Watch the batting maestro's brilliance in 2003 world cup

Sachin Tendulkar is a man who shoulders the hope of a billion people.He is considered to be one of the greatest batsmen that the game has ever seen.Infact,he is the only player of the current generation to make it to the Bradman's dream team.The Don himself had once told his wife that Sachin resembles him in his style.Also Bradman invited Sachin for his 90th birthday.Sachin has always performed well at the world cup,infact he is the highest rungetter in the world cups and also the highest run getter in a single worldcup.He took India to the finals in 2003 worldcup.This video shows some magical moments of the 2003 worldcup.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCXyoX4NSDU

Watch Flintoff's amazing over in the Ashes 2005

In the Ashes 2005 at Edgebastan, Andrew Flintoff produced an amazing over which was commented as the 'over of the series' by Mark Nicholas.Throughout that series Freddy was unstoppable.We say the 1985 Ashes as 'Botham's Ashes' because Ian Botham won that series almost single handedly, with his heroics in both bat and ball, in the same way 2005 Ashes will remain to be Freddie's Ashes.click on the link below to watch Flintoff's unplayable over.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mevNWOCstZ4

Vaghan retires from test cricket

Former England captain Michael Vaghan announced his retirement from all professional cricket with immediate effect here at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

Vaughan, England's most successful Test captain, has not played for his country since tearfully resigning the captaincy in August during the home series loss to South Africa.

His career has been blighted in recent years by a knee injury and speculation about the 34-year-old's future intensified after Vaughan failed to win a place in England's squad for the Ashes series against Australia which starts next week in Cardiff.

Yorkshire batsman Vaughan, in a statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), said: "After a great deal of consideration, I've decided that now is the right time to retire from cricket.

"It has been an enormous privilege to have played for and captained my country and this is one of the hardest decisions I have had to make.

"Having played almost non-stop for sixteen seasons, I feel that the time is right for the focus to shift to the next generation.

"We have some fantastic talent coming through the English counties and, with the next Ashes series upon us, now is the time for the younger players to rise to the challenge of building on the success achieved in English cricket in the last few years.

"I'd like to record my sincere thanks to the England fans and the ECB and the members and supporters of Yorkshire County Cricket Club for their unstinting backing throughout my career as well as my wife Nicola and the rest of my family who have been equally supportive.

"I'm also extremely grateful to all of the players, managers, coaches, media and administrators I've worked with, who have all contributed to making my career so enjoyable and fulfilling.

"I'd also like to wish Andrew Strauss and the current England team success in this Ashes series. I know they have the drive, ambition and abilities to repeat the success from 2005. Winning that series was most definitely the highpoint of my career."

Vaughan's record as captain during his five year spell in charge from 2003-2008 of 26 victories, 11 defeats and 14 draws, make him England's most successful skipper in terms of overall wins.

England's 2005 Ashes series win - which included a nailbiting two-run win at Edgbaston - was the crowning achievement of Vaughan's time in charge of England, with his knee problem leaving him sidelined for months at a time.

Unsurprisingly, his form as a batsman - which had seen him touch the realms of greatness during the 2002/03 tour of Australia when he made 633 runs at just over 63 apiece with three hundreds - also began to decline.

Desperate for one last series against Australia, Vaughan vowed to regain his place through sheer weight of runs but so far this season he has managed just 147 runs in seven County Championship innings for Yorkshire.

Meanwhile the emergence of Ravi Bopara, who this year has made hundreds in three successive Tests against the West Indies, at No 3, also dented Vaughan's hopes of a recall.

Vaughan scored 5,719 Test runs in 82 matches at an average of 41.44 with 18 hundreds and a best of 197 against India at Trent Bridge in 2002.

M S Dhoni Wallpapers

Sachin Tendulkar Wallpapers

Michael Vaughan To Announce Retirement

Michael Vaughan, the man who led England to more Test victories than any other captain, is expected to announce his retirement from all cricket this week. A press conference has been scheduled for 11.30am at Edgbaston on Tuesday, at which it is widely anticipated that he will call time on his 16-year first-class career.
Vaughan has struggled with injuries to his right knee which kept him out of cricket for over a year between November 2005 and May 2007. In January, he withdrew from the IPL auction to concentrate on getting back into the Test side in time for the Ashes, but still lost out on a place in the 16-man pre-Ashes squad.

If, as expected, he does call it quits this week, the timing of Vaughan's retirement will serve to spare the current Ashes team endless speculation about his chances of a recall, should early results against Australia go against them. One of his finest achievements as captain was to shield the side against panic in 2005, after a heavy defeat in the first Test at Lord's. The same side was retained for each of the first four matches of the series.
Vaughan is highly likely to remain close to the action this summer, however, as he is sure to be welcomed straight into the Sky commentary box, alongside his former team-mates and fellow England captains, Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain.

Watch Ind vs Wi digicel series 2nd ODI highligts

The West Indies fast bowlers - even without Fidel Edwards - embarrassed the Indian batting line-up for the second time in three weeks, setting the foundation for a series-levelling win. They bowled aggressively and smartly, reducing India to 82 for 8 before a 101-run ninth-wicket stand between MS Dhoni and RP Singh kept the match alive. Chris Gayle and Runako Morton replied with a 101-run partnership of their own, ensuring there was no late drama in a game that was mostly dominated by West Indies.

Two days ago 658 runs were scored on the same Sabina Park pitch by the same set of batsmen, but the early swing exposed some technical flaws with the Indian line-up. There were personal milestones for Ravi Rampaul and Dinesh Ramdin along the way, Rampaul taking career-best figures of 4 for 37 and Ramdin five catches.

Gayle's captaincy stood out early on. He employed two slips as soon as he saw some swing. jerome Taylor didn't need any of the slips in the first over, when he bowled the perfect outswinger to Dinesh Karthik, shaping in, pitching off, moving away, making the batsman play, and getting the edge through to the keeper.

If Karthik had no option but to play at Taylor, Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma played unnecessary shots to Rampaul in the next over. Bowling to Rohit, Rampaul wanted the second slip out, but Gayle persisted. And how it worked. Rohit chased a wide outswinger, Ramdin went too hard at the catch, but the second slip took the rebound. Seven for 3 in 1.4 overs, and there was still a long queue outside the Sabina Park.

By the time the crowd finally settled, Yuvraj Singh was promising another treat. By the end of 12 overs India seemed to have weathered the storm, only momentarily. Yuvraj had reached 35 off 32, quite a contrast to Dhoni's 11 off 31. It was all fine until then, because the partnership read 47 off 62.

But neither Gayle nor Taylor was done yet. Taylor was asked to bowl his seventh over on the trot, and he got Yuvraj with the first ball. Gayle was not going to wait for mistakes now. Back came Rampaul, in came a leg gully and a slip, and out came the open secret: the bouncers. After an edgy nine-ball stay, Yusuf Pathan edged an accurate bouncer from Dwayne Brvo. Ravindra Jadeja repeated his dismissal from the first match, pushing at a delivery away from his body. After the second slump of the innings, India stood at 70 for 6, and Dhoni looking for some support from the other end.

Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar didn't show any appreciation of the fact that there were close to 30 overs still to go, getting out to flashy shots, and soon India were 82 for 8. But Rampaul's fourth wicket came in his tenth over, a maiden, and Taylor and Bravo were nearing the completion of their quotas as well.

Dhoni took the batting Powerplay in the 23rd over, and farmed strike, even refusing singles to RP. Gayle got through the Powerplay overs without much damage, but had to opt against an all-out attack because Bravo and Taylor had only two overs each to go. He also seemed to have sensed that the pitch had eased out, and was happy to contain. Dhoni and RP, meanwhile, batted sensibly.

Dhoni wasn't in the cleanest of touches, but took charge of the rescue work. RP hung around him, and between them they brought up only the fifth 100 run stand for the ninth wicket in ODI history. RP's 23 was his personal best, and Dhoni looked set for what would have been a fifth century. But Bravo and Taylor came back well, making sure India didn't play their full quota. Dhoni was the last to go, for a responsible 95, to a perfect slower ball from Taylor in the 49th over.

If India thought they were carrying some momentum into the defence, they had another think coming. The maiden bowled at the top of the innings, by Praveen Kumar to Gayle, was a false start too. When Morton stood tall and slapped the first ball he faced for four, it confirmed that the pitch held no horrors, at least not after the first few overs in the morning.

That being the case, Gayle took a liking to the medium-pace of Ashish Nehra, RP and Praveen. In the over after that maiden, Praveen's quick reflexes saved his life: the straight pull from Gayle reached the boundary even before one could say "thank god". Gayle immediately put his hand up to apologise.

There was no sense of apology in the way he took the left-arm medium-pacers for 37 runs in their first five overs, killing the contest right there. When Gayle finally fell for a 46-ball 62, Morton had scored just 30. Morton stayed solid after his captain's fall, getting to his tenth fifty and taking West Indies home with 15.5 overs to spare.click on the following link to see the highlights of the match. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0248uUaOt58

Lara's clone?

Darren Bravo, has won the admiration of rival captains Chris Gayle and MS Dhoni after his brief, yet impressive, first outing in international cricket in the first at Sabina Park. He struck two boundaries in his knock of 19, displaying sound technique and flourish in West Indies' reply to India's 339.

"He didn't show any form of nerves, being around his brother actually calmed him down a bit. He did well batting and in the outfield as well and hopefully he can get a bigger score if the opportunity comes across him again," Gayle said of Darren Bravo.

Darren Bravo came in to bat following the dismissal of his half-brother Dwayne, and put on 36 in quick time with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who was anchoring the run chase. But when Chanderpaul fell with the score on 224, the game swung decisively in India's favour - though they did suffer a lower-order scare - and Darren Bravo followed soon after, miscuing a pull off Harbhajan Singh.

"He's good. He will improve, the more international cricket he plays the better for him," Dhoni said, suggesting that youngsters ought to be given more exposure at the international stage. "Most of the players who play at the international level have the talent - it's just that some players get more backing than others. Some are considered match-winners and often match-winners are given more time compared to others."

Dhoni pointed out that it would be easier for younger players to adapt to the demands of international cricket especially if their team is performing well. "At times, it becomes very difficult. It's easy when your team is doing well, you can really push that player in. I think it is up to the selectors to groom a player," Dhoni said.

Darren Bravo, during his innings, drew comparisons to Brian Lara, for the similarity in technique as well as looks, which Gayle acknowledged. "There is some sort of batting technique (similarity), some lookalike, Brian may be his idol."

INDIA LOOK TO CARRY ON THE MOMENTUM

Photo:Dhoni's return to form with a 46 ball 41 will boost india's confidence

India will look to take an unassailable lead as they take on the resurgent windies in their 2nd ODI of the Digicel series 2009.After their shaky win in the first ODI dhoni's boys can't afford to be complacent.A point of concern still to be addressed is the bowling at the death.The selectors must be praised for their picking of ashish nehra as a replacement for zaheer khan showing that age is not a criterio for selection.Any performer be he 18 or 30 will be selected.The IPL again has proved to be a boon for India .However India still misses the likes of Sachin and Sehwag.India will look to carry on the momentum as a 4-0 win will take them to the 2nd spot above australia.

WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS OF IND VS WI 1ST ODI 2009

INDIA CLINCH A THRILLER

The West Indies will have to come out tomorrow with guns blazing if they are to avoid going down 2-0 in their four-match 2009 Digicel one-day international series against India after falling short by 20 runs in the first match at Sabina Park yesterday.
India, buoyed by an explosive 131 from middle-order batsman Yuvraj Singh, first posted a huge 339-6 off their allotted 50 overs, and despite a gallant effort, the West Indies were dismissed for 319 off 48.1 overs.
Tomorrow's contest, which is also slated for Sabina Park, is scheduled to begin at 9:30a.m. Captain Chris Gayle was satisfied with the West Indies' effort.
close contest
"It was a very close contest, well tried to the guys," said Gayle said after the defeat. The West Indies produced a creditable all-round batting display but were always on a uphill climb hunting a Sabina Park ODI run-chase record.
"Chasing such a huge total we were always up against it, but thanks to the team we were able to get close. We will just have to use this as a motivation going forward into Sunday's match where we will be looking to square the series," Gayle added.
The West Indies, who were hoping to continue where they left off from the recently concluded ICC World Twenty20 Championship in England, in which they made it to the semi-finals, were let down by a relatively poor bowling effort which was punished by the dashing Singh.
Batting at number four spot in the absence of batting great Sachin Tendulkar, Singh, after a relatively slow start, proceeded to pulverise the lacklustre West Indies bowling attack led by Jerome Taylor and Dwayne Bravo.
Taylor, after going for 26 in his first spell of five overs, ended with 1-74 off his allotted 10 overs. His new-ball partner Lionel Baker took 1-62, recalled all-rounder David Bernard 1-50 and spinners Sulieman Benn and Gayle 0-50 and 0-28, respectively. Bravo, 2-66, was the pick of the bowlers
Singh registered his 12th ODI century with relative ease, stroking 10 fours and seven massive sixes off a mere 102 deliveries. He got good support from opener Dinesh Karthik, 67, and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, 41.
third-wicket stand
He first shared in a 135-run third-wicket stand off 129 balls with Karthik, then when the opener fell to Bernard he was ably assisted by captain Dhoni in putting on 86 (57 balls) for the fourth wicket.
"With a flat track and small boundaries and a batsman like Singh it called for a lot from our bowlers and, unfortunately, they did not deliver. Come Sunday we hope to change that," said Gayle.
In the run chase, Gayle (37 off 33) and the recalled Runako Morton (42 off 51) put on a 65-run opening stand to give the home team a good start.
However, despite solid middle-order knocks of 45 and 63 from Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, David Bernard Jr (19), Jerome Taylor (21) and last-man-out Denesh Ramdin (29), the asking rate was too much.
Left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra and off-spinner Yusuf Pathan unsettled the middle order to emerge India's best bowlers with 4-49 and 3-54, respectively.
"It was a fantastic effort by Singh, he showed how good he really is. We knew that with such a target we were in with a very good chance of winning and despite a late rally by the Windies we were able to pull it off," said Dhoni.
The West Indies left out batsman Narsingh Deonarine and fast bowler Ravi Rampaul from their 13-man squad.

LINK:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-jAVkaSOsg

Watch Sachin destroying pakistani bowlers

Sachin Tendulkar has proved time and again that, he is one of the greatest batsmen in the history of the game.Sharjah had always been one of his hunting grounds.Click on the link below to see Sachin's onslaught against the pakistani attack in sharjah,1998.

Watch Ind vs Pak 1999 world cup match highlights

India post a decent score on the board,thanks to some good knocks by Dravid,Tendulkar and Azhar. But in the end, it was their pacer Venkaesh Prasad whose 5 for 24 helped India to wrap up their arch rivals to a paltry total.click on the link below to see the highlights of the whole match.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxEbyr4a5Os

watch ind vs pak classic 2003 world cup highlights

Pakistan 've never beaten India in a world cup match.This classic match of 2003 world cup shows some great batting display by Saeed Anwar and Sachin Tendulkar.It was before this world cup that Shoaib Akthar had said that, his pace 'll make the indian batsmen struggle.He added that Sachin would find it difficult to cope with his pace.click on the link below to find out Sachin's reply and to watch the full highlights of the match.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1guE59y32Y

Sachin going past bradman's record in style.

The picture taken during the Headingley test against England in 2002 shows Tendulkar bending down to guide Andy Caddick's short ball, up and above the slips.India won this match by an innings and Sachin got to his 30th century,the one that betters Don's tally of 29.Sachin scored 193 with Dravid and Ganguly getting their respective hundreds as Sachin involved in two 200 runs patnerships.

Sachin's reply to negative bowling.

This pic was taken after the Bangalore test in 2001-2002. In bangalore Tendulkar succumbed to Nasser Hussain's plot where he used his left-arm spinner Ashley Giles to bowl a negative line. That was the only time in his entire test career, Tendulkar got out stumped.But after that test match, he shattered Nasser's plans by constantly driving Giles inside out on the off side and also he went on to become the player of the series as India won the series 1-0.

'The fab Four'

India are no longer a one-man army. With VVS Laxman establishing himself, Tendulkar becomes a key part of one of the most famous batting quartets in the game - the 'Fab Four'.This pic was taken during India's test match against Australia in the year 2001.

Journey to the top

This picture was being taken during Sachin's debut series in 1989 against the arch rivals Pakistan.

Gayle cautious against weakened India

West Indies captain Chris Gayle has said he is not underestimating the Indians despite the visitors fielding an understrength team for the four-match ODI series in Jamaica and St Lucia.
Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan have opted for rest while Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina failed to make the short tour due to injury concerns. Looking ahead, Gayle said India's poor showing in the ICC World Twenty20 - they failed to win any of their Super Eight games - would have no bearing on the forthcoming ODIs. West Indies reached the semi-finals before crashing out to the Sri Lankans but Gayle insisted it was too early to jump the gun and pick a favourite.
"It is never a walkover against India," Gayle told PTI. "There are a lot of guys still there to give us a lot of trouble, so we just have to stick to the game plan and make it a successful one."
Gayle's team-mate Ramnaresh Sarwan also agreed. "The Indians are a very good one-day team and while they may be without a couple of their players, they will prove to be a handful for us," Sarwan said. "But we are in good form and have confidence in our abilities and hopefully, beginning Friday, we can get a good start to the series."
The Indians haven't had the best of fortunes in the Caribbean over the last few years. In 2006, they were comprehensively beaten 4-1 before crashing out of the World Cup in the first round the following year.
West Indies also announced changes to their one-day side for the first two games, the most notable casualty being their in-form bowler Fidel Edwards who's nursing a back injury.
"There are a few changes in the squad, there is Darren Bravo and [Narsingh] Deonarine coming in and it is a good opportunity for them to play an important part against India," Gayle said.
Despite bowing out of the semi-finals, Gayle was happy with his team's comeback after a lacklustre start to the tour, which included a Test and ODI series defeat to England.
"It was a pretty decent performance. We tried our best but in the end it was not to be," Gayle said. "But I am not disheartened. In fact, I am proud of the guys, as at the championship, not many were expecting us to reach that far.
"The aim was to bring home the trophy and make everyone happy, especially the fans. Having said that, however, it was a wonderful experience, one that I think will serve the team well going into the future and one that should serve us well when we host the next World Twenty20 Championship here in the Caribbean."
Meanwhile, three Indian players - M Vijay, S Badrinath and Abhishek Nayar - are yet to depart for the West Indies as they are awaiting their UK transit visas. "They will get their visas today and are set to leave tonight (Monday)," a BCCI source told PTI. "They are scheduled to reach Jamaica by tomorrow evening local time."
The series begins on Friday at Sabina Park.

Younis retires in style

Younis Khan used cricket's grandest stage to announce his retirement from Twenty20 internationals, and make an impassioned plea for teams to once again tour his country. The Pakistan captain, speaking after Sunday's emphatic eight-wicket World Twenty20 victory over Sri Lanka, hoped the result would go far to saving cricket in his homeland, which is struggling to attract the interest of younger generations with no international matches being played within its borders.
Younis' final act in Twenty20 international cricket was to lift the trophy that so narrowly evaded Pakistan two years prior. No immediate announcement was made as to the identity of his successor as 20-over captain, but it is likely Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal will be the leading candidates.
"This is my last Twenty20 game," he said at the conclusion of his press conference. "I'm old now for this kind of cricket."
Younis will continue to play Test and ODI cricket, and hopes he will again have the opportunity to lead his national team on home soil. The deteriorating security situation in Pakistan - highlighted by the March terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus outside the Gadaffi Stadium - has prompted national boards and the ICC to push for Pakistan's home matches to be played in neutral venues. Accordingly, Younis' men now lead a virtually nomadic existence.
Younis has previously warned that the absence of international cricket could kill the game in Pakistan and push impressionable youngsters into the clutches of terrorists. Speaking at Lord's on Sunday, he implored teams to return to Pakistan, and expressed hope that his side's World Twenty20 victory would help reinvigorate interest in cricket among his nation's youth.
"I am requesting to all of the countries: 'You must come to Pakistan'," Younis said. "Everybody knows law and order is not good but it is not our fault. Especially for youngsters, we need home series because everywhere there is no cricket in Pakistan. How can we motivate the youngsters, especially at school level and college level? I think this will be helping us build a new structure in Pakistan for our future.
"How can we promote cricket to our youngsters if there is no international game in Pakistan? How can I motivate my son and my neighbours' small children? That's why we need cricket in Pakistan. Law and order is not good, but this is not our fault. We are suffering at the moment from these kinds of things. I think sports should be away from politics."
Younis dedicated Pakistan's World Twenty20 triumph to his former coach Bob Woolmer, who died during the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean.
"This final must go to Bob Woolmer," he said. "He was doing good things with us in 2005 and especially my cricket. I would be very proud if he was alive and sitting with me because he's a very nice guy and was a father figure for us. Why I am captain is because in 2005 - at that time I was not a regular player for Pakistan - he was the guy who all the time was chatting with the chairman and the selectors that Younis will be the next captain. So because of him I have became a captain. I dedicate this final to Bob Woolmer."

Pakistan steal the show.........!

It wasn't the edge-of-the-seat final that would have signed off the ICC World Twenty20 in style, but that won't matter to Pakistan who gave their nation a something to savour amid troubled times. From the moment Tillakaratne Dilshan, the tournament's top-scorer, fell in the opening over Pakistan had a grip on the match. Shahid Afridi, who emerged as their trump card, guided his team home in the 19th over with an unbeaten 54, and it was left to Younis Khan to raise the trophy in what he later announced would be his final Twenty20 international, in front of a sea of delirious Pakistan supporters.
Pakistan won't be playing at home for the foreseeable future, but the following they have had at this event has reinforced the notion that England can be a surrogate home. The masses were cheering from early on as Abdul Razzaq - a great individual comeback-story among the team's resurgence - claimed three key wickets in his opening burst to leave Sri Lanka on 32 for 4. They never looked back despite the best efforts of Kumar Sangakkara.
Occasionally the tension rose as the required rate climbed, but each time Afridi was on hand with one of his most mature innings. He hit consecutive balls from Muttiah Muralitharan for six and four in the 14th over, a calculated assault against a key bowler. The destination of the trophy was sealed when he swung a huge six over midwicket off Isuru Udana in the 18th over - the moment when Sangakkara gambled on one of his weaker bowling links - and followed that with another boundary off a high full toss.
Shoaib Malik played his part with 24 off 22 balls in a match-winning stand of 76 after Kamran Akmal had given early impetus to the top-order. The batsmen knew they didn't have to take many risks and played Ajantha Mendis better than any other team as he went for his most expensive spell of the tournament.
Pakistan's rise from rank outsiders to champions is an extraordinary display for a team that had to beat Netherlands by a significant margin to even stay in the event during the group stages. However, they have peaked at the right time and couldn't have produced a more complete performance for a final. They fell five runs short two years ago at Johannesburg, but this time there was no mistake

Sri Lanka, who have been the model of consistency, were caught off guard by aggressive tactics. In a stirring atmosphere, Pakistan were on top of their game from the start as 17-year-old Mohammad Aamer belied his inexperience with a tone-setting opening over. In a clear plan he bowled short at Dilshan who was distinctly discomforted by the approach. Against the fifth ball Dilshan tried to take the initiative with a scoop over short fine-leg, but only managed to pick out the man on the edge of the circle. He had middled virtually all his attempts at the shot during the tournament and what a time for it to go wrong.
With the tournament's leading run-scorer heading off Pakistan were buoyed and Sri Lanka shaken. Jehan Mubarak was promoted to No. 3, but he couldn't survive the second over when he came down the pitch and got a leading edge into the covers to give Razzaq his first.
Sri Lanka briefly rallied as Sanath Jaysuriya suggested he could marshal a turnaround. Favouring the leg side he swung Razzaq for six with a forceful short-arm pull and collected four more next ball, but it was a short-lived response when an inside edge crashed into the stumps. Razzaq was flat on his face at the moment of dismissal after slipping in his follow-through but it was Sri Lanka who were feeling unsteady.
Younis Khan went on the attack and his decision to post a wide slip paid rich dividends when Mahela Jayawardene steered the ball straight to Misbah-ul-Haq at ankle height. Razzaq was playing his cricket with a new lease of life after being giving another crack at international level. He wasn't part of the original squad, but Yasir Arafat's injury that prompted the switch now looked like a stroke of fortune.
Four wickets inside the Powerplay meant Sri Lanka had little choice but to play it safe as Younis turned to his spinners. Sangakkara was calmness personified amid Sri Lanka's problems aware that the hopes of a decent total rested on his shoulders. He paced his innings expertly, reaching fifty off 44 balls despite the problems that surrounded him, but only found support when joined by Angelo Mathews.
The final five overs brought 59 runs and if any attack could make a game out of 138 it was Sri Lanka's. However, early wickets were key and they didn't materialise as Akmal and Shahzaid Hasan played sensibly. The wizardry of Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan and the accuracy of Lasith Malinga have provided wonderful entertainment over the last weeks, but on this occasion couldn't conjure the magic spell that was needed.
As Afridi and Malik embraced mid-pitch after the winning moment the emotion showed what this victory means for Pakistan. They needed this success most and perhaps that drive was the deciding factor. The country faces a difficult few years of rebuilding, but this victory will have brought great joy and, hopefully, belief of a brighter future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ez6GsT35tdw

Scintillating Sachin........!

sachin dedicates his century to mumbai terror victims

The batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar dedicates his match winning 41st century against England to the Mumbai terror victims.............................http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4xsqM0mGP8

Young Sachin against australia

Sachin became the youngest player to score a century in Australia..............This one was in his favorite ,Sydney....................Admire the Master's brilliance...........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZW2Anz69Gw

Watch Sachin Tendulkar's first Test match Century

Watch Sachin Tendulkar's first Test match Century:

There's been a talk for long time of Tendulkar not producing any 4th innings totals of note.This video is a fitting reply to all those people , an innings he produced when he was barely at the end.

LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P_sdYPh71I

IPL 2009 Chennai Super Kings Song : Whistle Podu !!

IPL 2009 Chennai Super Kings Song : Whistle Podu!!

Chennai Super Kings is the Chennai based franchise of the Indian Premier League. The team is led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, currently the captain of the Indian cricket team, and coached by Stephen Fleming. The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium (often referred to as Chepauk) is the Super Kings' home ground.

This ad featuring the entire csk squad is about cheering the whole squad by the famous local chennai art of whistling.

That is the true sign of a chenaiite and anyway you have stephen fleming, mathew hayden etc. whistling.

LINK:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3HyqIgrM9I

Tense, Funny & Best Moments of IPL-2009

Tense, Funny & Best Moments of IPL-2009

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s77mVHIxnBM

Watch PAK vs SA T20 world cup 2009 semifinal

Watch PAK vs SA T20 world cup 2009 semifinal

Link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SpfqrYKTCU

Cricket Fraud Stanford arrested in US

Allen stanford, the Texan billionaire, has surrendered to US authorities and will appear in a federal court in Virginia on Friday. He surrendered after a warrant was issued for his arrest following allegations of massive fraud involving his Antigua bank.
Stanford is expected to be transferred to Houston after his initial court appearance to face criminal charges, a federal official said. He already faces civil charges brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Dick DeGuerin, Stanford's lawyer, told The Associated Press that Stanford "surrendered this [Thursday] afternoon to some FBI agents who were hiding out in black SUVs outside the residence where he was staying in Virginia". "He walked out and asked if they had a warrant," DeGuerin said.
Stanford had been accused of "a fraud of shocking magnitude" by the SEC, the US's financial watchdog, in February.

The Unpredictables(Pak) stun the Chokers(Sa)

The South African juggernaut was brought to a screeching halt by Shahid Afridi who, with a little help from his team-mates, dumped the tournament favourites out of the World Twenty20 and secured Pakistan's place in the final. Afridi put in an all-round performance of tremendous intensity, lifting Pakistan to a defendable total with an aggressive yet methodical half-century, before bowling a spell that left the South Africans struggling at Trent Bridge.
The clinical South African side, unbeaten in the competition, were favourites going in to the semi-final and their bowlers fought admirably to restrict Pakistan to 149 when, at one stage a total of 170 seemed on the cards. With the exception of Jacques Kallis, though, their batsmen failed to give the chase any sort of direction. They were suffocated by Afridi and the offspinner Saeed Ajmal and their inability to score enough runs during the middle overs left them with too much to do against the pinpoint accuracy of Umar Gul's yorkers.
South Africa had reached 40 for 0 in the sixth over when Mohammad Aamer gave Pakistan an opening, holding a skier of Graeme Smith off his own bowling, minutes after the South African captain had been dropped by Gul.
Afridi, high on confidence after his innings, came into the attack in the seventh over but was immediately driven by Herschelle Gibbs to the cover boundary. That was as bad as his evening would get. He bounced back, bowling Herschelle Gibbs with a straight and quick delivery and, an over later, he got AB de Villiers the same way. South Africa were 50 for 3 and struggling.
Kallis and JP Duminy prevented the fall of any more wickets but they were unable to raise the run-rate. Afridi got the ball to turn, bounce and hurry on the batsmen and finished with 2 for 16 while Saeed Ajmal, the offspinner, was also difficult to score off because of his variations.
The situation was perfect for Umar Gul to do what he does best, hit the blockhole. After an indifferent first over from the Radcliffe Road end, he ran in from the pavilion and fired in yorker after yorker. It didn't matter who was batting, those deliveries were impossible to hit. Duminy and Kallis could not get the ball off the square. It was Ajmal who struck the decisive blow when he had Kallis caught on the long-on boundary, realistically ending South Africa's chances. They needed 23 off the last over, a responsibility Younis Khan handed to the 17-year-old Aamer, who had bowled three overs for 15. He gave only 15 more, and sent Trent Bridge into raptures.
Pakistan coach's Intikhab Alam had said on the eve of the game that his team would be looking to set a target of around 150. Pakistan got exactly that after an innings which followed a strangely symmetrical pattern. They dominated the first five overs, scoring 43, while South Africa fought back between overs five and ten to keep Pakistan to 68 for 2. Pakistan once again controlled the game between overs 11 and 15, reaching 120 for 3, but South Africa conceded only 29 off the last five overs.
Pakistan's early dominance was due to Akmal, who was intent on smashing the ball from the start. He cut Dale Steyn twice for four in the first over and lofted him cleanly over long-off in the third. In between, he crashed Wayne Parnell to the midwicket boundary and raced to 23 off 11 balls before top-edging a pull off Steyn to mid-on.
Pakistan had raced to 47 for 2 after six overs, with Afridi pulling Jacques Kallis twice through midwicket but South Africa then cut off the boundary supply. Afridi and Shoaib Malik didn't hit a boundary for 24 balls before Afridi slogged Roelof van der Merwe through midwicket. He cut loose against Johan Botha, making room to loft the offspinner thrice in a row to the cover boundary before unveiling a delectable late-cut to snatch 18 off the over. The 50-partnership had come up off 49 balls but Pakistan had begun to accelerate, with Afridi placing the ball into gaps consistently, plucking twos.
South Africa desperately needed Afridi's wicket and it was duly picked up by JP Duminy, who struck with his first ball. Afridi tried to slog sweep and skied the ball straight to AB de Villiers at midwicket who took a vital catch with ease. South Africa celebrated the wicket with more relief than joy.
Malik had played a more subdued, anchoring role until then, but began to step up, scoring his first boundary - a sweep off van der Merwe - off his 30th ball. He soon added another, hitting Duminy over extra cover, but eventually holed out to long-off. Younis and Abdul Razzaq were the two new batsmen at the crease and Parnell and Steyn bowled with extreme accuracy to deny them loose deliveries at the death.
A target of 150 appeared less than what Pakistan were on course to get when Afridi was at the crease. But Afridi the bowler ensured that it would be enough.

Viru could miss Champions Trophy

Virender Sehwag could miss the Champions Trophy in September as he recovers from the shoulder injury that kept him out of the ICC World Twenty20. Sehwag underwent surgery on June 11 after a lesion was identified in his shoulder, and is expected to be out of action for around 12 to 16 weeks.
The Indian team physio Nitin Patel will monitor Sehwag's rehabilitation process and his stint at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. Sehwag has to wear a sling for at least four weeks, and the lesion is expected to heal in six weeks. His shoulder will also be evaluated ten weeks after the operation to check whether he can throw a ball.
The Champions Trophy, which starts on September 24, is India's next scheduled assignment after the upcoming short trip to the Caribbean.
Sehwag had picked up the injury during the latter stages of the IPL, and there had been intense speculation over his fitness during the build-up to the World Twenty20. The uncertainty over his injury led to reports of a rift between him and the captain MS Dhoni, which prompted the team to make a dramatic public show of unity and emphasise their team spirit through a statement read out by Dhoni.

SRK sacks Buchanan after a disastrous IPL

Kolkata Knight Riders have ended John Buchanan's stint as coach after a disastrous IPL season in which the team finished last and was beset by a succession of controversies. Buchanan, who has been released from his contract, has a short-term coaching assignment with the England board coming up and he said he wanted to concentrate on his coaching and corporate consulting work.
Kolkata's abysmal campaign in the 2009 IPL - they had three wins in 14 games - followed an inaugural season where they ended sixth out of eight teams.
There are a few names in the mix to replace Buchanan, including Steve Waugh, Michael Bevan and Dav Whatmore; the Indian candidates include Lalchand Rajput.
"John Buchanan has informed Knight Riders that despite his hard work over the past two seasons, he has not achieved everything that he set out to and has not been able take the franchise into the future as per his vision for this team," Jay Mehta, co-owner of the franchise, said. "I would like to state that John is a great coach. He had a vision for Knight Riders and did not waver from this vision. Unfortunately, it has not brought the results that are so necessary to this franchise."
Buchanan may not have had too much success as Kolkata's coach, but he felt the groundwork was in place for an improved performance next year. "Obviously, I am very disappointed in not being able to continue with the Knight Riders and complete the work I started some 18 months," he said. "I think we have the makings of a very good IPL franchise, and the foundations are there for 2010."
A senior Kolkata official is understood to have already had an exploratory chat with Dav Whatmore, currently head of the BCCI's National Cricket Academy (NCA). Whatmore, who declined to comment, is believed to be a strong contender for the job because of his track record in the subcontinent - he coached Sri Lanka to the World Cup title in 1996 and was also coach of the Bangladesh team that upset India in the 2007 World Cup - and his experience with the Indian academy in Bangalore.
Michael Bevan, the former Australia batsman, who coached the ICL's Chennai Superstars to the inaugural league title, is said to be in the frame as well although he has also been linked to Mumbai Indians. "At this stage, it is very early in the process," Bevan, who confirmed that he had quit ICL, told Cricinfo. "It's been a bit of sounding out to see if there's interest from both parties. I don't think it's appropriate to comment on the teams concerned, but as far as I am aware these are head coaching roles. That obviously means different things in different teams but the extent of the roles in question I believe are quite senior."
One of the Indian names that a senior Kolkata player has suggested to the franchise is that of Rajput, the coach of India's winning 2007 World Twenty20 squad. Rajput, who declined to comment, was associated with the Mumbai Indians squad last year but he did not figure in the second IPL season.
There is no confirmation yet about the fate of Buchanan's support staff, which included Matthew Mott (assistant head coach), Andy Bichel (bowling coach), Wade Seccombe (wicket-keeping coach), John Deeble (fielding coach), Brad Murphy (assistant coach), Michael Buchanan (strength trainer), who is Buchanan's son, Andrew Leipus (physio) and Adrian Le Roux (trainer). "We are not in a position to comment on their status," a team spokesperson said.
Sources in New South Wales, where Mott is the team's coach, said they believed "his Kolkata job is safe" but Indian media reports have claimed that only Leipus and Le Roux are expected to retain their positions with the IPL franchise. Mott will be in India in October with the New South Wales Twenty20 team for the Champions League.
"I would love to stay," Mott told Cricinfo. "I've had two great years with Kolkata. Last season was obviously hard work, but I thought towards the end of the tournament we got a bit out of it and showed a lot of character. I signed a three year contact, so hopefully I can fulfill that and beyond.
"When you don't have success then I guess everyone comes under the microscope. I know from speaking to some of the owners after the tournament that they were planning to conduct a pretty thorough review of the franchise."

Tendulkar and Zaheer rested for West Indies tour

As expected, injuries and fatigue concerns mean India will be four short of their first-choice squad for the four ODIs in the West Indies. While Virender Sehwag (shoulder injury) and Suresh Raina (hairline fracture on the thumb) were rendered unavailable, Sachin Tendulkar opted to rest due to a finger injury picked up during the IPL and Zaheer Khan, recovering from his shoulder injury, was given some rest. The selectors, who met via a teleconference between Mumbai and England, also dropped Munaf Patel and Irfan Pathan, who went to New Zealand as part of the 16-man ODI squad.
M Vijay, India's third opener in Tests, took Sehwag's place. Ashish Nehra, who did well for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL, returns after a four-year absence, and RP Singh, another bowler making a comeback through the IPL, replaced Munaf. Raina's place went to Chennai Super Kings team-mate S Badrinath. The vacancies created by Tendulkar and Irfan were filled by allrounders Ravindra Jadeja and Abhishek Nayar.
This selection committee was handed a mostly settled team, and this is the first time in their tenure that they have had to make so many decisions. Most of it, coming on the heels of an ordinary World Twenty20, is necessitated by injuries. The make-up of the newcomers to the squad suggests equal importance was given to performances in traditional domestic cricket, and in the IPL. If Nehra, who missed of the domestic season, is selected on the back of his performances in South Africa (19 wickets, economy-rate of 7.68), Badrinath and Vijay have been in contention for quite a while, thanks to their performances in the Ranji Trophy. Vijay is the opener in a more conventional sense, and will free Rohit Sharma for his usual middle-order role. Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey, other candidates for the batting slots, won't have much to complain about at this point.
This selection is also an important show of faith for Ravindra Jadeja, who drew a lot of flak for his 35-ball 25 in the game that India got knocked out of the World Twenty20. Nayar has been a consistent performer for Mumbai in both forms of Ranji Trophy, and showed glimpses of his ability during the IPL too. The biggest success stories from the IPL, though, are Nehra and RP.
But more interesting are the choices that the selectors made, not the ones they were forced to make. Munaf and Irfan were dropped from what has been a successful ODI side, and that should worry them. Munaf's form veered from the effective to the ordinary during the ODIs and the Tests in New Zealand, and accordingly he was not taken to England despite his impressive work for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. Munaf's Test spot will also be on the line, especially if RP starts doing well. Irfan, though, played in the World Twenty20 but was not included in the final XIs for India's last two games

Indian squad:

MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Yusuf Pathan, M Vijay, S Badrinath, RP Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Abhishek Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik.
Out
Sachin Tendulkar (finger injury), Zaheer Khan (shoulder injury), Virender Sehwag (shoulder injury), Suresh Raina (hairline fracture of the thumb), Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan
In
Ashish Nehra, Abhishek Nayar, RP Singh, Ravindra Jadeja,S badrinath,M vijay.

South africa dominate india..

There is no such thing as a meaningless victory in a tournament that is so much about momentum. South Africa maintained their 100% record at the ICC World Twenty20 as they defended 130 on a crumbling surface against India at Trent Bridge to set themselves up for a semi-final against Pakistan.

When the pitch has had pace Dale Steyn and Wayne Parnell have excelled, when the surface has been full of runs the batsmen have done their job and, in the biggest development from previous South Africa teams, when spin has been key they have responded through Johan Botha and Roelof van der Merwe.

Graeme Smith wasn't thrilled by the surface, and hoped the semi-final pitch wouldn't be so in favour of the spinners, but was pleased that his side had produced a strong workout.

"We've had a few different challenges," Smith said. "It was disappointing with the strokeplayers on both teams that the wicket wasn't better, especially considering they haven't had game here for a few days. But it was nice for us to play on a surface like this and beat India on a surface like this.

"It's great to have the variety coming through in the team. We are still very young in terms of international cricket since readmission so it was always going take time to get the structures in place to produce these players, especially spin bowling on the wickets at home."

South Africa have found consistency in a format where inconsistency is often the winner (just look at England's tournament) with seven victories on the bounce. "All our plans have come off and to win seven games in a row is a great effort in this format of the game," Smith said. "I think it shows that we might have taken our game to another level. We are very flexible and can adapt to each situation which is very exciting."

However, and here comes the spoiler, now that the tournament has reached the knock-out stage it could suddenly all come to nothing. South Africa, should anyone need reminding, don't have the best history of holding their nerve, although this side is doing its utmost to shed that burden.

"For us to be in a final would be terrific but realistically we have to think about Thursday first," Smith said. "I think we've proven we have enough flair and enough options to be an all-round package and that's what we've played like. We've faced many different challenges, batting first, defending low totals, so I think we are a well-rounded team going into the semi-finals.

"We played Pakistan in the warm-up game and beat them on the surface. We've got respect for their players, but if we play our game Pakistan are going to have to play well. That's our challenge, but we are a good enough team to adapt.

"This team has come a long way and we have proven that with the results we have put out over the last two years. Thursday is a semi-final and anything can happen, Pakistan are a talented team and will arrive expecting to beat us. No matter who is favourite it's about who plays better on the day.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENGvnhmlxC0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1SL39XquYs