World Record in Cricket : Rohit Sharma Did It Thrice

Earlier Rohit Sharma just surprised fans of Sachin Tendulkar and Sehwag by becoming the third India to join the double centurion category. And now, he has created a new record for himself by becoming the

That was a bit of magic along with great cricket at Mohali today as India played Sri Lanka in the second ODI. Recovering from last Sunday's mega debacle, Rohit Sharma played both the opener and captain innings, hitting 208 off 159 balls and stayed not out. He has hit 13 fours and 12 sixes in this innings.

Till date, we have Martin Guptill (237*), Virender Sehwag (219), Chris Gayle (215) and Tendulkar (200*) scoring double centuries once in ODI cricket, while Rohit did it thrice and made a record. Earlier he scored 209 vs Australia and 264 Sri Lanka in 2013 and 14. And this is Rohit Sharma's 16th century ever.

Rohit reached his century off 115 deliveries and then he took only 36 balls to reach his double hundred.

To make the match much more memorable, India needs to win the match and that will keep the tri-match series alive.

15-year-old Mumbai cricketer Pranav Dhanawade scores a record 1009

pranav Dhanawade, who has broken a century-old cricketing record on Monday, became the first batsman to score 1000-plus runs in an innings in any form of cricket. Batting against Arya Gurukul School in a Bhandari Cup match, Pranav reached 1000 runs in just 323 balls on Tuesday. The tournament is an under-16 inter-school event organised by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) mainly for the benefit of suburban schools.

Virat Kohli shows his dark side, again

He is the poster boy of Indian cricket; he wears his aggression on the sleeve and is more than willing to take the fight to the opposition. A batsman par excellence, he is even tipped to break almost all the records before him. Full Coverage: ICC World Cup 2015 Yet, Virat Kohli, the man who is being hailed as the captain of the future, has a darker side which erupts from time to time. It was on show once again on a quiet Tuesday afternoon here, when Team India was training at the Murdoch University ground. For no rhyme or reason, and literally out of the blue, the India vice-captain started to abuse a journalist of a national daily. The media contingent and ICC officials simply watched in dismay as nobody could fathom the reason for his invective-laden tirade. As it transpired later, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity: Kohli unleashed himself on the hapless journalist believing that he had done a story, exposing the fact that his actress girlfriend Anushka Sharma was staying with him in the team hotel during India's tour to England last May despite a ban by the BCCI. When Kohli realized his mistake, he apologized to the journalist but that too through another journalist. But by then, the damage had been done. The enfant terrible of Indian cricket had once again shamed himself in front of his fans and the media by showing his darker side. It is learnt that team director Ravi Shastri warned him after the incident to behave in future. But it's anybody's guess if it will have any effect on Kohli. On the current tour, the Australian players have branded him a spoilt brat because of his aggressive body language and penchant to celebrate milestones by mouthing abuses. While that may be a part of the way the game is played in modern times, taking up cudgels with a journalist doing his job will not stand him in good stead when it's time for captain MS Dhoni to step down. In this instance, of course, the journalist hadn't even written anything and he was insulted and abused in front of his colleagues and sundry officials. Indeed, stunned team officials and a couple of players even tried to mollify him but Kohli just wouldn't stop. He didn't have the basic courtesy to apologise even after he realised his mistake. Of course, the brash Delhi batsman doesn't stop at opposition players, journalists and the common man. He allegedly cut loose in the team dressing room itself during one of the Tests here when he was asked to go in to bat at short notice after Shikhar Dhawan pulled up unfit at the last minute. According to reports, Kohli is believed to have had a nasty showdown with his Delhi teammate though it was vehemently denied by the team management later. Dhoni described it as 'unrest' in the ranks. He may be a young batsman, full of talent, but this is certainly no way to behave in public. Team India which has been served with so much dignity by much bigger players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble will be horrified when the captaincy baton is passed into his hands. TALKING UGLY Virat Kohli's diatribe against a media person in Perth on Tuesday wasn't the first time the cricketer has let his anger get the better of him. TOI looks back at past such incidents involving the Delhi batsman... IT'S KOHLI VS GAMBHIR (APRIL, 2013): A verbal duel between KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir and Kohli during their IPL clash took fans by surprise. As Gambhir and other players walked towards the cover region to celebrate the RCB skipper's dismissal, Kohli, instead of walking back to the pavilion, charged towards Gambhir and made a remark after which all hell broke loose. ALTERCATION WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS (OCT, 2009): Kohli got involved in a spat with photographers at Jamtha (Nagpur) just before the start of India's ODI against Australia. As he was training, one of his shots almost hit a camera belonging to a photographer who, along with other cameramen, was sitting behind the advertisement hoardings. Kohli paid little heed to their request to train somewhere else, leading to a verbal free-for-all. THE INFAMOUS MIDDLE FINGER (JAN, 2012): Angry at an abusive group of spectators at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Kohli stuck out his middle finger at the hecklers on the second day of the India-Australia Test. Kohli later defended himself on Twitter, saying, "I agree cricketers don't have to retaliate. What when the crowd says the worst things about your mother and sister? the worst I've heard (sic)." YELLING AT WANKHEDE (APRIL, 2013): In a tense IPL game against hosts Mumbai Indians, Kohli lost his cool after being targetted by a section of the crowd and retaliated by giving it back. Speaking after the game which his team lost, the RCB captain rued that the spectators had forgotten that he also represented their country. "It feels a bit weird because at the end of the day you play for India and you don't come here to be hated."

Cricketer Sreesanth was attacked with knife in jail

Former Indian fast bowler S Sreesanth was attacked with a knife while he was in jail after being arrested for his alleged involvement in IPL spot-fixing in 2013, his family said on Friday. He is currently facing trial in a Delhi court. His sister's husband Madhu Balakrishnan made this revelation to the media here. "After he (Sreesanth) returned home following 26 days in Tihar jail in May 2013, he revealed this," said Balakrishnan, a popular playback singer. "He told us that while he was walking inside the jail compound, a known history sheeter suddenly jumped before him, brandishing a very sharp knife... He (Sreesanth) reacted and in the melee, the attacker injured his hand and was taken away by the jail staff," said Balakrishnan. Balakrishnan said the family does not intend to turn this into any controversy nor are they planning to take this forward. The temperamental speedster, while playing for his franchise Rajasthan Royals, was arrested on charges of alleged match fixing in the Indian Premier League in 2013 and is out on bail. Delhi Police invoked the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) against Sreesanth and the trial has now been completed in a court in Delhi. The verdict is expected to be pronounced early next month. Sreesanth has already expressed confidence that the court will absolve him of the charges.

Australia batsman Hughes dies from head injury

Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes died in a Sydney hospital on Thursday after being struck by a ball and suffering a severe head injury two days earlier. "We are extremely sad to announce that Phillip Hughes has passed away at the age of 25," Cricket Australia said in a statement. "Our thoughts go out to Phillip's family, friends, and the entire cricket community on this incredibly sad day." Hughes was struck in the head while batting in a match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday. He underwent emergency surgery and was put in an induced coma but never regained consciousness. "He was not in pain before he passed and was surrounded by his family and close friends," Cricket Australia said. "As a cricket community we mourn his loss and extend our deepest sympathies to Phillips family and friends at this incredibly sad time."

Breaking News

Gavaskar is Acting President for BCCI

Dhoni seeks 'home' comfort in Ranchi against England

Jharkhand, as a state, is going through a crisis and is under President's rule, but that is only half the truth. Because the state capital is under Mahendra Singh Dhoni's spell. Go anywhere in the city, the talk is not about what is the way out of the political crisis or who one should vote for in the elections when they take place, people only want to know: "Mahi ka team jitega na" (Will Mahi's team win)? All eyes and ears are on Dhoni. So everybody's heart missed a beat on Friday morning, when India bowling coach Joe Dawes's delivery hit Dhoni's right thumb and he writhed in pain. The Indian captain remained cool, but everyone else screamed: "Ouch." Immediately, all the policemen, very attentive at their posts till then, were looking at Dhoni, organisers stood still, the journalists were on their feet. Ranchi's very own Mahi took an ice pack and went back to the pavilion, adding to the suspense. It needed logistics manager Satish's words to rule out everybody's worst fears. "It's nothing serious. He was hit on the right thumb, there was a minor swelling. That's all. We don't even need to an MRI scan or anything," he said. The emotional attachment is understandable. But would anyone be less anxious had the venue of Saturday's third ODI been different than Dhoni's hometown? Not really. Because wherever India plays, all hopes of the Indian cricket fan are usually rested on Dhoni. Here is a man who has maintained a batting average of over 50 in the last two years amidst the ruins, not to mention the catches he has taken and the stumpings and run-outs he has effected. While his captaincy has often looked premeditated and unimaginative, Dhoni the player has hardly let the team down. Once again, the wicketkeeper batsman will have to be at the top of his game; once again it is a crunch match. Going 2-1 ahead on Saturday will go a long way in keeping the danger of a series loss at bay. Perhaps Dhoni and his teammates have not played such a crucial ODI since the 2011 World Cup final. England, on the other hand, have approached this series as an extension of their developmental squad's assignments. They have not only rested key men like James Anderson, Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad and Jonathan Trott, team director Andy Flower has also taken a break. Despite that, the young side led by Alastair Cook is in the hunt for England's first ODI series victory here in almost two decades. One expected them to show some urgency in practice but they chose to take it easy. This is perhaps an indication of which team needs to win more badly.

Five selectors wanted to sack Dhoni but BCCI chief Srinivasan prevented it: Amarnath

After dropping a bombshell about interference in selection matters, former national selector Mohinder Amarnath on Wednesday named BCCI president N Srinivasan as the person who overruled the "unanimous" decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni as captain after India's eight consecutive overseas Test defeats. "It was a unanimous decision, all five selectors supported it. The Board President (Srinivasan) did not approve the unanimous decision to replace Mahendra Singh Dhoni," Amarnath told a news television. "Why do you need a selection committee there if one person needs to be at the helm of affairs. We should not be there. Who knows the constitution of BCCI? Is the current selection committee aware of it? I was not aware of the constitution of BCCI" he said. "We are working on trust there and we are doing our job honestly. It was a unanimous decision of the selection committee to replace Dhoni with somebody after the disastrous series in Australia," he said. Amarnath, who played 69 Tests and 74 one-dayers for India, said the selection committee had picked 17 players for the tri-series but had not named a captain. "We selected the team for the triangular series, selected 17 players but we didn't select the captain. The captain was selected by somebody else," Amarnath, one of India's heroes in the 1983 World Cup triumph, said. Asked about the specific reasons behind Srinivasan's non-approval, Amarnath answered, "When you respect a person, you don't ask questions...but my question here is you have a selection committee those who think what is best for Indian cricket then why are they not given free hand? "We were trying to look ahead, we wanted a young captain to come in especially in triangular one day series so that we can go ahead and do something better in near future....If we don't look ahead, we won't have a good team in near future." Amarnath however did not want to drag the Chennai Super Kings angle into the issue. "The Chennai Super Kings does not come into this. This is between captain and Mr Srinivasan. I have nothing to say on that. I'm not in favour or against anything like that," he added.

Indian cricketers lobbied to have ex-player named selector

Three cricketers who are part of the Indian team at the World T20 are learned to have called up senior BCCI officials to lobby for a former India player to be chosen selector from Central Zone. Not just that, even officials of the Enforcement Directorate who are investigating alleged irregularities in IPL-II (which was held in South Africa) apparently lobbied with the BCCI on behalf of this former cricketer. One of the players who made the phone calls is an explosive batsman, while another is a handy middle-order player. The person they were lobbying for had played for India in one-day internationals, though not Tests. However, the lobbying backfired as the furious board members made sure the former player was not considered for the post. Instead, former Uttar Pradesh player and coach Rajinder Singh Hans was named the selector from Central Zone. Hans was one of the candidates nominated by Central Zone before the BCCI annual general meeting last Thursday, which chose the new five-man team of selectors, headed by Sandeep Patil. The cricket board officials were stunned when some current Team India stars lobbied to have a former India player appointed selector. They pointed out that there was a clear conflict of interest in players trying to influence the choice of men who would subsequently decide on their fates. "Students can't be examiners," one of the board members remarked in the meeting. Officials said such an incident was unprecedented. However, with each selector now getting a package of Rs 60 lakh per year (Rs 70 lakh for the chairman), the post of a selector has suddenly become much sought after. Interestingly, there was already controversy shrouding the choosing of the new selection panel. Mohinder Amarnath, who was spoken of as being in contention to be the next chairman of selectors, was abruptly removed from the panel itself. The board rejected the candidates suggested by East and West Zones. And new chief selector, Patil, was not among the candidates suggested by West Zone.

Harbhajan Singh dropped for first two ODIs against England

Off-colour Harbhajan Singh was on Thursday dropped while young spinner Rahul Sharma and paceman Sreenath Aravind were the two new faces in India's depleted 15-member squad for the first two one-dayers in next month's ODI series against England.

Gautam Gambhir, who missed the ODI series in the tour of England because of concussion, returned to the squad which will be without the services of a host of seniors, including Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh because of injuries.

Vidharba paceman Umesh Yadav and Jharkhand speedster Varun Aaron also figured in the team announced by new BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale after a marathon meeting of the selection committee.

The team, to be captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has a predominantly young bowling attack with Praveen Kumar being the spearhead.

The national selectors have picked as many as five fast bowlers and three spinners in Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin and Sharma.

Parthiv Patel, who did reasonably well in the recent ODI series against England, has been retained along with upcoming batsman Ajinkya Rahane of Mumbai.

The first ODI of the five-match series will be played in Hyderabad on October 14,, while Delhi will host the second game on October 17. Mohali (Oct 20), Mumbai (Oct 23) and Kolkata (Oct 25) will stage the other three matches.

Kolkata will also conduct the lone Twenty20 match against England on October 29.

Squad: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Gautam Gambhir, Parthiv Patel, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Varun Aaron, Umesh Yadav, R Vinay Kumar, Sreenath Aravind, Rahul Sharma, Manoj Tiwary, Praveen Kumar.

Shoaib Akhtar's book: Why is Sachin Tendulkar being targeted?

The controversies Shoaib Akhtar has managed to churn in his career far outnumber his contributions on the field.

His stinging indictment of Sachin Tendulkar’s abilities shows the ex-Pakistan pacer in a very different light – a very unflattering one.

Shoaib says in his autobiography Controversially Yours that Sachin Tendulkar does not know the art of finishing games and that he was scared to face him in a Test in Faisalabad. These are curious things to state because the world’s greatest Test and ODI run maker has answered every question asked of him in a legendary 21-year career.

But then why does everyone target Sachin? Is it because he is a tall poppy and jealous people simply want to cut him down?

“It’s a gimmick to sell a book. Write something bad about Sachin and your books will sell. Adam Gilchrist too did this. Whatever little respect I had for Shoaib is gone. Shouldn’t he be focusing on how he let Pakistan down with his antics? I’m sure Pakistan cricket and its happenings would have provided plenty of fodder,” said ex-India skipper Bishan Singh Bedi.

Shoaib also took a pot shot at another legend, Rahul Dravid, clubbing him with Sachin when saying that they were not match winners.

Years with Chappell as coach worst of my career: Zaheer

Indian pace spearhead Zaheer Khan considers the two years with Greg Chappell as national coach the worst of his decade-long career as the controversial Australian made him feel unwanted in the team.

Zaheer said he and other senior players were constantly worried about their place in the side and were unable to perform during that tumultuous period between 2005 and 2007.

"It was as if you've been framed. It was like 'we don't want you in the team. It's not about performance, we don't like your attitude, you're stopping the growth of cricket in the Indian team'. I felt it personally because I was dropped straight after the Sri Lanka tour, even though I had not performed badly," Zaheer said.

"I was fortunate enough to go to South Africa to represent the Asia XI (in the Afro-Asia Cup). I got about nine wickets and I was recalled for the next series. In that phase it was always a struggle. When you're fighting within the team, when you have a war to fight in your own camp, it is always difficult to win," he said.

Source:TOI

Vilasrao Deshmukh challenges Sharad Pawar on cricket turf

Embattled former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh of the Congress will take on his arch political rival, NCP president and Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, on the cricket turf.

Deshmukh, now Union minister for rural development, is all set to run for president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) against Pawar, who has been holding the post for over a decade. "I don't know if Pawar is contesting, but I do plan to throw my hat into the ring," Deshmukh told TOI.

Pawar was first elected MCA president in 2001. The MCA constitution bars its office-bearers from holding a post for eight consecutive years. However, the MCA amended its constitution solely for the benefit of Pawar. As a result, his tenure remains unaffected. "Since Pawar was in the process of being elected ICC president and Mumbai was hosting the World Cup final, the MCA amended the constitution to ensure that he continues to rule the governing body of cricket in Mumbai. The controversial resolution was strongly opposed by only one member," a senior MCA member said.

Although Pawar is yet to take a final call on his candidature, a week ago his supporters had a prolonged meeting to draft a strategy for the MCA polls.

"All the members at the meeting declared their support for Pawar's candidature. We feel that under Pawar's leadership, the MCA, which was in a deep financial crisis, has come out of the red," the MCA member said.

He added that Pawar himself had convened a meeting of all club members to assess their views on his candidature. "Pawar has invited all the members for the special meeting, where he is expected to spell out his plan. In the event of Deshmukh remaining firm on his candidature, Pawar may withdraw from the fray, since he (Pawar) is keen on an unanimous election," he said.

Along with Pawar and Deshmukh, former Test cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar too is likely to enter the fray. In fact, a section of MCA members feel that in view of his contribution to cricket, MCA should be create a special post of executive president for him.

Besides Sharad Pawar and Deshmukh, former chief ministers Manohar Joshi, Narayan Rane, public works minister Chhagan Bhujbal, NCP leader Jeetendra Awhad and BJP leader Ashish Shelar comprise the 330-odd club nominees. As per MCA rules, the nominees of the 330 clubs registered with it are eligible to participate in the voting.

‘I am getting Bollywood offers’ : Shane warne

On-field, the game might be over for Cricketer Shane Warne, but off-field there’s a lot he’s looking forward to. The 41-year-old captain of IPL team Rajasthan Royals, who retired from all forms of cricket last week, is game for acting in Bollywood.

“I’ve been getting offers. If something inte
resting comes up, lets see. I have done commercials here in India in the past as well with Sachin for Pepsi. I am also open to anything exciting,” he says.

Warne and his ladylove British actor Liz Hurely, were photographed often kissing, post his IPL matches. But ask him about her and he maintains a staunch silence.

Shift topics to his svelte new look and he’s more forthcoming. “I am 82 kilos and there has been a lot of hard work to be in the shape that I am today,” he says.

The cricketer recently launched his apparel line Spinners. “Spinners is my line and I am fully involved with it. This is what I would wear and I work very closely with the design team on it. My son Jackson has a great time with his close involvement with the boys wear line and we often sit together on the whole creative process.”says Warne, adding, “My 11-year-old son Jackson and I often sit together to discuss the boys line.”

Shane WarneDoes the spin wiz plan a women’s wear line as well? “Oh absolutely. Infact, my daughter is excited to join in to design a range for young girls, that we plan for future. For instance, in India the spirit of gully cricket is legendary and Indians love bright colours. You would see we have special colours as part of the India range and in our special edition launched last month to celebrate the cricket season – has a full range on “Gully Cricket Legends."

Quiz him about his stand on axing the ‘naughty’ IPL night parties and he says, “The parties are not integral to IPL but were good fun.” Warne had once famously completed a tour of India in the late 90s on a diet of baked beans and spaghetti, as reported widely. Has his taste changed somewhat now? “I am fond of Indian food, as far as it’s not too spicy. I absolutely love Chicken Tikka,” says Warne who loves India for “its culture, the passion of its people and the craziness of everyday life”

source:HT

Pak match-fixing scandal: Butt, Asif, Amir to face Pak Cricket Board today

Pakistani captain Salman Butt and fast-pacers Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir will face their cricket board's internal inquiry today at the Pakistan High Commission in London.

The three players were pulled out of practice in Taunton on Tuesday and asked to report to London to be questioned by Scotland Yard investigators for a second time in connection with the no-ball controversy that has erupted during the current England vs Pakistan series. They were in Taunton with the rest of the team ahead of a friendly match against Somerset. (In Pics: Pakistan's endless 'fixing' saga) | (Read: The Cricket scandal that has rocked Pakistan)

Team manager Yawar Saeed made the announcement in the team hotel on Tuesday, and said Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt and the country's High Commissioner will attend the meeting.

Along with wicket keeper Kamran Akmal, these three players were questioned over the weekend as well at their London hotel.

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Meanwhile, as the Pakistan Cricket Board prepares to grill the three tainted players, International Cricket Council (ICC) Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat will meet the chairman Ijaz Butt in London.

Ahead of his meeting with the PCB chief, a grim Lorgat said he was extremely disappointed by the turn of events. He added that there is a "zero tolerance" policy for corruption in cricket and any player involved in wrong-doing will be strictly punished.

"I am very, very disappointed. I guess... I'm at a loss for words to describe how not just myself but every loving cricketer and fan of this wonderful sport will be feeling right now."

Pressure is hence growing on the Pak cricket board to act fast. The formal call for interrogation came hours after Ijaz Butt said no Pakistani player would be dropped for the rest of the UK-Pakistan series till formal investigations are completed. "There is a case going on with the Scotland Yard. This is only an allegation. There is still no charge or proof on that account. So at this stage there will be no action taken," said Butt. (Read: PCB won't drop players without proof)

The substantial charges of corruption against members of the Pakistani cricket team have become a national embarrassment and crisis. Several simultaneous investigations are in progress. The UK police are involved; Pakistan is sending members of its Federal Investigating Agency to England; and the International Cricket Council is also conducting an inquiry through its anti-Corruption Unit.

Lorgat had said on Tuesday that the governing body will take action against the players found guilty in the 'spot-fixing' scam before they take to the field in the current tour of England.

"We are working to gather evidence with the Police and the United Kingdom. We are very determined to bring to book any perpetrator or any player found to be corrupt."

Over the weekend, UK tabloid News of the World showed video footage of a middleman, Mazhar Majeed, accepting thousands of pounds from an undercover reporter. In return, he promises to have three no-balls bowled at certain times at the Lord's test match. The no-balls did play out exactly as promised by Majeed, who was arrested on Saturday and then released on bail on Sunday. (Watch: Did Pakistan fix these matches? | Pak players caught on tape)

What Majeed was offering was "spot-fixing" - where players are paid for details of play. Majeed described Butt as "the ring-leader" of the players involved with betting syndicates. He also bragged that a test match played by Pakistan against Australia in Sydney at the beginning of this year had been thrown by Pakistani cricketers. Referring to this expose, the Pakistani Cricket Board said it didn't want to go by newspaper reports. (Read: ICC's Haroon Lorgat on Pak controversy) | (Who is Mazhar Majeed?)

The ICC's report by its Anti-Corruption Unit is expected to be finalised within the next three days.

The ICC and the England cricket Board are keen for the two T20 matches, and five One Day matches to take place as scheduled. The England Cricket Board could lose 10-12 million pounds if the series is cancelled. Senior players for England have reportedly expressed their reluctance to continue with the series unless Butt, Asif and Amir are dropped. (Read: ICC wants tainted Pak players dropped)

A crucial point of the controversy could develop around 50,000 pounds (about 37 lakhs) allegedly found in Butt's room by Scotland Yard. Butt claims that the money was to pay for a trousseau for his sister. However, the cash was found in different currencies, including UAE dirhams. (With inputs from agencies)

Pak sees a 'conspiracy' as 3 more held in UK

The Pakistan establishment appeared to be closing ranks behind its tainted cricketers even as three fresh arrests were made in the UK in connection with the spot-fixing scandal.

Meanwhile, the three players at the centre of the controversy were summoned to London from Somerset, where the team is practising, to meet PCB officials and the High Commissioner.

British customs officials said they had arrested three people as part of a probe into the money-laundering angle. Some reports said among those detained was Mazhar Majeed, the alleged fixer arrested earlier and bailed out on Monday.

It is also learnt that the cash found by Scotland Yard from Salman Butt's room amounted to £50,000. Butt reportedly claimed the money was his sister's trousseau.

Pakistan's interior minister Rehman Malik said there have been conspiracies against the team in the past and it was necessary to determine whether the latest allegations were a bid to defame the country. However, the Lahore HC has summoned seven cricketers on September 7 to face treason charges.

At 40, Corky blow hits Hitter Pollard!

Pollard had to be taken off the field and rushed back home after consultations with doctors in Taunton, who said Pollard's right eye was swollen sharply. The man who did the damage was no fiery rookie but a wily old fox. Dominic Cork! Remember thy name? When the underdogs Hampshire won the domestic T20 in England, there was one player who was a true role model for every young gun in the team. And that same player was the star of the tournament. A bowler whom the West Indies shivered facing in 1995 when on debut, he returned home figures of 7-43, the best ever figures by an Englishman on debut.. Yes, we are talking of the wily old fox of English cricket Dominic Cork, who is now in his 40th year of his life and yet generates considerable pace.

Bradman best, Sehwag greater than Sachin: Study

A 'scientific' analysis of batting achievements in Test cricket has found what most people already know - that Don Bradman was the greatest batsman in the game. A paper, written by two economists, analysed factors such as consistency of scoring, value of a batsman's runs to the team and home-away record, and found the Australian great leagues ahead of the rest on all counts.

That's hardly a surprise. But the paper has some far more interesting conclusions.

While just five Indians qualify in the top 50 on the basis of career averages, in none of the parameters does Sachin Tendulkar, the highest run scorer in Tests, emerge on top even among Indian batsmen.

For instance, in terms of value of runs scored to the team, Virender Sehwag is India's top batsman (overall rank 6), followed by Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar.

On consistency of scoring, Dravid (rank 4) pips Sachin (5), followed by Sunil Gavaskar (11), Sehwag (12) and Vinod Kambli (13).

In another ranking based on career contribution to the team score, Dravid and Gavaskar (both ranked 5) emerge as India's top batsmen. Then come Tendulkar and Sehwag (both 6) and Kambli (8).

The paper - The 'Bradman Class': An Exploration of Some Issues in the Evaluation of Batsmen for Test Matches, 1877-2006 - ranks 50 batsmen from all eras. Written by economists Vani K Borooah, University of Ulster and John E Mangan of University of Queensland, it was published in the Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports.

Some rankings, however, may be misleading as the paper uses batting averages only up to 2006. For instance, in 2006, Dravid was No. 4 in the all-time list with an average of 58. At present, his average is down to around 53.

A 'scientific' study in Australia of Test batsmen down the years has put Don Bradman ahead of all others in every parameter it uses to define batting class.

The paper works on the premise that the method of calculating batting averages glosses over many aspects of good batsmanship. "It does not take into account consistency of scores across innings: a batsman might have a high career average but with low scores interspersed with high ones; another might have a lower average but with much less variation in his scores," it notes. Secondly, the paper argues, batting averages do not reflect the value of the player's runs to the team.

The authors use several equations from economics to suggest new ways of computing batting that could complement the existing method and "present a more complete picture of batsmens' performance." Based on these "new" averages, the paper offers several revised rankings of the world's top 50 batsmen.

For measuring consistency, the authors use the Gini coefficient, a popular method for computing inequality in the distribution of outcomes. After applying the coefficient to the top 50, while Bradman remains No.1, South Africa's RG Pollock (ranked 2 on averages) falls three places to rank 5 and West Indian George Headley falls to 7 from No.2. Among Indians, Dravid and Gavaskar hold their ranks but Sehwag falls four places and Tendulkar two places.

Yuvraj Singh, now the prince of misfortune

It's got to a point where one can only sympathize. Yuvraj Singh, once the majestic prince of all he surveyed in the limited-overs formats, a dazzling exhibitionist of power, placement and prime-time assault, is going through the worst phase of his career.

A bizarre jumble of bad form, injury, questionable attitude and plain ill-luck is seeing one of India's rare talents wasting away with the World Cup in sight. Since the last Champions Trophy, it has been a long year of discontent and denial, but in Sri Lanka he has been hounded by gnawing misfortune, with first flu and now dengue fever laying him low. Will someone please turn it around for Yuvraj?

The decline has been more pronounced over the past 12 months but it all began in Mohali in 2006, again before a Champions Trophy game, when a pointless session of kho-kho saw Yuvraj twisting his knee. India haven't played kho-kho since, and Yuvraj hasn't been the same player. It took him a long time to come out of the injury, the knee still awaits surgery, but it was again the same tournament, and another innocuous practice session at a university ground in Johannesburg last year, which saw him fracture a finger. It has been all downhill from there.

Sometimes it's the knee, sometimes it's the shoulder, sometimes another finger or a wrist. Since last September, he has pulled out of three series. He rushed into the IPL without having fully recovered from a ligament tear on his left wrist and had a torrid time, sulking his way through taunts of deliberate underperformance. The World T20 was no different, and a show-cause notice from the BCCI after a pub brawl meant he was dropped on grounds of indiscipline for the Asia Cup, the first time he lost his place in the ODI side.

India's mental conditioning coachPaddy Upton feels repeated injury can sometimes result from mental stress under pressure to perform, and Yuvraj has certainly struggled to make the seamless transition from good to great we all expected him to.

Some phases of his Test career have been nightmarish. In the tri-series here, he was back to fielding at point against New Zealand but pottered his way through a 25-ball five as India collapsed for under a 100 runs. It proved the ghosts of dodgy footwork and fragile temperament still linger.

Yuvraj was supposed to turn it all around in Sri Lanka. The signs were positive. He looked slimmer, there was that century in the tour game, the half-century under pressure in Galle, and then it all fell apart again, this time through no fault of his. Flu laid him low, Suresh Raina came in and dislodged him from a Test spot. There were the cruel waterboy chants. And now it's dengue. Yuvraj has been a prince of misfortune on this tour.

The team management too might have done him a disservice. Talking about a rotation policy, Sri Lankan captainKumar Sangakkara suggested on Sunday that established players who sit out because of injury must always get their place back. "It doesn't matter if your replacement scores a hundred or a double. You get first choice back because you were the best in that position and that's why you earned your rest. I think all these things must be set in place before you execute a policy," said Sangakkara, adding: "Otherwise there can be mistrust and misinterpretation."

There's nothing much a player can do when he's laid low by ill-health or finds his place usurped by a player in form. In the larger picture though, Yuvraj, left battling a negative public image and struggling to find consistency, must not let himself become a victim of circumstance. India need him for the World Cup.

source:toi

Muttiah Muralitharan claims 800th Test wicket

Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan on Thursday became the first bowler to take 800 Test wickets, reaching the milestone in the last Test of his illustrious career.

The 38-year-old spin wizard got Indian tailender Pragyan Ojha caught at slip by Mahela Jayawardene to reach the magical figure, which puts him several pedestals above his contemporaries.

The enigmatic off-spinner needed eight wickets going into the match and as he marched towards the mark, he was made to feel special by some emotional gestures along the way from both the Indian and Sri Lankan players.

He was given a guard of honour on the third day of the rain-hit match by both the teams and firecrackers were set off at the start of play everyday to celebrate his achievement.

His entire family turned to watch him get to the record on the final day and no less then President Mahinda Rajapakse flew in to congratulate him.

Rajapakse, who met players from both the Indian and Sri Lankan teams, presented a special memento to Muralitharan to show his admiration for the iconic cricketer.

Australian leg spinner Shane Warne is the second highest wicket-taker in the top-10 list with 708 scalps but now that he has retired, Muralitharan's record would be unmatched for a long time to come.