RP's first over worst in Test history: Botham

London: Fast bowling legends Wasim Akram and Ian Botham criticised Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to open the bowling with RP Singh during the morning session of the fourth and final Test here at The Oval on Thursday. RP's first over saw five gentle looseners go down the leg side, inviting the wrath of cricket pundits here.While Botham called it 'the worst first over he had ever seen in a Test match', Akram said that Zaheer Khan's replacement (RP) should have reached UK soon after the Lord's Test. [...]

4th Test: Bell, KP give England control

London: Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell's second century of the series on Friday put England firmly in control as they reached 457/3 at Stumps on day two of the fourth Test against India at The Oval.Pietersen, who was unlucky to fall just before Stumps, scored 175 and added a mammoth 350 runs with Bell who remained not out for 181. [...]

BCCI opts for DRS in home series against England, West Indies

New Delhi: The Indian cricket board, which has had a reputation of opposing on-field technologies, may be turning a new leaf.BCCI has volunteered to use the Decision Review System, including Hawk-Eye, ultra-motion as well as Hot Spot and snickometer (both to be used for the first time in India for a bilateral series), in the upcoming home series against England and the West Indies. [...]

Pace sensation Aaron awaits Indian call

New Delhi: As India cries out for a pace bowler to add some much-needed bite to its depleted attack, one man in the frame to become a future new ball spearhead believes speed alone cannot guarantee success.Mahendra Singh Dhoni may be Jharkhand's most notable contribution to Indian cricket but Varun Aaron was able to share some of the skipper's limelight earlier this year when he bowled what many believe to be the fastest delivery by an Indian. [...]

RP Singh is not fit to be Zaheer Khan's replacement

Four years ago when India last toured England, the wiry, whippy Singh was a bit of a surprise package, working in tandem with Zaheer Khan to dart the ball through England defences with zippy swing. India won the series 1-0.Now, fattened on the lucrative land of the IPL, Singh waddles to the wicket in the manner of a club seamer, his speed barely above military medium, the swing mainly onto the middle of the bat. [...]

BCCI responsible for Indian team's debacle in England: Mushtaq

Karachi: Former Pakistan Test captain Mushtaq Mohammad has blamed the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) for the debacle of the Indian team in England where it has lost the Test series and its number one ranking."The BCCI is very much responsible for poor planning of this tour. They thought their cricketers were machines and are being treated like machines. They (the players) can't play day in day out, they are human beings and they do get tired both physically and mentally and they do need rest," Mushtaq said. [...]

Big Five promise exciting times ahead in the fight for top slot in Tests

England, India, South Africa, Australia and Sri Lanka are clearly the top five teams in Tests in contemporary cricket. While England is ranked No 1, until a week ago India were in the top spot. But the fact is there is very little to choose among the top five teams - in all formats. [...]

We are not a Test-loving nation, says Pataudi

Mumbai: Did Test cricket ever really enjoy top precedence in India? Will a series-win in Australia ever match the emotional high of a World Cup triumph?Former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi reckoned the problem lies with the fans who are more attracted to the shorter versions of the game. "We are not like Australia or England, where crowds live and die by Test cricket. [...]

God save Indian cricket from the BCCI

London: Four and a half years ago, England were whitewashed 5-0 in the Ashes in Australia. Today, they are not only deservingly No. 1 in the rankings, but could be hard to dislodge in the immediate future.So, the lesson here is that in theory India need not despair, except that, unlike England, they have a 'major liability in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is almost an insurmountable hurdle. [...]

Oval Test critical for India, cricket

London: India landed in England as the top-ranked Test side in the world and with their heads high, repeating a rare feat - winning back-to-back Test series in England – was more than a likelihood. But a 3-0 scoreline with one Test to go suggests that not only India but Test cricket too needs resuscitation at The Oval. [...]

Future looks bleak for Indian cricket

The knives are out. Not surprising in our country where we are keen to worship victory and only the victors. Nothing less than a win is expected from our cricket team. To us cricketers are machines and the selectors made us believe good amount of money paid to cricketers must churn out sure-wins. The performing captain Dhoni made us believe that we will never lose the top rating in the ICC team ranking. [...]

Collapse of the top order

With the England tour subjecting Indian cricket fans to a rude awakening from what has been a fairytale year, the panic button has been pressed. But finger-pointing and blame-game won’t take Indian cricket very far. The fact is, the current Indian Test squad isn’t the best in the world, with the numerous injuries and loss of form that key players have been faced with. A dearth of preparation time is apparent as the stalwarts are succumbing to both injuries and the elements. Scheduling has been blamed, as has fatigue. [...]

We are very optimistic, Anderson is fit to play: Strauss

London: England captain Andrew Strauss said on Wednesday his pace spearhead James Anderson would be fit for the fourth and the final Test against India starting at The Oval on Thursday. Anderson, who complained of stiffness in his right thigh after the Edgbaston Test, attended the full nets sessions at The Oval and a visibly happy Strauss said he was "very optimistic" that Anderson would be available for selection. Anderson, who has 18 wickets in the series, is the No.2 bowler in the World Test rankings. [...]

India’s flop show takes fizz out of Sachin’s 100th ton hype

NEW DELHI: Capture 99 moments; one more to go', announces Canon's latest campaign. Sounds like a decent marketing plan? Only, the Japanese photographic and digital imaging firm's campaign to celebrate Sachin Tendulkar's century number 100 is stuck. Because Indian cricket fans are no longer talking about the master batsman's great feat. The Indian cricket team's disastrous performance in its ongoing series in England has left corporates such as Coca-Cola, Canon and Future Group stranded halfway down the pitch with their plans to cash in on Sachin's 100th century. [...]

BCCI should be unbiased if India have to recover: Akram

New Delhi: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has said it is time the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) looked towards investigating India's Test drubbing against England."I understand the BCCI is going to probe the reasons for the Test humiliation. While it is a welcome move, I only hope that it will not be a one-sided investigation. Wealth should not blind wisdom," the legendary fast bowler wrote in his column in a sports website. [...]

BCCI snubbed my offer to Team India: Engineer

London: Former stumper Farokh Engineer on Wednesday said that he had offered his services to coach Duncan Fletcher as an unpaid advisor for Team India for the ongoing Test series but was snubbed by the BCCI."Before the series began, I offered my services to the team for free as an unpaid consultant, but I didn't get any response," Engineer was quoted as saying in the 'Manchester Evening News'. [...]

We are not sleeping so don't need wake-up calls: Dhoni

London: Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Wednesday snubbed reports suggesting that the defeats against England had come as a wake-up call to the Indian team while admitting that his side had not performed well.Team India has lost three consecutive matches in their toughest tour after the World Cup win and had come under much scrutiny for not taking Test cricket seriously. [...]

England cherish Dravid's wicket more than Tendulkar's

London: Spinner Graeme Swann says that among the Indian batsmen, it was the wicket of Rahul Dravid that England cricket team cherished the most.India master blaster lkar is stuck on 99 international centuries with a series top score of 56. In contrast, Dravid has been India's only century-maker in the series with tons in first two Tests. [...]

Next challenge for England is to become no 1 in ODI’s: Vaughan

London: As England cherish their ascendancy to the top of Test cricket with three successive wins over India, former captain Michael Vaughan said the next challenge will be to rule the one-day rankings. "We also want to see them become the world number one team in one-day cricket too. That is the next challenge," Vaughan said. [...]

Got chewed up and spat out: Matt Prior

London: England wicketkeeper Matt Prior has revealed that he had a "ridiculously rough time" when he first came into the team and said thoughts of quitting keeping crossed his mind as he was "chewed up and spat out"."I've been through the mill a bit," said Prior, who lifted his team from a precarious situation to victory with an unbeaten 103 during the first match of the ongoing Test series against India at Lord's. "I got a ridiculously rough time when I first came into the England team. I got chewed up and spat out. [...]