Kolkata Knight Riders batsman Manoj Tiwary praises Gautam Gambhir’s captaincy

Kolkata Knight Riders batsman, Manoj Tiwary has hailed Gautam Gambhir for his captaincy tactics and said that latter’s ability to allow personal space to each member of the team makes him stand out of the pack.

"Gautam is an innovative captain. He comes up with lot of ideas and makes it a point to discuss it with the players. He tries to understand each and every player's game and gives them a lot of space," said Manoj while talking to the media reporters.

When asked whether he had also benefited from the experience and exposure of the sensational top order batsman, Tiwary said that Gambhir is a very good batsman of spin bowling and playing with the top order batsman helped him a lot.

The 25-year-old Bengal batsman told the reporters that Gambhir has given him useful tip about how his footwork should be against the spin bowlers.

Talking about King Khan, the principal owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, Tiwary said that bollywood star gifted each and every KKR player a locket he brought from Ajmer Sharif. The Bengal captain said that this gesture of the bollywood celebrity touched their hearts. He also said that it would be a "treasured possession" for him as it was presented by a living legend .

The right handed batsman made his solitary One Day International appearance in February 2008 against Australia in Brisbane and has not been picked in a national side since then. Manoj said that he wants to make a comeback to the national side and is working hard for that as well. However, he said that currently he is focusing on the ongoing Indian Premier League and wants to win matches for Knight Riders.

"My first focus is to win matches for KKR. I don't want to think too far ahead," said Manoj. "My job is to perform and that's precisely what I am trying to do. I felt bad that twice (against Chennai and Kochi) I couldn't finish off matches. But I have learnt from my mistakes and would like to rectify that in coming matches."

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DARREN SAMMY SAYS THEY FAILED TO CAPITALISE ON GOOD START AGAINST PAKISTAN

West Indies skipper Darren Sammy rued his team’s inability to capitalise on the good start to post a par score as the hosts lost their second successive One Day International against Pakistan at St Lucia on Monday.

The 27-year-old medium pacer said that his side failed to capitalise in the key moments both in batting and bowling and this led to their seven-wicket defeat at the hands of the Men in Green. However, Sammy was happy that they were not totally rolled over as Pakistan took 47 overs to win the match.

“We could have tried to squeeze their batsmen more and when we batted we got a good start, but did not capitalise on it,” said Sammy. “We weren't rolled over today. We kept ourselves in the match right to the finish. There were moments when things could have gone either way, but we didn't make it happen.”

Sammy urged his side to find ways to come out of tight situations successfully. He insisted that they need to win the next game of the five-match ODI series in order to keep their prospects alive.

The West Indies batting line-up collapsed miserably against the Pakistan attack as none of the batsmen could cross the 30-run mark sans opener Lendl Simmons who struck a level-headed half century. Eight of the Caribbean batsmen failed to get past even 20. As a result, the hosts returned with a gettable score of 220 for 9 that was comfortably chased down by the tourists for the loss of just 3 wickets.

The home side was unable to post an impressive total in the opening One day International of the series as well as they made just 221 before Pakistan chased it down with more than 8 overs to go and 8 wickets in hand.

The visiting captain, Shahid Afridi was happy with the “discipline” shown by his team in Monday’s game and said that the reason behind their victories is that they are sticking to the game plan. He was also happy with the improved batting at the top of the order.

Pakistan lead the five-match ODI series by 2-0. The third match of the series will be played in Barbados on April 28, 2011. 

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PAKISTAN COACH WAQAR YOUNIS SAYS INCLUSION OF YOUNGSTERS IN THE TEAM IS REBUILDING SORT OF PHASE

Pakistan cricket team’s head coach, Waqar Younis said on Saturday that the injection of some blood in the team is “rebuilding sort of phase.”

The former Pakistan captain hoped the novices would prove themselves on the international arena using tour of West Indies as a platform.

“We have brought some young cricketers on this tour,” said Waqar while talking to media reporters ahead of the first One Day International of the five-match series between Pakistan and West Indies. “It's a rebuilding sort of phase. I hope these youngsters do well in the international arena and do well on this trip.”

For the tour to the West Indies, the Pakistan selectors picked up some new players and the team coach said he was looking forward to good performances from the youngsters.

The former fast bowler was hopeful his new-look side would carry on making strides during their ongoing tour of West Indies in which the Men in Green are scheduled to play a one-off Twenty20 international, a five-match ODI series and two Test matches.

The Pakistan coach praised the way Shahid Afridi and his men performed in the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2011, where the side reached the semi-finals despite going into the tournament with quite an unimpressive build-up. Waqar expected that the new-look Pakistan team would emulate their World Cup performance in the Caribbean over the coming few weeks.

“The boys have done a wonderful job especially in the World Cup,” said the former pacer. “We knew if we played well, cricket interest would come back in the country. The only way we could have done that was to do well.”

He also hailed the way the Pakistan fans had welcomed the team despite losing to archrivals India in the semi-final. Waqar said he was really pleased that the people have started understanding the spirit of the game.

Pakistan batting once again collapsed in their opening game of the tour as the hosts won the only Twenty20 international by seven runs. However, Waqar was hopeful his team would make a strong comeback when the two outfits play each other in the first ODI at the Beausejour Cricket Ground on Saturday.

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FLAWED BATTING ORDER COST PAKISTAN SEMI FINAL GAME AGAINST INDIA IMRAN KHAN

Pakistan's former World Cup winning captain, Imran Khan, blamed the national team to have a flawed batting order for its 29-run defeat against arch-rivals India in the semi-final of the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2011.

"I kept on saying that you need to send your best batsmen at the top so that they can save wickets”, said Khan while talking to the media on the sidelines of a function arranged to honour Elite panel umpire, Aleem Dar. Dar was one of the officials in the high-pressure World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka.

“When you preserve your wickets, the pressure transfers to the fielding side and if you have couple of hard hitters in the team, you can always score quick runs in the final overs", he further added.

The cricketer-turned-politician said that the same strategy was followed by the team in the knockout matches during 1987 and 1992 editions of the World Cup.

The former cricket star of Pakistan admitted that losing to the Men in Blue, led by Dhoni, in the semis still hurts and it is hard to accept the loss. Imran reckoned that Afridi and his men crumbled under pressure.

Imran Khan said that the Cornered Tigers were outstanding throughout the mega event prior to collapsing under the pressure of the semi-final. The former Pakistani cricket captain said that he was not expecting that the team would come under pressure.

"What disappoints me is that this team overall performed very well and reached the semi-finals when no one expected it to go this far”, said the 58-year-old. "But once they had got into the semi-final and knew it was going to be a high pressure match against India, the players should have been ready for the situation. Unfortunately they buckled under the pressure", he further added.

The former all-rounder ace is frustrated that the co-hosts were under immense pressure of playing in front of home crowd as well as their title favourites tag. He said that the whole batting line-up of India, except forVirender Sehwag, was under pressure and this led to quite a number of soft dismissals as well.

He said that pressure on the Indian team could be better judged from the fact that a world class performer like Sachin Tendulkar offered at least four chances to the opposition to send him back to the pavilion.

Khan further commented that the under pressure Men in Blue seemed to be all set for a defeat but Pakistani batsmen failed to absorb the pressure on themselves and collapsed. Imran said that once wickets started falling, the pressure started to mount on incoming batsmen and it became difficult for them to perform. The legendary all-rounder noted tactical mistakes in the game as well.

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PCB LAUNCHES EDUCATION PROGRAMME FOR PLAYERS, COACHES

Former Test captain of Pakistan cricket team, Wasim Bari revealed on Thursday that the Pakistan Cricket Board has started a program to educate its players and the coaching staff on how to stay away from corruption in the game.

Bari, who heads the program, told media reporters that they have conducted lectures for the regional teams in which they have taught the players how to behave in the international sport. He also told that the players were given lectures on the PCB code of conduct as well as International Cricket Council’s code of conduct.

“We have held lectures for all the regional teams including coaches who are part of the domestic structure and also for the national under-19 and A team players and support staff,” said Bari while talking to a leading news website.

“We are also telling them how to behave in a dressing room, how to interact with strangers and outsiders. How to avoid getting lured into corrupt practices. We are preparing them for international cricket,” he added further.

All these steps are being taken by the Board in the wake of lengthy bans imposed on three Pakistan players, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir, following their involvement in spot-fixing in a Test match against England in August 2010.

All the three players were banned from all formats of cricket for a minimum of five years by an ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal earlier in 2011 after they were found guilty.

Bari told that the banned trio was not allowed to take part in the program. He said that the appeal of the players against their bans is yet to be heard so the matter is ‘technically subjudice’ and this did not allow the Board to involve the disgraced trio in any program for the time being.

The 63-year-old former Pakistan wicketkeeper said that the lectures are being delivered in the Pakistan’s national language, Urdu, so that the participants could understand them with ease. He further added that the players and other participants were encouraged to take part in the question and answer sessions.

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England coach Andy Flower shortlisted for India coaching role

England cricket coach Andy Flower is reportedly among the few names who have been shortlisted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for coaching the national side.

The post of India’s coach was left vacant after Gary Kirsten left the team following the completion of his contract recently. Kirsten guided the Men in Blue to their second ever ICC World Cup title in April 2011.

These reports left the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) nervous prompting it to nail the former Zimbabwe wicketkeeper for another three years.

A leading sports website on Tuesday claimed that Flower and Duncan Fletcher are among the shortlisted candidates to coach the ICC World Cup 2011 winning team of India.

Flower took over as England national team’s head coach back in 2009 after Peter Moores stepped down following a run-in with prolific batsman Kevin Pietersen.

Flower’s two-year coaching stint helped the Andrew Strauss-led England team to two successive home and away Ashes series wins. He also guided England to their first-ever ICC title, the 2010 World Twenty20 championship.

During Flower’s two years in charge, England played 29 Test matches winning 15 and losing just five of them while the rest were drawn. Their One Day International record under his reign is less impressive as they won 27 out of a total of 56 ODIs during that time period. Four of the remaining 29 ODIs were abandoned or tied so a winning rate of above 50 per cent is decent enough.

Looking at Flower’s successful stint with the team, the ECB is determined to hold on to the Zimbabwean and is doing all it can to prevent him from being lured by the BCCI.

“Andy Flower has been offered a new three-year contract as the England and Wales Cricket Board attempts to head off any moves for their highly rated coach from India,” read the report. “...Flower is due to meet Hugh Morris, the managing director of the England team, at the end of the month to discuss his long-term future and the direction of the England set-up.”

Like the board, the England players are also eager to have the 42-year-old for another term. England wicketkeeper batsman Matt Prior recently praised his coach.

“He has been fantastic. The main thing I love about Andy is he is honest. He is a good human being. There are no politics. He just wants to win,” said Prior.

The wicketkeeper further added that Flower backs the players 100 per cent and this helps the players to be confident about themselves.

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Ireland spinner Regan West announces retirement

Ireland left-arm spinner Regan West has announced retirement from international cricket after he picked up a serious shoulder injury.

West’s bowling shoulder was causing him trouble over the past few months and after a detailed examination of the injured shoulder the spinner was advised not to bowl anymore for fear of further damage.

The 31-year-old Taranaki born bowler was devastated at his forced retirement. He told media reporters that it was shocking for him to learn about his shoulder.

“I'm pretty gutted with the outcome really. At the beginning it wasn't a case of if I would bowl again, it was just how long it would take to recover,” said West while talking to the media reporters.

“My left shoulder is not in good shape, so the recommendation that I shouldn't bowl again didn't come as a surprise but it is still very disappointing,” he added further.

The left-armer was not part of the Ireland squad that visited the Subcontinent to participate in the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2011.

West made his One Day International debut on 25 August, 2008 and went on to play 10 ODIs picking up 9 wickets with career best figures of 4/26. In first-class cricket, he has played 20 matches claiming 45 wickets with a career best of 7/88 against Scotland in 2009.

He said that the time he spent with the Ireland team was the most enjoyable of his cricketing career. The left-hander, who used to play for Northern Districts and was part of New Zealand Under-19 side as well before joining Ireland, said that he feels very privileged to have had the opportunity to represent the Irish at the international level. He however added that he was quite disappointed to learn about his shoulder which ruled him out of the game for good.

Ireland coach Phil Simmons termed West’s forced retirement as a massive loss to the national side and thanked him for his contribution to the country.

“Regan is a massive loss to the Irish squad,” said Simmons. “I personally would like to thank him for his efforts, not just when he was in the team, but in the last six months in his battle to be fit enough to be in an environment he has enjoyed.”

Simmons said that the wholeheartedness and dedication of the left-arm spinner will be missed.

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AFRIDI VOWS NOT TO SPEAK ON INDO-PAK RELATIONS IN FUTURE

Flamboyant Pakistan captain, Shahid Afridi, has vowed not to speak on the sensitive issue of Indo-Pak relations in the future, reiterating that there are some elements in Indian media, who are negative about ties between the two arch-rivals.

Afridi said that he is not against India, or Indian people insisting that he was misinterpreted by the media.

"I am not against India, or, Indian people or Hindus. They are Hindus living in Pakistan just like Muslims in India and since this is a very sensitive issue I have decided that from now on I will not speak on it", said Afridi while talking to a TV channel of Pakistan.

He stressed that there are negative elements, who do not want the two countries go ahead. He suggested that if the authorities from both sides want to move forward, they would have to change their mindset.

Afridi also hailed Indian skipper, MS Dhoni’s decision of coming up in the order and leading from the front in the World Cup final against Sri Lanka. The hard-hitting Boom Boom Afridi rued he should have batted up in the order.

Talking about the disappointing semi-final game against nemesis India, Afridi conceded that he made mistakes in the high-voltage game.

"I made mistakes in the World Cup particularly in the semi-final at Mohali”, admitted the all rounder, who finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 21 scalps, along with Zaheer Khan of India. “I should have gone up the order like Mahendra Singh Dhoni did against Sri Lanka in the final at Mumbai", he added further. 

Talking about his 21 World Cup wickets, Afridi said that it was a big honour for him and that he never expected to finish the esteemed tournament as the joint leading wicket-taker.

He said that the main goal he and the coach had was to ensure a clean and politics free dressing room atmosphere and reckoned that he have been successful in doing that.

Afridi thanked senior players such as, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, and, Kamran Akmal, for supporting him in the high profile tournament.

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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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