Former players want Sachin to keep playing ODIs

New Delhi, Mar 6: Former Indian captain Kapil Dev's view that Sachin Tendulkar should have retired from ODI cricket after the World Cup evoked sharp reactions from former cricketers who said that he was still the "main player" of the team and should be allowed to decide when to retire.

Tendulkar's poor form with the bat during the tour of Australia had prompted Kapil to suggest that the champion batsman should give up one form of the game to prolong his Test career.

However, there were other cricketers who felt that Tendulkar could still contribute in the shorter format of the game and calls for his retirement are not warranted.

"Leave Sachin alone. He is still our main player. I don't agree with the people saying that he should retire. He has given enough to the Indian cricket. He deserves all the respect. Leave Sachin alone," former wicket-keeper Kiran More told PTI.

Former Indian captain Gundappa Viswanath was in favour of allowing Tendulkar to decide when he should call it quits. "I have always said it's upto Sachin to decide on his career. I don't want to say anything else or comment on Indian cricket at this moment," he said.

Former captain Bishen Singh Bedi also disagreed with Kapil that Tendulkar should have retired from ODIs after the World Cup. "That's Kapil's opinion. It is Tendulkar's prerogative when he has to call it a day. I don't think, any of us here is in a position to say when Tendulkar should retire," he said.

Former opener Anshuman Gaekwad said Tendulkar should continue playing the ODI format as he is still performing and no youngster is ready to take his place.

"Tell me one good reason why Sachin should retire from ODIs. Is it because he is playing international cricket for more than 20 years? Or is it he has set high standards for so long? Or is it that his 100th international ton is approaching?," Gaekwad asked.

"Sachin has been scoring in 40s and 50s even now. Tell me a youngster who can replace him. Let the youngsters perform and push him out of the team. Youngsters have been inconsistent and patchy," he added.

Kapil, in an article, was also critical of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy, saying that captain should not only be fair but should appear to be so. Of late, Dhoni has given reasons to raise doubts about him, Kapil pointed out.

Kiran More, however, felt there was nothing wrong in Dhoni's captaincy and there's nobody who can replace him now. "There is nothing wrong in his captaincy. We just played poor, inconsistent cricket. It's a team game why single out the captain. We just didn't have international quality bowling attack to take 20 wickets and win us a Test," More said.

"Zak (Zaheer Khan) was our only main bowler. But he didn't look up to mark to me. There was no other bowler to take four-five wickets consistently. Dhoni is still our best leader. If you want to replace him, where is a replacement? There are a lot of other issues. Bowling and batting are the major concerns," he added.

Gaekwad felt that it was a collective failure of the Indian team in Australia and Dhoni should not be blamed for the debacle.

"First, we should find out the reason for the failure. Go to the bottom of it without blaming the coach or captain. We just didn't apply ourselves there. If you see the history of Indian cricket, whenever we have travelled we have just got better with time. But the case was different in our recent tours to England and Australia," he said.

"There was no performance the bowlers and batsmen didn't at all complement each other. None of them performed. Then how do we blame the captain or coach?" asked the former coach.

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Ind vs Aus: India taste first victory Down Under, thrash Australia by 8 wickets

NEW DELHI: Fine batting by Gautam Gambhir (56*) and Virat Kohli (31) guided India to a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Australia in the second Twenty20 international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

 
With this victory, India not only levelled the two-match Twenty20 international series 1-1 but also registered their maiden victory on the current Australian tour after being whitewashed 0-4 in the recently concluded Test series.

Ravindra Jadeja was named man-of-the-match for his outstanding fielding effort of two run outs and a caught and bowled in Australia's innings.

Australia were dismissed for 131 with two balls left after winning the toss and India reached that target with 135 for two off 19.4 overs.

Gambhir remained unbeaten on 56 off 60 balls while skipper MS Dhoni, who promoted himself in the batting order to number four, was not out 21 off 18 balls.

Gambhir slammed a quickfire 54-ball fifty that included 3 boundaries. Gambhir and Kohli, who added 54 runs for the second wicket, steadied Indian run chase after losing Virender Sehwag.

Mitchell Marsh dismissed Virat Kohli to give Australia second breakthrough against India

Chasing 132, India lost their second wicket at the score of 97. India, who reached the score of 100 runs in 85 balls, were 71 after the end of 10 overs.

Left-arm spinner Brad Hogg gave Australia first breakthrough as he got rid of dangerous Virender Sehwag in the second T20 international. Sehwag gave an easy catch to Shaun Marsh straight at extra cover that too on a full toss.

Sehwag and Gambhir, who gave India steady start against Australia, added 43 runs for the first wicket in the second Twenty20 international.

Earlier, an agile India gave a good account of themselves in the field as they effected four run-outs to dismiss Australia for a modest 131 in the second Twenty20 international.

Aaron Finch was the top scorer for Australia with 36 while Matthew Wade made 32. Pacer Praveen Kumar and leg-spinner Rahul Sharma picked up two wickets each.

Australia, who kept losing their wickets at regular intervals, lost half of their side inside 95 runs in the second T20I.

All five frontline bowlers, Praveen Kumar (2 for 21), Vinay Kumar (2 for 25), Ravinder Jadeja (1 for 16), Rahul Sharma (2 for 29) and Ravichandran Ashwin (1 for 23) bowled well.

Matthew Wade, hero of the first Twenty20 game, came to bat at number six, made 32 before being the third batsman to be run out for 32.

Aaron Finch (36 off 23 balls), opening in place of Wade this time, made a strokeful knock before being run out at a critical time.

India bowled and fielded with enthusiasm and it all started after Praveen picked up two wickets in his second over.

Indian skipper MS Dhoni also rose to the occasion as he was quite electrifying behind the stumps and instrumental in few stumpings and catches behind the wickets.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja, who exhibited his fine fielding skills, struck with the ball as he caught and bowled Australia's David Hussey to give India crucial breakthrough in the second T20 international.

Rahul Sharma got rid of Mitchell Marsh with the help of brilliant work done behind the stumps by Indian skipper MS Dhoni.

Ravindra Jadeja's brilliant work on the field sent Australia's Aaron Finch and George Bailey back to the pavillion in the second Twenty20 international at the MCG.

Australia got off to a poor start as they lost David Warner and Shaun Marsh cheaply after skipper George Bailey won the toss and showed no hesitation in deciding to bat first against the beleaguered visitors.

Paceman Praveen Kumar dismissed David Warner and Shaun Marsh in the span of four deliveries to give Aussies early blows.

Australia made three changes in their playing eleven as Travis Birt, Dan Christian and James Faulkner made the way for Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh and Clint McKay.

India, on the other hand, retained the same team that lost the first Twenty20 match in Sydney on Wednesday.

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India loses test series, third test ends third day, faces innings defeat

Ryan Harris celebrates the dismissal of Rahul Dravid on the third day of India-Australia third test courtesy: Getty Images

PERTH: India lost the third Test against Australia by an innings and 37 runs after being bowled out for 171 in their second innings on day three here on Sunday. Thus, India lost the test serises 0-3 to Australia.
India, starting the day on 88 for four, were all out minutes after lunch. Virat Kohli top-scored for the visitors with 75 while Rahul Dravid made 47. Ben Hilfenhaus took four wickets for Australia while Peter Siddle took three.
Australia had made 369 in their first innings in response to India’s opening day effort of 161. India were on the brink of defeat in the third Test, with 165 for six at lunch on day three at the WACA Ground here Sunday, needing another 43 runs to make Australia bat again.
India, resuming on 88 for four, lost Rahul Dravid (47) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2) in the session while Virat Kohli scored his maiden fifty of the series and remained unbeaten on 69. He was joined by R. Vinay Kumar (6) at the crease.  Dravid and Kohli shared 84 runs for the fifth wicket and withstood the pressure created by Australian bowlers for more than an hour.
Ryan Harris (1/34) set Dravid nicely for the hosts’ first breakthrough of the day. After beating Dravid’s bat several times with away going deliveries, Harris got one back in sharply that went through the gate to rattle the stumps. It was the eighth time in the last ten innings when Dravid saw his stumps disturbed.
Dhoni fell soon after to make it 148 for six. Kolhi got his fifty with a beautiful flick off Mitchell Starc’s bowling. The scoreboard on day three of the third cricket Test which India lost to Australia by an innings and 37 runs at the Western Australia Cricket Association Ground here Sunday:
India first innings: 161
Australia first innings: 369
India 2nd innings (Overnight 88/4):
Gautam Gambhir c Hussey b Starc 14
Virender Sehwag c Haddin b Siddle 10
Rahul Dravid b Harris 47
Sachin Tendulkar lbw Starc 8
V.V.S. Laxman c Marsh b Hilfenhaus 0
Virat Kohli c Haddin b Siddle 69
M.S. Dhoni c Ponting b Siddle 2
Vinay Kumar c Clarke b Hilfenhaus 6
Zaheer Khan c Clarke b Hilfenhaus 0
Ishant Sharma c Cowan b Hilfenhaus 0
Umesh Yadav not out 0
Extras: (b 1, lb 5, w 3) 9
Total: (10 wickets; 63.2 overs)
Extras: (b 1, lb 5, w 3) 9
Total: (for 10 wickets in 63.2 overs) 17
Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Gambhir, 10.2 overs), 2-25 (Sehwag, 11.3), 3-42 (Tendulkar, 16.1), 4-51 (Laxman, 19.1), 5-135 (Dravid, 50.5), 6-148 (Dhoni, 55.4), 7-171 (Vinay Kumar, 62.1), 8-171 (Khan, 62.2), 9-171 (Sharma, 62.5), 10-171 (Kohli, 63.2)
Bowling:
Ryan Harris 16-3-34-1
Ben Hilfenhaus 18-6-54-4
Mitchell Starc 12-4-31-2
Peter Siddle 15.2-5-43-3
Mike Hussey 2-0-3-0

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Duncan Fletcher named coach of India with two year contract and will lead World Cup winners’ tour of England

Fletcher’s appointment this morning paves the way for Andy Flower to sign a new deal as England coach after being linked with the India job, which was made vacant when Gary Kirsten left after the World Cup final.

Flower is due to meet the England & Wales Cricket Board next week and is expected to sign a new three year contract.

Fletcher’s appointment follows a strong recommendation from Kirsten as well as interviews with senior India players who were impressed after meeting him on a tour to South Africa last year.

He takes over a side that is number one in the world in Test cricket and current 50 over World Cup holders.

Fletcher, 62, has not held a full time coaching position since leaving the England set up after the 2007 World Cup but has had stints as a batting consultant with Hampshire and South Africa.

Fletcher led England to eight successive Test victories in 2004 before winning the Ashes a year later with Michael Vaughan as captain.
Vaughan wrote on twitter this morning “Duncan will work well with all the talent. His biggest challenge will come from the media. He has never really understood how it works.”
The intense media scrutiny of Indian cricket will test Fletcher as will the politics that often drive the direction of the team. But the coaching role has a far lower profile in India than it does in England with plenty of superstars in the side the main focus for attention.
Fletcher never enjoyed the limelight while working with England and may find the ability to sit in the background with India much more to his liking. Kirsten was rarely interviewed by the Indian media and his low profile approach was seen to be a success. Fletcher will be expected to follow suit.
Kirsten was able to commute form his home in Cape Town and Fletcher may have agreed the same arrangement.
Eric Simons remains as India’s bowling coach and is likely to lead the side’s tour to West Indies in June with Fletcher starting in time for the trip to England.

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Dilshan appointed Lankan skipper

Chennai: Tillakaratne Dilshan is light on his feet and heavy with his strokes. The mercurial opener can also pick the length early and play the ball late. Simply put, he innovates and creates.
Now, he will have to display vision, tactical nous and man-management skills as well. The 34-year-old was on Monday appointed the captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team for the tour of England from May. Sri Lanka will play three Tests, a one-off Twenty20 international and five ODIs in Ol' Blighty.
Dilshan takes over from the accomplished Kumar Sangakkara, who led Sri Lanka to the ICC ODI World Cup final. After the setback against India in the summit clash, Sangakkara abdicated captaincy. And the strategically brilliant Mahela Jayawardene gave up vice-captaincy.
Time to build
The idea was to give a new captain more space and time to build a team for the next World Cup in 2015. The selectors believe Dilshan possesses the right attributes for the demanding role.
Dilshan is no stranger to captaincy of the national side. In fact, he led his country to title triumph in the triangular ODI series involving depleted sides from India and Sri Lanka and host Zimbabwe in 2010.
A cricketer with an aggressive mind-set, Dilshan can lead from the front. And senior cricketers, Sangakkara and Jayawardene, are expected to guide the new captain during testing periods. Unity and a sense of togetherness have been the side's greatest strengths.
Dilshan's form at the top of the order in the World Cup was exemplary. He blended solidity with flair, batted with responsibility.
Judicious shot-making saw him emerge as the highest scorer in the competition with 500 runs at a whopping 62.50.
Making his international debut in the Bulawayo Test of 1999 against Zimbabwe, Dilshan has evolved as a batsman and a cricketer.
Along the way he has journeyed from a middle-order berth to the opener's slot.
Dilshan's international record is a creditable one. In 66 Tests, he has 3990 runs at 42.44 with 11 centuries. The strokeful right-hander has also collected 5456 runs in 203 ODIs at 36.61 (strike rate 87.54). And in Twenty20 internationals, he has 758 runs in 32 games at 29.15 (strike rate 120.70).
Natural player
He sizzled during the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 in England. His eye, judgement of length and reflexes saw him conjure the patented ‘Dilscoop' over the ‘keeper's head.
A natural riding on his skills, Dilshan's unbeaten 96 against the West Indies in the semifinal at the Oval is rated among the finest innings in the game's shortest format.
In Sri Lanka they tell you, “Dilshan is our Sehwag.”
An all-round cricketer, Dilshan's tidy off-spin has proved handy for his side. And he is an exceptional fielder at point.
The man from the town of Kalutara loves to be in the thick of action during all times. Interestingly, he has also 'kept wickets.
The change in captaincy is unlikely to affect Sri Lanka's position as a major cricketing force. The island nation is not short of talent, commitment and desire.
Dilshan seems the right man for the top job.

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It's just cricket, not a matter of life and death

NEW DELHI: “Bhaijaan, yeh bhi le loon (Brother, May I have this too?).” Younis Khan was pleading like a fan. Having grabbed a bat and a pair of new gloves, he was now eyeing a T-shirt as souvenir! Rahul Dravid parted with his valuable stuff most generously.
This was soon after India and Pakistan finished a hard-fought series (winning 4-2), braving crowd trouble at the Ferozeshah Kotla. The match was watched, among others, by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.
The acrimony was restricted to the ground. At the hotel, the Indian and Pakistan players were darting from one room to another, busy exchanging cricket gear and gifts. There may have been moments of harsh exchanges on the field like Javed Miandad's ‘frog jump' act to ape Kiran More during the World Cup encounter at Sydney in 1992 or Venkatesh Prasad showing Aamer Sohail the route to the pavilion in the World Cup tie in 1996 at Bangalore. These incidents will still be remembered by the fans, but the bitterness is rarely carried by the players involved.
No animosity
“We never harboured any animosity towards them,' said Maninder Singh, who played 13 Tests against Pakistan. “On the 1989 tour, I spent most evenings with Wasim (Akram), Waqar (Younis) and Salim (Malik). I can never forget Zaheer (Abbas) bhai taking me home for dinner at Karachi.
“All this pressure or tension was more in the stands. Of course, we would feel the tension sometimes, but then it was the cricketing pressure to perform. Personally, we have always got along well,” he added.
For Mohinder Amarnath, it was simple. Perform when it matters and perform to bring joy to the nation. He seemed to reserve his best for Pakistan.
Mohinder was the architect of India's win at Quetta when the teams met for the first time on Pakistan soil in 1978. The Asia Cup encounter at Dhaka in 1988 and Sharjah the same year were the other occasions in which Mohinder did the star turn for India.
All about self-belief
“The important thing is to have a strong belief in oneself. You should know your inner strength. My mindset was clear. I knew we could beat them, but then, one had to play above the established standards. You may have the talent but you have to play above that when facing Pakistan. I always looked at playing exceptional cricket against Pakistan and upsetting their rhythm,” said Mohinder.
An Indo-Pakistan encounter has always attracted global attention for a variety of reasons. “Do well against Pakistan and become an overnight hero,” was how off-spinner Rajesh Chauhan put it. “There is extra delight in beating Pakistan.”
There's no doubt that any Indian cricketer who played at Sharjah and won against Pakistan would vouch for that. An Indian victory would signal celebrations not just in India but all over the United Arab Emirates. Restaurants would offer huge discounts, depending on who owned it and which team won.
Navjot Singh Sidhu always relished an encounter with Pakistan despite the pre-match tension and expectations that were exacting. “The expectations were sometimes unrealistic because you can't win every match, can you?” asked Sidhu. He has an interesting anecdote to share from the Bangalore encounter. “I did my soliloquy in the room, visualising an Indian win as I played some great shots. I had avoided public contact because everyone had some wisdom to offer and increase the pressure.
“Late into the night, before sleeping, I ordered water melon juice. This guy came, got the bill signed, stopped at the door, smiled and said: “Pakistan se mat haarna (don't lose to Pakistan).” I lost my sleep but we won the next day!” recollected Sidhu, another champion when it came to playing against Pakistan.
Eventful journey
Sydney, Bangalore, Manchester, Centurion… and now Mohali! It has been an eventful World Cup journey since 1992. From the time the Indian and Pakistan teams walked along the boundary line at Sharjah in 1995 to remind the spectators that it was just a “cricket match” to the unprecedented hand-shaking ceremony ahead of the battle at Centurion in 2003, the players have been quite mature while handling the pressures and expectations.
The current players, appalled at the pre-match media hype, are treating the contest as a very important one and not as a matter of life and death. The Pakistan camp is doing what the Indian players have done throughout the World Cup campaign — keeping the television shut. The players on both sides are looking to Wednesday's match to extend their survival in the game's most prestigious competition. They will be battling to win, not fighting a war.

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India vs Pakistan Semi Final match Cricket World Cup 2011, Live Score Card

In the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, India marched to the semi final with five wins, one loss and a tied match against England, whereas Pakistan reached the semi final with five victories and a loss against New Zealand.
ONE OF the biggest days in the history of Cricket has now arrived. The Godfather of all cricket matches is about to be played as the India vs Pakistan semi final takes place in Mohali at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium on Wednesday, March 30 from 2:00 pm onwards.

Millions of cricket-crazy fans from across the globe have already started cheering for their heroes to do well in the super match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. They are praying for the victory of their favourite team at temples, mosques, gurudwaras, and churches.

The winner of the India vs Pakistan second semi final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will play against Sri Lanka on Saturday, April 2, at India's finance capital Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. In the first semi final match of the Cricket World Cup 2011 on Tuesday, March 29, Sri Lanka won by five wickets at R. Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo, and reached its second successive final of the Cricket World Cup.

Prior to the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan semi final match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, last night, the weather in Mohali raised the heart beats of Indian and Pakistani cricket fans. Mohali witnessed some heavy rain and thunderstorms on Tuesday.

According to the Mohali weather report, on Wednesday, March 30, in the afternoon the sky will mostly be sunny, and Mohali temperature will be around 41°C, however, there will be a chance of little rain by the evening.

The two captains, MS Dhoni and Shahid Afridi, will come to the middle of Punjab Cricket Association Stadium for the important toss of the second semi final match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 at 2:00 PM and live action for the battle for final will start from 2:30 PM IST. Cricket fans from across the globe will get all the latest updates and information from live

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India won the toss and elected to bat

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Vettori, Mills still question marks for New Zealand

The New Zealand team remains optimistic that key bowlers Daniel Vettori and Kyle Mills will be fit for Friday's Cricket World Cup quarter-final against South Africa.
New Zealand skipper Vettori missed the last two group games aftering injuring his knee in the 110-run win over Pakistan, while pace bowler Mills sat out the loss to Sri Lanka with a thigh strain.
A New Zealand team spokesman says both players are continuing to recover well and should line up Friday against South Africa.
New Zealand hasn't played since Friday's loss to Sri Lanka in Mumbai and didn't find out until Sunday where its quarter-final would be played.
The squad arrived in Dhaka at midday local time Tuesday and decided not to hold a daily practice session.
As well as being a key bowler for his side, Vettori adds experience to the Black Caps' batting lineup, which was missed as they slumped to 153 all out against Sri Lanka.
"We need to show more application to stay at the wicket," New Zealand coach John Wright was quoted as saying.
"We've got the shot making but we have to have the application to take the game deep. If we don't score runs, we'll go home, it's as simple as that."
Vettori plans to quit as ODI captain after the World Cup.
New Zealand doesn't have happy recent memories of playing in Bangladesh either, having lost a series 4-0 here last year, but wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum thinks that could work in the team's favour against South Africa.
"It's a real positive for us," McCullum said. "We have some good knowledge about the conditions in Dhaka and it will help us playing against South Africa in those conditions.
"They would probably have wanted some pace and bounce in the wicket, but they won't get that. It is not a bad draw for us at all."

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Yuvi, Gambhir, Tendulkar, Zaheer heros of the day

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Bangladesh v England: we can handle loss of Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad, says Andrew Strauss

Strauss was pressed for clues in the guessing game of who will be his new opening partner, and how many spinners England may deploy in dry and dusty Chittagong.

But he assiduously avoided the merest hint as to whether Ravi Bopara, Ian Bell or Matt Prior will move up the order in place of the injured Kevin Pietersen - or if James Tredwell could yet join Graeme Swann and Mike Yardy in a three-strong spin attack.

It is England's default policy to keep team selection up their sleeve, for fear of giving the opposition an edge, while remaining at pains to demonstrate they are in no way undecided.

Today, Strauss indulged in the bluff and diplomacy his job often demands. There was the suspicion of a boast as he said: "We're very clear in our minds who the best opening batsman will be for this game."

The identity of Strauss' first-wicket partner is not for public consumption, though - and neither is the bowling personnel. 

"In terms of three spinners, I don't want to comment on the balance of our side," the captain added, predictably.
"We're going to have to make a judgment as to how much this wicket is going to turn and how much there is going to be in it for the seamers.
"Past experience here suggests there is a little bit in it for everyone, and seamers and spinners have been equally successful."
All options remain open then, for a match which - if it goes England's way - will almost certainly eliminate the co-hosts and probably confirm quarter-final qualification for Strauss' team.
England's prospects, of course, have been compromised by the loss to injury of two potential match-winners.
Pietersen and then Stuart Broad had to fly home this week, after succumbing respectively to hernia pain and a side strain.
Strauss, however, is heartened that England had the strength in depth to prosper without Broad after he was injured in this winter's second Ashes Test. Eoin Morgan, called up in place of Pietersen, is already pencilled back in at No 5 - and Chris Tremlett is Broad's like-for-like substitute.
"It is not ideal," said the captain. "But we have had to deal with this over the winter beforehand.
"We are very fortunate we have two ready-made replacements in Eoin Morgan, whose finger has just recovered in time, and Chris Tremlett - who bowls very similarly to Stuart Broad and has been with us and is used to the conditions."
Whoever completes England's jigsaw tomorrow, Strauss is hoping for an easier path to victory - here and in Chennai against West Indies next week - following notably tight finishes in all four fixtures so far.
"It has been great to be involved in some thrilling games," he said.
"But personally I would have liked them to be a lot easier, and have a little bit more hair on my head at this stage of the tournament.
"We have shown a lot of character in a couple of those games - and we want these last two to be less close.
"We have been very inconsistent in this tournament so far.
"We have played two very good games against India and South Africa and two less good ones against Ireland and Holland.
"We want to firstly ensure we qualify for the quarter-finals - which means we have to win this game - and secondly we want to get some consistency in our cricket."
Bangladesh came spectacularly unstuck against West Indies in Dhaka last week.
But Strauss will not be under-estimating a team who beat England in a one-day international at Bristol eight months ago and - in opener Tamim Iqbal - have a player who made two belligerent Test hundreds and four 50s from eight attempts against them last year.
"They are a very dangerous side, especially at home," said Strauss.
"They have got a lot of shot-makers in their top order and some very good spin bowlers.
"We are very aware that they are likely to come out very determined to put on a better show than they did against the West Indies, and that makes them even more dangerous.
"It is a must-win game for Bangladesh and they are going to be 100% committed."
As for Tamim, he added: "We know he takes the game to the opposition and has done well in the past.
"I think we know a little bit more about him as a player now, but we are going to have to make sure we get our plans right from ball one; otherwise he will get off and running and give Bangladesh a good start.
"The crowd is going to be 100% behind Bangladesh, and that is going to be a hostile atmosphere for us.
"But if you want to win World Cups you can't have everything on your own terms.
"You have got to deal with that, and I think we will do so." 

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Gayle expected to be back for England

West Indies’ opening batsman Chris Gayle missed Friday’s World Cup win over Ireland with an abdominal strain but should be fit for the Group B clash with England in six days’ time, captain Darren Sammy said. 

Sammy said the opening batsman should recover from the injury in time for Thursday’s match in Chennai, where a victory will seal a place in the quarterfinals for West Indies.
“Most likely he’ll be ok,” Sammy said following victory over Ireland. “From the reports from the physio he should be ok.”
Earlier, team media manager Philip Spooner also said Gayle would be over the stomach muscle strain in time for England after he was a late omission for the Ireland game.
“We expect Gayle to be right for England,” Spooner said. “He only just missed out on the team this morning. It’s a slight strain.”
Gayle was replaced by fast bowler and ODI debutant Andre Russell on the morning of the match. Shivnarine Chanderpaul was pushed up to open with Devon Smith and made 35 in an 89-run opening stand.
In the absence of his regular opening partner, Smith hit 107 - his first ODI century — as West Indies posted 275 all out and went on to beat Ireland by 41 runs.
Spooner said Gayle had been batting well in the nets this week and was expected to be fully recovered for Thursday.

 

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India need to tame South Africa to calm nerves

Reuters) - India can underline their credentials as World Cup favourites with victory over South Africa in Group B on Saturday -- and convince their own fans who are becoming increasingly jittery about their prospects.
The co-hosts, touted by most as the favourites to win the Feb 19-April 2 tournament, have been unbeaten so far in their campaign with three wins and a tied match against England.
But their victories -- against Bangladesh, Ireland and the Netherlands -- have inspired anything but confidence in the supporters' minds.
The five-wicket wins against lowly Ireland and the Netherlands have rather raised doubts about the supposedly formidable Indian batting line-up.
"I think winning is important and it's not a bad win. When you see the scorecard it says India won by five wickets. It's a big positive," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said after the victory against the Dutch.
Maybe, but the Indian bowling has lacked teeth so far, which was evident when Bangladesh were allowed to reach 283 for nine while chasing 371 and England managed to tie the match while chasing 339 for victory.
While the pacemen, barring the experienced Zaheer Khan, have failed to impress with the new ball, the regular spinners, including Harbhajan Singh, have blown hot and cold with their form at best.
But captain Dhoni is not worried yet.
"I think Harbhajan is bowling well. Other teams are blocking him and going after Yuvraj, giving him the wickets in the process. Spinners need to hunt in pairs," he said.
KNOWN RIVALS
India have a chance to dispel all doubts and calm many a nerve with a win at the VCA Stadium on Saturday against rivals who are well known to them. The two teams played each other in a five-match ODI series before the start of the World Cup.
South Africa slipped past India 3-2 in that series but the conditions will be completely different in Nagpur.
The slow and low conditions in the sub-continent mean that the South Africans have had to depend on their slow bowlers more than their quick men.
"It's a funny game. A couple of months ago, you were getting wickets and things were going well," said Morne Morkel, who took 12 wickets against India in the home ODI series.
"If I can bowl dot balls and keep one end tight, then I think I've done my job. It will be great to get wickets. We have some important games to come so I know that my day will come soon."
The Africans compounded their problems by getting skittled for 165 runs, while chasing 172 for victory against England, giving their critics an opportunity of labelling them "chokers" again having never won this tournament.
The England match had more after effects as their highest wicket-taker Imran Tahir suffered a left thumb fracture while making a catch to dismiss Jonathan Trott.
Tahir has been advised to rest it for 10 days but is available for selection as the injury is to his non-bowling hand.
Another cricketer that South Africa have to guard against will be former opener Gary Kirsten, India's current coach.
The Indians will bank on Kirsten for some insider's tips to boost their chances against his home nation.
"They have got very different ideas and very different thinking. I have enjoyed bringing the Indian style and a South African influence and connecting the two," Kirsten had told Cricinfo before the start of the tournament.
"It is important that they know I'm there and that I will work as hard as possible on helping them prepare for games.
"After all, it is the player who needs to be clear in his head in the pressure situation during game time. He can't call the coach to think for him."

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Brilliant start by Sehwag, Tendulkar; India 172/1

Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar both scored quickfire half-centuries and piled up century stand in the just 11 overs after Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat against South Africa in their Group B match of the cricket World Cup here today.
Sehwag scored a breezy 66-ball (12 x 4s) before being bowled out by Faf du Plessis.
India made one change to the side that won against the Netherlands, bringing in pacer Munaf Patel in place of the out of form Piyush Chawla.
For South Africa, Johan Botha has replaced injured spinner Imran Tahir
Teams:
India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt/wk), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, Munaf Patel
South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, F du Plessis, Morne van Wyk, Robin Peterson, Johan Botha, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn

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SL vs Zim Live Score (World Cup '11)

10th Mar, 2011: Sri Lanka will be clashing with Zimbabwe in a Group A ICC Cricket World Cup match today.

Zimbabwe (Zim) won the toss and elected to field against Sri Lanka (SL).

For fast ball-by-ball updates, follow the Sri Lanka vs Zimbabwe match live on fullhyd.com. Here are the latest SL vs Zim live scores:

Sri Lanka: 300/4 (47.1 overs)

Upul Tharanga c Chigumbura b Mpofu 133 (141b 17x4 0x6)
Tillakaratne Dilshan c Chigumbura b Utseya 144 (131b 16x4 1x6)
Thisara Perera c Chigumbura b Price 3 (5b 0x4 0x6)
Mahlea Jayawardene c Chakabva b Mpofu 9 (7b 1x4 0x6)
Kumar Sangakkara (not out) 0 (0b 0x4 0x6)

Extras: 11 (b 2, lb 2, w 6, nb 1)

To bat: Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Silva, Angelo Mathews, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Muttaih Muralitharan

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world cup 2011 TEAMS & GROUPS

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Teams and Groups

Group A

Teams

Australia

Pakistan

New Zealand

Sri Lanka

Zimbabwe

Canada

Kenya

Group B

Teams

India

South Africa

England

West Indies

Bangladesh

Ireland

Netherlands

Teams Squads

Australia	Bangladesh	Canada
Ricky Ponting (Captain)	Shakib Al Hasan (Captain)	Ashish Bagai (Captain)
Michael Clarke (V. Captain)	Tamim Iqbal (V. Captain)	Rizwan Cheema
Doug Bollinger	Abdur Razzak	Harvir Baidwan
Callum Ferguson	Imrul Kayes	Balaji Rao
Brad Haddin	Junaid Siddique	John Davison
John Hastings	Mahmudullah	Parth Desai
David Hussey	Mohammad Ashraful	Tyson Gordon
Mitchell Johnson	Mushfiqur Rahim	Ruvindu Gunasekera
Jason Krejza	Naeem Islam	Jimmy Hansra
Brett Lee	Nazmul Hossain	Khurram Chohan
Tim Paine	Raqibul Hasan	Nitish Kumar
Steven Smith	Rubel Hossain	Henry Osinde
Shaun Tait	Shafiul Islam	Hiral Patel
Shane Watson	Shahriar Nafees	Zubin Surkari
Cameron White	Suhrawadi Shuvo	Karl Whatham
--	--	Hamza Tariq (Standby player)

England	India	Ireland
Andrew Strauss (Captain)	MS Dhoni (Captain)	William Porterfield (Captain)
James Anderson (V. Captain)	Virender Sehwag (V. Captain)	Andre Botha
Ian Bell	Ravichandran Ashwin	Alex Cusack
Ravi Bopara	Piyush Chawla	George Dockrell
Tim Bresnan	Gautam Gambhir	Trent Johnston
Stuart Broad	Harbhajan Singh	Nigel Jones
Paul Collingwood	Zaheer Khan	Ed Joyce
Kevin Pietersen	Virat Kohli	John Mooney
Matt Prior	Ashish Nehra	Kevin O'Brien
Ajmal Shahzad	Munaf Patel	Niall O'Brien
Graeme Swann	Yusuf Pathan	Boyd Rankin
James Tredwell	Suresh Raina	Paul Stirling
Jonathan Trott	Sreesanth	Albert van der Merwe
Luke Wright	Sachin Tendulkar	Andrew White
Michael Yardy	Yuvraj Singh	Gary Wilson
Chris Tremlett (Standby player)	--	--

Kenya	Netherlands	New Zealand
Jimmy Kamande (Captain)	Peter Borren (Captain)	Daniel Vettori (Captain)
Tanmay Mishra	Adeel Raja	Hamish Bennett
James Ngoche	Wesley Barresi	James Franklin
Shem Ngoche	Mudassar Bukhari	Martin Guptill
Alex Obanda	Atse Buurman	Jamie How
Collins Obuya	Tom Cooper	Brendon McCullum
David Obuya	Tom de Grooth	Nathan McCullum
Nehemiah Odhiambo	Alexei Kervezee	Kyle Mills
Thomas Odoyo	Bradley Kruger	Jacob Oram
Peter Ongondo	Bernard Loots	Jesse Ryder
Elijah Otieno	Pieter Seelaar	Tim Southee
Maurice Ouma	Eric Szwarczynski	Scott Styris
Rakep Patel	Ryan ten Doeschate	Ross Taylor
Steve Tikolo	Berend Westdijk	Kane Williamson
Seren Waters	Bas Zuiderent	Luke Woodcock
--	--	--

Pakistan	South Africa	Sri Lanka
Shahid Afridi (Captain)	Graeme Smith (Captain)	Kumar Sangakkara (Captain)
Misbah-ul-Haq (V. Captain)	Hashim Amla	Mahela Jayawardene (V. Captain)
Abdul Razzaq	Johan Botha	Tillakaratne Dilshan
Abdur Rehman	AB de Villiers	Dilhara Fernando
Ahmed Shehzad	Jean-Paul Duminy	Rangana Herath
Asad Shafiq	Faf du Plessis	Chamara Kapugedera
Junaid Khan	Imran Tahir	Nuwan Kulasekara
Kamran Akmal	Colin Ingram	Lasith Malinga
Mohammad Hafeez	Jacques Kallis	Angelo Mathews
Saeed Ajmal	Morne Morkel	Ajantha Mendis
Shoaib Akhtar	Wayne Parnell	Muttiah Muralitharan
Umar Akmal	Robin Peterson	Thisara Perera
Umar Gul	Dale Steyn	Thilan Samaraweera
Wahab Riaz	Lonwabo Tsotsobe	Chamara Silva
Younis Khan	Morne van Wyk	Upul Tharanga
--	--	--

West Indies	Zimbabwe
Darren Sammy (Captain)	Elton Chigumbura (Captain)
Adrian Barath	Regis Chakabva
Carlton Baugh	Charles Coventry
Sulieman Benn	Graeme Cremer
Dwayne Bravo	Terry Duffin
Darren Bravo	Craig Ervine
Shivnarine Chanderpaul	Greg Lamb
Chris Gayle	Shingirai Masakadza
Nikita Miller	Chris Mpofu
Kieron Pollard	Ray Price
Ravi Rampaul	Ed Rainsford
Kemar Roach	Tatenda Taibu
Andre Russell	Brendan Taylor
Ramnaresh Sarwan	Prosper Utseya
Devon Smith	Sean Williams
--	--

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ICC Cricket World Cup 2011

Points Table

Group A

Teams	Match	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Points	Net RR	For	Against
New Zealand	4	3	1	0	0	6	+1.848	746/141.3	630/184.0
Pakistan	4	3	1	0	0	6	+0.760	970/200.0	818/200.0
Sri Lanka	4	2	1	0	1	5	+2.663	744/118.4	541/150.0
Australia	3	2	0	0	1	5	+1.813	469/84.0	377/100.0
Zimbabwe	3	1	2	0	0	2	+0.079	631/150.0	551/133.3
Canada	4	1	3	0	0	2	-2.083	582/195.3	1012/200.0
Kenya	4	0	4	0	0	0	-3.403	521/200.0	734/122.1

Group B

Teams	Match	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Points	Net RR	For	Against
India	3	2	0	1	0	5	+0.768	918/146.0	828/150.0
England	4	2	1	1	0	5	+0.054	1132/198.4	1124/199.1
West Indies	3	2	1	0	0	4	+2.667	611/112.2	396/142.5
South Africa	3	2	1	0	0	4	+1.754	739/142.5	513/150.0
Ireland	3	1	2	0	0	2	-0.296	714/149.1	742/146.0
Bangladesh	3	1	2	0	0	2	-1.764	546/150.0	607/112.2
Netherlands	3	0	3	0	0	0	-3.058	527/150.0	977/148.4

 Errors and Omissions are expected. For any query please contact us.

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