Kumar Sangakkara Ignores Sachin Tendulkar in His All Time XI

Sri Lanka's batting legend and former captain Kumar Sangakkara doesn't think Sachin Tendulkar is good enough to fit into his All Time XI in which he included four Australians and three players from Sri Lanka.
In a video published on social media by the Lord's Cricket Ground, Sangakkara picked his countryman and former batsman Aravinda De Silva as the captain and selected Mathew Hayden and Rahul Dravid as the opening batsmen.
Legends Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting and top allrounder Jacques Kallis complete the batting line-up, followed by the legendary Adam Gilchrist. Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan are the two specialist spinners in the squad.

 

The fast-bowling department is led by Wasim Akram and Chaminda Vaas, who Sangakkara picked over Glenn McGrath.

The XI:
Mathew Hayden
Rahul Dravid
Brian Lara
Ricky Ponting
Aravinda De Silva (c)
Jacques Kallis
Adam Gilchrist (wk)
Shane Warne
Muttiah Muralitharan
Wasim Akram
Chaminda Vaas

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Is the India vs New Zealand Day-Night Test Cancelled?

The proposed first ever day-night Test in India during New Zealand's tour seems to have been postponed, according to the fixtures published on BCCI's official website.

The Indian board on Tuesday announced fixtures and venues for the tour that includes three Tests and five ODIs, beginning with the first Test on September 22.

It had been earlier announced that one of the three Tests of the series will be a day-night affair, but the start time of all three Tests on the board's website shows a day-time start at 9:30 a.m.

The anticipation around the possibility of a day-night Test had built up after Eden Gardens tested the pink-ball cricket in a domestic match between Mohun Bagan and Bhowanipore clubs.











"We have decided that we will play one day-night Test match with pink ball against New Zealand later this year," BCCI president Anurag Thakur had said earlier during his reign as the board's secretary.

"Before that, Duleep Trophy will act as a dress rehearsal for the day-night Test match," he had said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

But now it remains to be known if some talks transpired between the two boards that led to dropping the idea of playing a day-night Test.

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Schedule for New Zealand tour of India announced

BCCI and NZC announce venues for the New Zealand tour of India – 2016

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced the schedule for the upcoming New Zealand’s tour to India in the month of September-October, 2016. Please click here for the entire schedule.

 





#TeamIndia will begin the home season at one of the oldest venues in the country - KANPUR vs. @BLACKCAPS #IndvNZ 1st Test starts Sept 22

The land of great Syed Mushtaq Ali will host its 1st ever Test Match. Indore is waiting 4 the moment. #IndvNZ 2nd Test Match starts Sept 30










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Return to England will be tough, but Mohammad Amir can handle it: Azhar Ali

Pakistan paceman Mohammad Amir, who spent time in jail and served a five-year ban for spot-fixing, will be able to handle the pressure of returning to England if he is granted a visa for their upcoming tour, said team mate Azhar Ali.
Amir was considered one of the most exciting fast bowlers in the world before a 2010 spot-fixing scandal that resulted in bans and jail sentences for him, former Test captain Salman Butt and fast bowler Mohammad Asif.
The trio were cleared to return to the sport by the International Cricket Council (ICC) last September after serving suspensions.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has requested a visa for Amir, who has already toured New Zealand for a limited over series, played in the Asia Cup in Bangladesh and featured in the World Twenty20 in India since serving his ban.

Azhar had offered his resignation as one-day captain when Amir was brought back into the Pakistan fold but is now keen to move on and says the team will support the 24-year-old quick if he needs it in England.
"(What happened in) 2010 is in the past and now we need to look forward," Azhar told reporters on Tuesday.
"It has been a while now since he has been with us. It could have been tough, had he come in straight on such a tour, but now, after playing with us for a long time, things have settled.
"Even he isn't under pressure because he has already made his comeback a few months ago and the toughest phase is over for him," Azhar said.
"I know England was the place where the incident happened but hopefully he can handle the pressure like he did on his comeback. But still if anything happens, we, as a team, will handle it."
Pakistan will play four tests, five One-Day Internationals (ODI) and a Twenty20 International (T20I) in England between 14 July and 7 September.

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Mary Kom's 2016 Rio Olympics Dreams All But Over, Sarita Devi Also Fails

Mary Kom lost to Germany's Azize Nimani in the second round of World Championships (51 kg), to dent her chances to qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics. She has only a hypothetical chance of qualifying. Sarita Devi also lost in the Rd 2 and failed to qualify

Astana, Kazakhstan: MC Mary Kom and Asian Games bronze-medallist L Sarita Devi failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics after they went down in their respective second round bouts of the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships here on Saturday.
Mary Kom (51kg), who was a bronze-medallist at the 2012 London Olympics, lost 0-2 to Germany's Azize Nimani, while Sarita (60kg) was beaten 0-3 by Victoria Torres in the second round of an event from where only the semifinalists in the three Olympic categories would make the cut for the upcoming Rio Games.

Mary Kom has a hypothetical chance of making it to Rio depending on the medallists in her category but that possibility is way too far-fetched and complex at this point.
If China's Ren Cancan and Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-ting, gold and bronze medallists respectively at the Asia & Oceania Boxing Olympics Qualification Tournament, finish with a medal at the World Championships.
"Right now she (Mary) has not qualified. The only possibility for her to qualify is if No. 1 (Ren Cancan) and No. 3 (Lin Yu-ting) from the Asia/Oceania Olympics tournament finish with a medal in Astana," says Nicolas Jomard, AIBA Senior Manager Corporate & Media Relations, AIBA.
Pooja Rani only hope for India

The only Olympic hope left for India in the event is Pooja Rani (75kg), who is in the prequarterfinals after winning her opening bout.
"I gave my best effort after a lot of sacrifices. Winning and losing is a part of game. The decision hurts me but it is not in my hand. I just have to respect the judges decision with true sportsmanship," Mary Kom said.
"I believe God has a different plan for me. I want to thank all my fans and my support team for not letting me down in this crucial moment. I wish our remaining Indian boxers all the best and I hope they make our country proud," she added.
Nimani will next be up against top seed Davide Marzia of Italy who got the better of Hungary's Katalin Ancsin.
In an exciting contest, Mary Kom took off aggressively but Nimani managed to keep her at bay by fighting from a distance.
In fact, Nimani hardly attempted any attack on the Indian in the opening two minutes but managed to connect a few counter-jabs to take the initial edge.
Mary Kom continued to be aggressive in the second round as well, connected much better but failed to get the judges' nod, who again ruled in favour of Nimani on a split decision.
Nimani defensively strong
Gaining in confidence, Nimani stuck to her gameplan and forced Mary Kom to let her guard down.
The diminutive Manipuri threw herself aggressively at the German, whose punching was far from clean. Nimani's defensive tactics frustrated Mary Kom, who tried hard to engage the back-paddling German.
However, the determined attack failed to yield the desired results for Mary Kom as Nimani was declared winner on a split vote.
Sarita fails to maintain momentum
In the evening session, Sarita started off confidently against Torres but the Mexican's persistence helped her clinch the bout.
Both the boxers went all out from the word go and nearly exhausted each other by the third round.
Sarita was ahead in the opening two rounds on split decisions but Torres roared back in the next two to oust the veteran Indian, who was eyeing her maiden Olympic berth.
The tournament is the final qualifying event for women boxers in the three Olympic categories of 51kg, 60kg, and 75kg and has 12 Rio tickets on offer.


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Tri-Series in West Indies: Australia may play 3 spinners

Australia's variety of spin attack keeps ahead in the race, as they boast of spin trio in Adam Zampa, Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell.

We might see Australia feature three spinners in the upcoming tri-series in the Caribbean. Given the wickets will be on the slower side, all three teams will bank on their finger as well as wrist spinners to provide the impetus. Australia’s variety of spin attack keeps ahead in the race, as they boast of spin trio in Adam Zampa, Nathan Lyon and Glenn Maxwell. While Lyon has been Australia’s Test specialist, Zampa rose to prominence in the recently concluded Indian Premier League (2016), which also includes impressive figures of 6 for 19. However, we have witnessed Maxwell’s ability to win matches with the ball as well. Read: Nathan Lyon to train under Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka

The match will be played at Guyana’s Providence stadium. Given the spin bowlers were awarded Player of the Match in the last two ODIs played here, playing all three spinners will brighten Australia’s chances. Pakistan’s star cricketer Shahid Afridi scalped 7 wickets and conceded only 12 runs against the West Indies in July 2016 before West Indies’ Sunil Narine claimed 4 for 26 few days later. Moreover, Saeed Ajmal bagged 11 wickets in a Test match at this venue more than five years ago.

“If you look at the stats here – I played here a few times before; (playing Zampa and Lyon in the same XI) might be an option in Guyana. I think with South Africa’s left-handers, and the West Indies have got a few as well, Nathan Lyon might come into it. Whether you can play both, time will tell. Nathan has come back and he’s desperately keen to do well in One-day cricket after having such an impact in Test cricket. Zampa bowls leg-spin, and Glenn Maxwell does a good job bowling off-spin as well. We need to get the balance of the team right, but we’ve got plenty of options which is good,” Justic Langer told cricket.com.au. Read: Maxwell distracted over Test berth ahead of IPL 2016

Australia have some lethal pacers in Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Scott Boland. Hence, it will be a tough task to pick the right XI. “I hate the word ‘rotation’ but we have to manage it really well. We have Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood coming back after not much cricket. Mitchell Marsh has been out for a little bit. Maxwell has been out for a while (with side injuries) and Steve Smith has had a sore wrist. And it’s the start of a long campaign as well, so we’ll have the best XI we can out on the park every time,” Langer concluded.


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League system for Tests could be in place by 2019 - ICC's Dave Richardson

A league system for Test cricket could be in place by 2019, according to International Cricket Council chief executive Dave Richardson.

The one-sided nature of England's current series against Sri

Lanka led former captain Michael Vaughan to call for a promotion and relegation system.

"Hopefully we can make a decision by the end of the year over what structure to implement," said Richardson.

Currently, the only global competition for Test cricket is the ICC rankings.

The rankings are based on bilateral series arranged between individuals countries, with Test series varying in length and frequency.

"If you want to create a real champion Test team, you need a competition that provides the same number of opportunities," Richardson told BBC Sport.

"That means the same number of fixtures, home and away, so that at the end of a league period you can crown a champion team.

"Realistically, with tours and broadcast agreements in place, we're perhaps looking at 2019 for it to begin."

Speaking after England trounced Sri Lanka by an innings in the first Test at Headingley, former captain Vaughan suggested a system that would see teams split into three leagues of four.

"Test cricket over five days, historically being played in series, lends itself to a league running over at least two years as opposed to a one-off competition where everyone comes to one country," said Richardson, a former Test wicketkeeper with South Africa.

"It will be quite difficult. Everyone wants to play Test cricket so we need to find a structure that caters to that. That could mean two groups or two divisions."

Richardson, speaking at the launch of the 2017 Champions Trophy at The Oval, confirmed that the ICC is looking at the possibility of adding a World Twenty20 competition to the calendar in 2018.

West Indies won the World Twenty20 in India in April, but the next scheduled edition of a tournament that has usually been played every two years since its inception in 2007 is currently scheduled for 2020.

"There have been discussions with broadcast partners," said Richardson. "It's too early to say if that will come to fruition.

"Following the success of this year's tournament and the opportunity the World T20 provides to associate member countries, it's something we're keen to look at."

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India A to play quadrangular one-day series in Australia

At the start of May, Australia had announced that their A side and National Performance Squad would play a quadrangular one-day series against South Africa A and another international team. Cricket Australia has now confirmed that the fourth team would be India A. Townsville will host the first six matches of the series; the remaining six and the two finals will be played in Mackay.

One-day quadrangular schedule
August 13 South Africa A v NPS

August 14 Australia A v India A

August 16 Australia A v NPS

August 17 South Africa A v India A

August 20 Australia A v South Africa A

August 21 India A v NPS

August 24 NPS v Australia A

August 25 South Africa A v India A

August 27 NPS v India A

August 28 Australia A v South Africa A

August 30 Australia A v India A

August 31 South Africa A v NPS

September 3 Final 3 v 4

September 4 Final 1 v 2

India A are also set to play two four-day matches against the hosts in Brisbane in September. Australia A and South Africa A play a couple of four-day matches as well in July-August.

"This is an important series for developing and growing the depth of talent in our pathways," Australia's team performance manager Pat Howard said. "Players in the Australia A and National Performance Squad have been identified as having the potential to play for their country and the national selectors will be watching this series with interest."

Pat Cummins is expected to make a comeback to competitive cricket after injury, during the limited-overs leg, while several emerging batsmen like Matt Renshaw, Sam Heazlett, Alex Ross, Travis Dean, Kurtis Patterson and Jake Lehmann, the son of national coach Darren Lehmann, have also been called up to the 24-man squad.

The A sides from Australia and South Africa A had been in India to play two unofficial Tests each and a 50-over triangular series in July-August 2015. Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns produced standout performances on that tour and have since had success in international cricket as well.

Australia A won one of the four-day matches while the other was drawn. They made the final of the one-day tri-series but lost to India A. The South African side was unable to win any of their six matches on the tour. Several of their squad members had been affected by food poisoning, which had contributed to the slump.

Four-day matches schedule
July 30 to August 2: Australia A v South Africa A, Brisbane
August 6 to 9: Australia A v South Africa A, Townsville
September 8 to 11: Australia A v India A, Brisbane
September 15 to 18: Australia A v India A, Brisbane


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Jason Gillespie not interested in joining Australia's coaching staff

Former Australia bowler Jason Gillespie has dismissed mounting reports linking him to the role of full-time fast bowling coach in the national team.

Former Australia bowler Jason Gillespie has dismissed mounting reports linking him to the role of full-time fast bowling coach in the national team, insisting that he was happy with his stint at English county club Yorkshire. While claiming that he was not offered any job by Cricket Australia, Gillespie said he had informed Darren Lehmann, the head coach of the national team, that he will not be applying for the role, Sport24 reported. Earlier, reports began to emerge that discussions about bringing the former pacer in the national team have been going at an ‘advanced level’. Read: Glenn Maxwell confident attaining fitness ahead of tri-series in West Indies

Australia, the top-ranked Test side, have been without a full-time bowling coach since the departure of Craig McDermott following the conclusion of the World Twenty20 last month. Gillespie, who has taken 259 wickets in his 71 Tests for Australia, is currently coaching Yorkshire and is hoping to guide his side to a third consecutive county championship.

Gillespie, who held a meeting with Lehmann this week, said he had informed his ex-teammate that he was not prepared to stay away from his family at this moment and also ruled out applying for any international cricket roles. Read - Mitchell Marsh: IPL a great tournament; country will always come first

Last month, Lehmann had suggested that Gillespie would certainly be at the forefront with other bowling coaches for the vacant position. Currently, South African fast bowling legend Allan Donald occupies the post on an interim basis until the end of Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka. The team will be captained by star batsman Steven Smith. Moreover, all eyes will be on Mitchell Starc, who last played international cricket in November 2015.

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CAB's controversial curator Prabir Mukherjee passes away at 86

Prabir Mukherjee, who was involved with CAB for close to 25 years, was suffering from a liver condition and other age-related problems for some time.

Former chief curator of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), Prabir Mukherjee passed away at the age of 86. Mukherjee, who passed away on Tuesday night, was suffering from a liver condition and other age-related problems for some time. He remained in charge of the pitches and the ground at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata for nearly 25 years. Displeased with the way he was treated by CAB on many occasions, Mukherjee’s last wish was not to take his body to the CAB premises for people to pay their last respect, as it was been a tradition in Kolkata’s cricket community for distinguished personalities. Mukherjee had joined CAB after retiring as an accounts officer with the South Eastern Railway. Read: Eden Gardens to have new drinking water vendor from IPL 2017

According to Wisden, a family member informed that the veteran curator was not happy with the way he was treated by CAB. In October, the washed out T20 match between India and South Africa saw CAB bosses laying the blame on Mukherjee.

Mukherjee was caught in a controversy during the India versus England Test in 2012, which the hosts lost by 7 wickets. The curator went against Indian captain MS Dhoni’s demand of a spin-friendly wicket. Mukherjee went against the protocol; spoke at length with the local and national media following which he left for a sick leave in protest. He returned soon, and prepared a track that had some grass and bounce on the opening day. Read - Eden Gardens controversy: Prabir Mukherjee unfazed by N Srinivasan’s comments

He was involved in cricket since 1952, after his days as a football goalkeeper as well as a fast bowler ended in a road accident. He was introduced to pitch-making by former head coach of CAB, Karthik Bose. Mukherjee remained a part of CAB and the manager of Bengal as well as East Zone teams in 1979.
Mukherjee was in charge of the 1987 World Cup final as well as the infamous 1996 World Cup semi-final between India and Sri Lanka.

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Sri Lankan allrounder Nuwan Kulasekara retires from Tests, to focus on ODIs, T20s

Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara Quits Tests to Focus on ODIs, T20s

Sri Lankan pace bowler Nuwan Kulasekara quit test cricket on Wednesday in order to focus his attention on the sport's shorter formats, in which he is considered a greater threat with the ball.
"I would like to retire from playing test cricket with immediate effect," the 33-year-old said in a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

"After much thought, I believe it is the right time to retire and I hope it will allow me to better prepare for ODI and T20 cricket, which I would like to continue playing for Sri Lanka subject to good performance and selection."
Despite lacking express pace, Kulasekara made the most of his ability to swing the new ball to claim 48 test wickets since his 2005 debut against New Zealand in Napier.
Kulasekara played the last of his 21 tests against England at Lord's two years ago but has been a standout performer in one-dayers, with 186 wickets from 173 matches, and was ranked the top ODI bowler in March 2009.

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Chris Gayle Burns the Dance Floor Despite RCB's Loss in IPL Final

Chris Gayle was disappointment but not overly so about Royal Challengers Bangalore losing the IPL-9 final and decided to hit the dance floor after the match.

Despite his 38-ball 76, Bangalore fell short by eight runs in the final which they lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 29.
At a night club, Gayle showed his moves on a Michael Jackson track. The Jamaican posted the video on his Instagram handle.

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Boxing federation said that they would try for a wildcard entry for Mary Kom who did not qualify for the Rio Olympics 2016

Boxing Federation announced on Wednesday that they will try to get a wildcard entry for Mary Kom to enter into Rio Olympics 2016.
According to a report on NDTV, the ad hoc body would write to the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) as a last attempt to get the Manipuri boxer a wildcard entry into the Summer Olympics.

Mary Kom surprised everyone by losing in the second round of the AIBA Women's World Boxing Championships on Saturday, May 21, being held at Astana (Kazakhstan). She lost to Azize Nimani from Germany by 0-2. Only semi-finalists of the championship qualify to participate in the Rio Olympics.

But five times world champion still has a chance. If a player does not qualify for the Olympics, then the right to assign a wildcard entry or tripartite invitation is still reserved but the decision is rare and is only taken after all the qualifying rounds are complete.
Mary Kom was the first Indian woman to get an Olympic medal in 2012 London Games.


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