Just 16 wins for India abroad in 3 yrs

NEW DELHI: India's poor run abroad continued in New Zealand as they lost 5-match ODI series 0-4 after a humiliating 87-run loss in the final game on Friday, leaving millions of fans heartbroken.

The ODI series in New Zealand was crucial for the men in blue as they will go out to defend the world cup that will be co-hosted by the island nation next year.

However, the world No.1 side's vulnerability against a team, ranked seventh in ICC rankings, has raised a question mark on India's challenge in the quadrennial event next year.

After the famous world cup victory in their backyard three years ago, India have played 36 ODIs in overseas out of which they have won 16 and lost 15 while 2 were tied and remaining were washed out by rain.

But out of the 16 victories 5 of the matches were registered in Zimbabwe and 3 in West Indies while India returned winless after playing bilateral series in England, South Africa and New Zealand.

India's only laudable achievement abroad in last three years is the famous Champions Trophy victory in England in 2013.

Series	Results
India in West Indies	India won 3-2 (5)
India in England	India lost 0-3 (5)
Commonwealth bank series (Ind, Aus, SL)	Failed to reach final. Won 3 out of 8 matches
Champions trophy in England	Won title and all five matches
India in Zimbabwe ODI Series	India won 5-0 (5)
India in South Africa	India lost 0-2 (3)
India in New Zealand	India lost 0-4 (5)

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australia beat England by 8 wickets

MELBOURNE: Australia completed a clean sweep of victories over England in all formats when it won the second Twenty20 cricket international by 8 wickets on Friday to clinch the three-match series 2-0.

Scorecard

After winning the Ashes test series 5-0 and the five-match one-day international series 4-1, Australia added to England's summer of misery by following up its 13-run win in the first T20 with a comprehensive win which clinched the T20 series in two games.

Captain George Bailey made 60 not out from 28 balls and Cameron White 57 in an unbroken 78-run partnership which guided Australia past England's paltry 130-9 with 5.1 overs remaining.

White was 41 not out, having set the hectic tempo of the Australian innings, when he was joined by Bailey at 53-2. He was then outdone by his captain who completed a half century from 24 balls, with five fours and three sixes, while White took his score from 41 to 53.

"Another great performance with the ball, I thought, that really set the game up," Bailey said. "I thought it was a pretty all-round good performance with us tonight."

Bailey said Australia's performances in all formats are being fueled by rising confidence.

"It's a magical juice (confidence)," he said. "I think it makes such a big difference.

"The greatest thing about that is we're seeing it from guys who are coming in for their first game. James Muirhead, I thought bowled absolutely beautifully in his second game. That to me is a sign of a really good player and hopefully a really good team environment."

England's defeat was made more bitter by the fact it won a toss which seemed influential and chose to bat first on a dry, firm pitch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Regular wicket falls ensured its innings never gained momentum and Jos Buttler's 22 from 27 balls was the highest individual score in a feeble collective effort.

Michael Lumb, Joe Root, Tim Bresnan and captain Stuart Broad, who was the not out batsman, all made 18 and Alex Hales 16 but no England batsman was able to take the decisive or dominating role the innings demanded.

"We're disappointed with the way we played," Broad said. "Sometimes you have to give credit to your opposition. Australia outplayed us fantastically today.

"The two needless run-outs hurt us in the middle which cost us getting a decent score."

Broad wore the haunted expression seen often on the face of captain Alastair Cook during the test and one-day series.

"It's been a long tour, a long 100 days in Australia," Broad said.

Josh Hazlewood bowled superbly for Australia and, after removing openers Lumb and Hales, he returned to dismiss Bresnan and James Tredwell with successive balls in the last over to finish with 4-30. He was man of the match.

Muirhead's 1-17 and Mitchell Starc's 1-19 in his first T20 for Australia in more than a year were also outstanding four-over efforts which further shackled England.

The run outs of Root (18 from 14 balls) and danger man Eoin Morgan (6 from 3 balls) crippled England, leaving it 4-55, then 5-63.

The long boundaries at the MCG were always going to be more challenging than those at Hobart's Bellerive Oval, where the first T20 was played and where the teams jointly hit 22 sixes. There were no sixes in England's innings and only 15 fours.

In fact, England's innings contained 57 balls from which no run was scored and more than 40 more that yielded only singles.

Australia's turn at bat provided a vivid contrast as White gave it a blazing start which put the outcome of the match beyond doubt within a handful of overs.

He took 13 runs from the first over, bowled by Broad, and 12 from the second, scoring 24 runs before his opening partner, Aaron Finch, faced a ball.

Bailey then stepped up the tempo, hitting the first six of the match in the ninth over and adding two more along with seven fours while White hit nine boundaries.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ground-breaking series win: McCullum

WELLINGTON: Delighted after drubbing India 4-0 in the just-concluded ODI series, New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum on Friday called it a ground-breaking triumph for his side and the most satisfying of his career so far.

New Zealand dominated the five-match series, the third game of which was a tie, even though India were considered hands-down favourites at the start of it. The Kiwis' fantastic run ended India's reign at the top of the ICC ODI rankings.

"From an ODI point of view, this series is the most satisfying I have been a part of," said McCullum after the fifth and final ODI which the Kiwis won by 87 runs.

"India arrived here as the number one ODI team in the world and not many expected us to compete with them, let alone get a series white wash. We are delighted with the way we played in this series especially on the back of fine performances from Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson, and also the way our bowlers stepped up. Overall, it was a ground breaking series for us," he added.

When asked pertinently if Team India had proven worthy opponents, McCullum said he respected Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men.

"We didn't allow them to play to their potential. But they are a very good team. The Indian cricketers all have proven careers and proven statistics over a period of time," he said.

"We were very respectful of their standing in the game as the number one team when they arrived on our shores and for us as the number eight team to put in a performance to topple these guys is something that makes this victory even sweeter," he added.

One of the key factors in New Zealand's victory has been the form of their batsmen, especially Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, both of whom again shone in this final ODI as well.

They put on 152 runs for the third wicket, with Williamson scoring his fifth successive half-century in this series, while Taylor scored his second consecutive ton. He also has two other fifties to his name from this series.

"The key to our consistency as a team is that we are getting more runs, consistently. That is on the back of some good form, especially the way Ross and Kane have batted through the middle overs," said McCullum.

"For your number three and four batsmen to stamp their authority on the series the way they have done and the partnerships they have been able to create and get us in those positions to kick on towards the end, that's allowed us to get big totals."

"And when you get big totals then you are going to be pretty competitive. We have backed that up with the ball," McCullum explained.

McCullum did not forget to compliment his bowlers as well.

"It is encouraging from a bowling point of view as well. Today we saw Matt Henry coming in his first game and it is a dream debut really. His performance was fantastic and one that I am sure he will remember for a long time.

"It just shows the depth that we are starting to build in that fast bowling area and Kyle Mills also got stuck in today, so that's also a big gain for us from the series," he said.

"Tim Southee, Mitchell McClenaghan, Hamish Bennett, James Neesham, Corey Anderson, and so on, we are starting to build a pretty formidable group of bowlers to pick from and it's pretty encouraging," the proud skipper added.

The New Zealand team will now disband for a couple of days' break and will regroup in Auckland on February 4, ahead of the first Test at Eden Park starting two days later.

Even as Team India will be busy picking up the pieces from this disastrous series, the hosts will gradually shift their focus to the two-Test series.

"There are a lot of positives we can take forward," said McCullum, looking to the longer format.

"Our number three and four batsmen don't change for the Test series. We have spoken about the need to separate formats and when we start preparing for the Test match, we will make sure to put our Test heads on and work out our formula and game-plan for Test cricket."

When asked if the pitches will be greener and if short bowling will again be the weapon of choice for the Black Caps, a positive answer was forthcoming.

"We would definitely like some home advantage. But we don't want to see the ball turn too much because that plays into India's hands. If we can get the wickets like what we played against the West Indies (conducive to swing bowling) that will probably suit us," said the New Zealand skipper.

"We are keen to see our bowlers be hostile and aggressive with the ball in hand. It is good that we have bowlers who can do that (bowl short and take wickets). So certainly, it is a tactic we will look to employ in the Test series as well," McCullum signed off.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dhoni at a loss to explain defeat in NZ

WELLINGTON: His team overwhelmingly crushed by New Zealand, ranked seven rungs below India, a confused skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni muttered some inanities about the loss, asking his batsmen to "improvise and adapt" while praising his bowlers who gave away 303 runs in the fifth and final one-dayer.

After losing the fourth ODI three days ago, Dhoni had castigated his wayward bowlers, asking them to use their "brains more". Today they conceded over 300 runs but he thought the new-ball bowling was "really good" and even the death bowling to some extent.

The 0-4 loss to the Kiwis with one ODI tied, meant that the Indians were dethroned from their number one ranking. The whitewash meant that the Dhoni-led team has a winless streak of eight ODIs since last month, including three in South Africa.

"All defeats are bad and at the end of the day you can't really measure disappointment," said a philosophical Dhoni.

Despite batting failures, he backed his batsmen but cautioned them about the need to learn and adapt their game.

"We have invested a lot in our batting. It wasn't a lack of experience because a lot of players in the side have played a lot of ODI cricket and most of them are batsmen. But New Zealand executed their plans very well and whatever we tried - chasing or batting first - it didn't work. So now it is up to our batsmen to improvise and adapt and bring in a positive attitude," he said.

"After one season, once you become a settled side the opposition starts planning against each and every batsman and that has been the case all over the world.

"Fresh questions are asked and the batsmen are talented enough to get out of it. But they will need to put in a lot of effort in the practice sessions and mentally make their plans, what they need to do once they go into the game," he tried to explain.

Dhoni said his team has the talent to rise to the challenge.

"I am hoping with the kind of talent they have, the amount of games that they have played they will come out of it and that will be a big positive for us," Dhoni said, outlining this poor performance as a bad phase for the team.

"Throughout this series, they (New Zealand) have played very good cricket. Their new ball pair has been very good but where they've taken the game away is in the middle overs batting which set up their charge late in the innings, picking up 80-90 runs consistently," Dhoni said after the 87-run drubbing today.

Asked about his own team's performance, a visibly drained Dhoni said, "It is important to improvise and adapt quickly, which we have failed to do."

Dhoni said the team needed to click in unison while chasing big scores which did not happen through the series.

"In this series, more often than not, we were chasing big scores and you can't rely on a couple of batsmen to score runs all the time. And so, apart from one game, most of the time we have been behind, having to catch up and the run-rate went too high. In the last 25 overs you can't really chase 8 or 9 runs per over. That has been the setback to some extent,"

For a change, the Indian skipper was appreciative of his bowlers' efforts.

"In this game, the new ball bowling was really good and even the death bowling to some extent. I knew they will go for runs but I was happy with the death bowling.

"More often than not in this series New Zealand have batted really well through the middle order, and have not lost too many wickets and scored at a brisk pace. That has been the difference between both teams. That's the time when we are losing wickets and we are only doing the catching up," he said.

While bowling has been a perennial issue for India, batting woes have started plaguing them as well. The starts have been slugging and too many wickets are lost, putting the middle-order under pressure.

Along with the batting, middle overs too have become a problem for the Indian team as they have been searching for wickets while Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor have taken the games away frequently.

"Yes, the middle overs' bowling is something that we have to look at and think what we can do there, how we can improve. It is important so that the opposition can't score freely in the middle overs and don't have wickets in hand for the last 15 overs and score freely," he said.

"At the same time, both Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor batted really well. The main difference between the two sides was the middle order batting. They batted really well. They rotated the strike well and kept wickets in the hand and in the last few overs, they went for the big shots," Dhoni added.

One of the many criticisms levelled against India is their reluctance to change when a particular combination doesn't work out. But the skipper was defensive about this approach.

"Regarding Ishwar Pandey, we thought that there is some more work needed on his bowling before he can be tried, but this exposure has been very good for him. We thought about playing an extra batsman but when the top six or seven batsmen are not playing well, then why should we rely on number eight. It will also weaken the bowling," he reasoned.

"And we wanted Ashwin's batting. The one match that was tied was because of his batting performance, so that is why we back Ashwin," said Dhoni, answering as to why Amit Mishra was not given a go.

There were a few positives to take home though, as Dhoni later pointed out.

"Ravindra Jadeja's performance was really good. With the ball, he has been quite consistent but his batting was a cause for concern earlier.

"Till we find a seaming all-rounder it is very difficult to play with five bowlers and six batsmen. So we always wanted him to bat well and we know that he has got the potential but in this series he batted quite well."

Dhoni said even the fielding was not too bad given tyhe poor reputation that his team has.

"...the fielding has been exceptional. Maybe a couple of fast bowlers dropped a few catches but overall the fielders have been exceptional. We got quite a few run outs that could have changed the course of the game, if you are playing good cricket," he said.

"Our batting may not have clicked, but we still got in excess of 250 in all but one game. So it is important to learn out of these positives and get rid of the negative feelings and thoughts," the Indian captain signed off.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australia beat England by 13 runs in T20

HOBART: England lost the opening Twenty20 international in Hobart on Wednesday after narrowly failing to chase down Australia's massive 214-run target.

Scorecard

The Australians were always in the box seats, with the tourists on 176 for nine with an over left.

But some prodigious late hitting by Ravi Bopara got England to within 13 runs of the target at the finish.

Bopara smashed seven sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 65 off 27 balls but paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile bowled the Australians to victory with four for 30 off his four overs.

Joe Root scored 32 off 24 balls and opener Alex Hales hit 22 off 12 balls for the beaten tourists, who have only won one limited-over international on their hapless tour of Australia.

Australia won the Ashes Test series 5-0 and the ODI series 4-1 before the three-game T20 series began.

"Ravi's performance was a positive, but if you lose three wickets in the first six overs you rarely win," said England skipper Stuart Broad.

"We'll reflect and consider changes, but I err on the side of consistency and back these players to come back strong in Melbourne."

Cameron White was named man-of-the-match for his 75 off 43 balls as Australia set England 214 to win.

England's previous highest T20 run chase was 181 against India in 2012 so their 200 for nine was their highest score in the format.

White, recalled by Australia for the first time since 2012, smashed six boundaries and four sixes to set the platform for the home side's 213 for four after they won the toss.

White put on 106 with opening partner Aaron Finch (52 from 31) as the Australians came out with all guns blazing.

"It's a nice feeling to be back and it's something I've worked hard for, to get the opportunity playing for Australia since I last played," White said.

"England are a dangerous side and they bat really deep in the order, and with the short boundaries here at Bellerive the game was never really won. Ravi batted really well."

Finch hit three sixes and five fours as the pair reached a century partnership off 59 balls.

He was caught in the deep in the 11th over, while it took the most eventful over of the innings to claim White.

The over brought 18 runs off the bowling of Luke Wright and looked also to have claimed White's wicket when he skied to Danny Briggs at fine leg.

However a no-ball was called. The third umpire took several looks at the replays at Wright's full toss to confirm it was above waist height and White survived.

But White was dismissed leg before wicket before the over was completed and Australia were 134 for two.

Glenn Maxwell (20 from 13) produced an astonishing reverse sweep for six off Briggs, but the shot proved to be his downfall when he was caught at 157 for three.

Australia could not sustain their early pace until, on debut, Chris Lynn cracked three sixes in his late cameo of 37 from 19. Dan Christian was six not out.

The second game in the three-match series is in Melbourne on Friday.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

IPL: Viru, Yuvi in Rs 2cr price bracket

NEW DELHI: Discarded veterans Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh have kept their base price in the highest bracket of Rs 2 crore for the upcoming auctions of the seventh edition of Indian Premier League.

There are 46 capped Indian players in the list of 233 international players who have enrolled for the auction. The base price for capped players (in INR) are 50 lakh, 1 crore, 1.5 crore and 2 crore respectively.

New Zealand's Corey Anderson has kept his base price at a moderate Rs 1 crore. It is widely expected that Anderson's price will hit the roof-top after his fastest century in ODIs and his stupendous all-round performance against India in the ongoing ODI series.

While Australian captain Michael Clarke has pulled out from the auction, Ashes Hero Mitchell Johnson's base price is Rs 2 crore.

While Sehwag, who has been horribly out of form, has kept himself in the highest bracket, two other veterans Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra are also expecting to fetch atleast Rs 2 crore or more at the auction if one goes by their decision to keep themselves in the highest bracket.

Dinesh Karthik, who was widely tipped to be retained by Mumbai Indians, has also kept a base price of Rs 2 crore.

Hard-hitting batsman Yusuf Pathan, who had three pathetic seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders is also in the highest bracket. Swing bowler Praveen Kumar, leg-spinner Amit Mishra, left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, Test opener Murali Vijay, Bengal's Manoj Tiwary and Karnataka veteran Robin Uthappa are the other capped Indian players in the highest bracket.

Veteran seamer Zaheer Khan, Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara, talented Bhuvneshwar Kumar are in the Rs 1.5 crore bracket while fringe India players like Ashoke Dinda, Wriddhiman Saha, Mohit Sharma are in the Rs 1 crore. Delhi's Parvinder Awana, who played a couple of T20 internationals last season has a base price of Rs 50 lakh.

Pacers Umesh Yadav has not yet confirmed his base price while Ishant Sharma's base price is Rs 1.5 crore.

Jharkhand speedster Varun Aaron is missing out from the auction list which might be to jeep himself injury free from the rigours of T20 cricket.

43-year-old Australian chinaman bowler Bradd Hogg is the oldest player at the auction with a base price of Rs 1.5 crore while T20 freelancer Brad Hodge has kept his base price at Rs 2 crore. Mike Hussey, who said that IPL-VI was his last edition has also included himself in the list with highest base price.

Some Prominent Indian players and their base prices:

Indians (Rs 2 crore): Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Dinesh Karthik, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Robin Uthappa, Amit Mishra, Murali Vijay, Manoj Tiwary.

Indians (Rs 1.5 crore): Zaheer Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cheteshwar Pujara, Irfan Pathan, Ishant Sharma.

Indians (Rs 1 crore): Parthiv Patel, Mohit Sharma, Ashoke Dinda, Wriddhiman Saha.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Australia beat England by 13 runs inT20

HOBART: England lost the opening Twenty20 international in Hobart on Wednesday after narrowly failing to chase down Australia's massive 214-run target.

Scorecard

The Australians were always in the box seats, with the tourists on 176 for nine with an over left.

But some prodigious late hitting by Ravi Bopara got England to within 13 runs of the target at the finish.

Bopara smashed seven sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 65 off 27 balls but paceman Nathan Coulter-Nile bowled the Australians to victory with four for 30 off his four overs.

Joe Root scored 32 off 24 balls and opener Alex Hales hit 22 off 12 balls for the beaten tourists, who have only won one limited-over international on their hapless tour of Australia.

Australia won the Ashes Test series 5-0 and the ODI series 4-1 before the three-game T20 series began.

"Ravi's performance was a positive, but if you lose three wickets in the first six overs you rarely win," said England skipper Stuart Broad.

"We'll reflect and consider changes, but I err on the side of consistency and back these players to come back strong in Melbourne."

Cameron White was named man-of-the-match for his 75 off 43 balls as Australia set England 214 to win.

England's previous highest T20 run chase was 181 against India in 2012 so their 200 for nine was their highest score in the format.

White, recalled by Australia for the first time since 2012, smashed six boundaries and four sixes to set the platform for the home side's 213 for four after they won the toss.

White put on 106 with opening partner Aaron Finch (52 from 31) as the Australians came out with all guns blazing.

"It's a nice feeling to be back and it's something I've worked hard for, to get the opportunity playing for Australia since I last played," White said.

"England are a dangerous side and they bat really deep in the order, and with the short boundaries here at Bellerive the game was never really won. Ravi batted really well."

Finch hit three sixes and five fours as the pair reached a century partnership off 59 balls.

He was caught in the deep in the 11th over, while it took the most eventful over of the innings to claim White.

The over brought 18 runs off the bowling of Luke Wright and looked also to have claimed White's wicket when he skied to Danny Briggs at fine leg.

However a no-ball was called. The third umpire took several looks at the replays at Wright's full toss to confirm it was above waist height and White survived.

But White was dismissed leg before wicket before the over was completed and Australia were 134 for two.

Glenn Maxwell (20 from 13) produced an astonishing reverse sweep for six off Briggs, but the shot proved to be his downfall when he was caught at 157 for three.

Australia could not sustain their early pace until, on debut, Chris Lynn cracked three sixes in his late cameo of 37 from 19. Dan Christian was six not out.

The second game in the three-match series is in Melbourne on Friday.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Simon questions India's selection policy

WELLINGTON: Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull has questioned Indian team's selection policy in the ongoing five-match ODI series, which the visitors have already lost, and said he was surprised by the side's reluctance to change things around them.

The Men in Blue haven't won a game in the ongoing tour so far, losing three of the four ODIs (one in Napier and twice in Hamilton), while tying one match at Auckland. The visitors also lost their hard-earned number one ODI ranking.

"I am surprised by the reluctance shown by the Indian team to change things around in this series," said Doull, after India lost the fourth ODI in Hamilton by seven wickets.

"They bowled first throughout the series and then batted in a must-win game. Before that they selected two new players in the eleven and made a whole lot of changes in their batting line-up. They changed too much at one go and usually it doesn't work like that," he insisted.

"After the first two ODIs, it was clear that the New Zealand batsmen had found out a weakness in their spin bowling, particularly during the middle overs. But they still persisted with Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin. Don't get me wrong, they are both fantastic cricketers, but why not try Amit Mishra once? He is a leg spinner and could have used the bounce better, and more than anything else, it would have been a change when the series was still there to play for.

"It is just one of many things that have gone wrong for India, but they didn't react to it quickly enough," he added.

The Indian bowling has also come under heavy criticism from skipper MS Dhoni, who expressed his dissatisfaction time and again during the series, and most lately after the loss in Hamilton.

Doull felt the Indian team were trying too many things. "They are trying too many things," he said, talking about the young Indian pace contingent.

"They have played too much ODI and T20 cricket, or they have played too little. There is no experience in this bowling line-up and they are getting easily carried away. They have bowled really short throughout the series, instead of cutting off runs on atleast one side of the ground," Doull explained.

"That is how you bowl overseas and build pressure. They haven't stuck to the basics. Someone like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is otherwise a very good swing bowler, I haven't seen much swing coming from him in this series. But he has definitely bowled short and wide to the batsmen. Why are they not sticking to the basics and getting carried away so easily? Inexperience cannot be an excuse for too long," added the former Black Caps' international with 98 Test and 36 ODI wickets.

Asked if the Indian batsmen should also take some of the blame, Doull replied, "For sure. They haven't come in with a game plan against the New Zealand bowling line-up. They must have known that they would be facing a lot of short stuff from the bowlers here, yet their application has been lacking. And their main batsmen aren't in form, or willing to apply themselves. Their game plan against this bowling has been lacking and New Zealand isn't even the quickest bowling attack in the world.

"Shikhar Dhawan is out of touch and Rohit Sharma has been tied down at the starts. There are not major runs coming from lower down either. You cannot expect Virat Kohli or MS Dhoni to score runs every time. Again, they should have realised it earlier than the fourth ODI and adapted to it more quickly, but that didn't happen and that is why India have lost the series," he added.

This series was billed as preparation for the 2015 ODI World Cup to be hosted jointly by Australia and New Zealand, but the embarrassing loss has raised question marks over India's title defence, while forwarding the case for the Kiwis in a tournament that they will be playing at home.

"This series has thrown up two angles. One, New Zealand have played some good cricket and their plans with respect to stopping a very talented Indian team have worked perfectly, be it in terms of batting, bowling or fielding. They have done well against South Africa and England, and it means they are gaining momentum for next year.

"At the same time, India are struggling to find the right combination, not only for next year but also for playing overseas at the moment. They have been found wanting against short bowling, they haven't adapted to the shorter grounds with longer square boundaries where this tactic really works and they haven't made difficult choices in terms of selection. They haven't adjusted to the conditions here at all, and hence they have been very poor in this series," he said.

"The whole world cricket now knows how to beat India and that will go hard against their bowling and put their batsmen under pressure," Doull signed off.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Start using your brains: MSD to bowlers

HAMILTON: "Start using your brains more", Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni told his wayward bowlers after losing the one-day series to New Zealand on Tuesday.

Lashing out at the bowlers, who have been wayward through the series which India lost 0-3 with one match to go, Dhoni said: "When it comes to talent, we definitely have bowlers who can do well. But at the same time they will have to start using their brains more and improvise themselves.

"(Mohd.) Shami is someone who has been quite consistent, apart from this series. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been off this series but he's a good bowler. At the end of the day they need to push themselves because with rule changes it is going to be quite tough. But it hasn't been rule changes hurting us in this series, it has been bad bowling," Dhoni said.

Dhoni said that his bowlers consistently bowled short and wide right through the series and gave away too many runs.

"Frankly, our bowling was quite disappointing. This was a kind of wicket where one thing you don't want to do is to bowl short and wide. I think we consistently did that with the new ball and the older ball," Dhoni said.

"We often complain about the five fielders outside the circle, but when you bowl short and wide it doesn't matter. I think the fast bowlers gave away too many runs. Talking about spinners, they bowled well and hit the right areas," he added.

Dhoni was also critical of his top-order batsmen who made the same mistakes of losing wickets at crucial intervals.

"We committed the same mistakes when it comes to batting. We lost wickets at crucial time, which has been the case so far in this series," he said after India lost the fourth ODI by seven wickets.

"But even then we were able to get close to 280-odd runs which I thought was good enough provided we bowled well on this wicket but that was not the case," he said.

The Indian skipper said losing wickets at the wrong time put pressure on the lower-order batsmen.

"We struggled at the top. I think the last game we got some kind of start going but this time game again we struggled. Once 10 overs are gone, we lost couple of wickets," Dhoni said.

"We have to get some kind of partnership going, we did get some kind of partnership going late in the day but we lost wickets at the wrong time which means it puts pressure on the middle-order and that frustrates you because then you fail to get those extra 15-20 runs for par plus score," Dhoni said.

When asked why he chose to take off the spinners after Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin had bowled well in their initial spells, Dhoni said: "Given the way how the fast bowlers bowled in the first ten overs, I wasn't sure they would be able to keep the pressure on later.

"So I personally thought that it's important to keep the spinners especially Jadeja and use them later, when the batsmen might have to go for the big shots.

"But the way the fast bowlers bowled in the middle overs it meant that they never really had to play those big shots. That was a crucial phase, where with the open fields we shouldn't have given away too many runs. But we were giving a boundary every over and we were not able to build any pressure," he said.

India made a couple of changes to their side ahead of this must-win game, dropping both Shikhar Dhawan and Suresh Raina. Virat Kohli was asked to open the innings, while Ajinkya Rahane batted at number three. Ambati Rayudu played his first ODI since the Zimbabwe trip in mid-2013 and Stuart Binny made his India debut.

"We had to make these changes at some point. Raina was getting good starts but he was not able to convert those starts. Sometimes if you can take the individual away for a few games, he can relax and think freely about his game and that's the reason why we rested both Shikhar (Dhawan) and Suresh Raina in this game," Dhoni opined.

"We had a chat with Virat, and he was quite confident about opening. It allowed us to play Rahane at number three and Rayudu at number four, which allowed us to maintain the strength of our team.

"Rahane came in as an opener but a few months ago, along with the selectors, we decided that he is a good middle order batsman and he bats well there. We have tried him as opener earlier and it didn't work, so we should keep trying him in the middle order," added the Indian skipper.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dhoni blames pacers for ODI series loss

HAMILTON: A dejected India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Tuesday held the poor performance of his pacers responsible for the visitors' humiliating 0-3 ODI series loss against New Zealand.

Trailing 0-2, India on Tuesday lost the fourth ODI by seven wickets against New Zealand to slump to their second consecutive series defeat overseas.

"Frankly, our bowling was quite disappointing. This was a kind of wicket where one thing you don't want to do is to bowl short and wide. I think we consistently did that with the new ball and the older ball. We often complain about the five fielders outside the circle, but when you bowl short and wide it doesn't matter. I think the fast bowlers gave away too many runs. Talking about spinners, they bowled well and hit the right areas," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Chasing 279 for victory, New Zealand reached 280 for three in 48.1 overs with Ross Taylor hitting a match-winning 127-ball unbeaten 112 to take the hosts home with 11 balls to spare and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match rubber.

This was India's second consecutive series defeat on the foreign soil after the South African tour.

Dhoni said lack of partnerships did them in as they lost wickets at "wrong time".

"We struggled at the top. I think the last game we got some kind of start going but this time game again we struggled. Once 10 overs are gone, we lost couple of wickets.

"We have to get some kind of partnership going, we did get some kind of partnership going late in the day but we lost wickets at the wrong time which means it puts pressure on the middle-order and that frustrates you because then you fail to get those extra 15-20 runs for par plus score," he said.

The skipper praised the New Zealand bowlers for hitting the right areas and not allowing the Indian batsmen free their arms.

"I think they bowled well. They put pressure on our batsmen to play those big shots and at times it did not pay. In the end, we were left doing the catching up job," Dhoni said.

Dhoni asked his batsmen to take up more responsibility and do well in the fifth and final match of the series in Wellington.

"We'll take it one game at a time. We have not done well in the series especially the batsmen. Most of our batsmen have got starts but they were not able to push on. It's important that people who get start they keep on building it. But that has not been the case in the series. Most of our batsmen got starts, but they were not able to hang on to it."

After wrapping up the series 3-0 in their favour, a visibly satisfied New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum expressed happiness over his team's performance, saying: "you don't blank the No. 1 team too often".

"The conditions were tough tonight. Conditions suited India more than us and we lost the toss and gave them far too many runs in the end. We are going to enjoy this one and you don't blank the No. 1 team too often and we will look to do that," McCullum said.

McCullum praised Ross Taylor and pacer Kyle Mills for setting up the comfortable win with their fine performances.

"We knew someone had to bat well and get a big hundred and Rosco (Taylor) did that. Mills is outstanding, it was good to give someone else an opportunity on a horses for courses thing on a quicker wicket. The blueprint of the batting shouldn't change. It was great that Rosco got a match-winning hundred and we're very happy," he said.

Man-of-the-match Taylor said he was happy to deliver the match-winning knock for his team in a crunch game.

"It was nice to go out there and put that hard work in nets and throw-downs to good use. I've been known as a bottom hand player and it was good to show this side of my game too," he said.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Beating India is hell of an achievement'

HAMILTON: New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum says beating World Champions India in a one-day series was "hell of an achievement" and acknowledged crucial contributions with the bat by Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson in their "emphatic" victory.

New Zealand on Tuesday hammered India by seven wickets to take a 3-0 lead in the five-match series, with only one game left to play at Wellington on January 31.

"This is a big moment for us. We are obviously proud with what we achieved in South Africa and England in those one-day series. But this series, they were the number one ODI team in the world when they arrived here and we knew how dominant their batting line-up. To have tipped them up and be sitting after the fourth game at 3-0 is a pretty good achievement for us," McCullum said at the press conference.

The host now target to win the last match as well. "The last game is also very important and that 4-0 is what we want to strive for. But we won't let this opportunity to really enjoy what we have achieved pass us by either. I think it's a hell of an achievement what we have done tonight.

"We will worry about the next couple of days, tomorrow morning when we wake up. But we are obviously delighted at the moment and we should have another couple of guys who are fresh and ready to go in the next game as well," McCullum said.

"To beat a very, very good Indian team, especially in these conditions which I thought were more favourable to them, it was an emphatic win. We closed out the series which we have been talking about all through the summer, so we are really pleased with the effort tonight.

McCullum said the key to their win was execution of their batting plans.

"We continued the blueprint that we have shown with the bat built around Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson as seen in the last few games, and to execute that again tonight and get the rewards for it is incredibly satisfying. The boys are very, very happy at the moment," said McCullum.

Ross Taylor hit 112 runs and put on a 130-run partnership with Williamson to grind the Indian bowling and chase down the 279 target with 11 balls to spare.

"The key to winning this series has been how we have got to that power situation, in the partnerships. Kane and Ross are two senior batsmen, how they have played throughout the series has allowed us to get to that 35-over mark.

"Sometimes we have capitalised and at other times, we haven't. The cricket we have played to get to that point has been high class and credit has to go to both Ross and Kane for how well they are playing at the moment and how well they are allowing us as a batting group to set big totals when we are batting first and as we saw tonight, chase down a big total in tough conditions as well," said McCullum.

It was the first time in this series that the hosts batted second. Mahendra Singh Dhoni won a fourth consecutive toss and this time chose to bat first, instead of his usual tactic of chasing in the first three ODIs.

"Chasing is different. We discussed it leading into the last game, and we said if we do find ourselves chasing, the blueprint shouldn't really change. When we chased 360 against West Indies, we didn't quite get it right.

"And we discussed it as a batting group, how we are going to go about doing it and just try and replicate what we do batting first and that's still trying to put together partnerships, try and get to sort of that 35-over mark and have wickets in hand and obviously not too many runs to get. If we do that, then we would be pretty hard to beat in the back end of the game," said McCullum, justifying that thinking since his side emerged victorious by seven wickets.

It culminates an important limited-overs season for the Kiwis, especially since they did particularly well against South Africa and England in the past one year. Adding India to their list, they are looking ahead to the 2015 World Cup with some hope.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Shikhar's flaws could spell trouble: Azhar

NEW DELHI: Former captain Mohammed Azharuddin reckons that the Indian team's opening woes will continue to create problems during next year's cricket World Cup if Shikhar Dhawan fails to work on technical flaws that has crept into his batting.

"I had observed Shikhar's problem with short ball when he played for India in the Champions Trophy in England. There he scored runs and it was not noticed but I had an idea that this would create problems. Shikhar does not have the proper technique to play short ball. He has a flaw in his basic technique," Azharuddin said in an interview.

"Our opening partnership is of big concern. Since South Africa series, we have not got good starts. Since, we are coming to play here in World Cup, adaptability is key and opening will be major concern for India in next year's World Cup," Azhar pointed out.

Asked to elaborate on Dhawan's problems, the 50-year-old former captain explained, "Firstly, he doesn't leave the rising deliveries and has a tendency to awkwardly fend at it which is wrong".

"Secondly, he stands outside the crease which is the reason he meets the rising delivery early which is also a mistake", he said.

"The more you use the depth of the crease, it helps you play the ball late. A 145 kmph delivery's speed will reduce by a few kms if you stand inside the crease".

But having pointed out Dhawan's mistakes, he also admitted that there aren't too many openers in the horizon either.

"That's also a problem. Viru ( Virender Sehwag) hasn't scored any runs and Gautam (Gambhir) I believe also has problems with short deliveries. So what does Dhoni do? He has a genuine problem," Azhar, who is a Member of Parliament from Moradabad, said.

Azharuddin, a veteran of 99 Tests and 334 ODIs, was also not happy with the team combination in the ongoing series against New Zealand and questioned the team management's decision to keep paceman Umesh Yadav out of the side.

"Where is that boy Umesh? He is there in the squad and is a better option than Ishant Sharma. Why don't they play him? Also I believe that it was a good decision to leave (Suresh) Raina out. He has got enough chances and some of the others now need to be tried out before the World Cup.

"But I don't see consistency in this team while playing abroad. Well, you can tinker with one or at the maximum two slots but what if four to five slots become a concern. You need couple of more players to fire consistently along with Virat (Kohli) and Dhoni," the former skipper observed.

The Hyderabadi stylist was also critical of spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's flat bowling.

"I was very disappointed with today's performance. It was not an usual New Zealand track and we should have been able to defend on a track that offered turn. I was watching Jadeja get sufficient turn from the track. Ashwin should have got more purchase but he looked very flat. It looked to me that he was bowling too many straighter ones rather than bowling the off-breaks," Azharuddin concluded.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

I'm in the best frame of mind: R Ashwin

HAMILTON: He might be going through a lean patch with the ball but Ravichandran Ashwin contributed with the bat in Auckland and the Indian all-rounder said he is very comfortable with his cricket right now and is in best frame of mind ahead of the fourth ODI against New Zealand on Tuesday.

Ashwin's maiden ODI half-century, which came while batting at number seven along with Ravindra Jadeja, helped India snatch a tie at Eden Park in the third ODI to stay alive in the five-match series.

"It was a good opportunity presented to me in terms of batting higher up the order. You do not often get so many overs to bat in the current Indian line-up. They always do the job of getting the runs. I got enough overs that day and I thought to just bat the way I bat in a Test match and look for runs all the time. It helped me out in the end," said Ashwin.

"This is probably the best frame of mind I have been in," he added, negating a lack of wickets in recent times.

"I have locked away a few things. I am not reading articles or listening to what people are saying about me. It doesn't make sense. I had a tour of South Africa which was quite a learning curve for me. I have decided if I am giving my best that is all I can do. I just locked myself out.

"I spoke to (MS) Dhoni about a couple of things, to the coach and had chats with a few people I trust. I thought things were going alright. It can happen, you cannot keep taking wickets or making runs all the time. The frame of mind I was in helped me perform the way I did," Ashwin said.

Ashwin bowled Corey Anderson in that third ODI in Auckland, and that was his first wicket in 78.3 lean overs across all formats of international cricket. His last wicket prior to this had come in the Durban ODI against South Africa, wherein he had dismissed Quinton de Kock.

"I am satisfied with how I am bowling. I have sorted out what length and what kind of bowling needs to be done. There are certain ways you need to construct a spell abroad away from India. I have learnt that and put that into practice," said Ashwin when asked about his lean patch with the ball.

"You definitely tend to be targeted as a spinner away from home," Ashwin said about his role in the attack, talking about the impact of new fielding rules in ODIs.

"With the five-fielder (in the circle) rule you can only look to give a single. You cannot err on both lengths. The batsman knows if you have your sweeper up, you are not going to err on the shorter side so you are giving away some clues to the batsman in terms of what field you are setting, and you cannot be foolish enough to try and fool the batsman. They are going to look for boundaries. You have to be really smart and try and make sure you do what the team requires."

In the last couple of seasons, Ashwin has become a valuable asset with bat and ball. Despite a lean phase in terms of wickets, he has become an important member of the side especially when they are under pressure. It was amply demonstrated by the way Ashwin batted in the third one-dayer in Auckland.

Ashwin said he has put in a lot of hard work on his batting.

"I bat in both formats of the game in much the same way, taking into consideration the situation every time I go out to bat. In a Test it is different - you either walk into a tough situation or 300 for 6. It is the situation I play and it is not very different in ODIs," he said.

"It is easier to get runs in a one-day game, you do not have many men behind the bat, you have spread out fields. You can always compensate in a one-day game as you do not have five fielders outside the circle.

"I was used to batting up the order, taking my time, playing shots along the ground. But definitely over the last year or so I have put in a lot of effort I have made a few technical changes. It is coming out really well. I wasn't surprised with the way I batted in Auckland, because I was hitting a few in practice sessions as well," he explained.

Focus now shifts to the penultimate match of the series, again at Hamilton, wherein India will be keen to win their first game of the tour.

"There was a bit of rain around here for the second ODI. The ball was sticking around more than other places. By far Auckland has been the best batting wicket, along with Napier. Hamilton was a little bit slow, but we do not expect it to be slow this time," Ashwin said, of his team's expectations for the upcoming ODI.

"We have just not been at the best of our games, yet they have all been very close. In Hamilton we were struggling, we were up against it, the D/L method did not help us but we still managed to pull off a game that was quite close.

"We have been fighting hard till the end and things have not gone our way. That is the best point we can take forward from this in terms of saying we have not struck our best game yet," he signed off.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Modi a clear winner in RCA polls: BCCI

NEW DELHI: Even before the Supreme Court could open Rajasthan Cricket Association election results, BCCI said Lalit Modi was a clear winner.

BCCI said Modi had won 26 of 33 votes but prevailed with the SC with loud protesting arguments not to officially open the results.

BCCI added that Modi could not have contested as he is already facing life ban for allegedly swindling 80 million dollars from IPL.

The apex court was all set to open the sealed cover to declare the results but deferred it to March 4 given the vociferous protests about Modi's eligibility to contest RCA elections.

BCCI said if Modi, facing life ban, gets elected to RCA management then the board would have no option but to suspend RCA association.

BCCI said if RCA gets suspended then the two players from Rajasthan in Indian team would immediately be taken out of the team.

BCCI president N Srinivasan and Modi traded personal charges during the SC hearing.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Modi happy after BCCI concedes his win

LONDON: Former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi on Monday expressed happiness after the BCCI conceded his victory in the Rajasthan Cricket Association presidential election but lamented the further delay in the official announcement of the result.

The BCCI on Monday told the Supreme Court that Modi will emerge as a clear winner in RCA polls but successfully opposed opening of a sealed envelope containing its results at a hearing before the apex court in New Delhi.

"I am surprised that BCCI seemed to know the result before anyone else and before the court even pronounced it. But extremely happy that they think I have won," Modi said on Monday.

The BCCI had urged the apex court to hear it before opening the envelope and declaring the result. The Court has now set March 4 as the next date of hearing on the issue.

"I am disappointed that yet again we have to wait for the results to be opened due to BCCI wanting more time to explain their stand on how they should be allowed to interfere with the democratic process. So I guess I will have to wait," Modi added.

The BCCI has been firmly opposing Modi's return to Indian cricket administration, with lawyers claiming that Rajasthan faces expulsion from the Board if Modi becomes RCA president.

Modi had contested for the president's post in the RCA election held in Jaipur on December 19 and was widely expected to win.

The BCCI in September 2013 had imposed a life ban n the UK-based businessman for alleged irregularities when he headed the IPL from 2008 to 2010.

However, Modi was allowed to contest the elections on the basis of Rajasthan Sports Act, which does not recognise the BCCI ban.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

'We've just not been at best of our game'

HAMILTON: Off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin admitted that India have been below par in the ODIs against New Zealand and they want to avoid another series defeat when they face the Black Caps in the fourth ODI on Tuesday.

India trailed 0-2, and thanks to heroics from Ashwin, who struck 65 off 46 balls, and Ravindra Jadeja's unbeaten 66 off 45 balls, the third match in Auckland ended in a thrilling tie.

"We've just not been at the best of our game. That's the best point we can take forward, in terms of saying, we've not really played our best game yet. The standards that we've set for ourselves have been quite high, in terms of what we've achieved over the last year or so," said Ashwin.

Ashwin said the tied match at the Eden Park in Auckland was disappointing.

"We were quite disappointed that we didn't shut the game down. We would have loved to win the series, but we kept it open and we can tie it down now," he said.

The 27-year-old said even in the rain-marred second ODI here India came close to winning but were done in by the rain.

"Even in Hamilton (in the game-two loss), we were struggling, we were up against it. The Duckworth-Lewis (rain adjustment system) didn't quite help... but we still managed to pull off a game that was quite close," said Ashwin.

"There was a bit of rain around here when we were playing, so the ball was sticking on to the wicket a little bit more than at other places," he said.

The off-spinner said the team was trying hard to come back to winning ways but things are not really going their way.

"We've been fighting hard to the end and while things haven't gone our way we just hope for the turnaround," he said.

Ashwin hoped the pitch here won't be as slow since the second ODI.

"Auckland's been the best batting wicket alongside Napier. Hamilton was a bit slow, but we don't expect it to be slow this time," he said.

Asked about his batting prowess, Ashwin said: "I have been working pretty hard on it - it is not something that came naturally to me. As more of a batsman at the top of the order, I used to take my time, used to accumulate runs, play shots along the ground."

Ashwin, who has two Test centuries, said he has worked hard on his batting and the results are for all to see.

"But definitely over the last year or so I've put in a lot of effort and I've made a few technical changes when I'm looking to hit, and it's coming out really well," he said.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

England restrict Australia to 217 for 9

ADELAIDE: A resurgent England restricted Australia to 217/9 with a tight bowling display in the final one-day international at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

Scorecard

The batsmen found little to celebrate on Australia Day and failed to hit a single six as England kept a stranglehold on the runs.

Pacer Stuart Broad led the charge, snaring three key wickets for 31 runs off his 10 overs including two maidens.

Broad swung the ball both ways in a master class display to help compensate for some slapdash early England fielding.

He knocked over Aaron Finch in the fourth over for just seven with a good-length ball after the opener had twice been dropped.

Alistair Cook put Finch down in the slips off Chris Jordan in the second over. Then Ravi Bopara failed to hang on to another easy chance in the covers in Broad's third over.

In the sixth, Broad had Shane Watson caught behind for a duck flashing at a wide ball.

Tim Bresnan picked up the prize wicket of returning captain Michael Clarke and at three down for 43 Australia were in trouble.

Clarke hit across a full-length ball and chopped it on to his off-stump for eight runs.

Shaun Marsh looked to be solid, building 36 patient runs before spooning all-rounder Ben Stokes to a diving Cook at point in the 20th over.

Boundaries proved hard to come by. George Bailey top-scored for Australia with 56 off 74 balls until he flicked Stokes to Broad.

Glenn Maxwell made 22 off 35 deliveries before Stokes had him caught behind.

Stokes picked up three wickets for 43 while Chris Jordan snared two on a slow, drop-in pitch.

The visitors, who have already lost the five-game series but secured their first tour win in the previous one-dayer in Perth on Friday, controlled the game and picked up regular wickets to keep the run rate down to 4.3.

Wicket-keeper Matthew Wade contributed 31 until Broad bowled him around his legs, leaving Australia seven wickets down for 176.

The tail failed to wag. Big-hitter James Faulkner made 27 off 27 balls but was caught by Eoin Morgan off Jordan while trying to force the pace.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

We don't ask for green wickets: Hesson

AUCKLAND: New Zealand coach Mike Hesson's preference for green wickets for the two-match Test series against India beginning February 6 was apparent though he said the home team management did not give any instructions to prepare fast bowler-friendly pitches.

"Eden Park does not look that green. Drop-in pitches are never green as it is and they always do something on their own. We don't give orders as such but we are pretty clear about what sort of pitches we want. But there is also a certain risk involved in that as well considering how good the Indian seamers are," said Hesson.

Hesson was, however, pleased that India-born Ish Sodhi was named in the New Zealand squad to play against India in the two-match Test series. 21-year-old leg-spinner Sodhi, who has played in five Tests, will be looking to impress against the Indians, in the absence of Daniel Vettori.

"Ish has been doing well and he has bowled consistently. He is the best spinner in the country at the moment and he is only 21 years old. So that is a bonus," Hesson said.

Even so, Sodhi might not even get to play since Hesson himself had asked for green tracks to welcome the Indians in the build-up to this series.

"Look, green wickets won't stay green for five days. The seamers need to do their job in first two or three days. The pitches have to be very green for us to not play a spinner."

Hesson feels that the thrilling tie in the third ODI against India was a fair result though he was a bit disappointed that his side did not win it.

"In the end a tie was the fair result, even though I am a little bit disappointed with it," Hesson said.

"It was a heck of a game of cricket. Whenever there is a tie or a close finish, there are always a number of turning points. Things could have changed easily, with a run-out or a catch or a good or bad decision with the bat," he said.

"Ashwin and (Ravindra) Jadeja fought superbly and we nearly hung in there."

New Zealand put up a huge 314 on the board but Ravindra Jadeja (unbeaten 66) stole a tied result for India with his heroic batting along with R Ashwin (65).

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Aus beat Eng in fifth ODI, win series 4-1

ADELAIDE: Australia pulled off a stunning five-run victory over England in the fifth and final ODI at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

Scorecard

Australia made 217-9 in its 50 overs after choosing to bat on a sluggish pitch at the Adelaide Oval and England lost its last wicket at 212 with three balls remaining in a match marking the Australia Day national holiday.

England seemed to be coasting to victory when Joe Root made 55 and Eion Morgan 39 in a 64-run partnership for the foruth wicket that had it 154-4 in the 36th over. But it lost vital wickets quickly in a chaotic run chase and Bopara was left as its last specialist batsman and its last hope of ending the series with a win.

Bopara saw a succession of partners come and go as England stumbled towards a winning total and did everything in his power to marshal the resources of the England tail.

He was on 25 and seemed in command of an anxious situation when McKay, bowling at pace to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, who was skillfully and courageously standing up to the stumps, beat his outside off. The ball struck Wade's gloves, dislodged and fell forward onto the stumps just as Bopara lifted his back foot an inch above the ground.

Australia appealed, more in hope than confidence, and the television umpire studied a long series of slow motion replays before deciding that Bopara's foot had come up just as the bail had been removed. He was out and with him went England's last chance of victory.

His departure left England's last pair at the crease, needing nine runs with eight balls remaining. Chris Jordan and James Tredwell reached the last over with eight runs still required and reduced the target with a single and a leg bye before Tredwell was caught by Wade off Shane Watson to end the innings.

McKay finished with 3-36, including the wickets of Bopara, Ben Stokes (0) and Stuart Broad (7). Nathan Coulter-Nile took 3-34 and James Faulkner 2-37 in an outstanding Australian bowling performance.

"After we got the last wicket, that's when I thought we had it won," Australia captain Michael Clarke said. "A magnificent performance by the boys with the ball today.

"I thought our batting was disappointing but I guess we had to have that belief we could still win the game. The execution through the powerplay and at the end ... the boys did an outstanding job.

"For me it was about trying to find a way to take 10 wickets and the bowlers executed well. They deserve a lot of credit."

Scoring runs on a holding Adelaide Oval surface required patience and perseverance that only a handful of batsman showed. George Bailey top-scored with 56 and Shaun Marsh made 36 in the Australian innings while Alastair Cook gave England a sound start with a careful 39.

England's run chase still seemed relatively undemanding but the only point at which they seemed in command was when Root and Morgan were together.

What might have been a relatively comfortable conclusion to the match from England's point of view became increasingly stressful, then hopeless as Morgan, Root and wicketkeeper Jos Buttler all threw away their wickets.

All three fell to catches while trying to accelerate the scoring and while ignoring ample evidence that forced shots on a slow pitch were immensely dangerous. After hitting three fours and a six, Morgan drove a ball from Faulkner to Shane Watson at mid-off; Root seemed prepared to stay until then end but then played a blind, ramping shot and was caught by Xavier Doherty off Faulkner and Buttler pulled a ball from Coulter-Nile directly to McKay on the square leg boundary.

Bopara and Tim Bresnan (13) nudged England a little close to victory before Bresnan was wastefully run out with 24 runs still needed. Broad was then bowled by McKay for 7, becoming the eighth man out with 14 runs required from 18 balls.

"We should have got over the line there," Cook said. "We got ourselves into some good positions. Credit to Australia, at the end they held their nerve better than we did but we didn't help ourselves. There were some poor shots played under pressure.

"We did some very good things to get into a winning position and there were two other games in the series we could have won. Instead it's 4-1."

Earlier, Broad and Stokes shared six wickets as England restricted Australia to 217-9 in 50 overs.

Broad bowled opener Aaron Finch (7) and Wade (31) and dismissed allrounder Watson for a duck to finish with 3-31 from 10 overs. Stokes removed March, Bailey for the innings' top score of 56 and Glenn Maxwell for 22, severely denting Australia's batting effort and finishing with 3-43.

Bresnan bowled returning captain Clarke for 8 and Jordan claimed the late wickets of Faulkner for 27 and Coulter-Nile with consecutive deliveries in the last over but was denied a hat-trick by Doherty.

Bailey's 56, which included a half century from 60 balls, gave stability to a flimsy Australian innings. He put on 58 for the fifth wicket with Maxwell in the innings' most productive partnership, helping Australia recover from 64-4. Bailey and Wade then put on 55 for the sixth wicket, lifting Australia to 167-6 in the 40th over but sound late bowling helped England regain the upper hand. After Bailey was out, Australia lost four wicket for 48 runs.

Faulkner was later named man of the match for his outstanding bowling at the death and opener Finch was named man of the series.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

India fall to No. 2 in ODI rankings

DUBAI: India once again slipped to number two position in the latest ICC rankings and now need to win the final two one-dayers against New Zealand to reclaim the top spot from the current table-toppers Australia, who acquired the position today after beating England 4-1 in five-game series.

India, initially, lost the number one ranking to Australia after going down 0-2 against New Zealand, but England's win in the fourth ODI on Friday had put the Indians back on top.

But Australia today registered a five-wicket win in the fifth and final ODI at Adelaide to take the series as well as the number one position in the ODI rankings table.

India, who are trailing 0-2, need to win remaining two games against New Zealand to climb up the ladder again. The third ODI between India and New Zealand had ended in a tie yesterday.

Australia started the series in second place with 114 ratings points, while England (111) were in third place.

At the conclusion of the series, Australia have earned three ratings points to finish atop the table with 117 ratings points, on par with India, but when ratings was calculated beyond the decimal point, Michael Clarke's men were ranked ahead of Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side.

England, on the other hand, have dropped two ratings points to finish on 109 in fourth place, one behind South Africa.

If India win both the matches it will go to the top with a gain of one ratings point to end at 118, one ahead of Australia.

But if it lose even one of the two matches, India will stay in second place with a loss of one ratings point at 116, one behind Australia. Loss in both the matches will mean India drop two ratings points to finish on 115 in second place, two behind Australia.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ravi Ashwin falls after fighting knock

NEW DELHI: Ravindra Jadeja hit a 45-ball 66 as India pulled off an incredible tie in the third one-day international against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday to keep the series alive.

Scorecard

Corey Anderson took five wickets but his effort was overshadowed by Jadeja who smashed 4 sixes and 5 fours in his knock.

India needed 18 runs off the last over that was bowled by Anderson and Jadeja smashed the first ball of the over for four. Anderson then bowled a wide and then did not concede any run on the next two balls and then bowled another wide.

Jadeja then smashed a four and a six on the next two deliveries but was able to score only one run off the last ball to tie the match.

Ravichandran Ashwin hit a 46-ball 65 before Martin Guptill's brilliant presence of mind resulted in his dismissal.

Ashwin hit a Nathan McCullum delivery to deep mid-wicket where Guptill took the catch but just when his momentum was about to take him over the boundary, he tossed the ball back in, took a step over the boundary and then came back in to complete the catch.

Ashwin's knock was studded with a six and eight fours.

Ashwin hit his maiden ODI fifty off just 35 balls to give India some hope of victory.

Indian captain MS Dhoni hit his 53rd ODI fifty before Corey Anderson had him caught by Tim Southee.

India lost their fifth wicket when Tim Southee had Suresh Raina caught behind by Luke Ronchi.

Raina (31) went for a miscued pull shot to a shorter delivery wide outside off but ended up under edging it to the keeper.

Corey Anderson took his third wicket when he had Ajinkya Rahane caught behind by Ronchi.

Anderson hurled a length ball down the leg side and Rahane (3) tried to tickle it down to fine leg but it took a faint edge and went into Ronchi's gloves.

Hamish Bennett gave New Zealand a massive breakthrough when he had Virat Kohli caught behind by Ronchi.

Kohli (6) tried to drive it off his front foot but missed and got a faint edge that was safely pouched by the keeper.

Corey Anderson took his second wicket when he had Rohit Sharma caught by Hamish Bennett at third man.

Sharma hit four sixes and a four in his 38-ball 39 before falling to Anderson.

Martin Guptill took a good diving catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss Shikhar Dhawan off Anderson.

Dhawan hit a six and four fours in his 25-ball 28 before falling to Anderson.

Chasing a 315-run victory target, openers Rohit Sharma and Dhawan brought up the Indian fifty in 7.4 overs.

Sharma brought up the Indian fifty with an elegant six over long-on off Hamish Bennett.

Earlier, Martin Guptill's magnificent century, Kane Williamson's 74-ball 65 and Luke Ronchi's 20-ball 38 powered New Zealand to 314.

The wicket is flat, outfield fast and dimension of the ground very short. India too have a batting line-up which is capable enough to overhaul this target. All they need is a good start and some consistent batting from their main batsmen.

India clawed their way back towards the end with some tight bowling and apart from stopping the runs they took wickets as well. The comeback from them was so brilliant that at one stage it seemed that New Zealand will not even touch the 300-run mark.

But then Ronchi and Tim Southee emerged on the scene and courtesy their onslaught, the Kiwis finished with a very competitive total.

Southee, who hit three sixes and a four in his 23-ball 27, took New Zealand over the 300-run mark in the penultimate over before getting run out on the last ball of the innings.

Southee's knock came after New Zealand looked in danger of getting bowled out in less than 50 overs as they lost three wickets in two overs.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum fell for a duck as he was caught by Ravichandran Ashwin off Varun Aaron.

Rahane then ran out Ross Taylor with a direct hit from mid-off to place New Zealand at 270/6.

Nathan McCullum was also run out in the 44th over and in the next over Ajinkya Rahane took a good catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss Luke Ronchi off Ravindra Jadeja. Ronchi smashed three sixes and three fours in his 20-ball 38.

Mohammed Shami then had Mitchell McClenaghan caught by Ravindra Jadeja at square leg to reduce New Zealand to 288/9.

Rahane took a good catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss centurion Martin Guptill off Jadeja.

Guptill hit 2 sixes and 12 fours in his 129-ball 111 before falling to Jadeja.

Guptill's fifth ODI ton, his first against India came off 123 balls as New Zealand crossed the 200-run mark in the 34th over.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum then fell for a duck as he was caught by Ravichandran Ashwin off Varun Aaron.

Shami and Ashwin dismissed Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson respectively in successive overs.

Williamson hit a six and 4 fours in his 74-ball 65 before he was clean biowled by Shami.

Anderson hit one six in his 5-ball 8 before he was castled by Ashwin.

Martin Guptill and Williamson hit half-centuries to build a solid platform for a formidable total.

The partnership between Guptill and Williamson came after Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck in the fifth over to give India an early breakthrough.

Bhuvneshwar clean bowled Jesse Ryder (20) to reduce New Zealand to 36/1 in 4.2 overs, after the hosts started their innings aggressively. Ryder slammed four boundaries in his 12-ball short stay at the crease.

Earlier, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and decided to field against the hosts.

India made one change from the playing eleven of the second ODI with Varun Aaron replacing out-of-form pacer Ishant Sharma.

New Zealand also made one change with pacer Hamish Bennett coming in for Kyle Mills.

Dhoni's men lost the first ODI at Napier by 24 runs and then went down in the second one-dayer by 15 runs (D/L method) at Hamilton.

Teams:

India: MS Dhoni (Capt.), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Varun Aaron.

New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (Capt.), Corey Anderson, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Hamish Bennett, Luke Ronchi.

21.25 | 0 komentar | Read More

MS Dhoni rues India's missed chances

AUCKLAND: Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Saturday rued that his side did not grab the chances that came their way in the tied third cricket one-dayer against New Zealand here but said he was happy that the visitors can at least draw the five-match series.

"I think we batted well. But if we are to pick situations where we could have closed the game quite comprehensively, those were the situations we did not grab. It is a bit disappointing, but overall a good result as it keeps us alive in the series," he said after the third ODI ended in a tie to leave New Zealand 2-0 up in the series.

"It would have been better had we won today and thought of wining the series. But overall, I am happy we tied the game today to keep ourselves alive. Even if we can't win the series, we can go for the draw," Dhoni added.

Chasing 315 for a win, India ended at 314 for nine with Ravindra Jadeja (66 not out) very nearly pulling off a sensational victory though he failed to take the visitors home in the end. India will now have to win the remaining two matches in Hamilton (Jan 28) and Wellington (Jan 31).

Dhoni said the run chase could have been easier had India restricted New Zealand less than the 314 they scored.

"I think the straight boundaries were quite short, and overall 300 would have been fantastic. We had a chance to restrict them but we couldn't quite do it," he said.

"The bowlers who bowled quick, their strengths are all about going full and going for yorkers. And, when it does not happen that way, then you got hit," he said, talking about his bowlers' performance.

He patted Jadeja and R Ashwin (65), who shared 85 runs for the seventh wicket to raise India's hopes of a stunning win, for their gutsy efforts.

"I had faith in them (Ashwin and Jadeja), but my problems started when Jadeja told Bhuvi what he needs to do.

"Ashwin should have batted till the end, but this is also the first time he was put into a position like this. I definitely feel that he's someone who can definitely bat like a batsman. He has improved his power hitting as well, which he has been working on."

Man-of-the-Match Ravindra Jadeja was happy that he had contributed for the team's cause.

"I feel very happy because I have done something for the team. I just wanted to play till the last ball, but unfortunately we didn't cross the line, but we have learned a lot from this game. I think we bowled well, but the straight boundaries are very short," he said.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum patted India for their fighting spirit.

"I thought it was a brilliant game of cricket. India showed why they are one of the powerhouses of India cricket. We thought we had a powerful score, but I guess that wasn't the case," McCullum said.

"They did well to get as close as they did. But credit to India for standing up and not lying down at any stage and keep us on our toes," he added.

McCullum also felt that his side could have won the match had they grabbed the chances that came their way.

"We had a few opportunities at the end which we didn't take, which does hurt. We don't tell the batters anything. We just trust they know their games and if they play well then they can definitely get us in a position," said the New Zealand captain.

"We didn't' utilize the position well initially when we lost a few too many wickets at one stretch. I thought our guys bowled pretty well. We missed a few times, but that is the nature of ODIs, and it hurt when it did. There was a bit of sloppiness in there, but it is hard to fault what was a brilliant game of cricket."

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jadeja helps India tie 3rd ODI against NZ

AUCKLAND: Ravindra Jadeja very nearly pulled off a sensational victory with some lusty hits but could not take India home in the last over as the third one-dayer against New Zealand ended in a nail-biting tie to keep the visitors afloat in the five-match series on Saturday.

Scorecard | Match in Pics

Chasing New Zealand's stiff target of 315 largely built around opener Martin Guptill's 111, India came back from the dead to tie the game, riding on R Ashwin's 65 and Jadeja's 45-ball unbeaten 66 to save themselves the blushes of another overseas ODI series defeat.

In the thrilling dying moments of the game, India needed 18 off Corey Anderson's last over for a victory but Jadeja and last man Varun Aaron could get 17 to tie the game on a good batting track at the Eden Park.

The visitors needed just two runs off the last ball but Jadeja could manage just a single. Though India could not win the match, they can still draw the five-match series by winning the remaining two matches in Hamilton (Jan 28) and Wellington (Jan 31).

The tie also ensured that India remained in the number one position in the ICC ODI rankings, having regained it on Friday following Australia's defeat to England in the fourth one-dayer.

Put into bat for the third time in a row, New Zealand piled up 314 with Guptill scoring his fifth ODI century and useful contributions from Kane Williamson (65) and Luke Ronchi (38). The score could have been much bigger had there not been not a minor collapse towards the end of the innings which pegged the Kiwis back to some extent.

The Indians got off to a fairly good start but Shikhar Dhawan (28) and Rohit Sharma (39) again squandered the start to let the team down badly.

The quick dismissals of the in-form Virat Kohli (6) and Ajinkya Rahane (3) served as a huge jolt for the visitors who suddenly slumped to 79 for four from 64 for no loss.

Captain Dhoni (50) and Suresh Raina (31) stitched 67 runs for the fifth wicket to keep India in the hunt. Ravichandran Ashwin and Jadeja than put on 85 runs for the seventh wicket to raise hopes of a stunning victory.

Corey Anderson was the pick of the Kiwis bowlers with five for 63 though he appeared a trifle shaky in the tense last over.

During the Indian innings, Anderson tied down the two openers with a clever mix of deliveries and it resulted in a wicket.

Dhawan made 28 runs (off 25 balls) and was the first to go, pulling one straight to deep mid-wicket where Guptill took a fine, low catch. Only eight runs were scored when Rohit too was dismissed. The batsman, having scored 39 runs off 38 balls, with one four and four sixes, threw away his rousing start as he tried to play one over extra-cover only to edge it to third-man.

It put the focus once again on Kohli but the number three batsman had an off-day for once, looking edgy in his 20-ball stay at the wicket. He found it tough to handle Hamish Bennett and was caught behind in the 15th over to put an early douser on Indian hopes.

Three overs later, Rahane too gave away a faint edge down the leg-side as Anderson picked up his 3rd wicket of the spell, routing India's chase in this must-win encounter.

It brought skipper MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina together, and the two put on 67 runs for the fifth wicket. Their runs came in good time, off only 60 balls, but the asking run-rate was already over seven-per-over when the 20th over of the Indian innings ended. As a result, the pair tried to break through the shackles and up the scoring ante, hitting a couple sixes.

But this bid made Raina a little circumspect as he tried to play uncharacteristic strokes once again, falling to a loose shot outside the off-stump, playing half-a-pull-shot.

He scored 31 runs off 39 balls, with three fours, a case of an Indian batsman once again throwing away his start. More importantly he left his skipper in the lurch, who still batted solidly to score his 53rd ODI half-century. He scored exactly 50 runs, off 60 balls, hitting two fours and three sixes, and putting on 38 important runs for the sixth wicket.

It was a platform from which Ashwin's pairing with Ravindra Jadeja exploded.

The duo put on 85 runs in just 55 balls, at a striking rate of 9 runs per over as they looked to do the impossible.

The two batsmen backed each other perfectly, alternating the roles of aggressor and defender. Ashwin scored his maiden ODI fifty in the 41st over as the second power play resulted in 54 runs for the loss of one wicket.

With 54 runs needed off the last six overs, Ashwin was dismissed in the 45th over, as Guptill pulled off another smart catch and avoided a six, hopping over the boundary rope.

It nearly ended any hopes of a successful chase on the night, but Jadeja ploughed on. He enjoyed very less support from Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4) and Mohammad Shami (2), but Varun Aaron (2 not out) stuck around long enough for Jadeja to strike a few lusty blows and take the match into the last over.

Earlier, riding on opener Martin Guptill's hundred, New Zealand were bowled out for 314 as Guptill scored 111 runs (129 balls, 12 fours, two sixes) and put on 153 runs for the second wicket with Kane Williamson (65).

Guptill and Jesse Ryder (20) made another quick start, as 32 runs came off the first four overs. But the latter again failed to get going after an initial burst, bowled this time by Kumar in the 5th over.

It brought Williamson to the crease, who didn't let up in his golden run of form, putting up 50 runs with Guptill and Williamson in the 18th over of the innings, off only 79 balls.

India had conceded 15 additional runs in the first ten overs itself and finished with 21 extras for the whole innings.

The Black Caps crossed the 100-run mark three overs later, while Guptill brought on his half-century in the 25th over. He used up 80 balls and hit five fours, but looked to press on and increased his pace of scoring, bringing up his 100-run partnership for the second wicket with Williamson came up in the next over.

Williamson too scored his half-century off only 61 balls, with two fours and one six.

They put on 153 runs in 28.3 overs, passing 138 runs by Nathan Astle and Stephen Fleming (in 2001) at Colombo. Williamson again squandered the chance to get a hundred, bowled by Shami in the 33rd over, making 65 runs off 74 balls, with four fours and one six.

Corey Anderson walked out to bat at number four, ahead of Ross Taylor, in a bid to make use of the small ground and push the score in the range of 350.

But Ashwin bowled him for just 8 runs (5 balls, one six), his first wicket in international cricket since the Durban ODI, after 78.3 overs without one in both ODIs and Tests combined.

The batting power play was taken in the 35th over of the innings as Guptill went on to complete his fifth ODI hundred next over

He looked to push the scoring rate further and was out caught on the boundary by Ajinkya Rahane off Jadeja. The fielder was in action again running out Ross Taylor and then catching Luke Ronchi (38) again off Jadeja, just as the keeper-batsman was starting to look dangerous.

In between, skipper Brendon McCullum played a loose shot and was caught by Ashwin off Aaron, out again for a duck, as the Kiwis lost six wickets for 90 runs.

It meant that the death overs were a different experience for the Indian attack this time around, conceding only 81 runs in the last ten overs. Only 33 runs had come off the second power play with two wickets lost therein, and it had set up this good finish for the Indians.

Nathan McCullum (1) and Mitchell McClenaghan (3) didn't contribute much, but Tim Southee (27) hit a few lusty blows to take the score past the 300-run mark in the penultimate over. He was run-out off the last ball of the innings, even as Hamish Bennet was unbeaten on three runs.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

MS Dhoni praises Jadeja's knock

AUCKLAND: India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni feels that Ravindra Jadeja's 45-ball unbeaten 66 in the tied one-dayer against New Zealand will help the left-hander to develop into a more mature batsman.

"We are hoping that he (Jadeja) develops further as a batsman. The kind of talent that he has, we have seen him score plenty of runs in domestic the circuit. He just needs to get his thinking right and this innings should really help him do that," Dhoni said at the post-match media interaction here today.

He also praised Jadeja's controlled left-arm spin bowling on these unresponsive New Zealand tracks, stating, "He has been quite consistent as a bowler for us. Wickets haven't turned here at all, but usually left-arm spinners are able to get turn wherever they bowl".

For Dhoni, the positive aspect is the expsoure of such a big run-chases in alien conditions.

"This game is good exposure for the two (Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin) of them. There aren't many times that they have been in a situation like this. So this should help them grow as batsmen, especially Ashwin who has been working hard on his batting and he has a lot more to offer in batting department," he added.

The skipper was happy that the visitors have a chance to now draw level even if they can't win the series.

"The big thing for us was to stay alive in this series. This game could have gone either way at the point where we lost five wickets for 140-odd runs. It seemed we needed to work hard and hard work and application to win from there. Jadeja and Ashwin batted really well to take us where we are now and keep us alive in the series," said Dhoni.

Dhoni also gave a very complex explanation of why he opted to field first in all three games which in a roundabout manner showed his lack of confidence in his bowlers.

"If we ask the batsmen to bat first and give the bowlers a total, in a way then we are taking some pressure off them But the other way is that we might ask the batsmen to give 325-340 runs to bowlers every time they bat, irrespective of wherever they are playing. The short grounds are something we have to keep in mind," said Dhoni.

At one point of time, India looked dead and buried in this series as their top-order again faced familiar collapse with the openers throwing their wickets away once again after getting good starts. Especially Rohit Sharma, who played a loose shot and Virat Kohli, who had a rare failure. Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina were also off-colour today.

"In the middle overs, we haven't got the partnerships that's really needed. With the kind of rule changes, we have in ODIs now, if you have wickets, you have an edge especially from the 35th over onwards. We are losing quite a few wickets in middle overs, which means we have to restart building the innings and we lose 25-30 runs," Dhoni said, elaborating on the problems plaguing the team.

"My responsibility as a batsman is to stay till the end and so far in this series, I have not been able to do that. If I get out close to the 40-43rd over, it puts pressure on batsmen after me," Dhoni said, sharing the blame in the regular batting failures.

The Indian captain felt that tie was a good result. "There were instances yet again where we could have packed up the game in our favour, because we would have loved to win the game here. But there was some good cricket and bad cricket by both teams and a tie is a fair result," said Dhoni.

"Hopefully, we can do that in the coming two matches in the series. Those two games will be very important for us," he added.

Dhoni was forthright in admitting that the performance of his bowlers was not upto the mark despite Ishant Sharma making the way for Jharkhand quick Varun Aaron.

"I will be very practical about our bowling performance. I don't think, it was a good performance," said the Indian skipper.

"About Aaron, well, he needs to play a few more games and find consistency in his line and length. Also, if he is bowling at 140-145 km/hr, he needs to bowl two bouncers every over, irrespective of where he is playing. This is something we want our bowlers to understand.

"More than pace, the height of the bouncer is very important. So far in this series, we have used bouncers more than often and got some success as well," Dhoni signed off.

The skipper admitted that although they have some big hitters in their ranks, they haven't fired.

"We have got power hitters in our batting, but we haven't fired. We haven't availed the last 10 overs, yet we are very close to opposition targets. Hopefully, in this series we will able to use those overs and get those extra runs in the remaining matches of this series.

"There is a certain brand of cricket we are known to play. That was missing in the last few games. So it was very important to express ourselves and the openers did that, so did the lower-order. Overall, I like the approach we showed in this game," he added.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

India back as No 1 after Australia loss

DUBAI: India today regained their No 1 ranking in the ICC ODI list after Australia lost their fourth one day international against England by 57 runs thereby dropping to the second place in the 13-team table.

As per the latest ICC table, India are back on top with 117 points while Australia are second with 116 points.

India lost their No 1 spot in the ODI ranking on Wednesday when they lost to New Zealand in the second one dayer at Hamilton by 15 runs courtesy Duckworth-Lewis method.

India were on 119 points before the second ODI against New Zealand while Australia were on 118 points. The defeat against New Zealand saw India losing a couple of points and slipped behind Australia at 117 points.

However the Aussies were defeated by England who won their first international game of the three-month long tour due to which Australia lost two points and came down to 116.

But in order to maintain their top rank, India must win tomorrow's third ODI against the Black Caps at Auckland -- failing which they will again lose their top rank.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Raina injures elbow ahead of third ODI

AUCKLAND: Indian batsman Suresh Raina was on Friday rendered a doubtful starter for the must-win third one-dayer against New Zealand on Saturday after injuring his elbow during a practice session.

"Raina was hit on the left elbow while batting in the nets today. He was taken for a precautionary x-ray and he is fine. He has a soft tissue damage and we will asses his fitness tomorrow before the game," Indian team manager Dr RN Baba said.

India trail the five-match series 0-2 after defeats in Napier and Hamilton.

Raina's form has been a concern on the tour as he has so far scored 18 and 35 in the previous two matches.

India have to win on Saturday to remain alive in the series, which would be followed by two Tests next month.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

4th ODI: England finally beat Australia

PERTH: It took them almost three months, but England finally notched their first win of their horrific Australian tour in the fourth one-day international against Australia at the WACA Ground on Friday.

Scorecard

After eight successive losses to the home nation in both Tests and one-dayers, the tourists finally had something to celebrate with a 57-run win over Australia, which already held an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match ODI series.

Up against an understrength Australian side led by George Bailey rather than Michael Clarke, who was rested along with Brad Haddin and David Warner, England made 316 for eight after being sent in to bat on a great batting wicket.

In reply Australia made 259 from 47.4 overs. Even in victory there was late agony for the English, with two chances going begging in the 10th-wicket stand and they also failed to refer a catch behind that Hot Spot revealed had caught the outside edge.

England could largely thank the all-round efforts of man-of-the-match Ben Stokes, who made 70 with the bat and claimed four wickets for 39, and wicketkeeper Jos Buttler, who thrashed 71 runs and then claimed five catches.

And despite a century by Australian opener Aaron Finch the home side was always struggling in the run chase.

Any realistic hope of an Australian win evaporated when Finch holed out to Stuart Broad at third man from the bowling of Tim Bresnan (3-45) for 108, from 111 balls.

That left Australia at 189 for five in the 36th over and there was no last-gasp miracle from James Faulkner this time.

For one of the few times on their tour, luck ran with the English and they were aided by some uncharacteristically poor fielding by the home side.

They even got a crucial decision review right to remove Bailey cheaply in the Australian innings.

Stokes delivered a polished 70 off 84 balls, while opener Ian Bell chimed in with 55 from 52 deliveries.

Both were dropped during their innings, while captain Alastair Cook made a crisp 44 from 43 balls at the top order, only to fall when a much-needed big score seemed likely for the embattled skipper.

Buttler produced some scintillating batting at the end of the innings, hitting four sixes as he made 71 from just 43 balls.

For just about the first time on the tour, the English got on top of paceman Mitchell Johnson, who went wicketless and conceded 72 runs from his 10 overs, although he was on the wrong end of two dropped catches.

The tourists rode their luck as the home team couldn't maintain their previous efficiency in the field.

Having taken virtually every chance offered the English all summer, the Australians grassed two chances and also squandered a couple of other opportunities.

At one stage, they missed three catches in two overs, with Shaun Marsh putting down two at first slip in one Johnson over.

Marsh, celebrating his recall to the national Test squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, dropped Bell on 52 and Stokes on 29.

Australia were also guilty of wayward bowling, conceding 16 wides. Cook had been quoted as saying he was reconsidering his role as captain leading up to the match, but at the coin toss vowed to do all he could to hang onto the position.

The left-hander finally looked back in form during his knock, hitting three successive boundaries off Nathan Coulter-Nile and playing some sparkling shots either side of the wicket.

However, he was clean bowled by spinner Glenn Maxwell to continue his frustrating tour with the bat.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

BCCI exploring possibility of playing Pak

NEW DELHI: The BCCI is exploring the possibility of playing a cricket series against traditional rivals Pakistan at a neutral venue like Dubai or Sharjah in the near future.

India have not played any Test series against Pakistan since 2007-08 home series because of strained relations but were engaged in a short limited overs series involving three ODIs and two T20 internationals with matches being played at centres like Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai in 2012-13.

The issue of scheduling a series against Pakistan was briefly discussed at the Emergent Working Committee meeting in Chennai on Thursday.

"Yes, there was a discussion about possibilities of playing against Pakistan at a neutral venue like Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi. But nothing has been finalized as of now. We are definitely looking at possibilities and are open to discussion with our PCB counterparts," a senior BCCI office-bearer said on Friday.

For Pakistan, their off-shore home venue has been United Arab Emirates where they have played matches at Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. Teams like South Africa and Sri Lanka have played Test series against Pakistan in UAE.

As far as the current FTP is concerned, India is not in a position to play a full series against Pakistan till 2015 but BCCI is looking at the possibility that a short series being squeezed in somewhere.

"An Indo-Pak series would also mean greater revenue for PCB and also it would give us a chance to have their nod for our 'Position Paper' which BCCI is planning to table at the ICC Executive Board Meeting. Also Zaka Ashraf's comeback in PCB can be called a factor in this regard.

"Mr Srinivasan shares a cordial relationship with Ashraf, who is also banker and a noted industrialist in Pakistan," the official added.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More

Set to gain, BCCI backs ICC revamp plan

CHENNAI: Set to benefit immensely from the structural overhaul of the ICC, the BCCI on Thursday unanimously backed the plan which would cede executive decision-making in world cricket to India, Australia and England.

In an emergent meeting, the Indian board reviewed the proposals of the ICC Commercial Rights Working Group, which have created quite a flutter in international cricket.

"The committee discussed at length the proposals of the ICC Working Group and felt that this proposal was in the interest of cricket at large," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement after the meeting.

The meeting was chaired by board vice-president Shivlal Yadav after president N Srinivasan had to skip it because of his mother's death this morning.

The BCCI unanimously agreed to approve the proposal of the Working Group of the ICC's Finance and Commercial Affairs (F&CA) committee in which the Indian board, Cricket Australia and England and Wales Cricket Board are key members.

The BCCI members "authorised the office-bearers to enter into agreements with ICC for participating in the ICC events and host ICC events, subject to the proposal being approved in the ICC Board".

The BCCI also "authorised its office-bearers to discuss bilateral matches with other Full Members (including Pakistan) and sign formal Future Tours Programme agreements".

As things stand right now, 75 per cent of ICC earnings are divided between the 10 full member countries equally and the remainder goes to associate members.

In the lead-up to negotiations for the next ICC commercial rights cycle -- covering the period from 2015 to 2023 -- India apparently wants its share of the global game's money to reflect the proportion of revenue the country generates.

The planned overhaul of the ICC would also see a new executive committee formed by India, England and Australia that would decide most of the key issues in cricket, and a relegation system, from which they would be protected.

Other changes would include a two-tier system for Test cricket in which India, Australia and England would be exempt from relegation and removal of control over scheduling from the ICC to allow countries to essentially pick and choose who they play.

Cricket South Africa has spoken out against the plan, calling for an immediate withdrawal of the "fundamentally flawed" proposal.

It has also drawn criticism from the Federation of International Cricketers' Association Executive Chairman Paul Marsh, who has called it unconstitutional.

The structural overhaul plan is set to be presented at the ICC's quarterly meeting in Dubai on January 28 and 29. It must have the support of seven of the 10 full member nations to be passed.

21.24 | 0 komentar | Read More