Custom Search

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Gambhir and Dravid Make Centuries In Mohali Test India vs England 2nd test 2008

Gambhir and Dravid Make Centuries In Mohali Cricket Test Match India vs England 2nd test 2008


Score for the match Uptill Now 2nd Day---
G Gambhir    c Cook b Swann 
179

V Sehwag  c Prior b Broad 
0

R Dravid  c Panesar b Swann  
136

SR Tendulkar lbw b Swann  
11

VVS Laxman  lbw b Flintoff  0

Yuvraj Singh  Prior b Panesar 
27

Harbhajan Singh  Not Out 7

Total 388 Runs Fall of 6 WICKETS

                           Wickets
 JM Anderson 


      0

 SCJ Broad             1




 A Flintoff                1





 MS Panesar         1




 GP Swann            3




 PD Collingwood  0

England Team for this match----
AN CookAJ StraussIR BellcaptainKP PietersenA FlintoffPD Collingwood
MJ PriorGP SwannSCJ Broad,JM AndersonMS Panesar

Toss India, who chose to bat first

WATCH VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Umpires Asad Rauf (Pakistan) and DJ Harper (Australia)
TV umpire SL Shastri
Match referee JJ Crowe (New Zealand)
Reserve umpire VD Nerurkar

Close of play
day 1 - India 1st innings 179/1 (G Gambhir 106*R Dravid 65*72 ov)







Friday, October 17, 2008

Tendulkar breaks runs record

Tendulkar breaks runs record
Video sent by ITN

Sachin Tendulkar became the highest Test run scorer in history during the first innings of India's match against Australia.
For more information & Latest Hot Video, please VISIT us at http://www.yuvitube.com

Sachin breaks Lara's record, India News

Sachin breaks Lara's record, India News
Video sent by headlinesindia

Know how sachin surpassed Brian Lara's record of most runs in test cricket. For more news and updates keep logging our For more information & Latest Hot Video, please VISIT us at http://www.yuvitube.com

Saturday, October 11, 2008

India vs Australia, india news

India vs Australia, india news
Video sent by headlinesindia

Know India's score at close of the second day.

WATCH FULL VIDEO AT-- WWW.YUVITUBE.COM

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Osrick Ingredients Vintage Cricket

Osrick Ingredients Vintage Cricket
Video sent by osrick1


WATCH ALL THE LATEST HIT VIDEO NOW AT OUR NEW VIDEO SITE===
WWW.YUVITUBE.COM

Thursday, September 04, 2008

Micheal Hussey

Micheal Hussey
Video sent by cricketanytime

The huss in a funny moment. For more videos visit

Sachin Tendulkar Classic 100 Against England

Sachin Tendulkar Classic 100 Against England
Video sent by dafunvid

Sachin Tendulkar makes another test 100 (his 10th) against England with classic shots.. its a treat to watch

Monday, June 23, 2008

Test Cricket is Heart of Cricket


Tony Becca, Contributor

WHEN I was a boy, cricket was a simple game. In those days, cricket, club cricket, first-class cricket and Test cricket, was a game played two days, over three days, and over five days.

It was a game involving the use of a bat and a ball, it was a game in which runs were scored and, at the end of it, the team with the most runs was declared the winner.

If, however, the team batting second and last in a one-innings match or last in a two innings match, had not scored more runs that the other team, and had not been bowled out, the match was ruled a draw.

Sometimes, when the match was over, when there was no one else to bat and the runs were equal, it ended in a tie.

Over the years, however, some things have changed, and some of them understandably so.

In a bid to increase the pace of the game, to get rid of the draw, and to make it more exciting for the casual observer, the 50-over per side contest was, for example, introduced to add some spice to it.

Boring

Then, with some people eventually finding that version of the game boring, the 20 overs per side contest was introduced and nothing was wrong with any one of them - certainly not as far as I was concerned.

With the bowler attempting to get the batsman out - or rather to keep him quiet, with the batsman trying to hit the ball as far as possible, with the bat hitting the ball, and with the sweet sound of bat hitting ball, as far as I was concerned, it was still cricket.

For me, however, despite the excitement it brings to the game, in spite of the crowds it now attracts to the game, cricket is more than swinging one's bat and hoping.

Test of stamina

For me, cricket, apart from being a test of stamina, of physical strength, is a test of skill. It is skill versus skill, mental fortitude against mental fortitude.

For me, cricket is a contest between a bowler and a batsman with the bowler matching his skill against that of the batsman. The bowler goes through his bag of tricks in an attempt to get the batsman out, and the batsman defends those deliveries he does not feel he can attack and attacks those which he believes he can deal with.

For me, that is cricket, and it matters not how long it takes, or the result.

A draw, for example, can sometimes be as exciting as victory. In fact, sometimes a draw, with the last pair defending, and defending, with every man on the field around the bat for an hour or two, can be more dramatic, even more memorable, than a victory.

Loves longer version

That is why I love the longer version of the game and why it annoys me to see, as is happening around the world and even in England, the moves, the rush, to push something like Test cricket into the shade, while spreading the gospel of 20/20.

Next month, the counties of England will meet to discuss changes in the game and there will be changes to accommodate 20/20 and its flood of money.

While nothing is wrong with accommodating 20/20, while everything is good with welcoming 20/20 for what should be obvious reasons, there is no need to trouble the first-class game and Test cricket.

According to those who are looking at the almighty dollar - including those who talk glowingly about their love for and the importance of Test cricket, Test cricket is boring and people no longer watch it.

That, however, is not true.

For those who love cricket for what cricket is, and as cricket is, Test cricket, the highest level of the game, is the true test of the skills of the game and it is far from boring. In fact, to watch, for example, a skilled spin bowler flighting or looping the ball seductively, dropping it, tantalisingly, on a good length, spinning it this way and then that way, and disguising the type of spin in a battle against a batsman is a treat - and especially so if it happens over after over.

When the batsman goes back and confidently drives through the covers or skips down the pitch and confidently drives through the covers, there is no element of risk, no luck.

It is skill versus skill.

Heart of cricket

And when it comes to crowd support, it is also a myth that people do not appreciate Test cricket. In England and Australia, and particularly so when it is England versus Australia, people still flock the grounds; and the same is true in India and in South Africa.

Test cricket is still the heart of cricket, and money or no money, it should not be pushed aside, and especially so when the three versions - Test cricket, 50-over cricket and 20/20 - can live together and without a problem.

There is no reason why those who love cricket as cricket was and as cricket is should be forced to change and settle for something which, although they appreciate it, even though some enjoy it, they do not really love it.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Dhoni versus icons in IPL

 
The spoken word, Mahendra Singh Dhoni should have known, is like a poisoned arrow: once out of the bow, it can only hurt, cripple or kill. The other day, in a moment of heady weakness, he declared that one needs to send a strong message across at times. He was referring to his own moment of truth when he had to choose: between the tried and tested within the team and his young mates who had helped him win the Twenty20 World Cup.

It wasn't an easy choice, no doubt. The seniors in the squad had taken on the Australians gallantly; they were fired up and more than desperate for another shot at those scurrying 'roos. The so-called One-day specialists, on the other hand, weren't exactly on fire.

Dhoni eventually opted for the verve of youth and energy of fresh legs. The country responded indignantly; the experts felt it was a brave move, bordering on the suicidal. The selectors quickly washed off their hands, saying it was the captain's decision.

Dhoni received the bricks and the bats as they were mauled in the initial part of the Tri-series. But then, the tide turned. Pushed to the tipping point by the ill-mannered Aussies, the Indians found their feet slowly.

One or the other played pivotal knocks to resuscitate the team and slowly take it into the finals. Sachin Tendulkar, the last remnant from the old age, took over. India won the Tri-series for the first time ever; it was a victory for the cool-as-ice Dhoni too. Indeed, it was a proud moment for him, beating Australia in Australia.

But what prompted him to say what he eventually did? Was it just a festering wound that burst forth unexpectedly? Or was it a calculated outburst to actually send a message across (to the seniors)? Either ways, when he gets together with them again to prepare for the South Africa Test series, he may find himself on a bouncy track.

Even if the 'wise old men' ignore those barbs and welcome him with open arms, it will only be an uneasy calm. The storm will rage when the IPL gets under way, a couple of weeks after that. Because that is when the juniors will find themselves pitted against the seniors, along with the world's best all-weather players, for the first time.

That will be the time when the debate over old and young will finally be resolved. To understand the real value of a player, however, one just needs to look at the IPL. It is not for nothing that Tendulkar, Ganguly, Laxman and Dravid had been nominated icons by the BCCI. The Ishants and Uthappas might have gone for a ransom but the Gilchrists and Jayasuriyas were not too behind either.

Many might argue that the older ones are slower on the field and between the wickets too. True. But let us not forget that if one player can win a cricket match single-handedly, it is in this format. They would surely like to demonstrate it when the entire world is watching.

The seniors will be eager to have a go at Twenty20 for another reason: it was this very game that saw them first being harangued and ostracised; it was this very concept that split the team into two halves. They would surely want to show Dhoni and his dazzlers a thing or two about instant cricket and non-stop hitting.

Dhoni's Chennai is easily one of the stronger outfits in the IPL; he begins with a massive advantage on that count. Despite that if his team triumphs, all debates and arguments will come to a grinding halt. Otherwise, the same words, the same poisonous arrows, will come back to haunt him.

Pataudi, Gavaskar, Shastri to pick IPL Player of the League

NEW DELHI: Former captains Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri will be part of a panel to select the 'Player of the League' in the forthcoming DLF Indian Premier League.

The player winning the award will be presented a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh by title sponsors DLF Limited.

"In Pataudi, Gavaskar and Shastri, we have a truly world class panel of adjudicators, as these are cricketers that have been successful cricketing icons on the world stage," Chairman and Commissioner of IPL Lalit Modi said.

The IPL will start on April 18 with Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders taking on business tycoon Vijay Mallya's Bangalore Royal Challengers at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Fantasy cricket becomes reality at last

We are fantasy sport crazy. Google lists 1.5 million fantasy league websites, covering sports as diverse as football, clay pigeon shooting and drag racing. The Daily Telegraph's fantasy football competition has over 250,000 participants, and the cricket version is not far behind. Labelling yourself a sports fan is sometimes a euphemism for 'I know better' and newspapers have been smart to cotton on to a sports fan's craving to prove it by paying to select their own teams.

  • 'Pick your own' is second nature to cricketers used to killing rainy afternoons compiling lists of the best sledgers or Ugly XIs, and Fantasy Cricket was the inevitable result. Now, with the impending launch of the Indian Premier League, fantasy has become reality.
  • India's MS Dhoni
    Cash bonanza: India's MS Dhoni could be a snip at $400,000

    Cricket's answer to football's Champions League, and not to be confused with the renegade Indian Cricket League (ICL) which has recently been concluded, is a chance for eight money-wielding grandees to pick and play their ultimate cricket team in a ground-breaking twenty20 tournament.

    The bidding for 90 of the world's best players starts next week. Cricket has been waiting for the future for quite a while, and it has finally arrived. For the first time since Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket in the Seventies, top players from each Test-playing country will be mixed and matched. Sachin Tendulkar could be batting with Mohammad Yousuf for Mumbai, against Glenn McGrath and Muttiah Muralitharan bowling for Bangalore. It will be compelling and explosive. And that's just the player auction at the Indian Cricket Board's headquarters in Mumbai next week.

    Wielding their bulging corporate wallets like golden lassoos will be Mukesh Ambani, chairman of Reliance Industries and India's second richest man with a personal wealth of $20 billion (£10 billion), Vijay Mallya, India's answer to Richard Branson, owner of the Kingfisher group, a number of other heavyweight industrialists and two major Bollywood stars, Preity Zinta and Shah Rukh Khan.

    Cricket is a fat cats' battleground in India and it will get ugly and expensive as the corporate giants stampede to sign the most sought-after players such as Mahendra Singh Dhoni or Ricky Ponting.

    Into this megabucks mix will step an Englishman relatively unknown in Indian circles. Born in Mumbai but brought up in north London, where he played cricket for Stanmore, the entrepreneur Manoj Badale caused a bit of a stir when he purchased the commercial rights to Leicestershire CCC three years ago, then launched the Pop Idol-style talent programme Cricket Star on Indian TV last year.

    But that was nothing compared to his stealthy acquisition of the eighth of the IPL franchises from under the noses of half a dozen other Indian bigwigs a fortnight ago. Badale's bid partnership with Rupert Murdoch's eldest son Lachlan pledged only £33 million for the Jaipur team franchise, just over half what Ambani paid for Mumbai, but it entitles him to realise his selectorial fantasy just the same. He can pick from the draft of contracted players who have all been designated minimum salaries.

    Each franchise can have as many as eight non-Indian players in their 16-man squad (though you can only have a maximum of four overseas players on the field) and must spend $3.3-5 million assembling their team. This means an average player's salary of $250,000 for about six weeks' work. The only people salivating more than the players are their agents.

    Already the owners are compiling their wish lists. Pairing, say, Sanath Jayasuriya with Chris Gayle at the top of the order (costing at least $500,000) is a mouth-watering prospect, or partnering Murali and Shane Warne with the ball. The fact that Warne is missing the first month of the season with Hampshire to take part is an indicator of the pulling power of the IPL.

    Subject to ongoing negotiations with their board, most of the current Australian team in the list won't be available this year (nor any English players) because of country versus county clashes, but they can still be secured for forthcoming competitions, such as the Champions League-style event in the autumn, featuring the Twenty20 champions from all over the world.

    Four iconic players have been pre-allocated. Tendulkar will play for his home city of Mumbai, Rahul Dravid for Bangalore, Yuvraj Singh for Mohali and Sourav Ganguly for Calcutta. The rest will be drafted in the private auction when owners will supply their choices and be forced to bid up their favourites. It is literally going to be a case of "Lot One, Anil Kumble! Who will start the bidding at $250,000?"

    Now is the time to consider whether McGrath is really worth $300,000 (especially as all players must be signed for three years), if Viranda Sehwag is a steal at $200,000, whether Herschelle Gibbs is a busted flush and why the man rapidly emerging as the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the world, Sri Lanka's Prasanna Jayawardene, has no reserve bid value at all.

    Monday, January 07, 2008

    Harbhajan Singh was banned for three tests

    BHAJJI BANNED: Harbhajan Singh has been banned for 3 Tests for racially abusing Australia's Andrew Symonds.

    BHAJJI BANNED: Harbhajan Singh has been banned for 3 Tests for racially abusing Australia's Andrew Symonds.

     
    Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was banned for three tests on racial abuse charges, but what is interesting to note is that it was an Australian player who was first to be banned in the history of cricket for racial abuse.

    Darren Lehmann of Australia was suspended for five-day ODIs over a racial remark in the earshot of the Sri Lankan dressing room during the 2002-03 cricket series.

    Lehmann shouted an obscenity during a triangular One-Day International against Sri Lanka in Brisbane — this after he was run-out in a match during the series.

    But since then, the Australians claim they have been on the receiving end. During the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, Australian wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist accused his Pakistani counterpart Rasheed Latif of racial abuse.

    Rasheed Latif was later cleared by the ICC of racism due to lack of evidence against him, but Indian off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh was not so lucky.

    Bhajji was banned for three tests on Sunday night after he was found guilty of racial abuse for allegedly calling Australian all-rounder, Andrew Symonds "a monkey".

    India has now launched a counter-attack against Australia by charging Oz spinner Brad Hogg with using abusive language during the second Test.

    The Indians lodged a formal complaint during Harbhajan's disciplinary hearing.

    The Indian team management says Hogg called some Indian players 'bastards'. Match referee Mike Procter has accepted India's complaint and a separate hearing will be held in Perth.

    Meanwhile, controversial umpire Steve Bucknor has been removed from officiating in the third Test in Perth.

    Bucknor and fellow umpire Mark Benson were responsible for a string of bad decisions in the second Test in Sydney that went against India.

    Both the Indian team management and the BCCI lodged complaints with the ICC against Steve Bucknor, asking for his removal from the remaining matches.

    India-Australia Cricket Tour in Jeopardy?

    The Indian cricket team, scheduled to leave for Canberra today after their defeat in the second Test against Australia, were still at their hotel in Sydney after boarding the bus and waiting for two hours. They are reportedly awaiting instructions from the BCCI. The BCCI has filed an appeal against Harbhajan Singh's suspension, and stated that he would continue to play until the decision on the appeal.

    The ICC might suspend the ban on Harbhajan amidst speculation that the tour might be called off after the controversies surrounding the second Test, and the three-match ban handed down to Harbhajan Singh after allegations of racial abuse. This would be a black mark on his career. The Indian captain, Anil Kumble, had earlier said that only one team played in the spirit of the game. Various umpiring decisions had also been questioned, and Bucknor been asked to be removed for the third test in Perth from January 16th.

    Ricky Ponting believed the tour would go ahead. Cricket Australia quoted assurances from the BCCI President, Mr. Sharad Pawar. The BCCI would have to pay a $2.3 million fine if they cancelled the tour. The team's continued stay in Sydney has, however, been backed by the Board, at least until the appeal is filed with the ICC. A statement signed by Mr. Pawar noted in part,

    The game of cricket is paramount but so too is the honour of India's cricket team and every Indian,...The BCCI is committed to protect the country's fair name. India's national commitment is against racism. Our national struggle is based on values which negate racism.

    Bad umpiring makes IT good for Indian companies

     If Indian cricket's bugbear, Steve Bucknor, were to be ever judged in his umpiring with the help of computer software, don't be surprised if an Indian company happens to be behind it.

    With its track record in software much better than in cricket, India now wants to benefit from the business opportunity from bad decisions. A string of software start-ups as well as the biggest outsourcing companies have developed solutions that can capture cricketing motions and analyse them real-time so that better decisions can be made if the umpire is inclined. At least, one software ranks cricket umpire on five grades of quality.

    Bangalore-based Swantha Software Solutions, co-founded by former Indian allrounder Vijay Bharadwaj, made a sales pitch two months ago to Ross Turner, Cricket Australia's game development manager for its umpiring applications software 3rdEYE.

    An company official said a demo was given and the decision is awaited. The ongoing India-Australia cricket series has erupted into a controversy after India lost the second test match from a strong position, which some attributed to bad umpiring.

    "In the wake such poor decision-making, our software can definitely provide a solution to improve the standards in umpiring if given the chance," says Swantha co-founder Sanjay Rao. "Most of the times, the whole match depends upon the decisions of an umpire, like it happened in the recent India-Australia Test match. We can monitor these decisions using the 3rdEYE on a real time basis."

    This software can aggregate all the data analysis at the end of a match and qualify the umpire's performance as excellent, good, satisfactory, poor or bad, the judgement being made without human intervention. "Using this software, we can judge how good the umpire is giving at decisions, especially during the crucial stages of the match," Rao said.

    The software was used in the recent Karnataka-Mumbai Ranji Trophy encounter, where the local umpiring coach monitored the umpires' performance. The International Cricket Council (ICC) created a buzz five years ago, when it gave an order to Phoenix Global Solutions for its e-Cricket Pro software.

    The plan was to use this piece of coding for umpire training. Phoenix was later acquired by India's largest outsourcing company Tata Consultancy Services. However, the plan seems to be simmering on the backburner now.

    TCS's rival, Satyam Computer Services, is also getting into cricket software, estimated currently to be a tiny Rs 100 crore but set to grow exponentially. Satyam has incorporated a sports solution division and is researching for a software product.

    "We are in the pilot mode for most of the software and should be ready to make a pitch to various cricket boards in another 3 months," says Satyam head of sports practice Dilbag Gill. Satyam is developing three different solutions for tests, one-day internationals and twenty20 matches.

    "Cricket is a ball-to-ball game and therefore it makes it easier for technology to step in due to the gap (between balls) in the game, which in turn can allow for technology for repairing umpire mistakes in real-time," Mr Gill says. Chennai-based Meru Consultants and Technologies sees the umpiring community as a market.

    Its software is already used to analyse player performance in Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, apart from India. Now, the company plans to include an umpiring add-on. "The weekend row over controversial umpiring decisions have definitely spawned an opportunity for companies like us to take to this sector. It will definitely trigger a market for this product," says Meru CEO P Sankaran.

    India, Australia, cricket captains told to make peace

    The head of Cricket Australia has sought to ease tensions between the Australian and Indian teams, calling on the captains of both sides to enter peace talks.

    There is renewed doubt over the future of the remainder of the test series with the Indian side told to stay in Sydney and await further instruction, despite being scheduled to travel to Australia's capital, Canberra, for a tour match.

    The Indians are angry about the umpiring in the second test and their captain has accused Australia of not playing in the spirit of the game.

    Cricket Australia's Chief Executive James Sutherland says to some extent, Kumble's comments are understandable.

    "It was a classic test match; it went right down to the wire," he said.

    "Anil Kumble had a fantastic test match as a captain and as a player and no doubt he was disappointed in the end."

    Australia-India Cricket Dispute Won't Damage Ties

    A dispute between the Australian and Indian cricket teams over an alleged racist slur won't damage diplomatic relations between the two nations, Australia's Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said.

    India's cricket authorities are appealing a three-match ban on spin bowler Harbhajan Singh for allegedly calling Andrew Symonds, Australia's only black player, a ``monkey.'' The dispute may result in India cutting short its tour in Australia.

    ``Cricket has its ups and downs,'' Smith told reporters yesterday when asked about the dispute. He stressed his government is intent on pursuing stronger ties with India.

    India is Australia's fastest-growing major goods export market, increasing at more than 34 percent a year over the past five years, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra. Australia last year agreed to supply uranium to the South Asian nation, subject to a civilian nuclear energy accord between the U.S. and India being completed.

    The Board of Control for Cricket in India ``will fight the blatantly false and unfair slur on an Indian player,'' Niranjan Singh, honorary secretary of the Indian board, said in a statement yesterday.

    Indian cricket captain Anil Kumble accused Australia of unsportsmanlike conduct after his team's loss in the second Test match in Sydney two days ago. Australia and India are playing a four-Test series with the third scheduled to begin Jan. 16.

    No Problems

    ``I don't see any problems in the relationship arising from the Test series,'' Smith told reporters in the western city of Perth, according to a transcript. ``Australia needs to place greater emphasis on its relationship with India. In the course of this century, the emergence of India as a very significant power, the largest democracy, its relationship with Australia is very important.''

    Australia's trade in goods with India reached A$11.4 billion ($9.9 billion) in 2006-07, making India its ninth largest trading partner, according to government figures.

    Japan is Australia's biggest trading partner, with trade worth A$54.9 billion in 2006. China is the second-biggest, with the relationship worth A$41.3 billion in 2006.

    Prime Minister John Howard's government, which was ousted in the Nov. 24 election after 11 years in office, pursued closer ties with India. It signed an accord in 2006 on defense cooperation and an economic framework agreement focusing on energy, mining, infrastructure development, tourism, education, entertainment and bio-technology.

    ``Australia and India, both through cricket and generally, will continue to have a very warm, friendly and strong relationship,'' Smith said.

     

    Cricket tour on brink of collapse

    Cricket tour on brink of collapse

    India's cricket tour of Australia was on the brink of collapse on Monday after a damaging row over racial abuse, poor umpiring and unsportsmanlike behaviour that could undermine relations between the two countries.

    Officials said it was unacceptable that the word of Sachin Tendulkar, one of India's most revered players, was apparently not accepted by the match referee, while that of three Australian players was. The BCCI said it would appeal to the International Cricket Council to review the decision.

    India's refusal to let its national side proceed to the next fixture in the Test series presents the world's cricketing authorities with a stark display of its financial muscle. The size of its middle class television audiences has turned India into the financial powerhouse of world cricket in recent years.

    The dispute followed a dramatic climax to the second Test in Sydney, which Australia won in the closing minutes of the final day's play. Australia had earlier staged a comeback when Symonds scored 162 runs, but only after a poor umpiring decision that should have seen him out for 30.

    Anil Kumble, India's captain, immediately condemned Australia's victory amid charges of incompetent umpiring.

    "Only one team is playing in the spirit of the game," Kumble said, invoking bitter memories of Australia's anger in the 1930s when England adopted "bodyline" tactics to hamper legendary batsman Donald Bradman and beat Australia.

    "Unfair allegations of racism against our Indian player is wholly unacceptable," Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president who is also a senior government minister, said.

    "The game of cricket is paramount but so too is the honour of the Indian team and for that matter every Indian.

    "The BCCI is committed to protect the country's fair name. India's national commitment is against racism. Our national struggle is based on values which negate racism," he said.

    The Indian team was due to travel to Canberra on Monday to prepare for their next tour match but were ordered to return to their hotel rooms after waiting on a bus for close to two hours.

    The BCCI risks a fine of up to $2m if it pulls out of the tour and could be liable to reimburse Cricket Australia for any losses incurred.

    Australia lead the four-match series 2-0.

    Administrators accused of bowling a googly

    Threats by the Board of Control for Cricket in India to call off the Australian tour could do more than sour relations Down Under – they could unravel the financial fabric of the modern game, Joe Leahy writes in Mumbai.

    Sponsors, advertisers and the stadiums have hundreds of millions of dollars riding on the tour and even a delay could lead to losses and damage confidence in future tournaments. "No one realises the significance of this. This is not about a tour being called off, this is about cricket being hit in the belly," said Suhel Seth, managing partner for Counselage, a strategic brand management and marketing consultancy. "This is about a googly being bowled at the game by the administrators of the game."

    In cricket-crazy India, the game is the main vehicle for sports sponsorship and is controlled by a virtual monopoly, the BCCI.

    India accounts for about 70 per cent of the global cricket revenue and the business surrounding the sport is likely to grow.

    But any move by the BCCI to severely delay or cancel the tour would have serious repercussions and could force big advertisers, to reconsider their approach to sponsoring the sport.

    Monkey business? Symonds compared to Hanuman

    FACE-OFF: Australian paper Courier Mail published this pic of Symonds with his face superimposed on Hanuman's body.

    FACE-OFF: Australian paper Courier Mail published this pic of Symonds with his face superimposed on Hanuman's body.

     
    An Australian newspaper on Tuesday published a picture of Andrew Symonds with his face superimposed on Hanuman's body, giving a comic touch to the racial slur furore in the Sydney Test.

    'Symonds baney Hanuman' ran the caption on the photograph in the Courier Mail, which was beamed by some Indian TV channels on Monday night.

    The photograph was published a day after off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was banned for three Tests after ICC Match referee Mike Procter upheld the Australian charge that he had racially abused all-rounder Symonds by calling him a "monkey".

    Meanwhile, the Sydney-based United Indian Association (UIA) expressed deep concern at the ban.

    The Australian quoted UIA president Raj Natarajan as saying that since the Monkey God is one of the revered idols of Hindu mythology and worshipped by millions, it is surprising it was considered a racist term.

    Even more surprising is that the word monkey is considered by the match referee serious enough to slap a three-match ban on Harbhajan Singh, the Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying.

    UIA members felt the Australian team behaved in an unsporting manner during their 22-run win over India in the second Test at the SCG on Sunday.

    The UIA represents various migrant community groups of Indian origin in Australia.

    Your Ad Here

    by TemplatesForYouTFY
    SoSuechtig, Burajiru