We need a good all-rounder for Tests: Yousuf

Deepak Jain>Mon, Jan 04 10 01:57 PM

Sydney, Jan 4 (IANS) Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf feels that a good all-rounder will improve his team's performances in the Tests.

Yousuf lamented that when it comes to One-day and Twenty20s Pakistan have plenty of talented all-rounders, but in Tests they are hard to find.

Former captain Shoaib Malik had performed that role of an all-rounder but in recent times he doesn't bowl much while Abdul Razzaq has almost retired from Tests.

In the first Test against Australia, Pakistan had to rely on just four bowlers and have faced criticism from some experts, who believe that they should show more aggression and play with five specialist bowlers to achieve better results.

'How can we do that. That would mean dropping one batsman. It would further weaken our batting. What we need right now is an all-rounder. He could be our fifth bowler,' Yousuf was quoted as saying in The News.

Yousuf, who replaced Younis Khan as the Pakistan captain last year, is likely to get a longer stint as a regular skipper.

Asked whether he was disappointed when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) ignored his request to send Younis to Australia, Yousuf said: 'I can't say anything about it. It's been many days since I made the request. It's not my call. It's up to the board and the selectors to make the decision.'

Yousuf had made the request during the Melbourne Test when Pakistan's batting flopped yet again. However, Younis failed to regain his form in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy forcing the PCB to turn down the captain's request.

Source: Web Search

Ntini to call it a day?

Deepak Jain>Mon, Jan 04 10 01:39 PM

The first black cricketer to play for South Africa, pacer Makhaya Ntini is planning to bid adieu to his international career after being dropped for the third Test against England.

Ntini has reportedly signed an agreement with English county side Middlesex that will keep him from being available for national duty. Ntini celebrated his 100th Test in the second Test against England last month but was left out of the team for the third Test due to his consistently declining performance in the past two years.

Although Cricket South Africa (CSA) remained tight-lipped, sources close to Ntini indicated that the 32-year-old former herdsman had signed a Kolpak contract with Middlesex. Such a contract requires players to undertake that they would not be available for their national team. Ntini has a contract with CSA until April.

"CSA has not heard anything yet from Ntini," Proteas spokesman Michael Owen-Smith told the Afrikaans daily 'Beeld'.

"The selectors will decide if he is offered a contract again and he can then decline the contract," he said. Ntini, who became a celebrity after being snapped up out of obscurity and poverty as a rural herdsman, was the first black African player in the national side after decades of the team being exclusively white in the apartheid era.

Ntini has taken 391 wickets from 101 Tests, while snapping up 266 in 173 ODIs.

Source: Web Search

Brabourne identity: It's Ishant versus Jaffer

Deepak Jain>Mon, Jan 04 10 01:23 PM

Mumbai, Jan. 3 -- Mumbai versus Delhi is El Classico of Indian domestic cricket. But the Ranji Trophy semifinal that begins here on Sunday between these two teams is bereft of some big names. Still the coaches of both teams have promised that the fight for a spot in the final will be fought as keenly as ever. Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli and Ashish Nehra are touring Bangladesh with the Indian team and are therefore off the Delhi roster. Similarly, Mumbai will miss Rohit Sharma and Zaheer Khan. And Sachin Tendulkar has opted out of both the international tour and the Delhi tie. Inarguably, Ishant Sharma is the biggest name in the match. And the seemingly sporting track at the Cricket Club of India here would have pleased the lanky pacer, as both the teams went through the nets on Saturday. Tackling Ishant and Pradeep Sangwan would top the list of Mumbai's priorities. Captain Wasim Jaffer said he will open the innings. He has been playing one-down this season. "I will open the innings with Sahil (Kukreja)," Jaffer said. "We have not been getting the starts. I have to take the responsibility to see off the new ball and post a good total." Apart from Ishant and Sangwan, Delhi's bowling looks impressive with the presence of in-form medium pacers, Parvinder Awana and Pavan Suyal. Injury woes for Mumbai Delhi's pacers are not Mumbai's only worry. Injury to Dhaval Kulkarni, their second most effective bowler, may force him to sit out. "It is unlikely Dhaval will play," Jaffer said. Dhaval's absence will weaken hosts' bowling, which is already being blamed for not getting enough outright wins. It should be noted that Mumbai's only win of the season came against Himachal Pradesh. "They have been playing mostly on flat tracks," Jaffer said in support of his bowlers. Ajit Agarkar, who has also accounted for some useful runs with the bat, has fever and is a doubtful starter. But Jaffer is hopeful of Agarkar's recovery. Abhishek Nayar is expected to be back in the team in place of Sushant Marathe. With his options narrowed down and bowling attack considerably weakened, the sporting wicket may not be any consolation for Jaffer. Delhi confident The visitors would be bolstered by the return of Ishant and leg-spinner Chetanya Nanda. Aakash Chopra has a knee injury and will be replaced by Mayank Tehlan, who is expected to open with Shikhar Dhawan. None of the Delhi batsmen are in the list of top 15 run getters in this season. And it is their team effort, which has brought them to this stage. Apart from Dhawan, who is in sparkling form, Delhi would largely depend on Bhatia, Manhas and Bisht, who has been the team's top-scorer. 'Result wicket'

Source: Web Search

Henin beats Petrova to win comeback match

Deepak Jain Mon, Jan 04 10 01:09 PM

Belgium's Justine Henin made a triumphant return to professional tennis on Monday with a 7-5 7-5 win over Russia's Nadia Petrova in the first round of the Brisbane International.

Playing her first official match since retiring in May 2008, Henin showed she had lost none of her fighting qualities as she ground out a hard-fought victory over the tournament's second seed.

Another former world number one, Serbia's Ana Ivanovic, registered her first win in almost five months by beating Australia's Jelena Dokic 7-5 1-6 6-3 in an earlier match.

Ivanovic, who has slipped to 21st in the world rankings after failing to win a tournament in 2009, overcame a lapse of concentration in the second set to see off Dokic, who contributed to her own downfall with 11 double-faults.

Source: Web Search

Tiger Woods' wife 'hires private eye to probe his fortune'

Deepak Jain>Mon, Jan 04 10 12:53 PM

London, January 4 (ANI): Tiger Woods' wife has reportedly hired a private investigator to work out his wealth amid plans to divorce the ace golfer.

A lawyer for Swedish model Elin Nordegren was said to have roped in a private eye to dig into every company account, tax return and phone bill of the world's highest-paid sportsman since the couple's marriage in 2004.

"Elin knows hiring a PI is a smart move. Her lawyers want to make sure she gets every penny she's entitled to," the Mirror quoted a source close to Nordegren as saying.

"Elin is devastated, but now she's decided to end their marriage she has the future of their children to think about," the source added.

Woods, believed to be worth almost 1 billion dollars, withdrew from professional golf after admitting infidelity following reported links to as many as eighteen mistresses. (ANI)

Source: Web Search

Bhambri comes from behind to defeat top seed Marchenko

Deepak Jain>Mon, Jan 04 10 12:39 PM

Chennai, Jan. 4 -- On the brink of becoming a full-time professional, Yuki Bhambri made the biggest kill of his life when he toppled top seed Illya Marchenko in the second round qualifiers of the Chennai Open on Sunday. The wiry 18-year-old from Delhi, who won the junior Australian Open last year, came back from 1-4 down in the first set to beat Ukraine's Marchenko 7-6 (2), 6-3. He faces Louk Sorenson of Ireland in the final qualifying game. "I had a slow start again," said Bhambri. "But I hung in there. Obviously I will take a lot of confidence from this match since I beat the top seed (ranked 120); it's the biggest win of my life."

He saved five match points to beat the Canadian 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9) over two hours and 31 minutes and set up a clash against Germany's Lars Poerschke.

Source: Web Search

Ntini to call it a day?

Deepak Jain>Mon, Jan 04 10 12:19 PM

The first black cricketer to play for South Africa, pacer Makhaya Ntini is planning to bid adieu to his international career after being dropped for the third Test against England.

Ntini has reportedly signed an agreement with English county side Middlesex that will keep him from being available for national duty. Ntini celebrated his 100th Test in the second Test against England last month but was left out of the team for the third Test due to his consistently declining performance in the past two years.

Although Cricket South Africa (CSA) remained tight-lipped, sources close to Ntini indicated that the 32-year-old former herdsman had signed a Kolpak contract with Middlesex. Such a contract requires players to undertake that they would not be available for their national team. Ntini has a contract with CSA until April.

"CSA has not heard anything yet from Ntini," Proteas spokesman Michael Owen-Smith told the Afrikaans daily 'Beeld'.

"The selectors will decide if he is offered a contract again and he can then decline the contract," he said. Ntini, who became a celebrity after being snapped up out of obscurity and poverty as a rural herdsman, was the first black African player in the national side after decades of the team being exclusively white in the apartheid era.

Ntini has taken 391 wickets from 101 Tests, while snapping up 266 in 173 ODIs.

Source: Web Search