Ponting bids farewell to T20Is

Australia's cricket captain, Ricky Ponting, has said that he will no longer play in the T20I format of the game and conveyed his decision to the Australian management that consists of chief selector, Andrew Hilditch, coach Tim Nielsen and the vie-captain, Michael Clarke. He has also said that he will continue playing in the test matches and the ODIs. Vice-captain Michael Clarke, who is also leading the Aussies in the ODIs now, will now be the skipper of the T20I team, while Ponting will continue to remain the leader in the five-day format and the ODIs. However, it is not yet not been made official as to who would lead the Aussies in the T20I format.

Ponting said, "As I said after the fifth Test in London, I am hoping to continue playing Test cricket for as long as possible and retiring from the Twenty20 format gives me the best chance of doing this. I will now have set periods of rest throughout the Australian summer and while touring which I feel will be very beneficial."

Already Ponting had gone back home after at the end of the Ashes, and not featured in the two T20Is and the first few ODIs of the England tour. He had lost the Ashes 2-1, and despite knowing that it was a trifle difficult to visualise, had expressed his desire to come back in the 2013 version of the Ashes in England. The retirement from T20Is will now extend his test match and ODI careers.

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly had also done the same when the T20Is had just about made their mark, by pulling out of the ICC World T20 format to prolong their careers in the other formats of the game. However, all three of them still play in the Indian Premier League. Ponting has also clarified that he will continue to fulfil his IPL contract which will last for at least one more season for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Ever since the inception of the T20Is, and apart from the first game where he smashed a 98 against the Kiwis, he had struggled to get going in the format and hadn't done too well. Australian Cricket Board's CEO, James Sutherland said, "We are very supportive of the decision Ricky has made and understanding of the reasons behind it." He also said that while Ponting would be a huge loss to the Australian T20I side, it will provide opportunity to many a youngster to shine in that format.

http://www.action8cricket.com/cricket_news-ponting_bids_farewell_to_t20is-1585.htm

Ranking in Champions League

The Kent Spitfires will look back over a disappointing month which saw them miss out on Twenty20 Cup glory and a place in the T20 Champions League which results in them slipping three places in the jackpotCity.com Power Rankings.

The Spitfires went into the Twenty20 Cup Finals Day at Edgbaston looking to claim their second Twenty20 Cup title and were most people's favorites but they suffered a suprise semi final defeat against the Somerset Sabres who went on to lose in the final against the Sussex Sharks.

The Sharks victory at Edgbaston was their first Twenty20 Cup title and although they will play in the Champions League along side the Sabres neither team we able to claim a place in the jackotyCity.com Power Rankings top ten.

With no other Twenty20 games being played this month the Deccan Chargers remain in first place in the rankings followed closely by the Stallions and Royal Challengers. With no domestic Twenty20 games taking place in September attention will now turn to the T20 Champions League in October.

August 2009
RK	Team	Breakdown	Country
1	Deccan Chargers	The Deccan Chargers climb to the top of the power rankings thans to their amazing turn around from last place to IPL winners in less then a year thanks to the leadership of Adam Gilchrist	IND (IPL)
2	Sialkot Stallions	With Shoaib Malik and Kamran Younis in fine form the Sialkot Stallions claimed back to back Pakistan Twenty20 Championships to strenghten their place in the top half of the power rankings	PAK
3	Bangalore R. Challengers	The Challengers started this years IPL poorly but once Anil Kumble took charge they started to look like a lot better and they played some fantastic cricket during their late 5 game winning streak which took them to the final	IND (IPL)
4	Delhi Daredevils	Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag lead the Daredevils from the front and they looked the best team during the group stages of the IPL but they fell apart again as soon as they got to the semis losing to the Chargers	IND (IPL)
5	New South Wales Blues	The Blues won this years KFC Big Bash beating the Victorian Bushrangers in a thrilling final to claim a place in the Champions League in October were they have set their sights on qualifying for the semi final stages	AUS
6	Chennai Super Kings	At times during this years IPL the Super Kings looked like they would be challenging for a place in the final but they lost to many games against the poor teams and eventfully petered out in the semis against the Challengers	IND (IPL)
7	Victorian Bushrangers	After four straight KFC Big Bash championships the Bushrangers lost their crown to the Blues but with the Champions League in October they will be looking to stake their claim as one of the worlds nest Twenty20 teams	AUS
8	Cape Cobras	The Cape Cobras claimed their first Pro20 title this year and with players like Jean-Paul Duminy, Graeme Smith and Charl Langeveldt in their ranks they could suprise a number of teams this autumn during the Champions League	SA
9	Karachi Dolphins	The Karachi Dolphins just missed out on a place in the Champions League after losing to the Sialkot Stallions in the final of Pakistan's domestic Twenty20 Cup but climb back into the top ten	PAK
10	Kent Spitfires	The Spitfires went into the Twenty20 Cup Finals Day as the everyone's favorite to claim their second title but ended up losing out to the Somerset Sabres in the semi final stages and missing out on the Champions League was a huge blow	ENG

2009 Twenty20 Champions League Fixtures

Thursday, October 8th 2009 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Cape Cobras Group C 20:00 Bangalore Friday, October 9th 2009 New South Wales Blues vs Diamond Eagles Group B 16:00 Delhi Delhi Daredevils vs Victorian Bushrangers Group A 20:00 Delhi Saturday, October 10th 2009 Cape Cobras vs Otago Volts Group C 16:00 Hyderabad Deccan Chargers vs Somerset Sabres Group A 20:00 Hyderabad Sunday, October 11th 2009 New South Wales Blues vs Sussex Sharks Group B 16:00 Delhi Delhi Daredevils vs Wayamba Group D 20:00 Delhi Monday, October 12th 2009 Somerset Sabres vs Trinidad & Tobago Group B 16:00 Bangalore Royal Challengers Otago Volts Group A 20:00 Bangalore Tuesday, October 13th 2009 Victorian Bushrangers vs Wayamba Group D 16:00 Delhi Diamond Eagles vs Sussex Sharks Group B 20:00 Delhi Wednesday, October 14th 2009 Deccan Chargers vs Trinidad & Tobago Group A 16:00 Hyderabad

Thursday, October 15th 2009 C1 vs D2 League B 20:00 Bangalore Friday, October 16th 2009 A2 vs B2 League A 16:00 Hyderabad A1 vs B1 League A 20:00 Hyderabad Saturday, October 17th 2009 C2 vs D2 League B 16:00 Bangalore C1 vs D1 League B 20:00 Bangalore Sunday, October 18th 2009 A2 vs B1 League A 16:00 Hyderabad A1 vs B2 League A 20:00 Hyderabad Monday, October 19th 2009 C2 vs D1 League B 20:00 Bangalore

Wednesday, October 21st 2009 Winner League B vs Runner-up League A 20:00 Delhi

Thursday, October 22nd 2009 Winner League A vs Runner-up League B 20:00 Hyderabad

Friday, October 23rd 2009 Winner Semi Final 1 vs Winner Semi Final 2 20:00 Hyderabad

Players claim some ICL matches were fixed

An Indian player who was associated with the Indian Cricket League has said that a former Pakistan captain used to fix matches in the league.

Some other homegrown ICL players TOI spoke to said that news reports from Pakistan revealing rampant match-fixing in the 'rebel' league had not come as a surprise to them. On Monday, two Pakistani newspapers had quoted unnamed sources as saying that ICL had withheld payments of a few top cricketers because of their involvement in betting.

"The entire Lahore Badshahs team was into it. The top cricketer that reports are mentioning is a former captain. You would've (media) followed up reports only about Dinesh Mongia and Chris Cairns because ICL sacked them. They were sacked because there was an official complaint lodged by the team and they were warned twice," said a top ICL player who has now sought amnesty with the BCCI.

ICL officials have been tight-lipped throughout. On Monday too, all efforts to reach Himanshu Modi, the former CEO of the league, and Atul Pandey, the new CEO, failed.

Meanwhile, players are now beginning to speak openly about the mess that prevailed in ICL and this is primarily because their payments too have been withheld along with those who were involved in illegal betting.

"Most of us are yet to receive payments dating back to December. Some players have to receive payments of three to four months and some haven't been paid for six months. Those who indulged in betting don't need to worry because (naturally) they made a lot more in fixing matches than what they stand to lose in terms of ICL fees," said the player.

The player recalled the match played between Lahore Badshahs and Hyderabad Heroes on November 15 last year and said it was fixed to the last ball. "It was a best-of-three final and Badshahs won the first, but lost the second final so that a third one could be played," he said.

Katich shocked by Pontings T20 decision

Source - theage.com.au

Test opener Simon Katich says he is shocked by Ricky Ponting's decision to retire from Twenty20 International cricket, but believes other players will follow his lead.

Ponting is keen to play on until the next Ashes series in England in 2013 and has opted to ditch the ultra-short and extremely popular version of the game.

"It came as a shock," Katich told reporters on Tuesday.

"He has been playing very well, so to pull out of one form of the game, I totally respect that decision.

"It's his call and he knows his body best. He has made his vision clear and I think it's important to know where you are headed.

"I think there's a chance there will be more of that happening down the track, particularly when guys are later in their career, because there's no doubt one-day cricket does take a lot out of guys."

The heavy workload of players participating in all three forms of international cricket has resulted in Test vice-captain Michael Clarke withdrawing from the NSW team for next month's lucrative Champions League T20 tournament in India.

The Blues have also lost Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin who has pulled out of the Champions League and the Australian side for this month's Champions Trophy tournament following recent finger surgery.

Katich said he wasn't surprised by Clarke's decision to pull out of the Champions League T20 tournament.

"Given that there's so much coming up for the Australian team not just now, but also after the Champions League," Katich said.

NSW on Tuesday named a 15-man squad including nine internationals for the Champions League.

"The Indian teams will definitely hold the advantage playing in their own conditions and given they've got access to up to 10 international players," Katich added.

"We've got a lot of experience in our squad with guys having played international cricket, but we also know that it's going to be a tough series."

NSW and Victoria will represent Australia in the inaugural 12-team Champions League.

Looking ahead to the domestic season, Katich wasn't overly concerned at the selection issues facing the Blues with four Test openers on their books.

Shane Watson has crossed from Queensland and joins Katich, Phil Hughes and Phil Jaques in the squad.

However Katich said NSW were unlikely to see much of Watson this summer and probably not before the end of November and hinted he would probably drop himself down the order.

"When I've played here, I've batted anywhere so I don't think it's an issue, it hasn't been in the past," Katich said.

"From my point of view, whatever is best for the team will be the way it goes."

Cricket NSW chief executive David Gilbert said he was still trying to sign Sri Lankan captain and batsman Kumar Sangakkara for the domestic Twenty20 tournament in the December/January but was waiting to hear whether the player would be available.

The NSW team for the Champions League tournament starting on October 8 is: Simon Katich (capt), Aaron Bird, Doug Bollinger, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Daniel Smith, Nathan Hauritz, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes, Brett Lee, Stephen O'Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Steven Smith, Dominic Thornely and David Warner.

Teams announce star studded T20 squads

Source - ndtv.com

The inaugural edition of the Champions League Twenty20 promises to be brimming with international stars after the announcement of the final 15-player squads for this year's tournament from October 8-23.

There are a total of twelve teams participating in the event that will feature the likes of Graeme Smith, Virender Sehwag, Brett Lee, Brendon McCullum, Paul Collingwood and Dwayne Bravo.

Lalit Modi, the brain behind the event, feels it will be a star-studded affair.

"Never before has a domestic cricket tournament featured as many cricket superstars as the inaugural Airtel Champions League Twenty20," Modi said.

"As expected, almost all eligible international stars have confirmed their attendance at domestic cricket's showpiece event," he added.

The Chairman of the T20 event refused to pick any team as the tournament favourite.

"Picking a winner of the tournament is impossible. While some of the squads consist almost entirely of international players, there is enough high-class talent in all teams to ensure that no team enters the Champions League Twenty20 as overwhelming favourites," Modi said.

Dean Kino, Champions League Twenty20 Governing Council Member and Director of Legal and Business Affairs, too, reiterated the opinion.

"When the Champions League Twenty20 concept was first devised by the BCCI, Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa, we set out to create a tournament that reflected cricket's global appeal and would be a true test between the best of best," Kino said.

"The quality of players who will line up for their respective teams, coupled with the billions of people who will follow the tournament, will do this vision justice."

"A number of players, including AB de Villiers, Paul Collingwood, Dirk Nannes and Daniel Vettori will represent their 'away' teams in the tournament, highlighting the global nature of domestic Twenty20 cricket," Kino added.

The T20 event that was scheduled to start in 2008, had to be cancelled after the Mumbai terror attack. The tournament will finally see the light of the day on October 8.

"With just 30 days to go until the first ball is bowled, today's announcement of the teams is another important milestone as we build towards the first match on October 8," Modi said.

Here are the 12 teams:

Trinidad and Tobago: Daren Ganga (c), Sherwin Ganga, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Lendl Simmons, Dave Mohammed, Keiron Pollard, William Perkins, Samuel Badree, Rayad Emrit, Navin Stewart, Sunil Narine, Adrian Barath.

Victorian Bushrangers: Cameron White (c), Bradley Hodge, Peter Siddle, David Hussey, Andrew McDonald, Jon Holland, Clinton McKay, Robert Quiney, Matthew Wade, Aiden Blizzard, Aaron Finch, Shane Harwood, John Hastings, Damien Wright, Bryce McGain.

Delhi Daredevils: Virender Sehwag (c), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Gautam Gambhir, Dirk Nannes, Dinesh Karthik, Daniel Vettori, Ashish Nehra, Amit Mishra, AB DeVilliers, Paul Collingwood, Owais Shah, Pradeep Sangwan, Aavishkar Salvi, Rajat Bhatia, Mithun Manhas.

NSW Blues: Simon Katich (c), Phillip Hughes, Brett Lee, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Moises Henriques, Nathan Hauritz, Daniel Smith, Doug Bollinger, Stephen O'Keefe, Ben Rohrer, Steven Smith, Aaron Bird, Dominic Thornely, David Warner.

Otago Volts: Craig Cumming (c), Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Aaron Redmond, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Greg Todd, Hamish Rutherford, Derek de Boorder, Nick Baird, Warren McSkimming, Neil Wagner, Mattew Harvie, James McMillan.

Cape Cobras: Graeme Smith (c), Hershelle Gibbs, J P Duminy, Justin Ontong, Charl Langeveldt, Claude Henderson, Monde Zondeki, Vernon Philander, Henry Davids, Derek Brand, Francois Plaatjies, Ryan Canning, Rory Kleinveldt, Richard Levi, Sybrand Engelbrecht.

Wayamba: Jehan Mubarak (c), Mahela Jayawardene, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Farveez Maharoof, Kaushlya Lokuarachchi, Jeevantha Kulathunga, Mahela Udawatta, Thisara Perera, Sameera Soysa, Shalika Karunanayake, Isura Udana, Ishara Amerasinghe, Chanka Welagedera, Michael Vandort.

Sussex Sharks: Michael Yardy (c), Luke Wright, Piyush Chawla, Dwayne Smith, Edmund Joyce, Joe Gatting, Robin Martin-Jenkins, William Beer, Andrew Hodd, Christopher Nash, Ben Brown, Rory Hamilton-Brown, Mohmmed Yasir Arafat, Chad Keegan, James Kirtley.

Diamond Eagles: Boeta Dippenaar (c), Dillion du Preez, Morne van Wyk, Mthandeki Tshabalala, Adrian McLaren, Ryan McLaren, Victor Mpitsang, Ryan Bailey, Jandre Coetzee, Cornelis De Villiers, Dean Elgar, Reeza Hendricks, Alan Kruger, Rilee Rossouw, Shadley van Schalkwyk.

Somerset Sabres: Justin Langer (c), Marcus Trescothick, Zander de Bruyn, Omari Banks, James Hildreth, Craig Kieswetter, Pete Trego, Arul Suppiah, Alfonso Thomas, Max Waller, Charl Willoughby, Wes Durston, Mark Turner, Jos Buttler, Ben Philips.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Anil Kumble (c), Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Dale Steyn, Manish Pandey, Praveen Kumar, Jesse Ryder, Roelof Van Der Merwe, Mark Boucher, Vinay Kumar, Virat Kohli, Akhil Balachandra, Rajesh Bishoni.

Deccan Chargers: Adam Gilchrist (c), VVS Laxman, Rohit Sharma, Andrew Symonds, Fidel Edwards, Scott Styris, Chaminda Vaas, RP Singh, Ryan Harris, Pragyan Ojha, Y Venugopal Rao, T Suman, Azhar Bilakhia, Harmeet Singh, SM Shoaib.

Pakistani players are involved in match fixing, claims Umar

KARACHI, Sep 6: In another sensational claim, former Pakistan batsman Qasim Umar has accused two senior cricketers of the national team of being involved in match fixing and using drugs. Umar, who has now turned to religion for solace, told the daily “Jang’ newspaper, on Sunday, that he would disclose the names of the players at an appropriate time. “Right now I don't want to take any names because both these players are influential persons and they can have me killed. I fear for my life,” Umar claimed. “I am silent now for some reasons but when the time comes I will unmask their faces,” he said. Incidentally, Umar was banned for life in the late 80s for accusing former captain Imran Khan and some other players of smuggling drugs in their kit bags to England. “I know one of these players has been involved in fixing matches while the other has used drugs,” Umar added. Umar had recently, on a television show, alleged that former West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards used recreational drugs on regular basis for relaxation and stamina enhancement. “I appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to call me and hear me out because I know that when I’ll speak the truth and reveal the names what will happen to me,” he said. “In the past also my career was destroyed because I dared to speak the truth. The Pakistan Cricket Board just to appease Imran destroyed my career and banned me without hearing my story,” he added. Umar had also appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to help him get his job with a bank, which had sacked him after the PCB imposed life ban on him. “I feel cricketers who do things that are against the nation should be brought to justice and when the time comes I will play my role in this,” he said. (PTI)

New Zealand clinch Twenty20 series win over Sri Lanka

COLOMBO (Reuters) - New Zealand won the second Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka by 22 runs to clinch a 2-0 series victory on Friday.

New Zealand followed their thrilling three-run victory on Wednesday night with an impressive all-round display, following the disappointment of a 2-0 test series defeat.

The tourists won the toss and piled on 170 with Jess Ryder scoring a 37-ball 52 that included three huge sixes. Brendon McCullum scored 49 from 34 balls.

Sri Lanka's bowlers, with the exception of spinners Ajantha Mendis (1-21) and Sanath Jayasuriya (2-22), were punished as Ryder and McCullum gave New Zealand a winning platform with an 84-run opening stand.

Sri Lanka made a poor start to their run chase, collapsing to 11 for 3 with Tillakaratne Dilshan (one), Mahela Udawatte (nought) and Jayasuriya (seven) all going early.

Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara repaired some of the damage with a 67-run partnership.

Jayawardene stroked 41 from 30 balls, with five fours and a six, and Sangakkara cracked a career-best 69 from 50 balls with seven boundaries.

However, the hosts were always behind the run rate as New Zealand bowled tightly and fielded brilliantly throughout the innings.

(To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)

Sanjay Dutt shows interest in buying IPL franchise

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt had shown interest in buying an Indian Premier League franchise when he met the cash-rich Twenty20 League Commissioner Lalit Modi here.

"Yes, he met Lalit Modi yesterday to get details about buying an IPL team," top sources in the Cricket Board said.

Dutt is trying to follow the footsteps of Bollywood celebrities Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Juhi Chawla and Shilpa Shetty in buying stakes in IPL franchises.

Shah Rukh is the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders in which Juhi Chawla has stakes while Preity and Shilpa have stakes in the Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals franchises respectively.

Dutt is the second Bollywood celebrity after Salman Khan to have met Modi recently to discuss about buying an IPL franchise.

Last month Khan had met Modi and evinced interest in buying one of the two new franchise teams which are to be added in the 2011 edition of the tournament and for which auctions are planned to be held next summer.

PTI