Thursday, January 29, 2009
Dhoni has proved a hard nut to crack in the middle-order
His men get the message without Dhoni uttering a word. Even on those occasions when he defends with the willow, his methods rarely appear negative.
He is a tactically sound captain but does not believe too much in theories. Perhaps, this X factor has a lot to do with confidence.
Dhoni’s enormous self-belief comes through forcefully in his game. Even during stressful situations, his visage does not reflect any strain. The intensity in his cricket shines through and he does have a strong physical presence on the field. The strength in his frame, though, is bettered by the toughness of his mind.
The first Wealthsurance Cup ODI at Dambulla was in the balance when Dhoni walked in. Sri Lanka was now up against a great barrier. It was Dhoni’s confidence factor at work again. Time and again, he has proved a road-block for the opposition in the middle-order.
Symonds fined for on-air abuse
Controversial Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds on Thursday was fined 4000 Australian Dollar by Cricket Australia (CA) over his radio interview in which he called New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum a "lump of s..t".
Symonds appeared before CA Code of Conduct senior commissioner Gordon Lewis here and pleaded guilty for breaching section nine of the board's code for detrimental public comment in a hearing that lasted two hours.
After the hearing, while speaking to the media Symonds said he accepted the penalty and again apologised to McCullum.
"Whilst the comments were intended to be light-hearted, I acknowledge that they were careless and as such I accept the fine that I have received today," the 33-year-old was quoted as saying by The Age.
Zimbabwe cricket head Chingoka refused entry to Australia
The International Cricket Council (ICC) will hold a two-day board meeting without ZC chairman Peter Chingoka, who is banned from entering the country because of his links with the regime led by Robert Mugabe in his homeland.
It is unclear whether Chingoka applied for a visa to enter Australia, however it is understood Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) would have refused his application.
Chingoka and ZC chief executive Ozias Bvute are among a DFAT list of 254 Zimbabweans not permitted entry into Australia because of their relationships with the Mugabe regime.
The ICC has confirmed Wilfred Mukondiwa will represent ZC at the meeting in place of Chingoka.
ODI career stats: Indian squad for Sri Lanka series
Sri Lanka [Images] bound Indian squad was announced on Sunday. The squad comprises of 15 players with Saurashtra's Ravindra Jadeja being the only new-face. Here are the ODI career stats of the squad:
# Batsman Type Age (Yrs-Days) Mts Inns Runs Avg Wkts Avg Ct/St
1 MS Dhoni [Images] (C-Wk) RHB / RM (explained below) 27 yrs-195 days 125 112 3935 46.85 0 - 125/40
2 Virender Sehwag [Images] (VC) RHB / ROB 30-90 196 191 6124 33.28 84 40.63 76
3 Gautam Gambhir [Images] LHB / RLB 27-96 64 64 2162 37.28 0 - 20
4 Ravindra Jadeja LHB/ SLA 20-43 Yet to debut
5 Praveen Kumar RHB/ RMF 22-108 15 8 41 8.20 21 30.57 5
6 Pragyan Ojha LHB / SLA 22-135 5 3 27 27.00 5 34.60 4
7 Munaf Patel [Images] RHB / RMF 25-190 37 15 52 7.43 46 29.11 3
8 Irfan Pathan [Images] LHB / LMF 24-83 105 77 1360 23.05 148 29.96 18
9 Yusuf Pathan [Images] RHB / ROB 26-62 12 7 96 24.00 6 46.00 4
10 Suresh Raina LHB / SLA 22-52 55 46 1292 34.00 1 59.00 24
11 Ishant Sharma [Images] RHB / RF 20-138 20 6 13 6.50 27 31.48 5
12 Rohit Sharma [Images] RHB / ROB 21-263 32 31 593 24.71 0 - 11
13 Sachin Tendulkar [Images] RHB / ROB,RLB 35-269 419 409 16422 44.26 154 44.12 126
14 Yuvraj Singh [Images] LHB / SLA 27-37 222 204 6466 37.16 64 40.72 67
15 Zaheer Khan [Images] RHB / LFM 30-103 154 86 679 13.31 218 28.63 32
Rajesh Pawar gets his 'turn'
His name may not ring a bell instantly, but his figures certainly do. A tally of 42 Ranji Trophy wickets in the last two seasons for Baroda is certainly impressive, if not outstanding. Add to it the six-wicket haul (six for 34), on Day 1 of the Duleep Trophy match on Thursday, which helped West Zone dismiss East Zone for a paltry 171 in the first essay, and certainly you've got a spinner of class.
But ask him about his bowling and he sounds dismissive at first.
"I had 20-odd wickets in six matches in this Ranji season," says the left-arm spinner. "But I wasn't particularly happy with my efforts, as in the last two matches I had only three wickets."
Then, this six-wicket haul must surely come as a relief.
Simmons aiming for a double
Trinidad and Tobago batsman Lendl Simmons is hoping to complete a double-century against England on the second day of the tour match in St Kitts. Simmons added 262 runs for the second wicket with Adrian Barath and finished the first day unbeaten on 171. Barath fell to Kevin Pietersen after scoring 132.
"I am really delighted to get a score against England and I am looking to get even more tomorrow," Simmons said. "I have my eyes on a double-century, which would be the second [double-century] of my career."
Simmons, nephew of the former West Indies batsman Phil Simmons, played eight ODIs and a Twenty20 international between December 2006 and July 2007. "It was not easy out there but I decided I would work hard to get a good score. I decided to bat time rather than bat runs. I knew once I stayed there for a long time, the runs would come."
Steelers' Parker hoping for flashback to healthier days
Inactive for five games earlier in the season because of knee and shoulder injuries, Parker found uneven progress upon his return as well as reduced carries.
"Injuries can frustrate anyone," he says. "I definitely battled it for my first time this season and it made me stronger. It made me better, actually. I worked harder to get back and get to where I'm at right now.
"I'm definitely ready and we've been on the run lately running the ball."
At one point, in mid-December, following a string of low-production games on his part, he told reporters he believed the team was getting away from its core offensive identity.
"We're the Pittsburgh Steelers (and) everyone knows we're going to run the ball — or they used to think we'd run the ball," he said. "We pass the ball a lot now. We go away from Steelers football, Steelers mentality."
N.F.L. players
After a contentious search process, N.F.L. players will select a new union chief in six weeks, and that’s when the real contentions will begin.
The union said here Thursday that a study it commissioned showed that teams made an average profit of at least $24 million last year, even though owners, who have opted out of the existing labor agreement, have claimed that the financial crisis is squeezing their margins, and has caused some teams and the league office to lay off employees.