Umpire sorry for giving Sangakkara out, says skipper

HOBART: South African umpire Rudi Koertzen apologised to Kumar Sangakkara for giving him out in controversial circumstances within sight of his seventh Test double-century here on Tuesday.
   
The star batsman was stunned when Koertzen gave him out to a catch by Ricky Ponting, which effectively ended Sri Lanka’s remote chances of snatching victory from the Australians after being set a massive 507 runs to win.

Australia won the second Test by 96 runs to clinch the series 2-0.
   
Television replays showed the ball bowled by Stuart Clark appeared to deflect off Sangakkara’s shoulder to Ponting at second slip.
   
During his innings, the elegant 30-year-old right-hander passed Aravinda de Silva’s 167 in Brisbane in 1989 as the highest score by a Sri Lankan in this country.

Sangakkara faced 282 balls and hit 28 boundaries and a six in his 431-minute vigil at the crease.
   
He came on to the field after the fall of the last wicket and put his arm around Koertzen’s shoulder.
   
Skipper Mahela Jayawardene said Koertzen had apologized to Sangakkara for giving him out.
   
“Rudi came and said sorry to him. But that’s it. Kumar being Kumar was fine with it,” Jayawardene said.

“He was very disappointed at the particular moment but when you sit back after half an hour, you know it’s a mistake made by a human and that’s it.”
   
Sangakkara’s sublime innings was the talk of the final day.

Astle not sure about availability of players for IPL

MUMBAI: Former New Zealand batsman Nathan Astle on Monday sounded skeptical on whether the BCCI-backed Indian Premier League will succeed in bringing top foreign players due to the packed international calendar.
   
“IPL (floated by the Indian Cricket Board), Indian Cricket League (of which Astle is a part of) and the Stanford League are all very good for the game. But I am not sure how it can bring together so many players here in India (for 44 days) with the packed calendar,” he said today.

Astle, who is part of the ICL’s Mumbai Champs team, said he did not get an offer from the IPL after he chucked away his international career in January prior to the World Cup, adding ICL would benefit young Indian cricketers.

“I threw it away (international career) in January itself. I am sure the young Indian cricketers will learn by playing with or against people like (Brian) Lara, Chris Cairns, myself and other ex-international players. This is applicable to Twenty20 games too, the learning process,” he said at the Western Railway ground in Mahalakshmi.
   
The 36-year-old former opener, who considers the back-to-back Test hundreds he struck in the West Indies against the pace attack of Courtney Walsh, Curtley Ambrose and Ian Bishop in 1996 as something very special He feels his retirement besides those of Craig McMillan and Chris Cairns is impacting New Zealand team.

“I am passionate about New Zealand cricket. I feel it will take two years for the team to recover following the retirement of Chris Cairns, McMillan and myself,” he said.

Astle, scorer of 4702 runs in 81 Tests and 7090 runs in 222 ODIs, trashed the revolutionary idea of former Australian team’s coach John Buchanan to allow players to choose the country for which they wanted to play.

“I know where it’s coming from. It needs to be thrown out the window. I don’t think any cricketer from any country would want to play for any other country,” he declared.

He also hit out at former Australian hockey skipper Ric Charlesworth for trying to induct methods alien to New Zealand players’ culture within a short period of two years as New Zealand Cricket’s high performance manager.
   
“Good luck to you people. I heard he’s here (to advise Indian hockey officialdom). He tried to change too much in our cricket in too short a time. Australians are confident by nature and we, Kiwis, are reserved,” he said with a smile.
   
The ex-New Zealand player felt that Twenty20 format was the ideal one to help spread the game to places like China and the America.
   
“It’s a good format for spreading the game to China and America. It’s exciting and gets over in three and a half hours. It has rejuvenated cricket in rugby-mad New Zealand and has brought in the younger generation,” he said.
   
But he also cautioned the authorities not to go for an overkill by playing too many Twenty20 internationals leading to fans’ disinterest as is the case with 50-over games.
   
“But the organisers need to be careful that there’s not too much of this thing and prevent overkill as is happening now (in 50-over games). One match is followed by another within two days,” said Astle who has signed a two-year contract with the ICL.

‘Kumble will be under pressure in Aus’

A month to go before the Indians land in Australia for a Test series, skipper Ricky Ponting has fired the opening salvo, saying Anil Kumble will find it very hard to cope with the pressure of captaincy Down Under.

“Kumble will be under pressure coming to Australia,” Ponting was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press‘ after the 2-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka at Hobart.

“Anyone who captains the Indian cricket team is always under a lot of pressure. A lot of very, very good players in the past haven’t been able to cope with that. (Sachin) Tendulkar probably didn’t ever really want to do it, I don’t think,”

Rahul Dravid did it for a short period of time. When he resigned he said he just wasn’t enjoying the role. There’s no doubt that he (Kumble) will be under some sort of pressure. But they are only under pressure if we play well enough. That’s the thing,” he added.

Australia will play a four-Test series against India starting December 26 and although Kumble has only been appointed for the series against Pakistan, Ponting seems to have presumed that the veteran leg-spinner will be given the reins for the tour Down Under as well.

“If we play well and start the series well … generally we can put the captain under pressure,” Ponting said.

Ponting, however, expected a tough challenge from the Indians.

“I think India are probably a slightly stronger side than Sri Lanka and last time they were in Australia, they played very well and we were a very good team at that time,” Ponting said, referring to the 1-1 drawn series in 2003-04.

They’ve come off a very good away series win against England so they’ll have a little bit of confidence about them and I’m sure they’ll bring that to Australia,” he noted.

The 33-year-old is just a couple of wins away from equalling Steve Waugh’s world record of leading the team to 16 consecutive Test wins.

“It’s up to us to start the Melbourne Test (on December 26-30) the same way we started the Brisbane Test (against Sri Lanka) and hopefully we can get on top of them early and stay there for the rest of the summer,” he said.

However, Ponting said it would not be easy against batsmen like Dravid and Tendulkar.

“Dravid, Ganguly, (VVS) Laxman and Tendulkar are all very good players and they have all done well against Australia in the past. We know how dangerous they can be,” he added.

BCCI upset with Shah Rukh Khan

MUMBAI : The presence of the reigning superstar of Hindi film industry, Shah Rukh Khan at cricket matches in recent times has attracted a lot of attention.

But the organisers of the games, BCCI has not taken too kindly to SRK’s constant presence. Shah Rukh was also present at the final of the T20 World Championship and even went onto the field to congratulate the Indian team.

He was also present at the one-off T20 match between India and Australia at the Cricket Club of India (CCI). Quite a few officials are unhappy, claiming the leading man of Hindi cinema is using the platform provided by the matches to promote his latest flick, Om Shanti Om.

“This is a much bigger platform than being on a private television station. A match is watched by the entire country, there is no better way to create recall value. We have to be understand that,” said an angry official.

In particular SRK’s interview to the host broadcaster during the fifth and final ODI in Jaipur has raised the heckles. Interestingly, during the interview SRK spoke about his latest film. Board secretary Niranjan Shah refused to comment on the matter when contacted by TOI.

There has also been talk of SRK possibly buying a franchise in the soon-to-be launched Indian Premier League (IPL). But the board officials dismiss this as mere speculation.

Important win for Pakistan : Zaheer Abbas

I must praise the way Pakistan fought back at Jaipur. They may have lost the One-Day International series, but they took to the field in Jaipur with a purpose and determination, and the results was there to see for all.

Test cricket is a very different ball game, but there is nothing like a win to boost a team’s morale. Victory is always good and especially when a team have been down like Pakistan were till the fourth game, it was pleasing to see the way they fought back.

Let me also say that both teams rested their key players. So, to say that India gave away the advantage is not correct or a fair assessment. If Pakistan were without Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar, India too were missing Sourav Ganguly, Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Rudra Pratap Singh. It was a test of the bench strength on either side, and I was pleased to see the way Pakistan’s boys rose to the occasion.

Which brings me to the point that, I for one, could just not understand what was the Indian team’s think-thank was aiming at?
In today’s highly competitive cricket, why did they not play their best side. It is far batter to see a 4-1 score against your name than 3-2, as has happened. When you have the enemy down, it is better to drive the advantage home. India did not do that and I am surprised that they opted for such tactics.

Pakistan will not complain. The win will have been a huge morale-booster for them and they will go into the first Test at the Feroze Shah Kotla with that in the bag. Shoaib Malik has been under tremendous pressure but he came good at just the right time.

It was a captain’s knock in every way. When you are not delivering yourself as a player, it is difficult to ask your team mates to step up. And when you start to perform, the team also undergo a change. A captain can then guide his players. Malik looked good and the scenario for his team changed altogether.

Pakistan were also fortunate to have found another pitch to suit their strength. Both matches they have won in the series were on quick and lively tracks ~ Mohali and now Jaipur.

Once their batsmen had put on over 300 runs, India were always going to be under pressure and the four early wickets India lost surely played a major role in Pakistan’s win.

Overall, I would say Pakistan at last looked like a cohesive unit. It may not make a very big difference in the Test series but I am glad that they won the Jaipur game.

Simply put, it is better to win than it is to lose. I now look forward to the Test matches with interest for Pakistan have somewhat closed the gap on India.

ICL says ‘severe penalty’ awaits Yousuf

Chandigarh: The Indian Cricket League (ICL) Monday said that Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf could face a severe commercial penalty if he breached his contract with the league.

Amidst reports that Yousuf had expressed his unwillingness to join the ICL and that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had offered to fully back their player in his legal fight with the league, a top ICL official said Yousuf will not be allowed to breach the contract so easily.

Yousuf, who is part of Pakistan team currently touring India, has been summoned before the arbitrator – retired judge B.B. Saraf – in Mumbai Wednesday (Nov 21) after the ICL management sent him a legal notice.

“He has been sent a legal notice. We will not allow him to become a bad example for others to follow. We will deal with him legally,” ICL’s chief executive Ashish Kaul told reporters here. Kaul said that the matter was before the arbitrator and would be decided legally.

The Pakistan team begins its first Test match against India at Delhi Thursday and it will be difficult for Yousuf to appear before the arbitrator in Mumbai just a day before the match in Delhi. “Yousuf will face a very severe commercial penalty if he breaches the contract. He has received good money from the ICL. It is a legal matter now and any backing by the PCB does not change our stand,” Kaul pointed out.

Mohammad Yousuf was the top scorer on either side with 283 runs in five matches in the just concluded one-day international (ODI) series between India and Pakistan that India won 3-2.

Yousuf, who was earlier known as Yousuf Youhana, changed his name to Mohammad Yousuf two years ago after embracing Islam. 

National selectors threaten to quit

In an unprecedented revolt against the Cricket Board’s policy to ban national selectors from writing columns, three selectors today threatened to quit their posts if the BCCI persisted with the gag order.

The selectors said that they could be forced to relinquish their posts if the BCCI did not lift the ban, giving a dramatic new twist to the ongoing tussle between the BCCI administrators and the selectors.

“We are not servants, we cannot be treated in such a way. If such a gag order continues, some of us may step down”, one of the selectors told PTI on condition of anonymity.

He said chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar, who has been writing newspaper columns for nearly 15 years, was “extremely angry” with the gag order and two of his colleagues also shared his views.

“The selectors have been made to look like jokers. While we have been banned from interacting with the media, the BCCI officials have been selectively leaking news. We cannot compromise with our dignity”, he said.

While the selectors have taken a tough stand, the BCCI said it was not aware of any such development.

“The BCCI has not received any communication from the selectors in this regard. We are not aware that they have threatened to quit”, BCCI Vice President Rajiv Shukla said.

Another BCCI source said that Vengsarkar had sought special permission from the BCCI to continue writing columns.

“We are considering his request, but no decision has been taken as yet”, the source said.

The selector also said the BCCI did not have the “basic courtesy” of discussing the issue with the selection panel and knowing their views.

“It is the prerogative of the BCCI to issue guidelines. But we are opposed to the manner in which things have been done. It not only shows the BCCI in poor light but also reflects on our integrity,” he said.

The threat message came a day after the BCCI sent reminders to the selectors, asking them not to write columns in newspapers as per its constitutional provisions.

“Yes, a message has been sent to the selectors not to write columns,” said BCCI Secretary Niranjan Shah from Rajkot.

The selectors were particularly unhappy that Vengsarkar was asked to explain why he had continued to write newspaper columns, including in BCCI Chief’s Sharad Pawar’s family-owned newspaper ‘Sakal’, despite a gag order having been put in place.

Asked whether Vengsarkar had replied to that message Shah said these things took some time to get sorted out.

“You see these things take some time,” he said.

A former selector revealed that as per the constitution of the Board no selector can lend his name to a newspaper column and expressed surprise how Vengsarkar was allowed to flout the clause.

“It’s all in the constitution. I don’t know how he was allowed to write a column,” he told.

Vengsarkar, who took over as the chairman of the selection committee from Kiran More, has often found himself at the centre of controversy for his statements which ultimately prompted the Board to issue the gag orders.

Among the guidelines, the selectors were not allowed to attend customary press conference to announce the team or interact with media in any way and go to players’ dressing room.

Vengsarkar was conspicuous by his absence in a press conference last week to announce the Test team for the Pakistan series.

The selectors have also been asked to watch the players in domestic matches as they would not be sent on the foreign tours as per the new guidelines of the Cricket Board.

Atapattu calls time on Test career

Senior Sri Lankan opening batsman Marvan Atapattu announced his retirement from international cricket in Hobart on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old opener issued an open letter to Duleep Mendis, chief executive of Sri Lanka Cricket, informing him of his decision.

Atapattu raised a storm during the first Brisbane Test against Australia earlier this month when he called his national selectors “muppets headed by a joker.”

The former skipper hit out at the politics that he said were ruining Sri Lankan cricket and let his frustration out on the selection panel, which initially overlooked the right-hander for the two-Test tour to Australia.

He was only added to the squad when Sri Lanka’s sports minister intervened and he cemented a place in the Test side with good form after premier batsman Kumar Sangakarra was injured.

The Sri Lankan board ruled out sending Atapattu home during the series, which Australia won 2-0 in Hobart on Tuesday, and said the matter would be dealt with after the tour.

But Atapattu got in first with the announcement of his retirement.

Atapattu will now not feature in next month’s three-Test home series against England.

He scored 51 in the first innings in Brisbane and 80 in the second innings in Hobart, and is reportedly interested in playing club cricket in Sydney.

Atapattu bows out after 90 Tests since 1990, scoring 5,422 runs at 38.73.

Skipper Mahela Jayawardene paid tribute to the opener and said it had been an emotional dressing room after the 96-run loss to Australia.

“It’s emotional. It was a bit of a surprise for us as well because he made a strong comeback after not playing for some time and was very determined to show what he was capable of,” Jayawardene said.

“He proved that to a lot of people. The work ethic he had was incredible. It’s sad, but he made a very good speech in the dressing room.

“He’s got a lot of future plans. I wish him the best.”

Woolmer’s final e-mail to wife released at inquest

Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was a “little depressed” following his team’s ouster from the World Cup but he was looking forward to going home, according to an e-mail that may have been his final words before his surprise death.

A police official on Monday read the e-mail to jurors in the inquest into the death of Woolmer, who was found sprawled on the bathroom floor of his Kingston hotel room on the morning of March 18, a day after Pakistan was upset by Ireland and eliminated from the tournament.

The e-mail, sent hours before his body was found, was sent to his wife, Gill, in Cape Town, South Africa.

“Hi, darling, feeling a little depressed currently as you might imagine,” the note begins.

Woolmer, a native South African and highly regarded former player, then went on to critique the performance of his team in the World Cup, which was being held in the Caribbean.

“Our batting performance was abysmal and my worse fears were realised,” he wrote. “I could tell the players were for some reason not able to fire themselves up.”

Ponting predicts Australia to keep on winning

Ricky Ponting believes his team’s 2-0 series win over Sri Lanka could be the start of another golden era for Australian cricket despite predictions their domination of the game could end following the retirements of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer.

Australia’s rivals were hoping they would struggle to maintain their test success rate after simultaneously losing three of their best players earlier this year but the results of the Sri Lankan series suggest little has changed.

Brett Lee, who has taken over from McGrath as the leader of the bowling attack, has relished his new role, capturing 16 wickets in the series, while Phil Jaques scored hundreds in each test after replacing Langer as the opener.

Only leg-spinner Stuart MacGill failed to produce his best after waiting years for the chance to replace Warne but there were some extenuating circumstances as he was battling injury.

Ponting said he was always thought Australia would make a successful transition but even he was surprised at how quickly the players had stepped up for the series.

“I was very satisfied with the way they all played in Brisbane but I didn’t want to get too carried away too early,” Ponting told a news conference on Tuesday after his team won the second test in Hobart by 96 runs.

“It was important that we came here and played well again and we’ve done that so I’m probably more satisfied now.

“I think the guys that played their first games up there probably had better games down here. Jaques played better here than he did in Brisbane, I think Mitchell (Johnson) bowled better here than he did in Brisbane so they’re really good signs.”

Australia’s latest win was their 14th consecutive test victory, just two short of the world record they set under Steve Waugh’s leadership between 1999 and 2001.

They will get the chance to break the record in the home series against India, which starts in Melbourne on Dec. 26, and Ponting sees no reason why they would not go on winning.

“When you’ve got younger guys coming in who keep improving then that’s a good sign for us,” he said.

“We’re trying to create a new environment where these younger guys can come in and feel happy and comfortable and feel they can express themselves the best way they can.

“I think we’ve started that ball in motion now and it’s up to all of us now just to keep working on all those little areas… (and) to start the Melbourne test (against India) the same way we started the Brisbane test and hopefully we can get on top of them early and stay there.”