“I had to wait for a long time"-Anil Kumble

CHENNAI: The appointment of Anil Kumble as India’s Test captain, announced in Mohali, has brought the champion leg-spinner long-deserved recognition in the twilight of his career.“I had to wait for a long time, but I think it’s better late than never,” said Kumble, who will succeed Rahul Dravid in India’s top cricket job. “It’s good to be shown faith and given the responsibility. I am sure I will get all the support from all my teammates.”
Kumble, perceived as the outsider in a two-horse race with one-day captain M.S. Dhoni, will assume responsibility in the home Test series against Pakistan, starting on November 22.On the 37-year-old’s capable shoulders falls the responsibility of guiding India through a period of change. “I hope to help the team achieve a smooth transition so that the younger lot can go ahead and move forward,” Kumble told Reuters on Friday. “I’ll try and do whatever best I can for the team so that we get a lot more consistent.”Kumble’s glittering record – he is Test cricket’s third-highest wicket-taker with 566 wickets in 118 Tests – and physical courage – evident when he bowled with a shattered jaw in Antigua in 2002 – have earned him the team’s respect, critical for any captain.True to his reputation for fairness, Kumble had kind words for Dhoni. “The team has done exceptionally well under him (Dhoni). The younger lot seem to enjoy each other’s company. He’s a mature person and has all the qualities (of a captain), that’s for sure.”This is Kumble’s first stint as Test captain.

Jamaican Cabinet official calls death investigation of World Cup cricket coach 'hasty'

Police may have spoken prematurely when they declared Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer was murdered in his hotel room during the Cricket World Cup, Jamaica's top security official testified on Friday."From what I have seen, they may have done things too hastily," Security Minister Derrick Smith told a coroner's inquest. He said he based that conclusion on an unreleased government report on the investigation into the death of Woolmer.The Englishman was found unconscious in a Kingston hotel room on March 18, a day after his Pakistan team was ousted by Ireland. Four days later a government pathologist ruled he had been strangled, launching an international murder probe.But several foreign experts later concluded that Woolmer died from natural causes, most likely heart disease, and in an embarrassing reversal, Jamaican police said on June 12 that Woolmer was not strangled.Jamaica's pathologist maintains that he died of asphyxia and pesticide poisoning. A forensic scientist recently testified that he found lethal amounts of cypermethrin in Woolmer's stomach samples, contradicting foreign experts who also analyzed samples and found no pesticide.
Coroner Patrick Murphy, who is presiding over the inquest, has ordered the samples re-examined.Also on Friday, former team fitness trainer Murray Stevenson testified that Woolmer told him he might retire because of the loss to Ireland and would delay his return to Pakistan until his disappointment faded.
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Cricket-Shoaib Malik retained as Pakistan captain

KARACHI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Shoaib Malik will retain the Pakistan captaincy until December 2008, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Friday.The 25-year-old all-rounder, who was appointed in April after Pakistan's poor showing at the World Cup, was granted a one-year extension by the PCB."Malik has shown enough promise to warrant more time as captain," PCB chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf told reporters."He has led the team well and all the players are comfortable with him."We are looking to have continuity in the captaincy as this is instrumental in the improvement of the team. Malik is young and learning and the perfect choice," he added.Malik, who is leading the team on its tour of India, has appeared in 20 tests and 147 one-day internationals for the national side.Ashraf said the vice-captain would be announced on a series- to-series basis. Younis Khan is the vice-captain for the Indian tour.Ashraf added that paceman Mohammad Asif might be sent to Australia for treatment on the elbow injury which forced him out of the Indian tour."We have two reports on his injury. One specialist says he requires surgery, another feels he can recover without surgery. We have sent his reports to a top specialist in Australia and we are awaiting his response," Ashraf added.Asif also missed four of the five one-day matches at home against South Africa last month and pulled out of the Indian tour on the day the team left for New Delhi

Cricket-India selectors draw flak over new captain's term

MUMBAI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - The appointment of Anil Kumble as India captain for only three tests is too short to serve as a proper stop-gap arrangement, former Indian players say.Kumble, 37, was chosen ahead of one-day and Twenty20 captain Mahendra Dhoni on Thursday and will skipper the side in the home series against Pakistan beginning later this month.India's highest test wicket-taker came into contention for the job after Sachin Tendulkar declined a third term as captain.Rahul Dravid quit as captain in September."A stop-gap arrangement is made for a specific reason. But I see no reason in naming Anil for just three tests," former test batsman and national coach Aunshuman Gaekwad told Reuters on Friday."The stop-gap move is appreciable as far as Dhoni is concerned, but not for Anil."Dhoni, 26, who led a young team to success in the Twenty20 World Cup, is widely acknowledged as the next generation leader.

However, many experts had warned that giving him the test captaincy would be too much, too soon. India face a tough test tour of Australia and host South Africa for a test series."They should have named him (Kumble) until the Australia tour at least. This move suggests they are not sure of what they are doing," Gaekwad added. Former chairman of selectors Kiran More also felt Kumble should have been given more time."Dhoni's an excellent captain, but he should play another year of test cricket before being handed the test reins," More told Reuters. "Given the situation, Anil was the best choice. He's experienced and hightly respected. But they should have named him for the next three series, which would have given the team surety and direction." (Reporting by Sanjay Rajan; Editing by Peter Rutherford) .

women's World Cup qualifiers in Pakistan postpones-ICC

KARACHI (AFP) — The women's cricket World Cup qualifying event -- due to be held in Pakistan later this month -- has been postponed due to security concerns, the game's governing body said Tuesday.The tournament was scheduled for November 19-25 in Lahore but has been shelved in the wake of the declaration by President Pervez Musharraf of a state of emergency Saturday."The decision was arrived at following independent security reports and extensive discussions by ICC (International Cricket Council) management and the ICC women's committee," a statement from the ICC said.A decision on where and when the tournament will be played will be taken in due course, the statement added.Eight teams -- Bermuda, Ireland, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, South Africa, and Zimbabwe were due to compete.The top two sides would qualify for the ICC Women's World Cup in Australia in 2009.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Nasim Ashraf said he was disappointed at the decision to postpone the event."We have advised the ICC we feel the event could have been staged as scheduled in two weeks' time in a safe and secure environment," said Ashraf."We remain more than capable of and committed to hosting international cricket and we look forward to welcoming teams to Pakistan in the future."


ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed also regretted the postponement of the event.
"We remain committed to international cricket being played in Pakistan but, sadly, events beyond the control of the ICC and the PCB have conspired against us on this occasion," Speed said."As recently as October 25, the ICC women's committee reaffirmed its commitment to staging the event, as scheduled, in Lahore."However, the heightened state of tension within the country over the past few days represents a change in circumstances that we have a duty to consider."Safety and security of all participants is a priority and on the basis of the independent advice we have received as well as the material concerns expressed by many of the participating countries we concluded it is not appropriate to stage the tournament at this time," said Speed.

Chappell says Dhoni not ready for test captaincy

Former India coach Greg Chappell believes Mahendra Singh Dhoni should gain another year's experience as captain in one-day and Twenty20 cricket before taking on the role at test level.Dhoni, 26, and Sachin Tendulkar are in the running to become the captain of India's test side when selectors meet later this week to name Rahul Dravid's successor.Dravid relinquished the post in September saying the captaincy brought him too much stress and that he wanted to focus on his batting."He (Dhoni) is doing his apprenticeship in the limited-over forms of the game. It won't be long before I think he is ready for (the captaincy of) all three," Chappell told Times Now news channel on Tuesday."Probably another 12 months or more I think before he is perhaps ready for all three of them."Dhoni, who led a young team to success in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, was appointed captain of the one-day team for 12 matches concluding with the ongoing five-match series against Pakistan.India play three tests against Pakistan at home starting later this month before touring Australia for a much-anticipated four-test series."A tour of Australia behind him will just finish him off nicely as a cricketer and as a potential leader," said Chappell, who quit as India coach after their first-round exit in the one-day World Cup in the Caribbean in March.Dhoni's leadership ability was lauded during the recent home series against Australia which the visitors won 4-2The wicketkeeper-batsman guided the side to a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first one-day international on Monday.However, Tendulkar is seen as a strong contender for a third term as test captain, which would mean an unprecedented two-captain policy in Indian cricket --- one for tests and the other for the shorter formats.Tendukar led India twice earlier without much success, winning just four of 25 tests before stepping down to concentrate on his batting.

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India beats Pakistan by five wickets

GAUHATI, India: Skipper Mahendra Dhoni's sparkling 63 spurred India to a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first limited-overs international Monday.Chasing Pakistan's 50-over total of 239 for seven, India reached 242 for five with 18 balls to spare after Dhoni put on a brisk 105-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Yuvraj Singh (58).Dhoni struck eight boundaries off 77 deliveries, while Yuvraj Singh's 74-ball knock contained six boundaries and one six.Indian opener Sachin Tendulkar equaled Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya's world record of playing in 403 one-day internationals, but was dismissed on four by pace ace Shoaib Akhtar.Akhtar also dismissed Dhoni to return figures for two for 50.
Opener Sourav Ganguly (39) and Gautam Gambhir (44) built the Indian innings through their 82-run stand for the second wicket. They departed in quick succession with Ganguly being run out and Gambhir's stump shattered by leg-spinner Shahid Afridi.Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh then smothered the Pakistan attack and put India on the victory course.

Earlier, Mohammad Yousuf's unbeaten 83 bolstered Pakistan after the home team's spinners kept the batsmen in check.Yousuf struck seven boundaries off 88 deliveries to boost Pakistan, which also saw opener Salman Butt return to form with a sparkling half-century.Butt dominated the Indian pace attack to post a 57-ball 50, which contained eight hits to the fence before be got run out during a mix up with Younis Khan.Trying to regain his crease after taking off for a sharp single, Butt was beaten by Yuvraj Singh's accurate thrown from short mid-off to wicketkeeper Dhoni.Electing to bat first after skipper Shoaib Malik won the toss, Pakistan lost opener Kamran Akmal (12) cheaply as he was trapped lbw by Irfan Pathan, but Butt's assertive knock boosted Pakistan's run-rate.Spinners Harbhajan Singh and Murali Kartik slowed down the scoring to bowl India back into the contest after Butt's departure.Trying to break the shackles imposed by the spinners, Younis (29) miscued a shot against Harbhajan Singh and holed out to Pathan on the long-on fence.Part-time spinner Tendulkar then dismissed Shahid Afridi (31) and Shoaib Malik (2), emerging as the most successful bowler for India.Yousuf's revival act saw him share a 68-run partnership for the sixth wicket from Misbah-ul-Haq, who contributed 27.

Cricket-ICC delegation to leave Pakistan after emergency

An International Cricket Council delegation, in Pakistan to look at the organisation of next year's Champions Trophy, has cut short its tour because of the imposition of a state of emergency.Delegation member Samiul Hasan told Reuters on Sunday the tour was being curtailed because of the political situation in Pakistan."We will return and complete the assessment tour later on," Hasan said.The delegation visited Lahore and Sheikhupura and was due to go to Rawalpindi and Karachi, all venues which will host the Champions Trophy practice and main matches.President Pervez Musharraf imposed a state of emergency in the country on Saturday suspending the constitution and restricting media activity.In recent years Pakistan has faced objections from visiting teams to playing at some venues because of security concerns. South Africa refused to play a one-day international in Karachi after a suicide bomber's explosion ripped through a rally of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, killing some 139 people on Oct 18.

Pakistan cricket team focussed on match

The Pakistan cricket team is unfazed by the sudden imposition of emergency rule back home saying that the team is all set for the first of the five one-day internationals (ODI) with India at the Nehru Stadium here Monday."We are here to play to cricket and are fully focused on the series. Cricket will go on as usual," team's media manager Ehsan Malik told reporters Sunday.The Pakistan team is upbeat with the 'Rawalpindi Express' Shoaib Akhtar back in the side."This is a good sign for Pakistan cricket with Shoaib back in the squad and we have a very balanced team," Pakistan team captain Shoaib Malik told a pre-match press conference here.The team had a long net practice session with players like Shahid Afridi, Mohammed Yusuf and Kamran Akmal having a long session with the bat."We are professionals and are used to playing in different conditions. It would be difficult for the bowlers taking the field first," said the captain on asked about the early start of the match Sunday.The match starts 8.30 am with a fair amount of due expected on the pitch and the outfield."We have a good bowling and batting attack and we shall decide on the best 11 players for the match after a team meeting later tonight," Malik said.

What links cricket and Bollywood

There are two things Indians are crazy about -- cricket and Bollywood.And when the two meet, fireworks are bound to happen. Just look at what followed after Om Shanti Om's Deepika Padukone cheered for the Indian cricket team at the recent Twenty-20 match against Australia held in Mumbai.Speculation was rife that she was there to cheer the captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Though Deepika claims to be just friends with the Indian captain, reports say the actress was invited by Dhoni after she asked him for a special Om Shanti Om preview.Whether there is any truth to that is debatable, but there is always been a strong romantic link between cricket and Bollywood. While some have 'run out' of steam, others are hoping to last at least half a century.