Kings tower over Knights

West Indies dismisses Aussies for 311

Fast bowler Kemar Roach completed a five-wicket haul on Monday as West Indies bowled out Australia for 311 on the stroke of tea on a rain-hit second day of the second test.

Roach finished with 5-105 from 27 overs as Australia extened its overnight score of 208-5 by 103 runs in the first two sessions at Queen's Park Oval.

Michael Hussey top-scored with 73 and shared a seventh-wicket stand of 89 with James Pattinson, who contributed 32. The pair came together in the second over of the day when Matthew Wade on 11 edged Roach to Darren Bravo at second slip.

Australia took lunch on 267-6 but was stalled by a rain delay of close to two hours in the afternoon.

Upon resumption, Hussey and Pattinson continued to build the innings before there was a late fall of wickets with spin finally doing the trick for the hosts.

Offspinner Narsingh Deonarine removed Hussey to a driven catch to extra cover. The batsman struck four fours and a six in 208 balls and four hours.

In the next over, Pattinson's 119-ball knock was ended when he skied the bal on to the off side off a leading edge when facing Shillingford. The fast bowler hit five fours.

Roach returned to wrap up the tail, bowling Ben Hilfenhaus for 5 and trapping last man Michael Beer 2 lbw in successive overs.

Scoreboard:

David Warner c Sammy b Shillingford 29

Ed Cowan lbw b Roach 28

Shane Watson c Barath b Shillingford 56

Ricky Ponting c Sammy b Roach 7

Michael Clarke c Shillingford b Deonarine 45

Michael Hussey c Brathwaite b Deonarine 73

Matthew Wade c Bravo b Roach 11

James Pattinson c Bravo b Shillingford 32

Ben Hilfenhaus b Roach 5

Nathan Lyon not out 7

Michael Beer lbw b Roach 2

Extras: (5b, 5lb, 1w, 5nb) 16

TOTAL: (all out) 311

Overs: 135.

Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-65, 3-83, 4-167, 5-178, 6-208, 7-297, 8-297, 9-309.

Bowling: Fidel Edwards 23-11-45-0 (1nb), Kemar Roach 27-5-105-5 (1w, 3nb), Darren Sammy 16-6-27-0, Shane Shillingford 46-17-92-3 (1nb), Narsingh Deonarine 20-6-32-2.

West Indies: Adrian Barath, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Carlton Baugh, Darren Sammy, Kemar Roach, Shane Shillingford, Fidel Edwards.

Umpires: Marais Erasmus, South Africa, and Ian Gould, England.

TV umpire: Tony Hill, New Zealand. Match referee: Jeff Crowe, New Zealand.

Mumbai has no clue against the Daredevils

It was over as soon as it started for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League match against Delhi Daredevils here on Monday. The team lost its openers with just five runs on the board as promising left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem got rid of both Richard Levi and Davy Jacobs.

Mumbai Indians never got going after the early setbacks and eventually was drubbed by seven wickets in its backyard. Delhi Daredevils, with its strong batting line-up, had no problems as it reached the target in 14.5 overs.

Led efficiently by Virender Sehwag, Delhi held the stranglehold right through the match to notch up its third win.

Missing Malinga

MI appears to be clueless without Sachin Tendulkar. On Monday there was another casualty in its ranks to add to its woes. Lasith Malinga did not figure on the team sheet and there was no official statement from MI with regard to Malinga's indisposition.

The Wankhede Stadium surface appears to play tricks when Levi is on strike and while facing left-arm spinners. The world's fastest century maker in T20s had no clue against Pune Warriors' Murali Kartik and also against Brad Hogg of Rajasthan Royals.

Sehwag tossed the new ball to left-arm seamer Irfan Pathan, but did not waste time ushering in Nadeem. The 22-year-old Nadeem, who plays for Jharkhand in the Ranji Trophy, sent down impressive spells in his three previous matches in IPL-V but with minimal rewards.

His fourth match proved successful. With his guile and craft he got the wickets of Jacobs and Levi in the first two overs and put his team in a commanding position.

Bowling from round the wicket, he flummoxed Jacobs with an orthodox delivery and then sent back Levi, who under-edged an arm-ball that hit the upper half of the middle stump. The big-hitting South African seems to have become a bunny to left-arm spinners at the Wankhede.

Then Rohit Sharma took his chances and survived before falling victim to Ross Taylor's superb judgment in the deep; Kieron Pollard was the second batsman to hit a ball in the direction of Taylor.

Test for Taylor

On Sunday evening, Daredevils had put the Kiwi through a rigorous fitness test, checked out his catching and fielding ability. Later, team mentor T.A. Sekar said it would be difficult to keep the New Zealand captain out of the playing XI. And Taylor proved his worth on the field.

Fine bowling by spinner Nadeem, sharp and incisive spells by Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav assisted by splendid fielding by Yogesh Nagar and Taylor left MI reeling at 44 for six.

Mumbai skipper Harbhajan and his partnership with IPL debutant — Australian Clint Mckay — eventually helped Mumbai post 92.

Scoreboard:

Mumbai Indians: R. Levi b Nadeem 1 (4b), D. Jacobs b Nadeem 0 (10b), Rohit c Taylor b Agarkar 29 (27b, 5x4), A. Rayudu (run out) 4 (11b), K. Pollard c Taylor b Yadav 1 (3b), D. Karthik c Pietersen b Yadav 3 (4b), Harbhajan c N. Ojha b M. Morkel 33 (22b, 5x4, 1x6), C. McKay c Yadav b Irfan 8 (15b), R.P. Singh b M. Morkel 0 (4b), P. Ojha b Agarkar 3 (12b), Munaf (not out) 1 (5b); Extras (lb-4, nb-2, w-3): 9; Total (in 19.2 overs): 92.

Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Jacobs), 2-5 (Levi), 3-30 (Rayudu), 4-38 (Pollard), 5-41 (Rohit), 6-44 (Karthik), 7-78 (McKay), 8-80 (R.P. Singh), 9-89 (Harbhajan).

Delhi Daredevils bowling: Irfan 4-1-12-1, Nadeem 4-0-16-2, M. Morkel 4-1-22-2, Agarkar 3.2-0-27-2, Yadav 4-0-11-2.

Delhi Daredevils: N. Ojha c Harbhajan b R.P. Singh 13 (15b, 2x4), V. Sehwag c Levi b P. Ojha 32 (36b, 2x4, 1x6), K. Pietersen c Jacobs b R.P. Singh 9 (8b, 1x4), M. Jayawardene (not out) 17 (20b, 1x4), R. Taylor (not out) 11 (10b, 1x4); Extras (lb-5, w-6): 11; Total (for three wkts. in 14.5 overs): 93.

Fall of wickets: 1-34 (N. Ojha), 2-52 (Pietersen), 3-74 (Sehwag).

Mumbai Indians bowling: Munaf 3-1-15-0, R.P. Singh 4-0-24-2, McKay 3-0-24-0, P. Ojha 4-0-19-1, Pollard 0.5-0-6-0.

Man-of-the-match: S. Nadeem.

‘Temperament is his best quality'

His grooming is steeped in tradition and he just follows his coach's guidance at this crucial stage of his cricketing career.

The left-hander is a key batsman in Rajasthan Royals' scheme of things and his knock against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday has gone a long way in convincing the 21-year-old that he is on the right track.

Rajasthan has had a history of producing some exceptional players of spin.

Hanumant Singh and Parthasarthi Sharma were batsmen rated high by old-timers who aver their footwork was the most gifted. Menaria has a legacy to look up to. Only, he also knows his limitations very well.

His coach, Manoj Chaudhary, has worked hard, making Menaria remember the importance of keeping his head down. “Stardom is not the key to success in cricket. You make a hundred in the first innings and nothing in the second. It always helps to stay humble and concentrate on learning a lesson every day,” says Chaudhary of his attitude towards training the young cricketers.

Perfect platform

For Menaria, also a left-arm spinner who is yet to realise his bowling potential, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just the platform to express his talent.

“It has been a fine learning process,” said Menaria.

Menaria loves to strike the ball. The T20 format encourages such a style. But his normal game is not to loft and heave. He is good at grinding the bowlers even though an IPL contest does not allow him the freedom to take time to settle down.

It helps Menaria that he is comfortable playing the ball on either side of the wicket.

The 230 against Railways was a landmark performance last season and showed the patient side of his batting. “His temperament is his best quality,” says Chaudhary. Menaria too agrees. “One has to be patient. You can't hit every ball.”

Twenty minutes of madness made the difference: Gilchrist

Adam Gilchrist said after KXIP's second straight defeat in the DLF-IPL-V that it's difficult for any team to play “flawless Twenty20.”

“I have not seen it; certainly it's difficult to see it happen over a stretch of 16 games. I am yet to see a team play a perfect game. Any team can beat any other team,” said Gilchrist.

KXIP had lost the first league match to Rajasthan Royals and Gilchrist has to find quick solutions to turn around the fortunes of his team.

KXIP and PWI clash again at Mohali on April 12. “I don't want to get into scheduling issues; in an ideal world one team would have played the other once at the half way point. It's all part of the tournament. Back-to-back (with the same team) doesn't matter too much,” said the KXIP skipper.

He attributed the loss to PWI to 10 minutes of madness at the end of his team's bowling (left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma and Harmeet Singh conceding 27 runs in the 19th over) and 10 minutes of madness at the start of the KXIP innings (run outs of Paul Valthaty and Gilchrist).

“There's no doubt that the big finish (conceding 35 runs in the last two overs) made a big difference. It slipped out of his hands, nothing intentional (about Harmeet being punished for sending two beamers in the 19th and replaced by Sharma). I made a bad call and Paul was out. Yes 20 minutes of bad cricket cost us the game,'' said Gilchrist.

Gilchrist said he enjoyed playing IPL and that's why he kept coming back. “I am pretty fortunate to have experienced a lot of things in my cricketing career and had the fortune of winning the IPL (for Deccan Chargers).”

He praised the people who have created a fine cricketing facility at Gahunje village off the Pune-Mumbai Expressway.

“It's a fantastic stadium. But the wicket will take some time to settle down and establish. There are going to be issues related to the pitch; one ball almost rolled after pitching. In a big game that could have become decisive. But this is one of the good venues that've come up all over the country,” said Gilchrist.

Another test for RCB's bowling

An overwhelming criticism of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL last season was its unhealthy reliance on Chris Gayle.

If Gayle in particular and the top order in general flopped, it was pointed out, the whole team usually did. It may now sound like old hat but there wasn't a great degree of untruth to it. But against Delhi Daredevils at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday afternoon, RCB went some way towards repairing that image.

Gayle was missing while Virat Kohli could only make eight. A.B. deVilliers did score a breezy 64 towards the close of the innings, but 157 was never intimidating as a total.

Yet, in what will have been a satisfying measure of its fortification of the bowling, the side emerged a comfortable winner.

Muttiah Muralitharan turned the tide with his three wickets, Vinay Kumar was frugal, and Andrew McDonald and Harshal Patel did themselves no discredit. Muralitharan was one such bowler, RCB skipper Daniel Vettori agreed, adding that they complemented each other well. “He's the best guy to throw the ball to when you need a wicket. He's a strike bowler. It's important for us to have that combination between myself and him so that we can take wickets and tie up runs at the same time.”

So in good cheer then will RCB approach Tuesday's fixture with Kolkata Knight Riders which, after two losses in two, will not exactly be buzzing.

The match should provide the home side another test of its new-found bowling strength against a team let down by its batsmen.

Gautam Gambhir, guilty himself, minced no words in his criticism of the top order after the defeat to Rajasthan Royals.

“If you bat like this,” he said, “you don't deserve to win.”

Fresh in RCB's memory, though, will be the pummelling it received at the hands of the same opponent in the Champions League T20 last October, when Gambhir and Jacques Kallis led their side to an untroubled nine-wicket win.

With the reacquired Brendon McCullum also yet to fire, KKR will be determined to turn things around.

The visitor handed the unconventional West Indian spinner Sunil Narine a debut on Sunday in place of Marchant de Lange.

The former may not have pulled up any trees but on tracks that should ideally suit him, he will be interesting to watch.

Rohit does the star turn for MI

Riding on Rohit Sharma's breezy half-century Mumbai Indians pulled off a last-ball win over Deccan Chargers with five wickets to spare in their IPL-V match at the ACA-VDCA stadium here on Monday night.

Deccan Chargers did well to protect a total of 138 for nine, with its bowlers pushing the match to the wire.

Eighteen were needed off the last over bowled by Daniel Christian and Rohit struck two huge sixes to ensure victory for Mumbai Indians.

Steyn, who returned the best figures for DC, sent back the openers T. Suman and Richard Levi with the score reading just 10. Ambati Rayudu was not allowed much leeway while Kieron Pollard, who promised an early end to the match, was held well by Shikhar Dhawan off Christian.

Earlier, Munaf Patel, with a four-wicket haul, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh stifled the Deccan Chargers.

Electing to bat, Chargers struggled. Munaf Patel got rid of Parthiv Patel and Bharat Chipli while Malinga cut short the flight of Dhawan, who was in good touch till Pollard came up with an excellent catch holding on to a leading edge.

Before this extraordinary effort from Pollard, Dhawan had slammed a six off Munaf over mid-wicket, sent Malinga into the stands and clobbered Pragyan Ojha for two sixes and a four. The Chargers needed their skipper Kumar Sangakkara to come good and he too seemed to get into the mood flicking Pollard to the fine-leg fence. However, his end came amidst controversy with the umpires initially refusing to refer the decision to the third umpire.

In the 13th over of the Chargers' innings, Munaf bowled Sangakkara but the umpires J.D. Colete and Anil Choudhury believing that the ball had deflected off the 'keeper's pad declared him not out.

And they refused to consult the third umpire when Munaf and Harbhajan insisted. Finally the third umpire Dharmasena declared that Sangakkara was bowled. Christian kept the score moving with some big hits and Cameron White pushed the score along in the late overs with an unbeaten 30.

Scoreboard

Deccan Chargers: Parthiv c Rohit b Munaf 1 (5b), S. Dhawan c Pollard b Malinga 41 (24b, 2x4, 4x6), B. Chipli c Malinga b Munaf 1 (6b), D. Christian c Pollard b Munaf 39 (36b, 1x4, 2x6), K. Sangakkara b Munaf 14 (19b, 1x4), C. White (not out) 30 (22b, 1x4, 2x6), D.B. Ravi Teja b Malinga 4 (2b, 1x4), A. Mishra c Munaf b Malinga 0 (2b), D. Steyn b Pollard 2 (2b), Ankit c Rayudu b Pollard 1 (2b); Extras (b-1, w-4): 5; Total (for nine wkts, in 20 overs): 138.

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Parthiv), 2-9 (Chipli), 3-46 (Dhawan), 4-82 (Sangakkara), 5-123 (Christian), 6-127 (Ravi Teja), 7-127 (Mishra), 8-136 (Steyn), 9-138 (Ankit).

Mumbai Indians bowling: Harbhajan 4-0-18-0, Munaf 4-0-20-4, Malinga 4-0-27-3, P. Ojha 4-0-39-0, Pollard 4-0-33-2.

Mumbai Indians: T. Suman c & b Steyn 5 (9b, 1x4), R. Levi b Steyn 3 (9b), R. Sharma (not out) 73 (50b, 4x4, 5x6); A. Rayudu c Dhawan b Mishra 19 (24b, 1x4), K. Pollard c Dhawan b Christian 24 (18b, 3x6), D. Karthik b Steyn 7 (6b, 1x4), J. Franklin (not out) 7 (4b, 1x4); Extras (b-2, lb-2): 4; Total (for 5 wkts; in 20 overs): 142.

Fall of wickets: 1-7 (Suman), 2-10 (Levi), 3-58 (Rayudu), 4-95 (Pollard), 5-120 (Karthik).

Deccan Chargers Bowling: Ankit 4-0-18-0, Steyn 4-1-12-3, Christian 4-0-49-1, Rajan 2-0-9-0, Mishra 4-0-31-1, White 2-0-19-0.

A warm homecoming for Yuvraj

KKR will hope to start with a win

PTI Kolkata Knight Riders's senior players Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum have a chat with coach Trevor Bayliss on the eve of the match.

 

Having finished fourth last year, Kolkata Knight Riders will look to improve upon its record this season. The side opens its campaign in IPL V with a home match against Delhi Daredevils at the Eden Gardens on Thursday.

Full of confidence on the eve of the season opener, Knight Riders have almost all its players available for selection, while the same cannot be said of the visiting side. The biggest setback for Daredevils is that four of its match-winning players — Kevin Pietersen, David Warner, Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor — will not be available.

Yet, Knight Riders captain Gautam Gambhir will not take the opposition lightly. He knows that given the format of the competition, it will be important to start off with a win. And the team is surely geared up for the task.

Playing away, and that too against a team like KKR which has many talented players in its side, Daredevils will bank on captain Virender Sehwag to give it a flying start.

Leading the side for the second year in a row, Sehwag has a good outfit, but missing four key players is certain to hurt the side.

Delhi's success will depend on how its domestic players acquit themselves during the initial phase of the tournament.

Knight Riders will look to open the batting with an explosive Brendon McCullum and the dependable Jacques Kallis. With the skipper coming in next, its domestic players — the likes of Manoj Tiwary — who come further down the order can hope for a launch pad.

Daredevils coach Eric Simmons admitted that the team lacked a marquee name.

“The only thing we lack is a big name — someone with a reputation. We have really worked hard with the players.

“There are some exciting guys like Roelf van der Merwe with some international experience. He is the key for us. Then there are Shahbaz Nadeem and Pawan Negi.

“We are working on a few ideas in our spin department to surprise other teams.

“I think we have a capable bunch of spinners,” he said.

“We expected Ross Taylor to be here, but we knew Mahela (Jayawardene) and (Kevin) Pietersen would not be available. But he is injured. That's the nature of the IPL... You have to chart your way through. It is disappointing, though,” Simons added.

KKR coach Trevor Bayliss, on the other hand, sounded upbeat. “We want to have a good start, so we go into the rest with confidence. Any team can win on any day.

“We don't want to take the opposition lightly,” he said.

“The pitch looks nice, flat and hard. I am not sure how it will play,” said Bayliss.

He said the team had several good batsmen to shore up the team's challenge.

“It looks like an even game. I am expecting a close match,” he said.

Match starts at 8 p.m.

Keywords: Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Daredevils, IPL

 

Mumbai Indians begins in brilliant fashion

AP Mumbai Indians' skipper Harbhajan Singh (second right), celebrates with teammates the dismissal of Chennai Super Kings' batsman Ravichandran Ashwin (unseen), during the Indian Premier League cricket match in Chennai on Wednesday. 

 

Mumbai Indians stormed the Chennai Super Kings bastion in the inaugural match of the Indian Premier League season five here on Wednesday.

In its first IPL defeat at home since April 15, 2010, CSK went down by eight wickets, collapsing from 75 for two to 112 all out.

The defending champion then saw a rampaging Richard Levi smash a 35-ball 50 on his IPL debut as Mumbai Indians took further control. Gradually, the visitor cut all escape routes.

Employing his bat like a sledgehammer, the 24-year-old South African slog-swept spinners R. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for sixes and bludgeoned paceman Dwayne Bravo over long-on for the maximum. He was eventually held in the deep off Bravo but had done enough by then to earn the Man-of-the-Match award.

Left-arm paceman Doug Bollinger bowled with heart and took out Rohit Sharma with a short-pitched delivery outside off. He then forced Sachin Tendulkar to retire hurt after hitting the maestro on the glove with a lifting ball.

Rousing shot

Earlier, Tendulkar had conjured a moment of magic by creating room and easing paceman Albie Morkel over covers for a rousing six.

Ambati Rayudu and James Franklin closed out the match for Mumbai Indians. Rayudu guided Bollinger over third man for a six to signal an emphatic win for Mumbai Indians.

CSK's collapse was inexplicable. There was no alarming movement for the pacemen nor did the spinners achieve sizable turn.

Collapse

From 75 for two in 9.4 overs, Chennai lost its last eight wickets for 37 runs off 61 deliveries. The figures will worry the host. Not only did CSK witness one batsman after another departing to the dugout but also saw its run-rate drop in dramatic fashion.

The judicious blend of working-the-ball-around batsmanship and heavy hitting, the hallmark of CSK's performances of the past, was missing.

Disciplined bowling

The Mumbai Indians bowling was disciplined and the fielding sharp, but CSK dug the hole for itself. And the three run-outs — the running between wickets lacked conviction — did not help matters either.

To his credit, Harbhajan, apart from winning the toss, led the side capably. He kept the fielders in to create pressure, narrowed down the angles in the deep and rung in the changes well.

Apart from a thrill-a-minute 36 from Suresh Raina, there was little in terms of contributions from the CSK line-up.

Left-arm spinner Pragyan Ojha's spell turned the game on its head. Ojha flighted but was helped by the fact that both Raina and Bravo reached out for him. Raina went after a delivery well outside off to be held at sweeper cover. And Bravo (19), driving fluently through the off-side until that point, picked a delivery beyond leg to be held at long-on.

Mumbai Indians made further inroads. Kieron Pollard, employing his height and shoulders to extract bounce, had Morkel swinging a short one to Ojha at deep square-leg.

Abu Nechim's swift throw from backward point to 'keeper Dinesh Karthik dealt CSK a body blow — its captain Dhoni was making his way back.

Smart catch

Then, Harbhajan took a smart catch when S. Badrinath whipped Pollard. Mumbai Indians was all over CSK.

Earlier, opener Faf du Plessis succumbed to a direct hit from Rayudu from extra-cover. And Murali Vijay, returning from a wrist injury and seeking to find his touch, perished to an uppish flick off left-arm seamer Franklin.

For Mumbai Indians, Lasith Malinga, mixing his pace and sending down telling yorkers, impressed.

SCOREBOARD

Chennai Super Kings: Faf du Plessis (run out) 3 (2b), M. Vijay c Harbhajan b Franklin 10 (17b, 1x4), S. Raina c Malinga b Ojha 36 (26b, 2x4, 1x6), Dwayne Bravo c Pollard b Ojha 19 (19b, 3x4), Albie Morkel c Ojha b Pollard 3 (8b), S. Badrinath c Harbhajan b Pollard 10 (16b), M.S. Dhoni (run out) 4 (6b), R. Jadeja b Malinga 3 (5b), R. Ashwin (run out) 3 (5b), S. Jakati (not out) 6 (10b), D. Bollinger c Rohit b Malinga 3 (5b); Extras (lb-5, w-7): 12; Total (in 19.5 overs): 112.

Fall of wickets: 1-4 (du Plessis), 2-38 (Vijay), 3-75 (Raina), 4-80 (Bravo), 5-85 (Morkel), 6-95 (Dhoni), 7-99 (Badrinath), 8-103 (Ashwin), 9-104 (Jadeja).

Mumbai Indians bowling: Malinga 3.5-0-16-2, Abu Nechim 2-0-17-0, Harbhajan 4-0-24-0, Franklin 2-0-18-1, Ojha 4-0-17-2, Pollard 4-0-15-2.

Mumbai Indians: R. Levi c Bollinger b Bravo 50 (35b, 6x4, 3x6), S. Tendulkar (retired hurt) 16 (15b, 1x4, 1x6), Rohit c Dhoni b Bollinger 0 (3b), A. Rayudu (not out) 18 (18b, 1x6), J. Franklin (not out) 25 (30b, 2x4); Extras (lb-3, w-3): 6; Total (for two wkts. in 16.5 overs): 115.

Fall of wickets: 1-69 (Levi), 2-70 (Rohit).

Chennai Super Kings bowling: Morkel 4-0-20-0, Bollinger 3.5-0-34-1, Ashwin 4-0-20-0, Jadeja 1-0-16-0, Bravo 3-0-14-1, Jakati 1-0-8-0.

Man-of-the-Match: Richard Levi.

 

The Wall calls it a day

During India's 2011tour of England, a fan held a poster— “Sachin is God of Cricket. Saurav is God of Off-side. Laxman is God of 4th Innings. But when the doors of these temples close, even they take shelter behind THE WALL.” On his debut at Lord's, Rahul Dravid missed a brilliant century by mere five runs. Cut to 2011, dogged by poor performance and critics asking him to retire, Dravid hit a determined century and engraved his name on the Honour's board.                                    

A supreme example of grit and endurance, Dravid has always been the silent warrior. A team man with no frills, he kept wicket and moved up or down the batting order depending on the needs of the situation. In an era where the world worships Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid has carved a niche for himself. As Sachin said —“There is, and will always be, only one Rahul Dravid.”          

Incomparable

The Indian team, Captain, Coach, fans ... everybody and everything changed but the Wall will be as strong as ever. We may enjoy a solid helicopter six from Dhoni but never will we get a chance to watch a solid defence. We may enjoy Sehwag's upar cut; but we cannot experience a stylish square cut anymore. There's no one who can take Rahul Dravid's place.We will miss you forever.

ANIRUDHAN CHANDRASEKARAN, SRM UNIVERSITY

Strongest pillar

His dedication, perseverance and unwillingness to accept defeat are what made him the Wall of Indian cricket. He has been the reason why many of us love cricket. I Just have two words for Rahul Dravid —“THANK YOU”

ANURAG DANGI, CHINMAYA VIDYALAYA

Unsung hero

Commitment , class and consistency are three words that define Rahul Dravid's career. Dravid's contribution to Indian cricket includes many intangible contributions. He has always gone that extra mile for the team, be it wicket keeping or being flexible with his batting position.  Dravid has pretty much been the unsung hero of Indian cricket since his Test debut at Lord's where his impressive 95 was overshadowed by fellow-debutant Ganguly's century. All good things come to an end but there are some things one wished would continue till eternity. I have got so used to watching Dravid coming in at No. 3 that knowing it's not going happen is difficult to accept. Dravid , thank you for glorious memories and for being a role model for the ages. You'll be missed.

Tendulkar has a long stint at the nets

The news from the Indian team hotel was anything but inspiring. The words ‘optional practice' were bandied around and as the scribes resigned themselves to a sluggish day here on Wednesday, a stir was in store with Sachin Tendulkar deciding to have a hit in the nets.

The man, who is feeling the weight of expectations ever since that hundred against South Africa at Nagpur during last March and has also struggled to impose his regal stature at the crease over the last few months, strode in with Yusuf Pathan and Rahul Sharma.

The team's coaching trio of Duncan Fletcher, Joe Dawes (bowling) and Trevor Penney (fielding) were also in attendance and soon Tendulkar buckled down for a long stint that lasted more than an hour.

The bowling group of Yusuf, Rahul, Dawes, Penney and video-analyst Dhananjay evoked varying responses from Tendulkar. The maestro fine-tuned his trickle towards third-man with mixed results against Yusuf and when he tried to defend, a delivery struck his bat and then bounced past the stumps triggering mirth in the off-spinner.

Rahul enjoyed no such luck as Tendulkar relished the extra bounce to sandpaper his cuts and lofted a few that threatened the parked vehicles in the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. In the adjacent net, Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara essayed some aggressive shots and departed but Tendulkar kept batting though he took mini-breaks to chat with Fletcher.

Later, he watched Yusuf's hefty strikes and then enthusiastically bowled his leg-breaks to a perplexed Rahul. The tail-ender failed to read Tendulkar, miscued a few shots and the senior partner gleefully indicated that those strokes would be caught in the deep.

Rahul then swung his bat and missed and once was also castled while Tendulkar mixed it up, bowling the faster one and at times pausing a bit and imparting air. Finally Rahul managed to thump a few from the meat of his bat. At the end of the session, Tendulkar took him aside and discussed his stance.

Cricket's highest run-getter laughed, spoke a lot and displayed an ease that belied the anxieties of waiting for his elusive 100th international hundred for over a year.

India post facile win

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli scored timely centuries to guide India to a 50-run win over Sri Lanka in their opening game at the Asia Cup in Dhaka on Tuesday. Photos: AP

The manual scoreboard at the Shere-e-Bangla National Stadium is not a crystal ball for gazing into the future but surely the men, who supervise it, do have a sense of evolving fortunes.

Ahead of Thursday's key Asia Cup game between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, the organisers placed the names of the respective playing XIs.

Obviously they believed in status quo and merely replicated the earlier teams that the rivals fielded over the last four days!

The Sri Lankan squad had no Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga was also absent from the ranks. One part of the scoreboard's team-prediction, if you could call that, came true when Mahela Jayawardene informed the media that Mathews was returning home after failing to recover from a calf-injury.

Malinga, though, is racing against time to get fit and trained here on Wednesday, starting with a slow run-up before increasing his pace towards the end of his 30-minute session. He also participated in fielding drills and batted against throw-downs but the last word on his match-fitness will be heard only when Jayawardene and Misbah-ul-Haq walk out for the toss.

Dampening factors

The absence of Mathews and the uncertainty surrounding Malinga are dampening factors within the Sri Lankan dressing room while the team has to defeat Pakistan to stay alive in the Asia Cup. History's long-arm holds several clues for revival as defying odds is nothing new for Sri Lanka.

Be it grounding Australia in the World Cup final at Lahore in 1996 or the recent narrow victory against Shane Watson's men at Melbourne, which helped it qualify for the Commonwealth Bank Series finals, Sri Lanka has been known to springing surprises.

On Tuesday, Sri Lanka was in the contest against India until Kumar Sangakkara chanced his arm against R. Ashwin in the batting Power Play.

A clutch of wickets fell and the earlier momentum gathered by Jayawardene was frittered away. Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne, who added layers of respectability to their emerging reputations in Australia, played inexplicable shots and that effectively snuffed out the Sri Lankan challenge.

Need for consistency

The two, expected to shepherd Colombo's dreams, once the twilight beckons Jayawardene, Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, need to remain consistent, else the same old story of excessive reliance on the top-order will be Sri Lanka's strength as well as weakness. To make it worse, the bowlers lost their angles against India and while the bouncer was conspicuous by its absence, an embarrassing number of full-tosses were peddled, though one of them snared a tepid Sachin Tendulkar!

Against Pakistan, Sri Lanka cannot afford to repeat the horrors and Jayawardene said as much in the pre-match briefing.

If Sri Lanka found itself in the wringer against defending champion India, Pakistan had it easy against Bangladesh as the host's susceptibility to choke while treading the victory path surfaced again in the inaugural game on Sunday.

Ineptitude

Chasing 262, Bangladesh wilted despite the flailing attempts of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib-Al-Hasan.

The host's batting ineptitude actually helped Pakistan temporarily forget its 36 for six collapse which negated the fine effort of openers Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed.

Pakistan's spinners led by Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi can cause a few hassles on this pitch, which tends to reward batsmen, who would need to settle down first before setting their sights on sixes unless you are in the zone like Jayawardene was against India.

After getting whipped by England in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan's ODI reputation has sagged and the next few days are crucial for Misbah to strengthen his team's fortunes.

The last time, Pakistan and Sri Lanka clashed in the dry confines of UAE, Misbah's men made merry, winning the Tests 1-0 and the ODIs 4-1. The undercurrents from those November days and Sri Lanka's current context of being boxed into a corner, should impart an extra edge to Thursday's contest as the race for the finalist spots heats up in the tournament.

Ponting returns to captaincy

Australian selectors have asked former captain Rickey Ponting to lead the side in the Commonwealth Bank tri-series ODI against Sri Lanka in Sydney on February 17 - an unsual move given that past captains are seldom given a sniff at the top job again.

A hamstring injury to Michael Clarke, the captain, will keep him out of the match. However, Clarke will captain Australia in the next two ODIs, including the game against India in Brisbane on February 19.

Chief selector John Inverarity said here on Tuesday, “After careful consideration, the National Selection Panel (NSP) has aked Rickey Ponting if he would captain team in Michael Clarke's absence.”

Dashing opener David Warner is the vice-captain in the side but Inverarity said, “David Warner is a young player making his way. He displays considerable leadership potential, but the NSP is of the

opinion that he should not, at the moment, have the added responsibility of captaincy thrust on him.”

The selection panel chief elaborated, “David has been gaining valuable experience under Michael Clarke's captaincy and now he will have the opportunity to grow his leadership skills further as vice-captain to Ricky Ponting. In making this decision the NSP reminded itself of the fact that Ricky Ponting led the winning Australian ICC Cricket World Cup teams in 2003 and 2007. The NSP appreciates the fact that Ricky is prepared to accept this responsibility in the wider interests of the team."

Paceman Ryan Harris, carrying minor niggles, have been dropped from the squad. Brett Lee, who has made a miraculous recovery from a broken bone in his left foot, has been included. The experienced paceman will, however, have to undergo a fitness test ahead of the match.

Swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus, who was in the side as injury cover for the second game, has been inducted in the side. Wicket-keeper batsman Matthew Wade continues to keep Brad Haddin out.

Inverarity revealed key all-rounder Shane Watson was making good progress from his fitness concerns. Watson has taken part in grade cricket without the calf injury playing up and is now poised to play

Shield cricket.

The sqaud for Australia's next three ODIs: M. Clarke (captain, from the match against India in Brisbane from Sunday), R. Ponting (captain for Friday's match against Sri Lanka in Sydney), D. Warner, M. Wade, M. Hussey, D. Hussey, P. Forrest, D. Christian, M. Marsh, B. Lee, C. McKay, M. Starc, B. Hilfenhaus,D. Xoherty

Dhoni's Dharma

The first time that I sat up and took notice of MS Dhoni was during a training camp at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, in mid-2005. He was batting in the nets at the BEML end of the ground with Ajit Agarkar amongst the bowlers.

On what was a slow, low practice pitch, Dhoni looked quite comfortable on the front foot, so I asked Ajit to test him with a bouncer. Ajit had a very good bouncer that often surprised batsmen, especially on the slower wickets.

He bowled a beauty. Not too short, rising to about Adam's apple height over the right shoulder. Dhoni, unfazed, rocked back onto his back foot and hit the ball as hard and high, in front of square, as I had ever seen a ball struck. The ball rocketed up to hit the facia of the stand about 50m above the playing field.

The sound of ball hitting bat, and ball hitting facia, seemed to be simultaneous. It was one of the most audacious shots that I had ever seen. Had it not hit the facia of the stand, it would have landed in the Police Parade Ground, hundreds of metres away, on Link Road!

During that same camp, we had some sessions of simulated match practice aimed at improving the team's ability to chase targets in One-Day matches. The recent history in run chases was extremely poor. It soon became apparent that Dhoni was one of the best ‘finishers' in this format.

Tennis-ball grounding

Dhoni's grounding in tennis-ball cricket is obvious in the way he bats. He has an inimitable and unorthodox technique. With his strength, he is capable of hitting balls into places that only few others can conceive. He is the best attacking player of the yorker I have ever seen. I once saw him hit a James Anderson yorker straight back over the bowler's head for six. It was awesome.

Other things that I soon learnt about Dhoni was he really understood the game, he had a calm confidence about his own ability and was not bothered with false modesty. If he thought he could do something, he was not scared to say so. Not in an egotistical way; just forthright. This was also unique to Dhoni and I found it refreshing.

It was clear to me that Dhoni was a captain in the making. Whenever I thought of Dhoni, I was reminded of the quote from Bhagavad Gita, ‘It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of someone else's life with perfection.'

At the time, I thought that Dhoni's destiny was to lead India to the pinnacle of world cricket. I still believe that. He has led them to a T20 and 50-over World Cup victory. Test cricket has not been as easy to tame.

Records, good and bad

Dhoni's overall win record of 46 % in Tests, as captain, is not bad. His home record of 66% wins is excellent, but the glitch in his record is a win ratio of 26% from 19 Tests away from the comforts of home.

This record has been hammered on recent tours to England and Australia; probably the two toughest tours for Indian players brought up on the batting-friendly strips at home.

What bothered me most about this tour of Australia is that Dhoni looked tired and bereft of ideas, at times, during the Test series. His batting confirmed it as he appeared to be struggling to make the mental effort required to tackle the persistent Australian bowling.

This set the tone for the rest of his charges, who often looked resigned to the inevitable, long before the game was decided.

Has the demand of having the top job in the three formats, plus the IPL, jaded Dhoni to the point where he wants to give up on his ‘Dharma' of leading India to the top?

Not only does Indian cricket need him to see out his destiny, but the game in a broader sense and Test cricket in particular, needs him. No one else appears to have his combination of charisma, calmness and strength of character to bring together the right people, on and off the field, to make this happen.

If you need any further confirmation, just ask corporate India.

Dhoni takes a dig at DRS

Queried whether the five-ball over - sent down by Lasith Malinga in the 30th over of the innings - would have made a difference to the result of the game, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said, "It's done and dusted, that is what is important. We can create a big fuss out of it but what is the point. Nothing can be done now?"

Dhoni added, "We have seen in the past, when we have bowled an over and almost changed sides (ends), the third umpire intervenes and says `okay, you have to bowl one more ball in this particular over'. It didn't happen in this game."

The Indian captain also took the opportunity to comment on DRS. "If it can happen, then I don't know why people back the DRS so much. We have seen people really being happy with DRS in one series when it goes in their favour. If it doesn't go in their favour, they're unhappy about it."

Dhoni said, "I'm quite happy with three individuals ... two umpires in the middle and a third umpire. Then you have the match referee and the scorer. If such a mistake still happens, it's better off accepting it because as humans they are bound to make mistakes."

Tuesday's Man of the Match also said, "Hopefully it won't be repeated with us or any other side."

Asked about Gautam Gambhir's remarks that the Indians should have finished the game against Australia on Sunday earlier and Dhoni, perhaps, was waiting for someone else to take responsibility, the Indian captain replied, "I am not in a hurry to finish the game in the 47th or 48th over. I am happy if I can do it in the 50th. I don’t have the luxury of batsmen behind me."

Dhoni elaborated, "It’s different with individuals. Some like to finish early, take risk and finish things off. It’s difficult to play huge shots on big grounds. When you go for it, it really has to pay off. Otherwise it looks as if this shot wasn’t needed at that stage.

If you ask Viru (Virender Sehwag), he would look to finish things in 35 overs. He believes the ball is there to be hit. So it’s a difference in perspective. There is nothing wrong between me and Gambhir.”

He was all praise for Gambhir's 91 here. "Once he gets going, he really comes up with the big scores. He plays the spinners very well and runs well between the wickets. He bats for 35-40 overs."

Dhoni said it was important for a finisher to keep his mind blank in the final stages. "You need to keep the mind blank and back yourself to hit. For instance, Malinga can bowl yorkers at will."

Queried whether the Indians would now rest Gambhir after his innings of 92 and 91 in successive games, Dhoni said, "One of the things we want is all players to be fit by the time we play the finals, if we make it. The grounds here in Australia are big and there is no guarantee that everyone will be fit if they play all the games. Sachin, Sehwag and even Gautam, are over 30 and we thought it would be a good idea to give the youngsters a chance. It would also have them ready for the later duels in case someone gets injured."

Dhoni said the tie was a fair result - "both the teams did not deserve to lose" - and added the Adelaide pitch was sub-continental in nature.

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said, "230 odd was not going to be enough here. Then, we dropped catches and missed run-out chances."

Jayawardene also gave credit to Dhoni, "When he is batting through to the end, it becomes difficult for the opposition."

He added, "We fought and one has to back Malinga to do the job. But we are happy with two points. We could have lost the match."

India and Sri Lanka play out a sensational tie!

It was a face-off of the gladiatorial kind. The world's foremost death overs paceman against a feared finisher. It was Lasith Malinga versus Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the Adelaide Oval.

India required four runs off the last ball. Malinga, his mane gleaming under the lights, steamed in. Dhoni settled into his stance. The crowd held its breath.

The Sri Lankan's thunderbolt was full and outside off. Dhoni, with an acrobatic one-legged slash, fired the ball over cover.

The Indian captain and last man Umesh Yadav ran three amid tension, suspense and hectic Sri Lankan fielding. The match ended in a nerve-jangling tie.

Dhoni, sweat streaming down his visage, was once again India's savior in the climactic stages. Man of the Match he was.

The Commonwealth Bank ODI series threw up one more thriller here on Tuesday. Both teams finished with identical scores – 236 for nine.

India now has ten points from four matches and Sri Lanka two from three.

Skipper Dhoni, unbeaten on a 69-ball 58, walked back with a wry smile.

Opener Gautam Gambhir, who set up the chase for India, continued his fine form with a 106-ball 91.

One never knows what might have been had the 30th over of the innings – sent down by Malinga – not been a five-ball one.

The match twisted and turned going into the final stretch. India needed 24 from the last two overs. Irfan Pathan swung a full toss from seamer Angelo Mathews for a six before being run-out by the bowler.

Then, Dhoni thwacked the bowler past the mid-wicket ropes to reach his half-century.

India took 15 from the 49th over and required nine from the final one.

The over built up towards an edge-of-the-seat finish. Vinay Kumar was run-out by Mathews, finding the target from mid-off from the fifth delivery. Then came the game's final act.

The players had felt the pressure as the game neared conclusion. Even experienced men made mistake. Sangakkara, with the big gloves on, grassed a skier from Ravichandran Ashwin. The Indians ran two for the stroke.

But then, paceman's Thisara Perera putting down a return catch off Dhoni when the Indian captain was on 10 proved a lot more expensive for the Sri Lankans.

The Sri Lankans fought hard. Mahela Jayawardene shuffled his bowlers around cleverly, kept a single-denying field to build pressure, and saved Malinga for the last.

The Sri Lankans never lost belief and there was some assistance for the bowlers – some movement and spin – from the surface. The crafty Rangana Herath impressed with his left-arm spin.

The dismissal of a well-set Gambhir was the turning point. Dhoni and Gambhir had added 60 runs for the fifth wicket when India ran into a truckload of problems. Dhoni pushed Malinga to mid-on, stopped after initially setting out for a run, and Gambhir was stranded at the non-striker's end with Kulasekara hitting the stumps.

Earlier, Sachin Tendulkar – Virender Sehwag sat out of the game with a back spasm – nicked an attempted drive off Nuwan Kulasekara early on.

The Indians lost wickets at regular intervals. Virat Kohli played across to an off-cutter from seamer Thisara Perera. Mahela Jayawardene scored a terrific direct hit from point to end Rohit Sharma's tenure.

And Suresh Raina, unable to time his glance off Malinga, was splendidly taken on the leg-side by a diving Sangakkara.

Meanwhile, Gambhir batted with balance and poise. He was light on his feet and heavy with his strokes. The southpaw cover-drove with a still head. With dexterous wrists, he whipped the ball into the open spaces.

When Malinga bounced, Gambhir pulled. When Rangana Herath flighted, he split the off-side field with a front-footed drive.

Dhoni has this ability to pick runs unnoticed before he launches into the big blows. The Indian skipper picks his moments to strike, possesses a calm head that weighs options. Dhoni's six over wide long-on off Perera was a massive blow.

The Sri Lankan innings revolved around a fine 91-ball 81 from Dinesh Chandimal. He used his feet and found the gaps.

He rocked back to cut and pull, jumped out to either strike the ball over the infield or drive it between the fielders or simply worked it around for the singles.

The 94-run fourth-wicket partnership – in 100 balls – between Chandimal and Mahela Jayawardene powered Sri Lanka before the side lost momentum. Jayawardene (43), rediscovering form, played with soft hands and sure footwork.

The Sri Lankans, however, turned powerless in the batting Power Play.

The five overs – between overs 36 and 40 – fetched the Sri Lankans just 18 runs while they lost three wickets.

Mahela Jayawardene perished trying to turn a off-cutter from Vinay Kumar, Chandimal was done in by Rohit Sharma's quick release to Dhoni from short cover and Perera walked back after attempting to slog Ravichandran Ashwin. Sri Lanka had surrendered advantage.

Earlier, the consistent Vinay Kumar found the edge of Upul Tharanga's bat with a back-of-a-length ball that seamed away. The steady Irfan Pathan – in the team because Zaheer Khan was nursing a strained right calf – removed Tillakaratne Dilshan when the batsman under-edged a drive.

Off-spinner Ashwin bowled capably. The off-spinner took out Kumar Sangakkara, stroking the ball, fluently, with a teasing delivery that spun away from the left-hander.

Scoreboard: Sri Lanka: U. Tharanga c Dhoni b Vinay Kumar 0 (2b), T. Dilshan c Dhoni b Pathan 16 (23b, 1x4, 1x6), K. Sangakkara c Gambhir b Ashwin 31 (56b, 2x4), D. Chandimal (run out) 81 (91b, 6x4, 1x6), M. Jayawardene lbw b Vinay Kumar 43 (49b, 2x4), A. Mathews (run out) 17 (30b, 1x4), T. Perera c Kohli b Ashwin 5 (9b), N. Kulasekara c Gambhir b Vinay Kumar 12 (25b), S. Senanayake (not out) 22 (14b, 3x4), L. Malinga (run out) 0 (0b), R. Herath (not out) 1 (1b); Extras (lb-3, w-5): 8, Total (for nine wkts. in 50 overs): 236.

Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Tharanga), 2-28 (Dilshan), 3-79 (Sangakkara), 4-173 (Jayawardene), 5-178 (Chandimal), 6-184 (Perera), 7-210 (Mathews), 8-232 (Kulasekara), 9-235 (Malinga).

India bowling: Vinay Kumar 10-1-46-3, Pathan 9-0-38-1, Yadav 9-0-51-0, Ashwin 10-1-30-2, Jadeja 10-0-58-0, Rohit 2-0-10-0.

India: G. Gambhir (run out) 91 (106b, 6x4), S. Tendulkar c Sangakkara b Kulasekara 15 (24b, 2x4), V. Kohli lbw b Perera 15 (25b, 1x4), Rohit (run out) 15 (27b, 2x4), S. Raina c Sangakkara b Malinga 8 (19b), M.S. Dhoni (not out) 58 (69b, 3x4, 1x6), R. Jadeja c Jayawardene b Perera 3 (10b), R. Ashwin c Senanayake b Malinga 14 (13b, 1x4), Irfan (run out) 8 (5b, 1x6), Vinay (run out) 1 (2b), U. Yadav (not out) 0 (0b); Extras (lb-1, w-6, nb-1): 8; Total (for nine wkts. in 50 overs) 236.

Fall of wickets: 1-24 (Tendulkar), 2-61 (Kohli), 3-94 (Rohit), 4-118 (Raina), 5-178 (Gambhir), 6-184 (Jadeja), 7-212 (Ashwin), 8-223 (Irfan), 9-233 (Vinay).

Sri Lanka bowling: Malinga 10-1-53-2, Kulasekara 10-0-39-1, Mathews 5-0-35-0, Perera 9-0-45-2, Herath 10-1-33-0, Senanayake 6-0-30-0.

Man-of-the-match: M.S. Dhoni

Is Rohit being made the scapegoat?

After two successive failures in India's first two matches in the triangular series, talented middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma wears the expression of a man who is waiting to be shown the door.

Ironically, it's his own batting colleagues who could be sending him the distressing signals.

After spending the entire Test series on the sidelines, Rohit failed to deliver with the bat in the first two matches of the tri-series and to make matters worse for the right-hander, he is now made to understand that his place in the playing eleven is at the expense of one of the three senior openers — Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.

To add to it, the fact that Rohit is India's best limited-over batsman since the last World Cup is not enough to guarantee him a place in the playing eleven.

After the four-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Perth, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said Rohit was the reason why the three senior batsmen were being rotated.

“We would look to rotate (in Adelaide also). I want Rohit to play as many games as possible. It gives him an opportunity to get set. We can afford to give him chances in the first leg of the tournament,” Dhoni had said.

Dhoni's sentiments, on the face of it, are laudable. But Rohit should not be made a scapegoat as another youngster — Suresh Raina was no better with the bat in the first two ODIs.

The three young batsmen who man the middle order are Virat Kohli, Rohit and Raina. But Kohli doesn't enter the scenario as he is in the form of his life and is a natural starter in the eleven. But Raina's is a different story. The left-hander has scored only two half centuries in 22 matches since the last World Cup. Rohit, in contrast, has six in 13 games.

Raina's best average in any series since the World Cup is 44-odd, while Rohit, in two full series since the World Cup, averaged 128 and 76 plus.

The idea to rotate the top three in order to give a chance to a young middle-order batsman is a sound one, but to mark out Rohit as reason for rotation is grossly unfair to the Mumbai lad.

Gavaskar formally inducted into ICC Hall of Fame

Former India cricket team captain Sunil Gavaskar was formally inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, here on Wednesday when he received his commemorative cap from fellow Hall of Famer and teammate Kapil Dev.

Gavaskar is one of the initial 55 inductees into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, which was launched in January 2009 in association with the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) as part of the ICC's centenary year. He now joins a Hall of Fame that includes 72 male and female cricketers.

“It is a huge honour because it is the peers in the game who decide who is going to be inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame. It has taken some time to coordinate the presentation, but finally it is there and I am delighted that I have been inducted,” Gavaskar was quoted by an ICC media release.

“This means that you are in select company and therefore, it becomes all the more special. To be an original inductee is an even bigger honour,” he said.

Thrilled

Gavaskar was thrilled to receive the cap from Kapil who was his teammate for close to a decade. “Kapil is somebody I consider the greatest Indian cricketer and to receive this cap from him is a real big plus, a real big honour.

“Kapil and I have had some wonderful times playing in the Indian team. Being part of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad is a memory that will always stay with me. Kapil lifting the World Cup at Lord's is something that I will always treasure and, therefore, to receive the cap from him makes this occasion even more special,” the legendary opener, who scored 10,122 Test runs, said.

Privilege

Kapil, on his part, said it was a privilege to present the cap to Gavaskar. “It is a proud moment to be in the same group where Sunil Gavaskar is. In our time, we used to think and even today we think Sunil is one of the best openers.

“Sunil was the greatest player in my era and certainly was the best I played with. He was the best captain I played under.”

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat and former Pakistan captains Aamir Sohail, Ramiz Raja, and Waqar Younis were present at the function.

Jayawardene may rely on batsmen to deliver

Michael Clarke is riding a crest this season. He has been tactically stimulating, can inspire his men and lead by personal example. Pitted against Clarke in the third game of Commonwealth Bank ODI triangular series here on Friday will be an old fox.

Mahela Jayawardene is an inventive captain who can create opportunities. Pro-active, he is alive to the changing shades of a contest. By his lofty standards, Jayawardene had an ordinary game here on Wednesday against the Indians. Not picking a specialist spinner and going in with an all-pace attack was a flawed strategy that came back to haunt him and his team as the match progressed.

Given that the only way Sri Lanka could have won the match against India would have been to attack more, Jayawardene was in no man's land with his field placements. He was neither aggressive nor defensive and allowed the game to drift.

But then, this was Jayawardene's first game as skipper after taking over the reins again during difficult times for his country's cricket team. There is plenty of time to make amends.

High-risk ploy?

Jayawardene has embarked on a high-risk ploy ahead of Friday's game. By declaring that the Sri Lankan batsmen could target the Australian pace attack — he indirectly suggested there were chinks in the line-up — the Sri Lankan captain was, in effect, showing the red rag to the bull.

Now, Australia, despite injury concerns and the need to provide rest to its premier pacemen, possesses the depth and the firepower in these conditions. The host's pacemen can blow away opponents as the Indians found out in the Melbourne ODI.

And Jayawardene was now provoking these pacemen. Perhaps, he wanted them to veer away from their successful game-plan — where precision and controlled aggression formed the back-bone — and attempt to bowl quick without accuracy. Then, the Sri Lankan batsmen could take advantage.

Australia is likely to retain the pace trio of Ryan Harris, Mitchell Starc and Clint McKay with all-rounder Daniel Christian backing up as the fourth seamer. Xavier Doherty, the steady left-arm spinner, is expected to retain his place.

The pitch here should offer speed, carry and movement to the pacemen. But, as we saw at the WACA on Wednesday, there could be a fair amount of purchase for the spinners as well.

Forrest may play

Australia with five points, including a bonus from its first game against India, could make one change. The team-management appears keen to provide an opportunity to Queensland batsman Peter Forrest, either at the top of the order or in the middle order, and one of the specialist batsmen could be rested.

Sri Lanka is likely to bring in left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for batsman Lahiru Thirimanne. Herath could provide much needed variety to the side's bowling.

Pace spearhead Lasith Malinga will have to lift the levels of his bowling. He appeared rather flat against the Indians, operating without the fire and aggression of old. Worse, his swinging yorkers were hardly visible.

Sri Lanka has a few other areas to improve upon. The side needs to pace its innings better — the Lankans got bogged down in the middle overs against the Indian spinners and could never regain momentum.

In Dinesh Chandimal, the side has a fine prospect. Much of the side's chances would depend on this wicket-keeper batsman and the experienced Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. Of course, the ebullient Tillakaratne Dilshan will be the X factor.

The islanders have another match-winner in all-rounder Angelo Mathews. He lends balance to the side, whether taking on the bowlers and dismissing the ball to the far corners of the ground or sending down his off-cutters with deadly precision.

This said, the Australian batsmen could relish the extra bounce at the WACA. If the explosive David Warner plays, he could revive memories of the Test match when the Indians chased leather.

Sri Lanka does not have a point after its only game but things could change in this unique tri-series with a lengthy league phase. History, however, is against Sri Lanka at the WACA. It has not defeated Australia in eight previous meetings between the sides here in the ODIs.

The teams:

Australia (from): M. Clarke (capt.), D. Warner, M. Wade, R. Ponting, M. Hussey, D. Hussey, D. Christian, P. Forrest, C. McKay, R. Harris, X. Doherty, M. Starc, B. Hilfenhaus and M. Marsh.

Sri Lanka: M. Jayawardene (capt.), T. Dilshan, U. Tharanga, K. Sangakkara, D. Chandimal, A. Mathews, T. Perera, N. Kulasekara, L. Malinga, R. Herath, C. Welegedara, D. Prasad, L. Thirimanne, F. Maharoof and S. Senanayake.

Play starts at 9.50 a.m. IST

Pattinson may play in the later stages of tri-series

Australia coach Mickey Arthur expects James Pattinson to figure in the later stages of the Commonwealth Bank triangular ODI series.

The 21-year-old fast bowler impressed in the first two Tests against India with 11 wickets at 23.36 but was forced to miss action subsequently because of a foot injury.

Pattinson, though, is recovering well. Arthur revealed that the fast bowler bowled at the nets before the ODI in Melbourne. “Pattinson, we might see at the back of the ODI tri-series,” Arthur said.

The Australian coach, however, did not think another injured young paceman Pat Cummins, would be able to make the ODI series. “We, perhaps, won't see Cummins until the tour of the West Indies,” he said.

Watson making progress

Key all-rounder Shane Watson, Arthur felt, was making good progress from his fitness concerns. “He is getting his body to the point where we want him to be. We do not want to put any time-frame on his return. I am in regular touch with him and he's a valuable player for us.”

Arthur said, “He should be playing in grade cricket soon and we could take things forward from there. At some stage, he'll bat down the order and bowl for us.”

Indeed, Arthur felt Watson opening the innings might not enable Australia make the most of his all-round ability. “It's about where best it fits us and where best it fits for him. He might be doing a fair bit of bowling for us and Michael Clarke has used him wisely. Whether he can sustain that level of bowling and continue to open the batting, that's the question.”

The Australian coach was pleased with Shaun Marsh, desperately out of form in international cricket, finding some runs with a 79 for Western Australia against Queensland in a Shield game recently. “That's the way for him, making plenty of runs in Shield cricket rather than playing in the ODIs.”

The reserve batsman in the ODI squad, Peter Forrest, Arthur said, would feature in the Australian side sometime during the tri-series. “We need to take a look at him before the tour of the West Indies,” he said.

Coach backs Haddin

Arthur also backed out-of-form wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin. “I think he did okay in the Test series against India. He could have got a few more runs but the middle-order made big runs and he did not always get an opportunity.”

In the same breath, the Aussie coach added, “It's good to see Wadey (Matthew Wade) pushing him. But we should be taking two 'keepers to the West Indies anyway. It will be a nice internal battle between them. I am looking forward to seeing who comes up trumps.”

Big money will lead young players astray

Serious concerns have been expressed by many about the future of Test cricket. But neither the nature of pitches nor the one-sidedness of matches will kill Test cricket as quickly as will the flawed attitude of players. The manner in which huge sums of money are being given to young players will have a direct bearing on their attitude.

When, in 2002, a 14-year-old, curly haired and extremely hyper Ravindra Jadeja joined the Cricket Club of India academy his first glimpse reminded the coaches of the talent of Salim Durrani, who hails from Jamnagar, the same place as Jadeja. The coaches: Nari Contractor, Hanumant Singh and Vasu Paranjpe would call him junior Salim.

Not only did Jadeja have loads of talent, he had the guts to perform in crunch situations. Once, in a match against the Mumbai under-22 team, he kept telling the coaches to send him in at No. 3, but to no avail. Eventually when he did go in, the required rate was very high.

He hooked, pulled and lofted the tall bowlers with ease. Some bowlers engaged in sledging, but Jadeja gave it back to them by winning the game comfortably for his side. The cocky guy that he was, he proclaimed to the coaches that he was better than his colleagues.

Jadeja's talent in whatever he did made Raj Singh Dungarpur think of playing him for Rajasthan, just as Kailash Gattani did when he was 14.

Very impressive

So impressed were the coaches that they were confident Jadeja would play Test cricket for India before he was out of his teens. He showed amazing wicket-taking ability and was a very good fielder off his own bowling. While batting he not only displayed a wide range of shots but also knew how to tackle situations. He had a lovely pick-up and throw as well.

A school drop-out, the only thing he knew was that he had to make cricket his livelihood. He did exceedingly well for Saurashtra and says Shane Warne's advice helped him in his approach towards the game.

The money factor made him master the art of succeeding in the shorter formats of the game, thereby giving the impression that he was not cut out for bowling long spells, which is not true. Sadly, it is the ‘more money for less work' mindset that he seems to be happy with.

Nari Contractor has a point when he says, “Jadeja is good enough to play the longer formats but if his mindset remains at restricting the batsmen rather than getting them out, he can't be successful in Tests. For the IPL, we must pick players who have performed in a certain number of first class matches. This is the only remedy to work on their mindsets.”

By taking into consideration only the performances in the shorter formats of the game, we are letting talented youngsters think solely of monetary gain. This is affecting the skill level that we see in Tests. If we go by Contractor's logic, we will get to watch talented players develop further by playing in the longer format of the game, as it really tests all the vital aspects of the game.

Jadeja has hit the jackpot. Hopefully we haven't seen the last of this player because not many have succeeded in handling fat cheques.

Dhoni praises Ashwin

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said off-spinner R. Ashwin “had to bowl out of his comfort zone in the Power Plays and the slog overs.”

He praised Ashwin for his all-round display in India's four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka here on Wednesday. “He also batted well, did well for himself and the team.”

Dhoni said the side had belief in Ravindra Jadeja as someone who can bat capably at No. 7 and do his job as a bowler.

He also said the Indian team missed a genuine pace bowling all-rounder which is why it had to depend on its two spinners who could also bat well to lend the side depth. Dhoni was appreciative of Virat Kohli's vital 77. Asked about Kohli having to be carried off the field after being run-out, he replied, “It's only cramps, nothing serious. You have to be properly rehydrated in these conditions.”

On his stunning diving catch to the left to dismiss Kumar Sangakkara, Dhoni joked, “I celebrated more than usual because I thought it was a fluke!”

Bigger totals

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene said his team was short by 30 to 40 runs. “We did not pace our innings well and got bogged down in the middle phase. We have to get bigger totals on the board.”

He went on, “The only way you can put pressure on the opposition after scoring just over 230 is to get wickets at regular intervals and deny the batsmen singles. I would not mind boundaries but those singles hurt us. We had our moments but could not finish things off.”

Jayawardene said, “These are early days in the tournament. We can improve. I still believe there is a lot of talent in this side. You need to identify them and define the roles properly.”

India stutters before prevailing

India lived at the death at the WACA here on Wednesday. The side found unlikely batting heroes in Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin who held their nerve in the cauldron.

At the end of it all, Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team clinched a match of twist and turns by four wickets. The side now has four points from two matches in the Commonwealth Bank triangular ODI series. Australia has five from one and Sri Lanka is yet to open its account.

India required 53 runs from 14 overs – the side was 181 for six – when Ashwin joined Jadeja. Sri Lanka, which has made 233 for eight after electing to bat, was closing in for the kill.

Ashwin (30 not out) and Jadeja (24 not out), both spin bowling all-rounders, handled the situation with a calm mind. They collected ones and two by relying on deft placements. Only when the ball was lacking in direction or length did they venture into the bigger strokes.

Jadeja cut Tillakaratne Dilshan bowling off-spin – Sri Lanka erred by going into the match without a specialist spinner – while Ashwin timed paceman Lasith Malinga through wide mid-off and pulled seamer Dhamika Prasad past the ropes. Soon, India was home.

Ashwin, who had contained and struck with his off-spin to finish with figures of three for 32 in the Sri Lankan innings, was adjudged Man of the Match.

Virat Kohli's 94-ball 77 held the Indian innings together. The fiesty Kohli's commitment to the team's cause was exemplary. He put a price on his wicket, got solidly behind the line and handled the lifting deliveries capably.

The right-hander flicked with aplomb and pulled with panache apart from running hard between the wickets. Kohli also blasted Prasad over the straight-field for a six.

Moments later, he pushed one to mid-on and set off for a single.

Malinga took him out with a direct hit. Cramping and in pain, the brave Kolhi left the arena in dejection.

Jadeja and Ashwin left him smiling at the end of the match though. India required a start but Virender Sehwag, failing in his ploy to harness the bounce in the surface, was caught at third man off slinger Malinga.

Sachin Tendulkar rolled back the years when he – his feet movement in harmony – eased Malinga through mid-off . Tendulkar (48) looked good for more when he tried to dab an off-cutter from paceman Angelo Mathews and played on.

India failed to build sizable partnerships. Never appearing organised with his footwork on a lively pitch, Rohit Sharma succumbed to seamer Thisara Perera; Tillakaratne Dilshan came up with a blinder at point.

Suresh Raina promised much with a couple of rapier-like cover and off drives before being gobbled up by the short ball by Mathews – the left-hander simply does not get into a proper position to essay the pull.

Dhoni too perished to a pull off Prasad; Malinga ran back at wide mid-on to hold a fine catch.

Earlier, Zaheer Khan, back in the eleven, bowled with rhythm and precision. And off-spinner Ashwin rediscovered his control to bowl with heart and craft.

Bowling is a lot about partnerships – pressure has to created from both the ends – and Zaheer combined wonderfully with Ashwin in a probing pace-spin association.

Between them, the two sent down 14 Power Play overs in which their returns were four wickets for 42.

Ashwin impressed in the batting Power Play – taken between overs 36 and 40 – sending down three overs for just 10 runs while scalping two.

It was an influential piece of bowling at a critical juncture.

Mahela Jayawardene top-edged a sweep and was splendidly held by Rohit Sharma. Then the big-hitting Perera was done in by a sharp off-spinner from round-the-wicket; Dhoni pulled off a smart stumping.

Ashwin got his off-spinners to turn, switched his line to the right and the left-handers capably and employed the carrom ball judiciously.

Crucially, the variations were not of a predictable nature as he altered his trajectory and surprised the batsmen by releasing from behind the crease.

The off-spinner then consumed the talented Dinesh Chandimal with a delivery, angled across the right-hander, from round the wicket. The carrom ball got big on Chandimal and Dhoni did well to effect another stumping.

Dhoni had earlier defied gravity in the manner of a soccer goal-keeper to come up with the ball after Zaheer straightened one to find the edge of the left-handed Kumar Sangakkara's bat.

India picked one more paceman – Zaheer replaced injured leg-spinner Rahul Sharma. A 3-2 combination meant there was greater balance in the Indian attack.

For Sri Lanka, opener Dilshan (48) drove fluently off either foot and pulled well before being unable to keep a cut off left-arm spinner Jadeja down.

Chandimal (64) used his feet nicely to bind the innings and the strong Mathews gave the Lankans some fillip towards the end.

These runs were not enough for the islanders.

Scoreboard (PTI):

Sri Lanka :

Upul Tharanga c Tendulkar b Khan 4

Tillakaratne Dilshan c Kohli b Jadeja 48

Kumar Sangakkara c Dhoni b Khan 26

Dinesh Chandimal st Dhoni b Ashwin 64

Mahela Jayawardene c Sharma b Ashwin 23

Thisara Perera st Dhoni b Ashwin 7

Anjelo Mathews not out 33

Lahiru Thirimanne run out 7

Nuwan Kulasekara c Sharma b Vinay Kumar 7

Lasith Malinga not out 1

Extras: (LB—6, W—7) 13

Total: (For 8 wickets in 50 overs) 233

Fall of wickets: 1—12, 2—74, 3—100, 4—152, 5—172, 6—189, 7—204, 8—228

Bowling: Zaheer Khan 10—1—44—2, Praveen Kumar 10—0—54—0, Vinay Kumar 10—1—56—1, Ravindra Jadeja 10—0—41—1, R Ashwin 10—1—32—3.

India:

V Sehwag c Kulasekara b Malinga 10

S Tendulkar b Mathews 48

V Kohli run out 77

R Sharma c Dilshan b Perera 10

S Raina c b Mathews 24

MS Dhoni c Malinga b Prasad 4

R Jadeja not out 24

R Ashwin not out 30

Extras: (LB—5, WD—2) 7

Total (for six wickets in 46.4 overs) 234

Fall of wickets: 1—14, 2—89, 3—122, 4—157, 5—167, 6—181.

Bowling: L Malinga 9—0—49—1, N Kulasekara 8—0—38—0, D Prasad 10—0—47—1, A Mathews 9.4—1—31—2, T Perera 5—0—37—1, T Dilshan 5—0—27—0.

This game is not about marquee names alone

Legendary opener Sunil Gavaskar once said the Indians always played better when they had sun on their backs. Where are those days now?

There is no dearth of sunshine in Perth, the leafy, charming capital of Western Australia. But then, the Indians were rolled over in the Test here by the marauding Australian pacemen on a typically fast WACA pitch.

And as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men prepare for their next game in the Commonwealth Bank triangular ODI series — against Sri Lanka here on Wednesday — they would do well to remember Umesh Yadav who bowled with fire and passion in the third Test against the Aussies at this venue.

The Indians missed the wood for the tree when they entered the tournament opener at the MCG with just two pacemen. This game can punish mistakes.

Searing intensity

India's strategic blunder overshadowed, rather unfairly, a display of searing intensity and aggression by the Australian pace pack. Indeed, the story of the season has been the depth in the Australian pace bowling ranks.

An injured Brett Lee pulled out of the competition with a fractured foot and left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc stepped in to bowl with precision, craft and rhythm. The delivery that consumed Gautam Gambhir reared like a cobra before finding the edge — the kiss of death really.

The Australians, on Monday, roped in Ben Hilfenhaus as cover for the host's game against Sri Lanka here on Friday.

Hilfenhaus, as selection panel chief John Inverarity indicated, might not play the match here; the Aussies are likely to stick to the same pace attack that routed India at the MCG. But he could be in the swing of things at Adelaide.

Hilfenhaus was one of the key players in Australia's 4-0 sweep of India in the Test series. He bowled at a lively pace, moved the ball in the air and achieved deviation off the seam too.

Crucially, he made the batsman play from around their off-stump. The numbers — 27 wickets at 17.22 — tell the story.

Eyeing a return

Hilfenhaus will be eyeing a return to the ODI scheme of things – he last played for Australia in this format during the tour of India in 2009 before returning home with tendinitis of his right knee.

And the 28-year-old Tasmanian with limitless stamina will surely seek to improve upon his ODI stats of 18 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 5.67.

Swing bowlers tend to go for runs in the shorter formats but can strike telling blows.

Australia has still not overcome fitness concerns vis a vis its pace bowlers. The promising James Pattinson, who tormented India in the first two Tests with his speed and thrust, is recovering from a bone stress injury on his left foot.

Mitchell Johnson, grappling with a damaged toe, finds his international career under a cloud with comeback men such as Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle and the younger bunch grabbing their chances.

And the lively Ryan Harris — the skilful bowler with strong shoulders and wrist has been luckless this season — is still buzzing around.

Not to speak of Clint McKay, the lanky paceman who hits the deck to extract bounce and seam movement. McKay was in his element against Inda at the MCG scalping four. He also possesses a deceptive Yorker and can vary his pace cleverly at the death.

McKay and Starc combined effectively against India at the MCG.

Immense possibilities

The 22-year-old Starc has immense possibilities. The left-armer has an easy run-up where the momentum is gained gradually, a natural action and has the delivery that comes into the right-hander.

The New South Welshman's short-pitched deliveries can open up batsmen; he uses the ball to disrupt the feet movement of the batsman before unleashing a fuller one. He is working on the delivery leaving the right-hander that would make the one that darts back even more dangerous.

To his credit, Starc has been able to switch his line to the southpaws admirably from over-the-wicket. He is taking the ball away from the left-handers — this delivery is laced with bounce — at will. A lean and mean pace predator, he certainly is.

Then we have someone like Peter Siddle — another Australian hero in the Test series with 23 wickets at 18.65 — who is desperate to make a come-back to ODI cricket.

With his aggression, velocity and nip off the wicket, he can be a handful in any format. When this fiery customer bounds in, cricket can be engaging; you can sniff a duel. Siddle can sizzle.

Waiting in the wings

There are others waiting in the wings. Twenty-five-year-old Queenslander Ben Cutting, they say, cuts like a knife. These men are fast, furious and hungry. This Australian pace attack might lack great names but has bowled in great areas.

When you seam and swing the ball both ways in the corridor at speeds in excess of 140 kmph, consistently send down good length deliveries that would go on to hit the top of off-stump, cramp the batsmen for room by denying them width, and unsettle them with well-directed lifting deliveries, it can be a handful for most.

This game is not about marquee names alone.

Please respect Yuvraj’s privacy, BCCI tells media

The Indian Cricket Board on Monday said it would issue regular health updates of World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh, who is being treated for lung cancer in the United States, and pleaded with the media to respect the ailing player’s privacy.

“Yuvraj Singh is presently undergoing treatment for his medical condition. The BCCI wishes him a speedy recovery,” BCCI Secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement.

“The BCCI is in touch with Yuvraj’s family members. They have been inundated with calls from the media over the past few days. His family values the affection and concern the media has for Yuvraj.

“The Board would like to appeal to the media to respect the privacy of Yuvraj and his family members, at this critical juncture,” he added.

Mr. Yuvraj, player of the Tournament in the World Cup last year with 362 runs, 15 wickets and four Man-of-the-Match awards, has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy at the Cancer Research Institute in Boston.

The 30-year-old left-hander has been in U.S. since January getting treatment for what was earlier claimed to be a tumour in the lungs by his family.

His physiotherapist Dr. Jatin Chaudhary has, however, assured that the ailment is curable and the batsman would be fit to resume cricket in May.

The news of Mr. Yuvraj’s ailment sparked off massive media coverage on Sunday.

“Periodic media releases regarding his health status will be issued by the BCCI,” Mr. Jagdale said.

Pakistan completes a clean sweep

Pakistan's bowlers sealed an emphatic 71-run win in the third and final Test against England here on Monday, inflicting a 3-0 humiliation on the Englishmen. Pakistan won the first Test here by 10 wickets and the second at Abu Dhabi by 72 runs.

Set a daunting 324-run target, England was bowled out for 252 with paceman Umar Gul taking four for 61 and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal (four for 67) to help Pakistan achieve a first-ever Test clean sweep against its opponent.

Pakistan has become the first team to win a Test after being bowled out for under 100, since 1907, when England, shot out for 76, beat South Africa at Leeds.

It was England's seventh series whitewash and its first at the hands of Pakistan. Pakistan has now recorded five series whitewashes, its last coming against Bangladesh in 2003. England's last series whitewash came in 2007 when it was routed by Australia 5-0.

Spinners dominate

So dominating were the Pakistani spinners that Ajmal finished the series with 24 wickets while Abdur Rehman had 19.

With the ball turning, it was always going to be a difficult task for the England batsmen, who have been unable to read the Pakistan spinners throughout the series, on a weary fourth day pitch at the Dubai Stadium.

England looked for solid partnerships after resuming at 36 for no loss but that never transpired. Pakistan could have wrapped the match earlier had it not dropped two crucial catches, the first off Andrew Strauss on 26 when wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal grassed a simple chance off Gul.

But that didn't hurt Pakistan as Rehman trapped the England captain in the very next over. Strauss challenged the decision by Australian umpire Steve Davis but his review failed.

Gul then let off Alastair Cook at 24 when he failed to hold a top-edge sweep off Rehman.

Ajmal then broke a dangerous looking 37-run stand between Cook and Jonathan Trott (18) by forcing a top-edge sweep which was smartly snapped up by Rehman at square-leg.

England, 89 for two at lunch, was still in with a chance with Cook (49) and Kevin Pietersen (18) batting well, but it lost four wickets in the space of 84 runs. It went to tea at 173 for six.

Pietersen, who struggled for runs in the series, hit Rehman for a boundary before hoisting him for a six to bring up England's 100. But, Ajmal struck from the other end.

Peach of a delivery

The off-spinner produced a beautiful delivery to bowl Pietersen through the gate for 18. He had a mere 67 runs in the series during which he was out to the spinners on five occasions.

In his next over, Ajmal produced another sharp turning delivery which caught the edge of Cook's bat and was smartly held by a diving Younis Khan, the lone slip.

Ian Bell (10) and Eoin Morgan (31) added 37 for the fifth wicket but again failed to produce a big score in the series as Gul dismissed them in the space of just three runs.

Pakistan took the second new ball at 196 for six and the first ball saw Gul dismissing Stuart Broad (18) and then Graeme Swann for one. Matt Prior was left high and dry on 49.

The teams will now play four ODIs and three T20s.

Scoreboard

Pakistan 99 and 365

England 141

England 2nd innings: (Overnight 36 without loss)

Andrew Strauss lbw b Rehman 26

Alastair Cook c Khan b Ajmal 49

Jonathan Trott c Rehman b Ajmal 18

Kevin Pietersen b Ajmal 18

Ian Bell c Shafiq b Gul 10

Eoin Morgan c Akmal b Gul 31

Matt Prior not out 49

Stuart Broad c Taufeeq b Gul 18

Graeme Swann c Shafiq b Gul 1

James Anderson c Khan b Ajmal 9

Monty Panesar lbw b Rehman 8

Extras- (4b, 8lb, 3nb) 15

TOTAL- (all out) 252

Overs- 97.3.

Fall of wickets- 1—48, 2—85, 3—116, 4—119, 5—156, 6—159, 7—196, 8—203, 9—237

Bowling- Umar Gul 20—5—61—4 (3nb), Aizaz Cheema 4—0—9—0, Mohammad Hafeez 5—2—6—0, Abdur Rehman 41.3—10—97—2, Saeed Ajmal 27—9—67—4.