ponting to lead mumbai

Ricky Ponting, the former Australian captain, has been named the captain of Mumbai Indians for the upcoming IPL season. Ponting was bought by Mumbai at his base price of US$ 400,000 in the auctions conducted earlier in the year. Ponting, who had earlier played for Kolkata Knight Riders, takes over from Harbhajan Singh. 

The decision was taken in consultation with head coach John Wright, Sachin Tendulkar and chief mentor, Anil Kumble. 

Kumble mentioned that the decision was taken by himself and Tendulkar. 

"Ricky has a lot of experience to lead a competitive and a high-profile side like Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Sachin readily agreed to my suggestion that Mumbai Indians is best served when he leads the batting unburdened by the rigours of captaincy. It was our idea (Sachin and mine) to bring in Ricky as the captain of the Mumbai Indians," said Kumble. 

Ricky Ponting, expressed his happiness and said: "It's a huge honour and I thank Mrs Ambani and the Mumbai Indians management for the faith they have reposed in my abilities. Mumbai Indians has the potent combination of Indian and International cricketers and I look forward to leading the team to play to its full potential." 

india opens clash with aus

Australia are back to conquer the 'final frontier'. For a series that is awaited with bated anticipation across both nations, there is a sense of lull before the storm this time around. This is no longer a battle between the No. 1 team in the world and the only team that looked to have the capability of usurping them as had been the case previously. In addition, both teams will be without the stars whose presence in earlier clashes had made the contests very different to a normal Test series between two teams. 

India: 

The Indian team can be said to be a team in transition. Having lost two consecutive away series in England and Australia by 0-4 margins, they then came back to eat more humble pie with a 1-2 loss at home to England, their first Test series loss against England in 28 years and their first ever series loss at home since Australia conquered them in 2004. While the losses abroad reinforced the need for fresh blood in the side and hastened the exits of Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, the loss against England at home came as a bolt from the blue. 

While the batting, barring Cheteshwar Pujara, came unstuck against a high quality English attack, the biggest disappointment was the failure of the Indian spinners to perform on tracks which were made for them. They were completely out-bowled by the spin duo of Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar leaving the selectors with more than just a minor headache. 

Ravichandran Ashwin has been the biggest let-down in recent times and the forthcoming series against Australia will give a sneak preview of where his future belongs to. Harbhajan Singh gets back into the team more on the basis of past performance rather than merit while Pragyan Ojha lends support as the left arm spinner. 

If the spinning department looks hazy, the fast bowling stock looks empty. Worryingly for India, the thin stock becomes magnified with the amount of cricket that they are scheduled to play before the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Zaheer Khan has been left out for the first two Tests as he is recovering from a calf injury and he is likely to be sidelined for the entire series. In his absence, the pace bowling unit looks raw and short of experience. 

The debacle against England has forced the selectors to discard Gautam Gambhir. The left handed opening batsman has been under fire with his last century coming against Bangladesh in January, 2010. Despite having formed an explosive opening partnership with Sehwag, Gambhir was threading on thin ice and his eventual sacking did not make major headlines. Murali Vijay and Shikhar Dhawan are his replacements for the opening slots, the former a trifle lucky after an average domestic season while the latter had the weight of runs behind him. The axing of Gambhir also seems to be a clear warning for his fellow opener, Sehwag to buck up and start performing on a consistent basis. 

The other major disappointment of the England series, Sachin Tendulkar, has warmed up to the Australian series with big scores for Mumbai both in the Ranji Trophy as well as the Irani Cup. A big series lies ahead for the man, one that will determine his immediate future. 

youngsters looking to present strong case

In a matter-of-fact manner, Michael Clarke read out the Australian eleven for the three-day tour game against India ‘A’ at the IC-Guru Nanak ground beginning here on Saturday. Two names caught one’s attention.

Actually, it was where Shane Watson was slotted, rather than his mention itself, which made interesting reading. Watson was listed second, which meant he would open the innings with Ed Cowan.

Clarke explained that since he (recovering from a hamstring strain) and David Warner (a thumb injury) were striving to regain fitness ahead of the first Test starting at Chepauk on February 22, both would sit out this match.

However, if Watson does indeed walk out to open with Cowan, the Aussies, despite the southpaw’s half-century in the first tour game, might explore the possibility of Watson partnering Warner, a left-right pairing, in the first Test.

Watson’s elevation in the order could provide the Australian team the flexibility it needs to accommodate a spin or a pace bowling all-rounder.

Importantly, left-arm spinner Ashton Agar’s name too figured among the players for the match. Now, was not the 19-year-old West Australian, with just two first-class matches behind him, supposed to fly back after the first tour game?

The tall Agar’s ability to extract bounce with his height and high-arm action, and his impressive spell against Board President’s XI have prompted the selectors and team management to give him an extended run in India.

Interestingly, both left-arm spinners in the squad — the 30-year-old Xavier Doherty and Agar — are in the eleven and it could be a direct contest between the two for a place if Australia decides to enter the first Test with two spinners, including off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

Gautam Gambhir, captaining India ‘A’, will be keen to prove a point to the selectors following the loss of his Test place. He is a quality batsman whose methods have been impacted adversely because of the constant shuffling between various formats.

How the left-hander shapes up against a pace attack led by Peter Siddle and the nippy left-armer Mitchell Starc, will be watched with interest. Gambhir needs to play close to his body.

“He is a very good player. Some of the bowlers in our team might be relieved that he is not part of the Test squad,” conceded Clarke.

Promising players

India ‘A’ consists of some promising players, including 22-year-old top-order batsman Jiwanjot Singh, who has a stunning 995 runs in only 10 first class matches at 66.33 with five centuries.

The smooth-stroking Ajinkya Rahane, part of the Test squad, would be keen to present a strong case before the selectors for a middle-order slot. Rohit Sharma’s natural ability has not been backed by performances, at least in the big games. Can he make a serious bid for selection in the longer format?

It remains to be seen, though, if the pacemen in the squad — Vinay Kumar, Dhawal Kulkarni and Manpreet Grewal — get a fair chance to present their skills on what is likely to be a slow turner

ajmal strikes,pakistan in good position

The Cape Town pitch was expected to make Saeed Ajmal a central figure towards the end of the Test but he made an impact as early as the second day, first with the bat in a combative 64-run ninth wicket stand with Tanvir Ahmed and then by removing both South Africa openers just as they seemed to have settled in.

Before Ajmal came to the middle, the headliner was Vernon Philander, whose love affair with Newlands continued as he bagged another five-for - his ninth in 15 Tests. A quick close to the Pakistan innings seemed imminent when he took three wickets in his first three overs on the second day before Tanvir and Ajmal lifted Pakistan to their highest total in South Africa.

Philander began the day with the perfect delivery to centurion Asad Shafiq, nipping away just a touch to force a nick to the keeper. In his next over, he had the wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed edging to the slip cordon where Alviro Petersen pulled off a blinder, diving to his right to pluck a low one-handed chance. In Philander's third over, he trapped Umar Gul lbw with a delivery that snaked in.

With the ball swerving around, regularly beating the bat and most of the runs being scored through streaky edges past the slips or the leg stump, South Africa were looking forward to an early end to the innings. There was little sign that Tanvir and Ajmal would prove so hard to dislodge. With the pitch easing up, though, they began to look increasingly solid. Ahmed punched Morne Morkel past long-on for four, and Ajmal smacked Dale Steyn over midwicket for a boundary.

With ten minutes to go to lunch, Jacques Kallis got yet another delivery to sneak past the outside edge, and he roared in frustration as the stand had grown to 64. His mood didn't improve when his next ball zipped past Ajmal's inside edge. The smiles were back for South Africa in the next over, though, as Ahmed launched Robin Peterson only to be caught at mid-off, and debutant Mohammad Irfan, who looked like a proper No. 11, was bowled attempting a big slog soon after.

While Tanvir did an excellent job with the bat, he was less impressive while bowling. Given the new ball ahead of the pacy seven-footer Irfan, Tanvir couldn't get it to move much and delivered at a gentle 120kph.

Gul was more probing at the other end, bowling with the wind on his back, working up a good pace. He nearly had Graeme Smith dismissed for a duck when the opener prodded towards second slip, where the usually safe Younis Khan grassed a sitter. South Africa's openers then made steady, if not flamboyant, progress on a surface where the new ball had proved potent.

Irfan was the quickest bowler in the Test, regularly hitting the 90mph-mark, and though he didn't produce any genuine chances, it wasn't easy going for the batsmen either.

Ajmal was the bowler who got the wickets for Pakistan, after being brought on as early as the 12th over. In his second over, he made the breakthrough, getting Smith lbw on review. Smith had looked to sweep and the umpire had turned down the appeal but Ajmal was extremely confident, repeatedly and emphatically telling his team-mates to review the decision. He had more success soon after as Alviro Petersen, who had seemingly got his eye in after nearly an hour-and-a-half in the middle, nicked to short leg where Azhar Ali pulled off a smart, low catch.

South Africa then sprang a surprise by promoting Faf du Plessis ahead of the prolific pair of Kallis and AB de Villiers. Du Plessis and Hashim Amla took South Africa through to tea, and will have plenty more to do in the final session as the their team finally have a battle on their hands in their home summer.

ipl auction

The IPL auction rules could undergo an overhaul from the 2014 edition and the existing contracts for all players will end after the current season. Franchises would therefore view this auction only in terms of filling certain pressing gaps to meet their requirements for this season.

Quite a few teams have more than $5 million left of their $12.5 million purse coming into Sunday's auction, and can be expected to be involved in a tug of war for at least a couple of players. "Some teams are sitting with $6-7 million," a franchise official said. "So expect franchises to get into a crazy bidding for a player if they think it is fine, as it is just a one-year contract." This auction, however, may not see as many millions being thrown around as the previous ones.

Hot buys

Only two players, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting, have the maximum reserve price this year, of $400,000. While Ponting retired from internationals last year, Clarke, who had a prolific 2012, is expected to be chased by franchises who need a big player and captain. If teams like SunRisers Hyderabad or Pune Warriors need a new captain and are not able to buy Clarke, they will have to go for Ponting who scored 236 runs in the Big Bash League at an average of 39.33 and strike rate of 121, including two half-centuries.

Among the seven Indian players is Abhishek Nayar, with a reserve price of $100,000, who scored 966 runs in the Ranji Trophy this season. He would be on the list of several buyers who do not want to spend much on a player for a single season. Nayar, an in-form domestic allrounder, would give RP Singh, who had a poor outing in IPL 2012, a run for his money.

T20 specialist

Dirk Nannes has 37 wickets in domestic T20 tournaments in the last 12 months, at an average of 24.43. Priced at $200,000, he could be the main pick for a franchise looking for an overseas fast bowler with enough money in the bag.

Dark horse

Rilee Rossouw, a 23-year-old uncapped South Africa batsman, priced at only $20,000. With the experience of 36 domestic T20s and 781 runs behind him, Rossouw could offer a franchise what nobody else can for that amount of money.

Veteran pick

The oldest player, aged 38 is Herschelle Gibbs. Released by Mumbai Indians recently, Gibbs isn't the batsman he used to be even though he has played in T20 leagues in South Africa, England, Bangladesh, India and Australia in the last one year.

Unlikely buys

Two names that catch the eye in the auction list are Ricardo Powell and Wasim Jaffer. Powell, 34, played two T20s for the International World XI against Pakistan All Star XI in October, scoring 3 and 5. Jaffer has been concentrating on first-class matches, being a part of Mumbai's victorious Ranji side recently.

How the franchises could play it

SunRisers Hyderabad have $7 million left to spend on the 2013 squad and can buy eight more Indian and five overseas players. They are expected to go all out for Michael Clarke to ease some pressure off their captain and lead batsman Kumar Sangakkara, who is currently injured. Also on their injured list is JP Duminy, increasing their need for a strong top-order batsman-cum-mentor. Hello Ricky Ponting. They may also need a spinner to assist Amit Mishra and have the options of Rangana Herath ($100,000), Johan Botha ($300,000) and Ajantha Mendis ($50,000) since they have the money.

	Abhishek Nayar, the in-form domestic allrounder, could be on many shopping lists © Fotocorp  Enlarge

Since Sachin Tendulkar is Mumbai Indians' new captain, they can now spend $2.3 million on specialist players instead of a new captain. They would look to beef up their top order, which failed to impress last season. Phillip Hughes, at $100,000, may suit their needs after scoring two ODI hundreds against Sri Lanka but Jesse Ryder has been scoring heavily in New Zealand's domestic season too. The new Anil Kumble-John Wright combination could throw up some new strategies.

Stephen Fleming, the coach, said on Friday they would not be targeting overseas players and instead focus on the "seam bowling department, especially local bowlers". They possess Ben Hilfenhaus, Albie Morkel, Nuwan Kulasekara and Dwayne Bravo - all overseas bowlers. Their local options lie in RP Singh (released by Mumbai Indians), Sudeep Tyagi, Manpreet Gony, Pankaj Singh and Jaydev Unadkat.

Delhi Daredevils have the shallowest pockets with only $1.4 million left of their purse. To add to that, their pacers Umesh Yadav, Varun Aaron and Irfan Pathan are all injured. So expect some cheaply priced local bowlers, such as Jaydev Unadkat, going their way. Allrounder Abhishek Nayar could be on their radar as they will lose Kevin Pietersen in the second half of the tournament and will not be able to accommodate Mahela Jayawardene, David Warner and Ross Taylor together.

Kolkata Knight Riders, the defending champions, are expected to be less aggressive in their bidding compared to last two years, when they were the fastest off the blocks as soon as the auction bell rang. "We might end up being a spectator," a Knight Riders official said. They do not have much to improve on from last year, except maybe an allrounder in the form of Abhishek Nayar or Thisara Perera.

Rajasthan Royals have $7.7 million to spend and seven Indian and four overseas slots to fill. They have never splurged and having included Samuel Badree after releasing Johan Botha, won't be too unhappy with their current line-up. Unless Paddy Upton suggests otherwise.

Kings XI Punjab may opt for a handy seam bowler to suit the conditions in Mohali. $6.9 million may allow them to opt for Vernon Philander or an RP Singh. A reserve wicketkeeper in Quinton de Kock ($20,000) might be a good try for one season.

Pune Warriors will go in for a new captain after releasing Sourav Ganguly, as Yuvraj Singh is unlikely to lead the side. Ricky Ponting would be a similar batsman-cum-mentor, who could revive the fortunes of the franchise.

Royal Challengers Bangalore retained their core attack but left out as many as 12 players in November. Uncertainty over Zaheer Khan's fitness may make them buy a fast bowler to accompany Vinay Kumar.

south africa in command

South Africa took their opponents by the throat and shook them into submission on the second day at the Wanderers, as Pakistan collapsed to their lowest-ever total in Tests before watching helplessly as a 411-run gulf opened between the sides. Dale Steyn took 6 for 8 in an extraordinary, lethal display before half-centuries from Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers pressed home South Africa's dominance.

If Pakistan were under the impression that South Africa would be obliging hosts after a profitable first day at the Wanderers, they were quickly disabused of that notion. Mauled by Steyn, with Vernon Philander and Jacques Kallis picking the carcass clean, they were saved from the potential ignominy of being bowled out twice in a day by Smith's decision not to enforce the follow-on, despite a 204-run lead. Although there is a possibility of rain, with three days left in the game Pakistan look to be on course for a hiding on the Highveld.

Earlier, Steyn recorded his 20th five-wicket haul in Tests either side of lunch, as Pakistan were confounded by pace, swing and bounce. Nine batsmen fell caught behind the wicket, with six victims for de Villiers equalling the record for a South Africa wicketkeeper; Steyn, in particular, bowled a line of beauty and Pakistan quivered along at less than two runs an over. Remarkably, this was the third time in 15 months that South Africa have bowled out a side for less than 50, after the routs of New Zealand andAustralia in Cape Town.

As South Africa ascended to the No. 1 Test ranking over the last year, the sight of their dominance has become increasingly familiar. They dispatched England and Australia in their own backyards and Smith's team are now relishing the chance to display their talents in front of home crowds. The only disappointment for the Johannesburg locals may be that this contest - like the two Tests against New Zealand last month - is unlikely to go anywhere near the distance.

The Pakistan innings could not have resembled a horror show any more had Freddy Krueger been spotted in the stands. As ever, Steyn was a batsman's nightmare incarnate, his opening spell decapitating the Pakistan top-order in a manner worthy of any slasher flick to leave them 12 for 3. After lunch, with Pakistan listing on 40 for 7, he returned with eyes still blazing. If the batsmen were luckless sailors, Steyn was a glimpse of St Elmo's fire, forecasting their doom. His relentless display produced six wickets and 39 dot balls - and only allowed three scoring shots - in 8.1 overs of mesmeric bowling. He now has 19 wickets at 8.31 from two-and-a-half Tests in 2013. Perhaps, with South Africa's light Test programme this year, he has decided to stockpile them early.

A partnership of 24 in almost 14 overs between Azhar Ali and Misbah-ul-Haq for the fourth wicket was the wafer-thin mint of comfort for Pakistan, before the darkness swallowed them up again. Their last seven wickets fell for 13 runs and the roar of the crowd became a blanket of white noise.

Mohammad Hafeez was the first to go, set up by a back-of-a-length delivery that seared past the edge and over the top of off stump. The next ball, the 11th of the morning, was fuller and wider, pulling Hafeez across and into a fateful flirt. His opening partner, Nasir Jamshed, did not last much longer, pinned in front of leg stump by an inswinger two balls after surviving a review to a similar delivery from Vernon Philander that was judged to have been passing over the top.

Azhar and Misbah have both played dogged innings in the past but the former was surprised by a brute of a lifter from Kallis - even when Steyn and Philander were removed from the attack, there was no release. Misbah, having been hit on the forearm, the stomach and the hands, was channelling all his qualities of resistance but he was dislodged after a successful South Africa review. The ball was slightly short and wide but there was a feather of an edge, detectable only by Hot Spot. Pakistan may have felt that even technology was conspiring against them: Faf du Plessis had survived a similar review on the first day and de Villiers was reprieved on 49 against Saeed Ajmal in the second innings, despite inconclusive replays.

In the dressing room, Pakistan's coach, Dav Whatmore, sprang from his seat in surprise; he would quickly have slumped back down, however, as Philander took wickets six and seven in the next over. Junaid Khan hit Philander for consecutive fours in an attempt to get Pakistan past 53 - the follow-on target and their previous lowest Test score - but Steyn was irresistible.

Although his bowlers had been exerted for less than 30 overs between them, Smith chose to stay the execution. The strategy drew some flak but South Africa could afford to bludgeon home their advantage and Smith was doubtless wary of having to bat last against Ajmal. The openers duly added 82 on a pitch that was still assisting the seamers, Smith reaching fifty in his 100th Test as captain, and although three wickets fell for 17, the innings progressed comfortably enough at around four runs an over as Amla and de Villiers combined for an unbroken 108. Pakistan may have spoiled Smith's birthday on Friday but, by now, they had been well and truly Biffed.

csk will be aim to fix specific needs

Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming said the franchise would seek to find answers to specific needs at the IPL player auction to be held here on Sunday.

The auction with as many as 101 cricketers in the pool has the former and present Australian captains Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke with the highest base prices of $400,000 each. No Pakistani cricketer is in the fray.

Asked about the viability of the 38-year-old Ponting who has now retired from all forms of international cricket in the hectic world of IPL, Fleming said here on Friday, “We already have a player similar to him in Michael Hussey in the CSK.

“Ponting will bring with him tremendous experience and skills learnt over the years, which he can add to the team and pass on to the younger players.”

Fleming said the main area where the team would be seeking to improve was in the domestic pace bowling department, indicating that the franchise might like to fill a few breaches here during the auction. “We came up short in this area a few times last season and we would like to do better here.”

australians get highest base rate

They are not exactly Twenty20 stars but retired Australian skipper Ricky Ponting and his successor Michael Clarke have attracted the highest base price of $400,000 (approx Rs 2.1 crore) among the 101 names who will go under the hammer in the IPL players' auction to be held on Sunday.

  There are four marquee players in the list, the other two being South African all-rounder Johan Botha and out-of-favour Indian pacer RP Singh, whose base price has been pegged at $100,000 (Rs 53.3 lakh). 

Singh was bought by Mumbai Indians last year for $600,000 but after a dismal show of 10 wickets from 11 matches, he was released by the franchise.

 While Clarke was previously with Pune Warriors Indians, Ponting played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the first season. Botha, on the other hand, has attracted a base price of $300,000 (Rs 1.6 crore). 

Even though Clarke and Ponting have attracted the highest base price but their T20 credentials are not exactly exciting. Clarke retired from the format a couple of years ago, while the 38-year-old Ponting did not quite click with his initial franchise Kolkata Knight Riders. 

Darren Sammy, who captained the West Indies in their World Twenty20 Championships triumph last year, will be among the first-timers up for sale. His base price has been set at $100,000. 

Among other international players, England's Matt Prior and Ravi Bopara, both of whom went unsold last season, have a base price of $100,000 and $200,000 (Rs 1.06 crore).

"Apart from filling in certain small gaps, I do not see any big action happening this time around. Also with the player contracts expiring after the 2013 season, it would be difficult to place your bets on any big buys," a franchise official was quoted as saying. 

starc sparks,glenn blasts,aus win

It feels as though the series hasn't really started, yet Australia find themselves 1-0 up. The first match at the WACA on Friday was so short that it was over well before the time that should have been the change of innings. In fact, the teams could have played a Twenty20 afterwards and still been finished early. Having been bowled out for 70, the only way is up for West Indies. Hopefully, at least. The Perth fans would certainly like to see more of a contest in the second game.

Prior to the series, the captain Darren Sammy spoke of his desire for West Indies to begin 2013 in the right way, to set the tone for the coming year. He can only hope the players forget Friday's match ever happened, just like they have tried to erase from their minds the ODI series loss to Bangladesh late last year. There is much improvement required from West Indies in the 50-over format, and if they can't turn things around on Sunday in Perth this series could be almost out of their grasp by the time Australia send their first batch of players off to India to prepare for the upcoming Test series.