Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, has said MS Dhoni’s leadership will face a stern test in the next couple of years if the younger members of the team continue to underperform and the senior players retire

Cricinfo staff03-Sep-2010Sourav Ganguly, the former India captain, has said MS Dhoni’s leadership will face a stern test in the next couple of years if the younger members of the team continue to underperform and the senior players retire.While Ganguly acknowledged India’s form in Tests had been good, the inconsistency in the shorter formats, he said, was a worry. India won the Asia Cup recently but were beaten in the final of the subsequent tri-series in Sri Lanka. They failed to make the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 and Champions Trophy in 2009, as well as the World Twenty20 in 2010.”Dhoni’s biggest challenge will be in the coming one or two years when [Sachin] Tendulkar, [Rahul] Dravid and [VVS] Laxman retire,” Ganguly told . “Next year, we have about five away series and it will be a test of his captaincy and his players. His future as Indian captain will be determined.”Yuvraj Singh has a lot of ups and downs despite playing for so long. Virender Sehwag too is inconsistent when it comes to one-dayers, while the youngsters Ravindra Jadeja, Yusuf Pathan and Rohit Sharma are short of expectations,” Ganguly said. “They [the youngsters] were termed as the future, but they are yet to perform at the highest level and blossom. There has been a big gap as we are not getting the combination right.”During Ganguly’s tenure as captain, India began to taste success overseas with more frequency, registering Test wins in West Indies and England after many years and winning a series in Pakistan for the first time. “Those were the performances that mattered the most for us. Performance is 40% captaincy and 60% player’s contribution,” Ganguly said.Ganguly also said that age should not be the deciding factor when picking a player. “It’s Sachin Tendulkar who is still your best, while for the Aussies it’s Ricky Ponting who is still taking the team through. And, remember Laxman’s contribution in saving the series in Sri Lanka.”

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has expressed shock at the appointment of Misbah-ul-Haq as Test captain for the upcoming series against South Africa

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2010Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has expressed shock at the appointment of Misbah-ul-Haq as Test captain for the upcoming series against South Africa.”I was surprised when I heard that Misbah has been named the Pakistan captain,” Akram told Mobile ESPN. “He has been out of the team since the beginning of the year and to bring him back as a captain was a bit shocking.”Misbah was a regular member of the Pakistan middle-order in all formats following his comeback to the side in 2007. He was dropped after a lean trot during the Test series in Australia that ended in January this year. Despite a surprise appearance for the 2010 World Twenty20 in the West Indies in May, few expected him to make another Test appearance.Pakistan’s current leadership crisis, following Shahid Afridi’s latest retirement from Tests and Salman Butt’s suspension for alleged involvement in spot-fixing, forced the board to recall Misbah and appoint him as their fourth Test captain in 2010 alone.”They did not have too many choices,” Akram reasoned. “Kamran Akmal is there but he is inexperienced. They have also tried Shoaib Malik. Mohammad Yousuf is making a comeback after a long time and he should just concentrate on his batting at the moment.”If they have named him the captain for one series, it’s okay. He is already 36 and the PCB needs to find a long-term solution to this problem. I do not know the vision of the selectors.”Pakistan have endured a torrid period following the controversial tour of England and Akram noted Misbah would have a key role as a leader in the South Africa series, both on and off the field. “Misbah will be under pressure. He will have to improve the image of Pakistan cricket. For Misbah handling the media and getting runs himself could be demanding.”The wickets in Dubai might suit Misbah’s style of batting, but you cannot take the South Africans lightly. They are a very tough opposition under any conditions. Misbah needs to work hard and make sure he earns the faith of the team. If he gets runs, everything else will take care of itself.”

Gary Putland’s four wickets earned the Man of the Match award and a comfortable first-up victory for South Australia over New South Wales in Adelaide

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Oct-2010

ScorecardGary Putland’s four wickets pushed the Redbacks to victory•Getty Images

Gary Putland’s four wickets earned the Man of the Match award and a comfortable first-up victory for South Australia over New South Wales in Adelaide. Putland’s 4 for 41 helped the Redbacks defend their 9 for 232 as the Blues were dismissed for 199 in the 43rd over.Aaron O’Brien struck 13 runs from the final six balls of South Australia’s innings to move to 44 while Michael Klinger (40), Cameron Borgas (38) and Graham Manou (38) also chipped in. The Redbacks were a wobbly 4 for 96 after 20 overs, but came back well in the second phase to post a match-winning total. Stuart Clark collected 4 for 51 in a handy display while Scott Coyte gained 2 for 15 from three overs.It was a quiet night for David Warner (7), Usman Khawaja (7) and Brad Haddin (0), who were early casualties, and Phil Jaques fell for 32 as the Blues reached 4 for 89 after 20 overs. In their second innings Nic Maddinson raced to 54 off 51 on debut and Moises Henriques added 41, but the assignment proved too difficult.

New Zealand ended the fourth day dreaming of a famous win in Ahmedabad after India’s vaunted batting proved no match to an inspired Chris Martin

The Bulletin by Siddarth Ravindran07-Nov-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Chris Martin bowled Sachin Tendulkar, turning in one of his finest performances•AFP

New Zealand ended the fourth day dreaming of a famous win in Ahmedabad after India’s vaunted batting proved no match against an inspired Chris Martin, whose ninth five-wicket haul left the home side effectively at 110 for 6. The mayhem in Motera in the second half of the day was in complete contrast to the morning session when Kane Williamson’s debut Test century steered New Zealand past 400 and the match looked set to meander towards a dull draw. Instead, India are looking to their chief firefighter, VVS Laxman, to put in a third consecutive match-turning second-innings effort.India seemed to have wrested a slim advantage after prising out the final five New Zealand wickets for 42. With Hamish Bennett injured and Jesse Ryder nursing a calf strain, New Zealand’s man-for-all-occasions Daniel Vettori would have to share the new ball with Martin. The possibility of Virender Sehwag cashing in to help India force a result was very much alive.What unfolded couldn’t have been more different. Gautam Gambhir made his third successive second-innings duck, inside-edging Martin to the keeper. On a pitch which had till then seemed comatose, Martin got the ball to jag in appreciably, forcing the batsmen to play cautiously.New Zealand’s fielding had been abysmal in the first innings, with several dropped catches, but substitute Martin Guptill’s sublime bit of fielding sent back dangerman Sehwag. Rahul Dravid punched the ball towards mid-off, where Guptill threw himself to his left to cut it off, causing confusion among the batsmen. Dravid stopped and sent Sehwag back after taking several paces down the track, and Guptill’s reverse-flick while still on his knees was accurate enough for the bowler to run out the stranded Sehwag.It got even better for New Zealand as a tentative Dravid poked at a ball outside off from Martin that held its line to feather it to the keeper. India went in to tea at 2 for 3, but were comforted on seeing the man in form, Sachin Tendulkar, pick off ten runs off a Martin over soon after the break.

Smart Stats

• Kane Williamson’s 131 is the highest score by a New Zealand batsman against India on debut. It is also the second-highest score by a New Zealand batsman on debut behind Matthew Sinclair’s 214 against West Indies.

• Chris Martin’s spell of five for 25 is the fifth-best bowling performance by New Zealand bowler in India and at present, the second best by a visiting bowler at Ahmedabad behind Dale Steyn’s 5 for 23.

• India’s score of 15 for 5 is their worst score at the fall of the fifth wicket against New Zealand and their second lowest overall. Three of the six worst scores at the fall of the fifth wicket have come against New Zealand.

• Daniel Vettori became the fifth New Zealand batsman to reach 4000 runs in his 101st Test. He has 3995 runs for New Zealand and 8 for the ICC World XI.

• Gautam Gambhir has now made three ducks in his last five innings and just 86 runs in his last nine innings. During that period, his average has fallen from 57.50 to 49.92.

That proved only a temporary relief as another Martin indipper took Tendulkar’s inside-edge on its way to the leg stump. Martin greeted new man Suresh Raina with a surprise bouncer, and then slipped in a fuller delivery the next over; Raina was caught on the crease and nicked a drive to slip. India were 15 for 5 – India’s second-worst score at five down in their Test history – and there could have been further trouble when Dhoni was struck high on the pads three balls later by yet another incutter.Laxman and Dhoni set about reviving the Indian innings, though there were no easy runs on offer from the accurate New Zealand spin pair of Vettori and Jeetan Patel. They eased the ball around for singles, and threw in the odd boundary, and when they had blunted the bowling for 24 overs, New Zealand’s hopes started to recede. Martin wasn’t done for the day, though, and an effort-ball from him produced some extra bounce and Dhoni chopped the ball onto the stumps. Harbhajan came out and attempted the big shots, pulling some off and missing others, but manage to remain unbeaten with Laxman at stumps.New Zealand will fancy their chances of winning this Test, a position India would have expected themselves to be in after their first innings. First, they hadn’t anticipated New Zealand’s spirited batting performance. Williamson, supported by his captain Vettori, who played a characteristically gritty innings, added 86 in the morning before Williamson fell in the final over before lunch with New Zealand well past 400.India’s chances in the session before that late breakthrough came in the first four overs: a couple of lbw appeals against Vettori and a Williamson nick just short of third slip. For the next 100 minutes, it was all New Zealand. Williamson hit a couple of boundaries off Zaheer Khan – a pull behind square and a glance to fine leg three balls later – to move from 93 to 101 and become the eighth New Zealander to make a hundred in his first Test. There were no extravagant theatrics that you might expect from a 20-year-old who had played a fine innings to rescue his team from a tight spot; just a big grin and a wave of the bat towards the dressing room.Vettori settled down after his initial jitters, and went past 4000 Test runs, again showcasing how much his batting has developed in the last few years. India’s bowlers were flat in the morning and it didn’t help that Zaheer, who has been Dhoni’s go-to bowler, didn’t appear to be 100% fit, rarely hitting even 130kmh. India wheedled out the last four New Zealand wickets in the hour-and-a-half after lunch but could scarcely have imagined the nightmare to follow.

Sri Lanka have sprung a couple of surprises by including Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas in their 30-member preliminary squad for the 2011 World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Dec-2010Sri Lanka have sprung a couple of surprises by including Sanath Jayasuriya and Chaminda Vaas in their 30-member preliminary squad for the 2011 World Cup. Seamer Nuwan Pradeep is the only uncapped player in the list, which will be pruned to 15 ahead of the tournament to be hosted in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.Jayasuriya has rarely featured in Sri Lanka’s plans in recent times, and managed just 15 runs in six outings during the 2010 World Twenty20 in West Indies. The two-match T20 series against New Zealand that followed was his last international assignment; he has since been ignored for all formats of the game. Vaas, who, like Jayasuriya, was a part of Sri Lanka’s successful 1996 World Cup side, has been out of the national team since July 2009, and last played an ODI in August 2008.All 14 teams participating in the tournament have to announce their preliminary line-ups by December 19, and zero in on the final fifteen before January 19 next year.Preliminary squad: Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Dinesh Chandimal, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilan Samaraweera, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Silva, Chamara
Kapugedera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Farveez Maharoof, Jeevan Mendis,
Muttiah Muralitharan, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath, Malinga Bandara, Lasith
Malinga, Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando, Suranga Lakmal,
Dammika Prasad, Chaminda Vaas, Chanaka Welegedara, Nuwan Pradeep, Thilan
Thushara

Round-up of the second day of the quarter-finals of the Ranji Trophy Super League

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Dec-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mumbai’s defence of the Ranji Trophy ran into trouble with Rajasthan on the verge of gaining a first-innings lead and converting it into a substantial one with nine wickets still in hand. Vineet Saxena notched up his eighth first-class century, striking 14 fours and a six, while the experienced Hrishikesh Kanitkar, playing his 122nd first-class game, finished the day on 95.Rajasthan had gained the advantage at the end of the first day at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, and were in a dominant position at the end of the second.
Rajasthan’s battles were not only with the bowlers but with their own past and with Mumbai’s reputation of scripting great jailbreaks. They had twice come close to beating Mumbai in 2003 and in 2007, but had choked. Saxena had hit a hundred in the second encounter but had thrown his wicket away and was watched ruefully as his team lost by two runs. He was doubly determined to not let it happen again.It’s a tribute to Rajasthan’s focus today that the only wicket they lost today came due to an umpiring error. Aakash Chopra was adjudged lbw, when the ball appeared to have struck him high, in the fifth over of the day but that was to be the solitary moment of joy for Mumbai. Only 60 runs came in the first session but Saxena-Kanitkar combo had weathered the storm. Agarkar and Avishkar Salvi were the pick of the bowlers but even they couldn’t create any chances as Saxena and Kanitkar grinded out Mumbai with their patience. Saxena hung around for 53 minutes and faced 33 deliveries in his 90’s while Kanitkar had just 48 scoring shots from 255 balls. It was that kind of a day. As you would expect, Mumbai tried sledging Saxena into making indiscretions but in vain.A team that climbed up from the Plate league was doggedly determined to knock out the 39-time champions. Mumbai used as many as seven bowlers, who didn’t measure up to Rajasthan’s determined response. The slow pitch nullifed Ramesh Powar and Iqbal Abdulla and the debutant seamer Aaquib Sheikh proved ineffective Mumbai’s captain Wasim Jaffer was left hoping for a minor miracle : “The bowlers tried their best, but the wicket has flattened considerably. It’s difficult for bowlers but we still need a Rajasthan collapse. Otherwise, it looks very difficult for us at the moment.”
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Baroda’s batsmen gave their team a significant advantage over Railways at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara. A maiden first-class century from Kedar Devdhar and a typically aggressive 68 from Yusuf Pathan put Baroda on course for a first-innings lead, and Ambati Rayudu took them past the mark with an attacking knock. Railways were 241 for 8 overnight with two set batsmen – Yere Goud and Nileshkumar Chauhan – at the crease. But Goud’s early dismissal in the day, trapped in front by Murtuja Vahora, meant only seven runs were added to the overnight score with Chauhan left unbeaten on 35.The Baroda reply began at a slow pace, with openers Conor Williams and Jaykishan Kolsawala biding their time. However, they failed to capitalise on their starts and Railways appeared to have pulled things back at 70 for 2. But Devdhar and Yusuf, their approaches contrasting but hugely effective, accumulated 115 runs for the third wicket to lay the stage for a lead. Devdhar played several delightful back-foot punches, pulls and drives to up the ante while Yusuf hit a breezy half-century with four sixes and six fours.Railways might have sensed an opportunity when Yusuf fell, to a good catch by Anureet Singh at cover, but Devdhar and Rayudu counterattacked in style. The pair raised 79 runs in just 42 minutes to propel Baroda towards the lead but Rayudu fell, attempting a sweep shot. Devdhar brought up his hundred by sweeping the legspinner Karan Sharma over square-leg boundary and stated his intent by on driving the last ball of the day to the boundary. Due to their collective effort, Baroda found themselves 55 ahead at stumps with six wickets in hand.Karnataka remained in control in their encounter against Madhya Pradesh at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. They gained a first-innings lead and stretched it to 106 by stumps with two wickets in hand. Following a solid start from the openers Robin Uthappa and KB Pawan, the middle order stepped up with Manish Pandey chipping in with 49, Amit Verma top-scoring with 85, Stuart Binny stroking a fluent 39 and wicketkeeper CM Gautam remaining unbeaten on 29. It could have proved much worse for Madhya Pradesh when Karnataka were 294 for 5 with Verma and Gautam going strong. But a three-wicket burst from Jalaj Saxena’s offspinners, for just as many runs, including the dismissal of Verma, gave Madhya Pradesh hope of fighting back and limiting the lead to an extent where a win still remained within reach.Tamil Nadu fought back on the second day against Haryana in Rohtak, but only after a majority of the day was lost to fog. Play began as late as 3pm but within the couple of hours of play that were possible, Tamil Nadu managed to pick up four wickets but Haryana were still in a strong position at 379 for 6. Seamer L Balaji picked up two wickets, including the centurion opener Nitin Saini who was finally dismissed for 150. Hemang Badani was trapped in front by former team-mate R Ashwin for 31, overnight batsman Ankit Rawat fell for 20 and Haryana were able to add 86 to their first-day score. Tamil Nadu didn’t help themselves by conceding 41 extras, and need to battle the weather and the tail to bowl the opposition out.