Yousuf,Younis banned for life by Pakistan Cricket Board

http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/451392.html

Afridi caught cheating ... again ...

Yesterday was a day of exceptional sporting action - both individual and team - but it was also witness to one of the most unsporting of acts. While Federer rose above one and all in tennis greatness with his 16th Slam title, United were superb in their demolition of Arsenal in the biggest games of their season thus far.


While some great sport was happening around the world, one man was hell bent on grabbing the headlines for all the wrong reasons... Shahid Afridi, captain of Pakistan cricket team was caught cheating... he was trying to tamper the cricket ball....

what a cheat .. check the videos


what a fool.. with hundreds of cameras around he decides to eat the ball. he has been caught enough times to deserve a much bigger punishment. Whats it with a 2 match ban.. quite ridiculous since he was also the captain of his team ....



he was equally foolish a few years back ... this time its the pitch.

BBC SPORTDAQ: Sports Celebrity Stock Exchange

A friend of mine has introduced me to this online celebrity stock exchange game called SPORTDAQ. I have recently signed up and it appears to be quite appealing and addictive. I have checked prices of my portfolio picks a few times since buying them a few minutes ago and the fun part is I don’t really feel the pinch if Rooney goes down a little while Wenger gains... It’s just a game after all..

I would urge everyone to come on board and give it a try. In case you join the game please be kind enough to post your ID’s so we can have a league of our own going.

Read the details about the game below and follow the link to register and start playing …

What is Sportdaq?

SPORTDAQ is an online sports celebrity stock exchange game. Instead of shares in companies you buy shares in sports stars (players from various sports who are listed on the game exchange). To play you have to sign up. Once you're signed up we'll give you a cool ten thousand pounds (that's Sportdaq pounds, not real cash!).

The aim of the game: to make as much profit as you can by buying and selling 'shares' in listed sports stars. The person with the highest weekly percentage gain is crowned Top Trader.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE MONEY?

1) Dividends: Every day we count how much press coverage each celeb gets. Then on Thursday the shares you own will pay out a dividend, depending on how much press coverage those sports stars received. The more press coverage a celeb gets, the more money you make. To get the full pay-out you have to own the celeb from Monday night to Thursday morning.

2) Capital Gains: Just like in the real world, share prices rise and fall as demand for them changes - so as well as receiving dividends, you can make money by day-trading and buying low (when demand for a specific celeb is low) and selling high (as the celeb gets more press coverage and the demand for them increases). Prices are updated every 20 minutes so you can make or lose money on a celeb very quickly.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sportdaq/insideline/howtoplay.shtml

4.5 million rands in severance for Mickey Arthur

South African cricket coach Mickey Arthur resigned from his position a few days back citing differences in “vision” for South African cricket with the governing body CSA. Soon after his resignation the entire selection committee was sacked by CSA with a complete revamp expected soon.

Numerous theories ever since have been doing the rounds including Smith-Arthur tussle and teams’ performance as a reason for the upheaval. In a latest revelation, it has come to light that Arthur has been paid a hefty severance amount by CSA which begs a few questions. One, was his resignation a mere formality and that he was actually asked to leave and therefore the severance? Two, Is there something more to it than meets the eye in terms of both internal politics as well as outside political influence?

South Africa is going to be in India for a crucial away series between two closely matched teams from the top of ICC rankings. I just wish South African cricketers arrive here with their focus on Cricket and not the adjoining politics. Politics is going to overshadow cricket this time or so it appears...

Mickey Arthur press conference update

At a press conference in East London, Mickey Arthur confirmed that his resignation was offered due to differences with the cricket board. He said "my vision for the national team differed with that of Cricket South Africa's. I am disappointed, because when I started there I said I wanted to get South Africa to No. 1 in both forms of the game, I wanted to be the first South African coach to win in England, and the first to win in Australia. The only thing I didn't achieve was an ICC trophy."

It was earlier reported in the media that he could have resigned due to differences with team captain Greame Smith and other senior players. Other reports had suggested that board was not very happy with the performance of South African cricket team lately and that had led to differences between the cricket board and the coach.  Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola however mentioned Arthur's tennure as successful but stated that the entire structure of Cricket South Africa would be changed next month.

Mickey Arthur press conference today

As per CSA, Mickey Arthur, the outgoing coach of South African cricket team will hold a press conference today. He is likely to reveal the reasons behind his resignation.

Infact the latest is that Mickey Arthur and CEO Gerald Majola would both be addressing the press. We can now expect to hear the official reasons for Arthurs' resignation and why the selection panel was sacked.

http://www.cricket.co.za/mickey-arthur-press-conference.html

South Africa cricket in disarray as selection panel is sacked

Mickey Arthur's resignation a couple of days back came as a surprise but now it appears to be complete chaos in South Africa cricket as the selection panel is sacked. The news was confirmed by Mike Proctor, the chairman of selectors, on a local radio station in Johannesburg.

Mickey Arthur had earlier quit citing irreparable differences with skipper Greame Smith as the reason. It couldn't have come at a worse time as South Africa prepare to tour India early next month. It appears that Smith and other senior players have the reigns and Arthur possibly lost favour with them. As per the latest, Duncan Fletcher appears to be the front runner for Arthurs job.

IPL goes online. YouTube to telecast matches live.

Great development for millions of cricket fans around the globe especially in countries where telecast did not reach last time around. IPL and Google India have entered a 2 year partnership which would enable live braoadcast of all 60 IPL3 matches on http://www.youtube.com/ipl. Advertsing and sponsorship revenue from the IPL page would be shared by both parties.

Some concerns remain about this deal eating into Sony's share which has a 9 year exclusive TV broadcast deal with IPL for which they had reportedly paid a record INR 8,200 crore- more than a billion US dollars. This is what Sony had to say - "In India, the number of people having access to broadband is limited. Also, the service that is available is patchy and may not be able to support three-hours live video streaming. Besides, the number of YouTube users is also small here. So it won't dent our loyal viewership set. Likewise, our advertisers will continue to be with us because of the mass access to people we can provide,".

Sony's stand appear logical in today's context as pointed out in the statement. This could however change quickly owing to the rapid telecom infrastructure advancements that India is making and soon broadband would have a much higher penetration. Till then all is well for all parties - IPL, Sony and Google.

news.yahoo.com/48/20100121/934/tsp-ipl-live-on-youtube-no-problem-says.html

Awesome catch by Manish Pandey...

I did not watch this live but a friend pointed me to it. Awesome effort by Manish Pandey. He appears to be the next big thing for India the way he has been batting in all formats. Brilliant young cricketer.

IPL auction turns sour for Pak players.

IPL auctions for the third edition are over and the money spent defies the times we are living in. The buzz after the auction however has been more about the players who were not picked up rather than the ones who have made millions.

The fact that none of the Pakistani players were bought has been making headlines ever since the auction ended and quite rightly so one would think. I disagree, simply because the Pakistani players should have seen it coming. I am quite bemused by the reactions that have poured in from across the border claiming some sort of conspiracy between Government of India and IPL management. In my honest assessment, the exercise was entirely business in every sense and no franchise wanted to risk large sums on players without being certain about their availability. Now to give this an emotional twist and claim conspiracy is surprising to say the least.

I am sure the Pakistanis had a good idea about how our relations have been and also the stand that Government of India has taken since 26/11. I think the money on offer was big enough for them to take a risk by appearing for this auction and to miss the big ticket IPL yet again would have been disappointing. That disappointment has sadly turned into an agitation of sorts with most Pak players coming out strongly against the way they were dealt with. I am however convinced that some of them would have made the cut if business made sense but it did not and quite rightly so.

The real newsmakers of the auction were the players who made millions. Speculative figures suggest that a guy named Pollard was bought at close to $2.5 million and that’s an astronomical amount for someone as little known as he is. I have not seen much of Pollard except the one innings in Champions League and therefore it’s really hard for me to even speculate the kind of impact that he will have for Mumbai Indians.

Apart from Pollard, Kiwi quickie Bond surprisingly raised a lot of money for a man with his physical fragility. What remains to be seen now is the number of overs his back or knee would allow him to justify a tag of more than a million dollars.

South African left arm pacer- Wayne Parnell- for me was the biggest surprise. He has hardly played for South Africa but was picked up for a lot by Delhi Daredevils. I was quite bewildered about Parnell being picked by Delhi with Nannes, Nehra and Sangwan - all left arm pacers- already in their ranks. Bond could have suited them better.

One last thing of note is the silent tie breaker and the fact that some of the final figures have gone undisclosed. I am not entirely convinced either by the idea of a silent tie-breaker or the non-disclosure of final figures by IPL management. I am sure it would be a good idea to know the cost of a player to better derive the ROI at the end of the tournament.

Read my older post for minute by minute details of how the auction unfolded.
http://expresssport.blogspot.com/2010/01/ipl-2010-auction.html

Dead pitches are killing cricket in India!

While I was watching India plunder the Lankan attack at Rajkot, I couldn’t help but wonder about the poor state of our wickets. When Lanka responded the way they did I was utterly shattered. My nationality was surely not the cause of this disappointment – remember India had won- but it was the utter disdain that the bowlers were treated with and I couldn’t help but despise the fans around me who hailed it as one of the great matches.

The match was a killer all right and everyone went home happy. India for being the winners, Lanka for coming that close to a 415 target and the viewers for getting every penny’s worth.

Yes, there were some outstanding knocks played and it was a close game of cricket and a last ball decision would suggest a thrilling encounter. I profoundly disagree as I could feel the thrill and excitement for only the last 30-40 balls of Srilankan innings and that sums up to mere 30 minutes of cricket. So what was happening for the rest of 6+ hours? All I can recall from those 6 odd hours is the fact that there were some mere mortals delivering the cricket ball and were being dismissed out to the woods- not much fun. Captain had nothing more to do but to try and hand over the ball to anyone who could go for less than 10 an over- really sad.

The true cricket fan would have surely missed the lack of fight between the ball and the bat- I did. I cannot see this taking our sport too far. Someone needs to realize that we are actually killing this sport with the kind of unsporting batting beauties. Soon individual 200 would be overwhelmed in a one day game and soon there will be a 25 ball hundred but would it all be worth? - I guess not.

There would soon be too many “Great” batsmen and too few “Great” bowlers and we would have a Coliseum where bowlers would step up to be slaughtered all in the name of entertainment. I shudder to think of that day but it’s not too far away. Cricket in India is at the gallows.

PS: A lot of talk has been centered on reviving test cricket. The test matches being played around the world over the last few weeks have been excellent advertisement for the game unlike ODI’s in our part of the world.

England v South Africa went till the last ball on day 5 while Windies came as close as 30 odd to upset the Aussies. Anyone who watched those games would agree that Test cricket is alive and kicking around the world and as I had mentioned earlier, just the pitches can make a world of difference to how the game can move forward.

We don't really need a major upheaval as perceived by too many expert voices rather we need the establishments- especially in India- to realize that their myopic view will kill our beloved sport- forever.

ICC set to revamp test Cricket!

A friend of mine reported on his blog that ICC is planning to introduce D&N test cricket soon to give the format a new lease of life. I am not all that convinced though.

International Cricket Council (ICC) has said it expects day-night test cricket within two years and described a world test cricket championship as a "work in progress".

Reuters reports that ICC president David Morgan said yesterday: "I'd be "surprised" if we don't see day-night test cricket within the next two years - surprised and disappointed."

I am huge fan of test cricket and in my opinion there is not too much wrong with the format except for the wickets and few other minor flaws.

Following is my comment on my friend’s blog:
"Too much to digest. D&N test cricket .. Well sounds interesting but appears only half baked.. There are too many issues to sort out before that happens and my guess is if ICC does not do enough home work it would turn out to be as ugly as the newly launched referral system."

"I wish some things can remain the way they are. White clothes, red cherry and day games. What needs to change is the state of wickets and grounds. Pitches if sporting can change the state of this sport. "

"I wish ICC can stick to basics rather than going for the jugular."

Read more at:
http://sportsbizfreak.blogspot.com/2009/12/test-cricket-to-get-face-lift.html

Sreesanth: Coming Back to Life

He was hailed as the next big thing in Indian cricket when he burst onto the international scene in 2006. Johannesburg was the ideal setting for a young and sprightly Indian and Sreesanth announced himself to the cricket world in style. He had the pace, the swing and he was moving the ball both ways- he was an enigma that Indian pace bowling had always lacked.

South Africans were humiliated in their own backyard and India did it with pace spearheaded by Sreesanth. The commentary team of experts scrutinized his bowling action, seam position, wrist position and myriad other positives to hail him India’s “Richard Hadlee”. That comparison in itself was ill conceived as Sreesanth would do well to be capped as many times as the number of scalps Sir Richard Hadlee had in ’85 series against the Aussies.

He however was every bit as good a bowler as he was hailed to be and he had the aggression too- well a little too much I guess. He had a rare streak of an entertainer too and he showed that with the “Dance” routine after hitting Nel for a six and then with the Amla incident for which he was quickly reprimanded.

It was clear as early as South Africa that this young lad had some temperamental issues to sort out. He needed some counseling and support from the people who run the sport but I guess he received none. India was still in SA when Sreesanth was criticized for his demeanor and his sometimes over the top on-field antics. While I was watching him closely those days I could sense trouble brewing slowly but surely. Sreesanth the entertainer was taking over the bowler in him and it hit the rock bottom with “Slapgate”. His scuffle with Harbhajan made him infamous and he soon lost confidence of the selectors- he had gone too far for their liking.

A young man was left distraught and he cried his way to cricketing obscurity after being slapped by his India team mate. He had a few injuries thereafter and he was all but out of India reckoning. He did not really help his cause as he made one headline after the other- none for cricketing reasons. He danced his way to reality television and was soon all over the print and television media with his dance show, celebrity linkups and brawls. He was more on page3 than where he belonged – the sports page.

It all went from bad to worse when he failed to turn up for Kerala camp following which he was given the final warning - for repeatedly violating the code of conduct. BCCI too issued a final warning in October 2009. All hope must have waned for a young and talented fast bowler and I am sure he would have been at least as surprised as I was when he was recalled to the India team. I would be lying if I said I was all hopeful for him as I was completely amazed to see him in the playing eleven.

Today, in a single day of test cricket, this young maverick has put all my doubts to rest- cricketing or otherwise. He has shown he still has the pace and movement he once flattered with. He has come alive on a slow track and has all but won the test match for India. How many fast bowlers have done that for us in the years gone by?

I am sure a lot of his detractors would still cast a doubt on his temperament but for me he is a different Sreesanth. His celebration after completing his 5-for was subdued as if to give out a signal of his true intent – of playing cricket to win matches for India. If Sreesanth is a changed man as he confessed after getting the elusive India call, he is making it amply clear and rightly so. I am doubly sure he now knows the importance of making quick amends and he has taken important steps today –not only by being superb with the ball but by also being restrained in his demeanor. Entertainer has taken a back seat and rightly so. Cricketer Sreesanth has finally arrived.

Ritchie Benaud sets retirement plans aside.

I switched on the TV to watch some sport early morning and while I was not really keen on Aus v WIndies test match that started today, I was hooked to the channel for a few minutes. The reason was Ritchie Benaud behind the mike and I remembered that this could be his swansong. Soon I was surfing the web and found that the man has decided to stay put for another 4 seasons albeit only in Australia. I am sure cricket followers across the globe would welcome his decision and hope he continues for as long as possible. Read the complete story at:

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,26350949-948,00.html

Benaud had earlier expressed his desire to quit commentating after the Australian summer this year. Benaud had said: "I’ll be doing Australian cricket next year – 2010 – but I don’t do any television at all anywhere else now and when I finish next year, then I’ll be doing other things. But that’ll be no more television commentary."

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/richie-benaud-retires-from-all-television-commentary/story-e6freuy9-1111118890878

Indian cricket sponsorship receives “lukewarm response”

What is going to happen to other sports is the big question?
http://sportsbizfreak.blogspot.com/2009/11/indian-cricket-sponsorship-receives.html

Ridiculous BCCI

It’s hard to believe but its true – BCCI does not seem to have an official website. There are throngs of other sites with same or similar names to add to the confusion. Now either BCCI is completely unaware of the utility of hosting on the web or they don’t really care. If I would have to a take call I would go with the latter. BBCI is notorious for being run unprofessionally and this is just another simple proof. It is completely disgusting for world’s richest cricket board and the one which dictates all cricket played in the world to have absolutely no interface on the web. Do you know of any decent sports body that is so utterly unabashed?

Unprofessionalism of our cricket board is an oft publicized phenomenon and the overall state of sports in India is perfectly well reflected by the actions of our cricket board. Indian cricket is lucky to have fanatical fans that make a beeline for third class cricket stadiums and completely chaotic experience of watching a match at one of our grounds. There is complete lack of world class infrastructure barring few new grounds. Average Indian cricket fan is often taken for a ride and there is absolutely no doubt that BCCI is a money guzzling authority that cannot care less for the poor Indian fan. Time and again we have heard voices advocating a professionally run organization at the helm of Indian cricket but sadly sports management in India is an offshoot of politics and that in itself is case in point of inefficiency and unprofessionalism that plagues our country.

Sad state of sports reporting!

It was a good game of cricket and as usual one team had to lose. The reason I am writing this post is beyond what happened on the field and is more about what happened on Indian news channels soon after. Aussies fought like tigers and produced some fantastic on field cricket to beat India in a close game.

Soon after the match was over I flipped to a news channel and I saw some cricket experts blaming the loss on a poor umpiring decision. Mr. Expert was so vehement in his approach and so unreasonable in his argument that no amount of reasoning from the news reporter could have changed his position. The argument went something like this:

News Anchor: So "expert", do you think a bad umpiring decision cost India the game?
Expert: (screaming) the decision was poor and this is not the first time as this happens all the time to our team. Sachin was so close to taking India to a fantastic win and to get to his landmark 17k but for a disastrous decision by Asoka d'Silva. He has been giving poor decisions against us for a long time now and has to be stopped. ICC needs to make sure such incompetent umpires are not allowed to officiate in big games.
News Anchor: But don't you think it was the failure of our middle order that was responsible?
Expert: Don't underestimate the importance of losing a set batsman who was anchoring the innings and the umpire made a blunder so he should be thrown out of the elite panel.

So I sat there wondering about the state of sports reporting and the incompetence of so called 'experts'. It appears that most channels and their expert commentators are so fraught with the idea of sensationalism that they completely overshadow the basic inspiration of reporting – TRUTH.

The truth part is conspicuous by its absence in every form of news reporting these days and sensation is so prevalent around news and entertainment channels that the real story is actually lost. The story I could not understand from last night’s news was that India lost a closely fought and thoroughly entertaining game of cricket to a superior opposition on the day.