Chennai Super Kings face a do-or-die battle for a semi-final berth in the Indian Premier League as they take on out-of-contention Deccan Chargers, who are yet to post a win on home turf, at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium on Tuesday.
A loss on Tuesday would all but end Super Kings' chances of making the semi-finals after Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men narrowly lost the match against the Rajasthan Royals on Saturday.
The Chennai team has 14 points from seven wins and six defeats in the tournament so far. The visitors start favourites against the Adam Gilchrist-led hosts, who are no longer in the race for the title after losing 11 of their 13 matches and finishing last.
The hosts, however, will play for pride as they aim to post their maiden win at home
Showing posts with label GAMES AND SPORTS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GAMES AND SPORTS. Show all posts
Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Laxman ruled out of the remaining IPL matches
In a setback to the beleaguered Hyderabad Deccan Chargers, its captain VVS Laxman, sustaining an injury on his right wrist, has been ruled out of the remaining matches of the Indian Premier League.
Laxman said that his injured right wrist will take two weeks to heal completely, which virtually gives him no chance to play in the remaining matches as his team plays their last league tie on May 27.
"It will take two weeks for my wrist to heal completely. So, I am not playing for two weeks and (Adam) Gilchrist will lead the side," said Laxman, who met the media with straps on his injured wrist at a children's programme ahead of their match against Delhi Daredevils on Thursday.
In Hyderabad, team CEO J Krishnan confirmed that Laxman's injury has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture so he will not play in the remaining matches.
The stylish batsman injured his wrist during the match against Bangalore Royal Challengers in Bangalore on May 3, the sixth match of his team. After that Gilchrist led the side in the last three matches.
Laxman said his side was not being put under pressure from their franchise owners, the Deccan Chronicles, despite having won just two of their nine matches so far, unlike what had happened to Bangalore Royal Challengers.
"We are not being pressurised by out team owners. We are in this position (bottom) because we lost a few close games. I am very happy at the way they (the owners) are supporting the players," he said.
"They (the owners) know we are playing at our best and as long as we are doing that I think there should not be any pressure," said Laxman.
Asked what he thought of franchise owners interfering and putting pressure on the team to perform just like what had happened to Bangalore Royal Challengers, he said it "depends on the team."
"It is their (owners') team and they can tell the captain and the think-tank to do something for the betterment of the team. But what can be asked depends on the team situation. It will differ from team to team," he said.
"We are not looking up to the semifinals. We are trying to play our best in the remaining matches. We are not out of the race still," the stylish batsman said.
Asked what was the difference between playing for the country and for a franchise team, Laxman said, "You cannot compare anything in front of playing for your country. For a player, however, it is the same in one sense, you want to win whether you play for your country or for franchise team."
Stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist said the team was gelling well and his team has been in a precarious position because of some close matches which they lost.
"We gel very well as a team. The only missing thing is that we are not winning as many matches we should have won. We have lost a few close matches. That has brought us down," he rued.
The Chargers team management also announced that Rohit Sharma would be the new vice captain till the end of the season.
"Adam's contribution in all aspects of building the team has been invaluable right through the season. His positive attitude, limitless energy and astute leadership skills would make a significant impact on the team."
"Rohit has been displaying tremendous responsibility and maturity in the way he has been adapting to different situations. Rohit is being groomed for the future and he would greatly benefit by being an understudy to Adam," Krishnan added.
Laxman said that his injured right wrist will take two weeks to heal completely, which virtually gives him no chance to play in the remaining matches as his team plays their last league tie on May 27.
"It will take two weeks for my wrist to heal completely. So, I am not playing for two weeks and (Adam) Gilchrist will lead the side," said Laxman, who met the media with straps on his injured wrist at a children's programme ahead of their match against Delhi Daredevils on Thursday.
In Hyderabad, team CEO J Krishnan confirmed that Laxman's injury has been diagnosed with a hairline fracture so he will not play in the remaining matches.
The stylish batsman injured his wrist during the match against Bangalore Royal Challengers in Bangalore on May 3, the sixth match of his team. After that Gilchrist led the side in the last three matches.
Laxman said his side was not being put under pressure from their franchise owners, the Deccan Chronicles, despite having won just two of their nine matches so far, unlike what had happened to Bangalore Royal Challengers.
"We are not being pressurised by out team owners. We are in this position (bottom) because we lost a few close games. I am very happy at the way they (the owners) are supporting the players," he said.
"They (the owners) know we are playing at our best and as long as we are doing that I think there should not be any pressure," said Laxman.
Asked what he thought of franchise owners interfering and putting pressure on the team to perform just like what had happened to Bangalore Royal Challengers, he said it "depends on the team."
"It is their (owners') team and they can tell the captain and the think-tank to do something for the betterment of the team. But what can be asked depends on the team situation. It will differ from team to team," he said.
"We are not looking up to the semifinals. We are trying to play our best in the remaining matches. We are not out of the race still," the stylish batsman said.
Asked what was the difference between playing for the country and for a franchise team, Laxman said, "You cannot compare anything in front of playing for your country. For a player, however, it is the same in one sense, you want to win whether you play for your country or for franchise team."
Stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist said the team was gelling well and his team has been in a precarious position because of some close matches which they lost.
"We gel very well as a team. The only missing thing is that we are not winning as many matches we should have won. We have lost a few close matches. That has brought us down," he rued.
The Chargers team management also announced that Rohit Sharma would be the new vice captain till the end of the season.
"Adam's contribution in all aspects of building the team has been invaluable right through the season. His positive attitude, limitless energy and astute leadership skills would make a significant impact on the team."
"Rohit has been displaying tremendous responsibility and maturity in the way he has been adapting to different situations. Rohit is being groomed for the future and he would greatly benefit by being an understudy to Adam," Krishnan added.
Thursday, 8 May 2008
Gavaskar quits as ICC cricket panel chief
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who was asked to choose between his media commitments and role as the Chairman of ICC Cricket Committee, has relinquished his job with the game's world governing body.
Gavaskar conveyed his decision to the ICC on Wednesday, a day after chairing the Cricket Committee meeting which concluded here on Tuesday, ICC's acting Chief Executive Officer David Richardson said in a statement here on Thursday.
The ICC had put Gavaskar on notice after discussing the potential for a conflict of interest for a person chairing the ICC Cricket Committee while, at the same time, working for a media outlet in its meeting in March in Dubai.
Gavaskar said with more and more cricket it was not possible for him to do justice with the two jobs.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed the eight years I have held the role (of ICC Cricket Committee Chairman), which is an honorary position, and it has been extremely fulfilling to be able to give back to the game through that role", Gavaskar said.
"However, with more and more cricket being played it has become clear that it is not possible for me to do justice to two jobs, the chairmanship of the ICC Cricket Committee and my media commitments," he said.
The master bastman, who was re-elected at the high-profile post on ICC's insistence, said it was not possible for him to juggle in different responsibilities at the same time.
"As an example of that, I had to leave my professional commitments as a commentator on the Indian Premier League matches in order to come and chair this year's meeting in Dubai", Gavaskar said.
"I envisaged the potential for this sort of issue two years ago and intimated then that I was not able to continue in the role but when I was asked to do so I was honoured to be re-elected.
"Now, however, it is clear I cannot combine both roles and therefore I am relinquishing the chair of the ICC Cricket Committee," said the first cricketer to score 10,000 Test runs.
Richardson said the ICC would try to utilise Gavaskar's expertise to benefit the game in some other capacity in future.
"Having someone of Sunil's stature involved has to be of benefit to the game and given the ICC's lengthy relationship with him we hope we can still utilise his knowledge in some other capacity in the future," Richardson said
"We are indebted to the work Sunil has put into his role as Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee. He has brought his vast experience of the game to bear, not only over the eight years of his chairmanship but also the six years prior to that, when he was a delegate on the same committee," he said.
Some of Gavaskar's critical columns had not gone down well with the ICC top-brass and his scathing attack on match referee Mike Procter after the controversial Sydney Test between India and Australia irked the game's world governing body.
Gavaskar had alleged that Procter preferred to agree with a "white player's version" than a player of Sachin Tendulkar's integrity during the racial row involving Harbhajan Singh and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds in January.
Gavaskar had also termed some ICC member countries like England and Australia as "dinosaurs", alleging they could not stomach India's growing clout in the game.
The ICC then decided to give the former Indian captain the option of choosing between his job as a commentator and columnist and that of the chairman of the cricket committee.
Gavaskar conveyed his decision to the ICC on Wednesday, a day after chairing the Cricket Committee meeting which concluded here on Tuesday, ICC's acting Chief Executive Officer David Richardson said in a statement here on Thursday.
The ICC had put Gavaskar on notice after discussing the potential for a conflict of interest for a person chairing the ICC Cricket Committee while, at the same time, working for a media outlet in its meeting in March in Dubai.
Gavaskar said with more and more cricket it was not possible for him to do justice with the two jobs.
"I have thoroughly enjoyed the eight years I have held the role (of ICC Cricket Committee Chairman), which is an honorary position, and it has been extremely fulfilling to be able to give back to the game through that role", Gavaskar said.
"However, with more and more cricket being played it has become clear that it is not possible for me to do justice to two jobs, the chairmanship of the ICC Cricket Committee and my media commitments," he said.
The master bastman, who was re-elected at the high-profile post on ICC's insistence, said it was not possible for him to juggle in different responsibilities at the same time.
"As an example of that, I had to leave my professional commitments as a commentator on the Indian Premier League matches in order to come and chair this year's meeting in Dubai", Gavaskar said.
"I envisaged the potential for this sort of issue two years ago and intimated then that I was not able to continue in the role but when I was asked to do so I was honoured to be re-elected.
"Now, however, it is clear I cannot combine both roles and therefore I am relinquishing the chair of the ICC Cricket Committee," said the first cricketer to score 10,000 Test runs.
Richardson said the ICC would try to utilise Gavaskar's expertise to benefit the game in some other capacity in future.
"Having someone of Sunil's stature involved has to be of benefit to the game and given the ICC's lengthy relationship with him we hope we can still utilise his knowledge in some other capacity in the future," Richardson said
"We are indebted to the work Sunil has put into his role as Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee. He has brought his vast experience of the game to bear, not only over the eight years of his chairmanship but also the six years prior to that, when he was a delegate on the same committee," he said.
Some of Gavaskar's critical columns had not gone down well with the ICC top-brass and his scathing attack on match referee Mike Procter after the controversial Sydney Test between India and Australia irked the game's world governing body.
Gavaskar had alleged that Procter preferred to agree with a "white player's version" than a player of Sachin Tendulkar's integrity during the racial row involving Harbhajan Singh and Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds in January.
Gavaskar had also termed some ICC member countries like England and Australia as "dinosaurs", alleging they could not stomach India's growing clout in the game.
The ICC then decided to give the former Indian captain the option of choosing between his job as a commentator and columnist and that of the chairman of the cricket committee.
Tuesday, 6 May 2008
Sharapova may have to fork out a million in fines
Tennis superstar Maria Sharapova could end up being fined close to a million dollars for defying the authorities running the sport.
The 21-year-old Siberian has already been docked $125,000 by the WTA Tour after withdrawing from this week's Berlin tournament, with the possibility of a further $10,000 penalty if she does not provide a medical reason for her no-show.
According to a newspaper report, she could also face a fine of up to $700,000 if she decides to boycott the WTA Tour's official promotional shoot that has been controversially planned to take place on the eve of next week's event on the clay of Rome's Foro Italico.
So, in the space of a fortnight, there is a chance that her fines could total $835,000.
The maximum fine for skipping promotional work is usually $300,000, but that increases to $700,000 for players such as Sharapova who do not wear a tour patch on their clothes.
"To ask me or any of the other players to do a long shoot like this is not right. The tour is not thinking about the players," Sharapova was quoted, as saying, adding that she has not ruled out the possibility of taking legal action against the WTA Tour.
The 21-year-old Siberian has already been docked $125,000 by the WTA Tour after withdrawing from this week's Berlin tournament, with the possibility of a further $10,000 penalty if she does not provide a medical reason for her no-show.
According to a newspaper report, she could also face a fine of up to $700,000 if she decides to boycott the WTA Tour's official promotional shoot that has been controversially planned to take place on the eve of next week's event on the clay of Rome's Foro Italico.
So, in the space of a fortnight, there is a chance that her fines could total $835,000.
The maximum fine for skipping promotional work is usually $300,000, but that increases to $700,000 for players such as Sharapova who do not wear a tour patch on their clothes.
"To ask me or any of the other players to do a long shoot like this is not right. The tour is not thinking about the players," Sharapova was quoted, as saying, adding that she has not ruled out the possibility of taking legal action against the WTA Tour.
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
GTA IV gets masterpiece as well as Mature rating
The queues for Grand Theft Auto IV, which went on sale at midnight, seem justified judging by the rave reviews for the latest game from developer Rockstar Games and its publisher Take-Two.
“Rockstar’s magnum opus is a modern-day masterpiece that could change the way the world views videogames,” said Gamespy.
Its New York-based location “Liberty City is nothing less than one of the greatest videogame worlds yet conceived,” said IGN.
“I now know how film critics felt after screening The Godfather …Grand Theft Auto IV doesn’t just raise the bar for the storied franchise; it completely changes the landscape of gaming,” said Game Informer.
Metacritic, which provides a weighted average score for games based on a wide range of reviews, has rated the PlayStation 3 version of the game as a perfect 100 and the Xbox 360 version as a 99.
The industry average for video games is around 68, with Nintendo games scoring highest at an average of 75, Sony following on 74, then Take-Two on 73 and Electronic Arts on 72.
Metacritic is widely quoted by the industry and the Mature-rated Grand Theft Auto franchise’s excellence has to be one big reason why EA has bid $2bn for Take-Two.
At its analyst day in February, John Riccitiello, EA chief executive, expressed his disappointment that EA’s Metacritic average had dropped 5 points in five years from 77 to 72.
He set a target for its fiscal 2011 year of reaching an average Metacritic score of 80.
EA is this year building better games than it has ever done, he believes, but just imagine the boost to those averages the addition of Rockstar would give
Monday, 28 April 2008
It was like a WWF punch: Sreesanth
The die seems loaded against firebrand spinner Harbhajan Singh following the ugly episode of a slap turned slugfest with pacer Sreesanth after the IPL tie in Mohali on Friday.
Harbhajan's fate will be decided on Monday when match referee Farrokh Engineer takes a call - Harbhajan faces a ban for a significant number of matches, and, at best, may get to play a couple of matches in the last phase of the Twenty20 league.
"Whether it's going to be a 10-match ban for Harbhajan or a ban for fewer matches is something we cannot say at this point, but whatever IPL will decide will be in the best interests of the game. Even BCCI is going to take appropriate action against the cricketer," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said on Sunday.
Sreesanth, meanwhile, is also expected to be asked to keep his emotions under check. The paceman, who took what he said was "like a WWF punch" from his team-mate, has made it to headlines for his undue aggressive behaviour.
Harbhajan, under suspension till the verdict of the hearing, was a worried man on Sunday, almost resigned to his fate. "Now, it's up to IPL."
Harbhajan's fate will be decided on Monday when match referee Farrokh Engineer takes a call - Harbhajan faces a ban for a significant number of matches, and, at best, may get to play a couple of matches in the last phase of the Twenty20 league.
"Whether it's going to be a 10-match ban for Harbhajan or a ban for fewer matches is something we cannot say at this point, but whatever IPL will decide will be in the best interests of the game. Even BCCI is going to take appropriate action against the cricketer," BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said on Sunday.
Sreesanth, meanwhile, is also expected to be asked to keep his emotions under check. The paceman, who took what he said was "like a WWF punch" from his team-mate, has made it to headlines for his undue aggressive behaviour.
Harbhajan, under suspension till the verdict of the hearing, was a worried man on Sunday, almost resigned to his fate. "Now, it's up to IPL."
Bhajji banned for 11 IPL matches
In the just concluded IPL hearing at the ITC Maurya hotel in Delhi on Monday, Team India's off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has been banned for 11 Indian Premier league (IPL) matches by the IPL governing council, according to reports by news channel Times Now . ( Watch )
During the course of the hearing, Harbhajan pleaded guilty and regretted his actions for hurting Sreesanth's sentiments. According to the sources, Bhajji carried a letter in reply to BCCI's show cause notice in the hearing. In letter to the BCCI, Bhajji said he slapped S Sreesanth post the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab on April 25. ( Watch )
The IPL disciplinary hearing was conducted by match referee Farokh Engineer. The match referee will take a final call on whether to ban Bhajji for life.
According to reports, Bhajji could face another inquiry from BCCI for flouting rules. The BCCI has appointed advocate Sudhir Nanavati as Commissioner to make preliminary inquiry into Harbhajan's slapping incident. Advocate Nanavati will inquire into the case of Bhajji flouting BCCI guidelines. Nanavati will submit report to BCCI president Sharad Pawar within 15 days. If found guilty, Bhajji may face 10-IPL matches ban. BCCI's disciplinary committee will look into Nanavati's report before giving the final verdict. ( Watch )
Harbhajan is accompanied by Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput. Sreesanth, who has also arrived for the hearing, is also likely to be questioned on his conduct during the hearing. ( Watch )
Slapping a fellow player constitutes a Level 4 offence as per the ICC Code of Conduct and could lead to a maximum punishment of a life ban or a minimum of five Tests or 10 ODIs.
During the course of the hearing, Harbhajan pleaded guilty and regretted his actions for hurting Sreesanth's sentiments. According to the sources, Bhajji carried a letter in reply to BCCI's show cause notice in the hearing. In letter to the BCCI, Bhajji said he slapped S Sreesanth post the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab on April 25. ( Watch )
The IPL disciplinary hearing was conducted by match referee Farokh Engineer. The match referee will take a final call on whether to ban Bhajji for life.
According to reports, Bhajji could face another inquiry from BCCI for flouting rules. The BCCI has appointed advocate Sudhir Nanavati as Commissioner to make preliminary inquiry into Harbhajan's slapping incident. Advocate Nanavati will inquire into the case of Bhajji flouting BCCI guidelines. Nanavati will submit report to BCCI president Sharad Pawar within 15 days. If found guilty, Bhajji may face 10-IPL matches ban. BCCI's disciplinary committee will look into Nanavati's report before giving the final verdict. ( Watch )
Harbhajan is accompanied by Mumbai Indians coach Lalchand Rajput. Sreesanth, who has also arrived for the hearing, is also likely to be questioned on his conduct during the hearing. ( Watch )
Slapping a fellow player constitutes a Level 4 offence as per the ICC Code of Conduct and could lead to a maximum punishment of a life ban or a minimum of five Tests or 10 ODIs.
Saturday, 26 April 2008
Warne elects to bowl against Challengers
Giant killers Rajasthan Royals won the toss and invited Royal Challengers Bangalore to bat first in the 12th match of the Indian Premier League.
Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals, who were considered as the weakest team after a nine-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils in their opening match, stunned the favourites like Kings XI Punjab and Deccan Chargers in a spectacular fashion and would be keen to prove that the feat was no fluke.
Royal Challengers, with a loss and a win from their two matches so far, will be hoping to earn more points with Pakistani batsman Misbah-ul Haq joining the team to strengthen their middle-order.
Their top-order though seems to be a matter of concern with Dravid yet to come to terms with the quickest version of the game.
Rajasthan Royals jumped to fourth place after Thursday's superb win in Hyderabad and would be determined to keep at bay the Rahul Dravid and Co, just one step behind them at the fifth spot in the points table
Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals, who were considered as the weakest team after a nine-wicket loss to Delhi Daredevils in their opening match, stunned the favourites like Kings XI Punjab and Deccan Chargers in a spectacular fashion and would be keen to prove that the feat was no fluke.
Royal Challengers, with a loss and a win from their two matches so far, will be hoping to earn more points with Pakistani batsman Misbah-ul Haq joining the team to strengthen their middle-order.
Their top-order though seems to be a matter of concern with Dravid yet to come to terms with the quickest version of the game.
Rajasthan Royals jumped to fourth place after Thursday's superb win in Hyderabad and would be determined to keep at bay the Rahul Dravid and Co, just one step behind them at the fifth spot in the points table
Thursday, 24 April 2008
A fine of Rs 1 lakh on Dhoni's PIL tormentor
The Jharkhand high court on Wednesday dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) against Indian ODI cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni challenging the construction of a swimming pool in his house and fined petitioner Krishna Chandra Sircar Rs 1 lakh for moving the petition based solely on media reports.
The petitioner and others were also hauled up for a sharp practice that, the judges said, amounted to contempt of court.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Muthuswamy Karpagyavinayagam and Justice DGR Patnaik got upset after Dhoni's lawyer produced a letter written by one of the signatories to the PIL, B P Sinha, asking the Indian skipper not to construct the swimming pool in his house even if the high court gave him the permission to do so.
The judges said this amounted to contempt of court. "Knowing that the matter was sub judice, how could anyone write such a letter to Dhoni?" the court wondered. For the gaffe, Sircar will be poorer by Rs 1 lakh. While Sircar's counsel apologised to the court on behalf of Sinha, the judges nonetheless took a dim view of the transgression.
The judges were bemused when they learnt that all that Sircar had to show as proof of a swimming pool being built by Dhoni were a few newspaper clippings.
Interestingly, in the course of hearing the matter, the court on learning that the area where Dhoni's house is being built faces water shortage, directed the Jharkhand government to install between 25 to 50 hand pumps.
The petitioner and others were also hauled up for a sharp practice that, the judges said, amounted to contempt of court.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Muthuswamy Karpagyavinayagam and Justice DGR Patnaik got upset after Dhoni's lawyer produced a letter written by one of the signatories to the PIL, B P Sinha, asking the Indian skipper not to construct the swimming pool in his house even if the high court gave him the permission to do so.
The judges said this amounted to contempt of court. "Knowing that the matter was sub judice, how could anyone write such a letter to Dhoni?" the court wondered. For the gaffe, Sircar will be poorer by Rs 1 lakh. While Sircar's counsel apologised to the court on behalf of Sinha, the judges nonetheless took a dim view of the transgression.
The judges were bemused when they learnt that all that Sircar had to show as proof of a swimming pool being built by Dhoni were a few newspaper clippings.
Interestingly, in the course of hearing the matter, the court on learning that the area where Dhoni's house is being built faces water shortage, directed the Jharkhand government to install between 25 to 50 hand pumps.
Cheerleaders are distracting, says Afridi
Cheerleaders during Indian Premier League matches may have added glitz and glamour to the cricket but Pakistan's Shahid Afridi is not amused.
The explosive hitter wants IPL organisers to remove the cheerleaders. "The girls in skimpy dresses should be removed from the ground as this is distracting the batsman," he said.
"Cricket itself is an entertainment. It does not require such cheerleaders to entertain," said Afridi, who played his first IPL match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday.
Afridi could score only two runs as his team Deccan Chargers lost to Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets. This was his team's second defeat in a row. Afridi had missed his team's first match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
Two teams of cheerleaders were standing on specially erected platforms on either side of the ground, dancing to every run scored by Deccan Chargers' batsmen. They were also seen dancing to the hit Hindi film numbers.
The explosive hitter wants IPL organisers to remove the cheerleaders. "The girls in skimpy dresses should be removed from the ground as this is distracting the batsman," he said.
"Cricket itself is an entertainment. It does not require such cheerleaders to entertain," said Afridi, who played his first IPL match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Tuesday.
Afridi could score only two runs as his team Deccan Chargers lost to Delhi Daredevils by nine wickets. This was his team's second defeat in a row. Afridi had missed his team's first match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
Two teams of cheerleaders were standing on specially erected platforms on either side of the ground, dancing to every run scored by Deccan Chargers' batsmen. They were also seen dancing to the hit Hindi film numbers.
'IPL bonhomie will avoid Sydney-like fiasco'
If Daryl Harper is to be believed, the stressbuster that top umpires are looking for these days is Twenty20 cricket. The Aussie, who was one of the umpires for Team Chennai's game against Mumbai Indians, told the TOI, it's always much easier officiating in T20 cricket.
"The batsmen go hard at the ball and if there are nicks, those are generally loud and clear. There aren't any bat pad decisions to make either," Harper said before the game on Tuesday.
"Another good thing about T20 cricket is that the commentators don't get too much time to dwell on a wrong decision. In Test cricket, they go on and on and one fault gets magnified too much," he said, adding that
"it's a relief that the umpire's name is generally not there in the newspapers the next day".
There are, however, new responsibilities for an umpire in a T20 game and Harper is enjoying it all the same. "The other day in Mumbai, just before the game started, there were smouldering paper and debris inside the ground. Had we not noticed it, any player could have got injured. We had to clear all those before the game got off," Harper said with a smile.
The Aussie Elite Panel umpire feels this T20 stint will freshen him up before his next international commitments. "I officiated in an international match in March, my next commitment is in July... So, what better than this fabulous T20 tournament in between," the chirpy Aussie said.
The umpire believes that this tournament will go a long way in easing the tensions among the different cricketing nations around the world. "I believe that had this tournament been played in November last year, there wouldn't have been the Sydney controversy. Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting, having shared the same dressing-room for a more than a month, would have known each other far better and wouldn't have behaved the way they did during the Test," he said, referring to the crucial second-innings dismissal where Ponting gave Sourav out and umpire Mark Benson obliged.
The conversation moved on to the topic of "three referrals" that the ICC has decided to allow each team in an innings which would be in place from the England-South Africa series. "I don't mind this at all. The friction between the players will lessen, they won't hold the umpires as villains, and the game will have purer results," Harper said. But doesn't he think that the over-insistence on technology will make the onfield umpire redundant one day? "He will still be needed to hold the bowlers' caps," the Aussie quipped, adding: "Yes, it will happen, but that's still far away."
He is also dead against the idea of having a "home umpire" for a Test match, a plan that has been mulled in some sections to have only the best officials adjudicating in the game. "I believe that it will be a step in the wrong direction. I don't see FIFA allowing an English referee to host an England-France game...So why should it be any different in cricket?" he asked.
For now, though, Harper, is soaking in every moment of his Indian summer. "It started off with me playing the role of an umpire in the film Victory. Now, it's real time action, the dance, the colour, the beautiful girls, and the chance to meet SRK...I'm looking forward to it all," he said, before going into the restaurant for lunch.
"The batsmen go hard at the ball and if there are nicks, those are generally loud and clear. There aren't any bat pad decisions to make either," Harper said before the game on Tuesday.
"Another good thing about T20 cricket is that the commentators don't get too much time to dwell on a wrong decision. In Test cricket, they go on and on and one fault gets magnified too much," he said, adding that
"it's a relief that the umpire's name is generally not there in the newspapers the next day".
There are, however, new responsibilities for an umpire in a T20 game and Harper is enjoying it all the same. "The other day in Mumbai, just before the game started, there were smouldering paper and debris inside the ground. Had we not noticed it, any player could have got injured. We had to clear all those before the game got off," Harper said with a smile.
The Aussie Elite Panel umpire feels this T20 stint will freshen him up before his next international commitments. "I officiated in an international match in March, my next commitment is in July... So, what better than this fabulous T20 tournament in between," the chirpy Aussie said.
The umpire believes that this tournament will go a long way in easing the tensions among the different cricketing nations around the world. "I believe that had this tournament been played in November last year, there wouldn't have been the Sydney controversy. Sourav Ganguly and Ricky Ponting, having shared the same dressing-room for a more than a month, would have known each other far better and wouldn't have behaved the way they did during the Test," he said, referring to the crucial second-innings dismissal where Ponting gave Sourav out and umpire Mark Benson obliged.
The conversation moved on to the topic of "three referrals" that the ICC has decided to allow each team in an innings which would be in place from the England-South Africa series. "I don't mind this at all. The friction between the players will lessen, they won't hold the umpires as villains, and the game will have purer results," Harper said. But doesn't he think that the over-insistence on technology will make the onfield umpire redundant one day? "He will still be needed to hold the bowlers' caps," the Aussie quipped, adding: "Yes, it will happen, but that's still far away."
He is also dead against the idea of having a "home umpire" for a Test match, a plan that has been mulled in some sections to have only the best officials adjudicating in the game. "I believe that it will be a step in the wrong direction. I don't see FIFA allowing an English referee to host an England-France game...So why should it be any different in cricket?" he asked.
For now, though, Harper, is soaking in every moment of his Indian summer. "It started off with me playing the role of an umpire in the film Victory. Now, it's real time action, the dance, the colour, the beautiful girls, and the chance to meet SRK...I'm looking forward to it all," he said, before going into the restaurant for lunch.
IPL centres to take dew-controlling measures, if needed
With heavy dew in Chennai on Wednesday night giving tough time to bowlers, BCCI's Pitches and Grounds Committee Chairman Daljit Singh on Thursday said all IPL centres had been directed to take dew-controlling measures, wherever necessary.
Singh said a circular had been issued on Thursday to all centres to use APSA-80 to control dew, if necessary. Players also could be seen profusely sweating in the sultry Chennai conditions.
"There was heavy dew in Chennai. I was told that this was for the first time in 40 years that Chennai was having dew during this time of the year," Singh said.
"Although we don't foresee any problem at other centres including Mohali, yet we have asked those concerned to be prepared so that dew does not play a spoilsport," he said.
He said instructions had also been given to reduce watering of the outfield, if curators found dew during evening time.
Asked if the dew-controlling chemical will be used in Mohali, where Kings XI Punjab take on Mumbai Indians on Friday night, Singh said, "we have not found dew here during this time. However, we are prepared on our side".
"While dew is generally found during winter time, its presence during this time at few places was quite surprising," he said, indicating effects of climate change were at work.
Singh said a circular had been issued on Thursday to all centres to use APSA-80 to control dew, if necessary. Players also could be seen profusely sweating in the sultry Chennai conditions.
"There was heavy dew in Chennai. I was told that this was for the first time in 40 years that Chennai was having dew during this time of the year," Singh said.
"Although we don't foresee any problem at other centres including Mohali, yet we have asked those concerned to be prepared so that dew does not play a spoilsport," he said.
He said instructions had also been given to reduce watering of the outfield, if curators found dew during evening time.
Asked if the dew-controlling chemical will be used in Mohali, where Kings XI Punjab take on Mumbai Indians on Friday night, Singh said, "we have not found dew here during this time. However, we are prepared on our side".
"While dew is generally found during winter time, its presence during this time at few places was quite surprising," he said, indicating effects of climate change were at work.
IPL: Warne elects to bowl against Chargers
Rajasthan Royals won the toss and invited Deccan Chargers to bat first in the ninth match of the Indian Premier League in Hyderabad. Graeme Smith is now back for the Rajasthan outfit.
The Chargers had received a drubbing at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders in their first match on April 20, which captain VVS Laxman blamed on poor pitch and a power snag at the Eden Gardens. Other stars in the team like Gilchrist, Symonds and Afridi are also likely to come under scrutiny over their performance.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals which had lost their first match against Delhi Daredevils on April 19, are on a high after their impressive win against Kings XI Punjab in their second match.
Watson scored a brisk 76 including five sixes in 49 balls against the Punjab team.
However, former Team India member Mohammad Kaif's form is a concern factor for captain and coach Shane Warne. Kaif fell cheaply in the last two matches scoring nine and five. He will have to fire to lighten the pressure on Watson and other youngsters.
Squads
Deccan Chargers: VVS Laxman (Captain), Sanjay Bangar, Halhadar Das (wk), H Gibbs, Scott Styris, Adam Gilchrist (wk), D Kalyankrishna, Pragyan Ojha, D Ravi Teja, PM Sarvesh Kumar, Shahid Afridi, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Chamara Silva, Andrew Symonds, Chaminda Vaas, Venugopal Rao, P Vijay Kumar, Arjun Yadav, Nuwan Zoysa.
Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (Captain), Aditya Angle, Swapnil Asnodkar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Kaif, Kamran Akmal (wk), Sumit Khatri, Taruwar Kohli, Mahesh Rawat, AD Mascarenhas, Parag More, Morne Morkel, Pankaj Singh, Munaf Patel, Niraj Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Anup Revandkar, Jaydev Shah, Graeme Smith, Sohail Tanvir, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson, Younis Khan, Dinesh Salunkhe.
The Chargers had received a drubbing at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders in their first match on April 20, which captain VVS Laxman blamed on poor pitch and a power snag at the Eden Gardens. Other stars in the team like Gilchrist, Symonds and Afridi are also likely to come under scrutiny over their performance.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals which had lost their first match against Delhi Daredevils on April 19, are on a high after their impressive win against Kings XI Punjab in their second match.
Watson scored a brisk 76 including five sixes in 49 balls against the Punjab team.
However, former Team India member Mohammad Kaif's form is a concern factor for captain and coach Shane Warne. Kaif fell cheaply in the last two matches scoring nine and five. He will have to fire to lighten the pressure on Watson and other youngsters.
Squads
Deccan Chargers: VVS Laxman (Captain), Sanjay Bangar, Halhadar Das (wk), H Gibbs, Scott Styris, Adam Gilchrist (wk), D Kalyankrishna, Pragyan Ojha, D Ravi Teja, PM Sarvesh Kumar, Shahid Afridi, Rohit Sharma, RP Singh, Chamara Silva, Andrew Symonds, Chaminda Vaas, Venugopal Rao, P Vijay Kumar, Arjun Yadav, Nuwan Zoysa.
Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (Captain), Aditya Angle, Swapnil Asnodkar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Kaif, Kamran Akmal (wk), Sumit Khatri, Taruwar Kohli, Mahesh Rawat, AD Mascarenhas, Parag More, Morne Morkel, Pankaj Singh, Munaf Patel, Niraj Patel, Yusuf Pathan, Anup Revandkar, Jaydev Shah, Graeme Smith, Sohail Tanvir, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson, Younis Khan, Dinesh Salunkhe.
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
The oomph factor..
They are pompoming their way through what was once considered gentlemen's game, played in a staid and time-honoured manner. Today, it has metamorphosised into a 20-over circus, with Bollywood stars, fire shows the works. Oh, and the cheerleaders. In their itsy-bitsy dresses, in-your-face actions and those pom-poms, the young women are quite some crowd pullers.
Mostly foreigners, they are getting as much eyeballs as the men in white, oops make it yellow, orange, gold, black, fluorescent reds. In fact, the male of the species is walking in especially to have a dekko at these oomphy beauties.
Fully charged
After a narrow defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders, Hyderabad Deccan Chargers would be aiming to register their first win in the Indian Premier League as they host Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday.
The home side will have a big advantage in their game against the Delhi outfit as explosive Pakistani import Shahid Afridi will join the team for Tuesday's clash at Rajiv Gandhi international stadium.
Apart from Afridi, the Chargers have a strong batting line-up consisting of captain VVS Laxman, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Y Venugopal Rao, Rohit Sharma and Ranji players DB Ravi Teja and Kalyan Krishna.
The home side will have a big advantage in their game against the Delhi outfit as explosive Pakistani import Shahid Afridi will join the team for Tuesday's clash at Rajiv Gandhi international stadium.
Apart from Afridi, the Chargers have a strong batting line-up consisting of captain VVS Laxman, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Y Venugopal Rao, Rohit Sharma and Ranji players DB Ravi Teja and Kalyan Krishna.
Sunday, 20 April 2008
Tendulkar to decide on Sunday about playing
Uncertainty continue to persist over Sachin Tendulkar leading the Mumbai Indians in their IPL opener against Bangalore Royal Challengers, with the champion batsman insisting he would take a call on the matter only on Sunday.
"We have to wait and see how I feel on Sunday. If I am ready I will play," Tendulkar said on the eve of the match.
Watch: Sachin likely to miss IPL debut
If he was unable to play then vice captain Harbhajan Singh would lead the team and would have his ears open for inputs from two other international captains in the team - Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock, the master batsman said.
"Both I and Harbhajan, who would lead the team if I am unable to play, will be open to ideas. That's the way it should be," he said.
Tendulkar said he had already had a talk with his teammates from overseas on the vociferous vocal support they can expect from the Mumbai crowd.
"I have talked to them about the long tradition that Mumbai cricket enjoys when we had 'tika' ceremony the other day. I have told them that it will be an experience they should relish when the Mumbai crowd gets behind them. I told them to enjoy and not get overwhelmed by such support," he said.
Tendulkar was referring to his mentor Ramakant Achrekar applying 'tilak' to all the players with a mixture of Shivaji Park mud mixed with the 'sindoor' from the temples of Mahalaxmi and Siddivinayak and the holy water from Mount Mary Church in Bandra, near his residence.
Tendulkar described the opening ceremony of the tournament held at Bangalore yesterday as "fabulous" and regretted he could not stay back and watch the match between Dravid's team and Sourav Ganguly's Kolkata Knight Riders.
"It was a fabulous inaugural function. The response from the crowd was excellent. Unfortunately I could not stay on and watch the cricket as I had to return here. On the whole it was a fabulous experience," he said.
He, however, said the result of that tie - in which the Bangalore team was whipped by Kolkata by 140 runs - has no bearing tomorrow as it's a new game in a new ground.
"All the venues are different. Bangalore is different from Mumbai, Chennai is and Kolkata too is different from Mumbai. We will have to wait and see how the conditions are tomorrow evening," he said.
Tendulkar said West Indian all rounder Dwayne Bravo is expected to reach here by tomorrow night and will be available till the middle of next month to play for his team.
Rajput said the choice of an opening partner for Jayasuriya, in case Tendulkar could not play, would be decided later.
Squad for Sunday's tie: Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Jayasuriya, Pollock, Robin Uthappa Luke Ronchi, Dominic Thornely, A Nayar, Pinal Shah, Saurabh Tiwary, Musavir Khote, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ajinkya Rahane, Swapnil Singh, Siddharth Chitnis and Vikrant Yeligati.
"We have to wait and see how I feel on Sunday. If I am ready I will play," Tendulkar said on the eve of the match.
Watch: Sachin likely to miss IPL debut
If he was unable to play then vice captain Harbhajan Singh would lead the team and would have his ears open for inputs from two other international captains in the team - Sanath Jayasuriya and Shaun Pollock, the master batsman said.
"Both I and Harbhajan, who would lead the team if I am unable to play, will be open to ideas. That's the way it should be," he said.
Tendulkar said he had already had a talk with his teammates from overseas on the vociferous vocal support they can expect from the Mumbai crowd.
"I have talked to them about the long tradition that Mumbai cricket enjoys when we had 'tika' ceremony the other day. I have told them that it will be an experience they should relish when the Mumbai crowd gets behind them. I told them to enjoy and not get overwhelmed by such support," he said.
Tendulkar was referring to his mentor Ramakant Achrekar applying 'tilak' to all the players with a mixture of Shivaji Park mud mixed with the 'sindoor' from the temples of Mahalaxmi and Siddivinayak and the holy water from Mount Mary Church in Bandra, near his residence.
Tendulkar described the opening ceremony of the tournament held at Bangalore yesterday as "fabulous" and regretted he could not stay back and watch the match between Dravid's team and Sourav Ganguly's Kolkata Knight Riders.
"It was a fabulous inaugural function. The response from the crowd was excellent. Unfortunately I could not stay on and watch the cricket as I had to return here. On the whole it was a fabulous experience," he said.
He, however, said the result of that tie - in which the Bangalore team was whipped by Kolkata by 140 runs - has no bearing tomorrow as it's a new game in a new ground.
"All the venues are different. Bangalore is different from Mumbai, Chennai is and Kolkata too is different from Mumbai. We will have to wait and see how the conditions are tomorrow evening," he said.
Tendulkar said West Indian all rounder Dwayne Bravo is expected to reach here by tomorrow night and will be available till the middle of next month to play for his team.
Rajput said the choice of an opening partner for Jayasuriya, in case Tendulkar could not play, would be decided later.
Squad for Sunday's tie: Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh, Jayasuriya, Pollock, Robin Uthappa Luke Ronchi, Dominic Thornely, A Nayar, Pinal Shah, Saurabh Tiwary, Musavir Khote, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ajinkya Rahane, Swapnil Singh, Siddharth Chitnis and Vikrant Yeligati.
Saturday, 19 April 2008
Yuvraj-Dhoni face-off
The colourful opening ceremony done and dusted and Dravid vs Ganguly out of the way, it's the turn of Yuvraj vs Dhoni at the PCA stadium here on Saturday. It's the second game of the Indian Premier League, but the first which starts with the sun still around and only the team batting second will bat under lights. Yes, it's a true day-and-night T20 game, unlike the opener at Bangalore which was played entirely under floodlights.
The game here between Team Mohali and Team Chennai has already been dubbed as Yuvraj vs Dhoni, teammates-turned-rivals for this extravaganza. But there are a whole lot of characters who will be out to hog the limelight. The biggest and most popular among them are Brett Lee of Mohali and Muttiah Muralitharan of Chennai.
Lee is among the most popular Australian cricketers in India. He sings and plays guitar with finesse of a maestro. He also delivers the red cherry at over 150mph. That's what he is getting paid for. To knock off the rival batsmen, who will not relish chin music from him. (PTI Photo)
Knight Riders humble Royal Challengers | Watch: Yuvi-Dhoni gear up for face-off | Kings XI Punjab all set for inaugural IPL | Weapons of destruction and containment | Knights all set for battle | Glamour of Mumbai Indians | Deccan Chargers line-up looks awesome | Bangalore Challengers on charge | Daredevils look up to Sehwag and McGrath | IPL ready to rock & roll | Special: Times
Friday, 18 April 2008
Olympic torch arrives in Bangkok amid tight security
The Olympic torch landed amid tight security on Friday in the Thai capital, the latest leg of its world tour, with police saying they were ready to stop any attempt by anti-China activists to put out the flame. ( Watch )
Several groups angry at Beijing's human rights record and its rule in Tibet are planning demonstrations in Bangkok, but will not face any opposition from police as long as they remain orderly, Thai Olympic chief General Yuthasak Sasiprapa said.
"If they are peaceful, it's OK," he said adding "We will not tolerate any violent or illegal protests. The torch and runners will be tightly escorted by police patrols and motorcycles all along the route."
Security concerns and anger at Beijing's March crackdown on unrest in Tibet caused an iconic Buddhist temple in Japan to pull out as the starting point of next week's torch relay in the country.
Zenkoji temple in the central city of Nagano said it had received 1,000 letters from across Japan calling for its withdrawal from the April 26 procession following the crackdown in Buddhist Tibet, in which monasteries were raided and monks arrested.
"We needed to think about security, being a temple with national treasures and many visitors," a temple official said.
"We also had to take into account the many messages of concern that we, as a Buddhist temple, received from residents all over the country and from our followers after growing international focus on the Tibet issue," he added.
Japan has already made it clear that the Chinese paramilitary guards who have been criticised elsewhere as being heavy-handed in their guarding of the torch will not be welcome.
Throughout its long journey from Greece to the Games' official opening ceremony in Beijing in August, the torch has been beset by protests, mainly focusing on Chinese rule in Tibet.
Thai police are bracing for a demonstration of about 100 people outside the regional headquarters of the United Nations, which lies on the 10.5 km (6.5 mile) route from Bangkok's China Town past the golden-spired Grand Palace.
The relay is due to start at 0800 GMT on Saturday and short-cuts and alternative routes have been made ready in case of any "unexpected incidents", Yuthasak said.
CHINESE ANGER
The reports of disruptions to the torch relay have caused a mixture of anger and dismay in China, where most people see them as unfair attempts to spoil the country's moment in the sun.
On Friday, Chinese media reported that two famous artists had pulled out of an exhibition in France in the latest display of anger at what is seen as a failure by French authorities to protect the torch on its swing through Paris.
Numerous protests and attempts by activists to snatch the torch prompted Chinese security officials to extinguish the torch several times and put in on a bus.
Wang Guangyi and Lu Hao, two of the biggest names in China's roaring contemporary art scene, said they would not take part in a June exhibition at a Paris gallery because of French attitudes toward the Olympics.
The support of some in France for a boycott of the Games "made me feel very annoyed, so we decided not to attend the exhibition", the Beijing News quoted Wang as saying.
Both artists stressed that their decision was personal, with Wang adding he had great respect for French culture and would not rule out future cooperation there, the report said.
Chinese Internet users have called on consumers to boycott French exports and to stop shopping at French retail giant Carrefour, which they say supports pro-Tibetan groups seeking to disrupt the Games, which open in Beijing on August 8.
Several groups angry at Beijing's human rights record and its rule in Tibet are planning demonstrations in Bangkok, but will not face any opposition from police as long as they remain orderly, Thai Olympic chief General Yuthasak Sasiprapa said.
"If they are peaceful, it's OK," he said adding "We will not tolerate any violent or illegal protests. The torch and runners will be tightly escorted by police patrols and motorcycles all along the route."
Security concerns and anger at Beijing's March crackdown on unrest in Tibet caused an iconic Buddhist temple in Japan to pull out as the starting point of next week's torch relay in the country.
Zenkoji temple in the central city of Nagano said it had received 1,000 letters from across Japan calling for its withdrawal from the April 26 procession following the crackdown in Buddhist Tibet, in which monasteries were raided and monks arrested.
"We needed to think about security, being a temple with national treasures and many visitors," a temple official said.
"We also had to take into account the many messages of concern that we, as a Buddhist temple, received from residents all over the country and from our followers after growing international focus on the Tibet issue," he added.
Japan has already made it clear that the Chinese paramilitary guards who have been criticised elsewhere as being heavy-handed in their guarding of the torch will not be welcome.
Throughout its long journey from Greece to the Games' official opening ceremony in Beijing in August, the torch has been beset by protests, mainly focusing on Chinese rule in Tibet.
Thai police are bracing for a demonstration of about 100 people outside the regional headquarters of the United Nations, which lies on the 10.5 km (6.5 mile) route from Bangkok's China Town past the golden-spired Grand Palace.
The relay is due to start at 0800 GMT on Saturday and short-cuts and alternative routes have been made ready in case of any "unexpected incidents", Yuthasak said.
CHINESE ANGER
The reports of disruptions to the torch relay have caused a mixture of anger and dismay in China, where most people see them as unfair attempts to spoil the country's moment in the sun.
On Friday, Chinese media reported that two famous artists had pulled out of an exhibition in France in the latest display of anger at what is seen as a failure by French authorities to protect the torch on its swing through Paris.
Numerous protests and attempts by activists to snatch the torch prompted Chinese security officials to extinguish the torch several times and put in on a bus.
Wang Guangyi and Lu Hao, two of the biggest names in China's roaring contemporary art scene, said they would not take part in a June exhibition at a Paris gallery because of French attitudes toward the Olympics.
The support of some in France for a boycott of the Games "made me feel very annoyed, so we decided not to attend the exhibition", the Beijing News quoted Wang as saying.
Both artists stressed that their decision was personal, with Wang adding he had great respect for French culture and would not rule out future cooperation there, the report said.
Chinese Internet users have called on consumers to boycott French exports and to stop shopping at French retail giant Carrefour, which they say supports pro-Tibetan groups seeking to disrupt the Games, which open in Beijing on August 8.
First day, first show
History is set to be created at the Chinnaswamy Stadium when a multi-million dollar 'sportainment' event finally gets underway. In the past this stadium has separately hosted cricket matches and Miss World pageants but for the first time, entertainment and sport — in that order — will happen on the same evening. Which of the two comes out on top at the end of the night will perhaps determine which way the tournament goes from here.
For their part, Bangalore fans will be hoping that their team gives a 'Royal' beating to Team Kolkata in the inaugural match on Friday night while the visitors will be hoping to ride on some luck and pluck to beat back the 'challenge' of the hosts. Fortunately for them, the organizers, thanks to the local association, have also remembered to lay out a lush green outfield and a cricket pitch too, despite being busy with important things such as a stage for the artists, power lasers hung from the rooftop, massive speakers all along the ground and innumerable promotion material all over the place.
The pitch though, is not expected to play much of a part with the people in charge having no doubts that it will play the same way for the entire 40 overs. But will the much-hyped cricketers, all of whom have been signed up for enormous sums of money, be able to live up to expectations and deliver a cracker of an opener and set the tournament off? That remains to be seen.
One thing is for sure, there is no dearth of stars in either side, with both sides led by former Indian captains and containing a host of international stars, with four from each side allowed to take the field as per the rules of the tournament. By that yardstick, as also the total prize money of Rs 12 crore (the winner gets Rs 4.8 crore), this is not just another domestic tournament as the presence of match referees, third and fourth umpires, also indicate.
Welcome to the Indian Premier League, the carnival of cricket that will see performers from the world over doing their bit in the middle even as every ground makes space for a stage off-field for non-cricketing performers to play their part. Big money has attracted the biggest of stars and led to an international integration that will see Australians team up with New Zealanders, South Africans with Sri Lankans and Indians with Pakistanis. Forget about sledging between teams, now we may have to watch out for sledging amongst team-mates, even if the team members seem to be getting along fine at practice sessions.
As for the opening match itself, both teams spent Thursday evening at the nets, practicing normal cricket as well as some special T20 stuff. Team Bangalore had played out a practice match on the pitch adjoining the match pitch and so can be considered better prepared but in this short format, execution perhaps play a larger part.
Things happen so fast that plans can go awry and captains need to be on their toes all the time. If Rahul Dravid, the Bangalore skipper, has players such as Jaques Kallis and Mark Boucher with the experience to help him out on the field, Team Kolkata's Sourav Ganguly will not have to look further than the world's most successful captain Ricky Ponting for support. As for the combinations on the morrow, both teams will probably end up spending more time on deciding it than the three hours that a T20 match takes.
For their part, Bangalore fans will be hoping that their team gives a 'Royal' beating to Team Kolkata in the inaugural match on Friday night while the visitors will be hoping to ride on some luck and pluck to beat back the 'challenge' of the hosts. Fortunately for them, the organizers, thanks to the local association, have also remembered to lay out a lush green outfield and a cricket pitch too, despite being busy with important things such as a stage for the artists, power lasers hung from the rooftop, massive speakers all along the ground and innumerable promotion material all over the place.
The pitch though, is not expected to play much of a part with the people in charge having no doubts that it will play the same way for the entire 40 overs. But will the much-hyped cricketers, all of whom have been signed up for enormous sums of money, be able to live up to expectations and deliver a cracker of an opener and set the tournament off? That remains to be seen.
One thing is for sure, there is no dearth of stars in either side, with both sides led by former Indian captains and containing a host of international stars, with four from each side allowed to take the field as per the rules of the tournament. By that yardstick, as also the total prize money of Rs 12 crore (the winner gets Rs 4.8 crore), this is not just another domestic tournament as the presence of match referees, third and fourth umpires, also indicate.
Welcome to the Indian Premier League, the carnival of cricket that will see performers from the world over doing their bit in the middle even as every ground makes space for a stage off-field for non-cricketing performers to play their part. Big money has attracted the biggest of stars and led to an international integration that will see Australians team up with New Zealanders, South Africans with Sri Lankans and Indians with Pakistanis. Forget about sledging between teams, now we may have to watch out for sledging amongst team-mates, even if the team members seem to be getting along fine at practice sessions.
As for the opening match itself, both teams spent Thursday evening at the nets, practicing normal cricket as well as some special T20 stuff. Team Bangalore had played out a practice match on the pitch adjoining the match pitch and so can be considered better prepared but in this short format, execution perhaps play a larger part.
Things happen so fast that plans can go awry and captains need to be on their toes all the time. If Rahul Dravid, the Bangalore skipper, has players such as Jaques Kallis and Mark Boucher with the experience to help him out on the field, Team Kolkata's Sourav Ganguly will not have to look further than the world's most successful captain Ricky Ponting for support. As for the combinations on the morrow, both teams will probably end up spending more time on deciding it than the three hours that a T20 match takes.
Cricket Australia ready to have its own form of IPL
Cricket Australia has said that it is open to the idea of launching its own version of a privately funded Twenty20 competition similar to the Indian Premier League (IPL) hosted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), but not at the expense of the Future Tours Program (FTP).
"We always look at new ideas. We remain committed to international tours, but we are also aware of what Allen Stanford is planning in the West Indies with Twenty20, as is the International Cricket Council. We will also be monitoring the new IPL competition, which is about to start in India. It will be a case of suck it and see," Fox Sports quoted Cricket Australia's acting chief executive Michael Brown, as saying.
Brown's comments assume significance in the wake of reports that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is in talks with American billionaire Stanford to discuss the creation of a Twenty20 tournament similar to the IPL in England.
"We've seen tremendous growth and interest in our own domestic (Twenty20 competition) KFC Big Bash. The competition has been a huge success, averaging crowds of between 12,000 and 15,000. But at the moment we are dealing in hypotheticals. We remain committed to our future tours policy, that is the game's bread and butter," Brown said.
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on the ECB to release centrally contracted players such as Test captain Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen to take up huge money deals in the IPL, which starts tomorrow, providing it does not clash with international commitments.
The ECB said that it was considering detailed proposals from Stanford, who set up the Stanford Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean.
Players are eager to take part in the newest form of the game, which held its first World Cup last year, drawing bigger audiences and more enthusiastic crowds in South Africa than the traditional 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean.
The ECB has been concerned about scheduling conflicts with the English season and what is seen as a shift in power towards Asia. The inaugural IPL has attracted many of the world's leading players, including Australians Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee, Matt Hayden, Andrew Symonds, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
Vaughan argues that it will be only a matter of time before England players join in.
Dimitri Mascarenhas is the only England player signed to take part in the inaugural season, but the all-rounder is not centrally contracted to the ECB.
"We always look at new ideas. We remain committed to international tours, but we are also aware of what Allen Stanford is planning in the West Indies with Twenty20, as is the International Cricket Council. We will also be monitoring the new IPL competition, which is about to start in India. It will be a case of suck it and see," Fox Sports quoted Cricket Australia's acting chief executive Michael Brown, as saying.
Brown's comments assume significance in the wake of reports that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is in talks with American billionaire Stanford to discuss the creation of a Twenty20 tournament similar to the IPL in England.
"We've seen tremendous growth and interest in our own domestic (Twenty20 competition) KFC Big Bash. The competition has been a huge success, averaging crowds of between 12,000 and 15,000. But at the moment we are dealing in hypotheticals. We remain committed to our future tours policy, that is the game's bread and butter," Brown said.
Meanwhile, pressure is mounting on the ECB to release centrally contracted players such as Test captain Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen to take up huge money deals in the IPL, which starts tomorrow, providing it does not clash with international commitments.
The ECB said that it was considering detailed proposals from Stanford, who set up the Stanford Twenty20 tournament in the Caribbean.
Players are eager to take part in the newest form of the game, which held its first World Cup last year, drawing bigger audiences and more enthusiastic crowds in South Africa than the traditional 50-over World Cup in the Caribbean.
The ECB has been concerned about scheduling conflicts with the English season and what is seen as a shift in power towards Asia. The inaugural IPL has attracted many of the world's leading players, including Australians Ricky Ponting, Brett Lee, Matt Hayden, Andrew Symonds, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath.
Vaughan argues that it will be only a matter of time before England players join in.
Dimitri Mascarenhas is the only England player signed to take part in the inaugural season, but the all-rounder is not centrally contracted to the ECB.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
