Lara and his champs face do-or-die encounter

It is Day 8 of the Indian Cricket League’s introductory season and the dreadful ticket of elimination is lynching over Brian Lara like a straight razor – the Trinidadian and his boys have to get their act together and pull off a win or they will be unsuccessful in making the cut to the final four and dishearten heaps of fans in the process.

Lara managed a golden ball duck in his 20:20 debut against the Hyderabad Heroes and followed up with a lackluster knock of four runs against the Chennai Superstars. Detractors believe that he hasn’t looked comfy at the crease and conceivably his delayed arrival and zero participation in the warmup games may be a significant explanation.

The Champs will certainly look forward to insistent players like Solanki, Astle, Jadhav and van der Wath striking fine form. They will have to bat around the Prince in his times of difficulty. They most definitely have the potency in their batting lineup to give them the much needed impetus.

"We cannot depend on individual performances alone. We will have to fire as a team," said Lara after the back-to-back defeats his team suffered. Lara can take heart from the Chandigarh Lions’ successful run-chase against the Hyderabad Heroes a couple of nights ago. After the first five matches, it was a widespread claim that teams could not chase under lights but the Lions chased 134 with more than three overs to spare.

Tonight, the Champs square off against the Delhi Jets, who are high on energy after handing a heavy defeat to the Hyderabad Heroes. The Jets have an in-form batting lineup with the likes of Taufeeq Umar, Abbas Ali and veterans Marvan Atapattu, Dale Benkenstein and JP Yadav.

Millions of Lara fans around the world have tuned into the Indian Cricket League to get a glimpse of their hero once again. They will implore that his band can pull of a victory to stay afloat in the tournament.

Source : http://www.indiancricketleague.in/

No tune in Lara's ICL theme

The organisers of the Indian Cricket League might have succeeded in bringing Brian Lara to play in India.

But five days into the tournament it seems that the former West Indian captain is a total failure, not just in terms of his run scoring but also his total disinterest in the event.

Perhaps that stems from the fact that he reportedly wanted to pull out even before the event got underway.

The Indian Cricket League has plenty of razzmatazz on offer for the fans. However, at a cricket event you want the real stars to be the cricketers.

Brian Lara should have been that star but the world record holder for the highest Test score looked like he would have preferred to have been anywhere but in Panckula.

The Mumbai Champs captain batted himself at No 5 in the game against Chennai Superstars even though the run rate had climbed high. Not surprisingly, Lara's team lost a second game on the trot - his scores so far a first ball duck and 4 off 5 balls.

It wasn't just on the field. Lara has refused to have much interaction with the fans even as other players gladly obliged autograph hunters.

Source : http://www.ndtv.com/

ICL a stage to showcase talent

Looking at the youngsters, trying to make a mark in the ICL, former Test captain Ajit Wadekar was compelled to take a trip to the past when playing cricket was joy and nothing else.

Here for the Indian Cricket League as a Match Referee, along with off-spin great Erapalli Prasanna, the affable Wadekar recalled how some players just could not make it to the top despite the potential and faded away without a trace.

The forgotten ones

Vijay Bhosle, Sudhakar Adhikari, Prem Bhatia were names that came to his mind readily. “They were good and deserved to wear the National cap. But then they didn’t have the luck. Wish they had something like ICL then. Many cricketers, who were needy, would have benefited immensely,” said Wadekar.

More than financial security at the ICL, it is the platform to showcase their abilities that seems to have been the reason for many to join this venture. “What a pity the Board has decided to ban them from domestic cricket,” he added.

As Wadekar pointed out, many of today’s youngsters, unable to make it to the big league, would not be lost to the cricket world unsung. “If they have come for money, what is wrong with it? At least their future would be secure,” he stressed.

The ICL, as Wadekar emphasised, is not a rival to the BCCI. “We are making an effort to offer some cricket and some money to young cricketers. We need the seniors to guide them and what better than some of the greats of the game. I have been associated with cricket all my life and I am so happy to share my experience,” he said.

Wadekar concluded by appealing for the authorities to support the ICL. “The BCCI has been in existence for 75 years now. You think we can challenge them. It is wrong to say that the ICL is a confrontation. It is a platform for many to perform and attract attention.”

Source : http://www.hindu.com/

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Twenty20 power-packed, electrifying: Whitney

Michael Whitney was a left-arm fast bowler of repute, playing alongside some of the famous Aussie bowlers, like Craig McDermott, Bruce Reid and Merv Hughes. But since his retirement from international cricket in 1993, Whitney has shown his penchant for adventure sports, besides cricket. He also hosts the famous television show, ‘Who Dares Wins’, so it was quite natural for his former teammate Dean Jones to invite him to the Indian Cricket League ‘Commentators box’.

You have been doing cricket commentary for a while now, mostly in the 50 overs cricket. How does it feel to commentate in the ICL 20-20 Indian Championship?

Michael Whitney: Yeah, am enjoying every bit of it. Twenty20 is really exciting and interesting. We have seen so much action in the ICL games that have been played so far. Although it is a shorter version, it has generated more interest. This is because Twenty20 games are action-packed and with fours and sixes galore during the match, commentating becomes more exciting. And it becomes more electrifying when spectators get involved with you.

Do you think ICL will be a success?

Michael Whitney: Definitely, it will be a success. Although, it is for the first time the ICL championship is being conducted, but the way it has been put forth is very healthy for the promotion of cricket, especially for the youngsters, who can rub shoulders with internationally-acclaimed cricketers. It was Dean Jones who told me about ICL and it was he who asked me to be part of the commentary team. Naturally, I was inclined to this new concept.

Talking about the upcoming India-Australian series, how do you think India will perform on the bouncier tracks of Australia?

Michael Whitney: India has some great players in Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble and Zaheer Khan. The Australian bowling department would miss the services of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Stuart McGill. So, young players like Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson and Brad Hogg need to bowl with a certain plan to the Indians who have a strong batting line-up. I feel it will Brett Lee who will make a difference this time.

How would you rate India as a team before going to Australia?

Michael Whitney: India is a very balanced side. They showed their mettle by winning the One-Day series and the first Test at Kotla against Pakistan. But the conditions and pitches would be entirely different in Australia. Unlike the Eden Garden track, which happens to be a batsman's paradise, the pitches in Australia will be bouncy. The Indians will have problem dealing with the bouncy wickets especially in Perth. And the fact that India will just play one three-day match before the Test will not work in their favour. I think they should have had more practice games before the real Test starts.


Source : http://www.expressindia.com/

Australians dismiss split over Indian Premier League

Cricket Australia's chief executive, James Sutherland, has dampened speculation about a major row with its leading players over next year's Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.

At least 11 of Australia's top players, including the captain, Ricky Ponting, and vice-captain, Adam Gilchrist, have signed a memorandum of understanding to play in the tournament in April and May, when Australia will be in Pakistan. The players could earn up to $1m (£486,000) each.

Sutherland said he had written to the players saying he would not grant them consent to play unless his organisation was involved in negotiations. He dismissed suggestions, in an Australian newspaper, that a major split was looming.

Cricket Australia's chief executive, James Sutherland, has dampened speculation about a major row with its leading players over next year's Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament.

At least 11 of Australia's top players, including the captain, Ricky Ponting, and vice-captain, Adam Gilchrist, have signed a memorandum of understanding to play in the tournament in April and May, when Australia will be in Pakistan. The players could earn up to $1m (£486,000) each.

Sutherland said he had written to the players saying he would not grant them consent to play unless his organisation was involved in negotiations. He dismissed suggestions, in an Australian newspaper, that a major split was looming.

"There's no issue between Cricket Australia and the players," Sutherland said. "The letter is really just of procedural nature, just reminding players of responsibilities as this issue continues to develop with opportunities into the Indian Premier League."

CA's manager of public affairs, Peter Young, dismissed comparisons between the current issue and Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket breakaway 30 years ago. "I think it is over-egging the pudding a little bit," he said. "It is more an issue of saying it is a bit rude to sign up without talking to your employer. It would be a breach of contract to play without our permission."

Gilchrist agreed, saying: "I think it's pretty dramatic to draw comparisons between the Twenty20 revolution and World Series Cricket all those years ago. World Series Cricket was quite dramatic and there was a lot of bad blood around at that time, from what I've learned, but it's far from that at the moment. No one will play [in the IPL] without consent.

"We're not trying to be rebels here. We're not looking for a moment to bend the rules or our contracts with Cricket Australia. They are our employer, as simple as that."

Source : http://sport.guardian.co.uk

Lions begin campaign on triumphant note

The Chandigarh Lions started their campaign in the ICL 20:20 Indian Championship on a captivating note, defeating the Delhi Jets by a nerve-racking 9-run margin. The Lions received tremendous support from the crowd - with cheerleaders dancing away to glory at every run-out attempt, dismissal or LBW appeal. The loud music and the enchanting crowds confirmed that the foundational day of the Indian Cricket League is one to remember.

A potent new ball attack comprising of Darrell Tuffey (3/16) and Andrew Hall (2/26) ripped through the top order of the Delhi Jets and ensured the momentum was firmly with the Chandigarh, despite defending a middling total of 135.

Delhi needed 34 runs from the last three overs after a late flourish from Jai Prakash Yadav and Abbas Ali but it was a crucial over from experienced death overs bowler Andrew Hall that swung the match back in the Lions' favour. It went down to the wire with Jets needing 16 off the last over all hopes rested on veteran batsman Abbas Ali, but the thrust was clearly with the Lions.

There were numerous run-out attempts right throughout the innings, which bears out that the Jets were skeptical in their running between the wickets and felt the heat against the 'technical host team' of the ICL. Jets hit the first six of their innings in the 15th over - a statistic that is rarely encountered with in a 20:20 action-packed match.

Jets' captain Marvan Atapattu (29) stroked four crisp boundaries and looked in complete command before top edging a Tuffey delivery to Reetinder Singh Sodhi at mid-off.

Andrew Hall got rid of the dangerous Taufiq Umar in the very first over with an almost unplayable late swinging delivery for a duck. Mishra and Atapattu partnered for 28 runs before Darrell Tuffey got into the act. The first of the Kiwi's three wickets came in the sixth over when Mishra was out caught behind by wicket-keeper Sarabjit Singh.

Earlier, the Chandigarh Lions were bundled out for just 134 after they were cruising on 88-2 at one stage but a late resurgence from the Atapttu-led Jets triggered the Lions' collapse.

Ali Murtaza (3/16) and Abishek Sharma (3/16) were the pick of the bowlers for Jets - claiming five wickets within the space of 15 deliveries. JP Yadav (2/26) provided the initial breakthroughs for the Delhi Jets - snapping the two New Zealanders in the Lions outfit - Hamish Marshall (23) and Darrell Tuffey (0).

At one stage, the Jets looked good to accumulate a total in excess of 180 - especially with the start given to the hosts by Pakistan opener Imran Farhat, who struck the first six of the tournament when he smashed Abid Nabi over long on, giving the crowd a lot to cheer about.

Atapattu was running out of bowling options as Nabi, Srivatsava and Yadav all proved to be very expensive. Murtaza and Sharma were primarily responsible for the Jets' position of ascendancy in the match during the half-time stage.

The crowds erupted every time a boundary was struck - the musicians on the stage rejoiced and started banging their drum sets - making it loud and clear that they love the 20:20 format of the sport.

Lara's Mumbai Champs will collide against Inzamam's Hyderabad Heroes on Day 2 of the tournament. The other match of the day will feature the Chennai Superstars going up against the Kolkata Tigers.