Back injury - Sreesanth

Sreesanth fears he has entered the most difficult phase of his career after he was told four days ago by doctors in Sydney that a stress fracture of his lower back had ruled him out of international cricket for the next three months.

The Indian fast bowler, who has not played international cricket for the last 11 months due to various injuries, has been ruled out of the IPL next month and is now almost certain to miss the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in England in June.

"I have never been through anything like this in my life before," Sreesanth said from Sydney. "It's been a year now since I have been hit by a series of injuries and it's just too bizarre. But I don't want to think about anything else just now except to focus on my recovery. Tournaments come and go, and I am not going to sit in a corner and worry about missing them. All I need to focus on is to get fit again."

Sreesanth, who had established himself as one of India's leading strike bowlers within a year of his Test debut in 2006, first suffered a left side strain during the last IPL in May 2008. Subsequently, he developed a second injury that was initially diagnosed as a "stiff back".

He was cleared to play domestic cricket in December, after undergoing a rehabilitation stint at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, and carried on till the Duleep Trophy final in February - however, he looked far from his best, unable at times to execute his full, natural action or his run-up.

"It was devastating to be told that I had been carrying this injury for almost five months," Sreesanth said. "But in a way, I am happy too that the injury has been diagnosed. There was always this niggling pain down in the back even after I was cleared to play last year. But I was told by experts in India that I was perfectly alright and was just not mentally tough enough to play again. They questioned my mental strength and commitment and even I started doubting myself. But now, I have my answer."

Sreesanth says the first step to recovery happened when he got in touch with Patrick Farhart, the physio of his IPL team (Kings XI Punjab). "He asked me to come to Sydney for assessment and then took me through an exhaustive check-up, including a bone scan and an MRI scan," he said. "Clearly, there was a stress fracture in the lower back (L2). Now I am following Patrick's recovery schedule."

Sreesanth now hopes that his "faith in god" and "amazing support" from friends, including Brett Lee, his IPL bowling partner, will see him through the present crisis. "Lee and Mitchell Johnson are the two guys who have come back from similar injuries and still done extremely well," he said. "So that's an inspiration. Brett has always been a good friend, and he has been particularly helpful here. He has worked out with me, and spoken to me a lot, mostly about keeping the faith and believing in oneself during such situations."

Sreesanth says he has been told that his international career - stuck since last April at 14 Tests and 50 wickets - hinges on how well he manages the recovery, and not how quickly he does it. "That's why I am going to play safe now," he said. "I am not going to rush back like I have done before and spoil it all again. But I will be back because I know my best is yet to come."

Jayawardene quits as Sri Lanka cricket captain

Mahela Jayawardene on Wednesday decided to step down as Sri Lanka's cricket captain after the upcoming Tests in Pakistan, saying he was doing it "in the best interests" of the team.

"This is something I have been considering for some time as it has been my long-held belief that my successor should have at least 18 months in the job to imprint his vision on the team for the 2011 World Cup," Jayawardene, 31, said in a statement.

Jayawardene's decision to quit came after India completed a 4-1 rout of Sri Lanka in a recent one-day series, although he did not mention this as a factor.

The middle-order batsman, who led Sri Lanka for the first time in April 2004, did not play in Tuesday's Twenty20 international here, which India won by three wickets.

"After much thought, I have concluded that the right time has now come for fresh leadership to takeover," said Jayawardene, who was named the International Cricket Council's captain of the year in 2006.

"It was not an easy decision to make because being the Sri Lanka captain has been the source of enormous pride. I am very grateful to have been granted the honour of leading the team."

Jayawardene however made it clear he was not quitting the team altogether.

"I look forward now to extending my full support to my successor and hope to play a major part in the team's success during coming years as a batsman," he added.

Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Duleep Mendis said Jayawardene's resignation had been accepted, but no decision had been taken on the new captain.

Kumar Sangakkara, the current vice-captain and Jayawardene's close friend, was likely to take over as skipper, local media speculated.

Jayawardene, in an interview with Cricinfo last year, said Sangakkara would make a good captain.

"Kumar is definitely a suitable person to lead Sri Lanka," he said in the interview.

"His knowledge of the game and his approach is brilliant. He has been a brilliant deputy too. We talk a lot about planning and strategising, so there is not much difference in our thinking, which is very important.

"If I suddenly lose the hunger to lead then ideally Kumar should take over."

Jayawardene guided Sri Lanka to the World Cup final in the West Indies in 2007, where they lost to Australia.

He captained Sri Lanka in 26 Tests, winning 15, losing seven with four draws.

In 94 one-day internationals under him, Sri Lanka won 54 and lost 35 while the rest ended in no-results.

The first Test in Pakistan will be played in Karachi from February 21-25, while the second and final match will be played in Lahore from March 1-5.

Jayawardene to quit as Sri Lanka captain

Mahela Jayawardene is to stand down as Sri Lanka captain after the Pakistan tour. Jayawardene, who has led Sri Lanka since February 2006, announced his decision after a meeting with the national cricket selectors.

He presided over a 4-1 loss to India in a one-day series that ended last week and told selectors the time was right to hand over the captaincy so his successor would have time to prepare the team for the 2011 World Cup.

"In the best interests of the Sri Lanka team, I have decided to stand down as Sri Lanka captain after this Pakistan tour," Jayawardene said. "This is something I have been considering for some time as it has been my long-held belief that my successor should have at least 18 months in the job to imprint his vision on the team for the 2011 World Cup."

He led Sri Lanka in 26 Test matches and 97 one-dayers and was Sri Lanka's most successful captain with a win percentage of 62.50% in Tests and 57% in one-day internationals.

"After much thought, I have concluded that the right time has now come for fresh leadership to take over," he said. "It was not an easy decision to make because being Sri Lanka national captain has been the source of enormous pride. I am very grateful to have been granted the honour of leading the team during the last three years.

"I look forward now to extending my full support to my successor and hope to play a major part in the team's success during the coming years as a batsman," he said.

Sri Lanka play two Tests against Pakistan with the first beginning in Karachi on 21 February. The second is slated to be held in Lahore from 1 March.

India seal dramatic win

India completed a victorious tour with a three-wicket win against Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 international on Wednesday. Set 172 for victory in 20 overs, India overcame a mid-innings collapse to secure a dramatic win thanks to a brilliant eighth stand between brothers Yusuf and Irfan Pathan. With India slumping to 115 for seven as leg spinner Malinga Bandara claimed 3 for 32, the two Pathan's rescued India with an unbroken 59-run stand in just 25 balls. Irfan Pathan smashed 33 from 16 deliveries with two sixes and Yusuf stroked 22 in 10 balls with two sixes and one four. India, who also won the one-day series 4-1, clinched victory with four balls to spare with Irfan swinging a huge six over mid-wicket. Sri Lanka's stand-in captain Tillakaratne Dilshan top-scored for the hosts with 61 from 47 balls, an innings that included seven fours and one six. Dilshan was provided early support from fellow opener Sanath Jayasuriya, who crashed 33 from just 17 balls with two sixes, helping add 59 for the first wicket in 5.5 overs. Off spinner Yusuf Pathan was India's best bowler, taking two for 23 from four economical overs in the middle of the innings. India started their run chase badly, slumping to 14 for two, but Yuvraj Singh (32) and Suresh Raina (35) regained the initiative with a 67-run stand. Part-time off spinner Jehan Mubarak dragged Sri Lanka back into the game dismissing Yuvraj. Sri Lanka looked to be heading for victory as Jayasuriya bowled a miserly spell, taking 1 for 10 from three overs, as India crashed from 81 for 2 to 115 for 7. However, the Pathan brothers finished off the match with a thrilling partnership.

The Pathan brothers fired India to victory

India needed 57 runs from 29 deliveries when Irfan Pathan joined his brother Yusuf in the middle. Yusuf, the big hitter who bowls a bit of useful offspin, is not yet a permanent fixture in India's one-day side. Plenty has been said about Irfan - critics cite his ineffective bowling on subcontinent pitches - and it appears he is struggling to identify his predominant vocation.

What followed was stirring stuff. Irfan and Yusuf plundered 59 runs off 25 balls and India posted a rousing three-wicket win with four balls to spare.

Throughout this tour, Muttiah Muralitharan has been taunting Yusuf on and off the field. "Why don't you hit me?" has often been the central jibe. Yusuf reminded him about the IPL final, when he took on Murali but was told that the pitch didn't turn. Tonight, there was no Murali and more importantly, the team situation demanded Yusuf to hit out. And he did.

"The ball had suddenly started to turn and rotating the strike was difficult," Mahendra Singh Dhoni said about the pitch at the R Premadasa Stadium. Yusuf got a little help from Tillakaratne Dilshan who threw the ball to legspinner Malinga Bandara. Cue two sixes and a four in the 16th over, and equation had quickly changed to 40 from 24 balls.

When quizzed about those monster hits at the post-match ceremony, Yusuf said they had all been in his slot. It was as if he had no excuse. He just had to hit the cover off the ball, with no offence to Bandara. As Dhoni said, Yusuf has licence to hit: "We really don't want him to rotate the strike; we want him to look for the big shots."

It wasn't all just brute force, however. Yusuf showed that behind that expressionless exterior, there was a smart brain clicking. After that expensive over from Bandara, Dilshan didn't turn back to spin, and Yusuf coolly picked singles to hand the strike over to his younger brother. Responding to the pressure admirably, Irfan unfurled some gems of his own against Dilhara Fernando and Lasith Malinga. Irfan is a better player of seam bowling and Yusuf can murder spin. It was a perfect tango.

Since the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007, Dhoni has looked at Yusuf as a long-term prospect for the No. 7 slot in ODI cricket. "Even if he had not scored in this game," said Dhoni, "we believe in his talent and will give him chances."

In the field, Yusuf had starred with the ball too, chipping in with a tidy four overs for 2 for 23. It wasn't mesmerising bowling - Yusuf's brand of offspin isn't going to inspire a young boy to turn his arm over - but it was effective. As Dhoni said, "He is not a talented bowler in the sense that he doesn't have 100 variations. He will be a tight bowler who can be useful for four to five overs."

Yusuf does indeed fit perfectly into the new Indian way of bowling a slew of slow bowlers in the middle overs between the bowling and batting Powerplays.

If this series has been a show of trust in Yusuf by the captain, this game could be the beginning of Irfan's second innings. His batting was never in doubt; it's his bowling that has to improve, though Dhoni defended his bowler. "It gets difficult for [the] one-change bowler," he said. "The ball doesn't do anything by then on these flat tracks. There is tremendous pressure. You have to take wickets and not give too many runs."

According to Dhoni, a rate of six-an-over for a bowler is reasonable in an age of powerplays. "What Irfan does is add stability when it comes to batting. Without Harbhajan Singh, we have a long tail." On this tour, including this game, Irfan has given away 149 runs from 120 balls at 7.45 runs per over. Clearly, if he has to cement a spot, his bowling will have to improve.

It will be interesting to see how the two brothers go from here. Yusuf will find pressure from Ravindra Jadeja, who is a good batsman and can bowl tidy spin; he was the highest wicket-taker this past Ranji season. Irfan is the preferred allrounder in conditions assisting seam but has been unable to find a regular place otherwise. Both brothers have been working hard in the nets, slogging it out to improve their respective arts. But as Dhoni said, the talent has to be tempered - "International cricket is not just about talent. It's what you do with it."

ICC confirms notification of IPL ban on Asif

The ICC on Wednesday confirmed that it had been notified of the Indian Premier League drugs tribunal’s decision to impose a one-year ban on Pakistan pacer Mohammad Asif for failing a dope test but refused comment, saying it still had to consider the “reasons” for the move.

The 26-year-old was banned for a year on Wednesday, months after testing positive for nandrolone during the IPL semifinals.

“The ICC has yet to consider the written reasons for the decision in the matter and will make no further comment at this stage other than to confirm its expectation that all Member Boards will adopt the ban and as such the player will not be available for official cricket until the ban has been completed,” the governing body said in a statement.

Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat reiterated the ICC’s zero tolerance policy toward dope offenders.

“As an international governing body, the ICC maintains a zero tolerance in the area of doping. We are proud of the fact that we have been testing at our events since 2002 and in that time we are yet to have an adverse analytical finding,” Lorgat said.

New Zealand vs Sri Lanka 1st Test - Christchurch - 1st day

Upul Tharanga led a charmed life, playing and missing often during his innings of 33
Chris Martin beat the bat a dozen times but was extremely unlucky during the morning session
Shane Bond rattled Sri Lanka with three early wickets

India drop to third in ODI rankings

India's 68-run defeat to Sri Lanka on Sunday cost them their second place in the latest ICC ODI rankings as they were overtaken by Australia after the World champions pulled off a thrilling win over New Zealand.

India lost two rating points to reduce to 120 while Australia (122) gained one point to their tally to overtake India, who are now back to third place after their brief stay at second spot behind top-ranker South Africa.

If Australia, who are on decline in the last few months, win their next two matches they will be tied at top spot with South Africa, although they will be still second if the rankings are calculated beyond decimal points.

India, who won the series 4-1 against Sri Lanka, will have the chance to regain their best-ever rankings of second spot during their tour of New Zealand, beginning later this month.

England's implosion is one for the books

West Indies' players celebrating after England's Andrew Strauss was caught out on the fourht of their test match at Sabina Park in Kingston. West Indies won by an innings and 32 runs

England suffered a historic humiliation over the weekend, as it was bowled out for only 51 runs by West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica - a collapse that turned a match that had been well balanced over its first three days into a massacre, with West Indies winning by an innings and 23 runs.

It was the third-lowest completed innings score by England in 880 test matches spread over 132 years. There is a strong case for arguing that it was its worst-ever batting performance.

Its lowest score ever, 45, was against Australia at Sydney in 1887, before touring teams were fully representative. While regarded retrospectively as a full England team, it was in reality a privately organized touring XI, and in any case went on to win the match by 13 runs.

When England was bowled out for 46 by West Indies in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, in 1994, the damage was done by two great fast bowlers, Courtney Walsh and the 6-foot-7 inch, or 2.01-meter, Curtly Ambrose, operating in conditions strongly in their favor.

Saturday was different. Batting was never easy on the first three days, but both teams topped 300 in their first innings. In the first part of the fourth day, Brendan Nash, playing only his third test, extended his innings for West Indies to 55 runs scored over four hours.

Nor is there anything apparently terribly formidable about the West Indies' bowling. Jerome Taylor's career average was nearly 35 runs per test wicket. Fidel Edwards averaged nearly 39. Left-arm spinner Suleiman Benn, playing only his fourth test, was well over 40. Taylor and Edwards were both valued at $150,000 in the Indian Premier League auction of players last week. Two England players, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, were sold for more than ten times that amount.

Yet Taylor produced the most devastating bowling of his career. He took five wickets for 11 runs, bowling Pietersen for one run, to slice through England's top order. At one stage England had lost six wickets for 23 runs and was in danger of setting a new record for the lowest score in test history, the 26 scored by New Zealand against England at Wellington in 1955.

It was saved, at least, from that crowning ignominy by Flintoff, who battled for 24 runs before he was ninth out, bowled by Edwards. Nobody else reached double figures.

The victory gave West Indies a 1-0 lead, with three of a series of four five-day test matches still to come.

England's was the 18th lowest score in test history. Only three lower scores, though, have been made in the past 50 years, a period that has seen three-quarters of all the tests ever played.

It was the lowest since England last visited Kingston in 2004. Then, it was West Indies that collapsed for 47. Fast bowler Steve Harmison, last man out on Saturday evening, produced the spell of his life to take seven wickets for 12 runs.

That rout was part of a run of 13 England victories in 16 matches against West Indies. That spell of West Indian futility is now ended, but it remains to be seen whether it can fully reverse its fortunes.

The victory Saturday gave it a 1-0 lead, with three of a series of four five-day test matches still to come.

West Indies has a habit of producing occasional superb performances - such as a victory over South Africa last year and a world-record run chase against Australia in 2003 - but failing to sustain that form.

There is, though, serious promise in the calmly relaxed captaincy of Chris Gayle (not to mention the sense of responsibility it has induced in his batting), in the obduracy of Nash and in Benn's spin-bowling. Taylor's spell may represent a breakthrough, just as Harmison's did in 2004, signaling a run of form that took the Englishman to the top of the world bowling rankings.

England will certainly consider changes. Batsman Owais Shah must surely get his chance, probably at the expense of Ian Bell. Spinner Monty Panesar failed to get anything like the response extracted from the Kingston pitch by the much less experienced Benn.

At least it has three matches in which to recover. And the next two, in Antigua and Barbados, are on islands where it can expect huge support from travelling England fans.

Sri Lanka win 5th ODI by 68 runs, India win series 4-1

India's record breaking sequence of nine consecutive ODI triumphs was brought to an end on Sunday by Sri Lanka who salvaged some pride with a consolation 68-run win in the fifth and final one-day Cricket match of the series which has already been clinched by the visitors.

The defeat means that India could not make a clean sweep of the series and had to be content with a 4-1 victory margin.

Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan missed a ton by just three runs and Kumar Sangakkara's hit 84 while spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan regained form just in time to avoid the series whitewash.

Half centuries by Yuvraj Singh (73), debutant Ravindra Jadeja (60 not out) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (53) could not be enough as Indian top order failed to click and the visitors were rolled over with seven balls to spare in chase of Sri Lanka's challenging 320 for eight on a batting track.

The Indians went into the final match without key players like Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and spinner Pragyan Ojha with the team management deciding to try out bench strength.

Yuvraj gave some stability to the run chase after his side was reduced to 85 for four inside the 15th over. India, however, struggled again after some time as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals on a day when nothing went right for them.

A cautious Dhoni and Jadeja only tried to delay the inevitable by putting on 55 runs off 66 balls for the seventh wicket.

Dhoni's effort included two massive sixes and a hit to the fence. He reached his 50 with a towering six. Jadeja's 77-ball knock was aided by four fours.

India round off the tour with a one-off Twenty20 international on February 10 before returning home next day.

The visitors got off to a shaky start with opener Virender Sehwag dismissed cheaply for six by Thilan Thushara on a poor shot after hitting the bowler for a four on the previous ball in the second over.

He was immediately followed by Suresh Raina, who was done in by an impeccable field placing by Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene in the third over and at that stage India were tottering at nine for two wickets in chase of a mammoth target.

The other opener Gautam Gambhir, who made 150 in the previous day-night affair, also buckled under pressure and was out for 13 off Nuwan Kulasekara, who got him caught by wicketkeeper Sangakkara in the ninth over. Rohit Sharma (15) then returned to pavilion in the 15th over.

Harbhajan Singh with uncharacteristic bashfulness, as he celebrates the award

Cricketer Harbhajan Singh is hardly bashful on the field, but after it was announced recently that he’s bagged the Padma Shri, Bhajji was asked when he might be getting a shrimati as well. And, at that, the cricketer blushed. “Ab wahi ek achievement reh gaya hai. I know the time has come for me to settle down and very soon, I’ll get this responsibility as well,” he says.

Till then, Bhajji’s quite ecstatic about the award. “I’m super thrilled. It is a matter of great honour for my family that the government has chosen me for this award, given that it is one of the foremost awards in the country.” Although the last year was kind of a mixed bag for Bhajji, he says that the award has come at the right time. “This award has been given to me taking into account my contribution to the game over all these years. This has put me in the elite club of all my seniors who got this before me, like Rahul bhai (Dravid), Sachin bhai (Tendulkar) and Anil bhai (Kumble).”

Does he think that it’s come too late in his career, though? He disagrees. “I think it’s never too late. I am satisfied that I was considered worthy of the recognition.” So, is it party time at his home? He laughs, “Not really. We’re a simple family. I’m away for so much of the year, and it is their sacrifices that have allowed me to achieve so much. I will have a quiet dinner with them to celebrate.”

Harbhajan dedicates Padma Shree to father

Jalandhar, Jan 26: Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh on Monday said he felt "honoured" at being chosen for the Padma Shree Award by the government of India and dedicated it to his late father.

Harbhajan and Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni are the two cricketers who will be conferred with the prestigious award.

"I am glad that I was selected for the prestigious award and it's really an honour for me," the Indian off-spinner, said after unfurling the National Flag at a Republic Day function today.

The offie, who will miss the Sri Lanka tour due to injury, said he is happy to get the award, which also adorns the cupboard of senior pros Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

"I am lucky to get selected for the award, which has already been conferred on great cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid and now I along with MS Dhoni will also get the same," he said.

"I got a call from union sports ministry, day before yesterday about the award, but I did not disclose it to anybody and finally my name was announced yesterday."

Flanked by his mother Avtar Kaur, Harbhajan dedicated the award to his late father, relatives and friends.

Preity Zinta's Kings XI to hold Punjab Cup

Last year Preity Zinta’s cricket team, Kings XI Punjab, performed well in the Indian Premier League.

Preity now wants to give a chance to budding cricketers to showcase their skills.

Her Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) will hold a cricket seminar and tournament in Chandigarh and Mohali. The T-20 tournament will be between the teams of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and J&K.

It will also be a platform for the states to connect with different communities of the nation.

The tournament will be conducted in conjunction with the state associations and in particular the PCA.

KXIP Cup matches will be played in a league format among five teams i.e. two from Punjab and one each from the other three states. Each
team will comprise of 14 players and two officials. A total of 11 matches will be played in the tournament.

"My aim is to promote cricket at the grassroot level and to nurture new talent. I also want everyone involved to have fun," says Preity.

Preity Zinta's grand plans for Kings XI Punjab

Preity Zinta's IPL cricket team- Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) may not have made it to the finals of the inaugural IPL, but there is no denying the fact that the bubbly actress gave it her all to cheer her boys, right from the word 'go'. Captained by the flamboyant Yuvraj Singh, KXIP made it to the semis which in itself, is no mean feat.

Now before the second edition of the hugely successful IPL kicks off this year, Preity Zinta already has some special plans to further boost her team's prospects. In an attempt to further develop the game of cricket in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and J&K, Preity's KXIP will hold a cricket seminar as well as a coaching camp in Chandigarh. The aim of this camp is to identify, nurture and groom regional talent in pursuit of excellence for the game. Besides providing a suitable platform for budding cricketers, this camp will also help identify brand 'Kings XI Punjab' with fans and the regional community as a whole.

Apart from the coaching camp, 'KXIP Cup', a T-20 tournament among the teams of the four states is also planned to be conducted at Chandigarh and Mohali from 28th Jan to 02nd Feb'09. The tournament will be conducted in conjunction with the state associations and in particular the Punjab Cricket Academy (PCA). The basic aim of the KXIP cup is not only to recognize genuine talent but also recruit them in the KXIP team and also the PCA. This cup will also be a platform for the states to connect with different communities of the nation.

The matches will be played in a league format among five teams i.e. two from Punjab and one each from the other three states (Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir). Every team will comprise of 14 players and two officials. Each team will play the other teams once and the top two teams will qualify for the finals. Hence, a total of 11 matches will be played in the tournament. The matches will be conducted at the PCA Stadium in Mohali and the Cricket Stadium, Sector 16, Chandigarh. The winning team will be given cash prize of Rs.3 lakh while the runner-up team will be given a cash prize of Rs.2 lakh.

Lanka guarded after early shock

Electing to field first, India got the first breakthrough in the form of Tillakratne Dilshan's wicket as the Lanka opener was caught short of his crease in the Dambulla ODI.

It was an utter mess in the middle. Dilshan played a Zaheer Khan-delivery towards square leg and rushed for a single but Sanath Jayasuriya was not keen and sent his partner back from halfway. Meanwhile Yusuf Pathan collected the ball and knocked the stumps to see Dilshan tread back without scoring.

However, India too are without their regular opener Virender Sehwag who is out with an injury. His absence gives Rohit Sharma a place in the playing XI. India have gone with three seamers and a spinner Pragyan Ojha.

Both the teams back themselves with series victories. While India had a 5-0 win against England, the Islanders have come off a well earned 2-1 ODI series win against Pakistan.

The two teams have played seven ODIs against each other in the last six months and India clearly dominated the contest. While Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup in Pakistan, India won the bilateral ODI series in Sri Lanka. Dhoni's boys would want to carry on the momentum. Lankans, on the other hand, are eyeing revenge and salvage some pride.

This series holds special importance for Muttiah Muralitharan as the off-spinner is just three wickets short of surpassing former Pakistani paceman Wasim Akram's world record of 502 one-day scalps.

India: MS Dhoni (Captain), Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Zaheer Khan, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Munaf Patel, Yusuf Pathan.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jayawardene (Captain), Tillakratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Chamara Kapugedera, Sanath Jayasuriya, Farveez Maharoof, Thilana Kandamby, Thilan Thushara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni India eye encore, revenge fuels Lanka

The 3-2 win last year fresh in mind, India will seek to maintain their supremacy while revenge will be on top of Sri Lanka's mind when the neighbours square off in the first ODI of the five-match cricket series in Dambulla on Wednesday (January 28).

Under the charismatic Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India have been in ominous form in both forms of the game and the 5-0 whitewash against England in the ODI series at home gives a fair indication of the side's might. In contrast, Sri Lanka have not been as convincing.

Under their off-colour skipper Mahela Jayawardene, the islanders struggled against minnows Zimbabwe and lost to Bangladesh in a recent tri-series in Dhaka.

Things looked better in the hastily arranged three-match ODI series in Pakistan where they lost the series opener before eventually clinching the series with back-to-back wins.

Despite holding a slight edge over the hosts, the lone worry for Dhoni remains the spin attack which sports an inexperienced look in the absence of injured off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Hyderabad left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha, who has played just five ODIs so far, would spearhead the spin attack, while uncapped Saurashtra all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja would also be expected to chip in.

Dhoni himself realises what it means not to have Harbhajan in the ranks but reckons he can always fall back on the part-time options he has in Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.

"Harbhajan has been our pick of the spinners for some time. Whether you are bowling first or second or bowling in powerplays, he is the person," Dhoni said.

"But we have two spinners in the side, Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja. I think they will try to fill in the space left by Harbhajan's absence. Of course we have part-timers also who have done well. It is an opportunity for both the spinners to prove themselves," he added.

Otherwise, there apparently is no chink in the Indian armour but Dhoni insists it would be fatal to lower the guard, especially playing Sri Lanka at their den.

"It will be a tough series. It is tough to beat Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka though we had defeated them the last time around," Dhoni said.

For Jayawardene, the key is to stick to the winning ways. "Our strategy will be to try and continue the winning momentum. It is going to be a tough series and we look forward to the challenge," he said.

"We lost the first game against Pakistan. It was really tough for us to come back. We had a chat and we knew exactly what went wrong. Next two games was history," the Lankan skipper said.

Still on paper, the balance looks tilted in India's fovour considering the consistency they have shown in recent past. India have arguably the best opening pair at the moment with the Delhi duo of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir in cracking form.

Despite his age, Sachin Tendulkar remains as hungry for runs as ever, while few can match Yuvraj Singh's striking ability in this format.

Among the youngsters, Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma have already proved their credentials while Yusuf Pathan would be there down the order to provide the late charge.

The pace bowling department also has a formidable look about it with Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma forming a lethal new ball pair.

Sri Lanka's bowling doesn't look bad either. Nuwan Kulasekara is currently the number two bowler in the ICC ODI rankings while Thilana Kulasekara has been consistently among the wickets.

However, all eyes would be on their spin attack which comprises two of the most exciting turners of the ball of this era. Veteran Muttiah Muralitharan needs three more wickets to overtake Wasim Akram's ODI tally of 502 scalps and that would make him the highest wicket-taker in both forms of the game.

At the other end, Ajantha Mendis would fancy his chances against the same Indian line-up which he wrecked in the Asia Cup final last year.

Squads (From): India: MS Dhoni (capt), Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan and Ishant Sharma.

Sri Lanka: Mahela Jaywardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera, Jehan Mubarak, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilina Kandamby, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekera, Thilina Thushara and Angelo Mathews.

Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh speaking exclusively to TIMES NOW

The Men in Blue are in Sri Lanka to play five one-day internationals and a T20 match. However, Team India will surely miss their star spinner -- Harbhajan Singh, who is out due to a hamstring injury. However, the off-spinner was more than delighted that he was honoured with the Padmashri and expressed his joy in an exclusive interview with TIMES NOW.

The Republic Day was another occasion for Harbhajan SIngh to show his patriotism, but the turbanator had more joy in store as he was awarded the Padmashri. He said, "I was thrilled and very happy to get this award because it a very prestigious kind of award. It a huge achievement for me."

Bhajji also expressed his readiness to put the entire monkeygate sage with Aussie all-rounder Andrew Symonds behind him. He said, "Whatever happened is all over now, so its best that nothing is spoken about it. I am just concentrating on my game to be honest rather than getting into all this drama that has been going on."

Meanwhile, the turbanator also said that he would love to borrow the quality of calmness from the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar to reach his goal. "I think he (Sachin) is a great guy to be with. I have learnt a lot from him. One thing that I would want to take from him would be his calmness. If I get that I am sure that I will get 600-wickets for India."

However, when it comes to dancing, there is just one hero for Bhajji and that would be he himself. He said, "Sreesanth is a good dancer, inclusing Dhoni, Yuvraj and Sachin. We all know to dance when it comes to celebrating happy moments. Whether you know to dance or not, you will feel like dancing. But the best dancer will always go to Harbhajan Singh."

He may be able to sweep any women off her feet with his moves, but the off-spinner is still looking for his lady love. Speaking on his hunt for the perfect partner, Bhajji said, "I don't know who the 'hasina' is but there is a 'khiladi' who is available. You guys can help me find my 'hasina'."

All that one knows is that, irrespective of his on-field dramas, Bhajji is a fierce fighter as well as a lively character off it.

Harbhajan dedicates Padma Shree to father

Jalandhar, Jan 26: Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh on Monday said he felt "honoured" at being chosen for the Padma Shree Award by the government of India and dedicated it to his late father.

Harbhajan and Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni are the two cricketers who will be conferred with the prestigious award.

"I am glad that I was selected for the prestigious award and it's really an honour for me," the Indian off-spinner, said after unfurling the National Flag at a Republic Day function today.

The offie, who will miss the Sri Lanka tour due to injury, said he is happy to get the award, which also adorns the cupboard of senior pros Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

"I am lucky to get selected for the award, which has already been conferred on great cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid and now I along with MS Dhoni will also get the same," he said.

"I got a call from union sports ministry, day before yesterday about the award, but I did not disclose it to anybody and finally my name was announced yesterday."

Flanked by his mother Avtar Kaur, Harbhajan dedicated the award to his late father, relatives and friends.

Ponting hits out at team for 'coming up a long way short'

Ricky Ponting was disappointed with Australia's failure to build on 110 for two in the fourth one-day international against South Africa

Australia's captain Ricky Ponting has admitted his side had "come up a long way short" in their eight-wicket defeat to South Africa in Adelaide on Monday and told his players "they must turn things around quickly".

A tight Commonwealth Bank Series was blown apart on Monday with the Proteas bowling the hosts out for 222 and then cruising to victory with 11.5 overs to spare. It has been a disappointing season for the Australians and, although Ponting felt the team had been competitive in the first three games of the series, he said of the defeat: "An eight-wicket loss with 12 overs to go is a big loss in a one-day game. We've come up a long way short on this occasion.

"We've obviously been comprehensively beaten. Once again with our batting we got ourselves into a reasonable position – 110 for two and a few overs later we are 130 for five – and that's been the tale right through this series to date.

"Five overs cost us. From once again getting up near 280 to 300, to struggle to 220 as you saw on a very, very good batting wicket and a very fast outfield. That total was never ever going to be enough if they played well and we didn't take wickets with the new ball."

Australia will now head to Perth to salvage some pride in the final game of the one-day series on Friday and Ponting is hopeful the team can build some confidence and some momentum in preparation for the one-day fixtures against New Zealand.

Australia will also be keen out to hold onto their No1 ranking: if South Africa win the final ODI then they will move to the top of the rankings. "We are going to need to play better than we have over the last couple of weeks if we want to turn our cricket around and we need to do it pretty quickly," added Ponting.

Meanwhile, the all-rounder Andrew Symonds will face a Cricket Australia Code of Conduct hearing over comments made about New Zealand's Brendon McCullum. Symonds told a radio programme he thought McCullum was a "lump of shit" following the Kiwi wicketkeeper-batsman's decision to play for New South Wales in the final of the KFC Big Bash on Saturday.

Cricket Australia has placed Symonds on report for a breach of Code of Behaviour provisions relating to detrimental public comment. "Given the importance of the tribunal hearing, it would be inappropriate to comment on the issue now a report has been made," the acting CA chief executive, Michael Brown, said. "Once the outcome of this hearing is finalised, CA will be in a better position to assess issues relating to Andrew Symonds."

Any suspension would delay Symonds' comeback from injury in the upcoming Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia, which starts on Friday. It would also cast a doubt on his future with the national team given he was suspended for going fishing instead of attending a team meeting in Darwin last year.

Symonds has a long list of disciplinary issues, most notably on the 2005 tour of England where he was dropped before a one-day international against Bangladesh for turning up in an unfit state.

Younis may replace Malik as captain

Following Pakistan's disastrous ODI series loss to Sri Lanka last week, reports have emerged on Tuesday that Younis Khan has been approached to take over as captain from Shoaib Malik. Cricinfo has learnt that the board chairman Ijaz Butt summoned Younis from a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match for Habib Bank at the Gaddafi Stadium for an emergency meeting that lasted approximately 15 minutes.

Pakistan news channel Geo, quoting unnamed board sources, said the result of the meeting was that Younis had been offered the captaincy and that he had accepted it. A source close to Younis, however, told Cricinfo that he hadn't accepted it yet.

"He has been offered the captaincy, but the important thing for him is that he wants it on his own terms and conditions. As far as I know he hasn't accepted it just yet," the source said. "The offer, like before, comes at a difficult time for Pakistan cricket and that will play a part."

The reference to the past was when Younis was first offered the captaincy after a disastrous 2007 World Cup, when Inzamam-ul-Haq stepped down and retired from ODIs. He had been groomed for the role for two years prior to that as vice-captain, and only after he refused was it offered to Malik.

Younis had turned down the captaincy previously as well, in October 2006, when he replaced Inzamam briefly for the Champions Trophy in India. After he announced that he wasn't going to take up the captaincy and walked out of a press conference, he was eventually convinced by a new board chairman to lead the team.

Soon after the meeting on Tuesday, senior board officials and members of the team management as well as the selection committee held a meeting of their own with the chairman. The second meeting was to ostensibly discuss the fallout from the series; Intikhab Alam and team manager Yawar Saeed handed in their report of the series during the meeting.

If the reports are confirmed, it will end an unsettled period of leadership for Malik. Though his ODI results are impressive on the surface, they hide a string of wins against minnows such as Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. More crucial to understanding the pressure to remove him at the moment is the statistic against bigger opponents. The Sri Lanka series loss means that Pakistan has now lost series against every major nation they played under Malik: in 2007-08 they lost both the Test and ODI series against South Africa at home and away to India.

There have also been persistent reports of an uneasy relationship with senior players such as Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Akhtar. Yousuf has criticised Malik publicly since he moved to the ICL while Malik openly questioned Shoaib's commitment during the Sri Lanka ODIs, before swiftly backtracking on his remarks.

Champion's timing was impeccable

Triple figures yet again ... Matthew Hayden celebrates what was possibly a career-saving hundred at The Oval in the fifth Test of the 2005 Ashes series against England. Hayden retired during the week after a stellar career which included 30 centuries

Matthew Hayden is a class act. His brilliant playing career demands such a description. The manner in which he retired confirms it. It's never easy to say "It's over". Particularly when, in your heart, you don't believe it to be true.

His natural instinct would be to fight on and prove people wrong. After all, he spent the first half of his first life doing just the same. There comes a time …

Hayden read the situation perfectly. A bit like the way he used to read Muttiah Muralitharan's "doosra" and nonchalantly sweep it to the square-leg boundary. There was also a time in his career when critics said he couldn't play spin. Nothing a little hard work and dedication couldn't fix. Typically, he became one of the best.

His acceptance of the inevitability of his situation shows a man strong in character and very comfortable in his own skin.

Professional sport is littered with examples of the talented fighter who went one bout too many.

In rugby league we have the philosophy that it's best to go one year too early than one year too late. So many players hang on for too long. They cite a passion for the game as justification to continue. More often it's a fear of the unknown - a life without football - that scares them the most.

The bottom line is even the very best sportsmen wake up one morning and it is gone. I can't explain what it is - but you just can't do what you used to do.

You can't apply yourself as diligently. You keep thinking this match will be the one when you get it all together, but the disappointments keep coming. There are intermittent recoveries; glimpses of your former self. However, consistency eludes you and confidence gets eroded.

Nothing makes sense. You have more knowledge and skill than any time in your career. You're training hard. You feel strong. You've never loved the game as much as you do right now. But … something is missing.

The feet don't move as quickly as they used to. Your reflexes don't react as they should. Your mind wanders at inappropriate times and your once steely concentration is diluted with other distractions.

Your normally aggressive and confident manner is replaced with tinges of apprehension or even fear at the point of impact. There's a negative shadow hovering over your thoughts. You hit and hope. If you're honest, you sometimes feel even the good things you do are actually a bit of a fluke - but you poke your chest out anyway, like you're really in control.

You kid yourself that no one else can see your inner turmoil and anxiety. To the trained observer though, your body language has already given you away.

I'm sure Hayden feels he still had more to offer. I sense his teammates felt the same way too.

With any team sport, leadership and chemistry play as much a part in success as the runs off the bat or catches in the field.

Hayden has stood like a protective colossus over his teammates for so long. He strikes me as the one who gives them confidence when they eye each other in the dressing room before going out to perform. He intimidated opposition attacks, battering them into submission and in so doing, paved the way for others to follow. His teammates wouldn't like to lose such a man.

At a time when the Australian cricket team is undergoing a massive transition in personnel, there was surely a case for perseverance with Hayden. In professional sport though, all jobs in and around the organisation are in jeopardy when the wins dry up.

The success of the Australian cricket team has been fuelled by the ability, passion and competitiveness of people such as Hayden. Plenty have become more valuable in their own right through playing alongside him.

It's somewhat ironic, therefore, the perceived failure of the Aussie boys this summer at the hands of the South Africans has contributed to Hayden's early curtain call.

I'm not so sure our team has failed as badly as people make out. I can see a future here as youngsters earn their stripes and try to live down, rather than live up to, the results of their successful predecessors. Hayden could've assisted their development. I'm old enough to remember the struggles our national team went through during the 60s, 70s and 80s. It made me appreciate the great success our lads have achieved during the past couple of decades.

I've seen it plenty of times in football where a highly successful period in a club's history removes the patience and resolve of an organisation to handle the downturn when the cycle of success turns against them. A few losses plunges them into panic mode and everyone looks for the quick fix to get back on top. Success doesn't work that way.

Anyway, what's done is done.

The point I want to make is that Matthew Hayden has taken his retirement like a man.

Sure, it's a year too early. But the signs were there; and it's best we remember him this way.

I've enjoyed his career so much. Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Steve Waugh, Allan Border, Mark Taylor, Ian Healy, Ricky Ponting; from the outside looking in, my instincts tell me these greats have been the catalyst for the aggressive, consistent and successful period Australian cricket has enjoyed for so long.

To me, these warriors have moulded the personality of the modern-day Australian cricket team. I place Hayden right alongside these great names.

I stand and applaud Hayden for his contributions to Australian cricket and I thank him for the many great summers of entertainment he has provided us cricket fans. He epitomises everything we want an Australian sportsman to be. I can think of no higher accolade.

When Hayden refused Ponting's secret offer

Sydney (IANS): Australia captain Ricky Ponting in a secret offer wanted to skip Tuesday's Twenty20 match against South Africa to allow Matthew Hayden a testimonial game at the Gabba to celebrate his retirement.

A few hours before Hayden faced the media to announce his retirement, Ponting and a former Test player cropped up the plan to give the 37-year-old the ultimate send-off at his home ground, it was reported by The Daily Telegraph.

Ponting called Hayden around 9 a.m., two hours before the press conference, and told him about the plan. But Hayden politely refused the offer to lead the side.

"Ricky did ring me on the morning of the game. He said 'I'll stand down for you if you want to play one last time'," Hayden was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.

"I was blown away by Ricky's gesture, I said, 'thanks mate, but I can't do it'. I had made my decision. I was retiring in a couple of hours and I didn't want to make the announcement and then go out there and play for Australia. For me it has always been about the team and it would have disrupted them. I was rapt with the lap of honour. It was a great way to say goodbye," he added.

The idea was the brainchild of a former Test star, who did not wish to be named. He said that Ponting was more than happy to make way for Hayden once the idea was raised.

"I said to Ricky, 'how about if you gave Haydos one last game?' Ricky said it would be a great idea, we'll see how we go, but Haydos knocked it on the head. I'm not sure what Cricket Australia would have said because Punter (Ponting) would have had to stand aside," the former Test star was quoted as saying by the daily.

Cricket Australia (CA) would have been required to ratify the plan, but the idea did not reach an official level because Hayden declined Ponting's offer. CA spokesman Phillip Pope said the Hayden cameo would have been difficult to ratify as the veteran opener had formalised his retirement with CA boss James Sutherland.

ICC explains Why Sachin, Lara not Test greats

New Delhi: Under attack, the International Cricket Council late on Thursday came up with a briefing for its ‘baffling’ all-time Test player rankings which had no place for champion batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara in the top 20 but the game's governing body made it clear that the list did not rank players in terms of true greatness.

A day after the new chart was released, former cricketers expressed surprise at the composition of the list and said it was 'extremely misleading" since many great names did not figure in the top ten positions.

India's former left-arm spinner Maninder Singh went to the extent of calling it a ‘joke’ and said ‘sadistic’ ICC officials should stop coming out with such lists.

"The ICC is in the habit of making a joke of themselves, and this list proves that. Now, how can you explain Tendulkar who has scored over 12,000 Test runs not being in that list? I think these jokers should not be given the pleasure of rating players in this way", Maninder said.

The ICC, on its part, promptly, came out with a clarification saying that the list does not rank players in terms of true greatness and does not give a full picture of a player's level of consistency or longevity in the game.

It said that Matthew Hayden's place higher up the table than Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara in the all-time Test and ODI rankings does not necessarily mean that the just-retired Australian is the 10th-best Test batsman or 18th-best ODI batsman in the history of the game.

"The rankings give an indication of how players peaked during their careers but do not give a full picture of those players' level of consistency or longevity in the game", the ICC said in a statement.

Explaining the manner in which the rankings have been decided, the ICC said, "A batsman or a bowler who averages around 700 ratings points for most of his career apart from a purple patch where he shoots up to 900 points before dropping down again may be ranked higher on the all-time ratings.

"But that does not mean he should necessarily be considered to be better than a player who hovered around the 850-point mark for his entire career," it said.

The ICC accepted that the all-time list does not rank players in terms of true greatness.

"For that reason some players, who are considered by most observers of the game to be truly great, such as Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Wally Hammond, Greg Chappell and others, do not feature in the top 20 in the all-time high ratings," the statement said.

Tendulkar was ranked 26th in the Test rankings while Lara was listed three rungs above him.

The ICC urged fans to take a closer look at a player's entire career graph to determine his greatness rather than go by the snapshots, which is what the "best-ever ratings" effectively are.

ICC forced to backtrack on all-time player rankings

The ICC has been forced to issue a hasty media release after criticism of its rankings following Wednesday's announcement that Matthew Hayden was rated as the 10th-best Test batsmen of all time. One newspaper said that it had been forced into a "damage-limitation exercise" after the top 10 did not feature Sachin Tendulkar, ranked at No. 26.

"This does not necessarily mean he is the 10th-best Test batsman or 18th-best ODI batsman in the history of the game," an ICC spokesman said. "The rankings give an indication of how players peaked during their careers but do not give a full picture of those players' level of consistency or longevity in the game.

"The rankings are a great way to compare the performances of players but the all-time list of highest-rated players does not by itself rank those players in terms of true greatness. For that reason some players, who are considered by most observers of the game to be truly great, such as Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Wally Hammond, Greg Chappell and others, do not feature in the top 20 in the all-time high ratings."

But many remained far from convinced. "I am appalled at the ICC's methods of devising the best batsman and the best bowler," fumed Kapil Dev. "It is all the more disappointing when I see that the names of Gavaskar and Tendulkar do not figure on the top."

India's former left-arm spinner Maninder Singh labelled the rankings a "joke" and said "sadistic" ICC officials should stop coming out with such lists. Even former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah was moved to describe the rankings system as laughable.

"I don't know if anyone takes this ranking system seriously, it has no bearing on anybody," Shah told the Sydney Morning Herald. "There are so many other companies in India doing these sorts of rankings and the ICC just wants to get some publicity for their own system."

Mumbai sniff 38th Ranji title, UP need 525 to win

Vinayak Samant (113) slammed his maiden first class century, while team-mate Rohit Sharma (108) struck his second of the match as Mumbai batted Uttar Pradesh out of the final and virtually assured itself of its 38th Ranji Trophy title on Thursday.

Aware that their 157-run first innings lead was enough to win the title in case of a drawn match, Mumbai adopted a safety-first approach and batted on and on till they were all out for 367.

UP would require a miracle of sorts to chase down the mammoth 525-run target with just one day left.

The only sour note in Mumbai's superior display was Sachin Tendulkar's failure in both the innings. The star batsman, who scored a duck in the first innings and was battling a viral fever, batted at number seven in the second essay only to score four runs and fall to Piyush Chawla.

Apart from Samant and Rohit, captain Wasim Jaffer shone for Mumbai with the bat, scoring 85.

Rohit became only the sixth batsman to score two centuries in a Ranji Trophy final.

For UP, Piyush Chawla and Parvinder Singh scalped three wickets apiece.

Resuming on 130 for no loss, Mumbai soon realised that the UP bowlers were not in a mood to throw in the towel.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Jaffer in the 43rd over just before the opening stand was about to reach the 150-mark and suddenly wicket started tumbling as Mumbai, from 146 for no loss, slumped to 241 for six.

Chawla alone claimed the scalps of Abhishek Nayar (3), Ramesh Powar (0) and Tendulkar to peg Mumbai back before Rohit put his foot down.

Samant survived numerous edges and near-misses but gamely hung on for his maiden century before falling to Parvinder Singh after a 239-ball 113 that included 17 hits to the fence. The middle order collapse apparently had no effect on Rohit who looked in complete control of the proceedings by the time UP took the second new ball.

Unlike the first innings, Rohit was rock solid today. He needed 27 balls to get off the mark but he kicked off in style, hitting Chawla for three consecutive boundaries.

In fact, he never allowed Chawla to settle into any rhythm, often sweeping him to negate his googly.

Even though Mumbai's lead kept swelling, they never really seemed keen on an outright win and batted on and on. Parvinder eventually dropped curtains on Rohit's innings just before Mumbai reached the 350-mark.

Rohit's 146-ball knock was studded with 17 crisp boundaries and a massive six off Praveen Gupta which also brought up his century.

Parvinder was on a hat-trick as he removed Zaheer Khan for a first ball duck but Dhawal Kulkarni (15) denied him the feat.

Chawla finally dropped curtains on Mumbai's second innings by removing Kulkarni.

UP let Mumbai off the hook, says skipper Mohd Kaif

Hyderabad, Jan 17: Despite having to forego the 38th Ranji Trophy, Uttar Pradesh captain Mohammad Kaif has no complaints from his team and is satisfied with the way his boys performed throughout the season.

“I am very satisfied with the performance of the team. Though we committed some mistakes in Mumbai`s first innings in the final, we managed to bounce back in the match strongly,” Kaif said told reporters.

“Our plans against Mumbai had almost worked out in the first innings, but some mistakes allowed the rivals to post a challenging total for us,” he said, adding, “Despite finishing runners-up last season, we started afresh this season and chalked out plans for every match.”

“We took every match with a different attitude, and I am happy that all the players lived upto the expectations.”

Kaif, however, admitted that injuries to Praveen Kumar and RP Singh at crucial moments in the final match caused maximum damage to UP’s winning prospects.

“RP didn`t bowl in Mumbai`s second innings because of shoulder pain. We can`t blame any particular thing for our defeat in the final, but there were many small things which shattered our chances in the end.”

Jayawardene plays down Mendis hype in Pakistan series

Sri Lankan spin sensation Ajantha Mendis

Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene Sunday refused to single out spin sensation Ajantha Mendis as the major threat for Pakistan in the one-day series.

The 23-year-old Mendis and his more illustrious partner Muttiah Muralitharan are tipped to hold the aces against the home team in the three-match series which starts here from Tuesday.

But Jayawardene said Mendis doesn't carry extra burden of expectations.

"Mendis hasn't had added pressure and has gone through all the batting line-ups he has come across and is enjoying his challenges," Jayawardene said of his spinner during his arrival press conference.

"Pressure does not effect Mendis. He is a very simple guy he doesn't have to go through such interviews because his knowledge of the English is not that great so he is resting in his room watching movies," said Jayawardene.

Mendis, who made his debut in the West Indies in May last year, became the fastest bowler to get 50 wickets, achieving the total in 19 matches, breaking Indian Ajit Agarkar's record of 23 matches.

Jayawardene said he would not like to put extra pressure on the newcomer.

"He knows what his role is, at the same time there are some really good guys around him giving him advice, especially Murali who is a brilliant role model for Ajantha.

"Murali is somebody who has worked 18 years and come through very well. As long as Ajantha realises that if he can go at the same path as Murali I'm sure we will have a big match winner for us in the next ten years."

Jayawardene refused to agree Sri Lanka are struggling with their overall form after losing to Bangladesh in the last league match and scrapping to a narrow two-wicket win in the final of the tri-series in Dhaka last week.

"I think we've been still winning matches, we haven't lost any, so we just need to continue to do that. I don't think I've seen a team being 5-6 and winning a match," said Jayawardene of his team's slump in the final on Friday.

"That's something special whether it's against Bangladesh or whoever. That shows character to me I think. I'm very proud of the guys, the way we have been playing."

Chasing a modest 153, Sri Lanka lost their first five wickets for a mere six runs -- the lowest total at the fall of five wickets in any one-day international -- before Muralitharan's 16-ball 33 saw them home.

Jayawardene admitted Pakistan are a dangerous team.

"Pakistan is always Pakistan for me. They are a very tough side whether they play regularly or not, so we will have to put up the best effort," said Jayawardene.

The second match is here on Wednesday, while the final match is in Lahore on Saturday.

Jayawardene concerned about ODI batting form

Captain Mahela Jayawardene said Sunday he was worried about a slump in his batting form in one-day internationals as Sri Lanka arrived for a tour of three ODIs against Pakistan.

Jayawardene has scored 409 runs in the last 18 ODIs over the last seven months, and has not scored a century in the shortened version of the international game in one and a half years.

"It's a concern because as a batsman I need to contribute and that's very important," Jayawardene told reporters. "I haven't been able to get those big runs for the team and that's something on which I'm really working hard on.

"I don't see that I'm like out of form or anything like that because when I play test matches I'm batting really well and getting big runs," said the 31-year-old veteran of 291 ODIs.

Sri Lanka is filling a gap after India canceled its scheduled tour in the wake of Mumbai attacks and will return for two test matches next month after playing five ODIs against India at home.

Bangladesh nearly stunned Sri Lanka in a tri-series final on Friday before Jayawardene's team made a remarkable recovery from being 5-6 to win by two wickets — helped by Muttiah Muralitharan's 33 runs off 16 balls.

"I don't think I've seen a team being 5-6 and winning a match, that's something special whether it's against Bangladesh or whoever," Jayawardene said.

"In cricket there are some periods when you go through bad times and tough times, you just need to pull through and that's what character is all about."

Jayawardene downplayed the role of his two key spin bowlers Muralitharan and new spin sensation Ajantha Mendis in the series against Pakistan.

"There's no focus on my part on those two guys. They are two very good bowlers but at the same time we have got some other really good bowlers who could win matches on their day," he said.

However, Jayawardene predicted a bright future for Mendis, 23, who has taken the quickest 50 wickets in one-day internationals (in 19 matches) — four matches less than India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar.

"He hasn't had any added pressure, he is enjoying his challenges and pressure does not affect him," Jayawardene said. "There are some really good guys around him giving him advice especially Murli (Muralitharan) who is a brilliant role model for Ajantha because he is somebody who has worked 18 years very hard.

"As long as Ajantha realizes that if he can go at the same path as Murli, I'm sure we will have a big match winner for us in the next ten years.

Security concerns among foreign teams meant that Pakistan missed out on home test matches last year, with Australia deciding not to tour in March 2008. The one-day ICC Champions Trophy was also postponed.

Jayawardene said Pakistan had toured Sri Lanka in the past when other teams had refused, and that it was only right for his team to now play in Pakistan.

"I'm not a diplomat, I'm here to play cricket and for us it's all about committing our obligations,"he said. "Obviously Pakistan have done the same with us in the past and it's our duty.

"We came here six months ago (for the Asia Cup) and we had a very great time. Hopefully it's an enjoyable tour for us."

Jayawardene said that Pakistan, which will have the likes of fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar back in the team, was always a formidable opponent.

"For me they are a very tough side whether they play regularly or not," he said. "They have got quite a few individual players who can take the game away from you on a given day so it's going to be a tough series for us."

Karachi will host back to back one-day internationals on Jan. 20 and 21 before Lahore stages the final match on Jan. 24.

Ranji, an uninspiring grind

MUMBAI: In retrospect, it would be fair to conclude that it wasn’t the Indian Premier League (IPL) or international cricket that sapped India's Premier domestic tournament the Ranji Trophy, of any interest. Instead, it was the Board of Control for Cricket

in India’s listless planning that failed to make Ranji matches happening.

While taking nothing away from Mumbai who are celebrating their 38th title win after batting Uttar Pradesh out of the final, it is pertinent to note that the 76 days of cricket the tournament witnessed - for the record played out at 23 different venues across the country - was uninspiring. There were flashes of brilliance though.

Cheteshwar Pujara’s century in the quarter-final at Mumbai, Shivakant Shukla’s 178 in the semi-final at Nagpur, nine seven-wicket hauls including that of Basanth Mohanty in the highly entertaining match between Orissa and Punjab and Ravindra Jadeja’s performances that make him the all-rounder of the year. The rest of the tournament spoke harshly about the fast diminishing standard of India’s domestic circuit. ToI takes a look at what all was appalling.

Flat pitches

The promise of making the 22-yard strip more exciting failed disastrously. The two semi-finals were played at Nagpur and Chennai, respectively. At both venues, tracks remained flat at best, an absolute downer if seen in the backdrop of the neutral venue theory proposed to improve the quality of cricket.

Out of the 56 matches, 29 yielded a result and it should be taken into account that most venues where matches ended in a result, weren’t the leading international stadiums. Instead, lesser known grounds in Valsad, Ratnagiri, Mysore, Bhubhaneshwar, Ghaziabad and Cuttack delivered.

No takers for overseas player

Another BCCI decision which failed was one with respect to introducing one overseas player among the four guest players in each team. The rule dictated that cricketers who have played either 20 ODIs or 10 Test matches can only be invited, which in the end proved to be senseless.

Three associations - Baroda (Dilhara Fernando), Bengal (Muttiah Muralitharan) and Maharashtra (Emanul Haq Jr) - went ahead and signed foreigners out of which only Haq Jr turned up. The rest were either deprived in terms of spending or did not have a choice.

That Muralitharan couldn’t turn up for a single game for Bengal either suggests that Cricket Association of Bengal simply used the off-spinner’s name to publicize their campaign or that the star spinner simply wasn’t available. In any case, the BCCI needs to do a rethink.

Semis of four days makes no sense

The BCCI seems to be struggling to accommodate domestic cricket. If not, there is little reason to believe why the semi-finals were of four days duration and not five. Several players who were a part of the semi-finals admitted to the ToI that ‘‘four-day match doesn’t make any sense’’.

It is understandable, they say, that matches throughout the season are played in four-days format to squeeze in the number of games but ‘‘at least the semi-finals of the tournament need to be for five days, simply because there can be a straight result". True. It makes no sense that the team entering the final does so by way of first innings lead. Five days can ensure a good match.

Poor umpiring

One thing that has unanimously been accepted this season, is that the level of umpiring in the Indian domestic circuit seems to be going from bad to worse. Amesh Saheba’s poor show in the semifinals between Mumbai and Saurashtra and again in the final at Hyderabad was the most glaring example.

Net run-rate rule

The net run-rate rule left players and coaches confused. Teams expressed dismay and surprise over the rule for the final which said if a team’s first innings was left incomplete, the winner would be decided on the run-rate.

‘‘Isn’t it starnge? If we score 700 off 200 overs and then UP are 150 for 9 in 30 overs, they will win. In a four-day or a five-day match, there’s no need to decide the winner on the basis of better run rate,’’ Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer said before the match. For the semi-final too, the BCCI guideline that the net run-rate calculated from previous games will decide the winner in a knockout game in case the first innings is not completed, did not go down well.

Neutral venue

Sachin Tendulkar gave his verdict on the neutral venue policy adopted by the BCCI, saying it made no sense. ‘‘You don’t have the atmosphere at a neutral venue. If you play home or away, you have the home crowd rooting for its team while the other side will be up against it. This is a part of the learning process for the young cricketers,’’ Tendulkar said. Despite having neutral venues, the board failed to provide sporting wickets which left the bowlers toiling away in the dust.

Changes on the card in Indian ODI squad for SL

A jubiliant Indian cricket squad
With quite a few players staking their claim with consistent displays in the Ranji Trophy, the national selectors may opt to make a few changes in the Indian one-day cricket squad for the series against Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Sunday (January 18).

The last ODI that India played was on November 26 at Guwahati against England after which the international cricket calendar involving the team went for a toss in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack that happened the same night.

Quite a few Indian players from the team that featured in the fifth ODI, which also brought down curtains on the series, face the axe following splendid displays by others in the national championship coupled with their own indifferent form.

On top of the list of players who could make way for some new faces are the Pathan brothers from Baroda - Irfan and Yousuf - and Hyderabad left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha.

Staking strong claims to make it to the Emerald Island for the best-of-five ODI series and a one-off Twenty20 International are two players from eventual national champions Mumbai - one-down batsman Ajinkya Rahane and medium-pace swing bowler Dhawal Kulkarni.

Rahane amassed over a thousand runs from 10 matches with a fine average of 68 to boot, while Kulkarni emerged the top wicket taker with 42 scalps from nine ties, conceding just under 20 per victim and with four five wickets in-an-innings hauls under his belt.

Both these players have already been part of the India 'A' squad. Pressing hard for a look-in from Saurashtra, who lost to Mumbai in the semi finals, are left handed all rounder Ravindra Jadeja and prolific middle order batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.

Jadeja, who bats in the lower middle order and bowls left-arm spin, accumulated 739 runs in nine ties at an average of 67.18, besides claiming 42 wickets, the same as Kulkarni, at 19.72 per scalp.

He also grabbed four hauls of five or more wickets in an innings, figures that cannot be brushed aside easily by the election committee headed by Krishnamachari Srikkanth as they continue their search for a stable and effective all rounder.

Pujara, with over 900 runs with a best of 302 and an average of 82.36 is another in-form player from the state which had produced Ranji and Duleep Sinhjis.

But with Tamil Nadu's S Badrinath already placed in the Rs 40-lakh bracket in the Cricket Board's central contracts and the One-day middle order packed with others such as Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and strong contender Rahane, it remains to be seen whether he gets in.

Comeback man Laxmipathy Balaji is another player who has stormed his way back into the national reckoning with his lion-hearted display after having been out of action over the last two seasons following a stress injury to his back.

The Tamil Nadu pacer grabbed 36 wickets in seven Ranji ties at a meagre 17.5 per victim, including four five wicket in an innings hauls, and to back his claims is his past experience at the international level.

Balaji faces stiff competition from the fit-again S Sreesanth and R P Singh, other than Kulkarni, to join the expected pace bowling combination of Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma and Munaf Patel.

With Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir present, the selectors have no need to look beyond them for performing the openers' roles. Harbhajan Singh would once again be the man leading the spin attack with Jadeja as his likely support instead of Ojha.

The squad is set to reach Lanka on January 26 to start the series of limited overs internationals arranged as a stand-in for the cancelled trip to Pakistan.