All posts by csb10.top

Close New Zealand 384 (Fleming 117) and 190 for 5 (McMillan 28*, Franklin 2*) lead England 319 (Trescothick 63, Cairns 5-79) by 255 runs
Scorecard

New Zealand started the third day at Trent Bridge with a timely morale boost from Down Under. In their Rugby Union international against England, the All Blacks romped to a crushing 36-3 victory. It was the sort of news that couldn’t help but inspire their black-capped cousins to greater deeds.Sure enough, James Franklin and Chris Cairns shared nine wickets between them to secure a highly improbable 65-run lead, before Mark Richardson and Stephen Fleming more than doubled the advantage with a coolly-compiled 94-run opening stand. By the close, New Zealand led by 255 runs with five wickets remaining. All it will take is defeat by France tomorrow evening, and England’s sporting bubble will have been well and truly pricked.New Zealand’s position would have been even better, had it not been for a couple of howlers from umpire Simon Taufel, who sent Stephen Fleming on his way, lbw for 45, before adjudging Scott Styris to have been caught behind for 39, as he swiped at a wide delivery from Steve Harmison with three overs of the day remaining.There was clear daylight between Styris’s bat and the ball (and, at that stage, between New Zealand’s prospects and those of England) but the error allowed England to regroup before the close. New Zealand still remain in charge, but with two bowlers missing from their attack, they need to set England something nearer 350 if they are to have any realistic hopes of avoiding the whitewash.Mind you, the absence of Chris Martin and Kyle Mills had made no difference in morning session, when Cairns’s wily assortment of slower balls, and Franklin’s zippy left-arm swingers were too much for England’s remaining five batsmen, who were rattled out on the stroke of lunch, for the addition of 94 runs.In reply, England’s seamers made a lethargic start. For the most part they were accurate but unthreatening, and Richardson and Fleming settled in for the long haul. Fleming struggled to get the ball off the square at first, but Richardson was in an uncharacteristic hurry to capitalise on his scoring opportunities. Every time England bowled too straight, he would clip them through midwicket; too much width and they disappeared through the covers.

It was left to Ashley Giles to make the breakthrough. On 41, Giles had got his palm to an uppercut off Harmison, but he made amends in the second over of his spell, as Richardson played across the line and was pinned plumb lbw by a sharply turning delivery. He was gone for 49, one short of his fourth half-century of the series, and he was rightly applauded from the field by the Trent Bridge crowd. New Zealand may have lost the series, but in batting nearly 22 hours for his 369 runs, Richardson has remained unbowed throughout.After tea, New Zealand’s middle-order stumbled in that now-characteristic manner. Brendon McCullum was utterly deceived by a fine piece of bowling from Giles, beaten in the flight as he came down the track and well held by Flintoff at slip as the ball skewed off a leading edge (106 for 2).Flintoff then took the big wicket of Fleming, who had been troubled by his tight off-stump line from around the wicket, and was sent on his way by Taufel as he padded up to one that would have been slipping over the top of off stump (126 for 3). When Nathan Astle followed for a fourth-ball duck, Flintoff was on a roll and England were in the ascendancy. But Styris and Craig McMillan brought down the shutters, at least until Taufel’s late aberration.It was not one of Taufel’s best days as an umpire. Earlier, he had scuppered England’s prospects of a first-innings lead when he gave Graham Thorpe out for 45 to a leg-side delivery that flicked his thigh pad. At that stage England had been reduced to 255 for 7, with the nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard the other early wicket, caught fending to slip off Franklin.Giles and Geraint Jones showed what might have been on another day. Jones got off the mark in style, cutting Franklin to the point boundary off the fourth ball he faced, then square-driving the last ball of the over for four more. But just as he appeared to be settling in for another of his calculated assaults, he aimed a woolly swish over midwicket, and Scott Styris had the wicket, lbw for 22. At 295 for 8, England were in the doldrums.Giles demonstrated his worth with an important 45, full of sound judgment and impressive improvisation, but Cairns at the other end was too clever for England’s tailenders. Martin Saggers had no answer to another beautifully conceived slower ball, which rolled inexorably back onto his stumps, and Harmison was comprehensively beaten by a second-ball yorker. His dismissal completed Cairns’s 13th five-wicket haul, and given New Zealand’s injury crisis, it was one of his most timely interventions as well.

Michael Bevan and Andy Bichel have been dropped from Australia’s list of centrally contracted players for 2004-05. The announcement all but ends their international careers, although Cricket Australia has pointed out that uncontracted players would still be considered for selection.”Michael Bevan has been a wonderful player for Australia over many years, particularly in the one-day arena,” said Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors. “However, it was felt that [his] contribution to the one-day side has decreased. We won’t be picking him for the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe, and therefore we consider it’s time to move on. We’re looking to the future now … it’s time we started to form a core group of players that we think will represent Australia at the next World Cup.”Andy Bichel has played a vital role in our sides over recent times,” Hohns continued. “However, it is fair to say we showed our hand during the summer when he was omitted from various teams in both forms of the game. With the fast bowlers currently representing Australia and the emerging fast-bowling talent around the country, we couldn’t find a place for Andy on the list.”Brad Hodge and Shaun Tait were offered contracts for the first time, and Michael Hussey stayed on the list for the third year. Matthew Elliott was brought back into the fold after a prolific season for Victoria, the Pura Cup champions, while Michael Kasprowicz and Simon Katich were upgraded to full-year contracts.Hohns said weight of runs was the factor that led to Elliott’s recall. “The amount of runs Matthew has scored over the last couple of years we found irresistible,” he explained. “He just demanded inclusion in this list, as did Brad Hodge.”Nathan Bracken, Ashley Noffke and Nathan Hauritz were also dropped from last year’s list, while Steve Waugh retired in January.Contracted players receive a basic retainer fee, besides match fees, tour fees and prize money. The minimum retainer is $140,000, and match fees are $12,100 for Tests and $4850 for one-dayers.Contracted players
Michael Clarke, Matthew Elliott, Adam Gilchrist, Jason Gillespie, Ian Harvey, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Justin Langer, Darren Lehmann, Martin Love, Stuart MacGill, Jimmy Maher, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds, Shaun Tait, Shane Warne, Shane Watson, Brad Williams.

South Africa fought hard on the fifth day of the first Test against West Indies to draw the game, after being outplayed on the first four days. Bennett King, the West Indies coach, has expressed disappointment over the result and expects improvement in future matches.”We are not really enjoying a draw, we are all not as happy as we could be,” said King to Stabroek News. “I just think that there are a lot of times when the players are really working hard, and really trying to put plans together, and really are trying to come up with results other than bowling all day, and hoping. They [the team] are really trying to set some people up and get them out; and that is really encouraging.”South Africa were asked to follow on after getting dismissed for 188 in the first innings. Jacques Kallis’s unbeaten knock of 109 saved the game for them. “At the moment, not every ball goes into the area as we want, but the more we practise the better we will get.”Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the new captain, was fairly satisfied with his team’s performance, who were tipped as underdogs due to the omission of several players including Brian Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle from the side. “It was a good five days. We came in as the underdogs. In batting, the guys went out and put up a pretty good total. The bowlers also came out and did well. I don’t think that there is much we would change from this here. Going into the next game, to be in a position like this, we would be happy.”Chanderpaul pointed out that the one area the West Indies would need to work on for the rest of the series is their fielding. “We were pretty much on top, just the fielding side of it [we need to work on].”However, spirits were high in the South African camp. Graeme Smith praised Jacques Kallis for his resilient knock which saved the match for them. “I am running out of words for Jacques [Kallis]. He is superb, rock solid, did what he had to do, carried the innings again. In the middle there, it is so important to have a solid batter, a guy you can rely on. And we relied on him [Kallis] today.”Smith felt that his team underestimated the Guyana pitch. “I think that we, maybe, underestimated the surface. I don’t think that our bowlers realised how low and flat it was going to be, and how much effort we would have to put in. And the batters, I think, kind of played with a little too much freedom.”Smith pointed out that South Africa needed to improve their bowling for the second Test in Trinidad. “I think that the batters are focused and have been scoring runs of late, and I think that the hardest thing is for the bowlers to get these wickets. You have to bowl differently, you have to be able to take 20 wickets to win Test matches. And hopefully, Trinidad offers a more even battle between bat and ball.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Honours ended even after a truncated but intriguing opening day to the fourth Test at Trent Bridge. Marcus Trescothick led the early charge for England before Shaun Tait struck back for Australia following a lengthy rain break. Michael Vaughan was again in impressive form but fell to his opposite number, Ricky Ponting, shortly before rain drove the players off for the final time as 30 overs were lopped off the day.After a nine-day break between the end of the extraordinary events at Old Trafford and the resumption of hostilities here, the question was who would bring more momentum into this match. The initial signs – as Trescothick and Andrew Strauss laid into a patched-up Australia attack – were that England were again on top, but Australia produced enough evidence to suggest that the final two Tests in this epic series will be as tough as the previous three.Australia, for the second time in three Tests, received a blow just before the teams were named when Glenn McGrath was ruled out an elbow injury. With Tait already pencilled in for his first Test, Michael Kasprowicz was recalled in similar circumstances to his hurried inclusion at Edgbaston following McGrath’s ankle injury.As McGrath and the dropped Jason Gillespie – with a combined total of 764 Test wickets – watched from the pavilion, Brett Lee led the Australian attack after Vaughan had won the toss. Trescothick and Strauss played the opening half a dozen overs very watchfully but it quickly became apparent that the pitch was flat, there was no swing and the Australia attack was fairly unthreatening.Without a full-strength attack it was vital that Australia made the most of their chances but there were again a clutch of missed opportunities. Trescothick was bowled off a no-ball by Lee, Kevin Pietersen was dropped by Kasprowicz from a caught-and-bowled chance on 14, and Matthew Hayden spilled Vaughan in the gully when he had 30. Hayden also missed a chance to run out Pietersen with a shy at the stumps and Australia continued to lack that edge which everyone has become accustomed to.

However, Tait did bring a new dimension to the bowling attack, even if his opening spell was rather erratic. He nudged the speedgun into the mid-nineties but Ponting quickly turned to Shane Warne – who was welcomed by a straight six from Trescothick – with England rattling past 100 at their familiar scoring rate of over four an over.Trescothick moved to fifty from 77 balls and it was difficult to see where a wicket was coming from. But you rarely have to look further than Warne in that sort of situation and he conjured one up when Strauss bottom-edged a sweep onto his foot and the ball ballooned up to Matthew Hayden at slip. Strauss stood his ground as Steve Bucknor referred the decision to the third umpire and the replays clearly showed the ball had hit his boot and not the ground.Trescothick then received his stroke of fortune when he dragged Lee into his stumps only for the umpire to call no-ball. The Australians were well into their celebrations when they heard the call – and Trescothick was off towards the dressing room – but the bowlers had been asking for trouble. A profligate 18 no-balls were sent down before lunch and although they imporved to keep the tally down to 22 overall it was only a matter of time before they claimed wicket from one of them.But any momentum England took into lunch was washed away by the frustrating stream of showers that passed over the ground during the afternoon. Just 3.1 overs were possible between lunch and tea and it was Australia – having had time to regroup – who benefited from the stop-start nature of play.While the openers had blazed away during a sunny morning session the clouds hovering around Trent Bridge now gave the bowlers extra encouragement. Tait made a dramatic first mark when he castled Trescothick with the fourth ball of the evening session and then produced a perfect outswinger to Ian Bell, which was edged through to Adam Gilchrist. It was an impressive burst from Tait who showed all the attributes which had been talked of before the Test.

Within the space of 15 minutes England’s innings had a new complexion and some careful consolidation was required by Vaughan and Pietersen. They were both selective in their strokeplay, content to leave plenty of deliveries, but not afraid to dispatch loose offerings to the boundary. Both received let-offs and Vaughan, especially, set about making the most of his second life as he passed his half-century from 77 balls. He unleashed a range of well-timed strokes but none better than a stunning cover drive off Lee.Pietersen was his usual hyperactive self, walking across his stumps to make the most of the gaps in the leg side. But after almost getting himself run out he held back some of his attacking instincts. This was due, in no small part, to Ponting who sensed the need for another breakthrough and decided on the bold move of introducing himself.The gamble paid rich dividends when Vaughan, just as he appeared set for a major innings, feathered a catch through to Gilchrist. Ponting’s strike broke a stand of 67 between Vaughan and Pietersen but whether the move was a captaincy masterstroke or act of desperation is still open to debate. One thing that wasn’t expect this summer was that Ponting and Warne would bowl the same number of overs on the opening day of a Test.However, given the current state of their bowling attack Ponting won’t care where the wickets come from. There has never been a dull session in this series and with England’s powerful – if inconsistent – middle order at the crease and Australia knowing a couple of quick strikes will give them control, this match is on a knife edge.

EnglandAndrew Strauss c Hayden b Warne 35 (105 for 1)
Marcus Trescothick b Tait 65 (137 for 2)
Ian Bell c Gilchrist b Tait 3 (146 for 3)
Michael Vaughan c Gilchrist b Ponting 58 (213 for 4)

Ian Chappell believes Australia must start thinking of the Ashes by reinstating Michael Clarke instead of Brad Hodge for the three-Test tour of South Africa. Chappell, writing in his column for , said the selectors had to find a way for him to return after he was dropped for the third Test against West Indies in November.”Clarke is one of the six best batsmen in Australia – ahead of Brad Hodge – and his skill and flair will be an important ingredient if the Ashes are to be regained,” Chappell said. “Clarke is better equipped than Hodge to cope with the bounce and swing of a strong English attack and somehow the selectors have to have him back in the side before the first Test at the Gabba comes around.”The South Africa series and a two-match contest in Bangladesh in April are the only Tests Australia have before the Ashes starts at the Gabba on November 23. “Clarke is a player with a long-term future and also a potential Australian captain,” Chappell said. “He has had a kick in the backside and now is the right time to bring him back into the touring party.”The magazine also looks long term with Shane Warne predicting the South Australia slow-bowling duo of Cullen Bailey and Dan Cullen will go on to great things. Cullen, the offspinner who is currently recovering from a broken finger, was named the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year at the Allan Border Medal while Bailey, the legspinner, is his full-time replacement.”If you can have an offspinner and a legspinner bowling together it always tests the batsman with different sorts of techniques, good variation,” Warne said. “They are going to be hard work in South Australia, those guys, and, who knows, down the track they could form the Australian spin bowling combination.”

Scorecard

Victoria completed an amazing turnaround at the Gabba, dismissing Queensland for 169 to win their Pura Cup game by 156 runs. It was only the fourth time in the 112-year history of the competition – which was originally known as the Sheffield Shield – that a team had won after following on.”We had to find a way back into the game, it was graciously given to us by the opposition captain,” Greg Shipperd, Victoria’s coach, told the Australian Associated Press. “We took full advantage. A couple of times in the last couple of seasons I think Queensland have seriously underestimated our ability to play at the level that we have.”Resuming at 6 for 472, Victoria declared their second innings on 8 for 508, setting Queensland an improbable victory target of 326. A more achievable aim for them was batting out almost five-and-a-half hours to force a draw, but their batsmen proved hopelessly inadequate to the task, lasting just 59 overs.They started well, reaching 1 for 51 at lunch, but the slump came about in the afternoon session, when six wickets went down. The slide started immediately after the break, when Martin Love and Shane Watson fell in quick succession. Clinton Perren made 52, but wickets continued to tumble at the other end, with Michael Lewis and Ian Harvey taking three wickets apiece. Ashley Noffke provided some resistance, remaining unbeaten on 45, but Victoria were not to be denied.Shipperd pointed out that Victorians aren’t the type to give up. “Last year they [Queensland] scored 600 down at the Junction Oval, and expected us to roll over – it was another indication of that sort of thinking,” he said. “In the last couple of years, Victoria have deserved to be respected, probably more than they are by the opposition.”Jimmy Maher, Queensland’s captain, denied any lack of respect on their part. “I’m sorry if it’s disrespectful for enforcing the follow-on,” he said. “Next time I’ll give them 100 runs as well to show them a lot of respect. My bowlers were fresh. They wanted another go at them because we only bowled 45 overs [in the first innings]. And then in the second we had them 6 for 100 effectively, so I think he’s looking at the wrong things.” After being 6 for 293, a lead of 110 overall, Cameron White and Ian Harvey rallied for Victoria, and put on 205 for the seventh wicket, the first stage of a remarkable turnaround.The win lifted Victoria to fourth spot with 12 points, but Queensland continue to lead the Pura Cup table with 22 points, two clear of New South Wales.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Battered and bruised on and off the field after defeat, injury and illness, England performed well beyond expectations on the opening day at Mumbai, laying the foundations to launch a serious attempt at a series-levelling win. Powered by a fantastic century by Andrew Strauss, and a curious decision at the toss by Rahul Dravid, England finished on 272 for 3.A severe personnel problem for England became even more critical on the morning of the match, when Alastair Cook was ruled out due to a stomach bug. Perhaps the Indian think-tank believed they could capitalise on the unsettled opposition top order; perhaps they were swayed by the tinge of green on the track, or by a bowling attack which included three seamers. The decision was strange, but England, to their credit, grabbed the opportunity with both hands, with Strauss’s 128 easily the highlight.Over the last few months, Strauss has struggled – his last nine Test innings have fetched him 150 runs in all. He threatened to match that number in just one hit today, with a superbly planned knock. When the ball was new and moving around, he was content to see off the bowling, scoring just 35 at lunch. The horizontal-bat strokes were closeted away, replaced by drives in the V and through the covers. Then, after he had done the hard yards, he capitalised – unlike makeshift opener Ian Bell, who threw it away in a moment of indiscretion.As the pitch eased up in the afternoon, Strauss opened out and unfurled his full range – the drives became more extravagant, and the slightest error in length was punished with crisp cuts and pulls.He did have a couple of moments of good fortune, though. On 92, a hard slash off Harbhajan flashed past slip before Dravid could get his hands to the ball, and on 123, Mahendra Singh Dhoni dropped a more straightforward chance off Kumble. Strauss celebrated the first escape with a superb sweep to bring up his hundred – his eighth in Tests, and his first in the subcontinent – but could manage only five more after the second reprieve before nicking one off Harbhajan.

If Strauss’s knock was the story of the day, then Owais Shah’s performance on Test debut was a close second. From the outset, he oozed confidence, mixing intense defence with powerful drives and cuts. He started his innings with a smashing cut off Harbhajan, then stroked him delightfully through covers to bring up his fifty, and in between took full toll of the other bowlers as well. The fourth over after lunch was his highlight, as Shah waded into an utterly listless Pathan, slapping him down the ground, then flicking, and then driving through mid-on for three glorious fours in an over. Cramps in his hands curtailed the knock, but with an overnight rest, Shah should be back to try and inflict more damage to the Indian cause tomorrow.Kevin Pietersen ensured that Shah’s departure didn’t halt the momentum, playing with typical flair. The front-foot drives off the fast bowlers boomed as powerfully as ever, but there were moments of good fortune too, when top-edged pull shots evaded the fielders. And when he fell, Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood were around to ensure that all the good work of five hours weren’t undone in a few minutes.Having erred at the toss, Dravid tried all the tricks to limit the damage, rotating his fast bowlers in short spells, getting the spinners on early when the fast bowlers proved ineffective, and changing the ends for Anil Kumble. However, India’s three-man pace attack was effectively reduced to two, with Pathan, bowling at medium pace with no swing, seam or accuracy, being completely off colour. Sreesanth was all fire and heart, but the best spell of the day came from Munaf Patel, after tea. Generating pace and bounce, he had the batsmen in plenty of bother, rapping Strauss on the pads, cutting him in half with an indipper, and forcing Pietersen to fend awkwardly. England survived all those moments, though, and ended the day with enough runs on the board to put pressure on India when it’s their turn to bat.

Ian Bell c Harbhajan b Sreesanth 18 (52 for 1)
Andrew Strauss c Dhoni b Harbhajan 128 (230 for 2)
Kevin Pietersen c Dhoni b Sreesanth 39 (242 for 3)

Richie Richardson and Andy Roberts, former players, have hit out at the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) for its stance on negotiating a contract for retainer fees with the regional board.Richardson said WIPA was pushing for too much money while Andy Roberts said the players’ association has been dragging its feet in meeting with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to discuss the contract. The WICB, after negotiations went beyond their first deadline of last Friday, have now proposed a further meeting with WIPA tomorrow with a new deadline of May 3 for the players to sign its offer for retainer contracts.Richardson said the players are failing to understand the plight of the regional game. “It is really sad the state of affairs of West Indies cricket at this present time,” Richardson told a local radio station yesterday. “We are all aware of what we are going through and rather than us getting together and trying to restore our cricket as quickly as possible we continue to fight and argue for things that should not be a priority in West Indies cricket.”Cricket is bigger than the players. The board and I think that in the interest of the fans and West Indies cricket we have got to really quickly sort out our problems and get on with playing and get the game going, get the fans happy and try and restore our cricket.”We are right down at the bottom of the table and yet our players are demanding big money. I don’t like to compare time but when we played we fought for a lot of things. We fought for better treatment of the players, for improvement in payments and things like that. If we were to adopt the same attitude that the players were adopting today we would have never gone out on the field of play because there was hardly any money.”But our priority was to go out there and play for West Indies, to go out there and represent the millions of fans who depend on us to keep them uplifted throughout their daily lives. Today the priority is money and it is really sad because it is destroying West Indies cricket.”I think the board needs to be a bit stronger. At the end of the day the board can only offer what it’s capable of offering to the players,” Richardson added. “Just take it or leave it. If they don’t want to go out there and play cricket I’m sure there are a number of players who want to go out and play. We’re not winning anything so you might as well go out there and invest in young players who want to go out there and play for their country and groom them and maybe in five, 10 years we will have a much better team.”Roberts, a former player and coach, said both WICB and WIPA should share the blame for the impasse, which has been raising its ugly head repeatedly.”It seems as though this is a problem we are seeing every tour West Indies have embarked on within the last year or so, whether it’s a home series or away series,” Roberts said. “I’m not casting the blame entirely on WICB and I’m not casting the blame entirely on WIPA. But I believe the CEO for WIPA has some ulterior motives because I cannot see every time you wait until the final hour before you decide to come to the bargaining table. If there’s any hiccup we are back to square one again. We have to find a team if the players decide that they are not signing any contract on Tuesday. Where do you find the top players from?Roberts also castigated the WICB. The players are to blame but the board has contributed to the problem. Check some of the salaries of some of the administrators.”

Andy and Grant Flower are still not interested in returning to theZimbabwe cricket team as long as the present administration remains. TheEssex pair spoke to Cricinfo on Monday while turning out for the World XIagainst a West Indies All Star team as part of the reopening of theKensington Oval on Saturday.”I walked away because of the state of affairs and not much haschanged,” said Andy Flower, the former Zimbabwe captain. “Since then it hasgone further downhill. I don’t believe things will change unless thegovernment changes, so that’s the stage we are at.”The brothers left the Zimbabwe team in 2003, disenchanted withgovernment policies and how the ZC cricket body led by Peter Chingokawas rife with financial mismanagement, bias and infighting. Dozens ofnational players have quit the side since, and Zimbabwe stopped playing Tests morethan a year ago because it wasn’t competitive enough.It has a conditional return to Test status in November, but considering thecountry has had no first-class competition for two years the talk of areturn to Test cricket may be premature.Chingoka was reportedly trying to attract former players for the Zimbabwe squadfor next month’s World Cup in the Caribbean to avoid embarrassment. Grant Flower, two years younger than Andy, called for a change of administration in the country. Otherwise, he said, the game would perish.”As Andy said, a lot needs to be done to save the game of cricket inZimbabwe. We would love to help, but we can’t work under the presentbosses,” said Grant. He also predicted a tough time for the team in the WorldCup.”Zimbabwe has been forced to field a team of kids and we have all seenthe results. It’s not the players’ fault but I don’t see them doing verywell in the World Cup out here.”

Sourav Ganguly has been included in the Indian squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka at Chennai. Ganguly, who was earlier stripped of the Test captaincy, was chosen in the team as a “batting allrounder” after a marathon meeting of the five-member selection committee in Chennai. Kiran More, the chairman of selectors, added that Zaheer Khan missed out because Ganguly would provide a bowling option.”We thought we’ll use him as a batting allrounder in the team,” said More while addressing the press. “We discussed it for a long time and after deliberations we decided to have him in the team as an allrounder. It will give more comfort to the team balance.” On his batting, More added that Ganguly had done well in Zimbabwe and scored a hundred in the Duleep Trophy too and that all the selectors were happy with his performance.Mahendra Singh Dhoni has replaced Dinesh Karthik as the wicketkeeper and More said that “Dhoni has taken us to a different level of cricket and he has a great future. He walks in at No.6 or No.7 and it’s always a danger for the opposition.” The selectors also retained VVS Laxman and Anil Kumble in the squad while Rudra Pratap Singh was rewarded for his consistent performances in the one-dayers.Zaheer and Dheeraj Jadhav, who were part of the Test team in the last series against Zimbabwe, didn’t find a place. “We discussed several names,” said More. “RP Singh has done well in the one-dayers and we have found a few young bowlers who are promising. If they perform well in domestic cricket, they will definitely get opportunities. We missed out on Zaheer Khan also. He’s performed outstandingly in domestic cricket and it was a tough call to leave him out. Also, we consider Ganguly as an allrounder, that’s why Zaheer Khan has missed out.”The one-day squad for the remaining two matches against South Africa remained unchanged. The team for the last two Tests against Sri Lanka will be named after the first Test.Squad for first Test against Sri Lanka
Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid (capt), Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Sourav Ganguly, Mohammad Kaif, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, Anil Kumble, RP Singh.Squad for last two ODIs against South Africa
Virender Sehwag (vice-capt), Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid (capt), Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk), Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Harbhajan Singh, Murali Kartik, S Sreesanth, RP Singh, Jai Prakash Yadav.