Virat Kohli next big thing in Indian cricket: Yuvraj Singh

Indian cricketer, Yuvraj Singh, who recently returned from the United States after receiving treatment for a lung tumour, praised the young Indian vice-captain Virat Kohli, referring to him as the next big thing in the cricketing world.

“Actually I have learnt a lot from him,” he said. “His work ethic is brilliant, his focus is immense. Since the time he has joined the Indian team, I saw his work ethic and wished and wondered why I didn't have that work ethic when I was his age.”

Kohli recently burst into the spotlight after scoring a valiant unbeaten 133 against Sri Lanka at Hobart during the latter stages of the Commonwealth Bank series. Despite India’s dismal performances throughout the tournament, and their subsequent inability to make it to the series finals, Kohli’s powerful knock was successful in vindicating the Men in Blue to a certain extent, after a series of below par performances Down Under.

Impressed by the fiery youngster, the selectors named the 23-year-old vice-captain, despite the presence of several senior players on the squad. However, Kohli managed to justify their decision during the Asia Cup which followed.

Registering scores such as 108 against Sri Lanka, and 66 against Bangladesh, the right-hander peaked during a highly-charged match against Pakistan, scoring a vital match-winning 183 on March 18, leading his side to a highly satisfying victory, despite the fact that they, once again, failed to make it to the finals.

Praised by everyone, from veterans such as Rahul Dravid to teammates like as Rohit Sharma, Kohli also seems to have earned the admiration of Yuvraj, who had earlier tweeted his congratulations to Kohli following his performance against Pakistan.

“… he is a very special player in the making. I hope he goes up the ladder stronger and stronger. I am very happy for his success,” the 30-year-old said in a recent interview.

Yuvraj himself recently returned to India after recovering from a tumour which was located between his lungs, and required him to undergo extensive chemotherapy at the Cancer Research Institute in Boston, USA. Having played his last match for the Men in Blue in November last year, the all-rounder recently expressed the intent to maintain his health and return to the national side as soon as possible.

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Netherlands, Ireland, Kenya, Canada protest against ICC World Cup 2015 decision

The Netherlands, Ireland, Kenya and Canada registered their protest against International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to keep non-Test playing nations out of the ICC cricket World Cup 2015.
The associate nations lashed out at the dictation of the ICC, which was to protect the weaker cricket nations, Bangladesh, and, Zimbabwe, instead of promotion of cricket in the world. The next meeting of the ICC will be held in June, 2011 at Hong Kong where the matter will be discussed.
Netherlands came out with a brilliant show of cricket in the English County, which has strengthened the case for minnows. They took part in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition and beat two strong teams, while they suffered a one run defeat against Middlesex at Lord s’.
They played against Yorkshire on 24^th April, 2011 at Headingley, Leeds, and won the close encounter by two runs, they beat Derbyshire by 13 runs on 25^th April at Derby. Third match was played against Middlesex on 1^st May, 2011, who scored 286 runs in 40 overs and Netherlands managed 285 runs and lost the thriller by just one run.
Netherlands gave a tremendous performance against England in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 on 22^nd February at Nagpur by scoring 292 runs batting first and almost made an upset but England managed 296 runs in 48.4 overs.
They gave a tough time to India on 9^th of March at Delhi but were disappointed with their performance against Ireland on 18^th March at Kolkata where they were defeated badly by six wickets.
They were unable to win a match in the tournament but learnt a lot and matured their cricket. Their captain, Peter Borren, was convinced that the associate members should be part of the World Cup, he told ESPN cricinfo:
"I think one of the other captains said he wasn't sure how much we learnt from going to the World Cup, well, I think our performances so far showed we learnt a lot. There's obviously a place for Associate teams at the World Cup. It's very disappointing they even considered going that way and hopefully the decision can be revisited”.
Ireland and Netherlands have come together to fight for their rights to be in the biggest cricket show. Borren believes that there has been lot of interest from the young generation of his country and they should be kept involved in the World Cup.
"It's a shame because cricket in Holland, and Associate cricket in general, has certainly developed over the last four years. I think we played pretty well at the World Cup. It's a step backwards, but hopefully our cricket here can keep our name up there".
The Netherlands is performing well in County cricket in the absence of their key players, such as Ryan ten Doeschate, who is currently involved in IPL-4, and came out with two centuries in the World Cup and Alexei Kervezee is also not accompanying the team.
Borren assured they can come out with a better show once they were given a chance to play against strong teams. Full members have a chance to play more competitive cricket amongst themselves and they come up with mature cricket and they are capable of grasping the same level if given fair chances.

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KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS SIGNED ON MARK BOUCHER AS BRAD HADDIN’S REPLACEMENT

The Kolkata Knight Riders have signed up the South Africa wicketkeeper batsman, Mark Boucher as a replacement for the injured Brad Haddin.

The Chief executive officer and the managing director of the Knight Riders, Mr. Venky Mysore was upbeat to have someone of Boucher’s status in the team as a replacement of the departing Australian.

"We are fortunate to have someone like Mark Boucher as Brad's replacement. Mark comes with a lot of experience and a terrific track record in all forms of the game," said Venky Mysore while talking to the media on Saturday.

Boucher’s signing came after an MRI of Brad Haddin’s injured finger on Thursday detected a fracture and the Aussie cricketer was suggested to drop out of the upcoming games in order to avoid further aggravation of the injury.

Haddin picked up the finger injury during Australia’s tour of Bangladesh earlier this month, playing a three-match One-Day series.

The New South Wales keeper had earlier missed Kolkata’s three opening games due to his national commitments.

Though he joined King Khan’s KKR soon after Australia’s tour of Bangladesh, he could only managed a single appearance for the franchise, failing to make an impact with the gloves or the bat.

The Knight Rider’s CEO said that they are quite disappointed with Haddin’s early exit due to the fractured finger and stated that the 33-year old wicketkeeper had made his presence felt in a very short period of time and he will be missed by both the team and the management.

"We are very disappointed that Brad (Haddin) will be leaving the squad and will not take further part in IPL 4. In a short period, Brad had made his presence felt both on and off the field."

Boucher, the 34-year old former Proteas wicketkeeper, played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first three editions of the lucrative Twenty20 league.

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BOWLING CONDITIONS DISCOURAGING FOR LOCATING PACERS IN BANGLADESH - JAMIE SIDDONS

The outgoing Coach of Bangladesh Cricket, Jamie Siddons, has assessed that there is scarcity of fast bowlers in Bangladesh and they just have one pace bowler, Mashrafe Mortaza, who follows in the line of decent quickies.

Every balanced side in the world is equipped with a battery of fast bowlers and there are plenty in the wings if some is injured, or, replaced. The situation is different in Bangladesh and it’s very hard to find quality fast bowlers and the pitches and conditions are not suitable for their production, he commented,

 "The first-class competition is very different, wickets are slow and low, dominated by spin, not always good spinners, but spinners tend to hold the score up and get wickets", Siddons said. "Almost all of our first-class grounds are like that, so an opening bowler might bowl a four-over spell and then not come back until the second new ball sometimes. So in terms of developing fast bowlers it is very difficult for them to even want to bowl fast".

He further visualised that the play grounds and the big stadiums also discourage the upcoming quickies. Shere Bangla Stadium , Mirpur has the surface, which can be vital for them if prepared properly, but the team management is always scared of pacers in visiting teams and prepare a slow track.

The nurseries of cricket in Bangladesh, like schools, or, clubs, do not encourage the kids to become fast bowlers and the talent is also not witnessed in lower level cricket.

Bangladesh has produced average fast bowlers and don’t have heroes like other countries, which are the inspiration and followed by the young generation.

If they come across some talent, they throw them directly into Under-17s, or, Under-19s, and mould them according to prevailing conditions. They don’t have competitions at the school level, which can be played during the week, and, weekend cricket competitions do not exist.

"They might play three or four games a year, some kids, and some even less than that. I think it's organised, they're trying to organise it, but it's not as good as what we've got in Australia, and the reasons would probably be very varied, and I can't really tap into what they are".

They should establish academies, green, and, grassy grounds, search for the young talent, groom them, encourage them and the positive results can be achieved for the future of cricket in Bangladesh.

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RUDOLPH AMBITIOUS TO REPRESENT SOUTH AFRICA AGAIN

The famous South African batsman, Jacques Andries Rudolph, is anxious to represent his country again in International cricket. Jacques was born on 4^th May, 1981, in Springs, Transvaal, South Africa. A left handed batsman and an occasional leg break googly bowler, Rudolph is a good player to have in the South African squad.

Jacques first appeared for the Proteas against India in a One Day International (ODI) match on 13^th April, 2003, in Dhaka and made his Test debut against Bangladesh on 24^th April, 2003, in Chittagong. He appeared in the only T20 against Australia on 9^th January, 2006, in Brisbane.

He has played 35 Test matches, scored 2028 runs at a healthy average of 36.21 runs and his best innings is an unbeaten 222 runs. He has five centuries and eight fifties to his name in his Test career.

Rudolph has an impressive ODI record as well. He has taken part in 45 ODIs’, scored 1174 runs at an average of 35.57 runs and he scored 81 runs in his best innings. He has seven fifties to his name in his ODI career.

Rudolph has recently finished the first domestic season in South Africa on a high note after taking part in the County Cricket in England.

He achieved the distinction of the highest scorer in the Super Sport Series and held the second spot of scoring the highest runs for the Titans in the MTN40. He also led the franchise with his leadership qualities, being praised all over the cricket fraternity, and he seemed to be a changed person.

"Looking back over the last nine or 10 years, I've learnt a lot", Rudolph told ESPNcricinfo. "There were a lot of character building things that happened in my career and I'm in a good space at the moment".

He played his last ODI against Australia in February 2006 and last Test against Sri Lanka in August 2006 for the Proteas. Thereafter, his career diminished and he looked like giving up International cricket when he joined Yorkshire for four years and then opted out of the South African national cricket team.

He matured his game by inducting himself in County cricket which gave him a boost and capacious confidence, thus, encouraging him to join the National side again that currently seems to be depleted after being thrown out of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 in the quarterfinal against New Zealand on 25^th March, 2011. The team was labeled as “Chokers” once again in light of their disastrous World Cup campaign.

Rudolph reacted by commenting, “We do carry this tag of chokers", when assessing what went wrong at the ICC event. "Some people think it's fair, others think it's unfair. I think, to a degree, that it's unfair. But, in pressure situations, we just haven't been able to go through".

Rudolph anticipates being back in the South African side soon and will enable them to come out of the pressure with positive results in prestigious games with his ability to lead them from the front in future, provided they have faith in his leadership qualities.

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MICHAEL HUSSEY DETERMINED TO CONTINUE HIS INTERNATIONAL CAREER

Australia’s Michael Hussey has recently stated that he has no intentions to retire from International cricket.

Hussey, who strongly urged the former captain Ricky Ponting to continue playing even after stepping down from the post, said that he will keep on playing for as long as he could, even under the captaincy of Michael Clarke.

"It took me so long just to get one game, I think it took over 10 years, so I want to try to play as many games as I possibly can," Hussey said.

Hussey while talking about the Australian team said that it has nice combination of experienced and talented young players. While favouring the presence of Ponting in the team, Hussey stated that Ponting is one of the world’s best batsmen and a key member of the team.

Hussey commented that he got a tremendous amount of inspiration from the Indian batting icon Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, who have been giving splendid performances in cricket for the last couple of years.

Tendulkar, the 37-year-old cricketer, holds a number of world records in his long career and still maintains an exceptional batting form. He has also been a vital part of the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2011, won by India.

Hussey had two important targets, the first one is the Ashes and the second was the World Cup. Unfortunately he was not included in the recently concluded mega event, but later was called into the squad to replace Doug Bollinger who sustained an injury during the tournament.

"When I was actually able to go over and play in the World Cup, I was quietly quite proud really, because it took a lot of hard work to get myself back into a fit state," Hussey said.

Currently Australian team is playing a three-match One Day International series against Bangladesh. The Aussies are leading the series 2-0, while the third match will be played between the two teams today at Dhaka. In the first match, Hussey scored 33 runs off 51 balls including one four.

After the completion of this tour, Australia will tour Sri Lanka in August. The left-handed batsman said that he has never been to Sri Lanka and that he is ready to give his best for the team and his goal is to put in a good performance on the field.

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JAMIE SIDDONS FEELS WC 2011 MEMORIES HAUNTED HIS SIDE AGAINST AUSTRALIA

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Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons feels ICC World Cup 2011 memories haunted his side against Australia

Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons feels his team might have been haunted by the bad memories of the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2011 as the hosts failed to chase Australia’s 270-run total in the opening One Day International of the three-match series.

The Bengali Tigers, while chasing a gettable 270-run total, fell 60 runs short of their target.

“It's difficult; 58 and 78 [against West Indies and South Africa in the ICC World Cup 2011] were really playing on the batsmen's minds,” said Siddons while talking to the media reporters. “Particularly once we lost No. 2, 3 and 4; the memory banks kick in pretty quickly for our guys.”

In an attempt to set a platform for the chase, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan- the two hard-hitting batsmen of the home side- played one of the most cautious innings of their careers. Tamim, who was recently named as Wisden’s cricketer of the year, compiled 62 runs off 89 balls while the skipper Shakib took 90 balls to score 51.

“Shakib didn't really have a lot of answers for me when he came off as to why they went so slow, other than the wicket was very difficult. I didn't like the running between wickets, didn't like them walking between wickets,” said the Bangladesh coach.

He also rued the decision of taking the batting Powerplay after 45 overs and said that they should have taken the third Powerplay when the two experienced batsmen Tamim and Shakib were on the crease.

Siddons admitted that his side lacks experience. He added that the current Bangladesh team does not have any Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting or Kumara Sangakkara to guide them.

Siddons’ term with the Bangladesh cricket team ends at the end of the ongoing three-match series and he will be informed about his future with the side by Monday following a board meeting.

The next match of the series will be played at the same venue on Monday, 11 April, 2011.

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