'I don't think I have plenty of cricket left in me'

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Sachin Tendulkar has said that he will reassess his cricketing future in November amid growing calls for him to consider retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Oct-2012Sachin Tendulkar has said that he will reassess his cricketing future in November, when he plays the home Tests against England. Tendulkar, who has previously been non-committal on questions about his retirement, also said any decision about ending a 23-year career will depend on both his form and his motivation levels.”I need not take a call right now. When I play in November, I will re-assess things,” Tendulkar was quoted as saying in .”I am 39 and I don’t think I have plenty of cricket left in me. But it depends on my frame of mind and my physical ability to deliver. When I feel that I am not delivering what is needed, and then I will re-look at the scheme of things. I am already 39 and no one expects me to go on playing forever.”In his latest series, the home Tests against New Zealand, he was bowled in each of his three innings for low scores. Sunil Gavaskar was among those concerned by Tendulkar’s poor form. “The gap between the pad and the bat is a worrying sign,” Gavaskar had said. “This is never a good sign for a great batsman.”Tendulkar, however, felt that it was natural for the questions to be asked. “There are two different things – scoring runs and what I feel. For instance, if this three-wicket ordeal had happened when I was 25, no one would have questioned it. Incidentally, it happened when I am 39, so questions were raised. This is natural.”Tendulkar has played 190 Tests and he said he is not chasing any particular mark. India play England in a four-Test series starting November followed by another four-Test series against Australia early next year.”I am looking at it series by series. As long as I feel that I can deliver, I will continue playing. It also depends on what the team feels and whether I am motivated enough to continue being on top of the game.”

Women's World Cup trophy detained at airport

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The 2013 Women’s World Cup trophy replica, brought to Mumbai for a promotional launch of the event, has been detained by the customs officials at the Mumbai airport

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Nov-2012The 2013 Women’s World Cup trophy replica, brought to Mumbai for a promotional launch of the event, has been detained by the customs officials at the Mumbai airport. The tournament will be held in the city early next year. The trophy arrived via baggage from Dubai, and according to customs rules trophies can only be brought into the country through cargo.”The trophy should be brought through cargo. In the past we have notified that it shouldn’t be part of the baggage. Prior permissions are required to bring them as part of baggage. As per the regulation, the authorities will have to pay a duty on it,” Airports customs official PM Saleem told .Saleem also mentioned that he had received a letter from the BCCI requesting for an exemption from taxes. However, without documents signifying the approval of the central government in this regard, the trophy will not be released, it is understood.An ICC spokesperson, however, mentioned that the ICC possessed all the necessary paperwork to avoid this.”Despite having all the appropriate paperwork, Mumbai Customs decided to confiscate the trophy. This is the third time. The first time was when they confiscated the 2011 ICC World Cup marketing trophy, then the World T20 marketing trophy and now the ICC Women’s World Cup marketing trophy. All the trophies are replicas,” he said.In 2011, the trophy awarded to the Indian team after they won the World Cup had been the original trophy that had arrived in the country much earlier: the replica had been taken back to Dubai following a similar customs roadblock.

Bird stars as Warriors skittled for 67

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Justin Langer’s first day as Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield coach could hardly have gone worse as Jackson Bird led a Tasmanian destruction of the Warriors batting order in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2012
Scorecard
Justin Langer’s first day as Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield coach could hardly have gone worse as Jackson Bird led a Tasmanian destruction of the Warriors batting order in Hobart. Western Australia were skittled for 67 and to make matters worse for the visitors, the Tigers proceeded to pass their total with only one wicket down and went to stumps in a commanding position.Tasmania finished the day at 2 for 201, with Ben Dunk unbeaten on 71 and George Bailey on 42, and their lead had already ballooned to 134 runs. Michael Beer picked up both wickets, Mark Cosgrove and Alex Doolan each for 42, and Mitchell Johnson didn’t do his Test prospects much good with 0 for 50 from 12 overs on a pitch that Bird had enjoyed working on earlier in the day.Bird took a career-best 6 for 25 as the Western Australia batting order failed completely. Marcus Harris (21) and the recalled Shaun Marsh (11) were the only men to make double figures and it continued the trend of sides struggling on the first day at Bellerive Oval – in the three matches there so far this season, the teams batting first have made 112, 95 and 67.

Jayawardene to step down as captain after tour

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Mahela Jaywardene has confirmed he will step down from the captaincy at the end of Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia – a move he had hinted at for some months now

Andrew Fernando in Hobart13-Dec-2012Mahela Jayawardene has confirmed he will step down from the captaincy at the end of Sri Lanka’s tour of Australia – a move he had hinted at for some months now. Jayawardene’s second stint at the helm began in January, when he was called in to replace Tillakaratne Dilshan. The fifth ODI on January 23 in Hobart will be his final match as captain.Vice-captain Angelo Mathews is the most likely successor, and Jayawardene said his decision to step down was largely borne from a desire to assist Mathews with leadership in Mathews’ first phase as captain. Jayawardene will continue to be available for selection in all forms of cricket.”I took over the captaincy for 12 months and that ends after this series, so I don’t want to continue to captain Sri Lanka after this tour. This will be my last,” Jayawardene said on the eve of the first Test. “I was going to wait until the end of the series but I thought I might as well do it now, having had a chat to the selectors.”Jayawardene had resigned from the captaincy in 2009 after four years in the job, and was reinstalled by the selectors after Dilshan’s leadership had proven unsuccessful. The team had had a poor stretch of results since the 2011 World Cup, amid financial distress for the board and administrative tumult in Sri Lanka Cricket’s first election in seven years.Jayawardene’s leadership appeared to restore Sri Lanka’s on-field fortunes almost immediately, when they performed creditably in the ODI tri-series in Australia in February. Since then he has also led the side to a home win against then No.1-ranked Test side England, making a critical 180 to set up victory in March, before earning Sri Lanka their first Test series win in three years, in July. Sri Lanka then advanced to the final of the World Twenty20 under his watch, matching the runners-up medals they had also earnt in the 2007 World Cup, during Jayawardene’s first stint at the helm.”I hope I don’t get any more SOS calls from them later on,” he said. “This year has been brilliant. I’ve enjoyed and what I’ve achieved.”Angelo Mathews is the most likely successor to Mahela Jayawardene•Manoj Ridimahaliyadda

Mathews has been considered for the captaincy as far back as April 2011, when Kumar Sangakkara resigned from the job. Dilshan was considered the safer alternative then, given Mathews’ youth and inexperience, but he has become a much more mature player since and has also had a successful brush with leadership in the Sri Lanka Premier League. Mathews was made vice-captain in all forms in July 2011, and has more recently been named Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 captain. If he succeeds Jayawardene, he will be Sri Lanka’s fourth Test captain in 24 months.”I think Angelo is the one everyone has earmarked and I think he’s good enough. If you see some of the other captains while they were young, you’ve got [Graeme] Smith, [Stephen] Fleming and a few others around – maybe the first few years will be tough for them, but they’ll grow into the job. I think maybe if Angelo gets the opportunity, the transition will be much easier for him because he’ll have Kumar, myself and Dilshan around him in tough situations. We can build him through that period and after that he’ll be on his own.”Sri Lanka are light on Tests in 2013, thanks to five Tests being removed from their calendar next year, and a home series against Bangladesh will be the new captain’s first assignment at the helm. The Champions Trophy looms later in the year however, as well as an ODI tri-series in the West Indies and a full away tour against Pakistan in December.
“We don’t have a lot of cricket next year – not many big tours,” Jayawardene said. “So it will be a nice easy start for Angelo if he takes over.”

Retiring Hussey steers Australia to victory

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Michael Hussey is one of cricket’s finest finishers, so it was only fitting that he ended his international career by steering Australia to victory and a series clean-sweep over Sri Lanka

The Report by Brydon Coverdale06-Jan-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Michael Hussey was warmly welcomed by the Sydney crowd•Getty Images

Michael Hussey is one of cricket’s finest finishers, so it was only fitting that he ended his international career by steering Australia to victory and a series clean-sweep over Sri Lanka. Despite the best efforts of his partner Mitchell Johnson to dead-bat the ball with one run needed, Hussey was not able to hit the winning run, instead sprinting through for a single as the ball ran off Johnson’s thick edge and away to point off Rangana Herath.To Hussey, it barely mattered. The win – the 48th of his Test career – was what meant everything. And in a small chase of 141, he had done an important job of guiding Australia through some late jitters to complete a five-wicket victory. He finished unbeaten on 27 and ended his Test career with 6235 runs at an average of 51.52. He walked off to lead Australia in the team song one last time before he hands the job over to Nathan Lyon.Of course, the win was not all about Hussey. Ed Cowan, Phillip Hughes and Michael Clarke all played important parts in edging Australia closer to their goal. For the second time since Clarke took over the captaincy Australia completed a clean-sweep of an opponent – the first was last summer against India – and it was a positive end to a summer that began with two draws and a loss to South Africa.

Smart stats

  • Australia’s five-wicket win is their 17th in 26 Tests against Sri Lanka. It’s the third time they’ve blanked Sri Lanka 3-0 in a series.

  • Australia’s win-loss record of 17-1 in Tests against Sri Lanka is the most lopsided between any two sides, excluding matches involving Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

  • In their last ten Tests in Sydney, Australia have won nine.

  • Dinesh Chandimal’s unbeaten 62 is his fourth half-century in ten Test innings. His 62 is also the fourth-highest Test score by a Sri Lankan No.7 batsman against Australia.

  • Rangana Herath finished with match figures of 7 for 141, only the fourth instance of a Sri Lankan bowler taking seven or more wickets in a Test in Australia. His series haul of 12 is the joint-highest for a Sri Lankan in Australia.

As the target was reduced with every gap pierced by Cowan and Clarke, the crowd at the SCG experienced the unusual feeling of wanting to see an Australian wicket fall. Hussey has been a favourite of the Australian fans over his seven years in the Test team and his absence from the one-day international squad announced earlier in the day meant this was certain to be his final match for Australia.With 37 runs still required, the moment arrived. Clarke prodded forward to Tillakaratne Dilshan’s offspin and lobbed a catch to short leg, and his home crowd cheered. This was no insult to Clarke, but a recognition of everything Hussey has done for Australia since his Test debut at the age of 30, and for one last time his team needed him. He walked to the crease to a standing ovation and settled down to business.After a nervous leading edge first ball, he was off the mark from his second delivery with a cover-drive for two, and even managed to get a reverse-swept boundary in there as well. The small chase of 141 could have been tricky on a fourth-day SCG pitch, especially when Australia lost David Warner in the second over for a golden duck when he edged to Mahela Jayawardene at slip off the bowling of Suranga Lakmal.But his opening partner Cowan set himself to guide Australia as close to their goal as possible and although he was in no hurry, he anchored two very important partnerships, a 45-run stand with Hughes and then a 59-run effort with Clarke. Hughes played some impressive strokes in his 34 from 49 balls but was flummoxed by Herath. When Herath trapped Hughes lbw it was a much-deserved wicket, even though the Sri Lankans had called for a review mostly to check on a bat-pad catch.At 2 for 45, Australia were not yet out of the woods, especially given their decision to play five bowlers in this Test. But Cowan did not lose his cool and gradually eked out the runs, while Clarke was a little more fluent. Their partnership was the one that took Australia from a slight danger zone to a position of comfort and after Clarke fell, Cowan was bitterly disappointed to follow him and miss out on the chance to see the chase home, trapped lbw on 36 by Herath coming around the wicket.Matthew Wade also lost his wicket when he was bowled attempting a sweep off Herath for 8, but by then Australia needed only another nine runs. The Sri Lankans, who have never won a Test in Australia, were left to wonder what could have been had they just scratched out another 50 runs in their second innings. Truth be told, they had done well to make a game of it after losing a string of wickets on the third afternoon.Dinesh Chandimal finished unbeaten on 62 and the 41-run stand he put on with Nuwan Pradeep for the final wicket was critical in giving Sri Lanka’s bowlers something to defend. Pradeep was dismissed nearly half an hour before lunch for 9, with Sri Lanka’s total on 278, and it left Australia’s openers a short period to bat before the break which Warner didn’t survive.Every run was important for Sri Lanka as they resumed the morning at 7 for 225. Only ten runs had been added when Herath played on to Jackson Bird while attempting to leave the ball alone, and when Lakmal was bowled for a duck trying a hefty swipe off Johnson it appeared that the innings could be over quickly. But Pradeep offered impressive support for Chandimal, who farmed the strike effectively.Chandimal immediately lifted his tempo and struck three boundaries off a Bird over and soon had his half-century from 75 balls with another boundary whipped through midwicket off Bird. Pradeep got in on the act with four down the ground but next ball was caught behind off Bird as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 274.It left Australia needing 141, the kind of target that has proven difficult at times in past years. It’s also the sort of target that meant Australia needed not only their openers, but their No.5 as well. And Mr Cricket delivered.

Ashton Agar in frame for India Tests

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Ashton Agar’s stay in India has been extended to take in Australia’s major warm-up for the Test series as the possibility grows that he may be in line for an extraordinary international debut in Chennai

Daniel Brettig15-Feb-2013Ashton Agar’s stay in India has been extended to take in Australia’s major warm-up for the Test series as the possibility grows that he may be in line for an extraordinary international debut in Chennai.Previously scheduled to depart for India once the full touring squad had assembled, Agar will now be playing the three-day match against India A beginning on Saturday, and may yet have his time on the subcontinent expanded to include the Tests.Agar is one of three spinners Australia will field in the practice game, Xavier Doherty and Nathan Lyon being the other two. Michael Clarke and David Warner will miss the match, following their recovery from injuries, to be ready for the first Test on February 22.Only 19 years old and having played just a pair of Sheffield Shield matches for Western Australia following the shoulder injury to Michael Beer that ruled him out of this tour, Agar’s left-arm spin has stuck in the memory of all who have witnessed his bowling in recent weeks.His mature approach and skill in the field and with the bat has notably impressed the national selector John Inverarity, who is en route to India to discuss the composition of the team ahead of the first Test with the captain Michael Clarke and the coach Mickey Arthur.”The plan at the moment is that he returns in time to play for Western Australia but there is a possibility that he could stay a bit longer,” Inverarity told . “We needed someone to make up the XI and it was a very good opportunity to invest an opportunity in a promising young player.”Inverarity’s panel named numerous spin bowling options for the tour behind the incumbent Test tweaker Nathan Lyon, including the Tasmanian Xavier Doherty and the allrounders Glenn Maxwell and Steve Smith. Agar lost little by comparison to his more experienced slow bowlers when he delivered eight overs during a two-day practice match earlier this week, and now has a further opportunity to usurp his seniors.”Ash bowled really well in the two-day game,” Clarke told . “Everyone knows he’s very talented. He’s had success for Western Australia [eight wickets at 30.12 in two matches].”I spent some time with him yesterday in the nets and tried to get him to watch some of the Indian spinners in the nets and see what he was learning from what they were doing. He’s going to be a very good bowler. He wants to learn – he wants to get better.”You never know what could happen. He’s very lucky now. He’s been given the opportunity to play in this three-dayer. We have Xavier Doherty, we have Nathan Lyon, we have Glenn Maxwell and we have Ashton Agar who all bowl spin. We want to make sure we’re doing everything in our power to make the right decision for the first Test.”In this there are parallels with Lyon, who was chosen for Australia’s Test side in Sri Lanka in 2011 after only a handful of Sheffield Shield appearances for South Australia, and to date has played more than half his 35 first-class matches at Test level. In the absence of outstanding spin bowling talent bolstered by experience, the selectors have been inclined to flights of fancy, of which Agar would be another.His spells for the Warriors against New South Wales on his Shield debut at Blacktown Oval were noteworthy against batsmen well versed in tackling spin, the wickets of Scott Henry and Peter Nevill gained through genuine turn and changes of pace.Agar’s Shield batting has also been useful, reaping one half-century and one other handy score in four innings so far. He went to India on the cricket equivalent of an internship, but is now a chance of making a most rapid graduation to full duties.’I wasn’t expecting too much at the start of the summer but it has all happened very quickly and it has turned into a bit of a dream,” Agar said. ”Michael Beer was bowling really well but he got injured. That gave me an opportunity to play for Western Australia, now to tour India for a week. It has been great.”

Vettori set to make comeback

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Daniel Vettori is expected to make a return to competitive cricket after being named in the Northern Districts squad for the eighth round of the Ford Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2013Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori is set to make a return to competitive cricket after being named in the Northern Districts squad for the eighth round of the Ford Trophy. Vettori has been out of action since the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka last year, where he suffered a recurrence of a chronic Achilles tendon injury.The injury kept him out of New Zealand’s tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa, and the current home series against England.Northern Districts coach Grant Bradburn welcomed Vettori’s return to the side. “We’re delighted to welcome a player of Dan’s caliber and experience back into the side as we approach the Ford Trophy Preliminary Finals. It’s been a long road to recovery for Dan this summer and he’s relishing being fit again and ready to play.”Northern Districts take on Wellington on March 20 and have already qualified for the minor preliminary finals.

Mushfiqur thrilled with Bangladesh effort

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Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has called the team’s first-ever drawn Test match against Sri Lanka “a huge achievement”

Mohammad Isam in Galle12-Mar-2013Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim has called the team’s first-ever drawn Test match against Sri Lanka “a huge achievement”. He said the draw in Galle was the team’s first major step towards becoming consistent in Tests.”We had never even taken the lead against Sri Lanka in the past,” Mushfiqur said. “From this performance, we want to continue being consistent in the second Test. That’s how it should be in Test cricket.”Bangladesh posted 638 – their highest Test score – and batted 196 overs, the longest they have managed since getting Test status in 2000. Sri Lanka has been their most frequent Test opponents but they have beaten Bangladesh in all 12 games in the past, often by large margins. Mushfiqur said that their track record against the hosts spurred his side during this Test.”Our past record against Sri Lanka definitely motivated us. For instance, they have scored 19 or 20 centuries [18 centuries] against us. We stressed on the fact that this is a big opportunity for us. We thought this is a chance for us to make them work hard on the field as we batted on and on.”The team that often keeps you in the field for days that beat you regularly, we wanted to give it back to them. I think they are shocked, because they couldn’t imagine we would play well.”The captain pointed out the different players who had made contributions, mostly with the bat, an end result that is relatively new to him in Tests. “We need a pen and paper to write down the positives in this Test. We had the team’s highest score, Ashraful and my highest scores,
Mominul’s debut fifty, Nasir’s maiden 100. I think this was also the highest score in Galle.”Mushfiqur gave a reminder of the circumstances that surrounded his team ahead of the tour and the Test match. Bangladesh has been riddled with injuries to major players and off-field issues that have been brewing since the inception of the BPL last year. In addition, there was a senior player making a comeback in the Test team.”It was a big game with a lot of pressure on us. We were without two of our senior players. Ashraful came into the side quite late and there was pressure on him to perform.”I think if we can approach matches and for our batsmen to select which balls to hit and not to hit, we can be a lot more consistent in the future,” he said.He played down the immediate influence of financial benefit which the BCB
has recently included in the players’ contract for drawn Tests. But Mushfiqur said it was a good move which was in line with the cricketers’ belief. The team will now get an extra Tk 100,000 ($1250) for drawing the Galle Test apart from their match fees which has also been recently increased.”It was always a challenge for us to be competitive over five days. I think the board also thought along these lines that we should get extra remunerations if we can draw a game. I think it is very good, and we have done well.”

Pattinson out of IPL for abdominal surgery

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James Pattinson is out of the IPL and may also miss the Champions Trophy to have surgery on what Cricket Australia described as “a non-cricket related medical condition in his lower abdominal region”

Daniel Brettig04-Apr-2013James Pattinson, the Australia fast bowler, is out of the IPL and may also miss the Champions Trophy that precedes the Ashes after he was compelled to have surgery on what Cricket Australia has described as “a non-cricket related medical condition in his lower abdominal region.”The departure of Pattinson to India for his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders was initially delayed until Friday as medical staff awaited the results of tests and the advice of specialists. However, on receipt of opinion that Pattinson should undergo surgery immediately, he has been ruled out of competing in the Twenty20 event, joining the national captain Michael Clarke on the sidelines.Pattinson wishes to keep the condition private, but it is not believed to be serious, nor likely to affect his cricket future beyond the time required to recover from the surgery.”James Pattinson will be having surgery tomorrow for a non-cricket related medical condition in his lower abdominal region that has been troubling him during the latter part of the recently concluded tour of India,” CA’s chief medical officer Justin Paoloni said. “James has undergone tests and consulted specialists since returning from India, and it was felt that surgery is absolutely necessary at this time.”The recovery times will [be] determined once the surgery is completed but James is expected to return to training in approximately four weeks. His preparation for The Ashes is not expected to be affected but his availability for the ICC Champions Trophy will be determined at a later stage.”

Bracewell looks to win back Test spot

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Doug Bracewell has recovered from a foot injury that kept him out of the recent England tour of New Zealand, and is fit and ready for the English challenge that awaits

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2013Doug Bracewell, the New Zealand seamer, has fully recovered from the foot injury that kept him out of the recent home series against England. He is expected to travel with the rest of the squad on Monday to England, where they will play in two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is beginning May 16. The Champions Trophy, which begins June 6, coincides with the duration of the tour.Bracewell, however, realises the path back into the team will not be an easy one, as a few fresh faces have staked their claim on bowling spots within the team. “It’s changed a little bit,” he told the . “Obviously it’s hard when you get an injury. You’re out of the team, someone comes in and replaces you and they do quite well.”It’s a little bit frustrating to be left out. They [the selectors] will have their reasons and I’m sure we’ll talk about that in the future. I am sure the guys who are there ahead of me deserve it, so all I can do is train hard and work on my bowling and get back there. It’s been a good little break but I can’t wait to get over there.”Bracewell’s first major assignment will be the tour games against Derbyshire from May 4-6, and England Lions from May 9-12.