Kirsten, Dhoni and Tendulkar on ICC CWC 2011 special show

On this week's 30-minute special ICC Cricket World Radio Show, India captain MS Dhoni and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar reflect on winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 while departing India coach Gary Kirsten talks exclusively about winning the event and leaving his coaching role with the Indian team.It was a magnificent occasion and dream come true for me and the Indian people to win the ICC Cricket World Cup. I never pictured winning the World Cup, we said over two years ago we wanted to win the World Cup and until the event happened, and only then, did I think from day to day about how we could go about reaching that goal rather than long term planning for the success," says Kirsten."Every individual I worked with, alongside Paddy Upton and later Eric Simons, we needed to get to know in a meaningful and authentic way and what was required to get the best out of him as a player. We treated each individual differently and then set up a team structure and worked on what we wanted to achieve as a team, we set our goals as a team - it became noticeable how much of a team we really were as time progressed," adds Kirsten on his stint with the India side.Finally he says, "I've got nothing but gratitude for this country and for this team after my time with them and after winning on the ICC Cricket World Cup.Meanwhile India captain MS Dhoni and batsman Sachin Tendulkar reflect on what it means to have won the ICC Cricket World Cup for the first time since 1983. Dhoni says, "I don't think we felt burdened to win the World Cup since India's last victory in 1983, it was an achievement by our country back then. Cricket is a popular sport here, we were expected to win every game in this event and people knew we were talented it was an opportunity for us to fulfill. The players were in good nick for the whole tournament and although we struggled on occasion the bowlers did well and we defended modest totals to win the event.Tendulkar adds, "As a young boy I started dreaming of winning the World Cup and to have now won it, I am still speechless. It is by far the best moment of my career, I've been dreaming of this moment for 21 odd years and its worth every minute, its been really special. Its my sixth World Cup and you can well imagine having played one of them where we lost in the semis and one where we lost in the finals it was really heartbreaking but one should never give up, continue to work hard and not lose hope. My biggest dream was this and I continued to chase it and it came true," says the Indian batting maestro Joining Kirsten, Tendulkar and Dhoni on the show are Player of the Tournament Yuvraj Singh with team-mates Harbhajan Singh, Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir. Also in this week's show Sri Lanka batsman and ICC CWC 2011 finalist Mahela Jayawardena looks back on losing the final to India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 2 April. "I'd swap my hundred any day for a championship medal, we fought hard but we had to take wickets but we couldn't seem to get the breakthrough we need. We knew 270 was going to be a difficult total to chase but they batted really well. "India are worthy world champions, they didn't start off well but they built momentum, they had an explosive batting line up and they proved themselves in the knock-out stages and did well in the last three games and worthy champions," says the Sri Lankan.Apart from these exclusive interviews, the show has the usual round up of cricketing news plus an update of the Reliance ICC Player Rankings ODI cricket. This show is a 30-minute special ICC CWC 2011 ICC Cricket World audio show and has been put together by the ICC's global broadcast partner, ESPN STAR Sports.

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CM Sindh announces cash awards for Pak cricketers

Updated at: 2000 PST,  Friday, April 08, 2011

KARACHI: Chief minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah hosted a reception in honour of the Pakistan cricket team, the World Cup semi-finalists, and also announced a cash award of Rs 0.5 million each for the players. Those attended the reception, held here at the Chief Minister House, were captain Shahid Afridi, coach Waqar Younis, manager Intikhab Alam and ten players of the team while Akmal Brothers, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar and Junaid Khan were not present on the occasion.Praising the performance of the national team in the World Cup 2011, the chief minister said the World Cup 2015 would go only to Pakistan.Captain Afridi thanked the people for providing full support to his team and said that if they continue the support then Pakistan would Insha Allah win the next World Cup.On this occasion, Qaim Ali Shah presented ajrak and Sindhi cap to all members of the team and announced a cash award of Rs 0.5 million for each player.

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Wisden drops Pakistan player from Cricketers of the Year

Updated at: 1628 PST,  Friday, April 08, 2011

LONDON: The Wisden Cricketers Almanack has broken with more than 80 years of tradition by naming only four Cricketers of the Year in its latest edition instead of its usual five.Since 1926 the cricketing bible has named five players who had the biggest impact on the English summer in its annual edition but reduced the number this year to reflect last year's spot-fixing scandal.Three Pakistan players Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Aamer, and Salman Butt were embroiled in the scandal and later suspended by the International Cricket Council. Asif was banned for seven years, with two suspended, Aamer banned for five years and Butt 10 years, with half suspended.Wisden would not say which of the Pakistan players would have been included on the list but it is likely to have been Aamer, the bowling sensation who was the star of last year's series against England."If (the player in question) were exonerated, then it would be possible to reconsider the position," Wisden editor Scyld Berry said."That's why I didn't pick anyone else instead. But as things stand, we don't feel we can choose him. It's all very sad."The news overshadowed the nominees who do make the reduced list  Tamim Iqbal, Eoin Morgan, Chris Read and Jonathan Trott.Bangladeshi Tamim and Irishman Morgan are the first players from their respective countries to make the list while Read is recognised for his role in Nottinghamshire's march to the County Championship Trott was honoured after a prolific year in Test and one-day cricket for England in his first full year as an international.

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Aussie skipper Clarke faces Bangladesh test

Updated at: 1517 PST,  Friday, April 08, 2011

DHAKA: Australia's Michael Clarke will be determined to make a strong start in his new role as captain when he leads against Bangladesh in a one-day series starting in Dhaka on Saturday.The stylish middle-order batsman last month replaced Ricky Ponting as skipper at a time when Australia are trying to revive their fortunes in both Test and one-day cricket.Australia not only lost the Ashes against England at home last year but also failed in their bid to win a fourth successive World Cup when they crashed to India in the quarter-finals, both the defeats coming under Ponting.Ponting, with 13,288 runs in 359 one-day internationals, has retained his place as batsman in the squad for three matches against Bangladesh."Having his (Ponting's) experience around the group is very important for our development moving forward," Australia vice-captain Shane Watson said Wednesday."We have got three games in Bangladesh with a new captain that will add a slightly new dynamic to our team. I think it's really an exciting phase in Australian cricket."Australia began their tour on Thursday with a 90-run win over a Bangladesh Cricket Board team in a practice match in Dhaka, with Clarke, Ponting, Brad Haddin and Mike Hussey all scoring half-centuries.Paceman John Hastings bagged four wickets, including a hat-trick.Australia have made a few changes to their World Cup squad. David Hussey opted out of the series, while spinner Xavier Doherty and paceman James Pattinson have come in place of Jason Krezja and Shaun Tait.Fast bowler Tait quit one-day cricket after the World Cup.Bangladesh have won just one of their 16 one-dayers against Australia, but batsman Shahriar Nafees said the hosts could make the visitors struggle."I think Australia will be under massive pressure. They didn't do well in the World Cup and they'll have a lot to prove. We have to utilise this," the Bangladeshi batsman said ahead of the opening match."If we can make the best use of our conditions, I think we can make them struggle.Bangladesh, who could not make it to the World Cup quarter-finals, recalled fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza after he missed the showpiece event due a knee injury. Shakib Al Hasan was retained as captain.Uncapped batsman Shuvagoto Hom and all-rounder Alok Kapali were the surprise inclusions in the squad.Former captain Mohammad Ashraful, Junaid Siddique, Naeem Islam and Nazmul Hossain, members of the World Cup squad, were dropped for the series against Australia.The last two one-dayers will be held in Dhaka on April 11 and 13.Australia (from): Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, John Hastings, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Steve Smith, Cameron White.Bangladesh (from): Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Shahriar Nafees, Raqibul Hasan, Alok Kapali, Shuvagoto Hom, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mahmudullah, Abdur Razzak, Suhrawadi Shuvo, Rubel Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Shafiul Islam.

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IPL-4 begins today

Updated at: 1221 PST,  Friday, April 08, 2011

NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League cricket bandwagon rolls into action today with organisers hoping India’s World Cup victory last weekend will help the competition regain some of its lost sparkle.This year’s edition — spread over 51 days and comprising 74 matches across 13 venues — will be the first after the ousting of its outspoken founder Lalit Modi, who was forced out last year under a cloud of corruption allegations.The tournament’s future had looked in doubt amid claims of corruption, money-laundering and tax evasion, as well as secret deals to hide teams’ real owners and even links to India’s criminal underworld.But a massive PR exercise by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has ensured the IPL has kept its date with fans, as well as sponsors and advertisers hungry for their share of the huge commercial pie.IPL chief executive Sundar Raman dismissed fears that cricket fans in India, still recovering from celebrations after Saturday’s victory over Sri Lanka in the World Cup final, could suffer sporting overload.The success of the Indian team in the World Cup has made it (IPL) more interesting,” Raman told AFP, saying the tournament would “carry on from where the World Cup ended“Fans are already into cricket and celebrating India’s victory. We are confident of building on the success of the last edition.This year’s IPL, the fourth time it has been held, will have two new teams in Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors, taking the total number of franchises to 10.The opening game will feature Chennai Super Kings, led by victorious Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and the Kolkata Knight Riders, owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.The IPL revolutionised the sport when it burst onto the scene in 2008 with a high-octane blend of international star players, scantily-clad cheerleaders and Bollywood glamour.Using the short Twenty20 form of the game, IPL matches are usually three-hour events packed with music, delirious crowds and countless television advertisements.Everything from the time-out to the drinks break is sponsored by companies, earning Indian cricket authorities millions in revenue.The fourth edition is likely to see IPL bosses reduce the decadent post-match parties, which were blamed by some for India’s failure in the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean last year.The much-discussed cheerleader jobs all taken by Western women in previous editions  might be given to locals who will don traditional Indian outfits in place of barely-there miniskirts, local media reports say

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