for 14 days,' the letter said.

'Logically, the CAB should also have been given at least till February 7 for handing over of the venue prior to the Feb 27 match. It is an extension of ten days and not the 14 days given to Wankhede and the three Sri Lankan venues,' he said. 'We hereby confirm that we will hand over a completed Eden Gardens to the ICC on Feb 7, provided we are given the aforesaid extension,' the letter said.

Dalmiya also sought to know the specific requirements of the ICC immediately.'We would ensure that all of these requirements are met by Feb 7,' he said.

Later, he told media persons that game could still 'probably' be held at Eden, and the final situation would be known in a couple of days. Asked whether it was a loss of face for the CAB, the seasoned cricket administrator shot back: 'Loss of face, for what?'

ICC refuses to review decision of shifting WC match at Eden

New Delhi, Jan 29 (PTI) The International Cricket Council has rejected the BCCI''s plea to reconsider its decision of shifting the February 27 World Cup match between India and England out of the historic Eden Gardens.

According to reliable sources in the board, ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat informed BCCI president Shashank Manohar about the parent body''s decision of not considering the Indian board''s request sent at the behest of the Cricket Association of Bengal.

It has been learnt that the ICC has stuck to its stand and is not ready to consider CAB''s appeal that it will hand over the stadium to the ICC on February 7.

"Yes, the BCCI has forwarded the ICC''s e-mail which states that they have rejected our plea. As far as we are concerned we are ready to host matches. But if the parent body has already made up its mind, there is little we can do about it," a senior CAB official said.

The state association officials are now in desperate damage control mode and want to ensure the remaining three non-India matches are not taken away which will then leave them in shambles.

The historic 100,000 capacity stadium lost the right to host the crucial India-England tie after failing to meet the completion deadline for renovation work.

Tendulkar named Indian Cricketer of the Year

MUMBAI: Sachin Tendulkar's genius made way for another evening of celebrations as the cricketing fraternity got together to honour him with the Castrol Indian Cricketer of the Year award.

A suburban five-star hotel in Mumbai got decked up on Friday evening as Tendulkar, accompanied by wife Anjali, made a dash to the event that began with the highlights of the year 2009 - when India achieved the status of the World's No. 1 Test team.

"When we reached the No. 1 rank, there were those who thought we'd lose the crown after 30 or 40 days. It's more than a year now and we're still at the top and that's been a great effort on part of the whole team," he said.

While he spoke, teammates Rahul Dravid - special award for 200 Test catches and Virender Sehwag - pocketing the Batsman of the Year award, watched from the audience. Memories of the 2008 Test series win over Australia, the 2009 series wins over England, New Zealand and South Africa and the rising phenomenon of cricket's new world order in the game's oldest format - the recordings of which were shown on giant screens - made the evening.

Tendulkar, the Cricketer of the Year, also walked away with the Test Cricketer of the Year award - an honour that highlighted his extraordinary contribution to the game in the last three years.

He spoke of injuries, the comeback, coach Gary Kirsten's contribution, what it felt like to achieve 50 Test centuries and left the stage with a promise of a 16-year-old that there is still a lot more of Sachin coming our way. "It is the only thing I've known in my life (cricket). So, it feels great to have achieved whatever I have through the game," he said, the humility in his tone intact.

He received a special award for his 50th Test hundred - a record of such magnitude that it still continues to leave the cricketing world spellbound.

Sachin gave a lot of credit to India coach Gary Kirsten for India's batting in the last couple of years even as he spelt out a lot of other names who had contributed at various stages of his career.

India captain MS Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh - both couldn't make it to the event - walked away with the ODI Cricketer of the Year award and Bowler of the Year award respectively. Young India bowler Jaidev Unadkat, meanwhile, took home the Junior Cricketer of the Year award, received on his behalf by his father.

Lifetime Award for Jimmy

Former India all-rounder and man-of-the-match in the 1983 World Cup semifinal and final, Mohinder Amarnath, was felicitated with the Castrol Lifetime Achievement award.

Amarnath received the award at the hands of former teammate Sunil Gavaskar and both the former greats spent their share of time on the stage reminiscing their years in the '60s, '70s and '80s during which they played with and against each other in school tournaments, first-class cricket and finally the Indian team.

Amarnath remembered his father, Lala Amarnath, and his tutoring that helped instill in him the cricketing discipline. "Whatever I achieved as a cricketer is because of him," he said.

Later, both Gavaskar and Amarnath felt that the present Indian team is one of the best ever and had all the chances to bring the 2011 World Cup home.

Other award winners

ODI Cricketer of Year: MS Dhoni
Bowler of Year: Harbhajan Singh
Special achievement award for highest no. of catches in Tests: Rahul Dravid
Impact cricketer: Yusuf Pathan
Lifetime achievement in cricket award: Mohinder Amarnath
Junior Cricketer of the year award: Jaydev Unadkat.

Read more: Tendulkar named Indian Cricketer of the Year - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Tendulkar-named-Indian-Cricketer-of-the-Year/articleshow/7382054.cms#ixzz1COYhQd3W

Sachin Tendulkar strikes Rs 40 cr, two villas in new endorsement deals

PUNE/BANGALORE: It must be the greatest start Sachin Tendulkar ever had: earning Rs 1.5 crore a day! In the first 27 days of 2011, the Little Master has won Rs 40 crore and two villas in new endorsement deals. If only he could match the strike rate on the pitch during this World Cup!

Indian cricket's little big man has signed deals with Pune-based real estate company Amit Enterprises for Rs 9 crore and apparel maker S Kumars Nationwide (SKNL) for Rs 12-13 crore, within days of Coca-Cola announcing a Rs 20-crore, three-year contract with the top batsman.

Tendulkar's deal with the Rs 250-crore developer includes two villas, priced at Rs 2.5 crore each, in Amit Enterprises' upscale housing project.

"We have taken Sachin as our brand ambassador because we are not known outside Pune, and his association with us should help when we start projects in Mumbai and Nashik," Amit Enterprises chairman and managing director Kishor Pate (Wani) said. The company plans to enter Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, he added.

SKNL , which already has high-velocity brand ambassadors such as Shah Rukh Khan for Belmonte and Amitabh Bachchan for luxury suitings brand Reid and Taylor, believes Tendulkar can help its economy brand, World Player, break into the value segment for men and become a pan-Indian brand.

"The timing of the World Cup is purely coincidental to the endorsement," SKNL's apparel and retail director Ashesh Amin said.

Tendulkar's association with the brand will extend to incorporating his personal tastes with respect to colours as well as the look & feel of the brand. "Tendulkar is a go-getter. His dedication and attitude fits into World Player's brand values," Amin said.

Last week, Coca Cola signed Tendulkar as its 'happiness ambassador', laying the pitch for a Tendulkar-M S Dhoni face-off in the cola battlefield this season. "Sachin Tendulkar will play his part in the company's various strategic communication initiatives including its corporate, CSR and brand campaigns," Coca-Cola said in a statement.

PepsiCo has already released a high-visibility campaign featuring the Indian cricket captain Dhoni. Sachin had endorsed PepsiCo for close to a decade before being dropped two years ago as they felt he did not fit their 'youngistaan' campaign theme.

Tendulkar endorses 17 brands, including Adidas , luxury Swiss watch maker Audemars Piguet, Canon, ITC, Aviva Life Insurance , RBS and appliances major Toshiba. He charges about $1 million per year per deal. His endorsements are managed by sports management firm World Sport Group.

Other cricketers like Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli are also learnt to be on a signing spree, and are on the verge of signing two-three deals each. Details of the same were not available.

Read more: Sachin Tendulkar strikes Rs 40 cr, two villas in new endorsement deals - The Times of India http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-company/corporate-trends/sachin-tendulkar-strikes-rs-40-cr-two-villas-in-new-endorsement-deals/articleshow/7375190.cms#ixzz1CJYklgDe

Tremlett gets contract boost after Ashes heroics

London, Jan 25 (AFP): England pace bowler Chris Tremlett has been given an incremental contract for the 2010-11 season after his fine performances against Australia helped retain the Ashes.

After being cast into the international wilderness for several years, Tremlett took his chance following Stuart Broad's injury in Australia.

The 29-year-old Surrey star took 17 wickets in the final three Tests as England completed a 3-1 Ashes victory over their old rivals.

Incremental contracts are awarded on a points basis. Five points are awarded for a Test cap and two for a one-day international or Twenty20 appearance. Any player who accrues 20 points automatically earns a contract.

And Tremlett's appearances in the three one-day internationals in the current series against Australia, allied to his Ashes outings, put him beyond that threshold.

ECB national selector Geoff Miller said: "The selectors are delighted with the contribution Chris has made in both forms of the game."

"His return of 17 wickets from three Test Matches in Australia was an outstanding effort and he can be very proud of the role he played in helping the team retain the Ashes."

Sean Ervine leaves Zimbabwe World Cup squad

Harare, Jan 26 (AP): All-rounder Sean Ervine pulled out of Zimbabwe's squad for personal reasons on Wednesday, dealing the team's World Cup hopes a major blow.

Ervine quit English County side Hampshire two weeks ago to play for Zimbabwe for the first time in seven years but he intended to return to Britain. His younger brother Craig remained in the World Cup squad.

Sean Ervine was replaced by Tinotenda Mawoyo, an opening batsman and wicketkeeper who received two one-day international caps against Bangladesh in 2006.

Zimbabwe head selector Alistair Campbell said he was saddened by Ervine's withdrawal.

"Zimbabwe Cricket was very excited about Sean coming back into the setup. However, he may not have realised that international cricket is a lot harder than he remembers," Campbell said in a statement.

"He has lived a very comfortable life in county cricket for the last six years and obviously decided at the last minute he might not be up to the challenges of international cricket after all."

The 28-year-old Ervine played five Tests and 42 one-dayers from 2001-04, until he was involved in a players' dispute with national cricket administrators and left the country.

Mawoyo, 25, captained Zimbabwe Under-19s at the 2003 Youth World Cup in Bangladesh and was stripped of the Zimbabwe 'A' captaincy for disciplinary reasons in 2007.

He has been enjoying good first-class form of late and was named as a non-travelling reserve for the World Cup.

Zimbabwe opens against defending champion Australia on February 21 at Ahmedabad and was in Group A beside New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Canada and Kenya.

Eden Gardens loses India-England World Cup match for lack of preparations

MUMBAI: It was paradise lost for the City of Joy as the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday declared the Eden Gardens unfit to host India's World Cup group league match against England slated for February 27. With the renovation work progressing at snail's pace, the ICC team which carried out a final inspection of the Eden Gardens on Tuesday, gave the historic stadium a thumbs down in its report.

The ICC has requested the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to suggest an alternative venue so that the match can be shifted there. But late in the evening Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) who should cop much of the blame for the sordid mess, came up with two suggestions to keep the World Cup matches at Eden.

The first is a swap deal with another association that will allow Eden to host a different match at a later date in exchange for the England match. In another move, he has offered to hand over a 'match-ready' Eden Gardens on February 7 to the ICC. Dalmiya, who has maintained that the Eden would be ready in time to host the February 27 match, said that the extra few days gained would help the CAB to have everything in place to play the perfect host.

The BCCI, on its part, has asked the CAB president to make a written submission in this respect which will be duly forwarded to the ICC, the tournament hosts. All this, however, may not cut much ice with the world body. From all available indication, the swap deal which may upset the entire World Cup schedule, is a non-starter as far as the ICC is concerned. And regarding Dalmiya's offer to hand over Eden by February 7, the ICC will strictly go by the report of its venue-inspection team, which will visit Kolkata again on January 31 to ascertain Eden's preparedness to host the other three non-India matches, scheduled there in March.

If the ICC team finds the pace of renovation work unsatisfactory, it is likely to move the Ireland vs South Africa (March 15), Ireland vs Holland (March 18) and Kenya vs Zimbabwe (March 20) matches out of Kolkata and it would be up to the BCCI to reallocate them.

The ICC, which surprised many by provisionally clearing the newly-renovated Wankhede Stadium despite concerns about the pending work, now wants Mumbai to host the India vs England match.

This compounds the problems for BCCI which faces a logistics nightmare. If the ICC takes all the matches away from Kolkata, the BCCI will have to find four suitable slots without disturbing the World Cup schedule and four willing centres to host these matches. Finding a venue is no big deal for the BCCI, especially as many of its affiliated units are keen to host the India-England game. Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Nagpur - which are all scheduled to host India matches - want to host an additional one. So does Ahmedabad, which will be hosting a quarterfinal. Mohali, which has been allotted a semifinal, has also made a strong pitch to host the England game.

The BCCI office-bearers are likely to meet on Monday to finalize the relocation of the Eden match.

Earlier in the day, the ICC pulled the plug on Eden Gardens. "Regrettably, Eden Gardens has not made sufficient progress to justify the level of confidence required to confirm that the venue would be ready in good time," ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement. "All venues had ample time in which to prepare for World Cup matches," said Lorgat.

"We had been understanding and had provided extensions to the deadline dates but unfortunately we are now at a point where we must carefully manage our risks," he added.

The ICC decision is bound to cause intense disappointment among the cricket-crazy fans of Kolkata, 66,000 of whom were expected to fill the new-look Eden during the India-England game. The ICC move clearly took CAB bosses, who were confident of getting the stadium ready in time - CWG style - for the February 27 match, by surprise.

The ICC said concerns are mainly over "cricket operations, media, broadcast and sponsorship facilities" that were not finalized or confirmed by the CAB as hundreds of labourers have been toiling day and night to finish building two new blocks of stands which are still covered in scaffolding.

Until Thursday's ICC ruling, the CAB had been dismissive about Eden's lack of preparedness for the big occasion, with Dalmiya himself going on record on Tuesday, saying, "It appears that ICC team is happy after the inspection of the venue. The match is on 27th (Feb), we have to finish the work before the match."

On Thursday, a rattled Dalmiya lashed out at the ICC and the BCCI. Maintaining that the ground is match fit, Dalmiya termed the decision to shift the match as a "conspiracy" against Bengal cricket.

Read more: Eden Gardens loses India-England World Cup match for lack of preparations - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/world-cup-2011/news/Eden-Gardens-loses-India-England-World-Cup-match-for-lack-of-preparations/articleshow/7375066.cms#ixzz1CId39BEy

Was IPL auction fair? Mumbai Indians raise questions

MUMBAI: Until now, there were just rumours. Now, it seems that the IPL players' auction on January 8 and 9 could well have been rigged. Or so it would seem if you look at the angry letter that Mumbai Indians have shot off to every member of the IPL's governing council, demanding an explanation for the last-minute changes to the auction process. They have categorically stated that the changes were not only unjustified but also unacceptable.

The three-page letter, a copy of which is with TOI, points out that most franchises were taken by surprise when they were told about a change in the rules in the January 6 briefings, a day before the auction.

In the first briefing on December 17, the franchises were told that the players would be arranged in pre-defined sets. The plan, they were informed, would be to start with the marquee players and then move to sets of same specialization (meaning: batsmen, bowlers, allrounders etc).

Critically, they were told that "the order of all these sets will be determined by (a) random draw that will take place in the auction room."

At 5 pm on the eve of the auctions, though, the franchises received another email - just two hours before the GC was to take them through another briefing. It said: "An updated version of the auction briefing (has been sent). The only changes are in paragraphs 37 and 38. Please read as paragraph 38 will impact your strategy."

The MI letter says "the so called updated version of the auction briefing reads as follows: The final sentence of paragraph 18 is to be deleted. The sets will be presented to the Auction in order of the auction list (which need not have same speciality players in the same set)".

MI claim that the 'amended' rule resulted in a fundamental change to the auction process as "selection of sets at random" was substituted by a 'pre-decided order of the auction list'."

The primary purpose of deciding the order of auction (whether for subsequent sets or players within sets) through a random draw in the auction room in presence of bidders was to ensure transparency and a level-playing field. In the changed scenario, certain individuals or franchises could have been privy to the exact sequence of the auction which would have allowed them to plan better. More significantly, if they got this information earlier, they could have waited for the right moment to bid for the right player.

Therefore, MI says "Any last-minute change can have justification if, and only if, strong justifiable and emergent reasons can be demonstrated to be present" and adds further "we see a complete absence of such reason or justification. Kindly let us know how and whose instance these changes were introduced."

It should be mentioned here that Chennai Super Kings owner N Srinivasan sat as a member of the GC at the auctions even as his team bid for players and, as TOI had reported on January 10, franchises had already started murmuring that they were unhappy about last-minute changes.

Srinivasan's family owns the franchise even as he happens to be a GC member, BCCI secretary, its president-elect and president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). Interestingly, CSK successfully managed to bid for all premier Tamil Nadu cricketers.

TOI had also questioned GC chairman Chirayu Amin about the same on January 10, to which the answer was a meek one: "We always ensure complete transparency. If any franchise feels otherwise, they are free to mention it."

The agenda of the meetings were approved, the quorum and minutes were recorded, the basis - if any - on which order of sets in auction list was determined. Then, MI's question to the GC is "Who authorized to amend these rules and what was the source of such authority?"

If Amin says there was complete transparency, then why are these questions coming out of the closet now?

TOI

Paes-Bhupathi enter Australian Open final

MELBOURNE: Reliving their old magic, Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi earned a chance to complete their Grand Slam cabinet by reaching the men's doubles final of the Australian Open on Thursday.

The third seed Indian Express, as they are known, pipped the second seed pair of Belarusian Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor of Canada 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3 in the semifinal at Melbourne Park.

They will play against top seed American twins and double defending champions Mike and Bob Bryan in the summit clash.

The Bryan brothers eased past unseeded duo of Eric Butorac and Jean-Julien Rojer 6-3, 6-2 in 54 minutes in their semifinal.

Paes and Bhupathi decided to rejoin the forces after nine years to win that elusive Australian Open trophy, at the start of the season.

They came into Australian Open in a good nick as they clinched the Chennai Open at home.

Paes has won 12 Grand Slam titles and Bhupathi 11 in their respective careers but they have never won Australian Open men's doubles trophy.

Interestingly, Bhupathi has not won a men's doubles Grand Slam title since 2002 US Open with max Mirnyi.

Paes and Bhupathi last played together at a Grand Slam at Australian Open in 2002 when they reached the second round.

Paes and Bhupathi had to sweat a lot against Mirnyi and Nestor as both the pairs fought tooth and nail before the Indians prevailed.

There was hardly anything to separate the two teams as they broke each other twice in the opening set, which was decided through a tie-break in the favour of the Indians.

Paes and Bhupathi had their chances to clinch the issue in straight sets but squandered two breakpoints and dropped their own serve once to allow their rivals to take the match to the third set.

They did not repeat the mistake in the deciding set and converted the first available chance to open up lead and end on the right side of the result after two hours and 20 minutes.

Read more: Paes-Bhupathi enter Australian Open final - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/india-challenges/Paes-Bhupathi-enter-Australian-Open-final/articleshow/7369903.cms#ixzz1CF2v0svG

Djokovic knocks Federer out of Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic once again mastered defending champion Roger Federer to reach the final of the Australian Open on Thursday.

The resurgent Serbian third seed wore down Federer 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 6-4 in three hours to repeat his semifinal win over the Swiss great in the 2008 Australian Open on the way to winning his lone Grand Slam title.

Djokovic will now play the winner of Friday's semifinal between British fifth seed Andy Murray and Spain's seventh seed David Ferrer in Sunday's title match.

It will be the first Grand Slam without Rafael Nadal or Federer since the 2008 Australian final.

With world number one Nadal out of the tournament amid doubts over his fitness and now Federer beaten, Djokovic's triumph may have signalled a changing of the guard at the top of men's tennis.

"He puts a lot of pressure on you, so I tried to stay to the last moment and really it was one of the best matches I've played in a while," Djokovic said.

"I had to take my chances, in the second set I was a break up and in 20 minutes I was 5-2 down, so if I had lost that set God knows which direction the match would go.

"But I am just happy to overcome the tough moments to play my best tennis."

It was Djokovic's third win over Federer in a Grand Slam semifinal, and he now leads the Swiss great 3-2 in their encounters at the majors.

The world number three repeated his classic straight-sets win over Federer in the semifinals in Melbourne three years ago, when he went on to beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final for his maiden Grand Slam title.

He also defeated Federer in the semifinals of last year's US Open after saving two match points. Federer still leads 13-7 in their overall meetings.

Federer was playing in his eighth straight Australian semi-final and his 27th Slam semifinal.

Djokovic continued his terrific form at the tournament and has dropped just one set leading into Sunday's final.

Djokovic opened shakily with two double faults before holding, as Federer looked looked stronger on serve as the first set went into a tiebreaker.

But Federer played a poor tiebreak with a couple of backhand misses and Djokovic took the set on the first of his four set points in 57 minutes.

The Serb was fired up by his early advantage and broke Federer in the third game of the second set when a Federer backhand was long.

That stung the world number two and he claimed a double service break to go up 5-2, but Djokovic hit back winning the next five games to go two sets up after Federer began missing his forehand.

Djokovic fought for 13 minutes and five deuces to cling to his service at the start of the third set as Federer desperately looked for a way back into the contest.

Federer became more flustered under the continual assault from Djokovic and was broken in the third game to give the third seed control of the deciding set, as he wore down the Swiss champion.

Fighting Federer broke back to 4-4, but the Swiss again gave up serve with more volley errors to leave Djokovic to serve out for the match on his third match point.

Read more: Djokovic knocks Federer out of Australian Open - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Djokovic-knocks-Federer-out-of-Australian-Open/articleshow/7372750.cms#ixzz1CF2hm99Z

Pakistani cricketers must learn from Sachin: Miandad

KARACHI: Former captain and director-general of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Javed Miandad has urged Pakistani cricketers to learn from the achievements of Indian batting maestro, Sachin Tendulkar.

Rather than letting their on-field performance speak for them, Miandad feels that the players are happy to brag about their performance in media.

"We keep on reading and hearing about some of the players making claims about how they will deliver, but on field that is not happening and it is a big let down for the nation."

"I would advise them to just focus on their game and go for improvement and take every match seriously. The players need to realise cricket is played on the field.

"They should learn from Sachin who has had a wonderful career and scored century after century but one never hear him making tall claims about his performances or achievements. He is a proper professional and someone our players can learn from," the veteran of 124 Tests insisted.

Miandad also called on captain, Shahid Afridi to take more responsibility as a player and lift the team by example and said that the all-rounder has got enough amount of talent and he should channelise it properly.

"He shouldn't be playing the way he is. Imran Khan is a great example of how a captain should perform.

"Imran lifted the team in the 1992 World Cup. Afridi needs to start doing that himself. He did it during the World T20 Championship so he is perfectly capable of delivering," Miandad said.

He emphasised, "He (Afridi) has immense talent which he does not utilise properly at times."

Urging the players to take the current one-day series against New Zealand seriously Miandad said, "Unfortunately what I noticed was that the players didn't appear serious about their business in the first match in Wellington they took things lightly. In international cricket this is not acceptable."

Pakistan who are currently engaged in an ODI series against Kiwis failed to replicate their performance in Tests against the hosts and lost the series opener by nine wickets after being bowled out for just 124 runs in 37.4 overs.

Adding greater significance to ongoing series in view of the upcoming World Cup, Miandiad reiterated that losing it could have a big impact on their performances in the mega event.

"It is important for the players to realise that once they get into a losing streak it will be difficult for them to come out of it in a high pressure event like the World Cup," the former batsman cautioned.

"The players must realise they are fortunate to get such a series just before the World Cup," Miandad said while expressing his surprise at the relaxed attitude of the players in the first match.

"They need to realise the significance of the World Cup when every Pakistani is praying for their success. The tournament comes once in four years and everyone expects the team to fire in the World Cup."

"No excuses can be accepted and the players must also realise that if they perform well in the World Cup how much of a boost it would be for Pakistan cricket which is facing so many problems," he added.

"The players just need to get more serious about their performances. I believe they have the capability of winning the series in New Zealand and also doing well in the World Cup but for that they need to focus on their short comings and strengths and use them properly," Miandad said while pinning hope on the present ODI outfit.

Read more: Pakistani cricketers must learn from Sachin: Miandad - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/Pakistani-cricketers-must-learn-from-Sachin-Miandad/articleshow/7352698.cms#ixzz1Bx3x1n00

Asian Cup good World Cup test, says AFC chief

STAFF WRITER 15:7 HRS IST

Doha, Jan 24 (AFP) Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam has praised Qatar's hosting of the Asian Cup, calling it the perfect rehearsal for the World Cup in 2022.

Bin Hammam, himself a Qatari, who was instrumental in helping bring the World Cup to his homeland, also hailed the quality of football on show at the continental showpiece.

"It's been an extremely well organised event by Qatar," said the Asian Football Confederation president, who has not ruled out running against FIFA boss Sepp Blatter when he stands for re-election in May.

"Although it is 12 years (sic) between now and 2022, it was a very good rehearsal for that competition."

The tiny but wealthy country has thrown plenty of money at the Asian Cup -- the stadiums are shiny and modern, the organisation is excellent, facilities are top-notch and communications work flawlessly.

Paes-Bhupathi enter Australian Open quarterfinals

MELBOURNE: Indian tennis pair of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi entered the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with a fighting three-set win over Spanish combination of Marcel Granollers and Tommy Robredo in the third round of the men's doubles event on Monday.

Paes and Bhupathi, who teamed up together after nine years in a bid to add the only Grand Slam title - the Australian Open - missing in their cupboard, had to play out of the skin to get the better of 13th seeds Granollers and Robredo 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 in an engrossing one hour and 52 minutes encounter.

In the quarterfinals, the third seeded Indian pair will play the winners of the match between Indo-Pak pair of Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi and French-Serbian combination of Micheal Lodra and Nenad Zimonjic.

Paes and Bhupathi started the match positively as they pocketed the first set in just 33 minutes.

But Granollers and Robredo made a strong comeback in the second to take the encounter into the decider which the Indians won after a 42 minute battle.

The highlight of Paes and Bhupathi's game was their cent percent break point conversion. The Indian pair made use of the two opportunities that came their way while their opponents could only manage two out of four chances.

Paes and Bhupathi, however, will have to get their acts together in the last eight round and avoid committing unforced errors, which they did 18 times today as against their rival's eight.

Read more: Paes-Bhupathi enter Australian Open quarterfinals - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/india-challenges/Paes-Bhupathi-enter-Australian-Open-quarterfinals/articleshow/7352284.cms#ixzz1Bx16HGv1

Sachin at No. 18 in list of greatest ODI cricketers

NEW DELHI: The latest innovation to measure the impact and performance of cricketers, to be found on www.impactindexcricket.com, has two active Indian players in the top 20 of the ODI Impact Index: Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 13 and Sachin Tendulkar at No. 18. The only other active cricketers in that category are South African Jacques Kallis at No. 8, Australia's Shane Watson at 16 and West Indian Chris Gayle at 19. Dhoni and Sachin apart, Kapil Dev is the only Indian in the top 25, ranked at No. 9.

If you're surprised at Sachin's relatively low ranking, remember the new system does not rate cricketers by aggregates, but by how much of an impact the player has had in his team winning matches. Also, when you're talking about the 20 best of all time, there clearly isn't all that much to choose between the one on top and the one at the bottom of that exclusive club.

Everybody in the top 25 of the list has more or less multiple skills, maybe useful even as a part-timer with the ball or a handy batsman. The only one who makes it almost entirely on the strength of a single skill is West Indian Joel Garner, universally acknowledged as one of the most effective ODI bowlers ever and the master of the yorker in the death overs.

The system has been applied to all forms of the game, but with the ODI World Cup just round the corner, its creators have understandably decided to start by revealing their findings for the 50-over version.

Read more: Sachin at No. 18 in list of greatest ODI cricketers - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/Sachin-at-No-18-in-list-of-greatest-ODI-cricketers/articleshow/7350526.cms#ixzz1Bvmj39O5

5th ODI: Yusuf Pathan ton goes in vain as South Africa beat India by 33 runs, win series 3-2

CENTURION: Yusuf Pathan hit a blistering 68-ball century but could not stop South Africa from winning the series-deciding fifth and final one-day international against India at SuperSport Park on Sunday.

South Africa won by 33 runs according to the Duckworth-Lewis method, clinching a come-from-behind 3-2 series win thanks mainly to a century by Hashim Amla and four wickets by fast bowler Morne Morkel.

Opening batsman Amla made 116 not out as South Africa reached 250 for nine in a rain-interrupted innings.

Set to make 268 to win, India were headed for a heavy defeat when they slumped to 119 for eight with fast bowlers Morkel and Dale Steyn inflicting most of the damage.

But Pathan unleashed a ferocious assault on the South African bowlers during a ninth wicket stand of 100 with Zaheer Khan.

Pathan slammed eight sixes and eight fours as he made 105 before he top-edged another attempted big hit against Morkel and sent a catch spiraling to cover.

Khan got a reprieve when the stand was worth 20 when he top-edged a short ball from Morkel and was caught by wicketkeeper AB de Villiers.

But umpire Simon Taufel asked television umpire Shaun George to check whether Morkel had bowled a no-ball. George ruled that Morkel had overstepped by millimetres and Khan batted on.

As the ball flew to all parts of the ground, South African captain Graeme Smith called on Morkel and the fast bowler finally induced a false stroke.

Morkel finished with four for 52 as India were all out for 234.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that South Africa deserved to win.

"It has been a disappointing series for the batsmen. We have not really performed as a batting unit. To say we wanted to win the final game just because Yusuf scored a hundred was asking too much," said Dhoni.

Looking ahead to next month's World Cup, Dhoni said the big lesson for India was that if they were able to keep wickets in hand they could chase down almost any target with a powerful hitter like Pathan in the side.

Smith said South Africa had finished the series strongly.

"We were 2-1 down and we played two good games."

He said South Africa had paced their innings well, despite a late collapse after a rain break, and had bowled "really aggressively".

South Africa's innings was interrupted when the hosts were strongly placed at 226 for three after 42 overs.

The rain caused a delay of more than an hour and the match was reduced to 46 overs a side.

South Africa lost six wickets for 24 runs in the remaining four overs of their innings, with a succession of batsmen falling to ill-judged strokes and two run-outs in a chase for quick runs.

Dhoni sent South Africa in, hoping to take advantage of expected early morning life in the pitch - and also to have the option of revising his team's strategy in the event of predicted rain interruptions.

Smith fell once again to left-arm opening bowler Khan - for the 11th time in international cricket - edging a catch to second slip in the third over.

But Amla played a calm innings, content to play the supporting role in a second wicket stand of 97 with Morne van Wyk, who made 56 off 63 balls, then picking up the pace in a fourth wicket stand of 102 off 98 balls with JP Duminy (35).

There were only four boundaries as Amla reached fifty off 72 balls, but he added another five fours as he needed just 41 more deliveries to reach the first century by a batsman of either side in the series.

India opted to play only two seam bowlers, bringing in leg-spinner Piyush Chawla in place of Ashish Nehra.

For the second match in a row, Dhoni used eight bowlers, mainly in short spells.

As in the fourth match in Port Elizabeth, left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh was the most effective of the slow bowlers, taking two for 45 in eight overs - the longest unbroken spell by any of the players.

But when Yuvraj conceded nine runs off his eighth over Dhoni immediately took him out of the attack.

Read more: 5th ODI: Yusuf Pathan ton goes in vain as South Africa beat India by 33 runs, win series 3-2 - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-south-africa/top-stories/5th-ODI-Yusuf-Pathan-ton-goes-in-vain-as-South-Africa-beat-India-by-33-runs-win-series-3-2/articleshow/7348810.cms#ixzz1Bvmx9pLL

King Viv greatest ODI player ever

NEW DELHI: Five of the 20 greatest ODI cricketers of all time will be in action during the World Cup starting next month and India will be the only team to have two of them. That's the heartening news from a new and innovative system of measuring the performance of cricketers.

Dubbed the Impact Index, the new system values performance based on the match context in which they happen rather than against an absolute yardstick. Thus, a 50 in a match where both teams score, say, 300-plus, will count for a lot less than one in a low-scoring match.

The best ODI cricketer of all time, in a soon to be announced list, is Vivian Richards followed by Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Adam Gilchrist and Ian Botham.

The Impact Index has been developed by a team led by Jaideep Varma and Jatin Thakkar; www.impactindexcricket.com launches on January 25.

What is striking is that every one of them brought more than one skill to the table. Given the fact that ODIs have long been acknowledged to be the all-rounder's version of the game, as opposed to Test cricket where specialists come into their own, that's not surprising.

The Indians in the top 20 of the ODI Impact Index who are still playing are Mahendra Singh Dhoni at No. 13 and Sachin Tendulkar at No. 18. The only other active cricketers in that category are South African Jacques Kallis at 8, Australia's Shane Watson at No. 16 and West Indian Chris Gayle at No. 19. Dhoni and Sachin apart, Kapil Dev is the only Indian in the top 25, ranked at No. 9.

If you're surprised at Sachin's relatively low ranking, remember the new system does not rate cricketers by aggregates, but by how much of an impact the player has had in his team winning matches. Also, when you're talking about the 20 best of all time, there clearly isn't all that much to choose between the one on top and the one at the bottom of that exclusive club.

The basic philosophy behind the new performance measurement system is that in a team game how well you have done has to be seen in the context of how much it helped your team win, which after all is the ultimate objective of whatever you do as a cricketer.

Hence, it measures performance in a match on a 0 to 5 scale, which roughly translates into saying that someone who gets a score of 3 on this scale contributed the equivalent of what three people did in that particular game and so on.

With the exception of Gilchrist, a wicketkeeper, everybody in the top 25 of the list is either a batsman who was more than just an occasional bowler or a bowler who was more than just a useful batsman. The only one who makes it almost entirely on the strength of a single skill is the West Indian Joel Garner, universally acknowledged as one of the most effective ODI bowlers ever and the master of the yorker in the death overs.

The system has been applied to all forms of the game, but with the ODI World Cup just round the corner, its creators have understandably decided to start by revealing their findings for the 50-over version.

Read more: King Viv greatest ODI player ever - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/King-Viv-greatest-ODI-player-ever/articleshow/7350208.cms#ixzz1BvmJq0CU

Kuznetsova shocks Henin at Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova upset former champion and ex-world number one Justine Henin 6-4, 7-6 (10/8) in the third round of the Australian Open on Friday.

The 11th-seeded Henin was one of the tournament favourites but she was never in front against two-time Grand Slam winner Kuznetsova, despite some late stumbles from the Russian in a thrilling second-set tiebreak.

Henin had reached at least the fourth round of all Grand Slams she has contested since her return to tennis in January 2010, following an aborted retirement.

She last failed to reach the last 16 of a major at Wimbledon in 2005 and this is only the second time she has failed to reach the last 16 at the Australian Open in her nine appearances since 2000.

Kuznetsova had looked on track for a comfortable win when took the first set and broke the Belgian early in the second, until she had an attack of nerves when serving for the match.

The Russian was broken when serving at 5-4, then broke Henin straight back only to crack once again serving at 6-5.

The tiebreak swung back and forth, first Henin getting the advantage and then Kuznetsova. The Russian brought up two match points at 6-4 but Henin saved them a powerful forehand and then a swinging serve.

Kuznetsova had another chance at 8-7 but Henin blasted another big serve to save it, only to then serve a double-fault to hand the Russian her fourth chance.

This time Kuznetsova made no mistake as she hit a ball deep in the court and watched as Henin's forehand reply sailed wide.

"I got tight on my serve at 5-4 and 6-5," she explained.

"There was so much tension and nerves -- I wanted to win so much."

Kuznetsova, winner of the US Open in 2004 and at Roland Garros in 2009, is making her 10th straight appearance at the Australian Open and has now reached the fourth round or better in six of the last seven years.

Read more: Kuznetsova shocks Henin at Australian Open - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Kuznetsova-shocks-Henin-at-Australian-Open/articleshow/7331765.cms#ixzz1BeujhQ74

Federer storms into Australian Open fourth round

MELBOURNE: Defending champion and second seed Roger Federer cruised into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-3, 6-3, 6-1 win over Belgian's Xavier Malisse on Friday.

The Swiss great in the process broke Swede Stefan Edberg's record for the most Open Era wins at the Australian Open with 57 since his 2000 tournament debut.

"It's very nice to take the record but Edberg still stays my idol," Federer told the crowd on Rod Laver Arena.

Federer is bidding to become the second man to win five Australian titles behind Roy Emerson's six.

It was Federer's eighth win in nine encounters with the 45th-ranked Malisse and pitched him into a round of 16 encounter with unseeded Spaniard Tommy Robredo on Sunday.

Federer broke Malisse's serve seven times and hit 36 winners with the same number of unforced errors.

"I am happy to get past a tough match with Xav, who I played a long time ago in the juniors, he played great for the first couple of sets today," he said.

Federer won his record 16th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last year when he downed Britain's Andy Murray in straight sets.

He is chasing his fifth Australian title after also winning in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

Federer has only failed to get past the third round twice in 12 Australian Opens, both in his first two visits to Melbourne.

Read more: Federer storms into Australian Open fourth round - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Federer-storms-into-Australian-Open-fourth-round/articleshow/7332836.cms#ixzz1BeuZFBOR

Dhoni injured but likely to play crucial match

PORT ELIZABETH: Under MS Dhoni and Gary Kirsten, the Indian cricket team has achieved many firsts, in all forms of the game. It is now on the cusp of another - first-ever ODI series win in South Africa. While Dhoni underplayed the history angle for Friday's clash, it will be a sterling achievement should India pull it off. That will also be the icing on the tour cake after a stirring show in the Test series.

But for all that to happen, the weather has to be at its best behaviour, which it has not been since Thursday morning. A light drizzle was on for the better part of the day and more rain is predicted for Friday. Hopefully, the forecast will remain just that, like in Johannesburg. The met men had predicted a 72 per cent chance of rain on the day the third ODI was to be played. Not a single drop came our way.

For a change, India hold the edge going into this big test of skill and temperament, having clinched two successive nail-biting finishes. These wins must have given their self-belief further boost while creating doubts in the minds of the South Africans. As the series has shown, there is not much to choose between the two sides, especially in conditions here. Thus, nerves become crucial. India have shown they can hold theirs. The Proteas have to play ball.

The worrying bit for India is that captain Dhoni took a blow on his left knee while batting in the nets on match eve and was seen icing it for quite some time. Manager Ranjib Biswal allayed fears. "It's nothing serious. He'll play the match," he said. But one would like to keep fingers crossed as Dhoni's absence could further weaken India's batting.

A look at the past tells us Port Elizabeth has never seen India in full bloom. The Men in Blue have lost all the four ODIs they have played at St. George's Park by big margins, once even to Kenya. But Dhoni's boys are adept at rewriting the past. So, stats and figures can wait. One thing which is common between the two teams is that both are looking to correct batting maladies. It has been a low-scoring series barring the first innings of the first game. While conditions have not been the best for strokeplay at all venues, the two captains expect better dividends from their line-ups. To achieve that end, India will have a new opener in Parthiv Patel who joined the squad on Tuesday as Sachin Tendulkar's replacement.

Port Elizabeth is known to be quite like Indian pitches - low and slow where scoring is not easy. India have just the right attack for this kind of wicket with part-time spinners complementing Harbhajan Singh, the standout Indian bowler in the series.

One change in the bowling department could be Ashish Nehra. He has not found his range here at all. Whether India chose to continue with Nehra or replace him with either a paceman, Sreesanth, or a specialist spinner, Piyush Chawla/ Ashwin, will be interesting to see.

TOI

Will Kolkata's Prince be Kochi king?

KOLKATA: Eleven days after the auctioneer brought down his hammer for the last time at IPL players' auction in Bangalore, a ray of hope has emerged for Sourav Ganguly, who was ignored by all the 10 franchises.

Team Kochi, which will be making its IPL debut in the ensuing T20 event, have belatedly realised their folly and are keen to take Ganguly on board. The Kochi management, who clearly showed no aptitude for team composition and failed to net a single capped Indian batsman other than VVS Laxman, have approached the Governing Council to allow them to sign the former India captain. However, they can do so only if the other nine franchises raise no objection to this out-of-auction deal.

The BCCI, on its part, has no objection. "If the franchises have no objection, why should we stand in any player's way to play in the IPL? However, there is no question of bending the rule or making an exception," said a Governing Council member.

IPL rules state that capped players put up for auction, can only be bought through an open bidding process. Ganguly, along with Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer and Punjab pacer VRV Singh were the only three Indian players to remain unsold at the end of the two-day auction.

The onus is clearly now on Kochi bosses to convince the other franchises to let them take Ganguly on board. Having rejected the southpaw outright at the auction, it is hard to fathom why the other franchises would object to Kochi hiring Ganguly - unless, of course, they are bent upon keeping Dada away from IPL.

If the Kochi deal works out, Sourav can look forward to joining forces with his old KKR mates Brendon McCullum, Brad Hodge and Owais Shah and one-time Sri Lankan foes of Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan.

For the moment, though, Ganguly is keeping his fingers crossed.

Nadal breezes into 3rd round at Australian Open

STAFF WRITER 9:49 HRS IST

Melbourne, Jan 20 (AP) Rafael Nadal extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 23 matches, continuing his pursuit of a "Rafa Slam" with a 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 win over American qualifier Ryan Sweeting to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

The top-ranked Nadal is aiming to be the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.

He's conceded only four games en route to the third round, sealing his win over Sweeting today with another of his rifling forehands.

After retiring with an injury in the quarterfinals at the last Australian Open, Nadal rebounded to win the French, Wimbledon and U S Open.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 India Match Scheduled

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 India Match Scheduled
Group B

India V Bangladesh Saturday, 19 Feb, 11 14.00 IST (D/N) Dhaka
India V England Sunday, 27 Feb, 11 14.30 IST (D/N) Kolkata
India V Ireland Sunday, 6 March, 11 14.30 IST (D/N) Bangalore
India V Netherlands Wednesday, 9 March, 11 14.30 IST (D/N) New Delhi
India V South Africa Saturday, 12 March, 11 14.30 IST (D/N) Nagpur
India V West Indies Sunday, 20 March, 11 14.30 IST (D/N) Chennai

Mar 23 - Wed First quarter-final 08:30 Dhaka
Mar 24 - Thu Second quarter-final 09:00 Ahmedabad
Mar 25 - Fri Third quarter-final 08:30 Dhaka
Mar 26 – Sat Fourth quarter-final 09:00 Colombo
Mar 29 - Tue First semi-final 09:00 Colombo
Mar 30 - Wed Second semi-final 09:00 Chandigarh
Apr 02 - Sat Final 09:00 Mumbai

Shrieking Sharapova roars past Razzano

MELBOURNE: Former Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova dug herself out of trouble to reach the Australian Open's third round with a 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 win over France's Virginie Razzano on Wednesday.

Sharapova, the 2008 winner and the 14th seed, was 0-3 and three break points down in the first set against 100th-ranked Razzano before holding serve and breaking back, and prevailing in the eventual tie-break.

Two early breaks put her in control in the second set and although Razzano pulled one back, another break in the eighth game gave the Russian a 5-3 lead.

Sharapova had to stave off six break points in the ninth game of the set before finally closing out the win on her third match point.

The glamorous Russian blonde, on the comeback trail after long-term injury problems, will face Germany's 32nd-ranked Julia Goerges in the third round.

Read more: Shrieking Sharapova roars past Razzano - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Shrieking-Sharapova-roars-past-Razzano/articleshow/7318433.cms#ixzz1BTOZfoj5

3rd ODI: India beat South Africa by 2 wickets

CAPE TOWN: A burst of powerful hitting by Yusuf Pathan spurred India to a thrilling two-wicket win in the third one-day international against South Africa at Newlands on Tuesday.


Chasing a target of 221, India were struggling at 93 for five before Pathan launched a savage assault against South African off-spinners Johan Botha and JP Duminy.

On a pitch where most batsmen found it difficult to play positive strokes, Pathan, making his first appearance in the series, struck 59 off 50 balls as India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Pathan and Suresh Raina (37) put on 75 for the sixth wicket but both were out in quick succession to set up a tense finish.

Fast bowler Morne Morkel took three for 26 and fellow paceman Dale Steyn claimed two for 31 but could not stop India from getting home with ten balls to spare. Harbhajan Singh made a crucial 23 not out, including two sixes.

"If I get the ball in my area, I go for it," said Pathan.

Indian captain Mahendra Songh Dhoni said he encouraged the young players in his team to play their natural game.

"We want Yusuf to play the game he plays," said Dhoni.

"As he gets more experience he will turn into a match-finishing batsman."

Proteas captain Graeme Smith said the quality of the pitch had not helped either side's batting.

"We were 20 runs short," said Smith.

"Yusuf Pathan's knock was the difference. The pitch was very two-paced and also up and down. It was not the best one-day wicket I have ever played on but it made for an exciting game."

The match changed dramatically in the 28th over of the Indian innings when Pathan, on six, edged Botha for a four between wicketkeeper AB de Villiers and Smith at slip.

Pathan swept the next delivery and Lonwabo Tsotsobe, running in from the boundary to try to take a catch, misjudged the ball and it went for another four.

In the next over from Duminy, Pathan again swept in the air and Morkel also misjudged the ball in contemplating a catch and another boundary was the result.

Then Pathan struck three sixes off four balls from Botha, all sailing over a fielder at deep mid-wicket.

On an untypical Newlands pitch, South Africa struggled to 220 all out with newcomer Francois 'Faf' du Plessis and JP Duminy putting on 110 as they rescued a floundering innings.

Du Plessis made 60 and Duminy 52 on a pitch of inconsistent pace and bounce.

The pair came together with their side in trouble at 90 for four in the 24th over.

They put on 110 off 129 balls before Du Plessis slipped as he went down the wicket to attack Munaf Patel and sliced a catch to cover.

Du Plessis, 26, a former schoolboy team-mate of de Villiers who has been signed to play for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, made his runs off 78 balls.

He showed composure at the crease and the only sign of nerves came when he needed treatment for cramps in his forearm.

Du Plessis was out in the first over of the batting powerplay, which was taken in the 45th over, and as in the second international in Johannesburg, the lifting of fielding restrictions heralded a flurry of wickets.

Duminy was bowled in the next over and the innings folded rapidly, the last six wickets falling for 20 runs.

Zaheer Khan, with three for 43, and Singh led a superb Indian bowling performance, which was backed up by good fielding.

Khan repeatedly beat South African captain Graeme Smith with swing and movement off the pitch, although Smith survived to make a laboured 43 off 79 balls before falling to Harbhajan's off-spin.

Khan also took a spectacular diving catch in the outfield to dismiss De Villiers.

Harbhajan mesmerised the batsmen, taking two for 23 in nine overs, helped by two diving slip catches by Virat Kohli.

Read more: 3rd ODI: India beat South Africa by 2 wickets - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-south-africa/top-stories/3rd-ODI-India-beat-South-Africa-by-2-wickets/articleshow/7315660.cms#ixzz1BTOFi2ay

South Africa pick injured Kallis, Tahir for World Cup

CAPE TOWN: South Africa put faith in Jacques Kallis returning from injury to boost its World Cup hopes after the key allrounder was included in the Proteas' 15-man squad on Tuesday.

The 35-year-old Kallis was ruled out of the ongoing one-day series against India with a right side muscle injury, but South Africa's team management said at the squad announcement in Cape Town it was confident its leading player would be fully fit for the Feb. 19-April 2 tournament.

Kallis was part of the South Africa squad named by selection convener Andrew Hudson following the Proteas' two-wicket loss to India in the third one-dayer at Newlands.

Also included for next month's World Cup in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka was Pakistan-born legspinner Imran Tahir and batting allrounder Faf du Plessis - who made a half-century on debut in Tuesday's defeat to World Cup co-host India.

Graeme Smith will captain the squad for the final time in a one-day competition after announcing he would step down from the ODI captaincy after the World Cup.

Regular batsmen Hashim Amla, A.B. de Villiers and J.P. Duminy and fast bowlers Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe were all picked as were spinners Johan Botha and Robin Peterson - giving the No. 4 ranked Proteas three specialist spinning options - along with Tahir - on the spin-friendly pitches in the subcontinent.

South Africa chose seven specialist batsmen, four specialist seam bowlers, three spinners, and one replacement wicketkeeper. Smith, Kallis, Peterson and De Villiers are the only surviving members of South Africa's 2007 World Cup campaign.

Kallis' fitness was the biggest concern for South Africa ahead of the announcement.

"Jacques is undergoing rehabilitation at the moment, but we are confident with four weeks to go until the World Cup we can get him ready to partake," Team Manager Mohammed Moosajee said. "However, it's a week by week process and he is being guided by the medical team."

Hudson added: "His (Kallis') absence takes away a lot from our side in terms of stability. In terms of batting he is the anchor at No. 3 and the overs he gives us as a fifth bowler is something we miss as well. But, him being fit will add enormously to the team."

Veteran wicketkeeper Mark Boucher missed out on the final squad, as did young middle order batsman David Miller.

Morne van Wyk will be the backup wicketkeeper to De Villiers, meaning Boucher's 13-year, 292-match one-day international career is likely over. Miller was dropped for Du Plessis for Tuesday's game against India and lost his place at the World Cup to the debutant.

Tahir was the only uncapped player in the squad, and was cleared to be included after qualifying to play for South Africa on the last day of 2010.

The former Pakistan A legspinner is married to a South African and plays for the Duban-based Dolphins team, although he is yet to make his debut for his adopted country despite his impressive wicket-taking exploits for his provincial team.

"We think he's a unique talent," Hudson said of Tahir. "The selection of three specialist spin bowlers is essential for the conditions we expect to encounter at the World Cup and it's not a worry that Tahir has not played an ODI yet. His record in domestic cricket speaks for itself. We know exactly what he offers us."

South Africa has never won the World Cup and has often underperformed at the tournament after entering as one of the favorites. The Proteas have also never reached a final, losing semifinals in 1992, 1999 and 2007.

The 2011 edition is likely to be the last chance for Kallis and Smith, two of South Africa's most successful cricketers, to win the top ODI prize.

South Africa is in Group B with Bangladesh, England, India, West Indies, Ireland and the Netherlands. It opens its tournament on Feb. 24 against West Indies.

Squad : Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, A.B. de Villiers, J.P. Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Morne van Wyk.

Read more: South Africa pick injured Kallis, Tahir for World Cup - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/South-Africa-pick-injured-Kallis-Tahir-for-World-Cup/articleshow/7316329.cms#ixzz1BTNiU9hI

Hussey's World Cup in doubt after surgery

Australian batsman Michael Hussey had surgery on an injured hamstring, putting him in serious doubt for Australia's World Cup title defence.

Team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said scans showed Hussey had torn a hamstring tendon from his left knee during Sunday's one-day win against England, making it unclear if he will make the World Cup starting next month.

"Whilst the injury appeared to be minor at the time and soon after the game, scans have since revealed that he has avulsed (torn) one of the hamstring tendons from the attachment point at inner side of his knee," Kountouris said.

"As such, Michael had corrective surgery today. The recovery time and availability for the ICC (International Cricket Council) World Cup will be dependent on his progress with the rehabilitation program in the coming weeks."

Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch said a decision on Hussey would be delayed until as late as possible before the tournament in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

"It is a severe injury and we will make a decision closer to departure date," Hilditch said.

Hussey had been named in Australia's 15-man World Cup squad just hours earlier. Australia, aiming for a record fourth successive title, open against against Zimbabwe on February 21, although the quarter-finals are a month later.

The normally durable 35-year-old left-hander is certain to miss the rest of the seven-match one-day series against England and there was speculation he could be sidelined for at least six weeks.

Australia were also hit by the news that captain Ricky Ponting is racing to be fit after breaking a little finger during the heavy Ashes defeat to England.

"I'm hoping to be right for the start of the World Cup," said Ponting, 36, whose finger is still in a splint.

"My finger's coming along okay, I guess. I haven't been able to do anything for the last couple of weeks post-surgery, but I've got a bit more movement now."

Hussey, considered a key member of Australia's World Cup squad, has been replaced by Shaun Marsh for the next three one-day internationals against England, a team statement said.

He appeared to damage the knee taking a quick second run during Australia's successful chase of England's 294 total during the opening one-day match in Melbourne.

Hussey pulled up awkwardly, but continued his innings without a runner. Batting partner Shane Watson later dismissed the problem as just "hamstring stiffness".

Hussey was a member of Australia's World Cup-winning team in 2007, when he played 10 of their 11 matches, including the final, but made just 87 runs at 17.40 and wasn't needed with the bat in five of those games.

The one-day World Cup has taken on added significance for Australia who are desperate for results after their hammering in the Ashes Test series against England.
© AFP

Rhodes accepts to continue coaching Kenya

Former South African batsman Jonty Rhodes has accepted to continue his coaching role with Kenya until the start of the Cricket World Cup, officials said on Tuesday.

Rhodes, who first worked with the team during a three-week training camp in Pretoria last November, is expected to arrive in Nairobi this week to join the team, which is currently on a tour of India for a series of build-up matches.

Cricket Kenya (CK) Chief Executive Tom Sears said the former Proteas star fielder will be with the squad during their final preparations for the World Cup, when they travel to an ICC High Performance Camp in Dubai on January 30, and in Sri Lanka, where Kenya will play a series of warm-up matches.

"Jonty will be a tremendous asset to the squad during the final phase of our preparation," he said.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure our squad arrive at the World Cup in a position to fulfil their undoubted potential and Jonty's involvement will be a key part of that" he added.

Pakistan's World Cup squad excludes Yousuf

Pakistan left out experienced batsman Mohammad Yousuf from their final 15-man squad for next month's World Cup hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The selectors also surprisingly deferred naming the squad's captain, raising doubts over whether all-rounder Shahid Afridi will lead the side after Pakistan's 2-1 defeat in the Twenty20 series against New Zealand last month.

Thirty-six-year-old Yousuf was deemed not fit enough to warrant a place in the squad after he was last month named in the 30-man preliminary team.

His future was thrown into doubt last week after he was omitted from the one-day team due to play a six-match series in New Zealand from January 22.

Yousuf retired in protest over an indefinite ban imposed on him by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in March following a disastrous tour of Australia in which Pakistan lost all its matches under his leadership.

However, he came out of retirement in July and was sent to England after his ban was revoked, featuring in the last of four Tests and in the one-day matches.

Yousuf also played the last of five one-day matches against South Africa in Pakistan's neutral venue series in United Arab Emirates in November before he was forced to pull out of the Tests due to a recurring groin injury.

He has so far scored 9,720 runs in 288 one-day matches, including 386 in World Cup matches in 1999, 2003 and 2007.

With Yousuf's exclusion the squad is largely inexperienced, with only seven players having featured in previous World Cups.

Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Akhtar are the only survivors of Pakistan's runners-up finish in the 1999 tournament.

Pakistan will be without key players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer who were all provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on charges of spot-fixing during team's tour to England last year.

A decision on their case is due on February 5 and the PCB last week said they can be included in the team if absolved.

Another player, Kamran Akmal, who was also under suspicion of match-fixing, was included after being reportedly cleared by the ICC, but all-rounder Shoaib Malik and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria failed to get clearance.

Both Malik and Kaneria, part of the 2007 World Cup team, are also reportedly under suspicion of match-fixing.

Pakistan, who won the World Cup title in 1992, are placed in Group A of the 14-team event to be played between February 19 to April 2. They open their campaign against Kenya at Hambantota on February 23.

Squad: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanveer, Ahmed Shahzad

ICC World Cup: Set back for BCCI, customs waivers withdrawn

NEW DELHI: The government on Monday withdrew customs duty exemption on import of goods by the BCCI or bodies certified by it following non-compliance of mandatory requirements.

This follows the sports ministry de-recognising BCCI as a national sports federation or the apex body for cricket in India.

The move comes ahead of the World Cup which will be co-hosted by the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) from February 19.

"...it is informed that henceforth BCCI would not be eligible to avail itself of duty exemption under notification no 21/2002 customs dated 1.3.2002 or any other customs notification.

"Thus goods imported by BCCI or certified by BCCI for import are not entitled to any exemption benefit which is available to sports goods or equipment or consumables imported or certified by a national sports federation (NSF) or apex body," central board of excise and customs (CBEC) said in a circular.

The decision, according to Deloitte India Indirect Tax leader Prashant Deshpande, "is a setback to the stakeholders associated with the forthcoming World Cup proposed to be staged in India who would now be visited with a customs duty burden of up to 26.85 per cent on sports requisites".

The circular said that the concessions were withdrawn as BCCI did not submit the necessary documents to the ministry of youth affairs and sports.

"The ministry of youth affairs and sports has informed that the BCCI has not complied with the mandatory requirements of submitting the necessary documents to the government for annual recognition as a national sports federation (NSF)/apex body for the game of cricket in India", the circular added.

In view of the non-compliance, the BCCI would cease to be a NSF or the apex body for cricket with immediate effect, it added.

India along with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is organising the ICC World Cup Cricket 2011 which is being co-hosted by BCCI.

ET

Ivanovic bows out in Australian Open first round

MELBOURNE: Former world number one Ana Ivanovic made a shock early exit from the Australian Open on Tuesday, beaten in the first round by Russian Ekaterina Makarova in three sets, 3-6, 6-4, 10-8.

The Serbian starlet looked on track for an easy win when she cruised through the first set, but from there on the Russian controlled the match as Ivanovic's mental frailties resurfaced.

Ivanovic, the 2008 French Open champion and a beaten finalist here in the same year, showed her fighting qualities by saving five match points in a marathon third set.

However, she never gained the upper hand and the 22-year-old Makarova finally closed it out with a forehand winner to break serve in the 18th game of a 91-minute decider.

It was a disappointing result for Ivanovic, who finished 2010 in strong fashion, winning two of her last three tournaments on the back of an improved fitness level and looked set to climb back up the rankings this year.

However, the 23-year-old was forced to withdraw from her final warm-up tournament for the first Grand Slam of the year when she suffered a stomach injury during the mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth earlier this month.

While Ivanovic was left rueing yet another early Grand Slam exit, the 49th-ranked Makarova said it was the biggest win of her career, having been beaten by Ivanovic in straight sets at last year's US Open in their only previous meeting.

"I am so happy," she said. "It is the first time I played such a long match. She's an unbelievable player and it was really tough.

"I'm so happy I beat her."

Read more: Ivanovic bows out in Australian Open first round - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/events-tournaments/australian-open-2011/top-stories/Ivanovic-bows-out-in-Australian-Open-first-round/articleshow/7311343.cms#ixzz1BNr6429V

3rd ODI: India's top order batsmen need to find form

CAPE TOWN: Having levelled the five-match series with a thrilling one-run victory in the last game, an injury-hit India go into the third one-dayer against South Africa on Tuesday with the form of the top order batsmen continuing to be a worry.

The batting has come a cropper in both the matches so far and the visitors managed to pull off an incredible victory at the New Wanderers on Saturday mainly because of the efforts of the bowlers, especially pacer Munaf Patel.

The Indians have suffered a big jolt with Sachin Tendulkar returning home because of a hamstring injury, further weakening the batting line up which has plenty of talent but has not come to terms with the pacy tracks in South Africa yet.

Tendulkar's injury has added to India's cup of woes as three key players -- Virender Sehawag, Gautam Gambhir and Praveen Kumar -- have already been ruled out of the series due to injuries.

Thanks to some superb bowling, India managed to defend a low total of 190 in the second ODI and yet again the onus is on bowlers to deliver the goods for the team on a Newlands track which was expected to assist the quick bowlers.

India would look to pace duo of Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel to not only get wickets but to check the Proteas batsmen so that the batters have an easy job to do, in case they bat second.

Spin spearhead Harbhajan Singh has done his bit by putting the brake on the scoring in the middle of the rival innings and yet again he has to ensure that not many runs leak during that stage, which played a part in India's series- levelling win at Johannesburg.

Batting has always been India's strong point but the form of the batsmen in the ongoing series is a big disappointment.

With seniors missing from the ranks, the youngsters, who have actually done well in the recent past, have not been able to cope with the conditions.

The middle-order, except for Yuvraj Singh in the last game, has just not clicked. Suresh Raina nor Rohit Sharma, who are both regarded as highly talented players, are not even pale shadow of themselves although they contributed with the ball as part-timers.

Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh have scored a fifty each so far and India need one of these youngsters to play a big knock tomorrow if the visitors hope of taking lead.

Lack of a good start has also put pressure on the middle order and India's problems have just compounded with Tendulkar's absence and India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni knows the importance of Yuvraj in that situation.

"His (Yuvraj's) role in the batting lineup is crucial. If we get good start then he can come and score quick runs and if we lose few wickets then he can control the game with a solid innings. He played very well in the match.

"It is important that Yuvraj gets into good form. He is now a decent all-rounder for us as he also bowls a few overs," Dhoni said.

Diminutive wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel has been sent as Tendulkar's replacement and it will be a big challenge for the left-hander to do the tough opening job in trying conditions, if he gets a chance on Tuesday.

It's time that Murali Vijay scores some runs to show his worth in the short format. He got into the side due to absence of both Sehwag and Gambhir but has not capitalised.

South African batsmen, specially the top-order, are in terrific form and an encore of the Johannesburg performance would be difficult for the Indian bowlers.

Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy are in good touch and captain Graeme Smith himself has struck form after a listless show in the drawn Test series.

It would require a really disciplined effort from Indian bowlers to nail the Proteas batsmen at home conditions.

Then India will also have to contend with the Proteas pace battery led by ferocious Dale Steyn.

The teams (from):

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/keeper), Sachin Tendulkar, Murali Vijay, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Piyush Chawla, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, S Sreesanth.

South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Johan Botha, AB de Villiers (wicketkeeper), Jean-Paul Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Colin Ingram, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Read more: 3rd ODI: India's top order batsmen need to find form - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/india-in-south-africa/top-stories/3rd-ODI-Indias-top-order-batsmen-need-to-find-form/articleshow/7303289.cms#ixzz1BMSQM7ce

Ganguly surprised at Sreesanth's omission from World Cup squad

KOLKATA: With the selectors opting for a spin-oriented side for the World Cup, former India captain Sourav Ganguly on Monday said he was surprised to see in-form pacer S Sreesanth overlooked from the 15-man squad.

Ganguly termed it a gamble to pick only one wicketkeeper in skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the extravaganza that will continue in the sub-continent for about 40 days.

The selectors picked the World Cup squad in Chennai as they chose to include four medium pacers in Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Praveen Kumar and Munaf Patel, while for the wicketkeeper's slot they picked only Dhoni while ignoring Parthiv Patel, Dinesh Karthik and Wriddhiman Saha.

"It was a gamble by the selectors to pick one wicketkeeper in Dhoni. If he picks up an injury during the World Cup and is unable to keep, then who will stand behind the wicket?" Ganguly wondered questioning the selectors' decision.

The IPL discard also criticised the decision to ignore Sreesanth who had a memorable Test series in South Africa.

"It's really surprising to see Sreesanth out of the side despite his recent form and performance," he said here.

The exclusion of middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma also raised a few questions but Ganguly said the decision did not surprise him.

"He (Sharma) is a talented player. But it seems after getting enough chances he failed to gain the selectors' confidence. You have to perform at top level to get noticed. But he got many chances unlike many other talented youngsters but failed to impress."

Asked about the big hitting Yusuf Pathan's selection for the all-rounder's spot, Ganguly said: "I don't think he has already proved himself. However, he is the best possible choice we have right now."

Recalling his knock against New Zealand in the Bangalore turnaround, Ganguly said: "Yusuf can be a match winner. When he gets going, he can win any match single handedly. He is a very useful player in these conditions."

Ganguly, however, refused to pick any favourites to win the World Cup.

"Pressure will always be there. At this level the players are used to this situation. It's difficult to pick any particular team. India, Sri Lanka, Australia, South Africa, England - all these teams are doing well and are the favourites. It is their performance over the 40 days that will count," Ganguly said.

India are clubbed in Group-B in the world Cup along with Bangladesh, England, South Africa, West Indies, Ireland and The Netherlands.

India will play the inaugural match of the World Cup against Bangladesh in Mirpur on February 19.

Read more: Ganguly surprised at Sreesanth's omission from World Cup squad - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/series-tournaments/icc-world-cup-2011/top-stories/Ganguly-surprised-at-Sreesanths-omission-from-World-Cup-squad/articleshow/7306685.cms#ixzz1BMS50MlN