CA drops David Hussey, Bracken and Clark from contracted players list

Published>Wed, Apr 07 10 12:10 PM

Sydney, Apr 7 (ANI): Cricket Australia (CA) has not renewed the contracts of Victorian batsman David Hussey and NSW pacers Nathan Bracken and Stuart Clark.

Victoria's Brad Hodge and South Australian wicketkeeper Graham Manou have also not been named in the 25-player contracted list for 2010-11 announced on Wednesday.

The new entrants are pacers Ryan Harris and Clint McKay, wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Paine, allrounder Steven Smith and batsman Adam Voges.

These five players started the 2009-10 period without CA contracts, but picked them up by the end after receiving sufficient upgrade points during that time, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Veteran fast bowler Brett Lee retained his contract, despite his recent injury and form struggles, while fellow speedster Shaun Tait is still on the list despite him being a virtual Twenty20 specialist.

The list was based on the players' form over the past 12 months and the likelihood of Australian selection in the coming year.

All contracted players will receive a minimum 200,000 dollars as retainer, plus match fees, tour fees and prize money for any on-field success.

"It is disappointing for Stuart Clark and Nathan Bracken who have not received contracts for 2010-11. Both Stuart and Nathan have fantastic records for Australia and not renewing their contracts was a very hard decision.

"The reality is that other bowlers have seized the opportunity over the last six months in both Test and limited overs cricket," said chairman of selectors, Andrew Hilditch.

"... David Hussey is also very unlucky not to receive a contract after a very successful domestic season and is part of our ICC World Twenty20 squad," he added.

Cricket Australia named the following list of contracted players for 2010-11: Doug Bollinger, Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, Phillip Hughes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Marcus North, Tim Paine, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Cameron White. (ANI)

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Chennai Super Kings post 165

Published>Wed, Apr 07 10 11:46 AM

Chennai, April 6 -- The Chennai Super Kings posted a total of 165 for the loss of four wickets against the Mumbai Indians in Chennai on Tuesday.

Earlier, The Chennai Super Kings have left out Muralitharan from their playing XI and have opted to bat first against the Mumbai Indians.

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Time for Knight Riders to dare and dream big now

Published>Wed, Apr 07 10 11:30 AM

Kolkata, April 6 -- The more venomous creatures lie ahead as the Kolkata Knight Riders approach the home stretch of a competition, which has been a snake and ladder game for them. Four wins out of nine means they have to win four of the remaining five to stand a chance of making progress. The Knights need something they have not done before. They have never won so many matches in the frequency required and awaiting them now are teams placed above them. With six wins in nine, the Delhi Daredevils are up next. That two of their illustrious batsmen - T Dilshan and A.B. DeVilliers - are in the dugout gives an idea of what they possess in batting. The pace department isn't the strongest, but they have efficient spinners in Daniel Vettori and Amit Mishra. There was grip in the wicket in the previous night match played at the Eden Gardens. The difference between the teams is the number of performing Indians. Several Daredevils' key players are homegrown and the Knights are behind on this count. There are at least three liabilities in the XI and they have not found the suitable options after trying out a number of them.

Gautam Gambhir is due for a big one after returning from injury and everybody knows how emphatically the Kings XI Punjab batsmen returned to form against KKR on Sunday.

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Missing pieces in Knights' Indian puzzle

Published>Wed, Apr 07 10 11:24 AM

Kolkata, April 6 -- In these days of texting and tweeting, they can be called PIP and NPIP. They are Performing Indian Players (PIP) and Non-Performing Indian Players (NPIP), who make the difference between teams in the long run. Delhi Daredevils and KKR are a study in contrasts in this respect. Gautam Gambhir's team has some of the best homegrown players occupying key positions and delivering, which is why the Daredevils are where they are. Not that Indians haven't done well under Sourav Ganguly but he has struggled to find suitable compatriots in at least three of the seven slots. One of them is a batsman's where Cheteshwar Pujara, Mandeep Singh and Rohan Gavaskar have been tried. None did well and it was back to Pujara in the last two games. KKR have two vulnerable bowling slots. One is Ajit Agarkar, who has been on and off after being brought in after fifth match. The other bowler is still not found as Ishant Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Mohnish Parmar and Jaidev Unadkat leaked plenty whenever used. Left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdullah wasn't bad in the only match he got, replacing an injured Murali Kartik, and, as a last option, it might not be a bad idea to field two of a kind. That's because in the last 8pm tie (April 1) here the ball spun.

Sourav Ganguly, Murali Kartik, Manoj Tiwary and Wriddhiman Saha have done well, but three pieces in the puzzle are missing. Daredevils have got MoM performance from Kedar Jadhav and Amit Mishra is currently the highest wicket-taker. Take bits and pieces from Rajat Bhatia, Pradeep Sangwan and add Sehwag, Gambhir with Dinesh Karthik to the mix for a winning cocktail.

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'Spiteful' PGTI flexes its muscles across the border

Published>Wed, Apr 07 10 11:22 AM

New Delhi, April 6 -- For the first time in 16 years, top Indian pros will be missing from the Surya Nepal Masters. Reason: The Professional Golf Tour of India's (PGTI) "spiteful ways" with the fledgling Nepal Professional Golfers Association (NPGA). The flagship tournament, carrying a purse of Nepali Rs 30 lakh (Rs 18.75 lakh in Indian currency) has been a happy hunting ground for Indians (see box), but this year the Gokarna Golf Forest Resort & Spa, the venue of the April 19-24 event, will be devoid of its main attraction. Sources told HT that it is a case of the PGTI "acting out of spite" after the NPGA rejected its "informal offer" to joint-sanction the event. Stung by the rebuff, the PGTI retaliated by enforcing a blanket ban. A mail sent on March 15 directed the players to stay away from the event. It states: "PGTI members are not allowed to participate unless it is co-sanctioned by the PGTI". The discontent among the Indian pros is apparent and despite requests for a rethink, the PGTI stands firm. Last year, 11 of the top-20 from the PGTI's Order of Merit had competed in Nepal. But more than the top pros, it's the lesser-known Indian players and the Tour's Nepalese members like Shiva Ram Shrestha and Toran Bikram Shahi who will take a severe hit. Despite repeated attempts, PGTI officials were not available for comment. Speaking from Kathmandu, Deepak Acharya, secretary, NPGA, said, "The best Indian golfers have added great value to the tournament over the years and it will be unfortunate if they are forced to stay out this year." The PGTI's stand defies logic. In 2007, it had clarified, "While we maintain that it is not a part of the PGTI, the PGTI has not stopped any of its players from playing the Surya Nepal Masters. In fact, the PGTI has made it clear that since it is an international event, no player would be penalised for playing the event." The PGTI prides itself as "a body by the players and for the players", and one of its objectives is "to promote and arrange for the conduct of professional golf in India and its neighbouring countries".

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