Yuvraj Singh hits a record 6 Sixes vs England

Yuvraj was spurred by Flintoff

Yuvraj Singh said after his unbelievable six sixes in an over that he was motivated in part by comments Andrew Flintoff had made just before the penultimate over. Without revealing what passed between them, he said that "oppositions do have words with each other; it's part of the game. Outside we're good friends, but in the game, it's competitive. I just wanted to give it back with the bat."

There can never have been a more eloquent bat than Yuvraj's. It certainly drew admiration from the defeated England captain, Paul Collingwood. "The best striking I've ever seen," he declared.

Yuvraj's own captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, mentioned that he had recently been asked whether Yuvraj was in the team solely for his bowling. "I don't think I have to answer that question now."

When asked how it felt to have emulated Garry Sobers, Yuvraj modestly played down the comparison. "A lot of people tell me I bat like him [Garry Sobers], but I'm not even halfway there. But it's a great feeling when people tell you that."

He also claimed that the fifth six was a mishit. "The first one was the longest one. Second one was, I think, square; third one was long-off; fourth was over point; fifth was a mishit over midwicket and sixth was again to long-on."

Though he could barely suppress a smile for more than a moment, Yuvraj was acutely aware of what Stuart Broad would now be going through. "I was the one who got hit for five sixes in the Oval game [against England exactly a fortnight ago]. It's a horrible feeling and Stuart is one of their main bowlers so, I feel sorry for him. He had a horrible day. It can happen to anyone."

He said it was only after the fifth six sailed over the rope that he thought about all six. "After the fourth six I thought, if I use the crease much better, I'm sure I can hit one more. After the fifth I thought, 'Obviously, I have to go for the sixth.' It's a great feeling."

One handed catch by Sachin Tendulkar

Superb Catch by Collingwood against Australia

The best catch so far in Cricket by Sinclair

Navjot Sidhu really scared Aamir Sohail

Navjot Sidhu really scared Aamir Sohail

Cricketers Bollywood night out in Kanpur with Shahrukh

Brian Lara will lead the Mumbai Champs in the ICL

Lara disappointed with boards' ICL reaction. The speculation regarding Brian Lara's participation in the Indian Cricket League (ICL) has ended after he arrived in India. Lara, who was named captain of the Mumbai team in the ICL, expressed his disappointment at the national boards' decision to ban players who have signed up for the unofficial tournament. "The reaction from the established cricket bodies was on expected lines but still I was disappointed," Lara said. "The intentions are quite honourable and I hope down the line people will understand what this league is all about and accept it." Lara said he was excited about strapping on the pads again. "I am looking forward to playing in the league," he said. "I would love to play alongside the young players from India who may not have had the opportunity to play with me and other international players." Besides 30 high-profile international players, the ICL will have local players drawn from across India. Lara said the Twenty20 format of the game was fun and had expectedly caught on with fans around the world. "I don't generally watch cricket on television but was glued to the TV when India took on Pakistan in the World Twenty20 final. "It's a very exciting game and is fun. It has given the authorities a chance to take the game to places not familiar with cricket."

Ganguly's all-round contribution will be more than enough to keep Yuvraj Singh on the sidelines

An hour after Sachin Tendulkar slapped one past point to sew up the Kotla Test, Yuvraj Singh walked out to the middle. Hardly anyone was left in the stands and only a few cameramen and officials watched his stint. Facing a group of net bowlers, one of whom tried his best to imitate Shoaib Akhtar, he went about pounding the netting. The fury in some of those shots was indicative of how hard he's knocking on the doors of selection.

By just being around, he's keeping an entire batting line-up, a selection committee, and a media contingent on its toes. His name has come up in four of the six press conferences here. Before the game he was being talked about as a replacement for VVS Laxman, now he's being linked to Dinesh Karthik. Often he's also giving Sourav Ganguly a run. At the danger of giving him too much credit, he's obliquely contributing towards a consistent batting effort, match after match.

Ganguly and Laxman, though, must be a bit confused. One has reinvented himself over the last year and the other played his part in a quiet, efficient manner. Both have come through high-pressure situations, dealing with it in an assured manner. Ganguly has silenced those who doubted his ability against pace and Laxman has done the same against swing. Both have eked out runs with the tail, both have kept out the second new ball and both have, crucially, played out important final sessions. Ganguly has four fifties and a hundred in his last eight Tests; Laxman five fifties and a hundred in his last ten.

The Kotla Test was a case in point. If Laxman blunted the Shoaib threat in the first innings, Ganguly did the same in the second. If Laxman appeared far more comfortable than any batsman in the first dig, Ganguly occupied that slot in the second. Both walked in amid a collapse and, in contrasting styles, calmed the nerves. Both didn't hesitate to play their shots. They made some important contributions on the field too: Laxman plucking a sensational catch to break Pakistan's dangerous opening partnership and Ganguly having one of his best Tests with the ball.

Before the game, Kumble made it clear that Laxman would play. At the end of it, having seen his decision justified, he didn't understand the fuss. "I think Laxman's knock was very crucial considering the circumstances. He's a fantastic player and his partnership with Dhoni was very critical for us. I don't know why there is always a sword hanging over his head. It's only a perception from those not within the dressing room. We [the team] know what quality he brings in and his role in the team is very crucial."

Laxman's value is probably forgotten because of the long gaps between Test series. One-day performances are usually enough to make you a superstar and it doesn't help that Laxman leads a distinct double-life - one in the Test arena and another in the quiet confines of first-class cricket. Others may soon find themselves in his position, considering that half of India's Test squad don't play one-day matches.

Karthik, however absurd it sounds, seems to be the new one on the chopping block. He was the only batsman to not make a mark and the highs of the England series, when he cracked 263 runs at 43.9, suddenly seem a distant memory. Kumble, though, brushed aside any such suggestions. "He just missed out here," he said. "His contribution on the field was important - he took the crucial catch and effected the run-out [both off Misbah-ul-Haq]. He was the highest run-scorer in the last Test series and it's not fair on anyone to be judged on two innings."

India triumph in England was built on a slew of partnerships and they'll be heartened that the trend continued here. Not only do they have a batting line-up responding as a team but also a stand-by who's pushing everyone that little bit harder.

Source : www.cricinfo.com

Atapattu: 'Players demoralised by the present system'

Marvan Atapattu retired from international cricket at the end of Sri Lanka's Test series in Australia. A technically correct batsman, he finished his Test career with an average just below 40 and was instrumental in the team's revival after he took over as captain in 2004. However, a back injury in 2006 saw him increasingly sidelined, and losing the captaincy to Mahela Jayawardene. His career ended in less than happy circumstances: he just might end up being more remembered for calling the selectors - with whom he had a series of spats - a "set of muppets headed by a joker" before calling it quits.

Atapattu, now headed to India to lead the Delhi Jets in the Indian Cricket League, spoke to Sa'adi Thawfeeq.

What made you retire from international cricket so suddenly?
Two main reasons: I did not wish to continue in a system where I don't have faith and belief, and two, I wanted to give an opportunity to a suitable youngster who is coming through.

Was it the situation with the national selectors that forced your decision?
It wasn't a sudden decision. I had been giving thought to it. The tour of Australia, I thought, was a good time. It's always good to go out on a high. I had indicated to the previous administration and selectors that, had everything gone according to plan before I got injured, I was to retire from Test cricket after the 2006 tour of England and after leading Sri Lanka in the 2007 World Cup.

What are your immediate plans? Your name has been linked with the ICL, and also there have been reports of you playing club cricket in Sydney and doing television commentary for Channel Nine during Sri Lanka's one-day triangular in Australia in January.
ICL has been finalised. I am on contract with them till December 18. I am captaining a team from Delhi. The Sydney club and TV commentator matters are still on the surface at this stage. There is nothing in black and white. There are opportunities if things fall into place. I still believe I've got two to three years of cricket left in me.

How will you reflect back on your career?
It has not been a rosy start, but to come all the way and to captain your country and score more than 14,000 runs in both forms of the game - you couldn't ask for more. The principles I had, playing over 18 years for Sri Lanka - I'd rather be remembered for them than the runs and records. I am a person who spoke and worked straight or made an effort to do that.

Considering the start you had to your Test career and to finish with an average of almost 40 with six double-centuries ... how would you rate yourself as a batsman?
It is up to the public and the media to assess my performances. From my point of view, after 17-18 ducks from 90 Tests, if I can still average nearly 40, I have done pretty well. My fifties were almost on par with my hundreds. I believe that if you get a start, you go on and get a big one. That's my attitude. Maximise when you can.

What would you want to be remembered as?
If I have given somebody entertainment over the years in my own way, that's the satisfaction I get. Staying in a system for 17 years you get your fair share of compliments and criticism. Constructive criticism I don't mind.

What were your most memorable moments?
Being part of the 1996 World Cup winning squad. Scoring 132 at Lord's to win the Emirates Cup one-day final in 1998. Scoring my maiden Test century in Mohali. Sourav Ganguly walked up to me and said the first hundred is very hard to come by but after that you will know how to make a hundred. How true.

Your biggest disappointments?
My biggest disappointment was having an [back] injury and losing the captaincy. To have captained the 2007 World Cup team and quit from cricket would have been a dream. But God has given me more than enough.

How would you rate Mahela Jayawardene as a captain?
He is good. In time to come he will get better. Everybody has his own way of leading and it shows in their personality.

What contribution did you make as captain?
I tried out a couple of things, starting with senior players taking on more responsibility to finish matches off rather than leave it to others. What we lacked as senior players was at the top of the order we didn't finish the job as expected. Over the years it has changed. With the competition you have in world cricket, you don't sit comfortably on past performances but always look to raise the bar.

What did you tell your team-mates in the final speech you made in the Hobart dressing room before you announced your retirement?
I told them that we had enough talent in the room and it was a matter of putting heart and soul into it if you want to achieve anything. As individuals, by the age of 20-25 you've got to stand on your own feet and know how to handle situations. You've got to have your say because you owe it to cricket, because cricket has changed your lifestyles. Over the years we have come a long way in cricket and made a name in the world. We cannot go downhill.

What needs to be done to keep Sri Lankan cricket on top?
The school and domestic structures leading up to Test cricket need to be streamlined in a way similar to Australia so that players don't feel the transition from domestic to Test cricket. The entire process of selection, in my view, is highly subjective. An objective selection process needs to be adopted. Personal feelings and vested interests should be set aside and cool judgements made. For that to happen, the selection committee should constitute of honourable personalities with cricketing knowledge and administrative ability. We presently lack this. The concept today is, 'Show me the man and I will show you the rules.'

Who was your best Sri Lanka cricketer?
In bowling nobody can match [Muttiah] Muralitharan. He is nearing the world record but still keeps on working hard at his game. This has been the success story for him. In batting there is no one to match Aravinda de Silva. The amount of time he spent at the nets and at physical training was unbelievable. I only saw six or seven years of Aravinda but his commitment was fantastic. His thinking on the game was out of this world. [Kumar] Sangakkara ranks close to him.

The best bowler you faced in world cricket?
All bowlers tend to give you a torrid time. But for consistency Wasim Akram has to be one.

Do you think Sri Lanka has enough players to replace the likes of you, Sanath [Jayasuriya], Murali and [Chaminda] Vaas?
It is the responsibility of the selectors to groom players to take over. I don't think they have planned it right. Cricket cannot suffer because of one or two people. No cricketer or the cricketing public has openly stated that what I've said about the national selectors was wrong. It is not something new; I have expressed this to many differently, but this time I was more emphatic and I hope what I said of the selectors will ring a bell with the authorities concerned and changes [are] made for the betterment of the game. I do stand by what I have said and I don't think it has tarnished mine or my country's image in any way, although elements with vested interest are attempting to paint a different picture to what I have said. How many players have confidence with the present selection committee? I have spoken to some of them and they are demoralised by the present system. It is sad that they cannot talk and are tongue-tied by contracts.

Source : www.cricinfo.com

Tendulkar goes past Border

With a glorious on-drive for four off Mohammad Sami, Sachin Tendulkar moved past Allan Border's Test aggregate of 11,174 to become the second-highest run-scorer in Test cricket. At the end of the fourth day of the Delhi Test, Tendulkar's aggregate stood at 11,183, 770 fewer than Brian Lara's 11,953. A couple of deliveries earlier, Tendulkar had achieved another milestone, becoming only the third Indian, after Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid, to score 1000 runs in the fourth innings of a Test. Going into this Test, Tendulkar had 977 runs at an average of 32.56, well below his career average of nearly 55. If India do knock off the 32 more runs they need for victory, it'll be their seventh successive win at this ground. Since 1992-93, they've beaten Zimbabwe (three times), Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. (Click here for their overall results at the Kotla.) Their last defeat here came in 1987-88, when West Indies chased down 276 - the highest successful run-chase at this ground - for the loss of five wickets. A successful chase of 203 will also be India's fifth-highest victorious run-chase in Tests, and their second-highest at home, after the 256 for 8 they scored against Australia in Mumbai in 1964-65.

Source :www. cricinfo.com