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‘Our turn to have a look at others’
I’m exhausted: Johnson
Smith plotted 3-year plan for taming Aussies
Greg
Chappell calls for patience |
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Sack selection panel, demand former players Pietersen threatens to resign: Report
BCCI trying to ‘derail Lanka’s Pak tour’
Injured Lee, Watson eye IPL to regain fitness
Ludhiana, Jalandhar to host T-10 gully cricket
Chandigarh to witness top class hockey action
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‘Our turn to have a look at others’
"Things are going to be different and we have to look at different ways of going about things," Ponting said. "We can't sit back as leaders and coaches and keep doing the same thing because it hasn't been working for us. We have to learn from the way other teams are going about things as well. That's not something we're accustomed to. Other teams have been looking at us for 10 or 12 years. "Now it's our turn to have a look at what other teams are doing with their strategies and tactics," said the under-fire skipper. But for the moment, Ponting said he and the coaching staff have work cut out to ensure Mitchell Johnson is not overloaded. "Mitchell has bowled a truck load of overs from the start of India so we have to start looking at his workload," Ponting was quoted as saying in 'The Australian'. With Brett Lee injured, a lot will depend on Johnson to shoulder the responsibilities with some fresh faces in the Sydney Test, starting on Saturday. “If we can get him (Johnson) through this next game with a couple of other fresher bowlers around him and hope that he doesn't have to do the majority of work he's had to do in Perth, that would be a good result for us. Then we can start looking at resting him." Talking about the Boxing Day Test which Australia lost by nine wickets to concede a series defeat, Ponting said Lee's injury on the third day, when South Africa's last three wickets piled 275 runs, proved crucial. "The reason we found it so difficult with Bing (Lee) going down in the last game was the other guys we had to call on did not have much experience to fall back on,” Ponting said. “When you put that lack of experience without the hard edge of seasoned Test match bowlers who aren't used to backing up over after over it becomes pretty difficult.” |
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New spearhead of Australian pace attack Mitchell Johnson has admitted that he was "exhausted" after the second Test against South Africa but said he is looking forward to the challenge in the third Test in Sydney. "I'm pretty exhausted but we have a couple of days off now. I'll put my feet up and ring in the New Year, see the fireworks. I'll be right for the game on Saturday," Johnson was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph. Just 17 Test old, Johnson emerged as the spearhead of the Australian squad in absence of Brett Lee and Stuart Clark in the second Test against South Africa. And now with both Lee and Clark nursing injuries, the onus would be on Johnson to guide the young guns like Peter Siddle (3 Tests), Nathan Hauritz (3), Andrew McDonald (0) and either Ben Hilfenhaus (0) or Doug Bollinger (0) in the third Test in Sydney. “I have to step up now to try to help the young blokes through the next period," Johnson said. “I'm looking forward to the challenge. Peter Siddle's done a terrific job and I've been very impressed with him," Johnson said. “You've got Ben Hilfenhaus or Doug Bollinger for the next bowling spot. They will give 100 per cent. They always have for the states, no doubt they will do that for their country. “Im excited," he added.
— PTI
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Smith plotted 3-year plan for taming Aussies
Smith said he and Arthur drew a blue-print soon after returning home from the 2005 series which Australia won 2-0. "Soon after losing 2-0 three years ago, Mickey Arthur and I drew up a three-year plan. We identified what we believed we needed to win in Australia and then identified the players we thought could do the job," said Smith. "We then backed them and supported them, especially through the lean times," he said. From an early age, Smith never hid his ambitions. In fact, as a 12-year-old, he stuck a paper to the refrigerator at home which was virtually a list of his ambitions topped by a proclamation that he wanted to captain the South African cricket team. "Obviously that (leading South Africa) came true five-and-a-half years ago, but it was only the beginning of my ambition," Smith said. “If I was still in the habit of sticking notes on my fridge door, I would have stuck one there three years ago and it would simply have said: 'Win in Australia next time',” he wrote in his column for 'The Daily Telegraph'. Drawing a parallel with the 2005 tour, Smith said, “In our last tour to Australia three years ago I thought it was important to show that we would not be intimidated, on or off the field, and I also wanted to deflect attention away from the younger guys in the team... “This time we decided to concentrate all our energy on our own game and ignore everything we couldn’t control. Cricketers never worry about the weather, for example, because there is nothing you can do to change it. So any distraction, like the make-up and selection of the Australian team, did not concern us,” he said. “It’s fair to say we started talking about this tour almost as soon as we arrived home three years ago. It has always been in the back of our minds, even through this year when we had tours to India and England," he added. Smith, however, believes his mission does not end with the series win and argues it rather starts here. "The challenge now, as it was with my captaincy, is not to treat the achievement as "mission accomplished" but to use it as the start of a brand new journey, a new era...I can assure you there will be absolutely no sense of anti-climax about the Sydney Test. "We are all very aware of the prize that awaits us if we can win again and we have all dreamed of being No. 1," he said. — PTI
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Greg Chappell calls for patience
“Any form of international cricket is a learning curve for young players,” former Australia skipper Chappell said. “It takes time to understand what's required at that level. I think patience has to be the key. It was always going to happen at some stage that we were going to run out of that era. We’ve probably had half a dozen of the best players Australia’s ever had together for a long part of that successful period," said Chappell, who is now the chief coach of Australia’s Centre of Excellence in Brisbane. “If we want to have that sort of success again, we need to look at that sort of quality player. You've got to give them time to establish themselves,” he was quoted as saying in 'The Australian'. Chappell felt there was not much difference between Australia's slide now and the one it experienced in the mid 1980s, when he Rod Marsh and Dennis Lillee retired. “It was the end of an era. Allan Border had been around for a while and there were a few others with some experience. The new breed had to come in and that's where we're at. The selectors obviously have to make a call at some stage as to what direction they take.” The difference between now and the mid-80s, according to Chappell, was that during his time the rebel tours to South Africa had depleted Australia's reserves, which is not the case at the present moment. “There probably weren't too many choices. You had to look at the next generation. There wasn't a lot to turn to. So some decisions had to be made about giving young players an opportunity and being prepared to back them,” he said.
— PTI
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Sack selection panel, demand former players
“They are all over the place. Heads should roll (in the selection panel). They must have known Andrew Symonds was not fit in Melbourne and when he did not come on to bowl until after the 100-over mark (chairman of selectors) Andrew Hilditch must have felt like resigning," said Hogg. "If Hilditch wasn't totally embarrassed by Symonds's selection in that Test match, then it's a joke. This side has not got Warne and McGrath. They need a fifth bowler." Lehmann, who is President of the Australian Cricketers' Association, said there should not be a repetition of the Symonds debacle, where the all-rounder was picked despite the fact that he was carrying an injury on his knee which needed surgery. "That is a real issue the selectors have to get right. It just proves you have to pick people who are 100 per cent fit for every Test match," Lehmann was quoted as saying by 'Courier Mail'. "The time has come for reality checks on which way we are going in Australian cricket regarding the selection process." Lehmann also felt that Matthew Hayden should opt out of one-day cricket if he intends to prolong his Test career till the Ashes series. "If they want to get Matthew through to the Ashes, why don't they play him in Sheffield Shield games for the rest of the year instead of the one-dayers?" said the former left-handed middle order batsman. Benaud, meanwhile, said Australia blundered by playing the defensive minded off-spinner Nathan Hauritz rather than the aggressive Jason Krejza in the second Test. "I can't believe they picked Hauritz in Melbourne. Why would you pick a defensive bowler in a Test you have to win? Krejza is a much better bowler, an attacking bowler. He is a ready-made international spin bowler," Benaud, who was also a former Australia selector, said.
— PTI |
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Pietersen threatens to resign: Report London, January 1 The media here said Pietersen felt betrayed by coach Peter Moores following the treatment meted out to Vaughan, whom the skipper had wanted for the four-Test tour of the West Indies. Pietersen, it was reported, had sought an emergency meeting with ECB chairman Giles Clarke on the issue. The selectors, along with Moores, retained Ian Bell and Owais Shah in the squad much to the fury of Pietersen, who sees this as the final straw in a relationship with the coach that has been fractious at best since he took over. According to the Daily Mail, Pietersen will tell Clarke that either Moores goes or he quits. “It will place bombastic chairman Clarke in a highly difficult position as he has to choose between his powerful captain and the coach regarded so highly at the ECB,” the report said. Pietersen had asked for Vaughan’s inclusion and had left on his holiday to Africa believing he would have his way but Moores won over the selectors at the meeting. — PTI
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BCCI trying to ‘derail Lanka’s Pak tour’
Lahore, January 1 After India pulled out of its scheduled tour of Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) invited Sri Lanka for a home series but the visitors have not yet confirmed the itinerary for the tour, expected to begin from January 20. 'Jang' today reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been pushing Sri Lanka to put some tough demands before the PCB for the tour. The daily said based on the reports originating from Sri Lanka, it can be made out that India is not happy with Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan. The reports claim the BCCI has been working in the background to ensure that Pakistan does not get good matches after India cancelled its tour of Pakistan because of the Mumbai terror attacks. The BCCI enjoys considerable influence over regional cricket boards like the SLC and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and is using it to derail PCB's plans to host a full series against Sri Lanka in a bid to compensate for the cancellation of their much-awaited home games against India, it said.
— UNI |
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Injured Lee, Watson eye IPL to regain fitness
Sydney, January 1 Lee’s manager Neil Maxwell said the speedster has ruled himself out of the tour of South Africa. “He doesn't have any intention of going to South Africa,” Maxwell said. “He’ll be getting everything right, just clearing up that floating bone in the ankle and letting the hot spot in his foot heal,” he was quoted as saying by ‘Australian Associated Press’. Maxwell also added that the right-handed pacer, who is all set to undergo a surgery on Saturday, could take part in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for getting back his fitness. “He just wants to get as much cricket under his belt before the Ashes,” Maxwell said. Watson, the inaugural IPL’s Player of the Tournament, said he would be bowling in the nets before the second edition of the tournament starts. “The IPL will be a good way to just gradually build up your workload. The IPL will come along at the right time again after the Shield season,” he said today. ''The plan is to be gradually building the bowling up in three to four months with the workload. The plan is to be bowling before the Ashes team is picked,” Watson added. Lee will return with a bang: McGrath
Melbourne: Embattled Australia fast bowler Brett Lee would soon return to the international cricket with a bang, feels former fellow pacer Glenn McGrath. “I’ve got total confidence in Brett. You saw the way he led the attack when Warne and myself retired. I think he did an exceptional job there. I'm not more sure how he is going at the moment.
— Agencies |
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Ludhiana, Jalandhar to host T-10 gully cricket
Chandigarh, January 1 “T-10 Gully Cricket” Tournament talent jurist, Lalchand Rajput said, “We are expecting thousands of youngsters to come and showcase their skills and selecting the few among this massive turnout is going to be a great challenge for each one of us.” With Rs 2.5 million as prize money, the winner will pocket Rs 10 lakh, while the runner- up will get Rs 5 lakh. The tournament will feature four sponsored teams comprising 11 players each. Each innings will have a maximum of 10 overs. The play-offs will feature two groups of 4 teams each with the top 2 teams from each group qualifying for the semi-finals. The winner of Group A would meet the runners-up of Group B in the first semis while the winner of Group B would meet the runners-up of Group A in the other semis which would then be followed by the Grand finale. |
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Chandigarh to witness top class hockey action
Chandigarh, January 1 Originally, India wanted Pakistan to participate in the tournament. But the fallout of Mumbai blasts saw India withholding its invite to the Pakistan Hockey Federation and instead turning to both New Zealand and Australia. The chief executive of New Zealand hockey, Ramesh Patel, himself an Olympian, has promised to send the team subject to availability of players currently busy in playing the Netherlands Hockey League. Since the Netherlands is sending its team, players from New Zealand will in all probability be released later this week or early next week. The double-leg four-nation tournament will fill in the gap created by the discontinuation of the Indian Premier League. Chandigarh had been playing host to the IPL for the last couple of years. Incidentally, the four-nation tournament will be conducted on almost the same dates on which the IPL matches used to be played here. Chandigarh is also going to benefit from the Punjab government’s failure to replace the worn out Astroturf of Surjit Singh Randhawa Hockey Stadium at Burlton Park in Jalandhar. Originally, the Punjab Sports Department wanted the second leg and finals to be played at Jalandhar. But now all the matches will be played at the Sector 42 stadium here. The dates that have been provisionally cleared by the International Hockey Federation are January 31 to February 9 with rest days on February 2, 5 and 8 and the final scheduled for February 9. “It will be a prize money tournament where each of the participating team will be eligible for either winners and runners up money or a minimum participation fee,” says Pargat Singh revealing that he was hoping to hear from Ramesh Patel by end of this week. Meanwhile, the Indian probables that are attending a camp in Bhopal will go to Argentina to play a series of Test matches before the double-leg four-nation meet in Chandigarh. |
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