Showing posts with label Latest Cricket News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latest Cricket News. Show all posts

Mar 29, 2011

Ponting Quits as Australia's Test and ODI Captain

Ricky Ponting quit as Australia's Test and one-day skipper Tuesday, just days after the champions were knocked out of the World Cup 2011, but said he remained available for selection as a batsman.

The 36-year-old, who led Australia in 77 Test matches for 48 wins -- the most of any Test Captain -- 16 losses and 13 draws. In his 228 one-day matches in charge, he returned 164 wins and 50 losses, insisted he was "not tapped on the shoulder" to give up the captaincy, and endorsed deputy Michael Clarke as his successor.

Ricky Ponting"I have resigned as skipper of both the Test Cricket and one day Australian teams, Ponting told a press conference." I will continue to play and am available for selection in both the one-day and Test teams.

"I have thought long and hard about what Australian cricket needs. Now is the right time for the next captain to assume the responsibility for both the Test and one-day teams," he added.

Ponting said Australia's exit in the quarter-finals of the World Cup last week in India prompted his decision to stand aside.

"The fact that we went out of the World Cup when we did was the main reason," he said, while denying he had been forced out by Cricket Australia.

"Today is a new start for me and I am very excited about the future. I will give my complete support to our new captain and continue to do my best to set the best possible example for my team-mates and emerging cricketers alike." Cricket Australia chairman Jack Clarke paid tribute to Ponting's "outstanding" leadership.

"Ricky Ponting has been an outstanding batsman, one of the best to wear the baggy green," he said.

"His leadership as captain has been outstanding and I sometimes think his brilliance with the bat has overshadowed his fine work as captain.

Oct 22, 2010

India or Sri Lanka may win ICC WorldCup 2011: Rodney Marsh

India and Sri Lanka will be hot favorites’ to win cricket World Cup 2011 which would be held in the sub-continent, according to ex-Australian wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh.

Marsh feels Asian countries will have an edge during the February-March tournament which would be jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Marsh said Australia's chances in the World Cup 2011 would also get clearer depending on how they fare against India and England in the coming days.

"I think we'll get a fair idea of how Australia are going to fair in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 once we've seen the results of the ODI games Australia are playing against India and also against England.

"We'll also get an idea of how England and India are going to fair too with those results," Marsh, who represented Australia in 92 ODIs, said on this week's ICC Cricket World audio show.

"I think the fact that the tournament is being held in the sub-continent means it will be very difficult for teams England, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa to win.

"I would think a team from Asia would be successful, perhaps Sri Lanka, I quite fancy them for the title and of course India," he said.

Marsh is an ICC Cricket Hall of Famer, who played in the 1975 and 1983 World Cups in England.

Sep 9, 2010

Young cricketers fall victim to fast money: Steve Waugh

Describing the recent spot-fixing scandal as "unfortunate", former Australia skipper Steve Waugh said young cricketers are giving in to the prey of fast money.

"We need to take appropriate measures to curb fixing. Now a day, a lot of youngsters are playing cricket. They are getting fascinated to making easy and fast money by the bookies," he said.

"There has to be stringent measures and the guilty should be heavily punished at any cost. This is very unfortunate," Waugh added.

Suspended by ICC, Pakistan Test skipper Salman Butt and pace duo of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer are under the scanner for their alleged role in spot fixing scandal exposed by a British tabloid.

Aug 10, 2010

Sri Lanka Tri-series, good training for World Cup: Taylor

New Zealand skipper Ross Taylor said the tri-series in Sri Lanka would make Black Caps some valuable practice of playing in sub-continent conditions before the 2011 World Cup, which India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will co-host.

"Definitely, ideal preparation. Obviously, coming from New Zealand, the pitches are going to play differently but the conditions that we have here and in India and in Bangladesh will be similar to what we are going to experience in the World Cup," said Taylor.

"So this experience is going to be valuable for the team and for the youngsters leading in to the selection for the World Cup," he added.

Taylor, asked to lead the side in absence of Daniel Vettori, feels the series will also be a good chance for the players to prove their worth in sub-continent conditions and impress the selectors.

"I think it's good, it gives some other players an opportunity and some youngsters the chance to play in the sub-continent as well. If we can have a squad of 20-odd to pick from and push each other, I think it will augur well for the upcoming months and for the World Cup," he said.

Having played a few practice games, Taylor said his team is in a good shape for the series.

"Every time you play cricket, you obviously play to win. We have come here to win, we won warm-up games and probably have got an edge over them in playing the competition.

Tri-series in Sri Lanka 2010

Jul 29, 2010

Wankhade Stadium will be ready by Dec 31: BCCI


The BCCI dismissed media reports that repair at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium was running at the back schedule and claimed the venue would be ready in time for next year's cricket World Cup final.

Board Chief Administrative Officer Ratnakar Shetty said in a statement that Wankhede Stadium will be ready by Dec 31 and there was no truth in the report that DY Patil Stadium has been reserved as a standby venue.

"As the Tournament Director of ICC Cricket World Cup-2011, I would like to place on record that the ICC Committee, keeping track of the attentiveness of the World Cup venues, is satisfied with the progress of the work at the Wankhede Stadium," Shetty said.

"The stadium would be ready by end of December 2010 which is the time limit given to Mumbai Cricket Association. The central Organising Committee of ICC Cricket World Cup-2011 has not taken any decision regarding D Y Patil ground as an altenative venue," he said.

The report has said that the Wankhede Stadium would miss the November 30 deadline and that the Cricket Board has determined to keep much-in-shape DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai as standby to avoid any last minute glitches.

Jul 21, 2010

Flintoff hopes to return in coming weeks

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff hopes to make his long-awaited return from knee surgery in coming weeks".

Flintoff has had two knee operations since helping England win the Ashes against Australia in the final Test at the Oval in last year.

The Lancashire batsman retired from Test cricket after that match, but he still hopes to play in ODI internationals for England, as well as representing his county in domestic action.

Flintoff, 32, believes he could play for Lancashire some time in the coming weeks as a batsman and then slowly step up his bowling work-load as well.

"It's going well, there's light at the end of the tunnel," he told Sky Sports News.

"It's been a long road with the rehab since then but I'm hoping to play again in the next few weeks.

"I'm back in the nets at Lancashire and from nowhere I've found the ability to bat again which is encouraging.

"I'm going to have to play in the second team first and force my way back into the first team but with the way I'm batting, I'm hoping to do that with the bat initially and then pick up the bowling from there.

"Rather than worrying about where my feet go, my hands and my head and getting too technical, I've basically gone back to how I used to play when I was younger, just see the ball and hit it as hard as I can.

"That's the way I tend to play, especially in the short form of the game, but I just can't wait to get cracking.

"It's been so long, and I'm now starting to get excited and chomping at the bit to start."

Jul 14, 2010

Dhoni signs massive 200 crore deal with Rhiti Sports

Indian cricket skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has signed a massive Rs 200 crore endorsement deal with a talent management company, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar in the corporate contract sweepstakes.

MS Dhoni has entered into 2 year deal with Rhiti Sports Management and Mindscapes, which will manage the Indian captain's long list of endorsements and brand associations, corporate profile, patents and digital rights, images, visibility on social networking sites and merchandise through a joint venture.

Tendulkar's 3 year deal with sports management firm Iconix, signed in 2006, was worth Rs 180 crore.

Confirming the development, Rhiti Sports General Manager Sanjay Pandey said as per the agreement, the company will be looking after Dhoni's entire spectrum of endorsements.

Currently, Dhoni is the country's most classy sportsperson and is associated with 22 brands such as PepsiCo, Reebok, Aircel, Godrej and Hersheys.

Dhoni, often described as India's most eligible bachelor, married childhood sweetheart and hotel management student Sakshi Singh Rawat at a private ceremony outside the northern town of Dehra Dun last week.

A Forbes study last year on the world's richest cricketers put him at the top with an annual earning of 10 million dollars, followed by Tendulkar at eight million dollars.

Two other Indian cricketers, Yuvraj Singh (5.5 million dollars) and Rahul Dravid (five million dollars), were ranked 3rd and 4th, while England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was in 5th place with four million dollars, Forbes said.

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting was in sixth place with 3.5 million dollars a year, the magazine said, adding the figures included club and national team salaries and commercial endorsements.