IPL names SA as location

The Indian Premier League (IPL) on Tuesday named South Africa as the host of the six-week tournament, beginning next month.

The decision followed talks held in Johannesburg between Cricket South Africa’s chief executive Gerald Majola and IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, who had been expected to visit England on Wednesday to evaluate the possibility of staging the event there.

Although no official announcement has been made yet, sources said that the tournament will be held between April 18 and May 24, a delay of about one week from the original schedule.

Eight venues have been identified for staging the eight-team tournament and the matches will start at 4 pm IST and 8 pm IST to make it convenient for Indian television viewers.

South Africa pipped England as the venue after the BCCI decided to shift the tournament outside India because of security issues in view of the general elections.

The tournament will feature 59 matches. It is understood that concerns over weather, logistics and the costs involved persuaded IPL executives to choose South Africa ahead of England.

Test cricket is still alive!! - part2

Now Ricky Ponting laughed and cracked jokes with comrades while his counterpart coaxed from his team a performance of the utmost resilience. At daggers drawn for so many years these opponents forged a spirit that tolerated both fierce play and friendship. It was the spirit of true sport. Doubtless their experiences in the Indian Premier League forged an understanding. Perhaps it helped that the sting had been taken out of low catches by referring them to an independent adjudicator. But credit must also be given to leaders responsible for ensuring their charges represented their nations with honour and mutual respect. Ultimately it is down to the captains. No grizzles, no gripes. Australia was superb in victory, South African magnificent in defeat.

In the end justice was served as the stronger side prevailed in both the series and the final Test. Australia took control of the match on the opening day and never quite lost its grip. Winning the toss helped as did the arrival of fresh bowlers but the hosts also displayed unflagging gusto. In Michael Clarke the victors had the batsman of the summer whilst Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle advanced their reputations with whole-hearted showings. Faults can be found in an evolving Australian side but that is a topic for another day.

South Africa went down with every flag flying. Seldom has a loss so closely resembled a triumph. Throughout this campaign this team of many colours has demonstrated an ability to defy the odds. South Africa was supposed to lose heavily in Perth but won by six wickets. Things looked even worse in Melbourne till the tailenders went to work. Now the visitors seemed down for the count for a third time and rallied with such tenacity that the day was almost saved. Smith's side caught superbly in the slips, unleashed some old-fashioned pace with Dale Steyn and fielded some gifted and gritty young batsmen in Jean-Paul Duminy and A.B. de Villiers. They provided stirring competition and superb entertainment.

And so the summer of Test cricket ended on the highest note. After 15 days of intense and fluctuating cricket the South Africans took the spoils and deserve to be recognised as the strongest side around. But the Australians fought back with skill and application to take a valuable win. Roll on February 25 when these teams meet again on African soil.

Test cricket is still alive!!

AND they said Test cricket was dead! Roll over Allen Stanford and all the other unbelievers with a concentration span of 10 minutes. An exhilarating Test match ended in its last few moments in the most stunning circumstances as a battered but unbowed visiting captain was beaten by a scything delivery from an exhausted opponent.

After five days of intense and sporting struggle the match was settled with 10 balls to spare. The last hour was an almost unbearable tale of frustrations, overthrows, dropped catches, bowling changes, field changes, appeals, defiance, courage, endeavour and fine players reaching deep into themselves in search of that last drop of energy. At times the drama was tinged with farce. Supporters could hardly bring themselves to watch. It was a tense, thrilling denouement that transfixed two sporting nations. Never mind that the series had been decided. Far from going though the motions two proud teams exchanged cricketing blows until finally one was forced to yield.

It was an extraordinary finish. Storm clouds were gathering over a scarred ground. An increasingly alarmed Australian side was desperately trying to take the last two wickets and secure a much-needed victory. South African tailenders were hanging on for dear life.

Meanwhile all and sundry were watching the rooms wondering whether or not a wounded captain intended to bat. Rumours spread that he had been sighted in white clothes and then swinging a bat but, like the existence of the Loch Ness monster, they remained unconfirmed. Someone said that his plaster cast had been cut off and he was trying to put on his batting gloves. Not until the last instant did anyone outside the rooms realise that Graeme Smith meant to take his turn at the crease. And as he threaded his way through the throng and towards the field so the crowd stood to salute him. Hereafter no teammate will dare to let him down. Everyone rose to the occasion, not just the players. Nationalism was put aside as a brave warrior was given his due. Not that Makhaya Ntini was any less deserving as he too surpassed himself with 75 balls of caution interspersed with sudden shafts of aggression. No one expected him to last but he left the field with his wicket intact.

Throughout these dramas both teams were seen in the best possible light. Twelve months ago the SCG Test reached a similar conclusion but followed an altogether more acrimonious course. Afterwards the hosts were nonplussed to discover that some patriots were unable to share their joy.

TEST SERIES IN ENGLAND(1990)

India came into the first Test at Lord's in sparkling form with a string of wins, including a 2-0 sweep in the ODI series. But they came up against Gooch, and his 333 and 123 guided England to a 247-run win. That was enough to secure the series 1-0. A batting paradise at Manchester produced a great game, India finishing on 343 for 6 chasing 408, Sachin Tendulkar making 119 and Mohammad Azharuddin his second successive hundred. At The Oval, India made England follow on, but David Gower, playing for his place on that winter's Ashes tour, made a brilliant 157 to save the match. The series was entertaining from the off, and was played in sublime weather than necessitated a hosepipe ban. There was nothing to separate the teams, except the toss at Lord's. Tests: England 1 India 0 Drawn 2,ODIs: England 0 India 2.

Cricket facing its toughest Tests

IT is essential the game reacts with a united front in the wake of last week's horrific events in Mumbai
DIFFICULT AS it is when the TV keeps showing destruction and orchestrated murder on a grand scale this piece shall ignore the human aspects of the past week in Mumbai – ADVERTISEMENT
 
they are covered elsewhere in this publication – and concentrate on the effect oADVERTISEMENT
 n cricket.

And what effects the marauding gunmen, grenades in hotel lobbies and battlefield scenes have had. 

The England Performance squad missed the carnage by chance, their training camp moved at the last minute from Mumbai to Bangalore, and are joining the full England one day squad who are already home; the Champions League is postponed, with Middlesex luckily escaping being in the Taj Mahal hotel by 24 hours; luminaries such as Shane Warne are concerned about playing in India again and next month's two-Test series against England is hanging by the slimmest of threads. 

Kevin Pietersen has publicly stated that no player will be forced to tour and now they must wait for the various security reports. 

"The BBCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India] will provide one and the ECB (English Cricket Broad] security officer Reg Dickason will compile one, but I'm not sure there is time for an independent (report] because if we are going to play the series the players need to get out there pretty soon and start preparing," said Sean Morris, chief executive of the Professional Cricketer's Association. "It was thought that with the families in such distress it was best to get the players back home, allow everyone to cool down the emotions and then calmly examine the situation and make a well informed decision about the Test series, but the basis of that decision will come from the security reports."

Such is the mistrust of Lalit Modi, the BCCI vice-president and shotgun mouth, that the BCCI report will probably be taken with a pinch of salt by the players. Of more importance will be the thoughts of ECB security officer Dickason.

Players could decide fate of series - Pietersen

The fate of England's Test tour to India lies in the hands of the players themselves, according to their captain, Kevin Pietersen, as the team prepares to fly home from the country in the wake of the terrorist atrocities that have rocked Mumbai over the past two days.

Officials from both England and India are adamant that the Test series will go ahead, particularly after the BCCI agreed to shift the second Test from Mumbai to Chennai on a request from the ECB. But according to Pietersen, the situation is not so cut-and-dried. If his team-mates have reservations about taking part, he will not be forcing them to re-join the tour.

"We need to make sure the security's right - but if it's not safe then we won't be coming back," Pietersen told Sky Sports. "People are their own people, I'll never force anyone to do anything or tell them to do anything against their will. On the field I may ask people to do things in a certain way but people run their own lives. We'll have to see how the security is."

Despite the postponement of the final two ODI fixtures in Guwahati and Delhi, England are still scheduled to take part in a planned warm-up match in Baroda on December 5-7, which effectively means that the players will have no more than five days to reach a concensus and return to the country. However, a senior BCCI official admitted that the Indian board is aware that the fate of the series now lies in the hands of the England players.

"Both the boards are in complete agreement on going ahead with the Test series," the official told Cricinfo. "But it seems the stand adopted by the England players will be crucial. At this point, I doubt whether even the ECB can confirm what their [players] position will be. The next few days will be important, but that issue is for the ECB to resolve. As far as the BCCI is concerned, there are absolutely no doubts about the Test series."

Whats up for the Proteas??

If the Proteas and their coach Mickey Arthur had returned to South Africa in the middle of August, they would have come home to a heroes' welcome after securing a Test series victory in England for the first time since their return to international cricket.

Instead, the Proteas had a much quieter homecoming, after losing all their one-day internationals (ODIs) against England. Only persistent rain in Cardiff on Wednesday prevented a 5-0 whitewash which would have seen England moving to the second spot on the ICC one-day rankings. As it is, South Africa are still in second place, but the gap between the Proteas and Ricky Ponting's Australians has increased.