Virat Kohli Hails Wriddhiman Saha's Work Ethics

Bangalore: Virat Kohli's has expressed his confidence in wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha's abilities in both his keeping and batting.

When asked whether Wriddhiman had lived upto his expectations, the skipper replied: "Well, I really like Wriddhi's attitude as he is a very hard working cricketer. He is willing to do anything that the team requires. He is a brilliant wicketkeeper and very good with the bat as well. He has got a very good first-class record as he has got lot of runs in pressure situations."

The glowing praise from his skipper would do a world of good for the 31-year-old, who exactly has not done well with the bat.

"He (Wriddhiman) is still finding his feet in Test cricket and he is already confident of his keeping. He can become more confident of his batting and it will come with the amount of runs he scores and the kind of impact he makes. And be that sort of perfect No 6 or 7 for us. He is someone who can handle pressure situations really well. In the first innings of the Sydney Test, he hung in there for long time, played the fast bowlers really well."

Kohli went to the extent of saying that Wriddhiman can handle any sort of attack in any conditions.
"He is someone who can handle any conditions and any sort of attack. He has that sort of belief that more confidence has with the bat, he will develop into an important sort of member for this team."

Story first published on: Wednesday, 18 November 2015 16:28 IST

Pakistan's Umar Akmal Denies Doing Anything Wrong

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had said Umar Akmal was in contention for the 16-man squad for the T20I series against England, but was dropped over an incident in Hyderabad in which he was alleged to have "misbehaved" with women at a party. 

 

Karachi: Pakistan's talented but controversial batsman Umar Akmal on Monday denied any wrongdoing in a party which led to his axing from the Twenty20 team for the three-match series against England later this month.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had said Umar was in contention for the 16-man squad but was dropped over an incident in Hyderabad in which he was alleged to have "misbehaved" with women at a party.

The PCB has also served a show cause notice to the 25-year-old batsman whose career has been chequered with disciplinary problems.

Umar, younger brother of Kamran and Adnan Akmal who also played for Pakistan, on Monday responded to the PCB show cause notice.

"I attended a dinner party after being granted official permission by my team manager," said Umar in his response to the PCB notice.

Last year Umar was jailed in Lahore after he had a scuffle with a traffic warden over running a red light.

He was also left out of the team after the 2015 World Cup, with head coach Waqar Younis complaining about his insubordination during the event.

PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan last week said Umar would be given an opportunity to defend himself.

Umar meanwhile has labelled the allegations baseless.

"I am not answerable to anyone apart from the department I am playing for," Umar told reporters. "Cricket is my love and I want to represent Pakistan for a long period of time."

Pakistan's Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi has also reportedly backed the embroiled batsman, asking the PCB to clear Umar and then reinstate him in the squad.

Pakistan play England in a three-match T20 series with matches in Dubai (November 26 and 27) and Sharjah on November 30.

Story first published on: Tuesday, 17 November 2015 16:30 IST

Mahendra Singh Dhoni Set for Domestic Cricket Comeback After Eight Years

Bengaluru: India's limited overs captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all set to feature in domestic cricket after a gap of eight years as he is likely to play for Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy next month in case the Pakistan series does not happen.
Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) secretary Rajesh Verma said that the star cricketer has expressed his desire to play for the state team.
"We have spoken to Dhoni and he has said that in all likelihood he will be available (if there's no Pakistan series) to play for Jharkhand in Vijay Hazare Trophy. We have not discussed as to how many matches he will play or whether he would like to lead the side. But if he wants obviously, he will lead the side," Verma told PTI over phone from Ranchi.
Dhoni last played for Jharkhand in the 2007 East Zone leg of Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Championship in Kolkata after the Indian team made an inglorious exit from the group stage of the 2007 World Cup.
"His presence obviously will be a great boost for the boys. Whenever Dhoni has got an opportunity, he has had encouraging words for the boys. Only day before I saw him training at the main stadium alone. Right now the senior team is in Tripura for Ranji Trophy," Verma said.
What seems to have brought about this opportunity for Jharkhand is the fact that Dhoni no longer plays Test cricket. The last international he played was an ODI against South Africa on October 25.
With no clarity on the series against Pakistan, India's next assignment is the limited overs series in Australia in mid-January.
If Pakistan series does not happen, Dhoni would have been out of match practice for close to three months. The 50-over matches against first-class sides will at least allow him to get some match time before he goes Down Under.

Story first published on: Tuesday, 17 November 2015 19:46 IST

Imran Khan's Ex-Wife Reham Khan Admits She Felt Stifled in Marriage

Islamabad: Two weeks after Imran Khan's second marriage ended in a divorce in just 10 months, Reham has spoken out, claiming that she was told that she should be making chapatis in the kitchen and not to be seen outside.
The Pakistani cricket legend-turned-politician and the 42-year-old TV journalist announced their decision to split on October 30 amid reports that Imran objected to her meddling in politics. (Imran Khan Divorces Second Wife Reham Khan, Is he Seeing Jemima Again?)
The 62-year-old Imran's marriage to Reham was his second after his first marriage with English heiress Jemima Goldsmith for nine years ended in divorce in June, 2004.
Reham Khan, a divorced mother of three, left a job on regional BBC news and moved back to Pakistan in 2013. (How Imran Khan Divorced his Wife Reham Khan)
"I was told specifically by a senior adviser: they basically wanted me to be in the kitchen, to be cooking chapatis and not to be seen ever again," Reham told Sunday Times.
Reham said as soon as she and her youngest daughter moved into Imran's mansion in Bani Gala, on a hilltop overlooking Islamabad, she felt stifled.
Her career was a constant problem, particularly when she became an "ambassador for street children" in Peshawar.
"There wasn't any involvement, I never attended meetings or anything of the sort, but obviously there was insecurity," Reham said.
Reham said she gave up her television show to avoid a conflict of interest and did not work for several months.
But she still upset Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) early on when a journalist questioned her about problems in her first marriage. Asked in an interview if she had been the victim of domestic abuse, she "didn't want to lie" and said yes.
"I answered as diplomatically as I could, being a politician's wife," she told the paper.
But the media storm that followed upset Imran's party. Imran's response was silence, she said.
"I was told not to defend myself, to let it die down," she said. But the "attacks escalated". Although Imran knew about her past, she thinks it took its toll on him: "I don't know if he was surprised by it, but he was affected by it."
She said guests to Imran's home were never fed and Imran was surviving on "one chapati a day".
Imran was not, she thinks, quite prepared for married bliss.
"I tried to talk to him. I'm very talkative and I'm very chatty but, you know, you can't exactly with Imran Khan. You can't discuss the colour of the curtains; you can only talk politics. You cannot exactly discuss Bollywood films with him. God knows I tried," she said.
Reham said she plans to continue her work with street children in Pakistan, is producing two films.
"I have to make up for loss of income. I married a man who convinced me that he loved me, who looked lonely and who I thought had the same ideas about life and the same goals, but we were just too different," she said.

Story first published on: Monday, 16 November 2015 13:13 IST

After Inspiring Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh Tweets Zaheer Khan to Marry

Harbhajan Singh, who recently married Geeta Basra, was the first to hint about Yuvraj Singh's engagement with Hazel Keech, which turned out to be true. The off-spinner now wants Zaheer Khan to announce his marriage plans 

Harbhajan Singh wants Zaheer Khan to get married by next year. He had earlier hinted Yuvraj SIngh's engagement with Hazel Keech.

© AFP

Harbhajan Singh, who got married to Bollywood actress Geeta Basra on October 29, is turning out to be a match-maker of sorts for top Indian cricketers. The India off-spinner, who was the first to hint about Yuvraj Singh's engagement with Hazel Keech, said Zaheer Khan is 'next in line' to get hitched.
Harbhajan, who is on a comeback trail to the national team after being part of both the ODI and the T20I squads in the South Africa series, took to Twitter to say that Zaheer may tie the knot soon.

 

Saeed Ajmal-Less Pakistan Seek to End 20-Year Australia Drought

Saeed Ajmal, who has been suspended due to an illegal bowling action, has single-handedly ruled the dry and slow tracks of Pakistan's neutral venues in the United Arab Emirates, especially at Dubai where he has 37 wickets in six Tests, three of which Pakistan won.

Pakistan hope to end a 20-year drought against Australia when they meet in the first of two Tests in Dubai from Wednesday but they are hobbled by the absence of spin king Saeed Ajmal.

Ajmal, who has been suspended due to an illegal bowling action, has single-handedly ruled the dry and slow tracks of Pakistan's neutral venues in the United Arab Emirates, especially at Dubai where he has 37 wickets in six Tests, three of which Pakistan won. 

That includes 24 wickets in a 3-0 rout of England in 2012.

Pakistan have also lost frontline seamers Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz -- both through knee injuries -- and have to rely on uncapped leg-spinner Yasir Shah and two-Test left-armer Zulfiqar Babar, both of whom are likely to play.

Captain Misbah-ul Haq, under pressure to score runs after managing nought and 15 in the preceding 3-0 one-day series defeat, admitted Ajmal's absence is significant.

"Ajmal has left a big hole," said Misbah, who skippers a team whose last Test series win over Australia was back in 1994.

"But we have youngsters who should grab the chance and I am confident they can."

The return of veteran batsman Younis Khan and Azhar Ali will boost Pakistan's fragile batting as they seek to remain unbeaten in a Test series in the UAE since they were forced to decamp in 2009 due to security fears in their country.

Australia will also look to include both spinners in Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe despite their unimpressive record of losing five of the last six Tests (one draw) in which they played with two spinners.

But they have dominated Pakistan, winning 13 out of the last 14 Tests against them.

Australia will hope skipper Michael Clarke, top Test run getter in 2013 with 1,093, anchors the batting after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained two months ago.

Clarke failed to get much-needed practice in the 153-run defeat in the four-day tour game against Pakistan 'A' on Sunday, managing just ten and five.

Clarke admitted Ajmal will be missed by Pakistan.

"I think there is no doubt that Ajmal is an amazing bowler. I think obviously Pakistan wish they had him available for selection," said Clarke.

"I have always said that Pakistan have always had a lot of talent in any form of the game and I am sure the Test eleven that they put on the field is very talented and know these conditions."

Australia will hope all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, will be able to fill in for the more experienced Shane Watson who is out of the tour due to a calf injury.

Australia's pace attack will be led by Mitchell Johnson who bowled with venom in the two one-dayers he played -- taking six wickets -- and supported by the hard-working Peter Siddle.

A 2-0 cleansweep would return Australia to the top of the Test rankings.

The second Test will be played in Abu Dhabi from October 30.

Teams (from):

Pakistan: Misbah-ul Haq (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Taufeeq Umar, Shan Masood, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Talha, Rahat Ali, Imran Khan, Ehsan Adil, Sarfraz Ahmed, Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah.

Australia: Michael Clarke (capt), David Warner, Chris Rogers, Alex Doolan, Steven Smith, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, Brad Haddin, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Johnson, Steve O'Keefe, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, James Faulkner, Nathan Lyon.

Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG) and Marais Erasmus (RSA)

TV umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG)

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)             

Pakistan Women's Cricket Captain Leads Team to New Highs

Bolstered after winning the Asian Games gold medal for the second consecutive time, captain Sana Mir says her side has gone from strength to strength.

Pakistan recently suffered a humiliating ODI whitewash against Australia. That was the men's team. The women's team though is on a completely different level with success bolstering confidence in the camp.

Fresh from successfully defending their gold medal at Asian Games in Incheon, the women's team is on a high. Captain Sana Mir is especially pleased with how the team performed and predicted that the side can be more consistent if facilities are further improved in the country. "It really has been a wonderful experience because winning the gold medal was really important to us," she was quoted as saying by a Pakistan-based cricket website - Pakpassion.net. "However, let us also not forget that teams like Australia, England, New Zealand and India are well established teams with good infrastructure to back them up. We started quite late in our development of women's cricket. Although, we've been able to lessen the gap between the top teams and us, but the pressure has definitely been on us."

Appointed captain in 2009 - just four years after her debut, the 28-year-old cricketer said that she has seen expectations from her team rise with time. "People just want us to win and we've done it against the odds in 2010 and we knew that we could do it 2014 as well. But please remember that unlike the men's game, teams like Bangladesh cannot be taken lightly. They have had a lot more international exposure compared to Pakistan women and they also have international cricket at home which makes a huge difference," said leg-spinner Mir, who has 79 wickets from 70 ODI matches.

While there are questions about Misbah-ul-Haq's ability to lead the men's team, Mir has silenced her critics successfully - both as a player and as a captain. Adjudged  Player of the Tournament at the 2008 Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier, Mir feels Pakistan Cricket Board has helped her players defy the notion that conservative elements threaten development of Pakistan women cricketers. "The PCB has played a tremendous role in the evolution and development of women's cricket in Pakistan," she said. "Wherever we go, whichever countries we tour we get positive feedback."

Mir is currently ranked seventh in International Cricket Council's ODI rankings for bowlers. There is no other Pakistani player in the top-10 batting or bowling list.             

Wasim Akram urges struggling Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq to say goodbye to ODIs

Former Pakistan cricket team captain Wasim Akram has urged struggling skipper Misbah-ul Haq to say good-bye to ODIs, while blaming a lack of international cricket and the absence of a system for developing young players for the team's disappointing defeats in recent months.

Pakistan lost the final ODI against Australia in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to complete a 3-0 rout, and the upcoming Test series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) looks likely to be a tough proposition.

The fast bowling legend Wasim urged struggling one-day and Test captain Misbah to take a positive approach with the team, or step aside. He said that the skipper should take brave and aggressive decisions but added that he is not doing that, The Dawn reported.

Akram said that if any vice captain is ready to lead then Pakistan must say goodbye to Misbah, who withdrew himself from the third and final ODI in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, as far as ODI is concerned.

The common complaint in international cricket is that teams play too many matches, but Akram said that Pakistan was suffering for precisely the opposite reason. He said that Australia was always favourites to win the one-day series, so he added that do not blame the Pakistan team, because they are playing so much less international cricket than other countries.

Pakistan lost one-day and Test series against Sri Lanka in August, their first international encounters in six months.

Akram said that India is playing too much cricket and so is Sri Lanka, and they are performing well. While hitting out at a lack of infrastructure and shortage of junior-level tours, Akram added that he thinks the PCB should arrange more Under-19 tours and Pakistan 'A' tours which would help groom youngsters but that is not there. 

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh asks umpire Darrell Hair to 'shut up' post controversial chucking comments

Harbhajan Singh has lashed out at Australian umpire Darrell Hair and asked him to 'shut up' post the latter's chucking comments.

After Darrell Hair recently made disparging comments against Harbhajan Singh and a host of other spin bowlers, the Indian has lashed out at the Australian by asking him to 'shut up' and defended his fellow counterparts.

Hair earlier had labeled Harbhajan, Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan and Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq as 'role models', who have encouraged modern day chucking in international cricket. 

Harbhajan said that Hair has crossed the limit with his comments and also feels that he has gone 'mad'.

Hair, who infamously had called Muralitharan for chucking in the Melbourne Test in 1995, had stated that the ICC was too late in taking action against bowlers with suspect actions.

Harbhajan reiterated that he and Muralitharan were given the clean chit by the ICC and also said that Hair was afraid of 'losing his job' as an Elite Panel umpire.

The spinner concluded by saying that Hair should stop challenging the present day rules and standards of the ICC and must 'keep his mouth shut'.

For the record, the latest spinner to be reported for suspect action was West Indies' Sunil Narine, who has since then been withdrawn from the ongoing series against India. 

'I am Not Misbah-ul-Haq, I am Shahid Afridi'

Shahid Afridi said no two captains are the same and insisted he developed his exciting brand of cricket and leadership thanks to the aggression of the Pakistani people. 

Afridi says he has very little in common with Pakistan's ODI skipper Misbah.

While Misbah-ul-Haq's form has raised doubts about his leadership skills, Pakistan's T20 captain Shahid Afridi feels aggression is the key to success. Pakistan suffered an ODI whitewash against Australia recently but Afridi says his teammates should stick to their fiery brand of cricket.
Re-appointed as T20I skipper after being axed unceremoniously three years ago, Afridi told ESPNCricinfo that every captain has his unique style. His was aggression. "Every captain has his own approach and I can't be Misbah and Misbah can't be Afridi," he said. "I love to play aggressive cricket because people in my country are aggressive, my players are aggressive and I want them to play aggressive cricket."
While the aggression was largely missing against the Aussies, Afridi feels it is the effort which counts. "Your body language on the field is the reflection of your intentions and people will look beyond the result or performance when they see your efforts," he said. This is in sharp contrast to the approach of Misbah who, many feel, is lacking the 'will to kill.'
Misbah's absence - rest being the official reason - from the final ODI has raised several eyebrows with many in Pakistan demanding for his removal. There are also reports of an internal strife in the dressing-room. Afridi though wants players to stay true to their strengths rather than mould themselves. "If he is comfortable with his approach then what is the problem? But players around him should not become Misbah. Each player has his own strengths and he should carry out what he is capable of rather than suppressing himself."
Afridi himself has hardly ever suppressed himself - on or off the field. Not a stranger to controversies, the 34-year-old had said on Monday that Pakistan don't deserve to play the World Cup if the team fails on UAE tracks. "If we are not able to win on these pitches then we have to think we can't go into the World Cup with these performances."
Even as Pakistan cricket struggles for form and guidance four months before the ODI World Cup, Afridi feels the ultimate cricketing glory lies in a combative game.

 

Kevin Pietersen a Brash Kid Who Never Grew up: Martin Crowe

Former New Zealand skipper Martin Crowe feels there is no need to sympathise with Kevin Pietersen, who has accused his former England teammates of bulling younger players in his recently released controversial autobiography.

File photo of former England player Kevin Pietersen. 

 

Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe said Kevin Pietersen has been unable to lose the bitterness of his past, which forced him to leave Natal in South Africa as a young man and seek cricketing opportunities in England.
Pietersen, who was controversially sacked from the England side after an Ashes whitewash against Australia, Down Under, released his bare-all book, KP: The Autobiography, where he picked on teammates and former coach Andy Flower besides accusing senior players of allowing a bullying culture to develop in the dressing-room. The revelations drew mixed reactions and Pietersen was once again subjected to intense criticism from men he had once played cricket with, men he once called friends.
Crowe, one of the more charismatic captains to have ever led the Black Caps, said Pietersen's story of a kid who left his home shores to travel to a distant land and represent an adopted country had taken a sad turn, given everything he had achieved and subsequently destroyed. The brash right-handed batsman made a sensational debut against Australia, slamming two half-centuries in 2005, a year after he first played ODIs for England.
"It is a sad story of a kid who never grew up. With sadness normally comes sympathy, but in this case there need not be any now. This young, brash kid from Pietermaritzburg has had more chances to step out of his shadow, and has ultimately, going by this week's example, accepted very few," Crowe wrote for ESPNcricinfo. "The record of the batsman will speak of something, but not of the man, for it never came to be. KP simply remained an insecure kid.
Now, at 34, he is ship-wrecked, his international cricket career well over, his esteem in his adopted country utterly compromised. He may as well go back to Natal and start again."
Many believed Pietersen was among the best batsmen in the world, even when the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid were in full bloom. He had smashed his way to 4000 runs in his first 45 Tests and bowlers the world over shuddered at the thought of bowling to England's new middle-order star.
However, Pietersen's dizzying heights soon came crashing down when as a captain, he got into tiffs with coach Peter Moores, who was removed from his role. He was co-incidentally named coach again after Flower's tenure was over in 2014. In the following years, Pietersen would also get into trouble over texting South African cricketers derogatory messages about former England skipper Andy Strauss. Removed from the national team, Pietersen was reintegrated during the tour of India, where he got back to scoring match-winning hundreds yet again.
The joy of England fans watching Pietersen decimate bowling attacks remained short-lived as he soon started developing differences with captain Alastair Cook in the wake of a horror Australian tour that ended early this year.
Pietersen's fall from disgrace and the affection of the cricket-loving public in his home remained a mystery and Crow, much like former England captain Nasser Hussain wondered if the cash-rich Indian Premier League had anything to do with it.
"Did the IPL become his new focus and paymaster once disposed as a Test captain? In his bitterness did he turn his energy off England, in defiance of England, switching his allegiance to grow his own marketable brand? We are left to ponder all that this week.
What he cannot deny is that his batting numbers went down while his behaviour got exposed, his attitude changed towards ODIs to play more IPL games, the runaway train crashing inevitably," Crowe wrote.
Crowe, one of the most outspoken commentators of the game feels his autobiography "reeks of ego and a falsehood. It is not one of a man's truth, but of a wayward youth. Make no mistake, despite its superb authorship, this book is feeble, even pitiful, definitely unnecessary."
Pietersen knows his England career is now over. After such unsettling claims, the England dressing-room will no longer be a welcome place. But the 'kid from Natal' will always be remembered for once leading England to the top of the world, before crashing down on his face in the most unglorious manner.

Misbah was not forced to sit out, clarifies PCB

Karachi: The trouble-prone Pakistan cricket team dressing room was once again witness to some drama and it took PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan’s intervention to diffuse the controversy generated by Misbah-ul Haq’s decision to rest from the third ODI against Australia.

Misbah-ul-Haq

Khan had to talk to the media in Abu Dhabi during the third ODI to defuse the impression that Misbah had been coerced or pressurised into not playing the third ODI by the team management, which is totally behind Shahid Afridi who led the side in the match on Sunday.

Although Misbah took pains to make politically correct appearances during the match to give the impression that everything was alright in the dressing room but former players still didn’t spare the PCB for its sudden decision to hand over the captaincy to Afridi.

Shaharyar said that Misbah was not forced to sit out.

“Neither me nor management have influenced Misbah to sit out, he has done it on his own, he is determined to return. I had an half hour chat with him. He says if ‘I am back to form I would like to lead to the World Cup’,” Khan told the media.

After Pakistan lost the match, former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar waded into head coach Waqar Younis and even manager/chief selector Moin Khan and the PCB for even accepting Misbah’s wish to take a break.

“What is happening? What sort of message is being conveyed to the cricket world? Four months before the World Cup, we don’t know who is going to be our ODI captain. The PCB and management is only adding to the confusion with their strange statements,” Akhtar said.

Former Test captain, Ramiz Raja said if Misbah wanted to rest, a younger player should have been given charge of the team instead of Afridi.

Dhoni the best man to lead India: Akram

Sydney: Under-fire Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni got much-needed support from former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram who said the "hullabaloo" about his leadership is "ill-timed" as speculated replacement Virender Sehwag is not qualified for the job.
"The entire hullabaloo around MS Dhoni's captaincy is extremely ill-timed. Captain-bashing is a favourite pastime of cricket pundits in the Indian sub-continent and the media just loves it," wrote Akram in his column for a sports website.

"...I believe Dhoni is the best man to lead India and will remain so in the immediate future...In recent times, BCCI's planning has reflected poorly on India's overseas performances. So, it would be unfair to make Dhoni a scapegoat.
"There are two names - Sehwag and Virat Kohli -- doing the rounds as 'next' captains. In my book, none of them qualify for the job," he said.
Akram said while the pressure on Dhoni is understandable after consecutive Test whitewashes on foreign soil but Sehwag was not too impressive either when he got the chance to lead the side in the final Test against Australia.
"Sehwag was very unimpressive when he led the Indian team at Adelaide and Kohli is a kid who has just begun his career.
He can wait for another five years. I had expected better body language from Sehwag and his team during the Adelaide Test, but I was disappointed," he said.
"This 'I give-a-damn' attitude is counter-productive when the chips are down. What did Sehwag do to salvage India's pride at Adelaide? I sometimes see streaks of Shahid Afridi in Sehwag. That dreadful propensity to self-destruct!" he explained.
"Dhoni may not have done enough as skipper, but two bad series does not mean he should be derided and kicked out. Does the BCCI really have an option?"
Akram said he expects a "new" India to take the field in the shorter format starting tomorrow with a Twenty20 against Australia even though bowling remains an area of concern.
"There is still a lot to play for in Australia. With Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina and Praveen Kumar coming in, India are a solid ODI and T20 team. I think India have the right mix to give high-flying Australia a run for their money and we shall see a 'new' India in the first T20," he said.
"India's bowling remains a concern. Ishant Sharma has been the biggest disappointment. He has talked about the 'luck factor'. All that is just a lame excuse. After playing 45 Test matches, Ishant has not learnt to take responsibility," he said.
"When a quick bowler can't make an impact on a Perth or MCG wicket, he never will. First things first, he must first learn to bowl on one side of the wicket."
Akram said Inda need to keep their confidence level up to get the results.
"Self-belief will be crucial going forward in the remainder of the Australian tour. India must not tamper with their batting order. Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir must open the innings because they already have a 'feel' of the conditions," he said.
"The more India back themselves, the better they will play. It's a brand new chapter and India must demonstrate the body language of a world champion. Hope Dhoni shows the way with his young brigade," he added.

Sourav Ganguly suggests playing Irfan and Tiwary

Melbourne: India should draft all-rounder Irfan Pathan and Manoj Tiwary in the side for the next tri-series match even if it means dropping a spinner along with Suresh Raina, suggested former skipper Sourav Ganguly.

India will play Sri Lanka on Wednesday after losing the first match to Australia by 65 runs.

India had rested Virender Sehwag and included two spinners in Ravichandran Ashwin and Rahul Sharma for the first match, a ploy which failed to impress Ganguly.

"In the next game, India should play Irfan Pathan instead of a spinner, as that will add variety to their attack. Pathan is a left-hander who swings the ball well. Pathan is needed because India is playing too many spinners, whereas even in Sunday's game, Vinay Kumar and the Australian pacemen made the most of the pitch," Ganguly said.

Ganguly said Bengal batsman Tiwary deserved a place in the side in place of Raina.

"I also wonder why Manoj Tiwary is not playing. Here is a man who scored a hundred in his last match against the West Indies under pressure, and on current form should play ahead of Suresh Raina who has looked suspect against the short stuff," Ganguly wrote in his column for 'Sydney Morning Herald'.

Ganguly also felt that Sehwag's presence in the top-order was crucial to India.

"India also needs the injured Virender Sehwag back. Sachin Tendulkar had not played a one-day match for 10 months, and it's not easy to accelerate from the word go.

"Gautam Gambhir did get a good fifty in the last Twenty20 game, but hasn't looked convincing as yet," he said.

Government will help Yuvraj Singh: Sports Minister

New Delhi: Sports Minister Ajay Maken has come out in support of Yuvraj Singh, who is undergoing cancer treatment in the United States.

Maken said the government will help Yuvraj, as the nation prays for his speedy recovery. "Wish Yuvraj a speedy recovery! Asking officials to find the quantum and nature of help required. Government shld & will help him," Maken tweeted last night.

Yuvraj, who played a stellar role in India's ODI World Cup triumph last year, has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy in the US.

The 30-year-old left-hander has been in US since last month being treated for what was earlier claimed to be a tumour in the lungs by his family. But it has now been diagnosed as malignant and Yuvraj is currently undergoing chemotherapy in the Cancer Research Institute in Boston.

Wishes and prayers are pouring in from all corners of the world.

While Yuvraj's father Yograj refused comments on the matter, his mother Shabnam Singh told a national daily that her son was doing fine. "He is fine and will be back soon on the field. Don't worry," she said.

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

"It is a rare tumour and is cancerous but it has been detected in stage one itself. Doctors had to decide whether to continue medication or go for chemotherapy but since parts of the tumour are just above the artery of his heart, there was a danger that while running it could burst. But it is 100 per cent curable," Chaudhary said.

"The doctors decided that he would have to undergo chemotherapy and he travelled to the US on January 26. End of March, he would undergo a CT scan and should recover by then. After that it is just some rehabilitation in April before he is fit to be back on the field in May," he added.

"Thankfully no surgery is required, he is already a lot better than what he was and can't wait to be back on the cricket field," he said.

Chaudhary said the detection of cancer was delayed by wrong diagnosis by an Indian hospital.

"His first biopsy report was stolen from his car and the second from a hospital, I don't want to name, did not give the correct diagnosis. It was a Russian doctor who detected the cancer and after consultations with doctors in US, it was decided that Yuvraj would undergo chemotherapy," he said.

"Once he is done with chemo in March, his rehabilitation would be complete by April end and he would be perfectly fit to play in May," he added.

Yuvraj has played 37 Tests, scoring 1775 runs at an average of 34.80.

He has 8051 runs at an average of 37.62 from his 274-match ODI career, the highlight of which was his stellar role in India's World Cup triumph last year.

In 23 Twenty20s, Yuvraj has scored 567 runs at 31.50.

Sahara India withdraws sponsorship of Team India and Pune Warriors

New Delhi: Sahara India has withdrawn sponsorship of Indian cricket team and the Pune Warriors from the IPL.

"We are withdrawing from all cricket under BCCI," Sahara has said in a statement.

Sahara has requested the BCCI to pass on Pune Warriors team to some other interested party immediately.