SPORT ZONE

Rahul Dravid leads Rajastan Royals

2011-12-04T20:52:00.000+05:30

Rahul dravid “The Wall” named captain of Rajastan Royals team in IPL after Australian legend spinner Shane Warne announced his retirement. This year has been amazing for Dravid who scored 1,258 runs in 15tests with the help of 6 centuries and also received ‘Poly Umrigar Award for India’s best cricketer of 2010-2011’ by BCCI. Dravid was congratulated by ex-captain Shane Warne on his appointment. Dravid feels Rajastan Royals squad is full of energetic and talented players who know their roles. Let us congratulate Dravid who proves himself in all formats of game and started hitting sixes often in test cricket too. He is the only cricketer in the world who faced more than 5000 overs in test cricket.

Bushcraft Courses

2011-10-18T20:11:00.000+05:30

From ancient days to till date i.e., modern days the physical structure of man does not possess much change but his mind structure and the ways he thinks which ultimately changes the whole setup of the world has found a tremendous change. Even after getting everything to lead sophisticated life, we are still not able to lead a tension-free life style and hence people are so excited to experience our ancestor lifestyle. But straight away we cannot not adapt ourselves to the wildlife moreover as we are not fully aware of the same. But it is not a big issue anymore as we can get the whole details about it from bushcraft courses. First let me brief you what does Bushcraft mean. It can be stated as a range of skills, practices, ethics and even a way of thinking to survive and flourish in the natural environment. It includes Wood craft, Making Bow, Fire craft, Shelter Building, Tracking, Hunting, Woodland Management, Friction Fire Lighting, Wood craft, Knife Making, Bow Making and the list goes on. People feel that that learning traditional techniques and skills like this to live within the natural-world gives them a sense of self-achievement and self-reliance.

The bushcraft courses starts with introduction to rough-country travel and wilderness survival and then covers the entire skills from camp crafts, knife-handling to star-craft navigation and water harvesting. They also provide bush craft equipments for learning and practice. The equipments are manufactured in a perfect way with which we can easily get our needs for our wild life experience. In ancient days, axe has its unique hypnotic feature and respect which attracts everyone. But now no one knows how to handle it. That is why Ray Mears have manufactured gransfors axe which has the magic quality of weight and length that can be felt only while using. It has the right weight balanced with the right length of handle made up of high standard steel. One good thing about it is there’s no need to sharpen them frequently and also fit the head very well to the helve.

The activities coming under bushcraft courses are not so safe. People are exposed to lot of vulnerabilities during the course and hence first aid courses are mandatory. In the midway if someone met with an accident we can’t wait for someone to help. The courses focus on teaching how to deal with the variety of risks that the natural environment brings with it.

ICC Rankings & Awards – 2011

2011-09-13T20:53:00.001+05:30

Alastair Cook is Test Cricketer of the Year

Jonathan Trott has been named ICC Cricketer of the Year 2011

Bishoo named Emerging Player of the Year

Aleem Dar named best umpire for the third consecutive year

Dhoni leads ODI team of the year

Dhoni wins Spirit of Cricket award

Sangakkara named ODI Cricketer of the Year

Southee wins award for best Twenty20 performance

Stafanie Taylor wins Women's Cricketer award

ten Doeschate wins Associate award again

England dominate ICC Test team of the year

ICC TEST Championship:

Team	Matches	Points	Rating
England	37	4634	125
South Africa	21	2469	118
India	37	4336	117
Sri Lanka	23	2486	108
Australia	27	2692	100
Pakistan	24	2245	94
West Indies	23	2039	89
New Zealand	19	1485	78
Bangladesh	12	94	8

ICC ODI Championship:


Team	Matches	Points	Rating
Australia	30	3894	130
Sri Lanka	28	3327	119
South Africa	19	2197	116
India	33	3743	113
England	29	3220	111
Pakistan	28	2820	101
New Zealand	22	1973	90
West Indies	19	1475	78
Bangladesh	26	1648	63
Zimbabwe	26	1165	45
Ireland	12	492	41
Netherlands	8	87	11
Kenya	6	0	0

Manchester United Bags EPL Title

2011-05-15T20:46:00.000+05:30

Manchester United has set a new record in English soccer by winning the Premier League (EPL) title, the 19th league crown in the club's history. Previously Liverpool holds the pride of winning the most English league titles. United was in a tough position to secure the championship with a game to spare and achieved it with a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Elwood Park. 12 titles under Sir Alex Ferguson saw United take an absolute lead after his team's 2009 EPL success drew the team’s level at 18-18. Though his current squad was criticized at various points throughout the 2010-11 seasons, he proved the team’s caliber claiming the new record after a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford against Chelsea. The defeat of Barcelona would secure United its fourth UEFA Champions League title, formerly named the European Cup, to move one behind Liverpool's English record of five trophies in the competition.

Novak Djokovic beats Rafael Nadal

2011-05-10T12:10:00.001+05:30

Novak Djokovic has set himself at the top level players list with his splendid performance in this season. He sustained his stunning start to the season on by making it 32 wins out of 32 in 2011 and the latest is his 7-5 6-4 victory over home favorites and defensive winner Rafael Nadal at La Caja Magica in the Madrid Open final. This was Novak’s first win in 10 meetings with Rafael on clay and it was his sixth title of the year, three of which have seen him beat world number one Rafael in the final. It’s a known fact that Nadal has been the king of clay coat with 37-match winning streak on this surface. Novak considered Rafael as his most favourite and he added ‘ most likely because of my charming streak and because I`m in the shape of my lifetime and playing the best tennis of my career I am one of the favorites, but I think Rafael has only lost one match there in his career’.

Shane Warne bid farewell to IPL

2011-05-07T10:39:00.006+05:30

Australian legend leg spinner Shane Warne has announced his retirement from expert cricket at the end of the IPL season. At present he is playing for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL and in his Twitter account he stated “Yes this is my last year playing Indian Premier League. It's 100 per cent my last four games of specialist cricket unless we make the finals - maybe I have 5 or 6 left. Please come down and hold up RR for the last 2 home games vs. Chennai & Bangalore! We need your help!!!! Want RR to go out on a high - we must win at least 2 if not 3 of our last 4. I will miss the IPL but it's been fun for the last 4 seasons. RR has always authorized youth and Indian cricket has been the victor - I've had a great time - but it's time to say goodbye to IPL. Warne has played 52 matches for RR so far, has head the team since IPL's opening season. Warne has chosen up 56 wickets at an average of 24.66 so far in the four IPL seasons and he led Rajasthan to victory in the opening IPL. The leg-spinner had got 708 Test and 293 ODI wickets during his international career. The IPL was the only cricket event he was playing after leaving the international stage. a quaff swims like a trash can

Sania Mirza & Elena Vesnina in QF

2011-05-06T00:12:00.004+05:30

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza and her Russian collaborator Elena Vesnina entered into the quarter finals of the event at the Madrid Open. The unseeded Indo-Russian mixture recorded a 6-3 7-5 win over the Russian-Australian pair of Nadia Petrova and Anastasia Rodionova in the second round of the euro 3,500,000 soil court event. The match lasts for around one hour and 27 minutes. They rehabilitated all the three break chances that came their way in the first set and two of four in the second to record the win in. Now they have a tough job at hand as they face second seeds Kveta Peschke of Czech Republic and Katarina Serbotnik of Slovania in the last-eight round.

Indian Cricket Team Jersey Collections

2011-04-28T21:56:00.001+05:30

Indian Cricket Team Jersey 1985

Indian Cricket Team Jersey 1992

Indian Cricket Team Jersey 1996

Indian Cricket Team Jersey 1999

Indian Cricket Team Jersey 1999 World Cup

Indian Cricket Team Jersey 2003


Indian Cricket Team Jersey2007

Indian Cricket Team Jersey 2008

Indian Cricket Team Jersey 2010

MEN IN BLUE BAGS WORLD CUP -2011

2011-04-03T21:16:00.001+05:30

Indian cricket team has won the ICC world cup 2011 defeating great giants like Australia in the quarter final, Pakistan in the semi final and Sri Lanka in the final match. This is the 10^th tournament of this edition and India is winning it for the second time after 28 years placing a full stop to the domination of Australia in cricket for almost 12 years. The last cup was bagged in 1983 under the captainship of Kapil Dev. India has become the first host-nation to win the world cup with final played in the host country itself. Indian Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was adjudged man of the match for his unbeaten 91 in the final. Yuvraj Singh was adjudged man of the series for his performance with both ball and bat. Dilshan was the leading scorer of this tournament with 500 runs. Shahid Afridi and Zaheer khan shared the leading wicket takers record. There were two hat-tricks in this tournament; one by Roach (WI) and another by Malinga (SL).

It was an emotional moment for everyone and could witness the tears from almost everyone’s face over their victory. The whole Indian team helped the great Sachin Tendulkar to his first title in six attempts. Tendulkar was lifted onto his teammates' shoulders for a victory lap. "He carried the hopes of the nation for 21 years so it's time we carried him on our shoulders," batsman Virat Kohli said. "It's the ultimate thing and I'm experiencing it. I couldn't have asked for anything better. It's the proudest moment of my life. It's never too late to say thanks to all my teammates. Without such fabulous performance and such consistency it would never have happened” Legend Sachin Tendulkar said. He also added that he wasn't too proud to shed a tear. "They were happy tears, so I wouldn't mind crying".

The 2011 Cricket World Cup winning team, India would be taking home prize money of US$ 3 million and a replica of the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy that has been awarded since 1999. The runner-up Sri Lanka would have US$ 1.5 million in its part. The total prize money on offer for the tournament for the teams placing from 1st to 8th is US$7.48 million. The remaining two semi-finalists will receive 0.75 million US$ each. The last four quarter-finalists will each receive 0.37 million US$.

India vs Pakistan - Fingers crossed

2011-03-29T16:53:00.002+05:30

It’s always special when the two rivals India and Pakistan meet in the battle field…I mean the cricket playground. There is no match bigger than India vs Pakistan in the cricket history especially in the world cup history as Pakistan is yet to win a match against India in any format of world cup since its launch on 1975. So India is holding this record for the past 36 years and will try hard not to lose it this time. They consider it as a dignity and a matter of esteem and at the same time Pakistan, who are said to be aggressive shockers, will come very strong to beat India this time. Obviously both the teams are very strong as of now in both batting and bowling but the fielding department looks sloppy in both the sides. We can also say it as fight between two average fielding sides but will show strong commitment in the game. I am damn sure millions of people would be watching the match irrespective of their works and the pressure is getting mounted on both the teams. Prime ministers of both the countries are set to watch the match live including lot of bollywood stars and great people all over the world. So it’s going to be mohali day and this is going to be do or die match as the one who wins this semi final match will ride to the finals and other team can enjoy the final from their home. Let’s wait for the action on Mohali on 30^th March, 2011 at 2.30PM.

No more AUSSIES domination in Cricket

2011-03-25T17:32:00.001+05:30

The recent defeats that the Australian cricket team have been facing inflames on everyone’s mind that ‘the Aussies era is over’ in cricket and it has been confirmed after its defeat against India and Pakistan in the world cup. The domination of Australia in cricket for more than a decade has come to an end. They were confident of lifting the world cup for the fourth time consecutively; but it went all in vain as it was thrashed by India in the quarter final match at Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Stadium. Though Ponting is not in form, he scored an inspirational 104 under immense pressure which confirms his spot in the Australian cricket team is safe for now but his side's glorious World Cup era is over after losing their quarter-final to India. The three-time defending champions managed to score only 260 losing 6 wickets. The Indians were largely untroubled to reply with 5-261 with 14 deliveries to spare. The start given by Sachin Tendulkar (53) and Gautam Gambhir (50) put off the pressure from Indian side for some time. But the pressure was created when wickets started falling in short interim losing Virat Kohli, Gambhir and Dhoni. But a sensible and matured game by Yuvraj and Raina put the pressure back on Australia. They took 27 runs from the 40th and 41st overs bowled by Lee and Tait which turns to be the turning point of the match. Yuvraj’s unbeaten 57 - his fourth fifty of a tournament where he is averaging over a hundred is adjudged as Man of the Match. Still Ricky Ponting refuses to believe it's the end of an era for Australian cricket. Just as he refused to believe his batting superpowers had left him, Ponting clings to the hope that Australia's period of one-day dominance remains alive.

Ireland’s SUPER HERO

2011-03-03T16:13:00.008+05:30

The match between England and Ireland started in low profile fashion as most of the seats were found unfilled in the Bangalore's M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, but the match result pulled everyone’s attention towards it. The result ranks as one of the great world cup shocks - taking its place alongside Ireland's victory over Pakistan in 2007 and Kenya's wins against West Indies in 1996 and Sri Lanka in 2003. It had all been going so smoothly for England earlier and Jonathan Trott becoming the equal fastest batsman to 1,000 ODI runs as they piled up their 10th highest total in the format. England managed to put awesome score of 327-8 on board with a run-a-ball 92 contribution by Trott. Pietersen and Ian Bell also did his bit on the day, slamming 59 off 50 balls 81runs respectively. With a huge total to chase, Ireland started but lost its skipper William Porterfield in the first delivery from Anderson. However his opening partner Paul Stirling with 5 fours and a six scored 32 from 28 balls. Ireland almost went out of the game as they were buried at 111-5 with 217 more runs to win with high required rate. There come the superman of Ireland, Kevin O'Brien who scored a 50-ball century as Ireland chased down a target of 328 to upset England by three wickets at the World Cup. He launched into a furious counter-attack, going to 50 off 30 balls with 7 fours and 3 sixes. Further he took just another 20 deliveries to complete the sixth quickest hundred in ODIs. Finally he blasted 113 off 63 deliveries, including 13 fours and 6 sixes, and shared a 162-run stand in 17 overs with Alex Cusack (47) which paved way for a history victory. It is the highest run chase of this format in World cup. To lose against a team like Ireland, who played really well towards the end of their batting innings, was very unexpected but a good wake-up call for the England team.

HAT-TRICK HISTORY by MALINGA

2011-03-02T05:02:00.006+05:30

SriLankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga, known to be the demolition man of Cricket became the first bowler to claim two World Cup hat-tricks. He finished with a career best 6-38 against Kenya yesterday as Kenya were bundled out for 142. Collins Obuya scored 52 and his brother David 51, but none of their Kenya team-mates reached double figures. He trapped Tanmay Mishra lbw with the last ball of his seventh over. At the start of his next, he bowled Peter Ongondo and Shem Ngoche in successive balls to complete his hat-trick. In return Sri Lanka reached 146-1 to claim victory in Colombo in just 18.4 over.

Four years back, Malinga took four wickets in a row against South Africa at the 2007 World Cup. For the first time in World Cup history, two hat-tricks have been recorded on successive days - Kemar Roach for Windies against Netherlands on February 28 and Lasith Malinga for Sri Lanka against Kenya on March 1, 2011. Lasith Malinga's hat-trick against Kenya is the seventh hat-trick in the World Cup.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 – Opening Ceremony

2011-02-18T12:52:00.002+05:30

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 will be an extravaganza in itself. It is one of the biggest cricketing events in the history of cricket. The grand opening ceremony of this world cup held at Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka on February 17, 2010 started with great pomp and show. In total, an amount of 30 million dollar has been spent to make it as a grandiose event. Around 40,000 people were fascinated by the vibrant carnival. The welcoming speech was given by Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina. Great Canadian rock star Bryan Adams and trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy were the highlight of this flashy ceremony. The official song of the world cup was sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Divya Kumar. “De Ghum Ke”(whack it with all your might) is the theme song in three different languages Hindi, English and Bengali. Lady singers of Bangladesh Sabina Yasmin, Runa Laila and Mumtaz sang their chart-bursting numbers along with soothing voice of Sonu Nigam from India. It was quite excitement when the 14 captains of the participating teams paraded in the rickshaw ride with the usual laser and firecracker as well as a message from the UN AIDs ties up through children. Former Indian Captain Sourav Ganguly, ICC President Sharad Pawar Sri Lankan cricket board president Nishanth Ranathunga also made it to this gala event. Everyone is waiting for the action which starts with in-form India versus home support Bangladesh on Feb 19th 2011.

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Schedule

2011-02-05T23:10:00.001+05:30

The ICC World Cup 2011, is scheduled from 19 February, 2011 to 2 April, 2011 will be hosted by three South Asian Countries (India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). India will host maximum of the matches in the World Cup Tournament. India with 29 matches out of 46 and the Sri Lanka will host 12 of the rest and remaining by Bangladesh.

Feb 19: Bangladesh v India, Dhaka
Feb 20: New Zealand v Kenya, Chennai
Feb 20: Sri Lanka v Canada, Hambantota
Feb 21: Australia v Zimbabwe, Ahmedabad
Feb 22: England v Netherlands, Nagpur
Feb 23: Pakistan v Kenya, Hambantota
Feb 24: South Africa v West Indies, New Delhi
Feb 25: Australia v New Zealand, Nagpur
Feb 25: Bangladesh v Ireland, Dhaka
Feb 26: Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Colombo
Feb 27: India v England, Kolkata
Feb 28: West Indies v Netherlands, New Delhi
Feb 28: Zimbabwe v Canada, Nagpur
March 1: Sri Lanka v Kenya, Colombo
March 2: England v Ireland, Bangalore
March 3: South Africa v Netherlands, Mohali
March 3: Pakistan v Canada, Colombo
March 4: New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Ahmedabad
March 4: Bangladesh v West Indies, Dhaka
March 5: Sri Lanka v Australia, Colombo
March 6: India v Ireland, Bangalore
March 6: England v South Africa, Chennai
March 7: Kenya v Canada, New Delhi
March 8: Pakistan v New Zealand, Pallekele
March 9: India v Netherlands, New Delhi
March 10: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Pallekele
March 11: West Indies v Ireland, Mohali
March 11: Bangladesh v England, Chittagong
March 12: India v South Africa, Nagpur
March 13: New Zealand v Canada, Mumbai
March 13: Australia v Kenya, Bangalore
March 14: Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Pallekele
March 14: Bangladesh v Netherlands, Chittagong
March 15: South Africa v Ireland, Kolkata
March 16: Australia v Canada, Bangalore
March 17: England v West Indies, Chennai
March 18: Sri Lanka v New Zealand, Mumbai
March 18: Ireland v Netherlands, Kolkata
March 19: Australia v Pakistan, Colombo
March 19: Bangladesh v South Africa, Dhaka
March 20: Zimbabwe v Kenya, Kolkata
March 20: India v West Indies, Chennai
March 23: Quarter-final, Dhaka
March 24: Quarter-final, Colombo
March 25: Quarter-final, Dhaka
March 26: Quarter-final, Ahmedabad
March 29: Semi-final, Colombo
March 30: Semi-final, Mohali
April 2: Final, Mumbai

Li Na fails to bloom in Australian Open

2011-01-30T06:59:00.005+05:30

The grand Australia open has come to an end where the third seeded Belgian Kim Clijsters bagging her fourth grand slam title after defeating Li in the final. Li Na from China, seeded ninth, had already surpassed expectations as she played exceptionally well though she does not have the experience of her opponent but was outclassed. Her home crowd reacted with sadness and disappointment after Li Na failed to win the Australian Open women's title on Saturday but said they were still proud she had managed to get as far as the final. If she had won the final, she would have become her country’s first grand slam singles champion. In an instant, Li Na has become a new national idol. She has made history for Chinese tennis, recast the record books of Asian tennis, and she can become the queen of this pursuit.

YUSUF PATHAN - The Brutal Hitter

2011-01-24T19:20:00.011+05:30

There is a great relief to Indian cricket team as Yusuf Pathan filled the no.7 perfectly who is considered as a match winner/saver who strongly brings the match of any type under his control. This real hero can keep getting hit in the shoulder off the bouncers, and still keeps coming back to smack the fuller deliveries into the crowd. He sends all the balls to boundaries and he never waits for power play. He has turned three of the last four games he has batted scoring at a strike rate of 134.95 by hitting 18 sixes in 216 deliveries. Two of those knocks have won India games from the dead, and one of them gave South Africa a mighty scare after India had been 119 for 8, chasing 268.

Considering the India’s preparation to world cup, India is having the much attacking opening batsmen among all the Teams. Middle order batsmen failed to shine in the recent tour in South Africa but they could do well in Indian conditions. Though Yusuf was getting in down the order, he can lead the attack even with the tail enders. His bowling is another advantage with 30 wickets under his belt, where his best 3/49 comes from a match against New Zealand. Moreover he is one of the Best Fielder among the young Indian squad. Let’s see this explosive batsman in action the World Cup.

Accident Victory by Chiefs

2010-12-05T16:34:00.008+05:30

On Sunday, everyone were surprised by the unexpected dominance by the Kansas City Chiefs over Seahawks. Yes, it is an another victorious slip-up that baffled players, coaches, and fans alike, the Chiefs accidentally defeated the Seahawks 42-24, inadvertently outplaying their opponent by scoring more touchdowns. Matt Cassel said of his team's unintentional dominance of the game that they have no idea what even happened, because on most of the plays they didn't even mean to score. He tried to throw the ball away at least three times, but it kind of floated and ended up in Dwayne Bowe's hands. It must have startled him, too, because he started screaming and running with the ball towards the end zone as fast as he could. During the postgame press conference, players on the Chiefs' defensive line apologized to the Seahawks for frequently tripping and falling on top of their running backs.

Funny Sledging Incidents in Cricket

2010-12-04T16:13:00.001+05:30

Hi guys. I found these sledging incidents in the cricket world and I enjoyed reading it. I am posting here to make you laugh and it is not to hurt anybody. Sometimes, sledging sound funny but at other times, they just turn ugly.

Sunil Gavaskar (India) and Viv Richards (West Indies)

To ease the pressure on himself, Sunil Gavaskar had decided to come lower down the order and bat at No 4 for that particular match. But, Malcolm Marshall fired out Anshuman Gaekwad and Dilip Vengsarkar for ducks, setting the stage for Gavaskar to walk in at 0/2. Viv Richards said “Man, it don’t matter where you come in to bat, the score is still zero.”

Rodney Marsh (Australia) and Ian Botham (England)

Rodney Marsh to Ian Botham in an Ashes match: “So how’s your wife and my kids?” Ian Botham’s reply – “The wife’s fine. The kids are retarded!”

Javed Miandad (Pakistan) and Merv Hughes (Australia)

Javed Miandad called Hughes a fat bus conductor during a match. A few balls later, Hughes dismissed Miandad. “Tickets please,” said Hughes, as he ran past the departing batsman.

Glenn McGrath (Ausrtralia) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies)

McGrath to Ramnaresh Sarwan: “So what does Brian Lara’s di*k taste like?”Sarwan: “I don’t know. Ask your wife.

Douglas Jardine (England) and Bill Woodfull (Australia)

England player Jardine complained that one of the Australian players called him a bastard. Australian captain Bill Woodfull turns to his team, points to Jardine and asked “Which one of you bastards called this bastard a bastard?”

Steve Waugh (Australia) and Parthiv Patel (India)

When Steve came (Steve’s last test match) to bat, Parthiv said, “Come on, just one more of the famous slog-sweeps before you finish” Steve-”Respect Me…for when i made my test debut You were still in your nappies”.

Glen McGrath (Australia) and Eddo Brandes (Zimbabwe)

Aussie paceman Glenn McGrath was bowling to Zimbabwe number 11 Eddo Brandes – who was just missing each ball. McGrath, frustrated, went to him and inquired: “Why are you so fat?”Quick as a flash, Brandes replied, “Because every time I make love to your wife, she gives me a biscuit.”

Ravi Shastri (India) and Mike Whitney (Australia)

Shastri hits the ball towards Mike Whitney (the 12th man in the game) and looked for a single. Whitney said, “If you leave the crease i’ll break your f***ing head”. Without battling an eyelid, Shastri retorted, “If you could bat as well as you can talk you wouldn’t be the f***ing 12th man”.

Shane Warne (Australia) and Arjuna Ranatunga (SriLanka)

Warnie told the press, "[Ranatunga is] probably slotting himself around at 150 kilos at the moment. Swallowed a sheep or something." The former Sri Lankan captain quickly hit back, "It is better to swallow a sheep or a goat than swallow what he has been swallowing."

Viv Richards (West Indies) and Merv Hughes (Australia)

Viv Richards hit Merv Hughes for four consecutive boundaries in one over. Merv stops halfway down the pitch, farted loudly, and said to Viv: “let’s see you hit that to the boundary!” Viv was dumb-founded.

Kim Clijsters bags WTA Championships title

2010-11-01T18:14:00.000+05:30

Kim Clijsters bagged her third WTA Championships title after defeating No. 1 ranking Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in OHA. Clijsters was sidelined due to an infected foot, played in her first tournament since winning the U.S. Open in September. Clijsters earned $1.4 million with the win and she said that it was a tough match and glad to win it. Also she added that she doesn’t how many more years she is going to keep doing this. This is her 40th career title after victories in Brisbane, Miami, and Cincinnati and at the U.S. Open this year. She became the fifth player in WTA history to win the tournament three or more times. She also backed Wozniacki by assuring that she’s young, she’s No. 1 and she will win a Grand Slam if she keeps on working the way that she has been working.

Pakistan's Baseball Team @ Asian Games

2010-10-21T20:37:00.001+05:30

Pakistan's baseball team is very serious in its preparation for the forthcoming 16th Asian Games starting on November 12 in Guangzhou, China. This event lasts for 6 days till November 17 and Pakistan is very keen to win in this event. There are on their way with a training camp at the Pakistan Sports Complex (PSC) with all prospective players from the national tournaments attending. The final team will be selected on the performance basis in the training camp. As of now, the Squad includes Mohammad Imtaiz, Sarfraz Ahmed, Ehsan Ullah, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Farooq, Zafar Iqbal, Mohammad Aseef, Zaheer Ahmed, Usman Azam, Salim Hyder, Dura Hussain, Musadaq Hanif, Hafiz Usman, Umair Bhatti, Mohammad Zubair, Irshad Ali, Tusif ahmed and Sumair Zawal.

Bangladesh's Victorious ODI series ever

2010-10-18T19:12:00.002+05:30

This is the first time for Bangladesh to win the ODI series by 4-0 of five match series. Really it’s a bad time for New Zealand as they experienced a white wash lost against Bangladesh, which is considered to be under performing cricket nation. Of the 5 matches, Bangladesh won the first match by nine runs at Dhaka whereas the second match at Dhaka was abandoned due to rain. After then Bangladesh tasted the three consecutive victories. It won the third match by seven wickets, fourth match by nine runs and the fifth match by three runs. Rubel Hussain who captured four for 25 bagged the Man of the Match award and Shakib Al Hasan bagged Man of the Series award for his all round performance. As of now, Bangladesh won 61 ODIs in its history. There are some interesting facts at the end of the series like BB McCullum has an aggregate of 196 dismissals {189 catches and 07 stumpings} and against Bangladesh he has an aggregate of 30 dismissals {29 catches and 01 stumping} just one spot behind KC Sangakkara of Sri Lanka with 39 dismissals. DL Vettori became the 15th bowler to capture 275 plus wickets in one day games.

IPL scraps Punjab and Rajasthan

2010-10-10T12:46:00.018+05:30

It’s been shocking news to hear two IPL teams have been ruled out of the world famous IPL Twenty20 tournament for breaching ownership rules. BCCI terminated franchises of Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab who were active participants in first three editions of the Twenty20 tournament, and of course Rajasthan Royals were the first to hold the IPL title. Also it has warned Kochi franchise to resolve their ownership issues soon to get out of trouble. BCCI gave no specific statements so far regarding the breaches and it is known that former IPL chairman Lalit Modi was earlier accused of having financial connections with these two teams. BCCI honorary secretary N Srinivasan told reporters that the decision to terminate the contract of Punjab and Rajasthan franchises were taken purely based on legal opinion we received and the breaches committed by these franchises. Rajasthan Royals was acquired by Manoj Badale, Lachlan Murdoch and co for $67 million. Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra paid approximately US $15.4 million for an 11.7% stake later. The big faces were Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Graeme Smith, Yusuf Pathan in Royals. Kings XI Punjab was bought by Ness Wadia, Mohit Burman and actor Preity Zinta for $ 76 million. Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Irfan Pathan and Yuvraj Singh were the big faces in it. Let’s wait and watch the future actions and auctions of IPL-4.

Common Wealth Games - Opening Ceremony

2010-10-04T15:39:00.000+05:30

After a lot of allegations and criticism by media, India has come up with one of the grandest ever opening ceremonies at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi showcasing to the world the spirit of the games, Indian culture and tradition, music, rhythms, dance, colors, diversity of its culture and lifestyles. The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, the representative of the Queen, inaugurated the opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games (#19 CWG). More than 60,000 spectators with the participants and officials from 71 countries enjoyed the whole celebration.

The huge helium filled aerostat balloon of diameter 40 meters x 80 meters x 12 meters made at a cost of Rs.70 crore was a major attraction at the opening ceremony. While the whole stadium was sparked with colorful dances and music with huge puppets, the balloon was suspended above the main stage at a height of 25 meters. The lights were programmed to bounce off mirrors on the aerostat while sound effects of the magnitude of 500,000 watts made the whole crowd dancing. This shows the technological advancements in India apart than tradition and culture.

Chennai Super Kings - King of Kings

2010-09-27T02:15:00.007+05:30

Airtel Champions League has come to an end with a wonderful closing ceremony. This huge tournament starts on 10^th Sep 2010 and lasted for 17days with huge crowd, fun and entertainment. It has been a great show in terms of boundaries, wickets, thrills and of course super over too. The champion teams from India, South Africa, Australia, West Indies and New Zealand with a total of 10teams had played and finally Chennai Super Kings sealed the Champions League Twenty20 winners with their eight-wicket victory over Warriors in the grand finale in Johannesburg. It is the first team from India to bag this title.

In the most expected final match, Warriors won the toss and had got off to a violent start with bat. It was a reverse sweep by Davy Jacobs that changed the entire complexion of the game. After his wicket, the game came into the Chennai’s control with tremendous bowling performance from R Ashwin, Muttiah Muralitharan and L Balaji. They restricted the Warriors to 128, which was never going to be tough to chase. M Vijay and Michael Hussey played both pace and spin very well providing a steady and solid start with assured knocks shutting warriors out of the contest. When Vijay and Suresh Raina fell in quick succession, Dhoni did his job well. CSK were richer by USD 2.5 millions for winning the second edition of the tournament, their second crown in five months after their IPL triumph in April. Warriors received USD 1.3 million for finishing runners-up. It was a real emotional moment as this was their last match playing as a unit as they may lose some players in the auctions. Dhoni thanked the whole crowd, their coach Stephen Fleming, Hayden, Muralitharan and Hussey for constantly helping the youngsters.

Murali Vijay is the Man of the Match for scoring 58 runs off 53 balls. Ravichandran Ashwin is the Man of the Series for taking 13 wickets in the competition. Vijay wins the golden bat for becoming the highest run scorer in the competition. Ashwin wins the Golden wickets for being the highest wicket taker in the competition. The Super Kings are now the Emperors of the T20 world. This tournament has produced some entertaining cricket, Chennai were clinical right throughout and it's been a joy covering this.

FLINTOFF says 'Bye' to Cricket

2010-09-17T22:38:00.000+05:30

Andrew Flintoff, usually called as Freddie by all with love, a great asset to England Cricket team in all formats has announced his retirement after suffering with injuries. In the international cricketing career, he has played 79 Tests for England, with five centuries on his way to 3,845 runs at an average of 31.77 and 226 wickets at an average of 32.78. He has taken 52 catches of which most of them in the slips. In his 141 ODI matches, he scored 3394 at an average of 32.01 at a strike rate of 88.82. he had his test debut against South Africa on 1998 and ODI debut against Pakistan on 1999. He was one of those loveable rogues and an iconic figure within the game and his reputation was gained as much off the pitch as on it. He was voted BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2005 for his role in England's famous Ashes victory. Unfortunately, he had been plagued with injuries for much of his career, most of them affecting his back and knees. The latest of his injuries though, which required yet another operation on his knees, proved one too many and after consulting with medical advisers he decided to quit his career in cricket. In his final note, he said “My body has told me it's time to stop.I would like to thank my family, Lancashire, England, all my sponsors, friends and advisers for all the help and support they have given me throughout my career." Australian Captain Ricky Ponting was surprised to hear his retirement adding that he's been a great figure in the game. The way he's gone about his cricket, the way he's played the game and how much he's enjoyed the battle - probably particular in Ashes cricket - is something that's been very fun to be a part of for me. Freddie was the higher paid cricketer next to Kevin Pieterson in IPL. He was a fierce competitor till the end. His innings with Pietersen against Australia in Ashes, 2005 is an unmemorable moment. Let us wish him good luck for all his steps in the rest of his life.

First Indian in London Olympics

2010-08-02T23:15:00.010+05:30

Shooter Narang becomes first Indian to qualify for London Olympics. He won the bronze in the 10 metre air rifle event at the World Championship in Munich and became the first Indian to set for the 2012 London Olympics. World No.2 Narang shot 597 in the qualifying and 102 in the final round for a total of 699 to win the bronze. the most expected Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra finished with 25th spot which disappoints almost everyone in his nation and also he failed to qualify for the final round. Italian Niccolo Campriani bagged the gold, who shot a total of 702.5 (599 qualifying + 103.5 final) while Hungarian Peter Sidi bagged the silver with 700.4 points (599 qualifying + 101.4 final). As of now, Narang is India’s best bet in the Commonwealth Games He shot the bronze in his pet 10m air rifle event at the Beijing World Cup and qualified for the World Championships.

Brewer in Bulls

2010-07-20T23:57:00.005+05:30

Ronnie Brewer confirmed that he has agreed to a three-year contract with the Chicago Bulls. The deal reunites Brewer with former Utah teammates Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver, who became Bulls earlier this month. Brewer finished last season with Memphis after being dealt from Utah at the trade deadline in February. Because of a strained hamstring, he played in only five games with the Grizzles. The three-year deal with the Bulls is worth of $12.5 million. Brewer figures to get a chance to start at shooting guard in Chicago alongide All-Star Derrick Rose.

Serena Out of Upcoming Tournaments

2010-07-17T20:23:00.003+05:30

The top-ranked women's player, Serena Williams will miss three tournaments leading to the U.S. Open, the WTA Tour as she needs surgery on her right foot after cutting it on a broken glass at a restaurant last week. Williams has withdrawn from tournaments in Istanbul, Cincinnati and Montreal. She said that she was as upset as she could not play in the upcoming events because of this foot surgery. Her Washington Kastles team said she cut the bottom of her foot and needed stitches. On July 10, Williams attended the wedding of Denver Nuggets star in New York. In a wedding photo of Carmelo Anthony, she appeared with two bandages on the top of her right foot. Williams won her fourth Wimbledon crown and 13th major title in July. She lost in the French Open quarterfinals in June before capturing Wimbledon. The Rogers Cup in Montreal begins Aug. 16, and the U.S. Open starts Aug 30.

M S D ahead of SACHIN

2010-07-13T18:54:00.007+05:30

The newly married Indian cricket captain Dhoni has signed 200 crore endorsement deal with the talent Management Company, Rhiti Sports Management and Mindscapes. It will manage the Dhoni’s list of segments and brand associations, corporate profile, patents and digital rights, images, visibility on social networking sites and merchandise for the next two years through a joint venture. By doing it, he has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar in the corporate contract sweepstakes. Earlier Sachin had three-year deal with sports management firm Iconix signed in 2006. It was worth Rs 180 crore where the value is low by 20 crores and a year when compared with Dhoni’s statistics. Apart from Dhoni, Rhiti Sports also manages his teammates R P Singh and Harbhajan Singh. As of now, Dhoni is associated with 22 brands such as PepsiCo, Reebok, Aircel etc and is India’s most expensive sportsperson. Still Dhoni stays ahead of Sachin after his first clash victory in IPL final.

Sachin Tendulkar hits Double Century

2010-02-25T09:19:00.016+05:30

The only record left for sachin in ODI has also been achieved by him now. Yes, Sachin Tendulkar has become the highest run scorer in international one day cricket. The master blaster scored a double ton to create history in cricket surpassing Charles Coventry’s 194* and Saeed Anwar’s 194 runs against India in Chennai. Sachin played a masterclass innings to complete his double ODI double century in 147 balls. He thrashed the Proteas bowling for 25 fours and 3 sixes. He was cramping towards the end of the match, but didn’t give up. SA was in deep trouble from the beginning, after setting out on leather hunt in Gwalior. As the master blaster seemed in tremendous form there was not stopping; overwhelming the Gwalior crowd. Eventually Sachin dabbed a full and wide ball through the point to score his double century on the third delivery by Langeveldt. This was Sachin’s 46th ODI century following his century at the test match in Eden Gardens, Kolkata. There could hardly be an attribute to befitting the legend of Indian cricket who has always spoken with his bat. It was a match celebrated like a festival by the fans whenever the ball reaches the boundary. I am still thinking, is there any records left for him to be made? What a player he is!

ICC honours Cricketers

2009-10-02T11:08:00.007+05:30

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was named ODI Player of the Year. He also features in both Tests and One-day International Cricket Council (ICC) World Teams of the Year as wicketkeeper and captain. Opening batsman Gautam Gambhir won the best Test Player of Year award, and also features in the World Test Team of the Year. Australian fast bowler Johnson bagged the most coveted Cricketer of Year Award. Australian fast bowler, Peter Siddle won the Emerging Player of the Year award. Sri Lanka's opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan has won the Twenty20 International. The New Zealand cricket team was named as the recipients of the Spirit of Cricket Award. Besides Dhoni and Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar also featured in the world Test Team of the Year. Spinner Harbhajan Singh was named twelvth man of the squad. The World ODI Team of the Year has three Indians in Dhoni, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh. Earlier, Rahul Dravid (2004), Andrew Flintoff of England and South Africa's Jacques Kallis (joint winners in 2005), Ricky Ponting of Australia (2006 and 2007) and West Indies Shivnarine Chanderpaul (2008) were given these top awards.

Sachin’s idea – Will save ODI format ?

2009-09-07T09:00:00.001+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar has given a suggestion over the future of the 50-over game. To save One-Day Internationals from extinction, revamp them by giving both sides two innings of 25 overs each. Think of it as a sort of 'Test T-25'!. Tendulkar said such a split would ensure increased excitement and closer games, since it would negate the luck factor of the toss and ensure a level playing field for both sides in case of day-night games, when batting becomes difficult under lights. "Today, we can tell the result of close to 75% of matches after the toss. We know how conditions will affect the two teams. But it (splitting the game into two innings) is not too dependent on the toss because, (if) for example it's a day-night match, then both the teams will have to bat under lights. In those 25 overs you can use your 10 wickets the way you want. Suppose if it rains, then (also) you can plan," Tendulkar said. But Kapil Dev opposed this idea and he wants to be continued in a same format. Let see what the future decides…

New Zealand sealed T20 series in Sri Lanka

2009-09-06T17:06:00.003+05:30

Having been beaten soundly in the Test series,

New Zealand

gained confidence after a second consecutive 20-over victory over

Sri Lanka

. Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder's clinical hitting and Nathan McCullum's teasing offspin drived

New Zealand

to victory and handing

Sri Lanka

their fourth Twenty20 loss in a row. Brendon McCullum and Ryder were badly out of form during the Test campaign, but showed both courage and muscle during an 84-run opening stand in 62 deliveries. In Srilankan side, Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara were the only batsmen to reach decent scores. There were no fireworks from Tillakaratne Dilshan who was expected a lot. Sanath continued his bad form and new comer also didn’t shine losing three early wickets for 11 runs. Bond completed the dénouement with 3 for 18 who was well supported by Nathan McCullum. Jesse Ryder claimed both the Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards.

INDIA won Nehru Cup in football

2009-09-02T11:10:00.004+05:30

India's win at the Nehru cup football clash has appear as some array of absolution for Indian ambition babysitter Subrata Paul. The man of the bout accolade for accepting crafted

India

's celebration over

Syria

was added than a bald antic accomplishment for the 23-year-old. This adolescent man has already accomplished added than what best players do in a career. When Paul said he thanked God for his adeptness to comedy so able-bodied that acute Monday, best bodies revisit the appalling moment this adolescent lad had witnessed in 2004 in Goa. A 19-year-old Subrata had approved to stop the aggressive footballer Cristiano Junior from scoring in the Federation Cup final in Goa. Junior tragically died and Subrata was devastated. But the goalkeeper somehow confused on and begins the adventuresome ness to angle beneath the bar afresh to attending a striker in the eye. Paul's assistant Sunil Chhettri says that Paul's appearance and backbone has appear animated through. And he didn't let the drillmaster or his aggregation bottomward throughout the tournament earnimg the applause of his team-mates. Subrata Paul has consistently had to prove himself as a footballer and as an alone on the football pitch. But his abundant appearance in the finals of the Nehru Cup ability aloof advice him vanquish old demons and move on to a brighter future.

ENGLAND win back the ASHES

2009-08-23T23:23:00.003+05:30

Its a great time for England as they won the ASHES which is considered to be the most precious one even one step ahead higher than the world cup. After a long struggle England managed to lead the series 2-1. The final match decides the fate of the trophy which was over ruled completely by england over aussies. Flintoff leads England off with a stump in hand, leads them up the race to healthy applause. There's Kevin Pietersen in the dressing rooms, the whole England squad looks to be there, they've all played a part. The Man of the Match is Stuart Broad, he was the one who changed the game dramatically in one spell during the first innings. While England's Man of the series is Andrew Strauss for his brilliant batting and splendid captaincy-nominated by Tim Nielsen. For Australia, Michael Clarke for his dominating batting is the Man of the seriesnominated by Andy Flower. The Compton-Miller Medal goes to the player who has had the biggest impact on the series, goes to Andrew Strauss.

Broad: Greatest day of your career? 'By far'. Yea thank god, he says when Athers asks no bragging rights from the old man anymore in the family. 'No-one can replace Fred. He's been a fantastic servant to England cricket and as an up and coming allrounder it's been fantastic to play with him'.

Clarke: I would give the Mos award back for a different result today. Full credit to Eng, they have played really well throughout the series. Congrats to Freddie on a fantastic career and hope to see him in the ODIs soon. The run-outs topped the series off for us. That is the greatest learning curve about this game, just when you think you are doing OK it comes back and smacks you on the backside.

Ponting: We've given our all through the series but unfortunately it hasn't been good enough. Full credit to Andrew Strauss, he's led his side well through the series and deserves all the awards that has come his way. Eng have won some really crucial moments this series, they won the big moments and deserved to win the series. We knew that the result at Cardiff was crucial then as well and There's been countless opportunities for us throughout the series to put our stamp on the series and we haven't been able to do it. I have no idea(when asked if there will be questions about his captaincy). Will have a few questions to answer tonight and once I get back home. I wont take too many special memories from the Oval, this is one place I haven't got too many good memories. But who knows, With us losing here I might even see if I can make it back here for one more go in 2013.

Jamaicans stays top in Athletics

2009-08-22T23:42:00.000+05:30

Usain Bolt made it three out of three as he helped Jamaica claim gold in the 4x100 metres relay at the world championships on Saturday in the second-fastest time ever run. Their victory in 37.31 seconds was bettered only by their winning time of 37.10 at last year's Beijing Olympics. Its a great night for the Jamaican sprinters after the women won the 4x100 gold and both 4x400 teams qualified for final. It might not have attracted the same publicity as Bolt's heroics in the 100 and 200 but it earned a gold medal and the same $100,000 cheque. Bolt is now triple world and Olympic champion, five of the titles achieved with world records.He said his tiredness was to blame for Jamaica's narrow failure to break their world record but described winning three world golds as wonderful. "I'm proud of myself and the relay is always fun, much better than running alone," he said. Asked if he was a legend, he added. "I don't think so. Year after year I have to become champion and champion again." Trinidad & Tobago took silver in 37.62, a time only ever bettered by Jamaica and the U.S., while Britain won bronze in 38.02.

NARAIN KARTHIKEYAN

2009-08-20T08:48:00.000+05:30

Narain Karthikeyan is a famous Indian Sports Personality. He is the first Formula One driver from

India

. He was born in Jan 14th 1977 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Narain Karthikeyan got his motivation in motor sports from his father because his father was former Indian National Rally Champion (INRC). Narain Karthikeyan fabricated his admission at the British Formula Three Championships in 1998 with Karlin Motor action Team and had a moderately acknowledged spell with them for the abutting three years. He managed to accomplish two 3rd abode finishes in the final two contest of the season, by aggressive alone in 10 rounds, at Spa Francor Champs and Silver Stone and accomplished 12th overall. In 1999, he connected the Championship finishing the belvedere bristles times including two wins at Brands Hatch Race. He additionally had two poll positions, three fastest laps and two lap annal during the division and accomplished in the 6th position amid 30 drivers in the Championships. The aforementioned year, he able in the 6th position in the Macau Grand Prix and accomplished 6th in the additional leg of the race. In the year 2000, he connected in the British F3 Championship and accomplished 4th in all-embracing standing, and additionally took pole position and the fastest lap in the Macau Grand prix. He additionally took the belvedere of the International F3 contest at Spa Francor Champs,

Belgium

as able-bodied as in the Korean F3 Super Prix. Narain has a appear a continued way and has fabricated the country appreciative by accomplishing his ultimate ambition of acceptable

India

's aboriginal Formula one racer. He afresh opened a motor antagonism academy 'Speed NK Racing' in Coimbatore and is accomplishing his bit to alternation adolescent Indian chase drivers to breach into the big league.

Sehwag threatens DDCA

2009-08-18T00:07:00.000+05:30

A serious issue that sets into fire at present is sehwag's comment to the media blaming DDCA (Delhi and District Cricket Association) sports committee members regarding their task in selection process. Indian opener Virender Sehwag has threatened to quit the Delhi Ranji team, alleging interference in selection matters by the DDCA Sports Committee members.Sehwag, who is currently in Bangalore undergoing rehabilitation for his injured shoulder, has been told to put his decision on hold till he meets the DDCA president Arun Jaitley. The meeting is likely to take place on August 27 or 28 to discuss the matter. The explosive right-hander has threatened to leave the team for Haryana, saying that he is frustrated with the interference in selection matters. Gautam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra supported Sehwag's comments who are also ready to leave from Delhi to Haryana team. The DDCA's Sports Secretary Sunil Dev said "He wants to bring Mayank Tehlan and Pradeep Sangwan into the team. But since the Delhi team is well set, it is not possible. That is the reason why he is making such threats,"

COVENTRY shares with ANWAR

2009-08-17T23:46:00.002+05:30

Finally after 12 years, a new man Charles Coventry of Zimbabwe who equals Pakistan’s Saeed Anwar record (194 out against India) and scored marvelous 194* runs against Bangladesh during the fourth ODI of the series in Bulawayo. He started of the innings at no.3 and reached his century ony in the 38th over of the match with 110 balls. After reaching 42nd over of the match, Coventry made all the balls to cross the fence where he reached 180 runs in 47th over of the match as the Zimbabwe’s crowd was excited and awaiting to see their country men scoring double hundred in ODI cricket. But Unfortunately, Coventry couldn’t score his double hundred as he remained unbeaten on 194 runs of 156 balls with 16 fours and 7 sixes which puts their team total as 312 runs for 8 wickets. Chasing a huge total of 313, Opener Tamim Iqbal of Bangladesh provided a good start with 154 runs (138 balls) guided their team to victory Bangladesh lead the five match series 3-1 against Zimbabwe. Man Of Match award - Charles Coventry and Tamim Iqbal (shared) .

Yusuf questions Irfan's exclusion

2009-07-29T23:35:00.003+05:30

Yusuf Pathan, the India allrounder, has said his brother Irfan has been left out of the 30-man Champions Trophy pool for non-cricketing reasons. He said "Irfan's performance was always up to the mark. He has not been left out because of his performance. Everybody has seen what is happening. What will I comment. It is for the media to react and comment on what is happening."

Irfan's last one-day appearances for India were in the series in Sri Lanka, where he took four wickets but leaked 7.06 runs an over in two matches. What has also hurt his chances of making the national side is that his batting has fallen away in ODIs - he hasn't scored a half-century ifor the past 3 years. He was also part of three games during India's dismal World Twenty20 campaign, but picked up only one wicket and didn't contribute much with the bat either. He hasn't been a part of the Test side since the home series against South Africa in April 2008.

Both the BCCI and chief selector Kris Srikkanth declined to comment on Yusuf's statements.I feel its an useless comment. Its not good to say these comments when his brother has not performed in any forms of cricket.

LARA set for T20 debut

2009-07-27T23:27:00.003+05:30

There isn’t much that Brian Lara hasn’t done on a cricket field but taking part in a Twenty20 match is one of them. He played 131 Tests and 299 ODIs but no Twenty20s – international or domestic. That will change next month when Lara leads a Trinidad & Tobago side against a West Indies XI in a charity Twenty20 match. really its going to be a big entertainment and lot of fans eagerly waiting to look at his batting.The West Indies XI will be led by Chris Gayle, who had opted out of the series against Bangladesh because of a dispute over player contracts with the West Indies board. The proceeds from the event will go to the Pearl and Bunty Lara Foundation, West Indies Players Association's Development Fund and other players' charities.

Sourav's Second Innings

2009-07-25T23:17:00.001+05:30

Sourav Ganguly has been named captain of his franchise Kolkata knight Riders (KKR) once again for the upcoming IPL season. Meanwhile Former Indian coach John Wright has been named as the coach for the KKR. Good Luck Ganguly for his 2nd innings as a captain. This decision has been taken after a long discussion between ganguly and sharukh. Lets look at the result at the end of IPL-3

Gautam Gambhir # 1 spot in Test Rankings

2009-07-21T15:44:00.007+05:30

Gautam Gambhir has become the first Indian batsman in over four years to head the batting rankings in test matches.Yousuf, who had returned to the batting table last week in number-one position after his century in the first Test at Galle, scored only 10 and six in the second Test and, as such, he has dropped four places to fifth position. Pakistan captain Younus Khan was able retain his second position in the rankings but by conceding 12 points following scores of 0 and 82, he has fallen nine points behind Gambhir who has gone ahead of both the Pakistan batsmen without hitting a ball for the first time in his 25-Test in which he has scored 2,271 runs at an average of over 54.

Gambhir’s 847 points is relatively low for a number-one position in modern times as usually a batsman nearer to the 900-point mark goes to the top. The 27-year-old left-handed opener is the first India batsman after former captain Rahul Dravid to top the batting chart. Dravid had briefly become the number-one batsman after hitting centuries in each innings (110 and 135) of the Kolkata Test against Pakistan in March 2005. Dravid had first achieved the top batting ranking in January 1999 and has been number-one for 36 Tests between 1999 and 2005.

Sachin Tendulkar is the other

India

batsman in the last 15 years who has topped the batting chart. He first led the table in November 1994 while last time he occupied the number-one position was in August 2002 after the Leeds Test against

England

. Overall, Tendulkar has been the number-one batsman for 125 Tests between 1994 and 2002. The other

India

batsmen to have achieved number-one positions in their careers are: Gundappa Viswanath (seven matches in 1975), Sunil Gavaskar (46 matches between 1978-80) and Dilip Vengsarkar (17matches)

$4 million prize money for Champions Trophy

2009-07-20T20:49:00.003+05:30

The prize money for the Champions Trophy has increased nearly four times, with US$4 million on offer for the tournament to be played from September 22 to October 5 in South Africa. The format has also been revamped, with only eight instead of ten teams participating. Centurion and Wanderers will host all 15 games between them.
The teams have been divided into two groups of four each and the top two from each will qualify for the semi-finals. India and Pakistan find themselves in the same group, along with Australia and West Indies. Group B includes South Africa, England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The hosts will play Sri Lanka in the opening game in Centurion.
Haroon Lorgat, the chief executive of the ICC, said the significant increase in prize money was just the first in a series of innovations that the ICC would announce in the run-up to the Champions Trophy. He added, "We are extremely grateful to South Africa for stepping in to host the event after it was postponed last year because of security concerns in the original host country, Pakistan, and we are also grateful to our members for finding a slot for it in what is a busy year for the global game."

Flintoff ends England's 75-year wait

2009-07-20T15:37:00.000+05:30

Andrew Flintoff broke England's 75-year Lord's curse with his first five-wicket haul since the Ashes-clinching Oval Test of 2005. It was, unquestionably, a performance that delivered England to a 1-0 series lead heading into Edgbaston. England’s Victory was sealed 17 minutes before lunch when Graeme Swann pegged back Johnson middle stump with the Australian total at 406. Though Austalia lost 5 wickets for 128, haddin and Clarke took the team towards a safer position. They stick on to the game with their terrible batting performance remains unbeaten throughout the day with a ton in clarke’s account and haddin with solid 80 runs at the end of the day 4.

But only a famous exit from Lord's would do for "Super Fred", and England's allrounder duly obliged with the wicket of Brad Haddin from his fourth ball of the day. Things have changed in the day 5, where Australian batsmen started losing their wickets soon after the match starts. Johnson's early exchanges inspired little confidence that he would be the man to steer Australia to an improbable victory. Johnson half-ducked, half-stabbed at his first delivery from Flintoff and edges off the bowling of Flintoff and Stuart Broad fell inches in front of the slips, and Johnson may well have found pavilion-bound had Flintoff not overstepped before wrapping him on the pads with a straight full-toss that struck in line. Thus the victory fell over England and now leading the series 1-0.