Cricket News Update

 Flintoff back training with Lancashire

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff returned to training with Lancashire here on Monday as his long awaited cricket comeback moved a step closer to reality. Flintoff has had two knee operations since helping England to victory in the final Test of last year’s Ashes series win over Australia and has yet to make it back onto the field. Flintoff though plans to return and fight for his England place in the limited-overs formats. “The next few weeks are about getting into some sort of shape to play,” Flintoff said. “I’ve not played for nine or ten months now. I’ve just got to get fit, get back on the field and take it from there.”

CA chases ICC votes for Howard

Cricket Australia (CA) officials are still lobbying to gain enough support to install John Howard as the ICC’s vice-president in Singapore over the next two days. The appointment of Howard is supposed to be a formality but it has become increasingly uncertain following complaints raised by Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Howard’s vice-presidency will be a key issue at the ICC’s executive board meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, which occurs before the elevation of India’s Sharad Pawar to the top job. James Sutherland, CA’s chief executive, and the chairman Jack Clarke are in Singapore for various talks this week and are attempting to secure the seven votes required for Howard to get the deputy’s role.

Umar Akmal demolishes Kent attack

Cricketer Umar Akmal continued his golden form when he hit a scintillating century to lift Pakistan on the opening day of their warm-up match against Kent at St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury.

The young master blaster, who opened Pakistan’s marathon tour of England with a match-winning fifty in a Twenty20 match against MCC at Lord’s on Sunday, was in full flow on his way to glorious 153 to take Pakistan to 360 in their first innings. Later, Kent played out a solitary Umar Gul over and were 2-0 at stumps.

On a day when most of his other teammates flopped with the bat, Umar was in his element hitting 17 fours and five sixers in his 188-ball knock that took him 266 minutes.

Pakistan lost their top six batters for just 180 before Umar dominated a 111-run stand for the seventh wicket with tail-ender Abdur Rehman (30). Umar Gul then hit an unbeaten 30 to take Pakistan to a respectable total. Other main run-getters for the tourists were Kamran Akmal (28), Shoaib Malik (27), Salman Butt (26) and Fawad Alam (20). Skipper Shahid Afridi fell for a duck.

Spinner Mark Lawson was the pick of the Kent bowlers, finishing with 4-93.

World's best ODI opening pair, ever!

Like dancing, in cricket - it takes two to tango. tangos after tangos, I mean partnerships after partnerships - batsman take their team to victory. without a tango/partner - no batsman can't singly win a cricket match for his team!

If a cricket team's best tango pair is at the top - the opening batsmen, even better.

Following is a story of greatest opening tango pair International cricket has so far witnessed. and I assure you - their record won't in breaking in coming 5 years at least!

Cast Sachin Tendulkar - Right hand mumbai maestro. Sourav Ganguly - Left hand Bangal tiger.

Team : India Innings : 176 (136 times opening) and counting! Total runs : 6609 Average : 49.32/innings when they open together. Century stands : 26 times over 100 and 29 times over 50 runs for the first wicket.

Note : 40 other times when Sachin-Sourav have batted together, but not as opening pair - aggregates 1668 runs. So, total runs made between these openers is 8277 with an average of almost 48!

Man of the match : 56 awards to Sachin Tendulkar (the most) and 31 for Sourav Ganguly (3rd most).

Highest : 258 (vs Kenya), 252 (vs SL), 244 (vs Namibia), 197 (vs Zimbabwe), 193 (vs South Africa), 175 (vs Australia).. thrice these two have won the match without being separated!

The first : time Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly opened for India, was at Bloemfontein - 23rd January 1997.. Sachin was himself the captain, and Ganguly was chosen as his partner because he batted lefthanded! Sachin made 0 that day-night match against South Africa, but Ganguly went on to impress with 40 off 64, and rest is history!

An adjustment : was made between Sachin-Sourav opening partnership cause Sourav Ganguly didn't believed in fast singles. Tendulkar did. Ganguly was guilty of eating up the over while in-form Tendulkar waited at the non-strikers end.. Thankfully, only 9 runouts have occurred between this best opening pair of one day International cricket.

The gift : of both Sachin & sourav was their hunger for centuries. 41 for Tendulkar & 22 for Ganguly proves that an opener must know how to carry his bat through the innings & not throw his wicket for half-centuries!

Rival opening pairs : Marvan Atapattu - Sanath Jayasuriya (5462 runs from 144 inns), Gorden Greenidge & Desmond Haynes (5206 runs from 144 inns), Mathew Hayden - Adam Gilchrist (5182 runs from 108 inns).

Sehwag factor : The right hander from Delhi forced his way into Openers slot for India, specially for his ability to smash boundaries during powerplays. Sometimes Sourav will move down the order, sometimes Sachin batted at number 3. In all, Sehwag opened 78 times with Tendulkar, 65 times with Sourav. Averaged 38 and 42 respectively.

Ganguly comeback : Greg Chappell (Team India coach from 2006 to 2007 world cup) believed that a captain should prove himself as a batsman or bowler. First - he enters the playing eleven, and then he captains the side.. Sourav Ganguly, was captaining Indian side very well, but his own batting form slumped! and that was when Chappell (and chief selector Kiran More) forced the Bengal lefthander out of the team.. 2 centuries in Ranji trophy & few struggling tours - Sourav made one of the most remarkable comebacks in history of International cricket!

Expecting many more : Don't expect them to field, but expect few cheeky wickets when they bowl.. and while batting - Team India oppositions better separate this asap!

Source:. itsonlycricket.com