Tendulkar will break all records, says Kumble

India Test captain Anil Kumble on Monday saluted team mate Sachin Tendulkar on becoming the second highest Test run-scorer.

Tendulkar finished unbeaten on 56 as India scored a six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first Test at the Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi.

During this knock, the Indian batting ace also surpassed former Australia skipper Allan Border’s aggregate of 11,174 runs when he scored 24 in the second innings on the fourth evening. He is now behind former West Indies captain Brian Lara, whose tally stands at 11,953 runs from 131 matches.

“The hunger is there as always. We started out our careers together and I have seen him grow both as a cricketer and individual. It is amazing to see the pressure he handles. Every time he goes out to bat he has to handle pressure and he has done it for the last 18 years,” Kumble said.

He said Tendulkar adjusted to the situation of the game and played a perfect knock to finish off the match.

“The way he batted yesterday and today shows that he adjusted the game to the demands of the situation and finished off the game in style.”

The veteran leggie believes that Tendulkar will break all batting records in Test cricket.

“He’s definitely going to be the No 1 Test batsman in terms of runs, centuries, everything. I wish him really well and am really happy for him,” he added.

Malik blames batting and the sun after India loss

NEW DELHI, November 26: Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik bemoaned his team’s poor second innings batting and a lack of sunshine in wintry Delhi after his team suffered a six-wicket defeat by India in the first Test on Monday.

Pakistan batsmen flopped in both innings, bowled out for 231 and 247, leaving India to chase a modest target of 203 on a slow Feroz Shah Kotla pitch.

Malik said the total was inadequate for leg spinner Danish Kaneria to come into play and the lack of strong sunshine meant the wicket did not break up when India batted last. “We were 100 runs short in the second innings,” Malik said.

“Whoever is the spinner, he needs some amount of time to get the batsmen out. “If the sun had shone on this pitch, it would have behaved differently. From the day the match started, it hardly got any sunshine.”

He praised strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar for his strong Test comeback, taking six for 102 in his first Test since January, including all four Indian second innings wickets. “Shoaib was outstanding in this Test and his performance is great for the Pakistan team.”

He rejected criticism the team lacked the aggression of past Pakistan teams, particularly against their traditional rivals. “Everything was there, aggression, passion everything,” he said. “If we had scored 300 in the second innings the result would have changed. “We didn’t do well in batting,” he said. “My own form is good but I unfortunately got out. I’m looking forward to the next two matches.”

Pakistan are hopeful fast bowler Umar Gul would regain fitness before the second Test starting in Kolkata on Friday after missing the opening game due to a back problem. “Gul is much better. He will have a fitness test in the next day or two.”

Kumble credits team effort for Test win

NEW DELHI, November 26: After leading India from the front to a memorable Test win against arch-rivals Pakistan, captain Anil Kumble heaped praise on his team-mates for rising to the occasion in the series opener at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium here on Monday.

Kumble, who started his stint as the Indian captain with a win, said all round performance by the team was responsible for the victory that gave the hosts a crucial 1-0 lead.

“It’s great. The ground is very special for me, everything happened here. The boys responded well. It was creditable on the part of the bowlers to restrict Pakistan to less than 250 in both the innings.

“Then we had some useful partnerships. The stand between (VVS) Laxman and (MS) Dhoni was crucial in the first innings. In the second innings, partnerships between (Wasim) Jaffer and Rahul (Dravid) and between Sachin (Tendulkar) and Sourav (Ganguly) were also important,” the ace leg-spinner said.

Kumble, adjudged the man of the match, was delighted that after a three-month hiatus he struck form very quickly and scalped seven Pakistani batsmen in the match.

“It was important to get into the groove straight away, especially after a three months break and in this age,” he said.

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik admitted that his team did not bat well and they were 100 runs short to throw a challenge at India.

“From the first day we did not bat well. We were 100 runs short. But our bowlers bowled well. You need to score 400 to win a Test match. Had we set a target of 300, we would have given a good fight.”

“However, (Salman) Butt was excellent and Yasir Hameed batted really well in the second innings,” he said.

Malik, however, counted on the positives and was optimistic about his side’s chances in the series.

“In cricket, there are good days and bad days. We had more bad days. But, they are all good players and I am sure we will come back.”

“Shoaib Akhtar is fit and it’s a great thing that he is bowling well,” Malik said.

Shahrukh Khan in bid to secure Indian Cricket League franchise

The Khans, Shahrukh and Farah, have had to apologise to Manoj Kumar for making fun of him in one of the most hilarious scenes in Om Shanti Om.

“Mr Bharat”, as he is known for playing a string of national heroes in films like Upkar, Shaheed, Kranti and Purab Aur Paschim, felt insulted and humiliated, as “the soul of a patriotic Indian had been hurt”.

SRK called him and apologised for hurting his feelings and not inviting him to the preview. Farah offered to edit the scene, but Kumar asked her not to. Meanwhile, OSO continues to rock the box office. The demand for tickets was so great that, in its second week, 80 additional shows were arranged in Mumbai alone.

Did you know that Deepika Padukone is a product of Anupam Kher’s acting school, Actor Prepares? Kher says she was part of his June-August 2005 intake and remembers her as a “diligent learner who arrived with the reputation of being a successful model, yet did not have any airs about herself”.

Abhishek and Aishwarya Bachchan are firm believers in the adage “The family that prays together stays together”. Their latest high-profile prayer was offered at the Pedda Dargah near the town of Kadapa, about 400km from Hyderabad. Jaya Bachchan and family friend Amar Singh, who leads the Samajwadi Party, joined them on the helicopter trip from Bangalore.

Raykesh Mehra is finalising plans for his first musical, Bhairavi, which will bring together Amitabh, Jaya and Abhishek Bachchan in their real-life roles of husband, wife and son. Set against the background of classical music, it will focus on their internal strife owing to competitive creativity. Amitabh and Jaya previously explored a similar theme in the outstanding 1973 film Abhimaan. Father and son have already given the project the go-ahead, and Mehra has threatened to go on a hunger strike in front of their Juhu home if Jaya does not sign up. Mehra has a daughter named Bhairavi.

Property troubles for Rani Mukherjee: an Ahmednagar judge has issued a notice asking her to prove that she is of farming stock, a prerequisite for owning land in the district. A state bylaw prohibits agricultural land from being transferred outright to non-farmers. Mukherjee bought the property near Ahmednagar, where she regularly attends prayers at the Shirdi Sai Baba mandir. Amitabh Bachchan has a similar case pending against him.

After the release of Saawariya, Ranbir Kapoor has realised a dream of sharing the screen with his parents, Rishi and Neetu Kapoor. They star together in a short movie to promote safe sex, with father and son engaging in a chat about the birds and the bees.

Ajay Devgan is one of Bollywood’s leading pranksters, as his Halla Bol co-star, Vidya Balan, will testify. After joining director Raj Kumar Santoshi in praising one of the songs on the soundtrack, Devgan asked Balan if she would like to listen to it. When she plugged in his iPod earphones, she experienced a mild shock, and Devgan and Santoshi burst into howls of laughter. The impression of a brooding, serious actor is actually just good acting.

Sports lover Shahrukh Khan is among some 90 bidders for one of eight franchises in the soon-to-be-launched Indian Premier Cricket League, which has already attracted some of the world’s top players, including Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis.Sachin Tendulkar is also on the list of bidders, along with Kingfisher tycoon Vijay Mallya, Anil Ambani and Hollywood actor Russel Crowe, a cousin of former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe.

The bidding is expected to start at 50-million a franchise. The IPL is a guaranteed money-spinner that will feature 20/20 matches played under floodlights across India.

As predicted in this column two weeks ago, Madhuri Dixit has made herself available to promote her comeback film, Aaja Nachle, which is to be released on Friday. It had been said that she would not make herself available because she was not happy with the end product. Now Mads is leading the publicity blitz for this Yash Raj movie, set against the background of dance.

Farhan Akhtar has denied that he plans to produce a sequel to his best film yet, Dil Chahta Hai, but he has said that his next movie is of a similar genre. He plays the lead in this film, to be directed by rookie Abhishek Kapoor. Arjun Rampal is also in the cast. Javed Akhtar’s son, who first starred in The Fakir of Venice, says he enjoys acting, but directing is his first love.

The countdown to the release of Vijay’s Azhagiya Thamizh Magan in South Africa has begun. The soundtrack by AR Rahmaan has been well received and it is only the second time that Rahmaan has scored music for a Vijay movie, the first being the unmemorable Udhaya. But this time Rahmaan has struck gold.In India, ticket sales for ATM took a dip after its opening weekend. This was a reaction to the film’s story and Vijay’s character, which is vastly different from the image he has projected in all his films since Friends. However, once Vijay’s fans had accepted his new image, ticket sales again accelerated. Now there’s a four-film race at the box office, with Soorya’s Vel, Prithviraj’s Kanaamoochi Yenadaa and Dhanush’s Pollaadhavan almost neck and neck with ATM.

Vijay’s fan following is said to be second only to Rajnikanth’s, and it will be interesting to see whether ATM can match the 100day run of Sivaji in South Africa.

After a break of six months, Vinay, the handsome model-turned-actor, has begun his second film. Titled Jeyam Kondaan, it was written and is being directed by Kannan, a long-time assistant to Manirathinam.The film was launched amid much fanfare a fortnight ago by producer Sathyajothi Thyagarajan, who agreed to back it on the recommendation of Manirathinam.

Vinay’s debut film, Unnaale Unnaale, directed by the late Jeeva, was a huge hit. He is hoping Jayam Kondaan will follow suit.

After several false reports about Vishnu Varadhan’s Sarvam, the director announced that Arjun and Aarya would head the cast of this new action thriller, to be produced by London-based Ayngaran International. This put to an end to rumours that Soorya had been signed to play the lead role.Soorya was approached to play the role but declined the offer. Whether that was due to callsheet problems or a disagreement over the script (the gossip-mongers’ favourite) is unclear.

Soorya, meanwhile, is shooting for Goutham Vasudeva Menon’s Varanam Aayiram and will soon launch his next movie, an action thriller by KV Anand to be produced by AVM, the producers of Sivaji.Anand was the cinematographer in Sivaji and has one film to his credit as a director, the romantic thriller Kanaa Kanndain, in which Shrikanth and Gopika played the lead roles. It marked the Tamil debut of Prithviraj and received critical acclaim.

Fans of the tragic 1980s sex siren Silk Smitha will be delighted to learn that her last movie, Thanga Thaamarai, is ready for release almost a decade after she committed suicide. Her fan club is still in existence.

Top commentators for ICL 20-20 Cricket

CHANDIGARH:The Indian Cricket League, an Essel Group venture, announced an impressive line up of commentators and experts for the ICL Twenty-20 Tournament starting at Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula from November 30. The commentators names announced include Tony Greig, Dean Jones, Pat Symcox, Jeffery Thomson, Mike Whitney and Ayaz Memon. Additionally Kapil Dev will be seen dawning a new role and be the co-commentator to provide expert insights and opinions on the matches.

 

Commenting on the line-up ICL Chairman-Executive Board Kapil Dev Nikhanj League said “to deliver the live experience to the audience, commentator’s role is of absolute importance and can’t be ignored. We have signed on some of the world’s best commentators and their vast cricketing experience will add a lot of value in providing a perspective to our cricket fans.”

Commenting on his association with ICL, Tony Greig, said, “I am excited to team up with Zee Sports for the upcoming ICL 20-20 Tournament and look forward to joining Kapil Dev with whom I have had lot of exciting, on-field rivalry. I am personally very happy to be a part of this initiative and I hope to add value through my understanding of the game. “

Renowned opening batsmen of Australia and cricket commentator Dean Jones said, “I am delighted to join ICL panel and team up with my old pals to share exciting, live update with the fan following across the world.”

TONY GREIG: England’s cricket captain from 1975 until 1977, Tony Greig led his country 14 times. He retired young, and immigrated to Australia, where he has had a successful career as an executive in the Packer organization and as a television commentator. Today one of the most recognizable and respected voices on Cricket broadcasts, Tony has the brilliant knack of bringing alive the furious excitement of live cricketing action.

JEFF THOMPSON: Initially a soccer player, ‘Thommo’ took a liking to cricket and went on to become a legend with his furiously fast bowling. He collided with team mate Alan Turner on the field when both went for the same catch and he was seriously injured, and plates and bolts were fitted into his shoulder, but despite the injury he fought his way back into the Australian team and along with Lillie hunted as one of the most lethal pair of fast bowlers of all time!

DEAN JONES: Jones one of Australia’s most successful batsmen of winning team, and was noted for his electric running between the wickets, outstanding out-fielding and aggressive batting especially against. With his positive, aggressive and flamboyant style of play he became a crowd favourite. He played a significant part in the ‘87 World Cup and ‘89 Ashes wins for the team. Turbulent stints as captain of Victoria and Derbyshire followed and he remained devoted to the game and since retirement has been a Commentator.

PAT SYMCOX: Symcox played first class cricket for South Africa for 21 years, having played in a staggering 20 Tests and 80 one-day internationals. He retired from cricket in 1999. Former South African cricketing great is a well-known critic of the ‘quota system’ that was introduced into South African cricket to benefit previously disadvantaged players.

MIKE WHITNEY: He is former Australian  from 1981 to 1993.He was a commentator for The Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000, and the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

KAPIL DEV: Arguably India’s greatest all-rounder and recently recognised as India’s greatest Cricketer with the Wisden Indian Cricketer of The Century award, Kapil Dev has charted the course of many famous Indian victories. Captaining India to win the Prudential Cup in 1983 was the highlight of his career. He also led India to a 2-0 series win to beat England in 1986. And, of course, at the top of his most spectacular unbeaten innings ranks his knock of 175 against Zimbabwe when India was on the route to the World Cup win in 1983.

Schedule Nov 30: Chandigarh Lions v Delhi Jets Dec 1: Chennai Superstars v Kolkata Tigers; Mumbai Champs v Hyderabad Heroes Dec 2: Delhi Jets v Hyderabad Heroes; Chandigarh Lions v Kolkata Tigers Dec 3: Mumbai Champs v Chennai Superstars Dec 5: Hyderbad Heroes v Chandigarh Lions Dec 7: Mumbai Champs v Delhi Jets Dec 8: Chennai Superstars v Chandigarh Lions; Delhi Jets v Kolkata Tigers Dec 9: Hyderabad Heroes v Chennai Superstars; Mumbai Champs v Chandigarh Lions Dec 10: Mumbai Champs v Kolkata Tigers Dec 12: Chennai Superstars v Delhi Jets; Hyderbad Heroes v Kolkata Tigers Dec 14: Semi-final I Dec 15: 5/6 classification; Semi-final II Dec 16: 3/4 classification; Final.

‘Players demoralised by the present system’ : Atapattu

Marvan Atapattu retired from international cricket at the end of Sri Lanka’s Test series in Australia. A technically correct batsman, he finished his Test career with an average just below 40 and was instrumental in the team’s revival after he took over as captain in 2004. However, a back injury in 2006 saw him increasingly sidelined, and losing the captaincy to Mahela Jayawardene. His career ended in less than happy circumstances: he just might end up being more remembered for calling the selectors – with whom he had a series of spats – a “set of muppets headed by a joker” before calling it quits.

Atapattu, now headed to India to lead the Delhi Jets in the Indian Cricket League, spoke to Sa’adi Thawfeeq.

What made you retire from international cricket so suddenly?
Two main reasons: I did not wish to continue in a system where I don’t have faith and belief, and two, I wanted to give an opportunity to a suitable youngster who is coming through.

Was it the situation with the national selectors that forced your decision?
It wasn’t a sudden decision. I had been giving thought to it. The tour of Australia, I thought, was a good time. It’s always good to go out on a high. I had indicated to the previous administration and selectors that, had everything gone according to plan before I got injured, I was to retire from Test cricket after the 2006 tour of England and after leading Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup.

What are your immediate plans? Your name has been linked with the ICL, and also there have been reports of you playing club cricket in Sydney and doing television commentary for Channel Nine during Sri Lanka’s one-day triangular in Australia in January.
ICL has been finalised. I am on contract with them till December 18. I am captaining a team from Delhi. The Sydney club and TV commentator matters are still on the surface at this stage. There is nothing in black and white. There are opportunities if things fall into place. I still believe I’ve got two to three years of cricket left in me.

How will you reflect back on your career?
It has not been a rosy start, but to come all the way and to captain your country and score more than 14,000 runs in both forms of the game – you couldn’t ask for more. The principles I had, playing over 18 years for Sri Lanka – I’d rather be remembered for them than the runs and records. I am a person who spoke and worked straight or made an effort to do that.

Considering the start you had to your Test career and to finish with an average of almost 40 with six double-centuries … how would you rate yourself as a batsman?
It is up to the public and the media to assess my performances. From my point of view, after 17-18 ducks from 90 Tests, if I can still average nearly 40, I have done pretty well. My fifties were almost on par with my hundreds. I believe that if you get a start, you go on and get a big one. That’s my attitude. Maximise when you can.

What would you want to be remembered as?
If I have given somebody entertainment over the years in my own way, that’s the satisfaction I get. Staying in a system for 17 years you get your fair share of compliments and criticism. Constructive criticism I don’t mind.

What were your most memorable moments?
Being part of the 1996 World Cup winning squad. Scoring 132 at Lord’s to win the Emirates Cup one-day final in 1998. Scoring my maiden Test century in Mohali. Sourav Ganguly walked up to me and said the first hundred is very hard to come by but after that you will know how to make a hundred. How true.

Your biggest disappointments?
My biggest disappointment was having an [back] injury and losing the captaincy. To have captained the 2007 World Cup team and quit from cricket would have been a dream. But God has given me more than enough.

How would you rate Mahela Jayawardene as a captain?
He is good. In time to come he will get better. Everybody has his own way of leading and it shows in their personality.

What contribution did you make as captain?
I tried out a couple of things, starting with senior players taking on more responsibility to finish matches off rather than leave it to others. What we lacked as senior players was at the top of the order we didn’t finish the job as expected. Over the years it has changed. With the competition you have in world cricket, you don’t sit comfortably on past performances but always look to raise the bar.

What did you tell your team-mates in the final speech you made in the Hobart dressing room before you announced your retirement?
I told them that we had enough talent in the room and it was a matter of putting heart and soul into it if you want to achieve anything. As individuals, by the age of 20-25 you’ve got to stand on your own feet and know how to handle situations. You’ve got to have your say because you owe it to cricket, because cricket has changed your lifestyles. Over the years we have come a long way in cricket and made a name in the world. We cannot go downhill.

What needs to be done to keep Sri Lankan cricket on top?
The school and domestic structures leading up to Test cricket need to be streamlined in a way similar to Australia so that players don’t feel the transition from domestic to Test cricket. The entire process of selection, in my view, is highly subjective. An objective selection process needs to be adopted. Personal feelings and vested interests should be set aside and cool judgements made. For that to happen, the selection committee should constitute of honourable personalities with cricketing knowledge and administrative ability. We presently lack this. The concept today is, ‘Show me the man and I will show you the rules.’

Who was your best Sri Lanka cricketer?
In bowling nobody can match [Muttiah] Muralitharan. He is nearing the world record but still keeps on working hard at his game. This has been the success story for him. In batting there is no one to match Aravinda de Silva. The amount of time he spent at the nets and at physical training was unbelievable. I only saw six or seven years of Aravinda but his commitment was fantastic. His thinking on the game was out of this world. [Kumar] Sangakkara ranks close to him.

The best bowler you faced in world cricket?
All bowlers tend to give you a torrid time. But for consistency Wasim Akram has to be one.

Do you think Sri Lanka has enough players to replace the likes of you, Sanath [Jayasuriya], Murali and [Chaminda] Vaas?
It is the responsibility of the selectors to groom players to take over. I don’t think they have planned it right. Cricket cannot suffer because of one or two people. No cricketer or the cricketing public has openly stated that what I’ve said about the national selectors was wrong. It is not something new; I have expressed this to many differently, but this time I was more emphatic and I hope what I said of the selectors will ring a bell with the authorities concerned and changes [are] made for the betterment of the game. I do stand by what I have said and I don’t think it has tarnished mine or my country’s image in any way, although elements with vested interest are attempting to paint a different picture to what I have said. How many players have confidence with the present selection committee? I have spoken to some of them and they are demoralised by the present system. It is sad that they cannot talk and are tongue-tied by contracts.

IPL telecast rights up for sale at Rs 1,000 cr

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is expected to issue tender forms for broadcasting rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in the coming week. According to industry sources, the winner might have to fork out over Rs 1,000 crore for a five year telecast rights. 
 
Last weekend, three broadcasters Nimbus Communications, Sony Entertainment Television and ESPN-Star Sports made their presentations to the BCCI. “The presentations basically outlined how best a particular channel intends to leverage on the property, if it won the bid,” said a source. 
 
When contacted BCCI vice-president Lalit Modi said, “The BCCI will meet on Monday (November 26) and then it will be decided as to when the tender document should be made available.” 
 
In 2006, Nimbus Communications chief Harish Thawani astounded the broadcasting world by winning the rights to cricket matches in India for an unheard of $ 612 million – about Rs 2,724 crore at the prevailing exchange rate – for four years up to 2010. 
 
Zee Sports had acquired the telecast rights for 25 one-day international matches involving India at neutral international venues for five-years, estimated at $200 million about Rs 800 crore). 
 
However, now the rights are with Nimbus Communications, after Zee accused the BCCI of favouring Nimbus Communications for all matches held in India, over Zee Sports by agreeing to reduce its five-year telecast rights fee by 15 per cent from $612 million to $520 million) following the government’s “must-share” sports Bill. 
 
The IPL that was announced to counter Subhash Chandra’s Indian Cricket League (ICL) has not only been able to attract corporate interest to buy rights to own a team, broadcasters too are narrowing in on each other. While industry feels that Nimbus Communications will not be able to pull off the bid, the real competition will be between ESPN-Star Sports and Sony. 
 
Broadcasters are not sure yet if the telecast rights will be for a period of five years or ten years. “Ten years is too long a period and channels may not be willing to block money for a ten year period,” added a source. 
 
The IPL, which will kick off in April 2008, will host 56 matches in the Twenty20 format and will have international and domestic cricketers playing in eight teams. The tournament based on the soccer event English Premier League, each team will be owned by a corporate. The company will have to buy team ownership rights from BCCI for around $50 million. This apart, the company will have to deal separately with each cricketer it wants in its team. 
 
The amount the company will pay for a player depends on the company’s bargaining power. In turn, the BCCI will offer companies a revenue share from stadium advertising and gate money. 

India beat Pakistan by six wickets

NEW DELHI : India romped to a six-wicket win over Pakistan in the first Test on Monday, taking the lead in the three-match series.

The hosts, chasing a target of 203, coasted to the win with six wickets in hand after needing just an additional 32 runs for victory on the fifth day.

Sachin Tendulkar was unbeaten on 56 after reaching his 46th Test fifty. Strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar removed Saurav Ganguly on his overnight 48 before India knocked off the runs in just half an hour.

Scorecard

Shoaib returned figures of four for 58. Ganguly and Tendulkar added 88 runs for the fourth wicket after opener Wasim Jaffer struck a fluent 53 to guide India to 171 for three at stumps on the fourth day. India made 276 all out in reply to Pakistan’s first innings 231 and then dismissed them for 247.

India leg spinner Anil Kumble completed match figures of seven for 106. The 37-year-old, making his Test captaincy debut, was named the Man of the Match.

Shoaib struck again in the morning when he tempted Ganguly with a short-pitched delivery and his uppish hook flew straight to Sohail Tanvir at backward square leg.

Tendulkar, however, enjoyed the rising deliveries, swinging Shoaib and Mohammad Sami to fine leg for fours before cutting leg spinner Danish Kaneria past cover.

He hit the winning four with a square cut off Shoaib who returned creditable figures of six for 102 in his first Test since January. Vangipurappu Laxman was six not out. The second Test starts in Kolkata on Friday.

‘ICL a chance to guide young players’

It has been more than three years since Lance Klusener stepped onto a cricket field in the South African colours. Still such is the aura surrounding this 36-year-old, who was the Player of the tournament in the 1999 World Cup, that he remains the most high profile signing by the Indian Cricket League after Brian Lara (whose participation is still unsure).

During his eight-year international stint, Klusener did not believe in talking to the media. Instead, his performance spoke for him. But times have changed. And so has Klusener.

“I had my share of international cricket. I don’t have any regrets about not being able to play more international cricket,” Klusener, who quit international cricket in 2004 after disputes with the authorities and the team management and moved to England to play county cricket, told the Hindustan Times on the sidelines of a warm-up tie between the Kolkata Jets and the Mumbai Champs at the Western Railway ground on Friday.

After having a fairly long stint with Northamptonshire as a professional, Klusener has put his county future in doubt by joining ICL, which is not recognised by the Indian cricket board.

“I don’t think I will have any problems in continuing to play in England,” Klusener said. “But the decision of a couple of boards not to allow the ICL players to participate in first-class is not fair.”

There are reports that the England and Wales Cricket Board would strike a balance to appease their affiliated units as well as their counterparts by deciding to bar the ICL signings from their Twenty20 Cup.

Then what draws Klusener to the ICL?

“Well, first the opportunity to come back and play in India,” Klusener said, reminiscing about his Test match debut in Calcutta in 1998, where he took eight for 64 – his best Test figures.

“It is also an opportunity to guide some of the young players. I believe coaching is something I am good at.”

Does that mean he is looking forward to coaching as his next career option? “I am not sure,” Klusener said. “I am good at it, but I don’t think I can do it for a longer period of time.”

Klusener has come to India after being associated with organised and professional first-class structure in South Africa and England. Does he think the Indian first-class cricketers are as professional as those in some of the other countries?

“It’s a difficult question to answer,” he said. “A lot of these cricketers have never tasted top quality cricket, so it would be difficult for me to compare them with others.

“There are some who have played a lot of first-class cricket, and they are professionals.”

Jayasuriya to retire from Test cricket?

Colombo : Veteran Sri Lankan batsman Sanath Jayasuriya is contemplating retirement from Test cricket, a report said here on Sunday.

The 38-year-old, considered one of the most explosive batsmen of modern cricket, is planning to make the announcement during the first Test match England at Kandy next Saturday, ‘The Sunday Times’ reported, quoting a “very senior member of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC)”.

When contacted, a top SLC official, however, refused to comment on the report.

“Sanath has not told me about it. So how can I comment,” the official told PTI.

Jayasuriya is currently the highest run-scorer in Tests with a tally of 6885 runs in 109 matches. The left-hander averages 40.2 with 340 being his highest.

Jaysuriya has scored 14 centuries and 30 fifties.

The part-time left arm spinner is only three short of 100 wickets in Tests.