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Publish Post
October 3, 2007
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Sri Lanka are likely to recall Marvan Atapattu for the forthcoming tour of Australia. Ashantha de Mel, the chairman of selectors, said the team would require experienced players like him, and that the selectors were mindful of the fact that Sri Lanka are yet to win a Test in Australia.
"We need his experience in Australia," de Mel told AFP. "He has the technique and temperament to stay at the crease.It will be very important for the two Tests against Australia. I will talk to him about his availability."
Atapattu did not play a single game in the World Cup in the West Indies, despite being in the squd, and was overlooked for the subsequent one-day series in Abu Dhabi against Pakistan. He then announced his unavailability for the home series against Bangladesh citing personal reasons and asked to be released from his central contract, sparking speculation that he might be linked to the Indian Cricket League (ICL).
Earlier, captain Mahela Jayawardene too supported Atapattu's inclusion and called on the selectors to find out whether he would be willing to commit to a tough series.
"We love to have him around," said Jayawardene. "He is a top class performer. For a fact I know that he still wants to continue to play cricket for Sri Lanka. He wanted to be released from his contract purely because he wanted to see other avenues in his career. The best thing would be to have a dialogue with him and find out what he wants to do."
Sri Lanka play two Tests in November and return for the tri-nation CB Series in February, also featuring India
October 3, 2007
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Speculation over the future of Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, is mounting with some reports claiming he is set to retire from Test cricket after playing in the second Test in Lahore against South Africa.
Geo TV and Jang, the Urdu-language daily, both reported that Inzamam had reached an agreement with the Pakistan Cricket Board which would see the batsman play one last Test at home before bowing out - unlike many ex-cricketers in Pakistan - with some grace and dignity.
None of these reports, however, have quoted Inzamam directly. The only newspaper to quote him on the topic, the Daily Express, another Urdu daily, has him denying any such plans. "I have no plans to retire at the moment. I am available for the second Test and have told the selectors of my desire," Inzamam said. However, to add to the confusion, the same newspaper's front page has also carried the retirement story. The Daily Express has also quoted Inzamam claiming he has cancelled his trip to London where he was expected to be present for hearings in the Darrell Hair case.
Inzamam stepped down from the captaincy and retired from ODIs after Pakistan's early exit at the World Cup earlier this year. He was initially keen to play on in Tests, but the board and selectors have, unofficially, been equally keen for him to step away and didn't award him a central contract.
To complicate matters further, Inzamam was also one of four players to sign up for the Indian Cricket League (ICL), a move which meant, according to the PCB's stance, that he would not be considered for Pakistan selection.
Yet Inzamam was, according to the selection committee, considered for the first Test squad against South Africa. He wasn't picked because he made himself unavailable. If he does play one last Test, Inzamam has an opportunity to surpass Javed Miandad as the leading Test run-scorer for Pakistan as he needs 20 runs to go past Miandad's haul of 8832.
October 1, 2007
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Former India coach Greg Chappell has praised Mahendra Singh Dhoni's captaincy and said the Indian team is shaping up well under him. Chappell quit as coach after the World Cup earlier this year, ending a two-year tenure with the team.
Though his stint was mired in controversy, Dhoni was one of the successes and Chappell said he had seen a lot of potential in him. Dhoni led an inexperienced team to victory in the ICC World Twenty20 in South Africa, his debut series as captain.
"I had foreseen a great future for Dhoni," Chappell told PTI. "He has proved his potential and has been most impressive as a leader. The Indians are lucky to have a leader like him."
Chappell, currently in India as a consultant for the Future Cricket Academy of the Rajasthan Cricket Association, based in Jaipur, acknowledged India's recent success.
"The Indian team is now doing well," he said. "When I was the coach, whatever I did stood them in good stead. It is up to the others to judge. They have a few exciting players and have already won the ICC World Twenty20.
"The good thing about Indian cricket is that it has a varied environment in which players are groomed differently. The players, like those from far-flung areas, are an example of that."
The current one-day series between India and Australia, Chappell said, would be a close contest, despite a few senior Australian players retiring from the game in recent months.
"The Australian team is in a transition phase. There is no [Glenn] McGrath or Shane Warne. But they are well prepared for the series. They have been working hard and they have to keep intact their supremacy. I believe it will be a hard fought series."
His work at the academy, Chappell said, would not necessarily replicate training methods used at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane. He inaugurated the academy with Ian Frazer, the bio-mechanics expert who also assisted him when Chappell was with the Indian team.
"It is not right to compare it to Centre of Excellence because that has been running for years now. People like Allan Border [the former Australian captain] work and evolve new techniques for the trainees there. But I assure you that it will be different. We wish to make it one of the most reputed training centres of the world."
Twenty20's growing popularity, Chappell felt, would be a challenge for coaches in adapting to different forms of the game. He did not, though, believe it would ruin a batsman's technique. "There is no question of spoiling the technique. It has brought about a few changes which 50-over cricket too brought along. Now players use heavy bats, footwork is changing and they are hitting much harder than in my day."
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