More Pak cricket fans arrive

ATTARI: To encourage and buck up cricket players hailing from their country, a little over 100 Pakistani cricket fans arrived in India via Attari land border to watch the second one day international being played at Mohali
on Thursday.

However strains of domestic tension back home were palpable in their actions as they inquired about the latest development in their country of Indian journalists present at Attari. Besides, they expressed eagerness about making a quick return to their country. Cold reception on this side of the border was a let-down. Pakistani cricket fans were more keen on sharing things about their lives during the Emergency than dicussing cricket.

Nahim Mirza, a Pakistani journalist who had arrived to watch the cricket match, said it was freedom of media in Pakistan which led to the Emergency. “Media had exposed every deed of the military ruler and politicians which irked them and finally, Emergency was imposed,” he said, adding that even the opposition political parties were not making any significant demonstrations and protests against Musharraf’s decision. However, he gave all credit to Indian media for the freedom of press in Pakistan. “When the common Pakistani saw the Indian media airing all kinds of news, it wanted the same system in its country,” he said.

Shareen Zaved, vice-chairman of Pakistan Women Cricket Association, said girls in Pakistan were crazy about cricket and were venturing in large numbers into the game. She was of the view that the Indian government should have issued liberal visas to Pakistani cricket-lovers. About Pakistan losing the first ODI, she said there would now be a sufficient number of fans to encourage them and wish the Pakistan team victory.

Isba Tabussaum, another Pak cricket fan, showed the Pakistani national flag she was carrying with her. She said the last time when she had arrived here, they were given a warm reception at Attari land border. “I don’t think both countries are really making any headway in people-to-people contact,” she said.

Sania Mirza bowled over by Shoaib Akhtar

Chandigarh : Shoaib Akhtar may not have set alight the cricket series yet but the Pakistani speedster has already won an admirer in tennis ace Sania Mirza. Sania, in the city to watch the second Indo-Pak one day cricket match at Mohali on Thursday, said she liked Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi as well but the ‘Rawalpindi express’ stood apart because of his aggression.

“Shoaib Malik is good and I also liked Afridi for a while. But personally, I like Shoaib’s (Akhtar) aggression. He is a great cricketer,” Sania said at the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA) stadium on Wednesday.

The Hyderabadi said it would be her first India-Pakistan ODI on Wednesday.

“The last one I watched was between India and New Zealand at Hyderabad,” said Sania, whose father and some friends are accompanying her.

Sania, who spent the last weekend in Goa trying to relax during the off season, said she would re-start training at the end of this month.

“I am trying to relax during the off-season,” she said, adding coming back from injury takes a lot of physical and mental effort.  Sania cut short her assignments after pulling a stomach muscle in Japan last month but is expected to be ready to play in the Hopman Cup in Perth from December 30. 

Sania, currently ranked 32, said she was constantly trying to improve it.

“Though being number 32 in the world is not bad, but I am working hard. Maybe some day I will be there (in the top league),” she said. The tennis ace also said that she would do her best to win a medal in the Beijing Olympics next year.

“I have never played in the Olympics. It’s going to be my first Olympic Games and also my first event in China, where I have not played earlier,” she said.

Asked about her memories of playing at the CLTA, Sania said it has been around six years when she last played here.

“I remember that I was playing in the under-18 semi-final match when I sustained a knee injury. The scar is still there, but I went on to win that semis after being down 2-5 in the second set and eventually won the final as well,” she said.

Earlier on her arrival at the CLTA, Sania interacted with the budding tennis players.  Sania told them that she felt good to see so many kids playing at the academy.

“There is a thin line between being positive and putting pressure on yourself,” she said, asking the kids to enjoy their game.

Dhoni to be captain

Senior BCCI Sources tell TIMES NOW that Dhoni is the Selectors’ pick to lead India’s Test team with the crucial announcement expected today (November 8).

TIMES NOW has learnt from senior BCCI sources that the Board had apparently advised the Chairman of Selectors Dilip Vengsarkar to pick “Young Blood” – this comes ahead of the crucial announcement expected later today.

Meanwhile reacting to this report by TIMES NOW, Chairman of Selectors Dilip Vengsarkar has said that the Board has not met yet and that he could not give a confirmation on the issue.
 
Dhoni making the team happy: Sachin

TIMES NOW has been telling viewers that since Tendulkar refused Test captaincy there has been an apparent leaning towards youth, despite Shashtri’s respected opinion that Dhoni was not ready.

Sports Editor Faisal Sharif said today,”Top BCCI officials believe they have to start somewhere, and they should give Dhoni enough to groom himself as captain. Whether he comes through as captain will  decide if he stays captain. But Sachin reportedly told BCCI that Dhoni as the in-charge was making the dressing room a happier place and that it mattered that the team was enjoying themselves.”

Sharif added that some selectors had also expressed their opinion that Kumble would be another leading candidate and would be more suitable to take on the three back-to-back tours coming up for India – but this was vetoed by another group wo said Kumble’s position in the Test side even was still under question.

“There will some long hours of debating expected today,” added Sharif.

Did the BCCI have any other option?

Former coach and selector Anshuman Gaekwad reiterated that there was “no shortcut to experience”.

“I think this would be putting plenty of pressure, I am scared the pressure altogether might break him and we don’t want to do that. Ideally if they had put him (Dhoni) as understudy, it would have been much better for him. There could always be an exception, but usually there always a chance that a person will not be able to take it – playing teams like Australia in Australia,” said Gaekwad.

He added, “There are more chances of Dhoni getting into trouble than being successful. But had they had a choice I am sure the BCCI would have looked for someone with more experience with surety - but Sachin refused the job. Sourav could have been a stop gap. However BCCI would also be looking at the long term.”

Dhoni captain of the future: Boria

Cricket historian Boria Mazumdar said Dhoni should not be faulted if India lose in Australia.

“I think BCCI had no choice. I would personally have loved Kumble, since he has won India more matches than anyone else even Sachin and  Dravid. But he being 37 years old, will play not more than 2-3 more years. However to be fair to Dhoni, it is a great decision to pick him since he is the future captain and he should be given the long run to build his team.”

Boria said there would be tough conditions at Perth with a bouncy pitch and Australia would unleash their fast bowlers. “But even if Dhoni fails that should not go against him. he is not technically sound like Dravid, but does not deter him as a good captaon. We should not give up on him by being outraged afterwards and turning back to the seniors as that would be a step backwards. Dhoni has the mettle, the courage and the guts. Besides he will relieve the pressure from Tendulkar and Kumble who will be the lynchpin,” he added.

Former Indian cricketer Kirmani concurred that Dhoni was the better choice given seniors had declined. “I supposed he would be the right choice if seniors Kumble and Ganguly have declined or not been considered. Dhoni has done a great job in T20, a good job against the Aussies in the home series, to continue with him in the Test also is a good choice,” said Kirmani.

Gatting backs ‘free spirit’ Flintoff

FORMER England captain Mike Gatting believes Andrew Flintoff is a “free sprit” who should be allowed to “run free” in the England team once he regains full fitness.

The all-rounder is currently recovering from a third operation on a troublesome ankle problem and is not expected to be available for a number of months, with England about to embark on a Test series in Sri Lanka without him.

Flintoff has remained in the spotlight thanks to revelations in former coach Duncan Fletcher’s forthcoming book that a training session during the most recent tour of Australia had to be abandoned because the then captain was still under the influence of alcohol.

Flintoff’s drinking habits became known during the World Cup finals earlier this year when he was involved in a bizarre, late-night incident with a pedalo, but Fletcher has since tipped the all-rounder to skipper his country once more.

And Gatting, who has begun a new role for the England and Wales Cricket Board, insisted it was important to treat Flintoff as a player who could win matches rather than a liability who needed to be watched carefully.

He said, “Freddie is an Ian Botham-type character. He is a free spirit and you generally try to let free spirits run free.”

The Fletcher revelations had also brought back bad memories.

Gatting added, “I was disappointed on both sides to be perfectly honest. Freddie was captain and had responsibilities as a captain and, likewise, Fletch was in charge of the team so he had responsibilities. That is what people should look at.

“You always want the right publicity. It is not nice when you have that sort, but we all know that is what newspapers like to print.

“If there is something like that, then it is obviously very readable and newsworthy. And it keeps cricket on the sports pages during the winter.”

Gatting is five weeks into his new job as the ECB’s managing director of cricket partnerships, a role designed to forge links from the grass roots to the professional arena below international level.

The former Middlesex batsman, who scored 10 centuries in 79 Tests and was the last England captain to beat the Australians Down Under, was hopeful of pushing through an initiative to bring the nation’s umpires and scorers under the ECB banner, where they would be able to hone their skills in a number of ways.

The majority of those currently belong to the Association of Cricket Umpires and Scorers and that organisation is to hold a ballot later this month, with the results expected next month.

Gatting said, “This is a huge partnership and we would like them to come on board. It is not about pushing people into becoming Test umpires.

“It is about helping them to be what they want to be. If they want to be a village green umpire, then they can and we will help them.

“They will be able to see a DVD with footage they can watch and then make up their own minds.

“At the bottom there might be something that then tells you ‘you got it right’ or ‘you got it wrong.’

“Hopefully there are things out there that will make being an umpire and learning about the game more enjoyable.”

West Indies get all clear for tour of Zimbabwe

MIAMI – The West Indies tour of Zimbabwe will go ahead this month after a security report gave the all-clear for the trip to the troubled African nation.

“The decision to proceed was based on a favourable report from an independent security firm,” said a statement from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

“The West Indies Players’ Association and West Indies Cricket Board have agreed the tour should proceed but will continually monitor the situation in Zimbabwe from the perspective of safety, security and food integrity.”

West Indies play Zimbabwe in Harare on Nov. 30 in the first of five one-day games. The Africans are not competing in test matches.

The Caribbean team then travel straight to South Africa for three tests, five one-dayers and two Twenty20 internationals.

Gayle, Kallis among top IPL recruits

South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Makhaya Ntini were among the five foreign players who on Wednesday signed for the $3 million Indian Premier League (IPL), the Indian cricket board announced.

West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and his teammate and ace opener Chris Gayle were the other two who have signed to play in April, in India, in a Twenty20 tournament, which has the backing of the International Cricket Council.

With these five, the total number of players who have signed up for the IPL has gone up to 49, said Lalit Modi, IPL chairman and commissioner and also a vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“I am happy to state that we have completed the first phase by signing some of the best international talent available,” he said in a statement.

“IPL had publicly promised the Indian cricket fans of delivering high voltage Twenty20 cricket action through some of the most talented international and national cricketers,” he added. Modi said he is also encouraged by the response from potential franchisees who will be buying stakes in the IPL.

“The response from potential franchisees for owning an IPL team has also been quite overwhelming and I am certain we will have some very interesting announcements to make in the days and weeks ahead,” he said. IPL will feature eight teams in the first season, with each team playing seven home and away games against one another with 56 matches to be played in total.

After the league matches four teams would play in the semi-finals. A grand final would be played toward the end of April. The IPL hopes to grow to 16 teams by 2010. Each team would have a squad of 16 players registered with the BCCI and drawn from its central contract pool.

Moreover, each team will also feature both under-21 players and designated players, who could be either Indians or foreigners.  All matches will be played under floodlights at BCCI-designated stadiums across the country for a total prize purse of $3 million, making it the richest cricket tournament in the world.

Windies skipper Sarwan joins new Indian league

West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, batsman Chris Gayle and three South African cricketers have signed up for the inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL), organisers said on Wednesday.The South African trio who have joined the Twenty20 league which is due to start next April are all rounder Jacques Kallis, fast bowler Makhaya Ntini and wicket-keeper-batsman Mark Boucher.

The latest signings takes the list of international players to 49.

Promoted by the Indian cricket board with support from other major national boards, the IPL was launched to counter an unofficial Indian Twenty20 league due to start on Nov. 30.

The 44-day IPL event will feature eight franchises in the inaugural season with each squad containing 16 players. They will play home and away games leading up to a grand final.

SA Trio Sign Up For IPL

 South Africans Jacques Kallis, Makhaya Ntini and Mark Boucher, along with West Indies duo Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle are the latest international stars to join the Indian Premier League.

Almost 50 international cricketers have already signed up for the IPL, which is scheduled to start in April 2008. The competition will consist of eight teams and will last 44 days.

The league was launched by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to counter the “rebel” Indian Cricket League, which is due to start on November 30.

Other international stars who have signed up include Australians Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Adam Gilchrist, Indians Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid as well as Pakistanis Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi.