The Cricket Insider

Australia retains their number 1 spot

Veshma — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 20:35:25 +0000

Never has Ricky Ponting been prouder of his players than after they wrapped up their series victory in South Africa that sealed them as the top Test team in the world.

Ponting guided his vastly inexperienced side to wins in Johannesburg and Durban to ensure they held on to the number one spot.

Ponting said his win was “right up there” with any of his other achievements in the Australian side, largely because they entered the series as underdogs following their defeat at home against South Africa.

The squad has nine days to recover, after playing back to back tests as they search for a 3 -0 clean sweep at Newlands which starts on Thursday March 19.

It is upto India to do the needful as they pose a real threat for the Aussies, a team without any excuses as they have revived themselves.

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Veshma — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:58:13 +0000

Security concerns in Pakistan

September 2001- New Zealand decide not to tour Pakistan following the September 11 attacks. West Indies and Australia then decide to move their games in Pakistan scheduled for later in the year to neutral venues in Colombo and Sharjah.

May 2002 - New Zealand cancel their tour of Pakistan after a bomb blast outside Karachi’s Sheraton Hotel where they were staying.
March 2008 - Australia postpone their tour of Pakistan slated for the end of March as a result of security concerns.The decision was taken in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto’s assasination in December 2007.
August 2008 - Citing security concerns, five out of eight member nations of the ICC choose not to send their teams to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy scheduled for September the same year. As a result, the tournament is postponed until October 2009.
October 2008 - West Indies call off a proposed tour of Pakistan scheduled for November citing security concerns, a week after the West Indies Women had cancelled the Pakistan leg of their Asian tour.
December 2008 - The BCCI call off India’s scheduled tour of Pakistan in 2009 following a directive from the government.
December 2008 - The PCB confirm that Sri Lanka will tour Pakistan after India decided not to after the Mumbai terror attack.
February 2009 - The ICC decide not to stage the 2009 Champions Trophy in Pakistan after some of the members expressed reservations about touring the country.

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Sir Allen Standford “show me the money”

Veshma — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:42:19 +0000

Sport Agent, Jerry Maguire wrote about the perceived dishonesty in the sports management business and how he believed it should be operated and one of the most famous quotes in that movie was “show me the money”

Texan billionaire Sir Robert Allen Stanford is being asked that very question. US Federal securities regulators charged Sir Allen and three of his companies with a “massive ongoing fraud” involving about $8billion in certificates of deposit that drew thousands of investors with improbably high rates of return. These allegations, the latest in a string of alleged financial scams uncovered amid the global recession , named 58 year old Stanford, his Antigua-based Stanford International Bank, and a pair of related US companies.

The Caribbean based Texan cricket enthusiast deemed “the Windies Godfather” waltzed into the most traditionally genteel of games, brandishing his power, charisma and money and charmed The WICB and the region.

At a time when the region was in a state of shock and depression at the West Indies Senior Cricket Team poor performances and lack of motivation, Sir Allen sauntered in and revamped the game with the advent of the Stanford Twenty/20 and entered into a 5 year agreement with the WICB , the first of which was played last November and won by Trinidad and Tobago.

He revolutionised the conventional game, so that players may be paid millions of dollars for 20 overs rather than a few thousand dollars for hundreds of overs. Stanford made contributions to the territorial boards of the West Indies to assist them with the development of their cricket.

President of the WICB Dr. Julien Hunte said the setback did not mean doom for WI cricket.

One of the innovations introduced to International cricket as part of the television-friendly frenzy reform that included the 70 million sterling pound deal between Stanford and the English and Wales Cricket Board was an increased right of appeal against umpiring decisions. If only Sir Allen could overturn the raised finger of the US investigators who has charged him with this shocking magnitude of fraud.

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Who will be number one.

Veshma — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:01:22 +0000

Cricket lovely cricket!!! So many matches being played simultaneously around the world, where to begin? How about in the beautiful tropical islands of the West Indies, where the West Indies and England are playing for the Wisden Trophy.

Aah West Indies bowled England out for 51, with six English batsmen out for a duck in the first Test in Jamaica. What an unexpected win and that too by a one sided innings.

All of us are aware of the fate of the second Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua, which was abandoned due to a sandy pitch that got worse when the rains poured. A pitch not even suitable for gully cricket. Perhaps the curators were new to the job of preparing a pitch?

The third Test is wel underway at St john’s Antigua where the West Indies won the toss and elected to field first. The English are likely to score 550 - 600 and then perhaps stick the home side in for a spell before stumps on day two.

With Test Cricket number one position at stake, we move to Sydney where Australian skipper Ricky Ponting, says he thinks South Africa will be under more pressure than his side when the two teams clash in the return Test series in Johannesburg from February 26.

This after the Aussies were humiliated 1 - 2 at home by the Proteas last December and the series triumph over the Aussies in the ODI’s which saw South Africa to the top place in the shorter version of the game. South Africa have a chance to snatch the top Test ranking spot if they beat Australia.

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Security concern leads to another cancelled tour

Veshma — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Pakistan reeling from the ICC decision on Sunday to relocate the 2009 Champions Trophy to another country, suffered yet another blow as Australia has decided not to tour due to lingering security fears. Deja vu?

Australia pulled out of their scheduled Test and ODI tour to Pakistan last year due to security concerns.

One may say their fears are warrented as more than 1500 people has been killed in militant attacks across Pakistan in the past 19 months and after Islamabad joined the US led “war on terror”, more than 1500 troops has been killed at the hands of extremists.

After some deliberation Pakistan and Australia has agreed to play five ODI’s and a Twenty20 game at neutral venues in United Arab Emirates in April and MAy.

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Australia’s cricketing supremacy crumbles

Veshma — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:13:56 +0000

Once looked upon with scorn due to their die hard mentality and dedication to winning series after series, Australia’s domination on the Cricketing field has come to an end. The Cricketing World looked on as first the Indians and now the South Africans has been able to restore normalcy back into the game.

Cricket fans throughout the world of which the majority love to hate the Aussies are trembling with joyand vindication that the once mighty Australians have crumbled. A poor batting and bowling performance in the Tests Series followed now by a 3 -1 favour to the Proteas in the ODI’s with one more match left is evidence enough.

The “new age attack” showed consistently that they couldn’t dismiss the opposition and get all ten wickets, not even once, which leaves one to ponder what class of bowlers is the Australian Academy honing?

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Generation next new look attack bowls Aussies to a win

Veshma — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 06:59:04 +0000

It was the second consecutive year Australia have pulled off a last minute victory in the Sydney Test. A new look attack helped them to a consolation win within five minutes on the final day that left the series 2 - 1.

Chasing a stiff target of 376 runs, South Africa made 272. The tottering Proteas batting order failed to show resistance as they lost wickets at regular intervals.

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Is the Aussie declaration a good one

Veshma — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:51:44 +0000

Hello and Happy New Year! I’ll pick up from the close of the fourth day of the Third Test between Australia and South Africa. Already two Tests down, Asutralian Captain Ricky Ponting, has set up a fascinating final day at the SCG with his rather generous sporting declaration. South Africa need 314 more runs with 9 wickets in hand, though Graeme Smith is unlikely to bat .

Half centuries from Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting steered Australia to a near impenetrable position. The Aussies declared their second innings on 257 for 4, leaving South Africa a target of 376 from four sessions (116 overs).

A South African victory will see them to the number 1 Test Ranking whilst Ricky Ponting will go down in history as the first Captain to lead Australia to a 0- 3 loss at home.

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Allrounder to miss second Test

Veshma — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:38:26 +0000

Well it’s unto the second Test between New Zealand and the West Indies, after the first Test at Dunedin was washed out.

News out of the Kiwi’s camp is that all rounder Jacob Oram has been ruled out of the second Test due to a lingering calf strain. The 30 year old was a late withdrawal from the first drawn Test and will now prepare for the Twenty20 and One Day Internationals.

Meanwhile West Indies Captain, Chris Gayle who was impressed by Jerome Taylor’s maiden century in the drawn first Test but not so with Taylor’s fellow lower-order batsmen and asked them to improve in the upcoming Test.

Gayle was happy, however, with West Indies overall performance in the Test.

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Daniel Flynn restores the Kiwi’s from batting disaster

Veshma — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:06:00 +0000

It’s the first day of the first Test between New Zealand and the West Indies and the Kiwi’s are 226 for 4 at the close after winning the toss and electing to bat.

New Zealands new Coach, Andy Moles, ensured his team held the edge over the touring West Indians on the opening day, in the wake of the batting disasters in Australia.

Daniel Flynn sent in at number three was a picture of confidence. His free flowing drives through the off side were an indication of his form and he was comfortable against seamers and the off spin of Chris Gayle. Flynn fell five short of his maiden century for 95. The umpire review system, used for the first time by New Zealand and West Indies in this Test, claimed he was trapped LBW by Gayle.

It was not the best day for the four man pace attack. They continually bowled a line outside off stump that betrayed a defensive mindset. Gayle then brought himself on, after their ineffectiveness and picked up three wickets.

With Franklin and Daniel Vettori yet to come, the Kiwi’s bat deep and a big total looms, unless the West Indian seamers step up their game.

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