Major changes for South Africa as Kirsten takes charge

Johannesburg, June 6 (AFP): Gary Kirsten will take charge of the South African cricket team in August, heading an almost completely new leadership group.
Kirsten's appointment as team director and head coach was announced by Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday.
He will have two new lieutenants in assistant coach Russell Domingo and bowling coach Allan Donald and a new one-day and Twenty20 captain in AB de Villiers.
Graeme Smith will remain captain of the Test team, the only post that remains with the previous incumbent.
De Villiers will be vice-captain of the Test team and Hashim Amla will be vice-captain of the limited overs sides.
Kirsten will officially start a two-year contract on August 1 after what he described as a necessary "cooling off period" after his three-year stint as coach of India, which culminated in World Cup glory in April.
Domingo will also start work on August 1 but former fast bowling great Donald will start work immediately and travel with the South Africa A team to Zimbabwe this month.
Kirsten, 43, who played in 101 Tests for South Africa, said being appointed to coach his native country was a "major honour" but set no specific goals.
But CSA chief executive Gerald Majola said one reason why there had been an exhaustive process to find the new coach was a lack of consistency in the South African team's results and its failure to land a major global event such as the World Cup.
South African cricket was "a very different environment" from that in India, said Kirsten.
"It is important to get back into understanding the South African cricket environment and I am looking forward to working with the captains and the players."
Kirsten said consultants would be used from time to time to assist the full-time coaches.
He said Paddy Upton, the mental conditioning coach who shared much of the credit with Kirsten for India's success, would work with the South African team, although not on a full-time basis.
The new appointments mean the end of long-time assistant coach Vincent Barnes' role with the team.
The appointment of De Villiers and Amla mean there will be no leadership role for Johan Botha, who captained the Twenty20 team after Smith gave up that role last year.
And senior player Jacques Kallis, who has frequently acted as vice-captain or stand-in captain, will be free to concentrate on his role with Kirsten describing him as "one of the greatest players of all time".
De Villiers said he was looking forward to the challenge of captaincy.
He admitted that South Africa's defeat by New Zealand at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup had been disappointing.
"We have that history of not performing well in big events. We went down when the pressure was on again. That is definitely something I'd like to work on."

Cook sets up victory shot against Sri Lanka

London, June 6 (AFP): England gave themselves a chance to win their Test series against Sri Lanka with a match to spare after losing skipper Andrew Strauss for a duck at Lord's here on Monday.
The hosts, at stumps on the fourth day of the second Test, were 149 for two in their second innings - a lead of 156 - with Alastair Cook 61 not out.
Cook, under skies brightened by the Lord's floodlights, helped England recover from none for one after the exit of Strauss and together with Jonathan Trott (58) put on 117 for the second wicket.
Kevin Pietersen, despite coming in when Rangana Herath was on - left-arm spinners, including Herath, have removed him 19 times in Tests - was unbeaten on 15.
England had dismissed Sri Lanka for just 82 inside 25 overs to force an improbable innings and 14-run win in the similarly rain-interrupted first Test in Cardiff.
But here they still have 98 overs left on Tuesday's final day in which to achieve a win that would put them 2-0 up in this three-match series.
And the time remaining means a Sri Lanka victory can't be ruled out completely either.
Sri Lanka, after rain washed out all of Monday's morning session, made 479 in reply to England's first innings 486 - a deficit of just seven runs.
Strauss was then plumb lbw to left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara off the second ball of the innings, the skipper wasting a review before walking back to the Pavilion.
The in-form Trott, sometimes criticised for slow-scoring, prospered against an under-powered Sri Lanka seam attack to score a 66-ball fifty, completed when he punched Dilhara Fernando through the covers for his eighth four.
Former skipper Kumar Sangakkara, captaining the side as Tillakaratne Dilshan was off the field following the finger injury he'd suffered making a Sri Lankan Lord's Test-best 193 on Sunday, then opted for spin.
And it took Herath just four balls to bowl Trott, playing over the top of a dipping delivery.
Trott's exit meant Pietersen had to face Herath immediately but he played out the over with two forward defensive shots.
Cook then drove Fernando through the covers for a sixth four to go to an 86-ball fifty.
An even bigger roar came after Pietersen, advancing confidently down the pitch, drove Herath straight back over the bowler's head for the first four of his innings.
Earlier, Sri Lanka lost two wickets - Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera - for no runs in three balls to be 409 for six.
But wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene (no relation), who made 112 in the first innings in Cardiff, hit back with a stylish 40 featuring a six and five fours and put on 57 with Herath in a lively seventh-wicket stand.
England's pace attack, wayward on Sunday in the absence of injured Ashes spearhead James Anderson, showed signs of early improvement Monday.
But a huge total of 58 extras, including 23 byes, most of which could not be blamed on wicketkeeper Matt Prior, was evidence of a lack of accuracy.
Steven Finn, recalled in place of Anderson, took four for 108 while off-spinner Graeme Swann polished off the tail with three for eight in 16 balls.

Rohit stars as India ease to victory over Windies

Port of Spain, June 6 (AFP): Rohit Sharma led the way with an unbeaten 68, and Shikhar Dhawan scored 51 to propel India to a facile four-wicket victory over West Indies in the first One-day International on Monday.

Sharma struck three fours and one six from 75 balls, and Dhawan hit the same number of boundaries from 76 deliveries, as India, chasing 215 for victory, reached their target with 31 balls remaining.

Harbhajan Singh hit the winning runs with a six over deep square leg off West Indies captain Darren Sammy.

India take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, which continues on Wednesday at the same venue.

"It was a pleasing victory for us," said India captain Suresh Raina.

"Our bowlers did a good job for us, and this was followed by Rohit and Shikhar."

"It was a bit shaky for us when he started our chase because the pitch was not all that good for free-scoring batting, but we rotated the strike very well, especially Rohit, and we got the job done very well."

India's spinners, led by Harbhajan, took their cue from Pakistan before them, and restricted West Indies to 214 for nine from their allocation of 50 overs.

Harbhajan collected three for 32 from 10 overs, and led the five spin bowling options employed by the Indians, collecting five wickets, and conceding 125 runs from a collective 31 overs.

Ramnaresh Sarwan hit the top score of 56 from 94 deliveries, and Marlon Samuels made 55 from 75 balls in a third wicket stand of 82 that gave the innings some backbone, after West Indies, electing to bat, went into a tailspin on 59 for three in the 19th over.

Similarly, India were wobbling on 61 for three in the 16th over, after their batsmen found scoring difficult on the slow Queen's Park Oval pitch.

Dhawan added 43 with Sharma for the fourth wicket before he was caught at deep mid-wicket off leg-spinner Anthony Martin in the 26th over.

But it was a stand of 80 between Sharma and Raina that put India firmly on track for victory.

Raina, whose 43 from 50 balls included four boundaries, was caught at long-on off Martin in the 41st over, and Yusuf Pathan made 10 then gave Ravi Rampaul a return catch before Harbhajan took India over the finish line.

"We bowled well, but we did not score enough runs to be able to keep the pressure on them," said Sammy.

Earlier, Praveen Kumar struck an early blow, when he had Lendl Simmons caught at mid-off for six in the seventh over, and Munaf Patel had left-hander Darren Bravo caught at slip for four in the next over, leaving West Indies 28 for two.

Harbhajan set West Indies back further, when Kirk Edwards was caught at slip off a top-edged pulled whip.

India met defiance, when Samuels joined Sarwan, and they revived West Indies, but the spin bowling remained a danger, and the hosts batsmen were never in full control.

Patel made the breakthrough, when Sarwan glanced a leg-side delivery, and was caught behind, triggering a collapse that saw West Indies lose their next five wickets for 37 inside the last 10 overs.

This is the first ODI series for India, since they won the World Cup on home soil two months ago.

I am not satisfied yet: Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar has almost every batting record that is there to be made under his belt but the iconic Indian cricketer says he is still not satisfied with his career as he considers satisfaction the beginning of stagnation.

"When you win something or score a century you say you are happy, but not satisfied. Satisfaction is like engaging the handbrake and hoping a car moves forward," Tendulkar told the latest issue of 'Sky Sports Magazine'.

"I am not satisfied yet with my career and what I have done, not at all. I feel the moment you start to feel satisfied, then it is only natural that you begin to cool down and lose it," he explained.

Tendulkar reiterated that he is not even thinking of retirement despite completing more than two decades in international cricket.

"I still love cricket as much as ever. It is my job, but it is also my passion. Cricket remains in my heart, I don''t need anything else to motivate me. I dreamed of playing for my country when I was young and it is still my dream, it is still fun for me," the 38-year-old right-hander said.

"Life without cricket is unthinkable," he added.

Tendulkar attributed his longevity and recent success to a stricter fitness regime, not playing Twenty20 Internationals and bowling only sparingly. .

India Vs West Indies Only T20 Match

 Depleted India face off against struggling West Indies in T20

Port of Spain (Trinidad), Jun 3 (PTI) They might be without key senior players but even a second-string India would be hard to stop for the struggling West Indies when the two sides clash in a one-off Twenty20 match here tomorrow.
Led by Suresh Raina, India are without seniors such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni among others, but they can still turn the tables on the West Indians whom they have never beaten in a Twenty20 match before.
As touring Indians get set to take on the hosts at the Queen's Park Oval here, they can take comfort from the disarray in which the hosts presently find themselves.
Rival coach Ottis Gibson is candid enough to lay bare in public domain, the issues which are stopping his young team from winning consistently.
His latest ire is reserved for pitches in the Caribbean which, according to him, are not suited to the strength of the home side.
He hit out yesterday, stating that pitches across the Caribbean this summer have not worked to his team's advantage at all.
The one at Queen's Park Oval is expected to be low and slow which is at variance with the strength of the West Indian team.
The hosts have two of the most economical and frugal medium-paceers in skipper Darren Sammy and Ravi Rampaul but the Oval pitch appears to have been made more for the visitors' liking.

 

 

 

Gambhir, Yuvraj out of WI tour; Raina to lead ODI team

Gautam Gambhir will not tour the West Indies due to his injured shoulder, it was finally confirmed by the BCCI after Friday's selection committee meeting to pick the Test squad. But in an unfortunate development today, Yuvraj Singh has also opted out of the tour due to a respiratory infection.
Yuvraj has a small patch of pneumonitis on the left lung. Sachin Tendulkar, who had earlier opted out of the ODIs, will now miss the whole tour citing family commitments. With Gambhir's injury, and with Virender Sehwag undergoing a shoulder surgery, India will be without both their regular openers after a long time.
"Tendulkar will not play the Test series. However, he will be available for the full tour of England, that follows," the BCCI said.
Suresh Raina will replace Gambhir as the ODI captain. Manoj Tiwary and Shikhar Dhawan have been named the replacement batsmen. Harbhajan Singh will be Raina's deputy.
BADRINATH, MUKUND, KOHLI IN TEST SQUAD
Tamil Nadu batsmen Subramaniam Badrinath and Abhinav Mukund have been brought in while ODI regular Virat Kohli has also been named in the squad. Captain MS Dhoni and Zaheer Khan will be available for the Tests. Test specialist VVS Laxman has been named Dhoni's deputy.
Laxman was earlier India's vice-captain on the South Africa in 2006. Munaf Patel, who last played a Test on the tour of New Zealand in 2009, is also back in the Test squad.
Badrinath was the highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy last season with 922 runs, including four tons and three fifties with a highest score of 195 at an average of 131.71.
CONSISTENT PERFORMERS
Badrinath has a stellar first-class record and has scored 7478 runs at an average of 62.31, with 27 centuries and 32 fifties. He last played a Test at home against South Africa in 2010.
Mukund had an impressive Ranji Trophy season. In nine matches, he made 620 runs with a highest score of 232 at an average of 56.36.
Dhawan was the highest run-scorer for Deccan Chargers in IPL-4 with 400 runs at an average of 33.33 and strike rate of 129.03. Tiwary scored 359 runs at an average of 51.28 and strike rate of 110.46 for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL-4.
Delhi's Dhawan played his only ODI against Australia in October 2010 where he scored a blob. Bengal's Tiwary played his only ODI against Australia in February 2008 and scored two runs before being famously done in by a Brett Lee yorker. He slipped off the radar for the next couple of years before working his way back into form.
Kohli has scored 2131 runs, including seven centuries and eight half-centuries with a highest score of 197 at an average of 57.59 in 30 first-class matches.
Patel played the last of his 20 Tests against Sri Lanka in August 2008, where he filled in for Dhoni. He has 683 runs at an average of 29.69 and 41 catches with eight stumpings.
The selection meeting was also attended by India's new coach Duncan Fletcher.
Test squad:
MS Dhoni (C/WK), VVS Laxman (VC), Murali Vijay, Abhinav Mukund, Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Subramaniam Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, S Sreesanth, Amit Mishra, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Parthiv Patel (WK).
Limited-overs squad:
Suresh Raina (C), R Ashwin, S Badrinath, Harbhajan Singh (VC), Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Amit Mishra, Munaf Patel, Parthiv Patel (WK), Yusuf Pathan, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Ishant Sharma, Rohit Sharma, Vinay Kumar, Manoj Tiwary, Shikhar Dhawan.

Sports News: 1 out of 3 cricketers ready to put IPL ahead of co...

Sports News: 1 out of 3 cricketers ready to put IPL ahead of co...: "Sydney, June 2 (AFP) - Five-year bans handed to three Pakistani cricketers for spot-fixing offences were too lenient, according to a sur..."

1 out of 3 cricketers ready to put IPL ahead of country

Sydney, June 2 (AFP) - Five-year bans handed to three Pakistani cricketers for spot-fixing offences were too lenient, according to a survey of international players released Thursday.
Over three-quarters of respondents to the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) players' survey, said the bans meted out to Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer were inadequate.
The trio, accused by Britain's News of the World of conspiring to deliberately bowl no-balls as part of a 'spot-fixing' betting scam last year, were banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
All deny wrongdoing and are appealing the verdicts at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
"The vast number of players want significant penalties to be invoked against those who are found guilty of serious corruption offences," said FICA chief executive Tim May.
"Whilst 100 percent of players say that they will report any corrupt approaches made to them, 20 percent of them do not have confidence in the ICC to treat this information confidentially."
May said the vast majority of the 45 players polled were more comfortable reporting corruption approaches to their team manager, than to the ICC Anti Corruption Unit.
Meanwhile, nearly a third of players said they would retire early from international cricket to play exclusively in the Indian Premier League, citing fears over fixture clashes curbing their participation in the money-spinning event.
"The Indian Premier League continues to be popular with the players, and its superior pay structures for the players, continue to challenge players' priority over international cricket," May said.
"When players are able to earn over ten times their annual salary from their Boards, for just seven weeks cricket in the IPL, it would be foolhardy of Boards to continue to schedule international matches during IPL and expect players to remain loyal to the Board and international cricket," he said.
The survey also found that 54 percent of the players would retire from one or more formats of the game because of too much international cricket.
Players cited the major issues facing the game as governance, corruption and an overkill of international cricket, while only a single-figure percentage said decisions made at ICC Board level were in the wider interests of the game.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“Progress,
far from consisting in change,
depends on retentiveness.
Those who cannot remember the past
are condemned to repeat it.”