Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Player Profile(#24)...Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka)

Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas, (born 27 January 1974 in Mattumagala), usually known as Chaminda Vaas, is a Sri Lankan cricketer who is regarded as being the best fast bowler to come out of the country. According to Bill Frindall, scorer and statistician for BBC Radio's Test Match Special, Chaminda is actually his penultimate given name, therefore his initials should read WPUJC. In 2004 he gained recognition for his talent when he was selected for the World Test and one-day XI at the inaugural ICC Awards. He was once again selected for the World Test XI at the 2005 awards.

He is a left arm swing bowler. Vaas opens the bowling for Sri Lanka and is noted for his indipper. Also among his arsenal is an off cutter which is well disguised. Although his pace has dropped over the years, he has masterful control of line and length.

A past student of the prestigious St. Joseph's College in Colombo, he made his debut for the Sri Lankan cricket team in 1994. He made an impact in his first year of international cricket as he helped Sri Lanka to their maiden Test Match victory away from home, against New Zealand at Napier. Vaas took 5-47 in the first innings and 5-43 in the second.

In 2001-02 he took 26 wickets in a series win against the West Indies. This included a match haul of 14 wickets, a feat only achieved by two fast bowlers in the subcontinent, the other being Imran Khan. He was recently selected for the Afro Asia cup but dropped out due to county commitments.

On 26th June 2007 he made his maiden test century, playing against Bangladesh he hit 100 not out in a total of 577-6 declared in Colombo.

Chaminda Vaas is Sri Lanka's most successful fast bowler ever, having taken over 300 Test wickets. He has been the head of the Sri Lankan bowling attack for many years. He achieved his 300th wicket on December 12, 2005) against India, becoming just the second Sri Lankan bowler to do so, after Muttiah Muralitharan. He has also taken over 350 One Day International wickets, again only one of two Sri Lankans to do so. As of the 30th of March 2007 only 3 bowlers have taken more ODI wickets. His tally includes two hat tricks, the first against Zimbabwe which came in the middle of a devastating spell of 8 for 19, the best bowling figures in one-day internationals, Zimbabwe were dismissed for 38 which was the lowest score in one day internationals. The other hattrick came in the 2003 World Cup against Bangladesh and was achieved with the first three balls of the game.This had never before been seen in One Day International cricket.

Vaas is also a useful batsman down the order, and has reached 2500 Test runs, including 12 Test half-centuries and a century. Only 10 bowlers in Test history to have taken 200 wickets have scored more runs than Vaas.

As a fieldsman, he is noted for his strong arm.

See also:

Cricinfo Profile on Chaminda Vaas
Cricketarchive Profile on Chaminda Vaas



*Acknowledgements to Wikipedia.com, Cricinfo.com and owners of pictures and videos used.



Saturday, May 17, 2008

The Greatest One-Day International Game Ever!

Heres a video clip of what has been called the greatest One-Day International cricket fans have witnesses. It was the first ODI in history where the holy grail of 400 runs in an innings was surpassed (initially by Australia- vs South Africa), they scored a massive 434 runs but were in for a suprise when South Africa came to the party and knocked off those runs and ended up getting 439 for 9. The game also holds the record of the highest match aggregate in a ODI (873 runs). Of course there is much to be said about this awesome display of power hitting but it is better to watch the game than read about it:) --->>





In the International Spotlight...Pakistan Cricket

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The Pakistan National Cricket Team is an international cricket team representing Pakistan. It is administrated by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Pakistan is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status.

Before the independence of Pakistan, cricket was played well before the first Pakistan national team was granted test match playing status. Documentation and archives show that during the 18th century, cricket was played on the western side of India and many successful Indian cricketers played for the English cricket team. It was not until July 28, 1952 that Pakistan started playing test match cricket. Their first match took place in Delhi against India on October of the same year. Their first international tour was to England during 1954. Over the half century, Pakistan has become one of the most challenging and unpredictable teams in the world, the team won the 1992 World Cup and were runners up in the 1999 World Cup. The country has produced several world-class players such as Fazal Mahmood, Hanif Mohammad, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Mushtaq Mohammad, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Akhtar.

As of October 2007, the Pakistani team has played 332 Test matches, winning 31.02%, losing 26.50% and drawing 42.46% of its games. The team is ranked sixth in the ICC Test Championship and fifth place in the ICC ODI Championship. On 28 August 2006, Pakistan won its debut Twenty20 International match in England and were runners up in the inaugral ICC World Twenty20 in September 2007.

History:

Following the Partition of India in 1947, and the establishment of the separate nation state of Pakistan, cricket in the country developed steadily and Pakistan was given Test Match status at a meeting of the Imperial Cricket Conference at Lord's Cricket Ground on 28 July 1952 following recommendation by India, which, being the successor state of the British Raj, did not have to go through such a process.

Pakistan’s first Test match was played in Delhi in October 1952 as part of a five Test series which India won 2-1. Pakistan made their first tour of England in 1954 and drew the series 1-1 after a memorable victory at The Oval in which fast bowler Fazal Mahmood took 12 wickets. Pakistan’s first home Test match was in Dacca in January 1955 against India, after which four more Test matches were played in Bahawalpur, Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi (all five matches in the series were drawn, the first such occurrence in test history).

The team is considered a strong but unpredictable team. Traditionally Pakistani cricket has been filled with players of great talent but limited discipline, making them a team which could play inspirational cricket one day and then perform less than ordinarily another day. Over the years, competitions between India and Pakistan have always been emotionally charged and provide for intriguing contests, as talented teams from both sides of the border elevate their game to new levels to produce high-quality cricket. Pakistani contest with India in the Cricket World Cup have seen packed stadiums and elevated atmospheres no matter where the World Cup has been held.

The 1986 Australasia Cup, played in Sharjah, is remembered as a famous last-ball victory for Pakistan against arch-rivals India, with Javed Miandad emerging as a national hero. India batted first and set a target of 245 runs, leaving Pakistan with a required run rate of 4.92 runs per over. Javed Miandad came in to bat at number 3, and Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals. Later recalling the match, Miandad stated that his main focus was to lose with dignity. With 31 runs needed in the last three overs, Miandad hit a string of boundaries while batting with his team's lower order, until four runs were required from the last delivery of the match. Miandad received a leg side full toss from Chetan Sharma, which he hit for six over the midwicket boundary.

At the 1992 World Cup Semi Final, having won the toss New Zealand chose to bat first and ended with a total of 262. Pakistan batted conservatively yet lost wickets at regular intervals. With the departure of Imran Khan and Saleem Malik shortly thereafter, Pakistan still required 115 runs at a rate of 7.67 per over with veteran Javed Miandad being the only known batsman remaining at the crease. A young Inzamam-ul-Haq, who had just turned 22 and was not a well-known player at the time, burst onto the international stage with a match-winning 60 off 37 balls. Once Inzamam got out, Pakistan required 36 from 30 balls, which wicketkeeper Moin Khan ended with a towering six over long off, followed by the winning boundary to midwicket. The match is seen as the emergence of Inzamam onto the international stage.

The 1992 Cricket World Cup in Australia & New Zealand marked Pakistan's first World Cup victory. It is remembered for the comeback Pakistan made after losing key players such as Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar, and being led by an injured captain in Imran Khan. Pakistan lost 4 of their first 5 matches and were nearly eliminated in the first round of the tournament after being bowled out for 74 against England, until the match was declared as a "no result" due to rain. Captain Imran Khan famously told the team to play as "cornered tigers", after which Pakistan won five successive matches, including, most famously, the semi-final against hosts New Zealand and the final against England.

The 2007 Cricket World Cup was one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history when Pakistan was knocked out of the competition in a shock defeat to Ireland, who were playing in their first competition. Pakistan, needing to win to qualify for the next stage after losing to the West Indies in their opening match, were put into bat by Ireland on a green pitch. They lost wickets regularly and only 4 batsmen crossed double figures. In the end they were bowled out by the resurgent Irish for 132. The Irish went on to win the match, helped by a knock of 72 from Niall O'Brien. This meant that Pakistan had been knocked out during the first round for the second consecutive World Cup. Tragedy struck the team when coach Bob Woolmer died one day later on March 18, 2007 in a hospital in Kingston, Jamaica. Jamaican police spokesman, Karl Angell, reported on March 23, 2007 that, "Mr Woolmer's death was due to asphyxiation as a result of manual strangulation", and that, "Mr Woolmer's death is now being treated by the Jamaica police as a case of murder." Subsequent to his team's defeat and the death of Bob Woolmer, Inzamam-ul-Haq announced his resignation as captain of the team and his retirement from one-day cricket, stating that he would continue to take part in Test cricket but not as captain.

On 23 March 2007, Pakistan players and officials were questioned by Jamaican police and submitted DNA samples along with fingerprints, as part of the routine enquiries in the investigation into Woolmer's murder. Three days after leaving the West Indies for Pakistan, via London, the Pakistan team were ruled out as suspects. The deputy commissioner of Jamaican police. Mark Shields, the detective in charge of the investigation, announced, "It's fair to say they are now being treated as witnesses." "I have got no evidence to suggest it was anybody in the squad." A memorial service was held in Sacred Heart Church, Lahore, for Bob Woolmer on 1 April 2007. Among the attendees were Pakistan players and dignitaries, including Inzamam-ul-Haq, who was quoted as saying, "After Woolmer's family, the Pakistan team was the most aggrieved by his death." After the World Cup ended, serious doubts were raised about the investigation, with increasing speculation that Woolmer died of natural causes. This has now been accepted as fact, and the case has been closed.

On 16 July 2007, Geoff Lawson, previously head coach of New South Wales, was appointed coach of the Pakistan for two years, becoming the third foreigner to take on the role. In the 2007 ICC World Twenty20, Pakistan exceeded expectations to reach the final but ended as runners-up, after losing the final to India in a nail-biting finish.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is responsible for all first class and Test cricket played in Pakistan and by the Pakistan cricket team. It was admitted to the International Cricket Council in July 1953. The corporation has been run by former cricketers, professional administrators and trustees, who are often respected businessmen. The Board governs a network of teams sponsored by corporations and banks, city associations and clubs including advertising, broadcasting rights and internet partners.

After taking heavy flak for corruption and match fixing, the PCB re-emerged by taking the initiative to sponsor the wildly successful 2004 tour of Pakistan by arch rivals India. The PCB's experiment with the Twenty20 cricket model has also proven popular and hopes to similarly revive popular interest in domestic games. The PCB also set up major domestic competitions such as the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and the ANZ Trophy.

See Also:

  • Pakistan Under-19 cricket team
  • Pakistani national cricket captains
  • Pakistan national women's cricket team
  • India versus Pakistan cricket rivalry
  • Pakistan Cricket Team Records
  • Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
  • Cricinfo Pakistan
  • BBC Sport: Pakistan cricket team news and fixtures
  • Cricket in Pakistan
  • Cricket news for Pakistan
  • Online Pakistan Cricket Magazine
  • Cricinfo List of Cricket Grounds in Pakistan
  • BBC sport Pakistan Cricket



    *Acknowledgements to Wikipedia.org, Cricinfo.com and owners of pictures and videos used.



  • Tuesday, May 13, 2008

    The greatest bowling partnership ever in modern cricket

    The other day I was browsing through some videos on Youtube and I came across this particular one, it perfectly shows you that the bowling pair of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis was the best bowling partnership ever in modern cricket. With Waqar's lethal Toe Crushers and Wasims dangerous swinging deliveries that seemed to cannon into your stumps out of nowhere, its easy to see that they were definetly one on the most destructive bowling partnerships of modern cricket, and perhaps all time.

    To show you the proof here is that video that displays a brilliant montage on this legendary bowling partnership:





    Monday, May 12, 2008

    Player Profile(#23)...Muttiah Muralitharan(Sri Lanka)

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    Muttiah Muralitharan (Tamil: முத்தையா முரளிதரன் born 17 April 1972 in Kandy, Sri Lanka), often referred to as Murali, is a Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test-Match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002.

    He is Test cricket's highest wicket-taker, having overtaken the previous record-holder Shane Warne on December 3, 2007. Muralitharan had held the record before when he surpassed West Indies' Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets in 2004. But he suffered a shoulder injury later that year and was then overtaken by Warne. He is also second in the list of wicket-takers in One Day Internationals.

    Averaging over six wickets per Test, Muttiah Muralitharan is one of the most successful bowlers in the game and the greatest player in Sri Lanka's history. He plays domestic cricket for the Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club, and county cricket for Lancashire as an overseas player.

    On 28 August 28, 1992 at the age of 20, Muralitharan made his debut against Australia at the Khettarama Stadium and claimed 3 for 141. Craig McDermott was his first Test wicket. His freakish action and his angular run-up showed that this was no run-of-the-mill spinner. During his first test, there was one dismissal which convinced many of Muralitharan's special powers. Tom Moody's leg-stump was dislodged when he shouldered arms to a delivery that pitched at least two feet outside the off-stump.

    The youthful Muralitharan went from strength to strength, playing a major part in Sri Lanka's back-to-back Test victories against England and New Zealand in 1992-93. It was at this point in his career that he struck a close bond with his leader, mentor and one time business partner, the authoritative captain Arjuna Ranatunga. This relationship formed the bedrock of his success and meant that there were few doubts about his status as the team's sole wicket-taker. Ranatunga was thoroughly convinced that Muralitharan's precocious talent would signal a new era in Sri Lanka's short Test history.

    In August 1993 at Moratuwa, Muralitharan captured 5 for 104 in South Africa's first innings, his first five-wicket haul in Tests. His wickets include Kepler Wessels, Hansie Cronje and Jonty Rhodes.

    Muralitharan has continued to baffle batsman outside the shores of Sri Lanka, irrespective of the team's performance. In Sri Lanka's humiliating drubbing at the hands of India in 1993-94, where all three Tests were innings defeats, Muralitharan was the sole success, with 12 wickets in the rubber. His perseverance in the face of some astronomical scores by the fearsome quartet of Mohammed Azharuddin, Sachin Tendulkar, Navjot Sidhu and Vinod Kambli was in sharp contrast to the submission with which his team-mates played the series.

    It was in New Zealand in March 1995 that Muralitharan displayed his qualities as a match-winner on any surface. In Sri Lanka's first triumph on foreign soil, Muralitharan confused the crease-bound New Zealanders on a grassy pitch in Dunedin. The Sri Lankan manager Duleep Mendis' claim that Muralitharan can turn the ball on concrete was confirmed. On the eve of his tour of Pakistan later that year, doubts were cast on his ability to trouble subcontinental batsmen. By taking 19 wickets in the series and delivering a historic 2-1 victory, the off-spinner silenced the doubters. The Pakistanis, who had negotiated Warne's leg-breaks in the previous home series, were never at ease against him.

    Prior to the eventful boxing day test of 1995, Muralitharan had captured 80 wickets in 22 tests at an unflattering average of 32.74. Even at that point in his career he was the leading wicket taker for Sri Lanka having gone past Rumesh Ratnayake's aggregate of 73 wickets.

    Muttiah Muralitharan is a Sri Lankan Tamil of Indian origin. His paternal grandfather Periyasamy Sinasamy came from South India to work in the tea plantations of central Sri Lanka in 1920. He later returned to India with his daughters and settled in Tiruchirapalli. However his sons, including Muralitharan's father remained in Sri Lanka.

    Muralitharan was born in the village of Nattarampotha in Kundasale (near Kandy), as the eldest of the four sons to Sinnasamy Muttiah and Lakshmi. Muralitharan's father Sinnasamy Muttiah, runs a successful biscuit-making business.

    When he was nine years old Muralitharan was sent to St.Anthony’s College, Kandy, a private school run by Benedictine monks. He began his cricketing career as a medium pace bowler, but on the advice of his school coach, Sunil Fernando, he took up off spin when he was fourteen years old. He soon impressed and went on to play for four years in the school First XI. In those days he played as an all rounder and batted in the middle order. In his final two seasons at St Anthony's college he took over one hundred wickets and in 1990/1 was named as the 'Bata Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year'.

    After leaving school, he joined Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club and was selected for the Sri Lanka A tour of England in 1991. He played in five games but failed to capture a single wicket. On his return to Sri Lanka he impressed against Allan Border's Australian team in a practice game and then went on to make his test debut at R. Premadasa Stadium in the Second Test Match of the series.

    When his grandfather died at the age of 104, in July 2004, Muralitharan returned home from a tour of India to attend his funeral. Periyasamy Sinasamy's first wish to see Muralitharan claiming the world record for the most Test wickets was realised (passing the record set by Courtney Walsh), but not his desire to live to see his grandson married. Muralitharan's grandmother had passed away one month earlier at the age of 97. Muralitharan's manager, Kushil Gunasekera stated that "Murali's family is closely knit and united. They respect traditional values. The late grandfather enjoyed a great relationship with Murali."

    Muralitharan, married Madhimalar Ramamurthy, an Indian national, on March 21, 2005. Madhimalar is the daughter of late Dr S. Ramamurthy of Malar Hospitals, and his wife Dr Nithya Ramamurthy. Their first child, Naren, was born in January 2006.

    Muralitharan's career has been beset with controversy; his bowling action called into question on a number of occasions by umpires and sections of the cricket community. After biomechanical studies in a lab, Muralitharan's action was cleared by the International Cricket Council, first in 1996 and again in 1999. The legality of his doosra was first called into question in 2004. This delivery was found to exceed the ICC elbow extension limit of five degrees, assigned for spinners at that time. Based on of official studies into bowling actions, the International Cricket Council revised the elbow flexion limits applying to all bowlers in 2005. Muralitharan's doosra falls within the revised limits.

    Muralitharan was left out of the one-day touring squad to West Indies in early 2008, leading to speculation that he may be focusing on test cricket in the future while Sri Lanka builds a younger squad for one day internationals.

    World records and achievements:

    Muttiah Muralitharan holds a number of world records, and several firsts:

  • The most Test wickets (723 wickets as of 22 December 2007).
  • The highest number of international wickets in Tests and ODIs combined (1187 wickets as of 19 March 2008).
  • The most 5-wicket hauls in an innings at Test level (63).
  • The most 10-wicket hauls in a match at Test level (20). He is the only player to take 10 wickets/match against every Test playing nation.
  • Fastest to 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650 and 700 Test wickets, in terms of matches played.
  • Only player to take 10 wickets in a Test in four consecutive matches. Muralitharan has achieved this feat twice.
  • Only player to take 50 or more wickets against every Test playing nation.
  • Muralitharan and Jim Laker (England), are the only bowlers to have taken 9 wickets in a Test innings twice.
  • 7 wickets in an innings against the most countries (5).
  • Most Test wickets taken bowled (157), stumped (41) and caught & bowled (31).
  • Bowled by Muralitharan (b Muralitharan) is the most common dismissal in Test cricket (excluding run out).
  • Most successful bowler/fielder (non-wicket keeper) combination - c Mahela Jayawardene b Muttiah Muralitharan (65).
  • Most Man of the Series awards in Test cricket (11).
  • One of only six bowlers who have dismissed all the eleven batsmen in a Test match. Jim Laker, Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, Geoff Dymock, Abdul Qadir and Waqar Younis are the others.
  • Most test wickets in a single ground. Muralitharan is the only bowler to capture 100-plus Test wickets at two venues, the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo and the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy.
  • The only bowler to take 75 or more wickets in a calendar year on three occasions, achieving it in 2000, 2001 and 2006.

    See Also:

  • Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World
  • Doosra
  • List of international cricketers called for throwing
  • List of cricketers called for throwing in major cricket matches in Australia
  • Throwing (cricket)
  • List of World XI ODI cricketers
  • List of Asian XI ODI cricketers
  • World Cricket Tsunami Appeal
  • Muralitharan.com
  • CricInfo Player Profile: Muttiah Muralitharan
  • Muttiah Muralitharan International Fan Club
  • Alston Koch's Murali Song Video
  • Murali Tracker
  • Muralitharan.cricket-records.com
  • Murali's throwing controversy was resolved at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  • TimeLine: Muttiah Muralitharan
  • Muralitharan.org
  • Murali BigStarCricket



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    For all your picture restoration needs, visit

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    *Acknowledgements to Cricinfo.com, Wikipedia.com, Owners of video and pictures



  • Friday, May 9, 2008

    George Bush "Playing" Cricket, What the F***!

    Heres a picture for you all showing that yes, the President of the United States of America can "play" cricket!

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    *Acknowledgements to owner of picture.



    In the International Spotlight...India Cricket

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    Cricket is the unofficial national sport of India, and its development has been closely tied up with the history of the country, mirroring many of the political and cultural developments around issues such as caste, religion and nationality. Though cricket is indubitably the most popular sport in India, it is not the nation's national sport (a distinction held by field hockey).

    Introduction to cricket by the British:
    Cricket, like field hockey, was first introduced to India by the British. The earliest recorded match was played in 1721 by British sailors on shore leave. With the expansion of British rule throughout the subcontinent, the British took the game with them wherever they went. However, the early history of the game was focused largely on the large cities, particularly Bombay (now Mumbai).

    Emergence of native players:
    Anil Kumble is the highest wicket-taker for India in both One Day International and Test matches. He is also the current Test team captainThe first Indians to play the game at a high level were the Parsi minority in Bombay. Beginning in 1892, an annual match was played between the Parsis and the Europeans. In 1907, this became a triangular tournament with the Hindus fielding a team, and in 1912 a Muslim team entered what was for twenty years the biggest tournament in India—the Bombay Quadrangular.

    Among the biggest stars in the early years of Indian cricket were the four Palwankar brothers, Shivram, Ganpat and Vithal but particularly the slow left-arm bowler, Palwankar Baloo. This was particularly noteworthy as the Palwankars were from one of the untouchable castes. Treated as equals on the cricket field, off-field they often faced discrimination. This changed slowly; however, Palwankar Vithal did eventually captain the Hindu team in the quadrangular.

    The formation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1929 led to a first Test match with England three years later. In 1935, the Ranji Trophy began; it continues to the present as the leading regional tournament in India, with each state fielding a team. The trophy was a deliberate attempt to avoid the communalism of the quadrangular tournament.

    Post-Freedom Developments:
    The Indian cricket team has won one Cricket World Cup, in 1983. India also reached the final in 2003, but lost to Australia. Team India bagged the 2007 Twenty-20 Cricket World Cup under the captainship of M.S.Dhoni. In recent years, Indian cricket has been marked by the intense rivalry with Pakistan. Furthermore, there were several scandals related to match fixing and gambling, not restricted to just India, but plaguing several different teams.

    International Cricket:
    International cricket in India generally does not follow a fixed pattern like, for example, the English schedule under which the nation tours other countries during winter and plays at home during the summer. Generally, there has recently been a tendency to play more one-day matches than Test matches. The Indian cricket side has recently played a test series in Australia.

    Domestic Competitions:

  • Ranji Trophy - Founded as 'The Cricket Championship of India' at a meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in July 1934. The first Ranji Trophy fixtures took place in the 1934-35 season. Syed Mohammed Hadi of Hyderabad was the first batsman to score a century in the tournament. The Trophy was donated by H.H. Sir Bhupendra Singh Mahinder Baha-dur, Maharajah of Patiala in memory of His late Highness Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji of Nawanagar. In the main, the Ranji Trophy is composed of teams representing the states that make up India. As the political states have multiplied, so have cricket teams, but not every state has a team. Some states have more than one cricket team, e.g. Maharashtra and Gujarat. There are also 'odd' teams like Railways, and Services representing the armed forces. The various teams used to be grouped into zones - North, West, East, Central and South - and the initial matches were played on a league basis within the zones. The top two (until 1991-92) and then top three teams (subsequent years) from each zone then played in a national knock-out competition. Starting with the 2002-03 season, the zonal system has been abandoned and a two-division structure has been adopted with two teams being promoted from the plate league and two relegated from the elite league. If the knockout matches are not finished they are decided on the first-innings lead.

  • Irani Trophy - The Irani Trophy tournament was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship and was named after the late Z.R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970 and a keen patron of the game. The first match, played between the Ranji Trophy champions and the Rest of India was played in 1959-60. For the first few years, it was played at the fag end of the season. Realising the importance of the fixture, the BCCI moved it to the beginning of the season. Since 1965-66, it has traditionally heralded the start of the new domestic season. The Irani Trophy game ranks very high in popularity and importance. It is one of the few domestic matches that is followed with keen interest by cricket lovers in the country. Leading players take part in the game which has often been a sort of selection trial to pick the Indian team for foreign tours.

  • Duleep Trophy - The Duleep Trophy competition was started by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1961-62 with the aim of providing a greater competitive edge in domestic cricket - because, apart from the knock-out stages of the Ranji Trophy, that competition proved predictable, with Bombay winning for fifteen consecutive years. The Duleep was also meant to help the selectors in assessing form. The original format was that five teams, drawn from the five zones, play each other on a knock-out basis. From the 1993-94 season, the competition has been converted to a league format.

  • Deodhar Trophy- Started in 1973-74 by Board of Control for Cricket in India, it is the current one-day cricket competition in Indian domestic cricket. 5 zonal teams - North zone, South zone, East zone, West zone and Central zone feature in the competition. North zone have won this competition 11th time.

  • Challenger series- Started as the Challenger series by the Board of Control for Cricket in India in 1994-95 and later named as NKP Salve Challenger Trophy in 1998-99, the tournament features 3 teams: India senior, India A and India B playing each other. The tournament features the top 36 players from India

  • Indian Cricket League- Appalled by the state of domestic Indian cricket, Zee TV decided to launch this league as its own Twenty20 domestic series. The first matches were held in October 2007. The ICL sprung into the spotlight due to its head on battle with the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Brian Lara was the first international star to be officially drafted to play in the league.

  • Indian Premier League
    In response to the rival ICL, the BCCI started the Indian Premier League. This League being launched by BCCI have received support from all the other Cricket Boards, and International Players could be drafted into City-based Franchises.

    See also...

  • The Official Site of the Indian Cricket League - Indian Cricket League - Copyright © PayAutoMata, LLC
  • Cricket247.in - Live ICL scorecard and news
  • Indian Cricket League - ICL|Latest ICL News |ICL Forums | ICL Info| ICL Match Schedule|
  • Crichome - News, discussions about League Cricket, Indian Cricket League, Indian Premier League
  • Breaking Cricket Stories - Discover, Score, Discuss | Runoutt
  • Indian Cricket League
  • Indian Cricket
  • ICL 20/20 Cricket Championship- Zee Sports broadcasts live ICL 20/20 matches

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    *Acknowledgements to Wikipedia.com, Owners of Pictures, Cricinfo.com, and other related sites/links etc



  • Tuesday, May 6, 2008

    A Song about Shane Warne- You gotta watch and listen to this!

    As I was doing the previous post about cricketing sex scandals I found this video on Youtube about a group doing a song about Shane Warne in a very lighthearted sort of way, its a must see as it captures the essence of Warney in my personal opinion (I know others may differ and thats ok as everyone is entitled to an opinion), and with the bongo drums and that thing the lady is playing (is it a clarinet? comment if it is) it gives a really good atmosphere to the Master of Spin.

    (The lead singer is Phillippe Ledoux)





    Cricketing SEX Scandals

    Over the years there have been many sex scandals in the beloved game of cricket. When most people combine the words "sex scandal" and "cricket" its most likely that Shane Warne will immediately come to mind. As a brilliant player as he is he has been involved in so many of them that everytime I have typed in "cricketing sex scandals" in Google almost every one of them brings up some reference to Warney. I respect him as a player (with his magical bowling skills etc) but I think that in some way his career may have been tarnished and will be remembered for not only his superiour skills on the field, but most likely also his "superior" skills in the sack and by texts to various women that were involved in many of his romps.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not slating him completely, for most of my life that I have been interested in cricket I have always looked up to Warney for his master legspinners and how lethal and magical his deliveries were (eg bowling Mike Gatting out, Bowling Andrew Strauss for his 700th wicket and so much more) and I would pick him in a select World XII anyday, but maybe he (and like other cricketers involved in sex scandals as well) needs to sort out his personal life, as by not doing so he has lost only one of the few things more precious than the brilliant game of cricket- His gorgous ex-wife Simone, regular access to his children, and breaking up that precious bond between family.

    In the meantime here is a handful of links that go to articles that talk about cricketing scandals. I know I have ranted on mostly about Warney but like everyone else on this planet nobody is perfect, as there are many sex scandals out there, not only with other cricketers, but in real life away from cricket as well.

  • Shane Warne Involved in Yet Another Sex Scandal

  • Eleven Cricketing Scandals

  • Indian Cricket Captain Sex Scandal 2001

  • 11 Cricketing Sex Scandals by Cricinfo.com

  • Sex Scandals by Freerepublic.com




  • Player Profile(#22)...James Anderson(England)

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    James Michael "Jimmy" Anderson (born 30 July 1982 in Burnley, Lancashire) is an international English cricketer. A pace bowler, Anderson made his international debut at the age of just 20 before experiencing a career trough. He has since been recalled to play for England, however.

    As a young player, Anderson's rise was incredibly quick; he represented the England national team before he was awarded his cap at county level, coming almost straight from club cricket and Burnley's 2nd XI. His ODI debut came on December 15, 2002 against Australia at Melbourne. He showed good promise in this series - a three-team tournament also including Sri Lanka - which earned him a place in the 2003 World Cup squad. It was here that he really broke into international cricket with a match-winning spell against Pakistan, where he took four wickets in day/night game to collect the Man of the Match award. But where there are highs, there are also lows. In what proved to be England’s last match of the tournament he conceded 12 runs off the penultimate over against eventual world champions Australia and England lost a closely fought contest.

    In the summer of 2003, he made his first Test cricket appearance against Zimbabwe at Lord's, and become the 17th Englishman to collect five wickets in an innings on debut. His success continued in the subsequent one day tournaments against Pakistan, (against whom he took a hat trick at the Oval), South Africa and Zimbabwe. In a matter of few months, he had become one of the biggest stars in English cricket. Continued alteration of hair styles, attractive looks, and up-to-the-minute outfits earned him comparisons with some of the most recognizable sport personalities around, including David Beckham. The frenzy was however not to last forever.

    Another young man, South Africa’s captain, Graeme Smith, put Anderson and England to the sword as he made back-to-back double hundreds in the first two Tests of a series where he eventually ended up making more than 600 runs. Even though Anderson managed to pick up another five-wicket-haul at Trent Bridge, and the series was eventually drawn with England winning the final Test at The Oval by nine wickets, the damage had already been done from Anderson's point of view. His place in the England team was now far from certain. He was selected in both the one-day and Test squads for the winter tours to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but injuries left him able to play in only 1 of the 5 Tests on that tour. He bowled well below his potential to collect figures of 0-85 in his sole appearance. The Sri Lankan conditions - typically unhelpful for fast swing bowling - didn't help.

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    More info for James Anderson can be found by right clicking on these links:

  • View 213 images related to James Anderson
  • Cricinfo Profile on James Anderson
  • Cricketism Profile on James Anderson
  • James Anderson search on www.ecb.co.uk




    *Acknowledgements to Cricinfo.com, Wikipedia.com. Icc-cricket.com, Ecb.co.uk, owners of pictures and videos used.



  • Saturday, May 3, 2008

    Player Profile(#21)...Sachin Tendulkar(India)

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    Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (Marathi: सचिन रमेश तेंडुलकर) (born April 24, 1973 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India) is an Indian cricketer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. In 2002, Wisden rated him as the second greatest Test batsman after Sir Donald Bradman, and the greatest One-day international batsman.[citation needed]

    He holds several highly regarded batting records and is the leading scorer of centuries in both Test cricket and one-day internationals. He is one of the three batsmen to surpass 11,000 runs in Test cricket, and the first Indian to do so. He is the most prolific run scorer in ODIs by a margin of over 4000 runs and has scored the most runs in international cricket as a whole. He crossed 16,000 runs in ODIs on February 5, 2008 while playing against Sri Lanka in Brisbane, Australia. Affectionately called 'The Little Master' or 'The Master Blaster', Tendulkar made his first-class debut for the Mumbai cricket team aged 14 and scored a century on debut. He made his international test debut in 1989 against Pakistan in Karachi at age 16.

    He is the only cricketer to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting honour and the only cricketer and one of the first sportsmen (along with Vishwanathan Anand) to receive the Padma Vibhushan (2008), the second highest civilian honour of India. He is the most sponsored player in world cricket and has a huge fan following even amongst foreign audiences. Tendulkar has made numerous commercial ventures including opening a chain of restaurants in India.

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    HIS PLAYING STYLE:

    Tendulkar's batting style has been compared to that of Sir Donald Bradman.

    Tendulkar is ambidextrous: He bats, bowls, and throws with his right hand, but writes with his left hand. He also practices left-handed throws at the nets on a regular basis. Cricinfo columnist Sambit Bal has described him as the "most wholesome batsman of his time". His batting is based on complete balance and poise while limiting unnecessary movements and flourishes. He is strong in hitting the ball to all parts of the field with a large variety of shots. He appears to show little preference for the slow and low wickets which are typical in India, and has scored many centuries on the hard, bouncy pitches in the Caribbean Islands and Australia. He is known for his unique punch style of hitting the ball over square.

    Sir Donald Bradman, the greatest batsman of all time, considered Tendulkar to have a batting style similar to his. In his biography, it is stated that "Bradman was most taken by Tendulkar's technique, compactness and shot production, and had asked his wife to have a look at Tendulkar, having felt that Tendulkar played like him. Bradman's wife, Jessie, agreed that they did appear similar. "

    Former Australian cricket team coach John Buchanan voiced his opinion that Tendulkar had become susceptible to the short ball early in his innings because of a lack of footwork. Buchanan also believes Tendulkar has a weakness while playing left-arm pace. He was affected by a series of injuries since 2004. Since then Tendulkar's batting has tended to be less attacking. Explaining this change in his batting style, he has acknowledged that he is batting differently due to that fact that (1) No batsman can bat the same way for the entire length of a long career and (2) He is a senior member of the team now and thus has more responsibility. However, it cannot be denied that his batting became less attractive since 2004 and while a string of his highest scores have come within this time period, the consistency has been lacking.[citation needed] During the early part of his career he was a more attacking batsman and frequently scored centuries at over a run a ball. Ian Chappell, former Australian player, believes "Tendulkar now, is nothing like the player he was when he was a young bloke". However, during the latest tour of Australia in 2008, Tendulkar displayed glimpses of his attacking style with several masterful innings.

    While Tendulkar is not a regular bowler, he is adept at bowling medium pace, leg spin, and off spin with equal ease. He often bowls when two batsmen of the opposite team have been batting together for a long period, and he can often be a useful partnership breaker. With his bowling, he has helped secure an Indian victory on more than one occasion.

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    EARLY YEARS AND PERSONAL LIFE:

    Tendulkar was born in in Mumbai . His father, Ramesh Tendulkar, who was a Marathi novelist, named him after his favorite music director, Sachin Dev Burman. Tendulkar's elder brother, Ajit, encouraged him to play cricket. Tendulkar has two other siblings: brother, Nitin, and sister, Savitai.

    Tendulkar attended Sharadashram Vidyamandir (High School), where he began his cricketing career under the guidance of his coach and mentor, Ramakant Achrekar. During his school days, he attended the MRF Pace Foundation to train as a fast bowler, but the fast bowling trainer there, Dennis Lillee, suggested to him to "just focus" on his batting.

    When Tendulkar was young, he would practice for hours with his coach. He would often get bored of practicing. So his coach would put a one-Rupee-coin on the top of the stumps. The bowler who dismissed Sachin would get the coin. If Sachin passed the whole session without getting dismissed, the coach would give him the coin. Sachin says today that the 13 coins he won then are his most prized possessions.

    While at school, he was involved in unbroken 664-run partnership in a Harris Shield game in 1988 with friend and team mate Vinod Kambli, who also went on to represent India. The destructive pair reduced one bowler to tears and made the rest of the opposition unwilling to continue the game. Sachin scored over 320 in this innings and scored over a thousand runs in the tournament. This was the record partnership in any form of cricket, until 2006 when it was broken by two under-13 batsmen in a match held at Hyderabad in India. When he was 14 Indian batting maestro Sunil Gavaskar gave him a pair of his used ultra light pads. "It was the greatest source of encouragement for me," he said nearly 20 years later after passing Gavaskar's top world record of 34 Test centuries.

    In 1995, Sachin Tendulkar married Anjali (born 10 November 1967), the paediatrician daughter of Gujarati industrialist, Anand Mehta. They have two children, Sara (born 12 October 1997), and Arjun (born 24 September 1999).

    Tendulkar sponsors 200 underprivileged children every year through Apnalaya, a Mumbai-based NGO associated with his mother-in-law, Annaben Mehta. He is reluctant to speak about his charitable activities[citation needed], choosing to preserve the sanctity of his personal life despite media interest in him.[citation needed]

    In commemorating Sachin Tendulkar's feat of equalling Don Bradman's 29 centuries in Test Cricket, automotive giant Ferrari invited Sachin Tendulkar to its paddock in Silverstone on the eve of the British Grand Prix (23 July 2002) to receive a Ferrari 360 Modena from the legendary F1 racer Michael Schumacher. On September 4, 2002 India's then finance minister Jaswant Singh wrote to Sachin telling him that the government will waive custom's duty imposed on the car as a measure to applaud his feat. However the rules at the time stated that the customs duty can be waived only when receiving an automobile as a prize and not as a gift. It is claimed that the proposals to change the law (Customs Act) was put forth in Financial Bill in February 2003 and amended was passed as a law in May 2003. Subsequently the Ferrari was allowed to be brought to India without payment of the customs duty (Rs 1.13 Crores or 120% on the car value of Rs 75 Lakhs). When the move to waive customs duty became public in July 2003, political and social activists protested the waiver and filed PIL in the Delhi High Court. With the controversy snowballing, Sachin offered to pay the customs duty and the tab was finally picked up by Ferrari. Tendulkar has been seen taking his Ferrari 360 Modena for late-night drives in Mumbai.

    More information about Sachin can be found here --->>

  • List of International cricket centuries by Sachin Tendulkar
  • Indian cricket team
  • Wisden Cricketers of the Year
  • List of One-day International records
  • Cricinfo Profile for Sachin Tendulkar
  • Sachin Tendulkar |Life, Legend and Beyond
  • Sachin Tendulkar Fan Club
  • Sachin Tendulkar



    *Acknowledgements to Wikipedia.org, Cricinfo.com and owners of pictures and videos used.



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