Aussies Latest Casuality on Indian Tour

An already weakened Australia were dealt another injury blow in the One-Day series in India after Moises Henriques was ruled out of Thursday’s fifth match with a damaged hamstring.

Henriques, himself a replacement for the injured James Hopes, hurt his right hamstring during Monday’s fourth game in Mohali. Injuries have already forced the tourists, who are level 2-2 with the hosts in the
seven-match series, to send back fast bowlers Peter Siddle and Brett Lee, wicket-keeper Tim Paine and Hopes.

The world champions were depleted from the start after One-Day regulars Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Callum Ferguson and Nathan Bracken pulled out of the series with various niggles. Australian captain Ricky Ponting was understandably frustrated at the growing injury list that left just 13 fit players to pick from for Thursday’s key match at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium. “It’s disappointing to see these guys go down because you know how much they want to play and be a part of the series, and do the best they can to win games,” Ponting said on Wednesday.

“I am sure everyone who has returned back home would much rather be here with the series as it is at the moment, but we’ve got what we’ve got.” Ponting said if Australia win the series with the depleted squad it would rank as one of his team’s most “amazing” limited-overs performances in recent years.

“If you consider everything that has happened to us over the last couple of weeks, it would be an amazing effort if this group of players were good enough to get over the line,” the captain said. “But with five or six guys - probably more than that - out of our starting line-ups, we’re going along nicely.

“Certainly for me, every game I play with these guys I want to be able to win, but sometimes that means pushing guys a little bit too hard and some of these injuries come along.” India will dethrone Australia as the top-ranked One-Day team if they win the finely balanced series.

The last two matches will be played in Guwahati on Sunday and Mumbai next Wednesday.

Barrichello and Hulkenberg sign up for Williams

The Williams Formula One team announced on Monday that their drivers for next year will be veteran Brazilian Rubens Barrichello and German rookie Nico Hulkenberg.

The Oxford-based team struggled throughout the just-concluded season when Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima were the drivers and the former world champion outfit finished a lowly seventh in the constructors’championship.

“Team leader Frank Williams said: “Rubens needs no introduction. He is not only the most experienced driver in Formula One, but a passionate and talented driver who fought hard for the drivers championship this year.”

“Nico Hulkenberg won the GP2 Championship this season as a rookie and has previously won the F3 Euroseries, Formula Masters, A1 GP and Formula BMW Germany.”

“Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima remain our drivers until the end of 2009 and I would like to thank them for their contribution to the team.”

The 37-year-old Barrichello, who finished third in the drivers’championship this season behind Brawn teammate Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull, will go into his 17th F1 season with yet another new team.

The Brazilian started with Jordan in 1993 and since then he has also driven for Stewart, Ferrari, Honda and Brawn.

The Williams team are badly in need of a boost early in the new season having not won a race since the 2004 Brazilian Grand Prix.

Barrichello, however, has claimed his motivation for carrying on racing is that he wants to win.

“I have a lot of passion for speed, for overtaking, for the things that pump me up, the challenge of winning,” said Barrichello.

“I want to go on and have a chance to keep on winning.”

Hulkenberg has been the team’s test and reserve driver this year.

Tags:Racing,F1 GrandPrix

Dhoni is world’s top-earning cricketer

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the top-earning cricketer in the world, indicating that advertisers not only back India when it comes to cricket but also they are keen to identify younger popular faces that appeal to the youth.

Dhoni, who runs in Reebok’s and Pepsi’s ad campaigns, has mopped up $10 million over the last 12 months while four other Indian players make it to the Forbes’ list of the 10 top-earning cricketers in the world.

Sachin Tendulkar occupies the second spot with earnings of $8 million, followed by Yuvraj Singh ($5.5 million) and Rahul Dravid ($5 million).

“Paycheck figures include club and national team salaries and commercial endorsement income over the last 12 months,” according to Forbes.

England’s Andrew Flintoff is fifth in the ranking with $4 million. Sourav Ganguly and Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting shared the sixth place with $3.5 million.

Brett Lee and Kevin Pietersen are tied in eighth place with $3 million while Michael Clarke is ranked 10th ($2.5 million).

The cash-rich Indian Premier League has particularly shored up the earnings of the cricketers. “With its deep-pocketed owners and global appeal, the IPL has shaken up professional cricket, luring top players from five continents with paychecks as big as $1,11,000 for each three-hour match. That’s a stunning sum in a sport where domestic leagues have traditionally been an afterthought to the international version of the game. For the top stars, endorsements are the most lucrative source of revenue,”..


Tags:M.SDhoni,Indian Cricket,Captain

Australia cling on to first place in Tests

Australia have survived at the top of the ICC Test Championship table following its 103-run victory over South Africa in the third and final match of the series in Sydney on Wednesday.

But the pressure is still on Ricky Ponting's team as the gap at the top has been close to just five rating points following their historic 2-1 series defeat.

It is the first time South Africa have won a Test series in Australia and it sets up a fascinating return series, the first match of which begins on February 26 in Johannesburg.

Any sort of victory in that three-match series will see South Africa go top of the rankings.

As it was, victory for Graeme Smith's team in Sydney would have been enough to put them top but Aussies dug deep in the final match of the series to keep the chasing pack at bay.

With India very much in the ascendancy, there are now just eight points separating first place from third with all three teams very much in contention for the right to be called the number-one Test side in the world.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka strengthened their hold on the fourth place following their 2-0 series win in Bangladesh.

After it had been pushed very hard in the first Test in Dhaka, Mahela Jayawardena's team proved far too strong the second time around and finally ran out winners by 465 runs in Chittagong.

That win gave Sri Lanka another ratings point to put them within 10 of India and six ahead of England, which recently lost an away series 1-0 to India.

Pakistan are another three points back in sixth place while the West Indies is still just ahead of New Zealand by a fraction of a point following the recent drawn series in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

I was my own enemy last year: Brett Lee

Injured Australian pace spearhead Brett Lee has blamed himself for the current breakdown, saying he ended up being his own enemy by bowling long spells despite having no strength to carry on.

Lee, the fast bowler, bowled a massive 4500 deliveries, over 580 overs, in the year gone by. The workload not just took a toll on his form but also left him down with an ankle injury, which required a surgery -- fourth of his career.

"I'd be OK in the first spell because the adrenaline's going and you've got the brand new ball in your hand, but then I would find that I just had nothing to give later in the day," Lee recalled.

"I guess I've been behind the eight-ball since India. I didn't have the greatest of preparations there and I've probably been chasing my tail ever since. It's been a difficult year, but maybe it's a good thing to listen to your body when it's telling you to slow down," he added.

"I was blown away with the amount of overs I bowled in 2008," the 32-year-old was quoted saying in The Age on Wednesday.

Lee said he never realised that he had strained himself so much until he picked up the ankle injury during the ongoing Test series against South Africa.

"You don't really look at it as a whole when you're bowling, but when you step back and look at the stats it's obviously a lot," Lee said. "I think 2008 has been a unique year. I have certainly bowled a lot of overs. I think if you were constantly bowling 580 overs in a season and you're being asked to bowl 150 kmh, it's going to put a lot of stress on the body. It's a difficult job, but I have been asking for the overs," he added.

Lee said he has been feeling better post the surgery and hopes to be in form on return.

"This is an opportunity for me to get my health back to 100 per cent. It's only been in the last three or four days that I have started to feel normal again. I have just had no strength at all this summer," The pacer, who has taken 310 wickets in 76 Tests, said.

"The surgeon seemed pretty happy with how it all went, so that's a good start. I'm only 32 and I want to play at least another three years. There are plenty of things I would still like to accomplish in the game. I'd like to cross off 400 Test wickets," he added.

England cricket in turmoil; Pietersen, Moores quit

England cricket has been hit with yet another crisis after Kevin Pietersen and Peter Moores on Wednesday resigned as captain and coach, respectively.

'Sky News' said Pietersen decided to step down after his relationship with Moores had reached the breaking point.

"...it now appears Pietersen's relationship with Moores has reached breaking point, prompting him to stand down as captain," the report said.

Other media reports said Moores too had put in his papers after last night's teleconference of the England and Wales Cricket Board.

The teleconference was held by the 12-man board to discuss a solution for the much-public spat between the coach and the captain. In fact, ECB sources had been quoted by the local English media on Tuesday as saying that both Pietersen and Moores could be axed for their much-public spat.

However, the ECB has not yet confirmed the resignation of both Pietersen and Moores.

The working relationship between Pietersen and Moores broke down after the coach, as part of the selection panel, ignored former captain Michael Vaughan for the West Indies tour against Pietersen's wish.

Their equation, however, had soured much earlier as Pietersen reportedly had no professional respect for Moores, whom he considered pretty mediocre as a coach.

England and Wales Cricket Board had entrusted Managing Director Huge Morris to broker peace between the feuding duo and Pietersen himself was keen to solve the issue before leaving for the west Indies.

"This situation is not healthy, we have to make sure it is settled as soon as possible and certainly before wee fly off to the West Indies," Pietersen had told from South Africa where he is holidaying. He will return to England on Thursday.

With Pietersen's exit, England will have to select a third captain for the team in five months time. Andrew Strauss is the favourite to succeed Pietersen.

For the coach's job, while South African Graham Ford is tipped to take over, former England spinner Ashley Giles may be given the job as a stop-gap arrangement for the Caribbean tour.

Malik retained as Pakistan skipper

Karachi: Despite being criticised for his leadership, Shoaib Malik was retained as the national captain for an indefinite period by Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ejaz Butt.

Chief Operating Officer of the Board, Saleem Altaf, told reporters in Lahore that Butt used his powers as chairman to make the decision without seeking approval from the governing council in view of a home series against Sri Lanka.

"The Chairman has already confirmed that Malik would remain the captain for an indefinite period," he said.

Asked if the Board had sought the approval of its governing council on the issue, Altaf said six members of the council had resigned so it was no longer operational.

"The council will become active once the Chairman announces six new technocrats to the council with the approval of the authorities-concerned," he said.

It has been a big turnaround for Malik, who was appointed captain in 2007 after the World Cup in Caribbean, as he has faced constant criticism from former players including his ex-captains and other officials.

But Altaf said Malik represented a strong future and everyone including the former players in the Board, the national team coach Intikhab Alam and national selectors felt he had shown definite improvement and deserved to be given a long run.

Malik has boosted his ratings and own confidence by leading his regional and provincial teams to the national Twenty20 and one-day titles in recent months and also led Pakistan to a 3-0 sweep over Sri Lankan in Abu Dhabi in November.

Shoaib an A-lister in new PCB contracts

Karachi: Controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar made the cut for the top category as the Pakistan Cricket Board on Tuesday awarded annual central contracts to 26 players with some surprising omissions.

Saleem Altaf, the Chief Operating Officer of the Board, said the players had been given contracts on basis of seniority and their performances in the international and domestic cricket in last one year.

Previously the contracts were awarded mainly on basis of performances.

Pacer Abdul Rauf, who performed well in the Asia Cup last year and also in domestic cricket, has been sidelined as experienced batsman Asim Kamal while others like Samiullah Niazi, a left-arm pacer, has won the favour of the selectors.

Altaf said all the senior players had been kept in Category A of the contracts after the list of players was finalised by the national selection committee.

For the first time the Board has also given contracts to two uncapped players — batsmen Azhar Ali and Umar Amin — although in the past contracts were only awarded to players who had played for Pakistan.

Altaf also said that despite the financial constraints being faced by the PCB it had not reduced the monthly retainers given to players in the new contracts.

But the Board had decided to reduce the special bonuses given to individuals and team for their performances.

"The board is facing financial crunch due to our limited international commitments last year, especially at home. So the bonuses which were given to players and the team in the previous contract have been rationalised," he said.

We'll dominate again in a few years: Ponting

Virtually admitting that the days of their absolute domination is over, Australia captain Ricky Ponting on Tuesday said it would take a few years before the side returns as the same ruthless force which ruled world cricket with an iron fist.

"We've had an amazing run as a team . We have dominated world cricket for a long period of time," Ponting said after his side went down to South Africa in the second Test on Tuesday.

"I'm still very positive and very sure that with some of these younger guys coming on that in a few years time we can get back up there and be dominating world cricket once again.

"It's going to take a little while, there is no doubt about that. You can not expect young guys to come in and have sustain success. The young guys are the ones who generally lack consistency," Ponting said.

"The gap between our best cricket and our worst cricket has been too big and we have to make that smaller if we want to win the next Test and if we want to stay in that top group of Test-playing nations," added Ponting.

Ponting admitted it was a strange feeling for some of the players who have been used to wins only but felt there was no reason to press the panic button yet.

"A lot of players in the team aren't accustomed to losing Test matches let alone Test series. We've all got to remain upbeat. There's no time for panic or as (chief selector) Andrew Hilditch said, chop and change," Ponting said.

Women bodyguards to protect Dhoni

In a bid to tackle the onrush of his female fan following, Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who flew down on Tuesday, has been provided with women constables in his security ring.

"We have given some women police in view of the female fan following," Inspector General of Police, S N Pradhan said.

Facing severe criticism from Dhoni's fans after India captain drove alone to the airport to catch a flight on December 4, the administration took no chances and deployed adequate security, including personnel from the special task force.

"We have provided security on par with the 'Z' security on the basis of his star status."

"Though 'Z' security is given to only those having threat perception from anti-national elements, yet we have provided sufficient security to him," Pradhan said in the background of the previous reports claiming that Dhoni's 'Z' security was just on paper.

But whatever might be the security level, Dhoni's fans are finding it difficult to have a glimpse of their idol whenever he is in the town.

"Earlier, we could at least reach till the doors of Dhoni as the men in police uniform never stopped us, but now it has become difficult for us to breach the the women policemen," rued a fan.

"Yes, they have to stand at a distance. We have been strictly instructed not to allow anyone, even the media people," said a woman constable, guarding the lane in the Mecon colony where Dhoni's resides.

Watson ruled out of bowling for six months

The Australian attack for the Sydney Test against South Africa depleted further with Shane Watson being ruled out of bowling for up to six months because of stress fractures in his back.

Pace spearhead Brett Lee has also been ruled out of action due to foot stress injury.

The Australian attack for the third and final Test, beginning January 3, could be one of the most inexperienced in its history, as pacemen Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson and spinner Nathan Hauritz have played only 22 Tests between them.

Watson, who was being considered a possible replacement for struggling Andrew Symonds, said the injury to his lower left-hand side of his back was sustained during a recent domestic game and had since troubled him.

Scans yesterday revealed the fractures. "I felt I'd made some really, really big inroads in to my game in being able to play consistently, and I suppose I was pushing myself to the edge, which is what I need to do to be able to achieve the things I want to achieve. Unfortunately it just tipped over the edge a little bit," Watson was quoted as saying in a media report on Tuesday.

"I think it's about four to six weeks of just rest, let the fracture heal, and then just start playing as a batsman. I am not exactly sure of the timeline for bowling but to be back to full bowling it probably going to be four to six months I think," Watson said.

I'm still a "dangerous player", says Vaughan

The snub for the West Indies tour has not dampened Michael Vaughan's spirit and the former captain insists he is still "dangerous as a player" willing to do everything to force his way back into the England squad.

In his column for 'The Daily Telegraph', Vaughan said he accepted the snub from the selectors but was still hopeful of a comeback into the side.

"I still feel I am mentally fresh and dangerous as a player but I understand the decision not to pick me for the West Indies," Vaughan wrote.

"Now I just want to bide my time and enjoy a proper, settled pre-season with Yorkshire. Preparing for the summer and scoring runs at the start of the season is the best way for me to force my way back into the England side," he added.

Vaughan, who was part of the English Performance Squad in India, said he did not get enough chance to get some runs under his belt and press his case.

"...due to what happened in Mumbai I did not get the chance to play in two matches for the England Lions and therefore missed the chance to press my claims for a recall," he said.

His career at a crossroad, Vaughan said he would now give his best for Yorkshire to stake his claim for a berth in the national side.

"I am not in the England team and Yorkshire now has to be my main concern. I have to knuckle down with them and start the season as well as I can. If that happens then I will put the guys under pressure and still have the chance to play for England again, something that I dearly would like to do during an Ashes summer," he said.

SA seal historic series win over Australia

South Africa ended nearly a century-old drought to register their first ever series win in Australia when they crushed the hosts by nine wickets in the historic second cricket Test on Tuesday. 

Since touring Australia for the first time in 1910-11, this was the Proteas' maiden series win Down Under -- their previous best performance being a 1-1 draw back in 1963-64.

Having taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, South Africa will topple Australia from their top ranking if Graeme Smith's men can win the third and final Test in Sydney.

Resuming on 30 for no loss, South Africa needed 42 overs to score the remaining 153 runs losing just one wicket for a memorable win and the moment came soon after lunch when Hashim Amla flicked Michael Clarke behind square leg for two runs.

In a match where Smith struck two fifties, JP Duminy scored his maiden hundred and Ponting scored 101 and 99, fats bowler Dale Steyn was adjudged Man of the Match for his match haul of 10 for 154 besides the crucial 76 he scored in the first innings.

Smith was the lone South African wicket to fall in the second innings. The South African captain was trapped leg before by Nathan Hauritz after making a 94-ball 75 with 10 boundaries in it.

Neil McKenzie (59) and Amla (30) remained not out after guiding the team to a historic win.

Ponting, meanwhile, became the first Australian captain in 16 years to suffer a series defeat on home soil. Last time Australia lost a series at home was against the West Indies in 1992-93.

More than their bowling attack, Australia's slim chance of saving the match depended on rain.

Though there was slight drizzle in the morning, play started on schedule and South Africa could not be denied the win they so thoroughly deserved.

Ponting once again ignored Mitchell Johnson despite the left-arm seamer being Australia's best bowler of the season so far. Instead, the Australia skipper relied more on Brett Lee and Peter Siddle.

Lee, who is set to undergo a foot surgery, looked in pain and hobbled.

Matthew Hayden's nightmare also continued and the Australian opener today dropped McKenzie in the first slip when the batsman was on 49.

Having made history, Graeme Smith, meanwhile, was all smiles.

"I have been smiling since the winning runs. It's incredible. It has been a team effort and when it's come to key moment in this Test we've stepped up," a beaming Smith later said.

"JP (Duminy) was incredible and the self belief in the team is flowing. It's an honour to come here and beat a quality unit. We're going to celebrate and enjoy our New Year and not many of us are thinking about Sydney," Smith said.

His opposite number Ponting was graceful in defeat and he hinted there might be a few changes in the side for the Sydney Test.

"We deserved to be in this position and full marks to South Africa . They won very comfortably, a well deserved series win. Things were looking good for us at one stage, but their tail played exceptionally well and Lee went down through injury.

"We weren't able to convert our opportunities. Let's see what the selectors come up with for next week," Ponting said.

Though there was slight drizzle in the morning, play started on schedule and South Africa could not be denied the win they so thoroughly deserved.

Ponting once again ignored Mitchell Johnson despite the left-arm seamer being Australia's best bowler of the season so far. Instead, the Australia skipper relied more on Brett Lee and Peter Siddle.

Lee, who is set to undergo a foot surgery, looked in pain and hobbled.

Matthew Hayden's nightmare also continued and the Australian opener today dropped McKenzie in the first slip when the batsman was on 49.

Having made history, Graeme Smith, meanwhile, was all smiles.

"I have been smiling since the winning runs. It's incredible. It has been a team effort and when it's come to key moment in this Test we've stepped up," a beaming Smith later said.

"JP (Duminy) was incredible and the self belief in the team is flowing. It's an honour to come here and beat a quality unit. We're going to celebrate and enjoy our New Year and not many of us are thinking about Sydney," Smith said.

His opposite number Ponting was graceful in defeat and he hinted there might be a few changes in the side for the Sydney Test.

"We deserved to be in this position and full marks to South Africa. They won very comfortably, a well deserved series win. Things were looking good for us at one stage, but their tail played exceptionally well and Lee went down through injury.

"We weren't able to convert our opportunities. Let's see what the selectors come up with for next week," Ponting said.

Ragues, Mailleux named as the Signature drivers

Signature, a new team to the world of endurance racing, has been ramping up its efforts for a debut in the European-based Le Mans Series in 2009. The French squad, led by team principal Philippe Sinault, announced last month that it will enter the five-round championship, as well as the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

This week, Sinault made further news, naming Frenchmen Pierre Ragues and Franck Mailleux as the drivers of its Courage-Oreca LC70E Judd. Signature, which is branching out from its roots in the Formula 3 Euroseries, is the first customer of the 2008-spec chassis developed by the Hugues de Chaunac-led Oreca squad.

Ragues is no stranger to the Le Mans Series or to Circuit de La Sarthe, having driven a LM P2 Pescarolo Judd for Saulnier Racing in 2008. The 23-year-old scored a podium at Le Mans, followed by a fifth place finish in the Le Mans Series P2 drivers' standings. Ragues tested Signature's P1 entry for the first time earlier this month at Paul Ricard and immediately was on pace.

"This is a fantastic opportunity for me to graduate to the very top level of sportscar racing and I am very grateful to everyone who has worked so hard to make this happen," Ragues said. "This is a new ad venture for Signature and myself, but I completely trust the professionalism of the team, which was obvious from the moment that we first met."

Mailleux may be a name less familiar in the sportscar racing scene, but the 23-year-old has already proven himself on the open-wheel ranks. The winner of the 2006 British Formula Renault Winter Series, Mailleux jumped up to the F3 Euroseries in 2007, finishing second in the rookie rankings. Last season, the Frenchman scored a win at Brands Hatch as well as two podiums - all while driving for Signature. Now he makes the move into sportscars for the first time.

"I am very happy to stay with the Signature team for this new challenge," Mailleux said. "The world of sportscar racing is completely new to me though, so I will have a lot to learn. However, I'm fortunate to have a great time behind me and also a great teammate in Pierre Ragues. I am sure that he will be able to teach me a lot, so that we can hit the ground running from the very first race."

While the face of the P1 grid has yet to be fully determined, it's certain that Signature will have fierce competition. Peugeot has yet to confirm its program, but Team Oreca will return with a brace of AIM-powered Courage-Orecas, and Speedy Racing Team Sebah will campaign the ex-Charouz Lola B08/60 Aston Martin. Pescarolo Sport and Epsilon Euskadi are also expected to continue in the premier prototype category.

"Franck is very much a known quantity to us, and we have always appreciated his abilities and personality," Sinault said. "I'm very happy that we will continue to work together in 2009. In Franck and Pierre I think we have the perfect line-up with which to face our debut season in the Le Mans Series, which is sure to be a tough but very exciting challenge for everybody."

In other news, International GT Open and Italian GT competitor Edil Cris is looking to expand its program to include the Le Mans Series next year. The Italian team, which also took part in the FIA GT Championship in 2007, has campaigned Ferrari F430 GTs in each of the series.

Word has also been given that Trading Performance will return to the Le Mans Series grid in 2009, but under a new name. Team owner/driver Karim Ojjeh said the team will likely be now known as the GAC Racing Team, after securing the backing from the Gstaad Automobile Club. Ojjeh and Claude-Yves Gosselin will continue to steer the Zytek 07S, with a third driver to be named at a later date.