No regrets for DADA

Retiring veteran Sourav Ganguly made it clear that he does not regret quitting the game after the Australia series even though runs continue to flow from his blade but was rather ambiguous about a possible comeback, saying "we'll cross the bridge when we come to it." Ganguly's 16th Test century, although laboured, proved he has not lost his appetite for runs and the left-hander said it was hugely satisfying coming against the world number one team.

But he said it would not have any effect on his decision to retire after the series. "No, it's the right decision and I don't have any regrets," Ganguly said when asked if it made him feel bad that he was leaving the scene despite some cricket still left in him.

Asked why he was retiring when he still is good enough to continue, Ganguly said, "I don't want to play anymore. I have been playing well for the last two years, except that series in Sri Lanka. I feel time has come for me to go." It was when asked about possibility of coming out from retirement that Ganguly was little ambiguous.

"We'll cross the bridge when it comes. As it stands, I'm retiring after this series," he said. The former India captain also said that he was not a victim of any circumstances. "No, it was my personal decision," he said.

BCCI's income crosses Rs 1000 crores

The Cricket Board's income has increased manifold in 2007-08 and crossed Rs 1000.41 crore, as compared to Rs 651.81 crore in 2006-07, leading to a surpluse of Rs 303.15 crore, according to the report submitted at its 79th AGM by treasurer for the period under consideration, N Srinivasan. The major chunk contributing to the massive increase of Rs 348 crore in its revenue, amounting to Rs 559 crore, has come from the sale of media rights, an upward movement of Rs 245 crore. It was Rs 313 crore in the previous year.

Surplus from tours brought in Rs 226 crore, an increase of Rs 12 crore, interest income Rs 76 crore (increased by Rs 25 crore) and others Rs 138 crore (increased by Rs 65 crore, Srinivasan said in his report. In two years the BCCI's income has more than doubled, the inflow being Rs 430 crore in 2005-06, and the increase in income from last year represented a growth of 46 per cent.

From the cash bonanza earned by the BCCI, it distributed Rs 66 crore (Rs 43 crore in '06-07) to the international players and an equal amount to domestic cricketers. Rupees 31 and Rs 26 crore respectively were distributed to the international and domestic cricketers in 2005-06 and 2004-05, the treasurer's report said. TV subventions to state associations increased to Rs 371.89 crore in 2007-08 as compared to Rs 211.53 crore in 2006-07. The associatiions would also earn IPL subvention of Rs 203 crore constituting 70 per cent of the franchise fees for 2008-09.

The BCCI's contribution towards infrastructure development of its affiliated units over the last three years was Rs 157 crore while Rs 15 crore was the annual outgo under its Platinum Jubilee Benevolent Scheme (Monthly gratis) covering 860 players/umpires (international and domestic), the report said. The monthly gratis scheme includes the benefits to widows of Test cricketers and Test umpires and women Test cricketers have been included under this scheme from this August.

Despite earning over 1000 crore, the BCCI has pegged the budgeted income for 2008-09 at Rs 878.84 crore and the budgeted expenditure has been projected as Rs 642.48 crore, for a projected surplus of Rs 236.36 crore.

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First Bilateral Series Win

India recorded their first bilateral series win against Sri Lanka on Sri Lankan soil when they wrapped up the five-match series with a game to go at the R. Premadasa Stadium here on Wednesday. The Indians set the Sri Lankans a target of 259 in 50 overs and won by 46 runs as the hosts were bowled out for 212 with 21 balls to spare.

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene lost his fourth straight toss in the series and the sixth consecutive in the tour and was forced to take the field. Mahela Jayawardene, who had become the first Sri Lankan captain to lose a home series to England last year, added a first ever series defeat to India at home too to his resume after the tourists took a 3-1 lead.

It was a great win by the young Indian side, especially in the context that they had lost two of their key player, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag, due to injury and after losing the first ODI by eight wickets, they fought back remarkably to inflict an embarrassing defeat on their neighbours.

The Indian total was possible thanks to half-centuries by Suresh Raina (76) and M.S. Dhoni (71), who fought hard to give the tourists a total above 250. They added 143 runs for the fourth wicket in 141 balls and narrowly missed the record for that wicket in matches between Sri Lanka and India that's held by Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh, who had added an unbroken 145 run stand last year in Vishakapatnam.

The Sri Lankans did well to fight back claiming the last seven wicket for 34 runs, but Dhoni and Raina had done enough to help their side for a series win. Left-arm seamer Chaminda Vaas became the fourth bowler in the history of the game to claim 400 ODI wickets after Wasim Akram, Muttiah Muralitharan and Waqar Younis. But that was scant consolation for the World Cup finalists, whose one-day form has clearly become a concern.

Michael Phelps Dominates Olympics 2008

He's done it again. Another gold and another world record. Michael Phelps' gold medal hunt in Beijing ends as the swimming superstar leaves the Water Cube eight golds heavier, breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in one Olympics.

Phelps already made history by matching Spitz's seven golds -- a feat previously achieved only once in the 112-year history of the modern Olympic Games -- and earning a $1 million bonus from Speedo for doing it. Now he's one-upped Spitz's record count, cementing his place as one of the best athletes of all time.

Superman. Magical. The King. The Dolphin. The Fish. The Phenomenon. These are just some of the words being used to describe the face of the XXIX Summer Olympics in Beijing, Michael Phelps. 08-08-08 marked the beginning of the Beijing Olympics, and it will forever be remembered as Phelps' lucky number.

Phelps won six golds in Athens four years ago, bringing his current career golds to the whopping number of 14. As if winning gold medals wasn't impressive enough, Phelps broke the world record in seven of the eight events he swam in Beijing, four of which he previously held.

Dhoni deserves to be Khel Ratna

Hailing Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the "backbone of Indian cricket", chairman of the Arjuna Award selection committee Milkha Singh said the ODI and Twenty20 captain is a deserving receipent of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

Dhoni was on Monday conferred with the award, making him only the second cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to be bestowed the country's highest sporting honour.

"From my side I tried my best and gave the award to whoever deserved. Four or five candidates were in contention for the award but Dhoni was the best among the lot. The whole country wanted Dhoni to get the award," Milkha Singh said last night on the sidelines of a book release function. The 'Flying Sikh' also said the decision to confer the award to Dhoni was taken unanimously by the selection committee.

"He has done tremendously well after coming to the national team. He is the backbone of Indian cricket. The decision to give Dhoni the award has been taken with full support of all members in the selection committee," he stated. Milkha Singh also brushed aside reports that Indian ODI skipper's application was received late by the Sports Ministry. "The Sports Ministry has told me that they have received Dhoni's application before the deadline of July 27, but due to some internal hazards they were not able to trace the application. However, they later extended the deadline by a day or two," he said.

Superb Murray wins Masters title

Murray repeated his defeat of the Serb at last week's Toronto Masters, beating his fellow 21-year-old 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5) in two hours and 23 minutes. The win will see Murray ranked at a career high six in the world on Monday. Djokovic enjoyed a fantastic win over world number one in waiting Rafael Nadal in the semis and went into the final with a 4-1 record against Murray.

But that solitary win for the Scot came only nine days ago and was evidence of the significant leap he has made in recent months. It was the Briton who started the better and he cranked up the pressure in game five, forcing a break point, before earning another chance two games later. The Serb held him off but as the set progressed it seemed a matter of when, rather than if, Murray would force the break, all the while holding his own serve with ease.

Despite not being taken past 30 on serve the Scot still required a tie-break but he remained ice cool, breaking immediately and consolidating with a huge ace. A couple of wild Djokovic forehand errors saw Murray reach the changeover at 5-1 and he wrapped up a commanding set when the Serb sent a backhand long. Murray finally let his level slip at 1-1 in the second set and, after two crunching forehand winners saw off the immediate danger, he went long with a backhand on the third break point to hand Djokovic the lead.

It did not last long. The Australian Open champion double-faulted on the first point of the following game and immediately handed back the break, looking suitably disgusted with himself. Murray stepped up a gear in game eight, moving to break point with a forehand winner and taking it when Djokovic netted a smash after some breathtaking scrambling from the Scot. But with the title in his sights, Murray played his first edgy game of the day, throwing in two double-faults and missing four match points before Djokovic broke back.

It could have been a shattering blow for the Briton but he held on as the confidence flowed through Djokovic and managed to force a second tie-break. Murray led 4-2 at the changeover after Djokovic double-faulted but was pegged back to 4-4, at which point the Scot won an epic rally with a fizzing backhand winner. He finally earned a fifth match point with following another Djokovic double-fault but failed to make a return. The sixth chance to seal victory came on his own serve and, finally, Murray secured a landmark win with a thumping volley.

Australia No.1 Again

Australia have retained top spot in the International Cricket Council's (ICC) one-day international (ODI) rankings, published on Thursday. Ricky Ponting's side are ranked two points clear of nearest challengers South Africa, with the only change seeing England swap places with Sri Lanka. In August, England host South Africa, India play in Sri Lanka, Pakistan are due to welcome New Zealand and Australia entertain Bangladesh in one-day series.

ODI rankings: Rating

1: Australia 130

2: South Africa 128

3: New Zealand 116

4: India 112

5: Pakistan 110

6: England 106

7: Sri Lanka 106

8: West Indies 95

9: Bangladesh 46

10: Ireland 18

11: Zimbabwe 16

12: Kenya 0

The rankings are based on results in the past two years.

Sehwag hits TON

Opener Virender Sehwag's 15th test century steered India to 214 for four at the close of the first day of the second test against Sri Lanka on Thursday. The visitors made a flying start as they reached lunch on 151 for nought but Sri Lanka fought back well late in the day after rain had washed out the afternoon session. Spinner Ajantha Mendis and seamer Chaminda Vaas claimed two wickets apiece as India lost four for 11 at one stage. Sehwag finished unbeaten on 128 with VVS Laxman 13 not out.

Sehwag's explosive innings, spanning 122 deliveries and including 19 fours and two sixes, was ably supported by 56 from Gautam Gambhir. The pair put on 167 for the first wicket after India won the toss. The new-ball bowlers, particularly Nuwan Kulasekara, frequently beat the bat but were unable to capitalise fully on the early moisture in the pitch. Mendis pinned Gambhir lbw and had Rahul Dravid brilliantly caught for two at bat-pad by Malinda Warnapura. Vaas trapped Sachin Tendulkar lbw for five with an inswinger before SauravGanguly went for a duck when he edged Vaas low to Prasanna Jayawardene.

Sri Lanka are 1-0 up in the three-match series.

Cricket

Well, Indian Cricket is going through a tuff phase. It is suffering from lack of good, efficient fast bowlers. We can easily count the number of good fast bowlers India had for the past 30 years. In the recent times, the only good bowler India had was Javagal Srinath and he too retired five years back. Still India is searching for an effiecient fast bowler.

Though many young bowlers got a chance to play for India, they didnot prove to be efficient. Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, L.Balaji, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, R.P.Singh, V.R.V.Singh, Munaf Patel are some of the fast bowlers trying to make it to the Indian team. But they find it difficult to do it because of inefficiency. Indian Premier League(IPL) brought many young players to light and they proved to be promising. Some of them are Manpreet Gony, Ashok Dinda, Yomahesh, Praveen Kumar, Sidharth Trivedi and Ishant Sharma.

Though these players seem to be promising, they dont have enough experience to handle pressure. The only current fast bowler who bowls efficiently and with consistent speed is Ishant Sharma but he is overburdened much and hence he is also not able to perform much. The scenario has to be changed. With three coaches for Indian Cricket team, it is still a wondering factor that why there is lack in efficiency. BCCI should take some serious steps to handle this issue. Otherwise there will be no permanent solution to this issue….

Referral System

India skipper Anil Kumble today became the first cricketer in the history of the game to go for the review of an on-field umpire's decision when Mark Benson turned down a leg-before appeal against Malinda Warnapura off Harbhajan Singh. Kumble, using the right under new umpire referral system, sought the opinion of the third umpire, who upheld the decision of Benson. Warnapura, who struck his second Test century, was on 86 when Harbhajan made a confident leg before appeal. South African television umpire Rudi Koertzen after scrutinising the replay went with Benson's ruling. This was for the first time that a decision other than stumping and run out was made with the help of the third umpire. The International Cricket Council (ICC) introduced the referral system on an experimental basis for this Test series. A batsman or fielding captain can now request a review of any decision by referring it to the third official monitoring television replays.

Team India in Colombo

Indian cricket team, led by Anil Kumble, arrived to play a three-Test series against Sri Lanka starting July 23. One-day and Twenty20 team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has opted out of this series, citing fatigue caused by non-stop cricket. The Indians will start their campaign with a three-day practice match against Sri Lanka Board XI from Friday. They play their first Test in Colombo from July 23. The Test series would be followed by a five-match ODI series. India has won only one of the four Test series they have played in Sri Lanka since 1985. Their previous tour in 2001 ended in a 2-1 defeat.
The Sri Lankan fans are eagerly waiting to witness Indian cricket maestro Sachin Tendulker reach yet another historic landmark by breaking West Indies Brian Lara’s record of maximum Test runs. He needs 172 runs to overhaul retired Lara’s record of 11,953 runs in Tests. At present, the 35-year old Tendulkar, playing his 20th international season, is on 11,782. Tendulkar, who made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1989, has so far played in 147 Tests, scoring 39 centuries and 49 half-centuries, averaging 55.31. Lara, who retired at the end of 2006, made 34 centuries and 48 half-centuries in 131 Tests, for an average of 52.88.

IPL breaches Rule

In disclosing the name of Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Asif as the player who had tested positive during the recent edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the IPL or the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) did not breach the confidentiality clause of the World Anti-Doping Code.

The IPL did, however, violate its own anti-doping code in naming the player.

A report from Karachi, quoting a Pakistani official, had stated on Monday that the IPL had made a deviation from the WADA Code in publicly disclosing Asif’s name before his ‘B’ sample was tested.