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Sourav Ganguly insists he has not considered retiring from one-day cricket despite being ignored for the Champions Trophy.

Ganguly last played a one-day international in November last year and his career in the 50-over format is in doubt after he was left out of India’s 30-man preliminary squad along with Rahul Dravid.

Despite the setback, Ganguly will continue to focus on the longer format of the game.

“I haven’t played ODIs for the past three months and won’t be playing the next three either,” he said. “There is nothing about ODIs to look forward to. I will be playing in the Test series and that’s where my current focus is,.”

Asked if he thought he would be selected for the one-day team in the future, Ganguly said: “I really don’t know about the chance, but I’m not quitting at the moment.”

When asked whether he was “pushed out” of the ODI squad, Ganguly replied: “How does it matter? The bottom line is I’m out of the side. I’ve performed in both forms of the game for the past one-and-a-half years. The rest is not in my hands.”

Ganguly respects Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to miss the Test series in Sri Lanka citing fatigue, and says the one-day skipper has reason to be tired.

“That’s his personal decision and we have to respect it,” added Ganguly. “But when I played my cricket I can’t remember taking such breaks during Tests. Probably, I couldn’t afford such breaks.

“However, Dhoni has gone through a lot in the last few months.

“He is a wicket-keeper. He is also our one-day captain. Besides he is also one of our main batsmen.”

Looking forward to the series in Sri Lanka, Ganguly acknowledged spinner Ajantha Mendis would be a threat, but that veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan would pose greater problems.

Mendis claimed six wickets for 13 runs from eight overs to help Sri Lanka defeat India in the final of the Asia Cup.

“Somebody who has single-handedly helped Sri Lanka win the Asia Cup final will obviously be a big threat. No doubt, he is a good bowler,” said Ganguly.

“We have to read him off the hand rather than off the pitch. However, I feel once we get used to playing him we would pick him easily.

“But I think Murali would be a bigger threat. He has variation and pace and can turn the ball a mile. He is in a different league altogether.”

The ECB will resist plans to implement a new Twenty20 tournament into domestic cricket based on the Indian Premier League.

The plans, drafted by MCC secretary Keith Bradshaw and Surrey chairman David Stewart and discussed at length with officials at Hampshire and Lancashire, propose a radical new format to the county structure.

But, speaking to BBC Test match special, ECB chairman Giles Clarke appeared to distance himself from the proposals and stressed: “There have been a lot of ideas pushed around, most of debatable economic validity. Quite a lot of it is probably not going to find favour with me; there may be elements of it to take into consideration.”

He added: “I am firmly in favour of 18 counties playing matches for their home crowds. I don’t see why they should be fearful for their county futures.”

“The board agreed at their last meeting on an 18-county structure. We’re very firm that the 18-county structure taking the game around the country is really important for cricket in England and Wales.

“History and tradition is something only a fool breaks asunder. We need to ensure whatever is produced will be economically viable, will provide cricket people want to watch and the right format for our national side in all forms of cricket.”

The proposals, which are due to be presented at the ECB Board meeting on Tuesday attended by all 18 counties and the MCC, set out plans for each consortium to enter a bidding process for players similar to that seen in this year’s inaugural IPL.

Each squad would have a proposed salary cap of £1.5million and must include 12 homegrown players, with three of those under 23 years of age, while there would be an auction for overseas players.

All profits and revenue from the tournament would be shared between the ECB, who would distribute it down to the counties and grassroots cricket, and overseas boards, who would provide some of the star players.

The plans also include a separate Friday night Twenty20 tournament and a limited-overs competition - probably 50-overs - to be run at the weekends.

With the Indian Premier League, and its unsanctioned rival the Indian Cricket League, dominating sports headlines in recent months, four major English county clubs are planning a new 50m Twenty20 tournament in England in June and July from 2010.

The MCC, Lancashire, Hampshire and Surrey are proposing a new 57-match tournament, spanning 25 days, with nine franchises competing for the main prize, according to BBC Sport.

The document of proposals will be put forward for discussion by the England and Wales Cricket Board later this month.

All the franchises will be based at Category A grounds that stage Tests and One-Day Internationals and enter into a bidding process for players, similar to that seen for the IPL’s inaugural tournament.

Each team will have a proposed salary cap of 1.5m and will have to include 12 homegrown players, with three of those under 23 years of age, while there will be an auction for overseas players.

MS Dhoni admitted none of the Indian batsmen could pick up Ajantha Mendis, who snared six wickets in the final on Sunday.

Dhoni, speaking to STAR Cricket after the 100 run thrashin was effusive in his praise for the ‘mystery spinner’: “Mendis bowled a consistent line. Frankly, none of our batsmen picked him up.”

“He came on in the 10th over and started the rot, getting (Virender) Sehwag. We could never recover after that, losing some quick wickets. We were in a position to recover.”

Dhoni acknowledged that it is disappointing to lose finals with alarming regularity. The Men in Blue have lost 18 of the 22 finals they have played since 1999.

However, the Indian skipper said it was also a good sign ot reach so many finals: “It is good to reach the finals but yes it is disappointing to lose so many of them.”

MSD was happy with the way his batsmen performed but hoped the wickets would assist the bowlers more during the Champions’ Trophy: “I hope the bowlers find something to cheer about in the Champions’ Trophy. Otherwise, scores of 300-320 would be chased down regularly.”

“Most of our batsmen did well, had good strike rates and did well consistently.”

A jubilant Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene who defended the Asia Cup title said he always knew a target of 300 would not be on in the finals: “We knew 270-280 would be enough and we had two spinners to put India in trouble.”

“We were in trouble when Sehwag was blasting our bowlers early on. But Mendis was brilliant. Infact everybody chipped in. (Chaminda) Vaas, Murali and all the bowlers were exceptional.”

“We had to put pressure on the powerful Indian batting line up and that is what we did. I am proud of the way the bowlers performed.”

“I think Sanath Jayasuriya was the difference between the two teams. He came in and did what he does best. We had lost four early wickets but he just stuck to his task.”

Sri Lanka were 66 for four at on stage but Jayasuriya never stepped off the gas and butchered the Indian attack to rattle off 125 off 114 runs.

Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup for the first time outside Sri Lanka, a fact that did not escape the captain: “Yes, it is a monkey off our back. We did not have a great 2008 and it is nice to get back in the winning circuit.”

A fit-again Sachin Tendulkar and the controversial spinner Harbhajan Singh are set to return and beef up a struggling Indian team, to be picked in Mumbai on Tuesday, for the three-Test series against Sri Lanka starting later this month.

The clamour for the expected recall of seniors Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman in the Test squad led by Anil Kumble has gone up after the one-day team’s failure to clinch both the tri-series in Bangladesh and the Asia Cup in Pakistan that ended on Sunday.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his younger lot of players did not show the needed will and strength of character in the most crucial ties of both the tournaments, the finals, and lost to Pakistan and Sri Lanka respectively.

With Tendulkar reportedly fit and Harbhajan Singh having served out his five-match ODI ban for slapping fellow-India teammate S Sreesanth during the Indian Premier League, the duo is poised to get back to international action along with Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman.

Tendulkar missed the two ODI events post-IPL to give rest to his troublesome groin. His inspiring presence along with those of the other three vastly experienced batsmen should give the batting line-up the stability that seemed to be missing at crucial stages in the one-day tournaments.

Yuvraj Singh, after having had a mixed run in the Tests, is the frontrunner for one of the remaining slots in the middle order.

The remaining spot might go to Suresh Raina who has returned to the ODI squad after a long gap and seem to have edged ahead of Rohit Sharma and his UP teammate Mohd Kaif on current form.

A cash bonanza it might be for players and administrators, but the Indian Premier League also poses the biggest threat to cricket’s integrity since the 90’s match-fixing scandals, warns ICC’s anti-corruption unit chief Paul Condon.

Condon feels the IPL may go the Sharjah way, where several matches were suspected to have been fixed by a network of bookies in the 1990’s in collusion with players, according to a report on a website — cricketnirvana.Com.

“…The IPL brings with it the biggest threat in terms of corruption in the game since the days of cricket in Sharjah,” Condon told the ICC’s Executive Committee during the governing body’s annual conference.

Since the IPL is a domestic tournament, the ICC does not send its anti-corruption officials to keep an eye on the players and Condon feels this is precisely what makes it vulnerable to being hijacked by the bookies, ‘The Age’ reported in Melbourne on Monday.

Australia completed a 169-run victory in the fifth and final One-day International against West Indies on Sunday at Warner Park. ( Watch )

Australia won the series 5-0 to become only the third team to sweep an ODI series in the Caribbean.

Australia won the opening match by 84 runs in St. Vincent, the rain-affected second ODI by 63 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis Method, and the third ODI last Sunday by seven wickets in Grenada, as well as the fourth ODI last Friday by one run at Warner Park.

Previously, South Africa and Pakistan were the two sides that achieved ODI series sweeps in the Caribbean.

They both accomplished the feat three years ago, when the Proteas won all five of their matches in a bilateral series, and the Pakistanis won all three in theirs.

Scores:
Australia 341 for eight off 50 overs.
West Indies 172 all out off 39.5 overs.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik said he is ready to bat at any position after his team beat Bangladesh comprehensively on Friday.

Speaking to STAR Cricket after the match, Malik said: “I am ready to bat at any position. Now, we have a good opening pair going for us. It all depends on the combination we have though.”

The captain was effusive in his praise for his team after Bangladesh were routed by 10 wickets: “The boys performed really well. The bowlers were exceptional and then the openers came in and got the target without much fuss.”

Pakistan’s bowlers made the Bangladeshi batsmen hop on a Karachi track that has generally seen totals of 300 plus being chased down with alarming regularity. Abdur Rauf, Ifthikar Anjum and Saeed Ajmal bowled exceptional spells to rattle the Bangladeshi batting order.

Malik said he is much fitter now after he missed the match against India: “I was struggling but I am perfectly okay now. Thank God, the weather was good and we did a very good job.”

The controversial captain admitted his team made a few mistakes against Sri Lanka and they had to pay for that. However, he was happy with the way the youngsters performed.

“All the new players played to their potential and showed a lot of promise. We have a camp in a few days’ time and are now looking forward to the Champions’ Trophy.”

Meanwhile, Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful stressed his team had a very good outing in the STAR Cricket Asia Cup, apart from the last two matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

“We are playing well. We are improving now. Alok Kapali and Raqibul Hossain performed well.”

The middle order batsman said the wicket was good but was a little slow: “I had a good partnership with Tamim (Iqbal). But once I got out, we were in touble. I should have carried on.”

So, all is now set for the final of the STAR Cricket Asia Cup between India and Sri Lanka on Sunday. It should be a cracker.