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2009-02-25T14:35:00.002+05:30

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Matthew Hayden retires from International Cricket

2009-01-13T10:08:00.003+05:30

Under pressure from several quarters over his recent poor run in both formats of the game, Australian opener Matthew Hayden announced his retirement from international cricket. Hayden's illustrious 17-year cricket career came to an end. He will be given a farewell at Gabba, Brisbane later.

The 37-year-old Matthew Hayden played 103 test matches and scored 8,625 runs at an average of 50.73. He scored 30 hundreds and 29 half centuries in test cricket. in ODI, Hayden scored 6,133 runs in 161 matches at an average of 43.80. He scored 10 centuries and 36 half centuries.

Hayden took the decision of retirement after being ignored for the ODI and T20 matches against South Africa. In his last 10 test innings, Hayden managed to score just one fifty.

Andrew Strauss appointed as England's Skipper

2009-01-09T14:28:00.003+05:30

After the resignation of Kevin Pietersen following his rift with coach Peter Moores (who also resigned), Andrew Statuss has been appointed as the skipper of England cricket team. Strauss, currently playing for Middlesex, has already played 55 test match and has scored at an average of more than 42.

The 31-year-old Andrew Staruss, who is considered as a dependable opener, will lead the England team on their forthcoming tour of the West Indies. The ECB is yet to find a replacement for Peter Moores.

England Cricket in Crisis, Pietersen and Moores resign

2009-01-07T18:05:00.002+05:30

The power tussle between England skipper Kevin Pietersen and coach Moores, has taken an ugly turn, as both captain and coach resigned from their posts today. While Pietersen resigned, saying ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) did not act quickly enough over the affair, Moores refused to comment over the issue. The ECB may come up with a formal statement over this issue later today.

Australia win Sydney Test, retains No.1 Slot in ICC Test Rankings

2009-01-07T17:13:00.005+05:30

A fighting Australia won the third and final test match at Sydney, to salvage some pride after the series loss against South Africa on its soil for the first time. Australia won the match by 103 runs, but South Africa won the series 2-1. With this win, Australia managed to retain the No. 1 slot for the time being.

The South African team fought hard, but fell short in the absence of "Man of the Series", Graeme Smith, who suffered a fracture in the first innings. The braveheart Smith did return to the field with bandage, but did not last long. Chasing a victory target of 375, South Africa bowled out for 272. Amla scored 58, while De Villers made 56. Siddle took 3 wickets for Australia.

Scores: Australia 445 & 257/4 and South Africa 327 & 272

Security at Dhoni's House beefed up after two Extortion Letters

2008-12-31T19:21:00.003+05:30

Breaking News! Security has been beefed up at Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's house, after his family received two threatening letters, which demanded a ransom of Rs. 50 lakh (Rs. 5 million). The letter threatened to blow up his house if the extortion money is not paid.

The threatening letter was signed by gangster Taslim, who claimed to be a close associate of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Dhoni was provided Z category security after these threat letters. According to Ranchi Police, Taslim has a criminal background, but his whereabouts are not known. The police is investigating the matter.

Mohali Test ends in a Draw, India win Test Series 1-0

2008-12-23T19:23:00.003+05:30

Breaking News! The second test match between India and England, ended in a draw. With this, India won the test series 1-0 and became the No. 2 team in ICC test rankings. Chasing a victory target of 403, England finished at 64/1, when both captains agreed to end the play. Strauss and Bell remained unbeaten on 21 and 24 respectively.

Gautam Gambhir, who made 179 and 97 in both innings, was declared "Man of the Match". Zaheer Khan was declared "Man of the Series". England team showed extraordinary courage and strength to return to India after Mumbai terror attacks and play a sporting series. It was a victory for the wonderful game of cricket.

India declare at 251/7, England need 403 to win Mohali Test

2008-12-23T14:20:00.002+05:30

The Mohali Test is heading for a tame draw, as India delayed the declaration after a delayed start due to fog. India declared their second innings on 251/7. Gautam Gambhir, who made 179 in the first innings, fell short of another century in the second innings by just 3 runs. He made 97.

Yuvraj Singh made an explosive 86 off 93 balls with 6 boundaries and 4 sixes. Yuvraj was ran out by Ian Bell. Yuvraj and Gambhir added 150 runs for the sixth wicket. England now need 403 to win the match with little time left to declare the match as a draw. England were 31/1 when reports last came in.

Mohali Test heading towards Draw, India end Day 4 at 134/4

2008-12-22T18:27:00.003+05:30

Bad light, bad weather and heavy fog - these factors played spoilsport in the second test match between India and England at Mohali. It seems like Mohali test will be ended in a tame draw, unless Dhoni makes a bold declaration and England try to chase it down. At the end of Day 4, India were 134/4 - a lead of 285 runs with 6 wickets in hand.

The final day of the test may witness some good cricket, if weather god helps. Otherwise, there won't be any results in the match and India will win the series 1-0. At stumps, Gambhir was batting on 44, while Yuvraj was batting on 39.

Unlike other Indian batsmen, who just played to save their wickets (but could not), Yuvraj was attacking and aggressive. He hit 39 off just 40 balls with 5 boundaries and one six. Sehwag and Laxman were ran out by English fielders, while Anderson and Broad shared 1 wicket each.

England bowled out for 302 in first innings, India make a shaky start

2008-12-22T13:41:00.002+05:30

England team was bowled out for just 302 runs in their first innings of Mohali Test. Resuming from the overnight score of 282/6, England added just 20 runs to their total. The tailenders failed to show any resistance. India got a lead of 151-run first innings lead. The start of 4th day's play was delayed due to heavy fog.

For India, Harbhajan Singh claimed 4 wickets, while Zaheer finished with 3 wickets. Amit Mishra took 2 wickets. India began their second innings on a shaky note. Virender Sewhag, who scored 17 off 17 balls with 2 boundaries was run out by Ian Bell. Rahul, Dravid, who silenced his critics with a fine century in the first innings, fell for a duck. India were 36/2 with Gambhir on 18.

Pietersen hits Century, England end at 282/6 on Day 3

2008-12-22T00:38:00.002+05:30

Two late strikes by Indian spinners in the last 10 minutes on Day 3, changed the course of Mohali Test. In reply to India's first innings total of 453, England finished at 282/6 at stumps on Day 3. Pietersen scored a magnificent century and was out for 144. Flintoff scored 62, while Cook contributed 50.

Pietersen and Flintoff added 149 runs for the fifth wicket, but could not hold themselves in the dying moments of Day 3. India will now want to claim the remaining wickets as soon as possible and then put pressure on England by scoring a faster pace in the second innings. For India, Zaheer Khan and Amit Mishra took 2 wickets each. Ishant and Harbhajan shared 1 wicket each.

South Africa chase down 414 to win Perth Test against Australia

2008-12-21T12:17:00.002+05:30

Breaking News! South African skipper Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers helped South Africa register a historic win over Australia at Perth, the ground where India had humbled Australia earlier this year. South Africa chased down 414 to win the test match - the second highest run chase in the test history. Earlier, West Indies had chased down 418 to win a test match against Australia.

South African successfully chased 414, by losing just 4 wickets and won the test by 6 wickets. Smith scored 108, while Villiers remained unbeaten on 106. Amla and Kallis contributed 53 and 57 respectively. Duminy remained unbeaten on 50.

Final Score:

Australia - 375 and 319
South Africa - 281 and 414/4

Mohali Test: England 57/2 at Lunch

2008-12-21T11:39:00.002+05:30

Breaking News! Heavy fog delayed the third day's play in Mohali Test. When play began, England had just 12 over to bat before the lunch. England lost two quick wickets and were 1/2 at one stage. However, Kevin Pietersen and A Cook led the England fight back and prevented further damage. Pietersen was batting on 28, while Cook was on 25. England were 57/2 at lunch.

Last test's hero Andrew Strauss lasted for only three balls and became the victim of Zaheer Khan without opening his account. Ian Bell's stump was uprooted by pacer Ishant Sharma. India had scored 453 in the first innings.

Dhoni Temple to come up in Ranchi

2008-12-21T00:00:00.003+05:30

Cricket fans in India hail Mahendra Singh Dhoni as a hero and certainly he deserves this. But, is it worth worshipping a professional sportsperson as a "GOD" and build temples for him? Isn't it ridiculous? By indulging in such sycophancy, we not only damage our culture, but also bring a bad name to the game of cricket and the nation.

What's more shocking is that "We the Dhoni Fans" Club people are raising funds to build a temple on Dhoni's name. They are in the process of building a huge temple in Ranchi for "Dhoni God" and place an idol inside the temple. What an irony! Have we gone mad to do or allow such acts during the time of economic slowdown?

The so-called fans want Dhoni to inaugurate this temple. Will Dhoni approve it? I doubt, given Dhoni's track record as a mature cricketer. He will definitely disapprove this and urge his fans to spend that valuable money in some charity work or donate to the victims of Mumbai terror attacks. The fans should not make a mockery of cricket, Dhoni and above all the state of Jharkhand.

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India bowled out for 453 in first innings of Mohali Test

2008-12-20T17:10:00.002+05:30

Breaking News! India bowled out for 453 in the first innings of Mohali Test. Gambhir was the top scorer with 179, while Dravid scored 136. Yuvraj and Dhoni made 27 and 29 respectively. Harbhajan and Amit Mishra contributed 24 and 23 respectively. For England, Swann and Flintoff took 3 wickets each, while Panesar took 2 wickets.

Mohali Test: Swann strikes after Gambhir, Dravid spalsh

2008-12-20T13:29:00.002+05:30

Breaking News! India slumped to 345/5 from 320/1, thanks to a late strike by Graeme Swann. Swann removed Gambhir, Dravid and Tendulkr in the span of a few overs to destroy Indian hope of putting up something in excess of 500 on this slow and turning wicket. Gambhir was the top scorer with 179, while Dravid made 136 - his 26th test century. Gambhir and Dravid added 314 runs for the second wicket.

Tendulkar scored just 11. VVS Laxman was the biggest disappointment, as he failed to open his account even after facing 24 balls. Flintoff took Laxman's wicket. For England, Swann has taken 3 wickets, while Broad and Flintoff have shared one wicket each.

Mohali Test: Gambhir hits Century, Dravid strikes Form...Finally

2008-12-19T17:20:00.002+05:30

Breaking News! Bad light stopped play on Day 1 in the second test match between India and England at Mohali. India were sitting pretty at 179/1 at stumps. Gautam Gambhir yet again produced superb form and scored a century.

Gambhir is batting on 106. Rahul Dravid, who was under fire for his poor performance, struck form and is batting on 65. Play was possible only for 72 overs in the day. Broad was the lone wicket taker for England.

Mohali Test: India win Toss, elect to bat first

2008-12-19T10:17:00.002+05:30

Breaking News! India won the toss and elected to bat in the second test match in Mohali. The hosts got the first shocker this morning, as Virender Sehwag was dismissed for a duck by Stuart Broad, who did not play in the first test.

India were 10/1 in 5 overs when reports last came in. Gambhir and Dravid were at the crease. England replaced Harmsion with Stuart Broad, while India made no changes to the playing XI.

Govt. says NO, India won't tour Pakistan

2008-12-18T21:03:00.003+05:30

It's official now! The Union Government has directed the BCCI not to travel Pakistan due to the deteriorating relations between both countries after the Mumbai terror attacks. India was scheduled to play 3 test matches, 5 ODIs and a T20 match during the Pakistan tour. The tour was slated to begin in January 2009. Pakistan may look up to Sri Lanka to compensate for its loss.

BCCI Grade Contract: Dravid retained in Grade A, Badrinath in Grade B

2008-12-16T19:30:00.004+05:30

Breaking News! The BCCI announced the annual grade contract for its players. VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag have been elevated to Grade A, while Dravid was retained in Grade A despite his poor form. Ishant Sharma and Rohit Sharma moved to Grade B. But, S Badrinath's elevation to Grade B without any significant performance, raised an eyebrow.

In total, 37 players have been classified into Grades - A, B, C and D. Here's the complete list of players who received respective grades:

Grade A (Rs. 60 lakh per annum) - Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, Zaheer Khan, VVS Laxman, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh.

Grade B (Rs. 4o lakh per annum) - RP Singh, Munaf Patel, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Ishant Sharma, S Badrinath and Irfan Pathan.

Grade C (Rs 25 lakh per annum) - Piyush Chawla, Wasim Jaffer, Yusuf Pathan, Praveen Kumar, Pragyan Ojha, Amit Mishra and S Sreesanth.

Grade D (Rs 15 lakh per annum) - Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Parthiv Patel, Manpreet Gony, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Ashok Dinda, Wriddhiman Saha, Chetanya Nanda, Murali Vijay, R Ashwin, Shikhar Dhiwan and Sudeep Tyagi.

BCCI announces Rs. 3 crore reward for Mumbai Heroes

2008-12-16T11:05:00.002+05:30

The BCCI has announced a cash reward of Rs. 2 crore for the families of martyr security personnel including the police, NSG, RPF, Naval commandos and Firemen who lost their lives while fighting the terrorists in Mumbai. The BCCI also announced Rs. 1 crore for the security personnel including policemen, NSG and firemen who sustained injuries during the operation.

Sachin hits Century, as India win Chennai Test by 6 Wickets

2008-12-15T16:05:00.004+05:30

Breaking News! India made history in Chennai, by chasing the highest-ever total in a test match on Indian soil. India successfully chased 387 runs to win the Chennai test and take a 1-0 lead in the two-test match series.

Earlier, no team had ever chased more than 300 runs in India to win a test match. Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar led from the front on Day 5, as he completed his 41st century in test cricket. Sachin remained unbeaten on 103.

Yuvraj Singh played a memorable innings and remained unbeaten on 85. Gambhir also contributed 66. India's historic run chase was set by Virender Sehwag, who massacred the England bowlers yesterday by scoring 83 off 68 balls. For England, Swann took 2 wickets, while Anderson and Flintoff took one wicket each.

The winning run came from Sachin's bat, as he hit a boundary off Swann to signal India's most famous test victory after 1975-76, when India chased 403 runs to win against West Indies in Port of Spain. India made 387/4 in 98.3 overs. This is the fourth highest run chase in the history of test cricket. Virender Sehwag was declared "Man of the Match" for his explosive century.

After hitting his 41st test century, Sachin saluted the brave hearts of Mumbai terror attacks and said "This 100 is for Mumbai". "This is a special victory for us and certainly one among my best innings", said Sachin Tendulkar.

Chennai Test: Sachin, Laxman keep India in Hunt

2008-12-15T11:32:00.006+05:30

Breaking News! The first test match between India and England has reached an interesting stage and the match could go either way. Chasing a victory target of 387, India resumed at 133/1, but lost Dravid early. Dravid, whose days are numbered in the Indian team, failed yet again and scored just 4. He had scored 3 runs in the first innings.

Gautam Gambhir batted sensibly and completed his half century, but fell at 66. Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman are spearheading the Indian run chase with some sensible and classy batting. Sachin and Laxman are unbeaten at 27 anf 20 respectively.

India went to lunch on 213/3. The team still needs 174 more to win the match. If India win Chennai test, it will be recorded as the highest-ever run chase to win the test by any team on Indian soil.

Sehwag fires, as India smell Victory in Chennai Test

2008-12-14T17:00:00.003+05:30

The fifth and final day of the first test match between India and England in Chennai, will witness a high-profile cricket, as both teams are aiming for an outright win. Chasing a victory target of 387, India began the proceedings on an explosive note, with Sehwag leading the way. Sehwag and Gambhir added 117 runs for the first wicket. Sehwag made 83 off 68 balls with 11 boundaries and 4 sixes.

At stumps, India reached 131/1, with Gambhir batting on 41 and Dravid batting on 2. Indian will need 256 more runs to win the test with 9 wickets in hand. The wicket is playing good except for some turns and bounces.

If Indian batsmen handle the England bowling attack with some sort of caution, then there is no reason why India can't win this match. The onus is now on Indian batsmen - Gambhir, Dravid, Tendulkar, Laxman, Yuvraj and Dhoni. Sehwag has done his job, by putting India on the track to victory.

India need 387 to win Chennai Test, Sehwag sets Chennai on Fire

2008-12-14T15:35:00.000+05:30

Breaking News! Nost spinners, but pacers Zaheer Khan and Ishant Sharma brought India back into game in the Chennai test. Andrew Staruss and Paul Collingwood added 214 runs for the 5th wicket, but other batsmen failed to make any impact.

Both Strauss and Collingwood scored 108 each. Matthew Prior made 33. For India, Zaheer and Ishant took 3 wickets each, while Amit Mishra, Yuvraj and Harbhajan shared 1 wicket each. England declared their second innings on 311/9.

Chasing a victory target of 387, Virender Sehwag started the Indian innings on an explosive note, but hitting boundaries and sixes from the very beginning. India were 80/0 in 12 overs, when reports last came in. Sehwag was batting on 61, while Gambhir was on 17. Sehwag has already hit 9 boundaries and 3 sixes.