Hussain a fan of T20 cash 'pressure'

London: Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes the fact that finalists in this season's Twenty20 Cup will qualify for the lucrative new Champions League will take the tournament to another level.

The ex-Essex batsman compared the semi-finals of the county competition, which starts on Wednesday, to the Championship play-off final in football which sees a team promoted to the money-spinning English Premier League.

"Sport is better when there is something big hanging on the outcome. The higher the stakes, the more intense the pressure and the more the character of the players is revealed," Hussain wrote in his column for Britain's Daily Mail.

"The winners of the cup, which starts tomorrow, get something like 40,000 pounds (80,000 dollars). "But the two counties who reach the final will have the chance to earn 2.4 million pounds (5 million dollars) from the Champions League, so can you imagine the atmosphere if a team need four from the last ball in one of those semi-finals?

"What we will see is the cricketing equivalent of the football play-off final, with the winners going to the Premier League."

Twenty20, which was pioneered as a professional sport in English county cricket, has quickly become quickly popular around the world. It led to the creation of a World Twenty20 and a cash-rich tournament in India as well as talk of matches between England and a Caribbean all-star side bankrolled by Texan billionaire Allen Stanford.

Into that mix has now been added the Champions League, leaving some to question whether five-day Test cricket, which outside of England and Australia, can struggle to draw in the crowds, has much of a future.

But Hussain said while he could not see the likes of Kevin Pietersen pulling out of Tests, Twenty20 might alter England players' contractual arrangements.

"I can see people turning down (England) central contracts and, in effect, going freelance to play where the best money is on offer at any one time," Hussain explained.

"Pietersen knows England would always want him to play for them so, in theory, he could make himself available on a match-by-match basis." Hussain added: "There are concerns about the first-class game but I remain convinced that Test cricket will continue to prosper, at least in this country, and be treated as the pinnacle."

The inuagural Champions League will feature eight leading domestic sides from Australia, England, India and South Africa playing a series of 15 Twenty20 matches in either India or the Middle East sometime in late September and early October.

Western Australia and Victoria have already qualified to represent Australia. They will be joined by South Africa's Titans, from Pretoria, and KwaZulu Natal Dolphins as well as India's Chennai Super Kings and the Rajasthan Royals.

England's representatives will be the finalists in the Twenty20 Cup, which takes place at Hampshire's Rose Bowl ground on July 20.

Source: http://www.cricketnext.com/news/hussain-a-fan-of-t20-cash-pressure/32100-13.html

Team Jaipur forgets Pink City after win

JAIPUR: Saying goodbye is never easy. However, all good things come to an end and it is indeed time to say goodbye to Team Jaipur. Shane Warne and his band of merry men came here and conquered hearts. Not just in Jaipur, but in entire India.

However, it was in Jaipur that they left the most telling mark. In fact, Team Jaipur changed the face of Jaipur and rocketed this city of Royals to the forefront of cricketing geography. All of a sudden, Sawai Man Singh Stadium was the centre of all attention. Here was a team that was winning everything at home and doing so with great character.

Every Jaipurite felt a sense of pride and embraced these ‘outsiders' as their own. Even after the city lay crippled following deadly serial blasts, cricket brought the people together. Even if the turnout was less than normal for the match against Bangalore Royal Challengers, which happened within a few days of the blasts, the fans were back in full numbers against Mumbai Indians on May 26.

But one thing that will certainly disappoint cricket fans here. Why didn't Warne and his boys come back here for the victory celebrations? "If you look at a big event like the English Premier League, when the winners come home, there are big celebrations on the streets and in the home ground. But we are surprised that the franchisee didn't take any initiative to do so," a top BCCI official told TOI. The Jaipur franchisee, however, maintained that they had such plans but the players were in a hurry to get back home.

But the question remains: if such a celebration does not happen, how can the franchisee expect to generate local or city based loyalities?

Source:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Business/India_Business/File_Team_Jaipur_forgets_Pink_City_after_win/articleshow/3094769.cms

Rajasthan trounce Delhi to enter final

Shane Watson did the star turn as Rajasthan Royals stormed into the final of the Indian Premier League, beating Delhi Daredevils by 105 runs in the first semi-final at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on Friday night.

The Australia all-rounder first hit a breezy 52 as the Royals put up a challenging 192 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs and then destroyed the Delhi top order.

In a triple strike he had the top three Delhi batsmen -- Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Shikhar Dhawan -- dismissed cheaply.

Reduced to 24 for 3, Delhi never recovered and lost wickets at regular intervals. Watson finished with figures of 3 for 10 in three overs as Delhi Daredevils were dismissed for a paltry 87 in 16.2 overs.

Munaf , who was omitted from the ODI squads for Bangladesh and Pakistan tours, claimed 3 for 16 and Shane Warne 2 for 21 to hasten Rajasthan's passage to the final.

Rajasthan Royals take on the winners of Saturday's second semi-final between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super .

Delhi began their run-chase on a poor note as Sehwag (3) pulled a ball wide of the stumps from Watson and was caught by Sohail Tanvir at deep mid-wicket in the second over.

Gambhir (11) and left-handed Dhawan (5), who both showed good form earlier in the tournament, perished in quick succession after enabling Delhi make a partial recovery.

Gambhir slashed Watson off backfoot and was caught at cover point while Dhawan pulled the Aussie straight to short mid-wicket to leave Delhi gasping at 24 for three.

Watson's first three-over spell read a superb three for 10 and if Delhi had hopes of staging a fight-back they were thwarted by the dismissal of Manoj Tiwary (0), four runs later, off Munaf Patel.

It was a regular procession of batsmen thereafter.

Tillakratne Dilshan top-scored with 33 in 22 balls -- inclusive of a six and five fours -- before being seventh out at 76 in the 13th over.

Earlier, Yusuf Pathan celebrated his Team India inclusion with a whirlwind 45. The hard-hitting Pathan, named in the Indian 15 for next month's tri-series in Bangladesh and Asia Cup in Pakistan earlier in the day, creamed the hapless Delhi attack, which included Glenn McGrath, hitting four sixes and three fours in his 21-ball knock.

The 25-year-old Baroda all-rounder took over the attacking reins from all-rounder Watson, who stroked his way to a fine half century in 29 balls, including four sixes and three fours, after openers Graeme Smith (25 in 21 balls) and Swapnil Asnodkar (39 in 21 balls) launched the innings on a sound note.

Watson and Pathan's efforts helped Rajasthan Royals add 109 runs in the last 10 overs after Smith and the pint-sized Asnodkar put on 65 runs in 40 balls at the start.

Watson was involved in a breezy 52 runs partnership off 29 balls with Mohd Kaif (12) after Rajasthan Royals suddenly slipped to 76 for 3 from 65 without loss.

The innings started slowly as Smith was hampered by a pulled muscle while going for a run. But Asnodkar, who often took the aerial route and hit a six and six fours, boosted the run-rate.
The right-hander, after edging McGrath for his first four in the third over, struck Mohd Asif for three fours in the fourth over -- a slash, a lofted off drive and a hook � to give the innings the much-needed push.

Smith then took over and slammed McGrath for three consecutive fours as the score raced to 43 for no loss in five overs.

Asnodkar had a lucky escape off the first ball of V Yo Mahesh's spell when Farveez Maharoof dropped a sitter at long leg. He celebrated the escape by swinging the same bowler to the same area for a six to raise the 50 of the innings in only 33 balls.

Maharoof made amends by sending back both the Rajasthan openers with the last three balls of his first over.

Smith was caught flicking at deep square leg by a diving Shikhar Dhawan and then Asnodkar was dismissed at the same score of 65, caught at backward point off the Sri Lankan.
Maharoof also accounted for Sohail Tanvir, promoted up the order by his skipper, Shane Warne, as a pinch-hitter, when he miscued a swing to leg and the ball ballooned behind to stumper Dinesh .

From 65 for no loss, Rajasthan were reduced to 76 for three in the space of 14 balls. But the arrival of Watson brought about another run-spree as the Aussie slammed Yo Mahesh for a four and two sixes in his third over after change of ends to raise the 100 in 65 balls after the first ten overs had yielded 83 runs.

Watson then lofted leg spinner Amit Mishra for a six over long on to keep the scoring on a healthy note by adding 52 runs in 29 balls for the fourth wicket with Kaif to take the total past 125.

Kaif looked out of touch and was clean bowled when he tried a leg side heave off Mishra and missed the ball completely.

Pathan commenced his innings in whirlwind fashion by hoisting Mishra for successive sixes. Later he hit McGrath for a flat six over long on before being run out while going for the second run.

The track did not offer the pace bowlers the same sort of bounce and pace that was evident in previous matches held at the same stadium. Asif was carted around for 21 runs in his first two overs while McGrath gave away 22 in his first three.

Yo Mahesh proved very expensive and gave away 50 runs for two late wickets in his four overs.
Maharoof took three for 34 to emerge as the most successful bowler while Mishra claimed 2 for 37.

Source: http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/may/30ipl.htm

A high-octane contest between two well-balanced teams is on the cards when table toppers Rajasthan Royals take on a confident Delhi Daredevils in the first semi-final of the Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Friday.

The teams, which finished first and fourth in the preliminary 56-game phase of the Twenty20 tournament, appear evenly matched ahead of what promises top-drawer stuff in front of a capacity crowd at the Wankhede stadium.

The team that holds its nerve better and grabs the chances that come its way will go through to the summit clash against the winners of the second semi-final, on May 31, between Punjab Kings Eleven and Chennai Super Kings.

The second semi-final will also be held at the Wankhede, while the final, on June 1, will be played at the D Y Patil stadium, which has a bigger crowd capacity.

The Shane Warne-led Rajasthan Royals, impregnable at home in Jaipur, had only three losses in their 14 preliminary phase outings and have a 1-1 head-to-head record against the Virender Sehwag-led Daredevils, who got into the last four after seven wins and 15 points to their credit.
Both lost their matches when Mumbai Indians hosted them at the D Y Patil, and must be hoping that a change in venue for the knock-out round will bring happy tidings.

While both teams depended on their top-orders to fire and pile big totals, their middle orders looked a bit under-prepared when the chips were down.

Tracks at the Wankhede for the IPL have helped the seam bowlers, providing lateral movement and extra bounce, and bowlers of the calibre of Delhi Daredevils' Glenn McGrath should relish rolling his arm over.

The battle between McGrath, with support from Sri Lankan Farveez Maharoof and V Yo Mahesh, and Rajasthan's successful innings launchers, Graeme (416 runs) and Swapnil Asnodkar, could be crucial to the game's outcome.

The same applies to the Sohail Tanvir-Shane Watson-Munaf Patel combine, which will be up against the marauding Delhi opening pair of Gautam Gambhir (523) and Sehwag (403), as well as another in-form batsman at number three, Shikhar Dhawan.

Tanvir, with his extra quick bowling arm action, similar to that of his Pakistani countryman Wasim Akram, is the revelation in the IPL. He was hardly collared by any batting line-up, as indicated by his superb haul of 21 wickets at just 10 runs per victim.

The left armer was outstanding, both in the beginning and at the death, and is a major threat that needs to be negotiated well by the Delhi batsmen, who did not play him in the previous two clashes.

Rajasthan possess a better spin attack in the great Warne and his understudies, Yousuf Pathan and Dinesh Salunkhe, while Delhi depend on Amit Mishra for the most part, with Sehwag chipping in with his off breaks. But seam bowlers are expected to play a bigger role at the Wankhede.

Delhi had a sizeable break of five days going into the semi-final while Rajasthan, without a few key players, including Warne, were outclassed by Punjab King's XI on Wednesday.

Winning the toss and fielding first has become the order of the day for matches that commence at 2000 IST and the trend is likely to continue on Friday.

Barring light drizzles, Mumbai has been largely rain-free and the IPL authorities must be hoping that the weather remains clear over the next few days. The high prevailing humidity though is an indicator that rain is around the corner.

Teams (from):

Delhi Daredevils: Virender (c), Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan, Rajat Bhatia, A b de Villiers, Tillakratne Dilshan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Brett Geeves, Glenn McGrath, Farveez Maharoof, V Yo Mahesh, Mithun Manhas, Amit Mishra, Pradeep Sangwan, Mayank Tehlan, Manoj Tiwary.

Rajasthan Royals: Shane Warne (c), Graeme Smith, Swapnil Asnodkar, Kamran Akmal, Yousuf Pathan, Mohd. Kaif, Shane Watson, Ravindra Jadeja, Niraj Patel, Sohail Tanvir, Siddharth Trivedi, Pankaj Singh, Munaf Patel, Mahesh Rawat, Dinesh Salunkhe, Morne Morkel, Taruwar Kohli.

Umpires: Rudi Koerzen and Billy Bowden

Third umpire: Billy Doctrove

Match referee: J Srinath.


Source: http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2008/may/29semis.htm

So much for experience

Those who doubted that cricket could be a demanding and capricious mistress needed only to watch the last ball of this incredible game. A current Indian Under-19 star and one from the not-too-distant past ranged against a side with a wealth of international experience. Two runs for the win, one for the tie. Who would your money have been on?

What unfolded was almost beyond belief. The experienced bowler, after a couple of nervous false starts, summoned up a delivery that couldn't quite be slogged, but when the ball streaked back towards him, he dived over it. Another international scampered in from long-off, gathered, and let fly with a throw that was a few feet wide of the stumps. International number three couldn't collect the ball. In between all this mayhem, with the stadium noise amplified to ear-splitting levels, the two lesser lights ran two. Game over.

So much for experience. Shane Warne couldn't stop gushing about Niraj Patel and Ravindra Jadeja later, and who could blame him? "I thought they'd left it one over too late," he said with typical candour. "Jadeja hit one shot over cover for six that showed unbelievable talent and skill, and then for Patel to hit him [Fernando] back over his head for six. I'm just very proud of those boys."

No matter what the situation, and it was dire on Monday night with 32 needed from the final 12 balls, the Rajasthan Royals seem to unearth a hero. It was Warne himself on an unforgettable night in Hyderabad early on in the competition, and Yusuf Pathan and Mohammad Kaif the other evening in Kolkata. Shane Watson and Graeme Smith have done their bit, as has Kamran Akmal.

"In our dressing room, the motto is Find a Way," said Warne. "Whether it's for one ball or three balls, be the man, be the hero. Go out there and express yourself."

Mumbai's fielding disintegrated in the final stages, with overthrows conceded, poor efforts at the stumps and an air of panic all round. Sachin Tendulkar ventured across to the bowler after practically every ball, and Fernando, who had bowled three magnificent overs for 12 and two wickets, seemed to wilt like a wallflower under the spotlight.

With Tendulkar again staying away from the post-match press conference, it was left to Lalchand Rajput to survey the wreckage of a campaign that had appeared to revive with six straight victories. "Our fielding let us down today," he said, before launching into an unconvincing explanation about luck that revolved around the toss of coins.

Warne understandably was dismissive of those remarks. "It all comes down to belief," he said. "These situations tell you about the differences between the teams. Fernando bowled a wide down the leg side. That has nothing to do with luck. Now, I'm not having a go at him, but it comes down to poor execution of skills when the pressure is on."

Tendulkar's diving catch to dismiss Watson epitomised the Mumbai Indians' desperation, but from the moment the Powerplay fetched them only 29 runs, they were always playing catch-up. Tanvir again bowled with the skill and accuracy of Wasim Akram in his prime ["absolutely outstanding again" was the Warne-speak], and controlled spells from Siddharth Trivedi and Yusuf Pathan denied Mumbai any sort of momentum. But for that sensational little cameo from Yogesh Takawale, who struck four fours and a six in Watson's final over, this would have been another demolition job in keeping with Rajasthan's absolute dominance on home turf.

The Sawai Mansingh Stadium, which has become the IPL equivalent of Fortress Stamford Bridge, boasts of an obstacle course on the premises. For the moment though, the team that calls it home appears capable of brushing aside anything that blocks its path to glory. This fledgling league couldn't have more worthy winners.

Source: http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/ipl/content/current/story/352591.html

Five finds

A look at five of the biggest revelations in the IPL

Shaun Marsh has been the most consistent batsman in the tournament; he keeps scoring runs and batting for long periods of time. There is no element of slogging in his game. He hits the ball on its merit and he hits it in areas of his strength.

I am a great believer in keeping one's shape. It's when one loses his shape that he starts slogging. Take Rohit Sharma, for example. He plays genuine cricketing shots, and Marshy is much the same, just a lot more consistent. Every single ball that is bowled at him, he treats with respect, but not too much - just enough, and then he starts to dominate the attack.

His technique is simple and that is his greatest advantage. There is very little that can go wrong with his cricket. He plays straight, to his strengths, and is a quick learner. Having grown up at the WACA, he plays the short ball well, and at the same time it is obvious that he is not uncomfortable against spin. Also, he has got shots all around the wicket.

When he came here, no one really know what to expect of Marshy. He knew he might not even get a game. But when Simon Katich went away, he grabbed the opportunity immediately.
Talking to him, one realises how difficult it is for him to get into the Australian side. But that hasn't disheartened him, it has just made him hungrier. It's easy for guys like him, who have scored a lot of runs at domestic level, to think, "I'm not getting a look-in" and get disheartened, but he keeps working hard, and performing.

That temperament, combined with his obvious talent and technique, will take him far. I think he is going to join the Australian side in the West Indies for the one-dayers. I have a strong feeling that we are going to see a lot of him in international cricket in the coming years.

Luke Pomersbach can be very destructive, and takes pressure off the other batsmen by hitting crucial boundaries almost at will. In the game against Delhi he went out in a pressure situation, and won us the game in partnership with Mahela Jayawardene. There he backed his natural instinct to hit the ball, and matched it with the intelligence to rotate the strike and make sure he didn't get out. He picked the right opportunities to hit and picked the right bowlers - Virender Sehwag and Amit Mishra - to play his favourite shots off.

Pomers is in many ways similar to Marshy, especially when it comes to their circumstances, but different in the sense that he is physically stronger and looks to hit the ball a lot harder than Marshy. He has a solid and simple technical base, and he builds his shots on that. He is strong on the short ball, loves it coming on to the bat, and is relishing this tournament because he has big-match temperament. He has the hunger, and has been waiting in the wings for longer than Marshy.

Marshy is perhaps a more complete player at this time, when it comes to pace and spin and match awareness, but Pomers is not far behind. He is extremely valuable to a side because he can hit boundaries whenever he wants, and against any bowler. That he has averaged about 62 for Western Australia in the first-class season marks him as a genuine batsman suited for the longer version of the game. There's no doubt he is a player for Australia in the future.
Shane Watson is fitter, hungrier, and out to prove a point.

Shane Watson has been touted as the next big allrounder for Australia for a long time now but hasn't been a huge success so far. A lot had to do with his dubious fitness when he was in the Australian team. Now that he has put the fitness problems behind him, the change is there for all to see. He has worked harder in the gym and has hopefully got over most of his injuries. That makes a world of difference to one's confidence: when you can perform without the fear of getting injured you can do a lot more. Watson is fitter, he is hungry to get back into the Australian side, and he now has the confidence to do it.

He knows exactly what he can do on the field and what he cannot. He is a solid batsman who can bat anywhere in the order; he uses his batting skills intelligently, picking his areas and the bowlers he wants to hit. Also, he has the ability of batting for long periods of time, at least by Twenty20 standards. You cannot underestimate that attribute. When a guy like him, who has almost all the shots in the book, who is good against pace and changes of pace, bats long, it helps your side a lot.

Watson's bowling is quite impressive, with changes of pace and lots of variety. He is not afraid of trying things he knows he can do. If he wants to bounce he will bounce, if he works out a player is weak on something, he will attack him there. Also, he has the control to bowl to set fields. His last over in his last match may have gone for 25 runs, but that happens to most good bowlers in Twenty20. He is definitely a player on the rise, and is developing every time he goes out to play a game.

Yusuf Pathan as a batsman has been a huge plus for Rajasthan. I have seen him come in to bat in difficult situations and easy ones, but the great thing is he has no fear - he is confident enough to play his game at all times.

He is comfortable against both pace and spin, and even against the short ball. He is so quick in picking up line and length that he can exploit the pace of the bowler and use it to his advantage. I have seen him play the most amazing shots over midwicket, straight, and over cover. Like Watson, he is a versatile batsman. Like Watson, he has the ability to bat at any position, and come in and convert most situations into winning ones for his team.

Yusuf comes from a cricketing family. Irfan, his brother, plays for our side. Both of them are immensely talented: Irfan is the more polished player with the huge advantage of being a fantastic bowler, but Yusuf is from the new breed of batsmen who can come in and change the situation with clean power-hitting. He has a quick eye, and while he may not be as technically capable as the more accomplished batsmen, he is solid enough and confident enough to exploit fully what he has. He can clear the boundary at will, the intelligence to keep rotating the strike, and incredible confidence - which shows in the way he carries himself on the field - that helps him overcome his technical shortcomings.

Piyush Chawla has been outstanding. He has easily been the big success story in the spin department. He has shown that it's not all about swing and pace; it's also about old-fashioned techniques of spin - flight, changes in trajectory, the googly, the slider, and the big legbreak. Even the smaller boundaries have played into his hands; batsmen are trying to do too much with him and getting out.

Piyush's greatest attribute is not his obvious ability as a legspinner but his character. Mentally he is one of the toughest cricketers I have met: he has a big heart when it comes to working and performing. After the first two games, where he went for 46 runs in three overs, any other legspinner would have thrown in the towel. But he has come back so strongly, winning us matches with his bowling and batting. He seems to enjoy himself every time he goes out, even if he is hit for 20 runs in an over. That is very rare to see in a young bowler, and I have been most impressed with him of all the bowlers in the IPL.

Piyush combines his bowling with useful batting, which goes further to display his character. He won us a game by scoring 20 off one Ishant Sharma over, and one against the Deccan Chargers by hitting a six off Scott Styris and then a boundary off RP Singh.

He does have the stock legbreak, but most of the wickets in the tournament are not conducive to turn. He has had to rely on variations to keep the batsman guessing as to what he is going to do. He has a deceptive googly and slider, and a couple of other variations he is not afraid to try. He has done very well with what he has, and as time goes by he should bowl the legbreak more, turn it big and control the turn. He has a strong future, and I see a lot of good things for him not just in Twenty20 but in one-dayers and Tests too.

Source: http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/magazine/content/current/story/352688.html

Aus play down Warne return

Tuesday, 20 May , 2008, 11:48

Cricket Australia (CA) has played down reports that retired leg-spinner Shane Warne could return to international cricket for next year's Ashes tour of England.
The former leading Test wicket-taker, who quit the international arena after Australia's 5-0 victory over England in early 2007, was quoted in local media as saying he would consider returning for the next Ashes series.
"If Australia really needed me and there was no one else around, and Ricky (Ponting) thought I could do the job, you would weigh up the options," Warne was quoted as saying in Tuesday's Herald Sun newspaper.
"If Stuey (Stuart) MacGill fell over and broke his leg, and there were no other spinners around, and Ricky came out and said, 'Mate, can you please help us out for this one-off tour? We need you', that is something I would weigh up."
CA chief executive James Sutherland, however, distanced his organisation from Warne's comments.
"I've been in cricket long enough not to be surprised of any headlines that Warnie grabs," a smiling Sutherland told reporters.
"The simple answer to that is that Shane is retired from international cricket and has been for 15 months or so.

"I acknowledge there has been speculation in the newspapers...but the reality is that Shane is retired and not available for selection.
"It is up to him if he wants to make himself available and that is something only he can decide. I haven't spoken to him."
Sutherland said if Warne made himself available, then it would be up to the selectors to decide on the best team.
"I'm not a selector," he added. "They make decisions in the best interests of Australia cricket.
"They choose the best Australian cricket team based on those players that are available at the time.
"It's not for me to be determining what the Australian cricket team needs."
Warne, who took 708 Test wickets, has since retired from first-class cricket and is only playing in a domestic Twenty20 competition in India.
"If I wanted to keep playing I don't think there would be an issue with me being the number one spinner and performing," he said.
"I would still love to be playing international cricket, and miss it because I devoted 20 years to first-class cricket. It is a big part of my life.
"If you could just turn up and play Test cricket, that would be cool. I would definitely consider that."

Source: http://sify.com/sports/cricket/fullstory.php?id=14677522