Ganguly to be gifted with 1-kg gold bat

Kolkata: A one-kilogram gold bat will be gifted to former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly at a Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) felicitation programme on Sunday.

"It will be a totally cricket-centric function. So, there will be no cultural programmes," CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya told reporters here.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee will be the guest of honour at the function.

Panel discussions by his captains and a 15-minute audio-visual programme on Ganguly's colourful cricketing career would be the other highlights of the event.

The gold bat has Ganguly's cricketing records embossed on it.

Office bearers of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), affiliate units of CAB, its trustee board members and presidents and secretaries of Eastern Zonal units will be present.

Ganguly's family members have also been invited.

ICC comes under attack for all-time rankings

New Delhi: The ICC on Thursday came under attack 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.

If a player's career is considered as a mountain, then a single peak would hold worth less than a high, long plateau, the ICC said.

"Hence Tendulkar would be deemed greater than most other players despite having a lower peak. One way of assessing a player would be to calculate his "average rating" over his career though of course this could penalise a player whose long career included a slow start," the ICC said.

Abbas shocked to see Sachin in 26 position

Lahore: Former Pakistan middle order batsman Zaheer Abbas is surprised that Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar does not figure in the elite list of batsmen released by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Tendulkar was placed 26, ten places below the recently retired Aussie opener Matthew Hayden.

"There is no way you won't have Tendulkar in the list," Abbas was quoted as saying by The News.

The list has also infuriated officials and fans in India. Four leading Test run-scorers of all time Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Steve Waugh and Allan Border could not even manage into the top 20.

Meanwhile, the ICC released a statement yesterday after drawing flak from cricket fans especially in India over the rankings.

"Matthew Hayden's position of 10th and 18th in the all-time Test and ODI rankings for batsmen is an impressive achievement by anyone's standards but this does not necessarily mean he is the 10th best Test batsman or 18th best ODI batsman in the history of the

game," the statement 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.

"For example, 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 better than a player who hovered around the 850-point mark for his entire career," it added.

Ranji final: Uttar Pradesh 123/4 at lunch

With Mumbai sniffing victory on the final day of the Ranjiy Trophy final, Uttar Pradesh managed to compile 123/4 at the stroke of lunch break on Friday.

In the process of chasing a huge target of 525 runs, Mohammad Kaif (44) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were (36) at vigil after Uttar Pradesh lost four batsmen in the first session.

Earlier, TM Srivastava and SS Shukla took charge of their second innings.

On the fourth day of the match, Vinayak Samant (113) blasted his maiden first class century, while team-mate Rohit Sharma (108) struck his second of the match as Mumbai virtually assured itself of its 38th Ranji Trophy title on Thursday.

Mumbai's star batsman Sachin Tendulkar, who was down with viral fever, failed in both the innings. He scored a duck in the first innings and scored only four runs in the second innings in which he batted at number seven.

Triangular Tournament Al Hasan inspires Tigers

Shakib Al Hasan: Scored a match-winning 92

Bangladesh recorded only their second ODI victory over Sri Lanka with a thrilling five-wicket win at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Shakib Al Hasan scored a sparkling 92 not out as Bangladesh chased down Sri Lanka's total of 147 with all of seven overs in hand.

The match was reduced to 31 overs after heavy fog delayed the start in Mirpur.

But once play got underway, Bangladesh made immediate in-roads in to the Sri Lanka innings.

Mashrafe Mortaza removed opener Upul Tharanga for a duck with the third delivery of the day, while Kumar Sangakkara also fell without scoring in his next over.

Dismissed

Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardene steadied the ship with a stand of 71 for the third wicket.

However after Jayawardene was dismissed for 28, the Sri Lankans lost wickets at regular intervals.

Debutant fast bowler Rubel Hossain did the damage by polishing off the tail on his way to figures of 4-33, but it was Mortaza who removed the dangerous Jayasuriya for 54.

Jayasuriya was dropped off Mortaza for 28, but the Bangladesh bowler got his revenge by holding on to a catch off his own bowling.

Despite dismissing Sri Lanka for just 147, the Tigers got off to a terrible start in reply as both openers - Tamim Iqbal and Junaid Siddique - were run out and Mushfiqur Rahim was removed for just one.

However, Mohammad Ashraful and Al Hasan dug in to turn the innings around.

The pair put on 91 runs for the fourth wicket - with Al Hasan providing the lion's share of the runs as Ashraful contributed 26 before he was dismissed by Nuwan Kulasekara.

Al Hasan, though, steered Banglasdesh home with his unbeaten 92 coming off just 69 balls and including 10 fours and two sixes.

Cricket-Sri Lanka lose five wickets for 6 runs in tri-series final

DHAKA, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka lost five wickets for six runs in eight overs in the tri-series one-day international final against Bangladesh on Friday.

After Bangladesh were skittled out for 152, Sri Lanka lost non-striker opener Sanath Jayasuria after the first ball of the over when he was run out. Upul Tharanga, Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Kapugedera and Thilina Thushara then fell in quick succession.

Ganguly to pick IPL babes for Kolkata Knight Riders

Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, who is popularly known as the Prince of Kolkata, will pick a new cheerleader for his Indian Premier League team, the Kolkata Knight Riders. sourav_ganguly-238x300 Ganguly to pick IPL babes for Kolkata Knight Riders

Ganguly is all set to make his small screen debut in Shahrukh Khan’s show, Knights and Angels. But unlike other cricketers he will not be seen participating, but rather judging the reality show Knights and Angels.
The talent hunt show, which will air on NDTV Imagine, will look for cheerleaders who will cheer for Kolkata Knight Riders in the second edition of the Indian Premier League.

Ganguly has agreed to appear on reality TV show, The Sun reported.

Shahrukh Khan had brought in the much needed glamour quotient to the first edition of the IPL.

King Khan is showing serious interest in television production and Red Chillies Entertainment will produce the show.

Noted choreographer Shiamak Davar will train the girls taking part in the show. L

But cheerleaders and the megabucks Twenty20 tournament have not always mixed well together.

Last year, Dehli Daredevils withdrew their cheerleaders after an outrage from local politicians. And, Deccan Chargers all-rounder Shahid Afridi complained his team’s dancers were an unwanted distraction. (ANI)

Sourav is the God of off-side

Shatrunjay Gaekwad

He may have been known so far as the son of former Indian opener and coach Anshuman Gaekwad. But now after landing a one-year contract with the Kolkata Knight

Riders (KKR), Shatrunjay Gaekwad is opening a new innings for himself. In town for the trials for the KKR team, the Baroda batsman is all smiles after getting the contract papers. “It will be an opportunity to share the dressing room with some great players,” he says. Ask Shatrunjay whether the trials were very tough and pat comes the reply, “Not at all. I didn’t have to outplay myself. I’m an attacking batsman who just needed some improvisation. I am keen on playing the T20 format as there are not many opportunities at the domestic level.” Shatrunjay is also happy to be part of the KKR team for another reason —- his adulation for Sourav Ganguly. There was a time when he carried Dada’s picture in his ‘coffin’. Breaking into a smile, he says, “Yes, I used to. But we no longer use coffins. These days it is the kit bag. I’m a great fan of Sourav. I have interacted with him since the time my father was the coach of the Indian team. And I have got many valuable tips from him.” The fact that both of them are left handed batsmen has probably drawn them closer. Shatrunjay reveals, “I am an off-side player and Sourav is the God of off-side. I idolize him.” But the association with Dada just doesn’t end there. The 25-year-old, who is also an avid music lover, has another secret to share with us. “Every year I get some gifts from Sourav and I treasure all the gloves, shoes and bats that he has presented me with. I shall never share the gloves with anyone,” says Shatrunjay. The batsman is also eyeing the KKR team as a springboard to get into Team India. And he is optimistic. “It is a dream to wear the Indian blues,” he says. But isn’t age a factor, considering he is already 25? “Why should it be? My state mate Yusuf Pathan is the biggest example. With just one good T20 season, he was catapulted into the Indian team. So anything can happen,” Shatrunjay sounds ever optimistic. Talking of his famous surname, he says, “I’m only under pressure when I am with my father. But on the field, there is no pressure. In fact, I draw inspiration from it.” Picking from many of his father’s innings, the innings of 80 odd runs against West Indies is his best. “The innings against the West Indian pace battery surely gives me goosebumps. With broken ribs and bruised ear he braved the onslaught. Even Sunil uncle (Gavaskar) kept shouting that Indians have got kids back home,” shares Shatrunjay. For someone who enjoys music, he is currently on a song.

Australia remain world's best after avoiding whitewash

Beaten but not bowed: Smith, the South Africa captain, played with an injured hand and although he could not save the final Test, he had already led his side to a series win

Australia salvaged a consolation win against South Africa after dismissing the tourists for 272 with only ten balls remaining on the fifth day to clinch a 103-run victory in the third Test at the SCG.

South Africa entered the final day needing a further 314 runs to pull off an improbable win, and a series clean sweep, having progressed to 62 for one at stumps on day four. But any hope of an unlikely victory disappeared when the tourists lost Neil McKenzie, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla in the opening session.

Australia removed JP Duminy, Mark Boucher and AB de Villiers in the middle session to take control of proceedings to leave South Africa on 193 for seven at tea. Paul Harris went lbw to Peter Siddle in the sixth over after the resumption to leave the South Africans 202 for eight but Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini held out for over 17 overs, adding another 50 runs before Steyn was removed lbw by Andrew McDonald.

Graeme Smith had not played since retiring hurt with a broken finger and troublesome left elbow in the South African first innings but the skipper returned to courageously bat out the remaining overs with Ntini. But with only ten balls to spare, he was bowled by Mitchell Johnson for three.

Siddle was the pick of the Australian bowlers, taking three wickets for 54, while McDonald returned figures of two for 32.

South Africa had already clinched the three-match series after winning the first two Tests in Perth and Melbourne but Australia's victory meant that they retained their position at the top of the ICC's official Test rankings.