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Yuvraj, Pathan axed; Rohit, Ojha in
One, out of Fab Four, survives
Laxman to join Notts
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Ponting worried about future of Tests
Amla still hurt by Jones ‘terrorist’ remark
Ric flays qualification process
Commonwealth Games
India to host C’wealth b’ball meet
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Yuvraj, Pathan axed; Rohit, Ojha in
Mumbai, July 8
Veterans Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan are back in the 16-member team, along with Munaf Patel and uncapped left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha. Opener Wasim Jaffer and injured medium pacer S Sreesanth have been omitted. With Dhoni opting out of the series citing fatigue, the selectors included two wicket keepers in Dinesh Kaarthick and Parthiv, who forced his way back riding on his splendid performance in domestic cricket. "MS Dhoni had conveyed his request to skip the Test series to the selectors. He has accordingly been rested for the series," the BCCI said in a statement after the selection committee meeting here. Jaffer was expectedly dropped and in his place in-form Delhi opener Gautam Gambhir was inducted in the squad, which has seven specialist batsmen, four pacers, three spinners and two wicket-keepers. In Dhoni's absence, the squad will have a new vice-captain in Virender Sehwag. While Tendulkar had been recuperating from a groin injury that forced him out to sit out of the third and final Test against South Africa in April, Harbhajan was serving a five-match ODI ban for slapping teammate S Sreesanth during the Indian Premier League. Paceman Zaheer Khan, who did not play this year since picking up an injury in the Boxing Day Test, makes a comeback to the side while Sreesanth was not considered because of fitness concerns. A surprise inclusion was 21-year-old Hyderabad left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who took three wickets in three Asia Cup ties, the first three ODIs of his fledgling career. Injury-prone Munaf Patel was also recalled after missing the Asia Cup and forms part of the four-pronged pace attack completed by Zaheer Khan, R P Singh and Ishant Sharma. Fit-again Tendulkar took his appointed spot in the line-up along with three other seniors Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and V V S Laxman. Yuvraj's omission came as a surprise and the 26-year-old left-handed batsman, who has played 23 Tests, lost his place to young Mumbai rival Rohit Sharma whose selection was equally bewildering considering his average form in the Asia Cup. Presumably, either Kaarthick or Patel would do the opener's job if necessary, though BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah did not say anything other than announcing the team members' names to the reporters. The squad is set to depart on July 15 and would open the tour with a three-day tie starting on July 18. The Tests are scheduled at Colombo (first and third from July 23-27 and August 8-12) and Galle (second from July 31-August 4). Suresh Raina, who missed the Test berth despite being the highest scorer for India in the Asia Cup with 372 runs at 74.40 per innings, will join the India 'A' team for the Emerging Players tournament in Australia in Parthiv Patel's place, according to Shah. Raina will be the vice-captain of the side to be led by S Badrinath, the Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy skipper and his teammate for Chennai Daredevils in the last IPL. The tournament, also featuring teams from New Zealand, South Africa and hosts Australia, is set to commence in Queensland on July 14. The selectors have ignored the fitness reports submitted to the BCCI by physios on Zaheer Khan's ankle injury and Sehwag's minor groin strain. Karnataka State Cricket Association's physio V Muthu Kumar had said that Zaheer's Test match fitness could be assessed only after he had bowled in at least a couple of three or four-day ties. But he had also mentioned that the pace bowler had shown adequate recovery (from the injury sustained in Australia) and coped up well with the work load given at the National Test players preparatory camp held at Bangalore last month-end. Indian team's interim physio Nitin Patel has recommended 10 days' rest to Sehwag to recover from the groin strain he picked up during the practise session of the team held before the commencement of the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka in Karachi on Sunday. — PTI
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One, out of Fab Four, survives
Mumbai, July 8
Sachin Tendulkar was the only player from among the Fab Four who found a place in the list announced by Cricket Board secretary Niranjan Shah after the selection panel's meeting here. Yuvraj Singh and Irfan Pathan, axed from the 16-strong Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour, expectedly found berths in the probables list. Also included were national under-19 captain Virat Kohli of Delhi, Saurashtra all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Mumbai youngsters all-rounder Abhishek Nayar and batsman Ajinkya Rahane. Both Dravid, who is 35, and Ganguly - celebrating his 36th birthday today, have failed to secure places in the ODI squads after the home series against Australia and Pakistan, respectively, held late last year. The duo, with a combined experience of over 600 ODIs, were left out of the triangular series won by India for the first time in Australia. The pair then failed to find a place in the last two one-day tournaments played by India - the tri-series in Bangladesh last month and the Asia Cup that concluded in Pakistan last Sunday - after playing in the T20 Indian Premier League as iconic players for their respective outfits. The decision of the selectors to ignore the claims of this vastly experienced pair of batsmen, each of whom has scored over 10,000 runs in ODIs, has virtually ended their glittering careers in the shorter forms of the international game. Tendulkar, who masterminded India's historic victory Down Under, was expectedly named in the probables list which has to be pruned at least a month before the start of the tournament which is scheduled for September 11 as per the International Cricket Council's rules and regulations. — PTI
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Laxman to join Notts
London, July 8 Laxman, who had a brief stint with Lancashire last season, will make his Nottinghamshire debut against Sussex at Hove on August 27. "I've heard lots of great things about Nottinghamshire and I'm really looking forward to playing there at the end of the season," said Laxman, who was named in the Indian Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour starting July 23, even though his ODI career seems all but over. "Hopefully, it will be a successful time for the club and I can make a positive impact. I've played at Trent Bridge a few times and want to score a lot of runs for the team," the wristy Hyderabadi said. Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire director of cricket, said Laxman's arrival would boost the side. "Laxman is a world class player and he doesn't play one day cricket for India so he can commit to us at a time when a lot of players will be involved in international tournaments," he said. "He is an accomplished international batsman with excellent footwork and he reads spin very well. He is a big name and we're pleased that he has agreed to join us," Newell added.
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Ponting worried about future of Tests
Sydney, July 8 ''A few 50-over games will make way for 20-over cricket but I'd hate to see it touch Test cricket,'' Ponting told Cricinfo. ''Right at the moment, (Test cricket) is probably not in its healthiest state. I think it's up to all of us to make sure that we're putting on a good enough spectacle to bring crowds back to the game.'' Ponting voiced his support for the proposed tournament-style Test world championship but said finding the right formula for the tournament would be the biggest challenge. ''I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I think the logistics of it is going to be the difficult thing,'' he said. ''What it does do, I guess, is make sure that every Test you play has a lot riding on it as far as points go. But I've always said that every Test match Australia plays always means a lot to us anyway.'' Ponting is resting after undergoing minor surgery in Melbourne for a tendon injury in his right wrist that forced him out of Australia's final two one-day internationals in the Caribbean. Ponting suffered the injury during Australia's third one-day
international in Grenada on June 29. — UNI |
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Amla still hurt by Jones ‘terrorist’ remark
London, July 8 "It did hurt. When somebody calls you something like that you don't say 'Thank you!' That's not the thing to do," Amla told 'The Guardian'. Amla said although Jones apologised on the same night but the words that he used - 'Sorry, mate, I didn't mean for it to come out on air...' - suggested that the Australian star would have had no qualms calling him a terrorist had the mike been switched off. But Amla says he harbours no grudge against Jones as the entire episode helped clear misunderstandings on Islam and its followers. "When a guy apologises, even if it's that kind of apology, who is to judge but the Almighty? And if it prompts another person to make an effort to find what Islam means, then a lot of prejudices will be blown away," he said. Amla said he realised the enormity of the incident only after Jones personally called up to apologise. — PTI
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Ric flays qualification process
New Delhi, July 8 Charlesworth said the new rules will allow average and below-par countries to play in the Olympics and it was not good for the game. The Australian said it was unfortunate that India and Argentina would not be there for the mega event. The Olympic qualifiers were played at three cities - Auckland (New Zealand), Santiago (Chile) and Kakamigahara (Japan) and the three top teams qualified. India played at the Santiago qualifier and were beaten in the final by Britain while New Zealand qualified from Auckland, beating Argentina. Till the Athens Olympics in 2004, the qualifying tournament were played at one venue and the four semifinalists used to qualify for the Olympics. "Argentina and India would have rounded off an Olympic tournament of the 'best' teams in the world but unfortunately they will not be there. The new qualifying process might promote the game better but it creates anomalies and some ridiculous mismatches that benefit nobody.” Instead of three qualifying tournaments, there should have been one Olympic Qualifying tournament so that all teams are treated fairly, Charlesworth wrote in his column in fieldhockey.com. Charlesworth said Argentina are clearly among the best six nations now. Charlesworth said given the current form, Australia and Spain would reach the semifinal of the Bejing Olympics without any difficulty. They were the most impressive teams in Rotterdam (Champions Trophy). He felt it is hard to see the Netherlands not getting through from their pool as only Great Britain will challenge them in the pool, though they should not be underestimated. Pakistan is off the pace and perhaps will soon appreciate the difference that Oltmans made four years ago. Canada and South Africa will just make up the numbers while occasionally doing something. "It is the other pool that looks harder to assess. Germany with Christopher Zeller fit would be expected to make it with Spain. Korea, China at home and New Zealand are all capable of surprises.”— IANS
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Commonwealth
Games
New Delhi, July 8 The other major thing the federation discussed with the Indian sports authorities was their preparation to hold lawn bowling, the traditional British precision sport in which the goal is to roll slightly radially asymmetrical balls (called bowls) closest to a smaller white ball. Lawn bowling is played outdoors on grass or artificial surfaces and indoors on artificial surfaces. In India to review the preparedness plans for Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune this October and 2010 Games in New Delhi, federation president Michael Fennel met minister of sports M.S. Gill today and discussed the progress for the Pune games and plans for the 2010 games. Largely satisfied with the arrangements for Pune games, Fennel raised the issue of lawn bowls with Gill, indicating the British fascination for a game which, at one point, grew so popular in the UK, it almost threatened archery. “He asked us about the game and we told him we plan to hold it in Delhi Public School grounds. We also discussed the technical points involved in the preparation of cycling velodromes for the 2010 Commonwealth Games,” Gill said. “We have assured Fennal of sorting out issues in time and also taken him around the stadia which are ready and some which are in progress for the 2010 games,” Gill today told The Tribune, indicating the anxiety the visiting federation president had about water and electricity provisions for the Games. He met Delhi chief secretary and discussed the issue. “We have assured him on this count as well,” said Gill, who has just returned from London where he met the Olympics minister and oversaw the preparations being made in London to handle the pressures of performance on infrastructural front. Meanwhile, the Pune games will also pose a major performance challenge to India considering all 70 participating countries want to visit Pune for the games. The last time the Commonwealth Youth Games were held, only 20 countries sent in their people to the venue of the games. But with India it is different, thanks to the country’s tourist potential.
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India to host C’wealth b’ball meet
New Delhi, July 8 Federation International Basketball Association (FIBA) president Bob Elphinston made this announcement here at a gala function to felicitate FIBA officials and National Basketball Association (NBA) players. Elphinston said India was a future basketball destination as the country had the potential and wherewithal to explode into a big time player and it was only a question of harnessing the talent in the right direction. BFI secretary general Harish Sharma, elated at the FIBA's magnanimous gesture, said the event will be held either in Delhi or in Bangalore. "We will be making a presentation to the FIBA regarding the venues and it is up to the international body to give its stamp of approval," said Harish Sharma. Indications were that Delhi may get the nod. |
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