Cricket-ICC fine Sreesanth, Indian team

CAPE TOWN, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Indian bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth lost 10 percent match fee for kicking the boundary rope while the entire team have been fined separately for slow over rate, the International Cricket Council said on Thursday.

The temperamental paceman incurred the individual fine after pleading guilty to a charge that related to "abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings", the ICC said in a statement.

"As Sreesanth accepted the decision without contest, there was no need for a hearing."

A frustrated Sreesanth kicked the rope on Wednesday after he had two lbw appeals turned down in the previous over, an incident he went on to regret.

"I think it was anger at the spur of the moment and I'm sorry for that," the bowler told Ten Cricket channel.

"I'm lucky it's just a 10 percent fine and I thought it could be a ban or something. I was worried but thank God..."

Sreesanth had a fiery exchange of words with South African skipper Graeme Smith during the Durban test and the bowler said he had been "woken up" by that altercation.

Sreesanth will lose additional 30 percent match fees after ICC match referee Andy Pycroft said the Indian team have been found three overs behind the target during South Africa's second innings in the third and final test.

According to ICC regulations, players are fined 10 per cent of their match fees for every over they fail to bowl in the allotted time while the captain is fined double that amount.

Accordingly, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was fined 60 percent match fee while his team mates were handed 30 percent fines.

Source: http://af.reuters.com/article/southAfricaNews/idAFSGE70502420110106?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

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Writing World Cup song was an emotional moment: Manoj Yadav

Lyricist Manoj Yadav, who has penned the popular ICC Cricket World Cup anthem De Ghuma Ke, says he initially struggled to write the lyrics for the song that is replete with fun Hindi phrases. His brief was that the song should strike a chord with the rural and urban cricket lover.

Yadav was told that the song has to have a strong fun element.

"I got a call from O&M (Ogilvy & Mather) that we need to make a song for the ICC World Cup and gave me the brief. The brief was that it should not sound like just another anthem, which is motivational and inspirational; it should have a fun element too," Yadav told IANS.

De Ghuma Ke has been composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and crooned by Shankar along with Divya Kumar for the world event that kickstarts Feb 19 and will be held in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

"I was told that a farmer should also like it and even a multiplex goer enjoy it. It was quite tricky for me initially because I didn't know what way to pick. It was challenging. Then I sat with Shankar and we came up with De Ghuma Ke," he added.

It took Yadav two weeks to write the entire song, which is peppy and upbeat.

He also revealed that Shankar was quite a guiding force when he was penning the lyrics.

"In the beginning I was quite confused what to write. So I asked Shankar. He briefed me and his guidance was always there. He said, 'Forget that you're writing a song for cricket. Just write what you like and go beyond your imagination.' Luckily, what I wrote was liked by everyone," said Yadav, who has also written the Lux soap jingle for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

He also said that working on the song was an emotional moment for him.

"A writer lives for these opportunities and so is the case with me. First of all it's a World cup song, secondly it's with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, one of the top music directors, and third it's about cricket, which is my favourite game - what else does one want?"

"I love playing cricket, used to play it a lot. I can't express how I felt when I got this song. Never thought I'll be chosen to write this. I'm thankful to god and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy that they considered me for this track. It's an emotional moment for me," he added.

De Ghuma Ke has commonly used Hindi terms like, aare paare (this way or that), guthi gutham (fisticuffs), juta hausla badla faisla (buck up and change the game) and jiyo khiladi wah re wah re.

However, all was not easy for Yadav; while writing the song the fear of criticism always lurked.

"As a writer you do wonder whether people will like it or not. This thought is always there, but when you make people hear it and they like it, then you get the positivity," he said.

"Yes, there was a fear of being criticised. The CWG (Commonwealth Games) song was so nice but people compared it to other songs of A.R. Rahman and criticised it. If it had been seen as a stand alone song I'm sure people would have liked it," he said referring to the CWG song Jiyo Utho Badho Jeeto, which was panned.

"So I do have that fear too, but I will still hope that people like my song and take it in its right spirit," he said.

Read more at: http://movies.ndtv.com/
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Australia Drop to Fifth Place after Defeat in India

Australia have dropped to fifth place in the ICC Test rankings following their 2-0 series defeat in India and are placed below England for the first time since the rankings were introduced in 2003.

Australia and India entered the two-Test series on 113 and 127 points and the hosts' wins in Mohali and Bangalore earned them three more points, taking them 11 clear of South Africa, who are in second place.

In contrast, Australia conceded three points and slipped to 110, two behind England.
It is their lowest ranking ever.

However, they will have the opportunity to reclaim fourth place when England travel to Australia for the Ashes in November.

Source: eurosport.yahoo.com

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Sachin becomes World No. 1 Test batsman

Sachin Tendulkar on Wednesday reclaimed the number one position in the Test rankings, following his stupendous show with the bat in the just concluded Test series against Australia.

Sachin Tendulkar was the highest run-getter with 403 runs in the two-match series, which India won 2-0.

Tendulkar also scored his sixth double hundred and was adjudged Man-of-the-series.The Indian batting legend has now 891 points, according to the ICC ranking table on its website.
Virender Sehwag is the next best Indian at number three with 819 points, behind Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara (874).

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Mohali Thriller Emphasises why India-Australia Rivalry is Best

Test cricket at its best. Nobody was prepared for such a thriller. Not even those who have been raised on the classics between these two prized opponents of the last decade. Mohali doesn’t suffer in comparison with the Eden Gardens and Adelaide wins, where India defied extreme odds.

Interestingly, in both those wins too, VVS Laxman was magical. Now, after Mohali, he is a colossus. Injury made him just a number in the batting line-up in the first innings. In the second, he needed the crutches of a runner.

Yet, his will prevailed. Rarely has a non-century been as invaluable as Laxman’s 73 on Tuesday.And all this due to the generosity of a man who isn’t viewed as fair by most Indian fans. Ricky Ponting was judged as inflammatory in Sydney. He wasn’t seen as courteous in getting the then BCCI chief down the podium after the Champions Trophy triumph in 2006.

In Mohali, though, he allowed Laxman with a runner in both the innings. He had made a public pledge to restore game’s dignity after the unsavoury episodes of recent times. The Australian skipper was as good as his word.Ishant Sharma was no less heroic. Like Laxman, he too wasn’t in the best of health in the first innings. But he returned to put the skids under Australia in the second innings. Australia would long wonder how India escaped the noose after being 124 for eight.

Still, this game was there for the taking for the Indians. Some smart work in the field wouldn’t have allowed Australia to top the 400-run mark. While poised for a lead, the hosts actually ended up 23 runs behind the visitors.The bowlers again got them in front before the top-order crashed to leave their hopes hanging by a thread.

This thread was all Laxman needed to do his Houdini act.Luck too teased in the closing seconds when Pragyan Ojha could have been leg before wicket or run-out off the same ball. But Gods weren’t willing to come between a ‘Very Special Man’ and his extraordinary task. Zaheer Khan was adjudged the best from the match. And rightly so. Without him, this would have been a no-contest. The majority, though, must be with the genial Hyderabadi. Fellow mates could have their awards while Laxman chooses to be the toast of the nation for the moment.

The Mohali thriller has only further emphasised why India-Australia cricket gets top billing.

Source: Deccanherald.com

Sachin Tendulkar Took a New Flight

New Delhi. Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar on Friday for his achievements in cricket Indian Air Force [IAF] was honored by the honorary rank of Group Captain. Tendulkar is the first player who is awarded the post of IAF and that awards are the first person that aviation is no background.

Earlier in 2008 World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev, India's Territorial Army lieutenant colonel was awarded the honorary post. Records in the King Air 37, Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador has been involved. IAF chief Air Chief Marshal PV Naik colorful ceremony at Air Force Auditorium awarded him the post. Tendulkar said after achieving the honor, "Air Force to be awarded is a matter of great pleasure and honor. I thought that it came true today. AF associated with I am very proud. I join the Air Force from youth and urge to serve the country. "

President Pratibha Patil on June 23 before the star batsman of the Air Force awarded an honorary post was approved. Tendulkar to contribute to the national service honor major figures of the armed forces under the provision of honorary rank to have been awarded. Air Force Group Captain Tendulkar in January this year had proposed to the honorary post. Tendulkar to join the Air Force believes that the younger generation to join IAF and the country will be motivated to serve. Naik said, "Youth him [Tendulkar] has inspired. I believe it will encourage youth to join the Air Force. IAF's my duty to take measures to improve and connect with Sachin about the Air Force will help bring public awareness. "

Tendulkar awarded honorary rank before being familiar with the process of joining the IAF and they have trained in basic military drills and drill. IAF total of 21 celebrities so far has awarded an honorary post.

These first Yashwant Rao Jawahar, who in 1944 was awarded the rank of Flight Lieutenant. Industrialist JR D Tata honorary rank of Air Vice Marshal in 1974 were. Such a mailing last honorary post industrialist Vijaypat Singhania who is now Honorary Air Commodore. Tendulkar over two decades of his career has made many records. He has the most players playing 169 Test matches. He also played 442 ODI matches and Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya's world record in the 444 are very close.

Tendulkar in Test matches so far at an average of 56.08 including 48 centuries and 55 half-century has scored 13 742 are recorded. 17 598 ODI matches he has scored with 46 hundreds. He fashioned the world's first double century in cricket ODI batsman.

We have proved ourselves: Dhoni

Colombo, Aug 7 (IANS) India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his team's five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka here Saturday in the series-levelling third cricket Test has vindicated the bowlers, who had come in for much cricticism in the first two Tests.

India had fielded a depleted bowling attack in the absence of spearhead Zaheer Khan in the three-match Test series. An out-of-form Harbhajan Singh only added to their woes, with India losing the first Test by 10 wickets.

The visitors came back strongly to draw the second and the won the third Tests to finish up the series 1-1.

A beaming Dhoni praised the all-round performance of the team.

'It is a great win for us. After the first Test people said our bowling is not good enough, that our batsmen were not stepping up. But we have proved ourselves here,' Dhoni said.

'It was a convincing victory for us. The pitch played really well. It had something for batsmen and the bowlers. Our batting plan was to soak up the pressure and Sachin Tendulkar and (V.V.S.) Laxman batted really well. When Kookaburra bowl gets old, it becomes difficult for the bowlers.'

Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakarra felt their batting in the second innings let them down but was said his team can be proud of their performance.

'We put in a good effort through the series. This game we were found wanting with our batting in the second innings. Full credit to the entire team for the effort. It was great Test wicket. It had the bounce for both spinners and the fast bowlers,' Sangakarra said.

'It was great to see the guts shown by Ajantha Mendis. He had to face quite a few blows on his body. Lasith Malinga and Suresh Randiv deserve a special mention. They were fantastic with the ball. All five wickets were taken by Randiv in the second innings. Laxman and Sachin also batted fantastically well.'

Man of the match Laxman (103 not out) who with Tendulkar (54) rustled up 109 runs for the fifth wicket to chase down 257-victory target also attributed the win to the bowlers. It was Laxman's first Man of the Match award in Tests since the Trinidad Test in 2002 and only the third of his career.

'It was a great victory for us. It pulled us back in the series. Bowlers on the third day got us back in the game. Sachin and I played good. I really feel proud of my effort today. (Coach) Gary (Kirsten) told me that it is an opportunity for me to win the match for the country. I am really happy that I along with Sachin won the game for India,' Laxman said.

India wins Asia Cup Cricket Tournament

India won the Asia Cup cricket tournament after crushing defending champions Sri Lanka by 81runs in a lop-sided final in Dambulla yesterday. India bagged the title after a gap of 15 years.

At the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, electing to bat first, India posted a competitive 268 for six in their 50 overs. Man of the Match Dinesh Karthik struck a fighting half-century making 66.

India then defended the total without much hiccup with the seamers producing a scintillating performance. The hosts were skittled out for 187 in 44.4 overs. Nehra was the most successful Indian bowler with four for 40.

This was India’s first Asia Cup triumph since Mohammad Azharuddin had led them to the title in Sharjah in 1995. On that occasion also, India had beaten Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final.


Source: Samachartoday.com

Muttiah Muralitharan out of World Twenty20

Sri Lanka's ICC World Twenty20 title hopes have been dented by the news that Muttiah Muralitharan will miss the rest of the tournament.

The spinner suffered a groin injury in the two-wicket defeat to New Zealand over the weekend, which will require rest.

The 38-year-old, the highest wicket-taker in Test and one-day cricket, was crucial to his side's chances with spin bowlers expected to play a big part in the tournament on the slow wickets in the Caribbean.

"Sri Lankan team physio Tommy Simsek speaking to srilankacricket.lk revealed that clinical tests revealed a grade one strain of his right adductor muscle," a statement read.

"Murali will be advised to rest for 2-3 weeks, hence a replacement will be decided by SLC with the advice of the National selectors."

Sri Lanka must defeat Zimbabwe in their second group match on Monday to progress to the Super Eights.

Source: Skysports.com

Know about Sachin Tendulkar

Sachin Tendulkar on Thursday produced one of the best innings in the history of one-day cricket as India came within three runs of victory over Australia in the fifth one-dayer.
After 20 years of international cricket, Tendulkar turned back the clock and his 45th one-day hundred evoked memories of some of his best knocks through his career.

Here's a collection of all you would want to know about the genius of Sachin Tendulkar and his latest milestone:

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Cricket's Oscars Tonight, 4 Indians in Race

India's good form over the past year will be recognised on Thursday night at the ICC awards ceremony. Four Indians have been nominated for cricket's top honour.

The sixth LG ICC Awards 2009 will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The function will start at 10 pm (IST) while the guests will start arriving at 9 pm (IST).

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and opener Gautam Gambhir have got twin nominations, while Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag have been shortlisted for the ODI Player of the Year category of the annual awards.

Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan have been nominated for three International Cricket Council (ICC) awards. Dilshan has also been nominated for the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year Award.

Based on the period between August 13, 2008 and August, 24, 2009, the LG ICC Awards 2009 presented in association with FICA take into account performances by players and officials.

That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC World Twenty20 2009 in England, the ICC Women's World Cup 2009 in Australia and the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2009 in South Africa, as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.

The nominations were made by a five-member selection panel headed by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd.

The panel also included former cricketers Anil Kumble of India, Mudassar Nazar of Pakistan, Bob Taylor of England and New Zealand's Stephen Fleming.

The previous LG ICC Awards ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007) and Dubai (2008).

Source: Ndtv.com

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BCCI, PCB in Touch to Revive Cricket Ties

Cricket boards of India and Pakistan are in touch to discuss resumption of bilateral cricket ties in the near future at neutral venues.

Sources in the Pakistan Cricket Board told PTI that a BCCI official had spoken to PCB this week and some discussion revolved around the possibility of revival of bilateral cricket ties between the two countries.

"The PCB is very keen to push this idea forward as a series against India will improve its financial health considerably and also allow it to meet its commitments with the broadcasters who are paying a lot of money for the television rights of Pakistan cricket," one source said.

The source also confirmed that Pakistan was keen to convince the Indians to resume bilateral ties by even agreeing to play a short series of one or two one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match at some neutral venue.

"The ice can be broken with a short series which can happen if the Indian Government gives the go ahead to its board," one source said.

He said they were some positive signals coming from BCCI which had also assured the PCB that it was keen to see Pakistani players in the Indian Premier League next year.

The PCB has already given clearance to all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and some other players to sign up with IPL franchises.

India suspended bilateral ties early this year after the Mumbai terror attacks by calling off a scheduled Test tour in January that cost PCB USD 25-30 million.

Interesting Facts on Fantasy Cricket Game!

Fantasy cricket game on the other hand gives you the freedom to choose players of your choice for your team. But the game is guided and controlled by certain cricket rules which are widely followed in normal on-field cricket. Furthermore, if you're a registered user of Fantasy Cricket Game you can receive all the inside news, scores of live matches on your mobiles.

There's a news section devoted entirely to the recent updates, interviews of famous cricketers and you can even download videos of exciting cricket matches. Some of the companies which have continuously brought in interesting features in these forms of cricket are now looking for new ways to make the format more exciting with the addition of fresh attributes to it.

With the recent popularity of T-20 cricket format, even online cricket games can be enjoyed in the same arrangement. Those who share a special liking for Women's cricket there are uniquely designed Fantasy Cricket Game format where you can watch your favorite women cricketers play their powerful strokes and swift bowling actions.

Fantasy Cricket Game!

The game of cricket is now looked upon as a fantasy game and for those cricket lovers who want to enjoy the spirit of the game sitting at their home Fantasy Cricket Game serves their purpose well. With the development of software application tools different varieties of sports can be enjoyed with the help of specially designed computer games.


Online Cricket Game is fast catching up among the younger generation. Since these games are ready to use and their applicability is within the reach of a lay man it has become widely popular. Some of the popular online cricket games are Kingfisher Cricket, Nat Test Cricket, Stickcricket, Slogcricket to name a few.

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Interesting facts about outstanding Legends of cricket!

Once known as "Gentleman's game" the game of cricket has created many sports stalwarts. The legends of cricket have taken the game to a new level providing it with the much needed excitement. These cricketers have inspired the next generation of budding cricket professionals to take up the game as a challenging career and over the years we all will agree to the fact the game is now no less than a mania in some countries. How can one miss an Ashes or a Indo-Pak match where you get to see your favorite cricketers playing their own fiery strokes!

The legends of cricket with their superb batting and bowling action continues to charm their fans even today! But have you wondered why this game is so popular in parts of South-East Asia, Australia and West Indies.

Well, if you look at history these countries were under the reign of British colonial rule for a long time hence the Britishers were responsible for creating the perfect ambiance for the growth of cricket.

Don Bradman was one such cricketer who took the game to a new height. Making his Test debut in 1928 against England with a batting average of 95.14 and record holder of 28,067 runs is widely cherished all over the world. His stupendous success in career created a flutter all over the world.

Another cricketer in the recent times who has set unprecedented trends all over is Sachin Tendulkar from India. Well known for his fiery strokes and amazing 4's and 6's he has created new milestones. Vivian Richards one of the biggest legends of cricket is internationally reckoned for his batting skills. The West Indies team won many matches under his captaincy and his cricket tactics on-field have been followed by many.

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Bangladesh Celebrating: Bangladesh Beats West Indies in Test Cricket

This is the celebration time for Bangladeshi people as Bangladesh beat the West Indies in test series by 95 runs. This is the Second test win in which first test victory of Bangladesh on foreign soil. On January 2005, Bangladesh beats Zimbabwe in Chittagong.

Due to a contract dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board, The west Indies team play without 13 of its top players.

Mohammad Mahmudullah, the Spinner bowler took 5 wicket. Bangladesh scored 238 and 345 runs and West Indies scored 307 and 181 Runs.

The second Test will be held in between Bangladesh and west Indies on July 17 in Grenada.

T20 Fever: Launches Online Cricket Games

While team India is the defending champions in the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup, Indian gaming portal, Gaming Hungama has launched four interactive online cricket games, free of cost, for its ‘Cricket-Crazy’ consumers.

All these games would be available on the gaming portal, and Gaming Hungama has created a set of interactive cricket applications that are available on Orkut across the globe too. The objective is to allow cricket fans across the world to take part in the cricket games.

Siddhartha Roy, COO, Digital and Allied Business, Hungama Digital Media, said, “India is a diverse nation, but the game of cricket is a religion in this country. We at Gaming Hungama have created a bouquet of games that are engaging and addictive for the average cricket enthusiast. Furthermore our association with Orkut enables cricket fans to network with their friends and share their experiences online.”

Online gaming is said to be fast picking up in India and according to industry estimates, the current online gaming market is already worth 10 million dollars. Constant innovation and exciting offerings from companies assures further momentum to this rapidly growing online sector.

The site enables users sitting in different parts of the world, get together and participate in highly engaging casual gaming over the internet. Gaming Hungama also hosts games, which are created especially for a brand promotions and activation.

Source: exchange4media.com