Mahendra Singh Dhoni has confirmed his commitment to India ahead of his IPL franchise the Chennai Super Kings.
India captain Dhoni faces a potential fixture clash as the Super Kings are taking part in the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League next month.
The final of that competition - should the Super Kings get that far - is scheduled for December 10 in Chennai, with Dhoni due to lead India the following day in the first Test against England in Ahmedabad.
To play in both fixtures the wicketkeeper would have to make an overnight trip of more than 1,800 kilometres.
It had been reported that the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) requested to their English counterparts that the first Test be put back 24 hours to allow Dhoni more time to prepare.
Long way off
But the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Tuesday that the match would start as originally scheduled on December 11.
And Dhoni, speaking ahead of Thursday’s third one-day international against England in Kanpur, confirmed that - regardless of the Super Kings’ Champions League progress - his first commitment was to lead India in Ahmedabad.
“I think your country must come first,” he said. “It is up to the BCCI so whatever they decide will be done, but it should always be that the Test match is put first.
“We are not thinking about the games ahead at this moment, we are only thinking about this series.
“We are not even thinking about the fourth and fifth games so the Champions League is way off yet.”
Before Dhoni links up with Chennai for the Champions League, he is aiming to have secured a comfortable one-day series win over England, having already led India to two convincing wins in the seven-match series.
Ishant fit
Seamer Ishant Sharma has yet to feature in the series after being rested for a slight ankle complaint and may return in Kanpur.
“He’s 100 per cent fit and has bowled a long spell in the nets so he’s available for selection,” confirmed Dhoni.
“He’s a bowler who is always there even when he’s tired, we’ve seen that in Test matches when he comes back for a third spell.
“He bowls with the same amount of effort whenever you give him the ball. It is great but at the same time you have to take care of players like this.
“He’s only 20 years old and he’s got a long career ahead of him so it’s very important to give him rest.”
Sharma is likely to replace left-arm seamer RP Singh, who was hit for 49 runs in just five overs during Monday’s 54-runs triumph in Indore.
This has been a bonanza year for all A R Rahman fans. The music maestro gave some catchy and foot-tapping music in films like Jodhaa Akbar, Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na and the soon to be released Yuvvraaj.
Before the year comes to a close Rahman will also unveil the musical score of Aamir Khan starrer Ghajini.
However it’s not just film compositions that has been keeping Rahman busy. The genius has also composed the theme song for the much awaited Champions League Twenty 20 cricket tournament.
This is for the first time that the music maestro has composed the theme song for any major sports tournament. The theme song doesn’t have any lyrics but only chants accompanied by Rahman’s foot-tapping composition.
It is still 40 days away, but the inaugural Champions League T20 tournament has already become a hit with cricket administrators and players all over the world giving a thumbs up to international cricket’s first-ever franchise driven club level tournament.
Cricketers, administrators hail Champions League T20
The Champions T20 League, a joint initiative of BCCI, Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia, will see the best domestic T20 teams from India, Australia, South Africa, England and Pakistan fight it out in the USD six million tournament scheduled to be held in India from December 3 to 10.
“The Champions League is a culmination of hard work by BCCI, CA, CSA and we would like to have champions of champions. The Champions League is definitely going to become one of the the best of the best T20 tournaments. The Champions League will decide who the club level champion is,” Champions League Commissioner Lalit Modi said in a glittering draw and T20 Champions award ceremony at a city hotel here on Thursday.
Modi, who is also the brain behind the highly successful Indian Premier League, informed that in the first edition of the event eight teams from five countries will vie for top honours but the number of participating teams will subsequently increase in the next year.
“This is the inaugural edition of the Champions League and we are starting with eight teams from five countries. The total number of matches this year will be 15. But in year two, the number of teams will increase to 12. Subsequently the number of matches will shoot up to 23,” he said.
Its great to see teams from different countries participating in the tournament in the very first year,” he said. Modi, who is also the Commissioner of IPL, said although T20 cricket has attained great heights in terms of popularity, it will have no adverse affect on the traditional format of the game and limited overs cricket.
“The Champions League is here to stay and fans are loving it. At the same time, ODIs and Tests are also flourishing.”
Meanwhile, world cricketers also seemed gung ho about the inaugural Champions T20 League with Michael Hussey describing the event as an ‘exciting concept’.
“It (Champions T20 League) is an exciting concept as T20 has captured the imagination of the world. It is a fantastic concept and I am looking forward to be a part of it,” Hussey said.
Australia and Indian Premier League champions Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Shane Watson credited the IPL for revolutionising the concept of T20 cricket.
“The IPL really took that (T20 cricket) on. Its amazing to see best club teams from different countries fighting it out against each other,” he said.
On October 14 when the International Cricket Council (ICC) board met in Dubai, the Board of Control for Cricket in India offered to meet with representatives of the Indian Cricket League. There was surprise at this apparent volte face on the part of BCCI till it was revealed that they had agreed to meet the ICL, and submit a report to the ICC, at the behest of the ICC’s lawyers.
That the meeting was organised in utmost haste raised eyebrows further. Shashank Manohar, president of the BCCI, gave ICL officials a 10-minute hearing at a Delhi hotel and reportedly demanded that the parallel league disband before talking to the board.
While ICL officials felt slighted, the BCCI merely said: “…The talks failed and there are no plans for any further meeting,” in a release.
However, HT has learned that there was a subsequent meeting, on November 1 in Mumbai, but only high-ranking officials were involved. A top BCCI functionary refused to confirm or deny the meeting while ICL officials claimed ignorance. Even a spokesperson of the ICC said he was unaware, but did confirm that the BCCI had submitted a detailed report on the ICL to ICC chief Haroon Lorgat.
The BCCI has steadfastly maintained that the ICL had organised its Twenty20 tournament without seeking permission from the board. It also said that it was the apex governing body for the sport in India and as per clause 28 of the Memorandum and Rules and Regulations of the Board, anyone seeking to organise matches involving foreign players or teams must first get permission from the board. Furthermore, the board has asserted that private organizations shall not be allowed to stage any international matches or matches involving international players.
Apart from the matches between city teams, the ICL has also started matches between international teams like an Indian XI and the Pakistan XI, which the BCCI points out, could be a threat to the ICC. The BCCI added that the ICL proposed a match between its champions and a BCCI team, in order to cast a doubt over who represents India.
The BCCI has said that it runs tournaments for various age groups in a pyramidal structure that act as feeder to higher levels. If the ICL picks players from this system, BCCI’s investment would go in vain. After their second meeting with ICL representatives, the BCCI has written to the ICC once again underscoring these concerns. “The report has reached the ICC, but no action will be taken on it at the moment. It will be discussed in the next board meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Australia on January 31 and February 1,” a source revealed.
What’s more, a person close to the talks in this case revealed that the case for cricketers in the ICL “might have brightened and that the BCCI assured the ICC that the process of settlement was already under way.”
Is it just a coincidence that the ICL representatives these days have also conspicuously cut down on the anti-BCCI rhetoric? While it is impossible to guess what plans BCCI have for ICL, it does seem like the wheels are turning at the moment.
After an inspiring performance in the Test series against Australia, Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh moved two places to the seventh spot in the bowler’s list in the latest Test rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The off-spinner picked up 15 wickets in the three Tests and is now enjoying his highest rankings in five years. The 28-year-old took seven wickets in the fourth Test against Australia at Nagpur and, as a result, has moved past Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka and Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar but is still well behind the next highest placed Ryan Sidebottom of England and also Australia’s Brett Lee, who had a disappointing series by his standards taking eight wickets at an average of 61.62.
Meanwhile, the news is not so good for Zaheer Khan who loses three places following the Nagpur Test and now sits in 18th position. The left-arm pacer took just one wicket for 125 runs in the fourth Test as his new-ball partner Ishant Sharma continued to shine at the other end.
Sharma is up six places to 30th position after taking another four wickets in the match and being named as the player of the series. It is the first time the 20-year-old has broken into the top 30 during his short career to date.
Leg-spinner Amit Mishra continues his rise in the bowling rankings, gaining six places to 43rd position, a remarkable showing considering he has played just three Tests.
The bowling rankings continue to be headed by Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan, followed by South Africa’s Dale Steyn in second place and Clark.
In the batting rankings Sachin Tendulkar continued his current patch of good form registering his 40th Test century at that match in Nagpur. He gained three places in the process and now sits in 16th position just behind Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke, who loses one place to 15th.
Virender Sehwag has moved up two places to 11th spot and is now very close behind Jacques Kallis of South Africa (10th) and Matthew Hayden (9th) of Australia.
The West Indies’ Shivnarine Chanderpaul is still top of the batting list followed very closely by Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka in second place.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting has slipped two places to seventh in the rankings and out of the top five for the first time since 2004. The Tasmanian scored a century in the first innings of the first Test of the four-match series but since then has averaged only 23.83 and that led to his speedy slide down the list.
Batsmen:
1.Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies) 890 rating points
2.Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka) 886
3.Mohammed Yousuf (Pakistan) 880
4.Mike Hussey (Australia) 876
5.Mahela Jayawardena (Sri Lanka) 837
6.Kevin Pietersen (England) 829
7.Ricky Ponting (Australia) 826
8.Younis Khan (Pakistan) 799
9.Matthew Hayden (Australia) 781
10.Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 774
Bowlers:
1.Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) 895
2.Dale Steyn (South Africa) 847
3.Stuart Clark (Australia) 821
4.Makhaya Ntini (South Africa) 760
5.Brett Lee (Australia) and Ryan Sidebottom (England) 738
7.Harbhajan Singh (India) 688
8.Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) and Shoaib Akhtar (Pakistan) 684
10.Shane Bond (New Zealand) 654
All-rounders:
1.Jacques Kallis (South Africa) 458
2.Daniel Vettori (New Zealand) 369
3.Andrew Flintoff (England) 302
4.Dwayne Bravo (West Indies) 295
5.Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka) 281
Amid fears that Test cricket may soon be left trampled under the stampede for Twenty20 cash, England captain Kevin Pietersen today urged world cricket leaders to do everything in their power to protect the longer version of the game.
Pietersen insisted that the primacy and integrity of Test cricket must be preserved at all costs.
“Test cricket is the big stuff. It’s about challenging yourself against the best players in the world in the hardest environment. I’ve had a taste of how wonderful it is and I love everything about playing for my country,” Pietersen told ‘The Mail on Sunday’.
“But future generations, even my kids, might be facing questions like ‘Do I want to be a Test cricketer or do I want to be a Twenty20 cricketer and franchise myself out for that?”. And they might feel differently,” he stated.
Pietersen underlines the dangers by citing the example of left-arm swing bowler Neil Carter, contracted as a Warwickshire player but allowed by the club to join Middlesex on loan to play in their Twenty20 games in Antigua and in Champions League Twenty20 in India in December.
Pietersen’s side play county Twenty20 champions Middlesex today in Antigua as part of build up to first of five annual winner-takes-all USD 20 million Stanford matches on Saturday which could net him and his team more than 6 lakh pounds each.
With a new Southern Premier League planned for clubs from Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, the Champions League T20 in December, the second Twenty20 World Cup in England next summer and the English Premier League due to start in 2010 alongside the Standford international quadrangular tournament, the power and popularity of the shortest form of the game is growing across the world. PTI
Thursday, November 20, 2008
0 Comments