Kirsten happy with the fitness of the Indian cricketers

"Based on what we saw two weeks ago, there have been significant improvements from every player," said Kirsten.

I am morally bound to serve Delhi: Sehwag

After leading a virtual revolt against the DDCA, star batsman Virender Sehwag today made it clear that he decided to stay with Delhi after being given a categorical assurance that selection malpractices would be brought to an end.

Sehwag, who created a flutter by threatening to quit the Delhi ranji team, said it was his 'moral' duty to clean up the system being the senior most player of the team.

In an interview to PTI, Sehwag said Delhi and District Cricket Association President Arun Jaitley had assured him during his meeting that selectors with "ethics, integrity and spine" will be appointed.

"I am happy to note that Jaitley has stressed on the need to have selectors with ethics, integrity and spine. Following this resolve, I am sure that those on the fringe and aspiring to play for the Delhi can now hope for a fair deal," Sehwag said.

"I would like to reiterate that I would love to continue to serve Delhi cricket in the improved environment," he said.

The swashbuckling batsman said, being a senior player he felt "morally bound" to set things in order as the malpractices in DDCA were required to be addressed without delay.

"It has been a matter of great pride to be part of the cricketing legacy of the Capital. That's why, I felt most hurt unfair practices creep in the selection matters and the voices of deserving names were not heard," Sehwag said.

"As the captain of the Delhi Ranji Trophy team and also as a senior cricketer of the side, I thought I was morally bound to throw light on the dark areas of Delhi cricket."

"Fair selection is what every sportsperson, whether promising or proven, hopes for. Having noticed an unacceptable trend that was setting in selection matters in Delhi, I thought it was time to raise the issue. I am glad it was taken in the spirit in which it was meant," Sehwag added.

Sehwag also called on selectors not to succumb to pressure and approach higher authorities in case somebody interfered in their job.

"Serious cricketers have, for years, regretted the role played by the members of DDCA Sports Committee in selection matters. This continued interference/pressure in the Sports Committee on the selectors to influence the selection of some undeserving names at the expense of deserving ones must end at once."

"I request the selectors in all age groups to resist pressures. If they are subjected to any pressure, they should immediately bring it to the notice of the DDCA president," he said.

Sehwag appreciated former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi "for lending solidarity by his presence in the meeting" and teammate Gautam Gambhir for his support in the entire episode.

"I hope this small initiative taken by my colleagues from the Delhi team, particularly Gautam Gambhir who was with me all along in this tirade, will help in putting Delhi cricket back on track. I am sure the measures taken by the DDCA will also help its reputation," Sehwag said.

Nannes to play for Delhi in Champs League

Mumbai Australian Dirk Nannes will represent his 'away' team Delhi Daredevils in the inaugural Champions League Twenty20, a move that would cost the Indian Premier League side USD 200,000.

Of the nine cricketers eligible to play for multiple teams, only Nannes was nominated in the preliminary squads of both the Daredevils and Victorian Bushrangers.

"Dirk Nannes, who was nominated by both the Delhi Daredevils and the Victorian Bushrangers, has informed Champions League Twenty20 that he will play for his 'away' team, the Delhi Daredevils, rather than his 'home' team, the Victorian Bushrangers," Dean Kino, a CLT20 Governing Council Member, said in a statement.

"As a result, Delhi is required to pay USD 200,000 compensation to Victoria according to regulations. The other players who were eligible for multiple teams will compete for their 'home' teams in the tournament, while Dwayne Smith who was considered an 'away' player for both Deccan and Sussex, will represent his English team," Keno said.

Besides Nannes and Smith, other cricketers who faced the loyalty dilemma were Nathan Bracken (NSW Blues, Royal Challengers Bangalore), Brendon McCullum (Otago Bolts, NSW Blues), David Warner (NSW Blues, Delhi Daredevils), Cameron White (Victorian Bushrangers, Royal Challengers Bangalore), Andrew McDonald (Victorian Bushrangers, Delhi Daredevils), Herschelle Gibbs (Cape Cobras, Deccan Chargers) and Farveez Maharoof (Wayamba, Delhi Daredevils).

Ponting ready to split captaincy with Clarke

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Sydney: Amidst calls for his head after the recent Ashes loss, Australia skipper Ricky Ponting said on Wednesday that he would not mind sharing the captaincy with his deputy Michael Clarke being made in-charge of the shorter versions of the game.

"If that's the way that I or others, outside of what I'm thinking, decide (is) the right way to go, there's absolutely no reason why that couldn't happen," Ponting told reporters at

the Sydney International Airport.

Ponting is the only second Australian captain after Billy Murdoch to twice lose the Ashes in England. The team also slipped to fourth place for the first time on the ICC Test rankings, having lost three of their past five series.

Ponting himself was elevated to one-day captaincy in 2002 and he shared the leadership with Steve Waugh until the latter retired from Test cricket in 2004.

"It has happened in the past with Australian teams. It is happening with other teams around the world right at the moment.

"Paul Collingwood is captain of the England Twenty20 team and Andrew Strauss is captain of the one-day and Test cricket teams. Those things are things that need to be thought long and hard about, but if it means that I'm going to be better off for Test matches and bigger series when they come around," he said.

The 28-year-old Clarke has captained Australia in 11 ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals.

Lanka batsmen shine on Vettori's big day

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Colombo: What’s in a record? Well, for all-rounders like New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori, it means the sort of impressive achievement that ranks him high in the list of modern Test gladiators.

As a Test side, there are those who feel the Kiwis should rank no higher than their current seven, which makes you wonder about reality and its juxtaposition with relativity. After all, the pool of players from which the team is drawn would barely fill a New Delhi suburb such as Lodi Colony.

Yet it has been the New Zealand captain who if you please has helped steal some of the Sri Lanka thunder on the opening day of the second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club as the tourists overcame the Galle bug and mounted a disciplined performance.

When he made his debut as a teenager against England at the Basin Reserve more than 12 years ago on the advice of the then Kiwi coach Steve Rixon, the prediction had been for a solid future. Rixon, of course, was not being clairvoyant; neither were the New Zealand selectors. He was just a talented left-arm spinner not too long out of school.

Well, 94 Tests later and a road that has become well signposted, he has not only taken on the mantel of captaincy and selector, but has become the eighth all-rounder to surpass the 3000 runs/300 wickets at Test level. There are two New Zealanders in this list headed by Shane Warne and includes Sri Richard Hadlee, India’s Kapil Dev, Shaun Pollock, Chaminda Vaas and Imran Khan along with Ian Botham.

Vettori alluded to this when he mentioned how joining a list with the big four all rounders of the 1980s – Hadlee, Botham. Kapil Dev and Imran Khan – was special; and so it should be. It doesn’t happen every day either.

The interesting point here is that there are two New Zealanders in the list and only one Australian, which makes their Tasman Sea cousins smile as the Aussies always like to joke how the Kiwis all live in one of their suburbs. Mention their rugby, however, creates a different image and one of acknowledgement. But that’s the muddied oafs for you. With cricket it is far different as, like the current Australian side, New Zealand are in a stage of transition and the batsman have been told how it is time to start delivering on their skills, talent and ability.

Pakistan must start playing as a team: Miandad

Karachi: Pakistan is capable of winning the ICC Champions Trophy next month in South Africa but they would have to play as a team rather than individuals, feels former skipper Javed Miandad.

"The problem with the Pakistan team has always been that they tend to play as individuals but whenever they combine and play as a team they can beat any side in the world or win any major event in the world," Miandad said in an interview today.

The former national team coach said the twenty20 World Cup triumph this year showed that Pakistan is capable of beating anyone when they played as a unit.

"If we can play with the same spirit and coordination that we showed in the T20 World Cup there is no reason why we can't repeat the same success in the Champions Trophy," said Miandad, who is now director cricket in the Pakistan cricket board.

Miandad, who is also batting consultant for the national and junior teams, said that he always rated Pakistan among the top three teams of the world in any era.

"We have god gifted talent in the country and we have some immensely talented performers. The only thing is that they click when they play as a team and not as individuals," he added.

We want to be the next Deccan: Ganguly

Kolkata: Busy rectifying mistakes that the Kolkata Knight Riders committed this year, Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday said his team, which ended bottom of the table in the second Indian Premier League, is gearing up for a complete turnaround in the third edition next year.
"Obviously we have looked at the mistakes that we committed and we are trying to rectify them. But I won't say in public what those mistakes were," Ganguly told PTI on the sidelines of the shooting of his show Dadagiri at the outskirts of the city.
"We want to do better then last time. Just like Deccan Chargers, who finished last in the first edition but won the trophy in IPL II. Similarly, take the case of Royal Challengers Bangalore, they were second-last in IPL I, but finished runners-up this year," he pointed out.
The former India skipper, who is widely tipped to return as KKR captain, sidestepped queries on the much-speculated appointment of a new coach for the team.
"I am not really worried about the coaches. What I am worried about is the team. I am spending a lot of time and trying to get the team right.
"Obviously I know the names of the coaches in contention but I don't have the authority to reveal them. It's Shah Rukh Khan and Jay Mehta who will take the decision but I have a say in that," Ganguly said.
Asked about speculations that Wasim Akram is the favourite to get the job, Ganguly only said that Shah Rukh did have a word with the former Pakistan captain on the matter.
"Yeah, I have good relations with Wasim Akram. He was a great bowler. Though I know him very well but it was SRK who had a chat with Wasim," he said.

Players back Ponting's captaincy

Sydney: Embattled Australian cricket captain Ricky Ponting received the support of his players on Wednesday after they returned home following their Ashes defeat to England at the weekend.

Ponting, who is expected back in Sydney later on Wednesday, is the first Australian captain in more than a century to lose two Ashes series in England.

England won the fifth Test in London by 197 runs on Sunday, giving Andrew Strauss's team a 2-1 series victory.

Ponting's captaincy has since come under scrutiny in sports-mad Australia, which has basked in its cricket team's dominance of the game for the better part of two decades.

"Ricky Ponting has got my full support and I think he's the best man to be captain," fast bowler Stuart Clark told reporters upon his arrival at Sydney airport.

"I think it's ludicrous that anyone say anything other."

Opening batsman Simon Katich also said Ponting had the support of the team and that there were 11 players on the field at the Oval when England claimed the series win.

Former Australia batsman Dean Jones, however, suggested Ponting be stripped of the captaincy and called on the selectors to consider coaxing legspinner Shane Warne out of retirement to lead the side.

"If the selectors ... want to go to someone else for the captaincy, if they're thinking of that, (the options are) maybe give it to (vice captain) Michael Clarke straight away," Jones was quoted as saying by Wednesday's Australian newspaper.

"Is he old enough? Is he mature enough now? Will they give it to, say, maybe Marcus North who they have a lot of respect for? Or even Simon Katich? "Or one more? Ask Shane Warne to come out of retirement just for two years, then give it to Michael Clarke.

"A lot of people might be thinking that's stupid but it will take him two months, three months to get himself fit, just let him play the test matches and, I tell you what, he would do it in a heartbeat."

Flintoff to quit ODIs after 2015 World Cup

London Victory in the Ashes series in his swansong Test was a perfect way to bid adieu to Test cricket and now Andrew Flintoff longs to end his one-day career on a similar high: by winning the 2015 World Cup.

Flintoff, who underwent a knee surgery on Monday night, said he is keen to return to cricket field.

"Obviously there are no guarantees but, having spoken to the surgeon, I'm confident I'll be able to get back on the field. However long the rehab takes I'm prepared to do it to give myself the best chance of playing international cricket

again.

"I want to play at the World Cup in 2011 and the one after that too. I've finished my Test career with an Ashes victory and I want to finish my one-day career with a World

Cup win in 2015. That would be perfect," Flintoff was quoted as saying by the Guardian.

The burly all rounder also revealed how emotions overpowered him after playing the final Test of his career at The Oval on Sunday.

"I admit I was tearful. And then I saw one of the Sky Sports cameras hovering and thought 'Nobody's seeing my crying', so I nipped into the toilets, gave myself a minute, got myself together and got on with the job of celebrating."

Flintoff admitted that it would not be easy to get to full fitness but said he was determined to help England play well in short version of the game.

"The harsh reality is that I need my knee sorting out. It's a long road back to fitness but I've done it before. And seeing the scenes at The Oval, it's made me more determined to get back fit and play in front of the full houses in England or abroad and try to make a difference with the one-day side," he said.

Flintoff said he was eyeing Bangladesh tour for his comeback to competitive cricket.

"The surgeon's got a good idea what he's going to find. We'll see how I wake up after the anaesthetic but, realistically, I'm going to struggle to get back playing before Christmas.

"I've retired from Test cricket but there's a tour to Bangladesh [early next year] which I desperately want to be involved in. That could be my first cricket back," he said.

Meanwhile, the retired Test all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has asked his teammates to follow in the footsteps of arch-rival Australia and back their Ashes success with more wins if they desire to dominate world cricket.

"If lessons can be learned from the past, it's that now is the time to try and dominate the world of cricket as a Test team," Flintoff was quoted as saying.

"Enjoy this week, celebrate, get it out of your system and then move on, almost be Australia-like in the way that they've gone about it.

"They've won series in the past and they've continued to beat people," he added.

At six feet and four inches, the 31-year-old may not come across as an emotional person but Flintoff said he had his teary moments after the Oval Test.

"I didn't think I'd get emotional but I did a little bit," said Flintoff, who quit Test cricket to concentrate his on one-day career.

"I sat in my corner in the place where I always sit at The Oval, on the left in the corner with all my kit everywhere.

Akram keen to coach Knight Riders

New Delhi: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram expressed his keenness to coach the Kolkata Knight Riders and said he was scheduled to meet the IPL franchise owner Shah Rukh Khan on Sunday to discuss the assignment.

The former tearaway said he has received a call from Shah Rukh's secretary, inviting him for a "chat" to discuss a coaching assignment with the Knight Riders on August 30.

"Sunday, I will be there for sure and I am keen. I am ready. Check me out," said Akram, who has emerged as a strong contender for the job.

"I have never done formal coaching before. It is a different skill and is honed over a period of time. It requires a lot of patience and that is something I have acquired over a period of time. I came to Delhi to teach bowling skills to youngsters and that was a good experience. So it's worth giving the KKR job a shot," he told Mobile ESPN.

Asked if was aware that he was vying with the likes of John Wright and Richard Pybus to replace John Buchanan, Akram said he was confident about passing on his valuable experience to players.

"I have played 20 years of international cricket. I have played alongside Sourav Ganguly and Chris Gayle. I will be able to pass on some skills and techniques with the on-field experience I have. That's me," he said.

Interestingly, former Kiwi captain and ex-India coach Wright is meeting Shah Rukh on the same day as Akram to explore options for the high-profile job.

"I will tell him what I am capable of. The rest is his call. He will surely do my homework. It's great that a non-cricketing man is taking so much interest. He's a smart guy," Akram said.

On who should captain the KKR, Akram's choice was clear.

"Ultimately, the management should decide who should lead the side, but according to me, (Sourav) Ganguly is the man. He has been India's best skipper and is the senior-most member of the side, who can command the respect of the team," said Akram.

Akram, Wright in race for KKR coaching job

Kolkata: Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram has thrown in his hat to coach the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) three next year.

The legendary all-rounder will meet the owner of the team and film star Shahrukh Khan along with another another candidate for the post and former Indian coach John Wright at the end of this week, according to CNN-IBN

Earlier, Englishmen Richard Pybus and Dermot Reeve were interviewed by Khan himself in his Bandra residence on Sunday and were tipped to secure the high-profile job of being the new coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

However, with Akram throwing in his hat and Wright yet to be interviewed by the KKR team management, the race for the coveted post seems to be wide open.

End to Delhi mutiny: New selectors likely

New Delhi: The row over selection of the Delhi Ranji team and poor management of the game in the Capital that provoked India's star opener Virender Sehwag to lead a mutiny seems to be over with a meeting between the Delhi and District Cricket Associations President Arun Jaitley and the cricketer.

Jaitley, reportedly, has agreed to all concerns raised by Sehwag in principle and has promised to revamp the Selection Committee.

He has also promised that a new Cricket Committee will be formed to clean up the operations.

The Committee will comprise former cricketers, as demanded by Sehwag and a number of senior players from Delhi.

Apart from Jaitley, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, DDCA Vice Presidents Chetan Chauhan, Suresh Chopra, C K Khanna, Secretary SP Bansal and Sports Secretary Sunil Dev also attended the meeting on Monday night.

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