he Mumbai Champs finally won their first game courtesy a 13-run success over the Ahmedabad Rockets in Hyderabad. Ahmedabad chose to field and kept Mumbai to 140, with only opener Robin Morris making a major contribution, but failed to chase that down. They started well with a 41-run opening stand in 4.4 overs, only for the middle and lower orders to lose power. Avinash Yadav, a slow left-arm spinner, took 3 for 20 in four overs to stifle Mumbai's chase. They were bowled out for 127 in 18.5 overs. Earlier Morris made his maiden Twenty20 half-century, a robust 62-ball 69 with three sixes.
In the second game of the day, the Hyderabad Heroes dealt the Chennai Superstars their first loss in Hyderabad. Chennai were kept to 123 for 9 and Hyderabad knocked off the runs in 19.3 overs thanks largely to Ambati Rayudu's 53 and 36 from opener K Shashank Nag. Chennai's was a disappointing batting performance for once, with only C Hemanth Kumar's 35 standing out down the order.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
bangladesh vs new zealand oct. 9, 2008 1st ODI part2
bangladesh vs new zealand oct. 9, 2008 1st ODI part2
India v Australia - 1st Test - Day 03 - India Bat Session II
India v Australia - 1st Test - Day 03 - India Bat Session II
Zaheer Haddin Heated Exchange - India v Australia - 1st Test
Zaheer Haddin Heated Exchange - India v Australia - 1st Test
Looking for a hit sequel
A good season two, like a good sequel, is a rarity for a television show, for a cricketer and even for a tournament. That is the ICL's greatest challenge as they embark upon a new year of games. The first year was popular: 55 million viewers tuned in to the ICL, with six million alone watching the final match between Lahore Badshahs and Hyderabad Heroes. The big question is can they do it post-IPL? The start has been promising.
Recognition: This has been the main hurdle, laid carefully by the Indian board in conjunction with its counterparts. But there is a chance of that changing this year. Pakistan's law minister Farooq Naek lent a sympathetic ear to Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Lahore captain, and he promised, "Justice will be done". The ICL also had a "fruitful" meeting with the ICC earlier this week, the Sri Lankan government have responded positively and the Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA) too have offered support.
Marketing: "ICL is better in cricket but IPL was better in marketing," was a backhanded compliment to its rival by the ICL chairman Kapil Dev but, perhaps, it signifies the road it might take this year. An official media release states, "Excluding South America, more than 100 million people from four continents will enjoy this ICL 20s tournament live". The ICL recently acquired a new stadium in Ahmedabad and spent Rs100 million (US$2.1 million) to refurbish it. They have increased its promotional spend to Rs500 million ($10.5 million).
You can expect more oomph from the ICL this year for an extravagant opening ceremony, involving the choreographer Shiamak Davar's troupe, 100 live drummers and 20 international performers, is planned for October 10. More glamour is on the cards: A film actress will host an "entertainment-cricket" show, with "some high-profile celebrities from page 3, Bollywood, fashion designers, TV artists and host of other stars who will be quizzed and tested on all their expertise and cricket".
Cricket: It started as a city-based team but after the IPL it found its niche in carving 'national' teams. The Lahore Badshahs were a hit in Pakistan: "People see it as a extension of their national side," Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan legspinner, said. "And all the great stars like Inzamam, Saqlain [Mushtaq] are featuring in it." It's a sentiment shared by Habibul Bashar, the captain of the new team, Dhaka Warriors. "I don't know about the Bangladesh board but the people want us to do well." The ICL has also attracted quite a few cricketers from New Zealand.
What about the quality of cricket? They had quite a few closely fought games last season and Bharat Reddy, executive board member of the ICL, believes "cricket will be the clincher to draw in crowds". The proof will play out during the next 41 days.
Domestic stars: The ICL's chief claim is that it has been more effective in helping local players to showcase their talent than the IPL. Before the season they organise skill-building camps and a domestic tournament, which acts as trials, for the local players, a set-up the IPL hasn't tried. They have approximately 88 domestic players but unless there is recognition, these stars are in a cul-de-sac of their own choosing. The case of talented stars like Ambati Rayudu and Abhishek Jhunjunwala are case in point.
New initiatives: Specialised coaching in terms of specific functional areas like throwing and sprinting took place earlier this year. They also had a wicketkeeping boot camp under the supervision of Steve Rixon, the former Australian wicketkeeper and the current Hyderabad Heroes coach. The ICL also took a lead in educating players on anti-doping laws. A nine-run hit, which award nine runs for a six over 90 yards, was planned for this tournament but has been shelved for the moment.
Players to watch out for: Apart from the international stars like Shane Bond and Inzamam and Indian talent like Hemang Badani and Dinesh Mongia, it's the domestic players who are expected to entertain the crowds. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, G Vignesh, top scorer in the domestic tournament, Ali Murtaza, R Sathish, Raviraj Patil, the only Mumbai Champs player to make it to the Indian ICL side, Stuart Binny, Ibrahim Khaleel, were the top performers last season.
Teams to watch out for: The consistent Chennai Superstars - "No other side has been able to do as much as we have done in the last four tournaments," said coach Michael Bevan. "Two titles, a second place and a third place are no mean achievements," . Chennai won the inaugural Twenty20 championship and the ICL 50s championship. The Hyderabad Heroes are the defending champions and they grew from strength to strength under the coaching of Steve Rixon. But runners-up Lahore promise to offer another stiff challenge. "We are here to win," Inzamam said. "We are better prepared this time and are working very hard."
Prize Money: Rs13.72 crore ($2.8 million) is the total booty. The winners of the ICL 20s Indian Championship get Rs2 crore ($419,400) while the runners-up net Rs1 crore ($209,700). The Man of the Match will bag Rs2 lakhs ($4000) and the Man of the Series gets twenty times that. Last year, the total prize money was 12.33 crores ($2.5million).
Recognition: This has been the main hurdle, laid carefully by the Indian board in conjunction with its counterparts. But there is a chance of that changing this year. Pakistan's law minister Farooq Naek lent a sympathetic ear to Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Lahore captain, and he promised, "Justice will be done". The ICL also had a "fruitful" meeting with the ICC earlier this week, the Sri Lankan government have responded positively and the Federation of International Cricketers' Association (FICA) too have offered support.
Marketing: "ICL is better in cricket but IPL was better in marketing," was a backhanded compliment to its rival by the ICL chairman Kapil Dev but, perhaps, it signifies the road it might take this year. An official media release states, "Excluding South America, more than 100 million people from four continents will enjoy this ICL 20s tournament live". The ICL recently acquired a new stadium in Ahmedabad and spent Rs100 million (US$2.1 million) to refurbish it. They have increased its promotional spend to Rs500 million ($10.5 million).
You can expect more oomph from the ICL this year for an extravagant opening ceremony, involving the choreographer Shiamak Davar's troupe, 100 live drummers and 20 international performers, is planned for October 10. More glamour is on the cards: A film actress will host an "entertainment-cricket" show, with "some high-profile celebrities from page 3, Bollywood, fashion designers, TV artists and host of other stars who will be quizzed and tested on all their expertise and cricket".
Cricket: It started as a city-based team but after the IPL it found its niche in carving 'national' teams. The Lahore Badshahs were a hit in Pakistan: "People see it as a extension of their national side," Mushtaq Ahmed, the former Pakistan legspinner, said. "And all the great stars like Inzamam, Saqlain [Mushtaq] are featuring in it." It's a sentiment shared by Habibul Bashar, the captain of the new team, Dhaka Warriors. "I don't know about the Bangladesh board but the people want us to do well." The ICL has also attracted quite a few cricketers from New Zealand.
What about the quality of cricket? They had quite a few closely fought games last season and Bharat Reddy, executive board member of the ICL, believes "cricket will be the clincher to draw in crowds". The proof will play out during the next 41 days.
Domestic stars: The ICL's chief claim is that it has been more effective in helping local players to showcase their talent than the IPL. Before the season they organise skill-building camps and a domestic tournament, which acts as trials, for the local players, a set-up the IPL hasn't tried. They have approximately 88 domestic players but unless there is recognition, these stars are in a cul-de-sac of their own choosing. The case of talented stars like Ambati Rayudu and Abhishek Jhunjunwala are case in point.
New initiatives: Specialised coaching in terms of specific functional areas like throwing and sprinting took place earlier this year. They also had a wicketkeeping boot camp under the supervision of Steve Rixon, the former Australian wicketkeeper and the current Hyderabad Heroes coach. The ICL also took a lead in educating players on anti-doping laws. A nine-run hit, which award nine runs for a six over 90 yards, was planned for this tournament but has been shelved for the moment.
Players to watch out for: Apart from the international stars like Shane Bond and Inzamam and Indian talent like Hemang Badani and Dinesh Mongia, it's the domestic players who are expected to entertain the crowds. Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, G Vignesh, top scorer in the domestic tournament, Ali Murtaza, R Sathish, Raviraj Patil, the only Mumbai Champs player to make it to the Indian ICL side, Stuart Binny, Ibrahim Khaleel, were the top performers last season.
Teams to watch out for: The consistent Chennai Superstars - "No other side has been able to do as much as we have done in the last four tournaments," said coach Michael Bevan. "Two titles, a second place and a third place are no mean achievements," . Chennai won the inaugural Twenty20 championship and the ICL 50s championship. The Hyderabad Heroes are the defending champions and they grew from strength to strength under the coaching of Steve Rixon. But runners-up Lahore promise to offer another stiff challenge. "We are here to win," Inzamam said. "We are better prepared this time and are working very hard."
Prize Money: Rs13.72 crore ($2.8 million) is the total booty. The winners of the ICL 20s Indian Championship get Rs2 crore ($419,400) while the runners-up net Rs1 crore ($209,700). The Man of the Match will bag Rs2 lakhs ($4000) and the Man of the Series gets twenty times that. Last year, the total prize money was 12.33 crores ($2.5million).
ICL sees peace with ICC within two years
As the ICL gears up for its second season, Subhash Chandra, chairman of the Essel group, which owns the league, has said he is confident of the conflict with the sport's global administrators being sorted out "within two years."
"I met David Morgan, the ICC president, on October 7," Chandra said on Thursday. "I don't promise you anything, please don't have any hopes ... It took Kerry Packer two years to resolve the resolution [with the Australian board]. I am confident our issue will be resolved within two years."
The meeting, which took place in London, was in response to a request from ICL officials who are seeking official sanction from the ICC. Morgan is expected to report on the meeting to the ICC Board, which meets in Dubai on October 14 and 15.
Chandra also had cause to cheer closer home, revealing that three sponsorships contracts out of four worth $8 million that had been cancelled were revived after a meeting with Sharad Pawar, the former Indian board president. Chandra met Pawar, currently the ICC's president-elect. "I spoke to Pawar, my friend of the last 25 years, last Friday. I was very categorical that such attacks had to stop henceforth. Out of the four [sponsorship] contracts three have been revived after the meeting."
He said he had conveyed to Pawar his disappointment over what he called the "unethical" tactics used against the ICL and those associated with it. "I asked him, 'Is it good for you? Is it ethical? Does it befit you that a 21-year old boy from a college in Mumbai is picked up physically by the joint secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association and pulled out of the ground?'"
Asked whether this was the last chance for a reconciliation, given that Pawar takes over the ICC presidency in 2010, Himanshu Mody, the ICL's operational head, told Cricinfo they would explore alternate options if it didn't work out. "Such things cannot take one year," Mody said. "If it doesn't happen now, it will happen soon. I don't think it will take one year to get the sanction, if the sanction comes. If that (ICC reconciliation) comes through, perfect. Life changes, business plans change. There are a lot of players willing to join and there are lots of grounds that are still available. We can get them."
Chandra and Tony Greig, a member of the ICL executive board, also had cautionary words for the league's players on the "possibilities of corruption" during the second season. "You have seen lots of press that Twenty20 cricket has possibilities for corruption," Greig said at a pre-tournament meeting with players and officials on Thursday. "So please be very careful. There will be people who will approach you. It happened last time; it will happen again. We will dig ourselves into a hole if it happens."
"People who didn't want the ICL to succeed ICL would say, 'What ICL? It's not going to succeed,'" Chandra said. "They said, 'Match fixing happens there'."
Hyderabad win after the lights go out
The opening game of the ICL came to an abrupt halt as the lights failed and the Hyderabad Heroes were awarded an 18-run win by the VJD method. At 10.57 PM, six overs into the chase, the ground plunged into darkness - a power cut that affected much of the surrounding area - and the game was eventually called off at 11.40 PM.
The evening had started brightly with a simple and short opening ceremony that ended with fireworks.
Razzaq started the entertainment with two fierce square cuts off Mohammad Sami in the second over of the innings. The first whizzed over backward point, the second flew right over the point boundary. But Sami had his revenge in the same over when he induced Razzaq into a nick behind.
Ambati Rayudu ensured the hosts put up a competitive score. The highlight of his stay was a nonchalant pick-up shot over midwicket boundary against Shahid Nazir. While Rayudu attacked, Jimmy Maher, the opening batsman, stitched up one end and rotated the strike neatly. Rayudu's big hits were greeted by swaying cheerleaders and a delighted home crowd - 20,000 people had packed into the stadium.
In all this razzmatazz there was a bit of nostalgia too in the form of Saqlain Mushtaq. That familiar exchange of the ball between the palms, the stuttering run-up, the high left-arm as he gets into a side-on position, and the familiar release - they were all still intact. Even the old accuracy remained till Rayudu spoiled it in Saqlain's third over with two sixes: the first was hoisted over midwicket and the next one, a doosra, over long-off. Later in the chase another former Pakistan great was seen in action; Inzamam-ul-Haq square-drove and then played a characteristic punch off the back foot. However the technical glitch served as an anti-climax to the season-opener.
Dhaka Warriors launch ICL campaign
| ||
Big Picture
The ICL's newest team, the Dhaka Warriors, start their campaign against the former champions Chennai Superstars. Chennai's strength has been their consistency, and they are in good touch too. They finished second place in the domestic Twenty20 tournament which ended last month and have been the team to beat since the conception of the tournament last year. However, they will miss their captain Stuart Law, who is out of the first two games due to injury, and will be led by R Sathish, who starred in the first season with 383 runs. Hemang Badani, G Vignesh, Ian Harvey and Russel Arnold are the other key men.Dhaka's batting will hinge largely on Aftab Ahmed, Shahriar Nafees, the captain Habibul Bashar and Alok Kapali. The bowling will be led by Mosharraf Hossain, who picked two wickets in the recent warm-up game against Chandigarh Lions.
Watch out for
Ian Harvey: He was Chennai's top scorer with 472 runs in the first season, and as a bowler, his effective slower deliveries will be a handful.Hemang Badani: The stylish left-handed batsman has the benefit of international experience, so the Dhaka bowlers will have their task cut out for him.
Shahriar Nafees: Nafees boasts of a Test hundred against Australia and importantly, he is in form. In the warm-up game against Chandigarh, he hit a 54-ball 77with nine fours and two sixes.
Pitch & conditions
The outfield was a touch slow yesterday but the pitch played pretty true. It is bound to get better.
Quotes
"We know Chennai have some big names but we too have a right blend of youth and experience. We want to take home the trophy."Habibul Bashar, the Dhaka captain, hopes for a winning start. "We've been one of the most consistent sides in the ICL. No other side has been able to do as much as we have done in the last four tournaments. Two titles, a second place and a third place are no mean achievements."
Michael Bevan, Chennai's coach, tries to justify why his team are the favourites.
Confusion over Lara's ICL status
Brian Lara's involvement with the ICL has been put in doubt after league officials said he was injured and "unlikely to play" for them, and the player said was "out of the ICL". Lara, who was in Mumbai, has left for Australia with the ICL second season now under way in Hyderabad.
"The fact that I'm going tomorrow to Australia means I won't be here for the ICL" Lara was quoted as saying in the Hindustan Times. "It means I am out of the ICL."
Himanshu Mody, the ICL's operational head, said Lara may never return to competitive cricket. He fractured his left arm during a Carib Beer Cup match in January and was ruled out of the second edition of the ICL earlier this year.
"Lara now has a permanent problem on his left shoulder and will never be able to play the game actively and, therefore, is unlikely to play for the ICL in future as well," Mody told Cricketnext.
Lara was the most high-profile signing when the league was launched at the end of 2007 and was named captain of the Mumbai Champs. However, he had a forgettable stint, managing 31 runs at an average of 6.20 as his side finished at the bottom of the table. He retired from international cricket after the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies
"The fact that I'm going tomorrow to Australia means I won't be here for the ICL" Lara was quoted as saying in the Hindustan Times. "It means I am out of the ICL."
Himanshu Mody, the ICL's operational head, said Lara may never return to competitive cricket. He fractured his left arm during a Carib Beer Cup match in January and was ruled out of the second edition of the ICL earlier this year.
"Lara now has a permanent problem on his left shoulder and will never be able to play the game actively and, therefore, is unlikely to play for the ICL in future as well," Mody told Cricketnext.
Lara was the most high-profile signing when the league was launched at the end of 2007 and was named captain of the Mumbai Champs. However, he had a forgettable stint, managing 31 runs at an average of 6.20 as his side finished at the bottom of the table. He retired from international cricket after the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
