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Sachin Tendulkar is a 'genius', I am not: Alastair Cook
Donnerstag, 9. Juni 2016

Cook surpassed Little Master to become youngest cricketer to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket.

Alastair Cook has 28 Test hundreds to his name, with his runs having come at an average of 47, whereas Sachin Tendulkar bowed out with a record 51 centuries at an average of nearly 54. (Photo: AFP)

London: England captain Alastair Cook insisted India batting great Sachin Tendulkar's all-time record for Test runs had yet to come into his sights even though he had surpassed one mark set by the 'Little Master'.

Cook became the 12th player in history to score 10,000 Test runs during England's nine-wicket win in the second Test against Sri Lanka at Durham to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series ahead of Thursday's third Test at Lord's.

The left-handed opener was also the first Englishman to achieve the feat and, at 31 years and 157 days, the youngest to get to the landmark, breaking Tendulkar's record by more than five months.

Cook (10,042 runs in 128 Tests) is, however, nearly 6,000 runs short of retired star Tendulkar's record aggregate of 15,921 runs from 200 Tests.

The England skipper has 28 Test hundreds to his name, with his runs having come at an average of 47, whereas Tendulkar bowed out with a record 51 centuries at an average of nearly 54.

"Six thousand runs is a long way away," Cook, speaking at Lord's, said Wednesday. "It was set by an incredibly talented genius. I'm no genius and Tendulkar is, so that is a long way ahead.

"I want to play for England for as long as I can and at the moment I'm really enjoying it. I am really motivated and hungry and where that takes me who knows."

Cook added: "I've never lived my life by saying where I want to get to publicly.

"In private you have a few goals you want to try and achieve, but at the moment a lot of my goals are very immediate with this England team and as a captain that takes me away from personal milestones as a batter."

Nevertheless India hero Sunil Gavaskar, the first man to score 10,000 Test runs, said last week that Cook had it in him to set a new aggregate record for most Test runs because of his age and the fact that England play more games over the long format than many other nations.

Pink ball concerns:

Following the Lord's finale against Sri Lanka, England are then at home to Pakistan in a four-Test series.

England will then tour Bangladesh and India, where they will play a total of seven Tests.

None of those matches will be day/night contests.

Australia and New Zealand broke new ground with a day/night Test at the Adelaide Oval late last year and Cricket Australia have now confirmed another such match against South Africa, also in Adelaide, for November.

But with Ashes matches between England and Australia well supported, Cook said international cricket's oldest rivalry could stick with traditional hours.

"A lot of the games have really good attendances, and it's probably not a series where you need to do it exactly at this time," he explained.

However, Cook also said: "My general view of day-night Tests is that they're definitely something cricket authorities need to keep looking at -- because it's the way to keep the game moving with the times, making it more possible for spectators to come and watch.

"My issue with it is the quality of the pink ball (used under lights because the standard red one is deemed too hard to sight).

"No disrespect to the guys who make it -- but on the two occasions I've played, it doesn't seem to behave the same way as the red ball."

Cook said his concern was that day/night fixtures could, as things stand, be too often decided by the fate of the team batting at the 'wrong' time.

"It's one of the great things about Test cricket - sometimes the ball swings conventionally, sometimes it reverses.

"On my two occasions with the pink ball, it didn't do any of that - and then it nipped all over under twilight.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/cricket/090616/sachin-tendulkar-is-a-genius-i-am-not-alastair-cook.html

Fresh surgery for James Taylor to fix heart problem
Mittwoch, 8. Juni 2016

Former England batsman had an operation as part of treatment of illness that cut short his cricket career.

Former England batsman James Taylor has had an operation to fit a defribillator as he continues treatment for the heart condition. (Photo: Twitter)

London: Former England batsman James Taylor has had an operation to fit a defribillator as he continues treatment for the heart condition that dramatically cut short his cricket career.

In April, Taylor was forced into retirement at the age of just 26 after being diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

The condition means he can no longer take part in strenuous exercise, and following an initial course of treatment he has been fitted with a 'life vest' or external defibrillator – to prevent any recurrence of the problem.

Taylor tweeted a picture of himself in hospital on Wednesday after surgery.

"Well, that was the best sleep ever??" he wrote.

"At the bottom of a very steep hill, I can't wait to see the view from the top!"

Taylor played his seventh and final Test against South Africa at Centurion in January, and was preparing for the new season with Nottinghamshire when he began to feel unwell in the Midlands county's opening first-class fixture against a Cambridge student team at Fenner's.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/cricket/080616/fresh-surgery-for-james-taylor-to-fix-heart-problem.html

We are trying to regain trust of cricketers, says ICC
Dienstag, 7. Juni 2016

The council was criticised by Brendon McCullum for "casual" handling of match-fixing evidence against Chris Cairns.

The ICC was criticised by Brendon McCullum for "casual" handling of match-fixing evidence against Chris Cairns.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/cricket/070616/we-are-trying-to-regain-trust-of-cricketers-says-icc.html

Sandeep Patil applies for India's head coach's post
Samstag, 4. Juni 2016

The senior team has not had a head coach since the departure of Duncan Fletcher.

If Sandeep Patil gets the job of head coach before September, he will have to quit his current job in the selection panel. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: Just a few days after the BCCI invited applications for the vacant post of India senior men's team head coach through its website, chief selector Sandeep Patil has thrown his hat into the ring for the high-profile job.

"I have just applied (for the post)," Patil told PTI on Saturday.

He did not confirm or deny whether anyone from the BCCI had asked him to do so.

There was speculation that the former dashing batsman and ex-coach of Kenya had been advised by higher-ups in the Board to apply for the job as the senior selection panel headed by him has already completed most of its top-level assignments till September when his term is scheduled to come to an end.

The five-man panel, which was originally scheduled to pick only the squad for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe starting in a few days' time, also picked the team for the July-August tour of the West Indies when they met here on May 23.

Sanjay Bangar has been named the interim coach of the new-look side to Zimbabwe, to be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

With India senior team's next assignment, a series of home engagements, scheduled only in late September or October, Patil has done most of his job barring picking the India 'A' team for the tour of Australia in August.

If he gets the job of head coach before September, he will have to quit his current job in the selection panel.

The senior team has not had a head coach since the departure of Zimbabwean Duncan Fletcher after the disastrous tour to England in 2014.

Ravi Shastri was made the Team Director even when that tour was in progress and continued in that post till India were knocked out of the World T20 Championship at the semifinal stage by eventual champions West Indies in March.

Shastri is expected to be one of the rivals of his former Mumbai and India team-mate for the head coach's job.

The BCCI has put in place the requirements of candidates for the high-profile job who have to send in applications on or before June 10.

According to BCCI, a candidate applying for head coach's job should have successfully coached a cricket team of any of the member countries of the ICC, at the first class or at the international level; should be able to prepare and present a coaching plan elaborating the approach for 'Team India' to attain leadership position in all formats of the game.

It is preferred that the candidate should be qualified through a certification/assessment programme conducted by any of the full member countries and currently possess such a valid certification.

The candidate should demonstrate methods/tools to effectively measure individual player performance and present metrics to the Board, which will in turn measure the performance of the team, on a consistent and timely basis; demonstrate an understanding and ability of employing a multidisciplinary approach that will include sports psychology and sports medicine, and effectively manage the workload of the players, thereby enhancing their contribution to the cause of the team.

Those applying for the top job should have communication skills befitting the coach of an international team, are mandatory along with the ability to effectively convey the right messages and must demonstrate proficiency in English.

The ability to communicate in an Indian language is desirable but by no means mandatory.

The candidate should be well versed with the latest technologies/trends in sports software and ability to utilise the same, which will assist in analysing/improving the performance of the player and the team; should demonstrate plans and ability to contribute to the NCA Cricket Development Programmes and forecasting/planning to develop the next generation cricketer and agree to make themselves available for the NCA, as and when they are not with the team.

It is mandatory that the candidate should have an impeccable personal record, devoid of any past or current disputes, with any of the member boards of the ICC or its affiliates.

Source: www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/cricket

Watch: Chris Gayle teaches RCB how to shrug off an IPL final loss
Dienstag, 31. Mai 2016

The Jamaican put on his dancing shoes and lit up the dance floor grooving in style.

The 36-year-old Chris Gayle was dancing to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, dragging his feet around in a nightclub.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/cricket/310516/watch-chris-gayle-teaches-rcb-how-to-shrug-an-ipl-final-loss.html

It's Virat Kohli versus David Warner in IPL final
Samstag, 28. Mai 2016

Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Sunrisers Hyderabad as teams seek to win maiden IPL title.

While Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore are eager for a fairytale ending, David Warner's Sunrisers Hyderabad will be keen to spoil the Bengaluru side's party and lift the IPL trophy. (Photo: BCCI)

Bengaluru: The imperious Virat Kohli will be eyeing a fairytale ending Sunday to a record-breaking season when he leads the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League's final against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Kohli has been in the form of his life since the recent World Twenty20 where he was instrumental in taking India to the semi-finals before the hosts' heartbreaking loss to the West Indies.

The 27-year-old was named player of the tournament after scoring 273 runs in five matches at an average of 136.50, and he has again been in a class of his own in this edition of the IPL.

Kohli has shattered the previous best aggregate in a season by scoring 919 runs, including four centuries and six fifties.

Rated as the number one T20 batsman in the world, he has also gained kudos for his captaincy during Bangalore's rollercoaster ride to the final which is being played on their home ground.

After a disappointing start to the tournament left them bottom of the table at one stage, Kohli inspired them to a charge up the table and secure a second place finish.

He had a rare failure in Wednesday's final four eliminator when he was bowled for a duck but South African AB de Villiers stepped up to the plate with an unbeaten 79 which just saw Bangalore over the line.

Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar said that in a format where the ability to hit big sixes was once seen as the key to success, Kohli had prospered by playing good cricketing shots.

"He is a special talent and he works hard on his game," Tendulkar told Gulf News.

"His discipline and commitment has to be emulated. He visualises different formats without ever compromising on his technique.

"In addition, he is very strong mentally and thrives in pressure situations."

Kohli's sensational performances have taken some of the pressure off his controversial team-mate Chris Gayle.

Long regarded as T20 cricket's ultimate superstar, the big-hitting Jamaican has struggled for much of the tournament and only managed one half-century.

He also landed himself in hot water over a newspaper interview laced with sexual innuendo; only months after he clumsily tried to chat up an Australian TV interviewer live on air.

Warner factor:

Hyderabad skipper David Warner has had his own fair share of controversy over the years but he has let his batting do the talking this year.

Warner's scintillating innings of 93 not out in Delhi on Friday night ensured his team's qualification for the final which is being played in Bangalore.

The Australian's 58-ball blitz against Gujarat Lions was his eighth fifty, putting him second in the scoring chart behind Kohli with 779 runs.

"The final is about not worrying about their players and executing our plans," Warner said after the match.

Hyderabad's seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the leading wicket-taker with 23 scalps and he has received crucial support from his young Bangladeshi partner Mustafizur Rahman who has taken 16 wickets.

After previous editions had been marred by fixing and corruption, this year's tournament has managed to avoid any major scandal.

However the venue of the final had to be switched to Bangalore after judges banned Mumbai from hosting matches at a time when the state of Maharashtra has been blighted by drought.

Neither of the finalists have ever won the tournament which is now in its ninth year.

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (capt),Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Varun Aaron, Abu Nechim, Sreenath Aravind, Stuart Binny, Yuzvendra Chahal, Praveen Dubey, Travis Head, Iqbal Abdullah, Kedar Jadhav, Chris Jordan, Akshay Karnewar, Sarfaraz Khan, Vikramjeet Malik, Parvez Rasoon, Mandeep Singh, Harshal Patel, Lokesh Rahul, Kane Richardson, Tabraiz Shamsi, Sachin Baby, Shane Watson, David Wiese

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Moises Henriques, Eoin Morgan, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha, Karn Sharma, Mustafizur Rahman, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Barinder Sran, Trent Boult, Ben Cutting, Kane Williamson, Ashish Reddy, Ricky Bhui, Bipul Sharma, Siddarth Kaul, Abhimanyu Mithun, Vijay Shankar, T Suman, Aditya Tare.

Source: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/cricket/280516/it-s-virat-kohli-versus-david-warner-in-ipl-final.html

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